#emma checker

[aus-wnt]

training pics

https://impetusfootball.org/2022/10/07/matildas-in-final-preparations-for-south-africa-clash/

[leilawasabi15]

Soccer players & their coffee - a dynamic duo 🤝🏼

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

Just started to question if, in hindsight, I wanted to be her or kiss her as a kid

[deltaromeo3]

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎..? #3 ⋆ Charles Leclerc

pairing: charles leclerc x reader

summary: in which the reader does not recognise the famous Monegasque Formula 1 driver; the very same one that was about to change her perspective on the sport and also her life.

— buckle up cos this is a long one yall…. a lil smau at the end? 👀

— you can read parts 1 & 2 here: #1 #2

You went on three more dates after the brunch date. You really enjoyed his company and agreeing to go for brunch with him was the best decision you've ever made.

Charles had popped the question on the third date and of course, you said yes. However, you still kept your relationship private but not secret. No one knew who he was dating and vice versa…. yet.

Today was your final paper for Uni. You had spent the last few weeks focused on studying so you couldn't meet Charles (and attend his races) as often as you wanted to but he was totally understanding and even had flowers delivered to your house to boost your morale.

You went to school with the notes you wrote clutched in your hands. You had a few hours to kill so you decided to have a light breakfast and head to the library to do last minute revisions with Emma.

The clock hits 1:30pm and all the students were gathered in the examination hall, seated in their respective places as the papers were being handed out. You turned to Emma who was seated a few seats diagonally behind you.

She shows a thumbs up and mouths 'good luck!' with a smile on her face.

You returned the gesture and then turn your attention back towards yourself.

Three hours later, you exited the exam hall and let out a sigh of relief. You took out your phone to text Charles, letting him know you were done with your final paper of the goddamn semester.

In the midst of typing, you bumped into someone.

"Oh god I'm so sor- Charles?!" You yelled out.

He laughs but was quick to shush you by covering your mouth, "Hi,"

You were shocked to see him as he was away for the British Grand Prix. You figured you had a few days left before he returns but as you just found out, he was back early.

You hugged him in joy and he embraces you in his arms.

"How was the paper?" He asks as he lets go, the two of you walking away.

"Good- but difficult. I think I'll do well," You hesitantly say.

His eyebrows furrow, "You think? Come on, don't say that! I know you'll do well,"

"Yeah? You think so?"

"Of course! You're my girl, there's nothing you can't do my love," He says as he kisses your forehead.

You smiled in response, feeling a little better.

"Let's go for dinner?"

It's like he was able to read your mind.

Fast forward, it was graduation. You did indeed do well. Your parents couldn't attend as they were miles away so they supported you via live stream. Charles however...

@yourusername posted on their story

@charles_leclerc posted on their story

Monza.

Monza was a particularly important race; Charles loved the Monza GP as much as he loved his home race- it held a very special place in his heart.

This was your first time attending, the atmosphere of the tifosi’s was like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

You were with Emma in the Ferrari hospitality as Charles had paddock & VIP passes for the both of you. Of course, he couldn’t forget Emma. He said if it weren’t for her, the two of you wouldn’t have met.

The both of you were seated at the back of the garage with headphones on, focused on the race.

The race started off well. Charles was on pole, which was amazing, he even managed to maintain his position for the next 53 laps, keeping the two Mercedes drivers behind him at bay.

“Mercedes threw everything at him today- Charles Leclerc has coped brilliantly! He won in Spa, he wins in Monza!”

As soon as his car crosses the finish line and the checkered flag waves, you rushed over to the barricades, waiting for him.

As soon as he parks his car in the Parc Ferme, he rushes to the team donned in red.

He brushed past everyone as soon as he saw you at the front of the line. He runs over to you, immediately embracing you in a hug.

You hugged him back but was taken aback at his sudden action because your relationship hadn’t gone public yet. But today, Charles figured it was time the world knew.

You kissed the top of his helmet, afterwards pushing his visor up, eyes locked with the same set of green eyes you were first met with at the supermarket a year back. His eyes were squinting- he was smiling.

With his hands rested on your waist, he proceeds to place his forehead on yours, “Je t’aime. I love you. Je t’aime tellement. I love you so much.” He says loud enough so you could hear him over the screams and cheers.

You smiled. Your heart melts when the words escape his mouth because prior to this, the both of you hadn’t said your “I love you’s” yet.

“Take off your helmet,” You said and he quickly proceeded to do so.

You placed your hands on the side of his face bringing him in closer, kissing him. Once you let go, you said,

“Je t’aime aussi, Charles. I love you too, Charles.”

-

yourusername

liked by emmaharper, charles_leclerc, yoursister and others

yourusername I guess I’m a Ferrari fan now…🤭

emmaharper #ForzaFerrari 🤪🤪

charles_leclerc 😘😘 I love you

yourusername I love you too❤️

emmaharper ew

yourusername @emmaharper 🙄

yoursister SO THIS IS HOW I FIND OUT U R DATING CHARLES BLOODY LECLERC???

yourusername 😳😳

charlesleclerclover well now we know who’s the mystery girl…👀

charlesleclerc_fc new wag!!!!!

user1 ooh so she’s the doctor he posted about!

yourusername @user1 yessir🤭

yourfriend y/n you dating a f1 driver was NOT on my bingo card….

yourusername hehehe surprise…?

view all 136 comments

A/N: here it is, the long awaited part 3! and with that, the “and you are…?” series comes to an end!! hehe definitely didn’t expect there to he 3 parts but oh well! i hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! thank you for all the love <3

ps. im open for requests :)

— taglist: @charlottemount @fangirlika @lunnnix @maryleclerc

[violettduchess]

A/N: This is my gift for @readerinsertfanfiction 💜 The moment I saw Cyran on your list, I was thrilled. I hope you enjoy!

A huge thank you to @ikemenlibrary for her support and friendship and for being a generous, caring host 💜

Prompt: A servant, someone who knew Cyran from before his time in Rhodolite

Cyran x AU Emma

WC: ~4k

Obsidian: the Past

She runs across the cracked, sunbaked cobblestone streets, her treasure wrapped in a cream-colored tea towel and held protectively against her chest. Her worn leather shoes make a pleasing thunking sound against the stones as she hurries past dusty shop windows and faded porches, carefully dodging people on the street.

“Langsam, Emma!” someone yells as she flies past but she doesn’t listen to their warning. She can’t slow down. She has somewhere to be.

Finally she reaches the edge of town and takes a sharp left, leaving the cobblestones behind for a ribbon of dirt road that winds its way along tired hills covered with sparse sage-green grass and dotted with scraggly yellow dandelions. Another turn onto an even smaller path, a faint thing that meanders through the knee-high growth and then, finally, the faded barn comes into view. 

She smiles, pumping her young legs harder, willing them to swallow the distance faster and faster until she reaches the peeling, splintered wooden doors and haphazardly flings one open.

“Cyran? I’m here!!”

The boy, just shy of fourteen, turns away from the wooden beam he has been faux-sparring with, lowering the dull, well-worn practice sword he is so proud of. His hair gleams like fire in the hazy sunlight that shines through the pocked roof. 

Emma hurries over, gulping down huge breaths of musty air as she grabs his thin forearm.

“C’mon. I’m dying to see how they taste.”

Cyran laughs, struggling to sheath his sword as she drags him over to the blanket thrown over the hay in a cozy corner of the barn. This is their favorite place to meet, an escape from the outside world they discovered several years ago while exploring. It is here that Emma sometimes reads to him from one of her treasured books. She’s even shared stories she’s written, romantic tales of princesses and dragons, knights and monsters. Cyran is always the hero, the knight who slays the monsters and rescues the damsel in distress. Emma will change her roles in the stories. 

Sometimes she needs rescuing. 

But sometimes, she is the dragon.

Often they sneak treats to each other, hard biscuits or smoked meat or, if they are really lucky, sweet berries brought across the border from the lush neighboring country of Rhodolite. Cyran’s neighbor is a servant for some of the merchants that make the risky trips over and when he’s lucky, she manages to tuck away a few treasures just for him.

He settles himself down on the frayed checkered blanket and pushes his bright hair away from his forehead, eagerly watching as Emma drops down next to him, laying the tea towel down. Her face is flushed from her run and from the thrill of what she’s managed to bring him.

“Ready?”

He nods, enthusiastically motioning for her to unwrap it already. He has hands that are too big for his young body, growing the way many boys do at this age, in odd fits and spurts. 

Emma leans forward, pushing up the sleeve of her too-big dress and carefully pulls back the edges of the tea towel.

The smell hits them first, the warm spice of cinnamon, the tang of nutmeg, the slight bitterness of the cloves, the unmistakable scent of ginger. It wafts up towards them, exotic and tempting. Cyran breathes in deeply and then sighs happily as he looks at her, eyes bright and admiring.

