#i would love goat cheese and a long hug

[tracingbackirises]

Tagged by @definitelydivergent Thank you friend!

What book are you currently reading? Re-reading Anne of Green Gables. By the way, if anyone has any book recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

What’s your favourite movie you saw in a cinema this year? I believe the only movie I saw in theaters in the last twelve months was Lifemark, which is an amazing movie and based on a true story!

What do you usually wear? Normally I try to stick with clothes, but when I'm getting my hair dyed I tear holes for my arms and head into a trashbag and wear that

How tall are you? 5'4" on a good day

What’s your star sign?

Do you share your birthday with a celebrity or historical event? I'm sure I share my birthday with many historical events; whether or not I share my birthday with any significant historical events is a different question, to which I know not the answer

Do you go by your name or a nickname? Mostly my name. Very few people call me by a nickname

Did you grow up to be what you wanted to be as a child? I wanted to be many things as a child. I've long since lost interest in being a doctor or a horse, but still hope and dream to work with children and write books

Are you in a relationship? Who is your crush if not? I'm not in a romantic relationship, but I very ardently adore the man who came up with goat cheese (goat cheese, my beloved)

What’s something you’re good at versus something you’re bad at? I'm actually pretty good at learning how to read and write in my target languages, all things considered. I still have a long way to go, but I know that if I were to have more self discipline and put in some effort, I'd actually be pretty impressive. On the flip side, I'm not so good with the speaking and hearing part. My pronunciation is often way off and I struggle to hear the different vowel sounds, except in Spanish (Spanish vowels, my beloved).

Dogs or cats?

What’s something you’d like to create content for? You know, I'm not actually sure! My favorite piece of media is Earthbound, but I've never really thought of creating content for it. I always thought Earthbound would work so well as an animated series, so it might be a fun little challenge for myself to write scripts and create story boards for it. I would also love to write Christian fiction, but have not been confident in my ability to do so in a way that is not either cheesy or too worldly.

What's something you're currently obsessed with? The idea of making goat cheese and mushroom quesidillas! Saw a recipe online and I have been in love ever since!

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year? I'm not aware of having been disappointed this year. I've had a pretty amazing year, actually. If there was something that disappointed me that I'm forgetting, I would not like to remind myself

What's a hidden talent of yours? Well if it's hidden, how am I supposed to know about it?

Are you religious? Yes, I have a personal relationship with Jesus and have made Him the Lord of my life!

What’s something you wish to have at this moment? Would it be beating a dead horse to say goat cheese? Yes? Okay, then I'll settle for a million dollars (huehuehue)

Tagging @sapphiremoonandstars if your heart so desires

[storiesofsvu]

Lucky Number Four

Olivia Benson x reader Warnings: language, alcohol consumption, smut. Written originally for @alexusonfire but I took like, fucking six months to finish it so I'm using it for the "praise" square on @thatesqcrush 's kinktober!

Olivia knew the moment that she saw you in that little black dress there was no way she wasn’t going to invite you up to her apartment for a nightcap. Dinner had been your fourth date, and things seemed to be going swimmingly so far, so she doubted you would turn her down. You’d met a few weeks ago through a dating app, and while that wasn’t exactly either of your styles, you both had a good feeling about it and decided to trust your gut.

Date number one was coffee, nervous at the start, but after an hour you got a second round and wandered through Central Park, hand in hand by the end of it, a gentle kiss laid on your cheek and the promise of a second date.

Date number two was a movie, full of jump scares that you did your best not to shriek at, burying yourself into Olivia’s neck as she chuckled quietly, her arm protectively wrapping around you. In an attempt to calm down, and to not say goodnight yet, you went for drinks at a bar around the corner. After a couple of cocktails, you took the plunge when she dropped you off, leaning in to kiss her softly. She happily surprised you with a grin when the kiss broke, and she tugged you back in for another one, already wanting to feel your lips on hers again. Cheeks flushing, unable to stop smiling, the two of you said a quiet goodnight before making your separate ways.

Date number three Olivia had invited you over to her place to make you dinner. You were surprised that for a cop, she was someone who had an extensive menu of things she was incredibly good at cooking. She’d made a full spread for you, fresh beet and goat cheese salad, ricotta spinach stuffed chicken breast and the creamiest mashed potatoes you’d ever tasted. You helped with the dishes, little laughs and jokes surrounding the two of you before you settled on the couch with fresh glasses of wine. This time the movie lay forgotten, as a series of small kisses led into a rather steamy make out session. The unlucky part of that night was Olivia’s phone going off, getting called into a case and she very reluctantly said goodnight hours earlier than either of you wanted.

Tonight, she’d made sure that there was no way she was getting called in, booked a reservation at an adorable little bistro in midtown, and had even had flowers sent over to your apartment during the day. So, in return, you’d pulled on your favourite little black dress, the one that hugged in all the right places, and you knew you looked amazing in. Dinner went wonderfully well, there was never an uncomfortable lull in conversation, the flirtation was laid on heavily, and you happily accepted Olivia’s hand linked in yours while you walked the streets of Manhattan back to her apartment.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to come up? Finish off with another glass of wine?” She asked softly as she turned to you and you practically beamed up at her.

“I’d love to.” With a smile you leant in, leaving a gentle kiss on her cheek that caused her to smile just as brightly, wrapping an arm around your waist and leading you upstairs.

Inside the apartment you rid yourselves of the necessary outerwear, shoes coats and scarves left at the door. Oliva encouraged you to make yourself at home while she darted off to the kitchen to get the wine, smiling when she found you completely comfortable on the couch, flicking through tv channels. You thanked her for the wine, taking a quick sip before placing it down on the coffee table and nestling into the arm she laid over the back of the couch.

Naturally, it didn’t take too long for the entertainment to not be the exciting part of the evening. Olivia’s featherlight touches giving you goosebumps and all the right kind of shivers. Glancing up at her you smiled gently, the gleam in your eyes one that was familiar, one that she was definitely intrigued by. She let out a small chuckle as your lips met, not surprised that you were quick to deepen the kiss, not wanting to pull away. Her arms wrapped around your waist and you easily slipped into her lap, letting out a happy sigh at the sensation of being in her arms.

Your hands snuck up her shoulders, gliding over her body before linking behind her neck, hugging yourself impeccably close to her. Your lips danced with grace against each other’s, your tongue sneaking into her mouth as her breath caught in her throat. You could taste the wine, letting out a satisfied sigh into her lungs. One of Olivia’s hands rubbed up your back, cupping gently at the back of your head, pulling you even closer to her. She ached to never let you go, to hold you forever, to be able to wake up with you buried in her arms every morning from now on. Her hands moved from resting on your hips to glide up your sides, thumbs barely brushing towards your chest before the slipped up to your bare shoulders, toying with the straps of your dress. You very reluctantly broke the kiss, gazing down at her,

“Should we…” you nodded down the hall and she grinned.

“Did you want to?”

“Yes. Please.” You nodded feverously and she chuckled, gently nudging you off her lap and linking her hand in yours, leading you down the hallway.

The door swung shut behind the two of you and Olivia met your lips with another kiss, this one filled with more fire, but still tender as her hands wrapped around your body. Her fingers found the zipper of your dress, slowly pulling it down, letting your dress drop over your shoulders and slide to the floor.

“God you’re so beautiful sweetheart.” She murmured, stepping back to admire your lingerie. You couldn’t help but blush a bit, ducking your gaze from hers until you felt her finger curl under your chin and she tilted your head back up to her, “no need to be shy.”

You let out a small giggle, accepting the kiss she left on your lips before undressing herself, her hand curling into yours as she tugged you toward the bed, dropping down to sitting on the edge of it. You toppled onto her lap, smile on your cheeks as she kissed you, hands tickling across your freshly exposed skin, leaving goosebumps in their paths. You let out a happy sigh into the kiss and she smiled at the sensation, her fingers undoing the clasp of you bra and you let it fall to the floor. Olivia’s hands returned to your skin, gently cupping at your chest, squeezing and groping at the tender flesh, pulling a little moan from you, your head dropping back at the sensation. She took full advantage, her lips moving down your neck, teeth ever so lightly scraping at your skin while she continued to toy with your chest, pinching softly at your nipples, pulling more groans and breathy sighs from you as she did so.

“Lie back for me pretty girl.” She nudged you, guiding you to drop into the pillows and you let out a little giggle, adjusting so you were comfortable, “that’s it.” She murmured, kissing you gently, “so good for me already.”

Her lips trailed down your neck once more, nipping at your pulse point before they kissed across your collarbone, her lips wrapping around one of your nipples, sucking it into her mouth while her free hand mirrored her actions on the other side. You felt the heat beginning to build deeper within you, pulsing through your body with each lap of her tongue on your skin. Your hand loosely tangled into her hair as your eyes fluttered shut, head burying into the pillows behind you. Olivia’s lips made a wet path across your skin, down your body before she kissed right above your panties, fingers slipping into the waistband and she tugged them down your legs, tossing them to the floor.

“Spread your legs for me.” She cooed and you did as she asked, hips falling open so she could settle between them, “good girl.” You let out a little gasp when her fingers slid through your folds, gathering your wetness and smearing it around. The pads of her fingers rubbed at your clit briefly, smiling as you let out a little whine, hips rocking toward the movement. “So beautiful…” she murmured, fingers spreading you pussy open before one sunk into you.

“Oh god…”

Olivia pumped it a few times before adding a second one, fingers curling within you in search of that spongey spot. You let out a small gasp when she did, hips rocking up toward her and she pressed against the spot again.

“That’s it sweet girl.” She murmured, “doing so good for me, take my fingers so well.”

She leant over you, nudging your nose with hers to gain your attention, stealing a kiss while her hand continued to fuck into you. Her lips danced with grace against yours, swallowing your moans and whines as her fingers curled and twisted inside your pussy. Your hands clutched at her body, feeling the pressure building within you, pussy fluttering around her fingers. The heel of her hand pressed against your clit and you broke the kiss with a gasp, thighs attempting to close around her body. She simply grinned, picking up the pace of her fingers while her lips kissed down the column of your throat again.

“Feel so good sweetheart, so warm, nice and wet for me.” She husked into your ear and you moaned, your nails scratching at her back.

“Fuck… fuck… please don’t stop.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Olivia pressed one last kiss into your burning skin before sitting up so she could use both of her hands, one continuing to fuck her fingers in and out of you, curling with every second thrust. The other one moved to your clit, starting off soft and slow until you were whining, shivering against the bed and she picked up the speed and pressure, matching with the tempo she continued to fuck you.

“Come for me sweet girl, I know you want to. Look so pretty like this…”

The burning prickled through you, your skin alit with pleasure, little whines and moans getting louder and closer together as you felt the tingling build higher and higher, shooting southward. You let out a cry, your body shaking, thighs trembling around Olivia as your orgasm washed through you, pleasure taking you to a peak you’d never hit before.

“Oh god!”

“That’s it sweetheart… god you’re so fucking beautiful when you come.” Her fingers lifted off your clit, giving you some relief as you shook lightly, her fingers gently fucking you through your orgasm.

Your hands reached out in search of her as you panted, eyes fluttering and she let out a soft laugh, fingers sliding out of you so she could crawl over you, accepting the embrace and peppering your face with kisses.

“Jesus…” you muttered.

“You did so well for meet sweet girl, so good.” She murmured, pressing a kiss to your forehead before she dropped onto the bed beside you, pulling you into her arms.

You let out a very satisfied sigh, nuzzling into the embrace as you settled on her chest, smiling at the feeling of her fingers coming to play with your hair. There was simply no doubt, date number four was an absolute swimming success.

__________________ @red1culous @imlike-so-gaydude @altsvu @svulife-rl @svushots @lesbianspacecowboy @whispered-tear-drops @wannabe-fic-reader @lawandorderimagines @venablemayfairgoode @whimsicallymad @oliviaswifey @alexusonfire @screenee @mysticfalls01 @naturalxselection @beccabarba @littlegaybabe @cmmndrwidw @bumblebear30 @enduringalexblake @molllss @wosoimagines @brienneseveruscalawayfanfiction @solemnnova @infernumlilith @yourtaletotell @australiancarisi @cerberus-spectre @wandas-wife @emskisworld @newyorker14 @lawandorderuswnt @wandasbrat @hbkpop @samwithnoplan @multifandomlesbianic @sia2raw @ladysc @narvaldetierra @dxtery @poisonedcrowns @borg-queer @momlifebehard @holycrapraewth

[pbandjesse]

We just got back from seeing the Barbie movie. Where I cried the entire time. It was great. I'm really glad we made it happen.

It was a good way to end this week of camp. It was not a bad week at all. But it was very very hot today and that made the day hard.

I slept okay last night. I found a frog at midnight and followed that for a bit. Looked at the stars. And eventually fell asleep.

I woke up at 6 and was very cold. I had only used the one blanket and my underside was freezing. Which was expected. I got up and wrapped my blanket around myself and fell back asleep.

I woke up at 8 and it was already to warm. I got dressed and tried to feel alright. While I was getting ready I watched a video. And when I was outside brushing my teeth Ty came by to chat. And then I went for a little walk. I did not find mushrooms in the normal places but I did find them in a trashcan near the goats. I pet the goats and went to see the birds. Quakers the duck chased me!! And then I was very hot and the bugs kept hitting me in the face and I just wanted to be back in my fan space.

Which was honestly a big help. I would give Annabelle one of my fans that I haven't been using this year. Hopefully it helped her.

My groups were honestly great today. The woodlands were super fun and all wanted me to teach them bracelets after we played the exquisite corpse game. And they were having so much fun they didn't want to go. Honestly that was a trend today. The kids were just a lot of fun and while we were all got it was just like a joyful day.

Lunch was fine. It was the nicest the kitchen staff has been to me. They made me a fresh tomato sandwich. I put cheese and mayo on mine. And it was good. Love in season tomatoes.

I would have some time sitting in the dark which was excellent and made me feel a lot cooler. Annabelle and Celia would come chat in the dark for a bit, since I left the doors open. And it was just chatting about ideas and groups and the weather.

The afternoon was very warm. So doing metal casting was a little tough but we had some excellent results and it was fun!! And there was more bracelet making. I'm surprised it took this long this summer for it to catch on with the boys but it's been nice.

James and me made our plan to go to the movies at 630. So I let Heather know I wouldn't be able to help at the bears. Which is sad because I love helping st the bears. But I was excited to see a movie with my husband. We have gone to more plays then we have movies. So this was a fun treat. And I was very much looking forward to the Barbie movie.

In my last day camp group the kids were fun. Louisa and her friends helped set up the table for next week. Which is sock puppet making! Which I think will be fun but I'm a little nervous about. But the girls seemed jazzed about it so I have high hopes.

I got my stuff packed up and as I was about to drive away Ty comes running, literally running, towards the car. And I'm like??? Butbhe was returning my yarn and was like why you leaving? I told him about the movie and that the building was open and we said goodbye see you.on Monday!

It was a fine drive. I had a snack with me and waved at all the kids as I left. It was a half hour to home. Almost no traffic. And I got home in one piece.

It was stupid hot here though. Much warmer then at camp. I was happy to see my James but hugging was almost out of the question. Shower first.

I washed my hair and shaved my legs and it helped me feel way more human. I put on my pink outfit. I don't own much pink but I'm happy with what I picked. I felt very cute.

We drove to the rotunda to go to our movie and have our little French fry dinner at a place called the local fry. James and me had a big laugh when we discovered that the phone cord was closed in the door but still worked! That poor cord has been through so much.

We got to the fry place. James had ordered ahead. They got a banh mi and I got seasoned fries with cheese and ranch and a whole half an avocado. I really enjoyed it.

Me and James would split and they went to put leftovers in the car and I went to go to the Walgreens for candy but the Walgreens closed??? Like permanently! Crazy. So no candy for me.

But we headed to the theater. I loved seeing everyone dressed up for the movie. I like that it's an experience. I was a little confused about this theater. No one checked out tickets? We just waited on the hall until they let us in.

The seats were very comfy but I didn't like how close we were to the screen. I was nervous about feeling nauseous but after the trailers it wasn't a problem. Thankfully the movie didn't have a ton of quick motion.

I loved the movie. I was crying almost immediately and by the end I was sobbing. Like there were parts I didn't love as much or would have liked to be expanded on more. But mostly it was so good. I loved the 4th wall breaks and the breaking of the narrative and Margot Robbie did such a wonderful job. I honestly felt so connected to her and it helps that we are the same age. Or at least very close to the same age, her being born on 1990 and me in 1991. I was super invested and I was just. Having the best cries.

The girls next to us were also great. The one directly next to me also was crying. And at the end she said she was glad she wasn't the only one and that the last time she saw it (this was her second time) the person next to her didn't cry and she was a little embarrassed. But no I was right there with her and I told her about how I make art about toys and how someday I want to do a doctorate and research and write about toys and gender relations and she was so funny she was like this movie was perfect for you you are the coolest person and it was just such a sweet moment. I love women, I love girlhood, and I love how much we are all connected.

James says they liked the movie but I think they were more focused on how much I cried. It was a good cry, like it was deep feelings for me. I'm glad they were there for me and with me.

We got out of the theater and it was raining. It was pretty clear that it has stormed very bad while we were in there. There were chairs and tables and trees toppled over. We were safe in Barbie land.

We got home and I immediately got changed. I fed the frog. I pet Sweetp. I opened some mail. And now I am just in the AC. I am very tired but I am just happy to be home and with my husband. I love them so much.

Tomorrow I have a busy day. With the market and then a graduation party and then making sure James and the camp boys get to the game safely. If the game is still happening, if there is a storm or not. I hope it is a good day. I hope you all have a good night and are staying safe.

Goodnight everyone. I love you all.

[rosie-b]

Shelltering Others

Ch. 7: Bombshell (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

You can read the whole chapter below, or use the links to AO3 above!

Summary: Nino faces a snag in his plans to open Chat's last hint (and it's not from Chat's claws!)

For the first time since Monarch's victory, Nino had gotten a good night's sleep, waking up feeling tired but refreshed. It was comforting, somehow, to know that the identity hunt would be over as soon as Nino opened the little paper bag, which he’d put in his backpack last night.

Nino was planning to examine his last clue during lunch, in the boiler room. That was where Nino came up with all his best ideas (except for that one time) and it served as the base for the Resistance, too! The boiler room was becoming something of a good luck charm for Nino.

Speaking of the Resistance, Nino should probably schedule another meeting of the comrades soon, just so everyone knew he was serious about this group. So far, Nino had been too busy to think of an agenda for the next meeting, but after today, he was sure that would change!

But before Nino could open the last hint or schedule another Resistance meeting, he had to get ready for the day. Jumping out of bed, Nino hurried to get dressed, throwing on the first clean shirt he saw and nearly forgetting his headphones in his haste.

As he rushed through the house, Nino saw that his mother had prepared breakfast for her sons already — warm khobz, goat cheese, and Parisian honey, with fresh-squeezed orange juice to drink. Chris was already helping himself to a third or fourth large spoonful of honey, and as he was distracted by his younger brother’s attempt to attain diabetes, Nino found himself being handed a plate of food by his mother.

“You barely took the time to say goodbye to us yesterday,” she said, guiding Nino into a chair and setting down a folded napkin for him. “Today, you are going to take the time to eat all your food and hug your brother and I before leaving. Family is important, Nino, don’t forget it!”

Nino smiled as his brother crossed his arms and nodded, a bit of the honey he’d been having stuck to his lips. “Yeah! I mi—” A considering look on his face, Chris paused and licked the honey off his mouth. “I didn’t get to see you until the afternoon, and then you headed up to your room, anyway,” Chris said, pouting.

Nino dipped some bread in his honey and took a bite. “Sorry, little dude,” he said. “I had a lot going on yesterday. I might be busy after school again today, but maybe we can play a game together in the evening to make up for it, okay?”

Chris nodded, the hint of a smile peeking through his serious expression. “I like that idea,” he said happily.

Nino’s mother smiled. “Good for you two,” she said. “It’s nice to see my boys being friendly to each other. Now, remember to finish your meal on time, Nino, or you’ll be late for school!”

Nodding quickly, Nino stuffed a bit of the cheese into his bread and dipped it into the honey again as he finished eating. I’ll figure out the last clue soon, he thought to himself, and then I’ll find Chat Noir and make sure I’m the best friend he’s ever had!

  At school, Nino was distracted. He'd felt so sure of his plan earlier, but from the moment he stepped onto the school grounds, Nino had been hit with a wave of unease. Chat Noir had seemed confident that this hint would help Nino put everything together, as long as he really wanted to know who Chat Noir was.

And Nino did! But none of the past clues had really made Nino think he’d come close to figuring out Chat’s secret identity; what if this clue didn’t help Nino figure it out, either?

Nino ran the past clues through his mind, feeling jittery. The key to the janitor’s closet — did that mean Chat Noir knew Nino as a civilian? Did they go to the same school? Then there was the folded letter, with the clue that Chat Noir was in love with Marinette, the passionfruit macaron from the Dupain-Chengs, and finally Chat Noir not liking the Alliance rings (because he knew Adrien was being exploited).

Really, there wasn’t too much to go off of. If Chat Noir was friends with Adrien and Marinette, then he might have learned about the Incident with the janitor’s closet through them, explaining the key. After all, the odds that Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Chat Noir all attended the same school seemed pretty low, though Nino didn’t have Max and Markov to weigh in.

As for the letter — was it really any wonder that Chat Noir had fallen for Marinette? He liked strong girls with dark hair who could kick his butt, and Marinette fit the bill nicely. So, no surprises there. The handwriting was a bit of a shock, as was the folding, but it was likely done to purposefully add another layer of security to the letter as it passed hands from Chat to the janitor to Nino.

The passionfruit macaron was a sign of Chat’s unique cravings, but unfortunately, it didn’t do anything to reveal the secret identity of one person in a city of millions. Hundreds of people liked passionfruit, maybe even thousands, and nearly everyone liked macarons!

And then, not liking the Alliance rings was really just proof for Chat Noir being friends with Adrien. Knowing that Adrien felt comfortable sharing his secrets with Chat made Nino think that maybe the hero was even closer with Adrien than Nino was. Not for long, Nino swore to himself as he took a sip from the coffee he’d picked up at the Dupain-Chengs' just before school. He’d had a feeling that he would need it, though it was probably not helping Nino’s anxiety levels much.

He knew all the clues that Chat Noir had given him by heart, and none of them contained anything revealing! How could one more, obviously tiny clue really jog Nino’s brain enough to make him put all the pieces together? Maybe Nino would look at this ‘last clue’ and not come up with anything! Maybe he would need another dozen hints before he found out who Chat Noir was! And maybe Chat Noir would just give up on Nino and convince Ladybug to let Marinette become his confidant, just like Nino had told Alya to suggest to her!

