#But here it is!

[madeleinefjall]

Sir Squire and his new shining armour

[jetii]

Event Horizon

Pairing: Rex x Jedi!Reader / Rex x fem!reader

Tags/Warnings: romance, angst, action/adventure, hurt/comfort, themes of grief/death/mourning, strangers to friends to lovers, mutual pining, forbidden romance, eventual smut, named!reader, minor Obi-Wan x Reader

Summary: Your entire life, you’ve struggled to be the perfect Jedi your Master saw in you. When the rumored rise of the Sith threatens to throw the entire galaxy into turmoil, you’re left scrambling to hold onto the teachings that have begun to feel increasingly hollow. It isn’t until a fateful encounter with a clone soldier called Rex, and the feelings that he stirs within you, that you begin to question everything you’ve ever known. (Post!TPM → Post!Order 66)

A/N: This is definitely a first for me, but I’ve been obsessed with this idea for a while and needed to get it out. I have about 22 chapters written so far, and I think it’ll be 40ish total? Plenty of drama, action, yearning, and some humor to come. Rex will show up soon, gotta set the stage a little first.

If you’d like to be notified when I post new chapters please join my taglist or leave a comment. There’s a new question for tag preferences now. 💙

Chapter One: Everything Burns

Chapter WC: 3,741

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Naboo, 32 BBY

They waited until nightfall to light the pyre.

The light, the heat of it, was nearly too much to bear, but you forced yourself to keep your eyes forward. To watch as the flames climbed higher and higher, smoke licking the top of the dome, ash and embers drifting like the stars overhead, as the body of Master Qui-Gon Jinn turned to dust.

You feel something burning within your own chest and press a fist against it. The pain of losing a friend, of watching his body go up in smoke and flame, was one you'd known too well before, and would likely know again, many times over.

It still hurts.

Through the flames, you can just make out the shape of the young man across from you. Obi-Wan. He'd barely spoken since his Master's death at the hands of that Sith. Had barely even met your eyes. It's as if he's shut down completely, his emotions all carefully tucked away, locked behind a door, hidden deep beneath the surface.

Your eyes meet briefly, and you can see the tears on his cheeks, glistening in the firelight.

A part of you aches for him, and for yourself, too. For the pain of the loss, and the uncertainty of what would come next. You knew from your Master that Qui-Gon had tried to warn the Council about the Sith, but that they had refused to listen. What will happen now, you wonder, that the Sith had returned? Will the Jedi accept the truth?

As you look away, you see Obi-Wan do the same. His gaze drifts to the ground, his hands curled into fists at his sides. The boy standing silent next to him notices and puts a hand on his arm. Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon's new Padawan, now Obi-Wan's responsibility.

When you hear Obi-Wan sniffle, you force your feet to move. Ignoring the watchful eyes of the Council members in attendance, your own noticeably absent, you slowly round the pyre until you're on his other side where he can't see you. You stand there, close enough to feel the heat from the flames, but not so close as to be uncomfortable.

"It wasn't your fault," you tell him quietly.

Your fingers brush his. You don’t expect him to return the gesture, and he doesn’t. Not for several long, agonizing moments. And then you feel it, his fingertips, brushing yours.

Your eyes dart toward him, but he's still looking away. Still, his hand shifts, his palm pressing against yours. The only sign that he is acknowledging your presence at all, the only sign he feels anything beyond the nothingness he forces himself to affect.

You’d always believed Obi-Wan to be infallible, perfect in the eyes of the Order, the perfect student. The perfect Jedi. He's always been two steps ahead of you, two steps ahead of everyone, always a witty quip at the ready, always knew the answer when called on, always followed the rules, always the one you admired the most. Even now, he's trying so hard to stay calm, to be the perfect Jedi.

You’d argued about it, before he left for Naboo. He had accused you of being jealous. He'd been right.

You envied his natural skill, his ability to stay cool and collected even when you couldn't. He was so calm, so rational, everything a Jedi was supposed to be, everything you were not, and you had let it get in the way. You had let it push you further apart, until you had lost the closeness you'd once shared.

It wasn’t until he left, until you heard about the death of his Master, that you realized just how badly you'd misjudged him. He is not infallible. He is not the perfect Jedi. He is not, despite all appearances, the ideal of calm. He is only a man, doing his best, doing what he believes is right, and failing, just like the rest of you. And though you had tried, you had never really succeeded at staying mad at him, either.

Now, standing beside him, you want to comfort him, to hold him and tell him that everything will be okay. But it isn't true. It won't be. Because nothing will ever be okay again, not after this.

So instead, you just stand there, letting your hand rest in his, and you try to think of anything else you could say.

The funeral comes to an end, and the pyre is left to burn itself out. You allow yourself to watch as the fire dies down, until nothing remains but a pile of ashes. The others are leaving, the Council members going off together to no doubt discuss what was to come next. You don’t see your Master among them. Her small form is nowhere to be seen, and you can't help the pang of betrayal you feel at her absence.

Where was she? Yaddle had told you she'd be here. She'd promised.

As the last of the flames flickered out, Obi-Wan takes a shuddering breath, and slowly, reluctantly, lets go of your hand.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs.

"For what?"

"I didn't mean what I said, before," he says, finally turning his head to look at you. His eyes are red, and his cheeks are tear-stained, and you wish more than anything that he didn’t have to go through this. "About...about you."

You turn to face him, surprised. You hadn't expected an apology, especially not after so much time had passed. And after what he'd been through.

"Oh." You hesitate, unsure how to respond.

Obi-Wan is already looking away, his eyes on the ashes of the pyre.

"It's fine," you assure him, reaching out to brush his arm, trying to draw his attention back to you. "I shouldn't have...I mean, I did say some things I didn't really mean either."

Obi-Wan looks like he wants to argue, but the words die on his lips. Instead, he nods, and looks away, his expression unreadable.

“I’m sorry about Qui-Gon,” you say quietly.

He flinches. You can see his jaw working, the muscles tensing and releasing, as he clenches his teeth. When he finally speaks, his voice is strained.

"Thank you," he replies, his voice thick with emotion. “He’s part of the living Force now.”

You nod, and look away, down at the ashes. You try to remember Qui-Gon, the light in his eyes, the warmth of his smile, the sound of his voice. You wonder if, somewhere, he is smiling down at his former Padawan. You hope, for Obi-Wan's sake, that he is.

A breeze picks up, rustling the leaves in the trees. Obi-Wan's gaze goes unfocused as he stares into the distance. After a moment, he clears his throat, and looks over at Anakin. The boy is staring into the remains of the fire, a blank look on his face. He must have felt Obi-Wan looking at him, because he turns and meets his eyes.

"We should go," Obi-Wan says, glancing back at you. "Anakin needs rest."

"And so do you," you say, looking pointedly at him.

His lips twitch, not quite a smile, but a hint of one. It fades as quickly as it comes, and he is once again the picture of stoicism, his expression blank and distant.

"Yes, well, I'll rest when I can," he replies. "But not before I see to Anakin."

"I can help, if you need."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows raise, and for a moment you worry you've overstepped. You'd barely spoken in months, and the last thing you want is for him to think you're trying to push yourself back into his life, especially after all the arguing.

But then, to your surprise, he nods.

"That would be appreciated," he says. "Thank you."

The tension between you dissipates. You can see his shoulders relax a bit, his expression soften. For the first time, you can see the fatigue etched on his features, the bags under his eyes, the lines around his mouth. You want to tell him to get some rest, but you can tell by the look in his eyes that it's not going to happen.

"It's no problem," you assure him instead. “I may not be great at being a Jedi, but younglings I can handle."

His mouth quirks upward, but there's a sadness in his eyes, a weariness, that gives you pause.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He shakes his head and sighs. "It's just...I wish we could have talked like this, before."

You watch as the last of the ashes blow away on the breeze, and then look over to Obi-Wan.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was..." You pause for a moment, choosing your words carefully, then you shrug a shoulder. "Well, I wasn't very nice."

"No, you weren't," he agrees. "But I wasn't, either."

You glance over, and catch him smiling faintly, a hint of the Obi-Wan you'd grown up with peeking through the facade. You find yourself smiling, too, a small, sad little smile.

"I suppose we'll just have to be better in the future, won't we?"

Obi-Wan hums.

"Perhaps," he replies, but he doesn't seem convinced.

"Master Yaddle said the Council is going to discuss the matter of the Sith," you say. "Maybe we'll know more soon."

Obi-Wan nods, but doesn't say anything. There's a heavy weight on his shoulders, and the lines of his face are drawn tight, as if he is trying very hard to hold himself together.

You feel the urge to reach out, to take his hand and hold it. You can't, of course, not in front of Anakin. It wouldn't be proper. And Obi-Wan, despite the fact that he's only just a few years older than you, is technically a Master now. And not just to a Padawan, but the Chosen One, a prophesized being destined to bring balance to the Force.

So you just stand there, feeling helpless, and wishing you could do something, anything, to make him feel better.

“Where is Master Yaddle, by the way?" Obi-Wan asks, frowning. It's a question you've been asking yourself for hours, and you have no answer.

"I don't know," you admit. "She said she'd be here, but I haven't seen her. She never got on the transport, as far as I know."

Obi-Wan's expression darkens, and he frowns, his brows furrowing. "That's odd."

"It is."

"I can ask Master Windu," Obi-Wan says, nodding in the direction the Council had gone. "Come."

He leads the way through the palace grounds, heading toward the gardens, where the Jedi had been staying since their arrival. You follow, struggling to keeping pace with his long strides. You don't speak, unsure what to say, afraid that anything you might say will ruin the fragile truce between the two of you. 

Anakin falls into step beside you, walking a little faster to keep up. You glance over at him and smile, trying to reassure him. He looks up at you and smiles back.

"Hey," he says. "Who are you?"

"Oh," you glance at Obi-Wan, unsure whether you should answer or not.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan says sharply, looking back at him. "Have some respect."

You nearly smile. Obi-Wan has the authority of a Master, now. It's almost amusing.

"Sorry," Anakin says sheepishly.

"It's alright," you assure him. You tell him your name, and Obi-Wan glances back.

"She is a friend,” Obi-Wan tells Anakin.

"A friend?" Anakin repeats, looking back at you curiously.

"Yes," Obi-Wan says.

"Do friends touch hands, where you're from?"

Obi-Wan chokes, his stride faltering. He shoots a panicked look back at you, his cheeks turning bright red. You bite back a laugh.

"They can,” you say, smiling at Obi-Wan.

