#leading to him trusting sophie more than anyone else)

[when-wax-wings-melt]

said it once i will say it fucking again. flashback fitz was the most accurate version of fitz there ever was. he was sweet he was angry he was frustrated he was patient he was confident he was violent he never trusted alvar again he trusted sophie more than anyone (nearly unhealthily). i miss him. bring him back. he was so unapologetically kind generous and deeply broken. I MISS HIM.

[swans-chirping-in-the-distance]

YOU have a very interesting take on sokeefe. you don't just love every part of it- please elaborate, your tags on anti sokeefe posts are FASCINATING

THIS TOOK FOREVED IM SORRY ILYSM FOR THIS AHDJDLFKWNKDJF

I think one majorly important thing about sokeefe is that precious bond they have with each other. In fact, that's what makes me love the ship so much. It's truly stunning to see such a natural love built on years of trust and support. They clearly display so many different ways of loving, whether it be emotional, physical, mental, or verbal. The way that Shannon captured them is something I'm not sure I've seen anyone else do the same way.

Sophie ignores her feelings for Keefe for the majority of the series and writes it off due to insecurity. And Keefe knew that. Yet, instead of just telling her how she felt, he decided to let her decide how to act. To not rush her or pressure her. To let her make her own decision. He held himself back and let her be with his best friend without telling her, which many adults couldn't bring themselves to do. But he did it for HER. Because he loved her, whether he said it or not. How terrifying must it have been for Keefe to be so vulnerable as to fall for someone when that had made him hurt so much in the past? How terrifying must it have been for SOPHIE, who'd not let herself realize she fell until she was far too gone to come back from this unscathed?

The two are often very physical with each other, from the constant support of holding one another's hand to the gripping hugs late at night when their sobs are louder than their family's disappointment. Not only do they show how they feel about each other with touch, but also with general body language. The comfort of Keefe turning her head gently to look at him. The way they relax around each other, their facial expressions and their hands involuntarily grabbing the other's without a moment's notice. The display of casualty hidden within the deep depths of their relationship. They even manage to think about each other with the same sort of intensity, the determination to keep the other alive and the sheer desperation not to lose the other. They're reliant on each other's safety, not because their lives would be in danger without them, but because a huge part of their happiness would.

The two often joke around with each other, but they know when to stop. They know when it's time to get serious, to remind the other of how high they think of them and how much they care for them. How they'll always be at each other's side. Their words say "I love you" for them. And while they're in terribly traumatic situations and had such different backgrounds, they're the only ones who understand each other. They're absolute foils who were born to be enemies and fell for each other anyway. Their relationship is a beautiful one, but it's also one that's extremely fragile.

Sokeefe's relationship could go wrong in many ways. There are multiple paths towards a toxic relationship that would be really easy for their canon characters to fall into. For example, while for now they help each other stay brave and empathetic, their vulnerability towards each other makes them more prone to toxicity. They're both known for being reckless. How easy would it be to accidentally get the other to do something terrible? Would killing a random Neverseen member be self-defense? Would that really help anyone in the long run? They're traumatized kids forced to lead, like a malfunctioning toy released before it was fixed. They have no idea what they're doing if you really think about it. Who are they to advise the other?

Another issue I've noticed is one that's super minimal now but could become a huge issue. Sophie, being a relatable teen girl, likes apologies for things that hurt her, even if she knows it's technically not the other person's fault. She's not going around asking for apologies that aren't warranted, but she's accepting them. And that usually doesn't matter much, but it does with someone like KEEFE. Keefe, who blames himself for things that aren't his fault because it's all he knows. He feels so guilty for his and his family's existence that he takes it out on himself. And that could turn into a problem. Because a boy who apologizes for everything he didn't do doesn't fit well with a girl who accepts them. Sophie would never want Keefe to blame himself for things more, but she could inadvertently cause it with ease.

On top of all of that, they often struggle with looking at each other realistically and being truly reliable about the other. Keefe doesn't think Sophie's perfect; don't get me wrong. Part of the appeal of Keefe is that he sees her flaws and still loves her through them. But he also doesn't do much to help her fix said flaws. Perhaps it's out of his own insecurity in thinking he has no place to judge others because he believes he's worse, but my point stands nonetheless. And Sophie often forgives too easily, which lowers her own standards while also making sure Keefe can't grow from his mistakes because no one's acknowledging them. They seem to move too fast at times, and slowing down could really help. Get therapy and learn to bite the bad habits in the ass, in a way.

Another interesting aspect of their relationship are the parallels of their own to others. A loyal girl desperate to believe the man she loves is good, even when he keeps doing wrong? A girl who doesn't realize there's a difference between good and right until it's far too late? I think we all saw the ruedacted/ Lodestar sokeefe parallels. And if you took any koralie interaction and changed the names out? Sokeefe moment. It's just so easy for them to end tragically, but they're so desperate for it to work out. They're walking on the most delicate of ice for a chance that they can meet in the middle. They're running across a tightrope, hoping they don't fall to the ground. They're pulling at the web in hopes that they don't get stuck in its fabric, but they ALWAYS do. Sokeefe is a beautiful relationship built on trust and love, but trust and love don't always mean something is good for you. Their entire existence is truly a bittersweet delicacy only to be enjoyed by the most careful of takers.

[dsireland86]

The Things We Could Never Change

PART 2 OF THERE IS BEAUTY IN THE PAIN

Chapter 1

tags: @lma1986 @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @missduffsblog @bngurngheart @thatamazingvampirestory @myownthoughts12 @badomensls

If you would like to be added to the tag list let me know :)

****warnings: sexual content and language

NOAH AND SOPHIE HAVE MOVED ON FROM THE PAIN AND FOUND THE BEAUTY THAT COMES THROUGH TRUST AND LOVE.THE PAST IS NEVER REALLY THE PAST AND THE FUTURE IS UNKNOW.THE ONLY THING THEY BELIEVE IN IS THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE OTHER THAT THET'RE SCARED TO LOOSE BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY'LL NEVER FIND IT IN ANYONE ELSE.MAYBE LOVE REALLY IS THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND.

--Link to Chapter 2 Pt.1 at the bottom--

Sophie:

It was going to take some time for me to adapt to this new life, this new way of thinking, and accept what was happening to me was authentic. 

Because of all the years of mental and physical abuse I suffered at the hands of a man who I thought loved me, all the damage that had been done to my mind and my emotions was worse than I imagined. I was closed off, became scared, and untrusting about Noah's true intentions for me. I became mean; even aggressive at times, and that would usually lead to fights and arguments that were never intentional.

Later I would come to my senses, realizing what I'd done, and when I looked for him, hoping he would accept my apologies, I always found him; arms opened ready to hold me and tell me that it was okay and that he understood, refusing to admit if I'd hurt him. Noah had become my saving grace. 

But I knew better than to believe him. Noah was a pro at masking his pain which always made me feel worse. I was creating wounds in him; wounds he didn't deserve, yet he always begged me to stay. He never pushed me away or made me feel like anything I did was my fault and I couldn't understand why. To me, at certain times, giving someone a second chance was like giving them an extra bullet for the gun they held to your heart because they didn't hit you hard enough the first time. I didn't want that to be the case with me and Noah. I didn't want to be the reason for any of his pain.

We were together, making it clear we didn't anyone else. He didn't want to see me with anyone else, and I didn't feel safe with anyone else. I loved the way Noah cared for me and his overprotectiveness never bothered me. I welcomed it, with open arms and a grateful heart. 

To the public we were nothing. No one ever noticed anything and we liked it that way. But to the band and crew, his family, Noah made sure they knew and they liked it that way. It was crazy how quickly they become my family too and helped fix the parts of me I thought were too fucked up to be fixed.

Noah became my everything and as each day passed, I found myself falling harder for him; something I thought would never be possible. What was growing between us was more than just a passing feeling or satisfactory highs; it was deeper, stronger, almost ethereal. He had become my safe place, my tower, and the daily reminder that even though I lived through hell for a good part of my life, heaven was achievable. I just had to be patient. 

______________________________________________________________

I could feel his tall, dominant presence before I even felt his long arms snake around my body, pulling me in closer to him. My bottom hung halfway off the stool I was sitting on and I knew that if he let go of me, I would fall flat on my back. But I had faith in Noah; I trusted him, more than I trusted myself, so I let myself relax, laying my head against his hard chest and allowing his long, spider-like fingers to inch their way under my shirt in search of the soft flesh at the top they were looking for. I forced back moans that were begging to escape, refusing to give Noah the satisfaction of knowing how badly I wanted him at the moment. My skin was burning, my heart was racing, and my sex was aching to feel him. I didn't care who was in the house at that moment. I needed Noah now.

"You feel like fucking heaven under my fingertips, Princess," Noah whispered in my ear, trailing hungry kisses from my jaw to my collarbone. "And you smell so fucking good. I want to eat every part of you," lightly dragging his tongue over my skin and nipping every inch that his lips came in contact with. This time I uttered a soft moan after hearing the pet name he gave me the very first time we were intimate on that gray couch in his studio. The things he did to me that day, the way he made me feel; just thinking about it did things to me and the proof was right between my legs. 

Noah groaned, deep and low, pulling me back into the moment as he nuzzled my neck.

"Oh baby, fuck girl you've got me so hard right now I just want to devour you," Noah growled, finally moving his hand under my sports bra to message the pebble flesh beneath it. I bucked when his fingers pinched my nipple, causing me to bite my lower lip harder than I meant to and I hissed. 

"You okay?" he asked leaning over and meeting my cheek with his. 

"Yeah," I huffed a small laugh, throwing my hand behind his head and pushing his face closer to mine. 

"I want your lips and your tongue in my mouth," I demanded. Turning my head to look at him partially, Noah smiled and kissed the tip of my nose before touching my lips with his fingertips, sliding them down my throat, and landing on the soft mound of my breast. He squeezed, making me grunt, and continued making his way down until it slid under the waistband of my sweats.  

"I want these lips," he muttered, reaching further down until he found what he was looking for. I drew in a deep breath when I felt his fingers graze over my middle, causing me to whimper, "I wanna feel how wet you are for me," rubbing my sex with his hand, pushing hard against it and making the muscles in my thighs tighten around his hand. I cried out, overwhelmed by the feeling he was creating in me.

Noah wasn't wasting any time in letting me know what he wanted, and I could tell by the urgent way his fingers grabbed at the flesh between my thighs, gripping and stroking, that this was all a way for him to cover up something that his mind was having a hard time processing. And because he wasn't good with using his emotions or words, he needed me to help; that's why he came to me like this; flustered yet sensual enough to not make me not feel like a toy. 

"Are you okay," I asked softly, locking my fingers around the one hand he still had locked tight under my shirt. His cheek rested against the side of my head and the pressure of his clenched jaw told me he was holding back words.

"How do you do that? How do you know when I'm not alright?"

His voice quivered, giving away his softer side, and my heart suddenly hurt. Something was wrong and he needed a distraction.

Without speaking and no longer interested in answering his question, I reached behind me and brought my hands to his neck, sliding them up the sides, behind the back of his head, and through his freshly cut hair, tugging him down a little more so I could have access to his lips. 

Noah's quiet moans were my weakness. They had become my validation that I was good at making him happy and satisfied, and as I slid my tongue into his mouth and tasted the faint flavor of mint, they got a little louder.

"I like the taste of your lips," I mumbled in between kisses and felt his lips curl up into what I knew to be his precious smile.  

His body tightened around me, his hand between my thighs squeezing my sex some more and making me squirm.

"Noah, please...," I begged. The coiling tension between us was too much and I was losing my will to fight him with every move he made on my body. "You know I hate it when you tease me like this."

"If you hate it so much, then why are you moaning for me?" he cooed, stroking my neck with his fingers, before wrapping them lightly around it, squeezing.

"Shit, Noah, please,"  

I swallowed hard, despite the grip he had on my throat, my nerves on fire, quickly losing all composure. Noah, once again, had me chasing my climax.

"Please, what baby? What do you want from me?" releasing the chokehold on my neck and circling a spot on the side with his finger. Leaning down he sucked on my skin so hard that I winced. He already knew what I wanted; he always did.

"You want me to touch you?" once he was satisfied with the mark he left on me.

I nodded.

His fingers finally worked their way under my panties, tugging them aside, and sliding between my wet folds, stroking the very spot he knew would have me begging for his mercy. 

"Say it, princess, tell me what you want me to do." Noah's plea sounded just as desperate as mine. 

I was panting, completely ruined and vulnerable in Noah's hands, and he knew exactly what he was doing and if he didn't touch me soon, I would make him. 

"Please t-t-touch me, Noah, fuck please," I whined, tightening my grip around his neck

He huffed a small laugh and hugged me tighter.

"What, like this, is this what you want," sliding one long finger deep between the crevices of folds and pushing into me.

 I softly cried out, dropping my hands from around his neck and wrapping them around his legs, digging my nails into the tender flesh of his thighs, as his fingers pumped in and out of the center of my pleasure. 

Noah drew in a short breath through his teeth, removing his hand from under my shirt and wrapping it around my throat again.

"Is that your mark on me, baby?"

"Maybe."

"Your nails fucking hurt."

Noah's wet lips crashed into mine and our tongues met, starving for the taste of one another's. The sounds that escaped me; soft whimpers, short, breathless moans, were different than times before; they were desperate and dangerous.

 "I guess we're even then. Sucking my skin isn't as comfortable as you might think," I sassed, meeting his eyes. They were dark and firey, threatening something more than what he was already doing to me. 

"That's it, I'm gonna make you fucking cum for me," he growled, grabbing my hand and pulling it back behind me so hard that I yelped. 

"Oh shit, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't me," 

"I'm fine, Noah. I'm fine. Please, just keep going. Finish me off."

He was concerned, worried he'd hurt me or triggered some painful memory. But the difference between when Noah was rough and when Perry was rough was that Noah only wanted to please me whereas Perry only wanted to hurt me.

Taking my hand, more gentle this time, he placed it on his hard cock that was pressed firmly against my back. 

"That's where your hand stays until I make you cum. If you remove it, I stop," sliding another finger inside me and using his thumb to make the magic circles he knew would have me cuming on his fingers in a matter of seconds. I completely collapsed into him, throwing my head back against his chest, so that he was the only thing keeping me up. His fingers slid in and out of me, thrusting so far up I could see stars, making me cry out in the most satisfying way possible, as his fingers continued curling and twisting inside me 

"Shit, Sophie, I can feel you, God you're so fucking wet for me," he panted, throwing his hand to my neck once more, but this time squeezing hard. My oxygen was suppressed and as Noah continued plunging his two long fingers in and out of me, my vision began to grow hazy, but I never removed my hand. I grabbed what I could and pressed him tighter in my hand slightly moving his length around. 

Noah's moans hit me right in my soaking wet core.

"I know. Please don't stop Noah. You've got me, I'm almost there," I cried breathlessly, rolling my hips to make him go deeper.

"I love making you feel this way, Sophie. I love knowing I'm the only one who gets to watch you fuck my fingers like this." My cries were closer together and I knew was just about there. 

"And when you're ready, inside of your walls is where I want to be, thrusting my cock inside the tight folds of your broken mind and penetrating the sweet softness that is you, until I release all my love deep inside you. I'll fuck every part of him out of your mind Sophie."

Crying out Noah's name savagely, I found his lips and attacked them like a ravaged animal as tears slid down my cheeks, my climax almost reaching its end.

"Cum on me, Princess, so I can taste you!"

That was all the encouragement I needed. With one more hard thrust onto his fingers, my orgasm hit me so hard, that nothing but a string of curses came out of my mouth.

"Fuck." Noah bit my earlobe, pulling it between his lips and then letting his lips fall to my cheek and then my neck. "You look so beautiful when you cum." He squeezed me tighter as his breath caught in his throat. He was trembling, the strain of holding up both himself and my body all at once, seemed to be playing a part.   

I was utterly breathless and my legs were shaking terribly that trying to form a proper thought seemed impossible at the moment. Noah's chest heaved in and out against me, and the groaning that followed told me that I wasn't the only one who found their release. Once Noah slid his fingers out of me, I suddenly felt so empty, longing to be filled with him again. 

"I love the way you taste, baby," smiling against my face, "so sweet and all mine." I grinned shyly, still not used to his praise when it came to sexual intercourse. Perry never gave me praise.

"All yours?" I felt Noah's body tighten and a brief moment of silence passed. 

"I want it to be all mine; all of you. I want all of you Sophie." He kissed my cheek, sparking the urge for more of him inside me. 

Sitting up and turning around to finally face him, I met Noah's sweet face. His eyes were still dark, showing the remaining signs of his arousal, but fuck, he was gorgeous. His hair was disheveled and his lips were wrecked, but everything else was perfect. I laid both my hands on the sides of his face and gently tasted his lips, tasting a little of myself on his tongue. I groaned, shifting my bottom to sit, and wrapped my legs around him, pulling him close not caring at all about the mess that was covering his shorts.   

"See what you fucking do to me?" Noah praised. Smiling against his lips, he ran my hands through his hair, laying them around his neck. 

"God, you're so unbelievably fucking beautiful, you know that, don't you?" I shook my head, refusing to meet his eyes. 

"Hey, look at me," taking my chin between his thumb and finger, turning my face towards him. 

"You are," he roused, his lips pressing together to form his intoxicating smile that made me melt. I covered my face with my hands, hoping Noah didn't see how red he made my cheeks. But he pulled them down, taking both of them in one of his, and bringing them to his chest.

"Don't, don't ever cover your face, especially from me. You've spent too much of your life hiding that beautiful face because of...." 

Noah didn't like talking about my past abuse any more than I did. When it did come up, he got aggressive about it, and I prayed he and Perry never had a face-to-face.

"Well, you know, just because," he said, brushing my hair back, away from my face.  

"Just so that you remember, you're the one who said I needed more time before we decided to have sex, not me."

I reached over and slid my fingers across his cheek until it rested in the palm of my hand. Noah had the sweetest heart, but it carried a lot of pain and secrets. I knew, with time as he promised, he would tell me those pains and secrets. Until then, all I could do was love him the way he needed to be loved.

"I'm ready Noah, I'm ready for you to have all of me. You said you wanted it, well, it's yours." 

I never thought I would see the kind of relief on Noah's face that I saw then. It was like a dark cloud suddenly passed over him, allowing the sun to shine.  

Leaning in and kissing me quickly, he stood up reaching for me to join him. 

Our lips found each other's, pulling one another in. We broke apart, smiles stretching over both our faces, only to go back in for seconds.

"I'm going to go change. When I come back down, do you want to order food and watch "Demon Slayer" "?

"Absolutely," I giggled, smiling like a schoolgirl. 

Noah shot me a wink before running upstairs.

I took the extra time I had to clean up the kitchen and straighten up the bar, putting things back in order. Eventually, Noah came down, but he was no longer in the same happy mood as before. 

"Babe, what's wrong?" 

He didn't answer, didn't even look up at me.

I went over to him, hoping it was nothing serious, and froze the instant I saw the look on his face. 

"Noah, what's wrong?"

He took a deep breath as if he was about to speak, but changed his mind.

"Nothing," shaking his head and walking past me.

"What the hell? What do you mean by nothing? Your face says differently. Noah!"

"Just forget it okay? Where's the menu for the Chinese place? I'm going to order food." 

"Stop brushing me off!" I ordered. "I know something's going on."

Noah finally faced me. He looked very angry, yet I could see the pain he was fighting to hide. 

