#but I was thinking about it for so long Lissa convince me and make me realize the red flags kfbskdbsj

[yoohyeon]

Mutuals read this please👇

[sadruru]

In-character character development questions for Melissa!

🔮 CRYSTAL BALL — what is a core memory from your childhood that you think defines you today?

😶‍🌫️ FACE IN CLOUDS — is there something you're hiding from the people you love? if so, how urgent is it for them to hear it? what's holding you back from sharing it?

Thanks for the questions! I've already decided how I'm going to answer them, it's going to be a bit experimental 😈

Melissa will personally answer questions. Expect a cameo ~

😶‍🌫️ FACE IN CLOUDS — is there something you're hiding from the people you love? if so, how urgent is it for them to hear it? what's holding you back from sharing it?

"Well, well... All right! It's a miracle you could convince me, and I'll repay you for the drink and song. I don't like to stay in debt. First of all, let me say I'm not a very good storyteller, and my stories aren't very sweet. You won't be in Drezen for long, right? I doubt I'll see you again in the future. If I started telling my story, believe me, it would take a few nights. Hold on, what do you mean calling you by your name, sugar-voiced Lark? I won't, because it's more interesting!

…I hide a lot of things from those closest to me. If I have any. I often hear from others that I change topics too easily, especially from one restless boy. I've never liked looking into the future, because you never know what will happen tomorrow. On one hand, it sounds a little scary... Maybe one day I'll tell them, and him too.

I had too much shit behind me. So much that I should shut up. I don't think you'd believe me the first time.

You know, I used to not really care about this Crusade or the people around me. You should have seen how everyone reacted to me at first. The obscure bandit turned knight-commander, the tiefling, who looked like “ a succubus” or “ a whore”. Or whatever those "noble" paladins and knights called me for my looks and temper. Never mind. I've been called worse in the River Kingdoms. But now I see that they look at me with hope, despite what I do... It gives me a bitter taste in my mouth. I don't... I don't want to seem weak to everyone. It's really annoying.

Hmm… Did you see the adorable little elf with the burns? Ember. Sometimes she draws a crowd of onlookers. Her eyes, words and actions... When that girl looks at me, it's like she sees right through me. These moments make me feel pretty… Vulnerable? Oh, no. Too many bad thoughts in my head again. Now you owe me another pint!"

🔮 CRYSTAL BALL — what is a core memory from your childhood that you think defines you today?

"Ah, come on! Another tough question again? I really don't know! I had a lot of good and bad moments.

I don't know about you, little Lark, but my childhood ended quickly and darkly. I'll tell you about the good one. When I was five years old, I saw my dad carving something for me. It wasn't just another wooden toy, and he didn't say what it was. To be honest, I wanted a dragon toy so bad! I begged him long and impatiently until he finally finished and hung a simple amulet around my neck. The amulet bore the symbol of Cayden Cailean. Then he said to me, "Be brave, strong, and believe in good as always, Lissa. I can feel the spirit of adventure in you. Perhaps in the future you will continue our family business, or travel to other countries. That's your choice."

My first piece of jewelry... Ha ha! After that, I pounced on my mom's stuff and started imagining myself as a rich lady in a dress, with lots of gold rings and precious bling. I dreamed of getting rich, making our tavern bigger, buying a big house near the sea, with lots of servants and cats, maybe even finding a handsome husband and living happily ever after! Uh... My parents scolded me severely for making such a mess.

Believe in good, right? And foolish childish dreams... As you see, something went wrong."

Why little Lark? Because Siavash is half elf and taller than her 🤣

I hope I portrayed her character well. I don't know about the second question. Many memories in her childhood defined her. So I decided to show one of them - about her childhood dream of a good ending.

How it ended: Fluffy steals meat from hand.

Better not look at what's going on in the background. I just like to draw funny sketches in the background. I wonder if people recognize their kids? Hehehe...

[loveoversense]

So I'm reliving my middle school obsession with Vampire Academy with the show and am, honestly, loving it. The more diverse cast? All the queer shit? Absolutely up my alley! More thoughts under the cut because spoilers for both the books and the series so far~ (beware! really long rambly post filled with some oversharing on my part coming up! But if you want to dump your erratic thoughts on the show somewhere, my messages are available! Would love to talk about it and share thoughts with someone lol)

Okay, so mainly gonna be going off about episode 7, might come back later for thoughts on the earlier eps and some are sprinkled throughout this post as well. I saw a post somewhere before about how someone couldn't see how the Victor we'd been introduced to in the first 6 eps could be the one to pull a Natalie so to say and do that to one of his own daughters. And I don't think they necessarily will pull out Natalie, or even if they do, they have now set it up perfectly. Victor will be going through the trials, ostensibly, and now, he's lost so much in pursuit of being King, he's lost his daughter, perhaps his husband too, depending on how this all unfolds. If he feels he will lose his shot at being King, after having lost everything else, I could see it make perfect sense that he gets desperate enough to put Lissa through what happens in the books in order to get her to heal him so he can become King. After all, giving up this? After losing everything else dear to him? Victor is convinced of his cause, and passionate and determined as we've seen so far. He totally would.

Typing this and immediately also felt like adding a disclaimer that I think it is a slightly off colour allegory to real world politics to have the whole 'yes elementalist aka rightwinger extremism is bad BUT ALSO LEFTISTS/UNIONISTS (is that what the queen called them?) CAN BE OVERZEALOUS AND BAD YEAH?' trope like i' m kinda annoyed by the forced centrism we see in media every time they touch on a political issue anywhere, especially because like, Victor/the unionists' 'radical' philosophy is that maybe don't send actual children out to die? And also maybe people shouldn't made to breed like animals against their will? And, and here's the wild part, maybe minorities - I mean dhampirs- are people too who have rights and we've been treating them badly? Right like what part of that philosophy/the current political climate suggests that there are actual people in power who stand for minority rights who are like, torturing people to get the point across? What situation in our society makes you believe that that is somehow a warning of equal footing with the actual, physical, tangible threat from right wing governments-I mean elementalists- that POC, disabled, queer and otherwise disenfranchised communities - I mean dhampirs- experience daily?

Okay I realise I just went on a tangent, but I promise I do really enjoy the show! I just have... Notes.

Adrian! What a guy, loved seeing him pop-up this early. Immaculate vibes. I never got round to reading Bloodlines so I only know the generic lines, but I love how it's a more subtle drunkenness that's being played. Like he's woozy and off kilter but he's not stumbling into every corner. Which kinda fits? Adrian is self-medicating, has been doing so for a while, it's a skill he developed. Drunk enough to take the edge off, not too far gone in moments he needs some clarity, especially on a mission this important. Also, this man's facial expressions are A+. I live expressive faces, I have have it too. Can't way to see him rile up Dimitri as he continues flirting with Rose.

And then, the OTP that got me into fanfiction. No really. I discovered fanfic through Vampire Academy on fanfiction.net (my first ever fic that I wrote was indeed my own rendition of Last Sacrifice when the book hadn't come out yet and true to form, I never finished it and it is terrible, which, it was written by a 13-year-old, so fair enough) , and through there I got to Tumblr, and here we are more than 10 years later. Time really flies.

I also just remembered, and omg what a wild ride this post is turning out to be, that it was a VA fanfic that made me first realise I wasn't straight. I didn't have the correct terminology yet, but it must have been at 14 or so that I read a fic that wasn't centered on Rose and Dimitri, but Rose and Lissa. And I distinctly remember lying in bed, reading this fic, and just going "Oh. I am not straight." mind you this was during puberty which is hard enough as is and I didn't exactly have great queer rep in my life, I believe this was even before we had Glee to watch, so I wasn't as thrilled with this revelation at the time, but none the less, it happened. And the good news, these days I'm absolutely thrilled to be a raging bisexual. Which actually makes for a lovely little bridge back to the actual subject at hand!

The absolutely gorgeous couple that is Rose and Dimitri. All the props to Sisi Stringer and Kieron Moore for their excellent faces and the acting they do with them! You're both very hot and I hope you know it and also you do the acting good! Love the chemistry, the playfulness they gave the couple, the tenderness they introduced and the way they set up the dynamic. Live how they out to words why Dimitri clings to a system that is actually really fucked up. He's coping, in the only way he knows how. He doesn't trust himself, and this system has such clear rules that no matter how fucked up those rules are, he knows where every line is, and thus he can stay far far away from them and beevr even risk crossing them. Until of course he meets Rose, and suddenly he wants something more than not to cross the line, he sees that crossing those lines might actually give him good things as well. Ugh.

Also saw another post, not that I don't love when my fave characters are happy but also, as any storyteller, I like it better when they suffer. They can be happy later! For now gimme all the juicy drama~ makes the tender apologies and getting back together all the more sweet afterwards.

Also Daniela, love your take on Lissa, just trying to do the best she can for her friend whom she lives more than anyone, so she's pushing her away because she thinks that's the only way to protect her. Ouch. Calling me out there but so beautifully portrayed.

Also am I just terminally pessimistic or was there anyone else that saw the kid with the football and went "Ahh look! Cannon fodder!" (is this a generally known term? I use it to refer to characters, purely created to be killed of at a certain point. Probably not an official literary term, but I've always lived it for its evocative ability).

Also just a lot of love for the political intrigue. Setting this up as a major plot line from the start was smart I believe. I am curious to see whether the idea for the storylines will be that we get the first trials and Tatiana wins, and then she follows her fate in the books, and we get a new round in what would be like 3 or so seasons where Lissa competes in the trials, or if they plan to enter the Lissa/lost dragomir storyline this early on. I don't think so honestly.

Also im betting that season 1 ends with Rose and Lissa making their grand escape which, with Rose and Dimitri being ~entangled~ already would make that reunion even juicier. I really hope they get at least a few seasons to tell this story, I think some really cool things could be done with it!

Also! They curse! Lots! I love it!

[someobscurereference]

I just read one of your old fics, Where We Began, and honestly I'm so in love with it? If you don't plan on writing more do you have any other abstract ideas about it? Like about how the Nohrians would try to calm them down or which of the trio decided to trust them first or just anything like that? I just really like it a lot and it's entirely fair if you don't have any other thoughts about it, it's an awesome concept but you wrote it years ago, I just thought I'd give it a shot

(referring to this fic) Firstly, I'm so glad you enjoy one of my older works! I write a lot of FE, but I enjoy my early stuff as much as my more recent stuff, so I'm glad you enjoy it too!

Secondly, I don't plan on adding more to the fic itself like as a sequel or anything, but I always welcome questions about any fic I write!

Re: The Nohrians calming the kids down

The Trio definitely get rounded up after Severa gets caught in the barn, lol. The only hope they had was running away, and Camilla caught Severa. Owain & Inigo aren't going to just leave her behind, and Niles is probably hot on their tail. So there goes that escape attempt. They'd probably get herded back to the castle pretty soon after, but that just means they're (very clumsily) trying to whisper escape plans to each other once get they stuck in a (windowless) room. So the kids are probably panicking less outwardly at that point but still Freaked. Even if this is post-war, it's a big, dark castle full with Bad Vibes. Why wouldn't they still think this is Plegia?

Re: Gaining trust

This is harder because you have to convince a bunch of 12 year olds whose last memories are of the apocalypse and who have been taught anything that resembles Plegia is probably on the side of Grima that hey, you're in another universe, you don't remember coming here, you're actually adults, we didn't know your real names before a second ago and the aesthetic is Ominously Dark Here but we promise it's cool, we're tight. Like, even for a kid, that's not going to fly

Ultimately, this would come down to how much the Trio have revealed about themselves to their lords, I think. Because you need at least one (better if at least 2) of the lords to say, "Hey, your mom's name is _____ and you told me about this secret memory from the time you were _____ and ____ happened, which I never could have found out unless you told me yourself."

It would not require all the lords/retainers to do this because if Inigo or Owain were both like "Hm, that is true, the only way you'd know that is if I trusted you enough to tell you myself," that would sway Severa not to freak out entirely, I think. (And vice versa; if Severa & Owain both were convinced Leo/Niles & Camilla knew them, that would convince Inigo even if Xander didn't have anything to offer just then, etc.)

However, they're not all the same levels of trusting. Inigo would be the easiest to sway, Owain would be medium distrustful even if Leo/Niles offered good evidence bc Imagination Running Wild (although that also means he's the easiest to convince they hopped dimensions/time traveled too), and Severa would be hardest to convince about anything in general, even if she didn't have any other way of explaining how Camilla or Beruka knew X about her otherwise. Severa is jaded at age 12.

Inigo probably compliments Camilla & Elise even more so than in canon but he gets Visibly Flustered every time they talk back to him because Tween Vibes. (I elaborate a bit more on this down below).

I think Severa would actually butt heads with Camilla because Camilla is so doting and motherly (and a flyer!), and Severa at this age has a lot of Angst and Mommy issues that she has yet to work through. Also, it's up in the air how soon aver Cordelia's death this would be for her. So this would be a tough dynamic for both of them to adjust to, and Severa would probably avoid Camilla until/unless something changed.

