#grabbing at any silly little crumbs i can find is so fun <3

[riddlerosehearts]

omg can you believe we now have THREE whole images of vilidia standing next to each other 💜💙

[jobean12-blog]

Top Shelf: Chapter 10- Recipe for Love

Pairing: Bucky x reader (Bookshop/Bartender AU)

Word Count: 2,064

Summary: You and Bucky decide to host dinner for your friends and afterwards you get the best idea ever...

Author’s Note: Thank you all so very much for sticking with me and continuing to read! This has really been such an escape for me and I can never thank you enough for reading and being so kind and supportive. Thank you all for reading and much love always ❤❤❤

Warnings: sweet fluff, soft smut, fluffersmut, fun with friends :) 

Previous Chapters 

Chapter 1: Enchantment

Chapter 2: Cookie Crumble

Chapter 3: Sweet Anticipation

Chapter 4: Read Between the Limes

Chapter 5: Secrets on the Shelf

Chapter 6: Love Between the Covers 

Chapter 7: Love Lines & Soul Finds

Chapter 8: Drunk in Love

Chapter 9: Pour in onto the Page

The rest of the night goes on in a blur of soft touches, heated kisses and whispered, “I love yous.” Now that the words are out it’s as if neither of you have anything else to say. The uber ride back to Manhattan is as sugary sweet as the cotton candy you’re licking off your fingers. “Oh my god, Bucky! I forgot how good this stuff is!” you exclaim as you pull off another chunk of the spun sugar. “I know!” Bucky replies, kissing some melting pink sugar off your lips.

You giggle, trying to refrain from poking him with your sticky fingers. “Sweetheart, if you get that sticky crap stuck in my hair, we’re gonna have a problem.” Your fingers reach toward him as you hold back laughter. Bucky quickly grabs your wrist and brings your hand to his mouth, slowly sucking the sugar off the tip of each finger. “I wish we were home already,” you breathe out.

When you finally fall through the door of your apartment, you’re surprised you’re still dressed, Bucky’s hands groping you from the moment you got out of the uber. He walks you backward until you bump the small island in your kitchen, his arms lifting you up and sitting you on the countertop. Your hands card through his hair as he kneels between your legs, pushing up the skirt of your dress.

His eyes watch you as he trails kisses up your thigh, his soft hair slipping through your fingers as you try to find a hold on something. With the languid movements of his tongue he takes you apart, your body completely sated as he stands to unzip his jeans. You waste no time, helping him get them to the floor.

He enters you slowly and you feel every inch, his forehead pressed to yours while you relish in the feeling of each other. The lights from the city cast a soft glow on your skin as Bucky’s hands and mouth explore every inch with a newfound reverence.  It isn’t long before you come undone, his name a quiet plea falling from your lips.  

The next morning you find the other side of the bed empty, but the smell of freshly brewed coffee permeates the air. With a satisfied hum you throw off the covers, covering your nakedness with Bucky’s shirt. “Do you always walk around shirtless?” you ask as you enter the kitchen, Bucky’s back to you as he stands over the coffee pot.

“Are you complaining,” he croons, throwing you a look over his shoulder. “Not at all,” you say, walking over and wrapping your arms around his waist. “That smells so good! I’m so glad someone is finally using the coffee pot. I usually just get it from the café down the street.” He turns and hands you a steaming cup, asking, “you mean the little spot on West 22nd and 9th Ave?” You nod as you take your first sip, moaning at the taste.

“It’s going out of business!” You nearly spit out the delicious coffee, “WHAT?” Bucky frowns, holding you against his chest, “yeah, the new Starbucks that opened nearby is killing them.” Now it’s your turn to frown, the realization you may have to start brewing your own coffee or paying way too much for one making you angry. You take another sip, eyeing Bucky over the mug, “that’s awful. I really liked that place!”

Kissing the top of your head he says assuredly, “you have me and since you seem to approve of my coffee making skills, I think you’ll manage.” With a contented smile you reach behind him for your cookie tin, picking it up and noticing it feels way too light. “Bucky. Did you eat the last of the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies?”

Hanging his head, he doesn’t answer but it’s all the confirmation you need. “I can’t believe you didn’t even leave me one!” He tries to look sheepish but fails terribly as he checks for crumbs along his mouth. “Well, they were amazing! And I was hungry this morning!” he says in defense. “You’re lucky I love you, you know that” you say. He takes your unfinished coffee from your hands and places in on the counter. “Actually, I’m the lucky one and I love you too,” he says, before stopping any further conversation with his lips on yours.

You spend Sunday afternoon at the bookshop with Bucky, organizing some shelves and just enjoying each other’s company. As per her usual Sunday visit, Grandma Betty strolls in shortly after lunch, her smile bright at the sight of you both. “Look at you two. You’re practically glowing today! I knew a night out would be good for my boy. Was it as fun as you remembered?”

Bucky sends a heart stopping smile your way before launching into a full recap of your night and how perfect it was. Grandma leaves with a smile that matches yours and a promise of some of your now famous peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

After the visit you can tell that Bucky’s mood has dampened slightly, his teeth working over his bottom lip and his forehead creased in thought. “Hey baby, you think Steve, Peggy, Nat and Sam would want to come over for dinner next weekend? Maybe we can do it early before you guys have to be at the bar?” His spirits seem to lift at the idea, and he sends out a text to see if everyone is available.

Once your plans are made and you all settle on a time you ask him, “what do I make for dessert?” He laughs, raising his brow before he speaks. You cut him off, “I’m not making you any more of those cookies. In fact, I’m going to make a whole batch, give them all to your grandma and you can’t have any!” He pretends to pout which makes you laugh, his antics hard to resist. “I’ll bake something new! A surprise!” you exclaim, winking his way.

You spend almost every weeknight at Bucky’s apartment, except for Wednesday night because Nat insists she needs some girl time. “So. Does it feel different now that you guys said I love you?” she asks, sitting on the couch with her legs stretched out over yours while sipping her wine. “It just feels right. I can’t really explain it. It all seems so cliché when I really think about it, but I’ve also not felt surer about anything before.”

Nat tilts her head in understanding, her hand reaching over to squeeze yours. “I get it. I’m so happy for you.” With another sip of your wine you reply, “thanks, I love you. Now stop stalling and tell me about your weekend with Sam!” She giggles and you squeal when you see a light blush creep over her cheeks. “OH MY GOD! WELL??” She kicks you with her foot, scowling before she says, “it’s the wine! I swear!” You laugh, knowing full well she’s full of shit. “Yea right. You can’t fool me. SPILL IT!”

Saturday morning rolls around and you and Bucky leave his apartment together, you’re heading out for baking supplies and Bucky heading to the bookshop to open and prepare for his early departure. “If you need me to pick anything up on my way back just let me know, doll. I can easily make a stop.” You pepper his cheek with kisses, saying thank you in between before planting a good one on his lips. “I love you,” he murmurs, watching you walk down the street until you’re out of his sight.

You decide on making a coconut cream pie for dessert, checking beforehand that everyone is a fan of the fruit. It’s the first time you’re making it and you’re both excited and nervous. Once you have everything you need you head back to Bucky’s and start preparing, making sure to send him plenty of silly texts as you bake. Thankfully the two of you had made a sauce and breaded chicken cutlets the night before so all that had to be done other than the pie was frying up the cutlets and cooking the pasta.

Bucky arrives home right on time. “Wow. It smells amazing in here baby.” He gives you a tight hug, picking you up off your feet and kissing you soundly before running off to take a quick shower. Once he’s clean and ready you finish up the cooking and put the pie in the oven. Bucky sets the table and you prepare some small appetizers.

Steve and Peggy arrive first, and Peggy joins you in the kitchen for some gossiping and wine. You look over her shoulder to see Bucky and Steve on the couch plowing through the snacks. “Hey boys! Can you please try to save some for Nat and Sam??” They both look up guiltily, trying to hide their mouthfuls of food. “Sorry,” they mumble simultaneously.

Luckily, Sam and Nat show up only moments later and Sam can snag a few bites. Dinner goes off without a hitch and everyone sits with their glass of wine while they wait for dessert. “Nat has been going on and on about y/n’s baking all week! I can’t wait to eat this pie!” Sam shouts. “I know, Bucky said her cookies are better than my mom’s!” Steve chimes in, raising his eyebrows.

Everyone looks at Steve in shock, their mouths hanging open. “What the heck guys?” you say as you walk to the table holding the pie. “What happened?” Steve quickly speaks up, “nothing y/n! We were just talking about how good your baking is. That looks amazing!” You throw them a knowing smirk and put the pie on the table, serving a slice to everyone.

Sam shovels in a giant bite, moaning around the fork. “Holy cow, this is incredible y/n!” Steve follows suit, closing his eyes and mumbling something about heaven while he chews. Bucky looks up and gives you a wide smile, his eyes twinkling as he mouths “I love you.”

Before you can answer him Sam snorts, pulling your attention away as you watch him point and laugh. “Jeez, you two are sweeter than this pie.” You scowl at him and try to hold back your laughter but fail miserably when Nat chimes in and says, “that’s the best you could do. Really?” Everyone starts laughing and Bucky pulls you into his lap, feeding you a piece of the pie. “Wow. It really did come good,” you say, only loud enough for him to hear.

While everyone continues to eat Bucky makes some coffee, the smell drifting through the small apartment and perking everyone up. The rest of the evening goes by fast and before you know it, Bucky and Sam must leave for the bar. Bucky tries to help you clean up, but you shoo him out, looking forward to a little alone time with Peggy and Nat. “It’s fine Buck, don’t worry! We can definitely handle this!”

It doesn’t take the three of you long to clean up, afterwards getting comfy on the couch with a glass of wine. You hang out for another couple of hours before the yawning starts, the wine and good food catching up to all of you. “Thank you so much for coming, this was so fun!” They enthusiastically agree, telling you for the hundredth time how delicious the pie was.

An hour later you’re in the bath, relaxing under the bubbles and teasing Bucky by sending him sexy pictures. ‘Doll, this is so unfair…I know what’s under those bubbles and I want some.’ You giggle, placing your phone safely on the towel next to the tub. Grabbing the plate of pie you brought into the bath you take a bite, savoring every flavor as it swirls over your tongue. You mentally give yourself props, loving how much everyone praised your baking abilities.

Finishing the last bite, your eyes suddenly go wide, and you blurt out, “that’s it!!!” You drop the empty dish to the floor and grab your phone, trying to text Bucky as quickly as possible. “Shit, shit, shit!” you curse at your slippery fingers, wiping them off on the towel. ‘BUCKY! I KNOW HOW TO SAVE THE BOOKSHOP!’ The text goes through and you smile to yourself, excitement coursing through you while you wait for his reply.

@aesthetical-bucky @auro-ora @azurika-writes @bucky-on-my-mind @buckys-broody-muffin @bugsbucky @book-dragon-13 @devynsdiary @eurynome827 @hailmary-yramliah @godofplumsandthunder @hawksmagnolia @hiddles-rose @imgaril-lindru @ikaris-whore @itsunclebucky @jhangelface0523 @jewelofwinter @jewels2876 @loricameback @littledarlinhavefaithinme @littleredstarfish @mushyjellybeans @marvelgirl7​ @marvelandotherfandomimagines @metal-armed-cuddly-dork @nano--raptor @randomfandompenguin @sallycanwait68 @softpeachbarnes @scarletsoldierrr @the-wayward-robot @when-the-hell-is-bucky @throwmyheartawayagain @flyawaybay @amandatar-06 @nd1998sc @captainchrisstan @vherriepie @fire-flv @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @irishflutiegirl @rinthehufflepuff @moonybarnes @nordlysinthewoods​ @inflxmes 

[stuffedtight]

Stealing Seconds

Thought I’d get back into the lab and write something up! I kinda want to be more active in this lil community!!! Even though I’m such a big fe head I haven’t played some of the old games so I’ve been playing Sacred Stones on my WiiU! After Sacred Stones I wanna play the Blazing Blade so expect stuff of those characters! I’ve fell in love with sum boys and wanted to write about Colm! Feel free to send in asks about old and new characters and maybe I’ll get around to it? (Sorry for this being so long!!💖) (Also I haven’t finished the game so I don’t know the endings so I guess this is like an au?)

-[ As the clock struck 1, Colm let a sigh of relief come over him, as he knew his castle watching shift is over, and can finally enjoy his lunch with his best friend, Niemi. Colm had seemed to be looking forward to his meals more and more. On top of this, he’s never been known to train. He has a bit of a dad bod thing going on. A bit of chub, but it’s just something to work off, right?

“Colm!” Niemi called, waving her hand up to get his attention. Colm couldn’t help but smile when he saw her. “What’s up, Niemi?” Colm said in a warm tone, a side he doesn’t really expose to anyone but her. He constantly needs to know if Niemi’s in any trouble, but can also get her into trouble with his own schemes. Niemi talked about her shift as they walked to the cafeteria.

Colm loved the smell of the cafe food. The food the cafe served was, to be blunt, fattening. Niemi knew that was the cause of her friend’s weight gain, but she wouldn’t comment on it. She insisted that she make him his own lunches, as she does her herself, but he refused. He gives into his craving to easily and can’t resist a greasy slice of pizza or a juicy burger.

Niemi followed Colm to the cafeteria, as he leaned his arms against the counter and exposed his rather plump behind in his tight trousers unknowlingly to his friend, distracted more by the food. Of course, Niemi tried not to stare at it, but she had to sneak in a few glances. She’s been crushing hard on Colm since they were little. Today, Colm would be served chicken breast. His favorite, despite being more of a fatty, greasy mess. Of course, he asked for extra and recieved a whole nother breast and extra fries. He payed and sat with Niemi.

She couldn’t help but stare at Colm as he devoured his into his belly. “Niemi?” “Y-Yeah!” She got caught, but Colm didn’t seem to care. He kept eating and Niemi slowly dug into her lunch. After the meal, Colm was definetly full. He snuck a hand onto his now expanded belly, but would be too embarrased to give himself a rub. Niemi stood up, and now done with work, they had the day to themselves. Colm let out a hand to Niemi for her too help him up with a smirk. Niemi grabbed his hand, and with a grunt from Colm, got him on two. Now, with his big lunch, you can see his round belly bulge through his shirt. Niemi, not knowing what came over her, started to tease him. “I guess you liked it, Colm?” She giggled. “Whatever...” Colm said, embarrased, as he put his hands over his head. However, doing this, he revealed his under belly and blue happy trail.

Niemi couldn’t contain herself, and had to touch that belly. She reached out to touch and snuck a little rub in before Colm swiftly put her hand away with a “Hey!” She laughed it off but she felt silly. What she didn’t know is that Colm secretly loved the feel of her soft hand on his taut tummy.

Niemi and Colm spent the rest of the day as they normally, playing games, talking about memories, and even a walk out to the market. When dinner rolled around, Colm exclaimed how hungry he was with a pat of his belly. Niemi said he should have a much lighter meal, and grudgingly, Colm agreed. He didn’t want to say no but he did to avoid a crying Niemi. Colm ate one of her meals, and eventually came the night.

Niemi and Colm’s room was an admittally small room, more of a small apartment, with two beds. Sometimes, Niemi daydreams of their room only having one, forcing them to share a bed. Colm undid his belt, looking down at how much his belly had actually grown. And when Niemi wasn’t looking, checked himself out in the mirror and even looked at his ass. He’d definelty grown, and could even see his butt through his usually oversized boxers, now tightly constrained down to his plump thighs, which were usually skinny sticks. He didn’t show any expression on his weight gain, but inside, he kinda liked it. He liked filling his belly with food and having it rubbed and cared for. He liked his new fat ass and how it had the slightest jiggle when he walked, and now his butt pushes out his trousers.

Niemi was in her bed, in much more classy pajamas compared to Colm’s tight boxers. Niemi took quick glances to see Colm’s belly and even his butt when he bent down to grab something. Still, Niemi knew she had to sleep soon, or else she’ll be kept up all night by Colm’s snores. Eventually, she found herself peacefully dreaming.

Untill she was woken up. She was being shaken by Colm. A drozy Niemi responded, “Colm, what time is it?” “I don’t know but I’m sooo hungry.” Colm said, almost whining. His stomach let out a growl. He was a little embarrased. “See? Hear him?” Niemi thought his antics were cute, and didn’t know he was one for midnight snacks. “So?” “So, Niemi, I’m gonna go steal some food from the cafe! Can you come with me?” Niemi knew Colm had always had a habit of stealing, but she would never confront him about it, fearful of an argument, and would let him do as he please. But if Colm got a lot more fat, perhaps he wouldn’t be able to do some sneaking around. She let out a sigh. “Sure, Colm.” They didn’t bother to change clothes, Neimi in her cutesy pjs, and Colm in nothing but his boxers.

Their pantry raid was successful, to say the least. Colm managed to steal fries, chicken wings, pizza, and even a few drinks to bring back. However, their trip was cut short when a flashing light of a gaurd shined upon them. Colm, quickly covering his crotch, wanting to hide his now blown up body, then went back into theif mode, got his loot, and ran with Niemi. They managed to lose the gaurd and safely get back to their room. Colm out of breath, bent down and put his hands on his knees. Niemi even did a little bit of scolding about how dangerous that was. “I know, Niemi, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t put you in any more dangerous stuff like that.” “You too, Colm! We could’ve been kicked out!” “Your right. I promise.”

