#They all belong in mels story

[fire-bay]

More oc doodles

[prettycoolducks]

just finished playing portal revolution. I like evil science lady and her rabid vacuum cleaner

[danielpowell]

Imagine not liking season 1 of Archive 81

[yanderecrazysie]

Twisted Zoo: Chapter Three

This is based on the stories of a keeper reader with the octotrio by @ashensgrotto and @merakiui .

Also @twistedcece @cenatour @ursinaw @xiaopleasecomehome @bearshideout @koebishrimpuwu@v-sh @help-whatdoimakemyusername @secret-potion @magmdnv @sunshine-for-serotonin @mel-star636 @silkkorchid @thatpersonuouknow @the-ace-reader @pamv11 and @thisisafish123 wanted to be tagged! Let me know if anyone else wants to be tagged for future chapters. If you no longer want to be tagged, please tell me! (Some of the tags may not have worked, I'm sorry if so.)

Summary: You’re a brand new zookeeper at The Halfling Zoo- a place where half-animals live in captivity. Your job is simple- feed them and study them. Your main worry is that one of the more dangerous halflings might kill you. 

Unfortunately, that may become the least of your worries.

WARNINGS: none for now

Previous Chapter: Chapter Two

Next Chapter: Chapter Four

Note: All characters are aged up, since there will be mature themes in future parts.

Also, I can’t promise I’ll finish this. I suck at finishing stories.

Note 2: I worry that maybe these birds don’t fit their counterparts well, since no one correctly guessed them all ;-; I made Riddle a flamingo only because of the Queen of Hearts’ flamingos, and I thought he’d like to be one, if he had to choose LOL

Note 3: You have probably already guessed that the heart system means how quickly they’re becoming yandere. Please keep in mind some with gain hearts faster or slower than the others.

—----------------------------------

Today would be a more relaxed day, as you only had one exhibit to visit. The birds were all separated by wire fences, but they were all part of one big aviary. Tomorrow, you’d be working with the three remaining exhibits all at once, so you were glad to have this day of respite.

The bird keeper was a kind older lady. She gave you a bunch of salads, with notes as to which one belonged to which bird. The salads with shrimp were obviously for the flamingos, but the other salads were a bit harder to remember.

You walked into the aviary, a large plastic container with the separate salads under your arm. The birds were all wide awake, with the exception of the owl, whose green hair was just barely visible from where he had covered his head with one of his wings to sleep.

“Hey! I want to eat first!” A voice cried out to you, “Hey, lady with the food, over here!”

You were surprised to hear such fluent English from a halfling, but when you turned your head to the source of the calls, you immediately understood.

Parrot halflings caught onto human languages quickly. That didn’t necessarily make them smarter than other halflings, it was simply something they were naturally good at. This parrot halfling had mostly-orange wings to match his hair, although the tips of his wings tapered off to yellow and then a vibrant blue. 

The parrot gazed at you curiously for a moment, before his expression became more mischievous, “Guten morgen? Ohayo? Buen día? Zǎoshang hǎo? Dobroye utro?”

“Good morning to you too, show off,” you laughed, walking up to him, “I assume you’re the salad with sunflower seeds?”

He grinned, “That’s me! I’m starving!”

You felt like you were talking with a human, and that fact made you feel a little sick inside. Should an animal with the ability to converse so normally really be confined to a wire cage?

You rummaged through the plastic container, looking for the salad with seeds. The parrot halfling spread his beautiful wings and flew onto a perch closer to you, his talons curling around the wood as he impatiently waited for his meal.

Finally, you found the correct salad and handed it over to him. His eyes lit up and he snatched it from you.

“Thanks!” He said with a grin. Before you could ask him his name, he spread his wings and flew into an enormous birdhouse to eat there. A little disappointed that you couldn’t have a conversation with him, you turned to the raven in the cage next to him.

“Hello! I brought you a salad!” You called out to the raven halfling. He walked over to the edge of the exhibit and tilted his head, looking you over curiously. 

You found his salad fairly quickly, as it was accented with bright red apple slices. The raven drew closer and you admired how his feathers and matching hair color were not black, but a dark blue that seemed to shine in the early sunlight. 

“What’s your name?” You asked as he took the salad from you.

He grabbed the salad and held it close to him, as though someone may steal it. It took him a few moments to process your question before he answered, “Deuce.”

You knew that ravens were normally very intelligent animals. But with the way Deuce took so long to answer and the way he struggled with the plastic packaging, you had a feeling that the same could not be said for the halflings.

Deuce struggled with the packaging a little while more before he handed it back to you and, with a blush settling on his cheeks, muttered a small, “Help.”

You opened it for him with a smile, “No need to be embarrassed, Deuce, it can be tricky to open sometimes.”

He nodded, but you weren’t sure he actually understood you. Either way, he seemed happy enough to have his salad open for him. Similar to the parrot halfling, he retreated to his birdhouse to eat his meal.

You decided to try giving the owl his meal next, although you weren’t sure you would be able to wake him. You would feel bad if you disturbed his rest.

However, you had no need to worry, because the owl halfling was awake and alert when you approached his cage. You rummaged through the salads for the one with grilled chicken chunks in it and found it quickly. The other salads had either shrimp or were plain, saved specifically for the flamingos and peacocks respectively.

You handed over the chicken salad and the owl halfling smiled politely at you, giving you a gentle, “Thank you.” 

Unlike the parrot and raven halflings, he did not open his salad and dig in, but instead put it aside for later. Upon noticing your confused look, he explained, “I’m saving it for nighttime.”

You nodded but secretly wondered why they wouldn’t just feed him at night only. After all, that’s the time owls hunt. But you supposed it made it easier to just feed everyone at the same time instead of making any exceptions. 

Pretty lazy, in your opinion.

Next was the flamingos, and you approached their enclosure in awe. Their feathers were a soft, beautiful pink and, instead of the talons you were used to seeing on bird halflings, they had bare feet much like a human’s, just with webbing between the toes. 

“Shrimp salads, anyone?” You jokingly asked the two flamingos.

One of them, the one with light orange hair, flew over with such excitement that you took a step back, “You’re new!”

“Yes, I’m filling in for the morning meal today!” You said cheerfully.

“How exciting!” The flaming gasped, “That’s exciting, isn’t it, Riddle?”

The other flamingo, a more serious-looking man with red hair, cautiously watched you. He did not respond to the more enthusiastic flamingo.

“Let me just…” the orange-haired flamingo took a salad from you, opened the container, and began methodically arranging the shrimp and lettuce until it looked like it was something out of Chef Ramsey’s kitchen, “Perfect! Hashtag delicious!”

You stared at him, wondering where he’d learned to talk like a teenage girl. Riddle, annoyed by his fellow flamingo’s behavior, snapped at him, “You don’t have a phone. Stop with that ‘hashtag’ nonsense.”

You were shocked to hear a halfling besides a parrot speak so fluently, not to mention so prim and proper sounding. Handing over a salad to Riddle, you asked the other flamingo, “What’s your name?”

“Cater!” He said with a proud smile, as though his name was an accomplishment. You couldn’t help but giggle at his antics, which seemed to deepen Riddle’s frown.

“I have to give the peacocks their salads now,” you told Cater. 

“Bye-bye!” Cater said cheerfully, waving as you walked away.

The peacock enclosure was certainly something to behold. It had a huge fountain and ornate fencing. You tried to wave the three peacocks over, but they refused to come to you. Remembering what Mr. Crowley had said about them being a little cocky, you sighed and opened the gate.

You carried the large plastic container over to them and, with a smile, you held out a salad to the closest one. The tall flamingo gave you a disdainful look, but took the salad all the same. The one with a bowl cut took his with a closed-eyed smile, “Merci, mademoiselle.”

French? You wondered where he had learned French and if he spoke any English. Moving on from that thought, you handed the last salad over to a slightly timid-looking, small and adorable lilac-haired peacock.

All of the peacocks had beautiful white feathers in a fan shape protruding from their backs. You couldn’t help but admire them, despite the way they didn’t seem all too interested in you.

“What are your names?” You asked.

The one with blond-to-lilac hair turned his back on you and walked away with his salad. The one with completely lilac hair merely offered you an “Epel” before following after him.

The one with a bowl cut placed a hand on his chest and, with a large smile, introduced himself, “I am Rook,” He pointed at the retreating back of the first peacock and said, “Vil”.

“Vil is his name?” You clarified. Rook nodded in response. You wondered if he knew more French than English.

Either way, you were done feeding them for the day, so it was on to studying them.

[sl-ut]

new years eve

more college!abby

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PUBLISHED A WHILE AGO, BUT LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, A LOT OF SHIT CAME UP AND DIDN’T LET ME FINISH ANYTHING THAT I’VE BEEN WORKING ON. TYSM FOR YOUR PATIENCE, AND ENJOY!

also tysm to @princesssmars for giving me permission to steal her idea lol ily babe.

pairing: college!abby anderson x fem!reader

description: abby invites y/n on her friends’ annual new years ski trip! five days of uninterrupted fun at a private chalet with abby, her friends, her ex boyfriend, and his current girlfriend who seems to have some kind of vendetta against them both. 

warnings: UNEDITED, smut (not a lot tbh), swearing, alcohol consumption, mentions of drug use, owen is really mean to reader, homophobia, a lot of sweet little moments between abby and reader

words: 7.4K

date posted: 07/01/24

Y/n knew she wasn’t exactly the most welcome on this trip, they didn’t even try to hide it. The only exception to this would be, of course, Nora, who’d been the one to set her up with Abby in the first place, and Manny, who genuinely seemed like the only one who didn’t seem bothered by her presence at all times. Not wanting to impose on a seemingly very strict tradition, Y/n initially declined her girlfriend’s offer to spend New Years Eve together in Aspen, which didn’t go over as well with Abby as she had expected.

“They don’t mind, really.” She tried to reassure her, only to be met with a knowing look, “Okay, a few of them feel that we shouldn’t bring people outside of our friend group, but think about it; Owen and Mel are both going, Leah is bringing Jordan…” Then came the ultimatum of, “No, if you don’t go, I don’t go.”

The threat was more than what Abby’s words even said. The cabin belonged to Abby’s grandparents, and were more than enthusiastic about their sole grandchild using it with her friends over the holidays, but were stern with the condition that Abby was not to let them go up and destroy it. To summarise, if Abby didn’t go, nobody did, and Y/n was certain that her friends would hate her less if she joined them than if she caused the entire trip to be cancelled.

So there she was on the twenty-ninth of December, tightly belted into the front seat of Abby’s Bronco on the road to Aspen. The drive wasn’t terrible, only a few hours from Abby’s childhood home just outside of Salt Lake city, though Abby made it sort of enjoyable by making a road-trip playlist and barely taking her large hand away from her girlfriend’s thigh throughout the remainder of the journey. 

The chalet was more than Y/n even had the ability to imagine. It looked like it was straight out of a movie; high ceilings, wooden panelling lining the entire interior, large windows looking out over a snow-covered valley, all that was missing was for the pair of them to snuggle up together in front of the wide stone fireplace, which was bound to happen at some point over the holiday. As she ran her fingertips over the glazed butcher block counters, she was thankful that the others wouldn’t be arriving until the next day, giving them more time to fulfil the fantasies that had been racing through her mind since setting foot inside the chalet. 

Abby was eager to give the full tour, looking delightfully in-place in her tight jeans and cream coloured cable knit sweater. She left no room or corner alone, using little anecdotes and stories from her childhood to help her feel more at home, and finishing by explaining exactly how she would fuck her in each and every room. Y/n laughed and brushed it off in the moment, but came to realise that she was dead serious when she could barely move her legs to crawl out of bed the next morning.

The sweet bliss was finally interrupted by the rest of the crew making their arrivals. First came Leah and Jordan, who immediately rushed to the next biggest room and then made their way to the jacuzzi on the deck. Then came Manny and Nora, who couldn’t seem to get to the kitchen fast enough, before finally, Mel and Owen quietly made their way in, offering silent greetings to their friends before going straight to their bedroom, which didn’t seem to bode well with Mel, who’s complaints carried through the entire ventilation system of the house. 

The others seemed to have no patience for their drama, all clearly picking up on the fact that they must have fought the entire drive, as well as the thick tension that filled the room whenever they were both present. Instead, they all gathered in the kitchen for a late lunch and began pouring drinks, loud laughter overwhelming the hushed argument escaping the vent. Y/n was a little surprised to see that even Abby had reached for a second beer, the merriment in the kitchen and the overall excitement for the holiday seeming more important to her in that moment than her otherwise strict fitness regimen, though she really didn’t mind. In fact, she sort of liked the way that she had been looser than she normally would have been, gliding her hands across Y/n’s body without care, laughing along carelessly to jokes that she normally would’ve only chuckled at. She was more open with the group, and made sure to keep Y/n involved in the conversation even when the others talked over top of her. 

The atmosphere felt warm, like they were spending time with their closest family members. Manny showed off his mixology skills, which were mediocre at best, while Nora and Abby whipped up a luxurious rendition of pasta with a side salad, all of which seemed to disappear in a matter of minutes, leaving barely enough for both Mel and Owen to split between themselves once they finally re-emerged from their shared bedroom. 

The sun was beginning to set early, thanks to the shorter days of winter, leaving poor Manny no other option but to wait until morning until he could finally hit the slopes. Instead, he found interest in offering constant refills to everyone in order to, as he put it, boost morale. Abby had taken the initiative to cut herself off, wanting to make sure she still had her wits about her while also being able to relax, and made sure to warn Y/n about Manny’s drinks.

“He calls himself a mixologist,” She’d whispered into her girlfriend’s ear, “But I’d say he’s more of a wizard. He makes drinks so strong, but somehow covers up the taste of the liquor.”

That was the first and final time that Y/n ignored a warning from Abby, soon enough finding herself stumbling out the door in just her bathing suit, ears completely deaf to everyone’s questions of concern for the nearly naked girl in the cold weather as she clambered into the jacuzzi. She grinned, watching as Abby followed closely behind her, along with Manny, Nora, and Leah.

She snuggled up against Abby’s side, relishing in the weight of her thick bicep around her shoulder as she only half-listened to whatever Nora was trying to fill her in on, and babbling on about some nonsense that no one really had much interest in hearing, but they all listened in and responded as if she were telling the most interesting tale to ever exist. 

Once Leah and Nora took over the conversation, she turned to stare up at her girlfriend with glossy eyes, grinning stupidly at the mere sight of her face.

“What?” Abby laughed when she finally took notice.

Y/n shrugged, answering as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “Nothing, just thinking about how much I love you.”

Abby’s already flushed cheeks darkened, but she was quick to press a longing kiss to her forehead and return the sentiment lovingly. 

“No,” Y/n frowned, “You don’t understand, I love you. I love how smart you are, I love how you make me laugh, I love how you make me feel loved, I love how you make me feel.”

