#I WILL SPEND A LOT OF THE DAY HOLDING A WRENCH?? I’M GOING TO BE STRONK???

[oscargender]

started new job! Can’t even really do anything until I get my steel toes though

[freshlove-sturn]

house on the cape IV

pt 1, pt2, pt3, pt4

a/n: FINALE!!

summary: when the triplets come back home from la, they reunite with their favorite summer tradition, staying in the house on the cape. amidst all of the familiar laughter, and reminiscing on old memories, y/n can’t ignore the feeling stirring in her heart. something that went deeper than friendship. as she grapples with the fact that her feelings for her lifelong best friend, matt, are more than what’s just at the surface, she must learn to navigate and balance the unspoken feelings, and the gut wrenching fear of risking it all.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

nick, chris, and nate had all just left to go pick up food, leaving matt and i by ourselves.

i sit perched on the counter top, matt has his body leaned up against the counter across from me. music plays softly from the tv. it’s nearing midnight, the only light illuminating the room coming from the street lights shining through the windows.

“i’m kinda sad this is our last night.” matt says.

“me too.” i agree. “it’s been so fun.”

i cherish every moment with matt. especially ones like these, where it’s just the two of us. ever since he moved across the country, i realized just how much i took for granted. before he left, i had real interactions to pine over and over romanticize. but now, i just have texts to dissect. and when him and his brothers are back in boston, they want to spend as much time as possible with friends and family, rightfully so. so it’s rare to have matt all to myself like this, even if it were just for a little while.

“whatcha thinkin’ about?” matt’s soft voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

i hesitate for a moment, unsure of how to respond. “i’m just gonna miss you.”

“i’m gonna miss you too y/n. a lot. i always do.”

something about the way he added that he “always” misses me makes my heart skip a beat.

“but hey let’s not think about that right now, alright? we’re with each other now and that’s all that matters, right?” he smiles sweetly at me, making it damn near impossible to be upset.

just before i could say anything, the first few notes of “fade into you” by mazzy star play through the speakers of the tv. we immediately look at each other. we coined it as our song years ago, when it played at a family friends wedding, being the very first song we had ever slow danced to. ever since that day, whenever it played while we were together, it was practically a requirement that we dance.

matt smiles cheekily at me, walking toward my spot on counter. he extends his arm, holding his hand out for me to take.

“may i have this dance, m’lady?” he smiles.

“of course.” i take his hand, and he gently helps me off of the counter.

he leads me over to the middle of the kitchen, opening the refrigerator for more light.

“classy.” i giggle, bringing my arms up around his neck. he places his hands on either side of my hips.

the cool air from the fridge contrasts the warmth of his hands, as well as the heat of my cheeks. we begin to sway, our steps falling into pace perfectly. i can almost feel the world around us melt away, leaving us in our own little world, a world where us in this moment is the only thing that matters.

the light from the refrigerator casts a soft halo around our bodies as we moved in sync. matt’s familiar gentle touch feels so different. like there was more to it than just participating in a silly tradition we came up with. as my heart races, i wonder if he can hear it.

i rest my head against matt’s chest, and i soon feel the weight of his chin press against the top of my head. after a few moment, i look up at him. our eyes meet, and for a second i swear i can see a flicker of something more. something that goes deeper than friendship, but then that moment passes just as quickly as it came, and we’re back to being two best friends dancing in the glow of the refrigerator light.

matt gives me a playful smile before intertwining our fingers and spinning me around. the motion slow and tender, as the air brushes across my face in a gentle breeze. while my body twirls, everything around me becomes a soft blur, the one thing remaining the same however was matt’s gaze fixated on me.

when my body stills and we come back to facing each other, my arms find his neck again, and his hands come back to their place on my hips. our laughter fills the room.

“we’re getting prettty good at that if i do say so myself.” matt smiles cheekily.

“i think so too.” i giggle.

our eyes remain on each other, but our faces closer now than they were before. matt’s breath mingling with mine.

time seems like it has halted to a stop. it feels as though matt’s lips have a magnetic pull, every second threatening to close the gap between us. something that i craved, but i could never bring myself to act on.

that’s when the front door opens, forcing us to act casual. my hands drop back to my sides, and matt folds his across his chest as the boys file into the kitchen with pizza boxes.

“why do i feel like we’re interrupting something?” nate questions, looking between the both of us.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

i lie in bed, staring at the ceiling above me. my mind is racing. although the room around me is dark, the thoughts swirling around my head are anything but. keeping me awake. i toss and turn, searching for a comfortable position, wanting nothing more than to sleep. something to turn off my mind. my feeling for matt eating away at me.

i knew i needed to confess my feelings for him before it was too late, but the fear of what might happen if i do keeps me awake.

for years, i’ve teetered the edge of friendship and something more with matt. our every interaction acting as a breeze, threatening to knock me off. threatening my feelings for him to spill out of me in a confession that could potentially ruin everything.

matt is my best friend. he always has been. and risking that was nothing short of terrifying. but the thought of never knowing if we could ever become something is almost scarier. my heart aches with the unspoken words.

a wave of realization and courage crashes over me. i knew my only way to find peace was being honest with myself and matt. i can’t keep living in this abyss torn between hope and fear. the what ifs and buts.

it’s like i lose all control of my body when i stand up from bed and move towards my door. on a mission to be completely honest with matt.

the door handle is cold in my grasp, i pull it open and to my surprise, im met with matt’s blue eyes on the other side.

we stare at each other in shock for a second before matt speaks.

“fuck it.” he says under his breath before speaking again. “look y/n, this has been killing me forever and i- shit. we’ve been friends for so long. you’ve always been my person and ive jusy been too scared to say anything because i didn’t want to lose this with you but i seriously can’t keep it to myself anymore. i love you. and not just as a friend, like im IN love with you y/n. and i have been for so fucking long. i had to tell you because you deserve to know. i completely understand if this is a lot to take in but i-“

“i love you too matt.” i cut him off, looking up at him. a smile tugging at my lips.

i felt a rush of warmth encase my chest. a mix of happiness and disbelief showering over me. was this seriously happening? all those years of hoping, wondering, and longing for this moment— suddenly it all became real.

matt’s lips crash into mine with a sense of pent up desperation. i kiss him back. his lips feeling even better than i had imagined. it felt so natural, so right. this was meant to happen. our lips danced together in a perfect rhythm, smooth and sweet like honey.

matt pulls away for a second. “you have no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that” he smiles.

“me too.” i say, trying to catch my breath.

matt peppers my lips in sweet pecks, his hands cupping my cheeks.

“so… what now?” i ask.

“i guess we try this out.” matt’s forehead presses against mine.

“i guess so.” i smile.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

i wake up, one of my legs draped over matt’s, my arm rested on his chest and my head barked in the crook of his arm.

i look up at his sleeping face and smile. i brush his hair out of his face, causing him to wake up.

he smiles down at me. “good morning pretty girl.” his voice tired and gravelly.

i could definitely get used to that nickname.

“morning” i smile back at him.

after a few minutes, we decide to go join everyone else out in the living room.

as soon as we become visible to the 3 of them, their jaws immediately drop.

“no fucking way.” chris says, shocked. looking around at the others and then back to us.

“about fucking time. i didn’t know how much longer i could be the middle man. do you know how hard it is to listen to yall yap about being in love with each other and being scared about it not being reciprocated, knowing full well the other feels the exact same way?” nate asks. causing both of us to smile.

“you have so much explaining to do.” nick tells us, looking back and forth between us.

“i called it. did i not? nick you owe me 50 bucks.” chris makes a forking over motion with his hand.

“no shot you bet on us getting together.” matt shakes his head.

who knew that i would fall in love, and get together with the boy of my dreams all at the same place?

i couldn’t help but smile. i finally had what i’ve wanted and craved more than anything for years.

and it was all thanks to the house on the cape.

✧･: *✧･ﾟ:* the end ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

a/n: I HOPE YALL LIKED THIS SERIES!!!

taglist: @ribread03 @billy9669 @lovesturni0l0s @p4lxouterbanks @blablablabla2525 @bbernard-03 @sturniololvrrr @hayhjelmstad15

[edosianorchids901]

Holding On Forever

Ace Omens Hugfest 2024 prompt - "a sleepy hug"

“Oh my gracious, that was such a long day!” Aziraphale slumped back in the Bentley’s passenger seat, utterly drained. Oh, he could practically doze off right here. “I don’t think I ever want to talk to another person ever again.”

Crowley snorted. “Not counting me, I hope?”

“You’re not a person,” Aziraphale said through a yawn.

Another snort. “Wow. Thanks. Terrific friend, you are.”

“Oh, you know what I mean!” It was getting rather hard to think, everything muddled. And oh, how Aziraphale’s back ached. “You’re a… a… not human. That’s all I mean. Humans are people.”

“Yes. They are. You’re as groggy as I am, aren’t you?” Crowley wrenched on the steering wheel, and the Bentley hurtled down the drive. “I told you that you were overdoing it today. We shouldn’t have done the whole dinner thingy.”

Aziraphale sighed. Crowley had told him, but there were simply so many interesting antiques at the auction, and then lots of rare book collectors to scope out over the “dinner thingy”. But he’d run out of energy quite badly partway through, and pushed himself entirely too hard. And likely pushed Crowley too hard, too. “Are you all right, my dear? Okay to drive?”

“Hn, yeah. Can drive fine. Besides, my car will stop me if I’m about to drive off the road.” Yawning, Crowley patted the steering wheel.

“You didn’t answer whether you were all right.”

“Ngh.”

“I answered you earlier.”

“Yeah, and you claimed you were, and then totally ignored me when I said we should head home.” With a soft hiss, Crowley flicked his hand. Their gate swung open, and the Bentley rocketed through, headlamps illuminating the garden. “So no, I’m not very all right. My legs are bloody killing me, and I’ll be lucky if I can move tomorrow.”

Even as sleepy as he was, guilt tugged at Aziraphale’s tummy. He reached over and over rubbed Crowley’s arm. “I’m sorry. I thought you were more worried about me, rather than wanting to go home because you were in pain.”

“I was. Worried about you, I mean.” Crowley didn’t quite smile—his expression had been fixed in his default glower all day—but he softened a bit. “And s’ okay. I’m not pissed off or anything, just grumpy.”

Aziraphale had to smile at that. Yes, when it came to Crowley, there was a significant distinction between real anger and his usual irritability. And it was no wonder he was so irritable, when he was in so much pain. Aziraphale had found himself getting increasingly snippy with humans as the day wore on and he began to ache more.

“I think a hot bath may be in our future tomorrow,” Aziraphale said as the Bentley screeched to a halt right in front of the cottage. “We can have a nice long soak.”

“Sounds terrific, especially if we mix it with wine.” Groaning, Crowley shoved the door open, then grabbed his cane and struggled out of the car.

Aziraphale struggled on his way out too, rather more than usual. Ordinarily, his back just ached, a mild deterrent to doing too many things in one day. As he found himself with rather limited energy, it was rarely too much of a problem. Today, it was certainly a problem. “Ooh dear…”

“Gosh, you really screwed up, didn’t you?” Crowley asked. He limped around the Bentley and took Aziraphale’s arm, helping him straighten up. “Want tea or cocoa, or do you need to go straight to bed?”

“I want to sleep.” Aziraphale didn’t even want to spend time getting to bed. He was far too groggy, his remaining dregs of energy failing fast.

And Crowley was so close. Aziraphale stepped even closer, wrapped his arms around the narrow waist, and buried his face in Crowley’s shoulder.

“Er,” Crowley said, awkwardly catching hold of Aziraphale. He wobbled a little, then steadied as he shifted his weight to lean more solidly on his cane. “Why are we hugging?”

“Because I’m sleepy,” Aziraphale mumbled into Crowley’s chest. “And you’re nice.”

“M’ really not.”

“Comfy.”

“Uh, okay. I guess. M’ not exactly the ideal pillow you are, though.” Crowley rubbed his back, light circles that felt nice even if they couldn’t relieve the throbbing pain all along Aziraphale’s spine. “Should probably have a drink of some sort to relax before bed. S’ part of the routine, and I bet neither one of us will be able to sleep if we don’t. D’ya wanna head in?”

Aziraphale kept his arms locked around Crowley. He could happily hold onto Crowley forever. “I don’t want to move.”

“Well, me neither, but I really don’t think sleeping standing up is gonna do wonders for my legs or your back.” Crowley pressed a slow, tender kiss to his neck, then nuzzled into his hair. “C’mon, angel. I know you’re outta energy, but you’ll feel better if we go have some cocoa.”

“Oh, all right.” Yawning, Aziraphale let go, and then immediately captured Crowley’s free hand. “I know I ordinarily insist on making cocoa properly, but in this instance…”

He yawned again, unable to finish his sentence. Crowley squeezed his hand and coaxed him into motion. “Miracled it is. I’ll make you a proper cup tomorrow, provided I can stand.”

“Thank you, dear boy.” Aziraphale managed a sleepy smile. “You really are quite good to me, you know.”

Crowley’s scowl softened again, this time into a full smile. “I know.”

[thedeviltohisangel]

I live for Bucky and Spook and I have kids on the brain after rewatching the scene with Buck and Bucky talking to British kids Billy and Sammy so hear me out: Spook offering to babysit for one of the Brit’s kids and one of the kids sees them flirting and asks if they’re gonna get married

All The Things I Did (Interlude): I Want To Give You The World

a/n: ok this interlude became very important to the story. hints at post-berlin (promise we will see pre-berlin soon) cass and john, cass/lemmons/local children fluff, meeting cass' older brother, and hot times on a blanket in a field. interlude requests always open//inbox and DMs ready to accept screams. see you all soon!

