#i would buy a scented candle from each court though

[goforth-ladymidnight]

So I'm shopping on Etsy for ACOTAR merch for Christmas (because I wanted to treat myself this year), and good GOD there are so many Tamlin's Tears mugs and Salty Little Bitch Tamlin candles and bookmarks. Whyyyy? At least the Suriel Tea mugs are kind of funny.

It makes me want to make my own stuff instead, to be honest.

[midnightsunnyday]

The Brothers Go To Bath & Body Works

A/N: because I was bored and like headcanons where the brothers are in ordinary situations doing ordinary things, yet because of their nature and ignorance of human culture, get in all types of trouble. Definitely counts as a crack post.

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

Lucifer: for horrid's sake it's like Asmodeus and Mammon's bathrooms exploded.

Satan: for once I have to agree with you. This place is a bit...assaulting.

Leviathan: ugh. This is just like that anime I watched: My Partner Tricked Me Into Going Shopping And Now I'm Stuck Watching Them Make Horrible Financial Decisions!

MC: that sounds way too contrived to be a real show.

Satan: furthermore, are we really about to spend an hour shopping for candles?

MC: no, I'm about to spend an hour shopping for candles. You all can wait outside *sighs* At least Asmo gets it.

Asmodeus: such splendor! Such rapture! I mean just look at it: the colors! The scents! The mini hand sanitizers! Oooh, and is that a sale? Buy three get two free, you say?

Lucifer, scanning the shelves: and what is this absurdity?  Pumpkin pecan, pumpkin apple, vanilla pumpkin, pumpkin clove, cinnamon pumpkin, caramel pumpkin...just what is it with you humans and your obsession with pumpkins?

MC: hey, don't judge my culture. Pumpkin scented and flavored products are an annual mortal tradition.

Lucifer: a tradition that should be banned, clearly.

Mammon: humans sure are strange though. I mean, why have an entire store dedicated to something so lame?

Satan: well, candles can be used for many purposes, but for most humans they're not only therapeutic, but romantic. In fact, it's customary for human lovers to light a multitude of candles around their dwelling to draw in their mate.

Mammon: to draw in their mate, huh? Ya don't say...

*loud clanging noises*

MC: Mammon...why are you scooping an entire row of candles into your shopping bag?

Mammon: oi, what are ya the candle police? Don't worry about it.

Salesperson: just so you know, all our three wick candles are--

Mammon: --buy three get two free. Yeah, yeah, we read the sign!

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

Belphegor: hey, which scent do you think smells better on me?

MC: *sniffs* ooh, I really like the lavender one.

Belphegor: good, then that's the one I'll buy. That way, when we finish taking our naps together, you'll smell me all over your sheets. And your clothes. And your pillows. And the rest of your room.

MC: sounds very...Pavlovian. Just no leashes or collars, please. 

Belphegor: I think you might have me confused with Lucifer...and possibly Satan.

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

Asmodeus: Satan dear, please tell me you aren't going to buy that just because it has a cat on it?

Satan, blushing: of course not. I was just...looking, is all.

Leviathan: you know, you're kinda behaving like an otaku who wants to buy all the latest merch of their favorite character.

Asmodeus: so like you, then?

Leviathan: hey! Otaku are a proud people who fuel their hobbies with the upmost passion and dedication. There's no shame in it.

Asmodeus: whatever you say, brother ~

Salesperson: just so you know, that's our limited edition Halloween scent, which is only around for the holidays.

Satan: hmm...

Salesperson, wearing a cheeky grin: we also have cat shaped plug ins.

Satan: where?

Asmodeus: now wait just a--

Salesperson: --did I also mention that we're having a sale on all our bath products?

Asmodeus: on all the bath products, you say?

Leviathan, rolling his eyes: normies.

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

Salesperson: excuse me, sir?

Lucifer, sighing: if you're attempting to sell me something, then I rather hear the quick version.

Salesperson: it's just that you seem a bit...tense. Do you happen to suffer from stress? If so, I can show you a few items in our aromatherapy collection.

*Lucifer, gazing over at Leviathan and Mammon*

Mammon: ok, ok, on the count of three. One, two...three!

*Leviathan and Mammon shrieking in pain as they spritz body mist into each other's eyes*

Lucifer: ...I'm listening.

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

Belphegor: hey guys, I don't think it was a good idea to bring Beel in here.

Lucifer: meaning....

Beelzebub, holding two candles and mumbling to himself: this one says banana walnut muffin and this one says warm apple pie, but it's not a muffin and that's not a pie, but it smells like one, but I can't eat it, but it's named after food, but it's not food...*falls to his knees* it's not food.

Leviathan: uh...

Beelzebub, in a trance like state: it's not food. It's not food. It's not food.

Satan: well, this doesn't look good.

Mammon, placing a hand on Beelzebub's shoulder: hey, little bro. You ok?

Beelzebub: so...the time for retribution has come? Such an ironic fate, being made to roam this chamber which torments me with scents familiar, yet unable to satiate. For centuries I've scourged the lands, devouring flesh to still the pain that naws at my being. Cursed to eat without gain. Without joy. Forever crowned as the sin of gluttony, a crown in which I sometimes find too heavy to bear. For some, I was once a god, for others a mere pest. Even so, I find myself in a hell not of my own creation, but one in which I rightfully deserve.

MC: um, Beel? I love you, but you're freaking everyone out.

Beelzebub, looking up at MC with empty eyes: ah, the mortal to whom I am bound. Tell me, are you here to guide me towards salvation? Or are you too like these wondering souls, searching for nourishment in that which is fleeting? However, I advise you make your decision with haste, as soon I will no longer be able to tell friend from prey.

*silence*

MC: ...we really need to get him some food.

Mammon, helping Beelzebub to his feet: ok, time to go, buddy.

Asmodeus: how about we get you some McDonald's. Do you like McDonald's, Beel?

Beelzebub: immortality is a curse. The only true salvation lies in oblivion.

Asmodeus: ...he wants McDonald's.

*at the food court*

Asmodeus: still, I can't believe I ended up purchasing several bags worth of lotions, candles, and body sprays *shivers* such an insidious place. I love it!

Lucifer: admittedly, this pillow mist is very soothing. Though may I suggest that next time we go somewhere less...traumatizing?

Satan, staring down into his bag full of cat shaped plug ins: *sighs* agreed.

Mammon and Leviathan, holding a cup of ice to their eyes: definitely.

MC: I just wanted us all to go shopping. How was I suppose to know scented candles would make Beel suffer an existential breakdown?

Lucifer: speaking of which, how are you feeling, Beel?

Beelzebub, stuffing his face: cheeseburgers and nuggets are my favorite food from McDonald's.

Lucifer: that's nice Beel.

Leviathan: well, that problem solved itself.

Mammon: but man, what a day. All this shopping sure gave me quite the workout *stretches his arm over MC* I think I'm just gonna head home, light a bunch of candles around my dwelling, let MC walk in and ya know...see what happens.

MC: *sighs* This is exactly the reason why I shop online.

[keijifairy]

big little things 〃

♡ kageyama, nishinoya, oikawa, iwaizumi, bokuto, akaashi, atsumu, osamu, suna do that show how in love they are with you.

genre. fluff fluff fluff

warning. kinda spoiler for timeskip! bokuto

author’s note. hi,, im so sorry for promising to write but not writing :// i hope this disgustingly fluffy thing will make up for it as a late thank you for 400+ followers!!! aaaaa what 💗💗💗!!!!! 

+ writing this was super fun but also kinda upsetting bc sum of these are inspired by real life love stories wow </3

༘ kageyama frozen by your door with a painfully awkward smile and an assortment of wildflowers in his grasp is truly a sight to behold. before he picks you up for a date, he plucks flowers from the park near his house and shoves them into your hands with an incoherent compliment he exclaims (along the lines of “your face looks pretty”, you realize when he mumbles it the next minute and looking at anywhere but your face). you accept them with a giggle and return the sentiment with your lips brushing his cheek which blossoms into a deeper shade of red. hinata doesn’t believe that the rigid boy with a volleyball for a brain could be a sappy romantic like how you describe him to be.

༘ nishinoya is well aware of your sweet tooth, which is especially fond of chocolates. packs upon packs of the tiny chocolate kisses you secretly pop in your mouth during classes are stashed in his fridge, backpack, and even in the pockets of his uniform as a result. “it’s for emergencies,” he assures you with a proud grin whenever you find yet another family bag of hershey’s somewhere near him. you didn’t guess that not getting a particularly good mark on a test or homework piling up as the days pass were the so-called emergencies he proclaims: when your shoulders sag and your feet shuffle on the ground without a thought, the taste of chocolate lingering in your lips come as a surprise. his favorite laughter finally reaches his ears and nishinoya can’t help but gift you with another of his own chocolate kiss.

༘ oikawa is stubborn, incredibly so, but he’s only doing his best — even tries to push himself past his limit. it’s no surprise to enter the gymnasium to the thud of the ball as it hits the ground and you observe how strands of his hair stick to his forehead while his heavy breaths fill the room. you offer to help, to wait for him until he’s had enough—for too many to count—but he only flashes you a grin and lightly urges you out to the door every single time. oikawa couldn’t bring himself to focus if he watches you jolting awake every now and then instead of resting after bearing the weight of school — though he worries either way. with his phone leaning against his bag, he initiates a video call that gives you the perfect view of the boy jumping in the court through your screen as you make your way home. 

༘ iwaizumi has never gotten used to the ridiculous amount of nail polish you have collected ever since the both of you settled into your own home. he looks back and forth between your face and the small bottle of polish in your hand with his lips pressed together. “do you really need six bottles of blue?” you scoff and correct him for the nth time about the exact name of each color and end it off with a “none of your business, haji.”, causing him to narrow his eyes at you in concern with an exasperated sigh. quite ironic of him, acting so bothered and all, when you catch him watching a “how to build a nail polish shelf” video the next day.

༘ bokuto still calls one of his teammates every wednesday morning to inform them that he would have to miss practice, and atsumu still snickers on the other end of the line with an, “again? are ya sure yer not just slacking off?” wednesdays are scheduled for your doctor’s appointments, after all, so bokuto always makes sure to make it up to the other guys by doing extra drills or staying another hour the next day because he doesn’t intend on missing a single meeting. hospitals and clinics aren’t places you enjoy and you don’t feel comfortable talking with the doctor on your own, but you don’t worry too much — especially with bokuto seated beside you, listening intently to their words with his thumb rubbing circles on the top of your hand. his presence alone is enough to ease your anxieties. (his teammates don’t have it in them to be mad, only thinking about how whipped bokuto is for you).

༘ akaashi knows the moment you open the door with your eyes trained on your shoes that the day hasn’t been the kindest to you. he approaches you in quiet steps, taking your bag from your hands and placing it on the couch. you think the way his hand holds yours so delicately is enough to make you cry as he guides you to the bubble bath he had prepared at the right time, as if his sixth sense had told him of what you were feeling. the scent of lavender oil lingers in the air, and the flickering candles cast a soft glow throughout the room; it’s a comforting silence, save the occasional sniffles that tone down as akaashi gently scrapes through your scalp with shampoo. when the suds of soap are rinsed off of your body and he caresses your cheeks with the pads of his thumbs in the comfort of your bed, sleep crawls into your eyes as a “thank you, keiji.” falls from your lips. he only kisses your forehead in response.

༘ atsumu takes tentative sips on the cold can of cherry cola you offer to him every day. it’s the only drink you purchase at the vending machine during lunch period and what you grab when you two stop at the convenience store for movie night snacks. he doesn’t bother to buy himself one, as you immediately nudge the can on his cheek as soon as you open it. its taste is something he could never get used to, but he swallows it nonetheless, only to convince you afterward that he couldn’t finish it on his own — and of course, he teases you, just like in every opportunity he grabs when you’re simply minding your own business and completely unaware of the trick up his sleeve — and always, you’re left stumbling over your words as you stare at him in shock? embarrassment? offense? perhaps a bit of all of them? but he does know that “that was an indirect kiss just now.” of his and your adorable reaction make cherry cola worth it.

༘ osamu comes home in your arms with drooping eyes and a worn smile. his words are almost incoherent when he mumbles them on your shirt, eventually turning into snores when you tell him to at least wash his face. owning quite a famous shop with the best onigiris in town (your words and his) can be hectic; with the day spent molding countless onigiris and tending to every customer, that ends with his arm limp on top of your waist. with your own work to deal with that occupies almost the rest of your days, there would be no room to breathe with just the both of you — but with osamu, it’s not like that at all. the soft sizzling from the kitchen wakes you up to an empty space beside you and your stomach’s quick to grumble in anticipation. the shop opens early, but osamu doesn’t leave until the both of you start the day eating at the dinner table and talking about the events of yesterday. it’s no doubt he’s still exhausted, so the small gesture of waking up early in the morning to cook your favorite breakfast and the gentle hum that greets you when you wrap your arms around him is enough to make you full. 

༘ suna must be obsessed with you! might be the first thing someone would think when they get their hands on the boy’s phone. his gallery is a gold mine: full of images and videos he takes of you in unknowing times that he has definitely used for blackmail at least twice a week. nibbling on your pen with your eyebrows scrunched when you attempt to start homework, cheek squishing on your pillow as a line of drool slides down the side of your mouth, clutching your stomach and throwing your head back because you’re wheezing too much over something he said, and plenty more embarrassing moments you don’t like looking back on are what fill his storage space. he refuses to delete even a single one, despite how blurry they come out or how you complain about how ridiculous you think you look. suna is obsessed with you — you would know if only you notice how he stops after he snaps a photo, with a small adoring smile that disappears as soon as it comes before he teases you to no end. 

[kevin-day-is-bi]

For my dear @frenemies-to-lovers ​, who is my Knife Wife!! This did turn out on the long side, but I hope you like it!