Nino frowned and massaged his temples, trying to make himself calm down. Just because it seemed likely that Marinette would be able to figure out who Chat Noir was before Nino did didn’t mean it would happen that way, right? Even if Nino was beginning to think that Chat Noir would move on from being okay with having Nino as his confidant before he ever figured out what the last clue meant.

Last night, Chat Noir had sounded willing to wait for Nino to find out who the boy behind the mask was on his own schedule, Nino told himself. There was nothing to be worried about, really. If Chat was willing for Nino to take his time, than the only pressure Nino was under was his own! And most of that pressure was being blown out of proportion by his caffeinated and somehow still sleepy brain, so really, Nino should not be giving in to all this worry.

Nino took another long sip of coffee as Ms. Mendeleiev droned on in the background by the chalkboard. Distantly noting that he was bouncing his right knee under the desk, Nino wondered whether he was bothering Adrien. The heel of his shoe kept hitting the tile floor, bambambambambam, and Nino knew that if it wasn’t him making the noise, he’d be at least mildly distracted by it. Nino stole a glance at Adrien, but he seemed to be focused on the lesson, not looking distracted by Nino.

Adrien had seemed cautious when he met Nino that morning in front of the school. The smile he’d offered Nino seemed real, but it was more tentative than it usually was, and it seemed to shrink when Nino greeted him with his usual handshake and asked how his evening went. He’d murmured that it was good, but Adrien seemed a little sadder than usual to Nino all morning. Not even Alya and Marinette’s offer of a group study date for the physics quiz tomorrow had cheered him up.

Nino hoped Adrien was okay, that nothing bad had happened that he didn’t want to tell Nino about. Maybe, Nino thought, he should try to arrange a sleepover at his place (after he found out Chat Noir’s identity, of course) to cheer Adrien up!

Well. Actually, the chances of Gabriel allowing that to happen were slim to nil, and Nino’s offer would just remind Adrien of how strict his father was. Or worse, it would get his hopes up just to dash them to bits again.

Huffing in disappointment, Nino took another sip of his coffee, tilting his cup and slurping the last few inches down. Not really paying attention to where he was, Nino focused on extending the pleasant taste of his drink as long as he could, missing the class’s stares and giggles as the noise he was making disrupted the class.

Ms. Mendeleiev cleared her throat. “Nino Lahiffe, if you don’t stop that awful slurping sound, I will be taking away your drink so we can have order again in the classroom,” she said in a cross voice, her foot tapping in irritation on the floor.

Nino opened his eyes and blinked at his teacher, like he was just waking up. “Sorry, dude,” he said absently, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Ms. Mendeleiev stared for a moment, then sighed and turned back to the chalkboard.

As soon as she’d turned her attention away, Adrien leaned over and whispered in Nino’s ear, “Are you okay? You’re almost never this distracted in class, and you even left your cap at home! I feel kind of concerned about you,” Adrien said, worry shining in his eyes.

Nino turned, nearly bumping his head against Adrien’s. “Everything’s fine,” he responded in a voice a little too loud for a whisper. “I’m just waiting for lunch. I guess I’m more nervous than I thought,” he said, though there was no way Adrien would know what Nino was nervous about.

Somehow, Adrien looked like he understood, and Nino remembered that there was a physics quiz tomorrow that was probably saving him from suspicion.

“Ohhhh,” Adrien whispered, drawing out the syllable. “So that’s what’s going on. Okay, well, I’m sure you’ll figure it all out,” he said, patting Nino on the back. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help, though. And don’t worry! You’re doing great.”

Nino smiled, the significance of the conversation completely lost on him. “Thank you,” he said. “You’re right, there’s nothing for me to worry about!”

Nino turned his attention to the lecture, jotting down a few notes from what he’d understood of the lecture so far. Suddenly, he paused and slowly turned to face Adrien again.

“Hold on,” he asked Adrien in a panicked whisper. “Did you just say that...?” Nino looked at Adrien with a meaningful expression on his face, gaze fly up to the well-styled blond hair on his friend’s head.

Blanching, Adrien gulped. “Did I?” he asked, eyes wide open and both eyebrows raised. Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead.

“I forgot my cap at home?!” Nino yelped, his hands flying up to his hair. Ms. Mendeleiev shot him a glare as she was forced to pause her lecture yet again.

“I’ve warned you before, Lahiffe. Detention,” she said, and Nino sulked as he sank back down into his seat, looking at Adrien, who was caught between a laugh and what looked like sympathy. Or disappointment. Probably with Ms. Mendeleiev’s totally uncool teaching, Nino brooded. She really was unfair.

    Lunchtime found Nino sneaking off to the boiler room with butterflies in his stomach and Chat Noir’s paper bag in his hands.

This had better not be an elaborate pun, Nino thought to distract himself from the queasiness he was feeling. If the ‘last clue’ is just a little stuffed cat, and I pull it out of the bag and it's holding a slip of paper that says, “The cat’s out of the bag!” with Chat’s name on the other side, I’m going to scream.

Reaching the little desk in the corner of the room, Nino flicked on the light and let out a deep breath before setting the bag on the table.

This is it, he thought, and a shiver ran down his spine. He unfolded the top of the bag. Just one more clue, Nino told himself as he reached down to the bag, ready to reach inside and pull out the last hint. Then this mission is over, and a new one begins. I know I’m ready, Nino thought. Just... five more seconds. He counted down in his head as his hand hovered over the bag’s opening.

Five. Four. Three. Two...

One.

The building shook above Nino, sending a cloud of dust down from the ceiling. In the dark corners of the room, the spiders cowered as their webs shook and fell under the weight of the dust and small chunks of ceiling that were falling.

Nino cocked an eyebrow at the sudden disturbance, pulling his hand back from the bag. Looking up, his jaw dropped as a series of cracks spread across the grey-painted building, dropping a large section of the ceiling down a few meters beyond Nino. The ceiling is falling! Nino realized, and his stomach churned.

Grabbing the paper bag and folding over the top quickly, Nino rushed out of the basement. He knew an akuma attack when he saw one, and this one seemed like the type where it was dangerous to stay in one place, especially when even the spiders seemed scared.

And the ceiling was falling. That might have been the biggest indicator.

I hope everyone gets out safe. And also that the spiders die, Nino thought as he raced up to the main part of the school, where students were running to find safe places to hide as the school crumbled around them.

“I am Bombshell!” a strong voice roared. “No one wants to save a historic building from condemnation, eh? Then maybe you’d like to see how Paris looks with no buildings at all! Take this!” the akuma shouted eagerly, launching what looked like a large grenade from his hand into the center of the Francois-Dupont schoolyard.

“Why is it always our school?” Nino muttered as he ran in the opposite direction, flinching as he heard a boom a dozen meters behind him.

Behind him, a dozen students cried out. Nino turned while he was running, looking to see if he could help them in any way. This akuma was causing almost as much damage as Strike Back, though that was technically a sentimonster.

It looked like most of the students were gathering in the courtyard, panicking and looking for their friends. Everyone was coated with a light dusting of grey ash, but nobody seemed to be having trouble breathing, and somehow, no one was trapped in the rubble. Maybe Monarch had made the akuma’s powers destructive, but not deadly to humans. Good for him, Nino thought sarcastically.

A second boom came from the street, and the west side of the school crumbled further. Nino could make out Chat Noir rushing toward the akuma, but it was large and seemingly impervious to Chat’s taunts and jabs with his baton. He needed help.

Still in the courtyard with the other students, Nino saw Marinette push to the edge of the huddle.

“Everyone!” she shouted. “You need to evacuate, now! Didn’t you learn anything from the akuma drill last week? You need to get away from the danger zone! Nino!” she called.

Nino found himself walking over to Marinette, gesturing at himself questioningly.

“You need to make sure they all get away from here. Make sure they’re at least four city blocks away from the fight,” she said as Chat Noir got thrown backwards into the heap of rubble that once was Ms. Bustier’s classroom.

“Got it,” he said, tightening his grip on the bag in his hands. “But why can’t you help lead us? Are you going somewhere?”

Marinette’s eyes darted over to Chat Noir, who had gotten up and was limping toward the huddle, eyes searching the crowd like he had someone to look for.

It seemed most of the school’s students had already evacuated before the damage was too severe, led by their teachers. But Ms. Mendeleiev was still in the huddle of trapped students, trying to get someone to calm down in her nasally voice. The remaining students were mostly young, and they were panicking in this unfamiliar situation, cut off from their friends.

“I... have to go, um, I need to powder my face,” Marinette said, cringing.

Nino blinked. “I don’t really know what that means,” he said. “But nothing can be more important than escaping right now. You agree, right?” he asked Chat Noir, who had seen Marinette and Nino and was walking over to them, a slight limp to his gait.

“Absolutely,” he said in a ragged voice. “Marinette, you have to stay safe! I can’t imagine what I would do if something happened to you,” he said, eyes pleading with Marinette.

Marinette faltered, her eyes caught by Chat Noir’s gaze. “I’ll be safe,” she insisted, but she didn’t sound sure of her words.

Nino sighed as his two friends stared into each other’s eyes. “Look, we’re running out of time. I don’t know what Chat did to distract the akuma—”

“I trapped it in the rubble with my baton,” he said, and a roar came from across the block. A thin metal object soared through air, shrinking as it fell towards Chat Noir.

Nino blanched as Chat Noir reached out and casually caught his baton. “Great,” he said. “He returned it to me!”

Nino groaned. “Okay, Chat, you take Marinette somewhere safe since she won’t go with the rest of us, and I’ll handle everyone else. We need to hurry,” Nino said as Bombshell’s fiery eyes came into view. “But you’re the only one who can make sure Marinette doesn’t run off someplace weird on her own, like she usually does during akumas.”

Chat Noir turned to Marinette, who shot a disgusted look at Nino for tattling. “You usually hide by yourself?!” Chat squawked, eyes widening in fear. “Marinette! You could get hurt!” he scolded as he scooped up a protesting Marinette and vaulted away with her, presumably to some place across the whole city to make sure she stayed out of danger. As they moved out of Nino’s view, he could hear the worried tones of Chat’s voice as he continued to fuss over Marinette.

Nino shook his head as he jogged over to a pile of bricks and climbed up on top of them. Around him, students were jostling to find an exit, now, tripping over fallen bricks and pieces of the balcony’s railing as they tried to push through the walls of debris that were trapping them.

“Everyone!” Nino shouted, and the crowd slowly stopped their panicked babble and turned to look at Nino, who felt his face growing hot. He didn’t know what to do, really, he wasn’t a leader like Marinette was. He should have pushed for her to stay, Nino realized. But she was safer wherever Chat Noir had put her.

Across the street, Bombshell charged towards a returning Chat Noir, who was followed hotly by Ladybug, with a severe frown on her face. Nino grinned in relief. Hopefully, the battle would be over soon! Well, probably after the akuma introduced whatever Miraculous power he’d been given. But still!

“Well, Mr. Lahiffe, are you going to say something, or are you just wasting our time?” Ms. Mendeleiev spat out, arms crossed as she looked up at Nino. While Nino, Marinette, and Chat Noir were talking, she’d tried to lead a group of students over the west wall, to no avail, and now she was even grumpier than before.

“Oh!” Nino waved his arms, careful not to lose his balance. “No, no, I’m not wasting time, I’m trying to help find a way out of here for us. We need to stop pushing and shoving each other while trying to find a path or we’ll be stuck here until the end of the battle! Now, look, I trust Ladybug as much as the next dude, but right now, we need to clear out of the danger zone, so that Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t have to worry about hurting civilians during the fight! This isn’t M. Pigeon,” Nino said, gesturing to the rubble around them. “This akuma is dangerous.”

“So, what are you gonna do about it?” one kid asked, rubbing his arm, which looked bruised.

Wobbling on the small stack of bricks, Nino spread his arms wide. “We need to find the safest parh,” he said, eyes scanning the crowd and then traveling over the walls of debris and still-standing bricks. “The back doors are, well, they don’t exist anymore, but there’s less unsafe rubble there than anywhere else. If we’re careful, it looks like we can climb over the sections of low wall still standing there and get out over the back part of the building. Did everyone hear me?” Nino asked.

A few kids in the back shook their heads, and Ms. Mendeleiev walked over to the back of the crowd and repeated Nino’s advice. Soon, the remaining students trapped in Francois-Dupont's debris were testing the sections of the remaining back wall for stability, helping others cross over and get to safety while the battle raged on in the streets behind them. Nino called Alya, who’d been part of the group of students who weren’t trapped by the school’s falling rubble, and she gave tips on where to go once the group got out of the debris.

Nino helped the youngest students, often having to lift the shortest ones over a high section of the wall or across a big gap. It took a long time, but finally, the battle was wrapping up as all of Francois-Dupont's students gathered in the park down a few blocks from where Bombshell was attacking.

Hugging Alya close to him, Nino watched as a swarm of red ladybugs flew across the city, tickling him as they swept over his shirt, turning it from gray to blue again and sweeping the dust off the rest of the students.

“You did a really good job out there,” Alya said approvingly. “Ladybug would be proud of you.”

Nino blushed. “Thanks, babe,” he said, brushing a kiss to his girlfriend’s forehead. “I hope Chat Noir will be, too.”

“I’m sure he is,” Alya agreed, but as she continued to praise Nino for putting up with Ms. Mendeleiev’s somewhat frustrating attempts to keep order as the students evacuated, Nino found himself unable to focus, a pale color creeping back into his face.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Nino gasped and then looked down, checking the ground for a small paper bag, maybe trampled, or maybe restored by the cure. Nothing.

“It’s gone,” Nino whispered, glancing up at Alya, who’d stopped talking and was looking at him in concern.

“What’s gone?” she asked, putting a hand on Nino’s shoulder.

“Chat Noir’s last clue,” Nino said, his mouth dry. “I lost the clue to Chat Noir’s identity.”

    That evening, a knock came on Nino’s window.

Nino lay in bed, one arm draped over his face. He’d been like that ever since he got back from the attack. School had been closed for the rest of the day, so he hadn’t even gotten the chance to go back and check for the bag there.

“I didn’t figure it out,” Nino mumbled, hoping that Chat Noir’s advanced hearing would work well enough for the message to get across to the hero on the other side of the glass. “I lost the clue during the akuma attack. I’m sorry,” Nino choked out, a tear running down his face. “Maybe fate’s just telling us that I’m not right for the job.”

There was silence from the window, and then the shadow that had fallen across Nino’s face when Chat Noir arrived shrunk back. Nino took in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry,” he repeated as he raised his arm and looked up at the empty window. Maybe it was better this way. Or maybe things would seem less bleak in the morning, and Chat Noir would give Nino another chance. After all, the last clue probably wasn’t decipherable to anyone but Nino... probably.

Suddenly, a small black cat-being phased through the window and flew in front of Nino’s face, hovering over his bed.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” the cat-being said said, crossing its arms and frowning at Nino, fangs sharp and white.

Nino stared. “You’re Chat Noir’s kwami,” he whispered, astonished.

The little cat sniffed. “The name’s Plagg,” he said. “I’m going to assume you don’t have any cheese to offer me and get on with the message. You’re like a fresh ball of mozzarella,” he said to Nino, gesturing grandly with one little arm.

Nino blinked at Plagg. “Excuse me?” he asked, not sure whether he should be offended or not.

“You’ve got potential,” Plagg said. “The problem is that you’re too young, too immature. You look at any mold as being catastrophic. And no, that wasn’t a pun.

“The thing about mold, my good mozzarella, is that it’s what adds flavor to cheese. It’s what transforms a boring vat of milk into the most delicious camembert, done properly, of course. You’re experiencing a setback right now, but that’s what will help you become a more scrumptious, gooey, pungent cheese in the future. Does that make sense?” Plagg asked, looking a bit bored with the message.

Surprisingly, though it did make sense, Nino thought, and he nodded slowly. “You mean that I’m overreacting. I can still become Chat’s confidant,” he said questioningly. “Even though I lost his clue? I’ll be more careful in the future, but... shouldn’t I have been more careful? It’s my fault that I lost Chat’s clue, and this is the second time it’s happened, or almost happened,” Nino said, thinking about the time he dropped the first litter from Chat Noir.

Plagg shrugged, hovering in the air in front of Nino. “That would be ideal,” he said, “But even the most well-crafted cheese gets a bad spot of mold sometimes. It’s not the end of all things, as long as it’s small enough to cut off. But, kid, what you did today was nowhere near as bad as you thought it was. Remind me, what did you do during the battle?”

“I dropped the bag while I was escaping and I didn’t even notice,” Nino said glumly, looking at Plagg and wondering what the kwami had to say about this.

“You did not,” Plagg said. “Remember, I was there for all of this. I saw the moment it happened, through Chat Noir’s eyes. You didn’t drop the bag because you were trying to save yourself,” Plagg said. “You dropped it because you were focused on saving those students who were trapped in the rubble. Because of you, almost a hundred students were able to escape the battle zone before the school suffered any more damage. And it did suffer more of it, just minutes after you all escaped. But everyone was safe, thanks largely to you.”

Nino nodded at Plagg, feeling something warm blossom in his chest as he listened to the kwami.

“So you were too busy acting heroic to hold on to the bag,” Plagg went on. “Big deal. Did you really think my holder wasn’t prepared for something like this? He knows you’ve got some kind of noisy brother always looking for attention. Chris could’ve busted into your room and opened the bag himself before you got the chance to. Chat Noir knew that,” Plagg said. “That clue you dropped was purposefully vague, it could have been anything, like a fresh cheese curd ball. No one is going to figure out his identity from it, except for you. Now, if you’ll just agree, I’ll head back outside, Chat Noir will transform, and then we’ll give you the real last clue. Okay?”

Feeling touched, Nino nodded, nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply and tried not to cry. “Mm-hmm,” he agreed. Swallowing, Nino managed to get out a small, “Thanks.”

Plagg waved an arm dismissively. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Now clean up those red eyes of yours, Chat Noir will be here in a minute.”

The kwami zipped away to the window, phasing through it and flying up to the roof, where Chat Noir was presumably waiting, untransformed.

Nino sniffed. He couldn’t possibly deserve this much trust and help, he thought. Chat Noir was the nicest person Nino had ever met.

A few minutes later, Chat Noir was standing in the middle of Nino’s room, the window closed again behind him.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that attack today,” Chat Noir said, awkwardly shifting the paper bag in his hands. “I wish Ladybug and I had a lead on who Monarch is, so we could make sure nothing like this would ever happen again. And even though we don’t, I should have stayed around to help you and the other students,” Chat Noir said remorsefully.

Nino shook his head. “No, don’t be sorry, dude,” he said, his voice still tight from almost crying. “You had to fight the akuma. In the end, that did more good than anything I did.”

“That’s not true,” Chat Noir said softly. “You made sure no one had to deal with their injuries alone. Ladybug’s cure only affects the physical damage, not the mental stuff. Hopefully, a lot of people will feel a lot less alone and hurt because of what you did today. I heard about it all,” the hero continued. “You came up with the plan to evacuate, you helped Léo and the other youngest students get over the wall safely, you stayed in the blast zone and kept helping everyone even when it was clear that Bombshell would head back to the school and attack it again. You were turtle-y heroic, Nino,” Chat Noir said, a smile on his face. “I have to thank you for doing so much to help Paris today.”

Nino blushed, embarrassed. “You’re welcome, dude,’ he said, looking down and fiddling with his bracelets. “I still think you did more, but I was glad that I could do something to help, today.”

After a few moments had passed in comfortable silence, Chat Noir cleared his throat, looking over at Nino.

“So. Are you ready for your last hint this time?” he asked, holding a pose that Nino thought might be uncomfortable but looked casual enough.

Nino nodded and stepped closer, looking at the bag in Chat Noir’s hands. The folds looked fresh and crisp, like the ones in Chat Noir’s first letter.

“I am,” he said. “Do you think I should wait to open it, or do you want to see me try and put it all together?”

Chat Noir blinked, looking like he hadn’t considered this. Tilting his head, he considered Nino’s question, tail swishing behind him as he thought.

“What if we try a bit of both?” he asked cryptically. “I’ll go back out on the roof while you open it, and Plagg will tell me once you’ve figured it out. Or, if you still need another hint, that’s okay, too! I want you to put it together without my help, I think,” Chat Noir admitted. “So that I know it’s really your choice.”

Nino was surprised, but he supposed that made some sense. Chat Noir had been eager for Nino to find out, but he also seemed to think that Nino should only find out if he wanted to. If putting the pieces together on his own would convince Chat Noir of that, then this plan was fine by Nino.

“All right,” Nino said, taking the bag from Chat Noir when he held it out hesitantly.

Chat Noir opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. “Um,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Good luck, Nino.” Stepping back towards the window, Chat Noir pulled the sash open and stepped outside, waving one last time before he closed the window and headed to the roof. A few moments later, the same cat-being from earlier flew into Nino’s room.

“Hurry up,” he told Nino, his tail lashing anxiously. “The suspense is giving me indigestion. Trust me, you don’t want to know what that does to an all-powerful kwami.”

The corner of Nino’s lips twitched up into a smile. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I was just waiting on you.”

And, not wanting to waste any time, he reached into the bag and pulled out Chat Noir’s final hint.

[deepwatercomic]

Updates from the Desk of actual Sorrows

first off, I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my polls. It really did help and I did get some great suggestions from other users. It really feels strange to feel like I have to apologize for being MIA on a blog and website I don't think anyone (besides my husband) reads. Honestly life gets in the way sometimes. And we can't all be on the all the time. We're human, we need rest.

My paternal Grandmother died. She was a wonderful, faithful woman who loved her family fiercely and was a faithful Catholic who died peacefully in her sleep on the feast of Mary's Solemnity- which I think she would have found incredibly fitting. It was a long haul with heart failure and just, well, old age. But I will always remember the blue house dresses she wore, the way her massive cross, scapular and medals would click together when I would hug her, the way the Jasmine and lemon trees in her backyard would smell. She would try to tell jokes, but would start giggling before she could even get through the first sentence, and no one could understand what she was trying to say- but her laughter was so infectious that we couldn't help but laugh along. I do hope that with the march of time I don't forget her French-Canadian accent when she would end every phone call or general conversation with "I'll pray for you." And she meant it. I like think Grandma had a direct phone line to the holy trinity, and was frequently discussing matters with Mother Mary. But she did miss my Grandpa very, very, much. And its my sincere hope is that he was there to hold her hand and lead her into the afterlife.

I sincerely want to thank my Aunts, Uncle and cousins for taking such good care of her so she could spend her last days at home with loved ones. You couldn't ask for better or more adoring care.

To make matters more complicated my dear cat, Loki, has a malignant tumor on his face. It was written off as a sinus issue during his yearly wellness exam, and developed into a horrible abscesses (yes multiple) only a few months later. Thanks to a different vet and a lot of pain meds we have a few more weeks with him. He perked right up as soon as we put him on a schedule of gabapentin! Its like having him back to his (mostly) old self for a little while- Its just a matter of when, not if. Which SUCKS, it absolutely fucking SUCKS to have to make the decision of euthanasia. He was supposed to die in his sleep at twenty after gorging himself on all the tuna and goat cheese his tiny heart desired. But, my little trickster familiar will be at home with us when he goes and that is really, the best outcome in a situation like this.