With that out of the way, Colm dug into his findings. The food already warm, he dug into the chicken wings first. There were about 8 of them and he douvred them. He loved the crunch and the juicy meat inside of them. He took his first bite with a loud “Mhmmmm”. As Niemi and Colm sat on his bed, he dug into the fries and the 3 slices of pizza he managed to grab. The silence of the room with Niemi looking Colm up and down as he filled his belly with food, went away as Colm let out a loud blech. He held his belly with a hand as he let out the pressure of his belly. He let out a short “Excuse me” before he began eating again.

Colm finished his meal with burps and regret. He stuffed all that food inside his poor belly, left with the view of him in his boxers. He rubbed the crumbs of his mouth. “Well, I hope you enjoyed this little midnight ‘snack’, but I seriously need some sleep. But I’ll admit...it was a little fun.” Niemi said. Before Colm began speaking he burped. “Ah, excuse me. It was, but I’m sort of regretting it.” They chatted as they both got into their beds. Colm, laying on his back, could see the shape of his packed belly through his blanket. He gave his belly a rub, feeling the tightness of it, compared to the soft dough of his empty belly. He let out another loud burp. Then, through the pain of his stuffing, put his arm over his head, and not believing what he was about to say.

“Niemi?” “Yeah?” He was interrupted with a small burp. “Could you, uh, maybe, r-rub my belly.” Niemi smiled at the idea. Colm looked over to see her reaction and let out a nervous laugh as he saw her smile. Niemi got up, and went into his bed, and slid her hand under the sheets to his belly. Colm let out moans and groans as he layed there. They could hear his stomach growl in protest. “Settle down, buddy.” Colm said. Niemi didn’t know Colm was a tummy talker. “He’s not to happy with me.” He said, facing down to her. “Haha, I can tell.” Niemi laughed. Through the slight awkwardness and Colm’s discomfort of his full stomach, they enjoyed their intimate moment. After about 10 minutes of Colm letting out burps, he leaned over to Niemi’s forehead and gave her a kiss. “Thanks.”

She was too flustered to say anything. But she didn’t need to. She laid there on his slightly chubby pec and cuddled. In the morning, Niemi was met with more love for Colm and Colm was met with new pounds of fat and a struggle to reach his pants over his butt, a result of his greed from his night before.

[radramblog]

My commander decks, Pt. 2

I don’t like leaving these two-parters open for too long, so I’m gonna nip this one in the bud now.

Zada, Hedron Grinder- Mono-Red Storm/Tokens

My Zada deck came from having played a weird Red/Green Werewolves/Zada Aggro/Combo deck in Shadows over Innistrad standard, and then getting to come back to it some time later since a lot of those cards took a really long time to rotate out for some reason. The deck was, admittedly, kind of a pile, but it was huge fun and could just kill people out of nowhere. This commander deck, based on a very well-put-together list on tappedout, spawned from how much I ended up loving Zada, with her unique effect lending surprisingly well to an all-in combo deck. 

This deck doesn’t come out of the box very often, and for pretty good reason. Not a lot of people appreciate getting combo’d off against, especially when it’s as loose and indeterminate as this deck is, and there is just so much math involved that even piloting it can become a pain. It’s incredibly powerful, being fragile in some ways but resilient in ways you wouldn’t expect. It’s actually probably the closest thing to a cEDH deck I have, though it would obviously stand no chance at an actually competitive table.

The deck, at this point, has deviated pretty heavily from the primer it was based on, both since I don’t want to buy overpriced cards that aren’t significant upgrades and because I have some jankier effects I wanted to play (also, because that list has been consistently updated and mine hasn’t). I’ve had it called a Goblins deck, and while there are a lot of Goblin cards in it (I mean, Goblin Matron is there), it actually kinda gets under my skin when people do that. It’s not a Goblin deck, Goblins just happen to be really good at making tokens! I don’t really like Goblins. (Zada is an exception.)

 Basandra, Battle Seraph- Boros Forced Combat/Pillowfort

Basandra was one of four decks I built after I got really bored, hit Random 4 times on EDHRec, and designed four decks based on the results. While I did end up proxying up 2 of the others (Seizan Mono-B Group Sl/hug, DL Atarka Dragons/Panharmonicon), Basandra was the only one that resonated with me enough to want to build it for real. It represents to me the possibilities of Boros beyond just aggro and the handful of archetypes the colour pair has been crumbed over the years.

It also happens to be a pretty political deck. While the plan of making people fight each other instead of me is all well and good, in a perfect situation you’re still going to have one more opponent left to deal with. The deck is pretty light in ways to actually win the game, although having a Flying commander does help a little bit (See, she does do something!). With that said, I’ve played the deck enough times to have racked up a few wins, so it’s far from helpless, and the random hate pieces that are mostly in to keep people from going over my defences can just lock some decks out of the game. (If you’re a deck that loses to Aven Mindcensor then you deserve to lose to Aven Mindcensor, sorry)

I really enjoy the Thalia’s Lancers package. Tutors like this and like Mwonvuli Beast Tracker in the Radha deck are fun to build around, with the right combination of cards letting them turn into mini toolboxes. In this deck, the Lancers can find land, ramp, removal, pillowfort effects, card draw, making them extremely versatile. While I am generally opposed to tutors, Lancers get a pass.

 O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami- 5-Colour Spirit Tribal/Cast Triggers

This deck is stupid bad but it’s built around a bunch of silly cards that I love. The spirits of Kamigawa look and feel bizarre, but in an elegant way- they’re off in their own little world, doing whatever, while the rest of the game happens around them.

Unfortunately, most of them kinda suck. There’s a reason I didn’t build around Soulshift, and it’s not because I’d die to Rest in Peace.

This deck, therefore, is an eclectic collection of spirits, good and bad, with the stated goal of finding enough cost reduction to start loop-casting members of the -Onna cycle, generating value through “whenever you cast a Spirit or Arcane spell…” effects. Getting to this point, however, is it’s own endeavour. The deck is desperately in need of a rebuild, with way too high a curve and not enough ramp to support itself. The deck includes the entirety of the Myojin cycle, all 5 Dragon Spirits, and all 3 pieces of Iname- not to mention, most of the Spirits that actually have good effects are fairly mana-hungry themselves. Even the manabase is a bit silly, though I have gotten away with proxying fetches and shocks since the deck doesn’t need any help flopping.

When the deck does get going, though, it can get pretty out of hand. Literally, in fact-the deck can rip through people’s hands and occasionally lands, but the cards doing so are so expensive and bad that it feels more earned than just dropping Narset/Windfall or Armageddon. No-one can stay mad when they lose to Myojin of Infinite Rage, since the Myojin is the one with all the Rage. It can be resilient as well, with great recursion effects such as Karador and Iname, Life Aspect just happening to be Spirits. It’s still not good, but it’s something.

 Gonti, Lord of Luxury- Mono-Black Theft/Control

Like Zada, Gonti spawned from a standard deck I enjoyed playing, in this case the Azor’s Gateway Mono-Black Control deck I piloted to surprising success for a long time. A fair few cards in the deck come directly from that list, including the incredibly water-damaged Torment of Hailfire and some of the weirdo one ofs like Tetzimoc and Liliana, Death’s Majesty. The deck is grindier than anything, with incremental draw being the name of the game and murdering opponent’s threats the subtitle. Gonti, in addition to being one of my favourite cards of all time, supports Mono-Black Control quite well, being able to grab answers to things that would normally be pretty difficult for mono-B to handle off of other people’s decks, or creating synergies where no-one expects them. As a result, while there’s not as many of this type of effect as many Gonti decks, there is still some amount of cards that let Gonti re-enter than most decks they helm, there’s still a fair few ways to do so.

Theft is not a particularly well-supported strategy, especially in Black, but it serves to add replayability and versatility to the deck. The deck doesn’t play a huge number of threats, and most of the ones that it does are those that add to the steady value train or that double as something else. I haven’t quite committed to putting Praetor’s Grasp in, but I’m thinking about it. I also opted not to add in the new hotness of Opposition Agent, because as it turns out that’s not the kind of magic I want to play, and with a full hand and frequent planeswalkers on the board I don’t really need to go out of my way to generate more hate.

Playing this deck does harken back to that old standard deck, thinking ahead about which cards I need to keep around to answer certain threats I guess are coming up, and getting unexpected surprises off the top of my opponent’s library to win in unexpected ways (I once Gonti’d a Radiant Destiny off of my opponent’s Vampire deck, realised between Gonti and a few Gifteds I had a pile of Aetherborn cooking, and beat them down with that). Control is far from my favourite deck archetype, but it’s nice to have the option there if I want it.

 Hallar, the Firefletcher- Gruul Kicker

My Hallar deck was given to me as part of the EDH subreddit’s Secret Santa, the maybe only year it was ran, and it still shows some evidence of the budget limit that exchange carried. While I have done my best to improve on it and diversify it, there’s really only so much one can do with such a narrow commander.

With that said, it’s not like the deck is bad. Especially since the addition of more Kicker cards in Zendikar Rising, Hallar has more option to choose from, and they can get burning very quickly. From what I’ve seen, however, most Hallar decks build around cheap Kicker costs, trying to trigger their ability as many times as possible as quickly as possible. And while some of these cheaper cards are of course present in my list, I chose to instead play some of the other bigger kicker cards, along with more ramp, to help spread the attention away from Hallar as needed and to give the deck something to do if they start costing upwards of 10 mana. I’m not convinced this added resilience is the correct path, but it’s my path, and the deck performs admirably even faced against substantially more expensive lists.

 With that, I have listed all of my current commander decks. While I have a few in the build process, maybe I should stop? Because 10 is likely enough. Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading about what and why these decks are, and I hope to see you on the other side of a table soon. (I won’t play Zada game one, promise.)

[generallynerdy]

Adore (Theseus Scamander X Half-Mermaid!Reader) Part 3

Part 1, Part 2

Summary: Being half mermaid is a bit of an issue when it comes to communicating with humans. You can grow legs and walk perfectly on land, but only speak Mermish above the water. When a handsome stranger wanders into your place of residence, Newt Scamander’s basement, your inability to speak his language is more than inconvenient.

Key: (Y/N) - your name, (f/c) - favourite colour

Warnings: cursing probably, The Scamander Brothers Are Too Good And Pure, Crimes of Grindelwald? What’s that? (in short, fuck canon)

Word Count: Part 1 - 1909, Part 2 - 2166, Part 3 - 2051

Note: it is complete,,,Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

A few days after Theseus gave you the singing shell, he visited again. This time, as he descended the stairs to the basement, he could not see you wandering the enclosures of creatures. Some waved at him or tried to get his attention as he went by, but he barely paid them any mind. He was intent on finding you before anything else.

The Auror approached the edge of the stone walkway to find that the water was lower than usual, much like the first day he met you and you jumped right into the enclosure. He looked around for some trace of you and was pleased to see you swim right up to the wall.

“Hello, (Y/N),” he said, leaning over the edge to see you.

You waved at him before tossing something up. It hit the stone walkway with a quiet thud, seeing as it wasn’t too heavy.

He raised an eyebrow at you before leaning down to pick it up. He held it up for the both of you to see. It was a small clump of seaweed-like material.

Theseus gave you a curious look. “Gillyweed?”

You nodded, heart thumping in your chest. This way, he would be able to join you for an hour and wouldn’t have to worry about going up to the surface for air. You wanted to show him what it was like under there. You wanted to show him your home and all the other little creatures living there, as well as the Kelpie in its natural habitat.

In response, he shrugged. “Alright.”

With a grin, he pulled off his work jacket, leaving it abandoned on the floor. He then loosened his tie so it wouldn’t be his undoing and removed both his shoes and socks. Without so much as a second thought, he leapt into the water, landing with a loud splash that drew the attention of Dougal from above.

The primate chirped, tilting his head. You smiled and sent him a thumbs up, letting him know that Theseus was perfectly alright and had not just fallen in.

When Theseus surface again, he brushed back his drenched hair and ate the gillyweed, flinching as his gills and webbed appendages grew in. You held him up as they did, making sure he wouldn’t sink into the water and drown. The second he was done, he pulled away to dive under the water. Laughing, you followed him, reveling in his excitement.

The man made it down to seaweed level before turning abruptly to look at you, suddenly realising something.

“Hello,” you said in perfect English. His jaw dropped, making you look away. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“What? N -- no, it’s not,” he said unconvincingly. “Hearing you talk, yes. Your voice, no.”

You couldn’t wipe the silly look off your face. You were just absolutely giddy at his presence, hardly believing you had convinced him to follow you. In light of this, you decided it was time to show him the rest of the place you called a home, a part of it he had never seen before.

You approached him and grabbed his arm, pulling him further into the water. “Come,” you told him, “I want to show you something.”

He nodded dutifully and moved your hand to hold his, a rather intimate gesture. You started a slow swim, since he was still getting his sea legs. As the two of you swam deeper and deeper, various kinds of fish passed you by, as well as a few magical water creatures, of which he did not know the names of. There were small squid with human-like faces and hands, which he knew took residence in the Black Lake at Hogwarts, though he didn’t know what to call them. Marveling at all the life in the water, he almost missed the sight before him.

He only noticed when you let go of his hand that there was something in front of you. You swam to the entrance of a small building, one made much like muggles thought it might be. Your people suspected there was a crumb of truth to their myths about your kind.

Theseus followed you inside. It was a small place, with a giant clam for a bed and the ruins of a dresser placed awkwardly against the wall, mirror included. When he looked up, however, he could not help the awe that crept up on him. The ceiling was a mosaic of bright colours, pieces of shells and entire shells used to create a bright sun in a blue sky. The edges of the mosaic were a deep blue and green, likely representing the sea. Theseus swam up to touch the work of art, finding that the centre was actually an open gap for the sun to shine through.

He looked back to you, jaw dropped, while you shrugged. It wasn’t much, you thought as you smiled shyly.

The Auror turned his attention to the dresser up against the wall, where upon stood out an item he knew well. The gorgeous blue and green conch shell he had given you was on the dresser, in front of other knickknacks and clearly holding importance compared to them.

Theseus glanced back at you with a smile. You swam over to him and held it up. “It usually isn’t over here,” you said. “It helps me sleep.”

“Really?” He asked with raised eyebrows.

You nodded almost shyly, “Sometimes, I miss the sounds of my old home.” You quickly brightened and reassured him. “I like it much better here, though. The creatures, the people…”

“The people, hm?” He grinned.

You flushed and smacked his arm, “How does Newt say it? ‘Shut up’?”

Theseus laughed, “I think you know how he says it perfectly well!”

“I did not!”

“Did too.”

There was a shared silence before the man sobered, tilting his head at you curiously. “You said something to me, when I gave it to you. But Newt didn’t say what it meant.”

“It was nothing,” you told him instantly. “Just thanking you.”

He smiled, “I know what ‘thank you’ sounds like and that wasn’t it.” He hummed thoughtfully as he swam up to you. “I think it means more than you’re letting on.”

You grinned almost devilishly, “Well, you’ll have to catch me to find out, Scamander. Up for it?”

“I’m up for anything,” he taunted.

“Catch me if you can, then!” You laughed before giving a powerful lash of your tail.

Within a millisecond, you were out the door, freely swimming in the deepest depths of the enclosure. Theseus tried to keep up, but you knew he was some distance behind you. You had the perfect advantage of experience, which he was unfortunately lacking in. From a distance away, the Kelpie observed the two of you chase each other with great amusement. Sometimes, you would slow down a little just so the poor man had a chance to catch up, but he never even got close to matching your pace. Your tail was far more powerful than his strange webbed feet.

You were giddy by the time you surfaced, looking around for Theseus. You had lost sight of him in a forest of seaweed a while ago. Since then, you hadn’t seen him. After a few moments passed, you grew worried. He wasn’t anywhere near you. Worry bubbling in your stomach, you dived back into the water and to the forest where you had last seen him.

“Theseus? Theseus?” You called his name as you dashed about wildly, growing more frantic.

It was deep in the water, near the floor, where you found him. One hand outstretched toward the surface, his movements were slow and almost pitiful while he tried to swim upward. It was then you realised that his gills were slowly dissipating and his feet had already gone back to normal.

You gasped and raced toward him, meeting his gaze as you grabbed him and started to pull him to the surface. It had been an hour already and you didn’t even realise it. The pair of you had been having too much fun to keep track of time. By the time you had the man halfway out of the water, he was unconscious. As you pulled him to the stone walkway, he coughed up some water, starting to show signs of waking again.

With much effort, you hoisted the now normal Theseus over the side of the walkway, so that he was laying upright. You lifted yourself up on the ground beside him, which was when he instantly started to cough up more water. He shook as he finished, sitting up and groaning.

Are you alright? You asked, unfortunately reduced to Mermish yet again.

“Yeah,” he said hoarsely, “Thank you. That was close.”

Once he was back to full strength and you had done your worrying, the two of you sat silently on the walkway, Theseus gushing about all the wonderful things you had shown him. With your tail halfway in the water and his legs in a similar state, it was almost tempting the both of you to find more Gillyweed and do it all over again. That said, Theseus probably needed to rest, so you held off for the moment.

“You know,” he said after a while, “You’re the first mermaid I’ve ever met. I think if I met another one now, I would be disappointed.”

You laughed and looked to see if he was serious. You met his gaze and found that he was grinning just slightly. As soon as you caught his eye, though, it changed to a genuine, fond smile. You could not help but feel the warmth of his hand, which was nearly on top of yours. As you did, he shifted, but not to move away.

Theseus lifted his other hand to your cheek, leaving you a blushing mess when he brushed a loose strand of drenched hair back. When he dropped his hand, you knew another question was coming and you knew exactly which it was.

“What you said when I gave you the shell,” he said, “It means I love you, doesn’t it?”

