#four series and five specials but she got there in the end <3

[valentinetypewriter]

Me And My Husband - Chapter 3

Word count: 3,055

masterlist / Series masterlist

Chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 4

Taglist:

@rainychaosmiracle @ashisabitgay @ashlynnmalfoy

The four boys had made their way to their first class of the day, Care for Magical Creatures with professor Kettleburn. They all sat down waiting for the teacher to start the lesson "welcome everyone, I have a special project planned for you all" a few students groaned at the word 'project' though no one could really blame them, it was their first day back after all. "It will be a group project, I'll need you to get into groups of three and I want you to write a study on a magical beast of your choice, it will be due in a week". Students erupted into chatter, asking their friends to work with them. Unfortunately Professor Kettleburn instantly shut them down "and I will be choosing who will be in a group together" at which the entire room groaned in disappointment, the thought of getting stuck with someone you didn't like never sat well with teenagers. Kettleburn droned on pairing up groups, the Marauders were chatting away waiting to hear their names.

"Lily Evans, James Potter and Severus Snape" James let out a scoff at having to work with Snape, though he was undeniably happy to be working with at least one of his friends. "Peter Pettigrew, Marlene McKinnon and Mary McDonald" the two mentioned girls high-fived each other and Peter smiled to himself, happy to not be stuck with any Slytherins. "Remus Lupin, Sirius Black -" the two boys had wide grins on their faces, the two had always liked working together "and Y/n l/n" the boys smiles instantly dropped and their heads shot over to Y/n who had her heads in her hands, seemingly devastated at having to work with the two people she didn't even want to look at. Y/n could feel eyes on her, she lifted her head up to look over at the two boys who were staring right at her. Remus gave her a nervous smile, feeling uncomfortable having to work with her after their last conversation, Sirius though had an unreadable expression on his face that quickly turned sour as he overheard her conversation.

"It sucks you have to be stuck with those idiots, maybe we could switch you with that dorky Gryffindor kid me and Evan got stuck with" Barty leant down towards her while glaring at Remus and Sirius. Y/n thought for a second "maybe, do you think Kettleburn will allow that?" she asked the two boys sitting around her, they only shrugged as Evan spoke up "well it's worth a shot, we'd rather work with you than anyone else" Barty nodded his head and let out a noise of agreement "hm I'll have to ask after class". Professor Kettleburn continued with the lesson, going over their curriculum for the year and basic revision stuff. After the class ended, the students rushed out to make it to their next class, except for Evan, Barty and Y/n. The three approached their teacher, y/n speaking up first "Excuse me sir may I ask you so-" the young girl was quickly cut off "no miss l/n you may not switch teams, the decision is final" the two boys behind her let out huffs of disappointment, as she simply nodded and walked off with the two to their next class.

The rest of their classes went by quickly, simple introduction and revision to get the student back on track with their work. After Y/n's last class, one she happily shared with Ravenclaw, she made her way to the great hall for dinner. "I still can't believe Kettleburn wouldn't let us switch" Evan whined out "I know, I'm now stuck with two of the most annoying Gryffindors ever, they'll probably try to get me to do all the work while they go pull off some stupid prank like they did with Regulus this morning" Barty let out a chuckle "I still can't believe he's been walking around all day in a skirt, I've seen him trying to keep his robe wrapped tightly around him, didn't help much" Evan laughed along with him "well at least he has the legs for it" the three teens all let out loud laughs "you better not let Regulus hear that, think he'll kill us" y/n said while trying to stop her laughing "don't let me hear what exactly" the menacing voice of Regulus came out of nowhere and the three teens had quickly spun around coming face to face with him. He had just come out of the bathroom the three had walked past, standing there with his arms crossed and skirt on display. Evans hand shot up to his mouth stopping his laughter. Bartys face turned red from embarrassment, not expecting their friend to be behind them and y/n tried to stutter out an answer "just that you're an amazing friend Reggie, and we care so much about you" letting out a small giggle halfway through her sentence. Regulus didn't seem very convinced, as he rolled his eyes "yeah sure whatever, let's just get to the great hall, the quicker my day ends the better" they all agreed and continued their walk to the great hall as Regulus complained about his predicament "it's been so humiliating, people have been staring and laughing, one guy even tried to look under my skirt!" The younger boy rolled his eyes "and I was the one who got in trouble for kicking him in the face, he deserved it" the other two boys laughed together at their young friends whining "and not to mention my brothers stupid friend Potter has been eyeing me up all damn day, honestly what a perv" Y/n just sighed placing a hand on the small boy "well at least you know what it's like to be a girl now" Y/n said with a faked tone of sympathy. Barty and Evan had cracked up, almost doubling over. Regulus just rolled his eyes and let out a huff of amusement "you're all idiots".

The group finally made their way to the great hall, Regulus had walked in right behind Y/n and Barty, almost pushing his body up against the two to hide the skirt. The four took their usual seats with Evan and Regulus next to each other and Y/n sitting next to Barty, whose blue uniform stuck out in the sea of green. The group started to pile food onto their plate, talking about how their classes had gone before they had been interrupted. Harsh whispers and shoving were heard behind where they sat, as Y/n turned around seeing the two boys she was dreading to see, she watched as Remus shoved Sirius towards her. The boys around her turned towards the intruding Gryffindor, they all had disgust painted on their faces "what do you want" Y/n spoke up before her friends could make any rude comments "well Remus and i wanted to ask you to accompany us in the library after dinner, we want to get that assignment out of the way" Sirius spoke more formal around her, but Y/n could tell he felt uncomfortable. "Yeah hard pass, I'm hanging out with Barty tonight" the mentioned boy had a grin on his face, one that showed just how up himself he was that a girl wanted to hang out with him instead of doing school work. Evan didn't pay much attention to the conversation, he was waiting for the boy to leave so he could carry on his own discussion. Regulus though seemed rather smug, he narrowed his eyes at his brother as he motioned towards both Y/n and Barty making obscene hand gestures to rile his brother up. It definitely worked, Sirius's uncomfortable look changed to one of pure disgust "Well I think it'd be wise for you to focus on your studies" he leant in closer to Y/n so only she could hear him "We wouldn't want your parents to think you're avoiding me now do we" of course Sirius almost felt guilty when he saw her eyes widen in fear. And it's not that Sirius was as cruel as his brother, he was just afraid of his parents and he knew Y/n was afraid of hers, he thought it was the only way to get her to listen. The girl looked down at the floor, "alright, I'll meet you at the library after dinner" her voice became quieter and seemed to crack a little. Sirius didn't respond after that he just walked off with Remus, the two boys making their way out of the great hall. Y/n ignored her friends for the rest of dinner, wanting to finish it as quickly as possible. When she was finished she stood up and walked out, muttering a quick goodbye to her friends.

Y/n slowly made her way to the library wanting to delay her meeting with Sirius and Remus. She didn't mind Remus; she thought he was weirdly pretty, and yeah he was a bit of a dick to the people in her house, but so was every other Gryffindor. She just felt uncomfortable around him, he knew too much about her situation for her to be able to ignore it and he always looked at her with sad eyes. Sirius on the other hand she despised, she was stuck marrying him and he's just some immature and incredibly mean boy. Y/n finally made it to the library quicker then she realised, she walked in and went looking for the two Gryffindors in the large library, hoping that they decided to not show up. As Remus and Sirius were waiting for Y/n they had been chatting about whatever crossed their minds, though there was something Remus wanted to bring up since they left the great hall "you know padfoot, you don't have to be that cruel to Y/n to get her to listen to you, I know it's only because of what your brother said earlier but you should be trying to get her to like you" Sirius rolled his eyes "she's just so difficult, it's not like I want her to get in trouble with her parents, but neither do i" Remus just sighed going to speak up before hearing footsteps approach their table. The two boys looked up to see Y/n "were glad you could make it" Remus said with a soft smile, the girl only nodded at him taking a seat next to him "for the project I think we should write about thestrals" she didn't bother with any small talk, she wanted this to be over. "And where would we get books on thestrals, the school doesn't exactly like teaching us about them" Sirius spoke up. They all knew this, Y/n was just trying to be difficult, if she had to work with them they had to write about something she wanted to. "There's books on them in the restricted section, I can just sneak in and grab them" remus stiffened up "that might not be a good idea, peeves is always patrolling that area late at night, he's always trying to catch student so he can dob them in" Y/n scoffed at this "he's a real delight, fine we'll do something else, how about Werewolves I have quite a lot of knowledge on them" Remus's eyes widened and Sirius's head shot over to look at her "why do you want to write about Werewolves, and why would someone like you have so much knowledge on them" Y/n stared at him with an offended look on her face "it's not because my family hunts them or anything if that's what you're assuming, my cousin is one you jerk" the two boys looked at her eyes wide with shock, "what, do you have a problem with that" Y/n instantly became defensive at their shocked state "No! Neither of us have a problem with that, we just weren't expecting it is all" Remus tried to quickly defuse her anger "right well then, we should grab some books" the girl seemed to calm down almost immediately as she stood. The three teens went looking for a few books, meeting back at the table after a few minutes.

They had been working for a little over an hour when Remus felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, he turned his head to the left to see Y/n asleep on him. He didn't know what to do, but he didn't want to wake her so he quietly went back to work. After a few minutes he felt the young girl start to shiver slightly, the library always seemed cold at night. Remus tried to awkwardly take his jacket off without waking the girl, Sirius watched him struggle for a bit before taking off his own jacket and passing it to Remus. The boy wrapped it around Y/n, smiling as she nuzzled into the warmth of the jacket. They continued to work with the occasional quiet chatter "oh shit, what time is it" a voice rang out, slightly scaring the two boys as Y/n had suddenly announced her being awake "Sirius checked his watch, face dropping as he read the time "fuck it's passed curfew" at his words the three shot up out of their seats frantically packing away their stuff, Y/n shoved Sirius's jacket into her bag before they rushed out of the library "you didn't keep track of the time, seriously!" Y/n asked, clearly irritated "you were the one who fell asleep on Remus" Sirius shot back at the girl. They quickly turned a corner, seeing Filch at the end of the corridor the boys pushed Y/n back before she could make it around to see Filch herself, she was confused as the boys shoved her into a small dark alcove. "What th-" her sentence was cut short by Remus shoving his hand over her mouth, she struggled to pull his hand off her letting out angry muffled words. Sirius was quick to grab her hands and pull them away from Remus "will you shut up, Filch is around the corner" the raven haired boy harshly whispered in her ear. The Slytherin girl instantly stopped thrashing about, the three going dead silent waiting to hear anything from Filch. Y/n suddenly became very aware of their position, two boys pressed closely to her, one holding tight onto her wrists the other with his hand clamped around her mouth. Her face burned up, and she was glad Remus's hand was so warm, hopefully he wouldn't be able to feel how hot her face was. They waited a bit longer before hearing Filch calling his cat so the two could leave, they waited until they heard the door close until Y/n shoved the two boys off her.

"Great how are we supposed to get back, he went through the only door that we could go through" Y/n was getting more frustrated as the time went on "we know a way" Sirius said, a grin on his face. Remus caught on to what he was doing and made his way out of the alcove "follow us, we'll get you back" the girl followed after the tall boy. They stopped at a blank wall, making Y/n feel very confused but before she could speak up Sirius tapped his wand against it whispering something she couldn't make out. The wall split apart revealing a pathway for the three teens to walk through. They made their way down the hallway, Y/n slowly trailing behind the two boys. "How did you even find this secret passage?" The girl asked after walking in silence for a few minutes, Remus looked over his shoulder at her "well Sirius and I, along with some other friends have been mapping out this place since our first year, you'd be surprised just how many secrets are hidden around the school" Sirius joined into the conversation "unfortunately we won't be able to show these all to you, they're much to valuable to our… hobbies so to speak" it took Y/n a few seconds to realise what he was talking about "oh, you use these passageways to get away with your pranks" the two boys nodded at her "speaking of your pranks, the next time you perverts decide to force a boy into wearing the girl's uniform as a joke, please try to keep your friend in check" the two boys looked at Y/n confusion clear on their faces "what are you going on about?" Sirius asked her "that Potter boy, the absolute perv has been eyeing up Regulus all day, I don't mind if James is into that sort of thing it's just making him very uncomfortable" the boys were too stunned to speak, Sirius didn't even want to think of James checking out his brother. They soon made it out of the passage, they had ended up right outside the slytherin common room "well I appreciate that you managed to not get us caught, I'd appreciate it more if you two kept track of time when we work on the project again, I'm free Wednesday afternoon to work on it…" Y/n hesitated a bit before continuing "I would say we could work on Tuesday, but I'm going to Hogsmeade after classes finish, Sirius you should accompany me if you have no other plan" the scruffy haired boy stared at her before responding "can I bring my mates?" He was very confused as to why she was asking him to hang out and not Remus, who had been a lot nicer to her. Y/n seemed to consider the idea "you can bring Remus, but no one else, especially not James" Sirius was quick to defend his best friend "what! Why? What's your problem with him?" The girl just rolled her eyes at him "he's an overbearing, obnoxious perv who has no concept of boundaries, I don't like him" Sirius had planned to keep arguing before Remus stepped in "that's fine we won't bring James, it'll just be me and Sirius alright" the slytherin smiled up at him, she appreciated that he was being mindful to how she felt. With a quick "goodnight" Y/n had made her way through the slytherin door, leaving the two boys to make their way back to their own dorm room.

[enigmaticxbee]

XF Rewatch Series - Fic Recs

When you want to remember how it all was (or series-spanning fics that didn’t fit into my season by season lists):

Episode by Episode Rewatch Series:

TXF: Scenes in Between by @scullywolf - missing scenes for every episode through season 9!

201 Days of X Files by @30xf - through season 4

The FBI’s Most Unwanted by @leiascully - through season 3

All Eyes Lead to the Truth by @admiralty-xfd @fridaysat9 @monikafilefan @gaycrouton - third person perspectives on each episode, WIP currently through season 2

219 by @freckleslikestars - smutty fic for every episode, currently though Jersey Devil, NSFW

First Time, Every Time by @phillippadgettwrites - first time fic for every episode, currently through Conduit, NSFW

Check-In Vignettes:

Birthdays by @syntax6 - birthday fics each season through season 7

if the fates allow by @all-these-ghosts - Christmas with Mulder and Scully, 1993-2016

Movie Night by @i-gaze-at-scully - movie nights throughout the series

Fraternize by @admiralty-xfd @gaycrouton - a series of motel room trysts, NSFW

Inspection by @ingridgradient - for seven years, Mulder and Scully give each other tick checks in motel rooms, NSFW

#45 Hegal Place by @admiralty-xfd DanaScullyMakesMeFeelAutopsyTurvy - There’s never a dull moment when your neighbor is Special Agent Fox Mulder

This Woman's Work by @admiralty-xfd - the series through the eyes of Margaret Scully

Seventeen by @scapegrace74-blog - Explores how Mulder's sexual relationships shaped (and mis-shaped) him as a man. Each chapter represents a different partner. Mulder/Other, ultimately MSR, NSFW

X Files Rewatch Series by skuls - unconnected stories throughout the series, some canon-compliant, some not

if I am hopeful by @all-these-ghosts - Scully ficlet for every season

ever since, ever since, ever since by breakfastsandwich - scully realizes nine times over that mulder may in fact love her

Times Fox Mulder Cried by @frangipanidownunder - every season through the revival

these tornadoes are for you (or times she loved him back) by audries - vignettes throughout the series

5 A.M. by @kateyes224 - Five times Scully found herself awake at 5 a.m., and the one time she wasn’t alone

Kisses by @peacenik0 - two times Scully told Mulder “don’t do that again”, and one time she didn’t

Choose Your Poison by Solia - Five times Scully had too much to drink (and one time she had just the right amount of liquid courage!)

To Satisfy Your Expectant Tongue by @givesmevoice - The power and love of being seen and someone knowing how you take your tea.

Wake-Up Calls by lapsed_scholar - Government-issued cell phones are remarkably identical. (Or, Four times Mulder answered Scully's phone at an incriminating hour, and one time she answered his)

Canon Parallel Stories:

Incrementum by @lepus-arcticus - the progression of their relationship if they started sleeping together in the pilot, NSFW. WIP, currently through season 8

Triptych by @iconicscullyoutfits - married to Diana AU

Nuptiae Sub Rosa by @sisterspooky1013 @xfmaweezy - secret marriage AU

I've got you under my skin by cuits - In a universe where soulmate identifying marks exist and affect a part of the population, would Mulder and Scully's relationship evolve any different? Unfinished but complete through Existence so it still ends in a satisfying place.

Enough by @atths--twice - the progression of their relationship if they started sleeping together when the X-Files are shutdown in season 2, NSFW

He is the Master of His Fate, She is the Captain of Her Soul by @scullylikesscience - the progression of their relationship season 7 through IWTB era

Culmination by @admiralty-xfd - Mulder and Scully's journey of the heart, step by (baby) step.

[magicshopaholic]

Getting Ahead (Jimin x OC)

Summary: You reflect on your past relationship with Jimin and wonder if history might be repeating itself.

Pairing: Jimin x OC

Genre: Exes; angst potential

Word count: 3.1 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: none

A/N: A little nervous about this one, not gonna lie. It was supposed to be another "story" story but ended up being a Sooah drabble instead. Features Chaeyoung in detail, and is set approximately four months after Never Have I.

Also, special shout-out to @oddinary4bts who read one fic a day and finished my entire masterlist in record time - plus reviews on each! This is the first fic she will read on release so, yay, Ella! Loved loved loved every single notification I got from you &lt;3

Tagging: @bbl32@ quarter-life-crisis2 @meirkive @dreaming-with-happiness @confessionsofamarshlily @jiminjhang @faearchives @margopinkerton @purpleseoul7

Listen to: “breathe” by anna nalick

jimin masterlist | main masterlist

Sooah had grown up in a blur. Her parents’ passive aggressive marriage, the aunts and uncles who’d moved in and moved out, the friend groups that evolved faster than a virus. Even her job was a blur; each event, scrambling to be put up, pulled off with hard work, and onto the next. 

It was all a blur. Sooah was used to the blur. She was the only thing that stood steady within the blur, unmoving, watching the chaos of teenage angst in a state of borderline dissociation. 

That was until Park Jimin entered her life, however, and suddenly her axis stumbled. He was clearer than anything else ever had been; he was sweet, he was kind, he loved to dance. He was shy and introverted, but he made her world go round.

Sooah watched Jimin pluck up the courage to tell her how he felt for months, and she was enchanted. He was all brains and maths and it was very impressive, but every time their gazes met for more than a second or their fingers accidentally brushed, all that shaky confidence melted into a series of stutters and he’d look away.

Eventually, Sooah asked him out after one of their study sessions. Truth be told, she hadn’t needed his help after the previous semester ended but she’d kept the routine going anyway, enjoying this blushing boy’s company more than expected. His cheeks predictably went pink but he nodded and Sooah, unable to resist smiling, promised to meet him later that week.

She also made the first move and kissed him at the end of their date; it didn’t seem like Jimin was going to risk crossing a line he wasn’t sure of and Sooah personally liked the fact that he cared enough to overthink it. She wasn’t going to handhold him forever, though; she promised herself that the next move would be his, and she waited nearly three months before he asked her officially to be his girlfriend.

Or, he didn’t quite ask. His exact words were So… does this mean I’m your boyfriend? Or are you - are you my girlfriend?

Given that this question was asked while they fooled around by the bushes behind her parents’ house, it took Sooah a little by surprise. She sat up on her elbows, ignoring the grass in her hair, and squinted at him.

Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Jimin?

No. I’m asking if - okay, yes. Yeah, I am. I guess.

You guess?

I am!

She giggled at his whiny exclamation, his eyes wide and dramatic, and kissed him in response. They progressed for the first time from the bushes to her parents’ couch that evening, feeling like they’d crossed the ultimate threshold,  until he had to leave for dance practice at Big Hit. 

—

It’s no longer a blur. Not the same kind, at least. Now, it’s like a ride at the amusement park, one of those dangerous ones that goes in all directions - except she’s been on it at least five hundred times.

It’s unbecoming of her, a professional with a job, to be peeking at her phone every few minutes while she’s at a client site. She walks alongside her manager, pinstriped trousers and sharp heels, hoping she looks chic enough to blend in with the people at this fashion label that’s hosting a luncheon with a group of buyers next month.

It’s all about faking it till she makes it. Fake the fun, make the friends. Fake the studious nature, make the parents happy. Fake the confidence - make the event a success.

Her manager nudges her subtly then, asking her if she’s taking notes.

Of course she is. This is her job, her priority. Not even an absentee boyfriend can distract her from it. Once she’s done for the day, however, the boyfriend takes centre stage in her mind again. 

Sooah wants to text him again, but at this point, it will come off as clingy. Or paranoid, depending on the wording. The last text she sent him was Can we talk before you go to bed? It’s borderline desperate, not to mention pointless, for she’s sure he doesn’t even have his phone. 

It’s probably with his manager, or his stylist. He won’t get it until after practice, after the stage rehearsal, after the fitting, after the backstage filming. After that, someone will have ordered a disproportionately small amount of food for the group; the boys will inhale it and pass out in the car on the way to their dorm. Alex will most likely not even look at his phone until tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately, she knows these things.

Her fingers itch with the desire to send another text, a passive aggressive one this time. Not because it’s his fault really, but because the niceties aren’t getting his attention.

After a moment, though, she shakes her head and tosses her phone into the laundry bin for good measure, hoping to get rid of any temptation. It’s too early in this relationship to show her true colours, and there’s no telling if Alex will be up for a fight.

Fake the peace, make the relationship.

—

The sun is bright - too bright. Even in the cold of December, it’s too bright.

