#and said oh god the jawbones

[femslashspuffy]

My friend will get mad at us for talking about spike btvs all the time but miah and I explained the scene where spuffy brought down a house and then she saw a picture of James marsters and was like hmm ok maybe I get it

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

The Pineapple (The Surprise, Part 23)

Emily Prentiss x fem!reader Warnings: pregnancy times, no smut but definitely allusions to sex, nudity, explicit language (let me know if I've missed anything!) Word count: 1.7k

Summary: You're on partial bedrest to avoid preterm labor, and both you and Emily are going a little stir crazy with it.

Week 33: The Pineapple

“You’ve gotta get out of here,” you told Emily as she stood behind you in the shower, lathering your hair.

She yanked your head back gently to rinse the shampoo out, and you felt a familiar bolt of arousal shoot through your body.

“You’re not supposed to be standing for very long,” she argued. “It’ll go faster if I help”

“I’m not sure that’s true.” You shuddered as she ran her soapy hands over your shoulders, your neck, down your arms.

When she made it to your chest, you grabbed her hands and held them away from you. “You have to go.”

“Honey, just let me help you.” She rubbed her thumbs across the backs of your hands.

You threw open the shower door and pointed. “Go. You can help me with whatever else, okay? You can make me dinner and rub my feet and keep me entertained, but for the love of god, you can’t do this. I’m not supposed to get turned on.”

The shit-eating grin on Emily’s face as she stepped out of the shower made you simultaneously furious and horny.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, voice dripping with sarcasm as she toweled off. “Am I just too much for you?”

You flicked water at her and she flinched, laughing, as you went back to soaping up the rest of your body.

“You’re in the shower with me, Em. Naked. With your hands all over me. What’d you expect? I’m pregnant, not dead.”

Emily giggled and tied her robe around her waist, biting her lip. “You’re pretty when you’re mad.”

You shook your head, turning off the shower and stepping out to snatch the towel Emily held out to you.

You glared at her as you dried off. “Don’t forget that you’re not getting any either. For a long time. So you better watch it. I can’t help you if you get too turned on.”

“Well, of course not,” she observed, looping her arm through yours to support you as you walked back to the bedroom. “That’d turn you on.”

You didn’t need help walking, but ever since you’d been put on bedrest last week, Emily insisted she walk you everywhere. It would be annoying if it wasn’t so sweet.

Emily also wasn’t used to not working, and she was restless, which currently translated into… overbearing in an endearing kind of way. She pulled socks onto your feet and a sleep shirt over your head as you sat on the edge of the bed. She helped you poke your toes out of the bottoms of your maternity sweatpants, and when she was done, she planted one kiss on your baby bump and another on your forehead as she rose to her feet.

“Do you need anything?” she asked, cupping your face in her hands. “Massage? Earl grey? Pupusa run?”

You grabbed Emily’s hand and kissed her palm. “Will you just snuggle with me for a bit?”

“Twist my arm…” Her voice was sarcastic, but her smile gave her away. She crawled behind you in bed, pressing her body into yours and nuzzling her face into your neck. Emily exhaled deeply, as she always did as soon as she got comfortable with you in bed like this. You loved her little huff of breath, the way her muscles seemed to relax afterward. You were proud, honored, to be someone Emily let her guard down with, someone who made her feel safe and calm.

“You know I love you?” she whispered, her breath warm against your neck.

“Mmhm.” You were in that glorious space between waking and sleeping, warm and cozy and snuggled up with the person you loved most in the world. You could stay here forever.

“You love me, too?”

And her voice was timid, almost scared, a rarity for Emily. You rolled over so you could look her in the eyes, tracing her with your fingers. Her eyebrows, the bridge of her nose, the small wrinkles that were forming at the corners of her eyelids, the strong length of her jawbone.

“What kind of question is that?” you whispered, holding her face in your hands and running your thumbs along her cheeks. “You know I do. I love you more than anything. More than breathing. More than pupusas even.”

When Emily didn’t grin or laugh at your attempt at levity, you knew something was wrong.

“Hey,” you said softly, eyebrows furrowed, pulling Emily close to your chest. “What’s going on, huh? Talk to me.”

She let out a shaky breath, then mumbled. “I feel like you’re getting tired of me.”

If she’d looked up, she would have seen the most dumbfounded expression that had ever found its way to your face. “What!?”

“It’s just… we’ve been home together all the time for almost a week now and… I don’t know, sometimes I feel like you… like you don’t want me around.”

“Oh, honey, no,” you breathed, running your hand through her hair. “I absolutely want you around. What did I do that made you feel like that?”

She shrugged, but you insisted. “Tell me, Em.”

“Well, the other day while you were working in the office. I came to sit and work with you and you asked me to leave the room.”

“Em, baby, that’s just because you’re so cool and pretty and fun and I love having you around so much that you’re kind of a distraction when I’m trying to work. It’s not that I don’t want you there, I promise.”

Emily nodded, but still looked sad. You kissed her forehead. “I love you, okay? I’m sorry I made you feel like I didn’t want you there. I should have communicated better. Anything else?”

She buried her head in your chest and you rolled your eyes. Getting Emily to admit she had feelings was like pulling teeth sometimes. “Out with it, Emily.”

Her voice was so quiet, you had to ask her to repeat herself. “You didn’t want me in the shower with you,” she mumbled.

You giggled and cradled her head in your arms. “Aw, Em. Honey. You gotta let that go. I’m sorry we can’t shower together right now, okay? You’re just too damn sexy. I can’t handle it. Look at me, baby.”

It took a minute, but you finally got Emily to look you in the eyes, and you were amazed, as you always were, by their openness, their vulnerability. This was not a side of Emily that many people got to see, let alone comfort and heal.

“I love you. Okay? I love you so much. I love being with you. I love having you around. You are my favorite person in the universe. Got it?”

Emily nodded, and you placed a quick kiss on her lips, knowing that if you let it get any more passionate, you’d get too turned on.

“I’m having your baby for fuck’s sake,” you grumbled as Emily wrapped her arms around you, lifting her head up to place a kiss under your chin. “I wouldn’t do that for anyone else. Ever.”

Emily exhaled shakily and played with your fingers. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m feeling so insecure.”

“You’re allowed to feel insecure, honey,” you insisted. “It’s okay. I love you, alright?”

She nodded and whispered, “Okay.”

After a few minutes, you giggled.

“What?” Emily prompted.

“Honestly, I thought maybe you were getting tired of me.”

Emily furrowed her eyebrows at you. “Why would you think that?”

You shrugged. “I work from home. And I’m so introverted. I’m used to spending a lot of time alone, so it’s no big deal. But you work with people all the time. With your friends, even. I don’t know, I thought you might be getting antsy.”

When Emily didn’t say anything, you grinned and tickled her until she squirmed. “You are getting antsy, aren’t you!?”

“It’s not you!” she protested. “I’m just used to working all the time and now I’m… a little bored? But not of you! Never of you, sweetheart.”

“Em, it’s fine,” you reassured her. “You’re allowed to have a life outside of me. Why don’t you see what JJ and Penelope are doing right now?”

Emily sat straight up and glared at you. “You’re on bedrest. How are you gonna go to the bathroom?!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” you said, sarcasm rolling off your tongue. “Just pee in the bed, I guess.”

Emily threw up her hands. “I’m serious!”

“I’m serious, too!” you retorted. “Em, I will survive for a few hours without you. I can carefully hobble myself to the bathroom and back.”

