#<- to be fair I didn’t use my time wisely but I don’t even have a good perception of time so yeah…

[malewifehenrycooldown]

Univeristy is back in three days… wish me luck. And yes that does mean I will probably be absent for long periods of time.

[arcaneauthor]

Soap and Ghost with a s/o on their period

Warnings: period blood, fluff

A/n: I feel like I’m bleeding out rn and need to vent

Ghost:

Is absolutely not grossed out by your period, I mean this man sees blood everyday, he’s used to it, plus it’s natural right? As long as it’s coming from a menstrual cycle and not some major wound, he’s good

Is absolutely clueless when it comes to female issues. Like he knows all the medical stuff of what’s happening to you and why it’s happening but as far as how to comfort you and make you feel better? Completely clueless. He’s never really had a close enough relationship with another woman to have to deal with this.

Not saying he won’t help you out though, just need’s a little guidance. Will 100% do anything you tell him to. He’d be your good little soldier. You want take out? He’s calling it in. You want a warm bath? He’s carrying you to the bathroom.

Would probably sit on the side of your bed rubbing a large hand over your back or through your hair.

Though if you don’t feel like being touched and want distance? He’s a big boy, he can take no for an answer and not pout about it. “That’s fine doll, whatever you need.” Though he’ll still be coming in the room ever thirty minutes to check in on you with an “You alright, love?”

Will give you one of his gigantic shirts to wear since you don’t want tight fabric rubbing against you right now.

Would do everything around the house for you without being asked. It’s how he’d show he cared since he wasn’t one for lovey dovey words. Feeling guilty, you’d keep trying to get up to help him, despite his many refusals. About the fifth time he’d eventually just pick you up over his shoulder and carry you back to bed himself.

.“Nope, you’re gonna sit your little arse in bed and let me do the bloody dishes.” “But it’s not fair for you to do all the dirty work.” “I’m not the one bleeding out my a**.”

Your snarky reply of “That’s not exactly where it’s coming from” has him slamming the bedroom door in your face. Would definitely just pop back in your room a few minutes later with a tub of ice cream though.

Soap:

Like ghost, he’s not grossed out at all by your period.

Unlike Ghost, I feel like he would know exactly what to do for you. Chocolate, flowers, basically makes you a whole nest on your bed of pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. Basically, he would just be absolutely perfect.

This man is a major cuddler and you can’t convince me other wise. Would spoon you from behind while holding a heating pad to your aching stomach. Running his other hand up and down your side and back.

But, he too, would of course understand if you didn’t want to be touched. Would maybe joke around and pout at you a little,”If ye’ don’ love me no more, jus’ say that.” But would end up kissing you on the head, “I’m jus’ kiddin, that’s fine sweetheart.” And would leave you alone as long as you needed

If you live separately and your period starts while at his place, you’d be surprised to find that he already has supplies. He’d here your muffled curse from the bathroom, “Honey? You alright?” You’d be a little embarrassed at first, telling him what’s happened and that you, in fact, did not have anything with you. “Oh, that’s alrigh’. Check the bottom drawer on the lef’ for me, should be somethin’ in there.” You’d instantly feel calmed by how nonchalant he was being about it. Though that quickly turned to shock as you open the drawer. There’s an array of pads and tampons of different sizes. Even has an extra pair of underwear which, when you check the tag, is your size. When questioned, he just smiled and told you “A soldier’s always prepared.” Which you then gave him possibly the deepest kiss of your life just for his thoughtfulness.

If you started at night and bleed over on his sheets he’d make absolutely no fuss about it, instantly waving away your embarrassment with a smile. If you try to apologize for it he would be having absolutely none of it. Cups your face, “Hey, no. None of tha’. This is completely natural, nothin’ to be ashamed of. Nothin’ a good soak won’ fix.”

Would 100% be making all kinds of puns about it. “Gotta say swee’heart, your’ looking bloody sexy right now.” And you’d so not be in the mood. If looks could kill

[petite-phthora]

They don't even have dental

[DP x DC fic]

[Love at first... murder? - part 15]

<< Prev | Next >>

Part 1

Ao3

---

Private chat nicknames:

RedHood = Jason

Danny = Danny

---

Danny and Ellie are both on their way to Danny’s apartment. Both flying invisibly while in ghost form with Danny holding onto Ellie’s hand to lead the way to his apartment without losing her.

As they’re flying, the silence gets broken by Ellie. She smacks her lips a few times and lets out a thoughtful hum.

“Mmmm… it’s spicy”

“What? What’s spicy?”

“Red Hood”

“Red Hood?”

“Yeah, his blood. It’s got some twang to it… not too bad to be fair, could use some more kick though” Ellie says with a shrug.

At this point, they’ve reached Danny’s apartment. They enter through the wall, both becoming visible and transforming back, landing on the floor.

Danny levels Ellie with an eyebrow raise he learned from Jazz, though hers is still better.

“Right…” He shakes his head, deciding not to ask. He asks her another couple of questions instead.

“So, care to tell me what you’re doing here in Gotham chewing on the local vigilantes? You know to only bite people in self-defense, when they’re assholes, or with consent, so what made you bite Red Hood?

“What are you even doing in Gotham for that matter? I thought the plan was to stay in Mexico for another week before moving onto Peru?”

He looks at her, eyebrow still raised and arms crossed. The look on his face is neither mad nor annoyed, just curious.

“Would you believe me if I told you I just came to give a surprise visit to my darling involuntary DNA donor?” She asks, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture and batting her eyes with a pout.

“… Well, not if you say it like that…” Danny says with a slight frown.

Ellie pouts before shrugging. “Worth a shot.”

She looks at Danny, seeing he’s still leveling her with a look, and lets out a long dramatic sigh. While sighing, she slinks down onto the floor dramatically.

“Fineeeeee” She draws out, lying flat on the floor.

“But, if you’d had a wider vocabulary you’d know I already told you about what I’m doing here!” She says in an accusatory tone, finger pointing at Danny for good measure.

She then crosses her arms and closes her eyes.

“It’s not my fault you didn’t understand me.”

Danny uncrosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

“Not everyone has followed Clockworks ‘Cryptic messaging 101’ course.” He says.

“They should, it was really informative.”

Ellie sits upright with another sigh.

“All I’m doing is testing if he’s good enough for you.” She says.

“If who is good enough for me?”

“If that vigilante boyfriend of yours deserves to date my mold. “ She pauses. “My stencil? Framework? Blueprint?” Ellie trails off, finger on her chin.

“Just call me brother, that’s easier” Danny cuts in.

Ellie waves him off, unconcerned.

“Anyway, he needs to prove himself, his worth, and for that, I’m setting up multiple challenges. If he succeeds them all, he’s got my blessings and is free to date you, if both of you so wish.

“But if he fails…” Ellie trails off. She puts her hands together, a feral grin on her face.

Danny doesn’t bat an eye.

“So what, you came back from Mexico earlier than planned to haze the guy I’m dating?”

“Mhmm!” Ellie nods enthusiastically in response, the feral look from before gone as if it was never there.

“And biting him was just another one of these challenges?” He continues.

“Yup! He passed, by the way, flying colors” Ellie says.

“Do I get to know what exactly you scored him on and what you were testing him for at that moment?”

“Do you want to know?”

Danny pauses.

“You know what… Nah, I’m good.”

Ellie nods along, “A wise decision.”

“Well, since your plans were kinda last-minute, do you need a place to stay?” Danny asks.

“I don’t really have a guest bedroom, apartments too small for that, but the couch is very comfy. 8/10 sleeping spot. Some points get docked ‘cause it still smells like the marinara sauce I spilled on there when I first moved in.” He shrugs.

Ellie shakes her head in response. She stands up, dusting off her pants as she does so, as she replies.

“Nah, no need to worry about me. I’ve got it handled, already found a place to crash for the foreseeable future.” She pauses.

“Though I will raid your ice cream stash. As payment.” Ellie says as she turns around and moves towards Danny’s kitchen where she immediately starts rooting through his freezer.

“Payment? For what? Being a feral little shit and biting my boy— I mean my uh, partner-friend?” Danny asks, not really making any move to stop her from taking his food.

Ellie pretends to not have noticed the slip-up.

“No.” She rolls her eyes. “Payment for being an awesome Fright Knight for His Majesty,” She says, giving him a mocking bow while clutching a tub of ice cream to her chest with one arm.

Danny rolls his eyes right back at her.

“I’m not even king yet.” He denies “Just the Crown Prince. Still have to wait till I’m an elder in ghost years before they can force me on the throne, luckily.”

He then raises an eyebrow at her again.

“And I’m pretty sure the position of Fright Knight is not a paid position”

Ellie gasps dramatically.

“Are you saying you don’t pay your workers, My Liege? Blasphemy!” She sticks the spoon she grabbed from his drawer in the air, still clutching the ice cream tub with her other arm.

“Next you’re gonna tell me we don’t have dental” She scoffs.

Danny thinks for a second.

“Well, uh…”

This elicits another dramatic gasp from Ellie.

“No! I can’t believe it! My very own template, a tyrant! The very thing he destroyed to get where he currently is in the first place” She pretends to almost faint, swaying for a few steps with the hand that’s holding the spoon dramatically on her forehead.

She closes her eyes with a fake sorrowful expression on her face.

“Well, you know what they say. You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain.”

She sadly shakes her head.

 “Wait till I tell Sam about your authoritarian leadership,” She says, looking at Danny with narrowed eyes.

“I’m pretty sure you used the word authoritarian wrong, but I don’t know enough about English to dispute you” Danny shrugs.

Ellie sticks out her tongue at him. Danny just rolls his eyes.

“Just take the ice cream as payment then, Fright Ellie? Ellie Knight?” Danny pauses.

“It’s Sir Ellie the Frightful or Sir Ellie of the Infinite Realms,” Ellie says helpfully.

“Right.” Danny nods along. “And I’ll ask Clockwork and Frostbite about the dental stuff, alright?”

Ellie cheers and starts floating. She begins stuffing her face with the ice cream. In between bites, she speaks up again.

“If I don’t hear back about dental within a month, I’m gonna assume you’ve gone full-on tyrant and I’ll start a revolution to dethrone you.” She says with a self-assured nod.

“Not like you’ll have to do a lot of effort for your recruiting, most of them already like you more than me anyway,” Danny replies.

Ellie cackles, by now floating upside down with the ice cream. Once she’s done she speaks up again.

“Hah! Heh… Well, anyway, I’ve got some challenges to prepare. See ya, Mr. Polar Bear!”

Danny’s cheeks flush a little.

“You were there?!”

All he gets in response is another round of cackles as Ellie flies full-speed through the wall of his apartment with the ice cream and spoon, turning invisible once outside.

---

It’s the next day when Danny unlocks his phone to a message from the private chat group with Red Hood.

---

Private chat

~ RedHood changed the name of Danny to Kangaroo ~

RedHood: There, that’s better.

Kangaroo: hey!! 😲

Kangaroo: I’m not the kangaroo here 😠😠

Kangaroo: like, I was the one who said it!!!

Kangaroo: I said it to you 🫵

Kangaroo: so you’re the kangaroo here 😤

Kangaroo: if anything, I’m the polar bear 😌

Kangaroo: cause of like

Kangaroo: y’know

Kangaroo: yesterday? 🙃

Kangaroo: y’know seeing you reading my messages without replying is kinda nerve racking 😅😓

Kangaroo: not gonna lie

Kangaroo: Red Hood?... 😟

~ RedHood changed the name of Kangaroo to PolarBear ~

~ RedHood changed their name to Kangaroo ~

Kangaroo: This better, Mister ‘I’m the polar bear’?

---

Danny smiles down at his phone for a second before replying. His cheeks are slightly pink.

He really likes Hood…

---

PolarBear: perfect 😊

Kangaroo: Good.

Kangaroo: Now, I actually messaged you because I wanted to discuss the next date :)

Kangaroo: If you’d still like to go.

PolarBear: yes!

PolarBear: of course I still want to go 😊

PolarBear: does this Saturday afternoon work for you?

Kangaroo: Yep, that works.

PolarBear: great!

PolarBear: but!! ☝️

PolarBear: this time I get to plan the date 😤😌

PolarBear: like, the second part of the date

PolarBear: after tp-ing that manor 😁😇

PolarBear: cause you planned the last date

PolarBear: so I wanna plan this one 🙃

PolarBear: if that’s cool with you too?

Kangaroo: That’s fine by me, Love :)

Kangaroo: How about I pick you up around 3pm this Saturday, I’ll bring us to Wayne Manor, and then for the second part of the date I’ll drive us there with you giving me directions.

PolarBear: sounds good to me!

Kangaroo: Great, see you then :)

PolarBear: see ya! 👋

PolarBear: oh!!

PolarBear: also

PolarBear: feel like I should warn you that you might be seeing Ellie some more in the near future 😅

PolarBear: apparently she’s trying to see if you’re gonna ‘treat me right’ and all that 🤔 🤔

PolarBear: and so she has some challenges or something prepared to make you prove your worth???

PolarBear: the biting thing was a part of that apparently 🤷

PolarBear: but you passed that challenge with flying colors btw 😊👍

PolarBear: anyway

PolarBear: good luck! and I’ll see you on Saturday 👋🙃

---

Danny turned off his phone with a smile.

Now, let’s plan that date.

---

Taglist:

@i-always-say-yea @uraniumwizard @why-must-i-be-like-this @griffinthing @i23432i @imsotiredfanficlovertm

[silverflqmes]

Hihi! I'm wondering if you're okay writing nsfw / smut (dont know the right term) for zack fair, could i request some thigh fucking headcannons'? (Applogies if my english isnt to great, thanks for reading if you see this 😊)

໒⦂ 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓.

notes. hello anon! super duper sorry for the wait, i don’t write nsfw very often and if i get requests, i tend to take a lot of time writing them ahaha.. but i hope these hcs are to your liking, i feel like they’re a little rushed., furthermore the reader is female, i hope that’s okay!

genre. nsfw

tw. thigh fucking, semi-public sex, fondling, praise / body worship, dirty talk, needy portrayal of zack if you squint, after care, mirror sex.

disclaimer. uncomfortable with smut or younger than 17? please dni.

zack fair x fem!reader.

⌗ being a first class SOLDIER as zack was, there was hardly any time for full blown sex with how unpredictable his schedule could be. missions could either be in midgar, outside of midgar, slow or constant — the schedule was totally sporadic with the lack of firsts.

⌗ usually any need for release is often met during combat since he’s blowing off steam in battle, so in those cases — sexual activity isn’t needed.

⌗ but when fighting is not used as an output, he does tend to get pent up. it would make sense for a SOLDIER to have a load of energy to burn off, and zack being as antsy as he is to get some movement in.. he’s like a whiny thing in heat at times..

⌗ and so, that’s where you would come in.

⌗ there is little time on his hands but he just needs you so badly in instances like these. other times, he is of course your sweet and adoring boyfriend. showering you in hugs and the sweetest of kisses but real talk, a guy can get horny. especially if he’s getting zero action, mission and / or sex wise.

⌗ although, you couldn’t lie and say that you didn’t want your boyfriend plunging himself in between your thighs behind closed curtains, brushing all along your clit in just the right way while he grips your hips, grinding his own into your backside.

⌗ sometimes he just can’t hold himself back from dragging you away from your work into his office or an empty space just to get some friction and skin on skin contact from you. your thighs just feel so so soft and rub against him perfectly each time. and whenever you squeeze, the tightness is all the more pleasing.

