#&& main verse.

[erinevrly]

the  confession  alone  is  more  than  enough  to  throw  erin  completely  off  guard,  but  it’s  the  sound  of  the  all-too-familiar  voice,  echoing  in  the  foyer  of  her  two-bedroom  condo  again,  after  what  feels  like  an  eternity,  that  makes  the  muscles  in  her  legs  stiffen  and  the  hair  on  the  nape  of  her  neck  stand  up.  her  natural  instincts  urging  her  to  pull  him  into  a  hug,  assure  him  that  everything  will  be  okay  in  the  end,  pretend  he’s  still  hers  and  she’s  his  —  that  it’s  the  two  of  them  against  the  world,  the  way  it  used  to  be  a  few  years  back.  oh,  how  easy  it  would  be  to  forget  about  everything  and…  but  the  more  rational  part  of  her  wants  to  just  stand  here,  linger  in  the  doorway  for  a  while  longer,  and  pretend  she  hadn’t  heard  him,  wishes  the  ground  beneath  her  feet  would  open  up  and  swallow  her  whole,  get  her  out  of  this  strange,  uncomfortable  situation.  why  would  he  say  this  now?  why  did  he  have  to  say  this?  

clearing  her  throat  as  she  contemplates  her  response,  she  absently  brings  one  of  her  now  shaking  hands  to  her  dainty  necklace  and,  to  occupy  her  fingers  with  something,  anything  that  will  help  her  fight  off  the  urge  to  reach  for  the  redhead,  begins to  fidget  with  a  small,  heart-shaped  pendant.  she  opens  her  mouth,  but  closes  it  almost  immediately,  her  heart  pounding  away  in  her  throat,  keeping  her  from  forming  any  coherent  sentence.  for  someone  who’d  been  subconsciously  dreaming  of  something  akin  to  this  moment,  she  feels  completely  lost  and  unprepared,  nowhere  near  ready  for  this  kind  of  conversation.  the  gifts  and  letters  that  he’s  been  sending  her,  all  the  flames  that,  perhaps  involuntarily,  they  have  slowly  rekindled,  every  little  thing  that  she’s  been  trying  to  ignore  for  the  sake  of  their  significant  others  and  her  own  peace  of  mind…  they’re  standing  right  in  front  of  her  now  and  she  can  no  longer  run  away  from  the  feelings  that  she’s  so  desperately  tried  to  suppress  for  the  past  few  months.

gaze  dropping  to  the  floor,  examining  the  pink  nail  polish  on  her  toes,  she  struggles  not  to  get  emotional,  not  to  overthink  the  meaning  of  this  unexpected  visit.   ❝   𝐚.𝐱𝐥,   ❞   she  whispers,  a  soft  plea  ringing  in  her  voice  —  not  here,  not  now,  let’s  not  go  there…  she’s  just  managed  to  put  her  life  back  together,  to  move  on,  or  at  least  that’s  what  she’s  telling  herself.  if  they  have  this  conversation,  it  will  leave  her  nothing  but  a  shell  of  the  woman  she  is.  but  she  can’t  just  close  the  door  in  his  face,  tell  him  to  leave  because  it’s  her  weekend  with  sebastian,  scold  him  for  complicating  every  little  thing,  remind  him  that  he  should  be  writing  letters  and  sending  flowers  to  a  different  woman.  god.  she’s  never  been  strong  enough  to  stay  away  from  him.  she  doesn’t  want  to  stay  away  from  him.   ❝   would  you  like  to  come  in?  it’s  almost  dinner  time.  i’m  making  ‘ghetti  and  meaty-baws,   ❞   she  offers  shyly,  a  hint  of  a  smile  on  her  lips  because  that’s  how  sebastian  calls  them.  meaty  baws.  she  thinks  it’s  adorable.   ❝   speaking  of  bastian,   ❞   she’s  quick  to  change  the  subject,  although  it  breaks  her  heart,   ❝   he’s  been  grouchy  all  day.  i  think  he  might  be  coming  down  with  something.  he  keeps  complaining  about  his  throat  and  has  a  stuffy  nose,  watery  eyes,  sneezing…  you  know  the  drill.  but  i’m  sure  he’ll  be  so  happy  to  see  you,   ❞   she  explains,  opening  the  door  a  little  wider  and  inviting  the  singer  to  come  in  with  a  subtle  hand  gesture.   ❝   see  the  pile  of  blankets  on  the  couch?  he’s  in  there  somewhere.  would  you  like  something  to  drink?  we  have  apple  juice.  i  can  make  you  coffee  or  tea?   ❞

