#i have been thinking of hades so much the past few days i love him

[spearxwind]

Some silly Hadesposting ft. @silvaerial's oc Asil >:]

[cherrycola27]

Other Uses

This was inspired by this ask for my 2k celly!

Warnings: Smut, 18+, Minors DNI

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You remember the day you met Robert Floyd. You'd just come to California to help open a new branch of your law firm, and you were celebrating a job well done with some of your friends at a Navy bar one of them knew.

You'd immediately spotted him, a wallflower amongst his friend group. He was shy, quiet, and reserved. Just your type. Most people would think that someone like you, a cut throat lawyer who'd been compared to Hades more times than you cared to count, would be drawn to someone loud and in your face.

But just how Hades longed for a breath of spring in Persephone, you desired someone to complete you. Reel you in and bring you back to earth when you became too much.

And that's exactly what Robby did. You'll never forget the look on his face when you confirmed that you were, in fact, talking to him. You spent all night getting to know him. Two days later, he was taking you on a date.

You were now three months into your relationship, and Robby's birthday was approaching. You planned to take him out of town and get a nice hotel suite and hopefully cross that final line in your relationship.

You had suspected that Bob didn't have much experience in the bedroom. What you hadn't expected was for him to almost shamefully admit to you that he was a virgin after the two of you had been making out on your couch and he'd cum in his pants.

You took his face in your hands and told him that there was nothing to be ashamed of, and whenever he was ready, you would cross that line together.

These past two weeks, Bob had been getting bolder when he kissed you. Touching you, pulling your hair, trying to dominate the kiss. You knew that he was ready.

This weekend, the two of you would be alone, and Robby would be all yours, to kiss, to love, to corrupt, to enjoy.

You were giddy the whole drive to La Jolla. You sat in the passenger seat of Bob's truck singing along to a playlist you'd made just for the occasion.

You were beaming when you checked in the hotel, and you were practically bouncing up and down in the elevator and down the hallway to your room. As soon you slid the key into the lock, you were practically dragging your Bob into the room.

He quickly rolled in the luggage and took in the suite.

"Wow, Honeybee, this is amazing. There is only one problem." He said as he faced you.

"What? What's wrong?" You asked him, slightly panicked.

"There is only one bed. Where are we both going to sleep?" He asked you. You threw your head back and chuckled. "We are going to share. We are a couple." You reminded him.

"Right." He said as a blush crept across his cheeks. "Well, it does look pretty comfortable. We should be able to sleep pretty well on it." He says. You can't help but laugh at your clueless boyfriend.

"Oh, Robby, there are so many more things that we can use it for other than sleeping. How about I show you." You purred into his ear as you lead him further into the hotel room.

Bob swallowed thickly as you pushed him to sit on the edge of the bed. You kissed him a few times before stepping back and pulling your sundress over your head.

Bob's eyes went wide as you revealed a black lace bodysuit with some tasteful cutouts. He swallowed thickly as you sank to your knees in front of him. You made quick work of his belt, and when you tapped his hips, he lifted them so you could bring his jeans and boxers down in one fluid motion.

His cock sprang free and slapped against his abdomen. You licked your lips as you looked at it. He was long and thick and girthy, with pretty veins wrapping around it. The tip was flushed, the same shade of pink that spread across his cheeks.

"Has anyone ever given you a blow job, Robby?" You asked him as you peered up at him through your lashes.

"N—no." He stuttered out. A wicked smile spread across your red lips before you leaned forward and licked the vein that ran from the base to the tip.

And long groan left his lips as you did so. Determined to see what other sounds you could draw from him, you kitten licked the head, lapping up beads of precum before taking the tip between your lips.

You bobbed your head further down his length, swallowing around him once you reached the neat thatch of hair at his base.

His hips bucked involuntarily, causing you to gag. You moaned at the sensation, hoping he would do it again, but Bob was too polite. You grabbed one of his white knuckled hands and placed it on the back of your head. His fingers tangled in your hair, but he was still frozen as you pleasured him.

You pulled off of him completely and told him, "Robby, you can be a little rough with me. I want you to fuck my face. Okay?" He sucked in a breath and nodded.

You resumed your work, and soon, his hips were bucking into your mouth, and both of his hands tangled in your hair. Bob couldn't stop the cries of pleasure from leaving his mouth as you worked him faster and faster.

"Honeybee, I'm gonna—" but Bob didn't have time to finish his warning before he was shooting thick, hot ropes of his salty cum down your throat.

You swallowed and pulled off of him before sticking out your tongue and showing him that you'd taken all of his release. He looked at you mystified.

"Did you like that, Robby?" You asked him innocently.

"I fucking loved it, Honeybee." He growled as he pulled you into his lap. You moan. Bob rarely cursed, and hearing is pretty mouth say something filthy just did it for you. You quickly whipped his shirt off before he brought your lips together.

His hands roamed all over you body. Eagerly taking in the lace number you were wearing.

"Can I— can I taste you?" Bob asked. This time, you were the one caught off guard shaking your head.

Bob manhandled you on your back as you nestled against the pillows.

He took his time kissing down your body. Your gasps and moans and words of praise spurred him on. He spread your legs wide before settling between your thighs.

"Have you ever done this, Robby?" You ask him. "I tried with my last girlfriend, but I didn't know what I was doing, and she didn't like it." He admits sheepishly.

"It's okay, baby. I'll help you. I'll teach you to eat pussy like a king, but only for me." You smirk at him. He blushes, and you give him the go-ahead. He peppers a few kisses along your thighs before pulling the crotch of the bodysuit to the side.

He placed a few kisses along your glistening cunt before tentatively licking a broad swipe over your folds.

You let out a high-pitched whine. Bob looks up and checks for reassurances before continuing.

He licks your folds over and over before deciding to try something he saw in a porno. He uses his thumbs to open your folds before spitting directly on your clit and sucking it into his mouth.

"Fuck, Robby!" You cry as you arch off the bed. "Was that bad?" He asks you with a panicked look.

"No, fuck, do it again baby." You tell him. Bob smirks at you before repeating the action.

You card your fingers through his hair to help guide him, but soon, Bob has your legs shaking as he buries his face in your sopping cunt.

You're teetering on the edge of an orgasm, slightly afraid he won't get you there when Bob surprises you and sinks two of his thick fingers inside you and strokes your walls.

You can tell he's looking for your g-spot. Once he finds it. Like a good WSO, he zeros in on it and drags his calloused finger tips along it over and over again.

You grind your core against his face and grip his hair tighter before arching of the bed and crying out his name as you cum.

Bob emerges from your thighs with a dopey grin on his face.

"Where did you learn to do that?" You pant out.

"I watched some porn, and I may or may not have asked Phoenix for some pointers." He tells you. "Remind me to send her a fruit basket as a thank you." You chuckle as Bob slides up the bed to join you.

The two of you kisses for what seems like hours. "If you don't want to do anything else today, we can stop." You tell him. "I want to. I'm just—can you be on top? Please." He asks.

"Of course, Robby. Can you help me take this off?" You gesture to your bodysuit.

Bob nods eagrly as he tries to undo the laces of it. He fumbles with them as he hands shake with excitement before he accidentally rips the garment. A look of fear flashes across his face.

You laugh before telling him it's okay. He finishes ripping the entire thing off. You help him lay down on the bed before straddling his waist.

"Wait! Do we need protection?" Bob asks you.

"I'm clean, and I have an IUD. Are you comfortable without it?" You ask him. "Yes. Please. I want to feel you." Bob groans. You smile at him before rubbing your slick folds across the underside of his length.

He grips the sheets for dear life when you take his length into your hand before slowly sinking down on him. Even with his fingers helping to prep you, it's still a stretch. Bob is easily the biggest man you've ever been with.

Once you're fully seated on him, his hands come to your hips as both of you adjust.

You start our nice and slow with your pace. Gauging his reaction the whole time. Once you find a rhythm that has him a panting, mewling mess underneath you, you speed up and ride him with earnest. His grip on your hips tightens as you throw your head back.

"You look so pretty under me, Robby, like a fucking dream." You praise him. He's a sight to behold. A blush spreading from his chest to the tips of his ears, glasses slightly askew, his brow knit, his mouth open and pretty sounds falling from it.

"Honeybee, baby." He groans out. "Yes?" You ask him.

"Can I— can I be on top now? Please?" Bob grits out.

You both whine when you still your hips. Bob sits up but moves a little too fast, causing the two of you to topple over. You land on your back with a oof. Bob's forehead accidentally bangs into yours, and you both laugh.

"Sorry." He mumbles. You reassure him that it's fine. He gives you a kiss on the lips before leaning back on his haunches.

Bob makes a few experimental thrusts before settling on wrapping both of your legs around his slim hips and pushing into your deeply. You can tell his trying to find your g-spot again because he is desperate to make you cum again.

He knows the moment he finds it because you're clawing at his back. He drags the fat head of his cock against it over and over again.

With each stroke, it feels like the tip kisses your cervix with how deep he is. You frantically claw at him and cry out his name over and over again.

"Robby! So close. Please!" You beg him. The truth is Bob is close, too. He's trying to hold out for you. One of his hands leaves its spot beside your head and he brings his thumb to your neglected clit.

"Me too, Bee. You feel so fukcing good." He pants out.

He draws tight circles on it, praying it is enough to get you there. His thrusts become sloppy as he loses his pace and hips stutter.

Bob can't fight it anymore and he cums deep inside of you, crying out your name. Your walls clench around him as his release triggers your own finish. They flutter around his cock as the milk him dry.

Bob collapses on top of you and buries his head in the crook of your neck.

You run your hands through his hair and sooth him with whispered praises as he comes down from his high. He's trembling in your arms.

The two of you stay like that until Bob can form real words.

"That was amazing, Bee. God, I love you. Thank you for being patient with me." Bob says as he kisses your nose a lips.

"Of course, Robby. It was wonderful. I love you too. Now, why don't we get a hot shower, and then we can cuddle." You say. Bob's face falls and he looks a little disappointed.

"Oh." He whispers. "Robby. What's wrong?" You ask.

"I was just hoping we could do it again. There were a few more positions I wanted to try." He grins.

You laugh and smile at him. "Okay, birthday boy. But let's pace ourselves. We have all weekend." You tell him.

Bob grins and reaches for you. It's a good thing that you didn't make any other plans for the two of you because neither of you leaves that suite for the entire weekend.

I wrote this for my "Dagger Deities Extravaganza" shout out to @withahappyrefrain for sending in the ask for this! The like to all the other blurbs can be found here

Tagging some folks who might be interested: @thedroneranger @roosterscock @shanimallina87 @desert-fern @teacupsandtopgun @mayhemmanaged @lovinglyeternal @lovingbradshawafterdark @wkndwlff @roosterforme @daggerspare-standingby @dakotakazansky @startrekfangirl2233 @hecate-steps-on-me @cassiemitchell @na-ta-sh-aa @milestellerlover @katieshook02 @mak-32 @je-suis-prest-rachel @soulmates8 @ohgodnotagainn @diorrfairy @eli2447 @xoxabs88xox @djs8891 @roosterbruiser @roosters-girl @sebsxphia @rosiahills22 @dempy @seresinsweetie @my-obsession-spn @eternalsams @callsign-magnolia @alchemxx @clancycucumber230 @lt-spork @multifandomlover4life @lewmagoo @bobfloydsbabe @bobfloydsbabe @ohtobeleah @rhettabbotts @bradshawsbaby

[bones4thecats]

haiiii!!

ok so I hope this is not to much but can you mix the two fandoms of pirates of the Caribbean and record of ragnarok but here’s what u want the plot to be like and you can changed it if you like bc this was like the biggest brainstorm I ever had but anyways so the reader is married to William turner but the reader is also fighting for the humans . Most of her/his comrades ( Nikola Tesla, Raiden, Qin, and the other campions on the humans side expect for Adam that knows the reader married but doesn’t know who till the end ) has feelings for them and so does the gods (Poseidon, hades, Thor, hermes, Heracles, and the other campions for the gods side) they have been trying to court the reader cus why not 🤭and the day before the ragnarok officially begins the gods and humans are eating dinner together but sitting in separate tables for obvious reasons, brunhilde surprises the reader by bringing her/his husband (William turner) ( but if you don’t know which movie to follow the plot like this like when William becomes the captain of the Flying Dutchman) you know the reader and William has there reunion like you know them being dramatic the reader runs into Williams arms as he spins her around and kisses her lovingly while tears of joy stream downs there face due to being apart for ten years the gods and humans are shocked and a little heart broken , and like they start asking questions the readers answers and you can do the rest on your own if you like cus that’s all I thought about for the past 15 mins but anyways sorry if this is to much :3

A/N: I decided to write for three humans, if you want any Gods, you can send in a request when my inbox re-opens. Enjoy!