She looked at you for a moment, studying you, as if making an incredibly difficult decision. “You’ll call me right away if you need anything?”

You grinned. “I will.”

Emily kissed you quickly, once on the cheek, once on the lips, then launched herself out of bed and toward the closet.

“What are you doing!?” you asked. “You haven’t even asked them yet!”

“It’s girls night,” Emily replied, peeking her head out from the open closet door. “They’re already at the bar. I just… I told them I couldn’t go, but if you’re really okay with it?” She stared at you pointedly, as if making doubly sure you were okay with her leaving.

“Go!” you said, throwing a pillow at her. “Have fun!”

She emerged from the closet in a classic black dress with a neckline that would have driven you crazy if you were allowed to be driven crazy right now.

“Jesus,” you said, biting your lip and looking her over. “You’re not making it easy for me, you know that?”

She leaned over to kiss you, just deeply enough to leave you wanting more. “Enjoy your alone time, honey,” she said, winking at you.

You opened your mouth to protest, but she stopped you with another kiss. “No matter what you say, I know you love being alone. Call me if you need anything, okay? Anything.”

“I will,” you said, squeezing her hand before she walked to the door. “Hey, Em?”

She turned to look at you, and you could’ve stared at her forever. If you could have freeze-framed the moment, you would have done it. Those wide eyes, trusting and hopeful and so, so in love with you. “I love you,” you told her. “More than alone time.”

“I love you, too, honey. Be safe.”

[rrat-king]

Reread Old Habits and remembered when I said what "type" of Foster kid Kristen and Adaine are

Kristen is what I'd call "testing boundaries attachment issues". Her parents just abruptly stopped loving her one day and as my friend once said "She definitely lies awake at night wondering why they didn't love her more than their god". Like no way she hasn't internalised some idea of her being a fundamentally flawed person who everyone will eventually give up on like her parents did. So her mindset becomes "I'll be bad and make them stop loving me now so when they inevitably do give up and stop loving me it will hurt less". It was present with Jawbone but MAJORLY so with Sandra Lynn who she firmly believes doesn't like her (Sandra Lynn has no idea of this and DOES love Kristen like that's her kid and she can't understand why anyone would give her up). It was bad in FY right after she was kicked out, got a bit better, and then got worse post breakup with Tracker when she became "just your niece's weird ex" (they've been calling her variations of "the middle child" in texts for months)

Adaine is what I'd call "withdrawn attachment issues". She was the baby who learned not to cry because no one was coming idk what to tell you. Nothing she ever did was enough and as much as she knows her parents are shitty, she does have some sense of her being a failure. She's fully internalised the idea you cannot trust parents and that you can't rely on them to love you so if she just doesn't engage with them then they can't see that she's a failure or be disappointed with her! This is a totally healthy idea!

Basically

Kristen: I will make you stop loving me gradually so when you give up on me it will hurt less. If I'm shitty they'll see how good Adaine is because she deserves love

Adaine: Kristen please stop they will absolutely stop loving you and I can't be the golden child because I care about you and you deserve love

Adaine 🤝 Kristen

Parental love is not a constant nor unconditional so don't rely on it in any meaningful way or you will get hurt

oh God Kristen thinking Sandra Lynn doesn't like her as a rule is so real and I feel like so present in sophomore year in the way they interact. also like, the feeling of letting adaine get taken care of by pulling herself away cuz she doesn't want to deal with being let down.

and god Adaine who is trying so hard not rely on anyone and can't stand the idea of having the same roll as her sister used to have cuz she knows Kristen deserves love but she can't understand that herself

they are so fucked with what they think they are allowed to have and deserve

[stars-in-a-jam-jar]

I loved Buddy this episode. Exactly the energy I love to see. He remains Completely Mostly-Deliberately Fanatical, but to the point where even the people who coerced him into joining their new religion are like 'You're!!! Doing it wrong!!!!' And Buddy's just like 'I have faith in Bakarath :)' I love him, I love that for him, I love Buddy Dawn so much, please don't die, Buddy, I just wanna have you floatin' around being a silly little uses-his-high-wis-stat-to-deliberately-fail-all-insight-checks-on-himself guy forever.

I wanna see Buddy at the end of this approach Fig like a little lost puppy asking her about Ankarna, but not in the soft explorative way that Bucky is curious about Kristen's relationship with Cassandra, in a way that's like 'I've been in a right tumble dryer lately and was wondering what exactly The Correct Worldview to attach my entire soul and sense of self to is.'

Want him to be a complete mess most of senior year as he keeps looking for new things to attach himself to. Every few weeks he changes his style to reflect the new thing he's trying on as a replacement for developing an independent sense of self.

Want him to be three quarters of the way through senior year before he even thinks to talk to Jawbone. That or they've been having mandatory councilor sessions all fall, and it's only as the Moonar Yulenear is coming up that Bucky starts Acting Like A Person for little flashes, where his entire attitude and personality is not some ironclad manifestation of what he believes The Correct Person To Be is, and instead he just. Genuinely loudly laughs at a joke that a few months ago he would've simply given a polite sensible chuckle to and said 'Oh, that's a good one'. He lets his face fall into a bored exhaustion in a class and the teacher asks him if something's wrong and he snaps back to, but it still happened. The omnipresent 'Good God Fearing Boy' persona slipped and he was a bored teen for a second. He tries a heavily caffeinated drink in the same way one might try a beer for the first time and suddenly he's being a little silly twirling his staff around and stumbling over his sentences a little more as his brain whirrs.

He cries and he breaks something and there's this icky complicated cocktail of emotions because getting angry is bad and being upset is bad; he was taught that all his life and then it was proven correct when he was resurrected by a false manifestation of a dead goddess worshipped in her true form by the archdevil of rebellion who spent the entire school year playing mindgames with the bard in Buddy's party who were using him.

But Jawbone keeps saying it's important to feel your feelings, which is a very silly thing of Jawbone to keep emphasizing, because Buddy always feels his feelings, it's not like he just unilaterally fends every emotion off as if it'll be his inevitable downfall. There's The Good Feelings and The Bad Feelings, and The Good Feelings come from The Good Things and The Bad Feelings are temptations into evil he must not indulge. He chooses to identify with the Correct Feelings To Be Feeling, obviously. Because you're supposed to do that. And anger and upset are never correct. It was a lesson he had to learn the hard, painful way because he was a stupid, flimsy kid who needed to see the real truth up close and personal. That's why all that stuff happened to him. Why the Rat Griders were so dismissive of him. Why Kristen was trying to build bridges with him.

So why did he just shatter the mug his grandfather gifted him after his baptism when he remembered how Oisin and Ivy seemingly constantly side-eyed him every time he spoke. At least it felt that way. Buddy's very used to constantly feeling observed, he probably just imagined that.

They're not exactly alive to ask anymore.

What do you MEAN my silly post about how I think Buddy's insistence that Bakarath is For Sure The Name You Guys is cute and funny turned into ANOTHER Buddy Dawn fanfic???

[gods-favorite-autistic]

Fantasy High Incorrect Quotes

Fig: I can explain.

Sandra Lynn: Can you?

Fig: If you give me thirty seconds to think of a lie.

~

Kristen: A theif.

Adaine: Thief?

Kristen: Theif.

Adaine: I before E, except after C.

Kristen: Thceif.

Adaine: No

~

Somebody: How many kids do you have?

Jawbone: Biologically, emotionally, or legally?

~

Riz: Ok, maybe playing ‘whose family is most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had. Fabian's been crying in the bathroom for an hour. We can’t get him out...