Sheepishly, you nodded. You wanted to look away, to blush like a teenager and leap back into the water to run away from your problems. But this time, you didn’t. You just kept looking at him, to see what he would do.

He chuckled a little and moved his hand to grab yours, blue eyes bright. “I love you, too, (Y/N),” he said, giving you a warm tingly feeling in your stomach. It was like the minnows from earlier, but better.

Before you could do anything stupid, Theseus was leaning in to kiss you. You had never been kissed before, but it was nothing like you imagined. It was fifty times better, his lips against yours as he moved closer. How it came to that from the first day you met him, a pretty stranger in Newt’s basement, you had no idea. However it came to be, you could not have wished it to happen any other way.

Unfortunately, your kiss was rudely interrupted by a massive wave of water crashing against the stone walkway, purposefully soaking you and Theseus.

The pair of you broke apart, gasping and laughing at the sudden disaster. Looking toward the source of the wave, you knew there could only be one culprit. The Kelpie glared at both of you, neighing in a huffy way. You couldn’t tell whether he was jealous of the attention you were giving Theseus or just wanting the both of you to play with him.

“Oi!” Theseus shouted at him, using his wand to throw an equally massive wave of water at the beast. “Piss off!”

The Kelpie neighed resistantly and nickered at the wizard, who only laughed. The green-eyed (and green-skinned) monster disappeared in the water, leaving you and Theseus alone again.

Looking over at you, Theseus Scamander smiled. It was you who leaned in this time, apologising for the Kelpie, but he waved you off. He had you all to himself now that he had finally gotten the courage to dive under the water with you. Just like Newt had told you, Theseus was deeply adored with you, perhaps more than even he knew.

Adore Tags: @justanotherenglisheducationmajor, @avocadooey-alpaca, @willowecho25518, @marsbars101, @abovethyfold

Masterlist

[cashtonsangel]

Build-A-Bear Adventure

Summary: Luke and his daughter go to Build A Bear for some fun!

Word Count: 2700+

Warnings: none 

A/N: hi instead of studying, i wrote something!! this literally took forever to write and i honestly dont know how i feel about it but i hope yall enjoy! i was thinking about making a dad!sos series where i write a piece for each of the boys so let me know if that is what yall want!! feedback is much appreciate <3

Today was the day that Luke’s little girl had been waiting for. She had been begging nonstop for weeks to go to the Build-A-Bear store in the mall, but Luke just didn’t have the time or the energy to take her. Every time she would bring it up with Luke, he would find some excuse no to go, saying that he was extremely busy with work and life or tired from the long day that he had.

To say that Lil Hemmings was disappointed every time would be an understatement. Every time that the word “no” or “not today” came out of Luke’s mouth, his daughter would give him the biggest pout which broke his heart. Day after day, she would beg for daddy to take her to the mall and help her make a bear so she could play with, and everyday she would be disappointed with the answer that came out of his mouth.

But today was finally the day. Luke’s schedule had finally cleared up, and he managed to avoid any band duties for the whole day. Wanting to spend as much time with his baby girl, he planned out the daddy-daughter date that included everything that Lil Hemmings enjoyed. He had wanted to spend some alone time with his baby girl so that he could spoil the his favorite princess.

When Luke had told her about the plans, Lil Hemmings was practically bouncing up and down the walls, immediately planning out everything that she wanted to do with Luke. It had been ages since the both of them were able to spend time by themselves which made his daughter even more ecstatic about their outing. A smile was plastered on her face the entire week, knowing that she was going to spend an entire day with her favorite person in the world, doing whatever she wanted.

Waking up extra early, Lil Hemmings couldn’t wait to go and explore with her dad. Today, she was the one in charge, and she knew it. She knew that she would be able to do absolutely anything and get absolutely anything she wanted since she she had her dad wrapped around her finger. She knew that he couldn’t say no to his lil baby girl. She had the whole day planned out in her little mind, and she was determined to accomplish every single task she had planned.

Jumping out of her bed, she ran to Luke’s room, climbed up onto the bed, and started bouncing up and down, trying to wake up you and Luke.

“Daddy! Wake up!! We have to get ready!! It’s our play date today!!”

Letting out a yawn, Luke opened his eyes and saw his baby girl’s face inches away from his. Giving her nose a quick peck, Luke sat up and stretched his arms before scooping up Lil Hemmings into his arms and smothering her face in kisses.

“G’morning princess,” His voice groggy from just waking up.

“Morning, daddy! Today is our date! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s Go!!” Lil Hemmings was practically screaming and shaking with excitement at the end of the sentence.

Quickly trying to get her to lower her voice, Luke smiled.

“C’mon baby girl, let’s get some food in your tummy before we head out, okay?” He had Lil Hemmings still wrapped up in his arms as he got out of bed and walked to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for his little family.

“What do you want to eat, princess?” Luke asked, as he turned on the coffee machine.

“Muffins, please.” She flashed one of her radiant smiles at her father, showing him the dimple on the side of her cheek, similar to the ones on Luke’s face.

Walking to where the muffins were in the pantry, Luke took about a large chocolate chip muffin and put it on a clean plate before placing it in front of his daughter, before making his own breakfast.

As she was shoveling the muffin down her throat, she could barely contain her excitement for the day. She was practically bouncing up and down in her seat the entire breakfast.

“I’m gonna make the biggest, most softest and fluffiest bear ever daddy. And I’m gonna sleep with her every single night. She is going to be my bestest friend in the whole wide world.” Lil Hemmings was beaming as she spoke each word.

“Yeah? And what are you going to name her?”

She placed her chin on her hand, trying to come up with a perfect name for her dream bear.

“I don’t know yet, but it is gonna be super cute, daddy. I’m so excited!” As she bounced up and down, muffin crumbs started to get all over the counter top and floor.

Laughing at her obvious excitement, he gently told Lil Hemmings to finish her muffin so he could clean up their mess, get dressed, and start on the day’s adventures.

Once the daddy daughter duo were ready to leave for the mall, Luke pulled out of the driveway while blasting the playlist of songs that his baby girl was obsessed with at the moment.

“Youngblood, say you want me, say you want me, out of your life, and I'm just a dead man walking tonight.” Lil Hemmings voice echoed Luke’s as the both of them sang to one of her favorite songs ever when it came on shuffle.

“Baby girl, I think you sing that song better than I do. Maybe you should take daddy’s job and sing with the band?” Luke joked as the song ended.

“Noooo daddy,” her giggles filled the car, “I’m too little to be one stage remember? I can’t be you!” Her giggles filled the car.

“If you went on stage with me, I’m pretty sure everyone will only want you to sing princess, not me. I suck compared to you.” Luke fake pouted which elicited another round of giggles from his princess.

“Don't be silly daddy. Everyone loves you! You’re a rock star!” She blew her dad a kiss, and Luke pretended to catch it and placed it over his heart.

Just as he did so, they pulled up in front of the mall and parked the car before walking through the doors, hand in hand.

Lil Hemmings knew exactly where the Build-A-Bear was located in the mall. After all, she had been eyeing the store for months prior, so she knew the way to the store by heart. Dragging Luke across the mall, she was beaming with excitement. She could barely believe that it was finally happening after so long.

Walking into the store, Luke and Lil Hemmings were greeted by bright lights and cheery music. The walls were lined hundreds of items for the bear and other stuffed animals. The numerous choices slightly overwhelmed Luke since there were so many possibilities, but his little princess was already dragging her dad to where the animals were located so she could choose one.

Luke’s daughter took her time trying to pick which bear she had wanted. She felt almost every single stuff animal on display, determining whether they were soft enough and pretty enough for her to take home. Making her way through all of the choices available, her eyes caught flash of pink. Running over to where the bin was located, she saw the one. The perfect bear. It was a white bear that had pink and red hearts all over the body.

“This one!! I want this one! It’s so pretty daddy! Can we get it?? Pretty please?” She held the bear up towards Luke’s face and jumped up and down with unparalleled enthusiasm.

“ ‘Course princess. You can get whatever you want today; it’s your day after all.”

A squeal escaped Lil Hemmings lips, as she hugged the bear against her small frame. Running towards the the stuffing station, the employee went through all of the steps in stuffing the bear. He smiled to himself as he saw how much love and care that his daughter took when putting the little fabric heart into the small bear.

When her bear was stuffed to the perfect softness and sewn up, Lil Hemmings ran up to her dad and proudly showed him her beautiful creation.

“Look, daddy! It’s so soft.” Grabbing Luke’s hand, she placed it onto the bear’s fur, showing him just how soft it was.

“Yeah, princess. She’s super soft and cuddly.”

“I’m gonna sleep with her every night, daddy. She’s gonna be my bestest friend ever.”

“I don’t know Princess, it’s super cute and soft. I think I might ‘ave to steal it from you so I can sleep with it at night” Luke teased.

“Noooooooo, daddy. She’s mine,” Lil Hemmings squealed, holding the stuffed bear tight against her small frame, protecting the bear from her dad’s prying hands. Luke teasingly tried to grab the bear out of her hands before picking her up and attacked his daughter’s sides with his fingers

Her giggles filled the air as Luke continued his assault.

“Daddyyy,” she managed to squeal out in between her laughs, “please stop. It hurts.”

Giving her one last peck on the forehead, Luke carefully placing his princess on the ground again, and the daddy-daughter duo headed towards the little bathing area in the corner. Mid-stride, Luke felt Lil Hemmings come to a halt and eagerly tug at his arm.   

“I have the awesomest idea, daddy!”

Crouching down so they were eye level, Luke waited for her to elaborate.

“You can get the same bear as me! That way you don’t have to steal mine.” Her eyes lit up with excitement with the prospect of matching with her dad. Her little blonde curls bounced up and down as she jumped up and down.

Luke couldn’t help but smile; Lil Hemmings’s energy was infectious.

“And if we get the same bear, daddy, and then we cuddle it at the same time, it will be like we are hugging the each other. It’s like we are cuddling each other at night. And- and when we miss each other, we can cuddle with our bears. Can we please do that, daddy? Please?”

Luke’s heart melted at his daughter’s words. She was so kind and caring at such a young age, and Luke would do anything to make sure she was happy. She was his little princess, and the fact that she was constantly think about him made his heart so full.

“That’s such a good idea baby! You’re too sweet. Of course we can! Anything for my princess.” He pulled her closer to his body to her a hug.

“C’mon, let’s go daddy!” Wiggling out of his grasp, Lil hemmings tugs on his hand, dragging back to where the bears were.

Going through the stuffing process again, Luke and Lil Hemmings walked around the store with identical bears in their arms.

“Okay baby, what do you want our bears to wear?”

Lil Hemmings walked around the store, searching for the perfect outfit. Luke watched as she carefully inspected each wall. She walked around the store multiple times with various outfits in hand, but Luke could tell that she was overwhelmed by the numerous options. Sensing her distress of not finding the perfect outfit, Luke decided to help.

“What if we dressed them up like both of us, princess. Your bear can look like you, and my bear can look at me. And then we can trade later, so it’ll be like we are cuddling with each other.”

Her eyes lit up at his suggestion. “Yes! Yes! Yes, daddy! That’s an awesome idea.”

Walking around the store, Luke’s eye caught a dress near the top of the wall that screamed Lil Hemmings. The sequins with the tulle in the skirt to give it the extra ‘oomf’ that she loved. Grabbing a pair of the matching sparkly shoes from the top shelf, he walked over to his his daughter.

“How ‘bout this one, princess?” Luke shows the ensemble to his daughter, which made her squeal in excitement.

“I love it, daddy! She is perfect!” Grabbing them from Luke, Lil Hemmings was quick to rip the clothes off of the paper hangers and dressed up her bear. Turning the bear around, she proudly showed off the outfit to Luke with the biggest grin on her face.

“I love it, too. But I think it’s missing one thing, princess.”

A frown appeared on the little girl’s face as she ran through her mental checklist of everything she wanted her bear to have.

Pulling his hands from behind his back, Luke showed his daughter the small plastic tiara that he manage to pick up while she was dressing up her bear.

“A tiara ‘cause you’re my princess, and every princess needs her crown.”

Beaming, Lil Hemmings placed the tiny tiara delicately onto the bears head before giving the bear a tight squeeze.

“Now it’s your turn, daddy.” Lil Hemmings looked around the store in search of any article of clothing that screamed Luke. Spotting a black leather jacket on a rack on the other side of the store, she sprinted over to the item before picking it up and racing back to her dad.

“Look, daddy! It’s Just like yours. We have to get!”

Luke chuckled at her obvious excitement and dressed his bear with the leather jacket along with the pants that came with the outfit. As he was doing so, Lil Hemmings walked around looking for other accessories that would make her dad’s bear look more like him. By the time Luke had managed to wrangle the small leather jacket over the overly fluff bear, Luke found had found his daughter at the other end of the store, both arms full of goodies for both of your bears.

“Hey princess, what’ve you got there?” Luke crouched down so he could help lighten her load.

Flashing her dad a big grin, she showed Luke all of the accessories that she had managed to collect.

“I got you a microphone and a guitar for your bear. And sparkly boots just like yours so that our bears can match. And they look just like the ones you wear onstage. And for me, I got awesome sunglasses,” she took the hot pink sunglasses and put them on her bear.

“Looks like you’ve got everything that you and I need. Is there anything else, or do you want to name them now?”

“Let’s name now, daddy!”

“Okay, baby. Let’s go.” Walking over to wear the computers were, they went through the naming process on the computer.

“What’s your bear’s name, princess?” Luke asked Lil Hemmings.

She sat on the stool next to her dad and thought of all the possibilities. Luke could she the gears turning in her head as tired to think of the perfect name for her bear.

“I don’t know, daddy.” A small pout appeared on her lips.

“What about Ms. Cuddles? Because I knew for a fact that I’m gonna be cuddling with her every day that I’m away from my beautiful princess.” As the said the words, he placed a gentle kiss on his daughter’s cheek.

Lil Hemmings eyes lit “Yes! I love it, daddy! Let’s name my bear Ms. Cuddles and your bear can be Mr. Cuddles because I’m gonna cuddle with him forever, too.”

“Of course, princess.” Typing in the information for both bears, Luke headed to the front desk to pick up the bears’ birth certificate and paid for the stuffed animals.

Picking up Lil Hemmings so that her small figure was in her arms, he carried her and their bears around the mall, being sure to stop at all of her favorite stores.

After a few hours passed by, Luke could tell that his daughter was exhausted from today’s adventures. They had spent hours roaming the mall and playing in the playground set up for little kids. By the time that they had managed to grab some lunch, she could barely keep her eyes open.

“C’mon princess, let’s get you home.” Carrying her out to the car, Lil Hemmings rested her head on her dad’s broad shoulders slowly falling asleep.

As Luke was carefully putting her down in her car seat to buckle her up, she stirred.

“Can I cuddle with Mr. Cuddles and Ms. Cuddles on the ride home, daddy?” Her soft voice begged.

Quickly opening the boxes and getting the bears out of their boxes, Luke handed them to his daughter where she automatically curled up with both of the bears, one in each arm. Making sure she was comfortable, Luke closed the back door before heading up to the driver’s seat and drove out of the parking lot.

On the drive home, Luke couldn’t help but look at his daughter in the rear view mirror. She looked so happy with both bears in her little arms. He was so thankful that the world had blessed him with such an angel. She lit up his whole world and made his life full of love and happiness. She was his little ray of sunshine, and he wouldn’t trade anything in the universe for her, his baby girl.

wanna be tagged??

[alexa-t]

Venus Rising

Chapter 3: Parallel Chronologies

Part II - A Time to Reap, a Time to Sow

Unbeknownst to him and to Mina herself, were the occurrences of the last few days on the island of Kos. Apelles arrived and revealed his masterpiece, selling it after an hour long bidding war between all the aristocrats of the island. Gordos immediately recognized who Aphrodite was modeled after and wanted it for himself, but he lost to Talos, who although not as wealthy, managed to double Gordos' bid.

Apelles became an instant hit, his lesser known works were being sought after, and he was commissioned for work by many aristocratic households around the Greek world. In fact, there was such a high demand for his work, that instead of returning to Athens he scheduled to leave straight for Macedonia in the north.

Walking up to a Macedonian ship early one brisk autumn morning, he watched an Athenian vessel come out of the fog and pull up to the docks. He stood watching as some men put his luggage and painting equipment on board, and the crew of the other ship tied it down. As he observed the busy scene of men rushing around, a young aristocratic woman, dressed in the finest silk chimation, was helped off the vessel. She slightly stumbled slipping on the wet stones of the dock, and he rushed grabbing her hand to prevent her from falling.

“Thank you" she said quietly turning to see his face

“Mnesarete?!” he exclaimed looking at the familiar face of his model

“Apelles!” she exclaimed with a smile.

“Haha! I am so glad to see you here!” he laughs giving her a big hug “this is amazing, you are her, and I am here, and… we both are her right now!”

“Yes…” She replies with discomfort painted all over her face as she tries to break free of his bear hug, “we are.”

“You do not understand!” he explains after eventually letting go, “this is a Macedonian ship.” pointing over to the ship with the sun design on its' sails.

“You are going to Macedonia?” she asks genuinely surprised

“Yes! Yes!” he answers more excited than before. “I have been invited to the court of King Phillip himself! Can you believe it?”

“I want you to deliver a letter for me.” She tells him, before going back to her luggage and rummaging through it.

“No no, I am not a delivery boy…” he attempts to reject the request as she quickly writes a few words on a small parchment.

“Take this to Maximus who is staying at the house of General Cleitus.” She hands him the parchment, sealed with her signet ring pressed in the wax.