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🦅 Lü Bu had admired your strength for quite a while now

🦅 You were once known as a fearsome pirate that traveled with the once prideful Captain Jack Sparrow, but nobody knew how much your life changed after meeting William Turner

🦅 Lü Bu loved to challenge anybody he deemed worthy to fight, and you were one of the rare few that could give him a bite back

🦅 You could say his admiration evolved into slight, slight, feelings for you, as he never really allowed himself to think of anything outside of battle or friendship

🦅 He was sitting beside his fellow human fighters when he heard Goll shriek in happiness, to which everyone in the area reacted

🦅 A young male stood beside you as he laughed at Goll's antics, that was when he discovered what happened to you after your journey aboard the seas

" Everyone, this is my husband, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, William Turner! Will, these are my fellow fighters. "

🦅 Lü Bu felt his heart tug at the sides, he had no idea you were married, and thankfully, he didn't act on his feelings, as that would make him feel like the biggest piece of crap in Valhalla

🦅 Unlike others, Lü Bu could push his feelings aside like nothing, so when you introduced your husband to your friend, it wasn't hard for him to get along with Will

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🩸 Jack admired you not just for your strength, but for your personality

🩸 You shined a color he had never seen before, at least one he hadn't seen so strongly and so openly

🩸 As a true English gentleman, Jack did not wish to court you without your permission, and he planned after dinner that night, he would ask for your permission

🩸 Jack watched as Brunhilde brought in a young man wearing an old-fashioned pirate outfit, and his eyes widened slightly as you ran up and let him twirl you around before dipping you in for a kiss

🩸 And that kiss hurt his heart so much

🩸 William flushed when he noticed how many people were in the room, to which you laughed and introduced him to everyone there

🩸 Jack knew he wasn't the only admirer of you, but others took the news far better than him

🩸 He's good at masking his feelings, so watching as you happily sit by your husband while speaking to Jack and the others was a time that nobody could tell he was feeling quite down

🩸 William did though. And when he confronted him about it, Jack just answered him honestly, and William accepted it

🩸 Will knew you had these admirers, and he understood why, and since Jack had treated you and him so respectively, despite the hard hit, William just gave him the best advice he could

🩸 Jack watched as he walked away with you, and he couldn't lie

🩸 You and William deserved each other, and while Jack knew you wouldn't feel the same about him, being your friend and ally was a place he could stay and be happy

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🥊 Not gonna lie, Raiden reminded you of Jack Sparrow, a lot

🥊 From the way his determination and arrogance clouded his judgement and led to quite a few people knocking him down a few pegs, it just reminded you of the man you considered to be a brother so much

🥊 Raiden had romantic feelings for you ever since he had first seen you fight against Sasaki Kojiro during a practice session

🥊 The way you held yourself was something he admired and because of that, it evolved into something far more serious

🥊 He leaned back in his chair, and when he saw the kiss you and William shared that night, it made him sit up and ask who he was, along with others, but he was a main person to get a hint angry

🥊 Why did he not realize you were married?

🥊 William was very respectful towards you, and Raiden couldn't help but compare himself to the young captain

🥊 You loved the way he talked to gently and with so much passion for his crew and job, despite the long time he was forced to stay away from you

🥊 After dinner, Raiden sat awake and pondered why he felt this way. And when he realized why, it broke his heart, but, unlike certain people, he pushed his feelings to the front lines and he hid himself away for hours on end

🥊 Once he finally processed everything, he got along with Will surprisingly well, and while his feelings for you may never truly fade away, if this guy makes you happy, it's worth every minute

[adrianasunderworld]

Okay so I'm sorry for word vomiting here but I've got this AU that I've been developing in my head for the past few weeks. I call it my Disney Crossover/House of Mouse/When I say everyone loves Yuu, I’m talking about the entire Disney animated multiverse AU.

(I’m going to be referring to Yuu as she/her because of my own pronouns)

Basically, Yuu ends up working at the House of Mouse every night for extra money because Crowley sucks. She travels through a magic mirror in Ramshackle. Everyone there loves her: the (human and animal) adults think of her as their daughter, the animals love her (she’s not a beast tamer for nothing), the kids constantly want to hang out with her and even the villains have a soft spot for her (mainly because she treats them like normal people and not as villains. She’s super kind and sweet to them even when they try to scare her). Somehow, they realise that they don’t really know who she is or how she got there or anything so they ask her about it and she’s like “it’s a long story I don’t want to explain the whole thing.”

So due to either Disney Magic™ or one of Professor Von Drake’s inventions, the entire Disney theatrical animated universe watch everything that’s happened to Yuu so far in Twisted Wonderland. So obviously this would lead to lots of questions and everything but that’s not what I want to talk about. Oh no. What I’m getting to is this:

Ship Wars.

Everyone sees how Yuu has got each and every boy at NRC wrapped around her little finger and she’s literally so dense and oblivious to how positively smitten and whipped they are for her so they play a little matchmaking. Obviously The Great Seven™ would want Yuu to get with their own Twisted versions. It was unprecedented. Normally every villain knows not to get on the bad side of the Mistress of all Evil but the second she’s like “she’s my future granddaughter, my Malleus has been courting him the day they met” WWIII breaks out.

The Heroes™ are at first like “why villains though?” before realising that the boys would rather chop off a limb before they would ever think about letting Yuu get anywhere near harm and they’re like “so for their wedding, I’m thinking…” Because what’s the biggest bragging right than having the beloved Yuu getting with someone that’s based on your story.

Listen, because I have ideas™ of villains trying to get their kid (yes, they see the boys as their kids, sue them) with Yuu and the heroes being like “Are you married? No. Move over.” Simba and Nala helping Leona with ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight 2.0’ whilst Scar and the hyenas scheme in the shadows (the hyenas love Ruggie by the way. He’s an honorary member of the cackle), Aladdin and Jasmine hardcore shipping Kalim with Yuu (Aladdin to the other princes “they rode on a magic carpet and had an elephant parade. Perfect first date material right there.”) whilst JamilYuu shippers Jafar and Iago seethe, Alice may not know much about relationships but she’s got an imagination, an older sister and sees how invested the White Rabbit, card soldiers and the Queen and King of Hearts are with RiddleYuu so she’s going to help. The Dwarves hate Vil. Snow White loves everyone. She just wants Yuu to be happy. Lovable himbo tries to get Idia and Yuu together but Meg just rolls her eyes and Hades yells at him for ruining his plans. Ariel and Eric see Azul, a mer who’s fallen in love with a human and they’re like “our time has come. Sebastian, get your voice ready.” and Ursula’s like “that might be the one good idea you two have ever had”. Maleficent has been MalleYuu Shipper No1 from the start (a title that Lilia had to give up to her after a one minute stare down). She already has a room prepared for the prefect for when she visits the Valley of Thorns. Aurora, Phillip and the three good fairies think that Malleus is a sweet boy and are rooting for him.

Of course, there will be ship wars.

And don’t get me started on the battles that the villainous henchmen/sidekicks get with each other. If I have motivation, I might write something for this AU but I have a bunch of headcanons and scenarios for it. Also, Yuu is an honorary Disney Princess. She gets to sit with them at their table and has a personal invite to visit their castles whenever she wants so that they can have some girl time together. (Mulan and Merida mainly want to teach her how to use weapons and are 100000% ready to hunt down any of the boys that try to mess with her).

Listen, I love everything about this. House of Mouse was one one my favorite cartoons as a kid so i'm all on board for this. (It is an affront that the series is not on Disney+, but at least its on Youtube.)

Mickey tapping on the glass of the Ramshackle mirror: Hey, hey kid. Wanna work at my club?

All i'm thinking of is the episode where Max has a date with Roxanne and everyone swears not to embarrass him, and then proceeds to embarrass with their well intentioned attempts to make it perfect. Like dedicated Sebastian's Kiss the girl performance and setting up a Lady and Tramp style meal for them. That, but with the NRC boy of the week.

Miss Yuu: I'm going to be bringing my friend Azul this Friday. When he heard about the club he was interested to check it out for ideas for his lounge.

The entire cast of the little mermaid:

There is not a speck of chill in that establishment. Sebastian's going to perform Kiss the Girl. Ariel and Eric get the bright idea to invite them to sit with them like a double date. Ursula and batting the other villains from interfering with a stick. It's a mess.

Rinse and repeat every other week with a different student.

Imagine Hades trying to teach Idia how to be a quick smooth talker to get Yuu to go out with him and its just failing miserably. Or Yuu just glaring at the Magic Mirror in the lobby.

Or ladies night at the House of Mouse, and all the princesses insist Yuu sit them and enjoy the show, and Minnie assures her she can take a break for a while. Then upon Clarabells suggestion in the episode, they do a bachelor auction, Only the Bachalors are Vil, Malleus, Leona and whoever else they could rope into it. Only all the princesses are bidding on their favorites and then giving the date to Yuu.

And like you said, everyone sort of adopts Yuu in their own way. But Goofy especially is going full dad mode for Yuu. Just comes to her defense at any moment like he does with Max and its very sweet.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes.

Percy Jackson

Stars on the Water by liketolaugh

"I dunno, I just think it would make a lot of things easier for a lot of people," Percy said to Thalia, when she just stared at him. His cheek rested in his hand, a rare pensive look leaving his eyes distant and unfocused. "Mom has Paul now, so it’ll be easier on her if she doesn’t have to worry about me mucking things up. Dad won’t have to keep threatening war every time Zeus gets his toga twisted. The prophecy’s done, so I won’t be bringing it down on Nico. And no one will have to worry about me blowing up another volcano."

On Heists and Home Economics by chellethewriter

Over the last few days, Annabeth has spent a great deal of time imagining what was stolen, what could cause Percy and the Stolls so much antagonism and strife. She imagined valuables and prized possessions and even—thanks to Malcolm—something as ridiculous as an engagement ring.

But never, not once, had she considered the possibility of a baby doll.

Because who in Hades would?

“That wasn’t just some children’s toy!” 

And Annabeth can feel it. She can feel Percy's rage bursting forth with his words—a pressure that whips through the pavilion like the briny wind of a sea storm. It's something primal, she thinks. Something desperate. So when Percy rises to his feet, climbing and cresting like a tidal wave, Annabeth doesn't blame the Stolls for shrinking toward the floor. If she didn't know Percy so well, she would do the same. 

“That doll,” Percy grits out, “is worth fifty percent of my Home Economics grade!"

Of Storms and Bloodlines by inkncoffee

When people thought of Poseidon they thought of the sea; Poseidon, Lord of the Seas, Commander of the Waves, the Stormbringer. Upon consideration they would add Earthshaker, for catastrophic events such as earthquakes were hard to forget. Few remembered, however, that Poseidon was also Lord of the Horses. Stormbringer and Earthshaker tended to squeeze that one out.

Percy had been able to talk to horses for as long as he could remember. He liked to think he understood them. Although he's not entirely sure why the new stallion thinks he's its foal.

Poseidon is not jealous that Percy thinks a horse makes a better father figure than himself. At all.

Not By Design by inkncoffee

Being a stepfather was hard enough even when your new stepson wasn't the greatest demigod of his time.

Paul's journey from that guy dating Sally to being Percy's father.

Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun!

Broody Feelings by writerkat

Quite abruptly, Balam's behavior takes a sudden turn for the aggressive. Though some know why, no one knows how.

It may be wind up up to Iruma to find that out. As well as how to get Balam back to being the gentle giant he's always been.

A Spoonful of Sugar by silvershadowkit.

The stress of living in the Netherworld finally causes Iruma to succumb to the worse of human conditions: the common cold. How do his friends and family react in this moment of crisis?

He's Doing Just Fine by ScatteredNova (Timewormbloom)

Asmodeus and Clara discover the truth behind Iruma's parents and decide that it's their responsibility to make up for the love and affection he missed out on growing up. But they somehow miss the fact that Iruma is doing just fine without his previous family, and he's enjoying his new one very much.

Just a Bit Warmer by Creativitee

Iruma gets himself, quite literally, stuck in a bad situation. He calls on his familiar somewhat accidentally for a little bit of help.

Kalego is more than displeased at the situation to say the least, until he realizes it may be just a bit more dire than first glance shows.

SVSSS

simmering heat by tagteamme

Shen Qingqiu gets hit by a curse that is a little different than the hedonistic traps he and his husband normally fall victim to. In fact, it’s the opposite— in order to make it out of this curse alive, Shen Qingqiu must abstain from touching Luo Binghe.

This should be nothing more than a much-needed holiday for his old hips and waist, right?

[lady-byleth]

So I've been replaying Hades for the past couple of days and I've started thinking about the concept of half gods because of Achilles and I have realized that while tragic heroes fucked over by fate are great we also need to explore how fucking weird a half god would probably be to have around

Cuz like, gods are probably very very different to us humans and their blood would run fairly strong within their half mortal offspring and there's a lot of room to play around with how that manifests. Plus, we all know that the gods are very volatile and can go through the entire spectrum of emotions within like 10 seconds so that's fun too

Like, imagine you're Peleus, king of Phthia. Your son is two years old now, he looks like he's at least five. Yesterday he debated your advisors on politics and made them run from the room crying. Last week he wrote his second full length comedy. Afterwards he threw a tantrum cuz he couldn't reach the higher shelves in the library that probably traumatized the entire staff before he charmed them into fawning over him again. Thetis says this is normal.

You're Peleus, king of Phthia, and you adore your now ten year old son but you're also very out of your depth. You can't let him play with kids his age cuz human age works differently than his and they're just too young, but you also can't put him together with people on his intellectual level cuz you don't want to deal with the fallout of when someone inevitably annoys him too much. There's still a few broken chairs from last time lying around. That boy won't sit still for 10 seconds, the mortal world is too boring and slow for him. You're still trying to find the combat instructor he scared away two weeks ago. Thetis says this is also normal.

You're Peleus, king of Phthia, and your old Argonaut buddy Menoetius just showed up with his son, asking for help. Your own son is now twelve years old and definitely almost fully grown. Last week he reorganized the entire library out of boredom and then put it back to how it was again. No one wants to spar with him anymore, he's going to snap soon. But here's Menoetius with his son Patroclus who seems to have a good head on his shoulders, recent accident notwithstanding. You can't just take in someone wanted for murder without good reasons...but Achilles is going to claw his way through the walls at this rate. He refused being a suitor for Helen recently, lectured you on outdated marriage practices for two hours and then went to visit his mother for a month. You can't handle him, no matter how much you love him. But Patroclus gives off the impression that he could. You can work with this.

