#a joyful future fanfic

[winterscaptain]

ulterior motives.

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader a joyful future fic

a/n: thank you all so much for your patience and love while I was stuck! i have more ajf for you and we will continue to jump around while I work on the little roadblock in the season 11 arc. as always, it helps me write more when I hear from you! without further ado, here’s the internal affairs episode fic!

words: 7.9k content advisories:  language, pregnancy, canon-typical violence, death, and discussion of sexual assault, alcohol use, alcohol mention, sex mention, use of a firearm, gun death, food consumption

summary: “i'm sure I've had my phone tapped for years, I don't think it's a crime against humanity they just ought to quit doing it, god damn it.” ― cornel west. december 2nd, 2015

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | ajf faq | taglist | what do you want to see next?

It’s late, and Aaron isn’t home yet. He usually calls. 

He always calls. 

You try his phone again. Straight to voicemail. 

Jack is long asleep, leaving you to worry without sufficient distraction. Concern wasn’t the only thing keeping you up. Little Man introduced heartburn into his symptomatic arsenal and he was delivering. 

Propping yourself up further in bed, you stare at your phone. 

Where are you? 

As if he knows you’re looking for him, your phone rings - a picture appearing on the screen. A favorite capture of yours, it was taken close to four years ago down at Dave’s lakehouse. He’s looking up into the trees, a little squint around his eyes and the suggestion of a smile on his lips. 

Gorgeous.

It always makes you smile. 

You answer. “Hey, love.” 

“Hi, beautiful. What’s your evening about?” 

“Just about headed to bed,” you reply. “Your son is misbehaving just by nature of his size, so I guess it’s not really his fault. Did you get everything done with Emily? I know there’s a regional thing going on.” 

There's silence on the other end of the line. 

“Aaron?” 

“Hang on, honey.” There’s a strange color in his voice - trepidation, maybe, or concern. “I’ll call you back.” 

But he doesn’t. Not even after ten minutes, then fifteen, then thirty. You flip your phone in your hand, feeling the smooth screen with every pass.

+++

Director Cochran meets Aaron at the entrance in the secure parking garage, leading him into the building. “Chief Hotchner, it’s good to see you.” 

“You too, Director.” Aaron reaches out and shifts the flowers he bought you into his left elbow, offers a firm handshake. “Is there anything I should be concerned about?” 

Cochran shakes his head. “Not at the moment. We just wanted to read you into a couple of things.” He pats Aaron’s shoulder in an almost-paternal gesture and leads him into the elevator. 

“It couldn’t wait?” 

Cochran shrugs. “You know us by now, Hotch. Why would we inconvenience ourselves with niceties? I will get you a vase and some water for those flowers though. Would hate for them to wilt while we chat.” 

Unfortunately, Aaron knows exactly what he means. He doesn’t reply, but lets an amused huff tumble down his nose. When the elevator opens, he catches sight of a familiar face. 

“While I appreciate the ride and the intrigue, you could have called.” Aaron can’t keep the tinge of irritation out of his tone as he’s led into the NSA executive lounge. It’s cozy - armchairs and low tables cluttering the room lit by two fireplaces and little else. 

Deputy Director Axelrod stands. “I would have just called to set up a meeting, so I figured we’d skip a step. Plus, this is a little more comfortable than a parking garage.” 

Aaron shakes his head, almost amused, and offers his hand. “Good to see you, sir.” 

The men take a seat, and Axelrod can see Aaron is a little preoccupied. 

“Can I get anything for you, Agent Hotchner?” 

With a rueful sigh, Aaron admits, “I could use a phone. My wife is expecting me home and I’d imagine she’s fairly worried by now.” 

“Ah, yes. Congratulations on the recent nuptials. How are mom and baby? And your older son?” 

Something about the knowledge this man has of his family makes Aaron deeply uncomfortable, but that’s the clandestine agencies for you. While Axelrod is low on the list of people who could pose a threat, Aaron figures less is more. 

“They’re well. My wife is due in March.” 

Axelrod smiles. “Congratulations again.” He pauses. “How old is Jack now? Nine?” 

“Ten. But you knew that.” 

He opens his arms in a gesture of guilty surrender. “Now, then. Down to business. A joint NSA-DEA investigation into Libertad, the online illicit drug site, has gone south fast.”

“I heard about it.” 

“Yeah, well,” Axelrod says, tipping his head. “One DEA undercover agent is now dead, two are missing.”

Aaron’s eyebrows rise. “Someone in the cartel made them?”

“It would appear so. I’d like your team to investigate.”

That is… strange, to say the least. Aaron’s head is already abuzz with possible repercussions, implications, and red flags. “Why us? Surely, the DEA’s got leads.”

“True,” Axelrod relents. “You and your team are better.”

And that’s even more suspicious. 

Aaron calls him on his bluff. Needless to say, he’s a little more than eager to get home.  His patience for bullshit and politics dwindles fast, these days. 

Good thing he’s grown savvier. 

“What do you really want?”

The look on Alexrod’s face says Aaron’s got him. “Look, someone gave up those agents. I have good reason to believe it was the assistant DEA director in charge of the operation, Bernard Graff.” Aaron’s eyebrows lower, a squint appearing at the corners of his eyes. Axelrod continues. “I need you to get the proof.”

“Why not go to the Office of Professional Responsibility?”

“It’ll raise some flags. Graff would suspect an internal affairs investigation. You’re already involved in the Darknet with Giuseppe Montolo, so you have the perfect cover.”

Aaron can’t deny Axelrod’s logic. There’s already a good enough excuse to put together a task force even without a possible mole, given the circumstances. Really, both Aaron and Emily decided it wasn't worth the political game to get anyone else involved in the Dirty Dozen debacle until it was absolutely necessary. 

So let’s find out if it’s necessary. 

“What makes you think it’s Graff?”

“He knows technical details beyond the scope of his job.” 

If that were a crime the entire BAU would be under suspicion. With an internal smile reserved only for himself, his chin tips in understanding.

“And there’s a flash drive that never leaves his wrist. I think it has the access code to the Libertad servers.” As if he can read Aaron’s mind, see his trepidation, he continues. “I did you a favor once. Consider this repayment.”

Axelrod gestures behind him and some lackey brings him a burner phone. 

He passes it to Aaron. “All outside numbers are blocked but we have some workarounds. Go ahead and give your wife a call on this phone. Yours will be up and working as soon as you leave the campus.” 

Aaron returns the gesture with a tense smile, dialing your number. “Thanks.” 

+++

You’re dozing a little bit, sitting up in bed, when your phone rings. The caller ID is blocked. You answer it anyway, prepared for the worst. 

“This is Hotchner.” 

“Hi, baby.” There’s an apology in his voice, his tone quiet. 

You heave a sigh of relief. “Where are you? What happened? When are you coming home?” 

There’s a second of silence on the other side of the phone. He answers you after a moment. “I can’t tell you where I am right now or what I’m here for, but I am safe and I will be home soon.” 

A memory pops into your head, one of staring at him, in bed, after your first night sharing a bed (in the biblical sense). 

“And while I may have to keep things from you, I promise I will never fabricate a reality outside of the truth ever again. If you ask me a question I can’t answer, I will tell you as much. If you ask me if what I communicated is all the information I have, I will tell you that, too.” He huffs something that’s almost a laugh. “I will be as forthcoming as possible about the things I cannot be forthcoming about.” 

It brings a smile to your face, soothes your anxiety. 

“Okay. I mean, I tried your phone, but -” 

“It won’t go through here.” He pauses. “I’m so sorry honey. I didn’t mean to worry you. I wasn’t able to call until now.” 

“It’s alright, Aaron.” You mean it. “I’m just glad you’re safe.” 

+++

As promised, Aaron returns home within the hour. You’re still awake. 

When he finds you in the bedroom, he immediately joins you on the bed, still suited, sans-shoes. You take him in your arms and he rests his head on your chest, his hand falling on your belly. 

“I’ll be able to read you all into the op tomorrow,” he says. “They’re running audits on BAU security clearances as we speak.”

You rake your fingers through his hair, disrupting the pomade holding it in place. Aaron sighs and somehow gets closer to you. 

“Scale of one to ten?” 

You can feel his smile. “Political, national security implication, difficulty, or insanity?” 

“Let’s start with political.” 

He hums. “Twelve.” 

Yikes. 

You established this system when he was promoted, in the interest of observing the security clearance gaps while keeping the how was your day conversations interesting. 

To date, there’s never been anything over a nine on the political sliding scale of nightmarish repercussions. 

“Wow.” 

“Yeah.” 

You sigh. “Alright. National security?” 

He wavers for a second. “Eight. Corruption isn’t inherently a threat, but this could get bad.” He taps your belly with his fingers. “Theoretically, of course.” 

Everything is, of course, theoretical. In case anyone were to ask. 

“True enough.” 

“Anything else?” He asks. Apparently, this is a conversation consisting of two-word phrases. Often, you’ve come to find that’s just marriage. 

You shake your head. “No, my love. I’m happy you’re home.” 

He takes your hand and kisses your palm, pressing your hand to his cheek. Even though you watched him shave this morning, you can feel the stubble on his jaw. The exhaustion radiating from his every pore seems deeper than just the consequences of a long day. There’s something existential about it. 

“Hey, Aaron?” 

He cranes his neck, meeting your eyes. 

“It’s gonna be okay, whatever it is.” 

A little huff of laughter leaves him. “Thank you. I love you.” 

“Love you more.” 

He shakes his head. “Impossible.” 

+++

Upon reaching the office a little early the following morning, Aaron closes himself up in Dave’s office while you tackle any emails that need your immediate attention. Dave and Aaron pass your desk on their way through the bullpen, but you don’t know where they’re going. 

The floor is quiet, so you eventually get up and wander. It’s still early, so the traffic in the hallways is minimal. 

You finally reach Penelope’s “apartments,” as she fondly calls her new room, and knock on the door. 

“I’m halfway decent! Close the door behind you.” 

With a little laugh, you follow instructions, leaning on her makeshift breakfast table. “You didn’t even know it was me.” 

“It was either you, one of the handsome agents assigned to my detail or another equally gorgeous member of our team.” She shrugs, appearing from behind her privacy screen. Her fingers are fiddling with her earrings - getting them on, you imagine. 

She wasn’t lying - she is only halfway decent. Her dress is open at the top, exposing the top of her adorable, lacy bra. 

“I figured,” she continues, “you needed something to brighten your day.” 

You let out another laugh. “Like your tits?” 

She looks at you, wide-eyed and smiling. “Of course. Now can you hold this so I can pin it?” She gestures to a section of hair that seems to stubbornly slip through her fingers every time she tries to do something with it. 

You’re more than happy to oblige, holding the locks with soft, gentle fingers. “Are you settling in okay?”

She shakes her head, but her face is obscured by her arm, blocking your view of the mirror. “I’d rather not get settled in. This will be done soon and it'll make it all that much harder to pack.” 

“Ah.” 

You can’t help but feel a little bad. Her sunny optimism, you’re sure, will only get her so far. Privately, you’re giving it another week before it really crashes and burns. 

It’ll sink in soon. 

“How’s little man doing?” She asks, turning. “Can you zip me up?”

“He’s good. Didn’t keep me up too much last night.” You slide the zipper up the middle of her back, linking the hook and eye at the top.

You can see her suggestive, almost wicked, smile in the mirror. “Why? Because boss man was busy doing that for him?”

“Penelope!” 

“What?! It’s been like four years, I should think you’d be over the sex jokes by now.”

You sigh. “You’re ridiculous.” 

“And yet,” she replies, turning around and tapping your nose. “You love me.” 

“This much is true,” you concede. 

She leaves you, picking up a pair of blue frames from her hanging tree of glasses. You hear voices down the hall - familiar ones - and you cross to the door, opening it a little. 

Before you can step away, you hear, “I assume you want to keep this between us for now?” 

You turn, giving the impression of disinterest as Dave and Aaron round the corner. 

“Yeah,” you hear Aaron reply. He reaches the door, knocking twice on the frame. 

“Garcia, are you ready?” He glances at you and you just smile with a little shake of your head. 

“Uh, hold on. Yes.” She turns, showing off her outfit and frames. “See, the blue plays off the knit, here. It’s complementary, but it’s not matchy-matchy.”

“You’ve been here a week,” Dave says. “Have you thought about unpacking? It might make things a bit easier.”

You glance over at Dave, tipping your head just the barest amount. 

Careful. 

“I took my hotplate out ‘cause I was sick of the cafeteria food, but I’m not going to be here much longer ‘cause of this new case, huh? You guys are going into the belly of the beast. You’re gonna find out who’s targeting me. Am I right?” She toddles up to Hotch, her heels bringing the top of her eyeglass frames to his chin. 

“Among other things,” Aaron replies drily. 

“It’s the Darknet – that’s where all Montolo’s cronies live. If anyone can find the answer, sir, it’s you guys.” her face breaks into a wide grin. “I know you can.”

+++

“The NSA and the DEA are both involved,” Aaron says. “So we’ll be part of a joint task force. Go ahead, Garcia.”

Aaron sits beside Emily, who reviews the information in front of her with a furrowed brow and pinched mouth. You know this has everything to do with Aaron’s little escapade last night, but beyond that you know there’s a whole host of things you don’t know. 

Given the smallest bit of the conversation you overheard this morning, you know you’re not alone. 

“Okay.” Penelope stands and starts clicking through the photos. “Uh, three weeks ago undercover DEA Agent Mark Bowers disappeared. He was based in El Paso, but five days ago his body showed up in Ciudad Juarez, just across the Mexican border.”

“Ciudad Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities in the world,” Tara says. 

Penelope nods. “Not only was Agent Bowers found strangled, but he also had another human face covering his own face.”

“Another... human... face?”

JJ’s confusion, marred with disgust, almost makes you laugh.

Yeah. This job broke my sense of humor. 

You’re almost sorry about it. 

“Yes,” Penelope confirms, her lip curled up. “I guess skinned or scalped. I don’t know what you call it, but I couldn’t put the pictures up here. You can see them on your own tablets.”

“It is typical for drug cartels to use a corpse to send a message,” Derek says.

“Yeah,” you add. “Body parts sent to family members, that kind of thing.” 

JJ, recovered from her shock, notes, “A face on top of another face could easily mean he’s undercover or he’s two-faced.”

“Which is bad news for the two missing agents,” Emily replies. “They were both undercover.”

Penelope runs though the last known whereabouts of DEA agents John Portman and Sarah Miles. It looks grim. “All of these agents were investigating the Libertad drug cartel.” 

“Well, if someone knew that they were undercover, then there has to be a mole on the inside.” Derek glances around the table. 

“Well,” Aaron says. “We have to consider all possibilities. This cartel is in fact unique in a few ways.”

Something colors the underside of his tone. He replied just a little too quickly, looked around a little too fast. You[‘re not sure if anyone else at the table would have caught it, but to you it was as obvious as a neon sign. 

There’s a mole. That’s our real assignment here.

Security clearances don’t mean much when you can read him as easily as the words in front of you. 

“Yeah,” Penelope chirps, “it appeared on the Darknet after the Silk Road was shut down. It has an online and an on-the-ground component based in El Paso. It’s run by someone named George Washington.”

“An identity that can be assumed by different individuals.” Aaron supplies. You try to catch his eye, but it’s almost like he’s avoiding you on purpose. 

“El Paso’s just across the Rio Grande from some of the worst drug violence there is.” Dave shrugs. “Not a bad place to set up.”

Tara nods. “Yeah, you’re right about that. I mean, it’d be so easy to fly under the radar when there’s bigger fish to fly right down the road.”

“All right,” Aaron says. “You’ll all head to El Paso with Prentiss and find out what happened to the missing agents. Except you.” He points to you. “We’ll run the cyber part of the investigation from here.”

“Me?” 

Typically, Aaron doesn’t pair off with you in the interest of discretion. This time, he just nods, meaningfully meeting your eyes. 

Okay, you reply with a look. I’ve got your back. 

Dave stands, wishing you and Aaron a cryptic, “Happy hunting!” before leaving the room. 

+++

You and Aaron take one of the bureau SUVs to the DEA headquarters. It’s just up the road in Springfield, but the drive feels longer than it should. 

“Are you okay, Aaron?” 

He tips his head. “I’m alright.” 

You reach for his shoulder, your thumb passing over the fabric of his suit. “Is there something I should know?”

“Nothing you need to know,” he replies. “I’d rather have you safer than more informed, at the moment.” 

“Ah.” 

That makes all the sense in the world. At least you know you’re right - there’s something going on, something deeper than a few missing agents. 

You take a little bit of a chance, but know there wouldn’t be any real consequences anyway, not in the relative safety of the car. “Is it the mole? Are we finding the mole?” 

Aaron’s face doesn’t change, save for the small crease that appears in the corner of his eye. “Again, I’d rather you be safe than informed. You know what to look for and how to communicate your findings.” He reaches for your hand. “I brought you because…” He sighs. “Because I can read you the best. I can see what you see.” 

You bring his knuckles to your lips, feeling the dry, warm skin against your mouth. “I love you.” 

He glances at you with a small smile, neatly making his own point. I love you, too. 

+++

The inside of DEA’s Cyber Division is far...sleeker than you would have imagined. You’re not sure why you pictured something that looked more like someone’s basement, but then of course, you know what they say about assumptions. 

“You must be Agent Hotchner.” A seasoned, rugged-looking man approaches Aaron with a hand outstretched. You immediately notice the flashdrive on his wrist - securely wrapped in a paracord bracelet. 

“Yes sir.” 