I can't remember if this was an ask in regards to this fic or something else, but I remember a long, long time ago having the thought that a de-aged Odin/Owain would actually be more drawn to Xander and Camilla rather than Leo, simply because of the fact Xander has such a cool sword and Owain canonically admires Camilla's armor. Leo is a dark mage, which is also cool, but not quite as Immediately Cool to a 12 year old who Loves Swords and doesn't yet use magic. I think this would actually make Leo jealous and exacerbate his inferiority complex, lol. (*Niles voice: Green isn't a good color on you, milord*) But all it would take is Owain seeing Brynhilder and hearing about it for him to Flip Out over that too, so I think the problem would solve itself then, lol

As a side note, here is a short blurb I wrote years ago in a scenario where Leo is there when Odin de-ages instead of Niles. Also, here is another ask about young Inigo's behavior with the royals. In summary for that, I think he'd actually be a bit shyer than he is in Awakening (when he's late teen age, I hc) because at 12-ish he's reached the "always smile, no matter what" stage of his facade but not the 100% "fake it 'til you make it" approach, so he's still really nervous around anyone and everyone. (Espcially royalty. Especially Extremely Tall, Very Handsome/Beautiful Royalty. For reference, Lucina may not intimidate him at this age because they've known each other since forever and That's Different, but I think people like Chrom (assuming this isn't Chrom! Inigo) and Emmeryn (were she alive) would get him flustered still. But maybe not Lissa because she may be more Owain's Mom to him than princess just because of the way she acts (though he may avoid her out of fear of getting a frog in his shoe or something) (But he'd still be flustered if she complimented him bc Nervous!!) Anyway!! That's too long! Inigo at this age, even after he's calmed down and knows what's up, would be shyer than his canon self, I think. He's still growing up

EDIT: also an additional old ask found here about this fic. However, I mention the kids being 13/14 in that ask rather than like 11/12 like I mentioned here. I don’t have any concrete ages written for them in the fic, so just assume they’re whatever age that seems best (and their ages probably vary anyway). However, if they’re on the younger side I think the Trio are still absolutely Okay with fighting (even though they wish they don’t have to, they fear the Faceless too much to be comfortable when one comes close bc Risen Vibes), BUT the age difference between 11 & 14 does mean its even harder for them to fight than it might be as slightly older teens (although they still do probably have pretty good teamwork, despite not getting along) and without rescue there’s a good chance they’d still lose

[suganovakawa]

𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐄 .

PAIRINGS : tooru oikawa x fem!reader , platonic hajime iwaizumi x fem!reader

GENRE : angst , romance

WARNINGS : cursing , car accident , amnesia recovery

SYNOPSIS : tooru doesn’t understand how special you are to him until he comes close to losing you forever . as he struggles to comes to grips with his feelings and balance it with his future , you still have to recover from your own injuries , but without your memories to assist you .

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 < [ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ] > 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

what is hajime’s deal ? what did oikawa do to him to get him so upset ?

word count : 1.3k

SAUDADE

( 𝐧 . ) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant , or that has been loved and then lost ; “ the love that remains ”

⠀you weren't an idiot. you know, damn well at that, you are far from an idiot. and you sure as hell hoped hajime didn't take you as one. you lost your memories, not your common sense.

⠀it was quite obvious that hajime had that oikawa boy pinned up against a wall, and not in the dreamy way fanfictions like to describe it as. no, there was definitely unwanted tension between the two; it was evident they didn't like each other. despised each other, even. whether you had known of this before or after your incident, you wouldn't have been able to remember something like that.

⠀you really, truly hoped hajime didn't underestimate your observation skills, or your common sense. any random passerby would've seen the anger blazing those olive hued irises of his as he glared down at your classmate. was it coincidence that it was oikawa of all people that you two happened to bump into after school? you wouldn't have known of the brunet's reasons to have stayed at seijoh; then again, it probably wasn't any of your business.

⠀you wanted to speak up and confront iwaizumi as you had turned the corner - he was fast, but not fast enough to back up from the other before you laid eyes on the two boys. if the atmosphere between the three of you alone wasn't suffocating, you might've. it wasn't like you were afraid of confronting him. he seemed like a reasonable person, open to communication.

⠀in truth, it was oikawa you were worried about.

⠀the poor guy turned pale, the color draining from his skin when you entered the scene. as to why he had such a pitiful reaction, you wouldn't be able to guess. from the looks of his typical poise and attitude during school hours, he certainly didn't seem like the weak, bashful type. and according to hajime, he too had played volleyball alongside him. however, the universe seemed to not want you to know of their current relationship status - every time you asked, distractions would get in the way of an answer. in this scenario, oikawa’s silent plea for an escape was what drove you to play the oblivious card. the relief that shone in both of their eyes as you turned around to walk away sent your stomach in nervous turmoil.

⠀come to think of it, you were pretty kept in the dark about all of this. you only knew as much as hajime was willing to tell. the idea of asking others wasn't appealing to you yet; hajime seemed to be quite content being the only individual answering all of your questions. and while you were more than grateful for his assistance and his company alike, there was always that voice in the back of your head trying to reach out to you, but you had no idea what it was trying to say. it was too blurry to be put into words.

⠀you waited in front of aoba johsai with your arms crossed loosely at your sides, waiting for iwa to take you home as he had been insisting to everyday this week. whether he wanted this to occur everyday or not, that’s what it seemed like to you. you didn’t mind, but you wanted to branch out and find out who your other friends were. you spoke to the volleyball team at lunch time, and you enjoyed their company tremendously. alas, it was the only time of day you were able to give them, as hajime was quick to escort you everywhere, practically glued to your hip.

⠀the thought of you two being in a relationship crossed your mind, more times than one. it would be a valid explanation for his behavior. he acted the way a boyfriend should - walking you to and from school, helping you with assignments and keeping you company after hours, even offering to carry your belongings when you can clearly do it yourself. you appreciated and acknowledged the chivalry, but when it became too out of hand, you were curious. if you two were an item before your accident, was there a reason he hadn't told you yet? you remembered quite clearly what happened that first day you woke up in a hospital bed, he made it clear that you and him were just friends - nothing more, nothing less - but his behavior has been convincing you otherwise.

⠀"hajime - " you were cut off by the way he gripped your wrist - firm, but nothing that could hurt you. you wouldn't have been able to pull away if you wanted to, though. his strength outmatched yours. your words caught in your throat, he was angry, very angry. the scowl painted on his face frightened you; you hadn't seen him act this way all week. was this oikawa's fault? what could he have done to make him this worked up?

⠀"hajime, please slow down. i can't keep up with you pulling me around like this." your voice was solid enough to knock him out of his frustration, he jolted a bit and loosened his hold on your wrist so you could pull back. his hands clenched into fists, but you could tell he had calmed down. not all the way, but he was sensible. you were on your guard. usually you could read him like a book - he was always open to you. now, there was no telling what he was going to say to you next.

⠀"y/n, i have a request for you." his voice was quiet, soft spoken - as if projecting any louder would let off a bomb. "of course, you're not obligated to, but i would really, really appreciate if you could do this one thing for me."

⠀"sure, it's the least i can do to repay the kindness you've showed me all week. i can handle a simple request." your body was tense, and so was his. however, the tension was created from two different reasons. "what do you need from me, hajime?"

⠀"stay away from oikawa."

⠀you blinked. "excuse me?"

⠀"as far away as you can, don't let him talk to you, don't let him step near you, nothing. you shouldn't be with someone like him." your eyes shot open wider as your feet abruptly ceased walking, your chest dropping to your stomach as he caught onto your reaction. you didn't need to open your mouth, he knew exactly what you wanted to say. "he doesn't look like it, but he's a bad person, y/n. you don't need him in your life, you're better off without that germ infecting it. he's done bad things - especially to you. i don't need to remind you, i'll just plague your thoughts with bad things. you don't need to hold that burden."

⠀the vendetta he held against oikawa sent goosebumps through your body, and it wasn't anything comfortable. now he's telling you that he knows something about you he never bothered to tell you about before? didn't you have a right to know? if oikawa hurt you, shouldn't it be your business so that you yourself can judge if you should stay away from him or not? his lack of logic was beginning to concern you, but the glare in his eyes stated clearly that he was taking no argument. and since he was the one with all of his memories, you really had no room to impose.

⠀"... yeah. got it. oikawa bad. very bad. do not engage." hearing your compliance flipped a switch, he smiled brightly and nodded.

⠀"i knew i could count on you, y/n. believe me, you're much better off this way. the things he's done, are completely unforgivable. if you had your memories, you'd agree with me."

⠀maybe, but you wanted to be the judge of that.

a / n : this stupid taglist almost made me cry i had to do it six times because tumblr kept glitching on me n my dumbass kept forgetting to save it BAHAHAHA

wow i’m being productive lmao. second post in one night WOOOOO who needs school 😼 n e ways bit of a self promo but my new smau, rumor has it, is finally out! would be grateful if u check it out 🥺👉🏼👈🏼

taglist : @ot127 @rena0921 @karlitabi-rrito @psychicpercyjacksonfan @crescentbitch @amelimiles @damnirina @pasta-warlord @blossomingbangtan @clinomanians @i-am-kinda-in-a-lot-of-fandoms @manq-fandoms @citruss @sugar-wara @haikoo @anime-simp @kairostatue @awkwardspontaneity @iwantapoptartqwq @aquariarose @softestdreamer @plantisnotplant @avylee @froppysgirl @that-animebitch @wisepandaslimeland @samanthaa-leanne @dumplingzumispam @0hakaashi @captain-janeway @afterglowkuroo @bellabelieveme @attixca @chickenrest @tycrackculture @ynjimenez @lissa-writes-and-does-matchups @lavieenblancetnoir @dabilove27 @cuddleslut @crypto-s @keigosbitch @readeretal @shittykawaa @donghyuckster @adriloen @ella-solei @emiyummy @kukiisan @catyuyuyuu @sillykittt @dolan-mendes @kiritokunuwu @the-third-wall @yammers @monviemoo @dicerawr @psychopath-satan

taglist closed , i’m so glad you’re enjoying the series! 🥺🤲🏼✨❤️

[writtingfiction]

Can chrom suffer please i would love him to watch himself slowly lose robin as she spends more time with lon'qu

I'm not dead, I swear, here's your monthly content!! also forgive me for any misspelling...

pairing: Chrom x Robin

words: 2.3 k

Chrom did not realize just how much time he had spent with Robin until Lon’qu had joined the army. He did not realize just how much he enjoyed spending his free time with her. She was there, always. That was until Lon’qu had joined. It wasn’t too noticeable at first but, as the days went by, it was hard not to notice. After all, Chrom had spent most of his free time with his tactician. Chrom loved Robin with his heart and soul, he would do anything for her. Perhaps too late he thinks, seeing her laugh as Lon’qu looks away growing redder by the second.

~

The first time he takes notice is when he’s looking for Robin, something about training or battle plans, he doesn’t remember. Chrom had made his way towards the main tent, convinced that’s where she would be. To his surprise, instead Robin is chasing Lon’qu and throwing figs at him. He’s dumbfounded by the scene in front of him. He can’t help but laugh at the scene in front of him. It catches their attention, Lon’qu takes this as his chance to flee but not before he gives a quick hello before running. Robin says hello but calls after Lon’qu saying she’ll get him. A small blush makes Robin’s cheek go pink as Chrom calms from his laughter.

“Just what are you doing?” Chrom asks. Robin lets out a small laugh, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“Training.” Robin responds in full confidence, nodding once. Chrom gives her a quizzical look, but he doesn’t crack her.

“Are you sure? Poor man look liked he was running for his life.” Chrom said, coming closer to her. Now feeling the weight of the maps in his hands.

“Trust me, it’s part of training. Special training for Lon’qu only.” Robin said, looking down at her hands. “I only had five figs left too.”

“What training involves figs?” Chrom said in surprise. “Robin, I know your tactics are amazing on the battlefield but maybe we need to talk about your training regimes for others.” This pulls a laugh from her lips and it can only bring a smile to his face.

“Oh come on, my training regimes aren’t that bad. You’re just jealous I’m not throwing figs at you.” Robin says, a smirk curling on her lips. Chrom’s eyes go wide.

“No, no such thing. You’re reading the room wrong.”

“Chrom~”

“Robin, no.”

Robin’s smirk gets wider and Chrom is already turning and running. Robin is hot on his heels though. They run and one fig gets thrown towards him. He ducks his head, but the tactician has deadly aim and it hits him on the back of his hand. He cries out but keeps running. He can hear Robin laughing behind him. Chrom feels a warmth in his heart, he hopes it never goes away.

~~

The second time he notices a lack of Robin’s absence is when she is deep in different tactic books from varying time periods and regions, with someone beside her already. They’re back at the castle, in the library, and Chrom wants the company of his dear friend and the holder of his heart. He is too late though, someone is already talking to Robin, taking their time as they speak with her. Chrom pokes his head into the library. Searching a little before he sees the fur-lined coat that is unmistakably belongs to Lon’qu. He bites his tongue, preventing him from saying something foolish. Chrom wants to find Robin alone without someone talking to her, although it does seem to be harder and harder these days. He almost misses the days when the shepherds were smaller. He could spend hours with Robin without anyone interrupting them. Now, he’s lucky to even find her without someone by her side.

“Tactics and the sword? Never seen someone do both. They pick book or sword and never look back.” Lon’qu voices carries through just loud enough for him to hear.

“Then I’ll be the first to pick both.” Robin said. Chrom can’t see her face, but he can hear her smile. “I want to keep my friends safe. The citizens and so many more safe. Where my sword can’t reach, I’ll protect them with tactics.”

“Hmm.” Lon’qu nods. “You are a strange woman, but you’ve taken a worthy undertaking. Perhaps, I have to learn something from you yet.” Chrom can’t see what Robin’s face but he knows she’s at least smiling. She’s managed to pull a compliment from Lon’qu and it’s not an easy feat with his fear of women and high standard of strength.