It’s a Human Thing

Cardan was absolutely, completely, and totally in love with the girl in front of him. He was also not able to focus on how amazing she was because of how odd his human pants felt against his skin. Jeans, Jude had said, thrusting them into his arms. They, she had told him, were going to buy presents. And now they were in this store, this store that was bigger than the High King’s Palace in Elfhame, where everything was bright red. Jude had a list clutched in one hand and was pushing a shopping cart, as she had called it. 

“Okay,” She said, turning the cart down an aisle. “We both need to think of something for Taryn. I am going to get her a new scarf. A human scarf.” She turned to me. “You need to get her something, too.” 

Cardan frowned, staring at what they were walking past. He pulled one off the shelf and popped off the lid. It was a candle.

 “It’s a scented candle.” He looked up at Jude. She was leaning on the cart and smiling slightly. “Sniff it.” 

He raised an eyebrow at her, then sniffed the candle lightly. It smelled like vanilla. Cardan hummed and looked at the other candles on the shelf. He pulled another one off and smelled it. It’s light, jasmine. He held it out to Jude. 

“Would Taryn like this?” She smelled it and nodded. He tossed it in the cart and they kept shopping. 

This was going to be Jude and Taryn’s first Christmas since they were stolen. In Elfhame, they celebrated Solstice. They celebrated it much like they celebrated everything else, with drink and dancing until dawn. Cardan had been assured that they still had drinking and dancing for Christmas, but that there were a few important differences. 

Vivienne and Heather were hosting a party Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and Jude had invited the original Court of Shadows to come. Somehow, three humans and six fae were going to fit into Heather’s incredibly small apartment. When Cardan had voiced his worry, Jude had given him a look. 

Cardan received a lot of looks from Jude. There was a ‘you are being very annoying’ look, a ‘you need to stop drinking now’ look, a ‘you are making me very turned on in the middle of this important meeting’ look. Cardan felt he gained a new look at least once a week. This was a new one. He was pretty sure it meant ‘if you ruin this for me I will cut off your head with Nightfell’. So he had simply assured her they would easily find the space and changed the subject. 

“Ok!” Jude said, tossing a soft-looking midnight blue scarf into the cart. “Ready to go? We still need to wrap them.”

…

“Explain the hat.”

“It’s a human thing.” Cardan raised his eyebrows, looking skeptical. Jude sighed and plunked the red-and-white hat down on his head. “There’s this story they tell kids, I don’t know where it came from, but this fat old man  goes around the world Christmas night and delivers presents to all the kids who have been nice, and coal to all the kids who have been naughty.”

“Is he a fae?” Jude made a face.

“Not that we know of.”

“But he is magic?” 

“Yep.” 

Cardan tilted his head, soft black hair falling over one eye. Jude had her hair pulled back in a thick knot, and Cardan found himself wishing he could run his fingers through it. 

Decorating was more fun than Cardan had thought it would be. There was a tree - not real, Vivienne had said with a scoff. Real ones were messy, - and several garlands of holly strung over windows and doors. Heather had pulled out several boxes of decorations from somewhere. Jude had held the plastic and glass ornaments in her hands every time before she hung them up, seemingly trying to comprehend their existence. Cardan was helping, although he wasn’t entirely sure he was doing it right. There didn’t seem to be much of a pattern, it was more of ‘hang things up where you want’. 

Oak was also helping, though he was doing more talking than hanging. Cardan found himself fascinated by tales of mortal school; hearing a fae child talk about lunch lines and playing games felt like the whole world was slightly tilted. 

“Oh, and in art class we made Christmas decorations! We cut out snowflakes and glued them to blank CDs and decorated them with Sharpies and gems. I brought mine home.” 

Oak ran to the door and dug around in his backpack, pulling out the ornament. It was slightly misshapen, with very bright red and green scribbles on it. Cardan raised a brow, but Jude grabbed it and hung it up right in the front. 

“I hope you aren’t ruining the tree,” Vivienne called from the kitchen. Cardan examined the tree. It had several empty spots and looked as though they had simply thrown the boxes at it. 

“No,” He called back, and Oak snickered. Vivienne came in balancing a tray of mugs and began passing them out. It was hot chocolate with white floating things in it. 

“What are these?” He asked. Heather, having followed Vivienne in, gasped.

 “You’ve never had marshmallows?” She looked horrified, and distantly Cardan wondered if she was as horrified as him on the first night Jude had kissed him. He doubted it. Oak jumped up and down, sloshing his hot chocolate down his arms. 

“They’re amazing! They’re fluffy and light and sweet and you have to try one.” 

Cardan hesitantly took a sip, catching a marshmallow as he did it. After a moment of thoughtful chewing, he nodded. 

“I believe I do enjoy marshmallows,” He said, trying to get another one with his next sip. Oak giggled. 

When Cardan looked up, he noticed Jude giving him another look. He had seen this look before. ‘You are incredibly attractive right now and I am struggling not to throw myself at you with wild abandon’ was the general meaning of it. Cardan was not one to leave and let lie, so he smirked at her, showing just a flash of teeth. Her chin jutted out, challenge ripping through her eyes. 

Cardan went for another sip, but someone knocked on the door. Vivienne went to get it, but when she opened the door she inhaled sharply. 

“It’s a fae,” She said, voice quiet. Jude and Cardan looked at each other and walked over. It was indeed a small fae, short and furry with distressingly long teeth.

“My King,” The creature gasped, bowing. “My Queen.”

“Yes, what is it?” Cardan was annoyed. He had hoped not to be called upon, just for tonight and tomorrow. 

“Your pardon, Majesties. I was told to bring this to you.” The fae held out a cream envelope with a shaking hand. The thick red seal on the back had already been broken, but Cardan could see it was Madoc’s. 

Next to him, Jude drew in a sharp breath. Cardan unfolded the letter and scanned the few short lines of text. Wordlessly, he passed it to Jude. She gave him a quick look and read the letter. Cardan was carefully still, shoulders tight. Her head jerked up to look up at him. 

To Their Majesties,

I will arrive at sundown. I am excited to see the girls and Oak. I am bringing presents.

…

“He’s coming?” Jude stared, wide-eyed, at Vivienne. Vivienne was leaning against the counter, hands wrapped around a mug of coffee. Her own cat eyes went huge, and she pushed off the counter. 

“He isn’t supposed to be.” Vivienne set her mug down and put her hands on her hips. “He certainly isn’t coming into this apartment.” 

Next to her, Taryn pursed her lips and shifted. She fixed her attention on her own cup of coffee and took a sip. 

“Taryn?” Cardan cocked his head slightly. “How do you feel about Madoc coming over?” She mumbled something into her coffee, not looking at any of them. Jude spun to her, eyes narrowed. 

“What was that?” Taryn lowered her cup and reached a hand up to push her hair over her shoulder. She still wasn’t looking at them. 

“I may have invited him.” 

“What?” Vivienne and Jude spoke at once. 

“Well, he raised us! This is his first Christmas and he’s in the mortal world and we haven’t payed him any heed and I wanted to be nice.” Jude stared at her, horrified. “It’s not like he can ruin the whole day. Even he doesn’t have that much power.”

“He almost took over all of Elfhame.” Jude grabbed Taryn’s shoulders, shaking her a little. “He ruined our childhoods and almost ruined both Cardan and I’s reign! Why would you think he can’t ruin Christmas?!” 

Taryn looked taken aback. Cardan crossed his arms. She really should have thought this through. 

“I thought-” Taryn bit her lip. “Maybe Oak would want to see him.” Everyone craned their necks to see into the living room where Oak was furiously typing on a laptop. Jude was the first to snap out of it. 

“Maybe, but if they miss each other a half-hour visit in the park does just fine.” There was something in Jude’s voice, and Cardan turned to look at her. There was anger and annoyance, but Cardan could see in the tightness of her mouth eyes that she was worried, as well. Worried and scared and hurt. 

Taryn kept stammering, but Cardan stopped paying her any attention. He watched Jude, watched the annoyance and anger crest, watched her eyes turn stormy. She turned and left in the middle of Taryn’s pleading to Vivienne, who was just watching with narrowed eyes. Taryn stared after Jude. Cardan followed, nodding slightly to Vivienne as he went. 

Jude stormed to her bedroom and stood by the small window. Cardan shut the door quietly behind them and perched on the bed. He remained silent, waiting for her to speak. She broke after only a few short moments.

“I don’t want him here.” Her breath was coming short and fast as she crossed her arms. “I don’t care if it’s childish. This is my first Christmas since I was six, our first break since Eldred stepped down, the first time we are together and not being attacked, not fighting, not having to plan and plot and handle Orlagh or Nicasia or Locke. I wanted a time where I could be with Vivienne and not be mad at Taryn and see Oak smile.”

She broke off, tilting her head back slightly. When she spoke again, it was softer than before. “He has been a presence in my life forever. Even before I knew it, my life was ruled by him. I just wanted this nice human holiday without him.” 

Her voice rose, and she lashed out a hand and punched the wall. The plaster cracked ever so slightly, and Jude grunted softly. Cardan rose and skirted the bed, going to stand by her. He took her hand gently. Her knuckles were red, and one of them had split open. He glanced up at her face. 

To say she was angry was to say the sea around Elfhame was wet. True, as he couldn’t lie, but vastly underplaying. Cardan had never wished more that he could lie, just so he could hold her and tell her Madoc wouldn’t ruin anything. But Madoc was in the habit of ruining things. Jude sniffled. Cardan looked at her in surprise. 

“I’m not going to cry,” She said sullenly. “Unless it’s out of anger.” 

Cardan hummed and pulled her close. He tucked her head under his chin and rubbed her arms. Cardan had found out that when Jude was upset, physical touch grounded her. Otherwise, she got in her head and spiraled into anger. Cardan, having the opportunity to touch someone he loved for the first time in his life, was all too willing to comply. 

“I can’t stay here,” Jude whispered. “Not with him, not in the same apartment. I don’t want to fight, and I know he’ll ruin it.” She sighed, shoulders hunching under his grip. “I suppose we can go back to Elfhame.” She didn’t sound thrilled. Cardan wished he could just snap his fingers and disappear Madoc. 

“If we go back to Eflhame,” Cardan said, mumbling into Jude’s hair. “We could spend the night in my rooms. We need not deal with anyone else.” She pulled back and wrenched her head towards the window. 

“I don’t have a choice. I simply cannot be in the same apartment as him.” Cardan straightened. Spending Christmas alone was not the worst idea, but it was for Jude. Cardan wondered…

“Come back to Elfhame, and I will try to distract you.” Jude flashed him a smile. 

“You always do such a good job.”

…

Jude opened the carved door. Hair dripping down her back from her bath, she slipped into a blood-red doublet and thick green tights. She sighed, relishing the feeling of the velvet and wool against her skin. It felt like home. 

She squeezed out her hair, then braided it back. Cardan had said he had to do something, then left her to bathe. The bath hadn’t been pleasant, all her anger and fury and worry over Madoc coming out in great heaving gasps. When she had dragged herself out, she had sworn not to think about him for the remainder of the night or for Christmas tomorrow. 

Someone knocked on her door, and she rushed to open it. She blinked in surprise. It was Fand, out of her usual armour and in a black doublet. Fand bowed. 

“Your Majesty. The King asked me to find you.” 

Jude reached back inside the door and found her boots, the comfortable worn leather supple beneath her hands as she laced them up. Then she followed Fand, slightly confused. Fand did not lead her to the throne room, instead leading her to a small dining room attached to Cardan’s rooms. 

When Fand nodded at her and opened the doors, Jude was taken aback. Inside, someone had put up a large pine tree, and it was covered in bright berries and soft glittering cloths. The whole room seemed to shimmer, and wreaths were flung over every chair and onto the mantlepiece. But what was more shocking were the fae inside. 

Surrounding the table were Cardan, The Bomb, The Roach, The Ghost, and Grima Mog, all dressed in fineries. Fand slunk by her and joined them, cerulean skin standing out against the soft browns and greens. The Roach even had on a velvet Santa hat, though it looked odd on him.

Cardan stepped forward, holding two spun glass cups of wine. He handed one to her, taking a sip of the other. Jude shut her mouth, which had fallen open slightly, and gave him a grin. 

“Merry Christmas,” He said, the words sounding odd in his mouth. Jude laughed, taking Cardan’s goblet and setting both of theirs aside. She flung herself at him, hugging him tightly enough he gasped for breath. The Bomb cheered loudly as Jude kissed him. She reveled in the softness of his mouth. He put his mouth to her ear and breathed. “I love you with all of my shabby, worm-eaten, and scabrous heart.” 

“I love you, too,” She whispered back, laughing again and clutching him tighter.  

Merry Christmas!!!

Thank you, @jurdannet​ and @jurdannetrevels​, for hosting this!

[kilyra]

Head cannons on how they show they love you🥰🥰

Anon: Hc for falling/being in love? 😌

I hope you guys don't mind that I put these together, but they are so close that I think my headcanons would be pretty repetitive! Thank you both for giving me requests though, these are really sweet!

(If you want on the headcanon taglist, lemmie know)

Eric Northman: The more Eric falls for you, the more he keeps you from others of his kind. It's not that he isolates you entirely, but while he starts to see the value of human life (or at least the value of one human's life), he realizes that other vamps don't always feel the same. But while stepping between you and others of his kind, he ends up spending all his free time with you, which is all you notice. As soon as the sun is down, he is almost always at your side and his nights soon feel empty if he doesn't see you. Well before he comes to terms with his feeling for you, you've become an important part of his life.  

