#also we all agree that her other sister is snow white right? yeah?

[action-not-despair]

putting on my clown nose if she doesnt live but rosamund gives off such big aroace vibes. she walks into a church for her wedding. there is no husband, but her sisters are there. the briars had a hundred years to approve of a prince, and their corpses litter her kingdom. she wants true love because shes been told it's what she should want, because it will break her curse.

[pretending-ican-write]

Tinder but make it your girlfriend

I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything in agesss but I've been very much preoccupied with university and writer's block but this came to me after reading @sour--disposition 's fic on a similar idea!

In this, the reader is a mcyt/streamer and Tommyinnit's sister and dating Ethan.

Y/H/T (your hometown)

Y/A (your age)

Y/H (your height)

You were sat in the green room, idly scrolling through twitter responding to replies from fans and your friends, waiting for one of the crew to let you know it was your turn. Everyone else had already had their turn, returning to recount the lines used by the boys through laughter.

Originally you weren’t meant to be in the video but one of the girls had pulled out last minute so the boys had asked you to fill in the spot. As Ethan’s girlfriend you’d agreed to take part because you thought it would be funny to be involved instead of just being behind the camera.

Emma came back into the room, drawing you out of your thoughts, “good luck Y/N, I think you’ll need it.”

You smiled at her before getting up to follow the crew member into the shoot room. As soon as you walked in, the boys cheered. You stepped onto the footprints and looked at the camera to introduce yourself.

“Hi. I’m Y/N, from Y/H/T and I’m Y/A,” you looked at the line of your friends in front of you, “do your worst boys.”

Simon stepped up to the cut out first, trying to hide his smile, causing you to smirk back at him.

“Hi. I’m Simon, I’m 28 and I’m taller than Ethan,” he deadpanned, looking straight at you.

Alongside the other boys, you burst out laughing at Simon’s line, as Ethan made noises of insult from further back.

You stopped laughing enough to respond, “I mean the thing is, you’re right. So I’m gonna go for yes.”

The laughter resumed as Simon went to the right, flipping off your boyfriend as he went when JJ went up next. You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for what your friend was going to say.

He looked at you, “I’m JJ, I’m 27 and um, I’m not a weatherman but you can expect a few more inches tonight.”

“Oh God I feel sorry for your girlfriend, “you replied with a small laugh, “I think you might be exaggerating with a few inches there JJ.”

JJ put his hand to his chest, staggering back into Stephen at your response.

“It’s a hard no for me JJ. Not sorry,” you decided, dramatically swiping your hand to the left.

He moved over to the left, with an overdramatic pout, “I will never recover from this Y/N.”

“I’m sure your ego is big enough to survive this,” you smiled at him sarcastically, “who’s next?”

Stephen stepped up to the footprints, “I’m Stephen, I’m 25 and- you know what? Nah.”

You looked at him in shock as he went over to JJ whilst the others descended into laughter, Simon falling over and a couple of the others leaning on each other for support.

You pointed an accusing finger at him, “you know what? I expected that from Freezy but not you Stephen. I’m disappointed.”

“What did I do for this slander?” Cal protested.

“We haven’t got the time to explain that,” Lux laughed.

Tobi was next up, “Hi Y/N.”

“Afternoon.”

“I’m Tobi, I’m 27 and I’m 6 foot tall.”

You looked at him with amusement, “Ethan how tall am I?”

“Y/H,” he replied with a matching look.

“I thought so. If you’re 6 foot Tobi then I must fucking snow white,” you answered, pointing him towards the no side, “that’s just a bold faced lie.”

After Tobi came Callux who you knew was gonna be using a pick up line, “give us your worst then Lux.”

“The standards are high Y/N?” Asked Simon, currently the only when who you’d said yes to.

“We’ve established the bar is in hell, I’m dating Ethan,” you deadpanned, smirking at the laughter that followed.

Cal began after you’d all recovered, “I’m Calum, I’m 29. I have 206 bones in my body. Want to give me another one?”

You nodded, “yeah sure. Come here and I’ll break your leg in 2.”

Lux looked at you in complete shock whilst you just stared back at him, “off to the left you go Luxxy.”

Following him was Vik, “I’m Vik, I’m 25 and I play minecraft.”

“I mean I think Tommy would disown me if I said no but because you’re also an mcyt I feel I’m legally required to swipe right,” you explained, gesturing to the right.

Finally it was the turn of Ethan. He stepped up to the cut out and looked at you. You stared straight back at him, not breaking eye contact.

“Are they having a fucking staring contest?” Exclaimed JJ.

You nodded, “and I won.”

“I’m Ethan, I’m 24 but I’m pretty sure you know that. If you swipe left then I’ll no longer give you access to my wardrobe.”

You sucked the air in between your teeth, “see as funny as it would be for me to swipe left that is not something I’m willing to risk.”

You put your hands in a heart as he joined the other boys. He smiled back to you and you knew you’d be stealing the very t-shirt he was wearing later.

As Freezy stepped up you took a sip of water from the bottle in hand, “Hi. I’m Cal, I’m 26 and I’m also taller than Behzinga.”

Ethan put his middle finger up at Freezy which made you nearly spit the water from your mouth. You managed to swallow the water before pointing a threatening finger at your boyfriend warning him to behave.

“It just isn’t funny when you steal the joke Freezy. But I guess that’s why most your content isn’t,” you mused, siding him to the left.

He staggered into JJ who brought him to the floor as he ‘died’ at your take down.

“You’ve managed to kill 2 of them today Y/N. I hope you’re proud,” Ethan huffed.

You nodded, “yeah and now I’ll steal all their subscribers. Thank you KSI for your help, Freezy less so.”

“Can we have her removed from the set please?” JJ complained, “she’s destroying all of us.”

Vik shook his head, laughing, “it’s hilarious.”

“Only because you’re on the other side of it, fam!”

A crew member called out to you all, “can we move on to Harry please.”

When your best mate stepped up with his upside down notebook you burst out laughing, “I’m sorry Bog. Please continue.”

“Um, I’m Harry, I’m 24 and I actually have a poem for you.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

Harry cleared his throat to read, “Roses are red, the sun is bright, Y/N can’t play bedwars, she is so shite.”

“Insulting her doesn’t work,” shouted Stephen.

You flipped him off, “shut up Stephen. See I have some issues here. On one hand, you’re insulting me Harry but it’s also true. Plus, I actually wrote that poem Harry.”

The others 'ooed’ teasingly at your point before you continued, “but because it’s you I’m gonna say yes.”

He gave a little cheer and joined the others on the right, fist bumping Ethan.

The last one left was Josh, who you were praying wasn’t going to say anything weird given that you saw him like a brother.

“I’m Josh, I’m 29 and… no I just can’t do it. It’s too weird,” Josh laughed and walked to the right.

You breathed out a sigh of relief, “I’ll be honest I’m quite glad for that.”

With the boys all sorted to either side, the shoot was finally over and you were all free to go back to your flats.

You arrived back at your apartment to take a shower and change into Ethan’s t-shirt with a pair of leggings before joining him on the sofa to order takeaway and pick a movie.

He slid his arm easily around your shoulders, pulling you into him, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder. You closed your eyes, the exhaustion of the long day finally hitting you.

“Thank you for being in the video,” Ethan murmured in your ear.

You smiled into his shoulder, “it was fun. Any opportunity to take the piss out of the boys.”

[tommyspeakycap]

Can we get baby little Shelby find a bunny and ask Tommy and John to take it home. And get scolded by Polly when they at home? 💕💕

more pre war Tommy fluff ;) 

Bunny

“Tommy!”

The dark haired man’s heart flies into his throat, his mind immediately kicking into gear as he drops the coin he was about to flip. He was deciding whether or not to buy a horse with a new inflow of cash they had recently gotten. That horse is lost the second he hears the shriek that came from somewhere behind him. The heavy boots on his feet make easy work of crushing through powdery snow, but give a very little to prevent him from tripping and slipping; although the fear coursing through him and his extreme haste may well have contributed to his somewhat uncoordinated limbs.

In the maybe a minute that it takes form Tommy to get from where he was to where he had traced his little sister to, a million and one thoughts race through his mind. He fears every worst case scenario his mind can conjure up and immediately blames himself for bringing you out to the country to play in some fresh snow with John and Finn. The air was much clearer out here and so too was Tommy’s mind. He could think, be free of the city smoke and the harsh environment that appears to be tacked to his work in the family business. There was so much pressure on the raven haired bookmaker to uphold his own personal morals while also living a notoriously immoral life. He tried to keep his hands clean, prevent himself from muddying the line between pointless violence and the necessary survival and protection of his family.

So going with his 5 year old little sister out to the county was something not uncommon for him. And the snow had only given him more reason to. He regretted that now.

“What-” Tommy wheezed out, unable to speak for lack of his breath after attempting to run through the deep, deep snow. “What’s happened,” he coughs, “Are you alri-“

“Tommy!” The little girl whispers harshly, waving her hands at him disapprovingly, “Shhhhh, you’ll scare it away!” Tommy snaps his mouth shut, instead opting to take the five year olds outstretched hand and crouch down as she instructs him. On her other side is John; crouched down with one arm around Finn to keep him still. “What are we looking at?” Tommy asks quietly, his neck craned to try and spot whatever his other siblings had noticed. 

“It’s a bunny, Tom. Look.” (y/n) points with her little hand and Tommy follows the general direction in which her hand is showing him. In doing so, he squints and finds his gaze falling upon a small white rabbit sitting picking a blade of grass that it had pulled through the snow. “They want to take it home.” John states, grinning at Tommy something like a Cheshire Cat because he knows for a fact that man isn't able to say no to the puppy dogs eyes of (y/n) and Finn Shelby when they truly wanted something.

“Hm, I don't think so.” He mumbles, trying to keep his eyes off of the disappointed face of his younger siblings. “You know Aunt Polly’ll go mad.” The second he does turn his head to see his youngest siblings gazing up at him in the desperate way he knows always works, he regrets it. “Please Tommy, pleeeease?” (y/n) begs, clasping her cold little hands together and pulling her most convincing puppy eyes Tommy might've ever seen. “Yeah Tommy, please? Pretty pretty please?” Finn joins in, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement and anticipation at the idea of having the little bunny as a pet. 

“Yeah Tom,” John sniggers, stubbing out his cigarette on the snowy ground. The elder brother puts on a pout to mimic (y/n) and Finn, not serving to make things any easier for Tommy as the youngest two weren't able to pick up on John’s teasing nature and sarcastic reiteration of their words. They took it as encouragement while Tommy knew John would be going home to Martha and his own kids, thus wouldn't have to be on the reviewing end of Polly’s temper. Tommy rolls his eyes and inhales deeply, thinking briefly about how angry Polly would be compared to how much it would make you and Finn giggle to have a pet even if only for a while before Tommy would free it back into the wild and tell some lie about a magic bunny farm. The kids chanting brought his mind back. “Please, please, please!” 

“Alright,” Tommy cuts them off, “Alright. But we’re not chasing it around all afternoon.”

--

How on earth Tommy ended up holding his little sister as he stood in the doorway of the Shelby family home kicking the snow off his boots while said little sister had his big trench coat wrapped around her and her smaller jacket used as a blanket for their new bunny rabbit friend, he will never know. He genuinely felt like if he had been outside for one more minute he would have actually frozen stiff, however it was always his top priority that his littlest sibling was as safe as she could be; so it was suffice to say the idea of her getting frostbite and slash or hypothermia after she insisted on wrapping the little rabbit in her own coat was less than appealing to Tommy, so she could keep his warm winter jacket as long as she desired.

“Right Finn, straight into the living room and not a peep to Pol alright?” Finn nods vigorously in a show of his determination to follow his brothers order as he places the wrapped up bunny into the young boys arms. Finn tries to run as unsuspiciously as he can past Polly in the kitchen to go through to the living room where only Ada sat, reading a book by the fire underneath a blanket. 

“Tommy?” The little girls voice draws an “Mhm?” from him as he battles to get her stiff winter boots off of her tiny cold feet. “What're we going to name him?” She enquires, her voice as inquisitive as any other curious 5 year old is. Tommy hums in thought, tapping (y/n)’s other foot in the way that he does that tells her to put her foot down and lift the other one for Tommy to pull that boot off too. There was a distinct routine between the two that had been established in the last five years of her life with Tommy acting as her primary caregiver.

“I don't know, love. Whatever you want to call him. Just remember to stay quiet about it yeah?” He looks up to see his little sister nodding firmly, placing her finger over her lips just as Tommy had done so many times when secrecy or silence was needed. 

“Alrighty then.” Tommy says, lifting both the pairs of boots easily in one hand and putting them by the other shoes. He moves his hands to under the small girls armpits and hoists her gently back up onto his hip as to avoid her stepping small puddles of water that had collected from the snow on her boots and his by the door. “Shall we go see what your brothers gotten up to with that-” 

“Jesus fucking Christ Tommy.” 

Both siblings turn their heads quickly to face Polly when they hear her speaking with her stern scolding tone turned on. Polly immediately notes how Tommy looks slightly secretive, like he was ready to start either lying or making some form excuse for something for which her niece looked rather guilty. Deer in the headlights kind of expression. “Look, Pol...” Tommy begins, but is interrupted by his aunt firmly shaking her head and marching towards him. 

“I’ve told you a million times Thomas. She’s five. That means you do still need to put her bloody hat on when you take her out in the cold but you don’t need to fucking carry her everywhere.” She huffs, pressing both her palms against (y/n)’s cold rosy cheeks, “Shes bloody freezing.” Her scolding tone never fails to make Tommy feels as though he’s still a young boy who’s been caught misbehaving by his aunt. However now he’s an adult with responsibility for his little sister and somehow, he ends up on the receiving end of that tone far more than the littlest member of the family ever will. Polly peels Tommy’s coat away off the little girl in his arms so she could hang it up to hopefully dry some before he next needs it and (y/n) doesn't mind not wearing her brothers jacket anymore, however the words that Polly speaks about putting her back down only serves to make her cling a little tighter subconsciously. 

“She's only little, Pol.” Tommy defends, “And we had long day, haven’t we sweetheart?” Polly wants to scoff when (y/n) nods her head and offers up that angel smile that wins the hearts of her entire family, but the woman can’t help but smile back and shake her head. “Well,” she huffs slightly, her hand reaching back up to the little girl to to brush the snow off (y/n)’s hair, “I think the very least your brother could do if he was going to have you out in the freezing cold all day would be to put a bloody hat on you.” 

The little girl giggles, flicking her eyes to Tommy to inspect his reaction to their aunts words. 

“Remembered.” He notes flippantly with a grin and Polly knows fully well that it was not remembered because putting a hat on top of that little girls soft locks of hair was something he had never once remembered to do without a reminder since she was merely a little bald baby. 

“Course.” She responds teasingly, “Dinner’s out soon.”

Tommy nods his head before Polly walks away in the direction of the kitchen again, where Tommy had no doubt Arthur is now lingering to pick off the scraps of dinner before its put out on the table for everyone else. 

“That was a close one, Tom.” The little girl on his hip whispers quietly, her wide eyes causing Tommy to chuckle heartily as he takes them both through to the living room to see what Finn and now likely Ada were doing with this rabbit. “Yes,” Tommy agrees, walking into the living room “It very much was. Hello Ada.” Ada immediately rolls her eyes at the sound of Tommy’s voice. 

“Pol’s going to kill you, you know.” She states, standing and crossing her arms firmly over her chest as Tommy sets his youngest sister down on the floor to run over to where Finn sat with the bunny close to the heat the fire was giving off. “Probably.” Tommy nods.

Ada turns away to wrap her blanket around her only sister, the one she had wished and prayed for since she had been merely a little girl herself. Tommy vividly remembers the many occasions when Ada was not only his youngest sibling, but also his only sister and recalls how unhappy she had been about those facts. Finn being born eased only one of those issues, but Ada rested a while for the time that Finn was a baby before again pestering their mother about wanting a little sister again. 

She had been ecstatic when (y/n) was born, and she had been besotted with that sweet little girl ever since. 

“You always forget to put her hat on, Thomas.” Ada chastises, the reprimand drawing a chuckle from her brother who takes a seat down on the couch and crosses one leg on top of the other. “So I’ve heard.” Tommy mumbles under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear and stretch out her leg to kick his when she too sat back down on the couch.

“Twat.” She hisses. 

It was Tommy’s turn to role his eyes at his sisters flippant comment, paying no mind to her words thrown in a light tease that he knew she only ever half meant.

“That’s not very nice, Ada.” 

(y/n) doesn't do so much as turn around when she chides those words in dismay to Ada’s insult aimed at her Tom. There was no hiding how the little girl adored Tommy. “Exactly Ada,” Tommy grins widely, giving Ada the biggest shit eating look he can muster as he tried not to laugh, “And that’s why you're my favourite, aren't you my love?” The 5 year old simply nods her head in response to her brothers words before turning straight back to play with her new pet. 

“Well, she might be your favourite but you certainly won’t be Polly’s once she sees you’ve brought that home. She’ll go mad.” Ada nods her head in the direction of the fluffy white animal in their living room. Tommy shrugs his shoulders indifferently, “They're happy though, aren't they? and quiet. Worth it really.” 

Ada knew very well that Tommy was right, although it was likely that she wouldn't even think to much on that in his vicinity, just incase he even got the sensation that she was thinking he was in the right. They’ve got a big family and a lot of hard work had to go into making business run smoothly to provide for everyone. The younger kids can sometimes go amiss to the elder siblings on particularly busy days. Sometimes playing and talking to them gets overlooked or their clothes go on back to front because everyone forgot they sometimes still needed help with things like that. 

So giving them the simple pleasure of almost a normal childhood - not one living with the Shelby name and subsequently the future of the Peaky Blinders tacked to them - by letting them a pet that they can look after and love on for a few days at least was something Tommy was willing to grin and bare the wrath of Polly Gray for. 

He was a sucker for that little girl, so when she’s happy there are few things in the world Thomas Shelby wouldn't endure to keep it that way. 

[ncssian]

A Favor: Part Twenty

Nessian Modern AU

Masterlist

a/n: sorry for the wait yall this month really kicked my ass,, but also we reached part 20!!

tw infertility discussion

***

Gwyn: isn’t he beautiful <3

In the freezing February air outside the tea house, Nesta clicks on the picture attached to Gwyn’s text. It’s a distant shot of a man in his mid-thirties hunched over a library desk while working, unaware that there’s a camera on him. She’ll give it to Gwyn, though—he is a little handsome.

Emerie: the stalker levels are through the roof, gwyneth. seek help.

Gwyn: no i’m gonna marry him

Nesta doesn’t know whether to laugh or be concerned, but she types out a brief response before her thumbs fall off from the cold: Will give my opinion on him later. Got to go.

Gwyn’s crush will have to wait, Nesta thinks as she finally puts her phone away and pushes her way inside the exquisite tea house. Immediately, blasting heat thaws her frozen fingers and toes, and farther inside she spots the table she reserved for three. Right now, only one person sits at it.

Nesta grits her teeth and approaches the round table, heels clicking softly on the parquet floors. Elain doesn’t look up from the menu she’s reading. “This place would be nicer to visit in the spring,” is her only acknowledgment of Nesta.

“I like the winter,” Nesta answers simply, taking her seat across from Elain. She likes how the ice creeps over the garden outside until everything looks frozen in time, and she likes how the colorful flowers and trees become dulled by white snow. Not that her sister would understand or care.

“Of course you do,” Elain mutters, setting down the menu with all the careful elegance of a debutante. “I’m only here for Feyre, anyway.”

It almost saddens Nesta that she doesn’t feel hurt or offense at the words. She thought she would care more about Elain’s opinion than she actually does. “Where is Feyre, then?” she says, looking pointedly at the empty seat between them. “I thought she was coming with you.”

“I’m right here,” a breathless voice says, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps. Feyre appears, looking flushed from exertion and the cold. She sets her bag down and joins them at the table, scooting her seat all the way in. “Sorry I’m late. What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Nesta bites. “I was just about to order.”

“So was I.” Elain smiles breezily.

Feyre glances between the two of them, clear concern on her face, but she covers it up and says, “I’m so glad we’re doing this.”

It was Feyre’s idea, of course. After Nesta told her off for never being interested in what she wanted to do, Feyre actually listened. She asked if Nesta wanted to hang out, and then let Nesta fill in the rest of the details on her own terms.

Which brings them to the tea house. Unfortunately for her sisters, however, Nesta doesn’t really know where to go from ordering tea and biscuits.

“How is school going?” Feyre asks her after their drinks arrive.

Nesta sips from her tea, already bored. “It’s been fifteen minutes and you have yet to say anything of substance, Feyre. It makes me miss being alone with Elain and her mood.”

Feyre looks taken aback, and Elain levels a glare at Nesta. An unsurprised, of course you have to ruin everything like this glare.

So Nesta clarifies, “That wasn’t an attack. I just hoped that after driving out here, I would get something better than shallow small talk.”

“And how do you know it was shallow?” Elain steps in harshly. “How do you know she isn’t actually interested in how you’re doing at school?”

Nesta slides blunt blue eyes to Feyre. “If that’s the case, then I commend you. Personally, I wouldn’t give a shit if I was in your position.”

To her surprise, Feyre snorts. She looks resigned when she says, “No, you’re right. I don’t care about what’s going on at school, not if you don’t. What would you rather we talk about then, Nesta?”

Without hesitation, Nesta says, “Ask me something you really care to hear the answer to.”

Elain shuts her mouth and sits back at that. Feyre twists her lips, thinking her next words over carefully. “How is your therapy going?” she finally asks in a cautious tone. “What do you talk about there?”

Remembering that she’s in a formal setting, Nesta stops herself from crossing her arms. She settles on wrapping her fingers delicately around her teacup instead. “We talk about whatever I feel like talking about,” she answers honestly. Although lately her conversations with Lana feel more restrained than usual.

“And what’s that?” Feyre urges.

Nesta shrugs, fitting apathy onto her face like an old mask. “Recently? Childbearing.” But it isn’t her favorite topic of discussion, not at all.

“You’re pregnant?” Elain jumps in, leading Nesta to throw her an unamused look.

“No, idiot,” she says. “My therapist just has the idea that if I end up being infertile it’ll screw me up, mentally and emotionally and whatever. She thinks I should deal with that baggage now instead of saving it for later.” She rolls her eyes thinking about it. How many times does she have to repeat that she doesn’t care about her body’s reproductive abilities until Lana gets it?

Feyre chuckles, confused. “Why would you be infertile?”

Nesta forgot—she didn’t want her sisters knowing anything that has to do with her health. She even made Cassian keep her doctor visits secret from Feyre. But that was months ago, and the sisters are… not exactly in a better place now, but looking for the way there. Nesta thinks she can tell them without any severe regrets. “I have endometriosis.”

When she’s met with silence, she adds, “You know, with the tissue growing on my ovaries and stuff. It might affect all the babies I don’t care to have in the future.”

Elain is the first to speak. “You always wanted to be a mother.” Her voice is soft, almost mourning. It irritates the hell out of Nesta.

“No, I didn’t,” she snaps back.

“You did,” Elain insists. Feyre still hasn’t said anything. “You took care of our cat, Mittens, until the day she died. You taught Feyre her alphabet. You raised me when Mama and Papa were too busy to do it. You never carried dolls around in strollers or anything, but you loved being a mother.”

“I don’t remember any of this,” Feyre says, blinking. “I’m sorry, can we go back to the endometriosis part?”

Nesta sips from her tea, the bitter taste a welcome distraction from Elain’s words. “What about it?”

“How long have you known?” Feyre demands.

“It isn’t cancer. And I’m getting treated, obviously. I’m fine.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Nesta sighs, setting her cup down. “October. Cassian made me go to the doctor because he was worried about my periods, we had a big fight about health insurance, and now I use my salary from your boyfriend to afford medication so I don’t feel like dying every month. Is that everything you wanted to hear?”

Feyre only stares at her, for once revealing no emotion. “I keep forgetting,” she says finally, “that we’re not at a place to share things like that with each other. I keep being surprised every time I realize how much of your life you keep from us.”