~

Kristen: Change is inedible.

Gorgug: Don't you mean inevitable?

Kristen, spitting out coins: No, I did not

~

Riz: I think I'm having a mid-life crisis.

Sklonda: You're like 15 years old

Riz: I MIGHT DIE AT 30!

~

Fig: If there's going to be a big dramatic scene, wait until I get back.

Fabian: Of course. I can't flip this table by myself.

~

Jawbone: You often use humor to deflect trauma

Kristen: Thank you

Jawbone: I didn't say that was a good thing

Kristen: What I'm hearing is, you think I'm funny

~

Fig giving bardic: I've already sent good vibes your way… they’re coming. There’s nothing you can do to stop them.

Gorgug: This is the most threatening way I’ve ever been cheered up.

~

Riz: Please, I'm begging you go to Kristen.

Fabian: I'm sorry is this OUR stab wound? Stay out of it.

~

Kipperlily: Okay. I get it. We’ve had a really hard time lately, we’re stressed out, seven people died-

Ivy: Twelve, actually.

Kipperlily: Not the point. Look, they're dead now and really whose fault is that?

Oisin: Yours!

Kipperlily: That's right: no one's.

~

Fabian: Okay, truth or dare?

Riz: Truth

Fabian: How many hours have you slept this week?

Riz:

Riz: ...Dare

Fabian: Go to bed.

Riz: I don’t like this game.

~

Gorgug: Why are you on the floor?

Fig: I'm depressed.

Fig: Also I was stabbed, can you get Kristen, please.

~

Store Worker: Would a Mr. Jawbone please come to the front desk?

Jawbone, arriving at the desk: Hello, is there a problem?

Store Worker: *points to Fig and Kristen*

Store Worker: I believe they belong to you?

Fig and Kristen, simultaneously: We got lost :(

Jawbone: I didn’t even bring you guys here with me-

~

Riz: Here’s a fun Christmas idea. We hang mistletoe, but instead of kissing, you have to FIGHT whoever else is under it.

Sklonda: Riz no.

Adaine: Mistlefoe.

Sklonda: Please stop encouraging him.

~

Adaine: Hey Kristen,

Kristen: Yes?

Adaine: Can a person breathe inside a washing machine while it’s on?

Kristen:

Kristen: Where’s Aelwyn?

~

Fabian: I’m kind of crushing on someone, but I’m worried about telling you who it is, because you’re not going to like it

Adaine: Just rip the bandage off.

Fabian: It’s Aelwyn.

Adaine: Put the bandage back on.

~

Riz: I love you guys, you're the best thing that's happened to me.

Fabian: We're the best thing that's ever happened to you?

Riz: Yes!

Kristen: I'm starting to feel a little sorry for you.

~

Jawbone: I trust the Bad Kids.

Sandra Lynn: You think they know what they're doing?

Jawbone: I wouldn't go that far.

~

Fig: If Kristen and I were drowning, who would you save?

Adaine: You two can’t swim?

Kristen: It’s a hypothetical question, Adaine! who would you save?

Adaine: my time and effort.

~

Fig: Come on, I wasn’t that drunk last night.

Gorgug: You were flirting with Ayda.

Fig: So what? She’s my girlfriend.

Gorgug: You asked her if she was single.

Fig:

Gorgug: And then you cried when they said they weren't.

~

Fig: What if I press the brake and gas at the same time?

Kristen: The car takes a screenshot.

Gorgug, fixing the Hangvan: For the last time, get the fuck out.

~

Cop: You’re receiving a ticket for having three people on one motorcycle.

Fabian: Shit.

Riz: Wait, three?

Cop: Yeah?

Fig: OH MY GOD KRISTEN FELL OFF!!!

~

Fig: You lying, cheating, piece of shit!

Kristen: Oh yeah? You’re the idiot who thinks you can get away with everything you do. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

Fig: I’m leaving you, and I’M TAKING ADAINE WITH ME

Gorgug, picking up the monopoly board: I think we’re gonna stop playing now.

~

Riz: *Gently taps table*

Adaine: *Taps back*

Kristen: What are they doing?

Fabian: Morse code.

Riz: *Aggressively taps table*

Adaine: *Slams hands down* YOU TAKE THAT BACK-

~

Gorgug: Riz isn’t answering his phone

Fabian: I’ll call

Gorgug: Adaine and I have both tried six times each, what makes you thi-

Riz: Hello?

~

Adaine: Good responses for being stabbed with a knife?

Fabian: Rude.

Fig: That’s fair.

Kristen: Not again.

Riz: Are you going to want this back?

~

Adaine: Poison is a magic transmutation potion that turns people into corpses.

Fig: This knife is actually a magic wand.

Kristen: Meet me in the Denny’s parking lot for a wizard duel.

Riz: *cocks gun* Magic missile.

Sandra Lynn: What the fuck is wrong with you people.

~

Adaine: You really put aside everything and came all this way for me? How did you even get here so fast?

Fabian: Several traffic violations.

Kristen: Three counts of resisting arrest.

Riz: Roughly thirteen cans of energy drinks.

Fig: Also, that’s not our car.

~

Adaine: Are we really going to let Fabian keep Riz?

Fig: We kept Kristen.

~

Fabian, walking into his house: Hello, people who do not live here.

Kristen: Hey.

Adaine: Hi.

Gorgug: Hello.

Fig: Hey!

Fabian: I gave you the key to my place for emergencies only!

Riz: We were out of Doritos.

[asexual-disaster]

‼️FHJY EP 3 SPOILERS‼️

all my thoughts of episode three

AS PER MURPH LOOKS SO GOOD

as does lou

Riz literally biking to school with everyone’s files to make sure they can make it through the year !! stop he’s so cute

and then you and Adaine are nerds

actually for the wizards I’m super chill

riz literally finding out what college they could all get into!!!

figs multiclassing appears to be undocumented, how would her bard teacher know that she multiclassed if she never goes to class

me and riz would write three essays each

the lone wolf. his record is not as bad as it should be

‘i cast friends on both of you just to get you in the car’

‘it’s a 10 and i’ll give you the help action’

‘fluffier than mine?’

LYDIA IS MY LOVE, MY FAVOURITE MORHER (except u sklonda)

‘you guys missed this, song of the summer! kids are going nuts’ ‘this emo song starts over the radio’ proceeds to play the hardest song i’ve heard in ages

riz making adaine her own folder for fun that he signed inside ,, i will sob over this little goblin

a dragon with a receding hairline

the thistlespring sex binder stop

gorgug is such an awkward little guy

fabian not knowing how to make food, stop my baby has been abandoned

‘a little hobgoblin with a brass lollipop’

sorcery teacher jace, i would die for you. ur the teacher i would fancy in school

big shoes to follow

figs bad luck continues

‘should we sign up for student government? there’s gotta be a cabinet right?’

mazey is a highland cow stop i love her

stop she’s a dancer, was she at the camp fabian was meant to be at??

‘oh you’re in the buttcrushers?’

she’s worse than kalvaxus

badidas

FABIAN IS OLDER BECAUSE HE WAS ADVENTURING WITH HIS DAD??