His eyes widen, and then narrow, a look of indignation crossing his face. He shakes his head, and looks away.

"Only sometimes," he mutters, and speeds up, his robes billowing out behind him.

You can't help but grin, and, seeing the look on your face, Anakin smiles too. You reach over and give his shoulder a squeeze.

"Welcome to the Order, Anakin."

"Thank you."

As the doors to the small chamber the Council has temporarily taken over comes into view, Obi-Wan finally slows down. You catch up easily, falling in step beside him. Anakin hangs back, staying just behind.

"I'm sorry about that," Obi-Wan says apologetically, glancing over. "He's still learning."

"Don't worry about it." You hesitate, but can't help but add, "Though I'm surprised you admitted we're friends."

He looks down, and clears his throat. "Well, we are."

"Are we?"

He glances at you.

"I'd like to think so," he says softly.

You smile. "Me, too."

He gives a little nod, his lips pursed, and then turns back to the door. It opens automatically, sliding apart with a hiss.

Inside, the Council members are seated in a circle, all facing the center of the room, where Obi-Wan and Anakin now enter. Master Yoda and Master Windu are among them, their faces serious. The conversation they were having stops immediately, and the attention of everyone in the room falls on the newcomers.

There are a few whispers, some of the Jedi leaning close together to discuss whatever they are about to say. Then, one by one, each member turns to look at you.

“Master Kenobi, Padawan Anathorn," Master Windu says, and his tone is not exactly welcoming. "To what do we owe this intrusion?"

"I apologize for the interruption, Masters," Obi-Wan begins, bowing his head. "But we were wondering if you had any information on Master Yaddle. We were told she'd be at the funeral, but we haven't seen her."

"Ah," Master Windu exchanges a look with Master Yoda, who leans forward, resting his elbows on his gimer stick.

"On Coruscant, Master Yaddle remains," the old master explains. "Resigned from the Council, and from the Order, she has."

You feel as though someone has just punched you in the stomach. Resigned? Why would she resign, without saying anything to you?

"What?"

The question escapes your lips before you can stop it, loud and unbidden, and every head in the room turns to look at you. You feel the blush rise on your cheeks, and quickly duck your head.

"Apologies," you say quickly before looking back up. "But...why?"

"Why, indeed," Yoda repeats. "Concerned, we all are. But the choice, Master Yaddle has made."

“She didn’t tell me,” you whisper, feeling your stomach twist. You can feel the eyes of the Council on you, judging, questioning, wondering why she would choose you as her apprentice, why she would even choose you, when the others were so much better suited.

And the truth was, you had asked yourself that very question many times.

Master Yaddle is the closest thing you have to a mother. You'd thought she'd believed in you, wanted you to take the trials to become a Knight. But if she'd left the Council, if she'd resigned without even telling you, perhaps she was tired of dealing with you, tired of the responsibility of raising you. Perhaps she was done.

"I see," Obi-Wan replies slowly, but his eyes are on you, watching you carefully.

"Anything else, have you, Master Kenobi?" Yoda asks.

"No, Masters," Obi-Wan answers. "Forgive us."

He bows, and takes a step back. You stay rooted to the spot, your feet unwilling to move.

"Master Yaddle did not come?" you ask, your eyes moving from Master Yoda, to Master Windu, and then to the rest of the Council, all watching you intently. You feel a sudden, irrational fear grip your chest, a feeling like ice water running down your spine. Something was wrong, you were sure of it. Something was terribly wrong.

“She cared for Master Jinn, she wouldn’t—“

“Her choice it was, Padawan. Her choice, it is. Accept her resignation, we will, and move on. No choice do you have, in this matter."

You swallow the lump in your throat, and bow, your eyes burning.

"Yes, Master," you manage. "Forgive me."

“Before her resignation, Master Yaddle put forth a recommendation for you to take the trials,” Master Plo Koon speaks up. Despite the modulator of his rebreather, you hear a note of concern in his voice, and it does nothing to alleviate your own.

Your heart skips a beat, and you turn to stare at him.

"She did?"

"Yes."

"Oh," you say, stunned. You hadn't known that. Yaddle had always said you weren't ready, that you weren't prepared. Why would she recommend that you take the trials now, if not to prove a point, to get you out of her hair, so she could leave in peace?

"The decision, the Council will make. Discuss the matter, we will, once matters with the Sith are settled. For now, your focus, keep on your training."

"Yes, Master."

"Master Kenobi, young Anakin," Master Yoda looks past you, to Obi-Wan and his new Padawan, "rest, the both of you must. A long day tomorrow, you have."

"Thank you, Master Yoda."

Obi-Wan glances at you, and then nods at the Council. His hand finds your shoulder and gently, but firmly, steers you toward the door. It opens automatically, and the three of you exit, back into the garden.

"Anakin, go on," Obi-Wan says, letting go of you as the door slides shut behind you. "Wait for me in our quarters, please. I need to speak with my friend."

"Okay."

The young boy nods, and trots off, leaving the two of you alone. As soon as he disappears from view, you slump against the wall, taking a deep, shuddering breath. Your thoughts are swirling, your emotions running rampant.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asks, coming to stand in front of you.

"No," you say, shaking your head. "She didn't tell me, Obi-Wan. She didn't tell me anything."

"I'm sure there's a good reason."

"I don't care!"

You push off the wall and turn away, pacing back and forth, trying to work off some of the nervous energy. Your frustration is growing, and so is the pain, the betrayal, the hurt. You clench your fists at your sides, trying to control your breathing.

"Why would she leave without telling me? Why would she leave the Council now, when we need her the most? When I need her the most?"

"She must have had a reason," Obi-Wan insists, but you can tell he's not certain of his words.

"A reason?" You stop and turn to look at him, your anger suddenly turned toward him. "And what if that reason is that she's tired of me? What then?"

"That's not it," Obi-Wan says, frowning.

"How do you know?"

He hesitates.

"Well?"

"I..." He sighs, and runs a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. You can see the stress, the worry etched in the lines of his forehead. His eyes are bloodshot, and there are dark circles under them, and you suddenly realize that he's not in any better shape than you are.

"I know because I know her, and I know you," he says, his voice a little strained. "If Master Yaddle left the Council, there is a reason. And if she recommended you to take the trials, it's because she thinks you are ready."

"And how can I be, without her guidance? How can I do this, if she's not here?"

You take a shaky breath, and turn away again. You're on the verge of tears, and you're afraid if you look at him, you'll break down. You don’t want him to see you cry, not now, not when he's just lost his own Master, not when the whole galaxy seems to be going to shit.

"I can't do this alone," you whisper.

Obi-Wan crosses the distance between you, and puts his arms around you, pulling you against his chest.

"You're not alone," he says softly, and his words make the tears spill down your cheeks.

He holds you as you cry, his cheek pressed against the top of your head, one arm wrapped around your waist, the other cradling the back of your neck. You let yourself take comfort in the embrace, the warmth of him, his familiar scent, and his soothing voice, telling you over and over that it will be alright.

It's not true, but you let him say it, anyway.

When the tears have stopped, you pull back, and wipe at your face with the sleeve of your robes. Obi-Wan looks down at you, his expression filled with concern, his eyes filled with worry. You reach up, and brush the pad of your thumb across his cheek, wiping away the moisture there.

"Are you alright?" he asks, reaching up and putting his hand over yours.

"No."

"Would it help if I told you I was scared, too?"

You huff a laugh and pull your hand away, nodding.

"I'm serious," he says, and the smile fades from your lips. You can see the truth in his eyes, and your heart sinks.

"What are you scared of?"

"Of being a Master, of failing. Of disappointing everyone. Of...of the Sith. Of everything that's going to happen now."

"So am I," you admit. "I've never been so scared in my entire life."

"Then I suppose we'll just have to help each other get through it."

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet." He smiles, and reaches out, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear. "But I'm willing to try, if you are."

You nod. "Okay."

Obi-Wan takes a step back, his hand falling away from your face. He hesitates, as if he wants to say something else, and then nods to himself, and turns to leave.

"Thank you," you call after him.

He pauses, and looks back, a smile on his face.

"You're welcome," he says, and then continues on his way, heading off to meet his new Padawan.

You watch him go, and hope that whatever happens, the two of you will be able to stick together. That the Sith will not destroy everything you hold dear. Because if they do, then what will be the point of any of it?

As the sun begins to set, painting the sky above the temple red, you turn and head in the direction of your own quarters. Tomorrow, you will train, and hope that the next time the Council meets, they will allow you to take the Trials.

You will train, and meditate, and focus.

Because despite what the Council would lead you and the galaxy to believe, this is far from over.

[lovefortayley]

Happy one year anniversary This Is Why.

[ricksoo]

So the first mewtwo WIS post was uh

Kinda outdated (Or at least it kinda looked underwhelming for me :P)

So I remade it, hopfully this comes out better!

Thanks to @iu141300 I decided to remake it Xd

Oh yeah there's barely any text animation cause I'm too lazy to give each one of them animation (Even though they're presets... it's still difficult. Also because text animations makes it hard to see what category of point it is)

Shadowtwo and Huey belongs to @xxtc-96xx :]

[achingly-shy]

spotify wrapped 2023: #51 + teen wolf for anon

"or were you all in a dream amelie, amelie? i don't know" amelie — gracie abrams

[illopii]

Useful boyfriend<3

[petruchio]

the warmer the waves - 4k

AU. Finnick survives the war. All that's left is for him to come home.

[that-one-raccoon]

Vampire! Varian as requested by @varian4567

[lets-try-some-writing]

I need a full fucking post about the children to sparklings au, I need tears of the families reunion. And that includes bee and smokescreen fucking booking it to that location. I need Optimus being a proud dad about Jack becoming a doctor. I need him intimidating Miko's partner. And I need him being silently ecstatic about one of his kids FINALLY BECOMING AN ARCHIVST

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECIEVE!!! I giveth YET ANOTHER addition to this AU at your behest. Enjoy :)

Previous part here.

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When Optimus gave himself to the Well, he knew what he was doing was going to hurt his sparklings. There had been no other option, but once he rejoined the Allspark and integrated with it enough to have a voice, he made his opinions as clear as day. He was forced into a dormant state off and on, as was customary for those who returned to their maker. However, whenever he was roused from his rest, he was highly vocal about his desire to return to the living realm so that he might be with those he left behind. He spent vorns upon vorns bitterly attempting to speak to his fellow Primes to convince them to give him new life. Thankfully, as soon as the threat of the Fallen came into play, they were willing to let him return to life at the cost of him doing their bidding whenever they required it.