“I don’t,” Elain huffs under her breath while she tears a croissant in half.

Nesta is still watching Feyre. “You remember how bad my cycles were? I would cry loud enough at night to wake the house.”

Feyre flinches at the memory, and Elain goes still.

“But no one ever woke up,” Nesta says. They never talked about it before, and she has no desire to keep speaking about it now. If they start to tally all the hurts they’ve dealt to each other, Nesta fears they’ll be here for hours. Worse, she fears she will lose.

She reaches for a lavender macaron and delicately pulls it apart, studying the cream filling inside. “Did you know they make these using the lavender flowers from the garden outside?”

“I hate lavender,” Elain says.

Spying her chance to shift the subject off herself, Nesta goes for it. “Because Azriel smells like lavender?” She pushes one half of the dainty cookie past her lips, chewing. “It’s an interesting cologne choice, I agree.”

“Wait, what are we talking about now?” Feyre looks around, unaware that they’ve moved onto another topic.

Elain’s innocent brown eyes turn into daggers pointed at Nesta, betrayal written across her face. Nesta feels no pity for her—especially not if they’re going to sit around judging each other for keeping secrets.

Feyre’s eyes widen and she turns to Elain. “Is it about your,” she lowers her voice and whispers, “crush?”

Nesta raises a skeptical brow. She doubts whatever Az and Elain have stops at just a crush.

“No, it’s not,” Elain answers determinedly. “God, do you have to bring men into everything, Nesta?”

“I think you’re projecting.”

“Quit it,” Feyre snaps at the both of them. “Or I’ll grab my things and leave.”

Do it, Nesta almost dares. But she has a feeling that Feyre means it, that she won’t submit to being taunted, so Nesta reins the words back from the tip of her tongue. After all, this tea is expensive.

The sisters take a moment to settle, and Feyre is the one to restart the conversation. “Either way,” she tells Nesta, “it looks like counseling is going really well for you. I’m glad.”

“Yeah, it really gives your skin a certain glow,” Elain drawls.

Nesta doesn’t rise to meet her sarcasm. In all seriousness, Elain and Feyre could probably use a therapist themselves. It might make Nesta’s interactions with them less headache-inducing.

“You should visit one day,” she throws the suggestion out without thinking.

“What, like a therapy session?” Feyre says.

Realizing the implications of her terrible idea, Nesta forces herself not to backpedal. “Yes,” she makes herself grit out. “If you’re interested, that is.”

Elain and Feyre share a glance of hesitation and concern. It’s a glance that grates on Nesta’s nerves, but she keeps her mouth shut and waits for a response.

Feyre answers first: “We’ll do it.”

Elain looks more doubtful, but seems to realize that refusing to go would paint her in a negative light. We can’t have that, can we? Nesta thinks wryly. She reaches for some macarons and starts stuffing them into her purse. “Sounds good. Great.” It is not at all great. Having her sisters in the same room as her and Lana might just be terrible enough to ruin Nesta’s next month or two.

“I’ll text you the details whenever I feel like it,” she tells Feyre and Elain as she rises out of her seat. Likely not for as long as possible.

“Where are you going?” Elain demands.

“I’m leaving.” Nesta pointedly drapes her coat over her shoulders, picking up her purse. “I have plans for the rest of the day, sorry.” Plans to get home and rate Gwyn’s work crush on a scale of one to ten. Maybe she’ll rewatch a sitcom if she has time.

“But it’s only been an hour,” Feyre protests.

Did Feyre think they would be spending the whole day together? Nesta wants to shudder at the mere idea of it, but she somehow… feels bad for her sister. “Maybe another time,” she promises vaguely. To provide some sort of reassurance, she adds, “I had fun today. Thanks for pulling this together.” The words are hollow, fake, and she’s probably a hypocrite for not being able to return the same sincerity she demanded from Feyre. But honesty isn’t going to get Nesta very far today, so this false politeness is the best she can manage.

Elain looks somewhat relieved, and Feyre looks disappointed but unsurprised. “Alright.” The girls nod at her. “Get home safe.”

She turns and leaves as soon as she’s given the green light.

A stale scent greets Nesta when she enters her apartment, reminding her that she hasn’t been around in days. In her defense, the winter months are easier to bear in Cassian’s heated cabin than in a poorly insulated basement.

Flicking the lights on, Nesta books it to the thermostat, her teeth nearly chattering out of her body. After turning the heat as high as it can go, she climbs beneath the covers of her bed without bothering to take her coat off. She doesn’t take out her phone to text the groupchat like she promised she would. She doesn’t even get her laptop to turn Netflix on. Rather, her focus is caught on the framed picture of her and Cassian sitting atop the dresser.

Everything was okay as she stepped out of the tea house. It wasn’t until she was inside her car that it came upon her: the whirlwind of emotions that had stayed so carefully hidden while she chatted with her sisters. All throughout the drive home, her mind kept returning to that one topic. Children.

Elain said that Nesta used to genuinely enjoy playing substitute mother when they were children, and she was right. But that was all fun and games, like playing teacher. What Elain left out was what happened after their actual mother died and their father went into debt, leaving all three girls in need of a parent figure. Nesta wasn’t a mother then—or at least, not a good one.

Now, she stares at the picture full of smiley cheeks and windblown hair, remembering the night that she realized she wanted to hold Cassian’s hand in hers.

She can’t imagine Cassian not wanting kids. They’ve never discussed it, but it’s so obvious to anyone who’s ever met him: he has too much love to give away to not one day end up with a whole brood of children. The thought makes Nesta’s stomach churn.

***

“Thanks again, guys.” Cassian shakes hands with his team as they file out of the conference room, all of them dressed professionally while he lingers in his hoodie. As soon as the last worker is out the door, he pulls out his phone, ready to shoot Nesta a message. She met up with her sisters alone today for the first time in a year, and he can’t wait any longer to find out if their brunch ended in a fight or not.

He clicks on his phone to find two texts from his brother, sent not too long ago.

Rhys: You’re in the office today for the monthly check-in, right?

Rhys: Don’t leave after the meeting is over. I’ll be there in an hour to introduce you to the new guy heading the Milan project.

Cassian frowns, confused. Rhys and the new guy are coming all the way up here to meet him? He didn’t know he was that important to the project.

While he waits for his unexpected guests, Cassian texts Nesta twice, and only receives a single short response saying she got home safe. Resolving to call and have a real conversation with her later, he gets up to change into the spare buttondown and pressed slacks he keeps in a locker in his office. If Rhys wants him to play the part of company boss, then he might as well look the part.

He’s adjusting the cuffs of his dark-colored shirt when the door to his office opens without warning, and Rhysand strides in followed by a stiff-looking young man.

Cassian eyes the stranger up and down first, trying to get a read on him the way he’s seen Nesta and Rhys read others. He doesn’t come up with a single thing, as usual, but he hopes he achieved his goal of looking intimidating.

“Cass,” Rhys greets him with a subdued nod, in full CEO mode. “This is our new hire, Keith O’Connell. I snagged him from right under Vanserra & Co.’s noses.” His near-violet eyes gleam with pride. “He’s going to be working out of Milan for us starting this summer.”

“Sounds good to me.” Cassian smiles lazily, and this is something he doesn’t need to fake—confidence. He reaches out to shake Keith’s hand. “Hi. I’m Cassian Madani.”

“Good to meet you.” The other man shakes back, but his grip is too tight, like he’s trying to break Cassian’s hand. Try-hard, a voice that sounds like Nesta tells him. Uses arrogance to cover up his insecurity.

Cassian takes it all into account as he pulls his hand away, seeing Keith through clearer eyes. His dark brown hair is slicked back with copious amounts of hair product, and a shrewd black gaze takes in every detail of the office. He stands like he’s attempting to seem taller than he actually is.

A typical white-collar worker looking for a way up the corporate ladder, Cassian concludes. Nothing he hasn’t seen before, but there must be a reason Rhys is so excited about him.

“Keith is starting here at your branch next week,” Rhys is saying when Cassian refocuses.

He blinks, unsure if he heard correctly. “What, all the way out here?” Away from Velaris in this modest mountain town?

“We agreed it was best if you two work together as closely as possible while preparing for the summer launch. Since you can’t come to Velaris, that means Keith comes here.”

Cassian looks at Rhys in astonishment. He thought that once he rejected the Milan position, he’d cleaned his hands of the job for good. Clearly he was wrong. “Just how involved am I going to be on this project?”

Rhys grins back at him. “You’ll lead from home base, of course.”

Cassian glares. Rhys responds with a look that says they’ll talk about this later.

Keith seems to find the idea of working alongside another person as distasteful as Cassian finds it unexpected, but he says anyway, “I can’t wait to start working together. I have a lot of ideas for the Italian outpost that I think you’ll appreciate.”

“I’m sure I will,” Cassian hums. “When do you start again?”

“Next Monday.”

“Then we should talk then.” Cassian gestures out the door. Keith looks taken aback, likely having expected more out of this meeting. But Cassian can’t meet with this guy until he gets a hold of what the fuck is going on. After shepherding Keith out of the office and shutting the door after him, he turns to Rhys with a raised brow.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Rhys warns. “Your role in this project is serious.”

“This project isn’t even part of my job description. What am I supposed to know about international business conductions?”

“You know enough to keep an eye on that O’Connell kid for me.” Rhys leans against Cassian’s desk as if it’s his own and crosses his feet. “He’s an asset to the company, but he also worked for our competitors up to a couple of months ago. I can’t trust him to manage this thing on his own, and I don’t have the time or resources right now to watch over him myself. That’s why the duty falls to you.”

“I manage security,” Cassian states, in case it wasn’t obvious. “What about Az?”

“Az has his own things to handle.” Rhys waves him off. “Just do what I tell you to, will you? Pay attention to O’Connell for the duration of the Italy venture and make sure he doesn’t steer our ship off course. You’ll get paid triple for the extra hours.”

“I don’t need triple,” Cassian grumbles, but Rhys is no longer listening. He’s typing on his phone and already heading for the door.

“Feyre and I are having dinner here before heading back home,” he calls over his shoulder. “See you later; I believe in you!” The door shuts after him, leaving Cassian alone.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replies to the empty room.

Cassian leaves not long after Rhysand does, having no excuse to linger. Outside, he’s greeted with a surprise leaning against the hood of his truck.

Nesta pushes off the hood as soon as he catches notice of her. “Long day?” she asks.

He laughs for the first time all afternoon, the sound surprised and genuine. “I was just thinking about you.”

“That’s why I’m here. I heard your thoughts.” There’s a light in her pale eyes that only burns whenever she looks at him. It’s the same light that powers her ability to make jokes and let her guard down around him in a way she can’t with most others, and Cassian is especially grateful for it today.

Nesta reaches out and takes his hand into hers. He watches the way their palms fit together in endless fascination, his brown fingers a stark contrast against her white ones. He squeezes once and looks back up at her. “How did meeting your sisters go? You never told me.”

The light flickers so briefly Cassian wonders if it’s a trick of his eyes. But then Nesta is there again, at full brightness. She squeezes his hand back. “Take me home. I’ll tell you all about it.”

***

a/n: i love writing stuff related to cassian’s job i’ll just be throwing random words in there and calling it business jargon

tagging: @hellasblessed @sjm-things @thewayshedreamed @drielecarla @valkyriewarriors @superspiritfestival @aliveahaahahafuck @cupcakey00 @sayosdreams @rainbowcheetah512 @claralady @thebluemartini @nessiantho @missing-merlin @duskandstarlight @lucy617 @sleeping-and-books @everything-that-i-love @cassianscool @swankii-art-teacher @wannawriteyouabook @awesomelena555 @julemmaes @wickedqueenoffantasy @poisonous-bloom @observationanxioustheorist @gisellefigue08 @courtofjurdan @theoverlyenthusiasticwriter @wolfiixxx @cass-nes @seashade @royaltykxx @illyrianundercover @queenestarcheron @monstrousloves-explodinggalaxies @humanexile @that-golden-lyre @agentsofsheilds @mercy-is-alive @cassiansbigwingspan @laylaameer01 @verypaleninja @maastrash @bow-dawn @perseusannabeth @dead-on-the-inside666 @jlinez @hungryreadingaddict @anidealiveson @planet-faerie @shallowhighwaters @ghostlyrose2 @chosenfamily-valkyriequeens @rarephloxes @readiajin @nessiantrashh @live-the-fangirl-life @ifinallygavein @xoblivisci @sjmships @jungtaekwoonie-is-life @lysandra-tiara @lanyjoy-13 @frosted-crackers @post-it-notes33 @loosingdreams @fromthelibraryofemilyj @18moneytoad @dontgetsalmonella @champanheandluxxury @togreblog

[thebestworstidea]

The Green Knight’s Lady (4)

Sequel fic to “The Witch and the Green Knight” (on Ao3)

Warnings: undeserved redemption arc, graphic imagery and as of this chapter violence against minors.

Chapter 1: In which Rowan has Unexpected House Guests

Chapter 2: In Which They Try to Figure Out What the Hell is Going On

Chapter 3: In Which Remus and Rowan’s Stupidity Escalates to Treason (sort of)

>-<>-< ——————-<>——————- >-<>-<

Chapter 4: In Which Life is Difficult

>-<>-< ——————-<>——————- >-<>-<

     The winter waned in a sloppy miserable way, kicking out with a few snowstorms like the flailing of a dying animal. Despite not really being bothered by the cold, D.N. practically hibernated, most often found in a window seat in the library, going through Rowan’s Mother’s books and being snarky about bad information about fairies. Rowan was fairly sure it was just a way to safely lash out. She dug out an old laptop and gave him access to the Netflix account. If nothing else it kept him distracted. Something Rowan had learned was that the fair folk did, as legend said, love stories. 

And apparently, soap operas and romcoms.

Like herself, Remus seemed out of sorts in the late winter, though more in the way of someone who had woken up long before they wanted to. He’d gone into the woods and returned dressed in his more normal attire, also having brought back a few changes of clothing that was closer to D.N.’s size, and of a finer make than anything in the Baker house, despite Rowan’s sister’s cautious attempt to find a fabric the fae child would like. For the most part, the rest of Rowan’s family treated D.N. with cautious courtesy, and a certain level of ‘not be alone in a room with him’. Remus, by contrast, was treated more as a benign nuisance, though not without kindness.  Frankly, that was more understandable than Rowan’s blase attitude. That didn’t stop a certain level of speculation as to why ‘Leif’ and his friend were staying with them.

     “I’ve figured it out!” 

Rowan balled a pair of socks and tossed it in her sister’s basket across the table. They were sorting the laundry by owner, and Rowan had made it her mission to find as many pairs of socks as she could. 

“Figured what out?” 

“What’s going on with Leif and the kid!” 

“Have you now?” Rowan said dryly and a little nervously. Her sister nodded. 

“It’s pretty obvious if you think about it. The kid is the spawn of the last fairy king.”

“What.” 

“Look, it’s obvious that Leif served him, right? And we know he’s dead. So then Leif disappears for months and reappears with a kid? With scales? We know that Leif’s traveled outside Wickhills before- so clearly he knew where the kid was, maybe he was even the one who took him away, probably more of a Cronos eating his kids thing than a Arthur sent into hiding thing, and now he brought him back.” She pursed her lips. “You know, I bet Leif can change genders like a frog.”

Rowan started laughing. 

“Leif might even be the mother-” she went on. 

“Definitely not.” Rowan choked. 

“But he is related. I’ve connected the dots.” she said smugly.

“You haven’t connected shit.” Rowan retorted throwing a pair of pants at her.

“I’ve connected them.”

     As spring burgeoned forth, Remus agitated with the need to leave the house. It was clear he wasn’t used to staying in one place, even for a few weeks like this. Rowan could always tell when Remus had gone wandering in the night, because D.N. didn’t come down from the attic until he’d come back. It wasn’t as if D.N. was avoiding his so-called hosts, so much as he was totally avoiding the humans in the house as much as possible as if by pretending they weren’t there he could pretend none of this was happening. 

When spring officially arrived Rowan made them clothing, a shirt of heavy green broadcloth for Remus, and a more delicate shirt of the finest white linen she had for D.N. The shirt he generally wore was made of undyed silk, and Rowan feared that the substance had come from the shroud- or rather bag- she’d sewn for the bones of the Serpent King. It was tricky to give them, as D.N. certainly wanted no gifts from her, and Remus wanted to gift her in return. But it was simply tradition, that for the first day of spring everyone had a new garment. So her green brother and erstwhile guest needed something new too, for luck. Honestly, Rowan thought he could probably use all the luck he could get.

     It was a fine warm day in mid April, when leaves were finally starting to show, and only the most stubborn bits of snow were sticking around in the darkest shadows, when Rowan was working in her garden.

“Little tree! You’re wearing pants!” 

The whippy rose vine Rowan had been arguing with slipped out of her hand as the twist tie sprang from her other, and she took the momentary break to glare at Remus, who had appeared in her personal bubble with no warning whatsoever.

“I wear pants all the time.” she retorted, giving him a half hearted shove. 

“Yeah, but usually you have dresses over ‘em.” theatrically, he collapsed to the scrubby grass outside the garden and sprawled in the sun. 

“Well, I learned that arguing with rose bushes in a dress doesn’t end well for the dress.” She grabbed hold again with her gloved hand, and pulled a fresh tie out of her apron pocket, lashing the thorny vine to the wrought iron trellis that kept most fae out of her garden. They could, in theory, pass under the iron arbor that faced the wood, wreathed as it was in plants, but until Remus it hadn’t been much of a problem. “How are you doing?” she asked quietly. He was looking better. He’d been kind of wan, a sickly sort of green rather than his normal healthy hue like a ripening acorn. 

“Starting to feel my oats.” He responded, tipping his face into the sun. “It’s a good spring. I’d say that spring was happy about something.” in the distance, a door opened and closed.

“Seasons do seem to have emotions.” She agreed, and had to step delicately over him to get to the next bush, pulling clippers from her pocket and studying the bush thoughtfully, before pruning a few branches, and returning to tucking them in safely so they wouldn’t grab passers by too badly.  That done she carried the trimmed branches away. D.N. emerged from the widdershins side of the house, having exited the front door and walked so he didn’t have to pass the rowan tree, even if he could do so under the protection of the porch. He glared down at Remus with frustration. 

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“Having a kip?” Remus suggested, as Rowan stepped over him again to get back to the rose bushes. 

“You should tell me as soon as you come back from the forest.” he said grouchily, not making eye contact. 

“Well, not much is going on, so there’s nothing to tell you.” Remus shrugged. 

“That’s good right?” Rowan asked. 

“A secret unsaid is a secret kept.” D.N. muttered, not addressing Rowan at all. “What are you doing out there anyway?” 

“Favors.” Remus sighed. “So many favors. I’m not exactly a favorite right now. People don’t want me to do favors for them, but I need the currency. Also fixing up my house.” he rubbed his hands over his face. “It’s kind of out of the way, so it might be safe enough. It’s nice enough to visit with my little tree, but…”

“We can’t stay here forever.” D.N. agreed. “It buzzes.” 

“Yeah.” Remus nodded. “So I’ve got some improvements to make, and gotta reassert my territory. No one got near the tree, but I don’t have much around it.” he clicked his tongue “Fun and all, but I’m in a hurry.”  he made a kissy face at them both. “But I’ll always hurry back to you.” 

Rowan snorted, and D.N. rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms and cocked his hip, glaring down at the green-clad fae. 

“I’m sure whatever you stay in is better than this.”

“Hey, owch. It’s a good house. We finally got the roof fixed last year.” Rowan glared, waving her clippers at him. D.N. leaned away. 

“Well it’s hardly the hovel I’ve seen other witches live in,” he sneered at the Victorian style house. “But it isn’t anywhere I would choose to stay.” 

“Sorry for not being a magical house.”

“Oh it’s full of magic alright. Human magic, thick and inelegant, like mud on the bottom of a pond.”

“I like mud.” Remus commented, popping up and bracing himself upright on his hands. Rowan noticed that his knuckles were reddened and split. Putting her clippers away again, she dug into her other pocket, coming up with a small, shallow clay pot, closed with a wide cork. She crouched down and grabbed one hand, dabbing the ointment onto the wounds. Remus obligingly offered his other hand when she was done. 

“Why was this in your pocket?”

“It’s better to get the ointment on big jabs right away, and I’m doing lawn work.” she shrugged, and went back to her work. 

After a while, Rowan finished her discussion with the rosebushes, and headed back inside without saying anything. Shortly after that, a car drove up hidden by the bulk of the house. Another short while later, it drove away again. Rowan returned to her garden, hooking her apron over her head again.

“Bloody busy-body is what she is.” Rowan grumbled to herself. “No need to come by every time, her tea hasn’t changed in over a year, if I wanted everyone coming by and bothering me all the time I’d start up a tea room in town and read palms and cards. It’s what I get for being helpful and offering to do a unique blend.” 

“Can you tell the future?” Remus asked, popping up on the other side of the hedge wall of rose bushes, making Rowan yelp and clutch her rake. 

“Like the weather.” She retorted. “Which is to say, not really worth anything.” 

“You’re a useless kind of witch, aren’t you?” sniffed D.N. who had taken up a seat in an Adirondack style chair they had acquired somewhere, and everyone in the Baker family hated, which is why it wasn’t on the porch.

“Yeah, kind of.” she didn’t rise to the bait, and watched him stare at the woods. “You could go, you know.”

“What?”

“Nothing’s keeping you here if you wanted to leave.”

“Little tree-” Remus said, sounding hurt. 

“Not you, you’re welcome any time. And for that matter, if he wants to go for a bit and come back, that’s fine.”

“I can’t actually. I have to ‘stay here’ until further notice.” 

“Oh right. Fairy parole officer.” Rowan sighed. “Well you could probably get as far as the property line, or where our ‘official’ lot meets up with the woods.”

“It isn’t as if I’m desperate to wander in the woodlands, Witch, I just don’t want to be here. At all.”

“Boy, do I hear that.”  she sighed deeply, pausing to look into the woods herself. The small leaves were misting the tips of the trees with color, and there was a smell of wet and rot in the air. It looked like a storm was building in the west.  It would probably hit the before nightfall, gathering the dark in the clouds and making the night come that much faster in the growing spring day. Better to get her gardening done before it hit, so she’d only have to repair the damage it did, not do that and the maintenance. The plants were being especially springy this year, and she was tempted to put this down to Remus’s presence. 

D.N. continued to watch her, as though she was some sort of reality TV show, while Remus sprawled in the scrubby grass next to his chair. 

When the first cold wet gust hit, all three of them headed inside.

     The storm was really having fun, so they were in Rowan’s room instead of the loft. Remus liked to hang out with both of them, so Rowan coming to work on whatever she was doing -some sort of project involving embroidery floss at the moment- and sit with Remus while Remus would root through her work basket, or bring out a pouch and do something himself- embroidery, or sharpening knives, occasionally woodcarving. Sometimes he’d sit behind Rowan and brush or play with her hair, braiding it into elaborate arrangements that she’d have to ask for help to undo.

Sometimes Danger Noodle would use Remus as a cushion or a backrest as if he was staking his claim. That night however, he’d pulled the beat up floral armchair Rowan kept next to one of her windows to a different window (further away from the dancing limbs of the rowan tree) and settled down with a book.

Rowan noticed that he would raise his hand and rub the back of his neck occasionally as if it were hurting. She nudged Remus’s leg and inclined her head at D.N. He shrugged.

“Are you in pain somehow?” Rowan asked, startling him into dropping his book.

“Kindly mind your own business.” Danger Noodle sneered. 

“Are you cold?” Remus asked. “You do-” he rubbed the back of his neck “lots.” 

D.N. growled under his breath, picking the book up. 

“It isn’t important.” He told them. 

“But it is a thing.”

“You never used to.”

He sighed, explosively. “Are you two going to leave me alone about this?”

“Well now I’m curious.” Rowan admitted tipping her head with a smile on her face that reminded D.N. far too much of Remus’s mischievous expression. If it weren’t for her obvious humanity, he would think they were siblings. “If you’re cold, I could get you a blanket, is all.” 