“It smells so good.”

Cyran had carefully been saving up the exotic store of spices, some of them gifts from his neighbors, others decadent purchases made at the market from his meager earnings made mucking stalls and chopping wood. He knew that Emma would be the one who would create something special with them. Young as she was, she was a talented cook and baker, able to make the most fantastic treats out of the simplest ingredients. And now that she had been given such a treasure trove to work with, she had spun pure magic.

The spiced biscuits are dappled dark brown and gold. When she hands him one, it is with a reverence that echos a priest giving communion or a child receiving a shiny new toy at Christmas.

Their gazes meet and she nods.

“Together.”

He returns the nod, staring into the warm depths of her soft brown eyes.

“Together.”

They bite into the cookies at the same time. Emma breaks into a proud smile as Cyran closes his eyes, savoring the medley of flavor and even better, the knowledge that she made them just for him.

“It’s good, isn’t it?" she asks, grinning. She sees the look on his face, the way he is practically melting with enjoyment.

He lifts his shoulder in a casual shrug, feigning indifference.

“I guess……”

“What?!”

He takes another bite, leaning back on one hand. “I mean, they’re ok. But you know, Hilde’s biscuits are also really good–OOF.”

She’s tackled him, throwing herself at him with all the force of a frenzied feline, her nimble fingers scratching at his sides. Cyran breaks into laughter, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and tries to squirm away from her.

“Ok ok Brown Eyes, enough!”

Emma lets him go, sitting back on her heels with a glowing, triumphant smile.

“Never say that about Hilde’s cookies again.”

He pushes himself up, heart pounding furiously in his chest. Only some of it is from laughing. He tears his gaze away from the unsettling beauty of her eyes, traveling up to her hair.

“You’re a mess. You got straw in your hair and your braid is a disaster.”

Emma turns and scoots until she is sitting in front of him. “Since it’s your fault….you fix it.”

Cyran heaves a sigh he doesn’t mean and then settles himself into a comfortable position, reaching forward and with a tenderness and care far beyond most boys his age, begins slowly picking the straw from her messy plait.

Emma’s eyes drift closed as she revels in the attention he’s giving her, the gentle way he untangles her braid and then very slowly begins brushing his fingers through her soft, chestnut-colored hair.

It feels comforting and safe.

It feels thrilling.

It feels like the early evening has come to a standstill and they have all the time in the world.

But their time together is like a rose slowly losing its petals.

A petal falls as he tells her, wide-eyed and shaken, that his neighbor has been killed in her own home, throat opened in the dead of night and left smiling its ghastly red smile until she was discovered hours later. Emma rubs his back, not knowing what else to do. This is not the first death in their village as of late. And it will not be the last.

A petal falls as they lay, side by side, on the blanket in the hay, staring up at the patches of starry sky visible through the holes in the roof. “My parents are scared,” she whispers. He turns his head to stare at her profile and knows it isn’t just her parents who are frightened. “I’ll protect you,” he whispers, voice fierce with youth’s naïve promise. Her gaze remains on the silver stars but she reaches out, taking his hand and squeezes it.

A petal falls as she comes to their favorite spot, face pale as bone, to tell him that her family is leaving. Her father has contacted distant relatives that live far to the north, as far from Rhodolite and the dangers it poses as one can get. Cyran feels like his young heart may break right there in his chest and he will be forced to live the rest of his life with its pieces rattling around inside of him. Though filled with dismay, Emma’s eyes are as beautiful as ever. They shine with tears, rivaling any star they have ever spent time gazing at.

A petal falls as she rushes through the dark, on the night before her family is to leave, her throat burning with feelings she can’t quite name, waves too strong to try and understand for fear they will sweep her away. She bursts through the barn doors and finds him already there, his hair dark as garnet, damp with sweat. He has spent the entire day doing heavy labor, removing heavy wooden beams, hauling ancient and broken equipment, sweeping the dusty, straw-strewn floor. Several lanterns placed around the interior bathe the space in warm, yellow light. The barn is as clean and inviting as he can make it. He wanted to give her one more memory, something beautiful, that she can take with her on her journey away from here. Away from him.

Emma is frozen in place, soaking in all he has done, before finally stopping on the young man at the center of it. He’s breathing hard, his chest rising and falling unevenly. Already his shoulders carry the hint of what manhood will bring him: strength and breadth. Arms that with training will turn hard and sculpted, legs that will lengthen until he is taller than most. He is the faint beginning of what he will become. Emma wonders wildly if she will ever get the chance to see the finished masterpiece.

“Emma,” he says, his voice raw and rough, deeper than she has ever heard it.

She sets down the bundle she is holding, the one she carried so close on the way here, leaving it on top of a weathered wooden barrel.

“Cyran,” she answers, her muscles tense, like a fawn when it hears a crunching in the underbrush.

He starts forward, one hesitant step and that is enough. She flies towards him, throwing her thin arms around his neck and buries her face in his worn linen shirt, clutching him to her. There is power in her small frame, something fierce and bright, a hurricane in crystal. Cyran holds her close, his eyes closing as he breathes in her familiar scent. He’s been teased his whole life because of his last name, but she is the one who reminds him of a rose, who always smells so sweet.

The anticipation of loss that has them clinging to each other slowly ebbs and something else, something that has been burning low and quiet in every laugh, every touch, every glance begins to emerge. She is suddenly aware of the press of her chest against his, of how much taller he is, the earthy smell of his skin. She leans back to look at him and sees the same awareness mirrored in his dark eyes.

Outside a rooster crows, loud and discordant.

Cyran turns his head toward the sound and Emma, sparked by the frantic knowledge that she must leave, grabs his chin, pulling him back to her and rises onto her toes, pressing her lips to his.

It is a sunbeam bursting through gray clouds. A spark breathing life into a pile of dried leaves. It is hope and promise and wonder.

And heartbreak.

With a stifled cry, she steps away, turns and flees the barn, not wanting to see the look on his face as she leaves, not wanting that to be her last memory of him.

Cyran watches with a thundering heart as the door swings shut. Flooded with helplessness and misery, he notices the bundle she left behind. Tenderly he lifts it, undoing the sky-colored ribbon. It’s her favorite handkerchief, white with pale blue forget-me-nots painstakingly embroidered along the edges, and nestled inside are several of her spiced biscuits. His favorites.

Rhodolite: The Present

Rhodolite is so much MORE than she expected. The streets are wider and cleaner and lined with greenery, more trees and flowering bushes and grass than in the entire garden of the palace in Obsidian. There are more people than she expected too, many standing under awnings and lampposts, peeking through windows and around doorways, watchful eyes in beautiful faces following the royal procession as it makes its way towards the palace. 

When she had been told by the Head Chef that they would be accompanying Prince Gilbert and his entourage to Rhodolite, Emma had felt a familiar ringing through the cockles of her heart. Rhodolite is where Cyran was rumored to have ended up. Whispers from the south had traveled her way, over the many years since they parted. He had joined the army when he was of age. He had left Obsidian for the verdure of Rhodolite. He was employed by one of the Princes there. Crumbs of information she had managed to gather, hoarding them tightly like precious drops of mana. 

He may not even be here, she reminds herself as her tired gray mare plods along down the street. She and the other servants are at the end of the procession and most of the people have turned away, not interested in anything but the dangerous Prince Gilbert with his sharp smile and blood-red gaze. 

Still, Emma finds herself scanning the crowds as they pass, looking for any head of red hair. She spots a few but they are never him.

As the overwhelming elegant palace suddenly rises towards the heavens before her, she draws in a sharp breath. 

We’re here…….

…….Is he?

The palace looms closer, a breathtaking monument of pale beauty.

And if so….how in the wide world will she ever find him?

Cyran runs a hand through his thick mass of russet hair as his long strides make quick work of the pathway towards the training hall. It’s late evening and the young, freshly-minted knights are at the end of their training and he needs to make sure everything went well without him there. He knows Lucian is more than capable of leading them through their drills but Cyran has a responsibility to make sure. They are all under his charge.

Entering the hall, he sees several of the knights laughing in a corner. Some are sitting and catching their breath, others are pushing the heavy sandbags they sometimes train with back into their storage room. What he sees reassures him. They look tired and sore, yet satisfied, faces bright with the feeling of accomplishment a tough training session will leave behind.

He’s about to go look for Lucian, expecting a full report when he notices several of the knights standing by the wooden table at the far end of the training circle, the one usually covered with straps for shields and rope and other odds and ends. They’re smiling, far too widely to be discussing anything so mundane as weaponry. Several are chewing. He approaches the table, greeted by his men with smiles and respectful nods. Immediately he notices the tin: it’s round and black, covered with decorative golden swirls. 