⌗ oftentimes, he’s gotta be on the clock, though.. so his pace can be a little rougher and quicker with you, but he’s always careful to hold you close, aware that his enhanced strength can sometimes be.. a bit much.

⌗ still, you’d brace your hands against the wall or desk, anyway, and watch as he appeared and reappeared between your thighs in an intoxicating rhythm that makes you forget your work even existed.

⌗ because you both have to be quiet and he gets so needy for more of you, he would turn your head to the side to capture your lips in a feverish kiss while he continues slotting himself between your legs.

⌗ at times his hands would slide from your waist underneath your shirt to feel up your chest. he’d squeeze, fondle and knead them together, pinching your hardened nipples all while he continued delivering himself between your thighs.

⌗ and when he misses you too much, he’ll want to do it while facing one another — which can be sloppier, but he wants to look at your pretty face while he’s fucking your thighs, and feel your body flush against his own.

⌗ it’s not always fast and rough though, rest assured. whenever there is more time at your disposal, and within the comfort of your home, it can also be slow and sensual. a way for you to feel every detail of him that he had to offer as he holds you close to him. certainly when he’s returned from an away mission, knowing you’d both missed each other dearly.

⌗ unfortunately, things can get messy, but even if he’s on the clock, zack always makes the time to clean you up and help get the both of you back in order. he can’t just go sending you off, he’s a gentleman!

⌗ our resident puppy can be vocal a lot, especially if he hasn’t gotten the chance to be intimate like this with you for a bit.. so expect a load of praise and worshipping out of him, cuz he’s got lots to say.. but also some whining of his own- so praise him too.

⌗ “f-fuck, you feel so good against me, baby.. wish i could just have you like this all day, can hardly even wait until later..”

⌗ “mm, squeeze me just like that, yeah. you’re doing so well, y/n.. can’t contain myself any longer, i gotta have you tonight again too to hold me over at t-this rate..”

⌗ ooh and he loves doing it in front of a mirror. to witness every expression you make, and see your reactions just makes the experience all the more delectable.

notes. sorry if this was shorter than anticipated, i hope it’s somewhat decent?? i tried to come up with different things to pair with the thigh fucking since it’s.. a little dull on its own😭 anyway, hope you enjoyed! tysm for the request and for your patience<3

↳ return to main masterlist . request rules . send an ask

[themultifandomgal]

Sweet Pea- Grease Is The Word

You’re The The One That I Want

“Guys I have to leave in a bit” I say looking at the clock in Pops diner

“Oh come on YN you can’t leave yet” Fangs says holing Kevin’s hand

“She’s going cuz Sweet Pea ain’t here” Cheryl says

“No I’m not. I didn’t come here to see him”

“What you come for then?” Cheryl frowns

“I came because I was invited” I reply crossing my arms

“Cher I invited her” Toni says to her girlfriend

“I don’t know why. Isn’t Sweet Pea supposed to be like your best friend”

“Yeah but I like YN”

“Oh you do?”

“Jesus Cheryl what’s gotten into you this evening?” Betty asks

“Nothing”

“I think I’m just gonna go” I say standing up from the booth. As I do I see Sweet Pea walking into the diner “yeah definitely going to go”

“YN!” He says as I walk passed him and out the shop. What the hell do I do? I think as I make my way home. Yes I want to be with Sweet Pea, but we’re just 2 different kind of people.

That night all I can think of is how I’m, well me. Making my decision I phone up Cheryl and head over to her house the following morning

“So you want the boy” she says with her hands on her hips “let’s get started. Toni hand me a brush and my curlers we’ve got a lot of work to do”

“Hey!” I pout making Toni chuckle

“Cheryl takes fashion very seriously. So clothes wise what do you want to wear?”

“I wanna wear a Serpent’s Jacket” this stops them in their tracks. Toni and Cheryl look at each other then at me

“You’ll have to go through initiation”

“Which is?” I ask looking at Toni

“You can either choose the Serpant dance which is basically a strip tease or….”

“I’ll do it”

“No wait YN. You have to do it at the Whyte Wyrm” Toni looks at me worriedly “it will be in front of men 3 times our age”

“Wait” Cheryl says with a twinkle in her eye “does it have to be, or can it just be in front of us, Veronica Betty, Kevin and Fangs?”

“Well I guess there’s no rule against that”

“Then let’s do it!”

“Well if your sure”

“I am” I eagerly nod my head

“Let’s get you ready”.

“Hey Sweet Pea!” Toni shouts as she makes her way towards the boys at the fair. I’m hidden behind Kevin, Betty and Veronica “we’ve got a surprise for you” I then walk to the front where a shocked Sweet Pea looks me up and down

“YN? What… how? You look…”

“I know”

“Toni let you borrow her jacket?”

“Nope it’s mine. I did the dance”

“You… Toni you let her…”

“No not at the Wyrm. She did it in front of us”

“So your a Serpent now?”

“That’s is if you want me”

“Hell yeah I do” Sweet Pea then lifts me up and kisses my lips before putting me back down “will you be mine?”

“Yeah course” this time I’m the one to initiate the kiss

“Finally!” Fangs groans making everyone laugh.

[delimeful]

in sickness and in health (8)

warnings: captivity, arguing, remus talking about remus things, panic, gratuitous amount of puns, lmk if i missed any

-

“What’s going on?”

The impromptu staredown between all three humans was interrupted by Roman hurriedly leaning obnoxiously far over the counter, bodily blocking Patton’s view of the two borrowers.

“Patton!” he blurted, clearly aiming for a casual air and instead landing somewhere in the realm of ‘stewing in blatant panic and guilt’. “Hello there, what an unexpected and lovely surprise to see you here, in… the kitchen of your own home.”

Next to him, Virgil heard the small, distinct thwap of his fellow borrower’s palm meeting their face.

“…What’s going on?” Patton repeated, sounding far more awake this time.

“Extremely normal, non-fairy-related things,” Roman answered, visibly sweating.

“Extremely bloody Dionysian orgies,” Remus said at the same time, considerably louder.

Virgil could see just enough of Patton’s expression to watch the way it crinkled in a sort of morose confusion.

“In the kitchen?” he asked, voice pained, as though that was his main problem with the suggestion.

“If there aren’t any knives involved, can any orgy really be called Dionysian?” Remus replied in a faux-wise tone, lifting his arm to make a deeply inappropriate gesture in accompaniment with his words. This technically cleared the way back to the wall, but as it turned out, only for a moment.

Before either of them could get too hopeful about any chance of escape, Remus ended the gesture by quickly clapping his hands over the both of them in a makeshift dome shape.

Next to him, the other borrower only flinched a bit, but Virgil couldn’t help the outright squeak he made at the sudden limbs dropping down over them.

There was another pause from the humans above them, this one distinctly more harried.

“Um, guys?” Patton’s voice had gone from confused to concerned. “What was—?”

“Broken whoopee cushion,” Remus insisted. “Filled it with mayonnaise, you know how it goes.”

“He sneezed!” Roman added, his voice sliding up a few pitches. “Gesundheit, Remus! Totally nothing strange about that— Padre, wait!”

There were big steps drawing closer, now, and Remus’s hands cinched in a little tighter around the two of them. They were forced to huddle even closer together, and the other borrower’s bony elbow collided with his side in a way he wasn’t convinced was accidental.

He shot them a glare, which they returned with an expression that was equal parts indignant and frantic. After a second, they forced a barely-there whisper through grit teeth. “It’s your human. Will he hurt us?”

“How am I supposed to know?!” Virgil hissed back, just as quiet. “I didn’t ever get caught before you showed up!”

Not while the human was conscious enough to remember it, anyhow.

The other borrower’s eyes narrowed into slits, reminding Virgil that he probably shouldn’t be antagonizing the guy that already proved themself willing to try and murder him once. Before they could respond, though, the conversation over their heads continued.

“Guys,” Patton said, sounding stern. “What have we said about wrangling critters in my home?”

“That it was a firmly banned activity after the Great Frog Croak-tastrophe?” Roman guessed sheepishly. “And, y’know, that was certainly a fair and just ruling for that situation, however—!”

“Nuh-uh, I don’t wanna hear it,” Patton replied, unwavering. Virgil could practically envision the way his human was standing from his tone alone: hands on his hips, eyebrows raised expectantly. “Frog or not, I’m sure whatever you two caught will be much hoppier once they’re released safely outside, right Remus?”

“Eh, you might not feel the same after you see them, Pattycakes,” Remus warned. “I know I’m usually the harbinger of pests, wrangler of rats, champion of centipedes, but not even I know what to do about these guys.”

There was the shuffle of clothing, like Patton was shifting in place, and he sighed. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to figure it out together, huh?”

There was a moment of hesitation where Virgil assumed the twins were exchanging a wordless meaningful look, as they so often did, and then the distinct slide of glass across a countertop.

The moment the hands around them twitched, Virgil shifted into a crouched position, drawing his legs under him and preparing to bolt the moment there was space, even if it was probably totally futile. Next to him, he could feel the other borrower doing much the same.

Rather than lift off of them, however, the hands shifted to pinch even closer together, forming the shape of a spade, like a pair of nut shells that had been glued back together at the edges, leaving a hollow space inside. The two of them were forced to scramble upwards into the hold or get limbs stuck in between the sides of Remus’s palms as he scooped them up off the counter completely.

Virgil’s stomach dropped at the upwards movement, completely out of his control, and he reached out and latched onto the side of the other borrower’s shirt with a white-knuckled grip. They were still at least a little concussed, and Virgil wasn’t letting them get separated now, not when he’d already gotten himself into the most terrifying situation in his life saving them. Wherever they were going, they’d at least be stuck in it together.

To his surprise, the other borrower gripped him right back.

After only a few seconds, they were lowered and deposited onto a familiar smooth surface. Virgil grit his teeth at the feeling, resisting the urge to scream in frustration. He’d just gotten out of this stupid glass pitcher!

He didn’t get much time to seethe indignantly, however, because the moment Remus’s hands pulled away, there were much bigger problems to face.

Three of them, to be precise.

Heart in his throat, Virgil slowly lifted his head to look up at the face of his human, warped through the curve of the glass.

With a confused furrow to his brow, Patton moved to take a step closer, and then stopped short as the sight before him properly registered. His hand flew up to cover his mouth, his eyes widening with surprise. “Oh my!”

“I toad you so,” Remus interjected unhelpfully.

Roman cuffed his shoulder, and Remus immediately jabbed two fingers into Roman’s side in retaliation. It was only a firm warning look from Patton that kept them from devolving into another slap fight during the most terrifying moment of Virgil’s life.

Virgil shifted to stand, shuffling back until he didn’t have to crane his neck so painfully to make eye contact. Humans were so big, and it had never been more evident than it was now, staring up at giants.

Staring up at Patton. He was pretty sure he’d had a nightmare that had gone exactly like this. Well, minus the concussed would-be assassin. And the frog puns.

Patton, for his part, had developed a genuinely distressed twist to his features as he took in the sight of the two of them. After a moment of wavering, his gaze settled firmly on Virgil, sending a prickling sense of alarm up his spine.

“Hello again,” said Patton, smiling at him.

Virgil froze. The borrower behind him froze. Even the twins froze for a moment, before their heads both snapped around to stare at Patton with eerie synchronization.

“You know them?!” two voices asked, in two very different tones.

Virgil felt dread drop into his gut like a stone down a sewer grate. There was no way.

“I know one of them,” Patton answered, unperturbed by everyone’s shock. “That’s the little guy who helped take care of me while I was sick!”

He lifted a hand in demonstration and wiggled his fingers, the healing burns on them still visibly shiny.

The twins gaped. “He what?”

Behind him, in a far more bewildered tone, the other borrower echoed them: “You what?”

“You shut up,” Virgil muttered sourly without turning to look at them. His heart was practically shaking in his ribcage, knowing that the human had remembered all along, that Patton had returned home well-aware of the intruder in his walls.

The realization felt chilling, like a thimble of icy water had been dumped down his shirt. Patton hadn’t acted strange at all, hadn’t cast any speculative glances at the walls or scanned any shelves for undersized intruders. The twins and their ghost-hunting equipment clearly hadn’t known the truth, so why would Patton? Virgil hadn’t even suspected.

Who knew what would have happened after Roman and Remus left, and it was only the two of them, with Virgil blissfully unaware of the danger he was in?

Well. Caught like this, he supposed he was going to find out soon.

Patton’s smile faded, carefully watching the way Virgil’s chest was visibly shuddering with too-shallow breaths.

“You thought I froggot, huh?” he said, looking inexplicably sad. “I thought about it while I was in the hospital, and I kinda figured we’re really not supposed to know about you guys. That means it was pretty darn brave of you to try and help me anyways.”

Virgil swallowed, fear sticking in his throat. He didn’t know what to say. He certainly didn’t feel brave.

The other borrower stepped up to be at his side, ignoring Virgil’s reflexive attempt to shoulder them back behind him.

“I suppose the saying is true, then.” They paused, narrowing their eyes in a silent challenge. “No good deed goes unpunished.”

The encompassing flourish they made was a little wobbly, as though their balance was still off, but it got the point across: Patton had recovered from his illness, and they were stuck in a pitcher on his counter.

Virgil’s incredulity at the other borrower was enough to snap him out of the worst of his frozen terror, his head whipping to the side to stare at them.

They were insane. They had to be, using such sharp words and an even sharper tone with a human. This was just about the worst time to instigate an argument. The two of them were stuck in a pitcher on his counter!

Unsurprisingly, neither of the twins looked particularly happy with the accusatory turn the conversation had taken. Patton had been their friend for a long time. They had always jumped at the opportunity to defend him from harm in the past, and Virgil doubted that would change now.

For all their tomfoolery, the two of them could be downright vicious when they were angry. If they were willing to tear fellow humans a new one for messing with Patton, it was gruesome to imagine what they’d do to a pair of borrowers. They’d already been terrifying enough when they’d only been curious about him.

Before either of them could begin to speak, however, Patton nodded once, almost to himself, and pivoted to face his friends.

“Howsabout you two get started on cleaning up the living room so we can settle down and get some proper sleep?” he asked, the request firm enough that it was clearly more of an instruction than a suggestion.

Both twins started protesting immediately, looking extremely put out at the idea of abandoning Patton with their exciting new find. They were talking over each other, the words tangling and becoming an indecipherable mess by the time they reached Virgil, but he was fairly certain he heard phrases like “—but I’ll only lie awake haunted by fairy law and order,” and, “—you can’t keep me away from my new pyromaniac bestie!” in the mix.

“Mhmm, yup, we can discuss all of that later,” Patton replied stoutly, ushering the two of them towards the entrance to the kitchen with insistent sweeping gestures, like a shepherd with his herd. “There’ll be plenty of time to talk over breakfast in the morning, but it’s getting late, so hop to it!”

“We’re being banished with frog puns! This is an amphibian atrocity,” Roman bemoaned.

“Froggin’ unbelievable,” Remus agreed. 

However, even with all their complaints, they seemed to understand that Patton wasn’t budging this time, and reluctantly allowed themselves to be shooed out of the kitchen like the world’s noisiest sheep.

At Virgil’s shoulder, the other borrower took the opportunity to lean in while the humans were across the room.

“You ‘didn’t ever get caught,’ hmm?” they asked, still far too smug considering the situation they were in.

A muscle in Virgil’s eye twitched. Despite everything, he wasted a moment considering the merits of trying to inflict another head injury on his fellow captive. They’d been a lot more tolerable with the beginnings of a concussion.

