#I am completely incapable of containing my excitement

[jenanigans1207]

My good omens s2 countdown chain

how it started vs. how it’s going

[i-drop-level-one-loot]

How to train your pet Human pt.2 (Yandere!Alien X GN!Reader)

part 1, part 3

CW: Abduction, imprisonment, yandere themes, death, pet/owner relationship, tickle torture, humiliation, sexual themes, angst

"There they are~" Kirtch bent to pick (Reader) up, lifting them easily like a child and carrying them with one hand under their butt. (Reader's) face scrunched up in embarrassment. They were wearing an ugly shirt, both baggy and synched tightly, flowy around the body but locked in place like a neck corset at the top and wrists. When Kirtch first presented the tacky gift, (Reader) had ran to hide, forcing Kirtch to wrestle the outfit onto them.

With all of the unnecessary buttons and ties, (Reader) was incapable of taking it off themselves, and was now sulking.

"I have a lot of duties today that cannot be completed in my office, so I thought you might enjoy coming with me so you don't have to be couped up alone." Kirtch gently knocked his forehead into (Reader's).

'Escape chance, escape chance, escape chance-' "Yeah, that sounds nice." (Reader) tried to contain their excitement, consciously aware of their heart beating loudly in their chest.

"Wonderful! I've packed a couple of toys to keep you occupied if you get bored, as well as snacks." He replied happily, seeming so pleased with himself as he briskly walked down the hall from his bedroom towards the main hall. The two passed by many other aliens walking up and down the corridors, none of whom seemed to be the same species as Kirtch. Everyone wore the same cloak, standing them out from the creatures in the shopping district, a uniform slightly lighter in color than Kirtch's. Most would pause while walking to rub a hand over where their noses should have been, and Kirtch would raise a hand in response.

"What are they doing?" (Reader) whispered.

"It is a sign of respect. I am their superior, so if they are not in a rush to get somewhere they are greeting me."

Fear tickled (Reader's) spine. "Are you guys in the military?"

Kirtch laughed, a high pitch clicking sound that almost sounded like a broken music box. "No. I'm just an upper level leader in our trading company."

They arrived in front of a decorated wall, and Kirtch squeezed (Reader) a little while smiling. "Now this is a very important meeting, I need you to be as quiet as possible, okay?"

(Reader) huffed. "I'm not a child."

"I know you aren't. You're a very sweet pet, who is most definitely a grown adult human."

They felt humiliated. It had been almost a month since they were bought by Kirtch, and they did everything in their power to not anger him or appear as though they needed "release". (Reader) constantly watched and waited for the perfect escape attempt, while fighting off Kirtch's affections in as non threatening a way as possible. Like they were emulating a cat. (Reader's) skin burned, but they held back their tongue.

The wall opened, revealing a board room (at least that's what (Reader) assumed it was), a bare room only decorated with a long table surrounded by stools. Kirtch sat (Reader) on the floor and pulled out a sack from the inside of his cloak. While they didn't want to immediately act the part of a good pet, (Reader) was curious as to what was in the bag. The first thing they pulled out, however, was a taxidermied cat. (Reader's) eyes widened, and they couldn't contain their anxiety, shaking as they stared into the cat's glass eyes. Was this some kind of threat?

"Do you like it? I've been meaning to buy you more human toys, so I thought you would appreciate a stuffed animal." Realizing that the 'gift' was not malicious, the nervousness immediately dissolved into mental fatigue.

"Oh. I get it. Stuffed animal. Yeah." They put the animal back in the bag, hoping Kirtch didn't think their exhausted smile was permission to buy more dead bodies.

More aliens entered the room, greeting Kirtch before taking their seats. (Reader) couldn't understand what the meeting was about, since they were all speaking in Kirtch's native tongue, but their voices and faces were tense. The meeting went on for well over an hour, but (Reader) found it surprisingly entertaining, dubbing over their conversation inside their mind like Mystery Science Theater, chuckling with how wild their hand movements were. It was very human of them.

(Reader) fucked up, accidently snorting at one of the angrier aliens. Although they didn't understand the language, one of his sentences sounded awfully like "Pineapple farts", and with how intense his face was, it made it seem like he was describing how his ass felt. Their sound was so quiet it was almost inaudible, but the alien still noticed and spun his head in (Reader's) direction so quickly his exoskeleton creaked. (Reader) bit their lip to hide a smile, turning away from the conference to pretend to munch on their fruit (?) slices.

The irate alien began ranting louder, and (Reader) caught a word they had heard from a few of the underlings they had been introduced to. Bah-blk. Human.

Shit.

They snuck a glance towards the group very slowly to view Kirtch's expression, worried they may have angered him by interrupting the meeting. And indeed, his almost perfectly flat face was pulled into a scowl, but it wasn't aimed at (Reader).

"(Reader), pet, could you come here for a moment?"

His voice was light and smooth, as it always was when speaking to (Reader), but Kirtch's face was grave as he refused to break eye contact with the alien in front of him; said alien's shell glistened like he was sweating under Kirtch's glare. (Reader), not wanting to be punished later, left their spot on the floor and shuffled over to their owner. Kirtch pulled (Reader) into his lap the second they were within his reach, still staring daggers at the poor alien across the table.

He spoke to the offender, holding (Reader) lovingly with one arm as if to make a point. The man was panicked, waving his arms and sweating profusely, sounding apologetic. It wasn't enough, whatever it was he was saying. He referenced (Reader) as Bah-blk again, and then he was dead.

Before (Reader) could understand what it was that Kirtch had pulled out of his robe, a soundless shot was fired across the table, green blood splattering across the wall as the alien's head was pierced by some kind of projectile.

Everyone turned away, unsurprised by the killing. It was a lukewarm reaction, as though this wasn't the first time they witnessed someone die at Kirtch's hand. The body fell, head slamming into the table with a wet thud.

(Reader) didn't know what he had said, but to kill him... It was jarring. The young adult hadn't payed any attention to the tears dripping down their chin until Kirtch wiped them off. The roughness of his hand startled (Reader), making them flinch away from his touch.

For the rest of the meeting (Reader) couldn't pry their eyes away from the dead body lying across from them. It was a nightmare seemingly without an end, staring at a corpse while his murderer held (Reader) tenderly, rubbing his thumb on their side absentmindedly while discussing business with colleagues like it was a regular Tuesday.

If (Reader) was more aware, they would be disgusted with themselves for not fighting Kirtch as he picked them up to go back to their room, but they just wanted to go back to the safety of their *bed*, and couldn't force their brain to focus on anything else.

The bed was more like a twin sized pillow nestled in a metal cage, but it was soft and felt secure, like when (Reader) was young and thought that hiding under their blanket would protect them from the shadow people in their closet.

"Are you alright, (Reader)?" Kirtch asked, his voice full of concern.

(Reader) curled up, pulling the blanket tight over their face.

Kirtch sighed, and crouched down by (Reader's) bed. "(Reader), please don't be upset with me. If this is about my colleague, please know that what I did was necessary."

"Murder is never necessary."

"He tried to accuse me of not being.. as invested in the job as I should be. And that the reason for my lack of dedication was you. He used very strong language." Kirtch placed a hand on (Reader's) back. "I told him not to disrespect you. Yet he continued."

(Reader) began crying, shaking under Kirtch's touch. "Are you saying that I'm the reason he's dead?"

"Oh, pet.." Kirtch sighed again, pulling (Reader) out of the fetal position and into his arms. "I've always been incredibly interested in humanity. When I was a young child, there was a 'book' in my father's study about primitive species, and that's how I learned about humans. Did you know that you and I experience life differently from one another? Our brains function differently. We have different pain receptors; our brains' physiology are almost nothing alike; the diseases humans are capable of developing simply for existing are concepts we've never had to worry about. Even how we perceive the color spectrum, humans are so unlike any other sentient species I have met."

"I was so fascinated by Earth, especially by humans. We are not allowed to visit Earth as it is a restricted area, so much of what we know is recorded knowledge from captured defectors. My chances of meeting a human were next to none. Then, we had to dock in Dol-Hu, a shady planet only inhabited by criminals and those in hiding. And wandering through the market, I saw you."

"The one thing I've always wanted, for the past seventy years, I recognized you as a human immediately, even though you were so much cuter than I could have expected. You're so soft, and fragile, in comparison to my armoured flesh. You were bent over, but I knew from descriptions I had memorized what you were. As one who has always loved Earth, I am fluent in every Earth language we know of, so I was excited to communicate with you. I was so eager to have a piece of humanity. And now here you are."

(Reader) rolled over, their heart clenching painfully as they looked up into Kirtch's sadly smiling face. "I wonder what I look like through your eyes."

Their heart began doing somersaults in their throat as the tears continued flowing.

"You may have been the only human I've ever known, but I can say with confidence that you must have been the best humanity had to offer. I only want to give you the best life possible."

(Reader) wrapped their arms around Kirtch's midsection, sobbing loudly. His body didn't bend or squish under the full strength of (Reader's) embrace. And that was how (Reader) fell asleep, crying themselves into a nap.

When they awoke, they were alone, lying in the bed with the cat tucked into their arms. (Reader) left the room to find Kirtch at his desk, working on paperwork. The giant heard (Reader) behind him, and turned his attention on them, smiling as he held out his arms in an offer to pick them up. And much to his surprise, (Reader) willingly entered into his embrace, and allowed him to set them on his lap without pouting or making a fuss.

"I have a few more documents to look over, then I can play with you, okay?"

"Okay." Their voice was quiet and monotone, (Reader's) mind still fuzzy from crying so much before falling asleep.

"Are you still upset? Is there anything I can do to make you happy?"Kirtch laid down his work, trapping (Reader) in his arms.

"No.. you can continue working."

"You're more important than my work. I consider your unhappiness to be a crises."

Worry began to prick at (Reader's) skin. "I'm really fine, we don't need to play!"

"Need?"

Memories of the day (Reader) was bought flashed through their mind, causing them to go red and hot as they started to squirm in Kirtch's embrace. "I-I- didn't mean it like that!"

One hand left (Reader's) body to grab something from Kirtch's desk. "Don't fret, I recently purchased a new toy I thought would bring you joy."

(Reader's) eyes bulged out as they froze in anticipation, their heart hammering in their chest. But what Kirtch retrieved did not appear safe to go near any genitalia, a strange contraption formed of multiple thin prongs on a handle. Embarrassed that they had assumed something sexual was about to happen, (Reader) bit the inside of their cheek, puzzling over the strange discomfort they were feeling. "What's that?"

Kirtch raised (Reader's) shirt, and dragged the device across their skin, causing an involuntary shudder. It tickled.

"Ah! No!" (Reader) accidentally laughed, trying to push Kirtch away. He trailed the toy from their pelvic area visible above their pants to their left armpit. The light tingling sensation forcibly clenched their stomach muscles as they let loose a howl of laughter.

They couldn't breathe correctly, laughing so hard that their spasming abdominals made it feel like they were choking. But they couldn't stop, begging Kirtch to "knock it off" while their cheeks hurt from the smile they had. That damn toy tickled every inch of their body, not even noticing when Kirtch removed their pants. They kicked futilely, unable to break free from the assault. Their sensitive skin was almost becoming painful to the touch, but the laughter only got louder.

"pleASE! KIRTCH, stop!!" (Reader) heaved. Their whole body felt tender, highly reactive to each touch. Which made them aware of the fact that the only thing separating them from Kirtch's lap was a thin pair of underpants. With how they had been writhing on his lap, they were relieved that Kirtch didn't seem to have a dick that could become aroused from such movements.

(Reader's) smile fell. I have no idea how Kirtch's species reproduces. Maybe he can get erections, but he won't get one for me because he sees me as a pet. An animal. Their heart turned to concrete as it dropped out of its cage.

Kirtch halted his attack when he saw (Reader) go limp. "Are you tuckered out, pet?"

(Reader) tried to slide off his lap like jelly. "I'm done playing. I want to go back to bed."

"Alright, my stubborn little grump, what is it now? You were all smiles but a second ago, so what is it plaguing your mind?"

They tried to scrunch up their nose to prevent more tears from sheepishly forming. "I'm not a pet. I'm a human. I want to be treated like an equal!"

Kirtch's smile was replaced by a hurt scowl. "Is it so unpleasant being my pet?"

"No!" (Reader) interjected, not understanding why it pained them so much to see Kirtch upset, "I just want to, I just.. I don't know. This is confusing, and it feels.. weird. You're really nice to me, and sometimes it feels like... but then other times you treat me like I'm a cat. This isn't what I want. Either be a bastard and treat me like an animal or treat me like-" Their words caught in their throat. Treat me like what?!

A fearful kiss was placed on their forehead, ghostly with hardly any pressure. Kirtch's hands trembled on (Reader's) sides. "All I wish is to adore you for the rest of your life."

He pulled (Reader) into his chest, petting their back in a comforting manner. "I'll give you anything you ask for, I'll do anything you ask of me. Just to keep you happy, with me. You are all that I've ever wanted. All I wish is to care for you, and spend all my attention on you. If there is anything you want, please ask me. I need you to love me."

(Reader) felt so confused. Like a squid was destroying their gut, everything was uncomfortable and scary. They knew that Kirtch viewed them as a pet, he loved them how (Reader) loved their family dog as a child. But when they heard him begging for their love, it made them wish for an odd moment that he wasn't an alien. That (Reader) was sitting on their boyfriend's lap right now, a strange human man who sometimes infantalized them but only out of affection. Why couldn't this be simple? Why did (Reader) want him to kiss them right at that moment?

"I want to go home. I want to meet someone kind and fall in love." (Reader's) words stabbed Kirtch in places he never knew could hurt.

"I can't do that, (Reader)..." Kirtch's embrace constricted almost painfully tight. "You're all I've ever wanted. You can't ask me to let you go. I'll take such good care of you, you'll see. I have the rest of your life to make you fall in love with me."

They sat there, holding one another in agonizing silence, both loving each other in a way that they couldn't explain. The way their brains functioned didn't just mean that Kirtch could see a wider range of colors than (Reader), but the way their species experienced love was too vastly different for the other to comprehend. Despite Kirtch wanting to own (Reader), that was the greatest love he had ever felt, since his species did not pair bond and only mated when two beings agreed amicably that they wished to procreate. He knew that humans felt many forms of love, love for a mate, love for their offspring, love for a friend.. but to something that never felt any of those forms of love, Kirtch couldn't understand the difference between them.

"I love you, my little pet. And I will always love you."

[theharrowing]

Ahh thanks for the update!! I was going to comment but I guess my comment was too long so I’ll just send it here. This chapter was so angsty my heart is torn for everyone but especially mc :(( she’s going through all these different emotions & is being shut out left & right but then being coddled at the same time.. I wonder if this rift will lead her to taking up Jin’s suggestion. & if it does how would the guys react, joon & yoongi specifically. “Do you think you can fall for someone like me?” Omgggg idk what this means for the relationship jk & mc have .. could they end up falling in love? Is that allowed? How would Tae feel? I personally think mc is so strong to adapt to the relationship between joon & yoongi. It’s so intimate and something the everyone is aware of, they have major history too. I’d personally feel way too intimidated by their love, I’d feel incapable of joining in because I think I’d feel like a third wheel for the entirety of the relationship. What they have is deep and I feel so sad when mc catches glimpses of their interactions when it’s just them two alone. She’s truly understanding for knowing that they deserve their own moments but my heart still breaks for her. At times I feel like they love each other more than they do her but this could just be me projecting my own insecurities & being dramatic hehe. I’m so excited to see what’s to come & what’ll happen between all these relationships. I’m just taking a huge wild guess but I can see a “breakup” happening & mc running off to get away but also getting entail for Jin. I love angst so sorry for the theatrics + I think my periods coming soon so I’m extra sappy 💀 loved this update tho!! <33

anon, hello!!!

since your message contains a lot of what i would consider to be semi-spoiler content, i have been waiting to respond so that more people get a chance to read. if you ever want to comment but it's too long, you are also more than welcome to just spam the comments with long thoughts, i genuinely do not mind that at all!!! i have a couple friends who will leave 2 or 3 comments in a row after reading, and it brings me joy, i promise.

the relationships and the love they all share is definitely a complicated thing. (and then there is jungkook, but i am not factoring him in to this bit.) it's not fair to say they love someone more or less than the other, though. i take issue whenever someone says that. instead, look at it as loving someone differently. you aren't going to have identical love/feelings for two people; even mc has different ways in which she feels and shows love for namjoon and yoongi, whether that is completely obvious to the reader or lot (i try to make it a little clear in her observations and thoughts but i also can't force people to read things exactly how i hope they do.) they are still at an early enough stage to be figuring it out, and needing to have space some times, or struggling to communicate it all part of the process. it's definitely understanding to see the history yoongi and namjoon have and feel intimidated, but if someone is going to view themself as an outsider in a relationship with people who clearly care about and love them, then this type of relationship is likely not going to be good for them. sorry, i hope this explanation doesn't come off as too crass, but i get very defensive of these fake people who live inside my head lol. if people are reading this as "so-and-so loves this character more than that one," it feels like i am failing as an author to tell this story the way i want to.

i'm so glad you're loving the story!!! we'll see what happens next!!! 💜

[pansyslut]

mother, may i?

hermione x reader

summary:

warnings: dom!hermione/sub!reader, safe word in place, mommy kink, dumbification, praise, slapping, clit slapping, use of vibrator and blindfold, subspace, aftercare

a/n: i’m not sure if everyone knows the game “mother, may i” but it’s basically where you have to ask the person in charge,“the mother” if you can move a certain way or do something and they reply with a simple yes or no. usually the end result is like getting to the end of the pool or something but in this, she gets to... you know. i also hate this fic so read with caution

“mione i’m bored,” you whine while hanging upside down from the foot of the bed. your girlfriend has been doing schoolwork nonstop for hours now and your patience was long out the door. you loved that she was always so on top of everything and was little miss know it all, but there came a point where it’s over doing it. “there’s no reason for you to be doing work due a week from now!”

you watch as her eyes are still set on the paper in front of her, only letting out an eye roll in acknowledgement. sitting up, you crawl across the bed and start taking everything from her lap and straddle her.

“y/n! i’m not finished what are you–” she cuts off when you place your lips on hers. you feel a surprised gasp escape from her mouth as you deepen the kiss. feeling her fingers rake through your hair, she tightens her hold and suddenly tugs your head back.

“jeez ‘mine you’re gonna give me whiplash,” you say while rubbing your scalp. your girlfriend gives you an evil grin and chuckles softly to herself before pushing you off of her and going to rummage through her closet.

not knowing what she was up to, you slump against the bed and cross your arms. seeing hermiones head pop out, she notices your expression and throws her head back in laughter, “you’ll lose the bratty attitude soon enough, y/n. i would watch your tone if i were you.” part of you wanted to be bratty to show her how annoyed you were for not showing you attention all day, but at this point you were just glad you could finally spend time with her.

finally stepping out of the closet, you see her with her tie and a vibrator in each hand. feeling your breath quicken, you were not expecting this to escalate this fast but you weren’t complaining.

sitting on the bed next to you, “mione, what are you–” she cuts you off by placing the tie over your eyes, completely ignoring your confused expression. “now y/n, you know that’s not my name. and you also know you’ve been very bratty today– more bratty than usual at least. but don’t worry, if you play the game correctly, you’ll get your reward. although i doubt you’ll be able to do it; you and i both know you’re incapable of following directions.”

you stutter, unable to comprehend her words. everything is dark and you felt your scenes being heightened. “but– but mommy i just wanted your attention,” you say with a quivering lip. feeling a harsh slap to your cheek, you gasp and went to rub it only for your hands to be pinned down by her.

