#Enjoy the snippet everyone!

[cherryapplefish]

Summer Thoughts

Caleb x Reader

Rated: E for everyone

Word Count: 1.3k

A/N: yah you call Caleb ge/gege in here. no, it's honorifics because your character starts off as 8! view this in the way you guys read about girls calling older guys "oppa" please. it's not meant to be anything more than that. caleb and mc are written as children here half the time. hope this helps.

You never actually learn how to ride a bike. 

And you don’t figure this out till you’re 13. 

At this point in your life, you’ve only gone bike riding with Caleb. He was the one who taught you so of course he’s the one who takes you.

“Why do you need to learn,” he asks, brows furrowing together half in confusion and half in annoyance. You huff and stomp your foot. You’re eight and all the other kids in the neighborhood know how to ride a bike but you’re still sitting on the back of Caleb’s. 

“You can just ride with me. I’ll take you wherever you need to go,” he continues. You roll your eyes, crossing your arms as you try to seem serious. Like a grown up. 

Caleb just stifles a laugh as he tries not to look away but you can see the mirth sparkling in his eyes and it makes you want to reach out and smack him for being so mean to you. You want to be taken seriously and: 

“The other kids left me because they didn’t have a seat for me and I didn’t know how to take yours. Teach me, gege.”

You whine, switching up tactics and latching your arms around his in an attempt to act cute. Caleb usually always gives in if you’re cute enough and when he doesn’t react, you press your cheek to his arm, squirming against him like the child you are. 

“Please. Please. Please.” 

Caleb sighs before a soft smile spreads across his face. He reaches out, fingers ruffling your hair before agreeing. 

That had been then. 

Now, you’re thirteen and stomping back inside with scraped knees and tears tracking down your cheeks. You purse your lips to keep them from quivering and head straight for Caleb. 

He pokes his head out of the kitchen when he hears the door slam and alert him of your presence, his eyes bright. 

“Hey pipsqueak- woah, what happened to you,” he says, setting down the wooden spoon he’d been using to stir the pot of braised pork he’d been making for dinner. He can see the way your cheek is redder on one side compared to the other and immediately makes his way over to you. 

You meet him halfway there and before he can get another word out, you sock him in the arm. You barely leave a mark but Caleb hisses in surprise, rubbing the spot. 

“Hey! What was that for? What happened,” he asks. There’s concern in his gaze as he reaches out to pull a leaf out of your hair. It’s clear you’ve taken a pretty bad tumble and for some reason, it’s his fault. 

“You’ve been using your evol on me when we ride bikes haven’t you,” you ask and he freezes. You can see the guilt flash across his face before he schools it into a practiced smile. The jerk! That was confession enough! 

“You caught me,” he answers, a cheeky grin on his face. He anticipates your movements before you do, fingers wrapping around your wrist that threaten to punch him once more. His grip is tight but not bruising and you huff as you try to pull away but he doesn’t let go and so instead you try the other one. 

Caleb knows you inside and out so he stops that arm too and now, the both of you are standing in the middle of the living room. You, huffing with anger and embarrassment, and Caleb, guiltily smiling with both of your hands in his. 

“Caleb! Do you know how embarrassing it was? I fell. As soon as I got on and tried to push, I fell because you didn’t bother to teach me properly,” you argue and you see the guilty look on Caleb’s face before he pulls you into his chest. He wraps his arms around you, patting the back of your head. 

“Aw, I’m sorry pips,” he says but you can tell he’s trying not to laugh. “I just got scared every time I saw you leaning to one side so I used my evol. I didn’t think you actually couldn’t ride a bike without my help.” 

It’s a half truth, he thinks as he bites back a laugh when you begin to hit his back. It’s fine. He’ll let you get out all your anger as long as you rely on him for help. 

“It was so embarrassing, ge,” you complain before slowly you fist your fingers into his shirt. “I scraped my knees and fell on my face. It hurt a lot.” 

Caleb knows. He’d seen it all when you came in and pursing his lips together, he pulls back to examine you properly. Normally, he’d cup your face and get a good look but he doesn’t want to risk hurting you more than you already feel. 

With a soft sigh, he strokes your cheek. 

“I’m sorry pipsqueak. I really am. I’ll make it up to you and actually teach you how to ride a bike okay?” 

You look away when he pulls back, fingers still fisted in his shirt but you nod anyways. 

As long as he actually taught you. 

-

Caleb is a liar. 

He still never actually taught you how to ride a bike and now, you’re 22 and staring Caleb down as he pats the backseat of his bike with a grin. 

“Jump on, pips,” he tells you and you cross your arms, huffing as you turn your nose up. 

You think back to thirteen and scraped knees and immediately get mad at him. 

“Don’t wanna,” you argue and Caleb laughs. You’re tugged in by nothing but you’ve been around Caleb long enough now that you know he’s using his evol to pull you closer. You don’t even yelp as you’re lifted onto the seat but you do look away as you cross your legs. 

It has Caleb laughing even more. He took pleasure in watching you be an absolute brat. 

“You’re not still mad I never taught you how to ride a bike are you,” he asks and there’s that same sparkle in his eyes from all those years ago. 

After he had promised, he had made excuses. 

He was too busy to teach you. He was too tired to go outside and they could build models instead. He would just take you on the back of his to save time. 

It’d been excuse after excuse and before you knew it, Caleb had gone off to Skyhaven for college and you still hadn’t learned how to ride a bike. 

Could you have learned on your own? Yes but…but it was scary when you didn’t have Caleb around to catch you. And so you’d never learned. 

Now, that unfulfilled promise comes back to mind when Caleb suggests a bike ride along the river. 

When you huff in response, his grin widens. 

“I’ll teach you next time,” he promises and you glare at him and he loves it because at least your gaze is back on him once more. 

“You said that last time!” 

“I mean it this time,” he replies, his grin wide and full of delight. You have to look away in case you melt and agree like you always do. 

He leans over then, one arm wrapped around your waist to steady you as he presses a kiss to your temple. 

“Promise,” he whispers softly into your skin. 

You smack him away, a complaint on the tip of your tongue but you hold back and instead, your fingers curl into his shirt. 

“Just pedal,” you grumble, forcing him to face forward as you press a burning cheek to his back. Your eyes glance over the glimmering river as the last of the sun's rays sparkle across it but you’re too focused on how warm Caleb’s back feels, the sound of his laughter vibrating in his chest. 

You press closer, hold him tighter just as he had wanted, and inhale. 

Somehow, even after all these years, Caleb still smells like home. 

i don't know how to ride a bike and if caleb were real, this is exactly how i imagine caleb would react lmaooo

"You don't need to learn. Just ride with me."

excuses because he wants you to hug his waist hahahahah

[uniquethingtastemaker]

Low key hesitated on posting this Riddle’s Dreaming of You snippet, because it’s such a significant moment. However, I showed my boyfriend, who agreed it would be a good segment to get people interested. Without further ado, here’s another section showcasing the depth of the story:

Riddle almost chokes from hyperventilation as he cries, “How could you say that, mom?!”

Since you got together with Riddle, you’ve met and interacted with his mother multiple times. They were never pleasant, but they hadn’t escalated to this level of emotional violence. You’ve always thought his mother was a monster. This sealed her deal with Hell. You have to get him out of here. It isn’t safe.

Your boyfriend’s shoulders curl in on themselves. He clutches his heart, clawing at it through his sweater. His chest rises and falls rapidly.

(I’ll be nice and reassure you that everything ends up being ok (originally I wasn’t, but I know some souls are sensitive. You’re welcome. Be grateful). Reader knows what they’re doing and prioritizes Riddle over everything else. Reader is cool and the person who you’d want to support you. Anyway, back to the regular commentary

(Originally, I was going to post a big update regarding the status of the fics. However, my adhd meds wore off, and I don’t like posting real content without reviewing the main post on my meds (This is section is just commentary. I get a pass on it). Therefore, you’re getting served today. I hope you enjoy the meal. My ultimate goal is to make you lose your minds and get you invested. Let me know if I achieved my goal.