The sun is too bright, the coffee is too hot, the dude at the next table is too loud, and Sooah is too annoyed. She hangs on to the annoyance, though, somewhat enjoying how it’s making her walk faster, how people seem to be stepping out of her way on the pavements - it’s strangely cathartic, despite how unfair it is.

She keeps it going all the way to Chaeyoung’s apartment, knowing she’s about an hour too early to pick her up for their lunch and movie date. But she doubts Chaeyoung would mind; in the few months that she’s known the younger girl, Sooah has picked up on her slight discomfort with her roommate, Sungmi - and her boyfriend, Ice. 

She also thinks she’s picked up on a mild loneliness of sorts - the same one Sooah remembers she’d felt when she’d finished college and started working in Seoul by herself. Having finished high school in Seoul, she’d already had friends to begin with. Chaeyoung didn’t say it to her in so many words, but her delight in realising she’d made a friend outside of work was both sweet and transparent.

It initially amused Sooah, but being Chaeyoung’s friend has felt like one of the easiest relationships of her life so far, despite the bar being laughably low.

This neighbourhood isn’t the safest one Sooah has been to, but with one hand on her purse and the other clutching her keys, she hurries into the small building and up the flight of stairs. Chaeyoung throws open the door just as Sooah is about to ring the doorbell, and there are two quick shrieks in succession.

“Holy crap,” pants Chaeyoung, opening the door further and stepping aside. “Unnie, I wasn’t expecting you till -” She breaks off and pats the pockets of her pajamas for her phone and checks the time. “- at least another hour.”

“Yeah, I know,” mutters Sooah, trudging inside and sighing, realising only now how pathetic it could seem that she ambushed Chaeyoung in her own house. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t sit in that stupid coffee shop anymore. At first it was just pitying looks and subtle questioning, but then -” She huffs and falls into a chair at the small dining table “- one of the baristas brought me a pity muffin. Just to make it absolutely clear that I’ve been stood up, in case anyone had any doubts.”

“Oh, wow.” Chaeyoung winces. It’s clear she hasn’t even started getting ready yet; her hair is still in a bun and she’s still wearing what she presumably wore to bed. “Alex didn’t make it?”

“No, and I don’t even know why I’m surprised.” She waves a hand. “Sorry, don’t let me keep you. Take your time getting ready. I’ll wait.” 

“Yeah…” Chaeyoung bites her lip slowly. “I was going to text you, unnie…”

“No. No, Chae!” Sooah whines, her shoulders falling. “Not you, too!”

“I’m sorry! I just got the call a little while ago,” she says quickly. “I have to go to the office for a lunch meeting.”

“That is just perfect,” mutters Sooah, putting a hand to her forehead. “Today’s just one of those days, I guess, where everyone seems to be cancelling on me.”

“I’m really sorry,” repeats Chaeyoung, taking a seat next to her. “It’s a client meeting. It was supposed to be on Monday but then they cancelled and said that they were only free today - plus, this is like my first big project ever and I’m supposed to cover the entire history of the brand from inception…”

Chaeyoung is rambling. Sooah instantly feels guilty for lumping her in the same category as her boyfriend, so she nods, waiting for her to finish.

“- not wanting to be fired.” Chaeyoung swallows, eyes wide with guilt.

Sooah nods again. “It’s fine. Really. It’s your work, you don’t have a choice,” she elaborates, giving her a small smile when she sighs in relief.

Chaeyoung is quiet for a minute. "I'm sorry your date sucked," she ventures uncertainly. “Would you like a beer?”

Sooah nods absently, her gaze deliberately fixed on the mismatched salt and pepper shakers on the dining table. "It can't suck if it didn't happen."

“I’m sorry I added to it.”

“Don’t be. At least you have a genuine reason.”

“Alex doesn’t?”

“I don’t know!” Sooah blurts out in frustration. “Because he never actually called me.”

"Maybe he got busy,” suggests Chaeyoung, returning from the kitchen with two bottles and an opener. “Like, putting-out-a-fire-at-work kind of busy. Or his car broke down. Or he got in an accident!" When Sooah looks up at her incredulously, she shrugs self-consciously. "I - it's not ideal, but at least it's viable."

"Forget it," sighs Sooah after a moment, accepting the beer even though it’s seven degrees outside. "This wouldn't be the first time I've been stood up at a coffee shop."

She can sense that Chaeyoung wants to ask but is struggling not to. It warms her heart without meaning to, and she clinks her bottle with hers.

“Am I making you late?”

“Not at all,” replies Chaeyoung at once. “I don’t have to leave for a couple of hours.”

“I just can’t believe I’m back here,” says Sooah in a low voice. “After all these years, I’m right back where I started. I’m - I’m basically dating my ex all over again.”

Chaeyoung frowns. “What - wait, do you mean Jimin?”

Sooah nods, cringing inwardly. It’s not a fun thing to admit. “How do I choose these guys? How do I always end up in one of these relationships where I’m literally the last priority? And it’s my fault,” she adds, without waiting for Chaeyoung to respond, “because I pick these guys.”

“These guys,” repeats Chaeyoung slowly, “like, idols? Do you - do you always date idols?”

“No,” she huffs, “I’ve dated other guys. But after Park Jimin, this is probably my longest relationship to date.” She replays that in her head and shudders. “It’s pathetic, I know.”

“No judgement.” Chaeyoung pauses. “So, wait - is that why you’re with Alex? Is that, like, your type?”

“No,” answers Sooah immediately. “Alex and Jimin are nothing alike. It’s just their jobs that are similar and… I’m not a teenager anymore. I don’t have the time to stay up at night and worry about why my boyfriend hasn’t called me.”

“How long has it -”

“Eleven days.”

Chaeyoung’s eyes widen. “Eleven -”

“Eleven days since we’ve spoken on the phone,” confirms Sooah. “It’s just been one-word texts and missed calls, mostly from me. But, yeah, eleven days since I’ve actually heard his voice. And, no,” she adds, holding up a hand, “hearing his songs at Starbucks doesn’t count.”

Chaeyoung nods thoughtfully. “You know, that may not be the worst thing in the world. I mean, Hoseok has started this new thing where he warns me of a different disaster every day,” she says, rolling her eyes. “He acts like he wants to know how my day is going but then latches onto something stupid and gives me a whole lecture on it. Yesterday, it was about boiling water. He told me the steam could soften the plaster on the ceiling and lead to seepage. The day before that, it was about the dangers of the subway.”

Sooah squints, sensing that Chaeyoung might be losing the plot. “I don’t think this is… quite like that,” she says delicately. “Alex is basically AWOL, and Hoseok is…”

“An interfering arse, I know. You’re right, it’s not the same thing.” Chaeyoung sits back in her chair. “My point is… wait, hang on - do you want me to make a point?”

“What?”

“You know… do you want to actually talk about this or just vent and have me listen? Because I can do both,” she says earnestly.

“Oh.” It’s quite insightful of her, given how young she is, and Sooah is suddenly glad she landed up here an hour early. “Yeah, no, I can talk about it. Not angry enough to vent yet,” she points out.

“Alright. My point was… what does all this have to do with Jimin?”

Literally everything. 

Sooah bites her lip, reliving it for the millionth time. “This is exactly how it started with him. Everything was going well, he was sweet, he had dreams and I - I liked being that person,” she confesses. “I liked being that person he shared his hopes and dreams with, who got to see him grow and become big.” She sighs. “Until he got too big.”

“And is Alex getting too big?”

“No. I mean, not yet. I mean -” Sooah shakes her head. “I’m not trying to sound evil. I want him to be big, I want him to get what he’s been working for because he deserves it, but… where does that leave me?” she asks in a small voice.

“What do you mean? You’re right here.” 

“No, but when those guys started touring and all after debut, everything changed. Jimin changed.” Sooah wrings her hands in her lap. “It was like… like I was his life before, when he was sweet and shy and wore glasses, and now he was in the after, with orange hair and that stupid smirk. And I didn’t fit into that.” And then he dropped me a goddamn text.

“Is Alex changing?”

“No. I don’t know. It’s too soon to tell,” she admits. “But how productive of a person would I be if I ignored the similarities and made the same mistakes all over again? I mean, shouldn’t people be learning from their past relationships? Isn’t that the whole point?”

Chaeyoung opens her mouth as if to say something, but then seems to think the better of it.

“What?”

“What what?”

“You were going to say something.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Chae.” Sooah gives her a look. “Come on, you’re the smart one, wise beyond your years and all. Tell me.”

Chaeyoung half-chuckles, bringing one leg up on the chair and resting her arm on her knee. “I… don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say, unnie.”

“Wh- sure I will. Or I wont, but I can take tough love.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. Out with it.”

Chaeyoung licks her lips and observes Sooah for a moment. “I think… you’re being a little unfair to Alex.”

Sooah says nothing, not liking where this is going.

“I think everything you’ve told me so far has been about Jimin and not Alex,” she continues. “And I get it, it can’t be easy not hearing from him for days and getting stood up and stuff, but… would you be this worried if you’d never dated Jimin?”

“I think I’d be more worried. At least now I know it’s not about me. This is all him.”

“But which him?” Chaeyoung asks patiently. “Are you just projecting all of your… I don’t know, baggage with Jimin onto Alex? Because then you’re not even giving him a fair shot.”

Sooah was right; she doesn’t like where this is headed at all. “Would that really be the worst thing? Knowing what I know and using it to make an informed decision?”

Chaeyoung bites her lip and tilts her head, and it takes Sooah a moment to realise she’s solved her own crisis. She hates where this has ended up.

“I hate you.”

“Look, maybe you’re right and Alex doesn’t have the capacity for a relationship right now. In that case, just break it off before it gets ugly. But if you’re wrong and you think Alex can still make it work…” She shrugs again. “You can’t date your boyfriend and your ex-boyfriend at the same time.”

Fake the clarity, make the choice.

Sooah stares at Chaeyoung. “How old are you again?”

“Twenty-two.” She grins. “I know, I sound like I’m… thirty or something.”

Sooah scoffs, taking a large sip of her beer. “You don’t sound thirty, believe me. You sound… like, sixty-five.”

“Sixty-five.”

“Yeah. It’s good. I think I could use more sixty-five year old friends.”

“I’d be the fittest sixty-five year old you will ever know,” promises Chaeyoung, flexing a thin, largely invisible bicep. “Plus, then I’d be retired and wouldn’t have to work on a Saturday.”

“I’ll remind you you said that when you text me every single detail of the meeting like you did last time,” promises Sooah, drinking the last of the beer and standing up. “That’s my cue to leave.”

“You don’t have to,” begins Chaeyoung, but she stands up as well. “If Alex doesn’t get back to you by tonight, do you want to hang out?”

“Oh, if Alex doesn’t get back to me by tonight,” says Sooah, gathering her bag and making her way to the door, “I will have definitely progressed to the venting stage.”

—

It’s still a blur. Experiences, missed calls, tearful fights, passive aggressive texts. They’re all there, swimming around in a sea of deteriorating relationships, while Sooah struggles to pinpoint a time and place to each of them. She can’t, though, not when it’s a blur and the only tangible thing she can feel is the dull throb in her chest that seems to have no distinct cause, only a constancy impossible to ignore.

Sooah stares at her phone, big and black on her bed. She won’t call Chaeyoung tonight, no matter what happens. It’s just not the night. She’s going to have to have a tough conversation with at least one important person in her life, and it all depends on whether her past with Jimin has damaged her to the point of second-guessing every relationship she ever has in her life.

She thinks of the word Chaeyoung used. Baggage. Implying that it’s not Jimin that’s the problem, but whatever she’s still carrying from their time together, including the sweet and shy smile, all the way up to the orange hair and dumbass smirk.

Face the past head-on, make the future a little clearer.

Sighing, she picks up the phone.

—

Thank you for reading. Don't forget to drop a review :)

[jimblejamblewritings]

luck be a (leading) lady | part 1.

Summary: Y/N has always been a background character. That’s just life for some folks isn’t it? But what if she’s determined to not just be another member in the ensemble? What if someone helps her step into the spotlight in her own special way? 

Warnings for the Series: a teeny bit of angst but mainly fluff

Pairing: ricky bowen x black!reader

Word Count: 1.3k

A/N: I am not even sorry for starting a third series. I just finished season three of hsmtms and I’m obsessed. Also spoiler now, EJ and Gina are staying as an endgame couple. I’m gonna try to plant those seeds early if I can. 

(Series Masterlist)

Junior year. You were wondering if something amazing would happen to you this year. As you slammed shut the door of your car, you were starting to think that it was going to be another boring year for you. Only you could go to the famous East High and still have the most mundane school experience ever. You sighed as you made your way to your locker. Four people that you never talked to aside from asking to borrow a pencil were standing right in front of it. Your eyes darted back and forth. Right, you were sure that you heard something about Nini and Ricky and a breakup? Or just a break? It didn’t really matter at the time. You thought the Camp Shallow Lake gossip was just that. But then EJ and Nini did seem really close ever since the show started. You didn’t really care in all honesty. 

“Um, excuse me.” 

Four sets of eyes turned towards you. You blinked in mild surprise at their annoyed faces. Hesitantly, your pointer finger motioned to the metal cubby between them. 

“That’s my locker.” 

All of sudden, the faces changed from annoyed to embarrassed. You tried your hardest to quickly get in and out. The moment Nini mentioned meeting someone else at camp, you darted out of there. Last thing you needed was her calling you into the lovers’ quarrel as a witness. Although, you weren’t even sure Nini knew who you were. She always forgot to give you an opening night card. You knew plenty about Nini, Ricky, Kourtney, and Big Red. The five of you had gone to the same elementary school, then middle school, and now high school. 

Not many people in Salt Lake could say they’ve grown up together in such an intense way as the five of you. Except it wasn’t the five of you. It was the four of them and you just existed. Sure you were introverted verging on social anxiety according to your therapist. And, yeah, you didn’t have a single friend since the one girl who befriended you had moved away right before freshman year. But still, you think the four of them might have acknowledged you at some point. 

You didn’t have much more time to think about that as the principal started giving a bunch of announcements, including a new drama teacher. That was a shame. You actually kind of liked the old drama teacher. They had always put you in the least egregiously ugly costume of the ensemble. You even got a thank you card last year because you were one of the few students that signed up for every production whether a musical or a play. Oh well. This new teacher, Ms. Jenn, seemed interesting enough. And High School Musical. That was awesome. Did you have a shot at playing Gabriella? Absolutely not. Were you going to try out for the lead anyway? Of course. That was a tradition of yours. 

You might have been painfully shy— detrimentally shy— but you loved theatre. Maybe if you could play the main character just once then you could break out of your shell. Break out of your shell as the real you and not Dancer #3 or Milkmaid #1 or Starfish #4. If your friend was here then she would say that you totally had a shot. Even though she had always been a sports gal, she forever supported you in anything the arts. 

Auditions were in two days and you needed to think of the perfect audition song. What screamed Gabriella? Should you go in something that would remind Ms. Jenn of the show? Not exactly the red dress Vanessa Hudgens wore at the end of the show but something similar. A cute skater dress. 

You had chosen a cute pink number from your closet. Attaching your audition number of lucky nine to your dress, you finished stretching backstage with everyone else. You smiled as you heard everyone practicing. Maybe your audition song was going to be what took you over the edge and made you just a bit better than everyone else. That quick burst of confidence was short-lived as you heard EJ give out something between a laugh and a scoff. 

“You know, I’m actually kind of bummed we don’t have any competition here. It would make getting the leads just a touch sweeter. Nini, this is going to be perfect. Leading man and lady. You ready to blow them all away, Gabriella?” 

Your shoulders slumped a bit. Maybe you didn’t have this in the bag. Well, at least you’d be leading the ensemble again. You hyped yourself for the dance auditions that were first. Carlos really stepped up to the plate to make some amazing choreography. Maybe the only person executing it better than you was whoever had audition number one. You had never seen her before. She must have been a new kid. Definitely a shoe-in for one of the leads as far as you were concerned. Your smile grew a little bit when Ms. Jenn gave you a wink before saying everyone should prepare for the line reads. 

Her acknowledgment one hundred percent meant that you were just put in the running for Gabriella or maybe even Sharpay, right? If you were being honest, she didn’t even bat an eye at you asking for Gabriella. That had to be a good sign. It just had to. You felt confident as you started singing your audition song, a classic “Colors of the Wind”. All you had to do was sing it perfectly and read a few lines and you were done.  

“Sorry! Sorry, I’m late!”

Everyone’s heads turned to see a very haphazard Ricky running into the room. You looked on in mild concern as he went into this very long-winded and out of breath story about why he was late. Something involving a dvd stuck somewhere. You only caught half of it and you were positive that Ms. Jenn hadn’t been paying attention to any of it. You bit your tongue as attention turned from you to Ricky. 

“Lucky for you we haven’t gotten to the Chad scenes yet.”

“Oh, no, I’m here for Troy.” 

“We’ve already read for Troy.”

“That’s kind of the only stuff I know. I’ll wait till everyone else is done.” 

Carlos gave the other boy a look. “Troy would have been on time.” 

Your eyebrows scrunched up a bit. “Wasn’t he late in the movie?” 

“Number nine, not helping.” 

You opened your mouth only to close it again. There was no doubt in your mind that when you finished your audition you were getting the ensemble. Between the new girl, Sebastian wanting to be Sharpay and Ms. Jenn loving the progressiveness of it all, and two boys fighting over Nini as she sang, you weren’t getting Gabriella or Sharpay… or Taylor. Or even Kelsi. You sighed as you went to grab your backpack from backstage and wait with everyone else for the cast list. Normally you were used to callbacks and at least a day or two but Ms. Jenn had a… unique style to her. 

The energy backstage was too tense for you. You popped in your earbuds and moved to wait in the hall where the list was going to be posted anyway. Leaning against a locker, you texted your parents that you'd pick-up something for dinner and they could go ahead and just enjoy their anniversary dinner without any concern. You weren’t prepared for the argument between Nini and Ricky. Of course, you couldn’t help but turn your music down and listen in. Nini looked pissed at whatever Ricky had just said. 

“You broke my heart Ricky. And then I had the best time at camp. Without you. You don’t get to just come back here and mess everything up.”

“Nini.”

“N—”

“The cast list!” Kourtney ran past, grabbing Nini as she did. 

You waited for the crowd to clear to find your name right where you thought it would be. Ensemble, principal dancer. You didn’t even get the understudies for any leads. The only thing that left your mouth was a scoff. The start to junior kinda sucked.

(part 2)

PERMANENT TAGLIST:

@venomsvl​ @peaches-n-sunscreen @summerellaz @supernaturallover2002 @sambucky8 @9daykrisr @thebitchinleo @23victoria @scarlets-widow @pagetpagetpagetpaget @lovexnatasha @awesomebooklover17 @1234-angelika @imatrisk @blackreaderatrisk @princess-jules47 @alexloveskili @a-marie-a @siriuslysirius1107

[kyurilin]

So back in October I posted some of my old DBZ art for the first time, and now here it is March and Akira Toriyama has passed away.

So I'm back with more and a story about the adventure it took my brother to get me into DBZ in the first place and why it now holds a special place in my heart.

Back when we were growing up, we weren't allowed to watch anime. It was one of the weird rules my dad set that to this day still has no explanation. At some point in middle school or early high school my brother got introduced to DBZ Abridged, and spent a few years trying to get me into it (and failing). I knew very little about DBZ but just enough that when I attempted to watch Dragonball Evolution I knew it was fucked up (also it was boring WITHOUT knowing everything).

But we'd play video games together, and after years of playing Super Smash Bros together, my brother knew the one surefire way to get me invested in SOMETHING DBZ.

And that was DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2.

The first five characters I chose from that roster to fight him as ended up being my favorites (hint: most of the art that's colored in this post is a character I picked in 2010 to play).

From there he got me interested enough to buy low priced DBZ VHS movies from Amazon (the Bardock special was $1.01 with 99¢ shipping in 2010, btw) and watch them. And then threw a Pokemon reference in Abridged he got me into watching that.

For the longest time, I was hooked on the random pieces of DBZ I could absorb, which meant watching the ever growing collection of movies we had, each new episode release of Abridged, and occasionally even watching bits and pieces of DBZ Kai. I even started collecting the manga for both DBZ and OG Dragon Ball. I didn't get around to watching the actual DBZ series until 2018 (my first watched anime series is actually FMA: Brotherhood because of this).

But it was something I shared with my brother and we had so much fun playing Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3 with each other. We've always played fighting games with random options in such a way that every first few matches we would just hit the random character button and play out whatever happened from there before finally playing as the characters we cared about. We would spend hours, especially with Budokai Tenkaichi 3, making our own tournament brackets and then playing them through. Each match would be fought by us, 1v1, and if one of the two characters was one we were good at, that person would get to play them. For matches that neither of us had a character to play, we'd flip a coin. We'd come up with our own silly rules for these tournaments and it was a blast. Once my brother almost won an entire thing as Kid Chi-Chi because he was really fucking good as her and even Omega Shenron's health advantage couldn't stop her. My brother could beat the shit out of Broly as Videl because she was so tiny it was hard to see her next to Broly.

I still don't watch a lot of anime, but DBZ is one of the four I do hold closest to my heart. And it's for a lot of reasons, like laughing with my brother as we decided to turn on The Lion Sleeps Tonight as background music for DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 instead of the game's music (starting a tradition where wheneber we play fighting games we use our own playlist of music for it instead). It's for reasons like watching Abridged with my brother whenever the new episodes would drop, and being there for the Livestream premiere of Episode 60 after finishing all of DBZ only weeks earlier. It's for reasons like seeing Dragon Ball Super: Broly in theaters twice, and being so hyped to see not only Broly on the big screen, but Bardock who's been my favorite since day one. It's for reasons like the collection of photos I have of my brother doing Ginyu Force poses on a beach in 2010, for us pretending to give Goku energy during the series' final Spirit Bomb, for being so excited to see Android 17 back in DB Super. It's one of the things that I never thought we'd care about, but that I've cared about enough from the beginning that I made all this art in 2010, during our yearly beach trip, after only being a fan for a few months (the coloring came years later though).

