#how long are we staying 'a couple hours' are we eating before or after 'depends on when we get there'

[begaydodrughailsaten]

Ya know something I think "maybe I'm not autistic, like I can make eye contact with some people, and I wasn't officially diagnosed a therapist just said I have most of the telltale signs when I was 10" and then I have a melt down and cry on my bedroom floor and scream into my pillows while shaking because I can't plan out a trip I'm going on down to the minute

[sv5hive]

all's well that ends well | lh44

pairing: lewis hamilton x fem!reader

content warning(s): suggestive content? (like one little comment nothing outrageous

word count: 2,107

note: this is a part two to this fic! thank you to the anon who gave me the idea otherwise i would have been stuck for ages!! so happy so many of you enjoyed it and i hope you enjoy this one just as much 😚🫶🏻

(masterlist!)

you let out a shallow sigh as you gently pushed the door closed with a click. last night's fight had plagued your mind and haunted your dreams meaning you had gotten almost no sleep at all. you just wanted to get all your stuff and find a small place to rent while you looked for a more permanent place to stay.

but lewis had other plans.

"hey, baby-"

"don't call me that, lewis. i thought i made it clear last night that it was over. i thought i also made it clear that i didn't want to see you again."

"ok, ok. i'm sorry. i just, i know i fucked up. but i can make it right again. i promise."

"like how you promised we would have a normal life together? i don't want to wait anymore, lewis. i told you this already. now please, let me just get my stuff and leave."

"no, just, just hear me out on this. i can't imagine how you felt while waiting for me to finally catch up to what you realised a long time ago. but i have been in love with you since the day i met you and if i let you walk away again i would never be able to live with myself."

despite what you had said earlier, you didn't hate him. and lewis could see you weighing up the idea in your head.

"saying it is but proving it is another. otherwise your apology means nothing."

"ok. yeah, ok i can do that."

he grinned at the possibility of winning you over.

"but, i need space. so, i will be getting my stuff and leaving."

"wait! you can stay here. i'll go, it's only fair."

"don't be silly, lewis. i still have my hotel room booked don't worry about it."

"no, no, please stay here. this house is yours as much as it is mine. don't worry, i can find somewhere else to stay. i know how you get sleeping in a bed that's not yours."

he knew you too well.

"ok. uhm, thank you, lewis."

"you don't need to thank me. i'll see you soon?."

"ok, yeah. see you soon."

you thought sleeping in your own bed would help you get a good night's rest but you seemed to toss and turn for hours on end. looking to your left, the digital clock on the bedside table screamed some unreasonable time in blinding red. you huffed before realising that maybe it wasn't just the bed. after all, all those years you slept in this bed you weren't sleeping alone. eventually, you did manage to fall asleep at some ungodly hour after scrolling on your phone mindlessly. but not without pondering how lewis was planning to change your mind.

the next morning you were awoken by a knock at the door. rolling your eyes, you readied yourself to turn lewis away but instead you were met with a bouquet of flowers on the doorstep. you peeked your head out to see if the person who dropped it off was still around but it was like they had disappeared into thin air. bringing the bouquet to the kitchen to place in a vase your eyes caught notice of a note gently tucked into the leaves.

thank you for giving me a second chance. you won't regret it.

he was making it hard to stay mad at him. you pulled out your phone and sent him a quick text.

thanks for the flowers.

anything for you. and i meant what i said.

read 9:26 am

humming along to the radio, you plated up your lunch and made your way to sit at the counter to eat. the recent weather had been unusually pleasant with the sun shining all day, and you thought about going for a run outside when a text popped up on your phone.

do you have any plans tonight? it read.

you debated lying to him but you had already finished with your work that day and you found yourself wanting to see him again after a little bit more than a week of being apart. you typed out your reply after a couple of seconds.

depends. what do you have planned?

it's a surprise.

you grinned.

i'll pick you up at 6.

oh and can you wear that black dress again? the backless one?

read 12:46 pm

you felt your face go warm at the reminder of what happened the last time you wore that number. god damn it. no matter what he would always have that effect on you. looks like you had something to look forward to tonight.

you smoothed away imaginary wrinkles while obsessively checking your entire appearance over in the mirror. it felt like you were doing too much but then again, you had to show lewis what he would be losing out on if he couldn't convince you. before you could check the time there was a knock at the door.

you calmed yourself down and opened the door to come face to face with lewis.

lewis swore he felt his world stop spinning.

"you- wow. you look...as beautiful as ever. seriously, why were you ever dating me?" he eventually managed to get out, audibly breathless.

your giggles filled the air as you hoped your makeup meant he couldn't see your entire face going red.

"you look, ok." you were lying straight through your teeth. he could make a trash bag look like a designer outfit and you both knew it. he found it funny enough to let out a chuckle though so maybe it was the right move.

"oh and uh, these are for you." as he remembered the bouquet of baby's breath, white chrysanthemums and blue hyacinth in his hands that he painstakingly put together himself.

"oh they're lovely. thank you. i'll just go put these in a vase and we can go."

he couldn't mess this up now. not again.

"ok, do you plan on telling me where we're going now or is it still a surprise?" you asked locking the front door and heading towards the car.

he opened the passenger door for you as you got in.

"y'know there's a saying that goes something along the lines of 'good things come to those who wait'. you ever heard of that one?" he retorted before getting behind the wheel.

"hmmm, i don't know. doesn't really ring any bells for me."

"that's too bad because i'm still not telling you."

"fine, be that way."

he looked over at you staring out the window refusing to spare him so much as a glance. you always have been a stubborn one he thought. shaking his head with a smirk, he began driving.

you were definitely surprised when you two arrived at the restaurant you raved about months ago - you didn't think he had been fully paying attention while getting ready for bed. now sat down at the secluded booth, you couldn't help but grin at the fact while in awe of the decor. all lewis could do was admire the pure joy and glee present on your face.

"what? why are you looking at me like that?"

"like what?"

"y'know, like that."

"i don't know what you're talking about."

all the other patrons must have been irritated by the way you two couldn't stop chatting and laughing as the bottle of wine dwindled down over several courses of delicious food. but if it meant he could see you so happy after everything he put you through he was ready to pay for them all to leave.

"so i've been thinking, and, i'm ready to take the next step with you. don't worry, i'm not about to get down on one knee right now, but i just thought you should know."

"what changed your mind?"

"i should've listened to you but instead i was an idiot and i let you leave. i'm sorry for that. and everything else. i guess seeing you walk out really brought me to my senses."

"yeah? well i'm glad it did."

"and i am absolutely ready to retire and start a family with you-"

"what?" you almost spat out your wine.

"i've thought about it and i want a family with you more than anything."

"no, lewis, i won't let you do that. you love racing. you said it yourself it's your whole life!"

"not anymore. i want to be there for you and i can't do that if i'm away driving every weekend."

"i can travel while pregnant, lewis. i'd follow you until i am physically unable to and we would be waiting for you until you come back home. i know how much racing means to you and i will always support you. besides, wouldn't you love to have your kid cheer you on in the garage?"

you two were cheekily grinning now at the prospect. he couldn't believe how lucky he was to find you.

"are you sure? it's not going to be easy."

"yes, of course i am. i've been sure for years, lewis. you were the one who wasn't ready."

his smile faltered a little as he wished he could go back in time and tell himself to get his act together. he couldn't change the past but he was damn well going to change your future together.

"ok."

"ok."

to everyone else in the restaurant, it seemed like a normal date, but if lewis kept his word then it meant the start of a completely new chapter in your relationship.

"you ready for this?" you were in awe of the man stood in front of you.

"more than ready."

"stay safe, ok? we want you back in one piece."

"of course. anything for my two favourite girls."

he placed a kiss on your forehead before taking the toddler from your arms.

"you ready to see daddy race? hmm?"

lewis nuzzled his nose against hers and placed gentle kisses all over her face, prompting an endless symphony of infectious giggles.

he had been absolutely petrified when you told him you were pregnant. he wanted nothing more than a family with you but babysitting nieces and nephews was very different to having your own child. even after all the baby books, birthing classes and packing dozens of hospital bags, lewis still almost passed out when your water broke. and if you weren't in excruciating pain due to your rapidly growing contractions, you would have teased him for his panic.

soon enough, his daughter was placed into his arms for the first time and all of a sudden there was nothing to be anxious about. he could still visualise the moment perfectly and yet somehow failed to describe just how he felt looking at the little one's face. she was the perfect mixture of the two of you.

"i'm so proud of you, my love. you know that right?"

season after season, he was left fighting in the midfield when he was finally given a championship contending car to restore his former glory. it was clear to everyone that lewis was more motivated than ever and that he just needed a car good enough to take him back up to the top step. all the late night meetings and simulator runs had finally paid off, as the legendary eighth world championship was won just a few races ago.

now, as you helped him prepare for his final race in formula one, you looked fondly back on the beginning of your relationship. you had everything you always dreamed of and you wouldn't trade it for the world.

"i couldn't disappoint my biggest supporters!"

"even if you didn't win we would still be your biggest supporters! isn't that right, my sweet girl?" you tickled your daughter as she curled back into lewis' neck to evade your hands.

"thank you."

you looked back at him with furrowed brows while fussing over the toddler.

"what for?"

"for everything. for taking me back, for making me the happiest man in the universe. twice, by the way."

you beamed from ear to ear at the reminder of the wedding that awaited you next year. he had proposed to you just before you found out you were pregnant and it felt like your life was falling into place at last. studying his face, you felt content knowing that you were truly meant for each other. nothing else mattered more than what lied ahead of you and you couldn't wait to experience it with the man you had fallen in love with years ago.

"i would do it all over again in a heart beat."

note: omg. it's literally 1 am but i had to finish this before my random streak of motivation ran out. i didn't think so many people would want a part 2 like i was so shocked at how many people enjoyed part 1!! never thought i'd get 10 notes let alone 100+ you are all tooooo kind 🥹

[nhasablogg]

I dont wanna monopolize all your prompts but maybe a short one where Spencer won't/cant go to sleep/is drinking too much coffee to stay awake so someone tickles him to tire him out? Or just to convince him to get some actual rest?

-M

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Characters: Hotch, Reid

A/N: This is probably ooc, but I don't CARE I wanted to write about Hotch and Reid. Also tweaked the prompt a little, hope that's okay!

Words: 1.3k

Hotch didn’t make it a habit to profile his profilers. It didn’t seem ethical, especially not if it didn’t affect their abilities to work. Which was exactly why it took him slightly too long to realize that Reid was sleep deprived.

“How many hours of sleep per night does a person need to function normally?” he asked him that afternoon.

Reid looked up from his paperwork, one hand gripping his fifth cup of coffee. “Between seven and eight depending on age.”

“I see. And how many do you get on a nightly basis?”

Reid straightened, his lips pursing. “I sense I made a mistake.”

“How many, Reid?”

“Mmm.”

“Reid.”

“Maybe two?”

“Two?”

“Not every single night of my life!” Reid scrambled to add. “But. Recently.”

Hotch rubbed at his temples. “Jesus. For how long?”

“A couple of weeks.”

“Reid. You need to lay off the coffee.”

“It’s not because of that,” Reid said, holding up his hands. “It’s the only way I can focus during the day. It doesn’t matter how tired I am at night. I just can’t seem to sleep.”

“Nightmares?” Hotch remembered when Morgan had approached him about it a few years ago, when Reid’s nightmares had started.

Reid shrugged. “Partly. I’ve been able to handle them before, though.”

“We experience new things all the time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you find it harder now.”

“I’m not ashamed.” But he wouldn’t meet Hotch’s eyes now, turning back to his pile of papers.

Hotch huffed, wondering how to approach this. It wasn’t as if he could physically make sure Reid was sleeping.

Unless…

“I want you to take a nap right now.”

Reid turned back to him. “Sorry?”

“We have a couch and a quiet room for a reason. This job’s demanding. I order you to go to sleep.”

Reid held up his cup. “But I’m five coffees down,” he said weakly.

“Then starting tomorrow you’re not allowed to have any more coffee past noon and will take a nap after lunch.”

“Sir, with all due respect-”

“No arguing.”

Reid’s mouth snapped shut, but Hotch caught him mumbling something along the lines of “Morgan will tease me to death” as he left him.

And Morgan did, stopping only when Hotch shot him a look the next day. “I think I should enforce this rule on everyone if I’m being honest. I doubt you’re taking care of yourselves as you should.” Everyone squirmed, refusing to look at him. “Hm. Reid, come on, the room is ready for you.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. You look exhausted as it is.”

“I’m fine, Hotch, I promise.”

“Didn’t I say no arguing?”

Reid sighed, following Hotch into the room. It was nothing special really, but it had a couch by the wall, a table and a chair for when you needed complete privacy while working or eating, and a small window with the blinds closed, just in case you needed daylight. Hotch rarely was in here, and he had no doubts his agents barely knew of its existence.

“There’s blankets and extra pillows,” he said, pointing to a basket. “You get an hour.”

“What if I can’t fall asleep?” Reid asked quietly, arms crossed. Holding himself rather than displaying defiance, Hotch noted.

“Just resting is also good for you.” Hotch softened, taking in the young agent. How much he’d seen much too young. “Please try, Reid. Please.”