(Also, interact with me! Even if it’s “can u tag me?” If u ask that, I’ll probably ask u questions about what u liked, and what/who you’re excited for regarding the Dreaming of You series)

[redo-rewind-if]

Since it's almost that time of year, let me go ahead and say, happy holidays everyone! Hope it's a good one! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ 🎁

Next Update (Chapter 4):

Opening: 100%

Avoid August/Confront Him: 100%

A Normal Day at Work: 100%

You Can Fix This, Right? 🤡: 60%

Keep Your Friends Close...: 0%

Avoidant Route: 0%

So, the Fix This section is coming along, though I've got a bit of writer's block with it right now. All the different variants and time travel shenanigans are getting to me lmao. Hopefully, a short break will help, but, if not, I may skip around to work on a different part.

That being said, there won't be a progress report next week. I'm taking it easy for the holidays (and for my sanity lol). See you all next year! 😊

[wttcsms]

horribly short summary of what im trying to accomplish here, but if you were to read a fic featuring character, a soldier honorably discharged and is officially off the battlefield and yet he can’t seem to shake off the war from clinging to his body, and he’s basically a bit of a mess and feels incapable of returning to ordinary life and there’s you, the sweetest thing in the whole world, and he keeps trying to tell you he’s no good and you’re there to help him with everything (and it kills him a bit, to see you wasting your time to help him, and it kills him because he feels like he shouldn’t be the type of person who needs help) and !! just slowburn and falling in love and just read the tags for the vibe ok, who would it be for

[tunastime]

CLASSIFIED

HASA Interspace Investigation Coalition Investigator Reassessment Team

For: the Mission Critical Event Occurring on Stardate 2104.119

Stardate: 2104.123, Location: HCS Influence

Responses recorded using the Automated Question and Answer System (AQNA) aboard the HCS Influence.

Recorded responses enclosed.

Begin transcribed data.

Interview for: IIC Employee #7717

Stated Name: Hels

SESSION BEGIN

AQNA [Generated Text Question]: Please explain the events of [stardate 2104.119]. Subject (Hels) [Recorded Verbal Response]: Well that’s an easy question. We got ambushed, that's what f—ing happened. It was supposed to be a standard datum extraction from a site that was supposed to be abandoned, because nobody decided it would be a good idea to check again. So we got ambushed mid-mission. That's what happened. AQNA: Can you elaborate on the event that triggered the call-back sequence? Hels: What, you want me to draw you a diagram? [No AQNA Text Question Generated] Hels: So no diagram? [No AQNA Text Question Generated] Hels: The drop-squad successfully made ground contact after about half an hour of survey on our end. We assumed based off of initial information and our scans, that the site was uninhabited. I mean—it’s a decommissioned testing facility for something way more boring than what we’re usually sent for. Why the f— would there be… things living there. Things. They weren’t human. They weren’t me either. We triggered the call-back sequence because I watched everything go white so fast I thought I was seeing the inside of my skull. Ex is the only reason I got out alive. I’m sure he’s… thrilled. AQNA: Were you unable to retrieve the body and equipment of [#7716]? Hels: I didn’t see him. On account of the pulse grenade. Did you watch the footage, or should I be playing narrator? [No AQNA Text Question Generated] Hels: I don’t know where he is. I don’t know what they did to him. We lost all his vitals when the pulse fried our equipment at the site.  Interviewer: Can you elaborate on the status of [#7716]? Hels: What do you mean elaborate? What—he’s probably dead. Is that what you want to hear? He’s f—ing dead. He’s dead, you piece of shit machine. Go ask somebody else what they think. [No AQNA Text Question Generated] Interviewer: Can you speak to [#6763]’s competence as potential squadron leader? [No verbal recorded response available]

SESSION END

Interview for: IIC Employee #6763

Stated Name: Exania

SESSION BEGIN

AQNA [Generated Text Question]:  Please explain the events of [stardate 2104.119]. Subject (Exania) [Recorded Verbal Response]: We failed to complete our extraction procedure. I was able to reach the data site within an hour of touchdown, alongside the rest of the team. We successfully retrieved the abandoned facility data within our allotted time frame, but on the way back to extraction, we were ambushed and caught in the line of fire of the inhabitants that had taken over the facility. I was able to successfully extract the bridge crew and one other member of the drop-squad. AQNA: Can you elaborate on the events that triggered the call-back sequence? Exania: We were attacked? Someone started shooting. Someone threw a magnetizer and a pulse grenade. The two other drop-squad members took a majority of the flash, but it was bright. Everywhere was... painfully bright. I don't have much more to say on that. I just acted in the best interest of the team as second in command. AQNA: Were you unable to retrieve the body and equipment of [#7716]? Exania: He’s dead. What did you want us to do? Retrieve a handful of charred up equipment? I don’t think so. AQNA: Can you elaborate on the status of [#7716]? Exania: He’s dead. That’s it. AQNA: Can you speak to [#7717]’s competence as potential squadron leader? Exania: #7717? I can't.  AQNA: Can you elaborate? Exania: I can't. AQNA: Can't? Or won't? Exania: Does it matter? [No AQNA Text Question Generated] AQNA: Please elaborate on your specific involvement with the events of [stardate 2104.119]. Exania: I successfully extracted information from the facility on [REDACTED]. I successfully extracted my drop member #7717, Hels. We were unsuccessful at a full extraction of the entire crew. Look, did I not just say all of this? What's not clicking for you? I know you're just recording this answer looking for keywords. I'm not daft. I think we’re done. AQNA: You're excused. Exania: Thank you.

SESSION END

Interview for: IIC Employee #7716

Given Name: Wels

SESSION BEGIN

AQNA [Generated Text Question]: Please explain the events of [stardate 2104.119]. [No verbal recorded response available] [No AQNA Text Question Generated]

END SESSION

[a-murmur-of-a-prayer]

Time For Another Poll Because I'm Bored

I really fell off the posting snippets wagon ever since I moved - which is understandable, given the holidays, but I (frustratingly) still haven't locked down a job although I'm definitely way closer than I was, so I think I'm going to get back on it until I get a job. So....

(This does not include the whump Tumblr one-shot that won the last poll - the winner was Jonathan Sims and I need to re-listen to a few choices episodes of TMA to progress on that haha, but it is also a WIP, and the whole thing will be posted here so I'm not going to post a snippet).

ALSO feel free to ask me about any of these in the comments/in my inbox for any non-spoiler details if you're curious!

[angeart]

Elegy - chapter 5/5

Chapter 5. be my place to land (when my feathers are burnt by the fire)

--

Mumbo’s holding up an unmoving bundle, cradling it, eyes firmly looking forward until they meet Scar’s.

He holds Scar’s gaze, locks on with finality of a finish line, an end destination in sight.

All that’s visible of the bundle he’s holding is a patch of wet-sand hair, Mumbo’s jacket draped across everything else besides a couple of limp, damp primaries and two pair of feet, swinging in tune with Mumbo’s body motions. 

It looks a little bit like he’s carrying a body.

Like he’s bringing in a funeral.

--

Read on AO3

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Quest for a Cure (LU in Healthcare War Era)

Sicktember prompt 2 is here! :D @hermitdrabbles56 @socialc1imb I know you wanted to see this plot. :)

(AO3 link)

His entire body hurt so much. It wasn’t the worst pain he’d ever been in, but by heaven it was unpleasant. What was more alarming, though, was the distinct sense of dread that was steadily building in his stomach, a knowledge of oncoming darkness that couldn’t be pierced, a strange peace and anxiety fighting for control as something so unquestionably inevitable slowly edged ever closer.

Time swallowed thickly, trying to open his eyes. By all things holy, I certainly am being dramatic this evening.

Yes. Yes, he was just being dramatic. That’s what the logical side of his brain was saying, at least. The side that was desperately trying to maintain control as it slipped through his fingers. The rest of his mind was registering how utterly weak he was, how he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in at least two days (from what he could reckon), how someone was at his side constantly, how this virus had hit others and was more than capable of snuffing out its victims.

The darkness was pierced with light, dim and flickering—he really needed to change that lightbulb, didn’t he?—and he saw three silhouettes over him.

Saria? Sheik? No, none of the figures matched their physiques. The blurred edges of those over him started to clear, just enough for him to see familiar faces.

His Lost Boys.