Helena Bertinelli: It's the little things. Before Helena realizes her feelings for you, she's doing little things to make your day better – buying the fruit that you like or grabbing a bouquet of your favourite flowers to spruce up the dining room table. As she learns more about you, suddenly these things are showing up in your shared life (like your favourite scented candle just randomly burning in her living room one day) and she doesn't even make a point of showing you. On some level, she just wants you near her, so any little tidbit of information you offer is immediately acted on, even if it's on a subconscious level. She just wants you to be comfortable enough in her home that you're happy to stick around more and more...

Frank Castle: The Punisher is a hardass. Everything he does is through grit teeth and with grumbling direction. But as he falls for you, he suddenly can't bring himself to make you so much as cringe. Your safely is his priority, but without realizing it, he's treating you with a gentleness you never thought he could possess. The quiet moments you have together, the calm before the storm, are filled with tenderness that you both quietly hope could stretch on for eternity. And if you happen to be having your quiet moments at your home, he is going above and beyond to make sure everything is in order – fix the steady drip in the kitchen or the draft from the balcony. His natural provider instincts kick in and all he tries to do is make sure you are well cared for, whatever form that comes in.

Matt Murdock: As you and Matt continue to see each other, and your feelings deepen, he can't deny his feelings. However, that doesn't stop the evening that you find yourself stood up while waiting for a certain sexy lawyer to show up. His explanations always seem plausible – a day in court running late or new case information surfacing, so you let it go, even though it digs at you. But, once he accept that he’s fallen head over heels for you, he feels guilty for his lies. As much as the prospect of you leaving over it terrifies him, he knows you can never have anything true if he's hiding such an intimate part of his life from you. So, Matt's display of love is also the hardest test your relationship has ever faced. He reveals who he is – he shows you the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Ward Meachum: Stuff. The way Ward shows his love for you is by showering you with stuff. He frequently finds himself working late despite his desire to take time away from Rand, so to make it up to you, he's often sending dinner or any random thing you've expressed interest in, to your home. As sweet at the gestures are, it's not until you tell him you don't care about any of that, that you just want to see him, that he finally stops. Miracle upon miracles, he starts showing up more in the evenings instead. When Rand takes a back seat, it's clear where his heart lies.

Lucifer: Although you'd expect his gestures to grow grander as he falls in love, it's the opposite. His feelings are expressed through smaller, far more intimate gestures. Whether it's a small token of one of your first dates or an evening with take-out from your favourite restaurants, he is definitely tailoring his actions to what you love. And what makes it an act of love rather than trying to impress you is he doesn't even realize he's doing it. But for each of these small showings of his affections, he actually listened to what you said and put his own thoughts to the side – which is huge in and of itself. While he may not realize it immediately, little else matters to him above your happiness.

Taglist: @foreverfaeries  @flower-two  @getlostinyourparadise   @selfishkiddo  @angelicshinigami  @parkersbabey  @natsukitakama  @bisexual-space-slut​   @soul-of-a-traveller

[solastia]

Day 19

Break My Stride, Yoongi x Jungkook, ABO, 4/4 Chapters, 14k words

YOU KNOW MY DRAMATIC ASS SAVED THIS FOR A FRIDAY! If y'all thought my screeching was annoying before, be prepared for about 10x more screeching and indecipherable noises. As the very wise Deadpool once said, “MAXIMUM EFFORT!”

First off, congratulations because this was your first fic to reach 10k hits (and it’s now at 34K hits, whaaaa??!! A few hundred of those may possibly be from me...possibly...probably...most definitely! lmao)

You know my fave ship is Yoonmin (I don’t take shipping irl seriously, don’t come for me plz) but I absolutely LOVE the dynamics between Kookie and Yoongi in this fic. Your writing, the plot, the dialogue, the whole thing is just top tier deliciousness every step of the way. It is scrumptious, mouth watering, exquisite, uuugh *chef’s kiss* bellissimo!

Ok, LOTS OF SPOILERS BECAUSE THIS FIC IS MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FICTIONAL STORY AND Y’ALL CAN’T STOP ME, MUAHAHAHA!

In the beginning of the story, you create a sense of home for the audience. We feel like we know these characters, we get a sense that they’ve been a group of friends for a very long time, and they each hold a special part of each other’s lives, and it’s freaking beautiful.

“Yoongi shook his head and started picking the olives off his slice of pizza. When he turns to his right to give the olives away, he realizes why he’d felt something was wrong.”

You see! He hadn’t even realized that Kookie was missing, but he felt like something was off.

Oh! And I wanted to ask you about the idea for a mating run! I’ve never read anything like this before, it was an interesting concept to think about. And this would be Yoongi’s 8th run! Oh babey, he was just waiting for the right mate…

“He wasn’t sure what it was, but the image of Jungkook finding someone during the run made him feel…itchy.”

Our boi is already jealous at just the idea of Kookie finding a mate (other than him ofc, but he doesn’t know that yet, bwahahahaha!!)

“Good idea, you’re going to need all the rest you can get,” Seokjin says with an ominous smirk.”

I SHOULD GIVE YOU THE SAME WARNING SEOKJINNIE!!!

“There were even booth setups for merchandise and food.”

OMG, I could see Hobi or Jin buying some cheesy “I survived the 20__ Run and All I Got Was This Shirt”. Or maybe a beer cozy!

“No, he said that would be pointless because his mate’s a cheating cheater that plays dirty. He said the chances of them covering their scent were high. He’s making sure his den is ready,” Seokjin scoffed.

Yoongi accepted the drink Jimin handed him and chuckled. “Sounds like I might actually like them.”

“You have no idea,” Jin said with a snort”

Yoongi, are you so jaded, so blind by your general saltiness that you are not understanding the very obvious clues being thrown your way?!?!?! Kookie, where are you? Put this man in his place please!!

And then when he was told that Kook bought that house he’d had his eyes on for years, uughhh, I was hurting for our Yoonie!

“Yoongi suddenly felt like crying, but he settled for collapsing onto the bench and clenching his fist.”

AAAHHH! But wait a little while Yoongi, I promise all this hurt will be over soon!

“Suddenly, Namjoon growled menacingly, startling everyone. Hoseok looked over to the spot where Namjoon was steadily staring, curiosity in his gaze before it too hardened and he started glaring with bared teeth. A random city Alpha that had been approaching them instantly halted, hands out in surrender.”

HOW COULD I FORGET THIS SUB-PLOT!!! Jin was over there laughing at how oblivious Yoongi was, and he isn’t any better, is he?!? Imagine having Joon and Hobi scaring the competition away like that??!! I would take them home immediately!

“There’s a huge plush rug and plenty of blankets, big fluffy pillows, a little stash of food and entertainment. I even put scent blockers around so no one would smell anything coming from inside,” Yoongi preened as he thought of his perfect hideaway.

Yoongi would def be one to make his little den as comfortable as possible! But I just thought of something. In your earlier description of Yoongi’s apartment, he said it was a bit stark and lacked any real decor. BUT he went out of his way to make this den as comfortable as possible. He bought a string of fairy lights, and he had to go to the big city to get them! It’s almost like it was fate, or maybe deep down he knew that something was going to happen, and he was inadvertently nesting! (please insert “I’ve connected the dots” meme here)

“He was sure there were plenty of Alphas running around with those piercings and Kook’s ginormous honker of a nose.”

:|

Was it really Kook? Or is our boy so in love that he sees Kookie wherever he goes? Lmao!

“Yoongi was about to show this guy that he wasn’t someone to be messed with and he wouldn’t be dragged off to be someone’s good little Omega bitch. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the taser he’d packed just in case.”

OMG, Yoongi is not messing around, absolutely zero chill!

“It seemed presenting had changed him physically as well, shooting him up a couple inches so he towered over Yoongi even more than usual. His arms and legs were rippling with muscle that even the black tracksuit he was wearing couldn’t hide. His face was still the same though; the innocent grin an interesting contrast with the buff build.”

SIR!! My heart cannot take this punishment! And OFC he’s a Prime Alpha, Kookie doesn’t know how to half-ass anything!

“And just like he had a million times before, Yoongi gave in like the soft ass bitch he was.”

He really is soft for all of them!!! Yoongi will let them do whatever they want with him, he’ll complain the entire way but we all know he secretly loves it!

“Yoongi dared a quick look behind him, audibly gulping at the sight of the Alpha staring at his ass like he was a starving man at an all you can eat buffet. Jungkook was grinding his jaw and had his nails dug into the dirt like he was trying to control himself.”

I mean, we’ve all seen the Yoonbooty. It does look very biteable. Relatable AF Kook!

“Jungkook continued poking around in things; picking up a candle to sniff, trying to sneak a peek into the duffle bag, ruffling around in the bag of snacks - all while stealing glances at the bed in the middle of the room. “

WAY TO NOT BE OBVIOUS KOOK!!!

“What are you doing, Kook? You’re wasting time here when you should be out there chasing down your mate. They are probably wondering where you are.”

“They know where I am.”

“You told them you were going to hang out with me and they were fine with it?”

“Hyung, you’re usually so smart. Think about it.”

Every time I read this, I die a little bit inside (in a good way, I promise). Yoongi’s whole world is about to be turned upside down, and he has no idea!!!

“The house…”

Jungkook’s eyes softened, smiling fondly at him. “I bought it for you, hyung. Whether you choose me today or not, it’s yours.”

I cry.

What a courting gift!!! Kook doesn’t understand subtlety, does he??!! And how selfless is this? This is a no-strings attached gift, given to Yoongi out of love.

I cry.

“I love the way we are now, equals with a little bit of babying me on the side,” Jungkook grins when Yoongi snorts, shaking his head fondly at the other.”

I would like to see that please.

AND THEN THIS LINE:

“Omega,” Jungkook says softly, so rife with emotion that Yoongi can hear everything he’s trying to say in just that one word. “May I enter your nest?”

This is it, this is as far as I go fam. I have been destroyed with six whole words. How can such a simple statement hold so much emotion, so much hopeful pleading?

And then the whole interaction on the bed! Yoongi asking if he wants to play cards (bwahahaha, sure Jan), Kookie being prepared to wipe away all the descenting salve, Kook getting scent high, YOONGI’S GRANDPA RUN, those first initial uses of pet names, everything was so intimate and playful. It was beautiful!

“I bet I could easily pick you up and fuck you against a wall sometime if you wanted. Maybe even have you straddle my shoulders and I could suck you off that way,” Jungkook muses so matter of factly despite the subject matter, and Yoongi can feel himself get wetter by the second.”

Aaaaaaand there’s the emotional whiplash I’ve come to love from you!

“Whatever you want. You’re in charge.”

Kookie being selfless again! I cannot! It’s about these little things that are done between partners that really matter. Kook is a newly presented virgin Prime Alpha in the midst of a claiming, and his first priority is still making sure Yoongi feels good. He’s giving him all the power here.

“Good,” Yoongi yawns loudly and throws a couple of blankets over them, tangling their legs together. “Later we can try the thing with the nipples.”

Again, I would like to see that please.

“Suddenly, Yoongi’s eyes shoot open and he gasps.

“Oh shit! Your brother is going to kill me!”

Jungkook merely laughs”

😂😂😂

“I’ll give you some meat,” Yoongi grumbles playfully as he climbs off the bed, stretching his aching limbs.

“I mean, I’m down for anything,” Jungkook giggles.”

Not to sound like a broken record, but...I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT PLEASE

“Jungkook walked straight towards the first woman he saw with a clipboard, blindsiding the stunned woman with one of his lethal smiles while he wrapped an arm around Yoongi’s waist to pull him close.

“Hi! We both need mating packets.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes because he could tell that Jungkook was practically bragging instead of just asking like a normal person.”

He’s practically bragging about Yoongi being his mate! I have a feeling Kookie is going to be unbearable to be around in the upcoming weeks.

And then we get a teeny tiny peek at the Nam-Jin-Hobi subplot and ooomg I hope you’re able to explore this particular pairing in the future. There is so much potential there for steamy/fluffy scenes!

“I just mean, like, soulmates. You know? Maybe we were supposed to meet to help each other find our mates. Or maybe we are all soulmates in various forms.”

DON’T! DON’T HURT ME THIS WAY, I CANNOT AND WILL NOT SURVIVE!

AAAAH this fic was wonderful! It feels complete the way you ended it, but I am definitely still craving more! Good job, dayumm!

It still amazes me how many people have read this one lol. But yeah, this is one of my favorites too. I do have other side stories that I’m working on for this one, including one from Jk’s birthday and another for Namjinseok.

I just really really love writing people that are so unapologetically whipped. Like, it’s such a major thing for me because in real life there are a ridiculous amount of people that are embarrassed to show how much they care about their SO, and like, why? Why are you even with them if you’re so embarrassed to show them any affection? Show the world that you are proud they choose to be with you, show your person that they are precious. I’m not even saying buy them shit all the time (because for some reason het males seem to think that’s what everyone means). I mean hold their damn hand, write them a note, tell them they are pretty. There’s a reason that a person who technically still identifies as gay man is in a steady relationship with me, a pan woman. And it’s because I fucking treat him like he’s the reason my heart beats and I’m not ashamed to show the world. Ok, I’m ranting now lol. I’ll stop. But you get the picture.

[bluejaybabbles-archive]

IS IT TOO GAY OF ME TO ASK FOR ALL THREE MIDWEST MONSTERS WIP CHARACTESR FOR THE SOFT MEME... i just love them DEARLY

IT IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT AMOUNT  OF GAY TO ASK FOR ALL THREE OF THEM MAX 

Putting this under a cut bc it got a bit lengthy!