“Do you want to go back to trying to stab each other?” he snapped instead, stepping pointedly away even as he made the thinly-veiled threat. “Because it seems like you want to go back to trying to stab each other.”

“Oh, I’m so terrified,” they replied drolly, crossing their arms. “Won’t someone save me from the horrible Monoxide assassin and his entirely genuine threats?”

Virgil stared at them for a moment, disbelieving. “You know, I think I actually liked you better when you were trying to murder me in cold blood.”

“Don’t lose hope. Maybe I’ll try again later,” they retorted with a dangerous glint in their eye, and then they were both falling silent as Patton approached once more.

Out of the corner of his eye, Virgil caught the contemplative frown that flashed over the other borrower’s face, the only glimpse of their consternation at facing down a human. They may have had plans aplenty to deal with the twins, but Patton was clearly more of an unknown to them.

…Virgil knew Patton. He’d spent enough time watching the human to get attached, grown familiar enough with Patton’s life to cheer on his efforts and fret over his disappointments. He should be able to find the right words to get them out of this, convince his human the way the other borrower had effortlessly fooled Roman, but… he couldn’t.

It was impossible to think up a strategy for this situation. How could he possibly reconcile Patton, the guy who helped organize weekly PTA bake sales and volunteered to look after kittens he was allergic to and cried when he saw roadkill, with a human who knew, who would keep them trapped, who needed to be pleaded with for their release?

How was he supposed to bargain with a monster if he couldn’t even accept that the monster existed?

“I’m sorry if the twins frightened you,” Patton said, voice lowered to a softer volume. “They tend to be very exuberant, but they don’t mean any harm.”

The other borrower looked as though they were on the brink of scoffing at the very idea that they couldn’t handle Roman and Remus, a defensive slant to their shoulders.

“Why?” The word tumbled from Virgil’s mouth without his permission, his shoulders hunching under the undivided focus of Patton’s gaze.

“Why what?” he asked, tilting his head slightly like a confused dog.

“If you knew,” Virgil forced out, fingernails digging into his palms, “why didn’t you tell them? Or— or look for me?”

Understanding settled onto Patton’s expression, and he hummed thoughtfully, as though considering how to phrase his answer.

“If you wanted to be seen, you would have come out and said hi,” he finally said, simply. “You saved my life by calling for help. If you wanted to stay a secret, the least I could do is make sure to keep that secret safe.”

Virgil blinked up at him, trying to force the words into a configuration that made sense. Humans didn’t just let mysteries exist, especially not ones that were so easy to grab ahold of.

“I won’t lie and say I’m not awfully curious about you,” Patton continued, and his hand was reaching out for the handle of the pitcher and surely, this was the moment that it all came crashing down—, “but you can’t force a friendship. Especially not like this!”

Slowly, in gentle increments, the pitcher was shifted to lay on its side, the open end facing away from Patton. It was practically a straight shot to the closest wall entrance, their freedom waiting where the back of the counter met the kitchen wall.

They’d been prepared to make a break for it at the earliest opportunity before, but now, with escape dangled in front of them, both borrowers hesitated. Virgil exchanged a dumbfounded look with the other borrower, trying to stomp down the insane hope bubbling in the back of his mind.

“If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me!” Patton finished, making sure the glass was stable and settled before releasing it and stepping back. “Otherwise, my lips are sealed— and I’ll make sure Roman and Remus keep the secret, too.”

He made a zipping motion over his mouth, eyes crinkled with amusement at the edges, and then turned and walked out of the kitchen without a single glance back.

Virgil hadn’t uttered a single plea, and yet, the path back to the walls was right there. He looped the other borrower’s arm over his shoulder and led them, step by faltering step, across the counter, even scooping his bag up as he went. Nobody came rushing in, nobody stopped them from taking those last few steps into the safety of the walls.

He’d expected to face a monster, and instead he’d been offered kindness, unasked for and freely given.

They were both quiet as they shuffled further into the familiar cramped space, as though a single sound would shatter the illusion of this impossible release. The other borrower pulled away after a moment, their pain of their concussion likely more manageable in the dark. The silence stretched, relief and exhaustion weighing on them in equal measure.

Virgil yawned despite himself, absently wondering if they were going to continue that semi-murderous argument about cults and who wronged who, and if the other borrower would be willing to reschedule it to sometime after they’d slept.

Ahead of them, a third figure stepped out of the shadows, quickly looking them over as though checking that everyone was still intact. Oddly enough, they sort of smelled like gunpowder.

“Hm. That certainly didn’t go according to plan,” they said bluntly, the oversized pack on their back jingling slightly as they stepped forward. “Still, we all survived, so I suppose introductions are in order.”

[obsidiancreates]

These Kids Are Geniuses (Against All Other Evidence) [Part 1]

1987

Shawn’s little sneakers practically fly across the grass as he dashes through the gate, letting it SLAM! shut behind him. "Dad! Dad! We have to go save Gus!"

 "Whoa whoa, slow down Shawn.” Henry catches his son mid-run, picks him up, and sets him on the yard table bench. “Save Gus from what?"

 "He's going to a new school, the school for nerds!" Shawn’s face is red, eyes puffy, and he’s sniffling as he talks. “He’s going away!”

 "School for nerds? You mean the one he has stickers of on his backpack?"

“... Yeah.” Shawn’s voice is small, wavering.

“So it sounds to me like he wants to go there. In fact, I bet he chose he to go there himself, didn’t he? So we don’t have to ‘save’ him from anything.”

 "But if he goes, we'll never see each other again!"

 "Well that's not true, you'll have weekends still."

 "Nuh-uh! They give you enough homework for ten kids there!" Shawn throws his little arms as wide as he can.

 Henry sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Shawn, look. Gus has wanted to go to this school for a long time. You need to be supportive, even if it means spending a little less time together. Unless you suddenly turn things around grades-wise to get in yourself, you'll just have to accept it and be happy for him."

Shawn nods.

Then… Shawn perks up.

Then Shawn grins.  "... You're right! Great idea, Dad!" He dashes off into the house!

 "Wh- Shawn! Shawn, what idea!” Henry gets to his feet. “SHAWN!"

—------—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Shawn?” Gus blinks at him in surprise. “I thought you said you weren’t eating lunch with me until I decide not to go.”

“That was yesterday, Gus.” They trade desserts, Gus’s dried pineapple slices for Shawn’s store bought cookies. “I have a new plan.”

“Please don’t sabotage my grades, Shawn.”

“What? Oh, no, that isn’t it.”

“Phew! My mom thought you would for sure.”

“I did think about it. But I have a way better plan.”

“... Can I know it?”

“Not yet. I want it to be a surprise.”

“I don’t always like your surprises, Shawn.”

“You’ll like this one! … Hopefully.”

—------—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright, Shawn, let’s see what the damage is,” Henry grunts as he sits down with Shawn’s report card. “Remember what I told you with the last one?”

Shawn rolls his eyes and repeats, verbatim, “If one more teacher write that you tried to convince the class a zombie apocalypse started at lunch, you’re grounded until one actually starts.”

“Alright, good. Let’s see…”

Henry’s brows furrow. He brings the report closer to his eyes, then farther away. And Shawn grins.

Henry looks at Shawn. “All A’s.”

Shawn’s grin falters a little. “Just A’s?”

“Just A’s? Shawn, your last report card was mostly C’s!”

“Why’s it not A pluses?” Shawn reaches for the paper. “Dad, show it to me!”

“Hang on, hang on! … Okay, uh, in the notes here it says you missed a couple homework deadlines.”

“But that’s not fair! One of those was because you and I did a stakeout!”

Henry looks around. “Keep your voice down, your mom’s home!”

Shawn crosses his arms. “I need to get A pluses, Dad, before the school year is over!”

“Why do you– oh.” Henry puts down the paper. “Shawn, is this about Gus?”

“... Maybe.”

“You know– I’m glad you’re working harder at school. I really am, this is a real improvement. But I don’t think I like you trading training, for schoolwork.”

“But Dad!”

“No buts, Shawn. These are both important for your future, so if you want A pluses you’ll just have to find a way to manage your time better. Like, combining play with work. Maybe do your homework while you hang out with Gus.”

“No!” Shawn stomps his foot. “Gus doesn’t know about this yet!”

“Doesn’t kn- Shawn, why the hell are you not telling him?”

“Uh… why are you using bad words around me?”

Henry shakes his head. “Fine, just… you’ll have a lot less time for fun anyway when you’re on the force, so just think of this like practice, alright? If you want to get into Meitner, you need to give up a few little things here and there, like TV time.”

“That’s just not fair.”

“Life isn’t fair, kid. You’ll get used to it.”

—------—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Shawn, are you coming to my birthday party?”

“Uh, I don’t think so Denny. Sorry.”

“Why?”

“I uh… got grounded.”

“Oh. … Well, bye.”

“See ya.”

—------—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean you’re not going to Denny’s party? Your mom bought you that nice new shirt for it.”

“Um…”

“Shawn, be honest.”

“... I’m… studying.”

“Studying.”

“I am, okay! I need to get the A pluses.”

“Shawn, when I said ‘adjust your time management’ this isn’t what I meant.”

“What do you mean?”

“Social events are important, Shawn! Not just for fun, but for networking. For example, I went to a retirement party I didn’t feel like going to last year, and I met the Commissioner. Now, we had some friendly conversation, and he said he’d keep me in mind for a detective position the next time it needed to be filled.”

“I thought the Chief picked that.”

“Right, but he can be influenced by other people around him. That’s networking.”

“And… if I go to the party, I can get to know other kids who can do things for me?”

“Yeah! See, you never want to take a networking event out of your plans just for paperwork.”

“But then where do I fit in homework time?”

“Well that’s for you to figure out, Shawn. But come on, I’ll call Denny’s mom and let her know you’re coming after all.”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shawn sits in the principal’s office, his feet dangling off the end of the chair. Gus sits next to him, hands in his lap.

“I told you not to say anything to him,” Gus whimpers.

Shawn leans his head back, looking up at the ceiling with his good not-swollen eye. “What was I supposed to do, Gus?”

“Let him cheat off you! You were probably only getting a C anyway!”

“I was not!”

“We’re in trouble now!”

“Hey, no-one asked you to jump on him.”

“He hit you!”

Their little fight ends abruptly as Winnie Guster and Henry Spencer both enter at the same time. Winnie speeds over to Gus, checking his face right away. Henry walks at a normal pace, and stands in front of Shawn with his arms crossed.

“The principal says you got in a fight during a test,” Henry says.

Shawn puffs up indignantly. “Tommy was cheating off me!”

“Off you?” Winnie lets slip.

Shawn ignores her. “I told the teacher and he jumped me when I sat back down.”

Henry looks at Gus. Gus looks down and nods.

“Alright,” Henry sighs. “I know you’ve been staying out of trouble on purpose lately, so I believe you. Let me go talk to the principal and see if I can… get this cleared off your record.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but! I want this to be your last fight, Shawn.”

Shawn slumps in his chair. “I didn’t even hit back.”

“Biting counts as retaliation, Shawn.”

“... But I didn’t hit back.”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright, Shawn, moment of truth. Last report card before your interview.”

Shawn nods, practically vibrating with anticipation. Henry opens the envelope slowly, almost teasingly.

“What is it, Dad? How is it?!”

Henry looks up at Shawn from over the paper, and then flips it around.

Shawn is frozen for a moment.

And then jumps!

“WHOO! WHOOOOO-HOO! I DID IT!”

The full row of A pluses are carefully folded and tucked into Henry’s pocket as Shawn dances around the living room, and then up the stairs shouting the news to his mom. 

Henry will find a plastic slip to save it in later. —-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shawn swallows and looks up at his dad, his little leg Shaking Unstoppably as they wait for his name to be called. He tugs at the tie around his neck, the collar of the new dress shirt still itchy despite three runs in the wash. “What if they’re not impressed?”

“You kidding?” Henry leans over. “Shawn, look around the room. What do you see?”

Shawn looks up. “Lots of smart kids.”

“Look closer.”

Shawn squints at the three other children in the room. 

One is a young girl around his age, balancing a chemistry textbook on one leg and a model of some chemical compound on the other. She’s mouthing the words as she reads along– she’s nervous too, and isn’t sure she’ll be able to remember her facts.

Another kid is a few years older, running his thumbnail against his braces and shaking more than Shawn is. His prepared demonstration is being crumpled in his sweaty hand, smudging the ink. He can only hope to remember it, or get enough clues from the smudges and rips to figure out the words.

The last kid is a little younger than Shawn, and he just doesn’t look like he wants to be here. He’s half-asleep, and his eyes keep wandering over to the door.

“Lots of smart kids still.”

“Smart kids who aren’t you. I know you noticed the kid with the crumpled paper– you know what you have that he doesn’t?”

“My memory?”

“Your memory. And look, she’d running over her lines over and over there. She won’t have the paper, which is impressive, but she’ll sound robotic. Now sounding natural and confident is always better than sounding overly-practiced. Remember that for when you talk to the press about your cases someday.”

“And that kid doesn’t even want to come here.”

“Exactly. You’ve got every advantage right now, Shawn. That’s a rare situation to be in. Keep on your toes, but don’t let it psych you out.”

Shawn nods.

“Shawn Spencer.”

He jumps to his feet and quickly walks over to the secretary. 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, Shawn, you’re certainly an… interesting, candidate.”

“Um… thank you.” Shawn knows that’s not a compliment.

The interviewer tsks. “Poor grades up until this past year, several notices of erratic to poor behavior…”

“Well, um, that was actually because of… understimulation.” He pulls the word up from a memory of his mom explaining why he wanted to cry when he was bored. “It was too easy and I got bored.”

“Mmm, we’ll see. What have you prepared to show me why you belong here, Shawn?”

Shawn takes a deep breath, and a moment to look over the interviewer.

“Your watch is off by three hours, and your hair is really shiny but not staying in place. So it’s not gel, your hair is just greasy. That and the watch mean you were probably on a place earlier today, and your briefcase has crumbs all over the top so it was a business trip. You probably went to interview some out-of-state kids and had to rush back here.”

The interviewer sits back. “Very impressive reasoning for your age. And good attention to detail. But that’s not–”

Shawn closes his eyes and says “To get to this room the secretary took me down a hallway that had walls the same color as my dad’s cop uniform and a carpet that probably hasn’t been shampooed since last year. The secretary was wearing shoes too small for her, and she almost tripped multiple times because of it. She looked nervous leading me here, and kept checking for landmarks, so I think she’s new and didn’t have the shoes she needed to work here. She probably borrowed them from the lost and found.”

“How–”

“The hallway had pictures of old principals all along it. The first one is from 1972, then 1974, and it keeps going with two years between principals until 1985 when you had two principals in one year. The first principal’s picture is poorly taken care of, and someone drew a mole on it that never got cleaned off, so he probably did something bad.”

“That’s amazing-”

“While I’ve had my eyes closed you brushed the crumbs off your briefcase and reset your watch.”

“I– yes–”

“And the girl out in the waiting room made a model of sodium chloride but she misplaced one of the molecules on the end.” At least, if he interpreted the picture he saw her staring at right she did. He’s never been wrong with his upside-down reading before, so he’s doing as his dad said. Confidence.

He opens his eyes. The interviewer is gaping at him. Shawn shuffles his feet, feeling something like shame, something like embarrassment, something like resentment.

But he pushes it down. Because he’s doing this for Gus.

