#like yes i saw all the amber heard hate but what i found odd was that depp was acting more like how people described HEARD acting

[timeisacephalopod]

On a total side note tangent I will say I didnt read Heard's piece that Depp sued over defaming him but if I have my facts straight she didn't even name him in the piece she wrote so like if he read "I became the face of domestic violence" and came running out screaming "you're defaming me!" it was weird that everyone read that as Heard defaming Depp and not as a confession of domestic violence from Depp?? Like I don't know many people who would be so offended their ex said they were in an abusive relationship that they'd come running out of the woodwork to claim they were the unnamed ex that was written about and they were the victim of a hit piece that never mentioned them by name?

Sounds more like he intentionally used the legal system to further abuse his victim and it's really god damn weird that it took uncomfortable texts from Depp to Marilyn Manson of all fucking people for people to realize the guy who was really willing to say he was the unnamed abusive ex was, in fact, abusive.

[whereplotbunniesgotodie]

Perfume and Iron

Pairing: GeraltxJaskier

Warning: mentions of blood and near death

Not a happy ending but not sad either, so I'd say this is an ambiguous melancholy ending.

Summary: When Jaskier sees Geralt in danger, even a year after they parted, he throws himself in to save him. When he find out he wasn't killed like he fully expected, he and Geralt talk but sometimes things don't end the way we all want them to, do they?

He knew better. Of course he knew better! Numerous decades will beat understanding into you whether you want it to or not, really. Of course knowing better doesn't mean following through with that knowledge. Knowing better doesn't mean you'll sit back and let your best friend die just because he has an overwhelming death wish and you haven't seen him in over a year.

Surprisingly, as far as Jaskier was concerned, it hadn't hurt like he'd expected it too. Granted, it did feel like a hot knife was being perpetually stabbed into his stomach and then twisted, but that wasn't the all consuming agony he, quite frankly, expected of a monster's poisoned claw slicing across his abdomen. 

Geralt was looking at him with eyes wide in shock,or at least he assumed that's the look the Witcher wore, his pitch black eyes hampering his ability to read the expression. The creature lay slain at his feet, blood joining Geralt's in a somber pool. His hand sat limp at his side, his sword dragging in the dirt. His other hand clutched at a bleeding gash taking up his entire side, a vain attempt to slow it. 

Huh, wasn't that funny? Geralt never, ever looked shocked. Maybe that had changed in the year since they'd seen each other, since that horrible day on the mountain. Maybe Geralt was willing to admit he had emotions? 

Jaskier frowned when Geralt's form began to swim as his gaze went hazy. He tried to step towards the other, to clear his vision, but felt his legs give out beneath him and he gasped as suddenly he found himself on the ground. 

"Jaskier!" 

Funny, that didn't sound like Geralt, too distraught to be the Witcher. 

He tried to lift his head, to see what had suddenly taken Geralt's form but found even that was too much. Wouldn't that just be poetic? Jaskier, the White wolf's bard, died protecting a shapeshifter. He'd have laughed if he felt he could.

Strangely, he realized it no longer felt like he was being repeatedly stabbed, in fact, it didn't feel like anything. He almost swore he was floating,flying even, but that was silly, he couldn't fly!

"Jaskier! Look at me you damn idiot!"  oh… Geralt but not Geralt again. This time the tone bordered somewhere between fear and hysteria and the idea that Geralt would feel either of those about Jaskier himself was just ridiculous. 

Jaskier found himself gently rolled onto his back, or at least that's what he had to assume. The hazy brown that had filled his vision was now a hazy blue. There was a shadow blocking out some of the blue and he wanted to reach up and touch it. Maybe that would show him what had taken on the form of his old friend, he did have a ring on for just such a reveal. Bought after they parted as Geralt's warnings about creatures still echoed in his head.

"Jaskier, you have to focus on me." 

Hands cupped his cheeks, pulling his attention to the shadowed figure. Well, not so shadowed anymore, just blurry; like looking through water.

"Where'd Geralt go? What are you?"

"Where did…? Jaskier it's me. I'm right here?"

Jaskier frowned, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to focus them. Geralt not Geralt sounded so confused, more proof he wasn't Geralt. 

"No. No, see, I saw you… I saw you and thought Geralt was going to be hit by the monster again. You… Geralt… you wouldn't have been alright after another hit!"

"And you stupidly got in the way!"

"But Geralt wouldn't be upset by that! And you… you sound like you're upset. Geralt… Well, see, Geralt said his best blessing would be… would be…" that was odd, he knew what he wanted to say but the words just wouldn't slip past his tongue. In fact it felt like his mouth was filling with something… Water? He had to force himself to speak through the full feeling in his mouth.  "Would be if I was off his hands…"

Finally! That's What he wanted to say!  "I couldn't let him die! Of course… I thought you were him."

"I am hi- Jaskier it is me." 

"You can't be because… Geralt hates me!" Jaskier said. Goddess, why didn't not Geralt understand? 

"I don't… hate.." Geralt not Geralt stumbled over his words in a bizzare show of emotion. "I don't hate you Jaskier."

Jaskier let out a laugh, wet, strained and humorless. He didn't think he could laugh anymore so that was good. He could feel the… Whatever it was in his mouth, running down his chin, and he wanted so badly to reach and wipe it away, but didn't have the strength. 

"Of course you don't. But he does." 

Not Geralt didn't respond, too busy turning his attention to Jaskier's abdomen. Not Geralt moved and suddenly Jaskiers entire upper body was a lot cooler than it had been before… Oh, not Geralt had ripped his doublet and chemise off. Well damn, he'd really like this lavender one, it complimented his skin tone.

"Hey…" he said, a weak attempt at berating Not Geralt.

"Shut up Jaskier!"

Oh… well that sounded like Geralt. Maybe it was…? Jaskier tried to shake the thought from his head. He knew this wasn't his old friend but as long as they kept the form maybe he could pretend? 

The pressure on his stomach disappeared for a moment and Jaskier frowned. No.. No! He didn't want to be alone when he died! Where did not Geralt go?

Something cool was pressed to his lips and a thick, vaguely flowery tasting liquid invaded his mouth, overpowering the wet, full feeling. He swallowed instinctively and couldn't help but make a face at the flavor of perfume and iron. The cool vial was quickly pulled away and Jaskier tried to squint and see what not Geralt was doing. 

A sudden burning pain enveloped him, stemming from the slash across his abdomen, and he couldn't help but scream. It was as if the creature had slashed through him again, with claws recently dipped in flames. He could feel his back arch as if to get away from the pain but not Geralt pressed his hands to the slash and pushed Jaskier back to lay flat. 

Jaskier managed to reach up and scratch at not Geralt's arm. He wanted it to stop! What was happening? The pain was increasing and not Geralt was holding him down and… And he was hot, far too hot.

"It's a potion! It's safe for you but you have to stop thrashing!" Not Geralt snarled at him. 

"Hurts!" Jaskier managed as the pain intensified. "Stop!" He had to get away, to get the pain to stop!

"Jaskier, enough!" Not Geralt snapped and used more pressure to press Jaskier once again to the ground. There was pain in his voice, or maybe Jaskier imagined the strained tremor he heard. 

 It was getting dark again and Jaskier felt the pain begin to fade into the background, his ears filling with a rushing buzz that drowned out everything around him. Once again he couldn't focus. He let himself fall limp and closed his eyes, he couldn't see anyway.

When he opened his eyes, which was surprising in it's own right, it was to the dim light of a fire a few feet away. Right after his eyes opened, he heard rustling to his right and suddenly he could make out  a shadowed shape above him. 

"Jaskier…"

Oh… Not Geralt was still here, still sounding just this side of wrong, just a little too emotional. Jaskier closed his eyes tightly, hands clenching at his side. 

"Don't you dare pass out on me again." 

That… sounded much more like Geralt usually did. That sounded angry and exasperated and… oh so familiar. "Worked too damn hard to keep you alive."

Jaskier sighed and kept his eyes closed. This time the voice was a bit calmer, closer to worried than angry.

"Jaskier? Come on, don't pass out again…" 

There was a hand running through his hair, brushing the sweat slicked strands back and out of his face. 

“Jaskier?” 

Jaskier opened his eyes again, looking straight into worried amber. 

"There you are." Not Geralt said as he sat back and just out of Jaskier's line of sight. Before he could question it, not Geralt gently helped him sit up, and leaned the bard against his chest to anchor him. 

"Come on, sit up for me."

Jaskier frowned and struggled weakly. "Alright. You had your fun pretending to be Geralt bu-" he started, turning his upper body as best he could to look at the other.

"Pretending?" Not Geralt cut him off. "Jaskier. I'm not…" he lowered his eyes and must have caught the glint of Jaskier's ring because without another word he took the bard's wrist in his hand and lifted it to his cheek. The ring pressed into his skin and there was no burning, no anything. "See?" 

"Geralt…" Jaskier breathed quietly.

The witcher himself nodded, despite the fact it wasn't a question in Jaskier's tone. He curled himself around the other and Jaskier had the distinct sense that the witcher was unaware of doing so.

"Geralt… I hate to be the one to say this especially right now, but… why are you here?"

Geralt tensed and leaned away so quickly, a rush of breeze from the movement sent a shiver down Jaskier's back. 

"What do you mean?" Geralt asked. "You were going to die an-"

Jaskier cut him off. "I was, yes. If you do remember about the last time we parted… Well, honestly Geralt it seemed like… I mean," he looked away, "Isn't that what you asked for?" He couldn't help the hitch in his voice or breath when he spoke. "Back then, you said…"

"I know what I said!" Geralt hissed, pained and quiet. "I know what I said and how horrible it was!" Geralt looked away, expression surprisingly open.

Jaskier glanced back, brows pinched in question. 

 "I met up with Yenn about three months after we parted. She heard what I had said to you and hit me so hard I was sure she intended to kill me." Geralt explained quietly. "She might have been trying to actually…" he added as an afterthought. "Said I was the stupidest man she'd ever seen, and that was saying something. Said I'd realize what I lost when it was gone and she'd not feel any sympathy for me."

Jaskier was quiet, lowering his gaze to stare unseeing at the fire in front of them. "I was sure you didn't want to see me again." He finally whispered. "And even so I was prepared to die for you…"

Geralt was quiet as well for a few moments, long enough that Jaskier had the unusual thought that the witcher had gone mute, but the other eventually spoke

"You were prep-…Why? I was terrible to you."

"I've always been reckless. You know that." 

Geralt frowned and Jaskier glanced away again. 

"I've never known you to have a death wish." 

"You haven't known me for a while." 

"Jaskier…"

The bard flinched slightly at the tone, quietly resigned and sad. "I know…" he replied. 

"I missed you…" Geralt let his sudden declaration hang in the air, Jaskier could feel him tense when the words left his mouth. 

"What…?"

"After Yenn tried to beat sense into me, I realized she was right. I pushed you away, lost you, and I regretted it. I wanted to find you but I didn't think you'd want to see me again."

Jaskier was quiet, listening to the other with a kind of detached melancholy. How long had he waited for the other to say these things? How long had he longed for Geralt to see him, want him, miss him? He'd willingly risked his life for the other not twenty four hours before and yet… Why wasn't he ecstatic? Why wasn't he happier?

When he didn't reply Geralt let out a long breath. "Is it too late to try again?"

Jaskier lowered his eyes, the blue unfocused and glassy as he stared unseeing at the ground. 

"I... don't know." 

[slashyrogue]

It wasn’t easy for a human to attract a shifter. 

Or so Will had heard. 

He’d never had much experience with them, but the rarity of human x shifter couplings were so that there were even classes in order to help those who were desperately attracted to the idea. 

His shifter wasn’t hard to attract at all. 

The minute he’d met Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the cat shifter had formed an odd attachment to him. This phenomena was even more rare, as cats were the most fickle of the shifter types. There were some cats who didn’t mate at all, finding solace in being alone, and others who only stayed amongst their own kind. 

Hannibal seemed the first type, or so the many people who remarked to Will later would tell him, and as the weeks progressed Will found himself with a conundrum. 

He wasn’t interested. 

Will had never been interested in relationships with other humans, let alone becoming a shifter mate for life, and though Hannibal tried his best to woo him he really wasn’t Will’s type. Shifters in general had never paid much attention to Will that way so he’d ignored them when he found someone to spend the night with, and Hannibal’s attractiveness aside there was just nothing about him Will found interesting. 

But how to tell him? 

Jack Crawford had remarked to Will how “sensitive” an issue like rejection was to shifters. A wolf shifter himself, Jack was the only shifter Will knew outside of Hannibal he could talk to. 

“You’re sure about this, Will?” Jack asked, frowning, “I mean...you know what they say about cat shifters.” 

Will blushed. 

“I do."

“So, I mean...”

“I’m not interested, Jack,” he sighed, “And it’s getting to be a problem.”

Cat shifters were said to be amazing in bed, like one night with one and you’d never want to be with anyone else again. 

Will thought that sounded terrifying. 

Hannibal’s attempts at wooing him so far had begun to increase, nightly offerings of food and companionship that Will didn’t want or need but couldn’t turn away. He knew this was supposed to be a compliment, but it was starting to effect his entire life. 

“Well,” Jack sighed, scratching behind the brown ears on top of his head, “Just do it gently. I’ve heard cats can get...prickly. Hannibal doesn’t seem the type but you never know.” 

“I’ll try.” 

“And maybe I’ll start looking for another psychiatrist to...help you through your...problem.” 

Will nodded and left Jack’s office, feeling a bit better, and yet as he waited for the elevator doors to open he knew he’d miss that aspect of all this. 

His weekly visits to Hannibal’s office were nice, friendly, and Will didn’t genuinely hate them. Hannibal treated him like a person, more so than most humans did, and as much as he wasn’t attracted to him he wanted to remain friends. 

Would that even be possible after this? 

The doors opened and Will was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t notice he wasn’t alone till the doors closed. 

“Hello, Will.” 

Hannibal’s accented purr startled him, making Will jump in surprise. “Hannibal,” he squeaked, coughing, “I...I didn’t notice you. Sorry.” 

“You seem upset. Is there an assignment from Jack that’s troubling you?” 

“No,” he whispered, squeezing his hands at his sides, “Nothing like that.” 

“I see.” 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I was looking for you,” Hannibal said honestly, “And as you were not home I suspected you to be here.” 

Will blushed. “Oh.” 

“Is there something the matter?” 

He couldn’t bring himself to look at him. “No.” 

“Will...” 

“Not here,” he mumbled, shaking his head, “It’s best if we...” 

The elevator suddenly lurched and he fell back only to have Hannibal catch him. He stared up into Hannibal’s amber eyes, surprised, and pulled himself away a moment later. 

“What was that?” 

Hannibal walked to the elevator buttons and pressed them. 

Nothing happened. 

“It seems we’re stuck. The elevator must have stalled.” 

Will sighed, leaning against the wall. “Perfect.”

Hannibal smiled at him. “Is it?” 

He frowned. “I didn’t mean...” 

“We will have some time alone together until it’s fixed I suspect. If you wanted to talk about your problem now....” 

“No,” Will sighed, “I...” 

“Will, you’ve never had a problem speaking your mind to me before. What is it that makes this different?” 

He blushed, looking down at his shoes. “It’s not--”

“Is this because of my interest?” 

Will looked up at him. “Um...” 

He watched Hannibal’s face fall. “I see.” 

“It’s been a few weeks and really I like talking to you in sessions but---” 

Hannibal moved as far away from him as possible. “No, it’s perfectly fine. I wouldn’t want you to feel obligated to accept my courting if you weren’t attracted.” 

Will’s stomach tightened. “I’m not....into shifters. Okay? I haven’t really ever been that much into men in general. It’s not you, it’s---” 

“Please, don’t,” Hannibal hissed, his eyes suddenly flashing, “I do not need your pity.” 

“Hannibal...” 

“I think it best if you call me, Dr. Lecter from now on. I’d prefer it.” 

The dismissal made Will sadder than it should have. “Ok.” 

Silence followed, and while Will’s phone didn’t work he was able to track fifteen minutes passed before someone’s voice came through the speaker. 

“Hello in there!” 

They both looked up from where they sat on the elevator floor and Will shot up rushing to the speaker. 

“Hey, we’re stuck!” 

“We see that! It’ll be a bit of a wait, fellas! Bobby called off sick and he’s the only one who knows how to handle number three but we’re calling in the repair guys who’ll be here in an hour.” 

Will sighed. “Fine. Just...let us know.” 

“Will do!” 

He saw Hannibal had moved away from him again and seemed to be doing everything he could not to acknowledge Will’s existence. 

“It--” 

“I heard,” Hannibal said, glaring at him, “I have very good hearing.” 

The pale brown ears at the top of his head were down low in his anger. Will had never seen them look like that before. “I know.” 

“And I’m very highly sought after,” Hannibal continued, “Many others want to mate with me. Many, many, others.” 

“I...” 

“Cat shifters are amongst the highest regard to mate with, did you know that?” 

Will blushed. “Yes.” 

“And yet...” 

“It’s me, Han---Dr. Lecter. Not you. You’re...great. Attractive, nice, and just...great.” 

Hannibal frowned, his ears raising. “And yet you do not find yourself attracted to me.” 

“No.” 

“Have you even attempted to see me in that regard?” 

Will cocked his head. “What do you mean?” 

“Have you...let yourself see me in that regard? Thought of me when you were pleasuring yourself? Imagined what mating with me would be like?” 

Will felt his cheeks redden. “No.” 

“Why?” 

“I just...didn’t.” 