The tip of the pencil snapped under the force she was using to press it into the paper. It was the fourth one in the past half hour. She thinks she was going to lose her mind. That the walls were closing in around her like a personal prison cell. That is almost exactly what it was.

The doctors and the OSS had her grounded post-Berlin. They had offered her two choices. Extended stay at a flak house or operational pause and desk duty. Cass had thought she was making the right decision. The former had meant leaving base and leaving John. After she had just gotten him back. After they had only just spent the night together and discovered the bliss of waking up in each other’s arms. No. She couldn’t leave him after all that. But desk duty. Desk duty was causing her slow decline. And to add insult to injury, John had been tasked with a mission to North Africa anyways. 

She was trying to catch up on her reports and her targeting packages but it wasn’t enough. John wasn’t here to distract her. Colonel Harding would just flirt with her. Everybody else was locked in their own offices and working frantically. She was alone on her own boredom island. 

----

Assuming some sunshine might do the trick, she found herself walking the runways. They were empty just like her heart. Her mustachioed pilot off in a far away land no doubt enjoying his time in the desert. Cass imagined he was still finding a way to cause trouble. Had asked him to look up her brother while he was there. She hoped Bobby at least ribbed him a little bit. 

“Lemmons, what have we got going on over here?” It looked like a plane engine and it looked like he had children holding wrenches and helping him work on it.

“Lieutenant Cooper!” The kids saluted her with a smile. She lifted her hand with a laugh in reply. 

“Just teaching these kids how to take apart an engine,” Lemmons answered. “Don’t get a lot of down time.” Cass hummed and reached towards the tool kit to pick a wrench of her own.

“Got room for one more?”

----

“Miss Cass?” One of the little girls had been finding Lieutenant too hard to pronounce the past couple of days so she had given her permission to use her name.

“Yes, ma’am?” They were all sitting together around a bonfire that Lemmons had started. The kids were roasting whatever they could put on a stick and telling stories about all the fun them and the mechanics were getting up to.

“Can you tell the story about Prince Bucky and Princess Spook again?” Spending this time with them was a breath of fresh her. Reminded her of her nieces and nephews back home that she missed so dearly. 

“Where did we leave off?” A couple of the other kids gathered around at the murmur that the story was continuing. 

“Prince Bucky was using his flying unicorn to kill the evil dragon!”

“Oh please, Miss Cass, tell us if Princess Spook is okay.” She ignored the smirks of the men that were also present. Cass gave them a ‘can you blame me’ look. She missed her man and this was one of the ways she knew how to fill the void.

“Prince Bucky arrived at the castle just in time, the dragon about to breathe fire into the window where Princess Spook was asleep.” They gasped, fully committed to the story. “She woke up and looked out the window and saw Prince Bucky and his sword, ready to kill the dragon!” 

“I’m sure Bucky is very proficient with his sword,” one of the mechanics scoffed around his cigarette. Cass shot him a look that could kill him and he quieted instantly. 

“He raised it high,” she lifted her arms over her head, “and brought it down right through its scales before it could kill the Princess.” The children breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are they going to get their happily ever after, Lieutenant?” Lemmons asked with a grin. 

“What do you all think? Should the Prince and Princess be together forever?” They all nodded furiously, Cass laughing at the chocolate on their faces. 

“Miss Cass, they should get married and then Princess Spook can wear a really big dress.” 

“Then they’ll be King and Queen!”

“And King Bucky can slay a million more dragons!” Two of the boys turned towards each other with their sticks and began to use them as their own swords. The rest of the kids took their cues and took off into the darkening field to act out their own version of the fairytale.

“They’re good kids, Ken. It’s nice that you’ve taken them under your wing.” Cass bumped his shoulder playfully as he blushed around his sip of beer. 

“They are much more into Princess Spook than they are plane engines these days, Lieutenant.” 

“Cass, please. No ranks around the fire.” She poked at it gently. The distractions had been so welcome. This time spent away from John had only reaffirmed her feelings for him were true. That they were deep and meaningful and could last a long time. When she had gotten back from Berlin, he had told her he loved her. Had looked her in the eyes and held her steady and said the three words that Cass thinks carried the most meaning the world. And he had fucking meant them. 

She hadn’t said them back even though she felt it too. Never one to be held back by fear, she was in this instance. John could be taken from her at any moment and there was nothing she could do about it. In her line of work, lack of control got you killed. 

----

Lemmons was teaching her how to properly oil the gears of the practice engine when the first plane was spotted on the horizon. Cass stood and watched them appear one by one through the lenses of her aviators and smiled before dropping her tools and running to the tower.

“Lieutenant Cooper.” Colonel Harding lowered his binoculars to give her a once over, clearly enjoying the sight of her in a jumpsuit rather than her usual uniform. She plucked the binoculars from his hand while he was distracted.

“My forearms are too tantalizing this afternoon, Colonel?” He smirked as she looked out the window, until she spotted John’s plan and smiled with glee. 

“Cassandra, I have dinner tomorrow night with my British counterpart. He’s known to talk with the prodding of scotch and a beautiful woman.” She hummed in thought as the plane carrying the man she loved got closer and closer.

“I’ll think about it.” It wasn’t the first time Harding had invited her as his date to a fancy dinner with their partners. It gave her a chance to elicit information of value from them as she played dumb and sipped a glass of water. John had muttered under his breath about it previously but after the most recent change in their relationship, she doesn’t think he would be so subtle about it anymore.

“Best not keep Major Egan waiting.” He took the binoculars from her hand and watched her go with a sad smile on his face. If only he was younger.

She thinks she exercised the most patience she ever had in her entire life as she wanted for his plane to land and taxi to its final resting place. Her entire body was vibrating as she waited and waited for the hatch to open and almost groaned that he would of course be the last one to exit. And then he dropped out of the plane and the clouds parted so the sun could shine on John Clarence Egan and she was off across the airfield like a cannonball. 

“C’mere my lovely, lovely angel.” He caught her as she jumped into his arms, her legs around his waist and arms around his neck in an instant. John went for a kiss but she stopped him with a finger to his lips.

“Any new scratches or bruises or wounds of any kind I need to know about?” She had already located one on the bridge of his nose and on his forehead. 

“You can do a more thorough check when you take a shower with me later, how about that?” he whispered. 

“Yeah, it does seem you need one.” John couldn’t wait to kiss her anymore. He groaned as she wasted no time slipping her tongue between his lips, gripping her tighter against his body. “I missed you. Thought about you every day,” she admitted. He let her legs drop onto the ground but her arms stayed exactly where they had been. 

“The men almost mutinied against me for talking about you too much.” She giggled and John kissed her again. “Though it did make me look a little desperate in front of your brother.” Cass looked at him with wide eyes.

“You saw Bobby? Were you able to give him the box?” John nodded. 

“You didn’t tell me he was that frightening.” He didn’t mention that his hand was shaking when he was giving him the box. The way the older man had looked at him like ham on a buffet table made him sweat. Gale had loved every minute of it.

“He’s just protective when it comes to boys in my life.” Especially after Sidney Landry.

“Gave me a stern speech about the kind of girl you are and how you deserve to be treated and that he knew what I looked like now so he could kill me if he needed to.”

“He’s doing okay? Seemed intact?” Cass hadn’t seen Bobby since he left for boot camp immediately after Pearl a few years ago. Remembers hugging him with tears that she may not see him again. That he was going somewhere far away where people hated him. He had told her he had to. That he needed to do something to protect his family. Told her he wouldn’t be surprised if she found a way to join him over there. She and her brother Kent followed not too soon after. God how she missed them both.

“Told me to tell you he misses you.” John had been honest with the man about his feelings for Cass. Didn’t know if he would ever get the chance to talk to her father and that Bobby would be the next best thing. Told him he loved her and wanted to be with her when this was all over. That Cass was it for him, he knew it as well as he knew how to fly. Bobby was hesitant at first but watched the way John looked when he spoke about her. Heard the men making jokes about the lovestruck Major. Bobby had even asked Major Cleven for his thoughts on the whole situation. Gale had raved about Cass and how good she was for John. That the two of them complemented each other like salt and pepper. 

When John asked for Bobby’s blessing to one day marry Cass, he had given it.

----

That night, they were back where they could always be found. On a blanket in the field of wildflowers a few minutes drive from base. John’s hat and blazer were thrown somewhere in the distance and she was working on the knot of his tie as he hovered on top of her. 

“You aren’t allowed to leave me for that long ever again,” she breathed as she threw the offensive fabric over his head and John’s hands moved the hem of her dress around her waist.

“Yes, ma’am.” Cass used his moment of weakness to change the balance of power, hooking her leg around his waist and pushing against his shoulder until his back hit the blanket and she was straddling him. “I like the way you think.” She had only unbuttoned the first few on her dress, John sitting up in a daze at the sight of white lace, kissing her skin as she exposed it to him. Then, over the hill, was the sound of screeching children and it was only getting closer.

“John-”

“Miss Cass! Miss Cass!” She pushed John down as they came running towards her. Her fingers barely locked the last button into place before they were swarmed. 

“We didn’t see you today!”

“Sergeant Lemmons said Prince Bucky was back!”

“Is this him?” She went to move from her precarious position over John when his hands on her hips stopped her.

“Not yet,” he cautioned. No need to scar these children for life.

“Yes, this is…Prince Bucky.” She had told John, after he had coaxed her into the shower, about her time with Lemmons and the local kids. About the story of Prince Bucky and Princess Spook and the dragon. He had teased her about their happily ever after all afternoon. “He’s just been back from killing another dragon.” Her look begged him to play along.

“Indeed. A large…gray dragon.” The kids gasped. 

“Was he trying to hurt Princess Spook?”

“I would do anything to rescue my Princess.” Cass couldn’t help herself, pulling him in for a kiss by his collar. 

“Will you be getting married soon?”

“Oh, please, Miss Cass! You’d look so pretty in a princess dress.”

“Prince Bucky hasn’t asked, little ones.” For his part, John was looking at her like the first sight of land after being lost at sea. 

“Will you marry me, Princess Spook?” The kids cheered but Cass was frozen. She knew it wasn’t real, he was placating them and she loved him for it, but hearing the words come from his mouth felt so right. He meant them.

“Yes.” And she meant her answer too. 

[catierambles]

Feral Instincts Ch.14

Pairing: The Rogue’s Gallery (Geralt, Syverson, Mike, August Walker, Walter Marshall) x Stephanie Daniels (OFC)

WC 1330

Warnings: Some violence and vague descriptions of post sexy time

August won best three out of five and he moved into Stephanie's old apartment while she moved into Frank's former unit. Mike had ended up finding her "intimacy aids" while they were packing, holding one of the vibrators in his hand as he looked from it to her, a mischievous smile pulling at his lips. It had taken her sternly telling him to focus to halt the porno going on in his head and get him to continue packing. The dragon dildo with the suction cup base had been slapped onto the door of their new place, unbeknownst to her until she heard Sy cackle, coming out from the bedroom where she had been putting boxes and seeing him nearly in tears as he looked at it.

Children. The lot of them.

The new apartment was a two bedroom affair so Mike had somewhere to crash that wasn’t the couch when one of the guys came over. He wasn’t upset about being basically kicked out of his own bed, much to her surprise, and displayed not an ounce of jealousy.

“It’s just how we are, sweetcheeks.” Mike said with a shrug, “We’re wolves and you’re a female Alpha. I get it.” Something to get used to.

August sat at the small dining room table as he drank coffee, scrolling through his phone, when Mike came out of the spare bedroom, going over to Stephanie by the sink and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, pressing a kiss to her neck.

“Good morning.” He said and she leaned back against him.

“Good--” He was suddenly wrenched away, pushed roughly against the cabinets and August pulled his fist back, his teeth bared in a snarl. Mike flinched, closing his eyes tight, and there was the sound of skin meeting skin, but he wasn’t hit. Opening his eyes, he saw Stephanie holding August’s fist, her shoulders tight, and she shoved him, making him stagger back. “The fuck do you think you’re doing?” She walked towards him slowly, her fingers twitching as claws curled out from under her nails. “You try to hurt my Beta?” He put up a valiant fight, but eventually backed away from the aura she was giving off. He didn’t shrink away, but he did retreat.

“Stephanie, I--” He started, but she kept advancing on him. Mike jumped into the middle after quickly checking his phone, holding her back with a hand against her chest.

“Steph!” He said, “It’s not his fault! The full moon starts tonight!” She looked at him then and blinked rapidly, shaking her head.

“Sorry, I…” She said and his hand dropped.

“It’s alright. You’re alright.” He said and looked at August. “You good now?”

“Yeah.” He said, “Stephanie--”

“It’s okay, August.” She said and he moved around Mike, pulling her against his chest.

“I’m sorry.” He said and she rubbed his back.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” She said and he pulled away to look at her before turning his eyes to Mike.

“Mike, I…”

“Don’t worry about it, man.” Mike said with a shrug, “Full moon turns male Alphas super macho, I get it. Speaking of, you two should probably spend it up at the cabin, it being her first and all.”

“Mike, August tried to punch your face in for touching me.” Stephanie said, “What do you think the others will do if someone tries to get frisky?” August let out a low growl at that. “Exactly. August is going to go up to the cabin, I’m staying here.”

“It’s going to be rough, sweetcheeks.” Mike said, “You should be around other Alphas, at least for your first.”

“He’s right.” August said, “We’re big boys and you’ll put us straight.”

“Fine.” Stephanie said with a sigh. “Good thing work puts full moons in as “religious observations” for wolves.”

“So I get the next three days off?” Mike asked.