“you know better than to talk back, baby. i don’t know what has gotten into you,” she says. you feel like you truly are being scolded by your mother with all this, ‘i’m not mad i’m just disappointed’ nonsense.

“do you know the game mother, may i?” she asks and you nod, not wanting to earn another slap. “good girl. so everytime you want to do something, you have to ask. yes?” she says and you nod again. “now for this particular game, you will be allowed to talk freely. but do not test me little girl or else you won’t get your prize,” she says sternly. you nod your head rapidly and mutter a “yes ma’am”.

feeling her hands trail down you, you knew she was teasing you but couldn’t help but arch your back, wanting more of her touch. feeling her hands press down on you hard, you let out a hiss. “did you ask your momma if you could move?” she says and you slowly shake your head no.

“mommy may i touch you?” you ask softly. hearing her let out a hum, “good girl, y/n. i knew you could play right.” she says praising you, making your lips quirk.

trying to find her silhouette, you find her shoulders and trail your hands down to her breasts, grasping them through her bra and massaging them. hearing hermione let out a moan, you try to buck your hips to gain friction only to earn another slap on the cheek.

“play the game correctly or we’re not playing at all. if i remember correctly, it was you who was so needy a few minutes ago,” she says sternly. biting down on your quivering lip, you try to hide that her words had so much effect on you. “oh baby,” hermione says sweetly, “you’re okay, mommy’s got you. i know your small little brain sometimes can’t remember the rules but that’s okay,” she says caressing your face. “my dumb precious baby is so good for me, isnt she?” she says making you rapidly nod your head, eating up all her praise.

“alright bubs, we’re gonna continue. if the blindfold or anything else gets too much, you know your safe word,” she says. her praise made you feel so much better and you were excited to take whatever she would give you. “momma so generous,” you thought out loud, giggling to yourself. “i am, aren’t i? only for sweet little girls like you who deserve it,” she says and presses a quick kiss to your lips.

feeling her lips trail down your throat and down your stomach, she stood with her face in front of your center, her hot breath against you. fighting the urge to wrap your legs around her head, you let out a loud whimper and you hear hermione chuckle at you.

she starts pressing kisses on your inner thighs and on your clothed pussy as she watches you try to contain your squirming. “i think my dumb little baby’s been thinking so hard recently, huh?” she says and starts pulling down your panties. “just turn your brain off and let momma take care of you.”

pressing a kiss to your clit, your legs wrap around her head, pulling her in tighter, only earning a slap to your bare pussy. “mo– momma may i put my hands through your hair?” you ask hesitantly. you feel her nod against you when she puts her head back down. lapping your pussy with her tongue, you hear a faint buzz and suddenly feel a vibrator pushed against you, sending out loud moans as you grip hermiones hair harder.

“mommy it feels so- so good,” you babble in your fuzzy state. pressing a kiss to your thigh, she replies, “i know pretty baby. mommy makes you feel so good, huh? look at you, all spread out for me. my own little toy, aren’t you?”

not being able to reply, you let out stutters of her name, “mom- momma- may i please- please let me- may i cum?” you spew out and as soon as she mutters “of course baby” you’re body tenses, climaxing as you jolt and moan.

slowly calming down, you feel hermione retract the vibrator and you try to speak out, “more, mommy, more– want more,” you say breathlessly, only to be cut off. you feel her raise and untie your blindfold and you rub your eyes, adjusting to the light. watching her blurry figure, she enters the bathroom for a few moments and comes back out with a small washcloth.

sitting next to you, she presses a small kiss to your forehead and starts whipping you down. accidentally hitting your clit, you immediately shut your legs and growl. “shit– i’m sorry, y/n/n. didn’t mean to.” she says and you shake your head aggressively. “not y/n/n, mommas. it’s toy. your dumb toy,” you let out and giggle to yourself.

seeing her shake her head, “not a dumb toy, a pretty girl. i have the most gorgeous girlfriend in the world. y/n, come back for me, alright? i know it’s all fuzzy but i know you can do it,” she coos and you nod.

“i’m ‘kay, ‘mione” you let out and grab her hand. hearing her let out a ragged breath, she presses another kiss to your lips. “such a good girl, y/n. i promise we can cuddle and i’ll put away my work for the day. wanna spend time with you,” she says and rubs her nose against yours.

nodding your head, you let her pull you into her arms and you rest your head against her shoulder. falling into a deep sleep, you hear her continuing praises, “such a good girl, y/n. so beautiful.”



[flameohotwife]

kataang 19 for the ask fluff T_T

19. "You know, I think my parents would be proud if I brought you home."

This *also* turned super long, and a little sad in parts though I still think (hope) it's adequately fluffy. I am apparently incapable of ficlets at this point. I'm sorry! Read here or on ao3. Rated G. 3k words.

Katara was freezing. She had only been gone from the Southern Water Tribe for a year and already she had forgotten how cold it was there. They had decided to take a quick trip to Katara’s home to officially tell her father they were together after finalizing the Harmony Restoration Movement in Ba Sing Se, and were quickly approaching the South Pole on Appa. She wrapped her parka more tightly around her, shivering.

“Aang, don’t worry,” Katara comforted from the saddle. Even from this distance she could see his nervous fidgeting. He gave Appa instructions and climbed back to join her and Sokka and Suki. Toph had just recently found her first metalbending student, and was not about to leave Yu Dao to go to “a block of ice I can’t see or bend on.” So the two couples journeyed southward, with a lot of talk of “oogies” from Sokka, a lot of snippy comments about the thinness of tent walls from Katara, and a lot of unsure glances from Aang and Suki.

“Yeah, Aang,” Sokka chimed in as the airbender settled in next to his girlfriend. His girlfriend! It still felt strange to call her that. It seemed too informal for all that she meant to him, but anything more would sound ridiculous coming out of a thirteen-year-old’s mouth. “Don’t worry about the tribe. They already love you, remember? The kids are just going to want a bunch of rides down Appa’s tail again.”

“Oh! They haven’t gotten to see him fly, yet!” Katara added excitedly.

“Plus, you’re the Avatar,” Suki said, rolling her eyes. “You stopped the hundred-year war! If that doesn’t endear you to everyone, I don’t know what will.” Suki rubbed her arms over the green parka Katara had made her, looking down uncomfortably.

“You helped, too, Suki,” Katara reasoned, leaning over to place a hand on her friend’s arm. “And Dad already knows you’re together and definitely approves. You helped break him out of prison!”

Suki smiled back at her in thanks while Sokka wrapped an arm around his girlfriend proudly. “The truth is,” he started, “Katara and I couldn’t have picked better people to pair off with, and the Southern Water Tribe has been starved for happiness for a long time, now. Neither of you have anything to worry about. They’ll be proud to know you. I bet there’ll even be a feast!” He rubbed his belly with his free hand.

“But, I let all those warriors get captured… on the Day of Black Sun,” Aang said. He had kept his guilt over that day to himself for so long, but Katara knew. She knew it had hung heavy on his heart since the moment she found him crying on Appa, and she knew that he needed to clear that pain away.

“Aang, look at me,” she said, taking his face in her hands. “The Fire Nation knew we were coming that day, but you couldn’t have known that. None of us did. We trust you as the Avatar and we trust you as Aang—that hasn’t changed. Warriors are led into danger all the time. That’s what they train for. Nobody blames you.”

Aang took a deep, clarifying breath. He tried to remember what Guru Pathik had told him about accepting the bad things that have happened and forgiving himself. He had to keep the pools of his chakras flowing, and while this guilt hadn’t accumulated to the point of blocking his water chakra, he knew it could if he didn’t keep it in check. He released his breath, feeling much warmer and more confident than he had a moment ago, and smiled at Katara.

“Thank you, Katara.” The way he looked at her caused her breath to catch; she still wasn’t used to the pure, unadulterated devotion in his eyes. Her heart swelled with it, and she went in for a hug.

She expected Sokka to call out “Oogies!” but he just sat back with his girlfriend and rolled his eyes. Her brother was much more used to these displays of affection than she gave him credit for, anyway. She had hugged and touched and even kissed Aang on the cheek so many times throughout their journey to end the war, and he hadn’t batted an eye. Kissing seemed to be what brought the cries of protest out, but even those seemed half-hearted the more he was forced to witness it.

Katara felt that telltale swoop in her stomach as Appa started his descent, and separated from Aang, grinning widely. They were here! She could hardly contain her excitement, and Aang fed off of it. He would do anything to make her happy. He jumped back to Appa’s head to steer him towards the center of the village.

The children who had been outside playing all gathered together when they saw the large shape of Appa in the sky. Some of them even recognized him—shouts of “It’s the sky bison! It’s Aang! It’s the Avatar!” could be heard as the group approached. The ensuing ruckus drew adults out of their huts as well. Katara noticed there were more snow huts than tents, now, probably thanks to Pakku and the benders he’d brought from the North when he sought out her grandmother, who was just joining the throng of people. She saw her father’s face among the crowd, as well, and her heart soared.

She and Sokka were leaning over the edge of the saddle, waving to everyone and sporting wide, toothy grins when they finally landed. As soon as Appa’s feet touched the snow they both jumped down, rushing to greet their family. Aang and Suki hung back a moment, unsure of their place, until Hakoda pulled back from his children to open his arms to them, smiling.

“It’s so good to see you Aang, Suki,” he said, embracing them all in a group hug. His voice was warm and strong and he hoped it was welcoming, too. Whatever his feelings about his kids growing up and moving on, he wanted their partners to feel safe and loved and cared for here.

When they all pulled back—some a little teary eyed from the reunion—they saw Kanna and Pakku making their way over. Gran Gran was smiling in a way Katara wasn’t sure she had ever seen before. She looked so happy. So at peace. She had lived her entire life in the war and had been the one to tell Katara (and Sokka, when he would listen) the stories about the Avatar when they were younger. Katara supposed this all must be like a dream come true for her as well. She hugged each member of the group in turn.

“It’s good to see you again, young airbender,” she said to Aang, before turning to Suki and the others. “And it’s wonderful to meet you, Suki. Pakku tells me you’re quite the warrior, from what he could tell while you all were camped outside Ba Sing Se. I’m so proud of all of you for stopping this war.”

They seemed to remember the rest of the village was watching them, and Hakoda cleared his throat. The kids stopped playing on Appa’s tail to listen to their Chief.

“Everyone! Sokka and Katara are home and they’ve brought guests!” he started. His voice boomed powerfully across the ice. “I’d like you to meet Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors, and of course you all have met Avatar Aang and his bison already.” There was some applause and squeals from the children, and Aang blushed and waved. “I think this calls for a celebration. Let’s feast in the new council lodge tonight!”

“I told you,” Sokka whispered to Aang. Aang chuckled in return as the crowd cheered once more before returning to their business. Hakoda invited them all into his hut and they sat down in front of the fire with some tea, along with Gran Gran and Pakku.

“So, Dad, there’s actually a reason we came down here,” Katara opened once they were all settled on cushions around the low, circular table. She was sitting between Aang and Suki, and her father was directly across from her, flanked by Sokka and Gran Gran. Pakku sipped his tea observantly between Aang and Kanna. “Aang and I…” She grabbed his hand under the table. No matter how confident she was in their relationship, she’d never had to announce a new relationship to her family before. She felt sure she’d never have to, again. “We’re together, now.”

Hakoda smiled. Kanna beamed. Pakku looked like he had accidentally swallowed the bitter leaves of his tea, but Katara ignored him; he always looked that way.

Hakoda was the first to speak. “I figured this would happen eventually,” he said, laughing when both Aang and Katara looked somewhat shocked. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. And the way Katara was so protective of you, Aang, when you were in a coma...and her heartbreak when you left? I knew there was more than just friendship going on, even if Katara was too hard-headed to admit it.”

“Hey!” Katara protested.

“He’s not wrong,” Sokka spoke up. “You were the one who kept putting it off. Even after Aang kissed you at the Invasion…”

“You knew about that?!” Aang asked, flabbergasted.

“Toph told me,” he shrugged. “The subs were made of metal… she could feel it.” Sokka shuddered.

Both Aang and Katara were as red as tomato-carrots at this point, but Kanna actually laughed.

“Do you remember what I told you when you left the South Pole?” she asked, speaking to her grandchildren.

“Yeah, yeah, something about it being our destiny to help Aang, I think,” Sokka answered.

“You said…” Katara gasped, eyes wide. “You said our ‘destinies are intertwined with his.’” She looked at Aang, smiling. “I thought it was just about ending the war, but…”

“I also called him your boyfriend, that day, if you’ll remember,” Sokka pointed out. “You denied it then, but face it, Katara. You were already smitten from the day we met Aang.”

“Yeah,” she admitted. “I was.” The blush was even higher on her cheeks, now. Aang looked as though someone had just granted him his biggest wishes: a mixture of surprise and glee covered his face as he looked at her. He squeezed her hand under the table, not completely sure she was still real; that this wasn’t a dream. Katara had really liked him for as long as he’d liked her?

“It was the same for me and Suki,” Sokka continued on. “The moment she beat me...again... in that dojo on Kyoshi Island, I knew.”

“Awww, Sokka,” Suki cooed.

“I mean, any girl who can take down a Water Tribe warrior is girlfriend material, am I right?”

Everyone at the table exchanged glances before simultaneously rolling their eyes and laughing. It was so good to be around family again, Katara thought. But what was even better was that she still felt at home and comfortable—maybe even moreso—with Aang there by her side. She could see him at future family gatherings, see him as an adult, proudly holding their child at the Solstice Festival in the South, comfortably talking with everyone from the children to the elders. It filled her with warmth, and she pressed her shoulder into his as the conversation went on well into the afternoon.

That evening, after the feast, there was dancing. It was different from the dancing they had done before, in the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Katara and Sokka, along with the rest of the tribe spent much of the evening laughing and teaching Aang and Suki to dance in the Water Tribe way, readjusting their form, feeling the heavy beat of the drums; the qilaut.

At one point Aang and Katara stumbled outside for some air, clutching their stomachs which were beginning to ache from so much merriment. They sat back in a snowbank, arms around each other, watching the stars twinkling in silent chorus above them, taking comfort in each other’s presence.

“You know,” Aang said after a time, “I think my parents would be proud if I brought you home. Would’ve been proud, I guess. Gyatso, too. We could have celebrated and eaten fruit pies and sang and danced at the temples...” Katara looked up at him, expecting to see the grief and sadness etched in his face that was so often there when he spoke of his people, but he looked...wistful. Like he was perhaps picturing such a reunion, and her heart ached for all that he had lost. She had never even heard him mention his parents before. “Being here, around your family and your tribe… it’s been so wonderful, Katara.”

She wrapped her arms tighter around his waist, pulling him ever closer. She kept her sapphire eyes focused on the light flickering out from the lodge behind him, feeling like perhaps this next thought was too much, but she wanted to open it up to him. To be there for him in the same way he’s been there for her for so long. “We could visit the Air Temples,” she suggested, quietly. “I know the other Air Nomads are gone… and it might be… sadder. A lot less celebratory. But… I’d like to visit your home again now that the war’s over. I’d like to learn your dances. Learn about your people.”

They turned to each other then, both their eyes sparkling in the starlight. “I’d like that,” Aang whispered as a tear escaped him with a choked sob.

“Hey, Sweetie,” Katara comforted, reaching up to gently stroke his cheek. She realized that in the few months since the end of the war—probably actually since she’d broken him out of the iceberg—he hadn’t had the chance to really be. To reflect. To grieve. “It’s okay to be sad, you know? To miss them. You’re not alone though. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

Aang clung to her then, letting his feelings flow. They listened to the sound of the drums inside, and she rocked him, whispering how strong he was, how amazing it was that he’d found a way to end the war that was still true to himself; to his people. How proud they would be. How proud she was.

Eventually, he lifted his head from her shoulder to kiss her slowly, tentatively. He was still mostly letting her take the lead in their physical relationship, but he couldn’t think of any other way to thank her then. No words seemed sufficient. His hesitance melted away the moment she moved her lips against his, though. His hands gripped her waist as best he could in their sitting position before moving to thread into her hair. He could feel his heart starting to beat just a little too fast. He felt lightheaded, but in a good way. He pulled back for a breath, and they both giggled. Kissing was still new, but something they both clearly enjoyed finally being able to do together.

“You called me ‘Sweetie,’” he said, realizing. She’d never called him anything other than Aang before. His heart fluttered.

“Is that okay? Sorry, I didn’t even realize…” Katara was pulling at her hair and looking anywhere but at Aang until he stopped her with another kiss, though it was much quicker this time.

“I loved it, Sweetie,” he teased back, but somehow it felt like the most natural thing in the world to call her.

“My mom used to call me that,” she admitted, shyly. “I don’t know why it just came out when I was talking to you…”

“Did I ever tell you what the guru told me about love?” Aang asked. Katara shook her head, confused. “He told me that ‘love is a form of energy,’ and that the airbenders’ love for me hasn’t left this world, but was reborn in new love.” He looked pointedly at her. “Our love.”

Katara took in a sharp breath. She felt at once shocked, humbled, and overflowing with pure, confident love. Sokka certainly wouldn’t believe it, but it made so much sense to her. The instant connection she had felt… the fierce need to protect him… her intense love for him that was as big as an entire nation. She couldn’t help but smile widely.

“Maybe...” Aang started. “Maybe your mom’s love for you was reborn, too.” It seemed like such an outrageous thing to say, but at the same time, like the most obvious thing in the world. The look in her eyes told him all he needed to know. She believed it, too. “I love you, Katara.”

“I love you too, Aang. So much.” She leaned in to kiss him again, feeling like nothing could quite top this feeling. They’d said ‘I love you’ so many times in so many ways; in small gestures, in touches, in roundabout ways, even before they’d been together. But this… this seemed much bigger.

Finally, they stood to return to the celebration. Surely people had noticed their absence by now, though they were thankfully still young enough to avoid any terribly embarrassing rumors. As they walked back to the hall, hand in hand, they shared a look before opening the door.

“Ready, Sweetie?” Aang asked, eyes shining with pure joy.

“Ready, Sweetie,” Katara responded confidently. She squeezed his hand before pulling him inside with her, already moving to the beat of the drums again. Their hearts were so full. Their lost loved ones were never truly gone from this world, and they would cherish that fact for the rest of their lives together. Even in their grief they were connected, and by their love they were healed. It was beautiful.

[flickeringart]

Pisces Sun and Moon Combinations

Planets represent different energetic principals in the life of an individual – the signs show what filter these energies express through.

Having an inner planet (or luminary) in the sign of Pisces gives the personality receptivity, a boundless quality. No matter what other placements the person has, the passive and intuitive nature is going to come through.

To simplify;

The Sun represents individuation, ideal self-expression and conscious self-actualization.

The Moon represents instinct, emotional nature and personal needs.