“What’s this?” He glances towards the first knight at his left, a tall lad with sandy blond hair.

“They were brought here by an Obsidian servant. She said they were a present for us.”

Cyran frowns, a skeptical look on his face as he reaches inside the tin for one of the golden brown cookies.

“And you didn’t think to–” He was going to ask if they thought accepting gifts from strangers was a good idea when the scent hits him, cutting through the sweat and musk of tired men.

The warm spice of cinnamon, the tang of nutmeg, the slight bitterness of cloves, the unmistakable scent of ginger.

He goes still, the breath knocked from his lungs.

Could it be…..

Something in his face hushes the men around him. They watch, curious as Cyran lifts the cookie and takes a bite. 

The man who sees everything, ever watchful, closes his eyes as he chews and the knights are transfixed by the absolute stillness that has overtaken their leader.

And then those eyes open and something in them has begun to burn, bright and alive.

The other half of the cookie falls to the dusty ground as he turns on his heel and, practically jogging, exits the training area, leaving behind the half-eaten biscuit and a slew of surprised faces.

The rose gardens are somehow even more beautiful in the twilight of evening. The red petals seem to have darkened, shedding their bright rose-red for a sultry scarlet. Shadows emerge from the trimmed hedges, stretching across the winding stone pathways, giving a visitor like Emma glimpses of hidden benches and secret dirt paths leading into clandestine corners of the gardens.

She has taken several of these more narrow, less-trodden paths, not at all afraid of getting lost. Her heart is a bird, flitting between dark branches, full of a nervous, tightly-wound energy she can’t quite explain. 

As the sky darkens to a deep navy blue and the first stars open their eyes, Emma pauses in front of a gray stone fountain. Two swans, nuzzling their beaks together, bodies curved towards one another as a blossoming flower rises above them, water spraying outward in celebration. She tilts her head, the romantic in her sighing at the way the two swans perfectly mirror one another, two halves of a whole, two souls in perfect harmony. So enchanted is she by the fountain that she doesn’t hear the footfall on the path, doesn’t notice the man who has stopped several meters away from where she is standing, the sight of her freezing him in his tracks.

“Emma.”

She jumps at the deep voice, her eyes wide and dark as she turns towards the sound. The owner of said voice is standing, half in shadow, at the place where the small path to the fountain begins, beneath a shadowy arch of crimson roses. She is so startled, she doesn’t even register that he has said her name.

“Oh….s'il te plaît, excuse-moi,” she says quickly, doing her best to remember the phrases of the common language spoken in Rhodolite. “J'espère que ça va…” She trails off, trying to remember how to say she hopes she is allowed to be here but the man takes another step closer, leaving the blanket of shadows and stepping into the fading light.

Even the dusky hue of evening cannot hide the red of his hair.

A gasp as soft as the flutter of a bird’s wing escapes her. The young boy she knew juxtaposed against this tall, broad man before her sends her heart into a tailspin. Her hand flies to her mouth as she takes him in. She sees the same bright light of recognition and admiration and overwhelming emotion plain as day on his beautiful face.

“Cyran?” The word is a whisper, a breathless repetition of the name she has kept in her prayers for decades.

His eyes never leave her, almost as if he has the power to hold her there with his gaze, to keep her from vanishing into the realm of his dreams where she has lived for so long. Slowly, he reaches up and loosens the laces at the top of his tunic. His hand slides inside and when it emerges, he is holding a small square of cloth. As he slowly opens it, her heart falters.

It’s white, with pale blue forget-me-nots embroidered around the edges.

He holds it out to her, his chest rising and falling with every deep breath he takes. That handkerchief has lived next to his heart, in an inner pocket, one he has sewn into every shirt he has ever owned since the day he watched her leave.

“I think…..this belongs to you, Brown Eyes.”

She chokes back a sob, unable to contain the thunderstorm of emotion coursing through her and runs to him, falling into his arms as naturally as a willow bends to the wind, tears falling freely down her cheeks. Cyran wraps his arms around her, sheltering her, holding her the way he has imagined a thousand times. His throat burns with all the words he has ached to say, all those sleepless nights spent remembering the lilt of her smile, the music of her laughter, the bittersweet taste of her kiss.

Emma squeezes her eyes closed, breathing in the scent of him, at once so familiar and yet so strange. Her arms wind around his waist as she presses herself against him, drinking in the sensation of his body on hers. 

This is Cyran….her Cyran…..her….

A thought pierces her heart as she suddenly steps away from him, eyes wide, still so beautiful as they glimmer with the remnants of her tears.

“Oh…I…I didn’t mean…..you could be married. I shouldn’t have-”

His laughter is coarse, rough with emotion, a roll of rushing water as it careens over the lip of a cliff.

“As if I could ever love anyone else.”

Love…..

As if summoned by the very word, the moon itself parts the soft gray clouds, flooding the small section of the garden with silvery light. The tinkling of the fountain fills the momentary silence. 

Cyran’s cheeks suddenly flush, a hot mixture of embarrassment and panic overriding the elation of the previous moment.

“I…..I don’t mean to presume of course that you feel the same. It has been a long time and…..” He trails off, wincing. Fluster is such an uncharacteristic state of being for Cyran. “Ah, shit. I’m sorry. I–” 

His words are cut off as Emma launches herself back into his arms, hugging him fiercely.

“Please, don’t apologize.” She tilts her head up to look at him, still in awe of how she sees the young man he was and the handsome man he has become in his beautiful eyes, in his exquisite face. “It has always been you.”

Cyran drags air into his lungs, hardly able to believe he isn’t dreaming. His rough fingers capture her chin, his thumb running over the sensitive skin just under her lower lip. 

Slowly, he leans down as she stretches upwards, eager and nearly trembling with emotion. 

He kisses her, his hand still cupping her face. Gently his mouth moves over hers as he tells her a wordless story of longing, of a bruised heart that learned to somehow keep beating. 

He kisses her, a strong arm pulling her closer, his lips and tongue weaving the tale of a young soldier who never forgot the girl with the tender heart and radiant spirit. The soldier who dreamed of her face during his darkest nights and longed for her laughter on days of sunshine.

She meets him, kiss for kiss, stroke for stroke, sliding her palms along his broad shoulders, clutching him as she answers his tale, confessing without words how he has never left her heart. How his smile was her light in times of worry and despair. How seeing him again has been her northern star from the moment of parting.

Only the moon knows how long they stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, lost in each other’s yearning.

When they finally part, Cyran rests his forehead against hers, still keeping her tightly in his embrace. He may never let go again.

“You’re….in the employ of Prince Gilbert. I am here.” He frowns ever so slightly as he brushes several loose strands of hair away from Emma’s charmingly flushed cheek. “This could get complicated.”

Their gazes meet and she nods.

“Yes…..but we’ll figure it out.”

And suddenly he is carried back in time to an evening when her eyes shone just as brightly, just as excitedly, a young girl with something to give a young boy, a homemade cookie, an offering of love.

“Together.” 

Her voice echoes across the years, that word wrapping itself around his battered heart, a balm, a blessing.

He returns the nod, staring into the warm depths of her soft brown eyes, tenderly stroking the silk of her hair, and answers her now as he did back then. 

“Together.”

Tagging: @xbalayage @alexxavicry @queengiuliettafirstlady @bellerose-arcana @thewitchofbooks @aria-chikage @redheadkittys @tele86 @dear-mrs-otome @olivermorningstar @writingwhimsey @mxrmaid-poet @silver-dahlia @wendolrea @nightfoxqueen @myonlyjknight @ikesimpleton @namine-somebodies-nobody @cellophanediamond @whatever-fanfics @justpeachyteastea @chirp-a-chirp @got7igot7family @kookie-my-little-sunshine @mastering-procrastinating @portrait-ninja @queen-dahlia @themysticalbeing @nightghoul381 @whitelittlebunny @chi-the-idiot @bubblexly @wordycheeseblob

[rockandroar]

Here are my latest concepts of Cassie! Her design hasn't changed much, so I've reused some of my old sketches of her to put these together. I've decided she's the one who gets to wear those extra hi Converse (sorry Emma. You have the iconic checkered Vans though!).

Cassie Pawssom is Emma's best friend, and the drummer in Scream At The Moon. Despite her great love of fantasy - she is currently going through her vampire romance novel phase, as we can see - she is pragmatic in her day-to-day life and thinks through every decision with great care, though she can be too cautious at times. However, her good sense has also been what has allowed her to talk her friends out of some very bad ideas, thus preventing a whole lot of trouble. Aside from her reputation for being responsible, she is also very caring and sincere, a true friend whom you can always count on.

Rock & Roar 2 will go public after the current Rock & Roar comic ends. The story takes place 20 years after the first one, in the year 2006; a time of MySpace, pop punk, and the third wave of emo.

