#but the nurses are 110% wonderful i love them all

[kirishwima]

man. ive got good coworkers 😭

[wachtelspinat]

Hey ! I’ve been seeing your art going around since your midnight crew stuff and I just recently stubble across your tumblr, thank to your beautiful overwatch art for our beloveds junkers ! I’ve been scrolling through your account and read about your experience of being a former graphic designer who is a doctor now. And damn. I can’t emphasize how much I admire you, especially as someone who is struggling really hard to choose between 2 careers paths ( with one of them being art related ). This is why I was wondering if you would be open to talk about how and why you switched from art to medecine ? Especially because most of the time I feel it happens more the other way around ? ( If it’s too personal just ignore this ask + sorry if you already talked about it before )

hey ! no worries, i don't expect ppl to scroll through my tumblr to find an answer for a question they might have. first of all thanks for your nice words, means a lot <3

i switched from art to medicine because my early 20-something-self was even more anxiety-ridden than my present-self, and being in art school and having to "perform" regularly was a nightmare. i'm talking about a time in which i was so scared of being perceived that i often skipped grocery shopping, just so i could avoid being around people. so like, pitching art related projects to peers and profs was eeh... especially because art is so personal oh my god. i still hate it when someone tries to sneak a peek while i'm drawing, makes me wanna throw my sketchbook and myself off the bridge. anyways so i always felt a 110% inadequate (plus i got a gf during that time who was so good to me and tried to get me out of my funk on multiple occasions (she was and still is an artist and has now a career as a freelancer and i'm rly proud of her) but i couldn't see that because i just compared the two of us all the time and sabotaged any attempt she made for having fun with drawing with her) that i sat down at some point and asked myself if i could do this any longer, and i came to the conclusion that no, it really kills me rn.

what made me go into the health sector? i don't even know anymore, i think it was a mixture of "i loved biology, esp. the human body in school" and "my mum is an icu nurse and talks a lot about hospitals, maybe i should check it out"... it was not a well thought through decision, which is so funny because studying medicine was a hell of a meatgrinder ride (also my anxiety and self hatred? still there, but now i wasn't judged anymore because of my art but instead being called a dumb idiot collectively with all the other students because nobody likes med students) and for some reason i was able to get through that despite it not being my passion at all, but i couldn't stand up for myself in art school. i don't even know if i could work through it nowadays, but the good thing is i don't have to ask myself this question anymore, because being a doctor pays the bills, and ever since i left art school i was able to just draw without consequence. which is nice to a degree, my artistic output is not tied to the means of generating money. on the other hand... idk, in another life with more confidence and less worries, i'd love to be some sort of character designer T_T

so yeah that's basically it. at some times i cherished my career decisions, at other times i regretted them deeply, worst thing is i know it has a lot to do with personality, but the fact that we can't change who we are with a blink of an eye gives me the framework to think that the path i took was ok. as in. things happened for a reason and maybe i'm just not cut out for that kind of work. you have to be aware of the conditions of a job to decide if you are up for it. because being an artist doesn't end with "just draw". i myself had an unrealistic view of the job back then too. and the fact that i could not seperate between personal aspects and "doing a job here" was crucial.

yeah, idk if this is helpful at all. i think the one thing that is super important here is to have a realistic view on the conditions of work you are about to head into, and i know this is mostly very difficult to aquire. because unless you really work in a sector there is often no way to fully grasp the situations you can find yourself in (this applied for me also in the health sector, which made me fall into a depression a year ago, but what do you do after you spent 6 years of studying :') ). doing internships and just trying to get to know a lot of things really helps. and - idk how old you are, but if you're really young: it's ok to switch careers at some point. it's even ok to do so when you are older (trying to end on a positive note here because it feels like i just said a lot of depressing things... like don't get me wrong i like my job, the conditions are just fucked up, and again my personality prevents me from switching again but it's also not that easy in germany, BUT it's a valid thing to do, being versatile is good! just... make sure you don't end up with a job that you absolutely hate because that kills it all)

[camellia-thea]

What would Tamerlane's life had been like if Annabelle Lee had gotten to keep sole custody, do you think?

:eyes::eyes::eyes: long post so under a readmore

okay so. i indeed have thoughts about this. so, we know that without the deal point blank, roderick would've been a poet and frederick would've been a dentist (rip). not quite the same scenario as annabel lee keeping custody of course, but a good stepping stone.

another interesting thing i feel about tamerlane is that she is the only one who i think's Issues:tm: would continue without the deal/roderick and madeline/fortunato's influence. she'd still have severe ocd and identity issues and these would still colour her life experiences.

i think the key difference between tamerlane with annabel lee alive/having kept custody is that she wouldn't have lost her ability to see other people as people. it wouldn't have become (something i personally see as) a coping mechanism for fame and riches at a young age, and also a way to protect herself from the mental illness i interpret she has (mentioned above, though that's a discussion for another time). i think that annabel's presence also would've turned that coping mechanism into being a bit of a people-pleaser; she already cares so much about her image and how people see her, i think that there was a coin toss made (one side of the coin being madeline, the other being annabel lee) and it dictated which side she favored.

i actually think freddie would still end up with roderick, because, from what i gather from the conversation in the last episode, roderick asks them to move in with him, and they accept because he's been, essentially love bombing them with money. tammy saying no to this would be really interesting. but, it leads her to being happier in the long run. i don't think she ever stops wondering about what would've happened if she said yes, but i think after a point, i think she stops caring, even as the thought crosses her mind.

i think she probably, at least from my interpretation of her, would've taken a similar route, minus the business degree i assume she has; that is to say, studying nutrition and kinesiology, with a focus on wellness. i think that she'd probably have stepped into being a (less... predatory) life/fitness coach, with a primary focus on matching her client's abilities and needs to try and give them a little control over their health (as always, it's all about control). if we're playing around with tamerlane keeping the heart condition i hc her as having, it only makes the drive to help people more important, as she'd be aware of just how difficult it is for disabled people to find care that actually accounts for their conditions and illnesses. it's also a profession that would help her see people as people, i think, because you have to get to know your clients to do your job well (and she's a perfectionist, she doesn't believe in less than 110%).

the other route i see, which would still play into tamerlane's Issues:tm:, would be a nurse. specifically this would be interesting in comparison to victorine being the daughter of a nurse and going into medicine as well. this would be really interesting to examine if annabel lee died in tamerlane's early-mid twenties. roderick and madeline try to bring her back into the family and she ends up as almost half an usher. freddie trying to convince her to come back -- or maybe he tries to push her away, because she's a threat? i'm not sure -- and victorine absolutely feeling threatened by tamerlane's approach. tamerlane would feel like an imposter, in this situation, with victorine being "her but better" in a way that links the really awful systemic disrespect of nurses against other medical careers. i think those comparisons would push her to cut all contact.

i like to think she would've met bill anyway, and they'd have had a far healthier relationship, just because the touches of honestly we get from tamerlane about how she cares about him is important to me. she'd still be incredibly insecure in said relationship, don't get me wrong, but i think she'd be more ready to work with bill over it. i don't think they'd have kids together, but they'd have a dog (this features in my tamerlane wip), and a nice but small house. tamerlane would value privacy, i think, and so i doubt they'd live in a city. suburbia maybe?

the deal still taking place, verna would make her die in her sleep, quietly, knowing she was loved. her funeral is planned by bill, who doesn't let roderick and madeline sweep in.

i think overall, she'd still be tamerlane; capable of being really cruel when she's feeling defensive, but i think that she'd have the capacity to step back and admit that she was at fault.

[aguzziadventure]

Day 8: Nudging the Alps and Poncho Monte Carlo

The day's plan was ambiguous: in essence, a non-decision. The weather predicted rain whether I chose to head north or continued on my route, so it felt somewhat inevitable. Therefore, I resolved to nudge the edges of the French Alps, aiming for Barcelonnette in the Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It was a strategic location that sat on the doorstep of the Alps and also provided an escape route towards Italy's marginally sunnier climes if needed.

Setting out, I had approximately 110 miles to cover. Not an intimidating distance, but knowing my propensity for frequent stops and detours, I anticipated it would take up the whole day. My route included passing through Serres and Tallard, but between road closures, rerouting by Google maps, and a few misguided turns, the journey unfolded in unexpected ways.

The morning brought sunshine and scenic roads that were becoming delightfully familiar. By midday, the heavens had opened, a minor landslide had caused a road closure, and I found myself navigating rough, muddy tracks for a while.

I took refuge from the rain in a small café, just before Tallard. Nursing my coffee and tucking into saucisson and bread, I met a group of Irish hill climb enthusiasts who had stopped for a similar respite. Their vintage French cars adorned in rallye liveries piqued my interest. We soon got chatting about our respective journeys - they were touring historic rallye Monte Carlo stages over a few weeks. Curious, I shared my previous routes and detours with them, wondering if I had unwittingly traversed any historic stages.

Much to my surprise and delight, it turned out that I had indeed completed or at least touched upon a Monte Carlo stage! I would love to claim that I cut a cool figure during this inadvertent rallying adventure, but the reality was a bright green Go Car Poncho and what transpired to be women's Bellstaff waterproof riding trousers (a hasty eBay purchase oversight!).

The route between Tallard and Barcelonnette was everything I'd hoped for. The rain had ceased, and the gloomy overcast weather didn't dampen the thrill of my first sight of the snow-capped foothills of the Alps. Each peak, dramatically framed by a cloud inversion against the backdrop of a swirling, dark grey sky, was a spectacle in itself.

Barcelonnette was my final stop for the day. I checked into La Grand Hotel, where the biker-friendly proprietor generously allowed me to hang my damp gear in their laundry room. The hot shower that followed felt immensely comforting.

Parking my bike overnight in this busy town proved to be a bit of a concern. With the bike hidden behind the hotel and several teenagers loitering around, my nerves were slightly frayed. So, I took an extra step and found a secure indoor parking space for my motorcycle, a small price of 5 euros for a night of peace.

Now safely parked, I’m in pursuit of a hearty three-course meal. After all, I figured if I'd inadvertently tackled some historic Monte Carlo stages, I was certainly entitled to dine like a rally legend.

[peach-pops]

hey!! I love your writing and was wondering if u could do a scenario of either iwaizumi or kuroo where they hit the ball too hard and it hits their s/o which also happens to be the manager of their team

Thank you for this request! I hope it’s okay that i decided to write them both cause duh. 

Iwaizumi + Kuroo Hitting Their S/O with a Volleyball

➣Iwaizumi 

“ Iwa-chan, if you stare at her much longer, she’s going to file a restraining order against you,” Oikawa teased as Iwaizumi peeled his eyes off of you and sent a glare towards his teammate who was getting ready to serve,” not to mention your eyes are practically bulging out of your head and it’s making you look like a toad.” 

Iwaizumi slapped the volleyball out of Oikawa’s hands as a small whine came out of the setter’s mouth. Iwaizumi held in his laughter as he watched Oikawa run after the ball and turned his attention back to you.

Iwaizumi had no shame, you two had been dating for a short time but now it wasn’t as big of a deal if you caught him staring at you versus before the two of you got together. You weren’t his first girlfriend but so far, things were already looking out to be good between the two of you. 

There haven’t been any fights or any signs of problems so Iwaizumi had nothing to worry about. Everything worked out perfectly, he was always busy with volleyball but since you were the manager for Aoba Johsai, you two still got to see each other and hang out normally. 

As long as you two didn’t hurt each other, he could see things working out in his favor. 

Of course, he would be speaking too soon. 

“ Hey, less staring and more serving,” You teased as you walked past him carrying a heavy cardboard box filled with some workout gear,” if you practiced as much as you stared at my ass, you would be number one in Japan.” 

Iwaizumi scanned the room quickly to make sure no one was looking and gave you a hard smack on your butt, causing you to yell back a stern, “Hajime!” 

He only chuckled as he grabbed a ball from one of the baskets and started to practice his serves. The Spring High Preliminaries were only a few weeks away but Iwaizumi already felt so confident in himself that they would have the chance to compete in Nationals.

He had never trained this hard before and he was in his element, not only was he serving harder than ever before,  he felt like everything else simply went away when he was playing. 

That’s why he didn’t notice you walking straight into his serve on the other side of the court. He shouted for your name but it was already too late. The ball collided right into your cheek and you cried out in pain as you fell over, sending the boxes straight to the ground. 

Iwaizumi just stood there for a second because no way did that actually just happen, he could’ve sworn it only happened in the movies but once he heard you crying out his name, his legs went on autopilot. 

Iwaizumi ran over to you and practically jumped over a first-year, thinking crapcrapcrapcrap as he slid against the floor and hovered over your body,” Y/N! Shit I am so sorry, can you hear me? Y/N are you okay?” 

You nodded but your face said otherwise as tears leaked out of your eyes. Your whole face was flushed red and there was a huge mark on the right side of your cheek where you got hit. Your whole body felt sore from hitting the ground but you still managed to hold up a thumbs up. 

“ Iwa-chan you could’ve killed her!” Oikawa exclaimed as he kneeled beside his friend,” luckily, your serves aren’t as deadly as mine, otherwise she would definitely be unconscious.” 

You and Iwaizumi both stopped panicking for a moment to glare back at Oikawa as he raised his hands defensively and backed away from the crime scene. 

“ It’s my fault, I should’ve paid attention to where I was walking,” You insisted as you tried to stand up but Iwaizumi stopped you from doing so,” I’m okay, really. It doesn’t hurt that bad.” 

“ I’m going to take you to the nurse, you could have a concussion,” Iwaizumi said as you waved him off. 

“ Hajime, I don’t need-”

“ Shut up and let me carry you,” Iwaizumi huffed before he scooped you up in his arms and carried you bridal style to the nurse,” god you’re so stubborn, you know that?” 

He knew you were pretty headstrong and most of the time, he let it slide but since it was a matter of your health, he just ignored you whining on about how you didn’t need to see the nurse. 

It was silent most of the way to the nurse as if you both had a feeling that there was a good possibility that you had a concussion but when the nurse actually confirmed it, Iwaizumi’s heart sank. 

No matter how much you tried to convince him that you felt fine, he knew it was 100% his fault and he felt even guiltier when the nurse told you that you should take a day off from school. 

“ Don’t worry, I’m gonna be right by your side all day tomorrow, okay?” Iwaizumi reassured you as he walked you back home,” I got all of your homework from your teachers but you don’t have to worry about it cause I’ll help you through it.”

“ Hajime, you still have school. You can’t miss it just because I have a concussion. Trust me, I’ll be fine without you.”

“ Please just let me take care of you. I already feel shitty as it is, let me look after you for my own sanity,” Iwaizumi sighed as you bit the inside of your cheek. 

His teammates always saw him to be serious most of the time and sometimes a bit too brash but when it came to you, he was so sensitive and even though you felt perfectly fine, you eventually caved in,” Okay, only because you’re begging me. Remember, you have to take care of me so that means you have to give me sooo much attention and you can’t complain.” 

“ I never complain,” Iwaizumi huffed as he pulled you in closer to his side. 

➣Kuroo

“ Please Tetsuro, just one quick game. It always looks so fun watching you guys play and it’s not like I’m terrible,” You pouted as your shoes squeaked against Nekoma’s gym floors,” I’ll let you take Kenma and I’ll even have Lev on my team if it makes it easier for you.” 

Kuroo wrapped his hands around your waist and hummed as if he was considering your offer. You were the manager for the boy’s volleyball team but you always pestered your boyfriend to let you play because he knew you got bored on the sidelines.  

“ Fine, only because you asked so nicely,” Kuroo smirked as he leaned down to plant a light kiss on your lips before calling some of the boys over. 

He took Kenma and Yaku while you had Lev and Teshiro and you each took your spots on opposite sides of the net. 

“ You know babe, I’m not gonna go easy on you just because you’re a girl,” Kuroo said with a wink as you rolled your eyes. 

“ I’d be offended if you did Captain,” You teased back as Lev took his spot to serve. 

For the most part, you could keep up with the boys and while Kuroo got some spikes past you, you managed to return the favor and send them flying his way. The score was tied at this point and you looked up at Kuroo through the net, who was resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. 

“You know you can stop going easy on me or wait, are you playing at your best?” You mocked playfully as you wiped some of the sweat off of your forehead with the back of your hand. 

Kuroo could only let out a hasty laugh; even though he wasn’t playing at 110%, he wasn’t holding back on anything and that’s why he was so exhausted. 

“ You’re gonna regret that babe,” Kuroo sighed as the next point went into play. 

You watched closely as Lev spiked the ball over but Yaku easily slid down to reach it, sending the ball up in the air for Kenma to set. 

Focus, just focus you thought as Kenma set the ball over to Kuroo. 

You waited and counted to three before jumping up and spread your fingers out. You were directly in his path and you both knew that there was no way around it. Kuroo took a steady breath and slammed the ball down as hard as he could, sending the ball straight into your nose. 

Kuroo saw it all happen in slow motion, once the ball hit you right in the face, the ball rolled over the net and onto his side but he didn’t care about the winning point. He watched helplessly as you grabbed your nose in pain and hit the floor with a loud thud. 

You groaned and held tight onto your nose, trying your best to not get any blood on the gym floor because you knew you would have to clean it up later. 

“ Motherfucker,” You cried out in pain as you started to feel tears stream down your face,” i-is it broken?” 

Kuroo kneeled beside you as Kenma quickly went over to the bench to grab a towel,” I- uh there’s a lot of blood can’t see but I don’t think so. Fuck, does it hurt baby?”

“ Of course it hurts! You pummeled me in the face,” You whined as Kuroo quickly grabbed the towel from Kenma’s hand and held it against your nose,” did I block it?” 

Kuroo’s mind was going all over the place, he was more worried about him hurting you than if you had won or not and it took you asking three more times before he heard you,” Yeah you blocked it with your face dummy, congrats you won. I’m gonna take you to the nurse okay?” 

“ Yes please,” You groaned sarcastically as Kuroo carried you in his arms and you let out a laugh,” I can walk perfectly fine thank you very much.” 

“ I know but I look more heroic like this,” Kuroo teased back to clear some of the tension,” but god, Y/N I’m sorry I almost killed you. I’ll make it up to you baby I promise. ” 

“ Don’t flatter yourself Tetsuro, the spike wasn’t that hard,” You said as you pointed to your nose” you better hope you didn’t break my face, this is my moneymaker right here.” 

Kuroo was thankful you weren’t angry at him but he still felt so guilty because you both knew it hurt way more than it looked,” You’re beautiful no matter what babe...but see? I told you I wouldn’t take it easy on you.”

[magalidragon]

I’m going to go a little overboard… but honestly I could thing of one universe for each one! So I just picked my favorites and I’m going to some long lost universes lol (maybe not so long… and one in particular definitely not lost, since it might be your most liked fic)

133 and 67 slushees aren’t just for kids, fuck society and just don’t buy a goat, I don’t care what you do, just no goats… this two gave me such Bad Santa vibes!

77 I lost our child… for Anger management and it will be hilarious if each of them lost a twin :) (What can I say , I miss the honorable judge)

110 quit stalling where is your father… all the world’s a stage

And 133… I miss Silent shadows waaaaay go much sorry… so… you had a nightmare tell me what it is so I can make it better

Now I leave you with the little angel face of Agnes asking pretty please

Ahhhhhh there are so many amazing universes on here that I loved writing so much and I’m so excited to write in again!! I mean I had to start first with our favorite trashy sluts Santa Jon and Elf Dany! More coming up soon!

bad summer | 133. “Slushees aren’t just for kids, fuck society.”,

67. “Just don’t buy a goat, I don’t care what you do, just no goats!”

"What is that?"

"What is what?"

