#alex and henry are definitely one of the reasons to be happy this year and the following years

[galecstatic]

the fact that the book and movie you loved so dearly are making history in their own perfect little ways is something that can be very personal.

and you wouldn't understand how amazing and unbelievably proud i am for this one. and how forever grateful and forever indebted i am for what they have given and blessed us.

with all of these big things coming for rwrb, we need to just remember what casey said: you and i must always remember that once, it was just us. alex, henry, and us.

[pippin-katz]

6 More Little Faces Alex Makes That I Love - Part 2

(not ranked in any order)

No. 1:

I love the smile he does right before this, but I also love this. He gets a little emotional. You can see in the way his mouth moves and his nostrils flaring that it looks like he’s a little choked up.

You know when you’re not crying, but you can feel that throbbing sensation in your throat, and you know you might start crying if you’re not careful. You start swallowing a lot to try and keep it back.

That’s what I’m seeing here, and that’s super sweet because he loves Henry so much that he might cry.

No. 2:

Do you think he knows? Do you think he’s doing it on purpose?

That right there is the “lifts eyes” look. That right there is exactly what authors are picturing they write something like this:

Alex looked down at where the key sat against his chest. The cool metal was a stark contrast to Henry’s hand. Goosebumps spread across his skin, centered on where they were touching. Alex raised his eyes to meet Henry’s.

Like sir, can you not be a walking fictional character? You might as well have walked out of the book.

No. 3:

There is no other word for this but swooning. Again, might as well have walked off of a page with how perfect his physicality and expressions are.

No. 4:

This look right after Henry says they’re committed to each other is perfect. He stays neutral enough not to be rude, but you can see it in his eyes and his eyebrows how determined he is.

He’s looking at Philip here as well, who has been giving Alex rude looks since they sat down; his face particularly after he says “god no” to the question of reading the emails is borderline disgusted, and if you watch his eyes, he looks at Alex more than Henry.

Kudos to Philip’s actor for being able to subtly imply his layers of prejudice with as little screen time as he has.

Alex’s responding stare is like he’s challenging him. His eyes say, “if you have a problem with that, you’ll have to fight me over it, because I’d die before I’d let you take him from me.”

It’s obvious from the moment the king starts talking that Alex wants to speak up, but he knows this is Henry’s fight first. He holds himself back for as long as he can and lets Henry do the talking.

At this point, the king has already dismissed Henry’s request for support and right to be happy, so Alex is definitely pissed off, and then Philip is a dick; his patience is running out.

It’s amazing how a tiny change in facial features can speak volumes without saying a word.

No. 5:

This breaks my fucking heart every time I watch it.

His eyes are noticeably red from crying, which I have no idea how he did because he's not actually crying in this scene, so it wasn't from filming it over and over again. Maybe they filmed the Kensington Palace scene prior to this one, on the same day or something, cause he was crying in that one.

Anyway, this expression just kills me, because he's reached the crossroads. He can either keep waiting, not knowing if Henry will ever answer him, or he can go to London to get his answer.

And the idea that Henry may not see him and how that would be it, the true end to their relationship, fucking devastates him.

You can see it in his eyes and the deep breath he takes that he's imagining it. He's playing it out in his head, him going to London and being turned away, and having to go about living his life without Henry in it.

Just the idea of it is enough to break his heart, and it breaks my heart to look at.

No. 6:

I love and hate the way Alex's face slowly falls when Henry says he should leave. Think about this for a second.

They live on separate continents with an ocean in between them. Alex is the First Son, and Henry is a fucking prince. They were texting for months before they got to see each other for New Year's Eve, which was the only reason why Henry was able to go to the States. He's only in the States now for the dinner party being hosted for the Prime Minister. He's flying back to London tomorrow.

They have no idea when they'll see each other again.

Henry has the idea of inviting Alex to the polo match, so he might be a bit optimistic, which is probably why he was still smiling when he pulls away. He's thinking about it, and has been for at least a little bit, probably since after the Red Room encounter earlier that night.

But Alex?

He has no idea how long it will be until the next time they're able to see each other in person again. Henry texted Alex for the first time on August 27th, and they weren't able to see each other in person until New Year's Eve. That is four months.

Since they were just friends during that time, it probably was no big deal, but now? Now they're going to be constantly thinking about each other. Thinking about getting to hold each other again, getting to kiss each other again, getting to do more explicit things again- all of it.

And Alex doesn't know when he'll get to do any of it again once Henry leaves. He even goes to say, "I guess I'll see you-" when he and Henry start talking at the same time.

Henry inviting him to the polo match is a promise of getting to see him next month, so probably a week or two, depending how far into the current month they are. It's probably part of why he smiles so much when Henry leaves. He has something to look forward to.

But in this little moment, Alex probably feels so sad because he knows Henry has to leave, but he really, really doesn't want him to, because he's not just leaving for the night so they don't get caught in Alex's room together. Once he walks out that door, he doesn't get to see him for who knows how long.

Agh, okay, that's all for part 2! I'm not too sure if I can make a part 3, but we'll see!

Update: If you enjoyed this essay & would like to support me, you can give me a tip on my Ko-Fi! ☺️

part 1 | part 3

[piratefalls]

welcome back to the latest edition of biweekly fic recs! as always, mind the tags, if you can't leave a nice comment don't leave one at all, and happy reading!

masterlist.

There's No Problem That San Diego Can't Solve by @historicallysam

Alex doesn’t even bother knocking; he simply twists the knob on the door and shoves it open. His eyes narrow as the door bangs against the wall and he sees Henry on the phone. Maybe (definitely) it’s rude but his blood is fucking boiling so he doesn’t really care.

All the Ocean was Sleeping by @sparklepocalypse

The worst part about being a siren in the modern era, Henry ponders as yet another ship flies past his cove at a speed that he knows will disturb the anemone gardens below, is the yacht bros. Between the sound of their vessels’ motors and the dissonant noise the humans call music, Henry’s singing has no chance of attracting anyone’s attention.

cause you're a classic, and i'm reckless by @firenati0n

“I've, actually, uh. I've never done this before.” At this, Henry stops short, takes a second as his gaze moves up and to the left, trying to recall something. “I've seen your films. You most certainly have done intimate scenes.” Alex clears his throat. He hopes his nerves aren't completely obvious, the slight waver in his voice about to give him away. “Yeah, well. Never with a man, so. Not at this scale, anyway.” “Would it help to, er, practice?" Henry winces a little as he says it, which does not inspire confidence. But Alex is shocked nonetheless. What the fuck?

Over Land and Sea by SatinBirds

Alex and Henry come from very different worlds, and still, they manage to find each other.

Clean Slate by smc_27

“Henry.” Pez comes over, puts both hands on Henry’s cheeks and looks him dead in the eye. “You are not a sad man who’s gotten dumped. You’re in the prime of your life, and I quite desperately need you to act like it.” “The prime of my life,” Henry scoffs, more incredulous than questioning. “I’ve just gotten out of a 15 year relationship, endured a divorce, am suffering an almost impressive case of writer’s block, and your hands are like bloody icicles.” Pez grins, doesn’t take his hands away. “Explain to me how this is my prime. Please.” Pez tilts his head, and sounds entirely serious when he says, “Literally anything can happen from here.”

in bloom by stutteringpeach

Yoo, can u hook me up with some flowers?? It's the busiest day of the year for florists. Alex texts Henry with a last minute request.

here is a map (with your name for a capital) by @alasse9

That day at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Alex comes across the very same Prince Henry who just dismissed him having a panic attack in a bathroom. The choice Alex makes then has ripple effects neither of them could have ever expected. What's the story like, when they actually are friends all along? “So, you’re going back to England tonight, and you’ll spend the next three days pretending you two are the closest and best of friends until we can put this mess behind us.” And there are reasons he hasn’t told anybody this, good reasons, even though he’s sure June and Nora saw through him ages ago. Faced with his mom’s disappointment, though, and with the realization that the entire world apparently thinks he hates Henry and would willingly shove him into a fucking cake, he can’t stay quiet. “But we are friends,” he says, vehement and serious. “We have been for years. He’s—he’s probably my best friend, actually, along with Nora.”

thoughts of you consume by yrsonpurpose

Henry sees Alex appear on the red carpet in a blue suit that screams sex on legs and is ready to throw away all attempts at concealing their secret relationship in the name of dropping to his knees at the first available opportunity.

eyes on me by matherine

Alex’s hips buck back against Henry’s mouth the moment his tongue does more than tease, and Henry squeezes his hip in gentle consternation. But before he can say anything, Alex is already rambling. “Sorry, I’m — I’m sorry, I know you said not to move, and I’m trying, I — I’m trying to be good, I promise,” he blurts, voice shaking ever so slightly from something that certainly doesn’t sound like pleasure, resolutely refusing to turn his head so that he can meet Henry’s gaze from where he’s positioned behind him. Henry’s heart aches. “Alex — love, it’s alright. Where’s your mind?” Or: Sometimes, Alex needs a distraction. Something to take the edge off, to scrub away at the stress of the day. Some days, it works better than others. 

the evolution of intimacy by Poutini

There’s no spontaneity anymore. One might think this boring. That the novelty had worn off. The spark snuffed. Absolutely not

Want Me by OrchidScript

Henry had always been weak for a nice smile, but his was impossible to ignore. Blame it on summer heat and a fresh flush in his cheeks. Blame it on sunset painting the outdoor bar sweltering, romantic colors. Blame it on two healthy glasses of albariño thrumming in his bloodstream, or the good music floating on the air. Henry could blame it on anything liked if he thought long and hard about it, but that didn’t change much at the end. The core remained the same: he had been gone from the jump. -- Henry and Alex hook up on a vacation in Spain. Henry falls a bit deeper.

fill my lungs with sweetness by @priincebutt

Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor wakes up at 3 AM on his birthday to an empty bed. What could Alex possibly be getting up to at 3 AM the night before his birthday? The possibilities are endless.

got myself in quite a tangle by coffeecatsme

"It seems I've gotten myself in quite a tangle." "Tangle?" Henry's voice is hoarse, eyes darkened as they travel over Alex's body. They stop at his crotch, and Alex can see it even under the dim lights—Henry's growing hard too, a visible bulge pushing at his sweatpants. Alex's cock gives a desperate twitch. "Y'know, I was trying to put them around the tree," he starts, gesturing at the plain tree at the corner. It's clear he didn't even attempt to touch it. "And somehow I've managed to completely trap myself. Can't even move my hands." Henry makes a desperate noise at the back of his throat as his eyes snap up to Alex's face. Alex flashes him a suggestive grin, teeth biting down on his lip. "Seems I'm completely at your mercy."

