#He also loves fishing and can spend a whole day by the lake

[morgan-the-lonely-brick]

Blorbo from my brain. I'd so go for a drink with him. And I don't even drink

[servicpop]

AUGH THE COWBOY FIC WAS SO FUCKING CUTE FHSHJSBUSKFDSKUS I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!!! OUUUUUU

I ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER IDEA FOR THEM!!!! so the reader eventually has to get to the next town for a week or two for a series of shows, reader tells Cole where he’ll be and where he’ll preform so Cole can send him a letter if he’d like. Cole obviously send a him letters and reader writes back every time. But one day Cole doesn’t send reader a response and this makes him think Cole lost interest for some reason, so readers moping around and complaining about it to other show girls until Cole shows up at the place their preforming. Reader spots Cole in the crowd and gets excited immediately and the rest of the show he has a wide smile up until he can go out and talk to Cole who has flowers for the reader!!!

THIS CAN END FLUFFY OR SMUTTY OR BOTH IDC I JUST LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH YOU DONT GET IT IM CRAZY RAH :3

-🎱

✶ ﹑ㅤletters & flowersㅤ﹏

NOW STARRING : Cole the cowboy x 'showgirl' m!reader

「ㅤSFW & NSFWㅤ」ㅤhalf is sfw and half is nsfw (the nsfw part will be separated and labelled as nsfw!)

✙ NSFW warnings — sub!top cole, dom!bottom/power bottom reader, cole is a virgin, riding, tummy bulge, cole is more vocal than reader, first time

notes ,, go to part one if you haven't read it already! Not proofread !!

You were able to extend your stay at Pinecrest just for a little while, and during your time here you were able to meet so many people and learn so many things about agriculture, farming, taking care of animals, and you even got to meet the local dog, Scout. More importantly, you were able to spend more time with Cole. He took you out almost every night to go sightseeing, taking you to his favourite spots whether it was in the mountains or by the lake. He even taught you how to ride your own horse and named her Taffy after you; since you were so sweet.

Nothing could've replaced those star-filled nights where it was just you and Cole with your horses, Taffy and Spirit, enjoying the cool breeze and endless conversations that seemed to meander. However, you were a busy man, especially while being in the entertainment industry you didn't have time to stick around forever. You could feel your heart sink just a little bit when your manager had announced that another show would be held in the next town for a few weeks. Of course you enjoyed your line of work, you loved performing, loved being on stage and hearing the cheers of others, but you also loved Cole's company. You knew that Cole had a role here at Pinecrest and it would've been selfish of you to ask him to come with you. But, it wasn't like you were going to keep this whole ordeal a secret from him.

"Cole?" Your voice seemed to break the silence; his head turned to look at you, "Yeah?" Cole's voice was warm, and gentle with a hint of ruggedness like honey dripping over gravel, and the way his eyes glittered when they met yours was enough to make your legs weak under the eye contact, causing you to splutter when you decided to speak again. "I– I have to leave tomorrow, I got another show I need to do at the next town," You mumble, shying away from his entrancing gaze. The cogs in his rusty little brain were visibly turning as Cole stared at you blankly with his lips parted like he was trying to comprehend your words. You can tell it finally settled in his mind when his face deflated like a sad puppy, "You're leavin' sugar?" His voice wavers as he stared at you; the fingers that were once tracing the rim of his glass paused, and the bartender took this moment of Cole's sad expression as a cue to refill his cup with root beer.

Oh, you couldn't do this to him. It was almost like kicking an abandoned puppy on the side of the road — totally cruel. You proposed the idea of sending letters and his sad puppy expression lifted just a little. Fishing in your bag you pulled out a flyer of your next show, sliding it across the counter so he could keep a copy for himself, "Here, send them to this address," you tapped the words in bold that say where you were performing. Cole — of course — takes the flyer eagerly, scanning over it to mentally note down the information written on it, "I'll definitely be sendin' you letters honey," Cole smiled with his dimples peeking through. He picked up his glass of beer and placed it between his lips to take a swig before he started blabbering about whatever came to his mind, a common habit of Cole, and you were always keen to listen to his rambles. You could listen to his voice all night long.

Unfortunately, Cole's most dreaded day came when you had to leave for the next town. He most definitely was one of the first people to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch you before you left, pressing a light, lingering kiss on the back of your palm as if you were a prince and he was nothing but a humble knight. After the townspeople waved you off, you and your fellow performers left via the vans. It was approximately a four hour ride, it would've been quicker if you took the train but your manager insisted to go by car for the scenery. You felt yourself missing Cole more than ever, more than anyone else that you've met and being in multiple towns and countries, you've met alot of people.

Your show was held over four days with a one day break in between and a few free days to explore the area — a total of one week and 3 days. As promised, after settling down in the new town, you received letters every morning from Cole. They usually contained heartfelt messages about his day, his animals, what he ate for every meal, some local gossip, and of course expressing how much he missed you. He even signed every letter with small doodles of what you assumed to be him and Scout. Sometimes, he'd even attach small poloroids of himself usually with Taffy and Spirit in the back. Every night when you had time to spare you scavenged your hotel room for a spare piece of paper and a pen, writing back a response with your signature and some doodles that were definitely not as good as Cole's. It's corny, but you kissed the envelop after sealing it before sending it off back to him.

One day after your 2nd show, you stopped receiving letters, and it really messed up your mood. Did Cole lose interest? Had he found someone better than you? Was it because you were away? All these thoughts ran through your mind and you found yourself slumped at the vanity, complaining and whining to the other showgirls on how you felt like he didn't like you anymore. Knowing how supportive the girls are, they always attempted to comfort you, patting your back and reassuring you that he might’ve just not had any time to write back, that he was busy tending the cattle and whatnot. But no matter what they said, that feeling if a pit in your stomach lingered for the 3rd show. Your aura wasn't the same, your energy wasn't the same, you couldn't perform as well as you did the first two shows.

But suddenly, you felt a strange, familiar pair of eyes staring at you from the crowd. Mid dance, your eyes scanned the sea of people and caught on that dear smile that seemed to light up even the darkest of nights. Cole. That stupidly charming cowboy was nestled in between the bodies of others looking at you. Just you with those eyes filled with admiration. Your heart skipped a beat — or multiple — and you felt your lips involuntarily curl up into a smile.

"That's it. That's the smile I love."

With a new-found burst of energy, your limbs no longer felt sluggish and that fake smile was replaced with a genuine one. All of the sudden, the spotlight seemed to focus on you, highlighting the sequins that glittered on your costume and your bright smile. The other showgirls seemed to notice your change in mood and they all shot you small smiles, watching at how your hips swayed with the beat of the music and how your dance lightened up the atmosphere. You couldn't wait to see him.

Once the performance ended and you and the other performers bowed, you immediately ran out into the crowd, searching frantically for Cole but no matter how hard you looked and pushed through the people, you couldn't find Cole. Your feet picked up in speed as you ran outside, looking around to find Cole leaning against a streetlight with a bouquet in his hands. "Hey," You huffed, catching your breath from all that running around. "You were— amazing, sweetheart," Cole smiled, extending his arm out for you to take the bouquet of dasies, "U–uhm, the daises are hand picked if— if you were wonderin'." From the way he was stuttering over his words like a highschool boy confessing to his crush, and how his eyes focused on anything but your face, you could tell he's never given flowers to anyone in such a romantic way. They were beautiful, all thoughtfully placed together to make the bouquet aesthetically pleasing with a white ribbon tied around the stems with a small bow. You took the bouquet before wrapping your arms around Cole in a warm embrace. He didn't expect you to hug him so abruptly but he for sure did not complain, taking only a second to return the hug, wrapping his arms around you protectively. "I've never seen you smile so wide before darlin,' were you excited to see me?" Cole chuckled, keeping your face pressed against his cheek as he tangled his fingers through your hair. A small laugh escaped your lips too as you teased back, "Don't get ahead of yourself now."

After catching up a bit on the way back to your hotel, you found out through Cole that one of his cows gave birth to an adorable baby he named 'Choco' from its brown coloured fur. He really did have a quirk in naming animals. Once back, he helped you find a vase for your daisies, filling it up with water before carefully plopping your flowers in them. You flopped onto the bed, bouncing slightly from how plush the mattress was, and Cole followed shortly, laying right beside you. As you laid on the bed with your eyes staring up at the white ceiling, you felt a hand tangle with yours, turning your head to meet Cole's grin and his hands holding yours tightly. "Thanks for coming tonight," You were more than happy that he actually took the time out of his day to come all the way here to watch you perform again, "You know I'd do anythin' for you sugar," He cooed, squishing your cheeks between his fingers before he brought your face to his, giving you a small peck on the lips. You always loved how soft and gentle Cole's lips felt agaisnt yours, and they always had a faint taste of strawberries on them.

"That's too corny,"

"You want corn? We can go to the corn fields sometime if that's what you want"

And that earnt a pillow straight to his face.

One kiss turned into two, maybe three, with you leaning over Cole's body while he was still laying down. His arm snaked over to hook around your waist, pulling you closer to him and tangling his legs with yours. As he presses his body agaisnt yours, you felt him poke at your thigh. He was excited, something that you didn't expect from sweet little Cole. He seemed to notice and it was evident through the blush that creeped up his neck, "S–sorry... it's instinct y'know?" His words stumble over eachother and he brings a hand to his face, hiding behind the comfort of his palms as embarrassment ate away at him. It was adorable! This guy being such a flustered mess just from a few kisses and you haven't even done anything that intimate yet.

You reassure him, obviously; you tell him that it's natural and that it's okay to react this way. But then it strikes you. He seemed so inexperienced, so shy about everything. Was Cole a virgin? "I've never done anythin' like this before... I've never felt this way about someone else," His usually loud and confident voice was now reduced to a soft, nervous whisper. He shuffled slightly, pulling you up and onto his lap, his eyes glittered with nervousness and excitement, "D'you think you could show me a thing or two?" Damn. The way he's looking at you with pure love and sincerity made your blood pump faster from how quick your heart was beating. You've been dying for this too, so why not?

You helped him undress before following shortly after, discarding your clothes somewhere in the hotel. He was surprisingly big— like really big. His pretty pink tip was already glistening with pre-cum from the previous kisses and he had a prominent vein that ran down the underside of his cock that was bound to be a sensitive spot for him. Cole was also more built than you expected, he had toned muscles that were most defined in his arms and he had pretty big pecs. They were like pillows, you'd have to convince him to let you sleep on them later. Cole refused to look you in the eyes while you rummaged the beside drawers for lube. You put a generous amount on your palm before placing the bottle down and turning to face Cole, who was trembling like a little mouse.

"Relax," you cooed, wrapping your lubed up hand around his shaft, pumping slowly to coat him. His body physically jerked once he felt the cool substance around his cock, and a low whine slipped from his lips. Cole's breathing became more heavy as you slowly stroked his length, his eyes fluttered with every movement. Once you deemed that to be enough, you slowly moved to hover over his lap and Cole's hands immediately went up to grip your hips for stability. You knew this would hurt; you weren't properly prepared but you didn't care that much. Slowly, you sunk down on Cole's cock, feeling the slight burn as you bit back small whimpers. "You okay sugar? 'Mnot hurtin' you am I?" Cole grunted, his fingers gripping your hips even more, guiding you down his length. He was concerned, yes, but he also couldn't help from twitching inside you.

"I'm fine," you replied with a small huff once you were able to take Cole in fully, relaxing a bit so you could get used to his size. Cole on the other hand was certainly not relaxing. You could almost see the muscles on his arm tense and he had this unfamiliar look in his eyes like he was desperate for something, any sort of movement from you. After awhile of just silence and stillness, Cole's resolve finally caved in, "Oh, please sweetheart, please move. Anythin'! I need to feel you, please," he whined like a little puppy, staring into your eyes as if he was going to die if you didn't give him any sort of relief. But that wasn't any fun now was it?

You leaned down, your hips rolling slightly in accord to your movements, and pressed a honeyed kiss on the outer corner of Cole's lips. That little movement with your hips almost made Cole cum on the spot. "You can't do that t'me," Cole's eyes gleamed over with tears, dampening his eyelashes. All wet and pretty. He swore he'd actually start crying if you didn't move. "Alright, alright, sorry," you apologised but didn't really mean it — he was so adorable begging you just to move. But, you weren't that cruel. A string of 'thank you's poured out of Cole's mouth as you rocked your hips rhymically, grinding down on his cock. His head tilted back against the silk pillows, his brown hair cascading across the pillowcase like flowing water. Cole's lips were slightly parted, and his chest rose and fell intermittently, some breaths short and stuttered, while others were deeper.

