#and abby’s like ‘isn’t there an au in here somewhere’ and i say yes

[anna-scribbles]

one day i will speak about the absolute romantic BLUEPRINT that is bill/rachel in the film Eloise at Christmastime (2003) and the way it is an adrinette au waiting to happen .

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Stuck With You

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6  🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14 🡪chapter 15 🡪chapter 16 🡪chapter 17 🡪chapter 18 🡪chapter 19 🡪chapter 20 🡪chapter 21 🡪chapter 22 🡪chapter 23 🡪chapter 24 🡪chapter 25 🡪chapter 26 🡪chapter 27 🡪chapter 28 🡪chapter 29 🡪chapter 30 🡪chapter 31 🡪chapter 32  🡪chapter 33 🡪chapter 34 🡪chapter 35 🡪chapter 36 🡪chapter 37

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

I wanna get stuck with you In the middle of the party We're just getting started I wanna get stuck with you  In the eye of the tornado Rowing in the same boat I wanna get stuck with you Get stuck in the middle with you I wanna get stuck with you

Gotta go with the flow And ride the wave right where we're supposed to Yeah, we can go through all the highs and lows Yeah, life's a crazy roller coaster

click here to be on the update list

NIALL

                                              We were lucky enough to find a store still open, buying everything she needed to snowboard before renting more equipment. I looked at her getting ready with a small smile and tried not to chuckle. She was endearing, and the fact that she was ready to try this just for me meant a lot and also proved a lot.

"Shit, I forgot my phone!" she let out, rolling her eyes and making me raise my eyebrows.

"Do you really need it right now?" I asked with a chuckle. "I have mine." I patted my shirt pocket and grimaced immediately, letting out a groan. "Fuck, I forgot mine too."

"Do you really need it right now?" she teased with a grin, making me smile more.

"Yes, one of us has to have one, just in case something happens." I took my gloves off and put them on the couch next to her. "Wait for me okay? I'll do quick."

She nodded and I looked around, realizing the place was more quiet than I thought it would be. I rushed to the hall and took the elevator, running to our room and walking in. The light was still on and I grabbed my phone on the nightstand where I left it but finally decided to search for hers, too. It took me about a minute to notice it on the desk placed against the wall and grabbed it, turning around to leave, before something caught my attention.

I frowned, recognizing the back of my head on a picture, and took it in my hand to look at it better. My eyes quickly roamed on my shoulder, neck and hair but when they stopped on Devon's forehead and hair, I held my breath. My fingers were slipped in it and my heart started thumping in my chest. I remembered exactly how I felt at that moment, how deep inside her I was, how her lips parted in pleasure. It was the very first time we ever had sex and looking at that picture made me realize we would always have something to remind us of this moment, something that would always bring many emotions inside me, including lust and love. I already loved her at that moment and I wanted to believe she did too.

I ran my finger on the part of her forehead I could see and sighed. It was still not completely clear between us, I knew we had a lot of things to talk about, but I was not sure what exactly stopped her from giving us a chance. I loved her, and she loved me, and obviously, we had been been through bad relationships and I was sure that neither of us would want the other to suffer again the way we had before. Besides, it was totally different. Abby didn't love me and I was pretty sure Henry didn't really love her either.

I couldn't believe she had brought the pictures with her and it made me wonder why she never showed them to me. She had talent to take pictures, there was no doubt about it, but this picture had probably turned out that good mostly because of luck. She couldn't have put much thought into it, giving the position she was in, but the result was incredible and something twisted in my stomach as I looked at it. I didn't know if other people beside us would be able to feel all the emotions that emanated from it but at the same time, I didn't really care. I liked to think we were the only ones who could understand, the only ones who could really feel deeply about it because of how involved we were. It was even slightly scary to know that some people could look at it without understanding the degree of intimacy in it.

I was about to put the picture back on the desk where I found it when the light of the room reflected something behind it. I turned it around and read the words written quickly at first and then slowly the second time. It was Devon's handwriting and I immediately recognized the second part she had scribbled. My heart skipped a beat as I re-read my own lyrics of the song I had written for her and I shook my head slightly. She had an incredible memory and it made the left corner of my lips raise in a small smile. I went back to the first part and my smile fell when I realized she had written an actual verse for my song.

"Darlin', are you always tryin' to blame me? Is it me or 'cause you came here? Just accept that time was wrong Oh, change thee I've been thinkin' bout it lately We never finished what we started Now I'm fearful that it's gone."

I sang it in my head a few times before doing it out loud but still very low. It fitted perfectly and I sighed, my eyes still roaming on the words. It was amazing to think we sort of wrote a song together and I loved knowing that each verse was the point of view of one of us. Did she know the song was about her? That thought made my heart jump in my chest before I rolled my eyes and let out a chuckle. It was not a secret that I loved her, not anymore, and it was a good thing. I wasted so much time trying to hate her even though I knew it was impossible.

I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of the lyrics she wrote but also of the picture she took to be able to look at it whenever I wanted and finally checked my watch. I had been gone for a while and I rushed out, reaching the elevator as fast as I could. When I walked back to her, she was sitting on the couch, her head leaned on the back and her lips parted. I could hear her snore lightly and I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Devie, hey." I said softly, bending down to shake her gently and making her whimper. "Wake up."

She groaned and sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes and letting out a sigh. She was cute when she slept and I waited a few seconds until her eyes fluttered open to talk again.

"Come on, we only have time for a few basic things."

She got up but almost tripped and I held her, chuckling again.

"You okay?" I asked, moving my face a bit closer to look at her.

She sent me a small smile and nodded. "Yea sorry, just give me a few minutes to wake up completely." she licked her lips and finally raised her eyebrows. "Hey, what took you so long?"

"Oh, I couldn't find your phone." I half-lied, searching my pocket and handing it to her. "I put it in a plastic bag for you, just in case you drop it in the snow or something."

Her head tilted and she sent me a fond smile before pressing her lips together. I felt my heart skip a beat when she moved closer but she stopped herself suddenly. "Thank you."

I wanted her to kiss me. I wanted her to do it first, for once. It seemed like I was always the one who made the first move no matter what we did, especially when it came to something romantic. Maybe she's had had a few initiatives when it came to sex but somehow, whenever it was about love, she seemed reluctant.

"You're welcome." I whispered, fighting the urge I had to kiss her.

We grabbed our stuff and walked outside. I saw her shiver next to me when a whiff of cold air hit us but she still followed me to a very small slope. I tried to show her the basics but she was clearly scared to hurt herself and I finally sat next to her in the snow after she fell.

"How about we go a bit higher?" I proposed, smiling gently when I saw the alarmed expression on her face. "I'll be there with you, okay?"

It took her about a minute to answer. Her eyes roamed on my face and once again, I thought she was going to kiss me and my eyes dropped to her lips. She probably noticed because she licked them nervously and my gaze moved back to her eyes.

"Okay."

I helped her up and we walked slowly to the chairlift in silence. I kept glancing at her and she did the same but it's only when we were half-way there, completely up in the air that everything stopped. My heart jumped in my chest and my eyes got bigger when I realized we were stuck and I swallowed hard, turning to her as she did the same. Her lips curled a bit and she burst into laughing, throwing her head back and making my lips curl.

"It's good luck, remember?" she pointed out, smiling more. "That's what you said!"

"I still think that!" I laughed with her, taking my gloves off to grab my phone. "I'll text Lewis, I know he's near his phone. He can inform them and they'll come get us."

I typed something quickly and sent it, my eyes stuck to the screen until I got an answer from my friend that simply consisted of a laughing emoji and a thumb up.

"It's weird isn't it?" I finally said after a few minutes of silence. "How we always get stuck together somewhere when we have something to solve."

She turned her head my way and tilted it, sending me a small but curious frown. "We have something to solve?"

I turned my body as much as I could to face her and shook my head, my eyebrows raised. "Yes we do. Devie, why don't you want me to say you're my girlfriend?"

"We.. We didn't even discuss it."

"We are now." I pointed out with a sigh. "You said you loved me, we made love this afternoon. I didn't tell our friends because I saw how you reacted when I said the 'g' word this morning in the closet but, what do I have to do?"

"You don't get it."

"No! No I don't!"

I was trying to keep my cool but I wanted her to open up to me, I needed it. I needed her and I needed to be with her. It sounded obsessed, it was intense, but It was driving me crazy to know how she felt without being able to really be with her.

"I do love you! I love you so much Niall I don't think you understand!" she let out before breathing in deeply. I saw her tear up and my lips parted slightly. "You remember when you said I moved you? That my art moved you? Henry used to say that too. I know you're not him, but it's not easy for me to put aside all the pain I went through with him just to throw myself in a new relationship. I don't know how you do it. Abby has hurt you so much too and you're just ready to... to jump back into something official and serious with me." She breathed in and I noticed a tear falling down her right cheek. I wanted to reach out to her but I couldn't, I felt paralyzed. "I am nothing special. I am not like the girls you've been with. I am... I am lost, and scared, and scarred! I love you but I'm scared! I'm scared I'll give you everything and that you'll break me the way I was broken before! But I love you so much more than I loved him! I feel so much closer to you than I ever felt to him! And if you... if you leave... When you realize I'm average... or even below..."

I waited a few seconds, staring at her and she sniffed. It was crazy that she kept all that inside for so long, and at the same time, I was so happy she was finally telling me how she feels.

"Are you done yet?" I asked making her look in my eyes again before sending her a small smile. "Devie, I'm scared too. But I love you, I'm in love with you, and I'm ready to take that chance, because being without you is worse than being heartbroken by you. It's ok to love again!"

She sniffed again and pressed her lips together. I brought my hand to her face and brushed my fingertips on her skin, smiling more. "If you shut yourself from feelings, you may make sure that nothing bad happens and that your heart won't be broken, but you also miss all the good things and all the love you could get." I explained in a low tone. "I can't promise you that everything will always be perfect, but I promise I'll keep trying because that's how much I love you. I told you, Devie, you're my main girl. You're the protagonist of this story. No one can take your role. No one."

Her lips curled too and she chuckled before nodding quickly and bending closer to me. She pressed her lips on mine, making me smile too. "I wouldn't want to be stuck here with anyone else." she whispered, making me chuckle before kissing me deeper.

We started laughing against each other's mouth when the chairlift started moving again and finally walked back inside. We were both very cold and we decided to just go back to our room, taking the elevator in silence again. We both got changed into warm clothes and sat in bed together. She leaned her head on my shoulder and moved her legs over mine. I smiled when I saw her warm socks and left a kiss on top of her head.

"That painting you made here the other night..." I started gently, leaning my cheek on top of her head. "It was the first time I saw you paint with light colors. It was beautiful, it looked like a summer sky."

She reached for my hand on her thigh and intertwined our fingers. "All the paintings I made since I arrived here were about you. My art has been about you and my feelings for you, the emotions you made me feel." she explained, surprising me a bit, especially that all my songs were about her. "You make me feel those colors. You make me feel light and clear and warm. You make me feel alive."

"That's not what the painting in our room says, the one you gave me. There's yellow, but there's so much darkness in it. Every time I look at it, I feel horrible for ever making you feel so bad. I'm sorry, Devie."

She moved away slowly to turn around and face me. Her lips curled softly on the left and she licked her lips, shaking her head slightly. "You got it all wrong, Niall." she pointed out gently, raising her eyebrows. "You're not the black in that painting. You're the yellow. You're the light trying to reach me, stopped by my own demons and fears. You're the light in my life, Niall. You've always been the light."

I brought both my hands to her face and cupped her cheeks, kissing her harder than intended. I felt her move closer and straddle me and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her as close to me as possible. "I love you, Devie, I love you so much." I whispered in-between kisses. "Since the first day."

"I love you too." she murmured back, slipping her hands in my hair. "I always have."

----

We got prepared together the next morning and whenever I'd walk near her, I'd pull her close to kiss her lips and she'd giggle or smile. There was something natural in the way we moved together around the room, even in a place we were not used to, and I couldn't help but think it was a proof that we were made for each other. When we were ready, I grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, making her twirl around as she started laughing and I walked to the door, bringing her with me. We took the elevator to meet our friends downstairs but when the doors opened, I let go of her hand, not really sure if she had changed her mind. I didn't want to rush her, and I didn't want to lose her either. She glanced at me but still followed me to the main room where all our friends were waiting for us, talking and laughing together.

