#Constantine is not flirting and that's suspicious

[nelkcats]

And they were roommates

After years of living on his own in the Infinite Realms, something strange began to happen to the retired hero. Every time Danny closed his eyes to sleep, a life that was not his own played in his head. And he began to see memories of someone who had passed away, from his birth to his death. That would be fine if he didn't remember the dreams in such detail.

Unfortunately when the first dream kept repeating itself continuously, and Danny investigated, he discovered that it was not a normal nightmare and was the life of someone real. Someone who wanted a closure.

Every time he woke up, he found himself feeling the same as in the dream. Which led him to do a couple of things: yell at Nocturne (who strangely had nothing to do with it), annoy Clockwork (who was definitely involved), and solve crimes that had been deemed "impossible", and bring them to an appropriate end.

The police were extremely confused when a note from "Sleepy King" was next to the evidence of a cold case. The truth is that Danny wanted to sleep, and the souls were extremely insistent about their 'unfinished business' that came to haunt him in his sleep.

Every time he cracked a case he earned a few hours of uninterrupted sleep or downright disturbing memories, but that wasn't enough. Unfortunately, it seemed that solving the cases was only attracting more souls, and he was starting to regret wanting to help. He had ended his life as a hero for a reason.

Usually his notes to the police would say something along the lines of "I'm doing this for me, not for you, good night" or some similar nonsense. The halfa was tired, very very tired, dreaming with memories wasn't fun or pretty, it was exhausting, the deaths made his skin crawl and his insomnia worse. He didn't want to relive the deaths of anyone else, but he had no way to scare away the souls.

When Martha Wayne showed up in his dreams showing him about a "court of owls" Danny made up his mind. This had to stop. He had been a hero but he retired. And it wasn't that he hated the souls, he just wanted to sleep, the mental exhaustion was too much.

So he did the stupidest thing possible: he hired Constantine (pretending to be a fairly normal human client, getting his attention after offering a lot of alcohol and some useless books from the Realms as payment) to make him a dream catcher or some wizard thing. All he wanted was something to help him sleep.

Constantine couldn't do that of course. The hellbazer was disturbed by the man with more than three hundred avenging spirits swarming. That was fucked up. So he offered him the only solution he could think of: inviting him to sleep at his house. A place where spirits could not pass without permission. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it would work for a while.

John had no idea why he was doing so much for a client (inviting him to his house? bold move), but the man looked so desperate, and he was fucking cute. If he could get an adventure or two out of it he wouldn't complain.

Constantine's guest bed felt like heaven to the halfa, despite being almost destroyed. Danny repeatedly thanked, and before they both knew it: they were roomies, lived in the same place, took turns cooking or cleaning, etc. They grew comfortable with each other to the point that Danny answered Justice League Dark's calls on a few occasions.

And well, if Constantine stopped rushing to find a long-term solution that was his business, and his alone, okay? Zatanna's comment asking when he got married was fucking out of place.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Games We Play

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/dalIqJg

by By_Candlelight, TrickyAntics

"The Owls are looking for Dick Grayson," Bruce had told him, summoning him back to Gotham with danger hanging heavy over his head. Nightwing and Dick Grayson needed to remain separate entities as far as anyone was concerned, and having a swarm of bird (and bat) themed heroes rallying around a random rich elite of Gotham was suspicious. What he needed was a bodyguard, someone strong enough to protect fragile, helpless little Dick Grayson, but who also wasn't aware of just how sturdy that rich boy truly was.

Dick had just the man in mind, and if the trickiest part of the plan would be convincing Roy Harper to look after him, Dick Grayson was already in the clear. But unfortunately for him, plans never tended to work out as perfectly as one would hope.

Words: 38005, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of You're My Target

Fandoms: DCU (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, Artemis Crock, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne (Mentioned), Lex Luthor (mentioned), Green Arrow (mentioned), John Constantine (cameo), Leonard Snart (cameo)

Relationships: Dick Grayson/Roy Harper, Artemis Crock & Dick Grayson, Artemis Crock & Roy Harper, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Roy Harper, John Constantine/Leonard Snart (cameo)

Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Injury, Mistaken Identity, Identity Reveal, Kidnapping, Hurt/Comfort, Court of Owls, Established Friendship, Batfamily sibling relationships, Hallucinations, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Gossip Queen Artemis Crock, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Roy Harper, BAMF Dick Grayson, BAMF Roy Harper, Dramatic Dick Grayson, First Kiss, Roy Harper is Arsenal, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Bisexual Roy Harper, Bisexual Dick Grayson, Megachad Talon, Bad Flirting, Getting Together

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/dalIqJg

[ifbeumont]

If Constantine thinks the bold flirting is a joke what do they think about the shy flirting?

I've formerly said that if the MC is shy-flirting, Constantine would be aware of their feelings, but now that I've developed their personality further, I've changed it so that Constantine is oblivious of MC's feelings. They're a bit suspicious, however, about MC's strange behavior but they don't plan to do anything about it, as long as it doesn't impede their performance in prefect duties.

[bonniebird]

Constantine x Fem!Reader

Requested by Anon

Warnings: smut and angst

Reluctantly you followed the officer through to the jail. You’d been called an hour earlier but needed to finish up at work. You could hear John ranting to himself as he paced. As soon as he set his eyes on you he leant against the bars of the jail.

“You are a sight for sore eyes sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart. Do it again and I’ll leave you here.” You said firmly.

“Whatever you say Love. Now you couldn’t do me a favour and get me out could you? I’d call Chas but you know, the duty of a parent calls and I promised I could get by without him.” He frowned as he finished speaking. An odd look crossed your face, panic followed by pain and maybe guilt. 

“I’ll help you but you’re going straight to wherever you came from.” You snapped and frowned at him until the officer cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry Ma’am but if you bail him. He’ll need to stay with you until the charges are dropped or they’re looked into further.”  The officer beside you explained.

“Fine. I’ll call Chas for you. There, a loophole.” While you fumbled for your phone he cocked his head, watching you through the bars. As you pulled your phone from your bag he cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows.

“I promised Chas I’d stay out of trouble. I would hate to break my word.” He pressed.

“Funny. I thought that was your only schtick.” You sighed before turning to the officer. “Fine. I’ll take him.”

It took a while before all the papers were signed and money was handed over. By the time you were done Constantine was strolling out with his trenchcoat on and a cigarette tucked in his mouth.

“Could do with a drink after that.”

“Absolutely not! No drinking or smoking in my house!”

He frowned but didn’t answer as you got into your car. When he looked in the back there was a booster seat. The way he raised his eyebrows told you he had questions but got the sense he’d pressed you enough and he was very close to being tossed out. When you pulled up in front of a nursery school you started to get out of the car but paused.

“Stay here. Do not talk to anyone. Lord knows it was hard enough getting him in here I don’t need you Johnning it up.” You said so sharply that Constantine raised his eyebrows and gave you a nod in silent agreement.

He waited in the car, noticing couples and people rushing around the carpark. He observed them without much thought until he spotted you. A woman spoke quickly with you, two boys toddling along behind you as you paused to finish chatting and turned to the car. The boy took your hand and looked quite gleeful as he talked. You didn’t look so happy. As the child got closer Constantine realised why. The child couldn't be more than four or five but there was no mistaking whose it was. He had soft touches of you in his face, in his dimpled smile. But his looks came in broad strokes of curiously accession eyes, cheek and devilment. 

“Ok. You clip in?” You said as you helped the boy into the booster seat and clipped him in.

“Yup! All safe!”

“Ok, we’ll go home and have a snack.” You started to say as you got into the car yourself. “Then I have to help my friend who's visiting, ok?”

“Well young master.” John started cheerfully, hoping to smother out the conflict he’d been feeling since he set eyes on the child with sarcasm and carefully worded denial but stopped when you glared at him.

“You remember when he had to move and uncle Chas came to help. Well he is a friend of uncle Chas and we’re helping him because Chas can’t.” You explained quickly. The child was quiet for a moment. When Constantine glanced in the rearview mirror he could see the suspicious glare he gave him. Not quite as withering as your but it got the point across.

**************

You’d made up a bed for Constantine in the small side room downstairs. Your son had eaten his snack while carefully observing the changes. Constantine was sure the boy had stared at him at the same time, being sure to glare at him, even when magic tricks were offered up to make peace. His eyes had widened and a delighted fascination flooded the boys face until you slapped Constantuine’s arm and hissed at him to stop. Your son watched the interaction and decided even magic couldn’t buy his affection, as long as it didn’t by his mothers.

You’d settled the boy in the living room with a cartoon playing on the tv. John had watched it for a while before going to find you. He watched you for a moment, humming to yourself as you started to cook. He’d had so many feelings before he hadn’t quite dealt with them. Now he was more than annoyed. “So. Am I supposed to ignore the obvious or do we pretend you have a type and the last time we saw each other wasn’t four and half years ago?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” You answered. He watched you paused for a moment before returning to chopping vegetables.

“You’re right. I’m just off my rocker. There isn’t a chance the young lad looks like me now is there. No just me seeing things.”

“John… I. He’s my son, I have to keep him safe.”

“From me?”

The pain in his voice was clear and you felt the pang of guilt again. Chas had told you to give John a chance to prove himself. But you hadn’t been willing to bet your child’s life on John. You could have given in and you begged Chas to keep your son a secret because if you’d seen him. You knew you would have taken Chas’ advice.

“I need to finish dinner.” You answered and turned away from him. He sighed and shrugged off his coat.

“The least I can do is lend a hand while I’m here.” Constantine offered as he rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie.

Neither of you spoke as you cooked together, bar the few short instructions. As the two of you almost danced around each other it was hard to the feelings that had never quite gone away. “Can you help him set the table? I usually help him but this is almost ready.” You asked as you finished up, keeping an eye on the counter that was tickling down on the stove clock.

