#and they've been out more since the snow melted

[simplepotatofarmer]

tiny mildy annoyed birb on ur doorstep 😆❤️

this is so cute!!

life imitates art!! <3 <3

[mochiwrites]

Putting Scarian in situation 36. Make those fools cuddle!

36. Avalanche/huddle for warmth (put that guy in situations!)

reblogs do more than likes!

"Welp, we're definitely gonna be stuck here for a while." Scar glances back at Grian, finding the avian tucked against the cave wall. His wings are wrapped around himself, trying to use the feathery appendages to block out the cold.

"Brilliant," Grian grumbles in return, much to Scar's amusement.

The pair had decided to go caving in an unexplored part of the server, much to the joy of their friends. They've been acting all weird with Grian and Scar lately, and Scar would be willing to bet that there's some correlation between their friends weird behavior and the heaps of powdered snow blocking the exit of the cave. And of course, neither Scar nor Grian have any proper tools for escape.

They have no choice but to wait until the snow either melts or some other plan comes to mind.

"Not much else we can do besides wait, I'm afraid my dear!" Scar sing-songs, turning on his heel to walk over to his husband. He joins him on the ground, sitting beside him. "Though I think I know a way to pass the time." He wiggles his eyebrows at Grian, causing the avian to roll his eyes.

Grian shoves him playfully, "I'm not sure if I want to know if you've got that look in your eye." The edges of his lips quirk up, teasing in nature. "It spells nothing but trouble, Scar."

Scar gapes at him, "Trouble?! I can't believe you'd call me trouble!"

"Scar, I say this with all the love in my heart, you live up to the name," Grian replies, moving to drop his head against Scar's shoulder. "I think I have good reason to doubt you."

"Well fine then." Scar moves to cross his arms over his chest. "I guess you don't want to cuddle for warmth with your nice beefy husband."

Grian makes a face, nose scrunching up as he whacks Scar with his wing. "First of all, never call yourself 'beefy' again. That was just... wrong," he demands, earning a fit of giggles from Scar. "Second of all, how dare you assume I don't want to cuddle for warmth with you, Mr. Goodtimes." He goes for a scandalized look, earning a bright grin from Scar.

"Oh well, I don't know, Mr. Goodtimes, I think I should withhold on your cuddles since you said I'm trouble!" Scar huffs in return, trying to look affronted but the act falls apart incredibly easily. His smile is a dead giveaway.

Warmth runs right through Grian at their shared last name, starting at his chest and expanding across his body. His gaze softens before a mischievous look overtakes him and he crawls right into Scar's lap. "You wouldn't."

Scar's arms settle around his waist, pulling him in, "Oh, but I would!" Yet he contradicts himself by pressing Grian against him, sharing his warmth. Grian lets out a soft, content sigh, wrapping Scar in his wings as comfortably as he can. "But maybe not when it's freezing like this."

"Mhm, sure Scar," Grian chuckles, leaving a kiss under his jaw. "You're really warm." He snuggles further into the man, humming contently.

"So are you, lovebird," Scar murmurs softly, laying his head against Grian's. "The warmest I've ever met."

[yandere-wishes]

Who are your fav authors on here, why and what are your fav fics from them?

Anon, I don't think you're aware of the beast you've just unleashed!

So strap in cause this is going to be long.

Right off the bat, we have, @thefudge. I'm trying so hard not to sound like a deranged fangirl right now. But trust me when I say that I am OBSESSED with every single thing they write! I have read their fics SO SO many times and It's impossible to pick a single favorite one. So here are my top 5

Waiting for the barbarians

Within you is everything I am

I won't be these clothes I burn

His little dead wife 

god complex

Honestly, guys go check out their work they have so many stories spanning countless fandoms. They're literally the ones that got me into Star Wars in the first place! @thefudge I SWEAR I'm not a crazy fangirl, I just really love your writing and works!!

@yandere-romanticaa goes without saying, I've been a HUGE fan of Ana's since literally forever. She was actually one of the Yandere blogs that inspired me to start writing on Tumblr. Again I can't pick just one of her works I love so here's a top 5 list

Wanna Be yours 

Yandere! William Moriarty 

Yandere! Miguel O'hara

Yandere! Nikolai #1 and #2

Yandere! Dazai comparisons

She writes for so many fandoms and updates very frequently. She's also such an amazing and fun person so hearing her stories is always a treat!! Love you lots bestie!!

@fragileheartbeats is another amazing author I love her frigid aesthetic and how it adds a layer of etherealness to all her stories. Her scenarios are magical and written in such a way they evoke such sweet feelings. Honestly reading her stories makes me feel like I'm wrapped in a blanket with hot chocolate watching as the snow silently falls outside. 

Cute little things that melt their hearts (jjk) 

White Swan (jjk) 

How it feels to be loved by them (jjk) 

First kiss (jjk) 

When they become dads (jjk) 

These five are my TOP FAV works from her they're honestly so well-written and utterly adorable!! Guys I'm not kidding go follow her, she is literally my wify!!

@irresistible-revolution

I'm new to their work. BUT "A Coffin Made of Glass" is so beautifully written. It's dead dove yet so utterly bewitching. It takes place in the space between famous Star Wars scenes and gives a more in-depth view of the character's actions and sentiments. 

@spacexseven, omg where do I even begin? Okay, so they just have such a natural way with words. Their stories flow SO smoothly it's honestly astonishing! They've written two Childe fics, "Broken Vows" and "Mandatory Obligations" that I'm wholly obsessed with. The dialogue they write also feels so natural and forthcoming, it's absolutely enticing!!

@rrairey another author whose work I've recently gotten into!! If you're a Sukuna fan then her blog is the place to go. 

Love

Sukuna vs Plushie (a literal BANGER!!)

Gojo vs Plushie

Trust

Bracelet

Seriously, go check out her work!! The way she writes dialogue between the characters and the reader is so utterly perfect. It makes you feel as if you are right there saying those exact words. The scenarios (although) fictional feel so real thanks to her wonderful writing style. 

@dear-yandere needs no introduction, she's a staple in the yandere community. Her stories always blend love and creepiness to a perfect extent. Can I take a moment to just appreciate how poetic and GORGEOUS all her stories are?? Like seriously!! "Almost god" is my favorite fanfic of ALL TIME!! And don't even get me started on "Cry for Me"!! 

This turned out long I don't think anyone was expecting an essay. To be honest I consume more fanfics than published books nowadays so I guess it's a given to have such a long list. 

[val-cansalute]

PICKING UP THE ———- PIECES -———

ch.2

ch. 1

ch. 3

ch. 4

ch. 5

ch. 6

Doors bound to frames, and patched up curtains drawn over locked windows with rusted bolts.

The silence has lingered in your room since Ellie left, trying desperately to seep out of any gaps, but you’d sealed them all tight, barricaded yourself in, chained your mind and body to the guilt.

A few days must have passed since then. Who knows? They've all melted into each other like you're constantly between the light of day and the dark of night behind those covered windows.

All you've done is lay and think. Nothing more. Appetite and sleep abandoned you, and you retreated into your consciousness, the dark place that started to feel less like fire and more like warmth.

If Soren saw you now - well, God, you can't bring yourself to even consider that.

People came by intermittently and, by people, only the nurse woman and Maria, both of whom were met with an oh so welcoming silence as you ignored their knocks.

Then returned the silence, which happened to be anything but silent for you - the echo of memories hitting the walls of your mind amplifying, screeching mercilessly and bursting your eardrums from the inside out.

The cracking reverberates the loudest - right as his skull made contact with the wall, sending his brains projecting across it. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets, piercing right through you.

His blood - your blood - insidiously crept it’s way into every corner, painting the walls around his deformed figure, dripping down into glistening crimson pools along the floor, spattering across your face, and absolutely drenching your hands in a way that wiped out any possibility of them ever being clean again.

The bat rattled against floor as you let it slip through your trembling fingers and then your mind went blank.

When you resurface, the thoughts still weigh heavy on your mind, and the malicious hiss,

“What have you done?!”

that usually follows morphs into a bloodcurdling cry, begging for your attention.

You can’t stay here. You cannot.

You are safe here, but you have no desire to be.

Alone and trapped in the memory of what happened that day, surrounded by people who only seem to make you feel even more alone in this dark room.

And you knew you had nothing to live for as soon as Soren was gone.

So, you’ll pack up and leave quietly when you can walk again-

BANG BANG BANG

The howling of the beginnings of a blizzard accompanies the sharp thuds against your door, shaking the frame. It almost scares you before you realise it’s just Maria or the nurse bringing food.

You sigh and pull the covers over your face, seeking relief from the harsh cold.

BANG BANG BANG

“HEY! IT’S ME! ELLIE! I KNOW YOU HAVE A CRUTCH! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!”

…

“HEY! THERE’S A FUCKING BLIZZARD AND I BROUGHT YOUR ASS FOOD! OPEN THE DOOR!”

BANG BANG-

The lock bursts off the door frame and projects across the room, letting the door fly open, in coming a gust of furious winds and snow, and a panicked string of curses from Ellie’s chapped lips as she rushes in and slams the door shut behind her.

You arose from the bed like a fucking vampire, probably resembling one too, and stared at Ellie who was leaning against the door, pushing out laboured breaths, with your jaw hanging open.

“Fuck, I can fix this- Damn- Shit, I just need… like… Fuck! Why’s this fucking lock so flimsy anyway?! And why the fuck didn’t you just open the door?!”

You ignore her rambling, “You broke my lock?”

“… Sorry.”

“Why are you here?”

She holds up a small stack of containers,

“You haven’t been opening the door so they sent me.”

“To break it open?”

“Hey, I said I was sorry, okay? I’ll fucking fix it… I just… need to check it out first…”

You sigh and let your head fall back against your pillow,

“Ellie, it’s almost midnight, and there’s a fucking blizzard outside. This couldn’t have waited till tomorrow?”