Chrom pulls away from the library doors and leaves. He doesn’t feel, well. His stomach is twisting, and not in a good way. He feels sick almost. He thinks back to dinner if it was something he ate but, it couldn’t have been anything he ate. Chrom takes a heavy breath in as he slowly steps in the courtyard. Something wasn’t right. He couldn’t place it, but something didn’t feel right.

~~~

Third time Chrom realizes something. Robin was slipping through the cracks of his fingers. It was as if he was grabbing at sand. He wasn’t acting quick enough, but he didn’t have the time too. Or was it because he didn’t think he had the time to chase after her? His heart hurt at the thought. Everything was picking up and it wasn’t going in a nice direction either. His eldest sister is kidnapped and he’s going to war with Gangrel and Plegia once again. He fears he will become his father, but he vows to make things right. He won’t become like his father. He know he won’t, with Robin by his side-romantic or not-he won’t become his father.

“Chrom.” Robin says quietly, standing at the entrance of his tent. “Are you alright?” Chrom turns away from her. He sighs heavily.

“Emmeryn is taken. The fire emblem is in our hands, but we’re stuck. Hand over the emblem and free Emmeryn or, or…” Chrom can’t finish. His hands ball into fists, anger coursing through him. Robin is silent as she comes closer. Hand reaching out to his, unfurling them into her palms.

“We aren’t stuck. I’ll come up with a plan, we’ll get your sister back.”

Chrom believed her with his whole soul, so when things had reached it’s climax and Emmeryn sacrificed herself. He knew he shouldn’t have exploded on her. It wasn’t her fault, it wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t anyone’s fault but Gangrel’s.

“You had a plan!! You said we would get her back!” Chrom said harshly, his sadness shed for anger to appear. Robin, Robin looked small from where she stood. Small hand falling back to her side.

“I tried, we all tried our best. We did everything we could to try and prevent what happened. We couldn’t foresee what Gangrel would do.” Robin said, voice strong.

“Are you sure? What about that amnesia of yours, perhaps you’re actually a grimleal spy and this is what you wanted from the beginning?!” Chrom regretted what he said the second the words passed his lips. The visible shock turning into hurt on Robin’s face made his heart sink to the floor and he wanted to crumble on the spot. He heard her breath in sharply, eyes watering as she tried not to spill tears. Lips quivering as they stood in silence. Stunned by the prince’s hurtful words.

“Chrom…” Robin’s voice is barely above a whisper, wavering in the air. “You’re grieving, but remember that you’re not the only one.” Tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke. Unable to hold them back anymore.

Everything that held Chrom together broke. Walls no longer standing. He feels his leg shake underneath him. He’s tired. Hot fresh tears roll down his cheeks. Chrom opens and closes his mouth multiple times before finally saying;

“I’m sorry.” He means it, with everything he has left to give. Robin’s only response is her turning around and leaving him to stand and wallow in his misery. He falls to his knees, knowing he deserves it. He loves her, she doesn’t know it, but the way he yelled at her, she doesn’t deserve that. Chrom knew that his words affected more than anyone else, he trusted her from the beginning. This was a stab to the back for poor Robin.

Chrom picked himself up hours later, searching for Robin to apologize after a couple encouraging sentences from Lissa and Frederick. Although, it was mostly scolding from his sister. Chrom spotted Robin sitting at the edge of a fire poking it lazily as a familiar silhouette stood nearby. It was Lon’qu. He knew that fluffed collar and stance anywhere. He swallowed his pride, he had to as he approached the two of them.

As he approaches, the two look at him but only Lon’qu is the one to acknowledge him. Robin looks back to the fire as the Ferox man nodded his way, but his body language went rigid.

“Robin, may I have a moment with you in private?” Chrom asked, hand gripping against Falchion out of nerves which he tried to control. There was a shared look between Robin and Lon’qu before Lon’qu made the decision to move on.

“You have me alone.” Robin said flatly, not looking up from the fire. Chrom sat on the other side of her, eyes locking on the fire instead of her. He breathed in deeply before he spoke. He had hurt her deeply after all.

“I wanted to apologize,” Chrom paused, wringing his hands together. “What I said to you was unacceptable and I regret what I've said. I’m sorry, and I'm sorry that I yelled and blamed you for what was out of your control. I’m not here forgiveness, just to apologize.” There was a heavy silence, the crack of the fire keeping them from complete silence. It felt like an eternity before she spoke up.

“You’re forgiven.” Robin’s voice was barely audible over the fire but he heard her. Locking eyes in surprise. There was a soft smile on her lips, one of forgiveness. He let out a sigh of relief.

“I don’t deserve you.” Chrom said without thinking. Robin’s smile only grew wider. His heart raced in his chest. She hasn’t smiled like that in a while, or has she and it wasn’t directed towards him?

The two chat about a lighter topic but Chrom can’t help his thoughts trail off towards Lon’qu. He knew the man had grown closer with the tactician. Were Robin’s wider smiles directed to Lon’qu? What about those long nights he didn’t seem to catch her doing anymore, was Lon’qu whisking her away without him knowing? Did Lon’qu take Robin from right from under his nose?

“You’ve grown quiet, what is on your mind?” Robin said. Chrom relaxes hearing her words, not realizing how tense he was.

“You and Lon’qu, the two of you have grown quite close over the last couple of weeks.” Chrom says his words in a light hearted manner. However, what makes his gut twist is seeing her reaction. Her brown eyes are wide and there’s flash of red on her face.

“Well, of course! A tactician needs to know her soldiers in order to keep them safe!” Robin said, mind scrambling to find the proper words that wouldn’t give her away. It pulls a chuckle from Chrom, he was too late he realizes.

“Not as close as you are with Lon’qu though, probably...” Chrom’s heart sinks to his feet at her protests. She denies it like a child hanging out with their crush. He is bitter with his feelings, but she deserves to be with someone who won’t betray her. Who wouldn’t blame her for something that wasn’t her fault, someone not like him.

~~~~~

The fourth and final time, Chrom knows he’s lost her. The war is over, peace has returned and there’s a shining new addition to Robin’s finger. The ring catches his eyes when Robin and him are going over treaties with the noble's paperwork. He must have been staring at a little too hard and long for Robin notice.

“Chrom?” Her voice brings him out of his little head space as his eyes move from her hand to her face.

“A ring? Since when did you wear a ring?”

“Oh, Lon’qu proposed not too long ago. I thought Lissa told you.” Robin said sheepishly. Chrom shook his head softly.

“She did not.” Chrom said it softly, almost laced with regret. His eyes quickly move back to the ring before meeting her face again. A large smile on his face this time. “How come you didn’t tell me? I thought I was your best friend?!” Robin lets out a loud laugh.

“Well, I had a whole meticulous plan but then someone came by and ruined it...” Robin started to spin a story. The papers all forgotten about.

Chrom listens to her carefully, heart sinking as he can’t figure out when he lost her. Well, lost his chance. Perhaps it was when Lon’qu first joined them, or maybe that moment in the library. He thinks about it a little more and he lands on that moment at the fire when he had apologized. It might have been when he lost his chance. Robin swings her arms around, talking about something and he acknowledges that perhaps it was for the better that she got with Lon’qu. Doesn’t mean he wouldn’t trade spots with Lon’qu in a heartbeat, cause he would.

Chrom would give everything he had and more just to be with her, but she’s happy. He tells himself it’s all he needs, but the ache in his heart tells him otherwise. In another lifetime, we will meet again and I’ll choose you again and again.

[dimitribelikov]

The Belikov Chronicles: The Tasha Conundrum Pt.3

✶ The conclusion of my Tasha Conundrum series ! This one features the lovely balcony moment they shared, all from Dimitri’s POV. ✶ notes : All dialogue is straight from Frostbite, chapter 17. The rest is mine, based on characters written by Richelle Mead. ✶ warnings : some language ✶ ships : romitri ✶ Part 1  |  Part 2  |  more Dimitri one shots

                      –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

    After the strange discovery of Rose in Adrian’s room, and the conversation that followed with her, I couldn’t seem to get the young dhampir off my mind. Most of the day was spent with other guardians, working over logistics and plans for possibly pursing the Strigoi. Or at the very least, keeping the resort as well protected as possible. It quickly became obvious that the biggest threat to the Moroi under the Idaho’s ski resort’s roof was actually themselves. Their squabbles over the politics that surrounded the attacks, and how best to deal with them, turned into full blown arguments at every turn. Some even resorted to physical fights. It was a mess, and certainly enough to occupy my mind.

Except my thoughts continually returned to her.

The revelation that I was actually jealous of Adrian nearly knocked me off balance. Jealousy wasn’t something I felt often and it gnawed at me constantly, making my insides ache. Fortunately, guardian training came with emotional temperament and I was able to hide all such traces of emotions.

Though Tasha’s hopes of rescuing me away to play pool that afternoon were dashed, she was able to get me away for lunch. It was nice being with her, pretending that the rest of our problems didn’t exist. She could speak so passionately about her views on the world, which always captured my full attention. As she spoke over her half eaten cobb salad, I began to imagine a future with her. What would life be like if I accepted her offer? Surely it was a once in a life time opportunity. I may be young, but the idea of the freedom to be a father and even a husband was thrilling. Maybe because it was something that I had written off so long ago, knowing it would never be in the cards for me. Yet here that future was, presented on a silver platter. All I had to do was accept.

The problem was, when I envisioned myself happy at someone’s side, it wasn’t Tasha. I tried to convince myself that my imagination only inserted Rose because I had already grown accustomed to the idea of working with her in the future. Yeah, even I knew that was a load of bullshit, though. The memory of our heated kiss in the gym, only a few days before the trip, still burned on my lips.

“I should get back,” I said abruptly. From the surprised look on Tasha’s face, I had a feeling that I had interrupted something she was saying. Thankfully, my job and the current climate of affairs made my anxious demeanor make sense. We parted ways and it was back to work with me, doing everything in my power not to think of dark, wavy hair that felt like silk between my fingers . . .

Later in the evening, I was assigned duty at Priscilla Voda’s party. I blended into the background just as I was trained to do. It was dull and uneventful, save for the pompous touting of rich ass wipes that had no clue what they were talking about. Adrian was of course there, drinking and talking to a few royals. We made eye contact at one point, and though I kept any emotion from my face, I was sure he detected my icy warning glare. The jerk actually had the audacity to smirk back as though amused by it.

Then Rose and Lissa showed up. The dress Rose wore should have been illegal. I couldn’t be distracted while working, but the way it clung to her every curve was certainly putting my focus to the test. My fingers felt warm, recalling the feeling of pulling another dress off of her months before. We’d been under a compulsion spell, but I wasn’t naive enough to think that the desire I felt was any less real.

I tried to look anywhere else, look at nothing while seeing everything as the guardians do, but when I glanced back, she was talking to Adrian. Now my fingers burned with a whole different reason. They wanted to punch the jerk-off and his wandering eyes. But before I could dwell, Janine entered . . . And actually dragged Rose away. It was stealthily done, and I don’t think anyone aside from Adrian noticed. Except me, of course, because I could keep my eyes off of her. What a hypocrite! And there I was, chastising the Moroi’s wandering eyes.

Although part of me cheered for her breaking up Rose and Adrian, the rest of me knew better. My heart sunk. I knew that Rose’s relationship with her mother was rocky at best. Janine was as badass a guardian as they come, and though I assumed it would be a great honor to have her as a mother, I was beginning to understand Rose’s resentment.

Knowing that the princess was safe, I left after a couple of minutes later in search of Rose. Our earlier awkwardness ( and even coldness ) was in the past. If I knew her, she’d be alone, keeping her pain to herself, but deeply in need of a shoulder to lean on. I couldn’t explain why I needed to be that shoulder, but instinct drove me straight to her.

When I found her, I could have laughed at how correct my assumption was. Except there was nothing funny about the sight. Rose was still wearing only the tight dress, and it wasn’t nearly enough to shield her skin from the frigid air. She turned to me, and I could see the sadness in her dark eyes. The sunrise illuminated her face in a way that took my breath away. How could I have ever imagined a future with someone else when this goddess existed?

She turned away wordlessly and I figured since no sarcastic and scathing remark about Tasha came, that I was welcomed to join her. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, hoping it would help, then took a seat beside her. “You must be freezing,” was my lame attempt to explain my actions.

“The sun’s out,” she replied, just as lamely. What an awkward pair we make, I thought.

Rather than point that out, I looked up at the sky, taking in the warm rays and the look of the light as it washed over the picturesque scenery. I loved the outdoors and the sunshine, and often lamented its loss while being on a vampiric schedule. Something about the outdoors always brought forth a rush of adrenaline in me. Maybe it was how it reminded me of the Siberian countrysides that I’d grown accustomed to as a kid. Rose could joke all she wanted about it being a frozen tundra, but in the spring and summer, it was like heaven. “It is,” I agreed. “But we’re still on a mountain in the middle of winter.”

She didn’t bother to correct me or defend herself with another sarcastic quip. In fact, the most wonderful thing followed. Nothing. We sat in silence, though there was nothing awkward about it. We were content in enjoying the sun together and simply being in each other’s presence. This was something that Tasha could never give me. For all her promises of a future that was out of reach for most guardians, there was never silence between us. Sure, I loved her impassioned speeches and the stories she told. We could laugh together for hours.

But what I had with Rose was something I’d never felt before. It was an understanding that ran so deep that we didn’t need words to understand one another. Maybe that’s when I knew that I couldn’t accept Tasha’s offer. Obviously life with Rose would always be complicated and far from easy, but it was better than a life without her. Even after the few, short months with her, that was something I simply couldn’t abide.

It was Rose that spoke up first, as though the words broke through of their own accord. “My life is a disaster.”

“It’s not a disaster,” I told her automatically. There was beauty in her life, and I wanted her to see that. I wanted her see how that beauty effected those around her, including me.

“Did you follow me from the party?”

Busted. “Yes.”

“I didn’t even know you were there,” Rose admitted. “So you saw the illustrious Janine cause a commotion by dragging me out.”

I could hear how embarrassed she was by the whole ordeal, and in a way, I could understand. I could guess Janine’s reasoning, but I personally didn’t agree with the action. “It wasn’t a commotion. Hardly anyone noticed,” I assured her, trying to make it sound like it wasn’t that big of a deal. But then my lips kept moving and traitorously said a bit too much. “I saw because I was watching you.” Did that sound creepy? I’m pretty sure that sounded creepy.

Mercifully, Rose ignored the comment. Although part of me had hoped for some sort of inkling as to how she felt about it. Maybe she really was too into Adrian to notice me now . . .

“That’s not what she said. I might as well have been working a corner as far as she was concerned.”

Janine was a very different sort of mother than mine was, but she was still someone I respected and looked up to. I honestly didn’t think that she had such a dark view of her own daughter, but that she had a hard time expressing her honest emotions in a normal way. Honestly, a lot of guardians struggle with that, especially the older ones that had more time to harden. “She’s just worried about you,” I tried to reason. I hated seeing Rose hurt like that, and though I felt completely out of my element, I wanted to help.

“She overreacted,” was the immediate response.

Well, I couldn’t really argue with that. Instead, I said, “Sometimes mother’s are overprotective.”