“I can do it.” He said until you sighed.

“He likes to help.” You insisted firmly and he nodded, heading to the living room.

“You wouldn’t mind helping me set the table would you lad? Not quite sure how your mum likes it.”

“I know how!” Came the cheerful voice. He emerged with a determined look and took Constantine’s hand, leading him to the cutlery draw. He carefully counted out each piece that was needed and handed them to Constantine who had a wistfully fond smile on his face. He crouched down and listened to the explanation as to why he didn’t need to get the spoons out. Then he followed obediently as your son climbed up on each dining chair and set the knife or fork in place. Once done they high fived. Hiding the slight smile you returned your attention to the food, starting to plate it up as your son picked his seat.

He warmed up to John as he ate, asking him where he was from because he sounded different. Before John could finish his long winded answer the conversation had moved on to the best toys and colours. After dinner Constantine was dragged off to see said toys and you were left alone. Taking a deep shaky breath you started to tidy up and thought about calling Chas. Watching from the doorway as John played with you son you felt another wave of guilt. They looked happy. You couldn’t recall John ever looking that happy.

You left them together until a good hour after your son’s bedtime. When you returned to inform him there was a chorus of disappointment and pleading for more time. Ultimately he relented to Constantine reading him a story, a few extra hugs goodnight and Constantine’s mean eggs. As long as they weren’t so mean he couldn’t eat them.

As the story was finished you smiled, watching John pull the blankets tighter around your son who had fallen asleep before John had gotten halfway through the book. Eventually he joined you in the doorway, looking back at the sleeping boy. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” you said quietly.

“Don’t worry about it. All the creeps and ghouls after me, you just tried to keep him safe.” Constantine answered quickly. His face gave him away as he spoke, gently shutting the door as he turned back to you.

“I almost told you. A few times.” You admitted, walking back to the living room to clear up there. John watched you thoughtfully, hands in his pockets as you went quiet before adding. “I wanted to but I just couldn’t… risk.”

“You were protecting him. Did a better job than I could have done on my own.” He answered, leaning against the wall as you stood up and smiled. Something in your stomach fluttered and you felt nervous, the way you had the night you’d slept together and he vanished before morning.

Trying to ignore it you moved past him and started to head to your room. He followed you out into the corridor and paused at the room you’d set up for him. “It’s good to see you again sweetheart.” He said softly.

After a brief pause you turned and grabbed him by the tie, pulling him towards your bedroom as  you kissed him. There was a fumbling of clothes and desperate moans as the two of you moved. In a blur his head was buried in the crook of your neck, you straddled him as the two of you moved together. His hoarse moans were muffled by the kisses he scattered over your soft skin. He rolled the two of you and kissed you roughly. Five years of pent up emotion flooded through the both of you and soon enough he was panting beside you with a satisfied smile on his face.

“Will you stay this time?” You asked quietly. He didn’t answer, moving so your head lay on the crook of his shoulder, fingertips gently stroking your back so lightly that he pulled you to sleep. The last time, he’d turned up at your place battered and bruised, begged you to help him. He knew how you’d always been enraptured by his presence. He could always see it in your eyes, the way they lit up as he flirted with you. It had been one of the few normal nights he'd had in awhile. An emotional oasis. Had dinner, watched tv and you’d fallen asleep on his shoulder. You’d woken while he was tuking you into your bed and heading back to sleep on the sofa. He knew he could have listened to the way you called out for him, his voice cracked with sleep, he could have stayed and listened to it every morning.

You seemed nervous as you reached for his hand and spluttered out words, babbling until he’d smirked and made a joke. His smile dropped into playfulness as you slid his hand up your shirt and gave him a pleading look. He wasn’t sure if you’d grasped the chance to have your current infatuation or if he’d cracked giving into indulgence. The two of you barely left the bed for two days. Bar a takeaway on the second evening. For a night he lived the normal life, no demons or monsters. It took every ounce of self control he could muster not to wake you as he kissed you on the second evening, dressing and leaving you asleep in your bed, not daring to look back because he would leave if he did.

He was doing it again. It was almost cruel to both of you. But you were better off without him. You’d taken care of your son for so long on your own. Not a demon in sight. He thought as he kissed your forehead. He dressed quietly. In the kitchen he paused, stopping long enough to make the breakfast he promised, wrapping it in tin foil and leaving it on the side as he crept out of the house.

Chas had found him the next afternoon, sorting through books back at the water house. “Are you ok?” He’d asked.

“Oh I’m fine mate. Better than fine. Didn’t I tell you I'd be fine.” His voice didn’t sound right. It was straining. Guilt had permanently lodged itself in his chest and it heaved with each breath. He hadn’t felt guilty for leaving you last time.

“You’re being awfully quiet and… not yourself. What happened this weekend?”

“Oh you know. Got arrested sorting out a demon and got bailed out by the girl I should’ve probably ended up with but I, as she put it, Johnned everything up. Picked my son up from school for the first time, helped cook dinner… had a great time. Read him a bedtime story. Then urm. I had sex with (Y/N), remembered why I abandoned her the first time and decided to leave without so much as a thank you for paying to bail me out. Oh. But I did make breakfast before I left, just like I promised. How was your weekend?” 

“Oh… it was fine. I had a nice time. Do I need to call someone. A lawyer? A therapist? Are you ok?”

“Not really no, Chas mate. But there isn’t much I can do about it now.”

“You could call (Y/N)... or I could drive you back?”

“And ruin the tradition of turning up every four and a half years and seducing her? No Chas. Besides I have demons to hunt down and send back to hell.” Constantine gave an awkward no in Chas’ direction and he turned back to the books on the table.

“I’m going to check in with (Y/N). Then I’ll find us something strong to drink.” Chas muttered, mostly to himself.

[happenedinkingsman]

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Request:  Hi if you're still doing your prompt list could you do 3 with Roxy And female reader. If you can!

Pairing: Roxy Morton x fem!reader

Warnings: Tiny make-out shesh, cursing, the usual Kingsman

Words: 780

3. “Kiss me.” “What?” “Just kiss me.”

Y/N and Roxy walked through the sea of people, each holding a bright green cocktail in their hands. It was another blending in-kind of a mission, fairly easy but extremely delicate. They were supposed to keep an eye on the mafia boss, Covaliov, and make sure he didn't leave the venue while Eggsy was retrieving some stolen files.

"I'm about 87% sure these cocktails are spiked", Y/N murmured into her earpiece, not wearing glasses, unlike Roxy. She thought it would have been too suspicious if they both had identical looking accessories on their face.

Roxy seemed to agree, her eyes looking around the place subtly and washing over the way too happy people. "Yup, totally spiked", she agreed, after a woman walked past them hanging onto man Y/N and Roxy assumed to be her husband, laughing way too much to be sober.

"You almost ready there Eggsy?" Y/N asked, pretending to sip the drink but careful to keep her lips tightly together. "We've been hanging around here for almost a hour someone's bound to notice."

"In the storage room as we speak love", The women rolled their eyes at Eggsy's flirt.

"Since when had Covaliov walked around with bodyguards?" Roxy pointed out from the corner of her eye, while she and Y/N were leaning to the railing and watching at the dance floor from the big inside balcony. Y/N faked a small cough and turned her head to steal a glance. Roxy was right, he was talking to some very, very big men on the other side of the round balcony.

"Most likely after we destroyed half of Constantin's home a month ago", Eggsy pointed out. "Oh, yes baby", he exclaimed quietly after a hissing sound echoed through the earpieces. He informed the two agents on the field he got the files from the temperature-controlled room.

"Alright, let's.... oh shit", his voice trailed off and Y/N and Rox shared a glance.

"Oh, shit?" Y/N repeated.

"Uh, Y/N", Roxy tapped her shoulder slightly.

"Yeah, okay don't panic, but Covaliov knows who you are", Eggsy managed to say before Y/N whisper yelled into the earpiece.

"Don't panic?!"

"Y/N..." Roxy tried again, her voice growing uneased. Y/N sharply turned to her and saw Roxyjut her chin towards where they first saw Covaliov. The men had begun to scatter around the balcony and the dance floor, looking at everyone like searching for a certain face.

"Okay, change of plans", Y/N informed, her heart jumping a beat. This was the downside of blending in plans if one thing goes wrong the whole plan would go to south.

Y/N and Roxy walked through he crowd calmly, arms hooked around each other and eyes looking at the floor. Roxy briefly looked around for a sensible and safe exit, which wouldn't cause a scene for her and Y/N and wouldn't make Eggsy's exit harder.  

"We'll exit there, It'll take us to the kitchen and then we bolt-"

"Kiss me", Y/N suddenly cut her off and took Roxy's face into her hands. The latter looked at her with wide eyes, quite taken aback by the sudden suggestion. Over Y/N's shoulder, she could see one of the men walking towards them, looking around the mingling people.

"What?"

"Just kiss me", Y/N glanced over her shoulder, one of the bodyguards walking closer to them, making her a bit nervous. She turned back to Roxy who looked like she was a fish out of water, against her fingertips she could feel Roxy’s cheeks warmen up. 

"You remember what they said in Captain America right?" Y/N said, raising her eyebrows, growing a little antsy. Roxy blinked several times, her jaw slightly agape from being so close to her colleague. 

"I, uh, yes-"

Y/N crashed their lips together, just in time as one of Covaliov's men was beside them. Roxy would have checked through her eyelashes if their plan worked, had it not been so god damn distracting kissing Y/N. She had her hands on her hips, pulling Y/N closer towards her as if it would make the kiss even deeper than it already was. It was just like she had imagined, better even. Y/n had an extremely intoxicating scent, that made staying on top of her game extremely difficult for Roxy.