Warriors, Sky, and Wind were watching him with varying expressions of concern. Wind’s eyes were wide and worried, fear evident in his constricted brow. Sky was more distant, anxiety held at bay by sheer force of will but still clearly showing through his expressive face, however muted he tried to make it. Warriors just looked exhausted, a dread shrouding him and making him look far older than he actually was.

Time tried to smile, but he knew it looked as strained as it felt. “What’s with the long faces?”

“You’re definitely not going to work today, old man,” Warriors said with a carefully light tone. “I see the night didn’t treat you well.”

“Are you feeling any better than before? You look awful,” Wind asked, his voice trembling.

Time swallowed thickly. He’d physically been through worse, he knew, but…

He was a trauma surgeon. He fixed things. A laceration was simple, an illness…

Damn it all. There was a reason he didn’t go into internal medicine. He hated how helpless he felt. He hated how scared his boys looked. He hated how he knew in his bones that this was not going to be an easy illness to overcome… assuming he would even overcome it.

“I’ll be up and about soon, Nugget,” Time answered to reassure them, even if he was lying through his teeth. Wind brown uncurled a hair, the tension in his face releasing for a moment, and Time thought he’d almost succeeded. Sky and Warriors, on the other hand, had hardly changed their expressions.

“Please try to rest,” Sky said so softly that Time almost missed it entirely.

Time watched the boy and stretched a trembling hand out to take his. Sky slowly took it. His hand felt so warm in Time’s frozen grip that it brought a little sigh of relief through the surgeon’s lips.

He wanted to say something, anything. Some anxious thought in the back of his mind said this might be his last chance to do so. He really didn’t appreciate the sentiment behind that, but…

If it was his time, then it was his time, he supposed. His gaze passed theirs, up to the ceiling. You have lousy timing, you know. Why would you take me away now, when I have children to look after? To finally find companionship and family, to finally find a purpose once more, to finally feel as if I belong, only to be ripped away and leave them bereft… what a terrible fate.

Despite his ire at the situation, despite his worry for his boys, Time felt his eyes closing once more, and the darkness consumed him.

As the surgeon’s eyes closed and he let out a shaky breath, the three others in the room tensed once more. Sky hated feeling how limp Time’s hold was on his hand, and he stepped away, hugging himself as Wind slid in to replace him. He took a fortifying, slow breath, leaning against the doorway while Warriors took the washcloth from Time’s forehead and dipped it in a bowl of ice water.

“So is he feeling better…?” Wind questioned hesitantly, suddenly not so sure of Time’s reassurance.

“No,” Warriors answered curtly, and Sky winced. The nurse was clearly not pleased with what he was seeing, and it made Sky worry even more.

“You think it’s going to get that bad?” Sky asked hesitantly, his voice quiet.

Warriors sighed as he wrung the cloth out. “I don’t know. I’ve seen it sweeping through barracks, though. It hits everyone to varying degrees. Some people just feel run down and bedridden, and others…”

The rest of his sentence hung heavily in the air.

Wind burst out, “But you guys are medical people! There’s a hospital right here!”

“It’s a field hospital, kiddo,” Warriors clarified as he wiped the sweat off Time’s brow once more. “We stabilize, do emergency surgeries, and then ship them somewhere more equipped to handle a long-term stay and recovery. Besides, the medicine to treat this virus is expensive, they’re not going to ship it out here unless it’s taking out the troops in droves, and it isn’t. Time wouldn’t be staying here, and his illness isn’t something we have medicine for. Either he’s going to get through it or someone will fly him out of here.”

Sky shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t usually fly people from the field hospital to the fully equipped military hospital in the Gerudo capital. He hadn’t seen a piece of land that wasn’t involved in the conflict since he’d finished basic training. The capital was very much in a safe location and therefore not his priority. Time would be protected there, but…

“We’d never see him again! What if they transfer him from there or something?!” Wind exclaimed.

“You don’t know that—” Warriors tried to reassure, but now the teenager was frantic.

“No! This is stupid, why does everyone have to keep leaving—” Wind growled, turning towards the door, and then he stopped with a heavy sigh. “I’m… I’m sorry. I know you’re dealing with a lot.”

“It’s okay, Sailor,” Warriors replied with a kind smile, though Wind didn’t see it.

Sky looked between the pair, and then his eyes settled on Time’s pale face, already drenched once again in sweat. He wasn’t winning this fight and Sky knew it. Thoughts clouded his mind so much he couldn’t put words to them or string a coherent sentence together. He settled for putting a gentle, reassuring hand on Wind’s shoulder.

Then sudden clarity struck him. His lips pressed firmly against each other, and his fingers curled into Wind’s shoulder, catching the teenager’s attention. Sky motioned towards the hallway with his head.

“We’ll be back later,” Sky said to Warriors, who gave a simple nod.

When the door to Time’s room closed, Wind said, “I know I shouldn’t have yelled. Can we do something to help them, though? I can bring Wars food or something.”

“I have a better idea,” Sky said, a smile starting to pull at his lips. “This virus is pretty common to this area. Which means somebody has to have medicine for it closer than the capital. I think the nearest enemy camp in the town ought to be a good place to start.”

Wind gasped, immediately catching on to what Sky was implying. “Hell yeah! I know all the ways to get in there too!”

Sky smiled as the boy’s face practically glowed. There were likely a hundred rules Sky was breaking in even suggesting this, but he didn’t care. Time was seriously ill, and Sky knew the enemy had to have medicine for such a thing. Sure, the local village might not have it, nor would their military base, but many of the enemies they were fighting here were locals, and they had been dealing with this for ages. He also knew from flybys where their nearby camp was – the nearest one, at least, and the one that was based in a town, which meant it likely had the medicine.

And he had a kid who knew how to sneak in and out of said encampment.

It was time to help their friend.

Sky guided Wind to his own quarters. His roommate thankfully was out, which gave him the opportunity to plan things out somewhere as private as possible. He quickly pulled out desert camouflage attire, putting it on and glancing at Wind, who waved him off.

“I’m small, I sneak in and out of there without it all the time,” the kid reassured him with a smile. His easy confidence both amused Sky and made him uneasy. For a moment he realized the gravity of what he was asking of a fourteen-year-old. Time’s pain-stricken face floated into his mind, though, and his anxieties over losing him overruled the concern. Besides, Wind had said it himself – he’d snuck in and out plenty of times. It wasn’t fair to ask this of the kid, but Sky did have to wonder how well they’d fare if the army utilized Wind to take the enemy base down entirely.

That was a matter for another day. Sky couldn’t eliminate an entire enemy base, but he could sneak into one.

But just in case, he packed two pistols and his semi-automatic gun. Just in case. And maybe a sniper rifle.

Wind did, under mild protest, get a camouflage jacket from Sky, both for the elder teenager’s sanity and because the desert was frigid at night.

The pair snuck by the guards rather easily—unnervingly easy, Sky would have to bring this up later—and began their long trek through the desert.

“How long does it usually take to get to the town?” Sky asked before adding out of curiosity, “And why do you sneak in there so much? You know they can kill you, right?”

“It’s like an hour walk from here with the route I take,” Wind answered. At Sky’s alarmed expression, he added, “It’s not a route that vehicles can drive. We’re gonna be climbing. A lot. Hope you can hold on to all your guns.”

“Speaking of which,” Sky said, holding out a pistol and a machete. “Do not use these unless you absolutely have to. Got it?”

Wind reached out hesitantly. Sky quickly asked, “You do know how to shoot, right?”

Wind gave him bewildered, somewhat exasperated look. “Why the hell would I know how to shoot?”

Great. Maybe just the machete, then. “I don’t know, you’ve been wandering a war zone for so long now I figured you had something up your sleeve to defend yourself.”

“I do!” Wind replied excitedly, pulling out a boomerang. “This baby’s helped me out in tough times!”

“Huh.” Sky gazed at the boomerang curiously. “That’s different.”

“It works!”

Sky shrugged. Whatever worked, he supposed.

The adolescent pair continued into the desert night, a chilly wind trying to tear through them. Wind’s path quickly went off the main road, and Sky did indeed find himself climbing nearly sheer cliffs, gripping whatever flora had managed to creep along its walls. He started sweating quickly, feeling his stamin fall, but they managed to reach the top before his grip gave out. Their journey was mostly spent in silence aside from Wind giving pointers on footing, giving Sky plenty of time to formulate different plans.