Hotch left him before he could reply.

*

Reid found him 27 minutes later, hair somewhat unruly and his eyes containing something that nearly scared Hotch a bit. “I can’t. Hotch, I can’t.”

“Reid, Reid, calm down. What is it?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Reid-”

“I just can’t, I-” He ran a hand over his face. “It’s not that I don’t want to.”

He saw the frustration in the kid now. How he probably spent weeks trying and failing to get the rest he needed. How that was slowly etching itself into his bones and spilling over.

Hotch sighed, wondering if he was crossing a line. “Come with me.”

They went back to the room and Hotch had him sit down next to him on the couch.

“Relax,” he told him. “It’s okay. I want to try something.”

“Okay.”

“I do this to Jack when he can’t sleep. I know you’re not a child,” he added when Reid opened his mouth. “But I think this could help as long as you’re not uncomfortable with me touching you.”

“Uh.”

“Or we can get someone else to do it. Maybe Morgan.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?”

“Jack relaxes when I stroke his back,” he explained, finding himself smiling softly. “I figured sometimes you just need to know that someone is there. It also helps you relax.”

Reid exhaled. “Is that- something you want to do for me?”

“Of course.” Hotch said it with no hesitation, although still wondering if it was appropriate. But their job literally involved them sleeping and eating and crying around each other. He saw no reason why this would be different. “If you want me to.”

“I guess it can’t hurt,” Reid mumbled, suddenly blushing and turning away from him. “I, uh, should I lie down?”

Hotch hadn’t thought of the details. “Yes, I’ll- I’ll sit on the chair.”

“Okay.”

It was awkward, as they shuffled to get in position. Hotch wheeled the chair over, realizing it was probably much too high for him to comfortably touch Reid, but it would have to do. Reid was facing the back of the couch, visibly tense and waiting for Hotch to approach.

“Just tell me if you want me to stop, okay?”

“Are you gonna keep doing it until I fall asleep? Because that will probably take hours.”

Hotch really hadn’t thought this through. “I’ll do it for a bit just to help you relax, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’m gonna touch you now, okay?”

“Okay.”

It was strange, to be petting your co-worker, but to be fair it wasn’t the strangest thing he’d done for this job. Reid lay completely still as Hotch let his fingertips run over his back, over his spine and shoulder blades and the nape of his neck. He shivered slightly, which made Hotch smile. Despite everything Reid hadn’t lost his humanity.

“How’s that?”

“Feels good,” Reid mumbled. Hotch could imagine him blushing, eyes closing and mouth slightly agape.

“And a little weird?”

Reid breathed out a laugh. “And a little weird,” he agreed.

Hotch laughed too, running his fingers down Reid’s spine toward his lower back. “Well, hopefully you’ll relax anyway- oh.”

Reid had twitched away from him with a yelp, glancing back at him briefly enough for Hotch to catch his panicked expression. “Uh.”

“Did I cross a line?” Hotch asked, equally as panicked.

“No, no, I just- Ugh.” He turned back around, pressing his face to the couch. “I think I’m good now, sir, thank you, you can leave now.”

“Reid, what-”

“I’ll fall asleep in no time.”

“Reid.” Hotch grabbed his arm. “What happened?”

Reid sighed. “It’s stupid.”

“If I overstepped-”

“You did nothing wrong, it just tickled.”

“Oh.”

Oh.

“I didn’t know you were ticklish.”

“How could you have known?”

“I’ll be more careful. Is it just your lower back?”

Reid didn’t reply instantly. “My sides. Back ribs. Shoulder blades if you’re being very gentle.”

“I see.”

“Neck too.”

“So I have about one fourth of your back that’s safe to touch,” he joked and Reid groaned, clearly embarrassed. “Sorry. I’ll be careful. Although it would have been fun to hear you giggle.”

“I don’t giggle.”

“I’m sure that’s a lie.” In a moment of rare playfulness, Hotch gave Reid’s side a poke, earning something akin to a shriek. “Sorry.”

“You did that on purpose.”

“I think I know what to do now next time you refuse to sleep.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would. Now be still and let me continue. I promise not to tickle you.”

Reid did. Hotch deserved a medal for keeping his word.

[gennyanydots]

This is love I just can’t live without Ch. 11

Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x f!kazansky!reader (affectionately often called “Baby Ice”)

This is love I just can’t live without masterlist

Top Gun biker!au

Chapter summary: You can't believe you ever left her behind

Chapter trigger warnings: none I don't think?

Ch. 11 “It’s worse when I’m alone” 

The next day and a half was spent wrapped up in the safety of Carole Bradshaw. She didn’t want to let you out of her sight in case you left without notice again. 

Neither of you spoke about what had happened between you and her son either before or now. It was just simply not brought up in any way shape or form. In fact Bradley didn’t spend much time at his childhood home after he dropped you off, Carole shooed him out of the house while you were crying on her shoulder and told him to make himself scarce. He didn’t put up a fight, knowing not to go against his mother’s request. You didn’t see him again until that evening. In the afternoon while helping her prepare dinner, Carole informed you that Bradley and your father were coming over soon to have a proper family dinner. When you were kids weekly family dinners happened once a week either at your house or Bradley’s, depending on who’s week it was. Oftentimes your uncles were also in attendance when you were younger but that wasn’t the case for your first family dinner in five years. 

To say the evening was awkward would have been an understatement. Carole tried to get everyone to talk together while your father just grunted responses. Bradley answering his mother was hit or miss and a couple times when she was waiting for an answer from him you had to kick him to get his attention for her. 

Family dinner didn’t last too long after the actual dinner was done. Your father refused to let Carole or you do the dishes since you both cooked so he made Bradley help him while you sat in the living room with Carole. After the dishes were clean your father said he needed to be up early to open the shop so with a kiss to your forehead on his way out the door he informed Bradley he would also be opening the shop so he’d better be there on time. Bradley had never been a morning person so he wanted to get to bed as soon as possible and tried to walk to his bedroom but Carole was having none of that. 

“But mom, it's MY room!” 

Carole rolled her eyes, “And you have another place to stay so march it, kiddo!"

Bradley huffed, “It’s not like we couldn’t share a bed. Wouldn’t be the first time. She slept in my bed last night..."

“Bradley, I love you now leave,” Carole said with a sigh as she pointed at the door. 

Bradley grumbled as he bent down to kiss his mother on the cheek then walked to you and did the same on his way out the door. 

The rest of the evening was spent watching terrible reality tv shows with Carole, as those were her favorite, eating so many snacks with her that when Carole finally let you go to bed, your stomach hurt a little bit.

Sleeping in Bradley’s bed for the second night in a row had been a little surreal to you. You don't even know how many times you've slept in this exact spot before. That's without mentioning all the other times you've been in this bed. With Carole being a single mother and working long hours, Bradley and you had a lot more freedom at his house than at yours. Not that you didn't think your mother was oblivious to what was going on at the Bradshaw household when Carole wasn't home. Your mother always seemed to have an answer for every time your father questioned what you were doing over there without Carole being home.

"Tom, they have a math test tomorrow. Leave them alone."

"Thomas, how could you forget that they have a science project due on Friday?"

"If you don't leave the children alone, I swear to God, Thomas. It's like you don't remember being their age."

Bradley's smell surrounded you as you laid in the bed, especially since you grabbed one of his shirts out of the closet to sleep in. Sure you could have ran home and grabbed something but it was easier to just borrow something of Bradley's. It definitely wasn't because wearing his shirt made you feel calmer, safer even. Definitely not because of that. You'd also definitely never admit that once again sleeping in Bradley's bed ended up being the second best night of sleep you've gotten in quite some time.

The following morning Carole dragged both you and Natasha out to brunch then a nail appointment informing the two of you that it was necessary for all of your mental health. The three of you knew what the next day was bringing and nobody wanted to mention it, almost like speaking it out loud would ruin the bubble you had surrounded yourself in because maybe, just maybe, if you didn't talk about your mother's funeral it wouldn't happen at all.

[annah-kitathryne]

I was tagged by: @songbee-art (it won't let me tag just songbee)

1. Are you named after anyone? My first name is an old book character, and my second name is a derivative of my grandmother's name. My screen name is one I made up, and have started preferring to my legal name.

2. When was the last time I cried? Nearly cried when I had a freak out realizing I forgot to follow back friend. Before that a couple hours ago when deep topic hit deep.

3. Do I have kids? No. Don't want them either. I'm good at babysitting and watching kids for a few hours but get distracted and frustrated easily. I don't trust myself with them. Kids seem to like me though. I've been told I tell good stories and am patient when explaining things to them. I treat them like full humans?

4. What sports do you play/have you played? I played volleyball, did cross country running, softball, and skiing. Real jock here (not really there was nothing to do but sports where I used to live). Haven't played any since 2020 though. I use a bike though sometimes.

5. Do you use sarcasm? Never. I don't have a sarcastic bone in my body.

6. What's the first thing you notice about someone? How close they are in relation to me. I don't like anyone I don't know to be near me. Next thing is clothes.

7. Eye color? Blue and yellow (not two different eyes but mixed in both)

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Depends on mood, but a scary movie can have a happy ending. It's a chore to get to sit long enough to watch a movie though.

9. Any talents? I've been told I have some good writing skills. I can draw? I can analyze stuff? Idk.

10. Where were you born? In a hospital? Why, you need a recommendation? I live on the west coast.

11. Hobbies? Reading, writing, drawing, thinking, overthinking.

12. Any pets? I have a cat named Lilliana. We call her Lily Bones sometimes.

13. Height? Taller than average but shortest in my family.

14. Favourite school subject? Writing followed by history.

15. Dream job? Getting hired by DC, writing 6 issue solo serieses for Helena Bertinelli, Mia Dearden, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, and than being assigned to a main Batbook where I can have my go at four part storyline. After my sucess I get put on a new project where I get all the creative freedom. I write a 20 issue maxi series on a preflash point alternate timeline where Bruce stayed dead. I then get to write a Tim Drake twelve issue maxi where I bring back Tim's civilian friends in a fun but serious story about starting to grow up, and by the end Tim has a new identity.

A job that makes enough that I can have enough money to eat three meals, have a warm shower, and live in a building that won't fall apart with a strong wind?

Tagg List: @uuuuutan @burritowitch @dc-said-bi-robin-rights @dearest-valentine @gretahayes @jpv-isms @jasongrey-redhood @mysteriousbeetle @milfkarazorel @porto-rosso @plutonicbees @sporkberries @saturnsickle @shiverblights @val-el

Sorry if you got annoyed by the tags. I more or less just went down the alphabet.

[binch-i-might-be]

RAY hewwo i am. Planning on getting a tattoo (not now obviously but like when im in uni probably) what’s ur advice on Getting Stabbed with Ink

okay so like. first of all do your research!! if you already have a particular style in mind, find an artist who does a lot of that. look at their portfolio on instagram. see if they post healed tattoos too (if they Don't. well ask yourself why not!)

before your appointment EAT A GOOD MEAL. DRINK WOTER. tattoo artists do not enjoy when you pass out!!!! getting a tattoo is super upsetting to The Body because it's basically inflicting an injury, it fucks with your circulation a lot. tattoo artists will also offer you something to drink and sometimes even sweets to keep your blood sugar up during the appointment, and for the first time I would recommend taking them up on that because you don't know yet how your body will react.

also don't be afraid to ask for a break for any reason. a good artist will tell you this before they start too.

you will bleed btw. some artists have told me that first time clients are sometimes surprised about this. the bleeding will increase the farther you get into the tattoo too as your body becomes more pissed lol.

as they go, they'll wipe your tattoo down A Lot to get the excess ink and blood out of the way, and that shit really starts to hurt after some time! be prepared!

when the deed is done, they'll usually let the tattoo rest for a few minutes and then take some pics. and then they'll wrap it up!

now there's two (three?) options here. either they'll go old school and just wrap that thang in cling wrap and tape it in place, which is a lot of work for you, or they'll slap on second skin.

the cling wrap is in my experience not as common these days, but safer when you already know you could have an allergic reaction to second skin (bad!). you can leave that on for a couple hours, but then you'll have to take it off and gently clean the area under running warm (not hot) water, then maybe let it breathe a bit, but DEFINITELY wrap it back up. a fresh tattoo is an open wound, and you need to protect it from outside grime lol. you'll have to do that every couple hours for a few days. you will leak Tattoo Goop. you will most likely need to sleep on a towel. it's generally not too much fun but what can ya do!

second skin on the other hand is way easier. it's a sticky transparent foil they just put On There and then it stays On There for up to seven days (depends on the brand). you can shower with it on and everything. it'll fill up with Tattoo Goop but it's fine, it won't really bother you. it's best taken off under warm running water. sometimes it leaves a sticky residue but that'll fall off in time.

now for the secret third option, this has only happened to me once. the artist slapped a Thing that was basically a big fat menstrual pad on me and then wrapped me up in cling wrap. that thing absorbed the Tattoo Leakage for the first couple hours, but from then on, it was normal cling wrap business. I was very confused by this!

artists will give you instructions on aftercare and probably recommend some creams. basically just wash that thang with water (and unscented soap? I don't do that, just use water) and put some tattoo aftercare cream on top. thin layer, we don't want to smother it.

