#yes this was WAYYYYY more than 5

[coco-bean-1218]

Chuck/Claire "why couldn't it have been us in the end?" For the five lines fic game??

Oh, my dear sweet anon, you are not prepared for the angst I have in mind.

This is wayyyyy more than 5 lines, but I couldn’t help myself!

So, here is a potential outcome in which Claire chooses someone else. You can insert whoever you want to be her fiancé.

Feel free to like, comment and reblog!

----

August, 1946

It was Easy Company's first annual reunion, and every member who could come was there. Claire was glad to see her fellow paratroopers again. It had been a little bit under a year since they had last been together. The party had been going on for a while, and Claire found herself in need of a moment of quiet reflection. She wandered through the venue, her eyes scanning the room in search of a place where she could gather her thoughts.

After a few moments, she saw Grant standing against the wall, drink in hand, and decided to walk over.

"I was wondering where you went," she said as she approached him.

"I was just trying to get a break from the noise," he replied with a weary smile. "You know how it is at reunions."

She offered him an inviting smile. "Care to join me outside?"

He shrugged, a sense of relief washing over him. "Sure, why not?"

As they stepped outside, Claire took a deep breath of fresh air. The noise of the venue seemed to fade away as they walked along the garden path.

"That's quite the ring you've got there," Grant commented on the ring that sparkled in the moonlight.

"Oh, this?" she held up her hand, examining the ring in the moonlight. "It's...uh...blue topaz, my birthstone."

Grant's eyes lingered on the ring for a moment. "I remember," he said softly.

You're coming to the wedding, right?" she asked eagerly.

Grant nodded. "Of course," he replied. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides, what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?" he added. 

Claire smiled at him, relieved by his response.

As they continued walking, Claire noticed a fountain that caught her interest. She walked up to it, captivated by the gentle splashing sound and the mesmerizing reflections of the moonlight in the water. Grant, sensing Claire's curiosity, joined her beside the fountain. They stood side by side, watching the reflections of the moon dance on the water's surface.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Claire said, her voice filled with wonder.

Grant nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is," he replied, but his eyes weren't fixed on the fountain. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Claire. She was the real beauty of the night, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was the one who captivated him, body and soul.

Without warning, Grant spoke up again, his voice filled with sadness and longing. "Why couldn't it have been us in the end?" his voice barely above a whisper.

The question shocked both himself and Claire. Grant hadn’t intended to speak his thoughts so openly, but the words had already left his lips, echoing in the silent night.

Grant's question had stunned them both. Why couldn't it have been them in the end? The words hung in the air, filled with regret and a sense of missed opportunity. Claire felt her heart shatter as tears welled up in Grant's eyes. She could see the pain etched on his face, and it made her own heart ache. She took a shaky breath and tried to find the words to answer him.

"Grant, I don't… I don't know," she said softly. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she could feel the tears threatening to spill over.

Grant shook his head, his voice filled with regret. "No, you don't."

---

HOLY SHIT THIS WAS WORSE THAN THE LAST POST-WAR CLAIRE AND GRANT 😭

[1eos]

Miss kendra would u reccomend getting a switch? Ive been think of getting back into video games but im not sure if i should get a handheld or a home console.

if a majority of the games you're interested in are switch exclusives its worth it, but if you want to play games that are also on steam, ps4/5, xbox etc i would recc getting a console bc the switch is the worst abt planned obselescence. like its the least durable system ive ever encountered in my life its actually infuriating.

good points:

if u like handheld gaming the switch lite is excellent. you can save $150, there a cute colors, and the battery life and graphics are excellent. going back to my ps vita after the switch is like whoaaa the display on the lite is just that good.

memory cards for switches arent too expensive and u can get a big sized one for a good deal and not have to worry about space

good game library. i got the switch to play persona strikers, botw, animal crossing, and god eater 3 and it was worth it....and most of these games were worth it

since the switch is super popular its easy to get pre owned units for a decent discount from reputable places

bad points:

the joycons on the switch WILL go out. like no ifs and or buts they get terminal levels of drift in a year, year and a half of any kind of regular play. nintendo knows this and they don't give a fuck. if you have a switch console they used to send u joycons replacements for free but if u have a lite they have to fix it and YES they will charge you :) i got a discount only bc i said i wasn't gonna pay $80 for their negligence.

also 4 or so years later the flap on the game slot has broken and the left trigger doesnt work on my lite. mind u my first ps vita is almost 12 years old and had NO hardware issues (only a memory card issue) and i put more work into that vita in one year than i have in 3 years w my switch. so just be mindful that you will have hardware issues guaranteed

-game prices. switch games rarely if ever go on sale even if theyre 400000 years old and its actually evil. if there are a lot of games u want to play im honestly gonna recommend getting a ps4/ps5 first bc u can get games on sale digitally and physically at a MUCH better price

-a LOT of switch exclusive games drop half baked. this is true of a lot of consoles but with the switch its even more egregious bc of the insane price point. i regret getting animal crossing when it dropped out of nostalgia bc it arrived w virtually no content. one of the newer story of seasons was wayyyyy too empty too easy etc etc. with switch exclusive games in particular you should always wait for unbiased reviews bc most of these games beyond botw dropped bare bones as hell

[khoicesbyk]

The Royal Romance.

Forevermore.

A/N: this is the next chapter in the journey of my OTP. Follow along for the fun.

Rated: Mature (at times can and will be Explicit. I'll be sure to change the rating when and if that happens). | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual. Y'all should be used to this from me by now 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and original characters created by me and/or other authors [their characters have been mentioned and/or used in the story with their permission] ) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 8,600 words. (may be slightly more or may be slightly less. Look, I stop counting after editing and re-editing and driving myself insane. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or DM me and I will gladly add you! 😁😘

This series is rated Mature and/or Explicit. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

Missing a chapter or want to read a chapter again? I got you covered! Click ——> Here!

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations

Sorry this is wayyyyy late! I thought I had uploaded it last month. Oh well! 🤦🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Chapter 5.) Joy Of Winter.

It's December in Cordonia. And many in the kingdom were abuzz for the annual Cordonia Winter Festival. It has become somewhat of a national pride and many were ready to celebrate. None more than Marquise. He loves the event and the fact that it has become his wife's newest pastime brings him joy. 

December wasn't just the month of the Winter Festival. It was also the month of his graduation. He was to finally graduate with a Doctorate in Psychology. He was excited and couldn't wait to go to Boston. But first, before he could celebrate he had business to attend to. 

It was a few weeks removed since his mother-in-law had gotten into a physical altercation with Countess Alicia. With many of the nobles beginning to take Lady Alicia's side and wanting Shantel to be removed from her post. But Marquise knew better. And after the security footage of the fight was released, he had both ladies meet him in his office to discuss and remedy the issue. 

"Good morning to you both. Thank you for joining me. Please have a seat." he said to them both. 

"Thank you for having us, Your Majesty," Shantel replied. 

"Yes. Thank you." Alicia agreed. 

"You're both very welcome. Now that you both are here, we can get down to business. Apparently, you two have an issue that needs to be resolved. Now."

Alicia huffed. 

"There wouldn't be an issue, Your Majesty, if someone here had remembered her place." 

Shantel rolled her eyes. 

"If by 'remembered her place' you mean that I should've remembered that I am a Duchess and you're not, then yes you're right I should have, and by doing so I should've had you thrown out of the palace."

"You have no authority there!" Alicia sneered. 

"No, I don't. But my husband, perhaps you know him, his name is Prince Damien Miller, he does. And so does my daughter. The Queen. After all, it is HER palace. Not yours. And certainly not your step-sister's." Shantel shot back. 

"Your husband is a coward and idiot!" Alicia seethed. 

"If by that you mean he chose better and by that I mean he chose me and not a bottom feeder like you. Then yeah you're so right he is."

Alicia's face contorted with disgust. 

"Why you no good god awful Jezebel!" Alicia snapped at Shantel. 

"You're still mad that he didn't want you then and still doesn't want you now!" Shantel spat back at her. 

"Why you–" Alicia started to say before Marquise cut her off, "That is enough! Have some decorum! You're both grandmothers for God's sake."

Shantel raised an eyebrow. 

"You know what? You're right, Your Majesty. We should know better. Especially me. After all, my sweet granddaughter is the Crown Heir. I have an example to set for her. I wouldn't want her to see me act like this." 

Alicia scoffed. 

"This is why you are not and never will be worthy of your so-called title and station as Duchess. You think because you slept with Damien that you belong among us. You are nothing but a commoner. A low-brow American commoner at that."

"Correction: you slept with him. And according to him, you were never really that good. Unlike you, I married him. I love him. Something you have always been incapable of doing."

"Ladies!" Marquise warned. 

"I don't even know why I'm even here. We both know you'll do nothing but side with this sad excuse of a noble." Alicia said to Marquise. 

Marquise took a deep breath and straightened his spine. 

"You're here because whether you like Shantel or not, whether you like the fact she is married to Damien or not, she is still an active member of The Royal Family. And you decided to put your hands on her. Knowing that it's against the law to do so." Marquise said to Alicia. 

"She started it!" Alicia protested. 

Shantel rolled her eyes. 

"Countess, with all due respect, I have seen the security footage and heard the accompanying audio as well. You antagonized her after she, my father-in-law, and Commander Devereaux were situated and settled into their rooms and when she snapped at you for your rudeness during dinner, you threw a drink in her face. Which ended quite badly for you." 

Alicia rolled her eyes and Marquise raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Did you just roll your eyes at me, Countess?" he asked. 

"Of course not. I'm not a heathen. Unlike some people." she replied while gesturing to Shantel. 

"I'm not so sure your actual husband, Earl Amos, would agree." Shantel shot back at her. 

"Ladies! Last. Chance." Marquise warned. 

The two women glared at each other but said nothing. 

"Now this issue between you two needs to be put to rest permanently. You are both nobles of very high society, given you both have close proximity to King Dominic and Shantel has close proximity to myself and my wife."

"So just what are you proposing, Your Majesty?" Alicia asked. 

"After speaking with both of your husbands I let them decide what the best course of action is to take," Marquise replies. 

"And what did they decide?" Shantel asks. 

"Your husbands decided that you two are going to work together."  Marquise replies. 

They were stunned. 

"What?!" Shantel asks. 

"Excuse me?!" Alicia asked. 

"Allow me to explain, because Shantel is the Education Minister, she needs a second in command. That's where you come in Alicia. Because as of this moment, per your husband's request, you are no longer Head Of Staff at the palace in Cloutier."

Alicia blinked. 

"What do you mean by his request?!" Alicia asks. 

"What I mean is Earl Amos requested you be fired from your position as Head Of Staff for embarrassing and potentially jeopardizing his house, social standing, and name. And I will honor his request. Effective immediately. Instead, you will serve as Shantel's second in command. Consider it fair and well...karmic punishment."

Their jaws dropped. 

"So you're saying that I have to work for that?!" Alicia asked, gesturing at Shantel who rolled her eyes. 

"Yes. This was the solution both men came up with and as King, I signed off on it." Marquise replied. 

"Unbelievable. I can not believe that no good coward would turn on me!"

Shantel shook her head. 

"Next time pick on someone who can't fight. You know, like your step-sister?" Shantel quipped. 

Marquise turned his attention to his mother-in-law. 

"As for you madam, you said it best. Your granddaughter is the Crown Heir. And it is up to you to set the greatest example for her. And as her father and your King, I expect you to act like it. Now as far as Alicia working for you is concerned, I expect you to be a fair leader. Is that clear?" Marquise asks. 

"Of course. She's not the first combative person I've dealt with in a workplace and she won't be the last."

Alicia scoffed. 

"This is humiliating! I shouldn't have to work with her!" 

"Not work with her Countess. Work under her. She is officially your boss. But as she has just assured me, she will be fair. And I expect that you will be compliant."

"And if I'm not? What then? You forget I'm protected by my brother-in-law." Alicia asked. 

"First of all, his detail does not extend to you. And hasn't extended to you since he lost power. And secondly, I could just forgo the solution and go with Damien's original idea," Marquise replies. 

"What idea?" Alicia asks. 

"That I strip you of your title and lands. That was Damien's original idea. The only reason he didn't push harder for it is because of your grandchildren. He as well as your husband didn't think it would be fair for them to have to lose what's rightfully theirs because you want to be a 60-going-5-year-old." Marquise replied. 

Shantel snickered quietly.

"It's no wonder why many of the nobles don't respect you, Your Majesty. You let worms like her get away with murder, while you punish their betters for no reason." Alicia sneered at him. 

"Oh, I definitely have a reason. It's called I'm the King and this is my kingdom! Now if you're that unhappy with how I rule and run things, you are free to live anywhere you'd like. Just know that it won't be here in Cordonia."

Alicia huffed. 

"Are we done?" Alicia asked. 

"Get out of my office!" Marquise hissed at her. 

Alicia got up and stormed out. Slamming his office door. 

"Well, that was fun," Shantel said. 

Marquise raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to shake her head. 

"I'll be fine, son."

"I know. But I meant it when I told her that you would be fair. Do not make me look like a liar."

"I would never do that to you. You know this. I know how hard you work to balance everything." 

"Good."

"You know she's going to run and tell the first noble she comes across that you have been unfair to her right?" Shantel asked. 

"I'm betting on it. But I've been in power long enough to know how to deal with these wealthy idiots." he replies. 

"What if she tries to gather enough support to oust you and my daughter?" she asks. 

"Unless she can somehow convince the 5 heads of the Great Houses of Cordonia to support her cause, I doubt it. Also, Countess Madeleine, Duchess Kiara, Duke Bertrand, Duchess Olivia, and Duke Landon pledged their support to the crown when Khari was born and reaffirmed that pledge when my boys were born."

"Madeleine took over for her mother?" Shantel asks. 

"Mmhmm. Duchess Adelaide has kidney cancer on top of having Cirrhosis." Marquise replied. 

"Oh my God!" Shantel said with a gasp. 

"Her health struggles haven't been made public yet, but due to her rapidly declining health, she quietly passed the duties as Head Of House over to her daughter when the boys were six months old." 

"Is it terminal?" Shantel asks. 

"That I don't know. I do know that Adelaide is on the donor list. I also don't know how high up the list she is." Marquise replies. 

"Does my daughter know?" 

"Yes. We went to see the Duchess a few weeks ago."

"How can Madeleine be Head Of House if her mother is still a Duchess?"

"Her health. If a Head Of House ever falls gravely ill, they can pass their duties on to their heir. Maddy won't officially be Duchess of Fydelia until her mother officially passes."

Shantel nodded. 

Just then there was a loud commotion outside of Marquise's office door. 

"What in the world?" Shantel asks. 

That's when Earl Amos Barbaroux came in with Countess Alicia hot on his heels. 

"May I help you?" Marquise asked. 