“I’m not cold.” he rolled his eyes. “I’m a winter.”

She looked unimpressed. “So what’s with the lounging in sunbeams?” 

Danger Noodle sneered at her, scales glinting in the lamplight. 

“It's just a feeling.  It’s like a cold hand on the back of my neck, it’s not squeezing but it’s there.” D.N. spread his fingers over the back of his neck.  “Like something’s watching me, constantly.” 

“Huh.” Remus and Rowan said in unison, heads tipping to the side. Danger Noodle glared, there was no way they weren’t doing that on purpose. 

“Might be something?” Remus asked thoughtfully, looking at the corners of the room. 

“I’d want to keep an eye on him, if it were me.” Rowan admitted. 

D.N. sighed again, exasperated, then Remus perked up digging in one of the many pockets inside his vest.  After a search he came up with a bag, tied firmly shut with cord. He climbed off the bed and went to kneel next to the armchair instead. 

“I made this for you.” Remus opened the intricately tied knot, and from inside the bag, produced a scarf. It looked like heavy silk of some sort, dyed a beautiful saffron yellow, covered in single-thread embroidery. Vines twisted and twined along it, with a snake hidden among them.  D.N. stared at it for a long moment, then recoiled. 

“Are you out of your mind? Wait, never mind I retract the question.” 

“I made it for you a while ago but…” Remus admitted. “You wouldn’t have taken it.”

“I’m not taking it now.” He stood up, tossing the book on the chair. “What makes you think I would even want it?” 

“You’re not as strong now-” 

Danger Noodle hissed, flashing sharp teeth, pupils narrow. 

“-so I’m going to protect you until you’re stronger.” Remus finished as if  he hadn’t just been threatened. 

“I am still stronger than you.” the young fae said disdainfully, drawing himself up to his full, unimpressive height.

“Are you though?” Rowan asked, setting her project down and watching them. 

“I am certainly more powerful than you.” 

“Oh, that’s not even a question.” 

“So what this looks like is Remus is offering you his favor to wear, showing that you’re his...  I’m going to say ‘ward’, because you’re a kid.”

“I am not a kid!” D.N. retorted, stamping his foot like a child. 

“And therefore under his protection. Displaying a connection.” 

“It’s a little more complicated than that, but yeah.” Remus agreed. 

“Which is why I’m not interested.” 

“I don’t have to give you an oath to give you my favor.” Remus pointed out, he just stared up at Danger Noodle entreatingly.  The room was silent except for the storm outside, and the faint sound of someone watching a movie elsewhere in the house. D.N. rubbed the back of his neck again, and Rowan shivered, like a gust of cold air had made it through the window. Her eyes shut and she saw dead branches against a milky sky. Blinking the vision away, she got to see D.N. throw his hands in the air. 

“Uugh enough with the eyes. Fine. I’ll take it, but it doesn’t mean anything.” He accepted the scarf and looped it around his neck, spreading the folds upward to the base of his hair. 

“It means you’re wearing something I made you.” Remus pointed out and rose up, gathering Danger Noodle into a hug, to which he submitted, to Rowan’s surprise. “Which makes me happy.” 

“Mmgnh. Fuck off.” D.N. mumbled, face pressed to Remus’s bicep. 

Rowan decided not to comment on how cute it was.

[sashi-ya]

{+18} - Law x Fem Best Friend ♥ CH.2

♥ Daily living with the Heart pirates crew AU  ♥ Spoilers after Dressrosa Arc. Law´s backstory.  ♥ Female reader. Little physical description. Everybody is 18+, canon ages.  ♥ TW: Nightmares related to PTSD. Little NSFW. no further warnings. If you think I should include some feel free to tell me ♥Thank you for the likes and follows, I appreciate it them so so much! If you wanna know when I’ll be updating the next chapters, you can follow me on Twitter @LawIsMyWaifu, come interact I love to have mutuals that love Law and One Piece as much as I do ♥

Word count: 4.1K

» List of parts: {CH1}  {CH2}  {CH3}  {CH4} {CH5} «

Chapter 2.

The sound of his low, raspy voice resonated all over my head, making my body react instantly. I gasped as I felt a strike of pleasure travelling down my stomach to in between my legs. Closing my eyes, unable to move, I didn’t want to move, I wanted him to keep whispering, to kiss my neck… “Hahahaha, I’m sorry, I’m just fooling around, your face, you look astonished Y/N-ya”, he said while laying back on the bed, laughing. I chuckled as I stood up brushing my clothes as if I was trying to fix them. “Stop it, I’m not into that you ass. Goodnight”, I said trying to dissimulate how agitated and embarrassed I was.

Almost running, I left the room, directly to mine, holding on my hand my underwear. I jumped to my bed resting violently on my back. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” ... a little time passed until I passed out.

Hard knocks on my door woke me up. “Vice-Captain!! wake up! breakfast is ready!!!” Clione shouted from the corridor. “God damn how many times I have to tell this whole crew I fucking hate being awakened with shouting?” I mumbled annoyed, covering my face with the sheets.

I was brushing my hair when I remembered my “memory box” for some reason. Opened my drawer and found the little velvet red box that holds my “treasures”. Inside, there is a photo of my parents with me when I was 7, happy, eating some ice cream with them. It was taken during one of “the white parades”, on Flevance, before everything turned into hell. A little blue bow that my little sister used to wear, some photos of Law, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin and me when we were the only members of our crew. And, a necklace Law made with some seashells as a gift for my 15th birthday, were also inside.

I got watery eyes while looking at it, “I must be getting old”, I thought, “I got emotional over the memories” ... laughed and put everything back to its place.

“Morning..” I said, greeting the whole crew that was already devouring their breakfast. I noticed Law wasn’t there, so I had to ask. Uni told me he was in the control room preparing for the arrival at the next island. I took a few pancakes and some tea and headed to the control room to ask my captain if he needed help.

“Good morning, doc”, I saluted him. Law that was seated facing the controls, turned the chair to look at me nodding. He has more dark circles as always, so I asked him, “Oi, did you sleep last night? are you feeling sick again?”. “I’m ok, I didn’t get much sleep last night. I got caught up with the book I was reading”, he answered with his usual unfriendly tone. “Yeah, right” I answered back, rolling my eyes, and proceeded “Let me know if you need something before we get to the island”.  Left the control room and went back to my room.

I knew him well to know he hadn't slept because something was worrying him, and not because he was reading the old comic book of “Sora, the warrior of the sea against the evil Germa 66”. But hey, Law never shows any emotion besides annoyance if he is not sick.

A few hours later, the submarine got to the shore of some winter island, and we all got ready to accomplish our assigned tasks.  “Ok everyone, we will meet here at 7 pm, is that clear?” told my crew members, everybody agreed and headed to the island.

The temperature was pretty low, and it was snowing. Law was wearing the long black coat with yellow dots and our Jolly Roger that he used to wear at Punk Hazard, his hat and of course the Kikoku over his shoulder. I love when he wears warm clothing, he looks so cozy, hiding his mouth behind the collar. (He does it so his lips don’t get chapped with the cold breeze, haha).  I don't like to wear the boiler-suit when we get to explore islands, so I decided to wear a long yellow coat with a hood, also with our crew's Jolly Roger emblazoned on the left side of the chest.

We asked a few civilians where to find a pharmacy and headed to the destination following their instructions. Law didn’t say much during the walking, as he normally does.

The island seemed a little bit deserted, yet it had picturesque streets, full of colour that stand out from the snow.  It has cobbled lanes, some canals of crystallized water, there were wooden houses and shops with little lights that garnished their architecture giving the place a romantic aura. The scenery behind the city center included big snowed mountains and a big castle over one of the highest peaks.

I saw a boutique with some cute sweaters on display that caught my eyes and I wanted to try them on. “Law, would you mind if I enter here? I want to buy a new sweater.”, I said. Law looked at me and made a gesture with his hand as he was saying to go ahead.

While searching for the sweater I like on one of the clothing racks I saw through the shop window that a few kids approached the captain. The seller asked me if I needed some help, so I stopped looking at him and l directed my gaze to the girl in the shop. So, I forget about him.

After buying two cute pullovers, we continued walking through the picturesque streets.

When we finally arrived at the pharmacy shop, it seemed like it was closed, but the door was open, so we entered. I rang the bell over the counter and waited for someone to show up. Law walked in front of me and had his hand over his sword. I knew he was alert and trying to protect me even if he didn’t say a word. I didn’t think we could be in danger, yet he never fully relaxes when we are outside. After all, he is one of the most wanted pirates of our generation, so it's understandable he trusts no stranger.

After a minute or so, an old lady approached the counter from the inside of the store. She seemed a little weak and perhaps a little sick. She coughed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, and then greeted us. “Good afternoon, how can I help you?”, she asked. Law handed her a list of supplies we needed, and we waited. “Oi, don’t you think she looks bad? I mean, she is probably sick, should I ask if she is ok?”, I told Law who gave me a disapproving sight. I rolled my eyes, and said, “Fiiiine…”, “You know that I hate you rolling your eyes at me, you did it yesterday and now too. Stop it.” I looked at him with an “excuse me?” face and while I was about to spit an insult to him the granny appeared. “I’m sorry, I put on the bag some of the supplies, but I don’t have everything you need. We are short on medicines'', she informed us and started coughing harder. “Excuse me, Mrs. Are you alright? are you sick?”, I asked as she seemed to lose composure from all the nagging coughing. Law, that hated when I don’t give a fuck about what he had just said, gave me the look of death. “Oh young lady, we are pretty much sick, a strange illness is hitting the island. Even the only doctor in town fell ill. The orphanage, though, is getting the worst part. All of the kids are bedridden”, as she said, the memories of Flevance and the amber lead disease hit me.

Law's expression changed to a more compassionate one and asked about the symptoms they were experiencing. He might be serious, he might not want to get involved in a lot of things, but he is a true doctor. And he can't let people die if he can help.

We decided to visit the orphanage in hopes of helping the sick people, so we asked the old lady to give us directions to it. She said it was pretty far from the city center and told us her husband would take us there with his cart.

"Thank you so much for offering your help, young doctors", said the old lady's husband that later told us his name was Gerald. The cart was pulled by two brown percheron horses that opened their way through the white landscape.

We had a small talk during the journey, until Gerald asked, "how long have you been together? Are you already married?". Despite the freezing cold weather, my cheeks turned to fire, and I could sense Law hiding his head even more into his coat and hat. Almost as if clarifying that we were no couple was a life or death situation I said, "WE ARE JUST BEST FRIENDS!". I realized I almost shouted and felt mortified. Gerald looked at us with a little smirk and kind eyes, excusing himself for the mistake.

A few minutes after we arrived at the orphanage. It took us almost 30 minutes to get there and the sun was starting to set on the horizon.

When we entered the place, the situation was worse than we thought. There were kids and adults lying on the ground, some of them shivering, others coughing while others were straight unconscious. A few nurses were working in order to maintain them, but the situation had clearly surpassed them.

Immediately Law and I started working. While I helped the nurses, Law used his ope ope no mi power to scan the bodies of the sick people.

We got to the conclusion that what they were suffering was a type of bacteria that caused the respiratory symptoms and the fever.

During our duty, there were times when our eyes interlocked, and we smiled at each other. I wouldn't say we like people suffering, but, we certainly enjoyed working to save lives together.

A few hours passed since we arrived there, the sun was already set, and outside it seemed as if a snowstorm was beginning. I've lost track of time until my portable Den Den Mushi started to ring. "Oi, y/n, where are you? Is Law with you? Are you alright? We've been waiting for you on the shore! It's 9 pm already and we were supposed to meet at 7!", shouted Shachi from the other side of the line. "Oh my God I'm sorry I forgot to tell you!... you see …" I explained to them what we've been doing and that we were probably not going to return to the submarine in a few more hours.

The kids and the other people began to get better and those who were helping there offered us some food that we accepted happily.

While we were having dinner, Gerald got back from outside, who's been in the forest collecting some firewood. He informed us that the weather was getting really bad so coming back to town would be pretty dangerous.

Law and I agreed that staying there for the night was the safer choice.

One of the nurses, Sister Alley, told us we could spend the night in the cabin next to the orphanage. "I'm really sorry guys, I wished we had a better place for you, we owe you so much. The cabin has a fireplace, Gerald would start a fire to keep you warm”, she said. We both smiled at her and thanked for it.

We walked some meters through the forest until we started to catch sight of a wooden cabin. Despite being a strong pirate, I’m the queen of the clumsy people, so I slipped off with what I assume was an ice patch on the already snowy ground. I was about to hit the ground when Law grabbed me by the waist and saved me from a few bruises. His face in front of mine, the feeling of being safe on his arms, I wished it has been eternal. But the romantic moment was destroyed by Law mocking me. “It must be the devil fruit; how come you are so clumsy? Be careful”, he said, and I told him to shut up, this time I wasn’t embarrassed, but I was almost angry at him.

“Here we are, let me help you with the fire”, Gerald said, opening the wood door that creaked as it moved. The inside felt cozy, there were a few cushions and pillows on the ground next to the fireplace. There were no separate rooms, so in the middle of the lounge there was some kind of mattress with a few blankets over it. Our “host” asked for forgiveness about the lack of separate beds, but Law intercepted him and said, “It’s ok sir, we are grateful to have a warm place to stay until tomorrow. If you need help with any patient during the night, just please tell us”. It might be ok for you, damn Law. Was I supposed to sleep with him? - I mean, I wanted to, but, he was still my best friend, and those thoughts should have been erased.

Gerald wished us a good night and returned to the main building.

I hung my coat and as I love to explore, I started to do so around the little wooden house. The kitchen seemed really equipped, so I grabbed a kettle and some cups. Gerald was kind enough to give us some tea bags, so I thought making some tea was a great idea.

Law was next to the fireplace, wearing only a sweater and his jeans. Apparently he has already hung up his coat and his white spotted hat. I saw him once more with a lost sight that seemed to contemplate the firewood.

Looking at him with my face resting on my arm that was over the breakfast nook, I got lost worshiping his profile. I’ve always adored his upturned nose, his spiky black hair, his facial hair, the contrast between his grey eyes and the tanned skin. How come he has always been so handsome, but I’ve never seemed to fully realize?.

The whistle of the kettle intensified as the water started boiling, but I was so into admiring my best friend's beauty that I didn’t notice. Law turned to me and woke me up from my reverie shouting “Oi, Y/N, the kettle!”. My stupid smile quickly erased from my face, and my whole skin turned red. “Sorry”, I said straight away and turned off the burner.

I served two cups, noticing that the tea has an amazing scent. I believe it was hibiscus mixed with some other spices, perhaps some cardamom and maybe a little hint of clover. The smell of the tea mixed with the slightly one from the logs burning, was wonderful.

I walked to where my captain was, “Here, I think you may like it”, I said and handed him a cup. Our fingers brushed softly when grabbed the tea, he looked at me and said “Thanks”. I sat not so near him over one of the cushions and sipped a little bit of my tea. Law looked at me and stood up from his place. I could sense how awkward he felt when he made a little pause, and then walked away.

Why is he leaving? Did I make him feel uncomfortable?, I asked myself trying to hide little stings of pain on my chest that traveled to my throat. Somehow I felt like crying, and when my eyes started to get slightly watery, Law approached me placing his hand over my right shoulder.

I turned my face to him, looking up with a slightly pouty face. I was about to cry, and I didn’t even know why when I noticed a blue little box on his hand.

He sat next to me and said, "Do you remember when we were 15?, that day when I gave you that necklace I made myself for your birthday? I looked at him confused but I answered, "yes, of course, I got it on my memory box, I'm afraid to wear it outside the polar cause it might get lost and I wouldn't forgive myself if I lose it". He was now looking at the little box moving it around nervously and finally said "I got you a better one". He handed me the little box still not looking at me.

"A present?? OMG Law, thank you very much!" When did you buy it??" I almost shouted in excitement while opening the box. Inside there was a fine rose gold necklace that has a little anatomical heart figure as a pendant. I grabbed it and admired the beauty of the jewelry I had in my hands. The heart had a little red stone crimped on it, that shined with every movement.

"Law, this is too much! It must have cost you a lot of Berries, I don't deserve such a fine jewel!, thank you so much", I expressed with a big smile on my face.

"You do deserve more than this, you know. I'm glad you like it", he said, a little embarrassed. “When you were buying the sweaters, I asked some children there if they knew a jewelry store, turned out it was just around the corner”, he confessed.

“Thank you so much, it is just perfect! You know how I adore hearts; they remind me of you.. “Doctor Heart Stealer”” I almost shouted, realizing I have said too much…

I tried to put it on my neck, but I couldn’t clip it right, so I asked him for help. He stood up, kneel at my back and passed from behind the necklace around my neck.

Some branches hit the window violently as they were suffering the merciless wind of the snowstorm outside.

He struggled a little and finally fastened the collar and when he did, the electric power went off. The fireplace was the only source of light, the dance of the fire created figures with shadows and highlights all around the walls of the cabin. We remained silent, maybe a little scared or even surprised, but enjoying the sound of the weather and the creak of the fire.

He was still behind me, and after a few seconds he placed a soft kiss on my back that sent a shiver through my spine. Once again I was unable to speak, did he… did he just kiss my back?.. Before I could say or do something Law stood up and headed to one of the windows. “The storm seems to be even worse than earlier; don’t you think?”, he said, trying to device something through the window.

I couldn’t focus on anything else than the kiss he softly planted on my nape, minutes ago.  He suddenly yawned and walked to the mattress that was in the center of the room, on the floor. He then took his jeans off and hopped inside the bed, naturally. I remained on my spot, contemplating his actions. “How could he be acting so normal?, I’m right here. He just gave me a necklace, kissed my skin and now he just goes to sleep?” I said to myself, still with a confused expression on my face.

“Oi, aren’t you coming to bed?”, he asked me, freely. “Yes… give me a second”, I said, and ran to the bathroom. The toilet was pretty tiny and basic, but enough for me to hide for a few minutes. “Come on, Y/N you slept with him two nights ago, it’s ok, he is like your brother, it’s ok…” I thought, trying to calm myself down.

I finally left my hiding place and headed to the mattress. Law was lying there, he took off his sweater, probably while I was in the bathroom, so he was only using a white tight undershirt, that molded his torso anatomy. Some blankets were covering the under part of his body from his hips. He had his forearm over his eyes, covering them with his neck stretched back.

I bite my lip, as a reaction for such a tempting scene. I was enjoying it, watching him breathe peacefully. I started feeling hot, so I took off the sweater but not my jeans and approached the “bed”.

I thought Law was already asleep, so I got in bed trying not to wake him up. I muffled myself up with the sheets. I remained still, hearing the snowstorm, fixing my eyes on the wooden ceiling, as the memories of my childhood flooded my mind. It must be the snowstorm, the wind, the cold that triggered these memories. eventually I fell asleep.

“No, stop it, my family, leave us alone!!!!”, I screamed. “Y/n-ya! Y/n-ya!, wake up!” said Law, pulling me out from the terrific oneiric world I was submerged in. I got lost into his eyes, and remained there with tears streaming from my eyes, rolling into my cheeks. Law was holding me close to his body around his arms. “Are you having those nightmares, again? why didn’t you tell me?”, he asked, worried. “This is the first time in ages, I think it must be the storm, perhaps the orphanage, the children…”, I expressed amid tears. My best friend brushed his tattooed fingers through my hair, moving it out of my face, and then wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“Oi, do you remember what happened when I gave you the first necklace?” he asked, trying to distract me. A feeling of warmth invaded my insides, suddenly I felt happy. “I do...” I said, laughing timidly, and continued, “It was my first kiss”. He smiled back at me, and said, “Mine too”.

For a second we both closed our eyes. I was grabbing the pendant with my left hand cherishing it and the memories of our younger days when we kissed for the first time. We haven't had much time to think about love while striving to survive so we forgot about it, letting the days, months and years pass, leaving the experience as a mere child’s play.

Suddenly we started laughing, Law didn't let go of me, and our faces were pretty close. “Everything's better when you laugh, I hate it when you cry, it makes me so sad…” he said, rubbing his thumb over my right cheek. I stopped laughing, as he got even closer. Almost as if the point of our noses were about to touch. I could feel the warmth of his breath over my lips, and he did too. My heart started racing, and the only thing I could hear was the blood pumping on my ears. I wasn’t moving, I wanted him to kiss me, I wanted to kiss him… I just didn’t care that he was my best friend, I just needed him to kiss me.  What is taking him so long? Why am I not moving if I wanted this more than anything?. After a good minute, that felt eternal, he exclaimed “Fuck it”, and plant the sweetest kiss over my lips. A feeling of happiness filled my insides, I’ve never been so joyful in ages, it felt the same way as the first time. I was like a teenage girl experimenting love for the first time. Both smiled still with our lips pressed. I doubted for a second if succumbing to my deepest desires was the right thing to do until he decided to turn the cute kiss into a more passionate one. From then on, the desire I’d been accumulating inside of me took control of my body…

We kept on kissing; Law slid a hand under my shirt timidly caressing the skin of my tummy. The kisses migrated from my mouth to my neck, mixed with little bites that surely would turn into hickies tomorrow.

“Law…” I gasped when his hands reached my breasts. “What?” he replied, whispering next to my ear and pinching one of my nipples in between two fingers…

Chapter 3

Ch1: Link

[five-rivers]

Questions (Not Answered)

@amabsis  MERRY CHRISTMAS FEATURING CRYTIC DANNY AND HIS SPACE FRECKLES (and one other prompt you sent me, but that one’s a mystery).

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Bare feet on ice. Breathe, he reminded himself.  He was human, for now, and he wasn’t supposed to be here.

Ice.  Thin ice.  

He was human, for now, but he didn’t have the weight of it.

In slow motion, he saw the much, much heavier man—Boy, really, he hadn’t graduated that long ago—step out on the ice, brow furrowed. A kind of rage lit him up, a paper lantern that burns itself, like the last time Danny had seen him, a frustration born of not being believed and—

The ice gave way.  

It took him a moment to remember to fall.  

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Beeping.  White. It took him a moment to remember and remember he had been human.  At least then.  At least now. Something like a fever danced over his skin.  Pinpricks. A heated blanket.  Whiteness he has come to associate with a threat.  

He—

This is a hospital.  

He breathes.  He remembers. He wasn’t supposed to be there, but even less is he supposed to be here.  

There will be questions.  

It isn’t his fault, he reassures himself.  No way he could have been anywhere else, done anything else, except by the actions of others.  Not with safety.  Not with grace.  Not with morals.  

He can smell the other person in the room.  Their sweat.  The fabric softener their suit had been laundered in.  

“You should be dead,” said the man.  Accused the man.  

“Well,” croaked Danny, “clearly not.”

“We didn’t pull you out until after Agent W.”

Couldn’t they use the guy’s real name?  Agent W.  Too many syllables.  Too long to say in the heat of battle, or to keep him from running out and nearly drowning in a half-frozen lake.  

“You’re not dead until you’re warm and dead,” said Danny. “Heard it in a documentary.  Mom and Dad say it’s why you don’t see too many ghosts who died that way.  That and the hallucinations.”

His parents don’t think happy people leave ghosts.  They’re wrong.  In that and many other things.  

He does not look at the man.  The line on the heart monitor goes up and down, dead steady. He did not think of the ghosts he left behind him.  Of the battle and journey that left him on the ice, surrounded by white.

“I think we both know that isn’t true,” said the man with an edge of a growl.  His shadow fell on the edge of the bed.  “We’ve had our specialists look into you, you know.  With your parents’ blessing.”

Blessing.  What a strange way to say permission.  Danny has received blessings.  True blessings.  One is not the same as the other.  He remembers them, towering, like storm clouds, like mountains, like the forest, like the moon, the sun, the stars.  He remembers the lights overhead, circling, and himself, looking up, beneath it all.  He remembers the well, the fountain, the door, the path.

He remembers.  

And he has none of that right now.  No lightning but what he was born with.  No ice but what the doctors chased away, if there were doctors, and not simply more men like the one at his bedside.  No knife or poison but the words on his tongue.  No shield but his disregard.

Human.  

Yes.  