So its right now after major surgery, with family death, pet sickness that I'm still going to school to complete my Bachelors. (I swear, if I don't do things on hard mode- apparently they're just not worth doing AT ALL.) I mean, obviously Deep Water has been pushed to the back burner- and its frankly, this uncomfortable place for it to be (for me at least). Its a story I had hoped would be done about a year ago. I have other projects that I want to move on to. I would just hate to push through it right now and then look back and hate the end result, realize I could do better. Because it is my story, and it is worth telling. This isn't a group project that has deadline or grade. So I'm going to take a few weeks off here, make sure I'm caught up on my school work and try to aim at posting near the end of May.

I hope to see you then. Until then, have a picture of my Familiar happily sleeping while we were watching Golden Girls in better times. And tell a joke that you can't finish because you're laughing to hard in honor of my grandmother.

[wrestlersownmyheart]

"Nurseries, & Babies & Weddings! Oh, My!" *Second Sequel to "Tricked and Treated"* (Drew McIntyre X Reader)

Pairing: Drew McIntyre X Reader Summary: It is time for Baby McIntyre to make their arrival! Drew and Y/N opted to not know the sex of their baby till it was born, and boy do they get a surprise! And there is a wedding in the near future! Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with WWE. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination. Content/Trigger Warnings: Fluff

Note: I couldn't find the names of Drew's siblings, so I just made something up. Oh, and I also messed with Drew's full name a tad toward the end of the story.

Nurseries, & Babies & Weddings! Oh, My! Second Sequel to Tricked and Treated

"Up a little higher on the right side, or it's going to be crooked, Drew," you chuckled as your fiance hung a blown up portrait of your latest sonogram up in the nursery. The nursery that was almost finished now, thank goodness. You just needed to get some decorative baby pillows for the crib and you'd be good to go.

The months flew by since you'd told Drew you were pregnant. The baby was due any day now and you were more than ready to bring the little life out into the world.

Since both you and Drew decided that you'd wait on hearing what the sex of your baby was, you went with mint green and a pastel yellow for the colors and you'd decorated in a way that would be appropriate for a girl or a boy.

"Perfect," you exclaimed, when Drew had the portrait positioned just right. "Hang it like that!"

"As you wish, my love," he replied, settling the portrait into place.

You smiled at his choice of words. He was always finding ways and using perfect times to say "As you wish" because it was from your favorite movie, The Princess Bride-it was his way of saying "I love you".

"I love you too, Drew," you smiled and stood beside him as you both surveyed the nursery. "It looks amazing, doesn't it?"

"Aye, it does," the large Sotsman replied. "I can hardly wait for the little rugrat to get here!" He laughed, hugging you close and placing his hands lovingly on your large belly. "I can feel he or she kicking up a storm," Drew said, rubbing his hands over the large swell.

"They're probably hungry," you giggled. "I know I am!"

"Well, let's go out and get a nice dinner and have one last date night before the baby comes," Drew suggested. "We've been working so hard on the nursery. And the wedding. We deserve a reward."

"That we do," you agreed, already heading for the stairs to get changed. "Sounds like fun!"

Drew followed you and over the next hour you got dressed up and did your makeup for a nice dinner out.

"Soon you were parked at Ocean Prime, one of the best restaurants in all of Tampa. Normally you wouldn't be able to get in at such short notice, but Drew, being who he was, pulled some strings and got you an amazing table outside, near the beach.

Once seated, you both ordered an appetizer of Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli and entrees of sushi (Ocean roll) for you, and a New York Strip steak for Drew. And while Drew had a glass of Guinness, you opted for water.

Waiting on your entrees, you munched on the ravioli and marveled at the creamy texture.

"This is fun," you admitted, swallowing a bite of food. "It'll probably be a long while till we get to do this again, so we'd better enjoy it."

Drew nodded, "I know. Here's to sleepless nights and diaper changes," he toasted with his beer. You tapped your glass to his and each of you took a sip of your drinks just before the entrees arrived.

"Ooo, yummy," you exclaimed, eyeing your plate of sushi.

Drew moved the plate of ravioli out of the way to make room for his steak and also eyeballed his own plate.

You both ate slowly, savoring every moment together, as well as every bite of your delicious food. You discussed more baby names and decided that Angela would be the perfect name for a girl and Angel for a boy. Either way, Drew's mother would be remembered every time you uttered your child's name.

"Well hey, guys!"

You both looked up to see Sheamus and Nia Jax standing by your table.

You both stood and greeted them and offered for them to sit at your table to which they accepted.

Once they were seated, the waiter came and took their orders and hurried off to get their drinks and food.

Soon you and Drew each finished your meal, and ordered a desert to split-a Crème Brûlée with fresh berries, and then you rose to your feet to go to the ladies room. Nia stood as well and walked with you to the bathroom. You had the distinct feeling she was watching out for you as if you were a ticking time bomb. You small talked the whole time you were in the ladies room and then when you were finished taking care of your business, you walked out of the stall and went to the sinks to wash your hands.

"So have you decided on a name for the baby," Nia asked, looking in the mirror and running her hands over her unruly hair.

"Yes, I think we have," you said, clearly excited. "We picked out Angela for a girl and Angel for a boy."

"Oh, my God, that is so sweet!"

"It will be our way of remembering Drew's mother and- OH!"

A splash of water hit your feet.

That's weird, you thought. I didn't splash any water out of the sink. And it's warm.

"What is it," Nia demanded, ready to go on red alert.

"My water. It just broke," you said, your brain only just then computing what had happened.

"Oh, wow," Nia said. "Come on, let's get you back to Drew. We need to get you to the hospital."

"Yeah," you mumbled, almost in shock. It seemed like just yesterday you were telling Drew you were having a baby and now here you were, in labor.

You and Nia made your way back outside and hurried over to the table where Drew and Sheamus sat drinking their beer and talking.

A contraction hit you hard then and you doubled over, grabbing at your stomach. "Oh, my God… that hurts!"

"Babe, what's wrong," Drew said as he and Sheamus immediately stood to their feet.

"Her water broke in the ladies' room," Nia answered for you, reaching over and rubbing your back.

"Excuse me, is the lady alright?" The waiter approached and looked quite frightened.

"I need an ambulance for my fiancée, please. She's in labor," Drew answered, coming around the table to stand by you. "Come sit down, love." You obediently sat down in the chair he pulled out for you as the waiter went to call for an ambulance.

The emergency vehicle arrived only about five minutes later. You were quite thankful for the fact. Within minutes you were loaded into the ambulance with Drew by your side and Sheamus and Nia following behind in their car.

Once you reached the hospital, you were unloaded and wheeled immediately to the maternity ward where a labor and delivery nurse began asking questions about your contractions and how you were feeling. She also handed a sheaf of papers over to Drew to fill out.

"OH LORD," you cried as another contraction hit you.

"Those contractions seem to be getting closer together. We need to get you into the birthing room and let me check you over.

Minutes later, you were settled in the delivery room and people were fussing over you left and right and you were in PAIN. Your pelvic muscles were seizing and your back was screaming. So naturally, you were terrified of the epidural. Which as it so happened, wasn't near as scary as you thought it'd be.

Drew was with you the whole step of the way, holding your hand, running his hand over your back and whispering soft words to you.

Sooner than you realized, it was time to push.

This is what had you scared. What if your body wasn't strong enough to bring a human being into the world? What if you just couldn't do it? What would happen?

"Okay, let's get your feet in the stirrups and on your next contraction I want you to push," Your obstetrician said.

You were terrified but you did as your doctor said and pushed as a contraction hit. You screamed through the push and beared down as hard as you could.

"Good, Y/N. That's great! Again!"

You did this… It seemed endless. But finally the doctor said, "I can see the head!"

When the next contraction hit you pushed with all your might. You were ready for this baby to be born.

"Baby, you're doing amazing," Drew said, kissing your temple.

You pushed again, determined to have the baby.

A baby's cry pierced the air. "It's out," the doctor exclaimed. "A baby girl!"

"Angela…" You cried weakly. "Our baby girl, Drew."

Suddenly your pelvic muscles seized again and you gripped Drew's hand. "An-Another contraction!" You gasped out.

"What," the doctor asked, handing the baby over to the delivery nurses to be cleaned up.

Your body began pushing on its own almost and you beared down further with a scream.

"We have a hidden twin, folks!"

"What?" you cried.

"The ultrasounds didn't pick up the second baby. You're having twins, Y/N." She got back into position between your legs. "Okay, you can do this, Y/N. You just have to push some more."

Taking a deep breath you beared down and pushed as hard as you could with a loud wail.

"Good! One more! One more push, baby," Drew encouraged you, gripping your hand in his. "Squeeze my hand, love."

With a sob of exhaustion you did squeeze his hand and pushed the baby out completely on your next push. Another baby's wail rang out and you smiled. Happy that both babies were crying and apparently healthy.

"Oh, God…" you fell back against the pillow behind you and panted. "Please tell me that it's not triplets."

"It's another little girl," the doctor reported. "Twin girls."

"I'm so proud of you," Drew whispered. He brought your hand to his lips and kissed it. "So proud."

"I love you," you told him, smiling. "We have two daughters, Drew."

He kissed the top of your head. "I know it. Angela, and… What should we name the second one?"

"Anne," you whispered. His mother's middle name. "Angela and Anne."

"Are you sure," Drew asked, tears in his eyes. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," you said, reaching up and cupping his face in your hand. "Not at all."

The babies were cleaned up and then one was handed to you, and one to Drew. The crying had finally stopped and now the babies cooed and gurgled in your arms.

"Oh my gosh, they're so precious," you exclaimed. "We did good, babe."

"Yes, we did."

"I love you, so much," You whispered, gazing up at your soon-to-be husband.

"And I love you," he returned, reaching over and stroking the side of your face. "I can't wait for you to become my wife."

"I can't either."

You both looked down at your daughters and smiled. Life couldn't get much better.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

Five Months Later…

(The Saturday before Halloween…)

You smiled at all the women in your dressing quarters helping you to get ready for your wedding. Being that Halloween was when you fell in love and got engaged, as well as announced your pregnancy, you wanted to have your wedding as close to the Holiday as possible. But you knew it was impossible to have the wedding on the exact holiday since it was a Monday and many of your guests-the Monday Night RAW roster-would have to work. And Sunday seemed too irreverent, so Saturday had to do.

The wedding was held in Abernathy Forest in Scotland and was a costume party-slash-wedding. Yours and Drew's costumes were from The Princess Bride-Drew's costume was the solid black ensemble that Westley wore in the Fire Swamp and your costume was the red dress that Buttercup wore, also in the Fire Swamp. You even wore a long blond wig to ensure your hair was just the right tone for the costume-you'd gone all out on the apparel.

Finally, you were fully dressed and ready for the wedding.

"Is the bride ready," Drew's brother, and groomsman, David, asked at the flap to your dressing tent.

"I am," you called out, excited and ready to be married.

The twins were with your parents, the party was ready to unfold. All you had to do was get married!

Upon reporting that you were ready, David and the other groomsmen-Drew included-took their places at the makeshift altar while classical music played.

Suddenly Canon began playing and the bridesmaids went down the rustic isle slowly to give you extra time for any last minute touches you needed to make.

The music faded out once the bridesmaids all took their places and then the introduction to the Wedding March rang out, and you took a deep breath.

Nervous, but excited, you held your bouquet of wildflowers in your hands and began the slow walk down the aisle. You glanced around you as you walked and took note of everyone's costumes. Couples dressed as famous couples in history, from movies-like you and Drew-and single people dressed as their favorite characters from movies and tv shows. You smiled, your happiness radiating off you. You looked to the altar and saw Drew. He was breathtaking in his black trousers and baggy black dress shirt. You sighed dreamily. This man was yours. And you were his. At long last.

You finally made it to Drew's side and smiled up at him, tears threatening to fall. He took your hand, kissed it and you both turned to the minister, waiting on him to begin.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of God, and before you, as witnesses, to join Drew and Y/N in matrimony, which should never be entered into lightly, but rather with a healthy reverence for the commitment and sacrifice that is needed to maintain and grow the marriage bond." The minister began.

"Into this holy union Drew and Y/N now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or forever hold your peace." He paused, giving anyone time to speak out. SIlence met their ears and the minister continued.

"Drew, will you take this woman, whose hands you hold, choosing her alone to be your wedded wife? Will you live with her in the state of true matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, honor her at all times, and be faithful to her?"

Drew looked down at you and smiled warmly, "I do."

The minister turned to you then and spoke again. "Y/N, will you take this man, whose hands you hold, choosing him alone to be your wedded husband? Will you live with him in the state of true matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, honor him at all times, and be faithful to him?"

You smiled back at Drew and squeezed his hands. "I do."

The minister moved on to vows and you each gave your own vows to one another. Then you placed the wedding rings on each of your hands and swore to love each other till death do you part.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. Drew, you may kiss your bride."

With a smile and a flash of his dimples, Drew leaned down, touched his lips to yours and kissed you.

"I love you, Mrs. McIntyre."

"I love you too, Mr. McIntyre," you returned, wrapping your arms around his neck.

He pulled you close and kissed you again as all the guests cheered and hooted.

"We can't go anywhere but up," Drew said, taking your hand and leading you back down the aisle so you could start the wedding reception.

"And go up we shall," you gave him an impish smile. "I'm pregnant again."

"Again?" Drew asked in shock. "Already?"

You nodded, a smile on your lips, "We're having a little boy. Andrew McLean McIntyre the fifth."

"I couldn't love you any more than I do now," Drew said, nearly speechless. He stopped walking and pulled you into his embrace again. "Really. I love you so much, Y/N."

"I know. And I love you every bit as much."

"Let's get to the party and announce our newest addition to the family."

You nodded and walked with him, hand in hand to the venue.

You were both ready for whatever life handed you. As long as you had each other, and your children, nothing would get in your way.

THE END

[marauderundercover]

How We Fell: Ch. 31

Day 31: No Interruptions/New Year’s Eve

AO3

Prev

Three Years Later

Marinette smiles softly at her reflection in the mirror. When Hawkmoth had first been defeated, she’d struggled to look in the mirror. She struggled with the memories that came from being one of the heroes from the beginning. From the nightmares. But in the time that had passed since defeating the man, things had gotten better. It was a gradual process, and it took work, but it happened. A soft knock at the bathroom door makes Marinette grin.

“Come in.” She calls, smiling widely as Damian walks in, a small smile on his face. His suit was tailored wonderfully, and his tie matched her dress perfectly. Of course it did. She designed them.

“Hello love. Are we out of brie? Plagg was asking about it.” He says with a sigh, but the fond look in his eyes lets her know that he wasn’t actually upset. That was something she hadn’t expected, once they moved in together. She’d expected him to be far more weary of the kwami than he actually was. She supposed it helped that they all looked like animals. His words register and she frowns.

“I thought he was on his goat cheese kick?” Marinette says, quirking an eyebrow. Damian shrugs.

“I am merely the messenger.” He says, leaning down for a kiss. She turns her face at the last second, and he leans back with a frown. She snorts.

“I did not spend over an hour on my makeup for you to ruin my lipstick before we even leave the apartment, Damian.” She says softly. He rolls his eyes, kissing the very tip of her nose instead, making her giggle.

“I still think we could have a better time simply staying home. With no interruptions.” He says, cupping her face gently. Marinette just grins.

“I promised Dick that I would get you to show up, you know that. I also promised Jagged, Penny and the kids that I would be there.” She reminds him. His eyes light up slightly and she knows she’s got him. Cady and Ozzy adored Damian. They both thought he was much cooler than her, and while she pretended to be offended, she secretly agreed.

“Then I suppose we should attempt to arrive on time.” Damian says with a quick glance at his watch. Marinette nods, grabbing her purse as she follows him out.

---

“There’s my little rocker!” Jagged cheers, picking her up and spinning her around. The paparazzi had been a little more forward than they’d been in a while. She’d announced herself as MDC over the summer, but had managed to avoid any big events until this gala. Bruce hadn’t even had the Christmas gala this year, insisting instead on just a ‘family’ affair. He’d been offended when she’d originally thought that meant she was excluded. Apparently, he’d already decided she was his daughter in law (despite the fact that she and Damian were not engaged).

“Jagged, I’m 21.” She laughs, but returns the hug. Jagged finally sets her down, grinning widely.

“But you’ll always be my little rocker, M.” He says with a soft smile. Marinette grins, thankful for the man. He’d moved to Gotham full time shortly after the Hawkmoth reveal, and while it wasn’t the same as having her parents close by, it was a close second. It also meant she actually got to be involved in both Cady and Ozzy’s lives.

“Nettie!” A familiar voice calls. Marinette’s eyes widen and she spins around, shocked at seeing Nino. She glances at Damian who just smiles softly at her.

“I thought it had been too long since the two of you were able to see each other in a more…relaxed situation.” He says quietly. She squeezes his hand, wanting nothing more than to kiss him, but also not wanting to give the Gothamites anything to gossip about.

“Thank you.” She whispers back. He nods, gesturing towards Nino. Nino gives her a huge hug that she immediately sighs into. The last time she’d seen him was for a JL mission where they’d been assigned together. It wasn’t an awful mission, but there wasn’t exactly time to catch up and relax.

“How’s my favorite little sister doing?” Nino asks, setting her down and grinning. Marinette snorts.

“First of all, I’m only two weeks younger.” She huffs. He just grins. “Secondly, I’m actually doing really well. I never thought I would feel this at home in Gotham. But it’s….kind of perfect.” She admits, smiling. Nino grins.

“I’m happy for you, Nettie.” He says. She glances around, raising an eyebrow when she doesn’t see her.

“No Alya?” She asks. He sighs, but she can see the love in his eyes.

“She’s currently chasing a story in Tibet.” He says. Marinette quirks an eyebrow.

“Tibet?” She asks. He nods.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. I’m keeping an ear out in case any…less than heroic parties are involved.” Nino says. Marinette lets out a sigh.

“Did you ever think this is how our lives would turn out?” She asks. Nino snorts.

“Absolutely not.” He says. Then he grins. “But would you change it?” Marinette grins.

“Absolutely not.”

---

“Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite of the unofficial sisters?” Jason asks, appearing out of nowhere. Marinette quirks an eyebrow.

“What did you do?” She asks. His jaw drops as he clutches his heart.

“I am hurt that you actually think I would do something wrong.” He says dramatically. Marinette snorts.

“Yeah, Jay, I’ve known Damian for four years. I’ve known you for three. And Nino is my best friend. Give me more credit than that.” She says. Jason sighs.

“Okay, so, I may or may not have pulled one of those confetti champagne popper things by Tim. And I may or may not need someone to steal his phone so that he can’t use that to track me. B won’t let him to the computers til after the gala so if someone could get his phone, I’d have one hell of a head start.” Jason explains. Marinette snorts. That had been something she never commented on, but loved to see. The mending relationships between Damian and his brothers. It also led to plenty of situations like this, but she was more than happy to help. Even if Jason was thirty and still pulling pranks like a little kid. Thinking back on his words, her eyes narrow slightly.

“Hold on, why do you think I could steal his phone?” She asks, crossing her arms. Jason smirks.

“Nino may or may not have mentioned your phone stealing habits from when you were younger.” He says. Marinette gasps.

“That- I- ugh! I was thirteen!” She complains, dropping her face into her hands. Her actions when she had a crush on- when she had a crush when she was younger were not actions that she was proud of. Nor were they actions that she thought of often, but when she did….the cringe and regret was strong.

“And now you’re older and wiser, blah, blah, blah. Don’t think I don’t know it’s you who’s been doing those museum robberies around the world. I know you can do this.” Jason says, making her sputter again.

“How the hell did you know those were me?” She asks, huffing. Jason grins.

“I didn’t until just now.” He says triumphantly. Marinette groans.

“It’s not like I want to steal things, Jason. I’m just trying to get certain magical items out of the wrong hands.” She sighs. Jason nods.

“I get that, really, I do. But wouldn’t it be a shame if a big bad bat knew too?” He asks. Marinette narrows her eyes.

“Are you really blackmailing me right now?” She asks, crossing her arms. Jason grins.

“Think of it more as guaranteeing you’ll help me.” He says.

“So blackmail.”

“Pretty much.”

“Fantastic.” She mutters, scanning the room until she spots Tim. “I’ll do it, but I’m also telling Damian that you’re blackmailing me.” She says. Jason laughs.

“Trust me, I will be long gone by the time you’ve told Demon Spawn.” He says. Marinette smirks.

“He can definitely hold a grudge.” She reassures him. Jason waves her off and she shrugs, moving to talk to Tim.

“Hey Mari.” The man in question says, giving her a small smile. Marinette smiles back.

“Whatchya doing?” She asks, placing herself in a position to (hopefully) grab the phone without Conner noticing. Since he had, most definitely, heard her conversation with Jason and would definitely be expecting the theft.

“I was looking for Jason, but I lost him.” He huffs, glancing around the room with a pout. Marinette suppresses a laugh. Despite how old they all were, Damian’s entire family still acted like kids. Well, except for Alfred. He was the only sane one. Swiftly, Marinette manages to trade Tim’s phone out for a piece of baguette that she’d swiped from the table.

“Any particular reason you’re looking for him?” She asks, trying to calm her heart. She knew Conner (and Jon) would be able to hear it. Jon would probably inform Damian, who would panic, because knowing Jon, he wouldn’t lead with the whole phone theft thing.

“Well I was going to ask him to help with a case I have that I’ve come to some dead ends on.” He says. Marinette frowns, Tim’s phone in the pocket of her dress suddenly feeling weird.

“Really?” She asks. Why would Jason lie? Why would Tim lie? Tim nods.

“Yeah, but I can’t-” He stops, frowning. Marinette follows his gaze to see Conner, shaking his head rapidly. Until he sees her looking. He smiles awkwardly.

“Hello, Marinette.” He says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Marinette frowns.

“What’s going on?” She asks, looking between Tim and Conner. Tim’s eyes get wide.

“What? What do you mean? Nothing’s going on.” He says, his voice going up slightly. Marinette quirks an eyebrow.

“Really? Because not only am I good at telling when someone’s lying, you are literally the worst liar I know.” She says. Tim sighs, and opens his mouth, but Conner beats him to it.

“Marinette switched your phone out for bread.” He says. Marinette gasps.

“Traitor!” She hisses, glaring at Conner. He holds his hands up in surrender while Tim just gapes.

“How did you do that?” He asks. Marinette narrows her eyes at Conner.

“I’m not telling, and neither is anyone else.” She says. Tim frowns, turning to Conner, who just nods.

“Sorry, she kinda scares me.” He admits. Marinette snorts, pulling the phone out and passing it back to Tim since apparently, Jason wasn’t actually in any danger. That just brings up the ‘why’ again. Why lie about something so silly? Glancing around, she frowns when she realizes she hasn’t seen Damian in a while.