I turned to look at her as her eyes roamed on everyone and after about a minute, I felt her hand reach mine and grab it tight. It took a few seconds but Lewis finally noticed us, his lips curling into a smirk when he noticed we were holding hands. He hit Louis a bit roughly who just frowned but finally turned to us too before our friends noticed us one by one. I cleared my throat when Louis jumped off the couch with a big smile.

"Fuckin' finally!" he yelled, catching the attention of almost everyone in the room. "That's it? That's official? You two are dating?"

"Yes, it's official." Devon replied loud and clear, surprising everyone.

I noticed Mandy winking at her and squeezed her fingers tighter as Louis walked quickly to us, throwing his arms around my girlfriend's neck and holding her close.

"Took you long enough." he told her with a chuckle as she wrapped her free arm around him. "I'm so happy for you two."

Lewis walked to me to hug me too and then almost everyone followed. I noticed Abby sending me a small and sad smile from afar and I just smiled back gently at her, surprised that she took it so well.

"Okay!" Louis let out, clapping in his hands. "Who's hungry?"

Everyone started talking at the same time and they all decided to go to the restaurant to get some food before starting the day. I stopped Devon as she was following them, pulling on her arm to bring her closer to me and just wrapped my arms around her as she tilted her chin up, sliding her hands on my back.

"So that's it? You're my girlfriend?" I asked with an amused grin, making her smile too.

"Mmhm, I'm ready to try that boyfriend/girlfriend thing with you."

"Are you happy, Devon Eaton?" I whispered low, looking down at her.

Her traits softened and she looked at me fondly, in a way no one else had ever looked at me. "Happier than I've ever been. I love you, Niall Horan."

"Not as much as I love you."

[valesuggest]

Cecil and Abby playing in the woods together is Legit the most sibling thing that WTNV has said about any of their interactions to date and I never realized just why them being brother and sister seemed so off to me before is that Cecil regularly interacts with Steve and Janice on the show but we’ve never seen interaction with Cecil and Abby and it’s so confusing that he’s never all ‘Abby smacked me on the arm for calling her husband a conspiracy theorist as if it’s a bad thing’ or ‘Abby and I watched Carlos and Steve make scones and croissants from where we were exiled from the kitchen for daring each other to drink from the hot sauce bottle, hungry, neither of us having thought to get snacks before we left. I paid Janice ten dollars to get us sandwiches to avoid our husband’s wrath’s’ or even just ‘Abby works at-‘ or ‘Abby decided to be a stay at home mom when Steve came around because Janice needed full time care for so many years’ or just fuckin plain ‘Abby called and asked if I wanted to get coffee later’ like???

No interaction between them. I’m not saying that I didn’t see her as Cecil’s sister before. I’m saying, that she felt like an underdeveloped character with no personality and real existence before. Like their mom, an abusive woman who left her kids for years on their own before trying to rush back into their lives, she had more personality than Abby did. It always confused me. I would be all ‘oh, I wanna think of a FIC-‘ and I manage to plan out everything except Abby. Why? Because I have no fucking clue where she would fit in an AU because I have no goddamn clue where she fits in canon.

For a while I considered an AU where Cecil isn’t related to them at all. That Abby and her mom were two of the natives that lived in the desert long before the white settlers ever came by, that one day, Abby cake home with little eldritch abomination Cecil, not human, not even fully sentient yet because he’s had so little interaction with sentient beings, just going along with her because ‘friend??? Playmate!!! Human playmate that gave a hug!!!!!!!!’ and her mom just sort of stares at Cecil for a long time, knowing that this being would be so important to her daughter’s future and the town that would live here, and just turn a blind eye to being a parent to a second child now. ‘These are my children, yes,’ she’ll say, with a blank voice devoid of all emotion, completely uncaring of the reaction, or even where said children happen to be at the moment. Sometimes Abby despises her, not because her mother can’t seem to care, but because she lost all her love for even her own daughter when someone a little weird came their way. She’d despise her mother because she could never bring herself to hate the brother she chose.

Obviously, that’s not canon. That’s not Abby. That is, you could say, a character based entirely on my own perception of Cecil’s age, the episode Cassettes where he mentioned being in NV’s desert when the town was founded, and a carefully crafted idea that I thought would make an interesting backstory for them. And the fun part about it? Is that with infinite ideas of what Nightvale could be after Huntokar’s saving of the town, is that that’s also a possibility as well. That’s cool. Just remember, somewhere out there lil scary kitten demon Cecil, is learning his first words in aboriginal language, by his new big sister Abby, who he’s unknowingly giving long eternal life just by loving her as his first ever family. Their mother whispers sharp and emotionless warnings to tell him to stay away from mirrors, and he giggles, thinking that mommy is weird but he likes this game.

But then we have Cal. Cal isn’t the Cecil we know’s brother. He’s another Cecil’s brother. But you know what? I think it’d be interesting if that was Abby before she transitioned to female. Cecil doesn’t remember having a brother, because that time in their lives was painful for both of them. Why would he remember something that still hurt her to this day?

See. What I’m getting at, is that Abby Palmer is an underdeveloped character, I want to know more about her, and that one tiny little scene where Cecil mentions them making their own games in the woods as their mother tried to loose them, did more to make her a real person, than any other mention of her in the series so far. I don’t know why they haven’t developed a character who’s arguably one of the more important characters in the series. In fact, it’s almost to the point where if Steve and Janice didn’t mention her so often, I would even suggest that maybe her existence is a fever dream. That’s shitty writing.

[senboago]

THE MEGA RP PLOTTING SHEET / MEME.

First and foremost, recall that no one is perfect, we all have witnessed some plotting once which did not went too well, be it because of us or our partner. So here have this, which may help for future plotting. It’s a lot! Yes, but perhaps give your partners some insight? Anyway BOLD what fully applies, italicize if only somewhat.

Mun Name: Abby / Kitty      Age: 24       Contact: pm, discord

Character(s) I rp: (canon) Candice Catnipp, Haineko, Mizuiro Kojima, Retsu Unohana, Yachiru Kusajishi; and them I have about 8 ocs. Which muse(s) inspires you the most atm?(for MM): Elsabeth, Naomi, & Haineko. Current Fandom(s): Bleach (and one One Piece oc) Fandom(s) you have an AU for:  Bleach (Mizuiro’s shinigami au) My language(s): English (natively), Japanese (elementary level) Themes I’m interested in for rp:   Fantasy / Science fiction / Horror / Western / Romance / Thriller / Mystery / Dystopia / Adventure / Modern / Erotic / Crime / Mythology / Classic / History / Renaissance / Medieval / Ancient / War / Family / Politics / Religion / School / Adulthood / Childhood / Apocalyptic / Gods / Sport / Music / Science / Fights / Angst / Smut / Drama / etc. Themes/Genres you have an AU for: history, mythology

Preferred Thread length: one-liner / 1 para / 2 para / 3+ / novella. Asks can be send by: Mutuals / Non-Mutuals / Personals / Anons. Can Asks be continued?:   YES / NO   only by Mutuals?:  YES / NO. Preferred thread type: crack / casual nothing too deep / serious / deep as heck. Is realism / research important for you in certain themes?:   YES / NO. Are you atm open for new plots?:  YES / NO / DEPENDS. Do you handle your draft / ask - count well?:  YES / NO / SOMEWHAT. How long do you usually take to reply?:  24h / 1 week / 2 weeks / 3+ / months / years. I’m okay with interacting: original characters / a relative of my character (an oc) / duplicates / my fandom / crossovers / multi-muses / self-inserts / people with no AU verse for my fandom / canon-divergent portrayals / au-versions (as main or only verse). Do you post more ic or occ?:  IC / OOC. Are you selective with following others?:  YES / NO / DEPENDS.  

Best ways to approach you for rp/plotting:  Pms, mostly. If you have me on discord, even better. I have both apps on my phone too, so I’m usually good about replies; granted if I’m not busy, left my phone somewhere in the house, or am asleep.

What expectations do you hold towards your plotting partner:  Well, I tend to be the type that actually fails at coming up with plot ideas. It’s not that I don’t think of anything, but that I’m either too shy or my brain is too exhausted of ideas. So I guess just enthusiasm works for me, since it gives all the same energy! Especially when talking about ships (including platonic and hate ships) between our muses ‘cause that usually helps lead into some potential plots, as I’ll always be up for discussing new stuff for them; like how we want to develop them, where will they go, when will they get there, etc.

When you notice the plotting is rather one-sided, what do you do?:  I’m a bit of too quiet to say anything really, kinda like a pushover. But if I can gain the confidence, I’d prefer to ask what’s going from my partner’s end. If it turns out they’re really not interested then, and I hate to do it, we’ll just drop it. I want us both to be having fun, and if they’re not into it, then it’d be too selfish of me to try and continue it.

How do you usually plot with others, do you give input or leave most work towards your partner?:  Again, I’m pretty terrible at it, so I’m usually a go with the flow type person. So unfortunately, that leaves most the plotting to them, unless my brain decides to wake up. But when I do have an idea and have the courage to, I’ll pitch it to them. Usually my plots end up starting out as some random headcannon between our muses and their ship, and then it falls into the fascination of ‘I wanna rp that now’, just to see it have a story.

When a partner drops the thread, do you wish to know?:   YES / NO / DEPENDS. - And why?: I get anxious easily. So whether or not I was really into it, it’s nice to know, and easier on my nerves if it was something I was really into. However, it’s not entirely and outright demand that they do all the time. - What should your partner do when dropping a thread?:  Not required, just preferred that they just let me know.

What could possibly lead you to drop a thread?:  Two things. Disinterest is one, and pretty self-explanatory. Then there’s if I just lack the energy for a certain amount of time, after several attempts to actually reply. I usually hate to drop threads. But if I feel there’s absolutely no way I’ll be able to reply, then I’ll either pm my partner directly or make out a post and tag those I’ve dropped threads with, if it’s multiple. - Will you tell your partner?:   YES / NO / DEPENDS.

Is communication in the rpc important to you?   YES / NO. - And why?:  Even though I’m terrible of communication, I still like to hear from my partners every once and a while. It’s kinda why discord is easier to get a hold of me ‘cause, since I have two servers there I mod/admin, I usually check it and will answer there more often. - Are you okay with absolute honesty, even if it may means hearing something negative about you and/or portrayal?:  I wanna say yes, but there’s that anxiety in me that says no. It’s a hit or miss with me. I usually try not to get defensive, and most the time won’t. It’ll just end up making become a bit more cautious, confused, or reclused, depending on what it is; and that’s all ‘cause of anxiety. - Do you think you can handle such situation in a mature way?  YES / NO.

Why do you rp again, is there a goal?:  Mostly to have fun. Also so I can explore my muses and work on my creative writing. When people like what I post too, it makes me extremely happy and excited, wanting to pour out more! So really, not much of a goal other than just share my thought process and ideas.

Wishlist, be it plots or scenarios:  To roleplay and post more stuff for Mizuiro. And to build more relationships of all kinds for my muses, especially my ocs. I’d also like to explore darker themes for a few muses as well, though that’s a bit of a tall order... Not too people can handle or are willing to deep dive, so I’m not sure if that’ll happen really.

Themes I won’t ever rp / explore:  I don’t really have any hard limits. However, I usually refrain from a lot simply for the comfort of others. So I guess there’s quite a bit I won’t ever get into, though I’d like to.

What Type of Starters do you prefer / dislike, can’t work with?: i’m usually good with just about anything. If I’m not, then I’ll inform my partner.

What type of characters catch your interest the most?:  Better question is; what type am I not into? Though truthfully, I’m really into characters with a lot of development, an establish backstory of any kind, and just about any that can capture my heart (which isn’t hard to do btw). I’m not picky and I have very few I truly hate, except for their person rather than the character.

What type of characters catch your interest the least?:  Flat, one-dimensional types with very little development or their own story. I like seeing the ins and outs, the positives and negatives of a character. I want them to put me on a roller coaster of emotions, since that’s life in a nutshell. If they can’t, then I’ll lose interest quickly. Also mary sues/gary stues. Characters that just don’t make sense or follow the universe’s logic are also a major turn off.

What are your strong aspects as rp partner?:  Oh boy... I guess my dedication and love for my muses’ ships. It’s not much, but only thing I can think of. I also try to keep an open mind, be as understanding as possible and to support my partner wherever I can.