"It feels so good," Cole muttered out between pants. His voice was nothing short of a whiny mess mixed with a few moans and grunts. You lifted yourself off of him, almost lifting completely off of him before dropping your hips back down, earning a muffled whimper from you and a loud moan from Cole. He was undoubtedly alot more vocal in expressing his pleasure. His eyes opened with heavy eyelids, as he looked up at you; you could practically see the hearts in his eyes. Cole's gaze flickered down to your tummy and his mind went blank when he saw the small bulge in your stomach, "Oh mercy," he breathed out, his hand moved to touch your stomach, "You're gonna be the death of me if you keep— hah, keep teasin' me like this."

Your mind was just as lost as Cole's with the way his dick was able to reach your prostate so easily. It drove you crazy; his cock angled perfectly to hit it over and over again with each bounce. Your own neglected cock was sliding along Cole's happy trail, the warmth of his body made you twitch everytime you grinded your hips. "I'm— im close, so so so close, please— please let me cum." Beads of sweat rolled down Cole's temples and his forearms flexed, digging his fingertips into your hips hard enough to leave an indent — he was careful not to use his nails, Cole would never want to hurt you. "Im—" Cole sat up from his laying position, enveloping you in his arms and buried his face in the crook of your neck, needing something to hold onto while he orgasmed. His moans were muffled by your neck as his thigh spasmed faintly while he spilt his seed inside of you, filling you up to the brim. Your own orgasm followed after his, coating his abs with your fluid.

You two sat in the comfort of eachothers arms and the sound of your heavy breathing; your own arms were lazily draped over his shoulders with one hand stroking his hair. "When's your next show?" Cole asked, moving his head off your shoulder to look at you, "The day after tomorrow, but I have rehearsal tomorrow morning," a small pout spreads across Cole's lips as his eyes flicker to loon at your thigh instead. "Do you think you can walk properly tomorrow?" "Oh right..."

Bonus ♡

You winced as you settled down into the chair infront of the vanity. A few of the showgirls walked up to you, noticing that something was off, "You okay honey bun? You seem to be in alot of pain today," one of the girls ask, placing a comforting hand on your back. "He obviously got some action last night with that cowboy guy." "No I did not!" "It's obvious in the way you're limping sweetie."

Cole on the other hand, was still soundly asleep in your hotel bed, curled up with the blanket he stole from you during the night.

a/n ,, Cole oh sweet Cole . To be honest ,, I'm still not used to writing smut . I guess it's because I'm trying my hardest not to make it sound off or weird ,, maybe I'm just immature . The word cock sounds funny to me . Anyways !! I kinda rushed the smut . To be fair my main focus with Cole is how he's an innocent n' sweet guy but ya know ,, nsfw is what gets people going these days

[cumulo-ghoulll]

Beach Day HC 🏖️

Copia likes to treat his ghouls and ghoulettes to a little vacation every now and again. During the summer, the pack always begs for a beach day.

Dew spends as little time as physically possible in the sun as he complains that he needs to keep his skin as pale as possible. Once he's been chased down by Aether and soaked in suncream, he usually caves and spends the rest of the day sunning on the warmest rock he can find. By the end of the day, he's usually taken off his swim shorts and, once again, has to be chased down by Aether and wrapped in a towel.

Rain spends almost the whole day in the sea. He is a freshwater ghoul so he can't breathe under the sea as long as he usually can in the lake at the ministry. If the beach is empty he'll partially unglamour and swim quite far out. He loves hunting big fish in the deeper parts of the sea and bringing back his catches for Copia. The fish he brings back is normally cooked by Swiss for everyone to eat but Rain prefers to eat his raw.

Mountain likes to collect shells and seaweed and decorate his antlers with his finds. Copia brings a bag for Mount to put his pebbles and shells in. The best thing he ever got from the beach was a pearl Rain had brought back from the seabed. He does go for a little paddle in the sea for a few minutes but only of Rain is there too as Mountain is actually quite scared of the sea and drowning in particular.

Swiss is in charge of the barbeque and he loves it. He brings a ridiculous amount of hotdogs and burgers and ends up cooking Rain's fish too. When he's not cooking, he likes to soak up the sun, not as much as Dew but he likes it none the less. If Copia brings any floats, he gets Rain to drag him around on it as Rain is ridiculously fast in the water. Swiss usually ends up flying off whatever float he's being dragged around on. He also loves recreating "I've lost my diamond earring!!" with Phantom.

Aether is like the dad of the group and that definitely doesn't change at the beach. When he's not being buried by the ghoulettes or sleeping under an umbrella, he helps Phantom learn to swim. Aether's a great swimmer so he doesn't mind teaching Phantom. He does spend a ridiculous amount of time reinflating Phantom's armbands as the bug loves to deflate them. Aether takes the orders for ice cream as well and makes sure everyone gets the ice cream they want.

Phantom prefers to spend most of his time at the beach with the ghoulettes. He absolutely loves making massive and extravagant sand palaces and then jumping into them after. If he's not swimming with Aether, he likes to run around on the shore and more shallow areas of the sea. Phantom prefers to run on all fours still as he's still not completely used to walking upright because of how short of a time he's been Topside compared to everyone else. If Swiss and Copia are in the sea, he loves getting thrown between them (with Aether there to grab him if he doesn't make it all the way)

Cirrus and Cumulus are attached at the hip anyway and that doesn't change at the beach. Cirrus is almost constantly rubbing more sun lotion on Cumulus as she burns incredibly easily. They love playing with the bat and ball Copia brings but have to shout for Rain when the ball goes too far out. Cirrus loves tanning and literally times how long she's on one side for. Meanwhile, Cumulus sits at the edge of the shade with a parasol next to her. Cumulus is usually chugging a coke as well as she gets super dehydrated out in the sun and she has to force Cirrus to drink anything at all.

Aurora and Sunnie tend to hang around with Phantom. Sunnie helps him build his sand palace and Aurora is chief decorator (she has to collect shells to stick on the sides). All three of them usually sneak up to the freezer box while Aether is sleeping and take as many ice creams they can carry. Aurora likes to look around the rock pools and get Sunnie to tell her what the different creatures are.

Copia is usually asleep on his deckchair with his hat covering his face. Occasionally, he can be convinced to be buried in the sand by the ghouls but only if Aether is on standby to dig him out. As much as he loves taking his pack out to the beach, he gets a constant barrage of, "Papa, look!" "Copia! Look what I've got!" "Papa! Tell him to give me that back!" "Papa! You're not watching!!" "PAPA THERE'S SEA WATER IN MY EYES!!" "Copia? Have you seen my sunglasses?" "PAPA THAT CRAB JUST PINCHED MY BUTT!!" "PAPA I JUST GOT STUNG BY A JELLYFISH!! IM GOING TO DIE!!" "C? What's this?" "Copia there's sand in my mouth..." "Papa I just stepped on something sharp." "Papa I left my hat in the car!" "PAPA!! LOOK AT THIS FISH AHAHAHA I CAUGHT IT ALL BY MYSELF!!" "PAPA TAKE A PICTURE OF ME!!" "Copia? I've lost my goggles in the sea." "PAPA I JUST DROPPED MY ICE CREAM!! CAN I HAVE ANOTHER? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NONE LEFT??" "PAPA!! DEW JUST SAID HE HOPES I GET EATEN BY A SHARK." "papa. jaws isn't real, right?" Copia usually leaves with a headache, a sunburn, and a bag of rocks and shells.

[hey-august]

Buggy taking some of his crew that he likes best, and you of course, in a little getaway trip to an island that turns out has a huge lake, which isnt connected to the sea so it doesnt weaken devil fruit users

Buggy gets to swim again, its almost like he's back to being a kid, and he spends his whole day there, racing agaisnt the others, going to the bottom, finding a high place to dive from, and just floating and enjoying the water. Maybe theres even an underwater cave you two hide in to get some moments alone

Youve never seen Buggy so at peace, it's like he was meant to live in the water. Some things wont change, but right now theres a place for him to be at peace, and it means there will be others, now that you know what to look for, and youre just glad you get to be here to see it.

This is so lovely, yes yes yes yes!

Even after all this time, he's an amazing swimmer. He's fast, he can hold his breath a long time, Buggy's in his element. I wouldn't be surprised if he's also a critter catcher. Instead of crabs and fish, he'll find turtles and frogs.

Maybe there's a river that feeds into the lake, complete with a waterfall that's high enough to jump off of, but weak enough for a strong swimmer to dive under. And of course Buggy can dive under. If you can't, or you're afraid, he pull you along underwater. On the other side is a small cave, where all you can hear is the cascade of water and the beating of your heart.

Buggy swims until his fingers and toes are pruney. And still longer. When it's time to get out, he has to hold back a child-like whine. He already used up all his "just a few more minutes."

It's not the exact same - lakes have finite boundaries and the ocean is near endless. But that doesn't make this any less enjoyable. Rather than being reminded of what was taken from him, Buggy feels whole for a moment. And that peace is something you would do anything to protect. ❤️

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

Will you? - OC Story

pairing: F!OC: Kathleen "Brass" Moore x John Price words: 2.8k~ cw: pregnancy, smut, toxic relationship, quickie in the bathroom, clothed sex, cunnilingus, pregnant sex, proposal and wedding fic, insults, banter.

There are certain times when John can't help but feel like he's going to absolutely lose it.

Most, if not all, of those times happen with Kathleen.

The woman just has a way of making him want to pull his hair out. She drives him to the brink of insanity on a daily basis.

One would think that, at this point, he would've wised up and nipped it at the bud by breaking up with her. But no.

Maybe John is a sucker for punishment. A masochist, who secretly thinks that he deserves to be treated poorly, considering the cruel things he does on the field and the amount of times he's been a bastard to people. Maybe that's it.

Maybe he feels too deeply for the woman to want to let her go. Maybe he believes one day they'll get better, healthier.

Or maybe he's just obsessed. Maybe the thought of her moving on with another man causes his jaw to clench so tight it might just pop.

Whatever the reason is, the fact of the matter is that, as John watches Kathleen walk away to the bedroom, throwing her hands in the air in frustration and sometimes turning to yell at him some more, he finds himself following her like a stray pup.

She's been yelling at him for about 20 minutes now and, as tends to happen whenever they argue, he argues and yells back, and by the time they notice, they're together in bed, with Kathy panting as John slams his hips furiously against hers.

He assumes that as the outcome currently awaiting him.

Only to notice Kathleen currently grabbing every article of clothing of his from inside the wardrobe, throwing it onto the floor. His beautifully pressed shirts, still in the hangers, being thrown haphazardly.

"Hold on, what are you doing?!" He hears himself ask with raised brows and wide eyes as he moves to stop her.

"Since you've decided to be such an ungrateful bastard for all the things I've done to help you in the last 3 years, then you can get out!" Kathleen retorts in a confrontational tone as she turns and throws open one of the drawers, ripping more of his clothes out and onto the floor.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Kathleen, are you serious right now?" He grunts and moves to grab her hand, turning her around to face him. "Are you hearing yourself? Going to throw away my clothes now?"

"No, I'm throwing **you** out!" The brunette replies and rips her wrist from his grip sharply. "Which I should've done a long bloody time ago!"

John cocks a brow for a moment before his eyes narrow. "And what gives you the right, huh?" He taunts her, taking a step closer, over the pile of clothes on the floor.

Kathleen never wavers when John comes to stand over her, looming and threatening. Never. She's never scared of him. It always sends a thrill down his spine when he remembers that.

He loves the spark in her eye, the way her brow twitches, the way she glares, the way she stands her ground...

She's been talking this whole time, John realizes when she stares at him with a cocked brow and her head tilted at an angle.

He, unfortunately, got distracted by how beautiful she looks. Distracted enough to feel a stirring in his trousers. Not to mention he's gotten quite good at tuning out most of Kathy's nagging, especially when she resorts to insults.

But he also knows she hates being ignored and, when he doesn't reply immediately, that sends her in another tirade.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about."

"You don't care."

"You don't listen."

"You keep trying to gaslight me and invalidate my bloody feelings."

"Not to mention you come and go as you please."

"Spend more bloody time in the pub or at base or at the lake with your bloody fishing rod than with me."

"You don't care about the things I have to do to keep this home properly."

"Well fuck you, Jonathan, you can go and find somewhere else to live!"

John is listening and watching, nostrils flaring and feeling ready to say some choice words to the woman he loves.

She can't just decide to kick him out of the house, to break up with him. Who does she think she is?

She throws the last of his clothes on the pile, only for something to fly off and fall on the floor with a loud clacker of wood and thud of fabric.

Both sets of eyes are drawn to the small cube of black velvet on the floor.

At first, the small bedroom is completely silent, save for their breaths, the two shocked into silence, stunned.

