#and maybe they do! but he soooo miscalculates I love it

[thelaurenshippen]

the way that silver said "I will stand here with you an hour, a day, a year" to flint and "I will wait a day, a month, a year, forever" to madi....I'm sick to my stomach. who is doing unhinged devotion like this man

[symphonicmetal101]

Reactions to MC Falling Asleep On/Next To Them

Ok, just for consistency, MC falls asleep on them during a meeting. MC switches spots every meeting to avoid fights.

Lucifer:

He was in the middle of speaking to Diavolo when he felt a weight on his shoulder

To his surprise, amusement, and horror, you had fallen asleep on him....in front of Diavolo (not that he let his emotions show)

However he was concerned that you had fainted, so he tried to wake you up, however Diavolo intervened, saying he had watched you nod off the whole time

He still wanted to wake you up because this was still a meeting that you were supposed to attend.

Diavolo tried to intervene again for your sake, and Lucifer was going to (reluctantly) listen.

However he shifted his arm enough to have you slump forward and nearly hit your head on the table

He managed to catch you in time, helping you into a position on the table that you would be comfortable, cleared his throat, and went on with the meeting.

Oh, but inside he felt a surge of pride that you had come to trust him enough to fall asleep with him near. Nobody could miss the smug smirk that played over his lips for the rest of the meeting.

At the end of the meeting, he stays behind with you. He gives you his coat as a blanket, and a small kiss to your forehead. He promised himself only five minutes more before waking you, but seeing your peaceful face changed his mind.

He scooped you up and took you home.

When you woke up, he denied anything having happened.

Until you confront him with photo evidence from Diavolo

Mammon:

He was only kind of paying attention to the meeting, he was mostly tapping around on his phone, sometimes showing you a picture of himself or something he hoped you would like

However when you slumped against him, he dropped his phone.

"Oi! Whaddya think you're- oh" (whisper-yell if ya know what I'm talking about?)

Once he realizes you're asleep, he blushes a little and moves some hair out of your face.

But he also realizes that now he can't move without waking you up.

But he also doesn't want to be in this damn boring meeting.

It's a calculated risk to try and get his phone back while keeping you asleep, but it's a risk he's willing to take..

....ok so it was a miscalculated risk

He got his phone, but was quick to react to the "thump" of your head hitting the table.

You were awake now, hand to your head, rubbing the sore spot.

You now had the attention of all the brothers.

Cue his brothers getting mad at hin :(

You try to tell them it's not that bad

(This part's a little ooc, sorry)

He grabs your hand and walks out of the meeting, ignoring Lucifer.

He blushes furiously as he pulls you in for a hug, an apology, and a quick peck to where you hit your head.

"Hey, I know I screwed up this time, but ya can't fall asleep on anyone else, got it? Just me. I won't let ya get hurt again."

You laugh it off lightly; you really weren't hurt, but it was endearing to see him so protective of you, him taking the situation a little more seriously than needed.

You hold him close and promise him you're ok, and that of course, you won't go passing out on anyone else.

Levi:

He was playing a game on his phone

You had been leaning over his shoulder every once in a while to check how he was doing

He didn't mind, and got a little blushy every time you got close to him

He thought that was all you were doing when he felt you against him, but you started to feel a little heavier, and you didn't pull away.

He turned to see if you were ok, only to see you were asleep.

His squirming made you fall onto his lap

Poor baby doesn't know what to do

He lost his game, but that doesn't matter now as he looks at you sleeping so peacefully.

His face is fully flushed, and he had a hand over his mouth to prevent any noises from escaping.

He looked over you to your other side, where Asmo was, mouthing the word "help"

Asmo just pouts and mouths back, "with what? You're so lucky!!! Look at them! They're soooo cute!!"

Realizing he didn't really have a way out of this, he tentatively pushed a bit of hair out of your face.

He was still very red for the rest of the meeting

At one point he shifted into his demon form to use his tail to keep you from falling off...he wasn't quite comfortable using his hands yet.

He didn't dare move even after the meeting was over, hissing at Mammon when he made too much noise and you started to stir.

Eventually you woke up in his room. Nobody quite knew how Levi had gotten you there, but if you told him you appreciated the rest, he'll be blushy for ya again.

Satan

He and Belphie were making faces at each other from across the table

Y'know just to spite Lucifer

And to see the look on your face everytime he turned to face you

But after a while Lucifer ignores them, so there was no point.

So his back was to you when he felt you leaning against him

He thought it was kind of weird, but couldn't look back at you. You also weren't responding to him

He shot Belphie a look of confusion, and a bit of concern, but it was Beel who saw it, as Belphie was passed out on the table

He simply pointed at Belphie, and then pointed at you.

Oh?

Oh

He desperately wanted to 1. See you sleeping, 2. Move into a more comfortable position, 3. Repostion you so you weren't at risk of falling, like you were now

He used his demon form to hold you up momentarily while he shifted in such a way to hold you properly

He stays in his demon form, his tail wrapped around your waist, your upper body now in his lap

Lucifer tries to convince him to wake you up

So out of spite, Satan falls asleep too, still holding onto you tightly

Asmo:

He's one of the few that actually tries to be engaged at meetings

But when the topic moves off of him, fashion, or MC, he gets bored quickly

He had one hand on yours, idly drawing shapes and designs with his finger while he read the latest fashion news on his D.D.D.

He found an outfit he thought you would love and was eager to share it with you but..

You had fallen asleep on the table, cheek squished up against the surface, gently holding his hand

He had to hold back a squeal of excitement as he opened up the camera on his phone and started taking copious amounts of pictures of your cute face

Once he had his fill, he realized thay your position would be terrible for your back...and neck...and face.

He feels kind of bad, but he's just looking out for you when he gently shakes you awake

You thank him, and refuse to let go of his hand as you wake up

This time the sqeaul of happiness is very audible as he pulls you into a hug and a couple dozen selfies

Beel:

Sweet babie boy is too hungry to pay proper attention in meetings, though he would if he could

So he doesn't notice when you've passed out next to him right away, especially because Belphie does it all the time

It isn't until its time to go that he realizes that you're asleep

At first, he was just going to get some snacks and wait until you woke up

But Asmo pointed out that you would get stiff in that position on the table

So as gently as possible, he moves you into a position he can pick you up in

Belphie gives him his pillow so that you'll be comfortable in his arms until they get home

He tucks you into bed in your room; he treats you like porcelain the whole time, worried that somehow he would hurt you

He leaves the room, but kinda hovers near your door to stop any of his brothers from disturbing you

Belphie

He mever pays attention in meetings, if he even bothers to show up

But today was his turn to sit next to you

Your company didn't stop him from falling asleep though

He woke up about half way through the meeting, but he didn't know why

At least until he tried to move, and felt something on top of him

He whispered to Beel, who lowered himself enough to see his brother's face

"Is this MC?" "Yeah?" "Ok."

He falls back asleep, although his face is slightly flushed as he buries it into his arms because you're just too cute!

Hours later he wakes up to Beel carrying him home on one arm, and you on the other. He tried to let you guys sleep, but he didn't want you guys to stay overnight at the school

By some miracle, you were still asleep, so Belphie happily took you into his arms this time before he passed out too.

Diavolo:

Diavolo made room for you to sit next to him at the head of the table

While the others didn't know, but you were holding his hand with both of yours, in your lap.

It felt very intimate for him, as the most he had done in years was shake hands or maybe give Lucifer a pat on the back

So he was a smiley babie the entire time, only partially listening to what Lucifer was saying to him

His partial attention went completely out the window when he felt your weight on his arm.

Lucifer looked mortified, however Diavolo had a rather surprised look

You...you fell asleep on him

You fell asleep on him!

He was very happy. It was a sign of trust, the trust you had in him and in everyone in the room. Not to mention, that was the closest anyone had been to him in a long time

Lucifer was going to apologize on your behalf, but Diavolo wouldn't have it

He gently shook you awake, taking in your dazed eyes.

He just woke you up to reposition you on his lap; it's far more comfortable than that chair anyways

He held you with one arm, dismissed the meeting, and relished (is that a bad choice of words for someone who hates pickles?) His time with you.

His other arm was busy dismissing Lucifer, and once they had left...

He took hundreds (literally) of photos of you in his lap, him poking your cheek, and some that no one else were to see, but he placed small kisses on your head.

Although he was upset to let you go, Barbatos and Lucifer encouraged forced him to take you home and let you sleep in your bed.

He personally carried you home, however if you grab his wrist before he goes and ask him to stay, he'll be powerless against you. Fuck off Luci, and screw royal duties

Barbatos:

He doesn't sit down at meetings, as he is he butler.