What are your weak aspects as rp partner?:  My inability to reply to drafts that have been sitting for a couple of weeks. I want to reply, and yet, as soon as I open the draft and get to work, my brain blanks. It’s really frustrating.

Do you rp smut?:  YES / NO. Do you prefer to go into detail?:  YES / NO / DEPENDS. Are you okay with black curtain?:  YES / NO. - When do you rp smut? More out of fun or character development?:  Just about whenever, as long as partner is up for it. And it’ll be for either or, depending. For certain ships, such as Kaede and Kenpachi, I feel it is part of their character and relationship development, seeing as they’ve managed to grow a deeper bond with each other through it. For other muses, such as almost anything with Amaterasu, it’s usually out of fun. - Anything you would not want to rp there?:  Eh... not really, unless partner is uncomfortable with it.

Are ships important to you?:   YES / NO. Would you say your blog is ship-focused?:   YES / NO. Do you use read more?:  YES / NO / SOMETIMES. Are you: Multi-Ship / Single-Ship / Dual-Ship  —  Multiverse / Singleverse. - What do you love to explore the most in your ships?:  The growth between them. Just literally anything between that. Watching the couple’s bond deepen, how much they learn about each other, and the trust that strengthens over time. - What is your smut tag?: nsfw mention

Are you okay with pre-established relationships?: YES / NO. - And what kind of ones?:  Just about any; romantic, sexual, platonic, hate, family, etc.

► SECTION ABOUT YOUR MUSE.

- What could possibly make your Muse interesting towards others, why should they rp with this particular character of yours now, what possible plots do they offer?:  Usually that’s up to the other’s interpretation of the character. But Kaede has some potential, developing surprising friendship despite her division’s reputation. She’s bit of an opposite from her captain and co-lieutenant, probably being the most patient and kindest of the three, as she’s the only one to pursue any friendships. I would say I’d love to find more plots in reference to her backstory, whether some random character she befriends or is enemies with finds out her birth, or she feels to rekindle a past friendship.

- With what type of Muses do you usually struggle to rp with?:   ... I dunno if I really have an answer for that. Kaede’s one of my easiest going muses, unafraid to interact with anyone. She tends to fit in just about anywhere. Though I’m sure this partly due to her being my most developed and being well established. - With what type of Muses do they usually work well with?:  Honestly, I think just about anyone, depending on the scenerio and who they are. That also determines how she approaches and interacts with them.

- What interests your Muse(s) in general:  There’s a list of things. Gardening, social gatherings, her division... She’s also into new experiences, things that are foreign to the Soul Society. - What do they desire, is their goal?:  She simply wants to make her mother proud, to better society if she can, and continue to aid and serve her division. - What catches their interest first when meeting someone new?:  Body language. It’s a trained type of thing, trying to read them by how they hold themselves. How approachable they appear, their intent, etc. - What do they value in a person?:  Depends, as she understands everyone is different. But mostly their determination, honesty, and dedication, even if she’s not the receiver. She can still respect them for it. - What themes do they like talking about?:  Eh... Just about anything, aside from herself. Anything gardening or about flowers is where she’s the most enthusiastic. - Which themes bore them?:  Idle chitchat or small talk. She likes to carry an actual conversation. So trying to ask her about the weather, she’ll more than likely walk away.

- Did they ever went through something traumatic?:  Sort of? There’s a couple things; the discovery of Azashiro’s imprisonment and his crimes, the sudden disappearance of Yoruichi and Kisuke, and the brief encounter with Yhwach’s clone during the war. - What could possibly trigger them?:  Both Azashiro’s imprisonment and Yoruichi and Kisuke’s exile have been resolved, so no. Though to ask her about Azashiro, she’ll be guarded and, depending on the person, defensive. The incident with Yhwach was a literal flash, leaving her physically scarred, but otherwise unfazed. - What could set them off, enrage them?:  Azashiro, yes. Depending on who the person is, obviously. Kisuke is the most notable target of this rage. - What could lead to an instant kill?:  Again, Azashiro, depending on who brings it up and what’s brought up. Mostly, if it targets her mother and threatens to expose them, including her adopted father.

- Is there someone /-thing they hate?:  Yhwach and Aizen. Both have caused a degree of grief in the Soul Society, and even for those outside it. She also hates those that use their position of power for selfish reasons. - Is there someone /-thing they love?:  Her mother and adopted father, and the Shiba clan as a whole. Her division, and her current captain and co-lieutenant, along with her former captain and her brother Yuushirou. She also loves, though won’t admit it often enough, Askin (verse dependent). Kenpachi as well (verse dependent). Any and all her friends, including Kisuke. There’s also a huge soft spot for animals of any kind.

Is your Muse easy to approach?: YES / NO. - Best ways to approach them?:  As long as you’re not a sworn enemy to her or the society, just about anyone’s good to go. Just strike up conversation, ask for a spar, to drink, etc. She isn’t one to simply ignore or dismiss anyone, so long as there isn’t any bad terms between them. - Where are they usually to find?:  In the second division offices or training grounds (sometimes in the onsen), at her home, or strolling or patrolling through the Seireitei.

Something you may still want to point out about your muse?:  Eh... nothing I can think of off the top of my head. Except that, no matter how kind a face she has, she can still be a merciless killer.

CONGRATS!!! You managed it, now tag your mutuals! ♥

Tagged by:  @skyvar​ (thanks for the tag, though not sure if I should really be thanking you ‘cause this about drained me!) Tagging:  you reading this.

[chasholidays]

Hello yes I would like to request a Cutting Edge AU for Bellarke. Because figure skating and snark.

“I found a new partner for you.”

Bellamy frowns, looking at his phone to verify that the caller really is Raven, like he didn’t see the first time and doesn’t recognize her voice.

“A business partner?”

He can practically hear her rolling her eyes, and he can’t deny that he deserves it. “No, dumbass.”

“A skating partner? Seriously?”

“What’s so unbelievable about that? I’m the one who got benched, not you.”

In theory, it’s true, but in practice, the end of Raven’s career was the end of Bellamy’s too. He could have found another partner, maybe, but he felt as if that had been his shot, and he’d let her down. They both fucked up, but she’s the one who paid for it.

It was easy to quit after that. It would have been so much harder to stay.

“I retired.”

“Haven’t you ever seen a sports movie? I’m telling you to come out of retirement for one last game. Or, you know, one last Olympics.”

“How did you get involved in—whatever you want me to get involved in?”

“You know Clarke?”

“Griffin?”

“Yeah.”

Bellamy’s only met Clarke Griffin once, at the last Olympics. They literally ran into each other, got in a fight, and left annoyed with each other. From what he can tell, that’s kind of the norm for Clarke. She’s one of those athletes who’s so focused on the game that she doesn’t really see anything else.

“What about her?”

“She wants to get into figure skating.”

He actually chokes on his shock, splutters and flails until he can manage, “What?”

“You heard she had to quit hockey?”

“I don’t really keep up.”

“She took a bad hit, lost her peripheral vision. But she still wants an Olympic medal.”

“And she just assumes she can get one figure skating?” he asks, scowling. “Like it’s just like hockey?”

“Aren’t you coaching hockey right now?” Raven asks, unimpressed. “Ice is ice.”

“You never told me how you got involved. Or why you want me involved.”

“Clarke can be—“ She thinks over the word she wants, and Bellamy can supply a few of his own. She was a good player, but not exactly popular. “Abrasive. And she needs to learn the basics. You’re a teacher and you’re not going to let her scare you off. Her parents are paying,” she adds. “Room and board and a stipend. So it’s not like you’re going to burn cash chasing some stupid dream.”

“Her parents are.”

“Trust me, they can afford it. Come on,” she adds, in a tone he recognizes from years of working together. “I know you still want it.”

He closes his eyes, leaning back into the sofa. It’s not as if he’s unhappy here. He teaches skating at the family rink, coaches too. It’s a much smaller life than being a professional athlete, but not a bad one.

“How much is the stipend?” he asks, and Raven takes it for the agreement that it is.

*

The first thing Clarke says when she sees him is “Seriously?” so they’re clearly off to a good start.

“That was my reaction, yeah. You want to be a figure skater?”

She huffs. “I want to be a hockey player, but apparently that’s not in the cards.”

“Do you even know anything about figure skating? Because it’s definitely harder for the girl, traditionally. You’re going to have a lot to do.”

“I did figure skating for a few years, before we decided hockey was a better fit. Plus, you know. My mom.”

That one’s fair. Abby Griffin only ever got silver in figure skating, and Bellamy’s sure a few years for her was a lot more intense than whatever he was doing at that age. It took a while for anyone to notice how good he was; Clarke was being groomed for it since she was a kid.

“So what’s your issue with me?” he asks. “You want an Olympic skater, I’m an Olympic skater. I’m the one who’s supposed to teach a hockey player how to do a triple axle.”

“That’s Raven’s job, not yours.”

“I’m assuming you’re going to need all the help you can get. If you want to get to the Olympics.”

She scowls, but it’s reflexive, and once she’s had a second to collect herself, her face smooths out. “I thought you were retired.”

“I was. But I want to see how bad you are at this.”

The scowl is back in full force, like he thought it would be. If he and Clarke aren’t going to like each other–and he can’t imagine they will–then they might as well use spite as a motivator to do well. He’s going to be the best fucking skater in the world, if for no other reason than he’s not going to let her blame him if shit goes wrong.

“You want to see?” she demands. “Then get on the fucking ice, Blake.”

She doesn’t have to tell him twice.

*

What Bellamy forgot, partly because it had been a while since he had a new partner and partly because he’s pretty good at denial, is that getting close to people he skates with is basically inevitable. He and Clarke fight it as hard as they can, sniping at each other non-stop, Bellamy making fun of Clarke when she forgets about her toe pick, Clarke blowing up every time he so much as fumbles, but they’re still a team, and teams need to work together. They start joking around a little, talking about favorite books and movies, how they started skating.

He’s starting to like her, and then they have the most catastrophically bad practice they’ve had since they started all this, ending with Bellamy fumbling and dropping her, and the ensuing screaming match ends with her saying, “Maybe I just don’t want to end up like Raven!”

It’s too far, and all three of them know it. Bellamy’s looking right at her, which means he gets to see the change in her face, the second of anger that turns immediately into horror, and she’s turning away from him, looking to Raven, stammering apologies, and Bellamy’s suddenly unable to be there. If they try to get him to stay, he doesn’t hear it, and he doesn’t listen.

Deep down, when he’s honest, Bellamy knows Raven’s injury wasn’t his fault, or hers, or anyone’s, really. Things go wrong in skating, like they do in all sports. They’d done the move well a thousand times and fumbled it a thousand more, and this was the time they fumbled it badly, where everything went wrong and it left Raven’s leg permanently damaged. If he’d done things differently, it wouldn’t have happened, but deep down he knows it’s like chaos theory. If the ice had been different, if she’d been at another angle, if she’d landed better, that all would have changed things too. His own failure was a factor, but it was only one thing, and if he was the only one responsible, it wouldn’t have been so bad an injury as it was.

Clarke finds him sitting in the locker room, staring at his hands. He doesn’t know how long it’s been, but he realizes he’s cold and needs to change.

“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I’m an asshole.”

“I did drop you.”

“Bellamy,” she says, sharp, and he looks up at her. It seems like she might have been crying. “That was unfair to both of you. You didn’t do anything wrong, and Raven doesn’t deserve to be treated like a cautionary tale.”

“You were pissed, I get it,” he says, and she shakes her head.

“I tried to pull that with my dad when I was a teenager. I lost my temper, said something shitty, said I was just mad and didn’t mean it. And he told me that the things you say when you’re mad don’t just come out of nowhere. They’re usually the most honest things that you’d never say. But that doesn’t mean–” She sighs. “I used to see athletes get hurt, and I told myself it was–avoidable, I guess. Like if you do everything right, bad things won’t happen to you. And I know that’s bullshit, I know it’s bullshit. But it’s a lie you tell yourself to feel better. I’m so good, it could never happen to me. But you guys–I used to watch you, you know? Mom’s the one who discovered Raven, and I always liked her. And as shitty as it is, when it happened, I thought, well, if only they’d done it differently.”

