#took these awhile ago and never got around to posting

[tag-of-light]

The leader and his favourite hunter | Fierce on the battlefield, smitten with each other, and doting parents to their children. A'dyalani taught Zara to use a bow, dreaming of the day she'd surpass her as a hunter, while A'vheo took Zeke under his wing, preparing him to one day lead the clan. Oh, how proud they'd be if they could see where their children would end up.

[lxkeee]

MY LOVE, IS MINE ALL MINE PART THREE

pairing: Lucifer x fem! reader

fandom: hazbin hotel

genre: fanfiction

notes: Imaoo sorry it took awhileee I'm actually a very busy college student while simultaneously having so much brainrot for this man so... Be patient omfg, I just posted part one a two days ago also, don't mind the warnings too much as it doesn't specifically for this specific chapter but it can be future parts of the story. So yes, hand holding before marriage will happen between Lucifer and [y/n]

warnings: none except hand holding before marriage Imao.

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART FOUR

Lucifer paced back and forth in his room, worried. Walking around the large master's bedroom, passing by many piles of rubber ducks he made.

“She should be back by now.” Lucifer murmured to himself, sighing.

His eyes landed on to the framed pictures decorating his walls.

He prayed that Charlie met [y/n] up there, the one angel he trusts. Though, it has been eons since he's last seen her, he wonders if [y/n] changed after all these years, especially after he had fallen from grace.

Did she hate him? Did she miss him like how he misses her?

As he sat on his arm chair, a gold sealed white envelope manifested on top of the coffee table in front of him, pink glittery smoke surrounding the letter.

“...What the...?” Lucifer murmurs, hesitant and cautious, eyeing the envelope. What if it's a trap?

Suddenly his phone buzzed, he immediately checked it to see it was a text message from Charlie.

“I just left a letter on your table, it's from someone you know. I'll tell you everything that happened in heaven but I'll rest for a bit. Love you dad!”

Lucifer smiled though a tad bit worried, he can tell that the meeting didn't go as his daughter hoped. He can only give her time.

Lucifer then now turned his eyes back on the neat envelope, sparkling a little. He turned the letter around to see it was specifically addressed to him, written in an oh so familiar handwriting to him. Unknowingly, just by seeing the handwriting was enough for his eyes to tear up a little.

“[y/n]....” He murmurs, finally opening the letter. Using his sharp nails to scrape off the wax without breaking it or tearing the envelope. Taking out the carefully folded light yellow paper, unfolding it to reveal her letter to him.

My Dearest Lucifer

His cheeks flushed slightly, with a comma after dearest. My Dearest, Lucifer

“Oh [y/n], this will keep me up at night.” Lucifer murmurs with a small dorky smile on his face, his sharp teeth shining against the light, eyes watering.

My Dearest, Lucifer

       It has been awhile hasn't it? A couple of eons since we've last seen each other. You have no idea how excited I was when I heard your daughter would be coming here in hell. I made sure to write a letter in advance a day before her arrival. I have a lot to tell you, first and foremost, I truly missed you. You sly man, you really got married without inviting me. How's your time down there? I hope hell is treating you right, I really hope I'll get a chance to see you again. I hope we'll get a proper chance to talk, I want to personally hear you how you've been doing. I hope you'll get the chance to see the good of humans after giving them free will, I promise to find a way for you to leave and visit earth. I am running out of paper to right on but I promise to help your daughter up here and lastly, I want you to remember that I adore you always.

“Sincerely yours, [y/n] [l/n]” Lucifer softly reads out, voice shaking. It felt like he could hear her as he read the letter. The same kind [y/n] who always believed in him. His heart swells knowing that she's still trying to help in any way she can despite their distance. She never stopped believing in him despite him leaving without notice (not that he had the chance to).

“If only you knew how much I adore you too, [y/n]...” Lucifer murmurs softly, his finger tracing the outline of the paper ever so gently.

“I want to see you again, I have so many things to say to you... So many unsaid words I wanted to say... I wanted to tell you that I love...” Lucifer's eyes widened ever so slightly, cheeks turning red. He knows he loves her and he still does but he also loves his ex-wife, Lilith. Does he? Or is he just holding into something that no longer exists as it was something he had for a long time and now it's gone?

Everything in his life changed, Lilith's love for him changed, he changed.

Despite all of this, [y/n] remained unchanging inside his heart. Sure, Lilith held the majority of his heart but now? He is not sure but he is 100% sure [y/n] never left, he still has affections for the angel.

How can he not? She's the only one who believed in him when he was up in heaven? She comforted him whenever the elders said hurtful things to his ideas.

But now...

Her letter gave him a sense of hope that his decision of giving mankind free will might not be useless after all.

Lucifer closes the letter, gently folding it back on how it was folded before he opened it. Bringing the piece of paper to his nose, smelling the faint scent of her perfume. It brought back memories of his time with her in heaven.

“I'll ask Charlie about what happened up there later but for now, I'll take a moment to process this.” He says with a small sigh. Slipping the folded paper back into the envelope.

Lucifer sighs as he gently places the envelope back on his table, walking to his balcony. Eyes staring up into the smoky red skies of hell, devoid of any moon and stars.

He used to stargaze with her when he was still in heaven.

[y/n] was his moon, who shines during his darkest days.

Waving his finger in the air, specks of golden dust flickers out of his fingers. Forming a crescent moon.

Lucifer leans into the railings, eyes staring at the faux moon he created.

“Moon, tell me if I could...” Lucifer softly sang, eyes tired but hopeful. “Send up my heart to you...?” he asked softly, unfortunately no one answered.

A bit of a timeskip....

It has been a few months since Charlie's visit here in heaven and the next extermination is getting closer by the day. Emily and I are still trying to look for ways to help Charlie.

Sera adores Emily, I am sure that she wouldn't get punished. I on the other hand, Sera has been keeping a close eye on me. Criticizing me. Lute being tasked to watch my every move.

“Sera, this is utterly ridiculous! We should give those poor souls a second chance.” [Y/n] says, clenching her fists as she looked at Sera who was sitting on her chair inside the Seraphim office.

“That is enough, [y/n]. You keep this up and you'll end up fallen like Lucifer.” Sera said sternly, eyes glaring at the [y/n]. “You barely managed to escape that fate before, you could've fallen the same time as Lucifer but thankfully your actions weren't as severe as his.”

[y/n] slammed her fists against the table, angel eyes appearing on her wings with fury, “We aren't God, Sera! Who gave you the right to judge those sinners and claim they don't deserve a second chance?” she exclaimed.

Sera stood up from her seat, anger evident on her face. “Don't you dare raise your voice at me! You're on thin ice, [y/n]!”

[y/n] rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over chest, “What are you going to do? Huh? Kick me out of heaven?”

Sera's glare sharpened, patience running thin. “Keep that attitude up and you just might.”

“Lucifer doesn't deserve this treatment! You cursed him to not see the good of people! You cursed the people who have a chance to redeem themselves by taking their life! How does it feel that so much blood is spilled because of your decision?!” [y/n] asked angrily, tears running down her cheeks.

“We have our own souls to protect! This decision wasn't easy to make!” Sera remarked angrily, her wings spread out intimidatingly.

“Protect them from what?! As far as I know, it's only us angels who are a threat to them? If they do something that doesn't fit your standards or the elder's standards they are bound to fall from grace!” [y/n] says mockingly, rage and annoyance evident on both women's eyes.

“That's it, you've crossed the line!”

“You don't want to admit that I am right, angels are such selfish, greedy, and filthy creatures. I cannot believe I am associated with beings whose hands are stained with blood.”

You know, falling doesn't seem so bad.

Strong and harsh winds are blowing against my back, thankfully I still have my wings. It is currently useless, unfortunately. I don't have the energy to flap them to save myself from the approaching pain.

After that argument with Sera, the higher seraphim thought I was already way out of line and disrespectful. I was placed on trial, handcuffed with the type of handcuffs that prevents me from using my angelic powers while it simultaneously sucked the energy out of me.

I was deemed guilty, shameful, and ungrateful and a threat to the order of heaven.

Tossed out of the pearly gates of heaven by none other than Adam, that asshole really grabbed me by the hair.

[y/n] sighs softly, vision blurring. Trying to focus it as she falls from grace. The skies looked so beautiful.

Lucifer would've loved these skies, we've stargazed during the night before. When he was still in heaven with me.

Lucifer, I can see Ursa Major tonight. Someday, I'll bring you back here on the surface and stargaze like we've always do. No matter how many stars are in the sky, you always take my attention. You're like my star, you shine so bright and so pure.

I'll join you in the pits of hell, I hope you didn't forget about me.

I should be happy that I'm finally leaving that god awful place.

Why am I so scared of falling to my demise?

For a moment, I can see a glimpse of how Lucifer felt when he fell from grace.

Terrifying.

[Y/n] closes her eyes as she finally goes past the Earth's crust. Ichor flowing out of her hands from the handcuffs she had to wear.

“I am not allowed to die, I still need to see him.” [y/n] murmurs before eventually crashing into the fiery grounds of hell, she fortunately crashed somewhere where there weren't any people, a wide space of nothing but dead trees, a hotel can be seen in the distance.

Pain, pain shot everywhere her body. She let out a sharp scream of pure pain. Blood spilled everywhere before she eventually passed out.

It didn't matter, the pain didn't matter. She's here now. She'll look for him or Charlie.

She doesn't know Charlie would find her first.

END NOTES: YUHHH THEY'LL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN IN THE NEXT UPDATEE

TAGLIST:

@n1chxyaaenthusiast @cherry-4200 @luleck @adaizel @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @thedarkkitten @selvyyr @froggybich @brithedemonspawn @kottenox @totallymitya (I can't tag you </3) @many-fandoms-lover

[virescent-v]

Appetizer

Summary: This is a shitty combination of two prompts I've had sitting in my inbox for awhile now. "Take your top off and open another bottle of wine for mommy" from Paget during a Drunk History episode and one where Emily teases reader in public. A/N: Idk how I feel about this one besties. The idea took hold and then this happened. If it's bad, I blame it on the fact that I haven't written/posted anything in months...and also my adhd running rampant during this writing session. But it did feel good to get words on a doc and to send it out to the internet void. Enjoy!

Warnings: It's smut! (Surprise, surprise! lol). If there are any typos, don't tell me Word count: 2.3k

When Emily cornered you in your bedroom before leaving for the restaurant, pressing your back against your vanity, you thought she was just going to kiss you senseless, leave you breathless, a taste of what’s to come later when you got back home. 

What you didn’t expect was for her to be kissing up your neck, whispering all the things she wants to do to you, as her fingers found their way up under your tight, little, skirt. 

With your head tilted back, each choking breath stuttering from your mouth, you tried to speak, to tell Emily you were going to be late to your reservation, but it didn’t seem like she was bothered by that fact. 

“I want to try something tonight, love,” she whispered against the shell of your ear. You weren’t even sure you could speak with how much she had already gotten you worked up, so you simply, albeit shakily, nodded. 

Emily pulled back from you, a wicked smirk plastered on her face. She reached around you to an unremarkable box on your vanity that you had missed earlier. Slowly, she pulled the lid off, each second seemingly passing with each breath you took. 

When the lid finally popped off, Emily glanced up at you, now a little more cautious than she was a few moments ago. Peeking inside, you could see a dark purple bullet vibrator nestled inside a cocoon of velvet. 

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Emily hesitated, her eyes on the toy. Running her finger lightly over the smooth, silky-like silicon, she whispered, “I want you to wear this. To dinner. It comes with a remote for me to control. We’ve never talked about doing something like this, so you have every right to say no.” 

Her eyes met yours. In them, you could see her want for this, but more importantly, her want for you to feel comfortable with doing something like this. Emily usually took lead with things like this, but you were always the one actually in charge. 

Leaning in, you kissed her slowly, pouring every ounce of want and love into it. Leaning back, you took a deep breath. “I want to. I trust you, Em. I know you’ll stop if I need or want to and you’d never put me, or us, in any harmful situation.” 

Emily released the breath she seemed to be holding, a smile spreading across her mouth. “You’re right. Now, panties off, angel.” 

*** 

Maybe this had been a bad idea. 

You were barely able to string together sentences to answer the questions that the waiter kept asking you in regards to your food and order. You were pretty sure that your cheeks had been flushed since you entered the building. 

Emily was a master at playing with you -  with playing with the remote that was nestled in her pocket. She’d turn the settings to different vibrational patterns, watching as your breathing would match the pace that the toy set inside you. She paid close attention to the way the faster settings would have you gripping the edge of the table, the way the pulsating settings made you squirm in your seat. A combination of both would have you biting your lip in hopes of stifling the moans that wanted to escape. 

You didn’t know what was hotter; the way you could feel yourself getting wetter and wetter with each quiver of the toy inside you, or the way Emily leaned back in her seat, enjoying the view of you trying to hold yourself together. 

Being so skilled at reading your body language, Emily knew exactly when you were reaching the precipice, ready to topple over the edge right there at the table. 

The problem, however, is that she wouldn’t let you. 

Worse, you couldn't even ask for her to let you cum. Every time you tried, your voice got strangled in your throat, caught between a moan and a curse that you had to swallow so as to not make your situation…obvious to the other patrons at the restaurant. 

Thankfully, when your food finally arrived, Emily took pity on you and turned the vibrator completely off. 

“How are you doing, pretty girl?” 

You almost wanted to roll your eyes. Almost. “You know exactly how I’m doing, Em.” 

Emily chuckled. “I sure do, but I enjoy hearing you say it anyways.” 

You were starting to feel a little…bratty… from the fact that you hadn’t been able to cum yet and the fact that you weren’t even sure when you would be allowed to. 

But two could play this game. 

With an almost bored, casual tone, you picked at your nails as you said, “I’m so wet, I’m not entirely sure it hasn’t gone through my dress yet. I love the feel of the toy inside me, but I wish it was your fingers or your strap instead.” 

You watched as Emily blinked a few times, her mouth agape, not anticipating you responding like that. You knew how much she loved it when you talked dirty, but she didn’t expect you to say it like that, nor in such a public place. 

She cleared her throat as you took slight pleasure in the fact that you had her flustered for once this evening. “Mind your words, princess. I can edge you even after we get home,” she said, her eyebrow raised. 

Part of you wanted to push back, lean into the bratty headspace you could feel yourself drifting into. But you knew Emily and that tone of voice. She wasn’t kidding. One time, she edged you for hours and still didn’t let you cum. Then proceeded to not let you cum for days. You didn’t want a repeat of that experience. 

“Yes, ma’am,” you mock saluted. 

Emily just smiled, amused at your antics, and continued to eat. 

You weren’t sure what to make of it; you expected her to fire back with some other quick-witted, snarky, sexy response. It kind of tilted you off axis, not sure of what happened. 