You're Peleus, king of Phthia, and your son is now sixteen and no longer growing. He's also found someone who can keep up with his energy with fond understanding and a calming hand where necessary. You're pretty proud of yourself for making Patroclus do this cuz it's not just anger, boredom and energy that Achilles has to divine levels. If you didn't know better you'd think Patroclus was the half god the way your son seems to worship the ground he walks on. He is a good influence on your son, one could almost be fooled into thinking he's just a normal human when they're together. You've never seen Achilles smile that much.

Maybe now Phthia will know some peace...

[maah-long]

I read TSaTS, and loved every second of it

I disappeared from social media to do that, and seeing things now, apparently people are hating on the book??? I honestly have no idea why, and honestly, it makes me sad. I wrote those notes as I read it, and never felt the book was weak or messy, and I'll stand on that boat, 100%. I LOVE this book with my entire existence now, and what people are thinking about it won't affect that, I truly hope.

And I've been binge reading all of Riordanverse in the last month, so everything is fresh on my mind.

Anyways, I'll just leave the notes I did here while I read it. Of course, SPOILERS! I read it without getting even one spoiler, and that made the experience unique and much more enjoyable than others I had in the past.

• I LOVED the silly star war discussion in the beginning, even not quite understanding it xD It was so cute and genuine, maybe with some probably thinking it’s cringy!

• WILL TALKING ABOUT HIS PAST 🫶🫶🫶🫶 I really wanted to see more of him and his story, so they just there, chilling and talking about things, forgetting, even if for only a few seconds, how their situation is so cruel… It made me really happy! Hope they’ll be back soon to just relax and be cute… (haha...)

• I hope the tiny snippets about the water Nymph will have its own scene!!! I was dying to know how their love story start, so it needs its own full chapter!!! (now finishing it, that didn't happen, but the scenes got longer!!! So, victory!!!)

• Now the first POV switch (ch 10) …. Sus. Is pretty weird that the what they see does not seem reliable, and right after it each one of them shares a vision were they’re suffering, but the other one is being kinda “selfish”, and not like themselves. I totally think what they’re “living” is not true, but I don’t know when they stopped seeing things right, or what happened to them. Where? Weird. I do know Will wouldn’t just give up, “I can’t be here”, or Nico going “Coward!”. The POVs don’t match, and I’m CONFUSED.

• Of course it’s a demon! And I do think it hilarious how they’re discussing gender norms while the demon is trying to strangle Nico…,,, normal day, I guess? And Will immediately saying sorry to them like, LMAO

• Man, playing Hades and seeing Nyx like this on the Riordanverse is PAINFUL. She’s so gorgeous (STUNNING), calm and mother-like there. And she always has this kinda insane-y vibe here.

• Ah, “‘I’ll always be here”. There it is, they’re getting separated.

• AGAIN? “if Nyx wants your darkness so bad, you can just leave some of it with her! That wouldn’t be so bad.’”. IDK man, I’m thinking this will be more true than they think, I just feel it 😭😭 And more literal than that, too. (here I was thinking about Nico leaving his powers there. I was pretty wrong on that xD)

• I think that addressing Will’s irk towards the underworld is pretty important. I really like how both of them are on different, but pretty understandable sides. After everything we know about the UW, it’s hard to be open and accepting to it. Nico is super related to it, and he knows his father’s palace, so he has a completely different view of it. Will is all about life and light, so it should be even less appealing to him. Man, he NEEDS sun to live, it's literally part of his being. It’s easy to understand his side. But there are good people and beings living there too. It’s almost another universe. It’s Nico home, past, family and history. It probably hurts a lot to see his boyfriend being so contrary to it, basically negating a part of him, and kinda making his thoughts of Will “ignoring the “””bad and scary””” “ parts of him to be able to accept Nico hold place. It’s sad, hope this will get a good development and closure. Too bad I’m pretty sure it won’t be soon….

• Okay! The farm commentary! That made me sad. I think here Nico was a tiny bit too much. I felt the “People farm here?” from Will was genuine confusion. I would picture on my mind automatically growing crops underground. Hey, I killed (and it still saddens me) succulents by keeping them inside my no-that-sunlit bedroom. How would people grow things successfully on the underworld? That totally very much probably is not included in common sense! Will most certainly was not trying to stab Nico or the UW life, just would like some explanations.

•The Mythomagic story in Nico’s past 😭😭😭 The feels, I swear. It was pretty relatable, poor boy. And that was on the last century, too, and I can't imagine how hard it would be to deal with being queer at that age.

•But hey, is Will talking about Hermes’ card there? Does he play Mythomagic?? Do they together?? That would be cute as hell, I hope they do.

•The canoe scenes make me so happy! I loved SO MUCH how they put them in between some painful scenes. It made it easier to breathe and take on the hard parts. One of the things I wanted the most was the backstory of their relationship, and being given ALL the details like that was definitely not what I expected. They’ve been amazing, super super cute.

• And hey, Paolo is queer?? He’s one of my fave background characters, and I really liked that 🫶🫶 Nice rep for us Brazilians, I really appreciate that, lol Really missed seeing more of him! Seeing a mention on this book was unexpected, but nice! Hope he’s getting better at communicating with everyone, hahah

• I LOVE MENOETES! The way this book is showing the nice parts of the underworld too, on contrary of house of hades that was pure hOrOR and pAIN. It was not what I was expecting, and I totally appreciate it, it’s cute. And wait does he grow the nectar and ambrosia? That’s genuinely impressive. He's a pretty cool guy.

• BUT HEY, GERYON? Sorry friend, I’m judgin here. Do hope you’re right saying he’s a changed man……,,,

• Now Persephone’s Garden…. One more time, they’re showing the nice parts of the underworld, and that’s super interesting.

• And the Persephone’s scene? I LOVED it, I think it was so necessary. My image of her was kinda bad ngl, remembering about her older appearances. She seemed a little crazy. But at that scene, the way she spoke with fondness and clarity… It was exactly what Will needed to hear, and it makes me happy to see that she’s much more accepting of Nico. Good times.

• But Anphistemis? That was one hard scene. They getting separated and all, but the worst part was the chaos when they reunited, and how the poor guy was used. I totally see why Will did that, hell, I’d do the same or worse, when it comes to surviving. I just hope that that was not the last time we see Amphitemis.

• COCOA PUFFS!! I love them too!! I kinda thought they were cute since they first appeared, and that made me feel weird. Good to see that they really are nice and petable!!

• The last fight made me so anxious. I'm just happy it's over. I really wanted for Nyx to chill and find some other purpose at the end, but I don't think that would be believable. Kinda sad. And I always liked those children of hern on their other book appearances too!!! Especially Nemesis.

• Bob, oh Bob. He's precious. I truly like this crew SO MUCH. Him, Small Bob, Nico, Will and and the Puffs. They just finally relaxing, free. Oh, that was so rewarding. Good for them!

• I CRIED with Nico's dream. All of his family... That was so warm. Nico deserved that, I really loved it. And good to know Amphis was not forgotten!!

• Nico hugging Chiron!!!! Mr D. being actually super nice!!!! Aw really, I loved this entire ending too. Everyone happy, talking, healing. Endings make me worried, sometimes my judgment of the work changes completely if the ending is bad. This one? No. It was a super nice wrapping.

• PIPEEERRRR!!!! Nico and Piper friends ? I'm super behind that, I love them a lot. I missed Piper! And her talk was so genuine. Full of worries that are pretty relatable too. Very sweet, wish the best to her too. I thought it was me expecting too much to see Piper, but I'm glad to be proved wrong.

• I'm sad Bob already left... I hope it'll still be possible for them to meet sometimes, Bob deserves the best in this new chapter of his life!! While writing this I noticed I didn't mention anything about the trogs. I guess my main impressions about them happened already on Apollo Trials, hahah. But I like them a lot too!!! I was very happy to see they're happy building their little world and society, and making even tastier dishes. Hiss-Majesty is amazing too, and I loved their closure working at the farm xD

• Plus Nico and Will at the ending. Very heart warming moment. Their relationship is super healthy, and I do NOT believe in anyone who says the contrary. Both of them clearly saw where they failed, communicated about that, and deeply, honestly, said that they would seek to do their best. Isn't this the most important thing of it all? They're super happy together, love each others' presence, and looking at their future together fills them with hope. Man, they just left TARTARUS. And now they're stronger, filled with joy about what is to come.

And that's it. Been reading through some other people's thoughts, and well. Sometimes I even wonder if we read the same book. Like people saying the writing is the worst thing they ever read. I literally spent the last 3 days finishing the 3 last ToA books and this one. My friends, it was NOT that different. In particular, comparing to HoO, of course, because of the third person narration.

The only thing different for me was the direct approach about feelings, and about being queer too (probably thanks to Mark Oshiro), and I definitely enjoyed those. Probably because of seeing myself in them too.

I think people are being way too judgemental of Will. You can for sure say he was too impulsive when he was so determined and stubborn about going to a place that would be literally poison to him. But people complaining he was already drained before getting to Tartatus, as going though everything he did was easy? That place was his antithesis. I was actually shocked he didn't crumble at the first step into the Underworld. But he went through it, with Nico always on his mind. I don't know, I can't understand the hate. And of course they would not be bubbly and fun, they were going though HELL. Did anyone really expected them to be on their best there?

And I think both of them are very misunderstood characters. I was in the fandom for like, almost no time, thus, idk much about the fanon interpretation of them. But after everything I read about Nico and Will on the books, nothing felt out of place here, no. And it reminded a lot of ToA too.

All in all, awesome book, was even more awesome than what I was expecting, and I was totally not disappointed. I will hold this book dear, close to my heart, and I wish people were more accepting of it. There's even an anti tag for it? I made the mistake of scrolling through it (I'm the type of person that gets sentimental when people attack something I love), and yes, people definitely have different experiences while going through works.

[the-ghost-king]

I spent about two hours on this over the past couple of days in total, and I'm sure I've missed a few things and I guarantee that some of my opinions will not be shared by others and that's okay. I'm comfortable with people adding on their own thoughts and feelings and continuing on a conversation if they wish to.

Before I truly begin: this book isn't bad, that doesn't mean it's good it just means it's not bad. I think this book is both wonderful and awful, this book is both exactly what I expected and unlike anything I could have come up with. I will also clarify before you read this that I have never personally enjoyed any of Oshiro's work I've read, if you're someone who enjoys Oshiro's body of work there may be many places you disagree with me and I would like to note that ahead of time. I would also like to note that these are simply my initial thoughts, I finished TSATS two days ago and I have done some thinking and pondering over it since and these are the conclusions I have reached in that time. I cannot say how much of this I will agree with in a week, or a month, let alone three, or a year. I considered writing an essay and then decided a bullet point list would be sufficient, there is no order to these bullet points and some conversation points move in a circular way, I did not proofread this either. Also be aware there will be spoilers. Without further ado, my thoughts:

- Hades is weirdly ooc plus having him be responsible for this and him knowingly harming Nico and Nico just being like "oh ok i understand" undoes so much of the relationship progression from Pjo to BoO to ToA to here!!! Hades is still a god yes but he was becoming something of a father figure to Nico as well again and he just throws that all away because Nyx and Bob were "being annoying" and Nico is just… fine with that??? And they just jokingly brush the whole Hades loved more Bianca thing under the rug WITH MARIA RIGHT THERE

- Why are we reintroduced to Persephone like she's a new character? Sure it's from Will's pov and they've never met but the readers have met Persephone multiple times before!! It was weird to reintroduce her!!

- Worst editor ever, a few typos and apparently some copies have Nico saying his mother is Bianca? He also calls his mom Maria instead of mom or mamma? And we've only ever heard nico call maria mamma before this point so him calling her mom is less weird than him calling her Maria but still off

- Will… still doesn't have a personality entirely and what personality he was given does not match the personality he has in ToA OR in BoO??

- Once again, I don't like Oshiro's pacing and you can tell how hands off Rick was with the whole thing - I've never personally been a fan of Oshiro's work and one of my top reasons has always been their terrible pacing. I will read a phenomenal paragraph and then spend the rest of the chapter struggling to find anything that feels worth my time, and while i felt within chapter there was a fair bit of consistency between different chapters there was not- i would read one chapter that read well and felt amazing and then the next 3 chapters would feel like useless side plot that served no purpose. Oshiro also really struggles to maintain tempo in their work imo.

- Characters defining their sexuality in explicit terminology or labeling isn't inherently wrong but its also not in line with what we've seen so far and while this could be a sign of progress it could also be a step back so instead it's best to consider how this effects or determines characterization

- Nico's coming out party…. God… why?

- There's also this weird thing with so much of the sexuality/gender stuff that it feels more like a lecture than an authentic experience, for me personally based on the flow of these conversations and the events and things i feel like it was done to make this more palatable for a cishet audience rather than to maintain and authentic experience??

- Anyhow the thing where Nico kind of makes Will come out in front of camp is giving me love simon flashbacks and i just have to say making someone come out to a large group or in public just to be with you is so so gross… there was no reason for this to be a plot point whatsoever imo, it feels really ooc and it does that really upsetting thing lots of ya books do where it tries to depict that in order to be authentically and "properly" queer one must be public in their grsm orientation which i think is a pretty harmful/hurtful idea overall but especially in media designed for preteens and teens who are more likely to be living in environments where coming out is unsafe

- None of the jokes land

- Literally they have the worst nicknames for everything. I liked the cringe otherwise, it did have young teen relationship vibes… but that was unforgivable to me personally but i guess other people liked this? To each their own!