“I think that too. Fuck, that’s all I thought, for–”

To his surprise, she reaches over, takes his hand and squeezes it. “Things can go wrong without you doing anything wrong, Bellamy. It’s shitty that I still think things like that, somewhere, and I shouldn’t have said it. But that doesn’t make me right.”

It’s not what he was expecting. “You’re usually not this mature after you yell at me.”

“Usually when I yell at you, you deserve it. That was uncalled for and wrong. I’m an asshole for saying it.”

“And a lot of other reasons,” he teases, and she smiles.

“That too.”

“You talked to Raven?”

“Yeah. It’s been a tough day, we were going to go get drunk. You want to come?”

“Isn’t your body a temple or something?”

She stands and offers her hand, and he takes it. “Plenty of temples accept alcohol as offerings. And I don’t drink much these days, so my tolerance is shot. It won’t even take much.”

He feels himself smile, unexpectedly. Friendship was inevitable, and apparently Clarke owning her mistake and apologizing wholeheartedly was the last step.

“Cool,” he says. “I’m in.”

At the bar, he wraps his arm around Raven while Clarke is in the bathroom, drawing her in and kissing her temple. They hashed the whole thing out a thousand times, after it happened, but he figures there’s no harm in checking in. “You good?”

“I’m good. You good?”

“Yeah. I’m still going to get a medal.”

“You and Clarke are going to get one medal and I’m taking the other. You two can share.”

“That seems fair.” He takes a drink of beer. “You really think we’ve got a shot?”

“Honestly? I really do.”

*

Clarke: I can’t believe you abandoned me for this

Me: You can’t believe I wanted to spend Christmas with my family instead of yours?Really?Do I need to send more baby pictures because I willMy nephew is adorable, Clarke

Clarke: I’m getting ten billion questions about youIt would be so much easier if you were here to help answer them

Me: Questions about me?What questions?

Clarke: You came out of retirement to help me cross over into a new sportAnd we’re actually good at itIt’s all anyone wants to talk aboutPlease send more baby picturesI need a break

Me: Sorry I didn’t know we were so popular

Clarke: You should beWhen are you coming back again?

Me: I’ll be there for New Year’sYou miss me?

Clarke: Desperately

“So,” says his sister, sitting down next to him and startling his attention from the phone. “Is that your new partner?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you really know what you’re doing?”

“Almost never.” He takes a sip of his drink. “If you have something to say about Clarke, you can just say it.”

“I know you say you always fall a little bit in love with people you skate with, but I’m thinking you went a little far with this one.”

It’s nothing he hasn’t been thinking. Clarke is difficult, prickly and stubborn, too hard on everyone, driven and focused to a fault, but those aren’t always negatives. She’s passionate and smart and beautiful, and Bellamy misses her too, fiercely.

“What’s wrong with falling in love?” he asks. “You’re married, I’m hoping that means you’re pro-relationship.”

Her eyes narrow. “Is that what you guys have? A relationship? Or do you have a crush on some rich girl who’s never going to talk to you again once the Olympics are over?”

It’s intended to be some kind of huge, life-changing question, and she’s clearly disappointed when he snorts. “I don’t know if she’s interested in dating me,” he says. “But she’s not just going to ditch me. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, but I’m one of them. I don’t know if anything’s going to happen, but–we’re good, O.”

Right on cue, his phone buzzes again, and he looks down to see her text: I really do miss you, though.

“She’s a good partner,” he says. “That’s all I care about.”

For a long moment, Octavia just watches him, and then she sighs. “I don’t want her to hurt you.”

“I know. I don’t think she will.”

Me: I miss you tooI’ll be back before you know itHere’s a baby picture

He looks back up at Octavia, smiles. “I think we’ll be fine.”

*

When they qualify for the Olympics, he kisses her, not quite on purpose, just a general expression of joy, and she’s the one to wind her arms around his neck, pull him back in, and really kiss him, warm and smiling and perfect.

“That took you long enough,” she murmurs, and he tugs her closer.

“Like you couldn’t have done it first.”

She ducks her head against his neck, and he can feel her grin. He can’t exactly blame her; they are, somehow, fucking miraculously going to the Olympics, and she definitely wants to date him, which is really good news. “I can be kind of an asshole.”

“I can too. I think we can probably make it work.” He kisses her again. “I want to. I’m kind of–”

“Yeah,” she agrees, pulling him back in, and they don’t say anything more until Raven bangs on the door.

“I know you two are celebrating, but save it! We’ve got work to do. You can have sex after you win the gold medal.”

She’s right, of course. And they absolutely do.

[like-bunnies]

Winter Dreams Pt. II ‘Pudding’ -- an Ichabbie Holidays AU Fic

Abbie Mills is closing up her bakery on Christmas Eve when a stranger comes in desperately looking for something. What will the two of them manage to find together? 

An Ichabbie AU that can be read as the next part of Winter Dreams or can be all on its own. One of these years, I will get a Christmas story done by Christmas. Oh, who am I kidding? And this is like Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie silly fluff. But with a little smut added in. And AUs really aren’t something I’m very good at but I’m trying! 

Abbie was ready for the holidays to be over. It had been exceptionally busy in her quaint bakeshop and there was an endless stream of people picking up their orders for Christmas Eve. Her sister, Jenny, was helping by getting all the internet orders shipped on time and even Jenny’s boyfriend, Joe, pitched in early mornings before his shift at the ER.

Still, she was glad that they would be closing soon and tomorrow was Christmas so she could sleep in for the first time in a very long time. The last customer had shuffled out with their goodies and Jenny was about to turn the sign on the door over to “Closed” when a tall, bearded man came rushing in from the snow.

“There’s not much left,” Jenny said as he rushed by her and to the counter, looking pleadingly at Abbie.

“I desperately need a Christmas pudding,” he said and Abbie’s ears perked up at both his accent and his weird request.

“I… sorry… a what?” Abbie stammered, still staring at him as he shook the snowflakes out of his hair. It was longer than she normally liked on guys but thankfully not long enough to pull it into a man bun. She had seen enough of those with the college in the next town. This man’s hair had the cutest curls near his neck and… he did have a lovely neck. And face. And eyes. What was it he wanted again?

“A Christmas pudding. I have tried and tried to get one right and they have all failed. I’m hosting the history department’s ‘holiday away from home’ dinner tomorrow for all my colleagues who are, well, away from home, and I promised there would be a pudding,” the man said, his hands flying around expressively as he spoke.

“I don’t have any puddings. I do have some pies left. Oh, here… these are also good,” Abbie said, offering him something from a bag.

“I can’t serve my guests something from a bag,” he said as he reached in and popped one in his mouth. “Oh, these are good.”

“Listen… Doctor… what’s your name?” Abbie asked.

“How did you know I’m a doctor?” he asked, licking the cinnamon sugar off of his fingertips.

“History department. Colleagues. Away from home so I’m guessing you’re at the university as a teacher? It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to work that one out,”Abbie said as he grabbed another donut hole and shoved it in his mouth.

“Besides, she used to be a police officer. Was going to be a detective one day had she not been injured,” Jenny said as she continued to clean up the small store, wiping down the few tables they had so customers could enjoy their pastry in the morning. The front door was now locked, the keys dangling from the lock so they’d be able to let this last minute customer out when he was ready to go.

“Ah. I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure that was a great loss to the local police force, And it’s Crane. Doctor Crane. Or professor if you like. I’m actually here to teach about the American Revolution from the British perspective and to work on my book,” Crane said.

“Isn’t the British perspective that we kicked your ass?” Jenny asked. Abbie rolled her eyes at her sister but Jenny always liked a good argument.

“Only because you had the French,” he said, pointing a finger in Jenny’s direction.

“You had the Hessians. You had the best navy in the world at the time. You had an organized army with excellent leadership and still you lost,” Jenny continued on in a sing-song fashion.

“I see you’ve taken my class,” he said with a slight, wry smile.

“Jenny, could you go in back and make sure I didn’t forget anyone’s order? I can drop anything off on the way home. Now, Doctor Crane, would you like a pie or what?” Abbie interrupted, hoping to end this thing between the professor and her sister. Jenny went off to the back, whistling Yankee Doodle. “I apologize for my sister.”

“No, she does have a point, which is actually why I’m at the university here. I am researching how the Americans did overcome the odds and win. This region is filled with so much history and I’m enjoying all of it immensely. I just can’t find a bakery that has a Christmas pudding!” he said.

Abbie bit her lip and thought for a minute. If he wasn’t so cute, she would have sent him back out into the snow a long time ago but there he was in that pretty navy coat that made his blue eyes even more blue and she felt for him. Felt a lot of things for him, actually. It had to be the accent.

Jenny called out from the back that there was nothing there and she was going to go make a quick trip to the grocery store before the market closed early. Abbie mumbled that she would see her later for Christmas Eve dinner and listened as Jenny locked the back door. Both doors were now locked and she was all alone with Doctor Crane.

“What’s your first name?” she asked. “I’m Abbie, by the way.”

“I guessed that one,” he said, arching an eyebrow up at her. She looked at him puzzled until she remembered she had her name on the front of the bakery. On her apron. On her shirt. On her name tag. She never in her life thought she’d own a bakery. She wasn’t even that great at it at first but she learned and came to love the whole thing, accepting help wherever it came from.

“Yes… Abbie Mills. Formerly Lieutenant Abbie Mills. Now baker Mills. Who knows what’s next. Maybe candlestick maker,” she said, laughing nervously. He had put his hands on the counter and was leaning in her direction.

“Oh, Lieutenant. I like the sound of that,” he said, the timbre of his voice dropping even lower. “And my name is Ichabod.”

She couldn’t help herself. She let out something more than a nervous chuckle this time.

“Ichabod?”

“You can call me Crane if you’d prefer,” he said. “Ichabod was an old family name. I had some relative who came to America centuries ago with the same name. I should look up where he’s buried whilst I’m here.”

They seemed to be getting further and further away from the topic of baked goods. Abbie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to focus. When she opened her eyes, he was still staring at her.

“Okay, Crane. How about we look up your pudding on the internet and see what we can do,” Abbie said. He looked incredibly relieved to have help. She, on the other hand, was wondering what the hell she was getting herself into.

*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^

“Well, I think we’re pretty much screwed when it comes to a Christmas pudding,” Abbie said as she scrolled through recipe after recipe. “You needed to start two weeks ago at the very least for something authentic.”

“I see that now,” Crane said as he stared over her shoulder. They were both in her tiny office near the back of the store, staring at her monitor. She normally just handled orders and inventory in here but there was a handful of personal photos around. She couldn’t help but notice him look at a few of them, especially the one of her and some of her former police colleagues. Many had died in that raid a couple of years ago. She was thankful she had lived. She missed Andy and Luke a lot but there was no changing the past.

“This one says you need to start it at the end of November,” Abbie said, trying to draw his attention back to the matter at hand.

“Surely there must be a recipe somewhere for bumbling professors who forget to do this ahead of time and can’t even figure out how to work their oven?” he asked. He placed his hand over hers on the mouse, moving the cursor so he could click back and try a different search on Google. He leaned over her and typed in instant Christmas pudding.

“How do you plan on hosting an entire dinner if you can’t work the oven?” Abbie asked, turning in her seat to look at him.

“Frozen lasagna in a pan?” he said with a laugh. Her eyes opened in shock. “I’m teasing, Lieutenant. I can work the oven. I’m an excellent cook. I just can’t get the hang of this damnable pudding. Sadly, baking is my downfall.”

She looked back at one of the recipes he had found. It was much faster than the ones they had been looking at and she did have most of the ingredients for it. She might need to make a quick trip to the market or call Jenny while she was still there. She hit print, wiggled out from under his arms, grabbed the copy of the recipe and went into her bakery with him following behind.

“I’ll make a deal with you, Doctor Crane. I will make this and bring it to you tomorrow if I can taste just how good of a cook you really are,” Abbie said. She felt her cheeks grow warmer as she realized she just invited herself to this man’s Christmas dinner. Jenny and Joe usually did their own thing on Christmas day while she spent the day in peaceful slumber but this would be nice. At least it would be if he said yes.

He didn’t say anything right away. She was worried she had read something wrong. Maybe he was married and his wife was back home in England. Maybe he had a whole family.

“You want to spend the day with a gathering of boring historians?” he asked incredulously. She found it strange that he didn’t seem to realize exactly how cute he was. That he seemed to think he didn’t have any game.

“No, I want to spend the day with you,” Abbie said, her cheeks on fire now.