Pisces Sun – Virgo Moon

The personal path of self-actualization is trailed with surrender. There’s great sensitivity, which if kept within a limited ego-structure threaten to drown the person. Life might seem threatening and vicious, there’s a desire to up-hold the belief in love but when adversity gets too real, the person might snap in the name of preserving goodness. The person is unwilling to forgive certain things, but they’re also incapable of holding toxic grudges for long. It does nothing but to prolong suffering and Pisces Suns can’t stand to be in atmosphere of friction. They are very forgiving in their evolved state, however, if they’re not, they might justify cruel behavior by reinterpreting it as mercy or care. “This person needs to learn a lesson and I am going to be the good person to teach them” might be the attitude. Needless to say, it can turn extremely manipulative. The personal comfort are very much dependent on keeping one’s life in check. The person craves order and puts faith in the intellectual faculties to feel in control. Getting one’s life on track is a pressing need, which is not a bad thing unless the details gain utmost importance and the big picture is lost. The person is more likely to trust people who are efficient and willing to adapt – it’s how they show their care and how they would choose to be nurtured in turn. Although there’s a tendency to get bogged down in the mundane and day-to-day routines, a proclivity to focus on what must be put in order - there’s also an awareness of the vast backdrop of the undifferentiated realm. The person might turn critical and nit-picky when needs aren’t met, but the overall personality is soft and giving. There’s great compassion for the self in it’s limited scope and ideally an understanding of the transcendent realm. The person might be a diligent worker but prone to get overwhelmed and stressed. Crowds, disorderly environments and chaos would take a toll on the emotional integrity but the person might keep quiet about it and be a bit ashamed to admit to this kind of sensitivity. Confusion makes the person feel very uneasy and unsafe emotionally, but in terms of identity it’s fine for them to be less concrete, more diffuse and undifferentiated. Personality wise, the person is more of an artist. Instinctively, the person is more of an intellectual.

Pisces Sun – Sagittarius Moon

Emotionally, there’s restlessness and a need to move about, to try out new things and experience as much as possible. While there’s a hot and fiery temperament to this individual, the overall personality wants to get lost and to be immersed in life as intimately as possible. The person throws themselves into experiences that hold the promise of consumption and freedom. The two might seem incompatible and to a certain extent they are. On the one hand there’s the transcendent perspective of everything being unreal and therefore equally worthy of reverence – the world is beautiful no matter what state is in and one sees no need to judge or define. On the other, the spirit sees potential for expansion and is not satisfied with passivity. Life is important and it should be pursued passionately through the highs and the lows. There’s definitely some friction that is felt within the person relative to these things. One is a passive victim but the victimhood is not void of meaning. There’s an optimist that lives within and it insist on adopting a casual attitude. The person craves constant movement and stimulation; they won’t sit around and dwell for long. There’s more to discover and find beyond the horizon. Having a good time and engaging in exciting activities is a must with a Sagittarius Moon – there must be something to look forward to, there has to be plans for trips, events or future happenings. With this combo, the person is prone to live in their bubble – to emotionally latch on to things and crave stimulation. It could easily be taken overboard if there’s no inner factor that works for caution and restriction. The person would want to take a large mouthpiece of life, to devour it with arrogance yet looking a bit zoned out while it’s all carried out. In general, Pisces Suns could benefit for surrounding themselves with more fixed or cardinal individuals to ground them and provide direction occasionally since they tend to plunge the emotional depths quite often. That being said, Pisces is really the sign that contains everything and is too mutable to get to. This is a great strength as much as it’s a great weakness. If one is can learn accommodate for separateness and unity at the same time one is on the right track.

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Pisces Sun – Pisces Moon

The person is the embodiment of a lucid dream. Looking into their eyes would be like looking into a deep well. Things are moving in the depths, they shift from dark to light yet one can see a mirrored image of the clouds in the sky on surface because it’s so reflective. There’s gentleness and softness and naiveté to the person, but somehow the thick mists of something else comes through. There’s unpredictability and a subtle uncertainty about the person. “Such a sweet person can’t hurt a fly” some would say, and ultimately they would be right – in a dream scape nothing can really be hurt because nothing is real. However, in a dream that feels very real to many people (physical reality), it is possible to experience real pain. This is where this person can cause real harm because they seek to merge. Sometimes it’s not the overt confrontations that are the most deadly, it’s the suffocating enmeshment labeled “love” that can passively and aggressively drown people out. A lot of covertly violent behavior can be justified through the Piscean lens although it’s usually unconscious. On a more positive note, the connection to the personal and collective unconscious could translate into inspired works of art. The person could be skilled at accurately reflecting the emotions of the times and provide humanity with something that is helpful and insightful. The person might think of himself or herself as more of a channeling vessel and avoiding taking individual credit for things that flow through. The logic of this person might not be completely comprehensible to people with a predominant intellectual temperament, but that doesn’t mean that the person isn’t intelligent. Intelligence is not exclusively reserved to the intellect. The intuitive abilities are likely very strong and they could be extremely informative and rich in value. One should be aware of confusing fantasies, feelings and projections with real intuitive guidance though. There’s likely to be a progression in navigating the emotional realm over time. Learning what to trust could be difficult, but the more the person self-actualizes throughout life, the surer one becomes. World-weariness and a longing for something ultimately true could prevail throughout life. There’s a feeling of having come to an end after many lifetimes, and one might finally be able to let go of all attachments to existence. 

Pisces Sun – Gemini Moon

The emotional nature craves interaction with the environment. Without being able to engage in an intellectual exchange the person feels dissatisfied and unfulfilled. Having the opportunity to have fun and communicate with people is what lies at the core of the person’s emotional well-being. Mentally stimulating subjects or people are high up on the priority list whether the person knows it or not. The best solution to emotional discomfort according to the person could be to just change the subject, distract oneself or hang out with others to avoid being alone and isolated. Mental movement is what the person thinks keeps them afloat, but it’s really just an avoidance tactic. Over time the person would hopefully learn to be comfortable with solitude. The overall personality is quite receptive and absorbing which makes overload a likely situation. The person might try to cope by rationalizing and intellectualizing experiences, but with a Pisces Sun, it won’t work. The person’s path of individuation is supposed to go in the direction of feeling, of empathy and a genuine appreciation of all of life. This might prove a bit contradictory to the intellectual temperament, which is inclined to live life through keeping active and occupied with playing little tricks and making little jokes. The person’s emotional nature is the personification of a “naughty teenager” – too young to have any moral compass yet is fully capable to using the mind to get what they want. The double mutable combo makes it difficult for the person to define himself or herself definitely; life is movement, whether it’s mental or emotional. Life is not only in constant fluctuation, it is also double-sided and multi faceted. The person might have many faces within to choose from. Closeness could be a dilemma since the emotional nature is a bit wary of permanent binds that can grow stagnant while the path of self-actualization calls for intimacy and unconditional love. The conscious identity might claim that “I see myself in you and I want to be with you”, while the more unconscious lunar needs might recoil from the statement and find it too sentimental. The person might experience a dynamic where the more romantic identity is constantly criticized by an inner voice of sarcasm a wit. This could be very frustrating. In general, the person is very sensitive to the words of others in particular and the thoughts that run through the mind.

Pisces Sun – Taurus Moon

This combo produces a serene and deep personality. The basic needs revolve around being able to control one’s physical environment, to create comfort and sensory satisfaction for oneself. Being a good and solid physical entity in the world is what the person craves emotionally. Personality wise, the person is a dreamer, a soul before a body, and a soul before a thought. One might not derive a sense of self from one’s material welfare or stability, but it is certainly a pressing need in the person’s life. Identity wise, the person is quite passive as is characteristic of Pisces, but this doesn’t mean that he or she is weak. There’s a romanticism and idealism to the person that has an enchanting effect on the environment – people are drawn to the sweetness and innocence of the intangible that the person represents. A Taurus Moon loves to feel attractive, maybe not for their emotions but for their body and physical presence. Never the less it works well on both levels. Taurus likes to be in control of value and Pisces appreciates anything remotely close to an epic love encounter. The person is likely very sensual and feminine. There would be a stubborn streak imbedded in the adaptable and receptive personality, a need to live a simple but an honest life with integrity. This might work well with the path of self-actualization if the person can allow themselves to lean on others sometimes and not carry the load of living all by themselves. Instinctively, there’s the tendency to take control and be possessive and demonstrative. It’s wise to let intuition be one’s guide occasionally and not get blinded by routine. The art that this person should develop is to shift and change without fear, to allow for unscheduled breakthroughs and breakdowns and roll with them. It might make the person uncomfortable, but it is necessary to not get stuck in resistance. Too strong of an identification with the body and tangible reality could make the person cut off from the psychic realm and one might have to consciously work on opening up one’s eyes to the richness of the unconscious. On the flip side, too much identification with the psychic realm could make the person indifferent to instinctual needs and prone to gloss over the importance of physical safety.

Pisces Sun – Leo Moon

The instinctual nature is bold, dramatic and attention seeking. There’s a lot of energy to the emotional nature that doesn’t escape anyone’s notice. Pride and stubbornness could show up occasionally when the mood hits, otherwise the emotions are warm and inclusive. Everyone should be invested in one’s emotional happenings, in this person’s opinion, but it is rarely the case so the last resort is to demand attention. The person will feel very uncomfortable in his or her emotional displays because it is not what is sought or idealized. The identity is thriving of off embodying the undifferentiated, the background to the foreground. It’s a passive identity that stems from seeing the whole in the limited and loving the limited just as much as the whole. The egocentric drama of the emotional nature is too bold and dominant for the Piscean identity, it’s out of place and incongruent with the path of individuation. The personal needs are, however, not able to change or compromise. They’re impossible to suppress or reject without making the whole individual suffer, which is why the loving attitude of a Pisces Sun will have to accommodate for the need to stir things up, exaggerate and create a fuss around the emotional fluctuations. Emotions are very personal to this individual – preferably, the world should revolve around them. It’s important to develop a mature sense of self since the emotional nature will remain the equivalent of a child with a god complex that likes to boast about personal talents and skills. With detachment and compassion one can parent one’s emotional needs and give them healthy outlets. This combo lends itself to creativity, romance and artistry – perhaps even showmanship. The person craves entertainment and it would be a great way to satisfy the Piscean preference for fantasy and other-worldliness. One should be aware of the proclivity to use play and enjoyment as an escape – overindulging is never a good idea. That being said, it’s ok to live through one’s creations and be guided through inspiration. Beautiful creations that are emotionally and energetically potent could emanate if there’s enough room in the person’s life for spontaneity and feeling.

Pisces Sun – Scorpio Moon

The identity is striving toward transcendence and divine bliss. It’s a private and personal journey undoubtedly, the Scorpio nature has a strong self-focus of protection which would serve to isolate the person somewhat. Shutting the blinders to the world and retreating into an inner cave is what this person would prefer to do. The world might seem tough and inhospitable, yet it is loved immensely because one can’t bear to invest in fear over “God”. However, on a more unconscious, emotional level, there’s nothing that doesn’t justify attack to this person. The instinctual nature is quite primitive in it’s expression and might demand control. If the person isn’t aware of this side of themselves, the instinctual needs of power might disguise itself as a honorable quest for peace when it’s really just about achieving immunity to life. A Scorpio Moon is never invested in something out of purely altruistic motives – the fear of being used, abused and deceived is too great. This fear compels them to want to get the upper hand by “decoding” the complexity of reality, to see through the façade of innocence as to uncover the dirt underneath. No one is fully trusted which might cause him or her to turn to life (God, the universe, the divine) itself as an abstract source for comfort. A Pisces Sun has a predominately romantic outlook on life, whereas the Scorpio Moon leans in the direction of suspicion and apprehension. Emotional overwhelm is not unlikely but rather than it being wholly used for surrender it would could act as fuel for resentment and hatred. The person is likely to have little patience with ignorant and thoughtless people who think they have the “right” to behave however they want. There’s something ruthlessness about the person that might not surface until there’s actual danger present. There’s immense bravery and cold-headedness in crises. Outside of situations that require immediate action there’s a sweet personality that can be a bit shy, introverted and appreciative of solitude. There’s a great capacity for emotional endurance and resiliency that shouldn’t be underestimated. There’s dedication and seriousness to the lofty quest for eternity and love.

Pisces Sun – Aquarius Moon

There’s a whole other world outside of convention, and this is where this person can be found – up in the clouds and down in the depths of the ocean. What the mundane and human has to offer is not really worth much in and of itself, it’s nice to look upon as a phenomenon, but it’s not what is ultimately treasured. There can be appreciation for the mundane, but only in the light of a higher quest. Everything is divine creation and life is beautiful, but it can also feel like physical life is an exile from perfection and a separation from an original source. Emotionally, there’s a kind of general intimacy that is felt with the human condition. Everyone goes through the same thing more or less and the shared experience is beautiful – with sufficient analysis and understanding of one’s needs there’s nothing that can’t be overcome and used as raw material for progression. Feelings are abstract with this person and are not used for the purpose of creating an identity. Paradoxically, the instinct is quite intellectual and feelings are processed from the standpoint of a mental ideal rather than expressed with the backing of identity. The person can come off as cool and detached while delivering all sorts of preachy speech about how things ought to be, ideally. There’s little room for imperfection, and even if there are imperfections they are coolly understood from a distance. The mental plane is never personal, although it accommodates for the personal. The overall path of individuation is trailed with the longing for redemption. The instinct would be to look to society and people to find where things might have gone wrong, but one should take care as to not blindly choose a scapegoat or be too quick to judge something as bad just because it doesn’t fit with one’s idea of bliss. The person has a lot of compassion and love to offer, but it might be done from a more global identification rather than a personal one. The person would definitely be more comfortable on a general level rather than a personal and intimate level. However, even if love is expressed in person, it’s a universal love that is more of a symbol than actual feeling. The person might find that emotions are creating moods that color the person’s whole reality. They’re more like big waves than little tides and there’s no choice but to surrender to them and navigating from a space of allowing. Fighting won’t do this person any good and there’s probably an intuitive knowing that this is the case.

Pisces Sun – Capricorn Moon

There’s something very calming about this combo, even though it will have it’s stressors and overwhelms. The person is self-actualizing through loosing the rigid boundaries of the ego structure and being intuitively guided through life without imposing a separate sense of self. This doesn’t come without it’s challenges because if there’s ego left, there will be the perception of having to make sacrifices in the name of love and overall goodness. However, there’s the potential for being led through life seamlessly if conscious surrender can be achieved, without there being any hate directed at physical and psychic boundaries. In truth, the limited that appears in the unlimited is not really limited at all. Even though there’s receptiveness and softness to the personal identity, the emotional nature is quite restrained. There’s pressure to perform and live up to one’s potential, there’s a demand for conformity and duty, to provide something concrete and estimable in spite of innate insufficiencies. The person has an inner disciplinarian that won’t allow for complete satisfaction – ever. There’s futility embedded in the person’s temperament, a kind of pessimism that seeks to be cured through ambition. Human existence is a pitiful thing to behold; it presents a lose-lose scenario that points to the development of character as the only hope of redemption. The person is essentially put between a rock and a hard place – to try and or give up and lose the self to cynicism. Emotions are habitually suppressed with a Capricorn Moon, which causes them to come out in uncontrollable bursts or through bodily symptoms. The skepticism and selfishness of the inner temperament is just as much a recipe for societal success as it is for unhappiness. “I only do what will bring me status” is the dark side of this Moon. The tendency of Pisces to play the victim could play in to this dynamic and make it a toxic cocktail. To play on the heartstrings of people while carrying out purely self-serving actions could serve to reach the height of manipulation. The task is to dismantle the shame around failure and face the emotions of weakness. The ambitious strivings might never go away, but they can serve to honor the self instead of compensating for the self.

Pisces Sun – Aries Moon

Summarized in one statement, this person would be “the impulsive dreamer”. There’s a warrior spirit living inside the personality of a mystic. Needless to say, the incompatibility of these energies could be felt quite strongly. There’s a thick and bittersweet romanticism to the identity, world-weariness and a longing for relief from the burdens of life. There’s nothing more to be done, there’s little desire accept to make oneself and others feel connected, if not merged. The person wants to blend with something that is unlimited, to taste a little bit of freedom through pushing the limits. There’s a fiery temper that needs to be let-out, and if one is not careful it might turn self-destructive. There’s a strong sense of self that lies at the core of the emotional nature and it needs to assert itself. However, the Piscean identity might not be up for honest confrontation and outbursts and flaming anger is not in the least bit empowering. However, the identity can learn to use the powerful emotions in creative ways. By acting powerless and at the mercy of one’s own temper it’s possible to identify as a victim, which fits the Piscean profile to a T. Alternatively, one could use the warrior spirit to be a savior and a hero in other people’s lives, which fits the Pisces personality equally well. One should beware that one has a lot of energy and take care as to how it is discharged. This combo has the potential for love that is demonstrative and assertive, but there’s always the risk of blurring the lines between assertion and aggression – especially with a Piscean identity. Cruelty can be mercy, and mercy can be cruelty, what is what can be a little bit unclear. The Arien instinct is to act fast and impulsively, which might cause damage. The person is then pressed to restore the identification of innocence, shattered by the violent and “immature” behavior that was let out, unwillingly. In an attempt to do this there could be all sorts of manipulative blame shifting and justifications taking place. Instead of coping with it like this it is wise to own one’s potent emotions and recognize their power. An Aries Moon is not bad, although it’s quite direct, and the identity will have to accommodate for the more anti-social aspects of the feeling nature. Disruption doesn’t have to contradict harmony; it is sometimes just as healthy as passivity. Someone has to stir the pot and stand up for some kind of ideal even if it’s uncomfortable.

Pisces Sun – Cancer Moon

There’s a strong proclivity to shut the world out and get everything done from inside of one’s own private sphere. The intangible is familiar to this person and it’s equally real as anything else. There could be a lot of fear circling the person’s unconscious and conscious mind, intrusive thoughts and emotions could arise spontaneously and threaten to overwhelm the being. On one level the person is ok with being at the mercy of something bigger but on another there’s a deep need for protection against the unconscious. The wiser the person gets, the more value can be found in flowing with the tides. However, with an undeveloped ego it might be too much to navigate the experiences. This is why it’s very important to develop a separate self within the all-encompassing self, or connect to the all-encompassing within the little self. If this is done, there’s nothing to be feared anymore and one can live life to the fullest. The person’s emotions are the embodiment of a woman on her period (and this analogy applies to men as well). Irrational worries, cravings for specific things, hot and cold moods, clinginess and passive aggressiveness, and the list go on. Sudden exclamations of love could be followed by resentment and anxiety. However, there’s a capacity for offering unconditional care and empathy. There’s an instinctual understanding of emotional and physical needs while the conscious identity is more idealistic and romantic. Love is divine, not primal in the person’s eyes – yet the pull to have a physical home and the whole package of safety seems too be too pressing to ignore. It’s impossible to sacrifice everything for love – certain unconscious forces crave personal satisfaction and personal belonging. It is not enough to feel one with the universe or God. The Cancer Moon might instinctively want a home and a familial context to be satisfied and it could work well with the Piscean ideal and romanticism. The difficulty might lie in the effort it takes and the imperfections that come with the burdens of family life. The martyr complex might develop which might turn very toxic. The truth is that the person has enough to deal with regulating their own emotions and escapist tendencies. Individual strength is a necessary evil; it takes a lot of work for this person.