The Forces of Chance and Coincidences by @stellarm

Bad weather leads to a late flight that leads to no one being where they wanted to be, but maybe everyone was where they needed to be.

I've never felt safer (than when I'm with you) by viciouslyqueer

Alex takes the bag and opens it slowly, careful not to rip it, and gasps quietly as he sees what’s inside. “H, you didn’t…” Strong arms wrap around his waist from behind, Henry’s chest warm against his back. “Do you like it?” Henry asks in a whisper, resting his chin on Alex’s shoulder. Alex doesn’t know what to say. Gingerly, like he might ruin it with even the smallest touch, he takes out the silky fabric and holds it up in front of them. It’s a gorgeous dress, fancy too, in a deep red color with thin straps and an open back. It’s long, almost touching the floor even as Alex holds it up and has a slit on the left side that would probably end a little above Alex’s knee.

An Amateur's Guide to Professional Gift-Giving by anincompletelist

Alex, a former-law-student-taking-some-time-off turned professional part-time gift giver, is tasked with finding a gift for the most high profile client he's ever worked with, both in and out of the world of law. It turns out finding the perfect gift for the Prince of Wales might be easier than he'd anticipated.

Love At First Bark by everwitch

“I still don’t know your name, do I?” Henry watches Alex where he’s crouched down in front of David and gently scratching David below his chin. David absolutely loves Alex. Henry can relate. “It’s David,” Henry supplies. “Cool,” Alex says. “And what’s the dog’s name?” Henry blinks at him. “... David?” “What?” Alex exclaims. He looks from David to Henry and then back at David again. “Wow, okay, that is a choice.” Henry wants to sink through the earth and never come back up again.

don't let me get drunk again by headabovethewater

Alex had never wanted to cancel plans as much as he had while watching Henry pull a pair of light wash, tight jeans over his stockinged legs and bare ass. Christ, he’s getting hard thinking about it now.

The Beginner's Guide to Floristry by clottedcreamfudge

As if there's anything romantic about it; as if it's not the most humiliating death Alex can imagine. This is why he doesn't do relationships. This is why he never will. The risk, as far as he fucking sees it, is too great. -- Hanahaki Disease is a fictional disease where the victim of unrequited or one-sided love begins to vomit or cough up the petals and flowers of a flowering plant growing in their lungs, which will eventually grow large enough to render breathing impossible.

Everything you take, you make it better. So go on, take forever by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf

It's 2024, and nobody knows they're engaged. But they will, just as soon as Alex can decide what to wear to his birthday dinner. Henry has an idea and a special gift to match.

false pretenses by rizcriz

Henry spins around, glaring at Alex. “For christs sake,” He hisses, holding a hand out between them. “Can we just not? I do not have the capacity to pretend to hate you today.” Alex splutters as Henry turns on his heel and starts to walk away. He stares after him helplessly. “Pretend?” After a beat, he starts to follow after him, “What the fuck do you mean pretend?” Three years of breathing down each others necks, fighting every time they come in contact with each other. And if Henry is saying every single thing on his end has been pretend, Alex Claremont-Diaz is going to have a fucking breakdown. Because he has been harboring this stupid fucking crush and burying it beneath false antagonism, meeting Henry where he’s at, for three years, and if Henry is implying that they’re both faking it— -- or, Alex learns better.

turn the desert to glass (you would be the one) by @taste-thewaste

Henry and Alex's domestic bliss has lead to some changes in Henry's body. Henry doesn't really mind being a little chubby, but he wonders if Alex does. Alex, it turns out, does not. Not one bit. He does not mind one bit, and he is more than eager to prove it.

coming on fast like good dreams do by cricketnationrise

When Henry recovers from his unexpected factory reset, he still can’t really breathe properly and somehow Alex is still standing in front of him with a hopeful and excited expression on his face. “Run that by me again?” he asks faintly. “I need your help.” “Right…” “I need you to edge me. Like a lot,” Alex says with a shrug. Nope, it’s not any clearer a second time around.

as always, let me know if you want to be tagged in future lists, whether you're a reader or writer!

tagging @starkfridays @stilesgivesmefeels @midnightsfp @sarahjswift @enablelove

[jmagnabo92]

Princess Alex

Just a little fluff fic for the boys :)

AO3

After the boys celebrate their engagement, Alex teases about if he's going to get the chance to be Princess Alex.

***

Three plus years after the leak, and four years after their first visit to Paris together, Alex finds himself curled up in Henry’s arms.  Henry had arranged for them to spend spring break in Paris.  Visiting the city, enjoying being happy and in love, and as of dinner tonight… engaged. 

Naturally they had celebrated and now were cuddling together. 

Alex is laying on his right side, curled into Henry, and smiling at his ring.  He’d gotten a similar band for Henry – although more catered to Henry’s taste just as Alex’s ring is catered to his own, he’d been planning to propose to Henry at the lake house that summer, but Henry beat him to the punch, and he wasn’t going to wait months to see his ring on Henry’s finger. 

“You like it, love?”

Alex hums.  “Love it.  Really making history here, huh, baby?”

“Absolutely.  I’m just imaging the chaos of a Royal Wedding with two men – one of which is from the country that succeeded from us 250 years ago, it’s definitely going to make history.”

Henry kisses his curls, and adds, “Plus, it’s going to make my ancestors roll in their graves and I’m going to love that.”

Alex laughs.  “Can you imagine your gran’s reaction if she were still around?”

“The only reason I was able to get permission to marry you is because my mother is Queen now.”

Of course, Alex knows this.  Catherine has been Queen for more than a year and that’s made everything far easier on them.  Even if the long-drawn-out funeral situation had affected their relationship with Henry being required to do certain things in London for so long while Alex was stuck doing his second year of law school.  He wanted to be there for Henry, but ‘official royal suitor’ is not enough to get much leeway for his schooling. 

He was just glad that it fell in a way that he could join Henry for the summer in London as he took up some of his royal duties after the coronation of their new queen.  Unlike with the former Queen, Catherine encouraged Henry to have Alex supporting him throughout those duties, which made both of them a lot happier and the press had started teasing about wondering when Alex would become Princess Alex, which Alex actually loved.

“Speaking of my new queen, do you think she’ll officially make me a Princess?” Alex teases. 

Henry bursts out laughing.  “Typically speaking getting married warrants you the title of Duke or Duchess, not Prince or Princess, but I do think you could convince the public to call you Princess Alex, they already do anyway.”

“I suppose that I could settle for Duchess,” Alex grins.  “But why deny the public what they really want?”

“You’re such a menace to society.  It’s not the public that started this whole Princess Alex thing and you know it,” Henry says, with a chuckle. 

He’s right, of course he is.  Shortly after their forced outing and his mother winning the election, the crown and the white house wanted them to do an interview discussing things and answering a few questions. 

“So, Alex, now that we know a little about what Prince Henry’s plans are, why don’t you tell us a little bit about your own?” the host of the interview asks.

“Well, given everything that’s happened with the campaign and the election, I have to say my political aspirations have definitely changed, I definitely don’t want to be a senator by the time I’m thirty anymore, but that left me a little… floundering.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.”

Here he decides to make a joke because he really doesn’t want to talk about why he’s changing away from politics. 

“So, I considered my options.  I briefly considered just being a princess now that I got Henry –”

“You would be a pretty princess, Alex,” Henry teases.

“And it even rolls off the tongue well, Princess Alex,” he teases.

“I do like the sound of it.”

There are cheers from the crowd that agree.

“But,” Alex states, despite the grinning.  “But part of the reason Henry and I fell in love is because we both want to do good in the world.  So, rather just be a princess, although it would be delightful, I’ve decided to go to law school.  I want to help minorities and underprivileged people and make a difference.”

“That’s great.”

There’s a bit of a lull and Alex knows the show’s about to end, so he says, “Besides, Henry’s mom got to be the first princess with a doctorate, so I could totally be the first princess with a law degree someday.”

He and Henry had burst out laughing, as had the crowd.

After that, the hashtag Princess Alex had gone wild on twitter and Instagram with everyone arguing that Alex would be an awesome Princess (helped by June and Bea’s comments that he would look oh so pretty in a dress and tiara – Pez and Nora had even done mockups of him in dresses and tiaras next to a mockup of Henry as Prince Charming –, and it was not at all hindered by Zahra or Philip’s annoyance by the tag).  Ever since, the press had referred to Alex as “the First Son (Princess Alex)” in the papers.  Particularly when he was in an article with Henry.

It helped that any time Alex tweeted about him and Henry, he used the hashtag as well, and so had the others, who thought the idea was hilarious.

“It doesn’t matter who started what – it doesn’t even matter that I was joking, what does matter is that the people have taken to it and me like I knew that they would, and they would thrilled to make me an official princess.”

Henry laughs.  “Half of me thinks you only said yes so that you could officially be a princess.”

“You’re so right – I befriended you, let you kiss me and turn my world on its axis by making me realize I’m bi, go through this whole thing where I was madly in love – couldn’t get enough of that mouth and your dick – but really all along… it was ploy.  I wanted to be ‘Princess Alex’ and it was worth sucking your dick just to get that.”

Henry reaches behind him and grabs a pillow before hitting him with it.  “You’re such a demon.”

“Yes, but I’m your demon now,” Alex says, returning fire with the pillow.  “Now and forever,” he says as he laces his left hand with Henry’s left hand, smiling at the way their bands shine together. 

Henry grins.  “Even if it was some ploy to become a Princess – I’m okay with that, as long as you’re my princess.”