You decided to ignore it, picking up your fork to continue eating. However, once the food was on your fork and halfway to your mouth, Emily turned the vibrator on to its highest setting. The surprise vibrations sent your fork clunking back onto the table, drawing the gaze of a few other patrons. 

“Emily,” you hissed under your breath, your jaw clenched, as you tried to gesture an apology to the people sitting near you. 

Another smirk graced her pretty face. “Hurry up and finish eating, love. I want to enjoy dessert at home,” she said with a wink. 

*** 

You weren’t sure you were walking straight. Every few steps Emily would change the vibration pattern and it would cause your knees to buckle. If you stopped to regain your balance, or to breathe through the pleasure, Emily would turn the vibrator off completely. Even though they were absolutely ruined, you were thankful for your lace panties. Otherwise, you’re not sure the toy would even still be inside you with how wet you were. 

Reaching the door, you fumbled with your keys, struggling to find the right one, and struggling further to get it in the slot to turn the lock. 

You heard Emily chuckling lowly behind you. 

Finally getting the door open, you rushed inside, throwing your stuff on the small table by the door and kicking your shoes off. 

Turning around as Emily shut the door behind her, you went to pull her towards you, but she put her hand up. 

“I meant it when I said I wanted dessert at home, love,” she said, grabbing your hand and pulling you into the kitchen. 

You wanted to whine. You wanted to scream. You were so pent up you didn’t think you were going to be able to last another minute, let alone however long it took for Emily to eat whatever dessert she had in mind. 

You kept your mouth shut, figuring it was better to play along with her plan than to cause more issues for yourself later. 

Walking to the fridge, Emily pulled out a small cheesecake that you hadn’t known about. She grabbed plates and cutlery, serving you both small slices. Before you could start on yours, Emily’s hand went up again stopping you. “Uh uh, wait a second. Do me a favor and take your shirt off and open up a bottle of wine for mommy,” she smirked, licking her fork of the smooth dessert. 

You gulped, walking over to the wine fridge and pulling out a wine you knew went well with desserts. You pulled the glasses down, pouring a healthy amount into each. Before turning around, you slowly unbuttoned your blouse before sliding it off of your shoulders. You unhooked your bra and let that fall to the floor as well. Grabbing the wine glasses, you turned around, watching as Emily looked you up and down. 

You sauntered up to her, placing the glasses on the table. You waited until she looked up at you from her chair before you slowly unzipped your skirt, letting gravity take it to the ground. You watched as Emily’s hands flexed as if she wanted to reach out to you, but she managed to refrain. She licked her lips before looking back up at you. 

Pushing her legs together, you straddled her lap. As you sat down fully, you sharply inhaled as your laced covered cunt made contact with Emily’s dress pants. The urge to grind down, to feel the friction where you needed it most, overtook you. 

You got a few good rolls of your hips in before Emily’s hands shot out to your body, grabbing harshly at your waist. Even the bruising pressure of her fingers on your skin was turning you on further, a desperate mewl escaping your lips. 

“Such a desperate whore for me, hm? Couldn’t even wait until I finished my cheesecake.” 

You pulled your lip between your teeth, struggling in Emily’s grasp to move your hips. You were tired of playing her game, not even bothering to disagree with her. “I need to cum, please, Em,” you begged, your beautiful eyes trying their hardest to convince her. 

“Fine, if you want to be so needy, you can cum. But I’m not going to touch you.” 

Your eyes blew wide, watching as Emily pulled the remote back out of her pocket immediately pressing buttons to turn on one of the fastest, pulsating modes. 

Your hands shot out to her shoulders, your head falling back as a nearly obscene moan tumbled from your mouth. “Fuck.” Your hips started to move once more, the friction of the lace against your swollen clit hitting just right. 

“Go ahead, baby. Get yourself off on my lap.” Ignoring what she said moments earlier, unable to resist how tantalizing you looked, Emily’s hands started moving around your body, her fingers trailing over your sweat-slicked skin. They grabbed at your hips, forcing you down, making you grind faster before gripping your ass. She trailed them up, caressing the soft skin of your belly, trailing up to your heaving breasts, fondling your stiff peaks. Her hands never stayed in one spot long, as if she couldn’t decide where she wanted to touch you, as if she wished she had more than two hands. 

“Fuck, look at you. Riding me so well.” Emily brought her lips to your neck. “You look so pretty like this, flushed and needy and mine.” 

You couldn’t stop the moans from escaping. Each grind down - and back and forth - of your hips had your pussy clenching harder around the toy. With each movement of your body, you could feel yourself getting wetter and wetter, if it was even possible. You could smell your arousal, so strong from hours of Emily teasing you.

The toy felt so good inside of you, each buzz and pulse sent tingles through your body and down your spine, each vibration igniting a fire deep within your belly. 

You could quickly feel yourself getting close, the constant edging doing most of the work for you. It likely wouldn’t be your best orgasm - you meant it when you said you’d rather have her fingers or her cock - but something, at this point, was better than nothing. 

“Come on, baby. Come all over my lap so I can take you upstairs and clean you up with my mouth.” 

The vision of Emily between your legs, thighs wrapped around her face, with her tongue licking at your drenched cunt was enough to send you over the edge, Emily’s name repetitively falling from your lips like a broken prayer. 

As you came down, Emily stroked your hair away from your face, peppering small kisses over any part of you that she could reach. She kept whispering affirmations, things you’d heard a thousand times, but would hear a million more. 

You don’t know what you did to deserve a love as grand as Emily Prentiss, but you weren’t going to question it. 

Pulling back from you, Emily looked at you with all the love in the world. “How does a bath sound?” 

You tilted your head a bit, raising your eyebrow at her. “What happened to you cleaning me up with your tongue?” 

Tapping your hip lightly, signaling for you to get up off of her lap, Emily snickered lightly. “You have until I get upstairs to be naked and on your hands and knees, pretty girl.” 

You kissed her lightly on the cheek, a mischievous grin on your face, before racing up the stairs. 

“Oh! And leave the toy in!” She called after you. 

She heard a faint moan - or was it a groan? - echo down the stairs, an almost evil smirk breaking out across her face. 

Looks like that orgasm was just the appetizer of the evening. 

[eph3merall]

toxic!ex!matt + a sprinkle of mean!matt . . .

cw ; slapping

—

matt is a... nice person. you know this, he knows this. he doesn't get mad too easily, keeping his calm almost all the time when anyone ticks him off. at least, that's what you thought. it never occurred to you how toxic the man was, leaving him after finding girls' contacts on his phone and some of the toxic shit he's done.

but, it always confused you how matt never seemed to care when you officially announced to him you two were done. it was like he just didn't care at all, after it took you so long to muster up the courage to even confront him about it. matt was shrugging and chewing on the toothpick in his mouth, as you huff in frustration and throw a few more curses in his direction.

you eventually got all your stuff and ended up crashing at your friends' house for a little. she was happy to have you anyways, not having seen eachother in awhile as you talked to her for hours about everything. in the end, she wasn't surprised that matt was a douche bag. maybe you aren't exactly surprised either—but he was a good boyfriend... kind of. but, if everything else wasn't good with him, the sex definitely was.

maybe it's why you find yourself outside matt's door. you're upset. pissed off and annoyed. matt always knew how to calm that storm down, and maybe you just needed him without realizing. your first instinct was to just go to him, yet you weren't even sure why. he was an asshole in the relationship.

when you find yourself in his room, matt is rolling his eyes when you start rambling on and on about whatever the fuck. you always talked a shit ton. that never really did change about you—but you looked.. more glowy. like you were doing better. a lot better.

when you kept droning on about something probably about him, matt is just sighing and sliding his hand into your hair. patting your head and then his hand comes up to pat your cheek a few times. "shut up." before his hand slapped your cheek gently—shock forming across your features as the sting starts from the harsh impact. you blink and turn your head to glare at matt, even though it did distract you from everything you were so worried about.

it's why matt has you on your knees between his legs, a hand cradling your face as you whine gently. he knows you. god, he knows you so well that he knows just how to get you to stop yapping your ass off. maybe you needed it too, with how much anxiety had wrapped around your entire body.

"shh, y'got it. doin' real good, baby," matt is cooing at you so gently, you forget that he's your ex. that you probably shouldn't even be here right now, for both of your sakes. but you can't help the way your cheek leans into the palm of his hand, warm and inviting. his eyes glance at your pitiful fucking expression, his free hand slapping you across the face gently.

sometimes, matt doesn't feel like making you suck his dick when you get too pissed off. so, he'll settle on this, or some other tactic to get you to shut your mouth. even after you two have broken off, some things just never change. and, in some way, matt kind of hates how well he knows you as he lands another slap across your pretty lil' face. "i got you, baby. i always got ya. don't gotta worry that head off anymore."

—

inspired from a thought i posted idk how long ago

@conspiracy-ash @sturniolosfavkayleigh @lvrsturniolo @st7rnioioss @meatballlover10 @ashlishes @ferdzom @55sturn @chriseatingmeoutin4k @unknvhx @mattslolita

©eph3merall 2024

[madlori]

Facebook Official

whoops my hand slipped and I banged out 1800 words of fix-it fic in like an hour. btw i think the Abby connection is dumb but I'm making it work.

Three years after reconciling with Buck, newly engaged to him, Tommy gets a phone call from a certain former dispatcher...who's just seen some interesting news via a Facebook Relationship Status post.

*****

(also on AO3)

To say that the phone call blindsided him would have been the understatement of the century.

He was just sitting at home watching the game, having a beer, minding his own business. Evan was on shift — must be a busy one, he’d only gotten two text messages all evening, one bitching about not having had time to eat dinner and the other about idiots who texted while driving.

His phone rang. Unknown number. Normally he wouldn’t have picked up, but with all the wedding preparations, a lot of vendors were calling. It was a little late to be making business calls, just after 8 pm, but he’d quickly learned that business norms meant little in the wedding planning business. “Hello?”

“Tommy?”

“Yes?” A woman’s voice. Familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

Pause “You’re marrying Buck??” A slightly hysterical note of disbelief entered the woman’s voice as she said the name.

And all at once, he knew who it was. Shit fuck motherfucker why didn’t we get ahead of this one.

“Abby. Um…”

“Evan Buckley? My ex-fiancé and my ex-boyfriend are marrying each other?”

“Small world, huh?” he said, going for levity.

“Buck’s not even gay!”

“No, he’s not. He’s bisexual.”

“I’m…okay. I’m sorry, it’s just…this is a lot of information to get all at once.”

“How did you even find out? Don’t you live in Phoenix?”

“Buck posted one of those relationship status things on Facebook.”

“Oh. I barely use Facebook.”

“Me either, but Buck does, and I hadn’t been on there in awhile, but I logged on and that was like the third post I saw!”

Tommy remembered the day Buck had made the post. They hadn’t really put their relationship on social media much - Buck posted photos of them on Instagram sometimes - and he hadn’t done one of those stupid relationship status things for them until they got engaged. They’d trawled their phones for the right pic, eventually settling on one taken at a 118 barbecue of them together, smiling, arms slung around waists. He hadn’t said so, but he’d gotten a little emotional over what Evan wrote on the post:

Evan Buckley is engaged to Tommy Kinard.

“It’s been a long road, but we made it. Can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with this man. He’s the best person I’ve ever known. I love you!”

“Well…I’m sorry that was an unpleasant surprise for you,” Tommy said, carefully.

She sighed. “I don’t know that it was…unpleasant. But a surprise, for sure. How do you even know Buck? How did you meet?”

“We’re both firefighters, it’s not that surprising that we could have met, is it?”

“No, I guess not.”

“And he was at my old firehouse. The one you refused to ever come to. But I guess you went when you were with him, didn’t you?”

“You never wanted me to meet your friends. I guess I found out why when you broke off our engagement.”

“I’m sorry, Abby. I know I said it then, but I’ll say it again now. I lied to myself, I lied to a lot of people. It took me almost trapping you in my lie, when you did not deserve that, to break me out of it.”

“I forgave you ages ago. We don’t have to go over all that again.”

“I met Evan…I guess it’s four years ago? We started dating not long after. I, um…was the first man he dated. I guess I made him realize some things about himself.”

“Just transforming lives everywhere you go, huh?” she said, a teasing note entering her voice. Tommy was happy to hear it.

“Yeah, well, I almost screwed it up. I broke up with him six months later. He was diving in headfirst, too fast, just all in and wanting to move in with me.”

“That sounds just like Buck.”

“I panicked and ended it before I could get in any deeper with him.”

“It was too late, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. I was already in love with him.”

“He’s easy to love. Too easy,” she said, quietly. “But you got back together, obviously.”

“Took a little while. Almost a year. I dated a few guys, he dated a few people, but nothing stuck for either of us - I know now it’s because we were still hung up on each other. We have a friend in common and we’d hear about each other through him…but I didn’t really see him until we ended up on a major incident call together. I sustained a minor injury - just a scrape, really - and Hen from his house patched me up. I was sitting there on the ambulance deck, more or less left to myself, and he came waltzing up with that eyebrow raised like he knew all my secrets.” Abby chuckled, like she knew the exact expression he was describing. “He just said, are you done being fucking stupid yet?”

“And you were.”

“Yep. I was. He took me home that night and we’ve barely been apart since. Got engaged a year later.”

“You sound happy.”

“I am. I’m ecstatic. I can’t believe I got a second chance with him. I kicked myself for ending it like that, I don’t know what came over me.”

“I do. You thought you weren’t enough for him to want to keep you.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“That’s dumb.”

“That’s what he says.”

They sat there not speaking for what felt like a long time.

“Well…” Abby said. “I feel like I just unloaded on you out of the blue.”

“You kinda did,” he said, smiling.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have called.”

“I’m glad you did. You know…Evan and I didn’t realize we had you in common until our six month anniversary dinner. In fact, it was that revelation that sort of started us on the way to breaking up for awhile. But that’s been so long now and it hasn’t come up in a few years. I almost forgot about it.”

“Gee, thanks,” she said, her grin audible. “I’m glad you’re both happy. I have a lot of regret over Buck, how I left things with him. I assume he’s told you.”

“He has. If it helps, he doesn’t have any bad feelings towards you.”

“It does help. Thank you for that.” She sighed. “I’ll let you go. I just saw that Facebook post and spiralled a little bit.”

“Understandable.”

“Please tell Buck I say hello. And I wish you both so much happiness, Tommy.”

“Thank you. And I will.”

She hung up. Tommy stared at the phone for a moment, then opened his text message thread with Evan.

You’re not gonna believe what just happened.

*****

When Evan got home at 7 am, they had their usual two hours to share breakfast and maybe a quick fuck before Tommy had to be on shift himself. They tried to sync their schedules so their off days coincided, but it didn’t always work.