I usually do that for uhhh as long as it feels right basically lol. maybe a week or two after the second skin comes off? a tattoo will need about six to eight weeks to fully heal, but it doesn't need intensive care the entire time.

oh and there is an itchy stage. it will drive you insane <3

now for a more unfun addendum, the tattoo industry is RIFE with racism. some artists think they can't tattoo people who are not paper white because the colours won't show up properly. this is because they're bad artists and don't know what they're doing.

try to look for artists who do have darker skin tones in their portfolio so you can be sure they aren't cunts and won't fuck you over.

anyway I think that's all. hope this helped!

[y0d00p]

Weddings in Dream Land

okay so a while back teeny and I were talking about dametameta wedding and got on the topic of wedding traditions that aren't just from the Christian white wedding and thought it would be fun to make up some Dream Land specific traditions and this is what we came up with

note: probably not actually called marriage/wedding but I haven't thought of any alternate names for it so idk

note 2: cultural views on the "wedding" are pretty relaxed and not restricted to romantic relationships at all, it's normal and common for platonic best friends etc

a basic traditional Dream Land wedding consists of:

Preparation of the Feast

food is a big deal, naturally, as is making and sharing it

the couple (or throuple+) works together to prepare a meal for all the guests. this can take anywhere from a couple hours to a couple days, depending on the size of the party. they can work in private or not, but traditionally the couple doesn't receive any outside help

the complexity of the meal isn't important, it doesn't need to be luxurious or involve the usual dinner type foods. the means justify the ends. the preparation is like a trial for the couple, a test of their teamwork and compatibility and care. and as a show of gratitude and love to their friends and family. as long as love and cooperation went into it, it doesn't matter how simple or offbeat the food is. stews and curries are common choices

in addition to the feast, the newlyweds also each make a personal (usually small) dessert for the other, alone. polycules make a desert for every partner they're marrying, or one to be shared. all the same expectations apply here except, yknow, being a dessert

The Party / The Feast

the wedding is usually held at night often quite late. it's considered good luck to hold the party outside, weather permitting, or inside with the windows uncovered. it's also good luck to have clear skies. it's good for the stars to witness :)

the party begins with the couple exchanging and eating their desserts. dessert before dinner to ensure them joy and whimsy in their life. at this time they might also exchange vows or a kiss or other gifts such as jewellery, or something sentimental to them specifically. this exchange is basically the "ceremony", and once the pair declares it's time to eat, they're officially "united". no officiant needed.

then, everyone enjoys the feast and celebrates. there's no strict meal time VS party time, the atmosphere is casual and friendly, "formal" weddings are not that common. entertainment and activities, gift giving, etc begin whenever, but... usually everyone does like to eat first

The Sleep

these parties tend to go on until dawn, although not everyone is required or expected to stay that long. ending at dawn represents the beginning of new life. once everyone has gone home, it's time to sleep, because relaxation and daytime naps are important. the day after a big wedding is usually veeery quiet and sleepy

Extra

the day after the big sleep, it's usually expected for the guests (or at least those closest to the newlyweds) to return and finish any cleanup required from the party, including the dishes and kitchen used. this is like their collective wedding gift, so regular material gifts are never expected from any of the helpers

if there are any leftovers, it's usually the guests that get to take them home

traditional garments for the couple are long, loose, comfortable robes, sometimes layered or thick like blankets. it's a common sight for the couple to share an outer shawl together during the party

"divorce" is more or less just a verbal agreement. if there's any legal system in Dream Land, it's not strict at all around matters of marriage

[basedhighsenberg]

Have you ever met somebody, and talking with them is so easy and you get along so well, feel like you've known them a long time?

That was about how yesterday went.

I planned on maybe spending 10-15 minutes visiting this girl at her LeVian show, depending on the vibe.

I wound up staying for an hour talking to her the whole time.

When she first saw me at the counter her jaw -literally- dropped, and she's like "I recognize you! I'm so glad you actually came!"

The store was fairly busy. I made no attempt to pull her away from anyone or anything, but she was whipping the crowds such that somehow she was able to break away every few minutes just to come talk to me. She showed me a few pieces, a massive signet ring she had in mind for me, a dragon ring she designed herself (that she made me promise not to show anyone else lol).

Amusingly, after a bit several of the customers started talking to her and I like we were some sort of pair. I don't blame them because I felt like I had been talking to someone I've known for a minute. She interjected at one point too and said I was her "friend who came to visit". This one couple asked us how long we've known each other, and when I said we only met last Friday they were like "huh?"

At some point,some of the other employees at the store noticed I was lingering and talking to her so they came over to 'vet' me (as they should). I was honest and told them I was from a competitor store, and joked that I was here to "spy". I wound up discussing business with them as well, and I "accidentally" flexed on them- their store does 1.2m a year, mine should about 5m this year. I also mentioned how I essentially forced the old manager out for being incompetent, and one of the employees there apparently knew him and thanked me because he had also had to deal with his asshattery as a customer over a year ago.

Her and I also discussed business a little bit when she got free. She was at the JCK show in Vegas in June, and I mentioned had clients there that rang out the first sale of the show for like $94k. I showed her the pieces my clients bought and she was like "oh my god, that was them!" We also discovered we have mutual friends with LeVian, my store rep and his wife are good friends with her.

My store was also having a jewelry show for the Lalli brand, which I tried to invite her to, although it was a lot smaller and we had already hit goal by the time I went out. We discussed a few brands- Lalli, Kallati, Effy- but Levian was very clearly her favorite. So I showed her the LeVian ring I wear on my left hand and she LOVED it- apparently she had only ever seen it once before and remarked about how rare it was.

I also showed her my other ring, the 18k gold Alexandrite. At first she thought it was tourmaline, but when I told her it was Alexandrite her jaw dropped again, and she literally grabbed my hand hard with both of hers (her hands were hot to the touch, as were mine) and brought it super close to her face so she could get a better look- it was a little surprising and for a split second I thought she was gonna eat my hand to get the ring lmao.

I got a little more bold and decided to ask her about how she liked staying in Utah, and if she's been doing anything fun here. She mentioned she was in Park City Sunday and got a sunburn, and motioned to the burn on her chest. I laughed and asked her how much longer she was gonna be in town, and she, sensing where i was going with the conversation I'm sure, smiled and essentially gave me her entire detailed itinerary for the rest of the week- she's doing a bunch of shows up in Salt Lake and was flying out Saturday.

At this point I was actually going to ask her out, but the store got busy and another employee stepped in to pull her away. Great timing but no problem, I continued to browse and made some more small talk with the other employees. Then I noticed that I had been there for like an hour already.

She sensed that I was angling to leave, so she got free one more time and came over to say goodbye and thanked me for coming to see her show. I also thanked her and said I had a good time.

I truly did, I've met few people with a personality/vibe that warm. The feeling that I've known her longer than a few days still sits pleasantly heavy with me.

Before I walked away, I had my hands resting on the class counter. She reached out and put her hand over mine, smiled and squeezed gently before we both turned to go back to our days. I must have had the biggest, dooffiest smile on my face walking back to my truck.

As soon as I got inside, I immediately texted her. I told her that if she wanted to see the sights a little more before she left, that I'd love to take her out and get to know her better. She thanked me for the offer and said she'd let me know.

I had planned/preferred to actually ask her in person, but the crowd were not allowing it- which is fine. I have no idea if anything will happen- I know what the life of a traveling rep is like and on the road it's hectic and schedules are down to the wire. But I think given the context and how the hour went, overall it was a very positive experience. I'm glad I have it a chance, and extremely grateful that I didn't listen to my initial doubts.

At this point, all I can do is put it in God's hands.

Who knows, right?

[kyrodo]

As for Red and Choskey goes, I do have a limit for the amount of time I spend in a day doing stuff by myself. Moreso now that I actually can spend time with other people in the first place thanks in large part to vrchat. Red for whatever reason even back then I... don't enjoy spending time with that much usually. Borderlands he just goes off and dies a lot. Sea of thieves he gets us all killed for pvp practice. Apex Legends he gets us killed. Planetside for a good long while was the ONLY game he would play with me regularly. And I don't enjoy planetside pretty much at all. I had little hope for it when I just jumped in back when we lived in fallbrook. Even after getting a bunch of stuff and understanding the game more my impressions did not improve much. That's not good.

And my creativity as far as things to do when we go out is very limited. Red doesn't initiate lewd things and isn't very good at it when we do. Red doesn't allow us to cuddle during the day or when he's going to sleep so the only possible time to do so is in the morning during a day he doesn't go to work or when he's planning to be late. And while it'd be great if we slept at the same times, I do like having some wind down time to myself before I do, and I like staying up late.

So we have a lot of problems. When it's good it's good. We joke around a lot in the shower. It's just not good very often. Red only has at most an hour or two to do anything recreational with me before he's done for the day.

I don't know if anything will change for Choskey once he starts working but uh... I'm a little less in denial that things weren't the greatest for a while between me and Red. Not bad enough to want to get out and not good enough to want to keep things the way they are. I was doing better than those couples that argue a lot or yell/cuss if that's worth anything. But we have different issues. We don't know how to spend time together. Red lives a workaholic life and wants to engage in ambitious and inventive projects on the side but I've never developed a taste for it. So he's also missing a few things I can't really provide.

And my attention span when he talks dwindles after he talks for a solid 20 minutes straight about the same topic, usually work, and I've seen him talk with Marcus. He could go on for a couple of hours. I can't do that. I would be waiting to resume whatever I was playing, and if I completely married myself to Red's sleep schedule, he would tell me it's time to sleep and I would be kinda mad my last few hours I could have spent playing something just got pissed away and I'm being told to sleep. It was bad enough with the several hours we spent at the grocery store, that he forced me along since I am dependent on his driving.

He's less likely to do that now and recognizes doing such things is not enjoyable for me. And I definitely don't like having my sleep schedule determined by someone else. I absolutely need that time to myself before going to sleep, especially to post stuff like this or talk to stalkers and crushes apparently. I don't like having my sleep time fixed or under someone else's thumb generally.

And then there's Choskey which from a gaming standpoint much easier to find time to do things together, much more variety of things to do together, and talking with him isn't nearly as tiring if at all. Like for whatever reason the kinds of topics and the kinds of things Red talks about or the way he talks about it or the low level comedy he has when he's poking fun at things (potty humor, repetitive jokes that are hyper cringe) or the viciously spiteful things he enjoys watching like videos of people shitting on flat earthers or videos of police chases or cars eating shit. I don't enjoy those things even remotely. I don't enjoy getting stressed out because he's stressed out audibly while driving, and I can't spot all the drivers he's paying attention to. I don't have 360 vision like he does.

Kitsunary as mentioned before has her own problems, but at least we can play anything whatsoever.

Vrchat gave me brownie, beastner, Choskey, cattucino, light, there's bitt's groups, there's khnfucats in vrchat and mayu's, there's other people related to Choskey or beastner that we've played with. Choskey spends so much time with me. I am the beating social heart of discordant discourse now. Choskey notices people like brownie and cattucino show up specifically because of me. And in vrc people like mad mittens, denso and busker the cat visit me. And nearly every time I'm around their friends or I'm in any public lobby more people seem to make their way into my friends list because I'm being cute.

That is phenomenal. I've needed this for so long.I can't overstress enough that I desperately needed something like this. A place to make friends, a place to be social, be cute, hang out with people, play games, plan out things to do. And Choskey is the cornerstone of all of that. Choskey is who allowed me to be comfortable in vrchat, get this avatar, and now one of my lovers. I do enjoy talking to him more than Red. Cause usually it's about school or about fun things and funny videos or much lighter topics overall than Red's. Or about the future.

And Choskey is a natural need. I didn't just fall in love with him because of the cute avatar or because we hanged out a lot, I needed Choskey. My unconscious mind knew I needed Choskey. Especially once I realized we could talk for hours well until the sun comes up which we did many times. I needed Choskey so much and it's been such a long time coming that I got denied from once when Ronnie was still a possibility.

I've needed this. Somebody who would not only spend time with me better and be easier to talk to, but also help keep me and Red together too. He's always trying to get me and Red to spend more time together. And while even for Red for a while it was shameful to admit that we needed someone like Choskey in our life, things have gotten a lot better even for him because of Choskey. And he's growing into it extremely well now. He's loving me more because of him.

And socially it works out because I have the greatest range of interaction when I can express affection as well. I don't do very well when it comes to public speaking. Like if I were to try to pull off the same kind of funny speech dunkey has, or do any kind of impressions, like I can't do that. I can't come up with topics. I can't do the same kinds of things other people do with their regular friends. So if I could be affectionate with whuffy or cat noises like I do with Red, it becomes much easier to have a good time with someone even when I have nothing to say. And that is also partly why I wanted a third person in our relationship. Red and I have antics that we can do that I can't do with anyone else and that cuts off a massive amount of my social interaction when Red isn't there. Unless I were to do something similar with someone else. And that's also why I need Choskey. I've spent so much time with Red and I've been so reliant on him for anything social that I know my way around that type of social dynamic better than a normal one.