She walks towards where you’re laying and looks over you before setting the containers down on a nightstand.

“I know you haven’t eaten in days. People worry. Don’t be an asshole.”

“They’ll cope,” you grit out disdainfully, though it’s unwarranted, to which Ellie scoffs, seemingly losing her patience with your jarring change in character since she last saw you.

“You’re a fucking dick.”

“I’ll cope.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Ellie glances around the shadowy corners of your decrepit room.

“Damn.”

“What?”

“Feels like I’m in a coffin, you got a candle or some shit?”

“Uh, I think there’s one on the desk. But I’m going to sleep anyway.”

“Looks like you’ve been sleeping for days. Want me to neaten this place up for ya? You’re not allowed to say no, by the way.”

“How about ‘not really?”

“Oh, you getting smart with me?”

“Fuck off.”

“In a minute.” She trudges around the room, kneeling stiffly to retrieve discarded trash littering the floor with little strained puffs.

For some reason, you’re annoyed that you can’t get back to the silence. You’re annoyed that she interrupted your thoughts so violently. Now she’s cleaning, trying to crack open a window to let out the stale air and smacking it down as soon as a flurry of snowflakes enters, and you’re sitting there, watching her, unable to get back into your head.

A giggle itches at your throat but you swallow it, glancing over her and the way the tip of her nose is tinged pink from the cold.

Cute.

“How are you gonna get home?”

“Uhh… Fuck. I don’t know, just close my eyes and run fast as I can.”

“Are you serious?”

“I mean, yeah, not much else I can do.”

“…You know, you can stay if you want to. Just for the night.”

“Yeah, I don’t know about want to, but I might stick around just to check up on your ankle, you know, do you a favour.”

“Pssh. In that case, you’re more than welcome to leave, dude.”

“No, I'll stay, since you practically begged me.”

“Mhm. That’s what I thought.”

A few moments later, the room is brighter, clearer, fresher, and Ellie forced you to eat under her beady-eyed, scrutinizing gaze. You shift your leg, staring down at the swell beneath the bandage as Ellie stands awkwardly at the foot of your bed, having stripped off a few outer layers.

You look over at her, not really sure what to do other than gather all your willpower to not stare at the way her nipples poke through the fabric adorning her.

Fucking cold in here.

You rub your eyes furiously, as though you want to push them back into your skull, and throw yourself back onto your pillow.

"Jesus. You trynna go blind or something?" she chuckles, a rasp laced in her voice.

"Shhhh. I'm sleeping."

"Oh yeah? You asleep?" You can hear the smirk in her voice and the floorboards creaking beneath her step as she closed in on you. You crack open an eye to give her a bemused look, even though her words made your insides turn.

"Yes."

"Uh-huh, right."

"Right."

"So... You got a sleeping bag or some shit?"

"Nope."

"Blankets?"

"No."

"Wha- I- So are you expecting me to just huddle up on the couch when it's, like, minus a bajillion degrees outside?!"

"I don't know..." You open your eyes and think. It's genuinely cold. There's a blizzard so she can't get home. There's no blankets. You know you're going to regret what you're about to propose, but you spit it out before nerves restrain you.

“You cool with sleeping on the bed?”

She scratches her neck, a torn expression on her face.

"I mean... Isn't that... You know?"

“No, I don't know. Look, it's not weird, just don't think freezing to death seems like an attractive option. Just for the night.”

She scoffs, more so out of shock than mockery, “Okay.”

“Yeah, just a suggestion but if you’re uncomfortable with that then I’ll-”

“No… Why would I be…? Plenty of room for us to share the bed."

“Yeah.”

After a few minutes of awkward shuffling around, Ellie pulls the covers back and settles on the outermost edge of the bed, almost rolling right off, with her back turned to you.

You're not much better, laying close to the other side of the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a body stiff as a plank of wood

"You... uh, you okay over there?" she asks hesitantly

A quick,

"I’m okay, thank you," rushes past your lips as you try to settle your heart rate. It's this time of night that the thoughts start flooding in. You know there's no point in bothering to try to sleep.

The covers rustle beside you as Ellie, courageous as ever, turns to face you, eyes raking over your figure curiously.

"Good... Just checking," she says softly, quietly, words coming out soft as cotton. Then she turns to face the ceiling and silence blankets the room.

After a few hours, your eyes are bloodshot and fixated on the same crack in the wall that they had been for a while now. The glass is starting to overflow, and you don't know that you'll be able to hold back the tears even just for one night.

You can only hope Ellie's asleep when the restrained sound of your sniffles tears through the heavy silence every now and then. Your chest tightens when you hear Ellie start to make some soft grumbling noises, her eyebrows furrowing as she turns back over to face you.

"Hey," she says, her hand hovering over your shoulder,

"Let me see that ankle for a sec."

You squeeze your eyes shut and groan, hoping she can't make out the slight quiver in your voice, "Why? Why can’t we just sleep?"

"Just... wanna see how bad the swelling is," Ellie mumbles, sounding annoyed.

"I know your dumb ass wouldn't tell me if it was hurting.

You sit up shakily, the darkness casting a shadow over your glistening eyes, and lift your leg to your chest. Ellie reaches a hand out and gingerly runs it over the bandages, tugging them away and feeling the area for swelling.

"See? It’s fine."

She gazes up at you, her eyes lingering for a moment before she nods.

"Yeah, looks okay, I guess," she sighs.

"Can't be sure with you... But, fine, whatever, go to sleep."

You rest your head back against the pillow with a sigh and close your eyes.

However, sometime later in the night, you feel Ellie nudging your already awake figure.

"Hey."

She's speaking very quietly, but there's something urgent in her voice. You rub your stinging eyes, somehow annoyed at her for pulling you out of your thoughts.

"What?"

"I need to check your ankle again."

"No, it feels fine, go back to sleep."

Ellie stays silent for a second before letting out a long sigh.

"Yeah, well, I'm checking it anyways," she says.

"Just roll over."

From her tone, you can tell that Ellie isn't asking this time, so you do as she says and show her your wound, though her eyes are yet again focused on your face for a little longer.

"Okay... It looks fine. Again."

Ellie shakes her head for a moment before lying back down. She watches you shuffle around before muttering,

"Damn it."

"What?"

"I... You know what? I can't sleep, so talk to me."

"You were just sleeping th-"

“Yeah, well, it’s gone, so talk to me,” she hissed, to which you rolled your teary eyes, trying to gain a few crumbs of composure before speaking.

“About what?”

“I don’t know. Anything. I mean, I don’t know anything about you.”

“That’s cuz there’s nothing to know,” you mumble. You know that’s not the truth.

“… Just… Look, what’s your favourite colour?”

You raise an eyebrow skeptically,

“Favourite colour? Are you serious?”

“Yes! Just answer the question, asshole.”

“Fine. It’s purple. It’s the most colourful colour.”

“Purple… Huh, didn’t expect that.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, you just don’t… I don’t know, you don’t exactly seem into colourful stuff. Kinda expected you to say black or something.”

You snort indignantly, turning your head to meet her heavy, mesmerising eyes.

“Says you… I would never.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?! I’ll have you know that I, also, would never.”

An easy chuckle bubbles through you as you look up at the ceiling. Easy. Simple, all the things she said and the way the conversation slowly diffused into something more balanced, ridden of the initial obvious strain on Ellie’s part to get you to stop feeling whatever you were feeling when she saw your shoulders quiver in the moonlight.

Your head tilts to look at her for the first time after a while, skin dry of the tears that evaporated off your skin as you grinned, telling her the pun you claimed was better than hers and waiting for a response with a mind miraculously clear of the thoughts that polluted it up until a moment ago.

Ellie’s bottom lip is tugged between her teeth to hold back her own smile, though the creases beside her eyes give her away,

“Oh, was that supposed to be a joke?”

“Uh, yeah, it was. Don’t act like you didn’t find it funny! Not after how much you laughed at your shitty ones!”

She raised her eyebrows playfully, feigning a somber tone, “I don’t know, bu- OW! He- What the hell?!” as her face hit the pillow you launched at it. The sight of her face suddenly full of confusion draws a laugh from you - a real one. You hadn’t felt that familiar warmth for so long.

Caught up in the lightheartedness of the moment, you meet her gaze with a grin, holding up the pillow menacingly,

“Sorry, been wanting to do that for a while,”

Ellie grabs onto your wrists, a pure grin adorning her lips as she desperately attempts to fight your hands away from her through laughter and muttered “fuck”s. You give into her struggle with a groan and she pins the pillow and your hands back against the bed.

There’s a shift - both of you can feel it, neither of you expected it, as Ellie looms over you, loose auburn locks dangling close to your skin.

Your stomach turns. This is bad. This is wrong. This feels uncomfortably right.

Play it off, you tell yourself, unable to decipher the thought behind Ellie’s slightly furrowed brow, before you let out a laugh you hope sounded natural and playfully push her back onto the mattress.

Your heart is racing; you can feel the beat in your thighs which twitch every now and then, but you do a good job at hiding it, allowing the conversation to lull into that comforting silence like before, kindly putting you to sleep after hours of trying.

Those thoughts never stopped racing though, outrunning the thoughts of him…

a/n: boring ass chapter again, this is gonna be slow asf but it gets more eventful after this, i promise 😩 prolly some smut later too… creds to cafekitsune for dividers

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

They're up at Burnley and it's snowing; lightly at first, a dusting of white over grass through the second half that had them shivering in their kits as they slid mud-spattered across the pitch. They'd won thanks to the fucking Roy Kent effect, everyone except Jamie 'cause that'd require coach to actually, well, coach him. To look at a space with Jamie in it and act like he saw a person instead of nothing at all, and he used to wish he was invisible, back when he was a kid dodging fists and snarled words but now he wants to cry, just a bit, 'cause he really is trying and why can't Roy try too?