[emmania]

Emma in checkered shirt

[starry-hughes]

fireplace snuggling (mackie samoskevich)

day 15 of star’s ficmas

kasey tkachuk x mackie samoskevich (au)

Mackie got into Sunrise late, some rain caused his flight to be delayed. It wasnt Christmas Day or even Christmas Eve but the delayed flight caused him to miss the yearly Tkachuk Christmas skate at wherever arena rink they were in the city for. He had received pictures of Kasey on the bench, not wanting to skate. She hadn’t really skated since her injury that caused her to be terrified of skating, decommitted herself from college and caused the worst family tension.

He tried not to think about how bad of a look it was for him to show up late, especially to Kasey Tkachuk’s parents. Kasey was excited though, she would have waited hours in the airport for her boyfriend. Her older brother, Matthew, was circling around the airport as she waited inside.

Mackie wouldn’t have expected anything less, seeing his girlfriend standing there as he was walking out of the airport. It was a day before Christmas and the airport was crowded, but he immediately spotted his girlfriend, standing in the Charlotte Checkers Christmas sweater he had sent her.

Kasey didn’t want to let go of Mackie as soon as she yanked him into her arms. “I missed you so much,” she practically cried as he hugged her. “I missed you too… hopefully no one is that upset I’m coming in at midnight?”

Kasey grinned, “Oh Matty is pissed, but he can get over it.”

The three got back to the house and Matthew mumbled something about going up to bed, telling Mackie that he better sleep on the couch. “He’s joking,” Kasey reassured. She was full of energy for it being almost one in the morning. “My mom made Matthew get this electric fireplace, she wanted a real one, but we live in Florida,” Kasey dragged her boyfriend over to the fireplace. Mackie sat next to his girlfriend who plopped herself down on the floor. He took the moment to finally kiss her.

Mackie wasn’t sure how long they kissed, but his lips were swollen and his hair tousled. “Kasey, I’m not sleeping with you on the floor of the living room,” Mackie warned as her hands fiddled with the sweatband of his sweatpants. Kasey reached over to grab the remote that controlled the fireplace and the sound of crackling and warmth entered the room.

“I’m hoping they send me back here soon, get to see you more,” Mackie started before yanking a pillow off the couch and laying down on the carpeted living room floor. Kasey was quick to snuggle into his side. “I hope so too,” Kasey played with his chain around his neck, “I like when you’re around.”

The young couple stayed up for another two hours, talking about anything and everything that came to their minds. “Mack?” Kasey whispered when she realized he hadn’t answered her question and looked over to find her boyfriend asleep. She smiled, snuggling into his side and closing her eyes, the sound of the crackling fireplace putting her to sleep.

“Aww they are so cute!” Emma whispered. “I’m going to wake them up,” Matthew said. “Matthew!” Taryn complained. “I’m waking them up.” Matthew stated. “Dude be nice,” Brady said.

Mackie was kicked gently in the leg and his eyes fluttered open. The sun was shining through the windows, it was morning. There was a blanket over the two of them, Mackie has a vague memory of Kasey getting up in the middle of the night to grab a blanket. “Kasey,” Mackie mumbled, “your family is awake.”

He sat up, realizing that the Tkachuk siblings were all stifling laughter and that Chantal and Keith Tkachuk were sitting close to the two on the floor. “Oh… Morning Mr and Mrs Tkachuk, thanks for inviting me to Christmas?”

Kasey woke up, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, her hair was its messy natural curls. “Hi mom, hi dad… So are we decorating cookies today or…”

[snowbellewells]

Self Promo Sunday: @cssns19 MC "Face to Face in the Broad Daylight"

(This week in reruns celebrating previous @cssns works, we have a sequel to my werewolf, alternate season two and beyond fic from 2018’s @cssns offering. This one partially exists just because I wanted to revisit these couples and enjoy a bit more of their fluffy happily ever afters. However, they also get into some new surprises and challenges, and: is Rumplestiltskin still under control, or is he back to his usual scheming and plotting? If you weren't around back then, I hope you will give this a try and enjoy.  If you read it back then and choose to revisit it, I hope you'll enjoy the walk down memory lane!! Either way, I'd love to hear what you think!

Complete in 9 Parts

(Thanks once again to @branlovestowrite for the stunningly lovely cover art she did for this story as well. I still absolutely love it!!)

Also available on AO3 if that's your preference...

Summary: After finding one another and triumphing against the machinations of the Evil Queen and the Queen of Hearts, Killian and Emma, and their friends and family are ready to enjoy the happiness they've earned. However, a new threat is about to rise that may put those happy beginnings in grave jeopardy.

by: @snowbellewells

~~ prologue: altogether in one place

As a cooling breeze blew in off the water of the harbor to combat the bright heat of an early May afternoon, Killian Jones smiled easily, enjoying the trace of air over his neck and ruffling his dark hair as he headed back up the street from the docks toward the center of town. It was a perfect day for the celebration he was on his way to attend, planning to meet Emma and Henry at the pretty little two bedroom cottage not far from the harbor that they moved into some weeks past, before the three of them walked the rest of the way to Granny’s together. The rest of their family and several friends were doubtless already gathering at the diner’s outdoor tables for the planned picnic. It was Mother’s Day, and the first which Emma would be able to spend with her mother, and with her boy as well. Killian smiled fondly at the tentative joy mixed with nervous anticipation on his love’s face as they’d spoken of it laying side-by-side that very morning. His heart had warmed right along with dawn’s first rays peeking through the curtains, glad that Emma could have her loved ones surrounding her, as she always should have. Though his own mother had been gone so long that he only retained the barest memories of a gentle voice singing to him and the twinkle in kind, loving eyes, he still felt not a fiber of his being to be jealous or begrudging of the wealth of love and belonging his lady had found. Emma deserved it all, and more besides.

It helped, he admitted to himself as he neared the front walk, their yard surrounded by white picket fence that he could now see Emma leaning on casually with Henry at her side, that he too had been welcomed into the fold gladly. With the wolf born inside him, his horribly checkered and painful history, and how long he had wandered alone in the world, Killian could never have imagined being accepted as a part of something so good, nor feeling that he mattered to others again. Despite his stunned disbelief, however, he could only continue to be grateful.

As he drew nearer, Henry caught sight of him and waved enthusiastically, a wide grin stretching across his face. “Hey, Killian!” the youth called out. “Are you ready for this?”

“Aye, lad, of course,” he answered with a chuckle, smiling to Emma as well, his heart swelling still further at the blush which rose on her cheeks as he waggled his eyebrows playfully. He turned his attention back to Henry quickly, not wanting the young man to feel dismissed, but instead leaning forward to whisper secretively to Henry, “We wouldn’t want to miss your grandma’s famed cherry chess pie, now would we?”

Henry agreed emphatically with Killian’s winking query, then scampered on ahead of them as Killian pulled Emma into a quick embrace while she stretched up to press a chaste kiss to his lips before they joined hands and followed her son the rest of the way to Granny’s before they were late.

Not many minutes later they were turning into the front seating area of the diner, entering under the arch and being greeted from all sides by family and friends. Ruby bounded over to gleefully wrap Emma in an exuberant hug, whispering in his love’s ear that she wanted to hear what they’d been up to at the new house in a blatant enough way to have the blond blushing once again. Killian followed Henry’s urging over to his grandparents’ table, shaking David’s hand and easing into conversation with Emma’s father thankfully.

He liked the people gathered around him very much, but so often in the past he had kept to the shadows, on the outskirts of society, either due to prejudice and ostracism or his own attempts to insure others’ safety from the beast within him. Having at last found his home in Storybrooke, and also a peace within himself that he had rarely known, Killian felt as stable as he had ever been in both parts of himself. His wolf had room and freedom to run, even a pack of sorts with Ruby and Graham nearby, and he rarely feared the howling need to break free he had sought to hide or contain in his youth and throughout his years of bitter, aimless wandering.  All that being true, he still sometimes preferred to ease into larger groups one person at a time. Once Emma’s slightly overprotective and traditional father had gotten to know him, Killian found the man quite easy to talk to and good company, so he naturally went to speak with him first.

Their friendship hadn’t taken long to develop once things had settled down around the holidays, some six months ago, after Regina, Cora, and Rumplestiltskin’s defeat. Both David and Killian served as reinforcements to the sheriff’s department when needed (though in sleepy, calm Storybrooke they rarely were) and so had spent many long afternoons when there were no calls sharing long chats, wadded up paper ball free throw contests in the desk trash cans, endless one-upping games of darts, and - if they grew truly desperate - filing of the somehow never ending stacks of paperwork. Their little town had been free of most trouble beyond cats in trees and neighboring fairy tale characters’ squabbles since Thanksgiving. None of them had forgotten that Gold was still simmering impotently in his shop (surely wanting revenge, but hands tied by the fact that his dagger forbade it, thanks to Emma’s brilliance).  In fact, the citizens were enjoying an everyday normality most of them had never been able to experience before - in either this realm or the Enchanted Forest.