Ronnie was a predeveloped poorly thought out interest to solve a problem that we've had for eons. But Choskey fits us much better than he ever would have. And we are old. So it also works out that I am not robbing some younger adult's early years of their adulthood to be part of our relationship. It's a win-win even without you making me an enemy. If I hadn't suffered major damage and grew so mature afterwards I'm not sure if I ever would have been ready for someone like Choskey to enter our lives, so that is the only thing I have to thank you for.

The poise I have now, the easy way I can talk whenever we're talking about anything deep. The way I keep to myself these days on twitter. It's because I was deeply emotionally wounded and healed that I am able to talk so fluently and be so readily accepting. I am not the same angsty dynamite that I used to be. I can be so angry and so furious off stage in the backwaters where Choskey and Red can't see, but you know full well that it is deserved. You were extremely unlucky to meet me before you hurt me. Things would have been very different in the present with me fully learned and fully grown, whether things end well for you or not.

And I know how your shit works. I know the angrier I get the more you validate your hate. There is nothing easier to gratify than a group who's chosen a target. But I stopped caring the moment you broke into my life uninvited. Nothing will ever change the fact that my crimes were forgiveable and yours were not.

I aimed to be more mature because it is the one battlefield you couldn't even set foot on. The one place you can't even reach me.

And yeah I get that my relationship issues are not ideal from a traditional standpoint, whether it's a gay one or not. Most people would just stick with one and leave it at that by standard. And most people wouldn't want to be the one that disturbs that in any way. There are reasons to be cautious around me. But some people are not content to leave it at that. Enemies are enemies, whether the true reasons are trivial or not, the hate can wish for more.

[briefbeardbasement]

Steps For Boosting Your Immunity Naturally

Tips To Strengthen Your Immunity Naturally

If you wish to attempt either of these options, make sure to interact with your doctor and take them in moderation or as your doctor advises. If you feel ill, please do not think twice to call your provider. Many companies offer telemedicine choices and can encourage how you can treat your symptoms yourself or if you need advanced care.

And while there is some evidence that extremely long or extreme exercise sessions might suppress the immune system, making you more vulnerable to health problem and infection in the hours right away after your workout, other evidence contradicts this, according to the abovementioned Frontiers in Immunology review. And there is a wealth of epidemiological proof that is, studies that followed human habits and outcomes recommending that individuals who are more active total tend to have lower occurrences of both intense diseases (like infections) and chronic ones (like cancer and type 2 diabetes).

More research studies in humans are needed. When it comes to a diet plan that supports good immune health, focus on incorporating more plants and plant-based foods.

Top Natural Ways To Boost Your Immune System

A few of these eats are so-called superfoods. Extra sources of protein and zinc include seafood, lean meat, and poultry, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Last, hydrate with healthy fluids such as water, and limitation dehydrating, immune-suppressive beverages like sweet beverages and alcohol (more on the latter later).

NK cells come from the very same household as T and B cells; they play the essential function of killing cells contaminated with infection, in addition to spotting and managing early signs of cancer, according to the British Society for Immunology. Low NK cell activity is connected to reduced illness resistance.

Vaccines reduce that two-week waiting period by letting your body immune system engage with a piece of that infection or bacteria. "We introduce it to your body immune system in a very controlled manner, such that it can not trigger infection," Dr. Tan says."When your body immune system has gone through this initial stimulation, it creates memory immune cells that have actually seen the enemy and are ready to go when they see the opponent again," he continues.

Ways To Boost Your Family's Immunity Naturally

Thanks to the presence of memory cells, it takes your immune system only a couple of days to produce the antibodies needed to prevent that virus from reproducing and making you ill, Tan says. In other words, COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective, and produce immune-protective responses in those who get immunized.

While vaccines are safe and effective for most people, Tan recommends some people to consult their health care groups prior to shot.

"In this manner, you can likewise hopefully decrease your exposure to pathogens that we don't have vaccines for."Wash or sanitize your hands after utilizing the restroom, before and after shaking hands with others, after coughing or sneezing, and after reaching high-touch surfaces like countertops and door deals with. "I bring a bottle of hand sanitizer with me all over, simply because I'm an infection control specialist and I know what the advantages are," Tan says.

Steps For Boosting Your Immunity Naturally

Classrooms that use hand sanitizers might reduce the frequency of absence by 20 percent. Soap and water are a much better option if your hands are greasy or noticeably unclean.

It's influenza season once again, so that suggests the majority of people get an influenza shot and aim to stay healthy. Can certain foods or supplements boost the immune system and help with that "staying healthy" goal?

Research shows that absence of sleep and increased tension add to health problem and total bad health, so: Adults need to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each day, while kids need eight to 14 hours, depending upon their age. Healthy ways to cope with stress consist of meditating, listening to music or writing.

[davidstortebeker]

Keeping the Water in the Ground with Swales

It’s scorching hot and the rains just won’t come. You can use water from your well to keep your plants from dying, but under these conditions the water table could just drop, leaving you high and dry. Then, when the long awaited rain comes, half your topsoil could get washed away in the downpour. So horrible, yet so familiar! Fortunately, there is a really neat technique that makes sure your water will stay on – or rather under – your land, instead of ripping through the surface before flowing away never to be seen again.

image source

The Behavior of Water

It’s a good idea to take a close look at what water does during a heavy rainstorm. True, most of us don’t enjoy running around under the open sky when it’s raining cats and dogs. But it can be very educational to observe the natural flow of water. It always takes the quickest way down (never up). And depending on the flow, which in turn depends on the amount of water and the ground’s inclination, it can even tear its own way through the landscape. If the ground is fairly dry and without much vegetation, you will even see how a small stream can create a gully – growing into veritable canyons – by carrying sediment with it.

image source

That sediment may be your valuable topsoil! And fairly soon after the rain stops, it will be gone, along with the stream of water. Where did it all go? Just follow the canyon, and you are likely to find it leading away from your land, towards the lower elevations.

But That’s What Water Does. How Can We Counter It?

Admittedly, we will never change the natural behavior of water. What we can do, however, is use it for our purposes. So if it really always goes downhill, let’s give it a place to go: a ditch dug out on the contour line of a hill, which is known as a swale. And that’s all! Since the swale is on contour, meaning that it’s completely horizontal, the water is not going to go anywhere from there until the swale is full (something we must also prepare for). Now that the water lost its momentum, it’s simply going to sit there, and slowly seep downward into the soil. There it won’t have the speed it normally flows with on the surface, so it can’t carry away any soil. Instead it gradually saturates the ground on the hillside below the swale.

image source

How to Build Swales

It’s really quite simple: First comes the precision work of measuring out the contour line, followed by the grunt work of digging. You may use machines if your topography allows, or do everything by hand, but in either case, exact measurement is the make-or-break aspect of a swale. There are many different methods for this, ranging from the modest (yet effective) A-frame, to the hose level, all the way to the high-tech laser level.

When you are certain that the line is exactly horizontal, you can start digging the trench. Though it can be smaller, I personally like a bigger swale of about 2’ width and depth. That way it can take up more water, and over time it will be gradually filled with soil anyway. What’s most important when digging the swale is to make sure that the bottom remains exactly on contour! The excavated soil we pile up on the side of the ditch that’s sloping downward. This berm is an ideal place to plant trees into to hold the soil together, to help with water saturation and dispersal, as well as to shade the swale to slow down evaporation. In a great design they will also grow something you can eat.

image source

There are a couple of things to look out for: For one thing, the swale should never be placed directly above any buildings (gardens are a much better idea). The best place for them is high up on a hill. Also, make sure the slope doesn’t exceed 15 degrees. Both of these are basic safety measures against slides. It’s also important to make sure the bottom of the swale has a decent water saturation, of at least an inch per hour. Finally, one must prepare for record level rainfall, in other words even the best swale will fill up… and then what? The water needs to go somewhere! So have the overflow channeled into a pond, a dam, or any other feature you have installed for water management.

image source

Okay, so you’ve measured out the contour line, dug a nice big swale, planted trees into the berm, and double-tripple checked that the bottom of your ditch is perfectly level. Great, now you can lean back and wait for the rain! When it comes, get out there again to see how your swale is performing.

Maintenance and Long-Term Effects

After a year or so you can take a look at the swale, preferably when it’s not full of water. You’ll see that  it’s not as deep any more as how you dug it. It has filled up with soil: your topsoil! This is your land, that otherwise would have been carried away to your neighbor, or eventually into the ocean, to be lost forever. But here it is, ready to be dug out and used for planting. Of course once again, it’s important to keep the bottom completely leveled.

image source

The other effect you are not likely to see immediately, is the water inside, that is under your ground. This is a very gradual process, but the water is going to hang around much longer inside the soil than on the surface. After a while it adds to the water table, and … depending on numerous factors … it will raise it again. There have been many accounts of wells that have been dry for years started having water again, a few years after a swale was built on a nearby hill. But since farming and gardening naturally makes you want to think long-term, this technique will fit right into it.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

[nightwishesworld]

hello! do you think you could do a chapter with fem!reader whose afraid of thunderstorms and wakes up in the middle of the night because of it but doesn’t wanna wake alcina so she just stays awake but the storm goes on for like a week and this keeps happening until she notices and comforts you through it by like cuddles or talking you to sleep to distract you from it :)

Oh my god I hate the way this came out. My brain just could not process this for some reason. I also couldn't make it as long as a week, my apologies.

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

One dark evening at Castle Dimitrescu a storm rolled in. Relatively speaking, it was quite harmless and most of the inhabitants of the castle were unbothered by the storm.

Except you.

Late into the evening, whilst most were asleep, the storm was at its strongest - the crackle of thunder rolling through the halls as flashes of lightning illuminated the darkest corners of the room. You were trying to sleep, honest, but just as you felt the drowsiness of rest come to take you - a loud crack of thunder would jolt you awake and paralyze you with fear.

You sat with your back against the headboard, your breathing rapid.

You pulled the covers up to your chest and hugged your pillow close to your chest. Resisting the urge to run and hide in the closet like you used to do as a kid was becoming more and more difficult.

Another flash, another boom.

You knew it wasn’t logical, but you couldn’t stop yourself from flinching or jumping as the sounds of the storm roared outside. It was just so loud and you could swear the castle was shaking with it.

You squeezed your eyes shut, white-knuckling the pillow held tight against your chest and humming a song to yourself in order to distract your brain.

The sound of constant rain was suddenly accompanied by heavy hail falling, and that’s when the thoughts started charging at you full force.

What if the lightning strikes the castle? What if the castle collapsed? Did it have the right infrastructure? What if-

“Stop it, God. Stop it!” You begged your brain but to no avail. Your mind kept generously providing you with possibilities and images you did not ask for.

Another loud boom and this time you couldn’t help the cry let out before clapping a hand over your mouth and diving under the blankets.

When you didn’t hear anything for a few minutes you felt it safe enough to come out of hiding. Thankfully the vampire slumbering next to you wasn’t disturbed by your pathetic cries and whimpers. She had a rough day dealing with a very pissed off Mother Miranda and needed rest and relaxation as much as she could possibly get.

You forced yourself to lay still on your back and focus all your energy on controlling your breathing. That was the key to saving yourself a panic attack. You don’t know how long you were staring up at the ceiling, but dawn eventually came and your partner stirred from her sleep.

She would have been happy to see you if not for the redness in your eyes and puffiness surrounding them, obvious signs of lack of sleep.

“Are you alright, draga mea?” She wrapped her arms around your midsection and rested her head on your shoulder, kissing your cheek.

You didn’t answer, even though you knew Alcina wouldn’t just drop the question. She was sweet and caring like that, which is probably why you never had the heart to tell her how much of a coward you actually are.

“You didn’t sleep very well, did you?”

“Nightmares,” you rasped, trying to focus on Alcina more than the low rumbling outside. “I’ll be fine after a cup of coffee.”

She looked as though she didn’t accept that answer but quickly hid any doubts behind a warm smile. “If you’re sure.”

It felt wrong lying to her. You had never felt the need to hide anything from Alcina before, but this was just embarrassing. She’d probably laugh at you told her you were still afraid of thunderstorms.

The day progressed with relative normalcy despite the occasional sounds of rumbling. Alcina busied herself dealing with the mountain of paperwork on her desk for Mother Miranda and the girls were running amuck in the basement. Depending on which room you were in you could hear their laughter below you. Their mischief down there has always been a mystery to you, even now after living in the castle a couple of years. You knew what they were doing, but couldn't fathom the idea of enjoying it so much. You did find it rather disturbing that their torturing frightened you less than a stupid thunderstorm.

You huddled in the back section of the library behind the bookshelves so you couldn’t see the lightning out the windows. The loud rumbling still had you on edge, but a good book is always a welcome distraction. It worked so well, that you didn't hear Daniela approaching. You practically jumped three feet in the air when she was stood in front of you.

“What’s wrong with you?” Daniela asked, her voice was stern, but it also had a concerning tone to it. She had dropped her bag, keeping the knife at her side. Your breathing was heavier than usual as you tried to think of what to say. It was more than embarrassing to tell Daniela the truth. You knew for a fact she out of everyone in the castle would laugh at you. "You scared me,"

She rolled her eyes. "No, Dummy, I mean what's really wrong?"

You shrug and turn the page of your book. “Nothing.”

Another boom. You couldn’t fight off flinched.