Abby glanced around at the others to ensure that they weren’t overhearing this intimate conversation. Thankfully, Manny was too wrapped up in making sure that Nora was correctly recounting the time that he successfully hooked up with his TA and bumped his grade up.

“I love your abs, and your big beefy arms.” Y/n continued, leaning her head back against the bulging muscle to emphasise her point, “I love your fingers, too. And of course I love your face, and your pretty eyes, and your nose–God I love your nose, I just wanna sit on it–”

All conversation seemed to stop as the patio door creaked open, all heads turning in surprise to see Owen standing in the doorway, swimming trunks hanging low on his hips and a towel slung over his shoulder. 

“Room for one more?”

Manny was the first to break the silence, “Of course, man. We all thought you guys were just calling it for the night.”

The blond furrowed his brow, “What, you guys really thought you could replace me so easily?”

The words were so obviously aimed at his ex-girlfriend and the girl curled into her side, and if she hadn’t been so intoxicated, this probably would have been enough to send Y/n off the rails when it came to Owen. Instead, Abby took the reins in order to diffuse the situation. 

“Are you gonna get in or are you gonna keep on bitching, Moore?” 

He looked equally as pleased and displeased with her dual-sided tone, both wanting to keep things light while also warning him not to start anything. 

“Yeah, yeah,” He tossed his towel to the side and climbed in, taking a seat next to Leah and directly across from Abby. “Whatever.”

The group sat in silence for a few moments before Y/n finally chimed in, “Where’s Mel? Is she coming down?”

He seemed to be visibly annoyed by either the question or by her, probably both. “She’s upstairs, not feeling too well.”

“Oh,” She nodded along, “That’s too bad, I think she really would’ve liked whatever drink Manny just made me.”

Manny grinned at the credit, “I call it, dulce peligro.”

Nora snorted, “Sweet danger? That’s a little on the nose, even for you, don’t you think?”

“Hey, when you start mixing up drinks like that, then you get a say, ‘kay?”

Owen’s stern tone cut through the playful nature of their bickering, “Not likely. None of us really come up here and get sloshed anymore, I guess we’ve all just matured past that.”

Embarrassment crept up her throat, causing tears to spring into her eyes from his clear disapproval of her current state. Nora and Leah shared an uncomfortable stare, both seemingly ready to grab Abby before she could make a move against him, her disbelief and anger so clear on her face. 

“Well I definitely haven’t,” Manny chuckled awkwardly, “Besides, the holidays are the only time of the year where it's actually encouraged to get shitfaced.”

“Yeah,” Nora jumped in, “The night’s still young, and most of us probably aren’t even gonna remember tonight.”

Their words had obviously been a mere attempt at bringing comfort to the younger girl, whose face betrayed the insecurity that was very rapidly eating away at her drunken confidence from the inside out. Her eyes had become even glossier, and her heaving breaths made it clear that she was on the verge of tears. 

“No,” She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand, “He’s right, I think it’s time I put myself to bed.”

Abby grabbed her hand as she stood up, carefully stepping over her girlfriend’s legs and onto the steps that lead out onto the deck, “Hey, hey, don’t go yet. You’re having fun.”

Y/n could tell she was trying to keep her cool, not wanting to put the other three of her friends in the position of hearing her and Owen fighting once again. She shook her head, stepping out onto the pine floor and wrapping herself in the fluffy white robe that Abby had brought out for her, “I’m tired, I might go take a shower and then just go to bed.”

Abby nodded, standing from her own seat and moving to climb out after her, “Alright, I’m gonna hit the hay too, guys.”

“Aww,” Nora whined, “Guys don’t go yet.”

“Stay,” Y/n turned to Abby, offering a weak smile, “I’m just… tired. You don’t have to come to bed yet.”

“Let me walk you up,” She was practically begging at this point, wanting to comfort her girlfriend when she was so obviously upset. 

“C’mon Abs, she’s a big girl. I’m sure she can go to sleep without being tucked in for just one night.”

Abby scowled at him, turning to him with intent as she growled at him, “What the hell is your problem?”

It was true, as bad as Owen usually was when Y/n was around, he was usually only passive aggressive, but now he was just being downright mean. If Abby hadn’t already gone to hell and back trying to convince her friend to let Y/n come (even though she really didn’t give them a choice), Y/n wasn’t about to let the whole vacation be ruined by her pride, choosing to allow Owen’s words to slide rather than biting back as she usually would. 

“Abs, it’s okay,” Y/n tried again. 

“No I don’t think-”

Nora was the next person to step out of the tub, “You know, I’m starting to get a little pruny anyways, so why don’t I help her to bed?”

Abby appeared annoyed at Nora’s intrusion, but allowed her to pull Y/n away from the situation and back into the chalet, leaving Leah and Manny to face the intense staredown between her and Owen before they, too, fled the scene, allowing the real fighting to start.

Hardly an hour had passed since Y/n had curled herself into bed, not even bothering to get herself ready at all aside from removing her bathing suit and snuggling back into the fluffy robe, leaving her surprised when her light sleep was broken by the feeling of the mattress sinking next to her. Abby looked tired, irritation clear on her face as she slumped against the headboard with a quiet sigh. Her eyes softened as she turned to glance at her girlfriend, an apologetic smile crossing her features when their eyes met. 

“Sorry baby, didn’t mean to wake you.”

“‘S okay,” Y/n’s words were slurred with sleep, “‘M sorry too.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Owen’s just being a…he’s being a stupid prick.”

Y/n pushed herself up, scooching across the mattress to snuggle into her girlfriend’s side as sighing at the comforting weight of her arm around her shoulder, “I know but… I don’t know. I guess I can see why he’s annoyed. I’m not one of you guys, I know how I would feel if one of my friends invited their partners to join our traditions.”

“It’s not even about that, it’s–” she cut herself off, a deep frown cutting into her cheeks, “It’s nothing. Let’s just forget it.” She hugged Y/n tighter to her chest, pressing a long kiss to the crown of her head. “I love you, you know that, right?”

Y/n lifted her head, concern filling her at her girlfriend’s tone, “Is something wrong? Did something happen with Owen?”

Abby looked alarmed, “What–No, no. Nothing happened. I promise.”

“Good,” Y/n nuzzled her head back into her shoulder, “‘Cause I’ll kick his ass.”

Abby snorted, “I’m sure you would. Now go back to sleep, I’m gonna go take a shower and I’ll be back.”

Y/n whined, “Are you punishing me or something?”

Abby cocked her head in confusion.

“No invitation?”

A knowing smirk appeared on the blonde’s lips, “I don’t know if you know what you’re asking for here, baby.”

Y/n pushed herself away from Abby, crawling to stand at the foot of the bed as she slowly backed up towards the bathroom, hips swaying seductively as she untied her robe and let it slowly glide down her arms until it hit the floor with a soft thud, leaving her bare for her girlfriend’s viewing pleasure. She bit her lip, fluttering her lashes as she whispered a response, “I think I do.”

Abby grinned, moving faster than Y/n’s brain could even register to race towards her and haul her body over her shoulder as she rushed into the large ensuite. She reached the shower, turning the water on to allow it to heat up for a few moments before she placed her girlfriend onto the marble countertop. 

Y/n’s brain swirled with pleasure as the seconds ticked by, the room slowly heating up as steam curled around the glass wall of the insanely oversized shower, feelings only heightened from the bit of alcohol still in her system and her girlfriend’s hands and lips roaming around her body. 

“Abs,” she gasped out as her fingers massaged her inner thigh, “I think the water’s ready.”

Despite her previous flurry of attention, Abby seemed to have settled down the moment that they set foot in the shower, relishing in the casual intimacy of carefully washing each other’s hair, lathering one another in a foamy vanilla scented body wash, and just holding each other under the hot water. After all was said and done, Abby pulled her back against her chest, one arm wrapping around her waist and the other curling around her shoulders to hold her in place. Y/n leaned her head back, staring up at the taller blonde with droopy eyelids. 

“I love you too.”

“Huh?”

Y/n giggled, “I never said it back earlier, so I am now.”

Abby shook her head, leaning down to press a kiss to her soft lips, “I love you more.”

“I love you more.”

“I love you to the moon and back ten times.”

“Well I love you times infinity!”

“Infinity?” Abby whistled, tightening her arms around her, “Don’t know if I can beat that.”

Scoffing in mock offence, Y/n turned her head to sink her teeth into the meaty bulge of Abby’s bicep, just biting hard enough to leave the faintest of teeth marks in her burning skin.

“Hey!” Abby grunted, twirling her around to face her, “I bring you on this nice vacation, I make you dinner, I drive you around, I rock your world whenever you ask,” her face grew closer with every statement, “And this is the thanks I get?”

Y/n squealed at the feeling of her fingers digging into her sides, leaning up to press their foreheads together, “I suppose you’re right, I’m sorry.” Her hands moved from their places on her biceps, gliding up her slick skin to her neck, then down over her chest, one finding purchase on one of her toned breasts, the other pressing into her firm abdomen, massaging the protruding muscles appreciatively, “Can I make it up to you?”

Abby didn’t respond, instead gripping the back of her head and slamming their lips together, teeth clashing and tongues fighting for dominance, though the fight was over within seconds as Abby forced her girlfriend into submission. She allowed her to press her against the wall, her shorter frame pressing against her so tightly that it would seem they were connected, then seemingly made the move to flip them around until Y/n pulled back.

“Nuh-uh, I’m making it up to you, remember?” Her hand slid even lower, resting against her lower belly just above the thick patch of blonde curls between her legs. 

“Baby, you don’t have to–oh,” Her words came to a halt as her fingers grazed against her clit. 

It was a fight that they had on the regular, Abby always feeling like she had to be on the giving end, and not the receiving. To be quite fair, there was never a time where Abby didn’t finish during sex with Y/n, but she seemed to be determined to only allow it happen either against the harness of her strap or directly against Y/n’s own centre. Hell, they’d been seeing each other for almost two months before she even let Y/n go down on her for the first time. She was a giver, and tended to find pleasure in giving, but was growing to enjoy the aspect of receiving just as much.

“Just let me,” Y/n whispered against the wet skin of her neck, lips pressing against her jugular with an indescribable softness. “Can I? Please?”

After finally receiving the green light, Y/n wasted no time in dropping to her knees, nudging Abby’s feet apart as she slid her hands over her thick thighs, lips and tongue gliding along the trembling muscles until the tip of her nose was met with the coarse hair covering her pubis. 

A soft grunt fell from Abby’s lips at the contact, chuckling at the feeling of her girlfriend’s nose prodding even further inwards, poking at her clit.

“Spread your legs, baby,” Y/n murmured, mouth barely parting from the skin of her inner thigh as she spoke, carefully scooching in closer as Abby complied, even slinging one of her calves over her shoulder to offer better access. “Thank you.”

Abby laughed, “Look at you, on your knees for me and still so polite. Such a good girl.”

Y/n moaned at the words, finally moving her mouth to drag her tongue up the entire length of Abby’s cunt, whining at the taste of Abby’s dripping nectar. She twirled her tongue around her engorged clit, dragging the muscle over the bundle of nerves, encouraged by Abby’s moans and the grip she had on the back of her head. 

“Right there,” The blonde gasped, bucking her hips against her face, pressing her hand even more firmly against the base of her skull. “Yeah, right fucking there. Shit.”

Then the real moaning started. What had begun as muffled grunts had quickly developed into breathy cries of pleasure, the only words falling from her lips being drawn out curses or punchy words of praise. 

Y/n prodded her tongue around the opening of her core, poking inside shallowly, hardly able to slip inside with how tightly she was clenching. Chuckling, Y/n drew her middle finger against the opening, “Relax for me, Abby.”

At her words, the muscles of her core almost immediately relaxed, easily accepting the intrusion of her finger with eagerness, walls clamping down as she added her ring finger. She pulled her face away for a moment, pumping her fingers in and out with precision as her fingertips easily found purchase against the spongy flesh that caused her eyes to roll back in her skull. 

Y/n grinned, pressing her lips against the thigh that had rested over her shoulder. She would never be able to recover from this view that she was so rarely able to see; Abby’s head tilted back, eyes hooded and lips parted as she whimpered out soft praises, small breasts heaving with each breath and her nipples pebbled with arousal. There was something about having somebody so big and strong at her disposal that she simply couldn’t get enough of, knowing that in a simple movement, Abby could have her at her disposal before she could even protest, the idea that someone like Abby, who took such pride in her dominance, was willing to give it up just for her. 

Feeling the tell-tale fluttering of her inner walls, Y/n quickened the pace of her fingers and returned her mouth to its rightful place on her clit, sucking and licking so gently in comparison to the fast pace of her fingers. 

Abby came with a shout, hand forcing Y/n’s face impossibly closer to her core as she continued to pump her fingers, fucking her through the orgasm until she felt her walls slacken. She removed her fingers, and with one last kiss to her inner thigh, she pulled away. Abby moved her leg, reaching down and yanking her girlfriend up to slam their lips together, whimpering at the musky taste of her own cum. 

“God, I’m gonna marry you,” Abby murmured against her mouth, drawing soft giggles from both of them.

“Not if I marry you first.”

Abby rolled her eyes as she reached past Y/n, turning the water off and scooping her up in a single movement, “Everything’s gotta be a competition with you, huh?”

Y/n giggled, hooking her ankles at the base of Abby’s spine and wrapping her arms around her neck, “Well, not everything.”

“Yeah? So you’re not gonna try and fight me when I have my way with you?”

Y/n kissed her again, “As long as you don’t make me wait, I’m impatient.”

Abby tossed her on the mattress, completely unconcerned about the fact that she was still dripping wet from the shower. She crossed the room, opening the top drawer of the dresser and fishing around for a moment before she found her target. Y/n watched in awe as Abby skillfully slid the harness up her legs, tightening it just enough that it wouldn’t slip as she turned, revealing the thick blue dildo hanging from her pelvis. 

“Why don’t you just lay there and be a good girl for me, heh?”

When Y/n woke up the next morning, she was stiff, but who wouldn’t be after being bent in every imaginable position for over an hour? 

It was nearly twelve o’clock by the time her eyes finally cracked open, and she was disappointed, but not surprised, to find that she was alone in the bed. She was dressed in only one of Abby’s lacrosse sweatshirts, and tucked snugly into the blankets and a note set neatly on the pillow next to her own.

Went out to the slopes, be back soon. Love you.

Y/n sighed, tossing the note aside as she glanced around the room, noticing that Abby must have tidied up a bit before she left, everything that had been knocked over or thrown across the room in the early hours of the morning having been set neatly back in place. Y/n would have preferred to stay in bed a while longer, but her throbbing headache demanded that she go downstairs and consume as much coffee and aspirin as possible without needed medical attention (luckily for her, she has a sexy pre-med girlfriend on standby). 