"Yes, yes you can. You can tell my so-called husband that the deal he made with Damien is off!" 

The Earl rolled his eyes. 

"Please my King, I apologize for intruding into your office. But my wife is being unreasonable."

Alicia whirled around on him. 

"Unreasonable?! You are trying to dehumanize me by forcing me to work for someone who is way beneath my station!" Alicia yelled at her husband. 

"You don't have a station!" he yelled back at her. "I have a station!"

Shantel and Marquise looked at each other as Earl Amos took a deep breath. 

"If it wasn't for me, you'd still be the same noble whore, that your parents passed around, family to family, until they found mine, specifically they found my father, and begged him to match us together!" 

This left the King and his mother-in-law speechless. 

"You—" Alicia started to say before her husband cut her off, "I have had to put up with you and your constant disrespect and condescendence for decades. And now is when I put my foot down!" 

"Enough! Whatever the issue is or issues are between you two, will not and can not be solved by you two having a shouting match in my office. So if you two don't mind." Marquise said to both of them while gesturing to his office door, "Thank you."

Earl Amos nodded. 

"Yes, you're right Your Majesty. I apologize for my behavior towards you and Duchess Shantel." he replied to Marquise before addressing Shantel, " and speaking of you Duchess, I would also like to extend my sincerest apologies for my wife and her unbecoming and unscrupulous behavior towards you all these years. I have never been more ashamed or embarrassed."

Shantel nodded. 

"Thank you for your apology, Sir."

Earl Amos gave her a small smile and nod before turning his attention back to his wife. 

"His Majesty asked us both to leave his office. So let's go," he said calmly to her. 

Alicia crossed her arms as she glared at him. 

"I am not going anywhere with you! You no good traitor!" Alicia sneered at her husband. 

"Well, you're certainly not going to be staying in my office all day so you and Earl Amos can both take your leave."

Alica scoffed at Marquise. 

"Countess, I will NOT repeat myself," Marquise warned her. 

Alicia huffed and began to turn on her heel. But not before saying one last thing to her husband. 

"I should've had Edward kill you when I had the chance!"

The Earl scoffed.

"Well, now you can't. And until our youngest three children have finished their studies and are off to university, I am stuck living with a shrew of a wife better known as you."

Alicia stood there with her mouth open as she watched her husband walk out. Then followed behind him not too long after. 

"Well that was certainly eventful," Shantel said to Marquise. 

Marquise only shook his head. 

"Too eventful."

"What happened to them?" Shantel asks, "From all I ever heard he's been nothing but good to her." 

"He has. But she's never been any good to him."

"But why? What has he done that she hates him so much?"

Marquise looked at his door for a moment.

"Off the record? The three youngest children he mentioned...aren't biologically his."

"What?!" Shantel asked. 

"Their biological father was a man Alicia had been having an affair with for years. He worked on her and Amos's estate staff. And rather than risk the scandal of divorce, he's raised them as his own." Marquise replies. 

"Do you think their children know he's not their biological father?" Shantel asked. 

"I doubt it. I don't think he wants them to know."

Shantel nodded. 

"I can understand why. It would break his heart. Where is their biological father?"

Marquise exhaled slowly. 

"You don't know this but your brother-in-law had him executed when the man threatened to go public about his and Alicia's affair."

"You're joking!"

Marquise shook his head no. 

"Nope. And Edward made sure to have this man erased from all public records. And he even told Amos that he was to raise the children as his own until they became of age."

"Edward, had every trace of him erased?"

"Yes. You forget he had A LOT of unchecked power then. No one would have been stupid enough to question him. It took me a while but I did find the man's name."

"What was it?"

"His name was Yohan. But that's all I have been able to recover about him."

"Surely the man had a family."

Marquise exhaled slowly. 

"If he did, they were silenced by either execution or exile."

Shantel shook her head. 

"So is that all nobles do? Cheat on each other and drink themselves to death?" she asked. 

"No. They also brag about their insane wealth and power while thinking it rivals mine."

"And we both know your power is unmatched."

"Exactly. So now that all that ugliness is over, how about I treat you to lunch?" Marquise asked.

"I would love to have lunch with you son-in-love." 

"Perfect!" 

Later that night Marquise had caught Shanelle up on his very colorful morning. 

"Alicia was cheating on Earl Amos?" 

"Yes. For years. And she was able to get away with it."

"How?"

"She knew he could never challenge her because all she had to do was run to either Edward or Genevieve and she'd be safe. So he knew it was safer to keep quiet."

"Yikes!"

"Yeah." 

Shanelle took a sip of her wine. 

"Now are you sure this Alicia woman working under my mom is a good idea?" 

"Absolutely. I trust your mother, I especially trust in her judgment. I also trust that Alicia will remember that she has more to lose than gain if she defies the decision that was reached."

Shanelle nodded. 

"Now onto more exciting things. Like your graduation next week."

Marquise snickered. 

"I am so excited. I can't wait."

"Same! We've been waiting for it and now it's here. How do you really feel?" she asked. 

"Honestly, I'm relieved. It's been a long journey. But it's been worth it. And now by this time next week, I will have my degree in my hands. And then we and the kingdom will celebrate our favorite kingdom pastime."

"I know I'm so excited. I love seeing the palace and the orchard all decorated. And it'll be the first Winter Festival that the boys will be able to participate in."

"They were at the one last year."

"They were with Nina all day. She kidnapped our boys."

"Not that you minded my Queen."

"True."

"But you're right. They will have a blast."

"And of course, there's my favorite: the annual snowball fight."

Marquise raised an eyebrow at his wife. 

"What do you have planned for this year, my love?"

"Battle of the sexes!" 

"You mean I get to throw a snowball at you?"

"No. It means you will finally be dethroned as the defending snowball fight champion."

Marquise snickered. 

"May the best team win my Goddess."

"I know I will."

Marquise rolled his eyes good-naturedly. 

Over the next few days, the couple spent time together before His Majesty had to get ready for his solo trip to the States. While he was excited to go, his children weren't. They had never been away from their dad for that long. So the Princess came up with a great idea for her and her brothers. They would go with him without him knowing. She pulled out one of her Daddy's biggest suitcases and did her checklist. 

"Okay, boys! We have our snacks, our juice, and our chocolate milk! Now do you have your blankies?" Khari asked her brothers. Both boys held up their blankies. 

"And you have your touchdown bears?"

The boys held up their bears. 

"Alright! Let's hop in!"

All three climbed into the suitcase and shut it. 

"Okay, boys! We gotta be quiet so Daddy doesn't know! So shhh!" she whispered to her giggling brothers. Who tried their hardest to quiet down so they wouldn't get caught. Sadly they were caught when their parents couldn't find them and looked all over the palace for them. But they discovered the suitcase they were hiding in. 

"Babe?" Shanelle asked over her shoulder. 

"Yeah?" Marquise replied. 

"Is this one of your suitcases?" 

Marquise looked at it.

"Yeah, but I never packed this one." 

"Then why is it closed?"

Marquise went to open it when he heard familiar giggling. He shook his head and started to chuckle. 

"What's so funny?"  Shanelle asked. 

"I just figured out why we haven't been able to find the children."

"What do you mean?"

"Take a listen."

Shanelle leaned in and heard the same giggling. 

"No, they didn't."

"Yes, they did."

Shanelle shook her head with a smile. 

"Let's play along."

Shanelle nodded. 

"There's my suitcase! I've been looking all over for it!"

"Good, I'm glad you found it. Now you and my dad can go on your trip."

"Yup now let me just zip it up."

The giggling intensified when he zipped up the suitcase. 

"Say, my love, have you seen the children?" he asks. 

"No, I can't say that I have," she replied.

"Oh well! I'm sure we'll see them before I leave."

Marquise picked up the suitcase and carried it down with the children giggling inside and him and Shanelle snickering the whole time. When they got to the main hall where Shanelle's parents were waiting they heard the giggling. 

"What in the world is going on?" Damien asks. 

Shanelle told them and asked them to play along. 

"Well, Your Highness. I believe we're ready to leave." Marquise said to Damien. 

"Yes, my King. It seems that we are ready. It's just I haven't seen the kids. Shantel and I looked everywhere for them."

"Y'know that's funny! Their mother and I were just saying the same thing." 

"Where could those kids be?" Shantel asked. 

Shanelle just shook her head laughing softly. That's when Margo walked up. 

"Are you ready to leave my King?" she asked Marquise. 

"Yes. We will be leaving shortly. Do me a favor. Take a listen to the suitcase."

Margo took a listen and heard her grandchildren giggling. 

"Why are they in the suitcase?" Margo asked. 

"Because apparently, they think they're going with me. So we're playing along." Marquise whispered. 

Margo nodded. 

"Mama, since you're here have you seen the children?" Marquise asked. 

"No, I haven't. I thought they were with you and their mother." Margo replies. 

"No. No one has seen them. Damien and I can't leave without saying goodbye to them. Oh well! Let me take my suitcase and Damien and I can take our leave." 

"That's an unusually large suitcase, my son. What do you have in it?" Margo asked. 

"You know I don't remember what I packed in it. Let me check." 

Marquise opened the suitcase and there were his children and their giggling. 

"There you are! What are the three of you doing in my suitcase?" Marquise asks. 

"We don't want you to leave so we're going with you Daddy," Khari replied. 

His heart exploded as he helped them out of the suitcase and sat down with them. 

"My love you know you and your brothers can't go with me."

"But!" Khari pouted.

Marquise put a gentle finger to her lips. 

"My love. I love you and I love Zyon and I love Kylo. But you three are too young to go with me."

"But we don't want you to go Daddy."

"I know you don't. I won't be gone long."

He hated seeing the looks on their little faces. 

"I'll see you three Thursday."

"It's not the same Daddy," Khari said, shaking her head sadly. 

"Dada..." Zyon whined. 

Marquise took a deep breath. 

"If it's one thing you three know how to do perfectly, it's tugging at Daddy's heartstrings."

He gathered the three of him in his arms.

"I love you. I love each of you. I don't like to leave you but sometimes Daddy has to. But I promise I  will never ever be gone for very long."

Marquise looked at his children and smiled before clearing his throat and singing softly. 

"Come now my sweet babies please don't cry. Let's wipe those tears from your eyes. Let's see those smiles so they brighten up the day. Always remember no matter what, Daddy is never too far away."

He held his children close before Kylo looked up at him then went and grabbed his blankie. 

"Blankie!" he said as he held it up to his father. 

"You want me to take it with me?" Marquise asked. 

Kylo's only answer was a smile. 

"Thank you, my love. I will take great care of it."

Zyon followed suit by giving his father his touchdown bear. 

"My! I'm being spoiled today. Thank you."

He held his two boys close to his chest. 

"My two sweet loves. I love you both more than I could ever tell you. I will see you both soon. I won't be gone for long."

He kissed them both on their foreheads before sending them to their mother and turning his attention to his daughter. 

"Come here, my love."

Khari stood in front of her father with a sad look on her face. 

"Are you mad at me Daddy?" she asked. 

"Never. You are allowed to feel whatever it is you feel. I could never fault you for that." he replied. 

"So I'm not in trouble?" 

"No. You and your brothers kinda gave yourselves away when you first started giggling. We couldn't help but play along." 

"You knew that we were in the suitcase the whole time?"

"Yes, my sweet one. We did. Your mother and I couldn't help but play along."

"Oh..." Khari said dejectedly. 

Marquise tilted his head before gently tilting her chin up. 

"You have no idea how much I adore you. I adore the way you love your little brothers. I know why you feel the way you do. I used to feel that way whenever my mother had to leave for a short period."

"Really?" she asked. 

"Yes. When I was 8 years old, Mother had to go on a leaders fellowship to Namibia for three months and I missed her terribly. Every day I would ask everyone on her staff when she was coming back." 

"You did?" Khari asks. 

"Ohh yes. Every single day until your grandmother returned." Margo replied. 

Khari giggled. 

"My point is I know what it feels like. I know you don't want me to go but I have to. It will only be for a few days."

Khari looked down at the ground. He pulled her close to him. 

"Do you know what happens next Saturday?" he asked her. 

"Your graduation?" she replies. 

"Yes. Do you know why I'm excited about it?"

"Because you worked really hard for it?" 

"Yes. But that's not why I'm excited about it."

"Then why Daddy?"

"Because you and your brothers will be walking across the stage with me when I get my degree."

Khari perked up.

"We will?" 

"Yes. I asked if it would be okay and the committee I spoke to agreed." 

Khari nodded. 

"Look at me, my love."

Khari looked up at her dad.

"I will only be gone for a few days. I know you're sad but we'll be together again on Thursday."

"You promise Daddy?"

"I swear it on my heart, my life, and my soul. I will never be away from your side for too long." 

Khari chewed her bottom lip and then nodded. 

"Okay."

Marquise wrapped his daughter in a loving hug as he stood up. 

"I love you, I adore you. My sweet beautiful Princess."

Khari gave him a big kiss on the cheek. 

"I love you too Daddy. I'm sorry we tried to trick you."

"No need to apologize, my love. Now go to your mother. Okay?"

Khari nodded. 

"I will call you and your brothers tonight okay?"

"Pinky promise?" she asked, holding up her pinky. 

"Pinky promise," he replied, hooking his pinky to hers.

With a soft kiss on her forehead from her father Khari was at her mother's side. Marquise stood up and looked to his father-in-law.

"Your Highness, NOW we can leave."

"Of course," Damien replied with a small chuckle. 

With final goodbyes to their loved ones. Marquise and Damien were soon on their way to the airstrip. Once in the air Marquise silently became curious about his children's plan to go with him. 

"Something on your mind son?" Damien asked. 

"Just wondering where Khari got the idea to pack herself and the boys in a suitcase," Marquise replies. 

Damien chuckled. 

"From me. It's an old story that I told her when she asked me if her mother had ever gotten into big trouble as a child."

"What do you mean?" Marquise asked. 

"Shanelle was 4 years old when she didn't want me to leave on a trip home. So she packed herself into my suitcase and fell asleep." 

Marquise snorted. 

"And I nearly missed my flight because Shantel and I couldn't find her." Damien replied. 

Marquise nodded with a smile. 

"I guess she thought she'd succeed where her mother failed." Damien quipped. 

"She would have if she and the boys weren't giggling so much."

Damien simply nodded with a smile. 

His Majesty and Prince Damien's US trip began when they touched down in Tennessee. There they were taken across the state line into Kentucky, where they visited His Majesty's Bourbon Distillery. They toured the facility and even got to taste the special holiday blend. As well as touring the four adjacent horse farms. That's where His Majesty got the idea for the name of the distillery. Terre de Chevaux. Which means Land Of Horses.  

That night he called to check in with his children. 

"Hello, my little ones! I miss you so much."

"We miss you too Daddy. How is your trip?" Khari asked while holding the phone so her brothers could see. 

