#it'd be a lot of giving in a little and withdrawing a lot. like two steps forward and three steps back kinda thing

[darlingshane]

Professor Castle

Frank Castle x F!Reader

Summary: Frank has a weakness and it's named after you. No matter how much he tries to push you away he always returns to the same point.

CW: 18+. Explicit, Smut, Angst, Oral Sex (f. receiving), Fingering, Making out, Professor/Student relationships, Age Gap, Reader is an undergrad student in her early 20s. [I know this is very problematic. Don't come at me. It's just fiction.]

Word Count: 2.8k // AO3 Link.

A/N: This was inspired by this picture of Jon in Origin. I couldn't write for that character in particular, so I thought Frank was the best choice for it, even if it's a lot OOC.

As you muster the courage to enter and confront Professor Castle, you observe him through the cracked door of his office. He looks as good as ever, freshly shaved, in one of his Bexley plaid shirts in white with blue plaid lines, and a dark tweed blazer on top. His hair has slightly curled from the humid weather. His glasses slip a little over the bridge of his nose when he looks down, and he pushes them back in place before tucking a folder in his leather case. You haven't seen him in a few days. Even when you submitted the form to drop his class you managed to leave it on his desk yesterday after he left home. And just early this morning before getting to campus you got an email from him from his uni account, formally denying your request to drop. You don't give a fuck about failing and having to take another course with a different teacher but after what he told you last weekend, you can't stay in his class any longer. It'd be like torture having to see him and not being able to be with him like you desire to.

Of course, you don't ever want to get him in trouble either, he has a lot more to lose than you. But if he doesn't want to see you anymore, then so don't you. So, after a moment of consideration you just clench your fist as hard as you can, set your jaw straight, and storm into the office without announcing yourself. The door slamming the door behind you is what alerts him of your presence. The loud sound makes his head snap up to look at you, standing as tall as you can.

“You can't force me to stay in your class.” You say firmly without raising your voice.

His brow knits behind the thin frame of his glasses as he processes your intrusion.

“No, I guess I can't force you. But I can't let you drop either. You missed the deadline. Unless you have a good excuse like a serious medical condition or emergency the school is not going to let you withdraw at this point. It's out of my hands.”

“Does dying of heartbreak count as a medical emergency?”

“Jesus Christ, you theater kids are really dramatic.”

“Hey, you're the one who told me to join a club.”

“Yeah, but I meant something else like uh… the debate team, the honor society, the newspaper, or the fucking model UN.”

“Well, I made my choice and so did you. I can't just keep showing up at your class and pretend that nothing happened. Can you just think of something? If I meant anything to you… just give me this, Frank.”

You never said his first name before on school grounds. It sounds like a curse word as it slips out of your mouth.

“There are only two months left. That's nothing. Are you telling me you're willing to throw all of that away for me?”

“Yes, because if I can't have you then I can't see you either.”

You catch when his Adam's apple anxiously goes up and down as you say that.

“This is all my fault. I should've never… I should've put a stop to it when I had the chance.”

“Frank—” You take a step closer to his desk, but he promptly holds a placating palm in the air to push you to a stop.

“Don't. Please. Don't throw away your future for me or for anyone for that matter. You're smart and young and strong enough to endure a few more classes. You'll be getting your bachelor's next year, sweetheart. After that… you won't even remember I was ever part of your life.”

“I won't ever forget. I'm begging you. Just let me go or take me back… but…” your frustration knots in your throat. “Stop pushing me away. I know you love me.”

“It doesn't matter if I do. We both have a lot to lose if they find out.”

“Nobody will. We'll be more careful… We could just start over somewhere else, just you and me.”

“Life is not a movie. It doesn't work like that. I know it feels like a matter of life or death right but when you're older—”

“Don't patronize me. I know what I feel. Just take me out of your class or don't. I won't show up either way.”

You turn around to leave the room at once but Frank quickly shuffles behind you and as you reach to grab the handle, he holds the door closed and secures the lock before your eyes.

“So help me God, you're gonna be the end of me, sweetheart.” His tone changes to an octave graver that sends a chill through your spine.

“What are you doing?” You turn around as he steps so awfully close you can capture the strong scent of his aftershave.

“You're going to stay in my class. Front row. Every Wednesday at 10. Then, you're going to ace your final in May. I don't ever wanna hear you again saying otherwise. Is that clear?” He states as a matter of fact, as if you had no choice but to comply with his demand.

“Why are you so convinced I will?”

You watch him up close as he takes off his glasses and lifts his opposite hand to frame your jaw. With conflicted thoughts he pushes your back against the wall, as his face leans to seize your mouth. Professor Castle slowly spells with his tongue all the secrets kept between you in just one beautiful kiss that leaves you breathless.

“Is that enough?” His head pulls back as he sets his glasses back over his eyes as you smooth the lapels of his blazer.

“I'm not sure,” you draw a breath and let the bookbag hanging on your shoulder fall to the floor. “I think I'm gonna need a bigger incentive.”

“There's never enough for you, huh?” he holds your jaw again and tilts your head to the side as he buries his mouth in the crook of your neck.

His lips hold some sort of spell that enchants your body with just a few nips on your skin. The tip of his tongue is laced with poison that intoxicates each and all of your senses as it juts out to leave a wet trace from your collarbone to the back of your ear before pulling back. His eyes turn darker behind the glass as he locks eyes with you. Your pulse picks up in your chest as he licks his lips and allows lust to take over. He watches his thumb trace the shape of your mouth before fiercely succumbing to the temptation of your lips once more, with feeling.

As your arms curl around his neck, his hands travel beneath the hem of your striped, knitted sweater to bask in the warmth of your skin. The sloppy sounds of your kisses sound like sin in this room. You should stop. He should too. But neither of you have enough strength to push the other away.

One of his hands stays pressed on your spine while the other travels down your denim skirt and slips underneath the hem. Hiking it up, his large palm shamelessly grabs your ass, molds your flesh to the shape of his fingers over your panties. Your skin quickly heats up and your mind swirls along the maddening rhythm of his tongue. He presses himself so hard against you, it feels like he's already fucking you, but it's the illusion of his fingers bluntly sliding between your legs and pressing over your opening, stirring a good moan out of you.

“Sh, sh…” he breaks the kiss and whispers a millimeter away from your mouth. “Gotta be quiet now, yeah?”

You simply nod, having his eyes gauging your expression changing as his hand viciously massages your pussy.

“Like that?” His lips pull up at the corners, and you mirror his expression as you softly pant.

“Fuck yeah.”

Then, you close your eyes and press your forehead to his shoulder, keeping your hands anchored to his arms as your juices stain the fabric of your underwear.

“You're dripping, sweetheart.” His voice echoes in your ear. “Is this what you want?”

He presses harder as your grip on him tightens.

“Yeah.”

For a second you think he's going to finish you right there but all of a sudden he stops.

“C'mere,” he locks your arms around his neck before lifting your ass in his hands without much effort. You tuck your legs around his hips as he takes turns around and walks toward the desk.

Keeping you secured in one arm, Frank blindly moves the stuff in the middle before carefully lowering you down on the wooden surface. While you lay on your back, he sits on his chair and brings your ass close to the edge. Instead of letting your legs dangle, he places your feet on each arm of his chair as he kisses one of your knees.

“God, you're so beautiful,” he mumbles against your skin as he rolls down the fabric of one of your thigh-high stockings to uncover your leg. He does the same with the other stocking before letting his lips get his reward.

The inside of your thigh leads a straight road down to hell. After last weekend, he promised himself he would never cross that line again, but he has a weakness, and it’s named after you. It's taken him through a dangerous path that puts everything he ever believed into question. He could lose his job and his reputation if someone were to cross the door to his office and find you spread like a meal ready to consume. It's lunchtime after all, and he can't think of anything better to feast on other than you. His lips trail that perdition-paved road on your thigh as his fingers softly brush the back of your leg. Your skin sticks out as you pull your knees further apart to make room for his face as it gets closer to your center. The corner of his glasses gently pokes the top of your thigh when he reaches that crucial point. You bite your lip and stare at the broken fixture on the ceiling and try to keep yourself from moaning when he pulls your panties to the side. He stretches the fabric as far as it goes, it makes a tearing sound, but it doesn't break. You couldn't care less if he rips them apart. It wouldn't be the first time either. He’s ruined two pairs already. Professor Castle has a wild side that only comes untamed when he’s with you. But this is different. He's never gone down on you right in his own office on campus like he's about to do. You both know the implications of that, but rules be damned right now. All that worry floats out of your head as his tongue makes first contact with your pussy. He draws a line from your opening up to your clit ever so softly before pulling your outer lips apart and diving in. He has just an ounce of restraint himself from going too hard and making you scream out in pleasure, even though he wants so badly to suck on your clit to hear you pleading for more. To stir out of your voice call out his name and title out of sheer joy. But he holds back. He presses an array of kisses and nibbles all over your folds as you close your eyes to focus on the torturing slow pace of his tongue. Your nipples are hard as a rock under your bra, your legs strain to stay in position when Frank slowly laps around your clit, collecting your arousal as your breathing hollows. He places a palm on your stomach, right under your sweater and catches the effects of his mouth in the way your body reacts. There’s an added edge to doing this right here, it makes his cock throb in his underwear as you mumble his name.

“Frank.” It comes out as a murmur, and he hums against your tender skin before going a little harder. There’s only so much he can do to up the pace and make you come without alerting anyone behind that door of what’s happening inside.

We'll be more careful, you said. He eats out your words straight out of your sex.

To speed up the process uses his other hand to slip two fingers into your opening and press on your g-spot. Your back arches in response. Frank has to press that hand on your abdomen a little harder to keep you from squirming too much. It feels like an eternity until you reach the point of no return, once you're there you can feel that fire burning bright at your core as a mind-numbing chill settles at the back of your head. You've never felt that intense jolt sparking your body like fireworks before. Then again you don't have much to compare him to other than the one and only boyfriend you had when you started college.