‘that would impact you as well’ ‘yeah’

‘i’m going to go to bard class, you’re going to love this, but not as myself’

im going to cast disguise self on myself to look like an emo girly

wanda childa

here girlie

porter is hot shut up

gorgug getting told he can’t do the mcats because he’s a barbarian. basically being told he’s not smart enough to do artificer classes because he’s inherently stronger, angrier and ‘less smart’ stop

im going into a worry

fig taking fabian to a wizard class because she doesn’t know where bard classes are

‘fabian, you said something alarming and it made me curious’

riz’s entire interaction with jawbone

Kristen chillis applebees

KRISTENS BROTHER

the way it’s never really spoken about how kristen, as the oldest, protected her younger brothers from her parents but she’s been gone a long time and she’s now seeing that. behavioural pattern continued to them treating her oldest younger brother the same she was treated

BUD CUBBY STICKING UP FOR KRISTEN BY TELLING HER PARENTS THEYRE AWFUL PEOPLE STOPPP

‘a hard couple months?’ ‘in the dark? where’s your god? he’s the sun god right?’

‘that’s what you think’ ‘bye girlie’

adaine realising she can’t even afford her school supplies now is so sad

‘what smell would be enticing to emo kids? maybe cigarettes and peach schnapps’

i just wanda’d in

they’re investigating all of figs disguises???

figs agent is rubens agent too fuck off

kristen adhd confirmed

also kristen deflecting all of her trauma with humour is so sad

‘maybe i could just have a tiny little religion of weirdos who wanna gamble’

cassandra i love you but kristen is a literal child

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN CASSANDRA IS WITH KALINA

[2511495]

touched for the very first time / majimako

She couldn’t help it. Vulnerability and carelessness did a nearly fine job at killing her, and they succeeded with everybody else. She was like a wild cat now, ears constantly standing and her tail solid still. Any guy in a badly fitted suit, any slightly raised voice on the streets, even the smell of smoke triggered her prey-like instincts.

“Kitty’s got her claws out,” and she was not afraid to use it, even if there was a lion getting in her way.

It took Makoto’s eyes a few seconds to get a clear focus on the character that had just arrived, adding her troubles to a total of three. An irritating feat, if any, but if she didn’t practice enough, she was never going to fully recover her sight.

He didn’t say anything.

And as the two punks kept talking, she pieced the image of him like a jigsaw puzzle. His tall height, his short hair, the pinch of red on his chest-

Is he naked?! 

She could make out the skin of a snake wrapping the third guy’s shoulders and arms, and something black tightly clad to his legs. Oh, this was a new look to register in her head, she thought. This wasn’t a lion at all, this was a giant snake.

“Don’t you know who he is? He’s-”

Everything happened so fast.

The sound of jawbones cracking echoed in her ears, followed by a public gasp. She saw the figures of the two men from earlier fly across the street, and the friction of their clothes tearing against the black tar. For a moment there were hushed whispers. Despite her partial sight, her hearing was incredible. Anyone who saw it immediately silenced their shock and scurried away like mice under a light.

There was no way Makoto could stand up to a beast like him. 

He inched closer towards her.

No way. 

"W-what do you want?" She plucked up the courage to meet his eyes, and found there was only one, the other covered behind an eyepatch. Snakeskin, leather jacket, no shirt in winter, and an eyepatch. If she had knocked her head harder, she would've believed it was Halloween. 

Maybe he wasn't yakuza, but that wouldn't explain how he'd manage to knock two guys unconscious with just a punch. 

Whoever he was, Makoto didn't need to worry. Tateyama stepped in to "save the day", then he and Mr. Snake Pirate had a little discussion about something she didn't understand. Everything felt like a prank. Like she was missing out on something and like somebody was trying to make fun of her. Then the man left. Just like that.

"He looks…sad." She thought out loud. And familiar. She was confused and numb and she wanted answers. 

So she ran in her heels after him and grabbed his hand the moment she could reach it. He stuttered from her sudden appearance, but he didn't say a word. He didn't curse or yelp. All he did was try to pull his hand free from her, but even a yakuza was no match for the strength of God Hands' apprentice. 

"Who are you?" She demanded, narrowing her gaze at his face. He looked away, directing his body as far away from her as he could. Makoto didn't feed into his resistance, and instead pulled at his glove covering his hand. He resisted harder, but in vain. 

It was the most powerful Makoto had ever felt in her life. She might not be able to throw a punch, or even kill a man, but she could definitely take someone's glove off without consent. 

He waited for what she was about to do. 

She slipped her hand into his, and they touched palm to palm, finger to finger. The warmth, the roughness of his skin, the bumps of scars that never healed. She knew his hand, she knew him, she knew this was the grip that held her when her whole world crumbled within an instant. The hand that pulled her, patted her head, held her shoulders behind walls while strangers attempted to capture her. 

"I know you," she traced his hand like a fortune teller. "I know you. You're him," she said. 

He didn't reply. 

"Answer me," she raised her voice, yet still spoke gently. "It is you, isn't it?" she held onto him. "Is that why you don't want to talk? Because I'll hear your voice and you know I'm right. And you've got one eye."

She heard him inhale really sharply. "Why won't you look at me?"

There was no person alive who could stand her sad voice. He slowly turned his face and looked at her. 

"Is it you?" she asked again, on the verge of giving up.

"Makoto," his voice was like a home she's lost. "Can ya let go of me?"

She did as she was told, watching as he twisted his hand in pain. "Ya got a pretty strong grip," he complimented. "Could put a guy to sleep in a minute."

There was a moment of silence. 

It was sensory overload; her mind slowly picking up the entirety of his being to match the once-faceless guardian she'd lived a few days with. She half-expected he'd be in a regular suit - something about how he had presented himself before pointed to a mysterious, classy figure. But any image was better than no image, and he certainly stood out in his current ensemble. 

"It is me," he finally answered. "Makoto."

She was speechless. 

"Like what you see-" his humour was cut by her pressing herself against him. "Oi-"

"It is you." She held him tight, mindless that she was hugging a yakuza in public. She began sobbing into the crook of his neck. "I've been looking for you."

He laid an awkward hand on her back. "Y-ya did?"

"Of course I did! You left me on my own in the hospital." 

"S-sorry." his voice was quiet. "Are ya…glad to see me at least?"

Makoto smiled through her tears.

"Very."

_______________________ more writings

[haven-gum-rockrose]

tell us about riz (ask game)

RIZ RIZ RIZ BET

first impression: oh this boy has so much frantic energy omg and cares so much about this penny girl he tries so hard, hes completely not sleeping to find his only friend...... Fuck I'm gonna end up kinning this guy, aren't I. And then it just kept going

impression now: ...... he cares. so. much. i care so much. its everything and he is everything to me- i actually dont know how to express it. he's like- holy. literally, he works for heaven now. but thats not important, he is.