"It's been fun. I toured the distillery and the horse farms around it and do you know what I found out?" Marquise replied. 

Khari shook her head no.

"I met some of the horses. And I learned their names."

"What are their names?" 

"One is named Esther after my grandmother. Another is named Victor after my uncle. And the last one is named Ellie."

"Like Grandmother?"

"Exactly my love."

"Wow! Will we get to meet them, Daddy?"

"I hope so."

"Where do you go next Daddy?"

"I will go to the capitol in Washington D.C. tomorrow, where I will get to speak to Congress, and then your grandfather and I will be in Boston. Where I will see you three Thursday."

"We can't wait! Right boys?" Khari asked her brothers who were trying to take the phone from her. 

"It's time for bed my loves."

"Okay, Daddy. We'll talk to you tomorrow."

"I love you all. So much."

"We love you too! Right boys?"

Later after putting their children to bed, Shanelle had a quiet conversation with her husband. 

"Finally! They're all down for the count."

Marquise snickered. 

"I miss you. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know. I miss you too, handsome. But like you told the kids we'll see each other Thursday."

"Indeed we will. It's amazing that we've been to Boston twice in one year."

"I know you should go play the numbers while you're in the States." 

Marquise snorted. 

"Yeah sure I will."

Shanelle let out a small yawn that she failed to hide. 

"Go to bed, my Queen. I'll text you in the morning."

"Alright. Goodnight Handsome."

"Goodnight my Goddess."

"I love you."

"I love you too Shanelle."

After blowing her husband a small kiss, Shanelle went to bed. The next morning, His Majesty touched down in Washington D.C. to re-sign the Cordon-America Act of 1985. After signing the act Marquise got the chance to speak to Congress. Something he only ever dreamed about. 

"Good Morning everyone! My what a dream come true this is for me. I actually get to speak to Congress as a whole. If only my Poli Sci professor could see me now."

In his nearly 45-minute speech, Marquise highlighted the importance of the act and the continuation of the shared goal between his kingdom and America. A free, safe, and fair world for all to live in. After his speech, he and Damien toured The Library Of Congress, where he saw the original Declaration of Independence. Once the tour ended, they traveled to the Maryland National Cemetery so Damien could lay flowers at his in-law's graves. 

"I haven't been here in a few years. It's good to see them." Damien said as he laid the flowers on each grave. 

"Thank you for bringing me here. Shanelle talks about them all the time. Especially your former mother-in-law."

Damien snickered. 

"Yes. Mom is where Shanelle gets her personality from. That Jamaican fire runs through my daughter's veins."

"And mine," Marquise added. 

The two shared a chuckle. After a short flight that evening, His Majesty found himself back home in Boston and getting ready for his graduation. The next day, his wife, children, mother, and mother-in-law arrived from Cordonia. And he couldn't wait to hold his babies again. 

"I've missed you three so much," he said as he hugged them. 

"We've missed you too Daddy! How has your trip been?" Khari asks. 

"It's been good but it's better now that you three are here. And just like I promised you, we're together again. And you and your brothers can explore the house." Marquise replied as he led his family into the living room. "But before that, I believe I have a few items to return."

He pulled out Kylo's blanket and Zyon's bear. 

"I believe that these belong to the two of you."

Later that night after a big dinner and getting his children off to sleep. His Majesty went to check on his mother who was just settling into her bed. 

"Are you alright Mama?"

"Yes, my love. I'm fine. I am perfectly happy."

"Happy eh?"

"Yes of course my son. By this time Saturday, you'll have your Doctorate in hand. And will be able to display it in your office back home."

Marquise chuckled. 

"It means the world that you're here with me."

"It means the world to be here. To represent our kingdom and our family."

"It's funny. I look around this room and I can't help but miss Papa. I wish he could be here."

Margo took his hands in hers and looked at him with a warm smile. 

"I know you do, my son. The last time I was here was with him when you earned your bachelor's degree. He would be thrilled to see you earn your Ph.D. As a matter of fact, the whole flight he would've had the children in stitches and excited about your graduation. But it's just Papa that you miss is it?"

Marquise took a deep breath. 

"No. My heart aches for her. I miss her. I wish she could be here as well."

"She is here my love. She's so incredibly proud of the man you have become. She would be filled with such pride at all you have accomplished in your life. And so would Papa. They look down from heaven with smiles as bright as the sun and as wide as a Cheshire Cat."

Marquise shook his head with a smile before kissing her forehead softly. 

"Thank you, Mama. You always know what I need."

She kissed his cheek. 

"I'm your mother. I will always know what you need."

"Get your rest, Mama. I'll see you in the morning."

Margo smiled at him as he left the room and returned to the master bedroom where his wife was. He climbed into bed with her and wrapped himself around her. 

"My big ass baby."

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too but you are way too heavy. Now get off of me."

Tried as she might, but Shanelle could not get him off of her. 

"Marquise...I...can't...breathe! Get off me!"

He finally let her go.

"Big ass creep!" she said as she caught her breath. 

"Your big ass creep. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." 

She snuggled into him. 

"How are you feeling?" she asks. 

"Relieved. It'll all be over soon. All the hours of study and presentation and research will have all paid off."

"Mmmhmm. And soon you will officially be a Doctor and a King."

Marquise snorted. 

"Very funny."

"You love me."

"Indeed I do. I will say I can't wait to see our children walk the stage with me."

Shanelle shook her head with a smile. 

"Their little cap and gowns came the day after you left. So Khari has been teaching the boys how to walk the stage."

"Please tell me you got it on video."

Shanelle handed him her phone. 

"See for yourself, Your Majesty."

Marquise watched as his daughter tried to teach her brothers how to walk a graduation stage in hilarious fashion. 

"Well...she tried."

"Yup. They are cute though."

"Very," he said with a small smile. 

As he lay in bed with his wife, Marquise became contemplative. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asks. 

"My thoughts are worth more than all the literal gold in our vault. But since it's you, sure," he replied. 

"What's really on your mind? Is it your mother?" she asks. 

Marquise sighed. 

"Yes. I can't help but wish she was here. I can't help but want her to be here. I want to see her celebrate with you, Margo, and your parents. And I want to see her standing behind our children. Cheering them on." he paused to clear his throat, "You would think that after 26 years my heart would have healed itself by now. But it hasn't. That void in my heart is still there. That need to see her, to be around her, to be able to hold her hand or hug her is still there. I just hope to God that I've made her proud."

"I know it is. And I know in my heart that you have made her proud. Everything that you've accomplished in and with your life has made her proud. This is just another accolade to add to the list of things that she's proud of you for." 

He kissed her forehead softly. 

"Thank you, my love."

"It's what I'm here for."

He smiled at her as he held her close. 

That Saturday was the big day for His Majesty. After getting dressed himself, he hilariously got his children dressed in their caps and gowns. With both boys being so enamored with their caps. Once everyone was ready it was time to head to the university. Once they arrived Marquise took a very deep breath for this was it. Everything he'd worked for had led up to this very moment. And it was a moment that didn't disappoint.

He finally got to do the one thing he had been dying to do. Walk the graduation stage. But what made it even more special was his children walking with him. He was proud as they stole the show. Afterward, he found himself in his mother's arms. 

"I am so proud of you, my love. So proud! You've done it, my boy! You've really done it!" Margo said proudly. 

"Thank you. I'm still in shock but I am so thankful to have you here. By my side, to celebrate with me."

"My love, there is nowhere on this earth that I'd rather be. I got to watch you achieve yet another one of your dreams."

Marquise closed his eyes and laid his forehead against hers. 

"Look at me, son."

He looked at her. 

"I wholeheartedly believe that Eleanor is jumping for joy right now. She is elated that her son is not only a King but he's also now a Doctor. You are her greatest dream come true. Her smile is as bright as the sky and as wide as a canyon. And so is Papa. You know he is in heaven just bragging about his boy doing it yet again. Telling every angel he comes across that his son has become a Doctor."

He pulled her close. 

"Thank you. For every single thing. I would not be where I am, I would not be the man I am, without you. Please don't ever forget that."

"I never have and I never will my son. Now go celebrate my love. Go on."

Later that night after hours of celebrating with his family. He spent time with the one he loves most, his wife. They were nestled together on the couch in the living room. 

"I'm so proud of you. You know that right?" she asks. 

He placed a sweet kiss on the palm of her left hand. 

"I know. You've been one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout all of this. When I wanted to stop or give up you told me to keep going. Or else you'd slug me." he replies. 

Shanelle snorted. 

"Mission accomplished." 

Shanelle took a look around the room. 

"Our story began right here. In this house. On this couch because someone's big ass pulled his hamstring racing a bunch of teenagers."

He punched her. 

"Ow!"

"That's what you get!"

"Jerk!" she hissed. 

"Chicken, shrimp, or goat?" he asked.  

"You're lucky I love you."

"I really am. Because at the time we got engaged, there was a part of me that feared you would've turned me down."

Shanelle took a deep breath. 

"Please don't hate me for this."

"For what?" he asked. 

"There was a part of me that wanted to tell you no. A HUGE part. I wanted to run away from you and not look back." she replied. 

"Why didn't you?" he asks. 

"Because I love you. That's why. I couldn't let you go even when my brain was screaming for me to do so. You showed me what true love is. You made a promise that you have never broken. You promised to love, protect, and nurture my heart and my love. And you have constantly and consistently kept that promise." she replies. 

"And I always will. If you don't believe anything else from me, you can believe that."

Shanelle smiled at him as they continued to enjoy a quiet moment together. Once back in Cordonia, planning for the Winter Festival kicked into high gear. Crews worked overtime making sure every detail was perfect and to Shanelle's exact specifications. All the while Marquise had plans of his own. 

With the palace being as big as it is, there is a lot of unused and mostly dead space on certain floors. So he decided to have three floors converted. One into a personal bowling alley. Another into a massive indoor ball pit and playground for his children. The final floor is the one he's most excited about, that floor will be an indoor laser tag arena. And it has to be tested out to make sure it's safe and ready for the barrage of kids and adults who will want to play. Because it will be open to his family and the staff and their families. 

That Friday before the Winter Festival, Their Majesties hosted their family, both immediate and extended at the palace residence. While the children were having a time running around playing, Marquise pulled Logan aside. 

"Come with me," Marquise said to Logan. 

"Where we going?" he asks. 

"It's a surprise. Trust me you'll like it." Marquise replied. 

"Nope! You know I don't like surprises unless I'm in on them. So where are we going?" Logan asks. 

"I'll show you when we get there," Marquise replied through clenched teeth. 

"Ohhhh...okay Uncle Scar."

"Shut up and move Simba."

Marquise led Logan to an elevator and used a keycard to enter. 

"Well, this is spooky..." 

"Get in the elevator Logan."

Logan shot him a suspicious look before he and Marquise got into the elevator. 

"Okay. I'm in the elevator. Now what?" Logan asks. 

"Now we go down to the basement," Marquise replied. 

"To your dungeon?" Logan asks. 

"No. That's on the other side of the palace. And you'd have no access to that. But this is something else." Marquise replies. 

They rode the elevator down and got off when it dinged. Once out of the elevator, they walked down a hall to a door with a keypad. 

"What's behind the door?" Logan asks. 

Rather than answer, Marquise smirked and then slid his keycard to open the door. When the door opened, Logan's jaw dropped. 

"Welcome to my newest toy."

"What is it?" Logan asked. 

"This is my brand new laser tag arena," Marquise replied. 

"Laser...tag...arena?!" 

"That's what I said."

"Dude! When the hell did you have time to do all of this?" Logan asks. 

"Construction started back in May. And was completed after the boy's birthday. But it's still not quite ready yet." Marquise replies. 

"What do you mean?" Logan asked. 

"It hasn't been tested...yet," Marquise replies. 

That's when Logan's grin widened. 

"And who's going to be brave enough to test it out, sire?"

"Why we are, my good man!" 

"Man! Let's go!"

The two suited up and spent a few hours laughing and having a good time in the arena. When they left both were buzzing. 

"That was amazing. Thank you for sharing it with me. Even though you cheated half the time."

Marquise snorted. 

"You're welcome. And thank you for coming. I'm glad you had a good time."

"I can't wait to tell my wife about it."

"As long as you don't tell the children. I want it to be a surprise for them."

"My lips are sealed, Your Highness."

When they got to the common area, their wives were enjoying a glass of wine.

"And just where have you two been the past few hours?" Shanelle asked them. 

"Out." They both reply. 

The wives looked at each other. 

"Uh-huh. You two went to check out Marquise's laser tag arena, didn't you?" Bronwyn asks. 

The men's jaws dropped. 

"How do you know?!" they asked. 

Bronwyn answered by pointing to Shanelle. 

"How do YOU know?!" they asked. 

Shanelle shrugged. 

"I might've accidentally stumbled upon the construction site one day."

"You mean you were being nosy?" Marquise asks. 

"It is my job to be," Shanelle replied. 

Marquise groaned. 

"Relax. Your kid doesn't know. I haven't told her."

Marquise visibly relaxed. 

"I can't keep nothing from you, can I?" Marquise asked. 

"Nope. Now move it, you two. We have a Winter Festival to get ready for tomorrow." Shanelle replied. 

The next day was the day of the Cordonian Winter Festival. All of Shanelle's hard work and planning had finally come to fruition. Many enjoyed a plethora of winter activities. Including snowmobiles. Which Marquise, Logan, Branden, and Brayden took full advantage of. 

"Alright, Brayden. We got a big job."

"What's that?" he asked. 

"We gotta beat your dad and brother in the race," Marquise replied. 

"Yeah yeah! Go super fast!"

"And do you know what we win when we win?" Marquise asked his nephew. 

"What uncle?" 

"Bragging rights my boy! Bragging rights!"

"Yay!" 

"So ready...set..."

"VRRRROOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

"And we're off!" 

While the dads and the boys enjoyed the snowmobiles, Shanelle took the girls ice skating out on the frozen pond. 

After riding around on snowmobiles it was time for the main event, the annual snowball fight. That both royals were determined to win. 

"Any last words before I take your title, Your Majesty?" Shanelle asked her husband. 

"Keep dreaming woman!" Marquise replied with a smirk. 

"I am so going to enjoy this!"

"You enjoy losing?...how very odd."

Once the trash talk was done, the whistle was blown and the fight was on. It was a battle of giggling proportions. With trying to take out one another. 

"Will you hold still?!" Shanelle shouted at her husband. 

"Why? So you can hit me?!" he replied. 

"Yes!"

"No!"

The snowball fight was epic and ended in a draw. Which was a delight to all who participated, watched, and cheered. Before the event was over His Majesty decided to try his hand at axe throwing with Sam and a very animatedly drunk Logan. 

"Uh, Logan?" Sam asks. 

"Yeah?" Logan replied. 

"How many of those have you had?" Marquise asked, pointing to the pint in Logan's hand. 