- On that note! I've talked a lot about Solangelo being two sides of the same coin in terms of how their relationship works and while symbolism would have been nice straight up seeing Nico given a coin by will was also cringe and too far? Nico gave Will his ring, this thing that we've built up over the series to view as a representation of his grief and loss and his family and love and home and a culmination of Nico and Will gets nico… this coin he just seemingly had made that has almost no symbolic meaning beyond that? Nico's ring is basically a character unto itself, not only does giving a physical object and having Nico outright state the symbolism of it ruin the "show don't tell" logic of authoring it also feels hollow as the reader has no connection to this object like Nico's ring. There was no reason for this other than to make an equivalent exchange which is kind of a sucky way to weigh a relationship… it could have been better for Will to give nico something from his past as well and to have the piece come up in a memory or something OR for will and nico to have exchanged these gifts at some point on or just before their journey so the reader got to experience this connection as well

- Will's pov was kind of trash actually

- Why doesn't Will ever talk about finding Nico attractive?

- We never have it explained what exactly makes Nico a "star" ..? Like its constantly alluded to or even stated he is a star but we never actually get to see why

- Will never really "goes dark" the sniffles are not dark, dark would be like straight up plaguing them or having some sort of ability to radiate heat and blast things or craft his own weapons out of light or just something beyond singing and having the heart blast effect thingy…

- Their relationship is stated they've been together a year and trauma can definitely change things but for whatever reason their relationship feels more new and raw and tender than it did in ToA??? Why??? They do not feel like two fifteen/sixteen year olds who have been in a relationship for a year, they feel like two thirteen year olds who've been in a relationship for three months?

- I also personally feel conflicted about them not having a major kiss scene? Like on one hand it's nice to see queer couples treated like any other couple and kisses to be fairly casual mundane interactions! But on the other hand being a queer couple especially an mlm couple in a children's/ya series and being able to show physical affection is really quite uncommon tbh and I would have liked to see maybe a little emphasis at least on the first kiss that the audience gets to experience on paper just to sort of acknowledge that groundbreaking act? But maybe that's just me?

- Additionally speaking all of their prior banter is just.. gone..? They literally don't joke around except for 2 or 3 lines in the book despite previously being a very banter heavy couple? There is no reason they can't be both soft and comedic or have banter yet be tender to one another? It's like all the joy that was previously in their relationship was traded for arguing and bickering and this weird pettiness that feels ooc in general but especially from them?

- What was the plot point of going to Sally's house to send the iris message? Why was Sally brought into this? She's cool and we love her but there was no plot reason to add her? Even the percabeth iris message only minimally added to the plot

- Why is Will so bothered by death? Like I'm cool with him feeling weak in the underworld. I can respect that from a tension building pov and also being in the dark does go against his nature but like death is not something against his nature? He is well acquainted with death? People die in medical settings all the time i guarantee he has lost many patients and brushed shoulders with thanatos more than most people at camp + he lost A TON of siblings in the war he would have to be familiar with grief AT THE VERY LEAST but yet he seems to lamblike to all these things the whole novel I feel it weakens his character, the story, the plot, previous books, and his relationship with Nico- if they wanted him to have some reserved hesitations about death they could have done it much more tactfully but they didn't?

- I also hate every time some sort of discussion about him being a healer comes up because yes he is a magical exception that makes him a "natural born healer" but they take that too far imo, yes he is a magical exception but the way this stuff is worded gives this like "Will is such a good healer he never fails or breaks down or fatigues from it" and i just feel like it becomes an unrealistic and unhealthy example after a certain point and I would have loved to see that exploration that so many fanfic authors have done wonderfully about how Will is overworked and needs to learn to take care of himself before his patients just to add that depth to his character but Oshiro and Riordan just skip past this and again it feels like a massively missed plot point to give Will a deeper character

- It's also weird everytime Nico is like "Will always takes care of me now I have to take care of him" because again it just feels like such an unhealthy way to view a relationship… like if a partner gets sick 3x a year and the other partner is sick 5x a year partner A shouldn't be like "well now you owe me two sickness helpings" or something you know? Thats so petty and immature and unhealthy for a relationship and it's something that can be unlearned but also like if they've been together a year and they're supposed to be like a perfect fit according to what i think the symbolism was trying to get at (so much of this book feels like a rough draft not a final cut istg) then why is this even included anyhow?

- Also Nico is ooc at points, he seeks to heal others a lot of the time as well- Hades even mentions this, how even when Nico is offered something for himself he uses the gift to help someone else- this is a quality Nico and Percy (and Jason) all really consistently display throughout pjoverse EXCEPT Nico doesn't do this early on in the text?? He is unfazed by the nature of some things in the underworld (Will is right the fields of asphodel are perhaps more horrific in some way than the variations of hell provided in the underworld) and Nico is just like "yeah that's just how it is here" which kind of goes against that character trait + (though i may be confusing fanfic and canon here) didn't Nico and Hazel have a whole convo about how upsetting or painful asphodel is?? It goes on kind of even more so in this regard though where his regard for humanity seems significantly less so than in previous texts, there's something else as well i can't exactly put my finger on yet that also feels ooc … I'll keep thinking lol

- Once again to the "why is Nico a star thing" we have Nico constantly talking about how live exists even in the underworld and it's obviously intended to be a metaphor for hope and finding light in the dark and therefore a whole solangelo metaphor too but Nico brings it up and Will doesnt understand and then they argue (?) And then the metaphor falls flat because we never get to see this explored; we just have it Stated out loud a few times? Like there are many good explanations as to why this keeps getting brought up especially because we can also tie in how Will and Nico are alive down there or how Nico is seperate from the rest of the underworld because despite being part god he is also part mortal

- Once again Tartarus isn't actually scary and there's only so much "it's for kids" I'm willing to accept there, give it more Coraline please!!

- Again an issue with the Nyx thing, Nico doesn't agree with Nyx about who he is because Nyx cannot understand life and Nico can because he is mortal- Nico's mortality is a hugely defining aspect of his character because it sets him apart from the gods and the dead that make up so much of his life- in order to truly appreciate death and the afterlife you have to actually live and know life and change and things and the gods in their consistency are more like ghosts than anything

- It's also very irritating that this was never explored !!! So much of what makes demigods special in the rest of the series is their godhood and their connection to godhood, they are powerful because they are beyond human. However in Nico's fight with Nyx and some other aspects of Nico's behavior but most notably Nyx vs Nico is the culmination of this situation is that Nico's greatest strength throughout tsats is that he is mortal. He is powerful because he is human. He does all the things he does the way he does them because he is human. He is something beyond the gods' understanding because he is mortal- and that's all just swept under the rug for…? Honestly i have no idea why it makes no sense how that is a constant theme in this book yet it feels like the book falls constantly short of actually grasping that concept.

- And if you're wondering what the plot symbolism of Will being involved in all this is? I dont fucking know he doesnt have one he was kind of just dead weight the entire story!!! He was basically there just to help Nico pick some fruit and have dialogue with. I feel like Will was potentially supposed to represent how the "average person" would feel on this adventure but personally I feel if that is the case that I may be one of the worst people to understand that perspective as I have a peculiar and poetic love for death and dying.

- Plus when they're wandering through Tartarus's digestive tract (if you're reading this and you haven't read the novel yet or you didn't yet finish it, yes this is a thing that actually happens) and Will starts struggling with his memory, I would have loved to see the effects of that situation on Nico explored more as I would assume amnesia and people forgetting about him/leaving him would be a very difficult thing for him to deal with yet instead we're just told they passed stories back and forth and that made everything all right + not sharing much of those stories with the audience was again a missed character building moment for Will and a missed relationship building moment between them!!

- Them cuddling in the hut together and Nico wanting to wake Will up to share his nightmare was kind of cute though I will admit to that much

- I also hate how they put all this time and work into saving Bob and then Bob just fucks off into the sunset like everything is normal?? He just fucking dips like nothing even happened??

- Also people have been saying Will kissing Nico when he found out Jason was dead was wrong, and look idk if I'm personally going to go that far but I do think as a first kiss it's definitely weird than cute?

- I think Will's background and childhood could have been expanded on a lot more to make him an interesting character- we learn some about his life with Naomi before camp (and its nice to see her as a complete person and I think she has cool mom vibes for real) but I feel like the only adventure we get to hear about is him and his mom being in New York for concerts… what about other places around the country? what about the life he had with her when she wasn't touring?

- Along this same vein I feel like Will's behavior in the story not only doesn't match his behavior from the previous appearances he's made, but that for someone who seems to have spent a lot of time on the road getting to experience lots of different places (even if it was just the US, that's still pretty significant) I once again truly cannot understand his weird behavior about dead people and the underworld- its not only inconsistent with previous behaviors and beliefs he's exhibited but if he's been show so much diversity from a very young age he's probably naturally curious and inquisitive as well as naturally adventurous and outgoing- yet instead he basically just sticks his nose up at everything underworld-ish?? It not only weakens the plot, his character, and his relationship it also makes no sense with previous set ups AND it has no true culmination by the end of the story because we never truly see him accept or enjoy the underworld and what it has to offer he merely endures it.. so again, what was the point of him acting like that?

- Unpopular one: coco puffs are very cute but i find them unnecessary and completely over the top even for pjo and i can see them becoming annoying later on but that's just me personally.

Okay, I'm going to call it quits here. There's probably more I'll think to say later on but I feel this is a good summary of my initial thoughts. Weirdly enough, despite the negativity here, I would still recommend people read this book? I feel conflicted about whether or not the book belongs among my favorites, and it would certainly be the worst book among my favorites and/or recommendations for novels if I do end up feeling it belongs there. I have to say even despite as much as this book fails, I admire what it was attempting and I think like so many works in pjo before it there was a level of unrealized potential here amongst the text that will always be mildly infuriating. I feel very strongly that this book is a whole new era in Riordan's pjo verse, despite some aspects being "cringe" or some things being literary flops and emotional failures in my opinion, i do think this novel may be one of the most "mature" pieces in Riordan's collection- even in his and Oshiro's failure to bring MOST of their narrative full circle or to tie up their loose ends I can see what they're going for and I think having a taste of that potential really did something for me. I have read lots of books that leave me staring at the ceiling for hours in wonder and awe with a feeling i cannot describe as anything other than a "readers hangover" a desire to hold onto that book and to keep it beside me for a long time just to remember reading it, and I would pick it up many times through the following week or two just to rediscover certain parts, i have to say this book has definitely not been that. However I did spend a long time looking at the ceiling pondering it, and I do think I will reread it in the next week or so- but I have less a desire to return to the events of the novel and more a desire to simply upturn more stones in the landscape and find what I am missing. I want to say I hate the book, that it has no redeeming qualities, that everyone should simply leave it behind because of how awful and excruciating I found this novel- that wouldn't be accurate. I think this is the greatest book I have ever had the misfortune to read, I have never cared so deeply for a book I cannot stand. I absolutely adore this awful thing. I feel comfortable saying that for me, personally, percy jackson will never be the same again and that this book has completely changed the field and depth of my experience. I am literally failing to put into words how this book makes me feel. I suppose this book is my most wretched child and I shall cherish it dearly.

[svtminghaolove]

First time you realized you are in love with him - Vocal unit (SVT)

Helloooo, I don’t have that much to say but hop you have a great day! Or night, depending on when you’re reading this I guess (:

Triggers: Maybe a swear word?

Jeonghan: It was in the most casual way.

You two were at your place, had been there the whole day, and it was getting late while the two of you were watching a movie. The two of you were lying down, Jeonghan on top of you with his cheek pressed against your chest. The last few minutes you had noticed his breathing getting heavier, and his body more relaxed. You wanted to let him sleep but he had said that he needed to go to the dorms today since they were filming in the morning.

"Jeonghan…", you whispered and he stirred a bit. "Jeonghan, it's getting late, maybe you should start waking up?"

"… three more minutes", he mumbled and your heart melted. You knew that he had a hard time sleeping with other people, due to being a light sleeper, and that he could sleep with you somehow warmed your heart. You were really falling for this guy.

"Sure… three more minutes"

Joshua: Just like Joshua, you knew that you had always loved him, he was one of your best friends and closest allies. But admitting that you loved him as anything more as a friend took a while longer.

You realized it pretty early after the two of you met again. Because it was like, when he came back into your life, a piece that you hadn't known you'd been missing was returned to you. At first you just thought that it was the return of a friend, but soon realized that you heart didn't ache when you saw a friend hugging another girl, or felt empty when they didn't answer a text quickly enough.

So then you sat down for a while, staring into the wall in front of you when it clicked.

"Mom…!", you yelled out, running down the stairs.

"Yes, dear?", she said and turned around to look at you form her position at the couch.

"I think I'm in love with Joshua!", your mom scoffed.

"Is that suppose to be news?"

"Mom!"

Woozi: It was a beautiful day, that suddenly got very wet.

"Damn, that came out of nowhere", you laughed and Jihoon nodded as you took shelter under some roof.

"Well, looks like it will take a while for it to clear up", you continued and looked around.

"Yeah… stay here for a while", he pulled up his hood and took off running.

"Wooz-..!", you slapped a hand over your mouth, realizing that maybe you shouldn't go around yelling your idol boyfriends name. But you did as he told you to, and waited for him to come back.

"They only hade one umbrella left", he said and offered a hand to you. Your heart skipped a beat as you stood under the umbrella with him.

"You're all wet…", you mumbled, wiping his face with the arm of your shirt.

"It's fine, it's just water", he stated and softly pushed away your hand. "Come on, we don't want you to get sick.", you shook your head but your heart felt like it was ready to jump out of your chest.

Damn, you had it so bad for this man.

Dokyeom: Well… lets' just say it was a bit chaotic.

"Damn you Seokmin!", you hissed as he stood over you, laughing.