This medicine had to be in a clinic or hospital. Which meant they’d have to get to that point. Then they’d have to figure out how to sneak into such a facility. It was a good thing he had thought to swipe a few items that Wars had left lying around.

Wind held up his hand suddenly, making Sky freeze. Then the kid cackled, pulling out his phone. “Gotta do the obligatory pre-break-in selfie.”

“Wind!” Sky hissed. “I could get court martialed for this, no pictures!”

“Oh come on!” Wind argued. “I’m not dumb, I don’t share this stuff! These pictures are to show my grandma and sister when I find them, that’s all.”

Sky sighed heavily. To hell with it. Pulling down the black mask that was covering his face he gave a strained smile as Wind winked at the camera with a peace sign.

The edge of the town was surrounded by stone walls. The only entrance in and out was flanked with multiple armed guards. Sky looked at Wind hesitantly, and the kid had the audacity to smirk. Sky was almost proud of him.

Wind moved towards the alpha side of the town wall, pointing to a spot that seemed darker than the rest of the surrounding area. “A lot of places here have old leftovers from way back when. This town’s got old sewage system that they don’t really use, it’s kind of more just runoff for… I don’t know, I guess they get rain sometimes. Either way, we can get in that way because they don’t really use it anymore.”

“And nobody’s guarding it?” Sky asked curiously.

“There’s, like, one guy. And he’s so freaking bored. He plays games on his phone.”

Sky snorted out a laugh and then followed his friend. The pathway was a little muddy, implying that something usually ran through here. It didn’t have a terrible odor to it, though it wasn’t great. Sky clutched his gun tightly as Wind peered around a corner and motioned for him to follow. The mud squelched too loudly for his liking, and with as on edge as he was feeling…

These people wouldn’t hesitate to hurt them. He’d seen what they were capable of. They’d shot down a medical helicopter for heaven’s sake. Still, if Wind had managed to sneak in and out…

Wind pointed silently, and Sky saw the guard in question. He squinted, staring at the man’s phone. Was that Angry Birds?

Slowly, Sky put his gun away, letting it rest on his back, and the pair scooted forward. The man sat close to the entrance, but not directly beside it. If he stayed engrossed in his game, they might actually have a chance. Wind snuck out first, quick and silent. Sky followed suit, feeling his stomach clench so tightly he thought he could throw up, but neither caught the guard’s attention.

Great. Great. They were in the city. Sky let out a subtle laugh, shaking the jitters off as they slipped into an alley. Now all they had to do was find a clinic or hospital or—

Oh, that giant building with the medical symbol ought to do nicely.

“What are you usually doing when you sneak in here?” Sky asked, suddenly curious.

Wind shrugged. “Looking for my sister and grandma. But they don’t really have refugee locations or prisoners here or anything.”

Sky felt his heart hurt. This kid was so determined to find his family. It was no wonder he was desperate not to lose anyone else.

“They’ve got curfews and stuff here,” Wind noted. “Since they turned the whole place into a base and all.”

There went Sky’s next thought to just blend in with the civilians. He supposed they would have to sneak around everywhere, then.

Maneuvering to get to the hospital wasn’t too terrible – the majority of the guards were posted along the walls rather than through the streets. The hospital was a fairly small one, but still more of an official medical institution than the field hospital Sky flew people to. He grabbed Wind by the shoulder and motioned to a bag he’d brought along.

“What’s that?” Wind asked hesitantly.

Reaching in, Sky pulled out a pair of scrubs and smiled mischievously.

Wind’s eyes brightened. “We’re posing as nurses!”

“I am,” Sky corrected. “You won’t fit in Wars’ clothes.”

“How did you get his scrubs?”

“Lost a bet. He wanted me to do his laundry as punishment.”

“…Did you clean them first?”

Sky tilted his head with a sheepish smile. “Well… point is, I have scrubs.”

Wind raised a cautious eyebrow. “So then what about me…?”

Sky’s smile grew more devious.

Ten minutes later, a security guard was knocked unconscious and dragged away, tied and gagged (with a bonus unconscious selfie with Wind winking and Sky looking mildly exasperated), and a wheelchair was acquired as a nurse wheeled his pediatric patient into the hospital.

“Okay, so we need to find the pharmacy,” Wind whispered. “That’s where the medicine would be, right?”

“We need to know what the medicine is first,” Sky replied quietly. “The only way to do that is for you to have that virus.”

Wind gave a quick huh? And then gasped with an oh! And proceeded to start fake coughing so hard the veins in his neck bulged.

“Easy, sailor,” Sky said worriedly, but Wind waved him off. When they stopped at the emergency department doors, Sky got himself together and waved sheepishly at the triage tech. “Forgot my badge, sorry. Mind letting me in?”

The triage tech rolled her eyes good naturedly and walked over. “You’re on the struggle bus tonight, buddy.”

“Yeah, I know,” Sky replied with a chuckle as he wheeled Wind in.

“So uh, what’s this virus called anyway?” Wind whispered as Sky found an empty room to put him in.

“I know the colloquial term is Sand Fever,” Sky said, pausing. “But I don’t know its actual name. I’m hoping that’s enough, though.”

If there was one thing Sky knew he could rely on, it was the chaos in the emergency department. He went to registration and put on a show how there was no paperwork for this new patient and gave her false information for a face sheet. She noted that he hadn’t been triaged, according to the paperwork, and Sky said he had, actually, he was in bad enough shape that they were going to get the info once they brought him back, which wasn’t unheard of for critical patients.

So one false paperwork bracelet later, Sky and Wind found themselves awaiting a physician’s examination for the presumed serious case of Sand Fever. Wind really played it up as much as he could, and it certainly worked well enough that the physician was willing to do a test for the virus. As soon as she left, Sky asked Wind, “How did you fake wheezing? Like this whole thing definitely has my heart rate and blood pressure up, but I can’t fake wheezing.”

Wind huffed, almost proudly, but then he wilted a little uncertainly. “I… don’t know. I tried hard, though.”

Sky’s confidence in the situation faltered a moment, quivering like a freshly hatched chick. Wait…

Dread filled him, and he slowly walked out of the room. He wandered the emergency department to get a lay of the land and distract himself, keeping close enough that he could rush to Wind’s room if anyone suspected anything. He felt incredibly exposed all of a sudden.

After maybe his third lap around the unit, the physician from earlier stopped him. “I put in orders for the Velkisen. Give him an initial dose and then I’ll write a script for pharmacy to fill.”

Sky blinked. What? “Uh, yeah. Okay.”

He repeated the name over and over. Velkisen. Velkisen.

Wait. Was that… was that the antiviral medication? Was… did that mean…?

“Shit,” Sky swore, going back to Wind’s room.

Wind perked up immediately, having been anxiously fiddling with the blanket provided to him. He also immediately could read Sky’s expression and knew something was wrong. “What is it?”

“You’ve got Sand Fever,” Sky said.

Wind blinked. Then he said, “Wow. Okay. That makes sense for the wheezing and achiness.”

“You’re achy and didn’t say anything?!”

Wind stood, crossing his arms defensively. “What differnce does it make? It doesn’t affect everyone the same, clearly I’m not as bad off! So what if I got it from Time! He needs the medicine.”

Sky groaned. “Well, we’re in luck because—”

A script! They were going to get a script!! All Sky had to do was fudge the amount of pills they would need, he could double or trip it, and they could get out of here with everything they needed from the hospital pharmacy!

…Assuming the pharmacist didn’t question it.

And he needed to get the initial dose apparently.

Sky advised Wind to wait and turned quickly, asking another nurse to let him into the medication room because of his supposedly forgotten badge. That wouldn’t get him into the actual dispenser, though, and he knew that. He had to figure out something.

Wait. He knew a trick he’d seen Warriors done a few times to override for medication. All it took was swiping some aspirin out of someone’s bag. Then he poked another nurse. “Hey, I need to return this medication, but it’s not popping up for me. Do you mind checking for me?”

The nurse shrugged and popped in easily enough, and Sky once again felt guilty at how he was abusing the camaraderie that emergency personnel showed each other.

The nurse logged into the dispenser and asked, “What’s the med called?”

“Vil—Vilkon—Vel—”

“Velkisen?”

