#mia stone ? does she not have a tag or?

[shieldofmen]

‘, and Maester Luwin says bastards grow up faster than other children.’

Jon, AGOT

This quote never fails to make me sad and a bit angry because it’s true.

All these children born out of wedlock don’t get the same kindness trueborn children get when growing up. People scorn literal children for existing from the time they are born until they die. So much so that maesters (and probably others) can see the difference between the two.

Resulting in this fuckin phrase.

Its so pervasive that these children act older than others around their age because they weren’t allowed the same kindness simply because they weren’t trueborn.

They act older because they were forced to mature faster, which is the result of people not allowing them a proper childhood.

Anyways, fuck people in this fandom because, for some reason, yall are so okay with bastards being treated like shit for trueborn benefit.

[bteezxyewriter12]

How I See You/ 1

Pairing- Yoongi x Named Reader

Word count- 7k

Includes- Unconfident Yoongi, angst, cheating (don't do this), blow job, deepthroating, pussy eating, cum eating, cock riding, multiple orgasms, physical violence, blood

Tag List- @mingtina @jaxminnie @yeosayang @yeosayang @tannie13 @y00nzin0 @marsstarxhwa

@borntowalkaway @soulseobi05 @kpop-bambi @seokwoosmole @meowmeowminnie @realisticnotes @effielumiere @svnbangtansworld @pinkies-things @insomniacatiny @marvelfamily3000

Masterlists- check out for more fics

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J POV

I watch Mia at the bar, flirting and smiling with some guy

Then I move my gaze to her boyfriend, Yoongi, who also happens to be my best friend

He's watching her with a sad expression from his seat at the table next to me

And I get so fucking angry

This girl has no idea what she has with Yoongi

He's the sweetest guy who does everything for her

She doesn't have to lift a finger, all she has to do is call him and he'll drop whatever he's doing to get to her or help her fix whatever problem she has

He's always so attentive, knowing when something's wrong with her immediately

He's like that with me too but we've been best friends since we were children so that's not so surprising that he knows me so well

But he got to know her that well too

He treats her like a princess, buying her whatever she wants, whenever she wants, spends an absorbent amount of time with her, cooks for her, does her laundry, takes her wherever she wants to go because she doesn't have a car

He looks like a fuck boy with his many tattoos, his lip ring and eyebrow ring but he's not

He's a one woman kind of guy

He's very shy and sensitive and is passionate in everything he does

He's the perfect boyfriend

And this idiot is hurting him by flirting with another guy

I honestly don't even know why she's looking at another guy when she has Yoongi

He's insanely gorgeous- long black hair he normally keeps in a ponytail, beautiful brown eyes, cute nose, perfect lips

His smile is stunning

He's short for a guy but still tall, is fit and his hands and fingers are a work of art

He is the entire package

And this bitch doesn't see that

I can't count the times I've seen her flirting with other guys and in front of him too

Like he's not there

Then she comes back and acts like nothing happened and he never brings anything up

Just once I'd like to see him confront her but he never will

He doesn't like confrontation and I think he thinks she'll break up with him if he says anything

I don't know what she says or does to him but lately it seems like he lost some confidence

He was never outgoing or braggy and he's even more introverted than normal

I've tried to talk about it with him but he shuts me down, saying everything is fine

I think her flirting is getting to him

Standing up, I make my way over to the bar

Not only is she flirting, she's keeping the rest of us waiting because she was the one going to the bar to get our drinks

I'm killing two birds with one stone

"Excuse me", I say, moving in-between her and the guy

"What are you doing Jo?", she asks and has the audacity to look confused

"We're tired of waiting so I'm getting our drinks", I answer

She blinks, "Oh sorry. I just got to talking to Jae and-"

"Yeah I know", I interrupt, glaring at her then at Jae, "And Yoongi knows too. You know, your boyfriend?"

Jae gets a surprised look on his face as he glances at Mia

"Oh he doesn't care", Mia says, "It's just conversation"

She is so very wrong

"Yeah well you were taking too long and I'm getting the drinks now, so you can go back to Yoongi"

She looks miffed but nods then heads back to the table

I look at Jae who says, "I didn't know she had a boyfriend"

"Fuck off", I snap, then turn to the bar to get the bartenders attention

When the drinks are finally made, I take them to the table

"Thanks Jo", Mia says to me, takes her drink then turns her attention back to my ex and date for tonight, Hongjoong

Hongjoong and I stayed friends after we broke up

When Yoongi asked me to come out with him and Mia, I asked if I could bring someone

No way did I want to be the third wheel

Yoongi said yes, I hit up all my friends and Hongjoong was the only one available

He's always up to go out, especially when he knows he's gonna get fucked at the end of the night

I sip my drink, Mia blatantly flirting with Hongjoong while holding onto Yoongi's hand

Hongjoong, for his part looks unamused and is totally not engaging in her flirting, instead reaching out and putting his arm around me, holding me against him like he's silently telling Mia that he's with me

I lean against him, laying my head on his shoulder but Mia either doesn't notice or doesn't care and just keeps flirting with him

Yoongi is just silently sitting there, his face blank and it enrages me

Mia doesn't know how lucky she is to be with Yoongi

She doesn't know how other girls wished he looked at them the way he looks at her

Notice them the way he notices her

She doesn't know how in love with him some girls are, how some would do anything for him, do anything to be with him

She has that and she doesn't even realize

She's a fucking idiot

And I hate her

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

"Hey Yoongi", I greet, opening my apartment door for him to come in

He called me earlier asking to hang out and of course I said yes

It's not like I was doing anything anyway

"Hey Jo", he says, coming inside and I instantly know he's upset

Probably about Mia

Closing the door, we walk to the living room section of my studio apartment

"You want food? Drink?", I ask but he shakes his head

I shrug as we sitting on the couch

"Where's Mia? I thought you'd be with her on a Saturday night?"

His face falls

I knew it was because of her

"She's with her friends. They're having a girl's night at a club"

A club?

She went to a club without her boyfriend?

If it was anyone but Mia it wouldn't be a big deal but I know she's going to flirt and dance with other guys and he knows it to

She flirts it in front of Yoongi, I have no doubt she'll amp it up when he's not there

"And you're ok with that?", I ask, not bothering to hide my shock

He needs to realize what she's doing is shitty

"I can't do anything about it Jo. I can't tell her she can't go", he says softly

I mean he can say he's not happy about it, not pretend that everything is fine

"I'm....worried", he says lowly

I raise my eyebrow, surprised he's actually confiding in me

He used to all the time until he got with her

"About what Yoongi?"