They're up at Burnley and it's snowing in huge fluffy white flakes as they board the coach and Jamie feels sick, sits in the aisle beside Sam who presses against the window, breath fogging on the glass.

"You know I'd love to give you all a day out in town to celebrate but it looks like it's gonna be a snow day for us, folks," Ted says, stood at the front of the bus with a broad smile under his moustache. They all groan and he chuckles, hands held out in front of him. "Hey, I don't make the weather — and boy, that would be something, wouldn't it? Give y'all a taste of Kansas summer instead of all this rain you've got going on. Or snow, at the moment. Anyhow, we'll make our own fun, won't we boys?"

"It's barely even snowing," Zoreaux grumbles.

Jamie hurries off the coach, ready to crawl under the blankets and draw the curtains where he can't see any of it and he's halfway to the hotel entrance when he realizes Sam isn't with him. Turns and finds him with his face turned up in the middle of the carpark with snow dusted on his hair and his jacket and melting on his skin.

"It's very beautiful," he says softly. Jamie trudges back towards him and there's a look on his face he's never seen before, all wondering and open and in that moment with icy water trickling through his hair and his fingers frozen stiff in his pockets, Jamie thinks everything in his life has been worth it for this moment, watching Sam's face as he watches the snow.

Beside them, Dani kneels to scoop up a handful and yelps, shaking out his hands, pouting with betrayal. "And very cold!"

"You gotta wear gloves, mate," Jamie says. He knocks his shoulder against Dani and Dani knocks back.

"But it looks so soft!"

Inside, Ted leads them to the conference centre instead of up to their rooms and they sit in a circle on the floor, coaches and all. Jamie ends up huddled between Sam and Dani, arms looped over each other's shoulders, two lads who've never seen snow before in their lives and Jamie who has but the cold worms into him more than it does the others, never mind how Isaac teases him that he should be tougher, northern lad that he is.

There are eyes on him, a tiger watching from the brush. Jamie glances up and it's Roy, eyes dark and hard and searching and it's the first time they've met eyes since he returned, maybe ever. Jamie breaks first. Stares down at the carpet instead — ugly fucking thing, pilly and brown and worn out. They're a Championship League team now; can't afford the good hotels any longer. A year ago he'd've thrown a fit, quit in a huff to somewhere that deserved him like he might have done when Ted became gaffer if he hadn't had City to go back to. Only it turned out Richmond had made him too soft to handle Manchester and all that came with it. He'd made it twelve years with dad hanging over his head and then broke after barely a handful of months, huddled in his bathroom with blood in his teeth, told his agent he'd take whatever as long as it was far away.

The door crashes open and it's Zoreaux, back from raiding the hotel bar 'cause Ted wouldn't let him out no matter how much he insisted it weren't a proper snowstorm and the bartender let him buy by the bottle now half the guests who were supposed to come up had cancelled. Pass it around like they had at the curse fire and Jamie still feels stupid for that, a little, spilling his guts everywhere only to be sent back, but part of him wants to try again, just to test.

He hasn't drunk much since he got back, not much appeal in it after dad's drunken rages and the constant refills of neon-coloured cocktails on Lust Conquers All, but he drinks now, both hands wrapped around the bottle of vodka — not vanilla, the regular kind — when it comes his turn, warmer and warmer from the heat of their palms with each round. Sam's slung half over his shoulders and every few seconds he giggles at nothing and Dani says, "what is it, amigo?" and Sam says, "I don't know!" and it just makes him laugh harder. Jamie shoves playfully at his chest — "Right in my ear, mate? Really?" — and they both overbalance so the window stretches above them, one of those long thin floor-to-ceiling things. Looks up at the snow spiralling through the flat white of the sky and like this he can almost feel the cold bite of it on his face, the melting weight of it on his clothes as the water trickles down over his skin.

"I got lost in a snowstorm, once," he says, dreamily. Someone else is talking but they go silent at his voice and that's got to be on the list of prick shit he's not supposed to do, probably, to keep Ted from booting him off the team again, but he can't shove the words back inside now.

"Oh yeah?" Ted asks. "I didn't know y'all got those over here. Sounds like one heck of an experience, Jamie."

He shrugs against the carpet. "Not really. I was s'posed to drive for my da, right, 'cause his usual guy was being a fucking little bitch about it and didn't want to drive in the snow—" that's how dad had put it on the phone when Jamie got called into the principal's office, said his da was on the phone with a family emergency— "and I'd never even been to the fucking neighbourhood, right, so by the time I went and got the car off his mate and his mate gave me this whole fucking stupid lecture about not crashing or getting caught and shit and found the place it was a proper white-out, and my dad had been hanging around so long with this like, massive fucking TV that someone'd called the cops so I just fucking drove off, right? 'Cept I'd never driven in snow before so we got stuck in a ditch and me da sent me out to..." he blinked, bleary with drink. "Dunno. To find someone to tow us or some shit. But I didn't know where the fuck I was and I couldn't see shit so I just walked around 'til I found the road again, and by then dad had got himself unstuck and left, and the buses weren't running so I had to walk home." It's not really a bad story but his heart's pounding all the same and the room's gone quiet. He scratches harder at the carpet; tries to laugh but it comes out strangled and faint. "Good exercise at least, yeah?"

No one says anything, still. The carpet comes up in tufts; he piles them together like he used to do as a kid picking at grass during a fire drill. It's his turn with the vodka again, handed over by a solemn-faced Dani, and he takes a long pull. The alcohol calms the frantic buzz beneath his skin, leaves him tired and heavy and warm, the silence comforting instead of worrying.

After a while, Ted clears his throat. There's a funny tilt to his smile. "Hey, I love me a silver lining. Thanks for sharing that, Jamie," he says, strained. Maybe the cold's got him sick, or maybe it's just the way the floor's spinning that's making him look funny. Jamie flops onto his back.

"Uh-huh. Sure thing, coach."

"It is very stupid to volunteer your criminal history like that," Jan Maas says.

"'S not a crime to drive the getaway car," Jamie says.

"Pretty sure it is, bruv," Isaac says.

"Huh."

"Don't worry, Jamie Tartt! We will not tell anyone!" Dani says, very loudly or else very close to his ear. There's a general murmur of agreement.

"Thanks, amigo. I won't tell anyone 'bout your crimes, neither," Jamie says. "Not that I'm saying you've done crimes and that. But if you have. Unless it's like, murder, maybe. But if you murdered someone they probably deserve it so also not then." He holds up his fist; Dani bumps it on the second try.

"You cannot break a pact made during a snowstorm," Sam says wisely.

"I still can't believe you guys think this is a real snowstorm," Zoreaux says, and Jamie drifts off to a vivid description of the horrors of Montreal in winter.

He blinks awake to find the lads shuffling back to their rooms and Roy crouched over him with his giant fucking caterpillar eyebrows scrunched. The position can't be any good on his knee but Jamie's trying not to get in fights with the coaches so much this season so he doesn't say anything. Roy doesn't, either. He blows out a sigh like one of those panthers Jamie'd seen at the zoo with mummy way back when he was a kid, mouth working like he's trying to force himself to speak.

"Your dad's a piece of shit," he says. "You don't have to find a silver lining." And then he hauls Jamie to his feet and fucking dusts off the carpet lint with the sleeve of his jacket like Jamie's his seven-year-old niece. "You played fine today. Next time you can be fucking great, but first you need to get the fuck out of your head and be more aggressive."

Jamie breaks into a grin. "Aye aye, coach."

[transgenderer]

i finished my mole book and immediately ordered another mole book off amazon (just realized i forgot to check if it was on libgen. the first one wasnt. well. whatever. it was 12 bucks). im molepilled. im molemaxxing. some facts from my mole book (moles by rob atkinson). non-indented mine

Vertebrae in the mole's chest region (the thoracic vertebra) can move so that they allow the mole to bend and rotate its chest through angles of up to 90 degrees relative to the lower back, far more than those of the rat which can only reached 15-18 degrees

One mole travelled above ground for more than a kilometer to a stream to a drink, and unerringly all the way back

Mole very occasionally build much larger hills, about a meter long and 30 centimeters tall. Usually there's a nest inside, and an earthworm cache. Scientists aren't sure why they build them. it seems like it's probably for flooding and maybe insulation in thin soil, but even in areas prone to flooding only 5% of moles build fortresses, and in general it's even less. So that's weird. Probably theyre just very expensive to build, so only the healthiest/luckiest moles can afford to build them

Female moles are entirely female with completely normal mating behavior, pregnancy, and birth, but, uniquely among mammals, they have 'ovotestes', rather than simply ovaries. Ovotestes are reproductive organs divided into testicular and ovarian tissue. The ovarian tissue produces the egg and sits on a larger mass of testicular tissue. This testicular tissue does not produce sperm but it does produce testosterone.... Interestingly, the presence of a penis-like clitoris in many moles is not related to the presence of ovotestes since some American species have the former but not the latter.

Outside the breeding season the testicular tissue is active in producing testosterone while the ovarian portion is regressed and the womb flaccid and small. As the breeding season starts, the testicular tissue shrinks, testosterone production reduces, the ovaries become active, and the womb enlarges. As she nears mating time the female develops a transverse, crescent-shaped slit behind her urinary papilla, between it and the anus. This slit opens into the vagina and allows for penetration by the male and mating it closes up, leaving a small scar

Over 50% of the mole population is under 1 year old. The death probability is consistent over time, so mole's have a "half life" of one year, although they've been found up to 7 years old. Their population triples by the end of breeding season, so the vast majority have to die.