“Yes! That’s the one.”

The nurse tossed him a look with a smirk. “Long night?”

Sky laughed nervously. “Yeah. I keep tripping over my words.”

“What’s the patient’s name?”

“Last name is Tingle.”

“Looks like it hasn’t even been dispensed.”

Sky made a humming sound and gently pushed by the nurse to look at the screen. “Weird. Well, I guess I’ll just pull it again, then.”

He tapped the medicine name with his finger, and a drawer popped open. When a compartment opened inside, awaiting his removal of the medication inside, he hesitated.

This was an intravenous medicine. He could immediately tell from the vial. There was no way he was administering this to Wind, even if the boy needed it. He grabbed it nonetheless – hopefully it could help Time. The script ought to provide more anyway. With a nod to the other nurse, he quickly made his way back to Wind, who was just finishing a conversation with the doctor.

“How old did you tell them I was, anyway? She hasn’t once asked about a parent,” Wind noted as Sky hastily slid the door closed.

“Eighteen,” Sky answered easily before pulling out the medicine. “Did you get the script?”

Wind waved the paper triumphantly. “I sure did! Tripled the dose, too. Now we just wait until I get discharged?”

“No,” Sky immediately said. “Too much paperwork, too many questions, too easy for people to figure out something’s off. Let’s head for the pharmacy now.”

“That means we have to sneak by the nurses too.”

“Yeah.”

“Sweet! Best night ever! We’re like spies!”

Sky sighed heavily, feeling exhausted. They were going to be dead spies if they weren’t careful. “Let’s go.”

Wind snapped one more selfie, showing his hospital wristband, and then nearly skipped over in delight. The pair tried to look as innocuous as possible as they casually slipped out of the room and into a hallway before following a transporter through locked doors and peeling off to head towards the signs indicating pharmacy.

It was honestly unnerving how easy it was, even if Sky felt like he was going to have a heart attack at any moment. He was going to ask Wind how the kid was so excited, but the more he watched him, the more he saw the nervous ticks, the way the younger one’s hands were shaking, the way his eyes were constantly on alert. Wind was just as scared as he was, but he expressed it through excited jitters.

The pharmacy tech filled the prescription after an agonizing few minutes, and before they knew it, they were slinking through the basement of the hospital with pockets full of pills.

“I hope this is enough,” Sky muttered as they found their tied up security guard. The man was wiggling now, trying to yell over the gag Sky had secured over his mouth. Sky grabbed his bag of supplies, changing out of his scrubs and back into his uniform as Wind threw the spare camouflage jacket back on and ripped off his hospital bracelet, pocketing it. Then Sky grabbed the butt of the gunstock and slammed it into the man’s temple, knocking him out once more. He then untied the guard so he could awaken and get actual help when they’d left.

But he should have known. This mission had been all too easy. Something had to go wrong.

It was blissfully late in the game. They had gotten back to the Angry Birds guard, who had now taken position directly in front of the entrance to their escape route. The pair came up with a plan quickly, and Sky waltzed up to the guard.

“Nice score,” he commented with a smile, and the guard jumped, registered the sight in front of him, and promptly got clocked on the head by a boomerang that he’d missed due to Sky’s distraction. A solid punch to the face did the rest of the work.

Unfortunately, it was time for the soldier to check in based on the radio traffic. Sky grabbed his gun, hissing for Wind to run ahead, and the pair tore into the tunnel. By the time they’d reached the other side, alarms were blaring.

“Head for the cliffs!” Sky yelled. If they could clear them they’d at lease be out of sight.

Instead, a spotlight shone right on them. Wind yelled, running faster. Sky whirled, firing his rifle at the light source, blinking rapidly to see his target. A few blind shots in the general direction eliminated the spotlight, but it also gave away their position just as well.

“Climb! Now!!” he ordered, slipping behind a boulder to give cover fire.

Wind scrambled up the rocks, flinching as gunfire peppered the area around him, though it primarily honed in on Sky’s general location. Sky fired off rapidly, praying he hit at least a few targets or warded them away long enough.

“I’m over!” Wind called. “Come on!”

“I’ll follow you, just go!!”

“Sky—”

“GO!”

Any argument Wind might have had was covered by the wound of bullets slamming into stone, sending dust and tiny, sharp rocks flying. Sky prayed the kid listened. You have the medicine, Wind. Save Time and yourself.

The distinct sound of a gave opening caught his attention, as well as motors. Sky turned his head and saw two motorcyclists tearing out of the main entrance to the town. They wouldn’t be able to get to Wind in the higher terrain, but they could chase him down until he reached the end of the cliffs. Taking a steadying breath, he peered out from his shelter and fired, managing to pick one rider off, leaving their bike spinning out of control.

Their bike.

Sky held his breath and ran. Bullets sprayed the ground around him, creating a trail as the gunner tried to keep up with his steps. Sky nearly slammed into the bike, throwing a leg over and gunning it with all his might.

Drawing close to the cliffs, he screamed out Wind’s name. After the third attempt, he saw the blonde head poking over some stone, the only thing visible about him. Wind immediately perked up, but then he pointed and shouted in warning. Sky turned and saw the other cyclist approaching, gun in hand.

Pulling out one of the pistols he had tucked into his side, Sky fired once, twice, thrice, and the soldier fell. He moved towards the cliff again. “JUMP!”

Wind ran alongside him and leapt without hesitation, arms and legs splayed out wide. Sky reached out for him, managing to catch the falling teenager and helping him climb onto the bike between the pilot and the handles.

“Hold on tight!” He instructed as they tore into the night. Wind kept a continuous lookout, and Sky’s head turned so much it might as well have been on a swivel, but they had gotten enough of a lead to outmaneuver anyone on foot, and Wind started pointing out trails off the main road before any other vehicles could exit the base.

Sky revved the engine again, watching as they accelerated to speeds in the triple digits, and Wind laughed almost as loudly as his namesake that was whipping through their hair. The farther they got from the town, the more infectious the laughter became, and eventually Sky himself was whooping and screaming in delight.

We made it.

XXX

The room felt so quiet. So empty. So cold.

Warriors slumped in his seat, alone with his thoughts. Time had long since fallen asleep, breathing disturbingly shallow. It was high time he take him to the hospital. It was high time he get transported somewhere that could better handle this, assuming it wasn’t too late already.

It was silly, really, to assume such a thing. Time had only been sick a couple days. It had just slammed him all at once. He hadn’t become altered to such a degree until tonight. Some part of Warriors’ brain insisted on taking care of him here, in the barracks, as if telling himself the situation as fine would actually make it so.

But he’d waited long enough. He wasn’t going to risk Time’s life over his desperate attempt to placate his mind. Time would go to the hospital in the capital and be treated and he would be fine. Never mind how quickly he was deteriorating. He would be fine.

He fell apart in forty-eight hours. Will he last the flight? Will they even think it’s worth flying him? Will they risk a pilot, a flight crew, a helicopter to transport someone who might already be too far gone?

Is this my fault for not taking him to the hospital sooner?

Warriors was usually better than this. He could figure out when a situation was going south, he could distance his emotions from the situation. This should be no different.

Except it was different. Because he’d already lost others, and just the mere thought of Time leaving sent him spiraling.

Impa. Lana. Oh fuck, Lana.

Warriors blinked tears away, tried to regulate his breathing. It was time to get moving. He tried not to look at Time, tried to think he was just taking a patient, grabbed his radio to call for an ambulance, when the door to the room slammed open with such intensity it nearly took it off its hinges.

Shooting to his feet, Warriors stumbled and knocked over the chair he’d been sitting on, taking in the sight before him. Sky and Wind were in front of him, breathless, excited, covered in sand and sweat and—was that a smear of blood?! They were wearing camouflage, and Sky was sporting multiple weapons in different holsters.

Warrior felt his body grow cold. “What. Did. You. Do.”

The pair immediately dug into their pockets, hands emerging bearing pill bottles and a vial. Their eyes shone with hope, twinkling brightly like stars in their filthy faces. “We got medicine.”

The nurse’s brain immediately put the pieces together, and his body found itself in a strange, bewildering, clashing state of relief and horror. “You stupid bastards.”

Their laughter at his words was not appreciated.