The plan seemed to be successful as they weren't pried apart. Y/N was the first one to pull away, breathing unevenly just like Roxy. She bit her lip, that as now slightly glossed from the spit.

"C'mon, let's go and we can do that again", She winked to Roxy, who tried to stifle in an adorable giggle and stay professional. Hand in hand they walked out of the venue, through the kitchen and quickly back to the jet to continue their little make-out session.

 And this time without making Merlin witness it through the glasses.

[procrastinatorimagines]

New Traditions

Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow

Character/s: Mick x Reader, The Legends

Warning/s: *a lot of googling so sorry if I got it wrong*

Word Count: 1,428

Request:  hi, could you do a x reader oneshot on where the legends try to cheer the reader up after she found out that her favorite festival "Uncle Billy's Day" was canceled (in Altavista, va), by throwing her a festival on the waverider (with games prizes, and her favorite sweets: Deep fried oreos, Sho cones, and Funnel Cakes). including the reader and mick getting together and sharing their "First Kiss" (after mick was caught flirting with the reader)!

Summary: Reader’s feeling down after her favourite festival is cancelled, but Mick helps make it a day to remember, in more than one way...

“What are you moping about?” Mick Rory asked, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching you slide your pancakes around with your fork absentmindedly. 

“Huh?” You looked up to see him regarding you carefully, equal parts curious to know why you were down, but also clearly not prepared for an emotional conversation. “I’m not moping,” you told him a little defensively.

“Yes you are,” he replied gruffly, heading more into the kitchen, “it’s weird, you’re usually more annoyingly cheerful.” He approached you at the table and knicked a pancake off your plate, shrugging and looking at you as if to say, if you’re not going to eat it then I will. 

You glared at him as he took a seat to eat your food, folding your arms and leaning back in your chair. He stared back at you unblinking. “Fine, you really want to know what’s wrong?” You took his grunt to mean yes as you continued. “My favourite festival was cancelled back home, Uncle Billy’s Day.”

“Why does your Uncle Billy have a day named after him?” Mick asked through a mouthful of food.

“No, not my Uncle Billy, Billy Lane, he founded my home town, Altavista in Virginia. The festival is an old tradition celebrating the businesses and people that make the town so great,” you explained, “great music, great food, great atmosphere...”

“That’s it?” He asked when he realised you were done, “you know we’re on a time ship right, just take the jump ship and go meet your uncle, simple.” 

“He’s not my-” you realised that that was one part of the conversation that wasn’t going to stick with Mick, so you let it go and said, “-look, it’s not the same, though that does sound like a cool idea, but I just wanted to spend the weekend with my family, you know? Normal people stuff, eat some food, go around the market, watch the fireworks... You just- you don’t understand, it doesn’t matter.” 

You reminisced about the many years spent visiting the festival with your family, this would be the first one in as long as you could remember that you wouldn’t be able to go to.

“What’s there not to understand? You don’t get to spend the day you wanted with Uncle Bill and your family,” you rolled your eyes but he didn’t seem to notice, “family’s important to you, I know that, doesn’t mean you have to spend the whole day moping though, frowning will give you wrinkles.”

With a sigh you pushed your plate away, with Mick willingly taking it off your hands and grabbing your fork. “You know what? Forget I said anything, I’ll be in my room.” You headed out the door, Mick watching you leave out the corner of his eye.

-

A few hours later you were blasting music out your headphones and flipping through an old family photo album. You loved being a Legend, and you wouldn’t change that for the work, but you missed the simplicity and normalcy of your life back home, the traditions you had with your family, and not being about to go to Uncle Billy’s Day with them was making you homesick.

You were so lost in thought that you missed the knock at the door the first time, but pulled your headphones down once the banging got louder. Heaving yourself out of bed you opened your door to reveal Mick, looking rather embarassed as he gestured for you to follow him. “Need you on the bridge.” Was all he said.

“Okay, yeah,” you followed after him, unsure why he looked a little fidgety. You’d never seen him actually look nervous before, but he kept glancing back at you as you headed towards the bridge, what was going on?

You realised, however, when the door opened, to reveal the rest of your crew shouting, “Surprise!” Around the room were tables of food, music playing, as well as various games and decorations.

“What’s all this?” You asked in surprise, looking from Mick, who avoided meeting your eyes, to the rest of the crew. 

Nate replied as Behrad passed you a plate with a slice of funnel cake on it. “Well Mick mentioned you were a little down today because you couldn’t spend the weekend at your festival with your family, so we thought we’d bring the festival to you.”

“Yes we’ve got party poppers, streamers, and the most sickeningly America desserts you could ever imagine,” Constantine chimed in, glancing suspiciously at the deep fried oreos on a tray. You grinned as you looked around.

“Well don’t just stand there, come on!” Sara grabbed your free arm and pulled you into the room as you looked around at what they had done for you.

“You guys did all this?” You asked in equal parts gratitude and disbelief.

“Yeah well, you couldn’t be with your family at home, so we figured this was the next best thing,” Charlie patted you on the back.

“Thank you,” you told them, taking a bite of your cake and smiling widely.

“It’s Mick you should be thanking,” Ava replied as Mick shuffled awkwardly in the corner, “it was his idea.”

“Really?” You turned to face him and he cleared his throat.

“Yeah, well, you looked miserable, it was annoying so...” He shrugged, grabbing a beer and from an ice box next to a sno cone machine and heading to grab some cake, not giving you time to thank him properly. Emotion wasn’t really his thing, but it made you heart flutter that someone would care enough to do something like this, this was a big gesture coming from Mick.

“Well, what are we still standing around here for, let’s get this party started!” Sara cheered, “we couldn’t really get the carnival here so we’ve improvised some drinking games and added prizes to them.” You looked to where beer pong was set up at the side.

With a grin you put down your now empty plate and took a paddle, with Nate excited grabbing the other one before anyone else could. “This is going to be so much fun,” he said and you agreed. 

This may not be how your day was supposed to go, but they’d made their own festival for you to make you feel more at home, and it was absolutely perfect.

-

The day was getting on and your sides were hurting from all the laughing, games and sweets, so you went to take a breather out in the hall while the others played some variation of Heads Up.

To your surprise you found Mick out in the hall, helping himself to the oreos that had somehow gone missing earlier. “Hey, you done already?” He asked, looking to from where he was sat against the wall. You slide down to join him and helped yourself to some more food.

“Just taking a minute, why aren’t you joining in?” You asked him.

“Not really my scene,” he replied, having another sip of his beer. “I’m just glad you’re enjoying it.”

“It’s better than I could ever have asked for,” you told him, noticing the corners of his lips twitch up into a smile. “Thank you, really, you didn’t have to do anything of this.”

“Team effort,” he said, looking to see you staring back at him. You put a hand on his arm.

“But it was your idea, you’re kind of the only one I told about today, so thank you for making it possible,” you noticed that he’d gone pretty still under your touch, eyes not leaving you as you felt yourself leaning in a little. “Thank you for caring, Mick.”

You could see his eyes glance down between your eyes and your lips, leaning in a little too but letting you take the lead as you planted a light kiss on his lips. He seem practically frozen in place as you drew back, unsure whether you’d been reading the signals right. But the shock wore off of him quickly as he pulled you back in with a little more force, kissing you properly - you’d definitely not been reading those signals wrong.

Your hand when from his arm to his collar as you pulled him into you, not wanting the moment to end as you both lost yourself in the kiss. When you eventually broke apart to breath you smiled at him, noticing the soft and caring look in his eyes. 

“Sorry this wasn’t the day you had planned,” he mumbled, face inches from yours.

“That’s okay, today was a good day.”

[christinesficrecs]

Hey christine! Was looking for some villain Stiles, or maybe civilian stiles/superhero Derek? Any help with that?

Hey! Here’s a few and there is a superhero tag here. 

Feed Me Diamonds by TroubleIWant | 14.5K | Mature

Derek is Batman, Stiles is Cat...dude? Uh, he's the Cat Thief, let's go with that. They bone, okay? But first they angst about it.

excelsior by allapologies | 15.9K | Explicit

Stiles is a genius billionaire philanthropist, and Derek has breathtaking anger management issues. Mostly, they argue and flirt. But sometimes, they save the world.

Not So Super by charlesdk | 5.3K

Superman has a crush on Stiles. How does Stiles know? Well, there's the fact that he can't do his damn job without Superman swooping in and saving the day. And there's the fact that he sticks around and chats him up afterward too. Stiles is a cop and knows how to read signs, so it's not just him being full of himself.

It's flattering, sure, but Superman is boring and Stiles has no interest in him. No, he much prefers the dorky reporter Derek Hale.

Kill Your Heroes by WonderWolf | 2.2K

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Stiles says.

It’s a complete and utter lie, it’s exactly what it looks like, but it’s all he can come up with at this point. Chris Argent is floating, bumping up against the warehouse ceiling in a way that can only be explained by Stiles’ use of magic. He’s tied up and unconscious, and there’s really no way Stiles can talk his way out of this one, especially since Derek is glaring at him from only a few feet away.

Go easy on me now by ElisAttack | 6.1K

The one where Stiles is an out Batman with a thirst for justice, and Derek is a closeted Superman intent on hiding away his secret identity.

Implausible Deniability by Farscapegeek | 2.4K

The one where Derek (Superman) gets caught making out with Batman (Stiles) and the reporter's quiet life of anonymity is blown. Please stop snickering Stiles it isn't funny.

Super Enchanting by LadyDrace | 1.9K

Derek is Superman, Stiles is Constantine. Magic is science, demons are apparently a thing, and Derek is actually a little bored. Not for long, though, thanks to a snarky mage in a beige overcoat.

The One With Lots of Questions by mikkimouse | 1.2K

In which reporter (and superhero) Derek Hale confronts CEO Stiles Stilinski, the adopted son of supervillains, over a suspicious bombing, which Stiles insists he had nothing to do with.