The man directs his attention to you and you do your best to keep your expression neutral as he attempts to subtly size you up. You’re used to it by now. A pregnant FBI agent isn’t necessarily the first thing people expect. 

Can’t imagine why. 

“One of your colleagues, I presume?” The man asks, glancing at Aaron. 

“Yes, sir. My wife - Agent Hotchner. She will be assisting me with the task force’s cooperative efforts.” 

You step forward and take his hand. 

“It’s a pleasure, ma’am. I’m Assistant DEA Director Bernard Graff. Welcome to the cyber war against drugs.” He leads you both further into the room. “We could always use the extra help, but I’m surprised the NSA pulled you into this. Aren’t you busy hunting psychopaths who cut up prostitutes or something?”

“Well, we have a case and there may be some crossover.”

Graff glances at Aaron. “You mean Giuseppe Montolo and the online hitmen?”

“Yes,” you reply. “We’re interested in whoever the successor to the Silk Road may be, and Libertad seems to fit the bill.”

“Well, if you ask me, the NSA’s got it easy. All they do is monitor and analyze. But when it comes to putting away the bad guys, you and I have to do all the dirty work. Isn’t that right?”

You move to reply with some kind of quip, but Aaron stops you with a finger on the outside of your hip. There’s some kind of commotion near one of the offices before a man throws the door open, making a beeline for the elevators. 

“No, no.”

“It’s not related.” A woman says, chasing after him. He stops, turning. 

“Are you kidding me? My best friend did not just have a hiking accident. I’m out of here.” 

He continues to flee. She takes two more steps toward him but gives up. “Simon.”

Soon enough, the woman redirects, approaching you, then Aaron. Graff supplies the introductions. 

“This is Adrienne Mitchell, our head Libertad intelligence specialist. Agents Hotchner and Hotchner from the BAU - apparently the FBI is doing couples counseling now.” 

Ignoring the jab, you reach out, taking Adrienne’s hand. “Pleasure.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“The man who just left was our confidential informant Simon Kahn,” Graff explains. 

Adrienne looks over her shoulder for a moment. “He just learned his friend died. I’ll give him some space, then we talk to him again.”

“Our specialists have been posting online as buyers and dealers…”

You can’t help but notice the searching, suspicious looks Adrienne keeps throwing your way. You know she’s trying to be subtle about it, but it’s your job to notice. There’s a bit of a staring contest between her and Aaron for a moment, both seeming to sus each other out in equal measure. 

There’s some part of your brain that keeps your attention on Graff, nodding along with what you assume is a quasi-original thought. You’re only brought back fully when Adrienne shifts, adding to the conversation. 

“He’s a Tor network relay operator for them. He wants out but claims he’s not being allowed to quit.”

“Is he being threatened?” You ask.

“Apparently,” Graff replies, “but we haven’t seen the evidence.”

Aaron’s turn. “Does he know who the head of the cartel is?”

“The real ID of George Washington?” He waits for confirmation and Aaron nods once. “No. But he does know the number two.”

“It took months to get him to come in. He was close to giving us a name, but now he’s scared again.” 

You almost feel bad for Adrienne - she looks genuinely distressed. 

Graff offers to set you up while Aaron requests some information for Penelope. One of the agents at a nearby desk shows you to a small office space while Graff and Mitchell hang back. You can’t really see - only a warped reflection in the glass shows them leaning toward each other, but it looks like they’re talking about you. 

+++

Aaron steps into the office from a phone call with Emily. 

“Anything good?”

He shakes his head. “They’re doing good work. There are a couple of solid leads in El Paso. It looks like the unsub had some skill and patience while removing the skin of the face and spent some time with the dead victims. That alone is a good start on the profile.” 

You tip your head. “Good enough.”

+++

Graff shepherds you both into his office later in the evening, pouring some scotch. 

Graff looks to you and you put one hand on your belly, patting twice, while the other holds up your water bottle. “I’m good with mine.” 

He looks at Aaron.

“Oh.” Aaron shakes his head. “Thanks.”

“Axelrod said you were a real straight arrow,” Graff says. “Like Eliot Ness reborn.”

You smother a smile, flipping the straw on your water and pulling a few sips. Aaron shoots a somewhat playful glare in your direction before one of the photos on the wall catches his eye. 

“Is that your dad?”

“Yeah. That’s my dad. He was in the DEA, too. His father, my grandpa, was a G-man. It makes you all wonder, doesn’t it?”

“About what?” You ask. 

“If what we’re doing really matters? In the end, we’re all just government employees, aren’t we? After we’re gone, someone will take our place. New criminals replace the old.”

“Does it make you want to give it all up for a different life?”

The blood in your veins runs a little cooler at the implication of Aaron’s question. You suppress a shiver. 

Graff takes the bait. “I know why you’re really here.” 

You take a deep breath through your nose, waiting him out. It doesn’t escape your notice that Aaron has placed himself between you and Graff. You’re also out of the sightline from the main set of windows. Anyone looking in would only be able to see the two men. 

The observation closes your throat a little. All Aaron ever wants to do is protect you. 

And your sons. 

It’s true. In Aaron’s mind, it’s his sole function. The work, the excitement, the politics, it’s all secondary. In some ways, he only continues to do this job, to run divisions that catch ‘the bad guys’ so the world is safer for you. 

And his sons. 

You swallow, focusing back.

Where were we? Right. Graff knows why we’re here. 

Doubt it. 

“Hornet.” 

Told you. 

“Most people aren’t aware there are multiple Darknets,” Graff continues. “Tor network is just one of them. There are over two million users on Tor, which is slowing it down, making it too vulnerable. A lot of operations are jumping ship to other darknets, like Hornet.” He pulls the flash drive from the computer, clipping it around his wrist again. 

“You think Libertad will?” Aaron ask

“Probably. But I bet Giuseppe Montolo's hitmen have already moved. You're here because you think we have undercover access to a Hornet router.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Do you?”

“No,” Graff replies. You’re almost certain he forgot you were there. “We're still working on it. So your presence here is premature.”

Aaron’s phone rings. It’s Dave. 

“Excuse me.” He picks up. “Yeah, Dave. Yeah, keep me posted. Thanks.” He hangs up. “My team has found evidence of a serial killer working in the El Paso area using the drug violence as a cover.”

We knew that. 

What was that call really about? What does Dave know?

You keep your expression neutral, soft, as the thoughts pass through your head. 

Graff doesn’t do so well in his weak attempt at neutrality. The irony is thick when he says, “Well, it's a good thing you're on this case, then, isn't it?”

+++

You lean against the glass, listening to Aaron’s side of Dave’s update. Given Aaron’s clipped, brief answers, it's likely Dave’s got good information for him. 

“No,” Aaron says. “But something’s definitely wrong.” 

You turn your head when the door to the bullpen opens, Graff at the handle. Aaron could probably see him through the glass as he approached. 

“I’ll talk to you later.” Aaron hangs up and crosses past you, making a little lopsided triangle. 

Graff looks at both of you in turn. “I thought you should know I'm having the ground investigation into Libertad suspended for now.”

“We understand,” you tell him. “I’m sure this is preferable to taking the risk of losing more agents in the field.” 

Graff tips his head, looking at Aaron. “You know, I've been wondering. Instead of looking for Montolo's hitmen, have you tried looking for the Dirty Dozen?”

“Did Axelrod tell you about that?”

The space between the glass and the elevators shrinks all of a sudden - feeling much smaller under the blanket of tension Aaron just threw over the room. 

“Aren't we all sharing information here?” Graff asks. 

Before Aaron can reply, Adrienne throws the door open, almost running into one of Graff’s broad shoulders in her haste. “We got a problem. Simon Kahn, our C.I., is dead. His car exploded outside his apartment.” She swallows, her brows taking on that anxious bend you noticed earlier. “He was coming to meet me.”

+++

Aaron practically wrestles you into the elevator to head home later that night. Jack’s already asleep and Jess is crashed out in the guest-room-turned-nursery. 

“I’ll stay here,” he says. “There’re a few more things I need to check out.” 

You nod, reaching for him. He wraps his arms around you, getting as close as he can around your son. It’s getting harder by the day and you’re not even in the third trimester yet. “Be safe, please.” 

He nods. “I will. Go home and get some rest.”

+++

You try to ignore the two black SUVs on either end of your block as you walk to the front door of your condo, unlocking it. A shadow on the far side of your porch startles you. 

“Jesus, Anderson.” You put a hand to your chest. “You’re lucky Hotch is still at the office. Pretty sure he would have shot you if you gave him the chance.” 

“Sorry.” Grant’s lips twist in a rueful smile. “It’s been quiet. Nobody in or out except Jess and Jack. You’re clear.” 

You offer him a small smile. “Thanks.” 

“Of course. I’ll leave it to the Marshals - they’ve got you covered on the perimeter.” He gives you a playful salute and hops the porch railing, landing on the grass. “Good night.” 

“Good night, Grant. Give my love to Jude when you get home, okay?” 

“I will. He’s looking forward to baseball next spring. He wants to take Jack to a few Nationals games when the Mets are in town.” 

That brings a smile to your face. “I’m sure Jack would love that.” 

+++

In all truth, Aaron doesn’t have anything to do. He is, of course, hypervigilant about your safety and has a vested interest in getting you home and under the protection of your family’s detail. 

His efforts to guarantee his own safety? 

Questionable, at best. 

When most of the agents have cleared out for the evening, Aaron stops pretending to read the Libertad files. There are inconsistencies - ones that absolutely caught his attention on the third or fourth pass through. 

Whoever’s orchestrating this is good. Too good. 

He stands, closing the files. 

“Done for the night?” Adrienne asks, looking up from her computer. 

Aaron nods. “Almost.”

He’s outside, walking to his car, when his phone rings. The number is blocked and he instinctively looks around before answering it. 

“This is Hotchner.”

“It's Graff. We need to talk. It's urgent. Meet me at the Raleigh Hotel bar. I'm heading there right now.”

Graff hangs up. Aaron calls you. 

“Yeah?” You sound groggy. 

“Sorry, baby. I just - um.” He runs a hand through his hair, glancing at his car. “I love you.” 

“Are you okay?”

He nods, though you can’t see him. “Yeah. I, uh, I just wanted to tell you.” 

“You’re getting in your car, aren’t you?” 

How the hell…

“Yeah.” After New York, he occasionally has a bit of anxiety getting near the agency SUVs late at night, especially in the middle of a high-profile case. 

“Alright. Let’s go through it. Anyone weird lurking around?” 

Aaron looks, stepping back into one of the stoops. “No.” 

“Find some cover and unlock it for me.”

The vision he has of you, sleepy and sitting up in bed, powers his next breath. He unlocks the car. Nothing happens.

“Clear.” 

“Good. Alright.” You take a breath. “Good job. Let’s go to that driver’s side door.” 

Aaron steps out from the eave and down to the street from the curb. He takes a look inside - nothing of note. “I’m trying the handle.” 

“Okay.” 

Your soft breath in his ear keeps him locked in. He reaches for the handle and opens the door. 

Nothing. 

He glances under the breaks. “Brakes are clean.” 

You’re quiet, but he knows you’re there.

+++

It’s safe to say your heart is in your throat. You know exactly what he’s afraid of. You remember New York like it was last week - not too far, not too close. 

But close enough. 

You swallow your fear and give your next direction. His brain, you’re sure, is entirely made of fear and adrenaline right now. It’s your job to be his rational center. 

It’d be unfortunate to hear him get blown up again, but if it brings him peace of mind, that’s enough. 

+++

“Start ‘er up. Let’s get that engine warm.” 

Aaron checks for a pressure plate under the driver’s seat before sitting down. “Graff called me,” he says. “Said it was urgent.” 

“Unfortunately,” you tell him, “you’re being responsible so he’s going to have to wait.” 

“Right.” Aaron puts the keys in the ignition, the door still open, and turns. The engine starts up no problem, no fanfare. “Alright. Unless anything’s on a timer, we’re good.” 

He hears you sniff on the other end of the line, but he’s not sure if you’re crying or if you’re just handling some of the weird sinus pressure that’s plagued you through the second trimester. 

“Are you okay?” He asks. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Go to your meeting. Thank you for calling me. I’m glad we did that together.” 

Aaron sighs. “Me too. Love you.” 

“Love you more.” 

+++

It feels like you’re asleep only moments when you get a call from Penelope.

“Hey, pumpkin. Sorry to wake you, but it looks like Assistant Director Graff has been found dead in his car.” You can hear the grimace in her voice. 

You’re fully alert almost immediately. “Where’s Hotch?” 

For some reason, ‘Hotch’ is the thing that leaves your mouth when you’re terrified - something for your therapist to deconstruct later, probably. 

“He’s arriving on scene as we speak. He was at the Raleigh Hotel, safe and sound.” 

You take a deep breath. “Thank you, Pen. Does he need me on scene?” 

“No,” she replies. “He just knew you’d be pissed if you woke up to a news of a shooting and nobody told you.” 

He’s got that right. 

Even then, you’re already awake. 

What the hell. 

+++

“Aaron?” 

“I’m headed to Springfield,” he says by way of reply. 

You tip your head, your fingers tapping the steering wheel. “That’s convenient. Me too.”

He huffs. “I thought I told you to stay home.” 

“You did. I’m done with that.” You rush to add, “It’s not Penelope’s fault. She told me to stay home, too. But I just - I can’t.” 

Glancing in your rearview mirror, you spot your detail - a lone black hatchback trailing you about two cars back. 

“Alright,” Aaron concedes. “I’ll meet you there.”  

+++

You end up arriving at the same time. He takes you by the elbow and practically drags you to the elevator. He’s gentle, of course, but his sense of urgency is not to be overstated.

“What happened?” 

“Someone shot Graff in his car. Staged the crime scene.” He shakes his head. “This is bad.” 

The elevator opens and you let him out in front of you, his long legs taking only two steps before he reaches the door. You see Adrienne on the other side of the glass. 

“We need to talk,” Aaron says. 

Adrienne grabs her upholstered bag, that signature concern and anxiety written all over her face as she approaches you both and leans in. “Graff didn't kill himself.”

“We know,” you assure her. “The question is, who did?”

“The mole.”

“What do you know about a mole?” Aaron asks. 

“Graff told me months ago. He's the one who alerted the NSA that an insider might be running Libertad.”

“And you and Graff thought it was one of us, that we came to tie up loose ends.”

“Yes,” she says. “But then Graff said it wasn't either of you, when you were genuinely surprised that Libertad might leave the Tor network.”

Your brow drops. “Do you have the flash drive?”

“He gave it to me for safekeeping. He said he found something new.” 

Adrienne leads the way into Graff’s office, where Aaron takes the lead. He clicks through files, sees inconsistencies even more egregious than the ones he caught that afternoon. 

“Graff was storing evidence against the mole,” Adrienne explains. “It looks like someone requested a police investigation file.”

Aaron clicks twice more, revealing a familiar seal. His voice is quiet. “Someone from the NSA.”

+++

Aaron sends you and Adrienne home, offering one of your agents to her. She refuses. 

“No. I’m happy to accept the consequences of doing the right thing. You guys are in far greater danger than me.” She offers you something you think could be a smile if it wasn’t so tense. “Thanks for your help.” Looking up at Aaron, she adds, “Thanks for not being the mole.” 

The half-surprised twitch of Aaron’s eyebrow gives him away. “You’re welcome. Anytime.” 

Adrienne disappears into a cab that promptly disappears and you close yourself into the car, ready to drive home. “You going to confront Axelrod?” 

Aaron nods. “It’s not that late. He’s still at the office.” 

You check the clock, surprised to find that he’s right. It’s not even midnight. 

Looking through the window at him, you tip your chin up. He meets you in the middle, pressing a soft, sweet kiss to your lips. “Get home safe.” 

You hum. “Get in the car. I’m going with you.” 

His brow pinches, but he doesn’t say anything. With a sigh, he rounds the front of the car and slides into the passenger seat.  

+++

You wait near the doorway, in the hall, as Aaron gets clearance into the executive lounge. He’s full of confidence - entirely settled in Lawyer Mode. 

Not for the first time, you can almost see that young prosecutor Haley used to talk about. 

The door closes behind him. You wait. 

About a minute later, your clearance comes through. The door opens for you as well, but you don’t go all the way in. You lurk, just inside the door, in the shadows. It’s advantageous for Aaron to have a witness. 

“Do you have proof?” You hear Axelrod ask. 

“Not beyond his dead body and the urgent call he made to me.”

“All right, so my hunch was off.”

Axelrod seems far too blasé for someone close to a treason accusation. Maybe he’s betting Aaron won’t go there. 

I wouldn’t put money on that. 

If you can bet on anything, it’s that Aaron will go there - no matter where ‘there’ is. 

“Partly,” Aaron answers. “The head of Libertad is definitely an insider. And the evidence points to you.”

Axelrod scoffs. During his eyeroll, he catches sight of you. His eyes linger, a squint appearing. 

“I'm going to give you one chance to come clean.” Aaron’s tone draws his attention again, taking the heat off of you. “If it is you, make no mistake, I will take you down.” 

You shiver. 

Aaron pulls a folded piece of paper from his inside pocket. “Do you recognize that number?”

“No,” Axelrod says. “But it's an NSA prefix.”

“Someone called Simon Kahn from this number a half an hour before he was killed.”

You can hear the prosecutorial bend in his tone, like he’s trying to convince a jury hiding behind the fireplace. 

It never really leaves you, I guess. Even Aaron says law school scars for life.

“It could have come from any NSA office. It wasn't me.” Aaron has him on the defense now. 

Good. 