Favorite moment....... fuck.... hmm... god i really like his interactions with Kalina. it could be "hiss at her, litigator!" followed by him hissing in court, but thats more a fig thing so.... while its not necessarily the moment, i like what it came to mean for his character. Him stuck in the palimpsest at the arcade, having lost to Penny's game, cutting his hands digging through the crystals, simply because that is so often referred back to

HONORABLE MENTIONS BECAUSE HES MY LITTLE GUY AND FUCK IT WE BALL: "i'm really gonna spiral here" after getting his own private office to do pi shit in, him suggesting "we can throw rocks in the river" as a hangout option because his only experience with what hangouts are like comes from violent productive adventuring and also noir mystery films/books/games, Riz inventinting the Night Yorb because he couldnt just relax. HIM TALKING TO HIS MOM ABOUT LIKE- IDFK WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF OR HOW TO INTERACT WITH MY FRIENDS IF THERES NOT A PROBLEM I CAN SOLVE- like shoot me with a fucking gun why dont you- uhhhhhh... "its just a metal tube. i think its beautiful *and then i do a little dance*" ..... theres a lot imma shut up

Story idea....... shit- him hanging out with the seven. please. idk, im very content with my- WAIT NO i wouldnt write about him, but any fanfic where he interacts with jawbone(like as the guidance counselor, not as the dad of most of his friends) - head in hands-

unpopular opinion: shipping fabriz is fine. like i dont like it and any ship stuff for them i read(which i do read) i am personally interpreting as platonic cuz im really good at that, or unrequited. i know a lot of people get pressed about it cuz aroace erasure which yeah if youre changing him to demi thats a bit- or if its one of those "Pok was right, he might just be a late bloomer, lol theyre aged up and actually riz finds out he's pan lololol" thats a bit - like please stop. but if hes dating the guy as an aroace person or theyre qpring. whats the big deal. i know riz doesnt want a relationship and all but - that the point of shipping? like i know for some people its uncomfy especially with how its the most popular d20 ship(at least based on ao3), but to me its like- shipping is literally pushing together characters and its always purely self indulgent??? like ship whoever you want as long as he stays aroace. anyways i didnt need to justify myself and show both arguements like that. none of you know this guy. except two people hi eni and aether

favorite relatioship: ..... LISTEN IGNORE EVERYTHING I JUST SAID. FABIAN AND RIZ THEY ARE BEST FRIENDS FABIAN SEACASTER AND THE FUCKING BALL LIKE THEYVE COME SO FAR IN THEIR DYNAMIC ITS CHANGED SO MUCH - theyre so opposites theyre everything theyre everything THEY SHOULDNT BE FRIENDS! AND THEYRE NOT!! THEYRE BEST FRIENDS!!!! AUGH!!!

favorite headcanon: autistic and anxious...... uh..... my brain is very gone... i think he still has like a bunch of different friendship bracelets from Penny that he keeps in like little collectors cases. ALSO I DONT THINK SHE EVER GAVE THEM TO HIM I THINK THEY WOULD JUST LIKE APPEAR ON HIS WRIST SHE WAS SLEIGHT OF HANDING THOSE SHITS ONETO HIS WRISTS BECAUSE HE COMPLAINED IT DIDNT MATCH HIS AESTHETIC AND THEN SHED LEAVE AND HE BE LIKE- im gonna frame this and put in on my wall.... but like as in in a false bottom in a drawer so its cooler

[unsleepingtales]

Guys I’m gonna be real I am Not ready for this episode. But we press on!

Are you kidding me the episode is literally called Baron’s Game 😭😭😭 we’re so screwed

Love the spiritual possession warning in the description.

Mordred manor and cravencroft on the table!

They care about each other so much!!

Why does he keep calling her Figueroth

BITCH BARON

Whooooo

Riz now is your time to come out as aroace. This is it.

I never realized that Baron’s stark father was the nightmare king

Fucked upppppp

Brennan what is this.

Cait May I’m forever in your debt for Riz and Gorgug’s art <3 I love them more every time

Fingers out of his elbows?????

God I’m so aware that Kristen’s room is the chapel because of fics but it fucks me up every time

Also Fig sleeps under the piano. I know that’s not really feasible for the mechanics of this fight but Fig’s ‘room’ is the hollow under the piano in the living room

I like to spread it out 💀

KALINA!!!

I would 100% believe that Brennan is just having them roll dice for shits and giggles and to heighten the tension

WOOOOO canon Fig’s room mention. So she is still under the piano! It’s just not the way we were visualizing!

Spring break! I believe in you!

I love Riz’s theme music

I was right!!!!!! When I said that room looked like a chapel in my original battle set breakdown I was right!!!

Edgar!! Does this mean we’ll get to see my best friend Zayn???

Adaine’s room reveal :D

Fabian you have been in Adaine’s room before. You were there last week.

OH OK THAT’S WHY

NOOOOOOOOOOO

PVPPPPPP

Oh my god oh my god oh my god

You’re sick for this

ONLY a 20.

Lou is having SO much fun with this

Oh my GOD the unrequited fabriz vibes.

LOU. STOP.

Oooooh the Adaine’s room backdrop is so pretty. Cait please show us the full thing later? Please? I want to buy prints of the girl’s rooms as a fun fucked up triptych

Oh my GOD Adaine

Adaine crying ‘Fabian hit me’ got me in the emotions. Ouch.

Lay on Hands baby!!

Edgar :D

Is this a tongs situation 😬

We need an Edgar plushie. Please. Little ethereal ghost rat plushie

HATE that face from Zac.

Ally. Allyyyyyy

That’s definitely how that works yeah

Oh no.

Staircase!

ZARA?????

ZAYN MY BEST FRIEND ZAYN DARKSHADOW WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU

I still love that Gorgug cast warding bond on Fig <3

Noooooooooo

Whomst

‘Why do you attempt to fly with just a ribbon’ is a reasonable question. Following that up with ‘do you not think your friends would take you more seriously if you didn’t make bad ideas’ is INSANE

Oh my GOD.

No. Don’t do this to me man.

Love Emily’s creamy yellow Life Sucks Then You Die shirt. Feels very appropriate.

Sometimes your ex’s playlists slap ok!!

Fabian was generally menacing, Adaine is going directly for the throat with her Baronisms and it’s upsetting.

There is math to being mad!!! That’s my boy!!!

We go way back 😭

Turncoat!

I fucking love sneak attack man

Why is there wolfsbane in Adaine’s room?

Sexyyyyy

Do NOT do that????? That’s a cursed item that you should not touch???

Awww there’s a Vote for Kristen poster in Adaine’s room!

I love the long holding of the shot on Lou doing that dance

Zayn I know this isn’t you this isn’t what you want <3

Make him do a little dance??

Siobhan Thompson you’re brilliant

Oh god the clock

LIVE LAUGH WOLF

Awww little picture of Fig and Sandra Lynn and Baxter

WHAT ARE THE D8 ROLLS

GET FUCKED BRENNAN

Ask him bc he’ll tell you to do it and 😈

Them’s the breaks!

Adaineeeeee I love you

Jawbone nooooo

Does Ally fully just have a carton of raspberries back there

Devastating honestly

‘Don’t tell Fig she’ll be jealous’ I know they meant jealous of Gorgug getting to kiss Zara but. What if. I pushed the figgorgug agenda just a little further.

Reliable talent is soooo good

Zayn :(

I know it’s not really him but I miss my bestie

Baby Kalina 🥺

HELLO???

Conspirator??? Lydia Barkrock might be the other conspirator??? Have we ever heard Lydia talk about Kalina??

YEAH BABYYYYYYYY

I fucking rule at sucking!!!! I suck ass!!!!!

Ooooooh beautiful cravencroft background

Nooooooo last week was so long and this was like half the length so it feels so short lmao

[dewykeys]

SOLANGELO NEIGHBORS AU

NICO

If there was anything Nico di Angelo hated, it was the fact that people were just too loud, along with Mondays, and for some reason living organisms with more than four legs. Insects, arachnids. Yup, he hated each and every single one of them. Most especially the Mondays though. I mean for a reason it just makes him want to tear his hair out in frustration

However, this particular day, which happened to be a Monday, someone was making way too much noise next door and it was giving him a throbbing headache.