When digging beneath snow, moles may, at least temporarily, be unaware of where the soil stops and the snow starts. After the snow has melted, half-tunnels have sometimes been seen at what was once the soil/snow interface, but even more strangely, tunnels have been found running through snow itself! Actually, I think it is possible that a mole breaking out from the soil into the snow may continue digging for some time before realizing there is no food. Snow is much easier to dig tan soil and likely compacts itself into the tunnel walls, leaving little or no residue for the mole to push up into 'snowhills'.

I feel like my big takeaway was that mole life is horribly cheap. like bugs that way. humans make stuff out of their fur despite how small they are. they used to be killed en masse with strychnine although that's illegal now in the UK. kinda sad stuff

[harryforvogue]

Mia proof reading one of Harry’s emails or contracts trying to find something wrong but she can’t and literally making something up just to drive him crazy

"you know," harry says, looking up from his laptop. he's just left a meeting (a really long one that had mia sighing with impatience every few seconds) and now his attention is on his girlfriend who's bouncing on her heels in front of his desk. "working from home literally includes working."

they're both working from home today since they've been snowed in for the past two days. it's still snowing, in fact, and while harry is accustomed to working in his home office, this is new grounds for mia. she's always had to go to her job.

"how can i work when i'm at home?" she says, sighing again. she walks around towards him and hoists herself onto his desk, kicking her legs. "i'm in sweats. how can i concentrate when i'm in sweats?"

"change out of them," harry says.

"but i'm so cold."

"you'd probably work better too if you didn't try to do your job while still in bed."

mia groans. "but how can i resist it?"

harry shuts his laptop and leans back in his seat. mia's eyes shine. "oooh. are you done with work? do you want to--"

"i'm not done with work. i'm taking a 5 minute break to talk to my girlfriend who is still on the clock and not being a very good employee."

"you know what's also not good? capitalism. but you don't know anything about because you're a nepotism child." mia rolls her eyes. she kicks her legs for a little bit and then says, "can i sit in your lap?"

"here i thought you were going to yell at me some more for being a nepo baby."

"you are!"

"i am not denying it." he pats his thigh. "come on."

happily, she jumps off the desk and sits down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "i've missed you."

harry laughs softly when she kisses his face. "you saw me at breakfast, didn't you? and then the four times you wandered into my office just because."

"well i missed you then too."

harry turns his head and kisses her properly. she instantly melts in his arms and kisses him back.

"working from home is hard," she mumbles, breaking away from him to kiss his jaw. "i wanna do this. i don't wanna do work. i wanna kiss."

he places his hands on her hips and tugs her closer. "i know. it's terrible. it's just simply not fair that we cannot go to work in our offices because there's 4 feet of snow outside."

"don't be mean."

"i'm never mean. just honest."

"hate when you say that."

"do you?"

"now you have to make lunch today."

"hey! i made it twice already. it's your turn."

"i can't. i'm too cold. and bored." she lifts her head up. "you know i've done most of my work already. if i do the rest now, it'll be all done by the next hour and then i'll have 5 hours to do nothing! while you'll be at work pretending i don't exist!"

"i'll be working," he reminds her gently. "not ignoring you."

"same thing!"

"i really don't think that's the sa--"

"i have nothing to do!" mia dramatically complains, nuzzling against his warm neck. "i'm gonna stay here now."

harry holds her for a long time just hugging her back, rubbing her shoulders, scratching her scalp. he feels her eyes flutter shut when her eyelashes brush against his neck. he turns his head to kiss her forehead gently.

"you can't fall asleep, baby."

"i can," she mumbles. "and i will."

"you want to help me with my work?"

"i don't understand your job. makes my brain hurt."

"it'll be something you're good at."

slowly, mia lifts her head back up and blinks at him. she rubs her eye and harry holds her face firmly in between his fingers when he kisses her for it. he fucking adores her.

"mm. okay." she slides off his lap and sits back on the desk, waiting for instructions.

"i have this contract that i need you to proofread. my editor has been away on vacation so i have to make sure it's perfect before i send it over to the client."

"okay. i can do that."

harry nods and opens his laptop. he clicks around a bit until he finds the file and then hands over the laptop to her. "it's just 4 pages. take your time. my next meeting isn't for another half hour. get whatever you can done, all right?"

"if i have your laptop, what are you going to use?"

harry gestures to the ipad he's just taken out of his drawer. mia scowls and says, "nepo baby."

he smiles and leans in to kiss her softly. "thank you."

mia works on the contract for a long time. she squints down at it and rereads it several times as harry works on his own things in front of her. she enlarges the text, reads the text from back to front, and frowns deeply at it.

if harry wrote this himself with no editor, then he's actually insane.

because she can't find a single typo, a single spelling error, or a single comma out of place.

the document is perfect.

and it makes her annoyed. a little mad too.

i'll find something, she insists to herself. a mere incorrect semi colon. an extra space after a period. she'll find something!

but the more she drives herself crazy with rereading the conditions written in the contract, the more horrified she is to admit that there are no faults in the document.

harry asks her 15 minutes later, "how does it look?"

mia glances up at him. "fine."

"just fine?"

"mhm." she flexes her fingers. "actually, this third clause in the contract is a run on sentence."

"is it?"

"yeah." she turns the laptop to show him. "see? too many ideas in one sentence. and the roman numerals totally throw you off."

"that's because there are separate conditions in the existing clauses."

"make them all individual sentences."

harry hesitates. "in legal writing, it's best to use the roman numerals. especially for conditions."

mia shrugs. "fine. if you're okay with an confusing document."

"confusing, is it?"

no, mia thinks to herself. this is like the most perfect contract i've ever seen in my life. "i mean it's good. but this change would make it better."

"i think... i think i'll leave it."

"fine. you also spelled your name wrong."

"what?"

she scrolls all the way up. "see? you wrote harty styles instead of harry styles."

"i did not! you changed that!"

"i didn't. i just can't believe you don't know how to spell your own name." she clicks her tongue. "sad."

harry raises his eyebrows in disbelief and then laughs. he leans forward and takes the laptop from her, shutting the top and setting it aside. once his ipad is secured beside her, he stands and leans down on the desk. he kisses her quickly, holding her hips firm against his.

"not a single mistake, hm?" he teases, tilting his head to kiss her over and over. she whines and grabs his collar, kissing him back.

"not a single one," she complains, kissing down his neck swiftly, all the way down to his collarbones as he throws his head back and laughs softly.

"just for that, you should be the one making lunch."

she whines again, wrapping her arms around his hips to make sure he doesn't move. "take a break. please. let's go to our room."

harry peeks at the clock. "my next meeting is in barely 3 minutes, baby."

"i can't wait that long!"

he smiles and gently pries her off of him. he holds her face and says, "you'll survive." he fixes his hair and collar and then sits back down opening his laptop again.

he's instantly focused on his work again while makes mia growl and kick her legs, irritated.

he glances at her. "it's only twenty minutes."

"that's so long!"

"i'm sure you can find something to do in those twenty minutes. like your job."

mia crosses her arms and hops off his desk. she goes to head out the door, but suddenly pauses. she waits until harry is logged into his meeting to crawl under his desk and smile all innocently at him.

"mia." he says it warningly, but also breathlessly. she's certainly not imagining he way he parts his thighs to let her in between them.

"you said to make myself busy."

when harry greets his employees, mia reaches for his belt, undoing it silently.

[qqueenofhades]

I would like a newly reunited Helnik figuring out what their new, non-child-soldier winter traditions are going to be plz and thnx

The condensation on the grimy windowpane drips slowly onto the scarred wooden sill, the Ketterdam winter light slants like iron and frost from the high garret windows, and as she sits on the bed and watches Matthias wrestle with the embers in the dirty fireplace, Nina wonders timidly if she should get up and help him. Not that he needs it, not in the least. Aside from the general ferocious competence, she can't fathom how anyone could grow up in the frozen boneyard of Fjerda and not know how to make a decent fire. Of course, it's not as if Ravkan winters are a basket of roses, but Fjerda has always seemed much colder to her, in any number of ways. Yet it's the principle of the thing, one of the thousand tiny struggles and questions she's been left with ever since their fraught reunion and Matthias's eventful extraction from Hellgate. Does he want her help, or would it seem patronizing, pointless, stupid?

Uncharacteristically paralyzed with indecision, Nina doesn't move until Matthias utters a sound of triumph and gets to his feet, regarding the restored fire in the hearth with satisfaction. Saints, this is excruciating. They've been shut up in the attic for two days, waiting out the aftermath of the prison break, and Nina has a feeling it will either repair their bond in a surprising fashion or sunder it for good. Kaz probably also wants to see if they're going to kill each other before he really commits to anything, or a further employment of their services. For which it's hard to blame him, but --

"There," Matthias says. He doesn't turn around, but his voice is likewise somewhat less cold than before. "That's better."

"Yes," Nina says, after a fraught pause. She watches the glow limn the fine blond hairs on his arms, the scruff of his beard, the back of his neck, the roughness and the scars that she doesn't remember from before, which must be another poisoned gift of Hellgate. She doesn't want to ask too closely, even though she should. They've spent much of the time so far like this, in lapses and pauses, walking on eggshells and flashes of guilt and anger alike. He knows he should be grateful to her and the Crows for getting him out, but when it seems like just another manipulation, another necessity, using him worse than Jarl Brum ever did and not even having the decency to admit it --

"Matthias," Nina says convulsively. His name tastes odd in her mouth, sharp and dry, and he looks up with a bit of a start. Do you hate me, will you hate me forever -- the only question she wants to ask, the only one that seems to matter, but she can't get her tongue around it. Instead, as he looks at her expectantly and her words fail, she gropes for an acceptable, less-world-ending alternative. "It's almost the Winter Fete," she says, as if what either of them really have on their mind is the holidays. "Is there -- do you want to do anything for it?"