“Oh, I think I get it. You’re afraid of-”

“Don’t tell anyone.” You clenched your fists, shutting your eyes tightly. Daniela wanted to laugh, but she didn’t. You watched as she cautiously sat back down. The redhead sat in front of you, the rain somehow sounding even louder than it had before. You looked over at Daniela, feeling the embarrassment creep upon you.

Daniela started at you with a rather confused expression, resting her arms on her knees. “Out of everything we’ve been through,” she began, “everything you’ve seen us do. Everything that goes on in this castle just below your feet,” she paused. “And you’re scared of thunder?”

You sat silently and twiddled your thumbs.

“Why?”

“Doesn’t matter,” you whisper. “It’s not important. You’re only going to run off and tell everyone.”

Daniela rolled her eyes and picked up her bag, headed once again for the basement. “Whatever, y/n, have it your way.”

You spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening shuffling around the library hiding from the white flashes. It was only when Daniela came to fetch you for dinner that you left. Luckily you were eating in the kitchen instead of the larger Dining Hall. The kitchen is much more manageable; marginally fewer windows to see the lightning. The meal carried on as it normally would; the girls boasted about their successes in the basement, Alcina discusses all the work she got done today and complains about the work she put off for tomorrow. It was almost enough to take your mind off the chaos happening just outside the windows. Almost.

The storm carried on just as confidently throughout the evening and into the night. It showed no signs of relenting, which in turn meant another sleepless night.

You wasted no time stripping your clothes and crawling into bed, back to the open windows. Alcina didn’t think much of it, simply chalking it up to being exhausted from the previous night’s lack of sleep. She wasn’t completely wrong, you did feel like you were ready to sleep for the next 24 hours. But you knew the storm wouldn’t allow you that luxury.

Pressure against your back and an arm wrapping around your midsection snapped you out of your thoughts.

“I hope you sleep tonight, my love.”

“Me too.”

An hour later and you were still wide awake listening to the rain being pelted against the windows. An anxious voice whispered impossible scenarios of the rain breaking through the windows and lightning striking you down in the safety of your bed. You tried your hardest to not toss and turn as to not disturb the woman next to you. She's not asleep yet, you can tell by the lack of snoring, but her breathing is starting to even out. You were curled up on your side, back to Alcina. She wrapped you in her arms, her chest against your back and arm across your waist. "Dove..." she whispered in your ear. "Y/n... "

"I'm sleeping, Al." You murmured snuggling further into the vampire’s arms, your eyes still closed.

"No, you're not." She stroked your side absently. “Are you sure you’re ok? You aren’t falling ill are you?”

You sigh. “No, I’m not getting sick. My body is just too exhausted to relax.”

Alcina hummed, burrowing her face in the crook of your neck. “I’ll stay up with you for a while.”

“You will not. Go to sleep Al, I’ll be fine. You had a long day yourself, one of us should be able to sleep."

"Why don't we go sit in the Drawing Room or the Library? I'll hold you in my lap and read to you." God no. Way too many windows. "Goodnight, Alcina." You feel her sigh against your skin, pushing a few stray hairs around. "Can I do anything?" "Stop worrying, it's just insomnia." "I'll stay up with you then. You shouldn't be up all by yourself staring at the ceiling." "I'm not alone, Love, you're right here with me. Asleep or not I'm still in your arms, and that helps a lot." You feel her smile against your neck and pull you closer against her front. "wake me if you need anything."

You actually slept fairly well; only waking up a few times to have Alcina soothe you back to sleep. Being tucked away in her embrace did a world of help, but you still woke up hours before Alcina did. Her eyes fluttered open and focus on your groggy face. She frowns.

"Did you sleep at all?"

You smile and kiss her lips. "Yes, I actually slept a lot better last night than before."

"Good," she pulls you back to kiss you again.

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

Later in the afternoon Bela and Cassandra invited (dragged you really) into the Drawing Room to play a game of cards.

Everything was going really well. You were laughing and playing with the girls like everything was as it should be in Castle Dimitrescu.

You were made astutely aware of the situation outside again when a loud crack of thunder shook the castle. There was another flash and clap of thunder, this time loud enough to make Cassandra flinch.

You abruptly shot up from the table. “Sorry. I need a minute.” You rushed down the hall into one of the guest rooms. Cassandra and Bela shared a confused glance and watched as you hurried away. They’d never seen you so flighty and nervous before. Neither could tell what was wrong.

They laid on the carpet and silently counted to sixty before following you to down the corridor.

“Y/n?” Bela softly knocked on the door. “It’s been a minute.”

There was no response. More thunder. Bela frowned. “We’re coming in, okay?”

She opened the door a crack and poked her head inside. You were nowhere to be seen. “Y/n?” Cassandra called, stepping further inside and glancing around the room. The sisters checked under the bed, then under the covers, even under the shade of the bedside lamp. Then Bela peered out of the rain-soaked window for good measure. Where else could you be?

Just as Cassandra decided she was stumped, she heard a rustling from behind her and a muffled, “I’m in here.” She turned around in confusion because the only place they hadn’t checked in that direction was…

They crept over to the closet and carefully slid open the door. The girls smiled when they found you sitting on the ground, curled up with your head between your knees. “Playing hide and seek now, are we?” Bela said. “Next round I call being the— um, y/n?”

“I’m fine,” you mumbled, staying right where you were. “Sorry.”

“S-Sorry for what…?” Cassandra crouched down beside you. The closet almost had enough space for the three of you to fit.

“Y/n, please. Something’s obviously bothering you, can’t you tell us?”

All three of you startled as another flash of lightning cut into the room, followed by another growl of thunder. You tightened your grip around your legs. Bela’s jaw dropped.

“It’s the storm,” she said, half a question, half a statement. “You’re scared of thunder?”

“It’s childish.”

“Oh, y/n…”

“I’m weak. Something as dumb and simple as loud noises shouldn’t make me so—”

“Y/n. Look at me.” Cassandra’s gently stern tone convinced you to move your head so your chin rested on your knees. You side-eyed the girls, trying to imitate your usual stoicism. It was difficult with red-rimmed eyes.

“A phobia doesn’t make you childish, or weak— do you know how many people have a fear of thunder, y/n? A lot of humans.”

“A lot of Uncle Heisenberg’s lycans as well,” Bela chimed in.

“And are you going to go around insulting them? No, Y/n, because that’s not nice. So don’t insult yourself for the same thing.” Cassandra waved around her index finger as she spoke. Your eyes widened and followed the movement. Both girls laughed.

“Is that what’s been giving you nightmares?”

You shake your head. “I just haven’t been sleeping; too tense.”

Cassandra giggled. “Just ask mother for extra cuddles, not like she’ll say no.”

“Or a more intimate distraction,” Bela winked.

Both sisters giggle at the blush creeping on your cheeks.

“Can we sit here with you?” Bela asked, already taking the vacant spot on your right.

You shrugged— as much as you could in this balled-up position. “You don’t have to.”

“It’s ok y/n, we don’t mind.”

They sat on either side of you, Bela holding your hand, enjoying the comfortable silence that cast over you.

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

A loud crack of thunder jolted Alcina awake. Cursing to herself she eyed the clock across the room–2:06 am. Raking a hand down her face, she jolted again when another crack of thunder echoed through the castle. It wasn’t a minute later that an insistent downpour of rain started pelting the roof and windows followed by an angry howling of the wind. You stirred next to her in the bed. You were mumbling in what sounded like a mix of Romanian and English. Alcina swallowed thickly because she knew what that meant; another night terror. She laid back down and curled herself against you, cocooning herself against your back. Alcina placed a few stray kisses on your shoulders and the nape of your neck, smoothing her hands along your hipbone in the process. You calmed after a few minutes, your mumbling returning to the steadying breaths of deep sleep. Alcina sighed in relief and closed her eyes in hopes that she could drift back to sleep.

KRAK-OOOOOM!

Alcina sat up on the bed and saw you still appeared to be sleeping, though you looked somewhat agitated. She reached over and attempted to run her fingers through your hair but all that succeeded in doing was causing you to jolt awake.

You woke up with a strangled yell and starting crawling out from underneath the sheets. You sat with your back against the headboard, your breathing and heart rate rapid. Alcina crawled over and realized you were having a panic attack. “Y/n, can you hear me?” You nodded, your eyes squeezed shut as tears started leaking from the corners. You clamped a hand over your mouth, and Alcina realized you were trying to silence your breathing. “Honey no, don’t do that, just focus on me,” she pulled your hand away from your mouth slowly. You shook your head and tried to take your hand back. “No no no... I can’t- I-I-I can’t wake Al-Alcina,” you gasped. “It’s alright, Dove, just follow my breathing.” Alcina took exaggerated breaths to demonstrate. You started calming down slightly. “That’s it, everything is alright, just keep breathing.” You seemed to calm down more with the breathing exercises. “I’m going to get you a glass of water“ Alcina started to say, but was cut off by you grabbing her arm. “No! Don’t-don’t lea- don’t leave, please, don’t- don’t” you closed her eyes, her breath quickening again. “Sweetheart, breathe with me. In, out. In, out.” Alcina took your hand and put it on her chest. “Breathe with me. In, out. In, out.” Your breathing returned to normal. After sitting in silence for a bit, Alcina turned to her.

“Another night terror?” She asked. You looked away for a minute, ashamed of yourself.

“No.”

God, you probably woke her up, good job.

Alcina couldn’t keep an amused smile from forming. “Can my little dove not sleep because of the thunderstorm?”

As if on cue, a blinding bolt of lightning crackled down from the sky. The following rumble of thunder seemed to shake the castle. You let out a whimper and shielded yourself from the sky. “How could I possibly sleep when it sounds like the sky is falling?!”

Alcina hums and pulls you close against her. “There’s nothing wrong with a healthy fear, Dove. It brings out the human in you.”

“UGH! Just-!”

KRAK-OOOOOM!

Another shriek, barely muffled by Alcina’s shoulder, had you violently trembling. You were barely holding yourself together.

Wracked with terror, eyes shut tightly, you found yourself unable to prevent the reflexive compulsion to cling to something nearby.

Which, in this case, was Alcina, who was left staring in shocked silence at the violently trembling form with arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. She immediately wrapped her arms around you again and began rubbing soothing circles on your back.

“Calm down. You’re fine,” She spoke softly, ignoring the buzz under her skin as she soaked in the unwitting embrace like a dry sponge in water. Soothingly, she rubbed up to your shoulder blades. “There we are, my love,” Alcina chuckled. “I’ve got you. Listen to my voice,” She rumbled, speaking soft but firm as the thunder forced smaller tremors through the floor. “You’re going to relax. I’m going to help you. Just lay here with me and close your eyes. I’ll hold you all night if you want me to.”

Gradually, the sound faded and petered off back into the loud patter of rain against the windows but Alcina held you tightly still. She could feel the flutter of your heartbeat against her own, almost impressed that you hadn’t passed out from fear alone.

“Why didn’t you say anything? The storm’s been going on for days now you must have been petrified.”

“I didn’t want you to know,” you mumbled into her neck. “It’s a pathetic fear I’ve had since I was a kid. I don’t want you to think less of me.”

“You think something as trivial as a phobia would make me think less of you?” She pulled you even tighter against her. You melted into her embrace. “Clearly I haven’t been a very good partner to you.”

“No Al, it’s not like that. Gods, you’re an amazing partner. It’s just my stupid insecurities. You’re all so fearless and brave. You’re not afraid of anything, and then there’s me; tiny, inferior, afraid of a little thunderstorm.”

She sighed and continued rubbing circles on your back. “I’m not fearless.”

“Yeah right,” you scoff. “What could the great and powerful Alcina Dimitrescu possibly be afraid of?”

“Death.”

You wriggled out of her arms just enough to turn and face her. “What? But, you’re immortal. Death isn’t really something you have to worry about.”

She gave a small smile and brought a hand to cup your face. “I never said my death, sweet one.”

Oh...OH

“The girls are clever, they can get themselves out of most situations unscathed, but still, we can be slain. And there have been some pretty close calls in the past. And you,” she rubbed gentle circles on your cheek. “Your death is inevitable. It gnaws at the back of my mind every time I look at you. Every time morning I have to untangle myself from your embrace I remember that one day I’ll wake up alone and wish I cuddled with you for just a bit longer."

"Al, I didn't-"

"I can't always be there to protect you, including the girls. If I could take the brunt of all conflict for you I would gladly do so, but that's unfortunately not how life works. I'm just left worrying until I know for sure you're all safe."

She hummed into your neck and kissed your pulse point. "How selfish of me, I'm supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around. If I paid more attention I would have known, I’m sorry, my love.”

“Don’t apologize, just hold me.”

Alcina kissed the top of your head. “With pleasure.”

Soon enough you did fall asleep again, your arms still clinging tight around the vampire’s upper midsection. Alcina found a comfortable enough position and allowed herself to drift away as well.

[kaunis-sielu]

Fire Dogs

The fires had been blazing for weeks now, inching closer and closer to your home and firefighters were pouring in. You’d decided to stay, the fire was mostly moving away from town, thank god. The mayor had said that people who were willing to stay and help care for the hordes of firefighters pouring into town were appreciated. So even though you were a single Omega, you’d signed up. You could take in 2-6 firefighters depending on if they were willing to share a bed with one another and if you needed to sleep on the couch. You’d been assigned 3 men, all from New York City, one a Captain and all of them Alphas.