“We even ran you through some of our pattern recognition programs.  Do you know what we found?”

“Enlighten me,” said Danny, dryly.  His voice cracked again, painfully.  

His effort was rewarded with a finger shoved harshly against his cheek.  He winced at the sharpness of the nail and looked directly at the man for the first time since he woke up.  He was reflected twice in the man’s sunglasses, and a third time on the warped silver casing of his overlarge earpiece.  

“Your freckles,” said the man.

“What, did your program decide I had skin cancer or something? Forgive me if I decide I want a second opinion.”

“Constellations,” hissed the man.  “You have constellations in your freckles.  The same as the ghost boy.”

Danny endeavored to raise his eyebrows as far as they could go. “I’m pretty sure that whatever Phantom has on his face aren’t freckles.  Freckles don’t glow.”

“Don’t play games with me,” said the man.  “We aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed.  We aren’t the only ones who’ve put two and two together.”

“To me, it sounds like all you’ve done is give a computer pareidolia, but whatever floats your boat.”

“What is your connection to Phantom?”

“You’ve been listening to Wes,” said Danny.  If his voice wasn’t wrecked, his words would have been dripping with disdain thick enough to drown the man.  Twice.

“Agent W is not the only one to make note of your behavior,” said the man.  “Paulina Sanchez, for example.”

“Paulina,” repeated Danny.  “You mean the girl who has used every available opportunity to tear me down and mock me since I asked her out in freshman year?  You think she wouldn’t lie to your clown squad?”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s what everyone calls you,” said Danny.  “Also, you shouldn’t be interrogating a minor without their guardian present.”

“How convenient, that you know that.  Reading up on the legal system?”

“My sister had a Law and Order phase.  Speaking of, I want a lawyer.”

“You aren’t under arrest,” clearly disgusted.

“Great.  So, can you tell the doctor I’m awake?  Thanks.”

“We aren’t done here.”

“I am,” said Danny.  He closed his eyes.  “If you don’t tell the doctor I’m awake, I might as well go back to sleep.”  He faked a yawn.  Then yawned for real because yawns were like that.

Then the GIW representative shook him by the shoulders.

He shouldn’t have done that.  For a number of reasons.  Not the least of which being that if Danny was connected to ghostly happenings, he could most likely kill the man with his bare hands.  

This is not what occurred.  

Monitors need leads, need sensors.  Disconnected, they scream.  Much like anything else.

In a hospital, such screaming attracts doctors.  

How nice to know that they were in a hospital.  

.

Snow underfoot.  Booted foot, incidentally.  His parents had brought his boots when they came to pick him up, along with other winter clothes.  The snow crunched and squeaked, declining to melt when he stepped on it.  Which.  Rude.  

The trip to the car was silent and sulky.  Or possibly accusatory.  Or morose.  The nuances of the emotions escaped him.  

“Danny,” said his mother.  “Why were you out on the lake last night?”

Danny had been dreading this.  Anticipating it as one would the end of a fall.  Except he hadn’t hit the ground yet, only the branch of a tree that had the misfortune to get in the way.  

He didn’t have a good answer.  

“There was something I had to do,” said Danny.  Which was both true and vague.  

“In your pajamas?”

Danny winced.  That hadn’t been his fault.  

“We don’t know why you keep sneaking out,” said his father. “But it has to stop.  You can’t do this anymore, Danny-boy.  Especially not if it’s going to end up with you in the hospital.”

“That wasn’t my fault,” protested Danny.  “It isn’t like I lured Wes out.  He went out all by himself!”

“Danny,” said his mother.  “You almost died.  And now the GIW is telling us that your freckles are in the same pattern as Phantom’s ecto-luminescence!”  She visibly worried at her lower lip.  “What happened?”

“And what did you go out for?”  added his father.  

Danny shrugged.  

“Were you trying to help Phantom?”

“No,” said Danny.  

“We know how you and Jazz feel about him, but, Danny, this is dangerous.  That ghost is dangerous.”

Danny looked away.  

“You’re grounded,” said his mother.  

Danny whipped around to face her again.  “What!”

“What else can we do?” asked his mother.  “What else do you expect us to do?  You won’t tell us anything!”

“It was just—” spluttered Danny.  He pressed his lips together, considering.  “I did not go out to meet Phantom,” he said.  Again, it was true.  “I went out because one of my classmates said they were being haunted, and I wanted to help.”  Also true.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” asked his father.  “It’s our job to deal with ghosts.”

“Yes,” said his mother.  “In fact, I thought you wanted nothing to do with ghosts.”

“I don’t know,” said Danny.  “Sometimes—” He winced, knowing what he was about to say would hurt. “You aren’t very good at catching ghosts.  And the part I want to have nothing to do with is the one where you cut ghosts up into pieces.”  He paused. “And I don’t know what happened after I got there.”  He did not specify where there was.  “I think the GIW had some kind of weapon?  I didn’t expect them there.  Anyway, there was a bright light, and the next thing I know, I’m out on the water.”

Alright.  He was leaving a bunch out, but the rest was still true.

“You’re still grounded.”

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He felt heavy.  Whatever had kept him from making footprints on the ice had left him entirely. Or reversed itself.  Either way, stairs, such as the ones he had to climb to reach his room, felt like an imposition.  Nonetheless, he persevered.  

Right up until he collapsed on his bed, overcome with the unfairness of it all.  

“Hey,” whispered the monster that had taken up residence underneath his bed.  “Can I come out, now?”

“You’re clear,” mumbled Danny.

The monster, Phantom, phased up through the bed to lie on it next to Danny.  

“Where did they even get the Ghost Catcher?” he asked, aggrieved.  

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out!” replied Danny. “It doesn’t make any sense, and I can’t very well ask Mom and Dad about it.”

“Ugh.  We’re grounded, aren’t we?”

“I am.  You aren’t.” Danny pulled a face he hoped his other half would recognize from the outside.  “Be careful, though.  Your escape route is gone.”

“I will.  You need to find out how to get us back together.”

“I will,” said Danny.  “By the way, just after it happened, I think I still had access to some ghost powers.  I think I’m still a little, you know.  Not quite right.  It might be the other way around for you.”

“I’ll try and keep an eye on that,” said Phantom.  “It might be important.”

“Yeah,” agreed Danny.  “You should go, for now.  I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad are going to be checking on me all night, and if they see you…”

“Yeah.  I get it.”

“Sorry.”

Phantom bumped his head lightly against Danny’s.  “Nothing to be sorry about.  We both know what they’re like.  I’m going to patrol a bit, then I’ll probably go over to Sam or Tucker’s. In case you need me.”

“Sounds good,” said Danny.  “I’ll just… stay here.  Try to make the Ghost Catcher from scratch.”

“We have homework, too, while you’re at it,” said Phantom, halfway through the wall.  

Danny groaned and rolled over.  He would have to be careful about getting into the lab while he was grounded, and his parents were on high alert.  Perhaps he could convince his sister to cause a distraction?

[vennilavee]

doubles

pairing: levi x reader, ft baby kaiya (moon/stars universe) summary: it’s kaiya and levi’s birthday. and you have a proposition for levi. warnings: some suggestive themes (kissing, nudity, the use of the word daddy) but it’s very brief a/n: i struggle with writing holiday themed things so this is the closest i could come up with. enjoy and happy holidays :))

Kaiya’s birthday being two days before Levi’s birthday was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she loved sharing her special day with Levi, and a curse because it hardly gave you time to think about what to get Levi for his own birthday. And not to mention that their birthdays were both right in the middle of the holidays.

Every year since Kaiya was born, you and Levi at least put some multicolored lights around the house, spent a weekend decorating stockings to put over the mantle of the fireplace, and spent another weekend stringing lights up outside. You had even bought a five foot tall light up snowman for the front yard, which Kaiya had loved. She had nearly fallen over when she had seen it for the first time, and then immediately tried to hug it.

And Levi glared at it whenever he pulled out of the driveway. 

Even when it was just you and Levi, you’d both put some lights up around your previous apartment. That didn’t mean that Levi didn’t grumble about it the whole time.

For Kaiya’s third birthday this year, you had decided to combine her birthday party with a dinner for Levi over the weekend. And it worked out- Kaiya adores her father, and she had squealed when you asked if she would be okay with it. Levi had protested, not wanting to do anything for his birthday and wanted to give his baby the spotlight. It’s her third birthday, after all. His baby girl’s third birthday. But he had relented when Kaiya looked at him with tear filled eyes and her hands clasped together in pleading-

“Pwease, daddy! I wanna hab birfday wif daddy!”

And really, how could he ever say no to that? So you put Levi to work, asking him to pick up some gold and green glittery streamers the week before and some helium balloons the day of. Kaiya is with Erwin while you run around to pick up a cake and other last minute things. 

Kaiya had wanted a tea party with some of her toddler friends from the neighborhood park for her third birthday and if that doesn’t solidify that she’s Levi’s daughter, you don’t know what does. Her favorite colors right now were greens and yellows, and so that’s how the color scheme of the party goes. But you subtly include bits and pieces of Levi’s personality in there as well- with a silver birthday hat that you had bought specially for him and with his matte black teacup with his name engraved in gold lettering. 

She’s wearing a cute green glittery headband in her dark hair, black pants and a yellow long sleeve shirt with a big, glittery sunflower on it. 

She’s sunshine personified, Levi thinks. He matches her, with a dark green shirt and Kaiya gasps when you whisper to her that her daddy matched her-

“We gween!” Kaiya exclaims happily.

“We have the same birthdays, princess. Of course daddy will match you,” Levi murmurs, taking her in his arms and kissing her cheek.

It’s funny- Levi hardly ever graced you with public displays of affection and vice versa. But when Kaiya came along, he’s become a little more fond of little pecks and soft displays of affection. Kaiya eats it up, with big eyes.

His eyes. Her eyes are so inexplicably a reflection of his. 

“Gween nice, daddy,” Kaiya says, squeezing her Totoro stuffed toy close to her chest.

“It is nice,” Levi agrees, “What else is green the color of?”

“Umm… sky!” Kaiya shouts confidently.

“Good job, princess,” Levi murmurs, gracing her with another kiss to the cheek.

It makes you soft. Watching him carry her to her tea party with her party of three. Her two friends are seated in plastic blue chairs around the play table, while their parents linger with snacks in their hands.

You could combust, watching Levi take a seat on the small plastic chair and tipping his head so Kaiya can place a tiara on his hair. He only gives the kids a soft look, letting them fawn over him. Kaiya’s friends each pour Levi some imaginary tea from the teapot and with soft, toothy grins, “Happy birfday Uncle Levi.”

You take a video and pictures of him to save for later.

Some snow still remains on the grass from a previous snowfall, covering your front and backyard in a pretty coat of paper white magic. Of course, by the time Kaiya’s friends leave and your friends arrive for dinner, Kaiya is asking to build a snowman and make snow angels.

Levi bribes her with cookies to get her to stay inside with him. She had only just gotten over a terrible cold last week and the last thing anyone needed was for her to get sick. Kaiya sits on Erwin’s lap, listening intently to a story he’s telling her about a space princess. Erwin feeds her half of a cookie and she wordlessly chews on it with wide, curious eyes.

You had cut a small cake for Kaiya with her friends and had gotten a bigger cake for both Levi and Kaiya to cut together. It’s a lemon cheesecake and you know both father and daughter will love it. Neither of them have a terribly fond sweet tooth, but this cake is just the right amount of sweet.

After all, you had baked it.

When dinner is over and you’ve refilled glasses of spiced wine for everyone, you bring out the cake with a hearty start of singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Everyone chimes in, Hange with her arms around your shoulders and Kaiya beaming happily. She reaches for Levi and pats his cheek, as if to say ‘pay attention’.

“Hap birfday, daddy,” Kaiya whispers shyly.

“Happy birthday, Kai,” Levi murmurs and pats her forehead fondly. Levi moves to stand next to you and lets Kaiya blow out the candles for him. Levi holds his hand above yours as you cut a slice of cake into sections to feed to both him and Kaiya.

“When did you make this?” Levi asks.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, birthday boy,” You tease and feed Kaiya the first piece of cake. She gasps and claps her hands enthusiastically.

“Mommy, it yum,” Kaiya giggles. You kiss her cheek and wipe away some stray cream. 

“Wanna feed daddy, Kiki?” 

Kaiya nods and you help guide the fork to Levi’s mouth. “Thanks, Kai,” Levi says, “Can I feed you?” With another nod, Levi gives Kaiya a small bite. Not wanting to have a sugar rush later in the evening. And finally, you feed Levi a piece of cake, smiling at Erwin when he tells you all to look at him for a photo.

You’re tempted to smear some cake on Levi’s cheek, just to irritate him but you ultimately decide against it. After all, you have something you want to say to him later.

“Hey,” You murmur with a grin, “Happy birthday, my love.”

The tips of his ears tint pink and you pat his cheek before cutting more slices for everyone to have. Mike helps you pass out slices to everyone and you smile at him in thanks.

After everyone has had their fill of wine and cake, everyone begins to yawn and Kaiya even falls asleep in Erwin’s arms. It starts to flurry as well, light specks of white dotting the still air.

Your guests begin to leave after helping you clean up and after you give them leftovers to take home. After the hugs, happy birthdays, and promises that they’ll text you when they get home, Levi swiftly pulls you into his arms for a deep kiss, your knees buckling immediately.

“Is it my birthday?” You ask slyly, “You only kiss me like that when it’s my birthday.”

“That’s a fuckin’ lie,” Levi rolls his eyes.

“Yeah,” You say dreamily, “It is. You wanna go to bed or have another glass of wine?”

Levi wordlessly pulls you into the bedroom after making sure Kaiya is asleep, dropping kisses up and down your neck. His lips muffle your soft sounds, his hands gripping the curve of your hips and sliding down to your ass. He undresses you easily, peeling you out of your blouse and unbuttons your jeans. 

You’re in no rush. You only press against him, hands traveling the expanse of his broad chest and squeezing lightly.

“I wanna tell you something,” You mumble weakly, lips deliciously close to his ear.

He hums in response, pulling away to look you in the eyes. A hand comes to rest against your cheek, thumb caressing your cheekbone.

“I love you,” You say earnestly, “But also. I want another kid. I wanna give Kai a sibling. I wanna make you a daddy again. Wanna give me a baby, daddy?”

Levi rolls his eyes at your use of the word, swatting your ass lightly. “Kaiya would be a good big sister. And… I’ve been thinking about it, too.”

“Why didn’t either of us say anything then?”

“The idea was marinating-”

“Marinating? Don’t say that the idea of a second baby was marinating like meat in the fridge,” You joke, swatting his chest, “I was trying to be cute, by telling you on your birthday celebration. And you just compared our second baby to marinade-”

“I wanna make us parents again,” Levi whispers, cutting you off, “Want some of my marinade?”

“Do I ever,” You grin, licking a stripe up his neck, “So a second kid? You ready for it?”

“Are you ready for it? Are we ready for it?”

“I’m ready if it’s with you, my love,” You say softly, with a smile, “I’m ready for anything if it’s with you.”

tags: @simpingmaize​ @captainchrisstan​ @alrightberries​

[inky-duchess]

21 History Ancedotes for my 21st Birthday

So today I celebrate my 21st birthday and I have decided to gift you all with 21 of my favourite historical Ancedotes. Some are funny, some are sad and some are plain bizarre but I hope the make your day 💜

Mary Maloney, an Irish-born suffragette in England followed Winston Churchill around while he was campaigning for a seat in Parliament, drowning out everything he said with a very large bell and calls for him to apologise for his comments on women's rights and suffrage movements.

Clodius Pulcher was a well born Roman noble during the last day's of the Republic. He gave up his Patrician status to become Tribune of the Plebs (an office in which one had to be a Pleb) by being adopted by a much younger Plebian man who became his "father". Clodius was a bit of a riot, sneaking into religious festivals dressed like a woman to sleep with Caesar's wife, building a shrine to Liberty in the ruins of the Conservative Cicero, vetoed the last speech of one of the Consuls (who basically did nothing all year and was apparently going to roast Caesar) and burned down the Senate House with his funeral pyre (the Plebs who loved him literally tearing up the furniture to build his pyre). He was honestly the best fun.

When laying on her deathbed, Queen Caroline of Ansbach turned to her husband George II of England and told him he should marry again. George refused to ever wed again... But added he would have mistresses. Caroline said , likely with a roll of her eyes, "oh my god that doesn't matter."

Florence was a pretty cool city in the Renaissance until Savanorola came to town. He disliked the loose living artists that crowded the city, with their naked pagan gods and rampant homosexuality. He expelled them all with help of the French hoping to make Florence Holy Again. When the Borgia Pope excommunicated him and sentenced him to death, one man in the crowd was reported to have said. "thank God, niw we can return to sodomy." One Floretine man in the 1490s said Gay Rights.

So this list couldn't be complete without an entry of the only American politician I love, Alexander Hamilton who was just a walking entity of sass. I could go on about his sharp sarcasm or his disaster bi vibes with John Lauren's but my all time favourite Alexander Hamilton ancedote has to be this exchange with Thomas Jefferson "There are approximately 1010300 words in the English language, but I could never string enough words together to properly explain how much I want to hit you with a chair."

Caterina Sforza was an Italian noble woman during the Renaissance. She was apart of the powerful Sforza family, which drew many enemies to her. One fateful day at Forli, Caterina's children were snatched as hostages. The besiegers threatened to kill her children if she did not cede the castle. Caterina refused, lifting her skirts and shouted to the besiegers that she had the means to make more children.

Hannibal Lecter's creator Thomas Harris was happy to end his great character's story with the original trilogy. However his publishers forced him to write an unneeded prequel explaining why Hannibal became Hannibal. Thomas Harris agreed lest he lose the rights to his character so he wrote Hannibal Rising, where Hannibal as a young man hunts down the Nazis who ate his sister with a katana.

Nell Gwyn is my favourite mistress of Charles II, mainly because of her sass. Once while trapped in the middle of a riot where Londoners swamped her carriage thinking she was Charles's Catholic mistress. She popped her head out the carriage and told the people "Pray good people be civil. I am the Protestant whore." She also dosed her rival Moll Davis with laxatives in order to free up some of Charles's time and she once flashed her underwear at the French ambassador after asking him why the Franch King did not pay her to spy on Charles because she was with him every night. A true Queen.

Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty of China once rose from his bed to go do some ruling when he realised his lover, Dong Xian was sleeping on his sleeve. Rather than disturb his lover, the Emperor cut his sleeve off at the wrist to leave Dong Xian nap. Nothing has ever been more romantic than that. Y'all could never.

Princess Margaret the sister of current Queen Elizabeth II was a socialable Princess and often tasked to visit the up and coming music stars of the day on behalf of the Crown. When meeting the Beatles one evening, she noticed George Harrison was acting a little odd. When she asked what was the matter, he replied "We arent allowed eat until you go." Princess Margaret laughed and promptly left so the Beatles could get some dinner.

During the Siege of Jadotsville, Irish soldiers under the flag of the UN were attacked and besieged by local insurgents allied with the Katanga Regime. The insurgents numbered thousands while the Irish only had 158 soldiers, all who were lightly armed. They radioed to their allies assuring them that "we will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could use some whiskey though".

Napoleon was famous for writing raunchy letters to his wife, the Empress Josephine while he was away. She used to reply with really mundane letters or not at all. She really just could not be bothered with him.

Josip Broz Tito was so fed up with Joseph Stalin sending assassins to kill him, he wrote to Stalin personally to say "If you don't stop sending assassins to kill me. I will send one to Moscow and I won't have to send another." It didn't work but Big Dick Energy.

Successful Roman soldiers returning from war often got to march along in parades known as Triumphs. During this, it was customary for them to sing bawdy songs about their commander. One surviving one about Caesar goes like this "Romans, lock up your wives. Here comes the bald adulterous whore. We pissed away your gold in Gaul and come to borrow more."

Matilda, Lady of the English was a woman so badass that history cannot handle her. She was the daughter of Henry I who left his throne to her after the death of her brother. She was away in France when her father died and her throne was snatched by her cousin Stephen. They battled back and forth for years with neither side ceding any ground. Matilda was once besieged in a castle during a snow storm, with Stephen's men all around her. Instead of fighting her way out. She simply donned a white cloak and walked out of the castle. Just walked out without any of Stephen's men seeing her.

Pedro of Portugal once fell in love with a beautiful lady in waiting called Inez de Castro. For years, they lived as man and mistress, popping out a few kinds. Pedro's dad really did not like Inez and wanted Pedro to find a legitimate wife so he had her killed. Pedro returned home to find the mother of his children dead. Pedro went a little crazy. He had all his father's assassins killed, ripping out their hearts as they had done to him. When Pedro ascended the throne, he demanded the Pope legitimize his children by Inez. The Pope not wanting to upset the King, said he couldn't because Inez was never crowned Queen. Pedro dug Inez up and crowned her as Queen, having all the nobility swear loyalty to her corpse. The Pope had no choice but to agree to his request.

A famously clever general once saved an entire city with an ingenious stragety to sit outside the city waiting for the attacking army to come. The attack had come to fast for the city to ready themselves for a Siege so, the general had to move quickly. He evacuated the city and took his place waiting for the army to come. The enemy forces stopped and took one look at him and bolted, thinking he meant to lure them in one of his famous traps.

Michaelangelo was really badly treated by the Vatican when he was painting the Sistine Chapel. He constantly fought with the Popes over the design and his work, which he was paid peanuts for. Michaelangelo got his revenge in his work, painting the gates of Hell behind the Papal Throne and an angel flipping the ol' fig (the Renaissance version of the bird) toward the Pope's chair.

Peter the Great was not a perfect guy. He kept serfdom as a practise in his kingdom, he had his son tortured to death and he could be an unpleasant guy. But Peter was a dreamer. He wanted nothing more to build a fleet for Russia and bring Russia beyond its borders. Peter took a gap year from ruling Russia to wander around Europe. When he stopped in England, he was granted Leicester House to chill in while he did his shipwright studies. It was here that Peter found a new passion. The wheelbarrow. Cue Peter and his new found English buddies drinking in Leicester House, punching the artwork and rolling each other around in barrels across the house's Great gardens.

Diogenes is hands down a walking shit post. He was a great thinker in Greece during the reign of Alexander but a rather dry, sarcastic wit. He lived in a pithos/a jar because he shunned all vanities and values of society. He trolled other philosophers, attending their debates to heckle them and eat loud foods through them. When Alexander the Great came to fan boy over him, saying that if he were not Alexander he would like to be Diogenes to which Diogenes just said "yeah me too, now get out of my sunlight."

Cosimo de Medici was the son of a Floretine banker with a great knowledge and love of art. Cosimo wished for Florence to release its potentially and join the Renaissance. He hired Filippo Brunelleschi to finsh the Great Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore which had láin unfinished for over a century, a symbol of a failure of ambition. The builders had lost the knowledge of creating a dome so large so it remained unfinished. Despite much opposition from the other nobility and denouncers of the Renaissance, Cosimo's dream of the completion of the dome was completed, making it the largest brick dome in creation at that time. There is nothing like achieving your dreams and certainly nothing like leaving a lasting reminder that screams 'I was right and you were wrong' to stand for centuries.

[emilieautumnarchives]

Opheliac Single Cover: What does it mean?

Posted: November 11, 2004 Archived from BonnyTymePyrate’s Journal Archives

I played dress up today and took a demo shot of a protoype for the cover of the song “Opheliac,” the intended first single from the album “Opheliac.” Then I played with it and dirtied it up. Here it is:

I’d like to know what this image means to you. Really. It’s pretty simple, so I won’t be surprised if you get it right within five minutes. Do reply with your thoughts and the first to come closest to the pic’s complete meaning will be sent, compliments of me, a bar of “Megami Sushi Roll Soap” made with my own two hands and bearing all the goodness of the deep. 