“I’d like nothing more,” he said, looking down like he was shy, his eyelashes fluttering away, before he looked up at her and smiled. She smiled right back and hoped like hell she could actually figure out how to make a pudding in one night.

*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Abbie had a hard time finding the right address in the blowing snow but eventually she made it, Christmas pudding in hand along with as many other of her baked goods as she could carry. Dinner with Jenny and Joe the night before had been wonderful and she crawled into her bed soon after the gifts were exchanged and they left for the evening. Up early, she was at her bakery trying her best to make this pudding seem authentic. There was no way she could make up for the time it really needed, but she thought she did a good job. If the guests didn’t like that, they could always fill up on the pies.

She used the heavy door knocker and waited with all her parcels for Doctor Crane to open the door. His eyes lit up when he saw that it was her and he took as many of the packages from her as he could.

“Lieutenant! I’m so happy you’re here! I was worried that the weather would prevent you from traveling to my home…as it has some of my other guests. Two couples have canceled out so far,” he said as he started toward the kitchen.

“You can call me Abbie… where would you like for me to leave my boots?” Abbie asked, not wanting to track snow through the house. Both had their arms filled with desserts and Crane motioned for her to follow him. Abbie did as he led her down a narrow hall to a warm and cozy kitchen. Everything smelled delicious and she could see that he had been chopping vegetables when she had interrupted him with her knock at the door. “You really can cook.”

“As I said, cooking I can do. Baking just goes wrong. All those precise measurements makes it like a science experiment. I prefer the magic of cooking instead. A little bit of this. A little bit of that,” Crane said, taking more baked goods from her arms and stacking them up on one of his granite counter tops. Abbie slipped off her scarf and coat and pulled her snow boots off, leaving her in just her stocking feet. She had her favorite lace-up boots in the large tote she had brought with her but Crane had whisked her wet winter gear off to where it could dry by the fire and was already back, asking her questions about what she had brought with. And if she had brought more donut holes.

“Yes, I did and some other donuts you might enjoy. You can save them for tomorrow, if you’d like. They would go great with a cappuccino,” she said, noticing the gourmet coffee maker he had tucked beside the toaster. “I thought you said you were only here for a short time.”

He followed her gaze and smiled. “Doesn’t matter how short the time might be, I can’t go without my coffee,” he said, going back to his chopping. “So, Lieutenant…”

“Abbie.”

“So, Abbie, how did you end up with a bakery?” he asked. Abbie fell silent as she collected her thoughts. She watched Cranes hands and his fingers as he deftly chopped vegetables, adding them to a stew that already smelled delicious. He was smartly dressed in a pair of dark gray flannel trousers and the most beautiful blue cable knit sweater she had ever seen on a man. She wanted to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked. Instead, she focused on what he had asked.

“I…uh… after I got shot and I couldn’t come back to work, or at least not the way I wanted to, I thought it would be nice to have a place like that. It was supposed to just be a coffee shop but there are too many of those in town already,” she said.

“Starbucks on every block, cutting out any local coffee houses with precision,” Crane said, his kitchen knife stabbing into the air as if to illustrate his point.

“So I opened the bakery that would also serve coffee. Honestly, after the incident… after I lost a few very good friends in that incident…”

“I sense one of them might have been more than good friends?” he asked, looking at her as if he was trying to suss out everything there was to know about her.

“Mind your business, professor. Anyway, after that, I thought it would be a great place where the local LEOs could come in the morning. I’d serve them some warm apple pie if their shift was ending or a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee if their shift was just starting. It was a way to stay connected, you know,” Abbie said, remembering how desperately she needed to keep close with the people she relied on for so long. “I wasn’t the best baker at first but I was determined. I learned from some of the best and now my little shop is doing rather well, and my friends are all still there bright and early in the morning. Good thing I love mornings, right?”

He had stopped chopping and was staring at her intently, taking in every word she said. Just looking in his eyes sent a wave of heat through her and she crossed her arms, trying to protect herself from this feeling. It had been a long time since Luke had died. And then Corbin was killed a year later. She had shut herself off from most everyone. She had that one fling with that visiting FBI agent but she even kept him distant. But this… was charged with some sort of electricity she hadn’t felt with anyone in so long.

“That’s really incredible,” he said, still focused only on her.

“It’s just a bakery. Look at you, Doctor Crane. Where did you go to school anyway? How did you get involved with American history when you have ages of history of your own?” Abbie asked, trying to deflect the attention away from herself.

“I grew up in London, went to Oxford… Merton College. I ended up in America when a friend talked me into doing further studies here, I was married for a very short while but she then ran off with that same so-called friend. I got my doctorate from Penn, which is where I discovered the answer to the other part of your question. The history of our two countries is entwined and I found it fascinating. Now I’m doing more research into the British officers who turned. What would drive them to fight for a land that was not their home? And this is a great area in which to do so,” Crane said.

He was starting to clean up the scraps of vegetables when his cellphone rang. He wiped his hands off on a dishtowel and answered the call. Abbie listened as he went through a series of “uh huhs” followed by a “that’s too bad.”

“Now the Andrews can’t make it. They don’t want to venture out into what might become a blizzard. They are new here, from somewhere in Georgia, so that’s understandable but still… I hope the others can make it,” Crane said.

“Do you miss England? London?” Abbie asked. He paused from his mixing and stirring and thought about it for a beat.

“Have you ever been there?” he asked instead of answering.

“No. I made it to Paris after I started the bakery but didn’t make it to London,” she answered.

“It was my home. Yes, I miss it but home isn’t necessarily always a place. It’s the people. I try to find the right people wherever I go. My ex-wife, Kat, didn’t like that. She wanted to settle down in one place and with Abe, she could. I wanted to keep moving. To keep learning. To keep meeting people,” he said. He looked at her and smiled brightly. “People like you. I would have never met you had I stayed in England.”

“You never know. Fate might have stepped in. I might have been there on vacation and bumped into you in a coffee shop,” Abbie said.

“Our fates are entwined, just like our nations?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she said, feeling her cheeks flush again from the way he was looking at her. “Maybe.”

*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Abbie was putting the finishing touches on the dining room table, enjoying how nicely the place was decorated. It wasn’t over the top for Christmas but he had a fresh tree and candles everywhere and a nice table setting. Crane even had Christmas crackers at every place setting, waiting to be popped open by cheerful guests.

She stopped moving when she heard Crane’s phone ring again. Another guest was canceling because of the snow. She felt a bad for him because of all the work he had put into preparing this meal but then again, she wouldn’t mind eating with him… alone. She returned to the kitchen to find him opening a bottle of wine. He poured himself some and took a sip before pouring her a glass, too. It was a fantastic red wine and now she was also glad they didn’t have to share that bottle with as many people.

“That was Trevor, one of the doctoral candidates I’m helping out. He said the snow on his side of town is getting too deep for him to venture out on foot and he doesn’t want to pay for an Uber. Too be honest, I think Trevor would rather spend his day with his new X-Box but what do I know?” he asked with a disappointed shrug “I haven’t even taken my new one out of the box yet. Trevor is the lucky one.”

“So, who is left?”Abbie asked. She would have to go clear another place setting, which only left four.

“Doctor Hashemi and her husband. That’s it. I didn’t expect so much snow on Christmas. Everyone kept saying they never get a white Christmas. They’re getting one this year!” he said, taking another sip of wine and looking out the window. “I’m going to have to go shovel the path soon. If you want to get home before the roads get too treacherous, you can. I don’t want you to feel that you have to stay here,” he said, pouting a little as he considered the snow.

“No, I’m good. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve driven in worse than this. Besides, I can help you shovel the sidewalk,” she said, standing beside him as they looked out of the kitchen window over the sink. His narrow backyard was pristine white now and although she wasn’t fond of shoveling, it did look like it would be fun to play in. If that involved playing with him.

“They are going to miss out on the best pudding ever,” Crane said with a smile.

“How did you end up responsible for this Christmas dinner?” Abbie asked.

“I do like to cook. I thought it would be nice to get together with friends and colleagues and enjoy a nice meal,” he said. The phone rang again and he looked at it and sighed heavily. He turned away from the window and took the call. When he hung up, he looked at her and shook his head. “Samira and Bahram will not be able to make it, either.”

“You wanted dinner with your friends but now instead, you’re stuck with a stranger,” Abbie said, honestly feeling sorry for him.

“If we do get snowed in here, at least we will have plenty of food,” he said, looking around the kitchen at everything. He didn’t say anything else for a moment before he turned to her. “And I don’t consider spending time with you as 'stuck’ and I don’t feel like you’re a stranger at all. I feel like I’ve known you longer than just one day. It’s like we’ve been friends forever.”

She laughed nervously because she had been feeling the same way.

“At least I don’t have to worry about serving that rushed Christmas pudding to anyone. Unless you plan on eating it?” she asked.

“God, no. I never liked them in the first place but I had promised the Andrews. We can just stick to the donut holes,” he said and they both laughed.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

He had put on a suit coat over his button-down shirt and his gorgeous sweater and Abbie finally put on her shoes, not wanting to dine without them on while he was trying his best to look like the perfect holiday host. They had agreed that shoveling the walk could wait until after dinner and he poured her more wine before they put the last side dish on the table. He pulled out her chair for her and helped her take her seat before tucking himself in.

“This is all good. Next Christmas, I’m going to make you some of my mama’s mac and cheese, though. That’s the only thing missing,” Abbie said.

“Next Christmas?” he asked, his one eyebrow arching up on his forehead.

“I’ll still be here. How about you?” she asked, taking another serving of the stew she had found him preparing when she arrived.

“I don’t know, to be honest. I’d have to have a pretty good reason to stay,” he said, tilting his head slightly, asking so many questions without using a single word.

“So, do you believe in fate?” Abbie asked. It was a pretty serious question for holiday dinner conversation but she wanted to know everything he felt and believed.

“Do you mean that two people are supposed to meet? Across time and space and all that? Over and over?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I don’t know. Does this mean that I keep meeting my ex-wife first? Because to be honest with you, getting my heart broken like that over and over and over would become rather exhausting. And annoying,” he said and they both laughed.  

“So she wasn’t your soulmate but she taught you a lot, I’m sure. All part of the path to the right thing?” Abbie asked.

“I did learn a lot about who to trust and that sometimes you just have to do your thing first before you can bring someone else into your life. That is one thing she did teach me,” he said with a shrug. “Thankfully we didn’t have children together. That would have been a disaster!”

They both fell silent. She watched him as the flickering candles sent shadows over his face. He was watching her right back, nervously smoothing out his beard before focusing back on the dinner at hand.

“Dessert?” she asked, breaking the tension filling the air.

“Capital idea! And I’ll make coffee!”

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

With their stomachs full, the dishes done, and fueled up on coffee, they bundled up in protective gear and headed outside during a break in the snow to shovel the walk. He only had one snow shovel so they took turns while one of his neighbors up the street used his noisy snowblower. Finally, he finished and went inside, leaving the two of them alone in the eerie stillness. There was the sound of the shovel scraping and him asking her questions about her life and her taking the shovel from him and asking him more questions about his.

Just when they had finished, the snow starting drifting down again and Abbie sighed. The good thing about her apartment was someone else did this! Crane put the shovel near the front door and returned to where Abbie was standing, catching snowflakes on her tongue.

“You are so beautiful,” he said, taking her gloved hand in his. “I have not even known you for an entire day and I’m smitten, Abbie. If this was fate, then yes I believe in it. Absolutely. Completely.”

Abbie’s heart starting beating hard in her chest when he said those words and she didn’t know what to say. She felt the same way about him but… it was so fast. Is this how it worked? You met the one and it was like throwing a switch?

Instead of saying anything, she led him toward the part of the yard where the snow wasn’t too deep but was packed just enough and pulled him down into it, urging him to make a snow angel. He complained about the wet and the cold only briefly before he joined in. As her arms were forming the angel wings, he propped himself up beside her to look at her.

“What?” she asked, crossing her arms over here.

“You truly are heaven sent,” he said, pulling her scarf away from her face just enough so he could lean in to kiss her. It was slow and soft at first, like the snow drifting around them. Slowly. Softly. The snow was falling and Abbie was falling, too. Her lips explored his and she wanted to feel more. To explore every bit of him. She touched his face but her damn gloves were in the way. He pulled away, his eyes searching hers. She shivered from the cold and from the way his eyes were devouring her.