“Well.” The interviewer pulls himself together and clears his throat. “You’re certainly one of the most interesting candidates I’ve had today.”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gus puts his backpack in his locker and hurries to his thankfully-close first class. He sets his books up tidily on the top, arranges his pencils by order of sharpest to dullest, and carefully lines up his two erasers to be perfectly symmetrical on either side of the desk.

And he sighs.

Even as the chalkboard at the front promises him an exciting class of complex multiplication, his mind wanders, and he feels the Lack of Presence more potently than he’s ever felt anything in his life. He can almost hear his best friend giving his usual first day of school speech. “Gus, this is our year. We’re becoming the coolest kids in school, I know it. By the end of the year–”

“We’ll be at the top!”

Gus blinks. “No way.”

Shawn slides into class. The Meitner uniform red polo fits him loosely, and he doesn’t have it tucked in like everyone else does, and he’s wearing obviously fake glasses.

And Gus has never been more confused in his life.

Shawn spots him and lights up. He practically jumps over the desks to get to Gus, plunking into the desk to Gus’s right and haphazardly dumping his school bag onto it.

“Shawn, how did you–!”

“Uh, same way you did.” Shawn leans over and lightly punches Gus’s arm. “No way I was letting you go to nerd school all alone.”

“But– but you’re not–”

“A lame nerd? That’s why I’m undercover.” Shawn touches the fake glasses. “See? I’m your best friend and your bodyguard, Gus. I’m going to help you be the best nerd of the nerds.”

“... How?”

“I can remember everything the teachers say and write on the board.”

“So you can fill in my notes where I might be missing them!”

“You’re taking notes?”

“Of course I am.”

“Do we have to?”

“I think so.”

“... I should’ve brought some paper.”

“Here.” Gus tears a page out and hands it to Shawn. “But you better not get me kicked out.”

“I won’t. Promise. That’s the whole mission Gus. You and I are gonna become kings of the nerds here.”

“... I do like the sound of that.”

[carrrrino]

HELLO I am very excited for this project! I wanted to express a concern though…it’s rather hard to find the any info on the project aside from what’s on the blog (which isn’t…very much information wise) I’m not sure if that’s an intentional decision…

I know when I first found the info I….kind of didn’t believe this?? That sounds odd. I suppose what I mean is, it didn’t seem the most legit. I did digging through the blog, read all the links, searched for a Twitter and YouTube accounts and had a hard time doing that as well…Simply because there is very little information on it. Which there’s nothing wrong with…I was wanting to suggest (as an outsider) that you and your team put more announcements/ marketing into this…?

I REALLY hope to see this project grow, it’s absolutely deserved, and very few people seem to know about it. I’d hate that to be something people miss out on. I don’t really expect an answer on this but I thought I should share the concern as an outside perspective. 💛

I really hope this project is going well for you and that it gets the deserved recognition as it’s coming out!!! So excited!!!

I'm so happy that people share the same excitement and concern for the series. Also, the fact that you guys think it's worthy of success Is truly inspiring! I think it's time I SAY something though about my current situation.

TL;DR - Our team basically went inactive after the summer; everyone returned to their lives and I'm the only one who can keep up with the project unconditionally. I didn't mean to dishearten you guys! It's a pain in the ass to work alone - excluding voice actors and SFX producers. The OUTBREAK blog will change entirely, it will be used for info and marketing. This blog will just be general art created by me (&no-namestuff). I will continue to work on the series independently, but I'll definitely give out more info as requested and make things more legit whenever I can!

Over the summer, a group of us began working on the project together, but as most of my friends returned to school and their regular lives, it became almost impossible to keep going. Currently, only a few are available to help, but they're too busy.

I didn't want to worry anyone by saying that it's basically just me working on the project; it's tough to balance animating, scripting, marketing, planning, publishing, AND funding by myself. Over time it (advertising and insightful communication) just became indifferent to me, I even considered going silent for a while until I had a mother-load of progress, but that's really not fair.

The project was a bit of a mess when we started. We didn't plan on making it a big deal, my animations were half-assed and incomprehensible; I barely knew how to work Adobe and could barely even pay it off, the sound was going to be recorded via iPhone, the script wasn't even halfway done, and voice actors weren't thought of until the Prologue. After more than six months of work, Verse 1-4 (or 6?) was deleted because of issues with the file.. this really drew the line for everyone.

So here I am, despite everything; I revised the script, which is barely halfway done, redesigned the characters, read more into the multiversal conundrums of AUs and UNDERTALE, built a portfolio, studied poses for the action scenes — and there’s still a lot that I have to learn. I'm working on Q&As, asks, and the teaser / test / project animations. I don't want people to be confused or hesitant, so I appreciate you a lot for reminding me of this. As requested, I will provide additional details about the project too :) !

No-Name's theme is in progress (thanks to Synth Mints), I've invested heavily in software for good quality animations, talented voice actors from this fandom (some you might even know) have agreed to voice for me - I'm extremely grateful for their help. Even if it takes years to release an episode or pilot, I'm still excited about the outcome. Who knows, I might even have a genuine team by then! :D

aw geez sorry for the whole bit-life story, I'm just trying to shed some light on the situation for you all. I do care, I want everyone to know that, it's just hard work.

Until the next teaser animation, please have these lil' pieces of teasers / lore as an apology!

SD by @/galacii ERROR by @/loverofpiggies / CrayonQueen

LASTLY today is my birthday yayyy 🥳🎂

[swanimagines]

CAUGHT IN HIS WORLD | KAZ BREKKER

Summary: Kaz asking you to accompany him for a job makes you think it'd be a nice opportunity to spend time with him, but instead you end up breaking and entering to one of the most feared gang's warehouse, and that doesn't exactly meet your morals.

You had always been a good and obedient child, raised in a wealthy family of merchants, that valued order and stability. But there was one person who made you question who you were, who you were supposed to be - and that person was Kaz Brekker.

The boy quickly gaining reputation as a ruthless killer, a child demon. He’d even get called Dirtyhands after he started to wear his gloves, for all the horrible things he did - some kids not much younger than him were taught that if they didn’t behave, Dirtyhands would come and take them. Him breaking his leg and getting a cane just intensified the rumours somehow, even the weakness was turned into something scary.

And you had fallen for him of all people. You had tried to push your feelings down - you really had. But it wasn’t that simple, maybe the life he lived was why you felt so drawn to him. So you sought for his company, hung out with him as much as he let you, and eventually he seemed to warm up to you too. Or at least he didn’t snap at you as much as before.

One day, Kaz asked if you wanted to accompany him for a job. He was being vague about the details, but honestly you didn’t mind, you’d enjoy spending time with him - even if a small voice at the back of your head was telling you that it was a bad idea. So here you were, walking through the dark alleys of Ketterdam, slightly uneasy about shady people lurking in the shadows. You thanked the Saints you were with Kaz while there, he’d kill everyone trying to ambush you, and people knew it.

Finally, you stopped in front of a warehouse and Kaz scanned his surroundings quickly. His gaze fell on the large lock hanging from the door and took out a small pouch of lockpicks, laying his cane against the wall and kneeling down on his good leg as he started working on the lock.

Was he breaking into a warehouse? Your heart started pounding in your chest, you had known in a way that you shouldn’t have come with him, but you had been too wrapped around Kaz’s dangerous aura to resist it.

“Wait,” you asked, for some reason hoping Kaz had a legitimate reason to do it. “Do we have a permission to do this?”

“Of course,” he replied, not even glancing at you. “Hein Middelesch asked me to snatch some jewelry and some papers to claim the ownership of certain shops at the Barrel. He’s a real gentleman, helping a rivaling gang like that.”

You swallowed, recognising the name. “H-Hein Middelesch? The leader of Grinning Cats? Kaz-”

The lock gave a click on that moment and opened, and then the door was open, and Kaz headed inside, without letting you finish the sentence.

The warehouse wasn’t that big, but the clicks of Kaz’s cane still echoed through the hall. You followed him meekly, feeling like you had just committed a murder of some kind. Kaz began looking through the cabinets and boxes, once in a while stuffing items to his pockets, and you glanced around, basically being scared of your own shadow.

After a few minutes of just standing there, you cleared your throat. “Kaz, um. I don’t know if it’s wise to be here. What if we get caught? The Cats are known to dig eyes out–”

“You can always walk out of the door.” Kaz interrupted, not even giving you a glance.

You sighed. “I… I don’t want to leave you here alone. It’s just that, my family wouldn’t think this is a good idea.”

Kaz moved onto the next box, and you almost heard an eyeroll in his words. “Of course they wouldn’t, they’re too busy to count their kruge and looking down at us Barrel rats.”

You felt a twinge of anger at his words. “That’s not fair. My family has worked hard for our wealth, unlike Pekka Rollins for example.”

Kaz’s shoulders tensed at the mention of his arch nemesis, his hands pausing for a moment. But then he continued, “Sure they did. And they’d be absolutely thrilled to know that their little princess is here, having broken in into a warehouse with me.”

“I'm not a princess. And I didn’t break in. You did. I agreed to come with you just to spend time with you. I didn’t know you’d do something like this. Clearly I made a mistake.” 

Kaz stood up, finally turning to look at you. His face had his usual scowl, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at you. “You sure are quick to turn against me.”

You crossed your arms, groaning. “I’m not turning against you, Kaz. I just don’t want to get into trouble.”

Kaz let out a snort. "Doing something like this probably isn't what you've been used to? Being acquaintances with me and assuming you'll never get your hands dirty isn't an option."

He always called you an acquaintance. Not a friend. Acquaintance. You had come to hate that word by now. You fought with your heart for a moment, before you finally gave in to it.

“Alright,” you grumbled, taking a look at the boxes around the hall. “What shelf should I look through?”

Kaz smirked, nodding over to the shelf next to the one he had been rummaging through. “Start with that one.”

You slowly walked over to it, taking in a deep sigh before you peeked into the first box. You definitely didn’t feel like you were in your element, but you knew that what Kaz said was true - in the Barrel, you either adapt or you die. It was harsh and cruel, but it was the truth. And as much as it went against your morals, you wanted to help Kaz to survive. Being a Dreg didn’t come for free, and there was no way Kaz would let that life go. Something had happened to him prior to meeting you, something involving Pekka Rollins, and his revenge required him to become powerful. The kind of powerful that didn’t come the legitimate way.

Deep down, you knew that this path you were going with Kaz Brekker could bring you into the criminal world - your family could disown you, you could end up in the street. But still, in a twisted way, this was something you felt right about doing. Even when you were reluctant about it, you felt like you were part of something that would help Kaz in a way you would never be able to help anyone else. You weren’t sure where that feeling came from, but you were always drifting back to Kaz, back in his company, somewhere you didn't belong. Maybe things would sort themselves out in the end. Maybe Kaz would start calling you a friend instead of an acquaintance. And maybe… 

Maybe there would be something more waiting for you and Kaz. 

---

Requests are always open! FANDOM LIST | PROMPT LIST(S) | RULES (READ!!!)

[justtwotired]

Whispers of the night - Lloyd Garmadon x F!reader

Part 1 - previous - next

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Tag list: @whore-of-many-hot-men

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Your POV:

The weekend passed by without much events, I trained with my father on Sunday as always and Monday morning I opened my bedroom door to find Greenie already there, waiting.

I grinned at him, tilting my head slightly to the side. “Greenie, good to see you again,” I said, even though I was pretty sure I saw him at the hang out on Friday, but then without the mask and the gi.

“Hey,” he just answered and my smile fell. “Are you still mad at me?” I asked and he shrugged, making huff and walk past him down the stairs.

Was that why Lloyd was so quiet Friday? Because he was still upset with me? Maybe me running away really was that bad…

I quickly ate breakfast, bickering with my brother at the table, before greenie drove me to school where we both went different ways.

He went to the teachers room and I headed to the lockers where James, Charlie and Flora already stood to wait.

“Yes! You’re here, now I don’t have to third wheel with this couple.” James happily said and I chuckled as Flora gave him an offended look while Charlie rolled his eyes.

“We kissed, once, and he almost started crying,” Flora pointed out making me give James a look. “Are you do sad that you’re single, Jamie?” I asked and he blew a raspberry at me.

I silently shook my head and opened my locker to grab my books and quickly shot a look in the mirror that I had taped to my locker door.

I noticed someone behind me and turned around to see the twins making their way over to us.

“N/n, we just bumped into your ninja,” Arthur said with a grin, “he told us to keep an eye on you, and to keep you out of trouble” Anthony nodded.

I scoffed. “Are you serieus?” I asked. “Serious as can be,” they both said and I huffed. “Jezus Christ, why can’t he just piss off?” I complained and slammed my locker shut.

“Oh, are you two arguing then?”James asked interested. I just shrugged and pursed my lips.

“He’s still mad at me for running, it was so silent in the car ride here, it’s never silent, he didn’t say a word to me,” I said and Charlie shrugged.

“I mean, it’s fair if you ask me, you did run from him and it’s his job to protect you, if you purposefully run, he’s going to be upset with you because you weren’t being responsible,” he said and he groaned.

“Did you hear him when we got to the motorcycle?” I asked and they shook their heads. “He was so angry,” I said, looking around the group. “Going on about him not being there if something happened and how he’d be upset with himself if something did happen to me and he wasn’t there,” I explained.

While the boys just looked confused, Flora was grinning and I gave her a slight glare as she wiggled her eyebrows at me, letting me know what she was thinking.

I told her to shut up with my eyes and she gave me a ‘but you know I’m right’ look back making me roll my eyes.

“Alright, what is going on here?” Arthur asked a bit lost. “Don’t kind them, they do it all the time,” Charlie said tiredly.

“Yeah, Lu and Millie are in on it too,” James nodded with a scrunched up nose.

“Talk about the devils,” Charlie said and nodded to the direction he was looking at. We all turned to see Luna and Amelia making their way towards me while chuckling.

“Did you run away again, n/n?” Luna asked and I shook my head. “No? Why?” I wised and the two girls exchanged looks before laughing.

“Your ninja just asked us to keep an eye out for you after saying we shouldn’t ask and expect of you to do stupid things,” Amelia said and I scoffed at this, he told it to them aswel.

At this point I was fuming, he shouldn’t bother my friends with this crap, and he definitely shouldn’t scold them for my ideas.

After school I texted him that I would wait by the car and he read it before going offline.

I leaned against the car and I saw him making his way towards me. I was leaning against the drivers seat door so he stood in front of me, waiting for me to move, yet I didn’t.

“You’re a dick, you know that?” I asked angrily and his eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?” He asked and I huffed.

“You asked my friend to keep an eye on me, may I remind you that that’s your job, not theirs?” I poked a finger against his chest.

“I am doing what I have to to protect you,” he said and I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t even start with that talk. You had no right to ask my friends to do your job. Me running from you was not their idea, so if you have a problem or want to be mad at someone, then here you go, here I am, but don’t even dare accuse my friends and then ask them to watch over me like their my fairy godmothers or something.”

“Right then,” he said, “get in the car,” he told me and I looked at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?” I asked and he gave me an unamused look. “Honestly, fuck you,” I said before opening my car door and getting in without much of a word.

When we got home I went upstairs, not speaking a word to him, if he wanted to be a dick, fine.

I opened my phone to text Lloyd but I sighed when I remembered they were most likely the same person.

I just sat on my bed and read a book, trying to ignore the urge to step outside of my bedroom and just hug greenie and tell him I’m sorry and please can we just go and get some sweets to eat in the park.

After about an hour someone knocked on my bedroom door and I looked up. “Who is it?” I asked and I heard greenies voice on the other side.

