#every time i think about her outfit when simone says they can't be friends i just whew

[lingeringscars]

my favorite layla look might actually be from aahc

[girlbossminerva]

MERMAID HEEL GUILD SALT

Aside from all the other guilds, Mermaid Heel is a guild that only accepts those of the female gender as said by Millianna who said those two (Sho, and Wally) couldn't join even if they wanted to, and men acting as women would possibly fuck up the guild's reputation, honestly the feeling of an all girls guild just gives me life, maybe even fanfic ideas but aside from that.

These characters aren't all that needed or should I say are just around for Mashima to say he believes in feminism, he has another concept as to what feminism is.

One of the girls who is chubby, has the ability to... change her body with her gravity magic into the same body template used for all the others girls, and says, "Don't underestimate chubby power."

"Uh, you ain't even chubby in this form..." - Me.

Arana Webb, should have just been a spider girl, fast asf reflexes and a nice sense of style, but... oh god, oneshot, and shes out???

Where is y'all guild master??

Millianna got bigger tiddies, that's it. And a hoe-ified outfit, sorry if it sounds rude but her outfit before the seven year shit.

Kagura... WHERE'D YOU EVEN COME FROM???

And the little one, can barely remember her name uhh, guess your alright...

As a concept mermaid heel can be interesting to explore specially when, like me, you headcanon it being a sapphic only/majority guild but yeah, It's just Mashima kind of going "yes, I'm a feminist, now stop looking i how i overly sexualize every single female character under the sun." And just like most characters introduced in the gmg they don't get enough time to develop properly and fully outside of like kagura, which is debatable.

The chubby girl is Risley and FUCK DO I HATE THE WAY HER MAGIC WORKS. IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE, IF IT'S GRAVITY MAGIC AND IT TURNS HER SKINNY DOES THAT MEAN HER ENTIRE BODY IS BEING FORCED TO BE UNDER MASSIVE GRAVITATIONAL PRESSURE OR SOMETHING?? HOW DO HER ORGANS SURVIVE THAT?? It makes no sense, he should just admit that he hates fat people

Araña is my niche beloved actually, i have created her entire characterization in my head. First of all she's Hispanic (dominicana), second she's one of those people who are so chill that you can't help but also feel relaxed in her presence, third she likes crocheting and makes sweaters for her friends, and fourth she has a collection of pet spiders plus a prying mantis. Also yes, she's basically spiderman and she would have lasted longer in that damn battle.

I actually kind of redesigned millianna's outfit a while back, thought I did trace the oficial art cause my drawing skills are minimal. Is it great? No, but it does have more personality than the literal underwear she's put on post-time skip. And the little one that has farm girl vibes is Beth, she honestly is just there cause the teams are meant to have 5 people in them.

Now Kagura I do love, mostly because she's too gay to function when around Erza and I do love me some sword ladies, but thinking about her role in the story, she does suffer from the "not enough time to develop this" issue. She's just suddenly popped into the universe to kind of acknowledge again Jellal's crimes (which, is it necessary if that is all his character is about?) and half-heartedly attempt to talk about them but yeah, it was fucking stupid that suddenly simon had a sister, it would've made more sense if she was one of the enslaved kids or something.

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Legend of Vox Machina: The Feast of Realms (1x03)

Okay what the FUCK actually though this is so good I'm crying.

Cons:

Uhhh... I guess I'm going to say what a lot of people are saying, which is that a 22-ish minute runtime feels very short? I don't care that things are changed/shortened/removed, and I'm already getting a little peeved with seeing people criticize along the lines of "but Vex got two natural twenties in the stream, she should have had this epic moment yada yada..." this show wouldn't be sustainable as a story if they actually followed the role of the dice in every instance. Of course Delilah doesn't fall on her ass in her opening villain reveal fight, y'all. But even though that's not at all my gripe, I will say things happen so quickly that I do wonder how people new to the story will react! Percy has like two lines of dialogue about the Briarwoods. One, "they took everything from me", and two, "they killed my whole family". I mean, sure, that's the important information to impart, but it certainly doesn't leave a lot of room for these reveals to breathe.

Very minor clunky moment that felt like they had to cut something for time, when they realize Vax is in trouble and Pike says "ugh, we lost the ticket?" to get their weapons back from coat check... there should have been a beat where the Matt Mercer NPC refused to give them their stuff without the ticket, but it wasn't there so I kind of blinked at that moment. Super minor, but there you have it. I can't spend the whole review in utter adulation, that would just be embarrassing.

Pros:

This episode was perfect, holy shit! If after the two-part opener I was having a good time, pleased with what I was seeing, now I'm hyped. Now I think this show is worth recommending to those not in the know, now I think this might be a way to get people intrigued and wanting to go back and watch the stream. Now I'm in the place where I'll be pretty upset if they don't get to make as many seasons of this thing as they want, as many as will let them tell the whole fucking story. It's really good, y'all. It's really, really good.

There's so much to talk about, but let's start with some of my favorite small moments, things I only caught on my second or third watch-through (because yes, I've seen this episode in full three times already, and watched the fight scene at the end more than that). You've got the Easter eggs, particularly the tapestry in the keep that shows the legendary cow episode. You've got the shot of Sylas and Delilah walking by a mirror, and only Delilah's reflection is visible. You've got the broader Critter references, the way Scanlan's outfit is a reference to Sam's ridiculousness at live shows. You've got Simon the belt, with a little eyepatch, so adorable.

And I could probably list a hundred of these, but a few of my favorite smaller character beats, the little details that make these people seem like a real group of friends. Things like Vax and Grog's prank war, Vax calling Pike "Pickle", Scanlan asking Grog to pick the code word, Vex and Vax both immediately closing ranks with Percy and asking what they can do to help when they see him freaking out, Keyleth being worried about Percy during dinner, and Vex jumping in to smooth things over, moments during battle like Pike healing Vax, Pike making Grog's weapon super-charged, Grog saving Percy and taking on Sylas one-on-one, Keyleth's plant magic saving Pike, Keyleth helping Vax to walk after his injuries... I could go on, there's just so much going on here that makes the characters come alive. These tiny moments that would be hard to miss if you didn't know they could have been there, but that add so much life to the characters. I feel like I'm getting to know them again, that I truly have the sense of them as friends, and complex individuals with all their group dynamics and one-on-one dynamics within that group. Truly impressive how much of this they're able to include, even with the extremely short amount of time they have to tell the story. I think I was worried that we'd lose this flavor, that there would be so much plot to get through that the characters would feel like pieces on a chess board, just going where they needed to go to move things along. I'm delighted that this is not the case, and that everyone feels truly alive to me already.

Shout-out also to my favorite comedy moments of the episode. The first coming at the very beginning, where Keyleth does her Disney Princess routine with the plants and the animals, walking into a kitchen where everyone else is clearly exhausted/hung over. It pairs so well with how we saw Keyleth handling her drink in the opening episode, the fact that she's the only chipper morning person. My other favorite joke was thanks to Sam's line delivery, when Grog suggests "Chenga" as the safe word, and Scanlan says "Okay. My safe word's 'Mommy'". That cracked me up. I don't know what it is about Sam's delivery as Scanlan, but Scanlan is funny to me in a way specific to himself, that's slightly different from merely being Sam's brand of comedy on the screen. He really is playing a character, and to be honest I'm surprisingly enjoying Scanlan quite a lot overall!

Let's talk villains, babeyyyy. God, Sylas and Delilah are hot, and their voice actors are blowing it out of the water! Matt as Sylas is properly sinister and sexy, and Grey DeLisle-Griffin as Delilah can step on me. They're really relishing in the subtle torture of Percy in this episode, clearly knowing who he is and enjoying making him squirm. There's also this obvious affection and devotion between them from the jump. You know they're a team, and they're all the more scary for it. Sylas biting Vax was... a lot... in the best way, and Delilah's line where she calls Percy a "pup" was such a good version of what Matt did in the stream at that moment! I'm already so excited to see the story play out with them. It still feels like a dream come true that I'm even getting to watch this.