"Come on, you can do it. One more"

"You said that the past four times, take this damn weight off me!", you whined as he helped you place the bar on the rack. You had done the mistake of agreeing to go to the gym with him, and in this moment you had never hated yourself more.

"Good job, now on to the dumbbells", you stared at him, still lying down after doing the bench-press. You were drenched in sweat, while he looked like he had gone out for a walk at most.

"I hate you", you groaned and a soft smack from the water bottle in return.

"You love me, now get up", he teased and you sighed and sat up. Only one thought went through your head as you picked up the dumbbells: You must be in love with him for you to be doing this with him.

Seungkwan: It was during a period when Seungkwan was busy all the time.

Seungkwan was working basically days and night, going away for promotion, interviews, recordings and so much more. His schedule was filled from the second he woke up, to the last hour he spent awake. That also meant that you guys hadn't seen each other for a while, but he always made sure to call you before you went to bed.

"You don't have to call me everyday Boo, I know you're busy", you said as you climbed under the covers.

"Would you rather I didn't?", he asked, you hearing the sound of paper turning as he worked.

"… no", you admitted and he laughed.

"Tell me about your day", you simply continued and he started to talk.

Even though he barely had enough time to sleep during the day, he always called you. No matter if he was at a dinner or at the hotel, he made sure that you knew that you were a priority in his life. And that made you realize that you were so in love with this boy that your heart almost hurt.

"y/n? Still awake?"

"Mhm… please, continue."

-----

Masterlist

[hollowhearts-and-espresso]

just little solangelo thoughts

im just chilling going through the solangelo tag so heres some lil thoughts that have been provoked from such activities

-parallel between percy and annabeth standing/sitting back to back in tartarus when they finally can rest bc they have each others backs to nico and will in tsats fighting back to back bc they've both been stabbed in the back enough already

-nico is a literal fucking sewer rat kind of (in the most loving way ofc) but also hes not he literally glows with alt and gothic beauty and has a beautiful accent and an amazing smile and smooth, milky skin and will (who is kind of a beautifully groomed golden retriever) is actually a fucking dumpster dog who jumped out at him when nico was hiding in the alley and hasnt left his side since

-will watched nico let an anemic fucking loser launch himself into the atmosphere and immediately and immensely fell in love and nico took one look at the hand that still has amniotic sac fluid on it holding his and thought 'holy shit i wanna kiss him'

-apollo literally saying 'i dont care if my son has a boyfriend. i've had a lot. and compared to some of mine, holy SHIT could will be doing worse' and i think thats great

-nico and will are not achilles and patroclus they are apollo and hycanth and apollo literally mentioned the similarities he saw in the relationships and im POSITIVE hades sees it too and is so so scared for his son because he saw what losing someone he loved that much did to apollo

-even tho they're not quite achilles and patroclus their love and wrath for the otehrs death would still be enough to shake the gods and im fully convinced zues sat hades down one day and was like 'listen dude you gotta protect the little blonde kid. i dont wanna go through that again' and hades was like 'lol pussy. gotchu tho'

-william andrew solace who is the LITERAL son of sunshine and has magic glow powers and is the best medic the camp has had in years would and probably has poke an infected creature of unidentified species and decide that it’s probably maybe not poisonous and bring it to his bf because why not

-also he definitely has/will have full sleeves of tattoos on both arms and a bunch on his legs and back and they will have absolutely no specific meaning or reason or order (other than the star on his shoulderblade for his first and only love and the sun on his chest for himself)

-nico would get a lot of tattoos but they’d all mean something to him (things bianca used to like, the groups initials, etc)

-william andrew solace was born and raised in fuckin texas with his single rocker mama (who was ALSO born and raised in texas) and is an overworked med student and has gone through all that shit he’s been through by 15. that bitch is a fucking DICK. he will cut you for touching his stuff and if you’re a dick he will absolutely NOT treat you (‘i havent sworn under oath yet as a doctor, chiron’) and he has absolutely pulled a gun on someone back home for the dumbest shit

-nico is a fucking softie don’t lie. he spends one third of his time crying, the other third waxing poetic about his boyfriend will doing normal day shit, and the last third convincing his dickhead sunshine boyfriend to treat the guy with poison ivy because ‘he called me weird, will, that’s not even that insulting’

-kayla and austin have definitely thrown them in the lake. multiple times. it’s a past time at this point. leo has helped on a few occasions and lester did once only to be fucking decked by his son in law for messing up the snack he made for will while will lost his shit laughing in the back

[eryiss]

Summary: Lead singer of rock band Raijinshuu, Laxus has been in the closet since the band became popular. His bassist Freed has been out since the beginning. Now that Laxus is ready to come out, he'll do anything to make it happen. Even if that means kissing his friend on stage.

Notes: Hi all. Day three of Fraxus week. This one has a lot of kissing, but also a few references to 90s attitudes to gay people, so be aware. Head over to @fuckyeahfraxus to see the other event submissions.

Links: Ao3, Event Masterlist

A Small Price to Pay

1: The First Time – August 1999

On any other performance, Laxus would have been lost in the music and the thrill that came with it. Normally, when he was on stage, his entire mind was occupied by the instrument he was playing. The ripping of his throat as he sang, the burn of his fingers as they slid up and down his axe, the vibrations of the stage as the speakers blasted out his music. He was a performer through and through, and his mind was always on giving his audience the best show he could.

But tonight, there was something hanging over him. Something inevitable; something that would be the main talking point for Raijinshuu no matter how well they played. They could give this crowd the best show of their lives – the best opening show of a tour in history – and they wouldn't talk about it.

Because tonight, he had to make out with his bassist on stage in front of thousands of people.

It was ridiculous. Freed was a good friend, but not once had either of them considered the other a possible partner. They'd known each other since they were kids, had gone through the horny days of puberty, and spent nights locked in a small room writing love songs and not once had they even considered starting anything. When it came to the two of them, it was simply not on the cards. But tonight, on stage, they had to kiss for the first time.

The reason for it was ridiculous as the situation itself. Freed had publicly come out as gay the day their first album topped the charts; he wouldn't hide it. Laxus had always been proud of him for that, but it did leave him in a situation. Apparently, a band can have one gay guy in it to attract a gay audience, but having two of them was too much.

As such, Laxus had to stay in the closet. Unless he wanted to make out with Freed.

"Look, part of your appeal is you're hot," Their manager, Hades, had said. "People listen to your music because they like you. They come to these concerts because they want you to see them and take them to bed. Sex sells, and you're a product."

Laxus had scoffed. "Girls have wanted to fuck gay guys for years. Don't see the relevance."

"I'm not willing to bank on that," Hades shrugged. "But, as I said, sex sells. So, if you're so insistent on this," he makes a hand gesture, "Gay thing, then we have a way of keeping up the sex appeal. They won't be fantasising about you bedding them. Instead, they'll be thinking that the second you get off stage, you'll drag Freed into your dressing room, and you'll fuck him."

"What?" Laxus' face blanked. "Why the hell would they think that?"

"Because at the climax of your shows – every show - you're gonna storm over to him and kiss him like you can't control yourself."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because it's either that, or you go back into the closet."

So, given that the moment Laxus decided he was going to come out he knew there was no chance of him remaining in the closet, Laxus had agreed. He and Freed had known each other for a long time, they'd gotten past arguments and awkward moments aplenty, they would be able to kiss a couple times and then pretend it didn't happen. It was a small price to pay for being himself in public for the first time. To have what Freed's had for all of his career.

But now, with it about to happen, Laxus didn't know what the hell to do.

Their final song was coming to an end, Laxus' fingers burning against the strings of his guitar, and all he could think about was what was expected of him. What he needed to do to be himself. The stupid rule that he had agreed to.

With a sharp strike of the guitar and the scream of the last lyric, Laxus finished the song. The crowd roared their appreciation, yelling for more in a clusterfuck of excitement. He goaded the crowd with some strumming – teasing their yells out and prolonging the inevitable for a few moments more – and the reaction they got was amazing. The opening night of the tour was always one of the best. The rush was like something Laxus couldn't explain. The euphoria was a high that Laxus craved.

Not thinking long enough to stop, Laxus stormed over to Freed.

The second he was close enough he wrapped a sweaty hand into Freed's drenched hair. He yanked the man towards him, pushed their exhausted bodies together like he did it all the time, bent his back to establish dominance, and kissed the hell out of Freed Justine.

It was… just a kiss.

2: The Time It Became Routine – September 1999

As it turned out, it took exactly twelve shows for Laxus to get over kissing Freed.

They were in their third week of the tour, had fielded and ignored hundreds of interview requests, and kissed each other exactly eleven times. Eleven times Laxus had walked the length of the stage on an adrenaline high, grabbed his friend, and kissed him. Each time, they were hailed with wolf whistles and cheering, as if their borderline smutty act was the perfect crescendo to their music. It had become part of the show; and Laxus always did what he could to make his show as good as possible.

So, at the end of their twelfth show, Laxus strode over to Freed rather than stormed to him. He didn't need to adrenaline to push him now. If kissing Freed was part of the band's appeal, then Laxus would treat it as part of the act.

Once he was close enough to Freed, he stopped with a swagger and took Freed's chin between his thumb and finger. He could see a close up on their faces from the corner of his eye and felt the stagnant apprehension. He leant down slightly, close enough for their noses to rub together but not yet kissing him. Freed looked up at him as if on the edge of insanity. As if Laxus had been edging him all night and he was desperate for this kiss.

Of course, Freed had always been a better actor than Laxus. In that moment, Laxus was sure Freed was equal parts amused and irritated.

Laxus wrung the moment out for as long as he could, knowing that the crowd were waiting for him. He tilted his head and smiled softly, as if to give a more intimate and gentler kiss. Then, just as their lips were about to touch, he pushed Freed against the nearest speaker, pinned him to it with his hips and planted a sweaty kiss on him.

The crowd cheered, Bickslow and Evergreen played their drums and guitar respectively, and the lights on the stage cut off. Once they got the all-clear that the mics were off, Laxus removed himself from Freed's person. Freed's stage persona fell, and he looked at Laxus with a cocked eyebrow.

"So you're slamming me against things now?" Freed asked as if annoyed, but Laxus knew his expressions well enough to see the smile he was fighting.

"You love it," He grinned.

Freed laughed, cracking his back and handing his guitar to a stagehand. "You used to be so awkward about men, I sometimes miss that," Laxus snorted at that. He was still awkward about men, but kissing Freed was different. It made sense; none of it was real. "And you bite when you kiss, did you know that?"

"No I don't," Laxus scoffed, walking off stage and pulling off his damp shirt. He tossed it into the stage side laundry basket and walked to his dressing room. Freed followed him, shut the door with a slam, then pounded his fist against it once. To anyone listening, it might seem like Freed had just been shoved into the door. "Just got sharp teeth."

"Either way, be wary when next find someone to sleep with. Not everyone will be so receptive to a bit of pain in that way."

"Not much chance of that happening anytime soon," Laxus shrugged, drinking a bottle of Gatorade in a few large gulps. He handed one to Freed, who took it but looked at Laxus as if confused. "What?"

"Why won't you be sleeping with anyone?"

"We're together," Laxus answered, confused. "Everyone thinks we are, anyway."

Freed seemed to consider what to say, then smiled and placed a hand on Laxus' shoulder. "I've some bad news, Laxus. Since we've been together, I've strayed in my loyalty and slept with another man. Well, men really."

"Seriously?"

"You didn't expect me to be chaste, did you?"

"Course not. But ain't you scared someone will go to the press?"

"And say what? That the bassist for a punk rock band who might be dating the lead singer had sex with another man? Half of our fans won't care, and the other half will be delighted that we're shaking off the shackles of conventional relationship dynamics," Freed shrugged. "And if people did care, we just put out a statement saying that they're lying and trying to get clout off the back of us. They'd believe us because they want to like us."

"I guess," Laxus hummed, then frowned. "Wait, men? How many guys you been with already?"

"Thirteen."

"It's only been three weeks!" Laxus squawked. "How the hell did that happen?"

Freed looked at him with something close to pity. He took a second to consider his words before speaking. "Laxus, I know sex is something that makes you squirm a little, but I think you need to hear this. Now that people know you want men, you are a god. You could go to any gay bar in any country, and all you would have to do is click your fingers and half of them would drop to their knees without even thinking. They'd be queuing up for you."

"Shut up," Laxus laughed to avoid the weirdness of Freed's words. He wasn't right, was he? "That what you do? Pick a conquest out of adoring fans?"

"Of course not. I find someone who obviously is attracted to me but isn't showing it because he thinks he's better than the rest, and flirt with him until he's entirety… pliable," Freed grinned. "I love the challenge of a man who needs a push."

That sent images into Laxus' mind that he really didn't need. This conversation needed to die off, so Laxus fell onto a safe topic: post show rituals. "Don't you need to do some sudoku?"

"Am I being dismissed?" Freed teased.

"Yeah, fuck off," Laxus grinned.

"Such a cruel man, I don't know why I date you," Freed mused. He unbuttoned his shirt, slid it off, and balled it up. He removed the headband that kept his hair out of his eyes while performing and tossed both articles of clothing to random parts of the room. "I'll see you on the bus. Make sure it looks like we had sex before you leave."

Laxus laughed, and Freed was gone a moment later. He collapsed onto the sofa, pulled some headphones to him and played a recording of a thunderstorm on the ocean: his own post-concert tradition. He closed his eyes and let his mind wonder.

For some reason, he was imagining what Freed looked like when he was flirting with men in bars.

3: The Time When Laxus Realised the Obvious – November 1999

"So, you're not actually dating?" Mirajane frowned.

"We're not," Laxus confirmed.