After cleaning herself up some and tidying her hair (and cursing herself for not doing her entire hair routine while it was wet) and sliding a pair of sweatpants up her legs, she shuffled down the wooden staircase to face the few stragglers that stayed behind. 

In the kitchen, she found Nora, who seemed like she had just returned, still dressed in her snowpants as she stood at the kitchen counter stirring her coffee. The dark-haired girl turned her head at the sound of Y/n coming down the stairs, a grin appearing on her face at the sight of the sleepy girl. 

“Morning sunshine!” She chuckled, glancing over at the large grandfather clock quickly,  “You just won me ten bucks, gorgeous. Manny said you’d be out for the count until the afternoon.”

Y/n raised her eyebrows, shaking her head as she made her own cup of coffee and swallowed two tablets of aspirin. She took up one of the tall stools opposite Nora, quickly taking a mouthful of her drink. 

“You come back alone?” 

Nora shrugged, “Yeah, once Abby and Manny start making everything a competition I count myself out.” 

Y/n nodded her head, a knowing smile crossing her features. She, too, has fallen victim to the pissing contests between those two. 

“Was it just you three?”

She pursed her lips, slowly shaking her head, “No, uh, Owen joined kinda last minute. Hey, did Abby tell you anything about last night? Manny said they sort of went after it after we left, but he and Leah kinda made a run for it.”

“No, she didn’t,” Y/n frowned, “She seemed a little worked up when she came to bed, but she didn’t really say much.”

A smirk appeared on Nora’s lips, “Yeah, we all heard how worked up she was.”

The blood drained from Y/n’s face, realisation dawning on her face. She thought she had made some kind of effort to keep herself quiet the night before, but to be fair, she had been intoxicated and Abby had made her come three times with just her tongue before even thinking of putting the strap to work.

“Gotta say, I never pictured Abby being a little freaky, I never even would have imagined some of the shit she was saying to you. It had me blushing.”

Y/n buried her face in her hands, wincing at the burning temperature of her skin. Had they all heard it? She’d been so worried about imposing herself on this trip that she hadn’t even considered the consequences of any alone time that she and Abby would have together. She supposed it was bound to happen; The chalet wasn’t that big, and the vents connected every room together, and even knowing that every other person on the vacation had witnessed their very active and intense sex life, she couldn’t find it within herself to regret it at all. The light purple bruises on her neck were a testimony to the way her night ended, and with Owen around, she would proudly wear them. 

The front door swung open, the entire house immediately being filled with the energetic and boisterously loud voice of Manny, obviously still hyped up from his seemingly long session on the slopes. When his gaze fell on Y/n, he hurriedly glanced down at his watch, scowling as he read the time as 11:59, indicating that he had lost the bet. His disappointment was not long-lasting, however, grinning mischievously and wiggling his brows at her as Abby appeared behind her, arms resting on the counter on either side of her body and caging her in, skin cold to the touch through her thin long-sleeve shirt. 

“Jesus, Abigail,” He whistled, “What did you do to her? The poor girl looks like she got mugged.”

“Fuck off,” The blonde groaned, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend’s head and chuckling as Y/n raised her middle finger in his direction. 

“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Manuel.” She hummed, leaning back against Abby’s chest. 

Manny seemed surprised at her bold response, turning to the taller girl with a smirk as he continued to tease them. 

“That’s enough Manny, I already gave her hell for interrupting my beauty sleep,” Nora added, taking a long sip from her mug.

“Please,” Abby rested her chin on the top of Y/n’s head, “I’ve lived with both of you before, I can’t even count how many times I had to sleep with earplugs in.”

Nora shrugged, “What goes around, comes around I suppose.”

Abby’s body stiffened when Owen appeared next to Manny, his blue eyes narrowing in on the pair across the counter. It didn’t surprise her in the least that Owen would be bothered by their late night activities; Abby had once disclosed to her early on in their sexual relationship that she had very little experience in anything beyond the basics. With Owen, things were quite vanilla, and there was little said and there was almost no experimentation, so it would make sense that he felt a bit dejected at the idea that the woman he was still so obviously in love with was now in a much healthier and more adventurous relationship with someone else. 

Abby squeezed Y/n’s shoulders, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “I think I’m gonna go up to the room for a bit, maybe watch a movie and take a nap, if you wanna join me.”

Y/n nodded immediately, excited at the idea of going back to bed, hopping off of the stool and letting Abby lead her upstairs by the hand. 

She curled up in the bed, constructing a nest of pillows and blankets on top of the comforter and tucking herself in under a lighter fleece blanket. Abby appeared out of the bathroom, now dressed in a pair of sweats and a tight-fitting t-shirt, her hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. She chuckled when she spotted the structure that had been erected on top of the bed. 

“What movie did you pick?” She asked, carefully climbing in next to her girlfriend and snuggling up against her.”

Y/n glanced up at her, “The Holiday. Thought it was fitting.”

A few minutes into the film, Y/n could hardly even hold her eyes open, rolling over to lay on her belly and nuzzle her face into the crook of Abby’s neck. She glanced up at her girlfriend, admiring the way that the flickering colours from the screen were being projected on her face, light catching on her features and causing her rosy cheeks to glow. Abby turned her head, staring down at her with a fond smile. 

“What?” She asked, fingers gracing Y/n’s cheek softly. 

“Just looking,” She mumbled, “You’re so pretty.”

Abby scoffed, “Says you.”

“Says me,” Y/n agreed, “If anyone else says that, I’ll kill them. Except for your grandmother.”

Abby laughed, “Yes, I would prefer if you didn’t kill Nana, thank you.”

Y/n pressed her lips to the underside of her jaw, “Is everything good between you and Owen?”

“You want everything to be good between us?” Abby raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged, “You know how I feel about Owen, but he’s your friend, and I don’t wanna be the cause of some drama between you if I can help it. Nora said you guys had a fight last night.”

Abby sighed, her arms tightening around her girlfriend’s figure, “I don’t like the way he talks about you. The thing is, when I broke up with him, I was honest with him and he seemed to be okay with it. But since you and I started dating, he seems to be bothered by it. Last night, he was drunk, and he said some pretty nasty stuff about us, mostly about me, honestly.”

“So what, he’s mad that you’ve moved on with someone else, or he’s mad that you’ve moved on with a girl?”

“Not sure,” Abby shook her head, “I don’t–I just wanna move past it. I don’t care what he thinks, and neither should you. If it comes down to you and him, I'm picking you every time.”

Y/n leaned up, nudging Abby’s curved nose with her own before pressing a sweet kiss to her lips, “I love you.”

Abby smiled, kissing her again, “I love you too.”

This time, when Y/n woke up, she was still curled tightly against Abby’s chest. She was thankful, smiling softly as she nuzzled closer to her warmth and simply just laid there contentedly until a loud banging sounded from their bedroom door. 

“Wake up, you lazy perras,” Manny shouted through the wooden door, “It’s time to party!”

Y/n had quickly come to realise over the few days at the chalet that Abby’s friends took New Year’s Eve very seriously. Her eyes had grown three sizes at the sight of the mountain of booze that they had all collected to share amongst the group on the one night. Each of them had expressed their excitement for the holiday, even Mel, who had hardly interacted with her the whole time they’d been there. 

It was torture to pull themselves out of the little nest they’d made, but they knew that Manny would be back in a matter of minutes if they weren’t out of bed soon, and he would be much less friendly the second time. Taking a few moments to wake themselves up, both girls finally crawled out of bed and began to get themselves ready for the evening, knowing that Leah, Nora, and Mel would be wanting to take and post pictures from the little party on any social media platform that they could get their hands on.

They were both offered drinks immediately upon entering the kitchen, discovering a large bowl of punch sitting in the middle of the large island, apparently having been a concoction made by Jordan and Manny, which became quite obvious once Y/n took a small drink and discovered that it was probably closer in form to a toxic chemical than any kind of enjoyable beverage, but for the sake of the holiday, she continued to take small sips of the drink, quickly followed up by a much more enjoyable Diet Coke.

They spent the evening playing drinking games, watching movies, and exposing each other’s most embarrassing moments until late in the evening, though Y/n decided to cap herself at the one drink, considering the night she’d had the night before, and instead accepted the edible offered to her by Nora, who had also been put off of liquor by the hangover she’d had that morning. 

Y/n could admit that the small get-together felt much more intimate and enjoyable to her than attending a larger party, as she likely would have done if Abby had not invited her. Even those who did not overly like Y/n seemed glad to have her there, except for Owen, of course. 

Even Mel had entertained some conversations with her and had invited her to jump into some pictures with her and the other girls, the alcohol making her much friendlier than usual. Y/n’s feelings towards Mel were never set in stone. From time to time, she was very nice to her, but the majority of the time, she seemed completely uninterested in her being there. Of course, Y/n could understand it, to a degree; If Abby acted the same way that Owen did when she was around, Y/n would feel the same way, and he apparently hadn’t started acting that way until Y/n came around. 

Y/n couldn’t help but keep a watchful eye on the two figures out on the deck, doing her best to not make it obvious, feeling the need to protect her girlfriend from any more hurt, especially after hearing what sort of things that Owen had said to her the night before. They’d only been out there for about ten minutes after Owen had asked her to talk in private, offering an overly sympathetic look to both Abby and her girlfriend, who’d been reluctant to let her go on her own, especially since he had been drinking quite heavily all evening.

In truth, Owen had immediately apologised for what he’d said the night before, shocking the blonde with his words. Normally, Owen was a proud man, never apologising to anyone unless he knows that it might offer him something in return. 

“Really,” He had cleared his throat, obviously hesitant and uncomfortable, “I’m really sorry. I wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt you, it’s just…You don’t know how hard it’s been.”

“Hard?” Abby repeated, “What’s been so hard for you, Owen?”

He scowled, “Seeing you happy, with someone else–with her.” 

She scoffed, “So it is about her. Tell me, if I was dating another man, would you have this issue?”

“Yes!” He looked appalled, “Seriously–how are you trying to turn this into that sorta thing. You know I’m not like that.”

“Do I?” She pressed, “How many times have I heard you use the f slur in passing, or couldn’t stop staring at two girls holding hands in public? You may not realise it all the time, but you are like that, and I can’t just sit back and let you treat someone I love like that.”

He paused, “You love her?”

She nodded.

“I just–I don’t get it. How can you be…you were never like that with me. We were happy, I thought you loved me.”

Abby stared at him incredulously, “I did. Part of me always will, and you know that, but I’m not sure I was ever in love with you.”

That seemed to set him off, “So I was just…what to you? A plaything? An experiment?”

“Owen,” she growled, “You’re the one who started dating someone else only a week after we broke up, and not just anyone, but Mel. The one person who you always told me not to worry about, that you two were just good friends. Now look at you two, you act like an old married couple.”

“I don’t love Mel.” He stated, like it was a blatantly obvious statement. “I love you.”

Abby laughed, pushing herself away from the railing harshly, “You’re drunk, Owen.”

He grabbed her arm, pulling her back into him before she could stomp away, forcing his lips onto hers in a fury of passion. His hand gripped the back of her head, holding her in place as she fought against him. Finally, she sank her teeth into his bottom lip, not relenting until she could taste the iron of his blood and he was forcing her away.

“Fuck!” He swore, reaching up to nurse his bleeding lip, though he was given very little time to recover as Y/n practically flew past Abby and swung her fist into his jaw. He stumbled backwards from the force, flood now running down his chin and neck, “You stupid bitch.”

Abby stepped between the two as he lunged at the shorter of the two girls, shoving him down onto the deck as the others came rushing out after Y/n. She scowled at him, crouching ever so slightly to meet his gaze, “Don’t you ever put your hands on her, or me, ever again.”

She turned to face her girlfriend, hands cradling her now swollen fist and running her thumb over the cracked and bleeding skin over the knuckles, “You okay?”

Y/n lifted her good hand up to swipe at the lip on Abby’s lower lip, tears leaking down her cheeks, “Are you?”

She nodded, pressing her bloody lips to Y/n’s forehead briefly, taking one final look at the man on the floor, who seemed to be in shock and finally realising what he had done, glancing between the two women standing over him, to his friends who all seemed nothing short of disgusted with him, and finally, his girlfriend, who could barely stand to offer him anything more than a fleeting glance. Abby shook her head. She never wanted this, she would have been more than content to keep Owen in her life as a friend, but there was very little that could recover him in her eyes, and she knew that he would never be able to accept her or the woman she loved. She hoped that, at some point in the future, he might come to his senses, but until then, she decided that he would no longer be regarded as one of her best friends, as he previously had been. 

She led her girlfriend back inside, grabbing an ice pack from the freezer before guiding her up the stairs and to their bedroom. Abby pushed her to sit on the edge of the mattress, lowering herself to kneel in front of her. She gingerly pressed the ice to her knuckles, shushing her when she whimpered at the sudden cold.

“I’m sorry,” Y/n whispered, “None of this would’ve happened if I didn’t come on this trip.”

“Stop apologising. It’s no one’s fault but his, for being a homophobic prick, and my own, for putting up with it for so long.”

It was quiet for a moment before a giggle escaped from Y/n’s lips, “I told you I would kick someone’s ass for you.”

“That’s really all you got out of this?” Abby laughed, her radiant smile breaking through her otherwise stony expression.

“That,” Y/n leaned down, “And that I love you.”

“I thought you already knew that.”

Y/n rolled her eyes, “I did, but this was my proof that I wasn’t joking about it.”

She leaned down, hands cupping Abby’s defined jaw in her hands, holding her just as softly as one might hold a newborn as she pressed a kiss to her lips. When she pulled back, she glanced at the alarm clock on the dresser, smirking as she pressed another kiss to her lips and mumbled against her.

“Happy New Year, baby.”

[burnednotburied]

You're My People

AO3 Link

Pairing: Abby Anderson x fem!reader

Synopsis: You and Abby take refuge in an abandoned house to catch your breath and attempt to recover after the encounter with Ellie in the theater.

Tags: slight angst; hurt/comfort; mentions of death and blood; tending to injuries; (mostly) unspoken romantic feelings; reader is a young woman (same age as Abby)

Note: To be absolutely 100% clear, the reader is NOT meant to be Lev or Yara. Reader is a woman (about the same age as Abby) who met Abby on Seattle Day 1 when she was also meeting Lev and Yara. The four of them stuck together. None of this is super relevant for this story. (Just know that Yara was with them, but she was killed just as she was in the game, and Lev is around here somewhere.)

I have a lot of ideas for this character/storyline. It’s likely that I will continue to flesh things out in future fics, so I’ll leave the rest of the story to be explained later.

I put reader in many of the same scenarios as Lev was in the game, sometimes removing Lev altogether for the sake of the story. But reader obviously has a very different type of relationship with Abby than Lev ever would (or should) have.