Problem is, it looks like Stiles might be telling the truth.

[thecursedhellblazer]

{ @rapxir​​​​ }

(( So, I saw this meme I had filled up a while ago and I decided that I really wanted to fill it up for John and Ruby, so...Sorry but I decided to unexpectedly dump on you this random bunch of headcanons you didn’t ask for u.u ))

It’s not perfect, but It’s Worth it

John Constantine & Ruby Dixon

who steals french fries off the other’s plate Both do. John mostly when he’s trying to be annoying, while Ruby either does it when she’s trying to prove a point or when she’s particularly hungry (at times it’s hard for her to find a decent meal when she’s on her own). It doesn’t happen only with fries. Any kind of food would do. The only things that remain untouched are John’s alcoholic drinks and Ruby’s juice, but all the rest is (un)fair game. At times the girl even steals part of Constantine’s meal to feed it to Bump, which irritates the magician even more than when she eats her. For obvious reasons. Every time that sort of competition happens, Chas starts praying that all the efforts he has made to cook them a proper dinner won’t get waste in a full-fledged food fight.

who jokingly moves in for the kiss CALLS THE OTHER “PARENT/CHILD” when someone asks if they’re a couple FAMILY Ruby might have desisted from trying to use John’s surname for her fake identities (after Constantine has finally explained properly why she shouldn’t do it), but that doesn’t stop her from making fun of the magician’s at his expenses if she has a chance to. More than once, while they were working on a case together, she has introduced herself as John’s daughter, especially if he had set his eyes on some attractive person. They are there to work a job and the less distractions, the quicker it usually gets done. Moreover, she has accidentally walked into him getting it on with someone (or something) a few times and she isn’t keen on repeating that experience. Useless to say, John isn’t amused nor happy about the whole ordeal. There have been a couple of occasions when the roles had been reversed, though. Mostly it had been John playing the asshole dad to scare off some idiot who was trying to bother Ruby. He is very well aware that she can take care of himself, but (considering his own past experiences) he would still preferred if she was never to find herself in such situations.

who has to bust or bail the other out of jail John usually gets himself out of jail just fine, unless he chooses to stay for a reason. Otherwise, he usually calls Chas to come and get it out. And he isn’t once again amused whenever his best friend has let Ruby tag along for the whole ordeal. The smirk the girl gives him, once she has assessed that he is fine, elicits a very special kind of annoyance inside him. They have also busted each other out of some nasty creature clutches from time to time, cue to a whole session of bickering about whose fault it’s been in the first place and why the saviour (especially if Ruby was the one playing that role) shouldn’t have come back and put themselves in danger. What none of them ever admits, though, it’s that they make a good team at the end of the day.

who gives the other advice/comfort about dating issues None. The last thing Ruby wants is to hear about John’s affairs, because he is always, and mostly on purpose, too willing to give out the dirty details. Moreover, she is very guarded when it comes to her crushes and, considering how Constantine goes about that sort of ordeal, he is the last person who would be able to help her with them. John, from his part, is well aware that relationships aren’t his forte, so the best he can do is telling Ruby what not to do about them. Better leave the job to Chas. They do have an implicit, silent agreement, however, that they are open to have talks about any personal matter that might be bothering them. They have never done it for now, but the quiet offer rests open.

who shamelessly cheats at games by reaching over to cover the other’s eyes John does (and also cheats in general), mostly because he knows that it annoys the hell out of Ruby. The girl can always tell when he’s cheating, even if she’s still struggling to crack his poker face, but half of the time she can’t prove it. More than once those games have ended up with something being thrown into John’s face because, let’s be honest, he really asks for that at times.

who immediately calls dibs on the top bunk John usually lets Ruby take the top bunk, he even insists on it. He usually brings up some dumb excuse about how it’s easier that way if he has to get up to have a drink or use the bathroom or have a smoke during the night, but he is always very dismissive of the matter. Suspiciously so. At times he even uses his night terrors as an excuse, saying that he wants to falling off during a nightmare. The real reason, however, it’s still a mystery. It might or might not have something to do with the fact that, usually, top bunkers are safer and more easy to defend from surprises attacks.

who starts and who wins the pillow fights Pillows are among the many things Ruby throws at John when he’s been particularly obnoxious or when he’s trying to tease her to death, so a few fights might have started just like that. The winner really depends on the circumstances, since they are both not above using magic to try and best each other during the fights. However, one thing is sure: whenever Ruby gets Chas to join and side with her, John is going down. No exceptions.

who says “your pants would look better on their floor” to the other’s potential crush There might have been this one time when John, while not using that specific kind of wording, flirted with this young man, after he had caught Ruby glancing at said bloke and looking somewhat interested. She totally denied it, of course, and he earned several kicks in the shins from her, but they chose to never mention it again, also because, while Constantine was drunk off his ass, he was still perceptive enough to notice how truly upset she had gotten under her enraged façade. As previously stated, Ruby tries to stay far, far away from John’s bedroom business. Unless she’s trying to spare herself from having to witness things she will never be able to unsee.

[lgbtimelords]

You know what concept not only do I want but need at this point? Lena and The Legends.

The Legends are literally everything Lena needs right now, a loving amazing found family that treats her the way she deserves.

Maybe one day Lena is getting drunk in some random bar and bumps into Sara, "you know what you need? A crazy day to give you perspective" she tells her and asks her to come with her. And Lena does because the blonde she has seen with Supergirl a couple of times is asking and if she's gonna die she might as well die now.

And The Legends ADORE Lena.

Sara just simply understands Lena. Her struggles, her darkness, a past you want to forget yet at the same time don't want to let go. They drink together a lot, after long missions or when one doesn't feel like talking. They find that common ground in long silence with a lot of meanings. Lena never realized how much she'd needed a friend like that.

Ray just has one or two freaks out at the sight of The Lena Luthor in front of her- and Lena is surprised when she realizes it's a good freak out. And they talk a lot about science and their companies (and Lena loves the way they do because she only had that with Lex before and she never realized how much she missed it) and Ray is kind and Good and reminds her of Kara in so many ways.

Nate is just a overall Nice Guy so he respects all of Lena's boundaries but he encourages her all the time over the most simple of things- and Lena has to admit she likes it. It's not until they go on a mission and they see Lena's father and all her memories come back to the surface and she leaves crying, it's Nate who finds her hours later and he doesn't ask about it and instead tells him how his relationship with his father was and is now- Lena finds it comforting in a way.

Lena and Zari butt heads a lot at first, it's not until they get stuck together and have to work together to not die that they start to see eye to eye more- they realize they're more alike than they thought.

Nora is a breath of fresh air- an inspiration to Lena in a way. She got her redemption. She's good now- she always was. She got over her family's name and isn't judged for it anymore, "no one here will judge for your name, they never did with me and they surely won't do it with you". Lena never realized how much she needed to hear that.

Ava is suspicious of Lena at first but "Ava is suspicious of everything at first too, she was with me"- Charlie told her. But one day they get way too drunk on wine together and after that their bond was strongly there.

Charlie is loud and messy and Lena thinks she'll never like her at first but it's not until she drags her one day to an alien bar to "show Lena what she's missing" that Lena can't help but always feel grateful at her. Charlie shows her all those worlds, all those realities, and Lena understands more now- feels bad about some of the things she said and did but feels herself changing for the better too.

Being with Charlie reminds her of Kara. But somehow her mind is always on Kara.

It's not until they're back on her time for a mission that Lena realizes, "this is it, they're gonna dump me here and forget about me" so after everything ended she goes back to her office and a couple of hours later everyone shows up. She's confused, why they're there and Sara reads her mind "we're not gonna leave without you, come on." Ava says something about being in a hurry because there's a new time problem in a far away year while Nate sees her office with awe and Ray randomly asks her about some statics.

And Lena thinks "So, this is what family is like." She likes it.

Kara sees them when they're in her time- sees the way they work together. The way Lena's shoulders are more relaxed. The way she smiles more freely. She hates the way she aches for it. To be close to lena, to randomly hug her like Nate and Ray. To make her snort with a pun like Sara. To shamelessly flirt with her for no other reason than to flirt like Constantine.

And she hates it, the way she's jealous of all of them. And she hates the way it breaks her heart the way she has already lost her chance with Lena. But she still smiles because it's what Lena deserves- being loved and happy. And she's glad she's happy, even if she's not the reason of her happiness.

[bkwrm523]

The Dumbasses; when musikat18 is drunk

Gavin Magary (Pete’s Dragon)

Can’t stop staring at her with heart eyes.  Never more than two feet from Kat unless she’s in the bathroom.  Thinks she’s adorable.  May drink a little, but will not get drunk.  He wants his wits about him to protect her.  Soliciting cuddles all night, because he thinks she’ll agree to cuddles easier when she’s drunk.

Skurge (Thor: Ragnarok)

Asgardians have a MUCH higher tolerance than humans, so he’s a little shocked at how easy it was for her to get drunk.  Will follow her around like a puppy because he’s afraid something’s gonna happen to her if he turns around for two seconds.

Billy Butcher (The Boys)

Billy... is not comfortable in a bar, seeing as he doesn’t drink.  He’s there to keep an eye on her, and that’s his purpose.  While you’re out, he won’t relax at all.  once they’re home, he’ll make sure she drinks water, eats something.  Cuddles and coos over how cute she is.

Ray Palmer (LoT)

Ray decides to drink with Kat!  Unfortunately, he as a very low tolerance and tries to keep up with Kat.  As such, he passes out early.

John Constantine (Constantine/LoT)

Will get drunk with Kat.  Maybe not super drunk, but about a six or seven out of ten.  Keeps an eye on her, but is much more relaxed about it than the others.  Has to work to keep a straight face, and thinks she’s adorable.  Lots of affectionate kisses.