"Noah, please talk to me. Don't shut me out; not when I've been so honest with you and you've seen just about every demon of mine." I was willing to beg him, pleading for him to open up and talk to me. 

Running his hands through his hair, Noah huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fuck! I was hoping this would never happen! I don't fucking understand. Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me!"

I was wrong; Noah wasn't angry; he was fucking pissed.

"Sophie, Matt called me. I need to tell you about Sarah." My heart started pounding "Who's Sarah?" Noah clenched his teeth together and I knew he was reluctant to tell me.

"Noah… who is Sarah?" "She was part of our crew early on; was with us for a few years." "Okay," I said slowly, not following. "Fuck! She's my ex-fiancé, Sophie." My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. "What?" I was confused as hell. Noah nor anyone else had ever mentioned an ex-fiancé. "I didn't know…" "Yeah, a lot of people didn't. It wasn't a long engagement."

Somehow, I was able to see past the confusion for a moment and notice how bad this whole mess was affecting Noah. "What happened?" I asked, going over to him, but not touching him. Sometimes, Noah just needed space. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut. He was fighting back tears. Finally, I reached out and laid a hand on his arm. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me now." "I'm sorry. I should have told to sooner," taking my hand and pulling me into his embrace. "Told me what?" He paused to lick his lips, looking down at me. "Somehow, someone fucked up and hired her back on as crew for the new tour." "So, she's working for you?" He gave a half shrug. "Sort of, yeah." I breathed in deep, letting it out slowly.

Wrapping my arms around him, I laid my head on Noah's chest. The sound of his heartbeat calmed me. Ever since the first night he held me through my panic attack, the sound became a solace for me. "It's okay, baby. We'll get through this." "We?" I nodded, looking up at him. "I'm not going anywhere, Noah." "No?" he whispered, caressing my face with his long, tattooed fingers. My body melted into him and I became putty in his hands. "No. I'm staying right here until you tell me to leave." Sliding his hand behind my head, Noah lowered his face and took my lips in his, kissing me softly and slowly, while his other hand found its way to my bottom. I gasped, smiling into his lips when he squeezed my left cheek.

"You're never leaving me," he said when we parted. "No?" taking his chin between my fingers and pecking his lips. He shook his head. "Sophie, I'd love it if we told people we're together. I want to make it official." My heart did that weird flip-flop thing and I couldn't help my grin. "Me too." "You wanna be only mine?" his eyes flashing with excitement as a lopsided grip appeared over his mouth. "I thought I already was," I chuckled. "Are you a jealous man, Noah?" giving him a questioning look. "I am, especially when it comes to you." I smiled, running my fingers through his hair, savoring the delicious moan that fell from his lips. "Sophie," "Hmm…" "I think I love you…" "Think?" "….. …… ….. let's just say a ninety-nine percent chance." I threw my arms around Noah's neck, smiling like a silly little schoolgirl. "I think I love you too, Noah."

CHAPTER 2 PT.1

[littlemuoi]

Royals were ‘very nervous’ about Miss Piggy at Coronation Concert by India McTaggart (May 8th 2023)

The Duke of Edinburgh has admitted many in the Royal Box were “very nervous” about Miss Piggy following her cameo appearance at the Coronation Concert.

The King's youngest brother said that he and the rest of the box invitees thought the Muppets character might turn up to sit in the empty seat behind him, joking that everyone was “much more concerned” about that than anything else.

In the end, only Kermit the Frog popped in to visit the newly crowned King and Queen in the Royal Box, towards the end of the star-studded event.

The Duke added that he thought the Coronation ceremony went “very well” and that, despite it being shorter than 1953, nothing was “missing” from it.

He made the remarks while at a Guide Dogs puppy training class with the Duchess of Edinburgh in Reading for the Big Help Out initiative.

The Royal couple joined volunteers and staff for an interactive training class that focused on teaching the puppies skills to help on their journey to becoming guide dogs.

While talking to the volunteers after the class, the Duke was asked about how he thought his brother’s historic crowning ceremony went.

“It all went very well and even if it was shorter than the last one, I don’t think anyone could have possibly spotted anything that was missing, so that’s nice,” he said.

“I couldn’t actually see what happened in the procession because the trouble of being part of it is that you don’t see it - we need to catch up and watch it,” he added.

The conversation then turned to the concert that was held at Windsor Castle on Sunday night, which was marked with a surprise cameo appearance from the Muppets characters Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.

'Everyone around us got very nervous'

The Duke gave a disapproving look at the mention of the characters, but said: “We were much more concerned about Miss Piggy turning up in the Royal Box.

“There was an empty seat behind me and we didn’t know who it was, we thought they just didn’t turn up, but then we suddenly thought it could be her and once we started that rumour, everyone around us got very nervous,” he laughed.

Kermit the Frog pops up in the Royal Box beside the Duke of Edinburgh - but there was relief as his on-and-off partner, the rambunctious Miss Piggy, did not join him  CREDIT: BBC/PA

He also added that it was the fourth coronation to be rained on, saying it was therefore “quite appropriate that we managed to continue that tradition”.

The Duchess, meanwhile, said the Coronation weekend had been “absolutely extraordinary”.

The couple spent the afternoon training and playing with the selection of puppies and dogs at the charity’s centre in Reading, Berkshire.

The Duchess has been patron of Guide Dogs since July 2021, succeeding Princess Alexandra, who held the position for over 60 years.

She has been a longtime campaigner for people who suffer from sight loss and has been Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness for nearly 20 years.

The Duchess told the volunteers that their service in raising the puppies before they went on to become trained guide dogs had “purpose in it all the time” and that she can “never get over” what the dogs go on to be able to do.

She also hailed the vital work the volunteers were doing by raising the puppies, saying it is no small feat to “put your trust in an animal to see you safely across the road”.

“You’re providing the opportunity for someone else to have not only a companion, but to have another set of hands and to lead an independent life,” she added.

'They were brilliant - but Sophie was better'

The Duke and Duchess attended the charity’s taster session on Monday as part of the Big Help Out volunteering scheme, which was devised as part of the King’s Coronation to raise awareness of volunteering and its benefits.

Guide Dogs is one of thousands of charities opening their doors on the bank holiday with a series of taster sessions that they hope will inspire a new generation of volunteers across the country.

The puppies are raised with the volunteers for 14 to 16 months and then they go on to get trained to become guide dogs, eventually getting paired with an owner.

Among the many different roles needed, Guide Dogs is appealing for volunteer fosterers to come forward who will provide loving homes for guide dogs in training, such as the ones the Duke and Duchess met during their visit.

Speaking about the couple’s own dog, a Beagle, the Duchess said she had a “somewhat limited” understanding of instructions and added that “she spends all day migrating from one dog bed to another”.

The Duke piped in, saying their dog was “the dopiest dog I know” and “untrainable”.

Fran Tayor, 75, a retired financial manager from Theale, Berkshire, said after the event that she thought the Duchess was better at handling the guide dogs than the Duke.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (centre) with staff as they visit a puppy class in Reading  CREDIT: PAUL GROVER/ARP

The mother-of-two said: “They’ve both got dogs themselves and they were brilliant with them, but Sophie was better.”

Fran’s dog, Lucy, is a four-month old labrador and golden retriever cross-breed. The puppy strained on her lead to reach for a snack as the Duchess walked her and joked: “She’s perfectly under control.”

Mark Gurney and his wife Lynn also took part in the event as volunteer fosterers, saying the Duke and Duchess were “so relaxed and wonderful”.

Mr Gurney, a retired firefighter, said: “We talked about raising the pup and the complexities of it and how really rewarding it is to give something back.

“The Duke and Duchess were really receptive and easy to talk to.”

Tom Wright, the chief executive of Guide Dogs, said the Duchess has been a “great patron and supporter of our work,” adding that she is “very engaged” with the charity.

Guide Dogs Chairman Jamie Hambro said: “We are honoured to mark this very special weekend and such an important initiative – The Big Help Out - with our patron, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke.

“We are grateful for them taking part in today’s session to raise awareness of volunteering and its benefits, and of course for all our volunteers who continue to support us. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to reach and support as many people with sight loss as we do.”

[official-kenralie-fanbase]

Do you have any headcannons for how the council was like after Kenric's death like the days afterwards? Also I love your headcannons!

Thank you anon! I love writing headcanons so I'm glad you enjoy them :)

Ooh boy this is going to be so angsty and fun

tw for death and discussions of grief

The Councillors, for the most part, didn't really know how to react

Nothing as terrible as this had ever happened since the pyrokinesis incident. But only a few of them were present for that, and they were able to dissociate themselves from it because a Councillor didn't die.

This was different. The populace had loved Kenric, and he'd been an integral part of their group. He'd always had something funny to say, and he'd always been kind and considerate. He was the Councillor the people trusted the most, and without him, trust was going to be harder to come by.

At the healing, when the fact that Kenric wasn't going to come out of the building sank in, Oralie lost it. She never cried in front of the others, at least as much as she could help it, but she couldn't help but fall to her knees and sob

Emery was concerned about her, of course, but he was more concerned about the Council's reputation. Rumors had surrounded Kenric and Oralie for a while now. But letting the people see her crying not like someone who's lost her friend, but someone who's lost her lover, he was worried that trust in the Council would fade even more

So he told her to calm down

And that's when Bronte lost it

He yelled at Emery, telling him that he had no right to say these kinds of things to her, especially at a time like this.

Bronte pretended it was all for Oralie, but in reality, he'd lost one of his best friends, and that was how he let out his anger and grief

The other Councillors tried not to take sides, but when they saw poor heartbroken, lovesick Oralie, they couldn't help but ache for her

It was just a terrible night for all of them, and even though they needed to get going working on repairing the world from the disaster, they waited until the morning

At the first meeting they had following the healing, it was just quiet.

They knew they had to begin the process of repairing the shattered trust the people had in them, rebuilding their city, and electing a new Councillor, but they just... couldn't.

All of the Councillors sat there, trying to ignore the sound of Oralie's muffled sobs.

They worked numbly to arrange the funeral, each of them taking on different coping mechanisms to help with their grief.

Oralie retreated inside herself; Emery's words had affected her more than she'd admit. She knew she shouldn't be showing how much she was mourning the man she'd loved and lost, so she decided it was best not to feel anything at all. It was the only way she could get through everything to come without shattering.

(As awful as the ability restrictor was, Oralie probably would have gone numb if it hadn't been for that. Once she realized how much Sophie needed her now, more than ever, she realized she couldn't be a grieving lover. She had to be a Councillor, and she had to stay strong.)

Bronte was angry. Angry at everyone who'd supported the healing, and at all his fellow Councillors for being so focused on the work that they didn't let anyone truly mourn. He was even angry at Kenric, though he knew he shouldn't be, and especially angry at Fintan, who was his friend and was now something he didn't know how to handle.

(A lot of innocent inanimate objects suffered from the rage of his inflicting that week.)

Emery dove into the work, trying to make everyone else focus on the logistics of electing a new Councillor and rebuilding their world instead of how shattered they were from the loss

Terik took on the "jokester" role, trying to make things lighthearted and fun. But that had been Kenric's role, and it only ended up making things sadder, because Terik could never replace him.

Over the days leading up to Alina's election, things began to go back to normal. Their meetings became more natural, and the gaping hole Kenric's loss left in their group began to seem smaller.

But deep down, everyone knew they shouldn't be back to normal.

[theorphaninthetardis]

Chapter Six

The Doctor leads Jack into the adjacent room, leaving Sophie in the main room of the office. She can hear muffled conversation from the two, but mainly just sits in the office, her brain replaying the events of the previous day in her head. She can see the Master crumbled on the floor, the blood pooling in his lap, while the Doctor cradles his limp body. How she even managed to do it, she is unsure, but somehow it happened.

She slumps down in the seat, as the Doctor and Jack step back into the office. "So," Sophie asks, glancing up at the duo, "What have you got? Any way to get me back home?"

Jack comes back and takes the seat next to her, "We're working on it, but there are a few things you need to realise," the Captain says, placing a hand on her knee.

The Doctor leans forward in his seat on the opposite side of the desk. "If we send you home, your parents won't be alive. All of the events that formed your life in your world will go back to normal, including any trauma."

Sophie nods, "I know. And as much as I love my parents, I don't know them. I know you, Theta Sigma, Jack Harkness. You are my family, and I want to get back to them."

The Doctor's eyes widen when Sophie uses his Gallifreyan nickname. "Alright then, follow me." He stands from his desk, and walks right to the TARDIS, not checking to see if anyone is following him. Jack and Sophie obediently head into the ship, and the TARDIS starts to hum.

Sophie presses a hand against the console, and the room brightens. The Doctor looks around, and walks up to the screen on the time rotor. He presses a few different keys on the keyboard, and scans the readings, "That's strange."

"That doesn't sound good," Jack says, walking up and standing behind the Time Lord.

"The TARDIS recognizes Sophie, which, if this were a parallel universe, she shouldn't know her."

"So wait, are you saying this isn't a parallel universe?" Sophie asks, her eyebrows rising. "But then, why doesn't anyone recognize me? And how do you explain my parents being alive?"

"Shut up," the Doctor says, and turns back to the screen. Sophie rolls her eyes, trying not to look affronted. The Time Lord starts typing more furiously on the console, reading faster than a human's eyes can move. He steps back from the time rotor, and clasps his hands behind his back, and begins to pace across the TARDIS floor. "This doesn't make any logical sense."

"Does your life usually make logical sense?" Jack asks, leaning against the console.

The Doctor ignores him, and walks over to the chalkboard on the second walkway on the ship. He turns, and points a piece of chalk at her, "Tell me everything."

Her eyes widen, "About what?"

"Your life, my life, Jack's life. Everything you know about aliens, the universe. Everything."

***

She tells the Doctor and Jack about every moment in her life, at least those that aren't spoilers. As she tells him the Doctor's face gets more and more pensive, and the smile on Jack's grows. Sophie starts to talk about the Year That Never Was, and hesitates. Jack raises an eyebrow, and she takes a deep breath, and tells the Doctor about how she shot his best friend.

He shrugs, and turns back to the computer. "I'm not seeing much about what could have caused the world to forget you. And the strange appearance of your parents."

"I've got about as much of a clue as you, Doc. That's why I came to you, thought maybe you could figure this out."

"I'm working on it," he grumbles.

"Great, what do I do till then? I can't go back to my old house, I'll say the wrong thing, and my 'parents' will know something is up. And I don't really have anywhere else to go either."

Jack cups her shoulder, "You can stay at the Hub, if you'd like. We have a bunk room, or you could stay in my room, if you'd prefer."

She sighs in relief, "Thanks Jack. The bunk room will be fine."

He smiles, "Don't worry, we'll get this all sorted out."

"With you two on the case, I think that's pretty obvious. I'll always trust you two with my life, no matter what."

***

Jack drives back to Torchwood. By the time they get there, the rest of the crew has clocked out for the day. Jack glances around, "Guess we'll have to wait till tomorrow for introductions, at least of you to the team. Bunk room is—"

"Down the corridor, take the left at the end, four doors down."

He chuckles, "Guess it shouldn't surprise me that you know that already. I'll see you in the morning."

She nods, and heads off down the hallway. Sophie tugs out her mobile when she arrives in the room. She sends a quick silent thank you to Ianto for always being prepared, and having the beds made up. She scrolls through her contacts again, trying to see if she recognizes any of the names on the list. She reads each name individually, and knows that none of the numbers are her friends. She tosses the phone onto the bed, and starts to pace across the room. Sophie knows she doesn't have her backpack, which means no sonic screwdriver, so she can't even scan herself.

Flopping down on the bed, she sighs deeply, and stares up at the ceiling, her brain running at a mile a minute. Sophie lays on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for hours, wanting more than anything that the memories of the Year to leave her alone. But everything that the Master forced her to do is flooding back in all at once, and she can't stop it. She doesn't realize when the tears start, but when they start to come as floods out of her eyes, she curls into a ball, and hugs herself.

[vickyvicarious]

Leverage Redemption Pros/Cons List

Okay! Now that I've finally finished watching the first half of Leverage: Redemption, I thought I'd kind of sum up my overall impression. Sort of a pro/con list, except a little more just loosely structured rambles on each bullet point rather than a simple list.

This got way out of hand from what I expected so I'm going to put it all under a cut. If you want the actual bulletpoint list, here it is:

PROS

References

Continuity

Nate

Representation

Themes

New Characters

General Vibe

CONS

'Maker and Fixer'

Episode Twins

Sophie's Stagefright

Thiefsome

You might notice the pros list is longer, and that's because I do love the show! I really like most of what it does, and my gripes are fewer in number and mostly smaller in size. But they do exist and I felt like talking about them as well as the stuff I loved.

PROS

References

There is clearly so much love and respect for the original show here. Quite aside from the general situation, there's a lot of references to individual episodes or character traits from the first show. For example, Parker's comments on disliking clowns, liking puppets, disliking horses, stabbing vs. tasing people. The tasing was an ongoing thing in the original, the stabbing happened once (S1) but was referenced later in the original show, the clown thing only had a few mentions scattered across the entire original show. The puppet thing was mentioned once in S5, and the horses thing in particular was only brought up in S1 once. But they didn't miss the chance to put the nod to it in there; in fact with those alone we see a good mix of common/ongoing jokes and smaller details.

We got "dammit Hardison" and "it's a very distinctive..." but also Eliot and Parker arguing about him catering a mob wedding, and Eliot being delighted by lemon as a secret ingredient in a dish in that same episode (another reference to the mob episode). Hardison and Eliot banter about "plan M", an ongoing joke starting from the very first episode of the original show. We see Sophie bring up Hardison's accent in the Ice Job, Parker also makes reference to an early episode when describing "backlash effect" to Breanna, in an episode that also references her brother slightly if you look for it.

Heck, the last episode of these first eight makes a big deal out of nearly reproducing the iconic opening lines of the original show with Fake Nate's "we provide... an advantage." And I mean, all the "let's go steal a ___" with Harry being confused about how to use them.

Some of the lines are more obviously references to the original show, but they strike a decent balance with smaller or unspoken stuff as well, and also mix in some references between the team to events we the audience have never seen. If someone was coming into this show for the first time, they wouldn't get all the easter egg joy but most of the references would stand on their own as dialogue anyway. In general, I think they struck a good balance of restating needed context for new viewers while still having enough standalone good lines and more-fun-if-you-get-it callbacks.

Continuity

Similar to the last point, but slightly different. The characters' development from the original to now is shown so well. I'm not going to go on about this too long, but the writers clearly didn't want to let the original characters stagnate during the offscreen years. There was a lot of real thought put into how they would change or not.

It's really written well. We can see just how cohesive a team Parker, Hardison, and Eliot became. We get a sense of how they've spent their time, and there's plenty of evidence that they remained incredibly close with Sophie and Nate until this past year. The way everyone defers to Parker is different from the original show and clearly demonstrates how she's been well established as the leader for years now - they show this well even as Parker is stepping back to let Sophie take point in these episodes. Eventually that is actually called out by Sophie in the eighth episode, so we might see more mastermind Parker in the back half of the show, maybe. But even with her leading, it's clear how collaborative the team has become, with everyone bouncing ideas off one another and adding their input freely. Sometimes they even get so caught up they leave the newbies completely in the dust. But for the most part we get a good sense of how the Parker/Hardison/Eliot team worked with her having final say on plans but the others discussing everything together. A little bit more collaborative than it was with Nate at the helm.