"John? Is that-" She asks in a much gentler tone, meeker even, as she lifts her gaze to find his. Her face is softened, her brows furrowed, her brown eyes so bright and warm, already wet with tears.

John didn't mean for her to find it. He didn't even have a plan in place to propose.

He's had the ring for longer than he should, having bought it so early on in their relationship that one would think he's an unstable, obsessive man.

And maybe he is, because John can't take his eyes off her.

In that moment, as she stands there, her hands clasped together in front of her chest, blinking repeatedly to contain the tears, looking at him so warmly... Kathy has never looked more beautiful.

He finds himself wanting, more than ever, to wake up beside her every morning and kiss that face all over and watch her eyes twinkle when she glances down at the ring on her finger.

Yes, she's a cunt. And he's a bastard. And they're god awful together.

But there may never come a better time than this.

So fuck it.

John bends down, snatches the box off the floor and goes down on one knee in front of her, presenting the rose gold ring with a center pear cut morganite to her.

"Will you marry me?" He asks her.

The wedding planning had been a shit show.

Destination wedding in Portugal, it wasn't that bad of an idea, sure, except for the fact Kathleen's family is ginormous... And has a lot of unresolved issues (it gave him some insight as to why she's Like That™️).

It meant they spent weeks trying to organize who could sit with who at what table and who had to be so far away they might as well be watching the ceremony from England itself.

Not to mention that his mother wanted to have a say on the wedding decor, as did Kathy's mother, and sisters, and aunties.

It was no wonder that, with all that stress, and her job, that she didn't notice her missing periods... or how ill she felt in the mornings, or how she put on some weight, or how she had heartburn, or how her dress had to be let out a few inches on the bodice... or how her engagement ring no longer fit.

It was only after a particularly bad wave of morning sickness, which happened during the morning shift at the hospital, two weeks before the wedding, that she realized something was wrong. This wasn't just stress... or anticipation.

So she did a test, or two.

And then booked an urgent ultrasound at the Tidworth OBGYN unit.

"Captain Moore, what a surprise, I didn't expect to see-"

"Cut the bloody small talk, is my husband in?"

"Yes, of course, he's in his office."

And so she barreled her way in without being announced, slamming the door back against the wall, and receiving a wide-eyed look from John as he sat behind his desk.

He had been knee-deep in paperwork lately, trying to make headway and get ahead on his work so he could take his leave uninterrupted and have both a good wedding and a proper honeymoon/rest with Kathy.

"Kathy? What's wrong?" He asked her in extreme confusion. It was almost 5PM and normally he'd see her at home later in the evening, not in his office during the day.

Kathy huffed out of her nose and slammed the door closed again, causing it to rattle in the frame before she stomped toward her soon-to-be-husband, looking like a bull about to attack.

His mind quickly ran through all the possibilities of things that could be wrong, a strange feeling of dread forming in his stomach. Did he forget to do something for the wedding planning? Did he forget to call someone? Did someone cancel on them? Did he not take out the trash? God, what day was it, had he missed her birthday?

Now up close, John noticed how her eyes were beginning to glaze over with tears and her lip trembled, causing her chin to wrinkle as she tried to hold in a sob.

He brought her in to his chest with his arms, unsure of what was wrong, but relieve that it was nothing to do with him. "What's wrong?" He beckoned again as he felt her sit across his lap, cupping her head with his hands and tucking her into his chest.

"You got me pregnant, you bastard..." Kathleen whined, which caused John's back to stiffen and for him to blink for a moment, feeling like his brain was doing the physical equivalent of a computer blue screening.

"What?" He ended up asking, raising his brows to his hairline, and looking at her with eyes so wide that he looked almost like a puppy at the vet, that didn't understand what was happening to it.

The brunette raised her head to look at John through tear-filled eyes. "I don't know how- I-" She whimpered, her lip trembling.

"Are you... Are you sure?" John asked, a bit stunned, as if a nurse and, especially, his soon-to-be-wife, wouldn't be thorough enough to check before telling him this.

"Yeah... I just had an ultrasound... There's... there's a baby in there..." Kathy nodded her head, for once not seeming upset at John's perceived stupidity.

John took a deep breath and looked up and away, focusing on the blank wall across from his desk as he kept caressing his wife's head. He seemed to need a moment to think, and Kathy, for once, didn't interrupt that.

"Are you okay?" He ended up asking as he looked down at her. "Is it okay?"

"Yeah..." Kathleen nodded and ran a finger under her eyes to wipe some stray tears. "I just... It... It blindsided me... Didn't even... Didn't notice my periods not coming..." She murmured.

John nodded as he heard her, running a hand gently over her side, toward her belly. "Did... did the doctor say how far along you are?" His blue eyes found the woman's brown ones.

"It's a bit of guess work..." The woman murmured. "We guessed somewhere between 16 and 19 weeks, but could be more..." She trailed off.

"Bloody hell... That long?" John grunted as he looked down at her stomach again.

The brunette looked down as John ran a hand over her stomach, smoothing the fabric of her scrubs, and his fingers carefully prodded her lower belly, as if seeking out the swollen uterus.

Kathleen stretched a bit against John, straightening her spine over the armrest of his desk chair, to let him touch her stomach a bit better. Even she hadn't had time to adapt to what she now knew wasn't just stress-induced weight gain, so she also didn't really know what her belly felt like.

"What are we gonna do?" Kathleen murmured, her voice surprisingly meek, earning her another glance from John, whose eyes were softened, his lips beginning to curl up.

"We, my love," He began as he leaned toward her and gently kissed her cheek, then the corner of her mouth. "are going to be parents." He said simply.

Kathleen scoffed at his dumb, obvious remark, but, at the same time, she felt the way it lit up a warmth in her tummy to think of herself as a mum, to think of John as a dad. "I guess we are."

"And we'll be damn good ones." John added, this time earning a proper groan from Kathy, who shoved his face away, causing him to chuckle.

"I will be, I don't know about you, Jonathan." She retorted.

"I'll be a bloody fine father, you vile woman." He said in an amused way.

"Will you?" She quipped with narrowed eyes and a look of disbelief.

August 10th, 2016

John had never before been so thankful to have been able to convince Kathleen to do anything. And that anything was hire a wedding planner.

It had helped settle half of the issues with their families, plus had allowed for them to take the last two weeks 'off' to focus on themselves and decompress before the wedding.

Aka, deal with the hit to the face that was the pregnancy.

It also allowed John to talk the wedding planner into working some things around and let him and Kathleen have a moment to themselves, while the guests mingled outside, drinking sangria and eating canap��s.

His wife looked so beautiful in her dress, the top framing her tits so perfectly, her face covered in pretty make-up, her brown hair tied back into a bun, and the smell of perfume on her neck...

He had felt tears prickling at his eyes when she had first come down the aisle, armed locked with her father, as both their families flanked her and watched fondly, noting the smile on her lips and the way her veil dragged along behind her, held up by one of her nieces.

She had looked so beautiful in the sunlight, looking up at him fondly, her face round and perfect... He didn't know how he resisted grabbing her right there and planting a kiss to her lips.

So, he whisked Kathleen away to one of the suites they had used to prepare and into the ensuite bathroom. And, now, away from prying eyes, with all the time in the world (read fifteen to thirty minutes), he was going to make sure to do what he wanted to do.

He hiked up the poofy skirt of her dress, as well as the many underlayers and petticoats she wore underneath, then sunk to his knees on the tile floor.

Pushing her ass back against the sink and giving her all the fabric to hold, he grabbed one of her legs and tossed it over his shoulder before he glued his lips to her cunt.

He couldn't see her through the layers of fabric she was holding in her arms, overflowing and hiding him from view, but he could hear the way she mewled and crooned happily as he licked her clitoris and sucked her folds.

"John..." Kathleen called out his name as he slobbered over her cunt, spreading the lips with two of his fingers before diving in and sinking his tongue into her winking hole.

"That's it, Mrs. Price..." He purred while digging his thick fingers into the meat of her thigh. The new term of endearment caused her to whine, her back arching while she bucked her hips against his face. "Oh, you like that, don't you, da'lin'?"

"J-John..." She whimpered again. "Please... I need..." She huffed, her breath already a bit ragged, and sweat pooling in her brow, not that John could see it.

Chuckling, he pushed himself back up to his feet, then grabbed her around the hips, turning her to face the vanity sink.

His hand wrapped around her lower stomach to protect the bump already forming on it, while the other undid his belt buckle with haste and pulled his trousers and underwear down.

After another moment of shuffling with her dress to, this time, lift the back, John succeeds at shimmying his way between Kathleen's plush thighs, his cock slowly pushing past her slick folds, to bury itself deep inside her.

They both groaned at the feeling, John's free hand gripping the side of her hip before pulling her back onto him, before sliding up to grip her bare shoulder, bending her at the hip toward the sink and the mirror held above it.

Then he began slowly and steadily moving inside her, his hips snapping forward toward her.

The soft crooning and whimpering sounds falling from Kathy's lips echoed in the tiled bathroom, causing a rumble of a chuckle to escape John.

"Don't get too loud, Kat, don't want anyone to hear us, do you?" John teased a bit while his hand rubbed and cradled her baby bump with all the care in the world, making sure she wouldn't hit it against the edge of the sink.

"Oh, fuck off, Jonathan... Who's going to hear us? Everyone's out-s-side!" She stuttered when he pounded his cock a bit harder into her warm cunt, causing her to cut herself off from complaining.

"And? I don't want them to know what I'm doing to my wife..." He grunted in her ear, leaning close to gently nibble at her earlobe. "...to the mother of my daughter..."

the engagement ring

[happy--birthday--kiddo]

Silly Lil ATSV Headcannons

Miles Morales:

Always burns his tongue on foods even when people warn him it's hot

Hops on one foot when putting socks on

Had eczema as a lil kid

Used to absolutely love those marker dot stamps and made a ton of pictures with them (Rio has them all ofc).

Never liked classical music until he saw Gwen perform Swan Lake (but if you accuse him of liking it he'll adamantly deny it)

Snorts when he laughs

Dreams in colors and shapes rather than images

Secretly spends forever in front of the mirror doing impressions of the other spiders when he's supposed to be getting ready

On Mothers' Day he always wakes up at the crack of dawn to cook Rio a meal 🫶 He's a pretty good cook and likes to experiment with her recipes to make her something special

Always has a million bruises at any given time cuz he's so clumsy

Wears contacts

Can root out snacks from a mile away. If you have a bag of chips in your bag, it'll be found and gone in 5 minutes. (HE'S A GROWING BOI OKAY)

Had like 10 fish as a kid because they kept dying and his parents felt bad so they kept replacing them (also they were probably named Bubbles)

Was definitely a gullible kid and when someone at school told him "gosh" was a bad word he solemnly believed it

Gwen Stacy:

Vegetarian

The first time she dyed her hair she had her dad do it and she ended up with really uneven coloring. Her dad felt so bad but she thought it was hilarious.

Fidgets with her tongue on her tooth gap when she's swinging

Always wanted a dog but she's allergic

Has an extremely low spice tolerance but loves it anyway

Prefers cold over hot (probably why her suit is white to reflect heat)

She was lonely as an only child and had a lot of imaginary friends until she met Peter

Loves scary movies and forces Miles to watch them with her

Blushes red when she laughs (not bashfully, she's just really pale)

Terrified of deep water

Hums when she showers

Joined the band as a joke but realized she had a talent and enjoyed it

Loves to scare Miles by waiting for him on his ceiling or on the inside of doors (bonus points if she'd just forced him to watch a scary movie)

Actually cackles when she bullies Miles

Drinks a ton of water for like, no reason

Miguel O'Hara:

Needs reading glasses but stopped using them in public after Peter B. made fun of him for it. Now he just squints and uses them when he's alone (or alone with Lyla: she knows he's sensitive about it so she doesn't comment for once)

Has insomnia due to nightmares so he's always tired

Drinks a lot of coffee but doesn't eat much

He's ticklish like it's NOBODY'S business, especially around the hip area and ears

He excelled at math in school because numbers always made more sense to him than people

Stubs his toe unnaturally often and one time he got so pissed that he threw the offending table into the wall (Lyla filmed the whole thing and showed Peter B)

His back gets really itchy but he can't reach it so he either suffers an existential crisis or scratches his back on his wall like a bear

Used to have an intense phobia of needles

Has special gloves he sleeps in to help protect his sheets from being torn up by his claws (they come out with the nightmares)

Compulsively exercises when he can't sleep

You're welcome 💥 Also I have a shit ton more where that came from so lmk if anyone wants more <3

[bluegekk0]

How would a nice fishing trip with the family be like?