He was lounging on his couch in the middle of the living room, watching some Netflix series, all wrapped in a cinnamon roll blanket making himself comfortable, when all of a sudden there was loud banging coming from the other side of the apartment. It was as if someone was hammering a nail the size of a water bottle with a jackhammer -whatever that was- into the wall.

Nico swore under his breath as he paused the movie he was watching and grudgingly disentangled himself from his very comfortable cinnamon roll.

He dragged his feet to the front door and threw it wide open, but regretted his decision already, as he hissed and squinted at the sunlight. His friends were right about him being a vampire, about the sun and how much he hated it, but preferred the night.

What? Wasn't his fault. The dark is aesthetic.

Nico pulled on the collar of his aviator jacket and used it to cover his neck, so it didn't get sunburnt. He moved swiftly across the front lawn and made his way to the source of the noise.

He stepped (more like stomped) onto the front porch and decided to 'knock' on the door. The noise coming from inside paused just as soon as Nico was about to punch a fist-sized hole through the door. The door swung open abruptly revealing a-

OH, MY GODS! This Dude IS HOT! The man had crystal blue eyes that reflected the sky blue above. He was tanned like he spent every blessed day at the beach, with constellations of freckles dusting his perfectly sculpted face. He had well-defined cheekbones with a chiseled jawbone that Nico wanted to trace with his fingers. He looked like he was a miniature version of the Greek god Apollo.

It was then Nico noticed that his hand was still in the air and oh my gods, he was staring.

Nico lowered his hand and quickly averted his gaze seemingly finding his shoelaces quite interesting, as he tried hiding the blush that was already creeping its way unto his very flustered face. Oh, gods, he was about to yell at this piece of art, for making way too much noise. Right then and there, Nico wanted the ground to swallow him whole and never spit him out.

"Oh uh, hello! Sorry about the noise. Apparently, my new roommate is having trouble moving in!" The boy shouted the last part over his shoulder.

"Hey! IT'S NOT MY FAULT, I CANT USE A HAMMER!! Why didn't you just call Leo like I told you to do in the first place?" A female voice shouted back as the person made their way to the front door.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Because of Piper. Leo is on vacation in the supermarket and won't be available until next week. so make due till then." the boy replied to his friend who just shoved him in the shoulder and rolled her eyes," and left to go back inside.

"Sorry about that. That's my BFF Piper, and my name's William Solace, but please call me Will." Will said as he eyed Nico up and down, a small smile making its way unto his full pink lips.

"U-uh n-no worries," Nico said as he gave him a reassuring smile, something that he rarely did and for some reason made the blonde blush. "But can you please tell her to be a bit quiet, I'm trying to enjoy the remaining free time I have until Monday," Nico explained.

The blonde nodded in understanding "Yeah, same. You wanna come inside? It's fine if you don't want to." Will asked biting on his bottom lip lightly.

"WILL STOP BEING GAY AND JUST KISS HIM ALREADY! YOU GUYS ARE MEANT TO BE!" Piper shouted from inside. Will and Nico both blushed a dark crimson red, as Will then rolled his eyes out of fondness

"S-sure" Nico stuttered out. "I don't have anything better to do." He lied. He should probs be doing his homework, but who would pass up the opportunity to hang out with a hot blonde who cares!

Will grinned like a happy schoolboy and Nico swore he almost fainted. "Come on in, then," Will said opening the door a little wider for them to enter.

And this is the story of how a really loud neighbor got these two lovebirds together.

THE END.

[rhysnolastname]

Wait wait now I’m second guessing everything he’s said. Has he been lying this whole time? Oh my god. I’m having a crisis right now. Now everything he’s ever said is on my mind. When I first met him, he was wearing a wolf’s jawbone, wasn’t he? Can I unput these pieces together !!!!

[n0thingiscool]

Senator Nina Turner's Famous DC Speech

“Sisters and Brother, Brothers and Sisters, I counted all joy to be here with you on this rainy afternoon and I’m so glad that Reverend Al did not stop this, because this gives us just a little taste of what our ancestors had to endure. Now, we got troubles, but we don’t have middle passage troubles. We got troubles, but we don’t have selling your Mama, your kids, and your Daddy on the block type-troubles.

This moment reminds me of a spiritual song in the African American tradition, “How I Got Over”. ‘My soul looks back and wonders how I got over.’ Now Sisters and Brothers, we know we got over by the blood, the sweat, and the tears of “she-roes” and heroes, some whose names we know and some whose names we do not know. But I’m going to tell you something: We have been here before.

Now, the only difference is we got some company, Rev. We got our Gay Lesbian Sisters and Brothers with us this time. We got our Hispanic, Asian, Native American Sisters and Brothers with us this time. I think Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King said, ‘We may not have gotten here on the same ship, but we are in the same boat right now!’ We have been here before.

And I know that you might be disappointed, but I want you to take solace in these words. ‘We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.’ The valley may be lower, but we’ve been before. The mountain might be higher, but we’ve been here before. Because our mission for social justice and economic justice and political justice -- and oh, by the way Sisters, we want our whole damn dollar, say whole damn dollar.

You see the mission is so high we can’t get over it, and the mission is so low we can’t get under it, and the mission is so wide we can’t get around it. We might be disappointed, but we have been here before. And as sure as there is a God in Heaven, he is stronger and more powerful than any man. We cannot forget where we have come from.

So, Sisters and Brothers, I want to leave you with these three things: Number one, the creator of this great Universe has given us two hands, one to reach forward and one to reach back, lifting as we climb. Number two, and most importantly, we can’t ask other folks to do more for us than we are willing to do for ourselves.

And, lastly, in the words of my grandmother, who was hailed from the South, born in 1913, Grandma could not read or write, but she could count her money. She kept her money in the Southern Ladies Bank and Trust with a handkerchief, ya’ll know what I’m saying. When I asked Grandma, ‘What does it take to be successful in life?’ she said, ‘All you need are the three bones: the wishbone, the jawbone, and the backbone.’ She said the wishbone will keep you hoping and praying because hope is the motivator but the dream is the driver. The jawbone will give you courage to speak truth to power. But the most important bone of them all, the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious bone, hey, is the backbone. ‘Cuz it will keep you standing through your trials and tribulations. And guess what Sisters and Brothers? We can’t have a testimony without a test. And we are being tested right now. Whether or not we’ve got courage enough, hope enough, fight enough, life enough to do what is necessary. Hallelujah, somebody." - Nina Turner

[renegadeontherunn]

OH MT GOD SANDRA LYNN AND JAWBONE BROKE UP???? YOOO AND GILEAR SAID NO??? RARE GILEAR SLAY GET IT GILEAR

[abstracthappiness]

microfiction, November 20 - 26

My finger hovered over 'skip intro', past the warnings. One hour in, the video showed people collapsing, having danced themselves to death. The Lord of Dance—rumored to be an actual god—looked directly into the camera. “Bring me more people,” he cried.

-

The blood spread across the hardwood—impossible to scrub out of the grain, she thought, and of course she’d be the one to—“Clean it up,” the Duke snapped, disappearing behind the tapestry. She darkly wondered what he’d do if he had to clean up his own messes.

-

She suffers from hallucinations, the doctors said. Of course there’s no monsters—she must have scratched her own face. You must tell her it’s not real— * Not real, she whispers—as it drags her brother away. Not real, she screams—when it comes back for her.

-

Everything spoke to me as I read the room. Maddening pulses of—light color sound—past present future—suddenly focusing on the subject, his bloody entrance and exit. My eyes snapped shut, cutting me off from the vision. “I know where the killer went,” I said.