“A year ago,” Aaron says, unfolding the paper, “someone from the NSA requested a file transfer from the El Paso police department. It was about a serial killer investigation that started in Mexico.”

Axelrod takes it, reviewing the request. “This came from an onsite server. It means whoever requested this was in Fort Meade on December 2, 2014. I wasn't even in the country. I was in France at my niece's wedding.” He looks at Aaron, eyebrows raised. “Would you like to see the photos?”

“Who tipped you off about Graff?”

“My boss.” Axelrod’s eyes cast downward, his brows following suit. Aaron glances at you, checking in. You nod once. 

Let’s do it, baby. 

The small lift at the corner of his mouth speaks volumes. 

The next afternoon finds you in the lounge again, a glass of water on the little table next to Aaron. After assurances from Axelrod that the Director would have limited contact and mobility, you both agreed to go home and get some sleep. 

Well-earned. 

As promised, Director Cochran breezes through the doorway for a ‘scheduled meeting’ with Axelrod. You stand as the door opens, placing yourself just off the wing of Aaron’s chair. Your intention is to haunt. It was Aaron’s idea, anyway. 

When Cochran turns the corner to see you and Aaron, he pauses. 

“Agent Hotchner. And...Agent Hotchner. This is a surprise.”

Aaron doesn’t move, doesn’t stand, doesn’t flinch. Even his fingers are still where they sit folded in his lap. “Director Cochran. Agent Prentiss’s team - my team - found the serial killer responsible for murdering the drug enforcement agents. His name is Jacob Dufour.”

“Excellent,” Cochran says, taking a seat. “I envy the work the BAU does. It must be so satisfying.”

Smug bastard. Didn’t even offer me a seat.

Aaron doesn’t buy into the informality. “Dufour wasn't working alone. He had a helpful partner putting the victims into his hunting zone.”

“Dufour didn't even know they were DEA agents,” you add. 

“Who was the partner?” Cochran asks. 

Aaron’s voice remains even, his head tilting ever so slightly in a move that reminds you, strangely, of Gideon when he set Reid in a checkmate. “You.”

“Me? And how is that possible?” Cochran’s questions are flat, serious. But then again, he is a politician. All directors are. It would take more than this to get a rise out of him. 

Aaron stands. You sit, demurely placing yourself on the arm of Aaron’s recently vacated chair. 

You watch, a soft smile on your face as you watch Aaron close in, that hawkish instinct seeming to draw him even taller, towering over Cochran in a chair that suddenly looks too small. “In 2011 there was a local investigation into a serial killer who was taking advantage of the drug violence. You requisitioned a file and figured out how the killer was operating.”

“I applaud your thoroughness, but this is really unwarranted -”

That’s enough. 

Your turn. “There's five million dollars in Bitcoin in a Panamanian bank account that we have traced back to you.”

“Well,” he scoffs, “this is clearly a setup.” Axelrod appears with two armed agents flanking him. Cochran grasps at the apparent lifeline. “Axelrod, tell him. Tell him.”

Axelrod doesn't address the request. Instead, he directs the agents behind him. “Take him.”

“Do you mind if we borrow your pen?” You ask. It’s hardly a question. One of the agents, wearing gloves, picks up the pen from Cochran’s pocket. The agent unscrews the cap, revealing a USB drive. 

“Something tells me the access codes to the Libertad servers are in there,” Aaron says, his voice without suggestion or inflection. He’s ice cold, down to his veins. 

The agents take Cochran by the arms, but he resists. “Wait. Agent Hotchner -”

Aaron’s not having it. “You're under arrest on multiple counts of racketeering and conspiracy to murder a federal agent.”

“This is a mistake! You don't know what you're doing!”

The agents escort a struggling former director out of the lounge while the three of you look on. 

Axelrod sighs, breaking the fresh silence of the room. “I could use a drink. How about you?”

“Sure.” Aaron tips his head

You press a kiss to Aaron’s cheek and shake Axelrod’s hand. “You boys have fun. I’m going home.” 

Aaron scoffs. “Leaving me with what car?”

“You have a protection detail and the entire NSA fleet at your disposal. Right now, the mother of your child needs to prop her feet up.” You turn toward Axelrod. “Can you get my husband back to Quantico for me? He left his car there and he’s perfectly capable of driving himself home.” 

He smiles, taking your hand and patting the back of it. “Of course, ma’am. Drive safe.” 

“Thank you.” 

You turn to leave, looking back just in time to hear Axelrod confess, “You know, Hotch, as long as you don't threaten to take me down again, I think we could actually be friends.”

+++

You rest at home with Jack as evening turns into night. Aaron finds himself in Penelope’s hideaway, his check-in sidetracked by a phone call with Dave. 

“So Libertad's been completely shut down.”

“Yes,” Aaron replies. “But all of its competitors are stepping in as we speak.”

“How's Garcia doing?” Dave asks. 

Aaron glances across the room, where Penelope pulls groceries out of a tote bag, compliments of Anderson. “She's disappointed she can't go home, but she's doing okay.” 

“I'll bring her a new garden troll to cheer her up when I get back.” Aaron can hear the smile in Dave’s voice. 

“That's a good idea. I'll talk to you soon.” When he hangs up, he looks at Penelope. “Am I right? You doing all right?”

She pauses. “Well, uh, I don't really have a choice, do I?”

“No.” It’s apologetic, empathetic. He’s not sure it’s an asset, but he intimately understands the pressure and stress of protective custody. 

“Well, then, yes,” she chirps. “I am hunky-dory. I am.” 

She begins to flutter, her voice filling with tears. “I'm, um... I'm gonna put some satin sheets on that, I'm gonna put a splash of color over there. I'm gonna put some tassels on that thing.” 

As soon as she stops moving, she breaks, tears falling from her eyes. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

“I know, it’s hard.” He stops her, his hands ghosting over her shoulders. “But it's not gonna be forever.”

“And... You got Cochran.” There’s her everlasting hope, breaking through her tears like sunshine.  

That’s good. 

“True.”

“And he lawyered up, but he could talk at some point?”

This much is true. “He could.” Aaron moves to leave, but Penelope gets his attention again.

“Hey, I'm gonna make myself a vegetarian omelet for dinner. Do you want one?” 

“Well, uh…” He checks his phone. “Jack's already in bed, so... You have jalapeños?”

“Uh...Uh…” She breaks out into a small bit of incredulous laughter. “I'm sorry. Um, do--do I have ja -” She grabs a cutting board, already adorned with a knife and three jalapeño peppers. I want you to know, I have had a love affair with all things hot and spicy since I was like twelve.” 

Aaron smiles, taking the board from her and getting to work. 

+++

When you check your phone, you find a text message from Emily. 

8:57pm Attachment: 1 Image

The photo - clearly taken without either party’s knowledge - reveals an adorable portrait of Penelope and Aaron cooking dinner together. Penelope stands at her hotplate, flipping something that looks like an omelet, while Aaron finely chops chives and jalapenos at the table. 

Another text follows up from Emily. 

8:58pm Don’t let him trick you into dessert - she has brownies and he had three.

[citrusella-flugpucker]

((Posted a second chapter of You Get Proud by Practicing!

Summary/snippet:

"Maybe it'd be a good idea. I just mean, like… you were on your own this time. So, what if that sort of thing happens again, where no one you know is around? And you can't tell them how to handle it and they do the wrong thing? Eventually you're probably gonna get your own place when you're a full-on adult like your dad, right? What then?"

Steven doesn't tell Amethyst he's been thinking lately about going it alone sooner rather than later, that it's something he's been talking about with his therapist.

Is he even sure he can handle himself after something like this?

This particular chapter was written by taking inspiration from the Sicktember day 11 prompt (emergency room/ambulance), though it’s not, like, a sickfic or anything. I was just looking at various theme months last week, decided I’d look at that one, and went “oh. I could do something with that!” when I saw that particular prompt (though it started very briefly as a standalone oneshot but nearly immediately became a chapter 2 of the Proud fic). (Why is “use the prompt in a way that might not be congruent with the event” my MO the past few of these sorts of things I’ve written to?)

I kind of like the momentum I’ve had on this story so far? Here’s hoping I keep it up!))

[senadimell]

On “Writing it anyways”

There’s definitely something to be said for “no matter your skill level, if you’ve got a dream, do it anyways,” because that’s how I managed to write a 70k fix-it fic after not writing fiction on my own since literal 6th grade (that’s 11-12 years of age).

But there’s also something to be said for “help, I’ve got so many ideas and they’re literally beyond my capacity to create because I know from experience the toll required to make them reality—and I cannot afford to pay that toll.”

I’m thinking here about Susanna Clarke after Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell here. I haven’t yet read Piranesi, though I’ve heard it’s brilliant, but I do know it’s not a book of the same scale and scope of Norrell. That’s not an indication of quality, by the way—just saying that it may not ever be possible for Clarke to create another monstrously intricate, brilliant, massively long book like Norrell again due to health limitations. I hope she can, and I’m sure she also hopes she can, but there’s no guarantee. Writing something requires a toll.

On a slightly different but still related note, we joke about how fanfic writers are able to churn out stories through the wildest of circumstances, and that’s certainly true, but for every one of those “sorry for the late update, I just gave birth!” people, I’m willing to bet there are many who produced one or two things and then didn’t keep going. Or, think of the thousands of unfinished stories out there. The thousands of unpublished drafts. The one-hit wonders and the cryptids, the people who publish once every seven years. That 125k unfinished monster story that hasn’t been updated since 2007. I’d argue that the vast majority of fic writers are stopped by car accidents and health crises and family challenges and jobs. Turning to writing to cope is one response, but leaving writing by the wayside is another common response.

I dunno, I keep seeing posts that are about “write it anyways,” and I keep refraining from reblogging them with snarky commentary because I realize I’m not the target audience here. Those are primarily aimed at people intimidated by the incredible amount of skill they see and are afraid to be novices. Or people who think that beginning at something means only doing incredibly tedious beginner projects like what dick-and-jane readers are for kids. You know, not learning to knit at all because you think you have to suffer through making a garter stitch scarf before you can make a sweater. To that target audience, those posts are probably really inspiring! You don’t have to do the boring thing before you graduate into being allowed to write interesting things!

But on the other hand, there is something despair-inducing to realize the amount of work required to produce your dream, especially when you don’t know if you’ll ever have the spoons to be able to create it. So yes, write it anyways. But leave room for grief at what you can picture but not accomplish, and learn to make peace with the beauty you can find and cultivate. That’s how we got Piranesi, by the way.

...What Piranesi is not is the longed-for sequel to JS&MrN. Only months after the publication of her debut, Clarke became ill with what was eventually diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome. “I was doing a lot of travelling and promoting and getting on and off aeroplanes – the sort of thing I’d never done before. And then in the spring of 2005 I collapsed, and that was the beginning of it. It’s hard to remember an illness because it’s just a lot of nothing. It’s very hard to make it into a shape.”

Writing became torturous – “all the projects I’ve tried to work on while I was ill kept flowing down a lot of alleys, that was part of the illness” – and the JS&MrN sequel is still “a long way off” completion. “I think it may be a feature with chronic fatigue that you become incapable of making decisions. I found it impossible to decide between one version of a sentence and another version, but also between having the plot go in this direction and having it go in that direction. Everything became like uncontained bushes, shooting out in all directions. That’s the state that the sequel to Jonathan Strange is in. It’s almost like a forest now.”

An invitation to the set of the miniseries in Yorkshire helped to clear the path. “I was really uncertain about going, I thought it would be too much for me, but I loved it. I’d felt ‘I’m not an author, I’m just this invalid and I have been for years,’ but they treated me as an author and that made me feel it was a possible thing again.”

With “the consciousness of all the years that I hadn’t written and all the projects I hadn’t completed” weighing on her, Clarke decided “to simplify what I was asking of myself”, returning to an old work in progress that was to become Piranesi (“it probably predates JS&MrN”) as a more manageable prospect. “I thought, it doesn’t have hundreds of characters and it won’t require a huge amount of research because I don’t know what research I could do for it.”

Susanna Clarke: ‘I was cut off from the world, bound in one place by illness’

So you might not be able to ‘do the thing anyways.’ You are allowed to grieve at what you can’t see yourself doing. But that doesn’t mean you will not find a more manageable garden to tend to. It is often hard to anticipate any kind of recovery when in the doldrums of sickness or pain, and yet we often do find easier and more enabling ways to live.

[ijuststareatstuffhereok89]

**FANFICTION MASTERLIST**

NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS (Complete) 18+ Avengers!Loki x Reader You encounter Loki after being 'recruited' by the Avengers for your pyrokinesis. The closer you find yourself getting, the further Loki goes to help you uncover the secrets of your past in order to pursue your future. The Chair, Again A Frost Giant's Lullaby

BEAUTY & THE SNAKE PRINCE (Complete) 18+ Prince!Loki x Concubine!Reader After being forced to audition to be the Prince of Asgard's newest concubine, you use your hopeless situation to try and win freedom for your people, but you don't expect to fall for the moody, tortured Prince Loki.

DON'T FEAR THE REAPER (Complete) 18+ Soft!Dom!Loki x Magic!Reader Cursed with the power to kill with a single touch, S.H.I.E.L.D. deems you a high-level threat until Loki intercedes on your behalf, betting that under his guidance, you can bring your gifts under control within a year.

Déchiré: An Avengers’ Lust Story (On Hiatus) 18+ Loki x Reader; Steve Rogers x Reader; Bucky Barnes x Reader; Steve x Bucky You are a HYDRA agent sent to infiltrate the notorious Avengers, to tear them apart in the worst way possible in order to make them vulnerable to attack. In the midst of the wild heat you generate, three suitors take your bait.

Time & the Trickster (Loki/Doctor Who Crossover) (In Progress!) eventual Loki x Reader; hinted Ten x Rose One final effort to prevent his sacrifice at the TVA sends Loki careening through the Timelines until he finds what may be the strangest one of all. His only hope comes in the form of the first person he meets, who suggests a mysterious mad Doctor might be his only chance to return home. 

A Song for the Fallen (In Progress!) 18+ Bucky x Reader; Steve Rogers x Reader After your new husband is Snapped out of existence and leaves you pregnant with his child, Steve Rogers takes it upon himself as a final duty to his best friend to support you for the duration...until he falls in love with you himself. Five years later, just as you're finally ready to marry the Captain, Bucky returns, expecting his beloved wife to fall into his arms.

Loki's Island Fever (Coming Soon!) 18+ ONLY Avenger!Loki x Reader (enemies-to-lovers) You find yourself marooned on an uncharted island with the last person you want: the bratty, cocky Loki. But when a tropical fever sends his thoughts in a different direction, will your new island home become the sexy paradise you always wanted?

FANFIC MUSIC DRABBLE FESTIVAL MASTERLIST (Complete) LOKI X READER KINK DRABBLE MINISERIES MASTERLIST

One Shots: All Audiences The Princess of Mischief Dream Weaver Pure Chaos The Skin We're In When the World Fell The Date On the 3rd Day of Christmas The God and the Wallflower Astraphobia Nurse Loki Light My Candle Coffee, Black The Real Thing I Hate You, Captain Marvel! The 1st Annual NYC Avengers Convention Shine! Blazing with the Boys An Oasis The Avengers Embark on a Brief Escape from Sanity Thief of Hearts (Will Ransome x Reader) The Princess and the Stable Boy Idunn and the Golden Apple Loki, Triumphant (Loki x Sigyn) A Strange Little World --NEW!

Our Mrs. Loki (Part 1 of 2) Old Mrs. Loki (Part 2 of 2)

The Birds They Put in Cages (Part 1 of 2) No Net Ensnares Me (Part 2 of 2)

One Shots: 18+ Only The Mating Dance Don't Touch Me Just Another Baby Story The Little Green Handkerchief Know Your Place Dangerous Curves Deliriously Happy Snow Bound A Taste of the Bubbly Blame it On the Rain The Wedding Altar Mother, May, I? (Bucky x Pregnant!Reader) A Damsel's Debt --NEW! A Very Good Pet A Very Naughty Pet

MY AO3

Behold! A new-and-improved masterlist!

Enjoy!

@lokisgoodgirl @anukulee @coldnique @chantsdemarins @el-zef @fictive-sl0th @glitterylokislut @holymultiplefandomsbatman @holdmytesseract @joyful-enchantress @kellatron55 @kikster606 @loopsisloops @lowkeyorloki @lokischambermaid @lokimostly @meowmeow-motherfucker @muddyorbsblr @mochie85 @mischief2sarawr @michelleleewise @peachyjinx @psychospore @silverfire475 @sarahscribbles @trickster-maiden @vbecker10 @wheredafandomat @xorpsbane

[liminalpebble]

Hey friends, sorry to ask yet again, but can we do a "get help"? (For those new to the "get help" it means sending funny, sweet, or horny things of our favorite fictional men, or just nice words etc. To cheer someone up) I don't mean to whine, but uh...I'm losing it. In the interest of brevity, here's the tl:dr...

-Still down with corona (but yay! Can smell a little again. And finally had the opportunity to binge Fleabag. Not quite finished yet, though. So, no spoilers).

-the second ex-boyfriend I was on good terms with/ friends with unexpectedly dying suddenly before their 40th birthday in a single year.

-my job campus closing down December 31st, job future very uncertain.

-Rude/fat-shaming/incredibly disrespectful yearly check up (dispite the fact that all my numbers are fine and my health is good, so...again sliver linings).

-Moving house by Dec. 31 (but it's a good/terrifying reason! Buying a house which will make freelancing easier.)