“Unless it falls on a weekend, then you only have the weekday off, but yeah. It's also paid and doesn’t take from your time off bucket.” She said, “This all would have been in your new hire packet. It has a section specifically for wolves.”

“I didn’t read it.” He said with a shrug. “Well, seeing as I have today off, I’m going back to bed.” He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her cheek and while August’s hands tightened on her low back, he didn’t otherwise respond. Mike vanished back into the spare bedroom and she sighed, patting August’s chest.

“You okay now?” She asked and he nodded. She went to pull away from him, but he pulled her back, holding her tight against him. “August?” His wolf moved behind his eyes and he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her back into the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.

She gripped the sheets so hard her fingers were sore. He was still buried deep, his hips pressed tight against her as he laid over her, his hot breath on her skin.

"What the fuck was that?" She panted and he gave a weak chuckle, collapsing to the side onto the bed and immediately pulling her against his chest, tangling his legs with hers.

"Full moon." He mumbled, tasting the sweat on her skin, wrapping her in his arms. "Makes everything a bit…" He gave a low sound that she felt more than heard, "Intense."

"Apparently." She said, relaxing against him. "It going to be like that with the others?" Another low sound, his arms tightening around her. "August."

"I know." He sighed, "To answer your question, probably, but this is the first one we've spent with a Mate. All the other times, we just stayed out of each other's way so no one got their limbs ripped off."

"Jordan wasn't like this, so I'm guessing it really only hits Alphas?"

"Yes." He said and cuddled into her further, as if he were trying to crawl into her skin. "Let's get a couple hours rest, and then we'll head up to the cabin. We really should be there before sunset."

Her hair was still slightly damp from their shower as August pulled up in front of the cabin in his SUV. The shower had been her idea, as she figured that showing up to a cabin filled with male Alpha wolves on the cusp of a full moon smelling strongly of another Alpha male wouldn’t be the best way to start the night. Someone was going to swing at someone. The front door opened and Sy stepped out as they were getting out of the truck, grabbing their overnight bags from the backseat.

“Hey, doll.” He said gently, pulling her into his arms and squeezing her in a hug. “You up here for the full moon?”

“Mike’s idea.” She said, pulling away, and he nodded.

“Good idea.” He said and smiled down at her softly before leaning in, pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes closed as he reached up to hold the side of her jaw and his hand slid back into her hair. A low growl went through the air and they pulled away, Stephanie looking over to see that Geralt and Walter had left the cabin as well.

“Yeah, about that.” She said, “August laid it out for me that shit is going to get real tense with me here. More than usual. I'm telling you all right now, keep that shit contained. I don't want to deal with broken bones because someone picked a fight. Understood?"

"Yeah, babe." Sy said, "Understood."

"August?"

"Yes."

"Walter?"

"Yes, love."

"Geralt?" He just grunted in response. "Whatever, I'll take it. To keep things civil, I'm going to be sleeping in Mike's old room. No picking fights, got it?"

"Got it." They echoed, Geralt just giving another sound, and she pulled away from Sy, picking her bag up off the ground where she dropped it and heading into the cabin with them following behind.

[aquilathefighter]

Fluffbruary 18: Recovery

Yet again the ficlet gets away from me! Hob can be hypermobile, as a treat (for me)

Find all my @fluffbruary ficlets on AO3 here!

Fandom: The Sandman (2022)

Relationship: Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling

“Turn that light off or I’m gonna rip up that book you’re reading, I swear,” Hob grumbles, arm thrown over his eyes.

A single lamp is on in the hospital room, overlooking the armchair Dream has sat in since Hob was admitted.

Dream scoffs, “Darling, you could call the nurse for painkillers. That is what they are there for, no? I recall many dreams of comfort from nurses.”

“You must be missing the nightmares of ‘em too. Fine, I’ll do it for you,” Hob fumbles for the call button in his bed. “You really don’t have to stay, love. I’m sure you’ve work to do.”

Dream shuts his book and sets it on the side table. He crosses the room to hold Hob’s other hand, the one free from IV line and oxygen monitor.

“Beloved, you are unwell. My place is here with you.” He presses a kiss to Hob’s forehead, sweaty and tasting of hospital as it is. “I will not leave you.”

Hob weakly squeezes his hand.

“How did I ever survive without you? Hell, even I don’t know how I’ve managed this long. Imagine what it was like when bloodletting was the in thing.”

Hob attempts to stretch his legs, wincing at the twinge in his knee. It’s reset in its proper place, held in place by braces and tape. The physical therapist will be there in the morning, no doubt to tease him about another go-round in hospital and to assess the damage to his connective tissues. They’ll let him go in a couple of days, it’s not too serious considering everything Hob’s dealt with over his lifetime. It wasn’t until he settled into a more comfortable life in the 16th century that his body started to fall apart. The musculature of soldiering and later working the printing press kept his joints in place, but when he no longer had to use his body as a tool, the joints soon felt loose in their sockets.

Eleanor had helped him then, massaging his shoulders through the twinges and calling the local physician to provide him laudanum before he wrenched the bone back in place. If he weren’t immortal, there would’ve been much more damage than lasted. There was certainly a lot of scar tissue that stuck around, but Hob retained his hypermobility and occasionally had to break through it to keep moving.

Things got better as time went on, though he’d rather forget the 17th century altogether. Medical knowledge advanced and by the time of the 20th century they had words for people like him, more than double-jointed, more than flexible. Sometime during the 70s, he saw a rheumatologist who told him he had abnormal collagen that lead to the scarring, dislocation, and bruising. Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome, he said. The doc had introduced him to the brilliant world of physio, which kept him moving most of the time.

But like anybody, he got lazy. Skipped his exercises for too long, and inevitably he’d dislocate something he couldn’t put back himself. Somebody would call an ambulance or he’d drag himself to A&E and spend a couple days in hospital. It was lonely, then. Days staring out the window into the dreary London skyline, nothing to entertain himself with but the telly.

But now Dream is here. And Dream understands. He’s explained it like this: having a corporeal form is in itself a form of body horror. He’s grown used to it, spending more time in the Waking with Hob, but still it is frightening to be trapped within skin and bone, muscle and sinew, to take damage and feel pain. So to Hob who’s body seemingly fights against him, Dream’s being fighting against his body is not so different.

Dream comes with him to A&E, rests in the uncomfortable armchair on the observation floor, brings him a phone charger and crossword puzzles and reads to him. Like sitting in this dreadful room, pungent with bleach and alcohol, is no hardship at all. And it isn’t, not in Dream’s eyes.

Dream leans down to kiss his lips, soft and gentle. He pulls back, staring at Hob’s face. Even when he is sweaty and pained and hasn’t bathed since Thursday, Dream gazes at him like he is a masterpiece. His heart clenches with how much he loves him.

“I am glad you survived alone. And I am glad you no longer have to.” He releases Hob’s hand and goes back to his seat as the nurse comes in.

“Hi, Robbie, sorry it took so long. Busy day up here! What can I getcha? More juice? A blanket for your other half?”

“Hey, Michelle. I was wondering if I could get my PRN? My head’s killing me more than my knee, frankly,” he chuckles.

Michelle pulls up his chart on the little computer she’s brought with her. She hums as she clicks, and clicks, and clicks about five more times before arriving at the correct tab.

“Looks like it’s certainly time for you to get more pain meds! Let me page Dr. Lansing and we’ll get that in right away.”

Hob smiles at her, grateful for the beauty of modern medicine. He can wait as long as they need to get his pills.

“Do you need anything else while I’m here? I can grab one of the nursing assistants for ya,” Michelle says as she drags the computer cart towards the door.

“I think we’re alright, right love?” Hob looks at Dream, already lost in his book again. He doesn’t respond.

Hob smiles. “Yeah, we’re good. He gets lost in a story so easily.”

Michelle leaves, shutting the door behind her. Hob sighs and lays back in the bed, replacing the arm he’d thrown over his eyes.

“Dove?” Hob calls out. Dream hums in response, looking up from his book.

“Can you come up here with me? These rooms are too damn cold.” Dream closes the book once again and climbs into the bed, lifting Hob’s bum leg to help him scoot over. He lays on his side, gazing at his love. Hob buries his head against Dream’s lithe chest, inhaling as much as his lungs can hold of his scent. Dream pulls the thin blanket over the both of them, then brings his hands up to hold Hob and stroke his hair.

“Rest, my love. I will be here as long as you are to recover. Then, we will go home. I will not let you ‘forget’ to do your exercises anymore.”

Hob huffs and snuggles closer, drifting closer to sleep with Dream’s aid and ministrations.

Michelle gives Dream a soft smile when she returns to the room with a glass of water and two giant pills in a plastic cup.

“Have him take these when he wakes up,” she whispers. “Promise I won’t tell on you.”

For once, Dream gives someone else a gentle smile, knowing his Hob is loved and cared for.

[moonyspupp]

Not a goodbye, but a see you soon

Professor Remus Lupin X Female! Reader

Totally not a comfort post ,,Angst, reader has a TON of anxiety, good ending ofc, could consider it a one shot , or a continuation of The Biggest Of Hearts!

CW: mentions of character death,(reader is of age!), student teacher relationship, age gap

·.★·.·´¯`·.·★ ·.★·.·´¯`·.·★ ·.★·.·´¯`·.·★ ·.★·.·´¯`·.·★

Your last year at hogwarts finally comes to an end, you couldn’t believe it honestly. Spending countless years at a place you called home; with moments both bad and good you couldn’t help but feel your stomach turn at the thought of leaving here.

—

It’s your last day at hogwarts, you wake up early and get ready for the day looking your best. Chatting with all your friends at the Great hall, you venture around the large campus one last time before you all have to leave. You roam the bustling halls hearing chatter and laughter alongside goodbyes and tears all together. Everyone knew they had to leave at some point, but time flies doesn’t it?

You continue to briskly walk down the corridors, heading to your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. After all your last day here also means the last day you’ll see him.

And you hated that.

You had agreed to help him pack up for the summer, something about moving classrooms next year? You weren’t exactly sure but nevertheless you couldn’t leave without spending some extra time with him.

As you walk you exchange goodbyes with classmates you had in your years that were passing by. Your gut wrenched, even though you weren’t close to any of these people, there was a bit of sadness that was churning in you, if this is bad, god knows how sad you’ll be seeing Lupin for the last time.

You reach his office and place a soft knock on his door.

“Come in” you hear a voice call warmly

You enter curtly and gently close the door behind you.

“Hi professor” you say giving him a weak smile still leaning against the closed office door.

“It’s nice to see you (y/n)” he smiled back, putting a few papers away near his desk.

The room is quite a mess, books and papers scattered everywhere on his desk and few on the floor as well. The office is lit by a few candles as well as the fireplace. It was apparent there was a lot of cleaning to be done. You felt quite anxious, deciding you would take your time cleaning everything up to spend as much time as him possible

You eventually get to work after a bit of pondering, picking up the loose parchment that were lying on the floor. The room is filled with silence and the rustling of books, with the occasional sigh from the both of you working diligently.

You steal a few glances at him packing, a small pang of sadness running through your body.

After what seems like forever, Lupin speaks up, his voice gentle

“Year’s already over can you believe it? Time flies doesn’t it (y/n)?”

You look up and nod sheepishly as you began to work on the shelves. That was the last thing you wanted to think about.. you felt your anxiety grow slightly.

Lupin leans slightly against his desk, pushing a stray strand of brown hair out his face.

“Feels like just yesterday it was the first day I had you in class, and now you’re all graduated” he said smiling.

You let out a slight sigh, “if I could I would take your class all over again” you said letting out a small laugh

Lupin chuckles at your cheeky remark

“I’ll admit, I’m going to miss having you in class. You’re a hard worker, and always have the most interesting things to say in class.” He said going back to cleaning his desk

“Are you really sir?” You say giving him a pout leaning on the shelf

Lupin laughs softly, a hint of playfulness in his eyes. He sets down the folder he’s holding and looks at you, his expression a sincere expression

“Oh, you know I am (y/n), You’re one of my favorite students. Very bright and observant. A helpful one too” he says obviously remarking to the times I’ve stayed with him during the full moon.

“Thank you sir, I’ll miss you too “ you mutter looking down at your feet

He gives you a small, reassuring smile, and there’s a hint of warmth in his eyes. Even reciprocating the emotions you’re feeling. He knows it’s hard to say goodbye, he really does.

“Don’t be sad (y/n), Hogwarts will be here and so will I, make sure to come visit sometime yes?” “Plus I’m sure I’ll see you in class again next year won’t I?” He says laughing heartily

You blush slightly at the joke nodding shyly, as much as you would LOVE to come back as a student you knew you couldn’t, perhaps to visit yes but you won’t ever be a student again. But you try not to show your true feelings about the situation and how much it hurts even thinking about being away from him.

He sees your reaction and lets out a soft chuckle finding humor in your reaction

“Good. I wouldn’t want to let you get away that easily. I’ll expect to see you back here next year, ready to learn to fight boggarts and such again” He gives you a playful wink, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Remembering how much you loved that class, hearing that caused a bit of pain to your heart, nevertheless you laugh with him and nod.

Lupin notices the look of pain in your eyes and his face softens a just a bit. He takes a step forward, his expression looking concerned.

“Is something wrong (y/n?)” he asked sincerely crossing his arms

You shake your head, “just sad to go that’s all sir, I’m sad I won’t get to spend everyday with you, I’ll miss having lunch with you.” Your expression slightly spurs at the realization of what you said, your face flushed slightly

Lupin looks a bit surprised at your words, his eyes widening. Maybe even seeming a bit touched by your words, you feel his warm eyes studying you.

“I’m going to miss having lunch with you too, and our chats in the corridors.”He looks at you, his expression reflecting a mix of affection and concern.