When you open the door as they walk up your sidewalk the first, a man with light hair and blue eyes, gives you a tight smile.

“Hi, welcome. I have a dog, is that okay?” The three men don’t even have to look at one another before all nodding yes. “Great, come on in.” You move out of the doorway and the three men come into the house.

“Thank you so much for opening your home to us.” The first man says, god he smells good, like sandalwood and lavender.

“It’s the least I could do.” You introduce yourself as your dog comes trotting into the room, Cooper’s tail wagging wildly. “But you can call me Fawn, and this is Cooper.”

“Sorry, I’m Steve Rogers, this is Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.” The first man says introducing himself and the two men with him.

“It’s a pleasure. I’ll show you guys to your rooms.” You lead them upstairs and show them each to a room. Bucky takes your first spare room, Sam the second and Steve is in the master.

“Buck, you’ve got third shift, Sam you’re on first and I’m on second.”

“Do we start today?” Bucky asks as you make your way downstairs, you were given a small packet for the guys, things you would need to know like allergies, presentation, emergency contacts and dietary restrictions. All three are simple, no dietary issues, no allergies, Alphas, Sam has his wife Carol as his emergency contact but Steve and Bucky, or James as he’s listed, both have Rebecca Barnes, Bucky’s sister.

You get started on dinner and Sam wanders down into the kitchen bringing his

“So, why didn’t you leave town?”

“Nowhere to go. And the fire is heading away from here so hopefully everything will stay away from town.”

“The smoke doesn’t bother you?”

“I mean it’s not great but as long as Coop and I are okay I plan on staying. I’ve got some stuff packed up in my car and ready to go but I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.”

“That’s fair. We do really appreciate you doing this. Letting us stay here.” He’s got such a soothing presence about him that you forget he’s an Alpha until his scent washes over you.

“It’s the least I can do,” you tell him with a smile, “so what does first shift mean?”

“Oh, it’s the really early shift, like 4am. Steve will be out running a crew since he’s a Captain back home and he’s around 10am then Bucky is 4pm.”

“What will I need for you in the morning? Breakfast? Coffee? Energy bars?”

“Coffee would be great. I usually take it with milk.” You jot down coffee and milk on a sheet of paper.

“How do the other two take their coffee?”

“Barnes likes it black, like a psychopath and Steve likes it with cream and sugar so he can’t taste the coffee.” You laugh and jot down creamer.

“Any chance you know what kind of creamer he likes?”

“Caramel I think.”

“I can always ask him too. I’ll set the coffee to go off at 3:15 for you.”

“Thank you.” Sam says as he sits down at the island. “What are you making for dinner?”

“Spaghetti. I make the sauce from scratch, from the garden.”

“It smells great.”

“Thanks, should be about a half hour. I’ve got meatballs in the oven and will have some garlic bread and green beans from my garden too.”

“You’re going to spoil us huh?” He says with a grin and you laugh, hoping that your suppressants work like they’re supposed to and keep you presenting as a Beta.

“I don’t get to cook for others often so I’m being a little selfish. Let me know if you need anything from town or want me to get anything. I’ll go shopping for the week tomorrow.”

“Are they paying you to host us?”

“No, but I don’t mind getting you guys stuff.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, I wouldn’t offer if it was a problem.” You assure him and after studying you he nods.

“I’ll be sure to let the guys know.” You chat with Sam while you cook. You learn that his wife Carol is an Alpha and a doctor. The Alpha/Alpha pair is uncommon but if it works for them that’s wonderful. You also learn that he, Bucky and Steve served together and that Carol had outranked all three.

It seems that Steve has always been the one to lead their little trio, and when the smell of dinner lures him and Bucky down you include them in the conversation. Bucky, whose scent is oranges and cedar wood, is more chatty and flirty than Steve is but there’s this quiet strength about Steve that’s impossible not to notice.

Sam goes to bed immediately after dinner but Steve and Bucky stay up and watch the news with you. You set the coffee machine for Sam and leave him a note to help himself to anything he wants to eat. Then you bring Cooper outside, he wanders your wildfire lit backyard, the orange glow is spooky and the smell of smoke is thick in the air.

“Come on Coop, it’s bedtime.” You tell him leading him to the living room. Both Steve and Bucky are gone so you change into your pajamas and get ready for bed in the bathroom then head back to the couch where Cooper is laying dead center. “Move it Coop.” He grumbles but gets down, once you’re settled you let him back up on the couch between your feet.

You wake up as Sam closes the fridge.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He says softly. When he turns and sees you sitting up on the couch.

“No it’s okay.” You tell him as Cooper hops off of the couch. You follow him to the back door and let him out.

“Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

“They needed three more beds so I gave them three more beds.”

“We put you out of your room?” He asks with a small frown.

“I sleep more on the couch anyway, I usually fall asleep to one baking show or another.” You tell him with a sleepy smile, you hadn’t meant to tell them they’d taken all your beds but it was too late now.

“This is your home.”

“Seriously Sam don’t worry about it.” You say letting Cooper back into the house. “Be safe.”

“Thanks.” He says and you go back to bed on the couch.

The next time you wake it’s 9:00 and you want to make sure that you’ve got something ready for Bucky and Steve for breakfast so you get up. You feed Cooper then let him out again, if there wasn’t the fire you’d let him stay outside as long as he wanted. You sit down on the couch and pull your tablet into your lap. Cooper joins you on the couch as you start to draw your characters.

“Morning.” Steve’s voice is low and soft when he greets you.

“Good morning. There are pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon in the oven. The pans will be warm.”

“Thanks,” you hear him help himself to food and coffee then he comes out into the living room. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not at all. Don’t let Coop fool you into any food though.”

“No people food for him?”

“Just some fruit and veggies.” You tell him glancing up at the fire captain. “So Sam said you guys were on a 4-10-4 start time but what time are you all home?”

“We’re doing 12 hour shifts, so Sam and Buck don’t overlap but I will with both.”

“Okay, I’ll have dinner ready when you get back. Is there anything that I don’t have that you need? Sam said you liked a certain flavor of creamer.”

“The French vanilla is fine.”

“He said caramel?” You glance over at him again and he has this little shy smile on his face. “I don’t mind, I need to go get groceries anyway.”

“Caramel is my favorite.” He admits and you nod then get back to your drawing. He finishes his breakfast in silence then puts his dishes into the dishwasher, Steve heads back upstairs and you hear him finish getting ready before he comes back down.

“Be safe.”

“Thanks.” He says before closing the door softly behind him.

Bucky sleeps until almost noon, you’ve taken breakfast out of the oven and put it in the fridge. He somehow looks groggy still and you’re worried he didn’t sleep well.

“Good morning.”

“Morning. How are you?” His voice is low and husky.

“Good. Did you sleep okay?”

“Yea I slept great. I could still be asleep to be honest but I might get called in early.”

“Why?”

“There are less guys at base camp right now. Apparently a group of them had some trouble on the way? I don’t know but Steve called.”

“Breakfast is in the fridge if you wanna heat it otherwise I have lunch meat and stuff for sandwiches.”

“I love breakfast food.” He says making his way to the fridge. He starts a cup of coffee then opens the fridge.

You find out that Bucky is a chatter. Which is fine but you’re glad that you’re illustrating today rather than writing because there’s no way you’d be able to focus on writing. He asks you about living in the small town, how you ended up here, about your job, when he finds out you’re an author and illustrator of children’s books he promises to buy his niece a couple books. You tell him to leave his address and you’ll send him a signed copy of the one you’re working on, he excitedly does.

When he leaves at 3:30, not being called in early, you take a break and start on dinner. You want to make sure you’ve got food ready for Sam when he gets back.

Sam comes in at 4:45, Cooper barks excitedly and Sam sinks to the ground and Cooper immediately calms allowing Sam to wrap his arms around him. You don’t say anything, just continue to cook while Sam hugs Cooper to him. You hear him talking softly but you ignore him, whatever he’s saying to Coop is none of your business.

“I’m gonna go take a shower before I eat.” Sam says at full volume, the side of his face still pressed to Cooper’s side.

“That’s fine,” you assure him, “I’ve got about twenty minutes before the rice is done.”

“Okay.” He disappears then Cooper comes wandering into the kitchen. You give him a couple of treats and tell him what a good boy he is.

Sam eats in silence then goes up to his room, you’re pretty sure he goes to bed by 7 but after the day he’s had you can’t blame him.

At 10 you start reheating food for when Steve comes in. Sure enough, 10:30 rolls in and so does Steve. Cooper greets Steve with a wagging tail, Steve gives him a little pat and heads upstairs. You hear the shower turn on and after around 10 minutes Steve is back dropping down on the couch as Cooper puts a head in his lap. Steve absently pets Cooper and you place a plate of food in front of him.

“Thank you.” His tired eyes meet yours and he gives you a little half smile.

“It’s the least I can do.” You tell him sincerely. Cooper stays with his head in Steve’s lap until Steve goes upstairs to bed. You set up your bed on the couch and set your alarm for 3:30 in the morning so you can get food heated for Bucky and coffee and food started for Sam.

You fall asleep still smelling Steve on your couch.

Tag list:

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[subwaysurf45]

Back Into the Swing of Things

summary: Bucky is finally stable and after your friendship turns into a relationship, Bucky asks you to teach him about the little things. (set around civil war)

words:  3355

warning: legit none just fluff!

pairing: bucky x reader

Masterlist

You were sat at the little desk in your room, your music was blasting through your headphones as you nodded your head to the beat. It was paperwork day, the worst day. For some reason it was a busy time or missions which meant mission reports, you liked to just bang them out all at once for one day every couple of weeks. Some people did them right after but the little notes you take in your journal allow you to wait a bit and then do five at once. The plate that used to have a sandwich was now empty, Bucky brought it by because he knew it was your day and if he stayed around you it would most likely lead to Bucky trying to pull you into bed for snuggles. He’d claim you’d look too cozy to be doing work, you'd wear one of his shirts and maybe some pants.

With a sigh you lean back in your chair, a couple pops coming for your back. “Four outta five…” you muttered to yourself as you took the papers and stacked them on the other reports. As you reached for the final one there was a knock on the door, “come in, Bucky.” You called over your shoulder.

“How’d you know it was me?” Bucky slipped through the doorway, he walked over and spun your chair around.

“Your knock is very polite,” was all you said. It was true, he’d knock loud enough to be heard but not too loud to seem demanding.

“Thanks…?” Bucky sat on the edge of your bed, “I wanted to ask you something,” Bucky looked to the floor.

“Talk to me,” You cheered and gave your full attention.

“I have a list of things in my notebook, just stuff I don't get- like understand. Would you mind helping and explaining some stuff?” His face was red and his eyes looked down, it was painfully obvious he was embarrassed.

“Sure,” You shrugged and Bucky smiled. He got up and went to get the book.

Debit Card Machine 

Bucky was sitting across from you at a small diner, you went after rush hour to give yourself space and also Bucky doesn’t like crowded and loud spaces. Bucky had gotten a B.L.T. and you got something similar but you’d never been here before so you weren’t exactly sure what was in it- but it was good.

The waitress came by, the uniform was very retro like the rest of the place. It wasn’t way back to the 40’s more late 80’s early 90’s, Bucky had said he liked coming here because of the jukebox even though that was way past his time. He found it easier than an iphone, which was on his list of things to learn.

“Coffee or tea?” the lady asked.

“No, just the bill please,” You smiled at her, she nodded and walked away. Bucky got up and moved to sit beside you because he didn’t want to learn by looking at the thing upside down, the debit card itself was slightly conquered territory but he had the idea.

“And you said this was on your phone as well?” Bucky picked up the card and looked at it, his fingers running over the numbers that were lifted.

“You have to connect your card and all that to your phone so you just hover over the machine and it’ll pay.” You mimed the action of paying with your phone over nothing for Bucky to get the gist.

The machine showed up and you explained all the buttons, the waitress seemed confused because Bucky looked your age, she would have expected a guy to know how this works but she also kept her distance like most waitresses do.

“So you put your card in, the chip end goes in,” you showed. “Then you make sure the price matches the one on the receipt, if it does then you hit ‘ok’,” you did hit ‘ok’. “Then you have to tip, I personally go the percentage route so I’d click the far left button,” It made a sound when you did. “Now, depending on the service you can tip a different amount, I go fifteen percent as a baseline but she was really nice so I’ll tip twenty.” you typed it in, Bucky had a shocked face.

“Twenty dollars, that’s another meal!” He whispered, trying not to let the lady hear; she did.

“Twenty percent, our total goes from eighteen-tirty to twenty-forty five,” You showed the number again, then you clicked okay and proceeded to type in your four digit number. Bucky watched over your shoulder and tried to remember it all, when you were showing things at home he’d take notes and have a couple diagrams to remember it all but his notebook was no longer in sight. You glanced down after giving the machine back to see him rolling the book onto itself under the table, Bucky shoved it into his back pocket when you both got up to leave.

“Do you mind going over it again when we get home?” Bucky asked as he held your hand, the Avenger tower in sight.

“Of course,” you left a little kiss on his cheek.