“It’s me,” he said and I contemplated for a moment before mumbling a “come in,”

He entered and I met his eyes, I was surprised to find guilt hidden behind them.

“Look, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone to your friends to accuse them and ask them to look after you,” he said with a sight as he leaned against the doorframe. “I’m just worried about you, alright?” He said and I nodded.

“I’m sorry to,” I mumbled and leaned my head back against the wall. “I shouldn’t have ran from you and I should’ve talked to you instead of immediately getting mad,” I admitted and he tilted his head to the side slightly.

I grinned at him for a moment. “Want to get sweets and then go to the park?” I asked and I noticed by his eyes that he grinned. “It’s like you read my mind,” he said and I chuckled and got out of bed.

We walked across the street with our bag of candy when suddenly there were gunshots. My eyes went wide and I looked around to try and spot the shooter.

Greenie didn’t waste time with getting in front of me and taking out his sword.

“Pixal, are you there?” He said, probably in his communication devise. “I have shots fired at Y/n and I need back up right now, at least five men, all armed,” he spoke.

He was right there were five men coming from every direction, surrounding us. There weren’t any other people around, just five men armed with different kinds of weapons.

Greenie and I stood back to back, he himself taking the side so he stood between me and the two guys with a gun. One arm held his sword and the other was around my waist.

I quickly took the dagger I had hidden on my and hoped I could use it against the man with the sword coming my way.

“Listen, no one has to get hurt if you just give us the girl.” One said and Greenie let out a humourless laugh. “You’re a funny one, aren’t you? I’d rather die,” he said and the man grinned.

“If you wish so,” he said and went to shoot but was suddenly frozen in a cube of ice.

The white ninja appeared followed by the earth ninja.

“Stay here,” greenie said to me and went to take out one of the men aswel.

I watched as the three ninja fought and more people appeared then expected.

I was caught by surprise when I felt someone grab my arm. I quickly freed myself and then dodged a punch he threw at me.

The next punch he tried to land, I caught his fist and turned it behind his back before kicking him, making him fall to the ground.

Greenie was suddenly next to me and looked at the man on the ground. “I was caught up with something, but I see you handled that yourself,” he said rather proud.

Before I could answer he shoved me behind him and attacked someone who was ready to grab me.

Suddenly a knife was pressed against my neck and an arm sneaked around my waist to hold me in place.

“Everyone drop your weapons or the girl gets it!” He yelled and the three ninja turned to look and quickly let go of their weapons.

“Hey, let her go man,” greenie took a step forward making the knife press harder against my neck. He quickly stayed rooted to the spot and watched helplessly as the person holding me slowly backed away towards a car not far from us.

I saw the panick in Greenie’s eyes and couldn’t think of anything, if I moved, my throat could be cut, I couldn’t move move my arms and the ninja couldn’t get close.

“What are you going to do with her?” The green ninja quickly asked hoping to buy some time. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” The guy holding me snarled.

“What do you need from us to let her go?” He tried taking a step forward but stopped when he saw the knife inching closer. “Her father would know the answer to that,” the man said and I scoffed.

“Yeah, he doesn’t, just so you know, he owns five different companies and your letters are pretty vague, he has shut down multiple things in hope it would be the right one, but uh, always a misser,” I said and the man stopped walking for a moment.

“You think it has something to do with the his company’s? How daft is your family?” He asked and I frowned. “Then what is it you want from us?” I asked and he groaned.

“You really can’t think of anything in your family that needs to be stopped, you stupid girl?” He spat and suddenly it hit me.

The threats wanted my father to stop with something and otherwise something would happen to me, not any of his other kids, just me.

Kind regards A…

“You work for Alistor,” I said and the man laughed. “Ding ding ding,” he said as if I just won an arcade game.

Allistor was a man who had been friends with my father for a long time, he knew about my father’s powers to create illusions.

When I was born with those same powers, Alistor started saying I shouldn’t be taught and that those powers could destroy things.

My father had argued saying the only way he or I would use the powers is to either help people or do nothing much with it.

Alistor had later apologised and my father forgave him. One night, when they had been drinking, Alistor admitted he was jealous of the powers, making my father a bit wary.

That same night, he proposed that with my fathers powers and his ideas, they could take over Ninjago, with my help.

My father shut down the idea immediately and cut off contact, he had gotten calls and visits from Alistor saying that if he wouldn’t work with him, he should just stop training me and using his powers at all.

We had been suspecting one of dads business rivals the whole time, but it had not been Amond, it had been Alistor.

Suddenly, the grip on me loosened and my attacker fell unconscious. When I turned around, the red ninja stared at me with a grin. “You’re welcome,” he said, winking.

Just like that, the three ninja picked up their weapons again and started taking down the goons again.

Now the other ninja had joined aswel and soon enough there weren’t any goons left. The police arrived shortly after and so did my parents.

My father hugged me and held me tight, followed by my mother.

“I know who’s behind it all, dad,” I said and he looked at me expectantly. When I told him, his eyes widened en it seemed to all connect and make sense in his head.

Without hesitation he quickly took aside a police officer and explained it all. Three police cars left to head towards Alistors house while one left to get a search warrant as fast as possible.

I exchanged looks with greenie who was also talking to a police officer and he smiled at me, making me smile back.

[starsandgutters]

30!

Hello! Apologies for the delay, I have been unexpectedly busy this week.

30. - Only One Bed

“If this is supposed to be my trip, how come I don’t get my pick of the rooms?”

“We gave you the nicest room, Kevin. Stop being a bitch,” Allison says.

“I’ll take one of the other rooms then. Why wouldn’t one of the couples take this room?”

“We already have our rooms,” Dan says, leaning against Matt’s side. “And since we didn’t know Erik was coming when we booked it, Aaron’s the spare.”

“Can we stop arguing and go to said rooms? I’d love to set all these bags down,” Matt says.

“I can carry my own.”

“Oh no, baby. I got it. I’d just also like to set ‘em down.”

“Shall we at least go look at the room?” Aaron’s gone flush from having so much attention on him. “Maybe there’s a couch or something I can sleep on.”

Kevin turns his frown on Aaron. He doesn’t really want to shun Aaron away to sleep on the couch. That’s the problem, after all. It’s not that he doesn’t want to share a bed with Aaron Minyard; it’s that he’s actually rather partial to the idea. Which means this can only end disastrously, because Aaron definitely does not want to share a bed with him. 

“Sure.” Kevin sighs. His tantrum hasn’t been getting him anywhere anyway, he might as well. Andrew has fixed him with a look of murderous rage, but honestly, Andrew looks like that a fair deal of the time so Kevin really pays him little mind.

“Alright Foxes.” Dan claps her hands. “Shall we say half an hour to check the rooms and get settled, and then we regroup back here for a quick lunch before hitting the slopes?”

“Is it wise to eat before that kind of exertion?” Kevin asks. 

“Need energy for exercise,” Neil says.

“And besides, you won’t be exerting yourself that much on the baby slopes,” Allison says with a laugh. “You’ll be taking it easy until you graduate from pizza and fries.”

“What does that mean?” Kevin gets no answer as the Foxes break off, all talking excitedly about skiing. He looks at Aaron, who is lingering like a silent storm cloud at his side. “Do you know what that means?”

“It’s the shape of the skis.” Aaron holds his two pointer fingers up. “Fries is when they’re parallel. Pizza is a triangle.” 

He tilts his fingers in so the tips touch together, forming a triangle. It makes sense now that someone has taken the time to explain. Kevin supposes it’s probably obvious, but he hadn’t considered the shape of a pizza slice. He tends to think circle when it comes to pizza. Aaron doesn’t look irritated by his ignorance. Well, no more than the base level of annoyed Aaron always looks. Kevin appreciates this. Appreciates that he is patient enough to explain when Kevin doesn’t get things, even if they feel like they should be obvious.

“Have you been skiing before?”

“Oh yeah, my mom used to take me all the time.”

“Really?” Kevin’s brow furrows. That doesn’t sound like the idea of the twins’ mother that he has.

“Yeah. Every summer, when we holidayed at our villa in the alps.”

“Oh.” Kevin realises Aaron is being sarcastic. “Ha ha.”

Aaron heaves a sigh and hoists his bag up, trailing towards the elevators. The rest of the Foxes have already piled on, but Matt holds the door for them. They stop at a few different floors, filtering off to their rooms, until it is just Aaron and Kevin left. Once they get off on their floor, they have to follow the corridor right down to the end. Aaron slides his keycard through the door and shoulders it open, pausing in the doorway.

“Holy shit.” He drops his bag by the door and jogs across the room. Kevin steps in after him, to find Aaron looking out the massive window dominating one wall, overlooking a view of the slopes. It’s a stunning view, a door in the centre of it opening onto a balcony. Kevin leaves his own bag and crosses the room. He stands beside Aaron. The sunlight reflecting off the snow makes everything brilliantly bright. Kevin has seen a lot of outdoor spaces by now, but this, this is so starkly different from the Nest. There’s a sense of irony in them using a place like this as the excuse for his hand.

Aaron tires of the view first, turning away from the window. He pads across the room and then Kevin hears the noise of his body thumping down on the bed.

“I think we’re safe,” Aaron says. “You could fit us in this three times over.”

It says a lot for how taken they were with the view that they missed the bed at first glance, because it really is quite sizable. 

“Do you have a side preference?” Aaron sits up, moving to the edge of the bed. Kevin shakes his head. Aaron indicates the right side, the side furthest from the window. “Can I have this one?”

“Sure.”

“Or I could probably sleep over there.” There’s not a couch in the room, but there’s a sunken seating area around a faux fireplace heater that is layered with cushions. “We could just ask for another blanket.”

“It’s fine. Like you said, the bed is massive. No big deal, right?”

“Sure.” 

If Kevin’s entirely honest, he’s actually glad things have worked out the way that they have. He did a fair display of bitching for show, but he didn’t love the idea of being alone in a room by himself. He probably would have spent very little time in the room; going to bother Andrew or Neil, or Aaron and Nicky if Andrew and Neil were busy. Which would have been a waste when Allison has clearly splashed out to get him such a nice room. He should probably get her something in return. Neither of them are very good at expressing care with words, but they both know money talks.

Aaron has collected his bag from by the door and is unpacking it. He hangs some of his clothes up, folds others in the drawer. Kevin doesn’t really think about unpacking on vacation. It’s like travelling for away games. It’s just easier to live out of his suitcase. Though he’s not usually in hotels for as long as they’re going to be here. A whole week.

“Do you wanna hang your stuff up too? There’s plenty of hangers left.”

“Sure,” Kevin says with a sigh. “Might as well.”

*

Kevin’s surprisingly achy when he gets back from their first ski lesson. He knows he’s more than fairly fit, but he’s spent the day using his muscles in a way he’s not used to. On top of that, despite the sun blazing down on them, it’s still cold. His hand is aching a bit from it, but not enough to impact its use. Meanwhile Aaron seems chilled to the bone. They all wore ugly puffy snowsuits, but Aaron layered clothes beneath his, wore a beanie under his hood. When they stopped in the lounge for hot chocolates afterwards, Aaron sat so close to the big fireplace Kevin was concerned his snowsuit might catch fire. He clutched his mug to his chest, leaning his face over the steam, trembling. 

Even now, he’s still shaking every so often. Kevin lets him have first shower. Aaron spends a long time in the bathroom, and when he comes out he’s flushed red. Kevin finds the room full of steam from the sheer heat Aaron must have been showering at. When he finishes his own shower, Aaron is wearing a sweater over his pyjamas and sitting close to the faux fireplace. Kevin doesn’t understand. To him the heat in the room feels comfortable. He pulls on a pair of shorts and a shirt more from consideration than any real need for them. 

It’s not long before they start to crash out from their long day. They spend the better part of an hour doing their own things: Aaron playing his games sitting as close to the fireplace as he can, Kevin reading a book in bed until his eyes get bleary. When he switches off his lamp, Aaron also moves to get into bed, removing his sweater. The bed is so big that though Kevin feels the vibration of the blanket moving on Aaron’s side, the lift of it doesn’t even disturb his side. Aaron slips in and curls into a ball. He tugs his side of the blanket right up to his chin, tucking it in around his face. After a moment, Kevin hears the swishing noise of his feet moving beneath the blanket, rubbing against each other. He closes his eyes, tiredness weighing down on him. He’s close to the precipice when he feels Aaron shiver, a slight tremble running through the mattress from the movement.

“How are you cold?” Kevin mumbles. He’s got the blanket at his waist, the heat of the room enough for him.

“I just am.”

“It’s basically stuffy in here.”

“We’re not all human furnaces.”

“Mmph.” Kevin rolls over to face Aaron. He can’t see him in the dark, but he knows the vague space he takes up. “Come here.”

“What?”

“Isn’t body heat like the quickest way to warm up?”

“Fuck off. I’m not going to cuddle with you. I’m fine.”

“Whatever.” Kevin tucks one of his arms under his pillow, burrowing his face into it. The pillows are fat, plush, incredibly soft. The bed is perhaps the most comfortable one he’s ever laid in. He closes his eyes. He has almost fallen asleep again when he swears he can hear Aaron’s teeth chatter this time. “Aaron.”

“What?” Aaron’s voice is sharp, vicious. Defensive. 

“Just fucking come here if you’re cold. We don’t even have to touch, but surely being closer will let the heat build up faster.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“Well I can’t sleep with all the shivering.”

“Bullshit. You could sleep through a volcanic eruption.”

Kevin thinks that is probably hyperbole, but he has been known to sleep through quite a lot. If he fell asleep, he probably would sleep through all of Aaron’s shivering and teeth chattering, but it’s hard to fully relax when he can tell Aaron is so cold beside him. 

“A volcanic eruption would be less annoying.”

He feels the blanket shift and hears the sound of movement beneath it. Aaron huffs. 

“Did you just try to kick me but your little legs can’t make it across the bed?”

“Fuck you.”

Kevin laughs. Aaron gets out of the bed, throwing the blanket back dramatically. Kevin hears his footsteps move through the room, the soft curse as he stubs his toe on something. 

“What are you doing?”

“Going to sleep in the stupid cushion pit thing so you can’t blame me for keeping you awake.”

“You’ll be more cold. You don’t even have a blanket. Come back.” Kevin waits. Aaron doesn’t answer him. “Aaron, get back in the bed.”

He hears a soft huff from across the room. Kevin takes a long inhale, raising his eyes to the ceiling. Aaron is so fucking stubborn. Kevin wonders what would get him to come to bed. He considers just going to sleep and letting him sulk in the cold, but apparently skiing has unveiled a sympathetic conscience in him. Or maybe that’s reserved solely for Aaron. 

“Do you want me to go ask at the desk if they have a hot water bottle or something?”

“No.”

“It’s a fancy hotel. They might have electric blankets.”

“No. We don’t need to make a fuss.”

“Then stop making a fuss and come back to bed.”

There’s a drawn out sigh across the room, then the slow patter of feet back towards the bed. Aaron’s pretence of stoicism shatters when he dives for the bed, burrowing under the blankets again. Kevin lies back down, shifting further across the bed.

“Stay on your own side,” Aaron says sternly. Kevin exhales loudly, but obediently flops back to his side. He gives up. Let Aaron freeze for all he cares, Kevin is too tired to keep arguing in circles with him. He looks off towards the wall of windows. The curtains are drawn, but there’s a dark blue glow from around them. Kevin’s heavy eyes close on him. He intends to reopen them, but they simply refuse to cooperate.