Jon pointed to the strangest drink he had ever seen clutched in his wife's small hands. It was a plastic cup the size of a bucket, filled with neon blue and red swirls, topped with what looked like candy. She was guzzling it like a baby with a bottle. "That thing. It looks like a Slushee."

"Because it is."

"A Slushee?! Those are for kids!" He was nursing his beer, since they cost an arm and a leg, and he really needed to keep all of his appendages intact, because he had spent most of the day grabbing his wife and keeping her from engaging in all manner of depraved and vile acts. Like forcing him to ride the Ferris Wheel, the ship see-saw thing, and the rickety rusted out dragon ride that did three loops in five minutes for almost twenty crowns. Then she wanted him to go into the Haunted House, the Fun Room, and the giant adult bouncy castle.

The fact that she was only shit-faced for about four of these suggestions disturbed him more than he realized. Sometimes he wondered just how well he truly knew her and she knew him, which was saying something given they'd been married over a year. Oh yeah, we did only know each other two weeks before we got married, he reminded himself. Sometimes he forgot that part.

Dany snorted, her lips and teeth stained purple from the drink. "Slushees aren't just for kids, fuck society, besides, this one is an adult Slushee. See?" She shoved the straw between his lips before he could stop her and he sucked, swallowing down the freezing ice drink with tears in his eyes. Since it was filled with some disgusting alcoholic combination too. She giggled. "Vodka I think."

"Oh man you're wasted, that's rum!"

"Meh." She looped her arm in his, tripping a bit when they stumbled away from the drink tents back towards the festival. She waved her Slushee, her bicep flexing in her cute little muscle tee with the purple lace camisole and bra underneath. "Jon, this is our day! Live a little! Because when we wake up tomorrow morning, Aunt Arya and Uncle Gendry aren't going to be there and we will have to deal with..." She shuddered. "Her.”

He swallowed hard on his sip of beer. "Hmm," he agreed non committedly.

"I mean, I love her, I really do, don't get me wrong, I will chop off any piece of me for her..."

"Same."

She carried on, not hearing him, and tripped in a divot on the already smashed down fairgrounds grass. He helped her right herself, her silver braids falling into her eyes, but she didn't notice. "I mean she's my baby girl and she's like a little miracle..."

"Demon."

"But Jon she screams..."

"And bites."

"And terrifies me."

"I think she can read our minds" His daughter was a genius. Absolutely bloody genius. She was only ten months old, but he was positive she was speaking in full sentences. Except she didn't do it in front of them. When they asked her to speak, she would smile and do nothing but pat their faces and return to whatever task she had. The doctors said that she was beyond her age range for all manner of developmental milestones. She was ten months old and walking. Had just gone from crawling to walking.

There was also the morning when she was on the steps and he was absolutely sure she had started going down them herself but everyone said he was mad, babies didn't do that. She had just slipped down one because he set her on the floor for five bloody seconds to turn around and get the baby sling on, but she had moved too fast for him. He never did that again.

It was awkward to not have to worry about her....well, not too much. The only people in that house he trusted with his daughter's life were Ghost, Drogon, and then his cousin and her boyfriend. Robb and Theon were monsters and he was also scared of what exactly happened the first night she'd come home from the hospital.

He was helping Dany in the bathroom-- what one did for love and for a postnatal woman who was still claiming that he was not allowed in her bed-- when Robb came into the room, a strange expression on his face, holding the infant. "She was just staring at me," he had said.

"She's like twenty-two hours old!"

"I don't know...I didn't like it."

The same thing with Theon. It was probably for the best, he believed, since he didn't trust either of those maniacs. It was nice though to have all the available sitters though. It was just that they hadn't really had a full day alone. He was working at home writing, while Dany had her photography to attend to. One of her photos from the previous years' Christmas town in Winterfell had won an award, then she'd gone on to win a few more after she ventured to Essos for a trip, and before he knew it, his foul-mouthed Christmas-hating elf was a bonafide photojournalist.

The Westeros Unification Day celebration, a major festival held in King's Landing every year, seemed to be a fun thing to do and Dany had been gifted tickets by one of the newspapers she worked with, so they all flew down-- that was a bloody nightmare-- to attend even though he hated crowds and she hated people. It was a time to be a couple, to remember what it was like when it was just them, he thought, even if his heart hurt for his baby.

Demonic though his baby dragon princess might be.

Dany sucked on the spiked Slushee, leaning hard on his side, in her cute little festival outfit, her wellies stomping in the mud, splashing some up onto his jeans. "Jon! Jon I remember!"

"What?"

"I wanna' see the animals!"

He sighed, knowing that that was coming soon. His aversion to rides aside, along with the disgusting festival food, he didn't mind the animal tents. It was a huge old-fashioned fair that brought in all what hte Seven Provinces had to offer, to celebrate the day that Dorne finally fell-- the Dornish were still a bit prickly on that-- and Westeros became one instead of a million. Praise be to Aegon Targaryen, even though it was Daemon who was King when Dorne joined.

At least they weren't celebrating it the day that Torrhen bent hte knee, he thought briefly, passing by the entrance that led down towards the heritage tents. They didn't need to go that way, else they'd drag home all kinds of shit htey didn't need. "Dany can I have some more of that Slushee?" he asked, licking his lips, not sure why he wanted it. He wondered if there was some sort of edible in it.

She shook her head. "No! Mine, mine, mine!"

"You're not fun." He fished out his phone and took her picture, making a face and drinking her Slushee, her hand thrown up in a 'rock on' sign. He grinned, dancing away from her. "Ha! Rhae's gonna' love this when she's old enough!"

"Fuck you! You are not showing my daughter that!"

"Our daughter," he reminded her. He stopped at a stall that was selling some other kind of alcoholic drink called a Red Viper, and clinked his glass of orange, yellow, and red against hers. "To freedom from diapers, wipes, baby shit, and the possibility our little Rhae can control our minds."

Dany sniffed, tears welling in her big violet eyes. "I miss her, Jon!

He did too. "I know," he cooed, soothing her by rubbing her arm, walking back down one of hte paths heading towards the animal tents. "But hey, it's our day!" Whatever was in his drink was burning his throat and his eyes out. He gasped after taking another sip. "Is this Fireball?"

"Lemme see." She took a sip and coughed. "I don't know, here trade." They traded and carried on, stumbling towards a face painting booth where she forced him to get his face painted to look like a wolf and she would look like a dragon.

Then they went to the animal tent, where she squealed over baby chicks, ducks, and piglets, pet every single horse at least eighty times, and then moved into the 'small animal' enclosure. He paused, seeing her staring in direction of the sheep and lambs. "Dany," he warned.

"What?"

"No."

"I didn't do anything!"

"We have a baby, four roommates-- two of whom are basically children--, a wolf, and a cat, we do not need a sheep."

"What about a duck?"

"No ducks!" His face was starting to itch. He wrinkled his nose up, the paint dry and weird. "I don't like this thing on my face Dany, I'm going to go wash it off."

"You will do no such thing it cost twenty crowns!"

"Dany," he warned again, trying to distract her to go over to the heritage tents. They could go get litlte rose-covered onesie from the Reach for Rhae or maybe a stupid lion hat for her, but no, they had to get out of the animal tents immediately. He had a very bad feeling.

Her lips twitched; it made her look like she was about to breathe fire. "What about a bunny? I think that would be sweet."

"Bunnies shit everywhere."

"Jon, they're adorable! I'm going to look."

He sighed, hurrying after her, his face now starting to burn, so he drank more of the Slushee to forget the feeling. "Fine but...just don't buy a goat!" He caught sight of her moving straight towards the four-legged trash compactors. He shivered, remembering what it was like growing up at Winterfell. They had all kinds of animals and the goat would eat everything. "I don't care what you do, just no goats!"

---

"What happened to your face?"

"What happened to your eyes?"

"Is that a fucking goat?"

Jon rubbed more of the medicated lotion for the allergic reaction rash he had developed from the cheap face paint into his cheeks, thinking even the Santa suit beard didn't itch this bloody much. He glanced at Dany, who still had on sunglasses on because she was still hungover, and then at the goat who was munching happily on one of the living room house plants.

Rhae stood against one of her toys, a large plastic castle, and watched the goat, her face devoid of expression. His baby had dark curls with the palest skin and huge violet eyes like her mother, and she was wearing one of the new outfits they'd purchased at the festival-- a romper covered in flower embroidery from The Reach, and a hat atop her head that said 'I Do Not Kneel- I'm From the North.' She pointed at the goat and said very clearly, "No."

The goat turned away from the plant and trotted outside, refusing to come back in.

Dany sighed, leaning against him. "Good girl Rhae Rhae."

She toddled towards them and he lifted her up, kissing her brow. She sighed and smiled, closing her eyes and cuddling against him. He shook his head, which still ached from whatever drinks they'd had. "Go away guys. Theon, the goat's yours."

"I don't want a goat!"

"Well you have one."

Arya cackled, bumping her fist to Robb's. "I think Sansa might like it, remember when the one at Winterfell ripped her favorite dress and started eating it right in front of her?"

"Oh yeah," he laughed. "Score, let's get it over to Winterfell."

"His name is Bob!" Dany shouted.

Jon slumped down, his daughter placing her little hand on his cheek as she hummed contentedly in his arms. A moment later, he blinked, the itching fading away. He glanced down at her and she smiled, silent. "I love you, but you scare me," he murmured.

Dany patted his knee. "I know, I'm your wife, that's what should be."

"No I wasn't..." Naw, that was true too. "Nevermind."

"We missed the fireworks." They'd passed out at the hotel, unable to stay awake to see the huge fireworks display. Headed straight back to Winterfell the following day.

He didn't care about the fireworks. He kissed her temple. "I'll show you fireworks later."

"Hmmm, Happy Unification Day to me, huh?"

"You bet."

Rhae wiggled in his arms, moving to get between the two of them. He sighed, mumbling, thumb dragging over his daughter's fat little foot. "Merry Christmas."

"It's not Christmas," Dany mumbled back.

He didn't care; he was already asleep.

[caranfindel]

Take these broken wings and learn to fly (15.20 coda)

het, but Wincest-compatible | about 2300 words | PG-13 for language | characters: sam winchester, sam’s blurry wife |

Julia has been widowed (God, what an awful word, widowed) for three years when she meets Sam. It’s a work-based friendship at first. She’s kind of lonely and sad, he’s kind of lonely and sad, and they gravitate toward each other. And then one evening they’re at a bar, the last ones left from an after-work happy hour, both of them drinking more than they should, and she thinks he’s kind and thoughtful and smart and he may be 10 years older than me but he’s still hot as hell and I enjoy being with him and I look forward to seeing him and maybe I should just… and she kisses him. He’s shocked; shocked enough to confirm that he wasn’t just hanging around hoping to make it out of the friendzone. And then he’s holding her face in his hands and he’s kissing her too.

It’s good. They’re good together. It’s not the earth-shattering, all-encompassing romance she had with Shaun. Julia knows she’ll never have anything like that again. Most people don’t even get one soulmate in their lives; no one gets two. And she knows Sam doesn’t have that same desperate love that Shaun had for her; she knows she’ll never have his whole heart. (She knows the woman he intended to marry was killed in a fire, she knows another woman he loved went back to her ex. She doesn’t know which of these women still owns that last piece of Sam’s heart.) But she loves Sam, and he loves her, and they get married.

(The sex is amazing. Sometimes he’s gentle, almost reverent, as if he’s afraid he’ll break her, and other times he’s fierce and passionate and almost tries to break her, and she loves both ends of the spectrum.)

She suggests they melt down her old wedding band to make a new one. It was an heirloom from her grandmother, a plain wide band of yellow gold that she loves, that she thought she’d wear for the rest of her life. But Shaun is the one who put it on her finger the first time. It doesn’t seem right to ask Sam to accept it now. A new band from the old gold seems like a good compromise. No, Sam says, I couldn’t ask you to do that. I know a way we can make it ours. He has the inside of the band engraved with the same symbol he wears tattooed over his heart, and makes her promise to never take it off. Bad luck, he says.

He’s such a contradiction. Scary smart, but as superstitious as an Appalachian grandmother. Calm and unflappable, but with a weirdly hyperactive startle reflex. Kind and empathetic, but capable of extreme violence when pushed to his limits (seriously, don’t walk your drunk ass up to Sam Winchester’s wife and lay hands on her, and don’t get mouthy when she tells you to back off) and just really, frighteningly skilled at that violence.

(A little frightening and also very sexy. Julia’s always had a thing for the hero type.)

They both have nightmares. One night Julia watches Shaun’s face melting under his gear and wakes with a cry of horror. Sam holds her as she tearfully describes living on the knife edge of constant fear that comes with loving someone whose job is literally running into burning buildings. I know, he says, over and over, even though he can’t possibly know. The irony of their first loves both dying in flames is not lost on her, but it’s not like his college girlfriend was a firefighter. It’s not like he watched her go to work every day and prayed she’d make it home alive.

Julia’s pregnancy is a wonderful surprise. She and Shaun had tried for over a year before she was widowed, and she just didn’t count on it happening with Sam. They agree not to name the baby after anyone they’ve lost. Let’s not name him after our pain, she says, and Sam is okay with that. (Or he isn’t. But ever since she showed him the positive pregnancy test, she’s known she could ask him for anything. She’s known he would rip out his heart and serve it on a platter if she asked for it.)

But they haven’t decided on a name yet when her water breaks four weeks early. When their perfect baby boy is born at 12:10 a.m., the nurse announces the date and time and Sam looks up at her in shock and blinks away happy tears and says it’s the 24th. It’s my brother’s birthday. Julia is flying high on endorphins; she loves this baby and she loves this man and she even loves his dead brother she never got to meet, and she says it’s got to be a sign; let’s name him Dean.

She takes off her wedding ring, just this once, to have Dean’s birthdate engraved on the inside. Sam does the same with his own ring. He insists they go to a jeweler who will engrave while they wait, rather than leaving the rings there. She waves a hand at her lumpy postpartum body. You afraid someone’s gonna make a move on all this if you don’t keep a ring on it?

He laughs at her and says you’re onto me, even though he’s the one who needs to be locked away, still with that long lean runner’s body and the amazing shoulders and the goddamn dimples. I just don’t like us being without them, he says. He is a sweet, sentimental fool and she adores him. He bends down to kiss her, carefully maneuvering the baby he’s wearing in a sling, and Julia looks at this man and this baby and this life she didn’t think she was get to have and knows she’s happier than she has any right to be. And she’s relieved when Sam slips the ring back onto her finger, this ring imbued with the men she loves, so maybe he’s not the only sentimental fool.

(One thing she loves about Sam is that he understands why she feels guilty that Shaun didn’t get to share this life with her.)

In July they light a little candle for Dean’s six-month birthday. When Julia wakes the next morning, Sam’s side of the bed is empty and cold. She finds him cuddling their sleeping baby in the living room. I got up to give him a bottle, Sam says. I guess I just fell asleep out here. His red-rimmed eyes and empty coffee mug suggest he didn’t actually sleep at all, but, well. They’re both battling their own private demons. If a night cradling the baby gives Sam some peace for whatever reason, she’s glad of it.

Sam’s fierce love for their child takes her by surprise. If Julia has 90% of his heart, his son has 110%. He parents with a vengeance, is the only way she can think of to describe it. Like he’s making up for something. She doesn’t feel slighted, but it’s impossible to ignore that ever since Dean was born, Sam’s prime objective has been to make sure the boy is happy and safe. Everything else comes second.

(When she notices Sam has been carefully marking his tattoo symbol onto Dean’s clothing, hidden near seams and always in a color that almost matches the fabric, she decides not to say anything. He gets a little funny about his superstitions sometimes.)

Sam desperately wants Dean to have a sibling, and they try for another one, but it doesn’t happen. Julia reminds him that they’re lucky to have even one child. That having a sibling is not a lifetime guarantee of companionship and love. She should know, after all, since Stephanie cut her off after she married that asshole Scientologist and decided she couldn’t have a relationship with anyone who wasn’t also in their stupid cult.

Dean has plenty of friends and tons of activities, which Sam encourages with an almost religious fervor, but he never pulls away from his parents. They have so much in common, Sam and his son. Instead of rebelling as a teenager, Dean seems to grow even closer to his father. They spend hours together, paging through the ancient books in Sam’s study (she hates them, they smell musty and make her sneeze) or driving in the old Chevrolet. They even travel together sometimes, visiting those friends of Sam’s that live up north somewhere. Julia met them at the wedding and they were perfectly nice, thrilled to death that she and Sam had found each other. But she always feels like an outsider when they’re around, like they’re part of something she’ll never understand. So much history, with Sam and the brother she never got to meet. They absolutely dote on Dean though, and he seems to love them too, so the boys’ trip to Sioux Falls becomes an annual event.

(Dean is 14 years old when he comes home from one of these trips with his own version of the tattoo.)

When Julia is diagnosed with cancer, Dean is 16 years old. Sam does his best to ensure life goes on as normal for their son but somehow never neglects Julia’s needs. He throws himself into research and is always on top of the latest treatment, always at her elbow with the top internet-recommended remedy for her side effects, making sure both she and Dean have everything they want and need, all the attention and support they can tolerate. She doesn’t know when, or if, Sam actually sleeps. When she feels up for it, he arranges experiences for the three of them. A week lying on the beach, a weekend in New York City, a night in the mountains looking at the stars. When we look back on this time, he says, I don’t want us to only remember how much it sucked. I want us all to have good memories too.

(She doesn’t know why he’s concerned about her memories. There’s a good chance she won’t have much time to enjoy them. But it’s good for Dean. She doesn’t want this to ruin Dean’s childhood.)

Sam insists Dean go away to college as planned. Julia agrees, although she’s kind of surprised he’s willing to let the boy out of his sight. Aren’t you going to miss him? she asks.

So much, he answers. But this isn’t about me, and what I need. It’s about him. They drive Dean to school in the ancient Chevrolet. Supposedly because the trunk has room for all of his stuff, but Julia is pretty sure it’s just one last sentimental road trip in the old thing before Sam retires it. When they pick Dean up at the end of the school year, it’s in her SUV. Dean promises his father, more than once, that he’ll restore the Chevy someday.

Five years after Julia’s diagnosis, she’s sitting in the doctor’s office learning that her last remission was her last remission. There are no more options. She has months, not years. Sam clutches her hand and nods, once, as if to say I should have known this would happen; I should have expected something like this. Then he takes her home.

It’s a blessing in a way, he says late that night, after a little too much to drink. Knowing what’s coming. Having time to say goodbye. You don’t always get that. And yes, she knows this as well as anybody does.

Sam has always been supportive of her choice not to contact Stephanie, but one day he says Jules, I promise I’ll never bring it up again. It’s just that I don’t want you to have any regrets. I don’t want you miss the opportunity to say things that you’ll wish you’d said. Julia isn’t sure Steph will speak to her. She’s not even sure she’ll have the same phone number — they haven’t spoken since Dad’s funeral, a year after she was widowed — but she makes the call. And Steph answers. And cries. And comes to visit, where she hugs and cries some more. Sam watches it all with a sad smile for a while, then disappears into the garage to sit in the old Chevy.

When Julia takes her last conscious breaths, Dean is holding one hand and Sam is holding the other. She squeezes her son’s hand and thinks I love you, dear boy, and I’m sorry I have to leave you. She squeezes her husband’s hand and thinks thank you for giving me this, thank you for taking care of me, thank you for loving me and letting me love you. Then she closes her eyes and lets the soft, warm darkness take over.

And then. Then she wakes to a cool breeze and the sound of chirping birds. She’s standing at a lake she recognizes. It’s Shaun’s favorite fishing spot. And Shaun is there, waiting for her. And everything is okay.