"I offered to give her money for drinks at the club but she...she refused. She said she'll just flirt with guys to get them to buy her drinks"

My mouth drops at her fucking audacity

"She said that to you?"

He nods, "I..I'm worried she's going to go too far. I already know she's going to dance with guys"

I'm so pissed off and I can't hold back anymore

"Yoongi why are you putting up with that shit?", I ask, "She blatantly flirts with guys in front of you. She flirted with Hongjoong while holding your hand! Why don't you tell her to cut it out?"

"Because she'll leave me!", he exclaims, tears filling his eyes

I'm not going to lie, I'm surprised at the tears

He never cries

For anything

And he's going to cry over that skank?

"So what Yoongi? You deserve so much better than her!"

He shakes his head, a few tears escaping, "No other woman wants me"

I stare at him in complete disbelief, "What are you talking about?"

Why would he say such a dumbass thing like that?

"Jo, I'm thirty years old. Mia is the only one who has even looked at me as more than a one night stand in years. All women see me as a fuck boy. They sleep with me and then that's all it is. Mia is the only one who stayed. And she's younger than me, she wants to party and have fun. I can understand that"

"Bullshit", I snap

Yeah Mia is younger than us, 25, but not all twenty-five year olds are as disrespectful to their significant others like she is

"It doesn't matter if she's younger Yoongi. Her flirting is disrespectful to you and you shouldn't put up with it", I tell him, "There are other women who will see past your image and want to be with you. Ones who will respect you and treat you so much better"

He scoffs, "Where are they? I don't see anyone. At the bar the other night all the girls were looking at Hongjoong, not me"

I was looking at him but of course he'd never notice me

"The truth is no one wants to be with me long term. They don't want to bother getting to know me. And I get it, I'm shy, I'm introverted, I don't talk much at first. It would take awhile for me to warm up to someone and no one wants to waste their time. I'm lucky Mia wants to be with me"

I honestly can't believe he's saying this

It's so heartbreaking

"You're insane Yoongi", I say softly, "Any woman would be so lucky to have you"

"No they wouldn't", he says sadly

I can't handle him thinking this way about himself

He's just so wrong

"My god Yoongi, you don't know how others see you do you?", I say, "You are literally the entire package. You're so sweet, so loving. So attentive. So giving. You're willing to put your girlfriend first, do anything for her. Help in any way you can. Drop what you're doing and run to her side in seconds. You're so in tune with feelings that you know the instant something is wrong with someone and you try to comfort them. You're passionate in everything you do. You treat her like a queen. And you're absolutely beautiful. Your eyes are so deep and such a pretty brown. Your smile is so freaking amazing, so beautiful, it lights up any room"

I glance over at him to see him staring at me in utter shock

I tear my gaze away, my entire face heating up in embarrassment

But I'm fine with being embarrassed as long as he knows he is the perfect boyfriend

"So I know that other women could see the real you and would want to be with you. Don't sell yourself short"

It's silent for a few seconds and I hope he just changes the subject

"Do...do you really see me like that?", he asks softly

I close my eyes, putting my face in my hands, knowing I just outted myself

"Yeah, I really do", I answer, hoping he drops it now

I really don't know how I'm supposed to look him in the eyes anymore

I feel his hand touch mine, pulling them down from my face

I keep my head down, freaking out on the inside

He lifts my face to his, his brown eyes on mine, a look in them I can't read

The next thing I know, he's closer to me, his lips pressing against mine

My body instantly reacts, fireworks going off in my vision, fire running through my body, my head spinning

My arms wrap around his neck, his around my waist, pulling me closer until I'm against him

Somewhere in the back of my head, I know we shouldn't be doing this, I know that he's cheating on Mia

But I can't stop

He's finally kissing me and I can't stop

His tongue licks my lip and I open for it eagerly, his tongue against mine as soon as it slips in my mouth

I can't get enough of him, wishing I could have his kisses all the time

His fingers slip under the hem of my shirt, touching the skin on my lower back, sparks zipping up my spine

My fingers move into his hair, pulling out his ponytail then tangling in the soft silky strands

We continue kissing, bodies presses against each other and I have never been more content in my life

If all he wants is to kiss, I'll happily do it all night

After awhile, his hands travel up my back, pulling my shirt with it

I let him slide it up, moving my arms from around him to pull through the sleeves then reluctantly moving away from his lips so he can take it off

I look at him as I take his black shirt and move it up his body, waiting for him to tell me to stop

He doesn't, moving his arms through the sleeves too and letting me get it over his head

Throwing the shirt on the floor, I finally look at his body and get turned on even more than I already am

He's perfect

He's fit, no hard muscles cut into him but as soon as I touch his chest, I can feel the muscles, the strength under his smooth inked skin

His entire chest is tattooed, the bright colors swirling on his skin to make a beautiful image

The tattoo continues to his ribs where it tapers off but there is room to add more if he chooses

Spreading my hands I run them along his arms, both heavily tattooed in sleeves, again the colors so vibrant

Moving closer to him, I lay my hands on his back, running up the huge back tattoo he has there as well

As I trail my fingers up his back, his breathing increases and I lean forward, pressing kisses into his neck

He moans softly, the pretty sound making me so wet

He tilts his head slightly back, letting me kiss more of his neck, his skin so soft under my lips

Trailing my kisses down his neck, I keep kissing across his shoulder, his skin trembling

Lifting his arm, I kiss every inch of inked skin I can, trailing my fingers up and down his arm, my lips following in their wake

I can feel his eyes on me as I get to his wrists, kissing along the back of his hand, then on his tattooed fingers

Turning his hand over, I press kisses into his palm, then the tips of each of his fingers

I switch to his other hand, moving my eyes to his as I kiss him, awe swirling in his gaze

I continue my ascent up his other arm, kissing him, showing him that he's wanted

I get back to his neck, his body shivering as I press my lips into his skin

Finally, I press my lips against his and he immediately falls into it, his tongue against mine as his arms wrap around me

It feels so right being in his arms and I can't think about it too much because I know I will never have this again

I gently push him back as we kiss, him laying down and taking me with him, his warm, soft skin against mine