-doing a lot of freelance work (which is great because I'm in demand, and gives new experiences and money) but always stressful and uncertain and a lot more work.

Sorry, friends. I hope I'm not annoying the shit out of you all. (If I am, please feel free to ignore) I just gotta scream into the void again. In real life, I kind of suck it all up and don't say much.

Since the friend who ruined my birthday party, I've kind of stepped away from that whole friend group, which I think is a healthy decision, but leaves me, well...a lot more alone.

Please send some funny, sexy, weird, happy things. Share your good news in your life, show me cute pets. Share the shit out of this post. I would very much appreciate it. (Again, no pressure, and my apologies if I'm annoying you).

Much love ❤️

Peb

@muddyorbs @lokischambermaid @littlespaceyelf @loz-3 @lokihiddleston @jennyggggrrr @unlucky-number-13 @acidcasualties @ladyofthestayingpower @peaches1958 @gigglingtiggerv2 @goblingirlsarah @smolvenger @lemongingerart @tripleyeeet @holdmytesseract @thedistractedagglomeration @peacefulpianist @marcotheflychair @holymultiplefandomsbatman @itsfreakingbats @fanfic-collection @infinitystoner @unfocused81 @sailorholly @lokisgoodgirl @mochie85 @alexakeyloveloki @sweetsigyn @leelei1980 @veemoon @joyful-enchantress @lesservillain @huxs-side-part @cloudyfacewithjam @peachyjinx @glitchquake @take-everything-you-can @hellfirenacht @squidscottjeans @elegantkoalapaper @eleniblue @chokeanddagger

[tricksterlatte]

Akeshu Holiday Heist Special WIP

This was going to be a oneshot sequel to my completed Persona 5 Akechi/Joker fanfic, Chase the Joker, set nearly one year after the ending. While I still have a few oneshots set in their future planned, this one's entire concept was changed, and the fic was scrapped. Since I had fun writing their banter, I'm going to post the WIP here anyways. You can read underneath the cut! As it's incomplete, there is no concrete ending to this segment at this time.

Sometimes, life could feel just like a Christmas movie. One could find the true meaning of holiday cheer amidst the chaos, no matter who they are or where they came from. It was a special time of year, and whether people celebrated or not, sometimes beautiful magic happened. 

Joyful moments could be shared underneath the tree as families discover the true meaning of the holiday season, whether related to Santa Clause, the meaning of life, or Kentucky Fried Chicken. True love could be discovered underneath the mistletoe, all while some coworker’s annoying as hell kids at the office Christmas party went ooh or help me or perhaps ew, gross much? On occasion, the stars aligned just right each December, and picturesque moments captured in the mind’s eye forever would feel just like the more diverse Hallmark movies. All three of them, if you were being generous.

It was at these times one must remember Die Hard was also a Christmas movie…which was the evidence Akira needed to utilize for their current situation, no matter how Goro denied it, all while they drove towards some rich bastard’s Christmas bash on a hellbent mission.

Car rides anywhere were enjoyable as long as they were with each other, and in the end that was all Akira could ask for. As Goro rambled on and on about cultural variations of the holiday, and how supposedly none of them involved homicide, Akira just held back laughter while applying the reddest lipstick known to man. He hadn’t ever worn a cocktail dress before today, but no one could deny he looked incredible. He was dressed to the nines in luscious red, a silky wig, and enough makeup that not even his own parents would recognize him, and yet it wasn’t technically for a date. What a homophobic shame dealt to him by the gods themselves.

…Okay, his parents hadn’t seen him in years, and the last time had been Goro punching his father in the face. It was better stated that not even his cat would recognize him, but Akira didn’t want to think about that either. So instead he just bickered with the man he loved.

“Honey, listen,” Akira countered, after Goro ranted for the entire length of some bubbly kpop song about being merry and happy. “I know you pride yourself on being right about everything, and I support you unconditionally, but have you ever considered you’re totally wrong about literally everything? We are living out a Christmas movie right now. I’m right.”

“Stating I’m wrong without providing actual evidence as to why again, Akira?” Goro said with an eye roll, though his rolling eyes struggled to stay focused on the road when Akira’s dress kinda showed his upper thigh. “You would not have lasted one week in a university setting’s debate team, and it shows.”

“Hey, neither of us went to college, on account of me being a sexy criminal superstar and you being sexy and also super dead. At least I read dozens of books on mythology and cultural figures when we still had the Nav,” Akira said right back. “I’m a master debater–”

“I swear if you say ‘and also a masturbator,’ I’m hitting the brakes at mach speed.”

“I mean no, I don’t need to do that when we’re in the same room twenty-four hours a day. Wow, you have such a dirty mind, did you know that?”

Goro finally stared not at the road nor Akira’s legs, but a secret third thing–his smug, stupid face, so he could shoot Akira the nastiest of glares. “Quite the talk from someone who made a kidnapping roleplay joke months after literally being kidnapped.”

Okay, that had been one time. And they were not talking about it. Not if Akira could help it. He finished applying the last of his makeup and examined himself in the mirror. If looks could kill, Akira wouldn’t need a knife tonight. Tragically, he still needed a knife, but at least he was pretty. 

“I never joked about that again, give me and my coping mechanisms some credit. Anyways, enough talk about my abduction. Ever heard of Krampus? He’s like the Mementos Grim Reaper used to be, except real, and festive, and I’m pretty sure he murdered children. How’s that for Christmas cheer?”

“I appreciate the sentiment behind a morally dubious Christmas special, but…Krampus aside, the holiday genre as a whole is ill-suited for activities such as murder, once we put aside frequently debated titles. There is a reason films such as Die Hard and American Psycho are commonly dismissed from a place among happy-go-lucky Christmas movies, and that’s due to them only portraying the holiday as background noise in favor of an action plot. It’s only a timestamp when all is considered, nothing more.”

God, Goro was so pretentious. No wonder Akira was in love with him. Here they were, driving towards some multimillionaire’s holiday party with a heist in mind and also assassination if push came to shove, and yet Goro was blasting some American artist’s holiday music on the Jokermobile speakers and discussing American fucking Psycho versus the concept of Christmas cheer. If he wasn’t wearing nondescript black clothing and gun holsters, Akira would blame the irritated snarl gracing Goro’s face on this Michael Buble person singing some no homo anthem about his buddy Santa.

Akira just giggled in his best falsetto, preparing himself for whatever crossdressing shenanigans he had to pull for their mission tonight, and flipped his wig over his shoulder. Brief little moments of domestic bliss were nice after everything, even if most people wouldn’t get it. 

“Okay, ignore the murder then. We’re still living in a real life romcom whether you think my jokes are funny or not, since my entire life is a joke.” Another unimpressed squint as Goro kept his eyes on the road. The self-deprecation didn’t hit like it used to for either of them. Damn their efforts to rebuild Akira’s self-esteem. Those efforts were getting in the way of dark humor! “It’s December 24th, we’re on our way to crash a Christmas party, and we are romantic and comedic. We even took that don we now our gay apparel song to heart, come on!”

Goro snorted, ever the long-suffering, disgruntled man in the face of whatever the fuck Akira was doing. “That can be said for your outfit tonight, but I don’t recall a black turtleneck ever winning one of those ridiculous ugly Christmas sweater contests.”

“No, see, you’re just dressed like the gay goth cousin who sits at the kids’ table during family gatherings because he hates his homophobic relatives.” Akira knew this because he had once been the gay goth cousin who sat at kids’ tables during their rare family gatherings because he hated his homophobic relatives.

Goro looked from Akira, to the road, to their GPS. His brow furrowed and he bit his lip once he saw how little time was left until their arrival. The plan had been for Goro to park the car and follow behind closely, and Akira would do the actual infiltration with a fake identity and a fake adoration for being surrounded by the rich and pompous. The flashy getup was excessive, in Goro’s opinion, but plenty of Shido’s affiliates, and therefore Goro’s whether he liked them or not, were occupying this little gala. Of the two of them, Akira was less likely to be recognized, especially when dressed like this.

That didn’t mean Goro was fond of the idea whatsoever, but that was only one stressor among the many weighing them down tonight. As Goro parked the car, Akira finalized his appearances one more time, double-checking his heels were just short and thick enough that he could still run in them, and that not a hair looked out of place.

He only became aware of his nervous expression when Goro turned off the radio. Turning to face his partner in crime, he saw anxiety reflected back at him, and Akira gulped down a lump in his throat. “Hey,” Akira said, reaching over to grab Goro’s hand as it held the steering wheel in a vice grip. “I know this time of year is stressful for everyone, but I’m going to be okay–”

“Are you okay, though?” Goro cut him off, flexing his fingers before letting go of the wheel. He squeezed his eyelids shut and visibly fought to unclench his jaw. “You’ve spent the entire car ride cracking ridiculous jokes and making up your own lyrics to every damn orchestra cover that played on the radio, but if you’re trying to hide how nervous you are, you’re not doing a great job. I thought we talked about this.”

Akira winced. Keeping secrets hadn’t been his goal at all, but he couldn’t blame Goro for that train of thought. Old habits die hard, whether trauma was involved or otherwise. He flopped back against the headrest, shifting their hands so their fingers intertwined. Even with gloved hands, the grip grounded both of them. “I wasn’t doing it on purpose. I just know if I think too much about the worst case scenarios, I won’t be able to focus on anything else. I’m worried about you too, though. What’s wrong? Is it about splitting up?”

The telltale twitch of Goro’s hand was all the answer Akira needed. He stayed silent and gave Goro a moment to find his words, taking in his harrowed expression as Goro’s thumb brushed across the various scars all over Akira’s hand. Goro had always wielded words masterfully on television and even in battle, whether they were honeyed vinegar or vulgar curses, but words conveying his innermost feelings still didn’t come easily. Akira wasn’t good at sharing his burdens purposefully either just yet, but they were trying. 

They were both getting better about trust and honesty, but sometimes Akira worried parts of them would always be trapped in the past, terrified of losing one another, or maybe in some long-lost Palace there was Goro, kneeling on some bloody floor or panicking in a hotel room, or there was Akira, trapped in a diner or tied to a chair in that hellish basement or crawling across frozen earth in a desperate rush because he couldn’t let him die, not here, not again–

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?” Akechi’s voice broke Akira out of the spiral before it could properly start. Suddenly Akechi’s head gently bumped into the side of Akira’s, and his thumb rubbed circles against Akira’s knuckles. Right. It was December, in the present day, almost a full year after three no good, very bad days. They were alive. They were okay. “I’ll admit I’m not fond of splitting up. I…I can’t lose you again.” Okay, so maybe Akira wasn’t the only one spiraling over that possibility. “If you no longer wanted to mingle with Shido’s trash, I would gladly take our little getaway car and drive wherever you wish–”

“Nope, I’m still going,” Akira butted in. He wasn’t offended by Akechi’s offer, but he didn’t want to back down now, and he knew Akechi didn’t either. He could do this. It wasn’t like he had to kill a million people, all he had to do was break into some big wig’s computer with a flash drive and then get the hell out of there. Hopefully no one paid attention to him, once they got over the dress and heels. “I have a dagger and I’m not afraid to use it, and I have my earpiece just in case. You have a sword and multiple guns and an actual sniper rifle. Give the both of us some credit! I killed a god three Christmases ago. A little breaking and entering is what the kids call small potatoes.”

Akechi said nothing, but at the rate he was stressing, he would fracture every bone in Akira’s hand, induce heart murmurs faster than you could say four Five Hour Energy shots, and go bald by age twenty-three. Refusing to let the man who was essentially his husband lose all his hair, Akira indulged in their old favorite vice: deflecting and changing the subject. “Also, this isn’t the getaway car. Stop besmirching the good name of our dearly beloved Jokermobile–”

“It’s not a good name at all, Akira,” said Akechi as he forced himself to relax. He didn’t buy the facade, but Akira wasn’t trying to fool him. They both just needed to calm down before they did anything reckless…even if a heist was also reckless. “Your habit of naming inanimate objects is getting out of hand. This isn’t the Jokermobile, it’s a black 2016 Toyota Highlander, and you only named it that because you wanted to make rear-ending jokes.”

Well, it was a good thing they had only been rear-ended by an actual car once, then. Akira took full responsibility for that one, it was his fault for trying to drive with a broken leg. Pour one out for the fire hydrant, the greatest victim of that hit-and-run besides Akira’s psyche. “And yet you never thought of a better name. Checkmate.”

“You’re insufferable,” Akechi sighed. 

“I think you meant irresistible, honey,” said Akira.

“Oh, pardon me. I meant to say you’re irritating and irresponsible. My mistake.” 

Goro didn’t give Akira time to reply before he unbuckled his seatbelt and inspected his holsters. “Do you have the flashdrive ready to go?” Akira reached into a side pocket of his dress and showed Goro the flash drive, shoving it back inside once Goro nodded. “And your dagger?” He flipped his skirt completely to the side, exposing lacy black underwear on top of the dagger strapped to the thigh lacking a dress slit. Goro forcibly ignored that and interrogated him again like the bastard cop he once pretended to be. “And your earpiece?”

Wow, not even a verbal reaction to his underwear of choice? Bummer. Akira rolled his eyes and gently swept the wig away. Barely visible inside his ear was the earpiece, but it was in place just as planned. Smiling and hoping the red lipstick wouldn’t smudge onto his teeth, he flashed Goro a thumbs up. “Yes, Goro, I’ll hear your illustrious voice loud and clear. What about yours?”

“I put mine on before we left. I came prepared, unlike you.”

“It’s not a competition, Goro.”

“Akira, we turn everything into a competition whether we like it or not.”

God, could Goro stop making good points tonight? He was beating Akira in the argument category of the Rivalry Olympics. Fucker. Conceding for now, Akira pouted as Goro let go of his hand to climb into the back. “Do we have any of those canned coffees left?” he asked while Goro inspected his ammunition.

“I grabbed extra at the 777 earlier, along with some other beverages,” Goro replied, briefly ignoring his mission prep in favor of caffeinating the idiotic love of his life. As Goro reached into their cooler, he continued, “Some are black, some have cream or sugar. How do you want your coffee tonight, my dear Joker?”

“Black like my soul, Crow,” Akira replied, fondly recalling his dear pal Satanael on the anniversary of a god’s death. Goro gave him a long, hard look, then hurled a bottle of milk at Akira’s face. Naturally, Akira caught it with all the proficiency in the universe. Then he hurled it right back at Goro, who snatched it from the air without even looking. Well, if Satanael wasn’t allowed, then Arsene better be. “Fine. Something with French roast, also like my soul.”

[fabuloustrash05]

Rewriting The Season 5 Halloween Arc

A TMNT 2012 Rewrite

The Halloween arc in TMNT 2012 (S5 Ep14-17) was an exciting 4 part arc where the Turtles team up with their time traveling friend, Renet Tilley, and with her help they travel to different time periods to stop Savanti Romero from recruiting history’s greatest monsters and take over present day New York City. The whole arc was entertaining, seeing the Turtles fight these iconic monsters, but a disappointing detail, in my opinion, when watching this spooky arc was the exclusion of April O’Neil and Casey Jones. 

I feel the inclusion of April and Casey helping the Turtles and working along side Renet was wasted potential. I was hoping we were going to see Renet’s dynamic with April and Casey, but sadly that hope was taken away when April and Casey were turned into vampires in the first 5 minutes of the arc, casting them off to the side and missing out on the adventure. 

So for this rewrite I ask the question: What would’ve happened if April and Casey where involved in the Turtles and Renet’s Halloween time traveling adventures?

Lets start with the beginning of the episode, cause I’m rewriting that whole opening of April and Casey trick or treating. Instead the episode opens with a familiar scene, the ending scene to the season 3 episode Tale of the Yokai.

The arc starts where the episode Tale of the Yokai ends with Renet bringing the turtles back to the present day, Renet kisses Mikey goodbye, and leaves through the portal.

We then see what happened to Renet as she went through the portal and left the turtles after the episode, returning to her time, she takes a deep breath as the portal closes behind her. Once it closes she lets out an joyful fangirl scream and begins expressing how thrilling it was for her to work alongside the “turtle warriors of legend”. She talks to herself about how much of an honor it was to actually meet them along with the flattery that Michelangelo had an romantic interest in her. Renet blushes as she reminisces about what happened between her and the young turtle just moments ago and there potential blooming romance.

“I can’t wait to see him again!” Renet cheers happily.

“Oh no you won’t!” An angry voices call out as someone grabs Renet’s ear. It’s Lord Simulantius, finally seeing his true human form (not as a floating head, but as he appeared in Renet’s flashback sequence in Turtles in Times)

Lord Simultaneous rips the Time Scepter out of Renet’s hands and begins dragging her by the ear across the Time Masters’ Temple (like an angry mother with her in trouble child at a grocery store). He immediately begins lecturing her about taking the Time Scepter and Savanti Romero almost taking over history with it, calling her foolish and irresponsible. Lord S. then comments that she was lucky enough that the Turtle Warriors of Legend helped her but she shouldn’t be getting involved with their history especially with Mikey’s, since now he’s fallen for her. Renet comments that she likes Mikey back and that there is no harm in having a crush. Lord S. tries to shoot down her ideas of being with Mikey by saying he’ll one day fall for a girl named Shinigami and many more potential partners will come his way that he’ll fall for.

(Note: In this rewrite their would be a sequence during the Kavaxas arc were Shinigami rejected Mikey’s love confession, which has Mikey realize that Renet is the girl for him. I actually have a short fanfic on this that you can read HERE)

The two Time Masters are both unaware that Mikey will be rejected by Shini in the future (which we the audience would already know), Renet feels heart broken, but still shows that her feelings for Mikey are still there, but with more sign of resentment, regret, and feeling used. She begins thinking that if he’s gonna flirt with others, there’s no harm in her flirting with others too.