“I said n…” he begins but stops when Mina places his hand on her breast. “General Cleitus. Ok"

“Good.” She replies as she removes her hand.

Just then two men carrying a large square object covered by a brown sheet walk between them and board the Macedonian vessel.

“That is the painting!” Apelles informs her

“The Macedonians purchased it?”

“Actually, a merchant named Talos bought it and then, I think, he sold it to the Macedonians"

“Interesting” she thought aloud. The Macedonians here on Kos, an Athenian ally, means they are really expanding their influence.

“Where are you going?” he asks her

“Gordos" she replies

“His house is the large one right of the town square" he says illustrating an invisible map with his long thin index finger.

She thanked him and wished him well on his trip and new ventures before leaving to find Gordos' home. It was not a difficult search since the house was the most imposing building on the square, with its' enormous and intricate façade looming over the passersby.

‘hmm definitely trying to compensate’ she thought as she walked up to the gate.

“State your business" the burly, chiseled chin guard asked

“I will stay it only to Gordos himself" she replied, “tell him…”

“Mina is here!” he calls out running down the front steps with his outstretched arms.

The gate swings open and he steps out and hugs her, before guiding her into his home. They sat talking in his large lush courtyard as servants rushed around waiting on them. After a lavish dinner they went to the bedroom upstairs for a glass of wine. The wine flowed and when Gordos saw her getting light headed from the alcohol he made his move.

Kissing her on the neck and grabbing her everywhere in such an uncoordinated way, made her wish she was actually drunk. Yet she played her part, seduced by his charm and manliness, she had succumbed to his sexual advances. Clumsily he tore off her clothes until her naked body was before him in all its' glory, the woman who had defined Aphrodite.

She had no real interest with this client, physical or psychological, nothing made him the least bit appealing, it was strictly a business transaction. There were many clients like him, although there were a few she generally enjoyed the company of, and none she actually loved. It was neither the large belly nor the weak physique that disinterested her, but rather his weak character, the one that allowed her to control him.

Bent over with her legs spread, she held onto the base board of his extremely large wooden bed as he took her from behind, while she thought about her plans for tomorrow. Anyone listening wondered what sexual magic he had done to her to make her utter the words, and cry out as loudly as she did. Luckily the ordeal was as short as his member was, and he collapsed on the bed in a sweaty mess. Laying beside him she played with his curly black hair until sleep over took him, while she wondered what the Macedonians were doing so far south.

The next morning, Gordos, rejuvenated and jovial, made his way through the house, greeting all the household staff. Together they had a breakfast of honey covered fried bread and an assortment of seasonal fruits in the courtyard while laughing and making small talk. After the meal she requested a tour of the island where the famed first physician, Hippocrates, was from, to which he was overjoyed to give. The carriage was readied and sitting in the back with his arm around her they began their excursion.

She met all the aristocracy of the island as well as all the important merchants bringing goods to or through the island on their way to all of the other Greek cities. Here was the hub of the silk trade for all the Mediterranean. Every strand of silk coming from beyond Persia made its' way to Kos where it is woven into fabric and then finally sewn into the finest clothes the world had ever seen.

The clothing from Kos was sold to aristocrats and nobles, kings and pharaohs, all over the Mediterranean world. Her tour included silk factories where she was able to see how everything was manufactured.

“It is simply amazing!” she exclaimed, her voice full of enthusiasm.

“Yes, it is.” Gordos smiled haughtily.

“The fabric is so soft and wonderful.” She stated petting the sheets of silk being woven.

“You really love silk baby, eh?” he asks laughing

“Oh yes I do!” she purred, rubbing a emerald green piece of cloth on her cheek, “you do not have enough silk for me.”

“Oh, I am sure I have more than plenty of everything for you my dear.” He rebutted

“ummm…” she stopped and looked around at the bustling factory with a blank stare, like a pigeon looking over the square for crumbs, “no.”

“Hahaha” he laughed nervously with his hands at his sides, “What do you mean, no?”

“Well, that there is not enough silk for me here.” She stated in a building literally filled with silk, in any form you could possibly imagine.

“Honey… I have more silk than anyone in all of the Mediterranean!” he declares with outstretched arms. “Beautiful but not very bright.” He whispers to the tall skinny man standing next to him, who was most likely the manager of the factory.

She skips over like a little girl, and just as if she were actually ten years old and asking for a toy, lays on his chest and looks him in the eyes.

“Then you can give one to me can't you?” she implored him.

He looked at her stunned that she would ask such a thing, not knowing what to reply.

“If you really have so much, then a little for me is nothing for you.” She stated sweetly.

“Umm… I… ummm..” he muttered

“Oh! If it is too much, then it is fine I understand.” She said standing back up, and turning to walk away “most men cannot afford such gifts for their lovers"

“But I am NOT most men!” he declared pompously, “Alpheos! You work for Mnesarete now!”

The man looked at him stunned, unable to utter a word, unable to move, catatonic state stunned. Mina ran up to Gordos and wrapping her arms around him, planted a big kiss on his cheek.

“Oh thank you Gordos!” she exclaimed in a very airheaded fashion.

Alpheos brought over a scroll and Gordos handed it to her, telling her that if she needed any help he would be there for her. What he actually meant was, that in a month when she had her fun he would take it back. They walked out the front door and toward the carriage, but as Gordos was stepping in, she ran back with the excuse of ‘forgetting something’ to which he laughed at her silliness.

Inside she found Alpheos, and sternly called him over to her.

“I want you to bring me an account of what we have in stock here. Everything from the last fiber to the finished clothing, as well as clothing designs” His mouth dropped at the sudden personality change.

“Y..yes… my lady.” He stutters, perplexed by the strange level-headed female.

“I also need a list of where we received the last shipment of silk from, how much, how much we sell our products for and to who.”

She walked off without waiting for a reply, but fully expecting Alpheos to get it done and bring the documents by Gordos' house that evening. She was sure that he knew he would be fired if he did not perform to her expectations. Outside she put on her smile and jumped on the back of the carriage.

"Did you find what you were looking for baby?" he asked

"Yes, I did." she replied as the driver whipped the horses and they proceeded to their next destination.

In Athens, with Mina gone, Helena spent more and more time at the clinic with Dice. The endless line outside the clinic was always filled with sick and injured women and children in need of care. Why did so many people flock to Agnodice for care instead of the dozen or so other physicians in Athens? No one was really sure, but maybe it was the quality of care, or maybe it was the level of caring, nevertheless they found their way there, and every night the girls would finish later and later.

"Do you ever feel tired of working so many hours?" Helena asked the doctor as they cleaned up after a long day's work.

"No, not really." Dice answered with a smile while putting some tools in a basin for cleaning.

"What about the fact that you recieve no recognition for your hard work, no one really knows who you are, no one really knows how much of an amazing physician you are?"

"They all know." she replied pointing out to the waiting room, "everyday more and more people come because they know I will not turn them away, that I will treat them no matter who they are. This is enough recognition for me. It does not matter to them what is between my legs, what matters is the good I do for them every day."

"You are truly amazing." Helena expressed, in awe of the woman.

"I am not." Dice retorted bluntly, "I am simply doing what I love, for the people whom I love."

Helena admired her, Agnodice was intelligent, stoic, and completely selfless. She truly lived to serve the people, in stark contrast with the other physicians of the city who saw each patient as a sack of gold. She treated so many people for free that it became almost strange when patients offered to pay.

"When you were in Chalcedon learning medicine, did your colleagues treat you differently?" Helena inquired

"Medicine is very competitive" Dice began, "the other students, who were all men, tried to cause problems an account of my sex. Yet Herophilos, my teacher, made it clear the first day we all entered the school."

"What did he do?"

"He stood before all of us and said, ‘I do not care who you are or who your parents are, if you are man or woman. What I care is that you enter as children and you will leave as physicians. Anyone who cannot handle my style of teaching and anyone who is unworthy, I will throw you out without a second thought. Prove your worth and stay.’ and I proved my worth."

This was enough to satiate Helena's curiosity for the moment. They finished their cleaning, and readied the clinic for the next day. Walking out, Dice closed and locked the door behind them, while Helena looked around at the sleeping city. What she failed to notice is the cloaked man across the street watching them, taking into account everything they do.

[chubby-teen-wolf-campfire]

A Very Teen Wolf Fairy Tail - February Epilogue - Part 1 of 3

- by @chubby-derek-and-friends

Stiles smiled as the elevator opened on the floor to Derek’s loft. He was a little nervous for what he had planned. Sure, his spell to bring the pack together had had some rather unexpected results. The way Stiles’s belly shifted when he stepped out of the elevator was evidence enough of that. The two phone calls he’d received had been another unexpected consequence, one that he hoped would lead to some healing and maybe even some pack growth. (Hehe, growth)

Stiles paused in the hallway. If everything went right tonight, maybe he could eventually tell the rest of the pack about his role in the initial inception of events. Even though he had the best of intentions, they could all still be mad at him.

Stiles took a deep breath to calm himself. Stiles knew that his pack deserved to know the truth from him, especially with how close they had all gotten, but he also knew that his wolves deserved the best, and for Valentine’s Day that meant some very special dates.

The elevator door closed soundlessly behind Stiles and he couldn’t help but think back to its creaky, failure prone predecessor. Another good thing to come out of Derek and Scott’s impressive growth was the necessity for Derek to finally have the elevator in the building overhauled. He had also had the flooring and structure of the loft reinforced, and the spiral staircase replaced by a much wider, sturdier staircase. Not that it hadn’t been entertaining to watch Derek struggle to un-wedge his beautiful, big, wide hips and bouncing ass from the handrail that first time he’d come back to the loft after their jaunt in the woods. But despite the literal game of grab-ass Stiles had gotten to play that night (or how much they both enjoyed the activities that followed), they both knew Derek would need access to the loft’s upper floor sooner or later.

Stiles smirked at the memory of that night as he let himself into the loft proper.

“Hunnies, I’m home!” He called jokingly. He dropped his keys into the bowl by the door and made his way into the loft, following the sound of the TV to where Derek sat, snacking.

Another good thing to all the upgrading at the loft had been the chance for a little re-designing. Where they had at first just arranged a collection of mattresses on the floor of the loft for maximum cuddling and easy alpha relaxation after a good stuffing, there was now a built-in u-shaped lounge area with proper, heavy duty upholstered backing and mattress-like cushions that allowed for both easier sitting when eating, and an easier time of getting up once the heavy, bloated feeling the alphas both suffered had abated. And, of course, there was now a massive entertainment center that faced the seating area for pack movie nights, video game playing, or just some mindless vegging while mindlessly eating.

Which is exactly how Stiles found Derek. The massive alpha was sprawled back in the center of the cushion, watching an episode of DS9 and eating from a bag of corn chips.

“Hey! I thought I told you there would be food!” Stiles said, snatching the bag from next to Derek. The alpha looked at Stiles in surprise.

“When did you get here?” Derek asked.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Like, two minutes ago, big guy,” he snarked, “I guess you couldn’t hear me over the sound of your stomach.” Stiles shook the bag (mostly empty) of corn chips angrily.

Derek reached out for the bag, but Stiles held them out of his reach, which caused Derek to pout. Adorably. Fuck, Stiles would never not fall for that man and his ridiculous lips. Or that massive belly, which at least was attired in the massive dress shirt Jackson’s tailor had made for the evening. Green, to bring out Derek’s eyes.

Stiles handed back the bag with a sigh. “At least you’re dressed.” He said, then looked down and Derek’s chubby bare feet sticking out of his black dress pants. “Well, mostly dressed.”

“Ah coohuh reeh” Derek said with a mouthful of chip crumbs.

Stiles smiled and reached forward to put his hand on Derek’s big, heavy belly, rubbing the proudly bulging flesh with affection. “I can guess what got in the way. Where are your socks and shoes?”

Derek pointed across the loft to the reinforced dining room chair that sat pulled out from the table, then put the bag to his lips and tilted it to catch all the chip crumbs.

Stiles snorted, walking over to grab the missing clothes and bring them back to Derek. “Is Scott almost ready?” he asked, dropping down to sit between Derek’s spread feet.

“Ee ah a-hin...” Derek started.

“Swallow, big guy,” Stiles interrupted, rolling up one of the black dress socks, preparing to put it over Derek’s foot.

Derek gulped audibly, then again, before speaking, “He was taking a shower. Should be done soon.”

Stiles nodded, sliding the sock over Derek’s chubby toes and up his foot, before rolling it up his calf. “And do you know where Jackson is?”

“He said he would be here at 7, and to stop bothering him, and that I shouldn’t let you boss me around so much,” Derek said.

Stiles snorted again. “He really doesn’t understand the way our relationship works, does he?” Stiles asked, sliding the other sock over Derek’s other foot.

“And how is that?” Derek asked.

Stiles smiled at the slightly petulant tone in Derek’s voice, as he slid an extra-wide dress shoe over Derek’s toes. “Well, you let me have whatever I want-push!”

Derek pushed back against Stiles as he slipped the shoe up over Derek’s heel. “Is that so?”

“Uh huh,” Stiles said, turning to the other foot, “And I make sure that you want for nothing-push.”

Derek and Stiles both grunted as Stiles slipped the other shoe on then fell back into Derek’s stomach. Stiles twisted, scooting back a little so his own plush belly and love handles were pushing into Derek’s much larger gut, and leaned into Derek’s massive chest. “Isn’t that right, big guy?” Stiles leaned in and kissed Derek, taking an extra moment to lick the salt from Derek’s lips and cheeks and chin.

Derek burped softly from the pressure of Stiles leaning into his stomach, making Stiles smirk. “I guess so,” Derek said softly, rubbing his hands over Stiles shoulders. The two of them stared at each other and Stiles couldn’t help the way his heart sped up, the way it always did when he thought about how lucky he was that he got to have this with Derek Hale. He loved Scott, always would, but it was different with Derek. Being with Scott felt like playing, like something fun and silly. Being with Derek…it felt different. More passionate, more intense, but also more connected. Derek smiled as Stiles continued to stare.

“Hey, are you guys getting Valentine’s Day started without me?” Scott called, coming down the stairs. His own proud belly bounced with each step, his custom dress shirt, red for him, was still unbuttoned, so the tank top undershirt he wore was visible, stretched thin over his jiggling flesh, revealing his dark nipples and gaping belly button beneath the fabric.

Stiles and Derek both rolled their eyes fondly as Stiles sat away from Derek slightly.

“Nobody’s starting anything, Scotty. We still have to wait for Jackson to get here. And then there’s the surprise...” Stiles teased.

“Which I can’t believe you’ve managed to keep from me and Derek! I figured you’d at least tell one of us.” Scott said. His tone was somewhere between proud and whiny.

“Well, it’s a lot easier to keep a secret when I can keep distracting you guys with food,” Stiles said.

As if on cue, both Scott and Derek’s stomachs growled.

Stiles threw his head back and laughed. “Oh my god, you two are incredible.”

“Incredibly sexy, you mean,” Scott said, pushing his belly into Stiles.

“That too,” Stiles said, pushing back, his hands sinking into Scott’s soft fat until he was forced to step back.

Stiles reached around Scott’s belly and grabbed the ends of his shirt, pulling it shut over the soft, heavy flesh and began buttoning it up. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later, buddy. But for right now, you need to get dressed.”

Scott whined, but started fastening the buttons over his flabby chest.

“I know, I know,” Stiles soothed, as if he were talking to a puppy, “but the sooner you guys are both dressed, the sooner you can have your surprise!”

“Ahm ahrehee dreh,” Derek mumbled.

Stiles spun around to find the larger alpha had a box of snack cakes sitting on the crest of his belly, chocolate crumbs dotting his puffed-up cheeks. “Seriously, Derek? Where were you hiding that?”

Derek swallowed, his eyebrows coming down in a v. “I wasn’t hiding them. It’s not my fault you didn’t see them next to me.”

Stiles threw up his hands and stood up, elbowing his way past Scott. The younger alpha grunted as he continued tucking his shirt into his pants. “I swear to god!” Stiles yelled, “I plan a big romantic evening for everyone, and you guys keep snacking and delaying! I don’t even know why I bother!”

Scott pouted, his patented puppy dog eyes making an appearance. “Awww, dude, we’re sorry.” The young alpha wrapped his arms around Stiles.

Derek looked down, shamefaced. He put the box to the side and shifted his bulk so he could perch his big ass on the edge of the lounge and stand. “I’m sorry, Stiles,” he said, waddling over to the other two. “I haven’t been so good with the self restraint recently. But I’m really excited for tonight!” Derek said, squishing up against Stiles’s other side.

Stiles tried to stay stern, his arms crossed and a frown on his face, but then Derek and Scott began to nuzzle and scent mark him, and he couldn’t hold the façade any longer.

“Jesus,” he huffed out, a small smile creeping onto his face, “puppies. I have two giant puppies.”

Derek and Scott rumbled happily as Stiles slid his hands along their cheeks. The three of them stood there reveling in their happiness until a voice rang out from the door.

“Oh Jesus, really you three?”

The three men turned to find Jackson standing in the doorway to the loft. His own blue dress shirt pulled tightly over his fattened form. Jackson seemed to have grown the most since that week in the woods, which is not to say that the others hadn’t continued to increase in size, but Jackson really showed the greatest expansion. His abdomen had gone from a ball gut to a full-fledged belly, with two prominent, fleshy moobs and thick, flabby arms. His face had also rounded out as well. Combined with his flair for always being well dressed, Jackson could sometimes look like an overfed mobster. His sneer didn’t really help things. It was the same sneer he wore standing in the loft doorway.