Hannibal crawled closer to him, staying on his hands and knees as he looked at Will. He could smell his aftershave, and the light in his eyes was oddly beautiful. 

“Because you don’t think you ever could or because you’re afraid if you did you wouldn’t want to stop?” 

Will licked his lips. “Hann...” 

Hannibal leaned down to run his tongue across Will’s knuckles. He shivered, and a sudden throb of desire seemed to kick in. “I would do my best to pleasure you, Will. As much as you could handle and often.” 

He nuzzled Will’s hand now, and Will couldn’t resist scratching under his chin. 

“Dr. Lecter...” 

“Hannibal,” he purred, looking up again, “Please, Will...call me Hannibal.” 

Will’s cock twitched. “Hannibal, this...” 

“Are you interested now, Will?” 

“Yes,” Will said without hesitation, “What are you doing to me?” 

Hannibal smiled and licked Will’s hand again. “Absolutely nothing.” 

Will sighed. “No, you have to be. I...” 

“You saw me as a sexless figure, Will, and were unable to get past that. This seems to have been what was stopping you.” 

“No, I’m not even into shifters.” 

Hannibal lifted his head and Will watched as his whiskers grew more prominent. 

“Perhaps you’re only into me.” 

He reached up to touch Hannibal’s cheek and swallowed past the dryness in his throat. “Or you’re using some kind of cat sex trick on me.” 

Hannibal climbed up into his lap and Will groaned as he felt him grind against his already hardening cock. “Mmmm...” 

Will found it hard to concentrate on anything else, grabbing hold of his hips and arching up to meet the tease. “Fuck...” 

He licked across Will’s cheek and the loud purr he gave made Will whimper. 

“Shall I stop?” 

“No,” Will sighed, “Fuck, don’t...” 

The sudden lurch of the elevator made them both pause. Will felt them start to move and they looked at each other. Hannibal smiled and teased another lick to Will’s cheek. 

“It seems we’ll have to continue this another time.” 

He got up and Will whimpered at the loss. “Wait!” 

Hannibal stared down at him smugly. “It seems...you’re attracted to shifters after all.” 

Will sighed. “You can’t just leave me like this.” 

The elevator doors opened and Hannibal walked through to the other side. He turned to wink at Will. “If you’re interested in continuing our...discussion...you know where to find me.” 

And with that he was gone. 

Will stood up slowly, blushing as several people stared at him, and rushed out of the elevator. His cock was so hard he could barely walk and yet he got to his car barely able to stop thinking about Hannibal. 

The minute he was alone he had to resist the urge to jerk off. 

“Fuck.” 

It seemed he was interested after all. 

[estellaelysian]

Questions

This is a bit of a rewrite of CH 1, OPH BK 2.

Just felt nostalgic.

(I changed the end a little bit)  You’ll see.

Song to listen to: Touch it - Ariana Grande

**********

Two long months.

Two months, spent without those deep green eyes following him everywhere. Without the soft, sad smile and without the voice he had memorized a million times over.

All that time, spent in aching, hurting, in thinking about unyielding what-ifs, even though he was the one who had pushed her away.

But now, she was here.

He had successfully kept himself away from her for two months, but now what? He didn’t trust himself around her which is why time and again there was only one question hovering in the air around him.

Why do it?

And how? How are you going to keep pushing her away? Keep breaking her heart, over and over again?

No.

He had to.

He couldn’t not do it and then resent himself for ruining her professional development, when he knew what she was capable of doing.

His eyes were drawn, irresistibly, back to where she was sitting, and he felt a horrible disgust build in the pit of his stomach.

Why was he doing this to her and to himself, he didn’t know.

She sat in one of the high bar stools, away from her friends who were in the beer garden. He had seen the look in her eyes when he had entered Donahue’s, bringing together a chill cold blast of air and a no-go zone around him; the look of plain care and concern for him, masked by deep pain, everything hiding behind a smile. He had no idea of the reaction he would get when he made an appearance in front of her, but that look enough had been heart wrenching.

He had expected her to come talk to him then, right then, but instead, she didn’t. She just excused herself from her friends, not meeting his gaze at all after that.

‘Give me a few minutes, guys, I’ll be back.’

Now she sat, sipping a scotch neat, wavy dark hair swept over one shoulder and an iPod clutched in her hands.

That’s when she turned, and met his gaze.

***

His summer blue eyes turned away again, and she found her gaze averted as well, now staring at the amber liquid in her glass as music poured out of the iPod, much like her current situation.

She remembered those two months, no contact no anything, just spent away from each other, and she didn’t even knew why. It was crushing that he hadn’t even deemed it important to tell her once that he would be gone for two months. He just left.

And then there was living without his ever-demanding presence around her, where she just felt odd, empty and heartbroken.

But now what?

He was back now, and she didn’t know what to do.

Just like she didn’t know what to do in those two months he was away.

How do I make the phone ring?

Why do I even care?

How are you all around me,

When you’re not really there?

When you’re not really there?

The song started over again, and she closed her tear filled eyes, losing herself in her surroundings.

How do I feel you want me,

When you’re not on my skin?

Why do you say you want me,

Then tell me I’m not coming in?

Baby just come on in

She startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to find Bryce standing behind her, wearing his megawatt smile. Smiling back, she pulled off the earphones.

‘Lish, are you okay?’

‘Yeah I’m fine,’ she lied. ‘Just needed a minute for myself.’

‘Yeah sure. Do you feel up for a game of darts?’

She turned once, risking a glance in Ethan’s direction, who refused to meet her gaze, and slid off the barstool. ‘Yeah. Let’s go.’

***

Ethan finished his drink in one long gulp and looked away from her disappearing figure before standing up and walking over to the bar. He took a seat in the barstool she had used, bowing his head and cursing himself for the millionth time over. Evidently spending two months apart, putting both of them through all that anguish and hurt had done nothing good for them. He wanted to be with her, he did. But it probably wasn’t in the cards for him.

Not being happy, and not making her happy.

God, he hated himself.

He raised the glass to his lips when he heard the commotion break out in the bar, and turned to the source causing it.

He wouldn’t have intervened, but something about the sight of that fight made him start toward it.

***

It didn’t take much long for the atmosphere to settle down after that. Soon, everyone went back to talking amiably and sipping their drinks, but before long, her friends had plans to continue the night.

She turned to look at him.

Talking to him would be difficult, she knew, and yet, one glance in his direction was enough to crumble all her defenses. She looked between him and her friends, but the words left her mouth even before she knew it.

‘You guys go ahead. I wanna go and check in about tomorrow with Dr. Ramsey.’

‘Don’t stay up too late,’ Sienna said, but at the point, she was barely listening, her senses already tuned to Ethan, even though she would end up being wrong about all she wanted to hear from him.

‘Cause every time I’m with you

I go into a zone

And I remember all the places you wanna go

Take me all the way

Ain’t nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it

Taking a seat in front of him, she put on a small smile as he looked up at her, his blue eyes running over her face, taking her in.

‘Cause every time I’m with you

I don’t wanna behave

I’m tired of being patient

So let’s pick up the pace

Take me all the way

Ain’t nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it

‘Rook—er Alishka. Sorry. Force of habit.’

She nodded toward his rugged jacket and spoke through the lump in her throat. ‘We’ve got ourselves a brand new Ethan Ramsey.’

‘The jacket’s been through a lot with me.’

‘It suits you,’ she said in an earnest, smiling a real smile for the first time that night.

‘Duly noted. And the beard?’

He didn’t know what he was doing, but he was way past caring.

‘It looks good on you.’

He scratched at it thoughtfully, wishing they weren’t chest deep in this time with this circumstance that kept them together, and yet pulled them apart. Pushing away the unease to a far corner in his chest, he said, ‘I’ve gotten used to it.’ A beat of silence. ‘Why don’t we move outside? It’ll be winter before we know it. Might as well enjoy the weather while we can. You want something to drink?’

He knew they were skirting the edge of things, but with his emotions in upheaval, it was taking all he had to not reach for her hand or kiss her.

‘Whatever you are having,’ she said quietly.

He reached over the bar and grabbed a half drunk bottle of scotch. ‘Hey Reggie, we are borrowing this.’

Reggie waved him on.

They headed out to the beer garden, which was silent and deserted by patrons, because it was way past the last call.

Ethan took a seat beside a small fire pit, and she scooted in beside him. They talked, but he noticed her hesitation and it broke his heart. He watched her intently as she stared into the fire, the flames casting soft shadows over her face, making her beauty more refined.

‘So this Dr. Throne guy … should I be worried about him?’ she asked.

Ethan’s words didn’t quiet reach her ears, she was far too distracted thinking about the best way to ask him the question she really wanted an answer to.

‘You did the right thing, standing up for that girl.’

‘We both know that’s not true.’

‘You are too young to be a cynic like me.’

‘I’m not being cynical. I just learned my lesson. You saw what happened last year. I almost lost my license for breaking the rules to help Mrs. Martinez.’

‘The lesson there is that you put your patients first, you’ll always be vindicated in the end. That’s the lesson. What you did just now was brave. You’ve always been brave in the face of disaster and death, and ofcourse… but it’s different when you are facing down a superior. To stand up to them for what’s right.’

‘It’s not as brave as venturing into the depths of Amazon to fight a pandemic, that’s for sure …’ she said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her tone.

A somber look fell over Ethan’s face. He looked back at his drink, contemplating his response. In that moment, it was as if he was robbed of all words but a few, which would never explain his reasons and how stupid he felt they were.

I am sorry, Alishka. I had to.

‘…That wasn’t bravery.’

The world seemed quite still at that exact moment. Desperate, he thought again about all he wanted to tell her, but before he could speak the words, she raised her gaze to his.

‘Ethan, why didn’t you keep in touch? No word from you at all for two months? After all that happened between us?’

‘Everything that happened between us is exactly the reason I didn’t contact you.  Alishka, if we are going to work together on the diagnostics team, we need a fresh start. Your professional development is too important to jeopardize it with whatever ... whatever it was we had’

Whatever. Whatever it was we had. Had. Past tense.

‘Had?’

‘Yes. And the past is where it has to remain.’

How do you know I’m breathing,

When I’m holding my breath?

His gaze swept over her face, seeing right through her as if she was made of glass. It was the way he always saw her.

Without thinking, she pressed her lips to his.

Why don’t we face the danger

Just for the night and forget?

Baby let’s just forget

He tensed noticeably. His defenses were going up, and it registered as an ache.

When she leaned back, staring into his eyes from just inches away, a storm of desire and pain played out on his face. With that look, she felt everything slipping away.

‘Dammit Alishka.’

‘If you don’t want to kiss me again, then just tell me—’

He fought to keep his voice steady.

‘It has nothing to do with want. I can’t. And if I give a damn about you, I won’t. How am I supposed to push you to be everything you can if I…’

He trailed off, looking away.

‘If you what?’ she prompted gently, not sure if she wanted to know.

He didn’t look at her, and that was it.

‘Okay. I get it,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Ramsey.’

He flinched at her formality, watching as she rose and turned to leave. Before he could stop himself, he caught her by her wrist, her skin warm on his fingers.

‘Alishka, please,’ he pleaded.

She turned to look at him, her eyes bright with tears.

‘Please what? I am listening to you, aren’t I? Even though you know it’s not easy. All I could think of the last two months was you and how much you meant to me. Even now, when I’m here with you, all I can think of is how right this feels. And I don’t want to leave you, but I am, because that’s what you asked me to do. What else do you expect from me?’

At her words, he felt as if he was slapped. In her face, the silent resignation was as pronounced as her pain. He drew her into his arms, pulling her close. She shook her head, trying and failing to keep the tears from falling. ‘Does this make you happy, doing all this?’ she asked, her voice thick as she began to cry.

‘It doesn’t, Alishka, and I despise myself for it,’ he said. ‘But what choice do I have?’

He held her as she spoke through her ragged sobs. ‘This isn’t fair…’

‘I know. And I am sorry, I am really sorry.’

For a long time, neither of them spoke, but then, she pulled away, her eyes rimmed with red.

‘Goodnight Dr. Ramsey.’

He watched her go, gritting his teeth, willing himself not to follow.

Remind we why we’re taking a break

It’s obviously insane

‘Cause we both know what we want

Then why don’t we fall in love?

‘Goodnight, Dr. Roy,’ he spoke into the silence.

Baby lets fall in love.

**********

@tenaciouslandvoidgiant @choicesaddict5 @schnitzelbutterfingers

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

I know its kinda similar to a Jaskier fic you did, but could you do one with Geralt/Reader along the lines of "I felt unsafe so I started acting like you were my boyfriend and please play along and hold my hand"

Fandom: The Witcher Pairing: Geralt x Reader Word Count: 1,244 Rating: T Taglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak​ @whatevermonkey​ @mynamesoundslikesherlock​ @kemmastan​ @magic-multicolored-miracle​ @writingstudent​ @mlleecrivaine​ @coffee-and-stories​ @amirahiddleston​ @ultracolorfulnerdcollection​ @astouract​ @your-not-invisible-to-me​ @mycat-is-mylove a/n: I’m totally fine with repeating tropes, especially if it’s with a new character! Thank you xo

Geralt rarely went to these events unless Jaskier was dragging him there for protection but he had been looking for a distraction since a recent fight with, well, everyone. He seemed incapable of doing anything right lately. Every feeling he tried to express came out wrong, twisted by a mouth apparently incapable of putting words in the right order. He’d decided to take some time on his own before doing any permanent damage to his relationships and the one thing he could say for a banquet was there was usually at least decent wine and pretty women. The pretty woman he found diverting right now had caught his eye first for her looks and then for the nervous way she glanced around the room. He soon saw the source of her anxiety as a man who was apparently looking for her caught her eye and began to head her way. He saw the panicked look in her eyes and before he took another breath he was on his feet heading towards her. The man was talking with her by the time he got there and Geralt heard her offering some attempt at an excuse for not dancing with him and when he insisted on knowing why not she heard you and both turned to look at him. Once her eyes laid on Geralt her eyes lit up and then she spoke to him, the first words she’d ever uttered to the witcher;

“Oh darling! You’ve come back!”

-----

You gave the man in front of you a desperate, pleading look that you hoped he would notice and then care enough to play along. He blinked a couple of times and then his face softened and he gave you a smile so charming your heart skipped a beat.

“Hello lovely, so sorry I was gone for so long. Who’s your friend?” He pulled you into his arms and fixed the question to the man who’d been bothering you with a smile that had an edge of a snarl to it. The man blanched slightly and began backing away muttering an apology. As soon as he was out of sight you exhaled deeply and reluctantly pulled out of his arms, already missing the warmth of his body.

“I’m so sorry,” you said, “I know that was a terribly awkward position to put you in and also a really bad first impression but he’s been hounding me all night and will not take no for an answer.”

“That’s quite all right,” the man said with a smile that was still soft and gentle, an odd contrast to how he’d looked all evening. You’d spotted him before, drawn in by his unusual eyes and handsome face, but you hadn’t had a chance to come over and make a proper introduction. You were well and introduced now. Well, mostly.

“Y/N,” you said, curtseying lowly because you weren’t sure what else to do.

“Geralt,” he replied with a playful little half-bow. “You know, Y/N, I must confess I have a concern.”

“Oh?” you asked, your stomach flipping with anxiety over what he may say next.

“Yes, I fear that the lout will try again the moment I am gone. I wonder if I should stay close to you through the night, just to be safe,” he suggested smoothly. Your face reddened slightly and he worried that he’d gone too far but the smile you gave him and the twinkle in your eye allayed those fears.

“I suppose I could be persuaded to keep up the charade of being your beloved. If you feel it’s best. For my safety,” you replied with a coy smile. He held out his arm and you took it, allowing him to walk you around the perimeter of the room. You felt as though he was showing you off, which he was, but he was also making a point of letting everyone there see that you were under his protection lest anyone else tried to make a play if he had to leave early for some reason. He finally deposited you at a seat next to his and you began to talk. You wiled away the hours getting to know each other and soon you weren’t pretending at intimacy, you felt comfortable resting your arm on his shoulder and it felt right when he pulled you onto his lap and you carded your fingers through his silver hair, gazing into those amber eyes. The eyes that carried such softness but also a depth that you knew held much more pain and anguish than anyone should have to bear. It made you feel oddly protective of this witcher who could kill you in 700 different ways without breaking a sweat. Could’ve, but wouldn’t. You’d heard rumors that witchers were heartless monsters who slayed for fun but you knew better. And even if it was true you could tell that this witcher would never do such a thing.

As the evening came to an end with the pair of you taking a slow walk around the gardens, Geralt realized he had never stayed a full night at one of these events and in these hours when most of the people were gone and the lights were slowly being extinguished it was actually quite pleasant. A cool night breeze blew in and sent the wisps of hair that framed your face askew and he gently tucked them back behind your ear, fingers grazing the curve of your jaw on its way.

“Well I think they were sufficiently fooled,” you said, “You play the role of the lovestruck man very well.”

“I don’t know if I feel my role has been convincing enough,” he countered. You gave him a questioning look and he pressed you gently against a hedge, the leaves tickling your ears and the blood rushing in your ears as you saw his eyes fall to your lips.

“Oh?” you asked, a little breathlessly.

“Yes,” he said, trying to feign seriousness, “I think that any man who wasn’t an utter fool would make sure you ended the night with a proper kiss.”

“Well,” you said, licking your lips, “I would hate for them to think you a fool.”

Geralt smirked and then leaned closer, tilting your chin up to meet his face as he pressed a kiss against your lips. It was a slight brush at first and then he pressed another and another and his arms wrapped around your waist and he pressed a bit firmer into you, tongue sliding past your slightly parted lips and pulling a soft moan from you as he deepened the kiss. When he pulled away you were breathless and your heart was racing and his eyes had darkened slightly with lust that you knew yours matched in tone.