“Holy shit, why didn’t we get ahead of that one?” Evan said as he burst in the door, not even bothering with “hello.” His shoes and duffel went flying and he bustled into the kitchen where Tommy was mixing the pancake batter.

“Yeah, I had the same thought,” he said, leaning over to kiss him hello.

Evan went to the coffee pot. “I didn’t even think about it, that she might see.”

“Neither did I.”

“How’d she sound?”

“Really surprised at first. Incredulous, even? Like in the what-are-the-odds way.”

“Kinda like when I found out we’d both dated her.”

“Yeah, but you’re my himbo now,” Tommy said, smirking. “No, she was just shocked. I gave her the quick rundown, and she ended up congratulating us.”

“Did you tell her it’s her fault we broke up for a year?” Evan said, popping a strawberry into his mouth.

“I think the proper person to bear the fault is me.”

“And also me. Who asks someone to move in after six months? Before even saying ‘I love you?’ And when you had a house!”

“I say we blame Josh. He got you all juiced up with that damn Glee speech.” After they’d reconciled, Evan had given him chapter and verse on his mind-boggling thought processes on that last fateful day.

“He got me feeling guilty, is what he did. That I judged you for lying to Abby. Overcorrecting is one of my special gifts.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, while I’m overcorrecting…why don’t we invite her?”

Tommy looked up. “To our wedding?”

“Sure, why not? She can flip a coin whose side she sits on,” Evan said, grinning like the mischievous imp that he was.

“Evan, darling, love of my life, we are not inviting our ex to our wedding.”

He scrunched up his face. “Ew. ‘Our’ ex? Makes it sound like we were in a throuple.”

“Ew, indeed.”

He cocked his head. “I dunno, though. The thought’s kinda sexy.”

“Not to me! No vaginas anywhere near my bedroom. Kinsey 6, remember?”

“Of course, my apologies.”

Tommy looked at his innocent wide-eyed face for a few beats. “You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?”

“Can I help it if the thought of two people I have found intensely attractive doing sexy things is appealing?”

“Can I help it if the thought of Chris Hemsworth going down on you has gotten me through some lonely nights?”

“Okay, I get the point. Shutting up now.” 

Tommy put a plate of pancakes in front of him. “Your shift okay?”

“Fine. Busy. I’m a bit wired. Do we have time for me to bounce on your dick for a bit before you have to head out?”

“For that, I’ll make time.” He sat down at the table at Evan’s side with his own pancakes. Evan slid a hand over and squeezed his thigh.

“Missed you, though,” he said, chewing.

“I always miss you when you’re on shift,” Tommy said.

Evan looked up at that, meeting his eyes. “Tommy, sometimes I miss you when you get up to get a beer.”

The simplicity, the sincerity of it made his chest tighten a little. He leaned forward, put his fingers under Evan’s chin and pulled him into a soft kiss, just like the first time. “I love you,” he whispered. 

“I love you, too.”

“And we are not inviting my ex-fiancee who is also your ex-girlfriend to our wedding.”

Evan grinned. “Deal.”

[totalswag]

new addition — DREW STARKEY

authors note first concept! more dadxdrew content will be posted. writing about drew as a dad is one of the most cutest thing ever. this is my first time writing on here and it’s been awhile since i’ve written something so it will be a little rusty. also, thank you to those who've sent in requests, i will get to them when i can. feedback is always appreciated <3

summary welcoming your first child into the world and announcing it to the rest of the world.

A month ago you welcomed a beautiful healthy baby girl into the world. Words cannot describe the feeling of becoming a parent for the time. Each day that goes by you cherish every moment with her.

The minute you laid eyes on her, you knew deep in your heart you were meant to be in that very moment. She makes you look at the world differently.

First thing family and friends said when they met Y/D/N for the first time was that she has Drew's features, especially his eye color. But, she is the perfect mix between you both.

When Y/D/N was first born you both posted a picture showing her in her bed next to your hospital bed without showing her face because privacy is huge for Drew and you. You want to protect her from the rest of the world, it's a scary place.

Earlier this week, it hit a month since Y/D/N was born. She continues to grow everyday and never fails to make us smile.

You were in the kitchen cleaning the dishes while Y/D/N was in her swing set sound asleep in the living room; her pacifier in her mouth with her blanket to keep her warm. She loves taking naps or relaxing in her swing set. She will get fussy if you take her out when she's comfortable.

Drew was in the other room on the phone with his manager about an upcoming movie with Daniel Graig that will be filmed in Europe which meant Drew will be gone for a while.

It will be hard not having him around for a month or two but trips to see him will be planned. He’s spoken to you about it when he first got the role.

"She looks so peaceful" you are startled by Drew's voice in the kitchen. He apologizes by kissing your shoulder, "didn't mean to scare you babe."

“You scared me,” you gasped while putting the last plate in the dishwasher, “how did the call go?” You ask turning your body around facing Drew as he looks through the pantry for a snack.

“It went pretty good. We spoke about the movie, apartments since I’ll be there for a while filming and when I fly to Europe '' he explains.

He could tell you were feeling upset about the whole thing. He walks towards you with open arms, you lean into his body from the gesture.

Drew and you went into the living room and sat on the couch to watch tv.

"I think we should show our little princess to the world," Drew says while staring at his baby girl in complete awe.

"I think so too," you shift in your seat, "she's sleeping so peacefully in her swing" you add.

"Grab your phone to take a picture," Drew says.

“Actually, I took a few pictures maybe half an hour ago before she fell asleep. Here let me show you” you grab your phone from the kitchen counter and sit back to your seat, showing him the pictures.

Drew picked a picture out he wanted to post and you agreed.

Y/D/N started getting fussy in her swing. Before you could get up, Drew insisted he grab her. He picked her up carefully placing her on his chest; she tried tilting her head back, staring up at her father as he looked at the tv.

She started to make little noises catching Drew's attention. He made eye contact with her which brought a small grin to her face.

"She grinned at me" he giggles then kissing the top of her head softly.

The bond between those two makes your heart melt. From the moment Drew laid eyes on Y/D/N, you could already tell their bond will be stronger as time goes on.

She is definitely a daddy's girl. She's so attached to him. She holds onto his chain when she lays on his chest when she's awake or sleeping.

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me and your mama" Drew softly whispers in her ear as he sways back and forth. 

You took a picture of them. They looked so cute.

Spending time together as a family is one of your favorite things to do because it holds memories. This is what you've always dreamed about as a little girl and you finally have it.

You ended up posting the picture tagging Drew with the caption.

A month later and you are already getting so big. Words cannot express the joy of being your mommy. You’ve changed mine and your dads life for the better <3

Once you set your phone down, your phone immediately started blowing up with a bunch of comments from family, friends, and fans.

Drew felt his phone buzzing from the coffee table. You look at him giving him a little chuckle, lifting your arms up, indicating you want to hold Y/D/N. Drew places her in your arms; you shift your body into a comfortable position. She looks at you then looks around her.

"Everyone keeps saying she looks just like me," he chuckles, scrolling through the comments. "Well she is your daughter" you add.

"She has your smile" he also adds, nudging your shoulder.

“Thank you for carrying our daughter for nine months and pushing her out when I knew it was painful. You are such a strong, beautiful, and wonderful woman that I love so much. I can’t wait to see where our future has in store for our family” Drew’s words have never failed to make you cry when he says things like this to you. He wraps his right arm around your lower waist, pulling you closer together while kissing your lips passionately.

“You are making me tear up over here Joseph” you chuckle, wiping a few tears from your face. “But, you are the one of the main reasons why our daughter is here so thank you babe” you add on because it’s true.

“I love you” you place your hand on-top of his.

“I know” he smiles, “and i love you too princess” he leans down kissing the top of Y/D/N head. She smiles at his gesture.

[fanficsbysteve]

Author’s Note: So, I really wanted a cute BuckTommy Christmas story. And this is what happened. Hopefully, everyone likes it. I enjoy reading your comments and tags so please keep them coming. I also appreciate any likes I can get. When I figure out a title for this, I’ll post it on AO3 as well cause the Kudos and Comments there also give me inspiration to keep going.

Rating: G

W/C: 2944

***

Thanksgiving wasn't Tommy’s favourite holiday of year. That holiday privilege had always gone to Christmas. Growing up it had been the one day of the year where everyone in his family got along, there was no fighting, just happiness. So, the moment that Thanksgiving was over, Tommy started his decorating. He had boxes and boxes of decorations in his garage. And this year was the first year in many that he had someone to celebrate and decorate with.

Evan was still in bed when Tommy was rummaging around in the garage, slowly boxes of trees and ornaments and everything else you could imagine started to make its way from the garage into the living room. It was time to get the decorating started and nobody could tell him otherwise.

First task was organizing everything. He had decided on a theme years ago that he liked so he stuck with it. He connected his phone up to his speaker system and started to play some Christmas music to get him in the mood. Not too loud. He didn’t want to wake up Evan. Ok, so we have the tree, the mantle village, the ornaments, garland, a never-ending supply of neatly organize lights, he wasn’t going to be spending hours untangling these. He had things to do.

As he pulled different things out of their boxes, he also spent some time in the kitchen. Today was not the ‘spend too long making breakfast’ day. This was a coffee and a bagel day. The coffee machine was brewing. He was busy so he didn’t do the bagel. He did hear some shuffling around upstairs. He poured two cups of coffee, making his how he wanted, and leaving the cream and sugar out for Evan to make his. Taking his mug to the living room, he set it on the mantle and started to rearrange the furniture in the living room. He had been waiting to do this as it was noisy.

Evan shuffled into the living room holding his cup of coffee, a zombie of a human being. This must be one of the mornings where he isn’t a ball of sunshine right off the bat. Tommy was amused by this, “Morning,” he called out to Evan as he moved a chair from one corner of the room to another, stood for a second, and then nodded. This would work.

“Bah,” Evan wasn’t in a sunshine mood this morning, “You sleep well?”

Tommy answered while still organizing everything, “I slept ok. Too much food at Bobby and Athena’s house last night. The food coma helped some.”

“Good to hear,” Evan put his mug down on the coffee table, and came up behind Tommy, pulling him into a hug, “My mind just kept going so I stayed up a bit later than I had originally planned to.”

“I think I briefly woke up and saw you on your phone,” Tommy leaned back into the hug. It felt nice. It was nice to be treated once in awhile. As the older man in this relationship, he tended to be the initiator of most things, “What hole did you fall into last night?”

“Besides yours?” Evan chuckled at his horrible joke. Tommy pulled out of the hug slightly and looked over his should with a ‘You’ve got to be joking’ look, “Why Turkey is the protein of choice in North America during holidays, while in Europe they tend to have Goose,” Evan said, “Turns out its all marketing and money.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it while you help me decorate,” Tommy pulled a box with an artificial tree in it. He’d always had an artificial tree and something about the consistency that it brought felt right. Of course, a real tree was always nice, but it left a mess all over the place, took way too much effort to keep alive the length of time that Tommy liked to have it up, and disposal was a nightmare. He just liked to stick to an artificial one and add pine scented candles around the room to give the effect of a real tree.

Evan groaned as he fell onto the couch, “You decorate this early? Its the day after Thanksgiving.”

“Christmas was the one time of year when my family stopped fighting,” Tommy said offhand, “So its really the one holiday that I truly enjoy and I might go a little overboard with the decorations, and start earlier than most people do, though I think they put things up in September in some places, but its something that brings me joy.”

Evan took a swig of his coffee, stood up, cracked his knuckles, and said, “Alright then Auntie Mame,” another half attempt at a joke, “What do you need me to do? If it makes my man happy then I’m ecstatic to help,” the determination on his face didn’t mask the exhaustion that was also there. Thankfully, they both had today off.

“I’ll go easy on you,” Tommy smiled, “Since you were up half the night researching turkeys and geese.”

“Thank you,” Evan truly sounded exhausted.

“I need you to sort out the stocking holders and stockings for above the mantle,” Tommy said, “And start setting up the village. There is a picture in the main box,” Tommy pointed to the box labeled village, “On where everything should go. However, if you feel like something might look better a certain way, let me know and we can make some changes. This is your Christmas as well.”

Tommy watched as Evan went about sorting out and placing the various stocking holders and village on the mantle. It was easy enough work for the time being. It would get more difficult later when they started putting lights up on the house.

“Who’s Paul?” Evan asked out after a bit of time had passed. Tommy got all the furniture moved around and had set up the tree. He was about to start the lights when Evan asked his question.

Tommy frozen in mid-motion. Paul. He had almost forgotten about Paul.

Tommy paused for a second, “I forgot I had that one in there,” He came over and took the stocking out of Evan’s hands, “Paul was one of my military buddies.”

“Just a buddy?” Evan raised an eyebrow, “I know in my family we only made stockings for important people to us.”

“Well, it was Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell time,” Tommy explained, “And I was still trying to delude myself into thinking I was heterosexual at that time. But Paul was more than a buddy to me, I guess. We would stay up well past curfew talking about our lives, what we wanted to do in the future. That kind of stuff,” Tommy held the stocking close, “I may have had a crush on him but he was always talking about all his conquests before he went into the military,” Tommy put the stocking down, “We were sent to Iraq, whatever name they gave to justify the invasion had been earlier that year so we didn’t expect to see any combat. One night we were just chatting. It was around Christmas time, I think. Hard to tell in the desert unless you were paying attention to a calendar.”

“Hard to tell around here as well,” Evan piped in, looking out the window at all the green trees and grass everywhere. Tommy knew that Evan did miss the snow in Pennsylvania when Christmas came. It never snowed in LA.

“Well, I told Paul about all my Christmas traditions,” Tommy continued his story, “Family stockings, little villages, the whole thing. He made me promise that I would put a stocking up for him. I think he knew how I felt about him. He just didn’t want to lead me on at the same time. We didn’t talk about it like that. Anyways I said that I would of course put one up for him when we got back home. He was killed in action a month later.”

Evan got up and hugged Tommy again, “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Evan just squeezed Tommy hard while they stood there.

“I put this up as a memory of him,” Tommy continued. He grabbed a stocking holder and walked to the mantle. He took the stocking and put it up, “I originally didn’t want to keep putting it up, it brought back too many hard memories. But I eventually made one and started putting it up. A memorial of sorts.”

“That’s a super sweet story,” Evan said looking at the stocking. Tommy smiled looking at it.

                Coughing, Tommy started to rummage in a box, “OK onto the next stuff,” He pulled out the base of the tree and started puttering around to get that organized. He had spent the extra money for the pre-lit one. He liked the way it looked. The lights were more hi evenly spaced. He plugged the first part in and used that to make sure that he got the next pieces in correctly, “I do love how this looks.”