“Awww, it’s okay, Jax,” Stiles cooed, “there’s plenty of room for you in this puppy pile.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and walked into the loft, closing the door behind him. “I told you not to call me that.” He grumbled.

“Well I’m sure not gonna call you ‘son,’“ Stiles replied, “and you threatened me when I called you ‘Jackie.’ So what else am I gonna call you?”

The two alphas on either side of him chuckled, causing Jackson to glower at the trio and stop short. “You could just call me by my name,” he said, crossing his arms.

Stiles smirked and moved to stand next to the stubborn beta. “Oh, come on, Jackson,” he said, slinging an arm around Jackson’s shoulders, “you know that nicknames are a sign of affection.”

“Right,” Jackson said, rolling his eyes again, but not moving away from Stiles.

Stiles looked over at the alphas and jerked his head, indicating they should come join him. “Awww, Jax, were you jealous? You know we love you too!”

The alphas moved on cue to surround the pair, Derek pressing in on Jackson’s side and Scott on Stiles’s. Derek pressed his hand to the back of Jackson’s neck. Jackson’s face blushed, still not used to the casual affection, but he leaned into his alpha’s touch and closed his eyes. Stiles smiled.

“You look really good, too, Jackson,” Stiles said, bringing up a hand to rub the beta’s belly. “Isn’t that right, Alpha?”

Derek’s eyes flashed red at the title. “Yes he is. So big and strong and powerful,” Derek replied, his voice taking on a more gravely quality, “makes his alpha so proud.”

Jackson blushed deeper, but also couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.

“So big, Jackson, doing so well,” Scott echoed, reaching around Stiles to rub his hand down Jackson’s cheek.

Jackson whined slightly, making Stiles grin. He squeezed the beta tighter. “See? What did I tell ya?” Stiles said.

“Shut it, Stiles,” Jackson grumbled, but his tone was pretty ineffective with the pleased smile on his face. Stiles put his head onto Jackson’s shoulder and winked at Derek. Derek smiled back then moved to rub his stubbled cheek against Jackson’s. Scott did the same to Stiles from behind. Together the three wolves began to make what Stiles called their “grumble-purr.” (“It’s not a purr, Stiles!” “Then what is it?” “It’s just...a noise that werewolves make when we’re happy.” “Like a purr.” “...”) Stiles surreptitiously slid his arm down from Jackson’s shoulders to pull his phone from his pocket and shoot off a quick text.

“Alright, as much as we’re all enjoying this love-fest, I have a big night planned.” Stiles said aloud, breaking up the atmosphere.

“Way to ruin the moment, Stilinski,” Jackson groused as Derek pulled back slightly.

“Jackson...you have chocolate smeared on your cheek. You might want to go wash that off,” Stiles said.

Jackson rubbed his hand across the cheek Derek had been scent marking and pulled it away to reveal the crumbs Derek had transferred. “Oh, great!” he said, stomping off to the bathroom.

Derek rubbed his own cheek sheepishly. “Oops.”

Stiles snorted. “Alright, big guy, you go put up those snack cakes, then clean up your own face.” Stiles said to Derek. “And don’t even think about eating anymore! I’ll be watching you!” He called after Derek’s waddling form, then turned to his best friend. “And Scott, you need to get your shoes on.”

Scott waddled over to the dining table to start the task while Stiles took a look around. The loft was pretty clean. For all the eating and lounging Derek and Scott both did, Derek was still fastidious enough to keep things in pretty good order. There was even a chore wheel on the fridge to make sure everything got done. Stiles just hoped his surprise would be well received by all parties.

“Will Allison and Lydia be joining us?” Derek asked as he headed to the kitchen, holding the half-empty snack cake box in his hands.

Stiles shook his head, “nah, they said they had plans. Actually, Lydia said, ‘if you think I’m gonna waste a moment of my Valentine’s Day with your puppies when I could be spending it with my gorgeous girlfriend, then you are seriously delusional.’”

Derek snorted. Scott made a disappointed noise.

“They did say that they would be here for pack movie night on Saturday, though,” Stiles said. “That reminds me, we need to go shopping.”

It was Jackson’s turn to snort as he exited the bathroom, his face pink and freshly scrubbed. “I swear, you guys go shopping every other day.”

Stiles crossed his arms. “Well maybe we wouldn’t have to if certain people would let others know when they’d eaten all the pop-tarts!”

“Give it a rest, Stiles,” Jackson groaned.

“Never,” he countered, “there were four boxes in there, Jackson. You ate them on purpose!”

Jackson opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a knock at the door. All three werewolves immediately spun to stare at the door.

(Continue to Part 2)

[sarahjane0886]

Begin Again 7

Chapter 7

"Lottie, sugar, it's time to wake up baby." Sharna said as she rubbed her favorite nieces back trying to wake the little one up. She had gotten in the previous evening super late and had asked if she could surprise her niece.

"No." Lottie grumbled as she turned away from her aunt and snuggled into her pillow while pulling Lily in tighter.

"So Aunt Sharna is going to have to play all by herself." Sharna said with a tiny giggle as she kept rubbing Lottie's back. This caught the little one's attention and she flipped over quickly.

"An Na?!" She said with wide eyes before shrieking happily.

"Hi sugar." Sharna said scooping her up and kissing her cheeks up and down making her giggle relentlessly.

"Someone excited to see her aunt I see." Peta said from the doorway as she watched the two. The site made her heart swell and calm at the same time. Having her best friend around for the next three weeks was definitely going to make life easier.

"Momma! An Na is here!" Lottie said with so much excitement that it was contagious.

"I see that baby. She's going to be with us for a bunch of days." Peta said as she scooped her daughter to give her some good morning snuggles and loves. Lottie accepted them happily before holding her arms back out to Sharna.

"Go pay An Na?"

"How about we get you some breakfast first sugar."

"You make me toast?"

"I can do that, is Momma allowed to come with us?" Sharna asked laughing.

"Yes, come Momma, peas." Lottie said waving for her mother.

"I'm coming sweetheart, oh wait, momma's phone is ringing, Shar you okay while I take this?" Peta said looking at her phone and realizing it was Maks. He never called so she was alarmed at first but figured she better answer.

"Yeah, go babe, we're good, right munchkin?" Sharna said tickling Lottie again as they headed into the kitchen leaving Peta in the living room.

"Hey, what's up?" Peta said into the phone.

"Hey, a couple things but I wanted to make sure Sharna got in last night and there were no incidents with the key." Maks's voice came across the line.

"Yes, dad, we're all safe. Key is back in the house and Sharna made it here safely." Sharna's flight had got in at 1 am and she refused to let Peta bring Lottie out at that hour. She was going to take an Uber and everything was going to be good. This however meant Peta had to leave a key outside for Sharna which Maks was not thrilled about. He argued with Peta for hours about how unsafe it was. He relented only when Peta said he could hide it and that it wouldn't happen again. He then made her go and get 3 copies made. One for Sharna to keep, one for his house just in case, and one spare to keep at her house.

"Not nice, I don't want anything to happen to you two." He huffed.

"I'm sorry, I won't tease anymore. But we're all good, I promise. Now what's up?"

"Well, you can say no."

"Oh boy, conversations that start out like that are always fun."

"No, this is a good one. So Noah always takes a few days off work here and there and takes Mav to the aquarium and to the zoo and that. They call them animal days. He usually tells me when he's going but he apparently forgot. He called this morning and asked me to invite you guys. Now I know Sharna just got in so she's probably exhausted so you guys don't have to go. I let him know Sharna was here and he said the more the merrier."

"That actually sounds fun. I had kinda nothing planned today for Sharna so she could catch up on life but I can ask her and leave it up to her. What time does he want us to be there?"

"He gets there for opening which is 9. So I'd say we'd have to leave here around 8:30 which is in 45 minutes."

"Wait, you're going?"

"Well, I'm tempted to say no now but yes, I am. I always go."

"That's not what I meant, I'm sorry. I just meant that it sounded like it was a Noah/Maverick thing." Peta explained feeling sheepish.

"It's okay, I should have said it. It's just usually implied that whenever these two do something, I'm involved. But I was going to offer to drive if that's not awkward for Sharna if you wanna go. Less cars will be easier."

"I'll talk to her. Can I text you?"

"Of course. Oh and usually we do dinner out after. There's a handful of kid friendly places down there a few with jungle gym stuff for the kids. And we take snacks and maybe grab popcorn at the aquarium."

"Alright, let me talk to Sharna and I'll text you. I'll try to let you know in the next 5." Peta said waiting for Maks to agree before ending the call. She headed into the kitchen where she found her daughter and best friend basically covered in the toast crumbs.

"Everything okay?" Sharna asked as she moved to dust herself off while Lottie finished her toast.

"Yeah, Maks wanted to make sure no one snuck into the house last night and to invite us to the aquarium with him and Noah & Maverick."

"Aks! See him momma? And Ewis?" Lottie asked nearly abandoning her toast eating.

"Maybe baby, we gotta see yet."

"Awww. I wanna see him." Lottie pouted. Peta sighed and shook her head letting her daughter be.

"So Shar, I'm kind of leaving this up to you. By no means do we have to go especially because you were traveling all night long. I actually had a quiet movie day sort of planned. So we can totally do that. I don't want to drag you out there with them just because they invited us. And if it's something you want to see we can always go at a different time."

"P, Babe, relax. We can go. It's silly to not. I'm here for 3 weeks, 2 of which you aren't working, we have lots of time for quiet days."

"Are you positive?"

"Positive, plus I want to meet these people who are taking care of my girls. Gotta make sure Aunt & Bestie approve."

"Sharna, behave."

"What? I'm allowed to interrogate your new friends." She said with a huff.

"Whatever, just don't imply anything that isn't there. There's nothing there." Peta said making her best friend's eyebrows go up. Peta moved forward to scoop up Lottie and changed the subject. "Hey baby, how would you like to go see fishies with Mr. Maks, Mr. Noah, and Maverick?"

"Fishies! And An Na? And Aks? And Momma? And eveeyone?" She said with huge eyes and such excitement that she couldn't contain herself.

"Yup, everyone." Peta said laughing as she tickled the little one.

"Yes, yes! Peas! An Na, help me get dressed?"

"I can do that sugar. Here, come here."

"Ok, I'm gonna text Maks and let him know we're good. Shar, are you okay riding with him?" Peta asked realizing she forgot to ask Sharna that important question.

"Yup, not a problem. Less cars are easier. And he seems nice. We'll be good." Sharna said easily before heading into Lottie's room to help her get dress. The three spent the next 30 minutes getting ready and packing a supply bag before heading to the porch to wait for Maks.

"Who is ready to see some fishies?" Maks asked as he appeared on his porch turning back to lock the door.

"Aks! Down peas?!" Lottie squirmed in her aunt's arms. Sharna put her down and left her scurry over to the dark haired man crossing the yards.

"You weren't kidding when you said she was enthralled." Sharna muttered. Peta had brought her up to date on Lottie's obsession with Maks so that her friend was prepared. She had also told her about her meltdown and their agreement. While Sharna hadn't been in the presence of the two yet, she agreed with what Peta had come up with. She figured it was a good way to play it safe and keep a support system. And it sounded like Maks was a good support system in any sense.

"Yeah, you just wait til she wants to nap on him." Peta said with a half grin as she led her friend across the yard. "Maks, this is Sharna. Sharna, this is Maks."

"It's nice to meet you Sharna. How was your flight?"

"Good, long, I was glad to be here. It's nice to met you as well."

"Na see fishes, Aks." Lottie explained as she looked between her aunt and new favorite person.

"Sharna's going to see the fishes! Are you excited? I love your outfit." Maks said tickling her slightly making her giggle. Sharna had helped her find a very appropriate aquarium outfit. Her top was a white tank top that said "Mermaids wish upon a starfish." She had on bright baby blue colored shorts with pink starfish all over them.

"Yes, yes."

"What do you say love?" Peta prompted her.

"Tank you." She blushed and got shy as she buried into his neck. He pressed a kiss to her head like it was normal. Peta caught it and it threw her off. It was the first time he had done that. Normally he just cuddled her and rubbed her back. Not that it wasn't okay but it was just new.

"Do you think we need her stroller?" Peta asked.

"I don't think so. Since it's a weekday, it shouldn't be too crowded Most of the exhibits are going to be ones where even though she could just look, she may want to explore."

"I'm more worried about her getting tired and wanting carried."

"I think there's enough of us that can handle her. Noah usually kinda sets a rest time aside and Mav has fallen asleep a time or two but then we just wait out him waking up."

"Alright, if you say so." Peta said with a smirk. Maks shook his head and they all headed to his car. The ride to the aquarium was filled with easy chatter. Sharna sat in the back at Lottie's request while Maks and Peta sat up front. Maks explained some of the perks and things they could do while they were there. Once they parked they went on a mission to find Noah & Maverick.

"Hey guys, I already got the tickets so we're good to go in. You must be Sharna. Hi, I'm Noah and this here is Maverick. He's pretty shy, so don't be upset if you get the brush off at first."  

"Nice to meet you Noah. And hi Maverick. Aren't you handsome?" Sharna said as everyone watched in slight shock as Maverick looked at the lady and then smiled softly.

"Hi, thank you." He whispered.

"You're so welcome. Are you ready to see the fishies? I know Lottie is excited about the otters. What's your favorite?"

"Rays. I touch em." He said with a bigger grin.

"No way! That's scary! You touch the sting rays?" Sharna said in shock making the little boy giggle.

"No scary, they splash. Daddy get wet." Maverick said continuing to giggle.

"He got wet?"

"Yeah, the little bugger decided that he liked Maverick so much that he was going to put on a show. Needless to say, I was in the soak zone when I wasn't even aware there was a soak zone." Noah said dryly.

"Oh it was hilarious. I think I have pictures on my facebook. And a video. Oh yes, i do. I was videoing because Mav was so excited and the sting ray was having a blast. Noah's face is priceless." Maks inserted.

"You're holding him this time." Noah said with a grin.

"Sharna, you touch sting rays?" Maverick asked Sharna curiously.

"What if I'm afraid?" She asked getting another grin from him.

"I hold yous hand. You be brave." Maverick said proudly.

"Okay, as long as you hold my hand I'll do it." Sharna said holding her hand out to shake on it. The two made their deal and then the group decided where they wanted to go first. They figured they'd start with the river side of things and then move towards the ocean, stopping somewhere in between for a snack/rest break.

"Alright, Mav, you want to stay up or you want to walk?" Noah asked when they got inside.

"Walk." He requested.

"Okay, remember the rules, you have to hold a big person's hand.

"Sharna?" He asked curiously looking between his dad and the red head.

"You want to hold Sharna's hand?" Noah repeated thrown off for a second. He was usually a straight up daddy's boy with the exception of Uncle Maks. Maverick nodded at his dad's question. "You can, but you have to ask her if that's okay?"

"Sharna?" Maverick said as he pressed into Noah's neck. This time the question was directed at the red head.

"I can hold your hand buddy." Sharna said holding out her arms and helping him stand. Then she took his hand and his grin got even bigger.

"Okay Miss Lottie, same rules. If you want to walk, you have to hold a big person's hand, okay?" Peta said looking at her daughter from her perch on Maks's shoulders.

"I tay." She said with a giggle as Maks tipped her backwards. Peta nodded and the group set off. They worked their way through the river portion looking at all the wildlife and animals before they were almost through the entire exhibit. They were just finishing up in the butterfly garden when Noah suggested it be snack time. Peta readily agreed seeing the look on Lottie's face, a break and some fuel would do the kids good. Maverick however did not agree in the least.

"No stop! See rays!" He said as he threw himself down and sat at Sharna's feet. All four adults as well as Lottie looked at him in shock. The kids had been standing with Sharna who managed to catch a butterfly so they were investigating. Lottie watched for a second before moving over to Maks.

"Up peas?" She said holding her arms up to the man. He nodded and scooped her up as she buried into his neck. Peta could see the sleepiness wearing on her.

"You okay if I walk her?" Maks asked knowing at this point Lottie's sleepy face. She squirmed around on his chest finding her way to where she liked to be.

"As long as you don't mind. I have Lily and blankie in here." Ever since her meltdown, Peta hadn't fought too hard whenever Lottie wanted Maks or when Maks offered to help. It took some of her anxiety with the situation away. It seemed the less she fought, the better it was.

"I don't. Here miss, here's Lily and Blankie, let's go get some air and walk a bit. I'll meet you back at the tables where we usually snack." Maks said more towards Peta. She nodded and pressed a kiss to Lottie's cheek before turning her attention to Maverick's current meltdown on the floor. He was currently clinging to Sharna's leg while Noah tried to talk to him. He looked like a little monkey attached to her best friend. If it wasn't for the situation of the meltdown she'd have probably laughed.

"Maverick. We can go home." Noah finally threatened only making the little boy cry harder. Sharna closed her eyes and counted to three before saying a silent prayer that she wasn't overstepping.

"Can I try?" Sharna asked softly looking at Noah. He looked up at her with a defeated look and shook his head.

"Hey Mav, buddy. Can you look at me for a second?" Sharna said bending down as best as she could while he griped her leg. He shook his head hard for a second and she ran her fingers through his hair. She felt him calm down slightly and decided to just keep up with the motion. After a few minutes, he stopped sobbing.

"Forget the ray. Mav no see them."

"Oh buddy. Come here." Sharna said slipping her hands under his arms. She scooped him up and left him wrap around her body. "We're not going to forget your sting rays. Daddy just wanted you to get some snacks in you so you're ready to be big and strong when you help me be brave. Remember? You're still going to help me be brave right?"

"No forget?" He whispered still clinging to her neck.