“You’re such a sap,” Alex teases.  Then he goes and kisses him anyway.  “Can we make a post celebrating or do we have to wait for the press teams involved?”

“Technically we’re supposed to let them announce it, but since when do we ever listen to them?”

Alex grins as he holds up their hands laced together and snaps of them with their rings – he’d do a picture of him and Henry kissing, but it’d be far too obvious what they’ve been up to tonight, so hands it is. 

He adds the caption:

We said yes, here’s to making history again.  #theprinceandtheprincess #princessalex #princehenry #engaged #firstprince #history, huh?

He shows it to Henry, who smiles and nods, “Post it.”

The second he does, it breaks his records on his posts in minutes and knowing that they would rather celebrate than deal with wedding details already, he turns the phone off and says, “Well, baby, I think we can let the world marinate on us making history again, while I make use of the wonderful mouth of yours.”

Henry grins, “Sounds like a plan, love.”

“Good.”

***

Tagging those that seemed interested in the snippet:

@onthewaytosomewhere @iboatedhere @thesleepyskipper @theprinceandagcd @fullsunsets

[elatedandexasperated]

So RWRB was a movie with some discourse...

In all honesty, the discourse has bugged me more than any issues with the film itself. I get a film adaptation not living up to personal expectations set by a book is... a response that people have, but the fact some people have been trying to convince people it's not worth watching bothers me.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen all of the love for it too and I know the antis for the film are definitely in the minority. No one can control how anyone relates or who is allowed to enjoy a piece of media, but the sheer hatred I've seen from some of the people on here for the film hurts a bit to see. The arguments seem to be no deeper than "x character was removed" , "there's these plot holes" and "it's too formulaic" that last one of which I feel was kind of the point: it's a formulaic romcom so that queer people can have a fairy tale romance story like the straight ones that get shoved down our throats from a young age by companies like Disney. McQuiston, an NB writer, has gone on record stating that a huge reason why they write is to feature queer identities and make stories that people like them would have liked to read and feel represented by when they were younger.

If this was a straight Hallmark romcom (which tbf, it basically is in terms of story structure, and I low-key love it because of that) it wouldn't have made so much as a blip on most people's radars. But because it features queer characters the threshold for scrutiny seems to have been dropped to the floor (insert "Get Low" joke here). I can get having criticisms of the film, I have a few myself, but the attempt to convince people the film is bad and to disregard it as a whole because of them ignores the positive qualities, what the film means to people in the queer community, what its success can lead to in terms of representation for underrepresented people in the community (Ace, bi, NB, trans, etc.), and an understanding of intricacies that go into adaptation.

At the end of the day, this film was competently made (and in my opinion, well made) by a gay director with an inclusive team and a deep care for both the source material and an understanding of what the film would mean for millions of viewers. It featured experiences and themes that are common to many people in the community with several very poignant messages that actually have huge metatextual implications with the film (The "forced conformity of the closet" quote sticks out in particular to me: the number of op-eds speculating Nick and Taylor's sexualities and how they've been mum about them makes me think a lot of people missed that one; also looking at you, people that forced Kit Connor out of the closet 😒)

The film is a celebration of love featuring characters that people like me and others in the community can relate to. Is it formulaic? Yes. Did they remove some characters to try and create a tighter narrative focused on the main romantic pair? Yes. Is it overly cheesy and so unrealistically sweet that it will give me diabetes? Delightfully so.

So ending on a positive note, I just want to run down some things I've loved about it:

- An mlm story with an actual happy ending that features adult main leads! (Credit to youth stories, they're important, but as an adult it's hard to relate to teenage characters sometimes)

- The charisma both TZP and NG just radiate throughout the movie

- Sarah Shahi eating the absolute SHIT out of every scene she's in (Touch her and die)

- Same for Rachel Hilson

- Uma Thurman and Stephen Fry (enough said)

- The acting overall was fantastic

- The care and work put into intimate scenes and inclusion of an intimacy coordinator

- On a personal level, I loved seeing parallels between Alex and Henry's relationship and the relationship I have with my husband. For the first time in my 30 years I actually see a little of myself in an uplifting and happy piece of media and not portrayed as a dramatic tragedy, villain, or inconsequential background character.

Tl;Dr if you didn't like the movie, that's your opinion. I'm not here to try and convince you otherwise. But please stop trying to convince people it shouldn't be watched. Regardless of your opinion, this film means a lot to a lot of people, including the author of the original book! Just let us enjoy this imperfect, but tasty cheese with our w(h)ine ❤️

[that-darn-clown]

i asked myself "should i make a self insert for myself in the Rewrite? like not even a canon lil dude, just for fun?"

the answer was "Yes," obviously.

so now, prepare yourself for:

Dahlia/Damian "Dandy" Meadows (< swapped to a more masc sounding name later in the timeline)

so. some basic facts:

27 in 1982, 28 in 1983, 30 in 1985. birthday is the same as mine: September 13th.

a bit younger than Henry and Will.

is effectively the third business partner, represented by....Sparky the Dog!! (yep, Sparky's here! he's not entirely canon in the actual Rewrite: he was an idea for an additional springlock suit, but was scrapped early on in the planning phase. Henry still has the blueprints, though)

goofy but anxious and awkward guy. doesn't mean he doesn't have a bite to him.

mayhaps has a slight crush on Henry...don't mind the fact she's married-

speaking of...well, it's a sad situation, their marriage to their husband at the time. had a child young, just when it was 17 years old. got married to the father of the child the next year. it was never a...happy marriage, however. it was clear that one (major) misstep was all that would be needed to end in either abandonment or divorce on the husband's end. (< not foreshadowing at all don't you worry :))

the child? well, she named them Fern at first, but they like going by Theo(dore) better :]

so y'know. everything's going well...

until-

1982:

when Liz died, Dandy was there for William as much as xe could've been. this pretty much got xeir husband accusing xem of cheating on him with Afton (xe was very much Not doing that).

then Charlie dies. process repeats with Henry. now her husband's accusing her of having an affair with two men. reminder that while Rewrite!Dandy does have feelings for Henry, for obvious reasons, she didn't act on those feelings for a while.

MCI happens, and even Dandy is suspected. listen, if Dandy ever commits a murder, for one, it'll most likely be because he was pushed into it/snapping. (< more Definitely Not foreshadowing :)) two, it'd be incredibly obvious.

all in all, not a good year :/ also for Theo, who lost his friend (Charlie).

1983:

shit gets worse.

Theo attempted to stop Alex from bullying Cassidy, but it didn't work. they still blame themself for it.

when Cassidy dies, Dandy is back trying to comfort William. funny, though, how there never seemed to be a confirmed cause of death for the kid, and how insistent William was on burying him in the woods...

and yes before you ask, their husband is back to accusing them of having an affair. (not like he ever really stopped, though-)

1985:

The Year Everything Goes Wrong For Dandy (and Theo) Specifically™

it's March, just a couple of months before the bodies will finally be found. Theo had turned 13 just a couple of weeks prior to this.

Dandy was keeping an eye on their child that Saturday. doing work at Freddy's. but, of course, Theo's not a little kid anymore. they can take care of themself. so when Theo wanders off, Dandy doesn't say anything.

Theo runs into William (who he's gotten bad feelings about ever since Charlie's murder), and William goes "hey kid uh wanna see something cool 🙂 just wanna show you something pinky promise🙂"

and...well, as shady as this motherfucker had gotten in Theo's eyes, he was a family friend. What Could Go Wrong??

turns out, William Wasn't Content With Just Killing The Kid Of One Of His Business Partners!

he had strangled Theo using some old wires, a few of which dug into his neck and caused a few cuts. William's not sure which killed him first: the asphyxiation, or potentially choking on his own blood.

he hid their body inside of the Sparky suit, just until he could move it without being noticed later that night.

Dandy Has The Exact Reaction To Discovering Its Child Was Missing You'd Think It Would.

to make matters worse, upon finally getting home that evening (after having multiple breakdowns and panic attacks over all of this mind you), xeir husband pretty much blames all of this on xem. because xe wasn't watching Theo. if xe had been watching, maybe Theo would still be here. if xe had been a good parent, Theo would still be here. after a lengthy argument about this (which was mostly xeir husband yelling at xem and blaming xem for this all happening), xeir husband storms out. xe gets mailed divorce papers the next morning.

oh but you wanna know the fucked up thing William did while hiding Theo's body?? you wanna know??? well i'll tell you! since this all happens during William's Very Fucked Up Era (1985-1993), William does, as you can guess, a Fucked Up Thing! he buries Theo's body in Dandy's backyard. specifically in the empty flowerbed back there. Dandy's baby has been laying in their backyard this whole time. (well...the body, at least...)

The Rest of the Story/The Aftermath:

Hello William. Henry's Extra Suspicious Of You Now.

both William and Henry go to comfort Dandy but. y'know. Henry's Comfort Is Obviously More Genuine.

after Henry leaves post-Body Discovery (do you think Dandy waited, with a glimmer of hope, that their baby would be found. that they'd get closure with the other parents. do you think that hope disappears. do you think they envy the families that get to bury their children), Dandy still stays behind with William to run the business. Dandy's not where the Questionable Business Decisions come from, though: that's still Will and the guy that he gets to take Henry's place specifically.

Dandy sorta changes his legal first name to Damian at around this time, as well as started getting more masc at around this point in general (good for him).

Dandy to William in 1987: You think a depressed/grieving person could make this?! (very detailed sketchbook pages of "Toy Sparky," as well as doodles of Theo that state "My very alive child that isn't dead enjoying the restaurant 😊")

so...here's the thing about me and shipping characters is that my reasoning for it falls into one of three categories: 1) I Ship It 'Cause It's Canon, 2) I Ship It For Personal Enjoyment Reasons (i think it'd be fun to explore, crackship, i think they fit rather well together, etc.), and 3) I Ship It For Psychological Horror Reasons (listen. sometimes i see ships where either one or both parties won't be happy in the relationship to me, and i decide Y'know What. I'm Gonna Put These Two Together For Angst Reasons)

all of this to say, I Ship Rewrite!William And Rewrite!Dandy Together For Psychological Horror Reasons :)

i don't think i need to explain the Psychological Horror part. like. i think it's pretty obvious.

the thing is that Dandy and Henry are also...A Thing. William's aware of that but doesn't give too much of a fuck. it's like a weird love triangle but Not.