Meanwhile Sophie has built a home and is deeply attached to it. She and Nate really did retire, at least for the most part, and she was living her happy ending until he died. She's out of practice but still as skilled as ever, and we're shown how much her grief has changed her and how concerned the others are for her.

There's a lot of emphasis on how they all look after one another and the found family is clearer than ever. Sophie even calls Hardison "his father's son" - clearly referring to Nate.

Nate

Speaking of Nate! They handled his loss so, so well. His story was the most complete at the end of the last show, and just from a narrative point, losing him makes the most sense of all the characters. But the way he dies and his impact on the show and the characters continues. It's very respectful to who he was - who he truly was.

Nate was someone they all loved, but he was a deeply flawed individual. Sophie talks about how he burned too hot, but at least he burned - possibly implying to me that his drinking was related to his death. In any case, there's no mystery to it. We don't know how he died but that's not what's most important about his death. This isn't a quest for revenge or anything... it's just a study of grief and trying to heal.

Back to who he really was real quick - the show doesn't eulogize him as better than he was. They're honest about him. From the first episode's toast they raise in his memory, to the final episode where Sophie and Eliot are deeply confused by Fake Nate singing his praises, the team knows who he was. They don't erase his flaws... but at the same time he was so clearly theirs. He was family, he was the man they trusted and loved and followed into incredibly dangerous situations, and whose loss they all still feel deeply.

That said, the show doesn't harp on this point. They reference him, but they don't overwhelm new viewers with a constant barrage of Nate talk. It always serves a purpose, primarily for Sophie's storyline of moving through her grief. Anyway, @robinasnyder said all of this way better than me here, so go read that as well.

Representation

Or should I say, Jewish Hardison, Autistic Parker, Queer Breanna!

Granted, Hardison's religion isn't quite explicitly stated to be Jewish so much as he mentions that his "Nana runs a multi-denominational household", but nonetheless. He gets the shows big thesis statement moment, he gets a beautiful speech about redemption that is the emotional cornerstone of that episode and probably Harry's entire arc throughout the show. And while I'm not Jewish myself, most of what I've seen from Jewish fans is saying that Hardison's words here were excellent representation of their beliefs. (@featherquillpen does a great job in that meta of contextualizing this with his depiction in the original show as well.)

Autistic Parker, however, is shown pretty dang blatantly. She already was very much coded as autistic in the original show, but the reboot has if anything gone further. She sees a child psychologist because she likes using puppets to represent emotions, she stims, she uses cue cards and pre-written scripts for social interactions, there's mention of possible texture sensitivity and her clothes are generally more loose and comfortable. She's gotten better at performing empathy and understanding how people typically work, but it's specifically described as something she learned how to do and she views her brain as being different from ones that work that way (same link). Again, not autistic myself but from what I've seen autistic fans find a lot to relate to in her portrayal. And best of all, this well-rounded and respectful depiction does not show any of these qualities as a lack on her part. There's no more of those kinda ableist comments or "what's wrong with you" jokes that were in the original show. Parker is the way she is, and that allows her to do things differently. She's loved for who she is, and any effort made to fit in is more just to know how so that she can use it to her advantage when she wants to on the job - for her convenience, not others' comfort.

Speaking of loved for who you are.... okay, again, queer Breanna isn't confirmed onscreen yet, and I don't count Word of God as true canon. But I can definitely believe we're building there. Breanna dresses in a very GNC way, and just her dialogue and, I dunno, vibes seem very queer to me. She has a beautiful speech in the Card Game Job about not belonging or being accepted and specifically mentions "the way they love" as one of those things that made her feel like she didn't belong. And that scene is given so much weight and respect. (Not to mention other hints throughout the episode about how much finding her own space meant to her.) Also, the whole theme of feeling rejected and the key for her to begin really flourishing is acceptance for who she is, not any desire for her to be anyone else, is made into another big moment. Yeah, textually that moment is about her feeling like she has to fill Hardison's shoes and worrying about her past, but the themes are there, man.

Themes

I talked a bit about this yesterday, so I'm mostly just going to link to that post, but... this series so far is doing a really good job in my opinion of giving people arcs and having some good themes. Namely the redemption one, from Hardison's speech (which I'm gonna talk a little more about in the next point), and this overall theme of growing up and looking to the future (from above the linked post).

New Characters

Harry and Breanna are fantastic characters. I was kind of worried about Harry being a replacement Nate, but... he really isn't. Sure, he's the older white guy who has an angsty past but it's in a very different way and his personality and relationships with the rest of the crew are correspondingly different. I think the dynamic of a very friendly, cheerful, kind, but still bad guy (as @soundsfaebutokay points out) is a great one to show, and he's got a really cool arc I think of learning to be a better person, and truly understanding Hardison's point about redemption being a process not a goal. His role on the team also has some interesting applications and drawbacks, as @allegorymetaphor talked about. I've kind of grown to think that the show is gradually building up to an eventual Sophie/Harry romance a ways down the line, and I'm actually here for it. Regardless, his relationships with everyone are really interesting.

As for Breanna, first of all and most importantly I love her. Secondly, I think she's got a really interesting story. She's a link to Hardison's past, and provides a really interesting perspective for us as someone younger who has grown up a) looking up to Leverage and b) in a bleaker and more hopeless world. Breanna's not an optimist, and she's not someone who was self-sufficient and unconcerned with the rest of the world at the start, like everyone else. She believes that the world sucks and she wants it to be better, but she doesn't know how to make that happen. She outright says she's desperate and that's why she's working with Leverage. At the same time, Breanna is pretty down on herself and wants to prove herself but gets easily shaken by mistakes or being scolded, which is a stark contrast to Hardison's general self-confidence. There are several times when she starts to have an idea then hesitates to share it, or expects her emotions to be dismissed, or gets really disheartened when she's corrected or rejected, or dwells on her mistakes, or when she is accepted or praised she usually takes a surprised beat and is shy about it (she almost always looks down and away from the person, and her smile is often small or startled). Breanna looks up to the team so much (Parker especially, then probably Eliot) and she wants to prove herself. It's going to be so good to see her grow.

General Vibe

A brief note, but it seems a fitting one to end on. The show keeps it's overall tone and feeling from the original show. The fun, the competency porn, the bad guys and clever plans and happy endings. It's got differences for sure, but the characters are recognizably themselves and the show as a whole is recognizably still Leverage. For the most part they just got the feeling right, and it's really nice.

CONS (no, not that kind)

'Maker and Fixer'

So when I started writing this meta earlier today, I was actually a lot more annoyed by the lack of unique 'maker' skills being shown by Breanna. Basically the only time she tries to use a drone, the very thing she introduced herself as being good at, it breaks instantly. I was concerned about her being relegated into just doing what Hardison did, instead of bringing her own stuff to the table. But the seventh episode eased some of those fears, and the meta I just wrote for someone else asking about Breanna's 'maker' skills as shown this season made me realize there's more nuance than that. I'd still like to have seen more of that from her, but for now the fact that we don't see a lot of 'maker' from her so far seems more like a character decision based in Breanna's insecurities.

Harry definitely gets more 'inside man' usage. His knowledge as a 'fixer' comes in handy several times. Nonetheless, I'm really curious if there are any bigger ways to use it, aside from him just adding in some exposition/insight from time to time. I'm not even entirely sure how much more they can pull from this premise in terms of relevant skills, but I hope there's more and I'd like to see it. Maybe a con built more around him playing a longer role playing his old self, like they tried in the Tower Job? Maybe it's more a matter of him needed distance from that part of his past, being unable to face it without lashing out - in that case it could be a good character growth moment possibly for him to succeed in being Scummy Lawyer again down the line? I dunno.

Episode Twins

This was something small that kind of bothered me a little earlier in the season. It's kind of the negative side to the references, I guess? And I'm not even sure how much it annoys me really, but I just kinda noticed and felt sort of weird about it.

Rollin' on the River has a lot of references/callbacks to the The Wedding Job.

The Tower Job has a lot of references/callbacks to The White Rabbit Job.

The Paranormal Hacktivity Job has a lot of references/callbacks to the Future Job.

I guess I was getting a little concerned that there would be a 'match this episode' situation where almost every new Redemption episode is very reminiscent of an old one. I love the callbacks, but I don't want to see a lack of creativity in this new show, and this worried me for a minute. Especially when it was combined with all three of those episodes dealing with housing issues of some kind. Now, that's a huge concern for a lot of people, and each episode has its own take on a different problem within that huge umbrella, but it still got me worried about a lack of variety in topics/cases.

The rest of the episodes failing to line up so neatly in my head with older episodes helped a lot to ease this one, though. Still, this is my complaining section so I figured I'd express my concerns as they were at the time. Even if I no longer really worry about it much.

Sophie's Stagefright

Yeah, I know this is just a small moment in a single episode, but it annoyed me! Eliot made a bit of a face at Sophie going onstage, but I thought it was just him being annoyed at the general situation. However, they started out with her being awful up there until she realized the poem was relevant to the con - at which point her reading got so much better.

This felt like a complete betrayal of Sophie's beautiful moment at the end of the original show where she got over her trouble with regular acting and played Lady Macbeth beautifully in front of a full theater of audience members. This was part of the con, but only in the sense that it gave her an alibi/place to hide, and I always interpreted it as her genuinely getting over her stagefright problems. It felt like such a beautiful place to end her arc for that show, especially after all her time spent directing.

Now, her difficulty onstage in the Card Game Job was brief and at the very beginning of being up on stage. @rinahale suggested to me that maybe it was a deliberate tactic to draw the guy's attention, and the later skill was simply her shifting focus to make the sonnet easier for Breanna to listen to and interpret, but he seemed more enraptured when she was doing well than otherwise in my opinion and it just doesn't quite sit well with me. My other theory was that maybe she just hasn't been up on stage in a long time, and much like she complaining about being rusty at grifting before the team pushed her into trying, she got nervous for a moment at the very beginning. The problem there is that I think she'd definitely still get involved in theater even when she and Nate were retired. I guess she could've quit after he died, and a year might be long enough to make her doubt herself again, but... still.

I just resent that they even left it ambiguous at all. Sophie's skills should be solid on stage at this point in my opinion.

Thiefsome

...And now we come to my main complaint. This is, by far, the biggest issue I have with the show.

I feel like I should put a disclaimer here that I had my doubts from the beginning about the thiefsome becoming canon onscreen. I thought the famous "the OT3 is safe" tweet could easily just mean that they are all still alive and well, or all still working together, without giving us confirmation of a romantic relationship. Despite this, the general fandom expectations/hopes really got to me, especially with the whole "lock/pick/key" thing. I tried to temper my expectations again when the character descriptions came out and only mentioned Hardison loving Parker, not Eliot, but I still got my hopes up.

The thing is, I was disappointed pretty quickly.

The very first episode told me that in all likelihood we would never see Hardison and Parker and Eliot together in a romantic sense. Oh, there was so much coding. So much hinting. So much in the way of conversations that were about Parker/Hardison's relationship but then Eliot kept getting brought into them. They were portrayed as a unit of three.

But then there was this.

I love all of those scenes of Parker and Hardison being intimate and loving and comfortable with one another and their relationship. I really do. But it didn't escape my notice that there's nothing of the sort with Eliot. If they wanted a canon onscreen thiefsome, it would by far make the most sense to just have it established from the start. But there aren't any scenes where Eliot shares the same kind of physical closeness with either of them like they do each other. Parker and Hardison kiss; he doesn't kiss anyone. They have several clearly romantic conversations when alone; he gets important conversations with both but the sense of it being romantic isn't there.

Establishing Eliot as part of the relationship after Hardison is gone just... doesn't make any sense. It would be more likely to confuse new viewers, to make them wonder if Parker is cheating on Hardison with Eliot, or if they have a Y shaped relationship rather that a triangle. It would be so much clumsier.

Still, up until the Double-Edged-Sword Job I believed the writers might keep it at this level of 'plausible hinting but not quite saying'. There's a lot of great stuff with all of them, and I never expecting making out or whatever anyway; a cheek-kiss was about the height of my hopes to be honest. I mostly just hoped for outright confirmation and, failing that, I was happy enough to have the many hints and implications.

But then Marshal Maria Shipp came along. And I don't really have anything against her as a character - in fact, I think she has interesting story potential and will definitely come back. But the episode framed her fight with Eliot as a sexyfight TM, much like his fight with Mikel back in the day. And then his flirting with her rode the line a little of "he's playing her for the con" and "he's genuinely flirting." The scene where he tells her his real name is particularly iffy, but actually was the one that convinced me he was playing her. Because he seems to be watching her really closely, and to be very concerned about her figuring out who he really is. I am very aware though that I'm doing a lot of work to interpret it the way I want. On surface appearance, Eliot's just flirting with an attractive woman, like he did on the last show. And that's probably the intention, too.

But the real nail in the coffin for me was when Sophie compared herself and Nate to Eliot and Maria. That was a genuine scene, not the continuation of the teasing from before. And Sophie is the one whose insight into people is always, always trustworthy. She is family to the thiefsome. For this to make any sense, either Eliot/Parker/Hardison isn't a thing, or they are and Sophie doesn't know - and I can't imagine why in the hell she wouldn't know.

Any argument to make them still canon leaves me unsatisfied. If she knows and they haven't admitted it to her - why wouldn't they, after all this time? Why would she not have picked up on it even without an outright announcement? Some people suggested they wouldn't admit it because they thought Nate would be weird about it, but that doesn't seem any more in character to me than the other possibilities. In fact, the only option that doesn't go against my understanding of these people and their observational abilities/the close relationship they share.... is that the thiefsome is not a thing.

And furthermore, the implication of this conversation - especially the way it ended, with Eliot stomping off looking embarrassed while Sophie smiled knowingly - is that Eliot will get into another relationship onscreen. Maybe not a full-blown romantic relationship. But the Maria Shipp tension is going to be resolved somehow, and at this point I'm half-expecting a hook-up simply because of Sophie's reaction and how much I trust her judgement of such things. Even if she's letting her grief cloud her usual perceptiveness... it feels iffy.

It just kinda feels like I wasn't even allowed to keep my "interpret these hints/maybe they are" thiefsome that I expected after the first couple episodes convinced me we wouldn't get outright confirmation. (I mean, I will anyway, and I love the hints and allusions regardless.) And while I'm definitely not the kind of fan who is dependent on canon for my ships, and still enjoy all their interactions/will keep right on headcanoning them all in a relationship, it's just.... a bummer.

Feels like a real cop-out. Like the hints of Breanna being queer are enough to meet their quota and they won't try anything 'risky' like a poly relationship. I dunno. It's annoying.

.

That's the end of the list! Again, overall I love the new show a lot and have few complaints.

[alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer]

all gone, all gone, all gone

part 5: i gotta get away from myself, i gotta get help

this is the last part before the epilogue! I hope you enjoyed it! i borrowed a few lines from leigh bardugo, i hope she doesn't mind :)

this is mostly resolution, but there is obviously still discussion of a suicide attempt! i would also say there's a bit of implied ableism that's not supported by the story

happy early birthday to @littlx-songbxrd!!!! the thomastair part is for you

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Masterlist | AO3

Cordelia took a deep breath and opened the door.

Will, Sophie, the Consul, and the Inquisitor appeared to be in the middle of their discussion. Solemn expressions rested on their faces, with the exception of Maurice Bridgestock, who appeared utterly disinterested.

The Inquisitor glared when she entered. “You cannot be in here, young lady.”

“You can’t send him away. You can’t send him to the Basilias.”

“That decision is not yours to make, Ms. Herondale,” Maurice said.

“I’m not naive. I know that he needs help. I understand that. But he won’t find it in the Basilias; you know that as well as I. He needs to be here. He needs to be with his family. Barely two days after our father died, Belial went to Alastair and threatened his life. He altered his mind and ordered him to do terrible things. That is fact. What he was doing when Belial sought him out is irrelevant. Acquit him and allow us to handle the rest as a personal matter.”

“When it leads to consorting with a Prince of Hell to carry out acts of evil, it can no longer be considered a personal matter. Your brother is a risk to himself and everyone around him.”

She wanted to scream. Why weren’t the rest of them saying anything? Why would they not defend him? “Please. If it were Matthew, what would you do?”

“Ms. Herondale! That is uncalled for,” Bridgestock scolded. “And you are intruding on a private matter of the Nephilim Council.”

Cordelia continued. “You cannot truly tell me that it is unreasonable to imagine Matthew in a similar situation, if he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. You see Alastair as a risk because you do not wish to be responsible for him. It is easier for you to send him away, but it will not be easier for him, nor for our family. If you truly care for my family as you claim to-”

“That is enough,” Inquisitor Bridgestock interrupted.

Cordelia wasn’t finished. There was so much more she wished to say. She wanted to ask Will why he and Tessa were so blind to what was truly happening within her family. Why they never asked questions. Why, even after her father’s arrest, they still refused to see it. Why the most there was to offer was Will’s comment about his own father. She wanted to ask him what she should think now, now that her own father was dead, now that the evidence of his harm was laid out before them. Was he merely human? Was that supposed to make any of the irreparable harm he caused not only Alastair, but her, too, any better? Was it supposed to be placating? She even wanted to ask the Consul how she could raise such a callous son, a son who began a relationship with someone who was a child while he was an adult. A son who made her brother feel undeserving of anything good. As she attempted to collect her thoughts, it no longer became necessary.

“She’s right,” Sophie said. “Alastair made a mistake, but it was made under horrible, bizarre circumstances. Irreplicable circumstances, most likely. Anything he did that is punishable by Nephilim law was done under magical control by Belial. The best place for him to recover is with his family.”

“I find it very irresponsible-” Bridgestock continued, but Sophie interrupted.

“He will be taken off of active duties until he is deemed both physically and mentally ready to return to them. I could meet with him each week, assess how he is doing and how much of a risk he is, as Inquisitor Bridgestock put it. Consider it a recompense for my indiscretion.”

Will was oddly silent, something Cordelia hadn’t known he could be before. Finally, the Consul spoke. “I find those terms to be reasonable. Thank you, Sophie. If he agrees to them, I don’t see any reason to send him anywhere but back home.”

The Inquisitor seemed like he was about to object, but Will spoke up, “I agree.”

Cordelia sighed in relief as the Inquisitor backed down. Perhaps, somehow, this story could have a happy ending after all.

* * *

Alastair looked away the moment Thomas entered the infirmary. His memories of the past two weeks were strange, as if someone else had been controlling his body while he merely watched on, while at the same time not. Regardless, he could remember every moment of it. There was no way he could ever look him in the eyes again after all that he’d revealed back in that warehouse, not after looking into his beautiful hazel eyes with the sole intention of crushing him, not after making him weep. Perhaps he’d not been able to raise his blade against Thomas, but he hurt him all the same, and he could never forgive himself for that.

“You look like you’re doing better,” Thomas offered.

“Thank you,” he replied. “I feel very well-rested after my coma.”

Thomas hesitated, then added, “Well, if that’s all it took, why didn’t you try that ages ago?”

Alastair exhaled, glad that he understood his humor, however bleak. “Are you saying I usually look tired?” He bit the inside of his cheek. This was far too close to flirting for comfort.

“No more than the rest of us. Perhaps I should try it next.”

"I have a feeling your mother wouldn't appreciate that." He thought of the terms he agreed to earlier. “Didn’t you hear? She’s meant to counsel me. I’d prefer her in good spirits.”