“Has anyone seen Damian?” She asks. Tim shakes his head, then glances down at his phone as it beeps.

“Actually, I think I saw him heading into his old art room.” He says. Marinette raises an eyebrow.

“You saw him through the walls?” She asks. Tim shrugs.

“Hey, if you don’t want help finding him-” He starts, but she cuts him off.

“No, sorry, I just-” She stops herself. If it was something bad, they’d tell her. “I’m gonna go see if I can find him.” She sighs, moving away from the crowds. As she moves out of the main room and starts up the stairs towards the art room, she relaxes. It was nearing midnight, and knowing Damian, he probably did not want to have their midnight kiss in a crowded room. Stopping at the closed door, Marinette reaches up and knocks softly.

“Just a minute.” Damian calls back. Marinette bites her lip, desperately trying to calm her racing heart. Why was she suddenly nervous? The door clicks open and Damian smiles softly at her. “Would you mind closing your eyes for a moment?” He asks. She shakes her head and shuts her eyes, letting Damian lead her into the room. The door softly shuts behind them, and Marinette resists the urge to just open her eyes. Damian leads her to what she assumes is the middle of the room before letting out a small breath. “Open your eyes.” He says. She does, and is immediately left speechless. Throughout the room were several pieces of art that she’d never seen before. But she recognizes the views and situations in each one. The canvases weren’t huge, but the story they told was. It was their story. The story of how they fell in love. Marinette turns slowly, taking in each of the drawings. He’d used color sparingly, as was his style, but she adored it. Turning to the last piece, her jaw drops slightly. She was in her dress, and Damian in his suit, but he was kneeling with a ring box. Turning slowly to face Damian, her hands fly up to her mouth when she sees him.

“Marinette, I never thought that I would fall in love. I always believed that any marriage I would have, would be one formed from duty. I certainly never expected to fall in love with my pen pal who refused to give up when it came to becoming friends. I am so glad that you refused to give up, habibti. I am in love with you Marinette. I am in love with the way your nose scrunches up when you are concentrating on a design. I am in love with the way you dance around the kitchen when you bake, humming along to a song that only you can hear. I am in love with your heart, with the way you care for everyone so fully. If you’ll let me, I would love to spend the rest of our lives together. Marinette, will you marry me?” Damian asks, opening the box to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Happy tears leak from her eyes, but she nods rapidly.

“Yes, yes I will marry you!” She cheers, dropping down so that she can pull him into a kiss. He immediately stands, pulling her up with him, never letting their lips disconnect. He pulls away for a moment to put the ring on her hand. She smiles down at it, then looks back up at his beautiful green eyes.

“I love you.” Marinette says, gently holding his cheek. He smiles down at her.

“And I you.” He says, pulling her into another kiss as the fireworks explode outside. She smiles into the kiss, deepening it until she hears a thud on the balcony. Squeaking, she jumps away from her fiancé. Fiancé, she thinks, the word making her giddy. Until there’s another thud on the balcony. Glancing at Damian, she relaxes slightly. Instead of looking worried, he looked annoyed. Which probably meant- The balcony door creaked open slightly.

“Do you think he chickened out?” Jason whispers.

“Definitely not. But do you think she said yes?” Dick asks, sounding slightly worried. Marinette snorts.

“I think they’re going to hear both of you if you don’t shut up.” Tim hisses.

“Guys, they’re not saying anything.” Jon complains. Marinette crosses her arms, raising an eyebrow as the group attempt to glance into the room, but instead fall into a pile.

“What part of ‘the proposal is going to be private’ did none of you understand?” Damian asks, but she can tell by the slight quirk of his lips that he’s not actually mad at them.

“Shit.” Jason says, scrambling to his feet. “We didn’t-”

“She said yes!” Dick cheers, his eyes focused on the ring on her left hand. Marinette grins. Dick whoops, and rushes over, picking both of them up in a hug. “I’m so happy for you guys!” He cheers. Marinette grins, making eye contact with Damian, who was also smiling.

“Me too.” She says, overcome with love and happiness. Who would have thought a school project would lead to her finding the love of her life?

END

Proposal inspired by this video

Permanent tag list: @stainedglassm @kittenmywaythrulife @laydeekrayzee @doll246 @queenz-z @deathssilentapproach-blog @literaryhiraeth @unoriginalmess @crazylittlemunchkin

Story tag list: @kking13 @jayjayspixiepop @ritacrow-blog @fangirlingfanatic @basenikon @toodaloo-kangaroo @maribat-calendar-events @hammalammadamdam @kittyditzydancer

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | Chapter Six

Chapter Six

main summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Chapter Warnings: slight smut** angst, spencer's overthinking and anxiety, passing out, plot twist, very understanding reader, happy ending, smut implied but not graphic

word count: 6.2K

from the beginning <3

Derek and Savannah planned to come over on Sunday morning to introduce Hank and Amoreena, his namesake and his honorary daughter meeting felt very important to him.

Y/N and he spent the morning cleaning up the house, making sure all the books were away and the coffee was on so when they pulled in at 11 for brunch they’d be ready.

Amoreena was beyond excited at the idea of a 16th cousin, not knowing about Henry or Michael yet either, bringing her total to 18 cousins.

Spencer learned something new about them and the farm every single day he was there. Which he expected, it had been 8 days and he was all but moved in. They joked just that morning about them moving too fast, shrugging it off and living their lives anyway.

Derek and Savannah were one of the sweetest couples Spencer knew. They had a love he admired, it also blossomed fast and stayed strong through everything Derek went through.

Derek was always going to be his rock, someone he loved deeply and cherished more than he could ever explain to anyone. More than a brother, a long-lost lover, a confidant, his best friend in the whole world. If he could live through everything he’s been through and still be happy, so could Spencer.

Amoreena is out the door and meeting them before Y/N and Spencer are even aware they pulled in. “Hey little lady, I’m your uncle Derek,” he can hear Derek’s sweet voice that he only uses with kids.

They walked out onto the porch to see Amoreena shaking both their hands before asking if Savannah needed help carrying her purse. Ever the little helper, she intended on making the best introduction to her new family members.

“Spence, this place is amazing!” Savannah gushed as she pulled him into a hug, and then Y/N, “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“You too! You’re all so pretty, holy cow,” she swoons, “what does the FBI put in the water over there?”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s running off over here too,” Spencer compliments Y/N right back.

Derek gives Y/N the biggest hug he’s ever seen, “you are my new bestie, anyone who loves Reid as much as me is a keeper.”

“I like this one, Savannah you have good taste,” Y/N teases, holding Derek in her embrace.

“We got the best guys the bureau had to offer and stole them away,” she laughed, wrapping an arm around Spencer as they turned to see Hank.

“Well, someone had to put them to good use,” Y/N had an arm wrapped around Derek too, slipping into Spencer’s life effortlessly.

Hank was almost 5, it blew Spencer’s mind to think that Derek had been a father for 5 years now. He was the sweetest little guy, holding Amoreena’s hand as the two of them walked up the stairs.

They had sandwiches and muffins in the garden, everything was homemade and grown on the farm. It was a life Spencer was excited to get used to, they even made their own cheese and wine in the summer for the farmers market.

Every time he learned a new detail about this place it got more perfect.

Hank loved the goats, he crawled right in with Amoreena and sat down in the mud. Petting the babies and letting all the mamma goats nibble at his hat as they got close. He giggled and screamed, petting all of them nicely as Amoreena told him all their names.

Derek was very quick to pick out a cowboy hat and pretend he was southern, trying out his fake accent and making Savannah laugh as they explored the farm, skipping through the fields and kissing in the grass. They were just as in love as Spencer and Y/N, they all got along like couples who have been friends since college.

Like this had been their life all along, nothing about it felt new. It just felt right.

Everything about her fit into his life like she was handcrafted for it, picked and polished before set in a box and hidden away from the world. She was a collector's item and he was a collector, keeping her close and never letting her go. He knew her worth, but the feeling she produced in his heart was better than anything in the world.

Before they know it, it’s almost 3 and Hank is about to fall asleep in the grass as Amoreena reads him a story. Derek and Savanah are laying back on a blanket half-listening as they watch the clouds. Spencer and Y/N doing the same.

It’s wonderful, he makes eye contact with Derek while running his fingers through Y/N’s hair. He just smiles at Spencer, prouder he can even express.

“I think it’s about time we head out,” Derek cuts into the peacefulness of their day.

“We’ll be back, and often,” Savannah laughs, “I’m going to hide here from the hospital, you don’t have service right?”

“Not if you turn it off and leave it in the car,” Y/N laughed too, pulling Savannah into a hug and walking with her towards the house. Best friends in the making, it was going to be trouble for him and Derek, exciting, but frightful at the same time.

Savannah excuses herself to the bathroom before they leave, Spencer offers to help Derek carry his tired little toddler to the car so they can talk. He was excited to hear Derek's thoughts about the day, proud of the life he could introduce them to.

“Can I ask you a serious question?” Derek finally cut into their quiet walk to the car with a very serious tone.

“Sure,” Spencer nodded vigorously, a little nervous.

“Do you remember when we lost that bet in 2008?” Derek started, “JJ and Emily were saying it wasn’t fair, that we were hogging all the sexiness and smarts and we should just donate sperm to help the population?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you actually do it?” Derek watches Spencer’s mind wandering as he recalls everything.

He has donated sperm twice in his life, keeping it between him and Derek the first time, telling no one about it the second time. The first was when JJ got pregnant with Henry, teasing him that he should make more geniuses in the world. Emily was even considering having a baby on her own back then before everything with Doyle went down.

The second time was after Maeve died in 2013 when he realized that he might not ever get to actually be a dad.

Donating again purely in the hopes that in 18 years someone would find him in search of a connection with their birth father. It seemed like the only way he’d be able to be a father one day, and that was right around the time Amoreena would have been conceived if she’s 7 now.

Spencer looks at him with wide eyes, “you think she’s mine?”

“Without a doubt,” he whispers, stopping to put Hank in his car seat and give Spencer some time to panic.

“She’s not mine,” Spencer keeps shaking his head, so hard that Derek is worried it might fall off as he panics, “she can’t be, that would be insane. No way, no I’m not even going to pretend she is. Nope.”

Derek places his hand on Spencer’s shoulder to calm him, “do you know who her father is?”

“No,” he whispers as he closes his eyes, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “She tells people that Amoreena is her fiancé Stephens, no one really questions that she had her 2 years after he died, but Y/N doesn’t even know who her father is.”

“That’s a serious conversation you need to have with her, regardless, she deserves to know you’ve possibly got other geniuses walking around out there.”

Spencer felt his anxiety dump adrenaline into his blood, making him sweat and panic as he turned around in circles a few times. He looked physically drained, not know what the fuck to do moving forward.

“I can’t go talk to her right now while Amoreena is there,” Spencer panicked as Derek finally closed the door, Hank was all situated and ready to go.

“I can bring you home?” Derek offered, “go get your things and tell her that you have to go.”

“Okay,” he whispered, trying to calm down enough to face her.

Walking back up to her house felt like it took forever, even passing savannah as he all but ran, stepping inside the house to see Amoreena reading on the couch while Y/N was in the kitchen, whistling happily, waiting for him to come back.

Amoreena looked up at him with a smile, “are you okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” he lied with a fake smile. “I actually have to go, Derek needs help with something at his place and I’ll be back later for dinner, okay?”

“Awe,” Y/N’s voice travelled from the kitchen to where he was, she walked into the room with an apron on and a towel in her hands. “I was hoping you’d help me make a pie.”

“I’m sorry, hun, I’ll be back soon,” he assured her, “I love you guys.”

“Love you, Dad,” Amoreena smiled, before returning to her book.

Every time she called him dad it made his heart stop, but that one made his breathing stop too, he struggled to swallow as he turned his attention to Y/N approaching him.

Y/N gave him a big hug and then he was gone, running down the driveway and hopping in Derek's car as fast as he could. Still overthinking everything, his mind memorizing every look on Amoreena’s face and trying to see if there was any proof in her being his.

There was a lot. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, he didn’t want to think about that at all. She was his regardless, no DNA test would change how he loved her. He was more afraid of Y/N’s reaction to finding out.

Savannah didn’t ask what was going on, leaving him and Derek to be as weird and cryptic as they always were together. Looking out the window quietly as Spencer had a panic attack in the back seat.

He convinced Derek to drop him off at the clinic where he donated the sperm both times. Still absolutely pissed off with himself that one of the biggest decisions of his life was the one he forgot about, wanting to know if he could find out anything about his potential offspring.

“Sir, I’m so sorry,” the nice receptionist tried her best to stay calm as Spencer rushed through his dilemma.

“Only a child can learn who their father was when they turn 18, if they choose to contact you it’s up to them. You agreed to that when you donated.”

“You can’t even tell me how many kids I have out there?” He tried to reason with her, “I’m in the FBI surely you can make an exception for me it’s not like I'm going to stalk the kids, I just want to know if one’s going to contact me one day,” he tried everything to get her to open up.

“What’s your name?”

“Spencer Reid.”

She stood and walked into the back, opening a cabinet full of records and pulling one out. She opened it, running a finger along with the document as she read it over.

“You have four offspring so far, none of the other samples used have produced a child, the women were all IVF as well so it wasn’t your swimmer's fault; if you wanted to donate again,” she read him all the facts and somehow it just made him panic more.

Y/N’s voice echoing in his mind, “after I did IVF.” She said those words. He heard them. She didn’t know the father. His name wasn't on the sample. It was anonymous. Everything caught up to him at that moment.

“Thank you,” he whispered, white as a ghost as he tried to turn away, dropping to the floor and passing out instead.

When he woke up, he was somehow back in Derek’s car on the way back to his apartment. Hank and Savannah nowhere to be seen, the radio on low as Derek paid attention to the road. It was quiet, he didn’t even know Spencer was awake again until he sighed.

He didn’t say anything to Derek, instead, taking out his phone and texting Y/N.

Spencer: Hey, something serious came up. I won't be able to come back till after bedtime and then I need to tell you something important that might make you very mad at me.

Y/N: you’re going to make me go grey being this ominous

Spencer: I’m sorry, but it’s going to be a lot to explain.

Y/N: should I get wine or something harder ready to listen?

Spencer: Honestly, I’m not even sure yet.

Y/N: cant wait… love you?

Spencer: I love you too, don’t forget that!

Y/N: as long as you don’t either ♥︎

—

He pulled up to Y/N’s house at 9:30, knowing that Amoreena would be well asleep by then. Unbothered by any crying or yelling that could arise from the news he had to share with her mother.

He was terrified to tell her but he needed to. Relationships only work with communication and he knew that, respecting her and loving her enough to do anything in his power to keep her in his life.

He walked inside to see the lights all off, heading around the back of the house to see her in the garden with a drink, surrounded by little lights twinkling as she listened to her favourite Taylor Swift album, he wasn’t shocked in the slightest to find her like that.

“Hey,” he announced himself to her so she wouldn’t be startled.

Her smile warms his heart and clears the butterflies from his stomach for a quick moment, “hey cutie, did you want me to warm up some dinner for you?”

“No thank you,” he shook his head softly, standing by the gate and not wanting to get too close. “I need to tell you something and you might get really mad at me.”

“Alright,” she sat up straighter, hands on her knees as she played with the material of her jeans.

“I donated sperm as a joke in 2008, but then again in January of 2013 when my girlfriend died because I thought it would be the only way to maybe have a kid find me one day when they turned 18. I never thought I’d get to have a family after Maeve died,” the words fell out of his mouth and onto the patio.

“Oh my god,” was all she said, eyes wide and mouth open, she was completely still.

“I went to the clinic and they won't tell me who my kids are, apparently there are four of them so I have no idea if it’s Amoreena or not and I’m just so sorry for not telling you. I honestly forgot, and I don’t normally forget. After everything that’s happened to me, I just forgot, I’m sure it looks like I found you on purpose or something but I assure you that I didn’t,” he wasn’t sure why he was just dumping all these thoughts on her when he hadn’t even thought them through, but they wouldn’t stop.

“There’s only one way to find out,” she shrugged then, smiling at his confused face. “We have more and see if they look like her.”

“You’re kidding?”

“No,” she shook her head, “I’d never joke about making another Amoreena, that would be amazing.”

“You’re not mad?” He blinked at her a few times, wondering if he heard her wrong, twice.

“Why would I be mad at the fact that you might be her real father and the reason she’s the smartest person on earth? She’s literal walking sunshine, am I supposed to be mad you could give her fully biological siblings? I wanted your babies even if she wasn’t yours,” Y/N paused, eyebrows raised as she made her point.

“If I’m supposed to be mad about you completing our family then I’m furious,” she laughed as she stood up, walking over to wrap her arms around him.

“Even if you’re not her father, you’re always going to be her dad,” she whispered as she reached him.

He looked down into her eyes, the most beautiful and caring woman in the world, cuddled into his chest in the middle of paradise. He couldn’t help but laugh, it was insane how easy it was to love her.

“I love you,” he reminded her.

She pulled him down into a kiss, holding her hand on his cheek lightly as he pressed his lips to hers. She rested her forehead on his as they parted, “I love you more.”

“Doubt it,” he teased her with a smile, pulling her in closer and lifting her up into his arms.

“Where are we going?” She giggled.

“Where would you like to go, Princess? This is your kingdom after all.”

The biggest, most suspicious grin appeared on her face then, “put me down,” she instructed and he followed. Setting her down and feeling her grab his hand instead.

She led him inside the house and up the stairs, placing her finger over her lip to let him know to be quiet. She pulled him inside her bedroom for the first time and he was absolutely mesmerized.

It was like a jungle of books in there, pictures of her and Amoreena all over the walls and the cutest mushroom bedsheets in the world. It was like he walked into her mind, it was calming and beautiful and just what he imagined.

Peaceful.

“We’re not staying in here,” she whispered towards him, pulling him into the closet.

She pulls out 2 black garment bags and places them on the bed before looking through her jewellery box. She brings back a small velvet box and places it in his hands.

“Would you want to do something insane with me?”

“Always,” he can’t help but smile.

“My grandma always wanted Stephen to propose to me with that ring, but he used his own mothers instead,” she whispered. “I don’t want to have an official thing, I already planned one wedding and never got to have it.”

“Okay?” He tried his best to follow along, analyzing her facial expressions to see just how nervous she was, as well as the underlying sadness of time missed. Just like she had mentioned that first night he stayed here.

“I had my grandma’s dress tailored to wear at my wedding, I’ve never put the final version on,” she unzips the one bag, revealing a silk white dress with an incredibly long train.

“My grandpa's suit is in the other one, I think you will fit into it,” she reaches out a hand to pull him closer to the bed and look at it with her. “I just want to put them on and tell you I love you in the field and just call you my husband. I don’t give a single shit that it’s been a week, why should I wait a year to call you that when I can start now?”

He doesn’t know what to say, he’s speechless for too long and he knows that it’s making her anxious but he can’t speak. His eyes turn glossy and his hands shake as he holds the small box in his hands, opening it to find a beautiful ruby on a gold band, surrounded by small diamonds, alongside her grandfather's gold band.

He gets down on one knee then and she pulls him right back up to his feet, shaking her head. “It can’t be like last time, I don’t want to repeat a single part of it. I can’t lose you too.”

“You never will,” he’s finally able to speak. “I’m not going anywhere, believe me, you are the most important person in my life. I would drop everything and hide here forever to keep safe, if you wanted me to, I’m too in love with you to go anywhere.”

She smiles at him with wide eyes and the glimmer of hope returning. She picks up her dress and heads to the bathroom door, “put the suit on and meet me downstairs?”

“Yes Ma’am,” he winks at her before taking the suit down the hall to his room.

He notices the wedding photo on the night table again, taking the suit out of the bag to see nothing really changed since the last time it was worn. Her grandfather was tall and skinny like him when they got married, so he fits into the 1950’s suit almost perfectly.

He straightened everything out in the mirror, making sure he tucked the ring box back into his pocket before quietly tiptoeing back down the creaky wooden steps.

Y/N wasn’t done yet, he could hear her walking around in her room softly as she paced from her dresser to the bathroom over and over, most likely trying to find something in her jewellery box and looking in the mirror more than once. She didn’t sound nervous, her feet weren’t hesitant, she sounded like a woman on a mission, that was a good thing.

He was the nervous one, scared out of his mind with the fear he wouldn’t do this right. That she had dreams, plans and expectations he needed to live up to and what if he couldn’t? He put his face in his hands and tried his best to push all the fears away but they kept swirling. Making his brain hurt, he didn’t want to fuck anything up with her. She was already so understanding and wonderful, she’d given so much to him already he can’t fuck this up—

And then she’s walking down the stairs. Like sunshine; parting the grey skies as the thunder clouds dissipate and the rain washes down the streets, he’s fine again.

“You look beautiful,” he whispers.

Her smile was priceless, “thanks, cutie, I’m so glad it fits you!”

He followed her towards the kitchen where she picked up the phone, dialled a number and waited, “hey mom.”

“Spencer and I are going on a late-night walk, outback, yeah, Amoreena is asleep, can you just keep an eye on the house? I’m going to let Rufus in to keep guard anyway,” Y/N explained over the phone, agreeing and humming to whatever her mother said in response. “love you too, thanks."

She let the dog in like she said she would, handing the overly friendly golden retriever a treat before finally pulling Spencer outside and towards the barn.

They were both in running shoes, it was incredibly adorable for the occasion and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Her hand was so soft as she tugged him along behind her, her dress and hair blowing in the wind as they walked.

She grabbed an old kerosene lantern from the barn, lighting it quickly and holding it by the handle, “you ready?”

“I am,” he smiled softly, still anxious in his core, more so now because he was overly excited to be spending the rest of his life with her.

They continued to walk down past the barn, through the cow pasture and finally entering a clearing. It was full of lilacs and ragweed, yellows and purples blowing ever so gently back and forth under the moonlight.

“This is where my grandparents would read to me, and where they renewed their vows when I was 14, and this is where I got the call that I was pregnant with Amoreena. It’s a very special place to me,” her voice was barely a whisper.

Spencer took the lantern from her and placed it in the grass, it illuminated the both of them just enough that they could see each other's faces and know exactly how much they loved each other without even having to say any words.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Spencer’s words were careful, he didn’t want her to think he didn’t either.

She nodded softly, “I loved Stephen very much, I don’t think I’ll ever stop, but I loved him enough to know he’d want me to be happy, he’d really like you and don’t tell him this but I think I love you more than I ever loved him,” she made light of a very heavy subject.

Smiling at him like he was the world, he fully believed her. “I thought Maeve as it for me too before she died, I was so, so wrong. Every day I discover a new level of love for you I didn’t think possible the day before, I never want to stop searching for how deep my love for you goes.”

“To new adventures,” she whispered.

“And happy endings,” he replied, remembering the conversation they had about the Disney characters they loved the most just yesterday morning.