Let’s go in alphabetical order! First up, Antonia Figueroa!

what they smell like

I haven’t thought about this much, but definitely something soft...like fresh laundry, or something floral! She tries to seem aloof and standoffish, but she’s really just. So soft, if you gain her trust, so I think her scent would reflect that! 

what their favorite smells in the world are

Vanilla!! She has far too many vanilla candles. She also loves the smell of the ocean breeze. The last time she went to Puerto Rico, she used her magic to bottle the ocean breeze, and when she’s stressed, she opens the bottle and just sits in the scent for a while.

what pajamas they wear/what they wear to sleep in

Big t-shirts! She has a collection of graphic tees just for sleeping in. A lot of them have the Pepsi logo on them ajsdbsdufh and some of them are just like. You know those tacky shirts with the animals printed on them?? These ones:

[id: a grey t-shirt with images of a bald eagle, a mountain lion, a wolf, and a moose on it.]

Yeah.

my favorite ship (if applicable) and a cute hc about them

okay this one’s gonna be a little hard bc Toni, Javi, and Avery are all in a polyamorous triad so OBVIOUSLY I ship them all together but also! I definitely ship Antonia with Triss, a monster hunter from the Summer Court!! I can’t decide if it’s a casual thing or if Antonia is just also in a serious relationship with Triss, but Triss is over at Toni’s place all the time. Triss takes a big interest in Toni’s witchcraft and asks lots of questions, and she definitely curls up on her couch and reads spell books while Toni’s mixing potions or smth!

my favorite friendship (if applicable) and a cute hc about them

Antonia and Javi!! Like yeah they’re partners but a) they don’t start off as partners, and b) YOU SHOULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOUR PARTNERS!! They’re the kind of friends that bounce snarky fake-insults off each other and then just end up cuddling on the floor and playing with each other’s hair. They’d also definitely bond over their experiences in being Puerto Rican out in the Land of Corn and Ghosts and Corn Ghosts

a song that reminds me of them

Wild Roses by Of Monsters and Men! Specifically this part Gets Me:

Down by the creek, I couldn’t sleep, so I followed a feelin’

Sounds like the vines, they are breathing

(Oh it sounds like, it sounds like, it sounds like, it sounds, oh)

And I’ve seen the way the seasons change when I just give it time

But I feel out of my mind all the time

In the night I am wild-eyed, and you got me now

what animal i think they would be if they were an animal

She would ABSOLUTELY be a cat. 100% a grumpy cat who reveals her True Soft Nature around maybe one or two people. She says “mother I crave violence” but what she really craves is a good snuggle session

what position they sleep in

She starts off on her back, but she’s a restless sleeper, so she usually ends up on her side by the end of the night! She definitely starfishes, though, which becomes a little bit of a problem when she, Javi, and Avery start sleeping in the same bed aifhsidgh

their favorite drink

PEPSI!! She’s specifically a big fan of wild cherry pepsi, but regular pepsi also works. At any given time she’s probably wearing some sort of pepsi memorabilia. 

a gift i would give them if i could

Spell ingredients! Dried plants from my yard! A ticket to PR! also this:

[id: a white shirt with the word Pepsi across the chest in blue. Beneath the word Pepsi is the Pepsi logo, a red, white, and blue circle. The shirt also has several Pepsi logos down the sleeves.]

Next up we have Avery!

what they smell like

Avery smells earthy and like. Fresh?? Crisp?? At the same time?? Kind of like a winter morning in the woods! Y’know that smell of “things are still alive here, the cold is just keeping them dormant”? That!!

what their favorite smells in the world are

His senses were enhanced during his time in the Court of the Moon, so he has some OPINIONS about smells ajfhsdiufhud that said! He LOVES fruity smells, specifically citrus scents! He’s also a big fan of the smell of fresh baked goods, whether that be bread or cookies or brownies!

what pajamas they wear/what they wear to sleep in

So Avery sleeps nude and keeps clothes next to the bed so he can put them on really quick if he needs to, HOWEVER! Javi eventually compiles a collection of lounge wear for him! (”Come on, you can’t just be in going-out clothes and armor all the time! Isn’t that uncomfortable?” “If I get uncomfortable I just get naked.” “I’m going out and buying you clothes right now.”) It’s honestly wild to see someone who wears mostly blacks and greys standing around his house in baby blue pajama pants with raccoons on them, or in a sheer green sleep shirt that says “Sunday is for snuggling”

my favorite ship (if applicable) and a cute hc about them

Okay so here I’m gonna focus on him and Antonia because holy WOW they’re so sweet, like!! Antonia feels like she can be herself around him, which is so rare. She’s his main supplier for spells and things since she knows the way he works, but also he says he goes to her because she “casts her spells/brews her potions with love” and that “makes them all the more effective.” He definitely comes to her place if a hunt goes wrong and she does the whole “patches you up while affectionately calling you an idiot” thing

my favorite friendship (if applicable) and a cute hc about them

Avery and Triss!! Triss is the first person Avery really opened up to after being released from the Court of the Moon. Even though the Celestial Courts are...different from the others, he felt that another monster hunter would be the one to understand him most. She helps him open up to more people, and shows him the beauty of the world. I imagine she gathers bouquets of wildflowers and “weeds” and brings them to him sometimes!!

a song that reminds me of them

Some Kind of Disaster by All Time Low! Especially these parts:

I woke up from a never-ending dream

I shut my eyes at 17

I lost every moment in between

I felt the sun rise up and swallow me, yeah

and

I crashed down from a high that felt so real

I never knew how much it would hurt to feel

You gotta hurt sometimes to learn to heal

You gotta get back up and learn to deal, yeah

AND

And it’s all my fault that I’m still the one you want

So what are you after?

Some kind of disaster (Some kind of disaster)

Fuck I gotta. I gotta go listen to this song now. I’m having Feelings

what animal i think they would be if they were an animal

Y’know, I was gonna be tacky and say a wolf, but now that I’m thinking about it...he’d be a coyote. Adaptable, can be a loner or in a pack, tend to be crepuscular when around humans, some people are very adamant about how they should be shot on sight.....

what position they sleep in

If he’s sleeping alone, he’ll sleep on his side, but if he’s sleeping with other people, he sleeps on his back so they can curl up on his chest!

their favorite drink

Water. Like, actually, he really loves ice water. Sometimes he’ll get frisky and drink *gasp* flavored water!

a gift i would give them if i could

A weighted blanket! Like, I know you have to be able to jump right up and get to work if duty calls or whatever, but can you please get one night of deep sleep?? And a hug. Someone hug this man

Last but CERTAINLY not least, Javi Justiniano! 

what they smell like

Fresh rain on dirt, crushed rosemary, and fresh cut wood! 

what their favorite smells in the world are

They absolutely ADORE the smell of peppermint! They’re also a big fan of pumpkin spice candles. It really is a shame they love seasonal scents so much sdifuhdiu I imagine they try to stock up as much as they can to last them through the year

what pajamas they wear/what they wear to sleep in

Okay so Javi is EXTREMELY tacky and will wear like. A sheer nightgown and silly patterned pants as pajamas. So a combination like this:

[id: a pale person with long, dark hair wearing a sheer and lacy white nightgown]

[id: a pair of black pajama pants with a red waistband and a red pocket. The pants are decorated with images of various red lobsters and the words “Pinch Me...I’m Dreaming”]

If anyone asks them about it they just shrug and say “I’m nonbinary, it’s allowed”

my favorite ship (if applicable) and a cute hc about them

Here, I’m gonna talk about Javi and Avery because Holy Shit I Love Them. Javi is EXTREMELY chaotic and Avery rolls his eyes about it but secretly adores everything about them. Like. Javi canonically drunk calls Avery and asks him to carry them to bed because they don’t think they can make it up the stairs and Avery actually does it. And when Avery’s about to leave, Javi asks him to stay until they fall asleep, and he stays until morning, and hold on I gotta sit down--

my favorite friendship (if applicable) and a cute hc about them

So I’ve already talked about how Javi and Toni’s friendship is AMAZING but I wanna give a shout out to Javi’s as of yet unnamed roommates! Like, they have to deal with the random monsters that Javi attracts and at this point they’re pretty unfazed by them. They walk into the kitchen and see a weird floating eyeball with wings or some shit and Javi’s like “I’m sorry it was there when I woke up” and they go “It happens. Does it like peaches bc ours are about to go bad” 

a song that reminds me of them

3am by Halsey! Specifically this part:

My self-preservation and all of my reservations

Are sittin’ and contemplating what to do with me, do with me

Think I took it way too far

And I’m stumblin’ drunk, getting in a car

My insecurities are hurtin’ me

Someone please come and flirt with me

I really need a mirror that’ll come along and tell me that I’m fine

I do it every time

I keep on hanging on the line, ignoring every warning sign

Come on and make me feel alright again

Baby. Has some abandonment issues. It’s probably fine.

what animal i think they would be if they were an animal

DEFINITELY a dog. Like, a big, sweet, clingy dog whose adoption profile labels them as “Thinks they’re a lap dog, so they need to be taught not to fall asleep on top of you. Unless that’s something you want!” 

what position they sleep in

On their tummy or their side! They don’t like going to sleep alone, so they have a couple people-sized stuffed animals to snuggle in bed. When Antonia, Javi, and Avery are all asleep in the same bed, Javi’s in the middle, curled up on Avery’s chest, and Toni is spooning Javi. It’s so good

their favorite drink

An iced mocha with peppermint syrup and LOTS of whipped cream! Most drinks are honestly just a vessel for whipped cream for them

a gift i would give them if i could

A big house with a nice backyard, and also a big dog to snuggle when they have to go to sleep alone! I’m totally not projecting! 

THANK YOU AGAIN MAX, this was a lot of fun and I’m even more excited to write about these characters now!! 

[creampuffqueen]

chase the sky into the ocean- two

Here’s the Christmas themed one I was talking about earlier. I know it’s only September but I seriously couldn’t help myself. Besides, everyone needs some Elriel fluff in their life.

The lyrics are from the song Christmas in the Room by Sufjan Stevens. 