“But you’ll be back next year, right? We’ll see each other then.” He said with a hint of nervousness in his voice as he opened the drawers of his desk

You nod again not meeting his gaze , your back slowly slides down the shelf, now sitting on the cobblestone floor of his office.

His eyes watched you sit down, his expression turning worried. He takes a seat next to you on the floor, He studies your face again for a moment, his eyes gentle. It was obvious that there was more to it than just the year ending

“You know (y/n)…you can talk to me, if there’s something troubling you. I’m here to listen like always.” He said softly

You fiddle with the papers in your hands, letting out a sigh before speaking .

“I just wish we had more time together sir, maybe it sounds a bit greedy since I spent the whole year with you already.. but I just can’t help but feel like I’m leaving a piece of me at hogwarts, with you” you say your voice trailing

He pauses for a moment sighing before speaking, “and I’ll miss all of that too (y/n) he said turning to you going quiet briefly, “and, it’s okay to feel like you’re leaving a part of you here, I feel like you’re taking a piece of me with you when you leave” he lets out a small laugh

Looking at him with weary eyes , feeling tears well up in your eyes you take a moment before speaking. “I don’t want to leave you “ you say your voice quivering, now obvious that your favorite teacher was also a source of comfort and companionship.

He pauses, looking at you, his expression saddening slightly. Then in a lower voice, he continues, his words almost hesitant. Since the months leading up to graduation, he has desperately tried to downplay his feelings about his students leaving, about you leaving. Lupin had quite a soft spot for you, your kindness and patient especially apparent during the full moon. He never forgot those days and the comfort you brought him.

“I don’t want you to leave either , but you have a life to live, (y/n). There’s so much of the world to see, so many things for you to experience. You can’t just stay here my dear” he says rubbing your back.

You shake your head crying, the truth was, you were scared of leaving, you don’t want things to change, you didn’t want to go out into the real world alone. You knew no one would hold your hand and get you through life but you felt like you weren’t ready.

“Look at me my dear” Lupin says with a soft comforting voice as he turned your chin to look at him.

Lupin looks at you, in his eyes you see a mix of emotion; affection, pain, and understanding. Lupin was no stranger to loss and loneliness. His mine flashes back to James,Peter,Sirius and his own loneliness in his life. With the loss of James and the group eventually falling apart with the ‘murder’ of Peter and the imprisonment of Sirius, he can’t help but feel his own heart clench.

He finally lets out a soft sigh, his expression still gentle.

“I can’t ask you to give up things for me. I can’t ask you to give up your future for me. You have a life to live. You have so much ahead of you, you’re a brilliant witch and I know you’ll do well.” He cups your face gently wiping away stray tears with his thumb.

At that point your heart felt broken and your mind was scared, you felt as if you’ll be alone after this, “I don’t want to be alone sir” your voice quivering.

His heart nearly shatters at the sound of your voice, the tears streaming down your face. He hates seeing you like this, in pain, his expression now one of sorrow. Deep down he wanted things to stay the same as well, to spend time with you everyday. He desperately still wanted to be in your life even after hogwarts. Lupin didn’t want to lose another person he cared about deeply.

“Oh, (y/n)..”

He feels his own heart breaking. Words no longer can come out his mouth. He continues to wipe away your tears.

“I want to be there with you too dear, be there for you, but even then, you won’t be alone (y/n) you will always have people who care about you” he mutters with a broken look in his eyes. His freckled scar face grew into a weary expression. His hair still messy.

The mixture of your sobs and words became too much for him to bear, his hands leave your face; pulling you into a warm embrace in his arms. He hushes you and continues to try to comfort you by rubbing your back.

You silently continue to sob into his shoulder, the way he held you close making you feel safe and comforted , you hold on tight to his chest. He says nothing, holding you close as he himself needed comfort in that moment too. He feels his own chest ache, your tears and fears reminding him of his own. He places a small kiss on the top of your head and holds you closer. Your tears stop briefly at the kiss, your body relaxing under his warmth. To Lupin, seeing you in his arms makes it hard to keep his feelings in check; maybe he cared about you more than he thought he did? You nuzzle slightly into his chest letting out a small content sigh.

“I’m right here my dear, I’m not going anywhere.” He cooed

It feels like forever until you loosen your grip around his chest, your mind which was flooded with emotions; calmed itself . The both of you savoring the feeling and comfort you gave to each other. As you slowly release your arms around him,he does so as well almost seeming reluctant, but he doesn’t pull away completely, leaning back just enough to look down at you, his eyes filled with a mixture of tenderness.

“I feel better now professor” you say muttering rubbing your swollen eyes.

He rubs a lingering tear on your jaw with a soft smile, eventually rising up back to his feet and returning to his desk

“Call me Remus dear” he said softly looking at you with gently eyes

Your eyes widen slightly and the change of formality between you two.

“Alright, Remus” you say with a pause between each word. You hear him chuckle at your words. Eventually standing up again, you rub your eyes one last time before going back to helping him pack.

The night went on casually, filled with occasional laughter and playfulness between the two of you. Slowly the room began to look more and more empty by the hour. You help him pack away numerous items into suitcases, tucking things neatly into its velvet interior. Before you realize it you come across a piece of blank parchment.

“Remus, what do I do with this?” You ask holding it up.

Lupins face softens upon seeing it, walking over to you and holding the parchment with you.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good” he says with a smile

Before your eyes words appear across the parchment, reading “Marauder’s Map” You tilt your head with curiosity, you couldn’t help but notice four names on top.

“Moony,Wormtail,Padfoot, and.. prongs?” “What’s that mean?” You ask Lupin, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

He lets out a laugh at your curious expression.

“That my dear, is a story for another day”

he said smiling as he whispered things you couldn’t hear, the words slowly disappeared and he tucked the map away in his pocket. You pout at him and his secrets. He pressed his finger lightly on the tip of your nose.

“You look adorable when you pout (y/n) he says chuckling at your still-pouting face.

The two of you laugh the moment off,looking around to see the office was now packed up. In contrast to when you first came in, the room was now empty and clean, the candles all blown out and the fire place quiet.

“Time to go isn’t it?”

You ask staring at the clock, which was nearing midnight. Lupin nods and carries the suitcases to the door.

“Indeed it is, walk me out will ya?” He says

You nod smiling, the nervousness gone, your mind felt clearer and your heart hurt less, the two of you walk out of the office closing the door behind you and made your way to the gates of hogwarts. The walk there being fairly quiet other than the occasional sound of birds.

You let out a small sigh as you reached it, knowing this was goodbye for whoever knows how long. Lupin unexpectedly pulls you into his arms for another hug, wanting to feel his warmth and comfort once more you wrapped your arms around him as well. For a few minutes the both of you savor the moment, hoping for new opportunities in the future, hoping it won’t be long till you see eachother next. Eventually pulling away Lupin places a soft kiss on your lips. You blush at the gesture watching him let out a laugh. Pulling out what seems to be a postcard from his pocket, he hands it to you.

“Mail me often yes?” He says smiling warmly “We could always go to Hogsmeade together (y/n)”

You smile at him and nod, my heart feeling hopeful and excited; perhaps this wasn’t the end you thought to yourself. You exchange goodbyes for the night, wishing Lupin a safe trip back home.

“Till next time then (y/n)” he turns back smiling one last time.

[know-the-way]

Continued Stages of Falling Down the Miss Fisher Rabbit Hole

I’m gonna be real - I wish I could watch things in chronological order, I really do, but my ADHD brain just doesn’t work like that. So, I’ve bounced all around the different seasons and my overall thoughts are a jumbled mess. However, there are some things - in chronological order - that I just continue to go feral over the more I look at them, so I’m gonna share with the class. (P.S. Thank you so much for the warm welcome! You’re all very lovely and I just hope I don’t fuck that up by being annoying 😅… Uh… yep. Anyway, have a nice day! Lots of nonsense and a wee bit of meta below!)

- “Perhaps we could allow ourselves one candle?” “I think I could cope with that.”

Mmhm, listen here you cheeky fuckers, I see you. Whoever wrote this show learned the art of subtle symbolism and slow burn majesty, and while I am HERE for it, I also just… ya know… *pushes heads together* kiss already.

- Hearing Phryne say “I’m looking for my daughter” when she was searching for Jane in Queen of the Flowers. *clutches chest* Owwww. Her progression from “ugh, kids” to “this one’s okay, I guess” to “she is a part of me and to wrench her away would be akin to removing my very heart.” Just… yes. I will always love that dynamic. But I also appreciated Phryne emphasizing that Jane’s mum would always be her mum. I feel like there’s normally a focus on the child needing to choose between their biological or adoptive parents and it was refreshing that they allowed room for both of those relationships with Jane to exist equally.

- Maybe it’s just me, but whyyyyy does this exchange feel so domestic? There’s something about Jack just sitting there, marveling at her being in her own element, telling Hugh “of course” when he asks if Phryne knows judo (‘cause he knows her well enough to not be shocked anymore - like ‘of course she knows judo and speaks 8 languages and flies planes, it’s common sense Collins, get with the program’), and already knowing the answer to his suspicion about the “dangerous weapon.” It all just has an air of ‘gently teasing my spouse of 10 years in front of people because I know it winds them up and that’s our love language’ about it.

I’m also kind of curious how long Phryne has been practicing martial arts. Was it a ‘from childhood’ thing or a ‘from a traumatic event that made learning this skill feel necessary’ thing? If that fic hasn’t been written yet, I’d love to read one.

- “This time, you’re an accomplice. And unless you plan on killing Inspector Robinson yourself, he’ll make sure you hang.”

Again… I could so easily be reaching, but to me this comes off very much like “once my husband finds out what you’ve done to me, he will spend every waking moment ensuring your demise.” Couple that with Jack carrying her out like Prince Fucking Valiant and… yeah. #FERAL

- The fact that he wasn’t already holding her hand, but she was reaching for him… 🥺 The hurt/comfort goblin that lives in my brain: thriving. Just… fuck me up.

I still have two episodes of season 2 to finish, but so far my overall summary is that - by episode 3 - they’re together. Together, together. Don’t even care that it’s not “official,” don’t care that they don’t say it explicitly… they’re committed to each other in every way that matters, so they are bloody together. Just need them to realize that and accept it. For all our sakes.

[dragonflylady77]

Nobody puts Billy in a corner

Ch1 - All he has to offer is a banged-up Camaro and a lot of trauma

Billy & Steve | Teen & Up | 567 words

Dirty Dancing Au, No Upside Down, TW Neil Hargrove

Square: C2 - Dirty Dancing AU for @billyhargrovebingo

Summary:

The Hargrove-Mayfield family is spending the summer at Harrington's Family Resort.

Billy is counting the days until he's free from his father's claws and he meets a dance instructor he just can't stay away from.

Not even when Neil Finds out.

Read on Ao3

***

Billy gritted his teeth. His evening was getting steadily worse. As if spending a month in this stupid vacation resort in the middle of Bumfuck, Indiana, with his asshole of a father, his new wife and her golden child wasn’t enough already…

Now he had to contend with his old man finding out he’d been kinda seeing one of the dance instructors. Because the walls were so thin in the cabin, he’d managed to avoid the full-on beating he could see floating in his father’s beady eyes but the vile words still rang in his ears.

He moved in his chair, lessening the pressure on the side with the bruise and took a sip of the water he’d been allowed to have. No fancy mocktails for the undeserving brat… Max kept glancing at him every time she sucked on the straw of her colourful whatever-the-fuck-it-was-called, guilt plain on her face. Billy didn’t have the energy to tell her it wasn’t her fault his father hated him. She was sitting on the end of the table while he was stuck in the corner between Father Dearest and meek Susan who always did her damnedest to look away.

He was only vaguely aware of the festivities happening that night, though he knew Max had some part in it. She was wearing a glittery dress her mother had forced her to wear, much to Billy’s secret delight. He knew how much Max hated wearing dresses.

“Good evening campers! I’m Deliah Harrington and I trust you are all having a good time with us this summer at Harrington’s.”

Billy looked up to see a woman who looked somewhat familiar standing in the middle of the stage. She had brown hair and big brown eyes and she was holding a microphone. Billy noticed that Max was now also on the stage along with a bunch of the staff. She was standing on the far end, looking less than enthused.

They started singing, mostly off-key, and Billy did his utmost to keep a straight face, he didn’t want another snide remark from his father or another sneaky punch… He took his time looking at all the faces, but Steve and his crew were nowhere to be seen. Billy wasn’t sure whether it was their choice or management’s decision.

He hadn’t seen Steve since the night before when his father had wrenched the door open and dragged him out after delivering some choice words to Steve. The dance instructor had been shaking with anger but had managed to not punch Neil Hargrove, and Billy was in awe of the man he had been calling his boyfriend in the safety of his own mind.

He didn’t delude himself that they had a future outside of Harrington’s and the summer. All he had to offer was a banged-up Camaro and a lot of trauma.

Unbeknownst to Neil, Billy had secured a scholarship to UC San Diego. He’d lied to Neil about which school he’d been accepted at to throw him off the scent, and brokered a deal that he was allowed to go as long as he spent the summer with Neil, Susan and Max on their family holiday.

Billy had been counting the days since his birthday, knowing that turning eighteen would never be reason enough for Neil to let him go. God forbid anyone found out the Hargrove-Mayfields were less than a perfect family.

[theatregaymer]

Part of the Family

Finished commission for my good friend @wertzunge​. Kawaki is acclimating to life as part of the Uzumaki family, but every now and then he feels like he might still be an outsider looking inwards at an ideal family. Thankfully, his family members don’t think the same and are all too happy to remind him how cherished he is.