I drag kisses down to his jaw, then press kisses into his neck

Moving lower, I kiss down his body, my fingers following the path my lips made, his skin trembling against my fingers

As I press my lips to his lower stomach, I slide my fingers in his sweatpants waistband, waiting to see if he's going to take them out

When he doesn't, I get braver and push down his sweatpants

He surprises me by lifting his hips up, letting me get the pants completely off, leaving him in just his boxers with a visible tent where his dick is

I'm kinda blown away that I made him hard

But I guess it's because of kissing him

Just a reaction, nothing to make a huge deal about

I lift my gaze to his as I kiss his lower stomach again, slide my hand up his thigh and over his hard on

His breath catches, his brown eyes on mine as I touch him through his boxers

He feels huge and he's rock hard

Taking a chance, I move my lips to his dick, kissing him through the fabric of his boxers

Her groans, his eyes closing and I take that as a cue to keep going

Pulling his boxers down, just enough to free his cock, I stare at it in shock

It is massive, long and thick and so hard, cum leaking from his slit

Without thinking, I wrap my hand around his base and run my tongue over his head, tasting him

He gasps, his eyes opening and on me as my brain tries to comprehend how he can taste so good

Like how?

I've blown guys before and yeah it tastes alright but Yoongi's tastes really good

And I want more

My gaze locks with his as I run my tongue up his length, swirling around his head, licking up more cum

"Should I stop?", I ask

I want to suck his dick so much but I won't if he's uncomfortable

I never want to make him uncomfortable with anything

"No", he whispers

Without answering, I move my mouth around his head, sucking softly

"Fuck", he groans, his legs shaking

I move down his length an inch at a time, sucking long but soft and slow on him

His chest rises and falls rapidly as his breathing quickens, his brown eyes watching me, biting his lower lip

Pushing down more, his head hits my throat and I stop before I gag

I still have a few inches left to take but I need to get used to him first

Slowly, I bob my head, sliding up his cock, then going back down while moving my hands up and down the rest of him I haven't taken yet

"Fuck Jo", he moans, "Fuck, it's so good"

I smile around his dick, bobbing a few more times before I take a bit more of him

I continue to blow him like this, slowly taking more of him every few bobs, tears springing into my eyes the deeper he goes

It takes a little bit but I finally slide him all in my throat without gagging once

I'm proud of myself

I swallow on his huge dick, his moan so loud, his body shaking

Pulling back, I slide back up his length half way, then slowly go back down, feeling him open my throat and I'm surprised at how good that feels

I keep moving, going just slightly faster but still at a slow pace for a blow job

I just want him to feel everything

I want to please him

The next time I slide back down his length, his hips roll up, softly sliding him all the way in my throat

My gaze meets his and I nod, letting him know I'm good with what he's doing

As I move up his cock, he pulls out a little, then we move at the same time, slowly, his hips up, pushing his cock in while I move down taking him in

"Oh god", he whimpers, his hand sliding in my hair, fingers tangling in the strands, holding on

We move together seamlessly, him fucking into my throat gently while I deep throat him, his fingers tightening in my hair

"Baby", he moans, "Baby, so good baby"

His words make me happy that I can make him feel so good

The fact that I'm enjoying this too is just a plus

His whole body shakes as we keep going, his cock twitching in my throat

I'm so fucking excited to taste him again, to swallow his load

I don't know what's wrong with me but I assume I'm being such a slut because it's Yoongi

I doubt I'd be like this with anyone else

"I...I'm... I'm", he chokes out and I nod to let him know it's ok

Sinking down on his cock, his hips move up, his length going in deep

He holds me on his dick as his warm yummy cum spurts down my throat

"Fuck Joanne, oh fuck", he cries as I swallow and suck, eager to get it all as I watch him cum

My god, it's such a beautiful sight

The pleasure on his face makes him look so ethereal

When he finishes, he loosens his grip on my hair, his fingers sliding out, looking dazed as he breathes hard

I move off his dick, making sure I lick his slit for the rest of his cum

Sitting up, I swallow a few more times, the waistband of his boxers slipping back up

He sits up right away, startling me, a look I can't place in his eyes and I hope he's not going to say he regrets what happened

Although he probably will

It's cheating and once he's over the shock he'll probably be upset with himself and me for letting it happen

He doesn't say anything, instead shocking me as his hand moves back in my hair and he pulls me to him, his lips crashing into mine

I don't think, throwing my arms around his neck, kissing him back, my body so hot and electrified

He pulls me into his lap and the next thing I know, he's standing up, carrying me as he walks

He bumps into the walls a few times but no damage is done to either of us as he gets into my room

He sits on my bed with me in his lap, his hands on my back, undoing my bra, his lips never leaving mine

I reluctantly move my arms from his neck so he can get the bra off

His hands are immediately around my boobs, squeezing gently while his fingers play with my nipples

Pleasure zaps down to my already soaked cunt, a small moan escaping against his lips

I feel him smile into the kiss, his arms back around me as he turns us, laying me on the bed

His lips leave mine instead pressing right into my neck, a moan now leaving my mouth

"God, you sound so fucking pretty"

He peppers kisses all over my neck then starts going down to my collarbone and my chest

His hands are on another path, slowly running down my body, setting my skin alight with every touch of his fingers

His mouth moves around my nipple, sucking gently as his hands reach my pants, making my cunt so much more fucking wet, my body arching off the bed

"Yoongi", I cry as a moan comes from him

He switches to my other nipple, his tongue flying over it as he pulls my pants and panties down at the same time

He gets everything off, leaving me completely naked, his lips now travelling down my stomach, feeling so soft, so fucking good

When he gets to my lower stomach, he kisses everywhere as he opens my legs, pulling me down the bed as he kneels on the floor

He kisses lower and lower, the anticipation killing me

His tongue finally licks along my pussy and I let out the loudest pornographic moan I've ever had

Just that one touch has me seeing stars, feeling utterly good

His tongue licks over and over, up and down as he buries his face in my pussy, his tattooed fingers digging into my thighs as he holds me wide open

"So fucking good jagi", he groans, between licks, "So fucking sweet. God fucking damnit I love the way you taste"

My brain malfunctions as his words struggle to penetrate, the pleasure taking over

His tongue slides down, dipping into my hole, both of us moaning lewdly as my pussy clenches his tongue

His tongue leaves my cunt only to slide back in, deeper than before, my hips raising, pushing my cunt into his mouth more