Sam does show up eventually. Julia’s sitting on the porch of the cabin with Shaun, enjoying the perpetual nice day (sometimes a spring morning, sometimes a fall afternoon, but always nice) when she hears the familiar rumble. It cant be, she thinks. It can’t be that old car. But it is.

I’m glad you found someone with good taste in cars, Shaun says, as Sam unfolds himself from the driver’s seat. He looks exactly as he did the day she met him; no glasses, only a little grey at his temples. Still tall and strong and beautiful. She runs to meet him and embraces him as Shaun watches from the porch.

You found Shaun, Sam says. I’m so happy for you, Jules. I really am. He doesn’t seem to have any intention of joining her (their) Heaven permanently, but he doesn’t seem to have anyone else with him either. Where is the dead girlfriend? How is this fair?

They talk about Dean, and Julia’s heart swells with pride over her strong, smart, kind, brave son. He’s like you, she says. He’s just like you.

Sam shrugs. He’s a Winchester.

But what about you? she says. You’re not — you’re not alone here, are you?

Nah, he says. I’m good. I promise.

(Eventually Julia meets the first Dean, and she understands.)

===

I know a lot of people have mocked Sam's blurry wife, but I actually have grown to love the concept. Because it means she can be anything we want her to be. And yeah, initially I liked the idea of her being Dr. Cara, or Eileen. But now I don't think that would happen. I think Sam would have to start fresh to have that kind of relationship. And I also like the idea of Sam's wife having her own soulmate somewhere, waiting for her, so she's not a huge part of Sam and Dean's shared Heaven. I mean, they're gonna visit, obviously. And then they'll go home to their soulmates.

The title is from "Blackbird" by the Beatles.

[drabbles-of-writing]

Hello, anon, who requested sick content before ^-^ that was so,,, incredibly,,,, sad.... I LOVED IT. But the original question was more asking for like, a cold, or the flu or something lmao.. <3 just, fluffy, soup, and care please dear god

SRITHSJKRTHRJKTHJR IM SO SORRY YOU GOTTA BE SPECIFIC WITH ME DUDE OTHERWISE I GO THE FULL 110% I HAVE NO FILTER Here here I’ll do it again blease don’t call my manager ajekthksjrhtjrk thank you for making me laugh at my own angst tho

Since we did Luz last time we’re going Amity this time.

Amity tries to hide that she’s sick but like Luz can Tell. Her moms a nurse n she lived with incredibly stubborn people she Knows the signs. So as Amity is trying to leave and go to work Luz just grabs the back of her shirt collar like a kitten and drags her back to bed w like a “Amity just bc I missed the c*r*na doesn’t mean we need it here” when she’s joking & Amity is just “tf is a r*na--”

You know how when your sick you feel like a hot pocket? cold on the outside but hot in the inside? that’s Amity and she’s Loudly Complaining. Luz is just sitting at the edge of the bed like “bitch what do you EXPECT me to do?? jump you in between the Knee and the Boiling Pits?”

And then in like the middle of the night when Amity is trying to steal snacks with a blanket around her shoulders like a gremlin. Luz looks into the kitchen and sees these Ominous Orbs until she flicks on the lights and Amity’s eyes go all slitted and she hisses and cowers back. Luz gives up making Amity going to sleep without food so she just sits on the counter and eats ice cream from the box as Amity hoards all the candy bars.

Amity wants to cuddle but Luz is holding her back w her foot bc “babe I love you but we can’t BOTH be sick I have WORK tomorrow I have Things To Do” but she gives up at the end of the day and relents to cuddling and prays that witch cold can’t be given to humans. it can.

Amity is extra grumpy n snappy but every time she snaps she immediately gets closer to Luz or sulks like she’s guilty or trying to say ‘sorry’ but she’s a bit delirious n still grumpy even if she feels bad. Luz doesn’t mind n is just “sure ami” when she all grumpy. you know the dog Mr. Bubz? it’s like that.

Tracing the scars when she’s staring off bc she is hot n Luz won’t let her b bundled up so Amity just starts staring off into nothing and traces the wire and scratch scars from so many years ago. Luz wonders if Amity is remembering when she got them so she gently takes her hands away from her scars n offers her soup, which seems to snap her back into the present.

Luz has to carry Amity around at first bc she was so tired. She also had to call Lilith, n since Lilith can and will be messed with, she was just “yeah Amity’s down for the count today. don’t bother us” n Lilith is so tired like “would it kill you to be professional?” n Luz just says “yes” before hanging up and slapping down some stew in front of Amity bc she needs to EAT goddamnit

[fuckingthefictional]

sorry to bother but i have a request, could you write a peter parker! x reader, with the reader being the protégé or adopted daughter of the strange doctor? I searched a lot but I didn't find

Must be magic.

Peter Parker x Strange!Reader

Requested: Yes by @celenajulie

A/N: hope you enjoy this! I tried my best- and there will be a part 2 out soon, where Y/N introduces Peter to her dad, stay safe out there! Xx

Y/N never knew her birth parents, she had only been a mere few hours old when she had been left outside of a New York orphanage.

The owners took her in, fed her and let her grow. She was a generally happy baby.

Until one day, a few months later, Y/N took a turn for the worst. She was no longer that happy girl with the gummy smile, she wasn’t herself.

She slept more, she cried more, she vomited more despite eating less and she didn’t interact with the social workers at the house like she used to. She just wasn’t herself.

Soon they found out why. Y/N had a brain tumour, the doctors called it pineoblastoma.

It was rare, it was aggressive and it was killing the young infant- causing her to waste away.

There were several options, the majority of which were expensive and risky. The staff at the orphanage were considering placing Y/N into the care of a hospice.

After all, time was limited and their options were coming to dead ends. What else could they do? They needed a miracle, a doctor something magical if Y/N was to survive and thrive again.

-

Christine Palmer loved her job, she loved the idea of caring and helping those who needed her support.

It didn’t matter what age, gender, sexuality or race someone was- she tried 110% to help them to the best of her ability.

Some said that she cared too much, Christine opted towards the fact that compassion was key in the medical industry. And anyone who lacked it, wasn’t cut out for this line of work.

Compassion was what lead Christine to Y/N.

God- she could still remember the first time she’d met the tiny girl.

It had been in the early hours of the morning, the rain had been hammering down for hours and all had been relatively quiet in ER.

Christine remembered going to the vending machine in the waiting room on her break, in hopes to get a snack.

What she hadn’t expected was to become involved in a small dispute. There had been a small altercation that she had decided to step in between.

It seemed to of been between one of the ladies at the front desk and a tall, slender woman- who Christine had at first assumed to be a wife or parent of a patient.

It wasn’t until the young woman inquired why the argument had begun that she finally understood and jumped into action.

“It’s one of the children that I care for, Y/N- last month we were here and she was diagnosed with a brain tumour, we’ve been getting treatment but she’s taken a turn for the worse.”

It was almost immediately that Nurse Palmer jumped into action and called for support on her pager.

It took mere seconds for a doctor to come forward with the required equipment and a portable bassinet to wheel the baby away in.

But there was a nagging feeling in the back of Christine's head, she needed to call him. Just to be sure, to get support and a second opinion.

Without a second thought, she picked her phone from her scrub pocket and pressed the dial button, it rang for a second before a voice chimed through the other side.

“Christine it’s two in the morning.”

“You owe me that favour- come to the hospital now, I need support on a patient’s case.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Okay.” She paused, licking her lips. “And Stephen- thank you.”

-

It had been an ongoing gag between Stephen and Christine that he owed her a favour.

Ever since the incident in med school, Stephen vowed to give his friend one favour- whenever she needed it, whatever it was- he would be there.

That was why he was getting dressed into his scrubs at 2:30 in the morning (when his next shift didn’t start for another day) in order to help Christine with whatever it was she needed.

When Stephen arrived at the hospital he rushed to where Christine said to meet, Paediatric intensive care unit.

He strolled in, finding Christine sat on a chair next to a tiny infant, no less than a few months old, who was covered in fresh wires.

“She has pineoblastoma.” She explained softly, “You’re the only one I know who can operate and get positive results on this sort of thing.”

Stephen nodded, formulating a plan in his head as he read the baby’s case file.

The poor child had been through a lot in her first few months of life it seemed.

And the doctor didn’t know it yet - but he would soon become her proper family, and give her the life she deserved.

-

It was weird being the daughter of a master of the mystic realm. Like really weird. Nothing was ever ‘normal’ in her life.

Travelling to the grocery store? Her dad would simply use his sling ring.

Wouldn’t get out of bed? The cloak of levitation would drag her out if her dad willed it.

Wanted a slice of pizza? Sure- Wong would just conjure one up.

She lived in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum for crying out loud that didn’t exactly scream normal!

The only thing that may have been normal was her school life, Midtown school of science was perfect for Y/N.

She took after her father on that, she was smart and bright and loved to learn.

In fact, there had been many occasions growing up that she had been caught under the covers, flashlight in hand, reading her dad's old medical school textbooks.

But just because she was bright, didn’t mean that she made friends easily. Being smart often meant she was teased by her peers- it didn’t help that her last name was Strange either.

She had some friends on the debate team (MJ being one of them) and she talked to Peter and Ned too sometimes.

But half the time Y/N avoided it, after all, she’d rather not listen to her long term crush go on and on about how he loved the most popular girl in school.

It was painful- that stuff hurt. And every time she thought she’d taken a step forwards toward him he’d take three more back.

“Miss Strange?”

Y/N focused back in on the whiteboard, in front of which stood the extremely unimpressed bio teacher.

“Pardon?”

“The answer Miss Strange?” The teacher turned around, marker poised ready to write down her answer on the board for the class to see.

Thankfully MJ was up to date and mouthed the question number across the room. Looking down at the sheet in front of her she found the relevant question.

‘Name an example of a gene pool.’

“A population with a known proportion of A, B and O blood groups would be an example of a relevant gene pool.”

The teacher looked unimpressed at the fact that Y/N had been ‘listening’, “That is correct.” He cleared his throat, “Now before this lesson ends, I will be handing out these assignment sheets that are to be used for your upcoming projects- yes, you will be doing them with your lab partner. No-you cannot switch.”

Fuck that meant Peter was going to be Y/N’s partner. Double fuck. That meant spending time alone with him.

While Y/N pondered in her doom, the lunch bell rang and everyone moved around her as they packed up and left the classroom.

“Hey erm Y/N?”

The teenager’s head snapped up, only to come face to face with Peter.

“Peter!” She yelped, “Hi.”

The boy laughed breathily, “Hi, listen since we’re buddy’s on this project i was wondering when you were next free- Y’know to do the project?”

Y/N tucked some stray hairs behind her ears, “Oh I’m free whenever,” she ripped the corner of one of her pages off and scribbled down her number, “This is my number in case you need to call me.”

“Cool,” Peter rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “I should get going- it was nice talking.”

“Yeah of course,” she nodded happily, “I’ll see you later.”

Mere minutes later there was a beep coming from Y/N’s pocket, she fished around in her pocket in an attempt to find her phone.

‘Hey this is peter, are you free to make a start on the project afterschool?’

She typed a quick response back, ‘Sure, where were you thinking?’

‘The library is probably most convenient right?’

‘Okay cool, I’ll see you later.’

By the end of the day, Y/N found herself practically bouncing at the idea of spending time with Peter alone.

She’d managed to snag a table and the required textbooks that they’d need. But minutes turned into hours and there was no sight of the boy that Y/N was falling for.

He’d stood her up.

Or at least that’s what Y/N had initially thought. but as the clock struck half-past five, she was aware that it was time she made her way home.

Despite his no show, the bright girl was almost entirely finished with the first half of the project.

She was in the process of exiting the library’s doors when she heard the familiar laugh paired with a high pitched giggle.

“Seriously though- Thanks for helping me with Chem.” The female voice countered, “I’d be lost without you.”

Y/N was flat backed to the cool, red bricks that made up the library building. Listening in to what was being said.

“No problem Liz,” Peter laughed nervously, Y/N could almost imagine the awkward neck rub that he did whenever he laughed like that, “I really enjoyed it- I-I’m glad I could help.”

So it was Liz that Peter stood her up with. Ouch- that stung.

The sorcerer's daughter felt tears drip down her cheeks, she sniffled quietly and kicked off the wall brushing past Peter and Liz briskly.

But all she could hear was Peter’s voice calling behind her. Shouting desperately for her to stop and let him explain.

But she did what she knew best, she went home to her family.

-

The next few days fell victim to the onslaught of messages that Peter sent to Y/N via text.

Even the sounds of her phone buzzing were beginning to set Y/N on edge. Especially since she knew that the notification coming through would be from Peter, begging to let him ‘explain.’

But once more in true Strange fashion, Y/N worked and worked and worked. Until the bio project was finished- almost four weeks in advance.

The way she saw it was that If the work had been completed, then there was no real to hang out with Peter ever again.

He, however, didn’t seem to have the same idea. As 3 weeks later on Monday, Peter had resorted to cornering the girl in the school's supply closet.

He didn’t want to do it, but Y/N gave him no choice. Peter had to explain himself.

“Peter- what the hell?” Y/N yelped, she was beyond pissed at this point.

“You haven’t been returning my texts and calls,” he shrugged, “I need to explain myself.”

“Like hell you do.” She spat, “Look it doesn’t matter, I’ve finished the damn project- we don’t need to see each other again.”

Peter looked shocked and there was hurt in his eyes, “Y/N...”

“What do you want me to say, Peter? That I’m not hurt?” She pursed her lips to stop the tears from leaking, “You left me for hours in the library all while you were having fun with Liz- how is that fair?”

“Please don’t cry,” He whispered, pulling her into his body in an embrace, “I can’t stand it when you cry.”

“You left me alone Peter!” She fought against his embrace, “Like everyone in my life!”

Peter held Y/N against him, rubbing her back and shushing her. Trying anything to bring her calm.

“I got nervous.”

Y/N lifted her head, “What?”

“I got nervous- I’ve- I’ve liked you for forever y’know. I was outside the library for 10 minutes willing myself to go in.” He laughed softly, “But every time I saw you sat there- I just froze.”

The young girl looked up in shock, “But-But Liz?”

“I was about to get reprimanded for loitering, she got me out of the situation. I was going to call you but my phone died.”

Y/N didn’t realise how close together they were until their foreheads touched and their noses bumped.

It felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. It was ironic really because when they finally met in a kiss it felt like all time had stopped.

She could feel every touch on her cheeks, his hair and how it ran through her fingers, how minty he smelt. Everything stood still and for a few moments, you had everything you’d ever wanted in the palm of your hand.

What Y/N had failed to notice was the glowing golden portal that had appeared in the supply closet- even worse the thoroughly unimpressed man standing through it.

“Y/N Strange you are so dead!”

“Shit!”

[saedii-gilwraeth-simp]

Another World - TDC Holidays - Day 27

Hi, daughter of a nurse here to tell you to give nurses more respect. If you’re giving them 100% respect, give them 110%, they deserve it, especially with the year we’ve had.

DAY 27

AU: QUARANTINE

POV: BILLY/ARSINOE

He was working on a case for a client in the kitchen when Arsinoe got home. He made no move to go to her as she passed, waving gently as she smiled tiredly at him on the way to their bedroom. Her cheekbones bore deep red indents from where she’d been wearing a face mask and goggles for her 10 hour shift.

He heard the shower running and focused back on his work, fiddling with Arsinoe’s engagement ring that he wore on his pinky while she was at work so she didn’t have to furiously wash it every day.

She emerged from the bathroom in a towel just as he closed his laptop. She padded across the room to him and kissed his cheek, nuzzling into his neck slightly. She didn’t bother getting the dinner he had put aside for her.

“Hi,” she whispers.

“Hi. How was work?” Billy asked, although he knew the answer. She was a doctor in the middle of a pandemic, it wasn’t hard to guess how her day was.

“Shit. They had me in emergency for most of the day. The nurses are being run off their feet and no one in government respects them enough to pay them more even thought they do all the hard stuff. The whole thing’s fucked. Plus, I had a patient declare he had no symptoms and then have a massive coughing fit. It was lucky I got him with the face mask right before he coughed on the other patients,” she says, turning and walking into their bedroom. Billy scowled and followed her. She emerged from the wardrobe with a t-shirt and pair of his shorts, dropping her towel and quickly changing. He passed her engagement ring to her and she slides it back onto her finger.

“People like that have no respect,” he says. Arsinoe nods and tugs Billy towards her, laying them both down. Billy lies half on top of her, putting pressure on her right shoulder how he knows she likes after long days hunched over at work.

“Yeah, they’re plague rats, I know. At least we have the day off tomorrow,” she sighs again, this time with more relief. Billy frowns and looks at the date on the alarm clock beside their bed. He had lost track of the dates but Arsinoe was right, tomorrow they both have the day off.

They were supposed to be getting married tomorrow.

Instead, they would be spending the day inside, by themselves. Arsinoe said they should Skype their families, but Billy knew she didn’t really want to, so his plans for tomorrow were making Arsinoe’s favourite foods, good wine and better sex. She could persuade him to change the order if she wanted to.

He let her cuddle tighter into him and they laid there until the timer on their lights flicked them into darkness.

~

He woke to Arsinoe kissing up his neck. It was easily his favourite way to wake up and he hummed happily.

“Morning, babe,” he opened his eyes slowly to see she had drifted onto his chest in the night. He kisses her good morning and her nose scrunches slightly.

“You’re breath stinks,” she says, her voice thick with sleep. He smiles and kisses her forehead.

“Well it’s a tad difficult to get up and brush my teeth when the most wonderful person alive is on top of me,” he whispers. Her cheeks went red and she went to roll off him before he held her hips still, “I didn’t say I wanted you to move,” she watches him with those gorgeous dark eyes before patting his chest and rolling off him, stretching out on their sapphire sheets.

“Go brush your teeth, junior,” she mumbles and he stands, heading towards their ensuite. When he feels her eyes on him, he turns to see her eyes flicking up to his.

“Were you just looking at my ass?” He asks and she smiles.

“It looks good in those pyjamas,” she ceded. He chuckles and goes to brush his teeth. When he exits the bathroom, Arsinoe is gone but he can hear music and cooking coming from the kitchen. He follows the sounds and leans against the kitchen wall, watching her cook and hum along to the Footloose soundtrack. He falls in love all over again.

~

They don’t call their families during the day, instead pretending that they’re families were busy as Billy carries Arsinoe back to their bed after breakfast. They’re probably not, but Arsinoe really doesn’t care as Billy’s delicate fingers trace her tattooed ribs and he kisses her like she’s the sun that he hasn’t felt in months.

They take their slow, sweet time, long into the afternoon until both are sleepy again.

Arsinoe feels blissfully numb as Billy lays beside her, his fair hair tangled with her dark curls, his arm a nice weight across her stomach.

“I love you,” she whispers, the sound barely making a dent in the warm silence around them. Billy’s arm squeezes her stomach gently and he kisses her shoulder. His silent way of reciprocating her affection. She turns her head to watch him for a while, allowing herself to take him in.

He’s gotten more pale after so long inside, but that had revealed a layer of freckles across his nose that she hadn’t seen since they were in university together, combining their insurmountable and quite frankly asshole-ish ability to brag with an unbeaten beer pong record. She kisses his shoulder and rolls away as her phone vibrates on the bedside table. A message from their original wedding venue that she can ignore.

And a text from Jules from twenty minutes ago: have fun today! Enjoy the day off.

And then, 10 minutes later: You two are having too much fun aren’t you! And then a bunch of winky face emojis. Arsinoe rolls her eyes and turns back to her fiancee as he shifts and pulls her back into his arms, nuzzling into her neck.  