Lord S. punishes Renet for her “screw up” by having her do scouting reports of banished time criminals they sent to other time periods. First on her list is Savanti Romero. Worried she’ll lose the Scepter like last time Lord S. gives Renet an emergency time travel device before sending her off. We then see the scene that was originally a 2D flashback sequence in the original show of Romero attacking Renet with a dino army and stealing her emergency time travel device. Instead of it being a 2D flashback it’s a short action sequence of Renet fighting Romero, but (like in canon) he escapes and times travel to a different period.

The scene ends with a panicked Renet, realizing she has messed up (once again) as she says in a worried defeat, “Oh Groak…”

CUE THE INTRO!

It’s Halloween night in present day New York where we see April and Casey trick or treating and with them is a little girl with black eyes and long black hair tied into two ponytails dressed as pirate. It’s Casey’s little sister! (Because I think this would be a cute little cameo so we can finally meet her). Her name is Angel and through dialogue we learn that Casey’s dad made him bring his little sister with him for trick or treating, he apologizes to April for the “third wheel” but April says she doesn’t mind, she loves kids. We would even see through the little dialogue that Angel is spunky, bold, and full of attitude, defiantly a mini female Casey Jones.

Like in canon, Casey pulls a “trick” on someone for not giving him candy (for this imagine instead someone was mean to his sister and refused to give her candy) and the three are laughing and having a fun Halloween. As they walk down the street we see a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows watching them. 

Soon just like in the episode the vampires and other monsters attack. Casey’s little sister gets bitten and turns into a vampire. April and Casey fight them off the best they can, but soon they realize there are far too many of them. They are surrounded.

Suddenly a bright portal appears in the sky and April and Casey get saved by a girl in weird clothing holding a strange looking device. It’s Renet! 

She instructs them to follow her. With no other choice, April and Casey run off with her. Once they are safe up top a building’s roof, they ask her what is going on and she says there’s no time to explain and how she can fix everything before matters get worse. 

"It'll be easy,” she explains, “I just need to find Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo."

April and Casey’s eyes widen with suspicion.

"I-I'm sorry?" April asked.

"You know..." Renet says coy. She then leans in towards them and whispers, "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Tu-"

Before she could finish her sentence, April and Casey draw their weapons, April with her tessan and Casey with his hockey stick, and aim them at Renet, cornering her.

"Okay listen, we don't know who you are or what the heck is going on, but how to you know about the turtles?" April asked aggressively.

“Yeah!” Casey adds, “Start talking, headdress.”

"Oh... I-I... Well, um... You're right. I'm sorry. Let me start over," She clears her throat, "My names Renet Tilley, I too am a friend of the turtles."

"Funny," Casey glares, "They never mentioned you..."

"They don't tell you a lot of things. You'd be surprised of the secrets those boys keep from you," Renet smirks. April and Casey share a quick look as she continues, "Listen we have no time to waste, here's this criminal, Savanti Romero, who wishes to take over your time and later mine. I know the turtle warriors are the only ones who can help me stop him. They've done it once, they can do it again. So please.... will you take me to them?"

April and Casey look at one another. They can hear the screams of the people down in the streets being attacked by the monsters. If what this girl is saying is true then they have no choice. April then pulls out her T-Phone and calls Donnie.

We then cut to the turtles in the lair getting ready for Halloween. The scene will play out in canon: Leo’s Spaceheroes fanboying, “Smooooth Donatello~” and Mikey’s fairy princess costume suggestion to Raph.

(Note: I’m changing that “Smooooth Donatello~” joke, Donnie is still dress as a pimp surrounded by the TMNT girls (April, Shinigami, Rook), but replace Karai with Mona Lisa, because WHY IS HE IMAGINING HIS SISTER IN THAT FANTASY?? Also all the girls are dress in pretty purple dresses to match his mask. Add the funny idea of Raph glaring at Donnie in the background, hinting that Raph knows Donnie imagine Mona in that fantasy and he is NOT happy.)

As they discuss their costume ideas and express their excitement for their favorite holiday, Donnie gets a video call from April and answers it, "Hey, April! We're just getting ready- "

"Yeah, that's great Donnie, um, look, there's some weird things going on up here." April tells him through the video call.

"Yeah, weird, but metal!" Casey said popping from behind her excitedly.

Donnie's brother's hear what April said. She sounded worried but also confused. They huddle around Donnie as they look at April in the video call.

"What do you mean weird?" Leo asked.

"There's these monster, vampires, werewolves, everything! They tried attacking us!" April turns her phone to quickly show the turtles the monster attacks from the streets below.

"What the-?! Are you alright?!" Donnie panics.

"We're fine. Thankfully we got some help. She says she know you guys."

"Who?" Leo asked.

April moves the camera of her phone and aims it at Renet. She smiles and happily waves, "Hello Turtle Warriors!"

"RENET?!" The turtles all cried out in shock.

"O-Okay! We'll be right there!" Leo tells his friends through the call.

"Just hurry!" April hands up.

"Knowing that Renet is here she must've been the cause of what’s going on." Raph comments.

"Looks like Halloween is on hold tonight," Leo says, "Let's go ninjas!" and the turtles head off. 

The turtles then meet up with April, Casey, and their old friend Renet up on a high roof top.

"It's so great to see you again, Renet," Mikey said happily hugging Renet, "We haven't seen you in, like, a year."

"Really?" Renet asked with a surprised look on her face, "Huh... Well, for me it's only been about two... maybe three hours."

"Fascinating..." Donnie says, "It makes sense for you since you're from the future and have the technology to travel to any time period you wish."

"I'm sorry!" April said confused, "Future?! Time Travel?! What’s going on?!”

“Yeah, and how do you know this chick?” Casey adds.

There was no time to explain, for Savanti Romero arrives. He attacks and Renet creatures a time portal to escape, sending her, the turtles, April and Casey to Ancient Egypt.

The rest of the arc will go out as it played in canon: Same order of time periods they travel, Raph turns into a vampire (April, Casey, and Donnie all will too later on), Mikey befriends Frankenstein, etc. And yes, when the gang travels to Transylvania, April and Casey will also get their own monster hunter outfits from Renet just like the turtles, because April and Casey deserve more outfit changes! I like seeing them in different outfits!!

I imagine their monster hunter outfits would look something like this:

I also want to note a little detail of dialogue of when Raph is bitten but not a vampire yet, April would make comments about how she can sense something is wrong with Raph, how his aura is off. Maybe she would even try to use her psychic powers to get through to Vampire!Raph, but fails because Dracula’s control over him is too strong to break. Her powers can only temporally break free from Dracula’s mind control. If they want to free Raph from the vampire curse, they have to kill Dracula. 

Lighting Round! (cause this is already a long post) Like I said, everything plays out like it did in canon. I just have some little details I wanna add that involve Renet, April, or Casey (or all three):

Because of meeting Renet and her comment that their are things about the turtles that they don’t bother telling them, it makes April and Casey question their friendship with the turtles and they wonder what else have the turtles hide from them or haven’t told them about. They are all growing up and sometimes growing up means you drift apart.

While in Egypt and later in Transylvania April and Renet get to talking. April starts by trying to make small talk with Renet, but slowly realizes that Renet and her have some things in common. She also starts to take note of Mikey’s flirtatious actions towards Renet. “Weird...” April thinks to herself, “I thought he liked Shinigami.” This would make April realize that she doesn’t fully know the turtles, that Renet was right. There are some things that they will keep from her. 

Casey would end up getting flirty with Renet, causing Mikey to get jealous. 

Casey: That Renet girl is impressive. She’s pretty smart.

Mikey, looking out at Renet lovingly: Yeah! Isn't she amazing?!

Casey: And she’s fun.

Mikey: Totally!

Casey: Cute too.

Mikey: Gorge-

Mikey: *death stare at Casey*

Casey:   ¬‿¬

Mikey would begin to take notice of Casey’s flirtatious behavior towards Renet and Renet even starts to flirt back. This causes him to get jealous, while Donnie is happily relieved that Casey is no longer putting the moves on April.

Later Mikey would ask April to tell Casey to stop flirting with Renet. April would say no and call Mikey out on his Shinigami situation (because now she has the full story from Renet and realizes that she and Mikey were kind of a thing when he was putting the moves on Shini). Mikey tells April he thought there was no harm in it since they aren’t “technically” dating so he can flirt with whoever he wants, to which April tells Mikey that if that is true then Renet has a right to flirt with Casey if she wants to. This makes Mikey question what his relationship with Renet really is. Does he want to start something serious with her?

I can even imagine Mikey and Renet have a short moment to talk about their relationship and what will become of them in the future. Renet tells Mikey she does care about him, but whether or not they have a future together is now all on his decision. Should they try dating? Or is it best that they just stay friends? Mikey has to make that decision, because Renet has made up her mind either way.

To sum it up, April’s role in this arc is basically:

And Casey’s role is just:

Also this:

I think you all pretty much got a good gist of how I’d rewrite this arc, it’s mostly the beginning of the arc that takes a drastic change. After that it all plays out like it did in canon just with the inclusion of April and Casey in the beginning, they still have their moments to shine and fight along side their friends and get to show off their skills. The two would still become vampires shortly after Raph officially turns, mostly likely when they return to their time period or before that in Frankenstein’s time, and then Donnie gets turned by being bitten by Vampire!April later on. 

I even imagine their would a moment where we and a the gang learn through Renet that April and Casey are historical legends as well, well known for helping the turtles in many battles throughout history. This info explains why Renet looks for them in the beginning of the arc and not the turtles themselves. April and Casey are historical legends just like the turtles!

By the end of the arc, instead of Renet saying goodbye, kissing Mikey, and just going back to her time period, instead the Turtles and their friends offer if she would like to join them on their trick or treating before she leaves. Lord S. who was going to escort Frankenstein, the gypsy man, and Renet back home, agrees as long as she returns to the future once she’s done, showing that Lord S. is starting to have more faith in Renet and letting her actually act her age. Maybe he even adds the comment “Its not everyday you befriend turtle warriors of legend and their comrades. This is an honor you should enjoy.” Renet smiles and the arc ends with Renet happily running off with her new friends (holding Mikey’s hand, hinting that they going to try a long distance relationship) as they head off to go trick or treating, all cheerfully shouting “Booyakasha!!”

The End!

[nickistuffs]

Let's eat!

hi! I'm Nicki. I have been on Tumblr my whole life and all I have been doing is reading fanfiction, precisely Harry Styles fanfics. So yeah and I wrote one blurb back while I was bored when my wifi broke so, here it goes.

Please enjoy just doing this for fun.

Pairing: dadrry X Filipina reader (Plus size reader or interpret them as you want them to look like.)

Summary: Breakfast is great, time to take a break from pancakes and cereal.

Warnings: None, fluff (cause I am in need of it)

...

The smell of garlic fried rice in the air is what Harry woke up to. Guessing that (y/n) was already up and cooking their breakfast. Yes a bit odd eating rice for every meal but he lived with his girlfriend for three years then; his wife and mother of his child. He had gotten used to seeing her eating a full meal and slowly eating the same, especially when her recipe for bangsilog was a great greasy start of the day whenever he had a hangover. 

Still groggy from sleep harry, went and did his business in the bathroom. walked past their toddler’s bedroom seeing it empty, bed covers all over the place. Then hearing an excited shout from their child downstairs making harry smile to himself. 

Finally downstairs he head straight to the kitchen immediately hugging his beloved wife from behind as she was washing pots in the sink. “Good morning, my love. Missed you in bed” (y/n) faced harry and “I’m so sorry, H. I know. a little someone was hungry for a big breakfast here.” Facing their three year old toddler munching on a tomato slice sitting on the high chair. Then immediately laughing how messy they were, bits of rice and eggs in their hair and tomato all over their cheeks. 

“Is it yummy, baby?” Harry asking their joyful little one. “Mummy, made such delicious foods for us keeping us full of her yummy foods, hmm?” Harry kissing their cheeks no matter how messy their face is. (He couldn’t help it) giggles and laughter filling the room. “Okay, daddy. breakfast is ready. Let them finish theirs, please. Kain na tayo (let’s eat)” “Mmm thank you my love this absolutely smells great!” Harry sitting down at the breakfast nook grabbing a serving of sinangag (garlic fried rice), runny fried eggs, fresh sliced tomatoes, salted duck eggs, crispy bangus (marinated milk fish), and atchara (pickled papaya) made his mouth water. “You amaze me so much!” “Another great start to the day, baby” harry finished saying digging into his food. (y/n) always blushing at every compliment he gives even when they’ve been together for so long.

Then a loud shriek from their toddler and a continuous streak of babbles. Harry  agreeing with their incoherent words. “Your right baby, Mummy is so amazing! Huh?” Their toddler making grabby hands to (yn)’s plate. feeding them scrambled eggs and rice. Then their baby loudly says “mMMHMm yamee” the little family laughing and enjoying their morning together. 

...

Thank you so much ehehe I have more in store and maybe I'll write more in the future. See you <3

[lightwritesym]

TOTK Prequel Fanfic: In Three Years... [PART 1]

It’d been a few years since Ganon had been defeated–three years to be exact. After visiting all regions of Hyrule, Zelda and Link return to Hateno village to rest for a few months. Rebuilding efforts are underway and the Princess–now twenty years of age–couldn't be happier, especially now as Link is back at her side. The Silent Knight himself felt just as content; he was always happy so long as his Princess was safe and sound.

But the Princess wasn’t safe from her regrets.

Link’s house was simple and quaint, with only one floor and a loft. It was those little touches of color and light that Zelda brought into the residence–with Link’s permission–that made it feel homely for her. It might not look like much when you first open the door, but light the fireplace, bring out the eye-catching ceramics, add a few wildflowers in a vase for color, and it transforms into a place of warmth and comfort.

Zelda loved it so much that she asked Link if a cooking pot could be fitted in his home so she could learn to make all the unique dishes they had in their travels. He agreed to the idea, but only under the condition that she would follow a recipe and not her own. It was the first big addition to the house after a series of small ones and the princess was looking forward to doing more in the future–with Bolson’s help, of course.

She liked living the simpler life–but why? Zelda wondered this until she thought back to her early life in the Castle.

The cold, stone walls surrounding her.

The servants bustling in and out of her room.

The giant banners reminding her she was royalty.

And of course, the expectations that came with. 

But here in Hateno Village, everyone showed nothing but unrequited love for their princess. The first day she moved to the village, she was given new clothes to wear, food to eat, and flowers to make her smile. The Mayor saw to it that every one of her needs were met, so long as the people could help it. All the elders taught her useful skills, such as sewing or preparing ink to write with. 

But the children–goodness, those children!

They were especially fascinated with her highness, particularly for her knowledge of the wild; all it took was one small lesson on the different types of frogs there were on a rainy day, and the questions all came flooding in–the princess never felt so elated to answer them! It took parents calling their tiny scholars home for Zelda to finally catch a break. The Mayor’s daughter, Karin, gave her a big hug before running home, expressing how excited she was to learn more from the princess.

“Goodnight Miss Zelda!” The girl had said. It filled the princess with contentment; never had she felt so overwhelmed with open arms and joyful faces. Hateno Village was truly the place to call home.

But… 

The more she pondered those smiling faces, why did it make Zelda feel more and more–guilty?

“Princess?”

Zelda shook her head out of her reverie. She was seated at the dining table, book in hand, with a half-empty plate beside her. “Y-yes?” she stammered. How long had she been staring off into space?

Link was standing by the door. 

“I’m going to grab some rice and eggs from East Wind.” He said. “Do you want anything?”

“Oh–Milk,” Zelda said, forcing a smile. “I know I’ll sleep better after a warm cup of milk.”

Link nodded. He turned and reached for the door handle when he paused. Zelda looked up at him, anticipating a question from him. Instead, he shook his head– 

“I won’t be long.” Link said before the door shut behind him.

That much was true. He wouldn’t take longer than ten minutes, which was all the time Zelda needed to get ready for bed.

Closing her book, she left it on the table to get changed up in the loft.

But as she undressed, the princess became lost in her thoughts again; this always happened after traveling through Hyrule for months. On the road, Zelda was never so distracted. Obviously, her mind had been occupied by the rebuilding efforts and the needs of her people that she hardly had the time to sit down and just be on her own. At some point under all that stress, Zelda was practically begging for a break from her duties–

But now that she and Link were taking an extended break after three years of almost non-stop travel, she suddenly felt–unease? Was that the right word? 

Zelda wasn’t so sure; it wasn’t that she felt unsafe by any means, especially not with Link at her side, but those voices of doubt that once plagued her mind a hundred years ago somehow resurfaced, taunting her. She thought she was beyond those voices but seeing those faces–the faces of her current subjects, so few in numbers–they all had to adapt to living on the edges of the world because Zelda couldn’t stop the Calamity in time. The way they were living now, vulnerable to weather or monster attacks out in the wild, was because she had failed them long before they were born and they didn't even know it. The villagers were so welcoming to a long lost princess–

But if they found out that she was responsible for the kingdom’s downfall, how would they react? How would they treat her then?

Zelda thought about the elders of Hateno and the stories they told of their families; how their parents clamored to escape central Hyrule and the loved ones they lost amidst the chaos. To this day, none of them know if they have any surviving family members around the kingdom. If they somehow did, they're too old to travel alone and are far more vulnerable to the elements and monsters.