But you managed to sneak off under the guise of going to the bathroom, and found him in the kitchen

He was preparing refreshments for after the meeting when you came and hugged him from behind, burying your face in his back

He just chuckled at you, but continued to prep, using magic to pass him the things he needed so he wouldn't have to move

What caught him off guard was when he heard a small snore, and you starting to slip sideways on his back

....how did you fall asleep standing up? Humans are capable of that?

In any case, he turned around to support you so you wouldn't fall, left the refreshments and carried you to a small couch

He used a small energy spell to help you wake up, and left to finish the refreshments

A few minutes later, you found him again, and thanked him for letting you rest.

You got one of his rare smiles. He then reminded you that you had a meeting to return to

"That's still going?? I thought I was asleep for hours."

He shook his head and smiled fondly as you exaggerated a groan.

"I'll accompany you there. I have tea for My Lord and the guests."

Simeon:

He always pays attention, but when he gets bored, you and he play tic-tac-toe on a scrap of paper.

He was waiting for you to pass the paper back, but after some time had passed, he decided to turn and look at you

You were asleep on the table, and Luke was poking you, trying to get you to wake up.

He gently asked Luke to leave you alone. You were clearly worn out, and this was one of the few times the brothers weren't causing chaos.

He returned to listening to the meeting, absentmindedly stroking your hair and back while you rested

He helped Luke use his hat as your pillow, so your face wouldn't turn red or get hurt

When the meeting ended, he gently woke you up, and offered to walk you home, hoping the walk would help you re-energize a bit, as well as taking advantage of the rare quiet moments you two had.

You guys ended up walking for ages, so when you finally stopped in front of HOL, the guys were freaking out because you hadn't answered your phone.

You hid behind and pushed him through the brothers like a shield, and to your room, where you cuddled until Luke called Simeon because Solomon was trying to cook again.

Luke:

He's a child

He gets bored very easily

So you and he have little handshakes and other games to play discreetly during meetings

However, you had been caught by Lucifer, so you decided to stop for a bit.

Luke was caught off guard when you put your head down on the table

"...MC? Are you ok?"

You tell him you're fine, you just have a bit of a headache, so he resigns and let's you rest

But then he hears you snore

"MC?! You're going to get in trouble again!"

He tried poking at your cheek, small tugs to your hair, and continued to talk to you.

His desperation caught Simeon's attention

When he explains what's wrong, Simeon encourages him to let you sleep

But now he's bored again

So he starts moving your face for you, making you look angry, upset, happy, etc. Before anyone can catch him

Eventually he realizes that he's going to be stuck there for a while, and he's getting kind of tired too.

So he falls asleep next to you, holding your hand

That way he'll know when you wake up, and if he needs your help to get out of trouble, he can squeeze your hand.

By some miracle, (Called Simeon and Beel) you guys ended up in your respective beds.

Luke called you as soon as he woke up to check on you

Solomon:

Surprisingly, he is very attentive at meetings

Mostly because he wants to impress Lucifer and butter him up to make a pact with him

But that doesn't change the fact that when he notices you starting to fall asleep, he takes action

By taking action he makes your eye twitch with a quick spell

"What the fuck? Solomon, why?" "Because, if I have to be here, you have to be awake." "You couldn't have just cast an energy spell or something? Seriously?"

Yes, seriously.

He needs entertainment, and your silent frustration is hilarious for him to watch

Until the meeting is over and you tackle him, causing chaos to break loose.

I hope y'all liked that, Ik I have a huge WIP list and I don't even stick to it. Oh well. Thank you to @aceaine for helping me keep on track😁

Masterlist

[waterboysokka]

What You Look Like; ATLA oneshot

Summary: It was easier when Zuko never had to explain why he had his scar. It was easier whenever everyone took to the common theme to never ask. It's harder to avoid a blind girl who doesn't even know it's there. (Three weeks post-canon)

Word count: 3,882

Note: Hii! Welcome to the first ATLA fic related thing I’ve posted on here so far :) This is a one shot that basically is deep 5am talks with Zuko and Toph. I dunno, I love their friendship and I felt like it had the potential to be so deep and intellectual. Soooo, that’s what this is! It’s basically Toph asking about Zuko’s scar (I saw a fic rec list of this prompt somewhere but now I can’t find it?? I would link it if I could!) Anyways, I listened to disney lullaby songs while writing this bc it just?? fit? Idk, it’s soft and kinda sad... But besides all of that, I hope you guys like it!! It’ll also be up on my AO3, which is linked in my bio!

Toph groaned as she rolled over once more in the bed that she could tell was just all-too big for her. She hadn’t asked for a separate room, she actually didn’t mind sleeping with the rest of the group, but Zuko's maids had insisted on each of them getting their own room since there were so many to go around.

It had been only three weeks since the defeat of Ozai and Zuko’s overtaken the role of Fire Lord. She continued to forget that he wasn’t just a prince anymore, he now had responsibilities- bigger than any of them had realized.

So when he had asked them to stay with him until things got in order, none of them were opposed. Maybe it was because they weren't quite ready to adjust to their new life in totality yet, or maybe they were fearful about losing their friend to the immense amount of stress that he had just been put under. 

Whichever it was, it didn’t matter, because they were still here as a team for Zuko.

But all of that didn’t change that the bed that she was put in was incredibly uncomfy for it to be owned by royalty. She felt like she was drowning in sheets and slowly getting devoured by the mattress itself.

Frustrated, Toph groaned and pushed herself out of bed. She needed tea. After being here for a couple of weeks, she was finally able to understand the layout of the palace without being attached to Aang or Sokka’s arm, as she used to be. She knew it was thirty-two steps down the hall to the right, then down the stairs, and one hundred and twelve steps to the kitchen- not counting the columns she’d have to dodge.

She hummed softly as she counted in her head the steps confidently, knowing she didn’t miscalculate considering that this was the fifth time she’d done this walk to get tea since they’d arrived.

“Toph?”

The voice startled her- not because she couldn’t sense someone there, but because she didn’t expect anyone to be awake. All the other times she had done this she had been the only one.

“Zuko?” She asked and raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t expect you to be awake.” “I could say the same thing to you,” Zuko replied.

“Well, I’m just down here to get some tea and then I’m leaving,” Toph explained nonchalantly and walked around the bar, feeling her way down the long, cool counter to the tea kettle (which Iroh conveniently pulled back out at night once the maids left for her after she told him about her occurrences). As she got closer to the tea kettle, the counter got increasingly hotter until she jerked her hand back in shock.

“Did you make tea?” She asked Zuko, who she could tell was now sitting at the long table.

“Mhm,” He murmured, and she heard him take a long sip of it.

Toph rolled her eyes, already knowing that Zuko’s tea was nothing in comparison to Iroh’s. Luckily, she had learned from Iroh about the best way to make tea for herself and it sufficed. Zuko’s wouldn’t- it was basically hot leaf water.

“Are you dumping it out?” Zuko asked, perplexed. His voice wasn’t raspy, which was a hint to Toph that he had been awake much longer than she had realized. Had he even gone to sleep?

“I’m not drinking hot leaf water,” Toph answered with a shrug and began the stove up again to make a much better mixture.

It was silent for a while after that while she worked. She could tell that Zuko was still there, just sitting and silently sipping his tea. He was stressed, he was anxious. She deduced that this probably had something to do with the reason why he wasn’t asleep, and she couldn’t blame him.

Even after the hard time she had given Zuko, she still knew that being the Fire Lord wasn’t a breeze even though he liked to surface-level it to everyone. No one believed what he said, not even for a minute. Which was another running contender for their prolonged stay.

The tea kettle began to hiss, and she immediately took it off of the stove, cautious not to wake anyone else up, and poured herself a cup. She got ready to leave when something in the back of her mind tugged at her to sit with Zuko, just for a minute.

So, that’s what she did.

Toph approached the table and felt around the chair sides and pulled it out for herself. She placed the drink on the table in front of her and plopped down into the seat, adjusting herself to where her tea was placed promptly in front of her for convenient drinking.

“I feel weird asking this, but how ya been holding up?” Toph said as she took a sip of her tea, she took a long sip of it, even though it had definitely burnt her tongue because she hadn’t waited long enough for it to cool.

“Good,” Zuko replied. It was a short reply, one that she definitely expected from him.

Silence hit again. She wasn’t very good at opening up to people on her own, let alone having other people do it with her. But she felt like she understood Zuko in a better way than some of the others, and she couldn’t depict why- she hadn’t ever asked about his past or even what his plans were for the future… or even what he looked like.

“I bet it’s hard,” Toph said, “getting thrown into running an entire Nation.”

“Yeah,” Zuko replied with a sigh. “But it’s what I expected. It’s what I was born to do.”

Another hit of silence. Toph blew on her tea to cool it off and heard Zuko do the same.

“How, though?” Toph asked bluntly. It was her only move she knew to continue the conversation. She was curious.