“I want to stay here for the rest of the day,” she says, running a hand over his jaw. He smiles delicately, kissing her fingers.

“Then let’s stay here for the rest of the day,” he says, kissing her and pulling her to rest on top of him.

TAG LIST: @poisonerrose​, @alwaysbored005​, @nataliaarronn​

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Boys and Girls

Inspired by Boys and Girls by Alabama Shakes. A little sweet birthday blurb/mini fic. 

I am taking commissions by the way!

Calum likes to take it easy on his birthday. And she’s got a sweet little plan. 

___________

I’m rescuing you from the bars tonight. 11 pm sharp. 

Calum relays the message to Ashton, the man in charge of climbing-into-birthday-hours festivities. Calum’s birthday celebrations usually only went for a day. He liked having some time to be at peace during the day on his actual birthday. The idea of pre-graming his birthday the night before and then having a nice dinner the day of was ideal to appease the friend group that never fully needed a reason to go out onto the town. 

Ashton nods though at Calum’s request. “You know the party will be rolling on for a while if you ever care to rejoin us.”

“I’m aware,” Calum returns as his phone shakes again with a message from her. Wear something cozy too.

This is the sort of deal people get when they’re getting kidnapped you know, he replies with a grin on his face. 

Trust me, this is not the warning a kidnapper gives. 

Any clue on what’s going down?

No. No clues. 

That’s the last time Calum’s phone shakes from her. He assumes it might be work and doesn’t bombard her with any more messages. Though he does think it’s unfair, he doesn’t want to fully ruin whatever surprise she has planned. Both of them have been friends ever since Calum spilled his drink in the cafe that she worked. She wheeled the mop out with a laugh as Calum apologized profusely. 

“Accidents happen. Let me get you a refill.” She covered the spill, or at least the majority of it, up with the dingy yellow bucket, before going back behind the counter and washing her hands. The machines kicked back to life. She personally walked the drink over to him. 

“I swear I’m not this much of a klutz most days,” Calum sighed. 

“Well, I am. So let me tell you, it’s not the end of the world. Drink your coffee. The caffeine will get those motor skills right again.”

Calum was thankful that at this time of the day the cafe wasn’t busy or else the morning crowd running to get their caffeine before their days started would not have been pleased with his accident. After that, Calum returned to the cafe more regularly. She had memorized his order so that on sight she had the card reader ready as she ran down the specifics.  They chatted during her breaks sometimes. They grabbed lunch at the little Mexican restaurant across the street during her lunch break.

She was always planning something, Calum had learned. When he mentioned Duke, on more than one occasion, she asked about his birthday and what kind of toys and treats he liked. The questions had not prepared him for when she knocked on his door about mid-morning three weeks later with a huge basket in her hands. It was filled with toys, treats, and a couple other necessities like doggy bags and training pads. It didn’t stop her from mailing him flowers on Valentine’s Day with a note that read, Love sucks. But you don’t. So here are some flowers. Calum still uses that notecard a bookmark in all the random novels and collections of poetry that he reads. 

****************

The bars are packed; the streets are buzzing with people and heels clicking and loud laughter. It’s to be expected on a Friday night in a city is constantly on. Calum keeps a close eye on the time. He doesn’t dare want to miss his rendezvous time. He promised to share his location at 10:00 and again at 10:30 so she could figure how far into the city his friends had carried him. It’s early now, just barely ticking past 9 pm. They agreed to take the night slow so that everyone could actually remember ringing in the birthday and so Calum wouldn’t be sloppy when she came to get him. 

The first sip of alcohol burns a little--it’s not great. Calum screws his face up and wants to ask who the hell ordered the first round. But a mixed drink is slipped into his hands soon after. The nearly sour taste is gone under the slight fizz of his new concoction. They're ushered upstairs to VIP, hands stamped as they go. From above, Calum can see the mass of bodies on the floor below. He watches them, swaying collective in the first haze of alcohol slowly dulling his senses. 

The lights strobe, flashing reds, yellows, and purples across his face. Calum doesn’t really pay attention, attempting to suck in the smell of sweat and old alcohol. He lets the buzzing of the speakers blasting music crawl into his ear, peel back his eardrum and nestle into his brain. He takes another sip, feeling the warmth radiating from his chest. Laughter erupts from behind him and he turns to rejoin civilization, the collection of his friends settling onto couches. 

Calum nurses the drink until they decide to leave. He checks his phone again to see the time. 10 pm. They wonder for just a block before landing another bar. This one smaller, more intimate. When the whole group settles into a booth, Calum pulls up her thread. He slides right under the message bar and taps on the small Google Maps icon. It takes a moment before his GPS locates the address and he taps for it to send. 

She responds with the thumbs-up emoji before another one lights up his screen. I’m actually not too far from there. Let me know if you guys wander to the strip club. 

Calum can almost hear the sarcastic lilt, the little giggle she’d give if this were in person. There would be a seriousness to her face though. She’d laugh but her tone always told on her. Always said that she wasn’t truly joking. I won’t. Unless you’re working tonight, which means I have to, of course, support you.

I do not have the body for a stripper. But thanks for the vote of confidence you goober.

A can clinks on the table and Calum looks up. He recognizes that can anywhere and grins. “Thanks.”

It’s here, when the group shimmies themselves out onto the dancefloor, that Calum knows they won’t be heading anywhere else. He calls for a quick breather and leans against the booth and finds his phone. I think we’re here for the rest of the night. It’s 10:48 when he sends the text and pockets his phone again. He spies Luke attempting to pass along the wave but no one bites and he laughs into his can. 

One of their photographers and good friend walks over. “You waiting for someone or enjoying your birthday?”

“Both,” Calum returns, still grinning. He can feel his cheeks splitting a little with the slightly tipsy laughter that shakes him. Ashton’s attempts at teaching his dance are going poorly, but the older man refuses to give up. 

“Easy there big fella,” Calum bellows when another friend almost goes face-first into the floor. Calum helps him steady. “Dancing is not for you.”

They laugh in return. “Maybe not. No.”

Calum feels the shake in his pocket of his phone. He gives his goodbyes, though most of them don’t hear or don’t really acknowledge his parting. It’s 11:00 pm sharp when he steps outside and reads her text. Outside. He spies her, leaning against the front of her car. And he knows it’s her thanks to the banana colored leather jacket. She’s worn it almost every day it seemed that he’s known her. 

It was different for sure and it was starting to show it’s length of wear. But she wore it all the same and didn’t care. He checked the size once, plans brewing to maybe replace it with something similar or get another one. He spied one that was burgundy that he thought she might like. He wasn’t sure, but the cropped jacket had all the chains it could handle and he knew she like the zipper and chains. 

When he gets closer, she runs over and wraps her arms around his middle. “Hey,” he whispers, encasing her waist with his arms. 

“Hey,” she grins. They remain close, swaying a bit with the hug, for a few minutes. She pulls back first. Her smile is bright in the neon lights of the bar. “It’s a bit of a drive. But I brought snacks!”

Calum nods. “Snacks are good.” They walk to her car, though it’s not that far with his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist. “What’s in store for me?”

“Just you wait and see.” 

Calum can see Duke when he cracks open the door, curled up in her backseat. “How’d you get into my house?”

“You gave me a spare key you idiot. He’s a sleepy boy, so keep your voice down.” Calum is careful as he picks up Duke before settling into the passenger seat. The windows are cracked and when she finally gets up onto the interstate, Calum lets the breeze whip across his face, one hand gently petting at Duke’s head. 

Her radio plays quietly, much better compared to the rattle of the clubs where he couldn’t hear his own voice talking. The moonlight is bright on the clear night and even though the lights are polluting the sky, Calum makes a point to follow the moon as they zoom south on 110. As they pass buildings, Calum notes which windows are bright and which ones are dark. He wonders what’s happening there. If someone is gearing up for a late-night binge or if they are getting ready for the day ahead of them. What does it feel like to have a job where the clock starts dead in the night and ends when the morning sun has skirted around the horizon? The same could be said for his job, for his line of living but it’s different. He gets a break and snaps back to reality here and there. 

“Thanks for letting me kidnap you,” she says, as they get stuck behind just a small bit of traffic. 

“You told me that wasn’t a warning that kidnappers gave.”

“It is. But I never said I wasn’t a kidnapped. Besides you’re a grown man, is it still kidnapping? What’s the version for adults being snatched up?”

“I’m not The Google,” Calum retorts before pulling out his phone. For a brief moment he wonders if he should actually Google this question. The search history would not look good if something were to happen. But he knows nothing will. 

“According to The Google,” Calum starts, “‘A kidnapping does not have to include a child. To kidnap is to take someone illegally by force, whether they be adult or child.’ So, to answer your question, yes, it is.”

“The Google has spoken.”

Putting his phone into the empty cup holder, Calum reaches for the dial on her stereo. “Birthday rights?” he asks before touching the dial.

“You know you’re the only one that control the radio even if I’m driving. I’d murder anyone else.”

“I’d be careful about that kind of stuff. Duke is sensitive about that.”

“It’s not like I said I’d murder you. And if I did, I would steal Duke and run away.”

Calum squawks his laughter, wanting to hit her leg gently but reframing because of her driving. “That’s wrong on so many levels.”

“Duke would be the only one that would know. He’d rat me out. And normally, I’d say kill all the witness but I can’t in this situation.”

Calum just watches her in disbelief. The lights of the highway pass over her skin in patches. “God bless the person that snatches you up,” he murmurs. She looks at him, a bit of a glare and her lower lip rolls out. But then she laughs before turning her attention back to the road. “Where are those snacks?” he asks. 

She throws her thumb over her shoulder and Calum twists, to find a reusable bag full of snacks. He grabs the bag of cheez-its on top and pops open the mostly air-filled bag. The cheese dust falls a little and Calum makes sure to lean a little over Duke’s sleeping figure. The first bag goes faster than Calum cares to admit and when he goes back for another bag, she laughs. “How drunk are you?”

“I had a shot and two drinks!” he defends, popping open the second bag too. “So bite me.”

It’s when they find the shore and Calum catches the crashing of the waves that he starts to worry. No beach can be open at 11:53 at night. But as they near and he peers the sign, stating they’re 24 hours, he swallows back down the protest. The whole boardwalk is alive though. He can see the lights reflecting off the water and the line of neon lights. People are walking in and out of the dive bars and pups. “You know we could’ve gone to Santa Monica for the beach?” he returns. 

“Oh, c’mon that was a nice drive.”

He nods, taking her hand for a brief moment. They always have nice drives. Just feeling the wind and talking about everything under the sun. His eyes dance across the scenery. Duke’s aroused awake but Calum holds him close. She goes around to the trunk and it’s only the sound of it slamming close that gains his attention. She’s got a basket in one hand and the tote on her shoulder. “I can help.”

She shakes her head before trailing ahead of him. They pause for a moment to work off shoes before delving into the sand. Calum takes a deep breath of the seawater, the way it’s lapping at the shoreline. She places a blanket down not too far into their trek and Calum continues on, pausing to set Duke down for just a moment. Calum works up the legs of his jeans. The movement causes Duke to wake and watch. His paws hit the sand faster than she can catch him and Calum notices the clinking of tags before he hits the water. 

“I don’t think she’s prepared for wet dog smell for an hour, bub.”

Calum steps until the water hits his ankles and stops. The water is definitely cold. It makes him clench his jaw a little. But he likes the shock. Takes a bit of the heat off from the alcohol. He’s almost 24, almost inching towards more milestones in his life. He wonders what 24 will bring him--if it’ll be nice in love and bigger in success. Does he even need to worry about success?

How come 24 really doesn’t feel any differently than 23 or 22? Age was catching up, he noticed. His body not breaking down food like before, the random aches in his knees sometimes. Though he blamed too many punk jumps from the early days. Maybe just felt differently when he didn’t feel like he was racing against a clock or someone else’s expectations. His life was going well and that’s all he could really ask for. He still had his health, he could still spoil his mother and his sister like he wanted as a thanks to them. He could even spoil his old man and his friends. 

Yeah, his relationship with time had changed. He wasn’t running for anything and didn’t have to anymore. Things would come in due time. All he had to do was just be there for the opportunities when they came knocking. 

“Happy birthday!” she cheers. “Officially 12:01, January 25th.”

Calum turns to find her, not too far behind him with a cupcake in hand. “You didn’t tell me there were cupcakes.”

“There are always cupcakes!” She is not a singer. By no stretch would she ever consider the profession, but her voice is lovely as she sings Happy Birthday to Calum, standing in freezing water and the candle flickering in the breeze off the water. He worries that the flame will go out but her hand cups against the air and it remains lit. 

Calum’s gentle as he blows out the candle, eyes still closed from his wish. She pulls the candle free and shoves the icing into his nose. Calum huffs, attempting to lick it off. He’s thwarted by his own tongue and trying to keep Duke away from it too. Her giggles echo against the waves. He can’t even be mad. They hike back to the blanket and she hands him a napkin to clean his nose.

He swipes the icing off and dollops it onto her nose. The cupcake is still moist as he takes a bite of it. “I know it’s not a lot. But I know home means a lot to you.”

Calum’s quick to scarf down the rest of the cupcake. The drinks have him still just a hair fuzzy and he’s sure the sugar’s only going to serve him into a headache, but for the moment he can indulge himself into the sweet treat. She holds out the small gray velvet box.

“I’m just glad it’s not a giant basket of stuff like you did for Duke. Transporting that into my house drunk would be a stuff time.”

She snorts. “Which is why I’m sober. I’ll keep that in mind for next year.”

Calum looks at her, fingers still poised around the gray box. Next year. A funny phrase to think about when the hallmark of his physical body has already hit. “We’re gonna be friends so long they’re going to write stories about us.”

Her nod is curt. “Open the fucking present. I can’t wait for you to cry like a baby.”

He balks, eyes widening. “I would never do such a thing.” Her pursed lips and quirked eyebrow state otherwise. “Okay, maybe just a little.” 

The box is a little stiff to open and when his eyes land on the gold ring with two silver ferns etched into his, his heart races. His eyes sting a little. “Really?” He hates that she was right but the first teardrops and his lower lip wobbles a little. “For me?”

“I don’t know any other Māori men that would want a silver fern ring, so yeah for you.”

Calum doesn’t even slip it on. He just reaches out and brings her into his chest. “I love it. I love you. Thank you.”

“Love you too, Cal.” There’s just a moment’s silence before she pokes his side. “I told you you’d blubber.”

“Shut up. Let me have this moment. It’s my birthday, asshole.” She giggles into his chest but remains silent on the snarky remarks. 

Calum watches the ring catches the light as they return to the highway. The gold is bright and flashes. He hasn’t stopped staring at it and though he hasn’t gotten back into wearing rings too much, he knows from this moment on, he’s going to be wearing this one every day. The ferns disappear just a little when he tilts it away from him but when he brings the flat face back into his view he sees their etchings. 

Ashton’s messages are unanswered on the drive back home because Calum can’t bring himself to look at anything other than a ring and the girl sitting next to him. God, he’s lucky to have her in his life. They haven’t known each other that long, in comparison to the decade he’s spent with the guys. But the two years have been full of stupid inside jokes, like adding ‘the’ in front of Google and a constant string of text that consists of ‘you suck but you’re stuck with me. so I still love you’ and pictures of dogs she sees at work. 

It’s just past one in the morning when she pulls into Calum’s driveway. He insists on her staying the night since it’s so late and she has to be up early. There’s no real protesting, even as he shoves her into the bathroom to shower. “What about a deal?” she asks, watching him turn the water on. 

“No deal. Just stay here. It’s too late for you to be driving.”

“You can drive,” she grins. 

“I’ve been drinking so I will be driving nothing. Now, strip and shower. I won’t be hearing any further arguments on the case.”

“We’ve watched too many law shows,” she counters, leaning into the door. 

“Or maybe not enough,” Calum counters, kissing her forehead. He turns from the door, pulling at the sleeves of his jacket. 

“If I ever did start striping, would you actually come to the club to see me?”

Calum nods, a hum falling over his lips. She’s hidden by the door but her head peaks out over it. “I surely would. Once you got a solo dance, I’d spent a thousand on you in a heartbeat.”

“You flatter me, Hood.” 

“What else are friends for?”

The door creaks closed and he’s a little slow to take off his clothes. Soon the shoes, jeans, and shirt fall into a pile onto the floor. He has half a mind to kick them over to his laundry basket but he falls into his bed. She’ll do it and fuss the entire too at him. To his shock, when she returns, she falls into bed next to him. 

“I feel bad that I have to work on your birthday,” she admits. 

“You’ll be there for the dinner though, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then it’s all good, sweetheart.” She curls up under his sheets, Duke pressed into her chest. “Happy birthday,” she repeats, eyes falling closed. 

“You’re the best, ya know?” Calum returns. He’s sure she has succumbed to sleep and he’ll follow her soon into unconsciousness but he toughs it out a moment or two longer after her. “Glad you’re my best friend.”

He watches her chest fall evenly under the sheets. She’s asleep, he concludes when she gives no rebutall, so he clicks off the bedside lamp. “Ashton’s going to be pissed if he hears I took his place.” Her cheeks squished into the pillow makes her voice muffled as she speaks. 

Calum’s laughter shakes his chest. He finds one of the smaller pillows from behind his head and throws it blindly in the direction of her side of the bed. “Oof,” she huffs at the impact. 

“Tell him and I have to kill you.”

“Okay, secret’s safe with me.” More silence ensues. Calum feels himself sinking into the mattress. It’s not hard thanks to the alcohol making his limbs heavy. “For now.”

“Oh my god, if you do not shut up.”

“What are you going to do? Hit me with another pillow.” Calum gives no verbal rebuttal but finds the last pillow at his disposal and whacking her with it. “Ouch!” she hisses. “I’m not fixing you breakfast tomorrow then. Take that.”

“You mean later this morning.”

Calum gets a pillow to the chest and it partially clips his chin in response. “Hey!”

“Good night, Hood.”

“Good night, sweetheart.” The bed dips and then there’s nothing else. He just sinks, and sinks, and sinks. 

Tagging: @glitterlukey @5-secondsofcolor @irwinkitten @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles

[ladyideal]

Dead or Alive

Pairing: Leonard McCoy X Reader

Word Count: 3170

Warnings: cursing, needles, mention of injury, slight argument

Summary: You tried hiding from your boyfriend to avoid a physical. Unfortunately for you, it becomes a ship wide challenge for anyone to bring you down to the medbay. Lo and behold, an accident down in the labs forced you to head to the cursed place. Once Leonard had you within arms distance, you were heading nowhere.

A/n: So this somehow got out of hand, and became *squints* another 2k more than I had intended, I know you’re all disappointed. However, I think I’ll be trying my hand on Jim for the next one, and hope that goes well.  Fingers crossed. 

(not my gif, credit to the owner ^^)

From the moment your alarm buzzed, you cursed loudly. You groaned awake, dreading the upcoming day. Outside your quarters, Gamma shift was rolling over to Alpha, and everyone buzzed in response. To everyone else, it was a normal day at work on the ship. For you however, it was gonna be a long, dreadful one.

“Computer, what do I have on my schedule today?” You called out from beneath the covers, refusing to get up for the moment.

“Captain, your schedule today lists as follows. At 08:00 to 13:00, there is a meeting with Starfleet Command. From 13:00 to 14:00, you are scheduled to have your latest quarterly physical with Dr. Leonard McCoy at the Medbay. 14:15 to 16:00, there is a meeting with Captain Soliar and Acting Captain Meker on the plans for the upcoming Federation Day Gala. At 22:00 tonight, the delivery would have been successfully sent to Planet 35X. There are no other appointments today. Would you like to reschedule your physical with Doctor McCoy?”