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

“Don’t ever let me see you again.”

That’s what Abby had said to that girl – Ellie – before walking away without so much as a backwards glance.

You had quietly followed Abby out of the theater, because what else could you do, but you didn’t know how you were supposed to feel about what you just saw.

Watching Abby incapacitate one man and shoot another in the face without hesitating. Seeing her beat Ellie into the floor while she lay there motionless.

And the other woman. The one who was pregnant…

“Good,” Abby had seethed when Ellie told her. She almost seemed happy about it. Happy to repay the wrong that was done to Mel. An eye for an eye. A life for a life.

If you hadn’t called out Abby’s name when you did, dragging her from the haze that was her desire for retribution…

Well, you could guess what would’ve happened.

You were just glad the two of you had decided not to bring Lev with you. That he was somewhere safe.

Neither of you spoke a word as you navigated through the dark streets of Seattle, her leading the way with you following quietly behind, just as you had been doing since you met. Although now you may have allowed for a bit more space between the two of you than you did before, trailing further behind. Lost in thought.

It had been three days since you met, but it felt like so much longer. A nagging voice in your head insisted that you really didn’t know Abby very well, despite how it felt.

She hadn’t given you any reason not to trust her. She had never hurt you. In fact, she had fought so hard to keep you and (more importantly) Lev and Yara safe. She had even turned against her own people, killed her own people, for the sake of protecting you.

No, that wasn’t right.

Those weren’t Abby’s people anymore.

“You’re my people.”

Abby had looked so earnest when she said it back on the Seraphite island just hours before. And you had believed her.

The words left you with a feeling deep in your chest that was hard to describe. You thought it might’ve been… belonging. Something you’d been hoping for but never found. You’d always wanted to truly belong to something.

Or someone.

There hadn’t been any time to dwell on the feelings or what they meant.

And now all you feel is a pit in your stomach.

Why were you so shaken up? This is stupid. You’ve killed before, and you’ve watched Abby kill.

But this felt different. It wasn’t self-defense. It wasn’t necessary. It was dark and angry and honestly terrifying. She was honestly terrifying.

But it was justified, wasn’t it? You could argue that maybe it was necessary.

Ellie had been hunting Abby for days, killing her friends and seemingly anything else in her path.

Ellie killed Owen.

You weren’t sure of the exact history between him and Abby, but you did know how important he was to her. And you had seen the look on her face when she found him dead.

Who’s to say Ellie would’ve ever stopped coming after Abby and the people close to her? Who’s to say she’ll even stop now?

You’re just beginning to arrange your fractured, contradicting thoughts in a way that makes sense when Abby comes to a sudden stop in front of you. You would’ve run into her if she hadn’t stretched her hand out behind her in warning.

“We need to stop. Get out of the rain. Regroup.” Her voice is strained.

You hadn’t really even noticed that it started raining again, harder this time, but you can walk in the rain. Lev is alone, waiting for the two of you to return.

You open your mouth to protest, only to shut it again when Abby turns to face you fully. She’s balancing her weight unevenly, heavily favoring her right leg. A significant bloodstain runs all the way down to her left ankle. And her face…  

The pregnant girl had come from nowhere, attacking Abby from behind. She managed to slash across Abby’s cheek with a knife before you took her down with an arrow through the shoulder. It had been your only real contribution to the fighting in the theater, but it had been unavoidable. Abby had been in danger.

Now she’s standing in front of you, soaked from head to toe, from the rain and with blood, and you have no idea how much of that blood is hers, but there are definitely some significant injuries that need to be tended to.

Abby takes in your silence and your wide-eyed stare for a moment before shifting a little in place and clearing her throat. “Um… we can try in there. Yeah? The houses here should all be deserted.” She gestures weakly to the building closest to you.

You finally find your voice. “Yes, yeah. Let’s—let’s go in there.”

You pull your gaze away from Abby’s and walk past her, toward the small house, pulling your bow from where it rests over your shoulder and notching an arrow in the string. It suddenly occurs to you that you’ve walked all this way without your weapon drawn while Abby was injured and unarmed. For a moment, you’re glad that the Wolves and the Seraphites are too distracted fighting each other elsewhere to be roaming around in this area. Or else you and Abby would probably have been killed by now, both of you practically stumbling through the streets like a couple of vulnerable, mindless children.

You shake your head, silently scolding yourself and promising to be more alert, starting right now with sweeping the house.

The front door is mostly intact and slightly ajar. You approach carefully, painstakingly forcing it further open with your shoulder, fighting against rusted hinges and warped wood. The floorboards creak beneath your boots as you step inside, quickly scanning the entryway for anything or anyone that poses a threat. Abby follows behind you, trying not to visibly limp on her injured leg and holding up a small flashlight taken from the aquarium.

“Come on. You need to sit down,” you say over your shoulder, just loud enough to be heard over the pouring rain outside. For a moment, it looks like she might argue with you, maybe insist that she make sure the building’s clear first, but she seems to decide against it, giving you a quick nod of her head in response.

With your bow still drawn, you lead the way through the first floor of the building, passing a bathroom and a kitchen before arriving in what was once the living room. The room is filled with furniture in various levels of destruction and decay, somehow the most well-preserved among them being an old couch pressed against the back wall.

You point to it. “Sit,” you tell Abby. The fact that she listens and moves toward the couch without protest, albeit very slowly, is further proof of the extent of her injuries and her level of exhaustion. “I’m going to check the rest of the house, okay? I’ll be back. Don’t move.”

Abby lets out a scoff, immediately followed by a second, more pained noise. “I couldn’t go anywhere if I wanted to.” An attempt at a joke, made through gritted teeth. You give her a hesitant, worried look, long enough that she forces a small smile and attempts to reassure you with, “I’m fine. Go.”

She’s lying and you know that, but you don’t have much of a choice. You turn to go quickly search the house.

The second floor is clear of any discernible threats but also of anything that would be useful in helping Abby. On your way back to the living room, you rummage through the downstairs bathroom and a couple of mostly empty coat closets in hopes of finding something. Medical supplies. Even clean cloths.

You find nothing there and move on to your last hope, the kitchen. This room is even more ransacked than the rest of the house, and still, you don’t find what you’re looking for.

“Ugh,” you loudly groan, clasping your hands together on the back of your neck and casting your gaze upward in frustration.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Abby quickly asks from the other room, sounding ready to jump up off the couch and rush to your rescue even in her current condition. It makes you smile until you remember that this is no time to be smiling.

“It’s nothing. The house is clear. I was just looking for some medical supplies.”

“Who needs medical supplies?” she asks, trying her hand at a second joke. This time you let yourself smile for just a second.

“You do, Abby,” you say, “You need medical supplies. Urgently.” You’re still staring up like the answer will be written up there if you just look hard enough, when something in the space between the one of the top cabinets and the ceiling catches your eye. If you’re not mistaken, it looks like the corner of a first aid kit.

It’s too high for you to reach standing, and there’s nothing for you to stand on top of. The countertops are broken, the pieces scattered across the room, and the wood of the lower cabinets is rickety and unstable at best.

You’re grumbling under your breath about damn high ceilings and unnaturally tall cabinets as you reenter the living room to find Abby almost exactly where you left her, left leg now up on the couch and elevated, right foot still on the floor. Both of her hands are hovering over the gash in her thigh, like she’s not sure if she should touch it or not, her face tense and focused. She’s in pain.

You pull your eyes away and look for something sturdy enough for you to stand on, eventually deciding on a mostly intact, only slight wobbly small metal table.

“Do you really think now is the best time to rearrange the furniture, honey?” Abby asks, glancing at you in her periphery. She’s joking again, and you know that, but you can’t help the warmth that pools in your cheeks at her use of the affectionate pet-name.

“I--“ You clear your throat, “I need something to stand on. I think I found something in the kitchen.”

“Aww, you can’t reach the top shelf by yourself?” Abby asks, amused. She turns her attention from her leg to watch as you drag the table out of the room. It squeaks along the floor the entire way, making her laugh softly.

 The fact that she’s being playful with you starts to ease your lingering panic about her many ailments. If she’s cracking jokes, she can’t be that close to dying, right?

“Crazy how you’ve lost like half your blood supply, and yet you still have enough energy to tease me,” you say, your own teeth gritted now. The table is much heavier than you anticipated. “And, for your information, the thing that I’m trying to get is not on the top shelf. It is above the top shelf. On top of the cabinet.”

“Uh huh. Sure… Take your time. I’m just over here, casually bleeding out.”

“Well, I’m no doctor. But I’m pretty sure that if the knife had hit any major arteries, you would’ve bled out a long time ago. So you’ll be fine for another minute. Probably.” With one final shove, you manage to get the table where you want it.

You carefully step up on the table, hoping that some sadistic asshole didn’t throw an empty first aid kit all the way up there just to waste the time and energy of some poor, desperate fool in need of medical supplies. (You, of course, being that poor desperate fool.)

After brushing off a thick layer of dust, you grab the handle. The kit is full.

“Yes!” you shout, nearly stumbling off the table in your excitement.

Abby can tease you all she wants and try to make light of the situation, but she can’t hide the look of relief that washes over her features when she sees what you’re carrying.

And, if you were paying closer attention to her face, she also wouldn’t have been able to mask the way her eyes go wide and her cheek – the one that’s not covered in blood – gets visibly pink when you get on your knees in front of her. “Uhhh hey, you can—you can sit on the couch.”

You raise your eyebrows, confused by her sudden nervousness. “No, the angle will be better this way,” you insist. “Just bring your leg over here.” She concedes, avoiding eye contact as you help her maneuver her injured leg so that her foot is back on the floor, practically between your knees.

There’s already a tear in her pant leg where the gash is. So to avoid having Abby stand up and take her pants off or cutting all the way around at mid-thigh, leaving her with half a pair of pants for the foreseeable future, you opt to just rip the fabric a little more on either side of the tear.

But you have a bad habit of occasionally thinking about something and then doing it, forgetting the often necessary in-between step of alerting the people around you to what you’re going to do first. You take the already-ripped fabric of her pants in your hands and tear, successfully making a hole large enough for you to properly clean and dress the wound.

The sound Abby makes when you do this surprises you. It’s almost sounds like a whimper—a noise that you don’t think you’ve ever heard her make before. There’s a twisting heat in your gut that seems to be a recurring side effect of being close to Abby, which you choose to ignore in favor of focusing on the more urgent (and honestly less daunting and less complicated) task at hand.

She’s quiet as you get to work cleaning the gash. Wincing slightly but remaining still.

The cut is deep, but as you expected it missed the femoral artery. You would have to stitch it up, though, and you told Abby as such. She nodded and watched you carefully as you quickly prepared, hoping to get this part over with as quickly as possible.

You moved even closer to her. Abby’s shin gently pressed against your front as you leaned over her knee, bringing your face closer, your movements precise and intentional.

Abby brings her hands down on either side of her legs, bracing herself. Her shoulders tense, muscles engaged. You have to tear your eyes away. Focus. You look back down at her thigh.

As you work, a strand of your hair falls from where you had tucked it behind your ear and into your face. You let out a light, annoyed huff. Before you attempt to blow the strand out of your eyeline, Abby’s fingers gently brush it back behind your ear. You feel yourself blush deeply, saying a quiet thank you before going back to sewing her up.

When the last stitch is done and you’ve carefully wrapped the wound, you feel Abby’s fingers run through your hair again, this time for no other reason but to draw your eyes up to meet hers.

“Come up here,” she says, her voice low. You stand, bringing the first aid kit with you, and feel the springs in the cushions creak beneath you as you sit on the couch, facing her, closer than is probably necessary. Before either one of you says anything else, you begin gently wiping away the blood surrounding the cut on her cheek, cleaning around the wound.

It's clear to you now that her wounds weren’t quite as detrimental as you had feared. With her leg sown up, her face was the only other thing that required your attention. Most everything else was superficial and would heal on its own. The rain had done a poor job of washing away all the blood, but it seems that much less of that blood had come from her than you had anticipated anyway.

“I can do that,” Abby says in a whisper, watching your face as you carefully and meticulously clean hers.

“I know,” you reply, just as quiet. “I want to.”

A few moments go by in silence until Abby once again breaks it.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” she begins, quickly adding, “Not sorry that I did it, but sorry that you had to… see me that way.” Her eyes are downcast. You know it’s weighing on her. Not just everything that happened today, but the fear that what happened could have a lasting effect on this thing you two have only just started to build. Call it trust or friendship or maybe something else entirely.

You shake your head. “Don’t apologize. I’m glad I was there. You shouldn’t have had to do that alone.” Abby nods, but you know it doesn’t do much to assuage her worries.

You still don’t understand what happened back in the theater. Or why it happened. Part of you wants to ask for the history now. How she knows Ellie. Why she wants Abby dead.

Maybe in time she will tell you, but you’ve already decided to trust her. To lean into whatever this thing between you is, and whatever it might become.

So instead, you ask another question that’s been in the back of your mind.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” You pull your hand away from her face, finished cleaning the cut there. It may form a scar, but it doesn’t seem deep enough to warrant stitches. (And you’re not brave enough to try, on her lovely face so close to her eye.)

Abby smiles softly, leaning forward just a bit to bring your faces closer together. “You’re going to have to be more specific, honey.”

That pet-name again. It makes your head spin. Makes you want to close the already shrinking distance between you and press your lips to hers. But you don’t do that. Instead, you explain, “On the island. When you said that… I’m your people.” You pause, hesitating over the last few words.

Abby stops for a moment, almost looking confused, and you start to spiral internally. You realize that it was probably just something she said in the heat of the moment. To calm you down and get you to keep moving, towards safety. You wish you could take your question back, retract your stupid words. Swallow them up and hide them inside you, along with your ever-growing feelings.

Abby finally answers. “Yeah. Of course I meant it. You’re my people.”

“Yeah?” You break out into a grin.

She nods, smiling and sincere. “Yeah.”

It’s that one, small word that makes you close the distance between you. Not to kiss her, but to gently rest your forehead against hers. Abby seems stunned, like maybe she was expecting the other thing, or hoping for it, but she recovers quickly, closing her eyes and maintaining the physical contact. You close your eyes too.

“You’re my people too, Abigail Anderson.” You can feel her laugh quietly and open your eyes, pulling away just enough to see her face again. “So… where do we go from here?”

“Santa Barbara, California,” she says. You remember overhearing part of a conversation about that between Abby and Owen yesterday. You figured that’s where she would be heading; you had just hoped to be given the chance to tag along. But you guess you didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

So you nod your head thoughtfully. “Sounds good… Sunny.”

“Hmm, yeah. That’s what I hear.” You’re both smiling. Happy, strangely enough, given the circumstances.

“Abby…”

“Hmmm?”