“It has been an unprecedented pleasure,” he said in a low, husky purr. You screwed up your courage and looked up at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

“It could be,” you offered. His smile grew wolfish and you wondered for a moment if he might take you right here as he looked around the garden but he seemed to think twice about it and held out his arm again for you to take. At first you worried he may just be walking you back home but when he stopped in front of a horse you didn’t know and held out a hand to help you on, you knew the night was only just beginning.

[annaktheslightlygay]

Almost - Part 1

It’s odd looking back, how little she remembers. Somehow Beca had made it here, to someplace in the middle of god damn nowhere, coerced to wear a blindfold led through the dark to this room. There was a sense of erie calmness that overtook her body in the car. Yet here, standing on some sort of wooden deck, it was replaced by a need to rip her blindfold off and get the hell out of here. She didn’t, though. “It would ruin the surprise, Beca!” Yeah, okay Chloe. Somehow the both of us didn’t anticipate this though so I’m not sure if this applies, Beca thought. She shifted her weight from one leg to another, waiting.

____

Literally, why was it so hard to get up out of bed? Maybe it was because there was literally no one there to judge her for it. It was not her fault her roommate dropped out the day college started. She thought that they could suffer through it together but it looks like that girl had the right idea: this sucked. There was no one here and no one to talk to. Not that Beca loved talking or anything, but it was nice to know that if she died or something at least someone would wonder if she was ever coming back. All she was really accountable for was keeping her plant alive at this point. And even he– she glanced over at him, drooping in the little pot in the corner of her windowsill– wasn’t looking good. When kids meant they cared about “streaks” these days, I don’t think they meant this. 

This was the fifth day in a row she’d be laying in her dorm room, switching between her Netlfix and Hulu tabs religiously. But hey, at least she wasn’t hungry! Or, more likely, she’d surpassed hunger into the nauseous stage. She winced. That’s not great, even by Beca standards. She was pretty sure that was not recommended. 

It was 4pm. That meant the dining hall wasn’t open with the exception of a few cereal options and rejected pieces of fruit from meals earlier in the day. Still, Beca headed to the elevator and indicated the first floor. Two people– a redhead and a brunette– got in on her long way down from the twelfth floor. Not bad for a building with a thousand people. The less human interaction, the better. 

The food was bad, and but numbing. I mean, she couldn’t expect miracles from a bowl of captain crunch and a questionable banana, but still. Maybe she’d come back later that night. Maybe. That seemed like ages from now. 

As she exited she thought vaguely of the library and of the textbook chapter she had yet to read for tomorrow. God, even just thinking of class was an exhausting thought. And still, she went. Usually. She knew that her dad would get a direct report if she didn’t. So yes, she did show up. But that didn’t mean she had to pay attention or, god forbid, participate. 

Beca turned, deciding against it. A large body stopped her. Well, that was putting it nicely. Fat Amy basically initiated her, knocking most of the air from Beca’s lungs. 

“Dude, watch it.” 

“Yeah well maybe if you weren’t so busy looking lost I wouldn’t have to stop with the sheer force of my cooch.” Fat Amy said. 

“Your what?”

Beca had heard of this girl. She was the one who poured pink hair dye all over some girl’s head after she called her a fat bitch. She must have just been called Amy back then, but the name stuck. Even good-natured professors found themselves calling her that. She was loud, obnoxious, and her Australian accent was so prominent Beca (and others) often wondered if it was even real. Claiming to be a fantastic exotic dancer (with a specialty in mermaid dancing apparently) Fat Amy was never one to miss a party. 

“Here, you look like you could use this, short stuff.” Fat Amy thrust something to Beca’s chest. Before Beca could say a thing, Amy was gone as quickly as she had come. 

Trivia night, huh? More like a situation where Beca would have to pretend to be occupied in her phone and to be social for a night. Still, it was starting in seven minutes, and Beca knew where it was. It beat going to the library and probably would help her case during her weekly check-ins with her therapist. Wow, Beca thought. A new low. Going to a social event so her therapist didn’t think she was lame. 

Beca arrived at Barden’s Lion Den and found a seat just as the game started. Two girls asked if they could share the six-person table Beca occupied, and she obliged. The two girls sat and began discussing the answer to the first question. Dumbly, Beca realized she forgot to grab a card on her way in. There was no way she was going to draw attention to herself. Thank god for the iPhone that saved her in awkward social situations, like this one. She started scrolling, tapping haphazardly if she saw something that caught her eye. The two girls across from her excitedly discussed their answers, growing louder by the second. Beca realized that a third girl had joined them, promptly changing the topic to a party that night, related to the Barden Bellas. 

Beca had heard of them of course– she had a bad habit of reading the posters that were always plastered through the hallways throughout the entire school– and often critiqued them in her mind. You’d be surprised how many administration approved posters there were that seemed to forget that spellcheck existed. Beca remembered the Bellas posters because of the flight attendant like uniforms that all of the girls on the poster sported, grinning from ear to ear. She kind of hated that poster. No people in college should be that happy, she thought. 

Still, Beca heard bits and pieces. 8 pm. Meet at the Barden Lawn, and then head to a secondary location. Show up in green. It kind of sounded more like orders, to Beca. But immediately she did the math: 8pm wasn’t so bad for a Barden activity. Most things around here started at 11pm, at the earliest. And two social events in one week? There was no way Beca’s therapist could write her up or show any concern. This was healthy, and “very, very good, Beca!” She could practically hear Amber smiling. And, there was no invite needed.

Looking back, that had to be the night that she met Chloe. Chloe had to have been there with her, somewhere in the crowd with all the other chattering girls. But back then there was just a bunch of chatting girls that followed their leaders in a pack towards a supposed “secondary location”– a spot across town. Beca tried, like she always did, to make small talk with a few of the other girls on the way. As always, they became much more engaged in their own conversation than they did talking to Beca. So Beca trailed off behind them into the night air.

Notes: In this version, Beca is a little nicer and Chloe is most certainly not. This is a chiller version of the Bellas, and while there are some familiar members, there are also some new additions just to change it up a bit. Slow introduction to lots of drugs and alcohol, because that’s just what I felt like writing about. But let’s be real: you’re here to read about Bechloe, and I’m here to deliver– though I cannot promise that there will not be some angst to get there. With that, enjoy!

[authorized-trash]

The Passage of Identity and Time

2116 Words

Analogince

Virgil escapes to a better family, one that’s much more accepting.

Warnings: Anxiety disorder, depression, homophobia, transphobia, dysphoria, cussing, panic attacks, heavy crying, misgendering, use of deadname

       Virgil didn’t start out his life as Virgil.

       He started it out as Amber.

          Born in small town USA in the year 1998, a baby named Amber was born. Her parents were ecstatic. The gender of the child did not matter to them, only that they had one. They had been trying for a child for months before the news of Amber arrived.

        The baby was small and wrinkly, as most are. Her father called her a raisin, earning a swat on the arm from the mother.

        Amber grew to a healthy height and weight for a two-year-old. She could talk and walk by now and was quite the rowdy child. Her hair was growing in curly and that odd almost-black brown her mother was known for. Her eyes were a deep brown, with little specks of amber around the iris. Long lashes surrounded the round eyes, making her quite the lovely child.

        (“Oh, she’ll grow up to be quite the lovely child.”)

        Amber continued to grow, and by the time she turned seven, she had shot up to four foot seven, a good head taller than all of her peers. She had cut her hair by now, a cute bob all the teachers loved. Her young idea of fashion was mud stained shorts and tank-tops.

        By the time Amber hit ten, she could tell something was wrong. She didn’t understand why she suddenly couldn’t play football with the boys, and why she couldn’t just go to grandma’s Easter party in pants and a shirt.

        (“That’s not a very feminine look Amber, you are a young lady, and you’re old enough now to act like it.”)

        For now she could ignore the growing feeling of discomfort in her skin. Amber could pretend nothing was wrong. And when the other girls commented on her odd nature, she dubbed herself a tomboy.

        That’s right, a tomboy. The totally normal option, and the only correct one.

        The only socially correct one.

        … But then puberty hit.

        Amber hated how her thirteen-year-old body changed so quickly. She was five foot eight and had been dubbed ‘giraffe’ by the nasty boys in school. Her height didn’t bother her, however. No, it was the hips that thickened, and the chest. She hated it, hated that she hated it. She didn’t think she was bad looking, per say, just… She didn’t look herself. She didn’t see a future in the person she saw in the mirror.

        With the self-loathing came the depression, and with the depression came the anxiety. There was so much of it. By the time she turned fourteen, Amber couldn’t do anything more than stare at her wall for hours, too anxious to move, anxious because she wasn’t getting done, anxious for what this could mean for her. Anxious for the grades, but too anxious to get up and do something about them.

        Around this time is when she started looking at her family at an outside point of few. Picket fence, white, Christian people. Extremely conservative, and right winged. She started finding flaws in their logic, started resenting every word that came out of their mouth.

        Amber was a sheltered child, and only received a device with access to social media at fifteen. There, she found an escape, making friends.

        She discovered the term ‘Transgender’ online.

        Everything clicked in that moment. The more research the more tears. Amber outright sobbed as she read, this was it. This had to be. She tested it out.

        (“He found what he was looking for, and he knew in his heart it was the right choice.”)

        She loved the way the pronouns sounded, beaming, she ran downstairs to her- his parents. His, him, he. God, did that sound so nice.

        Amber ran downstairs to his parents, but stopped. They were talking again. About the people who pretended to be a different gender. It hit Amber like a ton of bricks.

        They were talking about people like him.

        He walked right back into his room and cried.

        The anxiety worsened to nearly unbearable amounts.

        Amber continued to research and found that he wanted to save up for a binder. He began a savings account, saving every penny he got his hands on.

        It took ages, but he finally, finally, convinced his mother to cut his hair.

        (“You look like a guy now Amber.”)

        God did that comment fill him with joy.

        (“You look like a butch.”)

       Don’t say that like it’s a bad thing, lesbians are lit af.

        (“Do you really like it cut that short?”)

        No shit.

        Amber had never felt more confident, but there was one thing missing.

        A proper name.

        He scoured every male baby name he could find. Scrolled through every writer’s website. Hell, he even looked at the girls names to find one.

        It wasn’t until he was studying old literature when he found it.

        Virgil.

        He loved the way it sounded. Virgil. Such a nice name, genuinely extremely aesthetic in his opinion.

        Amber no longer fit, it didn’t feel right. It never felt right. Virgil.

        Virgil.

        Virgil.

        Virgil.

        He was now a junior in highschool, owned a binder, had short hair, wore baggier clothes, and went by Virgil openly at school. By now the hate had long since died down, and he was decently happy. Still ridiculously and ludicrously anxious all the tie, but that was something to look into at a later date.

        Right now, however, he had to get away from his home.

        He loved his parents, but they were just so… hateful towards any kind of minorities. POC, LGBT, and anyone who wasn’t a white Christian were seen as sinful in their eyes. Virgil was tired of being forced to attend a church about a religion he didn’t know if he believed. He was tired of listening to their bullshit.

        So when the time came that he went to college, he moved into a apartment He had gotten scholarships due to grades he had been careful to keep up and didn’t have to rely on his parents money.

        His roommate, an agender person by the name of Logan Thomasson, was one of the nicest people he had ever met. Supportive too. Logan and him hit it off. Logan was a bit hesitant at first, but eventually told Virgil that xe used xe/xyr. Virgil smiled and told them he’d accept xyr no matter what.

        Virgil’s parents didn’t notice his efforts to distance himself at first. Not until the second semester of his second year, when they had heard nothing from him. By now Virgil had long since started testosterone, and his voice had dropped significantly. It was almost time for summer break, and Virgil was making plans to stay at Logan’s for the break again, when he got the call.

        -

        “Amber, honey, are you there?” His mother called into her phone with that sickeningly sweet voice she used when she wanted to sound nice. Virgil gulped audibly, staring across the room at Logan, who was sitting with him to keep his nerves down.

        “Yes mother?”

        “Are you sick dear? What’s wrong?”

        “No mom, I’m not sick.”

        “Then why is your voice so deep, Amber? You know I hate it when you lie.”

        Virgil bit his lower lip and closed his eyes, feeling the tears fall. He couldn’t delay the inevitable. Sure, maybe it was a shitty thing to say to his mother over the phone and not in person, but he wouldn’t be able to stand her face.

        “I’m not.. I’m not Amber, mother.”

        “… What? Sweetheart of course you’re Amber, what has gotten into you?” By now Logan had gotten and moved across the room, and xe was sitting on xyr knees in front of Virgil’s hand, putting a hand on his knee.

        “No mom, I go by- I go by Virgil now. I’ve been taking testosterone treatment for a year and a half now.”

        “Amber.”

        “No- Mom it’s not-“ Virgil choked up, “It’s not Amber, I’m sorry, I’m-“

        “Amber I’m coming to pick you up. That college isn’t good for you. I knew we shouldn’t have sent you to a damn liberal school,” his mother could be heard shuffling around, presumably covering the phone with her hand, “Adam, your daughter believes she’s a boy, a boy Adam.”

        Virgil started sobbing now, sliding off his seat. Logan was quick to scoop him up in xyr arms, holding him tightly. Virgil rested his forehead on xyr shoulder, looking at the phone in his trembling hand.

        “Mama please,” he mumbled wetly, watching the screen fill with tears. The world becoming a blur. His heart pounded in his chest. He couldn’t take this, he was going to have an anxiety attack.

        “No, Amber, your father and I will be there shortly. Goodbye.”

        The phone beeped, and Virgil threw it.

        He cumbled in on himself, crying hysterically. He wanted that to go better, damnit. Maybe a little acceptance. Anything. God, it hurt so bad.

        Logan shifted him around so that xe could pet his hair, mumbling xyr stupid math equations in his ear the way xe did, in that stupidly endearing way that Virgil loved so much.

        His parents, true to their word, arrived that night.

        They didn’t bother to knock. Virgil didn’t even know how they knew where he lived.

        Logan was the one to see them when they arrived, Virgil had locked himself in his room. Logan had suggested it actually, god Virgil loved xem so much.

        “I do not believe you are supposed to be here.”

        “Amber lives here, yes? Where is she, we’re leaving. You would not believe how this place has contorted her mind.”

        “Ma’am, you need to leave. Both you and your husband.”

        “Now who do you think you ar-“

        “I’ve already contacted security. The officer is a good friend of mine, they will see you out,” Logan smiled over the couple’s heads, at the officer who was standing in the door.

        The couple spun around, spotting the officer. By now Virgil had poked his head around the door. He might as well watch his parents leave, this may very well be the last time he says them this close, or not through a picture.

        This was a mistake on his part however, because when his mother flipped around to confront Logan again, she spotted him.

        “Amber! Sweetheart! You have to come with us! I’m not letting my baby go to Hell!”

        Virgil crept out from behind the door, looking levelly at his mother, “No mum, I’m not leaving. Now I believe Logan asked you to leave. This is his-“

        “Our, Virgil, how many times to I have to tell you it’s our apar-“

        “This is Logan’s home as much as mine, and xe wants you to leave.”

        By now the security officer had already gotten Virgil’s dad out the door, and had walked up behind the mother.

        “Ma’am, these two have asked you to leave multi-“

        “Xe? XE?! Amber! These are demons! You are possessed, please baby, come with us- please!”

        “Ma’am! Either you leave or I arrest you, that is a direct order! Out, now!” The officer shouted, furious. They escorted the woman to the door, Virgil’s mother throwing a fit all the while.

        “You’re all evil in the eyes of god! You will repent one day! You will!!”

        And with that the door shut.

        Virgil gave a small, defeated smile, looking at Logan. Logan breathed heavily out of xyr mouth, before walking up to the dark haired young male. Xe gave him a small kiss at the top of his head, ruffling his hair.

        “I’m so, so proud of you.” Xe said softly. Virgil snorted softly.

        “You think they’ll still let me go to Thanksgiving?” He joked.

        Logan laughed.

        -

        A week past and Virgil had done nothing but delete the nonstop flow of messages from his old friends and family. He had no reason to talk to them. Not anymore.

        He and Logan had started dating since then, and both were extremely happy. Hell, they had even been debating the pros and cons of inviting the cute security guard, who was named Roman, into their relationship. The guard had been flirting nonstop with the two of them, and honestly, they were smitten by the non-binary officer.

        A few months later found them all happily watching movies on the couch with Logan’s ball python Dee.

        A year later found them all happily married, with Roman’s brother Remus as best man.

        Months after that found them adopting an adorable baby named Patton. The child was a spring loaded ball of red curls and freckles.

        Virgil didn’t start out life as Virgil.

        But he sure as hell didn’t end it as Amber.

-

A little fic a did as a sort of vent

I wrote all in an hour and a half, and I honestly don’t think I have it in me to go back through and fix it if there’s mistakes.

[smalltowndetective]

31 Days of Wayhaven-Strong

@31daysofwayhaven

Admittedly kind of nervous of posting this one, hopefully it turned out okay!

(The Fae as showed here are likely wrong. I have been digging through Sera’s asks for more information about them, but at the current moment, there is just not much that is known about them. I tried my best to show them in the best way possible, so I hope that it worked out!)

Ao3 Link

Title: Quiet Strength 

Pairing: Felix and Thea

Words: 2.5k

It was a wonder to Thea how she ever became a detective.

