#I would have LOVED to be some sort of fairy or angel with some gorgeous wings

[rosicheeks]

👀

[freaksun]

eddie doesnt let anyone touch his hair. ever.

it reminds him of his late mother, who had the same gorgeous untamed curls. She used to comb his hair when he was little, being ever so gentle and taking her time brushing out the knots.

his father made him feel less-than for just about everything about him, including his gorgeous mane. Called him awful names and always told him to ‘cut that fairy shit’ when it grew too long.

so, ever since she passed, and his father went to jail, hes been growing it.

unfortunately, she never taught him how to take care of it, she’d always just do it herself. So, he doesnt put product in it, he doesnt cut it, he doesnt even brush it. And, stubborn as his mama, he doesnt let anyone else touch it either.

then you come along, happy and sweet, always loving to everyone. he falls in love with you so fast he hardly even notices. you certainly dont either.

one hot summer day you’re both in his room, you on his bed, him pacing, frantically explaining some sort of nerdy campaign idea. you dont know, you havent been listening for a while, too distracted by the way he keeps wiping sweat from the back of his neck. you cut him off rudely, he doesnt mind

“hey eddie?”

“sweetheart?”

“whens the last time you got a haircut?”

he freezes, silent, which is very out of character, dude never shuts up.

“uhh. like a few years ago. why?”

its your turn to be quiet, suddenly all coy. he finds you absolutely adorable as you stare at his floor, trying to find a way to ask him without startling him. as if he were some wild animal, which, he basically is.

“just.. immm noticinggg its kinda matted in the back…”

you try to sound the least accusing as you can. he doesnt seem offended but you can tell hes thinking.

“well, yeah, i. i guess i just havent touched it since. well my mom used to do it for me”

you feel like an ass, touching on something you shouldnt have, making him all quiet and sad. you backtrack.

“jesus, eddie, im sorry i didnt mean to-“

“its okay angel, i know”

he sits next to you. you give him a nervous smile, still sweet, hesitantly reaching for his curls. you can tell he’s hesitant too, but he nods, granting you permission. you take a single strand between your fingers, twirling it.

“Its so pretty, eds. ..would you let me? take care of it, i mean?”

hes scared. but youre so sweet and youre asking so nicely. a part of him is scared if he lets you, he loses another part of his mom. but the other part is staring into your eyes and seeing nothing but genuine affection.

“i.. i guess you could.. try.”

his heart pounds in his chest. You absolutely beam, thanking him immediately and bouncing around the room, looking for a brush. he laughs, shaking his head. you watch as he rummages through his closet, before handing you a light pink brush. you think about teasing him for it but he already looks vulnerable. you smile sweetly instead, taking it from him.

“sit” you point with the brush. he does as you say, running his hands up and down his thighs in a self soothing motion.

“its okay eds, you dont have to be nervous.. ill be gentle i promise” he gives you an unconvincing smile. you return with a guilty one, downturned. you kneel in front of him, in between his knees, brushing his bangs with your fingers.

“we can stop whenever you want, okay?” his cheeks are bright red as he nods timidly

you move to sit behind him, and run your hands through his curls gently, admiring it. you take a part, hold it at the root, and brush gently.

“that feel okay? tell me if it hurts” ever so sweet.

“mm-hm” you can feel his nervousness. “you- you remind me of her, y’know”

youre pretty taken aback, but honoured nonetheless. you keep brushing through the mattes in his hair as you talk.

“Yeah? Wanna tell be about her?” youre not sure if its the right thing to say, but you figure he probably hasnt told anyone about her. you can practically feel his energy shift.

“she was sweet. loving and kind to everyone, like you.” you both smile. “and she was pretty. beautiful. i really miss her.” you stop, rub his back a little.

“i can only imagine.. im sorry eddie.” he turns to face you, smiling.

“s’alright sweetheart. thanks for letting me talk about her” he hugs you. you hug him back, tight.

“hows the ole hair going?” He asks when he pulls back, a joking tone to lighten the mood.

“good!!! ive gotten the mattes outta this chunk here, it looks good. your hair is really beautiful, eds” youre ecstatic and it travels to him.

“thank you. my mom had the same hair.” he smiles, turning back around to let you continue.

“i bet she was really gorgeous.” youre extra-extra gentle. He keeps talking and you keep working. He tells you about how she smelled, the softness of her voice, his favourite memories with her. he tells you about the last time he saw her. he tells you all the things hes been holding inside, everything he never got to tell anyone, never trusted anyone enough. and when hes done, his hair is untangled and soft.

you smile proudly, running your hands through his hair, marveling at your work.

“its done” he whips around, looking at you with wide excited eyes

“really??” you nod, smiling wide. he runs over to the bathroom to see for himself. You stand behind him, peeking over his shoulder in the mirror. Hes surprised, looks like he might even cry. you wrap your arms around him, leaning your head against his arm.

“do you like it? Its a little poofy, but you can wash it out and it’ll look be-“ he cuts you off by turning around and hugging you. he hugs you tight, lifting you up.

“thank you.” you can tell he really means it.

[buckyalpine]

Hi!!!! I love your work and talent, you are so amazing!💗 I was wondering if you could do a light angst fic. Like bucky is a player who is just running through women, and the avenger reader has a big crush on him . She has to watch him string girls through the tower all the time and it makes her sad. Bucky's type is dark,red lip, baddie but reader is the mom of the friend group and wears pink and is super sweet and a little awkward, she is also a mutant who has like earth powers. So whenever she's happy or laughing flowers will bloom in her hair. She's so cute. Kinda like the trope: she fell first but he fell harder. And like bucky realizes that he's madly in love with our sweet baby angel reader. And the FLUFF!! 💗💗💗

Thank you, love Binks 💖

Yes. Yesyesyes. I hope you're all ready cause I sat with this piece for weeks. Jealously, Misunderstandings, love sick Bucky, idiots in love, SO MUCH ANGST AND FLUFF . Protective best friend Steve and dash of smut cause I can't help myself, its so sweet and soft and I love these two, put myself in my feelings with their spicy and sweet loving.

-

"See you later Sargent" A gorgeous woman walked by the kitchen on her way out or the tower, winking over her shoulder and blowing a kiss to the soldier who smirked at her in response. Her lipstick hadn't budged even after a night of who knows what with Bucky, her perfectly curved hips swaying along with the click of her heels.

You were busy with making breakfast, dustings of flour covering your nose and cheeks, still in your baby pink pj's, looking the total opposite of the gorgeous girl Bucky spent the night with.

"Damn Barnes" Tony whistled after the she had left, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "Where do you find em'-Ow!" Tony yelped when Nat gave his ear a flick, cocking her eyebrow up in amusement.

"I'll let Pepper know you're curious-

"Nope. No. I was just admiring Terminators taste" Tony threw his hands up, swiping a hot pancake from the stack you were plating making you giggle, tiny daisies blooming around your hair "These are delicious Petal. I'll never get tired of seeing that" Tony smiled, looking at the fresh little flowers that reflected your mood, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before returning to the lab.

"Sure, admiring taste" Nat snorted while Bucky snickered, taking a seat at the kitchen island; his fluffy hair still messy from bed. You set down a plate in front of him, adding butter and some fresh strawberries on the side just the way he liked.

"Here you go Sargent" You smiled softly before getting started on cutting up more fruit for Steve and Sam who would be returning from their run soon.

"These are amazing" Bucky hummed, reaching for more; he'd never get tired of your cooking. You tried to bite back a smile while vines of baby pink roses weaved their way through your hair, matching the fuzzy feeling the soldier made you feel. The flowers were not missed by Bucky who watched you continue to flit about the kitchen like a little garden fairy, making sure everyone would have something for breakfast. He couldn't help but chuckle at the way you crawled up onto the counters like a cat to reach the highest shelves, a few knotty tendrils sneaking their way through your hair indicating your frustrations when you nearly dropped a cup.

"Do you have different flowers for different moods?" Bucky continued to watch you while you slinked off the counter, starting on a smoothie.

"Sort of? Yeah I guess" You thought to yourself, noting you'd often have yellow ones when you'd laugh, or purple ones when you were excited. You only ever got pink ones around Bucky; the only person to make you feel warm and shy and soft. You were caught off guard the first time you saw the tiny pink buds in your hair the same day you met him when you joined the team. No one else seemed to notice, too busy admiring the fact that gorgeous petals decorated your hair.

Everyone except Bucky.

The soldier was trained to notice everything.

He'd seen every type of flower adorn your hair but these ones were just around him.

"What do the little pink roses mean you're feeling?" Bucky asked, cocking his head when you looked at him like a deer in headlights.

Shit.

"It-I-happy! It means I'm happy" You stuttered out unconvincingly while Bucky hummed, cleaning off his plate before heading down to the gym, taking one last glance over his shoulder before rounding the corner.

Those tiny pink roses suited you perfectly; the human embodiment of a little fairy.

Ever since you'd joined the team, they were blessed with a full breakfast almost every morning, sometimes even dinner. Outside of your role as an Avenger, you took on a nurturing role within the team and of course that was just who you were, being so in tune with nature and naturally caring for those around you. Still, it was evident you went above and beyond just instinct when it came to taking care of others; you were very much the mom of the group. Initially Bucky found it confusing, wondering why you were so nice to everyone, always checking on their needs and being prepared for just about anything. He was so used to functioning on his own, he found it jarring when you were looking out for him too; didn't you know who he was? Why were you being nice to him?

He didn't even have it in him to give you the cold shoulder like he did with everyone else. What kind of person would he be if he was rude to the sweetest person he'd ever met. You were just so precious and sweet and you always smelled like fresh flowers and sunshine, he would've basked under your light for hours on end if you let him-

Bucky shook his head, breaking away from the train of thoughts he was having about you yet again. You didn't make sense. More specifically, him thinking of you didn't make sense. He was rough, rugged, made of muscle and metal, didn't like most people and the last time he'd been nurturing was back when he'd nurse Steve back to health more than 70 years ago.

You on the other hand were literally made of flowers, combined with soft sweetness, shy smiles and giggles. You were cute. Too cute. He had no business thinking about you, ignoring the fluttery jitter in his heart as he tossed a wink to a SHIELD agent who was training at the weights. She had joined recently, typically taking on missions which required her to go under cover in skin tight dresses and bodysuits; it was perfect for her given her tall and toned build. The woman smirked in response, biting her dark red painted lip before making her way over to him by the punching bags.

"Hey Sarge" she purred, bringing her hand up to toy with his dogtags, tugging at them suggestively, "Busy tonight?"

"We're having a movie thing" Bucky shrugged, not suggesting they had to do anything else after but if that's where the night led then-

"Hmm, I'll see you later then" She batted her lashes at him before going back to her set.

This made sense.

Casual. Sexy. Flirty.

Everything Bucky was good at and comfortable with. No feelings, no attachments. No deep, undying love he felt for a certain sweet girl on his team that he'd give his life for.

This made perfect sense.

-

You were the last to make it down to movie night after spending most of the evening prepping drinks and snacks for others. Movie nights were rare and it was even more rare for everyone to be present. You made sure there was something for each member of the team, from sour candy to chocolate, chips, cookies, tiny sandwiches and an array of drinks you'd set up on the coffee table.

You stood at the edge of the living room dressed in your warm oversized sweater and mismatched fluffy socks, nervously peering around the room for an empty space; usually you'd curl up on the two seater sofa with a thick fuzzy blanket draped over you but-

Your heart sank seeing yet another beautiful girl cuddled up next to Bucky, taking up all the space on the couch. A part of you contemplated on going back to your room; the sinking feeling in your stomach worsened seeing the new agent adjust herself until she was pressed right against the soldier. Why did you have to fall for for the person who wouldn't look at you twice. You were dressed in clothes too big and soft, a stark contrast to the matching silk lounge set she was wearing, leaving no doubt over how absolutely perfect her body was.

"Hey Petal, c'mere" Steve noticed you looking for a spot, patting he seat beside him, shifting over so you could join. You smiled at the Captain, quietly shuffling through the room, hiding into the cushions as the movie started. Your heart dropped further each time you heard the girl Bucky was with giggle, slinking around his lap while he gave her his flirty smirk. There were occasional times where flowers wouldn't bloom in your hair and this was one of them.

Steve noticed your less than enthusiastic demeanor, catching you glancing over at the brunette super soldier and his friend for the night, internally rolling his eyes at what an idiot his best friend was. He threw his arm around you, pulling you in to snuggle with him, whispering his own commentary as the movie progressed, hoping to lighten your mood.

You giggled, a few yellow flowers blossoming in your hair making Steve grin. Bucky watched carefully, a new emotion flaring in his chest as he watched bright petals fall onto your lap each time you laughed. He didn't like the new feeling that started off as warm to blazing hot, what was it he was even feeling-

Irritation? Sure a bit.

Confusion? Most certainly but not quite.

Jealously.

That's what he was feeling. He wanted to be the one who caused gorgeous tendrils of flowers to bloom, the one to make you giggle and laugh, the one who got to snuggle up with you. He was envious over how lucky Steve was, getting to cuddle up with such a soft bunny, his jealously momentarily interrupted when he took a moment to look at what you were wearing.

You looked so comfy with your warm sweater, your feet nice and toasty with your favorite socks. Bucky remembered you talking to him about them once, reading socks you'd called them.

"They're super soft and warm!" you grinned, clutching them to your chest after a trip to a book store. "I've been wanting a pair for ages. I finally caved and got them, I can't wait to put them on"

Bucky remembered chuckling to himself over how excited you'd gotten over a pair of socks, a few buds of lavender poking through your hair from how relaxed and calm they made you feel.

You looked so soft to cuddle up with like a little bear he'd hold to his chest, one that would protect him and keep him warm and safe. He wished he had a spot beside him because you would've sat where you always do and it would be him with his arm around you instead of Steve. He didn't want anything else. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to create some distance between himself and the agent, her close proximity suddenly feelings much to hot. She frowned, feeling him pull back, scooting over till she was cuddled up with him again.

Great.

"Did you want me to grab you something?" Steve asked you as he reached over for some chips, popping a few into his mouth. Before you could respond, you saw the woman whisper something in Bucky's ear, winking playfully before sitting up and taking his hand, the both of them leaving the movie half way. You felt like throwing up knowing he was taking her to his bedroom though you knew you had no right to be upset. He wasn't yours and he was welcome to do as he pleased though that didn't make the pain go away.

Bucky's POV

"How about it Sarge" She moved her hand up his thigh, giving it a squeeze, not bothering to wait for the movie to finish. Bucky stared at her like a deer in headlights while she cocked her head waiting for a response. Bucky glanced over to you, his heart breaking seeing your face fall. "Bucky? Are you listening to me?"

Bucky blinked realizing he was paying attention to you, mumbling an apology before turning to the agent. He didn't know who he was fooling but it was getting embarrassing, especially when he knew Steve was glaring at him from across the room. Neither of them had to open their mouths to understand the silent conversation they were having through their eyes alone.

"You're an idiot"

"Shut up"

"You know you like her"

"I-I don't..."

"Then why do you keep glaring at me like I stole your girl punk"

"Don't worry about it"

"You better figure it out before you hurt her more"

"She likes me?"

"You're an idiot"

"Jerk"

That did it. Bucky couldn't' last another second seeing your petals fall, the flowers Steve brought all retreating away and he couldn't sworn he saw you blink back tears. He couldn't keep doing this.

"Um, yeah sure" Bucky nodded, leading the woman away, walking past the elevators and towards the compound exist instead. As soon as he'd told the new agent he just couldn't do it he ran back to the living room in hopes of finding you only to find your spot empty.

You did your best to bite down on your trembling lip but it didn't work. As soon as the first whimper slipped out, Steve hugged you softly, telling you to to go to your room. You looked at him through wet lashes, his soft blue eyes filled with understanding. You rushed straight to your room, zooming right past Bucky's hoping you wouldn't have to hear anything, curling up into a ball in your bed where you wept under the covers.

Why did you fall for him?

Bucky looked over to Steve who nodded towards the elevators that took you to your floor, the super soldier wasting no time pressing the button to the 4th floor. He was at your door as soon as the elevator dinged open, softly knocking while his stomach continued to churn.

What would you think of him.

Why didn't he just accept his feelings the second he fell in love with those pretty little pink roses?

God you probably hated him now.

Bucky nervously chewed his lip,

"Petal?" Bucky called for you, hoping you'd open the door, his his heart hammering against his chest hearing soft sniffles from the other side of the door. "Petal, can you open the door sweets?"

He heard you continue to softly cry, his body working before his mind could catch up as he let himself into your room. He hated the sight of the little ball buried under a pile of blankets, hiding away from the world with a broken heart because of him. He made his way to your bed, sitting on the edge, petting the blanket gently to let you know he was there.

"Bucky?" You shuffled some of the blanket off, surprised to see him there, what was he doing in your room? Wasn't he spending the night with the girl he'd brought? Why did he look so distraught? You sat up with concern, looking him over to see if he was hurt because why was he here with you when he should be with her?

"Did-did you need something, is everything okay?" You tried to keep you voice steady, quickly wiping away your tears and forcing a smile that didn't quite meet your eyes.

"No sweet girl, everything isn't okay" Bucky whispered, smiling at your confused pout, his hand coming up to brush some of the strands of hair that were near your forehead. He let his hand linger on your cheek, wiping away your wet cheeks with his thumb before sitting closer to you. "Why were you crying"

You averted your eyes as soon as he asked the question, staring at your lap instead, playing with your fingers. Your voice was caught in your throat, shrugging as if you didn't know the answer. Bucky was surprised with himself, equally shy to actually say anything even though he wanted to pour his heart out. With others the smooth talking, the flirting, the boyish smirks came easy.

Not with you.

Not with his little fairy.

"Y/n, please" He tilted your chin to meet his puppy like eyes, hoping you'd understand how he felt without saying anything. His innocent gaze caused your cheeks to heat up, feeling his rough calloused hands touching you so softly. You bit your lip as your hair betrayed you, pink petals starting to decorate your hair.

"What do the little pink roses mean?" He whispered with hope in his voice, his heart aching with need seeing your shy smile, "Please tell me pretty girl. I- I only see them when I'm around you"

"It-it means-" you hesitated, scared this would all come crashing and burning if you told him the truth. Maybe he was just being nice, pausing his date to check on you. Or maybe-Just maybe? "I like you"

Had he not had super hearing Bucky would've missed your near silent whisper. The blush on his cheeks matched the flowers in your hair as he reached out for you, pulling you to his chest.

"C'mere my precious little petal" Bucky cooed, scooping you in his arms. You squeaked in surprised before giggling into his chest, the sound making Bucky's heart swell. "There she is" He smiled against your hair seeing little buds blooming again, the tiny pink roses he loved so much sprouting to life.

"Don't you have a date" You asked hesitantly while Bucky shook his head, holding onto you tighter.

"You should've been my date petal, m'sorry for not telling you how I felt about you earlier. I was scared"

"Scared?" You cupped his scruffy cheek, letting your thumb stroke his beard while he nodded, leaning into your touch.

"Scared I wasn't right for you. It didn't feel right falling in love with someone so precious when you're the complete opposite of me" His confession caused stray tears to slip down your cheeks while Bucky kissed them away. "But I promise, if you'd let me have you, I'd take care of you and love you with my whole heart. I promise I'd never hurt you sweets, I've fallen so hard for you, there's no one else I'd rather be with"

You couldn't help yourself, pulling him down for a kiss, giggling at the surprised squeak he let out before groaning and melting into your sweetness.

"I'm yours Jamie"

Stop here if the fluff was enough. Cause next is their sweet love making.

I know it's not part of the ask but imagine their first night together where Bucky doesn't want to over step so he doesn't make a move. He notices you being more cuddly and shy, burrowing into him when you're in his room and that's when he sees gorgeous deep red roses blooming in your hair. He knows by now how to read your mood based on your flowers but he hadn't seen this before.

"Petal?"

"What is it Buck" You look at him with wide doe eyes, hoping he doesn't feel the the heat you feel radiating through your body. You need him. It's more than just physical; you need him as close as possible in the most intimate way because you adore him so much.

"Your hair sweet girl" He runs his fingers through your hair, stroking the velvety petals making you whine from sensitivity, immediately silencing yourself from embarrassment. "What do you need love, you can tell me"

"Need you closer" You whispered, nuzzling your face into his neck where you could breathe in his cologne and a scent that was distinctly him.

"Closer how baby, you're-" It takes a moment for the pieces to click for Bucky to figure out just how much closer you need him, moving his hands to your hips, rubbing them up and down. "oh. OH. Is that all baby? Need me extra close?"

You nodded with another whine while Bucky moved you to lay against his pillows before slowly undressing you until you were both bare with nothing separating you.

"Bucky please, just-just want you" On any other night, you'd allow him to tease and toy with your body but you needed him so badly, your body throbbing, feeling more empty than ever.

"Shhh, m'here baby, it's okay, breathe for me petal, okay?" He stroked your hair while rubbing his weeping tip through your folds gathering your slick before pressing his cockhead against your entrance, "m'right here"

You both gasped at the feeling of him pushing his length inside, his movements slow until he was buried to the hilt. Your pussy quivered trying to pull him in deeper, tears welling along your lash line as he started to move, hardly pulling out, keeping his cock deep inside you.

"Look at these pretty roses" Bucky whispered against your lips as he rocked his hips, his hands laced with yours while more flowers bloomed, your legs moving to wrap tightly around his waist.

"All-all just for you Bucky" You hiccupped with pleasure between moans feeling a different level of satisfaction with him inside you. You finally felt complete as he moved faster, clinging onto him so you'd feel his full body weight lay on you. "More-I-I need more"

You'd never felt like this before, your powers starting to manifest throughout the room as you grew closer and closer to your orgasm. Dark green stems crawled up the bed posts as he fucked you harder, your gorgeous floral scent sending Bucky into over drive. He was the only one who'd make you feel like this, the only person to ever get to see those dark red petals strewn across his bed.

There was something so intimate knowing no one else would ever get to see you like this, no one else would smell how sweet you were when he drove you mad with pleasure.

All the dark red roses full of love and lust just for him.

"I'll give you more pretty girl" Bucky growled, his own high licking down his spine feeling your pussy tighten around him, begging for him to keep going.