-

She woke up in a locked room. Scrawled across the wall: Do You Remember? She couldn’t even remember her own name. And yet—grasping at the edges of memory—the wallpaper looked familiar. And that stain— She had been in this room before. She had *died* in this room before.

-

“I have the weirdest craving,” Kyra said, staring at the veins on Don’s wrist. Her sense of smell was sharp tonight. So was her hearing. “Her fangs are coming in,” Jess muttered to Win. “We’ll have to kill her soon, if we can’t find the vamp who bit her.”

-

“I don’t understand. I’m back on time—why hasn’t winter ended?” Persephone asked. “Where is my mother?” “Demeter is in the park,” Hermes said, “feeding the pigeons and cursing anyone who litters. She’s really into the role this year—she’s forgotten that she’s a goddess.”

-

A witch parks her shitty rental car by the side of the road. On the edge of twilight, a form crawls out of the forest; it’s accompanied by moths, dripping river water, reeking of decay. A claw taps the car window. “About time,” the witch says, stubbing out her cigarette.

-

“We’re looking for an expert in lupine behavior,” said the man in black. The witch beamed. “Lovely flower. Perennial. Bit late for planting—” His partner snapped, “Not the bloody flower! We’re talking about werewolves!” “Oh. Well, you could have made that clearer.”

-

He escorted his lady fair through a dark winter wood. Roses bloomed on withered vines as she passed, and his notice made the scene fracture. “Don’t let it trouble you,” his lady fair said, “lest the dream collapse around us—Let us be together a while longer, my love.”

-

The behemoth came from space, the size of a city; crushed by gravity and its own weight. Its flesh took a century to rot, its bones bleached by the reddening sun. Strange flowers bloom along its jawbone and ribs; children play in its wide open maw.

-

His quest was clear: travel to alternate realities and find parallel forms of the dying queen. But in every timeline, the female in question is not a natural-born human, but a clone of his dimension’s queen, each carrying the same virus that will kill her.

//

read more on twitter: kattra | prompts: FromOneLine / DarkMicro / vss365 / flexvss / vssHauntedHouse / whistpr / SciFiFri / SciFanSat

[haverdoodles]

The Promise Braid

— (Solas & Te’lise Lavellan)

.

“My Heart, you have been naughty,” Solas purred with deceptive softness as he approached. “I believe you have something of mine?”

Te’lise blushed bright pink at the suggestiveness of his tone, growing dizzy at the way his hips swayed with each step as he closed the distance between them. “I– yes.” Her voice shook. She cleared her throat. “I do.”

Solas halted a mere breath’s distance away. He peered down into her face with undisguised curiosity.

Growing warm under his gaze, she hastily added, “I wasn’t stealing it. I– didn’t– steal it. Erm… I had a gift for you in mind. Actually.”

Solas cocked a brow. “You wished to regift my necklace to me? How generous of you, Vhen’an. “

Te’lise swatted his chest with her free hand, rolling her eyes at the boyish grin that he bent towards her. “Oh, I might as well just come out with it,” she sighed. “Here. Your hand, please?”

Solas obeyed, watching her with soft eyes as she withdrew her own hand from behind her back to rest his jawbone necklace gently upon the surface of his palm.

“What’s this?” Solas asked, breaking his gaze to blink down at his jawbone in surprise. He brushed his fingers over the viridescent tassel attached to it, wondering, and Te’lise began to blush in earnest.

“In my Clan,” she said quietly, “When two Elvhen begin courting, they exchange these, Promise-Braids, to symbolize their commitment to one another. Normally they would be woven in one’s hair beside the Life-Braid, but… well…” The two of them simultaneously glanced up at the smoothness of Solas’s head.

“Ah, yes. I could see how that could pose a problem,” he said with a wry smile. His mirth faded into something tender when he took notice of the pink hue of Te’lise’s face, and the way her hands trembled. “This means a lot to you.”

[edited] Te’lise sighed shakily. “I never thought that I would be in this position,” she admitted, resisting the urge to curl in upon herself in the wake of her own vulnerability. “I was… not seen as desirable among many of the Dalish, you see. I was too weak and too sick in their eyes. They did not wish to tie themselves to someone they weren’t even sure would outlive the decade. My Clan tried to love me tenfold to drown out the whispers, but I… I had determined to try to make my peace with the outsiders’ misgivings. ‘Perhaps I could be useful to the People in ways other than marriage or motherhood.’ So to be here now, with you… to hear you call me…”

“Vhen’an.” Solas whispered.

[edited] Te’lise’s eyes burned. She knew, now. She understood that she had worth, that her body and soul were as natural and worthy of admiration as the valleys of flowing grasses and the azure expanses of endless seas. She often needed to remind herself of it – years of shadowed thoughts would not disappear in merely a night of dreaming – but she felt lighter now. Hopeful, in a way that a secret part of her hadn’t been before. She cleared her throat, forcing lightness. “Well. I wished to show you my appreciation by offering you a courting gift the proper way.”

Solas was silent for a long moment. Just Te’lise was beginning to worry that she had offended him with her candor, he said in an unreadable tone, “The colour. It matches your eyes.”

Said eyes widened as mortification crashed through Te’lise in waves. “Oh, Gods,” she moaned, raising a hand to her face. “I promise, that was not my intention–“

And then he was kissing her.

Her world was suddenly consumed by Solas; the way his towering form enveloped hers, the heated brush of his skin through his tunic, a strong hand gripping her hip and gently guiding her to lie back against the grass.

[edited] “My Heart, my Heart,” he murmured against her lips, chanting the two syllables like a desperate prayer. “Ar lath ma, Vhen’an. You have always been so beautiful.”

[edited] Te’lise’s eyes burned. How long had she waited to be told those words? She began returning his kisses in earnest, pulling away just enough to pepper them across his freckled nose, his cheekbones, his closed eyelids, conveying her deep admiration with her lips against heated skin.

Eventually they parted, panting, staring at one another with flushed cheeks and glassy eyes. Solas surprised her with a grin, his chest heaving. He looked so happy.

“I take it that you don’t disapprove?” She asked shyly, and Solas began to laugh.

“Disapprove? I could never disapprove of you.” He bent down close enough that Te’lise could admire the way the fading sunlight caught his eyes, illuminating them silver. “I will treasure it, always.”

Her chest warmed. Not trusting herself to speak in that moment, Te’lise grabbed his tunic and yanked him down, muffling his surprised laughter with her lips upon his own.

.

[edited 03/04/23 — exchanged some parts for a more sensitively written version & included some introspective thoughts (Te’lise). Added the line “You have always been so beautiful” from Solas.]

[starlitangels]

Wanting

I was trying something different. Italics are actually flash-forwards this time, rather than flashbacks. 1.7k words (Frisky warning!!! No smut, as usual, but this one got a bit spicy)

—

“I didn’t bring it up so that you could use it as another excuse to avoid taking the time you need to recover from y—...” Avior trailed off with a slight gasp as I moved forward, wrapping my arms around him, tucking my head under his chin. His arms extended to either side of him, refusing to touch me. “What are you doing?” I couldn’t place the deep sorrow and fear in his voice as it had gone soft. So incredibly soft.

“Do demons not have a concept of hugging?” I asked.

He released a breath that could have counted as a laugh. “I know what a hug is, starlight. Don’t be obtuse.” There was mild amusement in his tone. I pulled my head back so I could meet his gaze. “I meant, why are y—” He was cut off as I pressed my lips to his.