Back at the police academy, she was known for being a bit of a weakling, the “little flower” of the cadets, and it did not help that she was the shortest out of all of them. Thea hated everything to do with any amount of blood and gore, and while she learned how to use a gun, she never had (and likely never would) shoot at a live target with it, and to add all on top of that, she had no combat skills whatsoever.

She was not half bad at the deduction courses, anything about knowledge and critical thinking coming easier to her, but where Thea really shined was her skill with people.

Not so much with interrogations, unfortunately, the stress of the situation often getting to her, and the fact that she was probably the least intimidating person in existence, but with the people that came into the station. Thea was the one that the officers sent all of the grieving families toward, saying that she always seemed to know the right thing to say, but she never felt like she did. She just gave them a shoulder to cry on, and did her best to stay calm when they were not as receptive, knowing that she was seeing them on what was likely the worst day of their life.

Thea had been told constantly that she would never fit in with the big city cops, but she never let that bother her, because as soon her training was complete, she knew she was going back home to Wayhaven.

Her promotion to detective was a complete surprise to her. She had assumed Tina would get it because she had been there longer, or they would bring someone new in. Thea was only two years older than Douglas, and she had not been an officer for an incredibly long time. Part of her wondered if she had gotten it just because of her father, but at first, she was able to push this away, trusting that she got it on merit.

Then Unit Bravo came to town, and the doubts started to settle in more and more. What was she going to do against an angered supernatural, talk? Thea had poured herself into research about the supernatural world, but even with all of the knowledge she had acquired, she never felt like she belonged in the team. All of the others had their own specific skill sets that all added something, but Thea did not feel like she had anything to offer to the team.

Which is why she was surprised when Adam asked her to do the first sweep of the mission with him.

Felix had been against the idea of the two of them separating, and truthfully, she was as well, but she decided to go with Adam’s plan anyway, curious as to why he would ask her to go with him.

So now she was here, outside of one of the run-down houses in the woods in Wayhaven, freezing, following Adam through the dark. Thea was out of her normal sundress, with a sweater and jeans instead, but it did not do much against the chill of the night. Her small flashlight was the only light she had, and she supposed she had Adam’s night vison as well, trusting him to lead the way through the dark.

Thea tried to look at the house with the little light she had. It was half crumbling at this point, and the owners of the land no longer lived in Wayhaven, so here the house stood, in the middle of the woods, with chipping white paint and black shutters starting to look crooked from the passage of time. They had been notified of a potential hostage situation in the area, which is why the team decided not to send all of them at once, but Thea was not quite sure what she would offer over one of the others.

“Detective”.

“Yes?”, she called back, going to stand next to Adam, who had stopped just outside the front steps.

“Be as cautious as you normally are”, he said, “We don’t know what we are walking into”.

Thea gave one last look behind her, almost hoping to see a pair of amber eyes gleaming in the dark, “I will”.

Adam nodded, seeming satisfied with her response, and they strode off to the front door, quickening her step to keep up with him.

The front door was unlocked, which is struck her as odd, and even if the grip still felt foreign in her hands, she grabbed her gun, despite knowing it would not do much against the supernatural, and they made their way inside.

The owner of the house had left shortly after his wife died, and the house was left to sit as it was. Light blue curtains had become shredded over time, with the furniture full of scratches and water stains, the wooden floor rotting in some places. It was probably not safe to be walking through the house with these conditions, but there was not much else that they could do.

“I’m going to look down the hallway”, Adam said, “You take the main room”.

“Sounds good”, Thea said in response, and started looking around the room. In most parts of the room, everything was covered with a layer of dust, but she noticed the kitchen table did not. In fact, it looked like someone had put something on top of it recently, making almost a shape, but it was hard to tell what it was in the dark, and the electricity had been cut to the house ages ago.

She continued to look through the kitchen, opening the drawers to see if anything was there, but Thea did not find much more then normal kitchen appliances, and her chest fell.

I guess whoever was here took everything they had with them.

A loud crack of wood, followed by a scream that was definitely not Adam broke through her thoughts, and she raced back to where he had gone.

Thea found Adam outside of the very back backroom, a heavy lock on the ground, broken into two, the wood splinters from the door all over the ground, his knuckles bruised, but healing as she ran up.

“What’s going on?”, she asked him, turning her flashlight to face him in the dark, and when Adam did not answer, seemingly in disbelief, she looked inside the room with the now broken door.

Inside the dingy back bedroom, the room empty besides a single blanket and camping lantern, was a little girl. Though Thea was not quite sure, she looked like some sort of fae, with bright green hair that fell to her shoulders, her eyes completely blue, with a small shimmer of white ,her skin almost having an orange tint, and she was dressed in tattered hides that were similar to the ones that Felix was wearing in the memory from the carnival, and her heart tightened at the thought. She looked about four years old, but there was really no telling how old she was due to how supernaturals aged differently them humans. Thea looked back at Adam, who the first time in the time she knew him, seemed at a lost of what to do.

“Hey”, she said, smiling sweetly and kneeling down to her eye level. Thea them realized she might not know English, and while she knew several other languages, the native language of the echo world was not one of them, but she continued anyway, “My name is Thea, and this is Adam. We’re here to get you out of here.” She used Adam’s name, even though she knew that he would not likely appreciate that in order to create some level of familiarity with her.

“Out?”, she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, looking back at Adam with frightful eyes.

“Yes”, Thea said, “You never have to come back here. I promise”.

“Is there anyone else here?”, Adam asked.

The girl said nothing is response, seeming even more on edge after he spoke.

“I think whoever was here is long gone by now”, Thea said, turning back to Adam, “But we need to get her back to the others”.

Adam nodded, “I can. I still haven’t checked the master bedroom, and it seems to be best if you did.”

               “I want to go with you”, the little girl’s voice cut in, moving closer to Thea and putting her hand on top of hers.

               Adam shook his head, “Fine. I’m going to wait to process the rest of the house until the rest of the team gets here. One of us needs to stay behind in case they come back.

               Thea nodded, and she got up from off the ground, and offered her hand to the girl, who took it, and she carefully led her out of the house together.

               As they walked onto the porch of the house, it struck her just how dark it was, and how the small flashlight she did have was barely doing anything to light up the vast expanse of the forest.

               “I’m scared”, she heard the girl mutter, who started hanging onto her leg, and Thea gently brushed her hand through her hair.

               “It’s okay to be scared”, Thea said, “But I’m going to be here every step of the way”.

               She picked her up, letting her head rest on her shoulder, as she trudged through the forest, trying hard to fight the urge to run, instead taking careful steps, keeping the flashlight steady, and thinking about seeing the team again after this moment of fear, especially one in particular.

               Thea finally made it to the main road where the rest of Unit Bravo was waiting, the streetlights adding some warm amber glow to the surroundings, and let herself breathe as she saw the others.

               “Thea!”, said a voice that never failed to make her smile. Felix stopped pacing, and almost ran up to her, and she could feel the girl move her head at the voice, “You’re back!”.

               “I am”, she smiled, and both Nate and Mason came walking up to her as well.

               “Where’s Adam?”, Nate asked.

               “Still back at the house”, she replied, “He wanted me to get the rest of you before he finished processing”.

               “Any sign of anyone else there?”, Felix asked, “And I’m guessing she’s the hostage we were told about?”

               “Someone was”, Thea said, “But they are long gone by now. And as far as hostages go, she is probably one of them, but there is reason to believe there may be more than one.

               “Why would they leave her behind?”, Nate said, looking worryingly at girl in her arms, and he gave her a smile.

               “I don’t know”, Thea sighed, and she slowly set her down on the ground, her still holding onto her leg.

               “We should get going”, Mason interrupted, and Nate nodded in response, then turned to Thea.

               “Are you staying behind with her?”

               “I am”, she said, looking back at the girl.

               “Can I stay with Thea?”, Felix asked.

               Mason snorted, and opened his mouth to say something, but Nate got there first.

               “Yes. It’s better if none of us are out her alone”.

               Felix beamed at that, and as Nate and Mason walked into the woods, he walked up to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders.

               “Glad to see you’re okay”, he grinned, and even though it was said lightly, it was meant more serious than he had intended.

               “The same to you”, she said, trying to fight down a blush on her cheeks.

               He smiled at her again, a softer one this time, and then looked down at the girl, “What’s your name, kiddo?” He then paused, and then repeated his question in echolian, and Thea noticed that he frowned slightly as did so.

               “Arethusa”, she whispered, and Felix smiled back at her, before turning to Thea.

               “So, what happened?”

               Thea went through it from the beginning, and told him the story, describing the house and finding Arethusa, and he stayed silent and listened to her, which surprised her a little, expecting him to say something, and it started to worry her about how quiet he was being.

               “Do you think she’s from the echo world?”, Thea asked him, and he could feel him tense at the question.

               “Probably”, he shrugged, not meeting her eyes, and Thea gently grabbed one of his hands, and at the gesture he grinned back at her, but it struck her as a masking one.

               “Are you okay?”, she finally asked, and Felix gave a small laugh.

               “Of course, I am”, he said, giving her a smirk, “When am I not?”

               Thea could feel herself raising an eyebrow at the statement, which caused Felix to sigh.

               “I’m okay, Thea”, he whispered, “I promise”.

               She did not fully believe him, and not quite sure what to say, she ran her thumb over his wrist the same way that he had down the same for her countless times, and he gave her a genuine smile that never failed to fill butterflies in her stomach, letting herself get lost into his amber eyes.

               “When are we leaving?”, Arethusa suddenly said, and it jolted Thea out of the moment, feeling awful for forgetting about her for a second.

               “Whenever the rest of my team gets back”, she said, looking back into the expanse of the trees, as if expecting them to turn up then.

               “And when will that be?”

               “Hopefully not much longer”, Thea responded, not sure if she was saying that for Arethusa or for herself.

               And to the luck of the three of them, it was not long afterwards that the rest of Unit Bravo came through the trees.

               “Anything?”, Felix asked as they walked up.

               Nate shook his head, “No. Someone was using the master bedroom as a base of operations of sorts, but they were careful enough not to leave anything behind.”

               “What’s going to happen to the girl?”, Mason’s voice cut through, sharp, and Thea could feel Arethusa’s grip tighten around her leg at the sound of it.

               “We’ll take her back to the Agency”, Nate said.

               “She can ride in my car”, Thea brought up, “We’re all going back to the warehouse after all”.

               “What’s going to happen to her?”, Felix asked.

               “We’ll figure it out later”, Adam said, “Let’s get back first”.

               Felix gave her hand a reluctant squeeze of goodbye before going to the others, and she heard a voice that she never expected to hear say her name.

               “Thea, can I speak to you?”

               She turned, to find it was indeed Adam, her name from him seeming foreign to her. He had never called her by her first name.

               “Yes”, she said slowly.

               “You did good work”, he stated simply, “It would have been hard to complete the mission without your help”

               “Uh, thanks?”, she responded, never would have expected that to come from him.

               He nodded, and then turned to go walk back to the rest of the team, as if that was all that needed, and as Thea thought about it, she decided that it really was.

               Arethusa climbed into the backseat of her car, and Thea drove off, following the Agency car where the others were, and she allowed herself to smile, finally starting to feel at ease with the fact that maybe there was something she had to offer this team.

[talesofealdancynedom]

Sirulius Healpenbroc, in fairy robes. After being mentioned in 5+ stories, you actually get an illustration of the notable storm breaker warlock!

Tale 19: Meriam Craweleoth: Mage Queen of The Grand West (chapter 7.2 - Yet To Pass 7/10) part 4. Stories of Old

Maps

Harsh Language

After three days, and three nights, a wall of abruptly tall mountains became visible. Meriam glowed with joy; she had almost forgotten happiness.

“Boys! Behold the Wall of Fire! The mountain range at the eastern end of the central desert. We are in Sinonia!” Meriam yelled back to her men. They all gasped with relief. Following their Queen was often the worst moments of their lives; until they reached their destination or went home to tell their children stories. Meriam was fond of her five soldiers. She paid them well for their company and service. Meriam, as a mage in fabric body armor and wielding grand spells, technically she didn’t need them with her. It wasn’t even to make her husband feel better anymore; Meriam genuinely cared for, and liked the comradery of her knights.

“My Queen! Why are we turning due south?” one of Meriam’s men yelled. That was a good question. Meriam looked around frantically, as did Asada.

“Don’t look me! They’re the guides!” Asada said, gesturing to the happy pair upon their proud camels, full of loot, and veering down a slope to their right.

“I once went into a magic forest so bright; I swore I had drunken an odd potion. I was greeted by a bard in a halved mountain cabin, surrounded by precise patches of odd vibrant fruits. This man spoke without tone, with a pained smile; he wed two royal fairies. Their companion lived in their cellar, and she was an asocial heartman, who baked wonderful rum shortbread. They fed me something with eggs and cheese, and then answered none of my questions, and left me to fend for myself in the lucid thicket. That is why I do not like poetry.” Meriam said, following the guides south. The Anglian men groaned and cried; They were so close to freedom from the wretched oblivion of sand. And now they were moving away from it. Worse yet, their queen may have gone mad; everyone was so confused by Meriam’s tale, that they offered her water and rest. She refused.

“The world has led me many places, and in hindsight, they have all been wonderful.” Meriam said with whimsy. Her companions sighed and followed.

           By nightfall, the men were dehydrated. They had been crying for their lost chance of escape; which was within grasp, then suddenly taken from them. Meriam assured Asada her men were not weak, but human. Asada pointed to the rice fields and bamboo that was now at the roadside. It was all so, sudden. The men began to cry again. The smell of day-old raw fish and seaweed wafted from the bay, and hit them like freshly chopped onions. For they yearned for a cool dip in the sea, while being devoured by a bloom of jellyfish after such a journey.

“Oi, Da Lan se!” The merchants chimed. “we recommend noodle. Can’t find any place else!” The merchants said. They could speak Anglian: the whole time. It is likely they wanted to mess with the foreigners. They parted ways from their guides, and went towards the sea. Then Meriam, Asada and the five knights noticed the houses…

           The valley sat deep, like it had been slowly eroded over time, and was laden with salty silt atop the earth. The bamboo and growth, was young, and the paths were wooden walk ways suspended on thick stone pilers above the mud. The houses had docks off their balconies, as they were built on stilts. All the livestock sat in aloft cages, as fishers used tall poles to take trout from the tide. The people looked miserable, and wore mix matched fabrics, that hung with long sleeves and skirts. Their black hair was held up with pins and clasps, to keep it out of their brown, amber and hazel eyes. Their faces looked unfamiliar to the weary Anglian travels. And up the mountain, as it began to darken, they saw a large pale blue castle-pagoda-cathedral sitting upon a seaside hill. There was a trail of audible bells and lights of a camp not far from it.

“I can’t handle this. This place is awful. Let’s eat some steamed fish, bathe and camp. I’m going to die alone and childless, leaving my precious home to the cheats of my homeland.” Asada teared. Meriam patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. Asada was correct.

           At dawn, they found themselves surrounded by men in dark platted armour, and vibrant sashes and weapons. The royal guard of Sinonia, was to take these foreigners to their emperor. Who it turned out, was visiting this very village, to stop the immense amount of hate-mail he received daily. It made him wish the courts didn’t take literacy and penmanship so seriously. It made him wish he couldn’t read; He had begun to dream about reading these letters. So, he was refreshed when a party of foreigners was brought to his knees, and forced to bow. He wore many silken robes of violet, red and gold, and he also wore white paint on his face and an absurd hat.

“Exotic faces from far off lands? State your business! I only allow men of Francia and Indonia in my Kingdom. You look like children of the West” The emperor said.

“Yes. I’m Mage Queen Meriam of Anglia. I come to grant a grand favour for you, to make peace and friendship between our kingdoms.” Meriam said.

“That explains why you are so pretty. Your nation must be chaos, if they send women on such important journeys; you should be pregnant in a palace, garbed in silk. Unless you, their mage, are the grand gift?” He laughed. “Sinonia has two mages already; twins. One of which is the source of aggressive messages form this area. If I get another scroll depicting tentacles, or complaining of typhoons and poverty, I will kill him. Which is to say I am already here to kill the bastard.”

“Fuck me; there is a mage with jewels I can borrow here! You can’t kill him! I need his love to save a forest!” Asada yelled. Meriam cursed under her breath. Asada was vile, and this was not the time for harsh impolite language. Not that she didn’t want to literally bite the emperor for his own poor taste. She would have to push through some newfound opinions, to once again desire good terms with this land. Meriam held it back. The Emperor however, did not.

“Ah yes. Because the grace, and nurturing, beauty of a woman can tame that town fool. I will not give peace to a land I know nothing of, and tries to control me! Guards! Send them to that rough warlock upon the hill. I want to see what he does with them before we execute him.” The emperor grinned. The soldier’s faces were calm, hiding an untameable hatred for their leader. One even whispered an apology to Meriam on the way.

           Unable to access the impressive majestic home, the six of them were left on the beach. Meriam sent Nihten off to look for the mage, of whom she knew was Sirulius. Nihten came back, saying a man was laying in the tide asleep, with a brass staph holding a dark crystal sphere which had an Orca in it; clad in gold and blue fish kingdom fairy robes. Meriam gestured for Asada to head up shore.

“Your groom awaits. We will be here, tanning like fat seals.” Meriam shrugged. Asada jumped with joy and ran off. Meriam pondered weather or not Sirulius would be happy to have a woman thrown at him, or not. If he was crazy enough to meet Asada’s needs, maybe he actually would become overjoyed with a wave of true love. That sounded nice. Finally, able to relax, Meriam and her men dipped their toes in the sea.