You groaned again. Len would murder you if he learned that you once again, rescheduled for a third time. If he had it his way, he would definitely haul you down to the medbay, with you kicking and screaming. However, it also didn’t help that the rest of the crew had been tracked down by both security and medical personnel and was force marched down to their appointments. You couldn’t really blame them either. Starfleet had a strict physical schedule that all crew had to obey, since everyone was coming into contact with the vast unknown.

You just hated it at a really deep personal level.

“No.”

“However, your meeting with the Admirals could overlap with your slot time. Would you like to reschedule with Doctor McCoy now or later?”

“Later.”

With a pained groan, you rolled out of bed and started your usual morning routine. When that was done, you carefully took off your pressed and sharply creased uniform from a hanger, and some recently washed pants to go with it. Heaven forbid you attended a meeting with crazy old Admirals in nothing less. While you appreciated their ability to make everything as perfect as possible, it was annoying. 

Once you checked yourself once more in front of the mirror, you hurried out of your quarters and towards the officer’s lounge, hoping to pick up a quick breakfast. With a cup of coffee in one hand and a banana in another, you settled down in your ready room, ready for the gruesome meeting to get out of the way first.

With the door locked, your comm set on Do Not Disturb, you ran over your notes one last time. Right on the dot of 8:00, you were hailed by Command.

“Captain,” Admiral Smythe greeted.

“Good morning, Admiral,” you replied, taking a long sip of your coffee. 

As the hours sluggishly ticked by and you were 110% sure you were going to fall asleep during the meeting, messages from your boyfriend started popping up on your comm. One, then another, and then increased twofold. No doubt you will hear an earful later on.

“Any other questions?” Admiral Smythe finally spoke, nearing the end. You glanced up at the chrom. 

13:30 Leonard’s gonna be pissed for sure.

“No sir, I do not,” You spoke, quickly getting to your feet to salute.

“If that’s the case,” Admiral Smythe shuffled his notes. “I bid you a wonderful rest of the day, Captain.”

“You too, sir.”

“Smythe out.”

With that, you collapsed back in your chair, and let out a breath of relief. At the very least, one thing out of your entire day went well. You reached for your comm, and ended the Do Not Disturb notice. It seemed like Leonard was near his comm at the moment as a call immediately came through.

“‘s Y/L/N,” you mumbled, closing your eyes and bracing for the lecture you were sure you were gonna receive.

“Darlin’, it’s,” A pause. “1:35 in the afternoon, planning to salvage what’s left of your appointment?” Leonard lightly replied, but you knew better.

“Len, honey, I literally just got off briefing Command,” you replied, placing an arm over your eyes. “And I have a headache at the moment.”

“So the answer is no?” 

You squeezed your eyes shut this time. “I don’t think I can make it.”

Another pause. “Sweetheart, this is the third time I have to reschedule you. This is ridiculous. I thought chasing after Jim was bad, but you, you are making this way more complicated than it has to be. Why is it that the two people that I can tolerate on this damn ship, are both scared of doctors?”  Leonard scowled, unimpressed.

“Len-.” You started, hoping to stop him at this pass. If you didn’t stop him now, there would be no other chances.

“You leave me no other choice,” Your boyfriend curtly spoke before dropping the call altogether.

That was never a good sign. A pissed off Chief Medical Officer was not someone you were going to enjoy having to confront. With a shrug, you pushed your thoughts away and made your way towards the lounge, hoping to find lunch. 

“Attention all crew members. If anyone can successfully bring the Captain down to medbay by the end of Beta, dead or alive, will be awarded 100 credits for their efforts. I repeat, 100 credits will be given to those that bring the captain to me by the end of Beta shift. McCoy out.”

You froze in front of the replicator as you listened to Leonard placing a bounty on your head, and immediately missed the beep sounds indicating the food was ready. 

Well shit.

Pulling the sandwich onto your tray, you watched as all heads turned to you. With a defiant glare, you returned their gazes until you were left alone. Looking rather tired, you happily started on your lunch. Almost instantly, your comm went off as it flooded with messages. Rolling your eyes, you dialed the volume down, not wanting to disturb other crew.

Last you remembered, there was a bet going on within the ship, to see whether it was you or Jim that was the last to get their physical. Going by Leonard’s scathing tone, you assumed that you were the last. You could practically his exasperation and anger on you, despite him being a couple floors down. The moment you were done eating, you bolted to the bridge, a rather safe haven from too many wandering eyes.

“Captain,” Spock stood as you entered the bridge, ignoring the brief glances from other crew members.

“Spock,” You greeted, striding over to his console to quickly brief him on the meeting with the admirals.

As you answered his questions, you noticed Nyota was watching the pair of you with an impassive face. Inwardly, you sighed. Sitting back down in your chair, you heard her chuckle from behind.

“Only you this time?” The lieutenant spoke brightly. “A hundred credits is quite tempting.”

You groaned. “Not you too, Nyota.”

“It’s not me,” She mentioned, tilting her head to the side to get a better visual of the gaggle of crew members crowding outside of the doors. “You’ve got some publicity going on out there.”

“Wonderful,” You grumbled out, frowning down at the amount of messages you’ve accumulated within just thirty minutes of the announcement. “You’d think something was drastically going on to warrant this amount of messages.” She merely chuckled at your disgruntlement.

 “Dating a ship doctor not enough to lessen the fear?”

“It’s the opposite with him,” You scowled at another incoming message from a crew member that their friend was in need of assistance, and pursed your lips when she laughed.

It was going to be one, heck of a long day.

Yet grudgingly, you had to admit that the messages were getting creative as the hours went by. Messages ranged from how security had found an unruly crew member at the holodecks to how Scotty was missing a piece of equipment down at Engineering and needed to turn the ship around - that one you had to call Scotty ahead to confirm. 

Leonard was, undoubtedly, furious at his girlfriend, but kept his anger in check around his nurses. Glancing up from his PADD, he noticed a lieutenant wringing his hands in front of him as though he had something to say.

“Doctor, I couldn’t help but notice that you were having trouble bringing the Captain down. Perhaps I can help,” The lieutenant said.

“Captain’s an eel. It takes a certain amount of skill to do some eel catching,” Doctor McCoy gruffly answered. “If I couldn’t get her down, what makes you think you can?”

The lieutenant grinned. “A little deceiving and some action will have her willingly come down, doctor.”

Leonard snorted. “If you think you can do it, then be my guest. But don’t be disappointed if you can’t.”

“I have faith,” The lieutenant departed shortly after.

The doors behind you opened, and you shook your head, wondering who in the world it could be this time. “Permission to enter the Bridge, Captain?” Came an unfamiliar voice.

You glanced over to your right, pulling away from your reports for a moment. “Permission granted. How may we help you?”

You swung your chair around to meet the newcomer with an eyebrow raised. A lieutenant in science blue stepped in, hesitating over his words. “Lieutenant-?”

“Rivelle, Lieutenant Rivelle, ma’m,” He approached the Captain’s chair. “Captain, we’ve just finished making an antidote to those that were affected during the last mission. I would love to have you come and take a look at my report first hand.”

You turned your head back over to where Spock was, and saw that he too was listening into the topic with a perplexed look on his face.

“I’m sure Mister Spock would be better suited to read over it then I do,” You started.

“I understand, Captain,” The Lieutenant interrupted. “However as the commanding officer aboard the ship, aren’t you supposed to be concerned with the well being with the health of your crew? Surely that matters most to you.”

You raised an eyebrow at Spock, who merely mirrored your action. Others around the bridge, you could tell, were doing their best to not eavesdrop. Caught between duty, you nodded slowly to his words.

“I can swing by the labs, and take a look at the antidote later,” You bargained, pursing your lips at the chrom up above. You could tell the Lieutenant was going to interject, so you hurried over your next words. “I do have a meeting with two other captains in a moment, but I’ll head down when I’m done.”

“It’ll only take but a few minutes, ma’m. Surely you could spare me around five minutes?” The lieutenant pleaded. 

Although you looked rather unconvinced by his words, you heaved a sigh. “Alright,” you rose, grabbing both your PADD and your comm. “Spock, you’ve got the conn.”

Sending a message to the other captains that you wouldn’t be present for the meeting, you listened to the Lieutenant explain his findings as you walked through the corridors to the science labs. 

“So you think it’ll all work out?” You asked, stopping in front of the lieutenant’s lab. It was empty, save for an ensign working on the right side of the room. 

“Hey Ben,” Lieutenant Rivelle spoke up, crossing into the threshold. 

 The ensign jerked up in surprise, and turned to meet the newcomers. With his eyes wide, he moved to get off his seat, only to miss his footing. In horror, you watched as the ensign crashed to the ground. 

“Ben!”

“Ensign!”

 Both of you rushed towards the fallen ensign as he struggled to sit up for a moment.

“Ben, are you okay?” The lieutenant supported him up. “Was quite a nasty fall there.”

You crouched down beside him, looking over for any signs of injury. 

“Am fine, just exhausted,” The ensign must have caught you worried look. “It’s fine, captain. I don’t need to go to the medbay.”

“Well I certainly can’t have my scientists crashing down from exhaustion,” You responded lightly.

“Captain, I-.”

“Medbay or the brig, your choice,” You coolly spoke.

Looking rather defeated, the ensign nodded in understanding. With you on the right and the lieutenant on the left, the three retraced your steps back to the turbolift. 

“A whole bunch of people down there are waiting for the antidote, counting on us to save their lives,” The ensign muttered along the trip, answering your question from earlier. “The faster my team could get it done, the faster they can get back to their lives.”

“I understand,” You spoke sagely. “We just want the best for the rest of the crew.”

 “Yes captain.”

Crossing into medbay, you watched as Christine hurried over, looking between the three of you in confusion. “What happened here?”

 “Saw the ensign fell from his post,” You explained, crossing your arms over your chest as you watched the nurse led the ensign to a nearby biobed.

“Oh dear,” You heard Chris murmur, turning the bed on and hurrying over to grab a doctor. 

“Good thing we came in time,” Lieutenant Rivelle spoke from your left. Behind your back, he gave a quick thumbs up to the Ensign.

You made a noise in assent, and unraveled yourself to look down at your comm when it beeped a couple times in succession. 

“Captain, Lieutenant,” Doctor M’Benga greeted, striding over. “Christine mentioned that you saw the ensign fall to the ground?”

“Doctor M’Benga,” You returned the greeting. 

“Yes, doctor,” The blue shirt scientist spoke. 

Although you swore that the doctor held your gaze a little longer than usual, he moved forward to tend to the ensign. 

“I should get back,” You mumbled, watching the messages on your comm scroll.

“Oh look who we have here,” A dark drawl drew out, as you froze in your spot. Your eyes widened with every passing second at the implication of where you were. “About time. I didn’t think you’d pull your little stunt off, Lieutenant.”

Slowly, you looked up from the screen, glancing between the murderous look on your boyfriend and the gleeful grin on scientist. “Hold on, wait. So you’re telling me that, this was all a lie to get me here?”

   You frowned, setting your stern gaze on the now squirming Lieutenant. 

“He took a risk, and earned his reward,” Doctor McCoy tapped away at his PADD for a moment before looking back up triumphantly. "All yours, Lieutenant. Now where were we again, Y/N?”

“Thanks, doc,” The scientist called behind his shoulder as he scurried out of medbay.

“Ummm, I really should get going, got a meeting and everything,” You winced as your comm beeped again, and watched with wide eyes as Leonard rolled his eyes. 

“Meeting or not, you can’t wiggle yourself out of a physical,” He tugged you firmly along by the elbow to an empty exam room. 

“Len, I really have to-,” you were stopped by a sharp glare.. 

“Sit.”

Wordlessly, you sat on the edge of the biobed, listening as it started tracking your vitals. You watched Leonard move about the room and opening up drawers for the tools he needed, swinging your legs restlessly. This was not how you imagined your day to be like. Exhausting, but not withering under the doctor’s annoyed expression. 

You opened your mouth to try again, but was yet again, interrupted by him placing his tools down. 

“If you’re going to say anything along the lines of how you were going to show up on time to your appointment, you can save it,” He growled, looking up at your numbers.

“I-,” You stopped, and pursed your lips, not entirely sure how to respond to that. 

“That’s what I thought,” The doctor reached for your hand, fingers expertly searching for your pulse point, and stilling against the steady heartbeat. Irritation and exasperation rolled off him at your reluctance in stepping in for an appointment. Despite being furious, his hands were still ever careful, a direct opposite of what he certainly was feeling. 

“Any tenderness or pain?”

“No.”

“No…,” The doctor trailed off, catching your fiery gaze aimed at him.

“No. Doctor,” You huffed out, as though each word cost you.

“Lay back,” He indicated, turning away from you for a moment. “Perhaps next time, we wouldn’t have to go through this again.”

You laid back, seething as his displeasure. “Yeah, totally making this fun and exciting,” you snarked back, knowing full well that you were now playing with fire.  

Doctor McCoy stilled. “Now now darlin’, I’m sure you don’t want to make this harder than it should be, do you?” He threatened, maybe even promised.

You stared up at the ceiling, counting the rivets to pass the time. Finally he turned back around, fixing his gloves once more. You refused to watch him as he gently poked and prodded at your lymph nodes and abdomen, searching for any trouble under the skin. Perhaps it would be easier to just along with the flow, and quit fighting it. 

“Better,” Leonard spoke in your silence. You grumbled wordlessly, but decided not to poke the angry bear anymore. Once done, he extended a hand, watching you with his signature raised eyebrow. 

You shook your head, lowering your shoulders in defeat. Taking his hand, you pulled yourself back up to a sitting position. As he pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and putting the ear tips in, his eyes flickered once more at you for consent. Accepting your fate, you nodded, giving him the go ahead to start. 

After a couple deep breaths, you finally spoke up. “So how am I?”

“Nothing’s wrong really. You’re in tip top shape at the moment, will have to see what the labs return later on,” You boyfriend replied, sliding a collection tube into a lancet. Half-heartedly, you carefully rolled up your sleeve.

Swabbing a piece of skin off, you stared at your fingers, bracing yourself for the pain.

“Deep breath,” He instructed.

Taking a deep breath, you winced at the sharp tip of the lancet taking in a sample of your blood. Within another heartbeat, the lancet was withdrawn and a band aid in its place. 

“Can I get my lollipop now?” You asked, pulling your sleeve back down. In front of you, Leonard snorted loudly as he marked the collection tube to be later sent to the lab.

“You? I think I deserve one after all that you’ve put me through,” He smirked at you. “We’re not done yet, sweetheart.”

You were about to hop off, but stopped at his words. “I thought.”

“There’s a whole row of hypos right there with your name on each one,” Leonard pointed, smirking as your face fell. “Got a whole buncha vaccines that everyone needs before we can clear the Alpha quadrant.”

You groaned, residing to your fate.

God help you.

Tags: @cuddlememerrick​ @mapachefaerie​ @floreatetona​ (if you want to be added/taken off, please let me know)

[hq-crew]

Senpai Squared

A gift for the @hqrarepairexchange for @jeeejae

Enjoy - posted just in time for everyone’s favourite horned owl’s birthday (20/9)

~ Mod Kenma

 For all of Nishinoya’s exuberance, no one would say he wasn’t an observant guy. In fact, quite the opposite. It was as if his golden eyes were always watching, sizing up everything and everyone he encountered. His gaze haunted that which it passed over, lingering like the echoes of distant thunder long after the storm moves on. Being caught by it directly felt a lot like staring straight into oncoming headlights.

It was dangerous.

It was powerful.

It almost made up for the fact he was barely five feet tall.

And Bokuto Koutarou remembers with vivid clarity the first time that gaze was levelled squarely on him.

  He’d moved out to the quiet neighbourhood, approximately a three-hour train ride from his childhood home in the city, to help out his ageing grandfather. The stubborn old man refused the idea of going into a care facility and no amounts of assurances that Bokuto or his sisters would visit regularly, or that there’d be lots of nice nurses and other old people to bitch with – “Your favourite hobby Gramps!” – would change the man’s mind.

Bokuto, whose physiotherapy qualifications gave him the most chance of being employed in a rural setting out of the family (whilst also lacking stable employment or accommodation in the city), was deigned ‘Gramps Carer #1’ and dutifully packed his stuff for a move out to his grandfather’s home town. The move didn’t bother him nearly as much as it bothered the people around him – his grandfather had always been an interesting dude, and his friends were always bitching about some new problem with city life so now he could invite them out to experience suburbia. In Bokuto’s eyes, it was a win-win.

There was also, of course, the fact that the entire population of the town over the age of thirty seemed to love the idea of having a new Physio (fifty perfect because Thank God I’ve Had Back Problems Since the Winter of ’43, and fifty percent because A New Eligible Bachelor This Is The Most Exciting Thing That’s Happened to This Town Since the Yotsuha Scandal). It was kind of fun for Bokuto, being the centre of attention – it almost felt like being famous. Akaashi – his closest friend – warned him not to let it get to his head. Akaashi’s husband and Bokuto’s long time friend Kenma had helpfully offered “I can bring Mario Kart with us when we visit to bring him down a peg or two”.

 We’re a little bit off course here – where were we going? Ah yes, Nishinoya!

 Right, so Bokuto had moved into town - hunky, compassionate, stable job, and most importantly single - and every mother within striking distance has simultaneously taken on the shot-put world record with how quickly they've flung their offspring in his general direction. Bokuto, for his part, thought it was really nice that the ladies around town were worried he didn't have enough friends his own age when he moved here and were introducing him to their kids. When he told his grandfather this, the old man laughed so hard he nearly hacked up a lung.

 Two such mothers were Mitsuri and Akane Nishinoya, who had cottoned on to the one thing many of the other mother were either wilfully ignoring or straight up didn’t see – how Very Much Into Men Bokuto was. Or, to quote Kuroo – Bokuto’s other long-time friend – “No straight man on Earth radiates that much He-Man energy, least of all He-Man himself”. This piece of information worked well for the two women, as it gave their son (their pride, joy, and absolute menace) a fighting chance. Now, they had to orchestrate a means to put said son in front of said Hunky Physio without alerting said son to the fact they were rather Unceremoniously Meddling in his love life, again.

If they’d known what was coming, they’d probably have gone to far less effort.

With that in mind, it might do us some good to actually sit with said son for a moment before the Inevitable Collision. If you’d asked Nishinoya Yuu what he’d thought of the new guy in town, he probably wouldn’t have known what you were talking about. Hey – I said he was observant when it was in front of him, never said he was in any way attuned to local knowledge. When the new arrival had become the talk of the neighbourhood women’s association, he’d been able to dismiss it as idle chatter. After all, the younger Tanaka’s wedding (my boy Ryu) was just long enough ago that they needed something new to fuel the gossip chain.

When it reached his aunt, who was delighted to blather on about how handsome and lovely this new physio was when she’d gone in for some dodgy knee pain, sure, he’d been a little bit annoyed – he relished being the Most Important Man in his spinster aunt’s life – but he could brush it off relatively easily. His aunt wasn’t always to be trusted regarding men, she thought the convenience store guy was “charming”, so Nishinoya told himself her opinions weren’t exactly what one would call ‘in Vogue’ (that is, if he knew what a Vogue was).

But when his own mothers warmly told him about how “helpful” this guy had been when he’d stopped by the store to pick up some plants and wound up being roped into moving some of the heavier pots for the displays, oh, now Nishinoya was Fuming™. Who did this mystery guy think he was? Why was everyone so utterly rapt with him? Was he out here to steal Nishinoya’s title as the town’s Third Hottest Eligible Bachelor? Was he – dread the thought – going for No. 1?