*

Kevin is not usually the first to wake in the morning. Even when he’s supposed to be up, it often takes him a long time to drag himself from sleep. He thinks it’s the stifling heat that has him groggily tripping into consciousness this morning. His body is sticky with sweat, his shirt clinging to his back. Helplessly, Kevin kicks the blanket down from the left side of his body. There’s a warm presence on his right side, and when he forces his sticky eyes open, he realises it’s Aaron. He’s shifted closer during the night. He is still curled into himself, his forehead near Kevin’s bicep, but he’s sleeping a lot more peacefully than last night. No shivering in sight. In fact, there’s a pleasant looking flush across his cheeks. 

Kevin turns his head. He watches Aaron with sleepy contentment for a few moments. It is strange to see him so relaxed; all the harsh lines of his expression softened out in sleep. His lips are just barely parted, his eyelashes fluttering every so often. He makes a soft sound in his sleep and shifts further forward, his forehead actually pressing to Kevin’s skin. Kevin feels his heart stutter over a beat. Aaron makes another soft sound and Kevin quickly closes his eyes, pretends to be asleep before he is caught staring. 

He doesn’t know if Aaron does wake up, because he very quickly actually does fall asleep again, and next time he stirs, Aaron is already up and dressed for the day.

*

Kevin is starting to think skiing is perhaps not for him. There’s just. So much to consider. In ways he does not usually have to consider moving his body. He is determined to at least be passable at it though, and so he stubbornly sticks at it, even if he has yet to qualify from the bunny slopes. Irritatingly Neil seems to be taking to it with a natural grace Kevin does not possess. Aaron is much more fearless in his efforts, but he’s started to express an interest in snowboarding instead, chatting at length with the instructor.

“Well, I don’t usually mix snowboarding with the ski lessons, but if you wanna hang around for a bit afterwards, I’ll give you a go on my board.”

“Yeah?” Aaron grins. Kevin imagines a very small and purposefully targeted avalanche taking out their ski instructor. This thought brings him some joy and comfort until he ends up having a fall. Neil laughs as he whizzes past. Aaron stops to help haul Kevin up out of the snow.  “Okay?”

“Sure. It’s just snow.”

Aaron gives Kevin a flat look in response to his tone. His face is incredibly pink. Nose and cheeks raw. He looks cherubic. Kevin wants to push him over into the snow. 

“Whatever.” Aaron pushes off and skids down the slope after Neil. Kevin glances back at the ski instructor, sending him a glare for good measure, before he follows the others. Andrew is watching from the lounge window. Neil managed to talk him into trying the slopes yesterday, but he enjoys the cold even less than Aaron. Instead he’s drinking his weight in hot chocolate. Kevin would complain about it if he thought it would do any good, but he knows Andrew simply won’t listen to him.

*

They have dinner together. Aaron asks the server if they can have a table near a fire or a radiator, and then presses his chair right up against said radiator when they do sit. He rubs his hands together beneath the table. Kevin has a wild impulse to reach over and take them in his. He keeps his hands to himself.

“How did your snowboarding go?” Kevin tries to keep his voice even, not looking at Aaron.

“It was great. Cam’s lending me a board to try on the slopes tomorrow. I think it’s easier, not having to focus on two skis and poles.”

“That’s nice of him,” Kevin says, in a tone that suggests Cam has committed war crimes. 

“I mean, I guess he just has access to the lodge equipment. I don’t think it’s his board or anything.”

“Hm.” Kevin pops the menu up in front of his face so Aaron can’t see his unimpressed scowl.

*

They gather in the hot tub that night for drinks. Kevin’s not drinking, but he tags along since he doesn’t want to be in the room by himself, and the hot water is pleasant on his aching muscles. Andrew and Neil set up camp on a couch nearby, under a shared blanket. Andrew is still drinking hot chocolate, though it could be spiked, but since neither Neil or Renee are drinking, Kevin feels less left out. Renee has even ordered them matching mocktails. Kevin had some concerns about the sugar levels in the drink, but since she took the effort to consider him, he keeps his mouth shut for once.

Aaron submerges right down in the water, just leaving his nose up to breathe. He glares at Allison when she makes a joke about his height, but doesn’t argue. Kevin knows it’s probably more to do with the cold that he hasn’t seemed to be able to shake from his bones since they got here. He sits beside Aaron as everyone else is coupled up, tries to ignore the way their arms and thighs are brushing together as Aaron’s endeavour to not touch Matt sitting on his other side drives him into Kevin’s space. Kevin tries not to think about the fact Aaron doesn’t seem to mind touching him. He steals carefully timed glances at the freckles on Aaron’s strong shoulders, doesn’t let himself look for more than a handful of seconds. 

Aaron’s actually one of the first to retreat, once Andrew and Neil wander off together. Kevin can see him building himself up for the transition from warm water to frigid night air. He swings out of the hot tub and immediately wraps himself in a big towel. There’s some protest from Nicky about Aaron being a spoilsport, but Kevin is glad that he can also use that as an excuse to go back to their room. Aaron has another hot blast in the shower before getting dressed for bed. He keeps a hoodie on over his pyjamas and climbs right into bed, cycling his legs beneath the duvet as Kevin goes to the bathroom to carry out his own bedtime routine. 

“Insisting on staying all the way over there again?”

“Yes,” Aaron says, and clicks off the light. Kevin huffs in irritation, turning on his lamp so he can read a chapter before bed. 

Aaron is asleep by the time he sets his book down, curled tight into a ball, the odd shiver still running through him. Kevin puts his hand to his back, featherlight, barely touching him for fear of waking him. He feels the next tremor to course through Aaron’s body. Kevin sighs and moves closer. He pulls the duvet up, tucking it in tight around Aaron, then lies with his back facing him, only a couple of inches between them, in the hopes it will help build some heat up.

*

Kevin may not be a pro skier anytime soon, but he thinks he’s finally getting the hang of staying upright. He’s even been set loose from the bunny slopes. He and Aaron ride the ski elevator up to one of the bigger slopes. Kevin looks to the sky because looking at the distance between his feet and the ground is making him anxious. Aaron is constant movement, looking over the side, around them, leaning forward to look down between their legs. Kevin curls his hands into fists around his poles to resist the urge to grip Aaron’s ski suit in case he falls.

“We have to be ready to go once we get up here,” Aaron says. 

“I know.”

“Go, Kevin.”

“I am,” Kevin snaps, while he is actually definitely not doing that.

“Go.”

“Give me a second.”

“No time. Let’s go.” Aaron pushes him off as Kevin’s air catches in his lungs. He stumbles, but Aaron steadies him as he plops down beside him, wobbling on the snowboard Cam lent him. 

“I was getting there!”

“You can’t hesitate like that,” Aaron says, and starts to slide away from Kevin. He reaches up to fix his ski goggles over his eyes, flips Kevin off, and then starts to speed down the slope. Kevin is much slower, but he follows. 

*

After dinner that night, they gather for drinks again. This time just in the lodge bar, seated close to the fire. There’s too many of them for the size of the couches. Aaron ends up crammed between Kevin and the arm of the couch. At first any contact seems to be solely due to the lack of space, but after Aaron has a few drinks, Kevin feels like he’s leaning into him more. He wonders if he’s just projecting his thoughts onto the situation as he nurses one drink. 

Despite the handful of drinks Aaron has, and the multiple rounds of shots he partakes in with Nicky and Matt, he’s steady on his feet as they make their way back to the room. Though it does take him two attempts to get the keycard to open the door. Kevin had hoped at least the alcohol might warm him, but tonight the shivering is worse than ever once they’re settled in bed. Rather than the occasional burst of it, it's constant, accompanied by Aaron’s shaky breathing. He’s fully burrowed under the blanket tonight too, only a tuft of blonde hair visible before Kevin hits off the lamp.

“Aaron,” he says, after listening to this for what feels like a small eternity.

“What?”

“Your stubbornness is getting ridiculous. Come here.”

“Fine.”

Kevin expects Aaron to simply shuffle across to the centre of the bed, so they can share the same cavern beneath the blanket, rather than being in their own separate caves. He’s therefore surprised when Aaron slides across and collides with his chest. Rather than back up, Aaron burrows closer. He tucks his hands to his chest between them instead of draping them around Kevin, but they’re still definitely verging on an embrace. Kevin is still for a moment, scarcely daring to breathe. Aaron shivers. Kevin automatically wraps his arms around him. He hugs Aaron to his chest, rubbing a hand up and down his back. Aaron is tense in his hold for several long seconds before he relaxes with a sigh. He tucks his socked feet between Kevin’s calves, and slowly the trembling of his body subsides. 

Kevin waits until Aaron is breathing softly. He noses at the front of his hair, pushing it back until he can rest his lips against Aaron’s forehead. It’s not a kiss. He does not purse his lips. His mouth just lingers against Aaron’s forehead. Kevin breathes in the scent of his hair. It’s the musky scent of the lodge’s shampoo, not the sharp smell of mint and tea tree oil Aaron's usual shampoo smells like. Part of Kevin is disappointed. That when he has this chance he’s not getting to breathe the authentic Aaron Minyard smell. Mostly he’s just enjoying the weight of Aaron in his arms before he falls asleep. 

*

“Get off me. Kevin!” 

Kevin wakes to Aaron shoving at his shoulder. They’ve shifted during the night. Aaron has ended up on his back, with Kevin splayed across his chest, face burrowed into the side of Aaron’s neck. He grumbles, scarcely awake. Aaron is warm, and Kevin likes Aaron. He does not like being awake right now. He does not want to be awake. He wants to be sleeping on his Aaron pillow. He tries to nuzzle closer to him.

“Kevin. I told you I wasn’t going to fuckin’ cuddle you.”

“You’re the one that started it,” Kevin mumbles, words slurring into a yawn. Aaron goes very still, probably pouring back over the memory of last night. Good. He remembers then. He can stop blaming Kevin. “Didn’t you sleep better?”

“That’s not the point.”

“How is it not?”

“This is weird. We don’t do this.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“It is! It’s… we don’t do this.”

“How’s it weird?”

“It’s weird because we do not do this, Kevin. Get off me.” Aaron pushes at him until Kevin does shift off him with a grumble. Aaron immediately pushes himself to the far side of the bed. Kevin thinks he’s being needlessly dramatic, but it’s also too early for Kevin to be having many thoughts on anything, so he only rolls over and settles down to go back to sleep.

*

Aaron is already at breakfast when Kevin gets down. He’s sitting at a table with Cam, talking animatedly about something, smiling and laughing. Kevin very much does not like that. It is so rare for Aaron to openly express his emotions like that. Kevin sees it, every so often, but it took a long time before Aaron let his guards down around him like that, and it’s not always a common occurrence. Kevin hates that this random ski instructor gets to see this side of Aaron within only a few days. He hasn’t put in the hours!

Kevin could sit with Andrew and Neil. He sees them come through the door as he’s carrying his plate down. Neil talking away to a sleep ruffled Andrew who looks barely more awake than Kevin feels. Kevin does not sit with them. He pretends not to see them, walking down to Aaron’s table and setting his plate down firm enough that it bangs against the table. Aaron starts, even though he saw Kevin walking over. Right. He doesn’t react well to sudden loud noises. Shit. Kevin forgot about that in his irritation. Aaron glares at him. He was not glaring at Cam. Kevin suddenly feels a lot less apologetic about the plate slam.

“Heya Kevin, how are the bigger slopes treatin’ ya?” Cam looks at Kevin with a toothy grin. Kevin looks back at him with hollow eyes and hopes he chokes on the bacon that is definitely not an ideal breakfast for someone working an active job.

“Fine.”

“When he can get off the ski lift,” Aaron says, huffing in amusement. Kevin sends him a dark side glance. 

“Ah yeah, it can be intimidating getting off the lifts at the start.”

“I’m not intimidated,” Kevin grits out. Cam gives him a consoling smile as he stands, lifting his plate.

“I’ll leave the board out for you again Aaron.”

“Great, thanks.” Aaron grins up at Cam. Big enough to show off his dimple.

Kevin stabs his eggs with more force than necessary.

*

That night Aaron sleeps curled stubbornly on his side of the bed.

“Bet you’d cuddle with Cam,” Kevin mutters bitterly.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

*

Aaron is by the faux fireplace in the morning. He’s wearing a hoodie over his sweater, and is so close to the heater he’s almost touching it. Kevin groggily makes his way over, collapsing into the pile of cushions. His muscles are loud about their discomfort today and there is a twinge of pain in his left hand. He thinks he might skip the slopes.

“How are you so cold all the time?”

“Bad circulation.” Aaron shrugs. “It’s like once the cold gets into me it’s hard to get it out again. It’s okay when I’m moving around, generating heat, but once I stop I feel it.”

“It’s not usually this bad.”

“I’m not usually spending all day out in the snow.”

“Fair.” Kevin catches his left hand in his right, rubbing his thumb over it.

“Does your hand hurt?”

“It’s fine.”

“Is it really fine or is it Neil Josten fine?”

“I’ll manage.”

“Josten fine then. Did you bring your brace?”

“No.”

“Right. Why would you bring your brace?”

“I didn’t know I would need it.”

“Because it’s not like your hand hurts every year when the temperature drops” 

“I’ll survive, but I think I’ll skip the slopes today.”

“There’s a town not far from here. We could go check it out.”

Kevin blinks, surprised. He hadn’t expected Aaron to stick with him if he passed up on skiing. Aaron seems to be enjoying being out in the snow far more than him. 

“Uh. Sure,” Kevin says, and Aaron may be struggling to build heat, but Kevin’s face feels plenty warm.

*

Everyone decides they’ll go into town today when Kevin mentions their plans. He’s a touch annoyed. He kind of wanted it to be just him and Aaron, but they scatter into different groups once they get into the town anyway, breaking off to explore the shops. Kevin spends the morning wandering around the tourist shops full of homemade trinkets or mass produced fridge magnets with Aaron, but he loses track of him after lunch.

“Here,” Aaron says when he reappears, handing Kevin a support bandage. “Put that on.”

“Where did you get this?” 

“I had to look for the local pharmacy. It’s way on the other side of town. I fucking hiked to get you that, so you had better wear it.”

Kevin hates wearing a support. Hates admitting he needs it. Hates the reminder of his injury.

He puts it on with no fuss.

*

As the sun sinks towards the horizon and they get ready to head back to the lodge, Kevin shrugs off his coat and puts it over Aaron.

“You’ll get cold.”

“I’m fine. I’m actually sweating, but you’re shivering already.”

Aaron glances warily at the others, but the allure of Kevin’s lingering body heat in the coat must be too much to resist. He pulls it on over his own coat and zips it right up to his chin. Andrew is staring at them. Kevin pretends not to see.

*

Aaron is sitting in the cushion pit. A lot of the others have gone to the hot tub again, but Aaron passed up, so Kevin did too.

“It’s nice until you have to get out of it,” Aaron had said. Kevin doesn’t really care about that, but he was tired and had already spent all day with the group. He wanted the quiet peace of their room.

He drags the duvet off the bed and brings it over to the cushion pit, spreading it over them. Aaron glances up from playing his Switch. Kevin settles down beside him with his book. Aaron readjusts the blanket, a small smile on his face. Kevin lifts his book higher to hide his own smile.

*

When Kevin wakes up it takes him a moment to realise where he is. He and Aaron must have fallen asleep by the faux fireplace. Aaron is curled against his side. Kevin stretches out his back with a whine. He wants to just wrap himself around Aaron and go back to sleep, but now that he’s woken up, the lamp being on is annoying him, and he’s aware of how stiff his back feels. Forcing himself up, Kevin moves his book and Aaron’s Switch aside. He turns off the faux fireplace. He moves the duvet back to the bed.