“My Queen! We found this odd staph in the sand!” a knight said, handing her a lapis luzli staph, carved like a fountain that held up two bronze koi at the top. It reminded her of Feon’s staph.

“This must be his storm staph,” Meriam said “storm-breaker mages go dark when their happy, causing them to lose themselves, and summon disastrous storms.” She said, like she was reading from an encyclopedia.

“So, I assume those birds flying away form the sea, and the darkening of the sky, means he likes Asada’s company your majesty?” Another knight asked. They heard panicking come from the village, and the tide receded meter by meter. A basal fear overcame them, as they looked out to sea, and saw a wall of water form.

“She is quite the woman…” He continued; as did and screaming of the villagers. Meriam stared into the typhoon with a calm gaze, as her men tried desperately not to leave their queen’s side; they eagerly awaited orders to flee.

“Can you wait here a few moments?” Meriam said calmly to her men. Then. The screaming then stopped, as did the water, and birds in the sky. There is never hurry, when time is at your will. Meriam calmly walked up the beach to see how much Asada and Sirulius were enjoying each others company. When she reached them, they were indeed, enjoying each other’s company. The thought of sand burn, and finding it in her garments, nearly made her gag. Meriam walked up, placed the staph in Sirulius’s hand, and admired him. No wonder Feon chose to paint him. He was striking to look at. Not in an overly handsome kind of way, but in the same way as a peacock. His blue hair glistened, and matched his blue eyes; and his smile was so genuine. He must be so lonely in a town of people who hate him. After making staphs to control his magic for them, they still sent ill words to the emperor. Meriam decided, in spite of interrupting the moment of young love, to make time resume while she was standing there.

“Sorry to interrupt, but you forgot your staph. And the emperor is here, and wants to kill you.” Meriam said calmly. The typhoon began to return to the sea, and cheers were heard form the village.

“Thanks! I was looking for it when this attractive lady of Indonia asked for my hand! After intense grasping, we are going to surf, make hats, and go home to eat fish with you; then resume our passion several times more. Then you can go find my brother in the forest of The Stone Gate to return home!” Sirulius said.

“Yes, but your emperor wants to kill you.”

“Everyone does; and yet, here I am! They always come when I am in my house, but my house is locked by a secret phrase I reset daily, because I forget the password…” He said, hugging in Asada, who hugged back. Meriam felt a little awkward, and coughed.

“Well, it is nice to meet you Sirulius. I will be heading back to my men and your, Castle? Have fun?” Meriam said. Meriam ran back to her men, then scolded them for not trusting her.

           At dinner, Sirulius and Asada shared tales about each other, while Meriam’s men intently listened. Meriam was busy enjoying the fish. When Sirulius brought out the liquor he made, the quality of the conversation began to drop as everyone’s words dissolved into laughter. Asada leaned in closer to Meriam.

“I was right!” she whispered. “It is nice to hold someone’s hand. I will stay here a little longer, and use a candle gate to get home; you go home without me, and hold your special someone’s hand too.” She whispered with joy. The way Asada worded it, sounded nice. With no resentment or labels; Meriam wanted to try that. She realized she was still mad about being ripped from her friend and family in Francia, and having her destiny chosen for her. She didn’t need that when she could have a moment with someone, that made nothing else matter. Then Meriam realized, she had those type of moments all the time.

NEXT--->

<---PREVIOUS

[conretewings]

Honey Cakes-a RWBY ficlet

Hazel aimlessly wandered through the empty stone halls, his insomnia overcoming the sleep he so desperately needed. Try as he might all the usual methods to quell it had thus far failed; exercise, reading, chatting with Tyrian as he perched like a feral cat on a windowsill, talking as he did in his odd, disjointed manner that Hazel found both eerily fascinating and exhausting until even the scorpion faunus began to win his own battle with the condition and slunk back to his room. Thus Hazel was left alone with nothing but his own thoughts; a dangerous situation right now.

Passing the kitchen, something caught his attention and he paused in the open doorway. Moonlight pouring in had caught and was reflecting off a large, glass jar of honey that had been left out, golden-amber beams scattering across the counter and floor. He sighed and entered to put it away, but upon lifting it, a scrap of memory formed...

"Honey cakes! Honey cakes! C'mon bro let's make some honey cakes!" Gretchen shouted up the ladder to their loft bedroom.

Hazel poked his head into view, "What?"

She almost bounced on her heels, "Dad just got home and he's got a big chunk of honeycomb and he said it's all ours! So let's make something while it's still fresh!"

"....I'll be right down." he replied with a resigned grin, knowing she would likely drag him down if he didn't come on his own.

Entering the kitchen he saw she had already tied on an apron and was busy grabbing bowls and ingredients. In a shallow dish sat the large hunk of honeycomb, bits of leaves still stuck in it's surface and the sunlight coming in the window making it shine. Setting down a large mixing bowl on the work table she turned to him and grinned.

"You ready for some baking oh dear brother?"

"Did you memorize the recipe?" Hazel wondered aloud, noting the lack of a cookbook among the many times she'd grabbed.

Gretchen waved a dismissive hand, "Pssh! Of course! We haven't made them for a while but I remember because it was mom's favorite thing...to..."

She trailed off, clutching her apron as she tried to swallow back her tears. Instantly Hazel was there, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him tightly back. They held each other in silence, understanding the need for a moment's quiet. Finally Gretchen pulled back and quickly wiped her eyes before planting her hands on her hips and nodding.

"Operation Honey Cake is a go!"

Some time later, after dinner and their father had gone to lay down to rest, the twins sat at their large dining table, playing cards, chatting and enjoying their own sweet, savory honey cake with tea.

"I think these are the best ones we've made so far." Hazel noted.

Gretchen nodded, talking through a mouthful of cake, "We outta open a bakery! We won't have a lot, but we'll have our own business, and each other!"

With a soft smile, Hazel held out his mug, "To the Rainart twins bakery!"

"To us!" she grinned, tapping his mug with hers...

Her laugh echoed in the past as he stared down at the jar in his broad hand. As he started to place it in the cupboard he paused, then took it back out. Perhaps even now, somehow, she was helping him and this was a sign showing him what he needed right now.

Setting the jar on a work surface he started to gather the items he needed...

Emerald paused just before the kitchen, sure she had heard someone. It was nearly four in the morning; who could be there? Praying it wasn't Tyrian, unable to sleep herself and needing a snack she silently peered in to see Hazel sitting at a table near the window. In front of him was a mug and a plate containing what appeared to be a large, flat cupcake. Glancing around she saw the used dishes neatly soaking in the sink and bits of flour still on the countertop.

"Were you...baking?" she asked.

He glanced at her with a simple, "Yes."

"Didn't know you could bake." she said, heading to the fridge, "Smells good."

She turned to ask what it was when she spotted the second plate and mug opposite him, as if he had been expecting company. Did he know about her late night raids? Another look and she realized they were empty, only raising more questions.

Curiosity was winning over and she ventured closer wondering, "I...see there's two plates but...you're by yourself..."

He looked up at her, and she could see the tiredness and sorrow in his deep eyes, "It's...for her. A gesture. Perhaps it's ridiculous, but I felt it was right."

Emerald's brow furrowed slightly; her? Then she understood. She honestly knew little about anyone here and preferred it that way, but one thing she did recall was the scant bit about how he had lost his sister years ago.

She took a step back, unsure how to respond, "Oh..I see. I'm...sorry."

As she was turning to leave, something deep in his bones tugged at him; perhaps his loneliness, perhaps delirium had begun to set in, perhaps this was one more sign and Hazel heeded the feeling.

"Emerald?"

"Yeah?"

He gestured to the pan still sitting atop the stove, "You said they smelled good. Please have one. Join me if you'd like."

The young woman blinked, confused at this sudden invitation, but admitted the scent was quite enticing and going to get one, sat down across from the older and much larger man.

She smelled it closer and taking a small bite, her eyes lit up, "This is so good! It's sweet but also kinda herby?"

"It's honey cake," he replied with a swig of his tea, "I'm glad you like it."

They sat in silence for a bit, Emerald nibbling the dense sweet cake and Hazel gazing out the window. Finally she finished it and licked her fingers clean, then stared at the table uncertain what to say.

"....Thank you for the food." she said at length.

He gave a nod, "Thank you for the company."

"But we didn't really talk..."

"That's okay. Sometimes, someone else just being there is good."

Emerald mulled that over. He was right; it was nice to have someone around. She knew all too well the struggle and loneliness of being on your own. She wondered if he ever got lonely...

Her eyes began to feel heavy and he noticed, "If you need to sleep, you can go."

After all that, she hated to just ditch him, but she was getting tired. The warm, soothing food had done wonders. Standing, she paused a moment.

"Well...um...thanks again...goodnight."

"Goodnight. And you're welcome."

She quietly padded out, looking back one more time before slipping into the dark hallway.

Hazel looked at the now empty chair, stray crumbs on the plate and smiled just the slightest, convinced that indeed, even beyond the grave she was still helping him find what he needed...

[ikevampeventarchive]

[ERS] Once Again, I Will Fall In Love With You - Leonardo

Route Preview:

Year 2XXX, Paris, France

Near the Louvre, I met a man with amber colored eyes, looking for his lost cat. His pointed gaze seemed to shoot right through my heart. There was a hidden meaning behind it that I couldn’t understand....

What the black cat has brought to me, was none other than a man of destiny.

[This is an unofficial work based on fan-translation. Copyright belongs to Cybird.]

Warning: Spoilers Underneath.

Route Summary:

Common Route

Year 2XXX, Paris, France

It’s on the news, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece “Mona Lisa” will be displayed to the public for the first time in half a century.

MC is excited, she had just arrived in France. It’s been a while since she started working as a travel agent, but it’s the first time she’s traveling alone, and for her own leisure. She was excited the moment she heard the news and immediately traveled here to see the Mona Lisa. She looks up to the sky to see a crescent moon hanging between the stars. It feels like she was always pulled here by a thread, perhaps of fate. Those dreams she always had from childhood keeps reminding her.

Next morning, she is hanging around the Arc de Triomphe before going to the Louvre. She decides to sit on a park bench to eat a snack, when a black cat suddenly jumped on it and settled on her side. The cat stared at her with glowing eyes, contrasted by its black fur. Somewhere from behind her, she hears a man’s voice calling out and looking for a cat. MC calls back to him, pointing out that there’s a black cat with her. The man approaches, sighing in relief. He becomes very surprised upon seeing her.

Seeing those wide amber colored eyes, she doesn’t know why, but it felt like there’s a weight added to her chest.

“You’re here, huh,”

“…‘was looking for you.”

MC thought he was referring to the cat, but the man suddenly pulls her into a tight embrace. MC is really surprised for a stranger to just hug her like that. Noticing her reaction, the man pulls back, but still doesn’t move. He stares at her silently, trying to figure out the reason she didn’t accept that well. MC finally asks him to let go, and he immediately did, the mysterious expression turned into a casual smile. He seems to realise the reason why.

He apologizes for suddenly hugging her, since he was just too happy. MC doesn’t really buy that excuse, but she brushes it off and says she’s glad he’s able to find his cat. MC thinks for him to be that happy he must’ve been looking for a long time. Their eyes meet, and indeed it looks like he had found something very important that has long been missing.

“Thank you...for everything.”

There’s that feeling in her chest again.

MC recognizes that feeling. It is the same feeling she gets from those dreams. Dreams of living in an old mansion. It’s supposed to be the first time she met this person, but that heavy feeling that had been engraved in her heart since before she was born returns upon seeing him.

She asks the man if they have met before. The man went silent, then teases if she is trying to flirt with him. MC’s annoyance just entertains him more, and he tells her to stop looking at strangers with such honest eyes.

MC looks at her phone and says it’s time for her to go. He says goodbye too, and thanks her again for finding the cat. MC is still bewildered by him. Even so, she wants to talk to him again.

 Leonardo watches her walking away, memories of those first days she came to the mansion coming back to him.

“Even reborn, you still have those same eyes. My heart almost felt like stopping there,”

He laughs softly, staring up at the blue sky.

“If you’ve forgotten, then you don’t need to remember,”

“…don’t want to repeat that pain again,”

“It’s enough seeing you alive and well.”

 The crescent moon is still there by the time MC left the Louvre.

MC was satisfied. Not only did she get to see the legendary Mona Lisa, she also saw a cute painting of a black cat by da Vinci. She never thought he would like cats.

Her stomach makes a noise. She realizes that she hadn’t eaten since lunch and notices a nice looking bar on the side of the road. The menu was written on front, and it somehow has a distinct da Vinci’s strokes. She decides to eat there before going back to her hotel.

When she goes inside, she is greeted by a sweet piano melody. She sees a silver haired man playing and he stares back at her with a surprised expression. The song he plays feels so familiar to her, like she has heard it many times before. Before she can dwell on it longer, a man’s voice welcomed her in. By that voice, she recognises him to be the same man from before.

He sees who actually came in and stared at her in disbelief, but immediately caught himself. He teased, she must’ve think he’s so handsome to follow him here. She denies that and claims she really was just passing by. Her stomach makes a noise again. He laughs and tells her to sit down.

She asks him if he owns this place, and he says yes, this bar is Leonardo Owned. MC introduces herself too. He repeated her name after hearing it, smiling fondly, before getting back to work. He gives her a free glass of martini, garnished with a slice of lemon, and says it’s for finding his cat earlier. 

They start to chat. Leonardo asks her the reason for coming to Paris. She says it’s because she really wanted to see da Vinci’s Mona Lisa that’s displayed in the Louvre. He chokes on his drink. 

But, MC continues to say that it’s not the only reason. She opens up to Leonardo about her dreams. She never told anyone about them before, afraid that people would just brush it off, saying that it’s not real and have no meaning, but something about his warm and gentle eyes makes her want to talk without realizing.

“Inside those dreams, I feel like I made an important promise to someone. I traveled to Paris for that promise but…I don’t even remember who I made that promise to.”

“So, you want to remember?”

“It’s aching trying to remember. Isn’t that why your head just refuses to?”

“...Eh?”

The sweet piano melody stops abruptly and random keys were slammed. It surprises MC, she quickly turns to the pianist.

“…Seeing this is irritating.”

The pianist grumbles and continues to play a happier sounding song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Leonardo chuckles at him. MC somehow feel the nostalgia of singing along to this song. Was it from her childhood? She turns back and catches Leonardo staring. He continues, she really shouldn’t be swayed by that dream and better off living her life as it is. MC thanks him for lending an ear, but to answer his question earlier, she does want to remember. After all, this is important for her. 

Leonardo smiled at her. The piano continues playing beautifully into the night.

 It’s already late. Leonardo is walking her back to her hotel. She apologizes for making him leave during work. He claims he’s taking responsibility after making her drink anyway, and continues to tease her.

Suddenly, rain is starting to fall and MC regrets not bringing an umbrella. Leonardo offers to take her to his apartment close from here to get an umbrella and towel for her, since the store around has closed. MC is hesitant, since she will be going inside a man’s and a stranger’s room, but agrees.

Inside his apartment room, she meets his cat again. After Leonardo hands her a towel, she asks him the cat’s name. He admits he hasn’t got any names yet, and asked her to name it for him. She tilts her head at that request but thinks about it anyway, and immediately came up with Lumiere. It just pops up in her head. Leonardo once again looks taken aback.

He reaches out to embrace MC, the sweet aroma of tobacco enveloping her.

“Seeing you smile like that… I feel like it’s not enough to just watch over it.”

 —

Chance Meeting End (Sweet End)

The two of us, connected by an unseen thread, fall into a love that cannot be fought for a second time....

“Forceful kisses, you don’t hate them right?”

—

“Seeing you smile like that… I feel like it’s not enough to just watch over it.”

MC is confused once again, but her heart is stammering. She pushed Leonardo’s chest slightly. He has a serious expression, sharp eyes looking straight through her. She asks him what’s wrong for him to hug her again suddenly, but it seems like words wouldn’t go through him.

He finally asks her, why did she choose ‘Lumiere’ ? MC thinks about it hard but doesn’t have any answer. It really did just pop up in her head.

“…I see.”

He answers, loneliness seeping through his words. He lets go of her and apologizes, saying that he’s still drunk after all. He tells her to wipe up properly as she’s still wet and throws the towel on her face, obscuring her vision. She wonders if that is the only reason, or if he’s just making up an excuse.

It’s the next day. MC is walking around the city, thinking to herself. She traveled to France in order to get answers for her dreams yet all she gets is more questions. Without realizing, MC finds herself in front of Leonardo’s bar again. She sees Leonardo standing there and her heart skips a beat.

Leonardo teases if she hadn’t drunk enough last night and wants more. She denies, since it’s still pretty early in the morning. Leonardo laughs and it just made her heart beats faster. While she’s puzzling about this odd feeling, Leonardo offers her to go on a little date if she have the time. Before MC even gets to answer, he storms off into the opposite direction.

MC followed him after all. They end up on an unexpected place. A boat. MC asks him why he brought her here and he laughs while rowing it across the lake. He claims it’s the best tourism spot in Paris and it would be a shame if MC came all the way to Paris only visiting his bar. MC starts saying that she does like to go sightseeing when she’s alone, when the boat suddenly shakes. Leonardo starts joking around by rocking it on purpose.

He laughs seeing her reaction every time, but MC can’t help but notice a hidden feeling behind those eyes. Those eyes she sees seems so familiar again, like it came from her dream. She asks him the reason he keeps taking care of her, and he says being nice to tourists isn’t that rare. MC still doesn’t buy his excuses and tries to stand up, rocking the boat even more. Before she can fall, Leonardo catches her and tells her to stop going wild or she’ll really fall down. A vision suddenly flashes across her mind.