So, though there was often hardly enough work to keep one person busy, Graham had remained Sheriff, and kept Emma on as his deputy. Killian’s eyes found his sandy-haired fellow wolf amidst the happy crowd of partygoers, attentively leaning to whisper something in Belle’s ear where she sat talking to Granny Lucas herself, along with Nova, Leroy, Bashful, and Doc. The Sheriff was clearly happy to watch over his girlfriend, glad just to see her in high spirits, having brought her a drink and standing behind her chair to listen and look on. Graham had always been a good and competent lawman, but now that he was completely free to act of his own will and as he saw fit, it became even more clear just how kind, compassionate, and worthy a man he was. He no longer had to glance over his shoulder at each turn, fearing retribution for his choices. The townspeople liked and trusted him even more than they had before, seeing how dedicated he was to their causes and thorough in handling problems immediately and lawfully for the good of all to the best of his ability.

Watching just a moment longer, Killian saw Belle pause in her conversation, looking up over her shoulder at Graham with an adoring expression in her eyes, resting her hand over his where he had placed it on her shoulder. Something passed between them wordlessly, so slight that it went unnoticed by most around them, but to Kilian’s honed and heightened senses, it sent almost a frisson of intense feeling all the way across the space to where he stood. He didn’t know what it meant, but he found himself more than a little curious, and happy for his friends whatever the cause of their joy.

His attention was drawn back to his own immediate circle when David threw his head back in a booming burst of laughter as Henry finished relating how Killian had recently taken he, his mom, and his friends Grace, Nicholas and Ava out fishing and swimming on the Jolly. It wasn’t the first time Killian had dropped anchor in the harbor where the preteens could dive off the bow and bob in the waves to cool off while he and Emma sat in the sun watching over them and talking, but what had gotten such a reaction from his grandpa was the mental image of Ava’s disastrous practice at casting and somehow catching her hook in Grace’s hair. The ensuing noisy melee had caused quite a commotion until they’d gotten Grace free from the painful tangle, reassured Ava that they all knew it was an accident and gotten back to catching fish rather than each other.

As the afternoon wore on, Killian relaxed into the atmosphere of easy camaraderie around him, graciously complimenting his hostess on the lightness of her dinner rolls and the fine quality of her rum - to which he earned a sniff of begrudging thanks but also a sidelong smile. He exchanged a few words with Belle on the last book she had recommended to him and what he thought of it so far, and though she carried an obvious glow of satisfaction and practically radiated good humor, he was no closer to the reason that it seemed so especially prominent today, even after conversing with her. He exchanged pleasantries with Graham, and let Henry drag him into a ridiculous game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey that Snow had organized to hilarious results with the assorted dwarves’ poor aim and inebriated states by that hour of the waning day.

Despite what else he was doing however, his eyes were continually drawn back to Emma wherever she was. There was the simple fact that he couldn’t help but marvel at her beauty, for one thing. Her golden hair stood out like a beacon in any gathering, this one no exception, and the very sight of those flowing waves cascading down her back against the red leather of her favorite jacket made his hand itch to brush through its silky softness.  Her long, lean form, her throaty chuckle, and the sparkle in her jade green eyes all made hunger rise in him that had him aching to pull her out of the party and into the first empty room he could find. A long life of practice made him able to rein in his desires, but it certainly didn’t slake them in the least.

He remembered too that it was nearing the full moon, which made all his more canine traits closer to the surface. As intensely protective as he would have been anyway, because he loved her, the animal instinct within demanded he be aware of his mate and her safety at all times. Especially when they were out in the open and not alone, whether or not those with them were friends and the gathering innocent. There was possessiveness as well that he could contain, but not vanquish completely. Between those two impulses warring inside his average human faćade, Killian was rather proud of himself for managing to eventually retreat to a corner table with his drink, lean back in a chair and observe the goings on around him with at least the air of calm.

Still, needless to say, he was relieved when the festivities did begin to break up an hour or so later. Many called out a friendly goodbye to him, and he waved back jovially to them.  Some, like David, came over to say ‘good night’ and make plans for when they’d get together next. When Emma finally came up to him with an easy smile and an outstretched hand, asking him if he was ready to head home for the night with a teasing tilt of her head and playful “Captain?” he was on his feet in a moment. With Henry in tow, they headed back toward their house on the shore as the stars came out above.

A deep sense of satisfaction warmed Killian once again at the very idea that this could be his life, while Emma leaned into his side as they walked and Henry pointed out the various constellations that he had learned to recognize through Killian’s tutelage. It was more happiness than he once could have imagined having in his life on a regular basis. In a few days he would need to prepare for shifting about three nights in a row, as was his monthly due, but for tonight, he could sense it was still safely far enough off to take his time seeing the two most important people in his life home safely and enjoy that they saw him as one of their own.

Once they reached the front gate, Henry hurried on up the walk and into the house with a “See you tomorrow!” for his mom’s boyfriend. Alone at long last, Emma turned to him, her face tilted up to his with a devious glimmer in her expression. Only moments ago, he wouldn’t have imagined things could get much better, but when she ran her hands up his torso to rest on his chest and whispered invitingly, “Wanna come in for a nightcap, Sailor?” she blew his mind all over again. 

A couple of drinks, an entire bowl of popcorn and a movie later, they were cuddled together on the couch in Emma’s living room, making out like two teenagers.  Killian didn’t leave his love’s arms again until the next day dawned. Slipping out to his boat before Henry could walk up and begin scavenging through the cupboards for his breakfast cereal, Killian stooped to place a kiss on Emma’s groggy forehead as she mumbled a sleepy farewell. No one else in the house was stirring as the former pirate headed away down the walk, and he was too cheerful and relaxed to be on his guard, so the eyes watching his every move from the shadows as he moved toward the docks, went unnoticed…

~~***~~***~~

Far removed from the cheerfulness and revelry of the rest of the town and their holiday celebrations, Mr. Gold was holed up in the dim, shrouded back room of his shop, scowling silently at a clouded orb with its contents swirling inside. He hadn’t bothered to unlock or open his shop doors today, not wanting to see the idiotic smiles of the townsfolk, nor to waste effort pasting on a smile and haggling to make sales that mattered little to him, all things considered. No, all that mattered now was possessing the one item which could free him of the Savior’s binding order stoppering his Dark One powers to set things right. He would be loosed of her interfering magical hold; it was merely a matter of tracing the artifact to its hiding place and summoning an accomplice he knew was powerful enough to aid him in the ritual needed to slip the noose of his Dagger’s control, and therefore Miss Swan’s meddling command.

All the pieces were in place; once the crystal showed him where his former compatriot could be found, he would set the ball rolling.  He would make Belle see sense, return her to her place by his side, where she clearly belonged. That Sheriff who had dared to try taking his place in Belle’s affections would rue ever having his heart put back in his chest. And that wretched cur ...that wolf he had nearly finished off before - and the woman who had prevented it, who had the audacity to tangle with him and think she could defeat the Dark One - both of them would pay, once and for all.

Tagging a few who might enjoy: @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @jennjenn615 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @laschatzi

@jrob64 @apiratewhopines @spartanguard @therooksshiningknight @xarandomdreamx

@motherkatereloyshipper @booksteaandtoomuchtv @anmylica @stahlop @myfearless-love

@teamhook @revanmeetra87 @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @darkcolinodonorgasm

@elizabeethan @donteattheappleshook @the-darkdragonfly @bluewildcatfanatic @xsajx

@undercaffinatednightmare @caught-in-the-filter @drowned-dreamer @jonesfandomfanatic @kday426

@lfh1226-linda @linda8084 @resident-of-storybrooke @optomisticgirl @tiganasummertree

@belovedcreation @eddisfargo @zaharadessert @laianely @goforlaunchcee

[jake-whatthefisgoingon-kiszka]

This was so fun to write! I hope you enjoy part 2!

Pairings: Jake Kiszka X Danny Wagner *ssslash

Warnings and tags: 18+ only, no minors! Adult themes including: partner death (past tense), fatal illness, brief mentions of depressive attitudes, some drinking, little bit of flirting, dad Jake AU, uncle Danny AU

Word count: 4k

Another end to a week and soon it was Saturday. Jake was back on the field with the kids, jogging backwards alongside them as he taught them how to attempt making passes with the balls. It wasn’t exactly going well, but he didn’t expect much from only the second day of practice.

The kids were having fun and that was all that really mattered so he wasn’t hard on them at all. He was having a good time watching their little feet and legs try to maneuver the checkered balls, giggling himself when one of them would trip up and he’d have to quickly catch them before they surly ate some grass.