You grip at his hair as he cues your orgasm. With a strong flick of his tongue and that adamant pressing of your walls you finally come undone. You bury a moan in your throat as every cell of your body is touched by that wildfire that travels from your center out in every direction. It curls your toes in your shoes, your eyes shut, your knees clench together before he can pull his face away. As the orgasm ebbs he sets himself free from your thighs and watches you descend from cloud nine. He uses a tissue to clean up your cunt and fixes your panties to their former position. Then, Frank settles your legs down as your body goes completely limp, and straightens your skirt over your thighs with such love it almost makes you cry.

“Frank,” your voice comes out watery.

“Sh, it's okay, baby. I know. Come here.” He helps you up and pulls you onto his lap.

“I missed you.”

“I know.” He smiles against your hair as he snuggles you against his chest. “I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.”

You clear your throat and stay still for a minute while his hand soothes your back before noticing he’s still hard.

“Do you want me to take care of this?” You fondle his bulge over his pants.

“No, that’s okay. That’s my punishment for hurting you.” He takes your hand away, brings it up to his lip to kiss your knuckles.

“You really have a thing for punishment, huh?” You quip, lifting your head to look at him. It’s then that you notice his messed up hair and send our fingers to fix it.

“Not as much as you do.” His hand pats your ass reminding you of all those times you've begged him to spank you when you were being a brat.

You laugh as you take off his glasses and use the hem of your sweater to clean them.

“Can I come over this weekend?” You ask putting his eyewear back on.

“I have that wedding I told you about. Can't get out of it, I'm the best man.”

“Right. Of course. One of your marine buddies. Florida, right?”

“Yeah.” His stare goes down as he massages your hand thinking that maybe… “You could come with me if you want.”

“I uh… I don't think I'm ready for that.”

“No, you are. Nobody will know you there, and I don't wanna keep lying about you, at least not to my friends. They won't give a fuck, you know? I'm tired of being set up for blind dates and shit.”

“Oh, it must be really hard being you.” You mock.

“Don't laugh. Just think about it. It'll be something casual at the beach. I'll get you a ticket if you're worried about that.”

“I really changed your mind, did I? That's a full 180 from what you said the other day, Frank. Are you sure you want this?”

“Yeah, I was only fooling myself thinking that I could stay away from you. Which I would've if you hadn't shown up here with a fucking attitude. But you're right, we'll have to be more careful from now on.”

“And we can do whatever we want in Florida.”

“Yeah, you wanna come?”

“Only if you really want me there.”

“I wouldn't be asking if I didn't.”

“Then I'll go with you.”

You press your lips sweetly against his and let them bounce together for a moment before getting back to reality. You pull up your stockings all the way up and fix up your clothes before collecting your bag from the floor. But Professor Castle can't help but stall for a bit longer to kiss you once more until you have no choice but to run to your next class.

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

♡ handwriting analysis: alex turner and miles kane ♡

as promised, here is the analysis my wonderful friend (who used to work as a professional handwriting analyst) did of miles and alex's handwriting! a couple of important points to read before you dive in:

my friend analysed these blind - to avoid bias, she always makes a point of never knowing whose handwriting it is she's looking at, so she had no idea that these samples were from alex and miles while analysing them (not that it'd have made much difference if she had, she can't even name one am song lol)

she stressed that her analysis should NOT be taken as fact - it's just one person's interpretation of the material, and handwriting analysis is ultimately always subjective

the two analyses below are based on notes i took while she was talking and is pretty much verbatim - none of the wording is my own and i have changed as little as possible in typing it up

she noted that it was harder to provide a full and accurate analysis just working with photos of handwriting, as you can't see things like pressure on the page etc. she also stressed that context is significant when it comes to interpreting someone's writing, and it's important to bear in mind that how someone writes in one context, e.g. signing autographs or writing something for the general public could show quite different characteristics to how someone writes in another context, e.g. personal letters to someone they're close to. in an ideal world she'd have access to samples from a different range of contexts to provide the most detailed and accurate analysis. in other words, this analysis is quite rough

alex's handwriting:

(samples taken from roughly 2011 - 2018)

block capitals suggest this is someone who don't want to show themselves, makes it hard for people to reach them

someone interested in thoughts and ideas, would engage with these in a way that's intelligent and very original

a lot of emotional and social inconsistency, suggests someone pulled in different directions. they might show very different sides of themselves with different people and probably have complex and/or conflicted feelings about identity

very creative, someone who'd make interesting and unusual connections about the world around them

highly intuitive but also lacking harmony from an emotional perspective. lots of internal emotional conflict and changeability

someone who fluctuates a lot socially as well as emotionally - might go from being quite sociable to withdrawing completely. ultimately struggles to reach out socially and holds back a lot, but there might be certain situations or people they feel particularly at ease with where this is different

really hard to read, don't give much of themselves away

thoughtful and enquiring, interested in ideas

someone who feels things very strongly

signature:

implies someone hiding themselves or presenting as someone they're not. they want to look confident and exciting, but they're actually much less confident that they'd like to appear. lets their creative and artistic tendencies hide them and take centre stage.

miles's handwriting:

(samples taken from roughly 2022 - 2023)

a little sharp, could suggest humorous wit and/or being critical (either of self or of others)

ambitious and incisive, intelligent and enquiring mind

fearful or wary about opening up and reaching out to people, emotional inconsistency. potentially quite restrained - looks like someone used to hiding a lot of hiding of emotions

has an enquiring mind but isn't particularly interested in abstract thought, more grounded in reality and social/emotional things

someone with strong feelings, they get held in and confused. could be warm and open on a surface level, but looks like they'd be reserved about their innermost feelings

could be sharp tongued to avoid dealing with their own feelings

lower zone suggests someone who might not be completely comfortable in their own body and/or sexuality, or have a complex relationship with these things

someone with a tendency towards strong feelings and devotion/worship (could be religious, or could just be to do with the way they relate to people or ideas)

signature:

someone who wants to look more confident they feel. sense of changeability and flashes of insecurity, but ultimately suggests strength of character, not someone who's a pushover. they know what they want and what matters to them.

interesting extra notes:

the wonderful @ballad-of-what-could-have-been managed to find this sample of alex's handwriting not in capitals from when he was much younger (from what i can see, it looks like it was early fwn era):

so i showed this to my friend too (after her analysis of alex's usual writing) and noted that it was probably done when he was a lot younger. she said that all her points from the original analysis still stood, and that despite the fact this writing isn't capitalised it was actually still very hard to read and definitely someone not comfortable with showing themselves. she also said that it was more emotionally conflicted and uncertain than the later sample of their handwriting. the phrase "emotionally all over the place" was used, and she noted a greater sense of inconsistency with identity. overall though she said the earlier sample confirms that this is someone with a high level of intuition and originality, and she said they're someone she'd be fascinated to have a conversation with!

thank you for reading! if you have any questions, please feel free to comment/drop me an ask and i can always pick my friend's brain again the next time i see her!

[crivalsduo]

In the alternative where Dream lies about being a woman, is there a moment where maybe Dream/Daisy starts acting weird with the rest of the Syndicate? I mean imagine you are lying about who you are in a house full of people who dislike you and openly say more times how horrible you are and are working with the people that made you live through Hell for years. I believe Dream would start to be more weird/afraid of Philza and Ranboo (not sure about Niki), and the thing is that these two would try to understand why and try to help "Daisy" only to make things worse, and Techno would be obligated to step in and say to leave Daisy alone and keep their distance with "her/them". In that AU I see Dream self-isolating from the rest of the Syndicate except Techno. I wonder how the Syndacate would react knowing that the man that they dislike (and want to put in Pandora again) and the girl that they saved from literal Hell are the same. Especially knowing that they lost Dream's trust about not turning him to the people who made him like this.

yes!

because that actually happens in both scenarios, just a little less so in the one where dream is open about not being a woman. he still gets weird around phil and ranboo.

i do think it'd be worse, though, in the scenario where he's lying about his gender because it would go on longer. techno figures it out fairly quickly but he's hiding it! he's trying to protect dream! and so there's weeks in which dream is lying about who he is while people are talking about him and how dangerous he is and hoping they find him soon.

techno does speak up in his defense and i think that makes dream gravitate towards him more. he was already a safe person in dream's mind and even more so now. and techno reveals he knows who dream is by being sympathetic to his fears: 'daisy' is expressing the fear that 'she' will be taken back to the club and techno is just like, yeah i get that because they've said they want to turn you in. because you're dream. but i'm not gonna let that happen.

after the reveal there's a lot of shock and a lot of guilt. because yeah. they've seen what 'daisy' went through, like actually have seen some of the horrible things done and saw the aftermath of what was done and heard what a lot of things that was done. and, from dream's perspective, they wanted to send him back to all that. so he's scared and withdraws and yeah, they feel bad. they want to do something to make up for it but it just takes time. techno tells them that dream's just afraid and sure it sucks he's afraid of you but he kinda deserves to be afraid, y'know?

and they know. they'll give him time.

[aceofwhump]

Your answer to that summarized all of my thoughts perfectly, Ace! I started planning for what was going to be my first  whumptober this year because I finally had the time and then gave up because it was just too difficult and I ended up lacking the motivation for it in the end.

I think there was the assumption that the vague, abstract ideas would be fun and help and allow people to get creative but they really, really didn't! I don't want to have to spend time wracking my brain for ideas when you're already stretched for time to get everything done as it is. I mean, come on, polaroid, scented candle, playing cards??? What on earth are we supposed to do with that?

On the other hand, When the prompts are too specific it just really limits what you can make and it's not only a case of are there even any examples of that out there but is it something I want to gif? Like okay, if I thought hard enough or did a bit of research, I could maybe think up one or two examples for a prompt but it may not be from a show or actor I even like. Gif making takes a lot of time and energy, so do I want to waste time giffing something I don't even enjoy just to complete the challenge? With a prompt like stabbed there's so much you can do with that. Or even something like oxygen mask, I can think of a tonne of examples. Like give us "sweat(y)" rather than something super specific like "sweat drenched sheets",. because you might as well be giving us "sweat drenched yellow t-shirt with a purple unicycling tabby cat simultaneously juggling and eating a 3 cheese pepperoni pizza on the front." 