"Don't-please don't stop" you begged, clawing at his back, "I-I'm gonna-"

"Cum baby, cum for me petal, give it to me" He pleaded right back, sweat beading at his forehead, his pace growing sloppy. Your back arched off the bed as he reached to rub your sensitive bud sending your nerves into over drive. "OH BUCKY"

As soon as he felt your pussy clamp around his cock as you cried out in pleasure Bucky moaned loudly, tucking his face into your neck as he spilled into you.

"Take it love, t-take it" He stuttered, trembling as the last of his orgasm dribbled into you. He watched in awe as the deep red petals that previously covered the room disappeared into thin hair, his classic favorite little pink roses decorating your hair once more. Bucky pulled the sheets over you both, holding you to his chest while kissing your forehead at you closed your eyes.

"Sleep tight, petal"

[luvrodite]

Hello, my love!! Today I’ve been in a fairy tale mood, just wanting some softness and comfort to deal with the horrors. And I can’t stop thinking about how you said you had fantasy aus for your self ship, so I came here to indulge! Care to share some details of those aus/au? (I remember you mentioning a royal/guard situation, but you can totally share any other variation you’re comfortable with!) ❤️

LOVE YOU!! Hope you have a lovely start of the week! X

my angel!!! aaa i hope you are feeling soo well i love a good fairy tale mood and the weather today is so gorgeous it feels perfect to daydream about this!!!

i think with the royal/guard au it's so different from how i usually imagine me and him. he's my sworn protector but there's such a disconnect because he has his duty and there's nothing else to it than that!! he is very very kind but we don't form a relationship from the get go because we've both got a lot going on.

but i think this is a sadder/bittersweet au because aside from the obvious forbidden romance, it doesn't start out as a romance? i feel like it's sort of like a triangle, or at least there's more people involved than just us. i think a lot about how he would technically be the second love interest, not to a prince or a betrothed (though i think there would be one involved also) but to a lady's maid.

i think with this au it centers a lot on lack of agency and autonomy and jason is the first decision i make for myself instead of following the rules, but it takes a long time to get there and we grow together as well but it's not exactly the same as being childhood best friends? it's like having a long time coworker slowly become a friend, but they've also seen you through different eras of your life.

i imagine having pined for my lady's maid and perhaps there were secrets exchanged between us, brushes of hands, conversations whispered between doors he guarded, breaths shared through open mouths. it's forbidden, it's not allowed, and it's wrong, but it happens. and then i think there's a heartbreak that follows, perhaps she marries and is taken away, and it's once again this thing of duty, we cannot do as we please forever, we cannot run away <- she's the one saying it, and i slowly have to learn that truth as well as i get older, that the crown comes with responsibility and to be a woman in this time is also sacrifice. so we part ways and there's heartbreak, and there is jason, always at the door, always at the threshold of my life, ever constant.

i don't know how it develops, but it's sort of a similar situation to my lady's maid, where duty comes in again to steal happiness – i think a lot about that line from game of thrones, about duty.

Then Lord Stark is one man in 10,000. Most of us are not so strong. What is honor compared to a woman's love? And what is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms? Or a brother's smile?

right as we think we might be happy, here sounds the bell that is our life's obligations – i am to be wed, he is to remain a knight or at least move up through the ranks. and his family is wealthy, they are high in the ranks of nobility, but he can't have me because they have promised me to another

anyway. i think this au spans a long time, several years of situations together (me, bathing in a stream during a long journey with him standing guard; his hauling me out of a carriage into the thick of the woods when there's an attack; him having to scour the castle to find me before it gets out that i'm not in my chambers when i ought to be, finding me in the gardens, or the library) and a lot of emotions

i love you!! i hope your week is so good to you

[serenaew]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💙

Thank you and @givereadersahug for the tag, and sorry it took me 2 months to answer XD

Five fics that I've written... you torture me by making me choose!

tagging @sanctuary-angel, @renee561, @bintemuhammad, @trueliarose, @ttime42 (please don't be offended if I did / didn't tag you and you don't like it XD)

So, I decided to go for some of my less popular ones. But they're all my babies!

(list under the cut)

Snarry:

Wish not for a soul that is full of sin (4798 words incl. meta) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape Characters: Severus Snape, Harry Potter Additional Tags: Merman Severus Snape, Severus Snape Lives, Pining, Inspired by Music, Classical Music, Rusalka (Dvorak), Undine (de la Motte Fouque + Reinecke), tw: near-drowning, Art, Digital Art, Poetry, Playlist, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, merfolk lore, Worldbuilding, Romanticism, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE Series: Part 1 of Ondine's Curse (will happen, one day.) Prologue to the merman!Snape, amnesia AU no one asked for, with gorgeous Merman!Snape art by @hereiamwithmyninjaclan.

Severitus:

Christmas in Limbo (4623 words, WIP: 3/7) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Harry Potter & Severus Snape, implied past Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape Characters: Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Lily Evans Potter Additional Tags: Canonical Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Temporary Character Death, quite dark at times, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Afterlife - sort of, Time Travel, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Lily meddles from beyond, Alternate Universe - A Christmas Carol Fusion, Implied Dissociation, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, We Need To Mess It Up To Fix It, Are We Sure This Ish Is For Children, Physics is Hard Series: Part 1 of Christmas in Limbo 'Verse

My (quite dark) attempt at a Severitus Christmas Carol Fusion. I hope to finish it this Christmas - I even have the ending drafted but I'm stuck for Ch. 4.

[Fic and Podfic] Ouroboros in Tribute (790 words) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Harry Potter & Severus Snape Characters: Severus Snape, Harry Potter, Lily Evans Potter (mentioned) Additional Tags: Poetry, Sonnets, Crown (Poetry form), Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Sad Severitus, Past Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape, Hidden parentage, Severus Snape is Harry Potter's biological father, Grief/Mourning, Sad, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Emotional Hurt No Comfort, POV Severus Snape, Second Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Harry Potter MIA, Implied/Referenced Character Death, (telling you more would give away too much of the sequels), Series: Part 1 of Forget Me Not

This is not, strictly speaking, a fic (poem & podfic, actually), but I am really proud of what I cooked up with my words.

Be warned: it hurts.

And, from the same universe: it is time (for it to be time) (3327 words, WIP: 1/5) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Past Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape - Relationship Characters: Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Lily Evans Potter Additional Tags: alternative universe, Post-War, Severitus, Sad Severitus, Angst, Emotional Hurt No Comfort, Hidden parentage, POV Severus Snape, Severus Snape Lives, Harry Potter missing in action, Presumed Dead, implied MCD, Second Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Grief/Mourning, Five Stages of Grief, Memories, Ritual Magic, Diary/Journal, Non-Linear Narrative Series: Part 2 of Forget Me Not

Really looking forward to finishing this - I'm a bit of a sadist and like turturing my readers and my characters with all the emotional pain.

Other HP Gen: (considering I wrote exactly one work for Doctor Who, and that's it in terms of writing fandoms for me - I am quite a bit more diverse in my audio work.)

Whoso list to hunt (2021 words) Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aberforth Dumbledore & Severus Snape Characters: Aberforth Dumbledore, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Hog's Head Inn (Harry Potter), Unspeakables (Harry Potter), Unspeakable Aberforth Dumbledore, Job Interview, Pre-Canon, Unspeakable Recruit Severus Snape, Good Severus Snape Series: Part 4 of Unspeakable Mysteries Universe (will happen, as well, wone day)

Well, technically, this is also Snarry-adjacent, considering I wrote this as pre-prequel to the Unspeakable Mysteries Universe. This idea is my trying to say that Aberforth has massive Underesteimated Character Potential (tm).

[gizkasparadise]

Best fairy tale esque Asian drama

Beauty and beast type

Little mermaid type

Aladdin type

Cindy type

Etc

oh interesting! here's what comes to mind

for a beauty and the beast parallel, i think my favorites are:

hotel del luna. gender-swapped version! the female lead is a hedonistic immortal being cursed to run a hotel for ghosts due to her Traumatic Backstory. the male lead is a recent harvard graduate who was born for middle management and is in way, way over his head as he tries to teach her how to balance a checkbook

love between fairy and devil. the female lead is a little naive, very sheltered young flower immortal who accidentally unleashes the devil from a mystical space magic prison. so gorgeous and unexpectedly wonderful

for little mermaid:

my girlfriend is a gumiho draws direct comparisons to this story throughout its plot! it's a romcom/action/lite horror show about a gumiho (fox demon) who ends up transferring her power to a guy who wants to become a stuntman/action movie star. very cute and aggressively 2010 teen movie

i havent seen it yet, but legend of the blue sea is about mermaids and based off of a korean fairytale

for cinderella/rags-to-riches

okay it's not super cinderella-y on the surface, but princess agents has this vibe in a way? but instead of A Fancy Party the heroine instead was given An Awesome Sword, Spy Training, and Several Noblemen with Complexes

continuing to be super liberal with this interpretation, empress ki has the female lead go from smuggler to slave to concubine to empress. work.

shopping king louie is sort of this fairytale in reverse: the rich male lead loses his memories and ends up relying on a poor country girl. very fluffy and cute

100 days my prince is like a joseon version of shopping king louie, but at times darker with the subplots

i think a good chunk of 2000-2010ish kdramas basically lived on this trope

for aladdin i couldnt think of anything direct, so here's sort of a broader "making wishes/deals with immortal powerful fantasy beings":

mystic pop-up bar is about a cursed immortal female lead who runs a pop-up bar and is trying to resolve human being's grudges/grant their wishes by teaming up with a former ghost cop and a regular guy (or is he?) that has a special power of his own

goblin is about a girl who finds out she was destined to be the "goblin's bride" and bring about the death of an immortal cursed general who has been looking for a way to die for several centuries at this point. some wishes/genie-esque dynamics

angel's last mission: love. female lead is a cold, bitter former ballerina who has closed herself off from the world. male lead is her actual guardian angel. not one of my absolute favorites, but i liked the interesting dynamic and the OST is beyond gorgeouuuus

i did not like this drama that much but doom at your service might scratch this itch as well. the female lead is dying from cancer. the male lead is the actual manifestation of doom. would have been SO GOOD if it cut out the subplot and streamlined things a bit more

and these aren't really related to fairytales, but they have a similar vibe:

love and redemption. girl meets boy. boy is in a martial arts sect forbidden to love or marry. girl doesn't understand feelings and is in fact the reincarnated god of war. girl has also sort of killed boy for 9 lifetimes prior to this. boy keeps coming back for more because he thrives on masochism and costume changes. one of my top 3 favorite dramas

goodbye my princess is like someone had all the fairy tale tropes (rebellious princess, meeting while disguised, magical rivers) and then sort of took them in the backyard and shot them. lmao if you want it tragic, go here

craving more dysfunction junction? check out the wolf which starts with some sweet disney tarzan plot and escalates into fucking chaos

river where the moon rises is based on a piece of korean folklore. this one i wanted to like so much (and was enjoying for the first half), but the real-life drama lead to some unfortunate story complications (the show notoriously swapped out its male lead actor midway through airing)

alice in borderland draws a lot of parallels to alice in wonderland. it's survival horror so LMAO not the same vibe as the original story at all, but i figured i'd throw it in here. i have some mixed feelings about the drama, but i definitely binged it all

[eorzeashan]

So, for me, someone who started playing relatively recently and when Endwalker was already out, my favorite expansion is shb. I love Endwalker, don't get me wrong, the only issues I have with it are minor pacing issues and the fact it's basically impossible to guess the Cause before zone 5.

Shadowbringers is my favorite for a few reasons. Similar to DRK, it gives you the opportunity for character building for your own character. It introduces the Ancients,explains Zodiark and Hydaelyn, the echo, the blessing of Light, but it does it all beautifully, giving you time to come to conclusions before continuing on, the drip feed of information that rewards you for having been paying attention to all the lore up to this point. At the same time, the Isekai format allows us to explore a whole new world with different perspectives on the laws of the universe.

Plus Ardbert. God. All the characters in SHB are so well done, from the new to the old, they all feel fleshed out and *real.* The areas gorgeous and I love angelic aesthetics turned evil.

Oh yeah, I absolutely agree with the pacing issue. Endwalker would ramp up to extreme intensity and then suddenly bottom out to a plodding pace and it drove me nuts even though I enjoyed the feeling of experiencing life at a slower pace which helped its message so it wasn't a bad narrative decision just strange to digest. Some of the "cause" flew over my head the first time too and I was just going huh whuh for awhile

Those are definitely strong points in ShB's favor and it excels in payoff and pacing for sure, it also paved the way for a lot of Endwalker and got to explain those vital lore objects but did so at less of a plodding pace which is pretty incredible, now that I think about it. The isekai part I *was* mixed on bc I actually like our Source and going to another world when there were problems going on in ours threw me off, but I can see how it was refreshing and new and wonderful for those who both enjoy a more high fantasy fairy-tale and a complete change of scenery. Very clever way to do it and it was about time we got to visit other worlds, but now I sort of hope other expacs do the same for others too...

I never experienced the feeling of being able to build my character for myself during ShB so I completely missed out on that experience, as it still felt like a linear plot with the WoL playing their role as ever, albeit with slightly different stakes. I *kind* of see the similarity to DRK since most people joke ShB is like if Ishikawa wrote the PLD quest as an entire expac (lol) but I still don't quite see it since you're still a hero saving the world that others asked you to and all, but I suppose that's dependent on the PC's own relationship to the expac and characters in it? Maybe because more agency and WoL focus? I don't think that is too far from what happened in EW though, so it puzzles me.

AND YEAH the ShB characters are SO strong, Ardbert makes everyone cry lol. And the whole theme of Sin is just so metal especially to our fellow goths \o/

[frosted-night]

Toothiana Concept Design Review

As promised, I tried to hunt down every single design of her and I think i got them all. (Or at least most.) It’s the Queen’s turn lets go, starting with her book designs!

According to Joyce, this is one of the earliest designs for Tooth. She started out as a suited human and not as a human-bird hybrid. If you squint you can see a widow’s peak/hairline on her head. She gives me more super hero-like vibes in this one and the peacock feathers are interesting! I can’t say I’m a fan of it. Below is another book design I found that is VERY similar to this one, so I grouped them together.

Rating: 4/10 Glad he made her more bird like.

As a bonus, here is the design for Tooth as a child. Her toy there looks almost like a tooth but I have no idea what it actually is. I like how u can see a tiny curl of her hair under the hat. Otherwise I don’t have a lot of thoughts on this one.

Rating: 4/10 Not a fan but this exists I guess. BUT SHE ALSO HAS A SWORD.

A tooth that appears in the Man In The Moon Picture book. (Heh it almost looks like shes hanging onto Aster’s sleeve here.) I just noticed shes got an F symbol on her bag that she has on the belt of her childhood outfit. She looks kinda angelic here ngl. Very wintery colors. Rating: 6/10 Wish she was more colorful just a little bit

THERE SHE IS. THE FINAL BOOK TOOTH. Her feathers are absolutely stunning and the feather-puffy pants combo is  A LOOK(A good one). The only things I got that bother me is how round her head is at the top. If it had longer feathers that stuck out it’d look a little less weird. And one other thing

Ear Feathers?????? Don’t know why but this AINT A VIBE. Rating: 7/10 looks like a queen and the swords are badass

I cannot stress enough how many movie Tooth designs exist so buckle up.

Starting with a mysterious human looking Tooth, this design surfaced from this post 8 years ago. The original poster claimed it wasn’t from the movie credits and I couldn’t find any other trace of this design so it’s dubious at best. However I included it just in case it was in the movies/plans at some point of production. (I’m a little skeptical but oh well.) I do like how her outfit does look similar to real life outfits of her home region and she just looks gorgeous here.

Rating: Dubiously Canon/10

This one feels more stylistic but damb I gotta appreciate how intricate her feathers look. Looks like she’s right out of a storybook and it’s very appealing.

Rating: 6/10 Not many thoughts just love her

A fascinating one I found in my search. This was one of three designs that had Tooth in a mask but if you squint you can see she has a knife/dagger. So she would have had that blade wielding quirk like her book counterpart. She looks a bit more human in this one(At least in my opinion) The little flared collar is a nice touch that I oddly like. She looks like a fairy queen here for sure. She almost reminds me of a fencer Rating: 5/10 Good but too human

The other masked Tooth! There are, a lot of thoughts I have about this one. The colors are GREAT and so are her wings. Her body however reminds me of the suited Tooth design Joyce had drawn up. It looks almost like shes wearing a shirt with holes in it over a pink one and I just don’t know how to feel about it. Something is just off about this one.

Rating: 3/10 Wings r great throw the rest away

Another rare Tooth. She looks very similar to the one above and still has that mask. Or it could just be her actual head and not a mask this whole time! What a twist. Anyway, given the lighting it’s hard to tell what her base colors were but I’ll work with what we got. She’s a little less colorful looking than the other Tooths so it’s a little disappointing. Her wings are still quite impressive in my opinion.

Rating: 5/10 It’s nice but very one note in this concept image color wise

Now this Tooth is an interesting one. She ditched the bird theming all together and is more butterfly themed. She’s more humanoid here but something about this design just hits a sweet spot for me. It’s very simple but I can’t explain it. Also I’m weak for her head covering/hood(?)

Rating: 8/10 Ignore the very blue white haired Sasuke lookin guy in her arms

Excuse the very poor image quality here. I could only find it in this resolution so we gotta squint on this one. This one.. Call me weak but its one of my favorites. Her puffy pants make a return and they look like actual clothes! Her feather-cloak is a nice touch. I *think* this Tooth has hair if you look close but it’s hard to tell. It works in this design oddly works! Rating: 8/10 No complaints! Just that its so JPEGY AAAAA

Oh man Y’all I

Her energy itself is powerful. This Tooth feels older than the final design and has a very seasoned look to her. Call me a simp I DONT CARE. She’s such a queen here and I can’t get over it

She lives in my head rent free and I will never ask her to pay rent. I’ll PAY HER. If I was forced to pick a favorite Tooth, it’s this one. She has fantasy elements and traits that remind me of an Indian Queen.

Rating: 10/10 Y’all already know i simp for this one I dont need to put anything else here.

The final Tooth having gold feathers to imitate jewelry is just as good so I have no complaints about her. Her eyes are absolutely stunning

They sort of remind me of a mosaic with light shining on it or gemstones even. That and her eyelashes are so on point. I fuckin ADORE THEM. No lash glue needed those are all natural baby. Additionally, she’s very humming bird themed(which is excellent) but her wings actually look more like dragon fly wings

Curious since they are one of(if not the) fastest flying insect. It makes sense when you see how fast Tooth can zip around. It never occurred to me until dragonflies came around this season and I watched them closely. Overall I adore this version of her all the same.

Rating: Macabre Queen of Teeth/10

[imagineyouandharry]

Gypsophila (H.S)

Summary: Prince Harry has been under great pressure to find a wife, and he finds his Queen in a way far more unconventional than he could’ve imagined. 

Words: 5,730

Warnings: It’s a bit strange I guess? Idk lol.

A/N: Someone requested a Prince!Harry au forever ago, and then I didn’t really have an opportunity to write for a while, and then this idea sprung up on me and I’ve been lost in this little au for the past few days. It’s like a little twisted fairytale, taking inspiration from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty mostly. Part two is already a work in progress. If people are interested I’ll even put out a little sort of world building lore post with a map of the kingdom etc (I’ve been in DEEP). This part is a bit choppy and barely edited because I was just so eager to write it and get something out, but I would really appreciate any constructive criticism and editing notes! TYSM!! Long story short, enjoy!!!

 ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Harry Edward Styles did not believe in true love, in fact, he thought it was the most ridiculous idea ever. Harry’s certain he’s laid eyes upon every eligible young lady, from his kingdom and the ones surrounding, and he hadn’t felt a single thing when looking at any of them. He prayed every night that he would find his love the next day, and finally be able to put his parents out of their misery and ascend to the throne. At the age of 27, Harry’s the oldest person in his family to not be married, no one every waited this long in the royal family. He would’ve had an arranged marriage at 21, though when his parents suggested that he ran away on a sailing ship for two months. One thing was clear to him: though he may not have experienced love yet, he wasn’t going to ruin his chances at true by being forced into a loveless marriage. It wasn’t only Harry’s parents, but the entire kingdom that woke each day hoping to hear that their Prince had found his Queen. They referred to Harry as the Good Prince, his subjects adored him, and lived for his acts of charity and selflessness, and they only hoped he would find a Queen that would treat them the same.

Harry’s outlook on love changed however, after his most recent hunting trip. Sundays are for family and hunting, that’s what Harry was always told. No day was for Harry, he’d come to learn that. Living under a microscope meant for very little alone time, and almost no guilt-free alone time. He and his hunting party rode across the fields and out to the dense forest surrounding the kingdom, and over the two hour journey Harry found himself agitated with the topics of conversation going on around him. He wanted a break, tired of everyone only ever speaking about royal duties or politics. Harry had discovered a fresh water lake if he went off the trail, and when he realised they were edging closer to his favourite place he decided to excuse himself with the excuse of needing to fill his canteen.

The natural spring was a hidden treasure indeed. Harry’s entire kingdom was cut off from the rest of the world due to the thick forestland surrounding it. There was only one trail in, and one trail out, and even then only experienced riders were able to make the journey. The end of the trail, in the deep of the forest, was also often lined with thieves and outcasts making it not the safest journey. This spring wasn’t necessarily hard to find, however thick trees that lined the main trail hid the spring, the gorgeous wild flowers, and clearing of soft grass either side. Harry tied his horse to his usual tree, softly parting the bushes careful to not cause any permanent damage, and stepped his way through. His kingdom was full of hidden treasures like this, tucked away in places only to be found by those adventurous enough.