There was to be no crying on the field under his watch.

A few parents had come to see their kids learn the sport, though most just sat in their folding lawn chairs and clapped from the sidelines. Emma’s mom was here. She’d made it a point to come up to Jake before practice started and invite him over for lunch afterwards, to which he said he’d consider it.

Honestly, he hadn’t had much time to think about Danny since the other day, but he’d suddenly gotten a strange feeling in his gut when walking over to the field this afternoon. He had no idea if Danny would be there today, and he wasn’t sure if he’d mentally prepared himself to deal with any antics today. It was a relief to see he wasn’t there, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be at the house for lunch.

“Can I go play at Emma’s house? Pleeease?” Luna asked in her sweetest, trying to pull on her dad’s heartstrings, voice.

“Michael has been outside grilling all afternoon. We’ve got plenty of food” Emma’s mom sweetened the deal with the promise of barbecue, and after that little cardio workout Jake had to admit he was pretty hungry.

“Oh all right, just for a little while” Jake finally agreed and both kids squealed with excitement.

“So how’s it going with the foundation?” She casually made small talk as they all started their walk back towards the houses.

“It’s been going. We hit a few snags with securing some donations out on the west coast. Thought for a second I was going to have to go out there myself to get it all sorted out, but my team came through in the end”.

“That’s good to hear. It’s great what you guys do for musical education”. She almost always asked Jake about his job when she got the chance to chat with him. Jake didn’t mind, he loved his job, a legacy left behind.

“By the way, I’ve been thinking about putting Emma in some piano lessons” she continued, “you wouldn’t happen to know anyone would you?” Though she didn’t come right out and ask him, the look she gave him and the tone in her voice suggested what she really meant was would he teach her. “I’ve seen that beautiful piano in your house”.

“That was June’s” Jake informed her that the piano she mentioned wasn’t exactly his, but his late wife’s. “I could teach her how to play guitar” he chuckled nervously, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack, “but piano might be a little out of my expertise”.

“Oh, I see” she trailed off, almost sorry she’d unintentionally brought up a possibly sensitive subject.

Jake offered her a warm smile in return, trying to show her he didn’t mind at all. He liked talking about her, and actually he kind of wished people would ask about her more often so he could feel free and happy to reminisce instead of everyone just trying to tiptoe around it.

“I really wish I could’ve met her. I bet she was an amazing woman”.

She was the most amazing woman he’d ever met, Jake thought to himself. They had met at an event for the foundation he now worked for. He was only nineteen at the time, still just a kid in the eyes of the seasoned professionals he was so anxious to be getting a chance to mingle with.

Being a freelance musician, Jake was just trying to book whatever he could with the help of his manager, who happened to be friends with some people also invited to this party. Jake hadn’t expected much of anything to come from that night. Maybe have a few (nonalcoholic) drinks with some like natured musicians, learn some tips of the industry, if he was lucky and smooth talked enough maybe score his next gig. What he never expected was meeting June.

They spent practically the whole night standing at a high top table at the corner of the room together, just getting to know each other. He told her he played the guitar and she modestly revealed that she was a singer who also played a few instruments of her own. She was twenty-one at the time so she was drinking sparkling wine and Jake couldn’t tell if the flush in her cheeks was from him, or the glass in her hand. Either way he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

At the end of the night he gave her his number, praying she would give him a call. After two long days of beating himself up for not just asking for her number instead, she called him and they set up a lunch date.

It was then he found out she was the only daughter of the owners of the foundation who’s party they’d met at. She had spent most of the past two years traveling around with them going to events like the night before, meeting musicians and trying to fundraise money for musical programs in schools.

She had decided now that she wanted to settle down for a bit, write some pieces and even possibly work on an album. Jake was extremely excited when she invited him to the studio with her, and before he knew it they were collaborating and eventually dating as well.

Two years of hard work and their album was finally hitting the market. The combination of Jake’s crafty acoustic and effortlessly executed electric guitar riffs, with her smooth powering vocals and elegant instrumentals made for popular reviews. They toured together for a while, most of their shows profits giving back to her family’s foundation.

Jake and June never denied the dating rumors. It was blatantly obvious with the palpable chemistry between them both on and off stage, and as soon as touring was over they were eloping up in the mountains of her family home.

It seemed so unreal looking back on the way it all happened. Jake was crying tears of happiness when he found out she was pregnant with Luna, but the tears soon turned sorrowful when all the blood testing along with early pregnancy confirmed June’s worst nightmare, her diagnosis.

The doctors assured them that the pregnancy didn’t put her or the baby at risk, but Jake could tell when she started getting sick because she didn’t sing anymore. She just didn’t have the strength in her lungs to do so.

Thankfully Luna did arrive perfectly fine, and they’d had nearly a full year together before June took a turn for the worst. She was bedridden on their daughter’s first birthday, and Jake couldn’t stand to see the pain it caused her to not be able to be the mother she always wanted to be.

The next thing he knew, she was gone and he was navigating life as a parent alone. He decided making music and playing shows couldn’t be a stable job for a toddler, so he inherited his wife’s shares of the foundation where he started to work full time.

“She would’ve loved you guys, especially Emma and Luna getting so close. She always wanted a big family since she was an only child”. Jake smiled again as he watched the kids chase each other through the yard once they finally reached the house. “Are you an Michael thinking about having anymore?”

She turned quiet herself this time, shrugging her shoulders as she held the door open for him after the kids plowed through to get to playing in the backyard. “We’ll see” she replied, absently like it wasn’t a topic she really preferred to get into right now.

Jake followed her through their home to the French doors that opened up onto their back patio. Emma’s dad was finishing up at the grill so they started setting up the table with napkins, cups and utensils, some chips, everything you’d need for an afternoon barbecue.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Jake asked, feeling awkward about just standing there as they worked. He’d had plenty of meals at their house, and shared his dining room with them as well, so he wasn’t uncomfortable but he still considered himself a guest and offered his assistance.

“Oh I’ve got some potato salad in the fridge, would you mind grabbing that and some ice from the kitchen?”

Without hesitation Jake made his way back inside, easily navigating his way to his destination, stopping dead in his tracks when he rounded the corner and saw the kitchen wasn’t as empty as he’d expected it to be.

“Looking for this?” Danny smirked as he held what looked like the bowl of potato salad he’d been sent for.

“No” Jake blurted out, his mind too preoccupied with trying, and failing, to look away from the man standing in front of him. He was in black jeans again, maybe even the same ones from their first encounter, and another t-shirt. Only this t-shirt instead of having the sleeves cut off had the last two inches chopped away so that the hem hung just above his belted waistband.

All he had to do was shift a bit and Jake was getting a peak at his navel, decorated with a patch of dark hair. There was something else too, something silver just barely hidden underneath the cotton. A belly button piercing? He couldn’t be sure, but he absolutely was not getting any closer to get a better look or letting himself get caught staring.

“Ice” he spoke in another one word sentence, but didn’t move a muscle to retrieve said ice.

“Here, I got it” Danny set the bowl down on the island that separated them and stepped over to the cabinets. He had his back facing Jake now, but as he opened the cabinet and reached onto the top shelf for a metal container for the ice Jake could see how far the shirt rose with the stretch, exposing smooth tanned skin and a pair of back dimples.

Jake continued to watch in silence as Danny filled the bucket up before turning back around. “Want to take that and I’ll take this?” He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head slightly towards the bowl on the counter.

“Okay” Jake approached the island like a skittish cat. One wrong move from Danny and he’d be scurrying off. Danny only waited patiently for Jake to reach over and slide the bowl across the granite then he wrapped his arm around it and held it close to his body.

“Your hair looks nice by the way” Danny muttered quietly when Jake was closer.

Jake brows furrowed in confusion before he could catch himself. He’d let his hair down from the clip he’d thrown it up in at practice, but all he’d had was his fingers to haphazardly comb through it. He couldn’t imagine that it looked ‘nice’ right now.

“It looks good down is what I mean” Danny elaborated, moving past him to head outside before someone came looking for them.

“There you are! I was sure you didn’t get lost just going to the kitchen” his sister called them over to the table when she spotted them through the door.

She had the kids already rounded up, sitting together at one end with a plate each and barbecue sauce already smeared on their faces. Practice must’ve made them just as hungry as Jake was.

Jake took a seat next to Luna, Michael sat at the end of the table and his wife to his right. That left the seat across from Jake open, and the seat next to him on Michael’s left. Great, either he’d be trying to avoid looking at Danny while he ate, or he’d be sitting right next to him.

He turned to check on Luna making sure she had a napkin and enough water before he planned to get back up and make a plate for himself. The seat next to him was drug across the concrete as Danny pulled it out to take a seat, but then the sound of a plate sliding across the table made Jake look over.