The look Rose gave me broke my heart. She was a brilliant, passionate, and amazing young woman who only wanted a shred of love, but continually got pushed aside. I felt spoiled suddenly, knowing that even though I hadn’t seen my family in years, that they would always welcome me with a warm hug and happy faces. “Yeah, but this is my mother. And she didn’t seem that protective, really. I think she was more worried I’d embarrass her or something. And all that becoming-a-mother-too-young stuff was stupid. I’m not going to do anything like that.”

Ah. So there’s the problem. “Maybe she wasn’t talking about you.” I must have dropped a hardcore truth bomb, because Rose looked stunned. At a loss for words. And Rose Hathaway was never at a loss for words.

Another silence passed and I knew she was re-evaluating things in her mind. I was happy to sit with her, giving her the time she needed and whatever support I could provide. When she spoke again, it was a statement that seemed out of left field, but couldn’t help but amuse me. “We aren’t fighting right now.”

I glanced at her, arching an eyebrow at the observation. “Do you want to fight?” I asked, enjoying the little playful mood that we had turned towards.

“No. I hate fighting with you.” That made two of us. “Verbally, I mean. I don’t mind in the gym.”

That actually did bring a small smile to my face. “I don’t like fighting with you either.” It seemed an obvious statement, but as the words left me, I knew how important it was that she know that. I hated when I had to be the “adult in charge”. Rose was my equal in so many ways and I reveled in the way we could be so at ease around one another.

We shared an honest, quiet, and warm moment as we locked eyes. That was why her next statement completely took me off guard.

“You should take it.”

At first, I had no idea what “it” was. “What?”

“Tasha’s offer. You should take her up on it. It’s a really great chance.”

Now it was my turn to be stunned. At first I was frustrated that she’d assume that’s what I even wanted, especially with the way I had currently been looking at her. But quickly, I realized what a huge step this was. She was growing up and able to put her own hang ups aside if it meant someone else’s happiness. That was the Rose I knew and the Rose that I was quickly falling in love with. Yet she still took me by surprise with it. “I never expected to hear you say anything like that. Especially after–”

“What a bitch I’ve been? Yeah,” Rose said, cutting me off. I wouldn’t have called her a “bitch” exactly, but things were definitely strained between us. “Well. Like I said, I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want us to hate each other. And . . . well . . .” She paused and I could tell this was hard for her say. I was patient, though, silently watching her. “No matter how I feel about us . . . I want you to be happy.”

I could see the pain in her eyes, but all I felt was an overwhelming warmth and admiration. Rose could be petty, sure, but deep down, she was the most amazing person I had met who put everyone else’s needs above her own. And apparently she still had feelings about “us”. I should be discouraging that since there was no way that we could be together, but with the morning sunlight around on us on that private balcony, it felt as though the rest of the world and its problems didn’t exist. It was only Rose, who I learned didn’t care about Adrian more than me. Rose, who had unwittingly found her way into my heart. I knew there was no going back now.

Unable to help myself, I put my arm around her. “Roza.” I didn’t know what else to say as I pulled her to me, getting to be her shoulder to lean on. And honestly, with her, I knew I didn’t have to say anything else. We sat like that for a while, breaking every rule and crossing every line I had set, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing sexual about the way I held her. This ran deeper than that.

It felt like far too soon when Rose was standing up and handing me my jacket. “Where are you going?” I asked, knowing full well that I should also return to my post. Leaving our little snow covered sanctuary was the last thing I wanted to do, though.

“To break someone’s heart,” Rose replied. I didn’t really understand what she meant ( although my gut told me that Mason was about to have a bad night ), but the resolute look on her face wasn’t something I was going to take away by asking for details. She left, leaving me alone in the freezing morning air with much to think about. How was it possible that in just a few days Rose had managed to evoke so many conflicting emotions within me? Pride, lust, aggravation, jealousy, and now adoration.

I turned back to the sunlit landscape, knowing one thing was certain. I had made my decision. I was going to have to break someone’s heart, too. Tasha would survive, but Rose? I knew I couldn’t live in a future without her.

[imaginingsoftly]

Wedding Date Pt. 1 - Tyler Seguin

Type: strangers-enemies-lovers, series

Requested: no

Warnings: alcohol, swearing, asshole exes

A/N: I’ve been working on this for about 2 months now, and finally have enough finished to be able to share with you guys. A HUGE thank you to @tysojost for reading the first few parts and giving me incredible feedback when I got stuck! 

This is going to be somewhere around 7 parts, and I’ll release a new part once a week. Probably Thursdays.

Melissa groaned as she came to. It had been a long night, one that hadn’t ended until almost 3am, and now the sun was shining in her eyes after what had felt like an hour or two. The alcohol from last night sloshed slightly in her stomach as she reached over to grab her phone, and Melissa stilled. She would not puke. Not right now. Thankfully, her stomach settled after a few seconds of blind panic, and she finished reaching out for her phone. The screen was blindingly bright, and Melissa squinted as she stared down at the time in disbelief. Scratch that, it had only been two hours. Damn Ontario and their early sunrises. 

She was never drinking with John and his former teammates again. Sure, it had been fun to show off a bit and drink most of them under the table, but damn her stomach hurt. A cup of strong black coffee and maybe a Gatorade were a must before she did anything. There was a small shop in the lobby of the resort that would have Gatorade, she had seen it during check-in the afternoon before. The coffee, thankfully, was in the apartment. As a self-aware coffee snob she’d brought her own grounds and french press, and there was a kettle for boiling water on the stove. Good coffee would go a long way to settle her stomach, Melissa knew that from experience. 

The sky was calling Melissa’s name as she peered out the window in her room. It was cloudy, a storm likely coming on the horizon. Her ideal weather. The face looking back at her in the mirror looked a mess, leftover mascara smeared under her eyes and hair a greasy tangled nest. She would need a shower after her walk. Brushing her teeth made her feel like a new person, and Melissa slipped into a pair of shorts and a ratty sweatshirt. The sweatshirt was actually John’s, the groom for the weekend, something she’d borrowed one night after her and Kirsten got a little too drunk in the couple’s living room. Her best friend’s fiance, being the angel that he was, slept in the guest room that night when Kirsten and Melissa passed out in the master bedroom. 

Melissa sighed as she stepped into the cool morning air, relishing in how clean it smelled. She loved living in the city, loved the easy access to everything and the ability to walk everywhere, but the air quality was severely lacking. Plus, if there was one thing that Ontario did better than Virginia, it was the weather. Huntsville was cool, cool enough to wear a sweatshirt. It wouldn’t be cool enough to wear a sweatshirt in Arlington again until at least the beginning of October. 

The walk to the check in office took almost an hour there and back, but she returned with a large Gatorade and a granola bar. She downed them both on the walk back to her room. The walk had been energizing, and the sights were beautiful. Deerhurst Resort, the wedding venue, was situated on a lake and surrounded by green. It was exactly the kind of weekend escape Kirsten had been convincing her she needed for probably the last two years. 

The entire building was still silent as Melissa made her way back into the hotel room, and she began to pull things out of her suitcase for a shower. Kirsten and John hadn’t given her the chance to unpack anything the night before, instead pulling her out of the hotel room and into the party as soon as she’d set her bags down. The bathroom was fancy, way more fancy than the one she had at home, and Melissa let the water begin to heat up while she turned on some music. 

Kip Moore began shooting out of her speakers, one of his songs about drinking, and Melissa skipped that one quickly. It was too early to go down that road again. The next song was one of his softer, gentler ones about love, and she let that one play as she stepped under the water. The weekend stay was a bit more than she would spend on just herself for the weekend, even if it was for her best friend’s wedding, and she once again thanked the gods that John’s family had decided to foot the bill for everyone’s stay. She’d needed the break. 

A shower was exactly what Melissa needed, and she smiled at herself in the mirror as she smoothed acne treatment and moisturizer onto her skin. The gatorade and KIND bar had done wonders to soothe the sloshing in her stomach, and now her skin felt clean again. She was ready for the real stuff to start now, beginning with the wedding party brunch later on. 

The brunch wasn’t for a few hours, when most of the world would be up, so Melissa threw on an oversized long-sleeved t-shirt and some boyshorts rather than her dress for later. There was no need to get all dressy to go through her morning coffee ritual. 

Melissa turned up the music as she stepped out of the room and into the kitchen, singing along softly. The coffee grounds, ground before she’d left for Huntsville the day before, smelled heavenly as she held the container up to her nose. There was nothing in the world like the smell of freshly-ground coffee, especially on a morning like this.  

“You’ll have to excuse Lissa,” Melissa heard behind her suddenly, “when it comes to her morning coffee she has blinders on.” She heard Kirsten laugh as she swung around, one hand on her chest. Kirsten smirked from her spot in the living room. Her friend looked far too put together for this early in the morning, in her summer dress and sandals, the engagement ring on her finger sparkling in the sunlight. 

A tall, dark, and very handsome man stood to her left, an amused smile lighting up his face as well. Tyler Seguin. His arms were crossed, ink peeking out from underneath his long sleeve shirt in what Melissa already knew were two full sleeves. Damn her, Kirsten knew she was a sucker for tattoos. Her friend had threatened to play matchmaker this weekend, and it appeared this statue of a man would be the first attempt. 

Tyler met her eyes like he knew what she was thinking, and Melissa turned back to her coffee quickly. Better to pretend she wasn’t interested than embarrass herself. “Lissy,” Kirsten said, “this is my cousin Tyler. He wasn’t sure if he could make it this weekend, so he doesn’t have a room reserved. I put him in the extra room in here.” Of course she did. Melissa knew she was up to something when she’d been put in a two bedroom suite all alone. 

She finished putting coffee grounds in the french press before she responded. “I figured there was going to be a latecomer for that room.” It took all of her effort, but Melissa turned around with a pleasant smile on her face. “Welcome, Tyler. Glad you could make it.” His face said that he knew she was lying, but Kirsten didn’t pick up on their silent conversation. She was exclaiming about all the fun they would have together, especially as two single people at a wedding full of couples. Melissa audibly groaned, and Tyler’s lips twitched like he was holding back a laugh. 

Kirsten was still talking as she took off into the bathroom, something about drinking way too much coffee with John. “I’m surprised he’s awake,” Melissa yelled through the bathroom door, “him and his teammates did their best to drink me under the table last night.” Tyler looked confused, and she shook her head. ‘Just wait,’ she mouthed. 

He smiled for real at her mouthed words, and leaned back against the countertop casually. The movement showed off his arms even more, and Melissa bit back a groan. Kirsten hurried out of the bathroom, eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, tried to outdrink you? That’s why he looked hungover as shit?” 

Melissa shrugged. “One of the guys assumed I would be a lightweight. I set out to prove otherwise. I outdrank everybody except Cameron.” 

“That’s because he’s got a foot and 100 pounds on you!” He really had been substantially bigger. Even at her 170-ish pounds he’d been almost twice her size, and he drank like it too. Although her alcohol tolerance kept up just fine, thank you very much. 

The smell of her nearly-completed coffee interrupted Melissa’s train of thought, and she turned back to the french press rather than respond. “I can’t believe you tried to outdrink a bunch of hockey players.” Tyler almost sounded impressed. “What are you, 5’0?” 5’2, actually, but who was counting, right? Melissa crunched the coffee grounds down, pouring herself a cup of perfectly-brewed coffee. 

Both Tyler and Kirsten were staring her down when she turned back around with the mug in her hand, the latter looking stunned and the former looking very interested. “It wasn’t that hard. We were drinking IPAs. I basically lived on the shit when I was dating that hipster brewery guy, remember?” 

“I try not to.” Kirsten rolled her eyes and turned to her cousin. “She dated this guy, Todd, for like a year. He was a total stereotypical hipster, stupid beard and all. He also fancied himself a brewer, even though his homemade brews sucked ass, and he drank IPA like it was water.” Tyler looked mildly disgusted, and Melissa was inclined to agree with him. “Lissa over here put up with it for way too long because she was too nice to tell him to fuck off. Right Lissy?” 

Kill her now. She turned bright red as Tyler’s amused gaze looked her way. She couldn’t even shake her head. “God, I was so happy when you broke up with him.” Kirsten, in the way she always seemed to, managed to make even the strangest of situations even stranger. Don’t just put the random cousin in the suite with the best friend, no. Tell him all about the shitty ex too.

Kirsten dismissed herself with a thinly-veiled excuse and a “see you at brunch”, and Melissa found herself alone with Tyler. They stared at each other for a moment, both taking in the awkwardness of the situation. “So, uh,” Melissa wracked her brain for something, anything really, to say to relax the situation. “Coffee?” She held up her mug, gesturing at the french press. “It’ll only take me a few minutes to make another cup. I promise I brew good coffee.” 

She began emptying out the french press without waiting for a response, so Tyler’s answer made her jump. “As long as it’s better than Todd’s homemade IPAs.” Of course he went there. It was pretty apparent him and Kirsten definitely shared the same genes. She would have made the same joke, though maybe a little meaner. After all, Kirsten had known Todd. They’d butted heads more than a few times, actually. 

Warmth spread across Melissa’s back suddenly, and she realized Tyler was right behind her. Actually he was basically on top of her, she realized as she turned around. “So I think my cousin plans on hooking us up while we’re here.” Tyler’s eyes were alight with mischief as he spoke, and Melissa didn’t get a chance to respond. “She mentioned how single you were several times, and that I needed a girlfriend. She wasn’t exactly subtle.” No, Kirsten never was. Subtlety wasn’t even a word in her vocabulary. “So I’m thinking,” Tyler said as he brushed a stray piece of hair back from her face, “we could pretend to be getting together as a way to appease her. That way she doesn’t try to set us up at the wedding. We go in together, we leave together, no more single people get shoved in our direction.” 

It was a good plan, really, and almost guaranteed to work. Kirsten would be too busy with John to realize that they weren’t all over each other physically, and the coming and leaving together would appease her. “Okay.” Melissa spoke before she really thought it through, and then it was too late. Tyler’s eyes warmed when he smiled, and Melissa tried not to acknowledge how much she liked it when that happened. 

“Okay.” His words were soft, softer than she had imagined his voice getting. “I’ll pick you up at 10:30 for brunch?” 