Zuko hadn’t spilled much of his life to anyone except for Aang, and while they were all incredibly close now, it had never seemed to come up about his past- just like it hadn’t ever come up about her’s or Suki’s. They were all too busy fighting and defeating Ozai that they had forgotten that they didn’t know much about each other.

Zuko sighed and she watched his outline run his hand through his hair (she presumed he had hair, unlike Aang, who she’d been notified to be bald).

“What do you mean how? Azula’s younger than me,” Zuko explained. Toph could tell he was bordering defensiveness. She pressed on anyways.

“You wouldn’t have wanted to fight your dad or your sister if there wasn’t a reason,” Toph said. “It just doesn’t add up like that.”

Zuko’s heart rate quickened. He wasn’t speaking. Toph knew this all too well- the attempt to create a lie that threw off the actual answer. He should really have known by now that that wasn’t going to work.

“Don’t lie. I can tell you’re trying to,” Toph bluntly pointed out. She took another sip of her tea and then placed it down in front of her again.

“I was banished. I had to find the Avatar to restore what I thought was my honor. I did that for three years before deciding it wasn’t right and my destiny was to join Aang,” Zuko explained in an overly-simplified, overly-glazed way. Toph rolled her eyes. “I already know that part. I’m talking about before that. I wanna know why you were banished.”

“Why? I thought you were going back to sleep.”

As much as he had worked on letting people in, this unexpected press of information of his past- from Toph of all people- was close to stepping over the line. He didn’t have time for this. He had things to do, orders to get through with, staff and guards and armies to command. He had his job to do once dawn broke.

Toph didn’t answer and took another long sip of her tea.

“I said something I shouldn’t have in a meeting.”

“And?”

“There is no ‘and’. I said something I shouldn’t have, it upset him, and he banished me.”

“Just like that?” Toph raised an eyebrow. This conversation was going nowhere fast, and she knew it. She could bail out now and go and sleep until the sun rose in a few hours before she started asking the big question.

“Mhm.”

She rolled the idea around in her head in the silence and opted against it. This question had nagged at her for a long time, and although it seemed to be like pulling eye teeth, it needed to be asked. She wasn’t sure if she could even go back to sleep anyways.

“What does Aang look like?” She asked. She started simple- one she knew that he could answer in a breeze. She felt his heart rate drop down to a more normal rate and his body relaxed.

“Hmm,” Zuko thought. He didn’t say anything for a minute, as if to gather the best explanation of his friend as possible. As much as it probably shouldn’t have been, it was a lot of pressure to describe one of their closest comrades to her. He hadn’t ever really thought about what Aang looked like- he just knew. He could just see him and know that, well… he was Aang.

“Well, ah… He’s short. Yeah, just a little bit taller than you, actually. He’s bald, obvious- well, maybe not obviously… sorry,” Zuko stuttered. “He has really big blue eyes. Like huge. There’s always like an adventure behind them, too. You can just tell that he’s always looking ahead- looking forward to something. He has his Airbender tattoos that are light blue and they’re, ah… they’re arrows. They start at his forehead and travel round his arms and wrists and stuff… it’s cool. He’s super thin, but I don’t know if you can see that- well, not see, but I didn’t know if that was important, er… maybe not.

He smiles really big, too. His whole face is centered around his smile. Katara told me that when he grew his hair out, it was brown, but I’ve never seen it… he wears lots of oranges and yellows, too. It’s pretty standard Air-Nomad colors.

I can’t really think of anything else… I think… I think that may be all.” Zuko breathed a sigh of relief as he tapered off what seemed to be his one long run-on sentence. He was known to do that when he was uncomfortable, or even under pressure. Hell, sometimes tired, too. These were all things he was feeling. He glanced up at a Toph who was looking up- not necessarily across the table to him. Just… up. A small smile was planted on her lips.

“I hope that helped some,” Zuko said and took another sip of his tea. He didn’t even realize how dry his mouth had gotten. It shouldn’t have been a difficult task describing Aang, but it was deemed to hold a lot more responsibility than just some random bystander looking for the Avatar. He knew he had to do it justice for Toph.

“Okay, now Katara,” Toph said as she flicked her gaze back down to reality. She took her teacup in her hands and cradled it to give her hands warmth. Zuko’s eyes widened for a second at the realization that she was going to go through the entire group. He cleared his throat and thought for a couple minutes, just like he had with Aang. “Well, she’s taller than you and Aang. But, she’s not really tall… just- average. She’s just average height. She has long, ah… dark brown hair? Sorry, I don’t know hair colors that well. Anyways, she also has big eyes, but not in the same way as Aang’s. You can kinda just… read her whole past in her eyes if you wanted to. You can see the pain and the fear that she’s… yeah. Uh, and they’re blue- like, deep, icy water blue. Her lips are naturally downturned- I think, but… you know how Katara is. She also has these two… what’d Sokka call them? These two… hair loopies that come down and… I dunno… frame her face? Her and Sokka have kinda ah… like a golden complexion? Not like gold- please, don’t think they’re gold- but it’s a deep tanned shade… I guess. I don’t know, it’s hard to say without sounding weird or… The colors that her and Sokka wear are the ones of the Water Tribe, so lots of blues and whites and stuff… they complement their eye colors and skin tone, too… Katara kinda has this disposition where she could hug you or fight you at the same time if that helps… I don’t know.”

He ran his fingers through the divots of the wood carved out in the table from wear-and-tear over time. They were smooth curves now, no rigid edges or stray wood to prick his fingers like they used to when he was a kid. It was his distraction, ultimately, from his stumble of a description of his friends, and mostly, Toph’s reaction.

There was no talk again for a minute, only the faint sound of fire igniting briefly for Zuko to heat up both of their teas. He wasn’t sure of the time anymore, but they had been sitting long enough for their drinks to no longer carry any warmth, which signified a significant length of time.

“Sokka?” Toph asked. He watched as her gaze, just as before, leveled back out with where her head was positioned.

“He… well, he looks like Katara, except… if Katara was a guy. They are siblings so it makes sense. He’s, ah… how do I say this- he’s not built. He’s super… think like a piece of wood. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing I think it kinda fits him, I guess. Oh, he’s taller than Katara and shorter than me… I wish I had a better visual to give you besides just the in-between height of Katara and I. His eyes are the same type of blue as Katara’s but instead of pain, they hold curiosity and… thrill, maybe? It doesn’t mean there isn’t any hurt in his eyes- in Aang’s either- but in Katara’s, it’s kind of hard to navigate around her hurt… yeah. Believe it or not, but Sokka’s hair is kinda long… I guess he used to shave the sides or something, but now it’s all grown out and stuff so he just pulls it back. He has this smug attitude that’s kinda just… all over his face? He always looks like he’s ready to do something or maybe even that he’s hiding something… But there’s also seriousness that hides in his face, too. He wears the same kind of blues and whites like Katara does, again, standard for the Water Tribe… ”

He waited hesitantly for her reply. It was a lot harder than he thought to describe these people who he’d become so close with. He just hoped he hadn’t messed up any of her visions of them. He wasn’t sure what her plan was for all of these descriptions, or why she'd even asked him.

He knew the others could do it better- make it more poetic and imaginary. But he wasn’t that person. He was the Fire Lord- and even before he was the Fire Lord, he was a silenced Prince. Creativity didn’t flow through him like it did the others. He wished it did, sometimes. Maybe then he’d be able to give Toph illusive descriptions of the people that mattered most to her.

“I hope those were okay,” He said, and rubbed his eyes with the bottom of his palms and pressed in hard so he could see dots. He was getting tired, but he couldn’t sleep even if he was. He hadn’t been able to. He had gotten comfortable with tiredness. He knew it wouldn’t last forever, but adjusting to the new role was harder than he thought.

“They were,” Toph reassured him quietly. It was sincere- he had no doubt. Toph, who was usually loud and stubborn and a tough fighter, was more reserved at night than Zuko would have thought. Maybe it was because she was tired, or because she had seen her friends in full bloom for the first time. Whichever it was, he couldn’t tell.

They sat there in silence again, moments of tea being sipped were exchanged, but mostly just quiet. It was solemn, and peaceful. Nothing was in a rush to be said, no battles to fight or rebuild plans to do- it was nice.

“Zuko,” Toph sighed. “What do you look like?”

Zuko’s breath hitched in his throat as his heart rate sped up again. He didn’t know where to begin or what to say, and surely he was stupid for believing that she wasn’t going to just let him slide. He couldn't just ignore the brutality that slashed half his face. He couldn’t sit with the guilt that she didn’t know it was there because he didn’t tell her.