And the dialogue prompts are always a struggle, the fact we had 31 of those for whumptober made things so difficult. I mean "I'm not as stupid as you think I am," that's just so specific! If we have to have those there needs to be less of them, or they should just stick to words like "stay" or "breathe" where we can use that as part of a larger dialogue. Making it more specific like "stay with me," "please stay," just makes it harder.

Also, the distinct lack of care and comfort prompts is always so saddening. The comfort is just as important as the hurt itself to me. Give me things like hair stroking, carried, held etc. or hell, just comfort in general as a prompt on it's own.

And as you said, less whumper based prompts! There are other ways for a character to hurt without involving a whumper! Sick, fever, withdrawal, whatever. And I'd like more emotional based prompts too, because I've always preferred that over physical whump anyway!

I get it's going to be difficult to cater to everyone's wants and needs but I'd just love for things to be made a little easier is all.

Yes yes yes!!! Exactly!!! All of that!!! 👏👏👏

Oh my, you have no idea what a relief it is to know I'm not the only with these feelings! That I'm not the only gifmaker having trouble with those kinds of prompts, who wants more comfort and whumper less tropes! Thank you. God I'm glad I'm not alone. They're just so hard to think of examples that it feels like I spend 90% of my prep time finding scenes and then frantically trying to make the actual gifs just before it's time to post. Which is the fun part! The making is the fun part! And this takes away all the fun of it.

I am so seriously beginning to think I need to make a gif making prompt month challenge thing. It seems like a lot of us are on the same page lately and it'd be so nice to have a challenge designed for gifmaking specifically.

[light-lanterne]

no one asked me but i don't care >:(

please, if i may, allow me to share some words about some of my favourite people this year. i must forewarn you, i most certainly forgot someone x.x i am feverish and have the memory of a goldfish, so please forgive me.

anyway, in no particular order:

@bottomlessabyssposts

hello, dearest nico! i'm,,, talking to you as i write this so this is a little awkward x.x anyway, thank you so much for letting me ramble for hours on end ! i'm sure it must get a little overwhelming at times, so i'm genuinely thankful for your endless patience and kindness. let it be known that you're an amazing writer and i can't wait for your next projects~ i'm a little angry at you though >:( that nier song you sent me is now stuck in my head and i can't get it out u.u anyway, thank you for letting me share my bad poetry attempts with you, and for helping me give shape to ideas that would otherwise be discarded simply because i don't know what to do with them. you're a great friend :] thank you for letting me talk to you

@smoosnoom

moon! there is much i could say about your writing but it'd probably take a lot of space so i'll just go ahead and expose myself: it is i, a friend-shaped krampus !! >.< i was too shy to talk to you then, but you're just so lovely and easy to talk to so thank you for being so welcoming and sweet :( i wasn't kidding back then, your writing is nothing short of impressive and all your stories leave me feeling like i just got a nice, warm hug :] as i'm sure it's become evident, i have too many words and this post is going to end up being huge so i'll leave it here. thank you again for being so friendly and for making such nice, beautiful stories~

@paladibun

jace ! it's been a bit, i hope things are going well for you~ so, i've actually been writing for quite a few years (for different fandoms) and never had someone made artwork for any of my stories. there will never be enough words to express how much that meant to me, and your continued support and encouragement are big reasons i didn't drop tde after the third chapter (i must go back to writing it x.x i promise i'm almost done with the next chapter). anyway, thank you so much for being so amazing to me, and thank you so much for sharing your beautiful art with us all. you're insanely talented, and every piece you produce is ridiculously unique and jaw-dropping <3

@ghoulsanderson

well, well, well. would you look who it is? if it isn't the person who inspired me to start writing after a two-year-long writer's block,,, no, but seriously, thank you so much for sharing your pretty stories with us! i adore your writing style and the way you get into mike's head is outstanding~ each of your works leaves me craving for more and each of them is even more enthralling than the last :] hope you've been feeling better ! and i hope we all get more vecna'd mike stories because, like you, i am feeling a slight withdrawal x.x

@lilacline001

lilac! hello! it's also been a bit since i saw you here on tumblr; i hope you've had excellent holidays! when i started making graphics, i had absolutely no idea what i was doing until i made the one for nocturne. it was an epiphany! a defining moment where i went from getting frustrated over never "getting it right", to having fun making stuff! so thank you for that :] your story motivated me in all the right ways~ speaking of,,, what an amazing tale! the way you write is heart-wrenching and endearing to no ends and the intrigue surrounding the universe you've created has me thoroughly hooked :] thank you for writing one of my favourite stories,,, ever, honestly,,, and i can't wait to see what happens next!

@bookinit02

haven! another one of my favourite authors! i started reading byler fanfics sometime in july and your works were some of the first that really got me into this little hyperfixation of mine~ (,,,should i be thanking you for that? x.x the brainrot is real and you're the one to blame /lh) anyway, yeah! your stories are amazing and unique and inspiring! i love the way you blend sweet fluff and soul-crushing angst so effortlessly. it hurts, but i love it ;-; i shall eagerly await for the next chapter of your retelling~ thank you for your incredible work, and for being so nice every time we've interacted !

@itsromeowrites

aha! another individual who's responsible for my hyperfixation! i don't have any evidence because ao3 decided to eat all of my bookmarks (what's up with that, anyway?), but 'a game of truths' was one of my first favourite fics x.x anyway, thank you so much for the amazing stories you write! just earlier i read 'playing pretend never felt so real' and i am not ashamed to confess that it had me giggling and smiling like a fool all the way through. you have a beautiful way of conveying the intricacies of your character's emotions and i can only aspire to be a tenth as good as you are in the future. thanks for the stories and for the sweetness ! i saw your post from yesterday (?) and it made me so happy ;-; thank youu

@astrobei

hello suni :] i've got a confession: i don't know why, but for a few months of my byler-spiral i,,, didn't read your works x.x no reason, i just,,, didn't. but everything changed (when the fire nation attacked yes, i know i'm not funny) and now they've become a great comfort for me! just recently i was having a really bad day and rereading some of your work really lifted my mood! the way you portray domesticity and feelings is incredibly realistic and endearing, and the introspective sections you write are so eloquent and descriptive~ thank you for the amazing works :D

@andiwriteordie

ahoy, oh wondrous andi! we haven't interacted much tbh, but every time we do you're incredibly kind and you make me smile a lot so thank you for that :] likewise, thank you for the astronomical amount of stories you share with all of us! there was this one post that went around the other day, about how some writers just seem to be made of stories. i believe there's no better way to describe you than that! every day, you share some beauty with everyone and it's downright scary how good everything is all the time :S more than that, however, it is inspiring to see so much creativity and you're constantly the reason new ideas pop into my head~

@perexcri

hello percy ! :] out of everyone on this ridiculously long list, i think your story, 'to hell and back again', is the one that had me laughing the hardest. my tummy even hurt at some points >.< it takes a lot of talent to create such an engaging story that seems to have the perfect combination of alluded-angst, humour and fluff~ i've read a handful of your other works since, and they're just as good, just as entertaining and heart-warming! you really are amazing and i can't wait to have some free time to read a few more of your stories hehe thank you for being so amazing, and for the huge honour that is making one of my graphics into an actual physical object! your friend (don't know if i should namedrop them) is amazing and it still baffles me to imagine something i designed being made into a physical thingy. thank you to both of you~

@byleresque

hi kat! i've only recently read one of your stories and i have already put your other two on my "to-read list" because your style is so nice and funny and charming :] it did ache a little though, but it was the best type of ache so i'm sure i'll enjoy everything else you put out~ thank you so much for the cuteness and the giggles, and for being so supportive and sweet ;-; good luck with writing your book! i'm sure it'll be wonderful~

@untitled-byler-blog

lilly! hi ! :D hope you're having a nice day! i'm,,, very quiet and awkward so i don't typically comment on your stuff, but lately i've been seeing a lot of sad posts from you :( and i just want you to know that you're amazing! your stories might be short, but it honestly makes me think of fairy tales and that's lovely~ i am incapable of brevity (clearly x.x) so it's confounding to see how someone can fit so much stuff in such few words no, seriously, how can you paint such a clear picture in the space it takes me to describe a singular hug? x.x it's impressive and requires a lot of talent (which i evidently lack) and i wish more people gave it a shot because each of your fics is a lovely nice ride~ anyway, all this is to say that you're awesome! i hope you feel better about this all soon and please remember you can send me any of your stories so i can share them and maybe help a little, okei? i'm cheering you on !

@rotisserie5107

helloo! so, we've never talked, i don't think. or maybe we have, i do have the memory of a goldfish so please forgive me if i've forgotten x.x anyway, hi~ just wanted to thank you for always being so nice and supportive of my stuff! your little comments always make me smile a lot :] that's all i wanted to say hehe

@souppiemousse

hi hii! may i call you souppie? or is there another name you'd prefer? :S we've never interacted, so i apologise if this is random :( just wanted to tell you that i adore your art~ it makes me super happy to see it and it has inspired me a lot lately when i'm writing~ so yeah, i just wanted to thank you for sharing your adorable art :] (okei, i'll stop being a weirdo now u.u again, sorry if this is icky)

okei, that's it! that's all the people who come to mind for now :S sorry if i missed anyone, i'm just tired and sick :( happy new year to everyone! i hope you accomplish anything you put your minds to, and i hope you smile and are happy today and every day this year :]

(i'm gonna take a nap now, this was supposed to be short x.x)

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Teenage Dream (Camilla Myles belongs to @angelcloves.)