“It took a few decades for the village to feel safe here,” Uma had said to Zelda a day ago. “My husband wanted to start a family but I had that feeling in my heart that we needed to wait until the world was a little safer. My darling was upset with me–he thought I’d lied to him about wanting to settle down, but that was far from it.” The old woman sighed. “After five years, when those bokoblin hordes migrated towards the west, we all breathed a sigh of relief. My husband felt so guilty and apologized thereafter. We had our baby the next year and became the family we’ve always wanted.” Uma had smiled fondly at the last sentence. “Take it from an old woman–at some point in your life, you’re going to have to make sacrifices for the people you love, even if it hurts them.”

Those last words resonated within Zelda–why?

The princess laid awake under the covers, dressed in her nightshirt. It was all she could do while her mind raced with all the kingdom’s grievances post-Calamity.

Then she heard the front door click open followed by footsteps.

“Princess?”

It was Link. He was back from East Wind. 

But rather than greeting him, Zelda remained still under the covers. She heard him call her again, then his footsteps walking up the stairs. She closed her eyes, and took slow breaths. She didn’t see him, but after a few moments of silence, she heard him descend to the bottom floor.

She hoped Link didn’t feel bad.

#

The night brought on a chill. Regardless if Zelda had the sheets on her person, her skin prickled as the core of her body shook violently–did Link forget to add fuel to the fire place?

Perhaps the window needed to be shut–but was it not already closed? Zelda remembered doing so.

Why was she so–

Cold?

Shaking, Zelda propped herself up on her hands and called for Link.

“Link–”

AHHHHHHHH!

Screams.

There were screams everywhere.

Zelda shot up from bed and looked around–it was dark, but from the cracks in the window, she could see a glow of red wisp seeping through. The Princess gasped and jumped out of bed, backing away.

“Link?” She called again. When no answer came, she ran downstairs to find the first floor of his house empty. Even the furniture was gone, all except–the dining table and the vase full of silent princesses, now wilted. Zelda looked at their pitiful state.

“But… these were just picked–”

The door burst open, but Zelda had no time to react when Link, in his tattered champion's tunic, grabbed her hand, and hauled her outside his house. She yelled in protest, but the Hero wasn’t listening–she didn’t even have a chance to look at his face. She tried to pry his hand off of her arm until she realized–they were no longer in Hateno, but a burning Castle Town.

And Zelda was no longer in her nightshirt, but her ceremonial dress. The sky burned an angry red color, and the sun’s rays felt more like a burning blaze than a gentle warmth. The Guardians, she saw, aimed at innocent, helpless, lives. Families–mothers, fathers, grandparents–and children–All vaporized in the blink of an eye.

It was all Zelda could do to not scream, but she had to keep running with Link. 

They made it past the gates of Castle Town, but rather than veering off into the east, Link kept running straight ahead.

“Link! Where are we going?!” Exclaimed Zelda. 

But he didn’t respond.

When they crossed onto the Sacred Grounds, Zelda finally ripped her arm free from his grip. She massaged her sore forearm and noticed the red marks where the Hero’s fingers had grappled her.

Link stopped just a few yards before her, his back turned to her.

“We have to find Impa!” The Princess called out to him. “She said she’d–wait for us…” Zelda trailed off. It was then she realized–how quiet the world became. Not even the wind blew. 

But the sky was still red.

And Zelda felt even more cold.

“You failed.”

She looked up at the Hero.

“W-what?” she gasped. “Link–how could you–”

“Is it not true, princess?” He sounded so–so–Robotic. “You failed to unlock your sacred power–you failed to stop the Calamity.”

Zelda stood frozen in the center of the Sacred Grounds. She always felt weak and helpless–but Link never judged her. He would never say these things to her–unless this is how he truly felt about her.

“You’re–you’re not the Link I know.” Zelda said, growing in confidence. “The Link I know, he–he would never say these things because understands me!” She pointed at the imposter. “So tell me right now–who are you?!”

The puppet of Link started to chuckle in his voice–then the chuckle crescendoed into an evil cackle–and finally, maniacal laughter until his body slowly disintegrated into gloomy red wisps.

But now… there stood a familiar figure in the distance. Zelda’s eyes widened in shock.

“F-father?”

King Rhoam walked towards the Sacred Grounds from the south. Wait–

How did he escape Hyrule Castle? That was the last time Zelda saw him before he…

She shook her head.

“This–this must be a dream.” She said to herself. 

“Oh no, Zelda.” said his voice in her head. “This is no dream, princess.”

The Princess looked up to see her Father standing before her–without a face. She backed away. 

“I-I’m asleep and dreaming–” she told herself when she bumped into someone behind her. She spun around to see Urbosa–also faceless.

“No–this is reality.” She heard her voice in her head. “You did fail–one hundred years ago.”

“Now look at us–” said Mipha’s voice in Zelda’s head. The Champions appeared around Zelda, also faceless.

“Look at them.” said Daruk’s voice in her head. 

Zelda soon found herself looking in every direction, seeing standing, faceless bodies of Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, Ritos, Grerudos–all Hyruleans, all of Zelda’s people. They all perished in the Calamity and Zelda now saw how many suffered.

“This is all because of you.” Revali's voice said in her head.

“Because you failed.” King Rhoam’s voice said. “And now you must pay the price.”

Zelda tried running in one direction but was blocked by a wall of faceless bodies, closing in on her. She tried running in another direction, but to no avail.

She was trapped–she had nowhere to go. 

Zelda fell to her knees, tears falling from her eyes as she begged–

“Father! Urbosa!”

They all closed in on her.

“N-no! Please!”

And closer.

“I couldn’t–!”

And closer…

“Forgive me!”

And closer–

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

#

Link sprang up from his cot and grabbed his knight’s sword before running up the stairs in one swift motion. His heart was beating fast–who or what got in his house? How could he not have heard–

He paused at the top of the stairs, only to see Zelda screaming and writhing in bed. Without a second thought, Link dropped his sword and hurried to her bedside. He reached for her flailing arms, trying to keep them from hitting him.

“Princess!”

“NO, LET ME GO!”

Her eyes were still closed as she fought him. Finally, Link pinned her arms down at her sides as he said–

“Zelda, open your eyes!”

When Zelda opened her eyes, she saw Link looking over her–then screamed at the sight of him. He stepped back, hands raised in defense in case she tried striking him–not that she would ever do that to him, but with the state she was in, Link wasn’t so certain. He kept his distance.

"It's okay.” He said.

Zelda's eyes had so much fear in them. She was a sweaty mess and her hands gripped the bed sheets so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"It’s okay," Link said again. “It’s me.”

After a moment, Zelda slowly looked around the room. The fireplace was still lit, but the fire burned low. And the moonlight glowed a pale white through the window.

No red sky–no faceless people.

And Link was here with the most concerned expression she’s seen from him.

Zelda felt for the center of her chest–her heartbeat was finally slowing down as reality settled in. Then she broke down crying into her hands. 

Before Link could say anything, there was an urgent knock on the door. Zelda became fearfully quiet.

“Link!” called a man’s voice from outside. “Is everything alright?!”

Link took one look at Zelda before hurrying down the loft to answer the door. When he opened the door, Thadd, Nack, and Rhodes greeted him with pitchforks and a farming hoe.

“We heard screaming,” said Thadd. “It sounded like the Princess. Is she alright?”

“...Ah.” Link hesitated to reply. “She’s, uh…” He stopped when he heard sniffling up the loft. He sighed, turning back to the men.

“She will be alright. I can’t say anymore than that.”

The men didn’t appear all too satisfied with that answer, but they weren’t going to argue with him. Not at this hour anyway.

“Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” said Nack. “You know I live close.”

After saying their goodbyes, Link quietly shut the door. He didn’t hear Zelda crying anymore, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t upset. He took the stairs to the loft and when he made it into her field of view, he saw her curled up on the bed, clutching onto her pillow.

Link carefully approached her and knelt down by her bedside. He took her hand into his.

"It was only a nightmare." He said.

"No, it wasn’t…!” She cried. “It was the Calamity! All those people–the ones we saw in Castle Town when the Guardians cornered them and they… they…!"

Link reached for the bedside drawer to pull a clean cloth; he held it up to her.

“Here.”

Zelda slowly craned her head up and took the cloth with a shaky hand. She sat up slowly, wiping the sweat and tears off her face. Link gave her a moment to compose herself. She dropped her hands into her lap and took a ragged breath.

“That’s not all,” she said. “It wasn’t just Hylians, but all the other races and…” She looked down at the cloth in her hands. “Our friends... My father… they said I had failed them…!”

Her face twisted with grief as the tears began to flow once more. Link sat by her side.

“I know there’s no changing the past, but I can’t help this–this feeling of guilt when the people of Hyrule are still struggling…” She closed her eyes, recalling what the elders of Hateno had told her and the people's plethora of needs. The burden weighed on her heart like lead. 

“How can I protect the people if I’ve already failed them once…?”

Zelda felt Link’s hand atop of hers again. She looked up at him with a tear-stained face; there was a tenderness in his eyes that soothed something in her soul.

“My Princess,” He said softly. “Before I was appointed to you, I had made the decision to not speak. That decision has taught me to be grateful for becoming a Knight of Hyrule–but it has also taught me to listen. Of all the people whom I’ve had the pleasure–or displeasure–of meeting, none of them compared to the struggles that you’ve endured.” Link closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the times Zelda had been berated and yelled at by her father. “You did everything you could to fulfill your destiny–even if the attempt was futile, you still tried because you had hope that something would come of it. You did it out of love for your people, and because of that-you yelled at me in frustration, but I understood why." He chortled slightly at this before turning solemn. "You don't realize how many people love you or, at least, learned something from you-I know I have.” His brows furrowed with self-reproach. “During the trial of the sword, I failed so many times for days on end–every time I reawakened before the sword’s pedestal, I… I thought that the sword was wrong in choosing me. I was ready to give up until I remembered all the sacrifices you made–how you never stopped trying, no matter how futile the attempt was.” Link shook his head. “I wasn’t going to let your efforts go to waste. I was determined to keep trying, no matter how long it took, so that I’d be strong enough to defeat Ganon. I wanted to defeat him, to free you, because…” 

Link stopped. 

He told himself he would never mention this to anyone, let alone Zelda. The words that lingered on his tongue would make him a burden to her, something he forbade himself to become; he was her knight and that is how it should be, nothing more than that–

“...Because what?” Asked Zelda. She looked so helpless–she needed comfort, and he was the only person who could give her that. But if he said these words, their relationship would forever change. Was Link prepared to go through with it?

Yes. He most certainly was.

“...I wanted to see your beautiful smile again.”

He couldn’t even look at her while saying those words.

Zelda was speechless–this was how he felt all along? 

All these years, she thought Link was only trying to save face because of her royal status–but hearing him open up, realizing that she’d always been on his mind from the moment he was at her side…

It made her cry even more. 

Link appeared worried and was beginning to regret everything he said so intimately to her highness when she leaned into his chest.

“Link, hold me–Please…” She begged.

How could he say no? 

He held her close in his arms, and Zelda never felt so safe and relieved.

[END OF PART 1]

[siickwithsadness]

Quick Joyness Christmas fic for the holidays!!!

made a Christmas oneshot over the span of a few days to get into the Christmas spirit :) I hope you guys enjoy this quick drabble and will continue to read some of my upcoming fanfics in the future!!! 🎄

Sadness hummed quietly to herself as she sat back on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watched her friends finish opening up the few remaining presents from their Christmas party. Several pieces of tissue and wrapping paper lay discarded on the floor along with a few empty bags, each having been opened and tossed aside by an emotion a few minutes prior. As the last gift was opened, Disgust rose from her spot and did a quick scan of the room to see if she missed anything. Sure enough, there was a desolate package located at the back of the room. It stood about the same length as Fear‒ although more vast in width‒ wrapped in red and green wrapping paper with a gold and silver ribbon at the top. “There’s one more present, guys, let me see who it's for.” She stood up and walked to where the gift was located, reading the name written on the tag. “Sadness, it’s for you!” she called, waving to get the attention of her blue coworker. 

Sadness looked up from her cup of cocoa and spotted Disgust trying to get her attention, placing her mug down and getting up from the couch to join her friend at the back of the room.

“Did you say it was for me?” Sadness questioned, to which Disgust nodded and flipped the tag over to try to find the source of the present. “It doesn’t say who it’s from, but I think we can all guess who it might be.” Disgust teased, chuckling to herself at the way Sadness’ face lit up at the mention of her girlfriend.

Fear came up beside them, eyeing the present suspiciously. “Huh. I could've sworn that wasn't here before. Did the mind workers send it up?”

“And how would they have been able to send it without breaking through the wall, genius? The chute isn’t big enough for it to fit through.” Disgust quipped, rolling her eyes at him. 

Fear put his hands up defensively. “Hey, I was just asking. Do you know who it’s from?”

“No, but we have a good feeling it’s probably from Joy.” 

“Speaking of Joy, where is she? I haven’t seen her in over twenty minutes.” Fear asked, looking around to try to see if he could spot the yellow emotion, who appeared to be nowhere in sight. He turned to Anger, who had walked up behind him while they were talking. “Have you seen her?”

Anger shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I thought she was with you guys.”

Sadness shifted her weight to the side and fidgeted with her thumbs, unsure of what to do. “Should I wait for her? I don’t want her to be upset if I open it without her. Usually she’s here with me...”

"Go ahead and open it, kid. I'm sure she won't mind." Anger assured her, patting her on the back in an attempt to ease some of her worries.

Sadness gave him a warm smile and nodded, reaching up on her tiptoes and began to undo the ribbon at the top of the box, throwing it to the side and ripping off the wrapping paper, trying her best to rip off a chunk at a time to prevent making too much of mess while making her way around the box until she cleared off the top, peeling off the tape and reaching up to open the flaps of the box, but before she could lift a single finger, she was met by a sudden flash of light as something shot up from inside, startling her and causing her to lose her balance and land ass-first on the ground beneath her.

Joy sprung to life like a jack-in-the-box from the inside, scaring both Sadness and poor Fear (who fainted right behind her) to death as the other emotions scrambled to catch their breath. "Merry Christmas, Sadness! I hope you don't mind me being your present for the day!" She cheered, grabbing Sadness whose head was still racing with adrenaline, and showered her face with kisses, holding her close to her and pressing a quick yet passionate kiss on her lips. When they pulled apart, Joy held out a hand for Sadness, who stared at it cautiously before taking it in her own and rising to her feet. As Joy waited for her to catch her breath, she took note of how red Sadness’ face was‒ to which she leaned down and stroked her cheek with her thumb and muttered a quick "Are you okay?” to her while Sadness placed a hand over her heart and shook her head no. And, as you would assume, neither were the rest of the emotions.

“What the hell was that?! You scared the shit out of us!” Anger snapped, looking like his head was about to explode with the number of veins popping out of his forehead and staring daggers into the yellow emotion. If looks could kill, Joy would definitely be dead a hundred times over by now.

"You could give us a warning next time, jeez!" Disgust huffed, trying to appear self-composed but Joy’s sudden appearance acted as a jumpscare and caught her off guard. She attempted to cool herself off and ease some of the discomfort by fanning herself with her hand. 

“Sorry, guys.. I wanted to pop out of a box for Sadness as a joke but didn’t really think it through.” She glanced back at Sadness who gave her a "well what did you think would happen?” kind of look which Joy laughed at, causing the others to roll their eyes at her. 

“You think?” Anger grumbled, earning a shrug from the other emotion.

“Whatever, just don’t do that again.” Disgust warned, crossing her hands and glaring at her.

“Yeah, that probably could’ve gone a lot better..” Joy trailed off, turning back to Sadness who was now staring at her figure quite intensely. Smirking, she pulled away and struck a pose for her. “So…. do you like your gift?” Joy teased, giving Sadness a twirl to give Sadness a good look at what she was wearing‒ a tight-fitting red leather dress with a metallic shine that came a few inches above the knee complete with an off-the-shoulder fuzzy feather trim at the top of the dress, and a sparkly red bow tied tightly around her waist. Sadness stood awe-struck, transfixed by the beauty of the girl standing in front of her and eyeing her intensely like she was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on. Joy found it flattering how captivated she was by her and how she could seemingly render her speechless just by looking pretty and being in her presence. It goes to say Joy didn’t need to do much for her girlfriend to be mesmerized by her.

Giggling softly at how adorable her girlfriend was while flustered, Joy knelt down, dangling something above their heads that Sadness recognized to be a mistletoe. Already picking up on where this was going, Sadness smiled back and placed her hands on Joy’s waist, bringing her closer to her. “Mistletoe huh? I guess that means we have to kiss now.“ 

Joy’s smile brightened, returning the gesture by wrapping her arms around the other and allowing Sadness to close the space between them. "Couldn't have said it better myself." She breathed, the space between them getting shorter and shorter until she felt her girlfriend's lips make contact with her own, Sadness placing a hand on her cheek and pulling her closer, deepening the kiss and turning it into something a bit more passionate. The two stood there, embracing one another and allowing themselves to get lost in a world that only consisted of each other, the warmth from the kiss and their shared love for one another seemingly stopping time and making them forget about everything else on the outside. To them, nothing else mattered but each other.

Pulling away, both of them breathing heavily, they shared a look of contentment, Joy laying her head on top of Sadness who pressed a kiss on Joy's chest. “Merry Christmas, sweetie. I love you.” Joy whispered, running a hand through her girlfriend's hair and planting a kiss on her forehead. 

“I love you too, Joy. Merry Christmas." Sadness replied, stroking her back and cherishing the feeling of being wrapped in her arms.