Melissa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Romeo. I’ll meet you in the common area at 10:30.” She began to head back into her room, done with this conversation and needing to get space before she combusted, when Tyler spoke again.

“I’ll knock on your door. If I’m your date this weekend, I’m doing it right.” His eyes were intense when she turned around, and Melissa couldn’t do anything but nod. 

_____________________________________________________________

The dress was too much for a brunch. Sure, it was pretty and they were at a fancy resort, but still. It looked more like a date dress than a brunch dress. The white linen sat loose from her shoulders, slightly tight around her chest because there was nothing she could do about that. Her chest got in the way of every loose garment. It came to slightly above mid-thigh, a little higher than she normally preferred, but Kirsten had picked out the dress. Even on that day, before the wedding brunch was planned, Kirsten had commented how perfect it was for a brunch date. A brunch for your best friend’s wedding wasn’t quite a brunch date, but close enough. 

Tyler knocked on the door as Melissa was finishing her hair, and she yelled out an answer from her seat on the floor in front of the mirror. He poked his head in and stopped short at the sight of her. “You look,” he trailed off as their eyes met in the mirror. “You look pretty damn good for a girl who drank a ton of former hockey players under the table last night.” She laughed at Tyler’s statement, and his mouth stretched into a smile. “We have like 20 minutes until we have to be there, so how about we get to know each other a little bit?” 

He moved to sit on the bed when Melissa nodded, and she tried not to notice how good he looked. He was dressed to match her, completely coincidentally, in cuffed jeans and a white linen shirt. The top couple of buttons were undone, and she could see the tattoo on his pec poking out from the gap. It was a lot to deal with. 

“I’m the oldest of four,” Melissa began to distract herself, “and one of three girls. My brother is the next oldest, and he’s my best friend. We do almost everything together. I’m an English professor at George Washington University, and I focus in Linguistics. Specifically language and gender.” Tyler looked impressed as she spoke, and Melissa tried not to preen too much. It wasn’t often that someone appeared interested in her field of study. 

While they sat in awkward silence for a moment Melissa tried to focus on her hair, but the braid she was trying to put in her hair wasn’t cooperating. “What about you?” Tyler didn’t seem to hear the question, focused in on her hands as they twisted through her hair in another attempt to form the braid. “Tyler?”

He jerked back to the present when she spoke again, and Melissa actually saw him shake his head a little bit. “Right. Started my career in Boston, plan on finishing it in Dallas. Born and raised outside of Toronto, and I have two younger siblings. Both girls.” Their eyes met in the mirror, and Melissa was struck by how nice the color of his eyes were. “Wanna trade? I’ll give you one of my sisters for your poor brother?” 

They laughed together, and she felt herself relax a ton. He wasn’t what she expected, though she wasn’t entirely sure what she had expected. “He’d take that in a heartbeat. Although he’s a diehard Caps fan, so good luck there.” Tyler grabbed his heart sarcastically as if he was in pain, and Melissa giggled into her hand. Finally her hair cooperated, and Melissa stood with a sigh. “Okay, Seguin. Let’s go brunch.” 

They walked down to the patio reserved for the wedding party and family arm in arm. She fit into his side comfortably, and Tyler held her closer than really necessary. With their white linen and white sneakers, they looked like a couple. Kirsten’s eyes were full of mischief when the pair appeared on the patio, and Melissa rolled her eyes. 

The patio itself looked like something out of a fairytale. Edison bulbs sat overhead on strings slashing across the open space, off since it was the middle of the day. She could imagine the warm glow they would paint the space with were it night, and Melissa almost wished she could come back just for the sole purpose of seeing this place lit up in the darkness. There was a vine and flower-covered brick wall on the far side of the patio, and she saw little twinkle lights sitting in the vines ready to be turned on once it got dark enough. The scent of trees and sweet flowers sat in the air, and a cool breeze came in off of the lake. Tables had been pushed together to make one long table for everyone to sit at, and just about every seat was full.

It looked like Kirsten had gotten others involved in her scheming as well, because the only spots available for them to sit at were side-by-side. Melissa swore her friend up and down when she noticed, and Tyler laughed under his breath. “She really does want to set us up, huh?” This was more than embarrassing. He didn’t ask to be set up with her, and Melissa sure as hell didn’t want Kirsten to think she needed to be set up by family just to find a date. She muttered an apology under her breath, and Tyler reached over to squeeze the hand wrapped around his arm. “It’s fine. At least if people think we’re together they’ll leave me alone.” 

The brunch was painfully long, only made easier by the short sarcastic remarks Tyler made under his breath throughout the meal. Melissa loved Kirsten, she really did, but this level of extravagant was really out of her depths. Everything on the menu was some kind of fancy shit she couldn’t pronounce, and all she wanted to do was knock back another coffee and maybe a bagel. 

“Ten bucks says Kelly leaves with Cameron tomorrow night.” Melissa snorted at Tyler’s words,  even as she fought off a shiver over his lips hovering so close to her ear. “I mean seriously,” he continued, oblivious to her body’s reaction, “she might as well just crawl into his lap at this point.” They really were sitting very closely, and Melissa was convinced she’d seen Cameron’s hand slip up Kelly’s skirt at one point. 

Tyler leaned back into his own seat again, though he kept his arm thrown across the back of Melissa’s chair. He’d gradually moved closer over the course of the meal, and now most of his words were directed at her rather than attempting to make conversation with the couple on the opposite side of the table. She’d allowed him to occupy some of her personal space, mostly because whoever set up the tables didn’t account for the size of most of the guests. Tyler was by no means the largest man in attendance, and even he was uncomfortable. This was a wedding full of former semi-professional hockey players, and they were squished into settings made for an average-sized person. 

Kirsten shot Melissa another knowing look, along with a not-so-subtle wink, and she’d had enough. It was a little bit too much, and she needed to get away from the intensity of Tyler’s proximity and Kirsten’s attention. Tyler looked up at her confused when she shot to her feet, beginning to stand himself, but Melissa shook her head. “The lack of sleep from last night is getting to me. I’m just going to head back and take a nap, catch up with you for the rehearsal tonight?”

It was a flimsy excuse, and she knew it, but Melissa needed to get away from Tyler for a minute. She needed to breathe and let herself catch up with the wild sequence of events that had been the morning. Tyler didn’t look satisfied with her explanation, but he stayed in place when she sent him a pleading look. It was alarming how well he could read her after a few hours. 

Melissa was still thinking about the concern in Tyler’s eyes as she cleared the makeup off her face, and they were the last picture her brain conjured up as she fell into a fitful sleep.

[good-beans]

For the Awakening Ask game: 3,4, 6, 7, 11, 28 and one of your choice!

Thank you pal :D these were so much fun!!

3. Favorite Gen 1 character?

This is so difficult and I'm going to cheat and give you a few lol 😅 I absolutely love Frederick (accidental husband my beloved <3), Cherche, Henry, Lissa, and Donnel! Before I knew I was bi I definitely had a crush on Cherche, and now I'm sure about it 😂 Henry is punny so he immediately won me over, and his unsettling personality only added to his charm. Lissa is just so sweet and strong! I really liked that she was written into the "tough princess" category without being obnoxious about her tomboyishness. And I am a total sucker for Donnel's village-boy-turned-hero story 😭

4. Favorite Gen 2 character?

Ohhh my son Morgan ;____; I was a bit creeped out that the game was making me have a son (I went into the game not knowing Robin was her own character and I was mad they were forcing kids onto me), but the Very Second I saw Morgan I was in Love and he was Mine and I would do Anything for him 💖💖💖

6. Favorite antagonist?

Me >:]

Okay but I love an evil twin villain, and I thought they did the Robin/Grima! Robin thing so well! I loved the angst of it being you, having your friends and your family and betraying them. I love the drama of trying to escape that future for yourself, really gives an extra motivation to the whole plot. And, of course, I love the aesthetics of their whole look (the mark, the extra eyes, all that).

7. What stuck with you after finishing the game?

I was so amazed with the importance of love and bonds in a game based on battle and war! Now I know it's a central part of the series, but it still made me so happy that friendships affected the story as the gameplay -- even when weak units are pit against stronger enemies, they have the advantage because of the pair up mechanic.

11. Talk about the games themes!

The whole theme of changing fate is so beautiful to me, and I love how it was done. I wasn't just "aw, our enemy is too strong, the fight is impossible," it was "this happened already. It's written in stone. It is the future, or else the children wouldn't exist. It's truly impossible to change." It adds an extra element of that despair, which makes the messages of hope and determination that much more powerful! It also is a show of trust -- even though Lucina has her moment of doubt, everyone ends up really trusting Robin, and they place so much faith in everyone that they're willing to sacrifice their life.

Whenever I replay the game, I'll get back to you on political stuff (I'm sure that the first two arcs are chock full of complex messages about war and conquest but it's been too long for me to speak accurately about it)

28. Any Awakening headcanons?

(This applies to any Morgan, but) my unit became an incredibly powerful mage with a non-mage father. I really liked the idea that Henry and Ricken (who weren't much older than him but pretended otherwise) took Morgan under their wing to teach and experiment with magic. They're chaotic and not the greatest influences, but help him adapt after the jarring amnesia and joining an unfamilar group ;-;

Also, on an angstier note, I really think Robin would be haunted by nightmares of transforming into Grima, waking up thinking they have wings/claws/tail and require their spouse's help to convince them it's all in the past.

[pieman1112]

It was one of these nights that Rebecca took Chrom around to get him to see where she used to work, hang with her friends etc. They stopped by a pub of some sort where many soldiers were there, drinking and chatting. His wife told him she used to come here to hang with her squadrons and enjoy some beer after a long mission. As she was telling him about all of the that some of the soldiers who were familiar with her came to talk to her, offering to buy her drinks and whatnot. Chrom thought it was nice of them to not ignore her after all that time. They are good comrades. He's happy she got ones even here.

Rebecca introduced Chrom to them and little did he know about their inside jokes and lingos that some where making fun of him for being from an underdeveloped place. Truth to be told, he had a hunch about it but didn't bother to entertain them at the moment. Guess being nice is not an option here so he wore his usual serious slash cold facial expression (he often heard that his usual rest face can make some people intimidated. Not his fault he got this face from birth)

He sat down where Rebecca told him he can and sipped on the beer she bought. Oof...talk about a bitter taste. Bitter than Ferox's booze... That could make Basilio's day but not his. Still he took his time drinking it while looking around. He turned around to spot Rebecca catching up with some other people. He couldn't help but smile seeing her how happy she was. Though a sense of guilt washed over him...she gave up all of this for him. He is really blessed huh... Better be up to her expectations. He got to make her happy.

Chrom is not the type of person to get jealous that easily. To him, his wife or even sister are free to pick the friends they want to have. Lissa was a s still a strong girl so he was not that worried about a guy friend or just a random stranger hurting her. Actually he feels bad that guy decided to pick on his sister. Though he is still a man ... ... He has his limits. For his wife, he has the utmost faith and trust in her. If he was not then he is simply a hypocrite. Telling people he values trust and companionship above all and now restricting his wife from meeting her old buddies? Nope. That's not him. But there are things he won't allow even if he had to step in and intrude on his wife's decision.

He took notice of a couple of soldiers getting a bit too close to her. He brushed off seeing that they were stealing glances at him every now and then. Huh...so they think they can get him rilled up to make him look like some ruffian they think he is? Nice try. If anything they are in for a world of pain if Rebecca wished for it. It seems she is controlling herself..hehe how adorable of her. He could tell, she is his partner for years now.

A couple of female soldiers did try to talk to him but he didn't give them much for a conversation to keep going. It was not his intention but he really was not a chatty guy. A loud laugh boomed and got his attention which was one of the two soldiers trying to get close to Rebecca. That guy finally dug his grave when he placed a hand on Rebecca's back. Surely she could have done something but that's the end of that charade. His eye twitched and he found himself right beside them, taking that man's hand away to shake it. "It was my pleasure knowing you sire. Had I not know, I thought this is how you 'shake' hands with each other. Maybe I should try it?" And he placed his hand on the man's back with the most smug look he can muster. Of course that was so embarrassing for the other that he backed away feeling disgusted that a guy touched him like that. "My ..did I do something wrong? Forgive me, I am still learning what am I supposed to do here. Pray tell, should it have been lower? Higher?" And a fit of laugher echoed in the pub seeing how Chrom handled him like that.

"Dear, I believe we still have other places to visit, yes?" And he wrap his arm around her waist (almost protectively of her.) "We should not keep Father waiting. Ah, didn't get to catch your name, my friend. Oh..he left. Oh well, hope to see him soon."

Chrom and Rebecca have a night out on the town!

@convxction

When the two had come back to the UEG, there was a place that Rebecca wanted to visit. For obvious reasons they couldn't bring the children but luckily, Hunter was there to watch them so they could have their fun on the town. There was a pub that had a reputation for being a soldier's hangout spot as it was so close to the base. It wasn't uncommon to see service people hanging out in the pub. If a mission went flawlessly then the team would come and celebrate. That was actually who they were going to meet at the pub.

The others had retired but they went to the pub from time to time to catch up and Rebecca had invited them to join her and Chrom there. When the two got to the pub, her squadmates were there and had already gotten a table. Rebecca sat down with Chrom and began to chat with them about missions of bygone days and what everyone had been doing. Rebecca rarely drank but would during times like these. She would get her drink of a stout beer and gave suggestions to Chrom about what to try. She and the others didn't pressure Chrom into trying something he wouldn't like and it seemed like it was just going to be a fun night on the town.

As the night passed, Rebecca would receive drinks from other personnel who were there. Some were from co-workers in the base's hospital, some from soldiers she had saved. They would come over and talk to Rebecca and the others but it got to the point where Rebecca had forget how much she had to drink. Rebecca was a giggly drunk. Everything was much funnier to her and she was very wobbly.

At one point, Rebecca introduced Chrom to everyone as her boyfriend. When informed that Chrom was in fact her husband, she had said "He is?! Hell yeah! That's amazing!" It was a good time for most. A few minutes later Rebecca's squadmates had began leaving at different times but Rebecca wanted to stay and catch up with some others who were there. That and she wanted to go dancing.