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As the birds began to sing their songs to the morning skies above the hidden village of Konoha, a certain family was just barely getting started waking up...well some of them. To say things had been lively after the Hokage brought Kawaki into his home would be a bit of an understatement. But after some time had passed, the boy had started feeling like he was actually part of this family, from his brotherly bond with Boruto, Himawari warming up to him and even being asked to help with preparing dinner on occasion...it was such a shift from his years of isolation and pain. 

Honestly, Kawaki and Boruto both were normally at least able to wake up on time. The thing with today was, they had nothing to do, none of them. Naruto had gotten ahead of the curve on his work, arranging for things to be taken care of for a single day at Hinata's behest so that they could spend the day together as a family. Of course it was a shock to both boys, who had spent a lot of time the day beforehand wearing themselves out during training. Kawaki would have slept even longer had he not heard a ruckus from the floor above his sleeping space in the Hokage's home office. What the hell was Boruto doing up there?" Grumbling as he wiped the sleep from his eyes, Kawaki sleepily opened the door to call out to him but caught Himawari's look instead as she came down the stairs. "Good morning Kawaki...hehe Papa is just waking up brother. I'm gonna go help mom in the kitchen!" She said cheerfully as if she hadn't just read his mind before scampering off to the kitchen. As he blinked, it finally became clear just what he was hearing from the upstairs area of the house. That was most definitely laughter...and something like a scream? Was nobody else confused like he was?

He decided despite Himawari's casual attitude, he wanted to investigate since she did mention the Hokage was there as well. He climbed the stairs, his bare feet tapping lightly on the flooring since he didn't often need to be stealthy in this place, save for it he needed to take a leak in the wee hours of the morning. As he neared Boruto's room however, a chill ran along his spine for some reason as he began to clearly understand more words even with the door shut. "BWAHah...Old man stohop....DAD SEHEHERIOUSLY!" His caution was soon overcome by curiosity as the dark haired boy gently turned the knob and opened the door, hearing Naruto's voice through the din of his adopted borther's laughter. "Oh come on now, my first whole day home and you sleep in? How can I not wanna spend some quality time waking you up Boruto?" This was followed by more wailing and cackling from the smaller blond ninja as Kawaki saw the Hokage looming over his son, one hand holding one of his arms over his head while the other was moving quickly up and down the side of his night shirt. What was he doing? Boruto was clearly laughing and smiling, but his free hand was desperately trying to snatch his father's away in an effort to escape this strange torture. "NOOhohohoohahh ahahaAHA STAHahaphihithahah ah ahah KAHahawaki save mehehe!" Boruto called out his name, blowing his cover as the Hokage turned to look as well to see his second son halfway in the room. "Ah morning. Sorry if this guy woke you up." The blond said, chuckling as Boruto denied it. "Wha-Ihit's your fault gah! Gehet offa mehehe!" Wrenching his wrist free and rolling over, Boruto attempted to flee, only to slip on his own covers and falling to the floor. His panic seemed to escalate as Naruto reached down to scoop up his legs, dragging him back and locking both his legs with a single strong arm before beginning to move his other hand along his bare feet. This of course seemed to be even worse for the young Uzumaki as he cried out, desperately trying to claw away at the floor, reaching in vain for a still rather bewildered Kawaki.

"NAHAHa OH god no NAHahaht thaahthaha Nhoh nahat the feEEHEHETHTEHHAHAHA DAAHAHAD!" His pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as Naruto simply continued holding a brief conversation, albeit a loud one with Kawaki. "I think Hinata wants us all to go on a picnic together today. We still have time but maybe see if she needs some help getting prepared?" Kawaki nodded, still too stunned to say much as he didn't know if he should leave or ask what this was all about. He didn't even realize he was blushing slightly as Boruto cried out with tears in his eyes. "NOHOHOTHAHaa don't touch myYHYH TOHOHESHHAHA!" Naruto was drilling his fingers between the tender valleys between his son's digits, before things finally seemed to calm down as the Hokage gave an affectionate few pats to his son's slightly reddened soles and let him go, the boy slumping for a second before quickly crawling a few feet away as his father stood up and headed out the door past Kawaki. "Haha and maybe make sure that one didn't wet himself." Naruto left just in time as a pillow was flung across the room, softly smacking against the door as Kawaki felt it prudent to close it after the older man left.

Now it was just him and Boruto, the latter panting heavily, flushed and teary eyed but very much awake. "Why...didn't you help?" He asked, earning a scowl from the raven haired teen. "I didn't think you needed it...you were laughing and smiling." Boruto gritted his teeth as he managed to get back to his feet, beginning to fix up his bed as he continued to recover. "Only because the old man was tickling me! Ugh he's done that since I was a kid whenever I oversleep and he's home. So dumb.." Despite his words, something in the young blond's tone hinted at a sort of fondness for the activity, likely since such bonding moments were more rare since his father took office.

"Tickling? So that's like...a tradition?" Kawaki asked, honestly a bit confused at Boruto's words as he moved Boruto's desk chair over and sat down. His adoptive brother turned slightly, an eyebrow raised in equal confusion at the question. "Huh? Tradition? I don't think so it's just...a thing he does sometimes...why?" Kawaki shrugged slightly, unsure why this strange feeling of jealousy was slowly building up inside him. "It just seemed like something special judging from how he was smiling when he left as well, but he wasn't even being tickled like you were. It just looked like his fingers were squeezing you a lot." At these words, Boruto began to catch on to a feeling in the air, a smile slowly returning to his features, though this one held much more mischief this time around. "Ehhh? Kawaki....do you not know what tickling feels like?" The blond finished making his bed as Kawaki blinked, trying not to show how honestly confused he felt. "I...I know what it's supposed to feel like." He insisted, hoping that answer would suffice. However, Boruto didn't seem to buy it as he walked closer, still grinning widely as he raised his hands slightly and wiggled his fingers. "Let's just make suuuuure heheh." Kawaki once more was struck by a sensation of both sudden anticipation and slight fear as those fingers got closer, his throat swallowing a lump before his brother began skittering his fingers along the raven's sides and stomach, instantly earning some unfamiliar sounds as the dark haired boy seized Boruto's wrists, yet did nothing to defend himself. "Wha-a-aahah ah whahat the heehehell is thihisheheha Hehehey Bah Bohoruto knock it ohohoff!" The blond of course only chuckled in reply, recognizing that despite his protests there was no action to actually stop this sensation from continuing. "Hahaha come ooon you like it! You're smiling and laughing right?" As the two began to wrestle, Kawaki forwent defense and instead reached out to mimic Boruto's actions on his own flanks before the two both fell onto his bed, ruining the nicely made sheets. "NHAHaha ah hahang oh naha noho stahahpha Dahahd already gohoht mehehe!" Both boy's continued to laugh, Kawaki being no exception as he cackled out loud. "KEHEHahah AHAHAH Youhuhu stohop fihihirst!"  Their legs helplessly kicked as fingers flew up and down their torsos, digging into armpits, clawing at their stomachs, all leading up to their mutual signal to stop horsing around.

"Boys if you don't get down here, Naruto is going to finish your breakfast!" At Hinata's words from downstairs, both of them stopped their antics, flushed and panting as they blinked, knowing the tone used was one of both playful urgency, but also a slightly more serious note beneath it. "We're on our way!" Boruto responded, hoping it bought them some time. He then broke away from his adopted sibling, pausing briefly before bringing up his thoughts. "So...why were you so interested in that?" He asked, earning a stammer from the other boy before being followed by an awkward silence. As Boruto began to change, Kawaki finally spoke up. "You and the fourth...have a connection strengthened through traditional acts such as this. I don't...I can't explain why I got interested in it. I guess...my own dad never..." Boruto tossed a pillow from the disheveled bedding at his brother, stopping that thought process. "Hey now come on, you're part of the family now, you're my brother! Dad wouldn't have even brought you home if he didn't see that you have a good heart ya know?" If Kawaki were more emotional, he supposed this would be one of those time he shouldfeel a bit teary eyed, but instead he could do nothing other than grip the pillow a bit tighter after it hit his chest. "Yeah...I guess you're right..." Thusly Kawaki actually helped fix the bed much quicker before they were headed downstairs. Thankfully Hinata's bluff was just that, and the two finished their breakfast quickly before helping to get things ready for that afternoon. Thankfully, there were no emergencies, no sudden meetings or crises that required Naruto's attention. The Uzumaki family was able to actually enjoy themselves, spending quality time together, playing some card games, enjoying some good food, and nurturing those bonds Kawaki was so worried over. The daylight slowly ebbing away, the orange sky signaled their time to head back home as they all gathered their things, though Naruto did have the extra baggage of a very worn out Himawari. Kawaki too felt surprisingly tired, having played more tag with her and Boruto than he would have expected. It was especially challenging once Hinata joined in, his mother figure being far more impressive than he could have anticipated. Something else he didn't notice, was how Boruto and his father hung back a bit behind, walking slower as the younger blond had something important to apparently convey to the Hokage. Kawaki stayed in the dark on this of course, helping to handle some minor cleanup at home before dressing down to his evening pants and tank top, climbing onto the sofa bed in the office as per usual to lull off to sleep, likely to wake up to a more familiar, albeit less enjoyable day tomorrow... "...waki...Kawakiiii...heh you're almost as deep a sleeper as I am." That voice...Kawaki recognized it immediately, before recognizing something else, a light and fluttery feeling that instantly had his nerves lighting up. "Eh wh-whehehah ah F-fohourththeh ah whahat the hehell haha let goho." His laughter was still somewhat tired, despite the feeling of strong fingers dancing against his bare soles playfully. He was still tired sure, but shouldn't he have been able to escape this weak hold? No...he realized Naruto had positioned himself in a way that Kawaki's ankles were trapped beneath one of his thighs, allowing two hands to wreak havok on his feet. He swiftly rubbed the sleep from his eyes, giggling the entire time as he continued helplessly trying to pull away. "PFTHEeh hah whahat tihime is ihithehe gaha youhuh haha you shouldn't behehe here!" He was getting more of his energy back, though not nearly enough to stave off the fingers attacking his toes now. "CAHAHA CAH gEHEHehehet offa mehehehe!" The Hokage simply laughed, continuing his tickles before swapping positions, pinning the young man beneath him as he began tickling up and down his sides, his blanket slipping down as those hands shoved up into his shirt to get at his bare skin. "A little bird told me youmight be feeling left out hmm?" Kawaki tried shoving at the older man, shaking his head as his forced smile was coupled with endless giggling. "HEHEhehahahAHAH ahah ah no nahaha hihi'm nahaAHAHAHt AHAHA NOT THERE!" His pits felt those fingers digging in skillfully, the trained hands of someone used to tickling a squirmy victim no doubt. "STAHa ahaha stahap ahalreadyhyhyaha AHAHA PAH PLEHEHASEHAHA! Ah....aahahah hah...gah..*cough* hah..." The tickles ceased as he wished, Kawaki wiping a tear from his eyes before looking up at a smilin blond who then ruffled his dark hair.

"Kawaki...I hope you realize you are just as much a part of this family now as anyone else. Never forget that." Those words brought another wave of unexpected emotions surging into the boy's chest, the desire to cry overwhelming him as he brushed any budding tears away, blaming them on the tickling. "Hehe and if I have to tickle you in the mornings to remind you of it, just say the word." Kawaki blushed fiercely, "N-no way!" he shouted, throwing his pillow at the man in a move reminicient of his brother as Naruto laughed brightly, blocking it with one hand as he waved goodbye before heading out to work no doubt. Kawaki took a moment to collect himself, still feeling the tingling sensations all through his body as he fixed his shirt and folded his blanket. He went to the bathroom, finding it was still rather early and he hoped he hadn't woken Himawari. But when he suddenly recalled the Hokage's words, he looked up the stairs with a different expression. "A little bird huh?" Oh Boruto was so gonna get the wake up of his lifetime.

[your-divine-ribs]

I’m With the Band Part 21

Words: 1.8k

I’m With the Band Masterlist Main Masterlist

"Where did ya disappear off to? Been looking for ya everywhere."

I realise that I'm holding myself tensely, expecting some kind of confrontation from Van, although to my surprise his voice and features are soft as he approaches me. In fact he looks relieved.

It catches me off guard, my defences already raised and ready to launch a scathing attack at him, telling him in no uncertain terms that he doesn't own me and I can spend the night wherever and with whoever I like. His wide eyes and searching expression stop me in my tracks and I falter, unsure how to play this.

"Oh, I was just tired, that's all... knackered in fact. Had way too much to drink, think it all just caught up with me. I've been asleep for a little while..."

I fake a yawn, covering my mouth with the back of my hand, hoping it looks convincing. Van's eyes narrow slightly, slipping down to Sam's t-shirt that I'm wearing. It was baggy enough on Sam and it absolutely drowns me, slipping off my shoulder and hanging loosely around my thighs, covering me almost to the knee. It's probably just as well as the longer I stand there the more I can feel the wet trail of Sam's cum dripping down my inner thigh.

I feel my whole body stiffen in anticipation of Van realising what I've been up to, part of me nervous but a tiny part of me bristling with a wicked kind of excitement. In a twisted way I realise that I actually want Van to know that I've hooked up with Sam. I'm sure that he won't be able to stand the competition and he'll be falling over himself to try and prove that he's the better man.

"Benji said you'd probably gone to bed but I didn't believe him. Larry reckons you're a right party animal, usually the last one standing. I thought you'd gone off clubbing with Fender and his lot..."

"Nah..." I start to reply but Van starts talking again like he's thinking aloud, his eyes leaving mine to trail off down the corridor towards my room.