Let's take a moment to talk about Taliesin Jaffe. Dude deserves an award for his performance in this show, and we're only just getting fucking started. God, I couldn't believe how good he was with every line. The dream at the start, Vex asking him if he had a bad dream, and his delivery on "is there any other kind" was just so perfectly emo in that very Percy de Rolo way. His innocent and earnest excitement about attending the banquet, and then the moment of truth when the Briarwoods of Whitestone are announced... chilling. And then everything at the dinner table, the way he growls out the barest of explanations to his friends... his ferociousness during the fight, and then of course "you fool, now your soul is forfeit"... chills. Just. Chills to all of it. I think he's doing an incredible job. I'll repeat what I've said before: the Briarwood arc is such a strong part of campaign one, and that's in large part due to Matt, of course, and his crafting of the story. But I really think that in the hands of a less skilled performer playing Percy, we wouldn't have the extremely fond memories we have of it today. He is so, so good at playing the dark, brooding young man out for revenge. He is the platonic ideal of that trope and he is taking it to new levels here in the animated version. I'm dying of happiness over it all.

So after I watched the full episode three times, I went back and watched the courtyard fight and the No Mercy Percy part like... five times in a row. It's some of my favorite stuff that I've seen in any show ever; I can already tell it's going to be imprinted on my mind for a long time.

I think what impresses me is how intimidating the Briarwoods managed to be, and it's making me look back more favorably on some aspects of the first two episodes. Because we saw these guys get their asses kicked by a dragon, but then we saw them rally, strategize, and kill said dragon in the very next episode, once they had their shit together. But here? Grog goes one-on-one with Sylas, and while he briefly seems to be making an impact with Pike's help, ultimately he's no match for this single vampire. Delilah bats away Keyleth and Vex's attack like it's nothing. Even after Keyleth does the cool plant magic thing, easily the most intense magic of the fight, the Briarwoods only decide to run off because they realize their fight has been noticed and they don't want to blow their cover and position with the council. You get the sense that had they not been worried about being caught, they would have cut through those vines and taken their sweet time murdering every member of Vox Machina, if they'd felt like it.

And just like in the Brimscythe fight, the characters all have a chance to do the things they're best at. Only this time, none of it works, and not because they're unprepared or fucking up, but because Delilah and Sylas are just that powerful. Percy shoots Sylas in the chest, and it doesn't matter. Keyleth shape shifts, and throws powerful nature spells at them. Doesn't matter. Vex makes a perfect shot at Delilah. Grog is going ham on Sylas' ass, swinging his axe with everything he's got, and yeah, you've guessed it, doesn't matter. That's so scary, it ups the stakes in this very obvious, dramatic way, and then the Briarwoods drive off before we get any sort of real resolution. I love that we start off our relationship with these villains by getting a big fight scene, because we're building up to some even more intense stuff later down the road, and this gives me such high hopes for how it's going to go.

Along the same line, I love how hurt Vax was, how seriously imperiled he was. While I've heard some criticism that the gore in the show feels a bit gratuitous, and while I might even agree with that in some moments, one thing that it does do is make you understand the physical stakes in a very clear way. In a lot of animated shows, characters look weak, they're lying on the ground, but they don't appear to be bleeding, and it's just sort of through context/inference that we know how worried we're meant to be about them. Here, Vax gets bitten in the neck by a vampire, and then he jumps out a window, and then he stands and tries to fight and is immediately slashed through the chest. We see the blood clouding in the water when Grog is getting cut up by Craven Edge (shout out to the sword, the design is awesome and I'm so glad it got its moment to shine, in a one-on-one against Grog, which is significant for those of us in the know!). It's an immediate sense of peril, and while we can be sure that Vax isn't actually going to die here and now, it sets the stakes for how fucked up these characters might become in later episodes, how injured and weak and scared and in pain.

The fight was high octane and intensely animated and fun all the way through, and then there's Percy, turning and yelling at his friends, which is not in the streaming show but I love as an addition, showing that he's so off-kilter he can't be trusted to be reasonable with them. And then my favorite bit from all three episodes thus far: Percy reloading his Pepperbox, cocking the gun, kicking Desmond down flat onto his back. Pointing the gun at him. Putting on the mask. Black shadow curling up from around him, his shadow on the ground forming... something clearly inhuman. Shooting Desmond's hand. "Fool. Now your soul is forfeit."

Just... chilling. Everything about the way this was shot, animated, voice acted, the soundtrack, the script... absolutely brilliant and bad-ass and untouchable.

For me personally, this fight and the fallout with Percy was as near perfection as one could hope to get in an animated telling of this story. It doesn't bother me even a little bit that things have changed from the stream to now; it set the stakes, and it's telling its own version of the story so many of us already know in another form. If I could give some of my fellow viewers one piece of advice, it would be to try and let go of the stream just a little bit. I purposefully chose not to do a Briarwood re-watch as the animated series came up, and I think that was the right call. Is every single moment I loved going to be animated exactly the way I pictured it in my head? Nope! Not even close! But so far, especially with episode three, I'm finding it very easy to love what I've been given, and not stress so much about what's not there. The stream is always going to be there for you to go back and watch. That version of the story isn't dying, or being replaced. This is just a new version of that story, and I think it's pretty dang outstanding so far.

My rating for this third episode is pretty dang high. I can't remember the last time I felt so immediately sucked in and invested in a story.

9.5/10

[wifeboys]

Third Time’s the Charm // Wilmon

Summary: Wilhelm kisses Simon three times before he gets the hint.

Word Count: ~2600

A/N: A little in-universe fic to tie us over. Based on prompts from this prompt list *shamelessly plugs my prompts blog @deity-prompts *. Also I haven’t written fanfiction is a while so I’m a little rusty.

gif credits: @princewilhelm

Wilhelm kisses Simon three times before he gets the hint.

The first time is at Rosh's soccer final. The pair (and Ayub) had gone to every single game of the season, rain, or shine. They stood at the side lines. The night air gripped them through their puffy coats. Flood lights illuminate their breaths. Wilhelm and Simon pressed shoulders to 'help keep them warm'.

The game is intense. The ball is sent over and back again and again. Fouls are left and right. Fights even break out. The crowd hold their breath, each moment electric. Simon is so focused on the game that he forgets where he is. He forgets who he's with and who he is. All he can concentrate on is Rosh.

The whistle blows, once, twice, three times. Rosh punches the air with a victorious scream. The crowd erupts. Everyone rushes onto the pitch. They clutch each other into hugs, exchanging "congratulations!" and kisses on the cheek. Simon sprints to Rosh, grabbing her tightly. She slaps his back and yells something he can't hear. Ayub pushes him out of the way and hugs Rosh. Simon staggers back with a laugh. Wilhelm is in front of him. His eyes sparkle with happiness and Simon can't help but smile. Before he can hug him, Wilhelm places his hands on Simons cheeks and quickly kisses him. The kiss barely lasts two seconds, but time seems to freeze. Simon short-circuits.

Before he can process or kiss him back, Wilhelm is already hugging someone else and Ayub is grabbing Simon. "SHE DID IT! FUCKING YEAH!" The night moves on. Everyone goes out to celebrate, still full of energy until they part in the early hours. As Simon celebrates, he can't help but think about Wilhelm kissing him. Did he kiss him or did he imagine it? No, it definitely happened. He can't imagine the electricity pulsing through him. He can't imagine the rush and heat he felt.

But that doesn't mean Wilhelm wanted to kiss him. It was an intense game. Everyone was celebrating. It was probably just a "hey bro, we did it! let's celebrate!" kiss. Wilhelm would've kissed anyone, Simon just happened to be there.

That's what Wilhelm is acting like. He's hugging everyone he comes across. Simons not sure if that's because Wilhelm is a hugger or because he's buzzed on celebratory drinks. Either way, he's not treating Simon any different. He's still talking to him like they're regular bros who like regular sports and other regular things.

It was nothing, Simon decides.

• ❤︎ •

The second time is at Felice's birthday party. She spares no expense. The common room is decked with streamers, balloons, and stocked with alcohol. Everyone is wearing the most extravagant outfits they have. The birthday girl has braided her hair short as a boys, and wears a purple robe that reaches her heels. Simon wears a black, glittery blazer over his bare chest with waist high black trousers. The lack of shirt was probably a good idea, considering people keep bumping into him and spilling their drinks.

The music is practically deafening. You can't walk two steps without knocking shoulders with someone. Simon keeps to the back of the room, fiddling with the hem of his blazar as the party unfolds in front of him. Sara keeps him company, chatting his ear off about something he can't hear. The only thing he can focus on is a certain prince across the room.

Simon barely notices when Sara tugs at his sleeve. "Si! I'm going to find Felice. Don't just stand here for the whole night. Go talk to someone"

She disappears into the sea of drunk teenagers. There's no way Sara was telling him to go talk to Wilhelm specifically, but that's all Simon wants to do. Actually, he wants to skip the talking and pin Wilhelm against the wall.