“You could’ve gotten yourselves killed!”

“Medicine!” Sky barked as if issuing an order, interrupting Warriors tirade.

The nurse snatched the medication, still glaring at the pair. “We’re not done here, you hear me?”

He tore into his drawer to grab a syringe, a flush, and alcohol swabs. The medication, according to a quick internet search, was given IM, which simplified things. He was still taking Time to the hospital, though. But injection first. Dosage check first. Reconfirm the route first.

Time didn’t flinch as Warriors gave the shot. Sky was already on the radio calling an ambulance. Wind was smiling in the corner, looking like a triumphant little imp.

They were imps. Warriors was going to have a freaking heart attack. The lecture he had in store for them would certainly be enough to make them think twice before doing anything like this ever again.

Good Lord. If Time’s illness doesn’t kill me, these two surely will.

XXX

Waking up really shouldn’t have been this hard.

For whatever reason, Time was distinctly uncomfortable. The bed was too hard, blankets too warm, skin too itchy, joints too sore. As he fluttered his eyes open, he swallowed and coughed at the dry sensation at the back of his throat.

What had…? Where was…?

Wait.

Sitting up, Time felt the room spin a hair, paused, and then resumed what he was doing.

“Easy, old man.”

Warriors. That was Warriors.

Glancing to his left, Time saw the army nurse watching him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Warriors gave a small, relieved smile, and it temporarily hid the dark circles under his eyes.

“You’re okay!” Came from his other side, and immediately Time felt Sky’s hand on his other shoulder as the teenager helped guide him back to his pillow.

“I’m… okay,” Time affirmed, actually feeling like it could potentially be true. He felt… not great, but also not the way he had before. The growing dread, the bone-weary exhaustion, the haziness… they were all gone.

He marveled at it a moment. Couldn’t quite believe it himself. He’d been so sure that…

Well. He supposed even surgeons could be wrong.

“Time!”

Wind practically leapt onto the bed, held in check by the other two, but not even Warriors and Sky could stop him when Time held out his arms invitingly. Wind tore into his embrace, practically flattening him into the bed as Time chuckled, relief flooding his body.

“It’s good to see you boys,” he whispered, tears leaking out of his eyes and disappearing into Wind’s hair.

[lunar-years]

❤️‍🩹🏃🏼‍♀️💫

❤️‍🩹 added to rjk fwb: “Damn straight,” Jamie agreed, even though really, if it were up to him, he’d want a fair few other people in the stands alongside Ted when it happened. Mummy, first of all. And obviously she’d bring Simon with her. Maybe Dad could come, too, if he was still doing better. In a different part of the stands where Mummy didn’t have to see him, but they could both see their son playing for the league title.  In his head, Jamie’s the one who scores the goal that does it. It might as well be, since he were making it up in his head where no one else could see. Didn’t make him an arrogant prick just to think it, did it? He shook away that train of thought. They were meant to be talking about Roy, here. “And what’s worst case?” he prompted. 

total word count: 45400 words

🏃‍♀️added to runaway phoebe:

“Baby,” Keeley said softly, seriously, her soft palm cradling his, thumb rubbing pattern onto his skin. “We’ve got to stay calm for now, yeah? Phoebe’s a teenager. She might have just gone off to meet up with friends.”  “And not even both answering her phone? Ruth said she’s messaged her half a dozen times, left voicemails…and nothing.”  Keeley shrugged. “My parents never knew where I was when I was Phoe’s age.” She gave a nervous laugh, squeezing his hand and talking in rambles, like she only did when she was anxious and couldn’t stop herself. “Sure as shit wasn’t going to tell them I was out all night lighting cigarettes off Stevie Wilson’s oven and snogging Geri Murray in her basement while her mum was working night shift.”  Roy swallowed down a wave of bile. “Is this meant to make me feel better? 

total word count: 1548 words

💫 added to Time Loop:

He clicks it on anyway, a tangle of nerves building unsettlingly in his gut, because something is definitely wrong here. With the added light, he can see that the shirt he’s supposedly worn to bed, covered in sweat from whatever fucking nightmare scape he’s woken up in, is very much not Roy’s World’s Best Uncle t-shirt. The one Jamie stole from him ages ago as a joke, that night Phoebe asked if Jamie got to be her uncle now, too. The one he remembers slipping over his head yesterday-but was it yesterday?- before crawling into bed beside his boyfriend.  Think I'm her favourite uncle now, he’d smugly quipped the night he’d first taken it, and Roy had kissed him silly and Jamie had never given him his shirt back because the fabric was bloody soft and it smelt of his boyfriend and it was too big on Roy besides, so this arrangement rather worked out better for the both of them.

total word count: 1365 words

Thanks for sending!

[clare-with-no-i]

forcing fictional characters to reckon with questions of interpersonal vulnerability is a healthy way to spend your free time, actually. no don't google it just trust me

[eidolons-stuff]

Hey~

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the support! I really appreciate that everyone has liked the Wenclair posts/story I created here

I just also wanted to let you know that the full version is on ao3 (https://archiveofourown.org/users/eidolons_stuff)

And that I am also in the process of writing another story (OCs & gay) so if you want snippets of that posted here let me know!! :D

Thank you. I love you all <3

[grad-writes]

snippets from Rookie 53

Lucanis cooks something special, for a very special occasion.

Lucanis was plating up dishes when she arrived. And, she thought with a smile, he had definitely freshened up his appearance as well. His hair was still pulled back into a queue, giving him a sharper look than usual. He wore a buttoned shirt she'd never seen before in a soft, dove grey. The sleeves were folded neatly to his elbows and surprisingly, the top two buttons were undone—his usual collar pins and connecting chain rather distractingly framed the hollow of his throat. Rook's mouth went dry.

"This one is yours, Emmrich," Lucanis continued serving the table, "Don't get it mixed up. And there's wine here. I recommend these two to pair with the paella, but if you want something sweeter to go with dessert, then perhaps the Orlesian champagne."

"This looks simply delicious, Lucanis," Emmrich praised.

"And what exactly is for dessert?" Taash asked excitedly.

"Well, that is—"

"Shh!" Bellara giggled, "It's still a surprise!" She cast a knowing look at Rook.

Rook blinked in confusion. But then Lucanis was spinning around.

"Rook," he exclaimed, "Are you…" He trailed off as he took in the sight of her in the doorway, in her open white blouse and her loosened hair. She clasped her hands a little shyly. His grip on the champagne bottle slackened. Neve swiftly grabbed it before it hit the ground.

Davrin banged on the table, making them all jump. "Go on, Lucanis!" he hollered, "You've done enough here and we can't watch this any longer. You and Rook, get out!" He was accompanied by a chorus of good-natured cheers and boos, and Rook couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Lucanis reluctantly cracked a smile and raised his eyes sheepishly to hers. Rook grinned back. "Shall we go?"

He turned to grab two plates from the kitchen counter. "Let's go."

Read more on ao3

[tls123]

Oh my god HOW DID YOU LIKE SVSSS!!!!!

i liked it more than i thought i would but overall less than i might have given the potential of the story, i think in general i really enjoyed the characters (mxtx never goes wrong with characters, she creates them in a way that makes me feel unhinged) and the world building but the pay off to the set up—which i really liked!—felt a bit........ i mean, just alright.

the dynamics too are pure mxtx, personally the bin/gqiu dynamic specifically really was the least interesting part of the whole story. to me!! but individually i loved both characters. my interest was just elsewhere because """elsewhere""" felt way more fascinating idk how to explain it

was very, very happy about the extra with airplane and the yue qingyuan / shen jiu one because that's exactly what i wanted more of in the story itself as well as just more shen yuan/qingqiu interacting with cang qiong mountain

maybe it's my orv brain but like i told jana a while back i think i would have enjoyed svsss way more if it was more about shen yuan (loner; hater; etc) suddenly finding himself among all of these people (disciples looking up to him; sect siblings relying on him one way or another; common folk admiring him; etc etc) and starting to.... live? again?

Shen Qingqiu hadn't noticed that, unconsciously, he no longer considered the disciples around him (...) to be mob characters the novel had described in a scant number of words.