Pisces Sun – Libra Moon

There’s a strong focus on other people with this combo. Emotionally, there’s a thirst for balanced relationships, which causes an enhanced focus on what is happening with other people – what they’re doing and what they’re thinking. Appreciation of others comes naturally and is nothing the person has to work on. This being said, there’s a risk of desiring a world where everything is meticulously designed and perfected – which is bound to end up in disappointment. Nothing can really measure up to the standard that this person has set – it’s too fantastical. The divine could be sought through partnerships because the personal instinct is to navigate life through others. The path of self-actualization lies in the mystical quest for unity. Combining the two, one ends up with a person that is extremely idealistic and dependent on others to carry the self to new heights. The person can’t be without beauty; this is the most important component in life. To balance and adjust the atmosphere to suit one’s preferences is a constant work in progress. The restlessness and frustration that stems from not being able to make things be as one wants them to might not sit well with the Piscean identity. The divine essence shines through in everything, but the Libran perspective thinks that the divine is reached through modification and adjustment. Libra is the sign of the Arts, and art is form, first and foremost. The Piscean identity might claim that everything is art because nothing stands apart from the sublime source. Accepting everything as it is, is not an option for this person, even if the conscious identity might want it to be. Instinctually and unconsciously the person needs the new clothes, the pretty cake and the right music. Not to forget a socially estimable partner to cling to. Although the more instinctual needs are this superficial, the path of individuation is to see beyond form, to feel the aliveness within everything and merge with it yet remain separate without feeling disconnection from the greater Self. Life is an ongoing dance, yet it stands perfectly still at the same time. It’s fine to seek satisfaction in beauty, because it is not the ultimate, but it is expressed through it - as it is expressed through everything in existence.

[diavolodigitale]

Dream Sequence. Lucio

It’s been a while since I had so much fun writing something. No plot, really, it’s a pretty light read and I am proud of it.

All parts of the trilogy: Lucio - Asra - Julian - All stories in PDF

A part of the "trilogy" about dream encounters dedicated to Lucio (because I love him, apparently). Nothing special, just You (or the Apprentice, or the Reader, however you view it) and Lucio spending some time together (if you know what I mean, which you probably don't, so go ahead and read it, it's pretty short, I promise). My character was male, but you are free to imagine whoever you want since there are no references to it in the text.

Genres: Romance, Fluff, Humor, Dreams, POV First Person, One-shot, Light-hearted

Pairing: Lucio/Apprentice(or Reader or You or Whatever)

Characters: Lucio, Reader/Apprentice/You

Rating: G for Geez that’s a good story

Size: around 2500 words

I open my eyes and look around. The room I am in is quite spacious. Despite barely containing any decorations or even furniture, somehow it still feels inviting and cosy. It is dimly lit, the only light sources that I can spot are a few candles standing here and there.

Suddenly, I hear a loud thud, as if something heavy fell on the floor, and I hastily turn around to investigate. I immediately spot an empty decanter lying on the ground at the leg of an old wooden table and a figure crouching beside it. The figure looks like it’s glowing in the darkness of the room because everything about it is so brightly white.

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” says Lucio awkwardly and stands up, cradling the decanter in his arms. “Or did I?” he immediately proceeds to ask, roguish smile plastered on his face.

I smile in return and shake my head. This is probably another dream we’re sharing. It happened a few times before. There is no logical end to it, no specific purpose, nothing. We just seem to linger in an accidental place, surrounded by whimsical decorations or nothing at all, until one of us wakes up and cuts the ties to this place rendering it forever lost in time and space. I suppose it has something to do with our connection as the spirit of Lucio seems to be drawn to me whenever I slip out from the deep slumber and see dreams.  

“And why would you want to do that?” I ask and cross my arms, raising my eyebrow inquiringly.

“Isn’t it obvious? If you’re scared, you will seek my protection and want to hold hands. Maybe, even more than that,” he responds without even a hint of embarrassment and casually puts the decanter back on the table.

“Oh, you would need to do more than that to scare me, don’t you know?” I say playfully. This encounter doesn’t seem to differ much those we usually have, so I decide to behave as I always do around him.

“What a shame…” he says and pouts, hardly being able to supress his impish smile. “I was hoping I could find a reason to hold you.”

“Since when do you need a reason to do that?” I ask as he slowly approaches, his walk as gracious as ever.

“Huh, true,” he says and grins, now standing much closer to me. There is not enough light in the room for me to see the features of his face clearly, but I am nevertheless able to spot the playful glim in his eyes.

“What do you feel like doing this time?” I ask more seriously. We’ve been on quite a few thrilling trips in my dreams as they are often filled with peculiar apparitions and location, but right now I cannot find anything that could interest Lucio with his insatiable appetite for adventures.

“Hm…” He puts an index finger to his lips and musingly looks around. As I expected, nothing in the room is able to pique his curiosity so his gaze wanders back to me.

“I have an idea,” he says mischievously and immediately covers my eyes with his hand for a second. When his hand is removed, the only thing I can see is complete darkness.

Intrigued, I summon a small glowing orb to light up the place. To my surprise, we are in a completely different room that resembles a closet more than anything else. The place is a tight squeeze, with Lucio standing right before me and the orb hovering above us. Though we’re not actually close enough to be touching, there is hardly enough room to move around at all.

The room quickly fills with heat and I feel my head spinning. The feeling of almost tangible warmth around me reminds me of the time I first met Lucio. His presence had the same effect on his surroundings, which seems to be the sign of him being agitated or excited about something. My gaze is wandering from his jawline to collarbone and back since I don’t want to stare him directly in the eyes. Lucio might be shameless, but I immediately feel flustered in such a situation.

“You are quite a fast learner,” I say nonchalantly, looking up for a split second. He grins even more, flattered by my words.

In spite of his utter incapability when it came to using magic in the real world, he somehow was able to learn to manipulate matter in my dreams quite easily. There was rarely a need for him to resort to this skill, but his still tried to use every opportunity he had to give it a try.

“I can do many more things,” he says and moves closer to me, resting his heavy gilded hand against the wall right above my head and leaning a bit closer. “You know, I am very talented.”

I nod and look down. The orb illuminates every little detail of his face, and I am afraid he is provided with the same sight of mine, so I do my best to hide my flustered expression. I find the position we are in uncomfortable, but I am also curios to see what he has on his mind.

Lucio leans even closer, propped up on his arm, and starts whispering into my ear.

“Have any plans for tonight?” he asks, his eyes narrowed in a cunning smile.

“No, not that I am aware of at least,” I reply. “What are you up to?”

“Well, I was thinking we might find a monstrous beast for me to slay…” he whispers, tickling my ear with his warm breath, “I would look exceptionally good swinging its ugly head left and right, with a few light wounds here and there and covered in its blood. Or we might show up to an extravagant ball and have the time of our lives there. We could demonstrate the public our best, most elaborate dance, and they would cheer and applaud, flabbergasted at our awesomeness and grace.”

I chuckle a bit at how unsurprisingly flashy his suggestions are. But it is usually my job to tease him, so I can’t let him beat me so easily, even if I seem to be much less at ease in such… circumstances.

“Your idea certainly sounds entertaining,” I mutter and slide my hand down his side and onto his waist.

“Wh– which one exactly?” he asks, visibly taken aback by my display of interest.

“Both of them, actually,” I say, as my hand wraps around him and pulls him a tad closer.

Lucio’s face blossoms with light-pink and he lets out his breath with a loud sigh. The air of confidence he always has around him disperses in a matter of seconds every time I unexpectedly agree to play by his rules. He just cannot get used to it for some reason.

“And… which one would you chose?” he asks carefully, moving away from my red ear to steal a glance at my face. He is a bit taller than me and stands so close that it’s hard for me to look at anything else except for his squinted eyes and blond locks of hair framing his face.

I pull him even closer, pressing him to me and squeezing his side, and rest my other hand on his cheek. His face is growing redder every second and he starts to squirm a little, trying to avoid my gaze and the intimacy he seems to still secretly enjoy.

“I believe, I have an even better idea,” I say, smiling, and raise my hand to cover his eyes for a split second.

Before he has the time to protest, we are back in the room we first appeared and it is hardly different from the way we left it. I release him from my grip and give him a light push on the chest. With nothing to grab on his way down, he helplessly falls onto the bed behind him, a startled “Ah!” escaping his lips.

I smile, savouring the look of surprise on his face, and approach the bed.

Lucio is flushed but doesn’t seem to mind losing control over the situation. Invitingly, he reaches out with his hand to me, but I shake my head and climb on the bead on top of him without his help.

The bed is incredibly soft so I doubt he felt any discomfort landing on it. It reminds me of the one I saw in Lucio’s old chambers, only in its pre-catastrophic state. The cover is pleasant to the touch and seems to be crimson, but it’s difficult to discern the colour in almost complete absence of light in the room.

“You’ve got something red on your cheeks,” I say playfully and run my hand over the side of his face. It’s warm, hot even, and I feel the muscles twitch on his face as he smiles at me.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” he says casually, “when I felt you were here, I ran with all my might to get to you as fast as I could (and had to cover infinitesimal distances, of course) so now I might feel a little too warm.”

I quickly land a kiss on each of his cheeks, pressing him more with the weight of my body, and he laughs merrily, trying to catch my hands in the process.

“There’s something here as well,” I say and kiss Lucio on the tip of his nose.

He tries to escape my touch and turns away, giggling, so I kiss his ear shell which is even redder than his face now.

He struggles playfully a bit, but it doesn’t feel like he really wants to win this fight. I stop to look at him, and he returns my glance without a second thought. His hands are resting on my thighs and he moves them up and down carefully.

“You’re as light as a feather,” he notes, tilting his head, “we need to start feeding you properly. What is your favourite food?”

I take a second to consider my answer.

“Bread. With spices,” I reply, remembering fondly the times Asra and I would go to the bakery near our shop and enjoy the heavenly taste of freshly baked bread.

“Then it’s decided!” says Lucio excitedly and lands his hands on my thighs with a clap. “When I’m officially reinstated as the Count, I’m going to buy you all of the bread I can find! No, the whole stall! No, wait, the whole street! I will buy you a whole street worth of shops with all the bakeries you want!”

I cannot help but laugh at how foolishly he behaves. He pouts and turns away, trying to pretend that he lost interest in me.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I say, still laughing. “I am truly sorry, Your Highness. How could I ever make up to what I have done?” I ask inquisitively, observing his face.

Lucio’s eyes spark with mischief again and he pretends to be thoughtful before proceeding to say what has been on his mind, perhaps, this whole time.

“I might forgive you if you lend me a hand for something. There seems to be something wrong with me…” he says worriedly, but I am not buying into his act. “Something wrong…” he repeats, slyness becoming visible through his cracked façade of seriousness. “It’s become so hard to breathe, I am almost suffocating… Could you please help me with this problem? Pretty please?” he says and dramatically rests his hand on his neck. I look into his eyes full of fake innocence and nod with understanding.

Lucio moves his hand away and starts watching me with unhidden curiosity and excitement. I carefully touch his chest which is rising and falling steadily and, to my surprise, notice, that his coat is buttoned up more than usually. It even makes me think that it really might be hard for him to breathe as he is definitely not used to walking around like this.

I go ahead and start untangling the lace that holds his cloak. I feel soft fur brushing against my hand as I purposefully tinker with the clasp much longer than is really needed. Lucio is growing visibly impatient but seems to do his best not to hurry me. I, in turn, try to hold back my laughter.

Having delt with the cloak, I proceed to unbutton his jacket. The fabric is very delicate, and I again take my time to tease him instead of just dealing with it quickly.

Lucio loses what was left of his patience and opens his mouth with a frown of unsatisfaction.

“What’s taking you so long?”

I look up at him as if he was a child with which I had to reason.

“We wouldn’t want to damage your magnificent attire, would we?” I ask and airily brush my finger against his bare chest that is now partly exposed. “Better proceed carefully.”

He flushes again because of my touch and appears to be at a loss for words. In the end, he just swallows loudly and pretends he did not want to say anything in the first place.

I occupy myself with the buttons again, and this time he waits almost patiently until I finish torturing him. Every time I “accidentally” land my hand on his skin instead of the soft fabric, I feel his pulse quickening, and every time I am forced to bite on my lip to hold back my treacherous smile.

Once I am done, Lucio exhales with relief. I don’t know what he expects me to do next, but suddenly an idea flashes in my mind and I already know I just have to do it.

With his eyes half shut and mouth a little agape, he watches as I delicately lay my hands on his sides and stroke him. It looks like he wants to say something, but I don’t give him a chance as I begin to tickle him violently, running my fingers along the skin between his ribs.

Lucio struggles and kicks below me but cannot do anything to escape my attack. He breathes erratically and I hear his muffled giggling when he jerks up from the bed and presses his body against mine to give me no room for movements. I decide to spare him and hug him instead, wrapping my hands around his neck.

“Well, that didn’t help me at all!” he exclaims jokingly, hugging me back and burying his face near my collarbone. His gilded hand is stroking my back and it feels a bit ticklish because of how sharp the tips of his fingers are, but I decide not to complain as it is more pleasant than anything.

I nestle closer and start twirling a strand of his hair around my finger. He has calmed down and I can hear him breathing steadily against my chest.

“I wish we could sit like this forever,” he says quietly.

“And who told you we can’t?” I ask, and he looks up at me, astonished and puzzled. “Show me who said that and I’ll give them a nice thrashing!” I say and it makes him laugh again.

“Not if I do that first!” he exclaims and plops back onto the bed with me startled but still securely held in his arms.

“I’ll be there to watch then,” I say, resting my chin on my arms crossed on top of his chest.

“Of course, you will! Why else would I do that?” he asks with indignation. “You just watch me. Don’t watch anybody else, just me, okay?”

“Oh, I would never…”

[baubuttercup]

Mini Garcia pt2 /Spencer Reid

Summary: It’s been 2 months since reader started her job at the BAU alongside Garcia. Will a certain someone finally ask her out on a date? 

Spencer x Reader

Warning: Fluff/none

A/N: I haven’t fully edited it but hope you enjoy it :)

Y/N POV

Its been about 2 months since i started interning at the BAU alongside Penelope as her Junior Tech Analyst. I absolutely love every moment of this job and everyone here had become my family. From our first encounter Spencer and I hit it off really well, we came to find out that we had so much in common from the genius writing of Edgar Allan Poe to the newest episode of Dr Who it was like we were the same person. I have to admit i do have a slight...okay maybe large crush on him but i mean who wouldn't the man is a genius, kind hearted and very easy on the eyes. I was patiently waiting for Penelope to come into work, it was currently 9am and i still hadn't heard or seen here anywhere. Usually she is the first one here around 8-8:30am. I make my way out of the bat cave and up towards Hotch's office to see if he has heard anything from her. I knock on the door seeing him looking intensely at a case file, he looks up at me with a welcoming smile to come in. "Hi Sir, i was just wondering if you had heard or seen Garcia today, it doesn't seem like she's here" he closes the case file standing up "Garcia is feeling under the weather so she is going to take some time off, have you by any chance taken a look at the LA case file" I slowly begin to walk out with Hotch going towards the conference room "Yes, me and Penelope researched that file last Friday" he hands me a case file "Good because you are going to be our full time Tech Analyst whilst Garcia is sick, your first task is to brief the team" my stomach drops at the words he just said, i can't do this, i'm completely incapable of doing this without Penelope. Just as I entered the conference room I receive a text

Queen Penelope: "Hi my beautiful little Einstein, as Hotch probably filled you in i am sick and wont be coming in for a couple of day, so you are going to have to be Super Y/L and do what i know you do best. I believe in you, just remember everything i told you and you will do perfectly fine. Message me if you need anything my little sweet sugar plum. Queen Oracle Out!

  Receiving that text from Garcia did surprisingly calm my nerves. I open the case file to to refresh my memory as walked up to the plasma screen while everyone else was gathering in "Y/N will be filling in for Garcia as she is sick so all information is to be run through her on this case" Hotch looked up at me "Whenever your ready" I look over to see Spencer staring at me then mouthed "you got this" while sticking his thumbs up. The reassurance from him and Garcia sure did the trick cause my nerves were practically gone.  I grab the remote displaying the images of the victims while handing out the case files to the agents" Okay, latest victim is Tara Farris, 20, she is the third victim in two weeks all found in a freeway off-ramp by commuters, there were  no signs of sexual assault on any of the victims, but all the victims were severely hypovolemic, Tara had less than a pint of blood in her..."  

-- After briefing the team on the LA vampire case, i came back to the bat cave to make sure all the systems were working fine and ready to go. I began researching into the victimology to see if i could find any connection between them. a sudden knock on the door made me spine my chair around "Hey I just wanted to say you done great in there and thought you might need a little 'pick me up' so here is a coffee and bagel" I stare straight ahead at the pretty boy placing the drink and food on my table, my heart melted at how cute that little gesture was "Reid thats so sweet, thank you, i did need this, so you just made my morning"  i couldn't contain the smile on my face, i was just so taken back at how adorable he was "u-m i actually wanted to ask you u-m, ah u-m by any chance um...do you have an extra copy of the victims forensic report, i didn't seem to get one in my case file" I was a little disappointed as i genuinely thought he was about to ask me out, guess i really am in over my head. "Yeah sure no worries, here, Garcia and i always make extra copies of all the reports" he was about to say something before Morgan stormed in "Reid lets go, Hotch wants us on the plane" Reid looks at me and smiles waving goodbye. I turn back to the computer refocusing my attention on the victimology.

--

REID'S POV I was so close, all i had to do was say 6 words, 6 words and i might have a chance "Will you go out with me" but no i'm such a coward "Reid its been two months already, are you ever planning on asking her out" I turn back to her office to make sure she didn't hear what Morgan just said as we were only a few feet away "lower your voice she could hear you, and what makes you think i like her" Derek looked at the clueless boy with an ‘are you serious expression’ "Reid you can't go five minutes without talking about here, god damn when we are on a case you don't shut up about the things she does, then when you are in her presence you stutter and continuously stare at her. Reid you just bought her coffee and a bagel for christ sake. If i were you i would swoop in before another guy comes along and take your shot" the last sentence made my blood boil. Knowing she isn't mine and she can very well be with anyone else hurts me "Morgan even if i did like her, i'm me , Reid remember, boy genius who doesn't shut up about statistics, what makes you think a girl like that would go for someone like me" Morgan stops in his tracks to confront him about what he just said "Reid i'd be damned if that girl in there doesn't like you. You two talk constantly, she blushes whenever she is in your presence and for your information Garcia might have slipped and told me that Y/N thinks your cute" she what, there is no way, me, the person who's hair is too long, tie always perpetually crooked and not to mention the darkened circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. She thinks i'm cute.  