The sound of the running water was most prominent, however the closer he walked to the spring, the more he could hear a faint, delicate singing voice. Harry couldn’t recognise the song, but it was one he’d never forget now. It felt as though his heart dropped in his stomach, and he had to lightly scratch his arm on a branch to double check he hasn’t died and was hearing an angel of heaven sing to him. He walked closer, with quiet footsteps so not to disturb the singing. He knelt down to the edge of the spring and began to fill his canteen, looking around his eyes eventually focused on the source of his siren, standing in the clearing over the other side of the spring as she picked a bouquet of dainty flowers. Lavender, daisies, bellflowers, poppies. Her body was dressed in sage green, the simple dress showed she definitely was not from a wealthy family, but it was simple and beautiful in its own way. Perhaps she sewed it herself, it did look as if it were made for her. He could see her hair shine from here, and the features of her side profile were striking him even from a distance. She didn’t look real. The strange girl across the spring looked ethereal, like her beauty was too surreal for this planet. Had he hit his head? Was he seeing a forest fairy? He hadn’t even realised the staggering increase in his heart rate as he watched the girl, and listened.

He lost track of how long he had been watching her for, snapped out of his daydream when he heard a “Your Royal Highness! We must be getting on!” Harry heard shouting at him from a distance, most likely back where he had tied his horse. The girl had heard the faint noise and her eyes shot in Harry’s direction. His cheeks flushed with heat as their eyes met only for a brief second, before she ran away. The eye contact brought a slight curve to his lips, although she was leaving, at least he got another good look at her.

“Wait!” He called as he stood up, his hand and canteen dripping wet. His eyes softened as she simply left, looking back briefly in her stride, but he’d blown it. “God fucking damn it.” He cursed under his breath as he began to trudge back to his horse, his feet weighing heavy on the ground.

That was the most he’d ever felt, looking at the stranger across the lake singing as if it were for him, and he couldn’t help but feel like he’d just lost his future Queen. Half of him wanted to wade through the water and run after her, but Harry wasn’t a often disobedient Prince, when one of his parents or advisors told him to jump, his usual response would be “how high?” It’s ironic how for someone who’s whole life depends on finding his future Queen is given so little time to actually explore a social life, or love life himself. He was always set up with suitors who his parents found best. In the rare times he’s able to sneak away he’d gotten around, and most definitely wasn’t a virgin, but he’d never found a girl who had made him feel the way he wanted to feel about his future queen. He only wanted to please his family, and his realm, but this was the one thing where he refused to compromise.

Y/N was as far away from a future queen as it could come, or at least that’s what her step-mother wanted everyone to think. The entire town hoped to marry their daughters off to the elusive Good Prince Harry, however her step-mother only wanted her biological daughters to have that chance. When Y/N’s father passed away her step-mother sent her out to live as a recluse in a tiny cottage in the woods, she had always feared that her beauty would distract future husbands away from her actual daughters, and didn’t want to ruin their chance of being married. Each Sunday she drops Y/N off the supplies she needs, but that was the only human contact she was given. It wasn’t too bad, she managed to keep herself busy with sewing, baking, or whatever other art or craft she could think of and had the materials for. It was lonely though, and she was ultimately alone.

Well, if you don’t count forest fairies. Y/N hated being outcast into the forest, and spent most of her early months in the cottage crying to whatever wild animal she could find that day that would stick around long enough. Eventually, these wild animals started bringing their fairy friends along with them. They would spend their days with Y/N tending to fruit and vegetable gardens, watering plants, having picnics, and making daisy chains. Her life was simple, and although not one she asked, it was one she was growing fond of. Male company was something she could only imagine and long for, or read about in story books. There were dozens of fairies living in the forest, but she’d become particularly close to a group of some of the female fairies.

Each Sunday before her step mother visits, Y/N will pick her step mother a bouquet of flowers in attempt to win her over, in hopes maybe one day her sweetness will earn her way back into town. Y/N had total obliviousness towards her step mother’s plan, and towards what was going on in the city. This year, any woman over the age of 21 was to present herself to the Prince. Y/N’s 21st birthday fell on the day she was scheduled to be presented to the Prince. The letter had been delivered shortly before she was sent away to the forest, Y/N never laid her eyes upon it though. The letter outlined the royal guard would be coming to collect anyone who failed to present themselves on the day, and to Y/N’s step mother that meant the only option was to make it so Y/N never turned 21, or made it to her birthday for that matter.

Seeing the Prince most definitely did spook Y/N during that day in the field, if her step mother ever found out she’d had contact with a male there was no chance she’d ever be allowed to move back home. She did all she could think to do. She ran. She ran so fast that the petals of the flowers she had picked were ruined in her haste, quickly shutting herself inside the cottage to gather herself before her routine afternoon visit from her step mother. Sure she knew of men to be dangerous and terrible, but she feared her step-mother’s wrath more than anything any man could put her through.

Like any other Sunday, she scrubbed the house and dressed herself in whatever new garment she had stitched herself this week. The fairies had been busy this week and she’d had a great deal of time to herself, embroidering colourful flowers into the soft white linen of the new dress she had made. Her step-mother would bring her fabric and thread to sew dresses for her step sisters. It was something to be proud of, but most likely would be over looked. Little was said upon her step-mother’s arrival, but her character seemed off. Her step-mother’s eyes darted around, checking windows as she insisted on making the two of them tea. Y/N sat down at the small dining table, recounting tales of her week, ensuring to leave out anything about fairies or a boy. She watched a small bunny outside the window, forgetting to speak as awe overwhelmed her whilst she watched its tiny nose twitch. Her daydream came to an end when the sound of the ceramic mug hit the hard wood of the coffee table. “Drink while it’s warm, my love.” Her step-mother told her, sitting down in the seat at the head of the table beside Y/N. It wasn’t long after that that Y/N hit the floor, and her step-mother was shrouding herself in a hooded coat and sneaking out of the tiny cabin.

Elsie, a fairy most close to Y/N, who specialises in healing, came to the conclusion that she was only out for about six hours before the fairies found her. They did all they could over the following weeks to bring her back to life, trying as many possible rituals, potions, and spells to give life to her body once more. Nothing was of use though, and instead they decided to preserve her in a glass case in the clearing amongst the wildflowers. She had professed to them that the clearing by the spring had been her favourite place, so they saw this fit. Preserving her in the glass case was simply because the idea of her beauty decaying away made any of the fairies shriek. Fairies never communicated with humans, however Y/N was different. Elsie had always theorised that Y/N had magic in her blood. Amongst the many spells and rituals they tried to bring Y/N back, they threw in a spell that would hopefully bring her back with true love’s kiss. It was like a safety net, or a ‘what if?’ But they eventually tired and wore out, preserving her was well enough for now. They kept her dressed in the new dress she had crafted for herself, it was so beautiful after all. They had placed tiny baby’s breath flowers throughout her hair, and made sure everything was perfect. They even went as far to adorn her in delicate gold jewellery, with beautiful crystals of all colours. Her body rested upon a large rectangular slab of rose quartz.

****

Harry was dreading sitting in the throne room, while all the eligible females from the town were presented to him like livestock. It made him sick, and left a terrible taste in his mouth. All he could think of was the girl from the clearing. Is she a sign? Is he his ticket out of here? Was seeing her fate? Questions like that simmered over his mind and kept him awake at night, he had been sleeping little and finding it hard to focus on his duties. His best friend Niall was he closest confidant, the only one he had told about the beautiful girl in the clearing that day. Niall cared more for Harry than anyone, really. He didn’t just care about his fame or power or wealth, Harry was his best friend and he hated seeing his best mate so down about his love life and the pressure to marry a woman he doesn’t love. He made it his mission to find the woman, and his detective work lead him down a path he didn’t expect at all. First he went to the clearing where Harry filled his water in the spring, that was where he first noticed something over the other side of the spring that he couldn’t quite make out. He followed the spring and found an area narrow enough to cross, making his way to the structure he’d seen earlier. He didn’t know what to make of this discover, a dead girl in a glass coffin. ‘Forever at rest, only to be woken by true love’s kiss’ read an inscription on a gold plaque. He really didn’t know what to make of this. He didn’t know what to tell Harry.

Sweat lingered Niall’s brow as he made his way back to the castle to find Harry, to tell him of his discovery. “Look… I just need you to come with me and tell me what you think when we’re there.” Niall tells him, his voice somewhat breathless. Niall himself was still in disbelief, shock, his eyes wide as he shook his head. “I just- I don’t know what to tell you. You need to see it for yourself.” He adds.

Harry nods. “I’ll come immediately.” Harry tells him, his trust for Niall outweighing anything else going on in his head. Together they rode to the forest, crossed the narrow part of the spring, and towards where Niall had discovered Y/N.

“Is this the girl you were talking about?” Niall asks, however when he looks from the girl to Harry, he knows the answer. Harry couldn’t help but fall to his knees, pressing his palms against the glass as he looked inside. He noticed how long her eyelashes looked, and the freckles on her nose. His nose was almost touching the glass as he leant here on his knees at the side of her, taking her in up close.

“What happened to you?” He whispers, his eyebrows knitting together. Niall gives him a moment before he decides to mention the plaque at the foot of the structure.

“It uh, says something weird about being awoken by true love’s kiss. I don’t know if it’s true, and it’s revolting to think you would kiss a dead body for nothing, but someone has put her here. Someone made this. My grandmother in her old age would mutter stories about forest fairies and their magic… It just makes you wonder, you know?” He ponders, his eyes wandering away. It felt silly to bring up magic, it was something very commonly dismissed.

“Help me get this off.” Harry said as he brought himself from the ground, the soft grass had left green stains on his tan riding pants. He pushed the sleeves of his white linen button down up past his elbows, and the two men carefully lift the heavy glass case up off of the rose quartz Y/N had been resting on. It wasn’t easy, and the glass at the bottom dug into Harry’s fingers before they set the glass piece of the structure down on to the grass. “Alright. Here we go.” Harry said, in attempt to psych himself up for kissing a dead girl. She didn’t look dead though, just sleeping, you could only tell she was dead due to the missing rising and fall in her chest with her breath. “I might start walking back to the horses, give you some privacy.” Niall said, giving him a slight smile. He also didn’t really want to witness someone kiss a dead person, if she didn’t end up waking up.

“Good luck. Take your time.” He adds, part of him had no doubt it was going to work though. The stories his grandmother would tell him of the forest fairies were something he’d always held on to, those stories were amongst his most treasured memories. He’d always had some hope.

Harry waited until he could no longer hear Niall’s footsteps before he leant down close to Y/N, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. He took a moment, if this never worked it was going to be the last time he’d ever see her. He couldn’t fathom coming back to this spot if this didn’t work. His heart began to ache at the thought, it made his chest feel tight, and gave him the urge to rub at the spot.

“I really hope you’re who I think you are.” He whispers as he looks down at her. “This might seem like absolute madness. I don’t even know your name, but if you wake up for me, I swear to you I will be yours forever.” He began, to Harry this almost did feel like a ritual, it felt special, and the words he was speaking were amongst the most genuine he’d ever given life to. “I promise, I will protect you. I will provide for you. I will love you. I will never, ever harm you. I will love you until my very last breath, I just need you to do this one thing for me.” His voice was barely a whisper now, and breaking as hot tears welled in his eyes. He very carefully leant down, pressing his warm, puffy lips against her cold, smooth ones. He didn’t know how long to wait, but it didn’t feel wrong. It was a sweet, tender kiss. His eyes closed, and he felt at peace. It felt more than at peace. The long grass, wildflowers, and tree branches that surrounded them began to stir with wind, petals floating up into the gusts that took them. This girl had a tendency to make him feel like he’s dead and in heaven. Her lips slowly began to warm, and skin began to glow with heat. It felt like they were floating, as if the universe was made up of just the two of them. The flowers beneath him began to grow taller and more dense, and it began to feel like his heart was pulling towards hers. It felt like a tether had been formed, connecting their energy, he could feel as her heart began to pump blood again, and her energy radiate from her skin. It felt too surreal.

Slowly, Harry removed his lips to allow Y/N to breathe. He let a hand lay gently resting on her cheek as he watched her gasp for her first new breath, eyes shooting open as she looked up at him. It wasn’t shock she was met with when her eyes met Harry’s, but peace. The luminous green eyes that were gazing down upon her were like lighthouses, guiding her towards safety. So many questions began to race her mind as she came to reality, unable to decide which one to ask first. As if based on intuition, Harry decided to speak. “I uh- I’m not too sure what happened to you but my friend found you here today and brought me to you. I believe I saw you a few weeks ago, in the same spot. I’m not sure how long you’ve been out here, but there was this little plaque at the end of this thing here, that said something about a kiss to wake you up… I’m sorry for kissing you without your consent, but I couldn’t risk not taking this chance.” He didn’t mean to ramble or to overwhelm her with his spiel, but he was overwhelmed himself with everything that had just gone on. True love’s kiss. His queen. His true love. The other half of his soul, in human form. Y/N’s lips parted as if to speak, but nothing came out. She closed them once more as she sat up and looked around, swinging her legs off the side of the marble before looking back up to Harry. Her movement had disconnected his hand from her face, and they both longed for each other’s touch once more already. Her eyes began to well with tears as she began to think about how she got here, her last memories.

“I can only assume how overwhelming this must all be for you… We can stay here as long as you need, it’s just us. When you feel ready for it, I can take you back to my home and we can get you showered and fed. I don’t mean you any harm.” Harry doesn’t even need to add that last sentence though, because she can feel it. She can feel his love for her, she could almost hear it if she listened closely enough, as if his heart was now beating a song for her.

Harry stood back, as if to give the doe eyed girl some space. She looked at him as if he was the most precious treasure on Earth, he’d never felt so overwhelmed with love. This was followed by her delicate hands reaching out, taking ahold of his as she brought herself to stand in front of him. “Is it alright if you hold me for a second?” She asked softly, needing time to process things.

It had been so long since she had been touched affectionately, she couldn’t really remember it. Her father was never affectionate, nor her step mother or step sisters or anyone else she’d met. She felt comfortable with the stranger in front of her though, and didn’t have the energy to resist the magnet like force pulling her towards him.

“Of course.” He responds, his voice soft as he wraps his arms gently around her frame, pulling her into his warm figure. Harry was like the perfect, giant teddy bear… but he wasn’t really that soft. Pressed against him she could feel how chiseled his features are. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she relaxed into him, cheek against the skin of his chest kindly revealed by the first few buttons of his shirt being undone. “What’s your name?” He asks, tangling his fingers in her hair to lightly rub his fingertips against the tender skin at the back of her neck.

“Y/N Y/L/N. Yours?” She asks, looking up to the tall, broad man.

“Harry.” He decides on leaving out his royal title or last name.

“Just Harry?” She asks, her eyebrows raising.

“For now. We have plenty of time to talk about me later.” He notes, removing the same rogue strand of hair as before from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. It was almost as if her hair had a life of its own, breathing, like the other flora growing in the forest. He had noticed the baby’s breath in her hair, though her hair moved, they remained in the same places, as if growing out of their place on the strand of hair. “What do you last remember?” He asks, needing to know if whatever put her in eternal sleep had been by accident, or as an act of malice. She looks back away from his face, resting her cheek once more against his chest.

“My step-mother, Styephania came over, she made me tea. That’s all I can really remember.” She said, unable to stop the disappointed sigh from escaping her lips. Maybe she’d had a freak health accident, like a stroke. Just because she’d been mistreated by her step mother her whole life, didn’t mean she was capable of murder. She knew her step mother didn’t put her out here though, this was the work of fairies. They were looking on, hiding in the bushes as they stood witness to young love blossom in front of them, not wanting to disturb the two of them. “I look crazy, and it sounds crazier saying this, but I’m certain the forest fairies are responsible for looking after me and putting me here. The day she came over was the day I think you saw me here, and I’m not sure how I’m meant to feel but I don’t feel like I’ve been a dead body since then. I feel like no time has passed at all.” Harry avidly listened to her speak, her voice like caramel, seeping in his ears and warming his whole body. Harry wasn’t phased by her mentioning fairies, Niall had suspecting this being their work earlier. It was the only explanation Harry could think of. He couldn’t understand why her step mother would leave her here, why she wouldn’t find her help.

He didn’t want to worry his sweet girl now, he wanted to make sure she felt alright, safe, and cared for. His grip on her wasn’t too tight, but firm in a comforting way. “The plaque… It mentioned how you’d only be woken by true love’s kiss.” He figured the longer he waited to tell her the stranger it would be. His cheeks were red, as if embarrassed or ashamed to tell her about the plaque, how strange it all was. Her eyes met his, and the connection gave him whiplash. He couldn’t peel his eyes away, getting lost in the little pools. He wanted to know everything about her, what she liked, disliked, what she ate for breakfast, her favourite songs, flowers, secrets. Everything.

“I don’t know if I know what love feels like. The only men I’ve spoken to are all twice my age. I wasn’t really allowed to see boys. You’re definitely much, much more beautiful than I would’ve imagined a man to be, and I’m certain that my heart is literally beating for you now, since you woke me.” She tells him, the descriptions of heroes in stories she would read, or how she would imagine the older men to look when they were younger, were incomparable to Harry. The compliment made his cheeks flush. With each beat of her heart, it was as if it was pulling her closer to Harry, calling out for him, begging for him to love on her and soothe the ache in her chest.

“How has God made something so sweet?” He mumbles, he hadn’t even realised he’d said it out loud at first. “You’re breath taking. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes upon, and trust me when I say I’ve seen a lot of them. Even from far away, the first time I saw you… You make me nervous. You make my heart race, and my palms sweat, and I get butterflies in my stomach and nervous when I think about saying the wrong thing or not having you like me. It’s as if you’ve been carved by God himself, like he was showing off when he made you so beautiful. I wish I’d met you sooner.” Those last words burn his throat, how easier the last few years would have been if he had just been able to find her sooner.

*****

Harry sent Niall back to the castle first, having him instruct everyone to clear out the path that the Prince and his soon to be queen would take to his suite, he didn’t want to spook her with people around. The guards had to stay though, non-negotiable. He also had Niall ensure the doctor was on standby, just to check on Y/N and stay in the castle over the upcoming weeks in case anything else happened. Security was going to be increased, and tightened, and a warrant put out for her step mother.

The two hour horseback ride to the castle would give them well enough time to get to know each other, Harry and Niall had also switched horses, Niall’s being the slower of the two. “I don’t want to startle you when we get there. I also don’t know how to really tell you this. I’m in the royal family, so the guards and whatnot are something to just be ignored. They’re for your protection. I don’t know if you heard much of what I was telling Niall earlier, but you’re going to be very safe here, and we’ll find out what happened. I’ll look after you, I promise.” His eyes are ahead as he speaks, looking over the vast green fields ahead of them once they eventually emerged from the forest.

“Still just Harry, to me.” She reassured, sensing his nerves about revealing this information to her. His shoulders relaxed at her reaction, and a smile formed on his lips when his mind began to wander into what their future may be like. His queen.

“Hey, one day that’ll be King Harry to you.” He joked, thankful that it was received with a laugh. Her laughter was almost as sweet as her songs, and for the rest of the journey he made it his mission to mine as many possible laughs out of her as he could, like little nuggets of treasure. After making their way through the fields that lined the forest, they went down a long road that served as a divide between two of the castle’s towns, and at the end of that road just past a small valley of mountains was a sight far more glorious than Y/N had imagined. Her village was a small village that contained mostly candlemakers and dressmakers, and it sat further to the east, people only ever going out there to purchase fine candles and clothing. It was niche though, and not many could afford the fineries the master crafters in her village would create. Y/N hadn’t even really seen a home larger than a cottage, Harry’s castle looked large enough as if it could contain its own little world, a complete wilderness of towers surrounded by fine gardens, protected by a large moat with a standalone drawbridge. Harry didn’t even need to announce himself, the drawbridge was already in the process of being lowered for him.

“I had Niall clear our path, I don’t want to overwhelm you. I’ll introduce you to everyone when you’re ready.” Harry reassures her, she hadn’t even thought of anyone else though, too in awe of the sights around her. Flowers she’d never seen before laced these gardens, with fine marble sculptures and fountains protruding from them.

“I can’t believe this is your home.” Y/N whispers, unable to think of anything else to say.

“Your home too, if you’d like.” Harry replies, though his words immediately shrouded him with nerves about rushing Y/N into anything. It was stupid, they were each other’s true love’s, but it felt wrong being strangers, so Harry tried his best to conceal things. He’d never been in a conventional relationship before, never mind whatever this arrangement is or was going to be. He just knew he wasn’t meant to rush things, so he tried to refrain from expressing his feelings as best as he could. Her arms around his waist tightened, Y/N needing to feel as close to Harry as possible. He held the reins in one hand, the other arm resting over hers around his stomach, holding on to her arm to make sure she couldn’t let go.

“I’d like that.” Y/N reassures, gently rubbing his side to soothe him. Harry was too caught up in his own feelings to pay attention to how calm Y/N was. She could feel his anxiety though, and continued to try to soothe him as best she could. Y/N knew very little about Harry so far, but what she did know was that he was kind, caring, and had a lot of worries. She’d never been a worrisome person, and if anything would even refer to herself as naive, it was something she’d always been almost ashamed of but in this moment felt like maybe she’d been made to be by Harry’s side. Y/N liked the idea of spending her days being Harry’s rock, a voice of reason. She’d rather a man like this than one who had no emotions, that was for sure. It could’ve been whatever was now eternally bonding them, but she swears she was feeling his emotions, able to see his aura if she really studied hard enough. She sunk into him some more, her arms around his waist, cheek resting against his back. Harry made sure to take it extra slow, giving his love enough time to appreciate the flowers. She seemed to like flowers, and his mother took pride in this being the most beautiful garden amongst all of the kingdoms. He couldn’t wait to show her all the fineries that came with his life.

[taetaespeaches]

“I love you more than coffee.”

yoongi x reader (or oc) (feat. Tae & Jimin)  genre: fluff word count: 1.3K

a/n: I swear this was supposed to be like 500 words idk how I do this lmao. AND THIS FIC IS WAY MORE COMPLICATED THAN IT NEEDS TO BE. Anyways, this turned from being a silly Yoon/Kid fic to a mess featuring Tae and Jimin with appearances from Dear and Peaches. Idk what it is, but a Tae fic will be written to expand on what is happening with him and Peaches here. But in terms of Yoon/Kid, I think it shows the easy comfort they have, and that’s why I’m still pleased with this. Anyways, this is sort of edited, sort of not, so I hope it’s easy enough to read. And I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading :))

SUNLIGHT seeped through your bedroom window much earlier than you would have preferred, saturating you and the bump in the sheets next to you in its warm glow of a fresh new day. You desperately wanted to cover yourself back up in the duvet and cuddle into your boyfriend for another hour or three, but the sun was heating you up too much to fall back into slumber.