“True enough.” Thomas hesitated for a moment. “Why won’t you look at me?”

Alastair allowed himself to look up for one brief moment before looking back down. Thomas’ eyes were worried. “I think you know the answer to that.”

“No one blames you for what happened. I certainly don’t.”

He exhaled. “I don’t need your pity, Thomas. I don’t want it. Yours or anyone else’s. You hated me before this whole ordeal and you should still. I’ve done many terrible things, not just those under Belial’s influence. I deserve your disdain. The only reason you look at me differently now, the only reason any of you have given me a second glance is because you can finally see me for what I am: broken. So don’t come here offering me your pity and your kindness and your support when all you truly see me as is something to fix. I apologize for everything I’ve done, for all the ways I’ve hurt you, directly or not. Let us leave it at that. I know what I said in the warehouse, but-”

“You don’t need saving. You never did,” Thomas finished for him. “I know you feel vulnerable and exposed right now. You clung to this visage of cruelty and unfeeling as protection. Words were your armor, but it's fragile stuff, all show. It’s not what you’re made of. What’s underneath it, that’s adamas. Tougher than diamond, rare and beautiful, brave and resilient, utterly unbreakable. And it doesn’t need fixing.

“I know we’ve both made mistakes. I know you need time to heal. But I… I care for you, Alastair. I have for a long time, even when I was trying so hard to deny it. I don’t know which parts of the things you said were truthful and which were lies and I don’t need to. All I need to know is whether or not you’ll take me as your friend. Perhaps, one day, if we both so desire it, something more, but for now, I can think of nothing I want more than to be your friend.”

Alastair only nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Thomas reached then, slowly, to cup his cheeks in his hands, giving him the opportunity to pull away if he wanted to. He did not. For a moment, he thought Thomas was going to lean in to kiss him, despite his insistence a few moments earlier that for the time being they would only be friends. Instead, he gently pulled Alastair’s head towards his chest, wrapping his arms firmly around him, strong and steady. In that moment, Alastair knew only one thing with complete certainty: he never wanted Thomas to let go.

* * *

Alastair didn’t know how long Thomas stayed, but at some point he fell asleep, and when he woke, Thomas was gone. He felt a pang in his chest at the realization. He selfishly, dangerously wanted him back beside him. He noticed a book beside his bed that he was certain was not there before. He opened it and found a short note inside. He recognized the handwriting before reading the signature: it was from Thomas. Alastair despised the warmth in his chest when he realized this, but mainly because he feared it.

I don’t know if you like poetry, but I enjoyed these. They comforted me when I felt alone, and I thought perhaps they could keep you company while you’re in the infirmary. -Tom

Flipping through it, he could see that it was a collection of poems, most in Farsi but a few in Arabic as well. He was certain he’d mocked Cordelia for reading the same poems at some point, back when he believed love to be cold and pointless. Perhaps what he believed was love was never truly love at all. Perhaps now he could attempt to find out.

He shut the book as he heard the door to the infirmary open. Sophie Lightwood appeared.

“Hello, Alastair. I hope I’m not disturbing you.” He shook his head. “Good. I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. That was entirely inappropriate of me.”

“It’s alright. You needed to know. You needed to be sure. I would have done the same thing.”

“I- That doesn’t make it right, but thank you for understanding.” She paused. “I thought it would be helpful to discuss our arrangement, as well as what you plan to tell your mother about what’s happened.”

Alastair had expected the first part, but his mother? “What?”

“I suspect you’ve not told her the truth, have you? Do you plan to?”

“I-” he swallowed anxiously. “Cordelia told her I got sent out of town.”

“Alastair, you’re not in any trouble. What you choose to tell her and not tell her is not mine to judge. I simply believe it would be helpful to be prepared.”

“We’re- we’re not supposed to cause her any extra stress because of the baby.”

“Do you wish to tell her the truth?”

He thought for a moment. “I don’t want any more secrets.” He had enough of them to contend with.

“I think that’s wise. Your mother is strong, and so is the baby. If telling her the truth will help you, it will help her. I believe that more than anything, she wishes to know that you’re okay. There is just as much stress in secrecy as there is in truth.”

He thought for a moment. “How am I meant to explain this to her?” His voice broke as he spoke.

She considered it, sat down, and considered it some more. “I don’t know.”

“Why are you helping me? And don’t tell me it’s because you asked a single question during my interrogation.”

There was silence for a moment. “Alastair, Shadowhunters are people of scars. Many of them are sustained in battle, but not all of them are. Perhaps not even most. The way I see it, there are three types of people. There are those who see battle scars as the only true sign of wound, such as the Inquisitor. All else is merely a weakness in constitution. It is that belief that is built into Nephilim society, and it is the view that most hold.

“There are also those who understand that other types of scars exist, ones that are sustained at home, but they do not know that hurt personally, and they do not truly understand it. I see people like Will falling into this category.

“Finally, there are those of us who are not haunted by demons because we know that there is so much more to fear. We know that scars sustained outside of battle, both physical and not, often run much deeper than that of a demon’s claw. Those wounds cannot be healed by runes or magic. You cannot do it alone. I don’t know how much you know about my past, but when Charlotte found me, I was broken and alone. The Silent Brothers healed me physically, but the rest took time and support. It took many people who refused to turn their back on me, and I will not turn my back on you.”

“I… I don’t deserve it,” was all he could think to respond.

“Perhaps it is not something deserved, then, but simply something given.”

“In school, I spread terrible rumors about you, your husband, the Consul… I said-”

“I don’t care. Whatever you said, it doesn’t matter. I am an adult, Alastair. Whatever lies you repeated as a child don’t bother me. Your past doesn’t define you. It merely gives you a chance to be better, to learn.”

Alastair didn’t respond. He’d never thought of it from that perspective.

“I should go. You need time to rest. But consider what I’ve said, alright? I’ll be in touch again and we can arrange times to meet, perhaps over tea.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” He hadn’t meant to say it, he wasn’t even entirely certain what he was grateful for, but he knew the words were true.

She gave him a small smile. “Take care, Alastair.”

thanks so much for reading! taglist: @jem-nasium @littlx-songbxrd @fortheloveofthecarstairs @cant-think-of-anything @shadowrunner2000 @writeforjordelia @jurdan-my-beloved

[justthehiddleswrites]

Follow My Lead | Tom Hiddleston x OFC | Chapter 13 | I gave him a choice, he wanted to wear it

A/N: So this is the last chapter of the main story for Tom and Vivian.  But not the last I am sure we will see of them. Thank you for all the wonderful support for these two!   

MASTERLIST HERE

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Vivian Swann)

Summary: Tom and Vivian have both been unlucky in love, searching for something outside of the bounds of a typical relationship.  When the two of them connect via a dating app, Tom is introduced to the idea of being submissive to Vivian.  Which is the one thing he never knew he needed.  Under the firm hand of Vivian, Tom learns what it means to submit and Vivian learns what it means to be in a loving dominant relationship.  But not everyone seems to understand what they have and the best intentions can destroy the strongest relationship.

This Chapter: With the air cleared, Tom and Vivian continues to move forward in their relationship.  

Warnings for story: Dominant/submissive relationship (sub!Tom), lots of smut including but not limited to: vaginal sex, oral sex (male and female receiving), edging, denial, teasing, use of restraints, spanking, multiple orgasm, anal play, use of toys.

Tag Lists Are Open!  Let me know if you want to be added.  Thank you for reading!

1 Year Later

“Does this get any easier?” Vivian leaned to whisper to Sophie as they made their way to their seats in the audience. 

“No. The press junket is the worst.” Sophie squeezed her arm. “But this one is much more bearable with you here.”

“That goes double for me.” Vivian smiled. 

“Tom, is he…” Sophie raised a knowing eyebrow. 

“I gave him a choice, he wanted to wear it.” Vivian shrugged her shoulders. “Ben, still being a brat?”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Yes. We can discuss that later. I need punishment ideas.” 

Vivian smirked. Sophie and Ben had been exploring their own relationship dynamics over the last several months. Both of them knew Tom and Ben were trading notes and so they did likewise. “I’ll think about and text you some thoughts. Something Tom wouldn’t have warned him about.” They both giggled. 

The past year had been hectic. The kitchen remodel took twice as long as Vivian hoped, forcing the two of them to eat out more than both wanted to. While the speculation regarding Tom and her relationship status died down significantly after Luke made a statement denying any secret marriage ceremonies, but it never really went away. She grew used to the stares and mutters and closed up her circle of friends and family in response after Ashley spilled that Tom and her met on an online dating site, effectively ending their friendship. Vivian found solace in her new friendship with Sophie, who understood better than anyone her unusual life circumstances. And life with Tom was as exciting as ever, especially with introducing new toys in the bedroom and elsewhere.

The two of them settled into their seats in the front row and waited for the show to start. Vivian beamed as both Tom and Benedict were introduced onto the stage to promote the newest Marvel film. Tom’s hair was longer, and he grew the beard back. He smiled at Vivian as he caught her eye in the audience. She recognized that smirk; he was up to something. And she was certain that something did not include the cage he was sporting under his navy double breasted suit. No one could tell unless they were looking for it. Tom had gotten good at hiding it. 

“Now, Tom,” the interviewer leaned in after he asked several questions about the film to both Tom and Benedict. “your love life has been quite the subject of the papers this past year.”

Tom’s cheeks reddened, and Vivian’s fists clenched. “So it would seem. I try to not pay too much attention, Graham.” 

“Well, I can imagine with such a stunning woman taking up all your attention.” Graham flashed the picture from the day Tom suggested she move in together. “Vivian, right?”

Tom nodded. “Yup.”

“Is it true the two of you met on a dating site?”

Tom blushed at the question. An old one at this point. They both rehearsed an answer for such an occasion. 

“I don’t comment on the specifics of my relationship, Graham.”

“But I do!” Ben interjected. Tom frowned at him. Vivian’s eyes cut to Sophie, whose face was frozen in panic. “And I can say their relationship…” Ben glanced over at the two of you and winked. “… is built on mutual respect and trust.”

Tom sighed in relief and leaned back on the couch.

“Hardly newsworthy, Ben.” Graham groused. 

Tom perked up and leaned in towards the host. “Well she is here in the audience, should we ask her for any juicy details?” 

Graham pumped up the audience, who cheered as Vivian sunk deeper into her chair. Sophie scowled next to her. 

“Darling, can I tell them anything about us?” Tom smiled as he looked over at her.

“No.” she called out. 

Tom’s eyes sparkled again. “Not even our big announcement?” 

Vivian’s brow furrowed in confusion as the audience oohed and cheered. She had no idea what announcement Tom was talking about. Certainly nothing had been cleared with Luke. Or her.

“I think she might need a little convincing, Graham. May I?” Tom gestured towards Vivian. 

Graham nodded. “Why not? It’s not like you are here to talk about a movie or anything.”

Tom chuckled as he stood and moved towards Vivian. He kneeled in front of you. It was only then she noticed his hands shaking. He fiddled with his signet ring. 

“Tom…” she started.

“Darling, this past year has been an adventure. A journey I have gladly taken with you. You have enriched my life in a way I could never imagine. I know that you are it. You are the one. You are mine and I am yours.”

Vivian’s brain swirled, only snapping back to reality when Tom fished a small box out of his jacket pocket and Sophie grabbed her arm. Tom popped open the box to reveal a brilliant cushion cut diamond set in platinum. 

“Will you marry me?” Tom’s voice cracked. 

Vivian sat there silently as a hundred eyes stared at her. But the only ones that mattered were right in front of her. Impossibly blue. And brimming with tears. Pleading, begging and full of love.

“Yes.” Vivian’s voice warbled. She cleared her throat, her own eyes now watering. “Yes, yes!” She repeated.

Tom’s face broke out into the widest, most perfect boyish smile ever as he slipped the ring on Vivian’s finger. She grabbed his face and kissed him, pulling him onto her lap. The audience erupted into wild applause.

“You saw it here first, Tom Hiddleston is now engaged.” Graham announced 

“You are going to pay for this later.” Vivian muttered against Tom’s lips. No one else could hear her.

“I was planning on it.” Tom smirked, kissing her again.

“I was talking about Luke.”

Tom chuckled, kissing her cheek. “I already ran it past him, darling. I have to get back up there.”

“We are talking after.” She pushed him away playfully.

Tom winked at her and headed back onto the stage. Vivian showed off the ring to Sophie. She smiled.

“I know. He asked my opinion about it a month ago.” she confessed. “But he picked it out all by himself.”

Vivian admired the ring. “Am I the last to know about this ring?” 

Sophie giggled. “No, it is probably your mother.” 

“You’re right. She is going to flip.” 

They didn’t get to say much else as the show was coming back from commercial break. 

The rest of the interview went better than perfect. Tom beamed on stage, constantly catching Vivian’s eye. More than once, Ben had to nudge Tom’s knee to bring him back to the interview. Vivian giggled from her seat. Sophie and she slipped backstage to meet Tom and Ben back in the green room. Ben came in first, catching Vivian in a hug.

“Congratulations! Despite my first misgivings, I can’t think of a more perfect match for this ridiculous man.” Ben commented as he kissed Vivian’s cheek.

“Um… thanks… Ben.” She responded. 

“How come I never get a greeting like that?” Sophie groused, smiling the whole time. 

“Sorry, darling.” Ben rushed to dip Sophie and kiss her. 

“And who is the one that gagged when I did the same thing?” Tom commented, sidling next to Vivian, his arm wrapping around her waist. Her hand instantly fell to the small of his back.

“That was before I knew the truth.” Ben commented, righting Sophie, guiding her to the small sofa in the room. 

“You mean I could have had this romantic guy the whole time?” Sophie playfully swatted Ben’s thigh, which he dodged. “You are paying for that.”

“Add it to my list of transgressions.” Ben leaned to kiss Sophie again. 

“Which reminds me,” Vivian piped up. “I will send you ideas first thing in the morning.”

Ben and Tom groaned. Tom called over to his friend. “Stock up on ice and a soothing cream.” He turned to Vivian and kissed her lips softly. “Do you like the ring?”

“I love it. You did so good.” She ruffled his hair. Tom’s cheeks turned a dark pink. 

“Thank you, darling.” He squirmed in place. 

“Would you like a reward tonight?” Vivian’s hand slid down to cup Tom’s ass. 

Tom moved close to whisper in her ear. “What did you have in mind, darling?” 

She whispered right back, sending shocks through Tom’s body. “How about you get to pick which toy I use to peg you with tonight?”

Tom’s eyes grew wide as he stared at Vivian, the blush deepening to cover his entire face and neck. 

“I… I…” he muttered, his cock straining in his cage. 

“I mean it is not every day you get engaged, and you have been the best boy, sunshine.” Vivian cupped his face and kissed his lips. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Vivian.” Tom wrapped his arms around her. 

[fiction-boys-rule]

Imagine...joining the Leverage team and liking Eliot.

Pairing: Eliot Spencer/(Y/N)

Warnings: slight violence, fluff

Word Count: 2,200

Boring real life has been very stressful lately so writing has been non existent. If any of you have any ideas or requests, I am happy to take them. The characters I write for are very limited and this year I’m working on changing that, so my apologies. Hope you enjoy :)

You blow out the candles, smiling as the team claps and cheers. Nate holds up his glass from his position on the couch, making you roll your eyes and smile. 

“Did you make a wish?” Parker asks, gazing up at you. 

“Yeah.” 

“What was it?” Hardison asks. 

Parker quickly slaps his forearm, making him protest and glare over at her. 

“What the-“

“You know that if you say a birthday wish out loud it doesn’t count!”

“Why not? That’s kids stuff.” He frowns.

“It doesn’t come true! And it’s not kids stuff!” Parker glares at him. 

“Alright, guys. I won’t say my wish, okay? Let’s just have some cake.” You intervene.

Sophie smiles over at you before you cut the cake and serve everyone. Later, you gratefully take a glass of whiskey from Nate and enjoy the silence of the apartment. Everyone else has gone off to do other things while Nate and you  decided to stay behind. 

“I know I promised I wouldn’t say my wish, but can I still say it?”

Nate leans back in his chair, lazily looking over at you.

“Well, I don’t believe in those things. If you don’t put it out there and chase it, how will you get it? I guess you can consider me the devils advocate here.”

“Alright. I’ll indulge you. My wish was to finally be able to go out and help you guys.”

“Help us?” He eyes you warily.

“Yeah. I mean I know I do already in my own way but I just really want to see what it’s like out there. Even if it’s just being in the background.”

“You’re already in the background. With Hardison. Safe background.”

You roll your eyes.

“Not what I meant. Don’t you want me to see how this works? I mean you always complain that I don’t get it. So let me get it. Come on. I promise I’ll listen to you and play it safe. But let me have some fun, please!”

“That’s the problem. It’s not ‘fun’ out there, kid. It’s a job. I don’t know if you can handle it.”

“Handle it? You know what I can’t handle? Hardison for one more day! No offense to him but I can’t stand another day stuck with him in that hot van! I can’t, Nate! I’m going crazy! Stir crazy! Can you at least let me do this once? Please!”

“What’s so bad with Hardison?”

“Parker this, Parker that. He’s always talking about her and I wouldn’t mind it if he actually went and told her how he feels! He reminds me of someone I know and I can’t stand it!”

“That person you know is that bad?”

“Yes, he is! And he’s not granting me my birthday wish!”

You lean back and sigh, glaring at him. He sighs, holding his face in his hands. 

“Bad enough I have to accommodate everyone else and now you? You’re the one I like because you never ask for anything!”

“I’m asking for one thing and suddenly you don’t like me?”

He grumbles, sighing heavily and rubbing his face. 

“The alcohols not going to kill me, it’s going to be you or Sophie.”

“Oh, I guarantee you that. We’re already planning your murder. We have plans A to C done. How much does your ex hate you by the way?”

He suddenly looks up and sends you an annoyed glare. You laugh softly, running your fingertips on the rim of your glass. 

“You remember how I had that friend whose dad owns a whiskey company? Well, they offer care packages for people they know and the discounts are so good. But it’s not my favorite and I don’t want it to go to waste. Don’t want my friend to think I’m taking advantage of them. But they did offer me a full tour of their distillery. Full of test tasting, complimentary dinner, drinks-“

“Sophie is going to kill me.” He groans, shaking his head side to side.

“Well that was going to happen either way.”

He groans, taking a bigger swig. 

“Just listen to everyone and don’t get in the way of them doing their job. I’m pairing you with Eliot. So far you’ve been getting along. I think he likes you.”

“Likes me?” You stutter. 

How would Nate know about your crush on Eliot? How would anyone know?

“Yeah, well he brings you your favorite drink every day and he got you that gift.”

“He doesn’t like me.”

“I’m not doing this right now. Leave me in peace and regret and I’ll update the team later.”

You slowly get up and smile as soon as you close his office door. Checkmate.

Time Skip

"While I'm proud of you, we don't know who we are dealing with exactly. You've seen it before. Us, the professionals, even get in trouble sometimes. But we trust Nate to make a plan to bail us out." 

You frown as you see all of the orange soda in the fridge. Choosing to just grab bottled water, you close it and turn to a very worried looking Sophie. 

"I'm going with Eliot. It'll be fine. I’ll be fine." 

"By any chance, did you have a say in who you were joining?" 

She peers innocently at you. 

"No. Nate just said and I went along with it." 

You take a swig and watch as she looks away. 

"Ah, I see.” 

“Why?" 

"It's nothing." 