Matthias's mouth twitches in something almost like amusement, but he duly ponders the question, more than it deserves. She can't fathom what a celebration might be like in Fjerda, or even if they allow such things; it seems like it must entail hours of prayers on cold stone floors and the penitential consumption of lutefisk. Or maybe there are parties for the common people, but not for the drüskelle. Not for an orphan boy raised in the Ice Court, a child soldier just like -- well, just like her. Back in Os Alta, Nina might have had the benefit of a lavish party in the Little Palace, feast and merriment and festivity, but it would all be under the watchful eyes of Tsar Pyotr (well, Tsar Nikolai now) and General Kirigan (well, before Alina Starkov killed him) weighing them up and deciding where to send them into the field, as soon as the winter snows melted enough to start the spring campaign. Nina can't remember any time when that awareness didn't shape her entire existence, and how little she thought of it, at least until she did. Until she decided that it was profoundly wrong for Grisha to be bound in lifetime service to anyone, and took the job as a freelance intelligence agent. It gave her the illusion of freedom, that way. The illusion of choice. And with Matthias, for such a short time, the illusion of love. But that's the thing about illusions. They're not real. They never were.

"We... didn't do much," Matthias says at last, half to himself. "Prayers, mostly. The winter solstice is a moment of great importance for Djel. Was," he corrects himself, as if he too doesn't know what's next, what he believes in, any of it. "What about you?"

"I don't know." Nina looks down, twists the worn quilt between her fingers, forces herself to speak. "Well, we did have a party, in -- in Os Alta, but I don't think either of us would be up for it now. The old traditions all seem a bit... empty."

Matthias considers that for a long moment, unhurried and remote, implacable as a glacier, tall and solid as stone -- still there, still unbroken, still him, even after everything, and it closes Nina's throat. Then at last, he moves over and sits on the bed next to her, not too close, but just enough for their fingers to brush. The silence aches, all the space and all the hurt between them, the way they fell into each other's arms and then fell out almost as quickly -- Ravkan and Fjerdan, Grisha and drüskelle, ancient enemies by right and yet just two scarred lonely children who just didn't care about that, not really, when they were desperate to take hands and walk together. Nina aches with her whole being to take his hand again now, but she doesn't. After what she did, she has no right to presume.

"Well," Matthias says at last. He gets up, digs around in the wardrobe, and finds a pair of candles, which he sets on the mantel. Gets a taper and lights them -- a small flame, especially compared to that in the hearth, but still a beacon of simple and quiet hope, a moment of truce, the first one they've really had. "We'll have to start somewhere with making new ones, won't we?"

"Yes," Nina says. She means it more than she can possibly express, tangled and torn-up, somewhere in the ruins of her chest and the darkness of her mind -- but there too, in the bleak midwinter, another flame is burning, and perhaps, this time it will stay. "We do."

[occasionaltouhou]

So I was thinking about timings of TH 10, 11, 12, and sort of 13. The events of these games each lead directly into eachother, and each takes place in a different progressing season (10 has autumn goddesses on active duty, 11 has the characters in winter clothes that they comment on in the blazing fires, 12 has melting winter snow leading into spring, and 13 is the outlier here). The narratives also feel like they could reasonably occur within months of eachother, particularly 12 since I don't see why Shou and her crew would wait for over a year to rescue Byakuren now that they've gotten out of hell, and in turn Byakuren would probably want to try putting a stop to their Taoist threat rather quickly once she was freed. Yet we know the games are released about a year before their events occur (or at least, that is the standard). In this regard, is there any indication of what the delays between these events (particularly between 11, 12, and 13) might have been in-universe?

not really? which is funny to say, since the chunk of time between 10 + 13 has more or less the largest output of games in the series, in addition to the two separate manga going on during that time - but none of those events would specifically influence any of the characters from those games specifically

like, you could try to come up with your own reasons or whatever, but really when it comes down it it's just a matter of "the games as set around the same time they release" as a general rule coming up with some rather odd implications. there's technically four years between the beast spirits invading the surface and two years between chimata removing ownership of the land and the actual consequences of those events occurring in udoalg, which becomes wild to think about for more than half a second

anyway my personal recommendation is that you simply ignore the canon timeline for whatever's most convenient. if you wanna say that only a few months took place between subterranean animism and unidentified flying object then like. i mean that makes sense to me

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

🥶 with Mario bros for the drabble prompt if you fancy it?:)

Sorry this one took so long! I was planning on posting this a while ago, but it ended up in my drafts, and I didn't realize it till this morning 🙃 😅