Cooking Bacon

You didn’t remember reading this when you first went over the list. Granted, there was tons of stuff on Bucky’s list. It seemed he added it on later, like he watched Wanda cook and had a little idea to add. Either way, you both were in the kitchen in front of the stove. You both had aprons on, yours was a nice navy blue while Bucky’s read: ‘kiss the cook’. He wanted the navy one but then lost a game of rock, paper, scissors.

The pan was heating up on the stove, you had the lid ready beside it on the counter. Bucky seemed nervous because of the idea of the grease spitting out at him, he was starting to stand slightly behind you or away from the stove in an area he thought he wouldn’t get hit. “Alright,” you clapped your hands together after feeling over the pan to check the temperature. “We are gonna cook four pieces, so I’m gonna take them out of the package,” You were careful around the stove because Bucky seemed extremely nervous for you. He kept making little ‘peep’ing noises like he was about to say ‘watch out’ or something but decided against it, it was cute.

You put in two and then Bucky came over to put the others in, he was so leaned back he could barely get the bacon strips into the pan. On the last strip he haphazardly dropped it in, this caused the grease to spray back. A couple bits landed on your arm but a few more hit Bucky.

“Fuck!” He jumped back as you went to cover it quickly. The lid steamed up in seconds. Bucky was at the sink, washing his arm off. “Does it, like, burn through stuff?”  His tone was so concerned but you couldn't help but laugh at the question.

“No, you’re safe,” you nodded. Bucky came back over and stood right behind you, his chin nestled on your shoulder as you waited a bit. His arms circled around your torso and he also watched the pan, he didn’t know what to look for per se, but he did it anyways. “This should be good,” you stepped forward which caused Bucky to let go. “We’re gonna lift the lid and start to flip them, alright?” You grabbed the tongs and clicked them a few times, it was a thing you always did.

“Let’s go,” Bucky’s voice wanted to sound excited but he was slightly scared.

You lifted the lid and stood off to the side, quickly but calmly you flipped the pieces over and then covered the lid. “So, we give that time, then we'll take the lid off and just move them around and flip them more, you can do that,” You smiled over your shoulder to see Bucky writing something down. It was cute how much he cared about the little things, you’d never been taught how to cook bacon or cooking in general, it was something you just found yourself doing.

Bucky took the tongs and went for it, he lifted the lid and went straight into flipping them. After he found they weren’t spitting back he seemed to loosen up, his shoulders rolled back and he seemed to find a comfortable position. He was looking over to you for any tips but you stood there with a smile on your face, he was actually doing a good job.

You got out a plate and paper towel, Bucky transferred the strips over. He watched you pat them down with a paper towel, this was something you adopted into your life because you weren’t the biggest fan of all the grease.

“This is a big part, so listen up,” Bucky looked over from eating one of his two pieces. “Write this down, never and I mean never pour this grease down the sink- ever.” Bucky had the piece of meat sticking out of his mouth as he scribbled it down, he hummed and nodded to let you know he got it. “There is a can under the sink, grab it for me, please?” You picked up the pan but stayed over the stove, Bucky came back with an open can. There was nothing in it except congealed grease, he seemed grossed out but you were used to it. “Dump it in here after it’s cool but not solidified, just don’t pour it down the sink.” You poured the stuff in and left it on the counter to cool off, Bucky finally bit down on the piece of bacon before handing over your two pieces.

“I think that went well,” Bucky nodded, he leaned against the counter with a tired sigh. You didn’t have to heart to make fun of him for being scared of the grease, he seemed proud of himself. So you just stood beside him and rested your head on his shoulder, “good job, Buck.”

Skin Care

Bucky was the type of boyfriend to sit in the bathroom and just watch you put on or take off your makeup, he was truly put under a trance when he would watch you. In the beginning he’d ask questions or ask what you were doing and why, but now he had watched you so much he’d pass you the tube of mascara as you finished on your brows.

Your skin had adapted to a long and specific routine, this was your time for about ten minutes before bed to fully unwind and have some quiet. You would rotate products and skip over some of the serums each night but there were the basics you were going to teach Bucky: Wash, tone, moisturize.

Before you went to the drug store you asked Bucky about his skin, he really had no idea what you were talking about and half the time he’d shrug it off. “I don’t pay attention to my skin,” was a common phrase. You lightly touched his face and felt his T-zone, he joked that sometimes if he opened his mouth really wide his skin would feel super tight and dry.

“So then you have dry skin,” you said. Thinking of the products to get him, Bucky didn’t have acne, it was more for cleaning the skin and keeping it healthy.

“I think,” Bucky really felt like a pain. He was trying to help you out so you could find good products but all he was giving was half answers, ‘ya, I guess’ or ‘I think so’.

But currently you both were standing in the bathroom, it was right before bed and Bucky adjusted his headband for about the hundredth time. He said it was too tight but you knew he was being a baby about it, his hair was also pulled back into a bun.

“We are gonna wash our face,” You showed how warm the water should be before splashing your face. Bucky copied right after, and awkwardly leaned forward to make sure water didn’t drip on the floor after while he waited for you to move on. “Now we are gonna wash our face, so take that bottle with the blue cap and put a bit in your hand. A little goes a long way,” You added and did the same, both faces in the bathroom were sudsy and ready. Bucky went in first to wash it off, his hands cupping under the tap and collecting as much water as he could before leaning right in to wash off his face. He did it twice.

“Pat dry?” He remembered you saying that before. His hands held the fresh towel, you hummed in response because your face was in water. Bucky patted and gently rubbed around, when you stood up you dried off as well. Both faces were damp, Bucky looked at the little water droplets running down your neck before turning back to the task at hand. “Toner- don't tell me, I know this one!” He grabbed your arm, “red cap?” His face lit up with joy as you nodded, “I got this!” He cockily laughed, he knew what he was doing.

Bucky took the little cotton round and drizzled some of the toner around on it, he passed one over to you before making one for himself. Bucky leaned in and got super close to the mirror, he watched intently as you rubbed your face. He copied, it was like the cotton pad was barely touching his face. The last thing he cleaned was his nose before pulling the cotton away, he scanned over the pad and saw the gross residue.

“Ew, that was on my face?” Bucky was enchanted by the pad, holding it super close to see the leftover dirt. You had already thrown away the pad, it made you giggle to see Bucky so hypnotized by literal oil and dirt.

“Moisturizer, final step for you,” You sang. “I like to pick it up with my knuckle, like this,” You unscrewed the lid and tapped your pointer finger knuckle to the opaque, soft cream. Bucky took his new one and did the same. He wiped it into the palm of the opposite hand, “rub it around, heat it up before putting it on,” He did just that. “You’re a pro, Buck!” You giggled as Bucky meticulously put it on. He was applying it upwards and spreading it evenly around, his fingers gently dancing across his face as the cream worked its way in.

“How do I look?” He turned to you.

“Like you’re glowing.”

“I feel like it,” Bucky laughed and looked back at the mirror. He tilted his head around to see how his skin would look under the light in the bathroom, he seemed to forget you were there and was completely in awe of what he did. Bucky brought his fingers to his face to feel around, the moisturizer had set and now his skin looked full and plump. The pads of his fingers gently tapped his cheeks and made the shimmer on his cheekbones move and twinkle.

“Alright, that’s enough admiring yourself,” you laughed and pushed him out of the way. Bucky stayed to watch you finish up your routine.

Record Player

As a way to say thanks for helping Bucky with over fifty niche things, Bucky decided to teach you how to properly use a record player.

This wasn’t any old player, this was Bucky’s player. No one was allowed to touch it without permission and even though you have never gotten the green light, you asked almost every week. This was one of the only things Bucky could really hold onto, when he touched the dark, stained wood he could almost see himself back in the 40’s; almost.

He once got really mad at the beginning of your friendship, you really didn’t know it was his, you just thought it was a talking piece. Bucky ended up yelling at you, he had just changed the needle and you were running your finger on it to see how small it was. Steve had ran in because Bucky was yelling- it was a whole ordeal that ended with Bucky not talking to you for three months.

But now there was trust and Bucky liked that after that little fiasco you didn’t even think to touch it, he could really trust you and now was a great time to show off his favourite thing. Bucky was all giddy to show his record player off to you, you were grabbing some water before he started and you noticed Bucky was using the cuff of his sleeve to wipe off a smudge before going back to inspect it.

“Alright, let’s start!” Bucky smiled. This man didn’t start with the parts and what they do, he started with the history of it all. Bucky pulled all the facts he knew about record players in general and the vintage one that was sitting in front of the both of you, his eyes seemed to light up with each new fact that popped into his mind. Part of you wanted to check your watch but you also had never seen this man get passionate over an object before, he could get passionate over people- you, Steve, Sam, etc. -but never over this. “Are you ready to play music?” He reached over into his bin and pulled a record you’ve never seen.

“Which one’s that?” You asked as Bucky pulled it out of it’s sleeve.

“It’s just a random one I picked up a week ago for this,” Bucky held the record the proper way. “Thumb on the center and index on the edge, don’t touch the actual grooves because the oils in your hands can clog them up,” Bucky moved his hand around to show you.

“Sorry, what do you mean you bought that record for this? And why does the needle look different?” you noticed the needle looked extremely worn, it looked great and new a couple days ago.

“Don’t worry,” Bucky dismissed it. “So now we are gonna place the record softly,” Bucky placed it down and turned back to you. He talked about the arm and the needle before showing you how to put it on manually and then with the little leaver, after showing them each way twice he stepped back and offered you a turn.

“Seems easy,” you mumbled and took the arm, you were doing it manually first. The movements were extremely soft and slow, when the needle made contact it took half a second before a really grainy sound came through the speakers. It sounded wrong but Bucky nodded, he applauded you for taking the needle off as well. Then you did it with the leaver, right when it was about to touch you thought it looked off so you nudged it a bit- bad idea. The needle didn’t even hit the record and part of the arm scratched the recessed vinyl. “Shit!” You yelled and ripped it off. Causing the record to scratch, the sound and the record itself, there was a shine to the edge. “Oh god! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to mess it all up- I really didn’t mean to break it- god, you must so ma- I’m sorry-” as you fumbled over yourself Bucky just started to laugh. “What?” you were about to cry because of the guilt.

“That was a sixties record and a needle that is five years old, you didn't do anything. I bought it because I knew this was bound to happen.” Bucky only laughed at your exasperated sigh, you fell into his hug like a child. “Poor baby,” he mockingly cooed, he found it so funny how you were screaming apologies at him even though it was painfully obvious it was a shit record and needle.

“That was scary, I think I need a nap after that…” you sighed.

Bucky threw you over his shoulder, “thinking the same thing, doll.

[luminari-mc]

4 Female with satan

Late Night Rescue (Satan x f!MC)

Prompt 4: “I know it’s 2 in the morning, but do you want to...”

Genre: Fluff, Slice of life

Warnings: N/A

A/N: First Satan piece! Coincidentally enough, he has been growing on me a lot more lately. I hope I get to work more on him in the future so I can explore other parts of his personality (I just think he's neat).

-------------------------------------------

It was with a long, deep groan that MC's forehead met with the surface of her desk. Three long hours on this homework, and she still couldn't see the end of it. When the teacher had first said that the entire class was about to "taste true suffering" for getting a low score on the previous assignement, she didn't think he would actually be this serious. But what was she expecting, really, when it came from a demon teacher?

With a hand that had turned stiff from writing down notes since the beginning of her study session, MC grabbed her phone and slid it close to her face. She sighed upon seeing the time flash on her screen, reminding her of her grim reality.

2:13am.

"Aaah, and we have to wake up in 5 hours..." the hard truth fell from her lips as she painfully straightened herself in her chair. If Lucifer knew she was still awake at this hour, no doubt she would get a full-blown lecture after coming home from RAD tomorrow. She ran her hands over her face in an attempt to wake herself up as she groaned. She wasn't about to get any sleep tonight, was she?

"What's this coffee made out of, seriously?" Frowning, a pout birthed on her mouth upon looking down at her notes. The pile of books next to her only let her see how much more she would have to write before finalizing her assignment, and giving it back to the teacher tomorrow afternoon.

"It's not doing shit." MC propped her elbows on the desk- maybe a bit too loudly given the time-, and placed her head into her hands. If only she hadn't made a detour to the store with Asmo after school! But she had desperately needed new skincare products, and Asmo's puppy eyes had proven to be way too effective against her. Ugh, she could have been in bed already...

She felt her heart skip a bit when the phone under her hand began ringing, the soft ringtone she had set for nightly calls much welcomed to her ears. Although, a small knot took form in her throat as she began to wonder who could be calling her at such an hour. Maybe a wrong number?

She instantly placed the phone against her ear, her tired mind making her forget to check the name appearing on the screen. "Huh, hello?"

"Ah, so I was right. You are still awake after all." The voice, warm and affectionate in its tone, gave MC the impression that it was the first person she was speaking to in a week.

"Satan?" She asked, rubbing a wrist over her eyes.

"You know, I had a hunch it was going to take you some time to finish your work, after you've left dinner so quickly to close yourself in your room. But to still be going at it at this hour..." The demon clicked his tongue. "Did you even take a break since then?"

"No... I mean, I've finished most of my regular assignements. But I've been stuck on this one for a while now." MC replied as she turned around on her chair to stretch her legs, before curiosity took over her. "How did you guess?"