Henry doesn't get mad about it either, surprisingly. why would he get mad at someone when they don't know?

of course the relationships are...very different. William and Dandy are more like...it's clear that this was a relationship where, in any other circumstance, it shouldn't last this long because the foundation's as stable as a house of cards. were this not a relationship born out of Dandy's Pure Mental Instability and William desperately trying to keep the Jenga Block tower from collapsing on top of him specifically, it probably would've lasted like a week. with Henry, however...that foundation was there. he and Dandy have more genuine feels for each other. you get what i'm saying??

Dandy also [REDACTED] with both Will and Henry, just at different points in the timeline.

this goes on, William gets springlocked, you get the gist.

It Is 2005. Henry Decides Now Is A Good Time To Tell Dandy About The Bullshit.

Dandy Takes This As Well As You'd Imagine.

now...how Dandy's story ends, i haven't thought it through yet. in a better path, Henry decides to let Dandy beat the fuck out of Scraptrap with a pipe, but doesn't tell her about the fire, she continues living. maybe adopts a kid later on too once she starts putting her life back together. bad ending is she isn't really told about a lot but finds out anyway, and then dies in the fire while beating the fuck out of Scraptrap (after Will killed Henry) with a pipe. bonus thing after the bad ending: he becomes the antithesis of Malhare, being a protector of sorts.

now...as for Theo: VENGEFUL SPIRIT 2, BABYYY!!!

yeah...Theo's not too happy about the whole...Being Murdered Thing. but i'll discuss Theo more in another ask. poor kid :( all you need to know for now is that they're sort of the more...terrifying Vengeful Spirit.

and finally, have a meme:

Theo to William as a ghost: DID YOU FUCK MY MOM, AFTON?!

I don't think polyamory will help this situation, in fact I think it will make it worse. That being said I think they should give it a shot anyways

[getmehighonmagic]

omg ok I am so excited about literally ALL of the wips on your list but which one are YOU most excited about/haven't gotten to talk about yet???????? I WOULD LOVE ANYTHING SNIPPETS/DETAILS/VISUALS/VIBES ANYTHING!!!!!!!! <333 xx

ok ok ok I fucking loooove this!

So, there's two that I'm most excited about right now!

This one I'm writing on every day and I lie awake at night thinking about them. I've got this entire story mapped out, the first chapter is done. I plan on writing about 4 chapters and oh my god, I'm having the most fun working it all out. I came up with this story while doing the dishes and listening to San Francisco by Niall Horan and now I'm absolutely fucking obsessed. They're soulmates, they fall in love at first sight, followed by heartbreak and suffering, but there will always be a happy ending. Hopefully it'll be done soon!

“Kiss me,” he blurts out. He has to suck his cheeks between his molars and bite down hard to stop himself from cringing, because it really does sound insane, but he suddenly wants nothing more than for Alex to kiss him. He’s in a foreign country, in a place where he has all the privacy in the world. He’s alone, in the dark, under the stars, with a man so attractive it makes his skin prickle and he wants to be kissed. He wants to be swept off his feet. For once, Henry just wants to be something to someone.

This one here? This is my baby. FirstMarine will forever be my baby and this is the story in which I give Luke the happily ever after he deserves, even though he had to go through a lot of shit to get there. I've almost finished writing chapter 3, so this one is coming along nicely, but it's a bit of a slow burn, so it might take a while to finish it. Eeeee I could talk about this all day, haha! ♥

Luke ends up coming over almost every day, and if he’s not nestled under a blanket in Alex’s window seat with a book or his laptop and with Buddy at his feet, he’s texting Alex book recommendations or memes he finds funny. Alex has also discovered that Luke prefers tea over coffee, which means that he now owns a box full of various types of tea, sitting right beside his own coffee collection in the cupboard above the sink. Alex likes it; the fact that he’s not alone all the time anymore. He did make that choice consciously when he moved back to Austin - to concentrate on work and his own mental health for a while - but he hadn’t realized how much he missed having someone to share his brain worms with. He also likes Luke’s laugh when he says something especially silly. He doesn’t know why, but it feels like a unique thing to witness; like Luke doesn’t laugh like that all that often. He feels privileged to be exposed to it and he won’t admit it out loud, but it’s definitely the reason why he sometimes says silly things on purpose.

I am also incredibly exited about kinktober this year! I've got 3 stories finished, 2 halfway there and 9 more outlined, so it's gonna be hella good!

Snippet from #18: Thigh riding:

“You’re not wearing underwear,” Nora pants against June’s lips, a statement that makes her stomach flutter and her pussy throb. “You’re in my office, rubbing up on me, and you’re not wearing underwear.” June giggles and breaks the kiss, before hiding her face in the crook of Nora’s neck. “You’re very observant today.” Nora growls and turns her head to sink her teeth into June’s earlobe, just beneath the gold of her earring. “Don’t get cheeky with me,” she warns, slipping a hand up the back of June’s skirt to cup one of her perfectly round, warm cheeks. “I think,” June murmurs, kissing up Nora’s neck, “that being cheeky is going to get me exactly what I want, right now.”

Thank you for asking, this was fun! ♥♥♥

[cultofsappho]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you so much @myheartalivewrites!! i feel so guilty getting these tags when I haven't posted on ao3 in a hot minute haha

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently, 16. but i orphaned a lot back in the day. I think i've probably written closer to 25-30 total in my life.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

300,037!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White & Royal Blue mostly but i've been thinking baout branching out soon. I've also written Snowbaz, Cemetery Boys, and Jonjay

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Family Lines

How To Be Friends With The FSOTUS

With All The Air In My Lungs

Asking For Permission

Décollage

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to but i'm not the best honestly, working on getting better and replying to more! I always feel guilty when I can't think of a response haha

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Definitely I'm Taking A Ride With My Best Friend. It's bittersweet to say the least. When you've gone through hell and back with your person, and he's hurt you, but he's also the best part of your life... how do you move forward? how do you re-learn to coexist when you're no longer running for your life? I somehow thought I could answer those questions in one epilogue chapter....

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my endings are very very happy, but probably Family Lines. Adoption, and family, and recovery, and ahhhh adorable family being adorable things!!

2nd place might be Poison in His Blood bc i wrote this angsty ass chonic illlness werewolf au fic and the fluffy (lol) ending took all of us by suprise I think

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really, but i've had a few like "i really wanted it to end like ____ :( " or "I think there's more you could have dug into with ____ :(" which i know aren't hate, but disppointing readers feels similar.

And once, a trump supporter got mad at me in my Superman and Lois fic's comments. Which is still fucking hilarious to this day bc for some reason they thought a literal alien wouldn't support immigration reform... and this was a comic book fan fic about superman's son being bi as all hell... fascinating...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes and no. Have I written smut? yes. like, twice total. Do I enjoy writing it? no. I read a ton of it but, it's not my writing niche.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not yet!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don't think so?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

not yet! very open to it tho!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No and I don't think I would. I'm too much of a perfectionist

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

alex and henry 🥺 the best boys of all best boys

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

the spiderman one. I had an idea for Henry being Pretty Darn Sure that Alex is spiderman and putting himslf into situations where he'd run into him but... if across the spiderverse didn't reignite my love for spiderman enough to write it then idk what will

16. What are your writing strengths?

probably dialogue, including internal dialogue, I think. It comes much easier to me than ambiance/setting descripitons.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

smut for one. definitely need to work on pacing too.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I avoid it heavily. I took 4 years of french in high school but it's been years since then and my knowledge on it is preschool at best. another thing to work on tho!!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I can't even remember anymore and I never want to know. trist me, you want me to repress that shit even more than I do.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

jesus how could any writer pick??? Maybe I'm Taking A Ride With My Best Friend. It's my longest fic, and was definitly my biggest challenge. And, although there's things I'd change about it if I could, i'm still very proud of what I made! my traumatic little baby...

oh my no idea who to tag here so i'm going for the mutuals again, so sorry if you've already been tagged and no pressure!! @penna-nomen @cosmicalart @sherryvalli @jesuisici33 @14carrotghoul @cha-melodius and open tag to anyone who hasn't shared yet!!

[annoying-shits-i-think-of]

Infos about my OM MC : Alexandra

nearly everybody forget that her full name is Alexandra since everybody call her Alex

is 23 when first arriving in the Devildom

is 2cm taller than Belphie (much to his annoyance)

black hair and blue eyes

high EQ average IQ

is bisexual

hates physical affection especially after the Belphie incident

has a lot of common sense but after 3 months of living in the Devildom she decides to listen to it only when her life is in real danger

she didn't applied for RAD but Diavolo made a mistake with the summoning and said this was ok since she's a human too

she accept because they promise her free food, free loging and free schooling

she also has family problems so she thought than an 1 year break would be good

jokes on her she didn't get a break

the only reason why she helps Belphie was so he let her sleep

is the descendant of both Lilith and Solomon (Lilith's by her father and Solomon's by her mother) so she call the sorcerer "Gramps", much to his displeasure

it's probably why she can eat his cooking without fainting (she still find it disgusting)

and probably because of Lilith's blood, her cooking is divine (Barbs is still the best cook of the 3 realms and Alex would fight anyone who says the contrary)

promise herself to never swear in front of Luke when she saw that he admire her (she didn't want him to take her bad habits)

he did hear her swear when she thought he couldn't hear, he didn't say anything since he was happy that Alex makes an effort for him even though it's must be difficult for her to not swear

the only time she got really mad it was when a lower demon talk bad about Diavolo, she yelled at them and pointed out any of their insecurities so hard that the démon cried for three days straight

is a cheapstake so living with the demon brothers gives her a lot of stroke (also the reason why I don't ship her with Mammon (don't worry, the greedy boy will have a witch sugar mommy))

she had a crush on Lucifer but Lucifer rejected her (ooc from the old man but I love drama)

I don't know yet whom she'll end up with but you can erase the angels, Solomon, the royals (Dia, Barbs and Mephisto), Levi, Mammon and Asmo

Lucifer is still in the love interests because I said I love the drama

She has a hard time focusing when people are talking and remembering names so when she became friend with Levi, she informed of that so he won't get upset (she really likes it when her best friend rambles about)

is afraid of height so she never tried to ride Lotan but definitively pets and spoils him and Henry and Cerberus

collections rocks she found pretty and cried when the brothers threw them away

bond with Asmo over drunk karoke, cosplay make up and later DiaLevi

bond with Mammon over scamming people (and this one time where they accidentaly robbed a bank in the human realm, Lucifer doesn't know about it but Barbs does)

when she's on her periods, she tends to lock herself up in her room because she may yell at her friends for no reason

funnily enough, her birthday is the same day as Levi (April 9)

they joke about it, saying they're twins everything but blood, much to Belphie's annoyance (twins is his and Beel's thing !)