As he tongue fucks my pussy, I plunge my hands in his hair, holding on and grinding my pussy against his face

"Yoongi", I cry, lost in the bliss he's providing

Lost in him

"Yes jagi", he groans, "Say my name baby. Fuck, wanna hear you say my name"

That will not be a problem whatsoever

"Yoongi", I moan, "Fuck baby, that tongue is so fucking good"

"Mmm", he murmurs, sliding up out of my hole and flicking my clit

"Fuck!", I scream, my whole body shaking

"Feels good?", he asks, his beautiful eyes meeting mine

I nod, panting hard

He licks my clit again, running his entire tongue over it, from the back to the tip

And repeats the same movements over and over, driving me insane and throwing me into pleasure I've never known before

Pleasure I know only Yoongi can give me

His mouth wraps around my clit, sucking long and hard, my thighs shaking around his head as I pull his hair and scream

"Yes baby, fuck", I yell, "Don't stop. Yoongi! Fuck!"

"Mm jagi", he murmurs, speeding up how fast he sucks

My entire body is in ecstasy, feeling like I'm going to explode

The next suck sends me head first into an explosive orgasm and I scream his name as ecstasy tsunamis over me

"Yoongi!", I scream, "Yoongi! Yoongi! Yoongi!"

My vision turns white as pleasure wracks my body, Yoongi's talented mouth not stopping

He groans into my clit, the vibrations only adding to the bliss and running up my spine

It's so much, too much, just enough and not enough all at the same time

Yoongi slides his tongue down to my hole as I come down from my orgasm, licking up and moaning about how good I taste

"So sweet. Fuck"

When he's done, he moves on top of me, kissing me softly

Wrapping my arms around his body, I hold him tightly, trailing my fingers up and down his back

I swear I could kiss him forever

As we make out, I feel his dick becoming harder against my leg

Reaching down, I slide my hand in his boxers, wrapping around his semi hard length and move up and down

He breaks the kiss, his forehead against mine as he moans softly

He grows harder and harder in my hand with every stroke, his whimpers so fucking pretty

Increasing my speed, I get him fully hard but I don't stop, intending on making him cum again

His eyes close as his hand moves down, stopping mine and taking it out of his boxers

I'm immediately embarrassed and scolding myself for assuming he wanted more

Idiot

I'm about to apologize when he murmurs, "I want to be inside you"

My breath hitches, wondering, hoping I heard him right

His eyes open, looking into mine, "Can I be inside you?"

My god, I want that so much

I didn't think he'd actually want sex

I thought oral would have been enough

But he wants more and I'm going to give him whatever he wants

"Yes", I answer, lifting my head and kissing his soft lips while I push his boxers down

He moves off me to get them completely off and when he comes back, I sit up and taking his hand, I pull him down, moving him to his back as I climb in his lap

He doesn't need to do any work tonight

I want to show him how much he's wanted, how worth it he is

I want to make him feel good

Hovering over his cock, I move him to my hole and sink down on him

His body tenses as he whimpers, his cock so fucking big that I have to push down hard just to get the first inch in

He stretches my hole wider than I've ever been stretched before, making my cunt water like a faucet, shivers of pleasure running up my spine

"Fuck, fuck, fuck", I chant as I take one fat inch at a time, my pussy sucking him in, throbbing hard already

"Oh fuck, Jo, oh fuck", he cries, the pleasure on his face so fucking beautiful, his breathing escalating, his hands on my hips, pushing me down on him

He bottoms out with both of us yelling loudly, shivers taking over my body

We're a completely snug fit, no extra room, his head nestled against my spot

I know any rock on his cock will feel amazing

"Oh my fucking god, you're so tight", he groans, his eyes squeezing shut, "How..I can't...so good... Never been in a pussy this tight before. Fuck"

I smile to myself as I lean back on his legs and slide up his cock

His eyes shoot open and look down just as I descend down his length, watching my pussy take him

I stop right before I bottom him out, then surge down hard, letting his fat head crash into my spot, bliss shooting up my body

With that I start bouncing, getting a good pace going, throwing both of us into pleasure

His fingers dig into my hips as I move, his eyes slowly looking up my body, starting from my pussy, all the way up to my face

He bites his lip as he looks and for some reason I don't feel shy at all when normally I would

Yoongi just always made me feel comfortable around him and that hasn't changed because we're naked together

His fingers slide up my body so softly, slowly, his touch making my skin shiver, feeling so good as I bounce on him

Closing my eyes, I revel in his touch, riding him a bit harder, the drag of his cock going in and out of me so fucking incredible

His head hits my spot with every bounce down, spreading me open so wide, so pleasurably

I swear I've never had sex this good before

His hands move around my boobs, squeezing gently, his thumbs running over my nipples, sending pleasure straight down to my cunt

"Yoongi", I whimper, so close

"Cum for me", he whispers and that seals it

Dropping my hips down, I take him all in, moaning his name so loudly as pure ecstasy takes over my body

"Yoongi", I cry, my body shaking on top of him, my cunt clenching him over and over as I cum, his pretty moans reaching my ears

My god this has to be the best orgasm I ever experienced

Of course Yoongi is the one to give it to me

Of course

"Please ride me", he begs as I finish, "I need more"

I nod, leaning on his stomach, resuming my bounces

"Oh fuck", he moans, his head pushing back into the pillow as I take him inside me over and over, making sure I clench down on his cock as I do

He's so fucking big, I can feel every ridge, every fucking inch inside me

I'm so fucking wet, making it easier to take his big cock

As I move on him, I move my hands up his body slowly, reveling in how soft his sweaty skin is under my palms, the beautiful colors of his tattoos swirling together

I wish I could spend an entire night tracing the lines, kissing every tattoo, every part of his body

I wish I could love him like I want to, tell him how much I love him so he knows he's worth everything

So he knows someone wants him more than anything in this world

I can't so I have to settle for showing him this way, knowing he'll never understand how much he means to me

Pushing those thoughts away, I focus on him right now, on making him feel good

Taking his whole cock inside me, I rock on him, throbbing hard, sliding my hand to his cheek, stroking gently

His eyes open and he looks up at me through his wet hair, sweat glistening on his body

He is utterly ethereal

"Fuck Yoongi", I whisper, running my fingers in his hair as I grind on him, "You're so fucking beautiful"