And yes. There is a collection of poorly written DBZ fanfics buried both on my external hard drive and box of physical stories, but they're buried forever. There is a DBZ and a Dragon Ball fanfic by me on ff.net however so if anyone wants to see if they can figure out my 11/12 year old account, this blog has enough context clues somewhere to figure it out (maybe the DBZ one will get cross posted to AO3 and backdated someday who knows).

If it werent for Akira Toriyama and Dragon Ball, my brother and I would have had one less thing to bond over, and honestly? Wouldn't trade it for the world.

[dodger-chan]

✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

Thanks @sharpbutsoft for the tag.

Basic stats:

Word count: 127,656 (but that includes me finally getting around to moving my old ff.net fics over to ao3 and archiving my tumblr shorts, so it's probably closer to half that) (yes I could do the math, no I don't want to)

16 new fics (plus some ficlets archived from tumblr)

2 series (The Rocky Horror one and A Bliss Like This)

223 comment threads (honestly, I'm happy when people read my fic, and thrilled when they leave kudos, but those comments are really something special)

Top 5 fics by kudos:

Their Wedding Night (cowritten with @sharpbutsoft )

Adventures in Housekeeping

The Opposite of Love

The House Dick

Her Double Life

A Bliss Like This seems to be a well liked series, huh? Four of the top five. If I limit the list to one story per series, the list ends

Eddie (dinner) (the fourth and only explicitly steddie fic in the Rocky Horror series)

Time out of Mind (my time travel au)

In Silence Like to Death

which covers everything new I wrote this year, because, well, two series.

Extremely important fandom highlight:

The Rocky Horror series got fanart drawn by the talented @sharpbutsoft . Go, look at it. Appreciate its beauty and humor. Know that it resulted in me having to explain Stranger Things to my mother (Rocky Horror and the general concept of fanfiction she understands; horror and 80s nostalgia, not so much).

Upcoming projects for 2023:

Well, I've spent the last month working on a massive Stranger Things AU, where fighting a monster together isn't enough to save Steve and Nancy's relationship in season one. It probably won't be completed by the end of the year, but I have finished writing the first part. So I may do a thing I normally avoid and post part one before the whole thing is finished. (It may be the niche-est thing I've ever written, but Steve and Eddie do get to kiss, so I'm positive I'm not the only one who will enjoy it)

There will probably be a couple more short ficlets on tumblr, because 500 word silliness is how I work through writers block

Rules & Tags below the cut!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

Tags: @babeluda @courtjestermunson @threewaywithdelusion @flowercrowngods

+ anyone else who wants to! Don’t wait for a tag, we all want to see your stats <3

[light-yaers]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

oooo how fun! thank you for this mack! <3

going back, from 5 to 1...

5) brekker's ghost

Four years since their infamous Ice Court robbery; four years since Kaz had waved goodbye to Inej--

The Wraith is finally back in Ketterdam, but she didn't come just to feed the crows.

this fic means an awful lot to me! it was after i read the six of crows for the first time, and that duology is now my favourite of all time. i have a soc tattoo because of how much they effected me lmao. writing this fic was such a cathartic thing. it's my take on the kaz and inej of the future. i'm very proud of it.

4) her father's revolver series

You're thrown into the world of the Shelby's at the age of 20, with nothing but your paints and your will.

What ensues is the next few years of your life knowing that Tommy Shelby lives within you forevermore.

i still remember so vividly when i decided to say fuck it and start writing this. before this i'd never delved into x reader. i knew the stigma around it, but i also just didn't care. this was such an amazing thing for me to write. it still makes me incredibly happy and proud to this day, and is the longest fic/series i've ever written at just over 90k words (that is now going to be heavily beaten).

3) adjournment

Life wasn't easy growing up with a chess Grandmaster as a father; it's even more difficult when you find out you could be better than him at his own game.

Benny helps you realise that potential.

the fastest fic i've ever written. this was the first time i kept to any sort of schedule. i posted a chapter a day for two weeks, until the fic was finished. i wrote this 45k word long fic in 16 days. i cried while writing sad scenes. and to this day it's my most popular fic online! (almost at 200k reads on wattpad... wtf) this fic means a lot to me.

2) no saints

Working on Nevarro hadn't offered you much in the way of human contact.

That all changes when an unlikely deal is struck between you and the Mandalorian.

the fic that started me on this entire journey of expanding to other places on the internet. without it, i wouldn't be on this hellsite with all of you! i'm so grateful that it's brought me here. i know it's far from finished-- it's sort of only just begun really-- but i know i'll travel back to it soon. this fic was also the first time i ever wrote smut. and look where that's got me. amazing.

1) sweet escape

Being a Resistance newbie was always going to have its challenges, but you’d never expected them in the form of Poe Dameron; Black Leader, heart-throb of the fucking Resistance; being your bunkmate from day one.

You realise he isn’t someone you want to indulge in early on, but the more you treat him coldly, the more he latches onto you.

my longest singular fic to date. the fic that made me truly think i'm a decent writer. the fic that makes me the most proud of myself. sweet escape means more to me than i think anyone will understand. without it, heidi and lynx wouldn't exist as oc's in my mind. without it, i wouldn't have been able to grow this fanbase here. it's my baby. end of. and i know how it ends, which is even more crazy. there are only 4 chapters left. i just need to write them. wait for me.

special mentions go to right where you left me, the hating game and fools in the darkness! more of my babies that i'm proud of <3

[mutogamingco]

Five Comfort Characters, Five Tags

Tagged by: @keithhoward​

1. Yuugi Mutou - To the surprise of no one, as I write him here AND cosplay him. Not to mention I draw him so often in my sketchbook. I think I just latched onto him when I was first into the series as a kid and when I found out everything he went through that the DM anime and dub did not cover, I identified with him even more because of my own experiences with bullying. Not nearly as bad as his thank goodness, but bad enough that I needed to see that someone could come through it all and still be so kind. I love him so much, and he’s helped me through the darkest times in my life, re-entering it again when I needed him the most. As much as I did not like how the series ended, in the end with DSOD coming out around the time I returned to the fandom, exploring the character in grief helped me with my own. Cosplaying him at conventions also boosted my self esteem in ways I didn’t expect and it’s my most comfortable cosplay. It’s uncanny, but I notice the difference in how I feel about myself when dressed up, maybe because I was that kid that always admired alternative fashion but was never allowed to experiment with it.

2. Oz Vessalius & Gilbert Nightray - These two are a package deal and I will not separate them. I have cosplayed Oz in the past and he is the first cosplay I put together all on my own for my first anime convention. Again, there are aspects of his character I relate to on a deep, personal level, and I got very attached to him. Both of these guys need hugs. Oz may seem like a brand of mischievous sunshine, but there is darkness and sadness behind it., and his growth as a character is special to me. For Gilbert, it is a similar attachment, and I have RP’d as him in the past in private chats. His devotion to the people he loves is something to be admired, and he and Oz complement each other perfectly.In his words, it is not the light that connects him to Oz, but their shadows. I carried the first two volumes of Pandora Hearts in my bag every day in high school, and these two are on those covers. It quickly became my favorite manga and I still am not over it. Revisiting old AMVs/MMVs send me right back down the rabbit hole of when I first found the series at 17. The art drove me to work hard on my skills in order to do them justice, and the CLOTHES!!!! Just...mmm so gorgeous~~

3. Mistoffelees - I’m a theater kid at heart and it started with CATS. When I was about four PBS aired the 1998 recording in a special premiere and my mom let me stay up past my bedtime to watch it. She put out a mattress on the floor so we could both lay on it, and she was sure I would fall asleep halfway through. I was awake for the entire thing, enchanted, and my favorite was Magical Mr. Mistoffelees. She bought the VHS tape and I played it all the time, fast-forwarding to my favorite parts and spending lots of time trying to copy the dance moves. It’s a show I know a lot of history and random trivia about and I go see it live every chance I get. I love all of the characters for different reasons so I could argue for several of them being on my comfort character list, but Misto is the first I fixated on and it’s no wonder why. A small black cat that sparkles and does magic? What’s there not to love? Especially now that in the updated version of the show he covers himself, and the entire stage with rainbows and the big, plot relevant magic trick has been updated to a more impressive level. Only the strongest dancers are cast to play the role and every one I have seen live nailed it. (Also, he is one of the multiple queer-coded characters in the show and has been the face of all of the marketing since the revival in 2016.) He is another character I sketch a lot, because I love the character design I came up with in my style and would love to write him sometime.

4. Martin the Warrior - The character whose book ignited my love of reading as that was the point I discovered my favorite genre of books. I seem to gravitate towards characters that life is cruel to, but they come through it all and achieve greatness. There’s a reason the Redwall fandom affectionately calls him “Mouse Jesus”, as though there is no organized religion in the books, he is essentially a warrior saint and spirit guardian of the abbey he helped to build. Even with his pain, impulsiveness, and affliction of the Bloodwrath, he is a kind and devoted friend who will die fighting to save others so they may live in peace. He also has a found family that fills me with the warm fuzzies. Even in death, he is there as a friend who call Redwall home, and kin to those who hear the call to defend it. He may be just a mouse, but he never sat idle when there was something he could do in the face of adversity. Even as I revisit the books, and play a TTRPG themed after them, each and every time he makes an appearance I get such a thril! The fact he also offers help in the form of puzzles and riddles is also dear to my heart. I know there is one I can buy that is gorgeously designed, but now that I have a few beginner looms I want to take a crack at weaving a miniature version of his tapestry depiction myself, and I want to make a prop of his sword as well.

5. Matthias of Redwall - I considered cheating again and adding him to Martin’s ranking (because HA if you know, you know) but I decided not to. The book he first appears in was the first published, and though it is different in tone to a lot of the others as the author made some changes on how the world worked, his hero’s journey is one I know like the back of my hand. The animated show that was on PBS made quite a few changes but I still watched the episodes I own on DVD a ton and he just lives in my head rent free as THE Redwall mouse. If I draw a mouse wearing a green habit it’s most likely him. This kid had to work his tail off to become the warrior he was chosen to be by the end and the payoff is incredible, especially when listening to the audiobook (Marc Jacques and his distinct voice acting is a joy to listen to, at least for me!). He’s a freaking adorable, bumbling, ambitious young mouse and reading as he grows with each challenge is a joy for me. I think I enjoyed him even more as a character in the sequel, Mattimeo, because it’s unusual for a middle grade book to focus so much on adult characters--and he is a fully grown adult as he has a son who is coming of age. He grew into his role as Abbey Warrior so naturally and brought Martin’s story full circle in a way I did not realize on my first read and GAAAH I love it so much. I think if there is one thing I am sad about, is that none of the books featured him (or Martin for that matter) in their respective sunset years, which would have been interesting to compare.

Tagging: @lil-kissy @hisahku @sennenpharaoh @better-name-for-rp-blog @iilahalzili

[mrjinx87]

It was sometime after midnight on Tuesday March 9, 2004. I was in my room watching my VHS tape of WWF WrestleMania IX. It was during The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez match, one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history, when I started thinking about Skye Sweetnam out of nowhere. I couldn’t tell you why she entered my mind, but she did, and from that moment on, my life would never be the same.

It is now 20 years later. Some things have changed; I no longer have braces, I can legally drink, and my VHS tape of WWF WrestleMania IX has been replaced with a file on a USB flash drive that I downloaded off the interne—uh, I mean—I paid $10 to watch on Peacock, but Skye Sweetnam has yet to leave my mind since that fateful night in 2004.

A lot has happened these past 20 years. People I love have been born. People I love have passed away. Beastie Boys put out 3 more albums, then Adam Yauch died, and they broke up. The Rock went from a wrestler-turned-actor into the most famous action star in Hollywood. John Cena and Dave Bautista went from midcarders in WWE to legitimate, un-ironic Hollywood celebrities. I had a cat. Lost a cat. Got another cat. Lost another cat. Now I’m cat-less. I moved to a completely new state, and I eventually realized how crazy that state actually is. I spent way too much time getting a G.E.D., then I got a college diploma, and now I’m only three birthdays away from turning 40.

And through it all, Skye Sweetnam has been there.

My favorite sports teams have felt the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory multiple times. Wars have ended. Wars have started. We, as a society, have gone from Friendster, to MySpace, to Twitter, to Instagram, to TikTok. Throughout my Skye Sweetnam fandom, I have seen four U.S. presidents, five Summer Olympics, five Winter Olympics, five World Cups, 21 Super Bowls, 20 World Series, 20 WrestleManias, and the entirety of CM Punk’s time in AEW.

20 years later, and my love for Skye Sweetnam still remains. And honestly? My love for her has only gotten stronger. Skye Sweetnam means the world to me, and she holds a special place in my heart now and forever.

I love you, Skye. I’m so glad that you entered my life. ❤️

[mediaevalmusereads]

Bright Young Women. By Jessica Knoll. Simon and Schuster, 2023.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction

Series: N/A

Summary: January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.

On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.

Bright Young Women is the story about two women from opposite sides of the country who become sisters in their fervent pursuit of the truth. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: blood, disfigurement/mutilation, sexual assault, bullying a child, reference to incest, pedophelia/child molestation, disordered eating, homophobia, death of a queer character

Overview: I got curious about this book after seeing it on two different lists: one was best historical fiction of 2023 and one was YouTuber withcindy's best books of 2023. I wasn't originally going to give it a go, but I had just read The Nothing Man and figured "why not." I don't read a lot of crime or serial killer-related books, so maybe this would be an adventure. By the end, I was an emotional wreck. This book did a lot of things right, and I loved the conviction with which it dismissed the idea of the genius serial murderer while also centering victims. While I wouldn't recommend it to people who are sensitive to the deaths of queer people in fiction, I do think this is a fabulous example of how to do fiction. So for that reason, this book gets 4.5 stars from me.

Writing: Knoll's writing is very well-balanced and did an excellent job of evoking all kinds of reactions from me. It balances showing and telling well, and it contains so much raw emotion that it was bound to get me invested, whether I liked the characters or not. Unlike the previous thriller I read, I felt like I could connect with the characters' pain and desperation, and I appreciated that a lot of this was centered not just on the murders, but on familial and romantic relationships. It made this book feel like more than a thriller, and I liked that not every moment was spent trying to sensationalize the crimes.

I also really appreciated the fact that Knoll never calls the murderer by name. When he comes up in the text, he's generally referred to as "the Defendant," and I think this stylistic choice goes a long way in removing some of the star power around certain serial killers, especially the one this book is based on.

But above all, I think I mostly appreciated this book for having a strong central theme. This book is focused on highlighting the misogyny and sexism both around the real-life case and the judicial system, ultimately making the case that A.) serial killers are not geniuses and those that say so are covering for the judicial system's laziness or incompetence, and B.) the judicial system is incredibly dismissive of women, especially "bright young women" (to draw from the title). Because one of our main POV characters is a law student, I felt that the direct criticisms of sexism were appropriate, and honestly, I like my narratives a little direct. But also, I just loved the way Knoll took little shots at the media, the justice system, and serial killer fans who put such pathetic men on a pedestal.

Characters: Though this book has a number of characters, I'm only going to focus on our two POV characters, Pamela and Ruth, as well as Tina.

Plot: The plot of this book follows two women, Pamela and Ruth, during a fictionalized retelling of Ted Bundy's murders in Washington and Florida. Pamela's narration flips back and forth between 1978 (the time of the murders) and 2021 (where Pamela is tying up a few loose ends). Pamela is a pre-law student in Florida and the president of her sorority when the atta ks happen, killing her friend Denise. Ruth's narration stays in 1974, where Ruth is seeking group counseling to help deal with the death of her father (not a murder victim).

What I liked about these two perspectives was the way it focused on the lives of the two women. Pamela's narrative is largely dominated by the attacks, and we get a compelling look at what it was like to deal with the aftermath of such brutal murders. I also liked that amidst everything, Pamela learns to not allow men to dim her voice and her skills, and she finds a true friend in a woman named Tina. Ruth's narrative is not dominated by her attack and instead focuses on her life leading up to her disappearance. Ruth learns to stand up for herself and accept herself for who she is (a lesbian), starting a romantic relationship with Tina (who will later become friends with Pamela). With Ruth, Knoll invites the reader to feel connected to a woman whose life was unjustly cut short - and cut short at a time when she was finally living her truth.

But all this praise comes with a caveat. If you are a reader who does not want to read about queer people dying, you should skip this one. I can't say for certain whether Ruth and Tina's queerness and doomed relationship is used to evoke more sympathy, but I can say that it's tragic and does not make room for queer happiness. I don't want this to sound like a knock against the book; but I do think it's important to keep in mind that, going in, you need to be conscious that you're reading a story about the victims of one of America's most famous serial killers. Things aren't going to turn out well.

Pamela is a pre-law student who becomes involved in the murder case after seeing the Defendant flee her sorority house. She is characterized as somewhat uptight and incredibly organized, refusing to party when she has studying to do and being a stickler for sorority house rules. I liked that these qualities come to serve as a guiding star for the other sorority girls after the murders; Pam uses her need for order and sense of responsibility to be a steady presence, and I admired the way she supported her sisters in both big and small ways.

Ruth is a 25 year old divorcee who has moved in with her controlling, image-obsessed mother following the death of her father. Ruth is sympathetic in that she is rejected by everyone in her family, and over time, we learn that her rejection is centered around her queerness. Her story is hard to read, not because it has gratuitous scenes of violence or abuse, but because we know that her life is going to be cut short when we finally see her finding happiness. I was really (irrationally) hoping that somehow, Ruth would be ok in the end, but if you know anything about the Bundy murders, you know that's impossible.

Tina is the character that links Pamela and Ruth (aside from the Defendant). In 1974, Tina is an heiress who is trying to become a therapist, and she enters into a romantic relationship with Ruth after the two meet at a complex grief support group. In 1978, Tina teams up with Pamela to try to find proof that the Defendant is the same person who killed both Ruth and Denise. I really liked Tina in part because she was so confident and had no time for bullshit. Her story is also tragic in that she loses someone dear to her, but I did have some hope for her because she seemed to strike up a great friendship with Pamela (one that lasts decades). I also liked that she, rather than the Defendant, was the steady presence in both narratives because it put less focus on the male killer and more on the women who had to pick up the pieces of their lives.

TL;DR; Bright Young Women is a powerful retelling of two of the Ted Bundy murders with a strong central message about sexism and the idiotic veneration of male criminals. This book is so effective in part because it gives readers an in-depth look at three smart, promising young women whose lives were all affected by one man, and I appreciated the choices that Knoll made to remove the charismatic charm attached to figures like Bundy. If you're looking for a scathing criticism of America's justice system, this book might just be for you.

[babytaes]

afterglow

➳  summary:  You, too, lived in a colorless world, trying to connect with it. How long would you have to wait for that one to brighten it up and let you see the real world?

❥  pairing: wonwoo x female reader

❥ genre: angst, fluff, kinda soulmate au.....?

❥ word count: 7k (sorry, mans is my bias and I had to ;)

❥ warning: mentions of death.

➳ part of the song series

↳  Imagine a world like that,

We go like up 'til I'm 'sleep on your chest

Love how my face fits so good in your neck

You had a twin brother who was everything to you. Everything was always you two, from the endless amounts of laughter to the sneaky efforts to take Christmas cookies early in the morning.

With him, everything seems to be so colorful; in your lifetime, everyone was given a companion who may be a friend, sibling, or lover. It was simply something that you treasured. As a result, the alternatives were numerous.

You had no idea how much his life meant to you. He was your second half, and now you'd been split in half, with one gone and the other remaining.

Months passed, and your relationship with him became increasingly dimmer and dimmer. The brilliant hues faded in and out, with black and white patches becoming more prominent.

That awful day, unfortunately, was the last time you saw color. His light had faded from the world, and all that was left was black and white.

With him gone, your entire life seemed pointless, even your day-to-day existence. No splash of color to brighten things up.

“Y/N, I'll never forget you, big sister. Thank you for the enjoyable and considerate memories, and don't let this stunt your growth, please do that for me. As the beeper went off, he began to cough incessantly.

“Helpppp anyone.” As your parents draw you back into their arms, you hear many doctors rush into the room.

There was nothing they could do; his hue had vanished from this world. When you opened your tear-streaked eyes and examined your hands, you noticed that the formerly vivid cream palms had turned gray.

As if all colors were abruptly bleached out of the world, revealing a universe of whiteness—the rainbow, flowers, trees, and art, everything freshly bleached and pearled. The last vestige of color had vanished from your life, and you had been broken since then, heartbroken over the loss of your dearest friend.

“Y/n, hey you're good, we could use your help.” As you glanced to the side, you noticed that one of your employees had just spilled some water from the mop bucket.

As you approach their side, you assist them in mopping up the mess while sweeping aimlessly across the floor, making sure to get every spot. Due to your new life of no color it reflected on your life emotionally.

As the days passed, you became increasingly depressed and unmotivated. There wasn't a single day when you didn't feel mopey or lonely. It wasn't like anyone could help me; it was just the challenge of living a life without color.

Although you sincerely desired to overcome this phase of your life and simply find the right person to fill that void, life did not work in your favor at the time. Everyone around you seemed to be looking for or had already found their "person."

All you wanted was to find the person who could restore your hope and love, which had been taken away when your brother died. Your parents did everything they could to assist you, including setting you up on strange and ineffective dates that just added to your unhappiness.

Nobody could replace that color that your brother provided for you, or maybe someone could? 