"Including this one?" he replied before downing the rest of the pint, "eight."

Sam and Marquise looked at each other. 

"You've had eight pints of Skullcracker Ale? Are you nuts? That stuff is powerful!" Marquise asked. 

"Yeah, I know. Who knew you Europeans could make a strong ale?" Logan replied before grabbing an ax, "Now let's really have some fun!" 

"Oh Dear God..." Marquise groaned.

"If he hits either one of us..." Sam warned. 

"Noted."

Sam and Marquise stood way back and watched Logan toss the axe and wildly miss his first target. 

"Missed it by an inch. Let me try again."

Logan tried again with Sam and Marquise looking on. 

"How long are you going to let this go on?" Sam asks. 

"Until either he runs out of steam or they run out of axes," Marquise replied. 

"Which one is more likely to happen?" Sam asks. 

"They run out of axes," Marquise replies. 

"So we're gonna be here a while?" Sam asks. 

"Yup so settle in my friend," Marquise replies. 

Later that night after the Winter Festival had concluded, His Majesty told his wife what had happened at the ax throwing booth.

"Logan had how many pints?" Shanelle asks.

"You heard me. He had eight pints of Skullcracker Ale." Marquise replied. 

"How did you let him drink that many pints?" 

"First of all, I didn't let him do anything. He was already halfway through his eighth one when I got there. And second, saying you're great friends with the King will get you anything in this kingdom. Including eight pints of Skullcracker Ale. Especially when the limit is four pints." 

Shanelle groaned. 

"That hangover is about to be epic."

"Oh yeah. He's gonna be feeling it for days. But thank goodness there's a hangover cure."

"I can only handle three pints of Skullcracker Ale. I don't know how Logan managed to drink eight of them."

"Because he has an iron liver?" 

Shanelle snorted. 

"That's for sure."

"And how are you, my love? What was the final tally?" he asks. 

"I'm good. I'm exhausted. Today was so much fun. And the money raised during the silent auction was enough to fund the Children's Fund. All in all, it was a great day. People had fun and that's all I care about. It's why I do this every year."

"I know and you do a brilliant job at this if I do say so myself."

"Careful Your Majesty. Your personal bias is showing."

"So? I'm allowed to brag about and celebrate my beautiful wife's accomplishments all I like. Thank you very much." 

"Fine. Just one question."

"Hmm?"

"What are we doing for Christmas?" she asks. 

"How about somewhere tropical?" he replies. 

"Works for me!" 

"I shall make our Christmas arrangements post haste." 

"Yay!"

Just then there was an urgent knock at their bedroom door. 

"Who in the world is that?" she asks. 

"I'll go find out," he replied. 

When he got up and answered the door, there was an attendant on the other side. 

"Yes?" he asked as he stepped outside. 

"Apologies for the disturbance this late Your Majesty but there is news out of Earl Amos's house." the attendant replies. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

"Earl Amos Barbaroux is dead." the attendant replied. 

"What?!"

"He was stabbed to death in his office." 

"What?! By who?" 

"Lady Alicia, sire. From what I have been told they got into an argument and she stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener. Repeatedly." 

"Where is she now?"

"An arrest warrant was issued for her but she's taken refuge at the old palace but that's all I know at the moment."

Marquise groaned. 

"Great...thank you for informing me. Please keep me informed of any further details."

"At once sire."

When Marquise entered the bedroom, he had an annoyed look on his face. 

"What's that look for?" Shanelle asks. 

"Earl Amos is dead," he replied. 

"Lady Alicia's husband?" 

"Yes. She stabbed him to death."

"What?! Why?" 

"I don't know yet. But I will find out. Just not right now."

"What happens to his estate in the meantime?"

"It goes to their oldest daughter." 

"Do you know where she is now?"

"Hiding out at your palace to avoid arrest but that's as far as I've gotten." 

"She won't be there for long. I'll put the call in to have her removed from the property. I will NOT be sheltering her."

"You're not. Her step-sister is."

"I don't care about her step-sister. Genevieve can kiss my whole ass. Alicia's gone as early as tomorrow morning."

Marquise smirked. 

"So says the Queen." 

"So shall it be."

[toomanyplotbunnies-sendhelp]

Hello and welcome to Day 15 of "Let's Explore My Plot Bunnies"

Today, I have a plot bunny that has been on and off in my brain for the last *checks notes* 3 years now. It is a crossover between Yokai Watch (the 3 main games; not the anime) and My Hero Academia. Why? Clearly, my brain likes crossovers with My Hero Academia way too much. *looks over at the other MHA crossovers and crack fics I have noted down* Yeah, my brain likes this wayyyyy too much. *sigh*

The title for this fic is: Crank-a-Hero. Get it? It's a combination of the Crack-A-Kai machine and the word Hero... (OK, inner-Cyno plz stop)

And, because clearly myself from 3 years ago was way more productive, I have the first two games already mapped out and with the number of chapters + titles for them too. (I WANT TO BE PRODUCTIVE AGAIN)

Because of this, I will go and explain the plot by referencing this list of chapters, and I will point out the chapters that are more interesting from a plot perspective

As you can see, book 1 (aka the remake of Yokai watch 1) is 30 chapters long. The story starts with an 11-year-old quirkless Izuku venturing deep into the woods after being dared by Katsuki and his friends to find and catch a bigger and cooler bug than them in their "Bug Catching Competition". Izuku ends up finding the Crank-a-Kai Machine in the woods that he was exploring and meets Whisper, his newly self-proclaimed Yokai Butler. Whisper introduces Izuku to the existence of Yokai, creatures that can not be seen by humans under normal circumstances, and to the invention known as the Yokai Watch, a wristwatch that can help you see Yokai.

And so Izuku’s adventure into the world of Yokai begins. In this fic, Izuku will make new friends (human and yokai) and slowly learn what friendship truly means. I wanna mention that Izuku will meet some of his future U.A. classmates in this. Because they will meet early, they become friends early and, in some cases, this might prove very favorable depending on how the 1st year at U.A. goes on.

The first future classmate Izuku befriends early is Tokoyami, whom Izuku meets in Chapter 5. Personally, I always felt like Dark Shadow would love Izuku to bits, and I feel like Izuku would help Tokoyami with Quirk control a lot since Izuku is smart. Coming up with a new control exercise for Tokoyami and Dark Shadow would take time, yes, but it won't be impossible to do.

The second one Izuku meets is Aoyama in chapter 10.... look, I was thinking about this fic before Aoyama's spy identity was revealed... buuut.... I am not opposed to Double Spy!Aoyama in this fic. You never know. Izuku is very perceptive, especially when it comes to his friends. So, this is very possible... also, Aoyama is just the type of person I can see losing their mother's ring in a pond, so there is the main motivation for this choice.

The third will be Shoto. They literally met on a train ride when Izuku goes to Inko's office (she is a lawyer in this) because Inko forgot some important documents in chapter 14. Izuku doesn't quite recognize Shoto as Endeavor's child, so when they start a conversation, Shoto has a surprisingly peasant time talking with Izuku. Even after Shoto introduces himself, Izuku just behaves like Shoto is a normal person (which he is) and not like he is some new upcoming hero because of his father. Izuku even asks if Shoto wants to be a hero instead of assuming it; all in all, their first meeting is sweet, and they do become friends too.

The last future classmate Izuku meets is Kaminari in chapter 20. How did they meet, you ask? Why, it was a school visit to the museum, of course. Both of their schools had a visit at the same museum on the same day. And these two met there. Honestly, I do think if they met early, they would be fast friends too. So yeah, that is kinda all for meetings in the 1st book.

(And yes, Lucas goes to Izuku's middle school, but Lucas is not in Izuku’s class)

Also, the final chapter takes place on Izuku's birthday because I want these 4 to be like, "I am gonna surprise Midoriya on his birthday," and they met on the train to Musutafu. They also become friends with each other that way too.

And now, we move onwards to Book 2 (aka the Yokai Watch 2 rewrite):

This book takes place in the next year after book 1.

The first chapter I wanna point out for you guys is chapter 7 because that is the chapter where Katsuki says the (infamous) line: "Go and take a dive off the roof and pray you get a Quirk in your next life". In this version of events, however, Katsuki says this line one year early (they are both at the end of their 2nd year of middle school here) and thus, Izuku doesn't met All Might or the Sludge Villain. Instead, Izuku, after one year of having good friends - both humans and yokai - decides to let Katsuki win this one. Izuku finally stands up for himself and tells Katsuki that if he doesn't want to be friends with him anymore, then fine, they are not friends anymore and leaves. Inko, seeing Izuku upset, thinks maybe a change of scenery will do him good and asks Izuku if he wants to go to his grandparents' place (and yes, Yakumo Village is a reference to Izuku’s early design being called Yakumo). Izuku accepts and invites Shoto to go with him since apparently their grandparents from their fathers' side reside in Yakumo Village. Shoto ends up being introduced to the Yokai World because of Hovernyan. Also, no one told Katsuki that Izuku is at his grandparents' house... so there is a ton of guilt with Katsuki here. (Don't worry, by the time U.A. rolls around Katsuki will be a bit better in anger management than in canon; it's a start at least)

Now, chapter 19 is a bit more related to the One for All plot because... well, everything is possible in time travel. And it's even worse if the time travel malfunctions for a bit, sending you into the older-than-60-years-ago past. This is all I can say without outright spoiling everything.

The last chapter of interest here is chapter 25... If you watched/read the Sports Festival Arc from My Hero Academia, you know what this chapter entails. But the line might not come only from whom you expect it to.

Chapters 29 and 30 are recaps and a bit of a setup for the plot of Yokai Watch 3. I have yet to finish the Yokai Watch 3 chapter list, mostly because in Yokai Watch 3, we have split story lines, and Shoto becomes the 2nd protagonist there. So the planning kinda confuses me a bit, but I will update this post when I actually finish book 3.

Other things I wanna mention:

This is definitely a slow burn TodoDeku fic. They will be getting together later in the story, but for book 1-3, they are kids, and they should remain kids. Their relationship might advance after the 1st year at UA.

Izuku doesn't quite get a Quirk in this, but I want him to befriend Yokai and for his watch to be able (at one point during or after book 3) to absorb a Yokai and give Izuku that Yokai's power for a limited amount of time. Shoto could have something similar with his Yokai Watch, too.

Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Denki find out about Yokai in Book 3. Denki learns to control his electricity better from Zappary, a Yokai with electric powers. Tokoyami would get along with a Tenglum for sure. I can see Aoyama probably starts gossiping with Cupistol or Dazzabel.

As stated before, Katsuki gets better, and he kinda mends his friendship with Izuku. Whisper and Jibanyan still wanna claw his eyes out. Shoto, Tokoyami, Denki, and Aoyama aren't too impressed either, but as long as Izuku is happy, they will keep their opinions to themselves. (Katsuki, pray you never hurt Izuku again cause you will have to watch out for both humans and yokai that will wanna kill you)

And this is kinda it. Again, the chapter list for Book 3 is still not finished, so until I finish that, I don't wanna talk too much about it. But, other than that, this is all I wanted to ramble about for now.

So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Is it a crossover crack? (The answer to the last one is yes.) Let me know!

I hope you have a great day/night and take care of yourselves!

See you tomorrow,

-TooManyPlotBunnies-Send Help

[epilogue-and-prologue]

A Heavy Bargain (Say My Name)

Fandom: North and South (BBC Series)

Ship: Modern!Thornton x F!Reader

Trope: (Business)Enemies to lovers - Angst with a fluffy ending.

Word counts: 5 921

Note: @sorisooyaa I did it again x).

Warnings: Betrayal, SMUT, insults and bad words, incorrect mentions of what being an architect means.

Tag-list: @heilith @asgardianhobbit98 @middleearthpixie @glassgulls @evenstaredits @fizzyxcustard @sotwk

Getting the almighty holier than though Mister Thornton all riled up was fun.

His face was becoming a stern, emotionless mask when he was seeing his opponent beat him at his own game. In which case, you were the opponent. And you were crushing his hopes with a devilish grin.

“As you can see, once the factory is restored, the margins will increase by twenty per cent. And of course, it is without counting the profit made from the museum which will be added at the same time, as well as the branded products we will sell there.”

This project was yours, it was given at this point. Victory tasted awfully good when winning against him. After working for the same firm together for the past six years, the friendly competition you had entertained in the beginning had swiftly turned into a full-blown rivalry. If you were honest with yourself, it had turned you on more than once, seeing him do his absolute best to get the upper hand. Especially, when you knew the cards to be in your favour.

“Thank you for your time, that will be all for now.”

Architecture was a male-dominated field and being the only woman in the office was a feat, day in and day out. Every day you had to fight for a seat at the table and he did not make it easy on you. Not that you’d want him to.

After the meeting, Thornton approached you, ever so leisurely, to give himself a sense of control. It suited him. The confidence radiating from him. A pristine shirt he had to have bought a size too small, his three-piece suit a work of art along the lines of his shoulders, his pants taunt against his thighs. And that was just the front.

“Good work today.”

You stopped gathering your computer and portfolios. Was he joking ? You arched a brow, your arms instinctively crossed over your chest.

“What do you want Thornton? Snarl at me, like you usually do?”

He chuckled, leaning his hips against the table, looking at you intently. You could see him eying you from head to toe, ranking up your legs, stopping at your hips, then your chest - accentuated cleavage in your fitted white shirt, before meeting your eyes.

“No. I want to invite you to dinner. -Pardon? -You heard me.”

What game was he playing? That man always had a motive.

“I fear our little games have to come to an end. Only fitting to have a dinner to celebrate. I have been offered a promotion. Associate.”

You felt your mouth open, but no words came to you. You bit the inside of your cheek. Of course, he had come to gloat and run that tongue of his. What you wanted to do to that man could not be expressed in enough words. He was good at his job, yes, but not good enough to earn the promotion you had been fighting for, for months. Of course, the goddamn CEO’s son had to have it.

“So that’s why you were not trying to jeopardize my presentation today? Fuck, I should have known… You’re never that kind to anyone. Have a good dinner on your own, Thornton. And above all, go fuck yourself.”

His wide hand grabbed your wrist before you could leave. Your breath itched in your throat.

“You did not hear me. I have been offered a promotion. In another firm. -What do you mean?”

He let go of your arm, feeling as if you were less likely to leave now that he had your attention. Thornton’s lips perked in what could be treated as a smile.

“I mean that I am leaving. My sister and I are creating a new firm.”

Oh. Oh. His firm. This situation was taking unexpected turns.

“And what that has to do with me?”

He inhaled slowly, calming down his nerves.

“My sister, Fanny, thought it good to have you with us.”

Your laugh echoed in the empty office. He could not be serious.

“Are you joking? -I wish I were. She can be… very convincing at times.”