His cheeks immediately blush as he sits up, pulling me right against him, his lips kissing mine

Falling into his kiss, I move my arms around his neck, sliding my fingers in the back of his hair, as I keep rocking my hips

His arm moves around me, holding me against him, our sweat mixing together

His free hand moves between us, his fingers against my clit, rubbing quickly

Pleasure surges through me as I moan in his mouth, grinding on him faster, his tongue pressed against mine

His fingers keep moving as I pulse around his fat cock, his head rubbing my spot

The pleasure is so intense and the next movements send me head first into another blissful orgasm

I kiss him harder, his fingers rubbing me through it as he swallows my moans

When I finish, his arms wrap around me, laying down, taking me with him

He kisses me as his hands slide down my back to my ass, gripping hard

He thrusts up into me, his cock forcing me open, his head hitting my spot so hard, stars blast in my vision from the sheer bliss

He moves faster, fucking into my pussy, going so deep inside me I can feel him in my stomach

Breaking the kiss, he moans loudly as I bury my face in his neck

"Feels so good", he moans, "So fucking good"

I moan into his neck at how utterly good he feels

"Small tight pussy", he murmurs, thrusting harder, his cock completely wrecking me, "So good. So wet for me"

"Mmm, only wet like this for you", I murmur

"Fuck", he groans, pumping faster, the sound of his cock plunging in my wet hole so loud and erotic

"So big Yoongi, fuck your cock is so big. Feels so good"

"Yeah, it's good enough for you?", he asks softly as he pants

"Perfect Yoongi", I tell him, "You're so perfect"

"Fuck", he whimpers, his hips not missing a single stroke as I clench down on his length again and again

His fingers press into my skin so hard I'm sure I'm going to have bruises and I'm more than fine with that

"I...I..where should I....fuck....", he groans

"Inside", I whine

"Are you sure?", he moans, bringing me right there, his cock throbbing so fast inside my pussy

"Yes!", I cry, falling over the edge, a typhoon of ecstasy crashing over me, "Cum inside me Yoongi!"

"Fuck!", he screams, slamming inside, his hot sticky cum exploding inside me, my pussy milking him for everything as we ride the pleasure together

"Joanne, oh fuck", he cries, "Yes, yes fuck"

"Yes Yoongi", I whimper, watching the gorgeous sight of him orgasming as he moans my name

I wish I could see this all the time, he's so fucking beautiful it's stupid

Little by little the pleasure fades, leaving both of us breathless

I slide off him, laying next to him, trying to catch my breath

His eyes are closed, his chest rising, his hair soaked in sweat

He's never looked so good

After a few minutes, his eyes open, he looks over at me and whispers, "Shit"

Dread is filling my body and my heart hurts as I wait for what I know is coming

He sits up and I follow suit, grabbing my blanket and covering myself

Almost like it's armor for what's coming

"We shouldn't have done this", he says softly

I knew it

"I don't cheat. I never cheated. I don't know why I....we shouldn't have"

Tears fill my eyes but I hold them back

I won't cry in front of him, not over sex he regrets

"We should have stopped. After the first kiss we should have stopped"

I just nod slowly, "I'm sorry"

I knew he would regret it

Deep down I knew that

He's all about Mia, he puts up with her flirting, he wants her

I was a mistake

I don't regret it but that's because I'm in love with him

I didn't mean for him to cheat on Mia, it's just...when he kissed me everything left my mind except for him

I wasn't thinking about anything but him, how he felt, wanting to make him feel good

I should of thought and stopped it

Because I rather have not had him at all instead of him regretting being with me

"I need to go", he says, getting up

"Ok", I whisper

I stay rooted in my bed as he gets his boxers on

He leaves my room and I hear him moving in the living room, probably getting dressed

I hear his footsteps then my front door opening and closing

He left

He didn't say goodbye, didn't say anything

Just left

The tears pool in my eyes as I get up

Leaving my room, I lock my front door then go to the bathroom and clean up

I breathe in, trying to calm myself down while I get PJs on

Crawling back into bed, I pull the covers over me as I lay down, holding onto one of my pillows

And I finally break, sobbing into my pillow, the pain of my heart breaking intense

I'm terrified I lost Yoongi completely, lost his friendship

We've been by each other's side since we were kids, I don't know how to be without him

It wasn't worth it if I lose him

I was so happy in the beginning of the night when he kissed me and now I'm miserable

And I wish it never happened

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

One month later

Parking my car, I get out and head towards Yoongi's house

I haven't heard from him since the night we were together

I tried calling him, tried texting him for a month

I sent apology message after apology message through text and voicemails

Asking if we could talk

Then telling him that we can pretend it didn't happen

Then begging him to just call me back, just send me one message

Just let me know he's ok

Nothing

This is the last resort

I know I most likely lost him but I need to know for sure

If I have to try to get over him, I need to know for sure that our friendship is over

This is the only way

As I get closer to his door, I hear arguing and a girl's voice yelling but I can't make out what's being said

I'm not sure if it's a real argument or one from a movie or TV show

If it's a real argument with him and Mia, I'll leave

Going up the three stairs to his door, I take a breath, reach out and ring the doorbell

As I wait, I hear the yelling get closer

"...have to be fucking kidding me!"

The door swings open and I'm face to face with Mia, Yoongi coming towards the door behind her

"You", she snarls and the next thing I know pain explodes in my face as my vision swims and my head snaps to the side

My body follows my head and I wobble to the side, my foot flying off the step

I hit the ground, my body tumbling hard down the stairs, my temple smacking and scraping against the last step

Fuck

Oh god it hurts

"Joanne!", I hear Yoongi yell

"You slept with my boyfriend?", Mia shrieks, her voice painfully going right through my head

I close my eyes for a second, willing the nausea to go away

"You fucking slut!", Mia yells as I slowly sit up, "Do you open your whore legs for anyone? Not only do you fuck your ex, now you want to fuck your best friend too?"

I'm trying so hard to focus on what she's saying but it's hard

It feels like my head is swimming and I'm trying not to throw up

I touch my temple where the pain is and it feels wet

Pulling my hand away, I see red all over my finger tips

Blood

I'm bleeding

Fuck

"Mia, stop"

"Shut up Yoongi!", she yells, "You fucking cheated on me. With that!"