I forgot to publish this, sorry. Anyways that's all for my OM MC. I'll probably add more later. After this it's my AT MC

[whoevenknows-things]

WIP Wednesday

So. I know I still have a whole firstprice F1 fic to finish. But it's proving to be more of a beast than I expected and work is kicking my butt atm so that fic is probably on hold until August when I have some time off work. But theeeeeeeen I overheard a really cute interation between a mother and daughter on a bus and suddenly I had 7,000 words of a one shot written that will probably be finished before yhe next F1 chapter is. Here's how it starts:

Lottie had a cold bottle of juice she was drinking from and Henry found himself regretting not bringing a cold drink with him too. But his daughter was a good distraction from the heat. “How was school today?” There was a pop from the spout of the bottle as she pulled it away from her mouth. Lottie shrugged one shoulder, a move she had definitely picked up from her auntie Bea, and said simply “fine.” Ahh, Henry thinks to himself, the conversational skills of a four year old. He looks down at her in the seat and he stands protectively over her. He notices there are faint white streaks in her eyebrows and around her hair. He frowns. “Lottie, who put your suncream on today?” “Mr Alex.” “Who is Mr Alex?” “Miss Kate says he’s new. He’s come to our class so he can learn how to be a teacher too.” Ahh, Henry thinks, a new student teacher. He vaguely remembers reading about that in one of the class newsletters. He hadn’t realised it would be a man. Not that that was a problem. Henry was all for breaking down gender stereotypes and he knew how few male teachers there were in primary schools. It would be good for the children to have a male role model at school really. “That makes sense; it looks like he didn’t rub it in as well as Miss Kate did,” he mutters, mostly to himself. Mr Alex was probably fresh out of university at 21 and suddenly applying suncream to small humans for the first time. Henry could forgive the bloke. And then, louder he asks his daughter, “Did he put in on your legs too?” “Yep, and my arms daddy.” “And did you remember to wear your cap too?” She nodded and went back to her juice. Henry sort of hated her cap. Bea had lent it to her one morning when it had been her day to do the school run and Lottie didn’t have her hat. It was a black cap that had faded to more of a grey with a Queen logo on it. Bea had had it for years and Lottie had been obsessed when Bea had given it to her and now she refused to wear anything else to school. Henry knew it wasn’t exactly the most child friendly design but there was nothing actually inappropriate. Besides, he’d be lying if it didn’t make his little gay heart happy to see his daughter in that cap. But he would absolutely deny that to Bea. Something like Paw Patrol or Bluey would still be more appropriate, at least for school. Henry assumed that was all he was going to hear about Mr Alex for now. His daughter settled back into quiet as she looked out of the window and Henry used the opportunity to send a quick text to Bea to check she was still ok to do pick up the next day. “He’s got pretty eyes daddy?” “Who has sweetheart.” “Mr Alex silly. He’s got pretty eyes and he talks funny.” “Lottie,” he uses his best parental ‘warning’ voice, “I’ve told you before that we can’t say things about how people look or sound.” “It’s not baaaad funny,” she says in that way that 4 year olds do, “I like his voice. But he doesn’t sound like you or Auntie Bea.” “Well,” Henry tries to reason, “maybe he’s not from London like us. I’ve shown you videos of your grandpa and he wasn’t from London. He was from a place called Sheffield and he didn’t sound like me and Bea.” People moved all the time for teacher training. “No,” Henry could sense she was starting to get impatient at Henry not understanding her, “he doesn’t sound like Grandpa Fox either. And he says funny words too. He called the bin the trash can and he says math instead of maths. It’s funny.”

[labeeboheme]

my spencer reid headcanons

(when a happy one matches a sad one, they’ll be matching colours)

also tw - vague mention of suicide, drug addiction, disordered eating mention (never anything graphic)

happy/cute

- Garcia and the rest of the team would leave little sticky notes around his desk and normally they’d just make him smile but when he was having a rough day they’d literally make him tear up with happiness

- he’s obscenely good at present giving, because he simultaneously remembers everything that people say they like and also has his ridiculous knowledge of what exists out there

- one week (it coincided with him being clean for 5 years, he never made the connection) he walked into the briefing room and every member of the team was dressed exactly as him. he kept trying to bring it up and everybody pretended they had no idea what he was on about. it became their BAU group chat icon for years.

- one of the best days of his life was when garcia took him dog walking with her, he got to just wander around with 6 dogs all day

- jack grows to adore him just as much as henry does. spencer hangs around a lot because him and hotch are usually the ones without anyone to hang out with at the weekend, and he takes jack to the museum with henry and michael all the time. jack ends up being a lot more like spencer than he imagined (which both terrifies and delights hotch)

- Spencer has never actually attended a graduation, despite having graduated from various degrees like 10+ times. when the BAU (Alex probably) finds out, they all force him into a gown and rock up to cheer him

- they liked to play trivia games where it was spencer vs the rest of the team, but someone (i’m thinking emily) picks up that it makes him feel left out. they then take turns being on spencer’s team. one month, the non-spencer team beats them and the joy it gives them makes him smile for a week

- garcia learns how to make mocktails and without fail, will make a huge jug for him anytime the rest are drinking alcohol but make sure they’re fun flavours so he gets just as much excitement as everyone else

- after Diana is moved to Virginia, the team become really close to her. JJ takes the boys to hang out with her because she’s always loved children (and Diana sometimes thinks Henry is a young Spencer, which makes JJ worry about how Spencer will react but he’s just sitting here grinning with tears in his eyes because he’s finally getting to see his mom be the mom he knew she could be)

- the BAU love his glasses, and there’s a competition to get a photo of him with them on, but he’s very good at avoiding cameras. After one case in a hotel they even try to hide his contact solution to force him to wear them (amateurs - he definitely keeps a spare box in his coat). There eventually is a single photo of them wearing them, but all members of the BAU fail. Spencer is babysitting Henry, who is distraught about having to wear glasses to school. Spencer gives up trying to comfort him and just takes his contact lenses out and switches them for glasses. Henry is super shocked but so happy that he matches his favourite person, so Spencer takes a photo of the two of them so that Henry can put it next to his bed

- he gets a cat after prison, it’s a tabby cat that is the light of his life, and the cat is just heavy enough that when Spencer gets it to sit on his lap that cat can be used a grounding pressure

—————————————————

angsty/sad

- developed disordered eating habits that started from him always being super underweight as a child bc he couldn’t afford food and then when he got to college he started to eat properly and put on actually healthy weight but he was so adverse to change that it freaked him out

- one of the roughest days at the BAU, after all the obvious terrible times, was when Morgan and Hotch was just having a casual conversation about how they’d helped Strauss with her addiction and it just broke him. he ended up hiding under Garcia’s desk and he’d only speak to her and Emily (as the only people I think ever actually helped him) and was non verbal, once they finally got him out into the office he refused to speak to either of them and was just stimming with garcia comforting him (once he started talking again he whispered why he was so upset to emily, and she joined him in his glaring at them every time he looked at them. morgan and hotch never really worked it out and eventually reid just gave up on being upset because he knew it couldn’t change what happened)

- spencer has never walked across the stage at graduation, but that doesn’t mean he never went to a graduation. his first degree his mom promised she’d come, but ended up not leaving the house. he stood to the side of the stage in his gown trying not to cry before just going back home and having the diploma mailed to him

- he relapsed in prison. he considered his sobriety over after the events in Mexico, and so just briefly gave up when one of the inmates offered him some. as soon as Garcia came to visit him, he broke down and never did it again. he never told Morgan and so he still got a text every year on the day he first got clean, which he thought he’d absolutely hate but ended up finding comfort in because even if the “happy 12 years sobriety, kid” should have been “happy 2 years sobriety, kid”, it reminded him that he’d done it before and could do it again

- after maeve died and they came round to help him clean his apartment, he was really proud of himself for being able to put her book on the shelf and feel like he’s moving on. and then the next day he was getting ready to go to work properly for the first time and he was just getting more and more terrified and anxious and then started to spiral because the longer he panicked the later he was. and it reminded him of how scared maeve had been to come outside to meet him at the restaurant but she’d done it anyway, and he put the book in his bag and found it a lot easier to leave the house after that

- Spencer is so goddamn bitter about them not helping him get clean, and he mentions it whenever he can. In a angry-but-never-let-himself-be-angry way, he takes some justification in seeing the team squirm with guilt. one day he’s listing symptoms of withdrawal for a case, and just starts to go like “another symptom is intense muscle pain, which for me was definitely the worst” or “yeah nausea is real bad, not that you’d know I guess” like he’s exhausted and pissed off and just gives up any pretence of subtlety

- when Diana dies, the whole team rally around Reid more than he could imagine. They all organise the funeral basically for him, and Garcia constantly cooks for him, and at least one person sleeps on his sofa each night in case he needs them. By week two he’s doing okay, and he quickly realises they’re doing it for themselves more than him, because they’re so desperate to let him know how loved he is. It’s still one of the worst weeks of his life, but it’s bearable and that’s purely down to him never having to feel lonely

- there’s a reason he knew exactly what to do when he walked in on Nathan Harris, and that’s because he’s done it with his mom, except that time he was 12 and his dad had just left and he just sat there covered in blood waiting for the ambulance, and whilst promising the paramedics that his dad was on his way home so that social services wouldn’t turn up, he read countless books on medical treatment so that next time he wouldn’t be so hopeless

- I respectfully disagree with the line where he’s like “this is my first meeting” at the Beltway clean cops, I’m convinced he would drive two hours to a meeting miles away so he could truly be anonymous and sit curled up in a chair and cry in meetings without even the slightest chance of seeing someone he knew

[livia-dovehallow]

Do you have any headcanons of the Gabrily family on father’s day? I love your fics

Hi Anon! Your words are sweet talk to me.