He removed the box from his pocket, opening it and taking her ring out of the fabric. The tiny diamonds around the ruby sparked in the light, shining little rainbows over their faces as they smiled at each other once again, cheeks aching from all the happiness.

“What finger do you want to wear it on? Seeing as we’re doing this our way,” he compromised for her very easily.

“The middle one on my left hand, you?” She asked as she took his ring out as well.

“The ring finger,” he whispered. “I want you to be close to my heart forever.”

“Okay,” she whispered back, pushing the ring onto his finger first before placing her hand in his, waiting for his hands to stop shaking so he could put it on her.

He pushed it right back towards the knuckle, holding her hand in his after and just staring at the ring. He just married the woman of his dreams.

“Holy shit,” he whispered to himself, making her laugh.

“What?”

A tear trickled down his cheek as he tried to smile at her, his jaw wobbling as he tried to stay calm but he couldn’t, he let himself cry softly as she cupped his face with her free hand.

“I love you too, Spencer,” is all she said, pressing her lips to his, finally.

He held her there in his embrace, lips touching as they breathed each other in. The smell of the field and the flowers that were once so strong in his nose, now he only smells her perfume, he almost forgets where he is as they kiss. The world could have stopped and he wouldn’t have ever known, too caught up on loving her.

He doesn’t pull away when the kiss breaks, instead, resting their foreheads together as they breathed.

“I’m going to love you until the day I die.”

She brushes their noses together softly as if to agree, “give me at least 40 years with you, and then I’ll meet you in heaven?”

“We’re already here,” he whispers, “you and Amoreena are my angels.”

They kissed again, just as soft and perfect as before. She smiled at the end, pulling back and taking her cellphone out of the dress pocket that he didn’t even know was there.

She set it on the fence post that separated the cows from the field, making sure it was steady and setting a timer. She rushed to Spencer and pulled him back into the same kiss, letting the phone take a burst of photos for them to remember later on.

“Pick a song,” he whispered into the moment, seeing her face scrunch as she became confused. “We need a first dance, I know your grandparents had to have danced out here at least once if she loved music as much as you say she did.”

“I love you,” is all she can say as she beams a smile at him. Skipping over to her phone and doing just as he asked.

“I need a piece of Amoreena in this moment,” she explained her song choice, making him think it would be the Elton John song, but it wasn’t.

A beautiful piano balled played before he heard the all too familiar voice of Taylor Swift, the girl's favourite. “Seven, because that’s how many years it took for us to find you.”

He takes her hand again, twirling her around before pulling her body into his. The both of them holding on tight as they swayed to the song, it fit every single aspect of his love for her to a T. Like it was Taylor made for them.

“Sweet tea in the summer Cross your heart, won't tell no other And though I can't recall your face I still got love for you Your braids make a pattern Love you to the Moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs The love lasts so long,”

It was so unbelievable. She had mentioned the love she felt for Stephen, he mentioned his love for Maeve, both of their faces hard to bring to memory as they fell in love with each other. A new feeling, a happier love, a long-lasting one that wasn’t nearly as flimsy. Powerful and strong like the earth's gravitational pull, he was never leaving her.

She’s singing the words ever so softly beside his ear, her voice is softer than Taylor’s and his favourite thing he’s heard all night, but he’d never tell her that.

They kiss randomly throughout their dance, listening to more songs as they swayed in the evening breeze. The cows coming to the fence to see what was happening, they twirled and dipped and jumped with each other, it was perfect.

She pulls him in for another kiss and she is all giggles, high from the dopamine and serotonin rush they were both on. Like someone injected sugar right into his veins, he was unbelievably sweet on her.

“We’re you serious?” Spencer whispered against her lips before she can pull back any further and disrupt the courage he felt.

“About what? I’ve said a lot tonight,” she teased him gently.

“About having more kids?” His voice is low and his eyes can’t meet hers as he prays she was being honest.

She nods softly, “never been more certain, actually, I would have 10 more of your kids if they’re all as perfect as our Amoreena.”

Our.

He tilts his head to the side and presses his lips together in a tight smile, he lost all control of his tears a while back, feeling them slip down his cheeks as he took everything in. She had given him everything and then some.

“How are you this perfect? It’s been 8 days since I laid eyes on you and you’ve managed to make every single dream come true, while simultaneously creating new dreams I never imagined I’d be allowed to have. You’re the best thing that has ever happened in the world Y/N, I’m so incredibly in love with you I could scream right now,” he is more passionate than he plans to be, she stares at him with more lust than happiness this time.

“Prove it and make love to me, you said you’d rather fuck me at home. Well,” she kept teasing him opening her arms and twirling around as she showed off the farm. “This is your home now, husband.”

“Where should we go?” He felt adventurous, willing to take her against the fence if the cows wouldn’t eat her hair, the thought alone making him giggle to himself.

“What?” She can't help but giggle right back.

“I thought about fucking you against the fence for a hot second and then the intrusive thoughts kicked in and I thought about the cows eating your hair,” he admitted with a fierce laugh.

“I love you so much,” she shook her head and sighed, the same way she did at the museum when Amoreena made her laugh.

That was all the proof he needed. Never would he question how she felt, if she loved him half as much as she loved Amoreena then he was blessed by far. This was over the top.

He picked up the lantern then, handing it to her as well as her phone before picking her up bridal style and attempting to carry her back to the house. He made it to the barn before she begged him to put her down, wanting to skip the rest of the way with him.

Giddy as all hell, the two of them snuck back into her house. Rufus, the best guard dog in the world, was passed out on the couch and didn’t even move as they walked in. Locking the doors and windows for the night before tiptoeing up the stairs again.

Luckily, Amoreena’s room was on the opposite side of the house from Spencers. Y/N pulled him down the hall and inside the room, lightly closing the door before leaning back against it and sighing.

“Are you sure? I never asked you what you wanted,” Y/N whispered.

Spencer just shook his head and slipped out of his suit jacket. “All I want is to have a big happy family with you, where ever that takes us, I’m up for the adventure.”

Y/N was the one who teared up this time, looking away from Spencer and at her grandparent's wedding photo on the side table. She walked past Spencer, brushing her hand against his arm as she did so, picking up the photo and kissing it softly.

She turned it face down and turned back to Spencer, “help me with the zipper?”

He nodded, silently stepping forward and brushing her hair off her back, freeing her from the dress. He pressed his lips gently to her sun-kissed shoulders, surprised by the array of freckles, kissing the pattern they made on her skin as she let the dress slip to the floor.

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind as he continued to kiss her neck and shoulder. She hummed into the feeling, tilting her head to the side so he had more room to explore, her hands cover Spencers as she felt up his arms, still in his embrace.

She had the softest skin on earth, he could spend the next 14 hours kissing every square inch of her. It was all perfect and he wanted her to know it, “get on the bed,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled away.

He picked her dress up off the floor and put it on a hanger from the shirt he had on. She watched with soft eyes as he hung it on the back of the bathroom door, keeping it safe and taken care of while they became a married couple.

He slipped out of the tie and started unbuttoning his shirt, she laid back against the covers, pulling her grandma's quilt off and folding it at the end of the bed. She laid back and waited as he slipped his pants to the ground and finally joined her once again.

She met him halfway for a kiss, holding his face as he knelt between her spread legs, she leaned back and took him with her. He hovered then, barely touching her as she leaned forward to keep kissing him, eventually wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him down.

Skin to skin for the first time ever.

It’s slow and explorative, they take their time as they enjoy every single inch of each other's bodies. She’s soft and perfect, she fits in the palm of his hand like he’s always been holding her. Moulded for her and her alone.

He’s never made love before. Sure, he’s had sex but never in his life has it felt like this… no, this was perfect. It was everything he’s ever dreamed of and then some. Her kisses felt like dreams coming true, her touch so light it was like sunshine on a hot day, just dancing over him.

It was perfect.

He brushed her hair behind her ear, still inside her, as he took a moment to just look at her. Her eyes were hypnotic, he was so dawn into her it was like she controlled him. He kissed her gently on the forehead, “I love you,” he reminded her, for the millionth time that hour.

She pulled him in closer, breathing against his neck gently as they continued. Her nails on his back were amazing, he felt the sharp pain of her grip which only excited him more, fastening his pace, both his hips and where his thumb was pleasuring her between their bodies.

She looked like she was floating, relaxed as she laid against the sheets, blissed-out while she took it all in, panting airy nonsense as she got closer and closer.

She was quiet, they both were. It was silent as possible while they made love for the first time ever. She was everything in the world to him and then some, he couldn’t believe she was real as they both finished and managed to somehow get closer to each other.

Another level of love was just unlocked in his heart, he was never going to stop loving her. That would be the only impossible known to man.

tag list: @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria @spookyspence @reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @samuel-de-champagne-problems @jswessie187

[bethpeaches123]

So I loved the Oh it’s You update! I was dying when they were talking at the end of the chapter and Peeta is clearly entranced with Katniss...would you pretty please write an outtake of that scene in his POV- I would love to know what was going through his mind when she was talking to him about his marriage....about what he really wants lol

Okay my friend, here you go! It got a little long...hope you enjoy!

I'll be posting this to AO3 soon too, I just don't know if it'll be separate from the rest of Oh, it's you or if it'll be a separate thing.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Peeta sat at a table in front of the window of Brewed Awakening, his hands wrapped around the steaming mug of tea that Sara, the cashier had just placed in front of him. He smiled his thanks as she turned and walked back to the counter, him turning back to stare at the tea bag floating at the top of the mug.

It had been a rough few weeks since he and Delly had broken the news to Connor. Every time he thought about his son’s sweet little face peering up at him as he told him he’d be moving out of their house, and Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t be together any more, his heart physically ached in his chest. He hated that he was causing his favourite person in the world any sort of upset, especially his precious boy.

Peeta felt guilty. He’d tried for so long with Delly. They’d been together since high school, when they were just kids.

Back then, he’d been so fixated on Katniss Everdeen, ever since the day he’d met her, but could never work up the nerve to talk to her, let alone ask her out. He’d been so frustrated and disappointed with himself over it. Peeta had himself so worked up over it, he pushed her away as much as he could and vowed to move on.

The day Delly asked him to go to the Halloween dance in junior year, he accepted. She was a pretty girl who was sweet and bubbly, and he liked that. Liked how she made him feel. There was no real stress with Delly. No real excitement, but it was comfortable. Safe.

He didn’t really think much of the state of his relationship - he just thought it was normal to not be madly, hopelessly in love. He loved Delly, yes, but it was never passionate or all-consuming like the great romances in movies made love out to be. He went through the stages of a relationship with her, did all the things he thought he was supposed to. Delly seemed happy and so did both their families, so when they’d been together for a few years and she started leaving links to engagement rings open on her laptop, he took the hint and proposed. All the while thinking maybe things would become more passionate or...loving, once they got married.

But it didn’t happen. In fact, six months in, he realized things weren’t going to get better and was prepared to ask for a divorce, but then Delly announced she was pregnant. And he knew he couldn’t leave then. Becoming a father was terrifying but it was something he’d always wanted, more than anything else in life. So he decided to once again dedicate himself to his marriage and the mother of his child. And it worked for a little while. But forcing a marriage never works in the end, no matter how much you may want it to, no matter how much you want to put up a united front for your child.

The bell on the coffee shop door chimed as someone opened it and out of the corner of his eye he saw Katniss step inside. His body immediately started to tingle like it always did whenever she appeared. It was like his senses became heightened and hyper aware of her when she was around. He could feel almost like an electric current running through his veins.

She approached the table a few minutes later with her own mug and said softly, “Hey Peeta. How are you doing?”

He was about to reply with a smile and his prepared front, ready to fake it, when he looked at her and read it all over her face: she knew about the split.

He sighed. He should’ve known Madge would open her mouth about it. It wasn’t exactly a state secret, but he would’ve liked a heads up that people knew. That Katniss knew.

“You know,” he said blankly. She hesitated and then replied, “Yeah. Madge and Gale told me. I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah...not exactly great news.”

He pondered it for a minute and then just decided to be honest. “Is it weird that I’m...almost relieved?” he said softly. “Kind of like a weight’s off my shoulders?”

He thought about the way Delly had looked at him that last day. How resentful she looked. He never wanted a woman to look at him that way again. Suddenly, he realized who he was saying this to, and jerked back. He shouldn’t be discussing such personal things with Katniss. “I mean - I don’t mean that, I-I just...just feel...fuck. I don’t fucking know.” he stuttered. “I don’t mean it like that. No one wants their marriage to fail. I just tried for so long to make her happy but nothing seemed to make her happy. Or I never seemed to get it right. Could never get it right for years.”

He felt so defeated. But he didn’t want to talk about this with Katniss. Didn’t want her to think he was pathetic or a failure. Even though he felt like he was both. He was about to change the subject when she spoke up.

“Peeta...it could have been four years or forty years, it doesn’t matter. If it’s not right, it’s never going to be right. It doesn’t matter how much time you dedicate. Some things just aren’t meant to be. You shouldn’t have to try so hard in a relationship. Yeah, they take work, but not that much work. Not that much grief.” He watched her as she continued, entranced by her words.

“It should be...effortless, in some ways. Like when you meet someone, and you click, and it’s like… ‘oh. It’s you. There you are.’ Like you’ve been waiting for them this whole time and didn’t even realize it.”

Peeta stared at her, frozen at the words that seemed to tumble from her mouth. The click she spoke about. Oh, it’s you. It’s...you.

Like you’ve been waiting for them this whole time and didn’t even realize it.

Well, he realized it now. He still liked her. The pull he’d felt all those years ago to Katniss Everdeen was back. As much as he forced himself to try and forget about her, being around her the past few months had dragged those feelings right back up. Oh.

“Oh.” He hadn’t realized he’d said the word out loud. And that he’d been staring at her this whole time. He briefly watched as her eyes left his and flickered down to his mouth. Woah. What was that? Was she…?

Katniss coughed lightly and said quickly, “well, like I said: some things aren’t meant to be, no matter how hard you try. As shitty as this is, and as much as I’m sure it’s going to be difficult to work through, maybe this is the start of a new chapter for you. Where you can figure out...what makes you happy, without having to focus so much on making someone else happy. Besides Connor. Take some time to figure out what you really want.”

What he really wanted. What did he want? Right now...he could finally admit to himself that he wanted what was right in front of him. He wanted...her. He realized that the split from Delly meant that he was...free. He wasn’t elated by that, but it did make him realize that he was essentially on his own, once the paperwork went through.

What did he want?

“Yeah...what I really want.” Possibilities and future scenarios began to run through his mind. He didn’t realize he’d been staring at her, lost in thought, until she spoke again.

“Um, maybe we should take a look at this menu, hey? See what you’re thinking for it?”

Peeta was jerked from his reverie. Woah. Slow down. Collect yourself. Get it together. You literally just separated from your wife like three weeks ago. Calm down.

“Yes, of course. Um, there’s a few different options we could go with, like having a savoury package and a sweet package. I was thinking of a herbed goat cheese biscuit for one, but also…”

He pressed on, determined to push his earlier daydreams aside and focus on the task at hand. She seemed to space out for a minute and then made some comment about being concerned about keeping the hot items warm because it was cold in the winter, which made him laugh harder than he had in months.

When they had finalized everything, Katniss made to leave, saying something about another meeting. Peeta was reluctant, but he knew he had to get back to the bakery anyway. He stood up to pull his coat on as she thanked him again, when suddenly, she reached up and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He froze.

It was the first time they’d ever hugged. Katniss Everdeen had her arms around him. Katniss was touching him. He couldn’t let this moment pass him by.

He stiffly moved his arms around her and felt her warmth underneath his hands. He took a deep breath and inhaled. Fresh linen. Sandalwood. Vanilla. She smelled heavenly. He exhaled slowly and tightened his grip on her waist. He could feel her slight curves as he breathed in again and felt the electricity buzz through him even stronger. He could also feel the stress he’d been holding onto for so many months start to slowly pour out of him. It was incredible what a simple hug could do. But this wasn’t a simple hug. Maybe it had to do with whom he was hugging.

This was a turning point and he knew it. He was a goner.

~*~*~*~*~*~

[shesasurvivor]

May 8, 2021 (fic)

It’s here at last! I’m so sorry I’m so late this year; things really got busy for me. But I could never forget my favorite girl completely. Here’s the update for May 8 this year!

Summary: Prim surprises Katniss for her birthday one year with an unexpected gift. Set pre-Games.

Read on A03

----

I open my bleary eyes only to see nothing but darkness spread out before me. I’m used to being an early riser, but somehow this seems to be pushing it. I’m not sure what time it is, but it feels too early regardless. I feel the light pressure of a small hand pressed against my back as it gently shakes me. So I didn’t imagine it.

With a start, I sit up, wondering what’s wrong that either my mother or my sister could be stirring me awake. It would have to be an emergency because that’s the only time either of them is awake before I am. I’m already halfway out of bed, using my foot to feel around in the dark for my leather boots when I make out Prim’s small shape in the darkness. 

“Prim,” I breathe. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s okay, Katniss,” she says with a giggle, of all things. The sound is strange and catches me off guard. A giggle? That doesn’t add up. Then a dim light fills the room as my mother strikes a match, and I find Prim beaming at me.

“Happy birthday!” she sings out as soon as she can see me clearly. Our mother stands behind her, still in her nightshirt, smiling faintly at me as well. 

Oh. My birthday. I’d nearly forgotten about it. Not that there’s ever much to look forward to, other than the memory that I’m eligible to put my name in the Reaping a few more times in exchange for tesserae. Happy birthday to me. 

“We have a surprise for you,” Prim continues, pulling on my hand to encourage me to get out of bed. I’m still a little groggy and would rather catch a few extra minutes of sleep before I take off into the woods, but I follow Prim anyways and let her lead me into the next room, to our cramped kitchen. In the center of the room sits a small, unfinished wooden table that’s been worn down from years of use. And right in the middle sits a round cake that’s been decorated with white frosting and dotted with ornately shaped yellow blossoms.

My breath catches in my throat at the sight of it. I can feel Prim exuding pride and excitement beside me. I want to be happy for her sake, to show how much I appreciate this. Instead, my heart falls into my stomach. All I can think about is how much it must have cost us to buy this.

“Oh, Prim,” I murmur, and there’s no mistaking that I’m upset and not as touched as she wanted me to be. And immediately I wish I wish I could take it back, or could have forced myself to play along, or something to keep the crestfallen expression that’s falling across my sister’s face now. 

“You don’t like it?” Her voice is small, fragile. I crumble to pieces, then snap back together as I rush to reassure her that she hasn’t done something wrong. “It’s just… how much did something like this cost?” I’ve been by the bakery windows enough times with her to know that these cakes fall well outside of our pathetic budget. Not even my trades with the baker would catch us something like this. It would take a whole lot of squirrels to get something like a decorated cake from the window.

“Oh, is that all,” Prim looks amused now. “I just traded a wheel of cheese for it.”

“A wheel of cheese?” I repeat, not sure how to process the relief and confusion I’m feeling simultaneously. I’m beyond grateful that Prim didn’t spend anything more than that, but it doesn’t make sense. Prim’s goat cheese is outstanding, but it still doesn’t amount to the cost of one of the fancy cakes. “Mr. Mellark let you buy a cake for a wheel of cheese?” 

“Not Mr. Mellark,” Prim explains. “One of his sons. The youngest one. His name is Peeta. He gave me some of the supplies and even offered to decorate it himself. He put the flowers on because I wasn’t getting them. He’s really good. Katniss?”

I’m staring blankly at the cake, trying to make sense of all this. I know the son she’s talking about, though this is the first time I’ve heard his name. Peeta. Peeta Mellark. We don’t know each other, at least not directly. But this isn’t the first time I’ve been gifted with baked goods because of him. There was one other time, on a fateful rainy day, when I thought my luck had finally run out and the end had finally come. Peeta Mellark. Of course, the cake is covered in yellow flowers. 

“We’ll save it,” I say, shaking my head to clear out the memory. I smile down at my sister, looking up at me with relief at my lightened mood. “We’ll have it for dessert after dinner tonight.”

“Okay,” she agrees happily. She gives me a hug, then goes off to get ready for the day. 

Later, in the crowded hallways of the school, I glance up and find Peeta Mellark staring straight at me. He looks as though he’s been watching me for a while, and for a minute, I think he’s going to actually come over to say something to me. For some reason, the thought makes me embarrassed. Heat flooding my cheeks, I look away quickly. A moment later, I dare to look back, but he’s not looking at me anymore either. Instead, he’s turned and has started walking in the opposite direction down the hallway. But as the hall begins to clear out, I notice a crumpled piece of paper lying where he had been standing moments earlier. Unable to resist the curiosity, I edge over to the spot and pick it up. On the wrinkled paper is a rough pencil sketch of the very same blossoms that dot the cake back home. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” is written in clean, careful handwriting underneath.

I lift my eyes and stare for a long moment in the direction he disappeared in, trying to make sense of it. Was he about to give this to me for my birthday? We don’t really know each other. Though he would have to know it was my birthday after he helped Prim with my cake. But why? Why would he do any of that? He doesn’t owe me anything. I’m the one who owes him, who will never stop owing him, and I still haven’t managed to get out so much of a thank you to him for saving my life all those years ago. 

After a while, I give up trying to piece it together. The drawing can’t have been anything more than a practice run for the cake he decorated, with no other meaning. He was probably looking at me because he remembered my sister. There’s no further explanation for it. Besides, everyone loves Prim. I’m the forgettable one.  

I think about tossing the crumpled drawing into a trash bin as I pass by but somehow feel bad about doing so. Instead, I fold it carefully and put it in my pocket. I forget about it until that evening when the Hawthornes have come over to help me celebrate my birthday. As Gale hands me a slice of the cake, I remember the incident, and a hand slips into the pocket and fingers the paper sitting there. 

Briefly, I wonder if I should find Peeta Mellark at school tomorrow and return the drawing to him, but I push the thought away. He clearly didn’t care about it. Neither do I, I tell myself. But the picture sits safely in my pocket regardless. It will serve as a reminder of a particularly nice birthday I had one year, if nothing else. 

[mintenochian]

what other people want added to Minecraft: g u n s

what I want added to Minecraft

•Birds

-For multiple biomes, but mainly for the forests.

-Songbirds would add SO MUCH life to the otherwise quiet areas of the game

-Ravens and crows would be awesome and could use some of the parrot mimicking AI

-Cardinals in the snow biomes would bring a GORGEOUS pop of colour into the white atmosphere

-Seriously we need something to populate the sky, parrots do NOT fly like they should

-nests in trees, can find eggs in them

-doesn't really add a use but fun new feather types would be cool

•Owls

-technically still a bird but would go really well in covered rooftop forests and snow biomes

-we're already getting larger avians added in the form of vultures so why not more large birds?

•Mice and / or rats

-absolute precious babies

-sadly would go well with owls :(

-with cave update coming we need adorable rodents scurrying around

-lil bastards could make mouseholes inside of blocks

-will they be tameable? idk.