Saying those words, he recalled the week Fanny had called him asking about the prodigy he was working with. Not that he would tell you that. Your rivalry was the only thing keeping you in his life. And, even if he would never admit it aloud, the challenge you presented him with was exhilarating. He felt stimulated and pushed to always be on his best game with you around. Probably why Fanny wanted you in the first place. You kept him and his ego in check.

“Listen, you don’t have to make a decision now. Come to dinner with me, we’ll talk about the details then.”

Narrowing your eyes, you shook his extended hand.

“No promises. And give my thanks to your sister. She seems to be a brave woman to handle you every day.”

You smiled at your joke before leaving. In a fleeting dazed thought he wondered what else you could do with that mouth. Shaking his head, he went ahead and called his sister to tell her the news.

- After arranging a place and a date, the worst part of the ordeal was waiting. Wait for the week to be over. Wait for the evening to come. Wait for you to arrive. You had agreed it would be better for you to meet in a neutral place, where people would not recognize you. Sharks were everywhere and if they caught wind of you and him leaving the firm, it would stir more shit than you could handle. The French restaurant he had picked was on a side street, hidden from view by a beautifully decorated garden. You presented yourself and were guided to a table in a corner. He was already waiting for you, even going as far as pulling the chair out for you. You did not know how but this suit was even more enticing than the one he had on a few days before. He was wearing a dark shirt, sleeves rolled at his elbows, and no tie. He almost seemed relaxed, if not for the way his forearms were flexing against the cloth of his clothes.

“Wine?”

You nodded, the waiter pouring a glass for him and then for you. The menu was already on the table. As usual, yours did not have the prices written on them.

“Thornton? -Yes? -Could you pass me your menu, please?”

You reached for it before he could answer. To your surprise, he chuckled at your behaviour.

“What? -Nothing. You… You have a habit of taking what you want. I like that.”

The darkness surrounding you did little to cool the flush of your cheeks. He smiled wider. Then, the waiter came back. After having ordered, you put your credit card on the table, telling him you were the one to pay for tonight’s dinner and that next time his managers should do a better job at hiding their misogyny. The whole time, Thornton did not say anything, looking at you intently, focused like you thought you had never seen him before.

“Now that this is settled, first question: why is your sister not here with us? Second question: what makes you think I’ll join your firm after the hell on earth you put me through? -Simple. My sister is on vacation with her sons. You do know it’s Easter this week?”

He could not give a price to the face you made at that. “And I seem to recall, you gave me the same treatment.” He sipped on his wine, moving carefully, hoping you would not run. It was always the same dance with you. Him chasing you, in the hopes you would give him the light of day. Not always successful, but always worth it.

“Despite what you may think, I value your intellect and your sense of business. You are one of the only architects I know who makes a point of following the project from conception to finish, including regarding the contracts for the workers and the conditions in which they work. Going as far as talking with the unions and siding with them if need be. -Uh, duh? That’s my job. If the workers are unhappy the work is badly done and we lose money, that’s pretty simple math. -I know.”

He leaned over to you, pouring himself some water, spreading the smell of his cologne in your space. The wine must have been a tad too much because you clenched your thighs when he did. Deep into the night, you talked about the future of the firm, what projects you were willing to work on, what percentage you would be getting and who you would be working with. You wanted your work to be as ethical as possible, even in a world where you could lose it all in a heartbeat. The gentleman in him flared when you hailed a cab. He insisted on driving you home. You couldn’t say no to those eyes, pleading with you, an amused “I won’t bite. Unless you ask nicely.” Escaping him, making him blush just as much as you did. Upon arriving, he opened the door for you, walking you up to the door of your building.

“Well, Thornton, for someone who always had a thing against me, you do know how to wine and dine a girl alright.”

He chuckled.

“I do hope it worked at least.”

You stared at him through hooded eyelids. Maybe it was the alcohol in your system, the soft buzz leaving you to fend for yourself against your instincts. Or maybe it was him. The cologne in the air, his fingers brushing against your thigh in the car, the comfortable silence and quick wits exchanged during dinner. You did not know. And, honestly, you did not care.

“It worked like a charm.”

You leaned up, bravery overcoming you, and kissed his cheek. His breath hitched as he gritted his teeth, fighting against himself. Your hand had settled on his shoulder, and he did not stop himself from putting his on your waist. He sensed the shift in the air then. You pulled away before opening the door behind you. In a last attempt at seeing him break - the effect you had on him was visible, rendering his pants, even more, taunt against his ass (it was a sight to see) - you asked:

“So… You are coming or what?”

He followed you in without hesitation.

When you entered your apartment, you barely had the time to take off your coat and light up the room the door behind you was slammed shut and his hands were on you. Your back against his chest, his palms over your breasts, toying with your nipples through your top, no other place on Earth could compete with the one you were in now.

“Do you know what you’re doing to me?” he grunted in your ear, biting down softly on your earlobe, “those dresses stretched over your ass I could barely hide the hard-on under the table… Would have to touch myself in the bathroom thinking of you…”

Breathless, you whimpered “As if your suits were not a size too small just to turn me on… Buttons-up ready to burst…” You could hear the pride in his smirk, his hands pulling your jacket off, pulling your shirt off as well as his own. When he finally turned you around, underwear was the only thing left between you. You lunged forward, meeting him halfway in a hungry embrace, never quite kissing but leaving a trail down his throat of hickeys he’d have a hard time hiding. Once on your knees, he tried stopping you.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, I…”

Your mouth watered at the sight of his cock, once freed of his boxers. Without so much as an afterthought, your mouth was at the tip, then deeper down your mouth, taking more and more of him with each back and forth, the salty taste of precum rapidly coating your tongue, your hands finding a steady place to rest on his hips. His whimpers were sinful. Reaching your ears and eliciting a wetness you never knew yourself capable of before that moment. Your fingers found their way down, between your thighs, toying with yourself. In a desperate attempt not to come, he pulled away from you before forcing you up. You frowned, visibly disappointed.

“Why…”

He stopped you, slipping a finger in your mouth for you to suck on. His eyes had gone dark, he seemed animated by lust only. Not that you would mind. When you complied, he inhaled sharply through his nose, smirking again.

“Bend.”

The order was simple. And you were not one to say no. You found yourself bending over on the table, ass up in the air, waiting for him to move. The warmth of his hands on your hips spread through you like wildfire, a desperate moan cutting through the silence. His fingers were impatient with your underwear, tearing the seams as if they were nothing. Without another moment of hesitation, he pulled a condom out of his discarded coat, put it on and… nothing came. Well, more accurately, you could feel the tip of his cock against your clit, moving in slow motion. In other words: torture. You went to get back up, pissed, when his hand blocked you down, the palm over the expanse of your back, firm, not even straining in his strength.

“Oh, growing impatient are we?”

The smug bastard. He was pushing in you excruciatingly slow until he was completely up in you. Losing control, you clenched around him, your whole body a string ready to snap, your back arching, as you were mouthing a silent plea for him to move. He stayed there, pulling mewls out of you, while he pulled you to him, your back against his chest, leaving breathless mouth-opened kisses down the side of your throat, caressing your shoulders and your back in sinful patience. You were a mess, almost in tears, the temptation too strong when he put you back down, slamming into you with such force, his hips were to leave bruises. Where his cries of pleasure had been enticing, yours were only driving him insane, your warm tongue on him still on his mind. His thrusts quickly became erratic, and his end was met before yours, grunting into your ear. The emptiness he left behind made you whine. He left to drop the condom in your bin. He was heaving and was flushed. You pulled yourself up, coming back to your senses. He looked at the commotion, clearly not done with you. Not even nearly. His hands stopped you, their familiar heat on your hips. Face to face, you could see his eyes on you, ready to devour every parcel of your body. He sucked at the tender skin of your throat, earning a gasp, your hands going around his shoulders. Soon, his hands slipped under your ass, hoisting you up against him.

“Good girl.”

The sweetness in his tone erased every thought out of you. Your hands were pulling on his hair, his nose against your pulse as you stumbled into your bedroom. No words were exchanged as he all but threw you on the bed, knocking the air out of your lungs. He smirked, the effect he had on you glistening down your thighs. He was enjoying seeing you this willing to give him control, all of it for the mere pleasure of having him. It boosted his ego. And you enjoyed greatly as he kept his eyes on you, before kneeling between your thighs, his breath fanning over you, a heated reminder of where his mouth could be. Again, he took his time, pressing his mouth, tongue and teeth against your inner thighs, leaving bruises and deep-coloured stains under your skin.

“You really want this, don’t you?”

The words were hanging in the air between the two of you. He licked his lips, diving in. He went feral. All you could do was helplessly try not to be too loud, but it was damn near impossible. Thornton’s hands were not only good at keeping you down but also at keeping you open and pleased, teasing you in ways only he knew. The knot in your abdomen was gradually coming to a rupture point when he stopped altogether. A deep whine echoed through your chest, fist clenching into the bedding. He climbed his way back up your body, leaving marks on his way there. He murmured against your jaw, leaving traces there too.

“How much do you want this?”

You did not want to give him the satisfaction, yet, the ghost of his fingertips was hovering over your clit, sensitive and ready. He pressed on, his thumb running lazy circles around it now. You bit your lip.

“Please… -Please who? -Please, John, I’ll…”

He grabbed your chin, a frown settling on his face. You had never called him by his name. Well, his last name, all the time and the occasional insult but never his first name. Gradually, he lowered his mouth to yours, stealing your breath away yet again. This felt more sinful and intimate than what you were doing so far. He deepened the kiss, your hands meeting in his hair, nails against his scalp. A deep grunt resonated through you, while he looked at you with marvel in his eyes. He pulled you with him to the side, one of your legs above his hip, the tip of his cock against your entrance, teasing even in these moments. It felt right, being there with him. As if something had been fulfilled inside of you. You felt the stretch of him, his hips meeting yours, while his hand was drawing you in, your lips finding yet again the soft spot beneath his ear. He rocked against you in slow motion, taking his time. The moment you let out his name felt pivotal, a shift had occurred in him when you did and you wanted to know why. The first instants were harsh and to the point. This was tender and careful, almost loving. When his fingers found your clit again, you were at his mercy, nestled against him. He was cradling your face, kissing you still. You never wanted this to stop. Never wanted to stop the fullness he provided you, the care, the utter devotion. The coil in your belly was growing stronger with each passing moment until you could not bear it anymore, your orgasm washing through you like a tidal wave. He pulled out right after, spilling himself over your stomach, his forehead against your collarbone. You pulled the covers over the both of you, silence all-encompassing, neither of you moving basking in the embrace the other was providing.

When you woke up, he was gone. It wasn’t late. Yet, he was gone. Nothing left behind. No note. No text. Nothing. While you showered, doubts started plaguing you. With good reason, you thought. The man was ruthless in business. Here you thought you had the upper hand, knowing him for so long. What if you had been wrong? Was he going to use this night against you? Was the deal he offered you even real? It was a low blow, but you would not put it past him. His intentions were never clear, especially not with you. The pain in your chest would not decline, still. The betrayal you felt was real and you could do nothing about it. Work would have to do as a distraction. The television was playing orchestral music in front of you, while you were lounging on your sofa. It helped soothe your mind. You were studying yet another case of wrongful termination by one of your contractors. It was the fifth this year. The man was starting to get a reputation for not honouring his contracts. Somehow, he was one of the most preeminent manufacturers your firm worked with. It felt odd to keep employing him when he was discharging his employees just because he wanted to and despite your firm’s demands. You were so engrossed in your computer screen, scanning numbers, and taking notes that the door softly opening and closing behind you went unnoticed. Not even the soft chuckle or the coat being hung up startled you. Thornton’s palms on your shoulders, on the other hand, elicited a scream. He laughed. The bastard laughed at you. You turned around in your seat. He was wearing different clothes. Professional ones this time. Not that you’d pay any mind whether he was wearing clothes or not.

“What are you doing here?”

The sharpness in your voice startled him. He gestured to a bag on your kitchen aisle.

“I brought breakfast.”

Oh. Fuck. Realization dawned on him. You bit your lip, anxiety unraveling in you.

“You thought… -Yes. I thought you had left. For good.”

John sighed. Even in your mind, it felt strange to call him that. His jaw clenched, as he exhaled sharply. He joined you on the sofa, sitting next to you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what conclusion to come to, you left without a word, nothing… -I did. -No, you didn’t.”

He pointed at your fridge. A small piece of blue paper tucked under one of the magnets with his handwriting on it.

“Oh.”

He could not stay mad at you when you were looking like this. Nothing out of the ordinary. There laid the issue though. Fluid pants, meant to be worn at home, no bra that he could see and a cotton shirt clinging to your skin. Embarrassment making you bite your lip. He could not bring himself to be angry with you. Really, he had no good reason to. Thornton knew of his reputation. He knew you knew about it too. The math would have been the same if he had been in your shoes. He went to get the groceries he had brought with him. Your eyes went back to your screen, his mocking smirk still on your mind. There was no real hurt, but your ego did not like it. You closed your computer before turning towards him. He had started cooking something, pulling his sleeves up his arms the jacket of his suit laid behind you. Your eyes wandered. Down his shoulder to the tip of his fingers. Up his back and to his shoulder blades. His ass, but that was a given. You were losing yourself in him. It scared you and enticed you all the same.

“Are you going to stare or are you going to help?”

Malice appeared in his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. God, you had never seen him smile so much. Not in all the years you had known him, not in the last months you had known him even. It was a sight, the dimples in his cheeks prominent, eyes shining with something new, the crinkles there lined up perfectly. You were indeed losing yourself in him. He chuckled, startling you into getting up. For once, you were the one without words. You, who always had something to say, opinionated and strong-headed. He saw your hands shaking while peeling apples, trying not to meet his gaze and breathing through your nose to keep a straight face. He found you endearing to no end. He had for a long time. You were a skilled liar and an even better architect, yet he could see, sometimes, the mask crack. Especially when it was him taking a jab at it. He never did it to anger you, per se. He did it because he adored seeing this other side of you. Your commanding posture was one he was used to, what he wanted to chase. What he wanted to stay for though, was this. Your natural state of affairs, no lies put up to hide behind. While he was cooking the eggs and pancakes, he could feel your eyes burning, tracing his shape all over. Once done, he turned around to find that you were still peeling the same apple you had been ten minutes before. You felt his hand pull the fruit away from your palms. They were sticky with the apple’s water and sugar. He opened your hand, prying the knife away from you before bringing your fingers to his mouth. Slowly sucking on your fingers drawing each into his mouth, one after the other, moaning around your skin. The bastard. That handsome bastard. Your thighs clenched, while you were trying to stay upward. It proved very difficult. You whimpered, before stepping out of his reach completely as he was sucking on his fingertips, never leaving you out of sight. The look in his eyes was nothing short of sinful.