To Optimus it felt like an absolute scam, but who was he to reject? Primus would only let him live again if he agreed to give up his memory. His fellows were the only ones who could pull strings to let him return largely unscathed. So if he had to be their lapdog in exchange for the right to life, then he would do what he had to. Besides, in the worst case, he was not against throwing himself back into the Well to avoid being turned into a tool to be used. As such, Optimus's spark was taken from the Well along with the Matrix of leadership and he was given a new frame to inhabit before promptly being thrown to Earth to fight for his life.

Cybertronians and humans present at the battle site took countless videos and pictures as Optimus and the Fallen fought one another with vicious brutality. Even as the battle raged, recordings were being uploaded to Cybertron and consequently the datanet at rapid fire speed. So when Optimus finally hauled himself out of the crater formed from his battle with the Fallen, word was already spreading. The team were on Cybertron reminiscing, but those who were once bound to Optimus sensed that connection stirring. They largely shrugged it off a mere oddity, but the closer Optimus came to arriving on Cybertron, the stronger that pull became. Out of all the sparklings, it was Jack, or rather Sirius who seemed to understand what was happening first.

The eldest of the former humans broke into a mad sprint and fell on his face in his hurry to get to where his spark felt compelled to see to. Bumblebee and Smokescreen were next to pick up the flare from Optimus's end of the bond and promptly began booking it toward where they felt the call was coming from. Rafael, or rather Alnair was similarly quick to get moving and attached himself to his sister as she hurried to take to the skies. Miko, or Tari flew through the skies faster than she ever had before, quickly surpassing her ground bound brethren in her haste. Alnair, from within her cockpit, hurriedly ran scans, desperately reciprocating love and affection and trying to work through tears. None of the sparklings could believe it, not after so long. But they could not deny it, there was no denying the adoration and love that sung in their sparks.

Optimus hardly had a chance to land on the ground before Tari transformed, flinging her brother off in her haste to get to her Sire. She promptly threw herself into Optimus's arms, not doubting for even a moment that it was him. Optimus merely dropped to a knee so that she could reach him better, and he cupped her face, running his digits along her cheeks as he sang softly. Tari wept but leaned into the touch that had long become but a memory. Optimus was back, her Sire was there, touching her face and looking at her with all the love and care in the world. All of her sparkling vorns were spent lost, without guidance. There was always something missing in her life, and she filled that void with aggression and then the family she found with the Wreckers. Now though? She could feel everything coming back together, as if a piece of her spark was being put into its proper place. She clung to Optimus's plating as Alnair stepped forward hesitantly.

The minicon was no fool. He knew that the mech before him was his Sire. But he had been so young when Optimus died. He hardly remembered his Sire even though his spark pulsed in recognition. To him, seeing Optimus was almost like meeting a long dead historical figure. He knew the stories, he knew Optimus's reasoning and choices. Alnair worked in the archives after all. And yet here he was, standing and venting as if he hadn't been dead for vorns. Optimus extending a servo toward him was all that it took to break Alnair from his desperate logical reasoning. He stepped forward slowly, but as soon as he neared the Prime, Optimus drew him in for a hug alongside his sister. He could not stop himself from shedding a few silent tears as his spark cried out, old scars aching now that what was thought lost was returned to him.

Sirius arrived third and skidded to a stop wheezing from exertion. He did not cry, he did not wail. No, he watched Optimus hold his siblings close, and only once Optimus smiled down at him did Sirius step forward and join the hug wordlessly. There was no need for communication between them at the moment. Sirius knew his Sire and had enough of his memories from his youth to feel relief over confliction. Optimus's passing damaged him deeply, but he was old enough to move on and know what his Sire did was worth it. He was willing and able to fill the void as best as he was able. But now that Optimus was back, sheer relief flooded his processors as at last, he no longer needed to remain the firm foundation for his siblings.

Smokescreen was not nearly as composed as Sirius when he arrived. So much stress and having to practically raise his younger siblings alone had him bawling the moment he crashed into Optimus and fit into the rather snug hug. Bumblebee did not cry, but he did squeeze Optimus tightly when he squeezed his way into the hug circle. Optimus for his part sang lovingly for what could have been nanokliks or up to a groon. However when at last all of his sparklings released him, he remained on his knees so that they could refamiliarize themselves with him. In any other situation it would be seen as uncalled for or even intrusive. But as Sirius touched Optimus's servos and mapped them with his digits, not a spark spoke a word. Tari examined Optimus's jetpack, lifting the wings and doing her best to be gentle as memories of flying with her Sire returned to her. Alnair focused on Optimus's windshield, touching the glass and leaning against the Prime to feel his spark. Smokescreen and Bumblebee merely touched Optimus's shoulders, neither needing much more to reaffirm the most basic part of their bond to him.

It was such a small thing, but Optimus did not stop his song as the rest of the team arrived and watched in total shock and awe as the Prime's sparklings acted on instinct to inspect and confirm that he was who their sparks proclaimed him to be. Only once they all settled did he speak.

"You have all grown so much during my absence. I lament that I could not be here to watch you develop, but if you would allow me, I would like to be part of your lives once more."

There was not any hesitation in the sparklings' answers. The team were shaken by their Prime's sudden return and Cybertron was thrown into absolute uproar as Optimus Prime quickly made himself known. Not a single mech on Cybertron was able to do a thing as Optimus took up a position as Head Archivist in the newly established government and then proceeded to go spend time with his sparklings while blowing all of his starting leave. The planet hardly had time to process that he was in fact alive again before Optimus appeared on national TV praising Sirius for achieving his doctorate in neuroscience, remarking fondly on Tari's perfect combat record, and hailing Alnair for becoming his apprentice.

Behind the scenes Optimus made a deal with all of his sparklings, one where he would spend a stellar cycle with each to begin to make up for lost time. He began with Tari simply because she was the most frantic. All of that time was spent with Tari showing Optimus her life and all her work. She had him watch her training, observe her skills in flight, and read through her records just to see her success amongst the records. Throughout it all Optimus showered her in affection, giving her hugs and singing to her on instinct whenever he was pleased. Tari did not care at all that Optimus was reacting to her actions as if she were still a sparkling. She loved it all and had no qualms against bringing her courting partner to meet her Sire. She was too happy about the situation to know when Optimus took her partner aside, putting a servo on their shoulder and smiling a little too wide to be comfortable.

"Treat her well, or you too may learn of the peace found within the Allspark"

The poor bot was terrified and went to Tari shaking. Tari assumed that it was simple nervousness and laughed it off, but Optimus kept smiling and made a point of showing that Tari was his sparkling whenever he could. He was not upset with her courting partner, but to Optimus, Tari was a tiny sparkling last he checked. Letting her go off to do whatever with a bot he did not know was something he needed time to handle.

Bumblebee and Smokscreen were next on his visit list, and the entirety of their gathering was comprised of the two brothers lamenting raising the trio alone. Optimus listened dutifully, offering hugs, cuddles, field comfort, and whatever else was required. He treated them as if they were young, making them energon and letting them unwind after vorns of stress. It was a month filled with tears on Smokescreen's end and centuries worth of stress finally being released from Bee's shoulders. Whenever Optimus wasn't playing therapist, his eldest sparklings took him everywhere and anywhere, showing him Cybertron and doing their best to make a show of their efforts to ensure his vision became reality. It was humorous to the Prime to watch his two eldest bicker over meaningless things before promptly becoming dead serious over different topics in record time. No matter how old they were, Optimus saw them as the two younglings he took under his care.

Chaotic as they were, they did not argue when Optimus went to Sirius next. Sirius for his part was far less excitable than Tari. All he wanted from Optimus was the chance to talk and catch up. And so that was what they did. A whole stellar cycle went by with Sirius sitting with his Sire, drinking diluted and flavored energon while discussing everything and anything in the local garden. Optimus practically beamed as he listened to all Sirius had to say about his life and the happenings on Cybertron. More than once he reached out to hold his sparkling's servos as Sirius spoke. The Prime did grow momentarily bitter over hearing of Sirius's habit of going to June's grave, but he did not let it show. Sirius was his sparkling, and he showed nothing but joy as the eldest of the former humans showed Optimus all his medical tools with glee, bringing back memories of when Sirius was far younger.

If Optimus quietly pulled some strings to ensure Sirius worked at the clinic closest to the archives, not a spark said a word. Sirius was a doctor and Optimus couldn't have been prouder.

Alnair though... he was a different situation. The youngest of the trio did not know Optimus as his elder siblings did. He was too young when Optimus died to know much. And so his time with Optimus amounted to working together in the Archives. Optimus was once an apprentice to Alpha Trion, and so despite the initial awkwardness, Optimus taught Alnair all he knew. The minicon was dead set on trying to leave as soon as possible and get a new line of work, but as Optimus weaved his tales of pre-war Cybertron and dutifully worked to teach Alnair, the youngest of the former humans warmed up to his Sire quickly. By the end of the stellar cycle, Alnair was just as excitable as Tari and bound himself to Optimus as his assistant minicon. Optimus did not object to having his sparkling with him all the time. How could he when FINALLY one of his line saw fit to appreciate his previous occupation prior to the war.

Optimus may or may not have commissioned a few private archival tools for Alnair, but again, that was something none would confirm. Optimus wanted to pamper his sparklings. Not even the Matrix could stand in his way. He was finally home and the sparklings finally had their Sire back. Cybertron was restored, peace achieved, and the people flourishing. What more could Optimus want?

Well family drama was certainly new, and adapting to a brand new era certainly had its downsides, but it couldn't be that bad, right?

Right?

[candyheartedchy]

Here’s pretty much the overall idea of Hater and Poppy’s first meeting.

Poppy is a traveling merchant that literally pops up in random places all around the galaxy and then disappears without a trace. So with Wander and Sylvia being regulars, Poppy is always happy to see the two, knowing darn well Wander will always buy something from her no matter what.

So one day after buying something from Poppy, Wander overhears Lord Hater complaining about looking for a specific, powerful item before blurting out that Poppy has that very same item in her possession, causing Hater to go looking for her. Wander and Sylvia quickly tries to find Poppy before Hater does, but was too late.

When meeting, Poppy happily tells Hater about what she has on sale, until Peepers quickly realizes that Poppy has multiple of sought out items in the galaxy in her possession. Before the two could make a deal, Wander and Sylvia runs in and warns Poppy to not sell anything to Hater before a fight breaks out. Poppy panics, packing up her shop, trying to escape until getting zapped by Peepers.