She gives you one last undecipherable look before heading to the couch and sitting next to Parker. You frown. Even being with the team almost a year, you didn't know everyone that well yet. When you had applied for a “secretary title with a concoction of ever changing duties” position working alongside Nate, this was the last thing you expected. You’re glad you took a risk and gave them the benefit of the doubt. It took a while to gain their trust, but they eventually liked you and included you more and more in what they actually did. It was probably because they liked the extra manpower and variety than their already established and constant team members. You sit on the couch and wait for Nate to come reveal the big plan. 

"So, you're tagging along with Eliot?" Hardison asks while typing away at his laptop. 

"Uh, yeah." 

He clicks his tongue while shaking his head. 

"You're going to regret it. Eliot isn't the best or easiest to work with." 

“Then who is?" 

He looks over at you with a “really?” look.

"Obviously me. I would love to teach someone my skills." 

You nod slowly and laugh. 

“What's so funny?" 

"Eliot also said that about you, remember?" 

"You mean the Denzel case?" 

"Yeah." 

"He doesn't know what he's talking about." 

You laugh and look over at the door opening. You see Eliot and he comes in, sitting next to you. 

"Hey." You smile. 

"Hey. Where's Nate?" 

"Probably getting drunk in his office. Want me to go get him?" 

"You shouldn't. He'll come out eventually. Probably thinking about his big plan." Sophie says. 

"Alright! Is the whole team here?" 

You all turn your heads towards Nate. 

Time Skip

"A basement is a pretty bad place to hide a bunch of cash. Just saying." You mumble as you follow Eliot through a hallway. 

“Yeah, well some people aren't as smart as others." 

You quickly turn your head around a corner to check for any guards. 

"You know, I thought you would be mad, or even annoyed, that Nate let me tag along." 

He turns his head around a corner. 

"Yeah, well I think it's a good way to learn something. I like to teach. Just don’t make Hardison my student.” he grumbles.

You run towards a door. He opens it and you squeeze in. 

"Alright. That's the control room. See a metal box?" Hardison says. 

You tune out Hardison's orders to Eliot while you look for any guards. 

“Hey, I'm going to go check the other door. That should be the door to the basement. If it's a basement." You whisper. 

Eliot nods, cutting a cord. 

"Yeah, go. Tell me if you see anything." 

"Y/N, be careful. Just because there haven't been any guards yet, doesn't mean you should get confident." Nate says. 

"I'll be fine. The door is right here." You whisper.

You open it and look in. 

"It's just a big room with nothing in it. Just some vaults. There could be something in here.“ 

You hear footsteps behind you and turn to greet Eliot before a fist comes at you and you feel pain before darkness greets you.

"Y/N, hey. Hey. It's okay. How you feeling?" 

You groan, adjusting your eyes to a bright light. Your head is pounding and your jaw is feeling sore.

"What? Where am I?" 

"She's alive!" Parker yells, making you grimace.

"You okay, Y/N?" Nate asks. 

Eliot clears his throat forcefully. 

"A guard found you. Knocked you out pretty good. The guard blew us. We're going to have to find another way out. You okay? Not feeling dizzy? You might have a concussion."

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about the basement?" 

"Forget about it. We just need to get out of here." 

“We could use the window in the basement. It's small, but I bet we could fit. It leads to the backyard. All we have to do is run across the yard in the blind spot of the cameras, climb the fence and we're out of here." 

"You remember all of that? Damn, Nate. She deserves a promotion." Hardison says. 

"Thanks." You say softly.

Eliot shakes his head, "Lets get out of here, then." 

The moon is bright after you had escaped the house and were waiting for the team to pick you up. You were leaning against a wall next to Eliot, letting the cool night breeze hit your face. You were listening to Hardison and Nate bicker about something. 

"Thanks for uh-saving me, I guess." You say suddenly, breaking the silence. 

Eliot looks over at you. He motions for you to take out the ear pieces and you do. He takes yours and his, and puts them in his pockets. 

"What was that for?" You ask. 

“We don't need to hear Hardison complaining. We get that enough already." He says. 

You both laugh. 

“But seriously. Thanks for helping me. But I just want you know for the future I would rather get caught than risk-" 

He shakes his head, frowning. 

"I don't like to think about that. Point is, it didn't happen." 

You nod, looking at the moon. 

"I think you did good. For your first time. I wouldn't mind having you tag along again." He says. 

You smile, looking into his beautiful blue eyes. "Thanks. I enjoyed myself. And I think I’ll have a bump on my head to remind me about this little adventure." 

“Well, at least you’ll still have a head, darlin’.” 

You both laugh softly. He moves to stand in front of you and lays a hand on the wall.

"Just be more careful next time, alright? I don't want anything bad happening to you." 

"What, I worry Big Bad Eliot?" You tease. 

“Yes, you do." He says. 

His low voice sends shivers down your spine. He slowly starts to lean in until his face is inches from yours. His eyes gaze at you softly. You move a hand up to his neck and gently move him closer. You both close your eyes as his lips place a small kiss on yours. Soft and slow. You shiver from an incoming gust of wind and pull him closer. You kiss him back harder as his other arm hugs your waist. He grips your waist harder and pushes you more against the wall. You moan, gently scratching at his neck. As he pulls away slowly, he bites your lower lip. He moves back and nuzzles his face in your neck. His lips press against your shoulder blade and his facial hair tickles your skin. 

“Happy Birthday, Y/N.” He whispers. 

You bite your lip and your arms surround his back. 

“Two gifts in one day. Wow.” 

You both laugh softly and he kisses your neck, holding you and comforting you with his warmth.

"So...." you whisper. 

He pulls back to look down at your face and smiles.

"So...the team is here." 

You quickly look over and see the van waiting at the end of the alley. Eliot grabs your hand and motions with his head. You smile and walk beside him as he leads you to the curb. He opens the van door and Hardison's shocked face greets you. 

"One time. One time. And Eliot's stupid charm overtakes you. Unbelievable." 

You laugh and hide your blush as you get in the van, sitting next to Eliot. 

"So, I take that it went well?" Nate asks, looking at you with a knowing look.

“Yeah. Perfect." Eliot says, looking over at you with a smile. 

You blush and lay your head on his shoulder. 

“Surprising but it worked out in the end.” You chuckle.

Nate laughs, shaking his head as Hardison mumbles rapidly, driving all of you away.

[bookwyrminspiration]

pyro here!! thoughts on oralie?

i always found her interesting, if a little bland. like, her being sophie's mom was a really really cool twist, but the fact that it's only because it was the "only way" for her to have a kid felt weird? cause like. she and kenric couldve totally resigned and went off to have their happy life, so i always felt like it was something more?? (im temtped to just say "oralie trans" but i...dont think shannon would write that into her books ajskjsk)

it IS interesting how she was the "good" councillor at first that sophie liked a lot and bronte was the bad one and then SM pulled a 180 and no, apparently, oralie committed treason and hurt sophie a lot. idk i just really liked that.

(i mean, bronte is not the "good" councillor by any means but i find it hilarious how oralie is the one sophie doesnt want to talk to now.)

pyro, my beloved!!

Oralie is definitely a character with a lot to unpack because she very suddenly became much more central to the story than she was before, initiating a cascade of consequences.

her being Sophie’s biological mother simultaneously illuminated her as less devoted to her society than we’d thought (because she was willing to commit treason) and created tension between her and Sophie, introducing a learning opportunity for Sophie to manage her emotions and conceal things from others (not that this is a positive thing to learn, but it is what it taught her).

furthering the insight into Oralie, it also shows how desperate she was for a life she didn’t have. She wanted a child. She wanted to be with Kenric. But apparently it was impossible, despite her being allowed to step down and start a family. I think her having Sophie shows she’s selfish (not saying it’s a bad thing). Wanting a child was an entirely personal desire, one she prioritized over the oath she’d given to her people. She put herself and her wants first, secretly, but she still did it. (In a roundabout way, donating her dna, which is not the full motherly experience I assume is expected in the lost cities). Also I agree, with kotlc’s track record I highly doubt there’d be a trans character, and definitely not one this important to the story. (Getting real sick of how bland middle and ya novels are. I should really go back and work on that original story of mine).

Also you’re totally right about that 180 thing, I hadn’t even thought of it like that! Aside from the now-expired Kenric, it was really Oralie who Sophie knew would always have her back. Terik kind of flipped sides earlier on, so she never fully had him on her side. Now suddenly it turns out that support was just hiding some deeper secret and now Bronte is the one who has truly connected to her and supported her intentionally and of his own will and morals, not some innate parental obligation/desire. Out of everyone, her cutting off Oralie is the most unexpected because everyone loves the soft, pink councillor. But she’s really not that soft and complacent and not that naturally nurturing. She’s been gentle with Sophie because she’s her biological daughter, but I don’t think we’ve seen her act like that with anyone else to the same extent. (She did offer to let Biana visit her tower, but I don’t remember any other time).

This kind of a twist is also good for drama in a story! Taking a beloved/trusted character and suddenly revealing that the character isn’t like that at all, that they tricked the main character which leads us to question other characters and creates a whole aura of doubt that we have to navigate and keeps us interested and on our toes on readers. Very fun!!

I think we’ll see more of Oralie before the story is over, but you bring up several interesting ideas!! /g

[smallblueandloud]

some leverage: redemption reactions

i finished leverage redemption today! and i don't have anyone to talk to about it so, here we have my reactions for all eight episodes, both positive and negative. please feel free to reblog/comment -- discussions are what i'm here for! (under a cut because spoilers and also this ended up being 2k. whoops!)

EPISODE 1: the too many rembrandts job

the "aww, this guy is trying to pull his first heist! how cute" job

what they chose to do with nate was... interesting. it might just be that i read too many of those cracky "here's how they should explain nate's absence" posts, but i was expecting something funny. the grief permeating this episode -- it makes SENSE, but it was still weird. leverage doesn't usually have sadness like this. pain, yes, rage, certainly, but sadness? not usually

the way sophie immediately spots the signs of a con and slips into a character? phenomenal. i'm here for EXPERTS BEING EXPERTS and this show does NOT disappoint

harry wilson is a really solid character! most impressively, he's not flynn, which is impressive enough that i'm making a whole bullet point about it. i was worried that noah wyle was kinda a one-trick pony, but it appears not! good for him tbh

i'm LIVING for the ot3 moments in this episode. "what happened?" "we happened" YESSSSS!!! i wish we'd had more domesticity, but i know they did what they could

"he gets it from his father" FUCK!!!!!

the discussion about redemption in this episode is FANTASTIC but personally i am still delirious with excitement about "my nana leads a multi-denominational household" so expect those thoughts in 3-5 business days

EPISODE 2: the panamanian monkey job

the "flash electropop concert" job

BREANNA INTRODUCTION! i love her so MUCH, y'all. we only got to see her dynamic with hardison in this one episode, but man, it manages to be one of her best dynamics anyway. i just! i love her! i love the way the team works with her!

"in our field, you're one of the best. but there, you're the only one." god we have ELIOT/HARDISON rights and i am NOT OKAY. just!! them!!!!!! being supportive!!!!!! they have learned how to be sweet with each other! they work together so much better (in part because we're seeing them from harry's outsider pov instead of nate's insider pov, but STILL)

midway through this episode, i thought "huh, leverage always focuses on specific people, when really the problem is systematic, and pretending it's anything different is just an excuse to not fight for change". and then at the end harry talks about how the system itself is broken! i love knowing that john rogers and i were reading the same tweets last summer. it's a good feeling to trust the people making a piece of media

who let noah wyle speak spanish. whoever it was, they need to rescind their permission

god, the parker/hardison in this episode. THE PARKER/HARDISON IN THIS EPISODE! they KILL me friends they KILL ME!

also just like, hardison in this episode in general. he made a star trek reference! he made a doctor who reference! he decides there are other people who need him more! the way they wrote around gina bellman's maternity leave in s2 was good but this was phenomenal.

also i'm here for ot3 crumbs so "is this like the time when eliot wanted us to say no" is going on my ot3-is-canon conspiracy board

this is a tiny detail but eliot taking out the drone with a goddamn ORANGE was so good. he's so good at his job!! they're all so good at their jobs!! i know i literally just talked about this but AAA

EPISODE 3: the rollin' on the river job

the "sometimes you just want to rob a vault wearing a floofy dress, and that's valid" job

i did... not. like. how the villain in this one was an immigrant whose exploitable weakness was a "desperation" to be included in the upper crust. and the fact that they beat him with a literal southern belle who explicitly beats him BECAUSE her family has been in the area for "hundreds of years"? it just feels Iffy.

also iffy about this episode was breanna's characterization. it felt inconsistent. she feels inconsistent across the whole season, but this episode in particular... she tells harry she's only with the team because she's desperate, that she doesn't believe in hope, and then at the end of the episode she tells parker she wants to be there to change the world. and like, even in the first place, she's not here out of desperation! SHE asked to join the team! like, i can see how it all kinda fits together, but it just feels... inconsistent. idk. i think these scripts all could've benefited from an extra round or two of editing.

anyway! i loved the way they tied hardison into these episodes, even though aldis hodge couldn't be there. he has binders! breanna doesn't want to read them! parker did! he put in big letters, "when in doubt, trust the person in the van". i'm just so !!! about how much i love him and how much he loves his team and how much his team loves him. FOUND FAMILY, BABY!

all inconsistencies in breanna's characterization aside, i really liked her speech at the end. i know how she feels! it's really nice to have someone on the team who's from -- not my world, really, but a lot closer than any of the others. it's a nice feeling! i love her a lot. i hope her writing gets more consistent

lol, parker ate eliot's carrot cake. i love the parker/eliot rights we get in this show, they're so domestic and it's wonderful.

EPISODE 4: the tower job

the "hardison made his partners learn klingon" job

watching this episode was what made me go "they're not going to make us sit through a harry/sophie romance... right? right?"

i'm still not sure they're gonna let us avoid it but it COULD work so... i've decided to just not worry about it for now

i liked the number of ways the con goes wrong! it was fun to watch them work on the fly like that. i think them not having a dedicated Mastermind(tm) is a good watsonian explanation for their plans being pretty haphazard in general, but it's good, they think well on their feet

nate was a chessmaster. he had the whole situation in his mind from the beginning, accounting for every possible outcome. parker and sophie are much more adaptive, and it's cool to see. they can rely on their respective skillsets a lot more than nate could

a really solid episode! probably one of the strongest ones in the season. i liked it a lot.

(ALSO as mentioned above the klingon lines were fantastic and not just because they were a star trek reference -- every time eliot and parker both mentioned hardison, together, it added a year to my lifespan)

EPISODE 5: the paranormal hacktivity job

the "sophie was worryingly prepared to fake her death" job

i know why they characterized the client as a skeptic, i really do, and i loved the format of this episode, but also. But Also. she should've been a love interest for breanna and I'm Right.

having a girl's episode was the CORRECT choice. they do crimes in their free time! they fleece newbie, cruel criminals! it's so good!

it would've been cool to have eliot around for the assassin guy, but it was also cool to see the others take him out without having eliot to rely on. it's like getting to see how they'd take out eliot, if they were ever on opposing sides.

PARKER CANONICALLY USES SCRIPTS IT'S THE BEST THING EVER

breanna bristling about letting the criminal into the theater's electric system was so good god i love her so much. she knows hardware! i bet she likes to work with her hands. i bet she stims. i bet she has adhd

actually, sidenote, but i LOVE these headquarters. they look so nice! the stage is so nice! i loved having an episode set in and around it, it was such a good choice.

EPISODE 6: the card game job

the "FINALLY AN EXPLICITLY QUEER LEVERAGE CHARACTER" job

QUEER BREANNA QUEER BREANNA QUEER BREANNA QUEER BR

UNFOLLOW ME NOW THIS IS GONNA BE THE ONLY THING I POST ABOUT FOR THE REST OF TIME

GOD, what a good way to reveal it. it's fully about her! i love queer romances, of course i do, but i don't think i've ever seen a character come out without a romance being their reason for doing so (however indirectly). i still think she should've gotten a date with the client from 1x05, but i really liked this too.

this episode just felt like a love letter to fandom, and i love that. i love how much it shone through. i'm used to writers specifically going out of their way to make fun of fans and laugh at them, so it was just. really nice to have someone stand up and go, no, this is important for a reason! people love this for a reason! it MEANS something!

very fun to watch eliot swordfight. very fun to watch sophie recite a sonnet in her classic fashion. very fun to watch parker work at being a good mentor. breanna was so excited about the card game! they're all so good!

oh, and i guess harry's here too.

EPISODE 7: the double-edged sword job

the "harry is addicted to mobile games, which is a mood" job

hot take alert! i think this is the weakest episode of the season by a LOT. it needed so much more editing. it felt so disjointed, so all over the place. the plot was haphazard but in a muffled way, where you had no idea why they were doing what they were doing. the climax was sudden and didn't make any sense. it was just weird.

i'm not the person to comment on this but it feels kind of lazy to cast an east asian guy to play a socially-awkward tech genius. just a thought.

oh, of course jonathan frakes directed this episode. sometimes his stuff is really good but other times (ahem, ds9 3x02) it's disjointed and all over the place. i'm not even surprised it was him.

idk if i have anything else to say about this. oh! some of the team moments were great -- mostly involving eliot. i loved the moment of him recognizing the headshot, i LOVED the ten seconds of everyone teasing him. he and parker talked about the wellbeing of their friend, the woman whose ex tracked her down!

separate bulletpoint to say how much i LOVED his conversation with breanna outside the house. he's so good at reassuring! he could go deeper there, talking about being better than your worst day, but he knew when not to push! it was so good.

"first off, this guy can't TOUCH hardison" deserves its own bulletpoint because like. y'all. Y'ALL.

EPISODE 8: the mastermind job

the "eliot is more than just a pretty face" job

oh man this post is so much longer than i thought it would be. okay just one more episode and then i'm done.

the callbacks to original leverage were SO well done and made me feel emotions without feeling overbearing.

i didn't like the central premise -- that nate would share so many details with a random insurance agent -- in the first place, but i did like how it allowed them to bring back nate without actually hiring timerty mcasshole.

i liked eliot's insistence that he's more than just the muscle! he is, and it's really good to know, textually, that the writers do too!

me, watching the resolution of the episode: ah, yeah, insurance fraud. a classic!

harry bonding with his guard had "they don't even have dental!" energy and i am SUCH a fan. i know it was all for the con but also give me harry, unable to stop advising people, even when they're actively holding him hostage

parker! on the phone with hardison!!!! ADORABLE

is it just me or was someone else expecting the accountant's name to be something significant? with the way they led up to it, i was waiting for a "sterling" or something else. my sensors were pinging for another tara reveal. i'm still convinced we're gonna get this guy dramatically revealed in the season finale.

a really nice episode! i had a lot of fun with it. and now i want to rewatch the rashamon job, but tbh i ALWAYS want to rewatch the rashamon job.

and that's a wrap! overall, a fun season, i enjoyed it a lot. not as solid as original leverage, but it's the very beginning, and it was put together during a global pandemic, so i'm cutting them some slack. also levar burton is gonna show up at some point. that's a big reason of why i'm cutting them so much slack.

my personal ranking of the episodes is 1x04, 1x06, 1x08, 1x01, 1x02, 1x03, and finally last (and least), 1x07.

what did you guys think of the new season? what was your favorite episode? do you agree with any of my opinions? disagree with any? let me know, please, i'd love to discuss!