-adds the necessity for cheese

•Deer

-MOJANG this is a MUST, this is a NEED

-You literally have pigs, chickens, cows, and sheep spawning in forests what the fuck

-Deer with spotty baby fawns??? Yes

-Young bucks with different stages of antler growth? Yes

-Fawns frolicking in flower forests bc they feel safe

-Stripped wood appearing on trees where bucks scrape velvet off their antlers

-Being able to collect sets of antlers when they fall off periodically (would NOT be attainable by killing the deer, you have to wait for them to shed)

•Elk and Moose

-Same vein as deer

-Bigger, much bigger, neutral instead of passive, less shy

-Snowy biomes

-Better additions than fucking llamas tyvm

-Sidenote but savannahs could also really use some endangered deer-like species to help raise awareness for their status

•Squirrels

-Mojang plz

-Adds nuts to Minecraft ;)

-Black, grey, red, and mixed colour squirrels and breeding

-Brings life to forests like songbirds and deer

•Bears

-Mojang bby you literally already have a neutral bear in Minecraft why have you not reskinned it for grizzly/brown/black bears?

-Bear caves

-Hibernating mobs

-Brings more use to the beehives and bees, bears could be attracted to any area that has more than one bee hive with honey

•WOLVES AND DOGS

-They NEED the ocelots and cats update

-More wolf types (red, timber, snow, black, etc)

-Actual wolf packs (the AI would be difficult to program but the doges are worth it)

-Please let the howl at the moon, if foxes get to say ringdingding all night long wolves deserve to be allowed to howl

-More dog breeds (I know that there's no reason for domesticated dog breeds in Minecraft but ACTUALLY THERE IS)

-Hunting dogs like springers that can jump and run faster

-Foxhounds :D

-Most Important Goodest Boy: Herding dogs like collies and sheepdogs

-Herding dogs could be found in plains where cows and sheep spawn and create herds

-LET DOGS LAY DOWN FOR FUCKS SAKE

•Herding

-Instead of having to pen up and enclose your livestock you could form herds of cows and sheep

-Your Goodest Boi herding dog would protect them and move around with them when they graze

-Just soft peaceful minecraft tingz

•Salt licks

-Something SO SMALL but would make SO MUCH HAPPINESS

-Drawing new cows into your herd by putting up a salt lick

-I'm soft

-I guess salt would be a new ore???

•Bird feeders

-idk I think it would be cool

-excess seeds used for SOMETHING

•Raccoons

-The coolness of wolves, the chaos of foxes, the cunning of cats

-thumbs

-be gay do crimes

-can open chests (trigger trap chests to catch them?)

-Fantastic little shits

-Not tameable but will trust players like foxes do

•Snakes

-I know it's a lot to ask and it would be hard to make them look good

-But??? Imagine a tiny lil garter snake in your garden

-unlikely but would be so fantastic

•Rope

-climeable

-please Mojang we need this so badly

-imagine the ships? The bridges? The bell towers and everything?

-super easy to add, just reskin vines and add a string crafting recipie

•Butterflies and Moths

-Bflies could be a unique mob to flower forests and friends with bees

-if moobloom is added they would all be BEST BUDS

-get it "buds" ahahaha

-help with flower polination but just gives a TON of life to flower forests

-We literally have lanterns in minecraft why do we NOT have moths? Such a cool aesthetic addition.

-helps fill both the daytime and nighttime sky

•Hummingbirds

-fourth member of BEST BUDS

-just soft baby

-i love birbs okay

-the only avian who does not work for the bourgeoisie

•Fireflies

-10 million of them please

-they give great hugs

-adds so much atmosphere to the night world

•Cheese

-We have milk

-We have, presumably, goat milk

-Quit being cowards and add butter and cheese

-Butter churn job block for villagers

-V funny bc they have no arms to churn with?? Oh well

•Seashells

-Something decorative and beautiful that could 1) liven up beaches and 2) have snails and crabs inside!

-Mojang plz do not add sand dollars to the game people already don't know how to tell if they're still alive before trying to take them home

•Whales

-WHALES.

-Imagine something as massive as the ender dragon but peaceful. Allows you to stand on them (idk how but make it happen Jeb)

-WHALE SONGS.

-Being so deep and far out into the ocean, and when the moon is high in the sky and you're sitting in your boat, you just hear the beautiful melancholy sounds of the whales in the distance

•Jellyfish

-Idk if y'all know this but the glow squid is a bad idea

-Dream buddy you fucked up, please use your influence to get in contact with Mojang and have them redo the vote. People would have so much regained respect for you if you tried to fix your mistake.

-Also why does a speedrunner get to tell millions of people what mob would bring more life to Minecraft? He's only playing the game for 5 minutes smh

-aNYWAYS

-Jellyfish could literally do everything the glow squid is going to and look better for it AND possibly be neutral instead of peaceful

•Orcas

-Not much to say but it would liven up the frozen water biomes a bit

•Penguins

-You already know why

-Imagine giving a new home to all the Club Penguin players? Legendary.

-Gender doesn't exist in Minecraft but we all know penguins would be hella gay

•Lobsters

-I think they would be cute

-You would NOT BE ABLE TO BOIL THEM ALIVE THANK YOU VERY MUCH

•Mermaids

-Never going to happen since passive mobs are generally real life animals but it would be so cool

•Otters

-they can hold hands

-brings life to the rivers

-super cute

•Frogs and possibly toads

-Swamp gods

-Absolute mad lads

-maybe grow from tadpoles

-wouldn't do much but needed

•Fairy Forests

-NOT Twilight Forests. Not a new dimension.

-Just gentle hidden groves in forests

-ADD FAIRY RING GENERATION TO MINECRAFT.

•Big cats

-Tigers, lions, bobcats, panthers

-Literally anything that could finally add a strong predator possibility to savannahs and jungles

•Zebras and Giraffes

-Shy and skittish

-cannot ride (their skeletal structure is NOT MADE FOR CARRYING HUMANS)

-Super cute tho, brings much needed life to savannahs

•Camels

-The better llama

-Can honestly just be a reskin

-brings much needed life to the desert

-spits and wears carpet and forms caravans like llamas

•Lemurs

-Easier to add to "jungles" than monkeys

-it would be really cool if we could just get a Rainforest biome

-King Julian stans awaken

•Red pandas

-we need them

-cuter than normal pandas and you can @ me

-better idea than sloths or koalas

•More Eldritch Horror Hostile Mobs

-Fun fact time

-The enchanting table language already has Lovecraftian references

-"phnglui mglwnafh cthulhu rlyeh wgahnagl fhtagn" is literally a quote from the enchanting table

-translates to "In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

-Bet you didn't know that fun fact

-aNYWAYS add the Kraken to Minecraft instead of the shitty guardians. Thanks.

-imagine how cool it would be to see lights slowly extinguish as something terrifying and dangerous slowly moves in for the kill

-torches get extinguished and can get relit

-if not relit fast enough Something will be waiting

•Ice statues

-We have giant fossils and ship wrecks and cool stuff like that but please imagine finding a GIANT humanoid ice sculpture in an ice spikes biome

-maybe bones inside to show you that... That wasn't carved or naturally generated.

•Skeletons

-Not a mob but a decoration block

-Found in temples, mineshafts, and caves

-implied to be the remains of miners and explorers

-rare

-also implies that every skeleton you kill has some backstory since they look the same

•Constellations

-Not real world star maps but completely unique to Minecraft

-chance for LOTS of fun references

-The stars are your only companions in an apocalyptic world where you are the last of your kind

-Space is gay minecraft is gay thus minecraft space is gay

•Corn

-we have butter in this list

-we have salt in this list

-popcorn. That is all.

And finally

•Leeks

-mostly a joke but would be a cool crop

-100% a reference to Hatsune Miku the creator of Minecraft

DISCLAIMER: I recognize that mobs are added to Minecraft to serve a purpose within the game and that many of these mobs would be better in mods and such, but I also feel like many of these suggestions would really bring so much more life to parts of the game that really need it. Even if they don't serve a huge purpose, they would still be really amazing additions imo.

I would love to see the ideas and suggestions that other people have for what they want added to Minecraft, please TAG ME if you make a post like this, I wanna hear and read it!

[lu-undy]

I'm not sure if you've already written something like this, but what about Spy showing Sniper his face for the first time?

Here it is!

"Mh…"

"Mornin' gorgeous." 

Spy smiled as he felt Sniper's lips on his back, peppering kisses there. The taller man was spooning him, his hands slid along the Frenchman's slim silhouette, on his pyjamas. 

"Sniper…"

"Let me just…" The Aussie's hands had laced up to Spy's collar. He undid the first few buttons before he pulled down the shirt, freeing Spy's shoulders to kiss them. His rough hands touched the porcelain white skin and his lips gently grazed it, slowly melting from here to there. Spy lowered his head and closed his eyes, feeling Sniper on his back now. Their legs slid against each other's, under the blanket. 

"S-Sniper…" 

"Don't worry, I won't remove it." He whispered back, pushing the edges of the mask up to reach further up Spy's back. He kissed and nipped, gently. "Gosh, you're so soft." 

Spy smiled, his eyes still closed, and he bit his lip. 

"You of all people should know it by now." He answered before he heard Sniper chuckle behind him. 

"Spook?" 

"Oui?" 

"Will you let me see your face one day?" 

Spy opened his eyes and frowned. 

"I… Do not know." He rolled to face Sniper and the Aussie slid his hands to the Frenchman's masked face. 

"I'm sure you look gorgeous under that thing." 

"Merci, but…" Spy averted his gaze. "I do not think it is a good idea. Not at all."

"Oh, ok… I-I mean we're alone here, the doors are closed and all, no one else would see you." 

"It is not about that." Spy answered. 

"What is it, then?" 

"A lot of things." He buried his face in Sniper's chest. "One of them is that you will realise that I am far older than you are, far more grey, tired and beaten up by life."

"No you're not. And even if you were, I couldn't care less."

"Sniper, I… I am not the arrogant womanizer that people see in me." 

"I know, you also like men." 

"That is not what I meant." 

"Oh?" 

Spy frowned harder and sighed. 

"I cannot show you my face, I am sorry." 

"It's… Ok, alright. I don't really get it but it's not worth fightin' over."

Spy raised his eyes to his lover. 

"What?" 

"All I'm sayin' is that well, I'd love to see you entirely but it's fine. I guess we can go on like that." 

"You have seen so much more about me, Sniper, I have lain naked in front and under you before." 

"I know but… It's odd that in your head you should hide your face more than your… y'know." 

"Well, people can recognise me with my face, not with what I have between my legs." 

"Yeah, I get it but… Still, a bit of a shame, I think." 

Sniper removed his hands from Spy's face and looked away. Silence fell in the Frenchman's room. The only noise was the tireless ticks and tocks of the alarm clock on the night table. 

"I am superstitious." Spy's voice slashed the silence. 

"What?" 

"I am superstitious." Spy repeated.

“What’s it got to do with what we were talkin’ about?”

“Everything.”

“Spook, you make no sense.”

“Of course, I do.” Spy closed his eyes out of annoyance. "You just do not understand."

"Tell me." 

Spy laid his head on Sniper's chest and took his large hand in both of his. 

"I thought it was only stories but I now fully believe it. Each time that I show my face to a person that is dear to my heart, they… They go away." 

Sniper's eyebrows jumped. 

"What?"

"It is a curse. Anyone I have shown my face to ends up leaving me, either just moving on away from me, or worse." Spy explained before he sat up on the bed, next to his lover. Sniper sat up too and laced an arm around Spy. 

"So you always wear it now, because you're scared it'll happen again?" 

"I remove it if I do not care about the person my heart chose." 

And Sniper understood that if Spy kept his mask on at all times with him, it was because the Aussie counted an awful lot to him.

"I… Hold on, you say that people went away as if they have left you in the past. How the hell could they leave you?" 

Spy lowered his head and sighed. 

"Because at some point, they discover who I am and… and it is better that way." Spy freed himself from his lover and stood up. He slipped on his dressing gown and locked himself up in his bathroom. 

Sniper watched him move away and sighed. He both found Spy's words ridiculous and heart-breaking. He wished he could do something to help. He scratched his naked chest and ruffled his hair on his head. 

Well, he should get up and make some coffee. That would give Spy some time to feel better maybe. 

Sniper got to his feet and grabbed his shirt that he put on, but kept open. He went to Spy's kitchen and got the cafetiere ready. He put two mugs next to it and started to gather the toasts and butter, from the fridge. He turned the radio on and let the chatter occupy his thoughts. 

When the coffee was ready and the smell gently floated in the Frenchman's suite, Sniper readied a pan and broke a couple of eggs in a bowl. He knew that Spy liked an omelette in the morning, so he got to work. After beating the eggs vigorously, he went to the fridge to take that goat cheese that his lover liked so much and added some to the mix before spreading it on the oiled pan. 

Sniper watched as the liquid eggs hardened while the goat cheese melted. Suddenly, the light switched off in the kitchen. He raised his head to the bulb and headed to the switch when a hand stopped his wrist. 

"Non, please." 

"What?"

"Don't turn the light on." Spy hugged his lover, and Sniper's pupils retracted to a dot as his eyes snapped wide. He didn't feel the fabric of Spy's mask on his chest, no. He felt Spy's skin, and even some of his hair. "Close your eyes." 

Sniper obeyed and felt Spy move away from him. 

"I will blindfold you."

"My eyes are closed, Spook."

"I don't want to risk it." Spy answered as he turned around Sniper, who felt a smooth cloth over his eyes. Spy was behind him tying the cloth. "Now…" He took Sniper's hands and stuck them on his face, one on each of his cheeks. 

The Aussie's eyebrows rose as he touched a face he wished he could do more than touch. He closed his eyes behind the blindfold and tried to project the image of what his curious digits were discovering. 

Eyebrows, eyelids, yeah, he knew those. Gosh, Sniper could feel the lines at the corner of Spy's eyes. He loved those. Whenever he smiled, they smiled with him. And the Aussie had the same too… 

Nose, mouth but oh my God, what was that…? Spy's hair… Rather short on the sides and behind his head as well, longer on top. So soft and straight, it flowed between Sniper's fingers like threads of silk.

His thumbs brushed Spy's forehead, his eyebrows and down his temples, his naked cheeks to end on his lover's lips. They were pursed up in a smile. 

"I-your hair feels amazin'." 

"Merci. It is grey at the front here…" Spy took Sniper's hand and guided him. "And on the temples, here and here. The rest struggles to stay black." 

"Gosh…" Sniper bit his lip. "I wish I could see it… And see you really. It's hard to imagine it all with just my hands touchin' you."

"I am sorry. I wish I could but…" 

"Hey, it's fine. It's ok." 

Spy put his hands flat on Sniper's, which were sandwiching his face. 

"I… I cannot afford to lose you. I know it is egotistic, but non. Y-you are… non." 

"Hey…?"

"I would rather lie to you about my face and live with the guilt of lying to you continuously, rather than risk losing you." 

"Love… I… I don't want to force you and I'm not forcin' you but you know I'm not gonna leave you. You know I don't care about what you look like, you could look horrible and I'd still stay, cause I don't just like you for your face. I just… You're such a good bloke, and a pleasure to live with."

"Sniper, I have heard these words a million times before and yet…"

"Mundy. Name's Mundy. I have only my parents, no siblings. They… They adopted me. They own a little farm in the Outback, nothin' big, just enough to pay the bills and keep them busy. I… When I was a kid, I was bad at school and dropped it as soon as I could. Been workin' with huntin' contracts ever since because Dad had shown me how to and there was nothing else I was half-decent at."

Spy frowned. 

"Why are you telling me all this?" 

"Because I want you to understand that I… I-I… I don't just stay with you to spend the nights and all… It's… What do I need to do for you to get it? I… I bloody love you!" Mundy burst out. "I won't leave you, I… If I could I'd stay with you forever!" 

"If you could?" Spy asked. 

"If… If… I was never the one who left anyone. I was always the one who got dumped."

"Why?" 

"Because people don't see themselves buildin' anything with me! I'm a weirdo who lives in a van, I don't have a house or a flat of my own, my address is still my parents'. It's-it's not like I have a normal job and a normal life and…" Sniper pulled Spy's head against his chest and held him close. "You're one of the very few blokes I really feel like… Like we can be a bit more than just what we are. I mean… It makes so much sense. No one gets it, you and me, but-but I feel it. I feel comfy with you, like you've always been with me and… Spook, please… What do I need to do for you to believe me?" 

Silence fell for a while and their embrace was intense. 

"I would love to believe you." The Frenchman said and felt one of Sniper's hands in his hair, his fingers between his locks and pressing him against his bare chest. 

"Why don't you?"

"I am scared… Mundy." 

"Don't be. I'm here." He bent his head down to kiss Spy's hair. "Gosh, even your hair smells of you." 

"Thank you."

"Spook…"

"Lucien." Spy answered, nuzzling in his lover's chest. "My name is Lucien. My parents left this world a long time ago and I have no other family left. My mother used to be a dressmaker, and my father, a lawyer. They lived in the South-West of France, where I was born and raised, under the sun, and between green and red grapes."

"Why're you tellin' me all this now?" 

"Because I am more scared than ever." 

"Why? I got you here, you're in my arms, nothin's gonna get to you."

"Oui but… Hold on." 

Lucien pushed himself away from his lover's embrace and Mundy felt the cloth around his eyes go. 

"C-can I open my eyes? You put your mask back?" 

"Oui." Lucien flipped the switch to turn the lights on. 

"Gosh, Spook!" Mundy slapped his hands on his face as soon as he realised that his lover had lied and he hadn't put his mask back on. "Bugger I nearly saw you!"

"Please…" Sniper felt his lover's hands on his wrists, pulling them down. 

"Spook…"

"Lucien." Spy corrected him and as he removed Sniper's hands from his face, he saw that the Aussie had kept his eyes closed. 

"But you said you didn't like it if I saw you." 

"I have changed my mind." 

"Why?" Mundy continued to speak with closed eyes. 

"Because of what you said." 

Mundy felt his lover's hands on his naked chest. He opened his eyes.

"Oh bloody hell… Look at you… You're…" 

His hands immediately went back to Lucien's face and touched again, stroking, brushing, grazing, his eyes darted left, right, up and down. 

"My God… H-how…?"

Lucien tried smiling, but not too much. He was very self conscious about his age showing in the million wrinkles on his face when he smiled. 

"What do you think - mh?!" 

Spy was surprised mid-sentence by his lover's lips. And the intensity, the force with which he was pulling his body and his hair, his very lips too into the kiss. The Frenchman almost felt his feet take off of the ground. 

"What was that about?" He asked, although being as breathless as his lover. 

"How could you ever think you're too old or ugly or whatever? You look better than in my dreams, you look… Y-you… I-I don't know what the word is, or even if the word exists or-or maybe there's a sentence or maybe an expression? Bloody hell, what am I sayin?!" Mundy's voice was high-pitched and broken, he was out of air and stopped to catch his breath for a while. "You're gorgeous, you're so beautiful, you're… How could people leave you after seein' your face, you look bloody fantastic." Mundy pulled his lover close and hugged him all over, ending with his cheek on top of Lucien's head. 

"Mundy…?"

The Aussie rolled his eyes and closed them in bliss, scratching his lover's head as he would a cat. 

"Say my name with that accent once more and we're gonna skip breakfast to go straight for lunch." He growled. 

"Mundy?"

"Gosh…" 

"May we still have breakfast?" 

"Maybe." 

Both smiled and Mundy kissed his lover on the head.

"Lucien?"

"Oui?"

"Why did you change your mind?" 

Lucien raised his eyes to his lover. 

"I told you, because of what you said." 

"What did I say?" 

The Frenchman smiled and blushed. This time, Mundy could see it so clearly that he couldn't help but stare, and his own cheeks turned pink. 

"You said that you loved me." Lucien answered. 

"Yeah, and I do." 

Their smiles widened. 

"It is the first time you tell me this." 

"Yeah, it's hard to say." 

"Indeed, it is." Their eyes met and lingered. "I love you too, Mundy." 

"Alright, you looked for it…" The Aussie dragged his lover out of the kitchen. 

"What-? Where-?"

"Bedroom, now. Breakfast in bed…" 

"What?" Lucien asked as he was led to the bed.

"C'mere…" The Aussie pushed his lover deeper in the sheets.

[extremelyblackandwhite]

handmaid - 02

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap

A/N: you guys have been so extremely sweet with this new work i don’t even know how to thank you!! thank you so so much for supporting my writing, it always makes my day. i hope you enjoy xx

NEXT CHAPTER

Y/N was laying in her new room right stuck in between the guest and Gwen’s bedroom. It was a rather bleak room if she was being honest. The walls were all white in exception to one of them that like the entrance was covered in floor to ceiling windows. There was little to no furniture in exception for a king sized bed, a white chest of drawers and a wall embedded wardrobe where she had put most of her clothes already. 

She wondered why a man of such income would like to be surrounded by such bleak colours. From what she had noticed his whole place was decorated in shades of grey and black with the occasional beige and white. Sure, it looked lovely, sleek even, something worth of being in the cover of an architectural magazine, but it wasn’t a home. A home had warmth, lived in sheets, walls and floors, this house however was ... was ghosted, almost as if no one lived in it. 

Rolling onto the comfortable white sheets, she took the contract into her hands, looking at the lettering on the cover itself. Y/N fully understood why he wanted all his employees to have a binding legal document, what she didn’t expect was to see the first line constricted her breathing. “The individual agrees not to follow any legal action against the employer in any circumstance”, it read. This was definitely not what was she expecting. 

     - Y/N? - she shoved the contract under her sheets as Gwen’s voice sounded through the room, her head peaking through the opening of the door. - What are you up to?

    - Not much. How are you? Do you enjoy the new room? - Sebastian had put her in a different room from his, something she had expected but still found odd. They were to be married after all and despite it all being a business move and transaction, it was still a valid marriage. However, none of them seemed to eager to at least try and create some chemistry. 

    - Boring. I need a favour, though. Please and when you decide remember you’re my oldest and best friend since we were babies. - Y/N knew that face and she did not like it. It was the same face that got them both stranded in the Carribean because she just needed to get to know some guy from the opposite terminal before catching the plane. However, she also knew Gwen to be a great driving force of making her do things she didn’t exactly want to do, so she decided to nod her head yes, already overwhelmed with the move and the contract. - I need to head out for a few minutes, could you cover for me?

     - What ... where are you going? 

     - I have a date. - she cheekily entered the room, closing the door behind her after checking if someone was in the hall. The redhead sat in front of her, a childish grin on her face as if she were in high school going out with the captain of the football team. - And he’s really sweet.

     - Gwen, you’re engaged. - the big sapphire in her left hand’s third finger was all she could look at. Of course Y/N wanted to be happy for Gwen, she really did and she really shouldn’t put too much effort in the thought that she was going to get married, after all it was just a strategy, but her mind was screaming at her that it wasn’t right. - Don’t you wanna at least give it a go before you completely give up?