🥶 Cold

Writing prompts

~~~~~~~~

"Lu."

"Shush it, Mario."

"Luigi..."

"Stop it."

"Come on, man. I can see you shivering from way over here!"

For some reason, his brother was acting more stubborn than usual today. The two were visiting their family for the holiday, and that it had been awhile since they've gone back to Brooklyn for anything other than a quick repair job or wanting to meet with their ever growing fans.

Unfortunately, the moment they decided to spend a full week at home was also when Mother Nature decided to launch the entire state in a bad snow front, meaning that even though they didn't get alot of snow, the temperature outside was cold as artic and everyone was bundled up to conserve whatever body heat they had left.

That is except for Luigi, who thought it was fine just wearing one thin jacket and only having his hoodie up over his head. No gloves, no ear muffs, not even a scarf!

And the guy wasn't allowing him to even offer any of the ones that he has. Not that either of them would back down anyway.

"I s-said I'm f-f-fine!" Luigi's teeth audible chattered, and he tried to look angry at his brother, who only looked back at him with an expressionless face.

"Wow, yeah, very convincing there, Lu." He rolled his eyes and raised his brow as Luigi matched his eye roll.

"Geez, we're almost at Ma and Pop's anyway, it's not that big of a deal."

'You say that now, but you'll regret it in the morning when you catch a cold....'

He finally put his foot down, without trying to slip on a patch of ice he was standing on. "Okay, look, you're either gonna share this jacket with me, or I'm going to have to force you to wear it. And you and I both know that'll end quickly."

He watched his brother pause in his walk, wrapping his arms tighter around his body, whether to keep himself warm or a last act of stubbornness melting away was his best guess.

"If you're making up your mind, hurry it up cause I'm freezing my butt off right now." He tapped his foot impatiently as he motioned the flap of his coat out to him, trying to ignore the brisk cold air now hitting his chest.

Luigi had finally turned around. His face was unreadable as he trudged his feet against the frozen sidewalk and scuttled into the left side of Mario's winter coat. He had to kneel down a bit so the two were at equal height, but from the way he was shivering, he had confirmed that the testa dura was acting like this for no reason.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Mario." He heard Luigi mumble as they walked a steady pace across the pavement. "You don't have to rub it in."

"Oh, I know I don't to, you've just proved how damn stubborn you are when you need to admit when you're wrong."

"Shut up."

"Nope."

*testa dura- hard head(ed)

[evandyr]

Hello everyone, or no one, doesn't really matter if anyone sees this

This is lore ramblings of a Dungeon Master about his homebrew setting, called Evandyr. If that sounds interesting stick around, I will be posting lore of the gods, nations, and organizations in the world. Occasional drawings will follow, for now, take a not-truly-finished world map.

Ok, so I have a confession, it's not done at all, nearly no labels and no borders of towns, I'll likely be adding another page to it to expand the Western side (too much stuff, not enough space on page, got the dimensions off, it's supposed to match the East side in size but it definitely does not right now)

A little bit of lore, beyond the fortress in the east is called the Badlands or Neletwo by goblinoids, it's a highly mana dense place from when the God of Creation touched down during the God's War, it has a race of rock people that sprouted from the mountain she landed on and they can't survive easily outside of the badlands due to their bodies being sustained by the high ambient mana within the badlands. They are peaceful and generally just walk along what is basically wasteland, with a few outcroppings of druids making use of the mana themselves, but most trees die out naturally, the abundant mana overloading their systems of living and undoing them over time, the few that do live are gigantic, however, as they attune themselves to the mana and feed off of it. The goblinoids call this place home, having a unique ability to withstand the increased mana where most races would die, their bodies giving out and unraveling as the mana returns them to the basics of existence, mere molecules where once a person stood. It was once a place of constant battle between the various tribes, but fewer conflicts have been brewing over the past thousand years, and more coordinated assaults against the nations of Evandyr suggest a general figure of sorts may have united multiple tribes somehow.

Directly east of the badlands is the great fortress city of Ka'artag and the Dwarven Kingdoms, The Great Kingdom of Delbarge in the northern mountain ranges, and the People's Republic of Kuhnzo in the southern mountains ranges, in between them is the Great Desert, a vast desert that Leonins call home, which used to be called the Great Savannah until a massive drought that has truly never ended descended upon the land, there are strips of green around the seldom-seen waterways flowing from Delbarge's mountain, the snow and ice formed on the base of the mountains being melted by the searing hot winds that blow through from the desert. A tribe of nomadic elves also call this place home, refugees from the Elven Motherland (we'll get to you later) or descendants of those that were, they have been in the desert nearly since when the drought started, originally hoping to prevent it from continuing.

The entire northern part of the continent is the vast Tundra Wasteland, a place where few plants grow and only the strongest creatures survive, it is without a doubt the most dangerous biome on the continent, housing beasts and races born from the most brutal of conditions. Polar owlbears that form matriarchal family units to hunt as one group to take down Frozen Worms ( Essentially Purple Worms except their poison deals cold damage and paralyzes you) and White Dragons to use as bait for the Frozen Worms, Beasts that are akin to giant Buffalo that eat rocks to supply an ever-churning cauldron of lava on their backs, descended from fire-immune creatures that lived in and near volcanoes before they became dormant in the region, they had to adapt only by eating a larger amount of rocks to keep their temperature higher, a trail of melted snow and then slick ice follows them, act pretty much like buffalo in real life, pack creatures that protect their own. They do pass the rock they've eaten eventually, now heated up and turned into something new, but can also use it offensively if provoked, as such, not many things mess with them, a prehistoric creature in a primal place. Actual buffalo, just fluffy as hell, so pretty much wooly buffalo. Tribes of Goliath, Humans, and Bearfolk call this place home, the Bearfolk now having to stay here as their coats have become too thick to survive long-term without issue anywhere else on the continent. The Humans and Goliaths of the Tundra tribes are among the strongest in the world, especially those apart of nomadic tribes as there are a few places that have developed into a town in hard won and defended safety.

The river in the middle is called The Gap and is the result of the final blow in a war fought long ago, dubbed The Sundering it killed the Elven and Dwarven assaulting forces, preventing further conflict from occurring and permanently scarring the land.

[themculibrary]

WandaVision (TV Show) Masterlist 2

Links Last Checked: May 20th, 2024

part one

12:50 am (ao3) - palettesofrenaissance monica/jimmy T, 1k

Summary: Since their brief initial meeting, Jimmy was entranced by Monica. How could he not? Her beauty alone is enough to garner attention, but when he got to know her, Jimmy found he couldn’t let her go. And then watching her inside the Anomaly increased his drive to save her.

But he fears if he doesn't make his move now, he may miss out on this opportunity forever.

A Bit of Friendly Advice (ao3) - incrxibles wanda/agatha G, 2k

Summary: “Or maybe I could just be myself, more or less.” Agatha stared at Wanda, a seemingly dumbfounded look on her face, causing her to wonder what exactly she’d said wrong. And then, a familiar pale hand was on her cheek.

Set during WandaVision episode 2.

All Your Curves (ao3) - nightside_of_siberia agatha/wanda N/R, 842

Summary: Friends-with-benefits aren't supposed to catch feelings for one another, are they?

A Very WandaVision Christmas! (ao3) - EmptyIceCreamContainer wanda/vision T, 6k

Summary: Wanda and Vision wake up to find snow outside and their sons excitedly pointing out that Christmas is right around the corner! Realizing that they've missed 9 holiday seasons with their sons, they're determined to make the best Christmas ever! Can Vision exceed Dennis the Mailman's legendary light display to win the city council's award? Can Wanda secure THE most in-demand toy this holiday season? Or will their Christmas hopes disintegrate like a melting snowball?

AKA "What if WandaVision had a 90s episode AND a Christmas special?"

Breaking the Fourth Wall (ao3) - QuothRaven T, 1k

Summary: Agatha didn’t hate kids.

No, really. She didn’t. In fact, she quite likes kids. Most of the time.

Then again, most kids aren’t the magical creations of a chaos witch.

breathe in the silence; breathe out the weight of the years (ao3) - rightpastnowhere wanda/vision T, 1k

Summary: isolation nearly killed her once.

but oddly enough, after everything in westview, it may be the thing she needs to start piecing herself back together.

(or: wanda, a cabin in the woods, and the slow beginning to recovery)

Happy Endings Aren't For Everyone (ao3) - orphan_account G, 1k

Through the shadows, Billy could see Tommy quickly drifting off to sleep from across the room, no idea of what was to come.

A faint red haze crept its way into the room. It was faded to the point of where it was barely noticeable, but Billy noticed it nonetheless. This is really it, isn’t it?

//or The twins' POV of the night the Hex ended.

Hello Again (ao3) - faebeast wanda/vision T, 49k

Summary: After the events of Westview, White Vision finds himself at Wakanda. The new memories he received at Westview haunt him, urging him to regain the identity he once had. Severely weakened due to the loss of the Mind Stone, he is on borrowed time to find a new power source and restore his former emotions. As he begins to put the pieces of his life together, he finds old friends. And old enemies.

Only in a Sitcom (ao3) - ForASecondThereWedWon darcy/jimmy T, 26k

Summary: Darcy has no idea what the hell's going on with this WandaVision thing, but neither does Jimmy. It's kinda fun to have somebody to binge-watch alternate reality TV with.

Out of reach (ao3) - Frehoir G, 1k

Summary: They both want something that seems impossible. Well, seems to be. Yet Wanda has managed to make a life she’s happy with, and Agatha swears she’s a moment away from grasping such great power.

If only things weren’t so complicated.

But in spite of Wanda’s fragile heart, Agatha can’t help the small gentleness that escapes her cold heart.

// Set during E08 “Previously On”. A small window between the end of Wanda’s memories and leaving Agatha’s basement.

over and over 'til i get it right (ao3) - ghoultown wanda/vision T, 7k

Summary: “Where have you been?” she asks, her touch dancing toward the inside of his wrist, tugging the sleeve down. He freezes. “Working in the garage, then?"

“Er…” Vision stammers as she traces the dark ink stains on the flesh of his palm all the way down past the fabric. “No, that’s… um.”

“Oooooh, secrets,” she snickers, “What have you been up to?”

What he’s been up to is terribly demeaning. 

-

There's an empty spot in the center of the property deed and Vision wants to fill it. He doesn't know how to draw a heart. He will simply have to learn.

punisher (ao3) - pinkfingernails wanda/vision N/R, 2k

Summary: what i think happened after wanda took down the hex

Series Finale (ao3) - SegaBarrett wanda/vison T, 10k

Summary: All good things.

The One Where Clint is Wanda's Weakness (ao3) - JinxQuickfoot T, 5k

Summary: Agatha dragged her hostage around in front of her, yanking the strings so he was forced up onto his knees. “Told you I had a very special surprise for you. Now—stand down, dear.”

Slowly, still not quite believing this was real, Wanda lowered her hands, trying to find her voice again. “Clint?” -------------------------------------- So that's where Clint was during WandaVision

The toughest one (ao3) - missingcrowdsof100s G, 1k

Summary: A closer look at what’s going through Monica’s head as she’s going through the Hex again.

Who are you (ao3) - Whiplaaash123 T, 2k

Summary: Suddenly, Peter is having to face being trapped as somebody else (more than once), stuck in Westview and all this done by someone who seems way too much like his sister.

All the while hoping maybe his actual sister will show up here or someone, anyone, because sooner or later he thinks he'll go crazy.

AKA a WandaVision fix-it because I still believe that Ralph is Peter.

[deathfavor]

@kyukicho said: ❛ let’s just stay in and watch the snow. ❜ -KakuIza

winter themed starters

" Huh? "