                “We always had a real tree in Pennsylvania,” Evan commented, “But then again it was also easier to just go out into the woods somewhere, ask a farmer and cut your own down out there than it is here. Unless you want to decorate a palm tree.”

                “I’ve tried doing that,” Tommy admitted, “Its not as fun as it looks. Just a bunch of lights going up the trunk. Doesn’t look as nice as the fullness of the evergreen.”

                “I agree,” Evan said. He got up and brought some baubles over and started to help putting them up.

                Tommy let Evan do what he wanted with the baubles. They weren’t needed in a specific place. But he had a few that needed to be placed a certain way. One for his mother. One for his sister. They were both no longer with him, so he needed to remember. The only family he had was his drunk of a father and he pretended that man didn’t exist. He was somewhere on the east coast last he heard. Good riddance, Tommy thought.

He walked over to the box of decorations while Evan did the baubles and started to set up his little Christmas village. His mom had loved the villages she saw in stores, she liked to fantasize about the perfect home in the perfect town where everyone was always happy, and nothing ever went wrong.

The village had its own little space on the mantle. Carefully Tommy placed each house where it should go. Little corner store near the back, dream family home on the left, a church on the opposite of the house ‘Every town needs a church even if you don’t believe because sometimes, they can be good people. Being religious doesn’t automatically make you a bad person. Being a bad person makes you a bad person.’ That’s what his mom had always said anyways. He didn’t believe it due to how horrible religious people had constantly been to him in his 40 years of life, but he kept the church just for her.

“That’s a cute village,” Evan said, “Didn’t know you were religious.”

“Oh, I’m not,” Tommy replied, “Far from it. My Mom believed in the good in all people even the religious whack jobs out there. I keep the church for her.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Evan asked meekly, “You’ve never really talked much about your family. Just your father who you very obviously don’t get along with.”

Tommy sighed, he didn’t like talking about this, but communication was key in a relationship, “Mom died when I was six. Car accident. My sister Amy was with her. They had been going out to look at all the decorated houses around my hometown. I had stayed home because I wasn’t feeling well. My father was also feeling unwell. Drink driver hit them, and they both died on the scene. This was the 80’s/90’s,” Tommy placed a little motorized skating rink in the middle of his village. He plugged everything in, hiding the power bar so that it wasn’t easily visible but was safe. No cotton snow to hide it, “That’s when Father became a raging drunk who constantly beat me.”

Evan gasped at the story, “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“I’m not,” Tommy replied, “this made me the man I am today. And the military but that less so. The military was a means of getting away when I was old enough.

“Still,” Evan pulled Tommy into a hug and gave him a kiss, “That had to have been hard at 6 years old.”

“You didn’t have the greatest of childhoods either,” Tommy countered, “We all have our trauma’s, how we handle them is how we are represented. I spent a few years going to therapy regarding mine. I don’t know what kind of stupid things I could have or would have done if I hadn’t done that.”

“I don’t want to think about that,” Evan replied. They continued along with their decorating. Slowly the living room started to turn into a Christmas wonderland, “Have you ever wanted to just leave your decorations up and just become a Christmas house?”

“Every single year when it comes time to put everything away,” Tommy laughed as he replied, “But every year I remind myself, the magic of it is that you only put it out for this short time of each year. If you were to leave everything up, then what’s to get you excited next year?”

“That’s a good point,” Evan placed what he hoped was the final bauble on the tree, “We only had real trees as mentioned so there’s always a temporariness to it since you always had to get rid of it somehow. Unless you wanted dry pine needles all over your living room.”

Tommy smiled at Evan. It was nice to just do something together with just them. Usually someone from Harbor or the 118 was around so it was difficult to just get some alone time with just them, “And the final touch,” Tommy took out some wax melters and placed them on different tables around the living room. There were only 2 and he didn’t intend to have them on at the same time. One was enough to get the smell around the room, and then you turn the other on while you clean the one that just ran out of scent. He flicked the switch and went to sit on the couch. It was late afternoon now, so they deserved some time to just relax. Evan joined Tommy on the couch and snuggled up in his arms. Slowly the scent of pine tree started to permeate the room. Evan took a deep breath, “I know you said they were Christmas, but what do I smell besides pine?”

“I make my own wax melts,” Tommy admitted, “I can never find the scents I really want in the way I really want. So, I make my own with pine oil, some cinnamon, some vanilla, and the barest hint of cloves. Something to have the Christmas smell for me.”

“It smells perfect,” Evan said, “Is there anything else that needs doing?”

“Oh, there is lots to do,” Tommy replied. Evan made a slight groaning noise, “But that is for another day. Today was about setting this up and now relaxing. Maybe order something for delivery.”

“I think they added a new restaurant to UberEATS that I’ve been wanting to try,” Evan added.

“Sounds like a wonderful plan,” Tommy replied, “I’ll get that ordered, and you get to relax since you helped me so much after a food coma and a traditional Evan Internet Deep Dive kept you tired.”

“An informative deep dive,” Evan replied, not leaving Tommy’s arms. Tommy smiled, it would be hard to hold Evan and order dinner, but he would keep it that way for awhile. Tommy didn’t even smell the wax melts he made. Just Evan right now and it was perfect.

“Well, you’ll have to tell me more of that deep dive that you learned,” Tommy added, “But lets just relax a bit for now.”

Tommy was perfectly happy. He had Evan, he had his memories and his decorations. Everything was perfect. Without noticing, Tommy’s eyes may have flicked to the bedroom area without thinking. Hidden away in his nightstand, a special gift that Tommy intended to give to Evan on Christmas. But that was a few weeks away, so he tried not to get too excited about it. Tommy did hope he would say yes though.

***

Author’s Note: I just really wanted a cutesy Christmas decorating story. Christmas is my favourite holiday, so I just want a happy one for my favourite couple. I apologize if there are some conflicting ideas in here. I honestly don’t plan ahead on what I write. I just start and stop and go from there and as the words come into my head that is when they come into my story. I legit didn’t know where it would end, just that it would end eventually. Any Constructive Criticism is welcome.

[hihelloheyhowdy]

Nagi x Itoshi!Reader drabble

you have been dating Nagi for awhile now, but your brothers only seem to notice when you wear Nagi's Manshine jersey

You first saw Nagi at the U-20 game, and you couldn't help how your eyes were glued to him practically the whole game. Although you were trying to pay attention to your brothers, it didn't seem to work as they would naturally drift back to him. Then by some miracle when you were going to go find Rin after the game, you happened to bump into the tall, white-haired player. From there sparks flew. (He happened to be wearing a shirt of an anime you recognized- the conversation came naturally). You ended up completely forgetting about Rin (yes how awful of you), and ended up somehow getting Nagi's number.

From there the relationship took off, you officially started dating after the players got a break from the Blue Lock Neo Egoist League. You were pretty smitten for Nagi, and it didn't take long for the relationship to get more serious. Fast forward a few more months, and the two of you have been dating for six months now. This brings to your current predicament of Sae and Rin standing in front of you glaring daggers into your soul. It's not like you tried to hide your relationship with Nagi. In fact it would've been very easy to notice if they weren't always so caught up in their petty rivalry. You had worn Nagi's clothing around the house, you'd been on face time with him in the living room, you had talked about Nagi to your mother at dinner right next to them, you had said the phase 'my boyfriend' multiple times, and so really it wasn't your fault they never realized.

"Why are you wearing a Manshine city jersey?" Sae questioned you first he gave you an accusing look, what was he accusing you of you weren't even sure.

"Because it's Nagi's jersey." You answered as if it was obvious, because it should've been.

"Why are you wearing Nagi's Jersey?" Rin was the next to question, because what did you want with the jersey of that tall lukewarm loser.

"Because he's my boyfriend. You guys should know this." The room was filled with silence, until Rin spoke up again.

"When did you even start dating that lukewarm no body?"

"Six months ago. What is wrong-"

"You've been dating someone for six months, and didn't tell us?" Sae immediately cut you off

"No, I did tell you, multiple times in fact. You two have both been too busy in a petty feud to notice."

You got up, and walked away shaking your head as both your brothers protested your words. What was it Nagi always said, 'tis such a pain.

-------------

pt.2 to this post (i'm still figuring out how to use tumblr pls give me tips)

[fellow-fandom-fruitifier]

I posted this awhile ago and finally started working on it 😭😭, here's a sneak peak for the first chapter!!!!:

Without pause or permission, his father opens the door, stepping in with a soft smile that's getting rarer every day.

“Hey kiddo,” he says. Slipping into the room and leaving the entrance cracked. Edwin obligingly shuffles over to make room for dad to sit, hurriedly marking his page with the crayon-scribbled bookmark Alys made him. “Don't worry about what your mother said at dinner, okay? Never been a fairy to the Payne name and my son won't be the first.” Edmund lays a strong hand against the nape of Edwin’s neck. “Now will you?” Their parents are seldom physically affectionate so he's not sure whether to lean in and savor it, or freeze and wait for him to pull away.

Father's calloused fingers feel like a molten brand closing in with each passing second. “Mm-mm.” Edwin affirms, shaking his head. His knuckles whiten around the novel.

“That’s a good lad.” Edmund roughly pats Edwin’s back and makes him choke on his tongue, father gets up from the bed and strides over to the door. “It's late, get some rest. You've got fencing lessons at the crack of dawn.” And with those final words, he exits Edwin’s room. The young boy stares at the closed door trying to process. He’s never had fencing lessons. This is something new. Something new because mom accused dad of not toughening him up.

Edmund had been in Edwin's room – his sanctuary – for a minute, maybe two if he rounds up, and while it certainly feels like a whirlwind blasted through his room, it also feels like his father took the time to coat all his belongings in withering gunk. A complicated knot contorts in his chest and he squirms in discomfort. Edwin doesn't know what a fairy is, not really. He knows they're bad and go against God's wishes, but he doesn't know what makes his mom think he's one.

He doesn't know how to stop looking like one.

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Fandom: Inception

Pairing: Robert Fischer x Mermaid!OC

Summary: When he storms out of his home one evening after yet another fight with his father, Robert Fischer makes a discovery amongst the waves that may just offer him an escape from the unhappiness of his current life.

Word Count: 5,132

Notes: I wrote this awhile ago, and only just realized that I never posted it. So here you go. This was just a fun little AU idea I had. Warnings for references to past child abuse.

Robert burst outside, the back door slamming shut with a clang behind him, abruptly cutting off his father’s voice still shouting after him. But Robert kept on walking, and there was no sound of the door opening for his father to try to follow him, that in itself causing a sharp sigh of relief to whistle from his lungs. 

He stormed around the pool that took up a good share of his backyard, then down a small hill, the springy grass giving way to soft sand. His expensive, shiny black shoes sank in with each step, little granules finding their way into his socks to rub irritatingly between his toes.

He walked all the way down to the end of the pier that stretched out into the deep blue water, hands shoving deep into his pockets while he sighed. Staring out at the sun, slinking low in the sky to just kiss the horizon of the ocean that stretched out every which way around him, he sighed, lowering himself to sit down on the edge of the pier. With unsteady hands, he undid his shoe laces and pulled off his socks, balling them up and stuffing them into one of his discarded shoes for safekeeping. Then he rolled up his pants’ legs, and let his legs dangle until his feet submerged in the chilly water.

Closing his eyes, Robert drew in a harsh breath of air, tasting of saltwater and smelling of seaweed. The tears that had been pricking at the corner of his eyes finally started to overflow, rolling down his cheeks.

He always cried when he got upset. It was a reflex reaction that he couldn’t control. And his father had never once passed up the opportunity to make him feel ashamed for it. Even when he was little, and scraped his knee or bumped his elbow and came to his father crying in pain, Maurice Fischer would simply sneer, and call him every demeaning name in the book. 

Wiping at his eyes furiously, Robert pressed his trembling lips together. The wind, chilled from the sun’s descent but still smelling of the ocean, seemed to kiss at his cheeks. As if it could wipe the tears away for him. 

The ocean had always been his greatest source of comfort. Of freedom. They used to have a yacht that his mother would take him out on. And then she died, and despite Robert’s pleas, his father sold the boat. Looking back on it now, he realized that every time his mother had taken him out on it for an extended period of time, it was following an incident where his father had upset one of them. 

Perhaps the ocean had been her refuge as well. 

There was a harsh splash, near the jagged, obsidian colored rocks to his left. They were great for looking at tidepools when the water had retreated, but treacherous on the feet. When he was little, he’d managed to cut his foot open by trying to walk on them barefoot, and Uncle Peter had to carry him, crying and bleeding, back to the house.

Another splash sounded, but Robert paid it no mind. It was probably just a fish or something. But then it happened again. And again, this time followed by a straining noise. Frowning, he swiped the remainder of his tears away and stood, picking up his shoes and yanking them back on, not caring that his feet were drenched in saltwater that would likely ruin the interiors. Picking his way back up the pier and along the beach, he made his way to the rocks, half having to crawl to maneuver some of them. It had been so much easier when he was a small child, he mused to himself. 

He pulled himself over the ridge of black rocks, and stopped dead. 

She was laying half beached on the rocks, tangled up in a brown fishing net, rolling from side to side, jerking, trying to break free from the twine prison. 

At first he thought she was a woman. But women didn’t have huge, blue scaled tails where their legs should have been. Or webbed fins sprouting from their backs. Or gills in their throats. Or webbed fingers. 

For a moment, he was pretty sure that his brain completely broke. Because he knew exactly what was lying in front of him, and yet it was not possible. It couldn’t be. 

Because mermaids weren’t real. 

Robert rubbed a hand along his forehead, frowning, trying to make sense of what was in front of him. Had this latest fight with his father finally been the one to cause his mind to irretrievably snap?

The mermaid twisted so that she was facing him, and their eyes locked.

She was beautiful, with round, dark brown eyes and equally dark, long hair that fell to her waist, sticking wetly to her back and forehead. Light freckles dotted her nose and cheeks. He could see the strong muscles in her arms and stomach flexing as she struggled against the net, and with a burst of color blooming across his cheeks, he realized that, very un-Disney-like of her, she was not wearing any sort of top layer in the slightest, her small breasts barred and on full display. 

Her tail looked heavy, thick as two legs bound together, dark blue scales shimmering in the fading light of the setting sun. In the back of his mind, Robert wondered if the blue coloring helped with camouflaging her while in the water. 

He didn’t know how long he stood there, gawking at her with his mouth half open. It couldn’t have been but a few minutes, though it felt like much more than that. 

The spell was promptly broken when she started hissing at him. 

Her teeth bared to show canines longer than any human’s should be, the tendons standing out in her neck, eyes narrowed to slits. Her back curved, as if trying to back herself look bigger than she actually was. Robert flinched back instinctively, hands held up to try to show that he meant no harm. 