But Simon can't do it. He's glued with his back against a wall as people make out around him. He can't mess things up with Wilhelm. He can't scare him off. He can't lose a great friend on the tiny chance he might get a boyfriend. Simon repeats this like a mantra to the beat of the music.

None of this stops him checking out Wilhelm, the crowd acting as a safety buffer. His simple yellow shirt is plain considering the occasion. He made up for it by covering his hair with glitter that has fallen onto his face and shoulders.

He watches as an already tipsy Wilhelm finishes his drink. He's surrounded by people (probably his friends). He suddenly cracks up at some joke they say. Glitter explodes into the air with the quick movement of his head. A shiny halo illuminates his face. God, he's beautiful when he laughs.

"Simon! Simon Simon Simon" Felice nearly falls on top of him. "I'm so glad you're here- and you look amazing"

"Thanks, so do you- and happy birthday" Simon has never been good at taking compliments.

"You're too kind. I'll admit, I can't get enough of my cape. Hey, you should try it on! Purple is definitely your colour"

"Oh no I couldn't-"

"Oh yes you could. Let's swap jackets. I promise I'll give it back"

Next thing Simon knows, Felice is slipping off her cloak-y thing to reveal a white blouse and black skirt. She takes Simon's jacket, even giving him a spin. "We look stunning" she says as Simon wraps her robe around him. It looks a bit weird on him, but it's soft and smells nice. Felice sips her drink, and frowns. "My cup is empty. Can I get you a drink?"

"Uh- sure"

Felice disappears into the crowd. Simon goes back to looking for Wilhelm, but he's nowhere to be seen. He scans the crowd carefully. Wow, there's a lot of people here. A lot of bodies. The air is thick. The music is too loud. The room is too small. Simon needs to get out.

He excuses his way towards the door, not stopping until he's breathing in the night air. He leans next to the door, careful to keep Felice's robe clean. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Simon can only handle parties for a short while before he needs a break.

He stares up at the sky. Deep breath in, deep breath out. The stars are like glitter. The moon shines brightly at him. Deep breath in. He can't find Wilhelm, but at least he can spot the Man In The Moon. Deep breath out.

He's grounded again. He knows he should go home soon, but he figures a bit longer inside wont hurt. He gets up to go inside and find Felice when the door swings open. A yellow shirt stumbles into the night, glitter sparkling in the moonlight.

Simon finally found Wilhelm- or, rather, Wilhelm found him.

Wilhelm finds his footing, looking around. He finally spots Simon by the door.

"There you are!" He exclaims. There I am?

If Simon moves fast enough, he can slip back inside before Wilhelm even notices him. He can grab Sara and pretend he never came to the party. Before he can put his plan into effect, Wilhelm is cupping his face again.

Wilhelm kisses him. Simon is quicker to react this time. He kisses back, his plan to escape already forgotten. Wilhelm pulls back for a moment to tilt his head to the side. Simon holds the back of his neck, running his fingers through his hair. Glitter falls around them.

Wilhelm's hands slip behind Simon's robe, pulling him closer. Simon shivers as his hands run up and down his back. He drowns in bliss, finally getting to kiss Wilhelm the way he always wanted to.

When Wilhelm finally pulls back, his eyes stay closed. "Oh" he sighs softly. "Oh . . . I'm about to throw up. Excuse me"

Without even looking at Simon, Wilhelm turns and staggers around the corner. Simon hears retching. His escape plan kicks in. He practically runs back into the party, nearly knocking people over as he finds Felice.

He finds her giggling with Sara, who's cheeks are blushes deep red. They swap their clothes back, re-completing Felice's outfit. She truly looks stunning, tonight more than ever. Up close, her hair is woven more intricately than he realised. It's as short as his but looks ten times better.

Oh God- with the short hair and purple cloak, he probably looks just like Felice. Especially to someone who's drunk. Wilhelm didn't mean to kiss him. He meant to kiss Felice. Now Simon feels like he's going to throw up.

• ❤︎ •

The third time is after Parents Day. Simon spent the days leading up to it avoiding Wilhelm. He probably doesn't remember the kiss at all but Simon wont chance it. He won't give Wilhelm the opportunity to reject him. This doesn’t stop him from looking at him for a little too long from across the room. This doesn’t stop Wilhelm looking back.

His ingenious “if I ignore him he can’t reject me” plan fails, however, when Wilhelm sits with his family as they eat. Simon can't take his eyes off him as he chats with Simon and Felice's family. Wilhelm combs his fingers through his hair, licks his lips, laughs along to jokes. Simon soaks up every minute of it.

Dinner plates empty. Belts are loosened. Waiters come around to collect dishes and Simon starts to panic. Wilhelm has been glancing at him again and again throughout the dinner. He's definitely going to corner Simon and let him down. Tell him to forget all about the kiss (if he even remembers it). Simon pulls out his phone.

Simon I need you to pick me up

Ayub Thought you were at the parents dinner Cant ur mom take u home?

Simon I'll explain later If you pick me up right now I'll be forever grateful

Ayub I'll be outside in ten You owe me one

Simon I love you more than life itself

Simon rests his phone on the table, slightly less panicked. As soon as people start getting to their feet, he bolts. Out the door. Our of the school. He only slows when his feet crunches on the front road's gravel.

Ayub arrives right on time. Simon jumps on his bike before he can ask what's going on. It isn't until the next day that Simon comes to a shocking realisation: he left his phone at Hillerska.

• ❤︎ •

"Didn't think I'd be back here so soon" Ayub says as he drops Simon off.

"I'll be in and out, I promise. Everyone's gone home so I'll be able to find it and grab it"

"Here, call yourself on my phone. You can follow the ringing"

"Where would I be without you"

Ayub tosses his phone and gestures for Simon to go. He pushes open the doors. Hillerska feels haunted without students bustling through the halls. It's like a museum. Simon opens Ayub's phone and calls himself.

It's probably in the dining room where they ate. He walks towards it, listening intently for his ringtone. What he doesn't expect is for someone to pick up.

“Hello?”

Simon stares at the phone for a moment before pressing it to his ear. ". . . Hello?"

“Simon? That you?”

“Wille!" Perfect. The one person he was trying to not talk to. "Sorry, I didn’t recognise your voice”

"Don't worry about it, I don't think you were expecting me to answer"

"Yeah, uh, you have my phone. That's why I was calling it. I must've left it here yesterday"

"Where are you? I can drop it off"

"I'm already at Hillerska so I can just grab it. Want me to come to you?"

"Just start walking, we'll find each other"

Simon decides to go in the general direction of Wilhelm's dorms. It really does feel like a museum. Each alcove is like a display he can't touch. His footsteps echo.

“So . . . what’re you doing with my phone?” Simon asks.

“I actually didn’t know it was yours. It was left on one of the tables, so I took it in case the owner came looking for it”

“And here I am”

“And here you are”

Simon can't help but smile. He's sure he can hear Wilhelm smiling too.

Wilhelm takes a deep breath. “I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you”

“Talk to me?”

“Yeah. Um . . . it's about Felice's party"

Simon stops. Here it is. Everything has backfired and now the one thing he didn't want to talk about has come up.

"Simon? You there?"

"Yes! Uh yes I am." He rubs a hand across his face. Play it cool. "What about her party?"

"I'm sorry that I was so drunk that night. I figured I'd need some . . . liquid courage but I guess I had too much"

"Yeah. It was a uh, a wild night" Simon feels like he's choking on his own heart. He distracts himself by looking around at the hallway. He's not even sure where in the school he is. He's more focused on not throwing up.

"Do you remember that night?"

Play it cool. "Anything specific you want me to remember?"

There's a moment of silence. Simon can hear Wilhelm's footsteps through the phone. "If you want to forget that night and move on like nothing happened, we can definitely can"

Simon doesn't want to forget. It's all he can think about.

"Do you want to forget about it?" Simon asks, swallowing.

Wilhelm's walking slows as he thinks. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable"

"I don't . . . I wasn't uncomfortable"

There's a beat. "I'm glad. That-that you weren't uncomfortable"

"I'm a little uncomfortable now" Simon laughs awkwardly. His tension eases a little when Wilhelm laughs too.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know how to talk about this" Simon kicks his feet against the floor.

"I have to say, I didn't think I'd be talking to you about this over the phone"

"I didn't think you'd want to talk about this at all. I thought you were going to avoid me forever"

"Hey, you're the one who was avoiding me"

"Yeah yeah I know" Simon smiles.