Y/N POV "Y/N you in yet" JJ said over video call, i was currently trying to hack into Tara's computer. I think to myself, if i was a vampire lover what would i put my password as, then it hits me "that was fast Y/N" i smile to myself "Password was Cullen" I see Reid enter next to JJ staring at the computer screen "Colon?" i laugh a little too loud at his question "No Reid, Cullen, the vampire family from Twilight" He looks at me with confusion "Whats Twilight?" I am taken back by how clueless he "Reid you do realise i'm going to force you to watch all the movies now right" Reid looked a bit scared but chuckled a little -- The case went for two day and let me tell you those were the most tiring two days ever. I mentally make note to appreciate Garcia more cause this job is not easy at all. The team had just arrived back so i decided to go greet them at the elevator as Garcia usually does. The elevator doors open and the first person i see is Reid, his eyes were on the the floor and when he looked up they met mine. An instant smile appeared on his face as he came over an hugged me. I was a little shocked as this was our first hug encounter. He was so soft and gentle, i could have stay like that forever "Hey Y/N, i told you you would do great, how did you find it without Garcia" I looked into his chocolate brown eyes completely entranced "It was an experience and a very educational one, but i do prefer her with me, adds to the excitement" Morgan walked past smiling at me telling me i had done a good job. Just as he was about to leave i saw him nudge Reid and whisper "do it now pretty boy" Reid blushed a little noticing that i had noticed their encounter. "U-m, Y/L, i mean Y/N, I was ah wondering if ah- " i smirk to myself excited about where this is headed "what is it Reid, do you need another copy of the forensic report" i giggle winking at him, he laughed and continue "ha no um i'm sorry about that, what i wanted to ask you was if you would like to go to this Edgar Allan Poe reading at Georgetown, you know like a date...with me" I couldn't contain my smile at all, his attempt at asking me out was so cute i couldn't hold it back "Of course i will Reid, i'd love to go on a date with you" we both smile at each other before parting. i go back to the bat cave to gather my things and as i walking out i saw from the corner of my eye an excited Reid telling Morgan that i said yes to go on a date with him. Here i was thinking he couldn't get any cute. 

[boxofbadaddiction]

Claw Marks

Remus Lupin

No Pairing

Reader Insert - Gender Neutral.

Imagine: Remus finding out one of his students is a Werewolf.

Warnings: IDK...werewolves?

He hadn't picked up on it at first, too occupied with keeping his own 'condition' a secret and, more importantly, under control.

Remaining unknowingly oblivious to the subtle signs they'd been showing.

How fidgety and agitated they'd become around the time of the full moon, often lashing out for no reason - even at close friends. How they seemed incapable of staying awake during breakfast or morning classes. Of the often many fresh cuts that littered their skin. All signs went unnoticed.

Until one fateful day when it all seemed to crash over him like a bucket of ice water.

The class started as normal as any other Thursday; with the exception of Y/n needing to be awoken at their desk.

A sharp jab to their elbow was enough to send their arm off balance, chin falling from it's place against their palm, the sudden drop of y/ns head waking them with a slight fright.

"Thank you for that, Miss Bell. Good Morning, Y/n. I do wish you'd save all sleeping for Professor Binns class rather than before I've even begun my lesson." Remus says sarcastically. "Sorry Professor." Y/n mumbled in reply sitting at attention. "Excellent. Although thankfully, given today's topic, I don't believe any of you will be at risk of nodding off."

The class shared an amused chuckle while y/n merely managed a tight lipped smile.

There was a brief knock at the door as Professor Flitwick and Mr Filch entered the room with a large, rattling, wardrobe.

"Perfect timing!" Lupin spoke as the cupboard was deposited at the front of the class and the students were made to stand as the teachers cleared all their desks to the sides of the room. "Today, class, we will be learning about Boggarts."

After a quick introduction of what a Boggart is and how to repel one, the students were made to form a line. As the music carried out it's loud melody and their turn inevitably drew near y/ns body filled with dread.

They hesitated, not wanting to step any closer to the creature in fear their secret be revealed, but with a nudge from the person behind them and encouragement from Professor Lupin they did.

The Boggart took it's time analysing the new arrival before finally transforming. In it's place now stood a great snarling beast with glowing yellow eyes and gruesome, bared, teeth.

Y/n froze. As did many members of the class all of whom drew a sharp breath at the sight. It were truly terrifying.

Y/ns expression bore one of pure fear. Face turning pale as the blood rushed from their head. Shock took over Lupin as well, not having expected one of his students to produce a nightmare quite so frightening. The nightmare he were forcibly living.

Remus took a step forward readying to intervene as he noted the way y/ns wand arm shook in fear.

But to his surprise, with their eyes squeezing tightly shut and head turning back over their shoulder, y/n shouts quickly "Ridikulus!" casting the charm.

The approaching beast is suddenly changed; now in a vivid pink tutu, aimlessly cycling in circles on a miniature tricycle, the image completed by a multicoloured party hat upon it's head.

The previously stunned class erupts into a fit of laughter. The sound filling y/n with enough courage to look back at the scene playing out before them. An astonished and relieved sigh falls from their mouth before joining in and laughing with the class.

Lupin is beyond impressed, barely able to contain his excitement he yells, "BRILLIANT, Y/n! Truly brilliant! NEXT!" His joy however, is short lived as all that previous worry that'd clouded his mind is brought rushing back.

Y/n spun excitedly in place, smiling widely, their robes shifting with the momentum to reveal a large scar from the base of their neck, presumably, stretching right along to their shoulder as it traced their collarbone. Claw marks. Unmistakably - claw marks.

Lupins face drops briefly before he's quickly painting back on a fake smile. After that the signs weren't so subtle anymore.

Not wanting to get ahead of himself and draw wrong conclusions he confronts Dumbledore with his suspicions.

"Headmaster, I wondered if I might be able to have a word?"

"Of course, Remus. You may have more than one if you so desire." Dumbledore responds from his place at his desk, looking down over his half-moon glasses with a grin.

"It's about a student of my 5th year class...y/n y/l/n?" "Ah, yes." Lupin watches Albus expectantly but he does not continue so Remus does, "I couldn't help but notice they possess certain qualities that are remarkably similar to my own." Dumbledore nods in acknowledgement but remains silent. "Would I be out of my depth in assuming they-that they're..." "like you are?" The Headmaster finishes for him. Remus swallows thickly as he watches him intently.

"You would not. Be out of depth, that is. Y/n is indeed a Werewolf."

Remus takes a deep breath. He knew he was right in his assumptions but to hear it be confirmed is a different thing entirely. Like a truth one would never hope to be true. A flood of emotions overtakes him; some shock. Sympathy and sadness - as he knows what they are going through. And quite a bit of anger towards the man infront of him.

"You didn't think it necessary to inform me of this?" He glares. "That would have been against their, and their parents, wishes. When they told me of y/ns condition they were adamant in no one else knowing - less word spread, I agreed to respect their wish so I couldn't tell you. Were you to discover this on your own however-" "so you've just been sitting around waiting for me to piece the puzzle together?" "To be frank, Remus, I'm rather surprised it took you this long."

Anger and frustration are bubbling over in Lupin at this point as he turns his back on Albus. It's taking all his strength not to lash out at the old man like he desperately wants to.

"They're taking necessary precautions, Remus, if that is what's troubling you." "No, Headmaster. What's troubling me is that they are suffering with this condition on their own." He speaks through gritted teeth. "Yes, I have an idea of how unpleasant it must be." That comment alone pushes Remus' temper to it's limit.

"With all due respect, Albus..." he turns back to face him with daggers held behind his eyes, "you have no idea. You could not possibly imagine the difficulty of enduring the effects of lycanthropy - especially not at such a young age."

"Do you forget who assisted you in your transformations during school?"

"I do not, Professor. Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs helped me through every full moon. Although you may have offered a place to do so safely, you did not assist me in my change. It were James, Sirius and Peter who were there for me. And if what you say is true - that you are the only person in this school who knows - y/n doesn't even have that. A fact of which I am truly sorry for."

Not waiting for a response Remus storms from Dumbledores office.

As the next full moon approaches Remus prepares himself for the night. Locking himself in his office and drinking the Wolfsbane potion Severus prepared for him to make the change a little easier.

As the sun sets for the day he watches as the final rays disappearing beneath the horizon paint the Black Lake in brilliant hues of gold and cream. It's a picture perfect scene when something suddenly draws his attention.

A student decending into the forbidden forest. Y/n.

His body urges him to follow, but in little time he'll be in no position to offer help and, given the fact his theories have been proven correct, y/n will be in no state to accept.

When morning dawns he resumes his place by the window, mind fixed on only one thing. One person. The same person whom he witnesses hobbling back out of the forest along the very path they'd entered.

That day he calls y/n into his office and explains everything. How he found out. How he's the same. How he can help.

Y/n breaks down in front of him. Years of carrying this weight on such young shoulders finally met it's peak and took it's toll.

That night Remus offers Y/n the goblet of Wolfsbane to make the transition a little easier. It'll be the first time they get to change without suffering an excruciating amount of pain. It'll also be the first time in months Remus will be forced to endure it.

The change that night as the moon rises would be different than any before...

"Remus, have you taken your potion tonight?" Sirius grips his shoulders tightly as he speaks the words frantically. "You know the man you truly are, Remus. This heart is where you truly lie. This heart here." Padfoot beats against Moonys chest as he watches his features slowly morph into the grotesque creature that forever lurkes within.

All words are dull in Remus' ears as the pain blinds his senses and he feels himself start to lose control.

The image of Y/n is the last thing to flash before his eyes and at least his mind is eased in the knowledge that, for the first time, their transformation will be bearable.

A final comforting thought before the beast inevitably takes over.

[proudgodot]

Gratitude

I was not initially planning to post about this, given that my unfortunate tendency to over-share has caused me quite a bit of grief in the past, but the truth is that I simply couldn’t resist this time. Typically when I am overcome by an uncontrollable desire to post it is because I am desperately in need of attention or validation, so much so that I can’t actually remember a time when I posted because I was genuinely eager to share something. It was always out of some perverse and misplaced sense of obligation, but it finally feels as if that burden is lifted. While I was writing this post, it was because I felt a genuine…. pride over something I had accomplished, something I genuinely wanted to share with the world. When I chose the name of this blog I didn’t earnestly expect that I would ever feel anything other than shame about myself… it seemed more an ideal than an actual plausible prediction. I’m just so relieved my wish came true.

Anyway, I suppose that is quite enough navel-gazing for the time being… I can only imagine my followers have probably had enough of that to last a long and fulfilling lifetime. I reckon it’s time to move on to the actual story.

As most of you well know, following the dramatic events of the Kristahlia drama, I suddenly found myself with the new responsibility of parenthood. There are certainly aspects of my new lifestyle that have been difficult to adjust to… principle of which is that I am supposed to serve as a sort of role model for these developing and damaged boys. I have never been particularly aspirational, in fact you would be hard-pressed to find someone as underperforming as me. Although I was prone to overcompensating for such things, always desperately trying to prove that I was capable of as much as the bare minimum, looking back I see that I grew too comfortable with those low expectations. When it registered that as a caretaker I would suddenly have to perform a sort of excellence, not for the sake of my fragile ego but for the betterment of these children… I was immediately overcome by a painful inadequacy. However, as our first week together progressed, I came to realize that in certain regards all of us were personally inadequate, and it was for that very reason we had taken on this responsibility together. Although I certainly had my short-comings, that wasn’t something unique to me, and over time we all began to coordinate better and help manage each other’s weaknesses. I was somewhat surprised to learn this was not only true of the adults, but the children as well. The dynamic we developed as a family was rather symbiotic… I found that regardless of age we all had something to offer each other.

Regardless, I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to keep my found family as distant as possible from my most severe personal issues. My past was something I felt I had to resolve independently, no matter how tempting it was to once again depend on the people in my life to solve my problems in my stead. That is why when I made the decision to start looking into Anton’s whereabouts, I never spoke a word about it to my housemates.

Facebook made finding his account incredibly easy, distressingly so in fact. I became acutely aware of the possibility that he might have been recommended my account numerous times over the years and had consciously chosen not to send me a friend request, which although completely understandable still hurt immensely to imagine. Perhaps my hopelessly romantic dream to reconnect with the man was unrequited, and would be rejected with extreme prejudice if vocalized. Eventually, however, I managed to muster up the courage to actually inspect his profile. I discovered that after our quarrel six years ago and his subsequent transferral Anton had moved back to his hometown in Ann Arbor to complete his degree in art and design. Since graduating, he had been working as a freelance artist and animator… he often posted about how proud of his projects he was, and it was reassuring to see his enthusiasm had not diminished in the slightest over the years. One detail about his profile that immediately jumped out at me was his relationship status, which was currently set to single. Despite myself, I immediately felt a small flicker of hope ignite within my quickened heart. Upon further investigation, it appeared he’d been involved in several relationships over the years that had ultimately ended in failure, although the circumstances were unclear. I only hoped he hadn’t made a habit of dating unappreciative losers…

I managed to quell my anxiety briefly and force myself to send him a friend request, which almost immediately filled me with a sense of mounting dread. My anticipation wasn’t even allowed much time to simmer, because mere minutes after I sent the message I was notified that it had been accepted. Instinctively, I slammed my laptop shut and jumped out of my seat, forgetting that I was incapable of standing up so quickly without losing all feeling in my legs and face planting into the floor. I instantly regretted not taking Addy’s advice and getting that checked by a doctor, because soon enough the entire family was in my room gathered around my body and asking questions with varying degrees of concern and amusement. Although I had wanted to keep my activity a secret, at that moment I was swept away in the drama, and so I began to mindlessly rant about the situation.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but soon enough there were six pairs of hands all frantically scrambling for control of my keyboard. While I laid incapacitated on the floor, my friends had taken it upon themselves to respond to Anton’s messages, each expressing their own thoughts from my account in randomly alternating orders depending on who had managed to prevail in the wrestling. It seemed that Iara maintained the upper hand most of the fight, although it was admittedly difficult to tell over the frenzy at times considering my limited view from the floor.

Eventually, the chaos subsided and everyone turned to look at me with beaming smiles on their faces, some more devious than others. I immediately began to worry that they had sabotaged me somehow, be it in light-hearted jest or in an earnest act of betrayal, and so I asked them nervously what exactly they had done. For a moment it seemed they were trying to contain their excitement, but it didn’t take long for them to erupted into an uproarious celebration, complete with victorious chants that Anton was coming to meet us in person this evening!

I didn’t know how to react. All at once a tempest of conflicting emotions completely overpowered me… and I mean that quite literally. I knocked out cold, and when I finally woke up I discovered that not only had Kyler been trying to shock me awake by applying Takis to my tongue, but that the situation had not miraculously resolved itself. Although everyone else had mostly settled down, my mind was whirling a mile a minute with all of the things I had to do to prepare. I had a whole bucket list I needed to accomplish before I was comfortable standing in front of Anton again… and as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t possibly get everything done myself over such a brief time. To my surprise, I didn’t even have a chance to put my reservations aside before they had already agreed to help me based off of my panicked listing of errands alone. Despite my reluctance to involve my new friends in the more turbulent aspects of personal life, it seemed they were actually eager to get involved themselves… I discovered that my problems were not an inconvenience to them, but rather something they were excited to help me work through.

The first obstacle I had to overcome was also the hardest… that being that I had never properly apologized to Gabriella and Lana for my dishonest and frankly abusive treatment. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have the words to express my remorse or that I hadn’t processed my guilt, but that Gabriella’s parting words to me specifically informed me not to contact her and I didn’t want to once again disrespect her wishes. However, after some words of encouragement from the family, I managed to write a relatively concise three thousand word email taking responsibility for my past actions and wishing the couple well. As I was writing this post, I actually received a response from the two telling me they appreciated my apology and were glad to see I had grown into a more mature person. Apparently they have just finished settling into their cottage and are now doing better than ever. Lana even expressed an interest in meeting Addy and Iara in particular sometime… I suppose it’s a sapphic thing. I’m just glad that they’re finally living the happy life they deserve without being held back by backwards men.

My email took longer to type then I had expected, and although I certainly can not regret pouring my heart into the message given its importance, it did mean that we had to pick up the pace with the rest of the bucket list. Kyler took this quite literally, speeding at what must have been 100 miles per hour towards the mall despite nearly giving me a heart attack and my insistence that he not set such a bad example for Chris and Klav. We actually ended up getting pulled over, but luckily Iara managed to scare the officer away with her signature scowl. The next few hours were a frantic rush of errands, all focused on helping me actually express myself without the burden of repression. There were moments when it was a struggle, such as when I nearly hyperventilated in Claire’s before they pierced my ears, but ultimately I am immensely satisfied with the results. The most fulfilling moment was finally getting the tips of my hair bleached white to match my new profile picture. Chris actually got his hair dyed alongside me, changing his style from pale blond to black and white to reflect his new kin. It was incredibly rewarding to accomplish this alongside him… I had never been the subject of anything but disappointment from my parents, so it was an incredible feeling to be able to experience that absent parental pride for myself, even if it was with a different perspective.  

By the time Anton was forecasted to arrive, my appearance had been upgraded to better reflect my current sense of self… all that was left was for me to get in the right mindset. Luckily, my family was perfectly eager to act as my own personal “hype beasts,” as Kyler put it. They offered excellent emotional support in the half-hour we sat in the den patiently awaiting his arrival, especially Addy, who really took my mind off things by offering to play me in a game of chess. I lost quite handedly, but for once I don’t have it in me to be a spoilsport. When we heard that fateful knock at the door, they all immediately ran into the nearest closest and shut themselves inside to give us some space, but not before giving me a final set of encouraging thumbs up. I hesitated for a moment, questioning once again whether I was really ready to take such a big step in my life. My hand paused, hovering over the door knob uncertainly… until I heard the faint sounds of Steely Dan’s Come on Eileen coming from inside the closet, accompanied by the muffled sound of Klav’s giggle. Reignited by the familiar sounds of my favorite musicians, I swung the door open with a new and uncharacteristic conviction.

And there he was… I was immediately captivated by just how strong his presence was. My memories hadn’t done him justice… it really was like I was in the presence of an angel. I was comforted by certain familiar aspects of his appearance, such as his golden brown eyes that glistened like stars, his long curly hair with its comforting strawberry aroma, and his signature checkered scarf that he had been consistently wearing for almost decade now… but what really excited me were those new features. Normally I am turned off by change, but I was positively breathless as soon as my eyes wandered to the golden butterfly tattoo on his exposed shoulder. I felt as if I was going to faint for a second time in one day. 

I couldn’t find the words to express the depths of my emotion no matter how hard I searched my impassioned soul... there were no words strong enough. Instead I just cried, and wordlessly he accepted me into his arms… just like he had on that life-changing night all those years ago. I finally told him everything I had so obstinately refused to say during college… that I was gay, that I was in love with him, and that I was sorry. Although I was openly weeping, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more relieved in my life.

Eventually, he managed to pacify me… and so I was able to explain to him the entire story of the Kristahlia drama. It was difficult to explain that I had managed to go from discoursing with these teenage kinnies to adopting them, but he was as understanding as he ever was. He was so excited to meet my family that he even brought his cat Apple all the way from Michigan just to introduce her to them. I don’t think I have ever mentioned this publicly, but when Krissy died I had to take her dog Diogenes in myself, and I was surprised to find that the two animals got along perfectly. It really did feel like the entire house was accepting him... it was as if this was meant to be.