“Should we go in and warm up?” Abbie asked.

“I have some wonderful ideas on how we can do that,” he said, his voice dropping. She scrunched up her nose and giggled at him. “No! I meant we could sit by the fire and have a drink… I didn’t mean to sound so forward! Abbie, I’m sorry!”

“I wasn’t laughing about you being so forward. I was laughing because I had plenty of ideas of my own. But starting with a drink by the fire would be good,”she said. He stood up, put his hand out to assist her to her feet, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked to the door.

“What ideas do you have?” he asked.

“I’ll just have to show you.”

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

She swallowed the Scotch and felt it warm her all the way down. After getting out of her snow boots and her coat again, she settled down on his couch while he tuned in to a satellite radio channel playing jazzy Christmas music. The old house had several fireplaces in different rooms and the one in the living room was now stoked to a roar.

Abbie made herself at home and covered up with a soft and worn plaid quilt that had been over the back of the couch. Crane sat beside her and took a long sip from his glass.

“I have to tell you… I don’t do this very often. I rarely have the bakers I meet on Christmas Eve spend the next day at my house helping shovel snow and set the table,” he said.

“I rarely go home with my customers,” she said. “Only the special ones who are desperate for a Christmas pudding.”

“Yes, I only invite over the bakers with the best donut holes,” he joked. They both fell silent for a quiet, comfortable minute. “I want to see you again. I don’t want to do anything that would make you not want to come back.”

“You haven’t done anything yet.”

“I want to.”

“I want you to.”

He set his glass aside and pulled her to him. His mouth was warm and tasted of Scotch. The blue sweater he had on was as soft as she imagined it. Didn’t matter. She wanted it off of him. Wanted everything off of him. Wanted him on the floor in front of the fire. Wanted him.

A moan escaped his throat as her tongue delved past his lips, meeting his. Heat burned through her, settling between her thighs and she thought about how crazy this all was but she certainly wasn’t going to stop. She pulled away from his kiss and stood up, putting the quilt over her shoulder and reaching out to him. He grabbed her hands and she knew he’d follow her anywhere right now. She put the quilt down in front of the fire and they both sank down to their knees on it. The twinkling lights from the Christmas tree danced across their skin and she pulled his sweater off over his head. He unbuttoned his shirt and shed it quickly. Abbie looked at his chest, gasping when she saw a scar across his heart.

“What happened?” she asked, her fingers running across it.

“It’s silly, really. I was doing some research in grad school at a battlefield reenactment and I got in the way of something I shouldn’t have. Thankfully, I had modern medical care and an ambulance that arrived in a matter of minutes,” he said. She leaned in to kiss the scar, running her lips across it, her tongue teasingly flicking out at his nipple. He moaned and leaned back away from her, sitting on his heels.

“I have scars, too,” she said.

“I’d like to see them,” he said and she pulled off her wool sweater, revealing her silky black bra.

“Here,” she said, pointing to a bullet wound on her abdomen. Abbie then unfastened her trousers and wiggled out of them, showing him the wound on her thigh that ended her career. “And here.”

Now his fingers explored her flesh, feeling where she had to be put back together with titanium and screws and stitches.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked.

“Not as much as it used to. Sometimes when it’s cold and I have to shovel snow for some guy I barely know…” she teased and he rolled his eyes.

He motioned for her to lie down and she did, shivering as he continued his study of her with his mouth. Her thighs fell open to his gentlest demand and her back arched up when he kissed her clit through her thong. Crane tugged the tiny scrap of fabric down her legs and off and she closed her eyes, hardly able to believe this was happening.

He kissed up and down her thighs, teasing her until she couldn’t take it anymore. She reached for him and showed him exactly what she wanted. His tongue danced over her clit and then inside of her and she couldn’t stop moaning. His beard tickled and his hair kept flopping into his face and he’d have to push it back before diving back in. His hands would grab her hips and pull her closer but there was no way to be closer. Abbie’s back arched as she came and all the lights seemed to grow brighter before fading into nothing. When her body finally calmed down, Crane climbed up beside her and kissed her. She could taste herself on his lips, a combination of the two of them, and it was sweet.

“Better than any Christmas pudding could possibly ever be,” he said. She reached up and tucked a loose lock of his hair behind his ear.

“Since I didn’t really expect anything like this to happen… I mean, I only expected dinner… I didn’t exactly come prepared. Except with a lot of baked goods,” Abbie said.

“I haven’t been with anyone in a long while – not since Kat. I was tested afterward because of that whole thing with… well, you know. So. I’m clean,” he said. She knew this was stupid. She was on birth control but still. Why did she want this person so badly that she’d throw away common sense and wisdom?

“So am I. Clean. And on birth control,” Abbie said.

“Well, then, Lieutenant… do you want to move somewhere more comfortable or do you prefer right here, by the warmth of the fire?” he asked. She liked it here, with the crackling fire and the lights filling the room. It looked and felt like Christmas. She always imagined being with a man she loved on Christmas, enjoying each other. This might not be love yet… but she was certain it could be soon enough.

She took off her bra and then fumbled with the buttons on his pants (who wore button-fly anything anymore?) but finally slid them down his narrow hips along with his silly Christmas boxers.

“Who was supposed to see these?” she asked, laughing at the ridiculousness of them.

“Can’t a man enjoy some festive underwear for the holidays?” he asked. She was looking over his lean body and when her eyes got to parts she hadn’t seen already, she forgot all about the boxers. He was already hard and it was impressive.

“Well, Merry Christmas to me,” she said, licking her lips in anticipation. He blushed, his eyes turned down shyly until she wrapped her hand around his cock and stroked it a few times. The thrust into her grip and she leaned in to flick the head of it with her tongue as her fingers kept moving.

“Uggh,”he managed to say as her tongue continued to dance around him. They surely looked ridiculous here in the middle of the living room on nothing but a quilt on the floor, nearly naked except for their socks. It was too cold to go without socks.

He moved quickly, and was on his knees with her legs wrapped around his hips and her arms around his neck, slipping into her body. He filled her completely and she was mesmerized by the way he was staring into her very soul as he thrust in and out of her. It was like he had known her forever. Like this wasn’t their first time together.

Everything was a bit hurried and frantic but they could take it slow later. Right now they both needed to satiate this thing that was between them. He threw his head back when he came and cried out her name over and over and she never wanted this precise moment to end.

They fell down next to each other on the quilt, Crane struggling to catch his breath. She was only supposed to deliver a pudding. Just a pudding. Not pudding and sex.

Oh, but she was so glad it turned out that way.

“Please say you’re staying the night?” he asked when he could finally speak coherently again.

“I have to go into my store at about 3 am and prepare for the day,” she said and he sighed with disappointment. “Unless I call my sister and ask her to go open the store. That’s always an option. Or I could tell her I can’t make it because of the snow but she’d never believe it.”

“I have nowhere to go tomorrow. I could come in with you and watch you while you bake,” he said and she looked at him with disbelief. “Oh, Abbie, I’d go anywhere to watch you.”

She laughed.

“You sure it’s not to get more donut holes?” she asked.

“There is that, too,” he said.

She was snuggled in his arms under the glow of the tree, the quilt now partially wrapped around them. And Abbie knew without a doubt that fate was real and they were meant to be together this Christmas and every Christmas for the rest of their days.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

fin

[turnsoutnoonewasexaggerating]