Harry Wells (The Flash)

Now, drunk Harry is almost identical to sober Harry.  There’s just more sass and an inability to walk straight.  As such, no one’s quite sure if Harry’s elected to drink with Kat or not.  He comes with her, and puts a tracking device on her.  Keeps an arm around her to ward off other guys.  Will want her to drink water, and will be more firm about it than the others.

Malcolm Merlyn (Arrow)

Sober af.  Needs to protect his girl and his giving death glares to anyone who looks at her for too long.  Does quick, subtle checks every so often to make sure she’s not overdoing it.  And god help anyone who tries to flirt with her.

Clark Kent (DC Comics)

Clark, sadly, cannot get drunk.  He’s quite happy to come with her, though, and be social with her and her friends.  He won’t be a dick about it, but he’ll feel a lot better if you let him come along to protec.

Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer)

Seeing as his Kat has decided to get drunk, he throws a massive party on the spot just for her.  Won’t let anyone else pour her drinks.  He’s gonna be nearby, and will always keep an eye on her, but will let her wander around and have fun.  He actually won’t have a problem if she’s involved in flirting, as it’s fun when you’re drunk, UNLESS it starts to go past flirting.  He’s not letting anyone take advantage of her.

Jack Harkness (Torchwood)

I know this is boring, sorry, but basically the same as Lucifer.

Crowley & Aziraphale (Good Omens)

Get drunk with Kat!  That sounds like fun!  Then they proceed to have deep complex conversations about philosophy and history.  Any hangovers are miracled away in the morning

Tenth Doctor (Doctor Who)

Doesn’t notice Kat’s drunk at all.  She tries to tell him, but he’s in the middle of a million mile an  hour ramble about some new adventure and dragging her off.   Many people try to tell him, but it isn't until about the FIFTH time someone says it that he's like "hang on, are you drunk?"

Quentin Beck (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Doesn’t want Kat to go out.  It’s a safety thing.  Will get down on his knees and beg her to stay home.  When that fails, he will follow her around like a puppy ot make sure she doesn’t get so much as a bad hangnail.  He’s very stressed, this is his first kitten.

Derek Hale (Teen Wolf)

Much like Harry and Mal.  Gently tries to talk you into staying home with him.  When that fails, he is on Guard Duty.  Death glares to anyone suspicious, will not leave your side.  Definitely isn’t drinking.

Conner Kent (DC Comics)

Connor tried alcohol once and hated it.  He’s v frighten that kitten is intoxicate.  Will hover anxiously. 

Jason Todd (DC Comics)

FUCK YEAH LET’S ALL GET DRUNK!!  Jason actually gets blackout drunk, super sick, and Kat has to take care of him.

Tim Drake (DC Comics)

Wants to come with and hang out with friends.  Will drink, but only gets buzzed.  Keeping an eye on Kat, but low-key.   Most likely to get her to drink water because he pleads and uses puppy eyes and whines a lot.

Dick Grayson (DC Comics)

Dick comes along, he wants to keep an eye on Kat and hang out with friends.  Doesn’t really want to drink, because he wants to stay on alert, but you can wheedle him into it if you try hard enough.  Will not get drunk, because he can’t handle his alcohol.

[lizzybeth1986]

Sorry for this XD, but 1, 4, 9, 11, 26 and 27 for the salty ask? If it's not too much, of course

Don't say sorry! 😁 Thanks for the ask Nonny and apologies for the delay.

I must caution you, the post is going to be long and and there's too much salt in my responses for even me to handle.

1. OTP in fandom that you just do not get.

IDK I most don't give much of a thought to OTPs that I don't get. Like that is the nature of any fandom, that you can see potential for ships even without a say-so from canon.

What I really don't get is the absurd double standards that I see sometimes - how some fans will pull down other LIs/characters to make a favourite look good, how some LIs will be nitpicked to high hell while others can say the grossest things and not be judged. How one character can be judged for the same thing we will admire in another (I'll get to this later).

It's weird, considering the app literally allows you to choose who you will fall for (unless you're wlw or like a character that's a person of colour in a majority-white cast, in which case they will dangle scraps in front of you once every ten chapters, I suppose). You don't need to trash one LI to justify your choice of another. They're there. Stop tearing down an LI while deliberately tagging the character's tag and ship tags for your notes. Go generate (and promote) content for your own ships and characters instead.

4. A personal NOTP? Are they considered an OTP in the fandom?

Hana x Madeleine. Fortunately, lots of people had plenty of problems with this pair and the way it was written in Book 3. The narrative was subtly pushing that ship over the course of Book 3, but the backlash was strong enough that they got Madeleine to issue an apology for her bullying in the epilogue instead (I doubt they even remember the chocolate allergy scene, given that the MC acts like this information is brand new).

It still left a bad taste in my mouth, because it showed me how little the writers cared for Hana as a character, but at least the fandom made sure it didn't become a ship.

9. Most Disliked Character(s):

Hoo boy. I have a freaking list. Besides the really really obvious ones:

• Drake Walker: has way more privilege than he knows what to do with. Narrative acts like he is the Voice of the Commoner...well. I feel sorry for the commoners that don't get to practically live in court without having to change their attire or yap all day about steak, burgers and whiskey. And whose sisters don't have friends that will fleece their entire ancestral house's already-plummeting finances to keep her house running while her brother trash-talks the same friend in Book 1.

• Damien Nazario: is a hypocrite. That is all.

• Constantine: Almost every apology of his has to come punctuated with an excuse. Even if it involves orchestrating sexual assault.

• Madeleine (TRR) and Mallory (RoE): The demonic duo of People PB Wants So Desperately For Me To Forgive™. Without them even having to earn that forgiveness, too (Nana deserves to be on this list too, except the question of forgiveness doesn't even arise when it comes to her. She is worshipped in this series!). I see a small step towards change in D&D Book 2 with Lady Grandmother, but only time will tell if they will actually execute the "will never forgive you" route properly.

• Penelope: is so, so fucking entitled I just can't. I understood how her condition, and manipulation from people like Constantine and Bastien, got her to the point where she would be ready to harm someone. But I can't for the life of me understand how she can forget this so easily after the tea party.

I was hoping for a redemption arc where Penelope recognizes what she's done and unconditionally tries to make amends in Book 3, but that never happened. There was not a single reference in Book 3 to the harm she did you in Book 1. We had to do an immense amount of coddling to convince her to come for the wedding, and there were consequences if you didn't call her your "best friend" or support her demands. The narrative has Drake Walker...Drake "Ambassadors Go To Dangerous Areas, Lady Kiara (So Get Over It)" Freaking Walker...reassure Penelope in a way that Kiara never gets from anyone in the group, and she suffered a knife attack. Ezekiel is literally created out of thin air as a reward for her.

Why does she need a reward again? Who knows.

• Ajay: Didn't apologize.

11. Unpopular Character that You Like that Fandom Doesn't.

(This is going to be loooong. I'm not sorry. This rant has been really, really building up. It's like a dam).

Kiara. It's popular to sorta kinda like her now, but back when she started showing feelings for Drake she got a lot of hate...hate that I feel bled into the treatment she got in the third book.

It took me a while to warm up to Kiara, but I think what did it for me was her friendship with Penelope. She was protective and supportive, even though she lacked an understanding of what Penelope was going through. I was even more pleasantly surprised when she spoke about her bond with Savannah. There was a warmth and a sweetness about Kiara in Book 2 that we didn't see much of in Book 1 and she slowly won me over. When they spoke about her injuries in Book 3, I was looking forward to seeing that story explored.

I will always maintain that Kiara in Book 3 is what happens when both the writing team and the louder, more vocal portion of the fandom are heartless towards a particular character. Heartless is a heavy word, and a word I don't want to be using willy-nilly, but I've seen enough to come to that conclusion in this case.

Kiara was often called an opportunist and a host of other names in the fandom for not supporting the MC through the scandal. Except that we all forget she never promised anything beyond supporting your claim to being picked as future Queen. She tells you straight off the bat in Book 1 that she is looking for allies and not friends (guess who is often admired for that mindset? Madeleine...well, until she harms Hana for flimsy reasons). Meanwhile we have Penelope being all adorable and happy and congratulating you knowing that you're going to be slut-shamed, humiliated and dragged out of court for a scandal she helped generate. Kiara on the other hand was honest. She wanted a job in the ministry and a bomb married life while she was at it. I'd rather have an ambitious (but won't abuse her power like Madeleine does) Kiara in my corner than a person who lies to my face about supporting me, does little more to help than just tell me who her boss was, then expects me to call her my best friend later.

Kiara had to only look at and flirt with Drake for people to hate on her. Meanwhile Olivia could spring an unwanted kiss on Liam in public, and the fandom would still be blaming Liam for not loving her back. In regular fandom content Kiara was mocked and sometimes suspected of having an illicit affair with Drake, in fanfic that featured her she was often either villainized, or written as the "other woman". Which is okay - fanfic is your own personal sandbox, after all - but it does highlight a pattern.

In canon...Kiara was made a survivor of a terrorist attack and nobody cared. Not the MC, not the country's king, not her closest friends, not the man who got injured at the same ball. It was bad enough that her parents were considering leaving the goddamn country (they should have). She was ignored in her own estate. The MC speaks to her not with sympathy and reassurances, but instead reminds her of her 'duty' and pressurizes her. (@callmetippytumbles illustrates this amazingly in her ask here, having Liam say "have a apple and buck up for Cordonia". No lie there. No lie there at all). All the 'sympathy' goes to a brother who has absolutely nothing to do with court.