"I'm off," you remarked as you pulled off your apron and clocked out in the back. As you stepped out the door, you heard a flurry of goodbyes before closing it behind you.

The world never shifted when the clock struck five.

As you strolled down the crowded streets, the sky before and above you remained grey, never letting up that cloak of shade. A melodious music gradually pours into your ears as you go down the bustling sidewalk.

You follow the dazzling yet tranquil sound of the guitar aimlessly as you imagine music notes flying through the fall air. You cautiously open your tired eyes and spot the crowd to figure out where these tunes are coming from.

Looking up, you spotted a swarm encircling a male, but you couldn't tell who it was. However, it was the music that drew you in; you'd heard that melody before. Even if you weren't musically inclined, you could hear that tune anywhere.

It was his, the one he wrote for you.

--

You dashed outside to see your brother strumming a tune on the grass with his guitar. Your brother possessed a talent for music. It is a condition that many people are born with, and you were fortunate that your brother was one of them.

He didn't go a day without making up or humming something he'd learned. It was frustrating to hear it every day, but it was still lovely to witness his enthusiasm for it.

“Hey, what are you cooking up this time?”  As he began to strum the guitar, he turned around and grinned at you. You couldn't understand what he was mumbling, but it sounded lovely as his fingers casually slid across the strings.

“I don't have the lyrics yet, but I'm sure they'll come. You laughed and nudged his shoulder.

“Just don’t go play at 3 in the morning. Okay?”

“It's not my fault that's typically when the inspiration comes,” he grumbled as he rolled his eyes.

As you raced away from him, you swiftly took his guitar, saying, "Well, I guess that inspiration will have to wait." He leapt from his seat and dashed towards you, yelling your name.

You had no idea that would be his final song; you regret not listening to the finished product; you never knew if he finished it. However, when you got closer to the enticing sound, you observed a young man strumming a guitar, and your ears perked up.

A slender man with long fingers and a quirky side smile, perhaps a musician, delicately touched a golden acoustic guitar, playing her ever so elegantly. You stand there, enthralled by the song, as his hands strum and tug the steel strings of the guitar. You take a cautious step closer to him in order to get a better look.

Allowing the music to take control of your body, you take a deep breath and allow an ounce of hope to creep in. From miles away, the formerly lovely and alive girl could be seen racing to you as you opened your arms to her.

You tried desperately to reach her before she vanished into thin air. The glint had disappeared. As you slowly open your eyes, you notice the man stop playing and gazes up at the audience.

As a smile crept across your face, the edges of your lips began to curl up. You'd forgotten what a smile looked like; you hadn't seen one in a long time, and it just felt natural. Even though he was gone, you could sense his presence. As you began to back away from the mob, tears began to flow freely from your eyes.

As you faded from his view and moved away from the crowd, the boy cast a peek at you. You swear you saw a glimpse of color rushing through your orbs, even if it was just for a split second. You couldn't tell if this was a joke or a new experience for you because you were more terrified than excited.

Could you trust that vision? Would they leave your life like he once did or would they stay? (IT)

Although you wanted to stay and figure it out you had somewhere to be and you didn’t want anyone to waste that special time.

(1 hour later)

Opening the rusted gate and looking at the wrought iron fences sends shivers down your spine as you are whisked back to that tragic day.

--

As you headed towards the pit, a crack formed in your heart. As they lowered his casket into the black abyss, the steady steps of feet carried it there. Countless shadowy figures form a procession, speaking in unison to pay their respects to the one you cherish. Your inner essence is corrupted by despair, and your heart bleeds like a river inside. Nothing could ever make you feel better.

As they began to fill the hole with dirt, tears welled up in your eyes, prompting you to lower your head. He didn't want you to be sad; he knew his time was coming to an end, yet he felt so safe in his final days.

He wasn't going to abandon you; he'd promised you that he'd left you something to aid you along the path. Even if that were the case, you never discovered it after four years. You rummaged through his room and tore it apart.

You quickly recognized that he was either joking or that the drug had taken effect in his brain and he was talking gibberish. In any case, you made a pledge to visit his grave every day from that day forward to keep him company and to keep yourself sane.

---

Clutching onto your bag, the leaves crunched beneath your feet as you peered about. You see specks of people strewn throughout the cemetery as you hear some speak in low whispers. It didn't take you long to find his gravestone.

You noticed the dead flowers drooping over as you took them out of their vase beside the tomb. Replacing them always brought joy to your heart as the sight of a fresh bouquet of flowers brightened the somber ambiance, which contrasted with the mold-infested tomb.

Taking out your cleaning supplies and speaker, you start working on his tomb while listening to his favorite music. As you hummed along with the song, your soft-bristle brush softly scrubbed the headstone in an orbital motion from bottom to top, carefully avoiding the fissures.

As you finished the soap, you began to rinse the stone as dirt and debris began to fall off the tomb. Although you couldn't determine if everything was off, you could plainly see the phrases and symbols, which was a good hint to stop cleaning everything off.

You wanted to do more for him and not leave any dirt on the surface. But because everything was gray, you couldn't tell, which made you sulk as you put down your brush. As you check the clock on your phone, you exhale a sigh of relief.

7:23p.m

Looking around, you noticed the stragglers had dispersed, leaving you alone as you gazed up at the sky.

“I hope the sunset looks beautiful today, I do miss it.”

The late evening sunset was the one thing you missed more than your brother; you had always admired how everything just flowed and fit together in the evening sky. It's almost as if someone began painting and simply let their hand float through the air.

As you turned to face his tomb, another smile appeared on your face, prompting you to go into your bag for something. As you placed down a cup for you and him, you chuckled at the bottle revealed beneath the sky.

“Lucas, here's to another day. It's been difficult in recent years, but today was a good day. I sensed your presence through the music of some random person; it was strange, but I'm glad I was there to see it. So thank you,” you say, raising your shot glass in the air and taking a sip.

As you heard a voice, you wiped a stray tear from your face.

“I'm sorry for bothering you.”

“Shit, what the hell,” you cursed the dark figure, startled and terrified. Who is there? As you squint your eyes at him, a male emerges from the shadows.

It's him.

----

You cough as you stand up and face the nameless man, he extends his hand as his glasses slide down his narrow nose, “Hi I’m Wonwoo.”

You take his hand in yours and shake it slowly, his grip firm until you let go.

“Hi..wonwoo? “I'm Y/n.” As the boy grinned at you, your voice was barely audible.

He takes a careful step alongside you and sits down close to your brother's grave, placing a case beside him. As you enlarged your eyes and sat down next to him, still observing him, the atmosphere felt reassuring but strange.

“I apologize for startling you; I didn't know that you were there. I’m not sure if your brother mentioned me but I was his friend, we used to write songs together.” As he turned to face you, you noticed the tall man attempting to cross his legs.

You shook your head as you began to gather your belongings, unsure of who this man was. For all you knew, he may be lying to you, so you needed to get out of there as soon as possible. You rose up and began walking away after securing the zipper on your backpack.

“Wait, you don’t have to leave. I can come back another time. I am truly sorry if I interrupted anything."

“No, it's fine,” you say with a shake of your head and outstretched hands.

“Are you sure?”

You walk away again, nodding your head as you hear his voice and a familiar tune.

You came to a halt in your tracks as you slowly turned around to face the boy after hearing a faint melody. As your ears perked up, you heard a low voice.

‘I stand still before you before me. I’m okay, not okay..” The lyrics faded out as you started to find your bearings again as you made your way out of the cemetery. As you stepped toward the road, you strapped your bag on, making sure you had everything you needed.

A girl out on a walk is something you can see every day, yet you were unique. You walked as if you and the road had reached an agreement, as if the concrete was more than eager to support your feet.

The road understood you.

*Ping*

The light of your phone lit up as you clicked on the message.

Mom: Hey sweetie, I dropped off some food at your apartment and did some tidying up. Get home safety. 

You: Thanks mom.

Her message brought back memories of days when you and her would cook together and simply bond over the end result. You missed it. Because you live in different places, you don't get to see your parents very frequently, yet they always made time for you.

I wish you could do the same; home is just too much for you to stomach, and you'd rather avoid it.

You reach the corner street after a few more steps, ready to begin your one-mile trek home. As you look back after exhaling a sigh, you hear rumbling on your feet. An automobile approached you, its bright headlights blazing directly at you.

You shifted to the side, squinting your eyes at the sight, and wonwoo greeted you again before you realized it. He grinned at you with his dazzling whites as he bent his head down.

what is with this guy?

Hey, hop in, I'll give you a ride. It's becoming late, and I don't want you walking through here.”  As you took a step back, wary of the stranger, he moved his hand closer to you.

“Um.. No-no I’m okay. However, thank you.” As you heard his engine trailing behind you, you began to walk faster. He followed you for a few seconds longer before you came to a complete halt and stared at him.

Through the windshield, you could see him smirk as he waved his hand to you.

“It'll be a lot faster, and if you're worried I'll kidnap you or anything, don't fret. I'm allergic to cats, and I'm a cat person myself. As a result, I assure you that I will not harm you. I just wanted to help a friend.” You moved over to his car, smiled a little, and hopped in, securing yourself with your seatbelt.

“If you do anything I have some bleach and I’m not afraid to use it,” he chuckled at you as he started the car and proceeded to exit the cemetery.

“You’re funny.”

As you gave wonwoo your address he proceeded to drive out of the rural neighborhood as you put your head on the window. You didn't realize it at the time, but you could feel his penetrating glances.

The car was quiet as the low sounds of music vibrated through the car. When you weren't driving, car journeys were the best since they enabled your mind to fantasize and paint over the enormous landscape you were seeing. That haven you built in your imagination calms you and makes you feel protected. The place where you may get away from reality.

As soon as your eyes close for the night, you hear him humming a familiar tune. Rather than remaining silent, you begin a conversation with him, inquiring as to how he learned the song.

“So how did you meet Lucas?” As he laughed, he cast a peek at you.

“Well, I met him at a college party a long time ago and discovered he makes music, so we used to meet up at a friend's studio and just create.” You lightly chuckled as a tear fell down your face as you nodded your head.

It was good to hear other people talk about your other half; it was almost as if he was there with you right now.

You were worried when he gave you brief glances since his eyes were off the road, but as he spoke, you felt protected because he spoke highly of your brother.

“Well, I'm not sure if he mentioned you, but the last song we were working on was one he wrote for you, and he said it was a gift.” As you turned to face him after hearing that final statement, your eyes widened.

“He—he said those exact words, a gift?”

As he rounded the corner and approached your apartment complex building, he shook his head. You could see his shoulder resting on the window sill as he put the car in park.

You hesitantly walk out of the car, stuttering as you gather your belongings, and turn to face him.

“Thank you for the ride; did Lucas mention anything else about the song?” “He wasn't quite finished with it, but he did give me and my other friend some crucial stuff to get it done,” he said as you pressed your face closer to the window.

Your heart began to race as you realized that things were beginning to turn around for you; perhaps this wonwoo boy was destined to be in your life. Lucas' way of demonstrating that he took great care of you.

“Would you like to work on it together sometime?”

Inside, it felt as if the creatures were finally waking up from their rehabilitation and making their way into the real world. Even if it took a while, this new form of relief made you feel alive again. You were adamant about working more to reclaim your color.

In some way, wonwoo was the key to it all. 

“Yes, a hundred times yes,” you answered, smiling like a kid in a candy store as you handed him your phone. “Just let me know when you're free.”

Wonwoo returned your phone to you, which you joyfully accepted and placed in your pocket. As you walked to your door, you waved your hand at him and cried out to him one final time.

“Thank you”

“For what?” As you entered the flat and locked the door behind you, you waved your hand at him. You let out a sigh and shake your head as you slid down to the floor.

“What a day” 

---

(4 weeks later)

It seemed like you and wonwoo had entered a very unique connection in the last few weeks. He made every effort not to cross any boundaries, both physically and emotionally. Regardless of the fact that you were his closest friend's sister, he was always respectful to you.

Even if that is what he sees from his perspective, you felt more alive when you were with him. Although you could still see gray and couldn't bask in all of his glory, it gave you hope that one day, whenever that time came, you'd be able to see him and everything else.

That was something you lacked previously: hope. Everyone around you including your parents could see a significant change in your life.

--

“Hey, honey, how's it going at work?” Before taking your purse, your mother kissed your cheek and opened the door for you.

As you met her at your old house, a smile emerged on your face. It was your first visit home in a while, and seeing you there brought joy to their hearts, despite the difficult years you've had.

“Everything has been going well, and I just wanted to drop by and see how you're doing. I miss seeing you and dad.”

“Is that my beautiful daughter, am I seeing things right?” your father exclaimed as he emerged from the back. As a tear trickled down your cheek, you watched as he raced over to you and hugged you.

As he stared at your face and admired it, the hue in front of you remained gray.

“Such lovely brown eyes,"  It pained your soul that you couldn't remember what they looked like since gray dulled everything and made you forget.

“Thank you, dad, but instead of fawning me, let's play some games. Just because life is bleak doesn't mean I can't be your ass at Monopoly.”

Your mother, gasping at your remark, watched from the back, her eyes welling up with tears as she marveled at a sight she hadn't seen in a long time.

“Moooom, don't start sobbing or dad will start crying,” you said as you turned around.

She comes over to your side and wraps you and your father in a hug, sandwiching you between them. It felt good because you were missing these times with your folks. You couldn't stay at home when your brother died; you had to leave and get away. Everything was just too much for you as things started to remind you of him.

You couldn’t take it anymore.

“I'm really proud of you for coming here and having the confidence to do so. I understand how difficult it must be for you, but thank you.” Through the loud sniffles between you all, you started to feel warm as you wiped your tears.

“All right, no more crying; let's get down to business.” You dashed over to the couch and snatched up Monopoly from the board game box, motioning for them to join you. They chuckled as you began to pull everything out as they made their way over.

As loud yells and laughter echoed out throughout the home, the night was fresh and enjoyable. There were times when you were terrified you'd lose, but you couldn't let your champion status lapse.

Your mother said, "Noo, you're cheating."

“No, I'm not; there's a house there, and you need to pay up or I'll put you in jail.” Between the two, your father snickers and keeps his mouth shut. He was well aware of the rules.

“All right, but that wasn't there before.”

With a chuckle, you shook your head and held out your hand, saying, "excuses excuses."

As you turned off your alarm, it rang at 8:00 p.m. You wouldn't have realized the difference between night and day if it hadn't been for alarm clocks. You jumped up in triumph after placing one more piece on the board.

“And that's why I remain Monopoly's ruler.”

You witnessed your parents give up as they lifted their hands in surrender. They both remark, "Fine, you win," as they begin to clean up the mess. Taking the stray cups and bowls from the tables you set them in the sink as you turned to watch your parents.

It's been a long time since you've been back here, and you've certainly missed the atmosphere. Lucas wouldn't want me to miss out on this opportunity.

“Why don't I come on weekends and bring back board game nights?” As your parents turned back, you uttered, "Next time, I'll bring a friend."

“Oh, it would be wonderful; the more the better.”

As you walked back over to them, you hugged them as they kissed your head.

“You go, we'll take care of this; the drive back is long,” your father remarked as he took your bag and handed it to you.

“Thank you guys, and I love you and the night we just had.” As you approached the door, you waved goodbye before closing it.

“No thank you, love,” your mother said as she and your father watched you leave the home and get into your car.

After one last look at the house, you back out of the driveway and go down the street, looking forward to the day ahead.

Studio day!

--

You yawn as your body startles you up after taking a deep breath of fresh air. As you slowly open your eyes and look out the window, you breathe a sigh of relief. Something felt different. The chirping of the birds outside made you feel cheerful, not sad.

As your vision remained a little lighter, you began to blink your eyes faster. It wasn't your typical gray morning, and you thought it was growing lighter. The gray was gradually dissipating. You grinned as you considered your color returning.

What prompted this?

It didn't matter because today was dedicated to finishing your song; you, wonwoo, and his friend Mingyu had completed all but the title. You stretch one more time before heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

When you get to the mirror, you take a look at yourself. The person in front of you had radically transformed; she had forgotten about her flaws and insecurities, and her heart now held more love. This woman didn't pick apart everything that was wrong with her; instead, she supported herself.

She was unrecognizable, and the old girl in the mirror was finally slipping away. You began to smile more frequently and laugh a little more, and the air around you became warmer rather than frigid. Someone's love had seeped into her heart and begun to unfreeze its hardness.

And that person was wonwoo, which you didn't realize until you looked in the mirror. If you've observed it, chances are that others have as well. And you were grateful for his help in getting you out of that gloomy situation. You were able to regain your trust and begin letting people in again, which made you pleased.

Lucas would be incredibly proud of you, and you didn't want to disappoint him again. You intended to honor his memory and keep him alive in your heart, rather than allowing the past to plague you and prevent you from living your life.

He would have wanted that. 

As you stepped inside, you turned on the shower and stripped off your clothing. You had to find a method to repay wonwoo for his compassion. You would not have gotten this far without him and his musical gift, and you were grateful for him.

"I could take him to our place," you offer as you turn off the water and grab a towel from the shower.

“Yeah he would like that.”

----

Work seemed to fly by as your mind raced at a hundred miles per hour. You had everything planned out and had recruited the support of your parents to help you set up.

Your manager tapped your shoulder and asked, "Hey y/n, you okay?" As you dropped the pencil, you flinched.

“Oh sorry, just spacing out.” He shook his head as he spoke out, “For the rest of your shift you can take off if you want, we’re going to close earlier than usual. If you're leaving, clean out the coffee machine and be on your way.”

You enlarged your eyes as your jaw dropped, and you raced into his arms, squeezing him tightly. Your boss chuckled awkwardly as he gently pushed you away from him. For some reason, everything seemed to be working in your favor today. As you rush to get ready, you begin working on the machine, your smile never leaving your face.

You sped to the back room, clocking out and placing your apron into your locker, as you were done in no time. As you walked to the front, you waved goodbye to your manager before heading to your car in the parking area.

“What's the matter with her? That's the first time I've ever seen her that happy. Hmm”

And with that you were on your way to your parents house as you sent a quick text to wonwoo. As you grinned as you placed your phone in the dash holder, you came to a stop light.

You: Hey cancel today's session, I have a place to go to. It may also provide us with better title recommendations. You down??

Wonwoo:) Yes, that sounds excellent; the studio can become claustrophobic. Send me the address and a time frame for my arrival.

You: *address name*. Bring your guitar and meet there in 2 hours.

Wonwoo:) Oh okay. Can’t wait to see you there!

(read 5:45 p.m.)

Even though you weren’t nervous you wanted everything to be special, wonwoo deserved it for all that he has done for you in the past weeks.

You let yourself go as you blast songs down the road, pressing play on your playlist. You didn't notice it at first, but the color was gently sneaking in as you drove around. As creams and beige colors drifted in and out, the outsides of your eyes began to lift.

As you turned off the headlights and opened the door, it didn't take long for you to arrive at your destination. You smiled as you got your belongings from the car and made your way up the hill, finding your parents already set up.

You drop your belongings on the blanket and walk up to hug them, saying, "Hey guys." As they begin to chat with you, they embrace you in a friendly hug.

“So we set up all of the essential elements, such as lighting, a seating area, and refreshments in the cooler and basket.” As she began to indicate the various components, your mother explained. As she brought you around the hill to the tree, she took your hand in hers.

“You remember when you and Lucas did this?” You laugh as you remember that day as you place your palm on the antique carving.

-- “Noo I'd like to go first; you always go first.” You sighed as Lucas took up the knife and began carving his name into the tree.

“You better not cry and tell mom,” he remarked, turning to face you and seeing your glum demeanor. As you passed past him, you stood up straighter, rolling your eyes at him and snatching the knife from his grip.

“I'm not a baby like you,” you say. As he huffed and hurried toward mom, you heard him scoff.

“Mommmm y/n referring to me as a baby. And I'm not one of them. You stood there watching as he stomped his foot and landed on Mom's lap. Your father chuckles, rubbing his back and shaking his head at his wife.

As you return to the blanket, you cross your arms and say, "Well, then, quit acting like one."

That erupted in an outburst as he started to whine on mommy lap.

He did, in fact, act like a baby. Wiping a tear from your eyes as you chuckle, you hold your mother closer as you kiss her on the forehead.

“Hey we have an hour left before wonwoo get here, I'm going to head to the house to clean up. If he arrives early, keep him entertained.” As she watches you descend the hill, your mother shakes her head.

As you pull out of the parking lot, you put your foot down on the accelerator and drive over to your parents' house.

(45 minutes later)

Wonwoo approaches the destination, looking out the windshield as he spots some lights on the hill. As he steps out of the automobile, he notices two people moving around. He smiles as he collects his guitar from the rear and walks up the hill, noting the serene atmosphere.

“Those should go over by the tree and make sure they don't fall.” Wonwoo enters the place, his eyes widening. Fluorescent bulbs fanned out along the tops of the trees, each with a different picture on it, surrounding him.

As he looks down, he notices a blanket with a speaker playing music and the champagne.

Your parents finally turn around, gasping, when your mother rushes over to welcome him, saying, "Forgive us, we didn't hear anything, you must be wonwoo." That's y/n father over there, and I'm y/n mother.” As she introduces you to your father, she smiles and gives you a motherly look.

On this magnificent evening, only a few minutes had passed when you approached the hill once more. You take a brief glance in the mirror before applying some Chapstick. Rubbing it in you open the door as you look up on the hill, you hear conversations as you panic up the hill.

“So this is y/n, she was quite the messy twin when she was a baby-”

“What are you doing, Mom?” You walk over to her, ashamed, and place yourself between you and wonwoo, speaking quietly to her.

“I said to entertain him not embarrass me.”

“Oh, you're overthinking things; did you know he's friends with Lucas?” You chuckle as you grab your father and mother and begin bickering as you force them out of the location. As they descend the slope, they wave goodbye to you and wonwoo.