His eyes widened slowly as he came to a sudden realization of what Toph was doing. It was comical, truthfully. He almost laughed. This was her way of getting the story. He wasn’t sure how she knew that his banishment had something to do with his cosmetic looks, but he gave her props for it nonetheless.

He took a deep breath and locked his gaze on the wood table as an anchor.

“I’m tall. Tallest, actually. I have really pale skin, but that’s just a Fire Nation thing… I don’t consider myself to be… built? I’m not exactly like Sokka but I'm not crazy buff either if that helps. My eyes aren’t as big or… full of adventure as the others have. I don’t know what all you can see, but I know they don’t have that. They’re brown, but almost everyone in the Fire Nation has brown eyes. It’s nothing special. I have shaggy hair- well, it’s black, and I have to pull it back for Fire Lord stuff, so I guess shaggy is the best way to describe it. I like it, I guess. I don’t feel confined with it. I wear a lot of reds and golds and blacks, which are Fire Nation colors. Right now I’m just wearing a… red shirt and black pants? Black slippers? I don’t know if that part helps or not… I also always look dissatisfied. At least, that’s what Sokka tells me. I don’t really know what he means by that…”

Zuko paused for a minute. Toph was staring across to him now as if she could recognize where he was. Her eyebrows were stitched together as if attempting to put his puzzle pieces together.

“And then there’s my… my scar.”

Deep breath.

“It covers my entire left eye… It doesn’t even open fully anymore. It bleeds out around to my ear and stops just before my jawline. It doesn’t hurt anymore, in case you’re wondering. It’s healed. It’s been since I was banished, so… three years. But, it’s there.

There was more to that story, by the way. My banishment. I didn’t just say something and was kicked out. I didn’t back down from an Agni Kai to… well, to prove to m- … Ozai, that I was stronger than he thought I was. That I deserved to be in the meeting. I didn’t think it’d be my own father I’d fight. I pleaded for some kind of relief and reprieve. All I got was a burn so deep that my skin almost melted off…”

There was silence.

No tea sips, no shifting in chairs. There wasn’t even really the sound of breathing anymore. It was still air.

This story had the ability to do that.

“Can I feel it?”

Zuko didn’t question it, or back away. He nodded, even though he knew she couldn’t see it.

He pushed himself out of the chair and walked around the table. He slowly crouched down until he was level with Toph, his hand steadying himself on the corner of the table, his fingers circling the divots so smoothly carved once more.

He took Toph’s hand, almost twice the size more compact of his own, and gingerly placed it on his cheekbone. He swallowed and shut his eyes, allowing her small, calloused hand to run slowly over it.

Toph wasn’t a gentle person by nature. But the minute that her hand touched his scar she felt his pain a thousand times over- intense and deep and wretched. She moved her hand slowly across his face, the ridges telling each their own thread of agony and grievance. Her hand roamed, unsure of where or if it ever was going to stop. If the story of his pain was ever going to cease. She blinked back tears as she finally reached his jawline. Untouched and human. Boyish and youthful. Peace.

She took her hand off of his face and cleared her throat, unsure of what else to do. She had gotten herself to this point- to this level. Now what?

She felt his presence leave due to the shift in cold air that shuffled in and heard him sit back down across from her, respectively.

Again, there was silence.

Not the same kind of silence where it was stilted, or even tense. It was an understood silence. An ‘I know your pain’ silence. It was gentle and welcomed and fluid.

So, they sat there for a minute. Neither unsure of how else to go on or continue their conversation. They sipped their tea in offbeat patterns. Long, slow, drawls of tea.

As the sun began to rise, Zuko realized that his job was beginning. He wasn’t a banished prince anymore, or a kid with an uncontrollable rage and fear of his father. Although that kid still existed in him, it wasn’t center stage. Fire Lord Zuko was. And as the dawn rose, so did he.

He gathered the two pieces of china from the table, both now completely empty of their tea. He put them on the counter for a maid to clean later.

Zuko glanced back at Toph- still sitting at the table, only this time, she was looking at the sunrise from the fully-bloomed windows in front of her. He knew she wasn’t looking at the sunrise, but he hoped that maybe she was picturing her friends in the same ways he had said- hopefully, even better. There was a small smile on her face, too. One of understanding.

He knew then that although she wanted to know his past, there was a part of her that wanted to be able to see her friends, too. He’d never know why she had asked him rather than asking a more creative mind, or even a closer friend, but he knew he would always be appreciative of being the one who did it for her.

Zuko’s lips upturned slightly and he turned to leave, carefully in an attempt to not disturb Toph’s somewhat mediation.

“Hey, Zuko?” He looked back over his shoulder to the girl, her face and gaze unmoving from the now more evident daybreak.

“Thank you.”

[linn-zy]

We'll meet again...

(Part 2) (part 1; https://linn-zy.tumblr.com/post/641461768657551360/well-meet-again )

Tangled RP story

Featuring Rapunzel, Eugene, Varian, Judy(OC of @punkydodd ) , Robert and Emeline (my OC's)

*******

Odette slept while being close to Judy for warmth. The baby-swan opened her eyes for a bit, before she went back to sleep. Then she shot them open and see the ghost in the middle of the room.

She ducked her head and hide behind a sleeping Judy, unsure if she should wake the others to let them know.

Soon another figure emerged from the smoke aswell, a tall handsome dark man, he tapped the woman on the shoulder and she turned to him with a smile.

"It's  been far too long my dear."

He took her to dance to the music.

"Hundred years as always, my love."

They spoke to one another, not seeming to notice anything around them, only being lost to each other.

Odette slowly moved her head up, still a little frightened. But her fear slowly calm down, she watched the two ghost dancing around the room. They didn’t noticed the sleeping group, only focusing on each other like they were in their own world.

Pascal also woke up soon  after, getting out of Rapunzels hair and making a little squeaky sound, watching the couple move around.

Varian stirred a and slowly opened up his and sitting up, causing Ruddiger to slide off his stomach and into his lap, still fast asleep.

“What’s going on? Did my trap work?”

He asked out loud while rubbing his eyes a bit.

"Hrrmm ? Is something happening ?"

Rapunzel yawned and blinked slowly.

The ghostly couple kept dancing, not knowing they were being watched.

"You look marvellous as always my darling..." the male spoke and even though he only spoke to her, it was heard all through the room.

"And you are as handsome as always, Robert..." the woman replied with a gentle smile.

Odette hopped on Judy, who groan in her sleep. “Five more minutes Ma..” she grumbled.

Varian removed his hands from his eyes and blinked a few times, letting out a long gasp at the sight of the ghosts.

“Guys look!”

He whispered and pointed at the scene.

“Wait, why didn’t my trap go off? They should have activated it...”

He mumbled and tapped his chin thoughtfully, did he miscalculate? It wouldn’t be the first time.

"Doesn't  look like your trap worked, Varian..." Rapunzel whispered as she peeked over the edge from their little camp that was slightly above the stairs.

"Shall we go talk to them ?"

Odette then peck at Judy’s face, waking her up. “Huh? What?” She pull herself up. “Did the ghost came?”

She turn her head and saw the two ghost. “They’re..dancing.” She whispered in surprise.

“It should have worked...oh well, guess it was a bust”

Varian shrugged a bit and looked at the ghosts again.

“They don’t look to be hostile...should we wake Eugene?”

"Nah...let him sleep....I'm gonna go closer."

Rapunzel said and stood up, going down the stairs then.

"Uuumm hello? Ghosts ?"

She waved her hand a bit to them and and smiled friendly.

Judy turn her head at the sleeping Eugene, who have his body lean on the wall and snoring softly, along with the other guards.

“Rapunzel wait!”

Varian quickly got up and followed Rapunzel, grabbing her arm.

“We need to think carefully about this. I mean they don’t look hostile but we don’t know what their intentions are”

"Oh Varian...look at them...they're just dancing...how bad can it be ?"

Rapunzel said to him and waved her hand a bit.

Varian bit his lip and sighed.

“Just...be careful, okay?”

He knew Rapunzel was capable of taking care of herself but he still got worried for her safety sometimes.

"Come on..." She pulled at his arm a bit to get him along, extremely excited.

"Hello...excuse me....ghosts ?"

The couple abruptly stopped in their dance, staring back at Rapunzel and Varian, a look of confusion.

"Robert, who are they?"

The woman asked the man.

"I don't know, they shouldn't be here...."

Judy stood up, while Odette hid behind her leg.

“Hello there.” She waved nervously at them with her other hand behind her back.

"Oh...hello there....Who are you ?"

The woman asked with a low whispy voice.

Rapunzel wked closer to them.

"I am Rapunzel....Princess Rapunzel actually...these are my friends, Pascal, Varian, Ruddiger, Judy and Odette....We were told that a ghost would appear in the castle and we wanted to see it...."