[kookicat]

The Price of Peace

He gives in, in the end, to the doc's increasingly worried questions, coupled with concerned looks from the team and lets the man drive him to the hospital. Maybe he’s more blasé about injuries than the rest of the team, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid. He knows his body well enough to know when to worry, and while he’s pretty sure there’s no need now, he’s no longer responsible for just himself. He has a team who relies on him now, and that’s enough motivation to accept the offer. 

Nate herds Hardison and Parker back to the hotel and Eliot expects Sophie to go with them, but she follows him to the doctor's truck. His zip through hoodie is in her hands and she offers it to him, because the night air is taking on a chill and his skin and hair is still damp from the exertion. He slips it on, keeps his eyes averted from her as he eases his left arm into the sleeve, biting back a curse because moving hurts. It’s been a while since he did any real wrestling and the muscles in his back and thighs are letting him know they’re not happy about it. 

The doc unlocks the truck doors and climbs into the driver's seat, cell phone in hand as he makes quiet arrangements. Eliot tucks himself in the back seat next to Sophie with a groan he can't quite stifle. There's a nasty throb starting in his left shoulder and his left eye has started to swell closed. The gloves have worked to mostly protect his hands but his knees and elbows are already sore. It's nothing that he hasn't been through before, but he's not used to anyone looking out for him, more used to retreating to that week's safehouse and bunkering down until the worst injuries heal and he can take his next job. Having a team to care about -for- him is new, and he'd be lying to himself if he said he's totally comfortable with it. 

Sophie wordlessly hands him an instant ice pack and he presses it to his cheek, leaning back against the seat and letting his good eye close. His head aches, a sharper pain wrapping around his cheekbone and down through his jaw. The ibuprofen he'd swallowed back in the gym aren't doing anything but making him feel vaguely sick. The truck is chilly despite the hoodie and the ice pack isn't helping. He shivers once, a quick quake working through his body.

"Here," Sophie says quietly and shakes out one of her giant scarfs so it mostly covers him. The silk is cool on his skin at first but it warms quickly. It smells like Sophie- jasmine and musk and some hint of spice that he’s never quite figured out. It helps, blocking some of the cold sir and he feels himself relax, just a little, which helps his tight muscles. 

He has to swallow twice before he can answer and even then, his voice isn't quite as steady as he would have liked. "Thanks." He forces his good eye open and rolls his head so he can look at her. 

It's just dark enough to hide the expression on her face, but he thinks that she's frowning. "We could have found another way, you know," she says, softly. "No-one would have thought less of you." 

Something in his jaw clicks when he starts to speak. "How long would that have taken? We did the right thing." He shifts, fingers clenching under the scarf as his battered ribs join in the chorus of hurts playing on his body. "The Howorths are safe now, and Rucker can't try the same trick on anyone else." 

"Damn hard," the doctor says, "watching you taking that battering. Never seen anyone do that before." The doctor glances at them in the mirror, then turns his eyes back to the road. 

"It's what he does," Sophie says, with a tone in her voice Eliot can't quite figure out, because he’s exhausted and hurting and still feels vaguely sick. There's reluctant admiration in it, coupled with worry, because they all know there's only so much damage a body can take before something breaks beyond repair. 

It's not something he wants to think about, at least not while he's battered and bleeding. He closes his eyes again, leaning back against the seat, and lets himself doze, just a little, knowing it's a risk but doing it anyway. Trust has to start somewhere, and this is that place. 

--

"Eliot," Sophie calls softly as they pull into the hospital parking lot. He's quiet and still on the seat next to her, enough to worry her if it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of his chest. There’s a little blood on the corner of his lip, more caked in his hairline and the sight of it makes something fierce clench in her chest. We should have found another way, she thinks, even though she knows it would have taken too long, left the family they were trying to protect defenceless. As much as she hates it, he’d been right. 

He blinks awake, muscles in his jaw clenching as the pain hits again, sending measured breaths through his teeth until he gets it back under control. "Fuck," he breathes, fingers flexing in a way that makes her want to take his hand. He catches something in her expression and smiles, softly. “I’m okay,” he says and hands the scarf back to her. 

“Eliot, you’re bleeding,” Sophie replies, and hears the doctor chuckle dryly at her tone. He is though, a slow trickle threading through his hair. His face is lined with pain and she hadn't missed the slight shake in his hands when he passed the scarf back. 

He shakes his head, lost for words, and twists to open the truck door, bracing himself as he swings his legs out. Moving is a bad idea, because the slow, sluggish nausea that’s been plaguing him suddenly becomes much more acute, and he has to close his eyes, leaning back against the truck until the worst of it passes and he can breathe again. 

Cool fingers find his wrist, and he startles a little, twitching his arm away. “Sorry,” Sophie says, and reaches for his arm again. “May I try something?” 

He squints at her, then nods, once, and regrets it as a galaxy of stars filters through his brain. It’s all part and parcel of a concussion, and while he’s lived through it before, he’s not too thrilled to be living through it now. 

She presses her fingers against his wrist, feeling for the right spot, knowing she's found it when some of the tension in his jaw fades. "I learned this on a cruise. The ship had some wonderful art I was going to relocate, but we got hit by a tropical storm and I spent three days throwing up until one of the stewards took pity on me."

It helps, as does her warmth as she leans against the truck, close but not quite touching him. "Let me tell you, when he showed me this, I wanted to kiss him and kick him at the same time."

He huffs a quiet laugh at that and starts walking, gently disengaging her fingers. They follow the doc towards the hospital doors and Eliot wonders why in hell he let himself be talked into this. He has no love for hospitals, has spent more time than he'd like inside of them, and he already can't wait to be walking back out of this one. 

It's a handsome redbrick building, newer than he'd expected. The doc leads them straight into the ER and points to an open bay, where there’s already a nurse waiting. Eliot stops, thinking about walking back out to the truck, going back to the hotel and sleeping for at least twelve hours. A quick glance at Sophie’s face dissuades him of that idea; she’s frowning, clearly worried, and her eyes keep darting from the blooming bruise on his cheekbone to the still oozing cut on his hairline. 

“Eliot?” she says, and the frown deepens. “What’s the matter?” Her hand drifts to his elbow and he draws in a soft breath because the contact hurts. He's pretty sure that come the morning, he's going to be covered in nasty dark bruises. 

“Nothing,” he says, and resigns himself to god knows how much poking and prodding, taking a seat on the bed, idly rubbing his thumb over one aching knee. “Can we get this over with?” he asks the nurse, with the best smile he can muster and sighs. 

----

He walks out again four hours later, after enough scans and xrays to make him feel like he's glowing, a bag of prescription meds dangling from one hand, a pretty good buzz running through his veins and ten stitches in the cut in his scalp. All he wants is to find a vaguely horizontal place to occupy and sleep for at least eight hours. His limbs feel like they're made from lead, heavy and stiff and vaguely achy. His back aches too, each step jarring through him like he's in a car with a blown suspension. His left shoulder is taped, supporting a torn muscle, and he's starting to wish he'd accepted the offer of a sling. 

Sophie is sitting in the waiting area, silk scarf wrapped around her. She looks exhausted and he pauses, feeling a wave of fondness wash over him at the sight. She has nasty oily coffee from the ancient vending machine and she offers him the cup when he walks up to her. 

The smell makes his stomach roll and he shakes his head. "I'm good, thanks," he says, voice just a little hoarse, and thinks about sitting down. He's pretty sure he won't get back up any time soon if he does so he rests his hip on the row of chairs instead. 

He can see the question in her eyes just waiting to escape, and while she's not frowning any more he's got to know her well enough to know that she's still worried. "I'm fine. Nothing major," he says, carefully avoiding mentioning the hairline fracture in his cheekbone. "Worst of it is a couple of broken ribs and a damned concussion." 

She presses her lips together, a mix of anger and concern drawing her brows into a frown. "Just a couple of broken ribs," she mutters and shakes her head. 

"Soph," he says, fighting back a yawn. She looks up at the nickname, head tilting just a bit. "I'm fine. I've lived through worse. It'll suck for a couple weeks, that's all." He keeps his tone gentle, knows the anger in her is coming from a place of worry, knows she's probably blaming herself, because he knows for damn sure that's what he'd be doing if their positions were reversed. He'll tell Nate everything in the morning, because you don't hide injuries from your commanding officer, but Sophie doesn't need to know everything. It's just more weight to bear and God knows they're all already carrying enough. 

The doc breaks the moment by ambling over, Eliot's chart tucked under his arm. He offers it to the other man. "Figured you wouldn't want a record of your visit leaving here," he says and pulls his keys out of his pocket. "Can I interest anyone in a lift back to their hotel?" 

----

The gentle motion of the truck is soothing and he leans on the door, bruised temple resting against the cool glass and lets his mind drift. His eyes don't want to focus, turning the passing street lights into a pleasing blur. He's not sure if it's the concussion, the exhaustion, the drugs, or a combination of all three but he's content to just watch the darkened streets go by. He blinks heavy a couple of times, realising that he's dozing again and they're almost back at the hotel.

          The doc swings the truck into the parking lot and drives up to the door, pulling to a gentle stop. Eliot knows he should thank the man but he can't find the energy and settles for an exhausted nod as he opens the door and practically falls out of the vehicle. He desperately needs sleep, preferably before the painkillers start to wear off. 

         Sophie waves the doc goodbye and comes to stand at Eliot's side, one hand raised like she wants to help but isn't sure how. He digs deep, trawling reserves of energy he rarely ever uses, and forces his legs to move. They stumble into the waiting lift and he leans against the wall with his good shoulder, all the words he wants to say jumbled on his tongue. 

         She reads something of it in his expression and nods, once; message received and understood. 

        The lift stops and they walk out. He expects Sophie to head to the girls' room but she doesn't, pulling out a key card and leading the way to the third room they'd hired, the one Hardison had dubbed the control centre. "The doc said someone should keep an eye on you tonight. He listed a few gruesome ways in which you could come to peril," she says dryly and pushes the door open. "Besides, Parker snores. I hope you don't." 

       "No one has ever complained," he says and limps into the room, heading to the recliner, glad he's got running shoes on that he can just toe off unlike his usual boots. He's pretty sure he's going to have enough trouble getting up in the morning and the bed just seems like tempting fate. "I'm fine here," he tells her and eases down into the soft leather, tapping the button to raise the leg support. It takes him a second to get vaguely comfortable but he's honestly so exhausted that he's not sure comfort is really going to matter. 

       Sophie shakes a blanket out over him, watching him fight to keep his eyes open. There's something oddly endearing about it that makes her smile. "Go to sleep," she says softly and with a sigh, he does. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28907364/chapters/70920525 part two is posted here too. 😊

[themadauthorshatter]

After the MONSTER that was Arc 2, time to wrap this up!

RED SCHOOL AU/UA STORY/HEADCANONS ARC 3!

This is hopefully going to wrap up Red School, so buckle in.

We begin in Rhian's 'office' as the two trios explain what happened: The Beast just burst through the trees and began attacking, out of the blue just like that.

He asks if there's anything else they noticed, and Cal mentions the red eyes and the fact he looked like he drowned. Rhian finds that odd because The Beast was never the best swimmer.

Tedros also mentions the incident before with Nicholas. Agatha vouches for him, saying she'd probably be dead, if Tedros didn't stop him, Sophie giving Agatha the stink eye as she inches closer to Cal, who fights a cringe.

Regardless, Rhian mutters how it can't be and tells them all to just be careful. Mare, however, notices his unease and knows he's BS-ing.

Either way, Rhian excuses them and watched them leave, though he does ask Agatha and Sophie to stay, to answer some questions. Tedros glances back at them as he leaves, giving Agatha 'please stay' eyes until Maven pats his back and says that, if he wants, he can watch Cal and Maven train, so he can help Maven kick Cal's ass next time they fight.

Back with the girls, Sophie despairs at her princes leaving, but Rhian clears his throat and asks if either have had anything to do with The Beast ending up in the state he's in. Agatha immediately objects, saying she couldn't have because her punishment in Good is a scolding and being locked in her room. He asks Sophie and she shakes her head; she just got her hair butchered and was on her merry way. Rhisn remarks that it's funny because a lot of the Nevers stating that The Beast disappeared around the same time Sophoe was sent to thevDoom Room, so either she's lying or someone else decided he needed to swim with the fishes. Someone more vain than she is.

Neither speaks on it, so Rhian excuses Sophie, though warns her to not do anything fishie with Cal; neither school has forgotten her misadventures with courting Tedros.

He tells Agatha to stay, however, because he wants to ask her about that question she asked Lucas, about leaving with the Silvers.

Semi-embarrassed, Agatha admits, that, yes, she did ask that question. Even if her only way out is a fairytale ending, maybe the Silvers are that ending, even if it's a loophole ending.

Rhian commends her for her cunning, but affirms that won't help. If she wants to go home, she'd better be ready to strap into and study like her life depends on it, because, in a fairytale, it will.

Agatha nods and asks him one question, just one this time, not a bunch of mini questions and one big question. If he knows how everyone's story ends, why not just tell them. Rhian shakes his head. He doesn't know when how storoes end, but if he told everyone theor endings, then the ending will change. They'll either strive for more than what their old ending is or become unmotivated and not strive at all.

With that, Agatha leaves, giving a glance to the Storian before doing so.

When she catches up with Sophie, Tedros, and the others, she finds ths boys having a three-way fight, Maven and Cal trying to roast each other while Tedros blocks with some magic and his sword.

Sophie watches them and drifts off into fantasy land while Mare and Agatha talk about what happened, since Sophie couldn't care less.

She explains that The Beast disappeared a little while back and no one's seen him until today. And people have been getting weird lately, which Mare gets confused by.

Even while he fights, Tedros explains that students have been getting red eyed and violent, attacking each other for, really, no reason.

Intrigued, Cal wonders if it's a apell gone wrong, even asking of their magic can get that powerful. Agatha shows him that they can do a lot of things, i.e. mogrify into animals, use spells to refurbish plants or for self defense. She's seen students do some crazy stuff, but admits that she doesn't think a fellow student could do it.

Maven muses that it all seems weird, but does admit that maybe the School Master has something to do it.

This grabs both Sophie's and Tedros's attention, Tedros noting that Agatha and Sophie were thought to be in the wrong schools, but really might not be a mistake(Sophie disagrees with this) and Sophie admits that if he put her and Agatha in the schools they're in-by 'accident'- maybe he got bored and cast a spell to throw in a new adventure, and brought the Silvers to join in on the fun.

Agatha's not certain, but knows one thing: they need to be careful.

They all agree and Tedros contemplates getting the jump on Cal, which leads to Cal grabbing him and throwing him to the ground, just enough to surprise him, nothing more.

As they get back into it, Agatha asks Mare a question, quietly so Sophie doesn't stop her: Is there a chance Mare can get Agatha and Sophie on their ship and take them away from the school? In return, she can help Mare get back home to her family.

Mare almost snaps at her, but Agatha explains that Mare isn't the only one that wants to go home.

She'll think on it, asking if Agatha can really help, and Agatha admits that she's not too sure, but she'll still try.

With an exchange of 'thank yous,' they watch Maven and Tedros duke it out with Cal both reffing and instructing them as Sophie watches, the two glad to be watching rather than participating because Cal is a brutal teacher.

From here, we get something of a time hump woth shenanigans like Evangeline and the other High House children observing the classes, Mare being hounded by Evergirls that offer her a change of makeup, because her foundation will clog her pores, Cal traching the Everbous more efficient combat techniques that won't get them in trouble, and even the main six hanging out, though Cal makes it clear to Sophie that he's flattered, but he's betrothed, so his hands are tied.

There is a close call when Agatha and Mare are having lunch together and run into Sophie, who's pissed at losing another prince, and not only realizes that Agatha's been cautious around Elara, but also that Mare and Cal are very close, for people betrothed to someone else. She pits two and two together and races off to a teacher, any one will do, but Agatha and Mare give chase, Mare being faster and catching up to Sophie and tackling her to the floor and practically shouting that Sophie had better not tell anyone, or else she'll be killed, along with herself, Agatha, both their families, and anyone remotely close to them, and being dead means no princes, so she'd better wise up.

Sophie agrees and they let bygones be bygones.

Mire time passes, and we get another red mist possessed fight with a wolf, in which Sophie jumps in to help, kind of, by mogrifying as a large bird to distract the wolf. They report it once again to Rhian, who's getting worried about the occurrence of this mist, but talks to Mare is a slightly altered version of this conversation you can read right here.

More time passes, and we get more Tagatha, some Marecal, some Evangeline being a bitch, some friendship, and, most importantly, Maven and Elara still talking about their plan, which is on hold because things are fishy and Elara's feeling a little less like herself. (Hmmmm?)

I know I'm rushing through all this, but trust me, you'll get why in a second.

Fast forward, and it's been about a month since the Silvers left Norta. Tibe, Cal, and Maven realize how long it's been and decide they need to head back.

Rhian understands, and offers them a proper send off to show the rest of Norta: a ball in the School for Good to show the unity of Norta and the School for Good and Evil. The rest of the High Houses, 1 child accompanied by 1 chaperone, have already been invited and preparations are already being made.

Tibe is incredibly flattered by this and thanks Rhian for such an act, though the School Master thanks Tibe in return for showing him what's beyond the Endless Woods.

From her place a few feet back, Mare notices Elara standing at the window and fighting a coughing fit as she stares back at Mare, red blood dripping from her nose.

I'm sure she's fine, BECAUSE WE CUT TO THE BALL!!!

It's just as extravagant as what happens in the or original comic, though at first the Silvers are weary until they warm up and relax.

We also get a sort of glare/stare off between Maven and Elara after she reads Mare's mind and Mare glaring at Tibe after his speech of peace and cooperation, and he simply gives her a look of 'what're you going to do about it?'

(Turns on a megaphone)WE DO NOT GET THAT SHIRTLESS WRESTLING MATCH BETWEEN CAL AND TEDROS! THIS IS A FORMAL EVENT, SO THEY SIMPLY TALK AND EXCHANGE NICETIES!(Puts the megaphone away.)

In a scene of set up and pay off, the sides begin to dance and have a good time, though Sophie tries dancing with Cal, but ends up her Hort, who actually emells nice for a change, but she's pretending not to notice because she wants to be with Cal.

Mare and Maven talk about this whole journey and admit it'll be a little sad to leave when the ball is over. Mare spots Agatha and Tedros in the fray, sees them smiling and happy, and agrees. It will be sad, but, as Maven points out, they're visitors. They always had to leave.

With Rgian and Tibe, Rhian asmits that this was possibly the most entertaining revel he's seen or had in a very long time. Tibe asks if it's two or three years, as a joke, and Rhian admits it's been half a century since the last GOOD revel, like one he'd go to and have all over again because of how fun it was.

It weirds Tibe out, but he notices something else that actually freaks him out: Elara's gone.

Back on the floor, Hort glares at Tedros as Lucas and Ptolemus have a muttered conversation about smelling smoke and Ptolemus thinking there's a bomb somewhere. Lucas disagrees; some of the students might be crazy, but none of them would openly try regicide.

The two spot the red mist, Hort noticing a second later. Rhian sees it, too, and shouts at all three to get away from the door.

Too late!

All three get possessed, Hort going into his Man-wolf form as Lucas and Ptolemus simply decide to rip and tear EVERYONE IN SIGHT.

Tedros tries taking care of Hort, but gets yeeted in the process, as Cal takes on Lucas and Evangeline tries to snap Ptolemus out of it.