Since Anton had gone to all the trouble of making the ten hour drive to Iowa, he suggested that we might as well all hang out together in Cedar Rapids over the weekend. I suppose it’s a date... I must say that I am looking forward to it, as are the others. I know I didn’t deserve to be accepted by him again just because I spent a few hours shedding tears and profusely apologizing, but for once I don’t feel guilty that I have received something I don’t deserve. I just feel... an overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity.

I am certainly still inexperienced at this whole family business and have accepted that I will inevitably make some mistakes in the future, but I don’t think I’ve done too poorly for a first week, if I do say so myself. I am truly grateful to all the people in my life who have supported me through my journey, who have taught me that it is possible to rely on others without being a parasite and to be relied on without shouldering the entire burden. 

To my partners, my friends, my children, and my love... from the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

[pixelatedrose]

Can you do 39 with prinxiety? Sorry if I'm being a burden - 🌯

Prompt 39 Prinxiety

“Listen it’s not really my fault i fell in love with him!! HE WAS SHIRTLESS!!”

Word Count: 3,799 (I got a bit carried away with this one)

Warnings: uncensored swearing, mention of a dead animal (Skip from “It wasn’t that he had never wanted to go before,” to “The memory left a pretty solidly foul taste in his mouth and made him shudder.”)

Camping

  It was early August and Roman’s friends had finally convinced him to tag along with them to go camping.

  “But there are bugs!!” Roman complained.

  “So? Bugs are cool.” Virgil said, looking up briefly from his phone.

  “Oh yeah?” Roman continued to whine. “Well I hardly took you as one who enjoyed camping in the middle of nowhere with zero cell service, Dr. Gloom!” Roman antagonized the emo boy.

  Virgil stuck out his tongue at the sassy drama queen. “You’re just pouty cause we never asked you to come before because we thought you hated the outdoors.”

  “I do not hate the outdoors!!” Roman scoffed. “I just don’t really find the idea of bugs and sap and burnt food and bugs very appealing.”

  “Aw, Roman! Is this your first time camping?” Patton asked, calling from where he was placing an overfilled bag into the bed of Logan’s truck.

  Roman flushed and turned away haughtily. “Well it’s not my fault my moms never wanted to go and sleep on the ground!!”

  Patton clapped his tall friend on the back, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh, you’re going to have so much FUN!!”

  Soon the truck was packed, with Logan helping Roman make sure that he had everything necessary. (“No, Roman, you won’t be needing your fantasy elf cloak.” “BUT WHAT IF THE DWARVES COME FOR ME?!”)

  The car ride was long, Roman and Virgil sitting in the back with Patton sitting up front and Logan driving. Roman ended up falling asleep, his head resting against a drowsy Virgil’s shoulder. Patton, thinking this was the cutest thing ever, snapped a picture with the camera he brought along.

  “Logan, look!!”

  “Patton, dear, I am incapable of looking at whatever you wish to show me if I am to drive safely on this road.”

  “Oh, right, sorry! Virgil and Roman fell asleep on top of each other, that’s all!”

  “Oh. How lovely.”

  “Logan why are you pulling over?”

  “Revenge.”

  Roman and Virgil woke up in different positions, Roman’s face pressed up against the window and Virgil having adjusted to leaning against his seatbelt. They also awoke to marker coating their faces.

  “That’s for the cookies you two baked me last week.” Logan said when they had started freaking out.

  “But it was funny!!” Virgil protested, rubbing at the marker hearts doodled on his cheeks.

  “Cookies should not contain any- especially that much- pepper in it!! Consider us even, Ruiners of Sweets.” Logan seethed dramatically.

  The ride from then on was filled with karaoke, Disney, and laughter.

  When they arrived at the campsite, they tried to divide the work up. However, it became very clear that Roman had no idea what he was doing when he mistakenly snapped one of the tent poles clean in half.

  “Whoops…”

  Virgil sighed. “Great! At least I know how to fix it once I get home. I guess I’m sleeping under the stars tonight…”

  Patton shook his head. “Nonsense!! There’s plenty of room in Roman’s tent for you to sleep in there!”

  Roman nearly choked. “What?!”

  Virgil just shrugged. “'Ight. But I’m setting up tents from now on. Roman can make the fire.”

  “I do not trust that Roman will know an adequate way of starting a fire. Perhaps he can prepare food instead? It is probably something he should have been doing from the start seeing as I am not the best in the culinary arts.” Logan offered.

  Roman nodded, trying to keep his head up. It was just his first time camping after all. He was a little upset by the fact that he was going to be sharing a tent with Virgil. Why? He wasn’t 100% sure. But it made his chest flare up and his face burn. The fact of the matter was that he was incredibly nervous about sleeping in very tight quarters with his very attractive friend of whom he’d subconsciously had a crush on since they’d met in high school. But he would never admit such a thing. Especially when it was still so subtle.

  Dinner was finished, Roman figuring out how to cook over the fire after a few attempts, and with that, Patton took out his guitar and played songs that Roman hadn’t heard before, but the others seemed to know by heart. Stories were told and laughs were exchanged as well as shrieks in terror followed by evil giggles of delight. The sun was long put to rest by the time the fire simmered out.

  The friends parted to their separate tents and the lanterns were put out.

  Virgil unzipped the tent’s door, holding it open as if he were any semblance of a gentleman. “Just don’t you go falling for me because of this, Princey.” Virgil smirked, pushing Roman into the tent face first.

  Roman fell and from the ground mumbled sarcastically. “Trust me, not a problem.”

  Roman pulled a loose tank top over his head and turned to Virgil, expecting something similar. Except he found the pale boy, completely bare chested, reading a book in a position that had no right looking as attractive as it did.

  “Finally done getting ready, Princey?” He asked, sparing a glance up at the now red faced boy.

  Roman prayed that his colored face was hidden by the god-awful lighting in the now much too small tent. “Y-yep!!” Roman faked a nonchalant tone, trying not to stare so openly.

  “Great.” Virgil said, his casual tone was only what Roman dreamed he had sounded like. “I’m going to finish this chapter and then I’ll turn lights out. Don’t wait for me.”

  Roman tucked himself into his sleeping bag and turned away from Virgil, trying desperately to get the image of his friend’s surprisingly toned chest out of his mind. Did Virgil work out? He always looked so thin and stringy under his hoodie…

  “Night, Vee.” Roman wrestled the words from his throat, his voice cracking, making him want to die a little bit more.

  Virgil didn’t say anything and Roman, for the next twenty minutes, listened to the sound of quietly turning pages, all the while panicking at their closeness and, for the millionth time, trying not to think about Virgil’s lack of a shirt.

  Finally, Vrigil put his book down and stretched. He panicked even more when Virgil seemed to lean over to Roman and he shut his eyes, years of practice in pretending to be asleep finally paying off.

  Virgil leaned back and if Roman had his eyes open and had been facing the pale boy, he would have seen Virgil smile ever so fondly and sweetly, a light pink adorning his pale cheeks. “…Cute…” Virgil whispered quietly, not aware that Roman could hear him quite clearly in the silence of the night. Virgil flicked off the lights and, in a single line, probably made Roman fall irreversibly deep into the boiling pool of love. “Goodnight, my prince. I’ll love you tomorrow…”

  In the dead of the night, Roman heard Virgil’s breath even out next to him.

  Roman, red faced, turned to try and look at his sleeping friend, just to make sure, only to be met with a cute face not six inches away from his own. Even in the dark, Roman began to take notice of things he’d seemingly never seen before. Like how his dark hair faded perfectly into purple at the tips, making it look like purple flames. It made Roman want to reach out and fluff it about. Or the way his pale cheeks were impossibly cute and round, devoid of their usual makeup and beautiful. It made Roman want to hold his perfect face in his own imperfect hands. Or the way his lips curved so exquisitely, a soft beautiful thing. It made Roman want to lean forward and capture such flawless lips with his own.

  “We have a big fucking problem.” Roman whispered to himself.

~~•~~

  The next morning Roman woke up to the sound of pots banging.

  “WAKE UP SLEEPING BEAUTY, WE’RE GOING TO THE LAKE TODAY!!!” Virgil’s voice had momentarily made Roman forget everything last night as it was, at the moment, the most annoying thing on the goddamn planet.

  Virgil threw the tent door open, somehow letting more light into the small area. Roman tossed the edge of his sleeping bag up over his face in dismay. “Nooo….What time is it even…?”

  Virgil stopped banging his pots for a half second. “About 8:45. When you’re camping, the sun’s your alarm, Princey!!” He trilled out in a sing-song voice.

  “Why,” Roman complained, poking his head out of his cocoon. “Is the one time you’re cheery the one time I wish you weren’t?”

  Roman opened his eyes and was met face to face with a sinisterly smirking Virgil, his figure framed in splashing golden light as he leaned in to get a view of Roman. “Because I live to be the bane of your existence, Princey!” He smiled all too brightly, and Roman was reminded of his ever growing problem as he felt his face heat up.

  Patton poked his head in through the doorway, ruining the picture perfect scene Roman had before him. It wasn’t that he minded, though. No of course not. He wasn’t upset at all that the picture of Virgil with perfect golden light shining around him in a perfect, sunny corona was thrown off by a smiling Patton. He would never be upset.

  “C’mon, Ro! It’s time to wake up!! Logan and me made campfire pancakes!!” Patton smiled. Virgil’s eyes lit up like Roman had never seen them light up before. A childish sparkle, like when a kid gets told they’re allowed to have two cookies instead of one.

  Logan’s voice called from outside the tent. “It’s ’Logan and I’ Patton.”

  ”Yeah, yeah, whatever, Honey. I’m just excited for campfire pancakes!!”

  ”We all are, Pat! Campfire pancakes are the only thing Logan can make edible, and of all the things I’ve eaten, it would be the one that should be considered fucking gourmet!!”

  Roman listened to his friends chatter as he got ready, suddenly upset he’d declined Patton’s offers for so long. It wasn’t that he had never wanted to go before, but he’d never been in the woods alone since his brother had forced him into the woods near their old house as children to show him a dead and rotting fox corpse. The memory left a pretty solidly foul taste in his mouth and made him shudder.

  He’d complain about bugs and charred food for as long as he needed to. He wasn’t about to let slip that he’d been scared to go back into a place that reminded him so vividly of something so distasteful.

  ”And he rises!!” Virgil said theatrically when Roman emerged from the tent. Now that he could see better, Roman looked Virgil over. His hair was slightly tousled from sleep and he was wearing a plain, dark t-shirt. His pale face bore practically no makeup, save for the remnants of his eyeshadow that seemed to never go away. His smile was bright and happy, excited in a way Roman had never seen before now. It was at this time that Roman realized this was one of a very select few times that he’d seen Virgil without a hoodie or jacket on. He was pretty. Honestly, Roman thought he should have noticed how charming the tall man was before now.

  Roman smiled coolly. ”Now where are those campfire pancakes I keep hear you guys yapping about?”

~~•~~

  The pancakes were amazing. And after hiking to a lake, Roman was starting to think camping really wasn’t all too bad. The trail had ended, coming out to the view of a crisp lake with a sandy bank, driftwood strewn about the shore. A wooden dock with a rope swing attached to the end adorned the right side of the picture and a picnic bench decorated a small grassy patch a short distance away from the shore, save from potentially splashing children.

  However the picturesque lake was absent of any and all people, leaving the entire lake to themselves.

  ”Wow…” Roman breathed out as the lake came into view.

  Virgil smiled fondly at the starry-eyed man next to him, not that Roman had noticed. ”Yeah. It’s pretty sweet, isn’t it?” Virgil said, walking with Roman to towards the shore as Patton gleefully ran ahead to the dock and Logan crossed over to the picnic table to place the bag containing their lunches. ”This place was actually pretty abandoned when me and Lo first found it.”

  Roman glanced at Virgil, who was smiling wistfully out at the clear water. ”Really?”

  Virgil nodded, sitting down on a large piece of driftwood. ”Yeah. Our families would go camping together all the time when we were kids. One day we came to this old, near abandoned campsite and found this lake after hiking an all but completely overgrown trail. It was my mom that convinced my dad to buy up the site. It was fairly cheap, but my parents made it their passion project. I was about 15 years old when they finally finished it all.” Virgil looked over to Roman, his eyes filled with a gentle excitement. “It’s been our own little retreat ever since then! I can’t count how many times me and Logan came here to help work or even after it was done. This place means a lot to me.” He clapped Roman on the back, smiling delightfully. “I’m glad you came, Princey!” Virgil then pushed him over into the warm sand. “That’s enough cheese for today I think!! Race ya to the rope swing, theater dork!!” Virgil took off toward the dock and Roman, for once, was glad he had pushed him over and ran away. 

  Roman’s face and chest was ablaze. The way that Virgil seemed to treasure this place, wanting to share it with Roman, it made him unbelievably happy. The way the pale boy’s eyes sparkled and the way his usually lazy smile was bright and bold, it sent his heart aflutter.

  “You fiend!!” Roman accused, scrambling up to his feet. “That’s not fair!!” He charged after Virgil’s dark hair, hoping to leave his dangerously growing adoration behind in the sand.

  They took turns swinging off the rope swing and shoving one another into the water, splashing about in it’s cool waves a welcome sensation against the heat of the sun. Lunch finally came and they chatted and joked and told swapped stories until Logan declared that it was time they all headed back.

  “Actually, Logan? Can I talk to you for a bit?” Virgil asked as they were packing up.

  Logan raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Of course. Patton, Roman, you two can go on ahead of us. We will catch up to you later.”

  “Sure thing, honey!!” Patton said cheerily, wrapping his arm around Roman’s shoulders, though because of the height difference, mistakenly pulled Roman down a bit in the process.

  They chatted a bit until the subject of Virgil managed to come up.

  “Virgil?” Roman asked, the thought of the green eyed man making him flush. When had that started happening? “I mean he’s great of course…I mean more than great honestly. Have you ever noticed how perfect his hair always looks, Pat? Or like how pretty he is just…everywhere? It’s infuriating!!” Roman looked over to his short friend. “Right, Pat….? Uhh…”

  Patton wore a shiteating grin on his face as he smirked smugly at Roman. “I knew it!” Patton declared. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!”

  Roman’s face flared and his heart started to beat. “Knew w-what?! What did you know?!”

  Patton jabbed a finger at Roman’s chest. “You’re in love with Virgil!!” He announced, his grin growing more and more excited and mischievous by the second, his golden eyes sparkling more and more from under his wide, round frames. “Aren’t you?!”

  Had Roman been a balloon, he would have burst. His face was undoubtedly the color of a rose and his heart was beating far too loud for Patton not to hear it, he thought. Roman finally caved, giving a sigh. “Listen, it’s not really my fault I fell in love with him!! HE WAS SHIRTLESS!!”

  Patton danced around the path way, spinning and chanting, “YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH VIRGIL!! YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH VIRGIL!!”

  “Okay okay!! I’m in love with Virgil!! Now will you quiet down! What if they’re about to catch up?!” Roman said, mild panic pricking his heart.

  “So what if they hear us?!” Patton stopped his dancing, facing Roman. “I mean Virgil’s already been in love with you for years now!!” Patton said excitedly, waving his hand as if it was common knowledge.

  Roman’s life could have ended then and there. “He what-?”

  Patton’s smiling face didn’t falter as extreme panic set his eyes ablaze. “Shit!!” He said in the most cheery tone a person has ever used to say shit. In fact, Roman could only count on two other times he’d even heard Patton curse. “You were not supposed to know that!!” Patton continued with his cheery voice.

  Roman grabbed Patton by the shoulders, emotions swirling violently within him. “Virgil’s been in love with me for years?!” He asked, ecstatic panic dripping from his voice and flooding his eyes.

  Patton’s smile did falter this time as he looked away, bashful at what he’d let slip. “Well, yeah…He never-”

  Roman picked up the small boy and spun him around, laughing splendidly. “Patton!! You’re an angel from heaven!!” He bubbled. He set Patton down and hugged him tightly. A thought struck him and he separated from the small boy, not even having heard the blonde’s shouts announcing he couldn’t breath. “Oh god! I have to tell Virgil! I have to go find him!!” 

  Roman started to run away, but Patton grabbed his sleeve. “But what should I do?! We were supposed to get the fire going and dinner started! It’s beginning to get dark!”

  Roman looked at Patton with desperate eyes. “I just realized how I feel about Virgil. I don’t want this to turn into a pining competition! I have to find him right now!”

  Something in Roman’s voice must have convinced Patton because he let go. “Alright.” He lightly tapped his fist against his taller friend’s shoulder. “Go sweep him off his feet, Ro!”

  And with that, Roman was off sprinting back down the trail.

  He caught sight of Virgil and Logan walking down the path as the trail was beginning to darken with purple under the canopy of trees in the soon to be dying sunlight. Roman smiled and waved to them down the trail.

  “Roman?” Virgil asked, a concerned and mildly frightened look glazing his eyes over. “Is everything okay? Did something happen? Where’s Patton? Is he alright? Is-”

  Roman swooped Virgil into a spinning hug, not letting the boy finish his anxious rambling. “Oh, everything is more than just alright, my dark and stormy knight!” Roam laughed, holding on to his heart from around his waist, grasping him close.

  Virgil’s face lit up with splashes of red and pink. “Uhm…?”

  Logan looked between the two and smiled. “I’ll go on ahead and make sure Patton has some company.” He said, picking up Virgil’s discarded bag and turning to walk down the darkening trail.

  Roman stopped spinning Virgil and let the green eyed man down, only just loosening his hold on him.

  But to Roman’s utter dismay, as soon as Logan was out of sight, Virgil pushed out from Roman’s grasp. “What the hell, Ro? What was that?” He snapped, turning away from the taller boy.

  Roman’s hopes sunk. Had Patton lied to him? No…Patton said he wasn’t even supposed to tell. It had to be true.

  But Roman had to be sure. “Virgil, do you love me?” Fireflies were starting to swirl around them, lighting up like stray stars.

  “What…?” Virgil stopped, looking back at Roman.

  Roman stepped closer, beginning to realize how desperately he wanted Virgil to love him. “Are you in love with me, Virgil?”

  Virgil looked away, crossing his arms over themselves.

  The sounds of the forest settled between them.

  Finally Virgil spoke, his voice shaky and choked. “S-so what if I am? I mean- I didn’t mean to- I don’t-” Virgil turned back to face Roman, his hands embedded in his head of thick, messy hair, his eyes shimmering with tears. “I assume Patton spilled…And I just didn’t want to tell you cause I didn’t want to lose you as a friend! I know you don’t feel the same way, so I was trying to be a good friend…I’m sorry if-”

  “Goodnight my prince. I’ll love you tomorrow.” Roman quoted.

  “W-what?”

  “Last night. That’s what you said before you went to sleep. Can I ask why?” Roman stepped closer, the sun beginning to descend beyond view.

  Virgil was caught between paling and flushing harder. He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s the stupidest thing ever…” He started, though smiling. “Anytime we ever had a sleepover, or you fell asleep studying at my place or during a movie night, I’d say that. It was supposed to be this stupid ‘I can’t love you now, so I’ll love you tomorrow’ thing…Hella cheesy, I know…”

  Roman stepped closer again and brushed Virgil’s hand, though the pale boy flinched it back. “Well remember when you said not to fall for you and I said it wouldn’t be a problem?” he stepped closer still, bringing his hand up to Virgil’s chin.