And that sunk it – Nishinoya didn’t know this dude, but he Did Not Like Him.

 Now that we know where Nishinoya was at before the Inevitable Collision, it’s time to return to Bokuto and the moment the two finally managed to get a good look at one another. Mind you, by this stage they’d both managed to ‘see’ one another no less than four times either side and had even had an Awkward Urinal Conversation (which we will not dwell long for a few reasons, least of which is the author – lacking the need to use a urinal – shudders to think of what is discussed over them). But the first time the pair actually managed to sustain eye contact – and or have an Actual Not Urinal Conversation – was a warm, spring day. Bokuto stopped in to the Nishinoya Garden and Flower Emporium to see if he could pick up some new seedlings for his grandpa to give him something new to brag about to his neighbours.

Nishinoya (Yuu) was attempting to fill a very small pot using a very large bag of potting mix which – all variables being equal – was almost always a recipe for disaster. That said, I don’t know if you’ve ever worked in a quiet retail store before, but sometimes making an absolute mess can be a blessing in disguise if it’s particularly slow in the store because at least then you have something to do while you clean up your own mess. Nishinoya shared this sentiment so much that he’d already grabbed the broom, dustpan, brush and bin so that when either of his mothers eventually attempted to chide him for making a mess, he could say “But Ma, look, I’m already cleaning it up – I prepped and everything! I am the Plant Guardian, protector of the pots, nothing’ll happen while I’m here!” and they’d all laugh and leave him be.

 Bokuto knew a grand total of None of This, so when he saw the cute flower shop dude (with the sick dye job – he totally had to ask later about it, maybe that would be his ‘In’, Kuroo always said you needed an ‘In’ to talk to hot people) struggling to heave a bag almost the same size as his tiny body while emptying its contents into a pot, naturally Bokuto jogged right over to help.

 I’d love to tell you it was a beautiful wisp of a moment, where as Bokuto’s hands brushed Nishinoya’s the two boys finally made eye contact and it was as dramatic and beautiful as I said in the opening. The fact I’ve had to put that version of events here (not to mention that I’ve been calling it the Inevitable Collision) should probably give you a better hint of what actually went down – namely Bokuto himself, as he tripped on a small overturned pot on the way over.

Now if that were the end of it, if he’d just gone down like the sack of flour Akaashi always joked that he was whenever he tried to ask for piggyback rides, it may not have been so terrible. Awkward, sure, but not terrible.

But this is Bokuto Koutarou, the only person on Earth who must apply 110 percent to everything, even falling over. This manifested in a sequence of events as follows: Bokuto slammed his hand on the closest table to try and steady himself, but his hunky bodyweight and the strange angle of the attempted grapple meant that all he did was cause two of the table’s legs to give out from underneath it and, with it, pots of newly planted geraniums flew straight up (Yuu swears, to this day, that he heard the Ave Maria as these poor flowers sailed through the air) and shattered onto the floor. The seedling pots that were closer to the now-broken legs rapidly slid down the table towards aforementioned beautiful disaster Koutarou, dumping their contents onto his defeated horned-owl hair.

 A beat of absolute, ungodly silence followed.

For those wondering, no, the two were not alone in the store. There was a couple being served by Akane Nishinoya which made Four Witnesses for the Worst Moment of Koutarou’s Life (So Far). I should clarify that he wasn’t actually injured by the fall, except from the fatal blow to his ego and his perceived chances with the cute plant-store employee.

 Currently in the throes of what his best friend Akaashi would call a “low mood” and what Kuroo would call “AGONY” complete with dramatic shirt-ripping,  Bokuto Koutarou looked up from the floor, covered in dirt and broken pottery pieces and the shame of a thousand suns and for the first time he met the dangerous golden gaze of one very baffled Nishinoya Yuu.  

If you asked Bokuto Koutarou, he’d tell you – without flinching – that he knew in that moment that he wanted to spend the rest of his life keeping that gaze centred on him.  

 Because as Nishinoya’s eyes moved along his body, sunlight moved through Bokuto’s whole being – warm pinpricks that left him burning until they arrived back at Bokuto’s owl-like gaze. As their eyes met again, the gold in Nishinoya’s eyes melted into unbridled mirth.

 A chuckle.

 Then another.

 And another.

 And like the building of rain from droplets to a storm, suddenly Nishinoya Yuu was cackling so hard he dropped the large bag of potting mix and had to lean on the counter for support.

Bokuto Koutarou was in love. Nishinoya Yuu was having a hysterical workday.

  “You should have seen it Shouyou! The pots went everywhere, this dude flipped a table and-and–”

“OOOOHHH! What did your moth-hey-wait-WHAT ABOUT NATSU’S SPECIAL POT!!”

“Don’t worry! Ma moved the ‘most prized artwork’ earlier this week to the orchid shelf! But Shouyou-this guy-I swear-”

Hinata Shouyou breathed out his relief – his sister would have been devastated had she discovered the art project pot she’d made and given to the Favourite Senpai Ever was a casualty of this bizarre new arrival into the store.  Nishinoya was a good friend (one of the few people on Earth shorter than him, to his eternal delight) and an even better senpai – he’d made it his personal mission to keep an eye on both Shouyou and Natsu growing up.

As they sat in the bar that Hinata had been meaning to come back to just to stick out his tongue at the bouncer because well now he was old enough (hah!), Nishinoya had regaled his old school friends and anyone close enough to listen with the Tale of his Workday. A lot of Nishinoya’s old friends liked to joke that only Nishinoya possessed the storytelling skill to make a ten second encounter into a fable in four acts, which was best delivered to a rapt audience of underclassmen – it was almost a shame that Kageyama was overseas and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had major assessments due. That left only Hinata who, don’t tell anyone, was Nishinoya’s favourite audience member because he had the best reactions. Nishinoya’s hiccupping guffaws chorused with Hinata’s excited crow noises and for a moment you’d really believe someone had let a murder of crows into a bar.  

Hinata sat next to his senpai and undertook in perhaps one of his rarest past-times – he thought. Now that he was older and wiser (supposedly) he felt like he should help his senpai out. After all, he’d provided glowing references (didn’t matter for what – Nishinoya, it turns out, could hype Hinata to anyone for any reason at all) and helped him out with his homework (with support, not with content), so now they had managed to progress to being friends without the insurmountable Senpai Wall between them.

Nishinoya was still cackling, dissolving into fits of giggles with each mental replay of the scene, each detail that remained stuck in his mind’s eye. He gripped Hinata’s shirt, struggling to make coherent noises come out of his mouth between the choking gasps of truly chaotic amusement. The back of Nishinoya’s mind registered that wow Hinata had gotten really buff since his holiday in Argentina but was so stuck on this fUCKINGH LUNATIC oH My GoD that the preceding thought sunk back down into the recesses of his consciousness. Even Hinata couldn’t stop giggling at the sight of Nishinoya absolutely losing it and the two remained in a cycle of giggles.

“I almost wanna talk to the guy, y’know? Like what a dude.”

Oooh. The smallest seed of an idea planted itself in Hinata’s brain.

“I mean, I gotta give him a hard time for the table-pfft-and-the-” more giggles, followed by a deep shaking breath as Nishinoya attempted (he really attempted) to compose himself. “-but-anyway-I mean… Maybe he’ll be a bro, y’know, because man, I’m so proud of Ryu, but like, I miss him – am I allowed to miss him while he’s on honeymoon? ‘Cause I fuckinbg miss my bro-”

The seed germinated into a tiny sprout.

“-and if nothing else I need someone to help me find this New Guy – have I told you ‘bout the New Guy – don’t get me started Sho, this guy I don’t even get it who is he where did he come from-”

Now that was like Plant Steroid to Hinata’s growing idea. Unfortunately for Hinata he has the world’s worst poker face, so as the idea bloomed rapidly, the entire bar heard the excited crow screech.

“oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! Noya-noya-I’ll help you find the plant-guy!!! I’ll do it!!! I know who he is!!!”

“You DO!?! Why didn’t you say so Sho! C’mon! The night is young, let’s find this plant-killer!”

The two tumbled out of the bar with determination, but upon realising Nishinoya had an opening shift (where he was probably going to have to repair the damage done by the Plant-Killer) and Shouyou had training, they resolved to make a plan during the more reasonable daylight hours to find the mystery New Guy and befriend the walking disaster.

As the two parted ways, only one of them knew those were the same person. And so, Hinata’s Great Idea took root.

  Hinata’s Great Idea could be broken down into four steps –

1.      Bring Nishinoya and Bokuto together

2.      Nishinoya and Bokuto bond!

3.      Two Awesome Senpais!!!!!!

4.      ???????????????? …kiss?

Point Four was…contentious. He decided to sort that out another day.

For now, he was focused on Point 1 – bringing them together. He already had Nishinoya on board, which meant he only needed the other half of the Brainless Beefcake Bundle (author’s words, not Hinata’s). Luckily for him, he sort-of-kind-of-had-definitely-spoken-to-maybe-once Bokuto which in Hinata’s books meant they were at least good enough friends to invite him to go for a run. The fizzy-drink bubbling sensation in Hinata’s chest when Bokuto agreed could be chalked up to the excitement of a new running buddy and not to whatever emotions lingered behind the question marks in Point Four.

 Dawn’s soft light filtered through the trees, illuminating the last wisps of a misty morning. As the world was painted in purples, pinks and yellows, Bokuto could only focus on orange.

Bokuto was thrilled, confused, but thrilled, to be out running with the tiny orange blur. He’d encountered the blur in passing so it was nice to actually attempt to get a look at the face. He wasn’t making much headway though, because whenever he got close the orange blur made a frankly adorable little screeching noise and powered off. It was fun, though, the thrill of chasing after someone full tilt. Akaashi and Kuroo were both too busy to race him, and Kenma would honestly rather die than run. This sprinting, this chasing, was freeing. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed this.

The blur was getting farther and farther away as Bokuto remained deep in thought. The blur made a confused wail, bobbing in the distance. Right! They were racing! Well if he wanted a race, let’s give him a race! Bokuto threw all his strength into chasing the blur, screaming all the way as he did. The cold air burned into his lungs as his steps pounded into the ground, one after another. He closed the distance between them, grinning ear to ear as he did. The blob wasn’t giving up without a fight and charged onwards, elated. The pair’s joyful screams echoed along the mountains and well into the sunny morning.

If you asked Bokuto what he remembered most from that moment about the blur he’d come to know as Hinata Shouyou, he would have said the instant he raced past him and spotted those wide, hungry brown eyes that watched him like they craved everything he had to give.

  When Hinata had told Noya to just “leave it to me” regarding the Table-Flipping Menace, the expectation had been that the second meeting would occur somewhere neutral like a park or bar or even that boba tea store that Tsukishima had worked at over the summer and they’d all relentlessly teased him for.

Suffice to say Hinata’s apartment was not the expected middle ground. Not that Noya minded – Hinata’s apartment was bright, clean but well-lived in, and had lots of fun mementos from Hinata’s travels abroad. Noya felt a lot of fondness for the place, most recently because he’d been asked to house-sit for a three-month stint so it still registered in the back of his mind as ‘home’. It was all the little details that made it so undeniably Shouyou – posters from their school events together, one of Natsu’s artworks (framed, and signed by the artist herself), a chipped planter that Noya had picked out as a housewarming gift and had somehow managed to survive living here, dozens of foreign knick-knacks on a shelf that seemed to grow more and more strained with each sojourn around the world, and of course the photos. They covered a whole wall (right up to the ceiling too, and you could see which ones Kageyama had helped with and which ones Hinata had done with a ladder and gusto based on how crooked they were). Noya was proud to say he featured in a large portion of them, though the catalogue of his bad hair decisions was a little embarrassing.

When Noya turned up, snacks and drinks in hand, the only thing that looked decidedly out of place in Hinata’s apartment was one very confused Table Flipping Menace. The TFM hovered awkwardly, as if not sure where to sit or what he was allowed to touch – though the way his eyes darted as they tried to soak in the sheer magnitude of personality in Shouyou’s apartment screamed excitement. Noya knew it was the TFM because he’d never forget a haircut that cool – a mental reminder to talk to Sakeo about upping his ante – and because when the TFM’s eyes finally landed on him Noya had to fight the urge to giggle. The Ave Maria played on repeat in his head.

“Oh! Oh! Nishinoya-senpai! You’re here!!” Hinata bounded over, making sure to put Noya’s offerings down before throwing all his weight at him in a hug that was more collision than anything else. Noya crushed him close in return, squeezing Shouyou’s not-actually-scrawny-any-more body and something akin to a memory attempted to wriggle its way to the surface of Noya’s mind. Unfortunately, it took too long to dig itself up, because just after their hug finished, he heard “Bokuto-senpai!”

Nishinoya felt the recoil of that emotional slap to the face for about a week after this moment.

“Bokuto-senpai, this is Nishinoya-senpai! Nishinoya-senpai’s the coolest – he works at the plant store with his mums, you met them, they’re super nice, and he went to school with me and one time he an-”

“Hey hey, let’s not spoil all my good stories at once!” A quick ruffle to Hinata’s hair (despite the mock offense with which the gesture was received) and Noya finally got a good look at the monster of a TFM who was standing there.

Noya was used to tall people – no surprises there – but this guy exuded a completely different presence. Everything about him seemed to be screaming ‘look at me – I’m worth watching’, from the way that he moved (even awkwardly) to the way he spoke. He radiated an energy you couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t that ethereal, passive beauty that drew people in either – like Blessed and Holy Kiyoko-no, Tanaka-san, or God’s Gift to Humanity Sugawara Koushi – but it was something different. Something strange. Something Noya decided he’d add to the list of things he was going to work out (like ‘why they teach useless maths in school’ and ‘how on Earth did Daichi manage to outdrink them at every opportunity’).

Well, no time like the present, he figured. “Nice to finally get a name for our plant-killer! I’m Nishinoya Yuu, guardian of the plants, friend to this little loser,” a quick noogie to Hinata’s head, for good measure, “and best senpai ever! So ‘Bokuto’?” The TFM’s – Bokuto? – eyes went wide. “Tell me ‘bout yourself!”

The TFM – who had been eyeing him with one of those expressions Noya could never tell was romantic interest or constipation – jolted to life suddenly. Introductions quickly gave way to apologies, “Please tell your family I’m super sorry again about the table I don’t even know what happened,” then to stories of adventures and misdemeanours as the little group found their own awkward rhythm of chaos and laughter. Hinata’s neighbours did tell them to keep it down at one point when the screaming (from all three parties) got a little intense, but all that did was reduce three grown adults to little children stifling giggles.

By the time night fell, Noya was no closer to working out what it was about Bro-kuto (as he was now saved in his phone) that intrigued him, but honestly, he didn’t really mind.

 “Bro-ku-to!!! Get your ass up this second! Let’s go let’s go!”

Bokuto mumbled a hazy ‘Datekou?’ between snores. Answering Kuroo’s panicked three-am call about which tie he should wear to his big client meeting – whilst not a regret because he loved his friend and wanted to see him do well – was evidently not a smart decision for his sleep schedule.

Bokuto rolled over and snuggled back into his pillow, floating into dreamland. He was receiving a medal, and as they hung it over his neck, he could hear the crowd cheering him on, chanting his name – Bokuto! Bokuto!

“Bokuto! Bokuto!!! Wake up!!!” Noya shook the puddle that called itself Bokuto Koutarou as vigorously as he could to no avail. You may be wondering how it was Nishinoya Yuu managed to make it inside Bokuto senior’s house to start shaking him. The open window provides some clues but raises more questions, especially given that it’s two floors up. The answer was simple: Nishinoya Yuu had performed a stunning homage to Da Bois Night (Summer Edition – The Remix), not that Noya was familiar with the word ‘homage’. If he was able to climb the outside of their concrete school in the rain, then getting into an open window on a sunny morning on a brick house was easy.  

Bokuto was still sleeping like the dead, mouth hanging open and all, and Noya needed a new plan. Noya however was not a ‘plan-man’. He took a couple of steps back, drew all his breath in, and then… “Rrrrrooling THUNDER!!!!”

Flinging himself with all the force he could muster, he attempted to tackle Bokuto off his bed. His shoulder slammed into the small of Bokuto’s back, which succeeded not only in making Bokuto yelp but also moving enough of his body that the mass of limbs and blankets rolled off the bed with a loud thump.

The blanket mass that now contained two useless disasters simultaneously started groaning and laughing from the floor. Bokuto untangled himself from the sheets to find Noya laughing in what had since become characteristic of their friendship, and he couldn’t stop himself from giggling along. Soon both were cackling, and each time one tried to stop the other would make eye contact, or say something, or in one notable case snort ungracefully, and the two would simply start all over again.  

Their laughter echoed down the halls. His grandfather, thankfully, had hearing aids which he took out at night. The man couldn’t hear a thing without them.

 Once they’d managed to calm down (and put most of Bokuto’s sheet’s back on his bed, which Noya had then jumped on and flopped into like some kind of demanding cat), Bokuto decided to at least try and do his normal morning routine. This attempt at normalcy was somewhat thwarted by Noya’s commentary and fashion advice. “Grab the pink shirt!” “Sick I love this– wait, shit, I’ve got work later.” “What about flamingos hula-hooping is unprofessional? They’re hardworking animals!”

“Can you grab me the gel?” “You use the pine one? God, no wonder you always smell like air freshener.” “Hey! I’ll have you know my friends say I smell ‘rugged’ and ‘not overbearing’.” “Dude.”  

“Is that how you get it to stick up?!” “Duh, makes more sense like this!” “Bokuto, my man, I may have seriously underestimated you. You may actually be one of the coolest people I know. And I know plenty of cool people.” “Yeah, your aunt is awesome.” “Not who I meant, but damn straight.”

 As Bokuto flipped back down from the bar in the doorway where he’d been hanging upside down, Noya absently checked his phone. Normally, Bokuto would have found the scrunch of Nishinoya’s nose rather cute, but there was something in the furrow of his brows that filled Bokuto with confusion. He flopped down next to (or more accurately, around) Noya, attempting to peek at his phone. Noya chuckled lightly, swatting him away with a bat of his hand. No luck. Bokuto leaned closer and watched those eyes as they skimmed over messages, gold tarnished with worry the further down the conversation they got. Noya’s dyed tuft (now a bright green thanks to a bet with Shouyou) had started to fall in front of his eyes but he was ignoring it.

What Nishinoya Yuu could not ignore was when a hand that was not his own moved the hair for him.

Their eyes met, and among other flitting thoughts that struck Nishinoya in that moment, one was how Bokuto’s hand was easily bigger than his face. Another was how nice his hair looked down, even though it was still pretty sick gelled up. Another was how much fun this loud dude was. How much he made him laugh, made him stronger, challenged him, excited him. How lucky he was that he’d flipped a goddamn table in his little plant shop.

The last was how sharp and wild and fucking terrified Bokuto’s owl-like eyes were.

He leaned his head softly into the hand that was so close, that was bigger than his face, and turned his eyes once more to Bokuto, who looked every bit as hopeful as he looked amazed.

Nishinoya was an observant guy.

He didn’t see the kiss coming at all.  

  Epilogue – Shouyou

  When the two of them told Hinata the good news, Hinata was elated! The Great Idea had come to fruition! It worked! Two awesome senpais!

 He was so elated, in fact, that the first thing he did was grab Nishinoya and kiss him, before barrelling into Bokuto and jumping into his arms.

 Wait. Shit.

 Well, that explains Point Four.  

 You could hear the echoes of their laughing, of their joy – a flock of loud, excited birds – all the way up the mountainside.

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Why So Jaded? Chapter 10

Enjoy. 