Instead, you crawled out of bed, not particularly carefully, but quiet enough to hopefully not disturb the man buried in blankets. You and Yoongi were… not morning people. Both of you worked hard in your respective careers and creative outlets day in and day out, and that meant you slept hard.

That also meant you both relied on coffee to get you going every morning, and lots of it. Pulling on a pair of your boyfriend’s sweatpants and some socks, you made your way out of the bedroom, gently shutting the door behind you before dragging your feet toward the kitchen.

Upon entering the room, you found Taehyung and Jimin sitting at the kitchen counter staring off into space, both of them snapping their heads towards you in perfect synchronization at the sound of your entry. 

You nearly asked them what the hell they were doing in your apartment before remembering you insisted they stay over after a night of movies, pizza, and drinks turned into Taehyung drunkenly confessing to the three of you that he was thought he was in love with his best friend. Jimin drunkenly told his pal that he’d been there, done that, it came with its challenges, but overall, “10/10 would recommend.” 

“I feel like death,” Jimin mumbled, dropping his head onto his arms that were folded on the countertop in front of him. Taehyung continued staring at you before shifting his gaze directly in front of him again, not uttering a word as if the action would trigger the throbbing headache he was trying to fight off with his weapon of choice: silence.

“I’m guessing you guys haven’t eaten,” you said, looking at the two boys, nearly laughing at their states. Jimin shook his head. You gave a single nod, walking to the cupboard to first start with… “Fuck.”

“What?” Jimin lifted his head in slight concern, Taehyung’s eyes moving back to you.

Yoongi’s words from the day before echoed in your head as you sighed.

“I used the last of your coffee this morning.”

He even offered to buy you some more, but you assured him you had to grab a few things anyway, so you’d just pick some up while at the store.

As if some fairy god mother or guardian angel or some shit was looking out for you, you opened the cupboard door in hopes that there would miraculously be a new bag of coffee sitting there. “Well,” you started, finding that the empty spot where the coffee should be was still indeed empty. “That sucks.”

“What’s happening?” Jimin spoke up again, lying his head back down on his arms.

“I forgot to buy coffee,” you admitted, closing the cupboard door.

“Uh oh,” Jimin sing-songed, you turning toward him to shoot him a glare. At that very moment, the three of you heard the shuffling of your waddling boyfriend coming down the hallway. Entering the kitchen, he found the three of you staring at him, causing him to pull a face of confusion.

“What?” He asked, looking from you to the two younger men.

“There’s no coffee,” Jimin groaned, Tae looking down to his hands, slowly coming further back into world of the living.

Yoongi’s eyes hung on Jimin for a moment before they slowly panned to you, his expression empty.

“I’m so sorry,” you pouted.

“I thought-” Yoongi started, cutting himself off as he walked further into the kitchen toward the fridge. “Do you all want eggs?”

“Baby,” you said gently. “Are you mad at me?”

“No?” He said in confusion, meeting your sad eyes. “Why do you look like that? Stop being silly, I’m not upset.”

“But you love coffee,” you pointed out through your pout.

“I love you more than coffee,” he told you, a sudden gasp sounding from the kitchen counter. You, Yoongi, and Jimin all turned to stare at Taehyung and his sudden expression of surprise, the first sound from the man since last night.

“Sorry,” Taehyung apologized, his eyes traveling from one person to the next. “Just surprised me.”

You giggled as your boyfriend shot him a ridiculing look. “Why would that sur- are you even alive right now?” You boyfriend asked Taehyung as you stepped toward him, kissing his jaw.

Just as Yoongi wrapped an arm around your lower back, pulling you into his side, a sudden knock on your apartment door pulled each of your guys’ attention to the sound. Staring at the door, Jimin crawled off his stool to answer it.

The cheery voice that resounded from the hallway was instantly recognizable as Jimin’s girlfriend’s. Moments later, Jimin and his girlfriend walked into the kitchen, Jimin looking ten times more enthusiastic than he appeared just a minute earlier.

Next, rounding the corner was Taehyung’s best friend, who he had admitted he believed he was in love with just the night previous. The two girls had become quite close through Jimin and Taehyung’s close friendship. You and Yoongi both looked to Taehyung in concern, taking note of the way he sat up but didn’t smile, instead looking pained and sad.

Looking back to the girl, you saw she was balancing a cup carrier with three coffees in one hand and a bottle of juice in the other hand. That’s when you realized both Jimin and his girlfriend were carrying coffees of their own.

“This one is for you, Yoongi, and this is for you,” the sweet, sweet girl told you both after setting the carrier on the counter, pointing to your respective cups. She pulled the other one out for herself just before she rounded the counter toward Taehyung.

“Oh my god, I knew I had a guardian angel,” you told the girl in appreciation, watching the smile spread across her face, though her eyes were set on Tae, her gaze somehow soft, intense, and curious all at once.

Yoongi kissed your temple quickly before stepping from you and grabbing his coffee. He wasted no time in bringing it to his lips, taking a long sip of the warm liquid, taking a contented sigh as he lowered it, staring at the cup.

“I do love you more than coffee, Kid, but right now I think I love her the most,” he said, still staring at the cup, Tae surprisingly chuckling at the comment as she handed him his juice, running her hand through his shaggy hair.

You stared at your boyfriend in disbelief, watching as his lips curved into a gummy grin, his eyes meeting your offended ones, though the expression was feigned. He lifted your coffee from the carrier and waddled back to you, placing it into your hands. “Only kidding,” he mumbled, giving you a peck before taking another sip of his drink. “Sort of.”

“Keep it up, Min,” you told him. “I’d love to see how far you take this.”

“I’ll make you breakfast,” he told you with a soft smile, moving back to the fridge.

“Good start,” you held back a giggle as you took a sip of your coffee. “Fuck that’s good, never mind, I’m in love with you too,” you told the girl.

“Hey,” your boyfriend turned to stare at you, his hands full of eggs. You expected him to act offended, claiming you as his, or maybe make a comment about how you betrayed the man making your breakfast. Instead he surprised you with a small gummy grin and a playful, “she’s mine.”

Well, maybe there were three of you in the room smitten with Taehyung’s angelic best friend. But looking at your boyfriend’s gorgeous features as he smiled, his cheeks fluffy and full, you were filled with a mixture of pride, appreciation, and happiness with the knowledge that he was yours, and you were his.

[icecreamsundayonajulyafternoon]

Alcina Dimitrescu/f reader

+some well meaning Chris

I also posted this on my ao3 account Homoeroticmicrowave as a part of my resident evil oneshots book the link to which is : https://archiveofourown.org/works/32351686/chapters/80202100

For context in this the reader works with Chris but got kidnapped by Alcina and ended up bonding with her

Anyway behold My dignified shit post:

Alcina tilted your head up by your chin with one of her claws with a gentle sort of care “I might just be enamoured by you my little maiden” her voice had a certain air to it as the power she carried held strong though the coldness it had been coddled by withered away.

“And I am just glad to have met someone as truly brilliant as you are you make my heart feel like it’s faltering” Alcina’s tensed muscles and rigid posture seemed to deflate as her claws retracted.

“My little human girl you truly are one of a kind you are too good for this world and it’s cruelty that it afflicts you with”

Her hands incased yours as she held them so lightly ”Stay with me” Alcina’s eyes steadily gazed into your own “I want you to stay with me in this castle forever with me. I want you to marry me and be mine and let me be yours”

You almost thought she was joking but Alcina Dimitrescu would never make such a joke and to claim that she had would be ludicrous it was simply not in her nature to be so brash with her humour. However, declarations received a treatment that was a far cry to how her delicate words of amusement were handled

“I can give you a life worthy of living for you. I’ll have you adorned in whatever clothes you would see fit to clad your body and express your beauty in all of its forms, I’ll have you living a luxurious life that would make a deity envious, your every desire would be fulfilled if you only ask and I promise you I will give you everything if only to see you relish the world you live in” there was a certain warmth to her tone that she never previously expressed to you.

”It’s a pitiful world full of devastation and tyranny and I will not have it harm you from hence forth”

You released one of your hands from her gentle grasp so that your hands could reach out

“You make me feel pink and small and like I’m fluttering like my feet could rise from the ground and I’d float in the air like some sort of silly, little cartoon character when they’re smitten by someone” you felt overheated and uncomfortable as you spoke but you continued

“I would stay with you whether or not you had riches to offer me. Castles and gowns and jewellery is all very lovely but it’s not what keeps me yearning. I want you Alcina, I want you and I want to spend every moment that I can with you” you smiled despite your inability to even glimpse her face. A coward you were and yet a lovesick fool you were all the same.

“I found a home with you Alcina.” Your eyes finally reunited with hers and as she looked at you, you had never felt more loved than in that moment. “Let me be your home too….let me marry you” the words caressed her heart and she moved your arms so that they fell around her neck and she lifted you up by your waist. “I treasure every moment I have with you my love” she whispered. “Let this world we’ll build last forever”

When you had a moment alone while getting ready you radioed into whatever members of your team were still alive and had their radios still working and on them “So I’m not gonna be able to go back with you guys but everything’s pretty good so uh yeah I don’t really know how to explain the predicament- no that’s too negative a word- situation- no, no this is not a situation that makes it sound like there’s some kind of situation- what I meant to say the events that preceded my current happenings can be perceived as a little odd however everything is fine, goodbye forever”

You threw your radio out of the window and into the snow and presumed it had broke. Chances were your teammates would not have heard your message but it was still polite to let them know you were alive and well and would simply just not be joining them on their way home or anything at all again ever because you were about to be married to a giant, homocidal lady. They could be angered by your supposed ‘disrespectful’ tone concerning how you address everyone and didn’t go over formalities but you were gifted with this thing known as manner which influenced your decision to inform them of your lack of presence on the return journey before hand.

You were just considerate like that.

You gushed over the dress you had been so graciously gifted. It truly was a work of art tailored just for you. Each detail of it was made with a passionate precision that had you gawking with glee as you admired every segment of material woven into the fabric.

It was a true marvel and you felt like a piece of artwork yourself that would be displayed with great care in an art museum. You looked like a glamorous painting that was created with such integral beauty that the expertise of the artist could not be measured by any title or prideful words.

A sense of pride ghosted your senses and you found your fingertips brushing the mirror with such a light touch that you couldn’t br sure your skin had made contact with the mirror at all. You were so subconsciously convinced what you were looking into was glazed with deceit and if you touched the mirror you would break the illusion of beauty and your true form of much lesser looks would be restored. But that didn’t happen and for a moment you could sympathise with narcissus as much like them you found yourself fawning over the being of beauty that you weren’t entirely sure was yourself.

You were truly a bride who’s beauty was beyond befitting of any title that could be bestowed upon you and you thought yourself to be belonging with angels of artwork, your place was dancing with the muses who were worth more than simple adoration and worship.

You weren’t a god but you were blessed by Aphrodite’s touch and you were sure simple folk could not help but be too mesmerised to experience jealousy at your envious appearance.

If it were a sin to be enraptured in revelling in your own appearance than you would relish the hellfire that rained down to scorch your flesh and soul. You’d paint such a pretty picture dancing in the misery of hell gifted by sins. Lucifer had treated you well and you thanked them for gracing you with what God couldn’t.

Alcina’s voice rang out like a dove from behind the door and lulled you away from the mirror your attention had been stolen by. “Perhaps you could be so gracious as to adorn me with your presence”

You turned to face the direction of her voice “of course anytime my love” you said earnestly.

“I won’t look at you now nor do I want you to see me just yet but I couldn’t help but to speak to you just for a moment beforehand…I want it to be special my dear and I won’t want for it to be any less special than either of us want for it to be because you deserve everything you want and yet lover I find myself needing to be selfish and needing to hear your voice”

”Alcina it’s okay” you couldn’t help but to let a giggle escape you “I can’t help but feel nervous to see you and yet I can’t wait to I love you and tonight is special because it’s our night it’s special because it marks the first day I get to be with you forever”

You head Alcina let out a small laugh tainted by an agitating anxiousness. “So do I”

You felt breathless as you stepped out into the night. Donna your apparent personal seamstress and now flower girl guided you to where it would take place.

Alcina stared as though she had witnessed something that couldn’t be explained by any science or rationality. While she herself was a sight to take in when she saw you she felt as though her childhood dreams were coming true as you seemed mythical.

When your eyes met her you felt like you were falling and you didn’t want to stop. Not for a moment. She was gorgeous. A wedding dress perfectly fit for her graced her elegant features. She looked ethereal and you wanted to reach out to touch her. Each step you took seemed so slow. Far too slow for your liking. You wanted to be in her arms and soon.

When you did finally meet her while tradition forbid you to kiss her just yet you at least reached out to hold her hands. Your eyes glistened with joy all of the love you had barely fit in your body as it threatened to burst out of you in bounds of laughter and tears. You felt so much and you wanted to feel like that forever. You wanted for this moment to last forever. You wanted to be held by her forever.

Your hair seemed so gorgeous and lustrous in the glowing moonlight. Fairy lights decorated the trees surrounding you and fireflies twirled in the breeze. To think you would see such beauty and wonder in what had once been a placed that had brought you such terror and havoc.

Alcina held you tenderly as though she couldn’t quite believe this was happening. She wouldn’t be isolated in that feeling as you were swarmed by disbelief, you didn’t shun all of the conflicting emotions you were feeling. Not for a moment. You welcomed them and you couldn’t help but tingle with the relief of any negative thoughts or surprise being overwhelmed with ecstatic delight. You had thought of marriage in the general sense before when considering where the events of your life might lead you and while it wasn’t conventional not anything close to what you could have ever expected you would gladly spend the rest of your days residing in Dimitrescu castle with Alcina. She really was one marvellous woman.

You had insisted on certain songs being played at your wedding from fun songs you had once joked about being played at your wedding to irresistibly romantic guilty pleasures that you would have been teased mercilessly for an infinite amount of times had you ever admitted you would want played. But that was in another lifetime and while Alcina may not always understand certain aspects of your interests she was always glad to watch you indulge in them.

You two danced, chests pounding with a romantic joy you had never thought existed in the way you felt it. As your arms wrapped around her neck as she lifted you up you couldn’t help but think how a much younger version of yourself would feel giddy at knowing how in love you were. Though knowing your child self the word ‘gross’ would also most likely make an appearance as the topic of love.

You admired every detail of her face and when you kissed her you thought about how you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of your life with her. However long you had would be amazing as long as it was spent by your side whether it be one day or one hundred years you wanted to spend it all with her. You had been bewitched by her and you couldn’t be happier.

Then your moment was interrupted by the sounds of gunfire. Violence and stubborn hatred truly had a way of ruining even the most kindest and beautiful of moments.

Alcina scooped you up and ran, throwing you over her shoulder and quickly moving so that you may escape the presence of aggression and be safe in the sanctuary she made for you.

Over her shoulder you saw Chris running, bullets blazing as he ran with a determined rage. You thought he would have been long gone by now. You had convinced Alcina to give up her part in aiding Miranda’s plan. Surely you could convince her to let these people leaves unscathed.

You moved in front of Alcina, attempting to quell her anger and bitter bloodlust with promises of trust and hope. You begged her to at least let you try to form some kind of truce so that you would not have to live knowing people you cared about destroyed each other. Hesitantly she let you go. Though her reluctance was apparent and she looked so eager to snatch you up and lock you far from those who put your life at risk.

You left the castle and approached the direction you were adamant Chris and probably his team would soon be.

Geez he really went to the effort to risk his life searching for your and stealing you back with him all so he could lecture you on your lack of formality and far too casual tone when you had radioed in as well as your blatant disrespect, poor execution of the mission and your inconsideration of the expense of the property you had been given. Sounds about right. It was a mistake to attempt some kind of means of communication really. And now look what happened your wedding was ruined.

You raised your hands up to show you meant no harm when Chris and found and approached you.

There was a moment between Chris properly processing you were there and him first catching sight of you where it felt like everything had been put on pause. He eyed you suspiciously as though you were some sort of distraction, a part of a malicious scheme Alcina had made in order to proficiently destroy any hope of Chris’s rescue attempt and mission succeeding.

”Hey” you waved awkwardly in a hopeless attempt to break through  the immense pressure and tension of the situation “nice to see you’re still alive and stuff that’s cool” your voice rang out through the silence. “I’m alive too which is fun looks like we have that in common”at that point you were just throwing dumb words at him in a blatant attempt to get him to respond in a way that wouldn’t suck.

Chris grabbed you and pulled you into a vice-like hug. You felt him lift you up “It’s good to see you….Where is that thing? What did that bitch do to you?” He seethed.

”Nothing she actually had a pretty good sense of hospitality-did you come here on your own without anyone-“

He had you back on the ground but his grasp never left you as he shifted his grip so that he now had a steady hold on your shoulders. “This isn’t the time to act like nothings wrong if you’re injured or you’ve been drugged with something you need to tell me” his hold on you was just as secure as it was when he hugged you even if he no longer had you squished against him.

“I’ve not been hurt really I’m not lying to you Chris” you looked him in the eyes and tried to communicate with your facial expressions that you were telling the truth.

Chris sighed slightly but nodded “good, we need to leave we can continue this conversation when we’re safe-“

You put a hand on his chest to put some distance between you both “look Chris I’m- I’m not leaving. I’m staying here” Chris looked a mixture of perplexed and horrified.

He stepped closer to you so he was practically leering over you “what are you talking about! We’re going. Now.”

“No Chris I’m not. I love Alcina and I’m not leaving her. I won’t. You can leave I’ll make sure she won’t come after you just as I made sure she no longer interfered with Ethan finding Rose but I won’t go with you”You stared defiantly at him as you stood as tall as you could despite him towering over you.

”Alcina? Is that what that bitch got you to call her!You think you love that thing! Jesus Christ what did she do to you!” Chris looked disgusted at your words.

“Hey man I don’t ruin your weddings do I the least you could do is let me go back to her-“ Chris held your arm tightly preventing you from leaving as he radioed into someone.

”I’ve acquired S/n. Clearly they’re under some kind of influence- they must have been brainwashed or put in some form of hypnotic state!” Chris hypothesised to the person on the other end of the radio upon your immediate reluctance to leave. The moment you suggested you had no interest in leaving he stopped talking directly to you. “We’ll meet you there soon we’ll need a medic and possibly some means of restraint for them” he tucked the radio back into his pocket and turned his attention back on you.

“I’m all here I’m just genuinely okay to stay here” you implored him to recognise that you were in fact all there.

Chris ignored your attempts to defend your sanity and slung you over you shoulder. “Fuck are you doing!” You yelped at his sudden action.

“I don’t know what that freak did to you but I won’t let you suffer! I won’t leave you in this hell hole! We can fix this I promise!” He seemed so genuinely concerned and you understood why but you just needed him to listen. You knew how ugly this was going to end up if he didn’t.

”Stop calling her that! You know nothing of her! There’s nothing to fix! She’s been nothing but kind to me! Please just put me down and leave!” Your pleads were wasted as he stopped responding to you.

Panicking you thrashed in his stone like grip even going so far as to try to bite and scratch him. He grunted in response to your little attack and repositioned you so that you couldn’t easily hurt him and if you did you wouldn’t do much damage.

Your fears were ignited when you heard Alcina’s voice rampaging through the wind. Chris cursed and you began begging you to put him down and leave you. Unfortunately, he interpreted your words as an attempt to sacrifice yourself for his sake, which he refused to go along with.

He didn’t let go of you as he began running and quickly grabbing a gun which he fired at Alcina with a precision you wish he lacked. You started screaming begging for them not to fight but your words crumbled as your weeping shouts were overpowered by the insatiable violence that inevitably occurred due to both parties refusal to attempt any form of reason.

While you understood the motivation both of them had and if you heard one perspective by itself you could easily side with it if the other one remained unknown to you.

Chris set you down by a tree after tying you to it. You blubbered through your messy tears that he needed to stop and listen to you for just a moment. You were desperate for them to stop before it was too late but just as always you were ignored as Chris left you to fight Alcina.

Your thoughts flurried as paranoia and fear truly sunk in and you were sure one or both of them would die. As you were sure you would lose everything to the cruelty of bloodshed. Time seemed to drag on and you struggled to release yourself from the rope that held you securely. You were so sure that one of them were dead as horrific sounds seeped into the cold night air.

Your fears proved true when you heard Alcina’s screams rattle throughout the air. Your breath hitched. What just happened-

Your head snapped at the sound of footsteps and your whole body felt like it was burning as you saw Chris’s weathered face.

He untied you and lifted you up into his arms that seemed to tremble ever so slightly. “What-what just” you could barely get the words out of your mouth. It couldn’t have possibly meant what-no there had to be some other explanation. Any other explanation.

”She won’t hurt you anymore” with those words you fell a part.

Chris remained silent as you sobbed. He just kept walking. He was sure you were just experiencing some kind of false mourning as the result of whatever Alcina had done to you. And yet guilt threatened to creep at the doubt that teased the back of his mind. He held back his thoughts and focused on getting you home.

[bookswitchcraftandcats]

Rainy Days (Part 2 of 4)

Link to AO3 --- Part 1 

Summary: Emma and Julian are in charge of the London Institute for a week and find a box that once belonged to Cordelia Carstairs and contains poems written to her by James Herondale. The story switches between Emma and Julian and oneshots about things that happened in Jordelia's life to inspire the poems.

Disclaimer: Cassie owns the whispering room scene

Sorry if the formatting for the poems is messed up, I tried.

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

“What do you think he meant by ‘cut through the wickedest of powers’?” Emma says while looking at the poem. Julian is laying next to her idly playing with her hair. He always loved the golden color of it and how it seemed to glow in the sunlight. It had taken him hundreds of paintings to get it just right.

“I don’t know,” he responded, “but I do think that he really loved her, almost as much as I love you.” They both blush and he kisses Emma’s nose.

“I love you too,” Emma says. She laid her head against Julian’s chest. They were both kind of tired and not used to such cloudy weather. Emma thought more about her own sword and the poem. It was kind of strange to think about how long ago this was written, and how it was about the same sword. It was like when Julian paints pictures of her and Cortana. Maybe one day one of their descendants will find his painting and have the same adventure.