Taking one look at him, you notice his amusing state; he was cheesing so hard that his rosy cheeks were visible.

“Sorry about them.”

“It's fine; all parents do it.” They simply adore you.” You cross your legs and shake your head as you sit on the blanket, passing him a wine cup.

“To another wonderful day and a wonderful friendship.” Wonwoo takes out the champagne from the cooler as he opens it and sprays the excess in front of you.

“Ahh, you're spilling it” As you giggle at his action, the extra juice pours on your face. You reach for a napkin to wipe the wetness off your face as he takes one in front of you.

“Here, let me take care of it.” He leans in closer as he wipes the liquid from your face before resuming his seat. As your stomach begins to become a #1 gymnast, that simple action sends you spiraling.

“Th-thanks”

He smiles as he pours you a drink for both of you, and as he does so, you grab his guitar box and pry it open, admiring the golden beauty inside. Picking it up, you begin strumming a few chords of the nameless song while moving your head to the beat.

“Wow, you're actually pretty good.”

“I did have a good teacher, Lucas taught me a few things, but I only recall a few chords, so it may become irritating after a while.”

Wonwoo hands you the glass as you take it in your hand, and as you take a sip of the bubbly drink, you hand him the guitar.

As you take another sip, your spirits lift as you stare out at the scenery in front of you. You hear wonwoo begin to play the tune while you stare off towards the colorless world.

“Ruinous imagination consumes me. Makes me dream sweeter dreams, I close my eyes but thoughts of you. Bring noisy night, to you & me, real and dreamy.” 

You sway back and forth as his voice soothes your body, his palm brushing over the guitar while his eyelids close, taking in the lyrics.

As you look up at him, you say, "Thank you." It's unavoidable, but tears stream down your face with no attempt to wipe them away.

“Th-thank you foreverythingyouhave-“ you say quickly and brokenly.

“Hey hey, calm down, I can't understand what you're saying,” he says as he scoots over to you and pats your shoulder. You both laugh as you start over, this time with more poise.

“I wanted to express my gratitude to you for genuinely improving my life. You probably don't know, but my relationship with Lucas was incredible; we were never apart, and when he passed, I couldn't live without him. I've struck rock bottom a few times and done some unfathomable things that I'm ashamed of, and I'm sincerely grateful that I've survived another day.”

Wonwoo drew you into a hug and caressed your back as he ceased patting your shoulder. As you sob into his shoulder, the tears begin to flow again.

“Sorry for interrupting, but it seemed like you needed one,” he says as you continue, releasing leave of you.

“To put it simply, you have brought me so much joy and optimism that I am overwhelmed. It's not the same without Lucas, but I'm grateful you entered my life at this point. So thank you; I don't know how to express my gratitude.”

You come to a halt as he looks at you through his round spectacles, and as you become concerned, you begin to look down.

“Sorry if I just spewed all that out.”

“No, it's fine.” I truly appreciate it, and I'm glad I was able to restore a sense of hope in your life. I may not be Lucas, but I will do my best to pay tribute to his memory.

You smile as you feel a wave of self-assurance and an overpowering sensation of bravery wash over you.

When you bring wonwoo closer to you and kiss him on the lips, everything inside of you turns on, and your body begins to feel alive again, exactly like it did before.

“I'm sorry I should have asked you first-“ You release him and lean back as you watch him.

He silenced your words with his lips as his hands wrapped around your neck.

Everything comes rushing back to you in an instant, like a blanket being pulled off of you. As you open your eyes again, you let go of each other. The difference this time is that you can see him.

As he smiled at you, you could see his cheeks flush with scarlet. You can see his silver rings around his slender fingers as his hands slip away from your neck.

You slowly turn around to face the sinking light on the horizon. As if a million scarlet petals have ignited, the sunset blooms on the horizon.

You expected the tears to flow this time as you stood up and walked closer to the cliff's edge. As you stared at the gorgeous view in front of you, you undoubtedly looked a mess.

You collapse to your knees and exclaim, "I can see it!"

Wonwoo approaches you slowly, bending down with you and holding you in his arms.

“See what?”

As you held him again, your snot-filled tear-streaked face turned to his.

“The color has returned, and I can see it now.” As he gasps, he pulls you back.

“Wait, are you serious, what color shirt am I wearing?” 

“IT'S GREEN, YOUR SHIRT IS GREEN!!” Wonwoo scoops you up and spins you again in an instant. You lay another kiss on his lips as you chuckle into his lips, unsure of what to do.

The clouds floated into my life, not to bring rain or storms, but to add color to the sunset sky.

He picks up the polaroid camera off the ground and takes a candid shot of you. After he pecked your cheek once more, he smiled as he wanted to remember this special day.

You send wonwoo off to find a knife from the basket as the photo develops. You observe him as he runs around the area like a child, and you smile as the photo develops.

You've probably seen images where the background is blurred and the only thing in focus is the subject of the photograph. That was us. Every other detail became hazy as I concentrated on every facet of him.

You didn't realize how fortunate you were until now; he was the special someone you had wished for eons ago.

Everything felt even better when your color returned, and you knew deep down that everything was going to be well.

It was all because of wonwoo.

Your brother left you a gift, the lovely gift of music, which was seen via wonwoo.

Yes, your brother had been your best friend, and yes, he had left you. But, as you found a great friend, the life he presumably wanted for you had only just begun.

You hoped that with him, you would be able to treasure the love you had just as much as you did while you were together.

“Hey, wonwoo, I have a song title, also follow me.”

As he began heading toward you, he turned around and looked at you. You've both arrived at the same tree that was planted many years ago.

He gives you the knife as you start placing your name under your past self. As he watches you cry, Wonwoo does the same.

*Forever, Y/n, Wonwoo, and Lucas*

As he finishes up, you grab his hand and stroll back to the blanket setup. He takes a seat beside you and wraps his arm over your body.

“So, what are your thoughts?” 

“Bittersweet, that's the title,” you said as you turned to face him.

“I love it,” he says as he pulls you closer to him with a nod of his head.

And with that, your brother's memory was carefully preserved, shared, and intended for all to hear.

“Lucas, I'll never forget you.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

➳ Navigate to the Maze

[earnestly-endlessly]

I love your fic recs! Do you have any with Protective!Erik?

Protective! Erik is one of my favourite tropes so I have a TON of fics to share with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Protective! Erik fic recs

Erik Lehnsherr's Guide to Saving the Universe By Meeting Your Soul-Mate and Falling in Love in Less than 72 Hours – madneto, Pangea

Summary: Army Pilot Erik Lehnsherr is just trying to enjoy his day off when a mostly naked person crashes through the roof of his car. Even more alarming, the strange falling naked person—who goes by Charles Xavier when he's not speaking an ancient dead language—brings tidings of the apparent potential end of the world, and begs Erik to help him put a stop to it.

Well. His mother has been nagging at him to go out and meet new people.

In Sound and Silence – endingthemes

Summary: Erik is assigned to care for the special patient in room 301.

How Not To Meet Your Future Boyfriend – ikeracity

Summary: Erik punches Charles in the face the first time they meet. There isn't anywhere their relationship can go from there but up.

Forgotten – FuryRed

Summary: Charles is having a really bad day. Not only has he woken up in the middle of the afternoon with no idea where he is or how he got there, but when he returns home he’s confronted by a stranger with intense eyes, who insists that he knows Charles rather more intimately than Charles remembers…

Thou Shalt Not Eat Stones – valancysnaith

Summary: Two months after Washington, Raven found Erik in a skeevy motel off the Florida interstate.

“They have Charles, Erik,” she said.

The bedframe shrieked. In the bathroom, the showerhead snapped in half and clattered into the tub.

Demoted – JayPendragon

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a detective-specialist with the NYPD Mutant Tactical Unit, ready to help out where his skills are needed. Or he would be, if he and his partner hadn’t been demoted. For the next four months, he is patrolling the Lenox Hill precinct with Azazel – if he doesn’t die of boredom first. One night they are called in to investigate a potential case of domestic violence, yet the tenant assures them he is both alone and unharmed. However, there is something about this Charles Xavier that compels Erik to follow up.

Warning: Sensitive material, domestic abuse and dubious consent

Watch Your Back – swoopswoop

Summary: Bodyguard AU where Erik is overly protective and things aren't as simple as they seem.

If We Met Differently – swoopswoop

Summary: Erik wasn't the only mutant 'taken in' by Shaw, Erik learns this the hard way when a new mutant is dropped into his cell. They manage to escape together, but things aren't all roses after that. Erik has a score to settle and needs to make sure Charles is safe.

The Color of Love (Character Swap Remix) – BadLuckBlueEyes

Summary: Nobody sees in color until they meet their soulmates. When your soulmate dies, your vision returns to black and white. What happens when your soulmate only dies for a few minutes?

Omega Online – miss_aphelion

Summary: Newly imprinted Charles is having trouble dealing with his overly protective alpha—so in desperation he seeks advice in an omega chat room. Emma Frost is more than happy to help, Raven isn't helping at all, and Erik can't stand to be out of touch with Charles for more than five minutes at a time.

Cannot be Contained in Words – wallhaditcoming (uvcatastrophe) 

Summary: Crime syndicate head Erik Lehnsherr travels to London on business, where he meets oxford student Charles Xavier. Their liaison spawns into a years long transatlantic affair, kept apart by Erik's work and Charles' studies,which Erik chronicles in photographs. When distance ceases to be an issue after four long years, the overlap between Charles' past and Erik's work create a whole new set of complications.

A Pertinent Reminder – ikeracity, Pangea

Summary: Sometimes it's easy to forget that getting involved in Erik's mob business isn't all fine dining and sex on yachts. There's nothing like taking a couple of bullets to remind Charles of the reality.

Part 3 of the Associates series

A Dangerous Game – ikeracity, pangea

Summary: When a familiar enemy of Erik's returns to the city for some old-fashioned revenge, Charles is sucked deeper into the world of the mob than ever before.

Part 6 of the Associates series

You don’t choose the thug life (except when you do) – Anonymous

Summary: Charles is kidnapped and discovers that Erik, the Alpha he has been dating for the past few months and is head-over-heels for, is not just a wealthy businessman but actually the head of a syndicate.

He is rather unhappy about this discovery and Erik gets an earful for lying to him. Then Charles is kidnapped again and really, he hopes mating Erik won't result in weekly kidnapping because he has a thesis to finish and papers to grade.

Marrying a Mob – Ook

Summary: Charles is a teacher at a very exclusive school. When armed men burst in on the trail of two children, of course he stands up to them and gets hurt. The children are Erik Lehnsherr's children (of course); a "prominent businessman" or, less politely, "mobster".

Erik is grateful to Charles for saving his children's lives at the cost of his kneecap. So very grateful.

Naturally he tries to reward Charles for his actions. Equally naturally, Charles will be having none of that.

Azazel finds the whole thing unspeakably hilarious. Naturally.

Rumor Has It – blueink3

Summary: "Did I hear the doorbell earlier?"

"Yeah, but I'd steer clear if I were you. It seemed a little tense. I don't know what's going on, but there's a kid out there who looks freakily like the prof."

Nearly six months after Cuba, Charles' life is turned upside down for the second time. Though he's slowly learning to adapt to the first, he's not sure he can handle the second. Luckily for him, there are a few people out there more than willing to help.

Forward Momentum – AsYouWish

Summary: Six months after Cuba, Charles and Erik find themselves thrown fifty years into the future, where they meet their older selves, the Avengers, and a world that's very different from their own. Faced with the pieces of their broken relationship, an unparalleled adversary, and dealing with Tony Stark on a daily basis, Charles and Erik do their best to adapt while trying to find a way back home -- and to each other.

Runs in the Family – Anonysquirrel (chibirisuchan)

Summary: Alex knew his own reputation. Hell, he'd started some of his own reputation, because it kept some of the smarter thugs off his back. Everyone knew Alex's reputation. There was no way Hank didn't know his reputation, but he'd brought Alex into a house with some really expensive things and a lot of innocent little kids and his too-friendly, too-harmless dad.

But clearly Hank hadn't told his family anything about Alex, just like he hadn't told Alex anything about his family. At least, not about the brain-breaking parts of his family.

"I didn't know where to start," Hank said, for the dozenth time.

Featuring mpreg!Charles in a Kiss The Cook apron, overprotective!Erik in wet black leather, and baked goods. Lots and lots of baked goods.

Round the Corner Waiting – swoopswoop

Summary: When things go so spectacularly wrong during a relationship, Charles - now a single dad - almost makes a big mistake, only to be stopped by a mysterious man who just might turn his life back around.

Hide Your Fires – swoopswoop

Summary: As the sole heir, Prince Charles, had no problem with the roles and responsibility that would come with ruling a kingdom. Though he was the only one who did not see a problem. After years of being shuttled back and forth between kingdoms, his Regent hoping he would find a match more suitable to being King, he is finally sent to Genosha. Though the path has never been less clear than the one to a foreign kingdom with no ties to his native land.

Shaw’s Captive – swoopswoop

Summary: Magneto killed Shaw, it had to be done for the sake of mutant-kind but what he wasn't expecting to find hidden deep with Shaw's complex was a man held captive, obviously tortured, that somehow made Magneto turn into Erik.

Erik now has a potential human in his citadel as he continues the war with the human's.

Mind’s Eye Blind – Sperare 

Summary: As far as Erik is concerned, if you want to scare a person into talking, you have to present him with something more compelling than what he stands to lose...

And there is nothing in the world more compelling than Charles.

Chipped – Rosawyn 

Summary: Magneto's fledgling Brotherhood find Charles Xavier in a mutations research lab as an apparently willing subject for an experimental suppression device.

Okay, I Feel Better Now – Harleydoll

Summary: The AU in which Erik is sent to a mental health facility after being convicted for Shaw's murder and pleads insanity, and Charles is his paranoid schizophrenic of a roommate. Powers, Hellfire conspiracies, protective!Erik, and of course the inevitable angst.

Five Nights in Nuremberg – FuryRed

Summary: When Charles escapes from the mutant prison he has been held in for the last two years he knows that he’s going to need help to avoid being recaptured.

What he doesn’t expect is that help will come in the form of a mysterious German man who rescues Charles and takes him to his home; a handsome stranger who, frustratingly, doesn’t speak a single word of English…

Five Bullet Points – Sperare

Summary: It was supposed to be Erik locked away in a prison one hundred stories below the ground.

Charles was never supposed to be there with him.

Notes: Unfinished but an excellent read. Highly recommend it.

Stolen – ishipitsobad

Summary: Erik is a miserable, grumpy, cantankerous bastard, and he has every fucking right to be. He drew the short end of the stick when he got the Underworld as his domain, and there isn't very much fun to be had in judging and governing dead souls who would rather be anywhere else but with Erik in the depths of Hell.

So when he meets Charles, brilliant and lovely Charles who is more popularly known amongst the mortals as Persephone, and feels the promise of something wonderful that could make his eternally doomed existence infinitely more bearable... you can bet all your drachmas Erik's not going to let Charles go any fucking time soon.

My Barbaric Darling – baehj2915

Summary: Erik is revivified caveman. Charles is the anthropologist(?) taking care of him. This is as ridiculous as it sounds. Romcom misunderstandings and prehistoric wooing ensues.

Swimming with Sharks – Not_You

Summary: Erik used to be a shark. Now he's not, and has to figure out how to be a good human father to his twins. Charles is willing to help.

Eucalyptus leaf of my soul - kageillusionz, ourgirlfriday

Summary: Zookeeper Raven at Taronga Zoo keeps having ideas on how to capitalize on interest in the zoo mascots, Koala Charles and Drop Bear Erik (the only drop bear in captivity!), who have captured the hearts and minds of the public. First it was to introduce prospective mates (It’ll generate attention, Hank. People are perverts. They’d love to see koala porn.). This idea was not effective the first through fifth attempts, as Erik and Charles seemed to show at best polite interest in the newcomer before resuming whatever marsupial debate they had going. However, the resulting lesbian koala orgies did indeed generate interest. Then Raven unveiled the Hug-A-Koala program, which was successful, as the public showed great interest in hugging Charles, and Charles seemed to enjoy being hugged.

Then Raven unveiled the Hug-A-Drop Bear program, and Hank, not for the first time, wished he had a flask handy.

Notes: Yes, they’re Koalas, yes they’re adorable, and yes, Erik is super protective even as a Drop Bear.

[juminsmysticmc]

Pregnancy Series - Part 6

Meeting the baby for the first time 

⚠️ Sensitive content -> mention of: labor pain, blood, fluids ⚠️

Pregnancy Series: Part 1 // Part 2  // Part 3 // Part 4.1 // Part 4.2 // Part 5

Last chapter! So, I hope you all enjoy this one! Feel free to tell me in the comments or send me a message ( even as anon if you want ! ) Soon new requests will be posted again...it was a nice time with the series....I will miss it, you too? 

BTW! The request was that the baby doesn’t look like them despite being their baby! 

jumin 

Your husband stroked your head after the hard time you had giving birth to your first son.

Well, the labor itself didn’t really last long but you still had a hard time.

You were sleepy and at some point you had the feeling that you couldn’t even breathe, almost giving Jumin a heart attack.

But when the both of you finally heard your baby cry for the first time, you all relaxed.

,,IT’S A BOY!’’ the midwife announced happily, making Jumin cry as he praised you, proud to be finally able to call himself a father.

The nurses and medics around you guys got everything ready and you were carried into another room so that the maid could tidy up the room. Your baby was also weighed and checked up on.

Jumin was really happy that you guys decided to give birth at home. Of course, this was only possible because everything was alright with you and the baby.

,,So, meet your mommy and daddy,’’ the midwife whispered as she approached you, softly giving you your baby boy.

,,Oh,’’ you gasped, surprised by the beauty of your boy.

But your eyes quickly met Jumin’s.

,,Was your mom blonde?’’ you asked him.

He looked over to you. He was smiling and not even a bit concerned that the baby wasn’t looking like him at all.

Maybe it was even better that the baby was totally different.

Jumin shook his head.

,,Don’t worry, I can already feel the bond between us. I trust you,’’ he whispered and kissed his baby on his head softly since he was still so soft.

,,Wanna hold him too?’’ you whispered and waited for his response.

Jumin nodded excitedly, wanting to hold his own little baby in his arms.

Finally his wish came true.

Jumin held him and cradled him, just like a real father.

,,Mr Han,’’ Jahee softly called him. ,,I informed your father as well as the RFA and will take my leave to prepare everything in the company,’’ she whispered.

,,Jaehee,’’ you called your friend.

,,It’s impossible that the aunty goes without seeing the baby! Step in!’’ you called her.

Nervously, Jaehee stepped in and looked at what Jumin held between his arms. 

,,He looks so handsome…’’ she gasped.

You chuckled as you laid back. ,,It’s our son after all,’’ you yawned and slowly fell asleep…

Three years later, you once again were pregnant. Your son by now was almost turning three.

He was blonde and had blue eyes. Apparently your mother’s family was blonde. 

And even though no one could believe at first that this was Jumin’s son, as soon as they saw how he acted, they all knew that this was indeed a Han. The bloodline was still in the heir of C&R.

,,Father, I believe that the maid made a mistake with organizing my toys. I think we need someone better!’’ he whined, pulling his father.

Jumin took his son seriously, but of course he knew that his son was still three. What didn’t hold him back from making everything possible was his might.

Zen

You heard how Zen nagged at someone, but before you could try to concentrate on what he was saying, another wave of pain hit you, making you scream in pain.

,,I‘m here, baby, I‘m here,“ Zen whispered, holding your hand.

You turned around to him and smiled with the last of the strength you had.

,,I wanted to have a barbecue,“ you whined, making him chuckle.

,,As soon as you give birth, I will send them to get you food,“ he promised.

,,I can’t wait to eat kimchi,“ you laughed, breathing the pain away.

Zen smiled apologetically. ,,You can’t eat spicy food while you’re breastfeeding,“ he told you.

,,AHHHH!“ you hissed. He wasn’t sure if you screamed in pain or because you were angry that you still couldn’t eat spicy food, but whatever it was, he was scared.

,,It’s open by four centimeters. Soon we will be there,’’ the midwife smiled.

Well, that soon changed into an hour, two, three, and finally four hours.

,,You’re doing so well,’’ your boyfriend told you. By now you had to wear an oxygen mask because you couldn’t breathe.

,,Maybe we should do a C-’’ before the nurse could even end her speech, you moved your head, pressing Zen’s hand stronger as you pushed.

,,Mc!’’ he called you, holding onto you stronger.

You pushed and pushed. You sometimes had the feeling that air was missing, but you kept pushing until finally a cry was heard, making you collapse onto the bed.

,,MC?!’’ Zen whined, but the nurse next to you calmed him down as she checked your vitals.

,,It was hard. She will sleep for a few minutes, don’t worry,’’ she smiled.

Zen nodded and looked over to his baby. She had a little dark hair and also her skin was a bit darker than his, but she was still the most beautiful baby he had ever seen.

,,Would you like to cut the cord?’’ the midwife asked, explaining to him how to do it.

Just when he was about to take the baby, you weakly called him. ,,Hyun, let the mother hold her first!’’ you whined.

Zen smiled as he nodded, observing how the baby was placed in your arms.

,,Princess, hello,’’ you whispered, tearing up at her sight.

,,She is so… perfect,’’ you whispered.

Zen couldn’t help but kiss your head and his baby’s as he decided to go out to tell everyone the news.

Of course he saw how shocked they were, maybe because he was crying like an idiot, but as soon as he told them that your baby girl was beautiful, they all looked so happy.

,,Take her! Show us!’’ Jaehee hissed as she began to cry too.

A few seconds later he and the nurse stepped out, a pink bundle in his arms as he showed the RFA his newborn girl.