Oooh fishing... Blue Lake would be the place they'd go to, there are many fish-like critters to be found there, and it's a very peaceful, isolates region without many dangerous beasts. The family absolutely visits it to spend some time there, especialy for fishing.

Grimm takes charge of the whole thing. In fact, he's the one organizing the trip, after coming home one day with a fancy fishing rod and a whole bunch of fishing equipment. The first few times he had to convince Vyrm to go, as you'd expect, his husband wasn't too fond of visiting such a large body of water, but in the end he felt encouraged by the notion that the others would be there with him. Before they leave, Grimm, with Holly's help, prepares all the equipment and everything else they're going to need, while Vyrm and Hornet pack lunch for everyone.

When it's time to leave, they all gather at the Stag station, where they hop on the Stag and travel towards the station close the road to the lake, located near Salubra's house. In the game, that path is as good as inaccessible from the Crossroads, but for the purpose of the AU I do think there's a rocky path up that cliff from where you can enter the cave with the lake. So the family takes a short hike up that path, Hornet leading with Grimm right behind her (and the twins sitting in the two carriers strapped to Grimm), Holly, Lewk and Zote following, and Vyrm at the end of the group keeping watch behind them.

Once they reach the lake, they set up all the equipment on the shore, which includes all the fishing gear as well as a bunch of blankets to rest on, especially for the little ones. After that, they're all free to do what they want. They have a few fishing rods so it all depends who's up for that. Grimm finds it pretty exciting so you can usually find him fishing alongside Hornet or, if he manages to convince him, Vyrm. The latter tends to sit on the blanket and keep a close eye on the twins, especially Asta since she can't sit still for a moment and always tries to sneak out towards the water, often dragging Milo with her. When not fishing, Grimm takes the twins closer to the water, letting them splash around for a bit under his careful watch.

Meanwhile, Holly, Zote and Lewk hang out by the water, Zote usually tries to flex his terrible stone skipping skills, while Holly and Lewk play in the crystal clear shallows. Lewk loves running along the shore looking for interesting rocks, shells or anything else he can find, which he then proudly shows to everyone. Holly enjoys observing the beasts that slowly gather around them, especially Maskflies that visit the Blue Lake during their mating season, to engage in silly displays and dances, and show off their colorful plumage. Sometimes, if she's not fishing, Hornet joins them, either going for a swim or climbing the rocks around the lake to help Lewk in his search for little trinkets.

Then they all gather for lunch, enjoying the time together and chatting about how their day is going. They share their findings, including all the fish that were caught, and then slowly start preparing to leave.

After they get home, late in the day, they prepare all the fish, usually to be stored for food or sold on the market. The pups are usually exhausted at that point, so they get tucked in bed right after their baths while the rest of the family rests in the living room. Zote sticks around for a while and then goes back to his house, afterwards the others also return to their rooms.

---

Got a little carried away but I thought describing the full scene was really fun. I definitely have to draw it one day, especially now that I have a more concrete vision of what the Blue Lake looks in the AU.

[mitsuki91]

It's that time again!

Snowbaird Valentine Event!

The prompt for today is birds u.ù

As usual, thanks to @snowbaird-events ( @burntblueberrywaffles ) for this event 💖

3. Birds

During the summer break, after he has been forced to work hand in hand with Dr Gaul on the new edition of the Hunger Games, Coriolanus has asked and been granted to spend the summer at Twelve. President Ravinstill has made the first house built in the Victory’s village available to him also because, in fact, he is taking Lucy Gray home to see her family.

Lucy Gray shakes his hand throughout the train journey, without saying anything.

She too knows that the Hunger Games are an evil he is forced to endure, but there is a limit even to his acting ability.

***

In the Twelve everything is better. They are no longer at the Seam - although coal dust still gets everywhere - and the Coveys have huddled together, happy and excited to have Lucy Gray back for a month and a half all to themselves. They have moved into the Victory’s house with them - although they take turns not to leave their house empty - and spend their days together, as happy and carefree as they have ever been.

The schools are closed and none of them have to work. Coriolanus personally makes sure that plenty of money arrives every month to support the whole family, because the idea of CC or Tam Amber going down the mine gives him the creeps.

They spend wonderful days amidst music, singing and games, and then the time also comes for a trip to the lake.

They talked about it briefly, him and Lucy Gray. Coriolanus told her that it would be no problem and, then, following her glare, confessed that he would do his best to overwrite the bad memories.

So they set off early in the morning, taking advantage of the still cool breeze of the night before the sun burns them. They walk briskly; Coriolanus grasps Lucy Grey's hand tightly and tries to concentrate on Maude Ivory's voice and the songs she sings.

Unfortunately, so do the damn birds.

Coriolanus is forced to listen to their echoes in his ears for as long as it takes for them to arrive. There are times when he thinks he'll go mad, when he just wants to squat on the ground and plug his ears - echoes and reverberations of that terrible day, of the song of the hanging tree smashing his head and shattering it into tiny pieces.

When it happens Lucy Gray understands him, and always distracts him with a kiss.

Her smile and her love are the most valuable weapon he has to fight every crisis.

***

They finally arrive.

At last they can undress and dive into the lake and make noise, and the birds above their heads, apart from a few neutral melodies, no longer sing like in his nightmares.

It's shaping up to be a perfect day.

They soak for the whole morning and then engage in various other activities and games - Coriolanus has brought a real ball and a pack of cards, and everyone enjoys themselves.

Then, after lunching on fish - caught by Tam Amber and CC - and bread and cheese - brought from home - they all lie down in the shade of the trees, praying that it will be enough to combat the heat.

Lucy Gray has laid her head on his chest and has one leg entwined with his. It seems that not even the mugginess is enough to keep them physically apart , and Coriolanus is perfectly fine with that. He caresses her hair and she begins to murmur a quiet melody.

Immediately the Mockingjay stop singing, and then imitate her. Coriolanus' hand stops and so does Lucy Gray, raising her face to his, worried.

“Sorry,” she murmurs.

Coriolanus smiles.

"It's not your fault" he replies to her "Nor theirs" he adds, under his breath.

Holding her still helps him keep his mind clear of terrible memories. The tiredness and peace that pervaded him that morning also help to keep him calm.

Lucy Gray smiles and leans in to leave a small kiss on his cheek.

"They are the true example of freedom, you know?"

"The Mockingjay?"

"No, birds in general. I'd like to be like them" Lucy Gray pauses "That's what they call me at the capital, isn't it? Songbird. I wish I had a pair of wings, and I could live and sing in the sky for the rest of my life."

Away from me.

Coriolanus turns to her and grabs her, sinking his face into her hair.

"I'm sorry," he tells her, as his heart breaks for the umpteenth time, "If you feel trapped at home.

If I'm not enough.

Lucy Gray bursts out laughing and returns his squeeze.

"I didn't say that, silly."

Coriolanus knows that he cannot afford to make demands on her. He knows that Lucy Gray is a free spirit, and that trying to force her into a trap would lead to her dying little by little, day by day. At the capital, she expresses her need for freedom by singing all over the place; she enjoys her fame as the Victor to have the doors open in any club that tickles her fancy. And Coriolanus has learnt to let her go and hush the terrible, insistent voice that tells him she will find someone else.

But here it is more difficult.

Here, in the Twelve, it is established that Lucy Gray belongs to no one.

Least of all to him.

Coriolanus hopes that it will be enough to keep showing her love day by day, to make her stay.

***

University has been going on for a fortnight when one afternoon Coriolanus comes home and Tigris announces that Lucy Gray is waiting for him in the roof garden.

Curious, after hurriedly changing his clothes, Coriolanus goes up and is stunned when he sees, in the middle of the rose garden, a huge aviary.

It is a wonderful cage, gilded and decorated with wrought-iron roses. It has inside it a lot of small bowls with grains at different heights, others with water, and various bird handles as well as hanging cuttlefish bones.

And the birds are there. Some are hopping on sticks, some have decided to take a bath, some are eating. They hum, but the wonderful melody he hears is that of Lucy Gray, standing in front of the aviary enchanting the birds.

Coriolanus, past the first moment of surprise, approaches and embraces her from behind, interrupting her song.

That is the moment when he realizes that the aviary has no little door, that the birds can come and go as they please.

Lucy Gray raises her head, staring up at him from below with a huge smile.

"There are no Mockingjay here," she tells him, "No bad memories. But, you see? Even in the city the little birds live ".

At that moment two of them come out of their cage with a shake of their wings and disappear into the sky.

"This is a safe place. With food, water, fun and fragrant flowers," Lucy Gray continues, "A home to come back to again and again. A safe choice."

You are my safe choice , Lucy Gray is telling him, the place I want to return to.

Coriolanus smiles and spins her around in his arms until they are facing each other. He leans towards her and kisses her passionately, and she reciprocates by sinking her hands into his blond curls.

Her. Lucy Gray.

His wonderful songbird.

Who chooses him day after day, never leaving him alone again.

💖💖💖

Link on ao3:

[redheadgleek]

character asks: Luke Danes

Also, clicking on your page and seeing Anne makes me want to request Anne Shirley!

Yay!

For Luke Danes - I really need to rewatch, because when I watched 20 years ago, I was much more into Rory and her drama than the adults and I'm pretty sure that that would be switched this time.

My favorite thing about them: his protective nature over the people he loves.

My least favorite thing about them: well. There was that whole thing with his sudden daughter, but I had stopped watching by that point. So we'll go with his rather short temper and how he can be stubbornly unreasonable at times. He could stonewall and needs to work with a therapist to better communicate his needs.

My favorite canon relationship: I loved the relationship between him and Jess - they grew to understand each other and I loved how much Luke loved Jess and all of his flaws.

My favorite non-canon relationship: I would have loved to have seen him pursue Sookie. I think they would have been adorable together. But even if not romantically, I would have liked more of a friendship build between the two of them.

The sexuality I headcanon for them: He doesn't think about it. He grew up in a small town, where the word bisexuality was never mentioned, so he's straight. But if he did have an interest in a guy, he'd also consider it nobody's business.

What I’d do if I could spend the day with them: while we wouldn't go fishing, I could spend a day out on the lake.

Random fact about them I like: the backwards baseball cap.

And now Anne Shirley!

My favorite thing about them: her dodged, hard won ability to look for the good and the beauty in the world.

My least favorite thing about them: nothing. She is perfect.

My favorite canon relationship: Anne and Gilbert were my first ship long before I even knew what shipping was. I've been swooning over their romance since I was 8 and watched the mini series and then read all of the books. Nothing, nothing, compares to the "I don't want sunbursts or marble halls. I just want you" declaration.

My favorite non-canon relationship: it's only been in the last few years, where I've gotten on board with an Anne/Diana romance. There were a couple of modern AUs fanfics that explored more of an attraction between them that I really enjoyed. Anne has two hands, after all.

The sexuality I headcanon for them: Gil-sexual primarily, but also bisexual.

What I’d do if I could spend the day with them: we'd wander the woods together in PEI admiring the flowers and the little brooks and the sighing trees and have a marvelous tea afterwards.

Random fact about them I like: I just read a book this summer called Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett which is a Anne of Green Gables retelling about a young orphan who runs away and becomes the apprentice of a witch in the woods and it was delightful and clever.

[loominggaia]

What are some matazun subcultures?

Here's a handful of concepts I've been thinking about...

Leloma - The Leloma spend most of their time in and around water, but they are not always Aquarians. While some people are obsessed with dragons or horses, the Leloma's obsession is with dolphins. This subculture is huge in Matuzu Capital City, where river dolphins are common. At one point in time, these dolphins were almost hunted to extinction. The Leloma are credited with bringing their numbers back, for there is no one else more passionate about these animals.

A stereotypical Leloma works part-time or not at all, spends all day at the lake, ocean, or river, and wears a swimsuit more often than regular clothes. They tame wild dolphins and sometimes train them for races or competitions to show off tricks. They are very common around Central Lake in particular. Other lake-goers find them annoying, but tourists are dazzled by their way with dolphins. The Leloma are known to take tips for putting on a show with their trained aquatic companion. Some can make a living this way, but many are just retired hobbyists.

Miliko's Mannequins: Miliko's fandom is enormous, but only a select few make it into his exclusive "Vanity Club". Members of this club are called Mannequins, and in order to keep their membership, they must carefully maintain their appearance every day. Their membership can be revoked if another Mannequin catches them looking sloppy and reports them to Miliko's agents. Mannequins receive new outfits from Miliko, and they are tasked with modeling these outfits for X hours a week.