From the (Forum) Comments:

The Troubadour: I’m not really much with visual interpretation, but perhaps a reflection on what the name “Opheliac” evokes would shed some light on the image’s meaning? Ophelia was someone whose life was controlled by the men she adored - Polonius, Laertes, Hamlet, even Claudius. Her desires were ruled, diverted, shaped, and subjugated by all of them in different ways. When those controllers disappeared - Laertes gone, Polonius dead, Hamlet insane - it broke her, in the worst possible way. So, to me, “Opheliac” evokes a woman who’s addicted to that process, who gets off on being controlled and then devastated by someone (not even necessarily a man). An opheliac, like a (pardon the comparison, I mean no ill) a necrophiliac (sp?).

ViolinX: YippeeMuffins! We’ve got some smart kitties on this board! Thanks everybody for offering your lovely interpretations, feel free to add more and come up with something even cooler than what I intended, but for now, da da da daaaaaa: TROUBADOUR HATH GOT IT COMPLETELY!!!

Troubie, this is exactly the meaning of “Opheliac,” exactly exactly exactly. I’m a little surprised, I think I underestimated everybody, because I thought I’d have to explain this in some long drawn out interview, but you already completely understand what it means! Sweetness! Then, while I like your first explanation of what the pearl meant, it wasn’t quite what I intended, however, you followup post got it right completely with this:

“ It’s like the persona in the picture is a living oyster, holding the pearl of her secret knowledge and wisdom in her mouth. Possibly offering it up to someone. A moment of vulnerability. “

My closing note is simply that the “pearl” is indeed wisdom, Opheliac did commit suicide, she did die, but in my version there has to be hope, so she comes back up with the pearl as her prize - she went through some crazy shit, but she’s got her wisdom to show for it and she carries it in her teeth! She’s on to you and she’s not afraid to say it. She’s also learned about sarcasm while she was under water…

I’ll post the Opheliac lyrics tomorrow and you will see just how close to my meaning you got, good job Troubie!

So now, you win the Sushi Soap. E-mail me at info@willowtechhouse.com to give me your mailing addy;)

ViolinX: Yeah, I’ve seen a very few fairytale books out there with the feminist in mind - that one sounds cool. I bought one called “Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World” by Kathleen Ragan. It’s good, but the stories are rather short and most don’t have the real impact of our traditional cinderellas and snow whites and red riding hoods and sleeping beauties, BUT, I think that may just be because those have been so popularized and glamorized that they seem bigger than the other tales…it’s good though, and brings to light lots of tales from different cultures we otherwise would never be exposed too…vegan marshmallows, yay!

ViolinX: Hey Neone, I loved reading your post - you make me realize that there are people who “get it.” Shalott is a big song on the album, definitely. The cello part is amazing - it makes the track. I completely agree about Hamlet and Ophelia both being cliched to the point of meaninglessness - I suppose I am trying to bring back what the real idea really was, and how it’s relevant today, that is my fondest hope anyway, let’s see how well I can pull this off… Ophelia has been especially romanticized beyond belief, to the point of disgusting. I’m taking her back, for all of us who have ever wanted to jump into a river.

[reyesstrand]

let your heart be light

tarlos & firefam dynamics / teen+ / 2.6k

To be fair, TK wasn’t sure what to expect for his first holiday season in Austin. But he has his dad, he has his team, he has Carlos—and it’s enough.

@911giftexchange for @teaamfreewill — i hope you enjoy this AJ, and have a happy holiday season!!! 💗

ALSO AVAILABLE ON AO3!!

“It just doesn’t feel right without snow.”

Paul looks at him with that ever-present, all-knowing look in his eyes, before letting out a sigh and nodding. “You’re telling me, New York.”

“Like,” TK starts, fully aware that he’s gravitating into rambling status at this point, but he can never stop himself. He rests a foot on the bottom rung of the shopping cart, leaning his weight against the handle as Paul analyzes the nutritional facts on two different brands of steel-cut oats. “It doesn’t feel like the holidays without at least one storm that makes you question your existence.”

Humming in agreement, Paul puts one package back on the shelf and tosses the other in the cart, before hesitating and grabbing a few more of the pale-blue bags before they're good to move on to produce. When there's a comfortable lull in conversation, both of them crossing items off the list his dad's very carefully crafted for the bi-weekly shopping trips, TK lets his mind drift to holidays past.

His parents wanted him to grow up with both the tradition of celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas, but as he grew older, Decembers tended to blur into every other month. He'd always call his mom if he was working late, smiling down at photos she'd send him of her attempts to perfect her grandmother's recipe for sufganiyot, always making his stomach rumble. And, even if she was out of the city at the time, she'd always send him a box of homemade pastries and a card with a lengthy message inscribed inside that'd make him feel warmed from the inside out. And his dad would always make him at least come for a dinner on the twenty-fifth, even if dinner was just takeout eaten straight out of the cartons while they watched the Christmas parade he always recorded.

They were simple traditions, but they were theirs.

In Austin, TK's slowly getting used to calling it home. The snow thing had been the first to strike him, because while he's seen his fair share of strange Texan weather, not waking up to white covering every surface and bitter cold nipping at his skin has been throwing him for a loop. 

"Earth to TK," Paul says, tossing him a bell pepper. TK catches it, rolling his eyes playfully at his friend. "We should start figuring out a place and time for the Not-Christmas dinner."

"Carlos offered his place," TK says, without thinking. Paul just grins at him. 

"That seems to be going well, huh?" Paul asks, hip-checking TK as they walk side-by-side to the checkout. TK feels his face go warm, though he busies himself with adjusting the rolled sleeves of his black t-shirt, printed with the 126 crest over his heart. Paul just musses up his hair before ducking out of grasp for retaliation, sidling up to the cashier and offering his big smile at her while she begins to ring them up. "I'm happy for you, kid. We all are." 

TK does smile at that, because it's the one shining light in all of this. He hadn't been sure what a holiday season with a new boyfriend would be like, especially when every single one of his friends were also friends with said boyfriend, but they've all been relatively tame. No shoving them under the mistletoe yet, which TK guesses is only a matter of time. 

"Anyway," Paul says, and TK sticks his hands into his pockets, suddenly glad Marjan isn't here to poke at his pink cheeks. 

"Anyway," TK agrees. "Carlos did offer to let us use his place, though. He suggested the twenty-second, so that way people could still go see their families." 

"The twenty-second it is," Paul smiles, already typing the date into their group chat, followed by five question marks. Because Carlos thought ahead for these things, TK knows they're all already going to be on one of their twenty-four-hour off periods; Carlos works that morning but will be home by noon, and as long as TK has detailed instructions, he won't have a problem starting the food early. 

A small knot forms deep in TK's chest, even though he knows there's still two weeks before the proposed group dinner. He just thanks the cashier after paying with the credit card his dad gave him before they left the station an hour ago, and they head back out into the sunny, barely-cool, snowless, December afternoon. 

***

TK's just hanging up with his mom, absently kicking at a rock in the lot just outside the bay doors, when he feels someone creep up behind him. 

He doesn't even blink, though, because he smells sandalwood and tangy citrus and is smiling before he feels familiar arms settle around him. He tells his mom I love you, too, and stuffs his phone in his pocket and leans back into Carlos' touch, for half a moment, before turning in his arms and pressing their foreheads together. 

"Did you know you're impossible to shop for?" 

TK grins, and presses a quick kiss to the corner of Carlos' mouth before pulling back enough to look him in the eye. "What a welcoming statement after not seeing each other for twenty-seven hours." 

Carlos rolls his eyes affectionately, and tightens his hold around TK's middle. "I missed you, Ty." 

"I missed you too," TK grins, cupping Carlos' face between his palms and finally closing the distance between them properly. "But I do take offence to that. I'm perfect in every way." 

Carlos huffs a laugh against his mouth and presses in for one more kiss, before scraping his blunt nails against the fine hairs at TK's nape. "Believe me, I know, sweetheart." 

He feels a pleasant ripple shoot through him, and TK's struck again by the fact that he gets to have this. He's close enough to see the flecks of gold in Carlos' warm brown eyes, and he wonders how it's only been three months because he feels like he's known him forever. He thinks of decorating with Marjan today and the sudden pang of homesickness that he couldn't quite explain. 

"You okay?" Carlos asks, because he can read even the most microscopic of his expressions like the back of his own hand. TK covers it up with a smile. 

"Yeah, of course," TK brushes his thumb along Carlos' jaw, before standing back, dragging his hand down the length of Carlos' arm so he could grab his hand and tangle their fingers together. "Come on, I'll buy you dinner." 

"My prince," Carlos plays along, hand over his heart, but there's still a look in his eyes. He runs his thumb over the backs of TK's knuckles, and when TK squeezes his hand tighter, he gets a small smile in return. 

***

They'd realized sometime between Thanksgiving and the first of December that they'd have to celebrate as a team, this year. 

The non-denominational, coined-by-Mateo "Not-Christmas Dinner" idea was agreed upon pretty quickly, and TK is beyond excited to start creating new traditions with his family. But he's struggling, is the thing. He wouldn't ever mention it to anyone because he hates stressing them out, and though he has no urge to do anything stupid because for the first time in a while he's happy—like, really fucking happy—he can't help but to feel like everything has to be perfect. 

It boils down to this: he misses his mom like crazy, even though she stayed with him and his dad for a couple weeks back in September when he was still healing. He's finally getting back on track with his dad, after long nights of hashing things out about his childhood. And he and Alex never did much for the holidays save for giving each other a couple gifts because they could never work out how to spend an equal amount of time with both of their families—which, in hindsight, is yet another element of the two and a half years TK lost to the man he thought was his soulmate—but now with Carlos he just wants things to be special. They already have plans to visit Carlos' mom and sisters on Christmas Eve, and Owen had lovingly coerced Carlos into a Strand family dinner on Christmas Day. 

It just feels like a lot. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Marjan asks, bumping his shoulder with hers as she strolls into Carlos' kitchen. The twenty-second kind of crept up on TK, and now he's here, attempting to hold down the fort while Carlos makes a last-minute trip to the store. His kitchen's a homey space, and, like the rest of his boyfriend's place, it's tastefully decorated with garland and candles and little angel statues that have been passed down through his family. There's a photo of the two of them on Carlos' fridge, pressed together at a pumpkin patch they'd spent a date night at back in October, and TK gets a little lost in the memory. Marjan has to nudge him a little harder to get him to snap back into it. "TK?" 

"Oh, hey," TK smiles at her, and goes back to making sure that the green beans don't stick to the bottom of the pan. She claims a burner of her own to keep her tagine warm, leaning back against the counter with her arms folded over her chest. 

"You're spacing out a bit," Marjan says, and when TK keeps his eyes trained on the vegetables he swore he could handle, she just makes a small noise and places a hand on his shoulder. "You've been a little quiet lately."

There's a pause, where neither of them say anything, before Marjan drops her voice a little and adds:

"Hey, you know you can talk to me, right?" 

"I'm just—" TK shakes his head and bites at the inside of his cheek, turning down the heat to try and kill more time.

He doesn't know how to tell her—and the rest of them—that he's both so thankful for this family he's found and so, so terrified of messing it all up. Thankfully, he doesn't have to; there's a knock at the door and Marjan offers to get it, leaving TK alone with a soft smile. He sighs, and closes his eyes for a long moment. 

***

After food has been served, and gifts have been exchanged, they all sit around Carlos' living room. The conversations overlap like they always do, and TK sits comfortably under the glow of the light from the tree and the warmth of Carlos' arm thrown over his shoulder. He's slowly picking at a piece of Grace's pecan pie, and he knows he should just let himself get lost in the moment, but he can't. He taps his foot at a staccato beat against the floor, and even when Carlos throws him a questioning look and settles his hand on TK's knee, he doesn't stop. 

He finally excuses himself ten minutes later. 

Carlos' place has a nice little backyard area, where they've all gathered for parties and after-work hangouts countless times. It's a little chilly as the sun's gone down, and TK sighs out loud and sees his breath puff out in front of him. He smiles just a little, and kicks his foot against the porch, dropping down onto the steps. 

He's expecting Carlos to come after him; or maybe Marjan, or his dad. Instead it's Grace who settles down next to him, a hand splayed over her four-month pregnant belly. 

"Honey," she starts, and TK ducks his head. His eyes burn, and he roughly sniffs. "TK. You don't have to hide whatever you're thinking from us." 

He takes a deep breath, and scrubs a hand down his face. And then he says: "I don't want to bring down your mood." 

Grace gives him one of her warm smiles. "TK, every day I'm reminded why you and my husband get along so well." 

TK rolls his eyes and gently nudges her arm with his shoulder. 

"Now tell me what's wrong," Grace says, and TK rubs the back of his neck before he starts talking. 

He tells her everything. About how the holidays usually meant bickering with Alex. How it meant celebrating with both of his parents, sure, but also dealing with awkward dinners with their new significant others. About how he hasn't felt this good since he was a kid and he doesn't want to fuck it up. 

"You could never fuck it up," Grace tells him, squeezing his hand that she's been holding between both of hers. TK meets her eyes and finds nothing but sincerity, nothing but the warmth and reassurance that always seems to be there. "Never. And know that all of us in there don't care about perfect as long as we have you, as long as we're all together. Now, I'm going to send that beautiful man of yours out here so you can talk to him, because he's been worried." 

At that exact moment, they hear the telltale creak of the door opening; both of them glance over their shoulders and spot Carlos. 

He moves to leave, lifting a hand in apology. "Sorry to interrupt—" 

"I was just leaving," Grace says, getting to her feet and squeezing TK's shoulder for a brief moment. When she disappears back into the house, Carlos takes her spot, and wordlessly presses a lingering kiss to TK's temple. 

"Ty," Carlos starts, and TK stops him in his tracks with a kiss. 

"I'm sorry for being distant, lately," TK murmurs half against his lips, because even though he knows that Carlos has seen him pretty close to his worst he hates the thought of pulling him down; of making him unhappy. "I'm just—it's been so long since I've had this. And I've never had someone like you. I was so worried about not messing things up that I got in my head." 

"Hey," Carlos whispers, getting TK to look him in the eye. "Please don't apologize, okay? We're all healthy, and here together—that's what matters, right? That I get to have you by my side through it all?"

Could you blame TK for surging forward to kiss him again? 

When they part, TK whispers: "Thank you." 

"What for?" Carlos asks, eyes glinting with confusion. 

"For being you," TK says, knowing how it sounds. 

Carlos shakes his head, moving to lace their fingers together. 

They move in unison to press their foreheads together, and TK whispers, "I love you so much. I just needed you to know that." 

"Of course I do," Carlos says, smiling into it when he kisses TK before speaking again. "I love you too. And I don't want you to feel like you have to—to hide what you're feeling." 

TK just lets himself have what he wants, what he needs in the moment, and it's this: Carlos' mouth against his, again and again. 

***

They re-enter the party ten minutes later, and all eyes are on them when they slip into the living room. 

TK opens his mouth to make some big declaration, but Marjan catches his eye, and then Paul. Then it's his dad who dramatically clears his throat and points above the two of them. 

Because, of course, there's mistletoe fastened to the doorway above them. 

"I hate you all," TK mutters, to which Judd yells lies! and Paul yells something about getting on with it. So, TK does; he presses his palms to either side of Carlos' face and grins at him before closing the distance between them. There's a whoop from someone for effect, and then when they pull apart Marjan pulls him down next to her on the loveseat so he can be thrown into a conversation about fighting mall elves they'd had to deal with during a call yesterday. 

Looking around the room, he realizes he had nothing to worry about at all. And, to be fair, TK wasn't sure what to expect for his first holiday season in Austin. But he has his dad, he has his team, he has Carlos—and it's enough. 

[honey-honey-honey-lit-the-fire]

I.O.U

*Disclaimer: pardon my english, and hmm yeah this whole wtf writing :). There's part 2*

24th December.

We agreed to meet at his dorm. This was my first time coming to his place and of course i was very nervous. I knew i had to be careful since there were a lot of his fans and reporters wandering around his dorm. So, i dressed myself as a staff. I have met his manager and thankfully he liked me and agreed for us to spend time at his dorm. He gave me his other id card so i can enter the building. I rang the bell and immediately welcomed by Kun. "Uhm, hello.." , i awkwardly greeted since we had never spoken before. "HEY YANGYANG! Your guest is here. And by the way nice to meet you, he has told me bout you. Please come in, y/n!", Kun said while opening the door widely. I thanked him and entered the living room which connected to the kitchen. Kun went to the kitchen to prepare me a drink and while he was doing that we got to know about each other a little bit more. He was speaking korean since i said i didn't understand chinese. "Don't get me wrong, but you look very young.., what line are you, " he asked. "Uhm.. 03 line.., and thank you for the tea," i blushed and drank the tea he gave me. At this moment, i started to search where Yangyang was. I wanted to asked Kun but it would just make me look impatient. "Hii!! Y/N!!!!" Yangyang startled me with a back hug. I spilled the hot tea i was drinking to my hand. "Ouch! I'm sorry.. let me clean this up," i said. I got up immediately cause i wanted to stop Kun who looked kinda panic in front of me. "Aye! Let me take care of her, she's MY guest," Yangyang said while snitching a paper towel from Kun's hand. "Baby.. you okay? Why did you say sorry? I'M sorry..," Yangyang held my hand and cleaned the table. The tea wasn't that hot so i was obviously fine, just a bit embarrassed. Kun was smiling across the counter seeing Yangyang. He would never thought his baby called a girl "baby" and even more surprised to see him cleaning up a mess. Kun left us and went to his room. "You really are a surprise, aren't you," i said smilingly to Yangyang. He smiled back and laughed. We walked to the sofa. "So.. wanna watch? You pick," he said. And so since it was Christmas eve, i picked a romance Christmas movie. He wasn't a particular fan of romance movies like me so he was kinda bored. Yangyang suddenly stood up and went somewhere. It made me question myself "is the movie really that boring?". My heart sank a little bit. Then he came from his room, with a blanket and snacks. Wayv dorms was always known to never run out of snacks. He put the snacks on the table and sat right beside me again. "Sorry for leaving you, it's just you look like you're cold," he said softly. I was. Or maybe it was just the awkward situation. He pat his lap telling me to rest my head on his. His legs was very bony so i laughed quietly. "What are you laughing about," he asked smiling and fixing his gaze on me who was resting in his lap. "Nothing, i'm just really happy right now. You. You are all that i need. We don't have to continue the movie you know," i said. "Thank god. I thought we stuck in this awkwardness forever, " he answered. He kissed my forehead and played with my hair. I sat up since his hand was around my waist giving me sign to sit up. He guided me to sit on his lap. He kissed me on the lips while caressing my back. After a while of making out, i pulled back. It was around midnight then. I searched his present in my bag. I bought him a bracelet the day before. It was expensive and i had to save my money for a month to buy that. "I don't know if you'll like it, but please take my Christmas present for you, " i said quietly and handing over the gift box to his hand. "Baby.. thank you, " he opened the box and put his iconic wide smile. "I know you don't celebrate Christmas, but still, Merry Christmas my dear. You made this Christmas eve the most beautiful night of my life. I owe you a Christmas present. Today i'll make it up to you. Be ready for my plans baby," Yangyang whispered those to my ears. I kissed him as a response and slowly drifting away of tiredness. The next morning, it was Christmas. I woke up.

In the couch. In his dorm. "Fuck! Why did i fall asleep here," spontaneously cursing myself in my head. I looked around and realized i was left alone. "You up? Good morning!" Yangyang brightly jumped out of nowhere. "Gosh.. you know i shouldn't have stayed here. You should have waken me up, " i said. "Well I'm sorry grumpy baby.. and btw it was safer for you to sleep here. Seeing you out from the building around midnight would be kinda suspicious you know," he said teasingly. He had some points. "Are the others okay with me staying over like this, i feel really bad right now..," i was suddenly full of guilt. "Hey it's just us and Kun and he said it was okay," he reassured me. He explained that the others went home for the holidays. He lightly fixed my hair and kissed me to wake me up fully. He put his arm around my shoulder. "So about the plans today.. oh, before that, we go to your apartment first to take a shower and dress up, and then breakfast baby," he laughed. He drove me to my apartment. He made himself at home while i took a shower and got ready. "Okay?" i asked while showing my white dress that i purposely bought for today. "You look very pretty, baby. You look pretty with or without that dress, like later tonight, " Yangyang teased. "What?" i blushed. I took my coat and went out. We went out to get brunch next. We went to a German restaurant that he liked. "So about that plans you talked about last night? Can you tell me about it, " i asked teasingly. "No, all secret baby. Just wait and see..," he answered. We arrived at the restaurant and immediately found a seat. I ordered a german pancake and he ordered a brunch package. We ate and talked lightly. "Actually.. you kinda scared me last night" he said. " You suddenly collapsed and i thought you passed out, " he laughed. "Really? Gosh.. i think i was really tired this past few days," i said. "I know baby, i glad this day finally come and you can ease yourself with me." Yangyang said it sweetly while looking into my eyes. He paid and we went out to the car. "Hehe.. you're coming shopping with me finally," he childlishly smiled. "Oh? Okay then. I wanna see how much you really spend on your fashion, " i laughed. At this moment my heart was just racing. I was happy but at the same moment i was scared also. This. This date. This whole relationship. It was all on the line for this day. We arrived at Galleria. We walked separately since it was kinda risky. No, really risky. He looked around and bought some stuff for himself. And suddenly, i saw a camera shooting towards him. I knew i had to go further from him. I texted him the situation and that i waited for him in a cafe. I knew Yangyang never checked his phones in public so yeah i just hoped he realized me missing. I spent my time calming myself and practiced looking normal despite feeling anxious. Around half an hour passed he texted me and said he would be over in a minute. He knew that this would happened so he took it normally. He went to the cafe and we walked to the car. We lost the cameras in the crowd and arrived at the basement safely together. I was sorry but i couldn't say a word at that time. "Hey hey, what's wrong," he said worrily. "I'm sorry for leaving you i just.." my words were cut by his kiss. "No, i know you do that for us, not just for you, but to protect me also. Thank you baby," he said sweetly. My worries immediately went away hearing his words. I smiled at him to make him know that he made me feel fine that time. He gave me some jokes. Well I laughed at the littlest things so he was happy hearing me laugh at every of his jokes. "Where are we going?" i asked. "Patient, baby. This one is a surprise for you," he said. We arrived at an art gallery. "Huh?" I questioned. "Christmas is all about home right? We went to a german restaurant so now we're going to your home, " he explained. I rarely shared my childhood stories with him but i remembered one time when we talked about Ten's art, i told him that my parents used to have an art gallery back home. It had been 5 years since i moved

to Korea and my parents sold our house and the gallery. This place made me miss my old home really bad. My eyes were teary without me realizing. "Oh, i would never expected this from you. Thank you," i smiled to him. We walked inside and went around. The whole time i was really emotional and distracted. We went out and went in to gallery's cafe. I sat while he ordered us drinks. "The life i had was something.. special. There are not many children who has lived in an "artfull" life. Me and my sister had to attend so many parties back then. The real life of art galleries starts when exhibitions come up. The live, the art, the people.. it was so overwhelming for two girls who knew nothing. People always know that art galleries are quiet and boring. I guess i'm just grateful that i got to see the other side of it. And i would really like to show it to you," i said. He listened to me whole-heartedly and said, "I would love that. I would love to meet your parents too!" he teased. I playfully pouted at him. He always knew how to brighten up the mood. We then walked around for food. We decided to come in a warm soup restaurant. Eating korean food already tasted like a home food for me right now. It was around 7 pm. We walked around a river next to the gallery. There was no one in sight so i was really comfortable at that time. I linked my arms around his. We walked without saying anything. The silence wasn't awkward yet it was truly comforting. All i felt was his warmth and company, to know that there was someone i loved and loved me back walking right next to me, was more than enough. We stop to take a sit when suddenly snow fell. "Wah, the first snow fell on the perfect time, " he turned to me. "It's really beautiful, every first snow feels like the first time for me seeing snow, " i said while touching a snow that dropped in front of me. "It looks just like in romance movies," i laughed teasing him. He turned away his head jokingly. Suddenly he turned back his head and kissed me unaware. I snuggled to his lean body and warmed myself in his arms. I wished this moment could last forever. We continued our walk in the snow and back to our car. He warmed the car since it was getting really colder. "We still have one more on the list, you still up?" he asked, concerning if i was tired. "Let's go! Wherever it is., " i said brightly. He drove again to some place. We got to a night theme park. We were a little bit hungry so we went to get fish shaped bread first. "This is perfect for the weather," i said. "I know right," he playfully said and round his arms around my shoulder. He took me to an ice rink there. Neither of us could skate well so we were stumbling against each other. I took this quiet funny. We didn't skate long because of the cold so we went to a ferris wheel. I didn't tell him that i was scared of height. He was known to be a fearless boy so i just wanted to keep up with him. I expected this to be so romantic and i was very excited. We went into a booth and sat across each other. We had a small talk about the plans we did that day until our booth was almost at the top. I started getting very scared and held the chair tightly. He noticed that and moved right next beside me. He took me in his arms and i sank my face in his chest. The floor booth was from glass and my legs were getting really shaky. He held me tight as i was something breakable and whispered, "Are you okay now?" I lifted my head to see his face and nod with a smile. "I didn't want to tell you cause uhm, i want to spend every minutes of this day with you, like this..," i said to him. "I know baby, i know," he teased while fixing my beanie. The booth reached the top and he sat me up to kiss me. "Today was all perfect. Thank you baby. But today isn't over yet, " he smirked to tease me. The booth finally went back to the ground and we got off. It was 10 pm right then and we drove back to my apartment. I knew he was gonna stay over but i told him to anyways just to make him sure i was alright with it. I turned on my heater and prepared him a hot cocoa