AU where Neil was dying all along

• Guys I thought of something angsty • So you’re all gonna have to share the pain with me • So what if Neil had some kind of terminal illness; found out about it too late for it to be anything but terminal from never going to the hospital when with his mother (this is like pre-Milport but post Mary’s death) • This is some kind of terminal illness that doesn’t actually effect him physically that much yet (let me have this; Andrew got magic meds so) • Neil has to break out of the hospital with his drugs after his diagnosis (who knows why he was there to start with) and runs, ending up in Milport • He only plans to stay a night but then he’s like ‘fuck it I’m gonna die anyway’ • And joins the Exy team • Events continue as canon until Kev, Wymack and Andrew come to meet him • Neil doesn’t run from Kev this time, which is lucky because if Andrew had hit him with the racquet he might have broken one of Neil’s weakening bones • Instead he straight up is like ‘huh you don’t remember me’ because he’s already a dead man walking and he doesn’t care so much about the truths spilling out of his mouth like rips in his duffel bag • 'what are you talking about’ • 'Nathaniel at your service’ (snarky bastard) oh and Kev remembers that name even if he doesn’t remember Neil’s face. Neil’s not surprised • Kev tries to persuade Wymack and Andrew to just leave, freaking out, while Hernandez is like 'I didn’t know your full name was Nathaniel???’ 'I prefer Neil’ • Andrew is curious. Kevin seems scared but Andrew’s pretty sure it’s for “Nathaniel” not because of him • Still, Andrew’s never had the luxury of accepting only being “pretty” sure • Course Wymack still persuades Neil to come to Palmetto, especially when Neil explains he knows Kev coz he played at the Nest when he was little until his parents split and he left with his mum • It’s basically the truth • When he arrives at Palmetto Kevin is shook • 'What the Hell are you doing your father is still looking for you-’ in angry French ofc • 'I know. I reckon I’ve got a good year or two before he gets out on parole and turns up to kill me’ • Kevin thinks he’s absolutely insane, but then he doesn’t know that Neil’s going to die long before his father turns up so it’s a fair assumption • Neil dissolves his declining amount of meds in his water bottles and that is all he drinks which makes it rather difficult for Andrew to drug him (good thing too, who knows whether dust would’ve reacted with his meds) • Neil eventually clocks on at the sixth drink Andrew tries to offer him, and says Andrew can have the truth without the drugs thanks • Andrew doesn’t care about being called out but if Neil starts yelling about it someone might be good enough to call the police and then he’ll be fucked • He agrees, and Neil offers him the same truths he does in canon basically • Andrew offers to protect Neil in return for him keeping Kevin here. Neil doesn’t need Andrew’s protection, but just in case his father gets out on early parole or something, he accepts the deal, knowing Andrew won’t let him help with Kevin if he thinks Neil is doing it for free • He knows him so well already • Continue as canon except it’s his medical bills Riko throws in his face instead of his names at the banquet. • Not explicit enough for anyone else to get it but Neil is panicked • He’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be allowed to play if they knew he was dying and Exy is the only thing he wants to live for (oh honey child you have no idea what’s going to hit you) • Again, continue as canon • Drake happens • Neil sees Andrew’s scars and wishes he had a choice about dying • Easthaven, and Neil goes to Evermore, and it’s only two weeks but it’s two weeks without his meds and Neil is ridiculously weak • He explains it away by trauma making your immune system weak but Abby takes one look at him and knows it’s bullshit • She diagnoses him correctly and is like Neil what the fuck • Neil explains to her that he was terminal long before the Foxes, and he just wants to play Exy as long as he can • Abby is heartbroken • She has to tell David because they have to decide whether it’s safe for him to keep playing, but at Neil’s request she doesn’t tell him that Neil’s terminal • She replenishes his meds from the hospital but you can’t just go off them without consequences and Neil’s lost a lot more than two weeks off his lifespan • Abby thinks, if he stays on the meds, he’ll make it till the end of the year, but probably not past the summer and no one knows how much of that he’ll be able to play for • Somewhere before Andrew comes back from Easthaven, Riko gets word to Kev about Neil’s condition • Predictably, Kev freaks out, talking about how it’s hopeless and he might as well just go back to the Nest • This is where Neil and him have the conversation about Kevin being afraid to take his future 'you have a future, why won’t you just take it’ • Kev is suitably ashamed • He also thinks Neil should tell Andrew. Neil, being oblivious, doesn’t know why • Continue as canon • Wymack asks Neil to be the vice-cap next year. He doesn’t know how cruel he’s being but Neil can’t breathe • That is all he wants, everything he can’t have • He calls Andrew, and that time on the roof Andrew kisses him but this time Neil actually fully means his yes, not having a mental breakdown, because knowing you’re going to be killed vs actively dying does wonders for Neil’s introspection • For the money for the car, Neil asks Andrew to stop smoking instead of getting rid of the cracker dust. Andrew refuses, but Neil just asks him to have less cigarettes then (I am not saying Andrew starts vaping because he does not because Andrew is actually cool but he does agree to cut his cigarette intake down to just the one a day he shares with Neil on the roof) • Kev is more protective of Neil, desperate that no accident is going to take Neil before his illness • Andrew notices, coz he’s not an idiot, but he doesn’t know how to ask about it. For all he knows it’s just companionship from both now knowing what being in the nest is like • Besides, it’s like every day that Neil grows weaker, Kevin grows stronger and more confident, so Neil’s holding up his end of the deal • As Neil starts getting the countdown, he also starts coughing up blood, which he thinks is very poetic • Abby tells Neil the game on the day he will get a 0 in his countdown is going to have to be his last • Neil realises Andrew’s going to think he didn’t protect him properly even if Neil dies of his illness not his father • Neil persuades Andrew to break their deal the night Kevin comes home with a new tattoo, the proof that Kev doesn’t need him anymore • Quietly, in French, Neil thanks Kev for doing this before he dies. He knows the Foxes are going to be OK now • Kevin is already drunk and Neil’s words tip him over into full misery • 'what did you say to him? Could be useful to shut him up’ Asks Andrew • Neil flinches and Andrew is Concerned • 'Neil I’m taking a turn.’ • Neil looks at his hands and he doesn’t want to answer but he’s not about to start lying to his greatest regret, his best mistake • 'I told him thank you. For proving that he doesn’t need me anymore. For doing this now.’ • 'You were desperate to break our deal. Why?’ • 'It’s not your turn.’ Neil says eventually, and thinks that tomorrow, after the game, he’ll tell Andrew why, and he’ll tell him that he’s leaving. He doesn’t want to drag the Foxes through his death when they’ll have already lost the season. He’ll just leave, and only Andrew, Kevin and Abby will know he’s never coming back • The game happens, and Neil and Kevin are crazed on the court, Neil the most, knowing this is his last of the game that had always meant more to him than surviving. He plays with every inch of his being, even though they don’t need a massive points difference because, they don’t know it yet, but they’ve already lost the season. He plays for the game that brought him to the people that taught him what it was to live, to feel alive, to have friends and a family • To have Andrew, kisses and trust and keys and honesty • The call comes when he’s in the lockerroom and Neil just wants just another ten minutes, please, just ten minutes to say goodbye • He thought he’d get to say goodbye • The riot and Lola and the dashboard lighter, a cleaver, his father’s smile, 'I didn’t want time to take you out peacefully after all the trouble you caused me’, gunshots and coughing up so much blood Stuart thought he’d been caught in the crossfire, weak weak weak but clinging on, clinging on to say goodbye • He can’t get out of bed but he makes Browning bring the Foxes to him because Browning knows he’s on borrowed time and if he wastes it with useless posturing, Nathaniel might not get the chance to testify against his father • Andrew’s first in through the door, a livid bruise on his face that matches the look in his eye • 'Terminally ill?’ Are his only words and Neil is confused even as the other Foxes trail in, trying to understand what the problem is • 'You hate me, remember? I’m nothing. I didn’t think you’d care’ • Andrew wants to kill him, Andrew wants to tear him apart. He is losing everything, nevermind nothing. Neil is the one candlelight in his dark corner, and it turns out the candle has been running out of wax all along • Kevin has a bruised throat and grief striken eyes but he’s been hardened to this outcome since January. Something Andrew will never forgive him for • Abby and Wymack fought on the bus journey over, Wymack sick to his stomach as he thinks of the look in Neil’s eyes when he’d offered him the vice-captaincy • In the end, it was Neil’s choice • The Moriyamas can’t kill Neil now, so Neil tells the Foxes and the FBI his full story, his voice becoming quieter and wracked with coughs the longer he talks • He signs a few documents for the FBI and even Browning isn’t enough of a dick to ask him further questions in the time he has left • Neil asks Browning for something quietly, out of earshot of the Foxes, and Browning agrees, and leaves the room • The Foxes crowd around his bed. Nicky is already sobbing, but it’s quiet in a way Nicky never is. He latches onto one of Neil’s hands and refuses to let go • Matt has silent, less frequent tears falling softly into Dan’s hair where she’s tucked against his side, standing vigil at the end of Neil’s bed • She’s the one to ask how long he’s got, but it’s Abby that answers because Neil’s saving the last of his energy for more important words • 'A couple of hours. They offered to overdose him to save him the pain, but Neil wanted to say goodbye’ • He smiles tiredly at them when these words get a heartbroken response • 'You got with Andrew knowing you were going to die what kind of sick bastard does that?!’ Aaron finally bursts out, and it takes a lot of effort for Neil to loll his head to look at him • Andrew, who’s been stood at the back of the room, leaning against a wall but not taking his eyes off Neil, stiffens as the others exclaim at this new information • 'This was nothing.’ Andrew says, coldly. 'I made it nothing.’ • 'I was supposed to have a couple of years.’ Neil explains. 'But with the Nest and now this,’ And God if that isn’t the last thing Andrew wants to hear, that Neil didn’t only get hurt for him, but willingly took years off his lifespan on a fool’s mission that didn’t change anything- • Andrew leaves the room. • 'Tell him about Katelyn’ is Neil’s parting advice as Aaron follows • 'I’d say I’d make a fashion line in your honour Josten but the irony would be too much’ Allison says • She’s the last person to make Neil Josten laugh. One of the first too • 'Look after them?’ Neil asks of Renee, and her face is pained as she nods. Neil raises his free hand to touch hers with visible effort as she stands to leave with Allison. 'Look after yourself too.’ • 'It has been an honour to be part of your family.’ She says in return, knowing he won’t want her prayers or acknowledgement of the afterlife, but that he’ll get the former anyway. • She leaves because she doesn’t think she can stand to watch another death yet, at least not one she hasn’t inflicted. Besides, she has a feeling she needs to convince a certain blond to return • 'I’m expecting the Exy team to be fucking good by the time I get up there.’ Dan says, finally, and Wymack nods his agreement gruffly. • 'Take them to the championships.’ Neil replies. • Abby breaks at this point. She starts apologising to Neil, telling him she should have taken him off the court earlier, given him more time, worked out his illness earlier • Neil waves her off. 'Taking me off the court would’ve killed me faster’ and if that’s not dramatic Josten he doesn’t know what is • It’s at this point that Browning comes back • He has the papers all prepared for Nathaniel Wesninski to legally change his name • They look at him questioningly but Neil can’t summon the strength to explain as he scrawl his name across the paper painstakingly slowly • 'He said he wanted to die as Neil Josten. And he’s also made sure that your team has to be under FBI protection by telling you the same information as us. Sneaky bastard; he knows we have to protect witnesses.’ • 'I don’t want you to go.’ Matt bursts out, honestly and brokenly, incapable of putting on a brave face because God fucking damn it 'It isn’t fair! You’re my best friend I can’t-’ he chokes off and Neil grins, all teeth, returning the sentiment even as he begins to feel death creep into the room • 'Tell him.’ Neil breathes out in French, eyes flickering to Wymack. Kevin pales but nods stoically. Crossing his arms and taking the same posture as Wymack, it’s clear to see they’re related • 'Next year, the pro league award for the best striker will be called the Josten Cup.’ Kevin replies in the same language. It’s so typically a Kevin comfort that Neil almost smiles. He must have called in a lot of strings for that. 'Renee and I are working on getting Jean out of the Nest. I will make a deal with Ichirou. I’m the better striker.’ He asserts, and then shudders. 'But I can only hope to half the man you are.’ He cuts himself off, frowns at the floor, and speaks again. It takes everyone a second to realise it’s because Kevin needed to compose himself. 'You would’ve been Court.’ • Andrew bursts in before anyone can respond to that, and the relief that floods his features when he sees Neil’s eyes are still open shows how out of control Andrew still is. His eyes burn as he takes everyone in • 'Get out.’ No-one wants to leave, Matt and Nicky plant their shoes to the floor until Neil shoots them a look. 'I’ll call you in when we’re done.’ Andrew gets out through gritted teeth and eventually they go. • Andrew doesn’t come closer to the bed • 'You stupid fucking junkie.’ He hisses and Neil smiles lazily. Andrew stalks forward, hands shaking even as they are curled into fists • 'Yes or no?’ he bites out when there’s only an inch between their faces • 'Yes.’ Neil breathes out, because he doesn’t think Andrew will appreciate the irony of saying always. Andrew’s hands are gentle round Neil’s wrists as he guides them into Andrew’s hair in a way his lips are not • Neil tastes like blood and death but there’s something that’s still solidly loudmouth runaway, loudmouth fox, fierce and bright and so fucking alive that Andrew almost forgets they’re on his death bed • 'I was going to tell you after the game.’ Neil says against his lips. Andrew doesn’t reply, but the shakes wrack his whole body now. Neil moves his fingers listlessly in Andrew’s hair because that’s all the movement he’s capable of. 'Thank you.’ • 'For nothing?’ • 'For nothing.’ Neil agrees • 'Just don’t die.’ The words burst past Andrew’s lips without his permission, his control so shot it might never have existed. 'Just don’t fucking die Neil. Just stay.’ He knows this is something he can’t ask for. Whatever you’re willing to give, Neil trusted him not to ask for anything Neil couldn’t give him but Andrew doesn’t want anything else. • 'I’m staying.’ Neil promises. 'I’m staying right here’ • The others trickle back in • Nicky doesn’t make it back to Neil’s bedside, his legs failing him when he sees Andrew has taken his place at Neil’s hand, he just wanted his cousin to be happy, he just wanted- • Matt and Dan clasp Neil’s free hand between them as he’s propped up on his pillows by a sobbing Abby and a humbled Kevin • Wymack places a fatherly hand on his shoulder, and squeezes lightly • Neil takes them all in. His Foxes, his family • His gaze rests on Andrew last • 'Staring.’ Andrew whispers • Neil smiles and dies, the sunrise lighting his hair like fire

[reiderandwriter-blog]

Alliances- Bellarke AU (Editing later) Chapter 1

“Do you see him over there?” Abby points out a particularly broody looking man across the way, ordering people around as he works on the fence with them. Clarke looks at her mother questioningly. 

 "That’s Bellamy Blake, and you’re going to marry him.“

Clarke Griffin doesn’t think much about her future. Not with all of the prevalent responsibilities she holds due to her fate of being the Chancellors daughter. She’s basically stuck being the second-in-command ruler, which leaves her working with the people while her mother and the rest of the council handles ‘politics’. In other words, they do whatever they want and leave Clarke to deal with all of the consequences, only intervening when their power or ability is questioned. 

People are always deciding to riot over things the council changes (mostly they make changes which only favor them, so she can’t say she blames the people) and the council just leave her to deal with it. So no, she doesn’t really have time to think about herself. 

The ark had only been down here on earth maybe two weeks, and the council had already wreaked havoc. Up in space, it was still pretty bad, but it wasn’t like this. Here, even though they have plenty of air- which was their main deciding factor with rules and regulations in space- they’ve kept many rules the same, and people aren’t happy about it. No more than one child per family is the worst when it comes to protesting, and it’s hard to explain why the rule was kept to protesters when she doesn’t really understand it herself. Her mother said something about overpopulation and supply inconsistencies, but it still confuses Clarke. And without a valid explanation on her part, due to there being no valid explanation, she takes a lot of the blame and argues through a lot of battles she doesn’t even want to fight.

Thanks to that, she gets the blame from her mom whenever citizens run to live with the 100 delinquents sent down to test whether earth was survivable about a year before the ark came down. That village, which Clarke simply calls ‘The Settlement’ since she doesn’t know of a name for it, is a few miles west of the Ark’s landing site.

Some people from the settlement are there at the ark working on walls with Clarke’s people, and she finds they make it increasingly difficult to tally her people when she doesn’t have the settlers on the list and she can’t even tell them apart really. She groans and decides to walk back and start on her med checks instead. Clarke’s mother normally works in the clinic enough that Clarke doesn’t really need to, but now she’s in a meeting with the grounder princess, leader of the settlement and the rest of the council so there’s only two people manning the med tent. That leaves her with another responsibility.

Clarke would rather be in the med tent than the meeting, though, so she’s somewhat content. At least there’s no settlers in here. Just Arkadians.

Clarke can’t help but let her mind wander though as she ghosts around the med tent. The meeting has already lasted over two hours, and normally they only last about that. She knows her mother is working on an alliance between the three of them, but that’s all she knows. That’s all she wants to know, really.