Now most soldiers were there to find partners for a one night stand. Be it with another soldier on base or a local civilian and Jet was no exception. He was leaning against one of the pillars with a buddy when he spotted Rebecca on the dance floor. Jet's infatuation with Rebecca was well known to most and seeing her here he figured he could 'work the magic' to get her into his bed tonight. As soon as he walked over to Rebecca, she greeted him and introduced him to Chrom saying that he was her husband. He sounded like he was giving a friendly greeting to Chrom but he was insulting the man for how he wasn't from any of the UEG planets. The two went back to the dance floor while Chrom sat down with his drink.

Jet had a mix of feelings about learning about this but was going to continue with his goal. It was clear that Rebecca was inebriated and could probably be convinced to do things. He would look at Chrom to see what he might do but for now he acted happy for her and the two talked.

During the talking, he laughed really loud and pulled Rebecca close in a move to 'seduce her'. Even in her inebriated state, Rebecca was still loyal to her husband but she didn't quite understand what Jet was doing.

"You're very close." Rebecca said a little giggly.

Fortunately for her Chrom was able to come to her rescue and publicly embarrassed Jet by calling him out. Frustrated by this backwater hick, Jet soon left shortly after. No reason to lose his career for now. Though Chrom had just made an enemy that day. Rebecca was happy to see her husband and leaned up against his arm that was at this point holding her up.

"Yes, Commander 197 won't be happy with us if we are late." Her sentence paused for a giggle fit. "197. Dad has a funny name." It was pretty evident that the two should go home for the night. Rebecca was going to be in for a heck of a hangover by the end.

[concealeddarkness13]

WHG Prompt 4 Zenith

Tagging: @ratracechronicler, @maple-writes, @nightskywriter, @rhikasa, @pen-of-roses, @aeslin-writes, @the-moving-finger-writes, @knmartinshouldbewriting, @makeitmonstrous, and @timefirewrites!

I wasn’t hungry, so I went straight to the car that had the tv so I could watch the Reaping. I had to check out the other tributes to see who I could maybe convince to join. But, I wasn’t very good at convincing people for anything. I was only really good at fighting and glaring at people. Arque had joked about that, but I actually agreed.

When I got to the car, I stopped and stared. Holt, a victor from District 11, was sitting on the couch, with Skylar, a victor from District 10, leaning against him. Holt looked back and smiled when he saw me. He gestured for me to sit down.

Skylar and Holt had survived the Hunger Games two years ago, under mysterious circumstances, and they showed up in District 11 a few months after their Games. The Capitol kind of just swept it all under a rug and let them stay in District 11.

I sat down, and Skylar grinned over at me. They sat up and clapped their hands. “You’re so much more of a fighter than either of us when we were getting ready for our Games! You might actually win the usual way!”

Holt sighed and placed his hand lightly on their shoulder, and they sat back after making a face at him. He shook his head and turned to me. “I’m actually your mentor, not Skylar. And I thought we could discuss strategy?”

Before I could answer, the door to the car slammed open, and Shine, the victor of last year’s Games, and Nesri walked in. Skylar grinned and grabbed their phone and started texting rapidly. When they were done, Shine’s phone rang, and he pulled it out and laughed at the text.

Holt smiled as well and got up and tried some slow sign language, and Shine signed something back. Nesri laughed and turned to Holt. “‘That’s a good try, but you just called me a fish.’”

Holt flushed, and Skylar laughed so hard they had to lean against him. They all sat down, with Nesri sitting next to me and leaning on me. I didn’t mind, though. I was used to that from my old team.

Nesri translated for Shine as they talked. I just stayed quiet. I hadn’t seen this kind of camaraderie since I left my team. And with all I had done for the Capitol, and all I had done when I was controlled by Ciri’s group, did I really deserve it?

I had almost decided to get up and go to my room when Nesri turned to me as the conversation between Holt, Skylar, and Shine moved to texts. She grinned at me. “So, you wanna tell me how you got all those cool tattoos? And is there any meaning to them?”

I looked down at the visible tattoos on my arms. “No real meaning. I got them out of necessity.”

“Well, I think they’re awesome. And I noticed those eyes glancing at the door. What, are our dumb conversations not good enough for you?” She laughed.

I kept looking down. I couldn’t lie to a teammate. “I’ve done so many bad things. I don’t know if I deserve normal things anymore.”

She scoffed. “Well, that’s just stupid. It doesn’t matter if you deserve it or not. I don’t know anything about your past, nor do I really care. You’re here now. You want to do good things. So, just let yourself have this time.”

I swallowed hard as Arque, Lissa, and Thast flashed before my eyes, and I nodded. Just as Skylar thrust their phone into my hands. “You’re a soldier, right? You’ve got to beat Shine at this game!”

After a rushed explanation of the rules, I nodded and forced other thoughts out of my head as I tried to play. I had been alone for so long. Could it be okay to have a team again?

[drlissahawthorne]

you drew stars around my scars

Who: Clarissa Hawthorne & Elias Westwood

When:  Evening, Friday, December 4, 2020

Where: A dive bar in NYC

What: Clarissa runs into her ex-boyfriend and closure is found.

Warnings: Discussion of past abuse.

Word Count: 2392

Notes:  Part 1 of 3. Part 2. Part 3.

Clarissa was on her way home from work, just a normal Friday night in New York City. Busy, crowded, and full of life. The kind of night that made her miss her eyesight most. That made her miss the nights she'd go out for drinks with Jill at their favorite dive bar back in Pittsburgh. When she could go to a club and still be able to function by the end of the night. Before her eyes really started to give up on her.

Lost in her memories of better times, she almost thought she'd heard things. The curious, "Lissa?" that entered the air somewhere behind her. Then she heard it again.

"Lissa? Clarissa Hawthorne, is that you?" She knew that voice and it had her stopping dead in her tracks and turning to face  him.

"Elias." God, she hadn't seen him in near eight years. And he was still as unfairly attractive as he had been then. When she’d last seen him in public. Before their lives had fully split them apart for good.

"Been a long time." There was that smile. The one that was so charming it was disarming. The one that had kept her coming back until she didn't. Until she’d made the best choice for herself, no matter how much it had hurt.

"Yeah. What are you doing here?" She was doing the best she could to keep her guard up. The way he was smiling, as if he was far more excited to see her after all this time than she was to see him. Which she imagined was the case.

“Work. You?”

“Yeah, same.” She rubbed the back of her neck with a soft, awkward laugh. They’d always been bad at small talk, it’d been what had drawn her to him. He was good at making conversations mean something, provided they did something for him.

“Are you free right now? I- I feel like we need to talk.” He was insecure, that was the first thing Clarissa picked up on. He’d never really been the type. Honestly, he’d always been confident, cocky even, and there was something almost alarming at how genuinely insecure he seemed.

“Yeah, I am. Uh, there’s a dive bar near here, sells really good food, if that works?” She smiled softly at him, a little concerned at the way he seemed to tense up, get more nervous as she agreed. There were things they did need to talk about, closure that had never come of their relationship with how it’d ended, but she’d never really imagined he’d be the one initiating, nor did she ever imagine she’d ever see him again.

“Yeah, sounds great. Lead the way?” Clarissa nodded and turned around, waiting until he’d fallen into step beside her to actually start walking. “So, how… blind are you? Can I ask that? Is that weird?”

“Pretty blind. Like, legally and then some.” She laughed a little. “I’m not so blind I can’t work, though, so that’s nice. Not that I think I’d ever quit unless I absolutely had to.”

“You always were stubborn.” 

“Yeah, but would I be me if I wasn’t?” They laughed at that before falling into an awkward silence the rest of the way to the bar. He held the door open for her like the gentleman he’d always been and waited for him to join her, before moving further into the place, grabbing his arm out of habit as he led them to a booth near the back. It was one of those things they’d always done, even when she was dating him, despite her eyesight having been infinitely better back then, because it was easier than risking tripping.

They took a seat in the booth, Clarissa folding her cane up and putting it in her bag and pulling out her phone. Part of the reason she’d chosen this place, besides the fact it was close by, was because their menu was online and she could easily access it via her phone, making it much easier to decide on what she wanted to eat.

The pair sat in silence, waiting until after they’d ordered and their drinks had arrived, an Old Fashion for Clarissa and just a Coke for Elias, before they really decided to talk.

“I’m sober.” The words were the actual last thing that Clarissa ever imagined she’d hear from him. He’d never been particularly bad with his drinking, He hadn’t been great, and they’d definitely had more than one fight where the drinking had made it all worse, but she wouldn’t have it would be a reason. Then again, she hadn’t seen him in so long, there were likely other factors to it.

“You- That’s great, but we could have gone someplace else. I’d never-” He held up a hand to cut her off.

“It was a personal choice and this is fine. I don’t mind being around it, I just choose not to. And, I imagine, on some levels, you’d be more comfortable discussing things after a drink, than without it.” It was so odd, hearing him talk about putting her comfort first, but he definitely wasn’t wrong about her needing a drink.

“Right. So, what is there to talk about?” As much as Clarissa knew exactly what there was to talk about, she needed him to say it. 

“How I treated you, when we were dating.” He looked down at the table and sighed. “I was bad for you. I was bad to you, and I knew that. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I liked it. I liked having that sort of power. But it wasn’t right. You deserved to be with someone who wanted you for you, and I made you think tat was me. I mean, I loved you, but I loved the power I had over you.” 

Clarissa listened to him speak and took a long sip of her drink. “Look at me, Elias.” He raised his head to look at her. “Now tell me that again. Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth.”

Elias swallowed. “I used you for my own personal, selfish gain. I used you and I made it so hard for you to leave, because I knew the moment you did, I’d lose all of that. I was selfish. I was possessive. I-” He took a deep breath. “I abused the trust you’d given me. I abused the love and affection and care. You wanted someone to look at you and not see a burden and instead of doing that, instead of being someone who loved you for you, I used that against you. I know that now. I knew it then, too, but- You leaving did things to me. Things I’m thankful for, sort of.” 

For a while, Clarissa just sat there in stunned silence. She’d never dreamed he’d ever admit to what he’d done to her. Hell, she wasn’t even sure he’d known, in the sense that some part of her had always chalked it up to her own overreactions. Which, admittedly, was probably exactly why he’d been able to get away with it for as long as he had. 

“What do you mean things happened?”

“I might have gone off the deep end a little. I lost my job because I was drinking and angry and I ended up getting help. I ended up in therapy and I got set straight and I got to the root of my issues. The reasons I’d done what I did to you. Why I wanted that kind of power. Why I took advantage of it, of you.” He fiddled with his hands and Clarissa took another long sip of her drink. She really didn’t know what to say or how to respond. It was so strange to her, to hear him say these things. That he was admitting to what he’d done to her.

“I’m glad you got help. I’m sorry it cost you your job, I know you’d been working hard for it.”

“It needed to happen. Besides, after I got help I got an even better job here in New York. I really am sorry, for everything I did to you. The way I treated you, the fact I made you choose between me and your work. I’m glad you got free of me, I really am. I can’t imagine what might have happened if things had kept going.”

Before Clarissa could reply, the waiter returned with their food and she sighed. She didn’t think that they’d been talking for that long. The place was relatively fast, but it still tended to take a good twenty or more minutes for a single order. She rubbed the back of her neck a little, waiting for the waiter to leave before she even thought of replying.

“I accept your apology, Elias. I never really imagined I’d hear you say any of that. I’d resigned myself to a reality where I was stuck living with what you’d done to me. Honestly, there were days, more often than not, that I was convinced I deserved it. That what you’d done was what I deserved, or… I don’t know.” She shrugged. 

“No, Lissa, you never deserved the way I treated you. You deserve so much better than me. I hope you’ve maybe found someone.” 

“No, I’ve been single ever since. Unless you count my cats.” She chuckled, taking a bite of a fry.

“Really?” 

“You sound surprised.”

“I am. A woman like you, you could probably get anyone you wanted. You deserve to find someone who loves and cares for you the way you deserve. Who can appreciate how sweet and funny and caring you are. Not to say your cats aren’t immensely lucky, but a person would be privileged to know you like that.” His smile was soft as he began to eat.

“I prefer working, honestly. If I had to pick between having a relationship and working just to come home to my cats, I’d choose work and cats. Even before you, and everything that happened between us, I was in a place where relationships were more work than they should have been. And I mean, my eyes have only gotten worse since then. I can only imagine that it’d be so much worse now.” She shrugged. 

“To the right person, your eyes wouldn’t matter, Lissa. You were an amazing person back then and I’m sure that hasn’t changed. And if it has, it’s only gotten better. I have no doubts that if you found the right person, all that would matter is that. That you’re an amazing person. Your disability, your eyes, to the right person are just going to be part of who you, part of what makes you who you are.” 

The way he spoke was genuine and something about that hurt Clarissa in a way she’d never imagined. Because he was someone who had loved her, whether she wanted to acknowledge that or not. He knew what she was like in the private moments that now only her cats were privy to. One of the only other people, outside of her own family, who was that familiar with how she was in those moments, was Jill, the woman she’d been roommates with until she’d left Pittsburgh. And Jill held a similar sentiment, that the right person wouldn’t even bat an eyelash at the kind of help and care that went into being with someone like Clarissa.

“You’re too kind, Elias,” she ducked her head, trying to hide the blush she knew was spreading across her cheeks and onto her ears. 

“Still can’t take a compliment, can you?” He teased, gently. “How is it possible that someone who has done everything you have, still can’t see how great you are?”

“Shut up, I’m not that great.”

“Bullshit, Lissa. You’re blind. You’re still working. You’re independent and sweet and the kind of humble other people wish they could be. You could have given up on life long before now, but you didn’t. That is amazing for anyone, but especially for someone with a disability. And yeah, we haven’t been around each other in years, but it’s not hard to see how great you still are.”

Clarissa rubbed the back of her neck and focused on her food instead of responding. Some part of her knew he was right, he wasn’t the only person who said it. So many people in her life said so, that she was too humble for her own good. That she let the good and the bad roll off her back. That she refused to admit how amazing she was. Not just because of being blind but just in general. Sure, she was a nerd, but she was also talented and skilled and had accomplished so much, even for someone who wasn’t blind.