Waking up in a prison cell, discovering she cant teleport away due to a device on her neck, Poppy then realized that Wander and Sylvia are captured too in a cell across from her before she gets dragged away by two watchdogs to see Lord Hater. Poppy then gets threatened to hand over all her possessions, doing so before accidentally dropping a heart-shaped compact mirror, snatching up in panic before Hater commands her to hand it over. Pleading him to let her keep it, Peepers snatched the item, tossing it to Hater. Confused at first since it looks like a generic mirror, a blast of light engulfs Hater, turning him pink and frilly. Horrified by this transformation, Hater starts to tear away at the outfit, yelling at Poppy who explains that she was entrusted with the trinket, traveling the galaxy as an merchant to find the person worthy of the powers that are held in it. Hater then tosses it back, claiming it’s too prissy for his taste.

Poppy then asks if they could let her and Wander and Syliva go, causing Hater to laugh, telling her that she can go, but not them. Mad now, Poppy snatches one of the items she handed over before and aims it at Hater, only for it to get destroyed as Hater blasts it out of her hands. One after the other, Poppy tries to aim an weapon at Hater, only for him to destroy it, causing Peepers to panic, realizing that the two where destroying all the items they were trying to keep for themselves. Weaponless now, Poppy was soon cornered by Hater, looking down at her mirror, conflicted, until using it on herself.

Getting blasted across the room, both Hater and Peepers watched as Poppy breaks the collar around her neck, radiating with power and starts attacking the pair. Escaping on their own, Wander and Sylvia rushes in to breaks up the fight, talking Poppy down to go back to normal as she was mad with power. Changing back, almost drained, Poppy leaves with the two in a bubble, leaving Hater and Peepers surrounded by the destruction that was left by her as Hater just stares off in awe.

[sharkneto]

“So, what was I supposed to do, Five!? I lost my family!” “If only there was someone who could understand that!” Allison and Five should have talked before everything went down in Hotel Oblivion. But better late and in a new timeline than never.

Whaaat? That 10k word post-S3 conversation between Five and Allison I've been rotating in my head for a year and a half? Finally here? Enjoy!

[purecommemasolitude]

Okay so re: Darry as the captain in a sound of music AU. This is just one possible route that I thought up last night and typed out while I couldn’t sleep

It’s the type of AU where we steal beats and plot points from TSOM and transfer them into the outsiders, because not being rich is very important to why Darry is the way he is (also for reasons I outline below I made Two-Bit Maria and that man is never even going to think about becoming a religious career man)

And also I don’t actually know when he and Two-Bit would end up together because with some of the changes I made I couldn't make it work within the main plot, so it would have to be in an event bit taken from TSOM. So it’s not in the bullet points

anyway I'll put the bullet points I typed up in an hour at midnight yesterday below the cut because it’s long but I will admit. this one kind of got away from me

- okay so Darry is the captain. Obv

- High school & football take the place of the navy

- Racked my brain for a bit and I think Two-Bit is Maria?? Like I said I don’t really go in for outsiders ships anyway so I cross-referenced usual Darry LIs and general characters and he was the only one who was age-appropriate and also could have a Maria vibe (is able to find the light in life, willing to poke at a cold figure until it shows emotion, gets along with the brothers in canon)

- Soda & Pony are aged down because otherwise this wouldn’t make any sense — Soda is 14 going on 15 and Pony’s 12

- (Steve and Johnny are also aged down to match their respective buddies so the boys can still have friends I think. I haven’t decided what to do with Dally yet in this AU — I would put him as Max with a personality transplant but I don’t know if I can see Dally being chill with Darry’s attempt to. Play into respectability politics essentially)

- Darry’s infinitely more stressed supporting two more needy kids on his meagre income alone. Soda does odd jobs but nothing full time

- This manifests in him being colder / less outwardly affectionate than in the book to Soda as well as Pony

- Furthermore he’s desperately trying to ensure their futures, which means he disapproves of them being too outwardly greaser, both for separation reasons and for respectability reasons down the line

- However being 12 and 14 means they’re less able to control their emotions and understand Darry. So the guy from the state comes down and sees them and says you need to spend more time with these kids man. They’re not loved

- Shit.

- Two-Bit, meanwhile, is living an unluckier life than the book

- After his father left his mother was only able to choose one kid to be able to support, and because he was older and more self sufficient, Two-Bit had to go

- He grows up bouncing around from orphanage to foster home to foster home to orphanage etc, erasing his family out of his mind because it hurts too much and Two-Bit Mathews does not like to dwell on things that hurt him

- Upon turning 18, he’s out of the system and despite his nature is forced to get a job to survive

- He does odd jobs around and scrounges enough money to pay for a shitty shitty motel

- Meets Marcia through these jobs, and they strike up a friendship

- However most of these odd jobs are a lot of labour and very unstable so he’s looking for better & easier work

- He starts thinking and he thinks of his own childhood. If there had been someone else around to watch him, maybe his mother wouldn’t have had to give him away

- And then he has one too many encounters with the bugs in his motel and decides fuck it. I’m putting an ad in the paper

- Darry’s reading the news as he does one night when he sees what may very well be God’s gift to the Curtis family

- There’s someone willing to work for — well, he can’t afford that, just like he can’t afford any of the other prices he’s seen on nannies and babysitters and watchers — but he’s also willing to work for pretty much nothing if he gets lodging

- Soda & Pony are still bunking together for nightmare reasons, and Darry’s sleeping in his own room, so he sits Soda down and asks him if he’s okay with someone else using his old room

- If he’s not, Darry will have to move into their parents’ room, but thank God he is

- So Darry contacts Two-Bit who is surprised that he’s a man and not a single mom but agrees readily

- Darry’s wary of Two-Bit’s manner but monetarily he’s desperate

- Two-Bit meanwhile takes one look at the Curtis house and is like damn no one ever has any fun within these walls. I’ve gotta change that

- Instead of making new clothes for them, Two-Bit teaches them how to grease their hair

- (Darry was away working on a house a little out of the city — it’s a placing he’d normally have had to decline because of the kids, but because of Two-Bit he’s able to accept and get a slightly higher pay)

- Darry is of course furious but Two-Bit argues back, saying that kids need self-expression and haven’t you noticed how happy they are about their hair, and besides, you know damn well grease is more than just what you put in your hair, Curtis. You think Socs can’t take one look at those boys and see exactly what they came from? Exactly what they are? You’re out of your mind.

- We probably tie Maria’s impassioned “please, love all of them” speech to here — then again it’s been a while so maybe somewhere else is better we’ll have to see

- Two-Bit especially throws accusations at him about how Ponyboy thinks his brother doesn’t even love him, and if he’s not going to prove he cares about them then maybe they all would be better off without each other

- He thinks Darry might punch him for that but instead he staggers back like he’s been hit

- Darry remembers what this whole thing was for and resolves to be better

- In showing more of his love for his brothers he also shows more of his personality to Two-Bit, who wasn’t expecting to like this guy as much as he does

- He looks at how hard he fights to keep his family together when his own fell apart for very similar reasons and his heart hurts

- Also Sandy is Rolf (Ralf?? Whatever Liesl’s nazi boytoy’s name is)

- Except we are cutting the nazis because there is no not-grossly insensitive way to do the nazis

- We might have to cut the music theme too? Which is a SHAME, but none of Darry’s hobbies work. So we may just make him dig out his dad’s old guitar or we’ll just ignore that because the music theme, as far as characters go, isn’t as important in this AU. Or maybe music = the greaser lifestyle

- Anyway, life continues and it’s as good as can be, bla bla, somehow Dally is there, without realizing Two-Bit and Darry are catching feelings for each other

- One day, Ponyboy and Soda make some innocent remark about Two-Bit being in love with their brother, and he bluescreens

- Because. Oh shit. He’s in love with their brother.

- And the class difference & pre-existing engagement as reasons they can’t be together in the original is replaced with good old fashioned homophobia in this one, and Two-Bit denies and gets the hell out of there before anyone, let alone Darry notices

- He uses his meagre savings to return to the shitty motel, until finally he talks with Marcia and she’s like what the heck. Why did you leave a dream job to go back to the crummiest motel imaginable

- He dodges and denies but one of the things that drew him to her in the first place is that she’s sharp

- Marcia figures it out, or at least something very close to the truth, and while she’s too aware of 60s homophobia to actually urge him back, she does half-convince him through sneaky means like calling him a scaredy-cat who can’t even tell a few lies until the situation passes

- He goes back to the motel and thinks hard about the situation and remembers how much happier the kids were with someone to keep them company when they were done running around before Darry got home

- He thinks about how Darry was able to get better pay with him there and how much that helped give the family breathing space

- He thinks about how it really didn’t even feel like a job, which is a big draw to someone as disinclined to work as Two-Bit

- And he also thinks about how truly shitty the motel is. And decides to go back

- It’s for the good of the family, he convinces himself, telling himself he does not miss them at all

- He returns, no one says anything about him being in love with anyone, because the boys have learned that when they point it out their new brother leaves, and they’re not about to risk that again

- Darry & Two-Bit have a reunion with a lot of unspoken feelings and they do NOT get together because neither of them are willing to risk outing themselves for the sake of a one in a million chance

- Instead they do a lot of prolonged longing eye contact and are too busy looking at each other to notice Soda and Ponyboy sharing confirming glanced themselves

- So things continue kind of like they were before but with more pining, and also Austria is replaced by the Curtis house, which they’re in danger of losing

- Both Darry and Two-Bit are terrified the boys are going to end up following their respective paths, and they end up having a lot of talks about their futures that turn into co-parenting discussions that turn into heart-to-hearts about themselves

- Darry learns that Two-Bit never found his family again, and does some digging and asks some old school friends and lo and behold, they’re still in town, and here’s their address.

- Two-Bit, who has managed to convince himself that he made up being in love with Darry, sees this man who has every right to drop all three of the people in the house like a hot potato and chase the dreams he’s determined and ambitious and intelligent enough to get, pouring every ounce of his being into care for others, who takes hard times and instead of drinking them away or giving up pushes himself past the edge and comes out swinging, and realizes that he is still in love with Darry. And maybe he will never not be in love with Darry.

- Unfortunate!

- He came back determined to never run away again, and he’s sticking by that, even though it’s never been harder to live under the same roof as Darry and not Do something about his feelings

- (Also, at some point Soda gets jumped, and together with Two-Bit he fights them off. When they all talk about it later at some point in the Curtis home, someone makes an offhand comment about how Two-Bit is basically family and then he really resolves to not leave unless Darry chases him out with a broom)

- Maria and Liesl’s Sixteen Going On Seventeen Reprise is replaced with Two-Bit and Soda having a talk about Sandy, during which Two-Bit talks about being in love like he’s experienced it, which of course he has, but Darry overhears and it puts a lot of stupid hope into his heart because to his knowledge Two-Bit’s never gone steady with someone, and some of his descriptions sound awful familiar…..