“We are going back to get Lev before we leave though, right?”

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

Note: If you read all of that, THANK YOU! This is the first fanfic I’ve written—and the first time I’ve written at all in a long time—so this is me dipping my toes in the water.

It definitely ended up being a lot longer and a lot less spicy than I anticipated, but I wrote what came naturally. I hope to continue this storyline, likely backtracking to when Abby and reader met, so we’ll be seeing more of these two. We’ll get to the fun stuff eventually!

[ya-what--ya-erster]

How to Dance in Ohio thoughts for y'all

The red flags durring Slow Dancing asdjfhaksjdfah YES

Shoelaces? Books about Pangea? 10/10 flirting

I cried when Mel's boss yelled at them, I cried during Nothing At All, I cried durring Waves and Wires

I believe every actor in the show will continue on to do great things

THE ARTICLE I was gonna punch someone at that point I was so angry

Person in front of me: it's a show about autistic kids Me: The Police: so can you tell me what happened? Me: they ran into my knife. They ran into my knife ten times.

Sad that I will probably never see this show ever again

When people cheered for Mel or Remy ever my mom got all angry and tense and it was funny

I found it in myself to cheer for kings and queens being heteronormative right there in front of my mom and she hated me but whatever

MEL AND ASHLEY SHOULD HAVE KISSED AT THE END OF REINCARNATION PLEASE AND THANK YOU

The whole performance of Nothing At All, lighting and everything, was so perfect and I loved it

Sorry, sorry, not sorry <- reminded me of Six

It was so sad/funny/lots of emotions when Drew showed up to the dance that nobody else could make it to

I am a MAN (jk I am a minor) but I would so dress like Caroline like dying my hair pink right now

"You really want to dance with her that bad?" "YES"

The disco ball was beautiful

I related hard to Mel feeling abandoned by Ashley cuz I've had those experiences before

The part Mel and Remy sing in Butterflies after kings and queens are mentioned, sort of says to me that they feel like they don't belong in the conversation, because the idea of a king and queen excludes them (im not messing this order up in my head am i?) like I just wanted to scream "AND AN OVERLORD" cuz like yes there needs to be another option

Mel and Ashley should have kissed at the end of Reincarnation

Drew's e-mail to Dr. Amigo ashfjhadf I laughed so hard like the different ways of reading it uh yes please (that's what my brain does w/ everything lol)

I wanted to hug every single actor in the show with permission but unfortunately I was too scared to ask lol so I just stood awkwardly

I got to see the real-life Caroline at stage door and it was really cool!

I am so so grateful for the existence of this show, and I want to say thank you so much!!! I felt so seen and understood, even if only for the time I was in the theater.

I was so happy about the signs by the bathrooms (though of course I still used the ladies restroom) that said to go where you feel comfortable.

All honesty, this show showed me the good in my world. All the way around.

I have officially typed way more than I should have but let me say one more thing which is that I am about to spiral into my fanfiction phase for this story so prepare yourselves guys my Ao3 is micah_loves_sweaters if you want it lol

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

🗡️ Clipped Wings: Chapter Three

Clipped Wings: After living a life in seclusion due to an over protective father, you sneak away to experience life as it really is. Slowly building up the woman you always wanted to be, your quiet life is interrupted when you meet a rather elastic boy and his crew. This is just the beginning of trouble and your carefully crafted life starts to crumble around you. The past never really stays in the past, and now it has come knocking. In more ways than one.  

Warnings: None, UNDEDITED.

To Note: Dracule Mihawk x Reader, NAMED!FemReader, Some physical features have been given (hair & eye color).

Word Count: ~2.4k

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You lost count the number of days you had been sailing. All you saw was ocean, both calm and upset. You also had no reprieve from the punishing sun overhead. You had tried to stretch your water source, but it was so hard with the sun beating down on you at all hours of the day. At least when it rained you could collect the fresh water. But it hadn’t rained for days and you had run out. You weren’t very good at rationing your food either. Of course you understood the concept, but actually doing so was another matter. Being on your own and doing everything yourself was hard. But also rewarding at the same time.

For once in your life you were taking care of yourself, you were feeding yourself, you were surviving by yourself. You liked the independence it gave you and you liked the freedom. But with that freedom and independence came chapped lips, blistered skin and face, and sun poisoning. What you would give to have even an inch of shade.

“Should’ve brought a hat,” You murmured to yourself. “No matter how fancy.” Rolling from your side to your back, you stared up at blue skies and the occasional cloud that passed by. “Hope Alanna’s doing alright, Mel isn’t the best company.”

The blue skies interchanged with a starry night one, over and over, until your skin was pained and tingling, your face swelled, and your headache all you could think about. At least now the mere thought of food nauseated you so you no longer felt hunger. You were now curled up on your side, peeling cheek pressed against the wood of the skiff while waves rocked it. Actually, the waves were getting rougher. But your mind was half there and barely registered the change.

Fading in and out of consciousness, you were half aware of a shadow that bore down on your tiny vessel. Half aware of shouts from those on board the larger ship that had pulled up next to your storm damaged ship, and certainly not aware when a rope was lowered to your little skiff. Your frail and dehydrated body was lofted from your vessel and scant belongings collected.

The first three days on board the Serene Patron had you sick in a bed with a high fever. You were still in and out of consciousness, coaxed to take sips of water in moments of lucidness. There was desperation in the back of your mind to claw for clarity to assess your situation, but all you could do was be at the mercy of whoever had found you adrift. The cool cloth that was placed upon your forehead after the wound at your hairline had been stitched felt nice, and the soft voice of a little girl reading out a story at your side was soothing. But you felt trapped in your body.

Unable to move. Unable to speak. Unable to be independent.

On the fifth morning since you had been found half dead in your little skiff you finally woke with a clear mind. Your head hurt terribly and your entire body felt stiff and enflamed. Dry and cracked lips parting, you made a croaking noise and shifted where you lay. Your movement made your stomach ache from lack of food and when you tried to sit up the room began spinning. More awkward rasps and croaks spilled from your lips as you weakly raised a hand to your temple. Feet scampered across wood as you moaned where you lay and a small face suddenly loomed over your.

“You’re awake!” A squeaky voice announced excitedly. Blinking rapidly because your eyes were still so sensitive to brightness, you carefully rotated your head to see the beaming face of a little girl. When she saw you looking at her, her smile seemed to widen. “Mama said to keep watch over you because you were sick! She always read me stories when I was sick so I’ve been doing the same! Do you feel better from my stories?”

You had no idea who the girl was or what was going on but you couldn’t help but try to answer.

“I feel better,” You croaked out, your voice scratchy and unlike anything you’d ever heard. Her eyes glimmered with happiness and you felt an odd warmth in your chest from how wide she was smiling at your words. Like she alone had healed you.

“Oh! Mama said to tell her if you woke up so I’m gunna go do that okay? Stay put!” The little girl scampered off before you could speak another scratchy word and you slumped back on what you lay on. It wasn’t like you could go anywhere. Your body felt so weak and ached terribly you weren’t remotely interested in moving in the first place!

“One… step at a time,” You grunted to yourself, wrinkling your nose as your head ached sharply. One step at a time. By the time that you heard feet drawing near you, you had time to think over what you would say for you reason to be stranded in the ocean on such a small boat with nothing but a few small trinkets, a locked box of gems, and the clothes upon your back. Hopefully they hadn’t robbed you blind, but if you were still alive, the likely hood of that had gone down by twenty five percent.

“See, see, she’s awake!” The little girl squeaked out excitedly.

“I see that Flora,” A warm motherly voice spoke before you saw a face to match. The woman had gorgeous caramel skin, thick blue hair tumbling down her back in a braids, and dark eyes that reminded you of the coffee Alanna used to fix you for your lunch. She was a gorgeous woman and clearly the little girl was going to be a carbon copy when she grew up. “It is good to see you awake, you were quite taken by sun poisoning when we happened upon your skiff.”

Ah, you really had bad sun poisoning then, you knew you should have brought along a hat…

“I am Mariah and this is my daughter Flora,” She spoke, taking a seat next to where you lay and pulling Flora into her lap. “We found you floating at sea six days past, on the brink of death. You must have been caught up in that storm a week past, what happened to your ship?”

You felt terrible for the lies that slipped from your lips upon explaining the reason why you had been floating on a skiff in the middle of the East Blue. The Blue Whale, the boat that had found you, had been nothing but gracious and kind to you as you recovered. They hadn’t touched any of your meager belongings and had promised to care for you until you could manage your life on your own.

They were under the impression that you had been from a family moving to a new island when your ship had been caught up in a storm. You were the only one who’d gotten out, hence why you had been alone, and the wound on your forehead had rendered your memory not the best. But lying about where you had truly come from was the only way to ensure that you couldn’t be tracked.

You’d already hacked your hair until it was a short choppy mess, the sun poisoning had left your face puffy and swelled which wouldn’t be going don for at least a few months, and while you couldn’t exactly change your eye color… no one was interested in a scrawny girl with choppy hair. If you kept your head down, you’d acclimate just fine into your new life. Yet, you couldn’t rely on the Reed family forever. So you started working on skills that could earn you a living when you were able to be independent once more. You were fairly good with your stitches so being a seamstress was an option, and you’d spent a great deal on leaning all about medicine.

If you were to take up a position as a traveling seamstress and nurse, you’d be able to make a living and do what you always wanted. Explore. The first port that Mariah had taken you to, you’d managed to see off a few of your jewels for proper clothing, supplies like a few good maps of the East Blue, your first knife, navigation tools including a brand new compass, and a sturdy bag to hold all of your possessions. Wearing the clothes of your new life, you finally felt like a free woman. The plan at the moment was that when you reached the next port, Kaminari Island, you’d depart from the Blue Whale to finally be on your own.

According to Flora, you were about two days from reaching that destination, so you were spending all your time with the little girl because everyone knew that she was going to be very upset upon learning that you were going to be leaving for good. She, however, was easily captivated by the stories you told her from the many books you read within Esmereld Cove’s library. You did this while sewing up broken fishing net for Mariah.

“… and after defeating the pirates the crew captured the Kemuri Kemuri No Mi devil fruit for themselves.” You told her, your fingers swiftly undoing a knotted section of fishing line before you reached for needle and thread. “The only problem was, were they going to sell it before temptation to eat the fruit got to one of them.” Flora stared at you with reverence, hanging onto each and every word you spoke.

“How much do devil fruits cost?” Flora inquired, her eyes sparkling. You blinked and contemplated that yourself. How much did devil fruit cost? Money had never been an issue to you, and you’d never really used it until a few weeks past. You could only surmise the cost of a devil fruit.

“Millions upon millions,” You guessed thoughtfully. “But I am not exactly sure, I’ve never seen one on the market before they are so rare.” Now that you thought about it, you still didn’t know much about anything. Books only got you so far. They didn’t teach you about true life. Flora continued babbling about stories of devil fruit that she had heard while at various harbors. You returned your attention to the fishnet in your hand, you only had a few more loops to go before you were finished with it. “Flore, go find you mother and check the holding tanks, Sef mentioned a leak this morning.”

She pouted at you, clearly upset that story time was over, but sulked out of the room to do as you asked. Once she was gone, you quickly finished up the rest of your mending and gathered it to your chest. You carried it out of the cabin and towards the stash of nets to be used the next morning. Setting it down, you double checked the net count before looking to the sky with a squint. You were still green at reading the skies, but the clouds on the horizon were apparent.

“It’ll be on the horizon, but we’ll make harbor before it reaches us,” Jasper spoke up from behind you. You turned your head to him and scrunched your eyebrows.

“How can you tell?” Jasper roped the fishing line in his hands as he lumbered over to you, then pointed up to the sails. “The wind, figure out how fast your ship is going, then check to see if the storm get’s bigger or smaller. This one has been maintaining size so we can assume it’s traveling the same direction we are, at the same knot speed.”

“That’s surprisingly not complicated,” You commented, storing that information in your mind because it was definitely something you were going to need and use later. Jasper patted you on the shoulder.

“You’re a quick learner, Vee,” Jasper told you before gently knocking his knuckles against your forehead. “‘Specially with that knock to the head you took. I’m surprised you didn’t scramble your brains more than you did.” You waved off his touch with a playfully annoyed look.

“You say that like my brain was put in a blender, Jas, I’m not a vegetable.” You snipped at him, leaning down to pick up a basket of covered fish. They needed to be moved into the sorting room and dealt with. You were planning on doing it since you still had issues with seasickness and could use a distraction.

“Hm, you’re more like a flower, delicate and beautiful,” Japer chimed as he continued to follow you. You both entered the small sorting room, and you set the basket of fish at the end of the table. Taking a position in front of the sorting table, you pulled the cloth off the fish and began sorting them by size and kind.

“Jasper, I look like a feral rat,” You corrected him, referencing your short choppy mess of black hair upon the top of your head. The fisherman eyed you and snorted, you could use a few extra pounds on your body, a break from the sun to help with the sun poisoning damage, and a large beak from the sea… but even without those things you were still a very beautiful woman.

“Vee, you may think you look like a feral rat, but that’s because you nearly died at sea. ‘Sides, you have the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen, never seen eyes that look like amethysts before.” That comment made you flinch slightly. You could hack off your hair and change your clothing, but you couldn’t change your eye color. Violet eyes were a rare occurrence in the world, even more in the East Blue! It was a trait hailing from a remote island in the North Blue your mother had come from. They didn’t leave their island often and no one really visited.

That is what made Sylvanna, your mother, so notorious among pirates. She had a hefty price tag on her head, long midnight hair, and piercing violet eyes that struck fear into the hearts of everyone. She was busy pirating the Grand Line so you didn’t have to worry about crossing paths in the East Blue. She would traverse such easy waters, so her face wasn’t known here and therefore your heritage couldn’t be traced to her while you stayed within the East Blue.

That was your short term solution until you had a life to call your own and could stand on your own two feet.

Date Published: 10/7/23

Last Edit: 10/7/23

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[mejcinta]

Honestly, I think you’re in denial of who Alys is gonna be in the show. It’s clear at least to me that they’re definitely going for a more villainous/nefarious route with her. Think like Mel but like, just way more sinister. Some version of Daelys is gonna happen in S2; I fully believe part of the reason Nettles was cut was so that she and Daemon would have an interesting dynamic in place of Daemon/Nettles in the book. I’m intrigued by the idea of putting them together.

As for Aemond, I really doubt he’s going to have the same relationship with Alys as he does in the books, especially if they end up doing the whole Aemond/Helaena love affair. Show Aemond is far more complex and developed than his book counterpart is, and if they truly do give him Daeron characteristics, then there’s no way he’d willingly just abandon his family in favorite of some random Strong bastard woman who claims to be a “witch”.