Read this on Ao3 Here!

~~~~

i’ll dance with you, i’ll laugh with you, like it’s christmas in the room

Oh, I can’t see the day when we’ll die

But I don’t care to think of silence

For now I hear you laughing

The greatest joy is like the sunrise

Winter Solstice was a beautiful time of year, Elain had to admit. Though it was a well-known fact that she preferred the warmth of spring and summer, winter had its own charm.

Winter Solstice was not only a celebrated holiday, it was Feyre’s birthday. Elain had spent the morning with her younger sister, and even now, in the evening, their shared laughs and smiles still echoed in her mind.

It was dark outside. It was always so dark in the winter. Elain supposed that was why the solstice was so celebrated in the Night Court. 

“Are you comfortable, love?” Azriel’s soft voice prompted her out of her thoughts. Even simply looking at him, the male that she loved, brought a grin to her face.

Azriel handed her a wine glass that was half-full, and he sat next to her on the couch with his own. After giving him a moment to situate his wings, Elain leaned into the warmth of her husband.

She swirled the wine thoughtfully in her glass, though she didn’t drink. Instead, she admired the tree, and the fire blazing in the hearth.

Az had picked the tree; a sturdy, straight pine. Elain had decorated it, painstakingly covering it in faerie lights and winter blooms. The green of the needles was offset by red and white flowers, and glass baubles that shimmered in silver and gold. 

“I’m tired.” She murmured, more to herself than anything. She’d woken up early to visit Feyre, as well as her young nephew, Cirrus. The boy was ten months old and days away from walking. She’d stayed there until the afternoon, where she then went to eat lunch with Nesta and Cassian, and their own little bundle of joy, Tess.

She’d rushed home from lunch to the market to buy ingredients for dinner, and had busied herself with doing that. Before she knew it, it was time to leave, and she and Azriel had spent hours at the River House, spending time with the Inner Circle and opening gifts. By the mother, she’d been on her feet all day.

“We don’t have to go out, Elain. Nobody will mind if we go to bed.” Elain smiled up at her husband, pressing a chaste kiss to his jaw. She pulled away gently, keeping her fingers cupped on his cheek. His hazel eyes were soft as he looked down at her, curled up against him.

“I don’t want to go to bed.” Elain said after a moment. “I just want to stay here, with you.”

Azriel took her hand from his face and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Of course.” 

Elain set her wine glass down on the side table, not feeling like alcohol. She took Azriel’s as well, so he’d have both hands free to hold her close.

He did just that, tugging her onto his lap and kissing the top of her head. Elain could not remember ever feeling so happy, so loved, as when Azriel looked at her. Like she was the only person in his world.

Outside, a jaunty tune started, the beginning of the night time celebrations. People would party until dawn, honoring the longest night of the year.

Elain relaxed into Azriel’s touch, letting him run his fingers through her loose hair. Her eyes fluttered closed, though she hummed softly along to the music outside.

When she blinked her eyes open again, the dim faerie lights greeted her. The light reflected off the shiny paper that was still under the tree, from the gifts she and Azriel had given each other.

Feeling suddenly compelled to do so, she gently pushed out of Azriel’s embrace and made her way to the mantle, where small paintings and evergreen garlands lay. 

Instead, Elain reached up for a small white candle, and brought it back to the side table. A box of matches sat there, and she used one to light the candle. The scent of cinnamon filled the room, and she smiled.

“A change in scent.” She said to her husband, who lounged on the couch still. Outside, in the streets, the music faded away, then came back again, with a gentler song. 

“Dance with me.” Azriel offered. He stood up and held out a hand, which Elain gladly took. It wasn’t a real dance, but she didn’t care in the slightest. It was a gentle movement, a swaying to the music, and breathing in each others’ scents. 

“Happy Solstice.” Elain said, letting Azriel twirl her across the room. The fire in the hearth blazed merrily, and the happy song outside continued.

“Happy Solstice, Elain.” He repeated. They moved slowly, savoring the feel of the other in their arms. 

In his arms, Elain felt safe. Safer than she had felt in a long time. Even being wrapped in her mother’s arms had never felt so wonderful. Despite this, she felt a sudden nervousness, an apprehension at what she was about to say.

“Azriel.” She murmured. “There’s something I need to tell you.” He stopped moving, though he still held onto her. His eyes were gentle, so gentle. In his gaze, she felt a spark of confidence in her chest.

“I wanted to tell you a while ago, but I decided to wait until I was sure.” 

“Sure of what?” He asked.

“Sure that my vision was right.” Elain continued. “I wanted to be sure… that I’m pregnant. That we’re having a baby.”

Azriel stood before her, looking utterly flabbergasted. He was normally so adept at hiding his emotions, but at her words, his jaw dropped. 

“A baby?” He breathed. “An actual baby?”

“Yes, love.” Elain said softly. “We’re having an actual baby, and I’m completely sure of it.”

Azriel pulled her forward, tears gathering in his eyes. He lifted her up and kissed her, twirling her around as he did so. Elain still heard the gentle music outside, and she was sure the moment couldn’t get any more perfect.

“I’m going to be a dad. You’re going to be a mother- Elain, you’ll be the best mother.” He still kept her aloft in his arms, grinning from ear to ear as he talked. 

Then he put her down and kneeled, dark wings flaring slightly. He leaned forward and kissed her still-flat stomach, tickling her through the fabric of her dress. Elain giggled and held one of his hands, feeling tears come to her own eyes as well.

“I love you so, so much.” Azriel’s voice was confident, and strong. And his eyes were full of devotion. Elain ran her hands through his dark hair, feeling on top of the world. 

In about seven months, she would have a baby. She would have her own son or daughter to hold and to love, forever and always. And Azriel would, too. 

He stood up, tugging her close and capturing her mouth in a deep kiss, his hands cupping her face. When Elain pulled away, breathless, she stole a glance around his wings.

The song they’d danced to had long ended, another bright tune in its place. However, that was not what caught her attention. 

Small, white flakes were falling from the sky. Snow. The ground outside was already covered in it, leftover from a small snowstorm a few days prior. But fresh flakes were falling on top of that, leaving the snow banks covered in powder. Elain couldn’t help her gasp of delight, causing Azriel to turn and look.

“Snow.” He breathed. “For our little winter baby.”

“It’ll be born in the autumn, silly.” She giggled. 

He turned back and smiled at her, wider than she’d ever seen him. “I don’t give a damn when it’s born. Just as long as we’re all right here together for it.”

Elain felt her own smile broaden. “Happy Solstice, Azriel.” 

“Happy Solstice, Elain.” He replied. Tenderly, he brushed a scarred hand over her abdomen, where their tiny little baby grew. 

“And happy Solstice to you, Baby Archeron.”

[starfoxrry]

soooo no one tagged me to do this but i’m gonna do it anygays bc :O

1. Big White Lie (263k) by acrayonsmile (ao3)

You’re not running on three hours of sleep.

You don’t have a headache.

You’re not an omega.

You’re Louis Tomlinson: Beta.

Louis has been pretending to be something he’s not for as long as he can remember. Will the pack find out before it’s too late to fix him?

2. Cold Little Heart (194k) by @seduced-by-curls

Louis is a soft omega with an abusive past and an alpha child A few months after getting a divorce, Louis meets Harry, an ex-military alpha wolf that offers him something -odd.

In exchange for teaching him how to cook, Harry will babysit his son, Abraham Louis really could use the help.

3. Now In A Minute (150k) by @avocadolouie

13 feels like yesterday for many people, but for Louis it actually was.

More than anything in the world, Louis Tomlinson dreams of growing up. Simply skipping over all of the awkward, embarrassing years of teenage existence and getting on with life. Real life.

So when thirteen-year-old Louis wakes up in the body of his thirty-year-old self, he expected everything in his adult life to be picture perfect. And maybe it is. He has it all…or so it seems.

Except his favorite person and lifelong best mate, Harry Styles, is totally missing from the equation and Louis doesn’t understand why. He has a lot of catching up to do and as adult life turns out to be more than what he bargained for, Louis can’t help wondering why a life that seemed so perfect, feels so empty.

Or the 13 going on 30 au that should have been done years ago.

4. Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) (54k) by @rainbowsandgucci​

Louis is staying at his Aunt’s farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles.

Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry’s friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

He also starts to fall in love with Harry.

Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

5. Only You Can Be My Alpha (194k) by @wubwubnparmaham

The one where Louis is banished from his tribe, and lands himself in Harry’s instead. The alluring Pack Alpha makes Louis question his nature and he doesn’t know how he feels about that. But you can’t fight destiny.

6. Where You Lay (86k) by @ham-palpert

When Louis’s upcoming heat threatens his success at his new dream job, he asks the best (and only) person he can think of to help him through it: his best mates’ best mate, Harry Styles. Harry reluctantly accepts, and together the two navigate a strange friends with benefits relationship that quickly turns complicated.

7. Tangled Up In You (45k) @missandrogyny​

Harry blinks once. And blinks again. And says, his voice dangerous: “Niall, did you get me a mail-order bride?”

Because what the actual fuck. It kind of looks like Niall’s just purchased a person. For Harry.

Niall blinks back at him for a few moments, before throwing his head back and howling with laughter. Harry throws a pillow at him. Hard. “No, what the fuck, Harry.”

“A prostitute then?” Harry also doesn't want a prostitute.

“Of course not!”

“A stripper?”

“No!”

Damn, he’s running out of ideas. He settles for launching another pillow at Niall’s head. Niall bats it away easily, still laughing. “Stop!”

“What did you get me, then?!” Niall must hear the tinge of hysteria in his voice, because he’s pulling himself together, trying to stop himself from laughing.

There’s still a big grin on his face, though, when he says, “I got you a professional cuddler.”

A professional…what. “What?”

8. Have You Coming Back Again (31k) by @crazyupsetter 

It’s five o’clock in the morning. Louis has a lecture at half eight. He could be using this time to study or to do his readings or to go to the gym, but - well. He doesn’t have any exams coming up, he’s not going to his seminar today anyway and he hates the gym.

Instead he’s using this time to fuck with Harry Styles’ poor little brain.

Louis jogs across the street and jabs the key into the car door. It opens easily, not that he was expecting anything else. He copied the key for a reason, after all.

He’s got Harry’s schedule memorized, more because the guy keeps following him around than anything, so he doesn’t bother looking around before climbing behind the wheel and setting his bag on the passenger seat. It’s a Monday, which means that Harry doesn’t even get out of bed before noon unless he’s planning on harassing Louis.

9. All The Right Moves (32k) by @cherrystreet​

This is the third game in a row that Harry has been distracted by the noisy boy in the stands, five rows back.

There’s really no reason that he should feel compelled to stare into the audience as frequently as he is, but he can’t help it. This boy is a nuisance. And he’s loud. Even from basketball court with nine other players running by him, shoes squeaking on the shiny hardwood floor, and thousands of cheering college students, Harry can hear this boy nearly shrieking, his laugh more like a cackle than anything.

It’s seriously obnoxious.

10. Worth Dying For (44k) by @crazyupsetter 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. In the center of the table, a set of three glossy photos stares up at him, mocking him.

“A security detail is non-negotiable, Louis, you know this,” his mum reminds him, tapping the middle photo with two fingers.

Louis doesn’t look back down at the pictures, gesturing towards them wildly, over-dramatically. “This is not a security detail!” he protests. “This is a lanky college student. In what world do you hire someone like this kid to protect me?”

11. Another Day Gettin' Into Trouble (25k) by @crazyupsetter

Harry’s drunk when the idea occurs to him. He’s also a pop star, so sometimes his drunk ideas turn into actual things instead of just ideas. The clone-a-willy kit is one of them.

In Harry’s defense, when he first thinks about it his intention is just to buy the kit and give it to Louis to make his own dildo with, because that’s what he wants anyway, right? To have a penis filling him up?

Then he realizes that it would be weird if Louis made a copy of his own dick to fuck himself with. It’d be super weird. Louis fucking himself? That’s a weird idea. Harry’s pretty sure Louis wouldn’t like that.

Clearly the only solution here is to use his own dick for the mold.

12. A Sea Without Water, A Compass Without Direction (84k) by sincerely_inge (AO3)

”Tell me, Louis,” Captain Styles said, leaning forward a little. ”D’you think I’m an idiot?”

”I—what?” Louis asked, surprised by the blunt question. He had expected something different, something along the lines of how he learned music, or how he ended up as a prisoner on the other ship.

”Do you think I’m an idiot?” The captain repeated, putting emphasis on each word as though Louis couldn’t understand him otherwise.

”Of course not,” Louis said, shaking his head. He’d be a fool for thinking such a thing, and an even bigger fool for saying it out loud. ”Captain.”

Captain Styles nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap. ”Then why did you lie to me?”

”L-Lie?”

”Out on the deck. You lied to me,” he said. He held up his hand, three fingers up. ”Three lies total. I hate liars.”

13. I Know How To Whisk (But Teach Me Anyway) (32k) by @2tiedships2​

Louis scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t understand. Unmated alphas don’t just go into a rut out of nowhere. Unless…”

Louis grabbed onto Niall’s arm in desperation. “Am I a homewrecker? Does Harry have a mate? Oh my God, was he not flirting? Did the change in his scent not have anything to do with my smell yesterday? Did I just make that up!?”

Louis let go of Niall and dropped his face in his hands. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“You’re an idiot,” Niall stated. Louis looked up to find Niall rolling his eyes. He snapped his laptop closed and moved to stand up. “I need to get some work done. Why don’t you stay here and think back to ABO dynamics 101.”

With that Niall hopped off the couch and headed to his room. He stopped and turned to Louis before he made it to the hall and said, “Oh, and Lou. You may want to reconsider your outlook on soulmates.”

Louis yelled after him. “Soulmates aren’t a thing, Niall!”

Or the one in which banana bread just might make Louis change his mind about soulmates.

14. The Compulsion to Find Love (140k) by @toomanylarrytears​

The most prestigious English third-level institution, Candling University, accepts omega students for the first time and Louis Tomlinson applies with bright eyes and brighter ambitions. There he encounters personal obstacles, traditional mindsets and a beautiful boy who inverts every prejudice Louis has ever known.

15. Let Me Feel Your Heartbeat (34k) by @angelichl​

Harry is 98% sure Louis hates him. So he feels like his bewilderment is justified when the omega offers to help him through his rut.

16. For Reasons Wretched And Divine (94k) by indiaalphawhiskey (AO3)

Ten years ago, Harry Styles was just a nerdy kid with one friend and a debilitating crush on the captain of his school’s football team. He thought the stars were smiling down on him the day he and Louis Tomlinson were paired for their end-of-term Literature project. But because Harry’s life is decidedly not a fairytale, the budding friendship quickly leads to the least happy ending of all time.