"No, we won't forget them. I promise."

"Pinky?" He asked, relaxing his one arm's grip from her body.

"Pinky." She said locking pinky's with him. He let go of her finger and just curled into her neck as his fingers laced into her ponytail.

"Uh, umm, thank you." Noah said nervously. It was clear that he wasn't really sure how to go about dealing with that situation.

"No problem. We went through alot with Lottie and Ollie. Sometimes she just needed someone different to hear her out. It's no big deal really." Sharna said giving Peta the come help me eye.

"She's right. I feel like these two are at that age right now where it's just needing to know that they are being heard. And they know we are hearing them but they are learning that sometimes we still don't allow them to get away with things. I don't know...they are 2. And trust me, there were many times when I thought my only option was to sit on the floor next to Lottie and have the same temper tantrum. And then Sharna would step in and suddenly she was calm. The first few times I was convinced I was a bad mom but then I just realized that sometimes they need to know others are there too."

"Ha, I just told that to Maks the other day. Guess I should listen to my own words. Speaking of where is he?"

"And Lottie?" Sharna added.

"She had the sleepy look and she curled into him so he took her to walk. He said to tell you he'd meet us at the tables. My bet is that when he comes back, she's out. She probably won't nap long but she needed it. She tried to stay up last night waiting for Sharna. Exhaustion won at about 10."

"She loves him." Noah said matter of factly.

"She does." Peta nodded as she looked back into the butterfly garden.

"Alright, let's go to these tables before Maks and Lottie beat us there." Sharna said breaking the awkwardness.

"Here Mav, can you come with me now?" Noah said holding this arms out to his son.

"No, stay with Sharna." He said as his grip tightened on her.

"Mav..."

"He's okay Noah. We're just going outside, he can stay with me." Sharna said gently. Noah nodded and sighed before turning to lead the group out.

"He's falling asleep." Peta whispered.

"Now I know how Maks feels." Sharna returned as she shifted Maverick slightly and tucked him into her better. She moved her one hand to rub his back. Peta gave her a look but didn't say anything. They found the tables and Maks and Lottie. Peta was right and her daughter was out on her current favorite sleeping place.

"You want me to take her?" Peta said, feeling required to offer. Maks gave her a look that clearly said I don't even know why you ask before he settled into a seat and adjusted the little girl against him.

"Noah, I think he's out." Sharna said feeling Maverick's dead weight sink into her.

"And that would be a yes. Thank you again. I can take him now if you want."

"I'm okay keeping him actually. I've kinda missed holding that one and we can see just how that's going right now." Sharna said tossing her head towards Maks and Lottie.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'm new." He said in surrender making the group chuckle. They turned their conversation to some easier topics before Peta remembered she wanted to talk to Noah about Maverick's daycare. It had been something that she and Sharna were going to accomplish while she was there however, now that they knew Noah and Maverick, she figured she may try to get them in there. Lottie may do better having a buddy she knew. Surprisingly the group got along well. At one point Sharna and Noah were involved in a conversation when Maks leaned over and whispered in Peta's ear.

"He likes her. He's awkward as all get out but he likes her." Maks whispered. Peta had noticed it too. The longer they sat and the more comfortable the conversation was, the more Noah loosened up. And actually Peta noticed the same in Sharna. She leaned in closer to him instinctively, and she smiled more towards him.

"She likes him too." Peta agreed nodding her head toward Sharna's current giggle.

"This oughtta be interesting. He hasn't dated anyone since. But I think it's past time."

"He'd be safe with her. MInus the distance, I know my best friend, she wouldn't hurt him unless it was warranted. And it would take a lot for it to be warranted in her book."

"He'd be good to her too if it matters."

"He better be. I'll have ass kicking to do. Maybe we can get my bestie out here." Peta said with a wink.

"Guess we have three weeks to play matchmaker. Sound like fun?" Maks said holding his hand out for Peta to shake.

"What are you two conspiring over there?" Noah asked seeing Peta shake hands with Maks.

"Just a bet on which kid was waking up first." Peta said blowing off the question before starting another subject of things to do with Sharna while she was there. The group returned to talking easily while they waited for the little ones to wake up while Maks and Peta both starting their matchmaking plans in their head.

**Okay folks, so I this is going to shift into kind of a Chmergs/Shway deal. It'll be mainly Chmergs with hints of Shway. I want to explore both sides of new relationships and dealing with that. Hope you enjoyed this one. I'm hoping to have the next Chmergess (Fix A Heart) chapter up in a few days. Summer is busy peeps, super busy. And then Wattpad eating my updates do not help. Don't forget to like this up and let me know what you thought in the comments. Love you allll! Thanks for dealing with my droughts all the time. It means the world. :)

[videogamelover99]

Waking Days Ch1 - Enter Bill Cipher

A/N: Helllooo and thank you for being so patient with me. I know, I know, with that little joke I had it coming, but look, I’ve finally delivered!

I took a long while with figuring out a title for the long fic, and I may change it later, but this is what I’ve got for now, so feedback is appreciated. (And yes, the chapter title is literally the same one as from Flat Dreams. I am a nerd.) Enjoy, you guys. :3

Warning: Implied substance abuse. 

AU by @doodledrawsthings. Based on Flat Dreams by @pengychan.

“He that sleeps feels not the tooth-ache.”

W. Shakespeare, Cymbeline. 

Ever since he took that deal, he’d been regretting it.

Looking back now, he would take a million years in that stone tomb over what that giant salamander had subjected him to. He hadn’t expected on getting his power back, not really, but the least that jerk could do was give him a proper form. Hell, or at least keep him a triangle. But he’d never expected this. He’d been thrown into this form with no directions, no explanation except “You must absolve your crime.”

Yeah, great, what the hell did that even mean.

He hated it. He hated everything about this stupid body, about this weak pitiful meat sack that frilly asshole decided to shove him in. He had nothing, no power, no immortality, no means of escape. And if that wasn't enough, he was slowly dying. He could even feel it. The slow, painful way each cell was loosing its energy. In just a few decades he would degrade, grow cold and end up feeding worms before he knew it, if this sack of flesh didn't give up on him even sooner. After watching humans for so long, he'd seen just how easily they could die, hell he'd even been the cause of a lot of them. He'd found it funny, how easily they can break.

He didn't now.

He hated this. He was Bill Cipher, bringer of nightmare, All-Seeing Eye, not some...some puny mortal who couldn't tie his own shoelaces. Stuff like that was just annoying. There was no point in knowing what humans did with their shoes, so he hadn't bothered looking. Now he could barely tie a knot, not until Shooting Star had shown him.

Mabel Pines was the easiest to deal with. Innocent and trusting, the kid was the easiest to get on his side. Was it manipulation? Sure. No surprise there. That didn’t mean he didn’t like the kid, though the whole defeating him part did put a damper on things. Because that spray paint had hurt, damn it.

Still, out of all the Pines, Shooting Star was the most agreeable one, no doubt about that. Neither Fez not Sixer would try anything, not with the kid involved. Security measure, in a way.

That's what he told himself most times when the brat decided to insert herself into his day like some kind of annoying dandelion that suddenly sprang on the lawn. Not needed, and obnoxious to boot.

The chess game had been easy, and Bill had been pretty bored anyway. Making fun of one of the Pines and getting something out of it was almost too good of a deal to pass up, even if that something was just a lousy sweater. Still, the kid knew how to make him look good, even in yarn.

The chess thing...Whatever it was, continued, as did the numerous sweaters the kid somehow managed to conjure in record time. And, okay, Bill had to admit it was fun. Shooting Star was nowhere near the most impressive opponent he'd played against, but boy if she wasn't interesting. The kid seemed to find the most ridiculous ways to lose, including chasing off his knight with her king back to his side of the board. Of course, that had been pretty much suicide, but Star satisfied herself with a really stupid loss, and Bill wasn't exactly complaining, not while her sweaters were so damn soft.

Huh, that was a weird thing to like. Must be a human thing.

…

“Watcha doing?”

Bill opened his eyes, but didn’t bother getting up when Mabel sat down next to him, letting her legs dangle from the edge of the roof. “Contemplating your pointless existence.”

“Rude.” The kid swung her legs a bit, before crawling over to sit next to him, the wood creaking under her weight. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m slowly dying.” He hadn’t meant that to come out as easily as it did. Mortality was making him lose his grip.

“Well, yeah, that’s kind of a thing humans do, y’know?” Bill closed his eyes again. He didn’t want to have this conversation, not with Shooting Star of all people. “Though we usually ignore it.”

“How?” No, stop. Ignoring what this body did to him would be almost the same as giving up. Which was ridiculous. He was going to find a way out, he knew it, he just needed to-

“Well, stop thinking about it, first of all.” The lighthearted tone meant that the kid was teasing him. Mabel Pines. Laughing at him. “You’re not going anywhere right now, so relax! It’s not like whining about it will help, ya big nerd.”

Bill didn’t respond, choosing to ignore the little girl and hopefully preserve any dignity he had left. Even if her laugh made him wanna throw her off the roof.

“Aw, don’t be like that.” No response. “Come on, is Silly Billy sulking again? I know what he needs: a sticker, that’s what!” With a small ‘boop’, Bill felt her stick something on his nose. He tore the sticker off, crumbing it and tossing it her way.

“Didn’t I tell you not to do that?”

Mabel grinned, looking pleased at finally getting a reaction out of the demon. “Do what?”

“You’re thirteen, but you act like a five year old.”

The girl’s grin fell, telling that the quip had met its mark. “You’re the one to talk.” She grumbled, poking him in the side, hard. The demon yelped, not expecting that, his body giving a spasm, forcing him to finally sit up and wrap his arms around his sides. Completely on impulse. Sometimes, human instincts were just really, really inconvenient.

Mabel blinked, looking from Bill to her hand and then back to Bill. Her face slowly stretched into a wide grin. “So you’re ticklish even out of my brother’s body.”

“Mabel Pines, I swear if you-No! No-AHAHAHA!” The kid pounced, digging her fingers into his sides, making the demon erupt with uncontrollable laughter. Aren’t people supposed to laugh at what goes their way? This was torture. The demon was hyper-aware of every sensation, of every finger that managed to dig in-between his ribs. His arms flailed around, trying to throw the kid off, but she was too damn persistent. In what felt like centuries Star finally relented, letting the demon push her away and laying down next to him, giggling as well. Bill collapsed into a boneless heap, trying to catch his breath. He was supposed to be angry, livid even, for letting any mortal touch him. Yet he couldn’t even fight off the grin that was left on his face. “I hate you.”

“Aw, don’t be like that! I was just trying to make you feel better.”

“How the hell was that supposed t-” Bill frowned, cutting himself off. Despite the heat on his face and the way his body still heaved for oxygen, there was something different about it. It was like out of all the 630 newtons gravity had dumped on him, half of that was thrown off. He did feel better, though that made no sense. “Hold on, how did you do that?”

Mabel shrugged. “I think it’s like, hormones and stuff? I don’t know, you’re the all-knowing demon. But it’s a human thing. Laughing just makes us feel better.”

Bill stared at her for a long time. Of course, laughing had made him feel better too, back when he was still all-powerful and all that jazz, but-

Liar.

He winced, ignoring the voice.

“Hey, don’t get all nihilistic on me again! And I was being such a good therapist.” The girl crossed her arms over her chest when she saw Bill’s questioning stare. “What, I know some complicated words! Someone has to understand what my nerdy bro is saying.”

“Yeah, you do.”

Mabel bristled. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Bill grinned at her, folding his arms behind his head. “Oh, ya know...starting to wonder which one of you is the smart pines twin after all.”

Star didn’t respond, so Bill pushed on. “I mean, for all the brains you claim Pine Tree has, he was a heck of alot easier to swindle. Don’t get me wrong, you handed that rift to me on a silver platter,” a wince, “But I had to put on a whole other meat suit for ya to fall for it. Ol’ Dipping Sauce took the bait without me even bothering with all that. And! You still figured out a way to stop me. Hinder me. Whatever.” Couldn’t give her too much credit there, the third dimension was kinda out of his veil of expertise at the time. “From what it looks like, you’re the one with the brains around here.” Bill finished, looking up at the kid. She was staring back blankly at him “Uh, Shooting Star?”

Despite the fact that he knew he was laying it on thick, the demon had to admit, the kid was perceptive, sometimes even more than all the other Pines smashed together. That was what he should have watched out for.

“That’s what you said to Grunkle Ford as well, huh?”

Bill froze, before giving himself a mental kick in the head. He was playing it up too much. Of course...

Mabel smiled, the smile too sad to be her own. “You said all that nice stuff about him being ‘special’ and ‘smart’ and he believed you.” She got up. “And I thought- no that’s stupid. Dipper was right, I shouldn’t have bothered.” the girl turned to leave when a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, clutching it a little too tightly.

“Don’t.” he hated how his own voice sounded, almost pleading, and it was stupid, because who said he really needed this kid? So his original plan to get her on his side crashed and burned, so what? She was just a stepping stone, a way for him to finally get out of this body, and then he wouldn’t need her anymore. Bill Cipher didn’t need anyone.

It’s just that being left alone on the roof all the sudden seemed like the worst thing that could possibly happen.

Mabel shook his hand off, but didn’t leave, turning back to him. Then she suddenly reached to wipe her face with her sleeve, and Bill’s chest constricted. It was like something inside of it was taken into a cold, vice grip, and he couldn’t shake it away. What was that? Why can’t I-

You know exactly what it is.

The girl sniffed, finally letting her arm fall back by her side, her face a little redder than normal. “I don’t...I don’t want to be fake friends with you.” she looked away, her face scrunched up. “If you don’t want to be my friend that’s fine, just don’t- don’t fake it.”

Bill scowled, and turned away from Star’s snot-covered face. It was really annoying, for some reason. Her leaking.

Mabel slowly came to sit next to him, tossing her legs over the edge and wiping off the stray wetness with her sleeve. “I wanna help you,” she said after a while, both of them staring straight ahead, at the last stray rays of the darkening sky. “But I don’t know if-”

“Why?”

The girl shrugged a bit to Bill’s question. “I’m Mabel Pines. It’s what I do.”

The demon grimaced, feeling angry at that statement. “It’s not gonna do ya any favors.”

Star shrugged again, letting her head fall on his shoulder. “That’s okay.”

He didn’t push her off.

...

"Just who does she think she is?!" Bill threw the scissors across the room, smashing them into the far wall and making a severely satisfying dent in the wood. Would probably get him in a big one with Fez later, but at the moment he was too livid to care. How dare she? How dare she!? "I did everything she wanted and she- and-" You did not. Bill scowled, his hands clenching at his sides. Get lost. You invoked me. How many times do I have to tell you to leave? As many as you think will satisfy you. Bill's eyes shot to the water tank in the corner. Small, pink creature met his gaze. He was almost tempted to pick up the scissors and throw them at the tank instead, but that would definitely not go well with Fez, and he wasn't exactly eager to sleep outside tonight. You are lying to yourself. Bill bristled. What the hell do you know about- What do you think she wanted? A better world! I made that happen! There was a light ticking sound. That bastard was laughing at him. Not everyone shares your definition of "better".

No. No no no. He was sure he's made it-

“Make it worth something.”

He had. If she couldn't see that, then that was her problem. They ruined everything, and after all they did to her, she still-

Liar.

“I don’t CARE!” Bill rezched up to pull viciously on his hair, but the sharp stab of pain did nothing to block out that voice. “You act like you know everything. Well, YOU DON’T KNOW A GODDAMN THING! SHE DOESN’T KNOW A GODDAMN THING! And if you THINK you can TELL ME WHAT TO DO, WELL, you’re even MORE OF AN IDIOT THAN I THOUGHT. Now get the FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD.”

There was no answer. Bill breathed heavily, surrounded by silence.

...

The kid had the scissors. She'd taken them long before Fordsy could even lay eyes on them, and that was probably for the better. He needed them. And by a stroke of luck, they were just within his reach.

Bill tripped over a ball of loose yarn, shaking off the string and cursing under his breath. The kid was fast asleep, curled up in her make-shift nest of stuffed animals whose soulless, button eyes were definitely following him around. Probably cursed. Man, he had to get one of those someday.

There was no risk of waking up Star, the kid slept like a dead rock most of the time. The one he didn’t want to wake was Pine Tree, because no doubt the brat would go running to Sixer as soon as he saw Bill doing something “suspicious”. Not that this was the most inconspicuous thing he’d do, but one paranoid wreck he could deal with. Two was pushing the limit

Bill finally shook off the clingy pink thread around his ankles, kneeling next to Mabel’s supplies drawer to shuffle through its contents. Stickers, glitter glue, googly eyes all covered his hands, but no scissors were found. Where were the damn things?

Bill cast a look back at the ball of yarn he’d stepped in, and at the plastic bag next to it it had apparently rolled out of. He knelt and rummaged through the bag, careful with the crinkling plastic. Finally he’d found them, sticking out of another fluffy ball of yarn. It was just like the kid to use a reality-altering gadget as actual scissors. The demon freed them from their tangled prison, turning to leave the room. He cast one last look at Shooting Star, still sound asleep, breath whistling through her teeth. Then he left, not bothering to close the door behind him.

He didn’t notice as Mabel suddenly sat up, staring at the now empty hallway.

…

Liam closes the book he was reading, letting his eye fall shut. “Alright, that’s it. Now you have to go to bed.”

“Whaaat? But that one was short! Tell me another!”

“Billy…”

“I brought you candy! So you have to!” Bill scoots closer to him, staring into his brother’s eye eagerly, until Liam has not choice but to cave in, giving a small laugh.