Mannequins spend these hours hanging out at trendy places in the city, like cafes and nightclubs, or anywhere with a lot of eyes around. They travel in groups and are known for acting catty and snotty. They don't get paid for their modeling, it's an act of sheer passion for them. You'll never catch a Mannequin in a rural town or hanging out with anyone who looks frumpy. Miliko has a very narrow standard of beauty and only picks certain species to model his designs, so you'll never see ogres, trolls, gorgons, cecaelia, minotaurs, or goblins in the Vanity Club. Sirenes, elves, and humans are most common.

Wannaquins: These are Miliko fans who couldn't make it into the Vanity Club, but act like they're in it anyway. They dress in cheap bootleg versions of Miliko's fashions, desperately trying to get the attention of his agents. They also spend a lot of time trying to impress Mannequins, following them around and sucking up to them. Mannequins find them terribly annoying and pathetic, and frankly, so does the rest of society.

Gator Boys - Despite their name, people of any sex can be a Gator Boy. This subculture is exclusive to the Emerald Wetlands region of Serkel. This swampy place is home to many wild alligators, which have spawned a whole subculture around them. The stereotypical Gator Boy is a young, rural man with little income and even less education. He spends a lot of time outdoors and loves nothing more than fishing, hunting, and getting drunk on rice wine. Gator Boys got their name because the sport of gator-wrestling is popular in their home region. However, not all Gator Boys wrestle gators or even interact with gators at all. Those that do may hunt these animals for food or keep them as pets. Many Matuzans look down on Gator Boys as uneducated, backwater yokels.

Gymmi - The Gymmi are Matuzu's version of "gym bros", but these guys take things a step further. They are obsessed with being the biggest, strongest guys around. The stereotypical Gymmi is a heavyweight species such as a centaur, ogre, or minotaur, who spends a lot of time lifting weights in public. It's not enough to lift really heavy stuff all day, they want everyone to watch them doing it and marvel at how strong they are! Gymmi like to walk around shirtless to show off their muscles, even when it's cold, and are carrying something heavy more often than not--just because they can. They are competitive with eachother, and this obsession with being the biggest often leads to self-destruction. Many Gymmi turn to performance-enhancing drugs and potions, or even cosmetic surgery to achieve the muscles they desire. Abusing these drugs can cause anything from fits of rage to heart attacks.

This is the Gymmi's darkest side, but there is also a lighter side to this subculture which promotes working out and being healthy. While some Gymmi can be bullies, there are plenty who are passionate about fitness and are eager to help anyone just getting started on their journey to health.

Here's some less developed ideas...

Wine is huge in this kingdom, so I imagine there is a big wine snob culture to go with it.

Something centered around Feztavi. I'm thinking of people who never stop partying, they just drink, dance, and screw all day, every day.

Bigoted anti-gaian yokels who dress like they're tough and travel in gangs to harass gaians, but if you catch them alone they're suddenly pathetic wimps. They're obsessed with a dark period in Matuzu's history when gaians were enslaved and try to emulate that old lifestyle. I think most of them would be fae, but maybe some commoners too.

That's all I have right now!

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[cherryelectricboogaloo]

Letter (#33)

Day 1: Stars

Been some days since I updated you, so here we go, things've been just a little busier!

Moved houses again. You know the one near the 10000y? Yeah, that one! The house's fine, but I've been spending a little time closer to the lake. I set up a shack there for when it's too late to go all the way home—I've been fishing a lot there. It's pretty relaxing, y'know? It just makes me happy. Also helps that some of the villagers like the things I fish. I mean, I think so? They do give me stuff in return. Still don't understand a lick of what they say, but hey, it's been working better than with the last village.

I'm practicing a bit of painting on my free time, between the fishing and the sewing and the building. It's a whole hell of a lot, but I enjoy it. Keeps my head busy and all that, you know? I've got enough time to enjoy all of my hobbies for once, and I'll put some pictures of what I've been doing recently! All for you. I did a lot of building for the villagers, I did a lot of writing (poems, so many poems), I did a lot but I've been thinking a lot.

I miss you.

There. Said it. I miss you a lot, alright? I miss talking with you in person. Are things still that bad there? Did no one find Dream? How is Tommy? How is Tubbo? How are you? I'm really worried about you recently. Have you been taking care of yourself? Sleeping? Making sure to take care of any wounds? Please don't get into fights you can't win. Don't forget that, right? I'm still waiting to see you here.

Actually, I found a beautiful place. You might've seen it since you lived here once, but there's this small hill nearby with many trees, south of the village. There's many birch trees, and I climbed up one of them when I couldn't sleep. (I've been having some issues, but it's been getting better. I'm still thinking of… that, so I can sleep well. Don't make me say it again. I'll get embarrassed.)

The sky was really starry. It looked really pretty, you know? I rarely have the chance to watch the stars.

It reminded me of you.

Fucking hell, everything reminds me of you at this point. Leave my head for once, will you? I gotta have SOME space in my mind for my thoughts!

But yeah. I was watching them, twinkling and sparkling all up in the sky. After all the work I did today, I needed that. I could watch stuff under the sky, the builds with the moon lighting them up, the night sky right behind the tallest bits. I don't think Lusitania had such a pretty landscape, and I'd say the main Dream SMP doesn't even get close. No great craters, no weird builds all close together, just a village and the things I've been doing near your builds. Wonder if it's the same stars you can see from there? They're not the same depending on how far away you are, right?

I hope they're the same. It's a bit comforting to think we might be seeing the same sky, you know? It makes it feel like we're a bit closer.

Well, I slept like a baby after watching the stars for long enough. Don't worry about my back, I made a small platform above the tree and put a mattress there, so it was all pretty refreshing. The night breeze, the open space, it was all really cool! Maybe you should try that from time to time, even if you have to lean back against a tree or something. Make sure your science juice's not sloshing around too much on your helmet, alright?

I hope your day goes well. I'll be trying to get a small treehouse set up so I can repeat this whole thing, but the main project of making that fancy library is still going. This place has a librarian, so I think this is gonna work out!

Following, a picture of Biscoito. He's chirping a lot lately.

Love,

Cher.

[simthorium]

Sammie loved living off the land. When he had met his birth family as a teenager, he was taken in by the Zarros and given a large, lavish life. But, it was so far from what he was used to. In adulthood, he’d bought a small cottage on the outskirts of Pleasantview and survived on his own. He fished, carved tools, sewed his own clothes, and more.

Additionally, he began dating a nice woman named Lyndsay who also had a penchant for the outdoors. The two soon moved in together and started a tiny home business on the land.

Sammie spent most of his time fishing in the lake while Lyndsay created delicious recipes from the wild fish.

“I know we’re supposed to be selling your wild caught delicacies, but surely we can just snack on one,” Sammie said, practically drooling as he entered the kitchen. “Or twenty.” “Yeah, sure,” said Lyndsay. “That’ll be $9.99.” “Very funny,” said Sammie.

After a few meals were prepared, Sammie brought the fish out to the tiny store and placed them in the refrigerated shelves. The store brought people from all over Sim City, and soon became a seriously popular tourist destination for Pleasantview!

“Have you considered selling filets or uncooked fish?” a customer asked one afternoon. “I’d love to buy a whole rainbow trout for my husband.” “That’s a great idea!” Sammie said. “And as a loyal customer, you’ll definitely be the first to know when we expand the business.”

Running the fish shop was hard work, but it was a labor of love. And every evening, Sammie and Lyndsay got to spend cuddled up in bed, exhausted from the day, but satisfied with their shop, and each other.

[wwhatev3r]

Easy Company Preference: having a Summer Day

I went to a river yesterday, and I had this idea while I was there. You can imagine the background as being in a Beach, river, lake or even a pool. Basically, just the boys having a summer day. Whatever you like :) | Gif by  @whatelsecanwedonow​ |  I recommend to read everything because the characters headcanons are connected. 

Carwood Lipton - Just imagine him sitting in his towel with his swim shorts and a white clean shirt, watching the boys. Just in case someone would drown. He would hand the food and remind the boys to use sunscreen. I can see him with the sunscreen on his cheeks and holding a floater. 

Dick Winters - This man would be swimming around, far away from everyone and minding his own business. Of course, he would keep an eye on the boys while talking to Nix by the water. He trusted Lip and Speirs to keep an eye on them. 

Lewis Nixon - The only person who can make him go into the water is Winters. I can see him being like that uncle; always with a beer in his hand, just looking around, maybe even grilling with Bull. Also, I feel like his hair would look like the fur of a wet dog after getting out of the water.

Ronald Speirs - This man would stand most of the time under a tree, with sunglasses and even using binoculars to keep an eye on the company while they were in the water. He is a sun avoider. Sometimes he would go talk to Lip (to make fun of the boys). While one was in the bathroom the other would take charge in looking over the guys (yes, like a patrol.) Just imagine: “Private Luz, don’t you dare jump out of that rock. Liebgott, don’t drown your colleagues!” / He thinks it’s still a work day, so 0 fun. (He even turn down some girls because of it.)

Joseph Liebgott - I can see him being that person pushing people’s head under the water. Idk why. He also would play volleyball with some of the guys, and he would be the best one. At the point that they would quit playing with him. He sings a LOT.  This mf tried to act brave by challenging Bill for a swim race and regretted his choice.

Bill Guarnere - He refuses to use Sunscreen. “Sunscreen is for quakers!” | He spends the day mostly playing sports and eating food. Him, Lieb, Luz, Babe, Malarkey and Muck would make a competition to see who can hold their breath underwater the longest. He completely lost the competition and got so angry. Btw, he and Babe drink too much and never get drunk. 

George Luz - The Soul of the Party. I can see him cheat in the underwater competition. He would be that one person who would run into the water to splash water to the people who take the longest to get in. That person is Shifty. He can’t stop eating watermelon. Also, he is the idiot who feeds the seagulls. 

Donald Malarkey - This man needs to use the whole sunscreen bottle. His skin is too sensitive so it gets red really quick. Him and Muck make sandcastles competitions and play pranks on the rest of the guys. (They put seaweed on Lip’s face when he falls asleep.) He eats too much snacks.

Warren “Skip” Muck - Him, Malarkey and Penkala are the golden trio. He is that wierdo who uses goggles and a stupid hat. He catches fishes with a bucket just to free them right after. He is the one who reminds Malarkey to use Sunscreen and get’s all dirty eating ice cream. 

Shifty Powers - He is so quiet. He would help Muck catch the fishes, since he is the most observant. He takes a while to get in the water. Also, if you guys were in a river or in a more natural place, he would spend most of the time in that space; watch butterflies, plants and different animals. He will be the one who makes sure everything is clean and no one throws any garbage on the beach. 

David Webster - He is in his natural habitat. He just loves water, principally the ocean (if that’s the case.) If it was, he would definitely spend his time writing poems about it. He has a boat so he would let the boys go for a ride. If it was a more natural place (like a river or a lake), he would stay with Shifty. Both would teach each other things about different species and plants. Btw, this man has the most random facts about the ocean, mostly about sharks.

Babe Heffron - This poor boy barely stepped on the water and got burned by a jellyfish (He was pushed by Bill and Luz.)  Eugene took care of him and he didn’t get in the water for the rest of the day, which is okay, I feel like he wasn’t a very good swimmer anyway. He played cards with Luz, Martin and some other men, and found some really cool seashells with Roe. 

Bull Randleman - As I said, he was in charge of grilling and making the food for the company. Just imagine him with his cigar and an apron saying “Kiss the cook”.  I also think he would be the guy who would pull the smaller guys out of the waves. | “You’re fine Perconte, don’t worry boy.” If any man dared to catcall a lady, I swear, just Bull’s gaze would make them tremble. 

Eugene Roe - I can see Eugene with sunscreen on his cheeks and a medical box by his side in the towel. He only got his feet in the water and was only one time. He is just not a big fan of swimming. He will help the guys with the towels when they are leaving the water and I’ts cold. I feel like most guys will come to him to help them put sunscreen on their backs. He is just trying to relax, but he can’t. 

Joe Toye - He loves to play sports with the guys. Also, he is that one person who doesn’t want to go to the water alone. Btw, he is one of the guys who asked Eugene to put sunscreen on his back. He hurted his knee playing football with Bill and instantly got up and continued, giving zero fucks. He would bring ice cream for everyone for sure, and would get so angry if he had sand in his food.

Frank Perconte - He hates sand so much and doesn’t want to get sunburned for nothing in this world. He also loves to play sports with the guys and tries to act cool by going to a deep area of the water and then Bull has to go pick him up. I feel like he would be that person who would get really mad if you drop a grain of sand on his towel. 

Floyd Talbert -  He got hit in the head by a volley ball because he was standing by the net while flirting with a group of girls. He never made the same mistake again. He doesn’t want to wet his hair because he might ruin it. He has the most beautiful swim shorts, let me tell ya. He is the one who chooses the music that is playing. Him and Lieb got into a discussion because of it. 