Wilhelm takes a deep breath and exhales. "I really wanted to kiss you that night. That's why I got so drunk I needed a confidence boost. It uh, it didn't help that you ignored the kiss at Rosh's game"

Simon's jaw drops in a smile. "I didn't ignore it! I just panicked. I figured it was a spur of the moment celebration"

"None of it was spur of the moment. I've wanted to kiss you for a while"

"You have?"

"You didn't notice?"

"Not at all. If I did, I probably would've kissed you"

Simon hears him stop and smile. “Simon, you are the smartest idiot I ever met”

He hangs up. He hangs up? Simon looks at the phone as if it holds the answer. His brow furrow as a hand grabs his shoulder from behind. He turns, that there he is.

"Hi" they say in unison.

Wilhelm's hands are on Simon's shoulders. He holds his gaze with a smile. Simon completely forgets how to breathe. All he can think about his Wilhelm being so close to him and his lips being right there because really they're right there-

"Can I kiss you again?" Wilhelm asks. Simon nods.

Wilhelm kisses him for the third time. It's hesitant- like he's testing the waters to see if Simon is willing to swim. Before he can pull away, Simon yanks him back in. His hands thread through Wilhelm's hair as Wilhelm wraps his arms around his waist. They pull each other impossibly close. It's their third-first-kiss and it is perfect.

[heaven-in-a-wild-flower]

Sizzy Headcanon (Simon Lovelace and Isabelle Lightwood)

If you'd rather read this on ao3 here's the link

Chapter 1: Purple Tongues And Pumpkin Spice Lattes (The chapters aren't related and can be read separately)

Izzy

It's summer! You probably wouldn't guess this about her, but Izzy’s favourite season is summer. You might think she’d find it annoying that her hair gets frizzier and her makeup runs with sweat, but no, well, these things do happen and she does get a bit annoyed but she believes that the good far outdo the bad.

She wakes up to the sun shining brightly through her curtains, making the dancing dust motes glow. She turns to see Simon sleeping peacefully and gently brushes her lips against his cheek. As she's getting ready for the day, smoothing sunscreen over her skin, she feels warm arms wrap around her waist and a head full of curls nuzzle her neck. Surprised (but happy, always happy) laughs burst out of her as she smears some sunscreen onto Simon's face too (She loves the way his face scrunches up at her unsuspecting sunscreen-covered hands). They eat freshly cut watermelon for breakfast and Izzy blushes as Simon gently, oh so gently (how did she find this wonderful boy?) wipes the watermelon juice from her lips.

They set out from the house with the wind blowing Izzy's sundress (yes, I know this is unexpected too, but she loves wearing sundresses) and making it swish around her legs. She spins around in the sunlight, enjoying the freedom. Simon thinks she looks like a nature goddess when she does it (well, he thinks she looks like a goddess always but still). She sees a popsicle stand and runs towards it. Simon follows, of course he does, he'd follow her anywhere. They each get a popsicle, Izzy's turns her tongue bright red and Simon's turns his a cool blue. She winks at him and says, "Wanna make purple?" He blushes and she loves the bright red of it.

They walk aimlessly and she loves the way the sun keeps warming her skin, like a continuous hug or like the feeling of a lover's arm around you (luckily for her, she can now have both). She loves that the sunshine makes everything bright and glowing, the season wakes up the child in her. The one who never had to wonder if the clothes she were wearing were “inappropriate” or that she didn’t look poised and graceful licking popsicles or worry that one day her brothers would die at the hands of demons and she’d be able to do nothing about it. That child in her just wants to skip and laugh and be happy without anything weighing her down. (Well, the dream is a bit edited now, with Simon’s hand in hers and him beside her). And now that she finally has it, she compares the sun's heat warming her skin to Simon's presence warming her heart.

***

Simon

Simon’s favourite season, quite obviously, is autumn, also for very obvious reasons, i.e. Halloween! It's the first of October today and the day he's decided that they'll start preparing for Halloween. He wakes up even before the sun rises and caresses Izzy's hair lightly. She groans and turns over and he smiles fondly. He makes breakfast for the both of them, liberally sprinkling cinnamon over the food, it is autumn after all! When Izzy finally walks in the kitchen with her hair all over the place (he loves her likes this) and her eyes bleary, he grins at her (she's nearly blinded by the brightness of that smile). It also makes her fully forget her suspicion that he decided to make food early so that she wouldn't do it. Some smiles are more powerful than steles.

Izzy walks to the living room to see that he's already set out all the materials they'll need to make their decorations and costumes. They settle down and begin. This is the part Simon loves best. He loves painstakingly creating outfits to match his favourite characters just for the reward of making them perfect (and if Izzy’s eyes shine when she sees him in them, well, that’s just a bonus). He loves having a reason to reread all his favourite comics. He loves flipping through many many pages to find all his favourite details and adding them to the costume like tender caresses. The joy he feels when someone recognises his character and all the effort he put into it, is unmatched. They work for many hours, Izzy asking for Simon's help from time to time and Simon regaling her with some comics book tales she hasn't read yet. (She loves this part best too)

A few weeks later, the most important day of the year (Izzy made him promise that their anniversary is also in the first spot along with this one) finally arrives. 31st October! Their house is horrifically decorated with blood and zombies and demons and monsters (Simon can tell Izzy loves it, when she just stands and stares for a few minutes at a time, completely speechless). After, they get ready in their costumes. Izzy carefully paints Simon's skin in red and he just loses himself in her gorgeous eyes. Simon helps her affix her headpiece and they're done! Scarlet Witch and Vision. They both take a few moments to admire each other's costumes, they each steal the other's breath every time. Izzy touches his lips to make sure the paint is dry. Then she pulls his forward with the front of his cape and kisses him deeply. "Now, we're ready," Izzy says and they set off, smiling.

Simon loves going trick-or-treating and showing off his costume to all who’ll appreciate it. And he loves, loves watching the awe and wonder in little kids’ eyes when they see their favourite character come to life. The best part is that he gets to let them keep believing in that magic, and even though he knows of actual magic in the world, this will always feel more magical to him. He’s so occupied with the kids that he's never noticed that Izzy always just melts when she sees him interact with kids. He shows them some tricks he learnt that make it look like he actually has Vision's powers and all the kids gasp and hang on his every action, transfixed. Izzy knows the tricks behind all his magic, yet she can't help but stare anyway.

They return home and fall asleep cuddling and watching Marvel movies. Izzy thinks Black Widow is incredibly badass and Simon says, "I think you're badassier." Izzy laughs and smacks him with a pillow, "That's not a word, you dork!". This leads to a pillow fight and finally they fall asleep using each other as pillows.

Halloween is a big part of his love for autumn, but he also loves other things. He loves bundling up in cozy sweaters and cuddling with Izzy as they work on educating her with pop culture knowledge. He'll wrap his arms around her at any moment he can, often when she's cooking (and if this has ulterior motives, no one has to know). He'll cuddle her when she's trying to practice. He'll cuddle her when she's about to get off the bed and refuse to let go. (She calls him her little koala bear).

Simon also loves taking long walks outside and stepping on crisp leaves (Izzy laughs and laughs and laughs when she sees him run around, finding the crunchiest leaves and shouting out ratings). And the food! He loves all the comfort food at Thanksgiving, and he especially loves watching all his friends and family sigh contentedly when they’re full. And he’ll literally murder you if you dare tell anyone about this, but he loves Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks (Izzy knows this deep dark secret of his and buys him Pumpkin Spice Lattes and leaves them around the house for him to find).

Next chapter (Chapter 2)

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list.

[simpstar123]

Party || Ethan Payne

Requested - No but requests are open ✨

A/n - istg I'm gonna start posting more than once a month. Soon. Hopefully.

Word Count - 1,188

5.27.20

The party was crowded as hell, which was to be expected with a group of friends as big as the Sidemen's. The seats were filled at all times and Y/n was getting tired of standing and milling around after already having chatted with all of her friends. She finally gives up on waiting for a seat and decides to chill on her friend Ethan's lap. He jumps when she first sits down, then relaxes a bit when he realizes it's her. Nobody around the two of them pays any attention at all, each of them caught up in their own little worlds.

"Alright love?" Ethan asks, resting his hand on one of her legs casually, causing her to stare at it for a second. She smiles and looks up at him.

"Yeah, just tired and needed somewhere to sit," she replies, draping one of her arms over his shoulders.

"You know you can always sit here," he says, winking and trying to sound more confident than he actually feels. She laughs and adjusts her legs to be a little more comfortable.