The entire ballroom goes to shit with students and Silvers going off on each other as the red mist possesses them. Cal, Maven, and Mare are all fighting for their lives and wondering what the hell is going on, but quickly deduce that this is what's been bothering the school since a while ago.

Now why aren't Tibe and Rhian doimg anything? They're fighting they're own fight, Rhian with his magic and Tibe with his Burner ability; he was going to use hus sword, but Rhian told him not to because they couldn't have a body count.

Tibe demands to know if Rhian had anything to do with this and Rhian snaps if it looks like he did, gesturing to the students with wide arms and a panicked look.

Getting overwhelmed, the trio decide, very reluctantly to make a break for it, getting stopped by Ptolemus and Hort.

Good thing Evangeline decudes to be a good person and lend a hand before they attack her instead.

Cal shouts for her to come with, but Evangeline yells back that he'd better not die because he wouldn't run.

They leave just as they see Evangeline get swarmed by red mist possessed Silvers and students.

Agatha, Sophie and Tedros did escape, but it's not shown so we build tension😈

The RQ trio run out and get seperated, Cal chased by Lucas, a strongarm, and Hort, Maven chased by a couple wolves, and Mare chased by Elane, the coven, and Sonya.

We cut back to Rhian and Tibe, the former noting the fact that the mist is moving faster than he thought, and is stronger than before, as he heals a student who got knocked out cold. Tibe asks where his sons and Mare are, but Rhian says they should be fine. They're capable and are close with each other.

Tibe agrees and asks what they should do, seeing what's becoming of the students and Silvers. Rhian states that there's no time to get to his office, so he needs Tibe to be his shield as he heals as many prople as he can.

Tibe asks what's in the office, but we cut to Cal, before we get the answer. He's running through the halls of Good, and avoiding any runners(I know they're called zombies, but when I think 'zombie' I think of walkers from the Walking Dead, and these mofo's don't walk that much) he can, hiding behind walls and in classrooms to do so; it bugs the hell out of him, but he's not beating up any females and schoolchildren.

When the runners are gone, he slips down the hall and scoffs at the fact that almost everything he's looking at is candy and is both insane and a hazard, especially when he sees that bits and pieces of the wall are missing. (Really wonder which Evergirl did that one?)

Cal sneaks down more halls, but stops when he hears someone running down the next hall, crouching behind a wall. The footsteps slow and stop, also behind the wall.

After a minute, and with a head shake, Cal sparks up his hand and shouts as he wheels around the wall.

Maven yelps and falls back, covering his head; 6'3" of pure muscle with a killer instinct and fire powers, you'd have to have balls made of an allot made of iron, steel, and tungsten to not be afraid that jumping out at you from behind a corner.

They see that neither has the evil red eyes and reunite, hugging and sayimg they're glad the other's safe before asking where Mare is. Maven thought she was with Cal and Cal thought she was with Maven.

Good thing I bring up Mare because she's sprinting around the corner, leading Beatrix, Anadil, Tristan and Nicholas down the hall. No time for reunions because Lucas and Dot are right behind them, Dot casting chocolate onto the floor so no one can run while Lucas harpoons anyone he sees.

Yeah, time to go.

Like before, the students are unfortunately left behind, but this time, when they run up to Merlin's Menagerie, it's Mare who wants to go back and help them, but Maven pulls her outside as Cal slams and welds the door shut.

She yells that they could have saved them, but Maven argues that there wouldn't have been time.

They're all silent for a second, about to shake off what happened, but all get defensive again when they hear a twig snap, Cal holding out a blazing hand as he demands for whoever's out to show themself.

SURPRISE!!! The SGE trio is alive, though Tedros has some scratches from Hort on hus arm and chest.

They reunite again, glad everyone's alright, including Sophie, who gets a, 'Yay, you're alive🙄, happy to see you, too, now stay focused' from Cal as they see what's become of the school.

Yeah... Everything is shit, but as they qonder what the next plan of action should be Maven notices a bunch of red lights appearing in the School Master's tower, which Mare points to, and they agree they need to find a way inside.

They sonewhat argue on who should go, noting the airship/blimp/whatever aircraft available used to bring the other High House children and the fact the SGE trio can mogrify, but before they get a solid plan, runners burst outside, forcing them to run towards the aircraft.

Cal and Tedros fall vack every now and again to keep the runners back, buying them a couple minutes at most, but Maven runs into Mare, who's standing with a look of pure fear and despair on her face. The airship is too far for them to reach and is getting mauled by stymphs, who shred it and tear it down.

Thank goodbess Agatha comes up with a new plan by leaping off the roof and grabbing a stymoh, which has some rope caught on it. She makes it crash back onto the roof and saddles up-though, it'smore bare-backing here- as she explains they can ride the stymphs to the tower. Maven shouts that she's out of her mind, but Mare's on board because they have no other options and more stymphs are coming, some being normal and hollow eyed while the rest are pissed and red eyed.

Tedros kicks back a mist possessed Ravan and agrees as he and Cal race toward the rest of the group.

So there are three stymphs, which lead to them forming groups of two, and before Sophie can dream again, Agatha grabs her, pulls her onto a Stymph and takes flight, Mare and Maven following and shouting for Cal and Tedros to hurry up because theirs is taking off without them.

They jump for it and while Tedros manages to get on its back, but Cal isn't as lucky, instead having to grab its claw/foot and hope for the best.

His job's about to become harder because Hort, still in Man-Wolf form, leaps off the menagerie and bites onto Cal, around and slightly above his ankle.

Cal shouts and almost lets go before Tedros grabs his wrist. Cal apologizes abd kicks Hort off him, which not only makes Hort fall, but also makes the bite worse than it already is.

Don't worry, Hort lands safely on a tree a greenie summoned and got back inside the school.

The group makes it a good distance toward the tower, but get ambushed by mire red mist possessed stymphs that make them crash through a window on a lower level of the tower.

Everyone gets up and gets their bearings, but quickly have an 'oh shit' moment when they see the bite Cal got. They all wonder if he's going to get possessed, but Tedros doesn't think so, having seen how people get possessed, which is by the host 'giving' the red mist by making the person "inhale" the mist, and by inhale I mean the mist goes up their nose and into their mouth and down their throat, which leads to their possession.

Mare backs his play, having seen the same happen with Nicholas and Tristan, and they conclude that Cal's safe, as long as he doesn't bleed out.

Mare acts quickly and tears off parts of her dress to use as a bandage until they can get a proper healer, and Tedros flips out at the fact she's Red; Hort scratched her up too, and when Tedros asked earlier, she simply replied that it wasn't hers.

Regardless, Maven and Mare help up Cal and continue towards the tower until they reach Rhian's office, Cal and Tedros staying behind as lookouts so Sophie, Agatha, Mare, and Maven progress and see what or who is causing this all to happen.

Surprise, it's Elara, who's über possessed and writes with the Storian as it tries continuously to get away.

Mare's surprised by the fact Elara's been possessed, but is still surprised to see the Storian moving of its own accord.

They quickly form a plan, and convince a very disturbed Maven, who agrees, despite his instincts telling him not to because that's his mother and he still loves her.

They plan to dogpile her, but Cal and Tedros get attacked by Dovey, who's also possessed. Cal may has standards, but Tedros kicks Dovey's feet out from under her before they rush into the office, Cal limping a little.

It gets everyone else's attention and Mare and Tedros got right into attack mode. Too bad she deflects them like flies and casts spells and Maven, Sophie, Cal, and Agatha, to subdue them.

Elara, possessed, tells her to stop, because they're injured enough to do nothing, so Dovey simply magics them all to the floor.

Mare asks who this is, the person that isn't Elara, and why they're doing this.

Rhian, who the spirit(who we all know is Rafal, though his identity wouldn't be known as of yet) refers to as his darling, dimwitted brother, is foolish if he believes there can be such a thing as peace in times like these, where the Schools for Good and Evil can really be united and stay united with the introduction of the Silvers and their powers. Stories aren't meant to be peaceful, there must be discourse, and there can't always be happy endings.

Tedros argues that for every Good ending, there's an Evil ending that follows. Everything has to stay in balance, that's how it's always been.

Rafal scoffs and tells him he's more of a fool than he realized, if that's really how he thinks.

Maven's turn to ask a question, out of panic and emotions: Why Elara, of all people?

Rafal admits that he's glad Maven asked and leaves Elara's body and possesses him instead, which is painful.

'Maven' stands and Rafal explains that with the students and the Silvers of Norta, he had a lot of people to choose from, from the broken and empty Maven to the one-tracked thinker that is Cal to vain, selfish, beautiful Sophie to lying, prideful, foolish Tedros to Agatha and Mare, who are both eager and desperate to return to the dirt piles they called home, possessing each of them as he explains before returning to Elara, who tries crawling away before she's possessed again.

Rafal explains very sharply that the Queen was the best candidate for his plan, having seen how power hungry and rutheless she is, and sneers that he had tried to reach his goodie two shoes brother, but the two trios kept screwing it up for him.

Mare asks if he's going to kill them, and Rafal uses Elara's whisper ability to torture Mare into silence before her raises a hand, finger and palm filling with black magic as he dare her to guess.

With a quick apology to Maven, Cal tackles Elara/Rafal to the ground, and Dovey prepares to shoot a spell at him. Tedros shoves her just as Rafal backhands Cal off.

Before any more damage can be done, Maven pulls Elara off Cal, Rafal knocking him back with magic. Mare shoots some lightning at him, demanding he return the storian(he'sbeen holding it this whole time), as Cal and Maven stand with flaming hands, and their battle begins.

Meanwhile, the SGE trio deal with a possessed Professor Dovey, who cries at them that she's sorry and how they need to run as she casts a spell at them, one they dodge in time before anyone gets singed.

Thinking quickly, Agatha tells Tedros to give her and Sophie time, to defend them with his word, since he isn't the best with magic.

He does so, though Dovey fights back barehanded.

Seeing this as life or death, and finally putting her Evil to good use, Sophie tells Agatha to stand back and sings, summoning wasps, locusts and hornets to the tower and whistling them attack Dovey.

Back with the RQ trio, Rafal uses magic to fight off Cal and Mare, throwing them into a wall before approaching a weak and slightly injured Maven, grabbing his throat and picking him up, calling him weak and saying it's no wonder Tibe chose Cal to seat the throne and not a child like Maven.

Mare, who's been sneaking forward, grabs Rafal and knees him before electrocuting him(don't worry, Maven's fine). He casts a spell to the wall, grabs the cape Elara's been wearing, and magics out of there instead.

Mare gives chase with Agatha, Cal, and Maven behind her; Sophie and Tedros stay behind to keep Dovey busy.

The chase ends on the roof with Agatha catching up to Mare to assist.

Rafal ain't having that and uses Elara to control Agatha, who casts numerous spells at her and chases her around the roof before one hits her in the chest, sending her to the edge of the roof.

Cal calls for them both, but Rafal smirks at him as Dovey snatches him and pulls back in the tower.

Back on the roof, Rafal watches Mare dangle a little and saying she would have made a lovely fairytale, if only she hadn't interfered. He then grabs and commands Agatha to finish the job and make Mare fall, tightening his grip when she refuses.

Through the possession, Agatha cries and apologizes, but Mare does, too, because she electricutes them both, making Agatha and Elara fall back, amd forcing Rafal to drop the Storian.

Mare falls back and grabs for it, Agatha screaming and falling after her, much to the shock of Cal, Maven, Tedros, Sophie, and Dovey.

They both fall, disappearing into the mist for a second before the mist fades and the two rise, Agatha having mogrifed into a condor or a vulture as she carries Mare, who holds her claw and she holds the Storian.

They pick up Elara as she begins to come to before landing in Rhian's office, reuniting with everyone, and crying while doing so, but the boys won't admit it.

Outside, the mist falls. Silvers, Reds, Evers, and Nevers all drop and shake out of their haze. In the ballroom, Hort shifts back into a human and groans as he pushes himself up, Rhian handing him his cloak and saying he's alright, and will be okay. Tibe watches everyone come to and turns to Rhian, who says he knew they could do it, referring to Cal, Maven, Mare, Sophie, Agatha, and Tedros, and explains that regardless of which side it is, or who wins, there's always a happy ending.

Back with the two trios, they stop hugging and watch Elara cough and gag, red smoke spewing out of her nose and mouth until it takes the shape of Rhian, who charges at all of them.

The Storian stops him and, in its own words, tells him to get lost.

As the sin rises, Rafal vanishes, though retreats into the woods, leaving them all in shock and awe.

We get something of a montage of the group reuniting with Tibe and Rhian, everyone getting healed, the group hanging out in the infirmary, even as Hort apologizes to Val for biting him, but Cal tells him it's gine and shouldn't worry about it, Tibe commending Cal, Mare, AND MAVEN for their efforts, which is a shicker for both Maven and Mare, the Storian reporting to Rhian, and finally, the group, Tibe, Rhian, and Dovey confenting Elara, who's in Silent Stone manacles.

When told to explain, she states she was possessed, that jealousy had gotten the better of her. It started off as pleasant conversation, but soon, the voice in her own head started speaking of something that she had to refuse. Little did she know, Rafal is a narcissistic ass and took control of her. Rhuan asks what she means, and she responds that she remebered him talking about balance and the futility of appealing to both sides, speaking of how his brother was a fool and was never good at learning his lessons.

Rhian tries to pull the 'I don't know this spirit' card, but Sophie agrees, saying Rafal spoke of Rhian very poorly when they confronted him.

Slightly ashamed, Rhain admits that, yes, the spirit was his brother, who lost the war and died, and yes. By war he means the one that took place centuries ago.

He had tried to keep the spirit under wraps by using spells and charms around the school, but figures that something must've happened to one of the charms that allowed Rafal's spirit to return.

The gears in Cal's head start turning, but Rhian has Elara freed, much to the dismay of all the fandom, and commends all of the group for their bravery and efforts, saying the Woods is indebted to the Silvers, though more specifically Cal, Maven, and Mare, who admits that Tedros, Agatha, and Sophie deserve some credit, too, as they would've been minced meet without them.

Tibe thanks them, and says in return they can have anything they want, excluding Cal or Maven or Mare(pulls out the megaphine again for Sophie) BECAUSE THEY'RE BETROTHED(puts the megaphine away).

Agatha's about to take Tibe's offer amd ask if he can take her and Sophie home or to Norta, but stops when she sees Tedros struggle to keep smiling, Sophie waiting for the final blow that they're leaving Tedros and Cal behind forever, and Mare, who's just waiting to see where this goes.

She asks if they can keep writing to each other, seeing as how the Silvers are leaving tomorrow.

Tibe and Rhian agree, Rhian admitting he can show them a technique for sending letters, but on the condition that only Tedros, Agatha, and Sophie can write letters and no one else.

They agree.

Time jump to a creak as the group hangs out one last time, Mare and Agatha sitting on a log as they watch Sophie find wild flowers to press for her letters and the boys just goofing around, Tedros and Maven swimming as Cal struggles to get in the water, though to be fair, Maven is knee deep in the water.

Mare asks Agatha what made her change her mind about taking the trip back, seeing as how all she wanted was to go home.

Agatha sighs and ecplains that she still does, but, having heard what Rhian said, she now fears for what would happen if she and Sophie left. The other Evergirls aren't the best with magic and if the schools are taken over again, the Silvers aren't there, and Agatha and Sophie are in Gavaldon, they're all basically fucked. Besides, it would actually hurt Tedros's feelings, which Agatha admits as she watches him and Maven drag and throw Cal into the water and laugh as he scurries out, screeching at the top if his lungs.

Mare notices and asks Agatha if she has athing for Tedros, having noticed their little glances at each other and how Tedros gets when he's with her.

Agatha, flustered, counters Mare gets the same way with Cal and Maven, so she's no better.

Speaking of Tedros, Cal, and Maven, Mare and Agatha watch as Cal carries a flailing Maven over his shoulder and wrangles Tedros into his other arm before throwing them into the water, Tedros not really minding, but Maven screaming because the water's freezing.

Mare admits that she's pretty sure Cal's going to miss having Tedros around, at least, but Agatha reassures her that if Mare's a Red with powers in the Endless Woods, then anything's possible. The SGE is for fairytales, after all.

Time jump to the next day. Mare visits her room and falls back onto her bed, letting it swallow her up so she's stuck when someone walks into her room.

Agatha asks if she needs help and Mare accepts, letting Agatha pull her up, before the two hug; they've only known each other alfor a little more than a month, but they're friends, damn it.

Outside the school, everyone exchanges their goodbyes, some crying and some trying not not to cry because Silvers don't cry.

Tedros plays it cool when he says goodbye to Cal, holding out his hand and leaving his other hand resting on the hilt of his sword, claiming that he's looking forward to the next time they meet, so he can kick Cal's ass next time they spar.

Cal, upon seeing how shaky Tedros's hand is and how glassy his eyes are, ruffles his hair instead and reminds him that they can still write to each other. That's enough to make Tedros crack and hug Cal, who obviously hugs back.

Sophie says goodbye as well, to both Cal and Maven, saying she hopes they're happy with their betrotheds. Maven asks if she's finally got the point of what betrothed means, but Sophie reminds him to be careful, as she could always send a spider in their letters. Cal remarks that it wouldn't be very Good of her, but does tell her to stay out of trouble, as much as she can, at least. Sophie only folds her arms and dares THEM to try being good when attending the School for Evil.

Tibe and Rhian exchange their goodbyes as well, Tibe thanking the School Master for his hospitality and Rhian thanking Tibe for sending the Swift and the Eye a while back; he can't remeber the last time things were so entertaining at the school.

The Silvers all take thier seats in their carriages and wave goodbye to the students and Rhian, though Tedros, Sophie, and Agatha sort of run after the carriage Cal, Maven, Mare, and Evangeline are in, because they're teens and will miss the presence of their new friends.

They wave back, but Cal's smile drops as he gets to thinking about what Rhian said, about the charms around the school. As Evangeline, Mare, and Maven talk, Cal starts putting the pieces together and the realization he has makes him feel sick to his stomach.

When they board the ship, he tells Mare and Maven immediately:

When they first arrived, the Swift or Eye must've moved a charm, which allowed Rafal to take over.

Rafal appearing was a direct result of the Silvers.

Maven peers over Elara's shoulder to see her smirking at him, whispering to him that they need to talk again, but this time it's more important.

The three stare at the Endless Woods as they leave, the scene zooming in on the woods until we find an engraved rock on the ground, which Sophie picks up.

She hears a whisper in her ear as Agatha asks if she's coming back to the school or what, Sophie looking between her and the rock she found.

AND THAT ENDS RED SCHOOL! Holy shit! I did not expect this to take as long as it did, but I just turned a 100 page comic into a full fledged book, so of course this is long as hell.

Ibrelly hope you guys enjoyed this, I never thought I'd be doing this and get it done. And if Victoria Aveyard, Soman Chainani or Joel Gennari are reading this, THIS WAS JUST A FAN THING BECAUSE I GET BORED WITH MYSELF, PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME!!!😫🙏

Anyway, thank you so much for reading, amd I hope you enjoyed!!!!!

[cyndecreativity]

Day 31 - Memorial Service

Home – Holiday Traditions – “Take me with you.”

Sophie intends to ask Valash to attend her closing ceremonies for the Virgo Festival in secret, but he has other plans.