Varian was still a little cautious and kept close to Rapunzel, though he had to admit that he was fascinated by the ghosts. He had never seen them up close before, mostly because the first ghosts he saw tried to kill him.

Although being translucent Rapunzel could see the man had dark skin, light brown hair, somewhat lighter than Eugene, deep blue eyes and a little stubble goatee. He had a deep blue shirt, black pants, a thin looking sword at the side, a black cape that hung over one shoulder, attached with a golden brooch.

"Why are you two coming here ?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

The man sighed.

"To relive the last moment of our lifes, dancing together for hours and hours, I've just come back from many years in the war, my darling Emeline was loyaly waiting for my return every day...."

"Robert came back on my 18th birthday, a grand ball was held, no one belived that he had survived, it was a splendid and lovely night...." Emeline contined, getting something dreamingly in her eyes.

“It must be, you two have a wonderful love between.” Judy said, standing by Varian.

“This is fascinating ”

Varian exclaimed, circling the two ghosts to get a better look at them, his curiosity getting the better of him, he was till a little cautious though.

“How long have you been like this?”

He asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

"Hundreds and hundreds of years I'm afraid." Robert answered politely.

, holding his lovers hand.

"We can only meet once every hundred year..." Emeline said.

"Oh no....that's so sad...." Rapunzel frowned.

“I am terribly sorry.” Judy sadly said. Odette tuck her head down in a sad manner.

Varian hummed.

“Hmm...well there should be a way for you to move on...Rapunzel, didn’t you help a ghost with that?”

He asked, looking to Rapunzel to make sure he remembered right.

“Maybe we can help them somehow?”

"Yes of course, with Ruth it was her wish for wanting to perform that had her stuck here....." Rapunzel said and then looked over to the two.

"What happened to you two ?" She tilted her head a little.

"The castle took fire, it burned to the ground, but me and Robert kept dancing, lost in each other....so every hundred year of that day, we come back and have our dance again until the fire appears and sweeps us away....."

"Hundred years is a long time..." Robert said quietly.

"But at least I get to see my Emeline again..."

“Soooo, if you complete your dance...you’ll find peace?”

Varian asked, a little skeptical.

“Does that mean we have to set fire to the castle?”

"Oh heavens no....The fire will appear just like we do...." Emeline chuckled a little.

"Like a memory playing up the past..." Robert spoke.

"I don't think there is anything you can do about it...."

“I wish there was.” Judy added, rubbing her arm. Odette nodded, agreeing.

“There has to be something, right?”

Varian asked, looking to Rapunzel again. She had more experience with situations like this so she would probably know what to do.

"Hmmm...I don't  kn...."

She didn't even have time to answer before Robert swooped  Emeline around, dancing with her again.

"We only have a few hours, darling. I wish to not waste them..." He said to her.

"Me neither, my love." Emeline replied to him.

Rapunzel  sighed sadly.

"What can we do? There has to be something? Right ?"

Judy place a hand on her shoulder. “We will find a way for them to Rest In Peace.” She said.

“These two doesn’t deserve to be trapped like this forever.”

“Do you think some kind of magic is involved?”

Varian asked Rapunzel, he couldn’t really make sense of the situation and he was pretty sure Alchemy wouldn’t be to much help.

Rapunzel hummed a little.

"Perhaps...."

She tapped her chin a little.

"What do you think happens if we get them out of here before the fire starts ? Or maybe....maybe if they kiss each other before the fire starts? A kiss of true love...."

“Hmm...it’s worth a shot right?”

Varian shrugged a bit and looked over the two dancing ghosts.

“Should we ask them about it? See if they’ve tried anything before?”

“We can try.” Judy said, looking at the couple dancing.

“They didn’t mention anything other than dancing when the fire got them.”

"Uhmm uh...excuse me....Robert...Emeline...?"  Rapunzel tried to get their attention, going around and around but then suddenly her eyes seemed to change, becoming almost dull, she took Judys hand since she was the closest and pulled her around to dance with aswell, now the two was  being  victims of the enchantment aswell.

“Raps?! What are you doi-“ But before she could finished, her eyes turned dullaswell and she danced with Rapunzel.

Odette honked in shock of this and ran to Eugene to wake him up.

“Uhhh...okay, definitely some kind of spell...”

Varian backed up and ran over to Eugene, shaking him a bit.

“Eugene! Wake up! I need your help”

He whisper-yelled, looking back at the group dancing.

Odette peck at Eugene on the nose, which makes him jolted awake and push Odette off him.

“What?! Is that ghost here?!” He look around.

Rapunzel danced around with Judy following the same dance that Robert and Emeline danced.

Twirling and swooping around to the odd music that both filled the room aswell as sounded to be far away, as if in a dream.

“Blondie? Kiddo?” Eugenes jaw dropped. “And, there is another ghost. Wow.” He got up and straighten his back from sleeping near the wall.

Varian chuckled a little, a little panicked since he didn’t know what he should do.

“Yeah...well they seem to be under some kind of spell that makes them dance”

He said and looked at the ghosts again.

“Maybe if we get them to stop dancing, Rapunzel and Judy will too and we can figure out how to break the spell!”

His eyes lit up as he got an idea and ran over to his satchel on the floor, starting to rummage through it.

“Sounds like a good idea Varian.” Eugene said, watching the dancing four.

Meanwhile Pascal ran around, trying to get Rapunzels attention to no avail, instead he was at the risk of getting stepped on, luckily Ruddiger ran in and picked the chameleon up, saving him from getting trampled.

Varian pulled out some chemical balls from his satchel and turned to the ghosts.

“Looks like it’s up to alchemy”

He went the safe route and threw a bath bomb at them, hoping the bubbles would distract them so they could talk.

TO BE CONTINUED

(Emeline and Robert art made with Picrew)

[multitubefics]

Distracted (Grayson Dolan)

Warnings: Fluff....that’s it

Requested: No

Gif by: @iloveboylove

Love at first sight. A theory that has been highly controversial to everyone. For the most part Grayson never believed in such a thing. He always thought that the right person is out there for you, but it’s never so immediate. You gradually get to know them and fall deeper into love with them with time. That’s the same mentality when it comes to Y/N. You have or know them first to love them. Ethan and Grayson were driving around Hollywood to get away from the madness of their daily schedule for a while. Driving at sunset for a couple hours.

“Be patient, bro. I promise the right girl will come.” Ethan said looking to Grayson. He was having a heart to heart with his brother.

“What if she doesn’t, bro? What if...sh-she is like, I don’t know dead before I get to meet her or she like gets eaten by a shark or something?” Grayson said irrationally panicking.

“Dude, what are you TALKING ABOUT?! You sound crazy!” Ethan said laughing at his brother. Grayson ran a hand through his freshly groomed hair. He looks out the window briefly.

“What if she...” Grayson started but stopped his sentence short. Ethan looked over confused as to the sudden loss of words.

“Bro? You good?” Ethan said shaking Grayson. He looked where he was looking.

“What if she’s right in front of me?” He whispered barely audible to Grayson. He looked at this beautiful human being with instant adoration. His breath was halted in his chest. Her Y/H/C flowed in waves down her back and she smiled with beautiful straight white teeth. She turned to her friend who made her laugh at something she said. She threw her head back and clutched her stomach. Her eyes peered over to the street piercing Graysons soul with a very glance. She had amazing vibrant Y/E/C eyes. He couldn’t help himself but to smile while looking at her. She was genuinely glowing like an angel. Her bright baby blue sundress reached down to her mid-thigh. She carried a long strapped, brown leather bag around her body. It was as if time wasn’t real and it was all going in slow motion. Him being in the passenger seat he immediately hopped out of the car to go talk to her.

“I know right. It’s like not even worth at this point.” Y/N said as she continued to walk down the street. She was stopped suddenly when a young man around her age, maybe even a bit older. She paused and smiled brightly. He had a toned and tanned complexion through his entire figure. He stood at least 8 inches taller than herself. He had dark, beautiful hazel eyes that seemed glued to hers. As if nothing else in that moment mattered. He had a subtle 5 o’clock shadow that cut his jawline even sharper than it probably already was without one. He smiled at her and her heart melted at the sight. “H- um...Hi.” She managed to shyly say.

“Oh wow I severely miscalculated this attempt at talking to you.” Grayson said with a chuckle immediately looking down at his feet to hide his blush. Y/N giggled at his shyness.

“I assume you are here to talk to me. How about your name.” She said smile still plastered on to her face.

“Ye- uh yeah that’s a good idea. I-I’m Grayson.” He said holding out his hand to shake hers.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Grayson. I’m Y/N.” She said taking his rough previously calloused hand in hers. Much nicer and smoother to the touch. His hand nearly engulfed hers.