  “Yeah…?” Virgil didn’t pull away this time, though his eyes remained glued to Roman’s chest.

  Roman tilted his chin upward, looking into the gorgeous green eyes Roman never knew he’d fallen for. “Well I think I have a problem…” He leaned in even closer, and he swear he could almost hear Virgil’s heart. 

  Before Roman could try and capture his lips with his own, Virgil leaned forward and closed the distance himself.

  Roman melted into the kiss and could have sworn he tasted raspberries on Virgil’s breath. Virgil’s arms found themselves draped over Roman’s shoulders and his fingers played in his hair as Roman drew Virgil closer still, never wanting to let go of the person he’d loved so dearly for years, blind to it as denial had taken hold of him.

  And it was all over much too quickly as Virgil pulled apart just enough to speak. “I think it’s finally tomorrow…” He said, breathlessly, his eyes traveling from Roman’s chest up to his golden brown eyes.

  Roman smiled and rested his forehead against Virgil’s. “I think I like tomorrow…!” He caught Virgil up in another kiss and the two blissfully fell into one another.

  And Roman decided he quite liked camping, after all.

To my anon, you are never ever ever a burden!! I love writing! And as you can see, got a little carried away with this one! I really hope it’s something you like!!

[lucarioisinthevoid]

*glues a blindfold on henry* 50/20 go go go

(I’m cutting this all a bit short. For the Ao3 thing I’ll be in a non-direct timeline, so Henry can still be tormented, but I wanna finish this for the blog- maybe not good, but right. Also, if anyone is curious, I was jamming out to the The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth mod soundtrack, namely Morphine and Innocence Glitched and you totally should listen to them, because now I associate them WAY too much with Henry and Dave respectively)

Henry scoffed. “… you are merely helping me. Now it will be easier to avoid the demon staying inside of the office.” That was a bit of a lie. It wasn’t that easy. But it didn’t matter. 50/20 go, go, go! How long until certain movements became a second nature? How long until surprise machines became meaningless? How long until he won? 50/20 go, go, go! Tricks and exploits. The machines stumbling over each other to get to him- There was only a handful of them that instantly approached when failed… … and those could be contained. 50/20 go, go, go! He lost count. But he was making ground. He was getting there. 50/20 go, go, go It was too easy. If it was based on chance… … then it was too easy. Why- Why was it this easy? Why was it- possible? The thoughts weren’t hunting him while he was playing- But they crashed into him when it was over. When they were gone. When it was quiet. All machines. All mechanics. They all were deactivated. The place felt- dead. After all the chaos, after all the pain, after him days, weeks- months?! … it was over. He felt cold. Not successful. Not excited. Not amazed. Just cold. Stumbling around, he managed to make his way out, his hands shaking from all the stress. He could breathe. He had space. … god, he hadn’t realized how much of a toll this project had taken on him. Now it was done though. Thankfully. Making his way back towards the office, he wondered what was waiting for him. Congratulations? Fury? Nothing at all? As he opened the door, he figured out- it was the third option. What was waiting for him wasn’t the void. It wasn’t the nothingness- it was merely empty. There was something occupying the space already, making a space… It felt so oddly floaty and muted. Goosebumps crawled up Henry’s arms and neck as he heard a deep, almost droned up tone rhythmically sounding from the back. Music? Stepping inside, the Pink Guy moved forwards, feeling slightly better the longer he walked. This was something he could live with, this almost felt familiar. There was an EXIT to this place- back to the office- and it didn’t disappear, that was rather easy to recognize by simply checking over the shoulder. There was PERMANENCE to his surroundings. Finally- In the distance. Something. Twitching. As he approached, it became clearer- The suit. Shaking and shuddering. For a second he felt worried- as though there was something he could even DO. Still, something compelled him to stop and look at the creature. Poor, pitiful, confused creature. “… tell me… what are you…? Why are you here?” The suit didn’t respond. It seemed drained, pained. … this wasn’t his fault however. Not this time. Slowly kneeling down beside him, he tried to catch a good look at the eyes- Then a voice from behind caused him to almost jump. “… he’s fine. He’ll be fine. I can’t say the same about you though.” The kid. Standing up slowly Henry didn’t turn yet. … this time, the voice sounded more… familiar. “There you are.” Henry mumbled. “… you took your time to face me. Were you scared?” It however just- sounded tired. “No.” “Then why were you hiding?” There was a moment of silence, long and cold. Finally, a sigh. “No, Henry. I wasn’t hiding. I was trying to make it more fun for you with a little mystery.” And that was the point where it felt like a few things that were titled before slid into place. It took a bit of gathering… … then Henry turned around. Dave was standing there, looking up at him. So small. So fragile. So- Disappointed. For a moment both of them looked at each other, Dave swiftly changing under his eyes, turning into his suited up form. The golden bunny shined slightly in the darkness, as he looked down at him in turn once more. Flickering. Incapable of maintaining a single form. It took another moment- Then Henry stepped back. “… so. This was your work. You were keeping me here, tormenting me. I was right with everything I said.” “No. You don’t even know how wrong you were.” Turning away from him, the- soul- moved away from him and the suit. But he continued. “Henry. I’ve grown tired of you. I think you don’t know how much I did for you.” “What did you ever do for me.” “I’ve protected you when you were alive. I’ve made this place when you were dead. I didn’t have to be here. I’ve made a mystery. I created something that for all intends and purposes you should like- while keeping up my deal with Fredbear. I wanted you to be happy, busy. To find some sort of balance for you.” There was such a confidence to the claim, that it caused Henry to pause. Still, he was too frustrated. “… perhaps you should have listened to me when I said I am not happy.” “Maybe. Yes, maybe. But then, what would have made you happy? You wanted to leave- and to where? To do what? What were you trying to find? There’s nothing out for there you anymore.” Henry had no response, for once in his life. Which Dave took as his chance to continue on, flickering between all his form at a rapid pace. The voice adjusting with each form- It almost sounded like multiple people talking at once. “We’ve been spending a lot of time together recently. And I think I learned something. Despite your insistence that I never learn.” One thing all of his forms had in common- their glares were all cold. “I think I get you now. I think I now know, Henry- you’re a lost cause.” “Are you-“ “No, hush, please, for the last time in our lives, wait for a moment to listen to me.” For a moment the soul closed its eyes, then opened them again. “You were my best friend. The childhood friend I imagined to have when I was young. With you, I felt so utterly myself. But… you lied. You told it to my face, after all this time.” Raising to his full height, Dave stared him down. “Henry. I want you to know, with all of your words, with all of your claims… you were wrong. Henry, I want you to know: YOU disappointed ME.” “You little-“ “You’re done. Henry, stop talking. There’s nothing to talk about anymore. I’m done. The exit is over there.” There was nothing but… calmness left in Dave’s voice. “You will leave. And you will not come back. This isn’t a place for you anymore.” Completely dumbstruck Henry stared at the creature. “I- what?” “You heard me. I put so much effort into this, hoping you’d like it.” He made a vague movement around himself. “But you didn’t. And I guess you can be angry with me for not realizing that you didn’t actually want immortality, or that you didn’t actually want to be near your machines… I thought I knew you and I thought I’d make a nice place for both of us to play in- within reason- and that maybe you’d be happy. But you’re not. And y’know what, Henry? I don’t think you’ll ever be. But that’s not my problem anymore.” With that Dave turned to leave, disappearing into nothingness, as though he was simply fading away. For another moment Henry stood there, disbelieving- Then the suit next to him started to calm down and he realized, he had to leave fast, otherwise he would lose his chance to be free. Moving towards the exit, shimmering red, he wanted to hesitate- And then there was red water. Red, hot, burning water everywhere.

When he managed to crawl out of the lake, he looked around. Back at the lake. A fishing rod was on the pier… and nothing else. Making a noise, as loud as his throat could produce- Nothing. Not even birds flying up. Slowly Henry caught his breath, realizing that there was no place to go. The forest was too close together, at least right now. Maybe- maybe it would change, soon. Maybe he would leave. His fingers found the red rod besides him, grabbing it tightly, getting some comfort from the wood that felt very real, unlike the air around him. Right now there was nothing that he could do. So he would fish. And wait.

[anotheronechicagobog]

Tylenol and Tequila Part 4

written by: @anotheronechicagobog​

A/N: Sorry that this is so short and that it took me forever to write, uni and work have been ripping me a new one. But I really hope you enjoy this fic!

Sylvie was one of the nicest, sweetest, gentlest people Emily and Stella had ever met, so it was a little shocking when she returned to the ambo after treating a patient looking like she was about to go on a homicidal rampage. “Uh, you okay Brett?”

 “Oh, I am fine. I am very, very fine, but when we get back to the house, our dear captain, won’t be.” 

 The other two women just looked at each other, shrugged, and walked away. 

 They’d never seen her like this and made the smart decision to stay as far away from her crosshairs as possible. Even Boden was staying out of her way. Everyone was avoiding her gaze and literally jumping out of her way. Even Tuesday seemed to sense that something was wrong, sticking close to Ritter. While everyone saw this coming, the only ones who knew what set it off were those on truck 81 and ambulance 61. Boden took one look at the trail of fumes his PIC had left behind on her way to go yell at her captain and turned to look at the shocked companies in the doorway. “Exactly what happened on that call?”

 FLASHBACK

 It was a minor traffic accident, but the SUV that crashed into the van pushed it against the brick wall of a hardware store and crumpled the other two doors shut. The SUV driver had called 911 several minutes ago when his breaks stopped working. He was trying to slow down but couldn’t, the only thing that was able to stop him was unfortunately the van. He ran to meet them before they’d even stopped their rigs. “I tried to stop! I tried to slow down! But even with my foot slammed on the breaks it never went below 50! I’m so sorry, please help them!” Matt’s eyes flicked over to Sylvie who had her attention on the driver and the long lacerations on his arms before he began his job, giving orders and making sure that they got everyone out of the car safe and sound. And they did. A mother and two kids, all with some minor whiplash and only the mother had any scrapes but even those were superficial. Still, they were all sent to MED just to be on the safe side. It wasn’t until he was able to focus solely on Sylvie again that the SUV driver got ‘violent’. Sylvie had noticed glass in his many cuts so she and Foster had gotten to work removing as much of it as possible. Sylvie was carefully removing a medium-sized piece with tweezers when he jerked that arm, almost hitting Sylvie in the face, yelling out in pain. “Okay, this piece is definitely hooked on something-”

 “HEY!” Sylvie, Foster, Truck 81, and the tearful SUV driver snapped their shocked gazes towards him. “You do NOT get to assault my paramedic... s! Do I need to restrain you?”

 “Matt! He was in serious pain, didn’t even hit me, and his arm flail was so not intentional! Calm. Down.” Casey was still heaving like a raging bull so Sylvie put her equipment on his legs and ignored Matt and his tenth overprotective display from that week alone. “Foster help me load him up and then get behind the wheel, we’re taking him to MED.”

 “Syl-” One murderous glare from Sylvie left Matt deflating, hanging his head ever so slightly. The SUV driver started to whimper as he was loaded into the ambulance. “Don’t worry, we’re heading to the hospital, they’ll take out all of the glass we couldn’t get and make sure that there’s nothing else wrong, okay? Just take a deep breath.”

 FLASHBACK END

 “Okay, so Casey had another overprotective fit, how many times is that this week?”

 “Ten, and it’s only the beginning of our second shift, Capp.”

 “I am so glad that I’m not in your place because that would just be annoying.”

 “... Thank you for your sincere sympathies, Capp. So, so much.”

 “You’re welcome!”

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 “What the hell is your problem, Mattew Casey?!” He sighed, relieved that she was here, safe, with him. Even if it was so she could yell at him. “It was no-”

 “If you say ‘nothing’ I am going to lose. It. Because it is most definitely not ‘nothing’. You have been demeaning me and Foster, but especially me, for weeks. Do you think I’m incapable of doing my job? Do you not trust me or something?”

 “What? You’re amazing at your job Sylvie, and you should know by now that I trust you with my life.”

 “Then why have you been acting like I’m a porcelain doll? It’s incredibly insulting and so, so humiliating. First, you wouldn’t let me anywhere near any of our fire scenes, even if it’s to get a patient or to check on one of you! You insist that anyone needing care must be taken to me without me moving closer which could cost us valuable time one day. Second, you need reports every thirty seconds that we’re not at the firehouse or the same scene as you. Then, you bite anyone’s head off if they’re doing something even mildly annoying or inconvenient. Like when you made Gallo make pad Thai last week instead of the fettuccine alfredo he’d not only been planning but had already started making. Or like at the Cutler fire, you freaked out and forcefully moved our gurney behind the rig and would lose it every time we tried to move closer to get to patients faster. Or like today, that poor man had glass hooked around a section of vein, it was so painful for him when I tried to remove it, he didn’t mean to jerk his arm like that, he didn’t mean to almost hit me, you did not need to yell at him like that. You scared him in an already terrifying situation. He spent the entire ride over apologizing to me. You have never treated me like this before, Matt, what is going on?”

 “I almost got you killed.” His voice cracked, and despite how quiet he said it, Sylvie heard him. “What? No you-”

 “At the Arnow fire. I shouldn’t have called you in. It wasn’t safe. It wasn’t safe. How can you even look at me after that? It’s my job to keep you safe. I have to keep you safe, Sylvie. The world needs you, the house needs you, I need you.”

 “Oh, Matt.” It was such a strange and sorrowful sight, to see Matt come completely undone and collapse into her arms. “Have you been holding onto this since the fire?”

 “Since I saw you in your hospital bed after Joe told you about Otis. It was- is my job to keep you safe. You have to be safe, Sylvie. I don’t want to think about my life would be like without you. You have no idea how much you matter to me.”

 “Matt... You mean a lot to me too. But you can’t keep all this bottled up. I- I’ve been seeing a department therapist since the fire. It’s been so helpful and relieving. I’d like it if you would come with me. We can get something to eat after, just decompress, the two of us.”

 “Okay. I can see your point about- about how I’ve been acting. I’ll make an appointment, go the same day as you. But, I’d go to that diner you like, as strange as it might seem, it’s really uplifting for me to watch you get excited about their chocolate pancakes.”

 Trying to contain her blush and reminding herself she was supposed to be upset with him despite his wet cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, she gave a soft smile. “That sounds great.”

[liquid-geodes]

I've got you, you're safe pls

OKAY so I kinda wrote something inspired by @pink-veins-au because one of the mods has been slipping me some sweet sweet content while the blog gets set up and stuff (they also said it was okay to post this!)

There in the garden

Steven sighed in frustration as he left White Diamond's chamber. She'd been coming down hard on him lately ever since he first set foot on his colony of Earth. He didn't know what his mother had gotten him into, all he knows is he has a rebellion to stop and a colony to complete before the other Diamonds deem him incapable.

"Jasper" Steven called as he entered his room, "Were they ever like this with Mom? Did they doubt her over and over again until she just wanted to leave Homeworld?"

Jasper stood at full attention before her diamond, her hands forming their regular salute over her chest.

"Pink often left Homeworld in favor of her garden, My Diamond."

Steven had never heard of this so called garden before, let alone ever knew of his mother enjoying organic life.

"I'll be back later, don't tell the Diamonds where I am."

"Yes, My Diamond."

With that Steven disappeared into the bright light of the warp pad, his mind occupied with thoughts of this garden and what it's purpose was.

When the light of the warp dissipated Steven was met with a desolate wasteland rather than the garden he had been told about.

"This place is disgusting... How long has it been since you came here mom?"

All the plants had wilted and dried, breaking off in the breeze and crumbling into dust. The fountain and columns had all crumbled and broken apart, dark moss and other vines climbing up their dulled surface. Steven took in the sight before him, and decided to venture further down into the overgrown brambles of what was once Pink Diamond's garden.

That's where she stayed

A faint voice could be heard in the distance, accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps. She was back! Pink came back to finish the game! Oh she was so excited she could barely contain herself, but she kept herself planted to the same spot Pink had left her in. Her entire body was bounding with excitement. She had almost started to think that maybe... No, Pink would never do that... Right?

The footsteps were now upon her, and her game was almost complete. But the smile on her face, however, faltered when she saw who they belonged to.

"You're not-"

The pink gems face fell as she looked at the strange person before her. It wasn't Pink...

"Uhm.. Hi?" The stranger said as he approached the strange gem.

"You're not Pink..."

"No, I'm not.. I'm her son, Steven. What are you doing here..?"

"Pink and I... This was our garden..." The pink gem said with a tremor in her voice. Steven furrowed his brows in confusion. "Mom is gone uh... Whoever you are?"

The pink gem felt tears well up in her eyes.

"She never... Talked about me?" The tears that threatened to fall finally spilled down her face, her hands clenching into fists at her side. "But I was made just for her! I'm her best friend! You really don't know me? Spinel??"

"No I'm sorry.. I've never even heard of a Spinel before. If you were her best friend, then why are you hear? Why weren't you with her?"

"Pink said we were just going a play a game... She told me to stand right here, and then she went to Earth. I thought that... She was supposed to come back..."

Steven's eyes widened in surprise. Spinel had just been waiting here since Pink left? That would mean-

"You've been standing here for over 6,000 years!? You seriously thought she'd come back for you all that time?" Steven laughed bitterly as he looked at Spinel's tear tracked face.

"After all that time... You still thought she actually cared about you?"

Spinel's eyes widened as more tears fell, her gem faintly glowing. Pink didn't want her anymore... Pink just left her here... She was never going to come back.

Spinel started to laugh bitterly, pressing her hand to her forehead. "Of course she wasn't coming back.. She it ever wanted that STUPID colony!"

Her laughter continued despite her tears, her hand pulling at her hair.

"How could I have been so stupid!? Pink never cared did she!?"

Steven had to shield his eyes as the heart shaped gem began to glow brighter as Spinel grew more distressed, her physical form growing unstable.

"Its all that stupid planet's fault!" Spinel screamed as her form finally gave out, her gem dropping to the ground at Steven's feet.

"She really doesn't like Earth, huh?" Steven said to himself as he picked up the gem. "That might come in handy with this whole.. rebellion thing that Rose Quartz started.. Sounds like all she needs is a little push in the right direction."

While Pink Diamond played her games

After a while the heart shaped gem started to glow, rising up into the air signalling Spinel's return. Her form was.. different than that of the naive gem Steven had found when he came here. Her gem was now flipped upside down, her hair unkempt, permanent black tear streams we're running down her face. Steven sighed as he started to put his plan into motion.

"Spinel listen... I'm so sorry Mom did that to you... You didn't deserve to be treated like that."

Spinel slowly met his eyes with her own, his look seemed sincere enough.

"But you don't have to stay here anymore. You can come back to Homeworld with me! I can be your new best friend, you don't have to be alone anymore."

"You mean.. you actually want me around?" Spinel said with her voice cracking.

Steven held his hand out for Spinel to take. "I've got you, you're safe now. I know that Mom hurt you, but I'm here now. You'll never be alone again."

Spinel hesitated, stopping her hand firm taking his.

"We can get rid of the Earth together, and everything on it that mom used to replace you. Doesn't that sound better than staying here?"

He finally felt her hand in his, the friendly smile he gave her masking his true intentions. Spinel didn't have to know, not now at least, that Steven was just like his mother.