Aaron’s brow is furrowed when Kevin comes back to him. Kevin wonders if he’s missing his sources of heat. He crouches down and carefully slides his arms under Aaron’s neck and legs, then hoists him up. He pauses once he’s got Aaron in his arms, scarcely daring to breathe. Aaron sleeps a lot lighter than him. Kevin’s not sure how he’ll respond if he wakes up to this. Thankfully, Aaron just turns his face to Kevin’s shoulder with a soft sound. 

Kevin carries him carefully across to bed and lays him down on his side. He pulls the blanket up over Aaron, goes to brush his teeth, then crawls into the other side of the bed. Aaron makes a whiny sound of protest in his sleep as the bed shifts. He rolls towards Kevin, hand reaching across the distance between them. When it catches the material of Kevin’s shirt, Aaron tugs weakly. Kevin is weaker than Aaron’s sleepy grip, immediately moving across towards him. 

“Mm.” Aaron nuzzles his face against Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin once again holds his breath until he’s sure Aaron is asleep.

*

He wakes in the morning to Aaron rubbing his thumbs over Kevin’s hand. Kevin’s left arm is draped over Aaron’s waist, and Aaron has his hand between his, massaging around the scar. Kevin goes still for a moment as he processes what’s happening, then melts against Aaron’s back, pretending to be asleep. Aaron felt the tension in him though. He goes still in response, dropping Kevin’s hand. Kevin whines, tightening his arm around Aaron’s chest.

“Kevin?” Aaron whispers. He sounds mortified. 

“Mm?” Kevin noses at the back of Aaron’s head, his hair tickling his face. When Aaron tries to wriggle away, Kevin holds him in place.

“Stop.”

“Why?”

“It’s weird.”

“Why?”

“We don’t-”

“What if we did?”

“What?” Aaron stops squirming, going completely still again.

“What if we did? Feels nice. You sleep better when you’re warm. No one can see us.”

“So what, I’m your dirty little secret?”

“What? No. You’re the one being weird about it.”

“Because it is weird.”

“Mmm not.” Kevin presses his face against Aaron’s hair. He didn’t wash it last night. It's sweaty from being under his beanie yesterday, a human scent that Kevin enjoys. His hand rests on Aaron’s stomach, feeling it shift with each of his breaths. 

“I don’t cuddle with people I’m not-” Aaron tries to roll towards Kevin, but they both freeze when his hip brushes against Kevin’s half hard morning wood. This time it is Kevin who recoils across the bed.

“Sorry. It’s not- That’s not-” Embarrassment makes him angry and defensive. “I can’t help it!”

“I know,” Aaron says, his expression warring between amused and appalled. 

“You know?”

“Yeah, obviously I know.”

“Oh.” Kevin swallows hard. “Is that why it’s weird?”

“What?”

“The… this. The bed. The cuddling. It’s weird because I like you?”

“You what?” Aaron sits up abruptly, the duvet falling around his waist.

“You just said you knew!”

“I know you can’t control your morning erection! It’s a testosterone surge. I didn’t mean- You don’t like me.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“You can’t.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do!”

“Why? Why would you-? Why?”

“Because!”

“Wow. Clarifying. Thank you so much, Kevin Day.”

“I wasn’t going to tell you. You tricked me.”

“How did I trick you?”

“You said you knew.”

“How would I know that?”

“I don’t know! You know things. You just do. You’re smart and observant like that. You knew where the pharmacy was.”

“I used Google!”

“Ugh. Whatever. Pretend this conversation never happened.” This time it is Kevin who pulls the duvet over his head. Maybe he can suffocate himself with it. After a pause that seems to last five years, the blanket moves. Kevin expects Aaron to get out of bed, but instead he joins him under the blanket, their breath shared in the space between them.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“What?”

“Pretend this conversation never happened.”

“What?”

Aaron huffs. He reaches out and touches Kevin’s cheek. He looks at him in a way Kevin can just tell means this okay? Kevin does his best to return a look that says yeah yep cool awesome not really sure what’s happening but keep touching my face. Aaron must interpret some positive reinforcement from that expression, because he leans in across the space and kisses Kevin firmly on the mouth. Aaron draws back slowly, but Kevin is already addicted. He surges after him, pushes Aaron onto his back, uses his body as an additional layer of heat as he leans over Aaron and determines to find out what his tongue piercing feels like against Kevin’s tongue.

*

“That’s Ursa Major,” Aaron says, pointing up. They’re on the love seat on the balcony. It’s the first time they’ve actually come out to it. Aaron is wearing Kevin’s hoodie over his own. He’s sitting sideways on the seat, legs over Kevin’s thighs. Kevin has wrapped the blanket around them as they look up at the stars together, breath fogging on the air.

“Isn’t that the Big Dipper?”

“The Big Dipper is part of Ursa Major. It’s the back of the torso, and that long bit is the tail. Though it’s longer than bears’ tails generally are.” 

“Oh wait, I know the myth about that. In Greek mythology it is the constellation of Callisto. She had a shit time.”

“Most women in mythology do.”

“She was a devoted follower of Artemis. One of the myths says Zeus disguised himself as Artemis to seduce her.”

“Swell guy, Zeus.”

“She became pregnant. Lost her place in Artemis’ hunters. As with all of Zeus’ affairs, Hera was furious. Turned Callisto into a bear. When her son Arcas grew up, he almost killed her while out hunting. To save her, Zeus threw her into the sky by her tail. That’s why it's stretched out.”

“Obviously,” Aaron says. After a moment, he adds:  “One of Jupiter’s moons is called Callisto.”

“Jupiter was the Roman name for Zeus.”

“It all comes full circle.”

“What are the others called?”

“Jupiter has 95 moons.”

“Yes. That sounds like Zeus.” Kevin smiles when Aaron huffs at his joke.

“There’s four main ones. The other three are Io, Europa, and Ganymede.”

“All named for his lovers.”

“It’s cool how much impact mythology still has on our world.”

“It is cool!” Kevin sits up so excitedly he almost knocks Aaron off his lap. He grabs him in time, and Aaron in turn grabs the blanket when Kevin’s movement almost flings it off them. “On the way we understand the world, on the structures of storytelling we employ, even in the language we still use today! Like, so much of our etymology is inspired by the Hellenes-”

Aaron gently shifts Kevin’s gesticulating arms enough that he can rest his head against his shoulder. He doesn’t interrupt him, just nestles himself closer, making encouraging humming sounds as Kevin continues to ramble about different words that can be traced back to Greek myths. It is only when Aaron starts to shiver against him that Kevin stops. He bundles Aaron up in the blanket and carries him inside, spilling him out on their bed, where they’ve spent the last couple of nights of their vacation tangled up in each other. Kevin’s going to miss it after tonight, but one benefit of the dorm beds is that they are so small Aaron will have no choice but to cuddle up with Kevin when they share one.

[ritsusakumawife]

Hiii this is my first time ever requesting so I hope I’m doing it right—

If you don’t mind, can I please request a SAGAU/Creator AU! Where the Creator just doesn’t care about their “Godly duties” (Helping people with their requests etc etc)

And instead of getting stressed abt the paperwork they just live their life relaxed and does whatever that comes to mind

(And maybe even spend some time with Kazuha or idk a character of your choice)

Please and thank you! <33

Dw you didn’t do anything wrong! And thank you for requesting <3

I sincerely apologize for any grammar mistakes I tiredly wrote this at 3am

I talk really fast with barely any pauses irl so the convos mayy seem a bit off/odd 😅

Warnings: Super ooc and bad grammar

Genshin Sagau x Reader

“Your Grace..Please excuse my rudeness but is it really alright to do this?”

“Mhm! It’s fine it’s fine”

“But—”

“I said it’s fine. It’s only a couple of papers anyway”

“Besides I’m sure you can handle it Morax”

“If that’s what you truly want then as your humble servant I have no choice but to obey”

“That’s the spirit!” You say while leaving

“Your Grace where are you going?”

“Oh nothing..Just uh going to go out and take care of some important business is all”

“Then, please let me send some escorts with you”

“I don’t need it. It’s only a short trip”

“It’s dangerous out there and it’s already getting dark”

“I promise it’ll be quick! Soo there’s no need to worry Morax”

“At least take one person with you Your Grace”

“Sigh..I already told you I don’t need it— wait..Y’know what, sure”

Zhongli quirks an eyebrow due to your sudden change of attitude

“Anyways, I’m going to go now Mr. Zhongli bye bye~ take care of everything while I’m gone!”

You go to a nearby field and spot the person you’re looking for

“Kazu! Over here!”

“Ah, your grace. What brings you here?”

“Well~ Care to join me for a short little trip?”

“A trip? Right now?”

“Mhm!”

“Please forgive me but, it’s getting late your grace”

“I don’t think it’s wise to travel in the dark. There’s a lot of danger waiting to strike”

“Says you. Training out here in the middle of nowhere”

“Aha..Guilty as charged”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. After all I’ll have you with me”

“You’ll protect me, won’t you?”

Kazuha blushes but quickly regains his composure

“Of course your grace”

“…”

“Hm? Your grace? Are you alright?”

“This isn’t fair!”

“What isn’t fair your grace?”

“You!”

“M-Me?” Kazuha stumbles on his words ..Uh word

“Yes, you! How can somehow have such a charming smile”

“And that isn’t all! You, Kaedehara Kazuha, are literally the embodiment of perfection!”

“Perfection!? Aha..You humble me too much your grace”

“Oh, but it’s true!”

“Ahem..Shall we depart for our 'short trip' now your grace?”

“Hey, don’t change the subject— But yes, let us depart now”

“Your grace, isn’t it time for us to head back now?”

“Hm? Oh, don’t worry~ We haven’t even been gone for that long”

“Are you sure?” Kazuha says worryingly

“It’ll be fine. I’m sure no one but Zhongli has even noticed I’m gone”

“R-Right..” Kazuha doubts your words

“WHERE ARE THEY?!?!!”

“DID YOU SEE THEIR GRACE?!”

“GUARDS! OUR CREATOR HAS GONE MISSING”

“EVERYONE PRESENT IN THIS THRONE ROOM MUST HELP SEARCH FOR THEIR GRACE”

“Sigh..Sometimes I wonder if I’m truly the closest to their grace or if I’m just an assistant..”

“Drinking wine seems like such a good idea right about now..”

“I wonder how their grace is doing”

“WOHOO! AGAIN AGAIN!”

“Kazu let’s do it again!”

“I don’t think—”

“Please~ Kazu can we? Please?”

“Alright, just one more time then we’ll head back, deal?”

“Ehe~ I was right to choose you as my companion for this trip”

“Like SpongeBob always says..It’s the best day ever~”

Kazuha smiles softly upon hearing your words

It’s nice to see you relax every once in a while or rather almost everyday he does wonder though, who is this "SpongeBob"?

“Kazu? Kazuha~ Are you there? Hello??” You wave your hands in front of his face

“Ah, right, well then shall we go?”

“Mhm! We shall!”

And with that, you both decide to go for one more round of..Free fall

…

You could always revive yourself so it’s fine if you die

[hells-wasabii]

hello!!!

id like to request charlie and rosie (separately) x fem! reader who is very pessimistic?(headcanons, please :] )

thank you, and have a splendid day!! :)

A/N: I seriously thought I lost this ask, I searched through my inbox lifelike 3 times I was t too sure how make this one gender specific so it’s with a gn! Reader

Characters: Rosie, Charlie (separate)

Type: Headcanons (x pessimistic reader, Fluff)

Rosie

With Rosie, while she might be seemingly optimistic, she’s not blindly so. In all honesty, she’s more realistic than all else. The cannibal is quick to see the downsides of situations, but she chooses to remain cheery in the face of it. That’s something that she’s sure to remind you to do as well.

Rosie has been around for a long time. She’s dealt with her fair share of pessimism. She’s more than happy to reassure you when you start to see the worst in things, should you need it. And she’s good at it too, the overlord has plenty of experience in that department.

She has a lot of wisdom, knowledge-wise, and emotionally-wise, and you’d best believe that she’ll utilize this wisdom too. There’s a reason why Cannibal Town looks to her for guidance, something that you’ll very quickly find out. The overlord has a tendency to find solutions to problems you may be faced with that you hadn’t even considered.

This doesn’t mean that she’ll try to reassure you about everything. Sometimes, you’re right, and she’ll be one of the first to admit it. After all, what sort of leader would she be if she didn’t?

She’s not a stranger to pessimism or resistance though. She has her very own Susan after all. She knows just how to rally you to her side if she needs to. She wouldn’t be able to run her territories if she couldn’t handle it after all.

The only time that your pessimism would be a problem is if you were to be an ass about it. It’s fine if you have your doubts and worries, just don’t be a Susan. She deals with enough of that as it is.

Charlie

Honestly, Charlie is fine with you being pessimistic, she can be optimistic for both of you! So long as you’re not outright mean about it and will still stand in support of her, things will still run smoothly

She’s dealt with her fair share of pessimism, whether it be that of others or her own. She’ll be more than prepared to help you see the brighter side of things! Whether or not her efforts are successful tends to depend on the situation. Usually, though, the two of you meet in the middle, something that works best for all parties involved.

But this doesn’t mean that it doesn’t wear her down sometimes. This is when you would need to take the reins and support her. You can’t be pessimistic all the time after all.

But that’s not to say that your pessimism isn’t useful at times! Sometimes she’ll actually slow down and see things from your point of view. It has proven helpful for her to do so. She claims that it helps her hone in on problems that she wouldn’t have been able to consider before.

Charlie is more than aware that sometimes, she can be a bit much. But with you, you’re like her foil. There to help rein it back in when her optimism can potentially get you both or the hotel in trouble. She does have a tendency to get ahead of herself, so having you there to help pull her back to reality is more helpful than either of you realize.

[quiet-hypnotist]

Cozy Date

“You are almost too good at this. It’s not fair!”

“What? Shoulder rubs?”

“Dork. That too, but I meant the rest!”

“Ohhh, that part, huh? I thought you liked it though?”

“I do. That’s the issue! How am I meant to fight it if it feels so good?”

“Are you?”

“Huh? Of course I am.”

“I see, my bad. I must have gotten distracted then as I was massaging you.”

“Don’t you get sneaky with me. I’m wise to your tricks now.”

“Certainly. We’ve been at this for what? Two years?” “Three to the day yesterday and you know it, you told me about it yourself at lunch earlier, remember?”

“My point exactly. Of course you would be very familiar with all my tricks up to this point. Easily so focused on seeing them coming that you learned to recognize every look, every gesture, every drop in my voice. You would see it coming from a mile away.”

“Damn right I would. I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. Not to brag or anything, of course.” “Naturally. It’s what happens after several years. And honestly that makes me pretty happy. Because that means that we both know exactly how my words are only intended to draw you in when it is a safe time for that to happen. You figured that part out so early on, didn’t you?”

“Mhm. Oh, you’re on thin ice. But also way too good with your hands. Keep going, I wanna see the look on your face when I resist this.”

“Funny you would say that when there’s nothing happening that you would have to resist in the first place. After all, you were the one who confirmed for me just now that you would see my trick coming from a mile away. So even if I weaved entrancing words into this rambling, you’d know them by heart already and could recognize them easily. Right?”

“Right...”

“Which means it would be silly to drop my voice a bit lower or speak a bit softer...”

“Hey!”