“I don’t mean to be rude or anything because you seem very nice and...cute.” Whispering the last part but it was obviously heard by him. He smiled and let out a little chuckle. “Why did you jump out of a moving vehicle to talk to..me?” She said laughing. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as her friend stood behind him and held her thumbs up.

“Well- uh okay. So I was..no let me start over. I saw you walking down the street and I literally could not stop myself from hopping out of my brothers car to talk to you. I think you are absolutely gorgeous and I wanted to ask you for your number.” A sense of confidence crashed over him. She blushed and turned away laughing.

“Want to know why that’s insane?” She said pausing he peeked his head up in confusion. “Cause I was thinking the same thing.” She said quietly. He smiled and got really giddy inside. Obviously not showing it on the outside but internally he was screaming. She wrote down her number on a small sheet of paper and grabbed his hand to put it there. The entire time he focused on how her tongue slightly popped out of her mouth when she wrote. How delicately her hands moved. How her eyes glowed against the sun. He was absolutely infatuated with her being and he couldn’t possibly understand why.

“Call me. Anytime. I’ll pick up.” She said looking into his eyes maybe a bit longer than she should have. But hell, he did too. She walked around him and his eyes followed her. She continued to walk with her friend turning back once more to wave goodbye. He held is hand up and tilted it slightly. He walked back to Ethan’s car with the biggest smile painted on his face. He opened the door and sat back inside. Grayson looked to his now impatient brother. No hint of a positive emotion.

“What?” Grayson said innocently. Ethan tolled his eyes.

“What do you mean what?! You scared the crap out me. You jumped out of my MOVING CAR!” Ethan yelled to him. Grayson didn’t even care. He was just so happy to have been able to talk to her. Even if it was just once. Ethan looked at his brother and the smile that seemed to be stuck to his face now.

“How was she?” Ethan said calming his voice. Grayson looked to him.

“Beautiful, bro. Oh my goood.” He said running his hand through his hair. Ethan laughed and started the car again.

“Soooo, who was that?” Y/N’s friend asked her. She turned her head still smiling from the moment.

“Grayson. Apparently.” She giggled. Her friend widened her eyes at her starstruck friend.

“Oh. My. God. You are dumbfounded.” She said nudging Y/N.

“Maybe a little.” She said quietly fidgeting with the strap on her bag.

Thats day, they both started to rethink their values on love at first sight.

Hope you liked it. Send requests.❤️❤️

[vulpesmellifera]

Vulpes’ Mystrade Recs

For @inevitably-johnlocked

I have a lot more than these but I don’t have the time today to add more. I hope to begin organizing them so that it is easier for readers to find what they’re looking for. This list is only a start! There are many more deserving fics and authors who will show up on this list in the future. Enjoy!

Happens in BBC Sherlock Canon as far as I can tell, but is not necessarily canon-compliant

Hope by sandwastesinthevoidofmychest. Mystrade. Teen. 5,222 words. My heart died reading this one, though it did restart. Mycroft suffers an acid attack, and retreats from public scrutiny.

Out of the Ashes by wendymarlowe. Mystrade. Explicit. 34,679 words. A tale of post-Reichenbach Mystrade. I loved it! It also includes some casefic.

The Sheltering Tree by Mottlemoth. Mystrade. Explicit. 89,113 words. I think this is the sweetest story Mottlemoth has written so far. I just adored it. 

Darlin’ by Mottlemoth. Mystrade. Teen. 2,295 words. Mycroft is injured, and when he wakes in the hospital, he finds out that he’s married to Greg Lestrade.

Breaking Point by Hastalux. Mystrade. Mature. There’s a terrorist attack and Mycroft is caught in the middle of it. Greg refuses to leave him there. 

Memoranda of Understanding series by mydwynter. Mystrade. Explicit. Good god, I need to reread this one. I just remember loving it, and just being blown away by how good it is.

As The Stars of Heaven: Holmesian Reproductive Strategies by Tammany. Mystrade. Teen. 24,342 words. Mycroft decides he wants a family. Greg is sort of jealous. Well, really jealous. 

At Least There’s the Football series by sheffiesharpe. Mystrade. Explicit. It’s popular for a reason, y’all. Truly awesome domestic bliss and a wonderful romantic partnership between Mycroft and Greg.

The DI and the Spy series by chasingriver. Mystrade. Explicit. I’m pretty sure January of 2018 was me having just discovered Mystrade and devouring the big time popular fics. This one was super sweet and funny.

Fire and Ice series by kazvl. Mystrade. Explicit. This one is soooo good. There’s drama and angst with a wonderful storyline that diverges from post-Reichenbach canon in a believable way.

East End Boy by Mottlemoth. Mystrade. Explicit. So my headcanon is generally that Greg is someone who married a woman but was always gay (I know bisexuals exist; I am one, thank you), and when I read this I was like “YASSS! Thank you Moth!” because not only did it meet my headcanon, but the story is one of the best ones I’ve read, hands down.  

To All the Lovers in the House Tonight by kedgeree. Mystrade. Mature. 15,950 words. Greg always gets his man, doesn’t he?

The I Know the Steps Series by stardust_made. Mystrade. Explicit. 37,394 words. This is great - Mycroft and Greg come to know each other - first from Mycroft’s POV, and then Greg’s.

like a moth to a flame by egmon73. Mystrade. Mature. 12,343 words. Greg realizes that he’s attracted to Mycroft. How can he be 52 and just now attracted to a man???

Sweetheart by janto321 (FaceofMer). Mystrade. Explicit. 1,312 words. Mycroft thought it would just be sex between them.

Taking His Time by sanguisuga. Mystrade. Explicit. 8,040 words. Mycroft didn’t quite expect these developments with Greg Lestrade.

Damage Control by TheDevilsFeet. Mystrade & Johnlock. Explicit. 46,679 words. Mycroft and Greg go on a drive to extract Sherlock from a precarious situation. It has some very awkward moments, but they get to know each other better.

Sinking the Land by emungere. Mystrade. Explicit. 34,302 words. It started with random cock sucking. And then it gets even better. So good!

Beyond These Games by recreational. Mystrade. Explicit. 37,736 words. Greg wants to know about the man behind the voice. It gets complicated.

Mister Big series by L_Morgan. Mystrade. Explicit. 41,007 words. This is one of the sweetest Mystrade fics out there. And not fluffy sweet…just sweet. Well done.

Virtually Perfect by Random_Nexus. Mystrade. Explicit. 19,680 words. A great Mystrade fic! I’ve reread this one when I needed a pick-me-up. Mycroft and Greg meet over the internet.

Cracks in the Ice by Mice. Mystrade. Explicit. 31,739 words. This is fantastic. It takes Greg and Mycroft from pre-canon to post-Reichenbach, and the ending is such a surprise.

And the Law Won by MofBaskerville. Mystrade. Explicit. 10,531 words. Mycroft has had a less-than-stellar experience with relationships, and breaks it off with Greg before those things can come to past. Greg isn’t happy about it.

Out of Thought by green_violin_bow. Mystrade. Explicit. 89,323 words. A fabulous love story wherein a disbelieving Mycroft is pursued by a besotted Greg.

The Habits of a Lifetime by out_there. Mystrade. Explicit. 54,234 words. One of my very favorite Mystrade stories. Mycroft is dealing with the aftermath of Sherrinford. 

The Sad Divorced Bastards Club by out_there. Mystrade. Explicit. 19,987 words. Greg invites Mycroft to join a club. Mycroft accepts. I love out_there’s work!

Finding a Way series by MuchTooMerryMaidean. Mystrade. Mature. 116,152 words. This one is a difficult but wholly worthwhile read. TW for rape and rape recovery. I think this is a really important piece, though, the most genuine treatment of the topic in the fandom that I have come across - how rape impacts a person, but also the people around them. It also explores identity, politics of sex and gender, family relationships, and so much more. I’ve reread it twice now, and will probably reread again.

Take Care of Me (Scenario 52-B) by Aelfay. Explicit. 10,788 words. Need some hurt/comfort Mystrade in your life? Here ya go!

Please, Please, Please series by Sunnyrea. Explicit. 180,302 words. Mycroft begins courting Greg, but nothing is ever easy. Great story!

A Sense of Home by snorklepie. Explicit. 50,401 words. Greg pursues Mycroft. He also decides to get his life together. 

AUs

Soul Mate by Mottlemoth. Mystrade. Teen. 4,068 words. Remember up above when I said The Sheltering Tree was the sweetest thing Mottlemoth ever wrote? I was wrong. It’s this soulmates AU. 

Cold Hands, Warm Heart by chasingriver. Mystrade. Explicit. 51,553 words. Mycroft gets forced into a family ski vacation. The ski instructor is hot!

Pater Noster series by manic_intent. Mystrade. Explicit. 26,551 words. Good Omens AU! Mycroft is a demon and Lestrade is an angel. Things get tangled from there. 