“James Herondale seems to have been very good with words,” Julian says while looking over the old poem again, as though he can take some romance advice from it.

“You're just as good,'' says Emma while she looks through the contents of the jewelry box. She opens another compartment.

“What is this?” she says reaching for a stone, it lights up at her touch.

“Witchlight,” Jules says, looking at the angelic light.

“This must have also been Cordelia’s,” she states, still looking at the small rock in her hand, “maybe it meant something to her, or someone special gave it to her.”

She knew she had a brother, Alastair, maybe that was who gave it to her. This box seemed to hold things she valued so it couldn’t be just any witchlight. The stone was heavy in her hand, it’s light reflecting through the room. She thought of the light Jace had given Mark and about what comfort Cortana gave her. Sometimes it wasn’t about what the object could do, but who gave it to you when you needed it most that matters.

“When did Tessa say she was coming?” Jules asks, bringing Emma out of her thoughts.

“I think around 7 ish” she says, “we still have a good amount of time before they come.”

“What do you think she will think about this...does she know this is here?”

“Probably, she lived here for over half a century, if anyone knows this institute it is her.”

Emma looked at the clock. They still had like 2 hours before they would be here and there was nothing left to do today. They couldn’t even explore the city with all this rain.

“Do you want to read another one?” she asks Jules.

“Sure,” he says as he picks up one titled The Whispering Room.

The Whispering Room

You step onto the old wooden stage, And tell us a fairy tale with your movement. Gliding and spinning in arcs of gold and fire, Every soul is drawn to the beautiful legend.

You step off into the crowd that you shocked, Carrying a sense of confidence as you turn to me. And then we ran off to find a hiding spot, Away from the stares and chatter of the club.

We step into a room with an open door, You're looking even more gorgeous than before. We kiss in a way that wasn't of careful fairy tales, It was a real kiss jarring me into a clearer world.

The heat from the fire now not the only source. The world seems to fade to you and only you. If only this could could be captured and last forever, Among the smoke and sounds in the whispering room.

The Merry Thieves were moving out of the Devil’s Tavern. They all had houses now and didn’t really have much use for the room. They figured another generation of boys up to no good could benefit more from them then they can now. They had a lot of stuff stored there so all week they had been moving and bringing stuff home. Tonight, James and Cordelia were there to sort through some of the books. It began to rain as they worked so they probably wouldn’t be taking many with them unless the storm stopped.

“You kept a lot of books here,” Cordelia says while looking through another shelf.

“We couldn’t keep most of these at the institute” James explains while picking up a book about how to summon demons.

“I guess not,” Cordelia responds. She then spots an old leather journal that seems familiar. “I think this was one of your notebooks.”

James walks over from his pile of books. He spots the journal and laughs a little.

“That was one of my old poetry journals.” She pulls it off of the shelf and they sit on the couch.

“Any about me?” she asks with a smirk. He blushes and Cordelia raises an eyebrow.

“Probably” he says, turning through the pages. He stops at one that is titled The Whispering Room and they both burst out laughing.

“That was quite the night” James says.

“And the part you remember was when we were hidden kissing in the Whispering Room,” Cordelia says, shaking her head.

“I remember that dance too,” He states with a smirk. She was very beautiful on that stage, no one watching will ever forget about that. Cordelia still gets comments about it whenever they are down at the Hell Ruelle.

“I’m sure a lot of people remember that dance,” she says.

“You know,” James starts, “I might need a reminder, I wouldn’t mind seeing that dance again.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t,” she responded, kissing him on the cheek.

Then the door opened and Thomas and Alastair walked in. James and Cordelia both blushed a bit.

“I don’t even want to know what you were up to,” Alastair says while walking over to grab a box of Thomas’s books. Most of them were in languages only Thomas and Alastair knew how to speak anyways.

“Hello” Thomas says, “I didn’t think you two would be here tonight.”

“We just had a few more books to grab and then figured we would stay until the rain stopped,” James replies while not so slyly putting an arm around Cordelia.

“It’s so weird leaving this place,” Thomas says while looking at the now nearly empty room. “We caused so many fire hazards here.” They all glanced at the burn mark on the back wall from an explosion gone wrong.

“We can always cause fire hazards at my house,” James started but was cut off by his wife.

“Absolutely not!” Corldelia said as Alastair laughed. James ignored this and continued,

“Besides, some other group of boys will enjoy causing trouble here just as much as we did.”

They continued to pack their things and looked outside as the rain began to stop and the sun creeped out from behind the clouds. A fire message appeared on the wall calling them all to the institute. Taking one last look at the room James fondly remembered the days when they did cause mischief and they had the night in the whispering room. While it was more peaceful now, he would always love the memories of adventure. He smiled at Cordelia and took her hand as they climbed into the carriage, off to have some more nights worthy of poems of their own.

Tag list: @fortheloveofthecarstairs  @thehotfaeriethreesome  @shadowrunner2000  @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @surrounded-by-exquisite-clutter @gabtapia  @niathesanctuary-bolastair-kanej

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list :)

[big-wet-cas-eyes]

wings: day 3 of @starrynightdeancas 's 2k followers celebration ✨ (ao3)

when i saw the wings prompt, i didn't think i would end up writing meet cute au, but here we are (wc: ~2000)

Thursdays are Dean's favorite day to be at conferences. Usually, there's only a partial day of events, and some people skip it altogether. Once the conference is in full swing, he'll be busy bouncing from talks to lunches to happy hours to dinners with people he only sort of knows. But on Thursdays, he can breathe.

Conferences certainly aren't his favorite part of being a professor. He's kind of a homebody, so the travel and socializing is a little much for him, especially when air travel is involved. But he does like exploring new cities, so he makes the best of it.

That's how he finds himself wandering around downtown Thursday evening. The streets are bustling with the after-work crowd.

Dean pauses when he passes one of those huge angel wing murals that he sees all over the internet. There are a couple of teenage girls standing there posing and giggling. Dean chuckles, and once the girls run off, he snaps a picture of it. His best friend, Jo, loves gimmicky tourist things like that, so he sends the picture off to her, along with a wish you were here text.

"Excuse me, would you mind taking my photo? If you have a moment, of course," a deep voice asks him. Dean looks up to see a man standing there, looking at him hopefully and gesturing behind him toward the mural. He feels his jaw drop open for a second when his eyes rest on the man's face. He's gorgeous. Dark, messy hair and piercing blue eyes that make Dean feel like he's melting into a puddle.

But Dean raises his eyebrow slightly when the question registers in his brain. This guy doesn't really look like the type to want a picture in front of a cotton candy-colored mural of angel wings. He looks to be about Dean's age. He's wearing a full suit with a trench coat on top, despite the summer heat. He realizes he's still staring when the guy clears his throat.

"Sorry for bothering you, I'll find someone else," the man says with a slight nod before beginning to turn away.

"No, no, wait, I'll do it!" Dean says, feeling bad for basically ignoring the guy while checking him out. "You just surprised me. Took my brain a second to process."

The man smiles at him. "Thank you, I appreciate it," he says, handing his phone to Dean. The camera app is already open.

Dean gives him a small smile back. "Not to be weird about it, but you don't really seem like the angel wing mural type."

"Ah, I'm not," he says dryly. Sensing Dean's confusion, probably, he adds, "I sent my daughter a photo of the mural earlier. She's been bombarding me all day with requests that I take a photo in front of it."

Dean smiles wider at that. The man's eyes light up as he's talking about his daughter, and Dean's smitten by how cute it is. "Totally get it, man. If my niece was old enough to text, she'd probably do the same to me." He thinks of little Mary, running around the house in a princess dress and fairy wings as Eileen tries to catch her. Maybe he should take one for her, too. "I've got you." He glances down at the guy's chest and adds, "Take off your badge first."

"What?" the man asks, clearly confused.

Dean pulls his matching conference badge out of his pocket. The lanyards attached to all of the badges this year are a horrid shade of neon orange. "This," Dean says, shaking it slightly, "Take yours off for the picture."

"Oh… thank you," he says, pulling off the lanyard and shoving it into a pocket of his trench coat. He walks in the direction of the mural. He turns and faces Dean, mouth in a straight line.

Dean snaps the photo and frowns. The dude doesn't look happy, despite the joy that was in his eyes when he mentioned his daughter. "Smile, dude! This is for your kid!" Dean says loudly.

The man huffs slightly, but then his mouth splits into a gummy smile, eyes crinkling at the edges. The smile is infectious, and Dean can't help the one that spreads across his own face in response. He takes a couple more photos before he gestures for the guy to come back over. He does and Dean returns his phone.

"Mind taking one of me? Looked at it long enough that I want to send one to my niece anyway."

"Yes, of course," the man replies, taking Dean's offered phone.

Dean smiles and poses (hands on his hips, like a superhero), and there's a good chance the picture captures the laugh that comes out when he hears the other man chuckle.

He walks back over and retrieves his phone. Then, he offers his hand for a handshake. "So I guess we're in town for the same conference. Dean Winchester. It's nice to meet you."

"Castiel Novak," he replies, grasping Dean's hair and shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you as well." He pauses for a moment, and his eyes widen with something that looks like recognition. "Dean Winchester. I just read your new paper, Bradbury and Winchester. It was fascinating."

"Hey, thanks, man," Dean says with a grin, "but if I'm being honest, almost all the credit for that one should go to my grad student, Charlie. She's the best."

"Well, it's a testament to your teaching that one of your students can produce such excellent research," Castiel says, and Dean blushes at the words. "I would love to be able to teach like that someday."

"Are you not a professor?" Dean asks. Maybe he misjudged the guy's age.

"No, I actually only recently completed my doctorate. It took a little longer than I'd hoped, but I had to take some time away from schooling for my daughter." Dean nods in understanding. A handful of people he knows had a baby during graduate school and it definitely did not make the experience any easier for them. "I'm beginning a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kansas next month, though."

"Oh, no way, that's where I teach!" Dean says. When he sees the glint of amusement in Castiel's eyes, he says, "But you already knew that. Because you just read my paper."

"I did. Different department than you, though. I'll be working with Professor Cain."

Dean smiles. "He's great, you'll like working with him." Before he can continue, Dean's stomach decides to punctuate his sentence with a loud grumble. "Uh, any interest in grabbing dinner? I'm starving, and I'd like to hear more about what you do if we're gonna be colleagues soon."

"Sure, I'd like that, Professor Winchester," Castiel says.

Dean scoffs. "You're uninvited if you call me that, Cas. Just Dean."

"Dean. Okay, let's go," he says, a small smile curling at the edges of his lips. They walk for a while, chatting a little about food and the city until they stumble upon a restaurant that sounds good to both of them.

Once they've ordered, Cas pulls out his phone. "I hope my daughter appreciates the picture," he says, swiping at the screen as he looks through the photos Dean took. He might have gotten a little carried away; there's a bunch. "I don't want to receive another photo of her pouting at me."

Dean chuckles. He pulls out his own phone to send his mural photo to his brother and sister-in-law. Cas also took a few, but he selects one where he's laughing extra hard. Took this for Princess Mary, tell her I love her, he texts to accompany the photo. "I'm sure she'll love it. How many pouting photos did you get?"

Cas hums, tapping a few times on his phone as Dean watches. "It appears… six." He turns his phone around to Dean. The name at the top of the text message thread reads Claire🐝 and he can already see two of the pictures. Cas's daughter, Claire, looks a little older than he expected. That, combined with the heavy eyeliner, doesn't make her seem like the kind of kid that would beg her dad to take a picture with an angel wing mural. Cas scrolls slightly and Dean sees a slew of please dad and you gotta! text messages, interspersed with more pictures of her frowning. It's kind of adorable.

"How old is she?" Dean asks.

"Fifteen," Cas answers. Dean opens his mouth, but closes it again when Cas continues, "I know, I don't look old enough to have a daughter her age. I get that a lot."

"Sorry," Dean mumbles. "No need to explain, I was just surprised."

Cas shrugs. "It's okay. Accidental pregnancy with my high school girlfriend back when we were both trying to convince ourselves that we were straight." Cas immediately blushes. "Sorry, too much information. I had already switched out of professional mode for the evening, and I forgot that we technically work together."

"You're in good company. No judgment from me. You won't be the only one out of the closet when you get there." He winks and then grimaces internally. He hadn't meant to start flirting.

Cas's eyes widen and then soften. "Thank you, Dean. I'm glad I haven't made a total fool of myself." His phone buzzes on the table and he picks it up. He smiles that wide, bright smile again, the one that Dean can't help but match. "Claire loves the photo," he says, turning his phone around. It's another photo of Claire, but this time she has the same bright smile on her face as her dad.

"She really wanted you to take that picture, didn't she," Dean says with a chuckle.

Cas nods. "She did. She's a sweet girl."

"Why's she love angel wings so much? She doesn't really… look the type, I guess," Dean asks, his curiosity finally winning out.

"The eyeliner phase is new. She's always loved angels, though. Her mother used to tell her angels were watching over her every night before bed, and I think that stuck with her."

Dean smiles. "My mom used to say the same thing to me. Definitely sticks with you," he says, as he pushes up the sleeve of his shirt. He holds his arm out to show Castiel the angel wing tattoo on his forearm, his mom's name and the dates she was alive in the middle. "Got this for her a few years ago."

Cas reaches out, brushing the edge of one of the wings. Dean shivers a little at the touch, but mostly just because of how soft and gentle Cas's hands are. "It's beautiful, I'm sure she would appreciate it," Cas says. "I think Claire's mom always said it because I'm named for an angel. Claire calls me her angel when she's feeling sentimental." Dean's not sure if Cas realizes that he's still tracing the edges of his tattoo. Honestly, he doesn't mind. The contact feels nice and he feels surprisingly drawn to Cas. His hand stays there until their food arrives.

The conversation shifts slightly, becoming more casual. They talk about their research, the talks they're planning to attend during the weekend, and a little bit about the university Castiel will soon call home. It's comfortable. Cas is really nice and interesting, and Dean's excited that it looks like he'll have a new friend when the school year starts.

A little voice in the back of his head hopes that he'll end up more than a friend, and Dean thinks the feeling might be mutual when Cas grabs his hand on their way back to the conference hotel.

[nextwarden]

Webtoons are good for the soul [Long post] [but worth it] [hopefully]

Bit of a long one (for a change...), sorry.

I haven’t read that many that’s a lie but here are my favs!

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe [ongoing - every Sunday]

or when Hades met Persephone. It’s a love story, fluffy yet deep and sad at times. Very well told and with incredible art (as you can see from the cover ci-dessus), in a pastel/watercolour fluid style, as is the storytelling. It has compelling characters, character growth, love, funny moments, and basically the best you could ask from a romantic story. And it had enough material to get you through good number of hours of reading before you have to break down every sunday in wait of the following week like the rest of us.

mah-hart-mah-sole/10

Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell by unfins [ongoing - every Friday]

Paul is in love with a cute girl who works in a café nearby. But Paul is shy and can’t work out how to go ask her out. So Paul does what anyone would do and summons one of the Great Dukes of Hell in order to get better at fumbling his sentences and blushing at beautiful maidens. It’s about discovery of one’s true self and how getting deep into shenanigans will lead you to find so much more. Also, sister. (You’ll understand when you get there.)

It’s funny but also compelling and serious but still incredibly funny. I don’t think I’ve laughed as much reading any other webtoon and yet the story is also really cool. It strikes a perfect balance, or near perfect. The expressions and the action scenes are just incredible too.

chenandeler bong/10

Suitor Armor by Purpah [ongoing - every Friday]

In a land with magic and war between humans and fairies, Lucia is the princess’s lady in waiting and her only goal in life at the moment is to get her Lady to have the wedding she wishes for and deserves. But then she gets a flower from a magic armor and everything changes. Also, she’s a fairy.

It’s well drawn, characters all seem unique, varied and personnality-driven. The art style is beautiful. It’s also deeper than what I expected, with inklings of different types and levels of drama.

Alright, I’ll say it, it feels like a ‘promising new Lore Olympus’. By which I mean not to compare but simply to say I felt as taken by the story as I did with L.O.

Modeus/10

Facing the Sun by ArtbyTesslyn [ongoing]

Aarya reaserches the intricacies of dobotics and artificial intelligence with her companion robot Liza who's expiration is long everdue. Things change with a hardware update. One can’t live without the other, and neither can the other.

It’s dark but beautiful, both in the art and in the story. The sci-fi elements aren’t overwhelming and pieces of lore bring begin to pain a picture over time. It’s a slow burn but oh lord! if it isn’t going to be blazing hot...

I Robot/10

Spellbound by Ronce [ongoing]

Eglantine joins a new highschool midyear and finds herself paired with a refractarian roommate. She does her best to fit in to her new school despite not conforming to all the expectations that others might have of her. Or of her strange but likeable roommate.

It’s a cute and queer little romance, very underrated in my opinion. The art is wonderful, it’s black and white in the beginning and starts having touches of colour here and there before going full blown coloured, and I didn’t even realize it had until many chapters into it... The characters all all diverse and interesting. Also did I forget to say it’s set in France and it’s a wizarding school? Because it is!

conseiller principal d’éducation/10

180 Angel by King Katbird [ongoing]

Chloe is an angel, she lives in Heaven and goes to school in the hopes of becoming a delivery angel one day! However her plan are compromised by her inability to do anything well except halo manipulation. Even flying is not easy for her. But a fateful meeting with a reaper sends her on a trip to Hell and back which changes her. Or is it that she had always been different?

It may not seem much from the banner but I tried it and I got hooke. The art is great and still improves over time, the plot takes a bit of time to set in - I’m still not sure it’s fully set in yet - but it’s worth it, and the characters are visually deep. It sometimes jumps weirdly between scenes or sequences but not so much it completely loses you.

LAMP/10

Letters on the Wall by JaelynGs [ongoing]

Tara comes back fom spain after a five years abroad to find things have changed and others haven’t, to her equal pleasure and dismay. This is how she and her friends deal with these old relatioships that they are now reviving.

Everything doesn’t go smoothly despite each and every character deserving them to. The art is good to begin with and manages to improve over time, as well as the storytelling. Where it might have been a bit hectic before, it smoothes over time. It was for the longest time the only reason I would stalk Webtoons everyday to see if there was any updates. Also each chapter has a colour in the name and that’s just cool!

If Da Yomanville Gang [see below] got me to come to Webtoons, this sealed the deal for me to stay. [And then there was Lore Olympus.]/10

Not So Shoujo Love Story by Curryuku [ongoing - every Tuesday]

Rei Chan-chan loves Hansum, the chin chin chinny goodest looking student, more than she loves her shoujo manga. But gorgeous Hannah is in her way and won’t seem to let her get her way with him. Why is that? Well, gaybe there’s a secret hidden behind her motives? Read it to find out...

It’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s so, so stupid. I love them all. It’s dumb but so much fun to read. There aren’t that many chapters yet but enough to get into it. Also, sisters. (You’ll understand when you get there. Bis) So this is what the spring of youth feels like, huh...

chips/10

Always Human by walkingnorth [completed]

Sunati, a young engineer in training, fan of all those mods you can add to change your appearance, meets Austen, a beautiful yet modless girl who she’s been admiring from afar for a while now. She thinks the girl’s beautiful, but sdly she’s refused when she asks her out on a date, and for rather good reasons.

Now watch as they gravitate around each other and how it influences them both.

It’s a slow-burn quite realistic lesbian sci-fi story about finding love and accepting oneself and others in the midst of life and all it brings upon us. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, and it’s heartwarming despite broaching serious subjects - in a good way -, and it’s finished so you can read the whole thing! (It has enough chapters to give you a few hours of reading)

hay fever sucks/10

Da Yomanville Gang by Jason King [ongoing - every Tuesday]

Layla moved recently, to get away from a dose of angst she didn’t want to have to deal with. She meets new people, fun and friendly people, but it seems the angst can’t quite seem to leave her alone. Alone is what she’s not to deal with it anymore, however.

This is the one, long before Lore Olympus, which brought bme over to Webtoons. It’s not the best drawn, not the most compelling, but the strong point and what made me love it - beyond Layla’s chara design - is the depth of most of the characters, how not all good is good and all bad is bad, and reality often lies in the middle - and how they evolve over the course of the story. Definitely worth a read.

wheelbarrow/10

Love Bot by Chase Keels and Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Sunday]

In the near future - the year is (Blade Runner) 2049 - technology has advanced enough to creat pseudo-artificial intelligence and thus lovebots. Xada mods and repairs those emotionnaly intelligent robots for a living. What brings this story about is him toying with a less-than-friendly client’s bot so much so that he finds himself in quite a pickle when the bot ‘wakes up’.

It seems to be BL. Let it be BL, please! The art is very nice, the story feels dark but the pitch give way to many interesting possibilities, and, well, the characters are quite nice to look at, I’ll admit... Also, angst. I don’t always enjoy it but when I do, I do.

Not many chapters but it’s getting there.

i’ll let you bot my love/10

Mage & Demon Queen by Color_LES [ongoing - every Thusday]

Malori is the best and the most promising mage student at her school. Aided by Cerik, her best friend and swordsman party member, she attempts to conquer the last floor of the demon tower, reigned over by the ferocious Velverosa, the demon queen, whose defeat will bring glory and richess to those who defeat her. But all is not quite as it seems and, what is that, might it be a crush I see over there? Oh, wait, no, that’s just our protagonist getting squished by the weight of her love...

Once again, it’s fun and stupid (a pattern? noooo) but it’s worth a read.

LES/10

Down to Earth by Pookie Senpai [ongoing - every Tuesday]

Kade live alone and depressed in spite of fleeting relatioships since his big breakup, content with simply going by life while he works in retail. One day, an alien crashes into his backyard. Zaida’s an alien but she’s cute, seems innocent, is unfamiliar with everything, so he agrees to help. Thus begins a slice of life story of them roommating in his appartment until, maybe, one of them crashes into the other’s heart?

It’s cute, heartwarming, and I sort f relate with the main character. Although I don’t know if’d prefer a cute alien, a dragon or a stalking neighbour... [that’s an inside joke, I’ll explain if I ever make a list of the good yamete onii-chan! I’ve been reading] It’s a slow burn with enough depth to hook you up. Some characters are still uncertain in my eyes but that makes me curious.

loner/10

The Remarried Empress by Alphatart / Sumpul [ongoing - every Wednesday and Sunday]

Navier Ellie Trovi is an empress. Perfect and perfectly content in every way with her life until the day a mistress enters her husband’s life. Things sort of go downhill from there. Or do they? For she also learns about herself and what she might actually want out of life to be happy. Breaking the status quo might be the way.