[thdorkmagnet]

Chapter 41: Baby (Preview)

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: The time has come for Star’s magic performance review to test her knowledge and growth as the wielder of the wand. Although Star is nervous her and Marco have done all they can to prepare her for the test and they are confident she will pass. But when Baby arrives things don’t exactly go the way they planned...

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

“Okay concentrate, Star. You can do this,” Marco said in an encouraging tone, making sure to keep a supportive smile on his face as he watched his girlfriend cross her arm into an 'x' symbol, the wand held tightly in her left palm, pulsing with pink magic just waiting to be set free.

Star closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath, before muttering softly to herself, “I can do this.” The girl then began an intricate series of steps, the wand waving around as her body gracefully danced through each technique with practiced ease, Marco completely awestruck by his girlfriend's movements no matter how many times he had seen it in the last few days. The way Star owned every flick of her wrist or turn of her hip left Marco speechless, her body moving with the grace and poise of a professional ballerina. Her feet were always in the correct position and her arms were always kept at just the right angle, the wand leaving trails of magic sprinkling to the ground with each new gesture.

Finally Star held the wand aloft, shouting in a clear, calm voice, “Warnicorn Stampede!” There was a burst of pink magic in front of the blond royal, before a single, tiny unicorn appeared in front of them, looking completely harmless and adorable. “Aww,” Marco cooed, unable to resist fawning over the cute creature his girlfriend had just created. The little unicorn let out an adorable neigh before trotting forward right into a head-on collision with Star's couch.

Star face-palmed, groaning in annoyance and disappointment, before loudly exclaiming, “Ugh, what am I doing wrong? Why can't I figure out this lousy spell?!”

“Well it is the hardest spell in the book,” Marco pointed out, as he flipped through page after page of Star's spell book, trying not to get lost in the intriguing and dense knowledge this book contained. “Glossaryk said most queens can take years to learn it.”

“Yeah well if I don't get this down soon, I'm gonna fail the magic exam for sure,” Star retorted, crossing her arms bitterly in front of her chest.

Marco thought over his reply for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to comfort his friend. He knew Star had been stressing ever since the Magic High Commission first announced Star have a magic performance review to see how far her abilities with the wand had come. They had given Star only a week to prepare for the upcoming exam and since then Marco had spent hours upon hours helping to get Star ready for the test. And now, on the day of said exam, he knew she was more than ready for anything her examiner could throw at her. But it was Star who needed the convincing, second guessing herself as she failed the one spell in the book she had yet to master. Not that he blamed her, the pressure had to be unbearable for her, failing would  mean proving to the world that she was unfit to wield the wand and Marco knew how terrified Star was of being seen that way.

Failure was simply not an option. Especially since both Star and Marco suspected the whole exam was just another scheme by the MHC to sabotage their commission. Star seemed to have no doubt that if she didn't pass the MHC would disband their commission so that Star could 'focus on her studies', which only added to the pressure the blond royal was feeling. Finally, the hooded teen spoke up in the most reassuring tone he could, “You aren't going to fail, Star. We've been practicing all week, you've read the Book of Spells top to bottom, you know every spell including the ones that were removed from the book, you're more than ready.”

“Except for the one spell I can't get right,” Star reminded him, gesturing over to the little unicorn who was now chewing on Star's couch cushion. “If Baby asks me to cast Warnicorn Stampede I'm totally dead.”

“Well remember what Glossaryk said, your emotions effect your magic, that's probably why you can't cast it,” Marco pointed out, still flipping through pages of the spell book. “I'm sure you'll get it down in time.” He cringed as he came across a page covered in chains with a large skull on it, quickly flipping to a different page. When he had first come across that he had asked Star about it and all she had told him was that it was a forbidden chapter and that no one was allowed to look in it. Marco had steered clear of that section of the book ever since. Though he did wonder why Glossaryk hadn't removed it with the rest of the dangerous spells.

“Yeah, you're right,” the blond replied, letting out a breath of relief, her hands fiddling with the handle of her wand. “I guess I'm just nervous, is all.”

Marco closed the book before going over to his girlfriend and pulling her into a comforting hug. “Hey, I believe in you. I know you're gonna pass this test with flying colors,” he whispered into her shoulder. He could feel Star's body relaxing in his grip as she let out a deep sigh, finally untensing for the first time in hours, maybe even days.

“Thanks, Marco,” the girl said, before finally pulling out of the hug, a bright grin on her pretty face. “What would I do without you?”

Marco shrugged. “Don't know, though you'd probably get a lot less hugs,” the boy said playfully.

Star laughed before giving him a friendly shove, chuckling, “I'm serious!” The two shared a laugh together before the blond gave him a shy grin, the gentle look in her crystal blue eyes sending goosebumps down Marco's spine. “Thanks though, Marco. Really, I mean it. You have no idea how much you've helped out this week and I don't just mean helping me get ready for the test. If it weren't for you I'd probably be a jittery mess by now.”

“Ah, I doubt that,” Marco replied, his cheeks flushing some. “You're way braver than I am, Star.”

“Hey, don't sell yourself short,” Star retorted, cupping his face in her hand while giving her boyfriend a loving smile. “You're just as brave as I am, maybe even more. The only reason I'm so brave is because of you, when I see you facing whatever makes you afraid it makes me want to do the same.” The girl then leaned forward giving her boyfriend a tender kiss on the lips. Marco closed his eyes letting the moment wash over him, the two besties sharing a blissful moment as one, their heartbeat once again beating in time together.

Finally the two parted, giving each other goofy but incredibly happy looks, their cheeks painted pink as Marco finally said, “Well I'm glad I could help.” The girl laughed before pressing her forehead to his. “You always are.”

“So you think you're ready to try that spell again, Star?” Marco asked, giving her an encouraging smile. He felt Star's body tense up just slightly but the hooded teen could now see the resolve in her eyes as she nodded.

“Yeah, let's do it,” the girl said with unwavering determination.

Marco stood back as Star crossed her arms again, taking a few smooth breaths before beginning the incantation dance once again. Her body moved as fluidly as before, every step perfect and on point as she went through the motions just like every time beforehand, but to Marco's surprise Star's wand was now glowing white instead of the typical pink and her hearts were glowing brighter than ever. Finally the girl finished her spin before holding the wand overhead and shouting, “Warnicorn Stampede!”

Marco watched slack-jawed as at least a dozen warnicorns appeared behind her in a puff of smoke, neighing loudly as they galloped through Star's room in a wild herd, knocking over anything they came close to and impaling objects with their sharp horns. Star undid the spell quickly, leaving her room a tattered mess but she didn't seem to care as she began jumping up and down in joy shouting, “I did it! Marco I did it! I just pulled off my very first Warnicorn Stampede!”

“Oh Star I'm so happy for you!” Marco shouted as Star pulled him into an excited hug. She lifted him off the ground spinning him around in a circle as the two laughed and cheered for the blond's success. Once Marco was on his feet again, the boy declared, “I knew you could do it!”

“Thank, Marco, guess you believing in me was all I needed,” Star said, her bright grin incapable of vanishing, her eyes gleaming with self-pride and it made Marco's own heart leap at the sight. He couldn't think of the last time he saw Star this happy with herself and it made him swell with pride knowing he had been partially responsible for his girlfriend's positive change in attitude.

But a ringing from Star's phone drew their attention away from all the celebrating as Star ran over and picked up her mirror, flipping it open to read the new message. Her eyes widened before she turned to Marco and said, “Looks like I figured it out just in time, too. Baby's on her way now. Shawn just gave me the head's up.”

“Wait, since when do you and Shawn talk to each other?” Marco asked in confusion.

“Since I bribed him with some of our super awesome nachos, no creature can resist those,” Star replied, shooting her boyfriend a wink.

Marco smiled before focusing on the task at hand, asking, “Okay so how long do we have?”

Star shrugged. “Not long, she could be here any minute,” the blond replied, biting her lip as her anxiety returned once more.

“Okay well I'll go check on the food, you stay here and... clean up,” Marco said. The two cringed at they looked around at Star's destroyed room.

“Good idea,” the blond replied, putting her mirror phone away before starting to work repairing her room back to his normal state.

“Back in a few,” Marco said as he ran for the door, wanting to hurry and not leave his girlfriend alone for too long. He needed to be there when Baby arrived to help keep Star calm. Besides he was beyond curious who this Baby was after a week long build up.

“Okay,” Star called after him, pushing out any troubling thoughts as she just focused on her task, thankful for something to do to keep her mind off everything. The last thing she needed now was to psych herself out.

[tokidokitrash]

It’s been quite awhile since the previous post and I’m sorry!

I actually wrote this awhile back, but lacked the courage to post it.

I’m someone who is quite insecure and scared of how people might view me and my writings online.

But today I decided to just post this anyway-it’s June and Seven’s birthday is coming up— heck it!

I’m sorry it’s so long , and we aren’t at a conclusion yet- I’m just writing whatever comes to mind kinda and I’m grateful to any who reads it- your notes are such an encouragement, however small.

Also, amidst these crazy times, I hope you are all well, stay healthy, remember to eat!

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The way we are - 02

Seven is left standing outside her door. He’s pretty lost for words at this point, which is rare for a smart mouthed genius like himself.

He has to admit, he feels better after laughing like that -it was cathartic, but after listening to what she just said, seeing her smile like she was entirely broken inside, he can’t help but feel that he’s lost something very, very important in that moment.

He’s realised she was probably crying.

And that it was most definitely his fault.

Pangs of guilt worked his their way up his mind, as his heart aches at the thought that he’s given someone as cheery as her so much sadness over his demeanour.

She had always been so strong, so happy. Shining with the brilliance of the sun with every step she took. Always seemed like nothing in life could bring her down. True, she was a little weird, with her adorable exclamations of excitement over what would seem to be the most mundane of things. How he’d catch her standing outside the apartment for a spell, start to worry she’d seen something or someone that could cause her any harm....only to realise she’d be staring adoringly at a pigeon who’d made his way down the corridor. She seemed to be delighted by any little critter or creature, and that part of her, he adored.

She was such a sweet creature herself.

He’d sometimes catch himself distracted by the CCTVs, ever on a lookout for a glimpse of you, eager to see if he could decipher what had caught your interest that day.

And oh, how his heart would swell whenever you returned to the apartment, no matter how distracted you’d be, or how many bags you were holding after a trip to the grocery store... you’d always find time to look up at the cameras and flash him a beaming smile, giving him a little wave or wink. He’d sometimes find himself giving you a wave back, blowing a kiss or two, despite knowing full well you’d never know this. You were just so, so cute, he felt his heart would burst at the seams and implode on him due to an overload of cute.

While he might be greedy for more of your attention, he savoured those little, minute, unseen interactions with you.

The incident with ‘unknown’ was the turning point.

Seeing that precious girl in danger once was too much for a lifetime.

How could he have let this happen? Was he just incapable to protecting those he cared about?

His mind entered overdrive at the realisation that Unknown was none other than his sweet younger twin Saeran, whom he’d always longed to reunite with someday.

But never in his wildest, sickest imaginings did he want a reunion like this.

Saeran, who stood before him, a completely different man. Gone was the timid, sweet boy- in his place was a twisted man whom the world had hurt too much...and it was all his fault- he failed to protect his brother .

So many unanswered questions reeled in his head, he was having the worse headaches of his life. Trying to piece together the massive puzzle that was unfurling right before his eyes. If there is indeed a god, he was being awful.

In the days he spent at MC’s place, frustration and growing anger seeped into his very core. The complications between Rika, V and Mint Eye...and how....what happened to Saeran?? Then there was the anger at himself... at how put MC in danger. He had nearly let his bright, shining flame get snuffed out.

All this was too much, he was slipping off his 707 persona, whether he wanted to or not. Telling himself it was for the best, he started pushing MC away, first treating her coldly, with disdain, as he tried his best to pour himself into the work.

Next came the harsh words lashed out towards her fuelled by his own frustrations.. Or just ignoring her, or just telling her she was being an annoyance, disrupting his work.

Yet she still always came to him, like she was pulled towards him by an unseen force.

Sometimes, all she wanted to do was sit close to him, watch him work.

Other times, she would make small talk, peppering the conversations with little jokes, trying her utmost best to lighten the mood.

She always seemed to have her eye on him, watching over him. Often fetching him some dr.pepper or honey Buddha chips, or, you know, proper food and water so he doesn’t die of malnourishment.

Once, he had accidentally dozed off mid-work, and woke to the feel of a blanket placed on his back. Then, being the jerk he is, he told her not to bother with him and leave him alone, to stop wasting her time on him, before grabbing the blanket and hurling it across the room, startling her.

Regret sank in immediately when he thought he saw her eyes glisten with the threat of tears... he saw her lips force themselves into a tight smile, the she pouts a little, rolls her eyes just ever so slightly, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “Alright, alrighttt, sorry!!” She exclaims as she gingerly pick up the blanket- folding it neatly before placing it in the couch next to him...”jusssst in case, alright? “ she says in a whisper , before adding “.....Please take care of yourself.”

He just ignored her the rest of that night.

He hated that even in this crazy situation where he’s already decided to push MC away for her safety, she still made his heart glow with a slight warmth whenever he saw how much she cared for him.

Since the day after the incident, he realised she truly was a strange one. She seemed flighty, almost airheaded at times, like when her curiosity got the better of her and she touched the floppy disk containing all the photos he had of Saeran, leading Seven to lash out at her and tell her to mind her own business for the umpteen time...

Yet there where times she seemed acutely sharp, always seemingly able to see through his 707 persona- to look deep within him and see Saeyoung.

‘No. What she was attracted to was the 707 she could fool around with in the chat rooms. Not this horrible person I truly am...not Saeyoung.’

Heading back to his corner, Seven tried to settle back into work.. but his thoughts keep bringing him back to MC. He had never wanted to see her like this. He recalls what he managed to see in that short moment they had eye contact- the reddened, swollen eyes, tear-stained face. It ripped his heart to shreds knowing he did this to her.

During that moment, there was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to apologise to her, scoop her up in his arms and kiss all the tears away, whispering apologies and sweet nothings to her as he showed her that he cared for her just as deeply as she did him.

On the other hand, the other side of him wanted to bolt out of the apartment. So that he could never hurt her again- that way she could forget about him sooner.

At this very moment, all he could think about was how much of a jerk he was- how he really could never stand in the sun with someone as radiant as her.

He was filth.

Head pounding, he sighs, slipping his headphones on- well aware this might make his headache worse, but he still blasts the music anyway, as though he’s looking for some internal form of self-punishment.

Minutes had probably turn to hours, the sun had long since risen, already hanging a little lower in the sky. Seven cracks open another can of Dr.pepper, his tongue a little numb from the constant combination of Honey Buddha chips and his favourite beverage. Idly he realises the last proper meal he had ......was the same time as MC’s. That fact makes him straighten up. He had at least some semblance of nourishment over these last two days- what about her?

He started to feel ashamed of his actions, more so, his inactions. Had he truly been so wrapped up with work and trying to push her away, that he failed to check if her basic needs were met? Whipping out the phone that had been stowed away in his oversized hoodies’ pockets, he fires off a private message to her.

- ‘Are U awake?’

...he stares at the phone expectantly, waiting for her reply.

Only the reply doesn’t come.

‘...maybe she’s asleep. ‘ He quietly thinks to himself. The idea to hack into her phone crosses his mind, but he stops himself. If he does hack into her phone, not only would it be a telling sign of his occupational hazards, it might also be a serious breach of her trust....but from the way she used to flirt with him on the messenger, she sure gave the impression that she might not be totally against the idea of him sneaking a peek or two at her.

He brushes the thought away, absentmindedly rubs his face and ugh, he feels greasy and gross- he himself was in dire need of a shower, as he’d clearly neglected himself these last few days- well, maybe the days before these as well. The man took terrible care of himself once the momentum of work was in full swing.

Phone still clutched in his left hand, he starts looking up food delivery options. He couldn’t care less about himself, but was growing more concerned about MC- he won’t have her starving herself, not on his watch! He mutters the various food options he sees on the screen, wondering what would be a good choice. “........bibimbap? Kimbap? Ah maybe something different like western or....fast food?.........hnnnnnn Indian food? What would it be.....hmmmmm...”

“WOAHH”

Her voice booms from the phone and he yelps, fumbling about with the phone. He quickly holds the phone against his ear.

“is this a miracle?! Are you finally going to eat something?!” She exclaims, voice a littler higher due to excitement and he winces from the loud volume, pulling the phone away slightly.

“MC?? How come you’re on the pho- ahhh. I did it again didn’t I?? Ahhhhhhh I need to stop dialling you ahhhhhhh” he groans as he slaps his forehead. The sound elicits giggles from her, and his heart does little somersaults in response.

“Dawwwww did you truly miss little old me thaaattt much?”

Why Yes. Yes he did.

“I know choosing what to eat might be difficult.... but you didn’t have to call y’know- cause ...dundundun! Here I am!”

Right as she says that, the door to her room swings open and she jumps out of the room, one arm up in the air, the other holding the phone to her ear, presenting herself. To Seven, it seems like light has returned, and she’s brought a gust of fresh air with her- her joyful bearings seemed to alleviate that pounding headache he’s been having. Only now does he realise that he’s finally relaxed his furrowed brow.

“Ta-dahhhh~!” She says, and Seven can’t resist clapping for her, then mentally slapping himself for going along with her antics. Hadn’t he resolved to push her away, not show the slightest form of affection for her? But ahhh, how could he have possibly resisted that??

She brings her arm down and does a little bow for him, then patters over towards his corner, dressed in a large, long sleeved shirt and pyjama bottoms with animal prints all over. Her short umber hair a messy cloud, sticking up in weird tufts, being uncooperative with her as she gently combs through her bed-head. Being so stupidly adorable- he notes. As she nears him, she stills herself, before awkwardly sitting at the far end of the couch. “So, uh, I’m here to....help?” She says as she smiles widely, exaggerating for him. He resists the urge to chuckle, and tries to go back to his ‘serious, no nonsense, leave-me-alone’ persona...then he remembers whatever happened during his last interaction with her, and tells himself that he doesn’t have to be that much of an ass. He clears his throat, noting that her eyes were now downcast, but always sneaking glances at him.

“Well, I guess it’s good you’re here, I was about to order food for us-speaking of which, I hope you aren’t starving yourself. You shouldn’t bother with me, but you should make sure to eat, to take care of yourself, or the rest would worry about you..”

“Hmm, I know! You don’t have to worry about me too, Seven~” she sighs “I can handle myself too.” Her voice seemed laced with a barely noticeable tinge of sadness at that last statement.

Worried, Seven finds himself at a loss for words, he hadn’t had time to think about how to act around her, and as the awkward atmosphere nearly makes a comeback, her belly makes its presence known on cue with a small, but audible rumble. A slight pink blossoms on her cheeks, and they stare at each other, before casting a sheepish look his way.

“bibimbap sounds good right about now though...”

He darts his eyes away from her and disguises his chuckle as a grunt,signalling his approval in her choice, rapidly scrolling away on his laptop, searching for bibimbap...and it takes every fibre of his being maximum effort to hold back the laugh that nearly escaped him, as her blush turns from pink to scarlet.

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Thank you again for reading! And thank you to @emberchoihan for your comment on my previous post :)