while he looked around seeing my plushies. "A lamb huh?" he holds a lamb plushie that i had since i was a baby. "Yeah. It is the first toy i have. He's my first "yang", jealous?" I teased him. "Well I'm here now, so you just gotta back off okay," he said it to the toy jokingly. I laughed and handed him a cup of hot cocoa. I left him to take a shower and changed into my pajama. After i finished, he also took a shower and put on clean clothes he always had in his car. We got into my bed. We cuddled immediately since the sheet were pretty cold. "I love you," he whispered. "24 hours isn't enough for all the plans i have in my head for you." "Then, how about tomorrow and the rest of the holiday? It feels like Christmas every time I'm with you.." i said reassuring him. -SMUT- I kissed him this time and his eyes brightened up immediately. He sat up and leaned on the headboard. I sat around his legs. He hold my waist while i kissed him slowly, yet burning him. He pulled his hands off my waist and started unbuttoning my pajamas. I stopped and kinda took a few seconds to fully aware the situation we were getting to. I nodded at him before he fully unbuttoned my shirt. He took his time feeling every button and it made me really impatient. I tug his short and he gave me this question full look, "Aye baby, all good things come to those who wait." He kissed my neck while unclasping my bra and pulling down my pants. He covered me with a blanket so i didn't get cold. I pulled up his shirt and sank to his chest, feeling his warmth. He turned me around so i was laying on the bed right now with him hovering me. He playfully played with the seams of panty and occasionally rub my sensitive spot. I squinted my eyes in pleasure and anticipation. "Don't close your eyes, i want to see all of you," he teased. I hit his arms lightly and pouted. He tried to pull of my panty but i stopped it with crossing my legs. He showed a confused look, a bit of scared look in his eyes. I was embarrassed to say this but i said it anyway, "It's my first, i have never gone this far with a boy before..," hiding my face with a pillow. "Oh? Do you want to continue? Cause we can stop if you feel uncomfortable and i'm truly okay with, no lie," he said. I wanted this and there would be no other perfect day to do this. He smiled and whispered me that he would be very gentle and careful not to hurt me. He took off my the last piece of clothing i had and took a few second of himself. My cheek felt like it was burning and even in this weather i didn't feel cold at all. He caressed my thighs while kissing parts of my body from the top. He put his finger in front of my mouth telling me to wet it. I sucked on his finger and he had that smug look on his face. He put one finger on the opening, "Relax baby, it will hurt if you don't relax. " I was nervous but he stroked my hairs gently, kissed my forehead, and made all my fears go away. He finally put one finger inside. I moaned in pain and the new kind of pleasure i was feeling. He checked if i was okay before moving the finger gently. His thumb was circling around my bud while his other hand held my nape. Not long i started feeling the pleasure highly building and i knew about this feeling. "Yangyang... Please.. uh..i think I'm about to come," i said heavily, murmuring under my breath. "Come for me baby..," he said. He hit a triggering spot inside me and speeded up his pace. And that was it, i came for the first time. "We haven't even started baby.. " he teased with a smug look on his face. I came down from my high and slowed my breath. He positioned himself down so his head was between my legs now. He spread my knees wide enough that i scrunched his shoulder. "Hold it for me, " he said before he licked my slit and entered his tounge inside me until i started building up pleasure again. "Ahh.. stop.. oh Yangyang.. it's.. so.. good..," i said. The pleasure reached the top again and it was more overwhelming than the one before. I screamed out his name, "I'm gonna cum... please," while distorting my facial expression. He

circled my clit with his thumb and i came for the second time. My legs felt like jelly and i barely had enough energy to open my eyes. He removed his clothes, all of them and quickly grabbed protection from his wallet. He put on the condom on his shaft that was already tensioned. He once again relaxed me down, knowing i was nervous without telling it to him. He positioned his shaft right on my entering. He stroked my hair and kissed me. "Tell me if it's too much, okay?" he whispered. I closed my eyes and grabbed the sheet while he pushed in slowly into me. He checked me first before pushing it deeper inside. He always brushed my head every time i let out a voice of pain. He was very caring and careful as if i was made of porcelain. "You did good baby.. Tell me if you're ready," he said. He kept his inside for awhile while i was adjusting the unfamiliar feeling. I nodded as a approval and he moved it slowly. The little pain that i was feeling turned into pleasure. He builded up his speed and i was losing my mind once again. "I can't.. please.. oh Yangyang, " i moaned his name again and again shamelessly. "Together baby, " he said. His breath was out of control and my name slipped between his groan. We came. I felt like all of my inner energy bursted out. He removed himself from me and cleaned up. He then searched for a clean towel. "Baby let me clean you up quick then you can sleep, " he said. After that he put me my pajamas back and tug me to bed. I was too tired that i didn't remember what he did after that since i passed out.

[thebirdandhersong]

Fairy tale retellings! because I couldn’t help myself (under the cut because I got carried away and remembered my fairy tale retelling phase from middle school........ oh boy)

Cinderella 

Cinderella (2015 Disney live action): beautiful beautiful BEAUTIFUL (the music! the script!! the Hope! the costumes! the dress! the gentleness at its heart! the overall design and the colours!) (I still believe it’s the best live action re-adaptation they’ve come up with so far) (then again they DID have one of the Rogue One writers and Kenneth Branagh--both of whom understand story AND fairy tales--on the team, and possibly the best combination of actors and costume designers)

Cinderella (Disney animated movie): like a dream. Can’t remember it that well because I haven’t watched it in over ten years, but I remember that I loved it

Cinderella, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical featuring Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana: Laura’s Cinderella is so lively and hopeful and bright and affectionate and I Love Her!!! The script is also surprisingly funny, and the little changes they made (like the fairy godmother being an old beggar woman in the village, the subplot with her stepsister, the scene at the ball where she suggests that they should all be kind to one another, the fact that the prince is called His Royal Highness Christopher Rupert Windemere Vladimir Karl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman (HERMAN!) Gregory James....... iconic) added rather than detracted from the themes they chose to emphasize

A Cinderella Story: possibly one of my favourite films. I loved the fact that they knew each other before the ‘ball’. Loved the way the fairy tale was ‘translated’ into the 2000s. The friendship was strong with this one. I had the best time watching this movie. (Dress-wise, Hilary Duff’s dress is my least favourite, but that’s a minor quibble, and is also due to the fact that it has Lily and Laura’s gorgeous fluffy ballgowns to contend with, and that’s not fair competition)

Persuasion, by Jane Austen: does it count?? The way I see it, Persuasion is like Cinderella gone wrong (we discussed this in class, and my prof called Lady Russell a fairy godmother who means well but fails her protege before the story even begins. We talked about Anne’s ‘Cinderella’/makeover moment taking place over a longer period of time, about the ‘evil’ stepsisters, etc. etc. I’m not entirely sure I agree with every single comparison he made, but he made some Very interesting points).... at least the first time :)

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. Oh, the images!!!!! Marissa Meyer is WONDERFUL at them. You wouldn’t think they’d translate well into a futuristic sci-fi (almost steampunk) world, but she did it SO brilliantly (the slipper! the ‘dress’! the whole family situation!)

Rapunzel

Tangled (Disney animated movie): an absolute joy. Rapunzel is an Ariel-like character who has hopes and dreams of her own, and I love how warm and vivacious and endearingly transparent she is. The dance scene is so, so lovely. (I stand by my opinion that very few little went right with Disney’s fairy tale retellings after Tangled.)

Cress, by Marissa Meyer: once again. Images. I can’t believe she managed to pull Rapunzel-in-space off so well. (Plus she’s a hacker, and such a sweetheart!!)

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated movie): Amazing. Gorgeous. Brilliant. The buildings and the music and Belle (Belle, my darling!!) and the darker, more Gothic feel to the art and the design...... Yes

Beauty, by Robin McKinley: knocked it right out of the ball park, right through the atmosphere, right into outer space... The language is so lush and atmospheric, and even though I knew roughly what was going to happen, I loved every moment of it. She puts a special emphasis on family and on human connection and I Loved that so much.

Rose Daughter, by Robin McKinley: also gorgeous!!!!! Beauty is still my favourite of the two, but this one was also a gem. (Again: the emphasis on family and sisterhood!!!)

Beauty and the Beast (the Broadway musical): Susan Egan’s voice is SO lovely. And Home deserved more than just an instrumental reference in the 2017 version.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George: the Best. The sisters are easier to distinguish, the changes/things she added (the war, the queen’s past, etc.) make the story even more interesting, and Galen is fantastic (courteous, kind, brave, AND likes to knit?? NICE)

The Barbie movie: I loved it when I was a little girl (it is also Muffin-approved!)

The Princess and the Pea

@fictionadventurer​‘s Wodehousian one :) which is an absolute delight. Every once in a while I remember it and then can’t stop smiling

The Goose Girl

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale: the Best. And by the Best, I mean the absolute Best. Her writing is so beautiful and her characters are so real and distinctive. The worldbuilding is fascinating. It’s so simple and so beautiful, and is near-perfect as a retelling and as a novel. The rest of the Bayern series is also wonderful!!

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (Disney movie): can’t remember it very well, except for the chef who wanted to cook Sebastian and also Ariel’s very cool sisters.... the music and Ariel’s character are lovely :)

The Little Android, by Marissa Meyer: genius. The first time I read it, I cried furiously. What does it mean to be human?? Marissa Meyer loves to talk about this in her other books (through malfunctioning robots, androids, werewolves, etc.). And the conclusion she comes to is always the same (and always done so beautifully): it’s about love and sacrifice (and tbh even though she’s talking about this through robots and werewolves, she’s got a point!!! When you act with love and self-sacrifice, you reflect the character of the Maker and His love and self-sacrifice, which is what makes us in that moment the most human--or at least human in the sense that that’s what we were made to be and to do towards our neighbours and enemies)

Ponyo (Studio Ghibli movie): this counts, doesn’t it?? A film that is an absolute joy through and through. It doesn’t completely stick to the original fairy tale but it also talks about compassion, kindness, and love as a choice

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog (Disney animated movie): can’t remember it very well, but Anika Noni Rose has a fantastic voice, and I loved Tiana’s practicality, optimism, and kindness

The Prince of the Pond, by Donna Jo Napoli: can’t remember it either (read it in third grade) but basically it’s about how the prince turns into a frog and starts a family with another frog (the story is told from her perspective). I do remember that the ending made me so sad, though

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty (Disney movie): can’t remember it at all either, except for: 1) Once Upon a Dream (a brilliant song) and 2) forget pink or blue. I liked her grey dress the most

Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley: the story was told in such an interesting way (the animals! the way she wrote about love and protecting the people you love and self-sacrifice in familial and platonic relationships!) with Robin McKinley’s beautiful style

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

East, by Edith Pattou: I was obsessed with this book in elementary school. Obsessed. I kept rereading it over and over again because I just loved it so much. It’s been a few years since I’ve read it, but I can remember certain scenes (Rose entering the ballroom for the first time, the white bear’s hulking figure in the doorway, the architecture of the hall where she washes the shirt, her fingers running over the wax, the reunion scene) so vividly as if it had been a movie instead of a book, or if I’d actually been there, experiencing what Rose was experiencing

Orpheus and Eurydice (which kind of counts)

Hadestown (the Broadway musical, the original cast, AND Anais Mitchell’s original concept album): I’ve talked about it so much I probably shouldn’t even start slkfjsdl;kfjlk; I just wanted an excuse to mention it again

Tam Lin

Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones: I loved it when I first read it but I was so confused and so fascinated by it.

The Snow Queen

Frozen (Disney animated movie): no (insert heart emoji)

And contemporary(?) books that are considered modern classics, if not modern fairy tales (depends on how you look at it, really):

Peter Pan

Peter Pan (Disney animated movie): a childhood favourite!!!

Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry: the whole series is so much fun (and they’re among some of the funniest books I’ve read). This one serves as a sort of prequel to Peter Pan, but it’s safer to say that Dave Barry reimagined the whole story.

Peter and the Starcatcher (Broadway play adaptation of the book, which is a reimagining of the original Peter Pan..... yeah): the source material is incredibly funny, so naturally the play adaptation makes you laugh until your sides feel ready to split (I mean!! You have Christian Borle as Black Stache, Adam Chanler Berat as Peter, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly..... they’re all brilliant) The script, the way the cast makes use of the set and props, the perfect comic delivery....... love it

Finding Neverland, a musical adaptation of the movie (the A.R.T. production with Jeremy Jordan as James Barrie): the music is so good, and the way they write about the value of looking at the world through the eyes of a child?? of seeing the beauty in everything?? of hope and imagination and wonder?? If it weren’t for the way it handles adultery (even emotionally cheating!) and divorce :( but Laura Michelle Kelly is absolutely enchanting, and the script is also incredibly funny and heartwarming

Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson: a twisted fairy tale... it was quite disturbing at times, but it was also beautiful and heartbreaking. It’s a darker take on the story, which I tend not to like (at all), but the way it explored Tiger Lily and Peter was quite interestng

The Wizard of Oz

WIcked, the Stephen Schwartz musical--I haven’t read the book: as far as retellings-about-the-villain-of-the-original-story goes this one is my favourite. It is another twisted fairy tale, though, and there’s a constant undercurrent of doom and dread, even in the motifs Stephen Schwartz uses... the ending is not completely happy, but the music is FANTASTIC (Mr. Schwartz also did The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Prince of Egypt!!)

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland (Disney movie): another childhood favourite... I also haven’t seen this one in over ten years, but I can still remember specific scenes very clearly in my head

Alice by Heart: a musical about a girl called Alice Spencer whose coping mechanism (quite literally) is Alice in Wonderland. She knows it by heart (again. Literally) and she dives into the world as a form of escapism (LITERALLY. There’s even a song at the end where the characters acknowledge how unhealthy this is). There’s a lot about growing up, losing a loved one, learning to let go... about self-deception and grief and the control one has over one’s life (unfortunately it IS subtly antagonistic towards Christianity at times)..... i do wish that writers didn’t have to treat sexual maturity as the most prominent/interesting part of coming-of-age stories, though. The characters, the set and lighting and costume design (BRILLIANT, by the way!!!!)... all wonderful. But the strangely sexual references can be a bit uncomfortable. (Really!! You can tell a coming-of-age story WITHOUT that stuff, you know!!!!!)

That Disney Movie directed by Tim Burton: wouldn’t recommend. Alice doesn’t need to be a warrior. (At ALL.)

Would also like to mention: Princess Tutu :)

[eleanorbloom]

Love  Actually Is... (Bryce x MC)

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom)

Word Count: 5k  

Warnings: Fluff and some curse words. Rated T.

Summary: Eleanor is feeling down and Bryce has a very particular way to cheer her up.

Taglist @utterlyinevitable @choicesficwriterscreations  @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268  @cinnamonspongecake @romewritingshop @bratzlahela @freckles-spangledvampire   @mercury84choices  @curiousconch @openheartfanfics

_________

“

4 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS.

“Bryce, love, what are you doing?” I shouted from the couch in the living room toward our room. My voice was husky and nasal because I had been crying for the past hour, and I was drying my puffy and reddened eyes for the umpteenth time that evening.  I was frustrated, sad, and angry, but I was doing my best to move on, “We have to decide what are we gonna do on Christmas Eve. I’ll go to the grocery store tomorrow.”

No response. For a moment I thought he was in the bathroom, or sleeping, but then I heard some rummaging in the room, so I knew for sure he should’ve heard me.

"Goldie, what are you up to?" I insisted as Bryce didn't respond to me nor approached the living room in the next minute. I was about to get up from my seat when I saw him coming out of our bedroom with a smirk on his face and some strange clothes on. He was wearing a white buttoned shirt and black cotton pants, very different from the dark jeans and green Henley he was wearing ten minutes ago.

I frowned.

“Love, why are you wearing that? You have a wedding I wasn’t aware of?” I asked, watching him come to the living room.

“Wait and see.” He simply replied as he was scrolling through his phone, and then walked to the big windows of the living room.

Outside there was the reason for my disappointment, of my anger. It was dark, stormy, and really, really cold. The glass of the window was completely frosted, so the streetlights barely could percolate through the thick layer of snow in the glass.

One more click and a few notes started playing in the home sound system. Bryce, giving me his back, started swaying his hips.

I knew those notes. My mind was racing, trying to decipher where I had listened to them. “Is this…?”

Your eyes tell me how you want me

“Oh my god.”

I can feel it in your heart beat

Then Bryce took slow steps backward and turned her face to wink at me, all seductive and teasing while he was singing along with The Pointer Sisters. Then he pointed a finger to me while his hips started rocking toward my way.  

I started laughing instantly, of course. The way he was looking at me and how smooth his movements were would never stop to amaze me. But it was also a mix of fun and tenderness, because he was acting like a character from my favorite Christmas movie, Love Actually, only to cheer me up, so even if I was laughing my ass off, I was pretty emotional too.

He kept moving and singing until he reached the center of the living room, and then changed his steps. Now he was moving to the sides with open arms and legs, moving his head to the beat. The whole step was hilarious, but he was doing it even funnier with his confident smirk and his expert motions, exceeding the very well presentation Hugh Grant did in the movie. It was like he was born to do that scene.

“I’ll take you down, I’ll take you doooown, where no one’s ever gone before”

“Love, oh my god!” I said wiping the tears off my eyes, as was crying again, but this time for a very pleasant reason.

We were so immersed in the dance that none of us heard the sound of keys in the lock, and the door cracking open. Just when the door slammed shut, we realized Keiki was there, staring at Bryce with a puzzled look and biting her lips to not burst out of laugh.

“What the hell are you doing, weirdo?”

“Jump in and feel my touch! Jum if you want to taste my kisses!” He said dancing towards her, rocking his hips teasingly, and Keiki gave him a horrified look as he saw him dancing around her. “Hi Keiks, welcome home.”

“No! I’m leaving! I should’ve never come back! Nikka, take me with youuu!!" She screamed as she pretended she was asking her best friend to rescue her.

Then she turned to me, as I was cackling louder than ever, “Ella, are you okay with this?” she asked me with a mix of disappointment and amusement, taking a seat beside me.

“Keiki, it’s hilarious.”

“Jump! You want to taste my kisses in the night then”—Suddenly Bryce jumped to the empty space beside me and started dancing over, moving his butt over me. “Jump, jump for my love!”

“Eeewww Bryce!” Keiki squealed, covering her eyes with both hands. “Honestly, I don’t know how you can live with this weirdo, share a bed with this clown, Ella.” Her cheeks were flushed, partly because of the embarrassment but mostly because she was trying so hard not to laugh.

“Well, I mean, you live with him too, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but you consciously chose him. And I bet you already knew how ridiculous he was before agreeing to be his girlfriend. I literally had no choice.”

Bryce jumped to the floor again and then squeezed to sit in the middle of me and Keiki.

“Oh, come on little sistah, don't be such spoilsport," He said “Are you thirsty? Can I offer you a glass of wotah? Or maybe a cup of tea?”

“Oh my god, Ella what the hell did you give him? Did he smoke anything?”

“Dear lord! Where are your modals, Keiki? Your Governess would be ashamed of how rude you are behaving with your beloved older brother.”

“Okay, I’m going to my room now.”She said as she was trying to stand up from the couch but Bryce stopped her.

“But darling, tell me first how was your day? The mall was too crowded?”

“A living hell, but now I realize it was better than this hell.”

“Oh, and what will be my Christmas present? Did you found that lovely china cups I’ve been dreaming about so much these past months?”

“Will you ever stop talking like you’re auditioning for Downton Abbey. Ella, please talk some sense into him.” She looked at me, pleading, and I couldn’t help but tease her even more.

"Keiki, darling, wot is wrong with ya? Why are you speaking this strange accent? One way to the shopping mall and you’re all American? The Queen would be ashamed of you!”

“I can’t believe this, you of all people, Eleanor?” She was disappointed, but I could tell she was enjoying the whole exchange.

“Stop complaining, you stupid sandwich!” Bryce shouted in his best Gordon Ramsay personification. “It’s almost Christmas, laugh a little, child!”  

“Sandwich? Did I hear Sandwich?” I asked with a mischievous smirk on my face.

That was our intern joke. Whenever or wherever we would say the word sandwich…

“Noooooo, sandwich nooooo, dam….n…”

We would sandwich the last person to react. So Bryce and I wrapped Keiki into a tight hug, sandwiching her.

"SANDWICH!" We squealed happily.

“Please, help me, god." She pleaded, feigning annoyance. “I can’t believe you are 29 and behave like 10 years old kids. Worse, like you were 5!"

“Don’t play the dumb, Keiks, you like being sandwiched.” Bryce defied. After a moment, she surrendered and gave him broad smile.

"Only because I have no other option but to accept your weird ways of showing love."

"We have more adult ways, but you don't like them either." I added, then Bryce and I squeezed her a bit more, to finally release her from our grip, "Aaaand you’re free”

“Thank god” She sighed loudly. “Why all this fuss, though? You two were watching Love Actually again? Or is this your normal mode before Christmas?”

“No, I was just trying to cheer Elle on.”

“Why? What happened?”

“They canceled the flights due to the snowstorm for the next two days so… we’re not going to Chile.”

“Oh, no.” She whispered. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. We have been waiting for this trip for weeks, maybe even months. “I’m so sorry, Ella.  I know this was important to you. I was really looking forward to traveling to Chile too.”

“I know... That’s what has me so sad and angry…” I shook my head, trying to shake off the bad emotions. “So, well, you know your brother, he likes to ridicule himself to make me laugh, so he was doing just that.”

“Ridicule myself, excuse me? That’s was a terrific presentation, it was divine! The Queen would be so pleased! So would Hugh Grant!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, bro.” She rolled her eyes “So, what are we gonna do?”

“Well, have Christmas Eve dinner here and maybe join our friends on Christmas Day? If you’re okay with that, of course.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” She smiled. “Whatever helps me not spend the whole day with you two, weirdos”

I chucked.

“Excellent, I let them know we’ll joining them on Friday”

After we discussed the menu and we came up with a complete grocery store list, Keiki finally stood up from the couch. “Well, now that we are ready with that, I’m gonna laid down a bit. You two are exhausting, you know that? I only hope you’re not this impossible on Christmas Eve.”

Bryce and I watched Keiki walking to her room with two bags in hand at a light pace.

“That was Keiki or is Ethan ventriloquizing Keiks somewhere?” Bryce asked once his sister got into her room.

“She’s a teenager, love. I bet you were that grinch too.”

“Well, yeah, but not that grinch.”

“Maybe she’s right and we really are impossible.”

“Yeah, but she cannot know.” We both laughed. “Let's behave until New Year's Day."

“Deal.”

 2 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS.

As I wasn’t going to be out of town for the next days before Christmas, I went to work so I could have those free days in the future.