"It was a mistake", I groan out, slowly standing, needing to get the fuck away from here, "He regrets it"

"No I don't", I hear him say

Or I think he said but I'm not sure

My head feels woozy

He probably said something else and I misheard

"But you don't regret it do you?", she snarls

"I uh...", I say, forcing my eyes open, "Uh, no"

"You fucking bitch", she snaps, starting to come towards me

Oh god, I'm gonna get my ass kicked

"Stop it Mia", Yoongi yells, moving in front of her, stopping her, his back to me

I need to leave asap

"You stay the fuck away from him!", she yells, "Don't fucking come near him or I'll kill you!"

I believe her and right now I'm not in any condition to fight

"Do you hear me?", she shouts

"Yes", I answer, backing away as I realize that Yoongi isn't telling her to stop

He isn't arguing with her

He's letting her say these things to me and he...agrees with it

The rest of my heart that was intact completely shatters

I lost him

I turn around, hurrying back to my car, tears falling down my face as Mia continues to scream at me to never come back

She doesn't have to worry

I won't

Yoongi doesn't want me there, doesn't want me in his life so she'll never see me again

Getting in my car, I start it and take off

I need to go home

Not only am I heartbroken, I'm injured, bleeding and I think I may have a concussion

I need to get home so I can fall apart in peace

[mykelneedssleep]

MW3 Spoilers!

When Soap dies Ghost lifts the dog tags from his body with more care than he's taken to do anything. They're looped around his neck beside his own. There's no need for them to stay with Johnny's body, there are people to identify him. The people who love him are the ones to file the paperwork. Lieutenant Simon Riley is supposed to sign the death certificate. He never does.

The metal of Soap's feels unnaturally colder than his own, the weight heavier. His body knows he wears two pairs. His mind knows the addition of the second ripped something crucial from his already fractured soul.

When Ghost dies he does so alone. His team isn't there to collect his remains, they aren't there to give him a small but never the less sad funeral, they aren't even there to file the paperwork. They didn't abandon him, he ran away. It's not that they don't love him, it's that they knew he needed the space.

When the men come to collect his body, to record the death, to make him just another number sacrificed in the endless war for peace they find two identities wrapped around his neck. Names pressed to his chest like the locket of a lover.

RILEY SIMON, J. 2073357 O POS ATHEIST MACTAVISH JOHN, J. 2073521 O NEG CATHOLIC

They thought there must have been some sort of mistake, a mix-up in the paperwork somewhere because there was an unknown soldier in the field wearing the identities of two men who had died years ago. Simon Riley, from what they could find went MIA after his team was betrayed well over a decade ago and was declared KIA years later when they couldn't recover him. John MacTavish's tag was newer, shinier than the other, but supposedly he'd been shot years ago. That's what they could find anyway.

No one could account for the body rotting away in the morgue unidentified and unnamed. No one knew him apparently, not even the team he was with.

Laswell finds out a month later, she'd been keeping silent tabs on him until he disappeared. She calls Price as soon as she knows, holding back tears the same way she did with Soap. "He has a grave," she says quietly. They visit with Gaz the day after.

Price laughs when he sees the gravestone. Then he cries.

The other two join him.

They stare at the engraving. Something that should have could have been real if only things had worked out differently. If they'd been a little faster, prepared a little bit more, if Price had let Soap pull that trigger all those years ago. But even though it didn't everything still led to this moment, the three of them at this grave the same way they would've been if things had changed back then. The hilarity of it was heartbreaking.

They'd combined them for the records. Created an identity for a soldier that never existed to mark the resting place of one who died carrying two dead men with him.

In death, Ghost is content, for the first time ever, with the identity his name provides him with.

Simon J. MacTavish Soldier, Lover

Price is the last to leave. He does so with a smile and another glace at the stone, "congrats boys," he says to no one in particular, "wish I could've been there to see it."

[dizzydancingdreamer]

Daddy Issues | Draco Malfoy

Wow I’m sorry I didn’t mean to disappear like that Lovelies! Sometimes I forget depression and writers block are a thing until they punch me in the face and force me to go MIA for a hundred years! I guess I’m back? I hope? Fingers crossed? Anyway, I’m sorry this isn’t a TVD fic but I figured Y’all would appreciate something over nothing. I missed you all more than I can say! I hope you enjoy, I love you all!

Description: Draco and y/n are best friends until Draco’s father threatens y/n. She avoids Draco until he confronts her.

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Hufflepuff!Reader

Warnings: Like none, it’s kinda sad but not really, the only flaw is bad writing

Word count: 3.4k

Tags: Angst, FLUFF

(not my gif, I just love it lol)

Your heart stings from across the courtyard, the gap between you and the blonde boy tangible. For a second you don't know whether or not your heart is even in your chest anymore or if it’s in his hands. In that case your heart is sitting on a bench, sandwiched between Blaise Zabini and Vincent Crabbe. Maybe he isn’t holding your heart, though, maybe he is your heart, in which case you’re avoiding your heart’s piercing gaze. 

Your hands twitch at your sides, itching to grab his or to twist through his silky hair or do anything other than lay idle when he is only mere steps away from you. Your hands ache to touch him and usually you would be doing just that: clinging to his robes or twisting the rings around on his fingers or simply tangling your own fingers with his slender ones. Your hands feel painfully empty without him to hold on to. 

That makes sense though, he’s your best friend after all. You’re rarely ever spotted less than five feet away from each other. Everyone at Hogwarts can see how utterly entwined you are, every part of him wrapped around your finger and every part of you sitting precisely in the palm of his hand. You orbit each other, drawn in by a gravity that the rest of the student body can’t deny.

Right now, though, that gravity is being tested and everyone feels a little bit like they’re floating away. 

Draco sits exactly seventeen feet and four inches away from you. You can feel his eyes on the back of your head, like lasers, searing into your black and gold jumper and refusing to look away. It burns but you embrace it, taking any contact, even imagined, that you can get from him. Even if it hurts. You would gladly burn for the blonde Slytherin if it made him happy. This doesn’t make him happy, though, being ignored by the girl that commands his entire life. You know that, but you also know that it’s for the best. 

You run your hands through your hair, tugging on the strands relentlessly and closing your eyes. You see his father, the tall, grim man, and replay the conversation you had in your head. 

“He has a bright future ahead of him, y/n.” 

Lucious had backed you into a corner, both metaphorically and literally, the stone of the castle biting harshly into your skin, “I know that, sir.”