Now, Harry Styles is a household name. Barely twenty-seven with two Grammy nominations to his name, the singer-songwriter is poised to take the music industry by storm with his highly anticipated third album. So, what happens when the best producer in the business is also the only person Harry’s vowed never to speak to again?

An AU in two parts. Two boys, two stories, and hopefully, two chances at love.

17. Friendly Neighborhood Spideypool (18k) by @shitucute

“Don’t fuck with me, I’m not in the mood.” Louis’ got the urge to punch him in the face, but he knows deep down that if anything it’ll just add fuel to Harry’s innuendo fire.

“You know I only fuck you, not with you. There’s a difference. It’s slight but still there.” He’s joking, but it’s sincere in a way that only Deadpool could make it. It gives Louis a strange mix of emotions, his body doesn’t know whether to fill with butterflies or to knee Deadpool in the balls again for insinuating them fucking.

or, Harry is Deadpool and Louis is Spider-Man and they’ve got way too much history

18. Strawberries & Cigarettes (74k) by @dimpled-halo

Harry looks up and immediately freezes. Next to Ms. Archie stands the boy from just the other day. The boy with the leather jacket and chipped black nails, that might or might not be sketched in the very book Harry has just placed on the table in front of him. The leather jacket is missing today, probably because they aren’t allowed as part of their required uniform attire, but Harry can still see the fading black nail polish on his nails, and eyeliner around his eyes. Harry’s mouth goes a little dry. This boy is so intriguing to him.

“Ye-yes, Ms. Archie?” Harry tries to play it cool, but he’s almost positive that his cheeks are burning red, and he’s relieved neither of them can tell how fast his heart is beating in his chest.

The boy seems to also recognize Harry, because his lips curve into a knowing smirk.

“Harry is at the top of his class. He’s your best bet at getting familiar with things around here.” She explains.

Louis nods, his smirk still very prominent on his face. “Thank you Ms. Archie. I’ll be sure to take advantage of young Harold here.”

Summary: Two stories, eleven years, and the two boys that never stopped loving each other.

19. Mark my word (we gon’ be alright) (35k) by harioandlouigi

“He’s always known that there would come a time when Harry would bond with some beautiful, quiet omega, and they would have lots of curly-haired pups and live happily ever after.

Knowing it and living it are two very different things, though. Watching the object of your affection desperately search for a mate and completely disregard you as an option is all sorts of painful, but it is what it is, and Louis is just going to have to learn to live with that.”

Or, an A/B/O AU featuring an oblivious Harry as the pack leader, a pining Louis as his second-in-command, and an entourage of friends and family who are a little too good at keeping their mouths shut.

20. Let’s Fall in Love in a Place You Want to Stay (134k) by @harryventura

A George of the Jungle / Tarzan AU where Louis is a model who meets Wild Man Harry in the Congo. He was raised by apes and barely speaks a word of English and turns Louis’ life upside down

21. Why Cant It Be Like That (63k) by @taggiecb

Louis Tomlinson, head of his local hospital’s charity fund, suddenly finds himself in the heart of the Royal family when his mother marries the third son of the reigning monarch. Such an upset in lifestyle brings a lot of changes for Louis, one of them being the need for a stylist.

Enter Harry Styles, a cutting edge fashion stylist who loves his job and prides himself on his passion. The first time he sees Louis Tomlinson on the cover of a tabloid he wants to dress him, style him, make him as beautiful as Harry knows he could be. When he’s hired to do just that, he knows this will be a perfect partnership. That is, until he actually meets the man.

A fashion AU with a royal twist, where Louis doesn’t need a stylist, Harry’s thrilled to have a real life Barbie doll, and they’re both very wrong about each other.

22. blind from this sweet, sweet craving (31k) by @missandrogyny

"So, I guess we'll go?" Louis asks later, when Harry has calmed down and eaten his weight in Chinese food. He plays with this chopsticks, spearing another piece of chicken and pops it in his mouth. "I mean, I wouldn't mind. We could make it an adventure."

Harry observes him, watches him seated across from him on their old living room carpet, with a container of food on his lap. He's fidgeting, avoiding meeting Harry's gaze–he probably knows that Harry's mad at him for ruining the one chance they had to get out of this situation. And he's not wrong, Harry is definitely very mad. Harry wants to strangle him and castrate him and smack him upside the head.

But he's also Harry's best friend, and despite everything, despite all the fuck-ups and the plot twists and everything just not playing out the way it should, he'd still rather be stuck in this situation with Louis than any of the other boys. He's got Harry's back, and in a weird, abstract way, he knows they'll be able to get out of this situation, together.

Harry sighs. "We're going," he says resignedly, his shoulders slumping.

Oh well. There are definitely worse ways to spend the weekend than pretending to be engaged to his best friend.

23. led by your beating heart (29k) by @missandrogyny​

Nick leans over. "Oh," he says, his voice smug. "Who is that?"

Harry just blinks at his phone. "Um," he manages to stammer out.

"Who's that, Harry?" Nick asks again, but this time he raises his eyebrows and smirks. Harry knows Nick is just teasing, and that he's not really looking for new Harry Styles gossip, but, um. He might have found something. Accidentally.

Harry opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is another 'um'. He really needs to work on translating his thoughts into words. But then it probably wouldn't be any helpful right now, would it? His mind is as blank as a newly erased etch-a-sketch.

"Oh," Nick says again, this time gleefully, seemingly having picked up on Harry's distress. "Looks like we've got a story here! Are you going to call or delete her number?"

Her number. So Nick thinks it's a girl. Well, Harry can't blame him: 'Lou' is kind of an androgynous nickname. His stylist's name is Lou.

But this Lou, well, Louis, he's kind of, really, really not a girl. He's really pretty though, which, is something.

(Or: AU where Harry's in One Direction, Louis isn't, and they reconnect over a game of 'Call or Delete'.)

24. Queen Of Arizella (197k - wip) by @seduced-by-curls

Stealing from Royalty is punishable by death.

Louis starts over, doing his best to keep his hands at his sides but he is hungry and he tries stealing from the wrong Royal.

Harry is King of Arizella, he needs a Queen and who better than an omega on the run from death? Louis will learn to become the perfect Queen -the perfect fake Queen, but only for a few months.

A fake lover, a fake Queen, but a real bond.

i tag: @bottomlouis @iconichalo @tinytommoson @oioilarrie @chaoticsue @babyy-honey and anyone who wants to do it just say i tag u 

[xcherry-popx]

also!! I love you and your ideas

white king 1/black knight 2 (houdini/persephone)

   Who accidentally pushes a door instead of pulling/vice versa

probably persephone! she usually corrects herself, but sometimes when she’s stressed she’ll just keep trying the same thingi think houdini would end up opening doors more often, since persephone prefers to walk behind people. neither of them like having someone behind them, but houdini is better at hiding itonce they start to trust each other fully, they walk side by side!

   Who doodles little hearts all over the desk with their initials inside them

both of them are a bit too reserved to do that. but if you catch houdini alone, you might find him casting illusions of beautiful art and ocean landscapes coated with the same purple netting that appears when he makes something persephone can see.

   Who starts the tickle fights

houdini tried, once. he did it with his friend once, as a kid. so when he uses his illusions to help him sneak up on persephone, he thought it would be fun for the both of them.

persephone screamed and lashed out at houdini before melting into a panic attack. it took an hour for her to calm down. houdini doesn’t try to sneak up on her again, and asks before touching her.

eventually, they become comfortable with each other. persephone is the one who suggests a “tickle battle”. no magic or other advantages. they both hide around the house and search and find each other, and if they can tickle the other for ten seconds they score a point

once they reached 36-36, they decide it’s a draw

   Who starts the pillow fights

persephone would! houdini never really knew what a pillow fight was, so he was very confused the first time it happened.

   Who falls asleep last, watching the other with a small affectionate smile

i think at first, neither sleep much between nightmares and with houdini never trusting anybody this much before, and with persephone only falling asleep with a (rather abusive) ex boyfriend, they end up talking all night long instead.however, once they trust each other more, houdini starts to fall asleep first. while persephone can’t watch him, technically, she can feel his soft breathing and trace the shape of his face, and thats enough for her to feel content, wondering how she got so lucky. when she does drift off, her arms are wrapped around houdini tightly.

   Who mistakes salt for sugar

they both might! unless it’s in a container (sugar doesn’t normally come in salt shakers!) neither of them will know which is which unless they set it down. persephone is another one with messed up taste buds, since she lost a lot of her senses after being reanimated so many times (most notably, she can’t see, she can’t feel most pain, she can’t smell, and she can’t hear out of one ear). however, houdini didn’t get to eat much sugar as a kid, considering at first it was withheld unless he was good and then he was too poor too eat it.

all in all, this probably doesn’t happen very often. they’ve got sugar cubes and salt shakers and those are hard to mix up.

   Who lets the microwave play the loud beeping sound at 1am in the morning

probably persephone. she can’t see the timer, so she only knows its done when it goes off. houdini is a light sleeper though, so persephone probably doesnt microwave things when it might wake him.

   Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines

houdini would…. he’d spend hours trying to think up a pun and illusion to go together. he’d cast the illusion over himself within the mind, so even though persephone can’t use her eyes she can still see exactly what dumb face houdini is making

   Who rearranges the bookshelf in alphabetical order

i think persephone would, mainly because while houdini only bothers with minimal organization, persephone thrives off knowing exactly where everything is. she got all her books with braille organized easily, but it took a few hours to trace over and figure out exactly what each letter in her older books say

   Who licks the spoon when they’re baking brownies

both of them, to the point they eat up all the batter and can’t make any actual brownies. persephone pours brownie powder in her mouth and almost coughs it all back on the floor. then houdini shows her that the best time is when the liquid and dry ingredients have just been added so its liquid chocolaty, but its not fully mixed so there’s still bubbles of powder

   Who buys candles for dinners even though there’s no special occasion

honestly? they’d buy them together. they’ve learned that the flowery herbal scents cause houdini to freak out (when he was becoming a court magician, they used those scents, and now he can’t stand them). meanwhile, persephone insists that the type of wax is important since it contributes to the feel (houdini agrees) and the brightness of the flame (houdini argues no)they eventually settle on 

   Who draws little tattoos on the other with a pen

houdini. he’d do it all the time. they’ve figured out which brand of pen glides the most smoothly while still inking well. persephone likes the sensation but has to be reminded not to rub at the pen until it dries because the instant she feels something sticky she’ll put it in her mouth to get rid of it

   Who comes home with a new souvenir magnet every time they go on vacation

houdini is not used to being able to own as much as he can store in his house rather one bag of stuff, and he’s especially not used to tourist shops (persephone insists he’s the embodiment of every clueless tourist stereotype that has ever existed). 

he can just…. go places? and for a little bit of money, they’ll give him a memento of his time there? holy shit….

he’s filled both the kitchen fridge, the drink fridge, the garage freezer, and the back up fridge with magnets. they don’t even put any papers up. its just a bunch of magnets.

white knight 1 gifted them a wall sized magnet board and some alphabet magnets. for now, houdini refuses to put any collected magnets on that board because “it’s for alphabet and store-bought magnets only!” persephone has an ace up her sleeve in case the fridges can longer hold any magnets (you did buy these magnets from a store.) considering the drink fridge can no longer be opened without magnets falling, the time to use that ace is on its way

   Who convinces the other to fill out those couple surveys in the back of magazines

houdini does. he’ll start reading questions out loud and persephone will have no idea why until he starts reading the result.

   bonus: what nicknames do they call each other?

neither of them are very keen on nicknames

houdini calls persephone things like “warrior” sometimes. he especially calls her “goddess” when he’s teasing her. he thinks nicknames are kinda silly,

[greybat]

Fire & Leeches - Ch. 4

Summary: Modern!AU (with magic.) Xixa is… well, not really enjoying but not hating a night out with Asra at one of Vesuvia’s famed clubs. However, her curiosity and interest become piqued when a particular band takes the stage.

Chapter Summary: Julian gives Xixa a ride home, finally. Then time passes and the witch gets two unexpected visitors at her store.

Ao3 Link Tumblr Links: Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3

“I still can’t believe you drive a hearse!” It was the third time she had repeated her statement, laced with laughter and awe.

Julian couldn’t stop the grin that arched over his lips, thoroughly enjoying her delight. “As I’ve said before, it’s aesthetic.”

“It’s a hearse!” Xixa nearly squealed. This was absurd. If Julian was going for ‘eccentric rock star,’ he was hitting the nail on the head. “Where’d you even get it?”

“I borrowed it from a funeral home.”

“What?” That was even worse than just owning the vehicle. This was the car that led funeral processions and led the dead to their final resting place, and someone let Julian borrow it for – how’d he put it? - the gothique aesthetic. Xixa couldn’t stop smiling from the absolute ridiculousness of it. Either Julian was pulling her leg or he was very trusted by those who knew him. “How do you borrow a hearse from a funeral home?”

“Well, the hospital morgue does plenty of business with them.”

“Wait, you work at a morgue?” Xixa turned a curious look on Julian as the car slid to a stop at a red light. At the back of her mind, she was faintly amused by the gimmick that was Julian’s life. Her mind was racing with question after question. Maybe it was the quiet, intimacy of the car versus the crowded dressing room, or the slowly dissipating alcohol, but Xixa found herself jumping from one question to the next. She assumed, given Fire & Leeches’s popularity, the band was his life. If not, what else did he do? “The band isn’t a full-time thing?”

“The band is part-time, at best.” Though Julian enjoyed the time spent with his band mates, brainstorming lyrics and performing, it wasn’t enough to pay his rent. Or buy groceries. Or those tight pants he enjoyed wearing. Oddly, a lot of the people he brought home never got this far into his personal life. A slight paranoia nibbled at his thoughts.

“Is it, like, a hobby or are you hoping it gets noticed by a recording label?”

The witch seemed full of questions as soon as they sat down in his car. Then again, it was his fault for not preparing her for the appearance of his vehicle. However, he never had this many questions from others. Though, her glee at his answers was addicting to hear, an awkward stuffiness started to accumulate on Julian’s shoulders. Asra was involved with Xixa, to some extent.