There was a moment of comfortable silence and tenderness between them, with the two girls relaxing and enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms before it was interrupted by the sound of Disgust clearing her throat and snapping her fingers to get their attention, the two of them directing their focus from each other to the green emotion.

“I don’t mean to interrupt your little Hallmark-Christmas-movie-ending you got going on here, but what are we gonna do about him?” Disgust gestured to a passed-out Fear lying on the ground.

“I’ll go get the bucket of water.”

[talesofthetigerrr]

#TigeRRR2023 Prompt List

Dear RRR fandom, dear Bheem fans,

We hereby present you the entire list of prompts that were submitted by you in the past week (at the end of this post). We’re so excited about all these inspiring prompts! You can use them to inspire yourself to start creating, but also feel free to make Bheem-centric works that are not based on these prompts.

Feel free to start sharing your work right away and we’ll reblog them to this Tumblr-page (don’t forget to add the #TigeRRR2023 tag so we can find it!). If we accidently miss your work because of the algoritm, feel free to send us a message with a link to your post so we can reblog it afterall.

Please publish your works before May 10!

From May 10 to May 19, for those interested, we’ll discuss and review the works from a literary and artistic point of view. On May 20 (NTR garu's birthday) we will tally the total number of works created. And to celebrate the total amount of works submitted, we will create a special celebratory fic (read more here). Read all details and planning of the event here.

Some basic rules for publishing your works:

Please tag your works on Tumblr with #TigeRRR2023.

If you publish your fanfic(s) on Ao3, you can add them to the collection 'Tales Of The TigeRRR'. If you want to, you can also put a snippet on Tumblr with a link to your story on Ao3 so we can reblog it here (don’t forget to add tags/ratings!). Please use the Tumblr-tag when posting a snippet here so we can find it.

Tag your Mature/NSFW works appropriately because there are minors in this fandom too.

Add any trigger warnings if needed, we want this event to be enjoyable for everyone.

Happy creating!!

__________________________________________________________

READ THE FULL PROMPT LIST BELOW

PROMPT LIST

1. More of a question - what is Bheem's role in the politics of the workings of the Gond tribe? We know he is the protector, but does he have more of a role than that? Does he have any sway in the goings-on of his community? If so, how much? Does he settle disputes? How does he decide morally, who's in the wrong? How does this affect his interpersonal relationships with his tribe?

2. Eyes, Heart, Warmth, Strength, Love.

3. Bheem and reflecting on being the gond protector. Either before or after he accepts the mantle. An introspection into what that role encompasses.

4. Bheem + medical abilities?

5. Bheem + food? (Cooking/sharing/enjoying)

6. Bheem writing poems to ram 💗

7. Bheem and his brothers spent six months searching for Malli before zeroing in on Scott's palace as the location where she was likely to be. What was their journey like from the relative safety of their forest to the bustling city of Delhi. What all dangers did they have to contend with. And what were their experiences before they reached Delhi.

8. Bheem and Ram recreate Naatu Naatu for the benefit of their respective communities at a common celebration. While their first dance at the Gymkhana club had been one of joyful abandon and pure friendship, how have they changed when they dance together again. They are still friends and they still care deeply about each other. But they have also suffered, which has changed them in fundamental ways, both physically and emotionally. What does it mean to dance together as changed people?

9. Unlike his usual dutifulness, Bheem feels like spending a day doing absolutely nothing— especially now that they are back from Delhi with Malli safe and Ram back in Vizagapatnam. What does Bheem do on his day off?

10. Akhtar meets an astrologer who foretells his future. But the blind seer talks in riddles and metaphors. However, does Akhtar know what is coming his way. What does he make of it?

11. Bheem's wedding gift for Lacchu on his big day.

12. What was it like for Bheem growing up? What was he like as a child? And how did he become the chosen Gond Protector?

13. Something with Bheem and water.

14. After everything that has happened, Bheem is plagued by nightmares about it all. Who will be there to protect the protector and ease his mind?

15. Bheem deserves all the good things. Please, let there also be wholesome fic or art in which he gets all the good things he deserves (platonic please).

16. Five times Bheem comforted someone else and one time he himself was comforted.

17. How did Bheem react when he found out Malli was abducted?

18. Love, fluff, cuddling, danger, adventure, animal transformation, cuteness, Bheem and Malli, betrayal, hurt/comfort, nsfw sub/dominant, home sickness, food.

19. Ram cooks for Bheem.

20. A poem either about Bheem or written by Bheem.

21. Who protects the Protector? Bheem gets in trouble or gets hurt or sick, and someone comes to save him/take care of him.

22. Bheem travels to see the sea for the first time in his life. What does he think?

23. In this universe Bheem grows old and looks back on his life, the struggles he survived, the friends he made along the way, the love he found and the freedom that his people now enjoy. In this universe everything turned out alright in the end. Bonus if he meets any of his old friends.

24. Bheem confesses his love to someone in the most tender, heartwarming, wholesome way.

25. Bheem meeting any of Ram Charan's other characters from other movies and teaching them a wise life lesson.

26. Art prompt: Bheem getting all the hugs and cheek kisses from all our fav characters from RRR.

27. Art prompt: Bheem and a tiger, or Bheem and his element water.

28. Art or fic prompt: Bheem reflecting on the scars given to him by Ram (please tag accordingly / add trigger warnings if needed). Big bonus if you add someone to comfort/support him.

29. Bheem teaching Malli how to plant a tree and the importance of nature.

30. AU with Bheem as a farmer who befriends a tiger.

31. Bheem finds a wounded animal (your choice) and decides to nurse it back to health.

32. What was Bheem doing/feeling/thinking the moment malli was taken or the moment the British first found the Gonds.

33. Bheem is learning a bit of english to communicate with Jenny and he tries to read Ram's diary when he comes to his house to find him sleeping on his desk.

34. Bheem shows ram the animals he has been hiding / Ram somehow finds them.

35. How Bheem found his adoptive muslim family and how they accepted or offered to hide him and the boys.

36. Bheem is deaf/blind.

37. Bheem's thought process and feelings right after Malli was taken.

38. Bheem finds an injured toger cub while on a hunt and nurses the cub back to health. Mali or Ram could help him with the cub. Bheem has to release the cub back into the wild when she/he is healthy again. But the cub grows up and remembers Bheem and his kindness. Possibly the grown cub comes to Bheem's aid in some way?

39. Soft as silk but strong as steel.

40. Bheem is cared for by Ram in prison after the whipping, emphasis on Bheem's perspective--his confusion, hurt, anger and love.

41. The scene where Bheem goes to Jenny for blueprints and how it pans out.

42. Father Bheem taking care of his baby while jenny is away for the day. (Can replaced Jenny with Ram depending on writer's preferences)

43. This is an au (how Akhtar and Ram meet) Akhtar's bedroom shares a thin wall with the adjacent house where Ram's bedroom is and one night he hears Ram crying more than ever and talks to him through the wall.

[teashoptiramisu]

Fluffy fanfic rec list

On one of my Discord servers people were talking about how people seem more likely to recommend angsty fic, so I decided to put together a fluff rec list, just for fun! This is gonna be a variety of fandoms, wordcount length, genres, etc. -- the common factor is I like ‘em and they turned up when I search “fluff” in my bookmarks. I’ll point out if any are nsfw

ATLA

see your son rising at last by aloneintherain --  ATLA -- 6.5k words -- Iroh & Zuko 5+1 things fic  

North by ryfkah -- ATLA -- 300 words -- short & sweet Appa POV fic

definitely not suspicious at all in the least by presumenothing -- ATLA -- 1k words -- post-canon Gaang shenanigans

All The Gentle Creatures by Haicrescendo -- ATLA -- 10k words -- animals love Zuko, he’s basically a Disney Princess

Yuri!!! On Ice

see you next level by verity -- YoI -- 1.5k words -- Yuuri, Viktor & Phichit get drunk & watch TV, Yuuri & Viktor continue to be the most adorably sappy couple

Friendship!!! Is Magic by afrai -- YoI & OHSHC -- 10k words -- Yuuri & Haurhi meet at a conference and become friends. Viktor & Tamaki make fools of themselves (but what else is new)

Howl’s Moving Castle (mostly bookverse)

Second Time Lucky by labellementeuse -- HMC -- 5.5k words -- Howl & Sophie plan their wedding (lol i spelled that “weeding” on the first try... also accurate). As you might expect for these two it doesn’t go without some hiccups.

Could it be magic? by SpiritedYoungLady -- HMC -- 500 words -- Howls comes back from night with the rugby club, and Sophie is unamused

Fulllmetal Alchemist (mostly bhood/manga)

All That Describes a Joyful Heart by anthrop  -- FMA -- 3k words -- Hohenheim & Trisha cook together during a winter storm & they are simply TOO ADORABLE. Features some Xerxian cultural headcanons inspired by Nowruz (Persian New Year) traditions!

And They Were ROOMMATES by Turbulent_Muse -- FMA -- 30k words -- Modern AU in which college student!Ling moves into a haunted house, but since the rent is too good to pass up, he decides to try and befriend the demon. Greedling friendship & adventure fic.

Science for People Who Hate Science by Tierfal -- FMA -- 66k words -- Royed Modern AU, but even if you dislike that ship you might want to give this one a chance; it’s really more of an origfic about two characters losely inspired by Roy & Ed. They run a goofy educational youtube channel and are two dorks in love. Al shows up to make fun of them sometimes. It’s a good time!

The Sleeping Horror of Whiskerford by Eltea -- FMA -- 3.5k words -- another modern AU, in which the gang (Ed, Al, Winry, Riza, Roy, Hughes) plays D&D. Worth it for Ed’s character sheet alone, but overall just a hilarious & fun time.

A Clowder of Cats by Batsutousai -- FMA -- 4k words -- post-canon (a more-or-less canon universe fic for once!), Al settles down and adopts a bunch of cats (AS HE DESERVES)

Teen Wolf

the butt is a gift by lazulisong -- Teen Wolf -- 1.5k words -- Stiles is pinned to the couch by cats. I think this is part of a larger AU but tbh I don’t care: Stiles, cats, relatable dilemmas, what more do I need?

When the Bough Breaks by The Feels Whale (miscellea) -- Teen Wolf -- 12k words -- A bit of a weird one, but sometimes I like my TW fic weird. post-canon-ish/canon-divergence with endgame Sterek; Stiles is on the outs with Derek’s pack until they learn that he’s adopted a baby, and then they’re suddenly all over to dote on her. I actually really mostly liked this for Stiles’ single parent struggles and (platonic) relationship with the baby’s birth mother, the werewolf stuff & romance was cute but mostly incidental.

Misc fandoms

it's a new craze by attheborder -- Good Omens -- 5k words -- Crowley & Aziraphale start an advice podcast

Hot Springs and New Beginnings by CorundumBleu -- Hollow Knight -- 3k words -- in a good ending universe, Quirrel, the Knight, and The Last Stag relax at a hot springs and discuss hopes for the future. I recommend looking through CorundumBleu’s other HK fics as well -- there’s a couple other good fluff fics in there and some most angsty but still amazing stories! (I’m biased: CB is my sister & I helped edit these, but still, I think they’re great!)

Sufficient by atheilen -- The Goblin Emperor -- 2k words -- deaged!Maia; in which everyone and particularly Beshelar shows how much they care for and cherish Maia.

Sick Day by avg (AnxiousEspada) -- The Murderbot Diaries -- 4k words -- Overse & Arada are sick; Ratthi and later Murderbot visit to help them out. “To everyone’s surprise, a feverish Overse is SecUnit approved humor-fuel.” (P.S. if you like this fic consider checking out my sequel to it!)

Thrilling Night! Romantic Adventure at the Video Rental Store! by Masu_Trout --  Undertale -- 2.5k words -- wonderful Outsider POV of an employee at a video rental store who gets the admittedly uncertain priviledge of helping Alphys and Undyne pick out a movie to rent for their date night. I’m still not over the movie they end up picking, OMG.

Gonna add a reblog with BNHA, Natsuyu, Gravity Falls, and maybe some HP recs tomorrow.

Also, if you like these fics and know of more like them, feel free to let me know! I’m always taking fic recs (I’m slow to get around to them but I WILL save your recs for later) :P

[moregraceful]

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

this is such a nice exercise, thank you, i was just getting so ripped up over my wip while also trying to acknowledge that self-loathing wasn't going to make the editing process better in any meaningful way.

in no particular order:

5 Uses For A Parachute You Won’t Find In An Army Field Manual [band of brothers, gen, general]

(but which Major Dick Winters lets slide because it’s good for morale.)

this fic is one of my favorite fics i've ever written, it's so joyful!! but also such a big heart and so much love for the people in it. ah....friendship in a war zone...

And grace will lead us home [baseball rpf, bo bichette/vladimir guerrero jr, general]

Vlad knows only a couple things to be true. God is real, obviously. The sound of a ball hitting a wooden bat is the sound that the universe was made for. He’s in love with Bo.

i was down SO BAD for the bb jays in 2021. and so fascinated by vladdy and bo while knowing negative things about them...they were just always huggin on the bb jays instagram!! so i wrote a fic abt them that very gently plays with religious imagery and the concept of magic. it came together in a way i love so much.

Trust Me [jonas brothers/bandom, gen, teen]

Nick says, "I'm sorry. I was homeschooled."

"Then this will be a very interesting experience for you," says the tall blonde guy. "My name's Bob."

you know when you write something and you're like, this legitimately might be the greatest work i ever write? and you're literally 21? and it's not that it's the greatest thing you've ever written, but you're going through a really gross reality shock in your first two years away from home and so so many things are new and exciting and scary but you're starting to feel so interested in having a future, which you didn't really plan on during high school? the jonas brothers coming of age on warped tour 🤝 me at my shit ass small liberal arts school reading books by living non-white non-american authors

Don’t carry nothing but the righteous and the holy [hockey rpf, jasper weatherby/william eklund, teen]

Jasper Weatherby On William Eklund’s Return to San Jose April 8, 2022 | Sheng Peng, San Jose Hockey Now Jasper Weatherby was all smiles after today’s practice at the SAP Center. The reason? “I’m just excited to have Gecko back.” Jasper Weatherby and William Eklund were fast friends at the start of the 2021-2022 season. Weatherby and Eklund, who had been roommates throughout rookie camp and remained road roommates and hotelmates, had bonded over the unique experience of living in the Bay Area...

this fic literally exists outside the space-time continuum. like you have to read it as an artifact of its time (no cuda fandom, very small sharks fandom, william eklund a just-hatched baby bird with no feathers) for it to even be salvageable as a fanfic, but there like. WAS no time, there was only me, my growing jasper weatherby feelings, and an unexpected 10 day vacation at the end of the year. i love it so much and would write it completely differently if i wrote it now. so i'm very glad i wrote it when i did, because it just has so much love and is so hopeful and so chaotic.

Every year with you is better than the last [hockey rpf, devon toews/cale makar, explicit]

“Ah, it’s fine,” says Cale. “You don’t have to buy me anything.” “I want to,” says Devon, and once he says it, he realizes he really does. He doesn’t get a chance to give Cale presents often, because Cale makes more money than him and rarely asks for anything. Birthdays are hell with this guy. Something little goes a long way.

i actually don't even reread this regularly bc i get so mad about the process i went through while posting it, but it IS one of my favorite things that i've ever written. i really wanted to try to write a friends with benefits fic where they aren't In Love-in love and they stay friends only but are deeply committed to caring for each other. and i think i did that pretty well tbh. it came together how i wanted it to. though i sometimes think about the hypothetical future of cale and devon in the fic and get kind of sad. like, is there a future for them where they remain the same or does cale eventually fall for devon and the peace between them gets wrecked or does devon get traded and cale's little heart cracks without him, or. you know like what happens to cale, basically, i don't know. i'm not writing a sequel but i think about their future from cale's pov quite often

thank you for sending this, i really appreciate it!!!

[laurzzz]

[ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WELCOME HOME, YOU]

Hi! So if you follow me on both Tumblr and on YouTube, you'd know that I recently released a poll on whether or not I should turn this series into not just a Wally x Reader centered one shot collections series but also involve every other puppet in the neighborhood. For example, Julie x Reader, Howdy x Reader, etc. 

The outcome of both polls, in total, was that many would like to see the latter choice of having the other puppets be involved as well! So that's what you'll be seeing in future chapters now

And of course, I'd still tag them appropriately on who the focus of the one shot is and if they're showcasing platonic or romantic connections in the story. I hope you guys would still stick around a bit for the other puppets too because my god do they deserve more love and attention as well <33

As always, what I write aren't canon in any way. After all, it's called fanfic for a reason, but I try my best to keep the original substances of the characters in their personalities when writing. There will be exceptions where I might feel like changing their personalities a bit just to mix things up so just a heads up on that! I'll be tagging that from now on too in case ya'll wouldn't want to read any non-canon personalities on the chapter, or vice versa. Here's a bit of background on how I'll be tagging that btw:

Canon Personality - True or mostly true to their original substance of being puppets for a kid's show (e.g., bubbly, doesn't swear, whatever's presented in the bios of the characters in the website)

Non-canon Personality - Not true to their original substance (e.g., would swear, would act completely out of character, etc.)

Kind of Canon Kind of Not Personality - A mixture of both canon and non-canon personalities (e.g., Julie is canonically portrayed as someone who's always cheery and joyful but I decide to mix her in with a sarcastic personality in one chapter)

I also updated the notes for the series as a whole! You can go and read it but it now basically includes all the details I've mentioned in this announcement. Series link is embedded in the title above!