Author's Note: Basing my interpretation of Teen Camilla's (as well as Adult! Camilla's) personality and appearance off of this chapter (recommend read) and art. Also, stole the "dimensional scissors" thing from Star Vs. To me, it works since both shows are about magic lol. Enjoy!

"Philip, please give those scissors back! I really need them!" Caleb practically pleaded to his little brother, folding his hands.

It was night-time and both Wittebane boys were in their bedroom as they quarreled over a certain witch.

One who Caleb was very familiar with.

His girlfriend from another world.

Clutching onto the dimensional scissors that Camilla gave to Caleb, Philip shakes his head, puffing his cheeks.

He knew what that wicked witch was planning. She wanted to steal Caleb from him and keep him all to herself.

He wasn't having that.

Pip responses with a hum of refusal.

"Please? We'll have egg custard for breakfast and cranberry pie for tea."

"No."

"I'll give you all the piggyback rides you want."

"No! I'm not letting you see that witch! Not ever!" The smaller sibling refused to be bought over by sweets or back rides.

"But Phillip, Camilla and I made plans! We're going to a consort, I can't just not show up!"

He meant concert.

"...Consort?" Pip questions, blinking. "What's that?"

"It's a place where you go to to watch people play music on a stage," Caleb explains. "Camilla and I have to be at one tonight, so can I please have the scissors so I won't be late?"

Pip had to think about it for a moment.

"Hmm... maybe, but you have to answer two questions first."

A sigh of relief came from Caleb.

Thank god his little brother was being somewhat cooperative.

"Of course, I'll answer anything," The elder replies, hoping Philip would make it quick with the questions.

Cornflower eyes go to gaze directly at Caleb's hair as they begin to squint at it in suspicion.

"Your ponytail looks different. Very different. Why's that? Did that witch tell you to wear it like that? Did she say it'd look better that way?"

Withdrawing his wooden sword, he then points it at the "strange" upper garment that Caleb currently had on.

It was a black t-shirt with the words, "Four-Dimensional" spelled on top in a punk font with images of four band members posing below.

Camilla bought it for him.

"And who on earth are they? And why are they all dressed like that?"

Philip didn't trust them or their fashion.

The first question earned a sudden squeak from the blonde as his cheeks grew red.

"Huh?! N-No! That's ridic- don't be ridiculous! I, uh, merely wanted to try a new style is all," Caleb nervously chuckles, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

He technically wasn't lying.

When Camilla first saw him with the new ponytail she commented that his hair looked really cute that way.

Cut to current day and the compliment has been living rent-free inside the blonde's head ever since.

Clearing his throat, he continues, going to answer the second question. Showing off his shirt, he says, "This is Four-Dimensional, or "4D" for short. They're called a band. They sing and play music together. Camilla seems to really fancy their work - enough to get us tickets to see them."

Their music was new and strange, loud even, but definitely not dull. In fact, Caleb found it a lot of fun! It certainly wasn't something you'd hear in church.

"So, scissors?" Caleb asked, holding out his hand for Philip to place them in.

Despite their deal, the younger brother declines, crossing his arms in defiance. "No!" He huffs, turning his head away.

Mentally, Caleb's jaw drops.

"But Philip, you said--!?"

"I changed my mind."

Caleb can't help but groan at that response, tugging his lower lids in frustration. As much as he loved his baby brother, the brunette was being a real thorn in his side. He just wanted to see a "consort" with a cute witch girl his age.

Was that so wrong?

Turning a second time, Philip gave his brother a bad-tempered look. "I'm hiding these," he declares, referring to the scissors he seized. "So close your eyes, and no peeking."

In spite of sounding adorable, he meant business. Caleb wouldn't be seeing any witches tonight. Not on his watch.

Annoyance wrote itself all over Caleb's face.

Now, he didn't like using the b word to describe his little brother, but he was being just that... a brat.

The words "You're being a brat!" didn't spill from his lips, but they sure were hovering inside his mind.

"You can't be serious," The elder wearly says with a sigh. He didn't have time for this. Pip sends his brother a serious squint. "Eyes closed," He'd repeat. Sighing a second time, Caleb plays along, closing his eyes.

The blonde tries to take a small peek, but his eyes shortly shut the second they see Pip GLARING literal flames at him.🔥

After a while, he's told to open them back up.

Doing so, he saw his brother scissor-less, a smile now on his face. "There! They're gone!" Problem solved, Pip thought. Content, he climbs into bed. "Goodnight, Caleb!"

"But, Philip, you can't do this! The consort, I'll miss it!" Caleb cried out in despair, trying his darndest to reason with the disobliging eight year old.

Not moved by his brother's tone of voice, Philip closed his eyes. "Well, the consort certainly won't miss you. It's...not a person," His reminder was innocent as he yawned, slowly drifting to sleep.

Seeing this, Caleb heaved a sigh of relief.

Thank heavens he was asleep. Now to find those scissors and get to Camilla.

As Caleb began checking the room, a small gasp erupts. The scissors! He saw them! They were sticking out from under Pip's pillow like a sore thumb. The elder shook his head, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. Of course his brother would hide them in such an obvious place.

Tip-toeing to Philip's bed, Caleb slips a hand under his pillow and slowly takes the magical scissors. With the pair now back in his possession, the elder quietly makes his way to the door.

Turning the knob, he sees something on the other side that causes him to let out a small squeak, his blood now curdling.

Kitty, Philip's "pet" carcass, laid there "MENACINGLY" in front of him on the floor.

Almost as if he were waiting for Caleb to come out... That's how the blonde felt at least.

Gulping, Caleb takes a GIANT careful step over Kitty as he makes a break for the entry door ... but not before coming back seconds later to give Kitty a quick kick, which flips him on his back before dashing out again.

Revenge for the tea incident.

Caleb could sometimes still feel the burns...

Outside of his home, the elder looks to-and-fro, conscientiously checking his surroundings. Looks like the coast was clear. No soul in sight. Except for his of course.

Scissors start to snip a straight line into the air, opening a lilac-colored portal.

Just as the blonde begins to take a step in...

"Baa!"

He stops midway through the second he hears the abrupt bleat, turning around to see a goat staring a him with its horizontal eyes.

Oh!

Seems Caleb wasn't the only soul.

Lifting a finger to his lips, he utters a "shush" to the barn animal, followed by a playful wink as he enters the portal.

It soon closes behind him.

The goat stares into space for a bit before baaing a second time. It starts eating the grass on the ground.

"There you are!" A short, older woman with glasses and grey hair exclaims excitedly. The goat turns to see its owner approaching it, joy and relief radiating on her face.

Despite her size, she's able to swifty pick up the adult goat and calmly walk away with it.

"Let's get you to bed," she sweetly coos to her pet who bleats.

Meanwhile, in another dimension, the stars shine brightly in the purpley night sky.

Below, a lilac portal opens in an empty parking lot with a large wooden building in the background.

Stepping out of the portal is Caleb who starts to smile at the familiar environment as he takes it all in.

He remembers this place. Quite fondly in fact. Camilla took him here. The two had a midday meal together in that wooden building. They were served pancakes and chicken. The combination was foreign to him, but Caleb still really enjoyed it! Their time together was splendid, and he even made the first move by kissing her at the end.

It felt like a dream come true to the teen.

Speaking of Camilla, where was she? They both planned on meeting here before the concert. Was she simply running a little late, or was he too late? Caleb couldn't tell as worry overtook his face. He hoped she showed up soon.

"Caleb!" A vibrant voice called out to him.

Luckily, she did.

The hopper came rushing eagerly towards him, happily waving at the human who returns the friendly gesture.

Seeing her eased his nerves.

The witch wore her long black hair in pigtails along with a black bandana as a headband. Around her neck was a black choker as her main outfit consisted of a Four-Dimensional tee (same as Caleb's), long, black fingerless gloves, a black tutu, ripped black stockings, and long, black goth boots.

When she got to him, she sweeps the blonde into a MONSTROUS bear hug. As she joyfully squeezes him, she fails to notice Caleb's head bulge more and more, as of air being forced into one end of a balloon. He was clearly in a lot of discomfort.

"Hey!" she greets him with a sweet smile. "So glad you could make it!"

"H-Hello there, my lady," Caleb greets back, his tone polite, but strangled. "Uh, Camilla, y-you're hug, it's ah, a little too tight..." He chokes out an awkward chuckle.

Camilla catches sight of Caleb's humongous head and IMMEDIATELY releases her grip.

Caleb's head deflates as the air rushes out of his mouth.

"Oops! Sorry," she quickly apologized, averting her gaze as she blushed. "I was just... SO excited to see you." The witch admits, a droplet of sweat forming at her temple. She began to fiddle with the hem of her skirt.

Caleb took note of Camilla's nervousness and offered her a reassuring smile. "It's quite alright. I'm excited to see you too!" She could hug him till his head popped off and he would still be endeared by her. Not that he would want or wish for such a thing.

He needs his head after all.

Relief washed over Camilla when she saw Caleb show no signs of being mad at her for the overly tight embrace.

She'll remember not to hug so hard next time.

"So, are you ready?" Camilla asked Caleb with a grin, holding out her hand for the human to take.

The blonde nods, brown eyes sparkling. "Yes!" Came his reply. He takes the offered hand into his. "This consort is going to be extraordinary!"

Consort? Oh, he meant concert! Camilla couldn't help but giggle at the Puritan's mispronunciation. "It's pronounced 'concert', Caleb, not 'consort'," she corrects him with another cute giggle.

Round ears redden in realization. He's been saying the word wrong this whole time! How EMBARRASSING. Blush appears on both of his cheeks.

As Caleb starts to stammer an apology, Camilla gives him a friendly shoulder pat. "It's all good, blondie locks. Now let's go, go, go!" She opens a wide portal in the ground.

Interlocking her fingers with Caleb, she hops on in.

It soon shuts.

...

"Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! That was AMAZING! AAA!" Camilla squeals in sheer fangirl joy. Nothing rocked her socks off more than 4D and their music. The performance they had tonight really brought the house down. She LOVED that they played her favorite song at the end. Her and Caleb were seen walking out of the concert arena hand-in-hand. Both had messy hair from the constant headbanging they did.

"Not as amazing as you..." Caleb whispers under his breath, the teen clearly stuck in a lovestruck state that Camilla doesn't seem to see.

That slow song that the band played at the end. It was about a boy being destine to meet a girl who made his heart spark whenever she was around. The relatability made him feel all emotional and he couldn't help but stare lovingly at Camilla the whole time as over exaggerated ghibli style tears rolled down her cheeks, sparkly star eyes watching the stage.

She also lip sang along to some of the song.

The moment was quite spectacular for the both of them.

"What was that, Caleb?" Camilla smiled fondly at the blonde.

He squeaks, face lighting up. Good gracious did she hear him?! "Oh, nothing!" He let's out an awkward laugh, looking away. "Just... the weather! Yeah, that's right. Tonight's weather is amazing." He directs a finger up at the air. "See? Not a single cloud in the sky." He chuckles a second time, taking a breath as his blush slightly faded. Now, Camilla Myles was no dummy. She heard EXACTLY what Caleb said, but the hopper decides to dismiss it with a cheery little giggle for his sake.

"You're right! The weather is pretty amazing tonight!" she wholeheartdely agrees.

Suddenly a single drop from the sky lands on Caleb's shoulder, it seemingly letting out a giggle.

A second droplet then falls and lands on Camilla's head as another giggle is heard.

They both stop at the same time.

Next thing you know, giggling rain begins to pour down from the sky. With the snap of her finger, Camilla summons a pink orb around her and Caleb to shield them from the wet.

"Giggling rain's the norm here. It's cute... for about five minutes. Then it gets kinda annoying," she chuckles.

Caleb's never been caught in a giggling storm before. He wondered why rain would laugh. What was so humorous? Strange as this dimension was, he also found it fascinating.

Purple skies, giggling rain, what's next?

"Come on," Camilla took lead as they continued with their walk. "I'll take you somewhere dry."

When the two arrive at the front door of Camilla's current mentor, the orb evaporates.

Pulling out a ghost calico cat shaped key, she looks to Caleb.

"Hope you're okay with cats."

"Cats?"

"You'll see."

Opening the door, Caleb and Camilla step inside to see a cluster of ghost cats scurrying around the place, some sleeping on the sofa while others ate out of their bowls.

A couple were seen playing or exploring.

A hand goes to gesture at the furry atmosphere. "Welcome to the catmetery! That's what my mentor calls her house. You know, because of all the cats. She's... a bit of a feline fanatic." Camilla explains with a light laugh. "A bit" was an understatement.

"These adorable little angels are living their best afterlife thanks to her."

So many cats, Caleb thought as his eyes couldn't focus on just one. Seeing Camilla, some of the cats sprint in her direction, pouncing onto the hopper. The surprise attack of affection is so strong that it knocks the witch down on the ground.

Non-stop giggles erupt as she's covered in deceased cuties.

"I'm happy to see you all too!" She chimes, using a fingertip to gently rub the chin of one of the cats. It barks to communicate its excitement as Camilla continues. They then all start barking.

'Barking cats? Odd...' As Caleb thought this, his eyes shift to Camilla on the ground. The way her face lit up at the playful creatures made his smile soften as he watched the authentic interaction.

'So cute...'

All of a sudden, something soft brushes up against his leg. Looking down, Caleb discovers a cat. When the two lock eyes, the cat greets him with a bark. The bizzare behavior earns a chuckle from him as he moved his hand to pet the kitty around the ears.

Later, Camilla and Caleb enter the kitchen. There, the hopper spots a note on the table. Taking it, she takes a look at the text.

'Camilla,

Went to the centaur dimension for a meeting. Might make a stop at the cyclops dimension afterwards for something sweet or meaty. Won't be back till morn. Please feed the cats for me. Thank you! :) Left a few of your favorite snacks in the cupboard. ;)

Ms. Mullin'

Mmm, snacks! Her favorites too! Camilla smiled keenly at that last part. She'll have to remember to thank her mentor in the morning for thinking about her.

"Looks like I've got some gargoyles to feed."

Placing the paper down, Camilla makes her way to the fridge. When she pulls the door open, she reaches in and takes out a copious amount of cat food. Closing the door with her foot, she carries the cans to the table and sets them down.

Grabbing a can from the pile, Camilla takes hold of the ring, tugging on the tab, but the can doesn't budge. As she adds force, even trying to use her teeth to lift the backside of the tab, the ring comes off.

The stubborn can still remained closed though as she set it down.

Holding the cap in her hand, Camilla groans in annoyance. Great, now she'll have to--

"Here!" Caleb happily holds the now opened can in front of her. The good deed catches Camilla off guard as she stood there, stunned and amazed. She slowly takes the proffer.

"C-Caleb! How did you...? So fast...?"

The Purtian pulls out his lucky carving knife and shows it off proudly. "Ta-da! I used this! Never go anywhere without it."

Camilla chuckles at his answer, blushing a bit from his kindness. "Thank you."

He gives her a golden smile. "Of course! Always happy to help!"

...

In a pixelated classroom, a female witch, who resembles an anime character, has long, hot pink hair and is wearing a huge hair bow and a school girl uniform. She and a cutified Cthulhu who's light pink and is wearing a princess crown and dress are nose-to-nose. When the words "ファイト!" flashes on screen, their battle begins.

The school girl starts the fight off with a few basic punches along with a couple of karate kicks at the ancient monster before quickly ending the brawl with her final attack; she holds heart hearts near her chest as a pink heart-shaped beam flies out and strikes Cthulhu as the god-like being falls flat on their back. X's then appear in their eyes to signify that they've been defeated.

The words "パーフェクトビクトリー!" then flash on screen. Victorious, the school girl twirls in place before posing cutely with a peace sign.

The entire clash is revealed to be a video game being played by Camilla on her bedroom TV. Positive emotions evoke through her at her win. The next battle takes place in a sushi bar where she's up against an octopus sushi chef. As she continues to play, Caleb is seen sitting beside her on her bed, watching the screen. His brown eyes were intrigued, but also bewildered, by the gameplay. Evident on the bed were empty snack bags. Hashbrown could also be seen in the room, snoozing away in his bird cage.

"You're highly talented at this," Caleb compliments Camilla in amazement as he watches her character effortlessly take down the octopus opponent.

"Thanks!" Camilla replies at the sweet remark.

"How did you get so good?"

"Practice, and lots of it!" She told him with a giggle, releasing a world of pain onto her challenger by unloading a front punch whirl wind kick combo attack, knocking them out.

As he continued to watch, a sad thought suddenly crosses Caleb's mind as the blonde breathed out a sorrowful sigh, smile fading. His gaze goes down to his lap.

"H-Hey, uh, Camilla, can I...talk to you about something?"

Hearing his dejected tone, Camilla puts her game on pause and looks to the blonde, concern crossing her face at how unhappy he looked.

"Of course, Caleb. What's wrong?" Her full attention was on him. She hoped whatever was causing Caleb to feel this way wasn't because of her and something she said.

"Well..." he murmured, bringing his brown hues up to Camilla's pink ones. He gulps, biting his lip a bit. Should he really say this?

"It's just that... I... you... me... we..."

He breath in before blurting his desires out, taking both of Camilla's hands and intertwining them with his.

The straight forwardness of the action causes slight blush to pop up on her cheeks.

"Oh, Camilla Myles, you're always taking me to these nice places and showing me all these neat little things, I wish I could do the same for you, but with Gravesfield. Sure, it might not be the best town around, and there are no consorts-- I mean, concerts, or videoed games like here, but there are some splendid shops I'd love for you to see. Like the wood shop! That's my favorite. The only issue is..."

Caleb stared at the issue, or rather, issues. They stuck out the side of Camilla's head and were pointed. His eyes glowed in realization at them.

"Your ears..." He quietly states, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes. "As cute as they are, they'd give you away. Perhaps, maybe, we could... hide them ... somehow. I could find you a gown and coif. You could pose as a human and blend in for a bit. I'd say you're a visitor from another town."

Self-conscious about what he had just said, Caleb looked down at his lap again.

"I-If that's something you'd wish to try out. If not, that's fine."

Camilla smiled a bittersweet smile at the blonde. She squeezed his fingers and sighed. He looked back up at her. Her voice was soft and airy as she spoke.

"Oh, Caleb Wittebane, you mean well, I know you do, but I'll pass. I just... it wouldn't feel right hiding who I am just to please some prigs. If they can't accept the real me, then screw' em. 'Sides, I like my ears. If I hid them, I wouldn't be able to do this." She gave them a playful wiggle, which causes Caleb to chuckle. A shy smile spreads on his lips.

"You're right. Forgive me for suggesting something so foolish."

"No, no, no, don't be sorry. It's not your fault the people in your town suck. I don't need to visit there, so don't stress yourself out about not being able to take me. Though, there is something I do need..." Her bittersweet smile turns sweet again.

"There is?" Curious, Caleb goes on to ask, "What's that, my lady?"

With a giggle, Camilla uses her magic to make a game case with race cars on the front appear in her left hand and a second controller in her right. "A player two," She simply states with a wink.

"Me?" Caleb asks, genuinely surprised. "But I've never played videoed games before. I don't know how."

"Well, now's the perfect time to learn, blondie locks! Also, it's video games, Caleb. No '-ed'," Camilla chuckles, correcting him yet again. "We'll start on tutorial mode and race in a real round later. Would you like that?"

Caleb, nods, his smile getting soft. "Very much so."

...

The lights in Camilla's room were off as the crystal ball night light that sat on her tabletop emitted a soft glow. She and Caleb laid face-to-face in her bed as they both giggled. Once the giggles came to a slow, eventual stop, the two started gazing into each other's eyes. Both felt their hearts race while staring into the orbs of the other. Caleb is the first to speak.