Johnny Martin - This man will fuck you up if you put the music too loud or leave garbage in the beach. He makes sure Luz or Bill don’t eat lunch for the third time or steal food from anyone’s plate. The one who screams at everyone commanding them to run after the parasols when they start flying with the wind.

[mrrwdock]

percy jackson headcanons for his birthday ( a little late ).

the camp staff threw a surprise party for him in cabin 3, w all the blue decoration and the cake (annie made the cake after three failed attempts) and percy also sang all of taylor's speak now and rep songs at karaoke.

connor and travis gave him a sebastian stuffed animal (from the little mermaid film).

sally made a lot of blue foods for him and also made a huge stack of blue pancakes w lots of syrup (also blue) and blue whipped cream and which he ate in just seconds, wearing a little blue birthday hat.

grover carefully selected from his collection a can of blue coke for percy, who was extremely moved by his consideration.

he and annie had a disney movie marathon w lots of popcorn and watched the little mermaid three times (by his insistence), which made annabeth angry but only internally, 'cause it was his birthday and she should have a little patience.

apollo and his singers did a special show for him for three hours and percy slept through his performance and then had a bonus of 10 haikus of his for percy, which made him almost die of boredom and sleep again .

rachel decorated anaklumos w blue paint and accessories, which made percy spend the whole weekend just cleaning up trying to get it all off and then gave the excuse that he had fallen into the lake and that's why the paint came off w the rest.

mr. d accidentally called him by his right name (according to him this was a great gift).

alex sculpted percy in blue ceramic next to anaklumos (at jack's request) and magnus said he had helped in the making (which was clearly a lie and he only said that 'cause he had forgotten to buy something).

tyson bought tickets for him, annabeth and surprisingly for grover to go to the circus, which resulted in a super fun afternoon, lots of blue cotton candy from tyson to percy and annabeth being scared of clowns (which she obviously denied).

nico told him happy birthday, gave him blue cookies (at will's insistence) and told him good luck that he wouldn't die until his next birthday.

will made a shell necklace for him, with a wave pendant and inside w a photo of him and annabeth (that nico had stolen from percy's room), which got percy thinking about the fact that this was the photo he had lost several weeks ago but thought it was just a coincidence.

frank gave him a blue fish, which he himself had caught from the sea but did not tell him and percy treated him like a son.

hazel gave him a blue stone and gave him a monologue about every humanly possible curiosity about it (which percy clearly didn't read but said he loved) and he also started sleeping w her every night.

annie made a blue paper ring for him and one for her, on each one w a heart on top w each other's initials and percy thought it was the best gift of all.

leo made a glasses where percy would see everything in blue, which made percy obsessed with it and even took a bath next to it, which annoyed annabeth a lot since when they were going to kiss the glasses got in the way or 'cause percy wouldn't stop talking about everything in blue, so she simply one day made him disappear which made percy cry for a whole week.

jason bought a blue aquaman shirt and annie made him wear it every day just to make fun of him.

piper painted his nails blue and gave him tips on how to look after them properly, which percy completely loved.

chiron gave him a half-eaten cupcake (according to him some driade had eaten it which was a lie) and gave him a huge latin book which percy lost before he could even look at the name on the cover.

poseidon gave him a fishing kit that percy clearly never used.

percy was unwell for a week after eating thirty blue cupcakes his mother made, but he had no regrets and intended to do it again on his next birthday (if he were alive by then).

[solomons-cooking]

Camping with an Outdoorsy MC: Date-ables/Brothers Headcanons

I got inspired by my post about Mammon liking the outdoors (link)

I also love to camp, its what my summer consists of.

As for everything with me, this is self-indulgent

Lucifer:

Type: Cabin

Would rather eat Solomons cooking than wear a flannel

Complete Dad energy

Brings everyone toothbrushes, towels, and amenities

Wants to show off that he can light a fire without magic (he does it with magic and thinks that he fooled everyone)

Loves the sound of the babbling creek

Drinks too much

Lights off fireworks, i imagine him just laughing the whole time, and drunk stumbling to light them

Likes to watch the sun rise

Is the first one awake, but lets everyone sleep in

★

Mammon

Type: Cabin/tent

Actually VERY skilled at outdoors stuff

Lights a fire without magic

Loves to go on walks

Wants to spend as much time with MC as possible (including sneaking in their tent at night)

Hiking/mountain climbing enthusiast

Loves lightening bugs (doesnt harm them)

Loves the idea of being with you by the fire, under the stars

Lights off fireworks with Luci and its v wholesome

An idea: mammon in cargo pants

Has a multitool and uses it

★

Levi

Type: Glamping pod

“Camping is for Normies”

(Secretly doesn't mind)

The lake nearby has water creatures!

Wants to get Henry 2.0 a friend: Lucifer says no

Has his streaming set up in the pod

Pod MUST be temperature regulated

Only comes out at night

^^ UNLESS its swimming time!

References Animal Crossing

Takes MC swimming in his demon form; they find lots of cool things (you know those videos of like stuff you find in the river/lake that people lose? i love those videos idk)

★

Satan:

Type: Hammock

Also brings earplugs

Read book in hammock like a cutie-pie

Looks at stars in hammock with said book like a cutie-pie

Thinks his brothers antics are amusing while camping

*zen satan*

Has a book about botany and asks MC to go on a hike and learn

Pranking Lucifer is priority

Brings a multitool but doesnt use it (just for show)

★

Asmo:

Type: Glamping pod

His camping clothes are hella cute

Like asmo in a light colored flannel with a turtleneck? Fnewnfwf

Would LOVE to cuddle under the stars

He actually decorated his pod (you know we are only staying here for like 2 nights right?)

Takes pictures. Of. Everything.

Complains

Asks MC to go skinny dipping in the lake nearby ( a cute and relaxing moment )

Gathers wildflowers and makes him and mc a crown (Simeon too since he also helped gather)

★

Beel:

Type: Tent, next to Belphie

Gathers firewood, brings a whole tree back

Has his own cooler for his food

Tries to use a fishing rod, just grabs a fish out of the river with his hands

Mega macho beel

Takes MC and Mammon on a mountain hike

He takes walks with Belphie a lot, sometimes they would just sit on a rock and talk.

He brings stuff for s'mores! (he isnt very patient so someone will have to make them for him)

★

Belphie:

Type: Hammock

Sets up a makeshift “star viewing room” (bed sheets between trees, soft lights, all the bedding and pillows ( all bug repellent )

Sleeps practically all day so he can stay up all night and stargaze

Lets Satan stargaze with him, you, and beel.

Tries to do some outdoor activity like hiking or fishing with beel, but he gets injured???

Frequently takes walks with Beel, just bonding walks and enjoying eachothers company

^^ My heart. I think they do that canon tho, like take walks and have bro bonding time wfkjfffhf

★

Diavolo:

Type: Tent

Excited kid energy

Wants to experience human world camping

Family bonding!!!!

Tries to implement the “no magic allowed rule”

Hates his tent, sleeps with luci in his cabin

Thinks the crayfish are neat (accidentally stepped on one (it lived ))

Messiest smore eater in all the 3 realms (how did he get it in his hair??)

Tells embarrassing stories of Lucifer but follows up with stories of amazing things that Luci has done

★

Barbatoes:

Type: ???

Knows what's in store and questions your sanity

Hates this

Wants to leave (he portals back to the devildom)

He literally left

(he makes a quick appearance to aid simeon in gathering flowers/roots/bark for tea!)

★

Solomon:

Type: Tent

Fucker knows how to camp

Brings the bare minimum to survive

Knows a lot about foraging for food

Goes on mushroom hunts and its really cute

Tries to cook /rip

^^^Ends up making fireworks that luci and mammon use later

Likes the campfire smell (i imagine this is what solomon smells like 60% of the time anyway)

★

Simeon:

Type:Cabin

Afraid of bugs

Doesn't really care for camping, only came bc MC and Luci

Loves wildflowers and starts to gather some for MC (Barb appears for this to help)

Brings board games!!!!!!! (jenga gets pretty rough)

Teaches MC how to skip stones on a lakes surface

Imagine- being outdoors with Simeon and his shoulders in the sunlight and his eyes and his smile weoifhiefhweofhw

★

[frospino]

A Sheep in your Palm

Pairing: Marius von Hagen (Lu Jinghe) x Reader

Genre: SOULMATE AU TIME!!! fluff-angst-fluff sandwich.

Word Count: 6.342

Warnings: When Marius and Reader find out they're soulmates, Marius is 18, Reader is 21. They're 21 and 24 respectively when they meet. Please don't read if that makes you uncomfortable. - Reader swears a lot, mentions of alcohol, mentions of sexual themes, a moment in which Reader uses their palm connection to leave crescent marks

A/N: SOULMATE AU SOULMATE AU SOULMATE AU. Honestly I've wanted to write one for Marius for a while. I also wanted to write a Reader character that is a little more bratty/swear-y than my other Readers, because I think Marius could take it. Regarding their ages - I've started this with a different Reader character in mind, one that could also be read as Rosa if you wanted to, but the Reader had their own mind. I've kept the ages as I originally wrote them.

The whole “once you and your soulmate turn 18, you can write messages to each other on your palm!” thing sounded incredibly cute in theory. You’ve seen your friends share sweet doodles with their soulmates, or share romantic song lyrics. Some even bought a special pen that could be erased so that they could have entire WhatsApp-like conversations on their palms. You’ve anticipated your 18th birthday for so long. Once the clock strikes midnight, you start writing little notes, simple things like “Hello! I’m excited to meet you.”

When there’s no reply, you don’t dwell on it too much. Maybe your soulmate has already gone to bed. Your 18th birthday just had to fall on a weekday, after all. Maybe they have to get up early tomorrow, or just enjoy sleep. No problem at all.

The next morning, you write, “Good morning!” and draw a little sun next to it. Again, there is no reply. Either your soulmate lives in a different time zone (which would suck) or they are one of those people who think soulmates are stupid (which would suck even more).

After days without contact, you try one last time. “Hey, just let me know if you’re there, okay? I’ll stop pestering you.”

No reply. Apparently, you are doomed to remain on mute with your fucking soulmate.

--- 3 years later ---

It’s one of the hottest days of the year, which you and your friends have decided to spend at a small lake close to the city. They’ve brought the drinks, you’ve brought the music (as much as you love them, they can’t be trusted with playlist-powers), and you are having a blast when suddenly, one of your friends asks, “Yo, where’d that come from? Did you just hit your hand or something?”

You furrow your brows in confusion and look down at your hand. Huh. Weird. That dark-blue splotch hadn’t been there before. “I dunno. I didn’t feel anything at least.” Vera grins. “Not like that’s anything new.”

You’re about to protest her comment when another colour appears on your hand, red this time. “Okay, I definitely didn’t do anything. What the fuck is this?”

Harry’s eyes grow larger for a moment, then he starts to chuckle. “What? What’s so funny?” you shoot at him. Harry grins. “Seems like someone’s soulmate is a few years younger than them.”

Your mouth forms a perfect “o” as you stare at your hand again. It all starts to make sense now. Your soulmate isn’t an asshole who refuses to talk. Apparently, he was simply born on the afternoon of June 21st… and is roughly three years younger than you.

Vera starts rummaging through her bag and, with a triumphant “haha!”, fishes out a pen. “Quick, write back! This is so exciting!” You absent-mindedly grab the pen with your other hand, still staring at the colourful display on your palm. “What the fuck are they doing though?”

Harry and Vera both study your hand intently, and eventually, Harry speaks up. “Maybe they’re a painter? A messy one?” Vera nods in silent support of this theory. You answer, “I know just what to write then.” Your tongue peaks out of your mouth as you concentrate on writing with your non-dominant hand—of course your “communicative palm” would be the one you need for writing. Hi, can you maybe not colour my palm in a rainbow, thanks! You look at your handiwork and are satisfied with the result.

“Don’t you want your first words to your soulmate be… I don’t know, a little nicer?” Vera asks. “Nah, this is fine,” you reply matter-of-factly. “Honestly, I’ve grown so used to the thought of my soulmate being an asshole. I’m not sure I still want one.”

“What if they turn out to be cool, though? I mean, a painter. That’s so special,” Harry swoons, envy obvious in his face. Harry’s soulmate had turned out to be the school bully, and he’s given him a wide berth ever since his 18thbirthday. Even the idea of a redemption ark with happy ending hasn’t made him warm up to his soulmate.