They were performing in their hometown of Magnolia and had been given the day before the concert off. Laxus had wanted to spend the day relaxing at his grandfather's house and having a short break from the craziness of the tour, but the second he'd gotten into town, Mirajane – an old school friend of the entire band – had called Laxus and demanded a meeting to know everything about his and Freed's relationship. Nobody had ever been particularly good at saying no to her, and that was how he ended up in her kitchen being barraged with questions.

"Really? Are you sure?" She insisted. "Because I've seen some of the kisses on the news and they seemed quite steamy. It looked like the kind of kiss you can only give someone you really want."

"Well, hate to disappoint ya- why was it on the news?"

"Oh, apparently you're destroying the moral core of America and trying to drag the youth into a cult of satanism and degeneracy," She shrugged.

"That's the goal," Laxus sniffed a laugh. "But, me and Freed really aren't together. Just an act."

"But why?"

"I wanted to come out, the label wasn't thrilled. They said part of my appeal was that girls could fantasise about getting me into bed, and that it's a main part of the brand," Laxus shrugged, and Mira huffed at that. "They said that second best thing is them imagining me and Freed going at it. So, if I wanted to come out, I had to make it sexy. Freed agreed to do it. So now I kiss him."

"Right…" Mirajane hummed. "And you signed a contract?"

"No, they don't put shit like that on record," Laxus huffed. "Why?"

"I might regret saying this, because now I've seen you two kissing, I really want you to be a real couple, but I think there's something you haven't considered," She smiled at him. "You don't actually need to keep doing it."

"What?"

"Well, sweetie, you're out," She made a gesture to him. "You're in the national news kissing another guy. I don't think you're going back in the closet ever again. Well, you destroyed the closet during your show in Hargeon. The way you grabbed him by the belt, it looked like you wanted to rip his pants off him right there," Laxus face flooded with a blush. "But that's not the point. The point is people know you're gay. It's out there, your label can't take it back if you stop kissing him."

Mirajane's words stayed with Laxus for the next two days. Making out with Freed had basically become part of his day to day life now, and their friendship hadn't really changed so Laxus no longer thought it weird. He'd accepted that until the tour was over, he would be planting a kiss on Freed after every show. The idea that he didn't have to had never crossed his mind.

So, when he was reaching the end on his final song, Laxus was conflicted.

Time was running out and he had to make a choice. He hadn't talked with Freed about this, so the decision was solely on Laxus' shoulders. Either he doesn't kiss Freed tonight and put an end to it entirely. Or he kisses Freed, and he's forced to confront the fact there's a reason he wants to kiss Freed other than wanting to be publicly gay.

It might have been easier if he knew what that reason was. He wanted to keep kissing Freed and he didn't know why.

The kisses weren't exactly earth shattering. He didn't feel fireworks or electricity through him. They were fine. They weren't bad by any means. But they were stage kisses; objective kisses. One moment Laxus was on one side of the stage, the next his lips were on Freed's and their bodies were pushed against each other. It was an act and nothing more, but for whatever reason Laxus wasn't willing to give it up yet.

"Thank you, Magnolia!" Laxus screamed into the mic, and now he had to make a choice.

He turned to Freed, who seemed to be prepared. Past Freed, he saw Mirajane standing in the wings, a look of fascination on her face, obviously desperate to see what he was going to do. A swirling of conflicting began to bloom inside of Laxus, but the sound of the crowd drowned it out. He looked back to Freed, who had a cocky little smirk as if he were challenging Laxus to do it. In that moment, Laxus understood why he loved kissing Freed; it was a game. An inside joke between the two of them that hold the air of challenge. And if there was one thing Laxus had never been able to do, it was resist playing with Freed.

He strode towards him, grabbed him by the waist and pulled him close. They leant in together, tongues dancing as they pushed up against each other. The usual hail of cheer covered them, and Laxus relaxed into it.

And then, not to be outdone by his bandmate, Laxus lowered his hand and squeezed Freed's ass. The whistles and cheers were so loud at that that Laxus didn't have the time to question why the hell he had done that.

4 – The Time Freed Won the Game – November 1999

"Thank you, Era!"

Laxus yelled his goodbye into the microphone and turned towards Freed. Kissing Freed at the end of the shows had become second nature, and Laxus liked to think that he had gotten damn good at it. The crowds always lapped it up, the news always claimed they were evil, and Freed and him would always laugh about it after the show had finished. They'd crafted a well made routine with it, and rarely strayed anymore.

So, when he saw Freed stalking towards him, rather than the other way around, Laxus was taken unaware.

Freed wordlessly grabbed a handful of Laxus' shirt and yanked him forward, causing Laxus to stumble a little. He grinned, took some of Laxus' hair in his hand and pulled him down with force. Laxus could only gape for a second before Freed's lips were on his own. He bit Laxus' lower lip, and deepened their kiss, leading it in a domineering way that he never had before.

With an explosion, everything that Laxus had thought their kisses lacked burst forward.

The fireworks, the electricity, the passion exploded inside of Laxus. He melted into the kiss in a way he never had before. He became pliant and almost needy, his body relaxing and softening to Freed's control. It became apparent how much Laxus had been leading their kisses so far, because the second Freed asserted any control, Laxus became this needy mess. What was worse, he didn't care even a little.

He went to raise his hand to lace it in Freed's hair, but Freed grabbed his wrist and held it, stopping him. Laxus froze and melted further into the kiss at the show of his strength. A groan of pleasure slipped out and echoed around the stadium. Fuck.

Laxus pulled away and saw Freed's eyes sparkling with amusement and delight. It sent a jolt of pleasure through Laxus.

"You're an ass," Laxus whispered with no heat.

"You sounded like you enjoyed it," Freed whispered back.

The lights cut off on the stage, but they stayed close for a moment, looking at each other's eyes as the stage erupted into movement around them. Freed's eyes, which Laxus had looked into hundreds of times in their years of knowing each other, were suddenly hypnotic. His hand, which still was resting against Laxus' chest, grazed at his skin through the fabric of his shirt. Trails of shivers were sent through Laxus' body, and he found himself entirely weak at the knees.

"All it takes is a firm hand, and you become entirely pliant," Freed teased. "I'll have to remember that." Laxus, his mind racing but no words coming, laughed weakly. Freed patted him on the chest and stepped back. "I'll see you on the bus. If you want to talk about it, we can. If you don't, that's fine," He went to walk away, but stopped and looked back with a grin. "And, no matter what happens, I'm definitely going to make you make that noise on mic again."

Freed turned and walked away, stripping off his sweaty shirt as he did so. As he walked away, Three thoughts struck Laxus. One: he had never noticed just how good Freed looked from behind. Two: he had never known how much he loved a man to take control. Three: if their kisses were a game, Freed had just won.

5 – The Time Nobody Saw – December 1999

On December the thirty first, nineteen ninety-nine, a concert was held to celebrate the end of the millennium. It coincided with Raijinshuu's tour of Fiore, so they were names as guests of honours and opened the show. They'd performed a short set – forgoing the kiss as not to detract attention from the other acts, many of whom were smaller and only just starting out – and had been allowed to watch the rest of the musicians from the sidelines.

It was getting closer to midnight, closer to the new year, and Laxus and Freed were just to the side of the stage. They watched as The Trimens, an up-and-coming boyband, serenaded the crowd into the new year. They sang a romantic ballad that was almost hypnotic in its mellifluousness. They were talented kids; they'd do well.

"You look lost in thought," Freed commented, and Laxus looked down to him.

"Do I?"

"What's on your mind?" Freed ignored the attempts of deflecting.

"Just… new year's, I guess. Always get kinda wistful about it. This year's even worse. New millennia, new world, all that crap," He sighed, leaning on the metal bar that separates them from the stage proper. "Just thinking about growing up, you know. I turn thirty next year and there's a hell of a lot of normal stuff I never got to do. There's always that voice telling me that maybe I missed out. That I should have tried to be a kid when I had the chance."

"Do you regret being part of-"

"Oh fuck no. Best thing I ever did," Laxus said resolutely. "But, well, what d'you think the guys would say if I brought up maybe having a break after the tour? Not a long one, maybe a year or two. Just some time to let things settle, Y'know. Try stuff out before we start the next album."

Freed didn't give Laxus the immediate answer that he wanted. He didn't lie to Laxus. Instead, he asked a question.

"What would you be trying out?"

"I don't know. The things I always wanted to do but never had the time. The things I forgot I cared about," Laxus shrugged. "You remember when I used to take apart computers and make 'em better? There was a time when I could do anything with electricity. That's what it felt like, anyway. Probably wasn't as good as I remember."

"You were," Freed argued. "You were quite the nerd, if I remember. What was it you said after you changed the monitor of your computer for the first time? 'The computer's now my bitch.'"

Laxus chuckled. "Nah. Microsoft was my bitch."

"Of course. Your hatred of capitalism started early," Freed laughed. "What else would you be looking to do if we had a break?"

"Well, I guess… come on, you already know," Laxus tried to let it drop, but Freed wouldn't allow that and Laxus knew it. "I wanna find a guy."

He'd wanted that since November, since that first real kiss with Freed. That has awoken something inside of him that he hadn't known about; a want to be with someone who set him alight. Sex was good, and he'd had a few one-night stands after Freed has assured him it was safe to do so without backlash, but none of it was right. None of those orgasms had been anywhere near as good as those few kisses where Freed had taken charge.

Not that they ever spoke about them. Freed always offered when they happened, but Laxus couldn't do it. The way he'd started to see Freed was new. It went against years of just friendship. It was a risk. He could say the wrong thing and ruin anything they had together. He couldn't risk that.

But he was in love with Freed. It had been easy to admit and had come on quickly. He'd always been in love with Freed in some sense, and the shift from platonic love to romantic love had clicked into place with ease. If he knew the right things to say, the right way to act and the right way to approach it, he would make sure Freed knew the extent of his feelings and let the cards fall where they needed to. If Freed felt the same, it would be amazing. If he didn't, Laxus would get over it and they'd remain friends. That was fine.

Losing Freed because he couldn't say the right things was not fine.

"A man," Freed echoed. "They can be hard to find."

"You been looking for one?"

"Not actively. Not for a while," Freed looked on at the band, eyes unfocused. "I need someone who can excite me. That's what I've been struggling to find."

Laxus went to say something, but the song petered out despite not ending. The lead singer, Hibiki, announced that they were getting close to the end of the year. The screen at the back of the stage flicked to a countdown, starting at thirty and slowly ticking down. The crowd and the Trimens started to count down, and Laxus watched on with a sad smile. The new year was fast approaching and Laxus still hadn't figured out what he needed.

"If you want a break to find yourself, Evergreen and Bickslow will be supportive. They'll be shocked, but realise you need it," Freed's words cut through the echoed countdown. "They'd do anything for you. You know that."

"And you. What about you?"

Freed smiled, turned to fully face Laxus, and cupped his chin. As the countdown rose, Laxus found himself leaning into Freed.

"Three!"

The rush of adrenaline burst inside of him, a swirling of panic and euphoria battling inside. Not one of their stage kisses had been like this.

"Two!"

His eyes flickered all over Freed's face. They hadn't kissed without their stage persona's getting in the way. Freed was softer, gentler. He was beautiful no matter what, but in that moment he was perfect.

"ONE!"

Cheers of 'Happy New Year' filled the stadium as their lips touched in a soft, timid kiss. Laxus place a hand on the back of Freed's neck and gently stroked it, leaning in and truly feeling what it was to kiss Freed Justine. To have chapped lips pressed against chapped lips. To have soft hands roaming up his sides as the man's light bulk rested against his own. To feel Freed's stray hairs tickling his face and his nose bumping against his own.

The Trimens started up their song again, the chorus of the ballad a perfect accompaniment to their kiss. In that moment, Laxus knew what he wanted for the next year. For the rest of his life. Because if this is what it was like kissing Freed when nobody was watching, then he could settle for nobody other than him.

But that was for the future. Now, he had Freed in his arms, and he would live in that moment for as long as he could.

+1 – The Time Where It No Longer Mattered – January 2005

Laxus woke with a bleary head and blinking eyes. Being hungover and awake at seven AM was always going to be horrible, but being hunger and awake at seven AM in a tour bus bed was a particularly bad experience. Still, it could be worse.

He mindlessly tugged Freed closer into his arms, burying his face in Freed's hair to block out the light. Fucking tour bust curtains, they barely kept any light in. He heard a slight teasing laugh through his grogginess and, as he often did, cursed whatever god he could think of that his husband had such a high tolerance for alcohol compared to him. The bastard had drunk more than him and yet never got hungover.

"Fuck you," He groaned, wrapping Freed up tighter.

"Maybe when you're more awake," Freed teased, and Laxus pinched him. Freed really loved that particular joke. "We have a show tonight, if you remember. It's best to wake up now and deal with the hangover earlier. If you don't, tonight will be torture."

"Do we have to do it?"

"We'd let down a lot of fans if we didn't."

"Fuck 'em," He huffed quietly, shuffling down the bed to bury himself in Freed's shoulder now. His hair wasn't good enough. "Why the hell did we agree to do a show on January the first anyway. Stupid idea."

"Because we both agreed that we need a vacation after the tour, and the only way the label would let us have a long break so soon after the last one is if we make them a lot of money," Freed teased, a hand stroking Laxus' hair. "And when they realised that they could make a show based off a gimmick, they took the chance."

"Fucking pricks," he grumbled to himself.

"I agree, but you have to admit it's smart," Freed mused. Laxus would admit nothing of the sort. "Anniversary tours are popular already, but having a show to celebrate both five years on from our first real kiss, and our two-year wedding anniversary is a perfect storm. They certainly know what they're doing."