Raising an eyebrow, Julian resisted the urge to glance over at her as the traffic light flashed green. “Did Asra not tell you anything about me?”

“He’s so hard to talk to,” sighed Xixa, drawing her gaze out the window. “If I pester him too much about a topic he doesn’t want to talk about, he takes off.”

The hurt in Xixa’s tone grazed some old pain in Julian’s chest. He knew exactly what she meant. However, curiosity itched at his thoughts. Adjusting his grip on the steering wheel and adjusting n his seat, the man tried to ask as conversationally as possible, “What has he said?”

“That your relationship was complicated, mostly. Though,” Xixa glanced over at Julian. Though he seemed relaxed, she knew he was hanging on her words. How couldn’t he? She lived with Asra, she knew the charm and almost otherworldly attractiveness the white-haired man possessed. And, from the few tidbits she’d received from Asra about Julian, she could imagine what was going through the redhead’s mind. As gently as possible, she finished, “He wasn’t pleased to see you at The Garden.”

A cold, unhappy chill settled in the pit of his stomach. “I suppose he wouldn’t be.”

“I’m sorry.” Xixa winced, slightly wishing she hadn’t answered Julian. She was missing fawning over the macabre aesthetic this easily-flustered man seemed to embody. “From the way Asra makes it sound, it was a rough time.”

Julian gave a bitter laugh under his breath. By this time, though, they had made it to their destination. Tucked away, between a thrift clothing store and a high-end tea shoppe, was Xixa’s home. A skinny, two-story brick building. The large, glass storefront housed an assortment of crystals, rocks, mystic books, and more; but, for now, a rich velvet curtain obscured merchandise from view. From a hanging woodcut, the name ‘Esotericana’ coiled in calligraphic text; when open, the words would flash brilliantly in an assortment of colors. Now, the letters remained dark and sleeping. Behind the curtains on the second floor – her apartment – a couple lights blazed.

Seeing home brought warm familiarity through Xixa’s body. “Thank you for the ride, Julian.”

“It was my pleasure,” he purred with a grin. He added, as a mock afterthought, “Well, maybe not getting stabbed.”

Xixa leaned back in her seat, her lips curling into a wry grin. When she didn’t say anything, Julian hazarded a glance her way. Her expression said it all. A hot thrill shot down to his core as a flush crept across his ears, daring to make its way across his face. He couldn’t hold her knowing gaze.

“I think we both know that’s a lie,” Xixa leaned across the small space that separated them. Julian tensed, the scent of her surrounding him for the moment. She placed a quick peck on his cheek, emboldened by the lingering alcohol in her veins – or maybe by his blushing.

Before she could pull back entirely, Julian’s hand came up, catching her by the back of her head. Her heart stuttered, a flush nipping at her cheeks. Their lips met in a crushing, desperate kiss. Xixa pressed into it, a sighing gasp escaping her lips as her eyes closed. Body heat raised, almost instantly, a bubble of warmth lapping at her skin. The urge to touch him arched through her brain, overriding her ‘I shouldn’t be doing this’ sense.

Her hands drifted down from his chest, down his abdomen, to the area of throbbing heat below his belt. Ambient heat licked over her skin, tantalizing and teasing. When her palm pressed over his bulge, Julian groaned into their kiss, rolling his hips toward her touch. The sound sent a deep vibration right to her core.

Julian’s free hand drifted down the side of Xixa’s body, fingers curling to grip her hip. His fingers at the back of her head tangled in her hair, sending delightful prickles across her flesh. Xixa couldn’t think straight. All the sensations, the heat, her heart pounded. After nipping at his lower lip – eliciting a shudder from the man – Xixa pulled back, breaking the kiss. Staring up at Julian, eyes drinking over his blushing features in the slight light sneaking in from a street lamp, her lips curled into a smile.

Julian cracked his eye open, gazing into Xixa’s pleased look. She looked like a cat eyeing a caged bird. It made a sharp shiver trail down his spine. She palmed his groin firmly, fingers massaging his growing hardness through his jeans. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip, choking down a moan and face heating as his hips – yet again – jerked toward her, involuntarily. Those lips of hers curled into an even more pleased smile. Blearily, he realized how heavenly this moment felt, compared to earlier.

…until the shrill scream of a phone sang out.

The two of them froze, staring at each other through their hormonal fog. Realization drilled into Xixa’s mind, especially once she realized whose ringtone was playing.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Xixa gasped, breathless. She dove for her bag, riffling through it until she pulled out her glowing phone. ‘Asra’ emblazoned across the screen, calming the hormonal storm in her mind. A little prick of guilt colored her thoughts as she hit ‘silence.’ But… only a little.

Over her shoulder, Julian could see the name. Not that he hadn’t expected it. Clearing the desire out of his throat, the man sighed, “He’s probably worried.”

“I’m sorry, again.” This was like a cold shower being suddenly splashed on them. A part of Xixa wanted to scream in frustration. Another part patted her hand, consolingly, and told her it was for the best. But, she didn’t want this to be it. She didn’t want a sloppy make-out and heavy petting be the end of her interaction with Julian. “Want my number?”

“Yes! I mean-” Julian slapped a hand over his mouth, averting his gaze. His ears burned with embarrassment. He hadn’t felt this awkward and excited in a long time.

“You’re obscenely adorable, Julian.”

Her words were not helping his ear situation. Trying to alleviate his mortifying reaction, he wiggled his phone out of his pocket. After an exchange of numbers, and another silenced call from Asra, the two parted ways. Julian watched Xixa until she was safely inside Esotericana, before setting his car into drive and taking off into the night.

His phone glowed from the passenger seat, buzzing with texts from Portia. Julian wasn’t paying attention though. His mind replayed every touch, ever sound, every smile while basking in the ambient heat still contained in the car. He could still feel Xixa’s body pressed against him, so warm and soft. Julian gripped at the steering wheel tightly, mentally cursing. He was in trouble, wasn’t he?

x x x

A couple weeks passed since The Garden. The night still plagued Xixa’s memories, though. Frequently, faint little memories would sneak up on her as she was re-stocking the candles or straightening the tarot cards. Red hair, a grey eye, heat where he had touched her. She’d find herself humming Fire & Leeches songs to herself, especially after she bought an album of their hits from online.

Though, Xixa had been tempted to text him the very next morning, she had resisted the urge. If he wanted to keep talking to her, he could text her. He had her number. Besides, the witch felt the ball should be in his court. Who’s to say he didn’t just drop her off – maybe getting a little too handsy thanks to alcohol – out of gratitude for the healing? With further thought, maybe he didn’t even want to talk to her, again.

The thought made a cold clutch knot through her stomach. Since a couple weeks had passed, the witch figured she had her answer. Julian of Fire & Leeches didn’t want to talk to her. Though, Xixa had opened up his number, once or twice, tempted to start a conversation herself.

The days following her little clubbing excursion had been rough. Asra had been irritable, grousing about her staying out too late and staying out alone. After a couple days, he let it go. They returned to their easy-going days: working at the shoppe, going to the farmer’s market, checking out thrift stores. Then, as he always did, Asra packed his bags and headed out.

Leaving Xixa to tend to the shop, alone. And so her days drifted in and out, lulling one into the other. Though, she found herself eyeing her phone and heaving frustrated sighs more often than before.

The little bell hanging on the front door jingled, rousing the witch from where she organized pendulums. Turning, she gave her best customer service smile – shoving down her temptations – and welcomed the newcomer, “Welcome to Esotericana. We just a shipment of…”

Xixa couldn’t finish her sentence. Memories conflicted with the two who stood in the doorway. The taller one, quiet and imposingly muscular with long hair pulled back into a bun, eyeballed the selection of books off to the side. The shorter one – it was almost a crime to even use that adjective – stood awkwardly near the door, arms crossed. He eyed the shoppe with his good eye. While their appearance in her store was jarring, it was the clothes they wore that cause Xixa to pause: they both wore pale blue scrubs and lanyards with hospital IDs around their necks.

When her brain registered that – yes – they were Muriel and Julian, a more sincere smile crossed her lips as she approached them. “I didn’t recognize you two.”

“Is Asra here?” Muriel asked, his voice deep and gentle. Julian didn’t meet Xixa’s eyes as she turned curious eyes on him.

[janelizziemarykittylydia-blog]

Shattered Glass Smiles

Note: This is my first fic I’m posting on tumblr! I hope you all enjoy (feedback always appreciated)! Hopefully this will end up being multi-chapter! :D

Find on ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11445327

Send me prompts!

Synopsis: In which the year is 1959, Feyre is engaged to Senator Tamlin Greene, and Rhysand is the head of a notorious mafia dynasty called the Night Court. 

Chapter 1: "Hide Your Bruises, Senator's Wife"

Sometimes I wondered what my life could have been—if there was ever a time, a place, where I did not go to sleep with a knife tucked beneath my pillow, a loaded gun on my bedside table.

Some people, I was told, kept books on their nightstands—candles, reading glasses; half-empty mugs of tea.

Rhys and I put our guns and knives on our nightstands. Burner phones tucked in the drawer, emergency first-aid kits open on the surface, half a dozen passports in a hidden compartment; cash for fifteen different countries in a miniature safe.

Maybe there was a life where I seldom did not sleep through the night, where I knew what it was to be happy and unafraid.

But that was not this life.

Rhysand handed me the gun that day, but I already knew how to shoot.

November 1959

Westhampton, New York

God, I hated these parties.

The car drew up to the curb, Hart's gloved hands twisting the wheel. "Here you are, Mr. Greene," he said, grinning at us in the rearview mirror.

Tamlin smiled at him. He'd donned his senator's smile tonight, polished and smooth: golden hair cropped and parted, teeth even and white, shoulders broad, chin dimpled. "Thank you," he said, checking his watch. "Pick us up at—eleven-thirty, say?"

"Better make it midnight," Lucien said, straightening the lapels of his jacket, immaculate as they already were.

I winced, though neither of them noticed. The idea of staying at this function until midnight was enough to set my teeth on edge, but—it was campaigning, I reminded myself. For Tamlin, for the next election.

"Midnight, then," Tamlin amended.

Hart nodded, easing out of the car to open the door for us. Tamlin stepped out onto the curling drive leading to the Hampton estate first, Lucien hot on his heels. I was last, grabbing fistfuls of my dress.

"Thank you, Hart," I said, offering him a weak smile.

He tipped his cap to me, cheeks a bit flushed, and shut the door with a snap, heading back for the wheel.

I paused for a moment, inhaling. The night air felt good on my skin, cold and bitter and brisk, full of November bite, grounded by the stars' faint, present glow.

A hand ghosted along my back, the faint scent of nighttime erased by the stronger, more pervasive aroma of Tamlin's cologne. "You look lovely tonight."

"You look rather handsome yourself," I said, tweaking his tie a bit. I hated this dress; it was sequined and glittering, cut high at the collarbone and long-sleeved; demure and flashy at the same time. But Tamlin liked me in it, had bought the dress for me, so I wore it.

"I know you don't like these sorts of things," he said as we started down the drive to the mansion. I could hear the murmur of voices and clink of glasses from here, the naked rosebushes and topiaries stark. "Though, of course, neither do I.”

"I'm to be a senator's wife, aren't I?" I said, looking down at the ring on my finger. Emerald, enormous—glaring. I let my hand drop. "If it's the price to pay for being with you, I'll gladly pay it."

Something softened in his gaze, and Lucien cleared his throat a few feet away. "We're here," he said, mounting the steps to the front door.

"Subtle," Tamlin said, shooting his friend a look.

"I strive," Lucien said, pressing the doorbell.

I adjusted the wrap around my shoulders, shivering a bit, and Tamlin's hand slid from the small of my back to the crook of my waist.

I couldn't quite hide my wince, though, at the small, faint bruises there, and his hand dropped immediately, his features going blank.

But before I could apologize, the door swung open—a butler, clad in a glossy black suit, smiling at us. "Hello," he said.

Lucien pulled the invitations out of his jacket. "Senator Greene," he said, jerking his head at Tamlin, "his fiancee, Feyre Archeron, and Lucien Vanserra."

"Of course," the butler said, admitting us inside. We shrugged off our coats, handing it to him. "Right this way."

We followed him through the hallways, all paneled with mahogany, the floors covered in thick, plush Persian carpets. It was dark inside the house, heavy and gothic, and I felt my chest tightening, the walls pressing in—

Lucien glanced back at me and slowed his steps a bit, coming to walk by my side with Tamlin ahead. "Breathe," he muttered.

I glared at him. "I'm trying my best," I snapped, careful to keep my voice low.

Lucien just looked at me again, but he didn't walk any faster. He stayed by my side as we eased our way into a large, opulent room full of other guests, all donned in silks and satins and pearls.

Campaigning. Next election.

I breathed out through my nose, and the butler disappeared, leaving me with the wolves. Jesus fuck, I hated these parties. I didn't think I could say that out loud, though.

The room was enormous, with long banquet tables piled with appetizers, servers walking around with hors d'oeuvres. Tamlin snagged three champagne glasses for us, and I took a healthy sip of mine, ignoring Lucien's reproving glower.

It was six-thirty. I could make it, what—six and a half hours? At least an hour or so would be occupied by eating. I could do that. I liked food.

Despite the fact that I hadn't had much of an appetite lately.

The owner of the house, Ianthe, came sashaying up to us, smiling brightly. "Tamlin, I'm so glad you could make it," she said, clasping his hands and kissing him once on each cheek. My shoulders eased—I liked Ianthe, a childhood friend of Tamlin's. She moored me during these parties, took the helm of conversations, guided me through the treacherous waters of socialite politics. She was an heiress herself, and a frequent visitor at Tamlin's penthouse on Park Avenue.

Lucien, on the other hand, went rigid, draining his champagne and moving past, muttering something about going to find more.

Tamlin frowned after Lucien, but he was distracted by Ianthe swooping in on me. I stiffened as her arms closed around me—as a cloud of golden hair enveloped me, the scent of hairspray overpowering, and fought not to thrash to get free—

She pulled back, smiling, and I forced myself to smile back. "You look gorgeous tonight," Ianthe said. "That dress is positively divine." She winked at me. "I helped Tam pick it out, you know."

"I... didn't," I said slowly, glancing at Tamlin.

"Ianthe helps me with these kinds of things all the time," Tamlin said, waving his hand. "I hardly know what to buy you most days."

I plastered a smile on my face, determined to keep it there—the senator's wife smile I'd been grooming for the past few months. "I suppose I have you to be grateful for, then."

She linked her arm through mine. "Tam, Governor Richards is right over there. I'm going to steal your adorable fiancee for myself."

Tamlin chuckled. "Have fun," he said, waving us off and heading over to a white-haired man in an appallingly beige suit in the corner.