,,She doesn’t look like you. She must be happy,’’ Jumin teased Zen.

,,She looks even better,’’ he whispered.

,,I really thought that your DNA would be stronger,’’ Yoosung commented.

,,It’s okay, I don’t mind. She’s still mine,’’ Zen said and smiled. He already loved her so much…

A year later, you and the RFA finally could do what you missed last year - the korean barbeque.

And this time, a special guest had her appearance too.

,,Say, cheese!’’ Zen blabbered as you held your daughter in your arms, her long dress fit perfectly with the big birthday cake she had on her face, liking her little chubby fingers.

,,Say, Daddy come too!’’ you whispered, taking her hand and waving at Zen while Jumin tried to take not so blurry pictures of you…

Thank God Jaehee used her phone too...

Yoosung

,,Dr Kim! Finally! A dog was hit by a car and needs medical assistance immediately!“ a co-worker of Yoosung said as he cut the call.

He looked inside, seeing from the windows that a young girl sat on the floor, her dog in her arms, crying over a pet.

If he didn’t know about Rika‘s and Sally‘s death, he would believe that this was his cousin.

The young man hesitated, his phone still in his hand.

At a totally different place, you were trying to keep your breath in rhythm as your mother stroked your hair.

Half an hour passed ever since you finally arrived at the hospital with the ambulance you called, your‘s and Yoosung’s mother with you in the room.

It was a kind of stressful situation. Your mother was happy, but at the same time a bit disappointed that Yoosung was still missing and his mother, your in-law, was worried over her son as he still wasn‘t there.  

It was his first born. He fought so hard for this son that there was no way he would miss this opportunity.

,,I‘m going to call him again,“ she said as she was about to open the door to your room as it suddenly opened by itself.

,,I‘m here,“ he said, out of breath.

,,Where- why did you take such a long time?“ you asked him, worried and annoyed at the same time.

,,I- I was almost fired because they didn’t seem to understand that I wasn’t running away from work, but on my way to support you,“ he gasped.

,,What did I miss?“ he asked you, as you smiled, telling him that he was just in time.

Again, a wave of pain hit you as you gasped and tried to breathe through the pain.

Yoosung was a good support, telling you sweet words, stroking you, everything went well.

Finally, you were ready to push and from then on everything took about five minutes.

Yoosung was there when his first born took its first breath, when she cried for the first time. Yoosung was there to cut the cord, he saw how the little, also bloody, human being

to wash the baby for the first time and give her to you, making her stop crying as soon as her skin met yours.

,,She’s so beautiful…’’ you whispered. The tears didn’t want to stop falling as you held her in your arms.

,,But she has blonde hair. You still can’t match her,’’ you chuckled.

Yoosung nodded. ,,She doesn’t look like me at all. Maybe that’s why she’s so beautiful?’’ he asked you.

You laughed as you heard your comment, but your eyes never left your baby's little body.

,,Daddy is handsome, right?’’ you whispered, stroking your newborn's arm.

A few moments later, the nurse asked if Yoosung would like to hold her and wash her, since you were in too much pain to do it, something he agreed to immediately.

With the nurse telling him what to do and how to do it, Yoosung gave his baby their first bath, slowly and softly and with so much love.

,,You need to be really careful with the head,’’ the doctor explained and also told him the reason.

After your baby was fresh, you were allowed to have it again and just when you felt your baby's warmth again, your mother and mother in law entered the room, crying over their first granddaughter.

,,You looked exactly like her, Mc!’’ your mother proudly said as Yoosung’s mother looked at the baby with lovely eyes. ,,I hope my next grandchildren will also not get a single DNA from your looks!’’ she teased him.

Jaehee

The car ride was a rather calm one. Luckily, you were a bit in pain, but nothing like in the movies where the women cry and groan in pain.

,,Everyone reacts differently,’’ Jaehee told you as she stroked your arm, proud of you for handling this pain.

,,We’re here,’’ Seven announced, stepping out of the car and opening the door for you to help you.

Just when you stood next to the door, both feet on the ground outside the car, you felt a fluid coming out, running down your legs and wetting the ground below you.

,,Shit, this almost landed in my car!’’ Seven gasped as Jaehee climbed out of the red car, seeing that your water just broke.

,,Oh my god, the baby will come soon, Seven. Please call a nurse and bring us a wheelchair!’’ she whined and helped you walk a bit as Seven began to run towards the entrance.

,,Are you still okay?’’ Jaehee asked you worriedly and helped you to keep moving.

You nodded. There was a sharp pain indeed, but you could still handle it.

All you wished for was a hospital bed because for sure you wouldn’t give birth on the street.

,,Please sit down here. A midwife is already on her way!’’ a nurse called and helped you to sit down on the chair, rolling you quickly towards the entrance, followed by Jaehee with her bag.

Indeed, you all really had to hurry. As soon as they helped you change and laid you down on a bed, the contractions began to hit you.

You felt the urge to push and you moaned in pain.

,,We can begin!’’ a midwife announced and looked at Jaehee. ,,She will give birth now!’’ she told her.

Jaehee got nervous and finally the time came.

Holding your hand, she nodded. ,,Mc, you can do this!’’ she encouraged you while you spread your legs apart, pushing and leaning forward to put pressure on your belly.

,,UGH!’’ you groaned and laid back, gasping for air.

,,Okay, another push!’’ the midwife said, the same game again, you groaned again when you felt something slowly coming out.

,,I can see the head! Keep pushing!’’ she laughed.

Jaehee looked over to the midwife. She could also see the top of the baby, feeling more excited when the baby moved again.

,,The last push!’’ the midwife called and you did what she said.

Falling back, you gasped for air as the room was filled with a loud baby's cry.

Immediately, they handed you the baby boy, where you put your arms around him, holding him.

,,Oh gosh, he is so tiny!’’ you whined and looked at him.

Jaehee was also sobbing by now. ,,I’m so sorry that he looks nothing like you, but I am so thankful that you are here. He is your son too,’’ you told her.

Her lips were pressed together as she nodded.

,,Our son,’’ she whimpered.

A few days later, the three of you were finally ready to go home. Jaehee was carrying the baby in her arms and buckled him good in the back seat of the taxi as you slowly got in yourself.

,,Let’s go home,’’ you whispered to Jaehee, holding her hand.

,,Let’s go,’’ she said as she took yours, smiling.

Saeyoung

The red haired man didn’t come much later than you to the hospital room and was quickly by your side as your belly was connected to some tubes and wires. 

They were monitoring the baby. Saeyoung knew that they weren’t there because something was wrong or bad, but still, it kind of scared him to see it all.

,,How are you?’’ he asked you while you had your eyes closed, opening them a bit to look at him.

,,Good, now that you’re here,’’ you whispered and squeezed his hand with your fingers, making him endure the pain.

,,Sorry,’’ you groaned when it got better, making him shake his head.

,,You are enduring much more than I am, so feel free to squeeze my hand,’’ he told you and stroked your head.

Suddenly, the machine made some beeping sounds, making him shriek and look at it, not understanding what was happening.

,,Move aside!’’ a nurse called as she entered, followed by your midwife and a doctor.

Saeyoung was quickly pulled aside as they told you something.

He was so overwhelmed by all his feelings that he forgot to listen to them.

He just somehow came back to life when he heard you cry and scream.

,,Once more!’’ the nurse said loudly and made you exclaim some words he didn’t get while you were pushing.

Saeyoung watched the whole scenario as you were pushing a little, brown haired baby out of you, covered in blood.

He began to sob when he realized that it was his daughter you just gave birth to.

,,The first girl is here!’’ the nurse happily laughed.

Saeyoung just focused on the baby and saw how she carried the crying baby away.

When his eyes couldn’t follow the nurse with his daughter anymore, Saeyoung focused on you again, seeing that you were still pushing and giving your best.

He also noticed that by now, some of your fears had come true. He had to press his lips together to not laugh and to not make you feel bad, but even though you were giving birth to a second girl, you saw him and seemed to understand his thoughts.

,,CHOI SAEYOUNG! ONE WORD TO ANYONE ABOUT ME POOPING AND I WILL KILL YOU!’’ you screamed and finally, a second scream filled the room.

,,There’s no need for me to do that! You did that yourself,’’ he laughed and came to you, kissing your nose.

The first baby finally came back and was immediately brought into your arms, followed quickly by the second twin.

,,Both are brown haired. I can’t say Tomato Girls anymore,’’ Saeyoung whined as he observed them.

,,Nope, you can’t tease my girls indeed,’’ you chuckled.

,,They totally don’t look like Saeyoung, I’m happy,’’ Jaehee commented in the chatroom when Saeyoung posted a picture Saeran took holding his babies.

,,I am too,’’ Saeran commented, teasing his brother.

,,They look just like Mc,’’ Yoosung said, but Saeyoung put his phone aside since right now his top priority was to observe his three ladies sleeping. ,,I know that you three are all mine, so I don’t care about your looks,’’ he mumbled and enjoyed the sight of his family.

Saeran

And so, as soon as you cut the call, you dialed the ambulance’s number, hoping that they would be there just in time to help you.

You were happy that you were finally giving birth, but on the other side, you were more than scared.

You knew that twins arrived earlier, but as a mother, you still were concerned.

Unable to think of anything else, you felt as if you drowned into your fears until the door rang, showing you that help was already there.

,,I honestly didn’t think that this would hurt so much,’’ you whined as Saeran was next to you. You knew that he had to keep himself together to not cry with you as you endured the pain.

Saeran looked down to your trembling hand as he sighed.

Hours passed and the pain just increased. Saeran was now massaging your temples and cleaning your sweat.

Suddenly, a loud sound made him turn around and look back to you, noticing that you were really pale.

,,Mc?’’ he called you, making you look at him.

,,It hurts,’’ you gulped and closed your eyes, hoping that it would get better.

,,No use, we need a C-Section!’’ someone said and roughly pushed Saeran away.

He couldn’t follow the medical words as you were suddenly brought away from him.

,,Wait, MC!’’ he tried to run after you, being held back by a nurse who was trying to calm him down.

More hours passed and Saeran was left alone in the big room, waiting for you and some news of you and his boys.

,,I can’t believe that three years passed so quickly already,’’ you laughed as you kissed one of your son’s heads, watching them eat their breakfast.

,,I know, back then those hours I was waiting for you were the worst. I’m happy that they could help you and at least stop the pain for a bit,’’ Saeran sighed as he thought back to that time when the nurse came up to him with one of the babies.

,,At first I thought it was a joke when the nurse told me you didn’t want to hold him!’’ you chuckled.

Saeran blushed.

,,He… first of all she just brought me one baby! I couldn’t have known that the other boy was too weak to see his daddy,’’ Saeran said, not so loud and observed his second son who apparently was too weak that day.

,,Our Haru was still too weak while Haneul was eager to see daddy,’’ you said, smiling.

,,Besides, I expected them to be red haired. He didn’t look like me at all. I thought she mistook the baby!’’ Saeran defended himself.

Maybe the next baby will have your looks,’’ you said, patting your belly and observing your sons making a mess on the table.

Jihyun

You were breathing heavily after the third push as nothing seemed to move forward.

The doctor kept telling you that you were doing great, but you didn’t trust him at all.

You felt impatient, nervous, frustrated, and in pain.

Jihyun seemed to feel that you were unhappy with the situation and kept stroking your head and patting your arm, encouraging you.

,,I love you so much,’’ he whispered.

Suddenly the doctor said something that gave you new hope. ,,I see the head, come on, we will be finished soon!’’ he smiled and gave you another push of strength as you finally let go of the tension.

You were just enjoying the cries of your baby. Finally, you could meet the little baby you were carrying for so long under your heart.

The baby was placed on your chest and immediately stopped crying, making you tear up.

So this was the connection between a mother and her child? You asked yourself.

You looked over to Jihyun who, too, was crying, enjoying the sight of the both of you.

He was probably implanting the sight of the both of you in his head.

Later on, Lucy too was allowed to visit you and her little sibling.

,,But he doesn’t look like daddy at all!’’ the little girl exclaimed, making you laugh.

Well, she was right.

But you all knew that this was for sure Jihyun’s baby, even though no one would say so.

Days passed and finally you guys were allowed to go home, something that made you more than happy. Sleeping, or at least laying in your own bed, made you feel much better than you thought.

,,Is he asleep?’’ Jihyun asked you when you stepped out of the room. It was three pm and you were honestly also ready for a little nap.

Laying your head on his shoulder, you nodded in response and felt his warm hands on your back.

,,Lucy must feel neglected,’’ you whined, feelings overwhelming you since you noticed that these days you didn’t do much. It was either sleeping, eating, or taking care of the baby.

,,No, she is such a caring child and understands, don’t worry. I am with her,’’ Jihyun tried to calm you.

,,Actually, while you and the baby were sleeping, she helped me with something. Come with me,’’ Jihyun whispered and led you to his working room, making you gasp.

,,It seems as if someone took a picture of us,’’ you gasped, again in tears as you saw the moment you held your son for the first time in your arms from the view of someone behind you.

He also managed to insert Lucy into the portrait as if she was there in that one, special moment.

,,She really helped you?’’ you asked him again and couldn’t believe what your eyes were observing.

,,I indeed have the best family,’’ you sobbed as Jihyun hugged you firmly.

Vanderwood

,,Are we all sure that this isn’t a false alarm?’’ Saeyoung asked loudly so that even you, in your room, where you were currently being examined, heard him.

By now you were somehow nervous, agitated.

You glared at Vanderwood who seemed to understand.

As soon as the doctor told you that you were doing well and that you didn’t even need an epidural, Vanderwood went out of the room for a short moment to tell Saeyoung to ,,Either shut the heck up or go and buy your bed on your own!’’ making you feel kind of bad afterwards, but you just needed it.

,,I’m honestly so happy that you aren’t in pain,’’ Vanderwood said when he returned. It was amazing how quickly he could change his mood.

You smiled at him and took his hand.

,,It’s a bit painful, but not that bad. I’m managing,’’ you smiled and looked down to your belly.

Soon you would be able to hold your girl.

,,Three more centimeters are missing,’’ Vanderwood whispered and put his head on yours, smiling as you closed your eyes to feel the warmth your body was sending you.

Time quickly passed and you were finally able to push.

You were rather quick and everyone in the room was positively surprised.

You didn’t scream or cry like most women, you just pushed and gave birth to your sunshine.

The midwife quickly took the baby while you and Vanderwood heard her cry and all your fears of any possible complications vanished.

,,The father can cut the cord if he wishes,’’ the nurse said and of course, Vanderwood didn’t wait and did what he was told, already tearing up.

The baby was quickly put in your arms where you could finally take a good look at her.

You chuckled when you saw her. ,,She is yours, I swear,’’ you told him as you looked at Vanderwood.

,,I know. I feel it even though she doesn’t look like me at all,’’ he smiled.

,,You know, she will probably only have my looks and be totally you with your characteristics,’’ you told him.  

After a while, you decided that Vanderwood, too, had the right to have his baby in his arms and while he did so, holding that little miracle in his arms, you decided to take a hidden picture of him and his little girl. The first picture.

,,Why are you crying? Are you in pain?’’ Vanderwood asked you when he looked at you again.

,,No,’’ you sobbed. ,,It’s just that… you again look like a handsome man and… with the baby you look even better and I… I look like shit!’’ you hiccuped.

Vanderwood chuckled when he heard your words and handed you the baby. ,,You look like this baby. You’re still saying shit?’’ he asked you, calming you down.

The day was pretty emotional for you, which was a reason why Vanderwood decided to send the boys, who were waiting for you guys, home after greeting you shortly, to a shop for a bed for the whining grown up man while he could enjoy time with his own little family.

MASTERLIST 1

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23.05.2021// 23:20 MEST

[anika-ann]

Attached: Word Is that We Might Work It Out

Type: Modern-college-professor AU - part of Attached series 

Pairing: professor!Steve Rogers x reader   Word count: 6850🙈

Summary: You said yes to Professor Rogers – Steve – taking you out for ‘coffee’. Ball’s in your court – and you decide to make your move. 

A date, maybe first of many, maybe not. A date with the gorgeous professor who happened to read your erotica about him. What could possibly go wrong? 

Warnings:  alcohol consumption, professor-student relationship and unspecified age gap, language, lots of fluff

A/N: Timeline-wise, this one-shot fits in after chapter four of Attached!!! At the end, you can find the reason behind me writing this. You can consider it one big flashback, if you will 😅 Gif by capchrisevaans.

Series masterlist | previous in timeline

⊱-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦ ✉ ◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-⊰

You lasted one day. One full day since the encounter in the office, since Professor Rogers admitted he would like to take you out for coffee or something similar. Since you two exchanged numbers.

It took you twenty-four hours – maybe less – to decide that so what if that might be a bad idea. It was not against the university rules and Professor Steve Rogers was a fucking specimen who also seemed to be a genuinely nice human being and if you allowed yourself to play chicken just because something only might go wrong in the future, you’d be an idiot.

Penny, your roomie, wholeheartedly agreed. She actually punched the air in victory as you were nursing a greasy lunch due to the wild-ish celebration of the end of the semester together the night prior and you just said to the void: “You know what, screw it. I’m gonna go for it.”

You didn’t even have to say what you were talking about – Professor Rogers had been the topic ever since the faithful Monday.

So you texted him that if the offer still stood, you’d like to meet up on Friday evening. Was he free?

Hey, Y/N :) Thank you for reaching out. Friday sounds great. Do you have anything specific in mind?

“Dude. He’s such a cutie. Who even texts like that?” Penny chuckled, a wide grin on her face as you couldn’t but read the text out loud.

“I texted him like that.”

“Touché. Because you want to impress mister ‘hot as fuck intellectual’ there.”

You just rolled your eyes, neither confirming nor denying. Mostly because Penny was right. But he was the first to use an emoji and… yeah, cutie indeed.

Well, I never say no to dinner and I’m down for almost anything-

“I bet you are,” Penny hummed to your ear and you swung after her blindly and thought of a better phrasing.

Well, I never say no to a dinner and I’m not picky. You choose. Seven-ish sounds good?

“Spoilsport.”

“Stop reading over my shoulder!” you chuckled and bit your lip as the answer came almost immediately.

Seven is alright. I’ll think of something to treat a girl right ;)

Your stomach made a small somersault, your face instantly radiating heat at the possible innuendo. The phone vibrated again before you could fully process the image your mind painted of him actually saying it in his gentle timbre.

Just so we’re clear, what is the nature of the dinner? It can be whatever you feel comfortable with.

Your heart leaped into your throat, hammering wildly.

That was the question, wasn’t it? Since you texted him, you made one thing clear with yourself. If you were doing this, it was going to be a date. You wouldn’t be doing things by halves.

Penny next to you made a noise that sounded as something between an aww and her gagging on nothing. “He’s disgustingly considerate for a man his age planning on going out with a girl your age.”

“He’s not that much older,” you protested instantly, frowning. He wasn’t. She knew that; you had both done your research. “And I think it’s amazing.”

You caught Penny’s smile from the corner of your eye as you typed.

“Well, it is kinda sweet. And I know he’s not, I’m messing with you. It’s just-- DON’T SEND HIM THAT!”

“Why?” you questioned, looking at her quizzically and totally clicking on send on purpose at the same time.

I’d be comfortable with a date if you are.

“It’s so lame. Of course he’s comfortable with a date, he suggested it. Duh.”

The reply came way too fast and Penny chuckled behind you as your jaw went slack.

“You know what? Don’t mind me. Good job. Keep it up,” Penny patted your shoulder as you stared at the screen where Professor Steven Grant Rogers just texted you a damn heart.

It’s a date <3

⊱-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦ ✉ ◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-◦-⊰

It was a date indeed.

Steve texted you an address on Friday morning (along with an adorable good morning :) ), apologizing that he couldn’t pick you up, making sure you’d be alright getting there on your own. You found it absolutely sweet, considerate and smart. You suspected that his ‘inability’ to pick you up had something to do with the fact that you lived at the dorms and if he showed up there, it would be trending in the university chit-chat room within five minutes.

You spent a better part of the Friday afternoon researching the place and the weather forecast so you could dress accordingly and getting ready.

You were not ready for a date with Steve Rogers however; your nerves were a mess and nothing could ever prepare you for when he showed up perfectly on time in front of the restaurant---- wearing a suit no less.

How were you supposed to function when he was wearing such elegant clothing, a suit he filled up so fucking well?! And he looked just as breath-taking as always, stupidly perfect beard and slightly tousled hair you just wanted to run your fingers through and his smile was so gorgeous and--- Jesus Fucking Christ, the suit- how could you even put words together when looking at him-

“Wow, I feel so underdressed now.”

Clearly, you could speak just fine, only you lost your brain-to-mouth filter. Also, your mouth might have started watering and your heart was pounding like crazy. You would not survive tonight.

But, you also had a point. The restaurant was supposed to be a nice place, but relatively plain. And he showed up in amazingly fitting dress pants, white shirt, a tie and a suit jacket. So yes, you did feel underdressed.

“Oh no, no! You’re not,” he rushed to reassure you, eyeing your semi-leisure white dress with burgundy flowers with an attentive gaze that had you shifting your weight nervously. “I’m overdressed if anything. Sticking out like a sore thumb, I’m sorry.”

You could always just strip the suit jacket, was your first thought, but luckily for you, this time you managed to contain the words before they got out to the open.

“You’re fine,” you said instead, not knowing how else to react; needless to say you were grateful for the smile he gave you despite the double meaning.

Yes, he was fine indeed. Always. It was unfair, really.

“Thanks. You too. In fact, you look beautiful.”

Your heart stopped in your chest, your mind suddenly racing a mile per minute.