- But he crushes those thoughts because he’s learned by now that Darry Curtis does not get lucky breaks

- And if he does confess and it goes wrong, which it will, it could mean his brothers getting taken away

- But he watches Two-Bit joke around with his brothers and sees someone who takes everything life throws at him and inexplicably grins back at it, who is just as intelligent as Darry is but in a way that takes its time to make itself understood, and who cares about his brothers as much as he does, and it’s stupid and hopeless, but he wants. Heaven help him, he wants so badly

- Meanwhile, he’s gotten a job offer. It’s a good job offer too, it means they could maybe afford to spend extra money on new clothes or nicer groceries

- And it’s an office job, someone who heard of him through the bookkeeping he does as his second job for his roofing company, which means fewer hours and more time with the people he cares about

- There’s a recreational football league in the area he’s never had time to join, or Two-Bit’s suggested coaching a younger team too, so he can return to workouts he likes rather than workouts that make his body ache like a man of 40 instead of 20

- It’s pretty much perfect. But it’s halfway across the city and it means they’d have to move out of their parents’ home

- (Yes this is Switzerland. It’s a lot harder to replicate without pre-WW2 Europe)

- He’s conflicted, Two-Bit thinks he should go for it but is also convinced he’s going to be left behind in the move

- Soda & Pony don’t want to leave but they do want Darry to work less so they’re also conflicted

- Two-Bit is listing out reasons for the move and one of them is that they’d be able to cut his cost since Darry’d be home more

- Darry looks at him and carefully says, “you wouldn’t be coming with us?”

- Two-Bit, with a raised eyebrow masking his heart starting to hope, says “well, do you want me there?”

- Darry is too stressed and tired and conflicted to mince his words when he replies, “of course.” like it’s a given, like they’re maybe something more than what they pretend

- But he still doesn’t want to move, until one day they have no choice: if they don’t get out of there, they’re going to lose the house. It’s just not in suitable shape for growing boys, says the state. They don’t have enough money to pay for renovations but Darry is going to rebuild the entire thing himself if he has to, damn it all, until Two-Bit asks him to talk and convinces him to move on

- “Your parents live on in your brothers more than in this house. Your parents live on in you more than in this house. You want to keep their memory alive? Start by doing what they would want you to do, and let yourself have an easy break for once.”

- And so they pack up and Darry takes the offer, but before they leave, Two-Bit visits his family

- It goes… well. Sort of. After seeing Darry run himself into the ground he’s forgiven his mother, and his sister is open to the idea of having a brother

- Their lives were better off than they would’ve been if he’d stayed but his was not and that hurts

- But he remembers the three people who now view him as their own like he was always there, and somehow the pain eases, and when his mother makes him promise to visit again, he actually means it when he agrees

- They gather to say one last good bye to the Curtis home, and despite facing the most unknowns since any of them can remember, they’re together, and that’s enough

The end <3 this is just one possible route that I thought of, I truly have no idea if this is cooking or if the kitchen is burning down

[mickeym4ndy]

You have complete creative control over how Mickey’s storyline is handled (in a world where Noel doesn’t leave maybe?) What kind of storylines does he have and how does his relationship with Ian process? Go!

Anon this is literally THE BEST question ever thank u so much for asking!!

I’ve spoken about this before here, and here. What could’ve (& should’ve) been in season 6 and beyond with Mickey is my Roman Empire.

I’d obviously have him not go to prison, or he goes for a a couple months or so but in the end is found not guilty and released.

The main reason I would have LOVED if Mickey was in season 6 is actually Yevgeny (and Svetlana). The potential that storyline had! I would focus his season 6 arc on building a relationship with his son and how that helps him heal a bit from his childhood. That’s really where I think the writers were planning on going with his story.

I would say at the beginning, he’s still quite focused on Ian. But Ian is still pushing him away. Mickey is drinking a lot and drowning his sorrows and just in general feeling terrible. But eventually he pulls himself out of it. I think it’d be maybe Svetlana or Mandy who tells him to get his shit together. (Ian’s arc would remain largely the same but no Caleb bc fuck him).

I’d have Svetlana and Mickey still living together and him slowly warming more to Yevgeny and realizing how much he cares for him and loves him. It would have been SO good to see Mickey actively be a better father than Terry and how much that puts his own childhood into perspective for him.

He’d freak out and be hard on himself, often convincing himself that he’s a terrible dad and the kid is better off without him. But he’d be trying. One night Svetlana has to go out and he’s alone with Yevgeny and he has to bathe him and rock him to sleep and everything and Yevgeny is screaming and crying as toddlers do and Mickey is freaking out and trying not to lose it, but eventually he calms him down and rocks him to sleep and Mickey’s just like holy shit. He looks at his son and knows he’d do anything to keep him safe and it puts his own childhood into perspective bc he’s like how could anyone hurt this baby??? He’s breaking the cycle and trying not to repeat the sins of his father and we love that for him. He’s not perfect and he makes mistake but he’s trying!

Also I’m obsessed w what Mickeys reaction would be the first time Yev calls him Dada/Daddy. Maybe he’d be shocked at first and it’d freak him out and then he’d be like “yea kid, I’m your dad.”

He ends up spending a lot of time with Yevgeny and Svetlana and the three of them become a little dysfunctional family. Mickey and Svetlana hijinks PLEASE. Idek for sure what they’d be doing. But they’d spend a lot of time together, and really grow fond of each other. They become family. They still act like they hate each other, but they don’t. They’d become an accidental bestie/co parenting duo. At this point, Yev and Svet are kind of all Mickey has left, so he’d rely on them a lot. I can see him becoming really protective of them too. And family is important to Svet.

Also Mickey and Mandy get back in touch and she calls him after the dead guy incident for help and he brings Svetlana. Simply because I wanna see what Svetlana would do in that situation. Would be iconic. Also would keep Iggy and Colin in the show and have them hang out some bc they were funny and I miss them. Milkovich family bonding please!

I would like to see him still interact with the Gallagher’s - I’d definitely have him be the one to help out Carl with everything. Mickey would be the one to talk some sense into him and help him through it. I feel like he’d still sometimes talk to Debbie too. I would still have him & Ian not see much of each other, though. I think Ian avoiding him is quite in character for Ian.

One day he’s running a scam or dealing and almost gets caught and Svetlana is like “ok, we need real jobs.” And he goes out and gets a job as a bartender or bouncer somewhere.

When it comes to Ian, I think it’s better if they actually end up not seeing much of each other for a while. But Mickey hears that Ian is becoming an EMT and he’s really proud of him.

Eventually, they’d find their way back to each other. They start as friends and they both have to get passed everything that happened and Ian would have to get passed the “I’m not worthy of love” thing that he dealt with in season 10. One random way I can see it happening is that Ian hears that Yevgeny is in hospital (he’s fine, really high fever but he gets better) and is really worried so he goes to see him. Mickey is there worried out of his mind and they start talking and that’s the beginning of it.

I think Mickey’s priorities would shift and this would lead to a healthier dynamic between him and Ian. But I’ve gone into detail on that here so I won’t talk any more about it lol.

I haven’t thought all that much of what he’d do beyond season 6/7. I think in the following seasons he’d deal with balancing his family and his relationship with Ian. And also him dealing with more of his past trauma and everything (similar to what happened with Terry in season 10, and the PTSD he’d likely struggle with post canon). I’d love to see him talk to someone about it but I do feel like that’s something that he wouldn’t be ready for for years. I’d also like to see him become a tattoo artist or do any job he’d enjoy, but again that would probably be a future/later seasons storyline.

I feel like this isn’t great and I’ve worded it better other times lol. I probably have more but that’s what I’m saying for now! Might add to it if I get more ideas lol.

[leolingo]

“COVER ME IN ROSES”

[spiderbit / M / 3k ish]

some #s: Purgatory, Established Relationship, Stolen Moments, Making Out, Asexual Cellbit, Fluff and Humor (+)

“What the fuck?” Foolish's eyes crinkle in bewilderment, though he’s already getting up. “It’s either witness some freak shit or get hit with meteors over the head outside? Man, I don’t like these choices—“

“Yep. Sorry,” Roier cuts in, not very sorry at all. “Get moving. We’ll make it up to you. Maybe,”

(It's a regular day in the Red Base and Roier and Cellbit demand a moment for themselves. Everyone else knows better than to disagree.)

third fic of the year and its january 10th theres something very wrong with me

[brighteststar707]

All I've Ever Known

All I've ever known is how to hold my own But now I wanna hold you

Now I wanna hold you, hold you close I don't wanna ever have to let you go Now I wanna hold you, hold you tight I don't wanna go back to the lonely life

You finally convince Saeyoung to stop sleeping on the floor of the apartment.

✦ Saeyoung x gn!Reader ✦ Rating: general, very very fluffy ✦ Words: 2071

I've referenced some lines from an outgoing call on day 10 of his route in this fic, they're adapted a bit to fit the scene.

Seven usually waits until you have fallen asleep to go to sleep himself. Part of it is that he has so much work to do that he can barely afford more than a few hours of rest, and part of it is that it makes him feel vulnerable to try and sleep with you so close by. He has managed to keep his buffers up while he’s awake so far, but you follow him into his dreams, and he’s a lot less strong there.

Every night since he arrived at the apartment, you have been soothed to sleep by the sound of his fingers racing against his keyboard and him shuffling in place to try and get comfortable. He’s usually awake before you are too, sitting in the same position he was the night before. The only sign that he has gone to sleep at all are the marks on his cheek where his makeshift hoodie pillow has pressed into his face.

But one night, you woke up – something in your dreams about breaking glass and not being able to get enough air – and decided to get out of bed for a glass of water before trying to sleep again.

And there he was. Asleep, arms wrapped around the hoodie to keep it together under his head, his legs tucked close to his body. You could tell that he was uncomfortable, even unconscious. You had seen him rolling out his shoulders during the day, not-so discreetly wincing at his achy muscles. He might have been asleep, but he was far from restful.

You crept into the kitchen, got your glass of water, and returned to bed, but instead of trying to sleep again (you still didn’t feel like you could catch a full breath), you sat upright with the blankets pulled around you. You wondered what he was dreaming of. You wondered about what it would be like to have his arms around you instead of the blanket, if maybe then your heart rate would settle and you’d be able to fall asleep again.