“It’s okay.” He had no idea if she could understand him, but it felt like he needed to say something. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

She just hissed again, thrashing against the rocks. The aggressive noise in her throat quickly gave way to a yelp of pain, and he could see where the net had started to dig into one of the fins at the bottom of her tail, drawn tight enough to cut into the flesh, blood pouring from the wound. 

“Let me help,” he immediately took a step forward. The mermaid hissed at him again, but her attention was quickly once again overtaken by the net biting into her tail. She was clearly distressed, and Robert wondered what it would mean for her if the net severed that part of her tail. Would she no longer be able to swim? Would she drown? 

“Here,” he approached her slowly, fully ready to jerk backwards if she tried to swipe at or bite him. He was so close that he could see the droplets of water beading on her skin. 

A ferocious snarl left her chest when she realized how close he had gotten, and he instinctively shrank back. The mermaid wriggled against the rocks, trying to get away from him, her big eyes bulging with terror. Robert could make out red scratches against her skin where the net and the rocks had scraped it. 

“Shh,” he spoke to her like he would a frightened animal, creeping closer until he could hook his fingers into the net. “I’m gonna help you, okay? I’m not gonna hurt you.”

She finally seemed to quiet, though she was still wriggling a little against the net. Carefully, Robert followed the lines of it, pulling experimentally, starting to loosen the tight material. 

Fucking fisherman, he thought irritably to himself while he worked. The poor thing could have died. 

Despite all the hissing and snarling when he’d been approaching her, the mermaid was surprisingly helpful as he worked to untangle her, moving her body as much as she could to assist him in getting the net off of her. His breath caught in his throat as his hands ghosted along her strong tail. The blue scales were smooth, almost soft, but he could feel the absolute power of the muscles encased within. There was no doubt in his mind that if she had wanted to, she could have knocked him on his ass with one swipe of it. 

He worked particularly carefully around her injured fin. On closer examination, it didn’t look like the net had managed to fully sever it, but it was definitely injured. Worry coursed through his veins as he gingerly worked the net loose around it. The mermaid whined a little. 

“I’m sorry,” he stroked her tail without even really thinking about it, just trying to soothe her, and she settled. “Almost there.”

With a final light tug, he pulled the net away, and the mermaid was free. 

She immediately rolled, not seeming to care about potentially scraping herself on the jagged rocks around them, and flung herself into the deep blue water with a splash. Her tail breached briefly out of the water as she dived, and then she was gone.

Leaving Robert standing there, half soaked, wind pulling at his hair and clothes, with the net he’d just freed her from dangling from one hand. He stared at the space in the water where she’d disappeared, a seed of disappointment blooming in his chest. 

With a sigh, he started to pick his way back over the rocks and to his house. 

∗ ∗ ∗

The next day he went back out onto the pier, a martini in his hand while he sat with his legs dangling in the water. He sipped at his drink while watching the sunset, eyes scanning the surface of the water for any distinctive fins or tails breaching the surface. 

The mermaid had been on his mind the entirety of the day. It had been hard to focus at all on work. He kept wondering if she was alright. If he’d ever seen her again. 

Bright orange, yellow, and pink beams cast out across the sky as the sun sank lower beneath the waves. He ought to go back inside soon. His glass was almost empty.

Just as he was moving to stand, he spotted something in the water, near the rocks where he’d seen the mermaid the day before. The top of a dark head of hair and two big brown eyes peering up out of the water at him. 

The second that their gazes met, her eyes widened and she dropped back down under the water, out of sight. But it was enough for Robert, a smile playing at his lips, a spark of joy sizzling in his heart.

“Hi there,” he called out, but to no reply. Not that he had really been expecting one. Casting one last longing look at the waves, he went back inside. 

∗ ∗ ∗

On the second evening after his first encounter with the mermaid, he once again went out to the pier, hope renewed at maybe getting a glimpse of her. He sat for a long time with his legs dangling in the water, hands folded in his lap, just watching the steady rise and swell of the waves. Disappointment once more grew in his chest with every passing minute. He was just about to give up and go back inside when he spotted a ripple in the water, steadily moving in a line towards him. 

The mermaid’s head broke from the water when she was a few feet from him, the top of her head and her eyes popping up first. The ripple he’d seen was made by the webbed fin at her back just brushing the top of the water. 

She came to a stop right in front of him, bobbing in the water, eyes darting around, clearly unsure. Robert’s lips were partially parted, eyes wide. Despite spending the past two days thinking about her, he had neglected to really think about what he’d actually do or say if she came to him again. It had seemed like too fanciful of a thought to even consider. 

The mermaid seemed almost as surprised as he was, full bottom lip caught between her teeth, looking like she was trying hard to muster up the courage for something. 

In a sudden burst of movement, she pushed herself up higher out of the water, reaching out and grabbing one of his hands where it was still settled in his lap. For one terrifying moment, Robert thought she was going to yank him into the water with her. 

She instead pressed a large, white, orange, and pink conch shell into his hands, and then turned around and disappeared back under the water again. 

Robert stared down at the huge seashell, cradling it gingerly in his lap. It was pristine, not broken off in any areas, the surface barely even scratched. He rubbed his thumb up and down along one of its smooth edges, a grin pulling at his lips. Looking up at the waves, he was unable to see her, but he was sure that she was watching. 

“You’re welcome,” he said to the waves.

∗ ∗ ∗

The next time that he went to the pier, he was crying. 

Sitting down with his legs pulled up to his chest like he would as a child, arms hugging them. He was sure that his face was red and blotchy, eyes red and the skin under them swollen.

It was going to rain that evening. He could see the storm clouds building in the distance. 

It was the anniversary of his mother’s death. It had happened over ten years ago–he had only been eleven at the time–but the grief still stung just as potently as it had then.

His mother had been his best friend. Hell, he often thought that she may very well have been his only friend. The only real one he’d had his entire life. 

His father and Uncle Peter had come by for dinner. He was sure that it was Uncle Peter’s idea and that he had meant well, not wanting Robert to be alone during what was easily always the worst day of the year for him. But he could not understand that having his father anywhere near him now was the last thing that Robert wanted.

So lost in crying his heart out into his knees, he didn’t hear the subtle sound of something rising up out of the water, not until a gentle hand touched his cheek. He nearly jumped out of his skin as his head was pulled up and forward, and he promptly met the mermaid’s big, worried eyes. Her brows furrowed at the sight of his tears, thumb moving to stroke them away, head cocking curiously.  

Robert didn’t say anything; not until she’d tenderly brushed away the remainder of the proof of his grief from his face. Her touch was as light and careful as that of a lover’s, wide eyes shimmering with genuine concern.

“Can you understand me?” he finally croaked out. He still had no idea if she spoke English–or any human language for that matter.

She hesitated, then nodded.  

“My name is Robert,” he said. “What’s yours?”

She opened her mouth, and he braced himself for the first sound of her voice.

“Robert!” Uncle Peter’s voice boomed out across the backyard from the door. 

In a flash, the mermaid had disappeared back under the water, leaving Robert with nothing but the memory of her soft, small hands on his face. 

“Robert! What are you doing!? It’s about to start raining. Come back inside,” Uncle Peter continued to holler, and he let out a soft breath of relief that he hadn’t seen the mermaid. 

“I’ll be there in a minute!” he shouted over his shoulder, looking mournfully out over the water before standing and shuffling back towards his uncle. 

Later, after his father and Uncle Peter had finally gone home once the rain died down, he went back out to the pier, despite it being mostly dark out. 

And there, spread on the wooden planks of the dock, spelled out in the form of dozens of tiny little seashells arranged into letters, was one word:

ALICE.

∗ ∗ ∗

He returned to the pier, as always, the next evening, but this time, he wore his swim trunks.

She was waiting for him, arms crossed over the pier and her head resting on them. He could just see the outline of her tail under the water, swishing lazily back and forth.

She looked so beautiful that it momentarily took his breath away. 

Head raising when he approached, Alice pulled back from the pier, head still remaining above the water as she floated backwards. Robert kicked off his sandals and sat down, moving to pull his shirt over his head. He caught her watching him, head cocking in that curious way again, her eyes glued to his chest. When she noticed that he’d caught her staring, her cheeks flared pink, dipping down until the water came all the way up to nearly her eyes to try to hide it. He bit his cheek to hide a cocky grin. 

“If I get in, you aren’t gonna try to eat me, are you?” he asked, hesitating before he jumped off the pier to join her in the water. 

Alice giggled, a soft, musical sound that made his heart skip a beat. Her head raised back up out of the water, shaking back and forth. He pushed off the pier, hitting the water with a small splash. Alice glided smoothly towards him, so close that their chests nearly brushed. He could count each dark eyelash surrounding her eyes. Being so close to her had his throat momentarily going dry.

“Can you talk?” he asked finally. It had seemed like she was about to before Uncle Peter interrupted them last night, but he still wasn’t entirely sure. 

“Yes.” 

His eyes nearly slipped closed at the sound of her voice, soft and sweet. As musical as her laugh had been. He wanted to save the memory of just that one word coming from her lips for forever. 

Alice cocked her head again. “Why were you crying yesterday?” Her voice was quiet, and had he not been right in front of her, he may not have been able to hear her. 

“It…” he paused, wetting his hips. “It was the anniversary of the day my mother died.”

“I’m sorry. Did she die recently?”

“No,” he suddenly felt rather foolish. “We were…we were close.”

She nodded. “My people mourn for life too.”

“You do?”

“Mhm. My pod leader’s mate died a while ago. We all still miss her very much.”

“Pod?”

“A group of merpeople like me. We’re like a…what do you humans call it? A family. We live together. Hunt together. Travel together.”

“Where’s the rest of your pod?”

“This time of year, we always swim up north. We meet up with some other pods. Trade goods. I couldn’t make that long of a swim right now. Not until my finn is fully healed,” she pointed to her tail. So the net had hurt her more significantly than he’d thought. 

“They left you here?”

“I told them to go. They’ll be back. By then I’ll be healed enough to swim in the rougher waters.”

A lump formed in his throat. “So, when they come back…you’ll leave with them?”

She looked at him, a sadness entering her eyes. “Yes.”

“Oh.” The disappointment and loneliness that suddenly washed over him was nearly crushing. But what could he do? It wasn’t like he could just ask her to stay, separated from her family forever so that he didn’t have to feel lonely. 

Alice moved a little closer to him, reaching out to brush a few locks of hair out of his face. He fought back the urge to lean into the touch of her hand. 

“When will you leave?”

“They’ll be back in a week or so.” 

That’s so soon, he silently mourned. Alice studied his face, and he focused all his effort on not letting her see how heartbroken the revelation had left him. 

“Thank you for saving me from the net,” Alice said.

“Oh, that was…” he looked down, clearing his throat. “That was no problem.”

He felt the fins of her tail brush against his leg and sucked in a sharp breath. Her eyes danced. He wondered if she’d done it on purpose. 

Clearing his throat awkwardly, head bobbing in the water, he hoped that she wasn’t fully aware of just how strong of an effect she was having on him. She could probably have dragged him down into the depths with her, and he would have let her with zero complaint. 

“Why did you keep coming here?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining of course.”

“The rocks help shield this part of the beach from the rougher currents while I heal.” She pointed. Those dark eyes glimmered again, looking him up and down. “And you interest me.”

“Do you…often find humans interesting?”

Her lips pressed together, a small smile pulling at them. “Not usually.”

He allowed himself to feel a small pulse of pride at that. 

∗ ∗ ∗

The next few days, he spent every free moment that he had in the ocean, swimming at Alice’s side. She had giggled when she first saw his snorkel gear, taking his hand in hers to pull him along with her. Even wearing fins on his feet, her tail was significantly more powerful when it came to moving through the water.

“I want to show you something,” she had said on the second to last night before her pod was due to return, taking his hand as soon as he had his goggles situated over his eyes. She pulled him along until they came to a wall of rock. “We have to dive here,” she explained, letting him come up for air. Robert frowned. 

“I can’t hold my breath for very long, Allie.”

Alice smiled kindly. “Don’t worry, I won’t drown you. Just hold onto me and I’ll pull you along.” She swam closer to him and grabbed his arms, looping them around her back, then wrapped her own around his waist. “Like this.”

Robert swore that his heart stopped for a moment. “O-okay.”

She grinned at him in a way that suggested to him that she very much knew the effect that she was having on him. “Deep breath, now.”

He sucked in a huge gulp of air, and she plunged them both down into the water. As they dove down, down, down, he pressed himself in closer to her and felt her give him a reassuring squeeze in response. He could feel the strong beats of her tail knocking against his legs, her bare breasts pressing into his chest. She guided them through a forest of kelp, and then under a wall of rock, where it gave way to hollowness, and then they were ascending, his ears popping a little with the sudden change in pressure, lungs just starting to burn when his head finally broke the surface and he drew in great gasps of air. 

“Alright?” Alice asked, guiding him over to a ledge he could cling to as he caught his breath. He nodded, looking around as his lungs filled themselves. 

“Whoa.”

She had brought them into a little cave, half filled with water, the blue of the water reflecting off the dark walls, giving the entire area a mystical blue glow.

Pushing with his arms, he hefted himself up to sit on the ledge he’d just been clinging to, looking around. Alice hopped up alongside him, huffing a little when she pulled her heavy tail half out of the water so she could sit next to him. 

“This is so pretty, Al,” he said, still looking around. 

“I thought you would like it.”

He spotted a seashell washed ashore in the space next to him. Carefully, he picked it up, examining the swirling patterns and little ridges. 

“Robert?”

“I don’t want you to go.” The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. She reached out to touch his hands, and when he forced himself to shamefully meet her eyes, it was to find them filled with tears. 

“I have to,” she said softly, and leaned in to touch her forehead to his. “But I don’t want to leave you behind.”

A stutter went through his lungs, and he realized that he was dangerously close to crying. 

“I could still come and visit. When my pod is in the area.”

“When will that be?”

“I…I don’t know, exactly. We move around a lot. We’re nomadic.”

“I know,” he remembered her telling him. He remembered everything that she said to him. She touched his cheek tenderly. “It’s okay,” he told her, even though it really wasn’t. But he wasn’t about to ask her to give up her family just so he could see her whenever we wanted.

It really would be just his luck that he finally managed to make a genuine friend, and she turned out to be a mythical creature whose entire existence was spent traveling from place to place. 

“Robert?”

“Mm?”

“You…you really don’t seem happy with your life.” There was something in her voice. Like she was feeling things out. Weighing a suggestion in her mind.

He opened his mouth, intending to give the usual excuses and half truths, then closed it again. “I hate every bit of it.” There was a weight that seemed to lift from his shoulders at finally admitting it, a lightness growing in his chest. He could feel Alice watching him. 