“No. No, no, no, no. I need to get work done…”

His arms pulled you up, settling you on the counter, eyes boring into yours, his hands toying with the hem of your shirt, slipping under it. God, he was driving you insane. Your hands found their way against his chest, in a motion that could have been treated as resistance, had you not been so weak in the attempt to stop him. He smiled, studying your face. You found yourself smiling too. The rational part of your brain was going to burst. You still had several calls to make and plans to discuss with him - preferably with his clothes on, even more so if his sister was present. Your body was hearing none of it.

“John, please…” you pleaded.

That was a mistake. As soon as his name left your mouth, he made you look at him with a firm hand on your jaw.

“Say it again.”

His lips were right there. Just suspended in front of you, like a forbidden fruit. He was good at this. So, so, so, good.

“I really have to… -Say it again.”

Your hooded eyelids and heavy breathing were only bringing him closer and closer to you, incapable of resisting the pull you had on him. It felt right, to stand between your open thighs, morning light barely shining through the windows, as you were there, breathless and needy at his mercy.

“John…”

Greedily, he claimed your lips for himself, as if to taste them around the letters of his name. He felt the warmth of your hands slip around his neck, burying themselves in the depth of his hair. Your hips were trying to meet his, arching your back more and more into him. He pulled away for some needed air, his forehead resting against yours. Your fingers were digging into his shirt by now, praying to tear it apart.

“What was that for?”

Your breath was soft against his cheekbone, your voice somewhat proud and cheeky.

“No reason. -Come on, John.”

The insistence on his name murmured against the shell of his ear…You knew. You knew and you were doing it on purpose. That new knowledge ingrained itself in his brain and it took everything in him not to ravish you, here and there.

“My name… in your mouth… It sounds like…It sounds like I am yours”

The cheekiness was gone, replaced by a spreading wildfire inside of you. The warmth of it all taking you over by pure force. You pulled away from him, in awe. A few hours prior you could have sworn he was going to leave you hanging, and now he was telling you these sinful things in such a serious tone. He was going to wreck you. And you were going to let him. Your core clenched, empty, waiting to be filled by him. You pulled your shirt over your head, breasts bare before him. Soon after, his lips found their way to them, the nipples getting teased between his lips, warm hands heating your body up. What an exquisite way to start the day.

*

Somehow, the tension between you had not vaporized. It had gotten thicker. You could not keep your hands off of each other, often working in between intimate encounters rather than keeping said encounters in between hours of work. Although, you did manage to visit new offices, meet his sister - she was a riot of outlandish manners and quick wits - and keep your newly developing relationship a secret from the firm’s employees. After a few weeks and then months like this, you felt that you were getting into a stall. Your relationship was not new anymore, yet whenever you mentioned going public he’d recoil and diverge onto an another subject of conversation. At first, it had been fun. Now, it was getting tiresome. Yet, you could not bring yourself to break it to him. The frustration in you was growing restless.

“Good evening. -Good evening… Oh, you brought food! Thank God, I’m starving! -I figured.”

He rose a brow and smirked knowingly as he passed through your door. You heard the lock click and he joined you in the kitchen, while you were setting the table. Slowly his usual business posture fell. He now had a strange look on his face. Not quite worried. Just so serious. It had you stopping in your tracks.

“John, what’s wrong?”

His breath was altered, and you watched him slowly take off his jacket and put it away. His eyes were driven to look at the floor, finding patterns in the wood more interesting than your face maybe. A dullness settled on your heart, muffling its cries. Something was off, you could see it.

“I have something to tell you.”

Before he could say anything, you sat down preparing yourself for the worst. He did not move.

“Remember when you told me about that contractor who was firing employees and giving bad results for the firm? -Yes, but… -I know who it is. I’ve known the entire time.”

You almost laughed.

“I’ve told you the name of the company, of course you know who the chief is… -No. I mean, I know who signed off on those deals each time. -What? I’ve been tracking that information… -For months, I know…”

You felt him approach and stop in his tracks, his hand settling on the table next to you, fearing he might make you even more angry than you already were. In truth, you were not even angry at him. Disappointed, frustrated, sad because of him? Yes. Angry? That was for yourself. You should have known he was hiding something. Of course, you had been blinded by the sweet words and soft touches and tender times.

“Who?”

The sharpness there was unmistakably strangled. Tears on the verge of collapse. John inhaled slowly, lips pinched.

“My father.”

Finally, you met his gaze. You didn’t even know his father still worked for the firm and wasn’t on a Bahamas coast with luxurious size debts. This was news to you.

“Please, say something. -I… I don’t know what to say… What do you want me to say, huh?… What do you expect me to say? You’ve been protecting your father all this time and I cannot find it in myself to blame you for it… That doesn’t mean that I’m forgiving you for lying to me… Here I thought we were…”

You struggled for a minute, trying to keep the tears at bay, feeling your emotion well up and ready to implode.

“-We were partners. -We were ? -Yes. We were. -Can you not understand why I did this? -Why? You kept the truth from me. His actions could have cost us both our careers, without mentioning the damages he’s done to the workers and the staff on site. How could you keep allowing this to happen?”

His jaw clenched, keeping himself from saying things he did not want to mean but was feeling deeply right now.

“Keep allowing? You really think I would have left my own father to sign those contracts if I had been aware he was still making them? You really think me this careless? -I don’t know.”

The hurt on his face was discreet. The effects limited to his eyes. Steeled and broken.

“What does that even mean?”

Your heart was breaking. You should have known not to trust him. Nor to have faith in him. He had been so dodgy before why stop now that you were fucking, right? A little voice in your head told you it wasn’t true. You didn’t listen.

“It means that even beyond the fact that you did not tell me you father was still working for the company or that he had a soft spot for an idiot without morals, I don’t know what kind of choice you’d make about the people you do care about. I would not know because you do not make them. Or you don’t tell me about them. -What are you talking about? -Why do you not want to share what we are to one another? You keep avoiding the question or diverting my attention to something else. Why do you not want to say that we are together, in a relationship, in a couple, John! Are you that ashamed of me? Or do you care so much about what other people have to say that you won’t be seen with me?”

This time, he did not stop himself from reaching you, his whole body shaping itself around you. You could not stop the tears anymore as he wrapped his arms around you, not a breath separating you two.

“ I am sorry. I have been nothing but a fool. I was scared you would not want me to. I was scared that you were the one who would be ashamed of me. -How could you think that?”

You met his eyes, watery pupils and all.

“I’m in love with you, John. I could never, ever, be ashamed of you.”

A deep smile crept its way onto his face, illuminating an otherwise gloomy evening. He cradled your face in his hands, almost drowning you in his presence with the gesture.

“I love you, too. Please forgive me. -I already did.”

You felt his lips smooth down a path from your temple to your lips, pressing feathered kisses along the way. You both stayed there then, foreheads together, swaying in each other’s arms, to a melody neither of you knew.

“Why did you tell me about your father?”

Without interrupting the moment, he sighed deeply.

“I had him fired today. For malpractice. -What? -He was not very pleased with me.”

The attempt at lightening up the mood went to waste. You put your palm against his cheek, your thumb moving in slow circles against his skin, trying to calm him down.

“You did the right thing. For what it’s worth, I am very sorry that you had to do it. Also, I am glad you did. You would not be yourself without that righteous streak of yours.”

A chuckle passed his lips, finally. He pressed a kiss to your lips, growing stronger with each of your hearts beating. Once thoroughly breathless, he let you go. That night, you agreed never to keep a secret from each other again. Or to hide things from one another. Both parties involved made sacrifices regarding their futures together. As usual, John drove a heavy bargain, with brand new negotiations skills, bribes and promises. You met him at every turn. And he let you, for he had surrendered to you that day and all the days after, wholeheartedly.

[jade-masquerade]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you for tagging me, @periwinkle39!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

40

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

350,294

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily GOT/ASOIAF, but a bit of The Last Kingdom in the past as well

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Thawing of Winter

Ever After

Don't Tell Robb

Try It

Snow Madness

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, because I very much appreciate the time people take to leave them! I know I still have to reply to the ones left on the last chapter of Always Loved a Queen though, which is on my list of things to do for winter break.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It's just a drabble, but probably loving you is like holding smoke. I had some ideas to make it into a longer fic so if I did it would probably have a happy ending, but for now it is definitely not erring on that side.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of them wrap up with a Jonsa happily ever after, but if I had to choose one probably The Thawing of Winter since it also has all of the Starks reunited!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

On occasion--definitely far more for the last fic I published, Always Loved a Queen, than others so I'm not sure if it was the choice of characters involved, truly that controversial of a plot, or if there are just more haters out there now than before lol

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep, a fair bit 😅

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not usually, unless various versions of AUs would count as crossovers

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again not that I know of

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, Ever After!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Absolutely Jonsa without a doubt, and I can't imagine anything ever coming close to that

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have dozens started on my computer that will probably never be published in any form, but the most extensive one and the one I would love to finish the most would be a full-length followup fic to my f1!AU one-shot Green Flag

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think writing a character's inner voice and having a sense of who that character is, what they would do in a given situation, and how they would think

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Definitely plotting, particularly the middle part that starts to sag--this is why I write mostly one-shots!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think it can fit well if it fits with the character using it, used for a particular purpose, and is easily understood in the context

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter wayyyyy back when

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Finally finishing The Thawing of Winter was absolutely an accomplishment for me, but in terms of the most fun I've ever had writing a single fic I think I would also choose In Case of Fire!

I think a lot of others have been tagged already, so I will tag anyone else who sees this and wants to share as well!

[some-greatreward]

do you have a top 5/top 3/just a top 1 smiths song? if yes, which one and why? :)

See this is actually hard bc my list of smiths songs that I adore is longer than the list of ones I don't. I'd say in terms of favourites, I have a few that will probably always be up there, and some that i decide to rotate being obsessed with. but top 3 in no particular order are:

I Know It's Over - I tend to be a person who will obsessively listen to tracks, but not for long, because I get tired of songs very quickly. for some reason, IKIO is the exception to that rule - each time I listen to it it feels like I'm hearing it for the first time again, and I think it's because of the absolute complexity and depth of emotion - it's not so much of a song as it is a musical journey, a raw expression of pure emotional anguish. it's also a remarkably hard song to sing/imitate, at least initially, because it really doesn't have that typical verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus structure, and Morrissey's vocal delivery is incredibly free-flowing, rubato and expressive - it feels like the kind of delivery you'd get from a live performance, as though we're directly getting the emotions he's feeling at that moment, instead of something carefully constructed, which we know it is. also just the visual imagery of the lyrics - the soil, the sea that takes, the knife that slits, the sad veiled bride - it's all so evocative!!

also i am physically incapable of hearing the lines "it's so easy to laugh it's so easy to hate, it takes strength to be gentle and kind" and not fall in love at least a little bit.

I Won't Share You - for IKIO I talked a lot about the lyrics and Morrissey's vocal performance, and whilst that's also part of why I love I Won't Share You, this one's honestly more to do with the music - the vocal line is gorgeous but I don't think Morrissey could have written it if he wasn't being pulled in that direction by Johnny's music. idk, it's the chords or something I think??? Anyway this is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I know, I did cry the first time I heard it, and I still do sometimes when it randomly decides to hit extra hard. Can you blame me??? I'm listening to the last song of the last smiths studio album and it ends with the lovely, gentle lament of "I'll see you somewhere, I'll see you sometime, darling..." It's a shame that Morrissey never does the last verse when he sings this song live, but I get it, it hurts too much. like same moz, it hurts for us too. and yeah, goes without saying but this is obviously a marrissey classic

Reel Around the Fountain - so this is the inverse, first track of first studio album lol. I first heard this track on an early autumn morning when the sun hadn't risen yet, and I put the smiths self titled cd into my car (it was one of the first cds I ever bought for myself). and I cannot. describe what a surreal feeling it is to hear those opening guitar chords hit after that drum beat as you're driving out in the complete darkness. (also!! those piano chords at the 4 min mark!!!!) it's an INCREDIBLE opener and such a beautiful representation of the smiths' music in general. It's also another one that tugs at my heartstrings - it's a pretty tune but there's also such a resigned feeling to the whole track. It's also the song that has the best demonstration of an aspect I like a lot in smiths songs, and that's the fact that a lot of the time it really feels like these songs have their own stories and characters? (even tho they’re not specifically narrative songs if you get me) the "you" in smiths songs is often not a generalised you (but rather a specific character that lives within the song), nor is the "i" always morrissey. I just always find myself wandering about the "you" and "i" of Reel Around the Fountain - i feel a great need to know them, which is silly

ok that was wayyyyy too much, sorry for the rambling lol. @morrisseyhaterr what are your own favourites?

[twofee]

Sims tag

Thanks for tagging me @episims :)

1. what’s your favorite sims death?

old age with the hula dancers welcome but mostly i try not to let anyone die!

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

i’m somewhere in the middle, i have a game thats more heavy on the semi realistic content and another that’s more maxis match-y.

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight?

i wouldn’t say i cheat, but i do have them work out a lot to change back

4. Do you use move objects?

of course but i usually wait until the end of the decorating stage to do that.

5. Favorite mod?

i don’t use a lot of mods but i guess whatever one adds custom sliders or at least the bodyshop sliders to regular CAS

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

Well my simming career started back in the sims 1 release days and I got double deluxe base game followed quickly by unleashed shortly after it’s original release.

7.  Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing?

like LIVing

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

i am very partial to Malle, Echo, Abba, and my legacy founder VJ!

9.  Have you made a simself?

in the past yes but i never really did much with her. there might be a saved file of her stashed away somewhere...

10. What sims traits do you give yourself?

very few outgoing points, plenty of nice points, a good handful of active

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color?

umm i tend to make lots of blonde sims but not with EA’s yellow blonde...so Brown I guess??

12. Favorite EA hair?

The shaggy surfer dude one

13. Favorite life stage?

Adult I guess

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the game play?

i’m more in it for sim creation and decorating that playing or building.

15. Are you a CC creator?

yeah i’ve got a whole downloads tag worth of it but i wouldn’t say i am good at it and i don’t do it very often.

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sims squad?

i’d like to think you’re all my friends but a few are closer/more interactive than others

17. What’s your favorite game (1,2,3,4)?

TS2 forever, with a special space for sims 1 in my heart

18. Do you have any sims merch?

no, not really my thing

19. Do you have a youtube for sims?

i tried dabbling in sims machinima at once point way back in the day, even had a couple voice actors record lines for the start of my little story. i made a little prologue video that i posted on youtube. not sure if it’s still around in some dusty corner of the internet....

20. How has your “sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

while i have embraced and started leaning a little more maxis match since coming to simblr wayyyyy long ago, i would say it hasn’t changed too much, it’s still a mix of everything that i like and falls victim to my current mood and whims, but it’s maybe a little more cohesive now. i’d like to think someone could recognize twofee style decor or sim.