It feels like one of those poor quality isekai comics or manga in which the MC is brought back to a time where she has the power to change her life and decides for emancipation and revenge, but it’s not. It’s more ‘yolo’ and had interesting characters, especially the MC - no pushover - and a slow-burn plot. Don’t expect to see the flash-forward in the first chapter quite yet, but come to experience the whole affaire in detail and in the most satisfying of ways! Also the art is cool!

divorce/10

Muted by Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Friday]

On her 21st birthday, Camille fails the ritual to become a full-fledged witch and is isolated from what remains of her old and successful family. This leads to her discovering truths about herself and her powers that will change her and those around her.

By the same author as Love Bot. I haven’t read the whole thing yet but the designs are good, the plot is interesting, the characters have depth and personnality, it has witches, magic, romance [I guess, still unsure of the details though], a bit of angst, and it’s set in Louisianna. All good points.

plant magic/10

Cursed Princess Club by LambCat [ongoing - every Monday]

Gwendolyn and her sisters, each a princess in their own right, are set to be betrothed to three princes of a neighbouring country after living all their lives happy and sheltered with their father and brother. Unfortunately, Gwendolyn is not like her sisters - and brother, for that matter - in that her beauty is... less than conventionnal. Devastated by what outsiders think of her she escapes into the forest and meets kindred spirits in the form of the Cursed Princess Club - non-gendered, they also have that one prince there! - and it might just help her grow into the confident woman she is destined to become.

I clicked for the funny hahas ‘because she’s ugly’ and cursed princess trope, I stayed for the genuine laughs and smiles and the heartwarming good nature of most of te characters. Also, haha, funny characters are funny. So, yeah, I started this with a bias - still haven’t caught up yet - and have been seduced by this lesser known webtoon. Don’t let the visuals fool you, it’s really good!

respect wahmen/10

Andy Bass by KenneDuck / Gia [ongoing - every Friday]

Andy Bass is our average highschool girl. Litterally. She’s half human, half fish, a real mermaid but vertically. That leads to less-than-friendly looks and reactions from others. However, the arrival of a new, and frankly very cute, transfer student might change all that.

Haven’t read it all yet, not that there are many chapters out, but it feel fun and promising. Also, physically imperfect characters are best characters. Down with the reign of beauty and up with 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔪!

Chin Hansum 2.0/10

For the Sake of Sita by Haga [completed]

A medical student passionately falls in love with a fallen goddess during his volunteer abroad in Nepal, and he desperately tries to fight off destiny to save his love. [the actual summary]

Okay, I’ll be honest: I haven’t quite read that one yet. I’m guilty of only having looked at the beginning and the end to see if it seemed worth it and, oh my gorsh! it does. The art is beautiful, the story seems sad yet beautiful too (I had tears reading the last chapters without knowing much of the rest) and it’s short, so jump on it!

[I’ll probably come back to that later when I’ve actually read it completely]/10

Us Right Now by yurineseventeen [ongoing]

Rina's long-term girlfriend, Noa, decides to run away from home. Rina has limited time to find her.

Not much more to say other than it’s sweet and it feels real. I like the beginning, haven’t read the rest yet, but will definitely soon.

keep going/10

New Normal: Class 8 by Youngpaka [ongoing - every Sunday]

Dongwoon has a big head. It does not make life easy. But what if he wasn’t alone being so... different? He discovers it is the case when he joins his new school a special class full of people who are different. Things get weird fast but also better and fun.

I haven’t read this in a long time, it’s on my list though. But until the moment I stopped at least, it was fun, funny, and interesting. It’s slice-of-life comedy, often ligthearted and stupid, sometimes more serious, but globally a pleasure to read.

sensei/10

The Witch and The Bull by Moonsia [ongoing - every Thursday]

Tan's job as the King's royal advisor has nothing to do with his hatred for witches, but it does make him a prime target for a curse that turns him into a BULL! The only way to undo this hex is to rely on the beautiful witch, Aro. Can her kindness turn his feelings around, and break this spell? [the actual summary]

There are two bulls and they have to ask it questions to know which is the real bull? I dunno, I haven’t read this one... But it’s been recommnded by @berigolote​ so it’s worth a try I guess? She did recommend Lore Olympus to me, so it’s on my list anyway.

to try/10

The Right Knight and Our Days in Lumain by buttersphere [completed & ongoing]

A fun short comic about a play on the ‘knight comes to fight dragon to save princess in her tower’ trope and it’s sequel. The sequel is not finished yet (seems on hiatus) but they are worth the read for cute, funny, fluffy knight and dragon/witch romance and grumpy princesses.

need more/10

NetOL by Forever9Nine [completed]

A slice of life comic about a veeery shy cat-girl (not literally) falling in love with a warm-tempered bookshop employee ( and NOT her colleague), and all the shenanigans that ensue. It’s short, it’s fun, and it’s cute. What more to ask?

oh wow sports/10

Susuhara is a Demon by Soya S. Holm [ongoing]

The usual romance storyof perfectly perfect girl meets absolutely bazongers delinquent and reluctantly carries her unconscious ass to her appartment to help her after witnessing a gang fight between multiple idiots and her (future) idiot and saving her from a knife attack by bashing the last standing dude with a wooden shop sign. Legend says there’s a demon in K-city, I still am unsure of whom it might be.

fun/10

It Stems From Love by Soya S. Holm [competed]

A short story about a girl who loves flowers and finds herself unexpectedly coughing them up dramatically whenever she’s jealous of those around her crush. It’s short, it’s cute, a bit dark at times, but definitely worth a read!

bouquet final/10

Lesbiampires by fabarts [ongoing]

So, yeah, lesbian vampires. Nuffin’ ta add.

Well, anyway, it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s serious too, it makes me root for antihero type characters who actually murder people for fun (but in a fun and respectful way, I swear!) because, well, love./10

Perfect Harmony by bluebloodtanuki [ongoing]

An Overwatch fan-comic about Symmetra and her disaster roommates.

I don’t play Overatch but I like the lore and got dragged into fanfiction and shipping (by myself, mind you), so a fan-comic about similar dynamics AND it’s funny? Gimme.

Roadhog & Junkrat best duo/10

Love Doesn’t Talk by Ann [completed?]

A misunderstanding is fine. Two? Hmmm. Three? Surely that’s fate, no?

A cute love story unfolding before your eyes with no dialogue, only pretty pictures. I’m not actually sure it’s completed but even if it isn’t, the ending doesn’t feel disappointing in the least.

no words/10

AntiSTALKER by VOKIVORMOK [ongoing - every Thursday]

Humans, vampires and werewolves all cohabitate in this freaky highschool, despite tensions between the three races. A bittersweet yet fun love story between a fake stalker and his amnesiac prey...

Eugene wants Kira’s heart, she wants his head.

who?/10

Kiss It Goodbye by Ticcytx [ongoing]

Two lesbians in love recount to their drunk friends the story of how they met. It’s fun and cute, both in story and in art.

delinquent x prim&proper/10

Avril and the Divine Being by Charlie Genmor [ongoing]

Avril is a waitress, Cat is a reccuring client. Feeling blossom before they even exchange words and when they finally do, embarassment ensues.

I got hooked by the art style for this one and I have yet to be disappointed. Not many chapters but keep it close.

sunny/10

Sunflower by EtoileKonijn [ongoing]

Wednesday, an art student, meets Sophie, a friend of a friend. Feelings ensue. It’s beginning to have a good number of chapters (even if they are short) and it feels like it’s actually the slowest burn of them all. Very much worth a read though, for the art style especially.

cute/10

It Takes Two by love_of_pi [ongoing]

Common art style: imperfect but improving. Classic story: normal girl meets famous girl by accident and leave a great first impression. Shenanigans and romance ensue. However the tints of drama, the fun interaction between characters, and the smooth plot make it worth it.

Honolulu latte/10

A Mild Flavor by Ru-rin [ongoing]

A slice of life of different couples. One with a compromised relationship and bittersweet reflections of the past, and the other which is hidden from plain sight, at different times if life. It is not perfect but it managed to worm its way into my heart nonetheless.

tasty/10

The Greenhouse by Viesallon [ongoing]

Another one I haven’t read, but from the extracts I’ve seen the art is compelling, the story seems worth it - definitely deserves the drama tag it seems - and I keep it on my shortlist until I have time to read it.

supernatural/10

My Masochistic Boss by Arisas_Art [ongoing]

Debuting goth writer meets hellish boss of editing company about her new book. Disagreement and tensions ensue. It starts with a slap and might very well end in bed, stay tuned!

This one rebooted recently and the art is soooo beautiful, moreso than before is I may say.

sexy/10

Still Alive by Comic Kat19 [ongoing]

Half-zombie girl meets emo boy, baby ensues.

After the zombie apocalypse, they have to survive, and despite their differences, maybe together is better?

This I classify in the ‘Yuuutsu-kun to Succubus-san‘ category: a somewhat rough art style that I have come to love and enjoy greatly. Also the story is fun.

cat creature/10

The Biggest of Treasures by Aixn [ongoing]

That smile, that damn smile. It’s what got me to try and it got me to stay. The art style is beautiful and the chara designs is too. The plot? Not much to say yet, but cuteness is enough.

bright/10

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

And there you go for now. These are my picks. I haven’t read everything on Webtoon, I haven’t even read everything I’ve subscribed to, but if I had to recommend anything I have tasted, here it is.

Sorry if I missed any you deem worthy; feel free to harass me and mock my lack of culture by flaunting your own.

Maybe more later, in the mean time: keep scrolling, scrub!

PART II

[makaylajadewrites]

The Performance

Summary: “I have a show tonight. I was just going to… you know, throw it out there. In case you wanted to go. You don’t have to, of course, I figured I would just offer since we’re dating now and—“ He was cut off by Morgan's lips silencing his own, and he kissed back briefly before Derek pulled back.

“Of course I’ll go,” he said with a warm smile, and Spencer smiled a bit shyly, looking down at his crossed legs and just nodding his head. 

“Alright…”

Potential tws: Smut

-

After their four day long case in Modesto, the team came home late Friday night tired, rightfully so, and ready to go home. As usual, Spencer and Derek carpooled together, but since it was so late, Derek told Spencer that he could stay with him tonight. Tomorrow was Saturday anyway, so neither had to wake up early. And besides, what more could Spencer want than to spend time with his insanely hot boyfriend? Well, picking up Tolstoy sounded like a nice outlet too, but if Morgan insisted then he supposed he would spend the night.

Both were too tired to do anything other than share a few kisses in bed. Morgan had given him a tee shirt to wear, which swallowed up Spencer’s slight frame, but they had gotten comfortable enough with each other that he didn’t even bother with pants. They curled up together in Derek’s California king, an intimate yet relaxed mess of limbs and lips. It was really nice to be like this with Derek, because they were able to forget about their horrible case and just be. They shared a particularly good kiss, both passionate yet sleepy at the same time, slow and emotional, and Reid pulled away from Derek, a string of saliva connecting their bottom lips. Derek’s eyes widened a bit at his lover’s boldness when his tongue flicked out to rid it away, but he just smiled tiredly at him.

“That was rough,” Spencer said in a hushed voice, alluding to their most recent case. It had ended well, thankfully, since they managed to hunt down their unsub before he had sought out his next pair of victims. He had killed four total, a relatively low body count compared to what they were used to, but the things he did to them… They were lucky he had only killed four.

“It was,” Derek mumbled in agreement, his thumb tracing over Spencer’s high cheekbone as their eyes met in the darkness of the room. But, knowing Reid’s adamant yet shy fear of the dark, he had accommodated Spencer’s needs into his own living space by wrapping fairy lights over and around the headboard of his bed, and they created a warm glow to dispel any thoughts of monsters hiding in the abhorrent absence of light.

“As long as we’ve done this job… I’ll just never understand. I know that part of profiling is to understand why an unsub does what they do, but no amount of training in the world will ever explain it to me,” Spencer murmured thoughtfully, dropping the ‘all-knowing genius’ facade for just a moment to simply feel.

“You know it doesn’t matter if it makes sense to us, Angel,” Derek said, “Only that it makes sense to the unsub. You know that.”

“I know that I know that,” Spencer quickly defended, shaking his head which caused quite the uproar of his messy waves, “I just wish it did.”

Derek simply sighed heavily, leaning forehead and pressing his lips to Spencer’s forehead before he just met his eyes with a smile, “I know. But we never will, and I think that’s for the best. Let’s get some sleep, hm?”

Spencer nodded and hummed an affirmative before snuggling closer to his partner’s chest and settling in for the night. Derek found it strange that, even with a bed as large as his own, they still preferred to be wrapped up in one another. They fell asleep with one another blissfully, putting to rest their conflicts with the world for the sake of rest.

The next morning came sooner than Spencer would have liked. He grumbled at the sun, her rays burning his corneas to crisp beneath his eyelids because Jesus Christ why was it so fucking bright. To say Spencer was not a morning person was an absolute disgrace. He was anti-mornings, full out hate towards waking up early, and it seemed that Derek just had to do that to him this morning. So much for not getting out of bed until the afternoon… Morgan was slipping out of bed, their limbs untangling unfortunately and Spencer grumbled curses that would probably make his mother cry if she ever heard. It was honestly amazing how much he despised mornings. His love for coffee would usually say otherwise, but his love for coffee was honestly the only motivation he used to get out of bed in the mornings.

“Fucking… Damnit… Jesus fucking…” Spencer cursed while kicking his tangled legs in frustration, sending a glare as sharp as daggers towards Derek who looked innocent and confused. He had only spent nights with Spencer during the week, where they were forced to get up and go to work. But he was starting to realize that maybe getting up for his six o’clock run was not a good idea.

“What the fuck, Derek? Fuck you,” he hissed, and for a second Derek thought he saw a forked tongue slither past his lover’s pretty, venom coated lips. So much for leaving quietly.

“Just go back to sleep, baby,” he said rather calmly, but with Spencer now sitting upright in bed, his hair an absolute disaster and his fists clenched angrily into the bedspread, he knew he wasn’t getting out of this one.

“Don’t ‘baby’ me, you jackass. Unbelievable,” he groaned, falling back in bed and pulling the blankets over his head. Derek resisted the urge to laugh out of his shock and humor. He knew that Reid often complained about getting up early, but he didn’t know that this was the result of waking him inadvertently on a Saturday morning.

“Sleep well,” he offered, just to add fuel to the fire, and a boisterous laugh bubbled past his lips as he ran out of the room, a pillow hitting the door as he closed it behind him.

Spencer grumbled in frustration, laying in bed for nearly ten minutes, long after Derek had left him in an angry, half asleep state. But, alas, he was wide awake and so with nothing better to do, he threw the covers away and dragged himself out of bed to wreak havoc on the world. Fuck Derek Morgan.

He trudged downstairs and into Derek’s kitchen, turning on the coffee maker and disappearing into the bathroom to get himself situated for the day. Now that he thought about it… He had a show tonight, which Morgan didn’t know about. He wanted to invite him, but he was a bit hesitant since tonight was performance night. All of the queens would partake in some sort of talent or skill and show it off to their audience, and it just so happened that the only viable talent Spencer had was dancing, believe it or not.

He had spent hours locked in his room with a pair of heels on, either learning a choreography or making one of his own. They were usually not incredibly difficult or complex, but the one he had picked for tonight and practiced for nearly a month was somewhat hard, and he feared with Derek there, he would mess up or make a fool of himself. But they were together now, so he at least had to give Derek the option.

He shaved away his stubble while the shower water was heating up, brushing his hand down his soft cheek and smiling slightly. Luckily he never had much body hair to begin with, but for shows, he always liked to make sure he was smooth and soft — Derek had once made a comment about how soft his legs were one night when they were naked in bed together after a lovemaking session, and Spencer embarrassedly confessed that he shaved them regularly. But Derek didn’t seem perturbed or turned off. Instead, he pulled Spencer’s long leg to hook over his hip and felt up and down his thigh for the rest of the night.

After a slightly longer-than-usual shower due to shaving, Reid slipped out and dressed in some of Derek’s clothes for the sake of simplicity and wandered back into the kitchen where he poured himself a cup of coffee which he proceeded to taint with an ungodly amount of sugar. It was then that the front door opened, and Spencer peered in through the doorway to spot his lover, panting and sweaty — just how he liked him.

“I thought you were going back to sleep,” Derek deadpanned with a slightly confused expression on his face.

“A simple ‘good morning’ would have sufficed,” Spencer said sarcastically in response, and he nearly gasped as arms twined around his torso and hot lips pressed against his neck.

“Don’t get smart with me,” Morgan lectured playfully, and Spencer glanced back over his shoulder at the other man with a small smirk on his full lips.

“But that’s all that I’m good at,” he said innocently with a shrug of his shoulders to which Derek just sighed against his skin, pressing his hips against Spencer’s backside. Spencer stumbled forward against the counter, nearly losing his mug of coffee and feeling his cheeks heat up.

“I love seeing you in my clothes,” Derek murmured behind him, and Spencer just shivered at the feeling of his hand sliding up his stomach, underneath of the fabric of his shirt. He was, after all, wearing one of Derek’s old Northwestern shirts and a simple pair of his boxer shorts. He was a wet dream if Derek did say so himself.

“Well, it seems like you prefer me without them,” Spencer mumbled cutely, and Derek’s chest rumbled with a chuckle. Spencer set his mug down and spun around to face him before hopping up on the countertop, resting his hands over Derek’s shoulders and letting them slide down over his chest slowly. Derek just gazed upon him like he were a work of art, a masterpiece.

“I can’t argue with that,” he said with another chuckle, and Spencer smiled fondly, leaning in and letting their lips connect in a pleasant, warm kiss. Spencer brushed his hand over the back of his partner’s head and around his neck, his slender fingers curling under his jaw as they both broke apart. Derek tucked Reid’s still-damp locks behind his ear, admiring his gorgeous face since he had never seen someone more beautiful.

“Hey, Der?” he murmured softly, reaching over blindly for his coffee mug before finding it and raising it to his lips, taking a sip.

“Hm?” Derek hummed in response, seemingly entranced by Spencer’s movements.

“I have a show tonight. I was just going to… you know, throw it out there. In case you wanted to go. You don’t have to, of course, I figured I would just offer since we’re dating now and—“ He was cut off by Morgan's lips silencing his own, and he kissed back briefly before Derek pulled back.

“Of course I’ll go,” he said with a warm smile, and Spencer smiled a bit shyly, looking down at his crossed legs and just nodding his head.

“Alright…” he murmured, clearly more nervous than he originally showed. He wasn’t normally this nervous before shows, but to know that his lover was going to see a real performance night instead of just a catwalk was somewhat crippling and he felt a little nauseous now that he realized that Derek was going to see him dance. He refused to dance whenever they went out for drinks as colleagues, and he was damned sure not going to dance like a drunken fool in clubs. Derek would definitely be surprised by what he had to offer.

“I can’t wait,” Derek said, leaning forward to kiss him once more before stepping away and announcing he was going to take a shower. Spencer sat motionless on the counter, a goofy smile on his lips. He was doomed.

Spencer had never been more unsure of himself in all his life. He spent the majority of the day with Derek, but when the evening neared, he was driven back to his apartment and told Derek that his performance started at eight, which he promised to attend. It was now seven forty-five, he was touching up his makeup in the backroom and fixing a wig cap over his messy hair. He slid on a wavy dark wig, running his fingers through the synthetic hair and just taking a deep breath before getting dressed in something akin to a contemporary dance unitard. It was all black, and the top portion was low-cut and heart-shaped. The spandex material turned into a loose, sheer fabric across his upper thighs which silhouetted his long slender legs, extending down to his ankles where he wore a pair of black salsa heels. He was ready, but he was nervous, and he only hoped he wouldn’t mess up.

“You’re going to do great, honey,” Said Ciara, one of the older drag queens who was pretty much equivalent to his drag mother.

“I sure hope so,” he hummed softly in response, and Ciara just stroked his hair before grinning at him in the mirror.

“He’s here tonight, isn’t he?” She asked, and he just sighed before nodding nervously, an awkward smile breaking out across his makeup-covered face.

“All the more reason for you to dance your heart out,” she said, patting his shoulder for him to stand which he did. She grasped his hands, holding them tightly and looking over his pretty face fondly. “Just show him who Bria Monique is, baby.”

That was all the encouragement he needed. He smiled, nodded, and let himself fade away so that Bria could finally come to light. She stepped on stage when her name was announced, and without looking too hard, she saw Derek in the front row near center stage. With something akin to a seductive smirk, she positioned herself and waited patiently for the song to start. And when it did, it was unlike anything Derek had ever seen.

To say that the song choice was unexpected was an understatement. God is a woman seemed to be one of the last possible songs on Derek’s mind, but the performance he received in return was incredible. He never knew Spencer could move like that, with the way he gyrated his hips and fucking hell, Spencer, who said you could move like that. He seemed so natural, with the way he carried himself across the stage and moved his arms so beautifully. It was all about women empowerment, and Spencer was expressing that better than any woman Derek had ever seen. His lover was a natural. The way he moved was so organic that Derek was in awe. It was sexy, raw, and increasingly beautiful, and day by day, Derek was realizing that there was so much more he had to learn about his lover.

Fucking hell, the splits?… Derek’s jaw dropped as Spencer slid down effortlessly into the splits, arms extended, his back arching and dipping backwards beautifully with the conclusion of the song. His head fell back and eyes gazed up into the stage lights as he panted heavily, a smile growing on his face as he realized he had done it without any faults. In response to his performance, he received quite the applause, and it soon turned into a standing ovation as he slid his legs together again and blew kisses to the crowd, thanking them despite the fact that his voice was blurred out by the audience. He stood up and disappeared behind stage where his fellow queens hugged him and cheered him on, Ciara meeting him with a warm embrace and kissing his cheeks with great exclamations of pride.