I was checking on a patient when my pager went off. “MEETING IN 10 MINUTES.”

After updating the chart and checking one more patient, I walked toward the Diagnostic Team Office. When I entered, ready to sit in my usual spot between Ethan and Baz, I was surprised as I found Baz sitting in my spot and Ethan on Baz's. The rest of the spots were full of papers, so the only option was sitting in Ethan's spot, next to the whiteboard and facing the glass wall.

"Have a seat, Eleanor," Ethan said as he noticed my worry.

“Ooookay. So, what’s the matter?”

“Cleveland Clinic called to report a new symptom, and I think this might be our cue to provide some alternatives to their Diagnostic Team.”

“Oh, okay.”

Ethan was explaining the new symptoms when something behind the glass walls caught my attention. Two blinds were partially closed while the other two were opened, revealing everything outside the hallway.

A figure in a red turtleneck sweater with a snowman in the middle, a red Santa hat, and something white on his arms.

Then I realized it was Bryce and what he was grabbing with his arms were big white cards.

When he realized I recognized him, he winked at me, giving me his usual dashing smile.

Ethan kept talking, ignoring that I was kind of unfocused. I couldn’t help but give glances to the wall behind him, wondering what was happening out there.

Then Bryce put the cards in position.

“PRETEND IT’S A BEE”

My eyes widened but I tried to dissimulate. Ethan kept talking.

“I KNOW YOU’RE STILL DOWN”

I smiled sadly.

“I GUESS MY SEXY DANCING WASN’T ENOUGH”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, so Ethan noticed and looked at me confused. Then he looked where I was looking, so Baz did.

"For the love of God," Ethan said pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Please ignore him.”

Bryce continued.

“SO HERE I AM, TRYING AGAIN”

I shook my head and bit my lower lip, resisting the laugh.

“I KNOW WE’RE AT WORK, BUT LET ME SAY”

“WITHOUT HOPE OR AGENDA”

“JUST BECAUSE IT’S CHRISTMAS”

“AND IN CHRISTMAS YOU TELL THE TRUTH”

“TO ME, YOU’RE PERFECT”

“Awww” I heard Baz squeal. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction.

“AND MY WASTED HEART WILL LOVE YOU”

“UNTIL YOU LOOK LIKE THIS”

And in the next card, there was a photo of me, sleeping, with my open mouth and all, completely oblivious that someone was taking me a picture.

Baz laughed again and even Ethan chuckled.

"Oh my god," I covered my face with both hands in embarrassment.

“SORRY, THAT WAS LAST NIGHT.”

“Son of a…”

“BUT I DO LOVE YOU EVEN IF YOU LOOK LIKE THAT”

“OR LIKE THIS”

This time it was a photo of me, sick, about three months ago. The three in the office laughed. Even Ethan was enjoying the spectacle.

“AND I WILL LOVE YOU UNTIL YOU LOOK LIKE THIS”

“(I SWEAR THIS TIME IS TRUE)”

And there was a picture of ashes.

“OR MAYBE UNTIL YOU LOOK LIKE THIS”

There was a picture of a koala.

“WHETHER YOU BECOME ASHES OR REENCARNATE IN A KOALA”

“OR IF YOU LIVE SEVEN OR TEN LIFES”

“I’LL FIND MY WAY TO YOU”

“AND I’LL KEEP LOVING YOU AND CHEERING YOU UP ALL YOUR LIVES.”

“MERRY CHRISTMAS KOALITA.”

“YOUR GOLDIE THAT LOVES YOU VERY MUCH.”

By then there were tears all over my face. I was sobbing. Without thinking too much, I stood up from my chair and ran outside where he was leaning the cards against the wall.

“Hmpf!” He said when I crushed against him. I pressed my face to his chest and sobbed. He stroked my hair softly. “Hey… I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry” He muttered softly. I shook my head. “I wanted to cheer you on, baby koala”

A few seconds later, I parted from him. His sweater was stained with my tears, and my face was a complete mess. “It’s fine, it’s just… I thought you wouldn't notice. I didn't want you to notice."

“Love, of course I’d notice, and I’d feel horrible if I didn’t, honestly. It’s okay if you’re still angry and sad. You can rant with me, you know that, right?”

“I know, it’s just that… I didn’t want to bore you with my emotional mess. I know this is something out of my hands and I should just accept it… but I’d been months waiting for this.”

“I know baby, I’d been too, and I’m really sorry we couldn’t make it, but you don’t have to pretend, not with me. If you’re feeling sad, I wanna be there for you, alright?”

“Okay, love. You’re right. It’s just… Ahhh!” I grunted in frustration and I buried my face deeper in his chest for a moment “I really want you to meet my abuela. And my tata. And cousins and… Just everyone. And I want them to meet you.”

“We’ll make it, gorgeous. We’ll find the perfect time to travel, I promise. In the meantime, I'll try to cheer you on while you're sad, okay?”

I nodded and he kissed me on my forehead.

"Thank you, my love."

Just then, Baz went out of the office.

“You know I’m team Zines” He stated, and then shook his head “But you two make it really difficult to maintain my position."

I chuckled.

“It’s your brother after all, I get it.”

"Just know that you're in second place in my hashtag relationship goals." I nodded. “And you, mate” He added, looking directly at Bryce “I don't know why you're still alive. With those pictures...”

I gave a stony glare to Bryce.

“Oh, yeah, don’t think I’ve forgotten, Bryce Lahela! When we get home…!”

“Ooof, I better go," Baz announced.

“But the meeting?”

Baz snorted and kept walking. I turned around and Ethan was leaned against the window looking at us, serious. “I thought you couldn’t be cheesier, Lahela, but here you are, always proving me wrong.”

"And I pretend to keep proving you wrong,"

Ethan rolled his eyes.

“Wait… Ethan, you knew about this?”

“Obviously. Do you think this jackass would dare to interrupt me? In a meeting?”

“Well, yeah?”

“Eleanor Andrea Bloom how dare you!” Bryce scowled at me.

“You should know better than me that he’s wiser than it seems, Eleanor.”

“Well… actually yes, it makes sense, but I also know that you would never agree to this.”

“Maybe I was feeling generous just because it’s Christmas.”

"Thanks, buddy, I owe you one."

“By this time, like a hundred. And I'm not your buddy. How many times do I have to tell you?"

“Thank you, Ethan, really.”

“Don’t thank me. Just don’t ask me something like this never again.”

And he started walking toward the elevator, leaving us alone in the hallway.

Bryce took the cards and we went inside the office.

"Now… explain to me when the fucking hell did you take that photo?"

“Ooooof Keiki is waiting for me at home, gotta go, babe…”

I took his wrist. “Bryce. Explain. Now.”

"I always take random pics of you, I thought you knew. Reading, sleeping, cooking… At work… This one… I might have taken it like two months ago? When you had 24 hours shift and a bear could've fallen over you and you wouldn't have felt it."

I giggled. “I can’t even be mad at you for embarrass me in front of my colleagues.”

“I know, my charms are irresistible, mad-proof.”

“Don’t tempt fate, darling.”

“Is that a threat?”

Bryce leaned towards me, just a breath away. His warm breath, smoky with coffee and sweet with cream and sugar made me thirsty. I really wanted to resist, but it was hard. Besides, what was the point? I wasn't even mad at him. If all, just melted. Of course, he knew that, he knew he could advantage of that, like he knew I would forgive him for such embarrassment just because he was cute and handsome. I mean, I don't even have to explain to you what effect he has on me, you have seen him in action a couple of times by now. So I just gulped as I was looking into his lips quirking in a smug smile, trying so hard to resist…  

“Maybe not now but-” I try to retort but he silenced me with a kiss. I could’ve moved my face, push him away… But I’m weak around him. He knows it perfectly well.

“You talk too much, babe.”

“How da…”? He silenced me again with another kiss. Marvelous and breathtaking. He smiled against my lips.

I can’t resist him. I’m weak. I can be strong for a lot of things, I can set my mind for a lot of things, but when it comes to him… I’m so weak. But at that moment it felt so right to give in. Because the whole surprise and the way he was there to soothe me really helped me heighten my spirits, he helped me accept that I couldn't travel but everything would be alright because he was with me, and he would be right by my side in case things turn dark again.

 CHRISTMAS DAY.

Despite the sadness that we were feeling, especially me, for not being able to travel to Chile, we had a great dinner, and we behave like adults for Keiki’s sake.

And the dinner was especially delicious because it was made by the three of us. Sometimes it’s concerted, sometimes it’s improvised, but when the three of us are in the kitchen, the meal is always more gratifying. For the collaborative work and for the bond. For the memories. Cooking together will always remember us of the night Keiki came into our lives. The night I met her and the night Bryce saw her again after ten years. So every time we do it, it reminds us of how far we have come.

How far Bryce and Keiki have come after struggling for his ten-year absence for months after she came back into his life.

How far Keiki and me we have come after she finally accepted me in her life, because she came to Boston to have his brother back, and instead, and she won a new sister too, even if at some point it didn’t seem like she was happy with that.

How far we have come Bryce and me, as partners, as roommates.

How far we have come the three of us as a family.

It makes us proud of ourselves and the way we congratulate each other is by sharing something we as a family prepared.

When I woke up that morning, Bryce was already up, making breakfast in the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas babe," He said, kissing me on the lips, before slicing a berries pie I had bought for Christmas morning.

“Feliz Navidad, amor," I said giving him a mischievous smirk. He loves when I speak in Spanish, if you know what I mean.

Just then, Keiki appeared in the living room.

"Merry Christmas! Can we open our presents now?"

“Oooh, looks who woke up with lots of energy and cheerfulness!”

“Don’t ruin it, Bryce!” I said, nudging his shoulder.

"Thank you, Ella."

I sprinted towards her and hugged her. "Merry Christmas, Keiks!”

“SANDWICH!” I heard from the kitchen.

“Sandwich!” Keiki shouted instantly, and the next thing I knew is that Bryce was hugging me from behind. It was my turn to be sandwiched by the Lahela siblings. “Why I feel like I’m being sandwiched even if I’m supposed to be the bread? You’re so invasive, Bryce.”

After a few seconds, they let me go, so we all approached the Christmas tree and started distributing the presents. First, we gave Keiki her presents, then Bryce’s, and then it was my turn to receive presents.

We normally give hints the month before of what things we need or want and this time I honestly didn’t want too much. Just a new gloves for the cold (which Keiki gave me), maybe some new book and a supersonic hairdryer. I had been hallucinating with it for the past month because the reviews say that it cuts the hair drying time in more than half, so it was really looking forward to having five minutes more of sleep each morning because now it wouldn't take me that much dry my hair. Plus, it leaves the hair shinier than normal hairdryers.

I talked about it three or four times the past weeks, and Bryce catches everything. Sometimes there are times when Bryce notices first than me when I’m pissed off about something, so it was impossible that he wouldn’t know what I wanted for Christmas.

And what I received as a Christmas present instead? A box full of pens and sticky notes and cute notebooks.

"Oh, this is cute," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. "Oh, and it has a puppy! A goldie like you!”

“Yeah, that’s why I picked that one, I know you would love it," Bryce said, smirking at me.

“Thank you, this is very useful!”

Then we went to have breakfast on the kitchen island. After a few minutes, the disappointment dispersed but still. Pens, sticky notes, and notebooks. What the fuck? That would’ve fitted Keiki better than me. A teenager me, maybe even a Med School student me, but not an in-half-a-year-I’ll-be-attending me! I couldn’t believe it.

When we were done, I got up to put the dishes in the dishwasher, but Keiki stopped me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do this.” She said, grabbing the mugs before I could reach them.

“Let’s have some sleep before we go to see the guys, babe” Bryce took my hand and led me to our room.

I sat in the bed and when I leaned to place my head on the pillow, I felt something hard under it.

I furrowed. Bryce was staring at me, biting his lip. I moved the pillow and I found a box wrapped in snowy gift paper with a red ribbon. When I opened it… there it was, the freaking supersonic hairdryer.

“Oh my god! This is… This is what I wanted!”

"I know," He said, smiling.

“You did it on purpose?”

I heard a laugh at the entry of the room where Keiki was walking towards us with her phone on hand, recording.

“I bet Joni Mitchell was playing in your head the whole breakfast, am I right? I’ve looked at clouds from both sides nooooow”

“You…”

At that moment it hit me.

"Okay, so now I'm the crying wife? You made the fool of me as Harry did with Karen?" I said throwing the pillow at him. “And you helped him, Keiki!”

"Hey, in my defense, it was a joke, I didn't buy this hair dryer for my secretary or something."

“Oh, so I should thank you that you’re not cheating on me? You made my breakfast bitter! Sticky notes! What the hell!”

By this time, Keiki was sitting at the edge of the bed, still laughing but looking at me cautiously in case I would throw her another pillow.

“Hey, I had planned to do this in Chile, which means… you would’ve opened the gift at midnight and not until the next morning you would’ve found out what was your real gift.”

I shook my head.

“You really got me.”

“I know. It was painful seeing your disappointment, but totally worth it after seeing your reaction with the real gift.”

“And now we can watch it every night before sleeping if we want” Keiki teased.

I scowled at her, but then I just chuckled as I felt a sentiment of thankfulness and joy invading me. Bryce, and Keiki too, had been doing tons of things to cheer me up the last few days, and even if at that moment I still wished I was here, I felt so complete, because despite all, there we were, laughing, boding, teasing each other, in our natural selves. Just as families do and I was thankful for the family I had. The family I chose.

“Thank you, both of you, for cheering me up these last few days while I was so gloomy and weepy."

“That’s what family is for. They stick with you no matter what.” He kissed my cheek. “And to prank you even when you’re down”

                                              ”

“Oh dear, I can’t stop laughing, he really got you!” Ofelia giggled, wiping a tear off her cheek.

 Eleanor stared at her grandmother by her side and followed suit, releasing a hearted laugh. "Yeah, and I couldn't believe it. I mean, I’m always very grateful for whatever he gives me… But a box of sticky notes, lela? I was so sure he knew what I wanted... But it was all a prank in the end. The last scene of a very Love Actually Christmas."

“You never have a dull time with him, do you?"

"Never. He always finds a way to make a difference, and even on normal days, when we are tired and bored and none of us have the energy for anything else than lie down on the bed… even like that, he somehow makes it feel special."

"Mmmm yes, he does have a way to bring out the best in people and the best in any situation."

"Yup, that's definitely him." Eleanor smiled fondly, watching as Bryce was cheerily speaking with her grandfather at the other side of the table, sharing tips about how to make the perfect barbecue. Bryce didn't know a thing about barbecues, but he was learning the Chilean way.  

They had arrived two days ago in company of Keiki and had planned to spend a couple of days there, getting to know the family and then they would take a tour around the south of the country, especially Chiloé and Torres del Paine for a week or so, and then they would return to her grandparents house for the proper farawell before getting back to Boston.

A few moments later Bryce turned his head and winked at her.

Eleanor couldn't help but smile goofily at him.

"It's so rare what you've found here, dear, and in such short time" Ofelia continued, after noticing the exchange between the couple. Eleanor gave her a puzzled glare "What do you mean?"

"The devotion you two have for each other. Sometimes it takes years, sometimes people get married without having it, but you already have it. And it's so hard to find, Ellie, because you can kiss and sleep with anyone thinking it's love, you can even get married and have kids without even love the other person, or just believing it's love when sometimes is just comfort or an illusion. But you two…" She gave a quick glance to Bryce and then to Eleanor "You don't even have to tell me to know you're in love because the way you look at each other, the way you care about each other speak volumes."

"You really think so, lela?" Her eyes shined with hope.

"I do. The way he cares about you and brings out the best of you, the way you admire him and push him to be a better brother, a better friend, a better partner. That's what love actually is,  making each other better and be happy with the simpler things in life, and you two have it, without a doubt. And you know what? That's the kind of relationship everyone should aspire to have for the rest their lives and you two are lucky to have it.”

Eleanor stared at the resolution with whom her grandmom was speaking and she knew it was all honesty. She felt relieved because there was someone outside her that thought that too. Sometimes she used to think it was too soon, but now was realizing that maybe it was alright. It was all real.

She had known it since she realized she was in love with Bryce, and it became more clear when they moved together, but now the truth was undeniable and more palpable than ever: Bryce was the man she will spend her whole life with.

Bryce was the man she was going to marry.

_____

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone and happy holidays! I hope you all enjoyed the day (or the days) despite the sad circumstances.

Special thanks to Conch @curiousconch for helping me with the initial ideas of this fic, I think without your support and ideas, I don’t think this fic would’ve turned out the way it did without our brainstorming session, so thank you so much!

And thanks to Ruby @starrystarrytrouble​ for encouranging me and sending me motivation to keep writing it despite my blocks and being out of ideas, thank you dear, I hope you enjoyed this!

Thank you all for reading!

I hope you all have an amazing week, and my best wishes to each and every one of you in the year that’s about to start soon.

A big hug!

[lemon-trap]

Hayley Irwin bio

Author’s note: If any of y’all (not many) wanted to know more about my oc Hayley that has showed up before in some of my writing then this is the place for you! (I’m sorry that it’s so long and also about the long paragraphs because tumblr is stupid) I also dedicate this post to @sisi-halloway (I’m so sorry this took so long hun). And there are some parts that are not really accurate but dramatized.

Name: Hayley Irwin

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 22

Birthday: November 3rd

Love interest: Muriel or Asra but it would be very interesting to see her with the others.

Familiar: Snow leopard

Appearance: Hayley is just a few inches shorter than Julian. Her skin tone is almond. She has dark brown hair that drops down to the middle of her back but she usually keeps it in a high ponytail. Her eyes are amber and I love them, they are usually the first things that people notice about her. Her body is fit and flexible. She has many scars on her body including the one on her face but we’ll get to that one in a bit.

Favorite colors: black, green, and sometimes yellow

Favorite flower: gladiolus

Favorite drink: tea

Favorite food: soup or dumplings

Favorite hobbies: she likes to dance

Skills: fighting, dancing, sword fighting, gymnastics, and knows many languages

Place of birth: somewhere really cold and full of mountains

Father: Noah Irwin

Mother: Viktoria Irwin

Sister: Alice Irwin

Backstory:

Hayley was born into a wealthy and happy family. Her earliest memories are of a happy childhood full of laughter and loving parents, little did she know. Noah and Viktoria Irwin were apart of a community of rich old people who thought it was their right to control the world around them. They did this by creating a school decades before Hayley was born, a school for Elite Girls, but this wasn’t a normal boarding school. It was a school for highly trained assassins.

Hayley was too young to know any of this but every family who was apart of this wealthy group had to ‘donate’ their first daughter to the Elite School for Girls. Hayley was a first child and her happy childhood abruptly ended when she was thirteen. In the middle of a dark moonless night Hayley was grabbed from her bed and dragged kicking and screaming out of her house with her parents basically waving her off. The next day was Hayley’s first day of hell. Hayley was scared and confused. She didn’t know where she was or why. Everyone was so mean.

Hayley soon adapted and her grades were high from the fear of what would happen to her if they weren’t. Eventually the classes got tougher and stranger like survival tactics and gymnastics. She was top of her class in each one still. She was aware that the school had their eyes on her. They would stand in the back of the room as she did her flips and stretches. Then she was given fighting classes and there was no room for failure there. Everyday she would return to her room beaten and exhausted but she never gave up and the bruises lessened with each day. Now she was giving her punches to someone else. By this point she knew what the school was really about, she wasn’t dumb. She noticed how some of the older girls would go missing for days then return with bullet wounds or they would never return at all. One day the principal of the school came up to her, she was an old woman that had seen many things and she smiled like she was going to hurt you, she said that Hayley was special and could go on a secret mission that required her help. The principal made Hayley feel special and worthless at the same time.

Hayley agreed, believing that she was ready to face a mission. Boy was she wrong. At first everything was okay, no alarms were triggered and no guards had seen her. Then when she got cocky, Hayley tripped and yelped which caught the guards attention and they chased her out of the building, shooting at her. Miraculously, Hayley survived and was able to get back to the school. She went to the nurses office immediately because she was bleeding heavily. While she was giving the principal her mission report, the principal got angrier with every word Hayley said until she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

The principal shoved the nurse out of the way just as she was stitching up a wound and the principal pushed Hayley against the medical table. The principal called for more people as she grabbed a pair of giant scissors. Hayley struggled, fearing the worse, but she couldn’t get away from the hands covering her body. She was so surrounded, covered by suffocating hands, and terrified. Hayley screamed but nothing could stop them from cutting her lips off. Her struggling was her worst enemy at that moment because it caused the cuts to be worse and more rough. Hayley fainted from loss of blood and fear.

When she woke up she thought they’d only take her lips but her throat hurt, badly. She struggled to stand but she got out of her bed and walked to the mirror in her bathroom. Hayley almost fainted again from the sight she saw in the mirror. Her lips, now replaced by many stitches and her front teeth were visible from the disappearance of her lips. She continued to look at herself and saw a bandage around her neck, she ripped it off desperately trying to find out what happened. Underneath that bandage was a newly stitched scar that crossed her neck. She tried to scream but nothing came out, not even a peep. Hayley then let herself cry, I’d been so long since she let herself cry.

It wasn’t long before the school told her to get back to work. She was given permission to wear a face mask but only sometimes. Sometimes she would be used by the teachers as an example of failure, as the center of attention. She hated when everyone’s eyes were on her. After what happened, she was determined to never make another mistake again. Hayley focused solely on her skills and her job. She became top of her classes once again. She gave her all to her missions and the missions took pieces of her. All she was was her job. All that mattered was her mission and she was just replaceable figure.

Years later, she was given a mission like any other. Kill a ruthless count? As if she hasn’t done that before. Many people wanted this count dead and that included the rich people who funded Hayley’s school. She slipped through the crowds as soon as she landed in Vesuvia, everyone in the city were too busy talking about the masquerade to notice her.

The masquerade was her perfect cover. It was too crowded inside so she decided to wait outside for this perfect moment. Once she got into position, she heard the most heart wrenching scream she’d ever heard. It echoed throughout the castle. Hayley rushed in her full sneak gear to see what had happened. Then she saw it. The fire.

Hayley had never seen a brighter fire but then she recognized the room it came from. It came from the count’s room. Hayley’s head began to fill with thoughts, thoughts of what would happen if she were to return to her school. She had failed her mission and she wasn’t able to kill him and the school would have her head if they knew what happened.

Then the only thought she had was to run and she did. She didn’t know what she was running from but she felt like running from her mistakes. She ran across rooftops in Vesuvia even after her legs began to ache. Hayley didn’t see the loose roof and it was too late when she did because once she stepped on it, she fell right through the weak wood. Falling three stories down and landing on her leg.

Thankfully she was alive but her leg was definitely broken. She tried to walk on it but couldn’t so she just sat there hoping no one would find her, a small voice inside her even hoping she would die from the blood loss. Then a figure started walking down the dark alley, Hayley tried to stand up desperately and she did right before passing out from the pain. The last thing she saw was a head full of white hair.

When she woke up, she was in a strange place. There were colorful tapestries covering the walls, weird pillows beneath her, and the room smelled like flowers. She then remembered her injury and looked down at her leg, seeing that it was rapped in bandages and had two pieces of wood on each side to keep it together. Hayley heard movement in the other room and tried to grab one of her knifes but they were all gone so she grabbed a pair of scissors and pointed it at the person coming in the room.

The person threw his hands up in the air, he had white poofy hair that reminded Hayley of cotton.

“Hey, hey, there’s no need for that,” he said calmly, “So if you could just put the scissors down we can talk.”

Hayley continued to point the knife at him, clearly not in the right mindset. She stared at this strange person and he stared back then she slowly lowered the scissors but didn’t let go of them.

“Okay, that’s good, we’re improving,” his smile was bright, “I brought you tea and new bandages. Can I give them to you?”

This was odd for Hayley, no one ever asked her anything like that. She nodded. The person approached slowly, “This is for you,” he lifted a cup of liquid to Hayley, “It’s a tea that will help your wounds heal.”

Hayley grabbed the cup but didn’t drink it.