"... although I didn't see Sam leaving. Only saw Dean, Dru and Joe going out the door. Maybe Sam didn't go after all..."

His eyes are fixed on a point behind me now, a small frown creasing his brow, and I'm almost certain that when I turn around I'm going to see Sam emerge from the doorway in a state of undress. I shrug nonchalantly, glancing around quickly to see that no one's there, thankful that I'd shut the door behind me.

"I didn't see him leave either, but he's not here is he so he must've sneaked out. Anyway... I'm just off to the toilet so..."

I shrug, going to walk past him but he catches me by the elbow, fingers curling around the crook of my arm, bringing me to a standstill.

"Bob says he saw you and Sam heading back in 'ere earlier."

I tense again, ready for a fight but I don't let it show. Not yet. Despite the exhilarating thought of the boys' potential rivalry over me there's also the worrying notion of Sam causing a scene if he thinks that Van's harassing me. I wrench my arm out of his grasp, letting a small amount of annoyance show for effect.

"So? I didn't think I had to check in with you every time I talked to someone tonight. Now if you don't mind, I'm busting for the loo."

Van lets me go, and I quickly pad on my bare feet to the toilet without looking back. As exhilarating as this game is that I'm playing I know that I should tread carefully. At the end of the day I'm a guest at Larry's and any upset that I cause with his best friends is only going to come back to haunt me further down the line. A few days ago I'd have been relieved if my invitation on to the Catfish tour bus to embark on a circuit of the UK's festivals and music venues was withdrawn, but now that I've had a taste of what life on tour has to offer it's just left me hungry for more. I've only just left none other than Sam Fender naked and freshly fucked in my hotel bed and my mind's already wandering, imagining what other opportunities might present themselves in the weeks to come.

I clean myself up as best as I can, smiling at my smudged smoky eyes and the flush on my cheeks as I linger in the bathroom mirror, tousling my hair and fixing my reflection with a sultry pout. I just hope that Sam's got stamina, because boy he's going to need it tonight.

I push open the bathroom door and peer out. I'm fully expecting to see Van standing there ready and waiting to unleash a full on seduction routine to try and entice me back to his room, so when I'm met with a quiet and very empty corridor my heart sinks a little with disappointment. He'd been so fired up to prove himself to me that I can't believe he's gone and given up so easily.

I sigh inwardly, telling myself that I'm just being greedy and starting back towards my room, but I can't help pausing as I pass Van's door, wondering if he's in there, lying on that huge kingsize bed all by himself. Maybe he's feeling lonely...

What the fuck Arabella? What you gonna do? Shag them both on the same night?

I'm wrenched out of my thoughts by a scathing voice in my head, and I quickly step away. Even by my standards that's taking things too far. I've pulled Sam and he's gorgeous and talented and what's more he seems quite smitten with me. I should just enjoy that fact and be satisfied with doing what most other girls could only dream about.

I cast a few furtive glances down the corridor to check for prying eyes, then, satisfied that no one's lurking I pull open the door to my room, smiling when I see Sam's form lying down on the bed. He doesn't move as I close the door and step into the room. I'm just deciding whether to strip off the t-shirt and slip in beside him or take a less subtle approach and take a running dive on to the bed when I become aware of the sounds of deep, steady breathing emanating from the bed.

Surely he can't have fallen asleep... already? I've only been gone for ten minutes.

I tiptoe towards the bed and draw back the covers, letting my eyes trail appreciatively over him. He's naked, lying on his back, his face fallen sideways on to the pillow, mouth slightly agape. I suppress a giggle with my hand when he stirs and a loud snore slips out of his lips.

"Sam?" I whisper, easing myself carefully into the bed next to him and rolling myself on to my side. "Are you asleep?"

It's a silly question really. It's plainly obvious that he's out for the count. He actually looks quite peaceful and I fleetingly think it would be a shame to wake him but the night is still young and I'm not feeling remotely sleepy and more importantly I'm bored.

I lean even closer, letting my lips ghost over his shoulder before moving up to hover over his ear. "Wake up sleepy head."

He stirs, his nose wrinkling adorably. I smile to myself, letting my fingers trail across his chest and down over his abdomen, tracing little patterns as I go, tip-toeing playfully. "Hey... wakey wakey... you can't fall asleep on me now, it's not even 2am yet."

A low groan of what definitely sounds like annoyance rumbles in his throat and he twitches, an arm raising up in his stupor to swat at me. I snatch my hand away, frowning, hesitating for a moment before I resume my teasing touches, this time over his hip bone, undeterred. "C'mon Sam... I wanna play..."

His eyes flick open then, but groggily. "Ahh love it's you, didn't realise I'd dozed off. I'm bloody knackered if I'm honest. Can't we just like... have a bit of sleep now?"

I can't hide my disappointment, I can feel the sulky pout curling my lips as my fingers continue their journey down the V of Sam's hip. "Sleep already? But I'm not tired yet. It's really not that late."

"Sorry love, I've been up since the crack of dawn and I'm pissed and I really don't think I've got another one in me tonight! Yer bloody insatiable you are, aren't ya?"

He chuckles, one of his large hands coming to rest over mine, stilling me before I can go any further, thwarting my seduction plans. "Ah shit, I'll make it up to ya... promise. In the morning, yeah?"

And then to make matters worse his face creases into the biggest cavernous yawn before he promptly hauls his body on to the side and away from me, rolling over so he's facing away, my hand falling away from him in the process.

"Night love," he murmurs, almost like an afterthought, reaching down to pull the covers up over himself.

I lie there for a moment, eyes fixed on his broad back, listening to the rhythmic tone of his breathing. It's calming and almost a little hypnotic, and I find myself thinking that it wouldn't actually be the worst thing if I scooted up closer to him, nestling into him, falling asleep to the gentle sounds of him sleeping. Maybe he'd even turn over and curl his body around mine, an arm draped over my waist.

I've almost convinced myself, trying to push my sulkiness at being turned down aside, but as I lie there next to Sam I find that I just can't switch off. I've just spent the night sipping champagne and rubbing shoulders with music industry bigwigs and I'm staying in a fancy hotel. It really doesn't matter that the culmination of the night was pulling a successful and very hot musician. I want more. I should be making the most of this opportunity, not flaking out early and calling it a night.

Just like Van had said in Larry's own words I was often the last one standing at parties. He wasn't wrong. I didn't have a reputation as a hell-raiser for nothing.

So I slip out of bed, pulling Sam's t-shirt off and slinging it down on to the floor, picking up my pink babydoll slip and sliding it on over my head. Then I tiptoe to the door, easing it open and stepping out.

[padfootastic]

I feel like I'm gonna combust.

James dies in fifth year.

What do his parents do? His father works in the DMLE and I have no idea if his mother has a job (can you tell me?). What is their course of action?

Are they going to sue the school for the loss of James or Snape personally? I feel like they have a pretty solid argument for sacking (punishing) dumbledore or sending Snape to Azkaban.

And I that which ever they choose, the would get easily.

Or do they have a big enough heart to forgive Snape, and Dumbledore? Ik Albus hasn't done much wrong, but if a dark curse has been made and used (killing a pureblood- even if it is a blood traitor), dumbledore will be blamed, or could be, right? And they (Potters) would have enough money and power to get their compensation, in whichever way they take it, wouldn't they?

I wonder about Sirius too, but I these are some, that, as far as I know, haven't been asked and it's intresting side for me. Like we know Sirius and lots quality from head to toe but all we know about his parents are that the are old, rich and loving. And that they have a big heart.

hello hello hello! can i just say,,,i love ur questions bc literally the same things go thru my mind lol it’s why i spend so long on worldbuilding (often the unnecessary kind too lol)

let’s take this one by one:

1. i…don’t know of flea was in the DMLE actually? 🤔 wasn’t he a potioneer? and no, i don’t think we have anything for effie but idk why, i like to think she’s a socialite with like. an enchanting business on the side? (v random ik lol but it’s fun) i’m also gonna plead the fifth on this one since i…might include it in the fic and i’ve got a few options i wanna go with there (depending on how i do the macro characterisation for the —are they ruthless, forgiving, more upset than angry etc etc)

2. definitely think they’ll take action against the school, tho, regardless of however they choose to deal w snape personally! they’re def the type to hold authorities responsible for their actions (and lack of) and i do think they’ll push for some outcome pretty hard. idk about getting dumbledore sacked bc,,,if he’s the only one who can keep the school safe during voldy’s rise… not sure that’ll happen.

3. i do err on the side of wealthy potters so i think they’ll have enough money for whichever route they take. i tend to think of them as like…new money types who’ve earned through inventing and travelling? so they earn a lot, and spend on fun things, and it’s a constant cycle. but they don’t have the kind of…historical prestige that the ‘old families’ do tho they enjoy a nice enough reputation.

i haven’t said a lot here, but i do think that a part of them will be diverted towards taking care of sirius as well, because i firmly believe they considered him a second son and they can see how much it’s affecting them and fhey’re the only other ones who get it, right, how devastating the loss of james potter can be. that being said, i find it very, very possible that they’ might ‘die of a broken heart’ and i don’t say that all that lightly. from what we get: james is a surprise child after years of trying to elderly parents. he enjoys a level of pampering and spoiling and unconditional adoration that’s far above the normal avg amount a child gets, imo, and i think after he was born, his parents poured everything of themselves into him. james was effie and flea’s entire world, and they never hesitated in showing it. i totally see them as the kind of overprotective, almost helicopter, parents who panic when their child gets even a scratch on their body—so for him to die? for them to bury their child they wished for so strongly and celebrated as much as they were able to? it’s the definition of heartbreaking. it’s so, so painful, and neither of them would be able to get out of the bed for days or even keep so much as a piece of toast down or do anything, really, for a while.

when they find out the news, effie lets out the most gut wrenching, grief-filled scream, falling to her knees. flea tries to hold onto her but he’s even weaker and both of them just. sink to the ground over their baby boy’s body. not one person had a dry eye around them. no one has seen such a level of shame on dumbledore or mcgonagall’s face before. it might be the first time snape realises the *magnitude* of his actions.

[doubtingthomasin]

kinktober: hellcheer edition

prompt 18: breeding word count: 2k

Small warning for Jason being a dick except when isn't he really?

MINORS DNI

@viharker

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Two weeks. That’s how long Chrissy’s mother grounds her for getting detention.

If that isn’t bad enough, she has to tell her mother something about the condoms, and she obviously can’t tell her about Eddie. In the end, she has to pretend she’s still with Jason.

And when he shows up at her house a couple of days before the end of her imprisonment, apparently at her mother’s behest, she’s not sure why she’s even surprised.

They sit in the parlor in silence for a few moments, him still holding the bouquet of flowers he brought and she gets more pissed off every time she looks at them because she’s told him multiple times that she has allergies so what the actual f–

“I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”

She eyes him quite suddenly, brow furrowing. “What?”

“Well, you should hear the rumors, Chris.” She did not miss that nickname one bit. “People are saying a lot of things.”

She shakes her head slightly. “I don’t really care what people say anymore.”

“You would if you’d heard what I’ve heard.” His eyes bore into hers, and she has to wonder just how much he actually knows. “That you’ve been palling around with that…Hellfire crew…my God, Chrissy, the things they say about you and…and him.”

Apparently, it's not much. “He has a name.”

“And not a very clean one.” He scoffs in disbelief, and she’s relieved they’re finally getting to the heart of why he came here. “What you wound up in detention for…did that have anything to do with him?”

Her body briefly aches at the memory of her and Eddie’s last time in the coat closet, before meeting Jason’s eye again. “I don’t think that sort of thing’s any of your business anymore. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

She stands to leave when he grabs her wrist. “No, listen to me–”

“Jason, let go–”

“I can’t let you just throw your life away–”

“Well, it’s my life, not yours! And he’s twice the man you’ll ever be, for your information!” Her words all but echo through the cold, loveless surroundings, leaving him shell-shocked. “Make of that what you will.” She painfully wrenches her wrist away from him. “We’re done here.”

She runs up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her and locking–fuck, that's right, her mom took the locks. So she barricades it with the cushioned chair from the corner, hearing the front door slam.

She exhales shakily, rushing to the bathroom and turning the faucet as hot as it'll go, scrubbing with her hands and then a washcloth at the wrist he grabbed. She rubs it raw, suddenly unable to see, only realizing that she's crying as the tears fall hot on her cheeks. She slides down to the floor in front of her sink, quietly sobbing as she holds her bruising wrist.

Days later, she can still feel Jason's hand around her wrist, even jerking awake one night from the edge of sleep at the phantom sensation of his touch. As soon as the two weeks are up, she makes fake plans with her best friend to spend the next couple of nights at a sleepover. It costs her whole allowance in cigarettes, the price for possibly incurring her mother's wrath, but her friend swears up and down she'll cover for her the whole time.

Any price is worth paying to have Eddie back in her arms.

In his trailer, Eddie lounges on the couch, strumming listlessly at his guitar. Over those two weeks, he'd eaten less, played less, feeling numb to everything except the fear of what might be happening to her in her own home. It was horrific enough feeling the relief in his gut when he saw her unharmed every day, but not knowing how she was doing for such a long time…it was torture.

He'd still see her at school from far away, and he'd noticed in the last week how Jason hovered nearby her. She'd only glance out of the corner of her eye at her ex, obviously wanting to be left alone. His blood boiled the day he saw his hand on her shoulder, her responding flinch, and he turned away quickly to go to class instead of flying across the hallway to kill him.

It wasn't jealousy. It was only fear. Fear that she was being abused or taken advantage of or even hurting herself. That's what he told himself until he saw that touch, and then he couldn't hide the truth from himself any longer.

It was both.