It was night time. She was on top of a boat with a man, teasing her to show her face, trying to hide that she’s crying. She accidentally fell down the lake to avoid showing it to him. He swam down to save her.

MC snaps out of it again. Leonardo is holding her, stroking her hair and asking if she’s okay. The boat swayed gently.

“This time, you’re not going to fall again,” he smiles at her.

MC notices, he said it like they have been on a boat before. She is frustrated because she can’t remember what she feels she should. Leonardo gazes at her confused face. He asks her when she will be going home and MC answers it’s tomorrow, noticing that he’s trying to change the topic.

“That’s pretty early, huh,” He smiles again. She wants to understand the meaning behind that smile.

“I can only take 5 days off.”

“….then take care on the way home, ok?”

The boat slowly moves. Her time spent with Leonardo seems to be reflected on the lake’s surface. They just met for the first time, why is she feeling this way? She doesn’t want to leave him.

“….it’s an afternoon flight tomorrow. Can you come to see me off?”

She doesn’t want to think that this will only be a one-time vacation love. Every second they spent together feels like a missing piece that will slowly lead her to the answer she has been searching.

“Yeah, I’m going. I’ll see you off,” He smiles at her once again.

The airport is busy with people walking around carrying their suitcases. Leonardo accompanied her here to see her off as he promised. He bids her goodbye and to be careful on her way. She wishes him well too, and took the hand that he offered. Unexpectedly, he pulls her into a hug again.

The warmth that spreads, she can’t brush it off as a friendly hug anymore. She starts to realize she might be actually attracted to him. After he apologizes for touching her without permission again, MC honestly confesses her feelings, that she ‘may’ like him after all. He laughs at her.

“Don’t- don’t laugh at me please.”

Then, he pressed his lips on hers.

She remembers this kiss. Inside the door that she can’t quite see, with a person she can’t quite remember. It seems that she keeps getting these visions every time she is with Leonardo. He pulls away, teases her again for being a bad girl and tells her to calm down. This conversation, once again, feels very familiar.

She doesn’t want to leave Leonardo. The string of fate has pulled her into this place, and it seems like it leads to this man.

“Leonardo...wait for me. I’ll come to see you again soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting. I will always be here, forever.”

The future of these two that just met, begins.

—

Fated Love End (Premium End)

His feelings that have endured over time, rouse sleeping memories within me --- .

“Your way of living always ... makes this world seem like it’s shining.” 

—

Leonardo embraces MC once again, his warm body enveloping her. He’s silent, and MC doesn’t know what to say either. When their gaze finally meet, a distant memory forms into a vivid vision in front of her. The warmth of his arms, she had felt it before. A flashback occurs….

Her hand that lay on the bed was gently cradled. Leonardo softly called her name; his hand that clasped hers was slightly trembling.

“MC…. You are suffering from death. I know how to save you from it”  “even so…. I-“

“Please don’t say it,” she cuts him off, “I understand Leonardo’s feelings.” (if I become a vampire, I can be freed from death.)  (but….this is fine.)  (we already promised, to love each other as a vampire and human being.) “To accept everything that is different and the same….”  “To have loved you…. it is my pride.” (and until the end, I will hold this pride in my heart.)

“Yes, you have lived as much as you could.” “Thanks to you, every day we spent together has been shone in light.”

“….I’m so glad,” “but even after I’m gone, I want your every day to be still be shining too.” “When I am reborn, I will meet you again. That is my request in the meantime. Please promise….”

“MC….”

Leonardo gulped any words he was about to say. MC doesn’t want to see him like this, because she loved Leonardo’s smile. She laughs, seeing him so usually full of words. “I love you, for eternity,”  “You have to promise. Because if I believe we will meet again… I am not afraid to die.”

“I love you too. As usual you’re still so strong and glimmering.” “I will do anything for you. If in the end I can’t even make a promise for the woman I love, what kind of man I am?” “It’s okay… I promise, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you…”

Leonardo kisses her hand softly.

“Hey, MC, if you will ever be reborn, then come back to me quickly, okay?” 

“Because I will also find you once again.”

Leonardo’s calling snaps her out of her vision. She is greeted with a worried expression in front of her. She finally recognises those amber colored eyes. It’s the gentle eyes of the person she loves. The person she remembers in those dreams merged into what is in front of her now.

MC asks Leonardo if after she was gone, the rest of his days that he spent still shines. Right after that question left her, his face change into utter happiness and surprise. He chuckles, saying that keeping that promise is even harder than unraveling the truth of this universe. He says he had made every effort to meet MC again. Turns out her way of living really makes the world seem to shine for him.

MC apologizes for making him wait so long. He says there’s something else she should’ve said before that. They pronounces their love for each other, back to back, MC even says it twice. He welcomes her back home and they share a kiss. Right after their lips part, he laughs out loud, teasing if she just finally remembers. Their forehead touches and his smile spreads into a pure childlike happiness.  

He hasn’t heard her voice for a long time. So, tonight he will show his way of loving her again from the very beginning.

—

Secret End

Once again, until the day you meet again --- Relying only on his love for you, the thoughts that he, who has lived for an unending time, has for you is....

(... ‘I love you’, not even being able to say those few syllables ... it’s pretty heartrending.) 

 —

In a world where your beloved has already left it, the clock’s hands still moves, unstopping.

This is the tale of a man who continues to believe in fate inside a world that has lost all its meaning….

Leonardo is sitting in the bar, running his pen on a board, making the menu list. A piano melody sings in the air. He notices that there’s a lot of blank space left on the board and quickly sketches a small cat to fill it. Someone approaches him to talk. He looks up to see Mozart looking down at him.

Mozart says he is done tuning the piano and he’s going home now. Leonardo forces him to stay and taste his new cocktail. Mozart finally complies. After all, Leonardo lets him play the piano however he likes.

Mozart asks him the reason he started managing this bar. Leonardo remembers MC’s wish, for his every day to still be filled with light even after she was gone, and then to meet her again. He thinks it’s to fulfill that promise. In each passing second he gradually loses his hope. Without realizing, the world has shifted into an era filled with light different from the ones of candles and gas lights. Inside such a city, he wants to make a place where people can gather, much like the old bars he remembers.

He answers Mozart that he wants a nice and lively place where various people gather. These days you can’t smoke as freely anymore, so he also wants to make a place where he can. Mozart doesn’t ask further. He picks up the glass Leonardo offered and stares off, seems to be reminiscing something.

Leonardo goes for a walk around the park before opening his shop. He stares at the blue sky that seems so far high. 

He remembers her loving and unstoppable smile, reflected on that unreachable heights. He would do anything to be able to tell her he loves her once again.

He sees a stray cat walking closer to him. He jokes to himself, wondering if MC has finally been reborn as a cat. He talks to it and notices it doesn’t have any collar. He decides to adopt the cat, remembering the time when MC named his old cat, Lumiere.

Next morning, when he got back from work, the cat is missing from his room. He had left the window open. He searches for it around the city and ends up at the park again. He calls around and tries to hear any meowing. Just then, someone stood up from a bench.

“Um… If you’re looking for a cat, there’s one sitting right here!”

He realizes who it is. He freezes.

The blue sky reflected in Leonardo’s eyes now truly shines in front of him.

—

Event Info Post | Mozart Route | Vincent Route

[floosies]

bury a friend: The Story of Noctua

pairing: platonic!steve rogers x possessed!oc x mcu!au x romantic!bucky barnes

summary: there have been sightings of a dark creature who vanishes with night and in the mornings only remains of once living people are found scattered in open fields or forests nearby.

warnings: mentions of abuse, mentions of attempted suicide, violence, gore, cursing, mentions/scenes of sexual nature.

Please read with discretion. 18+ content.

A/N: This is my first attempt at something more dark. It’s been in my brain since hearing some of biilie’s works and quiet frankly I want to venture into new territory. However, I understand the severity of some topics that I will write about. If you or someone you know is in need please look at these resources

Tags: @indecisivedolly​

Part 8: Listen before I Go

Her heart raced with anticipation, the air seemed sweet, and she was smiling. Steve was happy she felt so ready, “first mission is always the most nerve racking.” She smiled at him as they boarded the quinjet, “i’m ready for it. I’ve trained for this and my powers can always save me.” He nodded along, “remember though. It won’t be necessary to use your full force on this one. Wanda is here to help you,” she wanted to roll her eyes. “Of course, I’m aware don’t worry.” 

They sat down as the aircraft took off. She silently prayed to tenebrae for all to go as planned. Looking around, she saw her team. They all looked bored or unbothered, of course they would be. This was not their first time carrying out these kinds of orders. She wondered if anything had ever gone horribly wrong, the possibilities of what could go wrong. If she miscalculated a move or a moment. 

Wanda was reading the girl’s mind out of boredom, but as her thoughts grew darker she stopped and instead reached for her hand, “Noctua. Everything will be okay, we are going to do a simple mission.” She looked at Wanda’s amber eyes that were filled with a warmth, she nodded in agreement. Two witches on a jet, what an amusing thought.

A small amount of turbulence began, Steve stood up. “Alright, avengers start preparing. We’ll be landing soon.” Through the shaking everyone began to get their gear in tact. She fixed herself up and her hair back enough to where it wouldn’t be in her way. 

It was a simple plan, Sam would use his red wing thing to check the perimeter and interior. Steve and Bucky would go in first, securing a path. If that went a bit haywire, she had already memorized the hall and room where the information was. Wanda would be beside her if anyone or anything came near. It was full proof, at least that was the idea.

Not a moment to hesitate, they ran to action. For some reason the ringing of bullets and sounds of pain weren’t at all deteriorating. As paths began to clear the witches proceeded to the designated room. Finally they arrived, “we’ve entered the room. Proceeding to get the files.” Wanda spoke into the communication system, “got it. Make it quick, I think we got more company.” Wanda nodded as she began working on retrieving the data. Noctua kept watch prepared to fend off anyone who was nearing. 

One could practically feel the intensity in that room. A minute felt like a year. The sound of fighting and bullets could still be heard. She was not sure how much longer the retrieving would take. However she could just merely begin to sense something, “Wanda are you almost done?” She whispered to the older girl who continued to look at the screen and then pull something from a crevice, “yes. Let’s go.” The girls took off again, the sound of heavy, quick steps began behind them, a dread filled Noctua’s conscious. Then she heard a bullet being fired, using her powers she stopped time. Wanda noticed the way everything froze and looked back at the younger witch.

Nearing her was a bullet, she looked at her with fear. Noctua looked at it, it was only an inch away from her. The hall was narrow, even if she moved it would still cause some kind of harm, “Wanda go. Give them the information and then tell them that I died, do it.” Tears welted in her eyes, “I’m not leaving you to die.” She knew the pain that her friend was feeling, she felt it a couple times herself, “i’m sorry, but you have to. Now go, I can’t keep time frozen like this. Please, just go.” There was not anything else said.

She watched her friend leave, giving her a sad smile as a way to reassure her. Then she unfroze time and searing pain entered her body. With the last bit of strength in, she killed the guards. All of them, well any that were still in the building. Maybe tenebrae had planned this, may be it did not know this was the future that would play out for her. It felt so warm on her left side, like she had sat too close to a fire. Her hand could feel the warm pool of blood beginning to form, “Noctua!” She heard their voices, she felt Wanda try to stop the bleeding with her magic. 

Death is said to feel like a tiredness. Her eyes felt heavy, “don’t close your eyes. Don’t you fuckin dare.” Was that Bucky? Always such a crass man. Something soft was suddenly under her, was it a bed? She could not see clearly, she merely saw figures and blurs. Of course she could still hear and there was a male voice apologizing while the others sounded frantic. Quietly she spoke slowly not knowing who would hear, but as a way to calm them. “All things must pass. Thank you for having cared...for....me.” It was too hard to keep her eyes open, the last she heard was a male’s yelling.

Limbo is an uncertain period of awaiting a decision. It’s also a place where the soul waited for the ultimate decision to be made. She could see herself being given surgery, and then she felt its presence, “i’m sorry. There was a possibilty this could have happened, I saw it. My arrogance mislead me to believe it would not happen,” it said ashamed of what it could have prevented. She saw her parents nearing her as well. “It’s true,” her mother gasped as they looked at her body on the surgery table. Her heartbeat was still strong, which confused her, “why am I not dying?” In retrospect, it was something she had always wanted. Her father shook his head, “my dear. You must go back, it isn’t your time yet.” It was plea more than a order. Her mother agreed though, “there is so much good waiting for you. This was a simple mistake,” “we have seen your future, it is so bright. Tenebrae have you not told her?” She looked over at the entity, “they are right. I have not told you, but your soulmate-” “I thought soulmates were an erased idea. I presumed the tangling of souls was no more.” “Well my dear, your soul is partly an older soul and so is his-” “It’s a him? Really?” She always thought she’d end up with another witch. “Yes, it is a he and his soul has roamed time for far too long. I had found out about this while you were trying to leave those odd people. It turns out he is part of that band of miscreants.” 

The decision was hers though. She could live and see if all this was true. Or she could be laid to rest and live her with parents. Time was irrelevant in the afterlife, she spent it roaming around with her mother, “I love you and I wish I could have raised you as I wanted to, but there was a hunt for our skin. I didn’t want you to be the next victim.” Her father agreed with her mother, “we know you suffered, but your rebirth into a full-fledged witch has given you a second chance at life.” She disagreed, “they were mostly kind, sure. However, most of my life has been lonely. How can I be certain that my future won’t be as my past and current present were.” Bless her mother’s paitence and passion, “Adelasia. Do you know why I named you as so?” She had no chance to answer her, “your name translates to noble and kind. You were destined to care for others. Tenebrae gave you powers that enhanced your caring nature and allowed you to complete noble deeds.” They were sat underneath a tree now, her father looking at her, “we told you. We have seen your future. Though we may not intervene. We can look, and so far you have done nothing, but make us proud.” 

Two weeks had passed on the living realm. An odd spectacle came after she was put in a room. Tears gently began to flow from her closed eyes. She hadn’t stopped crying for almost two weeks, “Bucky you gotta stop starring at her. Go shower and get ready for the mission.” Tony was right, but he found it odd that she just continued to cry. Part of him was glad she didn’t die, the amount of blood loss could have given a different impression. It was a reckless move to take the bullet for Wanda, it was also the right think. He was mad and also moved, he wanted so badly to hate her. He wanted nothing more than to despise her and accept her demise. Unfortunately, he could not. He did not know what brought this, why his being felt like it needed her. 

Tony had left the room again, he knew the sergeant wouldn’t budge. He also knew better than to press his buttons. So, there alone once more he looked as the tears flowed from her closed eyes, her lashes covered in them. Then suddenly the heart monitor began to quicken. The calm alarm noise now a frantic mess. His eyes widened as her lips began to part, a cough leaving her mouth. A sudden gasp of air came with the opening of her eyes. She sat up trying to breathe. The first thing she saw was his startled face. In a whisper, she spoke in awe, “hello James.” Before he could say something he was removed from the room by the frantic doctors.

[rohad93]

Bellow Diamond Week 2019: A work in Progress: Day 2 - Making Amends

Yellow Diamond gazed blankly at the screens in front of her. Messages chirped as they popped up ceaselessly but she made no move to read them. Her Pearl glanced up at her worriedly. It was very much unlike her luminous diamond to stare into space this way, though there was nothing unusual about the stormy look on her face.

At least, it wouldn't have been unusual if not for recent events.

Ever since Blue Diamond had begun to come to the control room more often her diamond had been...well, happier.  

Today however the look on her face was downright thunderous. Her boot tapped a staccato rhythm on the floor that echoed loudly around the control room and her face rested on her clasped hands, brows set low between her eyes creating deep furrows in her face and casting a shadow over her eyes.

Yellow Diamond was agitated.

The reason for her agitation?

Blue Diamond of course.

Sort of.

It was no secret that she was happier now than she'd ever been now that she and Blue were being honest with each other about their feelings, all the gems in her court had taken notice of her upturn in mood, even if they didn't understand why, but there was something bothering her. Had been bothering her for over a year now.

Every time she touched Blue, it reminded her of what she had tried to do. What she had done.

Her foot stopped its tapping, making her Pearl look up at her nervously but she paid her no mind. She unfolded her right hand and looked at the glove covered palm.

She had attacked Blue. Tried to poof her, the gem she had loved nearly all of her existence.

She could still see it clearly. Laying there on that bridge, smoke from her attack drifting off Blue’s form, her disheveled silver hair spilling into her face, distorted by pain as she looked back at her.  

Her fists clenched.

It made her feel sick whenever she thought about it too hard.

She heaved a sigh, eyes squeezed shut.

She’d never even apologized properly to Blue for what she’d done. Where would she even start? In her mind what she had done was so grievous, how could it ever be forgiven?

Her fear of White Diamond had momentarily overtaken her love for Blue. If Steven hadn’t stopped her… shame rose up in her throat like bile.

A fist slammed down on the armrest of her throne, her Pearl jumped as the stone gave way, crumbling to the floor.  

She glanced at the smaller, nervous gem who had almost been hit by the debris and sighed.

Today, it seemed, would be a day in which she dwelled on this. Thus, no progress in her work would be forthcoming. She stood silently, her Pearl jolting to attention.

"My Diamond?" The small gem questioned.

"Pearl, take any messages that come in." She said before walking out of her control room without a second look.

She had no destination in mind. She just couldn't stand to be cooped up in her control room another minute. She itched with the need to move, where was unimportant. A dull ache was making itself known right behind her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly.