"Well, I'm not opposed to that offer," she says, sipping her drink as she looks around. Ethan chuckles, trying to play off the blatant flirting. His face heats up as he thinks about the short exchange. Then he nods quietly to himself and follows Y/n's gaze across the room. She's looking at Simon Minter, of course.

"You fancy him?" he asks, praying that he doesn't sound stupid. She raises her eyebrows, looking back and forth between Simon and Ethan for a second.

"Nah, he's cute but not my type. Besides, he's got a girl, and I'm not that type of bitch," she explains as she locks eyes with Ethan. He thinks it over while nodding.

"So what is your type then?" he says simply, again trying to sound more casual than curious. She shrugs, taking in his features for a minute as she thinks.

"I don't know, tall, funny, attractive," she says, catching his eyes again and then looking down. He fake yawns and rolls his eyes.

"That's pretty basic innit? I feel like that's what every girl says," he replies, pretending not to be bothered by any part of the description. Obviously, he's not very tall, although he does believe that he's funny and attractive. He silently hoped that the first one wouldn't cancel out the other two.

"Yeah, I guess. Most girls literally just want whoever they want. I don't even have a specific type, to be honest," she adds, trying to read his reactions. He nods again and runs his hand through his hair. The action succeeds in temporarily distracting Y/n and she smiles at him a little bit afterward.

"So you don't care if a guy has muscles, a good trim, or style at all???" he says incredulously, taking his own features into account. She bites her lip and holds back a laugh. It was pretty obvious that he was hinting towards himself, but there was always a chance that Y/n was just reading too much into it.

"That too, I guess, but it's not a huge deal. I tend to judge people based on their personality anyway," she replies as she begins running her hand back and forth over Ethan's muscular shoulder. His breath hitches in his throat and she laughs softly, but otherwise pretends not to notice. She watches him nervously run his hand through his hair again, and she glances at his outfit, which is nicer than usual for the event. She smiles and runs her own hand through his hair, causing him to stop in his tracks completely.

"Are you just saying what you want girls to notice about you?" she says curiously, continuing to smile innocently. She rests her hand on the back of his neck as he chuckles nervously, then shakes his head.

"No," he replies softly, "Why would I do that?" She rolls her eyes playfully at him and shrugs. Then she runs her hand through his hair again and leans closer to him.

"I mean, if you want to ask if you're my type you could just say it," she laughs, watching his face turn red. He looks away in an attempt to hide it from her and begins rubbing the back of his neck, trying not to think about the way she was touching him just a few seconds ago. He wants to speak but nothing will come out. Being as nervous as he is, he can't figure out if she's messing with him or if she's genuinely flirting. He opens his mouth and closes it again, wishing he knew what to say and how to say it.

"What was that?" she asks out of the blue, locking eyes with him. His eyes widen at the sudden question. Of course, he had tried to speak but failed. However, Y/n obviously thought he'd spoken. She leans towards him again.

"Sorry, it's pretty loud and I didn't hear what you said," she says. He shakes his head and takes a deep breath.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he suggests, preparing himself for rejection. She backs up slightly and raises her eyebrows again.

"Not like that, unless that's what you want to do. I meant like, to get away from the noise and just talk," Ethan explains quickly. She nods and stands up, pulling him to his feet behind her. Together they walk out the front door and start heading down the street.

"So, were you trying to say something earlier?" she asks, turning to face him. He puts his hands in the pockets of his coat and shrugs. A million thoughts start bouncing around in his head. Should he go for it? Should he keep his mouth shut? He knew he'd be left forever wondering if she liked him, so he chose to take the fall and make a move.

"Am I your type?" he says with his chest, instantly being filled with regret. A smile spreads across her face and she looks down for a second before looking back at him.

"I've never met anyone who is more my type than you are," she replies happily. Ethan momentarily loses the ability to think straight, feeling his heart pound in his chest.

"Are you being serious?" he asks, trying to contain his excitement. She giggles and nods.

"Of course, Ethan," she says, "I thought you'd never figure it out." Ethan laughs nervously, wondering what else he'd been oblivious to during the year-long friendship the two had shared. He pulls her into a tight hug and she returns it, only pulling away to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Despite the cold nighttime air, his face burns from the contact as they move apart.

"So, are we? Does that make us...?" Ethan says, wishing he could just say boyfriend and girlfriend, or couple, or something, but he finds it difficult to articulate his thoughts. She just nods in response and kisses him again.

"Does that answer your question?" she asks.

"Yeah, wow. Yeah," he replies breathily.

[allyoucanthinksmut]

Don’t- Dwayne Johnson Smut

Requested:  hii, i was the one that asked about the dwayne johnson one. i was thinking that like, y/n is a friend of dwayne’s daughter and when she falls asleep y/n seduced him and he teaches her a lesson if ya catch my drift. (; (you are 18 in this btw.)

You sat on your bestfriend Simone's bed. You two had just finished watching Smackdown. You wished her dad Dwayne was still wrestling. You loved watching him. It was wrong but you had a thing for your bestfriends dad and you wanted him so bad. You had been trying to tease him the past few weeks when she was asleep. He always stayed up til like 3 and she went to sleep at 11. Only an hour left you thought.

"What do you want to do?" You asked looking over at you. You were wearing shorts with a hoodie on and long socks with bows on the side.

"I'm hungry." She said getting up. You followed her to the kitchen passing by her dad on the couch. You looked over at the back of his head wishing you could see his face. You two got to the kitchen deciding on pizza rolls. You were waiting on the oven to heat up when you heard a deep voice say, "Don't burn the house down."

You turned around and giggled. "I'm an amazing cook." You said to him. You bit your lip as you looked at him. You saw your bestfriend turn around so you stopped.

"Go away dad." She said shooing him. He just laughed shaking his head before walking out going back to watching football. You finished the pizza rolls before getting ranch and heading back upstairs. You guys ate the food while watching the masked singer. She ended up falling asleep 30 minutes after you ate. You got up and hopped in the shower only washing your body. You got out and put your Victoria secrets underwear on before putting on a oversized sweat shirt. You butt poking out slightly. You put your hair up into a messy bun before putting a little mascara on. You looked at yourself before getting your other long socks that were black with red bows on them. You smiled at your outfit before heading to the kitchen. You walked in knowing he would come in here and say something. You went over to the cabinets going for the cheez it's you knew were on the top self. You reached up to grab the box hearing someone clear their throat. You turned around seeing Dwayne looking at your ass. You smirked slightly before turning back and continuing to reach for it. You started to jump slightly knowing it would make your ass jiggle. You felt body heat as a head came into view. He reached up and grabbed them. You got down grazing your ass onto his crotch. You could've sworn you heard him groan. He gave you the box before turning around. "You need to put some clothes on." He said.

"I'm about to go to bed so it doesn't matter." You said opening the box. "Will you help me onto the counter?" You asked batting your eye lashes. It really was hard to get up there but you also loved when he touched you at all. He huffed before walking back over to you. He stared at you for a second before grabbing your waist. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he lifted you up onto the counter. You took this opportunity to pull him in by your legs. He put his hands on the counter clenching his jaw. He unwrapped your legs before pulling back. You went to grab his shoulders but he caught your wrist.

"Don't." He said sternly. "You have been trying to tease me for weeks now. It stops today." He says throwing your hands back at you.

You jumped off the counter standing up straight. "I know you want me just as much as I want you." You said getting in his face.

"You are my daughter's best friend." He said pushing you back. "We cant." He said shaking his head.

"Yes we can." You said trying to kiss him.

"Are you nuts?" He said pushing you down.

"Yes I am. I know it's wrong but I want you so bad it hurts. Every time I see you I just want to hop on you and take you and then cuddle you to sleep. You make me have thoughts I didn't even knew I could have. I have hid it for 5 years now and I can't anymore. I need you or I'm going to explode." You said breathing heavily from how fast you said it.

"Ah shit." You heard say before he pulled you to him crashing his lips on yours. You moaned into his mouth putting your arms around his neck as his went around your waist. One of his hands came up to your face as he brought you closer. "This will only be a one time thing." He said pulling away taking his shirt off.

"Agreed." You huffed starstruck. You knew this wouldn't be the only time. You wouldn't let it. You needed him all the time he was like a drug to you. "Jump." He said picking you up. He kissed you once again bringing you to the counter. He ripped your shirt off grabbing your boobs.

"God damn." He muttered kissing you again as his hands went around your waist pulling you flush against him. You moaned when he did. Your hands reached under his shirt to pull it over his head. You ran your hands down his abs feeling them. You had wanted to feel them for so long and now it was actually happening. You heard him groan as you did. All of a sudden you were lifted up off the counter.