He’s on his sixth cigarette of the hour when the frantic knock comes. Hopeful, the guitar lands on the couch as he swings the door open to find Chrissy standing there, already on the verge of tears. They collapse at the door once it’s closed, holding each other as she cries with relief, hands fisted in each other’s shirts.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ve got you,” he says shakily, rocking her a little. “He can’t get to you here, you’re safe.”

She pulled back with a sniffle, anxiety wrinkling her forehead. “How did you know?”

“I just meant–” He’s about to explain when she rolls up one of her sleeves, showing him the faint fingerprints around her wrist. “Jesus.” He takes her hand gently to examine it, his stomach turning as he sees the abrasions from her attempts to wash him out of her skin.

“I’m okay,” she assures him, twisting his hair between her fingers. “He didn’t…get to do anything else.”

He holds her close again, a firm kiss to her forehead. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“I still feel dirty, though,” she admits, “like I can’t get him off of me.”

He growls, rage building in his chest. “You just say the word and I’ll kill him, I’ll fucking kill him, Chrissy.”

“No, I need you,” she breathes, taking his face in her hands. The furious fire behind his eyes is immediately extinguished by the desire in hers. “I need you here.” She whispers it as she places his hand on her chest. “Please.”

Eddie nods, leaning into her lips and kissing her softly. He stands them up only to lift her into his arms, her hands lacing around the back of his neck as he carries her to his room. Kicking the door shut, he lays her down on the bed, kissing tenderly around her hurt wrist as she pulls at his shirt with a whine.

“I’m here, babygirl,” he croons, taking off his shirt and starting on his belt buckle. She’s already wriggled out of her blouse and bra when he leans in to cover her, kissing into her mouth. “I’ll never let you go again, I promise.”

She sighs as his hands knead her breasts, her head rolling on the pillow. “God, I missed you so much.” She spreads her legs wider, inviting in everything he’s willing to give.

"Missed you so much more," he breathes as he quickly removes her skirt and panties. “Did you take care of yourself?”

“Uh-uh,” she groans, shaking her head. “I tried but it wasn’t good enough–” Her words stall as his fingers slide inside, crying out in relief when his thumb finds her neglected clit. He sinks to her chest, taking a breast in his mouth as her hands grab his hair. She works herself on his fingers as she mewls, inhaling sharply when he adds a third, flicking his tongue against her nipple all the while.

She feels the tears in her eyes, calling his name as her body jerks underneath him. His mouth closes over her throat, sucking and licking as she cries. “Need more, need more, need more.”

He feels like a bastard for already being completely hard, but he shoves the emotion away as he presses himself flush against her, swallowing her sounds. Right now is about giving her what she needs, and he can't let his head get in the way. They break apart panting, the air stifling as she grabs for his hips. “Calm down, princess, It’s okay.”

“Get him out of me,” she begs in a low moan. “I’m yours, I just wanna be yours.”

“You are mine, baby, don’t worry.” He can’t stop kissing her, consuming her wholly as he lifts her legs to her chest, lining himself up before stopping to meet her gaze. "He can't have you anymore. Not like this."

She nods her consent, holding onto his shoulders as he presses in halfway. Her face relaxes around another whine, and he hooks her ankles behind his back before grabbing both her hands, pinning them to the mattress.

He starts slowly, stretching her little cunt out, filling her up gradually until he's completely inside. His hair falls around her face as he leans his forehead on hers, a groan escaping him as his hips push hers into the bed.

"Promise I'm yours," he pushes out of her, hands tightening around his. He starts moving a little quicker, building a rhythm but always sinking in fully before retreating. "Promise, Eddie, please."

"You're mine, Chrissy Cunningham," he growls, his heart flipping as he says it. "You're fucking mine and no one else's, hear me?" He increases speed to a steady pace, still hitting up to her cervix every time. "They'll never keep me away from you again."

"I don't want them to," she whimpers, her voice getting higher the faster he goes. "I want you to take me every night, just like this. I want you to mark me, inside and out, forever."

"Fuck, Chrissy!" He shouts at the heat of her words while he gives her the first truly hard thrust and she wails.

"Don't stop, don't fucking stop!" And he doesn't, driving into her forcefully over and over as they both lose control. He kisses her one more time before leaning up, moving his hands to her waist to rail her, working her on his cock as she screams his name.

Hands clinging to the sheets, her yells fade to grunts on every thrust. Her legs fall to the mattress and he lifts them back to his chest, trapping them there as he keeps pounding her.

"I'm gonna come so hard in you," he babbles over her sounds, thrusting hard enough that his headboard hits the wall. "Fill up that pretty little pussy, you want that?"

"God, yes," she struggles out. "I don't want anything else, don't want anyone else, just your gorgeous cock pumping me full."

"So deep inside, no one will ever get me out."

"Never, never." She's quivering around him and he slows, leaning on his forearms to roll into her clit, her feet almost to her head. He pulls his hips up just to let them fall, the sound of slapping skin filling the room as he impales her. He alternates between pounding and rolling until she's trembling, grunting as he grinds into her until she's clenching hard around him.

"Master, please!" she screams as he keeps jutting his hips, his throbbing cock pulsing inside her. Her hands grab his arms, and he sees her hair sticking to her sweat-sheened face, the whites of her eyes the only thing showing as he possesses her.

He comes as hard as he promised, yelling her name to the ceiling as he spills deep inside her well-worked pussy. He lays on her chest as they catch their breath, hearing her fluttering heartbeat while they come down from the high. Reality returns, and they both know that everything they said can't be true. At least, not yet.

When he looks up, Chrissy's staring at her wrist with woeful eyes. For however good she feels, that unwanted mark is still there, soiling her skin.

"Want me to fix it?" Her eyes dart to his and she nods. He leans on his elbows over her, rubbing a thumb over the inside of her wrist just below her pulse. "Even if it hurts?"

Her brow furrows a bit, but she nods again with a little noise. He gives the delicate skin a tender, wet kiss before sinking his teeth in. She starts and he holds on firmly, biting harder until he feels the skin break. She whimpers, relaxing again as he pulls back, considers his work, then licks a long strip over the mark. 

That's when she realizes he must've drawn blood. When he meets her eye again, his own vulnerable and wide, his broken words confirm it.

"Now you're inside me, too."

[luminousvision]

Everland

The line into Everland spun several loops and twirls through the parking lot, like a ride of its own. Many faced forward in line, bowing slightly, looking at their phones. The kids around us squirmed but we were now old enough to know that life takes its time. I stood in line with my sister, Wendy.

“Kind of uncreative, don’t you think?” I asked.

“If you’re going to complain about a free trip to Everland, you can leave,” Wendy replied. “I’m officially an adult now.”

She strode up to the ticket stand once it was our turn. “Two adult passes,” she said, standing up very straight. Wendy looked quite tall. She handed her ID to the bored clerk who raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly fifteen,” Wendy said. 

The clerk mumbled something and handed us two red bracelets. Wendy put one around her wrist and then put one on mine.

A giant golden fountain greeted us at the entryway into the park. It looked exactly as I remembered from childhood. Little kids wearing green bracelets ran around the edge of the fountain, screaming and cheering. The parents watching looked tired already.

“Where do you want to go?” I asked, opening up the Everland brochure. Colorful drawings dotted the oval-shaped amusement park.

“Let’s try everything! Oh, we have to go through the Alice in Wonderland tunnel. That’s my favorite.”

“Really? Do you enjoy the Queen of Hearts jumping out at you screaming ‘off with your head’? She gave me months of nightmares.”

Wendy laughed. “But it’s so funny! You take things too seriously.”

We had just passed the fountain of kids when a girl waved at us. “Wendy?” she called.

“Juliet! What are you doing here?” Wendy exclaimed. She ran to hug Juliet, who was holding hands with the boy beside her.

“Well,” Juliet began, drawing out her words, “we thought it would be fun to spend the day together.” 

They smiled and looked into each other’s eyes. They wore green bracelets.

“Any rides you have in mind? Eternal Vortex looks wild,” I said.

“Not really, since we can’t do much with these,” she said, holding up her arm. “We’d just rather disappear together out back anyway,” Juliet said, winking at Wendy. “Wouldn’t you two?”

We looked at her. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t introduce you to my brother Peter,” Wendy said. We shook hands all around.

“We’re going to the clock tower. That’s probably the best place. Do you want to join us?” Juliet asked.

“Is that a ride?” Wendy asked.

“No, it’s just the clock tower.”

“You two go have fun—let’s meet up for lunch,” I said. We agreed this was a good idea.

“Wonder what’s so interesting about the clock tower,” Wendy said after we parted ways.

“Really?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind,” I said. I put my hands in my pockets. “Want to go on that?” I pointed to a red and pink rollercoaster on a hill in front of us.

“Sure.”

We climbed several flights of stairs and queued behind a lively family. 

“I’m going to take your phone if you keep texting.”

“We’re sitting in line. There’s nothing else to do.”

“Ariel, listen to your mother.”

“Besides, I talk to lots of people over the phone, mom. I’m social. It’s good to build social skills. It’s an important life skill.”

“You’re stupid.”

“Be nice to your sister.”

“Shut up, Andrew. People like talking to me. Lizzy said I was the best call girl at school.”

“What!”

Wendy stifled a laugh.

“Most kids prefer texting, but they don’t know how to have a real conversation.”

Thankfully the line moved fast. Wendy beamed when they checked her bracelet and let us in. We were lucky to be the first of our batch, giving us the front seats on the rollercoaster train. It was one of the inverted ones, one that drops you off the platform right from the beginning without the suspense of getting pulled up into the sky. It sent us through a bunch of loops and corkscrews plus a gut-wrenching second dive before the train swirled through a few turns and clicked onto the final chain.

“Anti-climactic, don’t you think?” Wendy shouted as we climbed up into the station.

“Aren’t they all? The drop can’t come last.”

“I guess. Want to go again?”

We couldn’t even see the end of the line anymore, so we went back down the stairs. We got ourselves dizzy on the teacups and played games at the arcade. I kept thinking about how Wendy was much taller than either Juliet or that girl on her phone. 

About two hours later, we ran into Juliet and her date again at the Alice in Wonderland tunnel. They now wore red bracelets. Juliet said she snuck them from a friend who worked at the clock tower. The crew put the four of us in the same boat with me and Wendy in the back. With a light and a beep, we began to move. The tunnel was dark except for the various light acrobatics and the strange characters from my childhood memories. Kids somehow enjoy a book or tunnel with a giant talking mushroom, a flock of birds reading books and a cat with only a creepy smile and no body. Wendy giggled when the Queen of Hearts jumped out at us at the end, threatening to behead us all. Juliet and the boy spent more time looking at each other than anything else but I supposed they had fun all the same. Afterwards, we grabbed greasy burgers for a late lunch.

“Alice in Wonderland brings back so many memories,” Wendy said, sighing.

“I didn’t remember much from the books. It’s been a while,” Juliet said.

“Yeah, I remember it being weirder, scarier, and funnier,” I added.

Wendy turned to Juliet. “What else did you two do? Which ride did you enjoy the most?”

The couple looked at each other and giggled. “We had fun at the clock tower,” Juliet said.

“What’s so special about this clock tower? It’s not even a ride.” She sounded irritated.

They giggled again. “You should go check it out. It’s a really nice clock tower, especially if you go all the way to the end.”

“They have a call girl there,” I said.

They all looked at me. “What’s a call girl?” Juliet asked. 

“You didn’t see her at the clock tower? She can dial for any one of many phones around the park. When they ring, you’re supposed to pick it up. It’s a surprise who you talk to.”

“I didn’t see any of these phones,” the boy said.

“You have to look for them. I’ll point it out the next time we pass one.”

“I didn’t see anything like that at the clock tower either. Besides, who wants to talk to a random stranger?” Juliet asked.

“The call girl doesn’t seem to mind. She does it a lot.”

“It seems rather rude to call someone and then make up a conversation, don’t you think?” Wendy asked, making a face at me.

“I don’t see the harm in a funny call every now and then,” I said.

Juliet and her boy were busy looking at each other again.

“Anything else you found fun or would recommend? You had your red bracelets.” Wendy turned to Juliet.

“Not really. There wasn’t much to do. And certainly can’t recommend this burger,” her date said.

“Can’t expect much,” I said, eating two fries at a time.

Wendy turned to me. “Oh yeah? Well, I expected better,” she said.

“I can’t finish it,” Juliet said, stretching. “It’s been a long day. Let’s go. What do you think?”

We said our goodbyes. I stood at the entrance of the food court and watched them hold hands in the distance, standing tall with their red bracelets.

“You’re a jerk,” Wendy said.

“I hoped they’d shut up about the clock tower.”

“Do you know Juliet?”

“No, why?”

“Do you know what her friends say? You can’t be serious.”

“I really have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Ugh, you’re such an older brother.” Wendy shoved me. “Be nice to her. What’s at the stupid clock tower anyway?”

I laughed. “Do you want to see it for yourself?”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, let’s go.”

It was on the other side of the park so we had to walk for at least ten minutes. We passed by a lot of fun-looking rides, but Wendy wasn’t interested.

The clock tower was a four-story-tall concrete structure. We and a few others climbed up to look out from the top. The clock itself was translucent, so anyone down on the ground looking at the clock could look at us too.

“Where’s the call girl?” Wendy asked.

“What?”

“The girl working the phones,” she mocked.

“She already left,” I said.

We found a shady path behind the clock tower that led to these slabs of concrete that seemed to serve as benches or something for kids to run around on. The dense trees overhead filtered out a lot of the sunlight and dampened the din of the park. We passed through four blocks of these concrete structures. There was one family just talking amongst themselves in the first block. They seemed happy and loving. A couple whispered to each other in a corner of the the second. The third and fourth were empty. These two blocks were much darker and we couldn’t see much. The path eventually brought us back into the Everland open.