"Camilla?" He asked softly.

"Yes?" She replies, her tone just as soft.

He scoots towards her. "Remember when I told you before in that restaurant that I was due to marry? How I haven't been able to find a bride quite yet?"

Camilla moves closer to him. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Well..." He chuckles softly. "I think I have. A future bride."

"A future bride?"

"Yes," He takes one of her hands and gives her a captivating look. "Camilla Myles, in due season, would you be my bride?"

A bride? Caleb's bride? Her? Such a question causes Camilla to flush.

"I..."

She sighs. The hopper had to be honest.

"... can't exactly say yes ..."

"Oh..." A dejected look crosses Caleb's face, heart-broken by the no.

"... but I can't say no either ..."

A look of hope immediately flashes on the blonde's face.

"I've said this before, but marriage is a big commitment, and it's not something my kind often do, but... I'd be willing to give it a try with you. Maybe. Someday. If I felt ready. But, until then, let's continue the relationship we already have?" She leans in close. "Okay?"

Caleb hums in agreement as he also leans it. "Okay..." Cupping her cheek, he closes the space between them with a passionate kiss. Kissing back, Camilla closes her eyes. He's certainly gotten better since their last kiss, she thought. When they pull away, the two spend the rest of the night smiling and giggling until they both fall asleep.

...

The morning sunshine greets the skies as it glows a golden hue.

Camilla was seen cuddled to Caleb as the two continued to sleep.

When Caleb woke from his slumber, he steadily sat up, yawning.

Looking to his right, he saw Camilla peacefully sleeping by his side and smiled.

A chaste kiss was pressed against her forehead by him. She looked so incredibly cute.

As Caleb saw the light of dawn seep into the room, he realized something that made his eyes grow slightly wide.

If it were morning in this realm, that meant in the human realm ... Pip. Oh no. He had to get back home to his brother before he woke up.

Slowly slipping out of Camilla's grasp, Caleb quietly hops out of her bed and pulls out his dimensional scissors.

He cuts open a golden portal. Taking a step in, the blonde looks back at the witch. He might not be able to take her around town, but he could leave her a small thank you gift to show his appreciation. A sunny smile suddenly curls up on Caleb's lips. He could carve one up for her! Along with his carving knife, he did always carry a small piece of pocket-sized wood with him.

Time to get to carving!

...

The morning sun shined down on the town of Gravesfield as a golden portal opens in front of the Wittebane household.

Stepping out of it is Caleb who heads to the front door.

'Please be sleeping, please be sleeping, please be sleeping,' He pleads in his head.

Opening the door, Caleb is startled to see Philip just standing there in front of the doorway, a cross look on his face.

Seems he was awaiting his older brother's arrival.

The younger's arms were crossed as he tapped his foot like an angry parent who caught their child returning after a night of sneaking out of the house.

"P-Pip! What are you-- I... Listen, I can explain. I--"

"Don't." Philip coldy cuts him off. "Kitty told me everything." THAT TATTLETALE, Caleb thought, annoyed. Wait, what was he saying!? Kitty wasn't alive ... was he?

"Well, don't just stand there like a stranger. Come in." Philip tells him as he walks away from the door.

Sighing, Caleb follows him inside, closing the door behind him.

"Pip, please listen. I--"

"AAAAAA!!!"

Caleb hears Pip release a battle cry and turns to see the smaller boy charging towards him with his wooden sword. He manages to shove him on the ground and starts hitting the elder repeatedly with it.

The blonde raises his hands up in defense from the brunette's attacks.

"Ow! Philip, what are you-- ow! Doing!?"

"Punishing you with death!"

Death? Caleb groans in annoyance at that answer.

"Philip, ow! Why is it that everytime you get upset with me you're first reaction is to, ow! 'Kill' me?"

"SILENCE! You're being killed. No talking!"

Caleb sighs a second time.

"Philip, you can't kill me."

"Yes I can! I'm doing it right now!"

"No, you can't."

"I can't?" He questions, raising a brow as he puts his hitting to a halt.

Caleb shakes his head no.

Philip frowns at the gesture, jutting his bottom lip out. He stomps his foot in fussy anger. "Why not!"

Caleb starts to stand up.

"Because, not only is it not nice, but if you kill me I won't be able to give you the gift I got for you at the concert."

Pip's mood suddenly shifts at the sound of that, his interest piquing. "Gift? You got me... a gift? At the consort?"

Caleb chuckles. "It's pronounced 'concert', Pip, and yes! Well, Camilla bought it, but I told her it looked like something you'd like."

Reaching behind his back, he produces a chibi Grim Reaper figure. Pip is in AWE by his present, blue eyes sparkling at the cute skeleton. Dropping his sword, he takes the figurine toy, admiring it.

"It's a little bone man! He has a sword just like me! :D"

Caleb chortles. "Actually, Pip, it's called a scythe." He corrects.

"... He has a sword just like me! :D"

A second chortle erupts from the elder as he gently pats his baby brother's head.

What a good little boy.

...

Meanwhile, Camilla, now awake, was sitting up in her bed, gazing down lovingly at a baby raven carving that sat in her single palm. She found it laying beside the pillow that Caleb slept on. She could, without a doubt, tell that the present was from him to her. Who else would put so much love and care into a wooden piece? The more she looked at it, the more Camilla wanted to cry tears of joy. She's never been given such a gift before. She'll treasure it forever.

...

The morning sun was bright in the sky. Inside the Owl House, Camilla wakes up with a yawn. Sitting up, she stretches her arms. Climbing out of bed, she checks under her pillow. A pair of dimensional scissors and a baby raven carving were present. She casts a sad smile down at the items as she picks them up. Camilla gave both objects a melancholic gaze. As much as it pained her to think of her past, she could never truly let go of it. Never truly let go of him.

All should could do is dream and reminisce on a love that never got to be.

Camilla sighs, placing the things back under her pillow before heading downstairs.

Sitting slumped at the kitchen table, Camilla looked up when a cup of tea was placed in front of her. Her tired smile shines when she sees a blonde teen and his red birdie.

"Good morning," Hunter greeted with a gentle smile, Flapjack perched on his shoulder.

The cardinal happily greets Camilla a 'good morning' in bird.

"Morning to you both," Camilla greets back.

"I made you tea. Flapjack figured it be a good idea to make chamomile because of your name. Get it? Camilla, chamomile." He jested, letting out a chuckle. "Isn't that right, Flapjack?" The cardinal confirms with a nod and a chirp.

Camilla let out a light laugh at the joke. "Heh, chamomile. That is pretty funny..." Her gloomy gaze goes to the tea. She sighs.

"You don't look so happy," Hunter frets, taking a seat next to Camilla. "Is everything okay? Was it... another dream?"

Camilla nods.

"What kind of dream? Good? Bad?"

"A teenage one..." She reveals in bittersweetness. She kept her smile as she looked to Hunter. "But don't worry, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Hunter asked, still concerned. "I'd be happy to help if I can."

"Promise." Camilla vowed affectionately, taking the cup and lifting it to her lips.

Blowing the hot liquid, she takes a small sip and hums at the mellow, honey-like sweetness of the drink.

Her tea was delightfully delicious.

[derelictdumbass]

Thinking about how the Seeds relationships with Dean could be taken as an act of defiance against how they were raised and a way for them to break out of that restraint and accept the trauma they went through and move forward from it.

[dewitty1]

Fic Recs Wrap Up -April 2022

you’ve got the antidote for me by Kandakicksass

When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he’s made it very clear he doesn’t want. He’s never been selfless before, but for Harry, he can try. Rec Post

Dress Me Up In My Finest Silk by Hatsonhamburgers @hatsonhamburgers

Draco has a secret. It's soft and lacy, and it hugs his body in a way that makes him feel so sexy.

Harry may have accidentally seen Draco's secret, and now it's all he can think about. Rec Post

Lessons in Grace and Decorum by GallaPlacidia

In Azkaban, Narcissa Malfoy gives Draco lessons in how to manipulate people into loving him. When Draco is released on the condition that he is bonded to Harry as his prisoner, he finally has a chance to put his newfound skills into practice. Forced bonding, eighth year (eventually), a Draco driven slightly mad by grief, a furious, self-destructive Harry, a whole lot of angst and a proportionate amount of comfort. Rec Post

Fast Forward, Two Steps Back by emmagrant01

Everyone knows that Draco Malfoy died in the Room of Requirement ten years ago. So when he suddenly reappears at Hogwarts ten years later, still seventeen years old, Professor Harry Potter’s life gets very complicated. Rec Post

Stupid Love by The_Sinking_Ship @the-sinking-ship

Harry Potter, how does Draco Malfoy hate thee? Let me count the ways. Rec Post

I Want to be With You (I’m Good at It) by punk_rock_yuppie @punk-rock-yuppie

Draco was banned from the wizarding world after the events of the war; he reintegrates himself slowly, with unexpected results. Rec Post

Accidental Magic by vivi1138 @penguinanimagus

After the war, Draco left the magical world. He doesn’t lead the easiest life, doesn’t sleep enough and has another mouth to feed. He doesn’t expect to be forced to go back early, but when his son’s accidental magic threatens the Statute of Secrecy, there’s only one person who can help.

Expectant by loveglowsinthedark @l0vegl0wsinthedark

After he accidentally gets Malfoy pregnant on a drunken fuck at a club, Harry doesn't anticipate that it'd be just as easy to fall in love with him. Rec Post 1, 2

Here are a few more fics I've read recently that y'all might like to check out as well! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis by Vukovich @vukovich

Harry's assignment was simple. Close out Draco Malfoy's missing persons case so he can be declared dead.

But who's making withdrawals from Malfoy's vaults? How is a death omen-turned-Unspeakable involved? Is an organization known as the Moirai to blame?