"Where are we going?" You asked giggling.

"Somewhere we can do whatever we want." He said biting your ear. He went to the basement door and opened it. This was his room. It was like a whole apartment down here but he wasn't down there often. He was really about being in his families life all the time because of his schedule and everything. You had never actually been in his room as you admired everything before you felt yourself being thrown on the bed. He slide down his pants before sliding in on top of you. He immediately went into kiss you with so much passion you almost came right then. A loud moan escaped your mouth. This seemed to trigger Dwayne as he started to thrust his hips into you as he kissed you neck. You started moaning really loud as you threw your head back. This was really happening you thought. It felt like a dream. You put her hands on his arms pushing him back.

"I want you inside of me." You said flipping him over. He growled as you did this. He leaned up and pulled your face to his kissing you.

"You are really hot like this." He said grabbing your hips and grinding them on his. "But I'm teaching you a lesson right now." He said flipping you back over. He pulled both of your underwear off before getting in between your legs. He reached between you two rubbing you clit. Your head fell back as you gripped his shoulders. "Right now I'm getting you back for all the teasing you've been doing for the past few weeks." He said as he gripped your throat. He continued doing what he was doing as he leaned down and bite one of your tits. "From now on you wear decent stuff around my house." He said right beside your ear before biting it. You let out a loud moan at his words. "You will stop brushing up against me all the time. The games stop now." He said before pulling away from you. It was only for a split second before he thrusted himself into you. You threw your head back as your eyes rolled back. He let you get used to him kissing you. "I want you to look at me while I destroy you." He said. His words went straight to your core as you looked up at him. He threw your legs over his shoulders before he started pounding into you. It wasn't long before you was screaming which made him have to put his hand over your mouth as he slammed into your repeatly. You swore you came with every thrust as you clenched around him. His groans were heard throughout the room as both of you were in bliss. You two kept eye contact the whole time. "Fuck." He groaned as he bit down on his lip. "I'm going to cum." He said. He continued to thrust a few more time before pulling out and cumming on your stomach.

You admired him as he sat there huffing. It shocked both of you as you blurted. "I love you." He looked up really quick standing up.

"You can't.......we can't......im sorry." He said getting a towel and coming over to you and cleaning you up. Before he could walk away again you jumped up and wrapped yourself around him smashing your lips on his. His kissed back immediately shoving you up against the nearest wall. He didn't pull away until you moaned into his mouth. He backed up rubbing his face.

"We can't fucking do this. If Simone finds out she would hate both of us. I don't feel the same way for you so just stop." He said huffing.

"Then why didn't you pull away whenever I kissed you. Why did you kiss me back with as much passion as I kissed you with. And why are you trying to deny it." You said walking up to him.

"Because your my daughter's bestfriend and I shouldn't feel these things for you." He said grabbing the back of your neck and pulling you flush into you picking you up a little in the process. "I do feel these things for you and it's wrong but goddamnit I don't know if I can stop now." He said putting his forehead on yours.

"Then don't." Was all you said. The rest of the night you two made love in every inch of his room.

[carryonsimoncarryonbaz]

Chapter 11 of Can’t Find My Way Home is up!!! A few more chapters of this left! Read the entire fic at Ao3!

Chapter 11

Baz

It’s going too fast. Every minute is passing too quickly. I can���t even let myself savor it.

Well, I’m savoring the sensation of Simon in my arms. The warm weight of him resting against me. The scent of him. Like bacon and freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Something I’d gladly eat.

Neither of us bothered to sleep on this leg of the trip. I think we both sense our time together is drawing to a close. There’s no point wasting it napping.

Not when we can be cuddling and surreptitiously snogging instead. It’s mostly forehead kisses and brushing my lips through his curls when he buries his face in my neck this time.

It’s not any less romantic or passionate. It’s just softer, slower, a cherishing of every memory I’m making with him so I can revisit them all later, when he’s not by my side anymore.

I’ve not asked him to come home with me yet. I keep meaning to, and then I just can’t find the words.

It should be easy. “Would you like to come home with me for Christmas, Simon?”really shouldn’t be that hard to articulate. I’m being a coward.

We’re making our final descent to London now and I’m making sure Simon is adequately distracted. I’m careful not to leave a mark on his neck. If I’m bringing him home to meet my parents I can’t quite have him show up looking like the victim of a vampire attack, now can I?

The plane taxis to the gate but neither of us rush to stand up. I’m holding Simon’s hand and he’s gazing at me, blue eyes warm and comforting, but there’s something wistful there too.

I should ask him now. I’m just about to speak when he looks away and gives a small laugh. “We should probably get off the plane, we’re practically the only ones left.” Simon’s hand slips out of mine to unbuckle his belt, then he stands, shouldering his pack. “Come on, then, Baz. You’re going to make it for Christmas dinner with your family after all.”

It’s the perfect opening so I trample down my apprehension and just blurt it out, none of the artfully worded invitations I had rehearsed in my head coming to me now.

“Come with me.”

Simon tilts his head, eyebrows coming together in question. I stand up, sling my bag over my shoulder, and take his hand in mine again. “Come home with me, I mean. For Christmas.” I swallow. “Please?”

His eyes widen. It would be comical, how astonished he looks, if I wasn’t wracked with apprehension about his answer. I tighten my grip on his hand, my words having left me for good it seems. Why should it be so surprising that I want to keep him with me?

“It’s your family, Baz. I . . .  I shouldn’t . . . I wouldn’t want to intrude.” He’s just saying that. I know he’s just saying that. I couldn’t have been imagining that spark of interest just now.

I move closer to him. We’re jammed together in the narrow aisle, the flight attendant at the far end of the aeroplane giving us a quizzical look. The cleaning crew has already boarded at the front. I don’t care. They can sod off. This is more important.

“You wouldn’t be intruding. I want you there.” I close my eyes and drop my head. I have no shame left in me. I’ve confessed so many secrets to him today, what’s one more? “I may have already told my stepmother I was bringing someone home.”

I love the way Simon laughs. The way his nose scrunches up when he does, the deep-throated rumble of it. I don’t think I could ever tire of hearing it.

“You daft git. You decided to wait until practically the last minute to ask me?”

“Well, I could have waited until we reached the ground transport area but I thought that would be pushing it a bit.”

He drops my hand in favor of cupping my face with both of his. He’s so close I can feel his breath ghost over my lips. “Well, when you put it that way, how could I say no? Can’t disappoint your stepmum now, can I?”

The smile on his face dazzles me. The warmth of his gaze envelops me and all my trepidation melts away. “No, not when she’s already made up the spare room and all.”

He laughs again, then reaches down to grip my hand once more to tug me down the aisle to the exit.

Heathrow is deserted. The Christmas decorations sparkle and gleam around us as we walk through the terminal hand in hand to reach the bus transport. “There’s no easy way to get home from here, not without a car.” I give Simon a side-long look. “This adventure of ours wouldn’t be quite complete without some time on buses and trains, don’t you think?”

“The company’s tolerable so I suppose I’ll survive it somehow.” He’s grinning at me.

It takes a few minutes to find the bus to Woking. Once we make our way there we’ll catch the train to Alton. Father’s offered to collect us from there.

It’s quite decent of him. I’d offered to hire a taxi from the station but he wouldn’t hear of it. “You’ve suffered enough of the vagaries of public transport, Basilton. I’m sure you’ll both be exhausted. I’ll just meet you at the station, shall I? Text me when you get to Woking. That will give me a chance to get to Alton in time.”

We board the bus and Simon insists on taking the window seat. “You get cold too easily, let me sit there.” He slides in and I follow, dropping my satchel at our feet and leaning my head back with a sigh. He nudges my shoulder. “Almost there, Baz. Almost there.”

We spend the ride talking about my family. Simon’s met Father, Daphne and Fiona, thanks to our shared accommodations at school, but this will be the first time he meets my siblings.

“Four? You can’t be serious? You’ve got four siblings?”

I tick them off on my fingers. “Mordelia, Acantha, Ophelia, and Magnus. Be warned. Mordelia is full of snark and attitude. She’s twelve going on twenty-five. Jaded and bitter for her age.”

“Wonder where she gets that from?” Simon says smugly.

I bump his shoulder. “Hush. I’m giving you useful information here. Don’t interrupt with slanderous commentary.” I press my knee against his and then leave it there. I like the sensation of our legs touching. “Ophelia and Acantha are twins and they adore confusing people. Knowing them, they’ll have chosen to wear matching outfits just so they can bewilder you. The giveaway will be Acantha tucking her hair behind her left ear. Watch for that and you’ll confound them.”