“We should get back before it gets dark,” was all she eventually said, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it tightly.

∗ ∗ ∗

On the last night before Alice was due to return to her pod, he barely could bring himself to go down to the pier. As if the lack of his presence would somehow delay her departure. 

He didn’t know how he was going to bear even looking at the ocean once she was gone. Already it felt like a hole was opening up inside his heart. Never to be filled again. 

She was waiting for him as she had been every day since they’d told each other their names. 

“Hello.”

“Hi,” he sat down on the end of the wooden dock, looking down at her, trying to memorize her face. “So I guess that this is it, isn’t it?”

A strange look crossed her features, lips parting, then pressing together. He could see her weighing something in her mind again. “Maybe…maybe it doesn’t have to be.”

A spark of hope flickered in his chest, but he didn’t dare let it ignite. Not yet. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a way that I can take you with me.” She swam a little closer to the edge of the pier. “But it’s permanent. You’d have to leave everything and everyone behind. Forever. You can never go back.”

He stared at her, the spark in his chest catching flame and beginning to burn brightly. Go back to what? A father that hated him? A company he despised? A life that he hated? Friends who had only ever gotten close to him for his money and status?

“Yes.” The word fell from his lips easily. “Whatever it is, yes. Just take me with you.”

She smiled, entire face blooming brightly with it, eyes shimmering happily. She rose up a little higher out of the water, and he leaned forward so that their faces were closer.

“You’re sure that there’s no one you need to say goodbye to? Nothing left that you need to do?”

He thought of his father, who would more than likely be relieved at his disappearance. Even Uncle Peter, who at least did a better job than his father ever had when it came to pretending to care about him, would probably be pleased at him vanishing. Without Robert around, it was likely that everything Maurice Fischer owned would pass to Uncle Peter upon his death. 

“I’m sure.”

She rested her hands on his knees, her face so close to his that their foreheads nearly touched. “Close your eyes,” she whispered. He did as she said without question, and then she rose up out of the water, and kissed him. 

At the same second that their lips touched, she grabbed tightly onto his shoulders, and dragged him down into the water with her, plunging them under the waves. Robert grabbed onto her strong back, closing his eyes, and thought that even if she did drown and devour him down there in the dark depths of the ocean, that would be alright. At least he’d die happy.

Sharp tingling erupted all across his skin. His legs were paralyzed. The sides of his neck were burning, like the skin was splitting apart in places. But none of that mattered when Alice’s lips were gently parting his, the kiss deepening.

When she parted from him, hands still resting on his shoulders, her long dark hair floating around her like halo, he drew in a rattling breath, staring up at her dreamily. 

It took him a moment to realize that they were still underwater, and yet he could breathe. 

Alice’s face split into a grin, brushing a thumb across his lips, eyes looking him up and down approvingly. “It suits you.”

“What–” she kissed him again before he could finish the question. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. When they parted, she rested her forehead on his while he finally looked down at himself, jaw dropping open when he was greeted not with his two legs, but a tail, light blue scales shimmering against the light. Webbing had sprouted between his fingers, and when he reached one hand up to feel at his throat, it was to find that three slits of gills had opened up on either side. 

“Come on,” Alice said, still grinning. “I want to introduce you to the others.”  

He dove forward to kiss her again, and she giggled against his mouth, cupping the sides of his face. Her tail coiled around his, the movement seeming deeply intimate, causing a groan to rumble from his throat. 

“Thank you,” he told her sincerely, cradling both sides of her face. Alice smiled, taking his hand, beginning to pull him along towards the deep, wide ocean.

“Shall we go?”

Thank you for reading! Please consider leaving a comment, reblog, or like. I always appreciate feedback and love getting the opportunity to interact with you and hear your thoughts!

[hyperfixationsporfavor]

A Quarter-life Crisis

Synopsis: Higuruma takes some time to think with the aide of his ex-wife.

Author's note: Hey guys! I shared a bit of this fic awhile ago so here is the completed version. Feedback is always welcomed. Enjoy!

Warnings: brief reference to suicidal imagery, mental health struggles, divorce

Original Post

Hiromi had never thought of himself as a defender of justice, moreso a man with the inability to leave things alone, the need to pursue the truth. 

This persistence had finally managed to work against him

When the judge announced a guilty verdict for his client, he made eye contact with Hiromi, giving him the withering stare of betrayal. It burrowed into his gut, stabbing him and taking him out of himself for a moment. All of a sudden everything faded into the background as his body took control, a swelling feeling pounding in his chest. He got up from his seat and stalked over to the bench. With a shaky hand he grasped the gavel and lifted it over his head.

Bang. 

Then he lifted it again.

BANG.

Then again.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Everyone stared in startled confusion, unsure of what he was doing. 

Shimizu, his associate, rushed over to where he stood with a worried look on her face.

“Mr. Higuruma?” she asked.

But he wasn’t there. He was long gone.

“Everyone come back. We’re having a retrial.”

The older judge furrowed his brow in annoyance. 

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“You're a joke,” he retorted.

The judge’s face turned red in anger.

“Mr. Higuruma. If you don’t collect yourself I’ll hold you in contempt.”

Hiromi gripped the gavel in his hand so hard his knuckles turned white. 

Without a warning he hurled the gavel at the window, shattering it in one fell swoop.

~

“Listen Higuruma, it’s nothing personal. We just need you to take a few days so we can clear the air.”

“I want a return date,” he insisted.

“I’m afraid I can’t give you that. Get your things. Go home. Rest. We’ll be in touch.”

~

Hiromi was on vacation. 

At least, that was his office's official statement. 

In actuality, he was waiting to see if he still had a job after his small incident in court. 

Small being the understatement of the century. 

Hiromi had been wallowing, mostly sleeping. The only light in his small apartment was from the television, replaying the same three movies over and over again. 

His phone buzzed on the coffee table and he reached out to grab it, squinting to read the name. 

(Name).

~

He arrived at your apartment at around eight. 

When you opened the door a sense of relief washed over him, something he hadn’t felt since his ‘break’ started.

“Hey stranger,” you warmly greeted. 

He couldn’t help but smile. “Hey.”

~

“I knew the second we got divorced your life would take a nosedive,” you prodded.

“And I knew your life would get infinitely better,” Higuruma retorted. 

You led him to the couch and made your way over to the liquor cabinet to fix him something. 

“Whiskey?” you asked.

“Please.”

You poured some for him and yourself, pressing the glass into his hand and joining him.

He took a moment to observe your apartment. Spacious and decorated with luxurious furniture. It made his place look like a broom closet. 

“So should we drink until we forget why you're here or would you rather talk?” you asked.

Hiromi looked down at his whiskey glass. “It’s been about two weeks since I’ve actually spoken to another human being so I’m not sure how great of a conversationalist I’d be.”

You set your whiskey glass down on the coffee table and crossed your arms, wrinkling your silk pajamas and matching robe. 

“We really don’t need to talk Hiromi, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

How did you see him? How did everyone else see him? Some nutcase that had thrown his career away, holed up in his apartment, sprawled out in a bathtub with his wrists slit, still in the suit?

God how morbid. 

But the situation he found himself in had caused his mind to go to some dark places.

“I appreciate it (Name). Really. How did you find out?”

“Everyone’s talking about it.”

Of course. 

The legal world was abuzz with the news of an exemplary public defender who took a stand in the courtroom. At least, that’s what one of the headlines read. 

“Of course. That was a stupid question.”

“I couldn’t believe it. What on earth possessed you?”

Hiromi knocked back his whiskey and set the empty glass on the table next to yours. 

“I honestly have no idea. It was like…losing control of myself for a second.”

“Any word from the court yet?”

He shook his head. “It’s been almost two weeks. I just wish they’d get it over with already.”

“You really think they’ll take away your license?”

“Well I insulted a judge, damaged federal property, do you have any vodka?”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I should have just accepted it and moved on.

You smirked. “You know you’ve never been able to move on from an unsolved problem.”

“I got a divorce didn’t I?”

You chuckled. “Well you could always do improv comedy.”

Your phone buzzed and you retrieved it to see who it was. 

“It’s the office. Do you mind?” you asked.

He shook his head. “Go ahead.”

“Hey Kento.”

You got up and headed into the kitchen to continue the conversation. 

While you chatted, Hiromi's attention was caught by an old photo of you on the mantle over the fireplace. He recognized it instantly, having taken the picture himself. It was from your second date where the two of you had gone to the beach. He remembered chasing you into the surf, nearly stepping on a washed up jellyfish. The photo was of you looking back at him, a smile frozen on your face.

 All of a sudden he felt a little uncomfortable being here. The two of you had a past, you had been married, then divorced. Was it even possible for you to be friends after that?

You interrupted his train of thought, reentering the room.

“Sorry about that. We're negotiating this contract and the client’s convinced that if we're not working around the clock the deal will fall through.”

He stood up. 

“Then maybe I should go.”

You shook your head. “Don’t be silly.”

“No (Name). I mean…I don’t think this is appropriate.”

You furrowed your brow in confusion. “What isn’t appropriate?”

“This. Us. Shit. This isn’t weird for you? Us hanging out.”

“No,” you simply answered. “Is it weird for you?”

No. It had been as easy as reciting the alphabet. But it scared him, and he didn’t want to drag you back into his increasingly fucked up world. Not when you were doing so well. 

“No,” he uncertainly answered. “It’s normal.”

“And being normal with me is a readjustment?” you concluded.

He sighed in defeat. 

You took a step towards him. “Hiromi. I understand that our relationship is different from what it used to be. But I’m always here for you if you need someone to talk to.”

“But you don’t have to be, is what I’m trying to say.”

“I want to be,” you assured him.

And just like that he was readjusted. 

~

After Hiromi had calmed down you ordered Chinese takeout and put on The Graduate.

“I thought you said this movie is pretentious.”

“It is but it’s easy to enjoy when you're not watching it with a pretentious person,” you retorted. 

“Just for that I’m taking the last soup dumpling.”

~

The movie wrapped up with Benjamin and Elaine running away together. Joyously laughing as the bus drove off, only to slowly realize the massive mistake they had made. 

As Simon and Garfunkel played them off Hiromi asked a question. 

“Why didn’t it work out?”

“They were young and stupid,” you concluded.

“No, us,” he clarified.

You stabbed the fried rice with your chopstick. “For the exact same reason. We were still in school, convinced we’d make a difference, too naive to think out the long term.”

“And this is it?” he asked.

You sighed. “I’m afraid so.”

You set the takeout box on the coffee table next to your empty scotch glasses and faced your ex husband. 

“Do you think if we had met later in life, things would be different?”

“I’m not sure,” he truthfully answered. “We always wanted different things so maybe not.”

He cleared his throat, not sure if he should continue. “But even if it didn’t work out. I still don’t regret being with you.”

You gave him a soft smile. “Neither do I.”

He leaned back against the couch and looked up at the ceiling. “(Name). I have no idea what I’m going to do. Even if they let me keep practicing I can’t keep going like this.”

It was draining him. At this rate he wouldn’t even make it to forty.

“Maybe, a change of environment?” you suggested.

He lifted his head to look at you. “My firm has a pretty big dedication to pro bono work. You could still do what you're doing on the side with more funds and a lighter workload.”

Working in private corporate law? It was almost impossible to imagine himself with a secretary and expensive lunch meetings. 

Before he could respond you spoke again. “I know how you feel about private interests and you will have to see those types of things up close. But promise me you’ll think about it.”

After a moment an earth shattering realization hit him.

Damn. He was falling for you again. And he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

For the first time in his life he wasn’t sure about anything.

“Yes, I’ll definitely think about it.”

~

Hiromi got home at around two in the morning. 

You had offered to let him stay in your guest bedroom but he had politely declined, afraid of what the two of you under one roof could lead to. 

He was about to collapse into bed when his phone rang. 

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hiromi?” Shimizu answered on the other end. “Thank goodness you're awake.” 

“Yeah,” he replied. “What can I do for you?”

“I was working late at the office when I got the fax. Some interns messed up so it came in later than it should have.” 

“What?”

“You’ll have to meet with hr but your back. They’re letting you keep your license.”

“...Really?”

“Your record worked in your favor. And who else would work as hard as you do for such crappy pay?”

Shimizu didn’t get a response back.

“Hiromi?”

“That’s great. Really…but I need some time to think.”

“About what?”

“What’s best for me.”

Your smile came back to him.

He had a lot to figure out. 

It was a little late in life for him to be thinking about new jobs and new relationships. Maybe he was being rash. But he didn’t care. 

Better late than never.

~

The End.

Taglist: @lynn-edits

[begitalarcos]

Life Update

Hey Guys

I know I said I was coming back, and I fully intended to. Then I injured my back... badly

I ruptured a disc in my back on one of my lowest vertebrae and now have lost most of the feeling in my left leg :(

In the next week here I'm being scheduled for spinal surgery.

Strangely I'm doing okay. Since my last post a lot of things have gotten sorted (mostly family drama) which has taken a huge weight off of me. Then I fell on the stairs. I only fell down two steps but Ianded hard on my butt and then hit my back against the stair.

This was almost 2 months ago, and I was going to physio for it until my disability decided not to cover it. I was sent to an "Impartial" specialist who had the nerve to tell me that most of my pain was likely "Psychological" haven't had that kind of flippant disrespect about my health in awhile.

On the 30th of October I went to lay down for a nap, when I woke up just the act of sitting up left me in agony. My wonderful husband then spent the next few hours with me using hot and cold compresses and trying to help me get through the pain because the hospital said it was probably just sciatic pain... Halloween rolls around and I've lost all feeling in my left thigh.

I decided "FUCK IT" and went to emergency, where after a good 9 hours I finally saw a doctor who would take me seriously. And by that time my entire left thigh, part of my calf, and most of my back end and groin were completely numb. They took my sock off and my foot was grey. It was pretty scary.

The doctor there did a battery of tests for everthing he could think of, he did manage to get a bit of feeling back into my calf and foot with an injection. But everything else was still pins and needles. I had an MRI and well.. as you can see the lower disc was pushed so far out it was impinging on all the nerves to my left leg.

I spent Halloween and most of the next day in emergency. Had a lovely panic attack, got mildly sedated, there were no beds so I was stuck in a shitty recliner in a corner between two drug attics. One who wouldn't stop complaining and then throwing fits and the other who had some kind of blood borne illness with open sores. It was fucking terrible.

Today I had to drive almost 2 hours to another city to see a neurosurgeon who was also livid no one had done anything for me in over two months and said that even with surgery I may never get full feeling back in my leg (cries) This then followed more X-rays, blood work (7 vials taken oi vey) and an ECG.