“Because even if I did, you would only get lulled into that sleepy haze if you wanted to go there anyway. Right?”

“Of course!”

“So even if I used the most clever words right now, you wouldn’t get drawn into my pace at all because you’d be too busy enjoying the massage, wouldn’t you say so?”

“That’s obvious. Told you so!”

“Exactly, you did! So even if I did any funny tricks with my voice, you wouldn’t feel compelled to listen or smile about it, right?”

“Mhm!”

“And even if I slowed down the pace… and massaged you a little firmer… while letting you relax deeper… even then you would be free to not get hypnotized right now, right?”

“Duh! You got it.”

“Which means that even if I keep this up, you’re not getting tricked by me right now, right?”

“Yes!”

“So you can simply choose not to relax deeper and deeper under my fingertips right now, right?”

“Uhh, sure… Any moment now...”

“That’s right. Any moment now you can simply choose to stop listening, can’t you?” “Uh huh. Gonna show you...” “And it’s going to feel so good to show me how this time you’re not getting hypnotized right now, won’t it?” “The best...”

“Such an amazing feeling to know that you’re not falling deeper and deeper for my tricks and schemes right now, isn’t it?”

“So good...”

“You’re not getting hypnotized right now.” “Uh huh...” “You’re not growing limp and sleepy and warm under my hands right now.” “Mhm!” “You’re not mindlessly listening and enjoying this.” “Hehehe…!” “And whatever might happen, you’re not deeply mesmerized and loving every second of it right now.” “Hmmmm, loving it...” “Because if you were, you’d love the idea of falling a little deeper every time at your own pace whenever you really want to switch off your brain and enjoy yourself, wouldn’t you?” “Yes please!”

“In which case all I would need to do would be to invite you. And you would happily go along with it when that sounds like the sort of fun you want. Isn’t that right?” “Yes, yes, yes...”

“Awww, someone got a bit excited about that, hmm?” “”Uh huh! Hehehe…” “Looks like you bested me again. But I am sure next time I could put you under. Does that sound like something you want me to try?” “Yes please!” “Well, then I better wrap this massage up, so that when you’re up for it we can get up to all sorts of shenanigans. And hey, maybe you’ll actually win against me one of these days!” “Huh…? Oh, you! Just you wait. I’ll show you a hypnotized and tricked thrall! Tomorrow. Maybe. Though… I suppose I’d have an unfair advantage. I guess if you asked nicely, I could let you put me under once or twice first. Y’know… to let you practice and level the playing field.” “What a generous angel I asked out! Lucky me. Then don’t mind if I do.”

*** Did you like this story? Then there’s good news! You can consider heading over to my Patreon and pledge, which will keep me writing even more smut for you every week! Yes, for you! Since my patrons even get a chance to have me write their favorite things. So head over there and learn how!

[rebelwrites]

Twelve: You Deserve The Whole World

Charles Leclerc x Nova Teller (OC)

Till the wheels fall off Masterlist

Small town meets the fast lane. What happens when two souls meet? Will it end in happiness or will they both crash and burn?

Warning: low body confidence

As always reblogs and feedback is highly appreciated ❤️ if you want tagging in future parts let me know ❤️

My heart weighed heavy in my chest, the thought of Pops going into a home made my stomach churn. My head was spinning, I needed to get away from here for a while. After having a quick chat with Jax, I met Charles on the front porch.

“You ready to go, babygirl?” he smiled softly, linking his fingers with mine guiding me towards the Ferrari that was parked at the end of the driveway. He did not know the effect he was having on me right now, the way he called me babygirl caused my heart to flutter and my stomach to flip. Everything was different with him, it was like he was the calmness I desperately sought. He settled the voices in my mind just by being around; I was already dreading once he had to leave.

As we approached the car, I cocked my brow at Charles who was now putting one of Jax’s duffel bags in the trunk. I had so many questions, why did he have a bag? What was in it? What did he have planned? Charles saw the confusion on my face but just smirked at me. “Que voulez-vous faire aujourd'hui ? What do you want to do today?” Charles asked, holding the passenger door open for me.

“Tant que je suis avec toi, je m'en fiche complètement. As long as I'm with you, I don't care,” I mumbled, letting my body sink into the black leather seats. My eyes went wide as I took in the interior of the SUV. Everything about this car was sleek, it was everything you would expect from Ferrari. “This car is fucking amazing!” I beamed, feeling my mood lift slightly.

“Just wait until you hear her roar,” Charles smirked, setting up the sat nav before resting his hand on my knee.

The moment we got onto the open road, he flashed me a wink, placing both hands back on the steering wheel putting his foot down. The small smile on my face was growing wider and wider by the second as the sound of the V12 engine surrounded us.

There was no better feeling than being on an empty road with a beast of a car.

“I want this car,” I giggled, looking over at Charles, his smile was bright enough to light up the entire world, I quickly realized this would be the closest I would ever get to feeling what he felt every race weekend. I had always loved the thrill of fast cars and bikes but this had kicked everything up a notch or two. Adrenaline was rushing through my body as Charles controlled the car beautifully to say he didn’t know the roads but that was why he was one of the best when it came to racing, even though this season wasn’t going to plan. “As much as I don’t want you to slow down, it might be wise unless we want Unser chewing our asses off.”

“I’d doubt the cops would even catch us, babygirl,” Charles laughed, there was a mischievous look in his eyes, “but I guess I’d better behave.”

We had been out of the house less than half an hour and already I felt lighter, “thank you,” I whispered, running my hands over my face, “for everything, you came here to escape all the drama and get some down time, yet you have practically been my rock the last couple of days. You hardly know me, yet here you are doing everything in your power to make the world brighter again for me.”

“Sunshine, I don’t know how to fully describe this and it’s gonna sound crazy but the moment you walked into the bar it was like I already knew you,” he said softly moving his hand back onto my knee. “I don’t have a clue what it is about you but your soul is so familiar to me. It’s like our souls have been waiting a lifetime for our hearts to finally meet.”

His words were causing my heart to race, I knew exactly what he was saying because I felt exactly the same. Placing my hand over his, I let my fingers link with his, “it does sound crazy Char,” I whispered, pausing for a moment, “I get you, I dunno it’s like our souls collided in a past life ya know,” I smiled softly, brushing my thumb over the top of his hand. “Kinda like they would forever find each other in every life.” I whispered, brushing my thumb over the side of his hand, “God, I even feel fucking crazy admitting that.”

Looking out of the window I noticed we had pulled up at the docks. I hadn’t been here in over a year, in fact it was before Pops’ health started declining. “Have you been speaking to Jax?” I asked, turning my attention back to Charles who was grinning like he had just won the world championship.

“Maybe,” he winked, killing the engine, “come on, then Sunshine.”

“What are you planning, Leclerc?” I asked, cocking my brow at him.

“Get out of the car and you shall find out,” he grinned, unclipping his seatbelt before slipping out of the car, my heart fluttering, jogging around the bonnet to open the door for me.

I had no idea what he was up to; I was just grateful for him trying to help clear my head. I could feel my mood already lifting, even if there was a dark cloud still looming over me but I think that would be there for a while, especially with Pops looking into homes. I also knew I was going to be in for an awkward conversation at some point, I saw the confused look on Charles’ face when I mentioned the surname I had at birth.

Unclipping my seat belt, I flashed him a smile as I took his hand, “this better be good otherwise I am leaving your ass at the side of the road and I’m taking this car,” I giggled, trying to ignore the sparks running through my body.

“Oh babygirl, this is going to blow you away,” He smirked, helping me out of the car. Once I was out, he gently closed the door behind me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder guiding me to the truck to grab the duffle bag.

As we walked over to the boardwalk we were greeted by a guy in a white suit, “Mr Leclerc, Miss Teller, the Princess yacht is all ready for you,” the guy said, with a friendly smile on his face. “I will be your captain today, there are stewards on board who will take care of all your needs. So, welcome aboard and we hope you both enjoy your day.”

I knew my eyes were as wide as saucers right now, no one had ever done anything like this for me before.

He had hired a freaking yacht for the day!

Feeling my eyes fill with tears I turned to Charles, placing my hand over his heart. “C'est trop Charles, tu n'avais pas besoin de louer un putain de bateau pour moi. That's too much Charles, you didn't have to hire a fucking boat for me.”

“Bébé, tu mérites le monde entier. Baby, you deserve the whole world,” Charles whispered, brushing his knuckles against my cheek. I couldn’t stop the tears spilling over my lash line as I leant into his touch, “I just want you to be happy.”

“How did you manage to plan this? You were in the kitchen with me all morning,” I asked, as he guided me onto the yacht.

“I have my ways, Sunshine,” he smirked proudly.

I had completely lost track of time, this boat was absolutely amazing, Charles was really showing me a life of luxury, something I had always dreamed about. The interior of the boat had a clean, contemporary feeling to it but I wasn’t bothered about spending too much time inside. Especially not when the sun was wrapping my body in a warm blanket making me feel safe, like my world wasn’t currently on fire.

Unzipping the duffle bag I tried to find my trusty board shorts, praying that Jax had packed them along with my bikini top that was more of a sports bra, “come on, where are you?” I mumbled to myself, tipping the bag upside down letting the contents fall onto the light gray sofa.

The bright red bikini stood out against the other items that were now spread out on the cushion. I could have killed Jax, this bikini had been thrown in the back of my closet for a reason, the damn thing made me even more self conscious about my body. Running my hand over my face I let out a frustrated growl knowing it was all I had to wear. Grabbing the stupid bikini off the sofa I stormed into the bathroom quickly getting changed.

I was about to leave the room when I finally looked at my reflection. I couldn’t lie, this bikini made my chest look amazing but after spending years picking myself apart all I could see were the stretch marks that wrapped around my hips, my thighs touching, and the dimples from the cellulite. I always made sure I had some form of hoodie or cardigan on hand, something I could wrap around my body when the dreaded thoughts crept into my mind.

To make matters worse, the bikini was the same color as Charles’ Ferrari.

My dear older brother was so dead once I got back home.

Finally, I pulled my beach coverup over my body letting out a shaky breath knowing that I wouldn’t be able to keep my tattoo hidden much longer. I needed to face the fear that was bubbling away in my stomach; it was now or never.

Letting out another breath, I stepped out onto the deck of the boat feeling the sun kiss my skin, pulling my sunglasses over my eyes. I slowly walked over to Charles.

“Thought I was gonna have to send out a search party,” Charles hummed, propping himself up on his elbow.

“If I show you something promise you won’t laugh,” I whispered, sitting on the edge of the sunlounger fiddling with the hem of my cover up, “I got it done last year on my birthday after getting wasted with Jax. Happy had just finished doing a piece on him and I just couldn’t help myself.”

Charles watched intently as I slowly peeled the thin material from my body, my heart was pounding against my chest. Not only because of the tattoo but because this was the first time he would be seeing me, seeing my body, the one that I had spent years tearing apart, trying every fad diet that was out there.

It’s like he could hear my mind racing, “you don’t have to do this if you feel uncomfortable,” he whispered, leaning forward placing his hands on mine. The feeling of his soft gaze on me provided a calmness that washed over me.

“I’m not going to let this opportunity to top up my tan go to waste,” I hummed, moving his hands away from mine, “I don’t want to hide myself away from you Char, I haven’t always had the best relationship with my body but if I don’t do this now, I never will.”

Ignoring the feeling of my heart racing, I slowly pulled the cover up off my body tossing it behind me on the sun lounger. Taking a breath, I moved my gaze up to Charles to see his reaction, the moment I did, I felt my heart practically stop. He shifted his sunglasses to the top of his head whilst pulling his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Babygirl,” he purred, running his eyes over my body, “magnifique, tout simplement magnifique, beautiful, simply beautiful,” he quickly moved to the end of the sunlounger so he was kneeling in front of me. His hands finding their way to my hips, the feeling of his touch sent shockwaves through my body. “I will personally hunt every single person down who made you feel bad about this amazing body and I will run them over with my car.”

“You are looking at the number one culprit,” I mumbled, focusing on the motion of the water.

“Oh baby,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me, pressing a kiss against my shoulder, “if you will let me, I want to be the one who makes you see just how perfect your body is,” his voice was soft as he spoke, causing me to look at him.

I had never had anyone look at me the way he was; it made me feel giddy but there was also the deep feeling of sadness knowing that come the end of the summer break he would go back to racing, flying all over the world whilst I was stuck here in Charming.

“Now what was it you needed to show me?” he asked, changing the subject.

“This,” I whispered, turning my body to the side giving his full access to the tattoo that sat proudly on my ribs.

“Is that,” he trailed off, running his fingers over the skin, tracing the outline of the black ink.

“Your car, yes it is,” I said with a small laugh.

“I love it,” he hummed, leaning forward pressing a tender kiss against my ribs.

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[acourtofthought]

Somewhere SJM claimed that Lucien and Dorian would be friends if they knew each other and that’s always kept me hopeful. Dorian is one of the most interesting characters in TOG for me and he is also surprisingly slow to find love, even though he’s a rake and he enjoys the company of women. His experience with Sorscha is the same as Lucien and Jesminda (losing their loved one and witnessing their brutal deaths at the hands of their fathers). Both characters are fair and good despite everything else going on around them, they enjoy reading and knowledge, they are ready to sacrifice themselves, they are both excellent candidates to lead due to their innate sense of goodness and fairness. And even their cheeky personality is similar in many ways. Dorian’s access to his own powers was manifesting slowly in TOG and it kept trickling in with each book and I feel like we’re going down that path with Lucien too. We learned in ACOWAR that he sees magical work with his golden eye, we learned that he can track this magic very well. We also learned about his spell cleaving abilities that even he seemingly didn’t know (or hid from others) and we know from his time in autumn that his brothers felt threatened by the power they could sense in him from the beginning. I think Lucien might go through a similar arc to Dorian as he comes into his full powers and that really makes me think about how he actually might become high king. I love Rhys but Rhys is first and foremost for his own people and he is so attached to just the Night Court that I don’t think he would do well with representing everyone. Lucien is essentially homeless in Prythian, he belongs to so many courts and has connection to so many that I can see him do well with such a big title.

Add Elain to this mix. Her powers could be very useful for someone in her position if she ends up high queen with Lucien. They are basically an unstoppable safety net for each court. Elain might see visions of conflict and trouble coming their way, she could aid in decisions about anything, especially if she masters her powers and could look into the future for various outcomes. Her love of nature and travel would definitely come in handy. She would want to protect those courts. Not to mention her love for social events and her ability to charm people. Could you imagine her helping smooth things over between high lords just with her wit and charms? I know a lot of people think she’s going to become a spy but for me she is always more of a politician/courtier and her qualities would shine in such a situation.

I agree and it gives me hope too. Not only did she say Dorian and Lucien would be good friends but Lucien would be someone she could see herself co-writing a book with because of his cleverness. Dorian would be someone she could see herself going to the opera with, who wouldn't mind if she took a long time to get ready (and we know Lucien takes care in how he dresses). Dorian was a human with unknown powers and he ended up having unlimited raw magic that could be shaped in whatever way he wanted. She's also set up Lucien to be someone with unknown powers, a future HL as Dorian was King. I do think there are differences between Lucien and Dorian but those seemed to come into focus after he finally was rid of his valg collar. I think a little bit of that darkness seeped into him and he became well matched for Manon whereas Lucien and Elain both individually and as a pairing embody light. My vision of Elain matches yours as well, where Elain will make a difference, not sneaking around in the shadows spying in the quiet but out in the open, influencing others with her loving, kind and wise personality.