^from volume one, he starts seeing them almost immediately because he's not actually that separate and he genuinely cares. all the time. about everything. even before that we get:

This was only a book, and all the people were constructs, imaginary characters. Logically, Shen Qingqiu was very clear on this fact...but when a character was actually being taunted and bullied right before his eyes, it was just flat-out unrealistic to expect him to be completely unmoved.

like why are you lying, shen yuan (<- svsss tagline if there ever was one)

just the idea of this really lonely detached guy finding a community, i know it's not the story mxtx was trying to tell but again, with the set up i really wanted to see it go in that direction.

there's one line from vol two where liu qingge goes "you fear becoming a burden to cang qiong mountain (...) but cang qiong mountain fears not your burden"

and basically what i'm saying is that i wish the story had been about THAT

(and also ning yingying's lines in that same chapter about shizun always taking on everything himself and why is it always you like that whole moment with the cang qiong mountain almost begging him to see that they care. idek what i'm saying but you know)

(also foaming at the mouth that we only got tiny tiny glimpses of shen yuan's life from before, those handful of times he mentioned his siblings i wanted to take a bite out of my kindle. tell me more!! dear fucking lord tell me more!! keep talking! elaborate!! he really felt very "kim dokja and his fourth wall" at times, sorry once more about the orv brain)

tldr: i guess i wanted a story about shen yuan/qingqiu but mxtx created svsss to be a story about bin/gqiu. and i just have to be okay with that.

[caterpillarinacave]

Hello, and happy new year! I read you latest tid fic and I really loved it, do you have any other fairwell snippets you wouldn't mind sharing? It's really cool to see how well you write these characters

(Happy New Year!)

Aw, thank you! It really means so much to hear that; and yes, I do have some snippets! Three from Mea Culpa and one from my drafts. All of these are unedited so fair warning for grammar/spelling/formatting mistakes.

-

Charlotte flinched when the needle pierced his skin; Henry did not. 

She turned away from the Silent Brothers, focusing her gaze on her husband’s pale face instead. She never looked up, brushing her hands through his ginger hair, ignoring the feverish heat coming off his skin and how he shook his head every couple of seconds- the same answer to the same question she knew the Brothers were asking.

-

“Is there a reason you're taking a bath at midnight?”

“My hair was dirty.” Henry replied simply, as though it was the most average thing in the world,  “And I’m covered in blood and sweat.”

“You're injured,” She pointed out, kneeling beside the tub “You get a pass for some blood in your hair.” 

——

He didn’t look well, per say. The heat of the fever, brought on by the healing runes, stuck to his chest, a slight flush coloring his otherwise pale face. His hands were trembling, almost imperceptibly, the tension in his jaw and the shudder in his breath betraying the pain she knew he was still in. 

But the winter moon shone through the window behind him, glowing around him like a halo. His hair was drying into its natural curls, falling in front of his bright eyes and water droplets stuck to his shoulders, dotted with freckles the way stars dotted the sky on a clear night.

“I look terrible.” He began, noting her wandering gaze.

He looked beautiful.

——-

He was sitting on the floor of an open carriage, his long legs easily reaching the stone pavement. He had a thin book open beside him, the title of which was in a language that Charlotte couldn't quite identify, and seemed to be either sketching or writing something in a small brown leather book he had balanced on his knee. A small jar of dark ink was sitting on a handkerchief, several feet away from what would be convenient to reach for, but carefully removed from the upholstery of the seats and the pages of the books. Despite the caution, it seemed, the knee of his trouser appeared to be stained in ink, and the blue floral pattern on his waistcoat was interrupted by a similar dark blot. 

“Oh,” Henry blinked, looking surprised “Hello.”

[illegally-blind-and-deaf]

It's really funny bring obsessed with history while being in fandoms where canon is set around the same time as your favourite historical time periods

Like with Anastasia, I could be writing romance or cute found family fluff or whatnot but NO. No. My brain instead thinks about what Dmitri's life would have been like and would he have been a part of the Bolsheviks probably look at that angst at realising that what you supported and believed would get you equality and a decent rachmaninoffing life turned out to be a lie the trust issues to come out of that and also Russia economically at the time was a mess he probablybdoesnt know how to read and was probably sold to a factory at some point would he have escaped conscription from the civil war and also what if he was Jewish that makes sense canonically I can make this work

Also AFTER the canon Anastasia story like hello they would have kids during ww2 era imagine the chaos and potential story ideas to come out of that do they stay in France or do they go backbto Russia what if Dmitri was Tsar what if he was tsarbof Russia and they split the USSR in two so dtalinbwouldnt get iffy WHAT IF DMITRI WAS TSAR DURINF WW2 yes with the stalin/Hitler Alliance they had before barbarossa that would be chaos and the family getting split apart I could have the children eacapeling to London and having to deal with the blitz or Anya getting stuck on Germany or whatnot and if we bring back the idea that Dmitri is jewish-

You see, I have too much fun with this. Not only done hetero splurge on multiple interests, I get to educate people about the brutality of history through their comfort characters.

Same goes for Tintin lie what if he grew up during ww2 and Nazi occupation he would have DEFINITELY been in the resistance and could have written articles in their newspapers speaking of which whatbif he was involved in le faux soir and also what about the 20th convoy does he get caught does he hide in France and join the resistance there does he join the maquis and what about his family how do they factor in do they support the Nazis or do they die like what if his mother was blind what if his dad was Flemish WHAT IF HIS DAD WAS GERMAN AND MOVED TO BEKGIUM IN THE 20S DUE TO THE GERMAN ECENOMIC CRISIS what if they were in Berlin for kristallnacht what if-

DO YOU SEE MY PROBLEM

even fanfiction becomes historical fiction.

send help please.

[jaeclerc]

through the dark ; maxiel ; 2.4k

tw: mentions of eating disorders, unhealthy behaviors, previous abuse, mentions of mental health disorders

max was trembling with the effort it took to not spill his guts out in front of daniel, to admit all the things he’d been hiding from him. he was picking at his food, his stomach turning over and over as he stared at the pasta on his plate, trying to occupy his hands as he cut it smaller and smaller. his mind was racing with a million different thoughts.

he wanted to tell him, to admit that his dad visiting was driving him into a pit, that every time he told daniel he was going to his classes, he was actually just fucking around in the public library, staring at the books he pulled on things like physics and mechanical engineering to try pretend like he was actually attending college and not a high school drop out. he felt like the clock was ticking on his honesty and every day that he lied to daniel about how normal he was, about how absolutely perfect everything was, he was just sealing the death of the best thing he ever had.

“are you not hungry, max?” daniel asked and max just shook his head, slightly pushing his plate away. he rarely actually ate when he was with daniel, but he usually managed to fake it better. this time he could not.

“you okay?” daniel looked concerned and it made max’s stomach turn even more. he felt like the guilt was seeping out of every pore on his body. he just nodded, a tight smile on his lips.

“just worried, you know? about my dad. he’s very critical of me.” daniel tilted his head just slightly and gave max a look that made him feel too seen to be comfortable. daniel always made him feel too seen to be comfortable, the only person who max let slip behind his perfectly constructed facade.

“but you’re doing well!” max just ducked his head, the rope around his neck tightening with every word and he just wishes he was never there in the first place. he wishes he never met daniel because then he would not feel this guilty, this exhausted in the need to please someone so much because he yearned for them so badly.

“max.” daniel sighed. “i know.” his tone of voice was too casual for what he was saying to him, like it was nothing. like he didn’t just say the one thing that made max fall into a deeper spiral as his head snapped up, eyes wide as he looked at him, almost bewildered.

“what?” he managed to choke out, trying to match the casualness of daniel’s voice.

“you don’t have to fucking lie to me anymore. i know.” max swallowed as those words came out. it felt like the moment that the chair finally got kicked from beneath him and it was over.

“i-i’m not.” max stammered and he didn’t sound believable at all. he knew it. the jig was up.

“yes, you are. i don’t know why, but you are. i know you’re lying, you go to the library everyday instead of class. you sell videos online. you never eat even if you pretend to, i see you get rid of it. and i don’t want you to feel the need to lie to me when i don’t care about what you do or how successful you are. i just-“ he dropped his head and max could see tears in daniel’s eyes.