“And your brother?”

“Stop interrupting, you nightmare. I’m getting to him. Magnus will either hide behind me for the entirety of the evening and then demand you tell him bedtime stories or he’ll cling to you from the start and you’ll be pressed into service giving him piggy-back rides down the halls after dinner.” I take his hand again. “Far better you than me. I’m sure he’s heavier than he was in the summer.”

“They sound brilliant.”

I roll my eyes. “How could I forget--you actually enjoyinteracting with children.”

He laughs again. “From the sound of it, so do you. Not that you’d ever let on, though, you numpty.”

His face grows more serious a moment later. “Baz. I’ve just realized. I’m sure your family does the whole posh thing, dressing up for Christmas dinner. Not to sound like a whiny fourteen-year-old girl, but I haven’t got a thing to wear.” He gestures at his duffel bag.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure they aren’t expecting us to dress up, considering the time we’ve had getting here in the first place.”

He nods and gives me a meaningful look. “I’d not say no to a shower, mind you. It feels like we left Ebb’s ages ago.”

It doesn’t to me.

To me, this day has been progressing as if someone clicked the fast forward button and hasn’t let up.

I glance at my watch. There should be time for us to clean up, once we get home. “I think we can manage that.” I drum my fingers on the armrest, as I mentally run through the contents of my wardrobe. “I’m sure you can borrow something of mine to wear. For dinner.” I doubt any of my suits will fit him but I’m sure to have a jumper or two that might work.

His eyebrows go up. “I doubt I’ll fit any of your posh togs. You’ve at least three inches on me and I’ve likely got a stone on you.”

I eye him up and down, arch one eyebrow and smirk. “That you do.”

“Oh, shut up.” He’s flushed all the way to the tips of his ears now. I love it.

I drop my head on his shoulder and lean into him. “Solid. I like that.”

“I hate you.”

“Liar.”

He laughs again and rests his head on mine.

I’m not worried about what he wears to dinner. My family will love Simon, even if he wears a hoodie and trackies to the meal.

I love him.

Fuck.

It’s true. I’ve never actually managed to fall out of love, not after all these years. If anything, these past few days have made me fall even morein love with him.

I’m so fucked.

And that’s when the realization strikes. Daphne and Father know I’m bringing Simon, my former roommate, home. They assume I’m bringing a friendhome for Christmas. Because that’s what I said when I called.

But I’m not really, am I? I’m bringing the boy I love home to meet the family but I’m not quite prepared to make that declaration before the Christmas pudding is served.

Which means all this touching, holding hands, kissing—what do I do about that? I don’t particularly want to stop but it’s not quite the thing to engage in these types of public displays of affection around my family.

I don’t know what to do. I could say something to Simon, I suppose, but that’s rubbish, isn’t it? It would hurt his feelings, I’ve no doubt about that.

I could somehow explain to Father and Daphne but that’s an excruciating thought in itself. Not just the explaining, but the chance that they’d be frightfully and embarrassingly chuffed about the whole thing.

I’m not sure I could tolerate that.

Christ, is Fiona going to be there tonight?

Under no circumstances am I going to tolerate Fiona making suggestive commentary about Simon in his presence. Or asking if I’m getting laid, God forbid.

Right. I should say something to Simon.

But what?

We agreed we’re going to try to make a go of this, long-distance. The boyfriend thing.

I can’t just tell him we need to stop the snogging. I don’t want to stop. Blast it. Why couldn’t I be normal, like everyone else, and have actually had a previous boyfriend I brought home? Why do I have to be so fucking awkward?

I’ve tied myself in knots mentally so of course Simon notices. “What’re you thinking so hard about?”

“What? Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. You looked pinched. Like you took a bite out of a lemon.” I hadn’t even realized I’d sat up, hunching forward in concentration. “Baz. What is it?”

I chew on my bottom lip. I’ve got no idea what to say. I’ve been tongue-tied more often than not the last few days. It’s mortifying.

Simon rubs his hand along my forearm. “Hey. Is it about your parents? And us? I mean, I completely understand. They’ve only met me a few times and it was usually while I was staring daggers at you. I’m sure it’s been awkward enough explaining how we ended up as travel companions. Let alone other developments.” He gives me a shy smile. “We’re just figuring this out ourselves, Baz. There’s no need to complicate things by trying to explain it to anyone else quite yet, is there?”

I don’t know how he does it. Simon Snow is a mind reader. Either that or I’m frightfully transparent, which is an appalling prospect to consider.

I slump back against the seat. “But I don’t want to stop this.”I wave my arm between us and nearly wince at the whinging tone of my voice. Christ, I’m pathetic.

“We don’t have to stop this.” He emphasizes the word like I did. “But we can certainly be a bit more circumspect about it.” He waggles his eyebrows at me. “Surely there’s some secret passageway or dimly lit wine cellar in that mansion of yours that we can duck into for a good snog, yeah?”

“I’ll have you know my father’s wine cellar is state of the art. Nothing dim about it.”

“You’re impossible, Baz Pitch.”

I shake my head. “No, I’m not. You were always my impossible dream, Simon. I’m still a bit overwhelmed by the reality of it all.”

“You take the lead, then. I’ll go along with whatever feels comfortable. I’m just spending the night. There’s no need to give a detailed accounting of our . . .” he pauses.

“Relationship,” I interject. I tug him closer. “That’s what we’re calling it.” Suddenly everything falls into place in my head. I want this. More than I’ve wanted anything, my whole life. It’s not about what anyone thinks or how I explain it. Or even needing to explain it.

It’s Simon. And the chance to have not just this moment but all the moments ahead.

Simon

I’m glad Baz and I talked a bit. Spending Christmas with him is so much better than spending it alone in my dodgy little flat. I’m a bit nervous about his family, I’ll not deny that.

His siblings sound nice. I can manage kids. They don’t intimidate me and I know I get on with them. It’s Mr. and Mrs. Grimm I’m worried about. They’ve always been polite, the few times I’ve met them at school but it’s not quite the same thing nodding hello to your son’s roommate as it is meeting his boyfriend.

I am his boyfriend. It seems both odd and so entirely right to think of myself that way.

Christ, I wonder if his Aunt Fiona is going to be there? She intimidates me. Completely. I don’t think I’d dare even hold Baz’s hand in front of her. She wouldn’t be one to politely ignore it.

I think of asking him but I let it go. I’ll find out when I get there. No use getting myself all worked up before then. I just won’t think about it right now.

The train ride is shorter than I expected. I can feel my anxiety ratcheting up as we exit the station. I follow Baz to the platform, my hands in my pockets. I’m not sure meeting Mr. Grimm entwined with Baz is the best idea.

“There he is.” Baz points to the parking area, where a black Jaguar is waiting. Mr. Grimm gets out to shake hands with Baz and then he turns to me.

“Hello, Simon. Nice to see you again. It’s been awhile.”

His handshake is strong. I nod my head. “Nice to see you again too, sir. Thanks for letting me spend Christmas with you.”

“You’ll have to drop the ‘sir’, Simon. You’re making me feel ancient. Malcolm will do.”

“Uh, thank you, sir. I mean Mr. Grimm. I mean . . .” That’s not something I’m going to manage at all. I can’t call him by his first name.

He smiles and shakes his head. “Mr. Grimm is fine if that’s easier for you.”

He’s kinder than I expected. I honestly don’t know what I expected. He always seemed distant and preoccupied at Watford. That may have had to do more with Baz’s mum and his own memories though.

I hadn’t thought of that.

Baz takes the front seat and I slide in the back. I hope their house isn’t far. I tend to get a bit carsick on long rides.

It’s not that far.

And it’s not a house. It actually is a fucking Gothic Mansion.

“It’s Victorian actually,” Baz says. Fuck. I must have said that out loud.

I can’t believe Baz lives on a bloody estate. Well, actually I can believe it, knowing him, but the reality of it is a bit daunting. I wonder if it’s haunted.

Mr. Grimm drops us off at the front and goes to park the car somewhere. Baz bumps my shoulder so I turn to look at him. “It’ll be alright, Simon.” His fingers brush against mine and he grips my hand for an instant before opening the door.

We stand in the magnificent foyer for a moment and then I hear the thumping of footsteps and then a flurry of children rush Baz. He staggers then rights himself as he’s literally enveloped in a mass of arms and bodies.