@rcsechild​

[lilacsongs]

freddie  turns  around  to  check  who’s  the  one  entering  the  café  even  with  the  sign  stating  it’s  closed  for  the  day,  only  to  find  his  boyfriend  walking  in.  his  eyes  widen  with  confusion,  though  his  lips  naturally  twist  into  a  smile.  “you  didn’t  tell  me  you’re  coming  over.” / @artisn

[dvarapala]

@himbohotel's hercules didn't ask for a starter but gets one anyway

"hey! i was about to eat those!" those being small, round pancake-like treats. "if you wanted your own batch, i could've gotten some for you!" oh, the rudeness of him, truly. the younger of the two glares up at him though it must look comical at best and worst due to their height difference and the fact that she's puffing up her cheeks like a chipmunk.

[fullofgutz]

ship art of bittre

entre belongs to @straycalamities

[strawnav]

@fumalsamakah : 🎲 / a bloody kiss! / accepting.

"Nami!" His voice rings across the battlefield, and her eyes peel open as if on command — she's in pain, of course, but most of what she feels is simple exhaustion. Her hand raises, though, to help her captain find her, slow and shaking but sure. She just about gasps out, "here, Luffy!" a half - second before he skids to a stop, falling to his knees beside her. He asks, "You're not dead, right?" and she barks out a laugh.

"Nope, still kickin'," Nami replies, eyes finally focusing. He doesn't look any better than she does, just as bruised, just as bloodied. Another hard battle. She's in pain and exhausted, but she hadn't been scared, really. Still isn't. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, and I beat him while you were knocked out!"

"I knew that, dummy," the navigator replies. "Help me sit up." He does, a hand at her back, and when she still seems wobbly, he tucks her sitting form into his side. She breathes out a grateful chuckle, mentally cataloguing injuries. A rib or two is for - sure broken, but other than that, it all seems fairly superficial. At least comparatively. "I knew you'd win." Her eyes raise to his, and she smiles, sweet even with the blood in her teeth. "You're gonna be the King of the Pirates, right?"

It's easy, not to be afraid, with a captain like that. With a captain who knows, without a doubt, that he'll succeed. He can't die before he becomes king, so she never really has to be afraid of him losing a fight. And he can't become the king without his crew — without her — so she never has a real reason to believe that she'll die, either. There are moments where instinct outshouts thought, but in the deepest part of her heart, she so rarely fears that Luffy will lose, and therefore so rarely has any reason to fear death. Whenever she does / clutching Tama, terrified, too angry to believe it, too angry to face a life of aloneness again / he always, swiftly, proves her wrong.

Luffy's surprised, concerned expression gives way easily at her abundant confidence. He grins. He glows. She's struck by the memory of how beautiful he'd been in the moonlight, hair pale, eyes wild, joyous and invincible. "Yeah!"

Trusting Luffy is easy, even for somebody like Nami, but it's loving Luffy that's natural. Loving Luffy is joyous. It's so comfortable and easy that it's hard to tell, exactly, where the lines between kinds of love are. Maybe there aren't any lines. Maybe to love Luffy is innately to be in love with Luffy. It's easy to think that, blood in her mouth, blood in his, both beat to hell but smiling. Her hand raises, like it's natural, and curls gently against the back of his head, tugging him closer. He's curious, based on the way his eyes widen, but still smiling, even when he's not quite sure what she's going to do. She doesn't think she's sure, either, until she kisses him.

Barely. The corner of his mouth, almost his cheek. It's slick with blood and warmer than usual, almost burning — he must have used Gear 2 — and he lets her. She feels herself flush, shocked and embarrassed at herself, what the fuck, Nami — steady heart turning hummingbird. But they're both still grinning when she pulls away and lets him do the same.

She'll worry about what it means, to be in love with her captain, later. She'll worry what he thinks of this later. For now, she just says, "Help me up — the others are probably waiting for us."

[werexcat]

the lost cat / @risingshine !