Harry brushes it off until he can't. Until The Prophet is flooded with sightings of dead people. Until Robards throws himself on his sword. Until Ron turns on his own family. Until Harry scarcely trusts his own reflection in the mirror and trusts the stranger in his bed even less.

Until all that stands between war and peace is Harry, a name plate, a stadium of murderers, and Draco Malfoy.

God save the Ministry.

DIY Messiah by scoradh

Harry stopped hating Draco Malfoy on Bring Your Kids to Work Day.

Harry Potter and the Chariot of the Sun by Philosopherscribe

Hot on the trail of a Dementor-worshipping cult, Harry plays a dangerous game with an old enemy.

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them (or Draco Malfoy's Guide to Stop Dying and Start Living Instead) by dustmouth, nerakrose @greaseonmymouth

Malfoy is way too interested in coroner reports for somebody who's definitely not looking for ways to die, Harry wants to be friends with him, and Ginny wants to break up with Harry.

Features: Little League Quidditch, an abundance of bath bombs, happy endings, and gay robots in space.

The Garland Gay by Vaysh @vaysh11

Draco Malfoy has it all – – sex, money, power. But a family secret threatens to become the undoing of the successful head of Malfoy Bank. His troubles bring him to private investigator Harry Potter, who lost it all – girlfriend, Galleons, Auror career – – over a tenacious obsession with a certain blond. Both become entangled in the vengeful schemes of a stranger from the past. As much as Draco tries to resist, in the end, he must make a fateful choice for the man he is destined to love.

( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have! Thanks, as always, for being here! ( ᵕ́ૢ‧̮ᵕ̀ૢ)‧̊·*

Happy reading, y’all!

xoxo Carey  

(◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*💜💙💚💛❤💗💕💖

[starrysmiling]

reasons why jax and aros should talk

i'm very much looking forward to the cube corp update where (hopefully) aros will reappear so that i can finally write my jax + aros bonding fic with full context...! and that's why i'm going to ramble about my jax + aros thoughts in hopes of waiting faster (in order of mostly descending importance)

(before i forget: i'm going to refer to the protagonist as fern. he's basically an oc at this point. i rarely think of protag as francis any more just because of the amount of lore fern has)

first and foremost: jax was there for a lot of fern's journey through the region. even without considering the huge impact fern has had on jax and his character development (see: jax thoughts), he's the one who interacts with fern the most, they've battled together the most, they've saved the fucking region together. i'm sure aros wants to know all about his son during the years he was gone, and who else would be better qualified to talk about him? (and why not ask fern directly? because fern will brush it off as something that isn't really important compared to how much aros has done in his lifetime. fern might show off to his friends with his own strength, but he's humble when it comes down to things that are genuinely important to him.)

now that i mention jax's character development, let's go back to the hero thing: aros was known as the guardian of borrius. jax is set up as a hero. (if we go into hc territory here, it would make sense for jax to like heroes, like those in books and movies. with that in mind...) don't you think jax would come to admire aros in some way? there's no way he doesn't want to meet one of his great inspirations.

following on from that, it would be kinda funny for them to meet knowing that aros also happens to be jax's best friend's dad. i mean, his other best friend's dad is, uh... marlon. these guys sure have interconnected families!

speaking of interconnected families, there's a good chance that aros met jax when he was still little. (i hc that fern was 5 when aros disappeared, and jax is a little less than a year older than fern, so that leaves aros with a 6 year window to meet young jax) after all, aros being the guardian and arthur being the champion probably means they crossed paths, and arthur being a friend of prof log might've meant that he'd have been to frozen heights. it'd be cute if aros recognised him as arthur's grandson...

these next ones go a little more into how we (mage, my partner in crime, and i) view fern and jax and also their relationship with each other, but i also want to talk about them:

fern's personality changing since he was a child to how he is as an adult. after aros' disappearance, fern would withdraw into himself and spend a lot of time alone. (fern eventually developed his confident and snarky persona as a way of dealing with how he doesn't want to show how lonely he is.) aros could learn this from fresia (his childhood friend. fresia, who dreamed of travelling abroad and left for sinnoh years before the game's plot, inadvertently cemented fern's belief that the people he cared for would leave him), or fern's mom, the two people fern felt comfortable with during his formative years. the entire thing with the shadows and saving the region gives fern his two best friends, and i like to think that jax and ace change him for the better even after the entire region-saving thing is over by just staying in touch and being good friends. and while talking to fresia and fern's mom would definitely give good insight on what fern has been through, i like to think that also talking to jax (the friendlier one between him and ace, at least) would give aros a perspective of how fern composes himself from someone who might be allowed into his inner circle of friends, but still doesn't know everything about him, or can't read him as well as the earlier two.

when considering jax and aros talking while jax is dating fern... the fact that jax doesn't yet know fern at his deepest levels holds even more significance. if fresia or fern's mom told aros about how fern handled loss by keeping to himself, then how was jax able to reach under his exterior and touch him at his core? what is it about jax that made fern also love him in return? i feel that aros will learn more about jax than fern by exploring this last question. (the jax i imagine is sweet and honest and outgoing — he's a good guy at his core, and he loves and respects fern with as much of his heart he can spare, which is 120% of it. and i think he balances very well with fern's carefully constructed sexy and aloof and confident aura just by being who he is.) jax knows that fern cares so much underneath his persona, though he doesn't yet know it's because he's doing everything he can to try and erase the fear that jax might leave him like aros and fresia did — and that's something that aros might be able to piece together, but something that jax is yet to learn. aros seeing how fern and jax express how they care for each other is such a roundabout, but effective way to understand how fern works.

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

Might be long, just wanted to give my two cents if you'd let me. Sorry for the trolls, I guess to be expected with YA franchises like these, they tend to get VERY toxic over surprisingly little.

Both Peeta and Gale treat Katniss wrongly at points in the story, but Peeta is the only one to ever apologize at all. Katniss just is silent or forgives him on her own terms like "he's not like this" when he shows her time and again that he IS.

Mostly talking about up to Catching Fire with this because Mockingjay is a can of worms and not everyone has to agree with the character progression, but the scene where Gale literally pushes Katniss in CF after displaying a bunch of sudden physical affection irks me, in a love bombing sort of way. And I never got the impression he really thinks that highly of her considering he's so quick to throw Peeta and Cinna's gloves in her face, which Katniss stops herself from doing the same thing.

Maybe if he kept his character in the first book it'd seem like a fair fight as a love triangle, but he was barely given time to shine in the first book outside of Katniss remembering things about him. Which I don't mind their friendship at all, especially in the first, however I feel like Suzanne had to take his character somewhere bold if he'd ever leave a huge impression to be honest. Unfortunately he was given a bit too emotionally immature and angry of scenes when he was usually pretty smart and calculating like Katniss.

That's just my views on Gale at least as someone who prefers Peeta. But I see the appeal of Gale after rereading, as frustrated as he sometimes makes me. To be honest I'd just be as happy if Peeta got a cooking show at the end of the series and lived his dream in the Capitol lol.

As far as Mockingjay goes, admittedly I wished Peeta didn't get hijacked and instead had relationship conflicts with Katniss of his own volition because it'd be more realistic and interesting, because we see some conflict there but it never gets RESOLVED, and as for Gale, he shouldn't be the ONLY person who is being shamed and judged for "going too far" when the adults in his life put him in that position of power to begin with. Beetee was pretty happy with the bomb despite being in an arena twice. Like c'mon. MJ was very dumbed down in my opinion and I didn't like a lot of the newer characters too. But that's besides the point.

Okay, I'm glad you're polite, and I'm glad you wanted to share your thoughts! But fair warning, I disagree with...a lot of them. Peeta apologizes and is right to do, because he is the only one who has something to apologize for, which is treating Katniss so badly. Gale is brutally honest with Katniss at times, but he never does anything coming close to what Peeta does. Katniss doesn't need an apology from him, because the two know each other, and she knows why he does the things that he does, and understands her part in them. And even in the times she is upset with Gale, she understands him, and knows he understands her. So. Lol, that's not "lovebombing." Not even close to what the term means. (technically, lovebombing would apply more to Peeta, who withdrew all his affection abruptly after being displeased by Katniss) Gale pushes Katniss back, yes, but it's...due to the realization that she is not on the same terms with him? It's actually the appropriate thing to do in that situation. He's at first excited and overjoyed, and thinks that she's intending to go off with him like they'd spoken about, and thinks that she's admitting her love that way. And he expresses that through physical affection, which Katniss has no issue with. But when Gale realizes that Katniss is not on the same page, of course he withdraws. He's had something of a bucket of cold water dumped on his head. But he doesn't do it to hurt her, but because he is reacting in the moment. I don't know where are how you got that impression, but I can only assume you've been reading the books with a much, much different view of Gale and Katniss' relationship. So much of what Gale does is centered around how much he esteems and loves Katniss, just because he isn't gushing over her like Peeta doesn't mean he doesn't highly regard her. And as to the gloves, no again. (also, those gloves aren't Peeta's, they are Cinna's.) Gale gives the gloves back, because to him, they represent everything he loathes, and everything he fears will happen/is happening to Katniss. Gale does not know Cinna like Katniss does, he does not trust or care for Cinna much, if at all. To him, the gloves are product of the Capitol, and he sees it as an insult to be given them. Which, he's not to be blamed for. "Unfortunately he was given a bit too emotionally immature and angry of scenes when he was usually pretty smart and calculating like Katniss." All this. All this right here is part of the problem I have with people in this fandom. People are so quick to see or label Gale as immature or angry, when he has literally every right to be angry. And far as immature, Gale was hardly immature. He's certainly more mature than even Peeta or Katniss, and he is much more smart and calculating than Katniss at times too. Gale looks at the wider picture, while Katniss focuses on the personal. Gale's character was consistent throughout the books, at least until the end of MJ, and it was bold. People just don't like the type of bold that it was, lmao. But you prefer Peeta, so I'm not surprised in the slightest that you think of Gale that way. It's to be expected. As for MJ, I think we both agree on that, it warped a lot of the characters in ways I didn't like. As for Peeta being hijacked, I have no problem with it, but him being with Katniss at the end was for me the unrealistic thing. In any case, I'm dissatisfied with the endings for Katniss, Gale and Peeta, and I wish the author didn't rush things at the end to achieve her desired moral point.