Make no mistake. I am not deluded at all or closed to the idea that Alys might turn out darker, or that Alysmond will be a complex and unsettling dynamic. I've spoken about this angle of them a couple of times.

However, your "Aemond is Daeron's replacement" as well as the Aemond/Helaena stuff, along with dragging Alys as a character in the mud makes me very aware what your motive is.

And all these are tired, repeated points from people that don't care about the tapestry of the story at all or character complexity , but rather headcanons that can only breathe and thrive where they belong. In their dreams.

Also, I'm pretty sure Nettles' dynamic with Daemon will be canon compliant.

[celebratinglucychen]

AAPI & Lucy Chen

Hi everyone! @sailorscout here.

When putting together this event, I was reminded of my first foray into fandom culture from 15ish years ago. I can’t remember what show or movie got me started but I do know the character I was in LOVE with was a black woman. I just wanted more of her; her story, her thoughts…she seemed like a person I could grow up in to. I remember being so disappointed when I went looking for content about her because none of it felt authentic to her character and her experience as a black woman. I felt that her blackness was ignored because of people’s hesitation or reluctance to reflect on race or womanhood in POC. I was 13 and felt so disappointed in the lack of interest in representing her fully. I truly felt hurt by it because this was a character that I strongly identified with because I saw myself in her and felt that I truly belonged.

Now I’m 28 and I’ve found another character that made me feel like that one did from all those years ago: Lucy Chen. But funnily enough, I find that there are still the same issues going on in fandom. While Lucy is BELOVED by just about the whole fandom and she does get her flowers with fics and drabbles and such, the lack of interest in representing who she is as a WOC is….disappointing. And I realized that I can finally be the person (with the help of @summerongrand and hopefully you guys!) that can help another girl, who sees herself completely in Lucy, who will join this fandom, who will seek out fics and creators who expand upon Lucy, who wont hesitate to reflect on her race. I hope the next little girl will find stuff that will uplift her, stuff that she *recognizes* in herself. Lucy is Chinese and if I can see myself in her, I can’t imagine how much she means to an Asian or Chinese girl or even woman. There is a lack of black representation but there’s even more of a lack of Asian representation and we don’t need to let that continue because we can express her fully in this fandom.

This event is special to me. Just like Lucy. She’s gotten such unfair treatment this season and I think we as a fandom can really do a lot to uplift her character and push for better for her and her experiences as a WOC. As a WOC, I just think it’s really important to highlight not just women but their color. Color is such a huge part of our identity and we often don’t feel seen. One of the ways we feel seen is by acknowledging color.

So, with all that being said, I’m here to remind you to engage in this event, whether it’s a fic or a Drabble or art work or even just an “ask” to us about one of the prompts! Feel free to ask us our thoughts and feelings too about anything related to this topic!

We’re already half way through AAPI month and I would really love to end the month with a few things to repost :) maybe Mel will see them. Maybe not. But someone will and it’ll mean the world to them :)

[the-teddy-bear-butch]

Alright gay people. Be prepared to lose your shit:

Ronance Lemonade Mouth AU

Nancy is Stella!!! Because I said so!!! Nancy deserves a rebel era and I can so see her being upset about the arts funding being cut for sports, including journalism. Electric guitar player Nancy my beloved >>>

Robin is Olivia, the shy, socially awkward songwriter and singer!!! Going to have her living with Steve as opposed to a grandma or something, but keeping the cat (who ironically in the movie is named Nancy). Might keep the her dad is in prison part? Undecided on how I’m translating Olivia’s background to Robin.

Speaking of Steve, he gets to be Charlie, the drummer! Keeping the pretty hair and parental pressure, but instead of wanting him to go to Stanford or play soccer, his dad wants him to join the insurance firm.

Eddie is Wen because Stella/Wen friendship > Nancy/Eddie besties ofc. Rather than coming in with rap, he adds amazing guitar riffs and heavy metal elements to the band’s sound. His family trouble involves settling in with Wayne, rather than dealing with a new stepmom.

And Mo was hard to decide, but!!! Our own Chrissy Cunningham. Her mom puts so much pressure on her to be the perfect daughter and Mo’s relationship with the one guy translates far too well to Chrissy’s relationship with Jason. Chrissy bass player arc omfg.

The rival band includes Jason, Billy (the one shitty guy who always starts drama), Tommy H, and Lucas (mirroring the basketball team here). Lucas tries to settle the drama throughout the AU.

The story begins when everyone gets detention. Robin and Chrissy were skipping class, Nancy blew up at someone about a news segment. Eddie got mad at a teacher, and Steve hit someone with a basketball (on accident).

The music teacher is Joyce and she leaves them all alone and that goofy little music moment happens and they all sing together.

Instead of Mel’s Lemonade, hear me out: Argyle’s Lemonade.

Robin has severe stage fright, but the band helps her get through it, especially Nancy. She and Steve live together. Eddie is often over to help with lyrics. She has an old ass cat that’s the last thing she has of her mother, just like Olivia.

Nancy gets to be rebellious in this fic. Her dad thinks she should just settle for a white picket fence (when he bothers to pay attention to her at all), her mom doesn’t really fight it, so Nancy rebels. She’s also getting the school newspaper together after the funding cut. Tell me this girl isn’t the kind to protest lack of free speech and the removal of the lemonade machine.

Eddie was only just sent to Wayne. It’s supposed to be temporary. In the same way Wen gets used to his stepmom, Eddie has to get used to Wayne and they do eventually grow closer. The scene where it’s revealed that Wen’s stepmom is moving in is instead Eddie arriving home to all of his belongings there in boxes and his parents nowhere to be seen—his stay is suddenly much more permanent.

Steve’s dad wants him to be an athlete (basketball) and join the insurance firm, but Steve just doesn’t want that. He quits basketball for the band and there’s some family struggle.

Rethinking the living situation, I may have Robin and Steve move in together partway through the story as opposed to the beginning, but I’m unsure where that leaves Robin. Her background is the hardest to work out.

Chrissy learns to stand on her own, gets away from her mom’s expectations, and sees Jason as the manipulative shitheel he is. Naturally she falls for one of the band’s biggest fans: Vickie.

Dustin plays the role of the AV kid that helps the band throughout the movie. He shows Nancy around in the beginning, explains the budget cut, and he makes the first vinyls for the band.

Nancy gets to rock Billy’s shit because I said so.

In the end scene, it’s Max and Lucas who save the day. Lucas leaves the rival band to help Lemonade Mouth out, Max is the first person in the crowd to start singing.

Steddie is established already. Ronance is the focus. Any of the Wen/Olivia scenes will be Ronance instead because I said so. Rumors circulate that Eddie and Robin are dating because Steddie keeps quiet and Robin isn’t out and the whole band finds it hilarious.

[mmmmalo]

On the off chance anyone here has watched Signs (2002) recently: did anyone else get the themes of sexism? Joaquin Phoenix insisting the aliens were too athletic to be women (rebuked for this by the woman sheriff), the Culkin boy condescending to his little sister all the time... also Mel Gibson telling the cop and the clerk not to call him (church) Father maybe, it's a bit curious that he only delivers that line to women. Maybe the part where Gibson says his vote counts as 2 because he's 2 parents now (the mom passed) is the tell -- like there was some sort of gendered panic over filling in the roles that used to belong to Mom, with his abandoned role as a church father obscuring a sense of defection from manhood... the image of two men leading the household, despite their formally being brothers, also seemed to be exploited to connote gay couples -- a scene where Phoenix tells Gibson not to let go of his hand (because they want to maintain radio resonance and hear the aliens) piqued my curiosity a bit. Maybe... the alien invasion is the threat of encroaching effeminacy...? Even if Bo's water technically defeated the alien, and the story of Bo being Angelic seemed to oppose her to the more Demonic aliens, it felt like their shared aversion to water and otherworldliness was more of link between the two? Especially since you see Bo's face appear on the alien's chameleon skin just before Phoenix reclaims his legacy of masculine prowess and beats the alien to death with a baseball bat. Which represents driving out his effeminacy or something? is the best I can make of it... I suppose if athleticism is the sexist's standard for masculinity, Culkin's asthma naturally makes him a natural target for the alien-as-effeminacy... even if formally his asthma saves him from the alien's poison? Or maybe that story beat from the climax, the threat of toxic injection, should mapped back to Phoenix's earlier anecdote about how his (unmasculine?) hesitation to kiss a girl prevented her vomiting into his mouth -- avoiding the nauseous injection of femininity by avoiding women (even though that's kinda gay, and therefore effiminate). Sexist circularity

Anyway it was a funny movie. Recommended

[socalwriterbee]

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Book: Open Heart

Characters: Ethan Ramsey x Tessa Martinez (FMC)

Rating/Warning: Teen/Fluff

Word Count: 982

Summary: Ethan and Tessa's niece (Melody) are on the look out for a Christmas Tree, only to find out that the tree they are looking for his for his home.

A/N: It's been a minute since I've posted on a story on here and a few weeks ago I got this idea from a conversation about a christmas tree farm with @cariantha @txemrn and @peonierose. I hope it this is ok Cari, it got my mind going. I would also like to thank you for the little something I will be adding at the end. I absolutely love it!!

A/N 2: This was quickly edited, sorry for any errors and typos.

A/N 3: My posts will not have any tags, if you happen to stumble upon this story, Thank you for taking the time to read, like and/or share! Hope you enjoy!

Characters belong to our friends at Pixelberry!

Happy Holidays!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

The sun sat bright in the sky, only giving some warmth to a cold December morning, the smell of pines surrounding them. Ethan found himself in search for the perfect Christmas Tree. Tessa was somewhere else with the rest of her family at a local Christmas Tree farm that was just outside the city limits. The ground crunched under his shoes as he tried to keep up with the little girl in front of him. 

It wouldn’t be hard to lose sight of her they way she was dressed, black pants, shoes that lit up with each step she took paired with a ‘ugly sweater’ as Melody called it and a beanie with a white pom right on top.

Ethan knew if he did not have her in his eye sight she would turn and go off on one of her adventures, where he would call out for her and he would only hear her soft giggles when she hid from him. 

Ethan sighed, he had been bested by Mel more times than he cared to admit. “Have you seen one you like?”

Melody answers him with a simple shake of her head.

What she was looking for Ethan had no clue, they passed trees he would have chosen, full, a nice shape to them, height was perfect for Talia’s family home. 

They were all here when Talia mentioned to Tessa and him about doing this when they went over to her home a couple weeks ago. Tessa’s sister was trying to work around their hospital schedule, Ethan found it quite nice to be included in their family activities and memories. 

He watched Melody stop in front of tree, it stood only a few inches taller than her. Ethan came to a stop next to her, looking down he saw the cold had nipped at her nose making the tip rosy. 

He felt the opposite of a chill when Melody’s warm little hand settled into his. “This one Uncle Ethan.”

The words he wanted to say died on the tip of his tongue but that didn’t stop him from thinking them in his head. The tree in question was quite sad, he tilted his head to the side while he took it in, it was more branches than anything, the needles sparse.

“Mel, are you sure?” He asked, she had to be mistaken the space meant for the Christmas Tree in her family room would swallow this little runt up. “We passed by a lot more bigger ones…”

“But I like this one.”

Alright.

How was Ethan going to sell this one to Tessa and her sister, he saw a smile spread across Melody’s little face and he knew that this little tree was going home with them. He could already hear Tessa, “that little girl has you wrapped around her finger.” 

“I guess we could make room for two trees in the family room.” Ethan said. 

He started pulling out his phone to call Tessa, when Melody’s voice stopped him. “No, Uncle Ethan it’s for you. Auntie Tess said we could decorate a tree for you.”

Ethan tucks his phone back into his coat and drops down to the four year old’s height, sort of he was still a couple inches taller but that didn’t stop her brown eyes from locking with his. “I don’t need one, sweetheart.”

Her little arms wrapped around his neck, Ethan lets out an oomph as he balances the two of them from the force of her hug. “I don’t want you to become a grinch.”

A grinch? Tessa. Ethan shook his head before taking the little girl in his arms, balancing her as he stands them up. “I won’t become a grinch.”

“But you don’t have any Christmas decorations, how will Santa find you to leave presents.”

“Oh.” Santa, right. Ethan tickles Melody, feeling her wiggle and her infectious laugh fill the air, it’s a quick distraction, one he hopes will buy him some time to come up with something. 

When she stopped laughing, Ethan turned them back to the tree in question. “You really like this one?”

Melody nods. 

“There you guys are.” Ethan and Melody turn to see Tessa making her way towards them. “What did you two find?”

“Auntie.” Melody calls out, trying to wiggle out of Ethan’s arms, before she can fall, he places her down and watches her run towards her aunt. 

“Did you find it Ladybug?” Tessa asks.

“Santa is going to like it aaalot.”

“Is he? Show me which one.” 

Ethan watched the interaction between aunt and niece before they made their way to him and the tree he stood in front of. When they reached Ethan, he heard Tessa let out a soft laugh before she turned to him. Tessa was biting her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing even further. 

Ethan leans down and places a kiss at the corner of Tessa mouth, “This has you written all over it.”

Tessa’s eyes go wide. “Me?”

“You’re the only one who calls me a grinch.” Ethan says wrapping an arms around Tessa and bringing her into him. “And you’ve been trying to get me to decorate, so you enlist a child to do your bidding.”

The two of them look out in front them, Melody skipping around Ethan’s tree singing a Christmas song he doesn’t recognize. 

“Did it work?”

Ethan doesn’t answer her because Tessa already knows the answer. “This is the one Mel.”

Melody stops skipping and singing to only start jumping with excitement. “I did it Auntie Tess.”

“Yes, you did Ladybug.”

“I picked the ugliest tree like you said.”

Tessa slipped out of Ethan’s embrace before he could say anything that Melody could hear. Ethan could only laugh to himself, he had fallen once more to the mischief niece and aunt came up with.

This time it was with a little holiday spirit.

[melliotwrites]

Hi! I’m writing my own music, and Adamandi is an inspiration. I’m just wondering, has there been any inspiration when it came to you two writing musicals? (Adamandi, The Art of Pleasing Princes, Ghost Story, and any other future musicals.) Such as, any movies, TV shows or any other musicals? I find the aesthetics and music in these musicals all so different and I love that! And the themes in these musicals are so interesting! (/vpos!)

Great question! It's hard to separate genuine inspiration from research, since once we get an idea we usually try to consume everything that's related to what we want to write to figure out what we wanna add to the cultural conversation. Sometimes we also get inspiration from a work because we don't like it and want to position our piece in opposition to that one. But for this post we'll try to keep it to Genuine Inspiration that we consumed before we wrote each piece (hey, this thing is cool, this helped me figure out how I wanna write my thing for the better.)