He stood tall, menacingly, like he was bigger than the castle itself, “he doesn’t have time for nonsense, y/n.”

Your hands trembled, the cold of the dungeon nipping at them fiercely, “he’s very bright, Mr. Malfoy, I don’t think I’m slowing him down.”

The neutral, if not cold, expression on his face switched then to one of red hot anger, “did I ask what you think? It’s time the two of you separate. He is to be married next year and not to some silly Hufflepuff girl.”

“We’re just friends, sir,” your eyes had long since found the floor.

“Don’t be daft, my son is infatuated with you. If I catch you near him from this day on I will not hesitate to destroy you, do you understand me? Do not speak to him again.”

That was two weeks ago and you haven’t dared to go near him since, spending every waking moment of your spare time in the Hufflepuff common room. You aren’t brave, you didn’t march up to your best friend and tell him that his father threatened to destroy you. You would be lying if you said you even thought about it. The reality of it is that you’re a coward and have iced Draco out in fear of having his father hurt either of you.  

His father’s words still ring in your head. Don’t be daft, my son is infatuated with you. Your heart flutters hard in your chest, your rib cage the only barrier keeping it from finding him across the courtyard. Draco is infatuated with you. Apparently. He hasn’t said so, only his father. Still, you can’t help but hope that it’s true.

But then that makes your chest burn and palms sting again. You aren’t allowed to hope that Draco wants you. You aren’t even allowed to hope that he wants to be your friend. You’re not allowed anywhere near him, let alone allowed to kiss him. Would he even kiss you? Probably not. You tug even harder on your hair, as if pulling each strand out will somehow take the pain away. Don’t be daft.

“Y/n,” gentle hands wrap around your tight fists, “you’re hurting yourself.”

You forgot Luna was there, sitting next to you on the bench, the bench that is seventeen feet and four inches away from Draco. You let the airy Ravenclaw unravel your fingers and hold one of your hands, rubbing circles on the back of your palm. It doesn’t feel the same, her grip is too soft, her fingers too short. Draco’s fingers are longer. 

You shake your head, trying to clear the fog of him from your senses, “sorry, I know I’m not the best company right now.”

Luna only smiles at you and rolls her eyes gently, “I know it’s hard for you right now.”

Of course you told her. You weren’t able to tell Draco so you turned to Luna, your other best friend. You nod your head at the blonde girl, too tired to speak. 

“I think you should tell him though, he looks bloody miserable without you,” your eyes widen as if on their own accord.

You feel dizzy at the thought and not the good kind like when Draco spins you around. No, this is the bad kind of ‘I’m definitely going to throw up’ dizzy. Your heartbeat pounds in your ears rapidly. Thump, thump, thump. It almost sounds like footsteps, angry ones, pounding towards you. That can’t be right.

“I can’t tell him, Luna, you know that.”

A hand lands on your shoulder, warmth spreading through your jumper. You open your mouth, ready to thank Luna for relentlessly comforting you, but close it quickly when a thought hits you. You glance down to your lap, just to double check. There, on your lap rests your hand carefully wrapped up in both of Luna’s. Crap. 

“What can’t you tell me?” It takes everything in you to not let his familiar voice curl around you and pull you further into his touch.

You shift out of his hold, not turning to look at him yet, afraid to see the expression on his face. Would it be anger? Sadness? Disgust? The last one makes your heart drop, the thought of the blonde boy being repulsed by you causing you to curl into yourself slightly. You would take anything from him but that.

You stand curtly, turning to face Draco, all too aware of the lack of space between you and him. Six inches at the most, every breath he takes makes his chest brush yours. You still don’t look up at him, not anywhere ready to meet the eyes of the boy you’ve been avoiding. 

You lock your eyes on his silver and green tie, mumbling to it instead of him, “What makes you think I was talking about you, Draco?”

You finally glance up at him and wish you hadn’t. His eyes, usually a bright blue, are dull and rimmed with red. The bruises under his eyes stand out against his cheeks. He’s always had dark circles but this is extreme. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days, like he hasn’t eaten in days. It’s almost garish, but then again nothing could ever make the Slytherin Prince look anything less than perfect. He looks destroyed, almost as if his father had gotten to him too. You have to stop yourself from reaching out, choosing instead to look away again.

“Are you serious right now? Tell me this is all a joke y/n!” The courtyard goes silent when Draco raises his voice.

You squeeze your fists, the tone of his voice a punch in the gut. He never shouts at you. Draco is never anything but soft around you. Right now, however, he’s seething. No one around you dares to make a sound.

You close your eyes, trying desperately to stop a traitorous flood of tears, “Draco, please don’t do this right now.”

Draco takes a step back, as if your words had shoved him, “if not now then when? You’ve given me no choice! You run every time you see me, you don’t answer my notes. Do you even read them anymore? Can you just explain why you bloody hate me?”

His voice cracks when he says hate, like its acid in his mouth. In any way it’s acid to your ears. You could never hate Draco, it’s very much the opposite actually. You’re painfully in love with him.

“I don’t,” you have to pause to clear your throat, trying to rid the lump, “I could never hate you.”

His hand grasps you chin gently, his rings cold against your skin as he pulls your face up to meet his eyes, “then tell me what’s going on. Please.”

You squeeze your eyes close, sinking into the warmth of his palm for a moment. You can’t remember a time you’ve gone this long without the blonde boy touching you. You can’t stop the tears from trailing down your cheeks and into his palm. You can feel the hitch in his breath as if it had come from your own lungs. You wrap your own hands around his, squeezing his fingers gently before pulling them away from you.

“I can’t, Dra. We can’t do this anymore. I’m,” your voice trembles, your eyes still closed, his hand still locked in yours, “I’m not good for you. We can’t be friends.”

You release his hand, taking a few steps back from the love of your life. This time, though, he doesn’t let you get as far, taking two steps towards you for every step you take away from him. It doesn’t take him long before he’s in front of you again, closer and even more determined. His eyes burn into yours, his hands restless. You know he wants to touch you. At least, you hope he does. You want to.

“Don’t say that,” there’s a strength behind his words, one you have yet to hear until now, “don’t you dare say that! Tell me what’s going on y/n, you need to tell me! I can fix it. I can make it better whatever it is just please tell me. Please, love.”