True Minds series by green_violin_bow. Mystrade. Explicit. A Jane Austen Persuasion AU! Need I say more?

The North Wind’s Lord by Mice. Mystrade. Explicit. 7,931 words. An AU where Greg tries to find out why the winter won’t stop. Mycroft is an out-of-sorts sorcerer. 

A Safe Prisoner of His Fate by out_there. Mystrade. Explicit. 33,812 words. Young Mycroft is the captive of a dashing pirate. Yes please!

Bonfire Heart by JessieBlackwood. Mystrade. Mature. 44,075 words. Greg is a surgeon, and Mycroft is a pain in the arse. Excellent story!

Magical Realism or Sci-Fi in Canon

The Tenth Muse by Vulpesmellifera. Mystrade. Explicit. 25,365 words. Post-Reichenbach, magical realism, diverges from canon, and includes a side of Johnlock. Mycroft doesn’t deduce like Sherlock - he sees things. Creepy things. 

Time Slips by mezzo_cammin. Mystrade. Explicit. Mycroft will do anything to save Greg’s life, even if it means making deals, and messing around with the space-time continuum.

Xmas Tales

A Christmas Carol by Mottlemoth. Mystrade. General. The funny part of this was that I was working out a Christmas Carol Johnlock version with my BFF, and I discovered this story and was all like “BFF! There’s a Sherlock fanfic of A Christmas Carol, but it’s a Mystrade.” And then I liked it so much I decided to abandon my version. Which is okay, because I moved on to fics for which I have a greater urgency to write later on.  

Thawing the Ice Man by sanguisuga. Mystrade. Explicit. 5,681 words. Mycroft and Greg get stuck at Baker Street one night and have to share a bed. It’s Christmas!

So Full of Light by mydwynter. Mystrade. Explicit. 21,450 words. One of my favorite Xmas fics. Mycroft and Greg grow beards for a cause. And beards are hot. 

For Services Rendered by Mottlemoth. Mystrade. Explicit. 10,582 words. Greg runs into someone at A&E on Christmas Eve. 

The Christmas Spirit by ByrnTWedge. Mystrade. Explicit. 59,916 words. Inspired by It’s A Wonderful Life! Mycroft decides people would be better off without him, but interference by a miscalculating angel leads him to someone who wouldn’t be better off without Mycroft.

Tinder: A Christmas Tale by green_violin_bow. Mature. 8,860 words. This is excellent - Mycroft and Greg ‘accidentally’ match up on Tinder. 

To Capture Light by Vulpesmellifera. Teen. 4,891 words. Post season 4, Mycroft has isolated himself in a Canadian chalet to deal with the personal consequences of Sherrinford. An unexpected visitor pops up on his doorstep. 

Fideles by Anarfea. Mature. 4,744 words. I really liked this one. Greg’s wife is cheating, and Greg goes out for a walk. He meets up with Mycroft, and they sit for a drink. Maybe more?

Sickfics

Woes of the Pharynx by Vulpesmellifera. Mystrade. Gen. 844 words. An ailing Mycroft gets a little TLC from his detective inspector. Humorous ficlet. Promise it’ll make you smile!

Flu Humbug by Hastalux. Mystrade. Teen. 2,750 words. This could have gone under Xmas Tales, too, but here it is! Mycroft has the flu, and Greg gets creative in his care.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF A LINK DOESN’T WORK THANK YOU.

[gaycrystalfemme]

Ch 1 • Ch 2 • Ch 3 • Ch 4** 》 AO3

Earth Customs

Chapter 3: Date

"Blue, uh.. It.. it's me. H-how are.. your Peridots from 7GT? Have they emerged yet? Let me know if you need any help." Beep.

"Blue, I'm heading to the ringed giant, Pygmalion-XH9, for inspection. Would you like to join me?" Beep.

"Blue, I remember. You wanted to talk about the plans for your colony?" Beep.

"B-blue, I.." Beep.

"PEARL, WHY ISN'T SHE RESPONDING?!?! AAAAAAAHHH!!!"

BZZZZZZTTTT! BOOOMM!!

Yellow's Pearl was inches away from getting poofed. Yellow was in a frenzy, furious that Blue hadn't responded to any of her voice messages or calls. Her computer took the full blast of her thunderous rage. A full shock of her lightning bolt.

"M-m-my D-d-diam-m-mond," Yellow's Pearl was trembling, fearful to be poofed or shattered. She chose her words very carefully, "P-perhaps-s i-it'd b-be w-wise i-if w-we-"

"Pearl," Yellow released a heavy exhale. Her fury slowly diffusing. Stubborn as she is, she disregarded what ever her frightened assistant was about to suggest. "Drop me off to Earth. And have this fixed," she pointed at the smashed master computer.

"A-absolutely, m-my Diamond!" Yellow Pearl immediately left the main control room and went to a different room. Somewhere in Yellow's ship was an emergency control room. Yellow had one built in case scenarios like these were to ever occur. Which, knowing herself, was highly likely.

Yellow knew the reason why Blue had been ignoring her. She had rejected Blue's advances. But Yellow only did what she knew as the appropriate response. Engaging in such Earthly acts was irrational. They were Diamonds after all, so there was no purpose for them to act humanly.

◇ ◇ ◇

Yellow's spaceship landed on the usual place by the beach. It had been four years since her last visit to Earth. Luckily, Steven stayed on the same beach house. Two gems were having a conversation outside. Steven and Pearl. Yellow's arrival interrupted their discussion.

"Yellow Diamond! I-it's nice for you to come visit me today!" Steven was always happy when either matriarch came to talk to him.

"Pink, h-how have you been?" Yellow did not know how to unpack what she wanted to say.

"Weeeeell, I've been doing great!" He was always full of energy and today was a particularly good mood for him, more so since Yellow came to visit. Teasingly, he asked, "Soooo, how are you and your 'g-girlfriend'?" He remembers Blue's last visit. He assumed they were all lovey-dovey now. He particularly remembered how Blue blushed when she revealed the kiss with Yellow. It had been years anyway. In that timespan, they should've already bonded enough. He thought everything was going great between the two.

"Girlfrie- what?! What did Blue tell you, Pink?!" Yellow's temper was slowly resurfacing. Girlfriend. The kiss. Blue.

"Well, Blue Diamond said I can't tell anyone, so.."

"What?! TELL ME!" Yellow demanded with a raised voice. Anger was evident in her tone. Mixed with a heavy dose of frustration, her temper was waiting to explode.

"Oh, Steven," Pearl got worried. She didn't want to fight but she was prepared to if the need arises. "If it's about Yellow too, well, it's probably best if you tell her what she needs to know." Pearl calmly convinced Steven, hoping an impending chaos from Yellow's fury would be avoided.

"Well okay. Wo-would you leave us alone for a minute, Pearl? Please? Thi-this is top secret Diamond information, so.. Sorry."

"It's fine," Pearl understood this well. She had served Diamonds before. White, then Pink. She knew Diamonds had their secrets. Pearl moved far from them, enough so she couldn't hear their voices but enough to keep Steven in sight. With her protective nature towards Steven, she just wanted to make sure Yellow wouldn't hurt him.

Steven climbed the tall Yellow. He aimed for her shoulders and whispered to her everything that had transpired last time Blue visited. The movie-thon, how awesome it had been for him. Blue's interest in human interactions, specifically in romantic gestures. The conversation they had about love. And the revelation of the kiss.

"I asked if you were her girlfriend. She said you kissed but only once."

"Oh, Blue." Yellow was surprisingly not angered. Instead, she felt a deep sense of longing. With Blue coldly ignoring her and learning about Blue's attempts at delving into human behavior, Yellow felt like she should've opened herself a bit more. "Pink, you see.. Blue and I.. have not spoken for a while."

"Really?! But why? She seemed so happy and excited when she left."

"It's.. I made a miscalculation!" Yellow hated admitting to her failings and shortcomings. But she was growing desperate. The more she spoke with Steven, the more she wanted to talk with Blue.

"Well.." Steven was devising ways for them to patch their conflict. "You can just give her a gift, then she'll forgive you."

"A gift? But she already has her Pearl! Hmm.." A gift, in homeworld's standards, was something of use to the expansion of the colony. "Perhaps I can give her an entire fleet of Peridots. Or Agates? Maybe even Sapphires. But.. I could never compete with her Sapphires!" Blue's Sapphires were impressively better made than Yellow's.

"Uh, well," Steven did not particularly like the idea of gifting gems. He viewed them as living sentient beings. "Why not give her.. a moon? Or a.. star?" Steven could barely understand interstellar conquest since he, and even his late mother, had little desire in engaging in intergalactic domination.

"It'd be impossible to endow anything if she doesn't even wish to speak with me!"