Gabriel wasn’t sure as to how long he had been walking because nothing looked familiar, but if he were to be honest with himself, nothing had looked familiar just a half-hour ago…

It was safe to say that the Werecat was lost, but even that was nothing new though the weather had been fair earlier, it was starting to look bad and though Gabriel was found of water, getting soaked to the bone in rain was not fun.

Continuing on, the fair weather—turning a bit slowly but surely—held on as Gabe made his way to the forest, it seemed… only to come upon a strange place that he’d never seen before.

Now, he wasn’t sure how to describe it, but his nose was telling him that there was someone around … somewhere, but where … ?

Could he even take shelter in this place for a bit?

Where was the door?

[sunsweets]

               "  ah,  sorry   ..   he's  not  bothering  you,  is  he  ?  "   a  nervous  chuckle  falls  from  roseate  lips,  aoife's  expression  twisted  into  a  mixture  of  concern  and  apology.   she  reached  down  to  pet  her  dog,  clearly  a  bit  older  in  age  but  still  very  healthy,  youthful,  and  vibrant  in  personality.   she  had  only  meant  to  stop  inside  pierre's  shop  for  a  few  minutes,  and  pooch  usually  did  well  to  stay  right  by  the  door,  sat  patiently  and  waiting  for  her  to  return.   but  clearly,  someone  of  interest  had  caught  his  eye.  

"  i  hope  he  didn't  startle  you. he's a friendly dog.  "    pooch  meant  well,  after  all   –   even  now,  there  was  no  hostility  in  the german shepherd's  eyes  as  his  tail  wagged  to  and  fro,  mouth  open  as  he  panted  in  contentment.

open starter. mutuals only, pre established on acquaintances acceptable. aoife's dog, pooch, wandered off and approached one of the people in pelican town while she was shopping in pierre's.

[boozeandboots]

No, don't tell him. He's got this.

"It's 'Matthew', ain't it?" Lips quirk into a half-smirk, satisfied. Due to similarities, it had to be the Canadian Representative, so why not get acquainted? "Sorry--I was trying to place the name with that face. Anyway, what's up?" // cont'd with @ourfairdominion.

[ahlite]

@gonchayas : ( as the black hound. ) thought you’d be lighter without all that blood. / accepting.

LUMINE THINKS SHE LIKES THE BLACK HOUND.

It's disgusting, monstrous, another Fatui toy that the world will be better off without — but it's also a CHALLENGE, and Lumine hasn't had a PHYSICAL CHALLENGE in a while. TARTAGLIA ONLY STILL BREATHES BECAUSE SHE'D MISS THE CATHARSIS OF BREAKING HIM REGULARLY. LYNEY'S GOT A FEW YEARS, TOPS, BEFORE LUMINE DECIDES TO RIP HIS SPINE OUT. SHE ALMOST HOPES THE DOCTOR SPITS MORE COPIES SO LUMINE HAS MORE OF THEM TO KILL. But THIS FREAK ——— !!

She feels her movements going sluggish — her body breaking, bleeding, struggling to keep up. LUMINE WON'T LOSE, THOUGH! It's a foregone conclusion! The hero can't die until the story's over, and THE TOOL HERO ALWAYS KILLS THE MONSTER!!

and while lumine may well be a monster, too, the black hound is most certainly not the hero. THEY ARE BOTH PUPPETS, THOUGH! OR WORSE!

Her next attack is slower — they dodge easily, wounds her in the effort, and she clutches at the new gash in her collarbone, atop one of the scars Childe left. Light escapes through her fingers, shining cold and sterile against her face.

"Thought you'd be lighter without all that blood," the Hound says. OH! It's playing with its food. Lumine's head tilts — Lumine's mouth splits. Making fun of her for getting slow! The blood that bubbles against his palm, against the light trying to escape the too - thin confines of this bound body, is black as pitch.

"You like my blood?" SO DOES TARTAGLIA. OR DID. THE LAST TIME THEY SPARRED, HE CALLED IT CHEATING. Lumine drops to a crouch, bloody palm falling to Festering Desire's hilt. It loves Lumine's blood. It loves Lumine's sick. "Let me show you a NEAT TRICK."