Turns out I also have a rare heart defect - that only one other person in my family has - that causes my heart to skip a beat every third beat. They also (because I'm anemic) had to go through the process of signing a ton of forms for the possibility that I may need a transfusion during or after surgery....

This was supposed to be a short post I swear -_-

Thursday I have to go for a full physical and do even MORE paperwork, and then drive again 2 hours away to another city to have my surgery.

FML

So yeah, I still very much want to be creating and posting I just haven't been able to sit or concentrate much as I am taking pain killers (that do not want to work with my antidepressants) so I've either been completely out of it or just stuck doing one thing and one thing only (which has mostly been just riding around in RDR2 hunting, fishing and exploring) I also finished the new Zelda game cuz... well I've been laying down a lot.

Holy Jeebs have I been bored. In between that I've also been trying to keep GiraffeBarn active and get into a few local stores again.

2024 has been hectic and chaotic.

I'm hopeful that the new year will bring me some much needed peace and clarity.

So yeah, I'm not gone, I'm still lurking about and I still plan to post again (when I can)

I miss you all so very much (especially my wifey <3)

Hope you all are well

much love

B

[yuujispinkhair]

Just read the post you rebloged about people being mean to fan fic writers and God youre so fucking right. I used to post fic pretty consistently around a year ago, and while post of the people were genuinely lovely and I miss them sometimes- there was a pretty big crowd who always needed more. They wanted more of x character (then never interacted with my works about him), they wanted more of a particular AU, they wanted sequels to fics, ect. And it's cool to express excitement and a want to read more of an authors work but they were straight up MEAN about it I my dms and on annon. Never publicly, obviously. My breaking point came when I posted a fic and eluded to maybe doing a sequel in the replies. Suddenly, everyone was demanding the sequel be out NOW. When it wasn't out within a week, they got demanding. Claiming that I was just "farming interaction" (??? This is Tumblr be real with yourself) or that I was lazy and "uncomitted" (as if I wasn't drowning in university work.) It felt gross how entitled they felt to my work, to my time, to ME. Like I wasn't a whole ass human with an entire life on the other side if the screen. It genuine took the joy out of creating ANYTHING for awhile. I burnt out hard. I'm only now starting to write again.

And the rise of AI isn't fucking helping anything. I had problems with people taking an AU I wrote and making cha.i bots with it. Someone had the audacity to feed one of my fics to chatGPT and ask it for another fic in my writing. Then send me the fic as if I was going to he stoked or flattered and not betrayed. With AI being so rampant, I really think some of yall forgot that there's still real people spending hours creating the fics you love, and not just typing a prompt into a box.

This sense of extreme entitlement, lack of patience, and refusal to treat creators as human is going to kill fandom I feel it in my bones.

I am...so sorry to vent in your ask box like this, this is not what I intended when I started this. I think I just needed to finally say some of this shit out loud and get it off my chest

OMGGG I am so mad on your behalf after reading this 😭😭 I am so sorry there were people who treated you and your stories that way!!

And I agree with you. I already see how much fandom changed since I started in the JJK fandom three years ago.

I am lucky to still have a really lovely community of people who scream with me about my faves and who are excited for my stories. They make it all worthwhile. I find myself looking forward to sharing a new chapter or a new fic because I know those people will enjoy them and interact with them.

But if that stopped being the case, why would I, or anyone else, still put all that work into posting a story?

I am hugging you 💗 And your stories deserve love and appreciation!!

[captainderyn]

To Think I'd Find You Again [Fic]

This idea has been in the works and many iterations for awhile. All I know is that I got struck with the Vibes the other day and simply could not write something about it. :')

Aramys belongs to @lumielles (<3)

Summary: Wren's world as she knows it is falling apart. Stricken from her place in the Empire, stranded on a backwater world with a distress signal going nowhere, she finds the person she never thought she'd see again.

---

Unknown Planet; Two Months Post Exile. 

Her broken down ship was the least of Wren’s pressing concerns. There were many, an entire book of concerns that she should and could be worried about. 

For the old, clunky ship that bore her from Dromund Kaas to this unknown, backwater planet breaking down to be the least of her concerns meant that this situation was truly, horribly, gone south. 

Three things plagued her now: 

One: the only mechanic in this backwater hub had scammed her, leaving her already low bank account unfortunately short of the credits she needed to do anything now that she no longer had the Empire’s backing. 

Two: Whether the mechanic was just a front for a crime syndicate or whether it was a group of desperate people who thought turning her over to Acina or the Eternal Empire’s goons might make them a pretty chunk of change, she now faced a warehouse of people with nothing to lose and what seemed like unlimited blaster bolts. 

Three: The distress signal she’d been broadcasting almost nonstop since she’d come to a not-so-clean landing on this planet was still unanswered. 

She wasn’t sure what she expected; she had no one anymore. Acina and the rest of the Council had cast her out and turned their back on her when she’d been one of two votes against aligning with the Eternal Empire. Through all her years in Kaas City she’d kept her real social circle small and at arm's length, despite all the socialite gatherings she’d attended. One of the truest friends she’d had left years ago, and it wasn’t as though Wren could simply call her holosignal. 

Wren deflected a blaster bolt into the wall with a shower of sparks, flinging out a chain of lightning that bounced between three mercenaries. 

The lightsaber in her hands was clunky, misshapen to her energy. Her own, which she’d made during her time at the Academy and had synergized with her powers despite all the time it’d laid unused, was scrapped in a trashcan in the Citadel now. Acina had seen to that before she’d had Wren removed from the Council chamber. 

Wren did not fight with elegance, she did not fight with grace. She did not even fight with the brutal sophistication of the most violent Sith. She fought with desperation, with a panicked frenzy akin to a cornered beast. The unfamiliar saber in her hands felt unwieldy, clunky and awkward as she hacked and slashed at the enemies backing her down the hallway as she made a run from the main room. 

Her breaths came ragged in her ears. 

This was too much. Already a trail of mercenaries marked her path through the warehouse, but more poured in from every doorway. If she wasn’t careful she’d be cornered, dropped and chained and sent to whatever prison they deemed most profitable. 

The group at the far end of the hallway cleared, and it didn’t register that she was tripping over their bodies as she stumbled into the next room. Metal rang in her ears and she whirled around to find the way she’d just come blocked by a sheet of metal, ripped from the wall. Light reflecting in that metal was all the warning she had before she whirled around, blocking a fierce blow from another lightsaber. 

Pure, feral survival instinct took over as she backstepped, parrying off a flurry of blows until her back slammed into the sheetmetal and the blinding, spitting light of her own stolen lightsaber and the other blinded her. 

From the first connection of their blades, intuition told Wren she would not win. Were she not horrendously out of battle practice, she still would stand no chance. The blade that connected with hers was wielded by one who’d seen battle. 

Wren’s power surged around her, an untamable and uncontrollable sea. Her hands began to shake on the grip she had on the saber. She should unleash her power fully, sending it out in an electric wave. Do anything, something, to survive.  

Far deep within her, something stopped her. Deep within her, something stayed in her hand even as she fought against it. Lightning ignited then dissipated across her skin in a frenetic dance. 

Familiarity, whispered the Force to her. 

Pulling on her strength she forced the lightsaber aside and in that moment her heart stuttered to a stop. Everything around her tunneled, the sounds of mercenaries from a different area of the building fading to a ring.

She pressed her back against the sheet metal, hands limp at her sides. Her death-grip on the hilt was all that kept it in her hand, trembling and tremoring. 

Aramys pulled back with a sharp intake of breath, bloodied from battle. Dark eyes that Wren had once known so well, that had belonged to her dearest friend, darted wildly over her. 

Wren took her in, breath coming more sharply than before as the past collided violently with her present. 

It was Aramys who moved first, stepping back into a ready position with her dualsaber poised behind her to strike. How many times had they sparred together, with that very position combined with a competitive smile?

“You’re finally here to fight me?” there was a sharp edge to Aramys’ voice that Wren didn’t remember, like shattered glass. 

Wren’s lungs were empty of air, no matter how much she tried to draw it back in. The tiny shake of her head was either imperceptible or Aramys didn’t believe her. 

Aramys gestured to Wren’s own blade. “If you're here to, if you want to, I’d deserve it.” 

Following her gesture, Wren stared at her lightsaber that wasn’t her own as if she couldn’t believe she was still holding it. The blade sputtered, whatever failing and faulty crystal was inside of it barely held together with Wren’s unstable grip. Eyes fixated back on Aramys, she let the hilt fall to the ground. It clattered away. 

Reality must be slipping through her fingers, cut away from her like scissors cut thread. 

“You’re…here.” Wren gasped out like a drowning woman, the only words that would surface. 

That, at the least, gave Aramys pause. The blades of her dual saber trembled. She rocked a step forward, then back. 

“I am.” she finally said, though the words were flat. 

Wren took a step forward, stopping when Aramys rocked a step back. 

“I never thought I’d see you again.” she said, voice shattering into pieces in between see and you. 

Pain lanced through Aramys’ expression. She deactivated her weapon, hooking it back onto her belt. 

“You haven’t hunted me down for the Council, for revenge for how I left you?” 

Something in Wren’s heart wrenched at the thought that she would ever have done something like that. She shook her head. 

“I didn’t even know you were here.” 

“Then the distress signal, it was yours?” Aramys said almost to herself and whatever else was lost to Wren as Aramys’ long dormant presence crept over to hers, brushing by her ever so lightly, ever so tentatively. 

The familiarity was enough to steal what Wren had regained of her breath and as she ripped away the scar tissue that had built up over their bond since they’d lost contact, it was like lost pieces clicking back into place. A part of her, restored anew from the gaping hole that had been torn. 

Aramys’ energy wound curiously, suspiciously around Wren, circling her like a prowling cat. 

It occurred to Wren then that she was the enemy now, or at the very least, was no longer friend. She was no longer with the Empire either, but Aramys did not know that. 

She sank to her knees, extending her hands out in a gesture of surrender though she’d already thrown aside her saber. 

“I’m not here because of anything you’ve done. My ship… it was stranded.” 

 Aramys’ boots clicked across the metal flooring as she approached Wren. Her hands gripped the edge of the gray hood of Wren’s tunic that had half-fallen in the fighting. As she tugged it down, the prowling of her presence ceased, instead bumped against her as a housecat would.

“If I still didn’t think there was half a chance you’d kill me, I’d take you back to my ship for a chance of clothes; gray washes you out something terrible.” 

Wren looked up at Aramys, taking a long moment to parse out that it was a wry smile she wore on her lips. It shocked her system enough that she choked on a watery, uncertain laugh. 

It was with agonized sincerity that she said, “I would never.” 

The wry smile slipped off of Aramys lips and that pained expression flitted over her face again. “I wouldn’t blame you.” 

For the first time since realization had set in, Wren really looked at Aramys, now finding the subtle signs of the years and the stress that had happened in the time they’d been apart. She found that she wanted to sit down and know what had happened, to know everything that had passed her by. 

Wren brought her hands up to curl over Aramys’ forearms, using the physical motion to ground herself out of her mind, where their energies in the Force circled and explored and tried to make sense of the other person standing in front of them. 

“I have lost everything, Aramys. Coming here to kill you…it would gain me nothing but pain I’d never recover from.” 

Aramys’ brow furrowed, lips pressing together. Her fingers curled curiously in Wren’s hood, working the fabric as she looked closer at Wren. 

“Lost everything…?” she murmured. “With the signal…you aren’t here with the Empire?” 

Hearing someone else say it hit Wren like a blow. The place she’d always known, her home she’d been raised in, had cast her out. She gave a shaky nod. 

“I left.” she said. “I couldn’t do it anymore.” 

Aramys was quiet for a long moment. When she pulled away, Wren’s heart flipped and plummeted through the floor. But then Aramys extended her hand to Wren, curling her fingers in a come along gesture. 

“Then come with me,” Aramys’ voice hitched up to make that statement into a question. “At least to my ship. We have…a lot of things to discuss, I think.” 

There were years spanning between them, harsh words slung at each other buried beneath time and lived experiences. Who knew what would happen if they unearthed the old wounds between them, what would happen if they laid bare what had happened in times past. 

Wren grabbed Aramys’ hand and let her be pulled to her feet. 

Some part of her whispered that some unknowns were meant to be stepped into.

[ghostlee]

OMG OK IM ACTUALLY SO STUPID LOL

So @shadowpon-3 and I were supposed to fic trade a bit ago and I was like 100000% sure that I posted my half of the trade. However I found it today in my notes and I had a moment of thought where I was like. “Wait I never actually saw the reaction on this from Shadow..?” And so I got on my tumblr to check and after scrolling for like 10 mins and looking I was like “HOLY SHIT I NEVER SENT MY HALF 😭😭😭 “

IM SO SORRY OMG I FINISHED THIS AWHILE AGO AND WAS JUST POSITIVE THAT I HAD POSTED IT.

ANYWAHAHAYS HERES THE FIC

So sorry again pls forgive me and my completely unobservant ass 😭

————

Well well well. What do we have here?

Word Count: 2,458

Lee!OddJayAlter

Ler!Stephen

——

This is from DanPlan (pretend Daniel is still part of their group and they are all together still.)

————

“Ughh where did that little rascal go?” Jay asked to himself quietly as he was searching around the house for the new kitten that they just adopted.

Stephen, Hosuh and Daniel were all downstairs making lunch and sent Jay upstairs on his turn to go find Milo.. their new cat.

Jay had no issue going to look for Milo but the hunt for this kitten was starting to get on his nerves as he continued making the “pspsps” sound and crouching down to look in and around furniture.

Just as Jay was about to leave the guest bedroom he heard a small meow coming from the corner of the room as he quickly paused and slowly turned his head back towards the bed in the corner.

He got back down onto his hands and knees as he lowered himself belly down onto the ground to look under the bed.

Sure enough in the back, pressed right up against the wall was a small fluffy orange tabby. “Milo!” Jay whisper shouted as he tried to reach his hand out under the bed to get Milo to come over to him.

He waited a few seconds with his open palm not feeling anything before he got impatient and tried to reach further to no avail.

Sighing, Jay tried peak his head under to determine if it was a gap he could squeeze his body under to grab Milo and he decided for it.

Putting his hands flat on the floor he slowly but surely krept under the bed and managed to get the upper half of his chest under. Jay reached back out and took hold of Milo and started trying to scoot himself back out.

And that’s when he realized. He wasn’t going anywhere.

He was stuck under the bed.

“No no this can’t be happening.” Jay tried to tell himself and he struggled more to get out, Milo wiggled in his hand as the kitten meowed and managed to escape before running off likely into another room.

Jay let out a loud exasperated sigh and tried once again to wiggle out from under the bed. He refuse to call for help, he was better than that. Not to mention they would all likely make fun of him for getting stuck.

Maybe besides Housuh who would actually help him out and not make fun of him.