Why So Jaded

Chapter 10

Violet woke up to the feeling of the cameras and sensors cycling on and it made her eyes snap open and inhale sharply as she ducked under the covers before they could spot her as she hoped and prayed that it was still too dark to be seen on them but it woke Buddy up.

“What? What?” Buddy asked when he felt her jerk within his embrace.

“The cameras, they’re cycling on, I need to get out of this bed and back into the other one with Jack.” Violet whispered as she clung to his body, hoping that her own wouldn’t be easily seen on the cameras.

“Uh, ok,” Buddy answered as he peeked down into the covers to see her start to turn invisible before he could clearly see his shirt and a pair of underwear.

“Shit, I’m not wearing anything that will vanish with me.” Violet realized as she noticed the same thing and reappeared.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Violet breathed.

“So...what do you want to do?” Buddy whispered back.

“Hang on, give me a second.” Violet urged as she tried to steady her racing heart and labored breathing as she focused on what cameras were cycling on, like a wave through the apartment as she tried to find the rhythm of the cycle.

“Ok, they’re on a wave pattern, they’re about to run over us again, here in a moment, once they pass, I can make a run for it, but I have to do so naked, otherwise they’ll see me.” Violet realized before she froze and held her breath when she felt the cameras pan over them before she finally breathed when it passed before she quickly squirmed to take her underwear off and the shirt and Buddy couldn’t help it, he got hard enough to drill through concrete.

“Ok, when I say when, roll over to your other side and take me with you and then drop me so I’ll be able to get to the floor.” Violet urged him.

“Ok.” Buddy agreed and prayed she wouldn’t notice his bodily reaction to her.

“Ok, in three, two one. Go!” Violet coached as he did as she asked and it felt glorious to feel all of her on him like that, even if it was only for a moment and once he let go, she dropped to the floor on her butt before he heard her scuffle on the floor before her feet slapped against the floors in an effort to get away to his bedroom’s bathroom before the next cycle started as she quickly put on her own pajamas inside the bathroom then pretended to leisurely get out of the bathroom and get back in bed and try to get some more sleep.

Meanwhile Buddy had rolled back over and found her underwear and had it tightly in his fist before he ducked under the covers just in case the cameras were watching and he couldn’t help himself, he had sniffed it and was silently jerking off because he was leaking precum like a river and he did all he could to do so quickly and quietly as his brain churned out several fantasies all at once because to feel Violet press her body against his was heaven and he wanted and needed more and way faster than he was anticipating, he came in a shuddering breath into his own tshirt that she had been wearing so he wouldn’t make a mess out of his bedding and he expected that once he had pleasured himself, that that would have been the end of it. But no. His imagination was sparking into overdrive into a lust filled haze.

Meanwhile Violet was laying in bed feeling her cheeks flush in the darkness. She had felt Buddy’s erection and it had taken all of her self control not to burn all the cameras and listening devices so she could stay and enjoy it because he was packing .

Not the longest erection she had ever felt. But definitely the fattest and thickest. His stocky build hadn’t skipped where it really counted. And now she needed to go back to the bathroom because she had a “device” in her toiletries bag that was calling her name as she slipped out of the bed and stole away into the bathroom before she got her prize and slipped it into her underwear and against her clit and got one of Buddy’s towels and wrapped it around her waist to insulate herself from the lid of the toilet seat as she sat down and turned it on and eagerly began to ride her toy on the toilet seat cover as she wished she could be riding Buddy instead.

Tali had told her, a few times, how Buddy was if anything- a very generous, thoughtful, if not determined lover and had zeroed in- in quick succession all her erogenous zones and after a few sessions, would know just what and how to bring her to her knees in bliss and had simply said he was ‘well endowed’ and knew what to do with what the gods had gifted him with and how he had the range to go from soft and sweet and romantic to bone rattling, star gazing, burning in blissful lust with just a word and how even though he was always a commanding and dominating presence, he didn’t mind getting dominated every once in a while and often let her do as she pleased with him and had no problem submitting to her one moment or dominating her in the next. At the time Violet had been grossed out to learn any of that, but they were sharing a few bottles of wine as Tali had been nursing Luca in her penthouse at Sky Way. Having Tali so close was the only reason Violet had for staying there as much as she did and would be the only bad thing about leaving there. Violet had been lying when she told Phillip that she only knew her as Mirage. Her and Tali had become even closer since Violet moved in a year ago and it was on her Fridays that Violet took her order from Merry Cherry straight to Tali’s penthouse so they could talk, drink and rant to each other about the week.

But right this instant, Violet was so focused on fantasizing Buddy underneath her with his thick meaty hands on her hips, gripping them with almost a bruising grip and letting her ride him with reckless abandon as he pledged his undying, unwavering and infinite love and fidelity to her and only her and how he would never compare her to Tali as long as she never did the same with him and Phillip. And how he would feast on her while making a feast for her and would hopefully eat her out right because while Phillip had a decent dick game, his oral or finger game was lackluster at best and according to Tali- that’s where Buddy excelled because Buddy never really had to rely on his looks or any powers to deliver- and just had to learn and master it the old fashion way- through practice and persistence in his own efforts to overcompensate for his own- what he felt, was his deficits in his natural looks and charm.

Violet finally came in a silent scream as her hips stuttered as she ground down onto her toy as she rode out her own orgasm before she turned it off to keep herself from being overstimulated. Then she removed it from herself and put it back into her toiletries bag before she slipped back into bed and managed to fall asleep and finally get the rest of her beauty sleep right about the same time Buddy had gotten to his third and final orgasm before he finally fell back asleep himself, although that was hard considering, he didn’t have someone to hold onto anymore, after several years of not having someone to sleep next to, he had almost forgotten how wonderful that felt and how grounding and comforting it was and instead he found himself hugging the pillow she had been sleeping on to mimic the feeling of having her in his arms again, it was a sorry excuse for her but it was better than nothing.

It was 10am by the time they all seemed to wake up for the day and staggered to the kitchen before they all seemed to try to make breakfast together before they all gravitated to the breakfast bar as Violet contemplated the previous evening’s events as Buddy did his best to act as natural as possible for Jack’s sake and once they ate breakfast, they went back into the lab to see what had finished processing as Violet looked at her new suit in awe.

“Wow.” Violet breathed as she looked at it.

“So, tell me about it.” Violet invited to Buddy as she sidled up to him and nudged him with her hip.

“Well, it’s a spin off of your current suit in that it is a matrix of nano armor that should feel like fabric…” Buddy began as he got the suit out of the compositor and handed it to her as she looked it over eagerly, appreciating the softness of it.

“But instead of having to wear the suit itself all the time, it can be shrunk down into something of a necklace, like this.” Buddy explained as he pressed a button and instantly the suit retracted into itself and all that Violet was left with- was a very beautiful necklace before she pressed on the large "stone" and the suit reappeared into her hands.

“And the beauty of it, is if at any point- any of it gets torn- it’ll repair itself or if need be- as long as you have one mother nano, which the suit has several- it can regrow from that single mother nano, or even since you’re a handler to an asset with other security detail, lets say- you find yourself on a desert island and everyone’s clothes are torn and falling off, what you can do- is detach a piece that has a mother nano and put that fabric on someone else and a suit will form around them and conform to them and then the mother nano will multiply and divide so that they in turn can repeat that process as many times over as needed. I built it so it naturally monitors the surrounding environment and it’ll calibrate to keep you comfortable, so say you’re in the arctic and you’re only wearing this- well the suit will actually heat up on the inside layer to keep you warm without showing off that heat to any thermal indicators so you’d still be invisible. And it does come with natural sunscreen so you can wear this without worrying about getting a sunburn or anything. Or even wear this in a desert, where it’s 110 degrees and this thing will keep you cool while collecting any perspiration, filtering it and can deliver it back to you if need be. Now when this suit becomes invisible, I made sure to include- infrared, ultraviolet and all the other spectrums that humanity can sense, so that when you’re invisible, you’re invisible - invisible. Because with your old suit, I was still able to sense where you were because of the static electricity, in this one- not anymore. Also…” Buddy began as he told her about the dozens of other features he had put into the suit including cloaking abilities so that she could wear the suit and it could look like everyday clothes and then press a button and transform into the suit or vanish which was also voice activated which Violet thought was amazing and eagerly went into the bathroom to try the suit on and was surprised it covered her head and made her hair into a natural ponytail which she appreciated before she noticed that her hair became like three- not quite tentacles but not quite hands either, but simply like tools that she found she could control with her mind as she practiced reaching and grabbing things and bringing them back to herself, like rolls of toilet paper before she practiced putting things back before she left the lab.

“So? What do you think?” Buddy asked hopefully.

“I’m in love with it, these were a really smart idea, so I don’t have to use my powers to do the yo-yo thing.” Violet praised as Jack came over and checked out her suit, pocking and prodding it.

“How far will the artificial arms stretch out?” Jack asked.

“Anywhere from a few feet to about fifty.” Buddy estimated.

“And I asked him to give your suit some medical aspects too, so like if you ever get injured, the suit will be able to tell and be able to dress and stabilize the wound, it’ll even replicate artificial skin like say if you got a bullet wound. Each mother nano has a medical nano piggy backing it so it will again, help whoever else you have to share the suit with.” Jack explained.

“Aww, that’s very sweet and thoughtful of you Jack.” Violet cooed appreciatively.

“And obviously because you hate heels, I made it flat footed and comfortable so it will feel like you’re wearing sneakers and it should grip really well so you don't slip on anything.” Buddy added.

“I did notice that, thank you.” Violet returned appreciatively as she moved her weight from one foot to the other to appreciate the comfortable soles the suit had.

“And it has a water feature, a few actually.” Jack eagerly informed Violet.

“Water features?” Violet frowned.

“So you can breathe underwater.” Jack answered.

“Oh, sweet.” Violet blinked in surprise with a smile.

“And then, when you’re sneaking into a place that has weight sensors in the floor, you can use...which button is it Barret?” Jack asked.

“Oh for that, you press this and this at the same time.” Buddy explained as he pointed to the buttons on the inside of her forearms before Violet pressed them and immediately felt like she was in a pool as she lifted in the air and started giggling then laughing when she could “swim” around the lab.

“Oh yeah, new favorite features.” Violet giggled when she turned it off and walked back to them as she continued to play with her suit.

“So to get it to look like clothes, where can I change what I want the clothes to look like?” Violet asked.

“Oh, here,” Buddy informed her before he brought her over to a computer as Violet began to pull up pictures of clothes from the internet and “loaded” them into the program and created short cuts in the suit.

“Another way you can do that is simply dress in like your favorite clothes and ask the suit to “clone” it too.” Jack informed her proudly.

“Is there anything this suit doesn’t do?” Violet asked rhetorically.

“That’s a good question, I built it to simply amplify your own powers and I tried to cover all the bases I could think of, considering your current situation and circumstances, which is according to my current knowledge and just building off the genius that Edna had already come up with and I did my best to stay with her styling so that if Edna ever gets to see it, she won’t be offended that you had "a man" design your suit instead of her.” Buddy shrugged because Jack had told him how outraged Edna had been when she had seen his mom’s old suit that ‘some man’ designed a decade prior.

“Yeah, I think she’ll be ok with this, I think your next collaboration should be with her, because I know of at least a dozen women who would pay a shit ton of money for a suit like this with all these features.” Violet appraised.

“Thank you, so much for it.” Violet thanked them as she hugged Jack first then hugged Buddy.

“So what do I owe you for the suit?” Violet posed to Buddy with a smile that hinted at perhaps something licentious.

“You don’t owe me anything,” Buddy shook his head.

“Oh I’ll find a way to make it up to you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go check on something.” Violet said as she vanished in a flash.

“Holy shit I can phase through walls now?” Violet asked as she reached the wall and was able to phase through it and stepped from one side of the wall to the other as Violet outright giggled.  

“You’re welcome!” Jack called out, proud of himself for himself and Buddy to capture his own super power and was able to imbue it into the suit.

Violet made her way to security before she found Nelson just getting off from the night.

“So anything interesting happen last night?” Pike asked as he came into the room.

“Nope, nothing, Violet and Jack stayed in the bed all night, Pine took the couch like a gentleman.” Nelson answered as Violet paused and frowned and became visible and changed the suit to just a normal t-shirt and jeans just as Nelson was coming out of the room.

“Hey Boss, what are you doing up here?” Nelson asked.

“Oh, just checking on things.” Violet answered but the look Nelson gave her was telling as he smiled knowingly at her and came up to her.

“I took care of it, nothin’ happened .” Nelson simply whispered as he stood in front of her.  

“Oh thank God.” Violet breathed as she reached out and squeezed his arm.

“Phil had his own fun last night- he went to the ballet and took home the star, he never checked in once.” Nelson reassured her.

“What do I owe you?” Violet asked.

“If Pine gets to escape SEB, put in a word with him so he can take me with- because I like working with him, he’s a good guy.” Nelson stated simply.

“Will do.” Violet vowed.

“Me too! Pine is awesome.” Pike said as he poked his head out the door from the security room that held the feeds from Buddy’s floor.

“Who else?” Violet laughed as she looked from Nelson to Pike.  

“Everyone, when we were in Vegas, Pine was a class act and obviously still continues to be, none of us have signed non-competes. So when and if Pine ever gets out of here, we’re hoping he’ll want a familiar face to have his back.” Pike answered.

“What if he can’t pay as much?” Violet posed.

“I’d take a pay cut if it meant I didn’t have to deal with half the shit we’ve put up with for the last few years with Sebastian.” Nelson appraised.

“Same.” Pike mirrored as Violet could only nod in agreement.

“Well for now, keep that close to your chest, wouldn’t want that to get out and suddenly you guys would either have to sign non-competes or get fired.” Violet warned them.

“Not that anyone would ever hear anything from me about it except for Mr. Pine but more and more walls have ears these days.” Violet reassured them.

“Understood Boss.” Pike and Nelson nodded in understanding.                                              

“Thanks guys for having my back. I owe you. I better get back.” Violet urged before she went back to Buddy’s lab, disappearing once she was around the corner.

Buddy and Jack had even been working on Jack’s super suit as well as Jack went through his own wardrobe so he could “change” from his clothes the previous day.

“So what did you guys want to do today?” Violet posed once she came back into the lab.

“Can we just hang out today?” Jack asked hopefully as he looked from Buddy to Violet.

“It’s whatever you guys want to do, technically you guys could go home now if you wanted.” Buddy offered but grinned when Violet and Dash crinkled their noses at that.

“Nah, if you don’t mind, we could just hang out with you.” Jack opted.

“I don’t mind one bit, I’d enjoy it actually.” Violet grinned.

“I’d be happy to have you, you won’t hear any argument from me.” Buddy happily agreed before the three seemed to settle in and Violet quite enjoyed just hanging out and seeing how Jack and Buddy seemed to instantly get along and befriend each other and tag team on stuff before she knew it they had come back into the apartment side as Buddy walked Jack and Violet through one of his favorite lunch recipes and Jack eagerly learned what he could from him before the three of them gravitated to the couch while their lunch baked in the oven and Violet happily cozied right up to Buddy’s side and was happy when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they watched a movie and marveled at how natural and easy this was, how it wasn’t forced like how she had to be with Phillip but she genuinely wanted to be near Buddy and how nicely they fit together and Violet was ever so grateful that Jack was not only well behaved but polite and just generally- a really great kid, as the day both seemed to fly by yet Violet got to enjoy every minute of it, which was a welcome change of pace for her.

Meanwhile Buddy was practically tickled pink that Violet felt so comfortable with him and was just casual in her closeness and it was all his strength not to kiss her every two seconds. But he could go slow, technically, had the next few years to go slow. He had time.

After dinner, they found themselves at the table, playing a card game and Jack was throttling both of them.

“At least we’re not in Vegas losing money this time.” Violet comforted Buddy.

“Just my pride.” Buddy laughed as he put a card down and Jack smiled evilly.

“Thank you.” Jack grinned as he picked up the card and put down another three of a kind.

“And one discard, and I’m out.” Jack announced happily as Buddy and Violet both groaned.

“Damn it. I needed one more ace and I could have been ok.” Violet realized as she counted up her points and whimpered when she had negative points to add to the roster.

“How bad?” Jack asked.

“Negative 45.” Violet answered as Jack put that down.

“Barret?” Jack prompted.

“Hang on, uh, 45 plus 55, crap, that’s a hundred, negative 100. And I’m sorry Vi, I had your ace.” Buddy revealed as he let his overflowing hand down and poked at the ace in question.

“And I have….” Jack said as he counted up his cards. “A hundred and twenty five. Yes, I win.” Jack beamed as he totaled everything up, having gotten five points past the 500 points mark.

“Don’t take it hard Barret, they say those that are unlucky in cards are lucky in love.” Jack soothed.

“Yeah, I’m kind of unlucky in both.” Buddy readily confessed as he finished his wine before he got up from the table to retrieve another bottle for him and Violet to share.

“Unlucky so far - maybe your best luck is about to strike, you never know.” Jack insisted before he took another long sip of his Coke and subtly winked at Violet who crinkled her nose at him as Buddy simply grinned crookedly as he uncorked the bottle of wine then returned to the table before he refilled Violet’s glass for her and then his own as Jack reshuffled the deck and began to deal a new game for them.

“Maybe.” Buddy allowed before he looked at his cards but to feel Violet’s knee gently rub against his had him not caring at all that his cards were complete shit. Honestly, just spending time with her, especially when she was happy and pleased with him was all he could hope or ask for.

After another round of cards, they went back to the couch to watch another movie and Violet and Jack both fell asleep, Jack had been laying into Violet’s side as Violet had been doing the same to Buddy and Buddy just grinned happily when they were both comfortable enough to fall asleep as Buddy happily carried Violet to his bed first then Jack as he once again got the couch and pulled out the pull out bed and set it up for himself. Happy and content with himself for showing some restraint.

Meanwhile Phillip finally called to check in on the situation while his current flavor of the weekend lay knocked out in his bedroom.

“Hey, so how did Ms. Parr do?” Phillip asked Pike just as Leland was coming in to relieve him.

“She did great and Mr. Pine behaved like a gentleman.” Pike reported.

“Is she still in there?” Phillip asked.

“Yes, however, that is only because Jack doesn’t want to leave, apparently Jack and Buddy have kind of bonded over Jack’s school project and Jack actually knew the children of Mr. Pine’s company because he got invited to other social gatherings, like birthday parties and such that Ms. Parr agreed to take him to. Also Jack played rummy with them and whipped them both.” Pike reported since they were able to piece that together with the wave of feeds that came in every so often.

“Huh,” Phillip frowned.

“However there was a development, sir.” Pike reluctantly reported.

“What development?” Phillip pressed.

“Ms. Parr and Jack are both working on Dragon Eye apparently and they have brought Mr. Pine into it. So he’s now a collaborator with that project.” Pike revealed since he was able to see that when the lab had had waves of feed as Phillip marched to his computer and got into The Agency’s database and got to see what had been done and felt a flurry of emotions.

The first was jealousy then hurt that Violet didn’t come to him first to discuss this with him. Also, how did Violet think that involving Jack into this dangerous case was a good idea? Let alone Mr. Pine? Then he looked closer at it and realized- it wasn’t just Violet, Mr. Pine and Jack, Edna had her own ‘fingerprints’ on this and so did half The Agency apparently. But he could tell where Jack and Edna had their own work and then Violet had hers and saw how it was Mr. Pine who put it all together and was working several angles that even surprised and if Phillip’s pride wasn’t so hurt- would have impressed him too.