Izana halts as he feels Kakucho's hand grasp his before he can grab his coat from where it hangs by the front door. It feels rare that Kakucho speaks of his own plans without prompting these days and thus captures his attention. Then again, they've been busy for ages. Tenjiku has swallowed up group after group in the underworld, and its left many nights being busy with smoothing out details and rules and new trade routes. Mikey is nothing but a puppet head, it is Izana's power and ruthlessness that holds everyone in line and he oversees everything with king's authority. It's felt like a while since he's rested or done nothing at all for an evening.

Watch the snow? When was the last time Izana had really stopped to watch the snow? He almost couldn't recall. It had been a long time since he'd last gazed at snowy skies with hope or giggled when a snowflake danced and fell to rest on his nose or melted against the warmth of his cheeks. Wisteria eyes stare at Kakucho and then shift to look past his shoulder and gaze out the window of the penthouse where snow drifts down. Logically Izana had known it was snowing - it was why he had prepared to grab his hooded coat. But he really hadn't thought about it consciously. He hadn't reflected on it. He hadn't in years. He hadn't thought about it since they were little at the orphanage, giggling and sharing plans in a snow fort. Something about the way Kakucho speaks now makes Izana reflect on it for the first time since.

" Kakucho... " Izana's voice trails off for a moment and his eyes shift away from the snow back towards Kakucho's face. Why? Why now? Izana ponders over the question, weighing if he wants to ask it or not. His eyes drop down to their hands, where Kakucho's larger hand surrounds his. ( He is lucky he holds the king's affection to allow such an act to go without consequences or reprecussions. )

He lingers silently for a few more excruciating seconds. " Okay. " Izana drops his free hand from where it had been reaching for his coat. " Okay. I suppose we can stay in. " He agrees, turning his body more towards Kakucho and the warm lighting of the room. " I guess it's been a while since we've been in....or watched the snow. "

[artdecosupernova-writing]

7 Snippets, 7 People

Rules: Post 7 snippets and then tag 7 people

I was tagged by @drabbleitout, thanks so much! and tagging (with no pressure whatsoever) @pertinax--loculos, @sleepy-night-child, @drippingmoon, @zmwrites, @sleepyowlwrites, @ashen-crest, and @druidx :)

Rebirth—

Thrive led them, the air ahead shimmering with a shield. The dilapidated wooden door to the building swung open and he instantly pushed forward, tossing several venevans back into the complex. Guetry and Osillo rushed in, engaging in the firefight first, taking out five of the checkpoint officers even before everyone else could catch up. Warren clocked one in the face with the butt of his rifle as they tried to jump him from around the corner, and the twins moved back-to-back through the fray.

Once Guetry and Osillo took cover behind consoles, Thrive became Warren's guardian, blocking him from stray bullets and providing the best vantage as Warren picked them off one by one.

"Why do you get the hot bodyguard?" Guetry shouted over the cacophony of energy rifles and gunfire.

"You have the breastplate, genius," Warren retorted, popping a shot into a venevan that blew his cover behind a wall.

"Yeah, that's really gonna come in clutch when a bullet pierces my fucking skull. Thanks, Cougar."

Eternal—

"I came to see you for two reasons," Thrive continued, the patient warmth returning to his voice. "First and foremost being that I wanted to check in on you and tell you that Warren and I have thought about you every day."

Guetry sniffed. "Thanks. I missed you guys."

"Secondly…and more urgently, I fear…I want a full evaluation in regards to you and your SCOT system since being untethered if I'm to make an informed decision about what steps I need to take in ensuring the Consortium has upheld their end of our agreement. I wouldn't," he warned suddenly, throwing a murderous glare and holding up a hand in the direction of a muffled commotion going on beyond the screen of the tablet. "My trust in your reports prior to this was close to nil, as I suspected you'd left out significant aspects of Guetry's wellbeing while untethered. Now that I've seen him firsthand and have as such confirmed my suspicions, I want it straight from the source."

"Sir," someone said through the intercom, "this is something you'll have to take up with the prison, as they've been reporting Guetry's condition and—"

"N-no," Guetry interrupted, and he fought to be heard over the arguing attendant. "Tha-hat's not true and you assholes know it. I had remote visitation with Co—with Co…with 'Sort officers weekly to talk about my cond—my condition. Hell, NodeSource checked in every so often, and I think you might be keeping them outta my reach under a pile of blood red tape, fuckers!"

"Easy," Thrive murmured, reaching forward to grip Guetry's hand. He watched him in an interim of quiet between the two of them as the muffled discussion continued in the background, attentive gaze falling over his profile as the tension melted away from his wiry frame. "You're safe."

Eternal—

Thrive broke concentration from ——— and slowly looked to the hillside, at the cresting army of eliyi, and Warren witnessed something happen that he couldn't accept, not for hours, not for days. The glow in his pupils pulsed, and he stretched a hand at the wall of eliyi.

All of them were dissolved instantly, all at once. Empty space as suddenly as a blink over the stone. The dust swirled in a weak cyclone with snow kicked up by feet that were touching the ground a second ago, faded to nothing but atoms in the wind.

The glow disappeared and Thrive glanced up at Guetry's shuttle, which had stopped directly overhead.

"Get in," Quincy said, holding a hand out to Warren.

Warren, however, was rooted to the spot. He stared at the hillside, where hundreds of eliyi had been just a moment prior, with nothing short of horror and disbelief, his limbs going numb in it. He turned his face to Guetry, who had gone still in the door of the shuttle, blown back by the event as well. They locked eyes for a second.

Thrive picked Warren up and tossed him into the shuttle, climbing in after him. The door closed as Thrive took over the controls. "We have five minutes," he muttered.

They took off, tense as the sky seemed to ignite into a massive fireball behind them. Warren, from the floor against the wall, watched in stunned silence with each second the ground got farther away. He watched the mountains disappear in the distance, and his blood ran cold as ——— appeared in his view in time for them to dock within the Laiori R'si.

"Go, go, go, go!" Guetry shouted as Emnophene and Osillo booked it from the shuttle bay. He was more serious than he'd ever been, hurrying everyone onto the main part of the ship. "Get us out of here, Varussa!"

Aurora—

The hair on the back on Warren's neck stood on end and he squinted, attempting to get a better look at whatever was in the darkness. Another object hit the viewscreen and he flinched, but it sped away before he could identify it.

Something felt familiar about this. A chill ran down his spine, followed by a sprouting of goosebumps all over his arms.

The things hitting the viewscreen began to pick up speed, bouncing off one by one until several of them began to plant themselves against the glass. It only became clear what they were when a pair of pale, unseeing eyes peered inside the bridge after their body slammed full-force at the center of the viewscreen. A gaunt face, long limbs, an extra joint on each finger. 

"Oh, god," Guetry muttered, short of breath. "...Oh, god."

Warren took a horrified step back and bile rose in his throat. He couldn't find words intelligible enough to say, and he couldn't peel his gaze away from the dead obhelian sliding up the glass, staring with lifeless terror right at him as it tumbled away and into space.

More and more of them stuck to the glass and fell away until the whole viewscreen was smeared with fuchsia blood and Warren physically couldn't watch anymore due to sudden lightheadedness.

"What in the hell is that?" Mercury demanded from the door.

Warren took a shaky breath, turning his attention elsewhere, his nausea increasing with each thump against the ship. "This is a hallucination Thrive experienced when he was thrown from Andromeda."

Emnophene and Varussa stared, twin expressions of revulsion on their faces behind their hands clasped at their mouths. Guetry's eyes welled despite his concentrated glare, and Mercury's jaw tightened, unable to look away.

Meridian—

The medics, with Thrive's and Mkeerkiq's guidance, were able to brace the spine enough to slide them onto a stretcher. Warren stayed with them until they'd been lifted out of the sinkhole.

"I gotta get back to helping more of your peers, okay?" he said, standing over the hovering stretcher. "You're in great hands now. They're gonna take you to a shuttle, and that shuttle's gonna take you to a starship, and maybe you'll be able to find friends or family aboard. There's even a chance we'll run into each other later."

Mkeerkiq seemed less afraid, now. "Thank...you."

On a whim he didn't fully understand, Warren reached over and stroked the side of Mkeerkiq's face. They closed their eyes, their relief palpable, and the medics carried them away.

Thrive motioned for him to come back into the sinkhole.

"Man," Warren grunted, ducking inside again. "My paternal instincts went off hard just then."

"I noticed." Thrive moved aside a large rock so they could pass. "In case I haven't told you this recently, you're an incredible father."

"And why was now the perfect time to tell me?"

Thrive peered around the dark sinkhole for signs of further distress. "Because I think you may have needed to hear it."

Meridian—

Thrive gently pushed his plate away from him. "I think I'll try to rest for a while."

Thoeala pressed a hand to Thrive's cheek. "You do feel chilled. The stress probably caused you to catch something from Efthim. You want me to call Gouna into the bedroom?"

Steadily getting to his feet, Thrive nodded. "That could be wise. Warren can attest that...I haven't been at my best since I lost…"

He blinked hard at the table and Warren stopped chewing. Thrive placed a hand palm-down on the marble to balance himself and the color drained from his face.

"Are you even gonna make it out of the room, dude?"

Thrive took a step back and went down hard, his shoulder catching a chair and splitting it clean in half on the way. Thoeala leaped out of her seat, running for the stairs along with a couple of the sentries, shouting through the hall for Gouna while Warren all but vaulted over the table to get to Thrive.

He was still awake, but disoriented, and Warren carefully made sure he hadn't cracked his head open.

"Hey, hey," Warren said gently, trying to sound calm for his sake though his heart was in his mouth. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Lightheaded," Thrive managed to say, staring up at the ceiling. His breathing came through shallow. "Lost strength."

Gouna hurried into the room ahead of Thoeala and the sentries, a supplies bag slung over his shoulder. Everyone else gathered at the bottom of the stairs, concerned and confused. He shooed the other sentries away so he could have access. "Symptoms?"

"He just said he's lightheaded and weak," Warren said. "When we left Efthim he said he felt pressure in his chest, but that went away after he and I—after he rested." He grimaced at the near slip-up, stroking Thrive's hair from his face. "I don't think it's come back since."

"Did he rest or not?" Gouna asked pointedly.

Warren rolled his eyes. "No."

Warpath—

He counted the patterns on the ceiling for a while as Cascidi cleaned up, anticipating his turn shortly after. When Cascidi entered the room again, drying his hands with a fluffy towel, Warren hugged a pillow beneath his chin and smiled at him.

Cascidi returned the smile. "So what's the protocol, Your Highness?"

Warren's smile dropped, as did his stomach. He found himself at a brief loss for words.

"...Am I going to be imprisoned for this torrid affair? Is the king going to draw and quarter me?"

Wincing, Warren lowered his head to the pillow. "You figured it out."

"Oh, I knew the whole time." Cascidi wrapped the towel around his waist. "Just as you've known who I am this whole time." When Warren narrowed his eyes in the midst of the following tension, Cascidi chuckled. "And the user becomes the used."

"I wasn't using you, not really." Warren pushed himself to sitting, drawing the pillow across his lap. "...Maybe a tiny bit. Negligible, really."

"And does His Majesty know about this?"

"Not this, specifically. Not yet. I've gotta tell him next time I talk to him."

"A royally open marriage, is it?"

"Sort of." Warren swallowed.

Cascidi seemed to catch his discomfort. He approached the bed. "A little trouble in paradise?"

"More like a little paradise in trouble." Warren sighed. "He's allowed me...demanded...that I have physical partners when we're apart for too long. As long as they're only physical and never with the same man twice."

"No falling in love, then?"

"Why, were you hoping His Eternal Highness and the High Immortal would throuple up with the Encryptic? That'd be a strange one, wouldn't it?"

At the predicted confirmation that Warren knew who he was, Cascidi's grin returned. "...Call me Jasper."