     - No, I wanna go out with Chuck. - she took her engagement ring off, placing it on Y/N’s white sheets. - Please cover for me, please.

     - What if Sebastian notices you’re gone?

    -  He won’t because you’ll cover for me, besides, he probably won’t even leave his office. Please, Y/N? - Y/N sighed. What was the use of saying no if she was gonna leave any other way? Besides, if she were right and Sebastian didn’t leave his office, it should be alright. Losing whatever piece of resolve she has in her, she let out a soft smile, nodding her head yes which led the redhead to hug her with a death like grip. - It’ll one be for a few hours. I owe you one.

     -  I’m pretty sure you’ve own me one since we were one. - Gwen let out a celebratory chuckle before grabbing her bag and leaving Y/N on her own once again. 

The whole house was constantly silent, almost as if all the employees were scared of making a sound which when it came to the demanding presence of their boss, she wondered if that was the case. The only disruption of silence that could be heard was the soft rain against the windows which was enough to lull her to sleep. She would’ve possibly remained asleep if it hadn’t been for a slight knock interrupting her slumber. She took her head off her pillow, confused as if she had slept for so long, Gwen had returned. Another knock made her get from the bed, sleep still in her eyes as she opened the door to come face to face with one of the dressed up employees. 

    - Miss Y/N, dinner is served.

    - Just Y/N please. 

    - I believe it would be more of Miss Forrest’s comfort if you were to inform her dinner is ready. 

    - Oh ... Miss Forrest ... she’s, she’s not feeling very well. 

    - Should we call a doctor?

    - No, it’s just ... you know, that time of the month. - Y/N had the most nervous smile on her face, but as the man heard that specific term, he scrunched his face for a few seconds before returning to his normal formal and stoic posture. Maybe she had gotten away with it. - I don’t think she’ll want any dinner.

    - Oh, alright, would you still like to have dinner, Miss Y/N? - he questioned. She was rather hungry, after all, all she had before coming in was dinner and after sleeping she always awake up feeling like snacking, therefore dinner sounded like a good idea. 

She followed the man into the kitchen that similarly to the rest of the house had the same simple yet modern design to it. The floors were in the same shade of marbled black with few specks of grey, the walls were white with a black wooden backsplash and one of them had the same full amount of windows which gave a beautiful view of the Upper East Side. There were various balconies connected to the walls but the biggest one was in the middle where some chairs were laid. 

Y/N watched as a woman, probably middle aged, set the table. Just like the man who had brought her to the kitchen, she was dressed in sleek, working clothes with her hair held in a perfect bun up-do. 

     - I hope you like goat cheese and bistro salad, m’am. - she set a beautifully prepared plate in front of Y/N as she took a seat in the table. - I can prepare you something if you don’t like it, m’am.

     - No, it’s beautiful, thank you so much. - yes, she was used to living in some sort of high fashion style due to the environment she had brought up with but this, this was different. This was expensive in all sorts, from how the employees dressed, to the way the food was presented. However, Y/N noticed that instead of being surrounded by other people eating like it would normally occur at her prior home, she was instead surrounded by staff watching her eat, no Sebastian in sight. - Is Mr. Stan not joining us for dinner?

     - Oh no, m’am, Mr. Stan eats in his office. - the woman replied. 

     - What about you guys? Don’t you wanna eat? 

     - It’s fine, m’am. We’ll eat after you finish. 

     - Alright ... - Y/N pushed her plate slightly away from her, turning on her chair so she could face the two staff who were now staring at her as if she were any sort of threat. - Where me and Miss Forrest were raised, staff is treated just as well as family members. I don’t know what orders you follow from Mr. Stan but when you deal with me or Miss Forrest, you sit down and have dinner with us if you wish. 

The dinner went a bit better after she gained some company. The staff was sweet, very professional still but sweet nevertheless. After dinner and fighting a bit with the woman named Anna so she could help with the dishes, Y/N decided to walk around the house. Gwen still hadn’t returned and despite her countless messages sent to her, they were seen but not replied to. Thankfully, Sebastian hadn’t left his office as promised which meant she only had to lie whenever any member of staff would ask if she needed something. 

The penthouse was pretty much a regular place with more rooms than she could ever imagine with some being locked and others being open and perfectly decorated yet seemed to be non inhabited. However, what had sparked her interest was the very last room she checked. The room’s wall except for one were filled with book shelves which were filled itself with endless amounts of books. She looked around, wondering if someone was spying on her, before entering the room, her hands grabbing the first book she saw. The Great Gatsby. It sorta made her chuckle how that had been the first book she caught, the story of a wealthy man who lives by himself. The book itself was in rather good condition with the traditional blue cover with those unsettling eyes staring right back at her. She opened the book, her eyes going to the date of print making her realise what she was holding. April, 1925. A first edition. 

      - Looking for a good read, Miss Y/N? - she dropped the book out of surprise, not expecting the voice. Her head snapped in the sound’s direction, watching as Sebastian walked over to her, slowly crutching down to grab the book from the ground.

       - Are these all yours? - this was the biggest self collection of books she’d ever seen, it was somewhat hard for her to wrap around her head it belonged to a single person, specially first editions. 

       - My father made sure I got an expensive education. 

       - Have you read all of these? - her eyes widen at the mere thought of it. Just reading one shelf of books looked like it would take at least five years, at beast. 

       - Not all of them ... some are in Greek. - he couldn’t help but be entranced by her as she lowered her head to hide the small smile that settled itself on her lips. - Are you one for reading?

       - I majored in English Literature, reading was all I did for three years. 

       - Fits. - he put his hands on the pockets of his formal trousers. - You wouldn’t lie to me, would you Miss Y/N? 

       - I wouldn’t think of it, Mr. Stan. - Y/N wasn’t one for lying unless necessary, specially to someone who had a reputation for ignoring empathy and other human emotions. 

       - Where’s my fiancée, Miss Y/N? - the mere question knocked the air away from her. - And please do not use the same excuse you used with my staff. I know everything that goes on in this house and I know for a fact she’s not in her room. 

       - I ... I don’t know. 

       - I think you need to figure out where your loyalty lies, Miss Y/N. - he picked her chin, making sure she looked into his eyes. If there was something he knew was to intimidate someone with his gaze alone, however, she looked embarrassed to be caught in a lie rather than scared. - As my employee, you owe me your loyalty and the truth. 

     - My loyalty lies with Gwen ... not with you. - she took a step backwards. He sucked his teeth, arms crossed on his chest. - I don’t mean to disrespect you, Mr. Stan but ... Gwen’s my friend and my employee and I owe her my loyalty. 

     - You do realise that if Miss Forrest gets hurt it is you who’s gonna be held accountable. 

     - Please don’t be mad at Gwen. - she rubbed her arms. - She’s never really wanted to get married, at all, to no one. This is a bit of a change she has to adapt to.

     - Don’t flatter yourself, angel. Genevieve Forrest is not exactly the type of woman I’d personally chose to be with but I’m not being childish about it. If you wanna have a good time under my employment then you better reconsider telling me the truth.

taglist: @sideeffectsofyou​

[jaskiersvalley]

Let Me Linger

Three years was a long time, even by witcher standards. Lambert had spent three winters without Eskel and their hopes dwindled. Nobody had seen him or heard of him since a contract to clear out archespores. While the area wasn’t bothered by them since, the bounty hadn’t been claimed and the witcher who had taken the contract hadn’t been seen. That third winter, they burnt an empty pyre in Eskel’s memory and Lambert spent the rest of the winter as drunk as he could be, snarling at Geralt, Jaskier and Vesemir if they got too close to him or his alcohol.

In the spring, Lambert emerged from Kaer Morhen with a plan. He remembered Eskel talking about dopplers and how he’d been impersonated by one for a while. Closure wasn’t something a witcher ever got but Lambert could do his best to get the next best thing. Heading north, he put out feelers, searching for the doppler who had taken on Eskel’s appearance all those years ago. He promised safety and coin in exchange for a chat.

Luck was on his side for a change. A slim, young girl slipped onto the bench opposite him in a tavern with a coy smile.

“I hear you’ve been looking for me.” She picked up a silver dagger and bared her teeth as it burned her palm but it was proof enough.

“Then you know who I want.” The doppler nodded at Lambert’s words and let him lay out his wishes. “Meet me in the woods, there’s a clearing by a stream. All I ask for is an hour of your time and your discretion on the matter.”

The doppler named a price and Lambert accepted. There were some things he would pay anything for and another hour with Eskel was one such thing. He had two hours to set up his camp and get everything ready. Hurrying, Lambert started with the more obvious things. He pulled two large logs beside the pit he had dug for a fire. Said fire was piled up just the way Eskel liked it, surrounded by stones Lambert had found in the stream. It was one of his fanciest camps, he had to admit. There were even flowers growing around the edge of the clearing. Once all the heavy work was done, he took a quick dip in the stream and pulled his nicest, cleanest clothes on. Next, he grabbed his pack and started pulling out the supplies he had gathered. Goat’s cheese, honey, sweet bread, all of Eskel’s favourites. This was his last time with Eskel, he was going to make it special.

Eskel’s favourite tea was brewing over the fire when familiar footsteps approached. The doppler was 20 minutes early but Lambert didn’t care because he looked up and there was Eskel.

“You look like shit,” Lambert blurted out. Indeed, Eskel looked haggard, tired and filthy. There was a tear in his gambeson which also looked heavily blood stained. Deep down, Lambert hoped the doppler hadn’t come across Eskel as he was dying, that this wasn’t the last look Eskel sported.

Stopping at the edge of the clearing, Eskel looked around with a raised eyebrow. “Nice to see you too. Expecting some fancy company?”

Words dried in Lambert’s throat. He’d missed Eskel so much. The world had felt big and empty without him. Without really thinking, Lambert launched himself for a hug, clinging to Eskel tightly.

“I missed you.” The words hurt but they needed to be said. “I never got to tell you I love you. That you make all the fighting worth it.”

Hesitant hands came up and patted Lambert on the back.

“Sorry I’ve not been home recently.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Lambert’s face was still buried in the crook of Eskel’s neck, trying to commit his scent to memory. Over the last three years Lambert had forgotten too much about Eskel. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

Eventually, Lambert peeled himself away and gestured at the camp he made. “Got all your favourites.”

It was an apology he would never be able to make to the one who really mattered. But the doppler was gracious enough to sit and give a crooked smile.

“That’s not cheese from Lil Bleater, is it?”

Lambert had to remind himself it was a doppler and he only had an hour. But it was exactly like sitting down with the real Eskel and his heart was shattering. “Yeah. It’s Bleats approved cheese.”

He watched as Eskel dug in, happily humming about how much he’d dreamed of having the cheese again. For a long moment Lambert had to stare off into the distance so he wouldn’t break. Gathering himself up, he poured two cups of tea and clutched at his mug.

“I didn’t think you tended to come North,” Eskel said around a mouthful of sweet bread. “Not too cold for you?”

“I wanted to see you.” The admission was quiet and Lambert averted his gaze. A large hand landed on his knee and gave it a squeeze.

“I’m really pleased you did. I missed you too.” After a moment’s hesitation, Eskel looked bashful. “Did you mean it? That you love me?”

Caught out, Lambert had nothing left to lose. This was his last hour with Eskel, he would never have this chance again. Taking a deep breath, Lambert nodded.

“Yeah. I loved you.” It hurt to say it in the past tense. “I just wish I hadn’t been a coward and accepted what we could have had. You were my reason to get back to Kaer Morhen each year. Now, I don’t know if I’ll make it back there ever again.”

A small, confused frown drew Eskel’s brows together. He looked genuinely befuddled and Lambert wanted to smooth the wrinkles away with a thumb.

“But Lamb-” Eskel began, “-you need to. I love you and I’ll be there too.”

Which was a brazen lie. It was the one thing Lambert asked the doppler not to do; don’t make false promises.

“Yeah, and we would travel the Path together too, right?” He snapped out bitterly. The soft “if you wanted” was cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching. It was Eskel again but he looked younger, healthier and so much more like he did in his heyday.

“Lambert?” The question was gentle, a little hurt from the new Eskel and Lambert’s head whipped between the two. The one sitting down was smirking.

“Nice face. If a little outdated.”

“You!” The new Eskel hissed, face morphing into a scowl.

Before it could descend into a fight, Lambert pulled his silver sword out and stood between the two. “Enough!”

It seemed to do the trick and both Eskels backed off. Lambert pointed at the newcomer with the tip of his sword. “You’re the doppler I spoke to, right? You’re on time.” He tossed a bag of coins to him. “Sorry to have wasted your time.”

Taking the coins, the doppler huffed and turned to leave. It left Lambert with the original Eskel. Logic demanded that he push the silver sword against Eskel’s neck to determine whether he was dealing with another doppler. But it was Eskel. Worn, weathered, tired but alive.

“You’re Eskel, right?” he asked instead.

“I’m Eskel. We can walk the Path together. I love you.”

Sheathing his sword, Lambert sat back down. He didn’t need to know the truth. All Lambert needed was Eskel by his side. Silently, Lambert made a mental note to be more careful with silver in the future, not wanting to find out whether his Eskel was the one he remembered and loved. The only thing that mattered was that Eskel was by his side again and promising to stay. As far as Lambert was concerned, quashing down his own uncertainty was a small price to pay for the happiness Eskel would bring him in whatever form.

[devendrasbeard]

The Goat Is Part Of The Family

Prompt: Meet The Family Relationships: Ciri/Cahir Rating: T Content warnings: Just a slice of life, oh and Lambert being Lambert Summary: Ciri and Cahir are newly engaged, so it's time for the guy to meet her family. He quickly learns Ciri's family is unlike any other. And there's also a goat.

Also on ao3! 

My final prompt! I DID IT FOLKS!

"Hey mom," Ciri put her phone on speaker as they drove through the interstate.

"Hey daughter, grandpa wants to know how far away you are - he and Eskel are too eager to start grilling but they don't want the food to grow cold before you arrive." 

Ciri shot Cahir a questioning look and he quickly checked his watch. "Thirty minutes," he whispered.

"Yeah, we should arrive within half an hour," Ciri smiled at her phone, even though Yennefer couldn't see her. She listened for a moment to the background noises coming through the speaker. "Is there... Did you really invite the whole family over?" she huffed.

"You know that if it were for me, I wouldn't even invite your father," Ciri could exactly imagine that evil grin and raised eyebrow on her mom's face and she was damn sure she's heard Geralt's groan in the background. "Your family has invited themselves over, as soon as they've heard the big news. You better prepare your lover for the goat." With that she hung up.

Cahir gave Ciri a suspicious and only slightly scared look. "Is 'the goat' like your family's code for something?"

"No, unfortunately," Ciri laughed. "It's a literal goat. My uncle owns it."

"I'm both intrigued and scared," Cahir admitted. "I thought I was only going to meet your parents first... As in mom and dad."

"Yeah, I thought so too," Ciri looked out the window. "But alas! You're gonna meet everyone," she slapped her knees, her palms tightening around her thighs for just a second.

"Then walk me through it, is there anything I need to know about anybody before we arrive?"

Ciri looked out the window, worrying her lip between her teeth. A smirk was dancing at the corner of her lips and Cahir noticed that little spark in her eye that always showed up when she was deeply amused but didn't want to admit it. She turned to him after a while and exhaled.

"The only thing you really need to know is that my mom hates hugs and kisses, so don't try that with her. My uncles on the other hand are extremely huggable people, so expect to become a part of a hugging pile as soon as they feel comfortable around you."

Cahir hummed. "I think I can work with this," he smiled.

"Oh, and of course don't put any valuables on the floor or the goat will eat it," Ciri said with an absolutely serious expression. "Last time I was home and Eskel brought her over, she ate my brand new pair of Converse, and I've only put the box on the stairs for a moment to hug Dad!"

Cahir couldn't help but laugh, which earned him a smack on the shoulder. "Okay, It seems that we're here!"

They parked the car and got out, Ciri leading the way to the house. A white haired man, clearly Ciri's dad, leaned out of the kitchen window and waved at them with a slight smile on his lips. "Get in the backyard, everyone's waiting for you there!" he shouted at them.

"Ready?" Ciri asked, grabbing Cahir's hand reassuringly.

"I guess I never will be, so let's just do it."

Ciri opened the little gate to the backyard and they stepped into the garden.

"I swear to god, I'm gonna kill that fucking goat!" A red-haired man, equally red in the face was screaming at a taller, bulkier man. 

"That goat is part of the family, so watch your tongue, you bastard!"

"I'm gonna kill it and I'm gonna cook it! Next week we're gonna eat goat shish-kebabs!"

"Don't you fucking dare!"

Ciri and Cahir stopped in their way and stood dumbfounded in the middle of the garden, watching the two men, Ciri's uncles, fight. The goat's bleating was heard above the men's raised voices. Cahir squeezed Ciri's hand just a little bit tighter.

A man materialised suddenly at Cahir's side, moving smoothly and quietly like a cat, and patted his shoulder. "Welcome to the family, boy. I hope you don't mind people being loud." 

Ciri rolled her eyes and turned to the man, hugging him. Cahir watched him discreetly, noticing his tall muscular physique and the long dark hair and beard, and the tattoos.

"I was hoping that Mom and Dad would be the first ones to introduce themselves to you, but as you have probably noticed, my family is unlike any other," Ciri smiled and introduced the man to Cahir. "This is Aiden. He's married to my uncle - the shorter but definitely louder one."

Aiden shook Cahir's hand and raised a brow at Ciri. "Since I'm married to Lambert, your uncle, this makes me your uncle too, kiddo. Time to call me that too," he pointed finger guns at her and started walking backwards to the garden table. "C'mon kids, let's get you something to drink, you must be thirsty after the trip, and then we can introduce Cahir to the rest of the family." 

As they took the first sips of their cider, a man, seemingly in his late twenties, came out of the house, carrying a big plate of various cakes. His jeans were ridiculously tight and he wore a flowery shirt that had already half of the buttons open.

"Ah kids, finally! I couldn't wait to meet you, Cahir!" the man stretched out his arms to hug both Ciri and Cahir and then he placed kisses on both their foreheads.

"That's uncle Jaskier - definitely the most affectionate one," Ciri winked at Cahir.

"Hey! I hear you call him 'uncle' and he's also only married to your dad's brother," Aiden shouted at them from the snacks table and frowned theatrically.

"Ugh, that's because uncle Jaskier has been around since I was a child," Ciri replied sheepishly. "And you're," she gestured towards Aiden. "Well, you're pretty fresh!"

"He's fresh meat!" The shorter of the quarrelling men shouted to their group, loudly. "As in his meat is-" he got cut off by the other man's big hand on his lips.

"Jaskier, can you please tell your idiot husband to stop fighting with my idiot husband while we're having guests over?" Aiden sighed.

"Excuse me, but in my marriage, I am the idiot husband," Jaskier flicked his hand. "And also, what is today's fight about?"

"Lambert wants to grill Lil' Bleater again," Aiden replied deadpan.

"Same shit different day," Jaskier sighed and turned to Cahir. "Okay, since you've already met the cutest members of the family, besides Ciri of course. Are we doing mom and dad, or dad's crazy brothers?"

Cahir looked even more dumbfounded than in the moment they'd arrived, so he gave Ciri a questioning look. Or maybe a desperate plea for help, since his pupils were unnaturally wide and his eyebrows were almost at his hairline.

Ciri grabbed his hand and moved her lips in a silent "I'm sorry" and then dragged him into the house.

They made their way straight into the kitchen, lured in by delicious smells and the sounds of quiet chatter. The first people Cahir noticed were the two completely different women, who were chopping vegetables for some salads. One of them had deep black hair and was wearing black skinny jeans and a simple white t-shirt, her only jewelry being a thin choker with a purple stone. The other woman had fiery red hair, freckled skin and was wearing a maxi dress with a flowery print and a lot of bracelets.

"Hi everyone!" Ciri shouted, pulling Cahir to her side.

The woman in black nodded at them with a delicate smile from her spot over the kitchen counter. The other one left her stuff immediately and approached them, pulling Cahir into another hug this afternoon. "Ciri has probably told you that her mom hates hugging, but luckily I'm quite the opposite," she laughed.

Ciri rubbed the back of her neck, sending her mom a faint smile and getting a nod of approval in return. "So, this is my mom, Yennefer, and her wife, Triss, and these two grumpy snowmen in the back, these are my Dad and Gramps."

"Hey, I might be old, but I can still hear ya," the older white-haired man pointed his fork at Ciri. "Hello, boy."

The younger of the men stepped closer to them, wiping his hands in a towel. "Hi, Cahir, I'm Geralt. Nice meeting you in person and not seeing you sneak out of Ciri's room while we Face Time," he laughed, stretching his hand out to shake Cahir's.

Ciri suppressed a groan. "For gods' sake, Dad, just once could you not embarrass me on the spot?"

"Not possible." Geralt replied with a grin and returned to his station at the kitchen counter. "Cahir, care to help me and Vesemir with the steaks?"

Cahir felt his cheeks turning redd and he smiled sheepishly at the men. "Guess it's not the right time to tell you I'm a vegetarian?" he said quietly.

"There's room for everyone in the family," he heard a low, rumbling voice coming from the back door. One of the men who were quarreling earlier entered the kitchen, taking up almost all the free space. He was tall, bulky and would've looked threatening if it wasn't for the soft eyes and the baby goat cradled in his arms. "I hope you like goat cheese, though, 'cause we have a lot of that," he laughed.

Ciri gave up on trying to pretend that any of her family members were normal, letting her arms drop to the sides. She motioned towards the man with a smile and he approached her and hugged her awkwardly while also trying not to drop the goat. "Yes, this is my uncle Eskel and his baby goat, Lil' Bleater. He, obviously, owns a goat farm and is married to Jaskier."

"Hi," Cahir waved at him, laughing at the way the goat stayed cradled in Eskel's arms like a baby, but also silently admiring the man's strength and posture. "I love the goat," he added.

"Great, you're already one of my favourite family members." Eskel smiled.

"Okay, get that dirty baby out of the kitchen," Yennefer let out an annoyed huff and ushered them all out into the backyard. "I don't want her eating up all the apple pie again."

"Yeah, bring her back here, you fucking coward!" the red-haired man shouted at Eskel, clicking theatrically with the grilling pliers. "Asshole ate up all my bacon and broke half a dozen of my beer bottles," he complained while approaching Ciri and Cahir. "And this bastard still keeps defending her, can you believe?"

Ciri threw her head back in laughter and turned to Cahir with a theatrical whisper, "Final family member to introduce - uncle Lambert. He taught me all the cuss words I know," she added with a grin.

"And did a fucking good job while at it," Lambert laughed, shaking Cahir's hand firmly. "Alright, let's start eating, before the fucking omnivore wreaks even more havoc. C'mon, kids!"