"I went to the kitchen to grab some water." The blonde answered over the phone. "That's when I noticed the light from under your door. I didn't want to bother you, in case you had fallen asleep with the lights on, so I didn't dare knocking."

Looking back at the door, MC felt lucky it had been Satan who called, and not another one of the demons. The Avatar of Wrath had always been one of the few men in the house who had always respected her boundaries whenever she asked to be left alone, especially more when it was to work on something. Yet, she couldn't help but clutch the phone a little more against her ear, feeling grateful that he was checking up on her in the middle of the night.

"Well, I'm definitely not sleeping right now." She giggled slightly. "But what about you, though? Were you asleep before going to the kitchen? I wouldn't want you to stay awake because of me."

Satan's laugh brought a warm feeling in her stomach as it entered her ear. "Actually, I wasn't. There's been a particular problem that's been keeping me awake, you see. So I've been trying to find an idea as to how I can resolve it."

"A problem?" MC blinked, her eyes opening a bit wider.

"You left dinner relatively early today, so you didn't catch up on it." Satan explains. "But I've recently noticed the presence of a kitten in the cemetary. It's been there for a few days now, and as far as I know, it doesn't seem that it left the area to return to a home, so it's just been taking shelter in one of the mausoleums. I told Lucifer about possibly bringing it inside to give him in a warm place so it can sleep and eat, but of course, he refused on the spot."

MC arched an eyebrow. "I thought you of all people wouldn't care about Lucifer's rules when it comes to cats."

The demon laughed in response.

"Oh trust me, I'd love nothing more than to defy his rules on a daily basis. But I've sneaked cats in the house in the past, and it usually doesn't end well for me, and the cats eventually have to leave. It also wouldn't be easy to bring this kitten inside, now that Lucifer knows about it." Satan sighs loud enough for MC to hear over the phone. "No doubt he would be on my tail if I were to try anything."

She mimicked the demon, letting a puff of air escape her nose in frustration. Lucifer was very stubborn when it came to having animals in the House of Lamentation, the only exception obviously being Henry 2.0 since he was a small goldfish. Even Mammon had been yelled at whenever his crows would enter through the windows to drop freshly stolen goods at his feet, but they'd usually only stay for a couple of minutes. So convincing the first-born to let Satan take care of a kitten... would prove to be challening, no doubt.

MC didn't have the time to offer her support, than Satan immediately started speaking again.

"But you know, MC." The smile in his voice seemed to have doubled in an instant. "I think I may have found a solution to this problem of mine. Now, I know you're still stuck on your homework... And I know it’s 2 in the morning, but do you want to..."

Satan let the end of his sentence unfinished, probably waiting for MC to guess it. Her mouth stayed agape for a few seconds, until she finally took the hint.

"Do I want to... help you?"

"We all know Lucifer has a soft spot for you." MC could hear Satan move around his room as he continued to explain his plan. "I take that if you and I were to go and bring this kitten to one of our rooms, he would be a bit more mellow than if I were to try on my own. Would you be up for it?"

MC weighted the ups and downs in her mind. On one hand, getting caught by Lucifer could result in a punishment her exhausted body wouldn't probably be able to take. But on the other hand, she was the only one at this hour who could help Satan with this predicament. And MC would be lying to herself, if she said she didn't want to see this kitten and give it a better home than a cold, damp mausoleum.

"Ah, and if you need a bit more convincing-" Satan's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, "I'll help you finish that assignement of yours tomorrow morning. Whatever it is, I can assure you we'll be done before lunch."

"You would?!" She found herself gasping as if she had just heard the best news of her life. "Satan, that would help so much!"

"It's for Curses and Hexes, isn't it?" Satan's chuckle felt like honey to her ears. "That teacher really is as sadistic as Lucifer, so no wonder you're having a hard time with it. Don't worry, I'll even complete the assignement for you if we need to."

"I'll help!" MC declared, practically jumping out of her chair to go grab her shoes near the door. "B-But, I was going to accept even before you offered me your help, just so you know!"

"Haha, I know MC. You are truly kind." Satan's words felt sincere. "Now then, shall we meet by the entrance? Be careful not to make any noise on your way there. This rescue mission depends entirely on our discretion, after all."

"I'll be so silent, Lucifer might as well think I turned into a ghost." MC grinned while crouching to put her shoes on. "See you soon, Satan. Let's help that kitten together."

"Thank you, MC. I'm really looking forward to do this with you. I will see you there." As Satan hung up, MC could swear all of the exhaustion she had previously acquired in the past few hours vanish in an instant. Who cared in the moment if her back ached a little? Something much more interesting than taking notes was about to take place.

As MC grabbed her jacket and flipped it around her shoulders, she found herself smiling upon stepping out of her room, this innocent but sneaky rescue mission with Satan making her the most excited she had been in weeks. And with him getting to help her tomorrow... it seemed like, for the first time in a while, her stubbornness had worked in her favor.

[wangxianslillotus]

Au where Wei WuXian doesn't go to Nightless city after Wen Qing, Wen Ning and the remaining Wens. Instead he runs away with A-Yuan and the granny. They stay hidden for years in a humble house in between a forest and a river at the border of Qinghe Nie and LanLing, away from Yiling.

Wei Ying tries to stay away from the towns after hearing about the burial mounds being attacked, of course that there would be those who search for the stigean seal, "That Yiling laozu, he disappeared in the night! Who knows when he's going to appear again to cause more trouble!!" He hears, "He's preparing to take revenge, he hasn't learned from the last time!!" . But he doesn't want revenge, he just wants to raise A-Yuan. After that, he knows that he has to hide, and ends up avoiding all contact and interactions with the world, but he remains doing his research in demonic cultivation, enough to train and develope new things that they will need for protection, but never enough for it to attract any attention.

Granny passes away after taking care of her boys, and when they find themselves in the winter out of provisions such as food and others, Wei WuXian makes his trip to the market for the first time in almost seven years. He wears a disguise, but he can never be completely sure that they are safe. Of course, he takes his son along, because he can't leave him alone. He's never sure.

A-Yuan has come with granny before, he knows the people in town, and they pretty much adore him just as the people loved Wei WuXian at the old pier market. Wei WuXian watches him and lets him lead the little trip to town with a bright smile. They buy the necessary things for a couple of cold months, and go back home at night. But as they are leaving, they catch a glimpse of gold robes in one of the streets. Wei WuXian drags A-Yuan to a dark alley to hide, until the cultivators of LanLing pass by without noticing them. After that, they don't go to the town anymore for a while.

A-Yuan doesn't ask, he never does, he respects that his father has a very mysterious past that he wants to hide, to forget if possible, and that if something happens, he will have to run away with the stigean seal. He knows that, but being aware of the pain that crosses his father's eyes is hard. But he doesn't ask even when Wei WuXian starts to train him to be a cultivator, not just for fun anymore.

He developed a golden core very young, but never used it for anything more than some night hunts at the near forest and protection. Now, they are preparing just in case those golden robed people got closer, he knows that much.

He practices archery, calligraphy too ("A-Yuan, even if dad can't write like he draws, you should do it properly. Maybe I can't make it look good, but I know how it should look.") and his father lends him his sword from time to time, for him to learn how to transfer energy on the blade, how to fly, and how to retrieve it if he sent it flying for attack. Suibian accepts him, almost knowing that he's his owner's son. Wei WuXian teaches him everything he knows about cultivation, that is not little knowledge, on the contrary, Wei Yuan ends up learning so many things, even about different sects. His father teaches him about the Lan Sect and Jiang Sect more than any others, he hears about a big library where he used to copy 3000 rules from the Lan Sect, watched closely by the most gracious man that his father has ever seen. Wei Yuan learns that his father often thinks about this Lan man, when the moon rises fully in the night sky, drinking some alcohol if they can allow it.

He learns enough demonic cultivation too, enough to prevent accidents from happening, enough not to panic, and enough to suppress the stigean seal if needed. Of course, he can't do that alone, it's only to help his father. "Never use it, A-Yuan, you know how if feels now, so you can identify it, but never use it. You can think of better ways."

He learns about talismans, more than any other Sect may even know that exist, his father is proud of that. And he is too. His father knows so many things that A-Yuan is enchanted with everything he learns. He is a good boy.

......

When A-yuan is close to become 13, Wei WuXian goes back to the town and orders a sword for him, one similar to suibian in terms of speed and weight, but black. It was going to be ready in a month and a half, the shopkeeper said. And it was going to be expensive. But it was worth it, Wei Ying knew, anything for his little boy. Besides, winter didn't had many hunting opportunities, it was a good timing.

When the time passed, Wei WuXian took A-Yuan with him to the town. They sold some talismans during the day, bought food and some warmer clothes that would be useful since there was starting to snow already in the forest, and then, they stopped by the smithy. Wei WuXian gave his son an excited smile.

When A-Yuan received the sword, he was more than happy. He was jumping like he was five again, hugging his father like he would never let go, so happy that he cried a little. Wei WuXian laughed at him for that, but he was equally happy just by watching his son. He knew it was worth it.

On the following days, Wei WuXian trained him with his sword. He couldn't use Suibian properly since he couldn't transfer it any energy, and using resentful energy didn't work at all on the blade (he had tried, it didn't went well.) But he could use it as a normal sword, and he was good at it. Better than the good ones. They sparred until his father said it was good enough to go for a nighthunt in the following days.

Little did they know that they would split, running from a Yao that had really long claws, just as large as Suibian, and creept at fast speed. It was a dangerous one, climbing the trees and jumping at them from above. The beast followed A-Yuan at first, be could hear it growling right behind him. The boy ran away at his father's order, and the beast got distracted after a while thanks to his father's music. A-Yuan ran until stopping at the entrance of a cave, listening attentively to the dizi in the distance, just in case he heard another order from Wei WuXian.

The snow was freezing his feets, and he was already wet to the knee, some of his back too because he had rolled over avoiding the Yao's claws. The dizi went silent abruptly, but it wasn't always a bad thing. It probably meant his father had killed the beast using resentful energy. He waited for about ten minutes before deciding he would go back, but as he was about to go the way he came from, he heard steps behind.

Too close to avoid to be seen, too close to run away successfully. A-Yuan turned around, ready for a fight when he saw a boy his age, dressed in white, with a headband matching the could embroidery of his robes. A Lan. It was a Lan. They couldn't find his father.

Turns out, it was a friendly Lan, that gave him a look and then proceeded to explain that he was lost. "We were nighthunting, but I got lost following the tracks of a Yao." He had said. "Honestly, I fell into a pit when I was running away, and when I got out, it was gone. Have you seen it, perhaps?" But A-Yuan lied, said that he hadn't. That he was fighting a ghost. The ones that didn't let traces behind. At this, the Lan shivered, murmuring something about hating ghosts, and A-Yuan couldn't help it, he laughed hard. He was absolutely stressed from running, ten minutes more would probably help his limbs, he thought.

The Lan got flustered at his laugh, not used to such displays of emotions from others, but he ended up laughing too. They talked for an hour or so, until A-Yuan realized that his father must have been searching him like a madman. He apologized to the Lan boy, grabbed his sword, and run away in a hurry, leaving a very confused cultivator behind. When he arrived his home, it was almost sunrise already. Wei WuXian was waiting for him in front of the door. When he saw him appear, he run towards him and hugged him hard.

Again, A-Yuan didn't ask. He knew his father's pain without need of explanation. He hugged back, letting the bad feelings go at once. They slept side by side that night, like when A-Yuan was a toddler, holding all their memories together. Keeping them warm.

.......

A couple of months later, the spring came back, and A-Yuan was more than happy to help his father with the orchard. They played in the river too, hunted some pheasants and rabbits that started to reappear from their hibernation, and Wei WuXian allowed A-Yuan to go alone to the town. He knew it was a big thing, because his father thought of his petition for about a week before answering. He had to be careful, "there are really bad people out there, my radish." But if he could nighthunt, he could take some walks around the market and enjoy tasteful food once in a while, he thought.

In one of his expeditions to the town, he met that Lan boy again. "This one is called Lan JingYi, since you ran away last time I couldn't tell you that, but we spoke about good food, and you mentioned this inn." He said. And A-Yuan smiled. He didn't say his name, but it was enough that the owner of the inn saw him, invited them both to take a seat and eat, calling him "A-Yuan". He had to be aware from his last name.

Nonetheless, he shared with Lan JingYi a good meal, happy when his new friend complimented his good taste with food.

It was not the last time they met. Lan JingYi usually appeared at the town from time to time after sending him a letter to that inn, that the owner gave him when he arrived the town. He was happy to have a friend, so Wei WuXian allowed it. It was good that his son had a dependable friend. Even if it was dangerous, he thought that some meals and sporadic letters couldn't do any harm to anyone. As long as A-Yuan was happy, he would comply. He wanted his son to have everything.

Time passed by quickly, they knew. They sold more talismans at the market, nighthunted anything and everything that they could, shared stories about their days when they were apart, ate delicious foods at the inn sometimes, and trained. They trained a lot.

In was when they turned 15 that Lan JingYi gave A-Yuan an invitation to study at Cloud recesses.

And Wei WuXian had to decide new plans.