You just shrug your shoulders. “I mean, right now, what it means is that they’re making a right mess of my palm. Imagine if this happened during a job interview or something.” Just as you utter those words, you feel a light tingle on your palm, and a line of neat writing appears above all the colour splotches. Sorry about that! Wasn’t aware the colour would show too! I’ll be more careful! A few moments later, both the writing and the colour disappear from your palm, leaving only the message you wrote on it.

“Hey, at least the kid seems nice,” Vera says.

“Do not call my soulmate ‘the kid’, I dare you.”

“Or what?”

“We are close to a lake, and I can carry and throw you.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t dare! And your soulmate is a kid.”

All thoughts of your new-found soulmate are momentarily forgotten as you chase your friend around the lake. You have a point to make that is more important than communicating with a complete stranger.

---

Marius sighs heavily as he stares at his palm. “This is not how I expected my first soulmate meeting to go,” he mumbles to himself. Honestly? Of course he’d known the paint would show. He’d seen it with plenty of his course mates. He’d simply speculated that his soulmate would be impressed when they found out he’s a painter. At least a little.

He tries to ignore the sting in his heart when he remembers how dismissive the first message he ever received from his soulmate sounded. With his station as a von Hagen, he knows he has little chance of meeting someone who isn’t just interested in the money, the business, the connections, or the fame. Even though it’s only his 18thbirthday today, he’s experienced enough hurt and betrayal to last him a lifetime. It’s one of the reasons why he’s wanted to go abroad for his studies, to a country where he could just be Marius. He’s had a couple of flings in his short time here, and has tried to enjoy student life as much as he could, but he knows he has to return to Stellis and face the reality soon enough. He has placed a lot of hope—maybe all of his hope—into this soulmate-thing.

He sighs again and spends some time pitying himself before picking up the paint brush once more. “Sorry soulmate, but I have an assignment to finish,” he says to no-one in particular, “and I can’t ruin my painting by focusing on keeping my hands clean.”

The longer he paints, the more his thoughts ruminate and the more spiteful he grows. Eventually, he coats his palm in neon-pink paint just because he can. And maybe because he wants attention, but mostly because he wants to annoy his so-called soulmate. “That’s for being mean.”

It doesn’t take long until Marius is rewarded with a tingling in his palm and the appearance of squiggly, almost unreadable lines. You okay? Did something just explode?

He grins and the message. Is that worry for him? A von Hagen always gets what he wants, after all. He picks up a pen and replies, Just wanted to make sure you’re still there.

Oh great you’re a brat

And you’re rude. I guess that makes us even.

Marius stares at his palm for a while, but no new messages appear, and he’s afraid he has scared you off again. (It’s definitely attention he wants, but no one has to know that, and he’d never acknowledge it, even to himself.) He’s about to turn back to his painting assignment when a name appears on his palm. I figured I should introduce myself

He says your name out loud a couple of times, feels the way it rolls of his tongue. He tries saying it as if he’s in love, you being his soulmate and all, but then his ears turn bright red and his face is on fire and he promises himself never to do that again.

I’m Marius. Nice to meet you properly.

A slightly distorted smiley face appears on his palm, followed by a Shit sorry hard to draw with this hand. Marius laughs and takes a picture with his phone. The angle is weird since he has to hold out the canvas-palm, but he thinks the messages and drawing on neon-pink background might make for a nice memory someday. He then picks up his pen again and adds to the smiley face, trying to fix it and make it look slightly more… respectable. There you go. We make a good team.

When the reply appears on his hand, a warm, fuzzy feeling spreads through his belly and leaves him slightly light-headed. I guess we do. I have to go to bed now (btw where u at), talk to you later

I’m an art student in Florence atm. Sleep well.

Ha caught you speaking non-formally for a sec!!! also Florence as in Italy? Guess it will be some time before we can mee

Marius waits for the t to appear, but instead, the last e trails off until it reaches his wrist, where the message cuts off. His soulmate must have fallen asleep in the middle of the sentence. He places his wrist on his chest, not caring about the splatter of neon-pink paint that ruins his white shirt. (He would, one day, learn not to paint in a white shirt. Maybe.) He wonders if he can will the warmth of his body to reach your hand if he focuses hard enough. He wonders what you look like, where you live, what your hobbies are, what your favourite food is. There’s so much he wants to ask, and he doesn’t know how he could ever fit all of that onto his palm.

Instead of asking all those questions that are lingering on his mind right now, he draws a small, sleeping sheep on his palm, and because he’s feeling brave, the tiniest of hearts next to it. When Marius looks at the picture, he panics for a moment—is that too much? That is definitely too much. Should I erase the heart? No, I want them to know I enjoyed our conversation.

Suddenly, Marius remembers a conversation he’s had with his father about soulmates. “But dad, I want them to like me for myself, not just because I’m a von Hagen,” tiny Marius (okay, 15-years-old Marius) had said earnestly. His father had smiled then, with the warmth that was reserved for the private moments between them, away from the prying eyes of Marius’s stepmother. “Marius, you’re a wonderful human being. You’re intelligent, and kind, and talented. Whoever your soulmate is, they will be lucky to have you in their life.”

Marius decides to keep the heart on his palm, after all.

--- 3 years later ---

Vera bursts into your room without knocking, a crumpled magazine held high in her right hand. “You will not believe this.”

“I do indeed not believe you just barged into my room like that! I could’ve been naked,” you complain, pretending to cover your (very much clothed) body with your blanket.

“Oh shut up, I know you’re re-watching your idol anime again.” Vera rolls your eyes at you and plops down on your bed next to you. You grin at her and sit up straight. “You got me. What’s up?”

She opens the magazine at a dog-eared page and practically shoves it into your face. “Look at that.” You do as you’re told, but all you see is another spread of Pax’s young CEO, Marius von Hagen, posing like the part of the 1% that he is.

Vera and you had joked about this before – what if the Marius von Hagen is your soulmate? His birthday is June 21st, he’s three years younger than you, his name is Marius… and he is easily wealthy enough to afford education in fucking Italy. You had almost convinced yourself that this weird idea of yours must be true, and had quickly convo-palmed (as you took to calling it) “your” Marius about it.

Dude you’re crazy. Do you really think I wouldn’t have told you by now??? was the reply you got. It was rare to see “your” Marius use three question marks in a row. After a long analysis session with Vera (and a couple of bottles of red wine which definitely hadn’t clouded your judgement), you came to the conclusion that Marius von Hagen would have bragged about… well, being Marius von Hagen. The playboy-extraordinaire-most-wanted-Bachelor-slash-crazy-rich-person would definitely have told you of his status, that much became apparent when you devoured all the interviews you could find online. It was an unlikely coincidence, but not an impossible one. With billions of people on the planet, more than one Marius could be born on June 21st.

Which is precisely why you don’t understand how another magazine spread of him could warrant the introduction ‘You will not believe this.’ You take another look at the magazine in front of you, silently noting that you certainly wouldn’t mind “your” Marius looking something like this, before you turn to Vera. “We’ve been over this.”

Vera points to a particular line in the interview which she has underlined in thick, black marker. “I know, but look at this.” You sigh, wondering what your best friend is up to now, and read the line. “Marius von Hagen graduated with a cum laude, or First Honour’s degree, in Art History from the University of Florence… What the fuck am I reading here?” For some reason, your heart begins pumping at an incredible speed. This is new information, as far as you can tell. You’re certain you would have found this particular piece of information in your research before. “Vera, you didn’t fake this, did you?”

Vera shakes her head, sending her long hair flying everywhere. “I didn’t! I’d never do that to you! But honestly, if this is true… and why wouldn’t it be! Surely, Marius von Hagen didn’t research ‘random person’s soulmate I could impersonate in interviews’?” You blink, once, twice, and you can feel your soul leaving your body as you reply, “Yeah, that doesn’t seem plausible. Fuck. I think…”

You look at your palm. Earlier that day, Marius had asked you for a good luck charm because he had an important meeting coming up, and you have drawn a small, sleeping sheep with a tiny heart next to it. The sheep has become somewhat of a mascot in your relationship, and with tedious practice, you have managed to make it look cute even with your non-dominant hand.

“You have to ask him again,” Vera insists, and you nod your head. Your best friend gives you an encouraging hug and turns to leave the room. Before she closes the door behind her, she speaks up one more time. “…if it does turn out Marius von Hagen is your fucking soulmate, I want a villa for enduring your messiness and cleaning up after your baking sessions for all these years.”

Her laughter rings in the apartment even as a pillow comes flying after her.

---

Marius groans as he reads the interview. He throws the magazine onto his desk and leans back in his chair, covering his head with both of his arms. “I’m sorry, Sir,” Vincent quietly says, as if this whole debacle is somehow his fault.

“No need. I don’t really know how I managed to keep it up for so long, anyway.”

Marius has tried hard to keep his full identity from you. He’s always been honest… except when it came to this particular topic. Your relationship has been so easy-going and wonderful, and he has allowed himself to cling to the illusion that once Giann was back, and he could finally lay down his duties as Pax’s CEO, he could marry his soulmate and the von Hagen name wouldn’t make a difference. Which is a stupid fantasy, he knows, but it’s what has given him strength through all the trouble he’s faced since coming home.

He waits for his hand to tingle and the accusations to start flooding in. Liar. You deceived me. He feels tears prick at the corners of his eyes, but he can’t let himself cry now. Not here, not in front of Vincent. “Could you leave me for a moment? I need to… collect my thoughts.”

Vincent, ever the faithful assistant and friend, bows and says, “Of course, Sir.” Marius wants nothing more than to switch positions with him right now.

Somehow, you had agreed to his request of keeping the relationship strictly text-conversational. You’ve exchanged phone numbers because the canvas-palm space got a little tight, but you have never called each other, never sent pictures or exchanged addresses. He had made up a story about the sentimental value of texting and canvas-palm-conversations, all the while thinking, “I don’t know how you’ll react to finding out who I am and I’m scared.” He’s built this entire public persona as a playboy who loves flaunting his wealth, hoping that even if you connected the dots—things like his age, his birthday—you’d think that Marius von Hagen would’ve told you of his status right away.

His plan had worked, for the most part. Until the editor of Stellis Finance somehow found out about his studies in Florence and built that information into an interview with Marius.

Marius feels his hand tingle, the tell-tale sign of a message coming in, and he wonders if he can just… never look at his hand again and pretend none of this happened. He sighs—he knows he won’t be able to leave his soulmate “on read”. Or go a single day without talking to you. He opens his palm and looks at your message. The lines are all squiggly again, similar to the first messages you’ve sent him. He knows how much better you’ve gotten at writing with your non-dominant hand, knows this is a sign of how upset you are.

We need to talk. On the phone. I want to hear your voice.

Proper grammar and punctuation marks. He’s really in for it now. He chokes out a laugh, and now the tears do stream from his eyes. All he wanted, wants, is a relationship that isn’t influenced by his last name, and now he’s gone and messed that up.

He wipes his tears with his suit sleeve even though the rough material irritates his skin. Marius takes a deep breath and picks up his phone. Whatever comes next, he owes it to you to be honest this time.

---

It’s a little embarrassing how quickly you pick up the phone when you see Marius’s contact information on the screen, but there’s no way you can wait even a second longer to hear his voice. “Hey,” you breathe into the speaker, and the anticipation makes you fidget and change the way you sit on your bed at least three times in the span of five seconds.

“Hey,” comes the reply, and even that single word is enough. You immediately recognise the youthful voice from the countless videos you’ve watched online in your “research sessions” with Vera.

“…do you have time to talk right now?” you ask, unsure of how to start this conversation. Marius chuckles and says, “Sure. I’ve relayed my phone to my assistant.”

“…It must be nice to be your own boss, huh?” Your voice is laced with more bitterness than you intended to, and you wish you could take back what you just said. You hear a long exhale on the other end of the call. “…it is, sometimes. Most of the time, it creates… expectations.”

“What kind of expectations are we talking about here? I mean, I wouldn’t have said ‘go buy me a mansion and a crown’ or whatever.”

Marius laughs, but there’s no happiness in the sound. If anything, it’s almost void of emotion, and it scares you. This is not the Marius you’ve come to know during the past three years. “I’m sorry, but I’ve heard that before.”

“From whom, all the conquests you’ve had over the years we’ve been talking? And here I thought you were just shy.” You press your fingertips into your palm and hope the pain reaches him. A sharp hiss on the other end of the line confirms your line of thought. “Huh, I didn’t think that would work, to be honest.”

“It does, and it hurts like a bitch,” Marius says through what you imagine are gritted teeth. “Stop that.”

You press a little harder, just because you can.

“Oww—fuck—okay, okay, I get it! You’re angry I lied, and I’m sorry, okay?”

“So you think you apologise and we go back to drawing snoozing sheep? Honestly, the hiding your identity I can somehow understand. The sleeping around? Definitely not. I’ve been waiting to meet you all this time, Marius. I thought… I thought you felt the same.”