I definitely think that Gabriel is the kind of dad who doesn't want any gifts or anything on that day--he just wants to spend the day with his kids. No work. No patrol. Just him and his children, the reason he is a father at all. Quality time spent with them is quality memory to him.

For example, especially when Anna and Kit were little, he would take them to the park and they would play in the trees and grass being goofy and imaginative. Then when they're a little older (thinking 8-12), they play sports in the grass with the other Dads--Gideon and Henry and Will--and the cousins.

As they got older, and Anna moved out, that quality time with them grew to mean more to Gabriel. It's hard for him to see his kids grow up and need him less and less, though he is happy to see them be independent and smart. It's the role of a parent, after all. So whenever Anna comes by for dinner, or Kit comes to read books in his study, it makes Gabriel extremely happy.

So for Father's Day, during Anna & Kit's teen years, they make a point to spend as much of the day as possible with their father. Anna comes over very early, and Kit wakes up early, to scheme with their mother about what to do for the day. It's the little things with Gabriel, so they always end up at the park at some point in the day--except now Alex gets to tag along as well.

Then they all get together, with the whole family, for dinner. Not only is Gabriel a father of three, but he has many nieces and nephews who see him as a father-figure so he very much enjoys seeing them all as well.

Even though Father's Day is typically a "day-off" of sorts, Gabriel insists on being the one who puts the children to bed that night because it means spending the most time possible with them. Obviously, there was a few years between when Anna and Kit were too old for that and when Alex was born, so now that he does have Alex, he is happy to be able to do that again. But, since Anna and Kit know he enjoys it, they fall asleep in the family room so that he can toss blankets over them. Cecily knows this scheme and very much plays along with it.

Then, when they're in their own bed, about to fall asleep, Cecily asks how he enjoyed his day, and Gabriel always responds, "It was the best day."

[wickedwitchoftheemidwest]

Happy New Year, everybody! I know that Literally no one cares or will read this, but I have to rate and talk about what I’ve read this year and this is my page, so deal with it.

2020 may have been a dumpster fire of a year, but I did read so me pretty good books. I didn’t get to read as many books as I wanted (like always), but that’s life. If you couldn’t tell, I do have a preference for romance novels, and these selections are very... 🌈 and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here we go:

- Lies we Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (4/10)

- I think I could write a dissertation about why I have a problem with this book, but I think I can just stop with “a white lady writing an interracial queer romance in the 1960s where the lead white character is literally a racist” should about cover it. Absolutely disappointed.

- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (10/10)

- Oh my god does Casey McQuiston know how to write a book. Classic enemies to lovers, my favorite trope. This is my comfort novel that I use as a form of escapism, and probably the reason I didn’t read many new books, as I reread it about five times. It’s my comfort novel, and I come back to it every time I need to feel happy. I’ve made three of my friends read this book, and I recommend it to everyone

- These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (8/10)

- It’s sapphic, it has witches, and it’s adorable; what more could you possibly want? The ending left me wanting more. I was finally able to buy the sequel and I can’t wait to get into it.

- Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (7/10)

- I think this book is sort of a classic when it comes to gay YA. This was a pretty good book, but it took me awhile to get into it.

- Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins (9/10)

- What did I say about enemies to lovers? HRH was regarded as sapphic Red, White, and Royal Blue, which I think is all you need to know to be interested. This book and short, sweet, and to the point. It’s an easy read (I read it twice, both times in one day). I think there could’ve been some more character building, but it’s so adorable I literally do not care. When I say I want more cute gay romcoms, they should use HRH as the blueprint.

- It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura (7/10)

- A cute, interracial sapphic love story where no white people are involved (the main character is Japanese American and her love interest is Mexican American). This coming of age story deals with acceptance, cultural differences, racism, and coming out. I think some of the points it was trying to delve into were too much on the nose at some times, but I really enjoyed this book.

- The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee (9/10)

- A fun romp set some time in the 1700s with a chaotic bi as the main lead? Count me in! I read this whole series this year, including the novella (the gentleman’s guide to getting lucky), and I loved every second of it. It’s an adventure series with some romance sprinkled in (a hella slow burn, but definitely worth it). The whole series has gay, bi, lesbian, and ace aro representation, and I was in love the entire time.

- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (8/10)

- The black sapphic book I needed. Liz Lighty decides she wants to leave her hometown and go to college, but after losing the financial aid she was counting on, she remembers the scholarship that prom queen gets every year, and decides to run. Sprinkle in a cute love story, and I’m hooked.

- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (10/10)

- I... cannot put into words how this book made me feel. When I finished TSOA, I cried all night trying to recover. Beautifully written, and I still can’t get over Achilles and Patroclus. One of my favorite books this year.

- Sorry Not Sorry by Naya Rivera

- After Naya’s tragic passing in July, I struggled to find her autobiography anywhere. However, I was finally able to get my hands on it, and am so glad that I did. Naya Rivera was just as genuinely funny and carefree as her previous costars have said, and I wish the world could’ve gotten more of her.

Not pictured:

- Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst (9/10)

- Sapphic love story about a princess who has been betrothed to a prince from a nearby country her whole life who instead falls in love with his sister. The main character, Denna, also possesses magical powers, which is forbidden in their land. One of my favorite things about this book is that it’s set in medieval times, but no one cares about queer relationships. The only problem with Denna falling in love with the princess is that she’s betrothed to her brother and nothing else. I recently bought the sequel to this book as well, and I’m excited to read it

- The After Series (books 1-2) by Anna Todd (-400/10)

- I was curious about this series because of how terrible the movies are, and needed to read them myself. I apologize to myself every day that I every even wasted my time on these two books. If I ever see Anna Todd, it’s on sight immediately. Not only is the writing terrible, but the romanticization of abusive relationships is absolutely unacceptable. I think I could take less issue with these books if the author wrote them as a “what to look for in men you should never date” rule book, but it isn’t. I could actually write an essay on why these books are more harmful than entertaining and how I genuinely think this series should have never been published. Also, Harry Styles did not deserve this.

I also discovered WEBTOON this year, and here are some of my favorites that I have read:

- Always Human by creator walkingnorth, a finished WLW story which was absolutely beautiful to look at and delightful to read.

- Lore Olympus by creator Rachel Smythe. I don’t think you can find too many people who haven’t heard of this story, but it’s a retelling of the Hades and Persephone mythology, and I adore it.

- Novae by creators KaixJu. A historical, queer and paranormal romance about a necromancer who falls for an astronomer.

- My Lady Artemisia by creator rimarza. This WEBTOON is a little bit newer with fewer episodes, about a knight tasked with guarding the princess, which starts to prove difficult once she starts to gain feelings for the princess, and an impending threat might cause her to past to come to the surface.

Of course, I’ve also spent a lot of my time on A03. I know I’ve read more, but here are the ones I bookmarked and have come back to this year:

- kiss me (if you mean it) by nerdybutpunk

- Carry On fanfic, short but sweet, absolute fluff

- Camp Llwynywermod by bleedingballroomfloor

- Red, White, and Royal Blue AUwhere Henry and Alex are camp counselors. It’s so good and I find myself waiting every wed and sat for the updates.

I read more this year than I have in a long time, and I enjoyed it most of the time. My goal for 2021 is to read at least two books a month and to expand my horizons to something that isn’t YA and isn’t romance. Also to find Anna Todd and tell her off. Hopefully we can accomplish some of that.

[angelsfalling16]

Love You So Much It Hurts

My first ever FirstPrince fic! It was a little rushed, but I hope you all like it!

Summary: Henry is finding it difficult to keep his feelings hidden for any longer, and when Alex confronts him to find out why he's acting so weird, the truth comes out.

Word Count: 2333

Day 1 of Tropetember: friends to lovers au

Read it on ao3

***

Henry has just about had enough. Alex is extremely infuriating, and it’s going to push him over the drink. Drive him into complete insanity and an early grave. Somehow, Alex is oblivious to all of this.

They’re supposed to be studying for midterms next week, but instead, they’re sprawled out across Alex’s bed as he drones on about one of his classes and some kid in the class who is always trying to outdo him. Usually, Henry wouldn’t mind listening to him and would be actively trying to engage with him in the conversation, but today, he’s too busy trying to focus on making sure his heart doesn’t beat out of his chest.

“Hey, are you alright?” Alex asks abruptly, apparently sensing that Henry hasn’t been paying attention to him for the past few minutes.

“Yeah. I think I’m just tired.”

“Then, take a nap,” he suggests. “You look cozy enough in my bed, and I don’t mind.” The offer shouldn’t be weird, but it does weird things to Henry’s chest. It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened.

Neither of them have ever had the best sleep schedules, so they took naps when and where they could, including in each other’s beds. And yes, that occasionally meant waking up with their arms around each other because there wasn’t quite enough space for them to spread out comfortably.

It wasn’t something they ever really talked about. It was just something they did. Even after Henry came out to Alex during his junior year of high school. Alex made sure that he knew they were still friends and that nothing was going to change between them just because Henry liked guys.

Henry was both relieved and a little wounded by that. On one hand, he was glad that Alex was neither angry nor disgusted with him. On the other hand, he was harboring a huge crush for his best friend, and it hurt to know that he would never feel the same way.

And right now, those feelings have only gotten worse, and it feels wrong to sleep in Alex’s bed. Like maybe he’s taking advantage of him or something.

“I thought you had a date tonight. With Sheila. Or was it Shane?” Definitely something that started with a ‘sh’ sound. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

“Don’t worry. That won’t be a problem.”