It certainly wasn’t the first time you had imagined being close to him - those fantasies had started after a few late-night phone calls - but the memory of that night had remained with you.

So, after he finally opens up to you, after you promise him that you’re with him for whatever the future holds, it doesn’t take long for you to start wondering where he’s going to sleep now that he’s no longer keeping you at arm's length.

You stay up late tonight, both breaching the make-believe boundaries that he had set up. No space is off-limits. You sit next to him as he repairs the cat robot and allow your arms to touch. He doesn’t shrink away as you would have expected him to, he actually leans in closer to you. When he’s done, he takes your hand almost subconsciously, to keep you from leaving.

You play hide and seek over the phone, and when he finds you, he sweeps you into his arms without inhibition, really laughing for the first time in days. His cheeks pinken when he realises how close you are, but he doesn’t let go.

You pack up all your belongings (as if this was all just a long hotel stay, not the most disorienting ten days of your life). He rummages through every drawer and cabinet of the apartment for information. You avoid talking about sleep. You just know one thing for sure: you cannot let him sleep on the floor again tonight, even if you have to sleep on the sofa to make sure he gets some proper rest. Hopefully it doesn’t have to come to that, though.

Eventually, once there is nothing left to pack and you keep stifling yawns, you change into your pyjamas, hoping he will get the hint. When you emerge from the bathroom, his eyes linger on you for a second, before he realises that he’s staring and looks away quickly.

“Right- it’s getting late,” he says, voice nervous. “I shouldn’t have kept you up this long. Sorry, Sunshine. ”

You shake your head, but he’s still not looking at you. There’s something nervous and fluttery in your chest that urges you closer towards him.

“I don’t mind. We worked faster together than you would have by yourself.”

And you have. The whole apartment has been turned inside-out, the route has been planned, he has explained to you more or less what to expect from your trip, all the time worrying that something would scare you off. You reminded him again that you were in it for the long haul, and the look on his face made you want to kiss him right there. And, oh, it’s still so tempting.

“Will you be going to sleep soon too, Seven?”

“Ah… I wasn't going to, with so much going on.” He scratches the back of his head and smiles bashfully.

“You need to rest if you're going to drive us all that way tomorrow.”

“If I get tired I'll just –” he gestures towards his corner. The equipment and food have all been tidied up now, and all that’s left as a reminder that that was his corner at all is his duffel bag sitting there, ready to be picked up on the way out in the morning.

You take another step towards him. He finally looks back at you. It’s as if he can read your mind, the tips of his ears have turned a deep red at the mere thought of what you’re about to suggest. But you can see the exhaustion on his face, as clear as the embarrassment. It’s a fact: he hasn’t been sleeping well. He couldn’t lie about it even if he wanted to (and he has only just started telling the truth).

You reach for him, wrap your fingers gently around his wrist. He doesn’t move, he just keeps his eyes locked on you.

“I have a better idea.” You let it hang in the air for a second, implications obvious.

“I –”

“It’s not like that, I promise.” It’s your turn to blush now. “I just want you to be comfortable and … I don’t want to be far away from you.” You’ve said it a few times over the past few days, but for some reason this is the time that it makes you feel embarrassed.

“But you want me to sleep there? With you?”

“Yes... If you don’t want to, I can make up the sofa for the night. One of us can sleep there. I just can’t watch you sleep on the floor for another night, Seven.”

His flustered demeanour cracks for a second to reveal a mischievous grin. “You’ve been watching me sleep?” He pulls an exaggerated look of shock that’s cuter than it should be and covers his chest with his hands. “Why, 606, you little voyeur!”

He pokes your cheek and you let go of his wrist to swat at him playfully in an attempt to distract from your flustered expression. Of course, he’s not so easily deterred. He’s laughing, a proper full laugh that warms you up from the inside out, at the sight of you so caught off-guard (it is usually him in your position) and it’s like a switch has flipped and the tension that was building breaks. He reaches for your arm to pull you closer to him and you wrap your arms around his middle.

He speaks to you with his cheek resting against the side of your head, holding you tightly to his chest so you can hear his heartbeat (it’s racing). As quickly as his tone flipped from shy to playful, it switches again, this time to sound soft, honest (and slightly muffled).

“Trust me, I want to.”

“Then join me.”

“Can it that easy?”

“Yes.”

He desperately wants to believe it, and your tone helps him. It leaves no room for doubt. After all, everything so far has been so difficult, maybe just this part doesn’t have to be a fight against himself.

Without allowing himself a second longer to overthink it, he presses a quick kiss to your temple (your heart flutters) and slips off to get changed. You go to sit on the bed in the meantime, wrapping the blankets around you instinctively, and he’s back out before you know it.

He looks comfortable for once in sweatpants and a loose-fitting t-shirt. His cheeks are wonderfully pink, and you realise he’s looking to you for what comes next, frozen helplessly in the middle of the room.

“Seven, come here.”

He walks over to you obediently, watching you with eyes wide. With a little more encouragement, he sits down next to you and allows you to wrap the blanket around you both.

You sit that way for some time, tucked up against each other, simply enjoying the familiarity of sharing warmth with another person. It is a feeling Seven has only known subconsciously, but in the past few hours has grown to crave intensely.

Eventually, you make a move to lie down and he follows. Your back to his chest, you slot together perfectly. He huffs softly, and you feel his breath against your ear. His hands lay tucked up by his sides, as if he’s unsure of where to put them.

“Is this alright?” You ask. With him being so close, you only have to whisper for him to hear you.

“Yes. I was just thinking… it’s good to be together, but what if you can’t sleep tonight?”

“Me?” You ask incredulously. You’re so comfortable you could drift off to sleep in a minute. “Speak for yourself.”

He huffs again. Shuffles around a little. Moves his arm closer to you then pulls it back.

You turn around to face him, and he suddenly freezes.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah- I’m just thinking.”

That mind of his never does give him a break, you think to yourself.

“Oh?”

He gives you a meaningful look. “I have wanted… this for a long time. I don’t want to mess it up.”

“You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I like you.”

His face breaks into a wide smile and he finally drapes his arm around your waist.

“You say that so easily. Do you know what it does to me every time you do?”

You shake your head.

“Let me tell you.” His tone has gone soft, reminiscent of your conversation earlier today. He’s being vulnerable with you, and even he’s not used to it. You don’t say anything, you just curl up closer to him in anticipation of what he is going to tell you.

“I live alone in a big house with a lot of cars. My life has always been empty, so I filled up the space with material things, but none of it is real. It could all disappear in an instant.” He is drawing little circles on your lower back with his index finger as he talks. “You know, I didn’t used to mind that. It was normal. But now, I feel greedy. For the first time… there is something I desperately want.”

“What is that?”

He leans closer to you, so he can speak directly into your ear, and whispers, “You.”

Your heart lurches in your chest. How could he jump from being so shy to suddenly being so bold? You start to feel hot, but you tuck your face into his chest so he can’t see your expression. He will tease you relentlessly if he finds out what power his words can hold over you.

He chuckles and holds you closely to him. “Don’t go getting embarrassed on me now, Sunshine. I’m not going to take this back, I mean every word.”

But you don’t budge. You hold handfulls of his t-shirt clenched in your fists and nestle your head so it fits comfortably against his collarbone. He doesn't try to extract you. In fact, it seems like he quite enjoys your clinginess. He murmurs sweet words against your skin until you drift off to sleep, and probably afterwards too.

In a way, tonight is the most vulnerable he has allowed himself to be in a long time. But one of his last thoughts before he falls asleep is that maybe it isn’t so bad to be seen.

It’s even better to be held, though.  

[shyvioletcat]

ROWAELIN MONTH: DAY EIGHT

~ Single Parent ~ Ah yes, this is always one of my favourite days. This is part two to my Fish are Friends fic, so please enjoy. @rowaelinscourt

~~~~~

“This guy is loaded.”

Aelin snorted at her friend's awed exclamation as she eased off on the accelerator coming up the long, paved driveway. The house wasn’t obnoxiously large, but it was well beyond decent with a pretty facade and well kept gardens. And if the price he had offered initially for her services today was anything to go by, yes Rowan did have money to burn. 

She had waited until she got home to text him back and to say yes to the offer of Ivy’s birthday party, claiming that now she had turned back into a mermaid she could talk mermaid business. With how the girl was so enamoured by the whole mermaid performance Aelin couldn’t even think of saying no. Rowan had immediately come back with a price just under what her gig at the aquarium paid in a fortnight and she stared at it wide eyed for a full minute. She knocked it back, then there was a mildly heated discussion over what the price should be. Rowan was overly generous, and Aelin helped equate the cost by saying she needed to bring a friend along to help her with her costume and they would split it. That had been fine, of course, and why Lysandra was sitting in the passenger seat. 

The car stopped and Lysandra was still peering out the windows trying to get a better look. “His wife, slash girlfriend, slash whatever must be living the life.”

“He’s divorced,” Aelin said, pushing the gear stick into park. 

“That’s an awfully weird thing to find out in a conversation that went for two minutes,” Lysandra added.

Aelin shrugged, seatbelt clicking as it undid. “Well his daughter did demand he kiss me.”

Lysandra paused from where she was checking over her make-up in the sun visor mirror, head turning sharply. “She what?”

“I had to keep the magic alive and I may have told her that I needed a kiss from my true love to stay a mermaid. There was something about a sea witch curse in there too.”

The mirror closed with a snap. “That’s real dedication.”

“Yes it is and that’s why I need you to go knock on the door and suss out where I need to go so Ivy doesn’t know I’m here until I’m dressed. I’m only human between three and six to her knowledge,” Aelin explained, gesturing to the dark wood door.

“I feel like there was an easier way to do this,” Lysandra said.

Aelin shooed her with a gesture of her hand. “I was under pressure, now go.”

Lysandra didn’t answer, just did what she was asked, hopping out of the car and making a show of knocking on the front door. Aelin sunk in her chair a little, ready to hide completely if anyone little appeared at the door. She managed to see an older woman with greying auburn hair look her way as Lysandra pointed to the car. There was some more conversing and then some nodding, and then Lysandra was coming back over to the car. 

She opened the car door and lent in. “So, that lady was Iris and she’s the grandmother. She said all the littlies are inside making bracelets or something so you are all clear to sneak in using the side gate and use the pool house to get ready.” 

“Fantastic,” Aelin replied and didn’t waste any time. Children were unpredictable, who knows when they might choose to stampede outside. “Let’s go.”

The two of them unloaded the gear, managing to get it all gathered together in one load. Tail and accessories in hand, the side gate was easy enough to spot. Aelin led the way, listening out for an excitable little girl who’s birthday she did not want to ruin. Sounds of laughter and music came from inside the house, but Aelin ignored it all and headed straight to the pool house. Luckily, the blinds were down on the floor to ceiling windows saving them the trouble. It was a tidy space, besides the child’s toys stacked in a corner. There were a few lounges, a small kitchenette and a door Aelin assumed led to a bathroom. 

The gear was dumped on one of the lounges and Aelin started to strip off. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

~~~~~

Rowan tried to keep his hand steady even as the little girl in front of him was determined not to stay still. Ivy had begged him to do face painting at her party, and of course he was going to say yes. He had spent the last month practising on paper, his daughter and even his friends when they let him. Rowan had been good to start with, and now he was considering making it a weekend job. Not really, being a deputy principal during the week and being a full time dad was more than enough work for him. But at least it was therapeutic. 