It didn’t take much for Phillip to realize that if he wasn’t “legitimate” and on the right side of these things- he would be treated in similar fashion only because he had similar powers which only reinforced his own belief that he could never be known that he was a Super. But he was grateful that Mr. Pine had figured out a way to protect Violet from Dragon Eye. But that also meant that while she was protected from Dragon Eye, she would be immune to him also. But Phillip felt confident that she no longer needed him to have an affect on her. That her feelings for him were strong enough and deep enough that she would still be loyal to him. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized how desperate Violet must have been feeling about this case to bring them in and he even read her notes- that Violet left on this case that she needed to make sure that he and Dragon Eye never met just in case Dragon Eye would pose a threat to not only herself, but him and anyone else too even though Phillip knew his own powers dwarfed Dragon Eye’s and it should be Dragon Eye that should be fearful of ever meeting him.

“Sir?” Pike asked.

“Thank you so much for your report, keep the wave pattern up and report to me when she and Jack leave.” Phillip decided.

“Yes sir, good night Sir.” Pike signed off.

“Good night.” Phillip answered before he hung up.

“Philly?” Ainsley asked as she lifted her head from his pillow and was reaching out to see where he was in the bed before Phillip quickly logged out of The Agency’s database and went back to bed with her before he cuddled close and waited until she fell back asleep before Phillip stared up at his ceiling. All he needed was a push for Violet before he looked down at the girl laying on his chest and grinned wolfishly.

He was going to make Violet jealous. If he got with the beauty in his arms, that would either push Violet to get jealous, and she would have two options, admit she has feelings for him and try to break him up to get with him and finally drop her 'too dangerous to be together' act, or she could jealousy throw herself in perhaps another man’s arms to make him jealous in turn. Because if Violet- out of jealousy decided to toy with say- Mr. Pine’s emotions because it would only be a week or two before Violet would feel ‘frustrated’ sexually. And even if she vented those frustrations on him, that would only further entrap Mr. Pine. So let her get as close and cozy with Mr. Pine as she wanted to. Because he was still confident that her heart still belonged to him even if Violet didn't know it yet herself.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 110 prt 2

They hadn’t had that discussion...

“As smoothly as things are at the moment, I would still prefer you remained in Platt, at least during the night. You may visit, but I have noticed you’re particularly clingy to Keith right now. I think staying with him will help continue to keep your hormonal and emotional levels stabilised. You react strongly to touch and scent”

“Should I be taking off work?”

Lance shook his head quickly

“Babe, I’ll be okay. I know you want to be with me, but you’ll lose track of everything if your focus is on me alone...”

“I don’t want you alone if it isn’t good for you”

Coran chuckled at the pair of them

“Lance doesn’t like to be smothered, even by you. He’s very stubborn like that. I’ll check the schedule with Kolivan, he’s been forced to swallow his pride over the stalling in the search for Sendak. I’m sure if he was made aware...”

“No!”

It wasn’t a yell, but it wasn’t not a yell. More like a very heated and very solid “No way in hell”. Lance sighing softly at him, a sigh that told him they’d be having a serious talk about this later. Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. Coran looking almost confusidly alarmed. Mami still watching the black blob on the screen. Keith’s gaze dropping to his feet. He didn’t want special treatment... that so ingrained in him that it made it hard to be honest

“We’re waiting. Until things settle down, we’re waiting...”

“Keith is right. It’s not like we’re not going to tell them, but for now we’re doing what’s right for us. We want to wait and grow a bit more confident over what’s happening”

This is why he had Lance. Lance translated his stupid words into something other people got. The baby might be there now, but he just... He was a feeling a lot of things he couldn’t verbalise. Excited. Proud. Shaken. Drained. Slightly horny... Proud. Worried. A lot of things. Rubbing the back of Keith’s hand with his thumb, Lance drew his gaze back to him. His boyfriend smiling at him, expression filled with love and wonder. He felt kind of chicken shit for being more scared of a baby than a vampire

“It’s okay, Babe. You don’t need to look so sad. I’m okay, and this little one is still there. Soooo, Mami, what do you think?”

Lance effortless took the attention off him and he was grateful

“I think that old Colleen has nothing with her new great-great-grandson. Not when my baby boy is going to be a father. Oh, I can’t wait to rub this in her face”

“Mami... Seriously, who knew nursing homes could be so competitive. Next you’ll be taking bets”

Mami laughed as she patted Lance’s hand. Shiro took the bait

“If we’re taking bets, I’m betting on a boy”

Lance laughed then cut himself off, moving his hand to his belly

“Oh, god. Don’t make me laugh... Coran, are you nearly done?”

“A few more clicks... Hmm... a betting pool isn’t a bad idea”

“Put me down for a girl. Call it mother’s intuition”

Shiro nodded, pulling out his phone

“We’ve got a boy from Coran. A girl from Miriam. Sorry, Miriam, I’ll side with Coran on that one... Two for a boy... Keith, what should I put you down for?”

Keith didn’t know... either would be adorable if they took after Lance...

“Don’t tease him like this. We don’t mind as long as their healthy”

“You two are no fun. Shall we say $50 to winner? Or split the pot?”

“I’ll be happy to take your money... don’t go leaving town before you pay up”

Mami was ruthless, Shiro snorting with laughter. Lance squirming again

“Guys, seriously. Not cool”

Coran apologetic as he clicked the mouse connected to the ultrasound machine

“I’m sorry, Lance... give me... okay, there we go... all done”

Lance let out a long breath of relief, starting to sit up, despite his belly still covered in gel, the moment Coran pulled the wand off

“Thank God for that... sorry, Mami... I just really need to pee”

Mami didn’t mind, she probably understood. From the movies Keith knew pregnant people seemed to need to pee a lot

“Off you go. Why don’t you take Keith with you?”

“Yes, why don’t you two have a few moments to process today’s scans while I clean up here. Off you boys go”

It felt like they’d been evicted as they headed to the locker room, Lance striding in ahead of him, leaving Keith to drag his steps so his boyfriend could have some privacy peeing. When he finally made it into the shower/toilet area, Lance had locked himself away in a cubicle, Keith wondering if it was weird as he stood outside the door

“Babe?”

“I’m all good... this lube stuff is seriously sticky”

Keith snorted. Lance didn’t love sticky things but seemed perfectly fine with it during sex

“Want help?”

“Nah... hold on”

Opening the door, Lance was rubbing at his belly with a wad of toilet paper

“See, almost all gone. God... I really needed to pee. Next time I’m waiting before drinking that water... I felt like I was going to burst when Coran pressed on my stomach”

“I’m sorry”

“What are you apologising for? You’re not the one with a bladder that decided it needed to be pea sized today”

Keith shrugged, stepping back out the way, Lance slipping past him, throwing the toilet paper in the bin before washing his hands

“I don’t know. I don’t like you being uncomfortable”

“Babe, I’m fine. Crisis adverted... How are you? You didn’t say much, but you’ve still got tears in your eyes”

“It was kind of amazing... I guess...”

His boyfriend huffed at him, crossing to close the distance between them before pulling him into a hug

“More than amazing. I’m okay and the baby is too”

“I’m sorry... it’s just... I’m still scared”

“That’s why you asked about the heartbeat. It doesn’t really feel like this ball of cells is going to be an actual person”

“I’m still scared it’s not going to be”

Lance nuzzled into his neck

“I know, but... it’s... we can still be happy, you know. I know we over think things, but Coran isn’t messing around”

“No... sounds like he did enough of that when he was younger”

Lance laughed, raising his head to shoot a brilliant smile at him

“That he did... but good news, us messing around won’t hurt this little one. Before you say it, I know you want to wait, but honestly I feel so happy right now I want to cry that I’m about to jump up”

Keith was not prepared. Lance jumping up and looping his legs around his waist had him stumbling into the closest sink. Laughing happily, Lance clang to him, Keith not even grumpy about the lack of warning as his boyfriend dived in to kiss him. Several long kisses later, Lance pulled back enough to lap at the blood beading on Keith’s lips

“I love you, Keith Kogane”

“I love you, too, Lance Bratty-Arse McClain”

Lance’s happiness was infectious. Keith grinning up at Lance, his hands supporting his boyfriend by his arse

“Good. Because you and me, we made a baby, and it honestly feels like things are looking up... like a whole baby, babe... we did that... I was so worried trying to think of what to say if today hadn’t gone well... and I know I’m getting ahead of myself...”

“Babe, shut up, I get it. You’re happy”

“Very... and cold. This place is freezing...”

Keith snorted. The shower area wasn’t that cold. Lance was being a baby

“That’s because you’re like an ice block”

“Am I at least a cute one?”

“Very... but I don’t know if I should be feeding your ego. 6 weeks is still really early”

“Mhmm... but for now, can we just be kind of really in awe...”

“Can I be shocked? I’m still really fucking shocked”

Lance laughed at him. God. He felt like it’d been too long since Lance was jumping into his arms happily

“I am too. I don’t know why I decided to leap up on you, but I feel really good that this little one is okay. Should I get down?”

“Nah, you’re fine... I feel like you haven’t been smiling much lately”

“I feel like I didn’t have as much to smile about... just wait until the embarrassment kicks in...”

“For jumping on me?”

“For letting myself be happy. Are you happy? Are you okay? I’ve been all about me and today hit you hard”

“I’ve been... better... but I feel better knowing the scan was good”

“That’s good. You always stress so much. You’re going to get wrinkles way too young”

The way Lance pout at him made him want to kiss him all over again. Which was playing with fire... Once the relief had worn off, and he was back to feeling himself, he’d have to reassess how he felt over being intimate

“And you’re a brat. What happened to the 45 year old dressed in seven layers?”

“Coran heated the office. Rose my core temperature... but you’ll snuggle with at home, keep me warm, right?”

“Depends. You were fucking freezing when you came back to bed”

“Mmm, but you were nice and warm... Wanna go home and watch the scan again? The two of us? Pidge wants me to call again, but right now that’s what I want to do...”

That sounded nice

“Sure... provided you behave long enough to get home”

“I always behave. It’s the snow that’s out to get me, not the other way around”

“Right... I’m pretty sure snow is older than your old arse”

Keith regretted the words as soon as he saw Lance’s face fell. His boyfriend climbing out of his arms to wrap his arms around his waist in a self hug

“Babe... I was joking”

“But that’s the thing... maybe I am too old? And what do we tell them when they notice I don’t age? I’m old... like way older than you... you could be happier with...”

Nope. Grabbing Lance, Keith pulled him back

“I shouldn’t have said it like that. I like you, and you’re not that old”

Lance raised his right hand to rub at his eyes, he wasn’t wearing his glasses today. His boyfriend really wanted to see the scan clearly

“I’m 45... most people have kids your age... and... I know you were joking. I do... but it’s something I’ve been thinking about. Fuck. Here I was lecturing you and now I’m... I’m sorry”

“It bothers you a lot, doesn’t it?”

He’d been careful with the grey hair jokes because he knew Lance still held a lot of sensitivity over them... Making a mental joke, he was going to have to avoid age jokes all together for now

“Yeah... I was trying not to think about it... but like, I don’t get older... and I hate it so much... I know you’re okay with it, but it’s something I’m not okay with... throw it in with my body changing and it’s... yeah... Sorry. Can we go home now?”

The change in Lance just about gave him whiplash

“You know I don’t care about that... You’re still you”

Lance hardly acted his age, unless he needed to. He was so full of love and life... Keith liked the man inside the body... though the body was pretty smoking hot

“I do... I mean. I know. It hit me again out of nowhere... I think... maybe I’m going to have some problems with it until I settle down. I’m like so relieved they’re okay that it’s not even funny”

“Me too. Do you want to get anything on the way home?”

“Nah... I just... I just want to watch the scan alone with you... I love Mami and I love Shiro and Coran, but I want to watch you watch it again...”

“Why? What did I do?”

“You were crying but you were smiling... I really love it when you smile”

Keith’s heart went funny as he ducked his head. Only Lance could make him feel like this... and feel braver about that letter

“When we get home, there’s something I want... I need you to see with me”

“Is it bad?”

“I don’t know, but I think I’ve left it long enough”

“Alright, Mullet. Let’s go... I feel pretty rude leaving but I need some alone time with you right now”

Mami had come for the scan and sure, Keith liked her, but Lance and their baby came first. Besides, the scan was over... He wasn’t letting Lance go out in this weather on those slippery roads. His heart had enough trouble letting Shiro drive around

“Yeah. Funnily enough I do to”

[dailyaudiobible]

07/25/2020 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14, Romans 9:1-24, Psalms 19:1-14, Proverbs 20:1

Today is the 25th day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian and it's great to be here with you as we round the corner on another one of our weeks together. Won’t be long before we’ll be rounding the corner on another of our months together. But as I often say when I look at the date…and it always hits me…when I look at the date, “o here’s where we are”. It's easy to get out in front of ourselves or behind ourselves when we are right here right now, July 25th. And, so, let's take that next step together on our journey through the Scriptures. We’ve been reading from the New English Translation, the NET Bible this week, which is what we will do today. Second Chronicles chapters 14, 15, and 16.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for another week, another week to live, another week to enjoy Your presence upon this earth, another week to embrace the fact that we are not alone, another opportunity to spend time in Your word and allow it to inform the choices and decisions that we make. We thank You for bringing us this far. We are…we are so grateful. No matter what we face, You bring us through…we are still here. No matter how hard it's been, we are still here. You have sustained us, and we are grateful. And, so we release another one of our weeks and it becomes a part of our history, even as we look forward to all that You have yet to do and say, correct, and comfort inside of us as we continue our journey within the pages of the Scriptures this year. So, come Holy Spirit, give us rest. Restore us today we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that is…that's where you find out what's going on around here. It's a special day…special day and in…in our family. Today is that my son Ezekiel's birthday and it's his eighth birthday and I never let a birthday go by without kind of mentioning…mentioning that because he's the Daily Audio baby basically, His birth, hard to believe it was eight years ago, but his birth years ago today was a really, really beautiful moment in Jill and my life in this community because we…many of you have been here for years, you’ve heard the story. Some of you were here, like here as it happened, and I hear about those stories because I remember making the Daily Audio Bible in our family van in a hospital parking lot for a couple of days because we had intended to have Ezekiel at home. We’d done that before and had a midwife and things got sideways on us and it got kinda dangerous for a little bit where Ezekiel's heart rate was…he…like he was struggling and Jill was exhausted and struggling and we were just not able to progress and it got dangerous. And, so, we had a rush to a hospital, not even…not even the one we had planned. Like we had to rush to the nearest hospital, and it was so quickly that they were examining her…it…like I couldn't…like, she went into the emergency room and before I could get parked and get into the emergency room, like she was already gone and had to be taken back and they were already examining her and having us make really, really quick decisions about C-sections and stuff, just telling us like, “this is serious.” And, so, we just hardly had time to even adjust to…to what was happening before they were wheeling Jill away. And I'm giving my wife a kiss and it's like all we know is that this is very serious, and this has gotta happen right now. And, so, I mean all the flurry of activity ended up leaving me alone in this hospital room that I had just been with a bunch of doctors and nurses and my wife and now everybody's gone and I'm just sitting here wondering, how dangerous? What is happening? And praying and crying out to God and just being able to reach out, just to reach out on social media, just send out an email, just asking, “like community…like I need you now. We need you now. This is a scary thing and just immediately and the ongoing prayers.” And because it was an emergency surgery and stuff and the baby and the baby's mommy, like they needed to spend a couple days in the hospital and I'm staying too. And, so, we’ve got this little makeshift studio down in the van. It's the middle of the summertime in Tennessee. So, yeah, I mean it's 110° in the van…just but trying to make enough quiet to be able to do it and just kinda sharing that story as it happened and just continuing the Daily Audio Bible as life happens. And we’ve done the Daily Audio Bible all over the world in all kinds of strange circumstances, but eight years ago today was this particular story. And, so, happy birthday to Ezekiel, who is now eight years old and who is indeed becoming quite a good reader. And now we…we see Ezekiel reading Daily Audio Bible kids soon. And just kind of passing, passing it on, continuing it forward. And so today is Zekee’s birthday. Happy birthday! So, that's kind of what's going on around here. And I’d like to take this moment to thank everybody, especially everybody who was there. Like it's just…it's really unique what we have. Like I think…I think we know that. Like, I think we know that going through the Bible in community like this, like there’s something special about this. But we…it's like the kingdom, we couldn’t go like, “it’s this” or “there it is over there.” This is why it just is and what we share together is real and it's a…it's a beautiful thing and I'm grateful that we have each other in the different seasons and stresses of life. We do know that were not alone, and that we are in this together.

And so, yeah, that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is to be safe and this is Saved by His Grace from Happy Valley. I enjoyed today’s podcast, July 22nd because it reminded me the first time, I heard about the concept of choosing a life verse. I thought, “O, I would like Proverbs 3:5-6 to be my life verse” but then when I took a hard look at myself, I realized what it really needed to be was Romans 7:18-19. That was quite a comeuppance. But anyway, haven’t called much lately but I want you to know that I am praying fervently for all of you and for this nation. I…Rebecca from Michigan called in the most beautiful prayer recently and honey you’re always in my prayers as is John from South Sudan. Your forgiveness and your Christianity just blow me away and so many others. I love all of you. You are my brothers and sisters in Christ and I just pray that we can all feel God’s presence in our lives every single day and know that He is never gone, He never leaves us nor forsakes us. I love you all. God bless you. Bye.

Hey everybody my name is Julie. This is my first week listening to the DAB and I just have to say you all are amazing. Just hearing everybody pray for each other, it’s really uplifting, especially with what’s going on in the world right now. So, I don’t have a request for today but when I hear your…you speaking I’m just going to be praying for you because I think you all are awesome. Have a blessed day.

Hi everybody this is Cricket from Iowa. Every morning when I take the dog for a walk, I try to make a long walk and I try to clear my mind and just let God talk to me or not talk to me but just to be still and listen. And this morning on my walk, God placed it on my heart to pray for all of us for the end of the coronavirus. So, here goes. O my Jesus you have said truly I say to you ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be open to you. We knock, we seek, and we ask for the grace of an end of the Corona 19 pandemic. O my Jesus you have said truly I say to you if you ask anything of the father in My name, He will give it to you. In your name Jesus we ask God our Father for the grace of an and to the COVID-19 pandemic. O my Jesus you have said truly I say to you heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away. Encouraged by your infallible words we now ask for the grace of an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks everybody.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is Denise, and this is a prayer and a confession. I want to confess to all of you that a couple years ago I just stopped talking to my best friend and she and I have known each other forever and we were maids of honors and at each other’s weddings. And I was so angry at her for nothing for nothing that she actually did. I just have struggled in my marriage to conceive a biological child and my best friend is blessed with them and she is six and I really broke when I lost this last pregnancy and she became pregnant just virtually at the same time with her sixth and I took out on her. But I praise to you that through my relationship with you guys, talking into this phone thing that it’s been really gnawing on me that that how can I pray this prayer leader for you all and received praise for being an intercessor and not one, tell you that my…my houses and clean and two, it just doesn’t feel right to intercede for people when I just have this thing holding over my head. So, I called her on Monday, and it was her birthday and we talked until 2 AM. And praise Jesus that He has worked in my heart to heal and I wanted you all to know that. And I feel like we can bring some good out of this pandemic. And if it is…if you’re in a similar situation it’s somehow on your side of the street I just encourage you to let the healing happen and just pick up the phone and start over because that’s what I’m doing and if you all would pray for me for my relationship with her and for me to have a child, that would be wonderful. Thank you.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is Shelia it’s my first time calling. I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible since 2013 I think, and this is my first time calling. But I just wanted to say I love you guys, I pray for you always and I know that God loves us all. Stay in peace, stay faithful and continue to lift up the name of Jesus. Thank you, family for always being there for me. Know that I’m always here for you. Amen.