“I wonder what was so exciting. There was nothing to the clock tower,” Wendy said.

“I don’t know.”

Wendy kicked an empty bottle on the ground. “Peter, what dating like?”

“Don’t ask me. What does that even mean? And why are you asking your brother anyway?”

“Oh, never mind. I know it sounds weird, but that’s probably not what most people think when they look at us.”

“Who cares?”

“Feels strange, no?”

I shrugged.

She looked into the sky for a second before she pointed at a purple building up ahead. “Let’s try that,” she said. We walked into a house of mirrors.

The mirrors distorted my arms, legs, hips, and head. The kids behind us thought it was funny and shrieked with laughter. Wendy, who had already wandered elsewhere, was not likely to find it nearly as funny. The next room flipped me upside down and sideways and then into another where it disfigured my face almost beyond recognition.

Someone screamed. It sounded like Wendy. I darted forward, left, then around a corner. I halted once before running into yet another mirror. Thinking the sound could have reverberated from behind me, I turned around only to see Wendy’s face smash into mine. I put my hand to my lips and found hot blood. Wendy did the same. She stared at her hand. Blood ran from her lips and dripped onto her skirt.

A mother of two small boys rushed over. Yeah, we were okay. Wendy silently nodded a few times, letting another drop of blood fall onto her skirt. I asked her if she was okay. Wendy replied this time—she was fine. I grabbed her hand to help her up. We navigated the labyrinth of mirrors, doubling back out of several dead ends in frustration before we found the exit.

The late afternoon sun threw our shadows far across the concrete. A tall couple leaned against a fortune teller’s booth, glued together at the hips and mouth. They stopped kissing to look our way. “Looks like you two had fun,” the girl said. Wendy blinked several times before her cheeks reddened.

We found a few napkins from a hot dog stand and dabbed our lips, which had stopped bleeding.

“Is this really happening on my birthday?”

“Sorry about that. I looked for you. Was that you screaming?”

“Yeah. I thought I saw something,” Wendy said. She looked up into the sky away from me. “I figured out what Juliet did at the clock tower.”

“What? Tell me.”

“I’d rather not. I don’t want to think about it.”

We sat down at one of the tables. She stared at a ketchup stain.

“You want something to eat?” I asked. “It’ll help you feel better.”

“Hot dogs? No thanks. I don’t think I could eat one anyhow, not with these lips.”

A pack of teenage boys passed us, laughing.

“Want to go home?”

Wendy tore at her hair with her hands. “With a day like this?”

I held her forearm. She put her other hand over mine. The dry, warm, afternoon wind brushed through the fuzz on my arm. Wendy closed her eyes. Straight black hair waved across her face. Her shoulders relaxed.

“Nobody’s watching us. Are they?” she said, her voice even and controlled.

A group of girls had looked our way several times from their table. And certainly many passing groups and couples had at least glanced over.

“Well, I don’t think—“

“Not today they’re not,” she interrupted, gritting her teeth. Then she smiled. I had never seen her so happy. “Let’s get ice cream. That’ll be good for our lips.”

We stood in line together at the ice cream shop selling giant cones, the biggest I had ever seen. She held my arm. We marveled at the size of the ice creams. We sat down with an enormous vanilla ice cream cone, big enough for both of us to eat it at the same time. They were out of spoons this late in the day, so we got ice cream all over our faces. But nobody was watching, Wendy said.

We visited the souvenir shop. I picked up a hardback copy of Alice in Wonderland, but Wendy shook her head. We bought a snow globe each instead, ones that had little white objects floating around in it, not just glitter. We shook them violently to no avail, even though it looked cheap enough to explode. Nobody was watching, except a store clerk who gave us a look and asked if we were happy with our purchase. 

In the parking lot, Wendy tore off her red bracelet and crumpled it. She tried to throw it into a nearby trash can, but missed. Wendy picked it up and dropped it in. 

“What about yours, Peter?” she asked.

[hard-core-super-star]

you just proving my point with your mind going blank lmao. well, your cry for help is entertaining me with conversations and fanfics.... I don't know if I should be grateful or not

so you're not interested in getting a star? wow, I really see what the ego is capable of doing to human beings. I completely agree about this article not doing a good job explaining it, it's not like the writing and the way the information was shared in an almost gentle way contrasts with the examples of the poems, making the reading more pleasant and immersive, of course not haha. As I haven't read it, I wanted to confirm if the “armed cavalier” one is the 98, because if it is, even it telling about his frustration, it wouldn't make me smile if there was a name pun. nope. really, I'm glad we're not doing that because that's not the kind of subject I like, that kind of depth with these complex topics, especially with the so-called most definitely queer pov, which brings an extra meaning and impact on this subject.

doesn't Instagram work with an algorithm? maybe if you show that you don't like this type of post it will appear less frequently?

I genuinely hope that this kind of thing doesn't happen and isn't happening and that much less hailee accepts shit like this silently. I mean, as for his fans, not that he needs to encourage them to do that, they already do it themselves.

I think it's good to get this off our chest a little or else we'll have to see if white is a color that suits us, as we'll have to wear a straitjacket. jdjksaksk I don't know what to say about her because there's a lot to say and so many things can be interpreted beyond the personality we see, you know? maybe even an idea of ​​ours that matches and serves as a “complement” to her personality because of X situation or reaction. but I think I like to put a lot of thought into Kate's sense of justice, you know? that's something I really admire about her; she'll try to do what she thinks is right but leave her feelings kind of aside???? stay neutral and don't exactly let that affect her sense of judgment because she's serious about being a hero, and if the “right” thing to do is arrest her own mom, she will do it, even if it hurts her

– 🌟

i mean…yeah, i’m not gonna say you're right but…ANYWAY, it's entertaining for me too despite all my complaints. although these conversations are way more fun than me throwing random sentences at a page and seeing if they stick. [although you could argue i do that when i’m talking to you too]

i don't know how to word this in a way that makes sense but i technically already have a star ‘cause of my username so but i could be convinced to dial down my ego if it means you'll give me one. i’m so glad you didn't read it and didn't write a beautiful analysis of this not at all amazing article. since you didn't read it, i won't tell you that the author is also responsible for a book with all the translations of these poems that are definitely not interesting and that i definitely didn't spend three months obsessing over. and because you didn't read it, i won't confirm that poem 98 is the one i was talking about and that the “armed cavalier” line is a beautiful yet heart-wrenching pun on his lover’s name that haunts me to this day because of how in pain yet in love michelangelo sounds. and i definitely wouldn't like to compare it to the “sue forevermore” poem that has those same bitter-sweet feelings from emily’s hidden yet obviously queer pov. and i definitely do not want to emphasize how much longing both of these poems have which just adds to that queer pov.

i don't know if the algorithm hates me or if i’ve truly spent THAT long looking at hailee related posts that she won't LEAVE.

they do say hope is the last thing to die and i think it's all we have left at this point. [something something, hope is the thing with feathers]

that's honestly a really nice way to put it. getting it off our chest will also stop us from holding in the resentment that bubbles up every few days. [as evidenced by lacy part 1 and 2, in my case] see? i knew encouraging you to share your thoughts would be a great idea because i love, and agree, with what you said. i have a lot of thoughts about her sense of justice and how willing she is to do the right thing but i’ll just leave it at: it's so interesting to me that practically every character makes fun of kate at some point for being young and immature but when push comes to shove, she puts herself aside [and directly in the line of danger] for everyone else. she puts on this facade of being cool and irresponsible but she's the opposite. she's just clumsy about it.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here friend (loving the wizard wear, particularly the dragon ring 🐉❤) with our song for this week's heart-wrenching episode, Intermission. This isn't the most hopeful of SaL songs, but I think it's appropriate given the struggles of Hen and Buck, both trying to find an equilibrium between versions of themselves. For Hen it's very explicit, we literally end on her having to choose "side a or side b", while the ease Buck was seeking all episode gets upended with Lev's final thoughts.

Sorry this took me an extra day to get to, we were out of town and got back late though it was worth the drive for a delicious meal and lots of tea and an excuse to dress up! I didn’t get the bracelets in the picture, and the ring is actually a willow tree but I might have a dragon ring somewhere. I used to get a fandom jewelry box once a month for a year or two so I have a ton of random and fun fandom pieces that come in handy when I want to match whatever theme the tea room is doing that month! Then, Friday was a draining work day and I wanted to come into this one fresh because this song is one of my favorites so I figure a cozy Saturday morning over tea is just right! (I got their Darcy and Elizabeth tea during their Jane Austen tea last month and it is delightful!)

So we have talked about this song once before that I could find, and it was also about 911 and Buck/Eddie after the hostage situation last season so that’s fun! I’m excited to revisit it now when we see Hen and Buck in these transitional periods.

i’m so tired but i can’t sleep. my mind is full but i can’t speak. among the dust of the hard-to-reach, i’m stuck right here, somewhere between side a and side b.

i could call it compromise or just an intermission. some kind of consolation prize for the race i never finished.

Okay so right away I’m thinking about that scene in the loft with Hen and Buck. Buck looks that kind of exhausted-wired where he can’t sleep so he’s researching, trying to find the secret of happiness. I find it interesting that he’s not the one who brings up what he’s reading, he waits for Hen to engage first and once he feels like he has permission, then he starts asking the questions he’s been holding in. We all know Buck is feeling stuck in this limbo after his relationship ended and he’s scared to make a wrong move forward. I’m also thinking of that chair from last week that he moved into the couch space, a consolation prize for now, but we see it only seats one and that’s not what Buck is looking for long term!

Then we have the Hen of it all, running herself ragged, the other end of the spectrum where she WANTS to sleep but cannot allow herself to, lest she fall behind. And her mind is so full of all the things she has going on that you can see she doesn’t really want to continue this conversation with Buck, but she takes a moment anyway because he’s family and clearly something is up. She really will make an amazing captain someday when she’s ready to take that on. She’s constantly switching from captain mode to medical student mode to mom/wife/friend mode, making compromises where she can to try and juggle everything when Bobby ends up gone longer than originally planned. This limbo as we see by the end of the episode is not sustainable for her! 

i want to turn these tired gears. i want to feel the follow-through, some kind of equilibrium… something to set my watch to.

i’m here, somewhere between victory and a white flag. caught in this purgatory dream, i’m stuck.

Buck is looking for a steady presence in his life because he never felt settled before and now he has a job he loves and people he loves but he’s looking for that constant at home too. We saw it last season with him coming home alone watching his gf on TV and how deflated he looked. The thing is, he’s already set his watch to something, and that’s the Diaz boys! We see his kitchen bright and cheery and full of life, with him spending hours (and several previous tries) to feed the people he loves, and more than that, while this might be the first Buckley-Diaz family dinner WE’RE seeing on screen, the completely comfortable vibes show us that this is a regular occurrence, and Eddie and Chris are completely at home in Buck’s space. (Also, the concept of “time” and “watches” surrounding Buddie definitely had my ears perking up at that line!) Buck spent last season being caught between pushing through and not giving up on a relationship that was all give and gradually draining him of life and “giving up” which he thinks is failure when really he was setting himself free! But now he’s in this limbo of looking for something while not realizing it’s been right in front of him this whole time! 

 I loved seeing Hen’s phone, constantly lighting up with her schedule of activities, trying to follow through on all her commitments, setting her watch by what everything and everyone else needs from her, and in that, pushing aside what SHE needs and in the end, she’s left feeling like she let everyone down. Hen is definitely in her purgatory dream right now! The things she wants are within her sights, but she’s now having to face the possibility of waiving the white flag on something or risking losing everything. 

but i want to set the record straight, i want to retrace my every step. if i could just rewind all the tapes then maybe i’d find my loose thread.

call it a compromise or just an intermission. some kind of consolation prize, so close, but never finished.

i want to turn these tired gears. i want to feel the follow-through, some kind of equilibrium… something to set my watch to.

That first bit is hitting RIGHT in the Buck feels, because Hen knows where she went wrong, she took on too much. But Buck, Buck is looking back over every decision trying to find where things when wrong so he can keep from making the same mistake. And doing that can be healthy and a learning experience! However Buck is clearly obsessing about not making the same mistakes, going without so he doesn’t pick the wrong “couch” again, and tying to research binge his way though this struggle to find a perfect “answer” to how to be happy. I want to very, very gently shake him. I find it interesting that in his quest to not repeat the same mistakes, we have him put in a situations similar to so many of his other past “mistakes”, not things that were ever his fault, but left him feeling like he failed anyways. We have the victim buried in a collapsed tunnel with shrapnel in his shoulder, and we have not only a crush injury, but also one involving an older man, with people he’s known for decades. A man that puts his own safety on hold to allow a kid to be saved, and then feels his purpose has been served and dies while Buck desperately gives compressions. It’s A LOT and such a mashing together of so many awful moments in Buck’s life that it’s no wonder he’s such a mess! I look forward to where this storyline is going for him this season.

As for Hen, she’s coming up on making some hard decisions and while I think we’ll see her choose to stay at the 118 now that she knows being captain is a possibility for her, it’s going to be painful to see her letting that other dream of medical school go. I’m curious to see if they will end up letting her do both, just to keep that route open in case Aisha decides to leave at some point (please god let this show wrap up naturally and not drag out until all the mains are gone or utterly unrecognizable, I am literally begging, do not do this to my family!) Hen is looking for equilibrium now and finding a balance that’s sustainable and I’m excited to see where that journey takes us, especially since we’re getting some good Henren scenes this season!

Excellent choice as always my friend!