She was suspected and interrogated at Lythikos. The MC has the option to be dismissive and to minimize - by labelling her "not as driven" - as Kiara literally pours her heart out about her trauma. Sample this:

(Ngl folks. Reading this was really, really triggering for me. I know exactly what it feels like to have my trauma dismissed like this. It doesn't feel great. Fuck you MC. Fuck you Drake. Fuck you TRR writers)

There are no consequences for doing this to her, btw. She still returns and she still fights at the boutique and she'll still speak very positively about you to her mother. I imagine if Joelle found out the truth of how the group really treated her daughter, she'd verbally destroy them and never support the kingdom again. And she'd be right not to.

On its own that scenario looks bad enough already, but when you hold it up next to how we treat the other ladies? Pure, stinking trash:

Madeleine: A diamond scene to console and encourage her, and all the right options are meant to support her to her parents. If you don't succeed in making her parents understand what she wants, you lose out on their support. There are consequences.

Penelope: A diamond scene to comfort and reassure her that they will not be like Madeleine. Immense coddling from the group. If you don't call her your best friend or altogether be nice and supportive to her, that negatively impacts the way Landon responds to you. AND I have heard that if her parents don't believe Penelope is safe with you, she doesn't even join the tour. There are consequences.

Kiara: No diamond scenes to even figure out how she is or what she thinks. A one-minute scene to convince (emotionally blackmail, actually) her to "do your duty", which will happen no matter which option, then a diamond option for her brother...who exists only because they want to give Penelope a reward for something I still cannot fathom. Her brother's response depends on his own issues and the presence of Penelope, and Hakim and Joelle's depend on what you do at the Festival. Kiara's situation of being an attack victim should have warranted the kind of coddling Penelope felt entitled to, yet when it comes right down to it her plight matters to literally no one.

In Lythikos no special diamond scenes for her either, just an interrogation. While we can choose to view Kiara as innocent in Chapter 11, her leaving is branded "suspicious" by both Drake and the MC by default the next chapter, and Maxwell literally says (disappointment writ large on his face) "jeez, that's one suspect off our list" after we're done. We go to her pretending to be her well-wishers, but in reality we're interrogating a traumatized woman, and not even ashamed when she trusts our untrustworthy asses with her secret.

You get the option to forget what happened to her (for which she rightfully slams you). You get the option to be a trauma-minimizing pile of steaming fecal matter (for which she doesn't slam you, even though she should). No matter what, Drake is your puppet and will agree with you, and you get away with all this. Drake stands there and minimizes her experiences with you, and shows zero remorse for putting an attack victim in that situation.

Like, it's actually quite shameful the more you think about it. Kiara was interrogated. After two traumatic experiences that at the very least should have her questioning whether we are worth her support at all. In a scenario that any fool would realise was at least scary to her if not altogether traumatizing. Madeleine and Penelope feel entitled to good treatment, Kiara has to make do with the crumbs we throw at her. She is never given a chance to speak of this as problematic, and the group never gets truly called out on their bullshit.

Even if you do pick the absolute nicest options...the fact remains that the MC, Duchess of Valtoria (and possible future Queen) and her group of influential friends, ignored the concerns a person who was badly injured at their event, pressurized her into showing support for them, didn't do jackshit to ensure her safety, suspected and questioned her when she rightfully withdrew public support, and dishonestly interrogated this traumatized woman, while still keeping the expectation that she support them. All without earning a shred of that support. They felt zero remorse, every last one of them, for putting her in that position.

Kiara not getting much attention isn't exactly a surprise. She has always been given the least focus among the ladies of the court and Book 3 wouldn't have been an exception...if they hadn't made her a victim of a terrorist attack!! Once they placed Kiara in that position, she deserved to have her concerns addressed, and addressed properly. What happened to her was a highlight of the failure of the security system at the palace and Royal Court, and to have that ignored while we had all the time in the world to address Madeleine's parents' petty family squabbles was disgusting. That there are absolutely no consequences for doing this to Kiara, while there are for not attending to Penelope or Madeleine's concerns, and it all ends with Kiara praising us to her mother, is disgusting. That the writers were more busy trying to backtrack on Driara and make the ship impossible to happen in canon, than on focusing on Kiara's own story in her own estate, is disgusting. And I cannot ignore that the latter decision sprung in a large part from the hate the fandom was spewing on Kiara for most of Book 2. The writers wouldn't have dared to do such a thing to Penelope, and it was clearly because there would be a backlash. They knew they could get away with insensitive writing for Kiara easier than they would with Penelope - and they did.

The other thing is this. Back in Books 2 and 3, loads of people in the fandom used to aggressively ship Liam and Olivia (to the point where he would be blamed for not returning her affections). Loads of people would also find excuses to hate on Kiara once she began to show she liked Drake. Nowadays, it's popular to state that "Olivia deserves better" (I'd be inclined to agree if it weren't for the way that argument is often framed. She deserves a man who loves her completely) - again, in a way that blames Liam for not returning her affections.

Yet, when people speak of Kiara's feelings being one-sided? Little to no blame for Drake there, even though he was rude or dismissive to her more than once (for me, personally, Lythikos was the last straw). Hardly a handful would say "Kiara deserves better than Drake". I can bet if Liam treated Olivia even half as poorly as Drake behaved with Kiara, we'd be bashing that man to the high heavens. I guess it's because it's Kiara who is the recipient of this kind of treatment that it matters to so few. I shouldn't be surprised.

26. Most shippable character?

Hayden xD Mostly because they're so much fun to customize, yet there's a very strong inner core there that does not change and that grounds the character.

27. Least shippable character?

I don't know. Nana?

[itsstillnotwhatyouthink]

Look What You Made Me Do (part 6)

A/N: Part 6 of my Better Than Revenge series.  This series was inspired by the song “Better Than Revenge” by Taylor Swift, which you can listen to here.  You can also catch up on the series here.  

Series Summary:  Olivia’s world was rocked when she discovered her boyfriend Drake cheated on her with Jessica at the homecoming ball. Olivia knows that Jessica is not what she seems, and she is determined to prove it.  Little does she know just how deep the plot goes.

Warnings: Some bad language, conspiracy, murder, major character death.  MC is a bitch. Each chapter will have it’s own warnings.

Chapter Warnings: Angst. Lots of Angst; This is so far off canon it is basically an AU

Word Count: 1643

*********************************

It had been three weeks since Olivia had spoken to Liam about Jessica and nothing had really changed.  He was still set on marrying her despite the proof he was shown.  He wouldn’t think ill of her until he had seen it with his own eyes.  He believed that she was who Olivia said she was, but he didn’t believe Jessica had malicious intent toward him.

“What are you thinking about, Darling?” Jessica reached across the table and took Liam by the hand.  They were sitting on the balcony at Valtoria enjoying the sunrise as they ate breakfast.

“Just thinking about the wedding,” Liam said with a grin, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “I can’t wait to be married to you and I think we should start practicing for the honeymoon right now.”  Liam smiled and took her hand pulling her to her feet and back into the bedroom.

********************************

Olivia, Drake, Maxwell, and Hana were on their way to meet Bastien at the hospital.  He had been recovering nicely from his gunshot wound.  They walked in and he sat up and smiled at them.

“Hello everyone! It's good to see you.  Can you please tell them to let me out of here?”  Bastien looked desperate.  He was not used to laying around, even if he was shot and almost killed.  Everyone looked at each other.  They weren’t about to get in the middle of this argument.  As if on cue, a pretty nurse walked in to check Bastien’s bandages.  She had bright purple hair, and looked way to happy to be there.

“Are you still trying to talk your way out of here?”  The nurse smiled as she spoke and Bastien stopped talking to look at her.

“Of course I am, Elissa. You can’t keep me here forever.”

“Not forever, Bas.  Only a few more weeks.  You’ll be good as new.”  Bastien looked like he didn’t believe her, but he still couldn’t help but smile at her.

The rest of the group watched the exchange with a kind of morbid curiosity.  Drake leaned over and whispered in Olivia’s ear, “Are you seeing this? Is Bastien flirting?”

“I thought I had seen everything,” Olivia whispered back in amusement.

They waited patiently while Elissa changed Bastien’s bandages.  Once she was out of the room, they got right down to business.

“We found your key and the documents in the safe.”  Oliva was sitting on the edge of the bed, speaking quietly to minimize the chance of someone overhearing their conversation. “We took all the evidence to Liam and he refused to change his mind about marrying her.  He said that he had seen no evidence that she was planning anything, even if she was lying about who she was.”

Bastien leaned his head back and sighed.  “He always did try to see the best in everyone.”  He looked a little defeated as he took in the faces of the group.  “Honestly, if he really wants to marry her, there is nothing we can do.  We have told him what we know and that’s all we can do.”

“Why didn’t King Constantine tell him sooner?  If he knew who she was, he should have told Liam from the beginning!”  Everyone turned to Hana as she spoke up.  

“Constantine didn’t actually know,” Bastien answered.  “He had his suspicions and he had me investigate under the radar.  Even though he arranged Jessica’s adoption, he never had any contact with the adoptive family.  He didn’t know what they named her, or even where they lived.  He didn’t become suspicious until he overheard her talking to Tariq in the hallway one night.  Jessica knew she was being investigated and she arranged to have him killed, and I assume, to kill me as well.”

“Well, this sucks,” Drake stated matter-of-factly.  “What are we supposed to do?”

Bastien looked sad as he answered.  “Just be there for Liam and hope he changes his mind.”

*************************************

The night before the wedding, Jessica stood on the balcony in her suite at the palace.  She was thinking about the plan, and what tomorrow would bring.  She had worked so hard for this and it would not be taken away from her now.  Tomorrow she would marry Liam and become the Queen, then things would change.  All of Cordonia would find out how weak their King really was.

“What are you thinking about?”  Tariq came up behind her wrapping an arm around her waist as he planted soft kisses on her neck.  He had become much better at sneaking into her room since the first time they were caught at Applewood.