I feel a light touch on my arm and turn to find Baz’s stepmum next to me. “Hello, Simon. I’m so glad you were able to join us. Baz said you’ve had an awful time of it getting home.”

She’s got a gentle voice and a kind face and it makes me relax just a bit. “It’s been a bit of adventure, that’s for certain.” I nod my head in her direction. “Thank you . . . for having me here . . .I’m sure it’s a spot of bother, having an extra person.”

She cuts me off before I can say anything more. “Not at all. I’m glad Basilton convinced you to join us. I think you both need a bit of a rest after all that nonsense with the weather.”

She moves to give Baz a kiss on the cheek and I realize the pack of children are now all staring at me.

It’s unnerving. They’re all so similar and they all have terribly inquisitive expressions on their faces. The tallest one, Mordelia I think Baz said, tilts her head and narrows her eyes at me. “So you’re Simon Snow.”

“Uh, yes?”

She darts her eyes to Baz and then back to me. “Not quite what I expected but I suppose you’ll do.”

“Mordelia.” Mrs. Grimm and Baz speak at the same time.

Mordelia rolls her eyes at me and links her arm with Baz’s. She looks up at him. “Took you long enough to get home. You promised you’d be home for Christmas.”

“And I am, you frightful wretch.” Baz’s words don’t match his expression. He’s smirking down at her in such a fond way.

“Simon, come with me,” Mrs. Grimm touches my arm again. “I’ll show you to your room.”

She sweeps me away, up the grand staircase at the far end of the foyer. I turn back to look at Baz. He’s still surrounded by the little ‘uns but his eyes are following me. He nods his head and gives me his most brilliant smile.

It makes me feel all warm, a radiating rush of heat from the affection I can see in his eyes. I’ll be alright I think.

I think I’ll be alright.

The room is massive. This place must be on some historic register. The bed is a four-poster monstrosity in a dark wood with drapery all around the bed. Everything is in shades of blue in here—the deep blue velvet curtains, the drapery around the bed, the chair by the window. Even the wallpaper. There are portraits of men and women on the walls and a soothing landscape across from the bed. I put my duffel down on the cushioned bench at the end of the bed and turn around to thank Mrs. Grimm.

She waves in the direction of the wardrobe and points down the left hallway for the shower. I nod my head and then she’s gone.

I don’t even know where to sit. I’m afraid I’ll break something. There’s delicate knickknacks and candlesticks and whatnot all over. I finally decide to sit on the window seat—it looks solid enough—when the door opens and Baz strides into the room.

He shuts the door behind him and I stand at his approach.

“Hey.” Baz’s arms are around me. It’s the most familiar thing in this place, the feel of him, the scent of him.

“Hey.” I slide my arms around his waist. “You didn’t tell me you lived in a fucking mansion, you twat. I should have known.”

Baz laughs. “I don’t think about it that way. It’s just home to me.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I can show you around a bit, if you like. Or you can take a shower and we can do the tour after dinner.”

I feel grimy. “I’d rather take a shower, if that’s alright.”

Baz nods. “Come to my room first. Let’s see if I’ve got anything for you to wear.”

Baz’s room is outrageous. It’s even larger than the one I’ve got and there are literally gargoyles carved into the frame of his bed, I swear to God. Dozens of them. Their eyes are unnerving. Makes me shiver, it does.

It’s mostly done up in dark reds and burgundies. His room could be right out of Jane Eyre or Dracula or some such gothic nightmare of a book. It’s absurd, really.

He laughs at my expression and drags me into a walk-in wardrobe that’s wall to wall clothes. Suits and shoes and jumpers and whatnot. Not an item out of place.

No wonder it drove him mad to share a room with me. My side of the room was always a disaster.

He pulls some jumpers off a shelf. “You’ll have to make do with your own trousers. I doubt any of mine will fit you, with the height difference.” He arches an eyebrow. “I tend to wear them fitted and I don’t think they’re meant for thighs like yours.”

I think I should be offended. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not fat, you know. Just . . . sturdy, I suppose.”

His grin is almost predatory. “I mean they’re thick and muscular and stunning and absolutely not suited to be in my trousers.” His grin gets even wider. “At least not that way.”

I can feel my cheeks flame. That’s about the most suggestive thing he’s said to me and it makes me feel tingly, like a rush of fire just below my skin. I need a shower. Preferably a cold one.

Baz fusses with the jumpers for a few moments more, completely oblivious to the effect he’s having on me. Or maybe he’s just enjoying it.

He tosses a jumper at me. “That one will do.” His gaze softens as he looks at me. “It’ll bring out the blue of your eyes.”

It’s a Nordic style, which almost makes me toss it back to him, as I remember the bloke at the airport. But it’s soft and I like the color so I just clutch it to me instead. “I should shower.”

I grab my toiletries from my room and head to the bathroom down the hall.

My hair is an utter disaster but I’m knocking on Baz’s door a short while later, clad in his jumper and the nicest trousers in my bag. They’re a bit wrinkled but they’ll have to do.

“Come in.”

I peek into his room and am met with the magnificent sight of Baz in a dark suit. It looks black from here but as I move closer I see it’s a dark green. It highlights his coloring. I can’t look away.

“I was right. That color suits you perfectly, Simon. I think you should keep it. It never looked that good on me.”

“What?” He’s knotting a blood-pink tie and the effect of that with the suit is so mesmerizing I simply can’t focus on what he’s saying.

Baz turns to face me, which doesn’t help with my situation at all. His hair’s still a bit damp from showering, curling up at the ends. He’s not slicked it back yet. I like it like this. I like it a lot.

“The jumper. You should just keep it. I look a fright in that pale a hue—washes me out completely. I look like the undead.”

“You look bloody perfect right now.” I’ve crossed the room to stand directly in front of him.

He tilts his head and there’s a soft smile on his face.

I never knew Baz had a soft side. It’s one of the astonishing discoveries of this unexpected reunion we’ve had. It’s a precious secret that’s rarely revealed. I feel inexplicably fortunate to be one of the lucky few who see this side of him.

Baz reaches up to brush my curls off my forehead. I’m sure I need a haircut.

I swear he’s a mind reader. “I like it like this.” His fingertips trace a path from my hair to my jawline. “It’s longer than when we were at school.” He takes a step closer.

“I’m due for a haircut, now that I’m back.”

“Don’t.”

It’s my turn to smile. I reach out and wind a strand of his hair around my finger. “I’d say the same about yours. It looks better like this. Loose.”

Baz’s lips meet mine and my fingers tighten their grasp on his hair. He’s pressed up against me and I breathe in the fragrance of his posh shampoo, the aroma of whatever cologne he’s put on, the familiar, sensual, arousing scent of him.

He wraps his arms around my back to pull me flush to him, bodies in contact from chest to hips. The slide of his tongue against mine drives all other thoughts out of my head. His arms hold me, his scent surrounds me, the taste of him is on my lips, my senses overwhelmed by it all.

Which is probably why neither of us hear the door open.

“Oh my God, I knew you were shagging him!”

The speed at which we spring apart is astonishing. Mordelia is standing in the doorway, arms crossed with a triumphant expression on her face.

“You’re supposed to knock!” Baz growls, advancing on her in a surprisingly menacing fashion.

“I did knock. You were obviously too busy snogging Simon to hear me.” She raises one eyebrow in an uncanny imitation of him but takes a small step back just the same. “Mother said to tell you it’s time for dinner.” Mordelia turns her sharp gaze on me then smirks at Baz. “Looks like you’ve already had your snack.”

She makes a run for it before Baz can reach her, the door thudding shut behind her.

“Fucking hell.”

“I’m sorry, Baz.” I don’t know if he’s upset at her walking in on us or at the fact that we’ve just been outed as more than friends. Or both.

He frowns at me. “What are you apologizing for? I’m the one with an absolute maggot of a sibling.”

I shrug, giving him an apologetic smile. I’m concerned about him more than anything. How he’s taking this. “I shouldn’t have let myself get carried away. I promised myself I’d not let your irresistible charms tempt me while I was here.” I keep my tone light. I want him to know I’m not fussed about his sister.

He’s on me in a heartbeat. “Irresistible charm, now is it?” His hands cradle my face. “That should be my line.” He kisses me again, all warmth and affection, not the simmering passion of a few moments ago.

My stomach rumbles audibly. Baz pulls back and shakes his head at me, a hint of amusement visible in his eyes. “I suppose I should get my boyfriend down to dinner.”

His hand slides down my arm until his fingers intertwine with my own and that’s how we make our way down the stairs to the formal dining room for dinner—hand in hand.