Later that evening, with their bellies full of delicious food and eyes still prickling from tears of mirth, Ciri and Cahir snuck out to her room upstairs. They sat on her bed - or rather Cahir did, while Ciri plopped on her back with a resigned huff. 

"Okay, so this is my crazy family. You sure you still wanna marry me?" she asked with a cocky smile. She tried to play it cool, but a flicker of doubt was seen in her eyes.

Cahir cradled her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. "Of course, stupid. What you have is so different from what I had, being just me and my mom for the most of our lives... So this is totally new but so exciting. I can see your family loves you and they all have each other's backs. Even the uncles that have different views on the goat issue."

Ciri laughed and sat up. "So we're doing this?"

"We're definitely doing this. But I will have to think of a way to keep the goat out of our house. Don't tell Eskel."

------

@witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo

[everlarkbirthdaygifts]

Happy Birthday, alepaolvi!

Apologies for the delay on your birthday gift, @alepaolvi​! We hope you had a wonderful day on October 2, and got exactly the presents you were hoping for! To bring your party back around, the lovely @norbertsmom has written a story just for you!

Author’s Note: Happy belated birthday, @alepaolvi. Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy your arranged marriage fic with a jealous Gale. This is set in Panem au. The revolution happened a few years before it did in canon. You may notice several lines are taken directly from the book, and tweaked to fit this new timeline. Special thanks to my bestie, @mega-aulover for her help. Rated T.

A Different Kind of Reaping

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When I wake up, I reach out for Prim but find the other side of the bed is empty. Prim has her own bed now, but sometimes I forget we’re no longer in the Seam. I prop myself up on one elbow. There’s enough light in the room to see that she’s not in her bed. Of course not. She’s been so excited to help me get ready for today. I’m sure she and mother are up prepping my clothes and making breakfast.

The two of them are so alike, with their blond hair and blue eyes and perky attitude. At fourteen, Prim is fresh faced and as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother is still beautiful, if not a little weary in her grief at the loss of my father. Even seven years later, his absence is still felt, especially today.

I get out of bed and pull on trousers, a shirt, and tuck my long dark braid up under a cap. I slide my stocking feet into my leather hunting boots and grab my bow and sheath of arrows along with my foraging bag.

On the table is a feast fit for celebration: eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice. All luxury items just a few years ago, before the war. Now a gift to me on my reaping day.

Reaping day is so different now. Before the revolution, reaping day was the day all district children between the ages of twelve and eighteen had their names put into a drawing. In punishment for the failed first uprising, each of the twelve districts had to provide one boy and one girl, called tributes to participate in the Hunger Games. The twenty-four tributes would be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena to fight to the death. The last standing tribute won.

“Sit down for breakfast, Katniss,” my mother says. “You’ll need your energy today.”

I set my hunting gear down and sit, loading up my plate and tuck into the meal. I want to go out into the woods one last time before the ceremony. Who knows if I’ll be able to go back out after today?

Prim plops down in the chair beside me. “Are you excited, Katniss?” she asks as she loads up her own plate.

“Um,” I hum around a mouthful of food because I really don’t know how I feel. “A little scared, I guess.”

When the revolution was won by the districts, the Hunger Games were abolished. But soon after it was discovered that the population was critically low, and at risk of extinction after all the loss during the war. The new senate that ruled the country with one representative from each district, came up with a plan to help repopulate the nation: arranged marriages.

They decided to reclaim the reaping day as a day to bring new families together. That first reaping day after the war, men and women eighteen and older were matched to form new families. I wasn’t old enough then, but I am now. I don’t know how I feel about having my future decided for me.

I think back on all of the questionnaires we had to complete in our last month of school. We also had to list the names of those we would be happy to be matched with. We weren’t allowed to leave it blank, so I wrote down the one name I secretly wish for, but I’m sure I won’t get.

I may not even be matched this year. Not everyone is matched in their first year, so they have to go through it again the next year. Special deferment was granted for those who fought in the war to put off their reaping a year or two.

“Leave your sister alone, Primrose. She has a big day ahead of her,” mother says as she joins us at the table. She pours herself a large mug of coffee and cups it with both hands, holding it under her nose to breathe it in. She closes her eyes before taking a sip.

I’m the first to finish and get up to leave. “Thanks for breakfast,” I tell them as I grab my gear and head toward the door. I’m in a hurry. My old hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne is back in the district today. I haven’t seen him since he went away to fight in the rebellion. After the fighting was over, he stayed in the military and moved to district three so he could study under the victor Beetee Latier.

“Don’t forget your cheese,” Prim says as she gets up from the table and hands me a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. It’s been a tradition since she started making goat cheese to give them as gifts on special occasions.

“Thank you,” I tell her with a hug as I pocket the cheese.

“Don’t stay out too long, Katniss,” mother says. “You need to report to the Justice Building by one thirty. We need time to get you ready.”

“I won’t,” I tell her as I slip outside.

Our part of District 12 is the merchant quarter. My mother and Prim run the apothecary, but we didn’t always live here. I grew up in the part of the district nicknamed the Seam, where the miners live. The apothecary had been vacant since my grandparents died when the mayor’s mansion was bombed at the start of the revolution. After the war, my mother applied for and was granted permission to take it over.

As I’m skipping down the back steps, I look over to the bakery next door. Peeta Mellark is walking toward the trash bin with a bag in his hand. He looks up at the sound of our door closing. “Hey Katniss,” he says with that contagious smile of his. “Heading out to the woods, I see.” He nods to my hunting gear after placing the bag in the bin.

“Yep,” I tell him with a smile of my own. “Gotta catch dinner for tonight.”

“Ooh. Wild game, that’s one advantage you have over the other girls in the reaping today,” he says, crossing his arms as he leans against the small fence that divides his yard from mine.

“Whatever you say, Mellark,” I tell him, shaking my head. He’s always teasing me about how different I am from the other girls who live in town. Not because I’m from the Seam, but like I’m some unique creature he’d never encountered before.

As I walk down the path I wonder who Peeta will be matched with. He’s such a kind person. He was the only person to help me and my family after my father died. He gave me bread that helped us survive and gave me hope to go on. I’m sure he’ll have no problems finding a match today. Lots of girls will be hoping to be the next baker’s wife. Peeta lost his mom at the start of the war. She was one of those lost in the bombing of the mayor’s mansion.

Even though there’s an entrance to the wood close to home, I make my way through town toward the Seam to the entrance by my old house. It makes me feel closer to my father. That’s where he would take me into the woods when I was a child.

The streets of the Seam are empty today. Usually, the workers would be out heading to their morning shift at the mines or the medicine factory, but the ceremony isn’t until two. Might as well sleep in if you can.

Our old house was almost at the edge of the Seam. I only have to pass a few gates past it to reach the scruffy field we call the Meadow. The barbed wire loops that used to top the high chain-linked fence that separates the Meadow from the woods are gone. The fence remains to keep the wild animals out of the district, but gates have been installed at several locations around the perimeter to allow citizens access to the woods.

As soon as I’m in the trees, I look around for signs of a threat, like packs of wild dogs, bears, venomous snakes, or rabid animals. Inside the woods they roam freely, but there’s also food if you know how to find it. My father knew and he taught me some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion. There was nothing even to bury. I was eleven then. Seven years later I sometimes still wake up screaming for him. But since Dr. Sidney, the head doctor, came to the district after the war, I’ve learned how to deal with my grief. My nightmares aren’t as frequent. Dr. Sidney helped my mother as well. She no longer lies in bed staring at the walls.

Before the war, trespassing in the woods was illegal, and poaching carried the severest of penalties, but the woods belong to us now, the citizens of District 12. Still, most people aren’t bold enough to venture out unarmed. My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father along with a few others that I keep well hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. If my father was still alive, he could have made good money selling them, but before the rebellion, if the officials found him selling weapons, he would have been publicly executed for sedition. Which is kind of ironic since the mine explosion that killed him was one of the catalysts for the rebellion.

We were never prosecuted for poaching back then because most of the Peacekeepers had turned a blind eye to the few of us who hunted. They were as hungry for fresh meat as anybody. Now we get food shipped in from other districts regularly, and I can sell my game openly to the other merchants at their back doors, and at my booth in the open-air market called the Hob.

In the woods waits my hunting partner Gale. I feel myself relaxing and quicken my pace when I think about seeing him again. I only got a quick chat with him yesterday when he arrived, mobbed by his family. He asked if we could meet up to hunt this morning like old times. I climb the hills to our rock ledge overlooking the valley. A thicket of berry bushes keeps it hidden. The sight of him brings on a smile. We used to be the best of friends before he went away.

He looks different than I remember. Not just older; he stands different, ridged and yet alert as if he is waiting for an attack from a wild lone wolf. He’s wearing gray uniform pants, and a faded black shirt. His eyes are sharper; they scan the area, before settling on mine.

“Hey Catnip,” says Gale. He knows my real name, but I had whispered it when we first met so he thought I said catnip. It stuck as a nickname even after all this time.

“Look what I shot,” Gale says as he holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it. I let out an uncomfortable laugh. It’s fine bakery bread, the kind used during a toasting ceremony.

I’m not sure if he’s trying to impress me with what he can buy with his fancy new job, so I take the bread in my hands. I pull the arrow out and hold the puncture in the crust to my nose, inhaling the fragrance that reminds me of the blond haired, blue eyed son of the baker.

“Mm, still warm.” He must have been at the bakery at the crack of dawn to buy it. “Prim gave us cheese,” I tell him quickly as I pull it out of my pocket.

“Thank you, Prim,” Gale says as he pulls out a shiny knife from a sheath on his hip. I watch as he slices the bread. He could be my brother, same straight black hair, although his is cut short in a military style, same olive complexion, we even have the same gray eyes. We’re not related, at least not closely. Most of the families in the Seam resemble one another this way.

That’s why my mother and Prim, with their light hair and blue eyes used to look out of place when we lived in the Seam. They were. My mother’s parents were merchants. They ran the apothecary. That’s why she got it after the war. Now I’m the one out of place. I have the look of the Seam, but I live in town.

My father got to know my mother because he would collect medicinal herbs and sell them to her shop. She really loved him to leave her home for the Seam. Back then, the homes in the Seam were nothing more than shacks really. We had to boil water from the spigot in the yard if we wanted it hot. After the war, all of the squat gray houses in the Seam were replaced with new homes that are well insulated with running hot and cold water and reliable electricity.

Gale spreads the bread slices with the soft goat cheese, carefully placing a basil leaf on each slice while I strip the bushes of their berries. We settle back in the nook in our rock. I don’t eat much, since I already had breakfast, but it’s a nice treat. Everything would be perfect if all this day off meant was roaming the woods with Gale for a casual family dinner tonight, catching up on how our lives have changed since the war ended, but instead it feels awkward, like I’m here with a stranger instead of my old friend Gale.

“What’s it like in District 3?” I ask quietly to break the awkward silence between us. It was never like this before. He would rant about the unfair treatment the citizens endured, and how we should rise up against them. But now that the revolution is over and won, we don’t really have much to say.

“It’s alright, but I’ll be moving to District 2 after the ceremony. You’ll love it there. Mountains bigger than these. Lots of woods to hunt in.”

“Why would I want to go to District 2?” I ask. The idea is preposterous. I can’t leave my sister. Before the war, the fantasy was to run off, and live in the woods, but this conversation feels all wrong now. There’s never been anything romantic between Gale and me. When we met, I was a skinny twelve-year-old, and although he was only two years older, he already looked like a man. It took a long time for us to even become friends, to stop haggling over every trade. Then he went off to war and moved to District 3 as a hero. His hero status gave him the option to postpone his reaping until this year.

Gale’s good looking, strong from his time as a soldier, and he has a good job in another district. He will be a desirable match at the reaping today. I don’t know why he would want me.

“Forget it,” he snaps.

I let out a breath and ask, “What do you want to do, hunt, fish, or gather?”

“Let’s fish at the lake,” he says. “We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight’s betrothal meal.”

Tonight, after the reaping, everyone is supposed to celebrate, but I’ll be betrothed. I’ll be spending time with my intended. He and his family will come to my house so we can get to know one another. Does Gale hope it will be him?

We fall into the comfortable silence I remember from hunting with him before he left. By late morning, we have a dozen fish, a bag of greens, and best of all, a gallon of strawberries.  

On the way home, we swing by the Hob and trade half the fish and greens for fresh vegetables. Greasy Sae gives us a nod as we walk by. Even with the beef and chicken coming in from other districts, her wild game soup that she calls beef is always a hit. The customers around her booth are talking away about today’s reaping.

When we finish at the Hob, we go to the back of the mayor’s home to sell half of the strawberries. The mayor lives in a modest house not unlike the others in the district. After the war, the residents of the district realized that the old mayor’s mansion was just another tool the Capitol used to keep us in the district divided. The poor people of the Seam resented the wealth the mayor and the merchants had. So when the mayor’s home was rebuilt, he had it built the same as all the others.

The mayor’s daughter Madge answers the door. She was in my year at school, and my closest friend since Gale left. Her everyday outfit has been replaced by an expensive white dress, and her blonde hair is done up with a pink ribbon. Clothes fitting for the betrothal reaping.

“Pretty dress,” says Gale.

Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it’s a genuine compliment. He used to antagonize her when we were younger, but now that he’s been gone for a few years it’s hard to tell. She presses her lips together and smiles. “Well I have to look nice for my reaping today, don’t I?”

“I’m sure you’ll have the match you want,” Gale says with a scoff.

Madge’s face has become closed off. She puts the money for the strawberries in my hand. “Good luck, Katniss.”

“You too,” I say, and the door closes.

I turn to Gale, “What did you mean by that?”

“Her father’s the mayor. People in power can influence the outcome of the reaping,” Gale says.

Madge’s father isn’t just the mayor. He was quite influential during the war. He was able to convince the residents of District 12 to join the revolution by bringing in Annie Cresta. Then he became our district’s liaison with the rest of the rebels.

Annie Cresta was the last Victor of the Hunger Games,and the spark that started the rebellion. She won the summer after my father died in the mining explosion. During her interview, after winning her games, she started screaming about her father and brother who were lost at sea with a whole ship full of fishermen just before her games. The Capitol played it off as her going mad. But during her victory tour she was more subdued, she would compare her district’s loss to the loss each district had suffered from a tragedy that same year.

The rumors started that perhaps the mine explosion that killed my father wasn’t an accident, but a sabotage to take out the rebel miners who had been planning an uprising. While in District 11, she talked about the silo collapse, in District 10 the stampede, and so on until she had rallied half the country behind her. Before her tour reached the Capitol, District 13 re-emerged from the ashes to sweep her off to be the face of the rebellion.

District 12 was one of the last districts still neutral to the rebellion even though the mayor tried to get our residents involved. He asked Annie Cresta to come back, to rally us to join the cause. Most of our Peacekeepers were recalled to the Capitol to fight off the uprisings in other districts. Those who stayed behind were sympathetic to the districts’ plight. The residents of District 12 wanted to wait out the war. If we didn’t join in, nothing would happen to us.

After the rally, while most of the residents of the district were at home debating why we should join the rebellion, the mayor hosted a dinner for Annie with the most influential Merchants and Seam residents. After the dinner was over, the mayor, his daughter Madge and a few others were seeing Annie off to her hovercraft back to District 13 when the mayor’s mansion was bombed by the Capitol. All those still inside were killed, including the mayor’s wife, his staff, my grandparents and many others.

The rally that day, along with the bombing that took out the mayor’s mansion, is what finally convinced the residents of District 12 to join the rebellion. We couldn’t stay neutral. The war came to us. Gale, among others old enough, went off to fight in the war. Not everyone came home. The baker’s oldest son died. Gale stayed in the military.

As we walk back toward my house, I glance over at Gale, still wondering why he came home this year. He could have participated in the reaping in his new district. I hope he didn’t come back here for me.

Gale and I arrive at the divide between the Seam and town and split up our spoils.

“See you in the square,” I say.

“Wear something pretty,” he says flatly as he walks towards his mother’s house in the Seam.

When I get home, Peeta is in the yard next door, feeding the pigs. “Hey, Katniss,” he says. “Good day hunting?”

“Yep, got some fish and greens for tonight,” I tell him.

“I’ve got a few recipes you can try out on your new family if you want?”

“Sure, that last one with the nuts was nice.” Curious I get closer. “So are you ready?”

He stops feeding the pigs. “I’m nervous,” he confesses.

“Nervous?” Peeta has nothing to be nervous about. He’s good like my sister Prim. Any of the women today would be lucky to have him.

“Well, what if the girl they pick for me doesn’t erm,” his face turned pink. “Well, like me.”

What he is saying is impossible.

“My parents didn’t have the best marriage, you know.”

I nod. I can see why he would be anxious. His parents did not get along; they hated each other but miraculously, had three boys.

I wish I had the words to be able to tell him that he had nothing to worry about. But nothing comes.

"Listen, I'll see you at the reaping. I've got to get ready. Don't want to scare my bride away by smelling like a pig pen."

I shake my head and laugh. When I go inside my mother sets aside her knitting and jumps up from her chair. “There you are,” she says as she helps me remove my hunting gear. She hands my bag to Prim and ushers me into the bathroom. “Get yourself a shower. You need to start getting ready.”

I scrub off the dirt and sweat from the woods and wash my hair. When I’m done I find my favorite dress from my mother’s collection laid out on my bed. A soft orange, with white lace insets near the collar, and a tie at the waist. “Are you sure?” I ask.

“Of course. I’ll fix your hair,” she says.

After I’m dressed, I sit at the vanity as she towel dries my hair and I watch as she braids it up into a crown on top of my head. I hardly recognize myself in the mirror.

“You look beautiful,” says Prim in a hushed voice.

“And nothing like myself,” I say as I hug her. Things are going to be so different after the reaping today.

Prim and mother get dressed. We have a quick lunch and then it’s time to go to the Justice Building to check in.

As we head toward the square, we are joined by others headed that way. Attendance is not mandatory like it was for the Hunger Games reapings, but most people show up anyway.

Mother and Prim hug me goodbye when I go into the Justice Building. After checking in, I’m ushered into the women’s waiting room. I find Madge and join her at the refreshment table.

At precisely 1:45, our escort, Effie Trinket, comes into the room. Miss Trinket was on track to be an escort for the Hunger Games, but she was actually a rebel working inside the system to help bring it down. After the revolution she became our escort for the betrothal reaping. Her bright pink clothes and makeup, while much more flamboyant than what those of us in the district would wear, is nowhere near as garish as the makeup and outfits worn by our last Hunger Games escort.

“Ladies, it’s time to follow me out onto the stage,” Effie says and we all line up to follow her out.

As we go out onto the stage, a cheer begins to rise from the crowd gathered in front of the Justice Building. Effie escorts us to the several rows of seats arranged on the left side of the stage. Madge and I sit next to each other.

Once we are all seated, Effie goes back into the building, but comes out a few minutes later followed by the group of men for the reaping. She escorts them to the seats on the right side of the stage. They are all wearing their best suits. Peeta gives me a wave before he sits in the second row. Gale sits in the front row in his military uniform.

At precisely 2 o’clock, Mayor Undersee steps up to the podium and begins his speech. He talks about the history of Panem: the dark days, the first failed rebellion, the 70 years of the Hunger Games, and then the revolution that freed Panem. He talks about how we have to rebuild Panem, the population lost from the Games and the war. Which brings us to today, the Betrothal Reaping. He then introduces Effie Trinket.

“Welcome, welcome,” Effie says. “It’s such an honor to be here, to help bring together the families who will be the future of our country.” She goes on to explain how the selections are not random. The answers we gave in the surveys taken during school, as well as our DNA were used to determine the matches. “Now, onto the pairings!” she says, and with a flair of her hand pulled out a stack of envelopes.

She plucks the first envelope from the stack and calls out, “Delly Cartwright!”

Delly jumps up from her seat, and quickly walks up to stand next to Effie. Delly is practically vibrating in anticipation. I wish I could be that excited. I just hope I get someone I can stand.

“And your match is,” Effie pauses dramatically, “Thom Davison!”

Thom, one of Gale’s old classmates who didn’t get matched in his previous two reapings, looks around bewildered. He gets a nudge from the person sitting next to him before he gets up and walks up to the podium to formally meet Delly.

Delly and Thom are ushered to the back of the stage where they stand next to each other whispering, with big smiles on their faces. I guess that means they are happy with that match.

“Very good,” says Effie. “Our next match is the mayor’s daughter, Madge Undersee.”

I squeeze Madge’s hand and she stands and gracefully walks up to stand next to Effie Trinket.

“And your match is… the local hero, Gale Hawthorne!” Effie exclaims. A quiet murmur goes through the crowd. That pairing was unexpected. I think everyone expected me to be paired with Gale, but I know it would have never worked out, we’re too alike.

Gale doesn’t look very happy at his selection, but stands and walks up to meet Madge. They stiffly shake hands, then walk back to stand next to Delly and Thom. It’s quite the contrast between the two pairs.

“Wonderful!” Effie says with a little too much enthusiasm. “Next up we have, Katniss Everdeen.”

I stand up slowly, then stiffly walk to stand next to the podium.

“And your partner is… Peeta Mellark,” Effie calls out.

My eyes go wide as I think, Oh, it’s him, my neighbor, my friend. The boy, no man, I correct myself, who saved my life and gave me hope. The man who reminded me that I was not doomed. The man who’s name I wrote on my questionnaire. I feel a smile come across my face as I watch Peeta get up and walk toward me. The smile on his face matches mine.

When he reaches me we stand and stare at each other for a moment before Effie Trinket clears her throat. “Go ahead, shake hands,” she urges. Peeta's large warm hand engulfs mine, and he gives me a reassuring squeeze. “Go ahead,” she tells us, nudging us toward the back of the stage.

When I drop Peeta’s hand, I feel the loss of warmth immediately, but I feel his hand at the small of my back as he escorts me to join the others. “Told ya I’d see you at the reaping,” Peeta whispers in my ear, and I can’t help but laugh. After that, I’m in a bit of a daze and miss most of the remaining matches.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Effie dismisses the few remaining people who didn’t get paired up and calls the matched pairs to the front of the stage. Delly and Thom lead the way, arm in arm. Madge and Gale walk stiffly side by side. Peeta takes my hand and leads me toward the front of the stage, and the couples behind us follow suit. When we are all lined up, Effie calls out, “District 12, I give you your new couples. Please join us in the reception hall for family introductions.”

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That’s the end of part 1. This will continue as a work in progress.

A few notes: Dr. Sidney is named after Dr. Sidney Freedman from the final episode of the TV show M*A*S*H. He helped the main character work through his PTSD. Thom Davison is named for Dave Thomas of Wendy’s fame, who seemed like such a sweet man. The character Thom in canon is only mentioned a few times, but he is such a great guy. Gale’s friend who helps carry him back after the reaping, and then after the war Thom comes back and takes on the task of clearing away the debris so the district can rebuild.