“Just thinking about tomorrow.  How I can’t wait to carry out the plan, and I can’t wait to rule Cordonia with you at my side.”  Jessica turned to Tariq, kissing him deeply.  “I’m so tired of pretending to be someone I’m not.”

“You don’t have to pretend much longer. It’s almost over.  Tonight, just be the woman I love.”  Tariq took her by the had and led her back into the bedroom.

******************************************

Liam sat in his chambers thinking about the wedding and what would happen the next day, when there was a knock on the door.  “Come in,” Liam said without getting up from the couch.  He heard the door open and then heard Drake’s voice.

“Hey, Liam.  Can we talk?”  The softness of Drake's voice led Liam to believe that he would not like whatever his friend had to say, but he motioned to the couch beside him and Drake took a seat.

“Look, Liam, I know you don’t want to hear this, so I am only going to say it once.  Jessica is not who you think she is.  She is the daughter of the people who killed your mother, and I believe she is manipulating you.”

“You have no proof!” Liam yells, standing up abruptly and turning on his friend.  “Olivia came to me with the same information.  There is no proof that she knows who she is, or that she is manipulating me for any reason!”

Drake stood up to stand in front of Liam.  “Please, please don’t marry her tomorrow.  I have a feeling that you will regret it.” There was no anger in Drake’s voice as he looked at the floor, only pleading.  Begging Liam to listen.

“Get out.”  Liam’s voice was cold.  More angry than Drake had ever heard before.  “If you don’t want to be a part of this then don’t come to the ceremony, but I will marry Jessica, and she will be my Queen.  I love her.”

With that, Drake just nodded his head in defeat and walked out the door.

**********************************

The day of the wedding, Liam couldn’t help but notice that his best friend was noticeably missing.  Not only was Drake not there, but neither were Olivia, Maxwell, or Hana.  I can’t believe it.  My best man didn’t show up to the wedding?  Even if they didn’t agree with the wedding, I can’t believe they would just not show up.  I thought I meant more to them than that.  This is supposed to be the happiest day of my life and my friends aren’t here to support me.

“Any word?”  Liam leaned over and whispered to Bastien.  He had been out of the hospital for about a week and insisted on returning to regular duty.

“No, Your Majesty.  No one has seen any of them since early this morning.  But for what it is worth, I don’t believe they would just leave you.  Drake, Hana, Olivia, and Maxwell are the most loyal friends anyone could have.  If they are not here, it is not for some petty reason.  They would still support you even if they disagreed with you.”  Bastien placed his hand on Liam’s shoulder.  “Everything will be fine.”

“Thank you Bastien.  I really needed to hear that.”  Liam took one last look around the changing room and headed out to the front of the church.

All of Liam’s doubts and fears went flying out the window when he first glanced Jessica at the end of the aisle.  She was breathtaking.  He knew in that instant that he made the right decision and he hoped that his friends would come around and see Jessica the way the he saw her, a strong and beautiful woman worthy of leading Cordonia.  

***********************************

“Ugh, where are we?”  Hana sits up and groggily shakes her head.  She looks around and sees Drake, Maxwell, and Olivia with her, in some kind of cell.  Wherever they are.  “Uh...guys?”  Slowly they all wake up and take in their surroundings.  

Instantly Maxwell begins to panic.  “Oh, God!  I can’t die yet.  I’m too pretty to die in a dungeon!  I should die from the cuteness of being snuggled by a dozen baby pandas!  We have to find a way out of here!”

“Calm down, Maxwell,” Drake said as he placed a hand on Maxwell’s shoulder.  “We will find a way out and find a way back to the wedding.  Jessica won’t win this easily, she obviously doesn’t know who she is dealing with.”  This seems to calm Maxwell and he sits back down on the little cot in the cell.

“Hey!  Let us out of here!” Olivia rattles the bars, yelling down the hall until a guard appears.

“No, can do little Lady,” The guard smirks as he looks at them.

“Who are you calling little Lady?  You will pay for that.”  Olivia is glaring at the guard with more fire in her eyes than she has ever possessed before.

“Duchess Jessica wanted to ensure that you didn’t try to interfere with the ceremony.  It is an integral part of the plan.  Plus this just makes it easier to kill you all later.”  The guard just turned and walked away down the hall leaving them all staring after him in silence.

*************************************

Tags:  @time-travel-bouqet @the-wayward-robot @carryoncaptainrogers @bobasheebaby @speedyoperarascalparty @leelee10898 @blackwidow2721 @mrsnazario1223 @scarlettedragon @blackcatkita @katurrade @riseandshinelittleblossom @cocomaxley @ao719 @hopefulmoonobject @gibbles82 @kennaxval @darley1101

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Games We Play

by By_Candlelight, TrickyAntics

"The Owls are looking for Dick Grayson," Bruce had told him, summoning him back to Gotham with danger hanging heavy over his head. Nightwing and Dick Grayson needed to remain separate entities as far as anyone was concerned, and having a swarm of bird (and bat) themed heroes rallying around a random rich elite of Gotham was suspicious. What he needed was a bodyguard, someone strong enough to protect fragile, helpless little Dick Grayson, but who also wasn't aware of just how sturdy that rich boy truly was.

Dick had just the man in mind, and if the trickiest part of the plan would be convincing Roy Harper to look after him, Dick Grayson was already in the clear. But unfortunately for him, plans never tended to work out as perfectly as one would hope.

Words: 38005, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of You're My Target

Fandoms: DCU (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, Artemis Crock, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne (Mentioned), Lex Luthor (mentioned), Green Arrow (mentioned), John Constantine (cameo), Leonard Snart (cameo)

Relationships: Dick Grayson/Roy Harper, Artemis Crock & Dick Grayson, Artemis Crock & Roy Harper, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Roy Harper, John Constantine/Leonard Snart (cameo)

Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Injury, Mistaken Identity, Identity Reveal, Kidnapping, Hurt/Comfort, Court of Owls, Established Friendship, Batfamily sibling relationships, Hallucinations, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Gossip Queen Artemis Crock, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Roy Harper, BAMF Dick Grayson, BAMF Roy Harper, Dramatic Dick Grayson, First Kiss, Roy Harper is Arsenal, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Bisexual Roy Harper, Bisexual Dick Grayson, Megachad Talon, Bad Flirting, Getting Together

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/46139287

[soonhoonsol]

No no never be sorry it's completely fine!!! Ilysm ok just take care of yourself that's more important to me!

It's been ok lol I've been so busy and got in a slump for a while so I didn't really feel like it...but after doing that top kpop songs post I realized how much I had fun doing it so I'm back at it!! :) I just don't have any ideas haha I'm thinking about maybe taking requests so that way I can put out content more regularly but idk.....

Yeah you have a point there....it's kinda sad to see because at this point with Cait's character she could probably leave too without much story impact which sucks.....OMG I've felt the same especially this season!!!! well it's picked up a tiny bit with this whole war of the Godspeeds going on lol 12 Godspeeds though like how????

No I haven't I'm starting to though!! I'm practicing and trying to get used to drawing in photoshop first because I have yet to try digital art and that's what I really want to do but thank you for the words of encouragement means a lot <3<3

Ok from what I gather from the newest episode he lost it trying to save the legends but they could still explain it better :/ but it's nice to see Astra doing magic regardless <3<3 and I think your right from the newest episode they are trying to do a romance with Behrad and Astra idk how I haven't noticed before omg

omg Nate as Constantine killed me afekm OH OH OH idk how I got reminded of this lol but I watched Teen Titans Go vs. Teen Titans!!!! I loved it the nostalgia....brought me back to my childhood I felt so old for some reason haha

you're the sweetest kindest bean ily :((

yay!!! i'm glad to see you back hehehe >< your top 10 set was amazing! i loved it so much. requests tho... if you do open up requests i'll ask for something 👀

Cait deserves better :(( i heard there was some drama apparently about how Iris' actress isn't on set when Cait's actress is directing an episode? idk if that rumour is true but Iris has been suspiciously missing the past 2 episodes...

12 Godspeeds tho... i'm very excited to see this unfold!

oooh i'm sure you'll be great at digital art! fighting!!

ahh right... makes sense. this season has just been so confusing to me T~T i feel that Behrad/Astra romance isn't gonna work right off the bat? Astra has such high levels of confidence and self-sufficiency; i doubt she'll consider romance tbh

Nate as Constantine still flirting with Zari tho askahsgd >< but omg yay!! yes the nostalgia is just very nice :')) especially with the voice actors too!

[kclenhartnovels]

Flirt Tag Game

I was tagged in the flirt game forever ago by @knightedwriter, and I looked through Vendave and realized I had no good flirt scenes. This was a problem I had to remedy. So I asked, Constantine and Delgos, or Samantha and Alastair?

And of course Ri said both, because she's a jerk. So I wrote a new scene for Con/Delgos, then as I was deciding on a scene for Samantha/Alastair, my dumb ass remembered that they were 100% flirting the first time they met, and I can use that.

Writing below the cut.

Constantine and Delgos

“Father's been getting worse,” Constantine noted quietly, leaning his shoulder against Delgos as he dangled his feet into the river.

“I think it's all in your head,” the guard soothed, tucking an arm around his middle and pulling the Prince closer to him. “You worry too much, Con.”

“Losing Rockwood—”

“Will you stop obsessing over it?” He frowned, pressing his lips to the top of Constantine's head. “For once, stop thinking about the kingdom. Enjoy the quiet out here.”

He sighed, perhaps more dramatically than he intended, closing his eyes and leaning his cheek into Delgos' shoulder. The summer heat hadn't hit in full force yet, the leaves of the grove around them rustling in the lazy wind. Insects buzzed in a low hum, and despite his pressing concerns, Constantine found himself falling limp against his guard.

“I don't know what else to think about,” he admitted after a moment, whining more than he had intended.