She's plenty light, now — plenty fast. Appears behind him; is gone when it turns, carried by arching, violet lightning. Her hand raises, black blood staining it, just as they turn back to face where she's disappeared — that hand slams into his helmet, hard enough it cracks. And keeps cracking when Lumine's grip tightens, even as the other fights back. Lumine's eyes glow bright, and when there's FLESH revealved beneath the hiding, her hand presses harder, CURSED BLOOD ATOP THE MONSTER'S FACE.

The monster looks like a person. Both of the monsters look like ———

When Lumine leaps back, they're swaying, ragdoll, sluggish again — not smiling. Eyes still glowing. And their blood HURTS THE OTHER, they can tell by the way it shouts, grasping at its face, PATHETIC. PATHETIC! LUMINE SURVIVES WITH THIS BLOOD IN THEIR VEINS EVERY DAY!! THIS BLOOD, THAT'S KILLED THE GRASS BENEATH THEIR FEET WHERE IT FALLS. THIS BLOOD, THAT'S SICK SICK SICK FOR THIS WORLD THAT HATES HER FOR HER BROTHER THAT LEFT HER. A cruel gift is still a gift. WILL THE ACID OF THEIR BLOOD SCAR THE MONSTER?? LIKE THIS WORLD HAS SCARRED LUMINE?

She thinks she likes the Black Hound. She likes a challenge. She likes an excuse to go all - out. MOST ALL, SHE THINKS SHE'LL LIKE SCARRING THEM UP.

[erinevrly]

♡       ❛     𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭  𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝  𝐨’  𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞…     ❫       :       @rcsechild  ,

“He’s so — beautiful,” the curly-haired brunette breathes, marveling at the baby who’s lying on the soft blanket beside her. Sebastian Shiloh Rose. They brought him home less than a week ago, and Erin still hasn’t gotten used to the surreal feeling of having him around. Each time her pale blue eyes land on him, on his tiny features and fragile body, she tears up a little. He’s so helpless and vulnerable, so small that neither the newborn clothes piling up in his closet nor the size N diapers that they’ve stocked up on fit him. “Do you think he’ll have your eyes?” Thinking out loud, it’s still too early to take any serious guesses as all babies are born with blue eyes, and Sebastian’s still remain closed most of the time anyway, but she’s most certainly allowed to daydream. “Hi, baby boy. Hi. Are you waking up?” She coos, picking up one of her dark ringlets and using the very tip of it to tickle her son’s nose. He’s still getting used to this brand new world that surrounds him, to all the bright lights and noises and smells, and yet… He’s already so perfect. “Do you have any idea how long we’ve waited for you?” She murmurs, letting her hair tumble over her shoulder before leaning forward once more and using a single fingertip to gently caress the boy’s downy cheek. His skinny legs kicking faintly, fists flying up in the air, and although she knows better than to believe he understands exactly what she’s telling him, she still convinces herself that he’s actually listening to her voice, responding to it in the only way he can — by moving his skinny legs and arms even if just the slightest bit. Unable to imagine a more perfect moment as her pale blue eyes flicker up to meet her husband’s emerald greens, Erin quietly inquires, “Do you think we should give him a bath? A real bath?” They’ve been holding off, clueless about all the when’s and how’s, terrified of accidentally hurting him, restoring to using baby wipes and damp washcloths. And although he naturally smells amazing, just like all babies do, Erin’s beginning to think that a bath could be both calming and comforting for him.

[lilacsongs]

“...  you’ve  never  told  me  you  have  a  girlfriend.” / @artisn

[denniisa]

@eclipsemuses sent : [COMFORT]: sender cups a distressed receiver's face in their hands and steadies them by resting their foreheads together. / xo mac

dennis had been barely holding it together for the last hour. it was errand day, normally it was simple enough. mac and dennis would go out and go to the grocery store and wherever else was on their list that day. today that had made the mistake of going out on a sunday afternoon. for christ sake, it was like every single family in philly was out and at the grocery store. it was loud and there were far too many people. dennis could start to feel it bubbling up inside, that anger and frustration, jaw clenching and hands getting twitchy. mac apparently had picked up on her body language, because he had started walking very fast through the store, running down their list at lightning speed. which only made her more annoyed and frustrated. he was moving so fast that dennis could barely keep up, trailing behind him and dodging soccer moms left and right. soon enough the two were checking out, and every single beep of the scanner made her jump a little bit, thumb and index finger reaching up to tug at her earlobe, rubbing small circles onto the skin.