Laxus grunted but didn't speak. Instead, he shuffled so that he was face to face with Freed, winced at the too bright light, leant down to sleepily kiss his husband. It was as inelegant and messy as any kiss could be, and Laxus relished that.

"Happy new year, Baby," He grumbled, smiling.

Freed smiled tiredly. "Happy new year."

[diamondangelkitten]

Vierapril Day 3: Rest

It's a bit early, but I'll be away from my computer most of tomorrow, so here's day 3 for you! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alira wakes up with a start, hearing Sibbie’s cries from the room next to hers. She tries to pull herself up from bed, but a hand on her shoulder forces her back to bed. She looks up at Annabeth, who already seems to know she’s in for a fight. “Are you really blocking me from seeing my daughter? Let me up!!” “Alira, I’m not stopping you from seeing her. Sid is bringing her to the room as we speak. I am, however, blocking you from getting up. Your body was far weaker than we thought after getting back to the Source and your delivery was far worse than expected.”

Alira struggles to recall what happened a couple of days ago. Their fight against Hades months ago had been tough, but they had been freed of the light, though Aurora had easily taken the worst of that and had been the closest of them to becoming a Lightwarden herself. But, something Annabeth said tugged at her mind. She remembered all of her pregnancy until she felt her water break, when was it, two days ago? No, she remembered her beautiful bundle of a daughter. Remembered feeding her, but… A sharp pain broke her train of thought. “Alira,” says a voice from the doorway. She turns to look at Sid, with their little baby girl gurgling in his arms. “This is the most alert I’ve seen you yet.” “What happened?” She turns to Annabeth, who shrugs. “We don’t fully know. Once you gave birth to Sibbie, you started to crash. We had to call in Y’shtola and Urianger, and they were eventually able to stabilize you, but it was touch and go. Even since then, you’ve kinda been a bit of a zombie. You wake for Sibbie and interact with us, but we can tell you haven’t actually been lucid.”

Alira bursts into tears, “Great, some mom I am. I’m already forgetting the first few days with my daughter.” At Alira’s tears, Sibbie starts crying. Sid rushes to Annabeth, passing her his daughter, while he scoops the love of his life and mother of his child to his side. “Hey now, you are not a failure. You went through so much in the First and your body is tired. I will happily let you have all the rest you need now, if it means you’ll be able to see our little girl grow up.” Alira looks at him and melts into his side. She still feels like shit, but she can feel it now. How her body is just generally tired and her aether feels out of whack. “Can I hold my daughter now?” she asks, smiling up through her tears. Annabeth nods and hands over baby Sibbie. “I promise, my little girl, that I will get better and that I will always be around for you.” She kisses Sibbie on the head and proceeds to start nursing her. Annabeth gets up and walks to the bedroom door. “Sid, let me know if you all need anything, but I think Alira’s made a turn for the better. Keep her on bed rest for the next week, but I’ll let Alinea and Aurora come and spend some time next.” Sid nods at her before turning to Alira.

“Will you be alright?” he asks with sincere honesty in his voice. Alira considers before responding. “I think I will have to rest for the next week, which sucks, but I do believe I will be. Thank you for going above and beyond with taking care of her the past few days.” “I love you Alira, and I love Sibbie. We will both have our good and bad days, but we’ve promised to be there, to stand and support the other should we falter. I bear no grudge or ill will, rather, I’ve quite become accustomed to our chats together.” He strokes his daughter’s head gently. “Oh? What have you two been speaking about?” “I’ve been telling her about her mother. How we met and the adventures you’ve regaled me of.” Sid starts listing his favorites and soon he can tell that Alira has fallen asleep. Once Sibbie finishes feeding, he takes Sibbie back to the nursery where Rielle has taken to sleeping. Rielle looks at him as he enters and lays Sibbie down to sleep. “I’ll keep an eye on her, while you keep an eye on Alira.” He nods before heading back and curling up under the blankets next to Alira, pressing a gentle kiss to her head. “Rest love. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

[catamano]

For Char | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 15, 19, 20, 21

1. What is their color palette?

2. What does your OCs handwriting look like? 

4. If your OC likes art, talk about which piece they would love best. Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875 - Claude Monet. Charlotte’s favorite painting. Some of Char’s earliest memories are of going with her mom to museums and sitting in front of Monets. Her mom was a huge fan of Monet and had a copy of this painting hanging in the living room, something Char had forgotten about until a family trip a few years ago. She has a copy of it hanging in her office now.

5. What character from myth or fairytale best represents them?Demeter. When Hades abducts her daughter, Demeter creates a world in which nothing grows and nearly causes the extinction of humanity. Enough said.

7. If your OC could meet any historical or past figure, whether in the real world or in their own canon lore, who would it be and why? She'd love to pick Coco Chanel's mind about fashion.

11. Who is your muse’s muse? (What or whom inspires/drives them?) Her parents. There isn’t a day that goes by that Char doesn’t think of them. She tries her best to be someone they’d be proud of. 

15. What is a common misconception about your OC? (Alternatively, what do people assume about them which is either incorrect or misconstrued?) That she's outgoing and has a lot of friends. Most of the people Char meets at the store assume she's this super outgoing and social person. She's personable and can have a conversation with almost anyone, but at the same time she's very shy. It took her a few years to get to where she is now. When she first opened the store, she was distant and a little awkward with clients. She normally keeps to herself and doesn't strike up conversations with people. She has a lot of acquaintances; there are very few people that she considers to be her friends. Because she knows so many people, she frequently gets invited to large social gatherings. She'll go, but is usually pretty uncomfortable and only talks to a few people.

19. How would their life be different if they had never met their partner? I think her life would be completely different if she hadn't met Em. She met him at one of the lowest points in her life, one where she wasn't really talking to anybody. Em was one of the few people who wasn't put off by that and befriended her anyways. Eventually he was able to get her out of her shell. I don't think anyone else would've been able to do that at that time. Eventually, Em became a large source of comfort for her. Long before he was her partner, he was her best friend.

She's had other relationships; none of them provided the sense of comfort and safety that she feels when she's with Emmett. I'm not sure she would've married anyone other than him. It sounds cliche, but he's the only person who really gets her.

20. What was the moment at which they knew they were in love, or was it a slow buildup? Like I said in the last question, Em was the one to get her out of her shell. When they met, she didn't speak, but he didn't let it deter him. They used to walk to school together and Em used to talk to her about whatever random thing was on his mind that day. She spent a lot of nights alone because Erica was at school. Em would sometimes show up at her door with food and have dinner with her. After some time, she opened up and finally started talking to him. For awhile, he was her only friend.

They loved each other as friends for years, it wasn't until a few years after high school that they actually pursued a relationship. They were both a little awkward in the beginning stages of their relationship. It had been a few years since they'd been around each other on a regular basis. Once they got used to each other, it didn't take long for them both to realize how much they loved each other.

[straykidsnerd255]

Hi, if it's not too much trouble, could I request a Head-canon that the s/o of Shura, Saga, Camus, Regulus, Albafica and Milo be a wizard from the Fairy Tail guild? That for some reason they are teleported to the SS universe, I’m curious to see how these saints would be like.

Here you are! Sorry this took me FOREVER to get out! 

Shura:

Confused as hell. One minute he was training, the next he was face to face with a really pretty girl but dressed weirdly. 

When you stand up and offer him a hand to help him up, he can tell that you mean no harm to him or anyone but he is still confused. 

When you tell him about yourself and where you came from, he is now just curious to see how well you can hold your own in a fight. 

A few days have passed and he finally asks if you want to spar with him. 

You agree and you both start sparring with each other, however, it soon turns to a full fight.

The other saints appear to watch Shura and you sparring before they start to place bets on who will win. 

Before long, you manage to pin Shura to the ground. You had a bright smile on your face. “I win.” You said before moving your hand so you could help him stand up. 

Saga:

He is just confused. Poor baby can’t figure out where the hell you came from. 

Saga is prepared to fight but when you stand up, he is pretty much frozen in his spot. He has never seen someone as gorgeous as you. 

Just like Shura, he will ask if you want to spar after a few days of getting to know you. 

You and Saga are evenly matched and that makes the saints that stop to watch you two impressed but also terrified.

Saga was starting to fall in love with you but he didn’t want to say anything if you were going to leave and go back to your world.

“You ok Saga? You have been staring at me for the past 5 minutes”

He is deceased at this point. He was just caught by you staring.

Regulus:

He was confused to say the least. 

Regulus was just doing his mandatory patrol when you suddenly appeared in front of him.

He instantly knew that you were not from here, one because of the fact you fell out of a portal, and two, you were wearing weird clothing.

When he asked you where you came from, you told him but he just seemed absolutely confused. 

He decided after a few minutes of silence, to have you visit with Athena to see if there was a way to send you back home.

Regulus isn’t the type of person to fall for someone so easily. He’s rather closed off most of the time. 

He will, however, ask you for help when it comes to training. He knows that you can help him get better as you have demonstrated your ability multiple times.

Albafica:

He’s shocked to say the least. He doesn’t say anything but the look in his eyes is enough to tell someone what he is feeling.

When you had suddenly appeared in front of him, his natural instinct was to reach out and catch you. 

He panicked thinking you had been ‘poisoned’ by him but when you were moving just fine he thought otherwise. 

He took you to Athena to see if she could help you. 

Learning that you are from somewhere completely different, he is rather amazed. 

“How did you get here then?”

“I was trying to protect my home and was, I guess, transported somewhere different.” 

Milo:

“So let me get this straight. You are not from here. You got thrown into a portal. And now you are here.”

You nod your head in hopes that he would understand you. 

“You have to be kidding me. There is no way that you did that. Are you working for Hades or something?”

The look you gave him made the back of his neck tingle. He couldn’t move at all as you glared at him. 

“Hades can rot in the deepest pit of hell that not even he can go too for all I care.” You snarled. 

Athena soon arrived and you explained your situation to her. 

“Interesting. Until I am able to figure out how to get you home, would you consider helping us fight off our Hades?” She asked. You thought for a moment before agreeing.

Camus:

Doesn’t even blink an eye but the worry that bubbles up in his chest makes him stop in his tracks. 

You just randomly appeared from a doorway opening in mid air. 

You are definitely not prepared for the cold that Camus can see but from the looks of it, it doesn’t seem to bother you. 

“Come with me.” He said grabbing your wrist and dragging you Athena.

Of course you fight with everything you have and nearly send the poor man through a wall with how hard you try to punch him.

When Athena appears, You go completely still. Not because you sense a bad aura, no. It's because you sense the aura of a God that you go absolutely still.

You explain your situation to Athena and she gladly agrees to help get you back home but she does ask you to help out her saints in the meantime, to which you agree.

[bookofmirth]

lele!

I saw the ask you answered a few days back about Feysand and Elriel being real similar, and so I was wondering if you see gwynriel as having the same problem at all? Mostly in terms of aesthetics, considering both seem to have a similar light/dark aesthetic

Hello! Sorry this response is probably a mess 🤣

(Here is the post we are talking about, for anyone reading this hehe)

So re: the light/dark aesthetic, I agreed with the previous anon that the feysand and e*riel stories would be too similar, based on what people suppose the one story would look like. But, I don't think the aesthetic is in reality similar. IMO it's just that people are taking a lot of creative liberties with Elain's character, given that we have never had her POV and we arguably know less about her than many other characters.

Regarding the art, we just honestly don't know enough about Elain to set her apart from the other sisters, visually. In that post I mentioned facial expressions, body language, clothing, objects, scenery or context. When I see art of Feyre or Nesta, I know it's art of them because I recognize Nesta's facial expression as representing the way that Nesta looks at the world, or Feyre's creativity, or the way Feyre embraces the dark. This is why I detest the whole "flower" thing with Elain. It's a crutch until we learn more about her personality. There's a reason that "flowers" are nowhere to be seen on the prompt list for elucien week 😂

So yeah anyway, I think that Feyre painting the night sky on her dresser drawer and thinking about different types of darkness, and feeling much more comfortable in the NC than in Spring lean more towards her not really "having" the light aesthetic. She's been killing to survive since she was 14, and Rhys says she is a huntress, his salvation.

Elain isn't "light" either; she needs light, she isn't light personified though. That would be her mate. The similarities, to me, are all about the plot for e*riel being too similar to what feysand have already had. Like anon pointed out the Hades/Persephone thing that... already belongs to feysand. The anon also said this, which yeah I see it too: "Elain does the same job as Azriel. Azriel saves her from the "abuser" Lucien and Azriel will let her choose, she finds her voice, and then Elain finds out Azriel is her actual mate, etc…" which would lead to their interactions being similar.

Okay but you asked about gwynriel asldjaklsjdakd

I think that gwynriel are more dark/light aesthetic than either feysand or e*riel, especially if it ends up being a shadowsinger/lightsinger thing (*finger guns* iykyk). I think that gwynriel would also be a very different relationship from feysand, or nessian, or elucien, because there is more emphasis on there being mutual healing, but where the guy needs a wake-up call. Rhys had trauma, Cassian had insecurities, but Az needs to go on a whole journey where he heals and reconciles with his past and his feelings towards his family. (NOT that he has to say a word to anyone who abused him, but I can see people willfully misinterpreting this anyway so why am I bothering. For my stalkers, I suppose. Hey besties!)

Feyre is pragmatic and cautious. Rhys is also pragmatic and can be cautious because his actions have implications for his whole court. They are both self-sacrificial and have served as the heads of their respective households before they were ready to do so.