"Yeah, you're probably right. Buuuutt.. What if, I were to talk to her?"

"Well, that just might work out! Do you have a communicator? You can't call her in my ship, I've already sent it for repair. And even so, she will think it is I who's calling her."

"We can call her.. at the moonbase!"

"Oh, yes. Of course! Good thinking, Pink. Let's go!"

"Wait. Lemme just think of what to say.." Steven pondered a bit. A few ideas later, he was thrilled to tell Yellow, "I'm going to set you up on a date! It'd be on the moon, it'll be so wonderful. And romantic!"

"Set a what?"

"A date! It's like a meeting but only for two, specifically lovers. And since you're girlfriends, then it'd be a date!"

"Hmm.. I might need to learn about Earth myself.."

"Okay. But right now we should focus on your date!"

"By the way, how are we going to the moon, Pink?!"

"Don't worry, Steven the Great has a mighty steed!" He pertained to his magical Lion.

◇ ◇ ◇

With the help of Peridot and Pearl, a giant table was set up in the moonbase and the Diamond communicator was fixed. After the set-up, Peridot, Pearl, and Lion waited by the main entrance with the Diamond murals. Steven decided to call Blue while Yellow hid by the observation orb just below. She was able to hear their conversation.

"Blue Diamond! Hi!" Blue answered the call. Yellow was tempted to peek but knew it'd be best to restrain herself. Her arms crossed, she was pacing impatiently by the observation orb as Blue and Steven had their conversation.

"Pink! It's so nice of you to call!" A hint of melancholy in her greeting.

"Are you o.. H-how are you?" Steven almost lost his guard. "Would you happen to have time to come visit me? I'm at Earth's moon, though."

"That explains why you can call me," Blue was pertaining to the direct Diamond communicator. "Sure. I'll be right there." She hung up.

Yellow emerged from the room below, "She's coming! Where is she?!" She went ahead to the computer to check on Blue's current coordinates. "It'd take a few days before she arrives."

"Will you be okay here alone, Yellow?"

"Of course. You should build a communication device on your abode, Pink, so we can contact you directly."

Steven agreed and went back to Earth with Pearl, Peridot, and Lion. Yellow was left at the moon. A couple of days was nothing to a timeless being. Yellow decided to call her ship using the direct channel. Her Pearl answered the call and immediately she asked, "Where are you, how is the ship?"

"My Diamond, I have just landed at the nearest repair center and I am about to speak with the manager."

"Hmm. I reckon that's going to take a while. Well, send the PXH9 files here at the Earth moonbase. I'll be staying here for the time being. And update me regarding the progress of the repair. Oh, also, send me a copy of the Action folder."

"Yes, my Diamond." The obedient Pearl did whatever her Diamond had asked of her. The PXH9 files would keep her company while waiting for Blue. Yellow figured she could also indulge in a few movies while waiting.

◇ ◇ ◇

Outside the moonbase, Blue's arm ship was visibly landing. In the screen, Blue's coordinates were beeping red signifying her arrival at the moonbase. Yellow's chest was throbbing. She stood up and paced. It kept her from having a panic attack. The door of the moonbase opened with a loud swish. Soft footsteps became louder as it approached. A veiled lady emerged from the massive staircase below. She uncloaked her veil and was stunned at the golden sight before her.

"Ye-Yellow?! What is the meaning of this?! Where is Pink?"

"I-it's so nice for you to be here, Blue."

"Such a waste of resources! Pearl, let's go!"

"No, wait!" Yellow bolted to Blue and softly held her wrist to halt her. "Wait, Blue, please."

Seeing Yellow in the flesh softened her up. Blue had heard the dozens of voice messages. She was also very well aware of Yellow's multiple missed calls. Fortunately for the both of them, Blue listens to her emotions. "Pearl, wait in the ship." Blue's Pearl bowed in submission and proceeded to Blue's ship. Blue faced Yellow. Yellow's hand still on Blue's wrist.

Succumbing to her feelings was something she rarely did. Yellow had always followed the rationale of the order. But order and eternity made no sense if Blue weren't around. She wanted to talk. She wanted to be close. She wanted to enact the silly romantic gestures Blue had been initiating with her, the things she had seen in the movies.

"Blue, I.. I had been mistaken the last time."

"What last time?"

"Last time when we.. At your moonbase.."

"No, Yellow. You were right. Such foolishness it was of me, of us, to engage in those acts. I'm.. I'm sorry. It was unbecoming of a Diamond. Fret not, it shall never happen again."

No.. No.. NO!

"Blue, I want to be.. Let me be your girlfriend." She may have rejected Blue's previous advances out of fear of disrupting order, but being unable to interact with Blue for a while gave her time to contemplate. It made her realize, aside from Blue, how much she missed acting her feelings out. How much she wanted to. It also occured to her the possibility that love may not be limited to human beings alone but rather, it might have been omnipresent in the galaxy. She is a Diamond and, though she tried to contain it most of the time, she is capable of feeling. She concluded that, perhaps, love is universal.

"Yellow, what's gotten into you? You're being silly!" Blue was blushing furiously.

"Blue, listen.. I admit, I made an error in my previous judgement. It seems plausible for.. for us to engage in such.. In such nonsense!" It was difficult for Yellow to surrender to her feelings. "I feel things.. Things I feel for only you. And what ever we had done, human foolishness or not, it feels right! I.. I want to do them with you, Blue. And if we're going to be around for all time, then I want to be-"

She couldn't finish her sentence. From Blue's wrist, Yellow's hand slipped to interlock hers and Blue's hands. She pulled her fellow Diamond close. One hand interlocked with Blue's. Her free hand, she wrapped around Blue's back, and rested at the side of Blue's rib.

"Yellow, what are you trying to-"

Yellow pulled her close and locked their lips. Her kiss revealed how much she missed Blue, how much she longed for Blue, and how much she wanted Blue.

Blue tried to be a proper Diamond and attempted to reject Yellow's display of affection. But her feelings were getting the best of her. And with Yellow's lips locking over hers, she was powerless. She wanted this, she wanted it bad. She kissed back.

"Yellow, I believe you told me this does not make any sense.."

"How many times do I have to repeat myself, I have made a miscalculation. This perfectly makes sense, Blue. Our.. our feelings, they.. They require to be expressed."

"But this, aren't these.. silly things only humans do?"

"I.. I wouldn't mind to act ridiculous with you."

"Ye-Yellow.. Come, kiss me ple-"

Yellow wrapped Blue in a tight embrace. But with all the excitement in expressing her repressed feelings, Yellow unintentionally pushed them both to the floor of the moonbase enough to produce a loud thud, but not to wreck the structure. The fall was painless, they were Diamonds. Yellow was now taking initiative in showering Blue with affection, and Blue couldn't be any happier with that.

On the floor, their eyes met. And both ladies almost radiating a diffirent hue with all the blushing. Pleasurable tension was overwhelming the room. Yellow, with a strong sense of aggression, lunged her face towards Blue's. Her eyes closed, she aimed for Blue's luscious lips. One kiss followed by another, and another. They found themselves heavily making out on the floor. Their hands moved with every impatient kiss. It was the first time they touched certain corners of each other, and it was electrifying for both of them. They were already too close but they wanted to get closer. Yellow incidentally stroked the gem at Blue's chest. The passing touch gave Blue a pleasurable shock, she moaned abruptly. The sound made Yellow's heart race. Her Diamond-shaped irises dilated. She gently held Blue's wrist and slowly Yellow pulled it closer to the gem in her chest, attempting for Blue's fingertips to make contact with her diamond. Blue's Diamond-shaped irises also dilating, excitement was building with the gestu-

Ring! Ringg!

"OH MY STAARSS!!" Both Diamonds gasped and sprung out of their awkward, perhaps forbidden, form and stood up. The ring relinquished the intensity of their activity. Startled, they quickly tidied themselves before Yellow answered the call.

"My Diamond, I am glad to repo-"

"Don't call me until I call you." Call ended. Yellow released a heavy exasperated breath. Apparently, her Pearl was actually excited to report that the ship had been fixed masterfully and quickly. But she was cut off too soon.

"That was a bit harsh, darling."

"She shouldn't be calling me when I am busy!" Anger easily clouding Yellow's thinking process. "Wait, what is darling?"

Blue couldn't help but giggle at the irate Yellow. She found it oddly adorable. "I have seen a few movies myself. Anyway, let's go home, Yellow."

"Hmm.. Would you rather inspect PXH9? The planet seems promising, I've read the reports before you arrived."

"Really? Let's go then." Blue let out a soft smile, content with what they've done. She became confident they'd be expressing their feelings towards each other from now on. Blue held Yellow's hand as they walked to the blue arm.

◇ ◇ ◇

** Ch 4 = AO3 exclusive WIP