“Don’t try to pretend like Alex Claremont-Diaz doesn’t fuck on the first date. You and I both know that that is far from the truth. That’s practically all you do.” He accidentally lets a little bitterness slip into his tone, and Alex gives him a weird look.

“I, uh, just meant that I could go to their place instead.”

“Oh. Right.” Henry hadn’t thought about that. In fact, he very much tried not to think about who Alex went home with because that only tore new and deeper wounds into his heart.

He’s honestly not sure how much more of this he can take.

Alex is his best friend in the whole world, but maybe living together was a mistake.

It’s not like he hasn’t known since forever that he has feelings for Alex, but this is different. It’s like something has shifted between them ever since they moved into this apartment together. It just kind of made sense. Alex is in his second year of college and Henry his third, and they knew that they could get along because they practically lived at each other’s houses when they were younger. 

But something about spending most of their time together and seeing sleepy Alex in the morning pre-coffee every day has caused him to fall in so deep that he knows he has no hope of every getting out of this hole he has dug for himself. And when Alex came out to him as bi shortly after they moved in together, Henry allowed himself to fill with hope. Maybe Alex could like him after all.

But then he kept bringing home someone new every week, whoever had caught his eye in one of his lectures, and it started to hurt.

Henry is in love with him, and he can’t pretend like that doesn’t have some effect on their relationship. Like it doesn’t kill him to see Alex with someone else, especially these people who don’t deserve someone as incredible as him.

“You know, I could always cancel and stay home,” Alex says, placing a hand on his arm.

“Why would you do that?”

“Because something is obviously upsetting you, and I hate to leave you alone in this state.”

Henry shakes him off and slides off the bed. “I’m fine. I’m not actually tired anymore. I think I’ll go study in my own room. Have fun on your date tonight,” he adds politely.

He shuts himself in his room but doesn’t sleep or study. He just slumps to the floor against his door and tries to find a solution for all of this.

He could move out at the end of the semester. Transfer schools and never talk to Alex again.

That’s a terrible idea, he knows. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them, but especially Alex, who hasn’t actually done anything wrong.

He just can’t seem to think rationally when it comes to Alex. He makes him so mad that he wants to hit him, but he also wants to kiss that infuriating grin off his face. He wants to fall asleep next to him and make him breakfast in the morning. He wants to take him on a romantic date and then make him forget about every other person he has ever had in his bed. He wants to make Alex his.

But he can’t because Alex doesn’t see him that way, and he has to find a way to deal with that before it wrecks their friendship.

***

A little over an hour later, there’s a knock at Henry’s bedroom door. That’s weird. Alex never knocks. He usually just comes blazing in, talking a mile a minute, barely giving Henry any time to catch up. But when Henry opens the door for him, he’s unusually quiet.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on your date?”

“Yes, but I canceled because there is something more important that I need to do.”

“And what would that be? Find someone better looking?” Henry asks, hating himself for the way that his jealousy makes him act. He turns away from the door and goes to sit on the end of his bed, putting some distance between them.

“Noo,” Alex says slowly, giving him another weird look. “I need to be here for my best friend. Even if he is mad at me for some reason. Seriously. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing. It’s like I told you earlier; I’m just tired.”

“You’re always tired, which is terrible, and I wish you would get more sleep. But this is more than that. You’ve been avoiding me for a while now and acting really weird about me dating people. I hate to have to ask this, but are you actually not okay with my being bi? Does it bother you?”

“What? Of course not. I accept you fully for who you are, and I’m glad you told me.”

“Then what’s going on? Because I spent the last hour running around the block and trying to figure out what I did to upset you, and that was all I could come up with.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Not everything is about you, remember? This is something that I have to deal with on my own.”

Alex steps farther into the room and settles on the edge of the bed, close enough to Henry to touch him but not close enough that it will be accidental.

“You don’t have to go through anything on your own. I’m here and I care about you, and I would do anything to make you happy.”

“I know, and that’s why I—.” Henry just barely cuts himself off before he just comes out and says the one thing he has been trying so hard not to say. “I just don’t want to burden you with this. It would ruin our friendship, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“God, Henry. What’d you do? Kill someone?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then what could possibly be so bad that you can’t tell me? We tell each other everything, even the truly embarrassing things we wish we could forget. What could possibly be so bad that you can’t tell me?”

Henry groans and pulls at his own hair. He can’t do this. He can’t tell him the truth. But he can’t keep hiding it from him either. He has to make a decision. So, with a deep breath, he makes it.

“I’m in love with you.”

He can’t bear to look at Alex, doesn’t want to see his expression and know how disgusted he is with him. He wonders if it’s too late to take it back but doesn’t want to. Even though he knows the destruction that those five words can cause, he’s glad that they’re out there. It was killing him to keep them in. He just wishes Alex would say something so that he knew whether or not he should start packing his things.

Finally, Henry glances over at him, and he’s just sitting there looking stunned. Henry thinks that, maybe for the first time in his life, Alex is absolutely speechless. He never thought he’d see the day. He only wishes it wasn’t due to what he just said.

“Look, it doesn’t have to change things. I mean, I know it will change some small things. But like, we can still be friends. If you want.” He’s rambling in a fashion very unlike him, but he can’t seem to stop. “Or I can leave. I never meant for you to find out, and I don’t want it to ruin things. But if you’re weirded out by it, I get it.”

“Just. Give me a minute to process. And don’t go anywhere. The last thing I would ever want is for you to leave,” he says earnestly, finally looking at Henry.

Henry nods. He doesn’t want him to leave so that’s something. That’s better than telling him to get out of his sight and never return. It’s already better than the way that Henry’s family acted when they found out he was gay; they just pretended not to hear him. Only his sister acknowledged him, accepting him fully and helping him move out as soon as he graduated high school. He still doesn’t talk to them that much, which is why he’s so fucking terrified of losing Alex.

He’s part of his family. He just hopes he hasn’t screwed that up by loving him too much and passing a line he shouldn’t have.

When Alex is presumably done processing, he reaches out to place his hand over Henry’s. Which doesn’t tell him anything.

They’ve held hands before. But it didn’t mean anything. They were always really close, almost like brothers, except not because Henry couldn’t keep his stupid gay heart from falling for him.

“So. You’re in love with me?” Alex finally says.

“Yes. I do believe we’ve established that already.”

“I know. I just.” He pauses and takes a breath. “Do you know how I realized I was bi?”

“By getting drunk and hooking up with some random guy?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head and smiling a little. “Because I moved in here with you, and during the first week of living together, I saw you step out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel slung over your hips, and I couldn’t stop thinking about all of that exposed skin and how badly I wanted to touch it. Then I went to some stupid party and got stupid drunk and made out with some random guy with blond hair that was nowhere near as soft as yours. But all that time, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. And I was so terrified of what it all meant, not because it meant that I liked guys but because it meant that I liked you. And I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

It’s Henry’s turn to smile as he realizes what Alex is saying. “So, basically, we’re both idiots.”

“Um, speak for yourself. I’m doing great in my classes.”

Henry laughs and shoves him. But then he keeps one of his hands on him, wrapped around his arm, not wanting to let go.

“I had no idea you liked me. You were always with someone else, and I hated it,” Henry admits quietly.

“Hey, look at me.” Alex brings his hand up to gently cup Henry’s jaw and tilts his head so that their eyes meet. “None of them meant anything to me. They were just a way for me to try to forget about you. Of course, it didn’t work because every time they left, you were still there looking gorgeous as all hell.”

The corner of Henry’s mouth quirks up. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

“Yes. And I love you. I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize it.”

Henry shakes his head. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“Alright. Well, can I kiss you?”

“Yes.” So he does, taking Henry’s face in both of his hands before pulling him down into the best kiss he’s ever had.

It’s soft at first as they tentatively learn each other’s mouths. Then, Henry sighs and Alex slides his tongue over his lips, and the kiss deepens.

It’s everything that Henry has ever dreamt of and more. It’s perfect.

He’s not entirely sure this means that they’re a couple now, but he hopes it does. For the moment, though, he’s content to wrap himself around Alex and kiss him until they both forget where they are.

Henry loves him and Alex loves him back, and that’s all that matters right now.

[spencersweatervest]

WHEELS UP [ONE-SHOT]

character(s): spencer reid, the bau team

tags: no plot, just spencer's internal monalogue, hopefully ending, drabble, character development?

summary: "wheels up." emily says, and, if nothing else, it's a hopeful start to a new beginning.

it's two words. eight letters. two syllables.

spencer looks up and meets emily's hopeful gaze, a challenged and willful question in her eyes.

wheels up.

he feels as if they hold more weight than they should be allowed to. like it's not a just a phrase, it's more.

wheels up.

in a way, it is.

he looks up at the agents that surround the table. luke, emily, rossi, jj, matt, garcia, tara.

they're more than just a team - they've been through too much together for spencer to look at them now and and only give them the title of coworkers. they're the people he knows he can undoubtedly trust. The ones who have had his back since day one, no questions asked.

this team is more than a team - it's a family.

it's scraps and bits and duct tape and glue and they're all fragile right now, but they'll learn to heal. together. in time.

he's never left willingly, and there's a reason why, he knows. he remembers how long he's been here, the faces he's loved, the faces he's lost.

remembers gideon, who hadn't known when to stop, and who'd died and unfair and untimely death. remembers elle, who'd put men on alert for good reason, and who'd done the wrong thing for the right cause. morgan, who'd meant more to him than he ever thought a person he'd willingly let in really could. alex, who'd deserved the happy ending she never got. kate, who'd been headstrong and fierce. jordan and ashley, who he hadn't known very well, but had been just as valuable members as everyone else. hotch, who'd been the greatest leader and unofficial official father figure of the team any of them could've possibly asked for.

they've lost a lot, so much - too much. and he knows they'll lose again and again and again and they'll keep losing. it's unfairly cruel and the people he sees in front of him now deserve so much better, so much more, but he also knows that's hard. especially with this job. with the sacrifices they're forced to make. they choices they have to pick. sometimes, it just seems better to pet it all go. to stop. but he does what he does now and pauses, takes a look around, because he knows, at the end of the day, the people he loves, the people who love him, will be there.

penelope will always fill her office with colour and will always be up for watching cheesy 80s romcoms with him. jj will always find ways to make himself feel better, feel more like himself, whether it be with a debate over whether or not twizzlers are as bad as spencer says they are, or if it's just with her talking mindlessly about henry until he forgets why he was upset in the first place. emily will always rant about how much better old films are in their original languages, now matter how truly biased she is. luke will always offer up a pep talk and a pat on the shoulder, not unlike derek morgan years ago. tara will always offer him rides, despite the fact that they have nothing in common, and she's definitely much cooler than him. rossi, loathe to admit it, will tell stories or cook pasta and teach him the difference between truly good italian opera and wailers. and maybe he's not sure about matt, yet, but he can see already that he'll fit right in.

spencer knows he doesn't just have a team in front of him, and he knows he's struggling right now. but he's learned, slowly but surely over the years, that he's got a family who will help him, in whatever ways he needs. he can depend on them and trust them. he does.

so, he looks into emily's gently reassuring brown eyes and he feels a small smile grace his lips. he knows the answer, though there was never really a question. he supposes he had from the beginning.