“Maybe you’re not a tea person, I get it,” he waved his hands, “Oh, yeah, my name is Asra.” He lifted his hand for her to shake but she didn’t. That didn’t seem to bother him.

“Could you tell me your name?” Asra asked and Hayley shook her head. “Can I put new bandages on you?”

Hayley had never met anyone that asked this many questions. She looked down at her broken leg then looked back at Asra and shook her head. She couldn’t trust this man, she couldn’t trust anyone.

“Are you going to do them yourself?” Asra asked as he laughed nervously but stopped when Hayley nodded, “You can’t be serious.”

Hayley nodded once again and grabbed the bandages and began to take off the bloody ones. Asra stood in the back of the room and watched as Hayley replaced her bandages, amazed and worried how she could do that without making a noise from the pain. When she was done he grabbed the bloody bandages and threw them away.

“I don’t know who you are or how you turned up in an alleyway with a broken leg but I want you to get better,” Asra confused Hayley, what game was he playing?

“I promise you, with my whole heart, that I will not harm you nor will you be harmed in this house.” Asra placed his hand over his heart and smiled kindly, “As long as you don’t harm me.”

Hayley’s whole body stopped.......what? She couldn’t wrap her head around it. He wanted to.....help her? Who is this person?

They stared into each other’s eyes, Asra waiting for her answer. Hayley nodded slowly, believing that she would regret this decision someday.

“Great, you can stay in my bed. I’ll take the couch, don’t worry, it’s more comfortable than it looks.” Asra grinned before heading out the room.

Hayley was still shocked and....hopeful. She hadn’t felt that in a while. For the first time in years, Hayley relaxed her shoulders and fell back on the fluffy pillows, she felt safe.

Overtime, Asra gained her trust by acts of kindness that one by one broke down Hayley’s steel walls that she was trained to keep around her at all times. Hayley didn’t speak anything for the longest time before giving Asra a quiet ‘thank you’ in sign language, Asra had smiled back and signed ‘you’re welcome’. Hayley learned more about Asra by the way he lived and talked. She liked to watch him move around the kitchen as he brewed up some interesting things, he’d hum to himself a tune Hayley didn’t recognize and his movements were loose unlike Hayley’s.

Asra taught her a thing about magic too, she’d never gotten into it as her school thought it was too ‘unpredictable’ but Hayley was happy to know a spell or two. Asra taught her many other things than magic or how to make tea, he taught her how to live her own life. Hayley told Asra vaguely of what happened to her and she told him about how they took her voice away but she didn’t go into detail. He would look sad and give Hayley a hug if she wanted one.

The first time Hayley cried in front of Asra was when a spell went wrong. She’d been working hard to perfect this spell and Asra believed she could do it but something went wrong and the spell almost blew up the house. Thankfully, no one was harmed except maybe the ceiling. Hayley still couldn’t handle that she got it wrong and started freaking out, crying immediately no matter how much she tried not to. Asra was quick to tell her that it was okay but it didn’t help as all her pushed down emotions just came out as soon as the first tear fell down, like a dam that burst from a little rain. Asra sat with Hayley for the longest time, comforting her as she cried her heart out. Hayley had never been so open with someone and when the tears died down, Asra smiled and told her that she had nothing to worry about in his home. He didn’t care about her mistakes or if she wasn’t perfect. He’d even told her about some of his mistakes, like not being there for the people he loved or some doctor that he used to love. Somehow, that made Hayley feel better. Even made her feel amusement when he told her about how stupid he was when he was younger. Asra taught her that people can make mistakes, even Hayley, because we’re all human.

Hayley became very close with Asra, even one day she showed him what was under her mask.

It was late, Asra and Hayley just got done making a very late dinner. As Hayley watched Asra move around the kitchen, humming to himself once again, a thought that had been bothering her for quite some time came back to her. She waited until he came over and sat down next to her as they waited for the food to cool down. Hayley tapped him gently on the shoulder to get his attention then she had began to sign, his small smile dropping only a little from her words.

“I want to show you what is under my mask.” Hayley signed.

Asra shook his head, “You don’t need to.” He signed back.

“I want to.” Hayley was quiet after that.

Asra sat up, “Are you sure?” He signed.

Hayley nodded, “I trust you.” She said before raising her hand to the back of her ears where the straps of her mask stayed. Hayley hesitated but pulled them off slowly anyway.

Asra’s body tensed and his face immediately fell into worry. He continued to say nothing, Hayley felt the most vulnerable under his eyes.

“Oh, Hayley.” Asra actually spoke, his voice so sincere and barely a whisper.

She then felt her eyes water and break loose, she dropped her head on Asra’s shoulders and he immediately wrapped his arms around her. She cried into his shoulders, feeling like a monster. A weak and ugly monster. But she still trusted Asra to understand her pain and suffering. This person that she would have probably killed if they had met on different circumstances. His silence worried her. He had leaned his head against her head, she found his silent company to be very comforting but at this moment all she really wanted was to know was his thoughts.

“Thank you, for trusting me. I know it’s hard,” Asra said into her hair, “To be so honest.”

Hayley almost shook her head, she should be thanking him for everything. Safety, comfort, and love. All the things he taught her were okay to have.

She continued to wet his shirt with her tears, unknowingly gripping his sleeve.

Asra rubbed her arm, soothing her through this tough moment.

“I’m always here for you.” Asra whispered as if it was a secret.

Hayley loosened her grip on his sleeve and sat up, embarrassed by the wet stain she left in his shirt. Asra didn’t care about that because he continued to look at Hayley but he wasn’t looking at her scar but instead her eyes. She had never seen him so serious.

“They’ll never be able to hurt you again,” he smiled, “Not as long as I’m here.”

Hayley believed him and put her mask back on.

Hayley was never sure of how to think outside of her school. She was never given much freedom of thought, this was all new to her. What outfit to wear that day? Whatever she wanted. What to eat? Anything her heart desires. The freedom of choice was so thrilling. Being able to say yes or no was amazing. Asra was all about freedom of choice. He didn’t care if she walked around in a jesters outfit, as long as she was being herself but she never really knew what “herself” was.

One day, Hayley and Asra were walking through a rough part of Vesuvia. Hayley had asked previously if he could show her around, knowing that someone who had lived there their whole life was a good guide. She wanted to see every part of Vesuvia.

Suddenly they heard a scared scream from not too far. Hayley’s instinct took over her and she ran to the noise, Asra not far behind. She turned and turned, looking for who screamed then she glanced down one alley to see two figures. One of which was pointing a knife at the other who was a woman that Hayley had guessed was the one that screamed.

What upset Hayley the most was the way this thug’s hands were on the woman. His hand pressed up against her mouth as the other hand held the knife right in front of her stomach all while he was pushing her against a brick wall. Hayley saw the desperation in the woman’s eyes, how she kept looking around for someone to help her. Hayley needed to help her.

She grabbed the man by the shoulder and slammed him against another wall, it wasn’t enough to knock him out but she got his attention. The thug was angry, he spat curses at Hayley before lunging at her with his knife. She dodged it easily, the guy’s movements were slow and sloppy. She thought about how her school would have punished him for his movements but she shook those thoughts out of her head and hit the knife out of his hand. He stopped, surprised, giving Hayley a perfect opportunity to hit him square in the jaw, knocking him cold before he even hit the ground.

The alleyway was quiet as Asra and the woman from before stared at Hayley in amazement. Shit. She didn’t think about this. She hadn’t wanted anybody to learn about her skills.

“Thank you.....” Hayley looked up to the woman after she said that. The woman was smiling wide, most likely from relief, but her eyes were still cautious of what happened to her.

Hayley shrugged it off and turned to Asra.

“Can you ask her where she lives so we can take her home?” She signed to him.

Asra nodded and made his way to the woman, calming her while also asking where she lived. Hayley leaned her body against the dirty wall, her adrenaline still making its waves over her. She hadn’t had a rush like that since before she met Asra, she felt different now. She was confused, this new feeling was weird.

They returned the woman home safely. On their way home, Asra didn’t say a word. Not until they got home.

“You led quite the life before me.” He said as he dropped his bag on their kitchen table.

Hayley was silent. She didn’t know what to say. ‘Yeah, I’m a very good assassin. I could kill you and no one would find out.’ She shook that thought out of her head, she didn’t wanna think about that.

“You did a good thing protecting that woman today,” Asra’s voice lowered, “You have a good heart.” Asra finally looked at Hayley, seeing her staring right at him. For a moment, it was just them. Quietly standing apart and understanding each other.

Asra smiled, “Goodnight, Hayley,” he said right before heading to his room, leaving Hayley to stand alone.

That day stayed on her mind, she thought about it a lot. The way the woman was so happy, something about that look on her face wanted Hayley to make everyone happy. She couldn’t leave the thought alone. It plagued her. One day, she decided to do something. Something that she wanted to keep a secret.

Hayley had dug through her closet to the very back where her assassin outfit and her weapons sat. She had doubts the entire time she was putting it on. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she stopped. It still fit. After all this time. Her heart felt heavy when she looked at herself. She didn’t feel like herself, she felt like a silent assassin whose only purpose was to kill.

You aren’t what you’re school made you.

Asra’s words crossed her head. Suddenly she gained some confidence, realizing that Asra was right. She wasn’t a byproduct of her school. She was Hayley. A girl who likes playing the piano and making jokes with her friend. A girl who was eager to help people. She walked out her bedroom that used to be a storage room before Asra cleaned it out for her. Hayley glided across the floor, careful not to make any noise. Passing by Asra’s room, she saw the lights from his crystals underneath his door. Those were the lights he put on to sleep to.

She hesitated at his door. Should she tell him? Would he understand? She didn’t know but she did know that she had to test her theory tonight. Hayley slipped out the back door and into the street. It was basically midnight and even now the city was alive but not as much as it was in the day.

The shadows were her friends, letting her hide in the darkness. She glided through the shadows. She was looking for trouble, to simplify it. She definitely found it. A group of thugs were stealing supplies from a store that Hayley knew was controlled by a small business. That’s what made her want to do this even more.

She started with the ones farther from the group just like she was taught to do but this wasn’t for whatever pleased her old school, this was for the better.

Everything was going well until one of the ones she thought she knocked out, shouted for his friends. Hayley thought of how living with Asra had softened her punches.

The rest of them came over to her, surrounding her. She cracked her knuckles right before kicking all their asses.

They landed their punches here and there but in the end Hayley was alright even if she was exhausted.

She had tied them up for the palace knights to find them on their morning runs then she jumped on a roof and went looking for more danger.

Once she got home she was tired and the sun had just touched the edge of the horizon. She went through the back door again feeling sore all over.

As soon as she closed the door to her room, she heard Asra opening his.

She took off her outfit and shoved it back at the bottom of her closet. Wrapping her injuries right before falling onto her bed. She felt thankful for such a soft bed and felt good about herself which didn’t happen often.

One of the other reasons she started her vigilante get up was because of the justice system. Ever since the Count’s death, the city of Vesuvia had gone even more down hill. The countess hadn’t been seen outside of the palace since the count’s death and the court was left to rule Vesuvia in her absence.

They were incredibly corrupt, letting off anyone who was caught committing a crime with just a slap on the wrist if they had enough money.

This had angered many of the city folk but no one could change anything. Hayley took action, beating the criminals to a bloody pulp but she never killed any of them.

It had been a month since Hayley had started fighting in disguise. The people of Vesuvia spread rumors about her or who she might be, all of them very different from the last.

She didn’t really like the names they gave her but the most popular one was “The Shadow”. It was okay, she wasn’t doing this from the fame. She thought it was her right to help the people and to maybe even make up for all the people she hurt in her past.

She didn’t like keeping it from Asra either. Hayley could tell that he knew that something was up but he never asked.

He would find out her truth eventually.

It was a night like any other, Hayley was out scouting the city for any assholes that needed to be taken down. It was almost time for her to return home but then she saw a group of thugs smashing a building that was now unrecognizable.

What really angered her about this group was that she had just beat them up the other day and they were already out on the streets wrecking havoc.

She didn’t think straight as she left her hiding spot and revealed herself to the group.

They all smiled when they saw her and Hayley then realized that they were trying to get her attention.

Well, they had it and they were gonna regret it.

Even though the group was bigger than any other she’d faced, she had no problem getting most of them down but after a while no matter how many she downed, she was still getting hit like crazy.

Then, when there were only a few left, Hayley was kicked through a window, getting stabbed with glass all over her back. It ripped through her clothing and pierced her skin, digging deep into her flesh.

Through the pain, she knocked out the rest of them and didn’t even bother tying them up as she immediately headed for home.

Hayley left a trail of blood as her back bled from the sharp glass digging into her skin. She held her arm against the walls of buildings as she headed home. She didn’t even bother going through the back door as she stumbled through the front, the sun was almost fully above the horizon.

She slumped against the door as soon as she shut it, careful not to touch her injuries. Her hands were covered with dry blood.

“Hayley?” Asra called from upstairs and a wave of relief washed over her.

The stairs creaked under his weight, “Where have you- Oh my gods!” Asra’s face immediately turned to worry as he ran up to Hayley, “What happened?”

Hayley tried to shrug but she immediately regretted it as pain filled her every nerve.

“Come on, let’s get you upstairs,” Asra said draping her arm over his shoulders and wrapping his arm around her waist.

They moved up the stairs, Asra basically dragging her up them since she could barely hold herself up, saying a quiet ‘sorry’ every time she hissed in pain.

Once they reached the second floor, Asra placed Hayley gently onto the couch.

“I’m going to get some things to help with this, just....please don’t die on me.” He said that last part quietly as he left the room.

It took everything in Hayley to not shut her eyes and fall asleep against the soft cushions.

Asra returned before she could convince herself and in his hands were many different things, most noticeable was the alcohol.

He knelt down beside Hayley, with hesitation on his face, “I think you need a doctor.”

Hayley shook her head, doctors asked too many questions.

Asra sighed and under his breath whispered, “If only Ilya was here.”

She tried to think of who that was but her thoughts were interrupted by Asra.

“I need to cut your shirt, is that okay?” He asked, understanding her need for privacy.

After a moment, Hayley nodded.

Her body went completely still as she heard the snipping of fabric.

“You might wanna get something to bite on,” Asra said quietly.

Hayley lifted herself up with one of her arms and with the other she ripped off her face mask, not caring about her insecurities at the moment.

She gripped her teeth against the thick fabric of the pillow that was underneath her.

“Here we go.....” Asra’s warm hand set itself on a part of Hayley’s back, she could feel the magic run through his hand and into her skin, suddenly she felt much better but the pain was still there.

She felt little pinches at her skin, what she assumed to be Asra taking out the smaller pieces.

Asra’s face was stern and focused as he gently pulled out the individual shards of glass, each one of them sticking to Hayley’s skin as it was pulled out. Her flesh gripped each piece of glass as it was pulled out of her skin.

A short time past in painful silence as Asra pulled out every single piece of glass.

“Okay, I think that’s all of them.” Asra’s voice was quiet, he sounded tired.

Hayley nodded against the pillow but knew that this was only the beginning, the alcohol still needed to be put on her skin.

Asra grabbed the liquor, knowing exactly what was next. He then hesitated again. Hayley knew that he was staring at her back, maybe at the fresh wounds or the old scars.

She moved her body enough to face Asra, taking him out of his trance. Hayley looked into his eyes, face mask off, she was completely vulnerable to him and she didn’t think for one second that he would betray her trust.

Asra sat back in thought then gave Hayley a small grin, “You owe me.” He joked.

Hayley rolled her eyes in amusement than lied back down on the couch.

His hand was still on her skin, it was nice to feel a comforting warmth for once while she was getting healed. This was so different from when she came back to her school after a mission, every time she was hurt she would fear that the school would do something to her and some times they did and sometimes they didn’t.

“Are you ready?” Asra interrupted her thoughts that she usually got caught up in.

Hayley poked her hand out and gave him a thumbs up before she tucked it back and around lifeline pillow.

She heard the bottle open, a part of her nervous but she shoved that back down with the rest of her hidden emotions.

“I’m sorry.” Asra says right before pouring the liquor on Hayley’s wounds.

White hot pain shot through Hayley’s nerves as the cold liquid interacted with her open skin, it felt as if her skin was burning.

Instinctively, Hayley opened her mouth to scream but, just like other times, nothing came out. She tried to push the pain back and think about something else but the harshness of the alcohol wouldn’t let her think of anything else.

All she could focus on was the warmth radiating from Asra’s hand, that kept her grounded.

Asra continued to drop the alcohol on her skin, careful not to add too much. He soon stopped after a tense moment, sat back down on his legs and said that he was done.

Hayley was still gripping the pillow, her skin feeling as if tiny burning knifes were stabbing into her flesh.

Asra sighed, clearly he was tired and Hayley didn’t know if it was from the early morning or from helping Hayley. She watched as he grabbed the bandages and prepared them for use.

“You’re staring.” He said quietly then looked up into Hayley’s eyes.

Hayley felt a pang of guilt from the face Asra gave her, his lips set in a tight line and his eyebrows knit closely together as if in thought. She must have shown her guilt in her face because he smiled slightly.

“You could have told me,” Asra said, “Sit up please.”

With Asra’s help, Hayley sat up as gently as she could. Her shirt was basically in shreds so she tore off the rest of it, Asra looking away respectively. She turned her back to him and made sure to keep it straight when he would apply the bandages.

Asra set his hands on her back, telling her that he was there. He then started wrapping her back and began to talk.

“I figured it out after the first week,” Asra’s voice was calm, no anger or disappointment, “A mysterious yellow-eyed woman with incredible fighting skills? How could I not know?”

Hayley tensed but then realized how obvious it was.

“Also it was very unusual that I got up before you.” His hands were so gentle as if she would break if he pressed too hard, “I just wish you would have told me instead of falling through the front door with blood on your hands.”

Suddenly he stopped, “Can you help me with this part?” Hayley glanced down to see that the bandages and his hands had stopped just below her breast.

Hayley’s face grew warm and she nodded, grabbing the roll in his hand to wrap it around herself then handed it back to him so can wrap it around her back. They did this in silence until they had completely covered her injury.

“I’ll get you a shirt,” Asra said before standing and walking out of the room.

Hayley carefully got up from the couch to stumble towards the nearest mirror. A pang of familiarity shot through her when she saw her mission outfit covering half of her body while bandages covered the other half but she knew that there was something different about her.

Her face, her mask was still off. She lifted her shaking hand to where her lips used to be, now there were pale scars. She looked down at her hand, dry blood still covering it.

Asra then walked in with a new shirt, seeing Hayley staring at herself in the mirror made him frown lightly.

“I still think you are beautiful,” He stood beside Hayley in the mirror, “Arms up please.”

Hayley’s face warmed up and she lifted her arms despite how much it hurt. Asra slid the shirt through her arms and across her torso.

The shirt was too big for Hayley’s size but it was comfortable that way.

Hayley looked into Asra’s eyes and signed, “You’re wrong.”

He shook his head and spoke, “I’m not.” He turns to the mirror and Hayley follows, “I think it’s beautiful that you want to help people even enough to get yourself hurt over it.”

Hayley heart hurt from the way his voice said that last part quietly.

“But I get it,” he forced a smile, “You want to help and for that you are beautiful.”

Hayley stayed quiet staring at Asra’s face in the mirror as he spoke.

The room was now brighter from the morning sun, now higher in the sky. Hayley fought back a yawn.

“I think it’s time for you to get some rest,” Asra smiled as he gestured towards her room.

Hayley nodded, feeling her body grow heavier with exhaustion.

They walked to her room together and with Asra’s help, they got her into bed. Hayley lied on her chest, the comfortable mattress and pillows made it feel like she was on a cloud.

She felt Asra lift a blanket over her body, Hayley trying not to fall asleep immediately.

“Sleep well, Hayley.” Asra said before quietly shutting the door behind him.

Hayley had slept for hours and when she woke Asra was there to care for her despite her complaints.

It wasn’t long before Hayley was ready to go back out on the streets and Asra seemed to know as well.

He walked into the living room with his hands behind his back one day while Hayley was reading something.

She closed the book, already not happy that he was keeping something from her.

“I know you don’t like surprises but...” Asra couldn’t keep in his smile, “I couldn’t help myself.”

He slowly brought his hands to his front, revealing neatly folded clothes.

Hayley stood, recognizing the dark clothes.

“I thought maybe it could use some stitching,” He unfolded the clothes to show them off, Hayley noticing the sudden change of color in some parts.

“I may have also added a bit of color to your outfit to make you seem less scary even though that might not be what you’re after,” Asra pointed to a small stripes of green that glided down the sides.

If Hayley could smile normally, she’d be all grin at that second. She settled for giving Asra a big hug which surprised him but he was happy to receive one.

Finally they pulled away, Asra suddenly getting serious, “Don’t get hurt out there, you hear me?”

Hayley nodded.

“Pinky promise.” He pulled out his pinky.

She rolled her eyes playfully and made a pinky promise with Asra not to get hurt.

Hayley continued to be a badass crime fighter, wanted by criminals and even the guards themselves wanted her stopped.

She has yet to be caught though a trick of fate might change that....

Only in the future will we know.

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

Snow White goes on an adventure with 7 Dwarfelles, I'll go with 10 Points!

Some days ago I saw a YouTube video talking about the various Snow White portrayals, and "Happily Ever After" was one of them. Now, me? I like obscure animated movies that have potential, so to see a sequel of Snow White from way back then that takes a new spin on the Dwarfs idea, and a creepy villain? Sign me up!

So, here we go! :D

1) What was THAT about with the Evil Queen's face?? Sheesh, if I saw this as a kid I'd have scared myself too. o_o

2) Batso acts a lot like Pinky... He's adorable! *_*

3) I'd protect Thunderella with my life: she's so precious. I see her as Snow White's little sister! *_*

4) Something about this movie gives me huge early My Little Pony vibes; pretty nice, actually, reminds me of the way 80's movies were, very whimsical and yet also very dark. Ok, so this movie was made in 1993, but it's got that 80's feel all the same. :D

5) I agree: THAT's Mother Nature?? ... I'll have whatever she's having... XD

6) Ok, ok, THIS is a kind of evil that's just disturbing! Not even the Evil Queen went THAT far... o_o

7) Scowl is a pretty inventive name for an owl, honestly. Also, how many times have you seen a smoking owl? *sigh* You don't see stuff like this on an animated movie, anymore... XD

8) They clearly took inspiration from Orko to design the Shadow Man. Which I'm glad: characters who don't show their mouth show so much emotion in their eyes. He's also cute, so... ^^

9) The mirror sounds like Dom DeLuise. And apparently he and Blossom are a thing? ... I'll allow it. ^^

10) Yeah, saw the twist coming. I had a guess about what was going on, but I like the take they took with him, very unique. Buuuuuuuut I still think you we're cuter before, just saying.

So, how was it?

While I do see why this movie is not well known, and the story and characters are rather simple, it's still got a lot of interesting ideas: while the Dwarfelles do kinda act like the Dwarfs, they still each have their own unique traits, and work each other off very well with each other, especially little Thunderella, who's just plain precious, especially with how she and Snow White interact with each other. The idea of female side characters who are allowed to be comical and endearing was not very used back then, so they were on a right track. Also good to see Snow being brave and fighting to save her Prince (because you can be an awesome woman AND have a love interest! Shocking, I now! o_o)

Scowl and Batso are also very funny together: they kinda have that dynamic that will be perfected with Pinky and the Brain, but in this movie, they work right.

Lord Maliss, man, that guy doesn't mess around! His voice and mannerism are creepy, and towards the climax the means he uses to drag Snow White to the tower are VERY disturbing, to say the least!

Love the animation used on the Shadow Man: like I said, mouthless characters with big eyes are my weakness, and this guy was especially endearing. Too bad about the plot twist, tho' it's not about the twist itself (that is actually very good), it's mostly that I personally prefer that look over the other, you know? ^^

So, if you want, give it a watch: while no masterpiece by any means, the movie is still enjoyable, and the ideas that it brings are nothing to snuff at. The best way I would use to describe this movie is "a rough gem": while kinda cheesy, it's got well executed ideas. Not that profound or complex, but as a fairytale sequel, it works really well. :D