“Hold still for just one more second,” Rowan told the brown haired girl sitting in front of him. She huffed, but listened, the lure of a unicorn horn and ears overriding the need to see what was going on. Adding a few last details on the horn to really give it some sparkle and then he was done. “There.”

Rowan didn’t need to say more than that and the girl was off. He wiped his hands on an old tea towel and was about to refill some of the snack bowls when his mother approached him looking like she was holding in a secret. 

She sidled up close, beckoning him a little closer so Rowan had to lean in as she whispered. “Your mermaid is here.”

“Oh,” Rowan said, taking a look around. “Where?”

“I sent her and her friend to the pool house,” Iris said. “After Ivy’s rave reviews I’m excited to see her myself.”

Because Aelin was all Ivy could talk about and she already fawned over her to anyone who would listen in her select circle of people she chose to talk to. Rowan had kept the mermaid appearance under wraps and he was glad to see his surprise hadn’t been ruined. His daughter was going to lose her mind. 

“Pool time!” Rowan announced to the room, excited squeals drowning out his chance to say anything else. 

Ivy was by his side in a second, pulling at her dress so she could get to the swimsuit she had insisted on wearing underneath. Rowan helped her before he could do some damage, revealing the mermaid scale patterned one piece with a frilly little tutu skirt around her waist.  

“Come on, Dad!” Ivy said, pulling on his hand  and trying to drag him towards the pool.

Rowan smiled at her eagerness. “Hold up, we gotta wait for everyone else to be ready.”

That didn’t take long at all and it was only about 10 minutes later that everyone was crowded around the new location for gathering. To help ease the minds of the parents he’d paid a couple of his friends to be honorary lifeguards. In the end he had chosen Connall and Vaughan, and it had taken some heavy consideration. Lorcan was out because his lack of care and observation might just end in disaster. Fenrys’ sole purpose would be showing off shirtless in front of the mums and anyone else who found themselves interested, and Rowan needed the children in the water to be the priority. And even though Vaughan had similar motives, he would at least include the supervision of the children in his displays. Connall was the easy decision because, besides Rowan himself, he was the most level headed and had more than an ounce of common sense. 

“Excuse me.”

Rowan turned at the unfamiliar voice behind him. A stunning brunette who he did not recognise stood there. She didn’t have the look of one of the parents and she wasn’t a caterer—she was dressed too casually for that. It had him wondering who she was.

“Hi, I’m sorry but…”

“Oh, Lysandra,” she said, a hand on her chest. “Friend of Aelin.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Rowan extended his hand for a handshake which was returned. 

“Likewise,” Lysandra said. “Aelin is ready but we’ve hit a bit of a snag.”

“How so?” Trying not to sound too panicked at the potential flow in his party plans.

“Um, she can’t exactly walk out of there.”

Rowan felt the confusion on his face as he tried to figure it out. 

Lysandra smiled. “She doesn’t have legs.”

“Oh, right,” Rowan said, laughing a little. “What do you need me to do?”

“It’s a good thing you at least look strong,” Lysandra said, beckoning Rowan to follow. 

“Mam, can you watch Ivy and the pool,” Rowan threw over his shoulder—her affirmative answer sounding as he headed towards the pool house. 

The blinds were closed and Rowan did one last check of the pool before he ducked into the building right behind Lysandra. Aelin sat on one of the lounges in her full get-up, tail and seashells and the make-up that had her face sparkling. Once again, he was struck by how beautiful this woman was, it was an impossible thing not to notice.

“Nice to see you again,” she said with a little wave. 

“You too,” Rowan said, then hastily added. “And thank you. For doing this.”

“Anything for the kids, right?” Aelin said. 

“Speaking of, should we get to it?” Rowan asked.

Aelin gave a flourish of her hands down the length of her body. “By all means.”

Rowan tried not to be awkward as he bent down and scooped Aelin up bridal style, she even draped her arms around his neck. The tail made her stiffer than other women he’d carried like this, but he managed. 

“If you could get the door?” Rowan asked Lysandra. 

“Of course.”

Rowan was concentrating so hard as he stepped through the doorway, trying his best not to knock Aelin’s head or tail. She must have been concerned as well because her grip tightened and she hugged herself closer to him. He managed it all without incident and brought them safely into the sun. 

“Look who I found in the bathtub!” Rowan announced, drawing the attention of the party. Ivy’s exclamation of Aelin rang out over all of it. He lowered his voice so only Aelin could hear. “Where do you want me to set you down?”

“Shallow end, by the steps,” Aelin replied quietly before turning her attention to the party. “I heard it was someone’s birthday.”

Rowan set Aelin down and Ivy was there a heartbeat later. 

“It’s me, Aelin. It’s my birthday,” Ivy said nearly climbing onto the mermaid. 

Aelin graciously took it all in her stride, wrapping her arm around the girl. “I couldn’t miss that.”

Within moments Aelin had control of the party, all the kids flocking to her and her magnetic energy. Rowan left her to it, heading outside the pool fence to grab himself a drink. He grabbed a beer from the cooler in the kitchen before returning to the back patio to watch the show. There was no doubt in his mind that Aelin would be putting on a performance if her work at the aquarium was anything to go by. 

“Dude, you got a mermaid?” That overly question came from Fenrys, who had appeared next to Rowan, face still decorated with a large rainbow and a collection of stars. Ivy had insisted her uncle get his face painted and like everyone else in her life, he hadn’t refused. “She looks legit. Where’d you find her?”

“The aquarium,” Rowan answered before taking a sip from the beer bottle in his hand. 

“I don’t know if you’re kidding or not,” Fenrys said. 

That made Rowan laugh. “I’m being serious. She works at the aquarium, and Ivy fell in love with her the other day. I asked her if she did private functions and she said yes.”

“Private functions? That sounds shifty as hell,” Fenrys added. 

Rowan thought for a moment, recalling how Aelin had stalled and the awkwardness had skyrocketed. It was nearly enough to make him flush with embarrassment again. 

“Yeah, I realised my error in wording pretty quickly,” Rowan admitted. 

“How much did she cost?”

That voice was female and accusatory, it made Fenrys grimace sympathetically before he left Rowan to deal with answering. He turned around, finding his ex-wife just behind him, glaring in the direction of the pool before her eyes darted back to him. Waiting. 

Strained was an apt description to describe the relationship between him and Lyria. They had been high school sweethearts that decided to get married before they knew anything of the world. They’d stuck it out years longer than they should have, divorce had been up for discussion when they’d found out Lyria was pregnant. It hadn’t helped the already precarious relationship and by the time Ivy was two Rowan found himself a first year teacher and a single father with majority custody. He had been ready to fight for Ivy but it was an obvious choice considering the stability and flexibility of his job. Rowan was guaranteed a job with manageable hours, he’d have school breaks off, and with the money he made plus what he had from his family to back him, allocating him as primary carer was an easy choice. It just left him open to continual criticism over the choices he made about raising his daughter, especially when it came to money. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Rowan said. “She’s made Ivy’s day, what’s more important than that?”

Lyria hummed her objection, her gaze darting over to their daughter again at a bright burst of laughter. “You need to stop throwing money at things just to make her happy. She’ll grow up with a skewed view of the world, not knowing what the real world is like.”

Rowan resisted rolling his eyes. They’d had this discussion before, and they’d have it again. She always accused him of spoiling their daughter in the worst way. And maybe he did, to an extent, but Rowan was also sensible to a fault as his friend’s like to point out. 

“We figured it out, and so will she,” Rowan said. “Hopefully sooner than we did, hmm?”

He left Lyria to muse over that, not wanting to have this fight and potentially ruin the party. Rowan decided his time was better spent refilling the snack bowls and checking the cake hadn’t been damaged in the fridge. Once those menial tasks were done and his beer finished, Rowan wandered to the poolside again. 

Aelin was in the water now, showing the kids how she swam from one end to the other with her tail. It wasn’t just the kids watching either, like at the aquarium she had the whole crowd entranced. Rowan took up a spot on the transparent fence waiting to see what Aelin might be up to next. She’d stopped swimming and sat on one of the pool steps, from her hips down in the water. Bubble bottles had been conjured from somewhere and all the kids sat in a row having a competition to see who could blow the biggest one. Aelin pursed her lips, bubble wand poised in her hands. He was again struck by how beautiful she was, and just as he had been that day at the aquarium Rowan found it hard to look away. 

The makeup she wore still remained intact depite he time in the water, the gold shimmer around her eyes highlighting their unusual colour. What had him damn near entranced was her smile, it seemed to brighten her entire being. Rowan felt like he was getting dangerously close to leering—respectfully—when he was interrupted.

“Not, bad Ro. Not bad at all,” Fenrys said, his only reply was an eye roll. “You don’t have to dent it, mermaids are hot.”

“I didn’t know you had that much experience,” Rowan quipped back. 

“I’ve been chatting to her friend. Did you know she’s a mermaid too?” Fenrys asked.

“I did not,” Rowan replied flatly. 

“Well, she is. And just like your friend here, she’s smoking. You did me a solid favour,” Fenrys went on to say. 

Rowan sent his friend a questioning look. “What does that mean?”

Fenrys backed away, shrugging his shoulders and giving Rowan a conspiratorial wink to an unknown conspiracy.    

Ivy saved him from being made to suffer through more idiocy, her damp hand patting his forearm where it rested on the top of the fence. “Daddy, I need to ask you something.”

Rowan stepped back so that he could lean down a little closer. “What is it, love?”