Should I have asked to both hug and kiss him? Yeah, probably. But these dreams... they weren’t just dreams. I knew they weren’t. And Avior wasn’t acting on any of the things I heard him whisper while I slept.

His body went stiff—then completely melted. He let out a little coo and tilted his head for a better angle, deepening the kiss. One of his hands rested gently on my shoulder. His other hand...

I felt it slide possessively, hungrily from my hip to the small of my back, pulling me closer. Firm, but not rough. His fingers flexed, digging into the skin beside my spine. His kisses were desperate. Hungry...

—

Avior pinned me to the wall of the cave, mouth moving over mine. Hands firm against me. One on my shoulder, the other on my hip. Holding me to the wall. I moaned as his fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt, brushing over my bare skin underneath.

I sucked in a gasp, spine going limp against the obsidian stone.

“Starlight,” Avior whispered breathlessly, pressing himself against me. The weight of his body kept me from sliding down the wall with how boneless his touch left me.

His mouth moved. Nipping gently at my lower lip before working its way to my jawbone, just below my ear, and then down my neck.

“Avior,” I moaned, voice strained. “Oh God...”

His warm breath brushed over my neck. “Have I got you worked up, my starlight?”

I could only assume the question was rhetorical with how he immediately sucked at the skin on my neck, his fingers digging into my shoulder, pulling a groan from deep in my chest before I could even consider replying.

The one nice thing about being the only two people in Hell was I never had to worry about hiding hickeys. Avior certainly liked to leave them.

He released a long, shuddering breath. I felt him shaking slightly under where my hands had wrapped around his back. “You...” he breathed, barely audible, “are pure, unrivaled ecstasy.” Goosebumps rushed down my arm and leg on the side his breath brushed me on.

“I love you,” I said breathlessly.

“I love you too, my starlight.” His fingers under my shirt twisted so he was winding them through the fabric. “May I take this off?”

“Go ahead.”

He pulled away from me—and pulled me away from the wall—just enough to strip my shirt off. He flung it into the shadows of our cave. His own shirt quickly followed. He pressed back against me. My shoulder blades hit the stone again, now bare. The skin of his torso against mine... the way his fingers dug into me at my waist and shoulder...

“Oh God, Avior,” I moaned as he kissed at my neck roughly. One of my hands wound its way through his hair, tugging at his thick, soft waves. I felt more than I heard his own groan.

“You can... tug harder... on my hair... if you want,” he said. I tightened my grip. He released a sigh, his teeth pressed to the skin where my neck met my shoulder.

He trailed kisses down my collarbone before his lips came to rest with gentle but firm suction right on the curve of my shoulder—that sensitive spot that sent shivers running across my entire body. His mouth on my skin... warm and wanting and safe...

He chuckled as I moaned. He liked how much his physical affection got to me—I knew that much. Figured it out pretty quickly, once we’d both confessed we’d fallen in love with the other.

I hadn’t intended to fall for him. When we ended up in Hell together, no idea how we got here or how to get out, I had absolutely no intention of even being his friend. Some random demon who’d dragged me into Dante’s literal Inferno and couldn’t be bothered to curb his sarcastic attitude for two seconds to explain what happened from his perspective? Yeah. I hadn’t meant to even become close to him at all.

But we’d had a better chance of surviving together. He could replenish his magic with my emotions, and he could make human food with magic. Not that I ever got hungry anyway. So, we’d come to a tentative agreement to work with each other. To at least try to be patient with one another while we worked on how to get out.

And, well. There was no one else here. We had no one else to talk to. Eventually, we’d chilled out enough to actually get to know one another.

It hadn’t taken either of us long, after that, to catch feelings.

I fell hard and fast for him. I wanted him—God, I’d wanted him bad. When he finally told me he had feelings for me too, I’d practically pounced on him with a kiss. I should have asked, but in the moment that hadn’t occurred to me. And Avior certainly hadn’t complained as he crushed me to him in a possessive hold that bled desire. He’d wanted me just as bad as I’d wanted him. He’d just been waiting for me to be okay with it too.

Hours later, we’d been trembling, naked but not cold, on the floor of the cave, lying on top of a rug Avior had conjured that barely lasted long enough before the trap reasserted itself in its original form. Our skin dotted with hickeys, fingers tracing random shapes and patterns over one another’s bodies.

It seemed that today was going to be a repeat episode.

Not that I was complaining.

He hooked his hands around my thighs and hoisted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. I locked my ankles together. My back was still pressed firmly against the stone wall of the cave and Avior’s hands kept me up, holding the ridge between my thighs and backside.

“You taste like Heaven,” Avior breathed, mouth finding mine again. His heart pounded against my torso. Powerful, firm, steady—but elevated. “I want you.”

“You have me, Avior,” I replied. “You have all of me. I’m giving myself to you.”

Avior’s eyes were hooded, pupils blown wide with desire, as he met my gaze. “I give you all of me, too, my starlight,” he said breathlessly.

My hand in his hair brought his head closer to me, smashing our lips together in a desperate, hungry kiss. His grip tightened on both my legs and he pushed his entire body against me, squishing me against the wall. I groaned, nipping lightly on his lower lip with my teeth. He sucked in a sharp breath and deepened the kiss.

I heard—and felt—a powerful burst of magic.

The already-cramped space of the cave filled with a bed. Large enough for two.

Pulling me off the wall, Avior pivoted and let both of us fall onto the mattress, him on top of me, his arms on either side of my head, keeping him above me, looking down at me with that wanting smirk. “Damn, you’re beautiful, my starlight,” he whispered.

Bending his elbows, his mouth worked over my collarbones. I moaned, arching my back. “Avior...”

I felt his smile against my skin. “Do you like it when I call you mine?” His voice was low. Husky.

I nodded as a shudder cascaded down my spine, not trusting myself to speak.

He chuckled, the noise vibrated my collarbone. Oh God...

“Good. Because I like calling you mine.”

I tightened my grip in his hair—breathing speeding up as he moaned.

His hand slid down the bare skin of my stomach and cupped my hip—sliding under the waistband of my jeans. “Mind if these come off?”

“Only if yours do,” I managed. My voice sounded strained.

There was that smirk again. Full of need and desire. Full of pleasure.

“Wouldn’t dream of it any other way, my starlight.”

I could have melted into the mattress at his touch. I wanted more of him—and I wanted it now.

—

Avior went rigid, making a noise of denial, snatching himself away from me, holding the wrist of the hand that had been around my back possessively with his other hand like my skin had burned him. “N-no. W-we can’t. I... I can’t. I-I... I-I-I won’t.” His voice went breathless and I could hear how badly he was hurting as he breathed heavily.

“Why do you keep running from your feelings, Avior?” I asked sharply, chest stinging with rejection. “I know I mean more to you than you let on—and you mean a lot to me, so what is it?”

He was still breathing hard. “Starlight...” he whispered. The strength of his voice came back as he continued, “This is not... me... running from my feelings. This is not... me...” He heaved a sigh. “This is not me trying to deny what you mean to me.” His eyes, those beautiful gold irises, were watering. He took a deep breath and released a strong exhale. “It’s nothing that simple.” His voice was thick with emotion and the beginnings of waterworks. He took another deep breath, though it was a bit shaky. “I w—” He exhaled sharply. Frustrated. A curse mixed in with it. “I won’t do this when you still don’t know the truth.” He met my eyes, gold gaze seeming to glow faintly in the light from the quartz in the ceiling, crying freely.

I blinked. “What... what truth?” I asked.