Danny sent him a smile as the plate ended up right in front of Jake, setting his own plate down in front of his chair next then leaving to get drinks.

“Thanks” Jake mumbled when Danny handed him a water as well.

“You know Danny plays the guitar too” his sister commented as she watched their little interaction, stabbing her fork into some of the potato salad.

“Really?” Jake replied, too polite to ignore her conversation. “Is he any good?” What he could do though was talk to her like their subject wasn’t nearly brushing shoulders with him as he picked up his fork.

“He is. At least from what I can remember he hasn’t played in a while”.

“That’s because my Gibson got stolen” Danny interjected.

“I don’t see how that’s anyone’s fault but your own” she scolded him.

Jake was able to get a few bites in as they argued back and forth for a moment when he noticed Michael was being unusually quiet. He chalked it up to letting Danny and his sister have their moment. He himself knew how family bickering could go.

“I’m thinking about getting a new one though. Maybe when I do I could come over and we could jam”.

Jake nearly choked on his water at Danny’s bold suggestion, but he somehow managed to swallow it down and look his way. “Umm, yeah that could be cool”. Shit, why did he agree?

“Cool” Danny flashed another smile and Jake focused on his plate again, already thinking of excuses he could use to get out of that.

“Daddy, I’m done” Luna tugged on Jake’s arm to get his attention after a little while of eating and chatting. “Can we go play in Emma’s room?”

“Ask Emma’s mom if she can be excused from the table” he answered her as he gathered up her mess.

“Of course, you kids run along and play, I’ll be right back” she quickly replied as she got up to grab something from inside. Danny jumped up to help Jake clear the kids plates, stacking them and all the trash together and carrying it to be thrown away, the kids following behind him.

“Have any interesting cases right now?” Jake asked Michael when it was just the two of them left outside.

“Nothing really interesting, just a lot” he replied simply.

“I hear you’ve been having to stay late quite a bit, I’m always happy to help with Emma”. He watched as Michael nodded, though his attention seemed to be focused behind Jake. Looking over his shoulder just barely in view behind the glass doors Danny and his sister seemed to be deep in discussion again.

Like she could sense their eyes on her, she quickly came back out, carrying a wine bottle and two glasses. “A client gave this to us, you have to try it at least once” she insisted as she poured herself and Jake a glass.

They talked for a while longer, one glass turning into two before Jake had to cut himself off, but she went ahead and finished the bottle with her third. At some point Michael had gotten up and went inside. Jake found it odd he wasn’t socializing at all today, but maybe he was just overworked and needed a break. God knows he knew what it was like to need a break.

“Well I better get Luna and head home. We still have homework she didn’t want to do last night”.

“Go ahead, I’m going to clean up a little bit out here. It was good catching up”.

“It’s always a pleasure” he replied, then got up feeling his head rush a little bit with the motion. It’s a good thing they only had a short walk home because that wine was potent, three glasses would’ve definitely gotten him into some trouble.

When he was back inside he could already hear the giggling of the children coming from the living room instead of the hallway with the bedrooms. “Luna? Time to go sweetheart” he called out.

He was right, they were in the living room, and so was Danny who looked up at him from where he sat on the floor in front of a kids play desk. He had about a dozen rainbow butterfly clips fixed in his curls, and his hands were spread across the tiny desk while Emma painted them silver with sparkles.

“Daddy! Can I see your phone?” Luna jumped up from the couch that had hair accessories scattered across its cushions, no doubt the next pieces to be added to Danny’s look.

“What for?” He asked, letting her grab onto his hand and pull him further into the room.

“Danny said we can add him as a friend on TikTok” she answered him, already trying to pry his phone from his front pocket.

“Is that so?” Jake retrieved his phone first, looking over at Danny in question.

“Only if you send me those slime scooping videos. Those are my favorite” he told her to which she jumped up and down giggling.

Jake reluctantly unlocked his phone and opened the app he’d only installed so that he and Luna could watch cute farm animal videos on and such, she loved those. He let Danny tell him his username and added him as a friend. “Alright can we go now?”

“Bye Emma! I’ll see you at school on Monday!” Luna waved to her, then to Danny.

“Careful!” Emma scolded him when he tried to wave back, checking his nails for smudges when he quickly obeyed and put his hand back down.

Later that night Jake laid in bed getting caught up on some reading and waiting for Josh’s call when he got a notification on his phone. He’d almost forgotten about the TikTok add when he saw that Danny followed him back, and shortly after sent him a video. He debated ignoring it, but ended up deciding to check and make sure he wasn’t sending anything weird where Luna could see.

A pleasant little tune came across the speaker when it started with a title to the video on the screen that said ‘rating the scoopability of this week's slimes’. He actually watches this? Jake thought as he let the video play on, an orange ‘slush’ slime, whatever that was, up first. Next was a deep blue one with purple flash and gold stars. Wait, he kind of liked that one, and why was this kind of relaxing? Finally there was a green translucent slime, this one had lots of tiny little charms in it which Jake had to squint his eyes at to see that some of the charms were tiny soccer balls.

Was Danny thinking about him when he sent this video?

Jake closed the video and stared at the white background of the nearly empty inbox before he curiously clicked on the bubble that took him to Danny’s profile. He didn’t have anything posted, but there was a link to his instagram account.

The link took him immediately to the other app, and Jake lied to himself saying he hoped his account was private. It wasn’t.

A grid of pictures of Danny flooded Jake’s screen in the usual instagram manner. Being nosey he scrolled a little bit, finding one interesting enough to click on and enlarge. He looked like he was in a tattoo shop, and he was in a position that showed off his forearm while he pretended to flex- not that he had to try very hard.

What looked like brand new ink by the irritation of his skin banded around his arm in bold black lines. How had he missed this when they met? He could remember what Danny was wearing, but clearly he’d been trying to avoid looking at him too much if he’d not seen the tattoo.

He stared at the picture for a bit longer, studying the marking and the unfamiliar symbol they made when he was interrupted by his awaited phone call.

“Hey” he answered, trying to sound normal- like he wasn’t just creeping on someone's social media.

“What were you doing?” Josh asked, too intuitive to not notice he’d caught Jake off guard.

“Nothing” Jake replied, his voice turning up a bit at the end.

“What were you watching porn or something?”

“What? No! I absolutely was not” Jake groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose at his brother's brazen questioning.

“I wouldn’t judge you if you were. How else are you supposed to release some stress without getting a little… well, release?”

“Please stop talking. The only thing stressing me out right now is you”.

“How was practice today?” Josh asked instead, sounding a little too eager to get the updates about ‘practice’.

“Really good” Jake replied, only adding to Josh’s delusion of what really good meant.

“So you got to see a certain someone again?”

Of course, this conversation was actually about that.

“Not at practice. We had lunch at Emma’s house”.

“Wait…” Josh stopped him in confusion. “So the person who hit on you is?”

Jake debated for a moment about telling Josh about Danny. Besides he was just some random guy he had to put up with right now since his family was close with Emma’s, right? He figured Danny’s living situation with his sister wasn’t permanent, so eventually he’d leave and everything would go back to normal, right?

“Jake, come on if you don’t tell me I’m just going to imagine what I want to then” Josh read his mind.

Knowing leaving it up to Josh’s imagination was not the best course of action- that could get out of hand fast, Jake gave in. “His name is Danny. He’s Emma’s uncle”.

The other end was silent for a moment as his brother took in this information. Jake knew that Josh didn’t care that this crush was someone of the same sex, having been with his boyfriend for nearly a decade now. “This is… interesting”. Jake could hear Josh’s grin, knowing he was probably planning out how he could meet Danny as soon as possible.

“Don’t be weird about it. It’s nothing”.

“Yeah, just a crush” Josh giggled mischievously. “Jake has a crush”.

“Shut up I don’t”.

“Oh, wait till Sam gets a hold of this”. Jake knew Josh wouldn’t actually tell him if he didn’t want him to, but it was also fun to tease him with it.

“I’m hanging up now”.

With a chuckle still in his tone Josh wished him a good night. When the call ended Danny’s instagram pulled back up and Jake gave it one last scroll through before he sighed and closed all his tabs before plugging his phone back in and saving his place in his book. Setting them both on his night stand he turned out his light and settled into bed, one question left on his mind.

Did he have a crush?

Before today he would’ve said no, absolutely not, but he had to admit seeing Danny playing with the kids had done something to him.

A crush might’ve been a strong word at this point, but if he saw Danny again he didn’t think he’d mind it so much anymore.

Coming to grips with that Jake was able to easily fall asleep, knowing that he probably would be seeing him again.