21. What’s your origin ID?

i don’t need it for sims as my install is off the discs but i think it’s twoffee

22. Who’s your favorite cc creator?

everyone who makes cc!! no way could you narrow that down!

23. How long have you had a simblr?

my archive says January of 2013 is when i finally gave up lurking!

24. How do you edit your pictures?

wow it’s been so long since i’ve done it, but i’ll crop, run a super old action i got from another popular simblr, then resize and be done. if i feel fancy i might add a little boarder shadow thing. but really not much.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next?

i just want more content of any variety. new hairs and clothes, new decor items, floors and walls, conversions from other games, new recolors of everything. maxis match and semi realistic. or even bringing back some long lost content. I have an entire folder of 2000s content on an old external HD that I would love to just plug into a fresh game folder and see whats in there. it was all stuff i downloaded to save while i was in college and not able to play but didn’t want to lose or forget.

i’ll tag: @charmandersims, @holleyberry, @ove51, @simmer-until-tender, @lurking-lilibeth, @andrevasims, @lifetime-want, @simoleontree, @grilledcheese-aspiration, and anyone else who wants to participate!

[bitchinbarzal]

LUNA YK WHO IS SUCH AN UNDDERRATED COUPLE?? actually i have multiple with reasons why

(in no particular order)

1. mila & finn

MY MANS WAITED YEARS FOR HER. he listened to her talk about other guys and her relationship problems while being fully in love with her. he is absolutely and completely devoted to her and despite the fact he KNEW she wasn’t in love with him, his feelings for her never left, not when they were kids and sure as hell not when they’re adults. he didn’t let her scary ass brothers stand in the way of being with her. she was his first love and just like her to him, he’ll be her last. the absolute epitome of childhood friends to lovers and i love them with everything in me.

2. henry & atlas

the enemies to lovers, well at least on atlas’s side. the man pining for her, not being able to get her off of his mind after she was yelling at him thru the penalty box for fighting her big brother. her constantly rejecting him but finally giving him a chance and it being the best relationship she has ever been in. he didn’t let his rivalry with her brother stand in his way of being with her. the secret relationship after they start dating because atlas doesn’t want to disappoint or upset her brother for dating his rival and falling in love with them. her being the first girl he’s ever truly been IN love with. ugh, they’re just *chefs kiss*

3. bailey & noa

miscommunication trope at its finest, miss luna. normally, i hate miscommunication trope, but girl you write is SPECTACULARLY!! noa thinking bailey is cute and flirting with him and thinking he’s ignoring her when in reality he just can’t hear her and then her confronting him and apologizing IN SIGN LANGUAGE THAT SHE LEARNED FOR HIM when she offends him? and her defending him to ANYONE AND EVERYONE that has anything negative to say about him, especially if it’s about him being deaf. NOT TO MENTION, NOA LITERALLY STARTING A CHARITY FOR DEAF KIDS?? bailey’s buddies is so cute and the fact that noa did it and not bailey just made me fall head over heels in love with this couple even more. in conclusion, i need me a girl like noa.

4. kai & otis

another childhood friends to lovers that i absolutely adore with everything in me. i feel like it was mutual pining when they were younger, but didn’t actually confess they’re feelings/start dating until they were like 17. the fact that kai always stood up to him and comforted him when bullies were making fun of his weight and made it so the bullies were more afraid of kai than they were of anything else. and the fact that kai got otis a dog, despite the fact that she hates dogs, because she wanted otis to have another coolie because coolie’s otis’s best friend. ugh them <3

5. rory & sawyer

did someone say unrequited love? boy groveling and traveling across the world ON HIS DRAFT DAY to go to the love of his life who is studying abroad? oh yes, i did. these two are lowk like a genderbent finn & mila to me. the fact that rory had a huge crush on sawyer as a child and was devastated when he moved to colorado but their moms still talked so they did too but then fell out of touch when sawyer got too busy with hockey and the draft and rory was too busy with school and looking at studying abroad for a year but on his draft day, RORY WAS THERE and she couldn’t hide her feelings from him anymore and then HE WENT AFTER HER TO MF SCOTLAND TO TELL HER ITS MUTUAL. ugh, i can’t with these two, they’re wayyyyy too underrated and need more love.

6. sutton & luca

best friends brother, older sisters best friend, secret relationship, older!girl & younger!guy. even after sutton moved, luca still managed to slither his way into her heart thru iris. the way sutton didn’t want to start anything with luca because she didn’t want to hurt/betray iris like that but not being able to deny her feelings for luca. luca being patient with her until she was ready to be with him even though they both knew she was ready, she was just scared. i miss them so much 😭

7. astrid & kasper, aka the F1 driver

i don’t know a lot about them other than the fact that they have a daughter. but the way astrid fell in love with someone from her moms field of work and is constantly there supporting him with their baby girl is just too mf cute and i feel like we’ve all forgotten about them.

1. Mila & Finn have my heart 🥺 the fact Finn listens to her no matter what.

2. Henry & Atlas are so soft. It’s like they’re so soft surrounded by a world of fire. That fire is her brothers.

3. Bailey & Noa will always be some of my favourites. The fact Noa did not think twice about sign language and made Bailey’s buddies and the fact that two of her babies are deaf too and she’s not upset she’s like 🥺🥺 they got it from dad

4. Kai & Otis are together because Petey and Brock couldn’t

5. Rory & Sawyer the plane scene will always get me 🥺🥺

6. Sutton & Luca always thinking of iris DESPITE being in love

7. Astrid & Kasper are the best the fact that he encourages women in motorsport and their daughter being there to see it all too is just 🥺🥺

[samurailogic]

I kind of get why Satomi is (unfortunately) very unpopular... She's ye ole "ditzy young woman with big boobs who likes sweets" and there's like 5 other girls in Idolmaster who are like that. Especially Kanako and Airi who are also cinderella girls and are both also kind and slightly airheaded girls with big boobs who like sweets and are wayyyyy more popular than Satomi. There's also their designs, and despite all three of them being present since the infantile days of cinderella girls, Satomi's design does feel slightly more "of her time" what with her cute purple drill hair and is more reminiscent of late 2000s/very early 2010s era anime girl designs which might not fit well along with the more 'modern' look alot of Idolmaster stuff is trying to go for these days...

[ladyoftheesun]

she was alive for wayyyyy longer than a few weeks. it was around five months, if not more, considering the fact that we can use shauna’s pregnancy as a tracker for how long they were out there. also the date on that newspaper isn’t right considering they crashed in the spring/summer.

also regarding shauna’s pregnancy, you can assume that she gave birth prematurely, at around 7 or 8 months considering the team was preparing for her birth (holding a baby shower and everything) but weren’t actively barring her from doing things like leaving the cabin.

since it’s shown that shauna got pregnant right before the crash, and if you assume that jackie dies 2 weeks in (the night after doom coming) then why would this be shauna at doom coming, at one month pregnant at the most

jackie died at the very beginning of winter, shauna gives birth during winter. we’ve been told that the space of time between jackie’s death and her cannibalism is 2 months. which would make shauna 3 months pregnant, that’s 4-5 months unaccounted for, and yes canadian winters can last for 6+ months, the winter arrived relatively on schedule (laura lee mentions that winter is coming up, and then like a week or two later jackie dies and winter comes) and the characters make no mention of it being an unusually long winter, and not much happens in the time between the jackie feast and shauna giving birth, for a show that’s trying to show the escalation from struggling in the wilderness and killing and eating their team mates, having that much time between javis death and jackie’s seems narratively unsound. i always assumed that season two spanned one month.

five months jackie lived out there. five months she lived and breath. and they said that she died the day the plane crashed. jackie taylor has an empty grave inscribed with the wrong date.

[icouldbeyourprettygirl]

February TC Challenge by @tc-blossom

Original post here

I just really want to talk about him right now so I thought I'd do one of these!

Do you have more platonic or romantic feelings for them?

Romantic. I've never crushed this hard on someone before. I wake up thinking about him, and I go to sleep thinking about him too. Although, part of me is afraid that I'm projecting my daddy issues onto him? Like I've seen him with his kids, and he's the kind of father I've always wanted. Not that my dad was horrible or anything, I've just always secretly craved a father figure.

2. Have they ever physically touched you?

Yes. Obviously we've had the occasional brushing of hands, but one time it was more than that. I was holding something he was tending to and I happened to be sitting down holding it before he showed up. When he showed up to tend to it, he sat down right next to me and our thighs and feet ended up being pressed together. He didn't move them. I'm sure he could definitely tell that I was squirming, but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable. I have no idea if he did it on purpose or not.

3. Would you ever plan to pursue them when you graduate?

No. He's married. If he wasn't, that might be a different story.

4. Do you know their birthday/zodiac sign?

Yes! I won't share his birthday for privacy reasons but he's a Taurus. I'm not sure he knows that, though. lol.

5. Do you know their favorite color?

I feel like he told me once but I honestly can't remember.

6. What do they teach?

Business

7. Do you think you're their favorite student?

Maybe. I'm really not sure.

8. Are they tall, short, or average height?

I had to Google the average height for men where I live, and according to that, he's tall-ish. You wouldn't look at him and go, "Wow! That guy is super tall!" but he's not short.

9. Do they have any pets?

Not currently. He grew up with animals, though.

10. Do you ever plan to confess your feelings to them?

Absolutely not. I respect both him and his wife (whom I know) too much to ever do that. Honestly, even if I didn't respect them, I still wouldn't do it. He's married. Worst case scenario- he asks me plain and simple if I have a crush on him. I'd lie and say no, but I feel like it would be obvious. Maybe if I see him in 10 years I'll tell him that I had a crush on him back when I was 18/19, but currently there are no plans.

11. Do you know any of their talents?

Yes! He's a skilled wood worker, writer, artist, golfer, sailor, and negotiator.

12. How often do you think of them?

As I mentioned earlier, I think of him wayyyyy too often. He consumes the majority of my waking thoughts and even my dreams sometimes.

13. Have you told anybody irl about your crush?

Yes. I told three of my friends, my therapist, and my mom suspects it but I haven't told her.

14. Be honest: Do you think you're in love?

I've never been in love, so I'm a bit hesitant to answer this question. Possibly? I've only ever heard people say that when you know, you know. The thought popped into my head for the first time not too long ago, and I was pretty scared by it. If I am in love with him, I wish I wasn't.

15. Do they motivate you to come to school?

Absolutely. I now think of being there as a chance to see him, so I'm extremely motivated hahaha

16. Have you ever seen them cry?

No. And to be honest, I hope I never do. I think my heart would absolutely shatter. I'd be crying right there with him.

17. What kind of dynamic do you guys have?

Like a ship dynamic? Mmmmm probably introvert who doesn't talk very much unless they're comfortable (me) x introvert who talks because they're uncomfortable (him) or hanging on by a thread (me) x hanging on by a thread but in a different way (him)

If you didn't mean ship dynamic, our dynamic is just him telling me stories and me listening and occasionally blushing. When he asks me about myself, I become an absolute fool and he just watches lmao

18. Have they ever caught you staring?

...yes. But as I mentioned in the last one, he talks a lot so if I'm looking at him it's just usually because I'm listening. However, he has caught me staring at his hands and forearms... and that was extremely embarrassing.

19. What was the most embarrassing thing you've done in front of them?

Idk I'm pretty awkward sometimes so I'll just kind of stand around while I'm waiting to talk to him or when I'm unsure of what to do. It always makes me feel like I'm being super weird. I also blush pretty easily and do it a lot in front of him which probably gives me away kjshdflkhsj

20. Do they make you feel safe/loved?

Safe? Yes. Loved? No, I feel like we don't know each other well enough/have that kind of relationship. He and I have been alone together quite a lot, and if it was a different man, I'd probably be afraid. When I first met him, I was a little bit scared to be alone with him, but I knew in the back of my mind that he wasn't going to hurt me. You know that trend a while back about the men you'd feel safe in a room/elevator/leaving your drink with/etc? If he and I were in some kind of situation like that, I'd bet on the fact that he'd keep me safe and unharmed.

21. Have they ever rendered you speechless?

Not quite in a movie way, where the main character can only get out occasional "wow"s at how good their love interest looks. But in smaller ways. One time he looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days and Cassie.exe stopped working immediately. Another time I saw him doing physical labor and was just kind of stuck watching the muscles in his arms move as he worked. He's also taken my breath away with things he's said.

22. Are they a good teacher?

Absolutely. Best of the best ☺️

23. Is there something they do that gives you the ick?

He has the tendency to mansplain things sometimes? It makes me feel like he thinks I'm stupid. When it's just him and I, I don't mind as much. But when other people around, I'm less tolerant to it. But I also feel like that could be because of his job? Like maybe he's trying to be helpful and doesn't know it comes across like mansplaining occasionally? Idk.

24. Are you guys close?

I'm not sure. Closer than we probably should be, considering our professional relationship and our ages (and the fact that he's married). But some days he feels like a stranger. I know a lot more about him than he knows about me, but I still won't ever know all the intricate details, you know?

25. Have you ever looked for their initial in those stupid TikToks?

Unfortunately, yes. Usually I scroll past those, but one of my friends will send them to me when her and her crush line up. When that happens, I look for him and me.

26. Have you ever dreamed about them?

Yes. All the time. Last night I had a dream where we were talking about my dad 🫠

27. Do you see yourself in a relationship with them?

In theory, yes. In practice, no way. He's married.

28. Have you ever cried in front of them?

Tears of laughter once. Another time my eyes welled up because he showed me a video of his son, but I was praying that he didn't see that lol.

[savedgraciously]

For The One I Didn't Know I Needed

Hi you,

Meeting you was something I was expecting, knowing that I was on the dating apps. But one thing is for sure, I didn't think you would ever be this significant in my life. Getting on the apps after being single for 2 weeks wasn't the best but damn, I sure was glad that I did that.

You were someone I wasn't expecting myself to fall in love with. Yes, you had all the traits of my childhood crushes; blonde hair, blue eyes and damn you're tall. Hell, I found you hella attractive since Day 1. The way you smiled at me when I waved hi to you to get your attention, I was hooked from there. Granted yes, I was coming out of a 5-year relationship but I wanted someone to keep me company as I navigate through life without the person who broke my heart.

You didn't want anything serious either which I was fine with because looking back at it now, I'm sure it would have been a terrible idea. I'm glad we worked out the way we did. You taught me how to chill out and just take things day by day because knowing me, I was always planning wayyyyy too far ahead and it broke me. Okay okay, I know I still plan ahead but only because I want things to be more convenient for both of us and usually it works out well.

It's been a very tricky 4 months between us. We've hurt each other in more ways than 1 and I'm going to own up to it, it was my fault. All you ever did but make me feel loved, secure and happy but I know I have a tendency to sabotage my relationships because in my head, I don't deserve to be happy. Or maybe I'm afraid of getting hurt again so I hurt myself more??? I know it doesn't make sense.