Gems saluted her as she passed but she paid them little mind, and they moved quickly out of the way at the look on her face.  

She let her feet guide her to her unknown destination, unconcerned and lost in her thoughts, all the while unaware of the sulphureous yellows and aurulent golds that painted the walls had slowly shifted to cool periwinkles and deep navy’s until she passed through a set of doors, unaware of the blue hued guards looking up at her curiously and realized she had walked into Blue’s sanctuary, a place regular gems were not allowed, much like their extraction chambers. It was a quiet space Blue had built to be a place to contemplate the universe from. To try and find peace in.

How appropriate.

She had only passed by the room a time or two in the past. Never had she been inside. Letting the doors close behind her with a quiet hiss she took a moment to observe the room.

It was circular in shape, its curved glass walls reached up to form a dome over head.

The shining stars of Homeworld’s sky were on full display from every angle, twinkling and winking at her through the glass.  

Her boots echoed on the cool blue-gray marble floor as she walked across the room. Intricately carved pillars of cobalt circled the room, the rich blue stone with deep veins of silvery white and gray spiraled from floor to ceiling, supporting the dome while being aesthetically pleasing.

Yellow reached out and ran her fingers over the smooth polished stone as she passed.

In the center of the room was a large, deep, diamond shaped pool filled with a metallic, luminescent liquid Blue had brought back from one of her many colonies centuries ago. It was a bright, sapphire blue with flecks of silver that seemed to sparkle like the stars above as it churned like water, casting a pale soothing glow on everything in the room.

The light bounced off Yellow creating a dim green haze about her form.

Here was as good as anywhere to be alone.  

Yellow seated herself gently on the lip of the pool, taking care not to break anything in this place. She settled her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.

Being here had the odd effect of being both soothing and aggravating.

Blue, with her soft touch and gentle gaze had always been Yellow’s greatest source of comfort, but right now was also her greatest stressor.

Thinking of Blue right now made her gem feel tight with regret.

She had felt guilty about what she had done since those events had transpired but the feeling had doubled ever since she and Blue had gone to earth and at Steven’s behest Yellow had given a small demonstration of her powers to his friends that had gathered on the beach. The heat of her attack turning a strip of sand to glass.

Only she had noticed the way Blue had flinched when the electricity had arced through the air. Her initial guilt had only grown since.

She'd taken to avoiding Blue the last few rotations.

She scrubbed at her face and sighed. Though she didn’t need to breath she found the act often helped calm her.

“Yellow!”

Yellow’s head shot up from her hands to find the object of her thoughts walk into the room. The doors sliding shut behind her. Blue had spotted her right away, a bright ray of sunlight in the cool toned room.

Blue’s bright cerulean eyes lit up in unabashed happiness at the sight of her counterpart, only furthering Yellow’s guilt.

“This is a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen you in several rotations.” she walked over quickly, her dress rustling quietly across the marble floor.  

"Work has kept me busy…" her age old excuse for everything. Though never before now had it been an excuse.

“What are you doing here?” She situated herself a hair's breadth from Yellow on the pool’s lip, their knees and shoulders whispering against each other.

“I couldn’t concentrate on my work… I was taking a walk.” She simply offered. It was true.

“You wound up here?” Blue asked. Yellow only nodded, her arms folded across her chest.  

"Is there something on your mind?" Her eyes narrowed in concern. Yellow unable to work was unheard of.

"No, I simply couldn't concentrate." She looked anywhere but at Blue.

Blue could see the tension in Yellow’s form, the tightness in her jaw and the dip of her brows.

“What’s wrong, darling?” She asked.

Yellow felt a shiver at the word ’darling’. Something Blue had picked up on a visit to earth. She’d heard the word and after Steven had explained the term of endearment, Blue had decided it was perfect for Yellow. She always said it with such adoration that it caused Yellow to go off-color.

Right now it made her gem feel as though it were made of stone.

“Stop calling me that!” She snapped and hated herself even as she said it. “I’m fine.” She insisted, knowing as soon as she said it that Blue already knew she was lying.

“Yellow...” Blue reached out to touch her arm.

Yellow flinched back from the touch and immediately regretted it when she saw the confusion and hurt in Blues eyes. Here she was, still hurting her.

She could not go on this way.

They sat there in silence for several long moments, each one becoming more tense than the last before Blue finally spoke.

“Have I... done something wrong? Have I upset you?” The azure gem asked. Yellow dared a look and saw her clasping her hands to her chest, sorrowful eyes downcast and hated herself even more.

“No!”

Blue looked up, surprised by either the answer or the forcefulness of it was unclear to Yellow.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. I have.” She gritted out, standing and moving away from Blue to the windows. Cerulean eyes watched her silently. “I hurt you.” She finally said it aloud. “I attacked you.” Her hands balled into fists and her jaw clenched, she stared angrily back at herself in the reflection of the glass.  

“Is that what this is about?” Blue asked, eyes wide. Had Yellow really been feeling guilty about that all this time? “Oh, Yellow…” Blue got up and made Yellow turn to face her. Amber eyes remained locked on the marble floor.

Gently she hooked her fingers beneath that strong squared chin and forced her to look up at her. Yellow flinched but did not resist.

“Yellow, all that has long been forgiven, and I attacked you first.” She gently reminded but Yellow shook her head.

“You were defending Steven, I attacked you, I tried to poof you.” She paused, contemplating her next words. “You’re afraid of me...” She finished, eyes closed, unable to keep Blue’s gaze any longer.

Blue’s eyes widened at that. It wasn’t said tauntingly or proudly as she might have said it to an enemy but with a sad resigned certainty.

“Yellow…” She started.

“I see the way you flinch when I use my powers…” Yellow cut her off. Blue frowned at that.

“Yes,” She finally said after a long moment, watching as Yellows face dropped even more. “...but not because I’m afraid.” She insisted, reaching up and running her thumbs over sharp cheekbones. That prompted Yellow to open her eyes, shiny with unshed tears, and it made Blue’s heart break to think how long Yellow had been torturing herself over this.  

“I have a greater respect for your power now that I’ve had a taste of it, I flinch because I feel bad for anything on the other end of it.” She smiled. “But afraid of you? No. Never.”

Yellow reached up and took hold of one of Blues hands on her cheeks, turning her face to lay a kiss on a blue palm. A hint of violet spread across Blue’s face.

“How can you just forgive me?" She mumbled against the cool blue skin. Whether Blue was intended to hear it or not she was unsure.

Blue pursed her lips in thought. She knew Yellow would not let go of this until she did something to earn forgiveness. She thought for a moment before a smile pulled at her lips.

“Do you wish to do something for me to make up for what you did?” She asked, to which Yellow nodded.

“Anything.” She said it with such quiet reverence that it gave Blue pause. Her gem fluttered in her chest.

“Come with me.” She tugged Yellow along by their clasped hands.

They walked as quickly and quietly as two beings of their stature could down the long winding ocean colored corridors.

They ended up at Blues extraction chamber. Yellow’s brows furrowed at the location but kept her thoughts to herself as they climbed the steps to the water. One searching for atonement did not have the right to question.

Finally releasing her hand Blue slipped into the water and swam to the other side before turning back and beckoning to her companion with a small, devious smile. Yellow didn’t hesitate more than a moment before entering the water and moving to Blue's side.  

They sat facing each other, Yellow waiting expectantly.

“Close your eyes.”

Yellow did as she was told and the next thing she knew water was pouring over her head.

"Wh- Blue, what are you doing!?" Her eyes popped open to see Blue smiling back at her.

"I'm going to comb your hair." She smiled to herself as she pulled the comb from its place in the cup on the rim of the pool. “I've always wished to see how it would look if you kept it a little softer.” she mumbled the last bit to herself

"How can combing my hair make up for what I did?" She grumbled as water dripped from the tip of her nose.

“This is what I want. Will you give this to me, Yellow?” It was said with such gravity that all the general could do was nod mutely and closed her eyes as Blue poured more water over her head, missing the victorious little smile on the other gems face.  

As far as Blue was concerned there was nothing to forgive, but she also knew Yellow could not accept simply being forgiven. This was a nice and tidy little way of giving her what she needed and getting something that she had always wanted. To play with Yellow Diamond’s hair.

Blue began running her fingers through the damp stiff peaks of her hair and humming happily.

Yellow couldn’t help the drooping of her eyelids as Blue’s fingers combed through her hair, nails scraping gently at her scalp as Blue loosened her locks.

She liked it the way it was, neat, tidy and out of her way. She couldn’t understand how Blue could stand her own long, thick hair everywhere. That being said, she did enjoy running her fingers through the beautiful silver mane.

"Isn't that better?" Blue asked as she slid her comb through the limp sunflower colored hair, brushing it into smooth waves instead its normal stiff peaks.

Yellow just hummed in quiet contentment as she worked. Unaware of the glow emitting from her gem. Blue, however was very aware. Hers shone just as bright, casting a green haze over the waters surface.

“My darling, Yellow.” Blue cooed but paused in thought, her combing slowing. “Do you really wish for me not to call you that anymore?” She asked.

Even without opening her eyes Yellow could practically see the sadness in Blue’s face and again regretted her earlier snapping.

“No, Blue. I like it when you call me that.” She admitted quietly even though they were alone. Gold eyes slid open to meet azure, crinkled in happiness “I shouldn’t have snapped at you earlier, I’m sorry. For everything.”

Blue set her comb aside and closed what little space was left between them, their gems clinked together quietly and Blue's hand returned to its place against one of Yellow’s warm flushed cheeks, the other on her shoulder. Yellow's own hands settled at her hips.

“Everything is forgiven, darling. Everything.” She assured, pressing their foreheads together

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

May I ask why you're so against rachel bilson? It's just that I know absolutely nothing about her and from and outsider persepctive she seems like a regularly nice person

Hi, yes! I apologize in advance, this is super long I’m afraid!

So first of all, I want to make it VERY clear that I don’t endorse sending hate to people, even if you despise them, and I am not intending to spam any social media she may have with hate because that’s simply inexcusable.

So here’s the thing: the whole thing just personally leaves a bad taste in my mouth because they had a sex scene years ago in a film that was directed by Bill’s ex-wife, Maggie Carey. It just really weirds me out because that was several years ago, and obviously I don’t know Maggie beyond the fact she’s a director and was married to Bill, but if I were her I’d be more than a little pissed off because I’d be wondering if my husband had been seeing this woman the entire time. I don’t think Bill is the type but I frankly don’t know him personally and who knows? It just seems a little tasteless in a way, but hey whatever.

Firstly, in literally every photo I’ve seen of them together - grocery shopping, golden globes etc, - they both look like they’d rather be anywhere else. Especially tonight, you can see in videos when they turn away from the cameras, their smiles vanish and they look (for lack of a better description) kind of constipated. I know Bill has bad anxiety so that could be part of the reason, I don’t know. But it looks like they’re not even trying - he smiled much more genuinely when with his ex. You can tell when someone is half assing their smile and when it’s genuine, especially in their eyes or the way they’re smiling.

I’ve been having a twitter conversation with someone, they messaged me wanting to talk about the whole thing, and I’ve been discussing it with them for a few days now. Disclaimer here that I already knew this person because I spoke to them about a month or so ago because their friend met PJ at a comic con and she (the twitter girl) was talking about it, so we already knew of each other before this whole ordeal. Recently, however, they’ve been telling me stuff and showing me tweets/photos/stuff about R*chel and, hey, maybe I’m only seeing what they want me to see? Who knows? I’m not saying my impression that I have of her is the correct one, just my own personal impression thus far.

The first thing we noticed was the sheer amount of paparazzi photos and news stories. I have never seen someone be photographed so damn often while out shopping - so far in the last week alone, RB has been papped near enough every day. No one gets papped that often by accident. The person I spoke with on twitter informed me that it’s always the same people (backgrid) and that she’s probably calling them herself. Not even the kids from Stranger Things/Harry Potter get photographed this much, and they are WAY more famous and in demand than her*. This week alone it’s been grocery shopping (w/ Bill), then going out to lunch with her friends, then shopping for furnishings, and THEN lunch with her mother. All in the same week. This isn’t just a her thing, it’s in general, but no one cares if actors are shopping for shit or going out to lunch with their mothers, it’s really not exciting or interesting. So yeah, there seems to be some question as to whether or not she’s phoning the paparazzi herself.

*I had literally never heard of her before being a fan of Bill so... 🤷🏼‍♀️ She’s definitely not as famous as the ST kids are right now

Also, it’s interesting that in the eleven years he was married to Maggie, and in even the last few years where he’s really started to pick up career wise, he has hardly been photographed by paparazzi in public. The only time I can think of is when he was filming IT Chapter 2 and that was because it’s a major film and they were shooting outside in costume. There could be more but I doubt there’s loads going around. So yeah, I find it kinda questionable that only now is he getting papped this regularly.

Not only do I think calling the paparazzi on yourself is vain and straight up thirsty for attention, but if that IS the case (and I’m not saying it is), it’s incredibly disgusting to do that whilst out with someone who has REALLY bad panic attacks and social anxiety. You can see it in his face that he’s pissed off and annoyed about it.

This person I spoke with also made some remarks regarding both of their kids with other people. Apparently the only time RB ever goes out with her kid is to get them photographed with her or something, and that she’s literally never with her daughter. This could be bullshit for all I know. I haven’t really researched her daughter because, frankly, that would be creepy and I also don’t really care about her enough to give a shit.

We know that Bill has 3 daughters, and it just strikes me as odd that he made a big fuss about how he only saw them 5 days in summer of 2018 (due to Barry and IT filming) and how he was crying over it, and “I’m going to spend more time with my kids 😭” but then...you get a girlfriend instead? And you spend time with them instead? And even when I first read the interview where he said about missing his kids, like...dude, come on. That’s your own fault, no one is making you stay away from the kids, you and your wife have joint custody. In comparison also to RB, who’s kid is seemingly papped quite a bit with her, I’ve literally seen maybe two or three occasions where one of Bill’s kids have been papped, like that’s it. And that’s how it should be frankly.

Back to the person I spoke with, they have a friend in Tulsa who was there around the time the two were spotted at Starbucks together, and here’s apparently the tea: Bill apparently got coffee alone quite a few times, she arrived in Tulsa, they got coffee, and then she left Tulsa after like a day. This person’s friend said that they weren’t holding hands, and they barely even looked at each other the whole time. This is a kind of “her friend’s brother’s wife’s cousin” thing and could be false, however. And I honestly think that if you’ve got 3 kids and you make a HUGE fuss over not getting to see them because of YOUR work schedule, then you should be spending Christmas with them and NOT with your new side chick. The same goes for RB - if she was in Tulsa over Christmas, why was she not with her own kid?

There’s a whole kettle of accusations that could or could not be true about both of them frankly; she’s using him to restart her career, he’s insecure and he’s being taken advantage of, she’ll probably get his kids papped, blah blah blah. This honestly could be total bullshit so who the fuck knows at this point. The whole getting together before awards season as well is so obvious, like so many couples do that for good publicity during this time of year and it’s frankly laughable. It’s the same kind of situation as the Alison Sudol/David Harbour situation two years ago - they stepped out together at the Golden Globes etc. And look how that turned out!

And, to be honest, I get feelings about people. You know how sometimes you just get a feeling about someone and you try to push it aside but it gnaws at you? Yeah. It’s not concrete evidence but I’ll be honest, 97% of the time I’ve found that if I have a feeling about a person, I’m at least somewhat right. I had a gut feeling when the whole nonsense about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard started, and even when I was abused and harassed over it, I knew my gut was telling me that it was BS because it just didn’t feel right. And it turns out I was right in that case because it’s now come out that Heard was abusing him and that she’s almost certainly been lying the entire time about being abused. But I digress, I’m not here to talk about that. I don’t know why but I get a bad feeling/vibe about RB and, hey, I could be totally wrong, nothing is ever 100%! But right now that’s the vibe I get and i tend to go with what that gut feeling is telling me.

And before the accusations of “you’re just a bitter jealous fan” come flooding in (as they inevitably will), I can promise you that is not the case. I make jokes about being thirsty and shit, but that’s all they are - jokes. Come on, I’m 22 next week, do you really think I want to hook up with a 41 year old with 3 kids?? 😂 And besides that, there have been MANY actors I either crush on or admire who are either in relationships or married, and because I’m an adult I can respect that. Hell, most of the time, I start stanning their partner too! There’s literally only ever been one occasion where I had a crush on an actor and didn’t like the person they’re (now) married to, and that’s because I didn’t like her as a person. I can respect that they’re married and I wish them all the luck, but given that it’s been nearly 9 years now and I still don’t particularly like her (and I don’t crush on said actor now), it’s definitely not a “fangirl crush” thing. It’s just that sometimes you don’t like certain people - maybe you disagree with their views, their behavior, or maybe you just don’t like the vibe they give off. You can’t like everyone, and you can’t be liked by everyone, that’s just how it is.

So, to conclude, I want to just make it clear that while I’m not a fan, honestly all the power to them, like Bill is a grown ass man, he can do whatever he wants with his life for all I care, he doesn’t need fangirls online rushing to defend him or baby him. As Mrs Brown from Mrs Brown’s Boys said... “it’s your life, love, you’re entitled to fuck it up however you please”. (I’m not saying he IS fucking up his life, on the contrary he’s doing very well for himself, it’s just a saying)

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

Hello! I was wondering if you could perhaps do a fic with Jask x reader x Geralt? (If you do trios, that's is) But reader likes Jask more even tho she's known Geralt longer, she just doesn't see him that way, and that makes Geralt really jelly, so he gets into a fight with Jask and reader gets really angry at him and he then regrets it? I dunno if that's too specific or not, also you can have it end with some understanding or not, it's up to you! Have a great day, love your writing!!!