[mushr0oms-and-m0ss]

Snowfall & Shield-surfing

It had been a peaceful day, if you count being attacked by a bunch of lizalfos in a dense forest path peaceful, when a portal opened up beside them. They all collectively decided that going through the portal was a much better outcome than being mauled by giant lizards. One by one, they sprinted through the darkness and found themselves surrounded by piles and piles of snow. It didn't take long for Wild to recognize the mountain paths leading to the cloudy, grey sky, as it was apparently Mt. Hebra.

As soon as they got their bearings straight, they started their way up the freezing mountain. Wild checked their slate and said there were very few potions, not many being heat ones, but they could make more at a friend's house. Twilight had Wind up on his shoulders, despite Wind's protests, Four was up on Wars' shoulders, and was much more obliged to do it. Legend was walking beside Hyrule, trying to talk to him but being interrupted by shivers and sniffles every second. He huffed, giving up to instead look around.

Despite how cold it was, it was oddly beautiful. There were massive, horse-like creatures with horns like erratic branches. There were also bears, and the occasional bird flock. He stopped and stared at these creatures, looking at whatever they were running after, until his chattering teeth reminded him to move.

"Those are called moose." Legend jumped and whipped his head around to see Wild, who was adjusting the feather on their head. "There're a ton of them 'round the mountains, but they are in a couple other places as well." They went on, not looking away from the 'moose'. Legend nodded slightly, rubbing his hands together. Wild looked down at his hands and took out their slate. Legend leaned over to look at what they were grabbing, when a flameblade materialised in their hands.

Legend leaned backwards, away from the blade, before feeling the heat radiating off of it and getting closer to its warmth. It felt amazing, as if he'd been deprived of any warmth for years and years, as Legend got ever so closer to its blade. "Careful, this things burns pretty badly!" Wild said, moving the blade away.

Legend straightened up, but kept his eyes on the flameblade. He noticed the snow around them was melting quickly, and some of the others turned to look at them, when he saw Twilight walking over, with Wind dangling his legs against his wolf hood. "Could've used that earlier." Twilight said. Wild just shrugged, moving the sword closer to them. Wind rested his head atop of Twi's and stretched his hands out, towards the blade. Legend chuckled at Wind's childish face, but then saw something out the corner of his eye. It was a massive flagpole, the flag being torn up by age, the pole rusted and old. Apparently, Four saw it too, because he started yelling, "Hey, there's a flag up there!" Wild tore their gaze from Twilight and looked ahead. They grinned, and gave the flameblade to Twilight with a quick "Don't burn anything." (Legend snorted, how ironic of them.) and ran off towards the hills.

Legend could hear Time, who was up at the very front, yelling questions at them. But Wild ran around a corner and disappeared. Legend sighed, and moved to walk right beside Twilight.

* * *

After that, an awkward silence befell upon the chain, with the only sounds being the faint hums of the flameblade, and Wind kicking against Twi's chest. Legend looked around at the great wall of rock, practically trapping them as they walked. Sky had walked over by now, and was chatting with Wind while holding his hands near the flameblade.

Legend started staring up at the steep, white hills ahead, wondering when Wild was going to come back. It had been around half and hour since they had ran off, and it was getting concerning. {'No,'} Legend thought, {'This is Wild we're talking about. They've been gone for longer for… weirder reasons.'} He sighed, and adjusted his hat, although he didn't need to.

He was talking to Sky about random stuff when they heard a faint, excited laugh. They whipped their heads around towards the sound, when a strange figure came careening down the mountain. It looked like they were riding on a.. shield? Legend leaned forward to try and figure what it was as it got closer, and closer, and-

"Wild?!" Wind was the first to scream. Wild turned their shield and stopped, spraying snow at all of them. Legend shook his head, getting the snow out of his hair. He looked up and chuckled, as Wild was being bombarded with questions by an excited Wind. Twilight was picking the snow out of his own hair, and muttering silently. Legend couldn't help but laugh quietly at how he looked.

"That was awesome!! Can you show me how to do it?" Wind said, bouncing on the spot. They'd all seen them do that before, but just at slower velocities down small hills, certaintly not at whatever pace they were going at.

"I probably could, if I find you a shield your size." Wild said, looking at their own shield before it disappeared from their hands, supposedly in the slate. "Anyways, that's not the point… I found a friend's house, she lives nearby up the mountain." They turned to Time, gesturing to the flag just above them, on a cliff. Time nodded, looking up at it. "Alright, we should get a move on then." He looked around, then continued walking. Eventually, everyone followed suit, as Legend looked up at the mountain top in wonder.

* * *

"Alright, we're here!" Wild opened their arms wide and turned around, smiling at everybody. Legend, however, wasn't in the mood to smile in the slightest. His body ached, he and the others had been walking for what seemed to be forever up the blasted mountain. Looking around, he could see a small house just beside a cave surrounded by ice. {'Odd place to put your house…'}

Time went up to the house to knock, but Wild ran up first and opened the door quickly. Walking inside, the house felt nice and warm, with a fireplace just at the back. A shield was held up above the fire, the flames reflecting off the shiny, golden metal.

"Who're all these people?" A feminine voice came from a corner. Turning his head, a girl who looked to be just a bit older than Wild was standing, arms crossed. "I don't remember you mentioning any family." She turned to Wild, who just chuckled sheepishly. "Well, these are my relatives. I thought I'd bring them up here to meet you!" The girl turned back to the chain, and sighed.

"Well, I don't suppose I mind a few guests, even if there is a ton of ya." She put down her arms and sat on the table behind her. "Although, I'm not sure how you put up with this fella taking you up here. That's a good five hours, at least." Wild chuckled nervously, "It's.. it's a long story."

They then turned to the others, "Anyways, guys, this is my friend Selmie! She's taught me everything I know about shield-surfing, she's the best." Selmie nodded. "I think I've got some extra blankets and things in the back here…" "Oh, let me help." They both went over to a corner, where a bunch of boxes were tucked away in the shadows.

Legend went over to the fire, where Wind and Four were sitting, thick fluffy blankets covering both of them. He sat down, grabbing a blanket and stealing it from Wind, who was too sleepy to realize it.

After a short bit of staring into the fire, Wild and Selmie had given everybody more thick blankets, and were helping set up their sleeping bags. Legend got up and took out his own sleeping bag, laying it down and putting the blanket on it. It was dark now, with the fire dying slowly, its embers the brightest thing in the room.

He got under the covers and laid on his side, looking at the shadowy walls, only hearing soft snores and shuffles. Eventually, he fell asleep listening to the snowfall outside the window.

[magnaswingwritings]

Black Bulls Month 2023 Prompt #2: Winter

Pairing: Magna x Luck

"Mags wake up!"

The sound of Luck's voice combined with the feeling of his hands gently shaking him woke Magna up. The room they now share was cold in contrast to the warm comforter that covered his body. The fire mage attempted to roll away from his partner before speaking up, voice heavy with sleep.

"It's too early to fight"

"Come on Magna wake up!"

One grey eye opened making eye contact with blue, "What?"

"It's snowing outside!"

Magna groaned as he sat up, arms spread in a stretch to shake off the residual sleep. When he looked out the window there was, in fact, snow falling. There was also one other detail he noticed.

"Really man? The sun isn't even up yet!"

Luck laughed at the fire mages outburst. " So? There's plenty of moonlight. Let's go fight in the snow!"

"No way, man. I'm going back to bed. Try again when it's actually daylight." Magna curled back into bed and pulled the covers over himself.

Zzt!

"Ahh!" Magna yelped as he fell off the bed and landed on the cold hard floor. "That's it if you wanna get your ass kicked that bad then fine!"

"Hahaha, hope you're prepared to lose!" Luck cheerfully responded. Lightning Magic already surrounded his legs as he zipped out the window.

Focused on the task at hand, Magna ran out of their room and outside to meet his partner on the snow covered training ground. Snow melted around his bare feet due to the warm mana that enveloped him. He made it to the training field and noticed that Luck was nowhere to be seen. That he must be hiding somewhere in the trees.

Pulling a fire bat from his grimoire, he held a fire ball out in preparation for Luck's attack. He was waiting for the feeling of static that came from his partner's mana whenever he was about to strike. But the feeling never came.

Luck, of course, knowing that was what the hot head was doing had decided to change things up. Nothing was more fun than keeping Magna on his toes. As he moved from tree to tree, he suppressed his mana and grabbed handfuls of the freshly fallen snow as he passed until he finally settled on a good spot to prepare to make his move.

He observed Magna closely while he got ready. Aside from still being in his pajamas, he noticed the way each breath was visible in the cold, the patches of earth that surrounded his bare feet from the snow melting. He also noticed the flakes that were falling were melting off his partners exposed arms, which created a light shine on his muscles. Clearly, the fire mage had the advantage in this terrain.

It was time to make his move.

Using lightning to propel his shot, he threw two oversized snowballs, one behind the other. Magna must have sensed his mana because almost immediately he tossed the fireball he had been holding and hit it right in Lucks direction.

The first snowball made contact, creating a blast of steam that melted the second. Having to improvise since the second ball didn't make its mark. Luck zipped across the training field through the steam cloud and tackled his partner into the ground. They rolled around in the snow for a moment before Magna finally caught hold of the lightning mages' wrist and shifted his weight so he was right on top him.

"Hah! I got you now!" Magna was triumphant in his expression. His burning palms squeezed Luck's wrist for emphasis as he pinned him. They were both breathing heavy, noses barely touching, pink dusted their cheeks. It was unclear to them how long they stayed in that position staring at each other. Luck was the one who moved first, closing the gap between them in a short and sweet kiss.

"A-ah" Magna’s face went from pink to red at the sudden action. They've kissed before, but never outside where anyone could see them. The shock of his partners action caused him to loosen his grip on him. The extra wiggle room was just enough for Luck to shift his body weight to flip them. The air leaving their lungs in the process.

"Haha I win this time Magna!" He laughed breathlessly, a smile plastered on his face

"H-hey, that's a dirty trick! I definitely won before you pulled that stunt!"

"Oh yeah?" Luck leaned over him and closed the gap again. This time, he was a little bit more aggressive with the kiss, licking the others' lips for entry. Tongues pushing each other for control of the kiss before they both parted for air.

"Fuck. Okay okay you win." Magna murmured, facing away from the lightning mage. Luck just chucked at his partners flustered expression. The laugh made Magna's chest warm with affection, so he turned his head back to face Luck.

His blonde hair was covered in snow, his skin red and lips blue from the cold. He was shivering on top of him, but in spite of all that, he still had that beautiful warm smile. The smile he used when it was just the two of them.

"You dummy you're freezing. Let me up so we can go warm you up."

"At least I remembered to put shoes on. Who's the dummy now?" Luck laughed as he picked himself up off of Magna.

"I have fire magic snow doesn't freeze my skin!"

"WHO THE FUCK IS YELLING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!" A voice bellowed from inside that could only have come from their fearless Captain.

The boys stood there for a moment, trying to contain their laughter. They were so dead if Yami found them, but the situation was just so funny to them that the stifled laughter came out as snorts. Magna threw his arm around Luck before finally whispering , "Busted. C'mon let's get outta here."

So together they went back inside to enjoy the rest of their winter night... and avoid a grumpy Yami.