“i care about you max. i care so much about you, it feels like my heart was ripped out of my chest and everyone can see how much i fucking like you. i rave about you to everyone, i think you are just so beautiful and i don’t understand why you lie to me when all i want is the you i see.” max couldn’t deal with this. he needed to get out of here, out of daniel’s apartment.

daniel was looking at him and max felt even more exposed, the curtain ripped open and here he was: wounded, broken, and a small fraction of what he pretended to be. he scooted his chair up, getting ready to bolt.

daniel knew him too well because he was already up and gently grabbing max’s arm, not tight enough to force him there but firm enough to keep max standing still for a second.

“i’m not mad. please, max. i am not mad at you, i just want you to tell me the truth of what’s going on.” daniel’s eyes were too open, too soft.

max didn’t deserve this.

he wanted it so badly.

“i can not, daniel.” max was really trembling now and daniel’s hand let go of his wrist to trail down to his hand, loosely wrapping max’s in his.

daniel knew he already had max.

max already knew he was about to expose every single fragment of pain to this man.

“let’s start with this: why are you so anxious about your dad?” that was not a small thing to start with but it was the easiest. the most rehearsed part of his story.

“whe-i started karting at 3 years old. i can’t even remember it, but there’s a picture of me in a kart as a child. i can’t remember starting but i can’t remember life without being in that kart, driving around. driving feels like freedom. karting felt like a cage, but i was good, of course i was good. i was made to be a driver. that’s what they said to me. i was offered the seat when i was 16. to start driving in formula 1 at 17 years old. i was going to be the youngest driver in the sport ever. in one of my lower races, i hadn’t eaten for a few days and i blacked out for just a second. and then i was in the wall with my front end severed and both my knees blown out.” he took a deep breath, daniel leading him to his overstuffed couch to sit down so max could gather himself.

“i hated karting. i hated it. it made my parents divorce. my dad was my mechanic, my coach. but he was not my father. every bad result meant i was restricted. from everything. when i told him i didn’t want to return after my injury, he smacked me so hard i couldn’t hear for a few hours. this was of course my entire childhood. i ran away to my mom and told her that i could not do it anymore. she moved me here with her and her new husband. they are back in belgium now but i am still here. i can’t leave. he’s trying to get me to come back and work with him, be under his thumb. again.” max felt like he was floating above his body as he spoke to daniel, his blinking, breathing, and even leg tapping automatic, precise.

daniel was quiet as max spoke, his lips pressed together as he watched max’s face. he could feel daniel’s eyes on him with every word.

“i googled you but…nothing came up.” was all daniel replied. max laughed bitterly.

“look up max v-e-r-s-t-a-p-p-e-n.” he spelled it quick and precise, unable to look at daniel as he pulled out his phone to google him. he saw daniel’s eyes widen as he saw the search results, images of max in his redbull gear, young and eyes full of anger. his racing results. the legacy he was building.

“you are-you’re brilliant.” max was surprised he didn’t say “were”. daniel said “are” like that max and this max were the same person, and not the images of before and after the great tragedy of a young superstar.

“when i got here. my mom made me go to a psychiatrist. said that i needed to talk to someone. he diagnosed me with anxiety, anorexia, and depression. when i was 19, my mom found out i was lying to everyone. she made me go again. they told me i was borderline. i don’t know why. why i am like this. why i lie so much. i lie about my name because i don’t want people to know how much i failed. i lie about everything else because it feels good, i think. to live a life where i’m not-where i succeeded.” he continued.

daniel hummed, pulling max’s hand into his lap.

“i don’t care about who max verstappen might’ve become. i care about who he is now.” he started rubbing circles into max’s hand, looking down at their contrasting fingers. daniel’s tanned hand with max’s paler one. his long slender fingers with bitten nails, max’s shorter fingers and longer palms, nails chipping and brittle.

“i want you to stay with me max. but i also want you to stop lying. i cannot deal with not knowing what’s going on with you. i worry so much about like whether or not you actually have somewhere to go, if you’re okay, if you’re actually eating or getting anything in your body.” he flipped their hands over to look at max’s hands.

“i want to care for you but you need to tell me what you need.” his voice was so quiet and max risked a glance at daniel. he looked sad and max felt like his stomach was flipped inside out. he didn’t want daniel to be sad.

“okay.” max said.

-

“how do you feel?” was what daniel asked him when the news came. max was surprised. he doesn’t know why he’s so surprised that daniel would ask him that. that’s all daniel asks him in their relationship: how do you feel, what are your thoughts, how was your day, where do you want to go, what do you want to do.

“it sounds like a good opportunity.” was all he replied, slumping back against the couch. daniel just looked at him, eyebrows raised. max pushed his glasses up and let out a deep sigh.

“i think it’s a good idea. for both of us. seattle is too…it’s not what we need, there’s too much history. i think i will miss seattle. i think it’s too good of an opportunity for you to pass up. i think i will follow you to the ends of the earth if that’s what makes you happy. i think i don’t want to pack everything up and move to malibu because that’s just a lot of things to do. i think i need a redbull right now.” daniel laughed, leaning down and cupping max’s jaw to press their noses together.

“and i think you’re being facetious. but i also thing it will be good for us. i think we can visit whenever we need if we miss seattle too much. i think we will hire a company to help us pack. i think that i’ll get you your redbull and we can eat dinner. i think that if you told me you hated the idea, i would just find something else.” he kissed max quickly, making his lips tick up into a smile as he watched daniel practically skip to the kitchen to grab max his redbull.

he came back, two in hand and settled beside max after handing the drink over.

“how was your class today?” max leaned his head onto daniel’s shoulder, curling into him as he inhaled his fiancé’s smell.

“exhausting. but, very lovely to start and finally graduate high school. even though i’m twenty-four.” daniel tightened his arm around max.

“hey, it’s never too late to start! plus it’s only a few months.” he protested and max rolled his eyes.

“you sound like-“ daniel cut him off before he could finish.

“i don’t sound like seb.” daniel protested.

“you do too.”

daniel playfully pushed him away before wrapping both arms around max, pressing a redbull scented kiss to his cheek.

“i’m gonna start dinner. i’m making streusel tonight, just for you.”

-

max wondered how someone could look so much like a mouse and still be considered one of the most perfect men in the world. charles somehow managed. triple champion and yet all max saw was that mousey boy he knew on the karting track, the boy who pushed him off.

“max!” charles said once he sat down in a whirlwind, sunglasses pushed off his tanned face. “i’ve missed you, mate. you need to come back here more, always so far in california!”

“or you can come to california. you always expect me to fly so far away to see you, when you’re the one who has the money.” charles just scoffed, but max’s smile couldn’t be bigger and neither could charles’.

charles was who max could’ve been. he used to hate charles for that. he also used to pity charles for that. to be so young and in such a position. now he was just happy for him, charles was a great driver and deserved it all.

charles was better than max. if max had stayed driving, he doesn’t think that he would have ever been able to come out, but charles did at such a young age. he faced so much backlash that max couldn’t stand watching anything f1 for months after he did it, only swiping up on charles’ story with his boyfriend and saying “thank you.”

“ah but daniel isn’t doing too bad? so i think you can fly over here to see me when i’m here.” max could see fans of charles’ looking at them through the cafe windows, staring at them. they probably thought that he was charles’ ever mysterious boyfriend. max secretly wondered how disappointed they’d be to learn charles’ actual boyfriend was a tech COO ten years his senior who wore HOKAs and bee shirts.

“is that what you tell sebastian when he complains about having to jet set just because you’re sad?” max fired back.

charles just tilted his head, green eyes dancing with mirth as he nodded.

“how is daniel? you never bring him to see me either! i miss having someone who doesn’t hold memories of me at 15 with a grudge.” charles asked as he looked over the menu.

“daniel is good as always. he’s very excited to see you win this race. told me to tell you that he’ll start a riot if you don’t.” charles’ grin became even bigger and max couldn’t help his own fond grin.

“and how are you, max?” max hated when most people asked him that, but charles was there, in the background to see it all. when they reconnected, max was honest with him, about everything.

“i’m happy. it’s always a good day with daniel and the cats, even when i wake up and it feels like i’m stuck being 15 again.”

charles tilted his head and said “yeah?”

“yeah.” max sighed, smiling as he looked at his phone, the image of him and daniel on their wedding day.