Fandom: The Witcher Pairing: Jaskier x Reader x Geralt Word Count: 1,327 Rating: T Taglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak @whatevermonkey @mynamesoundslikesherlock @magic-multicolored-miracle @writingstudent @mlleecrivaine @coffee-and-stories @ultracolorfulnerdcollection @astouract @your-not-invisible-to-me @kemmastan @mycat-is-mylove @amirahiddleston a/n: I felt like an understanding was the best way to go because it sounds like this isn’t an OT3 of yours (since you said reader didn’t like Geralt that way) so I tried to finagle it and I hope it worked. Thanks!

They called you “their girl” and you loved it.

Jaskier had been calling you ‘goddess’ and ‘angel’ and all sorts of endearments, trying to find the one you liked as you wrinkled your nose and laughed at each. Geralt of all people had come up with it. One day you’d been trying to stay awake, incredibly sick but protesting that you weren’t, and Geralt had turned to Jaskier and said, “come on, we’ve got to get our to bed.” He’d seen the little smile you made at the sound and since then it had stuck. And it was true, you were theirs as much as they were yours and you called them ‘my boys’ and enjoyed the way they lit up (though Geralt tried to play it off). You’d known Geralt for far longer and were very close but the bard who joined your travels had charmed his way into your heart swiftly. He was endlessly lovable and you tried to make him feel it.

As you grew closer to Jaskier, Geralt saw hints of something more than friendship and an ugly feeling burrowed into his heart. He had been happy to share you with Jaskier when he knew you were all friends, but watching this man who hardly knew you make your eyes soften and your cheeks blush was sometimes more than he could bear. You had gone to market for healing supplies, leaving the two men at the inn with the promise you’d be back later. When it grew dark Jaskier turned to Geralt and said,

“We should go find our girl.”

“My girl,” Geralt bit out before he could stop himself. Jaskier eyed him curiously.

“What?”

“She was mine first,” he said.

“Well she’s ours now,” Jaskier argued.

“What do you think she sees in you? Past the pretty voice and face?” Geralt snarled. The barely held back anger slipped through in a rush and Jaskier stood directly in its path, stubbornly unrelenting.

“I make her laugh,” Jaskier answered, “And I listen to her and I make her feel safe.”

“You make her feel safe but can you keep her safe, Jaskier? You and your lute?” Geralt snapped. Hurt flashed in Jaskier’s eyes at the words, probing at a deeply guarded anxiety.

“That’s not fair,” he argued, his voice quieter than before and lacking some resolve, “Where is this coming from? What did I do, Geralt?”

The witcher didn’t have a good answer for this because he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. Nothing but be loved in a way that he could never be. Not by you.

Jaskier didn’t wait for a response he knew he wouldn’t get and instead got up and left. Geralt tried to call after him to stop, already feeling ashamed for his outburst, but the bard didn’t look back.

Geralt was alone in his room when you found him later that evening and though he looked appropriately awful when he opened it, your anger wasn’t cooled by it in the slightest. You walked in without an invitation and when he turned back around after shutting the door you were giving him a cool, assessing look with your arms crossed over your chest.

“So he ran and tattled to you,” Geralt muttered, instantly hating himself for saying it. He always found a way to make things worse. He wondered sometimes if that was part of being a witcher as much as the yellow eyes and superhuman abilities.

“I had to pry it out of him, actually,” you replied, “He refused to say anything for a long time until I began guessing and his eyes gave him away. You utter, complete, thick-headed… jerk.”

“I know,” Geralt sighed.

“No, you don’t! Jaskier has said he won’t be traveling with us anymore,” you said. Geralt looked up at you, startled. He had lost Jaskier once due to his sharp tongue, he’d promised it would never happen again. And yet…

“Y/N I never meant…”

“I’m not going without him,” you announced. The words were like cold water in Geralt’s face.

“What?”

“You heard me. Make this right with him or continue on alone. Or find new companions,” you said. You moved to head to the door but Geralt grasped your arm and pulled you back to face him.

“No,” he said, his eyes pleading though his voice was demanding, “I don’t want to lose you. Either of you.”

“Well you have an odd way of showing it,” you snapped, “Geralt why… why would you say those things? You’re not cruel, why would you hurt him that way?”

Your disappointed incredulity was harder to face than your anger. Almost harder than admitting what he had to right now.

“I was jealous,” he admitted.

“What? Why?”

“Because…” Geralt’s voice trailed off as he tried to force himself to say the words. Vulnerability did not come easily to him and there was nothing more vulnerable than confessing his love for someone who had never shown the slightest hint of feeling the same way.

“Because he’s in love with you.”

You both turned to find the door had opened and Jaskier stood there watching you both, a miserable expression on his face.

“Jaskier don’t be silly,” you argued, but Geralt was noticeably silent. “Geralt?”

“Go ahead, Geralt. You might as well say it,” Jaskier prodded, closing the door behind him.

“Geralt is this true?” you demanded.

“Yes,” he bit out the word and it lingered in the air, tension growing thicker with every passing moment.

“It’s ok, Y/N,” Jaskier said, “I want you to be safe and happy and I understand.”

“Understand what?” you asked.

“You’ve known him for longer and you had a life before I entered it,” he explained.

“Jaskier, no,” Geralt protested, “You and Y/N… it’s hard for me to admit it but of course this is how it should be. You do make her happy and she can have a life with you she couldn’t with me.”

“What the actual fuck is going on right now?” you exclaimed and both men turned to look at you. “Gods, ok, let’s just… ok let’s just rewind. Geralt, I love you with my whole heart but I do not love you in that way and frankly I can’t say for certain that you do either or if I’m just a convenient place for your affection to land when you and Yennefer are on the outs. Jaskier, you absolute nutball, I am very much in love with you and do not appreciate you shunting me off onto other men you’ve decided I should love. I didn’t let my father do it and I’ll be damned before I let you do it no matter how blue your eyes or sweet your tongue. I love you both, very deeply, in different ways. I want to continue as we have been but if this is going to be something that doesn’t work we need to admit that now.”

Your words were braver than you felt, your heart aching at the idea of saying goodbye to Geralt but your mind taking control as it needed. The men exchanged a long look and you waited a little breathlessly as they talked through look alone until finally Geralt nodded his head.

“Our girl has a point,” he said to Jaskier meaningfully, “We’ve both been asses.”

“Well our girl is used to that I’m afraid,” Jaskier replied, also meaningfully. A weight lifted off of your chest and you released a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. You propped your hands on your hips and shook your head exaggeratedly as the blue and amber eyes gazed at you lovingly.

“Alright, well if we’re quite done with all of this, we need to get some sleep,” you announced, flopping down in the middle of the bed as was tradition. Jaskier climbed to the right of you and Geralt took the left, blowing out the candle before pulling the blanket up over you.

“Goodnight my boys.”

[ragewerthers]

Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Summary:  What starts off as a running joke between friends turns into something to help tether them to a world thrown into chaos.

A/n: This all started with a gif I sent my friend and one of my favorite songs instantly coming to mind! I just wanted to write a little something with some Gladnis feels and hopefully it will fill some Gladnis feels for others in return!

You can also read it on AO3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20024368

Happy reading! :)

Word Count: 2260

----------------------- It had started off as a joke years ago, back when the Citadel still stood tall and proud.  Back when the city they loved was more than just rubble and darkness and the only thing they had to worry about was making sure Noct didn’t turn his brain to goo from video games.  Back when they themselves were only just finding their own way in life while trying to help guide another persons.

All it had taken was four simple words.

“Turn around, bright eyes!”

The shout had echoed down one of the corridors of the Citadel, completely taking Ignis by surprise as he turned to see what all the commotion was about.

His eyes were met with a gleeful looking Gladio, dashing down the hallway to catch up to him.

“Gladiolus?  Is something the matter?” the young retainer asked as the Shield finally caught up, catching his breath as he shook his head.  A breathless chuckle escaped him as he saw the look in Ignis’s eyes, realizing he must’ve startled the poor guy.

“No… I was just gonna walk with you to your next meeting, but you must’ve been thinking pretty hard because you didn’t hear me calling for you at all!” he teased, slinging an arm around Ignis’ shoulders, jostling him just enough to knock his glasses askew.

Ignis couldn’t help flushing a bit, still unused to someone being so friendly with him and, manhandling him for lack of a better term though the touches were by no means unwanted.

Gladio had always been a tactile sort of person and Ignis was never shorted on his fair share of hair tousling, one armed hugs and hearty claps to his back thanks to his friend.

As he brought a hand up to adjust his glasses he tried to quell the warmth in his cheeks, though a smile still appeared.  “I’m afraid I might have been a little caught up in my thoughts yes,” he admitted, shaking his head a bit as they started to make their way back down the hallway.  Ignis noticed that Gladio’s arm remained around his shoulders and to be honest he wasn’t keen for it to move away too soon.

“It’s alright.  It’ll do you good to have my company in these little breaks before meetings to clear your head a bit,” Gladio said slyly before his smile grew into a shit eating grin that Ignis found he both hated and loved.  “That okay with you, bright eyes?”  As he spoke the last two words a little lilt to his voice made them melodic and Ignis instantly registered what he was doing.

Rolling his eyes at that he shook his head though his ears still managed to tinge a bit pink at the mans antics.

“What can I say?  Every now and then I get a little bit lonely…,” he sang back and was cut off as Gladio instantly burst out laughing, making them both pause in the middle of the corridor.  A few passing council members gave them narrowed expressions at causing such a ruckus before moving on.  Ignis really couldn’t help snorting at their reaction to the Shield and he felt his heart flutter to know he’d gotten the man to laugh like that.

“Oh my gods, Iggy!  I didn’t think you’d know the song!” Gladio said after a moment, his eyes sparkling with mirth as Ignis only smiled wider.

“I’m a man of many surprises,” he deadpanned, making Gladio break out into a bigger smile and Ignis thought his heart would absolutely melt seeing those amber eyes looking at him so fondly.

It was dangerous to let his thoughts linger further on that note and he gave Gladio’s hip a little bump with his own as he finally moved away, causing the larger man’s arm to slip from his shoulders.

“Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get to my meeting,” he said lightly, turning to see the fond expression still over Gladio’s features.

“Fine.  But now that I know I can lure you out of your head with that, I’m not gonna stop,” Gladio warned, giving the man his most charming smile.

Ignis could only chuckle before continuing on to the conference room, stopping short when he heard the soft humming of the song from behind him as Gladio made his way back down the hall.

“Absolutely incorrigible,” he murmured to himself as he made his way into the room, the song continuing to play through his head the entire meeting.

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

Thus, a running joke was soon created between the pair.  If Gladio caught sight of Ignis making his way through the Citadel an inevitable “Turn around, bright eyes!” could be heard calling out to him.

In return, Ignis would always find a means to insert another lyric into their conversation, always leaving Gladio with the biggest smile on his face.

A perfect example was the time Gladio had walked in on Ignis cooking in Nocts apartment. ��

He’d turned the corner from the hallway and seen the man’s back to him as he chopped up something on the counter.  Unable to help himself he called out his usual “Turn around...”  This time, however, it was met with a sniffle and all levity left Gladio’s face as he quickly moved forward and laid a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Iggy?  Ignis what’s wrong?” he asked before a pungent smell got to him and he felt his own eyes sting.

“A-apologies, Gladio,” Ignis sniffled again, setting the knife he was using down next to the cutting board full of chopped onions and bringing a towel up to wipe at his eyes.  “These bloody things are… a bit more pungent than I was anticipating.”

Gladio felt an instant relief in his chest and ran a hand through his hair.  “No need to apologize, Iggy.  I just… I thought maybe something..,” he faltered here a bit as emerald green eyes looked up at him with a fondness he wasn’t ready for.  His heart doing an odd somersault in his chest.

“You thought what?  That every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears?” he sang back lightly before breaking off into a chuckle of his own.

Hearing the way Ignis responded to his worry, Gladio instantly felt the last of this tension drain away and a warm smile made its way to his lips as well.

“Hey… can’t blame a guy for wanting to make sure you’re alright,” he murmured and Ignis felt his own heart flutter once more.

A small silence fell between them after that and they stood awkwardly waiting for the other to say something.  After a moment Ignis cleared his throat, apparently startling Gladio out of his own reverie as he jumped a bit and another bout of awkward laughter moved between them.

“Would... you care to help me finish this up?  Perhaps you’ll have better luck cutting these beasts,” Ignis said glaring down at the onions.

Gladio laughed and nodded, the two settling down into an easy rhythm of work, hips bumping jokingly and little comments exchanged playfully as something continued to grow between them that neither knew how to approach.

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

Yet time changes things.  It makes people braver, makes confessions easier and helps relationships grow and strengthen.

There finally came a time where secrets were laid bare, where they realized that the fondness, the smiles, the shared laughter and jokes were only a part of what they adored from one another and something deeper, richer, better grew from it.

But just as kindly as time can help things grow, its changes can also create pain.

The Fall of Insomnia.

Altissia.

Zegnautus Keep.

Moments when time was its cruelest and relationships and bonds were tested, weighed and measured.  It was as if those silly days of shared jokes were all a distant memory if they had ever been real at all.

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

It had been three weeks since the events at Zegnautus Keep.  Gladio and Ignis had managed to find their way to Lestallum as the nights continued to grow longer and the future of Eos was brought into question.

Making his way up the stairs to the small shared apartment they had procured, Gladio took a deep breath.

So many things had been said between them.  Words meant to hurt, words meant to protect, all of them seeming to find a way to cut at each other when what they had needed most was to stand strong beside each other.

Now, with the inevitable waiting game that was to come, a rift needed to be mended between them.  They’d lost so much already… he wouldn’t let them lose each other as well.

Stepping into the dingy apartment he could hear the crackle of the radio in the far corner of the room atop a rickety old nightstand.  A dingy couch was up against the other wall and near their small kitchen a little table sat with two chairs.

One chair was currently occupied.  The mans back was to him as he sat hunched over the small table, face hidden in his hands.  His dark visor sat near his elbow, precariously close to the table edge where his cane leaned against it.

Something clenched in Gladio’s chest as he watched his partner for a moment, realizing that he hadn’t been noticed, not yet, and gods if that didn’t make his heart ache even more.

Quietly closing the door behind him he watched the twitch of Ignis’s head as he turned it slightly toward the noise before turning back.

So many things had been messed up between them, but now Gladio only wanted to make them right.  But how?

An idea sprang to mind… a little memory of a time long ago when laughter was easier to come by and secrets were still held close to their hearts.

“Turn around…,” Gladio whispered quietly, the words almost more spoken than sung.

A small huff came from Ignis and he shook his head.  “Ridiculous.”

Undeterred, Gladio stepped a little closer.  “Turn around…,” he whispered again, though this time the melody carried through in his deep baritone.

This time Ignis lowered his hands to rest them on the table.  “Gladiolus… now is not the time.”

Gladio remained intent on his mission and moved closer still, a little smile even playing over his lips.  “Turn around, bright ey-...,” and just like that the wind was knocked out of him as he realized what he was saying.

For a moment the entire room went still, Gladio watching the tension building in Ignis’s back.  Gods how could he have been this… stupid?  Why couldn’t he think before he spoke?  Hadn’t he learned from what he’d done on the train?  In the marsh?  Hadn’t he learned to shut his mouth before he put his foot in it?!

But then a new noise filled the space and Gladio had to pause a moment to realize that it was coming from Ignis.  It was a noise he hadn’t heard in ages.

A chuckle.

A small one at first that slowly grew into something that felt warm and genuine and nestled itself into Gladio’s chest and next to his heart.

Turning around in his chair, Ignis’s grey eyes looked in the direction of his partner, a tired… but genuine smile on his lips.

“Why did you stop?  You were just getting to the good part,” Ignis murmured, his smile slowly faltering then cracking into something else as one emotion led to another that had been held at bay for too long.

Gladio took the two steps that separated him from his partner and wrapped him up in his arms, kneeling in front of him and bringing cradling him close to his chest.  Letting him feel safe and vulnerable in a world that had been thrown into chaos.

He felt the way fingers gripped into the back of his shirt, his shoulder slowly growing damp where Ignis hid against him.

Soothing a hand against his partners back, Gladio found himself humming gently before murmuring their song between them.

“And I need you now tonight,” he began slowly, feeling the way Ignis tried to calm against him.

“And I need you more than ever.”  No longer was this song simply a silly running joke between them.  It was something to tether them to a different time… and to remind them that there was still good.  That things would still be alright.

“And if you only hold me tight… we'll be holding on forever,” Ignis whispered thickly against his shoulder, Gladio’s own eyes stinging slightly as he gave a pained smile and hugged his partner closer.

“Once upon a time there was l-light in my life… now there’s only love in the dark.”  Gladio gave a watery chuckle as he heard Ignis carry on to the next lyric leaning back and finding a small smile also on his partners lips, even as a few tears managed to escape from his eyes.

Bringing a hand up to cup Ignis’s cheek he soothed away the tears before leaning up to gently press their foreheads together.

“I’m sorry, Iggy,” he whispered, nudging their noses together, feeling the way the Advisors hands carefully searched to cradle his face in his hands as well.

“Nothing to apologize for,” he murmured back, voice still rough from trying to get his emotions back in check.  A little smile still played across his lips as he pressed a small, chaste kiss to Gladio’s lips.

“We simply had a total eclipse of the heart.”