Maybe we'll break this up by show:

TAOPP

Fun light fantasy with heart that plays with the tropes of fantasy settings, a la classic DND settings, Six of Crows, Terry Pratchett

Mel took a class on the High Middle Ages and read On The Origins of Courtliness (from which the title is derived!) and The Ballad of Tristan and Isolde, which got sort of melangéd into the Princes court world- living and dying by the king's pleasure, etc.

Aesthetically, the TV show The Great? Mel watched it a little bit before writing Princes and the anachronistic dialogue + rules of court drama have something to do with it.

Not much musical inspo for this tbh, I think it was just our first go at Writing A Show Together so a lot of our influences were just other musical soundtracks we thought might be the vibe we were aiming for. (Probably Pippin, 35mm, Great Comet, etc..)

Similarly with lyrics, I wasn't really thinking of a lyrical style, but I think I based a lot of my song forms on Something Rotten as the other show I knew set in the same era (using the very loose definition of "the same era"). ~Mel

ADAMANDI GENERAL INSPO:

the usual dark academia medias (Maurice and Another Country were our favorites) and also attending undergrad at a dark academia ass college

Lots of folk horror! (The Wicker Man (1973) - was particularly fun for me in thinking about the Catholicism storyline -Mel)

Jordan Peele movies like Get Out and Us

For musicals, Passion was really inspirational in both tone and subject matter.

Lyrically, I tried to think about Falsettos and Sunday- very lyrically dense shows that portray the intricate vocabularies of a specific, often highly intellectual subculture. What shibboleths do academics use to identify who does and doesn't belong? And why is the word "shibboleth" so not singable :( I think really liking Matilda as a kid also had something to do with it. ~Mel

I looked at a lot of horror musicals for a research paper but didn't like them much. (Except Little Shop. I love Little Shop and kinned the dentist in high school.) So I guess that's inspiration but in a what-Not-to-do way? Which is how I stumble on a lot of "inspiration" - Elliot

ADAMANDI MUSICAL INSPO:

chamber pop, baroque pop (incorporating the orchestral/acoustic elements of "dark academia" movie soundtracks with alternative pop and rock that's associated with the dark academia aesthetic more thematically)

The Dresden Dolls/Amanda Palmer's music

swing, jazz, dark cabaret (for the 1930s vibe)

Murder ballads (e.g. American Murder Song)

also weirdly the soundtrack to the Yellowjackets TV show. I love the eerie vocals in them and the creepy use of body percussion/breath - Elliot

here's an early inspo playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wjhDj3ZzR01ghNfB03sYC?si=6f38f4c5f2ee43c7)

GHOST STORY

(more of a reading list since we're thinking top-down for this one!)

M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang. I will never write anything as bangin' as "Being an Oriental, I could never be completely a man." - Elliot

Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection by Julia Kristeva

Stranger Intimacy by Nayan Shah

A View From the Bottom by Tan Hoang Nguyen

Ishtyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife by Kareem Khubchandani

For musicals, Assassins and Parade

Arcadia and Follies are my touchstones for how the past and present can intersect onstage, and what got me excited about doing it ourselves! ~Mel

GHOST STORY MUSICAL INSPO

ragtime, jazz, Americana, blues, folk, country ! For inspo, trying to look for American folk music as close to 1880 as possible, but it's hard to find. Allowing myself to listen to stuff up til 1920.

Also alternative pop/rock/indie/whatever per usual. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0QwtUiwwZfc3TYMy0DarOq?si=cc9d5129d43b4aeb is my working inspiration playlist right now - Elliot

[kaze-writes]

A/N: I don't think I've been this apprehensive to share a story in a long long time, and not (only) because it's a (mild) smut. I've spent months and months with Jaz, Leon and the crew but realised they've never been formally introduced to here so... be gentle with me them.

Infra-Red

Summary: In which Jaz and Leon get a little too distracted during an award show. Warning: This story contains explicit NSFW content. Anyone below the age of 18 or uncomfortable with this topic is advised not to interact.

Everyone's living in black and white We see each other in a different light That’s why I look at you like I do Like nobody else is even in the room

~ Three Days Grace - Infra-Red ~

Award shows were Jaz’s favourites. 

There was just something about them - the colourful hustle and bustle, the tension and excitement, the sheer force of the emotions as prizes were handed out and tear-filled speeches were given on stage.

And then, there were the afterparties, of course; a chance for everyone to let down their hair without getting harassed by journalists. There usually was great music involved, free drinks, catching up with old friends and making new ones, the air abuzz with talent, inspiration and good vibes.

The particular award show the members of Equinox were currently headed to promised just that, and Jaz was fidgeting in her evening gown, impatient to finally get going. Jacques, the band’s stylist, tutted and slapped her hand away as she reached for the satin strap that had wandered up her shoulder.

“Stop that.” Giving her a disapproving look as he pulled the strap back into place. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks.” Jaz glanced at herself in the floor-length mirror Jacques had set up. Self-consciously, she ran her hand over the shimmering red satin. “Is it really necessary to –”

“I spent an eternity sourcing this dress,” Jacques said sternly, brushing his hand almost reverently over the smooth fabric. “If you ruin this vision I created out of you, I’ll make you wear Primark for the rest of your miserable, unstylish life. Now stop complaining.”

“What’s wrong with Primark?” 

“I don’t get paid enough for this,” Jacques muttered, rubbing his temples and handing Jaz a bag that was so tiny she could hardly fit her phone, lipstick and a handful of hairpins in. 

He ushered her out the door of the big townhouse in Kensington, belonging to Equinox’s manager and mentor Rich Cameron, to where the rest of the band was already waiting for their car to arrive. 

Rich Cameron himself, dressed in a sharply tailored suit, was looking at his watch impatiently, typing something into his phone every now and again.

“About bloody time you got ready. I was about to go in there and get you out myself.”

“You can’t rush art,” Jacques said indignantly in Jaz’s stead, picking up his bag. He silently pointed at his eyes with one hand, then at Jaz but there was a gleam in his eyes as he blew them all a kiss and vanished into the brightly-lit London night.

Everett James, their band’s lead singer, raised his eyes from his phone and whistled audibly.

”Looking hot, Jaz.” He grinned at Leon, who stood next to him with an unreadable expression and elbowed him in the side. “I’m gonna need her standing next to me, that’s for sure.”

Leon mumbled something in return Jaz couldn’t hear and turned away, seemingly indifferent, but the appreciative flash in his eyes as he looked her up and down hadn’t been lost on Jaz. She knew that look. Warmth pooled in her stomach and she tried not to look at him further as they waited. She was going to have enough of it before the night was over. 

Half an hour, two traffic jams and diversions and an almost-fit from Rich later, they finally arrived at the venue, the red carpet rolled out there flanked by rows of people clutching bulky, expensive-looking cameras. They began flashing as Mel stepped from their limousine first, sequins on her midnight blue suit rattling, and the screams and lights intensified when the whole ensemble finally posed side by side to have their picture taken. 

Jaz embraced the hecticness, smiling at the photographers she soon wasn’t able to see from the blinding lights. 

Next to her, Leon had casually shoved one hand into the pocket of his suit so that his stack of colourful bracelets was showing against his tanned skin, the other resting on the small of Jaz’s exposed back. 

Her smile never faltered, but Jaz was aware of every point of skin Leon was touching with his fingers, a pleasant twist going through her stomach whenever he moved or adjusted his hand. He began tapping her skin, wandering them along her spine in movements too minuscule for anyone but her to notice. She shivered, her core pulling together. Fighting the urge to look at him, Jaz’s eyes and smile remained trained on the photographers documenting their every move, but she knew which look she’d find there if she did. The thought of his small, slightly crooked smile, which always made him look like he knew something no one else did, did nothing to make her body stop tingling.

They were about to head inside, already out of sight of the cameras, when Leon gently touched her arm.

Jaz obediently let herself fall back - subtly, so the others wouldn’t notice - and between two heartbeats, Leon bent down to her, his hot breath brushing her cheek as he whispered something into her ear. Then he was gone again, catching up to Mara, leaving Jaz to walk behind them with heat spreading from her stomach into the rest of her.

Their table was rather to the back of the room, further from the stage than Rich would have liked. He kept on complaining but Jaz didn’t mind the obscurity created by the spots directed at the front of the room. Mel was chatting to her about the results of last week’s football match - “Celtic should have gotten that penalty, I swear to bloody God!” - but Jaz couldn’t bring herself to do much more than nod every now and again. Beneath the table, Leon, who was sitting on her other side talking to Mara, had his leg pressed against hers, the heat coming off his body palpable despite the cool air streaming from the ventilation shafts. She could smell his aftershave, mixed with a subtle hint of the hairspray Jacques had used to give his hair the perfectly messed-up look that made Jaz want to run her hand through it. She was burning with impatience now, making her leg bounce up and down, causing even more friction between her and Leon.

Hadn’t she known better, she would've thought Leon hadn’t noticed her restlessness. He looked like nothing was amiss, the only indication of being aware of Jaz the shifting of his leg, brushing along the patch of bare skin accessible through the slit in her skirt, and the barely perceptible smirk he gave her when she tensed. Her leg bounced faster and she did her best not to squirm in her seat, biting her lip almost painfully to keep from gasping when he brought his hand to her thigh beneath the table and squeezed it tightly. 

‘Go,’ his brief look at her seemed to say before he turned back to Mara again, and Jaz needn’t be told twice.

She raised herself from her seat and hastily left the table with a mumbled excuse. Even as she walked away, she could feel Leon’s eyes on her back. When she had left the increasingly bustling hall behind and entered the now quiet hallway, her phone buzzed in her handbag. She checked the message, looking left and right as she followed the short instructions on her screen.

Rounding a corner, even the last traces of activity ceased and Jaz was alone. A little further ahead, she could spot her destination but when she made her way to it, she found the door of the storage closet she’d been aiming at locked.

Well, shit.

Knowing that she couldn’t linger, Jaz unceremoniously plucked a pin from the elaborate updo Jacques had twisted her hair into and got to work. When Leon arrived a couple of minutes later, he was surprised to already find her waiting inside.

“I thought it’d be locked.”

“You sent me to a room you thought was locked?”

“Didn’t have much time studying the floor plan, did I?” 

“I suppose not.” Jaz smiled innocently. “And it was locked.”

“Then how did you…”

She raised her hand with the hairpin still lodged between her index and middle finger. “Perks of living with Mel.”

“Do I really want to know?” 

“Depends.”

“On what?”

Jaz slipped from the small table she’d been sitting on and placed her hand on his chest. “On whether you came here for talking.”

Not wasting another word, Leon bent to kiss her. Their mouths met greedily, hungrily, his lips tasting of the champagne they’d been served at the table. Jaz sighed as his tongue slipped into her mouth, his hands moving from her waist to the exposed skin of her back. Their kiss deepening, Leon pushed her back against the table and she let him lift her upwards onto the tabletop again.

His tie was discarded as soon as it was loose enough, Leon’s shirt following soon after as Jaz unbuttoned it with flying fingers. Her fingers spanned the countless pictures inked into his skin for a moment, but she was soon distracted when Leon dipped his head to her throat, leaving a burning trail of kisses in his wake. She slung her arm around his neck, arching her back to meet him, both their breaths coming heavily. 

When they locked lips again and Leon's fingers trailed from her spine up into her artfully arranged hair, Jaz was reluctant to have to pull away.

“Stop that,” she gasped, the sound turning into a barely subdued moan as Leon ran his finger along her temple and cheekbones, coming to rest on her lower lip.

“Why would I?”

“Because I can’t walk out of here looking like I just had a shag, can I?” 

Leon hummed. “I like that look on you.”

Catching Leon’s hands still playing with her hair, she guided them to where the fabric of her dress parted at her thigh to allow more room for motion. 

“I know other things your hands could do, though.” 

With a mischievous smirk that made her core pull together, Leon slipped his hands beneath the cool satin and onto her burning skin. His hands were rough as they pushed the fabric upwards, spanning Jaz’s thighs with the exact amount of pressure that made her dip her head back in pleasure. She shuddered as Leon brought his mouth to her chest, tracing the outline of her breasts where the red satin of her dress began. 

“I love this dress,” he murmured against her skin, making Jaz sigh, “but honestly, I’d prefer you out of it.”

Almost reluctantly, Jaz pulled away from him and hooked her fingers under the loops of his belt. “I thought you’d never get to the point.” 

Leon laughed darkly, arms enveloping her as he kissed her again, more roughly than before. Jaz met his pace, blindly pulling his belt away and undoing his flies as he lifted her from the table and turned her around. She steadied herself against the wall with her hand, one foot set onto one of the boxes littering the floor. Leon was pressing against her from behind, the heat of him compensating for the chilly air hitting her skin as he pushed her dress further up and up.

“What’s that, drummer girl?” he murmured into her ear, his breath hot against her neck. “No underwear?” 

She shot a teasing look over her shoulder even though her knees were close to buckling as Leon parted her legs with his hands and let them wander continuously higher. “Complaining, are we?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

The grip on her shoulder tightened, and Jaz stifled a moan when he pushed inside of her. They had been doing this game for long enough to find their rhythm immediately, and it was all she could do not to cry out as Leon moved against her. The pace he set was quick, as much because of their shortage of time as of their mutual need, and Jaz did her best to match him. With every thrust she pushed herself against him, delighting in the friction she caused that way which made her head spin.

It wasn’t long before she felt the heat beginning to pool in her stomach, the familiar tingle beginning to grow. When she thought she couldn’t contain it any longer, Leon’s fingers dug into her skin, the ends of his hair brushing her collarbone as he buried his face against her neck, shuddering as he came. Jaz allowed herself to let go as well, fireworks exploding in front of her eyes as her high rolled over her. Clasping her hand in front of her mouth, she stifled the cry dropping from her lips. 

Tension leaving her body, she let herself collapse onto the tabletop in front of her. After the long moment it took for her to find her bearings again, she propped herself onto her elbows, brushing one of the locks that had fallen from her updo after all from her face with shaky hands.

“You alright?”

Leon ran his hand down her spine but there was no fire behind the gesture anymore, only genuine concern at her prolonged silence. Laughing breathily, Jaz turned to him, brushing her skirt down as she did so.

“Never better.” 

From beyond the door and down the hallway, the faint sound of clapping could be heard. Using the dusty mirror propped against the wall, Jaz quickly reapplied her lipstick and smoothed down her hair. When she was done, she studied Leon’s reflection behind her; his hair, which had been messy to begin with, was in even more of a state than before and there was a distinct red mark next to his mouth from her lipstick. Having tapped her face in the corresponding spot, he quickly wiped it off. 

“It’s a good thing you always look like you just got out of bed anyway.” 

Leon, in the process of buckling up his belt again, paused and raised one eyebrow at her. “I didn’t when I arrived here.” 

Chuckling, Jaz stepped towards the door, purposefully brushing against Leon as she did so. She lingered there, laying one hand against his cheek and raising her chin as if to kiss him.