It was ridiculous. It was just a word. But for one, it was spoken so kindly and genuinely you couldn’t but think he meant it, for two, it was Professor Steve Rogers who told you that and--- beautiful.

You couldn’t remember a guy ever calling you beautiful.

Cute? Sure. Pretty? Maybe. Hot? Might have happened once or twice . But beautiful?

You might actually swoon.

And you were so lost in your head that you couldn’t but silently stare at the lethally handsome man in front of you and then it again registered in your brain that this was your fucking crush speaking to you and he was on a date with you and he had read your erotica, one that was about him no less-

Your face was set aflame in an instant and you… you couldn’t let out a word.

“It everything okay? Did I… did I say something wrong?” Steve asked hesitantly, a concerned wrinkle appearing between his brows and it reminded you of all the times you had seen him wearing such thoughtful expression in the two classes he taught instead of Professor Barnes and-

You were screwed.

Tonight was going to be a disaster.

“No, uhm, no, sorry--- maybe we should go inside or-“ you muttered, lightly gesturing towards the door and could you get any more awkward?

“Yeah, sure, sounds good.”

He let you walk in first like a real gentleman, the lightest skim of his fingers on your lower back, which caused your heartbeat to skyrocket; and only when the hostess seated you, you realized you never accepted his kind compliment.

It was too late for that now, you assumed, so you sipped at the still water which waited at each table, and repeated like a mantra to yourself that you needed to get your shit together otherwise you’d ruin your shot before the night even started.

But clearly, you succeeded at that already.

Whatever awkward aura you had around yourself, it seemed to extend now to him too – he shifted slightly in his seat (he had pulled out your chair for you before, because of course he had), his shoulders stiff. Despite that, he smiled at you over the menu.

“So… all exams worked out? Enjoying the freedom?” he asked casually.

“Oh, yes. Yeah.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” you uttered with a forced smile, your stomach twisted unpleasantly.  

For some reason, you felt like you were having a lame attempt at small talk with a professor, which you were, but it wasn’t supposed to be like that.

Not tonight. Not on a date.

What were you even doing here? What were you playing at? Professor Steve Rogers was entirely out of your league, gorgeous, funny, kind and smart and here you were, barely making conversation.

It was pathetic really. It was embarrassing for both of you.

“You up to anything fun?” he queried, the question less enthusiastic than the one before. He was already growing tired of making your uncooperative brain work at least a bit, it was obvious.

Your gulped as the memory of last night popped in your head – staying in, quiet evening, in a mood for some dirty writing--- oh bless, another reminder of why this dinner was and should be really weird.

Steve read your smutty story. The one about him.

“Nothing special,” you squealed silently, earning a plain nod. “Eh, we went out with Penny, my roommate and best friend in one person. But mostly I just stayed in and--- caught up on sleeping.”

“I know what that’s like,” Steve hummed, clearly as grateful as you were when the waiter appeared by your table to take your orders.

Silence stretched as the man left, your hand beginning to fiddle with the neatly folded napkin on the table, lump growing in your throat due to your nerves.

“What about you? Anything… fun?” you asked reluctantly, noticing a brief smile passing Steve’s lips. Pretty, sinfully pretty lips. Perfect. Untouchable for mere mortals like you.

“Oh, not much. Few exam sittings, faculty meetings – we had one now, hence the suit-“

“You came here right from school?” you blurted out, startled – and clearly surprising him with your rudeness. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Yes, I did. We have a meeting every last Friday of the month.”

“Oh my god, you must be so tired,” you sympathized with him quietly, the uneasy feeling in your stomach only growing. He came here straight from work and for this? “Why didn’t you say something? We could have postponed or something.”

Steve swiftly shook his head, his warm hand landing on yours, gently stopping your restless fingers. This time, it was butterflies in your stomach erupting with life, the sweet comforting gesture warming your heart. He wanted to be here. He came here for you. He was interested in you.

And the feeling was mutual. So why was it being so weird then?

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m glad you reached out. I’m glad that you said yes in the first place,” he admitted, features softening despite the tension in his shoulders never leaving. His brows furrowed as he slowly withdrew his hand – it must have been an automatic reaction then. “I’m not that tired and… and maybe I was little worried that if I asked for a different date, then…”

He trailed off and your lips parted in surprise, your heart swelling in your chest at what he was implying.

Did he think you’d back out? Did he think that all the potential obstacles intimidated you too much? That you’d think it wasn’t worth it? That it wouldn’t work out anyway?

Seeing as you were now, you couldn’t blame him. Despite him being the world’s most charming man, here you were, being… not at all yourself, stressing for no reason.

It seemed to you that had had chemistry, back there in his office. This date made sense. When you imagined how this could unfold, well, it went a bit differently too. There was considerably less embarrassment going around.

This was why you preferred writing to speaking. That’s why you liked daydreaming. Because reality was often less than ideal, no script, awkward silences, misunderstandings…

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, your voice barely audible as your food arrived.

You both thanked the waiter politely and you hoped that at least now you’d have a good excuse for the lack of normal conversation.

“What are you sorry for?”

You sighed and nibbled on your lower lip, not missing the way his gaze instinctively flickered there, pupils dilating just a fraction – but enough for you to notice. Your heart skipped a pleased beat – but the undeniable physical attraction couldn’t be enough.

“For this,” you said, gesturing vaguely between the two of you. His features twisted in disappointment and something that looked a lot like regret flashed in his eyes. “I want to be here, Steve. I really do. I don’t know what’s wrong with me-“

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you,” he was quick to oppose and you couldn’t help it as a wry chuckle escaped you.

“Well, there’s certainly nothing wrong with you. And still, there’s this…”

“…tension?”

You wished.

“Sort of? But not the fun kind, for sure.”

He grimaced, but a spark of amusement lit up his blue irises. “Awkward air around us?”

“Yes!” you exclaimed victoriously as he voiced exactly what you were thinking. Then you quickly lowered your voice, looking around. Luckily, no one stared at you. You realized you leaned closer to him over the table, your heart racing at that, but you didn’t withdraw; it was a lovely opportunity to get even a better look at his perfect face. “But I don’t know why!” You knew why. “I like you, Steve-“

“I like you too. And I know I already said that, but you look stunning.”

Your cheeks burned again, but this time, you managed to stutter out a thank you at least. Stunning, Jesus, was he for real?

“T-thank you. You look incredibly handsome too. Then again you always do—why did I say that.”

One corner of his lips quirked up.

“Why thank you, I’m glad you did. The feeling’s mutual, believe me.”

“Then why does this feel like one of the most awkward dates I’ve ever been to?!” you whisper-yelled, causing him to chuckle, the tips of his ears turning red.

His hand once again landed on yours, this time deliberately, the gesture warming you in more than one way.

“Well… I’m nervous. You might be too.” You hummed in agreement. Was that all it was? “But the way you said it, at least it seems to me that it could have been worse, right? More awkward?”

You felt the corners of your lips rise at the remark, shrugging. He had a point there. And he squeezed your hand a bit and good Lord, it should not be making your heart race so much, but he was touching you and he was being really sweet and his fingers were nice and warm and long-

“Tell me.”

You blinked in surprise, realizing you had been staring at your joined hands. You raised your gaze, finding him watching you with a subtle smile.

“Tell you what?”

“Tell me about the most awkward date you have ever been to,” he clarified, his thumb caressing your wrist.

You only hesitated for a beat before you nodded in agreement, god knew why. Perhaps you did need a reminder that this could have gone much more disastrously and it was mostly your traitorous brain telling you that you were messing everything up.

Plus, Steve deserved whatever he wanted – so far, he was the only reason this date wasn’t as disastrous as it could be.

“Okay. You ever been to a speed dating event, Steve? Because I have.”

“Oh, this is ought to be good,” he noted with another squeeze to your hand, before he released you. Shame. He sipped at his wine and dug into his pasta. “I’m all ears.”

This is ought to be good, Steve said. Well, maybe. You certainly hadn’t thought so at the time.

Explaining to Steve that as you had been under duress from no other than Penny, you both went to the event which promised you meeting ten dashing men in only an hour. You’d get five minutes with each, as anonymous as you’d wished to be, receiving a folder with nothing but a table with the first names of the men and a yes and no option and a line for your own notes about them.

You weren’t sure what to think of it – but after three epically failed Tinder attempts, you agreed to try. If nothing else, you’d gain a new experience.

And an experience had it been. You even lasted a month with one of the guys, but you didn’t tell Steve that. It wasn’t important.

André was.

André Whatever-was-his-last-name – because that was how it worked, no last names – definitely believed he was important. With the guys moving around the tables from one woman to another, spending five minutes with each, you could already hear André closing to your station from two tables over.

He was hard to tune out, courtesy of the colour of his voice, extremely unpleasant to your ears, and him never letting the woman he faced talk. Always interrupting. Always turning the conversation around so it would be about him.

Asshole.

You liked to think you weren’t quick to judge people, but André was making you cringe before you were even introduced. And then you actually were.

A minute into his monologue to you, you felt like you were being tortured.

And then the waitress managed to stumble and spill a glass of white wine – partly over your table, but mostly on the floor. At least she caught the glass and you had but a tiny spot on your dress.

“She was apologizing so profusely and I wasn’t thinking, okay. I went for the napkins few tables over to help and— I didn’t realize I put the open folder down for everyone to see,” you explained, feeling like face-palming when you remembered the night.

Steve watched you in anticipation, a small smirk and a knowing look on his face as he guessed you had already circled ‘no’ for André at the time.

Oh, you wished it were that simple. You felt your cheeks burn hot as you continued.

“André read it, of course. Obviously, he already got a hard ‘no’ from me, but… I might have written a tiny note for myself as to why,” you admitted and Steve’s eyebrow rose minutely, his curiosity piqued even more.

You took a deep breath.

“I wasn’t exactly kind to him. It was something along the lines of self-important asshole who probably compensated for something.” Steve huffed in amusement. But oh, if he only knew... you sighed and continued. “And If Draco Malfoy and Gilderoy Lockhart had a love child, this would be him.”

No sound came from your companion this time and your teeth anxiously sank into our lower lip, your pulse wavering. What was Steve thinking? Did he think you had been rude? Mean even? Nerdy? All of the above?

He stared at you for full three seconds, clearly rendered speechless by your harsh judgement.

And then he burst out laughing.

Suffocating weight fell from your shoulders and you silently joined him as you explained yourself.

“I was in my Harry Potter phase! And in my defence, I think it was actually pretty accurate...”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that, sweetheart,” Steve chuckled lightly before laughing some more, irises twinkling with amusement and something… softer.

You shuddered upon hearing the endearment spill unwittingly from his lips, upon seeing the emotion on his face.  And maybe you were a little proud of yourself for making him laugh and lose the tension in his shoulders completely.

“It was one of the longest and most awkward three minutes of my life, the silence that followed,” you huffed, massaging your forehead. “He did not appreciate the comparison.”

“I bet,” Steve cackled, taking another bite of his meal, smile playing in the corner of his lips as he swallowed and continued. “But you’ve got to give it to him, he knew his Harry Potter characters.”

“Ha! My thoughts exactly. But that’s a little bit of weak base for dating, I think, especially since I kinda already hated him.”

“Oh, you did? I didn’t catch that,” Steve joked lightly, causing you to smile despite the horrid memory.

And funnily enough, telling him and remembering it… it did make you feel better and more at ease with him.

“Ha ha ha, laugh it up, Professor. Your turn.”

“I’m sorry?” he said, clearly puzzled. It didn’t escape your notice as his voice faltered, his Adam’s apple bobbing at the addressing.

Oh, so that’ s still a thing. You couldn’t but smirk a bit at that.

“An awkward date. You have to share now, it’s only fair,” you shrugged, only for a terrible realization to dawn on you. “Please tell me there is at least one awkward date story, Steve. Tell me this isn’t really your worst date ever.”

He shook his head with a soft chuckle.

“Oh, there’s plenty. I’m just trying to think about one that won’t scare you away from me. I’d hate that.”

One corner of his lips raised, he looked you up and down, lingering on your lips for a bit before meeting your gaze, something you could only hope was fondness and wanton in his eyes. Your breath hitched, heat pooling in your abdomen at the thorough onceover despite the gentle tone of his voice.

Fuck how could he make you feel hot and soft at the same time.

Unable to stand the intensity of his stare, you lowered your gaze and gulped, your stomach making an excited slip. He did want you. You had been being silly, letting your nerves get the better of you.

Clearing your throat, you willed yourself to look up, finding him still watching closely – and perhaps, there was a hint of a red to his cheeks, the tip of his ears burning as if despite the blatant flirting, he was unsure of himself too, because he didn’t want to mess up with you either.

You found it absolutely endearing and your heart swelled. The way you got to see there was more to him than his professor side and his dashing looks… you felt incredibly lucky. The more you got to interact with him, the more it wasn’t just your sinful thoughts belonging to him – he was quickly working on stealing your heart as well.

Plucking up your courage, you were the one to reach out this time, carefully sweeping your thumb over the back of his hand, smiling.

“I’m not scared off all that easily, Steve.”

He mirrored your genuine smile, a glint of something you couldn’t read lighting up his eyes.

“That’s good to know,” he said lowly and sighed, narrowing his eyes as if he was assessing you again. “Alright, here goes…”

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You actually managed to get one more awkward date story from Steve, because frankly, his experiences were hilarious. And surprise surprise, he was a great narrator. Plus, while he talked, you could ogle him shamelessly without fear of looking strange.

But you guessed that since you were on a date, you could ogle him anyway. He didn’t seem to mind; in fact, whenever he got the opportunity, he reciprocated it. It finally did feel like a date, the air growing thicker as you gradually shifted closer and closer, the light touches prolonging, feet meeting under the table without parting as soon as they made contact.

Your belly kept warming up with each smile and laugh, with every second of the intense eye contact, with every flicker of his gaze to your lips and vice versa. Sharing a dessert was a terrible idea, because you wanted kiss the crumbs sticking on his lips away. You teased each other, you complimented each other – with Steve absolutely winning the undeclared contest – and you realized that despite sharing your most embarrassing dates with each other at the beginning, this was the absolute best you had ever been to.

And you didn’t want it to end.

The light sweater you had brought with you did nothing to shield you from the surprisingly lukewarm wind. As you wandered the streets, Steve finally heard out one of your first thoughts you had had when meeting him today – he shrugged off his suit jacket.

Which… yum. The seams of his shirt were crying for help and you could only think fo one way of helping them – taking his shirt off too. But alas, Steve didn’t continue the striptease, probably because you were on the street. Instead, he did the most wholesome thing and held out the jacket for you to slip into.

You only hesitated a moment, teeth sinking into your lower lip. How could you say no to that?

“That’s awfully cliché and really sweet at the same time,” you muttered, causing him to shrug, one corner of his lips raised in a smirk as he helped you put it on, forefinger most definitely deliberately caressing the side of your throat before withdrawing.

A shudder ran down your spine, electrifying feeling going straight to your core. The whiff of whatever cologne he was wearing enveloped you, clouding your senses. Goddammit he smelled so good.

“Maybe I just want to see you in my clothes,” he hummed, the suggestive remark knocking the breath straight out of your lungs.

Stepping to your side from behind your back, you caught a glimpse of his expression – a little bit smug, a little bit panicked as it probably registered with him just how much suggestive it was, perhaps crossing a line.

It was absolutely not crossing the line, because the thought of wearing his clothes, preferably grabbing it because you couldn’t find yours after you threw it all around the room as you frantically stripped each other was making your head spin in the best way.

“Maybe I’d really enjoy wearing your clothes after you rip off mine.”

Steve’s jaw went slack, a choked noise leaving him and you couldn’t but laugh at his dumbstruck expression. Surprise, professor, you little shit. I can keep up.

“That was… mean,” he said, clearing his throat. Your eyebrows rose, pot calling the kettle back style. “But I see how I deserved that.”

“Damn right… but that doesn’t mean it’s a lie,” you shrugged, chuckling at the exasperated look he shot you.

‘Man, she’s gonna fuck you up on a whole new level and I’ll be here for it in the front row with a bowl of popcorn,’ Barnes’ words to Steve which you weren’t meant to hear echoed in your head, making you grin.

The teasing was intense, yet you felt comfortable in it. You blamed Steve and his nature – he already felt like a guy to go lengths to make you feel at ease enough; the way he had kept insisting on you choosing whether this was a date or not only proved it. He made it easy to be yourself, making you feel like you could.

And he made it perfectly clear that he was enjoying seeing you like that, that he appreciated you as you were.

But the closer you got to the campus, the more the reality was settling in, your laughter fading, butterflies and heat replaced by anxiety. He was still a professor. If you went for it, it wouldn’t always be uncomplicated like this. The awkwardness crept in as your steps grew slower, the inevitable arriving.

He couldn’t walk you home, to walk you to the dorm, even if the desire to do so radiated from every fibre of his being. He couldn’t do that for the same reason he hadn’t picked you up.

You came to a stop, feeling like there was this invisible border to a safe, students-free part of the city, the line you couldn’t cross side by side.

“So, uhm… this is it, huh?” Steve hummed, grim. You appreciated the lame attempt at a smile though and reciprocated, turning to face him.

“Looks like it.”

Heavy silence settled over you pair. Your eyes trailed all over him, lingering on his face, noting as he did the same. He was beautiful; you didn’t care you should say that about a man. He was. The light in his eyes dimmed compared to that just a few moments ago, but it was still there, expression soft, almost as soft as his beard looked, causing your fingers to twitch in need to run them over it and pull him in for a kiss.

Your lips tingled as the idea. You had never kissed a man with a beard and you wanted to know how it felt. The fact it was Steve only sealed the deal and made the need grow exponentially.

You wanted to kiss him so bad. But here you stood, unable to move, unable to speak. You sighed.

“Would you-“ “I want to-“

“Sorry,” you and him said at the same time again, laughing it off quietly, your fingers running through your hair.

Your stomach clenched when you noticed his eyes following the movement almost wistfully.

“You go first,” he prompted you gently.

You didn’t argue – if you learned one thing tonight, it was that Steve was a gentleman and that was so rare these days that you wouldn’t want to discourage him from being that way. Even if you really wanted to know what he was about to say, as soon as possible.

“I… I just want to say thank you. For the… for the date. I had a good time, so I hope you had too, at least a little,” you offered lamely, feeling blood rushing to your cheeks.

Like a schoolgirl blushing in front of her professor. Jesus, why were you being like this again.

Steve didn’t seem to find you as awkward as you felt however, your name slipping from his lips, kind and soft.

“I had a very good time. You’re amazing.” Your lips parted at the blatant and genuine compliment. His eyes went wide. “I’m sorry, that came out so strong, I didn’t mean to put you in spot like that-“

Stronger than ‘maybe I just want to see you in my clothes?’ you asked yourself. No, you didn’t think so. It was just that the playfulness had left at least two blocks back.

This felt more serious. More intimate.

“Ditto,” you whispered, gracing him with a shy smile he instantly mirrored. “But hey, I already knew that, so…”

He chuckled, shaking his head lightly, his smile only growing. When he looked at you again, his eyes were the beautiful warm blue that made you weak in the knees.

“Would you like to do something like that again?” he queried lowly.

Yes. YES. YES PLEASE. Minus the awkwardness at the beginning and the one a moment ago, preferably.  

“Yeah. I’d like that,” you agreed simply, taking note of how his face lit up even more.

How could a man be so indescribably hot and yet adorable enough to tug at your heartstrings?

“Good. I’m glad.”

He tugged at your hand unexpectedly, pulling you to your left, his other hand steadying you by gently grasping your forearm.

Before you could question his actions, a pair of men swaying in a drunken haze passed you, having no care in the world for whom they might crash into.

“Thanks,” blurted out lowly, sparing a second to shoot their backs a dirty glare.

But Steve’s hands were still on you, distracting, as you stood face to face, chest to chest, a little too close, a little too far. Your heart sped up in your ribcage, breathing picking up in anticipation. So close…

But all Steve did was to squeeze your forearm reassuringly, lifting your joined hands to his face.

Just like the day you agreed to get coffee with him, he kissed your knuckles, only this time it was much firmer. His smile was sweet and utterly irresistible as he kept looking at your face and you felt all the worries about the future melt away once again.

He was so precious and this felt so right and--- you didn’t want him to kiss your hand.

Well, you wanted it, but you wanted more too.

You had been aching to kiss that mouth since you had first set eyes on him, on that inhumanly gorgeous and hot creature. You were on a date, you both had a great time and clearly he was giving you the opportunity to decide how far you wanted to take this, because as much as every little touch of his made to crazy, the displays of affection were positively chaste.

And you wanted to take it very very far.

Your rational brain wouldn’t let you just hop into sac with him today, but fuck, you could do with a kiss. You wanted to feel that perfectly trimmed beard of his and you wanted to taste him.

Did he?

You stepped even closer as he let go of your hand, distracting you minutely; due to the sudden proximity, it landed on his chest and Jesus fucking Christ he was firm.

Your fingers clutched at the white fabric of his shirt as you observed his face, your gaze inevitably flickering to his lips. Glancing up once more to find him still watching you intently, pupils dilated, your breath caught in your throat, heat stirring in your belly.

Rising to your tiptoes, you gripped the fabric tighter and shortly pressed your lips to his.

It was a funny feeling – lips hot, soft and slightly chapped, a stark contrast to the beard, less rough than you expected, leaving a tingly sensation behind. It was different; exciting and addicting. Before he could react and before you could think twice, you kissed him again, this time lingering for a few seconds, your eyelids falling shut.

Your heart fluttered when you felt his lips reluctantly respond just as you withdrew, his grip on your arm tightening. You ran your tongue over your lips to savour the feeling, mouth instinctively curling up in a smile, gaze meeting his.

Little wrinkles appeared around his eyes as he smiled as well.

“You okay?”