Anyway that's all, see you in the next chapters then! @:}

[jerzwriter]

A Quite Carrick Halloween

FICTOBER 2022 - DAY 1 - "I CHOSE YOU."

Fic Type:             Fanfic

Fandom:             Choices – Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing:                Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey MacTavish)

Rating:                 Teen

Category:            Holiday Fluff

Summary:           It's their first Halloween with baby Samantha, and they're wrapped in sugary sweet domestic bliss - but with these two, there's always a side of something extra. 🎃

Words:                1465

A/N:                     This was based on a prompt ask from this list.  “imagine your OTP handing out candies in amusing couple costumes.” I think I went a little “cuter” than amusing, but Tobias & Casey pack their own amusement into every event, as you’ll see 😊 I am participating in @choicesmonthlychallenge Spooktober - Candy / @fictober-event - day 1 - "I choose you" - and @choicesficwriterscreations Naugty & Nice Event - "Want to see what I turn into at midnight."

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS

It was the perfect Halloween day. The sun was shining brightly in a clear blue sky, and the air was crisp, though not yet cold. There may have been more leaves on the Boston streets than on its trees, but those that remained scattered on branches helped paint a beautiful fall scene.  

Casey stepped outside and paused on their townhome’s top step. Tossing her head back and shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath until the cool autumn air filled her lungs. A genuine, joyful smile spread on her lips as memories of Halloweens from her younger days flooded her mind. The memories were precious, but the future was even more dear. A new mother herself, she was about to create new ones with her own baby girl, and she couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to start. 

She sat on the steps, smoothing her royal blue dress and placing the large bowl of candy on top of her lap. It wasn't her first choice of costume. But not having a family costume on their first Halloween as a family was not an option. Tobias had been calling Samantha pumpkin practically since conception, so her costume was a given, but her parent’s choice was not so simple.

"I got it!" He ran into the kitchen exuberantly. "Peanuts! Charlie Brown. Lucy. DONE! Sammy is the Great Pumpkin. It's perfect!"

"Sammy is a generic pumpkin, honey, not the Great Pumpkin. Besides, Lucy was so… mean in that show. Do you think I'm mean?"

"Well…” he smirked, “you do have your days."  He pulled away before she smacked his shoulder. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and lavished her neck with ticklish kisses. The rest of the night was spent doing things they had to be careful about if they didn't want Sammy's sibling on the way.

Casey never came up with a better idea, and that’s how she ended up sitting here in her blue dress and Mary Janes, eagerly awaiting her husband and daughter’s arrival.

Tobias was simply bubbling over, more animated than the character he was supposed to be. Decked out in his bright yellow shirt with a black zig-zag and matching shorts, he beamed from ear to ear as he spoke jibberish to the bouncing baby pumpkin on his hip. Casey's heart filled with joy watching them, but she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What?" he queried, quickly turning back to Sammy with a sing-song voice. "What? What's Mommy laughing at Sammy? Do you think she's laughing at you or me?"

"Oh, you," she assured. "A thousand times you!"

"Gee, thanks, babe!”

"It's not bad. I'm just thinking it wasn't too long ago that you were this playboy doctor. Mr. Non-Commitment and never settling down,” she joked. “Halloween activities were probably far more naughty than nice then… but now look at you. You're a natural. It's like you were born for this life."

"Well, maybe that's because I was," he said, sitting next to her and meeting her lips with a warm, tender kiss. "I just needed to find the one who could make it feel like a gift instead of a prison. I knew it was you the moment you came along and, well… when deciding between my old life and you, it was a no-brainer. I chose you."

"Awww," she giggled, snuggling close to his side. "That is so sweet. I'd say you were trying to butter me up for those naughty favors later… but then again, you know I'm a sure thing."

"Casey!" He exclaimed with feigned anger. "In front of the baby?"

"She doesn't understand us yet," she winked as her husband shook his head in bemusement.

"And this is just one reason I love you. But while Sammy may not understand yet," he pointed a few doors away, "those kids will. Now let's behave, baby girl; it's time to hand out some candy!"

Within minutes their steps were overtaken by neighborhood children. Sammy clung to her Daddy’s t-shirt, thoroughly unimpressed with the strange children, but her parents were another story. Tobias & Casey excitedly greeted each child, inquiring about their costumes as they dropped candy into their sacks. Witches, ghosts, a princess, a baseball player or two, the Carricks made a fuss over each and every one. 

The day was winding down when a little girl showed up with her mother.

“Trick or treat,” she said with a soft voice. 

Casey beamed as Tobias informed her that he knew she was Casey’s favorite costume of the day. Blue scrubs, a white lab coat, and a stethoscope on her neck. 

"Oh my goodness!" Casey squealed. "You’re a doctor! Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?”

The girl's dark curls bounced around her face as she nodded. Shyness getting the better of her, she moved against her mother’s leg.

“That’s all she talks about,” her mom grinned. “I used to think it was a passing phase, but now I’m starting to think I should save up for med school!”

“That’s not the worst idea,” Casey smiled, squatting down to talk to the child at her level. “Hey, you know I’m a doctor, and my husband here is a doctor, too. I think you will make a wonderful doctor one day.” 

Pleased with the little girl's bright smile, Casey turned to Tobias. “Hon, give her a little extra candy. She deserves it for all that studying she will need to do.”

“You got it! But if you want, I’ll run inside and get my stationery. We can drop a letter of recommendation in there.”

“Oh, we may take you up on that in another fourteen years!” Her mom laughed.

Tobias looked at the little girl. “I went to Hopkins, the best med school in the country. They love when they get letters from people who went there. I’ve got your back.”

Casey turned to him, unamused. “The best! You were ranked fourth last year!”

“Still better than Perelman's sixth,” he winked.

Casey turned around and placed the candy in the child’s bag. “Sweetheart, when you are a doctor, you might want to think twice before marrying another doctor.”

“HEY!” Tobias yelled, sending little Sammy into a litany of babbling. “See, our daughter isn’t happy with that statement either!”  

Standing up with a chuckle, Casey wished the little girl and her mom well before reclaiming her place at her husband’s side. She took Samantha in her arms and snuggled her close. A warmth he never thought he’d experience filled Tobias’s chest as he wrapped them both in his arms. They sat in silence and let the moment linger, each sharing the same thought. This was pretty much perfection.

“I was only joking,” Casey finally spoke. “Marrying my doctor was probably the best thing I ever did.”

“Probably!” He sneered. “I know marrying you was the best thing I ever did, and if I forget, I always have my mother to remind me. But you go ahead and think about it.”

Casey silenced him with another tender kiss while Samantha began falling asleep in her arms. 

“We should get her inside. I don’t think we’ll be getting more trick-or-treaters today.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “and Sammy is tuckered out. Besides, I want to pull those med school rankings up to prove you wrong.”

“Are you kidding me?” Casey laughed.

“Second in my class!” He said, picking the empty candy bowl up from the steps. “From the best med school in America. Where were you, dear? Sixth? Seventh?”

“FIFTH! And you know it! That’s from an Ivy League med school. Is Hopkins an Ivy?” she placed her pointer on her chin in mock confusion. “Hmm. No, it’s not.”

“Ivy Schmivy!” He said, opening the door, “did I tell you I was the most published student in Hopkins history?”

“Only seven dozen times… by our second date. But, Tobias?”

“Yes? Samantha is going to be out for the count any minute now. Is this really how you want to spend the first alone time we’ve had all day?”

“Heh,” he snickered. “Screw Hopkins. It was overrated. Now, the important questions. Do you have that other little Halloween costume we picked out?”

“Yes,” she smirked. “Operative word being little.”

“That’s the one! Why don’t you go put that on, and we’ll see what I turn into at midnight?”

“Sweetheart,” Casey teased. “Samantha can hear you….”

“It’s OK. She doesn’t understand us yet.”

“What are we going to do when she does?”  

“Got me,” he shrugged.  “But my Mom already has a trust fund set up specifically for therapy bills. She said with us as parents, Sammy’s bound to need it.”

“No arguments here,” she laughed.

“Good…” he winked, “now go get changed. I’ll put Sammy to bed, then we’re about to have an extra Happy Halloween!”

Perma Tags: @a-crepusculo @aishwarya26 @animesuck3r @annfg8 @annoyingmillenialnewbie @bex-la-get @binny1985 @bluebelle08 @bluerosesbloom @cariantha @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @danijimenezv @different4strawberry @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @forallthatitsworth @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lilypills @lucy-268 @mainstreetreader @mysticalgalaxysstuff @ofmischiefandmedicine @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @peonierose @peonyblossom @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @schnitzelbutterfingers @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @toadfrog26 @trappedinfanfiction @uneravine @youlookappropriate @zahrachoices @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[stargazingfordreams]

A court of Night and stars

Hey guys, welcome to my first fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy it. I couldn't get this story out of my head, so here goes. Nyx pov will be up maybe in the following two chapters.

Summary- Random killings have been happening all over Pythian and make its ways to a kingdom in the fae realm known as Mareen. Emrys grieves the loss of her sister and keeps her domain away from war, and she gets help from an unexpected ally.

Pairing- Adu!t Nyx x OC

warnings-None 

Chapter One

Emrys Pov 

Song- The other side by Ruelle

I sat on the dais in the throne room. My mother, the queen, sat on her throne above everyone, looking at her people. She wore all white like my older sister and me. Everyone else in the room wore black.

“ We are here today to honor the death of my eldest child, your future queen,” her voice wavered ever so slightly that no one in the room seemed to notice.

My older sister Sauda was looking down. Her dark ebony skin was pale, and her eyes were tired. I hadn’t slept either. My mother looked over at Sauda and reached out her hand, and she stood and took it. She led her in front to speak to the room.

“My sister Annika was Joyful and loving. Kind and brave. She would have been an amazing queen, and I will lead you all with the same grace she would have.” she walked to Annika's unmoving body on the pyre that was going to be burned. I could feel it panging in my chest as my sister's emotions washed over me. Finally, I pulled myself back, leaving only my sorrow in my body; only my feelings resided again.

“I know you will be watching me, kessa”(kessa-sister), She said and then turned to me. Everyone turns to me because there expect a warrior princess who has trained in combat and fought her enemies, but today that is not me; today, I am a girl who has lost her older sister and does not know what to do without her. Our mother, the blood queen, and the ruler were waiting on me. My mother trained me to fight and lead, but my sister taught me to be more.

I walked up to her Pyre. I fought back the tears, the tightness in my throat, the whelming in my eyes.

“In death, there will be light, this is not the end for you, kessa, and this isn’t goodbye for us. May the spirit of our ancestors guide you; I will see you again in the next life” I let the tears run down my cheeks. My mother will see it as a weakness, but I see it as my love for her. I took the torch from the maester and lit the pyre. It went up in flames but so did her body.

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

I walked down the hallway alone. It had been a whole week since the funeral, and I hadn’t seen much of my family since then when I walked into the council room. My mother and sister, council and general were waiting.

“I apologize for my lateness,” I said as I took my seat.

“We will begin now, then as many of you know, Ranthian has been going from courts and kingdoms killing people, and as of recently, he took the life of our late Princess.” Maester Harken spoke.“This cannot go unpunished. So we have agreed to meet with the high lords of Prythian.”

“Will this mean war?” I spoke up and asked; my spine chilled, and my stomach pitted.

“I will not let this go, so if it comes to it, then yes, and that goes for anyone who stands in my way,” My mother said. There was silence in the room. I understood more than anyone what a war would mean, not just for me but for our tropes. But it's for my kessa. My kessa. She wouldn’t want this, but I had to give this to her. I had to do this for her.

“Yes, Of course, we will wait for the word of Queen Kirsi '' Sujeed said. He looked over to me, and with a boyish smirk, he nodded. I simply looked away. I had always ignored his advances, mostly because I knew my mother expected me to marry him. He is the general of our army, and the third princess could not ask for anyone better, and if I do not do so of my own free will, she will arrange it, and he knows it too. However, the night that I found out my sister had died, he found me crying and gave me comfort. I wanted to feel anything other than sadness, and I made the mistake of fucking him not once but twice that night. He wasn’t my first. I would not tell him or my mother that, but he was acting as if we were love-sick youth, and I have been avoiding him.

“So if there is nothing more, then that will be all” we were all dismissed to go. I was the first to leave.

“Emrys'' I heard a hushed whisper, looked down the hall, and saw Leola coming toward me.

“Well?” she asked me.

“We might go to war with our two neighbors if it comes to that,” I said, strolling down the hall toward the gardens. We passed by large floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed so much natural sun. I looked out those windows at the parks and past that was my kingdom, my home that would soon be tainted by the blood of war. No, I won’t let it come to that; I won’t let it come to the shores of my home. Leola gave me a small smile, but I could see the look of sadness and a little fear in her eyes.

“Does this mean you're going to give your lover a proper send-off?” she tried jokingly teasing me to make light of what she was feeling. I scoffed at her remark.

“I didn’t tell you that, so you can use that against me. You know I told you that as My best friend,” I nudged her side playfully, letting out a small laugh.

“Emrys,” I heard a strong voice behind me, only to turn and see my mother standing there with her hands resting in front of her. Leola turned around and gave her a deep bow.

“Your grace,” she said, ensuring she had moved along fast.

“Yes, mother?” I said to her as her ever-obedient daughter. She stalked toward me with grace and power. Not even turning her head in my direction, she says, “walk with me.”

We walked outside into the garden of roses and lilies. She turned to face me, and her brown eyes met mine. I studied my mother like she had taught me to learn an enemy. Her eyes watched my brown. I watched as the sun kissed her chestnut skin like it was kissing mine. I watched as she fixed the sleeve of the maroon-colored dress that I was wearing.  

“We are going into war, crana. Do you know what that means? Do you know what I will expect of us, especially of you?” But, she said to me, There was still hope, still time to stop it.

“Yes, mother, of course. I am to lead the armies with Sujeed if it comes to war. We are to be led into victory. Being captured isn’t an option. Failure isn’t an option,” I said, standing up straight so she would find no fault in me or my answer.

“Good.” she took paused and then sighed. “ Emrys, we are fae. We live long and are hard to kill, but no one and nothing can escape death. I will not always be here, and with us charging into this war, I cannot say that we will all make it.” She looked to the horizon, the sun's pretty colors

“Mother, I-” she cut me off.

“I might die in this war; your sister might as well, and if we do, that will make you the queen of Mareen. You will not disappoint me or this bloodline.” Her eyes held an unreadable expression.

“I won’t, mother, but you and I both know what this is about and who Ranthian is killing. We should be telling the high lords of Prythian,” I pleaded.

“No child If we make it through this war. I will need to plan your sister's wedding and then, of course, yours; I am sure that Sujeed will need some time to heal his battle wounds, but as soon as he’s healed, you both will have a grand wedding. The secret will stay safe with us.” she began walking away with that last statement, most liking avoiding giving away her genuine emotions about what she was feeling. My people have managed to stay away from the business of another fae since the very beginning. We have wanted no part in what Prythian or Hybren had done to their land or the humans who lived on it. We have created peace between the humans who lived here and us, and now we will alter all of it.

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

I watched the night sky enjoying it as if it would be my last as a warm breeze flowed in. Midnight my familiar lay at my feet, his bright yellow eyes alert, and his black fur shined in the moonlight. I was at peace petting the spoiled panther before me until I heard a knock at my door.

“Princess?” Sujeed moved his head into my room.

“Yes, General Sujeed,” my voice couldn’t hide my annoyance. I just wanted tonight. I just wanted a minute to process what tomorrow might be like. This will not be my first war. Maureen hadn’t been a place of peace, but after the civil war, I thought that maybe this would be it.

“The watch for tonight will be changing now.” He said with a bow and smirk.

“You’ve never felt the need to tell me you would be standing guard before,”  I said to him.

“Oh no, it won’t be me but rest knowing that I put one of my best to guard for you tonight. I really came in here to talk to you.” He moved further into my room though the door was still open. I shifted in my seat on my window sill.

“I don’t think that we have anything to talk about,” I said to him.

“It’s about tomorrow. I want you to stay close, and if you see danger, please just run. I can protect you.” I scoffed and shook my head.

“You want me to run from a fight when my people are risking their lives,” I said

“I want to keep you safe,” he said. Coming closer. Midnight's eyes were fixed on him.

“Well then, I hate to disappoint you, but I won’t be doing that” I got up from the window sills and moved to my vanity. I picked up some hair oil in a bottle and started putting it in my hair, looking into my mirror and not at the general, who took it upon himself to come further into my room and close the door behind him; I stopped what I was doing to glare in his direction. Still, it seemed as though no matter how much he looked at me, he wasn’t seeing me.

“I don’t want this to be up for a discussion. Truly it shouldn’t be your safety that is best for all of us. If anything happens to the Kirsi or Sauna, then it will be you to take over the throne, and we can’t have you dead.” A nerve in me was being pushed at. He quickly forgot his place, and then a thought struck me.

“You spoke to my mother, haven't you? What did she tell you?” My tone was deadly, and he was wise to be worried. He straightened his back and took straight at me.

“When all is done, you are to be my wife, I look forward to that, Emrys, but that day won’t come if you are no longer here. So please, for our sake, for the sake of the life we will have, stay away from danger” he took a step forward, but I took one back.

“I think it is time for you to leave.”

“Emrys, please I-“

“No, just leave,” I said, taking a threatening step toward him. Midnight was now up, eyeing him down. A challenge to try if he dared to disobey. He stepped back, took his last bow, and left through the door. When I was again by myself, I finished my hair for the night, went back to the window sill, and looked up at the stars. A million thoughts and emotions ran through my head, but none mattered, not right now, and it was just me and the night sky.