The last thing Clarke wants to find out is what her mother is willing to give up for their protection. Her mother would probably give up her own hand- well, not her own. Clarke’s, maybe, if it secured an alliance. Her mother is selfish, but she claims everything she does is for the people, and not at all in her bias.

Clarke Griffin hates her life more often than not.

Bellamy Blake doesn’t have much time to think about anything. Due to his job as a makeshift leader, he faces decision after decision after riot after decision. He has to make quick, and always difficult, choices to keep him and his people alive against the tree crew and whatever the hell all the other clans are called.

He has a sort-of council to help out, but when it gets tough, they normally just look to him for help. If Bellamy wants to look to someone for help, he knows he’d better go find a mirror. He loves his council, and the rest of the people (even the adults who think they run the world just because they ran the ark) but sometimes their helplessness really gets on his nerves. He’s known to have a bit of a temper anyways.

So he’s massacred a few innocent villages (and a chancellor as far as he knows) and whatnot, but in his defense he thought they were hostile. He regrets it, but he regrets a lot of things. Still, the last thing he expected to come out of this meeting is peace.

He’s a delinquent to one condescending group of bitches and their kids, and a murderer to another. That’s more like a mine field than ground for peaceful terms to ensue. Still, it’s worth a shot. He’d rather at least try than automatically be killed by some damn tree-dwelling monkeys with ninja stars and weird looking swords.

He agreed to come to the meeting, but he absolutely did NOT agree for his hand to be offered into a marriage by some chick he doesn’t know. Representative of the Arkadians- Abby, he thinks- offering up his hand in marriage! She practically sent him down here, and she doesn’t even know him. She doesn’t have as much room as she thinks she does, because he could rain hell down on her people and she wouldn’t even know what had hit her.

He remembers faintly hearing Lexa speak of marriages being commonly used to prove alliances. So Abby offered for (her daughter, he thinks she mentioned) some Clarke to marry Bellamy, and Wells- he knows who this one is- to marry Lexa. Lexa agrees and evidentially so does Diana- whom Bellamy had brought with him not only because she begged but because he thought maybe with a female touch he could get somewhere- and then some form is signed before he can protest and he’s roped into a marriage by alliance, which he can’t escape without all of his people being murdered.

Yeah. This is exactly how he planned his Saturday would go.

"Hey, I'm gonna switch with Octavia for awhile, she's probably killing the men on wall duty now." He says during a very rare silent moment where everyone is comprehending what was said in the past few minutes of nonstop talking. Before anyone even has half a chance to protest, he gets up and he leaves.

He feels people state as he walks past- mostly girls he knows, and he smirks. Well, he smirked- until he remembered he was going to like two decades sooner than he ever thought he would. 

He looks down at the ground, intensely avoiding the eyes of every female in his proximity in case it’s her he may have to marry. He’s afraid if he meets her eyes now she’ll hate him forever and he’ll be stuck in a miserable marriage for the rest of his life. 

Finally he hears his name being called and looks up, eyes locking onto his sister’s. He knows he isn’t marrying her. “Go.” he nods towards the meeting, and Octavia knows it’s her turn to take over in the meeting. It’s not the first time he’s heard something he didn’t like or couldn’t handle and sent her in there to take over. She doesn’t mind, in fact she loves the opportunity to jump into politics like this. She loves to give her input on subjects that impact her people. Happily, she ditches her post and jogs to the meeting hall. 

Bellamy immediately has to shout for one of his men, Atom, to stop flirting with the Ark girls and get back to work. 

Bellamy blake hates his life, for the first time in a long time. 

“Clarke!” Abby calls. Clarke sighs as she turns to look at her mother. She already knows what’s coming up, but that doesn’t mean she wants to waste her time on it. Abby only talks to Clarke when she wants something, and anytime she comes up to her daughter after a meeting, Clarke knows its time for her to break some bad news to someone. To make it worse, the news gets harder to  break every time shes got to do it. The first time she had to break any news to the people it was on the ark, to tell everyone they were going to earth. People were scared, but excited. 

The last time she’s done it, two days ago, was to tell everyone that winter was coming and rations had to be split. Clarke knew, though, that they had plenty of food for the winter. She knew the council just wanted to binge for a bit because they were a little bit hungry, but the thing is so was everyone else. Clarke refused to take the extra rations, instead giving them to orphaned children and poor parents who give whats left of their rations to their children. She wanted to stop it but if she retaliates in any way she and everyone who helps will either be severely injured or die. 

“Yes mom?” She does her best to sound like she actually cares, though she wants to sound sarcastic and annoyed so that maybe her mom would understand that she wants nothing to do with her or this situation.

Abby grins proudly, as if she’s going to tell her the greatest bit of information she’ll ever be told. “I have a surprise for you!” 

Clarke looks on worriedly. There’s no way this’ll be good.

“You’re going to be so excited.” Her mother grabs her hand and pulls her into a tight hug. “We had to make some sort of compromise for an alliance between the three of our peoples, and i know you’re just going to be so happy to provide for your people again.” Clarke winces. This is definitely not going to be good. How bad- she can’t estimate yet. 

“Okay.” Her mom pauses, moving to hold her daughter by the elbow, their forearms pressing together as she looks at the younger girl.

Clarke glances between her mother’s and her own arms confusedly. “Yeah?”

Abby wastes no time in speaking. 

“Do you see him over there?” She points out a particularly broody looking man across the way, ordering people around as he works on the fence with them. Clarke looks at her mother questioningly.

"That’s Bellamy Blake, and you’re going to marry him.” 

[annieleonhardt]

A Lesson in Family

Or, me having no excuse but trying to get rid of writers block. This isn’t even a full drabble. It’s a snippet of an au me and my partner in crime have been talking about for like two years that’s super feel-good and perfect for times like now, when I’m sick, in pain, and in need of that Good Aruani.

I believe I’ve talked about this one on here before? Armin’s a Kindergarten teacher, Annie’s a single mom to a five year old, and they start dating. Later, it turns out that- well honestly it’s here so. No need to explain lmao. Just a fun little drabble as I am horribly ill in bed! 

Enjoy

AO3

“Armin. You’ve been on the floor staring at the ceiling for two hours.”

He responded with a barely intelligible grunt.

“Armin, come on.” Eren grabbed his hands and started to drag him across the carpet, with Mikasa standing on and observing the sad display. Of course, it was because of her he was in that position. All she did was lay down the truth.

“I mean, nothing is concrete. So you slept with Annie years ago, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the father of her kid.”

Armin shot a glare at Eren. “I know Annie. She really doesn’t get around. I may have been her first and only, even. And just, think of the math here. Abigail was born in March. The party was at the end of June.” Eren cocked an eyebrow, but Mikasa at least caught on. “That’s exactly nine months before.”

“Ohh.”

“Yeah.”

Armin rolled his eyes, but continued on. “And...she looks like me.”

“You and Annie both have the same eye and hair color, though.” Mikasa pointed out, but Armin simply laughed.

“It’s not their color, it’s the shape and the look. She has Annie’s nose and mouth, but those are exactly what my cheeks looked like when I was a child. And those eyes are definitely mine. I just….” To both of his roommate’s surprise, he started to become very choked up. “She’s so smart.”

“...Alright, alright, come here.” With a huff, Eren hoisted his best friend off his rug and lumped him on the couch. “You’re clearly in need of a moment, so I’ll go get the brandy and you and I can talk about the joys of fatherhood.”

Armin wiped his tears, and responded with a grunt that Eren quickly took as a yes. As he skipped off to the kitchen, Mikasa slowly sat down next to her best friend and sighed.

Before he could even look her way, he felt the phone drop on his lap.

“I’m not saying you should call her now, but you should call her. Eventually.”

“What would be the point? I’ll be seeing her tomorrow. At school. Before our date. When she’s picking up her daughter for whom I teach. Oh, I mean our daughter. She’s my daughter, after all.” His hands dragged down his face. “Oh my god, I have a daughter.”

“How do you feel about Annie?”

“I’m crazy about her.” Despite himself, the smile pulled at his lips. “Of course I’m beyond in love with her, Mikasa, but I never would have...I had almost completely forgot about that night, and to think it was her? She left before I woke up, forget getting her number. How could I ever have forgotten her, and...we had a baby. I’m a father.”

“Mazel tov!” Eren shouted, coming in with the promised sweet release of liquor. “A shot for Armin, a shot for me, and...none for you, preggers.”

Mikasa’s lips pressed into a line, even as her snickering husband plopped down next to her and pecked her cheek.

“Listen, Armin. Being a dad is great.” Eren downed his shot, slamming the glass on the coffee table. “I mean, yesterday Peter and I were at the mall shopping for new pillow shams, and somehow we ended up in the toy section of Target, yeah?”

Armin nodded, unwilling to stop his best friends version of emotional support.

��So Peter and I both started looking at this kick ass set of legos-”

“-And he bought it because nothing was stopping him, no one could judge him because HEY, it’s for his son! Eren, you know I love you more than life itself, but I don’t think this is helping.” Mikasa put a calming hand on his shoulder, holding in a snicker as Eren pouted. “What he’s trying to say is that, Armin, you’re a natural in this role. You’ve been dating Annie for four months and Abby already calls you dad sometimes. Maybe it’s fate.”

“...yeah. Doesn’t make up for not being there for five years.”

He buried his face in his hands, sinking deeper into the pillow cushions. “How am I supposed to explain this? ‘Hey, Annie! I’m excited for dinner tonight! Oh, by the way, if you were still wondering who drunkenly knocked you up so very romantically at a college party that one time, it was me! You want another baby? Look no further, apparently I’m very fertile!’”

After letting out a loud groan, the three fell silent. Something which didn’t last.

“Hm. It’s not often the father gets to break that to the mom-”

“Not helping, Mika.”

“...I think someone needs another round of brandy!”

“Eren, don’t get him drunk! His mind is fragile enough right now!”

“Yeah, don’t get me drunk! I might spawn another unknown offspring somewhere!”

“Oh, come on, I’ve seen you drunk plenty of times over the past five years and that only happened once.”

As if they were back in high school, the three began talking over each other. A mix of frustration and laughter, each voice blending until no one could truly understand what was being said. At the very least, it did well to calm Armin’s nerves. Bantering with his best friends always did just that.

Of course, then the phone rang.

He jumped, forgetting it was even on his lap. As it landed on the ground they all stared, waiting for someone to move and pick it up.

That someone ended up being Mikasa, eager to break the tension.

“Hello?” She answered calmly, “Oh, hey Annie.”

Armin felt his heart leap from his chest. Before she could even say anything else he hopped up, grabbing the phone from Mikasa’s hands. He mouthed an apology.

“Annie!” His tone was far more excited than intended. He cleared his throat. “A-Annie, how are you?”

“...Fine. What’s with you? You sound like someone bit you in the ass or something, tiger.”

The snark and affection in her tone was enough to at least ease him a bit. He sat up straight, smiling as he replied.

“I-It’s nothing. Busy night, you know.”

He leaned back, trying his best to truly relax. His best friends watched with interest and anticipation. Nosiness, more than anything.

“Not too busy though, of course. I’ll always make time for you.” He snickered, fidgeting his fingers as she talked on the other end. “Is something- Oh? At this hour, are you sure?”

Eren and Mikasa leaned in. Armin quickly shooed them both away with his hand.

“Do you want me to bring anything? Hm. Okay. O-Okay, yeah, I’ll be over in a bit. As fast as I can.” His brows knit, but the smile on his face softened into something incredibly sincere. “I love you too.”

He hung up, and sat there for a moment to catch his breath.

“...So what’d she say??” Unlike his wife, Eren did little to hide how nosy he was in that moment.

“She wants me to come over. Nothing bad! She just wants to tell me something. I guess. Hm.” He stood up, heading toward the coat rack.

“Should we wait up for you?”

“No!” His keys fell from the hook as he reached for them, adding to his slight agitation. “I might lose sleep tonight, but you guys shouldn’t have to. I’ll see you at breakfast, okay?”

“Alright. Don’t get home too late.” Mikasa shifted, leaning against Eren as they got comfortable on the couch.

“Yeah, and don’t knock her up again while you’re out-” Eren just barely dodged a flip flop thrown right at his head, laughing as Armin glared his way.

“I’m going to kill you, later. Just know that!” He yelled, before running out the door and toward his car.