You nodded, almost too eagerly, lowering back to your whole feet. Involuntarily, your gaze flickered to his mouth again, wanting more.

“Uhm… beard,” you piped up unhelpfully, pressing your lips together as soon as the admission left them.

Steve’s smile widened as he once again grasped your hand, leading it to cup his face – not before he dropped a kiss to your palm.

You almost let out a very embarrassing whine at the curious sensation, your mind, still enveloped in Steve’s warmth and cologne, wondering how the beard would feel elsewhere.

Your fingers unwittingly caressed the hair, thumb brushing his lips, unable to resist.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, lips parting, hot breath fanning over your skin as watched you.

“Sweetheart,” he breathed out and that was it – you pressed against the soft swollen flesh at the pet name, causing a low grumble echo in Steve’s chest.

And then his hand slid to your waist, the other sinking into your hair, and he pulled up into a kiss that had nothing to do with how patient he had been before. He was still a gentleman, but it was a close call – he angled your head to his liking, his lips dancing with yours in a sensual dance with just a tease of tongue licking at the seam of your lips, causing you to sigh in bliss, granting him access.

He hummed appreciatively, the sound shaking your bones as he held you flat against him, the heat of his body seeping into yours – as if every nerve ending in your body wasn’t on fire already. He breathed you in, consumed you entirely – there were no other words for it.

There weren’t many words you could think of to begin with, too busy feeling his broad shoulders under your palm, fingers roaming to find the soft hair at his nape, revelling at the taste of him, just a smidge of tongue and you wanted more, your insides twisting in need--- and oh, your back was pressed against a wall now.

You let out a small startled sound which Steve instantly swallowed – but it was a good wake up call for you both. The motions of his lips slowed, softened, a gentle caress more than anything, his thumb stroking your cheek.

Breathless, you chased after his mouth when he retreated, earning one small peck and then another. He rested his forehead against yours, nose briefly skimming yours, causing you to smile and meet his gaze.

“Sorry,” he muttered and you genuinely wanted to slap his arm or something for apologizing for that. Because you knew what you’d be thinking about for the next few hours, days even, hell, probably weeks. “For springing out like that. I just… wanted to do that for a long time.”

The admission had your heart skip a beat and you couldn’t but lean in to kiss the corner of his mouth – and nope, you weren’t over how it felt, his beard against your lips. You wouldn’t be over it for a long time, you suspected.

“Me too.”

“So… we’re doing this again, right?“

You smirked up at him as he reluctantly released you. “You springing out like that or-“

“Don’t test me, babygirl,” he nearly growled, causing your eyes going wide as saucers, feeling as if you were sucker punched to your gut – and liked it.

Babygirl. Jesus, he was going to be the death of you.

“You can spring out like that again too,” you chimed, your voice sounding a bit strangled, because holy shit he just called you that. His gaze flickered all over your face, a shade darker than before. Your underwear was thoroughly ruined with that single look… and the earlier make-out session. “But if we’re talking second dates, I’d definitely do that too.”

He huffed and shook his head, a chuckle escaping him.

“You’re a minx…. I think I like it.”

You grinned at him and then sighed regretfully, reaching to slip off the jacket, which made him frown.

“You could give it back later.”

“Don’t tempt me… don’t want to rob you of it--- and there would be questions,” you explained, knowing that even walking around the campus like what would raise rumours of god knew what.

Like, maybe someone would think some gentleman like Professor Steve Rogers himself lent it to you or something, gee, where would that come from...

Steve nodded in understanding, accepting the jacket and shrugging it on.

“Plus, I’m thoroughly warmed up,” you added cheekily, causing him to chuckle incredulously again. With a sigh, he leaned in, cradling your jaw in one large hand and pressed a sweet lingering kiss to your forehead.

You could melt on spot.

“Goodnight, sweetheart. Let me know when you get home safe?” he asked of you gently, tugging at your heartstrings some more, because of course he did.

“I will. You too?”

His smile was soft and sweet as he promised to do so, clearly touched by your care. Well, that made two of you.

“Goodnight, Steve. Thank you for tonight.”

“Thank you.”

You breathed in deeply, dropping a last kiss to his cheek and quickly spun on your heels to walk away – because if you wavered a second longer, you might have not left at all.

Sure, you looked back at him several times, finding him standing where you had left him, his eyes following your receding figure. But you kept walking.

And once you couldn’t see him anymore, you broke into a fit of giggles, hiding your face in your palms to muffle your delighted squeal.

You were just coming back to the dorms from the date with Steve Rogers.

And despite the hiccups, it was the best damn thing in the world, leaving you giddy and already craving another date and more. Your cheeks hurt from smiling by the time you made it to the dorms, your heart pounding excitedly the whole time.

As promised, you let Steve know you made there safe, earning another text with a heart. It only made you squeal again, fingers frantic as you replied – and with a kiss for goodnight so he knew you truly enjoyed your night, ending included.

What he didn’t know was that maybe, just maybe, the next evening you wrote a tiny story in which you elaborated at what could happen if he ever pushed you against a wall and kissed your breathless ever again.

And hopefully, he would.

Soon.

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Attached masterlist

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...how it happened? I was asked about the first date, very kindly and in a no pressure manner.

S: Hey, just out of curiosity, you don’t really have to answer… how do you imagine their first date went?

me: Hm, let me think, I guess, mm, it would be like this--- oh shit. Oh no. It’s gonna be a fic again, isn’t it? Maybe I could finally write a headcanon or a drabble--- sigh.

As if I could ever.

Thank you for reading :-*

[roswellnmsource]

Michael Trevino Talks The CW’s ‘Roswell, New Mexico’

So first off, what was your reaction to finding out you’d be doing that time jump this season? Michael Trevino: For Kyle, I think jumping — I mean yeah, time has passed, right? And I think whenever you start a new season, we always ask that. We’re like, “Well, how much time has passed? Where are we starting from? Has as my character been here, been there?” So this is one of those seasons where yes, time has passed, kind of a restart, reboot and it’s fresh. I think our first episodes were showing people in their different dynamics and kind of briefly alluded to what they’ve been up to, and that’s always nice.

I had the chance to see episode nine early and really enjoyed it. What can you preview for the fans about what this episode has in store for them? I feel that episode nine is a turning point for Kyle. Kyle, as we all know, is there for everybody, whenever he can be. He seems to be the one that they go to. He’s always putting out fires, I keep saying that but it’s true. Whenever there’s a problem, Kyle’s there for you. And I think this episode is kind of where — not that he’s reached a limit, but it’s taken a toll on him and we get a very frustrated, little angsty Kyle for good reason, I feel. I think that that frustration is a bit earned after everything, but we are going to find out in 3×09, as we’ve been finding out, a bit more about who Jim Valenti was, who was Kyle’s father, who is Eduardo, what is Deep Sky about, and it’s going to kind of jumpstart Kyle for the rest of the season. It’s a big episode for him because he finally makes a decision on, “Okay, enough is enough. This is how I feel about this and this is what we’re doing next.”

How was it for you to play with that sort of stroyline as an actor? As you said, it is such an important point for him. Well, I gotta be honest, I just saw the episode and I’m coming in hot! I’m coming in real hot and in the moment I didn’t think it was that hot, but damn, we’re there. And so I think it’s fine because I get a lot of feedback, which is great, that Kyle is such a good guy and “I like his character, he’s there for everybody.” That’s nice, right? So I feel like after three seasons of that, to see Kyle a bit over it with what’s going on and everything that he’s being told, new information, more new information, I think it works. For me, you try to find those moments of like, “Okay, can I keep being there for everybody,” or at some point I’m going to be like, “Okay, I’m done,” right? Or “I can only do this much.” He’s never going to turn his back on people, but in this episode we see him a little frustrated.

Fans love the show, what does it mean to you when you go on social media or meet fans in person and hear their response to your work? It’s great. It’s a beautiful feeling because we’re currently filming season four and that’s rare for a series to really last that long, to build these characters, and to still have these interesting storylines. So, to know that people are still engaged in these characters and the story that we’re telling, they’re still tuning in, it’s nice. What makes it even more special this season is because we’re watching season three right now, but we’re currently at the same time filming season four. Through the scheduling it just worked out that way, but it’s almost instant feedback and it’s also an instant reminder of “Okay, where have we been? What have we done?” So we feel closer to the story, which is great for us as actors, but sometimes it’s not that way. You’ll see something and be like, “Oh yeah, we shot that a year ago. Where am I coming from? Where are we headed,” and you want to track these stories but right now I’m just thankful for everybody that’s continuing to watch and who’s invested in these characters.

The show was picked up for a season four ahead of season three even premiering, which was so amazing to see. What was your reaction when you heard the news? I was genuinely surprised because usually you don’t get a pickup until at least the season has aired or the season is four or five episodes in, but I guess because in the year COVID and the delay, the network was able to see all these episodes and see the ones that we’ve done already. It’s great feedback. I think that we have something special happening here in Santa Fe, New Mexico with this crew, this cast, and our writers back in LA, who are back to visiting us on set per their episode. Everybody’s still invested. It’s a great feeling because we’re all here, we’re happy to be here, grateful to be telling these stories and working, and we’d like to continue.

What has been your favorite storyline of the season so far that fans have already seen? I think — okay, well, to answer that on what we’ve already seen, I did like and enjoy the scenes with Kyle and Michael. Those were fun to shoot. I get along great with Mr. Michael Vlamis and it’s always fun to be in scenes with him because, as we know, Michael Guerin is a bit of a wild card. With that, Mr. Michael Vlamis on the day is able to be a little bit unpredictable and I like that. I like performing with him and feeding off of what he’s bringing. He always keeps it fresh and new in each take. So, I like those scenes with him

I know you can’t tell me too much, but what can you tease about the rest of season three? The rest of season three, I feel now that Jones is really flexing on us, we have this bit of the Avengers assembling right in Roswell, like everybody having to come together, everybody has a job, and it’s to really take care of Jones and get him out of here. So I think that’s really what the rest of these episodes are going to be about.

I love that metaphor you did. It’s perfect. It really is because it’s like from season one to season three, we’re all separate. Now, it’s like, “Okay, we have to join forces to handle this guy.” And that’s what we’re gonna see.

You filmed season three with the COVID pandemic and now you’re filming season four with those safety precautions since the pandemic is still going on. What did it feel like for you to wrap season three with those circumstances, but then also come back for season four? Well, I have to give it to our producers, really, because everybody in the world had to pivot. We all had to make changes in our lives and I think the changes that have been made to keep everybody — crew, catering, casting, post production, accounting, whoever — safe on set, there’s been some different rules and it’s kept everybody safe. I’m proud to say we didn’t have to shut down once in season three. Unfortunately, there’s other productions that had to, but up here in Santa Fe, no. We were just lucky or we followed the rules, I don’t know but we were great and we were able to keep to our schedule, not have to shut down, and now we’re back for season four and we know what to expect. So things are running smoothly and there hasn’t been any problem. I’m just happy, glad, and grateful that we’re able to still tell the stories.

What is your personal favorite dynamic (friendship or relationship) when it comes to Kyle? I’m going to say that I want to see more Kyle and Isobel. I think that Isobel brings out a different side of Kyle whenever they’re in scenes or have interactions with one another. I’d like to lean more into that storyline for whatever it may be, I just want them to have more interaction because I think Kyle acts a different way around her. She’s just such a big ball of energy, so I think that would be fantastic and I would want to see more of that.

I know you’re probably not going to be able to give me too much on this, but I have to ask you, what was your reaction when you read the scripts for season four? Well, my reaction is a kind of going off of my last answer, Kyle ends up having more storyline with Isobel and it’s nice to see that play out. And so far, it’s been refreshing to see them in scenes together. I will tease this: so far in season four, the scenes that are with Kyle and Isobel have a comedic feeling to them. I feel like their scenes are fun and funny to shoot, but there’s a comedic element to it.

Is there any other show that you are personally a fan of and would like to see Roswell, New Mexico do a crossover with? Oh damn, that’s a great question. Off the top of my head, we’re gonna have a Roswell, New Mexico and The X-Files crossover event. This episode is going to air right after the Super Bowl and millions of people are going to watch it. It’s going to be Scully and Mulder pulling up to Roswell, New Mexico and Kyle will be there to greet them.

Is there a memory that sticks out to you as a memorable moment from filming season three? Oh gosh, it’s our season finale, it has to be our season finale. I can’t give away too much, but like I said about as far as Avengers assembling, it’s those scenes when we’re all on set together. It’s the season finale, we’re in Santa Fe in the middle of February and March, it’s freezing, it’s like 10 degrees outside, we’re getting the exterior night shoots that we need, and we’re all in. It’s not even just the cast, it’s the crew, it’s everybody. We’re just trying to get the final shot done of the season and we are working against all the elements. It’s a bit chaotic but it’s organized — organized chaos, that’s what it is. Those feelings are you got to get the job done and that’s what we do. I mean, we all know Jones is the big bad and everybody’s gonna have to get involved to take care of him and we see that in our last episode. Those scenes are really fun to shoot. They were challenging but I think it’s gonna come together well and it’ll be a strong finish for us.

If you could create a tagline or a phrase of your own to describe Kyle as a character, what would you pick? Kyle Valenti: I’m there if you need me.

[manonblaqkbeak]

How We Met

here it is, my last fic for rowaelin month! thank you so much to everyone that’s read, liked and commented on my fics, it’s been so much fun reading and writing these last four weeks! i’m glad to know that i’m not the only one that is in dire need of more rowaelin content (srsly, i would pay sjm a truck load of money for a strictly rowaelin book bc i miss them sm)

here’s part 4 for the little series i had going on. i was so tempted to make this an angst piece but held back lol.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

cw: none

1.8k words

enjoy and thank you again!!! :) 💕💕💕💕

Gathering the ingredients for the cake that she and Ophelia were going to make for Rowan, Aelin plopped them down on the kitchen counter and tied her and her six year old daughters hair back. Even in the kitchen light, Ophelia's hair was a vivid shade of silver and when she turned to look at her mother, the golden ring in her eyes were just as bright.

“Up, mama!” Ophelia asked, pointing to the step ladder that Olive made for her little sister in her woodshop class at school. Getting it off from atop the fridge, Aelin and Ophelia started their baking session for today. It wasn't often that Aelin baked cakes from scratch but it wasn't every day that her firstborn turned sixteen—not that Aelin could really comprehend that her Olive was sixteen—but Aelin wanted to do this for her, wanted to make something special.

She hoped that it wasn't going to taste as bad as the last cake she baked. Rowan had been sick afterwards and didn't go to work the next day.

That was five years ago, so surely with gaining wisdom as people said when others got older, her baking skills grew too.

“Where did everyone go?” Ophelia asked, her little tongue poking out as she helped Aelin sift the flour.

“To get dinner for tonight. We're having Ollie's favourite.” Which was cuisine from the Southern Continent, there was a restaurant that specialised in the spicy food, and Aelin couldn't wait—she and Rowan often tried to recreate their favourite recipes, but it was never right, so Olive wanted to have the genuine stuff for her birthday and not her parents shoddy attempts.

Not that Aelin could blame her.

They continued making the chocolate cake, Ophelia babbling on about her day at school, when her little one asked, “How did you and papa meet?”

Aelin blinked at the sudden question, but answered it nevertheless. “At the grocery store.”

Ophelia furrowed her brows, and with the way her nose scrunched up, she looked so much like Rowan that it made her heart sing. When Aelin first realised that she was pregnant, she was nervous, they had only been married for seven months and while they spoke about having a child of their own, she didn't think it would happen so quickly—but Rowan's enthusiasm melted away her fears. She would never forget his tears of joy when she showed him the pregnancy test, his beaming smile when they heard her heartbeat for the first time. Aelin would walk through hell, as long as Rowan was by her side, or waiting for her at the end.

It wasn't always perfect, however, they had their ups and downs like every long-term couple, they had moments where it felt like they were walking on tightrope, either because of their own personal issues or marriage issues, or when Egan was fourteen and completely lashed out at Aelin, accusing her of replacing his mother—but she worked with her son, telling him that she had never intended to do that, that Lyria would always be the woman that brought him into the world, and that Aelin was raising him. Her heart broke in two at his pain, but she understood, he grew up with photos and stories of Lyria.

Or when they had the awkward conversation when Olive was eleven and asked why she didn't look like Rowan, and Aelin had explained her story, about Sam being her biological father, but he had given them space for Rowan to raise her instead. That had lead to brooding silences and confusion, but otherwise, Olive still saw Rowan as her dad, but she did ask from time to time about Sam, what he was like and what he was doing (the last update Aelin received from him via email that his wife was pregnant with their second child. Aelin was so happy for him that he was able to have a family, a feat that was made easier since Arobynn had been dead for years by this point) and that she would like to meet him properly one day; Aelin had kept that to herself, not wanting to tell Sam in case Olive changed her mind—Aelin hoped that she wouldn't.

Overall, their life together was what she needed, she went to bed each night loved and fulfilled. It was better than what she might have had with Chaol all those years ago, she was fairly certain that if she had married him, it wouldn't have been a long marriage.

“How did you meet at the food store?” Ophelia asked, her brow still furrowed as she and Aelin stirred the cake batter. It surprisingly smelled good.

“I needed something from a high shelf,” Aelin said, “and I couldn't reach it. Your papa was only a few feet away from me, so I asked him to get it for me.” She might have also subtly ogled him as his shirt exposed his tanned skin, and Aelin had damned near swooned at the sight of his six pack.

“Did you get married at the food store?”

Aelin laughed at the question. “No, we got married at the beach. And then you arrived not long afterwards.” Sometimes they wanted another, but things financially were going so well that they didn't want to jeopardise that by adding another mouth to feed.

“Can you have another wedding?” Ophelia asked, looking at her mum with wide eyes. “So I can go? Please?”

“I'll talk to your daddy about it, but I like the sound of that.” Kissing her daughters forehead, they continued. Just as they were putting the cake in the oven and the icing mix in the fridge, the front door opened and three booming voices infiltrated the house and the mouth watering goodness of food.

Aelin's eyes widened at the amount of food that Rowan piled on the table. It looked like they were feeding a small army and not a family of five.

Ophelia helped her older brother set the table, Egan ruffing her hair as he recounted their little adventure to the restaurant.

As they sat down, Aelin mentioned Ophelia's request. Rowan pretended to mull it over as their daughter pleaded, giving her best puppy dog eyes. It didn't take for Rowan to relent—he really had trouble saying no to her—saying that a second wedding was a great idea.

Ophelia squealed in delight and squealed even more when food was placed in front of her (she was very much like Aelin in that regard).

“How did the conversation of another wedding start?” Rowan asked as they all started eating.

“Phia here wanted to know how we meet.”

Olive snorted. “Yes, the ever romantic story of meeting in the toilet paper aisle.”

“It was not the toilet paper isle!” Aelin protested. “It was the cereal aisle.”

“At least you kids have inherited my manners,” Rowan said, “your mother didn't even ask nicely. She just came over to me and said, 'You're tall, could you get that box for me?'” It had taken him a moment to realise he had been spoken to, too focused on deciding what box of porridge to get when Aelin showed up, wearing a faded band shirt and shorts, pointing to the box of cereal that had far too much sugar to be healthy. He had said 'yes' because it was the nice thing to do, and had stayed behind, talking to her for so long in the aisle that his vanilla ice cream had started to melt.

It was the best decision in his life back then, he never thought he would have gained a friend in the grocery store—and that the friend would become his wife.

“I have manners. I said, 'Excuse you' first before I told you what I needed.”

“That's not really using manners there, ma,” Egan said, smiling as poked her tongue out. He looked so much like Lyria that it was almost scary—he still loved flowers and plants too, and was currently studying to become a florist and then one day horticulture. The backyard was full of flowers and plants thanks to him, making into a little wonderland instead of the barren plain it used to be.

“I did say 'thank you' afterwards.”

“You said 'thanks',” Rowan interjected, laughing as Aelin threw a chunk of her flatbread at his head. Ophelia's cute laughter rent through the air.

“It's the same thing!”

“If you say so, love,” Rowan muttered, his lips twitching. Aelin rolled her eyes in the dramatic way Rowan was used to, but he saw the mirth behind the movement.

“Like I said Phie, it's very romantic,” Olive said drily, sounding very much like Rowan. She had even inherited his scowl, which she was wearing now as she sniffed at the air. “Is something burning?”

Aelin had never run so fast as she did right then, the kitchen filling with smoke as she took in the blackened cake. Swearing viciously under her breath, Aelin chucked the cake into the bin, apologising to Olive as she did so.

“It's okay, mum, dad got me an ice-cream cake earlier today anyway.”

Aelin narrowed her eyes at her husband, who simply gave her an innocent smile in answer.

Rejoining her family, they talked well into the night, helping Aelin to forget her failed baking attempt. Ophelia asked more questions about their time in the grocery store and how that moment lead to friendship, to pining for the other without realising it, to a life together.

And to think, Aelin almost didn't go to the grocery store that day.

Rowan thanked the gods that he had remembered at the last moment that he had no porridge left, otherwise, he might not have met Aelin at all. Might not have had this life, this family. Part of him would always be sad that things had gone so wrong with Lyria, and he would always miss and love her. But he learned in therapy that it was good to have a life, and Rowan was glad that he heeded that advice.

He thanked the gods all the time.

And thank the rutting gods he did right now for the umpteenth time that Aelin deemed him tall enough to get her food for her, to stay in that aisle with him as they got to know each other.

Rowan was a very happy man indeed as he and Aelin went to bed that night, the smiles still on their faces at Olive's unrestrained joy at the sight of the car they spent weeks looking at second-hand dealerships at, hunting for the perfect car for their daughter.

Thank the rutting gods for all those moments in the past, present, and future.

Rowan couldn't wait to marry her again, and neither could Aelin.

Life was good.