the car ride home had been tense for the lack of a better phrase. dennis was practically white knuckling the wheel, and every time mac tried to speak to him it felt like nails on a chalk board. thankfully, the traffic hadn't been too terrible and they made it home decently fast. they gathered the bags and headed up to the apartment finally. as dennis crossed the living room to the kitchen, one of the grocery bags he was carrying ripped open because of course it would. the universe really had it out for him today. "god dammit !!" and this was the tipping point. dennis continued to yell various curses as he drops the rest of the bags he was holding on the ground. "that idiot cashier at the grocery store had no fucking idea what they were doing !! overloaded the bags and now there's shit everywhere. everywhere !!"

her chest starts to heave as the anger bubbles up and spills over, breathing becoming erratic as she continues to mumble more complaints, only working herself up more. dennis hadn't even noticed mac cross the living room they had been so worked up, they didn't even see him standing in front of them. it wasn't until they felt mac's hands cup their face that dennis was really able to process it. their foreheads pressed together and it finally reminds him to breathe, in and out. eyes fall shut, hands still trembling at their sides, letting out a sigh. "shit. sorry ... sorry." he says quietly, fully aware of their outburst.

[strawnav]

@spirestar : ❛ well, i do feel better now that you're here. ❜ ( from shirley! she's a high school student w ptsd from code geass, we have to have a council of the gingers meeting tho ) / accepting.

She looks so young — Shirley looks so young, and it's a jarring reminder that Nami is young, too, in the ways that anyone can see. She seems so small to her, but Nami can't have more than three or four years on her. The scar on her arm burns, and her teeth grit.

She's so sick of terrified, trembling teenage girls and the bastards that make them that way, but right now there's more important things to focus on. Nami squeezes Shirley's hand and resolves to worry about why the Marines are apparently after her later. Right now, what matters is making sure they don't take her.

Luckily, there's only about a thirty of them. Easy pickings.

"I'll keep you safe," Nami promises with a smile, the kind she always saves for scared kids. She dares a glance out of the closet she'd hidden them both in. Three in this room. Probably ten guarding the outside of the abandoned home. The rest scattered throughout the house. "Now, I need you to stay here and hide for me, okay? I'm gonna take care of the people looking for you, and I'll get you when I'm done. Then we'll find a safe place."

[ratkiing]

@starmore sent : i’ve been having weird dreams . / from Micah, hm…

he's only just woken up, but the second that charlie hears micah speak he turns onto his side facing the other in bed. brows knit together and eyes heavy with worry, his head tilts to the side. "you have ?? i'm sorry ... that sucks." charlie is familiar with strange dreams and nightmares, they often plagued his sleep. it's part of the reason why he had such a bizarre routine for falling asleep ( but he had been weaning off of that habit since he began dating micah ). throat clears, hand reaching towards the other and resting on their stomach. "did you have a weird dream last night ?? do you ... uh ... wanna talk about it at all ??"

[sunsweets]

          "  hm  ?   were  ya  waiting  for  a  turn  ?  "   she'd  finally  pulled  away  from  the  arcade  machine  in  the  saloon   –   having  finally  given  up  after  a  few  game  overs.   she  grins  before  pointing  at  the  screen,   "  tell  ya  what   ..   get  a  high  score,  and  i'll  buy  you  a  drink   –   and  my  respect.  "   taking  a  step  back,  she  leans  back  against  the  unoccupied  pool  table  with  a  lighthearted  grin  to  see  if  they  would  take  her  up  on  the  offer  of  a  free  drink.

open  starter,  mutuals  only.   stardrop saloon.   pre  established  encouraged.

[dvarapala]

❛ Amazing how quickly the past becomes idyllic. ❜

maddaddam › @sarishim

"yeah," udyati nods, "most of the time i take a stroll around the neighborhood but sometimes i come out here too. i sit down in this little open-air pavillion and watch the water. i look at the ships passing me by and i wonder what the people aboard are like." the younger of the two holds out a packet of salty banana chips, wordlessly offering a few. "why do you think that is? the past becoming idyllic so quickly, i mean? is it because of rose-colored glasses or is it because of something else entirely?"