Tags: @lyndz2names @gracev0609 @lipstickitty @sanguinebats

[aus-wnt]

[asoiaf-forum-rpg]

CHAOS IS A LADDER

⚔ Forum en préparation ⚔

Retrouvez les actualités juste ici

Les faceclaims et personnages sont désormais OUVERTS à la réservation !

rappel : les faceclaims du projet seront tous.te.s HUMAIN.E.S et nous n'autoriserons pas les avatars générés par intelligence artificielle. Les personnages devront tous. être représentés par des acteur.trice.s et/ou des cosplayeur.euse.s. Iels doivent également être âgé.e.s de 21 ans et plus (et ce, même si iels ont joué dans l'une des deux séries télévisées de l'Univers HotD ou GoT). Nous n'autoriserons pas les influenceur.euse.s, pour les mannequins nous ne sommes pas vraiment favorable sauf si iel présentent des ressources de type "neutre" ou avec une "vibe médiévale", dans le cas contraire nous nous autorisons le droit de refuser pour éviter tout anachronisme au niveau du forum.

n'hésitez pas à checker la liste de fc et/ou films et séries pour vous donner un peu d'inspiration : ici (vous pouvez la demander en mp si vous n'êtes ni sur le discord ni sur le forum PRD)

FC Réservés

Anya Chalotra

Carolina Porqueddu

Charlie Hunnam

Daisy Ridley

David Oakes

Elle Fanning

Elliot Knight

Emma D'Arcy

Fabien Frankel

Hannah Dodd

Henry Cavill

Holliday Grainger

Jordan Renzo

Kieran Burton

Kit Harington

Mahesh Jadu

Millie Brady

Nassim Lyes

Phia Saban

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Salma Hayek

Sherouk Farid

Sybilla Deen

Tom Glynn-Carney

Travis Fimmel

Personnages Réservés :

Aalyra Dalt

Aelora Targaryen

Aerion Targaryen

Benjen Stark

Daella Targaryen

Daenerys Targaryen

Daenora Targaryen

Bennifer Duncan Nerbosc

Dyanna Dayne

Irene Solverre

Jocelyn Penrose

Maekar Targaryen

Mariah Martell

Nymeria Martell

Roger Reyne

Shaïra Astre des Mers

Trystan Dayne

Tywald Lannister

Valarr Targaryen

[sqsupernova]

Title: I'm not going anywhere [art] Link: Click Here To View and Comment Artist: extremely_unfocused Find them on: -Twitter: FurybornGod -Tumblr: furyborngod

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Title: I'm Not Going Anywhere [Fanmix] Link: Click Here To View and Comment Artist: AtTheEdge (cerseisdaughter) Find them on: -Twitter: 1attheedge -Tumblr: 1attheedge

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Title: I'm Not Going Anywhere Link: Click Here To View and Comment Author: BrendaChenowith Find them on: -Twitter: swanqueenalway1 -Tumblr: Rating: Mature Warning(s): No Archive Warnings Apply Words: 158k Summary: Emma Swan worked hard for everything she had in life. She didn’t have much, but what she did have, she earned. Which was why she should have been excited when she finally reached her first day of college. But instead of feeling proud of all she had accomplished, she contemplated dropping out before she even began. Regina Mills loved her job. She loved standing in front of a class of students and lecturing them about history, which had always been her passion. But not even her love of teaching could erase her past, and instead she lived as a shell of a person, pretending to be the strong and independent woman who commandeered a classroom with ease, when in reality she was anything but. Everything changes the night they meet in the most unlikely of places, sparking a friendship almost immediately. Can two broken and destroyed women help each other heal and pick up the pieces from their checkered pasts, or are they too damaged to become whole again?

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Remember - writers and artists spent months creating the fics and art you enjoy, so it would mean the world to them if you commented to tell them what you liked! A creator who feels appreciated is a creator who is more likely to write or create art again in the future!

[kayssweetdreams]

BWW Headcannon: Cal has taught the others Chess

Cal has taught all of the cast how to play Chess, and this is how it went

Leo: He Won after a few attempts. He just thought of the Chess Pieces as dance moves

Emma: Nearly won, but she lost on account of accidentally losing most of her pawns.

Jose: He lost, he compared it too much to checkers and didn't know that most of the pieces could move a specific way.

Fiona, Surrendered at the last moment, but she had a good grasp on the idea.

Yuri: She won. In record time actually. Cal was actually surprised by this

Haoyu: Lost. BIG TIME. He just couldn't understand why all the moves of the other pieces.

Sana: She won, but not without almost losing to Cal at the last minute

Cass: She Lost, but she did end up giving the pawns all the names her kittens have.

Iben: She managed to keep up, but still lost.

Attilio: He...Just didn't get it. Said he's "more of a checkers fan"

Lucy: She won, but Cal was a bit distracted by her beauty-WIT! Her WIT

Eis: He managed to win, but he didn't find much interest in it.

Bruce: He won, but not as fast as Yuri did.

Balan: Cal is convinced that Balan was cheating and using Magic, because last time he checked, Chess Pieces don't just gain his face and attack the enemy.

Lance: Same thing went with Lance, but his turn, he ended up turning the pieces into Negati

[cloudycaffeinatedcryptid]

What do you think the comfort activities would be for each counselor? Like if they had a really long or bad day and they just want to decompress at the end of it?

ooooh thank you so much for this <3 this is the perfect break between writing binges & i love this question!! prepare for a lot of headcanons, i had to think about this a lot

Abi - i think she draws, that's pretty canon, it calms her down. i also think she paints when she really wants to zone out & not think (she loves watercolor but she's been experimenting with acrylics lately) & she does a lot of landscape paintings. the only color that usually sits untouched is red. the smears on her fingers bring up bad memories. she also burns relaxing incense & listens to soothing instrumental tracks

Ryan - he listens to his podcast usually, but i think his sister plays piano (she's very good) & she often gets him to sit down so she can teach him scales or beginner songs & it relaxes him. otherwise i can see him settling down in the comfortable chair wedged in the corner of his room with his drawing tablet, lights dim, & just working on some art. occasionally his sis barges in to play her DS on his bed while he does & then they both just exist together in silence

Nick - they give us so little about Nick that i honestly could just say anything about this freak. but i think he gets stoned & watches terrible movies when he needs to decompress. he's seen Llamageddon eight times. i can also see him going for short walks or half-listening to nature documentaries while he cooks

Emma - when she needs to wind down, she love taking hot baths. she has a ton of bath bombs & oils & products, so she lights some scented candles, turns off the lights, puts on some relaxing tunes, & soaks. i also think she learned to sew so she could mend her own expensive clothes, but then she ended up enjoying it, so she sew/embroiders sometimes on the side to relax. she prolly does yoga too

Kaitlyn - she goes for runs, for sure. it's good exercise, builds her stamina, & helps keep her mind off... everything. she likes the early morning runs when it's just chilly enough to barely see her breath & she has a killer playlist for them. her guilty pleasure is rupaul's drag race & so every season you can catch her, fresh out of the shower, in her sweats, mug of coffee in hands & a bottle of wine on the table, pore strips on, enraptured & getting way too intense about the show

Dylan - this mans pops three edibles & opens the NASA website so he can watch space in real time. if he can manage it, he'll lay for hours on the floor with his cat purring on his chest. sometimes he'll watch cartoons or sci-fi shows to zone out, or he'll put on his headphones & try to forget the world. no i'm not projecting

Jacob - he strikes me as the kind of person who considers working out to be relaxing, so he spends a lot of his free time doing that. otherwise i see him being into cheesy rom-coms (altho he'd never admit it) so some nights he makes himself some popcorn, mixes in m&ms, & settles in to watch The Notebook for the tenth time

Laura - she's def one of those ppl who can't go too long without doing something so her "relaxing" time is usually cleaning, animal care - possibly a gamer. she likes staying busy. whenever she actually settles down to relax, it's usually with & bc of Max. they play checkers together & watch movies they can make fun of. they binge criminal minds together. she's not great in the kitchen but she helps Max bake sometimes & she's an expert on the grill. i think she would enjoy taking up gardening if they get their own property

Max - he loves his relaxation time. he bakes, he naps, he definitely would enjoy gardening, but he always relaxes easier when he's with Laura <3 he prolly plays idle video games like animal crossing, he was for sure heavy into pokemon, & he loves cartoons. the most relaxing time of the day for him is 3pm, when he can eat cereal on the couch & watch scooby-doo, & he doesn't need a blanket bc the blinds are open & the sun keeps him warm :)

[savingthrcw]

it's happening

I might also add Cressida after all - and tomorrow I'll make the starter call and interest checker as usual, but Bridgertons and Featheringtons and people who write characters who interacted with Emma in her historical verse before are extra welcomed to check her out and send me things if they want to! (because I'm still not sure I can write her, so I want to start easy, with people or characters I know)