"So, Feyre," said Ianthe. "How is the wedding planning?"

I shrugged. "You've done most of it," I said, tugging at my sleeve. "You probably know more than I do."

"No new surprises? Well, that's good." She paused to give an incline of her head to a woman in a plum-colored dress. "Weddings can be so tricky—especially for people like us."

"People like us?"

"People determined to do it right," she clarified. "There is a wrong way and a right way to have a wedding, Feyre, and those small, inexpensive affairs—" She sniffed. "That, my dear, is the wrong way."

I tucked a curl behind my ear. "Oh."

Ianthe paused, frowning slightly as she accepted a shrimp from a server. I shook my head, thanking the server, who smiled at me before walking off. "Where’s Lucien gone, anyhow?"

"Ah..." I trailed off. I couldn't say what I was thinking: that Lucien, for reasons unknown to me, despised Ianthe, and had likely fled when faced with the prospect of polite conversation with her. "The restroom?"

Just then, the doors to the room opened again, and the butler walked in—but this time, he wasn't smiling. In fact, he was rather pale.

"I think—" I started, but the butler was already coming our way.

"Excuse me, miss," the butler said to Ianthe, "but there's someone at the door, insisting rather loudly that he's come to see you. Several someones, as a matter of fact."

Ianthe took a sip from her champagne glass. "What are you standing there for? Send them in, Bron. We don’t want to be rude.”

"Not more guests," Bron said. A sheen of sweat glistened at his temples, and he glanced at me warily. "It—they're members of the Night Court. Here to see about a debt owed."

Crash.

The champagne flute slid, neatly, slickly, from Ianthe's fingers, shattering on the ground.

Conversation halted, and people turned to stare at Ianthe, who'd gone white as parchment paper.

"Who?" Ianthe hissed, grabbing onto Bron's wrist. "Which members of the Night Court?"

"Morrigan," Bron sputtered, wetting his lips. "And..."

"And who?"

"Ianthe," I murmured, noticing the blatantly curious stares. "Maybe—"

But at that moment, two shadowed shapes filled the doorway where Bron had stood just moments before, framed by mahogany and crystal, illuminated by light leaking from Tiffany stained-glass lamps.

One of them was unfamiliar to me. A woman, clad not in a dress but a pair of black silk pants and a glittering sweater cut to the navel, golden curls spilling out over her shoulders in a sea of cold sunshine.

But the other…

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Amethyst-eyed, dressed impeccably, grinning like a wolf in the sheep's den.

Which, I supposed, he was.

"Ianthe," he purred, sliding his hands in his pockets. "I've come to collect."

I forced myself to freeze—to still the breaths in my chest. I turned my head, slowly, letting my hair fall over my cheek, obscuring my profile from view.

"Rhysand," Tamlin growled, stepping forward from the corner.

"Hello, Tammie," Rhysand said, with a smile I remembered—a smile that blanketed a layer of ice over my still-beating heart.

I did not move. I did not speak.

Hopefully—hopefully, he wouldn’t notice me.

Please, God, don’t let him notice me.

“Rhysand,” Ianthe said, wetting her lips and forcing a smile upon her pasty cheeks. “I’m so glad you could make it.” She laughed, high and clear, and surrounding observers turned back to their chitchat and appetizers, shooting us curious glances.

“Ianthe,” he said pleasantly. “Nice party.”

Somehow, I didn’t think he believed it was a particularly nice party at all.

She inclined her head.

"Lovely curtains," Rhysand drawled, running his fingers along the edge of a heavy brocade curtain in a violent shade of yellow that was not, in fact, lovely at all.

"They're antique," said Ianthe.

"Hmm." Rhysand turned toward her, that implacable smile unmoving. "Do you want to do this with an audience, or can you direct me to a less..." He observed the room, lip curling. "Populated arena, so to speak."

"There's a parlor," Ianthe said quickly. She patted my elbow. "Feyre, dearest, I'll be right back. If you could just—"

But Rhysand had gone still, every muscle and bone in his body rippling with tension.

He’d noticed me, then. Ianthe had said my name.

"Feyre, is it?" he asked me quietly.

I met his gaze with as much courage as I could muster. "Hello."

Rhysand's lips peeled back—peeled back, as if he were a feral animal. I was reminded, absurdly, of a leopard I had seen prowling his cage in a zoo years ago, back and forth, back and forth, claws barely restrained.

"Were you going to say anything?" he asked. "I wonder."

"Don't bother," I replied, words tumbling out of my mouth. "I wasn't."

Something raced through my veins—a challenge. A beckoning. Fuck you, Rhysand, I thought, reveling, for a moment, in feeling larger than an ant tottering along the cracks in the sidewalk.

And then—

A hand closed on my elbow. Tightly. I snapped my lips shut to hide a wince.

"Enough," Tamlin rumbled in my ear. To Rhysand, he said, "Get away from her."

Rhysand's face didn't alter a millimeter. He didn't so much as glance at Tamlin. "Possessive, are we?"

Tamlin took a threatening step forward. "You—"

Lucien flicked his gaze between Tamlin and Rhysand, the color rapidly draining from his cheeks. He looked as if he'd swallowed an olive whole, pit and all.

"Goodbye, Feyre," Rhysand said. A muscle ticking in his jaw was the only sign he felt afflicted at all. "It's been a pleasure, as always."

"I wish I could say the same," I replied, Tamlin's hand taut and tight.

Rhysand didn't respond. Instead, he pivoted on his foot and strode from the room, the woman—Morrigan—beside him, just as icy and elegant. Rhysand loved his dramatics, I thought, something vile swirling and ebbing in my stomach.

"Ianthe," Tamlin said. "What the hell—"

"Not now." Ianthe's lips barely moved.

Tamlin growled, releasing me and shoving me backwards a step as he stalked over to Ianthe, demanding something in low, furious tones.

I needed—air. It was too hot in the room, stuffy enough that I felt bottled-in, caught in a box of glass, hands pressed to the panes, breath fogging—

I didn't look at Lucien, didn't speak to Tamlin, as I left the room abruptly, sequins scratching my ankles.

I wasn't stupid enough to take the hallway that Rhys and Mor had used, and I soon became lost in a matrix of corridors and flickering sconces. The house was medieval, dark wood and russet tones, pressing and suffocating and—

My hands met the polished slab of a door. Shoving it open, I expected to meet more damask and lacquer, but instead...

Fresh air, scented faintly with sea brine and pine. Cold and sharp enough to purge some sickness from my chest, clearing out my throat. I leaned down, propping my hands on my knees, and counted my breaths. One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four...

I scrabbled inside my handbag, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a matchbox, and lit up, inhaling smoke. The acrid scent of tobacco grounded me, reminded me where I stood. It made me think of Nesta, curled up in an armchair with a box of Camels at her side, and Elain, wrinkling her nose. Nest-aa, she'd whine. Put it out. They smell awful.

Rhysand. I hadn't expected to see him ever again—had thought I'd buried him in that cellar with the rest of my demons.

But like the rest of my demons, he'd risen from the dead, nipping at my heels and forcing me to take notice. I'm not gone, he seemed to say. And you can't forget me.

"Feyre?" A familiar voice—Lucien.

I didn't speak as he walked up to me, soles of his shoes scuffing on the pavement. "Are you—smoking?"

"What of it?" I said, blowing out a stream of gray smoke.

"I didn't know you smoked," he said. What he meant was that Tamlin preferred his women bereft of cigarettes—tobacco was a man's luxury, at least according to him; it was unseemly for women to smoke. He never stooped to Marlboros or Pall Malls, though, preferring instead expensive cigars.

"Surprise."

Lucien didn't say anything as he came to stand beside me. I knew he wanted me to ask about Tamlin, but I—wouldn't. Or perhaps couldn't. Either way.

"Can I have one?" he said at last.

I started, raising my brows. Wordlessly, I handed him a lit cig, watching him inhale in a smooth, practiced movement.

"I hate these parties," he said finally.

"So do I."

"You'll have to host them someday, you know," he said. "It'll be expected of a senator's wife."

Expected. Everyone, these days, seemed to expect things from me. It wasn't enough to wear my own smile, my own face, to speak the words that came from my own mouth. It wasn't enough to be me. Politics was a world of tailors, of taking in and letting out, adjusting and sewing and stitching back up until none of the original, fallible human beneath remained.

"Where's Tamlin?" I asked, breaking my initial pact.

"Inside," he said. "Mingling."

I took a drag, shivering a bit in the cold.

Lucien shrugged off his jacket. "Here," he said, handing it to me. "You look cold."

"Thank you," I said, shrugging it on one sleeve at a time. It was comically large on me, and I had to roll up the sleeves, but it was warm. I sat down on a rock as Lucien slouched against the trunk of a manicured tree, both of us lost with roaming thoughts and smoke.

He didn't ask if I was alright, how I felt about seeing Rhysand for so long, but that was fine. Lucien knew the answers, anyway.

"Let's stay out here for a little," I said.

Lucien nodded, and I peered up at the stars, counting them one-by-one, as I had when I was a little girl and had trouble falling asleep.

***

I didn't see Rhysand again before we left.

He, Morrigan, and Ianthe retired to some ostentatious front parlor. Ianthe reemerged midway through the party, white-lipped, and I heard the rumble of an expensive car announcing his departure.

Tamlin, predictably, was furious with Lucien and I. This is my career, he'd hissed, and you just walked off. Do either of you care?

I'd borne his rage with a bowed head and silence, just as I took all his tidal waves of anger. Most of them washed over me, leaving me battered but still intact. And if a piece of driftwood or two snagged my skin—well, it was a superficial wound.

When Bron handed me back my coat and I put my hand in the pocket, my fingers met crumpled paper.

Nothing had been in my pockets when I’d arrived at the party. Someone had left me a note.

I didn't dare to bring it out in front of Tamlin and Lucien. Instead, I waited for the relative security of my dressing room back at the penthouse before retrieving it, smoothing the paper out on my vanity.

Clear, graceful script. Simple words, though my blood still boiled—Rhysand knew I couldn't read, or was mostly-illiterate. It took me near twenty minutes to figure out the six-word message.

Don't forget our deal, Feyre darling.

Beneath was a phone number, and Rhysand’s name.

I considered ignoring it—and shelved that idea. Clearly, if Rhysand's visitation to Ianthe's party was any indication, he could call in his dues whether I called him or not. I had no idea what Ianthe owed him—I hadn't even known she had any sort of connection to Rhysand and his ilk—but it didn't matter. Big or small, Rhysand collected debts like some people collect stamps, or coins, or miniatures statuettes. And he did not forget them.

I tucked the message and the phone number into my jewelry box, slipping into bed beside Tamlin.

He rolled over, already asleep, and wrapped his arms around my waist, nestling his chin into the crook of my neck.

To be collected at a later date, Rhysand had said that day.

It seemed that later date had arrived.

[burningfairytales]

all the coffee asks. ALL OF THEM. 😘😘

Vanilla Chai: Are you in love?

Pfff, me, in love? That’s gay. 

(Duh :-*)

Flat White: Coffee or tea?

Both! Depends on whether I am stressed and want to calm down, or need to be productive, or need to keep myself awake, or feeling lazy. Depends on how warm it is outside, and the weather, and how I’m feeling. If I had to only choose one for the rest of my life, I would be super unhappy. 

Cappuccino: What’s your middle name?

Don’t have one!

Mocha: Dream Job?

Someone who travels a lot and then blogs about it. Hell, I would LOVE to travel and be paid for it. 

Pumpkin Spice: Dream Car?

Uhhhhhhh. Oh god. A have a couple! A Jeep Wrangler; an Audi R8 (though, a bit more realistically, the A2 is adorable), VW Adam, Shelby GT-H.... the list’s pretty long.

Jasmine Tea: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Everywhere. I’ve not been, as the saying goes, but it’s on my list.

Old English: You’re stranded on an island, who do you bring with you?

Ideally someone with survival skills, because I have about as much as a poodle.

Iced Chocolate: Do you have a crush on someone?

It doesn’t count as a crush if you’re together, right???? I have squishes though; a bunch of them? I would LOVE to be friends with Sorcha from WoC and also jacksepticeye.

Caramel Frappe: Favourite Video Game?

CURRENTLY FFXV AND I WILL SHOUT IT FROM ROOFTOPS AND TELL EVERYONE WHO DOESN’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT.

Iced Lemon Tea: Favourite Song/Band?

Too many. Hell. All-time-favourites are Walking on Cars, Panic! at the Disco, Causes and Fall Out Boy. Current favourite song is, incidentally, not one of theirs - it’s On The Other Side by Phillip LaRue.

Iced Cafe Mocha: Favourite thing to do on rainy days?

Reading, writing, playing video games, drinking tea, and admiring the rain.

Hot Chocolate: Are you an affectionate person?

Uhhh. Yes. No. Depends. This is a difficult one? Like, there are people I absolutely don’t like being touched by. And that has nothing to do with whether or not I like them? I can’t explain it. Like, my mum’s super tactile - she’ll pet my hair or touch my cheek or hug me, or, like, teasingly slap my butt? And the hugging is okay, but everything else I usually have to remind her not to do, because I don’t like it at all. (Birthdays, at work, are the worst, because everyone wants to give me a hug, and I can’t exactly say no, but also.... no. Pls don’t touch me.)

But then with some people, I’m like super affectionate. I’ll be like the annoying cat they can’t get rid of - I’ll hook my arm around theirs; I’ll hug and poke them, I’ll rest my head on their shoulder or the crook of their neck And I feel super happy and trusted when they do it to me?

I have found absolutely no explanation yet for why I’m okay with some people touching me and not others. Like, listen. I love my mother. It’s got nothing to do with her?

Caramel Macchiato: You’re travelling the entire world but can only take one person with you. Who do you take?

My girlfriend, if she wanted to come along.

Green Tea: How tall are you?

1,68m! No idea what that is in feet. 

Earl Grey Tea: The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse is upon us. What’s your plan of action?

Depends on which side I’m on

Leave super early, take my car to Leeds while the ferries are still working, and hole up in the royal armouries.

Mint Tea: How do you relax?

Depends on how stressed I am. Sometimes reading fanfiction and drinking tea will do the trick. When I’m too stressed to concentrate on reading, I usually just lie in bed with earphones plugged in and listen to music.

Vanilla Latte: Board games or drinking games?

I...... have absolutely never in my life played a drinking game. I’ve never had anyone to play with. So I guess board games are cool?

Iced Coffee: Do you like reading? If so, what’s your favourite book?

The Foxhole Court  will always have a special place in my heart.

Italian Soda: Describe your dream date

Something fun? Like an amusement park maybe, or having coffee at a small cafe, or walking along the beach collecting sea glass, or just lying in bed reading stuff to each other, or taking the car and driving somewhere without a map or GPS, and seeing where we end up, or....

I dunno. It’s more about the person than the thing you’re doing, right?

Sparkling Water: Describe what qualities you look for in a person

Um, fun, loyal, willing to spend time with me?

Orange Juice: Have you ever had a valentine?

Kinda, yeah. Not physically close, unfortunately, but that’s not what it’s about, right?

Rose Hip Tea: Describe your first kiss

Unfortunately very late and rushed, and I was nervous as fuck, but it was before I had to get on that plane back to Germany, and we were saying goodbye. I’d have hated myself if I hadn’t asked if it was okay to kiss her before I go.

Herbal Tea: You’re at a candle shop. What scented candle do you buy?

Something fruity, or fresh. Nothing too sweet, nothing flowery. No Vanilla and no coconut.