Delgos slid a hand under his chin, tilting up his head. Before Constantine could open his eyes, he kissed him gently, nothing more than a quick peck. The Prince felt heat flush his cheeks, and he sputtered a moment, looking up to Delgos.

“Someone will—”

“See?” Delgos finished for him, before looking around the empty forest. “Who, the birds?” Before Constantine could reply, he stole another kiss, then peppered a trail of them along Constantine's jaw until he found his ear.

“Stop,” Constantine laughed, but his fingers curled into the guard's shirt, pulling him closer. “I thought I told you never to kiss me again.”

“No,” he corrected, nuzzling against his cheek, “you kissed me, then told me never to do it again. I just assumed you were telling yourself.”

Constantine willed his blush to fade. “It's hot out here,” he evaded.

“Do you want to go back to the castle?”

He studied Delgos' face, watching the way the sun dappled through the trees, marking irresistible patterns across his skin. He leaned forward, catching his lips in a kiss somewhere between desperate and adoring. “Not yet.”

Alastair and Samantha

[This is before rewrites, so the writing has its problems. There is also a slur used in it, and the character is not corrected until later in the book. For context, this is a ball thrown at Valerian's estate, because that's all he does. This is the first time they've met, but the second song they're dancing to.]

“Sir,” Samantha murmured, moving a bit closer to the knight as they danced, “I did not mean to offend earlier. Forgive me.”

“Nonsense, you did no such thing, I assure you.” Alastair bowed his head briefly, offering her a weak but honest smile. “I just haven’t been feeling myself of late. I beg your pardon.”

“There is no need to beg for anything, then. Or we shall be forgiving each other all night.”

“Perhaps so.” His eyes softened as he spun her away from him, catching her by the fingertips to draw her back in.

“Most knights, I’ve learned,” she went on, “don’t know how to dance. At least not well. They’re far more awkward than you.”

“Most ladies I’ve met have nowhere near your wit and knowledge. It is a pleasant change. Since I have come here, Lord Valerian has insisted that I learn what he deems necessary. I’m afraid if you had seen me at his harvest festival, it would have been quite a different story.”

“I imagine so. Had we met then, we would never have been dancing. My husband never would have allowed it.”

“You’re married?” For a moment, Alastair looked around, as if trying to pin which man had her, but surely Valerian would have mentioned her husband, if she still had one? Count on him to leave out something so important.

“I was,” she corrected with a reassuring smile. “He disappeared last month. Just vanished. He had taken his pet falcon with him, though--we think something might have happened to him on the hunt, but we never found a body or anything, even after tracking him for days with hounds and men.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She shook her head, a few blond curls already falling loose from the pinned pile on her head. “I’m officially a widow, with his land and wealth in my name, and my son Owen to be his heir. My father would be turning in his grave to hear me speak like this, but I hated that man. He was rough and uncouth, and his only assets were in land. And I mean only.” With a defiant smile she spun away from him again, before dancing back into his reach.

“I am happy for you, then.”

“From what Valerian tells me, you have a daughter?” she asked, laying one hand on his shoulder again. “Are you married then?”

“No,” he shook his head, glancing towards the corridor. Down the hall, Catherine and Valerie would be sitting together popping nuts over a fire and listening to stories from their nanny. “I found her, not long before I came here. She was wandering lost and alone outside of Rivel. Her parents had been captured and killed there. I couldn’t leave her.”

“Of course not! I’m so happy for you. Children really are a blessing. How old is she?”

“Seven or eight years now, I believe. She’s with Valerian’s daughter right now. They’ve gotten along together very well.”

She laughed softly, pulling him to the side and clapping as the song ended. “Let’s get something to drink, it’s awfully dry in here. And that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve met Valerie a few times, and I must say, she takes after her father. A sweet little girl, but so quiet since her mother became ill. Have you heard anything of how she’s doing?”

“The Lady? No, I haven’t.” He took her arm to lead her to the long table. He didn’t miss Kamin’s grin, but chose to ignore it. “I’ve yet to see her, in fact. Valerian has told me that she never leaves their bedroom any longer, and is under constant supervision. He’s tried everything he can think of.”

She tsked. “It’s almost cruel to keep the poor woman like that, but I can’t imagine much else could be done aside from killing her, and I know Valerian would never think of that. I don’t know if he could bear it. Even through all this, he loves her--he still talks of her often.” She paused, then chuckled. “Then again, he talks of everything often, so I suppose I can’t single her out to much, bless his heart.”

Alastair took a small goblet of warm spiced wine for both of them. For a while, they sat in comfortable silence, watching the party. Kamin slipped through the crowds, somewhat drunken laughter following after him.

“Do you know him?” she asked finally, as the jester was wrangled back in by Jinx, slung over the acrobat’s shoulders like a dead deer and hanging gamely onto his hat.

“Yes. Well, to some extent. I met him in Rivel when I was with Catherine a few months ago. I ran into him again earlier in the week when his troupe came into town.” The knight smiled fondly, watching as Valerian slipped up to his minstrels, no doubt to request some song or performance. Kamin laughed and nodded, still hanging from his friend’s back. “It seems Valerian has finally warmed up to them. I’m glad of that.”

“They’re gypsies, aren’t they?” She gave a suspicious frown, turning over one of the rings on her fingers. “Did he know that?”

“Not when he first hired them. Don’t fear, though, they don’t live up to their reputations. Few of them do, that I’ve met.”

“And the ones who might, I think, would be wise enough to avoid conning a knight.”

“Indeed.” Alastair smiled, laughing quietly as the troupe went at it again.

“You sound as if you do not laugh often enough,” Samantha noted.

“I haven’t had a reason to for some time,” he admitted. “Not this freely, at least.”

She laid a hand on his knee. “Well then, I pray the reasons will continue.”

I’m not going to tag anyone for this game, but if you decide to do it, please @ me!

[thelostpagesofportlyndon]

"...You're not even listening. Are you?" Juilet asked as Alexander finally looked to her. "...Ah. I apologize for my behavior…Miss Disraiel. Do you happen to know who that enchanting woman is?" Alexander motioned to the woman who danced wildly in the crowd with a certain joy. Perhaps it was a bit too much champange but she breathed life that Alexander hadn't seen in the upper crust in a few years. 

"I believe that would be Olivia...Simon Renaud's sister." 

Alexander raised a brow in surprise as he discarded his empty glass as Juilet shook her head and simply waved her hand. "Go ahead…" She added with a smile.  

Alexander slid in so quickly he could tell it took Olivia a moment to even realize as he took her hands and fell into step with her. Olivia was perhaps the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He didn't know how to explain how a person seemed more lovely then the beauty of france. The finest art he owned and the delicate flowers he cherished in his greenhouse. Her eyes bewildered and suspicious. A stain of mystery in her pupils.

She didn't flirt or flatter but also didn't push him away with a small smile on her lips. He was fine with that for now…

As the music slowed down to a stop as the musicians took their break she let her hands slip from his. The awkward silence lingering until a voice cut the crowd. 

"Olivia. There you are...I was getting worried." Simon smiled as a hand rested on his arm. Rachael barely looked like her relatives with an exotic tan that stood out against the pale skinned fads. Her dress was a style of it's own. A warm smile on her lips as she held his arm. "I told him you were perfectly fine…" Rachael paused before smiling and offering her hand to Alexander. "Rachael Constantine. This is my Fiance, Simon Renaud...You are?"

Alexander took her hand gently as he bowed politely. "Alexander Faust. I'm afraid I can't resist a dance…" he joked as he smiled at Olivia. "It was a pleasure dancing with you, Olivia…" He added warmly. "I certainly hope I get another chance in the future…" he added as he excused himself. Someday he'd admit how nervous he suddenly felt...He was never nervous around women yet his stomach fluttered and head spun. Olivia. Olivia. He liked how her name sounded on his tongue.

 

"...That man was - odd." Olivia finally spoke as she looked to her brother and Rachael.

"I would expect as much...Alexander Faust is a familar name. I believe he's quite the dancer. At least I know he is quite close with my cousins." Rachael added casually. 

----

"...Please." December sounded exasperated as she spoke but kept and elegant smile on her lips as she sat across from Rachael and Simon.

"He really has been quite sweet, Simon…" Rachael added with a smile as she kissed his hand. "I understand your worried about her…" 

Simon pinched the bridge of his nose as he rested against Rachael for a moment.  "I don't know if I'm more worried for her safety or worried about how mad she'll be with another suitor. I will say that you vouching for his character has eased my mind…" 

December nodded a bit. "Alexander is a hopeless romantic at heart. He's known for flirting so most people assume he's - inscrutable. I swear on my life that he's  fallen for her. I have never seen him like this…"

----

"..."

Alexander took a deep breath with tensed shoulders as he quietly sat beside Olivia on the bench where she sat with pursed lips and her hands tightly gripped her dress in frustration.  

"What part of leave me alone did you not comprehend?" The roses thorns had shown. He didn't blame her. He thought it was daft that he needed permission to date her let alone that someone else could decide whom she was meant to spend the rest of her life with.

Sure. He wished to be that one but he'd never want to force her to love him…

"I just want you to listen for a moment then I promise to respect your wishes…" 

"Fine."

"...I fell in love with you from the first time I saw you. Yet I understand that spark may be one sided and perhaps I may have been vain but it was more then your pretty face that enticed me. It was your energy - It was intoxicating."

 He cleared his throat a little as he leaned back, staring at the snow under his shoes. 

"I'd be honored for you to give me a chance. I'd love to know you better...Even if we remain nothing more then friends. I will never crush such a precious dove in my hands or lock you away...Even if your brother was to make me marry you tomorrow I would let you leave…" 

He silently stood up as he shifted his coat off and draped it over her shoulders with a small faint smile before walking off and respecting her wish to be left alone as he headed back inside.