Jay tried again and again as he started becoming more frantic and it set in further that he was infact stuck.

He tried to reach his arms out to his sides to get his phone but realized he left it downstairs on the kitchen counter. Silently Jay bit back his pride and called out loud, “HEY!! CAN ANY OF YOU COME UPSTAIRS.”

There was a moment of silence as Jay prayed one of them heard it, since as much as he dreaded the idea of them finding him like this, he hated the idea of being stuck under here for awhile much more.

Suddenly a voice called up from the bottom of the steps. “What’s up Jay? Everything okay?”

Stephen.

He was bound to make fun of Jay but the blond had no other choice. “N-No.. I uh. I’m stuck!”

There was another pause as Jay started to let his mind wander over how embarrassing this was.

“You’re…. What?” Stephen yelled back up the stairs.

“IM STUCK.” Jay called out annoyed as he tried again to wriggle free as a last ditch attempt.

Suddenly he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and they padded into the doorway of the room he was in before they abruptly stopped.

He heard a small snicker and a “tsk tsk tsk” from Stephen as the boy started to giggle.

“How’d they even happen?” Stephen asked with a pique of curiosity in his tone.

“I was trying to get Milo out from under the bed.. and well.” Jay sheepishly answered back.

“Just get me out of here..” He snapped as he started to try and wiggle free again.

Stephen rolled his eyes at the impatience but then nodded before walking over to the edge of the bed and trying to see what the best approach was to get Jay out.

“Alright why don’t you try and push with your hands and I’ll try to pull.” Stephen said as he crouched down to get a good grip on Jay.

Jay in his head assumed that meant Stephen would be grabbing onto his ankles to pull so when ten fingers suddenly latched onto both of his sides and squeezed, Jay jolted and let out a strangled bark of a laugh.

Stephen quickly let go and jumped back away from Jay afraid he accidentally hurt him. “W-What was that???” Stephen asked with urgency in his voice.

“I-it was n-nothing. Don’t do th-“

Suddenly he was grabbed again in the same spot as Stephen tried to figure out what happened.

Again that same bark of laughter ripped itself out of Jays throat as he tried to reach his hands down to grab at Stephen, but this time when some giggles lingered in the air, everything became incredibly clear to Stephen.

There was silence between the two boys before he heard Stephen start laughing quietly to himself.

“Well well well…. Look what we have here.”

Stephen taunts Jay with a grin laced in his voice. “Looks like Mr.Just Get Me Out Of Here, is ticklish..”

Jay feels a pit start forming in his stomach as if he was a little kid that was just caught in a lie.

He knew he couldn’t get himself out of this one so he sighed, “yes… I’m ticklish.. please just help me get out.”

Stephen’s heart just about exploded, he wasn’t one for cutesy wholesome moments but he was a tickle monster through and through and learning that his best friend Jay was a perfect candidate for the tickle monsters appetite was just what he needed today.

“You remember that time that you replaced all of my shampoo with pink dye?” Stephen asked, letting the question loom over the blond for a moment.

“What does that have to do with- Stephen come on that was forever ago. Thats not fai-“ Jay tried to argue but got cut off.

“4 weeks Jay. That my hair was pink.” Stephen lowered his tone as he fought a grin creeping its way onto his face.

“Y-You could’ve dyed it again after!” Jay protested as he started to get more and more nervous that being tickled was getting set in stone.

“I think this is a good chance for some payback if you ask me..” Stephen laughed with a darker tinge in his voice.

“W-Waiahahahait!! Noahahahahhaha!” Jay cried out as Stephens fingers started to scribble quickly against his sides.

Jays body shook involuntarily as he laughed and laughed away, his sides felt like they had 100 butterflies all flapping their wings right against his bare skin as Stephen pushed up Jays shirt some to tease at his sensitive skin.

Jay kicked his feet uselessly behind Stephen, his feet hitting the purple haired mans back every few seconds when Stephen took a seat firmly on Jays hips.

Jay desperately tried to grab onto Stephen’s hands to stop the onslaught but not being able to see where Stephen would attack next made it far more difficult for Jay to properly grasp his hands.

Stephen switched where he was tickling every few second so Jay couldn’t grab onto him, and every time he switched spots, Jays body would jump with shock at the new attack on a different area.

“PLEHAHAHSHSSE NOAHAHAHAHAT MY SIDEHEHEHES!!!” Jay screamed with laughter while Stephen wiggled his fingers into the blonds sides before raising his hands up to scribble between each rib.

Jay tried again and again to push himself up as he somewhat pushed Stephen off his hips for a moment.

He finally managed to wiggle out a bit further in the struggle, in the fight the bed lifted up some however and he managed to flip onto his back. Once again finding himself stuck but in even more of a comprising position as Stephen took his place back on Jays hips who was now on his back.

Stephen’s eyes lit up at Jays new misfortune as he pushed up the front of Jays shirt up to his ribs to get a nice flat tickleable area in front of him.

Stephen watched as Jay greedily took in breathes as his stomach rose and fell. One thing that Stephen noticed almost immediately was a little button right in the center of Jays belly.

Specifically an outie belly button.

“You have an outie belly button??” Stephen giggled as he gazed at the small mark on Jay.

“Y-Yeahahhaah.. *deep breath* whahahat about it??” Jay asked feeling somewhat out of breathe.

“Aren’t they like. More ticklish then innies or something?” Stephen grinned knowing full well that he pulled that information from nothing.

“N-No I don’t know..” Jay sighed as he once again tried to wiggle free. “Can you just help me get out now..” he asked.

Stephen thought for a moment. He smiled to himself and slowly dragged the tip of his index fingers around Jays bare stomach making sure to avoid his belly button.

The feeling didn’t bring Jay to full laughter again but it did make him squirm some as his sides tried to get away from the sensation.

“If you let me tickle you for… 60 seconds. I’ll help you out.” Stephen said as he felt imaginary devil horns pop up over his head at the deal he was attempting to make.

“No way! What’re you gonna do? Not help me?” Jay said as he tried once again to get free to no avail.

“No, but I’d go get Daniel to “help us” and I’ll add in that you’re ticklish into the plea for help.” Stephen grinned ear to ear as he watched Jay carefully knowing the man was now at a cross road.

“30 seconds.” Jay says hoping that Stephen would take it.

“50.” Stephen called back.

“Fuck you drive a hard bargain.” Jay sighed.

“Fine… 50 seconds. But you HAVE to help me as soon as the 50 seconds is up.” Jay said as he choked back his dignity.

“And you’re not aloud to try and stop me either!” Stephen added.

“What!? That wasn’t part of the deal!” Jay whined as he gave Stephen the bird from under the bed.

“You wanna get out or not?” Stephen said to him as he drummed his fingers on Jays sides again.

Jays body squirmed uncomfortably as he took a second to process the terms of their deal.

“Fine.” Jay snapped.

“Fine what?” Stephen giggled knowing he was definitely pushing the blondes buttons now.”

“Oh my god just get it over with!!” Jay cried as he stomped his foot on the ground.

“Hahaha ok you asked for it!” Stephen said as he started to circle Jay outie belly button with his finger.

Jay felt his stomach start shaking as his body became aware of the impending tickles.

“Whahahait n-hahahao legehets re-negoti- AAGAHHhah!” Jay screeched when Stephen glided his finger over the small button.

He then started to poke at Jays navel and every time he did Jay would let out a squeal. “Hahaha it’s like a giggle button. All I need to do is press righttttt hereeee and you laugh!” Stephen said knowing full well it was driving Jay crazy.

“YouHahahHah Havahahhahave thirhahahirty seheheheconds!!” Jay managed to say through his laughter as he squirmed around under the bed.

“Ahh right right, good point. Thanks for the tip.” Stephen smiled as he dragged his fingers down to Jays hips to start softly kneading into the ticklish skin.

Stephen heard Jay start banging on the bottom of the bed with his fists as his laughter got more hysterical.

“Twehehehenty sehehehconds!” Jay yells as he fights to turn his stomach back out of Stephen’s hands. “Ah ah ah where do you think you’re going?” Stephen tsked as he follows Jays movements and scritches his fingers right on the small of Jays back.

“You’re all mine for another… 10 seconds.” Stephen grins as he watches Jay arch his back up and away from the back tickles only for Stephen to scitter his fingers over Jays stomach.

“THAHAHAATS EHEHEHVEIL STOHAHAHAHAP!!” Jay screamed as he tried to pull his legs up to protect his stomach but was blocked by Stephen.

Stephen gave Jays sides a final few pokes and squeezes watching the man break down into soft quiet giggles, something he’d not seen Jay do often which honestly did warm his heart some.

“Annndddd that’s 50 seconds..” Stephen said, sticking true to his tickly word.

Jay took in large breathes of air as he laughed away the last few giggles and let out a sigh.

“Ughh remind me not to make deals with the devil again, that was torture!” Jay whines as he waits for Stephen to help him.

“Your secret is safe with me.. for now.” Stephen says as he gets up and gets a grip on the bottom of the bed frame and lifts it up giving Jay a chance to wriggle himself out from under it.

Jay sat up and brushed himself off before glaring at Stephen who had a shit eating grin on his face.

“Not a word.” Jay said as he pushed himself up and turned away from Stephen to go back downstairs.

“I’ll find Milo later when he comes looking for food.” Jay laughs as he walks back down the steps.

“I’ll be sure to help you out again the next time you get stuck-“ Stephen says with a quick gentle poke to Jays side as the blond jumps with an offended look and bats Stephen finger away.

“Like hell you will.” Jay scoffed as he made his way back into the kitchen.

“What took you two so long? Did you find Milo?” Daniel asked the two.

With the confidence of a madmad Jay looked with his classic eyes closed smile at Daniel and said “yeah Milo ran back off, Stephen and I were just hanging out sorry we took awhile.”

Jay nudged Stephen and turned slightly to shoot a glare towards him.

“Yeah.” Stephen said as he walked over to the kitchen table. “What he said.”

Hosuh had a look of confusion on his face at first but he shrugged it off and continued assembling their sandwich’s they’d be having for lunch.

“Well whatever you two were doing I’m glad you’re back since lunch is just about ready.” Daniel said as he grabbed two of the plates and handed them to Jay and Stephen.

The two nodded and took the plates before sitting down at the table with Hosuh and Daniel.

———

End

———

I HOPE YOU LIKED IT AAAH Sorry again lmao <3 😭

[quihi]

Okay, overall thoughts on Fablehaven and Dragonwatch. I hope to write in more detail later - I have a first draft of a post about my take on some of the religious themes and allegory in Dragonwatch - but I gotta start somewhere (that requires less citations).

I saw Carnival Quest on the library shelf last November, read that, and had so much fun I decided to go for more Brandon Mull and reread Fablehaven. (I don't read a lot of kids books, as an adult, but I hadn't felt like reading in awhile and this made reading fun.) The first book was rough, honestly—it was his first published book and it shows. The prose felt clunky and awkward, but I got used to it and it improved. Seth drove me insane—so much of the plot was driven by "Seth screws up." But it was a quick and easy and fun read, and the world and concept were a delight!

Books 2–4 were great. I only read the books once or twice over ten years ago, so all I remembered was the general concept, a little about Kendra and Seth, and a vague idea of the final battle. I got to experience all the twists again! It was very fun to see the people who populate this increasingly large world, and the people around the edges like that rich couple in Georgia who have fairies but have never seen a preserve. Like, how did they get involved, how much do they know? It's clear that Kendra and Seth are way more deeply involved than someone who just discovered the preserves normally would be. I have a lot of thoughts about their parents and how Fablehaven fits in with their lives, and I think I think about that a lot more as an adult—it doesn't bother me but I find it more sad now.

Keys to the Demon Prison was big, and wow did we see the world. It added a lot of stuff that hadn't felt foreshadowed at all—the Eternals, Vasilis, Bracken—so it felt a little disconnected and like there were some deus ex machina. I liked the ending, though, and how everything wrapped up with swapping the demon prison and the fairy realm.

So, fun series! They definitely felt like kids books, but I would still recommend them to kids and adults who want to read a fun, magical adventure.

After this, life got busy, and I needed a break, and time to let the books sink in and read a few other books, so I didn't start Dragonwatch until January. I raced through the first three books, then took about a week off before I could get myself past the beginning of Champion of the Titan Games, then finished the series in under a week. They got so frustrating and dark that I needed that break, but I'm glad I didn't force myself to keep reading when I was worn out.

Okay, look, I know this seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed them. I don't know if it helped because I read them all in under a month and didn't think too hard or reread them in between, and I hadn't been eagerly awaiting them—I don't think much about Mull or keep up with his new books. I didn't notice a lot of the continuity errors that I guess were there, though I did notice the big thematic change from darkness being neutral to being more evil (though I have some thoughts on that, too). There were definitely some weird choices. The structure of book five felt very similar to Fablehaven's book five.

I liked Knox and Tess. I see reasons they would be introduced, and while they could have done more (Tess: spends entire series as the innocent girl, gets teleported around a couple times but never to anywhere from which she can get home), I couldn't help liking them. They're decent foils for Kendra and Seth, at least. I think I'd have liked more of them, over cutting them. I badly wanted Knox and Seth to sit down for a good conversation about mistakes and forgiveness.

One of the story choices that baffled or irritated me most was not putting Marat or Agad back in charge of Wyrmroost, after Celebrant lost his status. I guess the best argument is there wasn't time between them returning from Stormguard Castle and Seth's disappearance, and the explicit consent of both Kendra and Seth was needed, but like, that should have been the first thing they did. I guess no one thought of it. And I suppose there was still the issue of no easy way to leave.

There was a lot of religion, which I began to notice in Master of the Phantom Isle, and was surprisingly blatant in Return of the Dragon Slayers. Religious themes in books don't bother me, though I know that's a YMMV topic and I understand why some people don't like it. (Thank you to the Fablehaven fandom for, as far as I can tell, not getting into absolute hatred of Christianity.) But, well, they were still overall the fun adventures that I was reading for, even as they got more sad and the character arcs got deeper. I'm glad I finished and read through the whole series.

I was left with a lot to think about. I have ideas for fanfiction. Mostly canon compliant, set after Dragonwatch, with some earlier, and also one romance AU that I'm worried about people's reactions to the ship. I'm buying a lot of the books to reference more easily, since I like referencing books when I write and I'm no longer twelve years old with the time and urge to flip through and reread books a dozen times until I know every plot point by heart by the time I return them to the library, but I do have more disposable income.

So, uh, I'm not really one to rate books, but I'd still call these solid and fun overall, though they have their flaws. I far prefer enjoying books to criticizing them, so I'd rather like them and try to find ideas and headcanons that improve them, rather than linger on the elements I dislike. I want to be positive!