“Alright, alright. A short one.”

The younger brother beams at him, eye crinkling. “Do the one about the pirates, I love that one.”

“I know, I’ve read it to you like ten times already.”

“Then make it the eleventh.”

Liam puts down the book he was holding, grabbing another one from the shelf before settling down into the pillow. Bill scoots next to him, burying them both under the blankets and leaning on the other’s side. The bigger triangle opens the cover, his palm hesitating on the first page. Why isn’t he reading?

“You can’t keep doing this, Billy.”

Bill freezes, shuddering. It was suddenly cold. No, not cold. It was really hot. There was something very, very wrong…

“What do you-”

“You’ve slept for so long. Maybe it’s time to wake up.”

No. No no- “No. No, don’t- I don’t want-” The boy’s tumbling phrases die in his throat as he looks up at the other, and his eye shrinks into a pinprick at the sight.

Liam’s shape is crumbling, burning away like singed paper, the edges of the triangle darkening and curling inward.

And it was like Liam didn’t even notice. He just stared at him with that sad, regretful eye. Like he didn’t notice he was- “Wake up, Billy.”

“NO!” Bill made a grab for him, for whatever was left of his brother, but it was too late. There was nothing but ashes. “No, no, no, make it stop, please, I-”

Wake up, Billy.

The bedsheets caught on fire, angry red flames dancing on the covers. It burned, it burned more than Bill ever thought it would. “Come back! I didn’t mean to!”

There was nothing but that unbearable heat, eating him inside out, turning his thoughts to dust, just like they did to-

Wake up!

Bill screamed.

…

And promptly fell on the floor.

The demon lay there for awhile, rubbing his now bruised side. He didn’t remember what that nightmare was about, except that it was gonna keep him awake for the rest of the night. Which means he slept a total of- Bill unburied his face from the blanket, casing a bleary look at the cuckoo clock mounted on the wall. Four hours. Not bad, but hardly enough for this stupid body to be satisfied with.

Sleep was one of the most annoying things this body had him dealing with. The absurd amount of time humans spent unconscious (eight to nine hours, seriously? Most other beings could live off of four) used to be extremely handy. After all, what was a dream demon without dreams to infiltrate? Every time someone fell asleep, it was practically an open invitation for him to sneak in and rummage through their brain without consequence.

And he hated being on the receiving end of it. It was like the universe itself was setting up some big joke. Bill Cipher in need of sleep. Ha ha, hilarious.

He loathed every time he got put under. Bill of all knew how vulnerable humans were when asleep. It was what got him the upper hand, but now, it was unnerving. He had no idea of what was going on around him, and that was the least of it. The nights when he didn’t dream of anything were probably the most bearable.

Because when he did, they were always nightmares.

Aaand there was the punchline. Bill Cipher, harebringer of nightmares was suddenly on the receiving end of them. Pure irony at its finest. He’d appreciate the humor more if he didn’t wake up screaming every night.

It’d been so long since he knew what nightmares were like, anyway, long before he’d-

The long forgotten screams echoed in his head, and Bill pushed them away, deep enough that he wouldn’t have to hear them anymore. He got up, his side still aching from the fall, tossing the flimsy blanket aside on the floor. There was no point in going back to sleep. He couldn’t even if he’d tried, and besides, who knew if that nightmare came back again? Bill would take the horrible weight of exhaustion over that any day.

The demon stumbled into the kitchen, shuffling through the shelves in search of enough caffeine to make that unexplainable pressure on the back of his head go away for at least a few hours. He cracked open one of the top cabinets, and froze. Huh. So that’s where Fez keeps all his poison. There sure is a lot of it.

It felt like he’d stood there forever, starting them, the dark glass glinting under the dim lighting. The flickering light of bright blue flame still danced behind his eyes.

Bill reached for the bottle.

…

“Cipher? What the hell are ya- Oh jeez, what a mess. You know I’m charging ya for the booze, right?”

…

The bottles were gone, and he was on the couch again, the blanket he’d kicked away tossed over him.

At least the splitting headache chased away the voices.

…

“I wanna see him.”

The ancient one lifted his tale, revealing a small, grey triangle underneath. Bill Cipher looked more awake than he had all this time, not looking at the Axolotl, but rather somewhere beyond, into the dull void that stretched out for eternity. The boy’s eye was narrowed, hiding whatever emotion he didn’t want the other to see. Of course, the ancient one could still tell.

“You- you said if I wake up, I’ll get to see him.” It was a question, despite not sounding like one, carrying something almost akin to hope. “That I’ll find out where he is.”

“You will. In time.”

The boy finally looked at him, the single wide eye not muddled anymore by sleep. “So if I leave, then-”

“If you leave, you will gain a new form. Absolve your crime, and you shall see your brother again.”

Bill turned away, looking unsure. But he was ready. This was the first time that he ever talked about leaving this bubble without denial or anger, but as a possibility. But that possibility was all that was needed for the bubble to crack, and the illusion to shatter. If Cipher truly wanted to leave, that meant that the dream wasn’t enough anymore to satisfy him. That did not mean that his denial would end, but it was cracking, just like the bubble.

“Ok.” The voice was small, but the weight it carried could not be compared to anything else found in the void. “Deal.”

...

Bill Cipher woke up.

[promptistrashqueen]

Ink Shrouded Stars 4

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3

“So?”

Prompto rolls his eyes and takes another bite of the proffered sandwich, chewing intentionally slow. Noctis’ glare does little but motivate him to take as long as possible to respond.

“ Six out of ten, on account of too much mayo and not enough cheese. Here.”

Noctis accepts a bite of Prompto’s and immediately makes a face.

“What, exactly, did you just put in my mouth?”

Prompto raises an eyebrow, “Well I mean…”

Noctis shoves at him, scowling and Prompto has to catch himself on the frame of the metal table they’re sitting at. The park is crowded and they’re lucky to have scored a seat, though Gladiolus’ bulk probably has something to do with that. The shield is far enough away to give them privacy but close enough to do his job.

It’s still weird to Prompto that they have an official security detail when they’ve never needed one before, but Regis had insisted that they do it. It made Prompto a bit awkward, since this was technically their first real date, and the security drew more attention than he and Noctis ever had on their own.

“It’s tofurkey! It’s good!” he answered Noctis’ question this time, watching the horror that crossed his...boyfriend’s? Face. Noctis immediately took a large gulp of his energy drink and shuddered.

“You’re worse than Ignis.”

Prompto gasped and clutched at his chest, swaying back as though wounded, his light tee shirt bunched under his hand.

“Help! Help! I’ve been shot! My boyfriend’s shot me!”

He kept his voice lower than usual, even as he messed about. Noctis though had caught something else and a slow smile curled his lips even as he pushed at the sleeves of his black overshirt.

“Boyfriend huh?”

Prompto ducked his head a bit, blushing as he clicked the metal bar in his tongue against his teeth, a rapidly developing nervous habit.

“Well, I mean, if you wanna put a label on it?”

Noctis tapped his chin lightly with a finger, getting Prompto to look at him, “Yeah. Boyfriend it is.”

Prompto grins widely at him but takes a large bite of his sandwich when Noctis shifts closer, making the Prince frown at him and pull back a bit. Prompto forces down the poorly chewed bite so he can explain the movement, wiping off the crumbs on the sleeve of his shirt.

“Sorry Noct! I just...with Gladio and the glaives your dad sent people keep staring at us? I don’t want you to get into trouble or something if somebody takes a picture.”

Noctis looks thoroughly unimpressed at the thought, sighing.

“Prompto,  I already have to keep my tattoos mostly covered, I’m not about to resist my boyfriend because someone might see. I’m...I’m not embarrassed about this.”

His sandwich thunks onto the table and he leans in close again, making Prompto’s heart beat faster. Noctis so rarely comes out and says that kind of stuff and it makes warmth spread under his ribs. He takes a breath, if Noctis isn’t ashamed of him it’s all he needs.

He leans forward and meets the Prince, bracing himself lightly on the bench they share. It’s a soft, small kiss, just the press of their lips and the feeling of Noctis’ breath over his cheek, but it’s good.

Prompto grins when they part and Noctis’ own smile is gentle.

The first photograph of them to make a magazine cover is the two of them, smiling brightly at one another, noses a hair's breadth apart with the sun glinting off Prompto’s hair.

Regis is both pleased and morbidly disappointed. He’s glad that they enjoyed their date and that nothing hurtful is being thrust at their relationship, of course...but really. The crown Prince turns up dating a man, a commoner, and there are plenty of photos online of the two of them kissing that day, or pictures their old classmates have uploaded en masse of them, even if they are just in the background of a lot of them.

You’d think there would be more scandal involved! Regis huffs a little to himself and flips open the magazine, eyes going wide when he actually starts reading the brief article.

“Prince Noctis and freckled friend share a fun day at the park!”

The entire piece spins the two of them as very close friends and Regis laughs aloud. Right, silly him for thinking that the press wouldn’t try to make it a “platonic kiss” and practically stamp “no homo” on all the photos.

He shuts the ‘zine and tosses it onto his desk, sitting up and sorting out the papers he needs for his next meeting, maybe he can convince Ignis to buy Prompto and Noctis each the shirt he’d seen at his appearance in the new mall the week before. It’s bright colors would make it hard to miss and he’d love to see the journalists turn “Sorry girls, I like dick” platonic.

Date number six goes as smooth as all the others. Not that Prompto really considers this date six, not when he and Noctis still spend most days together, draped over furniture, playing video games, staring at offer letters for university that neither of them are ever planning on answering. Prompto had decided to pursue his photography, originally intending to get his degree but Noctis had simply had him put down as the Palace’s personal press and hired on several renowned photographers to teach him.

That had been last week’s surprise gift and Prompto still isn’t sure how to feel about it, but he’s happy that it means staying close to Noctis. He’s leaning against the wall outside the auditorium when Noctis arrives, looking annoyed.

“Sorry, Ignis thought I needed to be briefed on something instead of go to the movies. Has it started yet?”

Prompto shakes his head, “Nah, just the first previews...which I am missing out on. I grabbed Coke but you have to get the popcorn since you made me wait!”

Noctis mock groans at him but nods, “Fifth row down?”

“Duh dude.”

The Prince turns around and heads for concessions, giving Prompto a nice, uninterrupted view of his ass in the tight grey jeans he’s wearing. His white shirt clings to his torso nicely and Prompto appreciates the quarter sleeves roll around his arms.

He sighs dreamily, yeah, his boyfriend’s hot.

Noctis joins him in the theater with a large popcorn and a box of sour punch straws, chuckling at the way Prompto cringes. He holds out a box of milkduds in appeasement, gaining a quick kiss on his cheek in thanks.

Prompto settles back into the seat, focused on the opening credits and trying not to let on how excited he actually is for this. Noctis puts an end to that though, sliding an arm around his shoulders and whispering,

“I feel like I’m a kid right now...Disney movies man.”

Prompto laughs softly, leaning against his shoulder, “Just don’t sing along, yeah?”

By the end of the movie Prompto is certain both of them are not going to be able to resist humming “You’re welcome” every time someone says thank you.

“Alright, so next time Ignis tries to force you to do something stupid, you have to say it Noct, you have to!”

Noctis glares as they make their way outside, “Prompto, I am not telling him I’m “Moana of Mata-nui””

“Awww, not even for kiss?”

“No.”

“What about a blow job?”

The words are out before Prompto can give them a second thought and he turns crimson. Noctis looks a bit shocked for the space of a breadth but then his face turns thoughtful and Prompto wants to slap himself.

Not that they haven’t fooled around a little. Hell, he’d gotten pretty good with his hands lately, but all of that had been able to happen with their clothes on, at least mostly.

Technically, he supposes, a blowjob does too, but he knows Noctis better than to believe that anything that got to that point wouldn’t progress further. His internal panic is cut off though, as Noctis takes his hand, thumb rubbing the edge of the bracelet he wears.

The barcode beneath is usually something he covers, but he told Noctis about it ages ago and he doesn’t feel the same cold dread he one did when it’s visible. It’s something else they’ll have to deal with, it this thing between them lasts much longer, and Astrals, Prompto hopes it does.

“Hey, it’s cool Prom. If you’re not...we don’t have to do any of that stuff until you want to. For the record though, no. Not even then. Ignis would never let me live it down.”

Prompto scoffs at that and thinks about using the out Noctis has given him, cracking another joke and brushing the physical side of their relationship off for another night. Trouble is, he’s let himself think too much and now he finds that he wants...he wants Noctis. Now, while he’s so certain of their love.

“Noct? Can we, uh, can we go back to yours?”

[adorkablephil]

Fic: A Different Kind of First Time

Summary: Sequel to my fic "Just Once," but can be read as a stand-alone. Phil has only ever had casual hook-ups in the past and so has never had sex without a condom. Now in a relationship with Dan, he experiences it for the first time. Word Count: 4.5K Rating: Explicit Tags: Smut, Established Relationship, Smut, Fluff, Smut, Romance, Smut, Barebacking, and some Smut Author’s Note: Quite a few people started following my blog after my last 2 or 3 fics were posted, and those fics were all very fluffy, with only hints at the things that go bump in the night. So scroll on by, little lambs, if you don’t want to learn some fun new vocabulary words. I promise to post some non-smutty fluff again soon. (Also, this fic is dedicated to Gilove2dance, who suggested the idea in a comment on "Just Once" on AO3.) You can also read this fic on AO3 here

A Different Kind of First Time

Phil couldn't seem to stay focused on anything today. He'd tried working on ideas for a new video, but just couldn't keep his mind on topic. He settled on the sofa with his laptop for a while, trying to answer some tweets on Tumblr, but couldn't think of anything clever or silly to say. He and Dan had gone out separately this morning, but Phil had gotten home first and Dan's prolonged absence was driving him a bit mad. He made himself a cup of coffee and sat again on the sofa, one leg jiggling up and down in agitation.

When he heard Dan's steps on the stairs, he sat up a little straighter in anticipation. When Dan unlocked the door and came in, Phil greeted him with a big smile. Dan blinked for a moment, then smiled back, closing the door behind him.

"What are you so happy about?" Dan asked suspiciously.

Phil shrugged, looking away, then smiled a sort of little private smile to himself before meeting Dan's eyes again. His attention was caught by the pink box in Dan's hands. "What's that?"

Dan grinned. "Do you know what today is?"

Phil frowned in thought. "Um ... Thursday?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "It's Tuesday, actually, but that wasn't what I meant. Today is our three-month anniversary ... so I got you something." His smile was a little shy as he offered the box to Phil. Phil opened it to find a cupcake with red frosting inside.

"Can I eat it now?" he asked with childlike enthusiasm, and Dan nodded. Phil took the cupcake out of the box and took a big bite. He groaned in pleasure. "Red velvet!" he mumbled with his mouth full.

"I know it's your favorite," Dan replied, looking pleased that his gift was so appreciated.

"Do you want a bite?" Phil offered, holding the cupcake toward Dan, but Dan shook his head.

"It's for you. Because you've made me so happy these past three months." His face was going a bit pink.

Phil set the cupcake down on the coffee table, heedless of the crumbs falling everywhere, and went to Dan, taking him in his arms and kissing him softly with lips sweetened by icing. "Me too," he said quietly. "So happy."

Dan stepped away and coughed. "We're such saps," he complained, but his pleasure at the attention was obvious. "Now what were you smiling about when I came in?"

"Can't I just be happy to see you?" Phil asked, looking a little nervous. Dan instantly became suspicious again.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

Phil went back to the sofa and sat down, his leg starting to jiggle again. He picked up his cup of coffee and took a distracted sip. "It's been three months," he said hesitantly.

"I know," Dan replied. He gestured toward the crumb-strewn coffee table. "Hence the celebratory cupcake."

"Well, um ... you have to wait three months for an HIV test to be really accurate..."

Dan stiffened slightly, figuring out where this was probably going.

Phil continued in a rush, "So I counted back to the last time I had sex with anyone else, and I went and got tested after three months, and I got the results today, and I'm totally clean. No HIV, no STIs, nothing. Totally clean." Phil glanced up at Dan's face.

Dan nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "I got tested right after we got together. You know, just in case. And I'm clean, too."

They stared at each other a long moment. Phil wiped his mouth with a self-conscious gesture, dislodging a few remaining cupcake crumbs and a smear of red icing.

Neither of them said anything for a long moment. Dan cleared his throat in the loaded silence. "Um ... don't you want to finish your cupcake?"

Phil laughed nervously. "You're thinking about baked goods after what I just said?"

"Well ... you know ... we've waited three months ... I think we can wait a few more minutes so you can enjoy the cupcake I brought you for our anniversary." Dan was clearly blushing now.

"Maybe you can wait," Phil muttered to himself, but Dan heard him and chuckled.

"It's worth waiting for," Dan said softly and came to sit beside Phil on the sofa. He picked up the cupcake and handed it to Phil. "Here. I got this for you, because I was thinking about you and how much I love you. I want to see you enjoy it."

Phil was silent a moment, then carefully placed the partially eaten cupcake back in the box. "I appreciate the thought, Dan. I really do. But the cupcake will still be here in a couple hours." He looked into Dan's eyes. "I've been waiting three months to be able to touch you properly ... and then for the past hour I've been going crazy waiting for you to get home ... and ... just ... please don't make me wait any more." He took a breath before continuing, looking into Dan's eyes. "I've been thinking about how much I love you, too, and I want to see you enjoy something much better than a cupcake." And a cheeky smirk touched his lips.

Dan ducked his head a little, smiling, then said, "Okay."