The night continued on as normal and by ten thirty, the show concluded. Spencer expressed his desire to spend time with Derek since he hadn’t seen him all night, and he pranced across the club barefoot until he and Derek found each other, and he was ultimately scooped up into his lover’s arms and spun around effortlessly, loud bubbles of laughter passing his pretty pink lips. He was finally set down and Morgan looked more proud than he ever had before, cupping his face in his large hands and looking over him with such shock and amazement. He had seen Spencer like this numerous times in the past, but something about that performance shook him to his very core and spread goosebumps across his skin.

“Baby, you were incredible!” He cooed, his arms looped around Spencer’s waist. The two seemed to ignore all that was going on around them, and Reid continued to grin brightly in the dark club, the stage lights having dimmed long ago.

“Thank you,” he said, nearly crying on the spot since he had been so nervous to perform in front of Derek. But instead of messing up horribly like he feared, he had instead performed his heart out and made his lover and himself proud. He hugged Derek tightly around the neck and their lips met in a brief kiss that promised so much more for when they made it home. But Spencer wanted to stay around a little longer, just to have some fun with his friends and introduce them to Derek, and Derek would be a fool to deny him that.

“Hey girls, I’d like you all to meet my man, Derek!” Bria called into the backroom as she led Derek along with her, the man looking both flustered and out of place as he was quickly surrounded by drag queens who cooed at him and even threatened him if he hurt their baby. They spent the majority of the time at a large table in the club, ordering some light bar food and buying drinks for one another until Spencer decided to call it a night, leaving the club with Derek.

As soon as they made it to his house, Derek attacked Spencer with fervent praises and kisses, holding him close and hoisting him up by his haunches, hands gripping and squeezing Reid’s ass still dressed in the form-fitting unitard. He had forgotten how good Spencer’s body looked, and he was almost disappointed in himself for letting that important fact slip his mind.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” Derek purred against Spencer’s neck as he sucked and bit hickeys into his pale skin. Spencer’s head fell back as he moaned, his wig still in place, and if Derek had his way, it wouldn’t be coming off at all that night. He had never fucked Spencer in drag before, and the closer they got the bedroom, the more it was seeming like an intoxicatingly sexy idea.

“Bedroom, Derek,” Spencer begged desperately, grasping onto the back of Derek’s shirt when he kicked the door open with his foot and brought them both inside. He dropped Spencer on the bed, quickly working on undressing himself before Spencer began to do the same, and Morgan laughed quietly with the way he squirmed and wriggled out of the tight fitting unitard, and when he was naked, he was somewhat surprised to see a tan, adhesive material where his lover’s genitals usually were. Spencer looked down sheepishly, pulling up the edge of the T-Tape.

“For tucking,” he explained, and Derek instantly cringed at the idea before Spencer just laughed and carefully pulled off the tape, adjusting himself so that he was untucked and back to his normal state. Derek waited patiently for his lover to prepare, and when Spencer looked at him expectantly with those pretty eyes, he continued where they left off.

He kissed Spencer lovingly and his hands slimmed down his waist and over his hips, sliding inwards to his genitals where he took his lover into his palm and began to stroke. Spencer moaned into Derek’s mouth, and soon enough, he was rock hard and leaking, and when Derek let go of him, his cock lay tall and pulsing against his stomach. Derek leaned over his lover to fetch the bottle of lube in his drawer, popping open the cap and squirting a bit over his hand before his index finger dove right in. He was careful with his lover though, sliding it in and out until Spencer impatiently urged him to hurry up. So one finger became two, and after scissoring open his tight passage, a third slid in along the other two. He fingered Spencer for a few minutes, but Reid eventually grew unsatisfied with that too.

“Just fuck me, Derek,” he begged desperately, his eyes watery and his full, kiss-swollen lips parted and wet. He already looked fucked out, but Derek couldn’t wait to smear that makeup over his pretty face and run his fingers through his false hair.

“As you wish, baby,” Derek complied, pushing Reid’s legs up to his flat chest and positioning himself, his head resting against his puckered entrance. His hands splayed over the backs of Spencer’s thighs, his ankles locking together behind Derek’s neck, and soon enough, he was plunging into that holy channel which drew curses from his lips. Reid lay beneath him, arms above his head clenching into the pillow case while his long hair splayed about across the cream colored sheets.

“Oh, Jesus…” Spencer breathed, biting his glossy bottom lip and moaning in his throat at the sensation of being filled to the brim by his partner. His eyes fluttered close for a minute, and without words, Derek let him adjust until the slight man’s hips jerked a bit beneath him, urging him to go on. Which he did, without hesitation. His hips pulled back and dropped back down, slow at first, but after they set a nice rhythm, Derek sped up. He knew how his baby liked it, and tonight Spencer seemed more frisky than usual. Derek would fuck him into the mattress until he went numb if that’s what he wanted.

“Please, harder…” Spencer whined beneath, quite the chatty bottom, but it was enough to make Derek growl, and Spencer felt a shiver ghost up his spine. Morgan plowed into him until he was speaking in tongues, Spencer’s words no longer making sense and instead only coming out as desperate, high pitched sounds.

“I’m so close, Spencer,” he groaned, his hips never stopping. Derek brought Spencer to release without even laying a hand on him, and soon enough, his lover followed, his warm essence painting his inner walls white. Derek panted, sitting up on his knees and turning his head to kiss over Spencer’s ankle, nuzzling his cheek against his skin.

He scooped up some of Spencer’s release onto his thumb and Spencer eagerly took it into his mouth, sucking and swallowing his own salty release despite the intellectual part of his brain shouting at him for being so unsanitary. But this was a special occasion. Derek pulled his thumb out of Spencer’s mouth and brushed it over his bottom lip, smearing the lipstick intentionally and smirking down at him.

“We should do it like this more often. You’re just so pretty, Angel,” Derek said honestly. Spencer smiled, letting his legs fall to rest on the bed as Derek moved to lay beside him, pulling him into his arms.

“I think I’d like that,” Spencer confessed, and they shared a sweet kiss. Derek’s ran up and down his back and Spencer reached a hand up to slip the wig off, cap soon following until his messy hair was unveiled. Thick, dark fingers instantly began to stroke the wavy locks, running through and unkinking any tangles. Derek soon got up and went to the bathroom, returning with a wet rag to clean up his baby.

“I’m really happy you invited me to your show tonight,” Derek murmured, throwing the towel into the hamper and joining his lover in bed again, their bodies instantly drawing together like magnets beneath the covers.

“Me too,” Spencer admitted, snuggling into Derek’s chest, closing his eyes and feeling more content than he ever had before.

“I love you, baby,” Derek murmured into his hair. Spencer smiled, a leg draping over Morgan’s hip as their naked bodies tangled together.

“I love you too, Derek.”

<-Part 5: Union | Part 7: Origin->

[razorblade180]

Red Carpet

Stardom! It’s a thing that runs rampant all over Remnant. Dozens of heroes, legends, leaders, and rising stars get noticed almost every day for one remarkable reason or another. However, not all stars are the same, and that couldn’t be more apparent than the night of Remnants red carpet event. A gathering of only the finest of stars and their guests were invited to this prestigious event in order to partake in awards, premiers, and anything else the year had to offer. As usual, people and paparazzi came in droves to get glimpses of their idols; all of them anxiously waiting for first timers and veterans of the event. It was the one time to get so many celebrities together. The one time people get to see all the Schnees together. Or at least in the same area…

Valerie sat in a limousine, anxiously waiting for the moment she would have to leave the comfort of it and face all the flashing lights, which wasn’t an entirely new experience. The freshman had gotten used to that sort of thing from being an up and coming athlete, but a stadium was a far cry from anything of this magnitude. This was where the big fish were, and Valerie wasn’t even one of them. She was a plus one. The girl rubbed her fingers through her fresh pixie cut and took another look at the positively pink, shimmering dress she was wearing that stopped just above her knees. In reality, Valerie thought she looked exactly like the name of her hair cut. Even the pink flats she wore looked right out of a fairytale book. She wasn’t one for makeup up, but that wasn’t gonna fly today. Her mother had given the girl a bit of blush and lip gloss to add to her beauty. The only thing that wasn’t touched was her beautiful turquoise eyes. Those gems were fine all on their own.They would probably distract people from the orange studs in her ears. She was certainly dressed for the event but the butterflies in Valerie’s stomach kept her nerves on edge, unlike her date.

Across from her was the very person who gave her the plus one ticket, resting their eyes as if this was some kind of field trip. Oh how the other half lives, but that’s always how Nicholas Schnee has been. Valerie has probably seen him in formal attire way more than regular clothes at this point. His trademark pure white blazer, shoes, and dress pants looked as flawless as ever. The splash of color this time around was an orange tie that matched Valerie’s hair and pink undershoot to go with her dress. Nick’s messy head of snow white hair was slicked back for the occasion and a very expensive looking watch on his wrist looked like ice itself. All in all, the young man looked like every bit of the heartthrob the media made him out to be. Nick’s eyelids lifted slowly, revealing his icy blue eyes that immediately met Valerie’s. It was completely unfair for anyone to look that good waking up, it was one of many things that made people call him a modern day prince.

“How was your beauty sleep? It’s not like you to doze off.”

“I always try and rest before these things since they can drag on.” His voice was still a little low from waking up. What was it about boys that made their tone feel entirely different after waking up? Between that and the usual tiredness around his eyes gone, Nick was liable to be the centerpiece of this event. Something that made Valerie let out an exhausted sigh.

“Are...you okay?” Nick asked. “You’ve been this way since I picked you up.”

“Oh it’s nothing. I just can’t believe I was roped into this. Actually, scratch that, being roped in implies I had a chance to resist. I had the rug completely pulled out from under me.”

“Oh don’t be like that. You wanted to go here anyways.”

“Yeah well I was expecting to have my own invitation and to be with the rest of our family.” Valerie crosses her arms and huffs. “I mean I know freshmen don’t get too much attention from the public but I’ve been putting up some really strong numbers in multiple sports. I mean I’ll be representing Atlas in the fighting tournament for crying out loud!”

Nick looked at his childhood friend get cartoonishly pouty about such a thing. “Don’t forget, it’s not like I’m entirely here on my own merit either. I don’t believe many people are lining up to see me because I got gold in ice skating. Status got me here, everything else reinforces my validity. Next year will be a little different fortunately. That’s when we’ll start gaining real traction; think of this as your test run.”

“Yeah yeah…” It sucked how much Nick was right sometimes.Valerie had taken a few minutes to turn on the mini tv in their ride. The event had started a little while ago, but showing up early or in a group wasn’t in the plan from the get go. The Schnees had a certain way this event had to be tackled. Valerie’s attention shifted back to Nick to ask why that is, but was mentally derailed by the boy staring at her with a gentle that made Valerie thankful for the blush on her face. “Can you quit it already?” She said, with a hint of embarrassment.

Nick let out a small chuckle and raised an eyebrow. “Quit what?”

“Staring, you dummy…”

“But you look so gorgeous.”

Valerie squinted at him for saying such a thing. Nick quickly raised his hands in peace, caving into laughter.

“Wait, I promise I’m not trying to make a move or anything. I just can’t help but look at you. It’s like I’m looking at some kind of magical fairy. I can’t look away!”

Valerie couldn’t help herself. She covered her face and turned towards her window. “Yeah? Well….thanks. I forget how nice you can clean up as well.” Calling him handsome was too much for the girl, but he definitely knew that’s what she was going for by the cheerful expression on his face. Damn him! Valerie knew she was being read like a book. “Can you not look so cheerful while I’m freaking out?”

“What’s there to freak out about? Paparazzi aren’t anything new. Neither is a crowd or flashing lights.”

“I know that, but…” Valerie felt a knot start to form in her stomach. A glimmer of guilt started to fill her heart, as well as show in her eyes.”People might-”

“This doesn’t change anything between us.” He cut her off. “Yes, the media will probably try to insinuate something but it won’t be anything we can’t dismiss later on. Nick casually leaned against the car door, his eyes on the tv. Dozens upon dozens of rich people were still arriving with their family, including kids. Kids that were his age. “Girls always try to approach me during these things, asking for favors and trying to hassle me. You going with me means less of that happens. My family is so important that we have no choice but to arrive at different times and locations so we aren’t overwhelmed. It also forces the cameras to spread out.”

Valerie watched the boy’s face get a little tired just thinking about it. Almost every facet of Nick’s life was like its own personal battlefield with him as a general that was constantly making a plan to survive. Then there was her, worrying about rumors. Some friend she was.

Valerie reached for his hand and held it tight. Nick was immediately snapped out of his trance and was greeted with the soft smile he loved so much.

“Just leave things to me tonight. Focus on enjoying yourself.”

Nick’s heart nearly flew out of his chest. He doubted Valerie was using her ability on him and yet she made him feel so at ease. He gave her a confident nod and the two of them went back to acting more of less like their normal selves.

“I have to say though, it’s pretty telling one of your biggest complaints is too much attention from girls.”

“Well maybe if they were interesting or actually wanted to get to know me then I’d complain less. Being beautiful doesn’t mean much when that’s all you have going for you. If more girls were like you or Veronica, well actually, yeah there would be chaos. Never mind.”

“Hey! Don’t lump me in with that stuck up princess. My brand of chaotic is way more appealing.” Valerie said, puffing out her chest.

Nick could only laugh. “That’s the part that annoyed you?”

“Listen, I’m well aware I’m also a bit of an acquired taste for people, but she’s literally ten times worse! Speaking of the demon, why not pick her as your date. She’s here with her parents right?”

“Not exactly.” Nick smiled mischievously. Valerie was about to ask why when a sudden cheer from outside and the tv got louder than the rest.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there she is! Atlas’s favorite teen idol!” Cried a reporter, giving the answer to Valerie’s question.

xxxx

Flashing lights went off every second on the carpet like if they were the grand finale of fireworks. All for the chance to get the most elegant shot possible of Nicholas’s twin sister, Summer Schnee. Like her brother, the young singer had walked this carpet before and knew how to work it. If the stage was her home away from home, then this place might as well be her castle, and Summer had no problem giving her subjects the most regal display possible.

The girl wore the most beautiful flowing dress that went down to her ankles that twinkled with sapphire blue and piercings white flakes that looked like crushed crystals. The long sleeve dress itself started off blue at the bottom but as got to her waist, spiraled into an angelic white; making the right side of her torso and sleeve white, while the left remained blue. Her usual ponytail was abandoned and her waist long hair flowed like a river silk while her ears showed off dangling gems. One diamond and one sapphire that were on the opposite side of their respective color on the dress. Despite it all, no blue matched the deep blue of her eyes, proof of her relation to her dear father.

The people were going crazy for her. Everywhere she waved, a person asked her to smile. Summer had no problem with the attention but it’s not why she enjoyed this event. What made her day was the little girls and boys that were scattered just behind the carpet line with their home made signs. She gave a little boy a wink and his entire face turned red before hiding it behind his sign. Vanity pictures could happen any time, but making a kids day like that? That’s what made tonight worthwhile in her opinion.

“Summer Schnee in the flesh everybody, and looking stunning! This star was nominated for a few awards tonight. May she get all that she deserves.” The reporter ran up to her to ask a question. “Ms. Schnee! Over here!”

“Please, Summer is just fine. I may look like my mother but I think I’m still a bit too young to be called that.” Summer laughed.

“Okay then, Summer. If you don’t mind, where’s your plus one? We’d love to get a few photos.”

Internally, Summer let out the longest sigh of agitation. She knew full well this was gonna happen. It always does! Her face gave no such reaction to her thoughts however. As far as anyone who wasn’t in the loop could tell, Summer gave a genuine smile of excitement and joy. “No problem!” She pointed a little ways behind her in the direction she came from. Multiple people turned their heads like if they were trained animals. More camera snapping continued and even the reporter lit up when she found the target of so many eyes.

“Oh! Ms- ummm should I call her Ms, or use her name?”

“Don’t worry I got it. Hey Vee Vee!” Summer tried not snicker. Veronica hated that nickname, but what was she going to do? They might not get along but they know better than to fight in front of so many important people.

Summer’s voice reached the cat ears of her “date” despite all the noise and Veronica turned around. She almost forgot where she was and thought about flipping the girl off for using that nickname. That would’ve been a disaster for sure. Veronica overall wasn’t getting as much attention from the media as Summer, but definitely left more people speechless. She had decided to wear a slimming, strapless black dress that stopped a little about her knees and showed a little of her back since the dress was cut in a ‘v’ shape from behind. Her luscious black and blonde hair had been curled fabulously while her amethyst necklace complimented her eyes, nails and lipstick. The girl looked like a whole damn model! Even the way she walked in her black, four inch heels made Summer more than a little jealous. It was hard not to wish she had the body of a gymnast instead of a petite ballerina. Genetics were cruel like that. To top it all off, Veronica’s tail wrapped around her own waist to give off the look of her wearing a belt of some sort.

“You called?” Her hand wrapped around Summer’s waist instinctively. People loved seeing the girls so close. Summer did her part by slightly leaning on the taller girl.

“Oh people just wanted to see Atlas’s fledgling singer and Menagerie’s child of unity in some photos together.”

Veronica smiles at the cameras and waved to the people with Summer by her side. The female reporter beside them seemed to genuinely be moved by the sight. “You okay?” Veronica asked.

“It’s just very moving to see you two be a shining example for our youth. Humans and faunus being friends like this is still a pretty big deal.”

“Don’t I know it? As the daughter of a human and faunus, acceptance is the number one thing I look for in any place I visit. Both of my mother’s are very active in easing tension between our races. With one of them being the leader of an equal rights movement and the other being an accomplished huntress that serves the people, spreading fairness is in my dna. As a half breed, I like to believe I have a certain obligation to do the same.”

Summer was surprised. Veronica handled that topic like a pro. Summer knew that the aspiring fashion designer has had to make several speeches and attend rallies in the past in place of her mother Blake, but speaking as effortlessly as Veronica just did about a heavy subject was still impressive for their age. “I think you’re surpassing that obligation.”

Veronica was caught off guard by the compliment. She knew Summer wasn’t being rude or sneaking in any jabs. It was just an actual compliment. Veronica supposed that she could let that nickname incident slide, just this once. “Well thank you. Now then, I believe we should be moving along a bit. People to see, hands to shake. Nice meeting you Ms…..?”

“Lavender.” The reporter said, shaking Veronica’s hand.

“A pleasure, our parents should be further back or on the opposite side of this auditorium building. I’m sure they’ll love any questions you have.” Veronica didn’t wait for a response and casually pulled Summer along. “The nerve of some people.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know right?” Summer sighed, “She pretended as if she didn’t know who my plus one was when I'd announced it for weeks. I think she was about to ask about my family’s troubled history with faunus.”

“Or bring up any other awkward questions. Bringing up politics when parents aren’t around, I hate reporters.”

“Especially when they pretend to be emotional.” Summer looked at Veronica and the girl did the same. Both of them sighed in unison. They had intent on arguing tonight. All their energy had to be saved for people like Ms. Lavender. Tonight was gonna be a long night.

xxxx

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY ARE SMILING TOGETHER!” Valerie cackled, “Is this how you get decent photos of them!?”

“It’s the only way! I can’t get those two that close to each other without arguing on a regular day” Nick made sure to screenshot the pictures of the two ladies so they can see them later. He had to get some kind of entertainment from tonight.

“I honestly can’t believe Yang was okay with her showing that much skin.” Nick commented, “Makes me wonder what Blake and her are wearing. They’re into themes”

“Are we going to be the last to arrive? My parents just met up with yours.” Valerie showed him the text.

“Yeah, everyone else drew straws apparently on what entrance and what order to go in. We are the very front entrance, so be ready for all those lights going off in your face.” He half joked. No one could be ready for that mess.

Valerie grabbed the remote and started flipping through different news outlets. “I bet we can find the rest of our family on a different station.”

“Go to seven, It tends to get the business people.”

“Roger that.”

xxxx

“Woohoo! Hello party people!” Yang shouted into the crowd. Her approach to these events were always the most laid back, but that didn’t mean she didn’t dress the part. Yang left the crowd speechless with her all black attire. Dress shoes, pants, and a killer blazer she wore three fourths open; plenty of breathing space to let everyone know she wasn’t wearing a shirt underneath it. Yang’s nails were painted yellow to match her hair and her favorite aviators were on her face so the camera flashes wouldn’t irritate her. As the fifth ranking huntress in the world, member of the esteemed team RWBY, and wife of the leader to the biggest faunus rights movement, there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know who Yang Xiao Long was.

“Hey Blake, you think Veronica is doing well?” Yang turned to see her wife in the middle of answering a couple of questions. Considering the reporter didn’t look like some corporate stiff in a suit, Yang can only guess the questions were either about her outfit or how the woman was doing. Either one would be a very good question.

The raven haired beauty had on a fiery orange and yellow dress that shined as bright as her smile. The right side of the ankle length dress had a slit that went up to the middle of her thigh and her open toed wedge heels matched both the dress, as well as her black nails. Blake spared no expense. She even let her hair grow to shoulder length for the event. She had gotten tired of the bob cut. Yang managed to sneak up behind her wife and make lovey dovey expressions, as if she hadn’t seen Blake look so beautiful before. It was enough to get a laugh out of the reporter and make Blake turn around to see her goofball of a spouse. Yang tilted her shades down so her playful lilac eyes could meet the snarky amber eyes of Blake.

“Mind if I drop in on this interview?”

“I think you already have.” Blake said, her voice carrying a bit of teasing in it. She got pulled into Yang’s arms from behind and they both smiled at the young man who was now interviewing two people.

“So what question did I interrupt?” Yang asked.

“I was just asking your wife how the long trip from home was treating her. I’d say pretty good considering she’s all smiles tonight. How are you doing, Mrs. Xiao Long?”

“I’m great! I like this event, it gives me reason to come up here and say hello to a bunch of my friends.”

“Ah yes, the other half of your team live in Atlas, and then some. Have you gotten the chance yet?”

“Unfortunately my little sis was never one for dress up so I’m sure I’ll have to come knocking. I’m sure Ruby will have an opinion or two when she sees my outfit.” Yang let a chuckle. She hadn’t mentioned her clothes for no reason.

“Speaking of outfits…” and the reporter fell for it perfectly. “You both look wonderful! Who made these?”