"wheels up."

[hanaridulsetcheese]

i found you

a song of achilles x red, white and royal blue crossover.

In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.

Years passed, actually centuries passed after the death of Achilles and his lover Patroclus. The souls of the lovers drifted aimlessly in an unknown void, so close yet so far away from each other. Fate never wanted them to be together, no matter how hard the two fought, it was just never enough.

Suddenly, at the dawn of a new eon, hope seemed to spark as the souls gravitated towards each other, a distant force seemed to have had mercy on them after the eons they spent unable to be together.

"Be reborn. " it spoke as the souls vanished, "Be happy. "

~~~

Henry and Alex stood hand in hand as they waved at the paparazzi from the steps of their plane. The two boys were on their way to Greece as representatives for both the British and American embassy. The paparazzi were still as crazy about the two boys now as they were at the beginning of their relationship, multiple cameras flashed as the boys waved one last time before finally entering the plane.

"Are we really that popular? " Alex plopped himself down on the fine leather seat of the plane, propping his feet up on Henry's lap who sat opposite to him.

"Everyone loves gays in power. " Henry replied.

The flight to Greece was smooth and quicker than the two had excepted it to be. It was already the peak of dusk as they got of the plane. The smell of the Aegean sea air immediately relaxed the boys as they looked forward to their week on the lush island of Delos.

"Greetings Mr. Diaz, Prince Henry. My name is Chiron and I will be taking care of you both during your visit here. " a tall, lean man met them as they got of the plane. His long and curly hair fluttered gracefully in the breeze of the late afternoon. The man extended a broad hand towards them and they took turns shaking his hand. "I trust that your flight here was smooth? "

"Indeed, it was. " Henry agreed.

"Splendid. You both must be famished after the flight so we will take you straight to your hotel when you can have dinner and an early night. " Chiron gestured for the two men behind him to take the luggage from the boys before leading them to an SUV.

During the ride to the hotel, Chiron listened as the two boys marvelled over the passing scenery. Despite the dark of the night the beauty of Greece still shone bright, captivating the boys as they looked around.

Alex was staring to his right hand side at the beach when there was a sudden force that drew towards the left. A row of white Greek columns lined the area, forming a barrier around something that Alex felt lured to.

"Chiron, what's inbetween those columns? " Alex kept his eyes glued to the columns until they drove past it. Henry glanced back to see what Alex was looking at before turning to Chiron to hear what he had to say.

"Those protect the graves and memorials of the soliders who fought during the Trojan War. Among them is the memorial site of the famous Greek hero, Achilles, himself. " Chiron glanced at Alex through the review mirror.

"The memorial site of Achilles? " Alex mumbled before looking back at the columns again, the last column no longer in his sight as they drove further away.

"You okay? " Henry placed a gentle arm over Alex's who just nodded his head and stared back at the beach, lost in his thoughts.

Henry decided that Alex might just be jet lagged and decided to leave him be, keeping his hand interlocked with Alex's for the rest of the car ride.

~~~

It's been three days since the couple arrived in Greece and it had been hectic. They were piled with work as soon as the work up the on the first day, they're schedule packed for almost every minute.

Since the two had to work at different embassies, they saw each other for breakfast and dinner, lunch was usually spent in their respective temporary work places.

As the days past by, Alex had forgotten about the grave of Achilles he'd seen the second they were handed their work. He'd only seen books during the past three days. There was absolutely no time to go out and visit the island of Delos they were on.

However, hard work and determination did prevail as Alex managed to finish his work ahead of schedule and was now free to roam the streets of Delos as he waited for Henry to complete his work.

Walking through a little market alleyway, Alex took in the sight of the locals as they went about their daily lives. They talked, laughed and just enjoyed each other's company, greeting each other enthusiastically as they passed and Alex found himself smiling to himself. He loved the social, carefree nature the Greeks had.

The place was small, innocent and friendly. It was something Alex grew to like during his days in Greece, it was definitely a huge contrast to his life back home.

"Young man, may I offer you a sample of figs? " a friendly old lady held out a platter with the ripest figs Alex had ever seen. He gratefully accepted the offer and poped a fig in his mouth, the fresh flavour exploded, filling his tastebuds with the grainy sweetness of it's juices.

Maybe he was overwhelmed with the sweetness of the fig or he was simply just exhausted from all the work he'd done the past couple of days but as he finished the fruit, he felt his hand reach out for more of the fruit. Each bite he took, a familiar yet foreign feeling took over him.

The old lady watched in delight as the First Son inhaled the fruits one after the other until the plate was cleared.

"You sure seem to like the figs, my boy. " she handed him a tissue to wipe the juice that he didn't even know had trailed down his arm.

"It seems so. I'd never ate anything quite like it before, yet it felt so familiar to me. " Alex looked at the crate of figs that sat on the stand behind her, "Could I please buy some? "

Alex made his way back to the hotel happily with his packet of figs bumping against his legs as he walked. He didn't expect Henry to be in the room as he walked in. The British boy eyed him sceptically as he shut the door behind him.

"What'd you bring? " Henry's voice was thick with exhaustion. He was laid back against the headboard with a book spread open on his lap. Alex jumped onto the bed and showered his tired boyfriend with little pecks all over his face, giggling as he did so.

"I brought you some figs. " Alex said once Henry finally got him to calm down. "It's the best thing you'll ever taste, I swear. " Alex handed the little fruit to Henry and watched eagerly as he bit into the fruit. The bliss that struck Henry's face as the sweetness burst in his mouth made Alex satisfied.

Together, they sat on their bed and devoured the fruit while talking about their day and their time in the beautiful land of Greece. Before they hd realised it, they had come down to the last fig in the packet.

"Catch." Henry tossed the last fig to Alex. Alex felt like he watched the fig in slow motion as it formed a perfect arc before landing into the cup of his palms, soft and slightly warm.

For some reason, Alex had felt like he'd just experienced deja vu. A blured image formed in his head. He found himself looking at a table full of boys however, Alex seemed to only foucs on a specific one.

They sat on opposite ends of the table, everyone's attention was on a boy who was devouring a bowl of figs in front of him. The aura around the boy seemed to draw Alex towards him, making him unable to remove his eyes from the boy.

Suddenly, the boy diverted his gaze from the fruit to Alex who wasn't quick enough to look away. Softly, with a quick flick of his wrist the boy tossed the fig towards Alex, "Catch. "

"Alex? " Henry called out to the dazed boy.

"Huh? What? " Alex focused on Henry who gave him a concerned gaze.

"Are you feeling okay? " Henry placed the back of his hand to Alex's forehead, "You've been acting strange ever since we arrived in Greece. "

"I-I really don't know. I keep getting this feeling like- I don't know, deja vu? " Alex rubbed his temples, "I keeping thinking about those columns we passed the other day. "

"Do you want to go and visit it? " Henry offered.

"I don't think we'd have the time for that. " Alex placed his hand over Henry's and gave him a smile, "It's alright though, I'd much rather spend my time with you. "

That night, as Alex slept soundly it was Henry's turn to think about those columns. Alex had talked about it a few times since they'd got there and Henry couldn't help but want to take him there. He'd do anything for Alex.

Sending a message to Chiron, Henry requested day off for the next day saying that he had something urgent to take care of before snaking his arms around Alex's sleeping body, slipping of to sleep.

The next morning Henry awoke earlier than Alex as usual and prepared himself for the day ahead before waking up his sleeping lover.

Alex peaked at Henry through the half opened lids of his eyes and gave him a toothy grin. He puckered his lips like a fish, demanding his daily morning kiss. "Not with your morning breath, mister. " Henry pulled Alex out of bed and told him to get dressed without any further information before leaving the room.

When Alex had met up with Henry at the lobby of the hotel, they were escorted out by a friendly local who drove them to their destination which Henry still refused to tell Alex about.

After what felt like hours, they finally pulled up to the place that had been on Alex's mind since the beginning on their trip.

"The memorial of Achilles? " Alex marveled at the tall Greek columns that towered over them, all arranged protectively around multiple, marble tombs.

They walked with interlocked hands along the path, acknowledging all the soldiers that fought during the Trojan War. Multiple flowers lined the banks of the tombs along with notes written by locals who were still grateful for the war they fought.

At the very center of the memorial stood the grandest marble tomb, it's surface gleamed in the sunlight as if heaven itself was acknowledging the memorial. Alex dropped Henry's hand and walked aimlessly towards the tomb.

"I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. " Alex ran his hands along the tomb of Achilles.

"I would know him in death, at the end of the world. " Alex's voice was now barely above a whisper.

"Alex, what are you saying? " Henry placed an arm on the boys shoulder.

Alex turned to him, tears glazed his eyes and threatened to spill as he stared back at Henry. The deep brown eyes of Alex stared longingly at Henry's as if he hadn't seen them before. It felt as if the person looking at Henry was not just Alex, but for some reason be still felt connected to that person.

"I have found you, my love. " Alex said. "Achilles, we can be happy now. "

Henry finally understood what was happening, it was as if all the mysteries in the world finally became clear. "Patroclus, we found each other. "