Phil let out a breath in a whoosh and exclaimed, "Finally!" which made them both laugh. Phil leapt off the couch and pulled a surprised Dan up with him, gulping at the sudden change in attitude. Phil took Dan's face in his hands and kissed him slowly, deeply, leaving him panting in the aftermath.

"Okay, fuck the cupcake. You've got me convinced," Dan breathed, gazing into Phil's eyes.

"Yes to the fucking. Later for the cupcake," Phil replied huskily as he reached down to take hold of Dan's hips and pull him closer, pressing their bodies together.

Dan groaned, then murmured, "It still freaks me out sometimes, how you can go from goofball to ... to freaking sex god ... within seconds."

Phil chuckled. "What can I say? Sometimes I want a red velvet cupcake, and sometimes I want to fuck. Now, less talking. And less clothing." He pulled Dan's t-shirt over his head, leaving his wavy hair ruffled, then began unbuttoning his own shirt. Dan's fingers tangled with his, trying to help with the task, so Phil left him to it and moved on to his belt. He got it undone quickly and tossed it on the floor, then began walking Dan down the hallway as they continued discarding items of clothing along the way. By the time they reached Phil's bedroom—what had become their bedroom—Dan was wearing only a sock and Phil was in his boxers. In seconds, they were both naked.

They paused in the center of the room, running their hands over each other's bare skin, and Phil leaned down to press a kiss to Dan's shoulder, then another to his cheek, before meeting his lips briefly, slowing them down. His voice was soft when he said, "I can't believe we can finally..." He trailed off, swallowing. For a moment he didn't meet Dan's eyes, then he asked quietly, "Do you think less of me ... for ... sleeping with all those people, before? For needing to be tested? Do you think I'm ... a slut?"

Dan pressed a hand on either side of Phil's face and made him meet his gaze. His brown eyes were earnest and serious as he said firmly, "No, Phil. You were always responsible and honest with the people you were with, and I respect that. And I'm just glad that you decided that you want to be with me." Then he grinned a cheeky grin and added, "And I don't mind reaping the benefits of all the stuff you learned over the years," which made Phil laugh and lessened the tension.

Phil ran his hands down Dan's back in a caress, feeling the shivers that ran through Dan's body as he asked in a low voice, "How do you want to do this?"

Dan reached up to twine his fingers in Phil's hair and pull him down into a kiss. When their lips parted, he husked out, "I want it both ways. Either way. What do you want?"

Phil groaned quietly and grasped Dan's hips tightly, his fingers pressing into the smooth flesh there. "I want it both ways, too. I want to feel you in me, but I want to be inside you, too. We can do both, but..."

"You in me," Dan interrupted. "Let's do that first. Like the first time." And then he kissed Phil with such sweetness and heat combined that Phil melted into their connection, his hands roaming Dan's body hungrily, as if he couldn't get enough. Phil nodded into the kiss and began backing Dan toward the bed.

Dan pulled down the covers and scooted to the middle of the bed, Phil following him immediately. Dan looked so soft and vulnerable there, his skin pale against the vivid blue and green sheets. Phil remembered when the younger Dan's skin was tanned from time in the sun, but their lifestyle of spending most of their time inside together had led to him becoming more and more pale over the years, though his skin would never be as pale as Phil's. Phil pressed a hand to Dan's chest and enjoyed the contrast of their skin tones, Phil's tending more toward pink and Dan's more toward olive. He met Dan's eyes, and saw that his lover was becoming impatient. As if Phil's gaze had given him permission, Dan grabbed Phil's hand and began to push it lower, but Phil resisted.

"I want this to be slow," Phil said softly. "The slowest we've ever been." He smiled, trying to let all his love show in his expression. "I've never done this before, never had sex without a condom, and I want this to be special ... for both of us."

They'd had many different kinds of sex in the past three months, and Phil had been thrilled to discover Dan's penchant for dirty talk and willingness to experiment, but tonight he wanted to savor every moment. They'd sometimes been fast and rough, sometimes slow and tender ... and tonight Phil wanted slow and tender. The slowest … the most tender.

He stroked his hand up to Dan's neck, then his cheek, and said, “I’ve never wanted anyone else the way I want you. I’ve never trusted anyone enough to do this, to take this chance. I've never wanted to wait for someone long enough to make this possible. But I've waited for you, to be able to do this with you. Let's not rush."

Dan nodded wordlessly, lifting a hand to press Phil's to his cheek, then taking Phil's hand to kiss the palm gently. He met Phil's eyes before slowly flicking out his tongue to taste the skin there. Phil inhaled sharply, then smiled. "Tease," he chided jokingly. He leaned down to kiss Dan with a lingering laziness, sometimes pulling away slightly to change the angle, sometimes tasting Dan's lips with gentle touches of his tongue, sometimes dipping inside to just barely brush Dan's tongue with his own. It was a prelude, a teasing hint at what was to come, and it soon had Dan arching beneath him, making small eager noises of frustration. Phil loved how vocal Dan was during sex and silently vowed to himself that tonight he would make Dan scream ... but he'd make him wait for it. It would only make the eventual satisfaction that much sweeter.

Phil stroked his hand down Dan's body to toy teasingly with the pubic hair surrounding his jutting cock, not touching him directly but moving lower to gently cup and caress his balls. Dan was moaning steadily now, his fingers clutching the sheets and his eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Jesus, Phil," he groaned. "I get that you want it slow, but does that mean you have to torture me?" Phil relented and moved his hand to rest lightly on Dan's cock, causing the other man to let out a sigh of relief and pleasure. He caressed the soft skin with slow strokes of his fingertips, not grasping the column of flesh but just exploring as if he'd never touched Dan before, as if he was experiencing Dan's body for the very first time. When he did wrap his hand around Dan's cock, he held him loosely, gently, and slid his hand up and down with a teasingly light touch. Dan's groan this time was loud enough that the neighbors were sure to hear. Phil smiled a bit to himself, acknowledging that they'd be giving the neighbors something to complain about tonight, and he wasn't even a little bit sorry.

“I could make you come like this,” Phil offered in a low voice. “Help you last longer when I’m inside you. Would you like that?” His hand stroked loosely up and down, up and down, achingly slow.

Dan nodded eagerly. “Yes. Anything. Whatever you want. Just keep touching me.”

Phil kept his touch slow and rhythmic, loose enough that he didn’t need any lube because he was providing only the slightest amount of friction. It would take Dan longer to come this way, but that was fine with Phil. Still, it wasn’t long at all before Dan’s hips began thrusting into his touch and Phil leaned down to kiss him, continuing the motions of his hand. Dan whimpered against his lips and Phil deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into Dan’s mouth in time with his hand’s movements. When he perceived a growing desperation to Dan’s thrusting and felt Dan’s cock grow harder in his grasp, he began to move faster, still keeping his grip loose, knowing that orgasm was imminent. When Dan tensed, his hips lifting high off the bed as he thrust upward and cried out, Phil tightened his grip a bit as he gently worked him through his release, continuing his slow strokes until Dan collapsed limply onto the sheets.

“Jesus fuck,” Dan breathed after a moment. “You’re fucking good at that.”

“I’m good at a lot of things,” Phil whispered, leaning close to flick his tongue along Dan’s earlobe. “And you’re not so bad yourself.”

“Give me a minute,” Dan panted. “I think even my toes are throbbing.”

Phil laughed quietly and pressed soft kisses to Dan’s sweaty face. “I love you, you know.”

“I know,” Dan replied, his words jerky with his calming breaths. “I love you, too. Especially right now.”

Phil laughed again and moved his hands to selfishly stroke his own chest and belly as he eyed his momentarily sated lover’s face, rosy with the satisfaction Phil had given him. He lowered a hand to brush against his own hard cock, having become excited by giving Dan pleasure, by Dan’s pleading noises and the beauty of his writhing body. Dan noticed what he was doing and raised an eyebrow. Phil smirked and took a firmer hold of his own cock. “I like looking at you like this,” he said cheekily. “I like the noises you make and the way you look when I make you come. It gets me hard. So while you’re recovering, I’ll just … amuse myself.” He took up a leisurely stroke with his right hand and raised his left to tweak one of his own nipples, purposely putting on a show for Dan. He licked his lips, his eyelids lowering slightly. He arched his neck in a way he knew was sure to get Dan’s attention and suddenly found himself pinned to the bed by the other man’s larger frame, firm lips pressing and biting at his neck. Phil chuckled in triumph even as he felt himself overpowered by Dan’s greater strength and size holding him down.

Dan lifted his body slightly and slowly slid a hand down Phil’s body to his cock, unceremoniously knocking Phil’s hand out of the way. “Let me do that,” he growled.

“Gladly,” Phil replied, feeling himself grow harder in Dan’s grasp. He closed his eyes with pleasure and let his lips fall open on a gasp.

Dan took the opportunity to kiss him. It started out hard and deep, but then apparently Dan remembered Phil’s request that they take this slow tonight and his lips gentled, his tongue exploring rather than conquering, and Phil raised a hand to tangle in Dan’s hair, tugging slightly in a way he knew Dan liked. Phil’s other hand roamed Dan’s back, still hot and damp from his orgasm. The remnants of sweat allowed his hand to glide smoothly along the sleek skin. At the same time, Dan’s hand was teasing his cock, making him buck in a bid for more sensation.

“So dominant!” Phil purred. “You sure you don’t want to just wait a few minutes to get your strength back and take me like some swooning Victorian virgin?”

Dan huffed out a laugh that Phil could feel against his ear and cheek. “Neither of us is any swooning Victorian virgin. I like you just the way you are, confidant and clever and absolutely my equal. Though I don’t promise I won’t be swooning when you fuck me, because you’re just that good.” His hand continued to move below and Phil gasped out a breath. Dan continued with a smirk, “That was a hint, by the way.”

Phil rolled them so that he was on top, nudging Dan’s hand away and propping himself on his elbows and thrusting along Dan’s cock, which was valiantly struggling back halfway to hardness. The slickness of Dan’s come between them made the motion smooth and easy. Neither of them had ever been squeamish about sex being a messy business, and the slipperiness of fresh come was handy sometimes. Phil could feel Dan harden even more against him. Dan sighed, hands roaming Phil’s back. “You feel so good.”

“Gonna make you feel so good,” Phil replied. “Imagine me inside you, nothing between us, just every ridge of my cock rubbing against the walls inside you, my tip nudging your prostate…” Phil’s thrusting had become more urgent without him realizing it as his words had an effect on him as well as Dan. He took a deep breath and slowed. Dan arched up beneath him, but Phil grabbed his hips and held them down. “Give me a sec. I got a little worked up and I don’t want this to be over too soon.” He closed his eyes and just breathed for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he looked down at Dan with pale eyes shining with emotion. “Let me do this, okay?” Dan nodded, raising a hand to stroke one pale, high cheekbone. He smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to Phil’s lips. Phil smiled back.

Phil reached for the lube that sat on the nightstand, always ready for its frequent use. One of these days he was going to forget to hide it before making one of his videos and the fans would go crazy. But he wasn’t thinking about that right now. Right now, all he could think about was the warm, willing man beneath him, and how much he loved him.

Dan’s reaction to the first slippery finger inside him was a gratifying moan and a lovely arching of his neck as his head pressed back into the pillow. “Yes,” he gasped, and Phil inserted another finger, sliding both in and out in a slow rhythm, curling them up to brush only very gently against Dan’s prostate. Dan’s hips bucked. “Another,” he begged, and Phil added a third finger, feeling Dan’s rim stretch around him. It wasn’t long before they both knew Dan was ready, and Phil was lining himself up, tip just touching Dan’s slippery hole as he paused, hesitating. He began to slide inside exquisitely slowly, feeling the slick friction against the sensitive head of his cock for the first time. When his crown had breached the ring of muscle and he felt himself actually inside, just that first bit, Phil paused again, breathing deeply.

“You okay?” Dan whispered, watching his face, and Phil smiled down at him reassuringly.

“Just not wanting this to be over before it starts. I’ve been thinking about this since we first talked about it, so I’m a little over-excited.” Phil could feel his face heat. He’d always been smugly proud of his own stamina, so admitting this was more than a little embarrassing.

But Dan only smiled at him and raised his head to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ve been wanting this, too. Just having you inside me is incredible. Take it as slow as you want.”

Phil nodded and adjusted his grip on Dan’s legs, making sure both of them were comfortable before he continued his slow slide into Dan’s body. He closed his eyes tightly and just focused on the slippery heat around him, the feel of Dan’s walls caressing his flesh in a way he’d never felt before. He’d known sex would be different without a condom, but he hadn’t expected this intense rush of sensation. But then he opened his eyes and looked down at Dan’s beautiful, shining face and knew it was mostly because of the person he was sharing it with. When he was as far inside Dan as he could get, he leaned down and kissed him, slow and lingering. “I love you so much,” he murmured earnestly, trying to put everything he was feeling into the words, and Dan wrapped his arms around Phil in a tight embrace.

“I love you, too,” Dan said, and Phil could hear the truth in his words, and in all the words they’d spoken to each other in the last three months, and he began to move.

As Phil had requested, they went at a leisurely, easy pace, their hips moving together with the dextrous familiarity of much practice. They kissed lips, cheeks, eyelids, everywhere they could reach, their lips tender and delicate against each other’s skin. “Does it feel different?” Phil asked quietly after a while, and Dan nodded.

“It’s more intense, more … intimate. It feels like … you … inside me. For the first time.” His voice was thready with need.

Phil nodded, then rested his forehead against Dan’s shoulder for a moment. “I can feel your muscles, fluttering around me. I can feel … everything.” His lips against Dan’s then were firmer than they had been, and his strokes began to speed up. “I can’t … I can’t wait…” and Dan nodded eagerly, granting permission if Phil had needed any.

Phil’s thrusts grew harder and faster, sweat beading on his face and chest as Dan’s hands stroked his arms and shoulders, fingers occasionally clutching when Phil hit the right spot inside him. Phil was aware that he wasn’t displaying his usual finesse, wasn’t making this as good for Dan as it could be, but he was so caught up in his own sensations that he felt swept away by his own experience. He felt his orgasm begin to build and ground out, “God, Dan, I’m gonna come!” before it fully hit him and rendered him incapable of breathing, let alone making any noise as his entire body stiffened and clenched with the pleasure rocketing through him. He wished he could see Dan’s face in that moment, but his eyes had clenched shut against his will and he was unable to open them until the waves of ecstasy began to recede and he gulped in a rush of air. His eyes met Dan’s, and those brown eyes were looking at him with such depths of love that their eye contact was almost as intense as his orgasm had been. Phil leaned down to kiss Dan passionately and felt the hard cock pressed between their bellies. When Dan bottomed, Phil always tried to make sure Dan came first, but this time he’d lost track of the niceties in his own eagerness. But it wasn’t too late.

Easing himself gently out of Dan’s body, Phil slid down to take Dan’s cock into his mouth. It tasted faintly of his earlier release, but also of their combined sweat and just the unique taste of Dan’s warm skin. Dan cried out loudly at the feeling of Phil’s hot mouth engulfing him and Phil remembered his determination to make Dan scream tonight. He slid three fingers inside Dan’s well-slicked hole and unerringly found his prostate, stroking over it just the way he knew Dan loved, again and again, at the same time as he used all of his considerable skills to pleasure Dan’s cock. It wasn’t long before Dan was arching off the bed and yelling out Phil’s name in a very gratifying way that Phil was certain must have startled the neighbors. But, come to think of it, maybe the neighbors were getting used to those sorts of noises from them these days. Not wanting this to end, Phil gently suckled Dan’s cock in his mouth until it began to soften and Dan pulled away out of sensitivity.

Dan pulled him up into his arms and they held each other tightly for a long moment. Their sweat gradually cooled and Phil became chilled, so he reached down to pull the blankets up over them both, but then he pulled Dan into his arms again and pressed a tender kiss to his mouth.

“So,” Dan breathed against his lips. “How was your first time without a condom?”

Phil chuckled weakly. He shook his head and tried to find the right words. “If it hadn’t been with you, it wouldn’t have mattered. But because it was with you, it was spectacular.”

Dan blushed but looked happy. They kissed again.

Phil leaned over to flick a tongue into Dan’s ear and murmured, “And next time, it’s my turn.”

Dan rolled them again so that he was on top and nipped at Phil’s neck playfully. “If you hadn’t already given me two amazing orgasms in the last hour, I’d take you up on that right now!”

“Promises, promises,” Phil smirked.

Dan tried to swat him on the butt, but could only reach his hip from this angle, so he settled for giving him a reproachful glare. “It’s your fault I’m so well-satisfied I can’t take advantage of you right now, you know.”

Phil sighed melodramatically. “Yes, I’m aware. I’m just so fantastic in bed that I’ve worn you out. I guess I’ll have to wait until morning.”

Dan grinned. “Count on it.”

They lay together for long moments, bodies intertwined, feeling each other’s breath, feeling the sweat and come growing sticky and sort of gross between them, both thinking longingly of a hot shower, when suddenly Phil gasped.

“What?” Dan pulled away to ask in concern.

But Phil was leaping out of the bed in a flail of long limbs, stark naked. “There’s a red velvet cupcake in the lounge!” he exclaimed excitedly.

Dan collapsed back onto the bed in relief, a fondly amused smile on his face. “You should go get it, then.”

Phil grinned at him and tore off running out of the room. Priorities.

Author’s Note: Don't let anybody ever pressure you to have sex without a condom just because it will feel better. Be safe, get tested, and use condoms unless you're absolutely sure. And, somewhat less importantly, Like, Reblog, Comment, and just generally feed the author! I write to contribute to our little community, so I love to know that the community appreciates my contribution!