Blake and Yang grinned cheekily. Events like these have a way of giving other people and topics more spotlight then they usually did. It would be foolish not to give a boost to the person they love most. “Our daughter Veronica Belladonna made these!” They said in unison. The girl was way too far away for her to possibly hear them, but they knew she was gonna flip out later.

“Well your daughter has quite some talent. I gotta say, you both just might be the most popular couple here tonight.”

That put a bigger smile on Yang’s face. “Thank-”

“OH MY GODS! IT’S RUBY ROSE!” A voice cried out from the crowd before Yang could finish her thank you. All the attention the couple had gotten had suddenly vanished as cameras and people turned towards a long white limousine with the letters ‘SDC’ on the side of it that had just pulled up.

Blake knew that vehicle anywhere.It was the favorite ride of the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. “That’s Whitley’s ride. There’s no way he actually got Ruby to- oh he did!” Blake said, shaking Yang and leaving her jaw dropped. The cat ears are never wrong, and she definitely could hear their leader amongst the excited crowd.

Yang stood on her toes to get a better view. What she saw was a sight to see indeed. “That little stinker.” Yang smiled, impressed and feeling challenged in the looks department. Sure enough, the number one huntress in all of Remnant was walking with her husband down the red carpet in absolute style.

There wasn’t anybody around who wasn’t taking in the sight of Ruby wearing a stunning silver dress that stopped right above the women’s knees; showing off her toned legs for once and doing it in heels nonetheless! They matched her dress perfectly which also made her silver eyes pop out more surprisingly. Probably due to her red and black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, except for a long bang that went across to the right side of her face. Though this outfit wasn’t in her favorite colors, Ruby was still plenty on brand. A red rose corsage rested comfortably and her nails were red, with one on each hand being black. Yang wasn’t sure from her but it was entirely possible her little sister might’ve even opened up a makeup kit before showing up. Her complexion was perfect!

Ruby’s appearance might’ve been the most shocking thing to happen at this event, but it was only elevated by being at Whitley’s side. Like Blake and Yang, the couple had the bright idea to swap color schemes. Whitley wore a dark red blazer with pitch black dress pants that matched the buttons on him. His undershirt was black with an intensely red necktie and his black shoes were strung up with red laces; a completely different look for the white haired and blue eyed man. His hair was slicked back like his nephew. Just like Ruby, he retained a splash of his typical colors but pinning a white rose on his suit. Blake didn’t know how, but Whitley made it work.

He was the first to notice the two of them staring while Ruby was busy throwing out peace signs to the people that were more than thrilled to meet her. The reporter interviewing Blake and Yang might’ve ran to her as well if Ruby hadn’t been slowly making her way over to his direction for obvious reasons. Ruby continued greeting people with a smile until her eyes found Yang, now the antics started. Ruby signaled Whitley with a wink and he couldn’t help but chuckle at her childishness. He wrapped his arm around her waist and the two started walking with more poise and smiles that oozed confidence, as if they were on a runway. The crowd went absolutely crazy. The clothes, the style, the attitude, they were…

“Blake! They’re trying to out couple us!” Yang said, shocked by the declaration of war that her sister had thrown their way.

“Ummm, don’t you think you’re a bit paranoid? I think they’re just putting on a show for the crowd.”

“I know my sister. She’s trying to take me down a peg or two for old times sake.” Yang put a hand on her hip and boasted the same confidence her sister did, sly smirk and all. Yang had to admit that she was very proud of Ruby. This was one hell of a way to say hello. It wasn’t long before they were face to face with Whitley and Blake looking at them. They loved their wives but boy were they a lot to handle sometimes. They doubted that the sisters realized the people around them anymore.”Well look who got all dressed up!?”

“Oh you know, gotta act my age every now and then.” Ruby snickered, “Is what I’d like to say, but I’m here to steal a little spotlight.”

“I knew it!” Yang blurted out.

Blake felt like she got whiplash from that confession. “Ruby!”

“What? I was reading a magazine and noticed how many pages the two of you got. Whitley told me it was because people lived seeing couples together and I wanted him on the cover of an issue, so…”

“For the record I told her I don’t care about being in the magazine.” Whitley added.

Ruby turned to him and poked his chest repeatedly. “Don’t try to act all cool now. Your face lit up like a Christmas tree when I said I wanted to go with you.” Ruby watched her husband’s face turn a little red. She’ll always love making him embarrassed. All these years and he still felt awkward about getting all mushy in public. That’s a Schnee for you. Cold on the outside, absolute softies on the inside.

“Is it bad that I like to spend time with my wife?” He said meekly, trying his best to act cool. He’s sure it didn’t come across as that, but it got Ruby to blush, so that’s a win in his book.

“I have to say, we’re a pretty good looking bunch right now.” Yang boasted, “who’s gonna top this?”

Whitley grabbed Yang by the shoulders and turned her forward. “Can everyone in this direction please make an opening and look behind you!?” He shouted.

Surprisingly, the crowd did it seamlessly. There was brief confusion before more chattering and flashing lights erupted. Yang slouched over in defeat, “And here I was thinking I’m the only woman who was gonna wear a suit?”

“Her entire clique is in suits!” Ruby shouted with peak excitement. She put her thumb and middle finger at the edge of her lips then gave one hell of a whistle. “Qrow, Winter, Sparrow; way to kill it!!”

The oldest Schnee sibling heard the chant from across the street. The plan was to sneak inside the building with minimum detection, but those plans were dashed. Winter immediately shot a look at her little brother. “Darn him,” she thought, “he knows I hate these things. What’s the point of drawing straws if he’s gonna sick the paparazzi on me? At least they’re far.” Winter refused to give people the luxury of seeing her in a dress unless it was absolutely necessary. The general of Atlas’s military had chosen to wear an icy blue women’s pant suit. The blazer was left open to show her white shirt she wore off that was cut fairly low for her. Qrow must’ve convinced her to show off a bit more. That’s not the only convincing he must’ve done either. Winter lives and would die with her hair in the same bun that has a right sided bang if she was given the option to. Through what had to be a miracle, her hair was set free from that style, finally free to be wavy and run down her back. Nick felt bad because he knew Summer wouldn’t have her hair down if she knew her aunt did the same thing. No one could compete with Winter’s hair. Her heels were pearly white and so were the actual pearls around her neck. Winter had her hands in her pocket and walked with an unbothered attitude. She really didn’t want to be here.

To her right was her adopted son, Sparrow. The twenty year old had come back to town just to be her plus one. Unlike his mother, Sparrow was having a blast! He also chose not to button up the blazer of his burgundy suit to show his black shirt, or wear his golden tie tightly around his neck; instead it was loosely hung near his collar bone. He didn’t even shave the brown rift of peach fuzz on his chin! Sparrow wasn’t completely crazy though. His flowing mane that he called hair was put in a man bun. These days the former navy sailor was looking more and more like a pirate, tanned brownish skin and all!

“You know you can at least try and look happy mom.”

“There’s no amount of money in the world that could do that.” Winter bluntly stated.

On her left was her husband Qrow. The veteran huntsman didn’t get his own invitation but was acting as Winter’s paid bodyguard. It wasn’t uncommon for people of status to higher one for security when attending these events. Winter was doing it to cheat the system, meaning Qrow still had to dress up. He went a step further than his son and flat out didn’t wear a tie or button up the top two buttons of his gray long sleeve shirt that was covered by his dusty red suit vest. No one could tell his socks matched the vest because of his black slacks and dress shoes. For once he was the only one who didn’t have to change their hair. It’s always pushed back, makes the grays blend nicely into the black. Winter forced him to shave unfortunately.

The red eyed man looked at his coco brown eyed kid and nodded mischievously. Both of them hooked an arm through one of Winter’s then proceeded to escort her across the street.

“What the!? What are you two-”

“Gotta treat social royalty with the utmost respect on a special day like this right?” Qrow said through Winter’s stuttering.

Sparrow nodded, “General or not, tonight you’re a gorgeous socialite.”

Winter’s face became a brazen red and a smile crept its way onto her face. “Very well, I have no problem being escorted by my two handsome men.” Yep, all Schnees are soft.

Sparrow took his time waving to onlookers and soaking in the sights. “Home hasn’t changed too much around here, that’s good. It’s also strange that this place isn’t completely flooded with people. I guess this dispersing plan is really working huh?”

Weiss nodded, “We let a little bit of our plan leak to news outlets so they knew to spread out. Besides the entrance Whitley and the others are going through, there’s an eastern entrance that should be packed because of my sister, as well as the actual main entrance. Your cousin Nick gets that one.”

“Where is the little guy anyways? He’s usually first to...well everything.”

“We purposely made him go last. This way he had more time to rest since he’s been extremely busy as of late. The crowd won’t be as rambunctious after seeing a majority of their favorite people too, so he has that benefit too.”

“How nice.”

“Anything for family.” Winter exhaled. She meant it, but boy was she counting the seconds. “I wonder how Weiss is? This is definitely more her speed.”

xxxx

“There is way too much happening right now!” Weiss cried out to Jaune.The middle child of the three Schnee siblings was the one who was most used to the fame and glamour because of her magnificent voice. However, it had been a little while since Weiss had been thrown into the thick of it like this. The joys of a slightly more humble and day to day life had firmly sunk its teeth into her, and these days she found cozy sweaters and early morning Sunday tv far more her speed than the hustle and bustle of being hands on with stuffy events. Being a huntress, mother of two twins, and wife was a full time job in itself. That didn’t mean she had forgotten how to wow a crowd, not by a long shot. Weiss wore a white cocktail dress that spread outward and stopped above her knees. A blue sash wrapped around her waist and tied into a bow in her left said, while her wedged calf high boots matched. Weiss had the splendid idea of copying her big sister by braiding her hair and wrapping it into a bun with a right bang. Weiss was never gonna outgrow imitating her big sis. Weiss did make sure to differentiate herself from both her and Summer though by going with ruby red earrings to add a pop of color. Weiss Schnee certainly looked the part, but she was having a bit of sensory overload. All the noise and lights were starting to hurt her head.

Jaune couldn’t do much about the noise, but the lights were a different story. The leader of team JNPR signaled for Ren and Nora, his other two teammates on the red carpet, to come over. The three of them spaced themselves around Weiss in an upside triangle formation as the four of them proceeded forward. It wasn’t often that Weiss liked being five foot even, but this was an exception. Having a tall husband and friends meant their bodies blocked some of the lights. It definitely helped her eyes.

“Thanks, you three.” She said, rubbing her eyes in hope that it would help them refocus. “Forgot how intense this could be when you’re at a main entrance.” Weiss grabbed ahold of Jaune’s arm lightly. The man opted for a simple black tux and yellow bow tie. He never was the fancy type. It was part of his appeal. All he did with his blonde hair was pull it back into a short ponytail. Weiss may have seen him as a prince but there was still plenty of pauper in his style. “Sorry if I wrinkle your suit hun.”

“I think you being able to see takes priority.” He chuckled. Jaune looked down to his left to see her blink a couple of times before looking at him and smiling. “Better?”

“Much better.”

“You know the crowd probably thinks we’re doing this because you’re such an ice queen.” Nora laughed, her hands waving happily to as many people possible from behind Weiss. Nora had chosen a very similar outfit to her daughter. The only differences being Nora’s ability to walk comfortably in heels and a cover up that was navy blue and only went down to her back. She only really wanted it to have sleeves. Nora has put so much work getting Valerie ready that her orange hair was only blushed down to give a more formal appearance. Not exactly the amount of effort people might want to see from a key representative in the state of affairs for the city of Mantle, but hey, her looks had nothing to do with her ideas to keep the city on its feet.

Ren went old school and decided on a traditional Tang suit. The jacket was a natural leafy green and buttoned all the way up while his cotton pants were black with a pink stripe down the side like the highlight in his jet black hair that he chose to put in a bun. He did this to show off the stitching on the back of the jacket that created a beautiful picture of a lotus flower. Clearly the most fashionable while still being a functional huntsman here. Ren wouldn’t be surprised if a kid asked him to break a board with a single chop before the night was over. He reached for his phone that started buzzing in his pocket and started spending his friends along.

“Woah, what’s with the sudden rush?” Jaune asked.

“If we drag our feet any longer then the kids are gonna beat us inside. Nick and Valerie are about to pull up to the front any minute now. Who knows if Summer and Veronica are wrapping up theirs?”

“Oh no, our babies!” Weiss and Nora said in unison.

“Double time Weiss!”

“Yeah!”

Jaune and Ren quickly grabbed their respective wives.

Ren let out a sigh, “I know you’re eager but shouldn’t we be keeping up appearances?”

Weiss and Nora looked at each other with an embarrassing smile before a confident nod, raising a hand and pointing ahead. “One point five speed!!!”

“That’s not what I-”

Jaune rested his hand on Ren. “We both know this is as good as it’s gonna get.”

“Yeah.” Ren smiled weakly, “Yeah….”

xxxx

It had been a decently long car ride, but it was finally time for Nick and Valerie to join the fray. Their limousine slowly rolled up to the very front entrance of the massive building where many speeches, awards, and dances shall take place. But before that was the long red runway to the front door surrounded by the press on both sides.

Nick stretched his arms out and clapped his hands together. “You ready for this!?”

Valerie took a deep breath to calm her mind. “No different from a sports audience, right?”

“That’s the spirit! Just remember, don’t look directly at the flashes. Cameras aren’t necessarily trying to get a photo of you with your attention on it, they just want a decent photo of you in general. Even if someone wants you to look their way, you can focus on what’s behind them or on their face.”

The fact that Nick had a secret to surviving walking to a door was both a little comforting and terrifying to Valerie. He was treating this like a battlefield! “I’ll follow your lead.” Valerie gave a convincing smile, but her stomach was having the same feeling a person gets standing in line for the tallest roller coaster.

“Guess that means I’ll head out first.” Nick grabbed the door handle. Normally someone outside would open it but he had to escort Valerie anyways, so playing the role of celebrity and guide seemed appropriate. He slowly pushed the door open just wide enough to slip one leg out. The squeals of what sounded like dozens of girls filled the air in that moment. He looked back at Veronica sheepishly, who wasn’t particularly happy at the noise.

“So am I about to hear the sound of excited pigs all night?”

“No, but you’ll be running a lot of interference for me. Good thing you’re good at defense.”

Valerie corrected him,“I’m great at defense, and keeping the ball for as long I need to.”

“Then I’m in good hands.”

Nick opened the door wider and stepped out into madness. The inside of the car lit up like strobe lights and the squeals only got louder now that the crowd saw their dear “prince” arrive. Valerie sat patiently until Nick stuck his hand back into the car to take hers. Valerie took it without delay and was pulled into his world, the world where eyes were always watching. It’s true that she’s been a part of it since forever, but this felt different. She wasn’t here because her parents this time, and her own merits hadn’t paved the way yet either. Nick had simply asked her to join. He’d offer a taste of what’s expected on the other half of society, and despite the confusing feelings she had about it as a whole, Valerie couldn’t be happier. After all this time, it was still the two of them acting like a dynamic duo. She had to admit that there was a comfort in that.

“There he is folks! The young heir to the Schnee Dust Company, up and coming ice skater, and a representative in the King of The Hill tournament; It’s Nicholas Schnee!” A random reporter stated. “And it looks like he’s brought a lady friend!”

Valerie overheard that comment and felt her face heat up a little bit. A piece of her wanted to say something about it but then she got a glimpse of multiple girls on the carpet and behind the velvet rope looking their way as they began walking. She’s never seen such intensity focused on her and Nick. Val noticed a couple girls taking a few steps and all her previous thoughts stopped mattering. Nick let out a tiny yelp as he felt himself be pulled closer to Valerie’s right side. She was basically hugging his arm and interlocked their hands.

“V...Val?” Nick said, his face getting a little red. She didn’t respond. Valerie was busy watching the other girls back off. “Valerie?” He said again.

“I don’t like the way they look at you. Like some sort of target or stepping stool.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal. Don’t feel like you have to do anything drastic.”

“I won’t. I’m just making it clear that you’re my date.” Valerie blushed, “Only look my way okay? I’ll do the same.”

“Ummm, then how will we see in front of us?”

“I wasn’t being lit- I’m saying you have my full attention!”

Nick’s eyes widened, “Oh… I give that to you anyways. You’re always on my mind.” They continued their walk to the door. Nick could feel Valerie’s heart race but he assumed it was because of what they were doing. It didn’t cross his mind that he did it to her.

“Yeah well, so are you.” Valerie thought to herself. She was so busy ensnared by his words that she didn’t notice the reporter had mentioned her by name, as well as listed a few of athletic accomplishments. Including her being a fellow representative for the tournament. That didn’t matter in the moment, just Nick. Her date on the red carpet.

Inside of the building was immaculate. It was almost set up like a conversation center, but for the rich and important. Multiple floors with multiple rooms dedicated to specific groups and awards, with the bottom floor being a ball area with plenty of food. The entryways and reddish brown walls were outlined with decorative lights that made the burgundy carpet match nicely with the intricate vine like golden design running along it. Valerie hadn’t even been inside for ten minutes and she could’ve sworn she already saw at least three fountains. Plenty of people were mingling and there were significantly less cameramen.

“There you two are!” Summer shouted from above.

Valerie looked to the second floor to the girl chewing on shrimp and standing next to Veronica who was not happy to see how close Valerie was to Nick. Valerie picked up on that and only leaned more into him, sticking her tongue out in the process. Being in a no fighting zone was the best.

“I wonder where our family is? Awards don’t start this early.” Valerie said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone convinced them to take a giant group photo. We’ll probably end up in the same boat the minute we find them.”

“That would be correct.” A feminine voice said in the distance, catching Nick off guard. It got both him and Valerie to turn their head to see a blue haired girl with twin tails walking towards them. Her shoes and dress were the same deep blue shade and stopped at her calves. It didn’t fall straight but was more bell shaped when it got to her waist. Her golden eyes held no deceitful smile, rather they showed indifference. “My father convinced your family and a few others to take pictures for prosperity. At least that’s the reason he gave.”

Valerie looked at the girl from head to toe. She looked their age. Actually, Valerie had definitely seen her before. “We...go to the same school, right? It’s Elizabeth right?”

“Eliza Marigold.” Nick corrected. “Daughter of Henry Marigold, another socialite. That’s about it though.”

“Well we all can’t be as elite as a Schnee.Yes we’re pretty low on the totem pole compared to you, but we’re still pretty well known.”

“Oh I meant no disrespect. It’s just that the only other thing I know about your family is how much your father and my mother hate each other’s guts.” Nick said with a smile.

Valerie suddenly realized there was some obvious tension here. “So you two are well acquainted then?”

Nick shook his head, “We’ve actually never spoken before. My interaction with her has only been an apology letter.”

“A poor one at that. You purposely threw a party on the day of my birthday bash and rob me off all my guests, but all you can manage was three sentences. Not even an invitation to the amusement park that was supposed to be rented out for me.

Valerie remembered that party, it was amazing! Summer sang and everything as fireworks went off. She had no idea the venue was stolen. “You ruined her birthday.”

“Oh you me, someone talks trash about Summer or my family and I find myself getting a little petty.” He scratched the back of his head, he talked like if he was a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Eliza clicked her tongue in annoyance and directed her attention to Valerie.

“Who are you, girlfriend?”

“I am his date.” She said confidently. “Who happens to be a girl, as well as his closest friend. Yes…” Valerie wasn't proud of that delivery but that’s what came out. “My name-”

“I’m aware. Do you mind giving the two of us space? I have words with him.”

Valerie didn’t like the sound of that. “Whatever you can say in front of him can be said in front of me.” She put more bite in her tone.

Eliza raised her eyebrow. She wasn’t expecting that level of attitude. Then again she was talking to an athlete. “Intriguing, here I thought you were some mindless fangirl Nicholas sweet talked into doing his bidding. Guess I was wrong, or at least...half wrong.”

This no fight zone was about to be null and void. Valerie clenched her fist and scowled angrily at Eliza, prompting Nick to hold her arm to keep her from swinging. “Wanna run that by me again?”

Nick thought it best to go a step further and stand slightly in front of Valerie. “Now, now, let’s not do anything crazy. Can’t we be civil?”

“I’d be more inclined to keep my mouth in check if you stopped with the phony smile. You aren’t fooling me with a stunt like that.” Eliza put her hands on her hips and waited for a response.

Nick responded by folding his arms and swapping that peacekeeping smile with a more analytical one and a gaze that sent a chill through Eliza. He watched her indifference turn into shock, before a spark of excitement went through her eyes while she smirked. “What’s that look for?”

“You’ve peaked my interest, that’s all. I’ll keep this brief. I don’t like your family that much and I specifically do not like you. I also don’t intend on putting on an act around you. All I wanted to say is that I qualified for the tournament and look forward to knocking your family down a peg.”

“How bold of you.”

Valerie chimed in, “Not to mention completely ridiculous.” Her statement got both of them to look her way. “Even if by some miracle you were to beat Nick, you’d lose against me. You’re fighting for second place at best. If you can even make it that far.”

The three stared at each other after that, the declaration of war now set. It was more of two vs one, with Eliza being the odd one out. She opened her mouth to retort but promptly closed it. Nick watched that spark in her eyes die instantly and the girl grabbed the sides of her dress to curtsy.

“Excuse me.” Eliza said, walking past them towards a man that could only be her father by the color of his hair. Eliza took note that she walked past Summer and someone else, giving them a quick look before going about her business.

“Who was that?” Veronica asked after he met up with Nick.

“Someone as insufferable as you,” Valerie answered. Once more, Nick stepped in between the opposing sides.

“It was just a fellow tournament participant,and then some.”

“Oh great, more obstacles.” Summer sighed, I swear you make enemies as easy as you do coffee.”

“This one is different, she’s cool.” The three girls looked at him questionably as he shrugged. “What? It’s not everyday I meet someone so straightforward. It’s like talking to you three, she doesn’t hold back.”

“Or know oh to be polite either.” Valerie said bluntly. She gave Nick a look. “You better not lose to her. Kicking your butt is reserved for me and me alone!”

“Gee, how touching” he scoffed.

Nobody knew it yet, but that wouldn’t be the last time all five of them were so close to each other. In a years time, they would be seeing a lot more of each other; as well as share an experience crazier than any red carpet event.