[herstarburststories]

Something About Pride

Summary: It's Pride Month! Dean tries to make sure you feel celebrated today, while Sammy has an inner dilemma about Castiel.

Pairings: Bi!Reader x Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester x Castiel

A/N: I had more alternative titles for that one (too in love to think straight and the gay angel), but this one fits a lot! A bit late, I know.

"Shouldn't you buy him a gift or something? It's like a full on gay Valentine's Day," Dean said in a husky voice, barely functioning in the light of morning as he prepared the daily coffee for him and Sam along with your cold lemon tea.

His little brother didn't bother giving him an articulate answer other than a mild glare at his back. (Y/N) simply rolled your eyes at your boyfriend's statement, a small grin on your lips. Dean could be simultaneously clueless, dumb and cute sometimes.

‘’I doubt Cass knows what pride month is, honestly.’’ You glance at Sam, resting your hand on his arm with a friendly smile. “But I think it would be cool if you somehow celebrated with him.’’ 

‘’Wait,’’ Dean interrupted the conversation, placing the coffee pot and your cup of tea on the table. ‘’Do you want to celebrate it?’’ he asked, suddenly worried about somehow being negligent on something important to you.

‘’Nah, I'm good. Being myself is all the celebration I need right now.’’ You grinned at him, withdrawing your hand arm to grab the cup full of chilled tea. It was adorable how caring Dean was. ‘’Besides, your gift this morning was good enough.’’

The wink you offered, followed by Dean's double-meaning smirk caused Sammy to huff lightly and purse his lips. ‘’Leave the weird kinks for the bedroom, guys. And more silently. I can hear.’’

His elder brother rolled his eyes and claimed the seat next to you. ‘’And I thought he would get some after he got with Cass.’’

‘’I think he would like it,” you continued after taking a sip of your tea. ‘’Maybe you could bring him to a parade?’’

‘’And explain him that pride month happens because people were killed and tortured for loving someone?’’ Sam replied, a hint of harshness in his voice. It was obvious he didn’t want to snap, but it could be a delicate situation when the brunette male thought about it. Castiel clearly knew that love has no boundaries regarding to gender — his angel nature and the fact that he had various vessels through the ages made him indifferent when it came to sex — but he probably wasn't aware that it hadn't been always like this on earth. Part of Sam didn't want to explain too much. For once, he wanted to make himself believe that not knowing could be a blessing.

You laid your eyes on him, a frown on your face. Dean was silent like he usually would be during conversations like this. Rather, he was pouring coffee for him and Sammy.

Sighing, the taller man tried to reason with himself. "I'm sorry, it's just — "

‘’It's okay. I get it,” you said, refusing further explanation. You remembered how nervous Sam was to tell Dean and how broken he was after realizing that John would never know part of what made him who he was. He was paralyzed, even, spine chilled with horror as he’d considered how his father could react. ‘’The accumulation of history, this heteronormative society. it’s buried deep inside everyone. It makes coming out necessary and scary, and even sometimes it backfires as if we were doing something wrong. Some people even tell us it’s something wrong, but that doesn’t make all that we have achieved any less important or beautiful.”

Dean's hand found your high under the table. It’s a soft squeeze and not in the teasing manner that you’re used to. His own little way of supporting you, of saying I'm here if you want to talk or drink about it. I have your back. He has been always supportive when it came to your bisexuality and his brother's sexuality. You pecked his cheek.

‘’I know, it is just…’’ Sam shrugged, his hazel eyes getting puffy. ‘’What Cas and I have — It's innocent. It's good. I don't want him to doubt it or something because of what a bunch of ignorant people think. Does that make sense?’’

‘’Cass has had the hots for you for years, dude. He didn't run away from us when he had to go against Chuck, go to the purgatory or when you offered him rabbit food. He won't leave anymore.’’

Although he coated his tongue with a humorous truth, it broke Dean's heart to hear the fragility in his little brother's voice. For as much as Castiel was his best friend, he was ready to punch the grace out of that angel if he hurt Sammy.

‘’He is right, Sam. Castiel wouldn't doubt your relationship for that. It's Pride Month. History isn't known for being pretty, but victorious. And we won.’’

‘’Sometimes I just wish we didn't have to fight,’’ Sammy said quietly, shrugging while he grabbed the cup of coffee to bring to his lips.

You gave him a solidary glare, an empathetic smile adding in your expression. You held his huge hand in yours, rubbing your thumb into Sam's palm.

‘’I know.’’ What was left to say? It was unfair as most things in centuries. It was revolting. But above all, it was changing. Love was finally being seen in every way. Things were slowly getting better. ‘’But we keep fighting, right? And we get something good.’’ You pulled away, drinking more of your lemon tea. Sam nodded, sniffling a bit while he recomposed himself. ‘’You could keep it simple if you explain, like…’’ 

‘’Tell him it is a full-month of exclusively gay Valentine,’’ Dean suggested, smiling genuinely at his idea and wiggling his eyebrows.

Sam sighed and you scrunched your nose, but had to agree with your boyfriend. That would be a good way to describe it to Castiel. 

‘’You could bring him to a parade or give him one of those tiny rainbow flags, like Captain Holt’s. It's cute!’’

Dean grimaced. ‘’Don't be that chick flick, Sammy.’’

‘’How is that chick flick, Winchester?’’ You arched your eyebrow, almost challenging him to continue.

The long-haired brother just chuckled at you two, rising from the chair with his cup in hand. He needed to think about Castiel and the whole month's explanation deal.

‘’All right, I'll let you two argue alone.’’

Sammy could hear the words that grow more quietly as he stepped away from the kitchen.

‘’Are you sure you don't want to go to a parade or something?’’

It brings an amount of pride that he didn't think he would feel, just like the joy.

Sam Winchester wasn’t the kind of man to get nervous mincing words, especially near his family. That was why he almost felt ashamed when the faint tremble in his voice became noticeable enough for even him to detect when he spoke to his boyfriend.

‘’So, Cass, I wanted to talk to you about something.’’

The hunter wanted to scream stupid at himself for the tiny frown on Castiel's usual tranquil expression. When Sam said similar words to the angel, it was most likely to be a life or death situation, or a Dean becoming a demon situation, or a Chuck about to destroy the world situation.

And he certainly wasn't this anxious when he first brought it up to his brother and you.

‘’What is this about?’’

‘’Full-gay Valentine's Day, but it's a month.’’ Dean arched his eyebrows, pursed lips parting into a proud smile. You slapped his arm. Unbelievable. ‘’What? You agree!’’

You held his arm and dragged him out of the room. Sam needed privacy. As you and his brother walked away between whispers, he let out a breath that he didn't even notice the holding. 

For a split of second, Sammy almost followed you two to bring Dean and his stupid jokes back to the subject.

The hunter coughed, but his angel lover just remained standing there; calm blue eyes waiting for his next speech, head subtly titled to the side because of his curiosity.

‘’Uh, Pride Month.’’

For his surprise, Castiel answered with a nod, ‘’The month of love, I believe? It is very colorful to see.’’

‘’You know what it is?’’ Sammy frowned in confusion, approaching his boyfriend with a soft smile. It was a weird relief. He wouldn't dare to tell Cass how some humans saw their relationship. Not that they mattered, anyway. But it'd haunt him how his lover could react. After all, Castiel was still considerably new to the human world as a dweller.

‘’Yes, I do. A month to celebrate romantic relationships,” the blue-eyed man said. Once he saw the look on Sam’s face, he quickly added, ‘’I saw it on the television.’’

‘’Yeah, it's, huh, kinda like that. But not fully.’’ He gave him a tight smile. Sammy was close enough to hold his hand, and so he did. God, it was possible to feel his body relax just with that mere touch. If Samuel didn't know any better, he'd theorize that he could sense Castiel's grace. But no, it must've been love in its purest form. ‘’It's important for relationships too, but it is mostly about self pride. Like accepting and praising part of who you are.’’

Cass intertwined their fingers, enjoying the way Sam's soul shone brighter to his closeness. It was such a majestic view.

‘’I was thinking, maybe we could go to one of them. Or just have a date. It's kind of our special month on earth. Well, the backstory isn't that nice, but — ’’

‘’Many things in humanity aren't, Sam. You are not a harmonic kind. Like bees,’’ Castiel said, butting into his human's babbling as he noticed how agitated his aura became. As if he was scared for some reason. Sam gulped, the prior anxious feeling crawling back in a bigger form. ‘’Although, it is an honorable celebration for a great cause. I would like to enjoy this with you.”

Sammy's mouth was open in a perfect shape of an O. Features echoing his mixed feelings of intrigue and shock, he had to make sure of what he heard by asking: ‘’You would?’’ 

‘’Yes, Sa — Honey.’’ The graceful being was still learning the perks of being in a romantic relationship. Pet names were a new thing to him, but honey was his favorite. Mostly because of its association with his favorite insect. ‘’We could go for one of the group walks on the street? The sensation to be there seems — ’’

“Freeing?’’ He smiled, pulling Castiel closer to his taller figure with a free hand. Not a worry in earth, hell and heaven catching his mind now.

Castiel curved his lips into a smile. It was tiny, but it was there, just like the hold on his waist. Would every move of his angel make him experience this peaceful embrace? He believed so. Perhaps that was the happiness that he found in the chaos of his life. That his brother found. And it was good. God, it was amazing. Heaven in one angel, just for him. 

‘’Exactly, like pride.’’ Sam's words come only to be soon replaced by his lips pressing against Castiel's in a kiss.

He felt so proud to love him. No one could take it away.

And they wouldn't.

Masterlist

Dean's Sweetheart: @akshi8278

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