Az has an intense sense of responsibility (indebtedness, even) coupled with a need for control and tbh love. Imo he also has a fascination with people who are very unlike him - see: The Morrigan. Gwyn is plucky, optimistic, curious, and determined. If you want a light/dark or grumpy/sunshine aesthetic, it's gwynriel. But either way, their plot/journey looks very different from any of the three canon ships, in addition to having an "aesthetic" that doesn't match the others. (elucien = mates = canon in sjm world)

To finish this rambly ramble up, I basically wouldn't hang my hat on a coatrack made of aesthetics. There are a lot more things that make a fictional ship appealing to readers (and more likely in canon), and aesthetics are just one piece of a complex puzzle!

[winryofresembool]

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 45

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary:  Calypso and Leo spend an evening at Waystation and things start heating up (continuing from the previous chapter)

A/N: Wow, finally a chapter to post! I feel I say this every time but this chapter really was quite something else to edit. Anyway, as the summary suggests, in this chapter things /do/ get a bit heated but given that this is a T rated fic (at least at the moment), I am not going to details, so sorry about that.

Anyways, as usual, I hope you guys enjoy and please please please do let a comment because the previous chapter got none and I do worry that no one cares about this fic anymore... The fandom is so quiet. (Speaking of, I'm currently rereading The Lost Hero and actually loving it much more than the first time. Can't wait to get to House of Hades ;))

Words: 2800+

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / AO3

…

Calypso insisted on making something better for Georgina to eat than the McDonald’s additions even though the little girl herself said she didn’t have to. Luckily the power was finally back at Waystation, making the task notably easier. Meanwhile Georgina was building a pillow fort from the sofa pillows and blankets in the living room, saying that she wanted to have a movie picnic there. When everyone was finally ready, the food was already pretty cold but they were so hungry that they didn’t care.

The movie Georgina had picked was Aristocats. Calypso thought it was rather fitting considering the girl really loved the foster cats at Waystation. Leo amused Calypso with his Disney knowledge (he even hummed ‘Everybody wants to be a cat’ even though he always claimed he hated singing) but when she asked how he knew so much about those movies, he sullenly stated that they had been one of the few things that had brought him comfort as a kid, besides tinkering. She didn’t tease him after that.

When the movie ended, it was already past 10 pm and Georgie could barely keep her eyes open. Despite that, she kept insisting that she wasn’t tired. When Leo put an episode of a TV show that the little girl liked on, it only took her about 5 minutes to fall asleep on her spot on the blanket. Leo carefully carried her into her own bed before returning back to Calypso who was still lying on the blankets and pillows on the floor.

“Did she wake up?” she asked.

“Nope. As sound asleep as only she can be,” Leo said quietly, smiling a bit. Then he joined Calypso in her pillow fort and laid down next to her.

“It’s been a day,” he yawned, pulling a blanket over his lower body. “I beat my fear… sort of at least?”

“You did,” Calypso said encouragingly. “I bet the next time will be easier for you.”

“Yeah! I want to believe that too. At least it should make participating in the lab classes easier. But aside from that, we also managed to treat a feral cat… I may have a couple of scratches in my arms but that’s okay. And Jo’s motorcycle got some extra paint on it…”

“Do you think she will be angry about it?” Calypso asked, partly worried, partly amused.

“Oh, I think she’ll curse me to Tartarus at first…” He used a term that he had heard from her. “But when she hears that I managed to make those guys repaint it, I think she’ll be really excited. I swear it’s in her blood to help problematic kids like me.”

“I’m glad she and Emmie found you, even if it took a while,” Calypso stated, turning on the blanket to face him.

“Yeah, me too,” Leo replied. “Their approach is so different from the other adults I’ve had in my life… except maybe my mom. They believe in the power of example. Like, they never yell or anything like that. If you do something wrong, don’t dwell on it; instead think if there’s something you can do to fix it. And if there’s nothing you can do about it… well, move on and do better next time. That’s the way they live.”

“That does sound like a good attitude,” Calypso agreed. “It seems to me that some of their lessons have already stuck with you. I could see that in the way you dealt with those boys earlier.”

“Thanks. I tried…” Leo rubbed the back of his neck. Calypso secretly found his reaction to the compliments adorable. He could act ‘bratty’ at times but under that goofy cover of his he was actually incredibly insecure.

“Who knows, maybe one day you’ll end up adopting homeless kids, just like Jo and Emmie did,” she said before thinking. But once her words sunk in, she felt a weird sting in her chest.

Some day, once he would have graduated and gotten some stability in his life, Leo would make a great dad. He really loved his younger sister and acted like a mentor to her in many situations despite their sibling-like bickering. And his way to solve problem situations felt refreshing to Calypso; she was so used to her father’s yelling and manipulating that she had to remind herself that there were people out there who didn’t resort to that. Someone would be very lucky to start a family with him, but it was highly likely that person wouldn’t be her.

Leo blushed fiercely. “I was… kind of hoping that would happen with you.” When he noticed Calypso’s expression, he quickly added: “I mean… not for a long while, of course! But… one day when we’re both ready…”

“Yeah… Maybe…” Calypso didn’t have the heart to say what she was really thinking but she was worried that he could sense it from her either way.

Silence fell into the pillow fort. Calypso had a hard time shaking her previous thoughts off and for once Leo didn’t seem to feel talkative either. Finally she decided that maybe music would help to give her some distraction so she asked Leo if he would mind her putting one of her playlists on. He didn’t, so she searched for a playlist in which she had put some of her favorite calming songs.

The first few songs she didn’t pay a lot of attention to; Leo’s warm hand found her back and she was simply enjoying the feel of it as he was drawing random patterns on her shirt with his fingers. They exchanged a few words here and there but mostly just listened to the music. At some point, her phone started playing Taylor Swift’s Peace. Calypso had used to consider it ‘just another love song’, and being tired of romance before meeting Leo, she had mainly ignored it earlier. But now that she was in a relationship, she realized that the lyrics hit a bit too close to home.

Wanting to make her significant other happy (‘I’d give you my sunshine’), but being aware that the problems would keep arising (‘the rain is always gonna come’) if they stuck together was something that Calypso understood too well. But what hit her even harder was the question ‘would it be enough if I could never give you peace?’ Technically speaking, things were fine between her and Leo, but she couldn’t guarantee she could give him what he deserved. Stability, normalcy, safety, a long term relationship, maybe one day even a family… Would Leo be fine with that? And more importantly, would she be willing to ask that much of him?

“Cal? Everything OK?” she heard his voice suddenly.

“Um, oh, yeah,” she stuttered. “Why do you ask?”

“You just seemed kinda out of it. What were you thinking?”

“Nothing much,” she tried to evade the question at first, but knew it was for nothing. Leo gave her a pointed look. “Um, just this song.”

“Oh? What about it?” he asked.

She braced herself for a moment before answering. “You know how it asks ‘would it be enough, if I can never give you peace’... I was wondering what you would answer if I asked you that. Would you be alright with this - what we have - even if it meant no normalcy for you?”

Leo made a weird sound that almost sounded like a snort.

“Leo, this is serious!” she exclaimed.

“I know it is! But Calypso, haven’t you already learned enough about me by now to know that my life has never exactly been ‘normal’? Burning my home, running away from countless foster homes, finally finding where I wanna be but still traumatized and having constant doubts about myself? I can guarantee you I am capable of making my life difficult on my own. A little more trouble won’t feel anywhere. So to answer your question: yes, it would be enough.”

“You seem very sure about this,” Calypso muttered, not sure how long she’d be able to keep herself together. Never before had anyone else - except maybe Zoë - been ready for so far for her sake. “Never been more sure about anything in my life.” Leo put his hand over his heart as if he was solemnly swearing something.

“Even if being with me meant you could be in danger?” she asked skeptically, referring to her dad.

“Even and especially then,” he said confidently, taking her hand into his.

Calypso’s voice finally broke. “I hate you.” What she actually meant with that: “I hate that I love you this much because that is only going to put you into a situation that you don’t deserve.” Yet she was also thinking: “I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have finally found a person who cares about me for who I am.”

Right after those three words had left her mouth, she pulled him for a kiss. A kiss that she hoped would convey all the feelings that she couldn’t put into words in that moment, the lingering and deep kind. There was something comforting about the taste of mint she got on her lips from his. Maybe it was because it had become so familiar to her; Leo ate a lot of breath mints to calm his nerves and she tasted it every time she kissed him. Her fingers started playing with his hair and he seemed to enjoy that because he made an approving “hmm” against her mouth.

“If that’s what I get for you hating me, then feel free to hate me all you want,” Leo said in a hoarse voice once they separated for some air.

“Stupid,” Calypso sighed. She buried her face into his shirt before murmuring: “Σε αγαπώ.”

“Yo también te quiero,” he answered.

A couple of tears had fallen on Calypso’s cheeks and Leo gently swept them off with his thumbs. She secretly liked how they felt against her skin; rough from all the work they had done and a lot more confident than they had been when he had first touched her.

“Hey! No crying, please.” He sounded a bit nervous.

“Don’t worry about it… These are just happy tears.”

“Happy? But…”

“Yeah.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “Because I’m lucky to have people like you in my life. It means… I can’t express in English what it means to me.”

“Oh… alright. Guess I managed to do something right then,” Leo mused.

“You did,” Calypso confirmed and closed the space between them again.

This time the kiss turned more heated fast. Her lips seemed to be craving for more even though the tiny, rational part of her was still trying to hold back. Warmth spread all the way to Calypso’s core when she during a breathing break opened her eyes to notice Leo watching her with eyes so intense they seemed almost black. Despite that there was also tenderness in them, and she couldn't help but find it charming. Her heart started beating faster as she wondered what was going through his mind right now.

“What? Do I look funny or something? Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she asked shyly.

“Funny?” he repeated as if he had a hard time even grasping that concept. “No… quite the opposite. You’re pretty damn stunning.”

“Oh… thanks.”

He gave her a lopsided smile. “You’re welcome, Sunshine.”

A brief silence fell into the room. Calypso didn’t want to interrupt that moment but she also realized they could find a place more comfortable and less visible than the living room floor. “We should probably go somewhere else,” she suggested. “I mean, Georgina could wake up and see us any moment…”

“Alright. My room?”

Calypso nodded, getting some butterflies in her stomach as she pictured what might happen there. Leo intertwined their fingers and helped her get up from the blanket.

…

As they were silently approaching Leo’s room, Calypso had time to think about where their physical relationship was heading to. She wasn’t a complete stranger to sex but thinking back to her previous experiences, she realized those times hadn’t been that great. The guys she had been with hadn’t really cared about her feelings but back then she had been too naïve to admit that to herself. Unfortunately, one of those times had been followed by a series of horrific events, which now resulted in hesitancy to now take the next step with Leo.

At the same time it was getting increasingly frustrating to live under the same roof with him, wanting to do more yet having the nagging voice in her head telling her she should really be more careful this time. His touches, even when he was touching simply her shoulders, seemed to set sparks of fire across her whole body. He seemed more attractive and lovable to her every day even though she had used to think that he was not her type. And sometimes, when they were alone at their home and he whispered to her what he really thought of her, she was wondering: ‘what am I waiting for?’ She knew she could trust Leo, and wasn’t that the main thing?

And so she decided she would let herself see where that evening would take them. Maybe her brain would eventually say ‘no’ and if that was the case, then she’d simply tell him she still wasn’t feeling comfortable enough for the next step. Hopefully he would understand. Or maybe her brain would remain quiet and for once allow her to enjoy something she had secretly wanted to do for a while. But she would never know if she didn’t give it a chance.

…

Once in Leo’s room, he sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him.

“Look, I’m not sure where this is going, but if you want to stop, just let me know…”

A huge weight fell off Calypso’s chest when he said. It was a relief to hear they were on the same wavelength. “Yeah, I will,” she promised.

“Good.” Leo nodded. Their lips connected again and he pulled her down with him, letting her take the lead.

The next moments were like random still pictures in Calypso’s mind:

Kisses on jaw, lips, neck, collarbone...

Hands exploring with some new found confidence.

Leo’s eyes reminding her of flames when the light hit them from the right direction.

Foreheads touching when they had to stop for a break.

Quiet words of affirmation and short morse code messages tapped on her skin.

Clothes getting removed with fumbling fingers one by one until they were down to their underwear.

Leo asking her if she wanted to have a blanket on her so that she wouldn’t get cold even though she was feeling quite the opposite.

It was all going so well, until suddenly, when Leo’s fingers started playing with the waistband of her panties… something just snapped in Calypso’s head. The voice that had already been nagging earlier was back, even louder than usual.

“Leo… I think we should stop,” she said all of a sudden, letting go of him and exhaling deeply.

He looked at her with confusion for a moment before putting some distance between them.

“Was it something I did?”

“No. it’s just that… My period started this morning. I’m sorry, I should have let you know way earlier. Guess I let myself get carried away…”

That was a lie but in that moment she couldn’t deal with Leo’s heartbroken face if she told him what was really going through her head. He seemed understanding, though.

“Oh, damn. That sucks. I shouldn’t have encouraged you…”

“No, it’s fine. Not your fault.” She sat up on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.

“You OK?” Leo asked worriedly.

“Yeah.” Another lie. “I just need a moment. It was stupid of me to let this get this far knowing we couldn’t finish it.”

“Hey, don’t blame yourself. It takes two to get to this point,” Leo tried to comfort her. “Um, anyway… I should probably… go cool down a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

Calypso felt genuinely bad for him because she had let him believe that something might happen.

“Alright.” She started collecting her clothes from the floor and hastily pulled her shirt on. “I guess it might be better if I go to sleep in the guest room... Good night.”

She gave him a quick good night’s peck on the cheek but it was a little awkward. She left the room soon after him and once in the guest room, she threw herself on the bed there. Wishing she could have just cried it out, she groaned against her pillow in frustration, but the tears didn’t come.

Why couldn’t she just let her past go?