Elias chose then to change the subject, realizing that Clarissa was obviously uncomfortable with it. The pair spent the rest of their meal discussing various ongoings in their lives since they’d last seen each other. The kind of work they’d both been doing. Personal relationships. Clarissa’s cats and the baking she did in her free time. How Elias was spending his time. The kinds of video games they were both playing at the time. The games they’d enjoyed since they’d last dated. It was nice conversation and was the kind of thing she’d missed. That reminded her of how good things had been when they’d been together, at least when things weren’t terrible. He’d been the kind of person who made her feel amazing and seen, and he still was. Which just made it hurt so much more, knowing that this is what they’d come to. Years later, sitting in a dive bar, miles and miles away from where they’d last seen each other, passing time like no time at all had actually passed.

After exchanging numbers and agreeing that they perhaps needed to do a bit more talking about what had happened between them, in a far more private setting, the two went separate ways. Honestly, Clarissa wasn’t sure how she was supposed to take everything that had happened, everything that she’d heard. The way things felt. It was all more than a bit much and she had a feeling she was in for a very long night.

[i-am-grell]

Stuck in Quarantine? Here are some (Mostly) YA Book Recs that (probably) won’t be on other people’s lists!

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Every night, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when Luke Henry enters the picture. Luke is not someone you’d easily forget, yet try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flash-forwards, she sets out to learn about the past she keeps forgetting - before it destroys her future.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the “wastelands” of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.

So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.

Told in an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic voice, Mosquitoland is a modern American odyssey, as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Everything is in ruins. A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup...and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club - in the depths of her own despair - Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club, and Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for - no matter what it costs her.

Switched by Amanda Hocking

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel - all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken...though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth - and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become...

Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under and alley Dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching back, superhuman strength, and a distinctly Nosferatuan thirst, she realizes the decision has been made for her.

Making the transition from the nine-to-five grind to an eternity of nocturnal prowlings is going to take some doing, however, and that’s where C. Thomas Flood fits in. A would-be Kerouac from Incontinence, Indiana, Tommy (to his friends) is biding his time night-clerking and frozen-turkey bowling in a San Francisco Safeway. But all that changes when a beautiful undead redhead walks through the door...and proceeds to rock Tommy’s life - and afterlife - in ways he never thought possible.

Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

Attention, all girls reading this:

We get it. The message is coming through loud and clear: You think vampires are hot. Your little sister thinks vampires are hot. Your mom thinks vampires are hot. Every single female on the face of the earth thinks vampires are hot. Girls love vampires, and I love girls. Unfortunately, girls don’t seem to love me.

So I’m making a change. For all the guys reading this, say a little prayer to the high school dating gods for me. Here’s hoping that girls think fake vampires are hot, too.

Awkward and allergic to the sun, sixteen-year-old Finbar Frame never gets the girl. But when he notices that all the female students at his school are obsessed with a vampire romance novel called Bloodthirsty, Finbar decides to boldly go where no sane guy has gone before - he becomes a vampire, minus the whole bloodsucking part.

With his brooding nature and unusually pale skin, it’s surprisingly easy for Finbar to pretend to be supernatural. But when he meets the one girl who just might like him for who he really is, he discovers that life as a pseudo-vampire is more complicated than he expected.

This hilarious debut novel is for anyone who believes that sometimes even nice guys - without sharp teeth or sparkly skin - can get the girl.

I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil

Beatrice Maria Estrella Giovannini has life all figured out. She’s starting senior year at the top of her class, she’s a shoo-in for a scholarship to MIT, and she’s got a new boyfriend she’s crazy about. The only problem: All through high school Bea and her best friends, Spencer and Gabe, have been the targets of horrific bullying.

So Bea uses her math skills to come up with the Formula, a 100% mathematically guaranteed path to social happiness in high school. Now Gabe is on his way to becoming student body president, and Spencer is finally getting his art noticed. But when her boyfriend dumps her for Toile, the quirky new girl at school, Bea realizes it’s time to use the Formula for herself. She’ll be reinvented as eccentric and lovable Trixie - a quintessential manic pixie dream girl - in order to win her boyfriend back and beat Toile at her own game.

Unfortunately, being a manic pixie dream girl isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and “Trixie” is causing unexpected consequences for her friends. As the Formula begins to break down, can Bea find a way to fix everything she’s messed up? Or will the casualties of her manic pixie experiment go far deeper than she could possibly imagine?

Starters by Lissa Price

A girl with a terrifying choice. Her parents? Dead. Her brother? Sick. Her way out? Get paid to be somebody else. Who can she trust? No one.

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, are on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie.

Callie’s only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders - seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie’s head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator’s grandson.

It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party - and that Prime Destinations’ plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined...

[sylvanfreckles]

Day Five: Mistletoe

Fandom: Fire Emblem Awakening

Summary: Chrom and Lissa recruit Robin to help plan a solstice festival for the Shepherds.

(Yep! It’s the third of my top-three game series!)

After nearly an hour of poring over the field reports brought in by their scouts, Robin slowly became aware that someone was standing in front of him. “Oh. Hello, Lissa. Did you need something?”

Chrom's sister was smiling down at him—which usually meant trouble—with both hands innocently tucked behind her back. “Do you know what date it is, Robin?”

“It's, um,” Robin shuffled through the reports. One of them had been dated. “It's...winter?”

“It's nearly solstice,” Lissa explained cheerfully. “You know what that means?”

“Uh...” he squinted up at her. “The...shortest day of the year?”

Lissa giggled and brought one hand out, holding a sprig of some kind of plant and dangling it over Robin's head. He stared up at it in confusion, then looked further up to the gleeful expression on the young cleric's face. “Lissa?”

“Holy wow,” Lissa rolled her eyes. “You really don't know anything but strategy, huh? This is mistletoe.”

“Okay?” Robin shrugged. Mistletoe was a parasitical plant, and Miriel used it in some of her research. That was about all he knew of it. “What about it?”

“Duh. When two people are under the mistletoe they're supposed to kiss.”

Robin felt his cheeks burn bright red and he tried to scramble away from Lissa. “That-that wouldn't be appropriate! You're the princess...Frederick would...and Chrom...!”

Lissa just giggled at his consternation and leaned over to place a dramatic kiss on top of his head. “Solstice is a time to celebrate, Robin. We're just trying to spread a little cheer! Put your books away and come to the mess tent, Sumia and Stahl are talking about making a special meal.”

He let her grab his wrist and tug him to his feet, following the flounce of her yellow skirt through the camp to the mess tent. “Maybe you can help me convince Olivia to do a special dance,” Lissa continued brightly. “Or-or at least convince Henry not to. And Mirabelle's looking for anyone who used to do those old Yule plays in school...but I guess you wouldn't remember that...anyway, here we are!”

With a dramatic gesture, Lissa swept the mess tent's entrance flap aside. Inside, several of the Shepherds were busy arranging boughs of evergreen branches along the tent's frame. Nowi seemed to be helping Cherche untangle a mass of red and white ribbon, but Robin was fairly sure the Manakete was just tangling things up further on purpose.

“Chrom! I found him!” Lissa waved at her brother across the tent and pulled Robin through the chaos. “Your favorite tactician, big brother,” she announced, shoving Robin forward.

The Exalt chuckled, resting his chin in one hand. “He's my only tactician, Lissa.”

“All the more reason he should be your favorite!” she replied with a cheeky grin. “Now, here, you two work on your plans. I'm gonna go hunt for more mistletoe.”

“Keep it away from Tharja!” Chrom called to his sister's retreating back. He offered Robin a warm smile and patted the empty spot on the bench beside him. “We've been planning a little celebration, and I was hoping you'd help me.”

Robin sat and rested his hands in his lap, fingers twisted together. The bustle around him was so cheerful, so comfortable...and so unfamiliar. “I don't...Chrom, I don't remember anything. From before.”

“Hey,” Chrom's hand on Robin's shoulder was warm. Comforting. “We're making new memories, right? I'm not asking you to come up with anything, I just need my favorite tactician to do what he does best.”

He couldn't help but smile at Chrom's words. “And what's that?”

“Strategy,” Chrom held up a few loose sheets of paper. “I've been trying to think of different things we could do, but I can't seem to get it into any kind of order.”

Robin flipped through the pages and nodded to himself. “I think I can see what you mean,” he said, digging for a spare quill in his robes. He took a scrap of paper and roughly sketched out two-hour blocks of time and started filling them in. “You want to have active events, like the wrestling tournament Sully wants, a couple of hours after a meal. Mirabelle wants to do a play or recital, that should be directly after lunch.”

“We could have an informal dinner,” Chrom suggested, spreading the loose pages across their knees. “We used to have a solstice ball every year...it could only be something small out here in the camp, but I think everyone would like it.”

The tactician's quill darted across the page as he made notes. “Does...does this page just say 'candy'?”

Chrom groaned, crumpled the page up, and tossed it over his shoulder. “Gauis was here a few minutes ago.”

“Right.”

Robin leaned over the paper, making new notes and crossing old ones out, drawing lines to move events around. Eventually Chrom got up to bring him more paper when their notes began to overflow the pages. Someone brought them bread and ale at noon, though they were too busy arguing over whether or not to include a horse race for the solstice festival. At one point Vaike simply dragged their bench over to one side so he could decorate the tent pole that had been behind them.

“...look, all I'm saying is, Cherche always wants someone to pet Minerva,” Robin explained, leaning back away from Chrom to keep his quill out of reach. “She doesn't need a special day for a wyvern petting zoo, I'm pretty sure she slipped that into your pocket while you were asking Sumia if she knew how to make mince pies.”

“I know that,” Chrom retorted. He planted a hand on Robin's shoulder and held the tactician down long enough to pluck the quill out of his outstretched hand. “I'll ask you this...do you want to tell Cherche we left Minerva out of our solstice festival plans?”

Robin shuddered at the thought and watched Chrom scrawl Minerva's name next to the box for Sully's wrestling tournament. “Right. I think we have a good schedule here. Maybe...”

“Robin!” Lissa pelted into the tent, leaves caught in her blonde hair. “Oh—Chrom! You're both here!”

“Lissa?” Chrom was already on his feet, holding his arms out to stop his sister's mad dash. “What's wrong?”

Lissa doubled over, panting for breath, hands resting on her thighs. “It's awful. I was looking for mistletoe, and she...Tharja followed me. I didn't know she was there, I swear!”

“Tharja?” Robin felt another shudder run up his spine. He climbed to his feet, papers scattering around him, and clung to the back of Chrom's tunic to steady himself.

“She found the Mistletoe! Oh, Robin, you have to hide!”

“Follow me,” Chrom seized Robin by the wrist and fled the mess tent, pulling the tactician along in his wake. “Frederick is working in the armory today, he'll know what to do.”

Robin stumbled along, nearly tripping over his own robes as Chrom pulled him between the tents. “This is...is solstice always like this?”

Chrom smiled back at him over his shoulder. “It is when you're a Shepherd!”

* * *

Next time: Trifles - “No”

* * *

Day Four - Master List - Day Six

[ahtohallan-calling]

chapter 9 of it’s always ourselves we find is here!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

[kristanna / m / modern au / coworkers & enemies to lovers ;) ]

It was a marvel, really, how quickly she returned to him: his Anna, with all her ungraceful laughter and bright smiles and brighter eyes.

He thought of her as such not because he dared to think he had any real claim to her, but rather because this Anna, the one who had let go of his hand only to eat her lunch, was the one he’d grown so familiar with and fond of over the past months, the one who drove him absolutely insane in more ways than he could count.

Currently, she was in the midst of explaining in excruciating detail precisely how awful the two dates she’d been on with Hans had been, and Kristoff found himself laughing so hard his sides were beginning to hurt. 

“Seriously, Kris, it’s not funny,” she said between giggles of her own. “I ruined my tights crawling out the window, and I’d just bought them.”

“Sorry,” he managed to gasp. “Just-- I’m trying to picture how you even managed to get up on the ledge--”

“Shut up, you great big brute, not all of us can be the size of a tree.”

“Sorry,” he said again, though he wasn’t at all. “Just-- was it really that bad that you had to climb out of the bathroom window?”

She grew a little more solemn then. “Yeah, like-- like Hans ordered a salad for me, and said to put the dressing on the side, and of course I scarfed it down like a crazy person since I’d just been hiking all afternoon with my sister, and he was going on and on and on about his vision for the company, and I kept wondering what he’d do if I just reached across the table and stole a piece of his steak.”

Kristoff grew quieter, just watching her as she took a sip of her drink. Her gaze fluttered up to him after a moment, curious. “Cat got your tongue?”

He shifted awkwardly in his seat, weighing his words carefully for fear of using them carelessly again. “Just...wondering why you thought I’d do that to you on purpose.”

“Do what? Say what you did this morning?”

“No-- shit, I’m sorry again for that-- but I meant setting you up with Hans.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Was it really not on purpose?”

“Do you really think I’d do Hans Westergaard a favor like that?”

“A favor, huh?”

“Well,” he stammered, “he’s-- well-- you know how he is with pretty girls.”

A little smile slid onto her face. Please don’t ask me, he thought desperately, please don’t ask me if I think you’re pretty, because I can’t lie to you, Anna, not any more.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “So...okay. So from my perspective, it was like...I was in the break room with Jessica and Lissa, and they were trying to get you to ask me.”

“Wait, what?”

“Mhmm. That’s why they were like ‘hey, Kristoff, Anna needs a date to the fundraiser ball, do you know anyone who could take her?’, and then Hans came in--”

“That’s what it was! I didn’t see him, I swear. Sorry, go on.”

“So then why did you say ‘I’m sure Hans is on the lookout’?”

“I was being sarcastic. He brings a new girl to everything. I didn’t mean for him to actually ask you.”

Anna sat back, looking as if she’d just been handed the meaning of the whole universe. “You really didn’t? After the party-- which was awful, by the way, you didn’t miss anything-- I thought you’d set me up for it almost like a prank. And then he asked me out again in front of people, and I couldn’t really say no, so that’s how I ended up on the second one, and after that I was really convinced you hated me.”