A look of surprise flickering over his face he leaned in, closing his eyes, but before their lips could touch, Jaz pulled away with a smirk.

“Five minutes,” she breathed, her words ghosting over his lips. “See you at the show.”

And with that, she slipped from the room, leaving Leon behind. Making sure that no one had seen her, she quickly smoothed down her dress and made her way back towards the venue. 

When she reached their table, the opening show had just begun. Rich gave her a dark look as she took her seat and turned back to the stage. When his attention was elsewhere, Mel leaned in, whispering,

“Where have you fucking been?”

Jaz pursed her lips and shrugged. “Fucking somewhere else.”

“Say a word next time you choose to disappear into the nether,” Mel rolled her eyes. “Leon went to find you.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, didn’t you see him?”

The lie left her lips smoothly. “Not at all.”

“I bet he went to get something that makes this shit a little more fun,” Everett threw in from the other side of Mel. “He could have said something, at least. I would have joined him.”

Jaz bit the insides of her cheek. “No doubt about that.”

“Diversion can be found in the strangest of places, if you only look for them, my friend.” 

Leon had appeared behind them, having come from the opposite entrance of the one Jaz had come through. His smile was level as he slipped into his seat but the way his lips twitched as his eyes grazed Jaz wasn’t lost on her. 

Everett’s look seemed to say ‘I told you so’ but Jaz only sipped on her champagne, eyes pointedly trained at the stage. Trying not to smirk, she spun the hairpin Leon had pressed into her palm beneath the table between her fingers.

Award shows truly were her favourites. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As promised, I do deliver @drinkyoursoupbitch. Thank you @flareshin for being my favourite helpful artist friend.

[hearts4blyg]

UNSORTED FEELINGS

Abby Anderson & Mel J fic

Basis: Mel survives and eventually gives birth before her, (her baby) Lev, Abby and Alice head to Santa Barbara. Making short stops on the way for resting purposes. Abby and Mel both have feelings for one another that they can’t figure out, which leads to conflict and confusion.

Cw: Hints of internalized homophobia

Note: This is my first fanfic in like years…so i honestly hope it’s okay. I’ve had this idea in mind for awhile and think it turned out pretty alright! This might be a series of some sort since i have more to add onto the story but, yeah. I tried my best with plotting everything out. :]] ! it’s a bit short.

A softness flowed through the air, leaving a refreshing feeling on the sense of Abby’s reveled skin in her tank. Breathing in the air, letting it fill her lungs, before she exhaled. They were on land again- perhaps..for the 5th time it appeared. She truly had lost track, not that she necessarily needed to track down how much they stopped. They weren’t in a rush, especially in Mel’s concern. Mel already had her baby before they even began this trip. They stayed back due to her time in need of healing, which in itself is a whole story that she didn’t even wanna consider going through again. The hardships of it all. Being inside Owen’s small boat that got too cramped at times was overbearing, for all four of them (including a dog) So, another resting spot it was. The idea had been Abbys, she saw how restless Mel looked. The way her eyes would slowly close any given chance she wasn’t trying to take care of her child. She definitely knew Mel needed to stop, and that’s exactly what was in motion. With her gun lightly raised, her eyes scanned the empty house. To her luck, it was the nicest looking one- not in regards to the build, in regards to the shape of it. It was messy, but, seemed to be picked up more than the last few they’ve been in. Her ears were open, trying to sense out any infected in the area that could impose a threat to them. Slow steps through the house, prepared for action. Nothing? okay, good..they were safe. At least, in the meantime. A sigh passed her lips, relief filling her chest before her tensed body relaxed and she nodded. “It’s safe!” she alerted the little group. Alice the first to make her way over, wagging her tail as she entered the house. Lev came in second, his packed belongings over his shoulder along with his bow. Abby kept her eyes glued to Mel, who struggled to get her things. This practically rushed Abigail to help her, her hand taking ahold of Mel’s sleeping bag and her backpack. “I got it- you’re carrying a baby.” The woman flashed her a quick smile, trying show Mel reassurance within her help. Mel lightly smiled back, a little caught off guard from Abby’s sudden swift to action. Nonetheless, she held gratitude. “Thanks..” she said, her voice quiet, though loud enough for the other woman to hear her. The blonde nodded, watching the other walk into the secured house. Her eyes lingered on her till she disappeared, and she furrowed her brows. Her palms sweaty, her nerves spiked. What was that? she couldn’t begin to understand why she even got worked up. Only realizing the feelings whenever Mel was no longer in her sight. Abby had to gather herself, something as simple as helping the woman shouldn’t have put her on edge. In all honesty- it might have been due to the pure fact the two women never gotten along with Owen in the picture. It blinded their relationship, only causing unwanted, uncomfortable tension that- Abby hated. Truly, she wanted to be close to Mel. Be good friends with her, the same way she’d been friends with Manny, or Nora. Now…that opportunity could stand. Owen didn’t interrupt it. It’s like, he’d been the cause of all the trouble they had and…Abby didn’t wanna think about it. She hated to think the man she used to love for years could’ve been the issue to not being closer to a girl she’s known for a long time too- it bothered her, why? she couldn’t shake it.

Quickly, Abby entered the house. Placing Mel’s belongings down against the wall. It seemed both Mel and Lev were occupied, Lev looking around the home. Mel, baby in her arms slowly rocking while her hand gently rubbed the child’s back. A sense of safety washed over Abigail. Like, for the first time in awhile she felt herself letting go. She truly felt safe with Mel during their travels, and she didn’t know where it came from. They talked frequently, small talk. Nothing more than simple ‘How’d you sleep? is the baby okay? do you need anything? how are you?’ with the woman. Her words, actions always so caring in a way she honesty hadn’t fully recognized in terms of how she wanted Mel to be generally okay. It had to be stressful. Nothing wrong with checking in on her, at all.. Then the question remained. What were these feelings? the ones that kept her up at night, in strong thought. Rolling on her side in frustration, unable to pin point why her nerves were acting out whenever she’d been with Mel. When did this even begin? She truly liked to believe it was Owen. He caused this tension, this feeling she couldn’t shake. That wall between the two women, keeping her from actually knowing her own emotions. Most nights, the thought made her beyond rage. It saddened her, why? she wished she knew. Mel wasn’t fond of her, is that it? she’s not an ideal person. She’s flawed in every way. Why did she feel the need to be so..perfect? unlike she’d be able to. No human can be perfect- Mel isn’t. Why then? why did Abby hold onto that need to prove to Mel she had good in her? it’s like a war in her head, battling between those feelings and immediately bringing them to Owen, to their indifferences of not getting along. Or..was it the need to prove anything to Mel? did she..long for more? for that affection she once gave Owen, those times Mel’s hand caressed his face, telling him he’s a mess. Did she..crave those moments? with another woman? with Mel? The thought caused her face to burn, snapping herself out of it and shaking her head. No way. That’s ridiculous. She didn’t know what she wanted, she knew nothing. This is nothing..

Night soon fell, a peacefulness filling the shared home. Sleeping bags all in the living room, spread out for space. Lev and Alice were sound asleep, the dog cuddled up right to the boy. Abby looked over at the sight, a smile tugging her lips at how wholesome it was. A moment such as that making her even more grateful for this experience, she loved Lev as if he was her own little brother, it made her glad to see him resting well, knowing he’s safe and under care. Her attention turns, the sound of crying is quick to notice, Abby immediately perks up, on her feet as her ears follow the crying. She lands right into the kitchen, stopping in her tracks when her eyes meet Mels. Baby formula on the counter with a bottle, it appeared the woman was just about to pick it up before Abby entered. “Oh, Abby..were you sleeping? didn’t mean to wake you..” Mel breaks the silence, a little chuckle in her voice when she finished her sentence, trying to shrug off the tension that so happened to lay out. Abby cleared her throat, her hand on her hip. “No, no..i wasn’t sleeping. Cant sleep, actually.” She let out a small chuckle, a quick smile to piece it together. “Shouldn’t you be trying to sleep? we’ve been traveling for quite a bit, you really sho-“ Abby didn’t get to even finish, the harshness but yet so calm tone of Mel’s voice stopped her. “I’m fine, Abby.” is all she even said, and this..tone caused the blonde to feel particularly..pained. She nodded, though did not back down with her worry. “I could take the baby, you need rest. If i have to stay up all night then i will, i don’t mind.” Mel’s child was quite the crier, she cried for hours on end during some nights and somehow..Lev slept through it, no issue. Abby? it woke her instantly. She couldn’t get any sleep most nights due to her cries. Mel struggled to even get her to calm down, her humming, singing, shushing and gentle rubs barely did any magic. What mostly kept her from crying is being fed, she had to be fed almost always during nights. “Don’t worry about it.” Mel instantly threw off Abby’s offer, turning her head back to her baby. She picked up the bottle she just filled and held the child on its back with one of her arms, the other holding the bottle to feed. Lightly she hummed, telling her child ‘it’s okay..’ in a soft tone. Abby stared. No matter how many times Mel might’ve brushed her off or insisted she was ‘fine.’ Abby knew. Nonetheless, Mel was a good mother. With a sigh, Abby parted her lips to speak again, though didn’t get the chance as Mel walked right past her. That was that.

It’d been about a week since the small group had placed themselves into the home. They had quite a few things picked up around them, making it cozy enough for their liking and finding themselves nestled into it quite nicely. They were about go on 2 weeks that they’d been here- which, they never stayed for longer than 2 weeks. They did stay for about 3 weeks once, hence Mel desperately needed more time but, nonetheless time had been slowly running out and they would have to be back on their feet soon if they wanted to make it to Santa Barbara. Surely, they were getting there. Wasn’t much further from what Abby had gathered, always keeping close watch, always having her face buried in the map they carried. It’d been such a main focus point for her, she sometimes didn’t realize how carried away she gotten in the height of her consumption with getting there. Abby actually was out, she’d been scavenging some more around the little neighborhood they were in. They needed more supplies so, Mel suggested it. Which, in terms of supplies, Abby would like to think she’d hit the jackpot in most her finds. Mel had her baby in a baby carrier that they so happen to find awhile back in a house, humming lightly when her eyes captured Abby, not too far from returning. Lev who’d been stuffing his face full of comics he found in the little book area that was next to the kitchen had turned his attention to Mel who called out his name. “Hey, Lev. Do you mind taking her for a bit? I need to do something. Won’t be long, promise.” The woman spoke gently as Lev nodded. “Sure. Is it okay if i take her upstairs then? i haven’t gotten the chance to check out the rooms.” Lev questioned as Mel hooked the baby carrier onto him, with the child still in it. “Go ahead. Be careful, ok?” Lev nodded once more, as he walked up the stairs, Alice following him.

Now that Mel didn’t have the baby on her, she could take the time to really think. She’d been wanting to confront Abby about this..behavior of hers that’s been going on for a couple months. She’s unsure why this is a breaking point- why she just wants to get this out of the way. It’s bothering her beyond reckoning. It’ll surely drive her more mad if she doesn’t say a thing. Abigail entered the house, a light groan coming from the blonde haired woman, setting down her backpack and the supplies she got. “I got super lucky. Found this shark comic that Lev is gonna be so happy over. I also found this cute little Santa ornament that i think you’d might like- since you’re into christmas.” Abby spoke, this thrill in her voice. Mel shouldn’t have gotten so stuck on that- her throat getting tight as she tried to swallow, remaining calm. “It’s nowhere near Christmas, Abby.” Mel commented, she wanted this weird tension to die down, she hated it. Especially after Abby found something that Mel takes high interest in. She remembered? and that’s what really caused Mel to feel even more angry. Did she even have that right? to remember things Owen told her? she seethed. Her hands balling into fists as she licked her lip. The room felt like it was closing in on Mel, making the two women feel impossibly closer than comfort. As if, all this tense emotion was making Mel feel uneasy. It had to be the stress that topped it. What else would it be? Mel couldn’t describe her irritability, how much she could just…smack Abby for- for, remembering this. For, being so kind when she had never been this way before. Why now? Why did Mel find a comfort in her actions? she appreciated them, she found herself smiling multiple times when Abigail wasn’t in a room after an act of kindness. The feelings Mel held, were ones that she denied so much. She knew what these feelings were, she refused to let them show, to let herself act on what she did really feel for this woman.

“Doesn’t matter, i just grabbed it because i thought you’d like it.” She flashed a smile towards Mel. The woman shut her eyes, squeezing before she let a sigh out and relaxed her balled up hands. “Why are you acting like this?” She suddenly blurted. Her tone of voice mixed with that of anger, confusion a slight bit of conflict. She gave Abby a look very similar to the one she gave her back at the aquarium. Abby immediately froze, her smile dropped. Her face expressed confusion, brows furrowed before she scoffed in disbelief. “Acting..like what?” She asked, unsure of what she might’ve done to provoke Mel out of the blue. “Don’t play stupid with me Abby. A santa ornament? Back rubs? Constantly asking if i’m okay? Whatever this act is, i’m not gonna fall for it.” Mel stood ground, her voice had a slight hiss at the end of her sentence, like she had been trying to hold back from yelling or raising her voice louder so she wouldn’t have Lev or the baby hear. Abby didn’t even have words, she then realized. Oh..Oh. Her face softened, and she lowered her head slightly. Was she being too..much? Shit. “Mel- i’m not acting, there’s no act for you to fall for. I thought after all this time me..you know, doing those things would be normal. I mean- i’m looking out for you, is that so wrong?” Her voice sounded sad in a way, as if she really was unsure. “I don’t need your help.” Liar…Mel lied to herself just then. Her chest rising and falling as the situation now had her more upset than previously. Those words felt like a knife just stabbed Abby directly in her chest and she blinked, looking at Mel. “What? That’s not true. You can’t do everything by yourself, you’ve got a kid, you’re only one perso-“ Again, Abby was cut off like that night in the kitchen. “Enough, Abby. Enough. I’m…” She paused, realizing she regretted her wording, her eyes wondering to the floor as she desperately tried to find a way to somehow shift this. “Okay….Okay, Im sorry. Where’s Lev? i’m gonna go give him these comics.” Abby changed direction, she knew Mel didn’t wanna talk about it anymore, and Abby wasn’t gonna argue or fight. She didn’t have that energy right now. “Upstairs.” is all she said and Abby was out of sight, leaving Mel with her thoughts. Fuck..her heart ached. Just now, Mel came to terms with what those feelings were. That, the feelings she long denied, stayed up and thought about while she was restless, feeding her baby, were ones that she hadn’t accepted due to her own fears. Afraid to be loved, to love again. These feelings were entirely unsorted, she knows this now. That sorrow in Abby’s tone when she apologized, it replayed and she sighed. Why’d she do that? it could’ve been so much worse. Now things were going to be more awkward.