“Um, can I… wait. No, can you—“

Ivy’s rambling had him confused but half a second later it was all made clear. A wave of water hit him, drenching his head and arms, the rest of him saved by the protection of the fence. Ivy was caught in it too, but she just cheered and laughed, trying to clap but the floaties on her arms stopped her hands from meeting fully. Rowan wiped the water from his face and saw Aelin swimming away, smiling and sending him a wink. Rowan let out a chuckle at the antics, grinning broadly at the uncontrollable giggles bubbling out of Ivy. 

“We got him!” Ivy squealed and then launched herself back in the pool. 

He saw on Aelin’s face the mirror of his own lurching gut as Ivy hit the water. She knew how to swim of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to throw her a pool party if she didn’t, but most confidently with assistance. The concern for her safety was hard to shake, and luckily Aelin was right there, arms out to keep the girl’s head well and truly above water. 

Rowan had no idea how Aelin was able to do everything she did without sinking to the bottom of the pool. If he had his legs bound together he would not be doing so well. His shirt was clinging to him uncomfortably and decided to change. So he left his daughter to the mermaid, knowing that she was in safe hands. Or maybe that was fins.

~~~~~

Aelin hadn’t expected to have this much fun at a kids birthday party. It might have been because Ivy was just so stinking cute and enthralled by the whole mermaid thing that it was hard not to be infected by it as well. Or it might have been because the pay was just that good it was an immediate mood booster. Aelin had expected it to be the latter, when in fact it was the former. 

She had been in the pool for a good two hours, playing around and telling stories. When the kids started to shiver the parents had dutifully begun to dry them off. With the afternoon sun fading behind the clouds it was hard to keep warm, and that included Aelin. Her tail offered no insulation and just made the situation worse. Even though the kids begged for more entertainment while drying off or returning to the poolside, Aelin could feel the goosebumps on her skin even when she tried to ignore them. Soon she would start shivering and she was sure her lips would start turning blue. There was a lull in the activity around her and Aelin looked around for Lysandra or at least Rowan, hoping to flag either one of them down to get some help getting out of the pool. 

Neither was within Aelin’s sight, and a shudder went from head to hip, everything lower down completely immobile. She needed to get out of her tail, and fast. Looking around again Aelin spied Ivy talking to a woman sitting on one of the pool chairs. Her brown hair was wavy and her gentle face seemed to hang on every work Ivy said. If Aelin were to hazard a guess, she would say that woman was the girl’s mother. 

“Ivy,” Aelin called, her voice catching because she was just that cold. “Hey, Ivy.”

That time Ivy heard her, quickly walking over because she had announced more than once that her father said there was no running around the pool. “Hi, Aelin.”

“Sweetie, I wonder if you could find your dad for me,” Aelin said. 

“Yeah, I can.” The little girl was excited and easy to please. 

But on the way past the woman stopped Ivy, catching her by the hand. “We should get you dried off for cake.”

Aelin nearly groaned, because that was enough to divert Ivy attention completely. Watching Ivy being led away Aelin started cursing her friend who had somehow entirely disappeared without a trace. She kept looking over the various adults milling around and moving into the semi alfresco dining area readying for cake. Never spotting Lysandra, Aelin eyed the cement around the pool and contemplated the damage to her skin and tail if she had to crawl her way back to the pool house. The children might just die from shock if she stripped off her tail here. 

The chorus of ‘happy birthday’ sang out from the house and Aelin peered through the crowd to see Ivy beaming at her expertly mermaid themed decorated cake. This was now ridiculous. Lysandra knew the kid even less than Aelin did, if she was in there singing along and hoping for a slice of cake while she was freezing her tits off out here.

“Where is she?” Aelin muttered as she wrapped her arm around herself. 

This silicone tail might be the death of her. All she could do was be resigned to her fate. Aelin zoned out, keeping her body distracted and warm as she could by flicking her tail through the water. The sound of the pool gate creaking had her looking over and found Rowan approaching, a plate in hand. 

“I brought you some cake,” he said.

“Thanks,” Aelin replied, voice unsteady. 

That was enough to stop Rowan in his tracks, and Aelin watched his eyes dart over her. “You’re blue.”

“It’s turquoise, actually,” Aelin said, pushing a lock of damp hair out of the way. 

Rowan put the cake on one of the pool chairs. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. What didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried to send Ivy to you but she got distracted,” she nodded over at the cake. “By cake.”

Rowan just shook his head, motioning for her to get ready to be picked up. Aelin bent her knees the best she could now that her legs were stiff and cold, and let herself be scooped up. He carried her back to the pool house, Aelin holding on tight while there was some awkward manoeuvring around the door handle. 

“Where’s best?” Her saviour asked. 

Aelin couldn’t stop the whole body shiver. “Uhh, here. I just need to get this tail off.”

Rowan obliged, easing her down onto the couch. It was difficult and awkward but Aelin rolled to the side and started battling with her zipper. Her cold and numb fingers were completely useless, all they did was slip and fumble. When she swore viciously she heard Rowan halt in his exit. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

Aelin gave up and flopped onto her stomach, she had never felt more like a fish in her whole career as a mermaid. “I can’t get out of my godsdamned tail.”

“Oh. Should I go see if I can find your friend?”

“No.” Aelin blurted out, quite loudly and on the wrong side of desperation. She was ready to start begging. “I need it off, now. Can you help me?”

~~~~~

Rowan just stood there, blinking down at the mermaid sprawled out on his couch. He could see goosebumps raised on her exposed skin, she was obviously freezing. The smartest option was to go and find her friend because he had never once in his life removed anything close to this tail. He didn’t know how, didn’t know where to begin. 

“I feel like this isn’t a job for me,” Rowan said. 

“I feel like a literal popsicle, and I’m not beyond begging right now,” Aelin said, and he swore that her teeth were chattering. 

“If you insist,” Rowan said, leaning down and finding the top of the zipper. 

It might have been the most impressive zipper he had ever seen, sturdy and strong, it had to be to hold the silicone together. Awkwardly unfortunate for him, it sat tight over her ass and it was hard not to touch it in the process. At least the materials were thick and Rowan told himself that was the firmness he was feeling. He tugged the tail down, but everything came to a rushing stop when he caught sight of what Aelin wore underneath. Peeking through the gap between the zipper sides near the top of her hips was a dark blue thong.

“Is it stuck?” Aelin asked with a glance over her shoulder.

Rowan felt his face flush, only deepening his embarrassment. “Ah, no.”

She laughed, maybe at him, maybe it was the situation. “I’m not shy.”

And by the gods did he believe that. Rowan ignored the flaming in his cheeks and the hint of a broad grin on Aelin’s face as she turned back around. “I’ll, uh… close my eyes then.”

Like he said he would, Rowan kept his eyes closed and let the zipper run its natural course. And then he didn’t know where else he was supposed to try and extract it. 

“You have to pull at the hips and then work your way down, then do it all again until it comes all the way off,” she explained. 

“Right,” Rowan said. That would be mighty hard to do with his eyes closed. 

But Rowan gave it his best effort, fumbling between closed eyes and squinting. When there was a tug that gave way more than he was expecting on instinct his eyes opened, a hand flying out to stop himself from falling right on top of Aelin. His hand was lucky, his eyes not so much. He copped an eyeful. 

Just as quickly he shut them, but the damage was done. He wouldn’t be forgetting that sight any time soon. Rowan went back to his task and in the end when she was free enough Aelin ended up kicking the tail off herself. Respectfully he kept his eyes down, rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“There’s a shower you can use, it’ll get you warmed up,” he offered. “There’s clean towels and everything in there.”

“Thank you,” Aelin said. 

Rowan left her to it, and even though she’d undoubtedly take a shower he was still concerned. Back inside the party had died down, mainly just family remaining, so he went to the kitchen and turned the kettle on. While that boiled he went upstairs and retrieved a hoodie. The day had started out fairly warm but without the sun the atmosphere had begun to chill. If she didn’t bring anything with her she’d just catch te cold again. 

By the time he got back down to the kitchen the kettle was done and he filled a mug with water, along with grabbing a few selections of teas. No one noticed him leave and head back to the pool house. Most thankfully Ivy remained oblivious. She was better off not knowing Aelin was out there un-mermaidified and the magic be ruined at the end of such a perfect day. 

Rowan knocked and heard a faint Come in. Aelin was sitting on the couch, dressed in leggings and a loose shirt. She was drying her hair with a towel, looking much better than she had a few minutes before. 

“I brought you some tea,” Rowan said, gesturing to the mug. “And a jumper if you needed it.”

“Thank you.” Aelin took both and slipped the hoodie right over her head. The hood caught on her head and the rest of the fabric drowned her. But she at least looked warm and content. 

Rowan offered the teabags and Aelin took a few moments to decide. She picked and dropped the bag into the awaiting water. 

“You did a great job today,” Rowan offered. “Although you didn’t have to go as one as you did.” 

Aelin picked up the string and bobbed the tea bag up and down. “How could I not? Ivy was having such a good time.”

“Still, it wasn’t something to risk your health over.”

“Not the worst situation I’ve been in,’ Aelin said, taking a sip of her tea and sighed. 

The door opened suddenly and for one sickening moment Rwan thought Ivy might have tracked him down. But instead it was Lysandra, turning up from who knew where to finally help out her friend. 

“Where have you been?” Aelin demanded, putting down her tea. 

Lysandra gave a noncommittal twist of her shoulders. “Here and there.”

“I nearly died,” Aelin said drastically. 

Lysandra actually shot Rowan before looking back at Aelin. “I am sure that’s not what happened.”

“You know what?” Rowan said, cutting through the building tension. “Why don’t I keep an eye out and you guys can head off?”

“Great idea,” Aelin said, putting her mug on the low table and pointing a damning finger at her friend. “If you think you’re getting a cut of the money you’re severely mistaken. You did nothing for me today.”

Lysandra actually laughed at her friend’s theatrics and Rowan decided this would be the best time to leave. He went and stood by the corner of the pool fence where he had a good view of anyone who might be coming outside. It wasn’t long before Aelin and Lysandra left the pool house, a hissed conversation passing between them as they headed for the side gate. Just before disappearing around the side of the house aelin stopped, giving him a broad smile and a wave. Waving back, he had to admit that he was sorry they hadn;t had more time to chat. 

As Rowan watched her disappear from sight he was disappointed that he didn’t have another excuse to see Aelin again. Maybe he would have to take another trip to the aquarium just to see what might happen next if he by pure chance she was there too. 

~~~~~

I’m currently in a quirky hotel room and posting from my iPad so I’m not even going to attempt the disaster that is tagging at the moment.