Kristoff shook his head, leaning over the table, and said as sincerely as he could, “Anna, even if I did hate you, I wouldn’t wish that rat bastard on my worst enemy.”

She beamed at him so brightly he had a feeling she’d be holding his hand again if there weren’t plates in the way. He wished she would anyway; who cared about getting a little ketchup on your sleeve when a girl like that wanted to touch you?

A sudden thought struck him then. “Wait-- but why did your friends want me to ask you?”

Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. “For reasons.”

“What reasons?”

“Silly ones.”

“Anna,” he cajoled, half-singing her name and wondering in the back of his mind how she’d managed to make him act so...silly. “C’mon, you can tell me. It’s just your favorite worst enemy.”

“You can’t laugh,” she said sternly, her blush darkening. “Promise me.”

“I promise.”

She sighed and slanted her eyes away from him, leveling a determined glare at the shrimp tails on her plate. “Because I told them I thought you were handsome.”

He didn’t know what answer he’d been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been that. “Seriously? You really thought that?”

She rolled her eyes as she dared to glance back up at him. “Oh, come on, Kristoff, as if you don’t know you’re all…” She waved a hand vaguely. “Big and blonde and. And your face and stuff.”

He wanted to take a long moment to let it sink in; it was almost too much for one day, realizing that Anna not only cared about his opinion, not only seemed to actually sort of like him, not only wanted to keep touching him-- but that she thought he was handsome. “Wow,” he heard himself saying. “I can’t believe it.”

“Okay, okay, well, it’s your turn in the hot seat, mister,” she said grumpily, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the still-red tips of her ears. “Why did you snap at me this morning?”

It was his turn to flush. “It was nothing. I was just-- just in a bad mood.”

“You’re always in a bad mood,” she said, her brows knitting together as she leaned over the table. “Tell me the truth.”

Fuck, that gave him a great view right down the front of her shirt, which definitely was not making this any easier. He tried not to shift too obviously in his seat as he kept his gaze firmly locked on her face. “Just-- one of those...things.”

And now she was reaching for him across the table, concern in her eyes as she settled that little hand over his arm, that little hand that he’d dreamed that morning she’d had wrapped around his cock, for god’s sake, and her voice was so gentle as she said, “Kris, just tell me the truth, please?”

He swallowed hard and shook his head in a last ditch effort to make her back down. She tilted her head to the side, confused, when suddenly understanding dawned in her eyes. “Oh.”

“It wasn’t ‘cause you were there,” he said quickly, although it most definitely had been at least in part because of that. “I promise I’m not a--”

She sat back a little, though she didn’t move her hand. He could tell she was trying to contain her mirth and spare him further embarrassment. “It’s okay. I’ve had boyfriends before, I know how it is.”

“It’s different,” he ground out, feeling his face heat further than he thought was possible. 

He realized suddenly that something else had dawned on her, that her amusement had transformed into realization-- of what, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He shifted awkwardly in his seat again, and at last she withdrew her hand, running it absentmindedly through her hair. “Sorry, again,” he muttered, looking anywhere but her eyes.

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “Seriously. You can’t help it. And you already apologized enough for the other stuff.”

“I still feel bad. Let me make it up to you, let me buy your lunch or something, yeah?”

She waved him away. “Let’s just say you owe me one, maybe I’ll have you drive me to the print shop next time I need to pick up a banner or something.”

He blinked in surprise. “You don’t need a favor to ask me to do that.”

Her eyes softened. “Really?”

All Kristoff could do was nod, feeling grateful that the waiter chose that moment to come by with the check. As he began to do the mental calculations for what he’d have to give up next week to cover both of their meals, Anna said quickly, “We’re splitting it, no matter what he tries to say,” even as he began to fumble for his wallet. 

And damn, if that didn’t make him lo-- like her even more.

---

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, wearing his softest old t-shirt and sweatpants, Anna was already nestled under the blankets, keeping carefully to her side of the pillow wall. A little flutter in his chest accompanied the realization that she’d decided to keep their arrangement from the night before and hadn’t set a pillow between where their faces would be.

He came to a pause by his side of the bed. “Anna?”

“Hmm?” she asked, not looking up from her phone.

“Can I...this pillow here, the one by your shoulder...do you mind if I move that one and use it tonight? Sorry, I know it’s-- well, sharing a bed and all-- but my neck kind of hurts from staring at the screen all day, and--”

She did look up at him, a look of fond amusement on her face. “‘Course. Just don’t go getting fresh with me.”

He huffed out a laugh as he shifted the pillow to his side before climbing in bed next to her, being as careful as he could not to jostle the mattress too much. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

(Except he would. And he had.)

He glanced over at her then, giving himself one last chance to take in the sight of her long, tawny lashes brushing down almost to her freckled cheeks each time she blinked. She noticed him staring and glanced up at him. “What? Have I got something on my face?”

“Are you gonna snore again tonight?” he asked, accompanying the words with an exaggerated wink just to make sure she knew he was joking.

She slid further down the pillows, set her phone on her nightstand with an exaggerated tap, and stretched one final time, arching her back enough he felt his mouth go dry, before turning lazily to him and giving him a smirk. “Depends. Are you gonna say my name in your sleep again?”

For a split second, he could have sworn every moving thing in his body came to a complete halt. Any half-asleep thoughts that had been trailing around his mind collapsed into the terrifying refrain of she knows.

“Anna?”

No response.

“Anna, did I really say that?”

She reached up and flicked off the light, leaving them in complete darkness. “Sweet dreams, big guy.”

He could hear the barely concealed laughter in her voice. Fuck, he was in massive trouble; there was no way he’d ever live this one down or that she’d let it go. He felt like a window fogged with steam, too warm and cloudy-minded as he struggled to come to grips with the fact that she knew he had feelings for her, knew he’d woken up hard because he’d dreamed of her-- and, the realization hitting him like a splash of cold water to the face-- she was still lying in bed beside him.

“Kristoff?”

“Yeah?” he asked, a little too quickly.

“Are you still awake?”

“Obviously.”

“Because you’re worrying you’ll say my name again?”

He swallowed so hard he wondered if she could hear it. And perhaps she could, because a moment later there was a rustling of the sheets, and that now-familiar little hand was resting on his chest as Anna’s fingertips idly traced patterns across the thin white fabric of his t-shirt. “It’s okay, Kris, really,” she said, her voice gentler now. “I thought it was sweet.”

Perhaps he was in less trouble than he’d thought.

He drew in a deep breath. Her hand began to slow, and then to pull away, but before she had entirely lifted it from his chest he set his own hand down over it, so suddenly he startled even himself. He heard a sharp intake of breath from her before her hand relaxed again under his, palm flattening just over his heart.

For a few minutes they simply laid next to each other, as he let his thumb slide back and forth over her hand. As he felt his heart rate slow under the gentle press of Anna’s hand, he heard her breath slow down, evening out until a faint snore escaped her. He couldn’t help but smile then, giving her hand one last squeeze before carefully setting it on the mattress between them and rolling on his side to face her.

“Good night, Anna,” he whispered, but the only response was another snore.

[kansasvenomoth]

Fire Emblem Awakening x Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Chapter Two

Just a couple hundred feet from where the Khajiit landed, he had watched as the two sides approached. Unable to hear from afar, it appeared to him they were discussing a bit of strategy, or at least that was what it seemed before the red clad army had attacked. Normally, Ja'vassa would jump in without thinking; he was never officially a part of the Stormcloaks, though since his sister passed, he always seemed to align himself with them whenever he encountered their skirmishes with the Imperial Soldiers. Since he didn't know which side was the 'right' side and which one wasn't, he pressed himself against a small, broken down structure; his outfit providing for perfect camouflage. He was perfectly content with watching the skirmish, but that was until he noticed a strange pair running into the scene. A young girl and elderly man; from what he could see, the girl seemed absolutely terrified of everyone around her.

"Just... just leave me alone!" The girl shouted, cowering from the man chasing her. Their sudden appearance seemed to have disrupted the skirmish between the red and blue armies. The elderly man's eyes widened after she yelled, "Oy! Quit with the yelling! Giving away our position would be bad, no?" He said, seemingly concerned with both armies at this point.

"Hey! Leave her be!" The leader of the northern army shouted, aiming a strange looking sword his way. "Ah, there she is.. consider this punishment for fleeing!" The red leader shouted in return. It seemed this was enough to convince which army the Khajiit should support, though he would remain behind just to see what would happen. After their sudden appearance and the brief timeout, the battle would resume; sword and spell clashed with much ferocity from both sides, it seemed the girl was slowly growing used to the man as he was genuinely trying to protect her. What was more surprising was the fact that the girl was able to transform into a dragon; it didn't seem that she really needed any help, but even with all that power, they were doomed to fall back. Without help from the other army, they were slowly being overwhelmed. The mercenary's sword had been knocked away while the girl had been separated from him, growing exhausted from the seemingly endless battle. She had been cornered by a pair of mages, both preparing lightning spells in the hopes of incapacitating her.

Before they could fire off the magic, Ja'vassa had made himself known to both sides. "Wuld... Nah Kest!" He shouted, using the Whirlwind Sprint to grab and move the dragon to safety, staring at the would-be attackers from behind his mask. The girl in his arms looked more surprised than afraid, as did the warriors watching the spectacle. "Who in the blazes are you?" The blue haired prince asked, staring in confusion. "I'll explain later, just worry about getting rid of the red guys!" Ja'vassa shouted in return, setting the girl back down. "You stay close to me... you should do the same." He said to the mercenary. In one hand, he wielded his signature war axe and in the other, had an Icy Spear spell at the ready. Once the confusion and surprise of yet another newcomer had died down, the battle resumed, but this time it was going in the favor of the prince's army. Ja'vassa's combination of speed, magic, and his shouts proved to be too much for the opposing army.

Trading magical attack for magical attack, and physical blow for physical blow, the opposing army would slowly be whittled down to just the leader and a few grunts. "Damn you.. this.. this wasn't supposed to turn out like this." Chalard growled, glaring at the Khajiit and the Prince. "Prince Chrom and this... stranger. My army may fall here, but soon you will suffer at the hands of Grima." He added, making a fruitless attempt to fight Ja'vassa's unplanned allies; this as one would expect turned out poorly for him. Being outnumbered nearly three to one, him and the remaining were quickly cut down, and those who chose not to fight have since fled from the battlefield. After what seemed to be an eternity, the battle between the two armies had finally come to an end, much to the relief of many of the combatants.

As one would expect, some introductions were needed. The girl had approached Ja'vassa smiling slightly. "Thank you for saving me.." She said to him before turning to the mercenary. "And.. thanks for helping me back there, I'm sorry for being so rude to you."

Ja'vassa shrugged, "Don't mention, I wasn't about to sit back and watch a child get hurt like that." He responded, soon being cut off by the girl. "I'm not as young as you might think.." She said, a slight giggle escaping her lips; though her statement was met with a confused look. "My people age pretty well, I'm probably around a thousand years old, but look! No wrinkles."

"I.. see. It seems I'll have plenty to learn here." Once again, Ja'vassa had been cut off again, this time by the leader of his unplanned allies. "You're quite the warrior, friend. I'm not sure where you came from, but.. I've never seen anyone with skills like yours. If you hadn't shown up, we might've lost this battle. Thank you." He said, extending his hand out to him. "My name is Chrom, leader of the Shepherds. Mind if we get yours?"

The Khajiit nodded, shaking his hand before he'd remove the mask to reveal his feline-features to a surprised Prince. "I am Ja'vassa, a wanderer from Tamriel." His own introduction only led to more confusion. Before he'd respond to the Khajiit, Chrom had turned to one of his allies. "Robin.. have you ever heard of that place?" He asked, whispering slightly. This question was met by a shake of the head, "No.. I haven't. Judging by his appearance, I'd assume maybe he's a Taguel like Panne?" Robin suggested, though it was clear he was rather confused. "I don't intend to offend you, but we've never heard of Tamriel before." He said to Ja'vassa, rubbing the back of his head in an awkward manner.

A soft laugh escaped the Dragonborn's lips as he listened to the pair, "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it, Tamriel is beyond this realm. It's the land of my birth and depending on how my task here goes, it'll likely be the land of my death too." He explained, though before either the prince or tactician could respond, he had been met with an all too suspicious gaze. "Are you here to bring home to Ylisse or her people?" A tall, blue armored fellow asked, keeping a lance in hand. "What exactly is this task of yours?" Depending on Ja'vassa's answer, it seemed the knight was ready to strike.

This suspicion from the knight received a glare from the Dragonborn. "I assure you, I have no interest in harming anyone. I've been sent to do some studies of this world for my Lord. I cannot say for sure what his intentions are, but I simply intend to do as I was tasked. I do not know if he'll bring me back tomorrow or in a thousand years." This explanation seemed to be sufficient for the knight as he lowered his lance and stepped back. Chrom would be the next to speak up. "I apologize for Frederick.. he's a bit protective of the group, he means well, but he take some getting used to." He said, grinning as Frederick rolled his eyes, though the knight did nothing to argue that.

Now that the lovely conversation was over, Chrom had changed the subject. "Alright, while my tactician and I begin planning our next move, why don't you three join my sister for dinner at our camp?" He suggested, "After we're done, I'd like to extend an invitation to the three of you to officially join the Shepherds." He added, giving them a slight bow before heading off with Robin and Frederick. Nodding in response, Ja'vassa would join Lissa and the others, hoping to see what the rest of the group was like before he'd made his decision. In his mind, there were plenty of positives and negatives to joining them. On one hand, perhaps joining a militia would make it easier for him to do the research of his Lord, not to mention it might be useful to make some allies for as long as he's there. On the other hand, he's never been one to take orders from anyone beyond the Daedric Princes he worships; this being the reason he's not yet joined the Stormcloaks or Imperials. There's also the case of his less than savory past; if that came to light, there's no telling what might happen to him. The Khajiit wasn't worried about them killing him or arresting him, he was more than positive he could take on the entire army without a problem, but, he was hoping to start over and turn over a new leaf. Decisions, decisions... he wasn't sure what to do. For now, he'd focus on trying to get to know the others of the militia.