You are the absolute best person I have ever met my entire life. You have had a big impact and I'm going to try my hardest to keep us going. Please don't give up on me. Please don't give up on us. I really love you. I never thought I would be capable to love again but here we are... I'm so in love with you. I want us to get through whatever life throws at us and come out stronger.

I know I have a lot of things to work through but the thought of losing you... I can't fathom it. Imagining a life without the absolute best person in my life, it breaks my heart just thinking about it. I want to keep waking up next to you. I want to keep doing fun things with you. I want to keep taking care of you.

I love you so so much with all I have left in this damaged heart and soul but damn, I will be better to keep you in my life.

[mindninjax]

Top five favorite fics from others!

OH HOO HOO Aight bet... I'M GONNA DO MORE THAN 5 BECAUSE I'VE BEEN RECENTLY READING A BUNCH FICS. They are in no particular order. ALSO BE MINDFUL OF TAGS AND THESE AUTHOR'S RULES. THEY ARE ALL NSFW AND SHOULDN'T BE INTERACTED WITH IF YOU'RE UNDER 18.

1. Longing by @bakugotrashpanda - Honestly anything by BTP is fucking fantastic but this was the fic that started it all. This is by far some of the best characterization of Bakugo that i've seen written and I ADORE it. Please the way he is with his daughter in this ALONE will make you SWOON.

2. The Art of Tea Composition by @karikarasuno Every single word in this is BEAUTIFUL stunning, glorious so domestic and lovely and beautiful and sexy and GOD Kari is just so fucking good at writing characters. And she wrote my fucking husband and just ekcjsadjkn

3. Before Number One by @saturnsorbits - this is honestly one of my FAVORITE Bakugo fics from one of my favorite writers. It just flows so well, I love his charcaterization I love the SEXXXXXXX. I just whbaskdjb i think about this fic A LOT ok?!?

4. Reverence by @onyxoverride - When i tell you I have been thinking about this fic SOOOOO MUCH since I read it. I'm NOT joking... My Dragon Age love has been rekindled and this fic was oh so sexy and made me look at Bertie in an entirely new light. Not to mention the sensual and hypnotizing flow and tone in this. Excellent work by my love Onyx.

5. A Series of Small Victories by @whats-her-quirk - Ok so I'm kinda cheating because i haven't read it all the way through yet but I read the start and the build up in the google doc and i was SCREAMINGGGGGG. I swear when I have time I will finish this because pegeren2k21 has finally arrived and my wife brought it to us.

6. Blood of Eden by @pleasantanathema - Another fic that I am constantly thinking of. It is always in my head. The lore in this is always something I wondering about because it's so fucking good. When writing Erwin I think about *this*Erwin for reference because it is just so damn good.

7. Pyroclastic by @titan-fodder -I know I know everyone is in love with Prima Vista with good reason (i will finish it i fucking swear) but THIS is the Miche fic I think of. The fucking Geology in it??? literally how could i not?? And Like this was the first Miche fic i ever read so it the pacing and everything literally felt like I was falling in love with him with the reader.

8. absolut by @lookslikeleese OH do you mean the fic that introduced me to my girlfriend Ochako?? Do you mean the one that made me scream in Weese's inbox, "WEESE I THINK IM GAY" Because yes. Yes Katsu is in this and he's hot. And yeah...there's Deku... BUT OCHAKOOOOO so hotttttttt in this. Please it's so good.

9. someone to you by @some-kindofgnome When I think Megumi, I think this fic. it is so tender and so incredibly (and obviously) well written but is so fucking true to his character how can you not love it and how can you not love him?? Like the setting is gorgeous, the smut is so passionate and there's a babyyyyyyyyyy.

10. On Call by @lady-bakuhoe - This fic was sexy obviously... it's from the LBH. But here's the thing. i know I was supposed to be paying attention to Katsu... which... i did. But i was looking RESPECTFULLY at SHINDO in this. I was like "OH my eyes are open now miss Jo" BAHAHA

11. Doing something Right by @hoe-doroki - Of fucking COURSE I would include this one. Ana I'm sorry this is all I ever recommend from your blog. I promise I love on the job so fucking much to but like... this one!??! my comfort fic?? Dad Baku?? babe.. I just.. gotta. Dad Baku is just too good not to love especially when it's done by you Ana.

12. Birthday Blues by @katsukikitten - my starlight this one tore me up because as always you're just so good at describing those angsty feelings we all feel but don't like putting into words. You make it beautiful and lovely but still manage to make us feel it in our guts when we read it. I really remember going "Omg yes that is exactly how it feels to still feel lonely in a room full of people" and I think that's such a great skill to have baby.

13. On Warrior's Wings by @jirou-s - Christineeee lovely Christineeee I remember being absolutely blown away by this fic. I remember the reader and wanting to know if she got her vengeance. i remember how poetic and beautiful the language was when i read it. WHEW idk if part two is still in your wips but i cannot wait to read it. NO RUSH!

14. baby i'm a haunted house by @ketslketslketsl Did i go to your fully decked out Enji masterlist and chose the Baku one to rec? Yes I sure did. bahahah BUT it's because i fucking love it. He's so neeeeddddddyyyyy in it. He's crying??? over us?? and we're so DONE with him in it it's just ugh so good. That emotionally removed sex. the conflict inside us. I love it. I eat that shit up.

15. Dad Headcanons by @kechiwrites - it is embarrassing how many times I reread these but it sparks joy so what can you do. ANYWHOO. I love them all I love reading at Baku as a dad. That will never change bahah.

[aurorathedragon45]

1. when did you find out you are a dragon?

April 27th of this year, though it feels like wayyyyy longer :>

2. what kind of dragon are you?

A humble forest dragon!

3. when did you join the dragonkin/alterhuman community?

I knew about the community before my awakening so when I did find out I was a dragon I kinda just tried to interact as much as possible so I could figure things out more

4. what are some unique features of your dragon self? can be related to your body, your powers or your behavior.

I have a very light, cream-green mane that wraps around my neck, and leaflike protrusions on my head. My wings are kinda leafish too

5. what do you think of the representation of dragons on earth?

I find it unfortunate that most western dragons in folktales are large, murderous beasts. They're also considered a "symbol of greed and evil" which is upsetting. Most of the dragons I know aren't evil at all!

6. do you have memories of being a dragon in a past life or concurrent life?

Not that I know of.

7. what do your shifts look like, if you have any?

I walk on my tiptoes (feels like digitigrade legs) and sometimes use a lot of improper grammar when texting. (I force myself to speak normally in reality to not weird anyone out, hhh)

Also just like- idk. It's hard to describe everything else.

8. what does your species' diet?

Omnivorous, but I would likely prefer not to kill and eat live animal, I would rather eat fish or recently deceased animals.

9. do you have a breath weapon? if yes, which one?

I'm not really sure, but if I do it's probably just fire breath.

10. do you know your dragon body's size?

8'7'' tall (about 2.6 meters) and 13'5'' long. (about 4.09 meters)

and 50' wingspan (about 15.2 meters)

I'm not sure about width.

11. do you hoard?

Yeah, I hoard rocks, books, feathers, and some other things

12. how does your draconity influence you irl?

Not sure how to answer that really

13. do you feel species dysphoria sometimes?

I experience it often, but not really to a super duper strong degree. It's just. A lingering sadness

14. what did/would your habitat look like?

A forest, though I'm not sure what kind.

15. are you territorial? can be a place(s) or other beings.

A bit, yeah

Places and beings, depending on where/who it is

16. what do you think about the dragonkin/ alterhuman community?

I think you all are very lovely :)

17. do you use a special vocabulary related to your draconity?

Sometimes!

18. does your species have a special language or alphabet?

Nah

19. do you have a pack/clan or are you on your own?

On my own. Except there would probably be a select few humans that know of my existence. Other than that, I'm an urban legend :) /j

20. where do you spend the most time? outside in nature or in your cave (at home)?

At home, but I try to be outdoors more.

21. what is your favorite dragon media? is it a book series, a show, a video game or something else?

I LOVE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

AND PETES DRAGON

22. have you ever met a dragon like you or similar to you?

@/akalikestodraw is also a forest dragon :3

23. do you consider your identity spiritual, psychological or something else? do you use these labels at all?

Honestly I'm not 100% sure, I'm leaning more toward psychological. There's a high chance I'm on the spectrum somewhere or at LEAST neurodivergent in some way so I think that contributes greatly.

24. do you have any other identities beside being a dragon?

Dragonhearted (cladohearted) but I'm not sure if that's what this question is asking, cuz that's still dragon related

25. do you own any gear (tails, horns, jewelry etc.) related to your draconity?

Yeah, I have a dragon tail and wings, except they're from a costume from years ago before my awakening and they're bright blue and purple, so they don't really match.

26. how does your species communicate primarily? do you use speech, sounds/vocals and/or body language?

Not sure, I'm not exactly a specific "species" of dragon. I know I can make dragon noises myself, and probably could communicate with humans, but I'm not sure how, whether it be Saphira with her mind reading/projection, or if I can speak English normally.

27. is your dragon self animalistic/feral or sapient?

A mix, leaning a little more toward feral. Smart enough to communicate with humans and have human intelligence, feral enough to live in the wild and far away from humanity.

28. do you have a visual description of yourself or something that looks similar to your dragon body?

I have drawings of myself :)

29. do you have any body modifications (tattoos, implants etc.)?

Nope, and don't intend to.

30. are there any dragons/other dragonkin who inspire you?

I think allll the dragons here inspire me!

31. uhhhh rawr

dragonkin ask game

hey there! since this year, the year of the dragon, is getting to its end, i decided to come up with some questions for dragonkin and other draconic beings in the alterhuman and plural community. these can be used for personal use in blogs and are free to use for "draconic question of the week" pings on discord, for example. i will explain the reason for those and what i plan to do with them below the questions after the cut. i hope you will have fun with those.

questions under the cut

1. when did you find out you are a dragon?

2. what kind of dragon are you?

3. when did you join the dragonkin/alterhuman community?

4. what are some unique features of your dragon self? can be related to your body, your powers or your behavior.

5. what do you think of the representation of dragons on earth?

6. do you have memories of being a dragon in a past life or concurrent life?

7. what do your shifts look like, if you have any?

8. what does your species' diet?

9. do you have a breath weapon? if yes, which one?

10. do you know your dragon body's size?

11. do you hoard?

12. how does your draconity influence you irl?

13. do you feel species dysphoria sometimes?

14. what did/would your habitat look like?

15. are you territorial? can be a place(s) or other beings.

16. what do you think about the dragonkin/alterhuman community?

17. do you use a special vocabulary related to your draconity?

18. does your species have a special language or alphabet?

19. do you have a pack/clan or are you on your own?

20. where do you spend the most time? outside in nature or in your cave (at home)?

21. what is your favorite dragon media? is it a book series, a show, a video game or something else?

22. have you ever met a dragon like you or similar to you?

23. do you consider your identity spiritual, psychological or something else? do you use these labels at all?

24. do you have any other identities beside being a dragon?

25. do you own any gear (tails, horns, jewelry etc.) related to your draconity?

26. how does your species communicate primarily? do you use speech, sounds/vocals and/or body language?

27. is your dragon self animalistic/feral or sapient?

28. do you have a visual description of yourself or something that looks similar to your dragon body?

29. do you have any body modifications (tattoos, implants etc.)?

30. are there any dragons/other dragonkin who inspire you?

31. free space

the reason i made this ask game is because i will try to answer every one of the questions during the last month of the year of the dragon. this is a sort of "dragonkin ask game/challenge", and you can try it too, if you want.

thank you for taking a look <3

[birdie-ghost]

Infodump ( if u can ^_^ ) about the fitz afto au I AM WAYYYYY to invested in this

OKAY IM GONNA DO THIS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT BEFORE GREGORY SORRY LOL

When Jeremy first saw Mike they thought that Mike was in cosplay lol. They didn't recognise each other at first considering that it had been like 12 years or so sense they'd seen each other. But they did once they got each others names and talked a little about their life.

the events of the au all happen in way more than 5 nights simply because I feel like 5 is just honestly unaturally and impossibly fast lol, its closer to 2 weeks-3 months depending on what game we're talking about, fnaf 1 is like two weeks, fnaf 2 is like a month and a half, fnaf 3 takes like 3 months cus I said so.

Jeremy and Mike end up as room-mates about halfway through fnaf 3 and stay that way through the rest of the games. Mike got evicted because his landlord saw him without any masks or glasses on and was creeped as hell out. Jeremy was the one who had the idea that they could room together, that way it's easier for both of them to pay rent as well as buy things like food; also so Jeremy can pay for collage lol, he's got that starving collage student life woooo. Jeremy helps Mike with his depression and PTSD and mike actually improves quite a lot once he starts rooming with them :]

Mike falls for Jeremy in like 3 weeks and he just excepts it, but he doesn't do anything about it because 'he doesn't deserve it' and doesn't want to put mike in a relationship with a walking dead man. He resigns himself to forever be lovesick lmao.

Around 5 weeks into working with each other Is when Mike opens up about 83 and his dad and baby and what he's doing and such. Jeremy calls him out on his bulshit, cus like, that's not mikes fault. Even a little bit. Jeremy hugs mike and that was probably the first time mike had had a hug in over a decade.

Jeremy falls for mike like a year and a half after they reunited at Fazbear Frights, but it's a whole sudden 'oH SHIT WAIT' moment when they were just chilling on the couch watching a movie or something. Like, Jeremy littarally goes "OOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH" in the middle of the movie and scares the shit out of Mike. Mike asks what's up and Jeremy just flat out tells him on the spot lmao. He didn't mean to though lol he was just so caught in the moment he had absoloutly no filter. He was really worried because Mike started crying and Jeremy thought he was taking it wrong or something. They both clear it up and all goes smoothly.

They only kissed once before Mike got his new robo body because like, Mike's a corpse, they're generally logical people. And it was after Mike told Jeremy that he'd never kissed anyone before and Jeremy wasn't having that.

Jeremy really shouldn't have done that though lol he regretted it, not cus he didn't want to kiss mike its just, ya know, Mike's a corpse. Jeremy threw up afterwords cus like man that has not gotta be great tasting lol. Mike was extreeeemly flustered and felt terrible and Jeremy wouldn't let him apologize.

Like four months after the events of Pizzeria Sim Mike proposes to Jeremy, but it's not anything crazy. They're just sitting there eating dinner or talking at their apartment, taking time to relax after all the events they'd gone through and decompressing and mulling over the traumas and life experiences they'd shared, and Mike just asks Jeremy if they want to marry him. Jeremy says yes. They get very simple silver bands and have a very small wedding, Littarally just them and Henry as their Officiant.

I've thought about them a lot they live in my head rent free. :')