---

A sob escapes his throat before he can stop it. This is too much. This is all too much. I’ve been waiting to meet you all this time, Marius. The sentence echoes in his head, amplifies with each second, until his ears ring and he wishes he could just make it all stop for a second.

“I never slept with anyone. Not after… not after we started talking.” Even he can tell how weak this sounds, how unbelievable, after he’s spent so much time and money on fabricating rumours. He never really thought this far ahead. In his fantasies, you’d just… believed him when he told you none of the things the papers wrote are true.

“There were pictures, Marius. A lot of pictures.”

“Never of anything more than a hug or a lingering hand though, I made sure… I told them to make it look real enough…” He trails off and pays closer attention to the half-moon-like red marks on his palm. ‘Whoever your soulmate is, they will be lucky to have you in their life.’ Huh. Look at the mess I’ve made of this, Dad.

“What do you mean, ‘you told them’?” Your voice is calmer now, and Marius can’t tell if you’re opening up to his side of the story—or if you are simply done with him. He chooses to believe it’s the former.

“I paid actors and actresses to pretend to be my date because… I wanted to make sure you’d never believe Marius von Hagen and your Marius could be the same person,” he whispers into the phone, and suddenly, when he says it out loud, he feels very, very young and very, very stupid. He hears you sigh on the other end of the phone, and the sound of you shuffling around in your seat. “Marius, I kinda feel like we should be having this talk in person. I know creative people have weird minds and all, but this is a little too van Gogh for me.”

For the first time since you’ve started talking, Marius relaxes a little. He recognises this way of speaking and your weird humour, and he lets himself hope that he might not have lost you just yet. “I have some business proposals to go over, but would you be willing to meet up for dinner tonight? My treat. I know a place that would guarantee our privacy…”

--- 3 hours later ---

The little café isn’t exactly what you’ve expected Marius – von Hagen, you remind yourself for the nth time today – to choose. It’s cosy, with chairs and tables made out of old wood, pastel-coloured table runners and white porcelain cups. An old lady greets you and asks for your name, and upon hearing your reply, her face immediately lights up in recognition. “Ah. Follow me, please.”

She leads you up a narrow, winding staircase, and you’re surprised to find yourself in a small room with only a single table in it, lit by dimmed lanterns on the wall. “This room is reserved for our more… prominent guests,” she answers your unspoken question. You sit down on the offered chair and stroke the table cloth. It’s not as soft as it looks. “Does Mar—Mr. von Hagen come here often?” The lady chuckles and shakes her head, her features graced by a fond smile. “Every once in a while. He sometimes brings a group of friends here. I like the silver-haired one. He knows his teas.”

You’re about to reply that you don’t actually know any of his friends when a voice speaks up downstairs. “Grandma?” The lady smiles at you again and says, “Be kind to him. He has a gentler heart than most people suspect.” She shuffles down the stairs and you can hear her talking to Marius – you can’t make out the words, but the fondness in her voice remains. While all of this is very in line with how you’ve come to know your soulmate, it absolutely doesn’t fit with the image you have of Marius von Hagen.

In short, it’s extremely fucking weird.

Footsteps echo up the stairs, and you try your very best to calm down your anxiety. It’s just Marius. The guy I’ve been having palm-convos with for three years. My soulmate who draws weird sheep as a good luck-charm. These thoughts, however, help little when Marius shows up still dressed in parts of his business attire – black slacks and a white dress-shirt. At least he’s dropped the jacket and the tie, and his sleeves are rolled up, his collar a little crumpled. His forearms seem way too toned for someone who sits at a desk all day, and his ear piercings reflect the lantern light when he turns towards you. His posture is straight, confident even, but the look on his face… his eyebrows almost form a double u-shape with how tightly they are drawn together, and when his eyes meet yours, he rubs his neck with one hand. “Hey. We, uh, we finally meet, huh?” he says, and it’s so awkward and adorable and he has a gentler heart than most people suspect and your palm is tingling and suddenly you know, deep in your heart, that this is your Marius, after all. Titles and money and public persona be damned.

“All this time, I thought you were maybe conscious about your looks or something. But look at you. You’re radiant, and my shirt is three years old.”

Marius’s mouth opens slightly, and somehow, he goes from super attractive to super adorkable in milliseconds. You try to hide your smile behind your hand – you don’t want to make him even more nervous. But you also really want to laugh at his expression. It’s a tough battle of wants.

“I mean. It doesn’t look three years old,” Marius says, and with that, the weird tension between you two seems to resolve. You look down at your shirt and back up at him, sticking your tongue out before saying, “It does, though.”

There’s a beat of silence – and then Marius starts to laugh and pulls the other chair back. “Yeah, it does, but I didn’t want to offend you.” You hold up a hand, and Marius stops in his movement. “Wait. Before you sit down. Can I hug you?” His grin grows even wider, and that mischievous look reminds you so much of neon-pink paint and late-night debates over your favourite Ninja Turtles that your heart dances in your chest. Marius holds out his arms and says, “I insist on it.”

You jump up, almost toppling over your chair in the process, and leap into his embrace. You nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck as his arms wrap around you. “I thought you’d hate me,” he mumbles against your hair, and you pull back to look at him with a light frown. “Convo-palm out!”, you command, and he does as you ask, breathing out a quiet but insistent “Canvas-palm.” You hold your convo-palm to his, feeling a tingle that is much stronger than when you received a message (or paint splotches).

You’ve watched movies about soulmates meeting, but for some reason, not a single one of them has managed to capture this… warmth that is spreading out from your touching palms. It’s as if you’re holding a tiny sun between your hands. Or maybe a mug of hot cocoa, something warm and pleasant that wouldn’t actually burn your skin off. You marvel at the sensation and look from your palms to Marius’s face, and the softness in his eyes tells you he feels it, too. “Dummy. I’m your soulmate. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Marius curls his fingers into yours, and for a long moment, the both of you just stand there in silence. “Why have we waited three years to do this?” he eventually asks. You poke his chest with the index finger of your other hand. “That is a very good question, Mr. von Hagen. One I would like to pass on to you. What’s with the whole identity-hiding-thing?”

You almost regret asking because Marius’s eyebrows drop again. He’s still holding on to your convo-palm, actively preventing you from smoothing the offending lines of hair into their normal shape. Marius looks down at the ground, then sighs and nods his head towards the table. “Let’s sit down and order before I start to explain.”

---

Marius thinks he could fill an entire sketchbook with the expressions you’re making as you listen to his explanation. He talks about his childhood, from climbing trees and being smothered by both attention and worry to finding out his ‘friends’ only visited him for the rare toys he owned. He talks about the strained relationship with his step-mother and the years of trying to please a woman who had given up on her own soulmate to marry into the von Hagen family, never quite managing to fill the void left behind by the passing of his mother. He talks about his passion for art and travelling as far away as Florence to pursue it – only to have a course mate find out he comes from money and all of his passion and talent suddenly being weighed against his family name.

“Being a von Hagen,” he closes his monologue, “has been a gift – but in relationships? It’s nothing but a burden. It’s as if I’m von Hagen first, Marius second. I just… wanted my soulmate to see the real me. But then I got so carried away with my scheming that I couldn’t find a way to tell you the truth anymore.”

You look up at the ceiling and click the teaspoon against your top lip, and Marius desperately wants to know what you’re thinking, but he also knows that he just unloaded a lot of information. He feels as if the weight of two cars has been lifted of his shoulders; he hopes you’re not the one carrying it now.

You finally look into his eyes again, and there’s a glint of something he can’t quite place. Without saying a word, you start rummaging around your bag and pull out a pen. You make a show of holding out your canvas-palm in front of your face so that he can’t see what you’re writing, but he recognises the shape by the tingle alone. He looks down at his own palm, and sure enough, there’s a sheep staring up at him. Instead of a tiny heart, however, you’ve drawn a big heart around it this time, and the grin spreading on his face is so wide he thinks his cheek muscles might be sore tomorrow.

He holds out his hand, and you’re the one intertwining your fingers this time. Again, the warmth spreads through his entire body. I could get used to this feeling, he thinks. He wonders if the two of you could light a sparkler with only your palms. He’d certainly like to try that, some day.

“I’m not going to say ‘I get it’, because I don’t think I really do,” you say, and his happiness almost falters. “I mean. The first thing someone like me sees is that a rich person can afford anything they want. It seems like the dream.” You draw tiny circles into his palm with your thumb, and he wonders if there’s a sort of feedback on your own palm. He wonders if, no, hopes that you can feel how serious he is about this, about you. “But the things you said… Not being seen for who you really are would make anyone sad, money or not. I get why you wanted to be cautious, at least.”

“However,” you continue, raising one finger in the air, and he is suddenly reminded of the one time Luke tried to imitate Vyn and almost starts to laugh. He presses his lips together, and you raise one eyebrow at him and say, “Focus, Mr. von Hagen, I’m being serious here!”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m focusing. Wait.” He tries to think of his first bungee jump and how nerve-wrecking that was and manages to control his features. “Okay, continue.”

“However,” you start once more, raising your finger again, and it almost breaks his façade but he somehow prevails. “If you want us to have a chance, soulmates or not, you have to be honest with me from now on, okay? You have to give me the chance to actually understand and see you. Not just the happy Marius, but the sad and scared and nervous Marius, too.”

He makes a grimace and shakes his head. “But I don’t like that Marius. He makes stupid decisions.” You squeeze his hand in response. “Dude, that’s okay. Everyone makes stupid decisions sometimes. I make stupid decisions all the time, like eating fish for dinner and not doing the dishes immediately afterwards.”

Marius snorts and immediately freezes. That was such an undignified sound, and he’s trying very hard to impress you right now because he has a lot to make up for. There’s a devilish grin on your face as you say, “See? That’s the real Marius I want to see, too. Give me a warning next time though, because that would have made for great blackmail material.”

He kicks you under the table and tries to pull his canvas-palm away from you, but you’re stronger than he expected (and to be completely honest, he’s not really trying hard at all). “I’m warning you. I will draw dicks on your hand when you’re in the middle of an important interview.”

“You say that as if you haven’t done that before.”

Marius stops his pretend-struggle and studies your face – and is horrified to find you completely honest. “Wait, what? I did? You never told me—”

“It’s fine,” you interrupt him, “I knew you’d get all flustered but try to cover it up and become super clingy and attention-seeking instead and I didn’t want the job anyway.”

Marius pouts and does his best impression of a golden retriever puppy. “I am not clingy and attention-seeking.” For some reason, the magic of his puppy eyes doesn’t seem to work on you. He’ll have to find out your favourite dog breed and take some pointers. He files that particular “to do” away in his mind for another day. You laugh at him, and he has the urge to tickle you until you can’t breathe, but you’re still in public and even though it doesn’t feel like it, this is your first meeting and he doesn’t want to make it weird but he really wants to be close to you and—

“Oh God. I totally am, aren’t I?”

You start laughing even harder. He notices that your canvas-palms are still intertwined, and he can’t help but join in your laughter, even if it is at his expense. He’s so used to having to pretend to be perfect that letting down his barriers feels wrong, but he knows it’s necessary. After all, how can he ever hope to truly connect with you with all of his masks still up?

Once your laughter subsides, a content silence settles over the two of you. Marius is happy enough with just studying your face and taking in your features… for a while. He can’t help but tease you back, though – truly, he’s earned it, he thinks. “How do you feel about bungee jumping?”

All the colour leaves your face for a second as you stop all motion, your cup of tea raised to your mouth. “You mean like… VR bungee jumping, right?”

He grins. “Nope.”

“So what you’re saying is, the ‘Marius von Hagen likes extreme sports’ bit is not made up?”

He grins even wider. “Yupp.”

“And your idea of an ideal date is… bungee jumping?”

He cups his face with two of his fingers, grin still in place – though he realises this pose probably doesn’t look as cool with his other hand still firmly in your grasp. “You know, clinging to your partner in terror during your first jump is something that can actually be so romantic—”

You groan, and in a blur of limbs somehow manage to drop your tea cup, flail about trying to save what you can, and almost fall of your chair. Marius looks at the mess – at the large stain in the pastel-coloured table runner, and the tea spots on his dress shirt, and your disgruntled look, and in that moment, he’s so proud of himself he can barely contain it. “Marius von Hagen,” you say, (and the sensation in his groin at hearing you say his full name in that tone is something else he files away for another day,) “I cannot believe this.”

He winks at you and delights at the way you bury your head in your hands either in embarrassment or infatuation or, if he’s lucky, a bit of both.

“Personally, I believe this is the perfect start to a brilliant soulmate-ship.”