~1300 words

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In the days leading up to the end of September, Valash ventured out into the city on more than one occasion. Sophie woke to find him gone from their bed, no note left in her room or messages left with any servants. Only when he returned in the evening did she have the opportunity to ask where he had disappeared to. His only response had been a vague, noncommittal “Out.” She had several reasons not to trust him, but she also wanted to be the one to make the steps to do so, so she let him continue the routine again.

But the final day of the Virgo Festival came and with it an event that required her presence. She would perform a small ritual for the Spirits, thanking them for their blessings and wishing them well for the rest of the year. She wanted Valash to be present for the holiday’s tradition. Though with his disappearances, she found no appropriate time to ask him.

On the eve of the final day, she cornered him in his separate room, packing a small bag. “Valash?”

He glanced to her as he collected a few necessary articles from around the room. “Ah, Your Grace, I’ll just be a moment. Dinner?”

The Virgin Queen shook her head. “N-no… Why are you packing?”

The muscles of his jaw worked under the skin. “Headed home.”

Her brow lifted, a weight in her chest. “I… I thought this was your home now?”

He glanced to her again before turning to face her, his eyes wide. “Oh… Your Grace-“

“Don’t call me that!” She felt tears prickling at her nose. “You’re leaving!”

His wings fluttered ever so slightly. “Sophie.” He took a slow breath. “There’s just something I have to do. I’ll be back in a few days.”

She sniffed. “Then why the secrecy, why the formality? What are you hiding?”

Feathers fluffed and he reached into his pocket. “I… I just didn’t think anyone else would care.” He produced a handkerchief and offered it to her.

Frustration built up in her chest, her fingers tensed into claws. “Of course I’d care if you left! Why would you think otherwise!”

The handkerchief hovered awkwardly between them. “I had every intention of returning so… I suppose I didn’t think about how the leaving might affect you.”

Her eyes rolled, her nose stuffy from unshed tears. “Where are you going, then?”

He looked to the handkerchief and lowered his arm. “Lotuserna.”

The Lotus Capital had fallen into disrepair in the years following the Great Cataclysm there years prior. It existed primarily as a den for Ophiuchus and the Serpentarius people even after the defeat of Ophiuchus herself. The new Djinn would require years to fully cleanse the area of the deity’s influence.

Sophie furrowed her brow and gently drew her finger along her lower lid. “You’re going to work on the seal with Idania and Tristan?”

“No.” The handkerchief returned to his pocket and he returned to his packing routine.

“Then… Why are you going?”

“Visit my parents.”

Sophie blinked. “But… They… Valash, you don’t think-“

“Their grave.” He pushed the items into his pack with an aggressive force, his wings rustling a bit.

His sudden flare of quiet frustration caused her to shrink into herself. “I’m sorry… I just… I have the closing ceremony tomorrow and I hoped you might be able to attend.”

His brow furrowed for a moment. “I’m supposed to be your dirty little secret. Why would you want me there?”

Her teeth clicked as her jaw clenched. “I do so hate when you call yourself that. Though I will admit that I had intended for you to remain… backstage, most likely cloaked to hide your presence. I… I meant to ask you sooner and I’m sorry I haven’t, but you’ve been so secretive and I didn’t want to make you think I didn’t trust you but I’ve been so nervous and-“

His hands found hers, a warmth exuded from his that felt uncommon, though she knew better. He drew her attention to his eyes, a bid for her to focus and not get lost in her own anxiety, her rock in the quaking of her mind. She smiled at the beauty in his eyes, the colors that mixed in his irises and made them unable to categorize with one simple utterance of blue or green or even gray. She had yet to find the precise poetic phrasing to describe them, or the rest of him. But he grounded her, and she nodded.

“I’m sorry I didn’t think about the ceremony. It’s not as if it would fall on any other day. I just… This will be the first time I can visit my parents with a…” A meaningful expression softened his features. “With a happier story.”

The warmth from his hands spread through her arms, over her neck, and onto her face. How much of that warmth actually extended from his magic, she could not tell, but she felt the flush on her cheeks and tilted her head down to look at him through fluttered lashes. A rakish smile flashed on half his lips for the barest of moments.

“But… I’ll come back as quickly as I can to hear all about how it went.” He lifted a hand to her chin. “Is that satisfactory, Your Grace?”

She allowed him to tilt her face back up to gaze at him fully. That softness existed on his visage for much longer than any other instance. Home. She felt a deeper understanding of the word spread between them. A sudden need to stay with him bubbled within her.

“Take me with you.”

The words tumbled out of her without her permission, a thought given voice that had barely tickled at the edges of her consciousness.

His wings fluffed slightly, a muted surprise on his face. “You have to perform the ceremony, Sophie.”

She laughed once, more an exhalation than mirth. “I… Of course. I do. I have responsibilities. As a Queen, to my people, and to the Spirits. I just… I want to… share everything with you. To help tell your… happier story with your parents. If-if that’s all right with you, of course.”

That half-smile appeared and lingered for a few moments. “I’ll stay in Lotuserna for a few days, then, and await your arrival.”

Her brow furrowed. “Can you not wait to leave? We could go together.”

The smile disappeared immediately, his eyes away to any other section of the room. “I have to be there tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

She tilted her head to follow his distraction. “Why?”

He inhaled slowly, one hand drifted to the back of his neck, his wings flittering a bit. “It’s my parents’ anniversary.”

The weight of the date hit her. The last day of the Virgo Festival and the even of the Libra Festival. “Oh. Well. Do you at least have a place to stay?”

He looked to her, his hand dropping from the back of his neck. “I… I made arrangements to stay at the Virgo manse in Lotuserna. My sister is still staying there.”

His sister. A smile spread her lips but did not reach her eyes, a motion she practiced daily in the court. “Then you two can have your private memorial.”

He glanced sidelong at her. “And you will come after the ceremony…?” She heard a hope, a plea, on his voice.

Her smile brightened. “If you will have me.”

Valash’s wings almost spread, but he rolled his shoulders to control them. A quirk of having gained the limbs so late in life, this inability to control them as well as Alden or Idania could control their tails in response to emotion.

She grinned as a flush spread to his cheeks. He cleared his throat and nodded. “I’m sure my sister wouldn’t mind seeing you.”

[vickyvicarious]

bad days

@angelrtsy95 this is for you. 

(based off this beautiful and sad art by @citrusvoid)

also on AO3 and FFN.

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They all have bad days, sometimes. It'd be impossible not to, the lives that they lead. Sometimes it's about what just happened - Leverage has met its fair share of evil, often all the more rotten behind the mask of a respectable member of society. Sure, they always win in the end... but only for a given definition of 'win', because there's no actual eradicating these kinds of people. It's impossible to always be satisfied with helping just one family, destroying just one small empire in a world full of them. Sometimes helping one person almost makes it worse, because that only makes you more aware of the extent you can’t get to.

Of course, a lot of bad days aren't about anything happening now. They all have a past: the kind that ripples out into the present, that creeps into your mind when you’re least prepared and sucks you back under. It’s never for long. They don’t ever let it stop them, but there’s no such thing as simply being over it, either.

In the beginning, they took care of themselves. Parker would go nonverbal and nearly nonexistent; she’d vanish whenever anyone turned their back on her. Nate crawled all the way into a bottle and lashed out with vicious accuracy at anyone who tried to drag him out. Sophie showed it least, but when she had a bad day she also tended to get quiet. Not in the same way as Parker, vanishing where she stood; Sophie would instead gaze thoughtfully off in the distance, be perpetually distracted and sad when she let her guard down. Eliot was grumpy often, but when he was really upset he would just leave. He’d go away, completely remove himself from them, and come back a day or six later with bruises or cuts or a sling, still frowning.

Nate wore his pain like a weapon; Parker a shield. Sophie floated away; Eliot anchored himself down. Alec was probably the only one of them, at the start, who knew how to go to another person for help on a bad day. Whenever he felt that choking feeling crawling up his throat, that familiar aching fear - he shut himself up in his room. Wrapped himself in fluffy blankets and made hot chocolate, and called Nana. She somehow could always tell the difference between a call like that and plain old socializing, and they’d talk for hours until he felt better. Not good, often, but she knew how to blunt the sharp edge until he could cope in less important ways, get caught up in a Star Trek marathon or lead a raid in World of Warcraft or hack an alphabet soup agency again.

It obviously helped that a lot of his worst demons were the ones Nana had banished, long ago: feeling alone and unloved, worrying he wasn’t enough, fearing he’d lose her far too soon. Okay, so he helped with that last one, but she’d kept on living, so Alec considered that her victory like the rest. Still, he’d picked up plenty of his own problems since leaving home, and she listened to whatever he had to say. Sometimes she gave advice, sometimes she just changed the subject to stories of some of his foster siblings or the latest drama with her neighbor or their stories on TV. It didn’t really matter, she was his Nana, she had always loved and accepted him and been there to rely on; she always would.

The rest of the crew didn’t have people like that anymore. Not at the beginning.

But it didn’t take too terribly long for them to start becoming those people for one another. And like anything, it was easier in fair weather at first. They’d hang out and watch TV and eat food together, but no one came to another member of the crew for comfort when they felt sick or upset or lonely. That took much longer.

It happened, though. Alec wasn’t even the first one; that was Sophie and Parker. Parker started poking at Sophie, metaphorically and otherwise, whenever she was in one of her horrible lost moods, and for the most part it seemed to work. She’d snap out of it, just a little, whenever Parker forced her to react to what was actually happening around her. And it happened for the rest of them, too: Nate still drank himself to death, but he visibly tried to bite back on the vitriol on his worst days. Sometimes Sophie could reach him even then, though everyone else still was better off not pushing too far. Parker still went silent and small, but she stopped leaving the room every time. Instead she’d sit on the couch hunched up into herself, wrap her arms around her knees... and lean her side into someone next to her. Usually Eliot, Sophie a little more rarely, and then Alec. Even after they got together, that ratio didn’t change - but she held his hand sometimes. Spoke to him, when they were alone, in short bitten-off sentences, and held him tight till his knuckles ached. 

Alec liked hugs, when he was really upset - liked being wrapped up in someone’s arms, feeling their warmth and a steady heartbeat under his ear. He liked listening to them talk, sometimes even more than he wanted to spill his own guts. Sophie was fantastic at telling stories that brought him out of his bad mood, while Parker’s firm touch was infinitely comforting. Nate and Eliot were less comfortable with the physical affection, but Eliot would always hug him back for a few seconds, before patting him hard on the back and making him something delicious to eat; Nate often managed to find a job that was up Alec’s alley, or make some awkward comment that was about ninety times more comforting than it ever ought to be.

They’d all gotten better about being vulnerable together, about seeking comfort from one another.

Except Eliot.

Oh, he was better about the smaller stuff. He hugged, now. He’d go on cooking sprees and essentially force feed them comfort food. He even talked about his feelings. It was just that he didn’t do any of that on Bad Days. He’d work through a rough mood with their support just fine, but whenever anything bothered him deep, he withdrew again. Left, again. Came back a week later limping or bandaged and didn’t say a word about any of it. And Alec would never want to push him - that’d be the worst reaction. Eliot knew how to be dangerous, sometimes couldn’t help being dangerous; maybe that was what he needed on days like that. Or maybe he just couldn’t turn it off and didn’t want it turned on them. Either way, Alec trusted him and wasn’t going to press for anything to change if he wasn’t ready... but he still worried, every time. Eliot wasn’t going to lose a fight, he wasn’t going to leave like that and not come back to them. He wasn’t ever going to hurt any of them, and he knew how to stay intact enough to do his job. But intact wasn’t the same as safe. Every time, Eliot came back injured, and Alec honestly didn’t know if he was letting it happen or if he just threw himself into situations where it was unavoidable. There wasn’t much difference between the two, really, and he wanted to help. He wanted Eliot to come to him��instead, him and Parker both. Sophie or Nate would do too, anyone would really as long as he stayed safe, but - but he and Parker had talked about this, they wanted Eliot with them. In every way, that kind of came with the territory of being in love, but especially this one.

It didn’t happen though. Not for years - not for years after they learned about Damien Moreau, even, and at the time Alec had wondered if that’d been what stopped Eliot from ever seeking them out before then. If he’d thought it’d be too much like lying, asking them to comfort him when he knew what he’d done had been horrible, had been something Alec couldn’t forgive.

(He wasn’t ever going to ask. He’d still love Eliot, he swore he would, but he’d never ever ask.)

But even then, even long after then, Eliot kept to himself. When Parker and Alec finally, finally convinced him that yes, they wanted him too, that didn’t make a difference; for so many other wonderful things but not this. He went away, came back, didn’t say a word. He didn’t change his routine when Sophie and Nate retired either, just sometimes mentioned that he was leaving for a while, first. None of them ever had really bad days on the job, they were all too good at compartmentalizing for that, but Eliot especially seemed to time them well. It was damn suspicious - but so were all those bruises, every single time, and those were worse.

When it finally changed, Alec didn’t know why. He didn’t ask either, that was another thing he knew better than to ever ask about - but, god, his heart ached to know. Because Eliot didn’t come to him, not all the way. He came so, so close and then stopped short - and Alec knew this couldn’t be the first time he’d done that. It couldn’t be, he just knew it, and he wondered how many times Eliot had done this first, had suffered right by his door and then left and came back days later hurting on the outside instead.

It was three forty-two AM. Alec woke up thirsty. He yawned at the ceiling, considered just rolling over and ignoring it, but his throat was dry and he knew his awareness of that was going to take over completely and drive him mad as soon as he shut his eyes again. It happened all the time. So, even though he was extremely comfortable, he wiggled out from under Parker’s arm and walked out of their bedroom.

He didn’t notice Eliot on his way to the kitchen. (Wondered now, too often and always with a sick twist in his gut, how many times he hadn’t noticed him on his way back to bed either.) Drank a glass of water in the dark, felt it cool and refreshing down his throat and drank another half-glass after just for the feeling. Then he padded back along the hall, scratching absently at his stomach as he went - and that was where he saw him.

Eliot was sitting in the hall, just outside the door to their bedroom. He was still dressed in his clothes from yesterday: a white t-shirt and jeans, brown shoes. He hadn’t come back yet when Alec and Parker went to bed, but none of them exactly had a regular sleep schedule and Eliot had said he was going to be back late from hanging out with some old friends. So it was possible that he’d only just gotten back, maybe that he was drunk and tired and it seemed more logical to just sit down here instead.

That wasn’t it though, so clearly wasn’t what was happening here. Eliot’s knees were up, his feet planted in front of him. He sat with his back against the wall, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped around the back of his head. He was just staring down at the floor beneath his feet, holding himself down and still and Alec could see the tension in his arms from the opposite end of the hall. Eliot could’ve been here for hours. He’d nearly walked right past him again, he’d nearly -

Alec didn’t think about it. He was there before his brain had even fully processed what he was seeing; fell down to his knees so hard they cracked loudly against the wood floor but didn’t stop. He scooted in, tucked his whole self around Eliot, one knee under his bent leg and one wedged between his back and the wall. Wrapped his arms around the top of Eliot’s head, grabbed on tight to his wrist; rested his chin on top of Eliot’s head and stared into the dark, feeling his own breath go shaky and rough.

Eliot didn’t move under him, didn’t let up the tension in his grip at all. But there was a shape emerging from the darkness of the bedroom; Parker must’ve heard Alec hit the floor, because she wandered out to join them, yawning and loose-limbed. Her eyes went wide when she saw what was going on, but she reacted quickly too. Parker just flopped on top of them both, letting her head fall down to join Eliot as her arms draped loosely over the top of his head to rest on Alec’s shoulders. She was doing that gross mouth-breathing thing she did sometimes when she’d just woken up; for a long minute it was the only sound in that dark, warm hallway.

Then Eliot started to shiver. Just a little at first, but soon it was a full-body shudder that just kept going and going and Alec squeezed him tighter, held him closer and breathed him in and finally spoke: “We got you, babe. We gotchu.”

“Together,” Parker mumbled, voice soft and arms still loose, but she was sitting up on her knees and pressing her head close in, her words going right into Eliot’s ear.

He just sat there and shook, and they held him and waited, long enough that Alec’s back and arms ached from sitting there too long and then a while after that. Eventually, Eliot relaxed: tension bleeding out of him slowly, slowly, slowly.

His head drooped lower. His fingers unlaced, and Alec caught them with his own. Parker sat up as he pulled back, pulled Eliot’s arms down. He kissed his hands, one then the other on his knuckles, and they weren’t swollen or wet. Just loose in his grasp, curling slightly under his kiss.

When he looked up, Eliot’s head was still down. He was watching Parker as she unlaced his shoes for him. Alec stuck a hand under the knee closest to him, lifted it so Eliot’s foot was no longer on the floor, and Parker tugged the shoe and then sock off. He reached under to do the same with the other leg next, and Eliot just let him. He didn’t resist or help.

They stood up next, leaving the shoes and socks in the hall to trip over in the morning. Eliot walked with them into their bedroom; when they stopped at the edge of the bed he sighed softly.

Parker stepped up in front of him. Looked Eliot quietly in the eyes as she unbuckled his belt, tugged it loose and then pulled his pants down. He just stood there, slack and exhausted and when she knelt down to tug the jeans past his ankles, he leaned his head back into Alec’s shoulder. Even though Alec hadn’t heard him cry at all for however long they’d sat out there, Eliot was moving with the sluggishness of the truly sobbed-out. Alec wrapped his arms around Eliot’s back and bent down to kiss his shoulder. He swallowed loudly, and the sound made Alec’s own throat feel tight.

Parker climbed onto the bed first, scooted all the way over and laid down with her arms and legs out, waiting for them to join her. Alec took a moment to let go, but when he did Eliot immediately crawled in after her, pressing his forehead into her neck as she pulled him close. Alec stopped to shut the door and make sure the blinds were completely shut over the window before he followed. By the time he made it back to the bed, they’d shifted around. Parker was spooning Eliot, a leg over top of his and a hand lightly fisted in his hair.

Alec pulled the covers over all of them, slid right up against Eliot and sandwiched him fully between himself and Parker. He kissed her over Eliot’s head, wrapped his arm around them both, and shut his eyes. Listened to their breathing slow.

Eliot didn’t say anything. Not that night and not the next morning. Despite Alec’s efforts, either some morning sun got to him or his internal alarm clock just ignored even the worst need for rest, because Eliot got up first. He made them all breakfast and didn’t talk about what had happened with such clear deliberation that they both knew not to, either. He was weird all day, had a kind of wild look in his eyes and didn’t really hold his end of the conversation well... but he didn’t leave, and he didn’t stay away for days, and he didn’t come back with bruises or cuts or a concussion.

Not that time. He still did, sometimes. But sometimes Parker still vanished, sometimes no one but Nana would do and Alec couldn’t cry for anyone else, not even his partners. Eliot started showing up next to them more often on his bad days. He didn’t quite ask for their help, but he sat somewhere they could find him, held himself tight inside and when they held him too he’d start to shake. He cried, sometimes, but usually he just got quiet and tense and exhausted, afterwards. He never talked, and Alec wasn’t sure he ever would, but that was okay.

Eliot was okay. He had them both to help, just like they had him when they needed. He let them help now, let Alec hold him and protect him and keep him safe like he’d always done for them. It made him feel so important, so trusted and full to overflowing with love. He checked the hallway in both directions every time he got up for a glass of water. Most of the time, it was empty, but sometimes he held Eliot again, hugged him tight until his grip on himself finally relaxed.

Kissed his knuckles then, on calloused and unbroken skin.