Love. That’s new. Your heart cracks even more when he says it and maybe that’s because you know you won’t get to hear it again. You wish you could grab the word from his lips and hold on to it. You want to put it in your pocket so at least you can have a part of him, the very best part of him, for when he walked away. But you can’t, so there’s no use in trying. 

“You can’t fix it this time, Draco,” you take another step back and your back hits the rough surface of a tree.

He fills the space between the two of you once more and this time you’re stuck. Your palms continue to sting, reminding you relentlessly how much you need to touch him. You scrunch the hem of your jumper, trying desperately to quell the pain. Your wrists feel like they’re on fire, something you’ve come to realise that means you’re about to have a panic attack. He can't see that happen, you refuse to fall apart in front of him. 

Of course he notices, though. That’s your Draco, he notices everything about you. That’s his job. 

He grabs your face again, stopping you from frantically looking everywhere but him, “of course I can. When have I not fixed your problems? Remember when those Ravenclaws’ were messing with you? I took care of that, didn’t I? And Parkinson? Zabini? I took care of them too. Remember when Snape wouldn’t let you hand in your assignment because you had the flu? And the time you passed out in the stairwell? I fixed those too because I can. Because I wanted to and I do what I want. Now, all I’ve wanted for days is you so if someone said something to you I need you to tell me so I can sort them out and get my best friend back. Now.”

He stares into your eyes the entire time, daring you to turn away. You feel like you can’t breathe, your hands once again wrapped around his but this time clinging for dear life. You’ve been terrified for two weeks and the exhaustion hits you in one, whopping punch to your stomach, the second punch of the day. Without warning your legs give out, all of your weight falling into the blonde who seems to expect it. His arms wrap around you, holding you against his chest for the first time in what feels like ages.

You don’t realise that you’re sobbing until you try to speak, “Dra, I’m so scared. I’m tired,” you grip his robes in your fists, your head falling against his chest, “I don’t know how much longer I can do this, I feel like I’m falling apart.”

He pulls you closer to him, wrapping his arms around you and holding you against him. You can feel the sigh of relief he releases and his heartbeat slowing as if it’s your own. Maybe that’s because yours does the same. For the first time in weeks you’re engulfed in Draco and you cling to him, circling your arms around his waist and pulling yourself impossibly close. He wastes no time either, wrapping his cloak around you and burying his face in your neck. 

Your body shakes furiously in his arms, everything you’ve been bottling up comes pouring out in a torrent of sobs and hiccups. Draco presses closer to you, towering over you and shielding you from the rest of the world. You let his peppermint scent engulf you completely,

“For Salazar’s sake y/n I need you to tell me what’s wrong. I need to fix it, love. Please tell me,” his voice is low and choked.

He’s right, you know he’s right. You squeeze your eyes tighter and grip his back, savouring the muscles under his dress shirt for a few more seconds before you know you’ll have to let go.

“Your father told me we couldn’t see each other anymore. He told me,” you pull out of his arms, leaning back against the tree, “he said, well, it doesn’t matter what he said. We just can’t be together.” Draco’s eyes widen and your cheeks heat up, your words ringing through your ears, “I mean we can’t be friends.”

Draco steps closer to you, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes. He mumbles something under his breath that you can’t hear but you’re almost positive that it’s a curse. When he opens his eyes, your heart stops. His blue eyes burn into yours, glassy and angry but with something else too, something hot and fierce. Your heart restarts when he places his arms against the tree, caging you between it and him. You can’t resist placing your hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat pick up as well.

“What did my father say, y/n.” He isn’t asking you, he’s telling you.

You lower your eyes, not bothering to fight him anymore, “he told me he would destroy me if I kept being friends with you. He said you were getting married and that you could never marry a Hufflepuff and that he would destroy me if he had to.”

He staggers back with each word, like each one shoves him more than the last. He squeezes his fists before straightening his fingers, shoving them once more through his hair. His shoulders are tense, his back straight. His eyes are screwed shut again. 

“Bloody hell,” he pulls at his hair, biting his lip, “he’s lost his damn mind.”

You wrap your arms around yourself, tugging at your jumper, suddenly hot all over. Now is not the time to be getting riled up over Draco but you can’t help it, he looks exquisite. Messy hair and an un-tucked shirt, the veins in his hand prominent and his rings glittering in the afternoon sun. He’s absolutely and undeniably perfect.

“It’s ok, Dra, you’ll be ok,” you try your best to comfort him but he snaps his eyes open, looking at you like you’ve gone mad as well.

“My dad threatened to kill you! No I am not okay!”

This time you walk to him, pulling him into your chest again and wrapping your arms around his neck. He sweeps his arms around your waist, pulling you so close that you have to stand on your tiptoes to keep your arms around him. His hands grasp your hips tight and you immediately know what he wants. You oblige, wanting it just as much if not more, jumping up and wrapping your legs around his stomach. You tuck your face into his neck this time, breathing in the slightest hint of apples, green ones. 

You don’t speak, practically feeling the words bubbling in his chest, “My dad told you he was going to kill you, love. He threatened you and he didn’t even tell me. I am definitely not okay. I need to do something. I need to talk to him. And he told you I was getting married? He’s lucky he isn’t here. I don’t care if he’s my father, nobody talks to my girl like that.”

He’s rambling, something he does when he’s at his end. His words wrap around you, tangling with every part of you and sinking into your skin. They lull you into a daze of sorts, almost nodding off on your best friends shoulder. You don’t realise how tired you are until you’re in his arms, safe. And then it hits you, and you’re wide awake again.

“Your girl?”

You cut him off mid sentence, squeezing your legs tighter around him to bring his attention back to you.

“What did you say, love?” Draco hikes you further up his body, readjusting his grip on you.

Your cheeks flame, your neck hot. His eyes bore into yours, searching for something that you’re not quite sure you’re ready to give. His lips are so close to yours, his breath hitting your lips with every exhale. The courtyard around you fades away and Hogwarts itself holds its breath.

“Did you call me your girl, Draco?”

He doesn’t blush like you thought he would, “yes, I did. That’s what you are. Mine. And Merlin help my father for trying to take you away from me.”

You stare at him for a few seconds, letting his words sink into your flesh. They curl around your bones, laying down a warmth that you’ve been craving for longer than you can remember. He’s right. Of course he’s right, he’s Draco. You are his and you always have been. His arm around your back tightens, jostling you enough to make you cling harder to him. Your fingers find their way to the nape of his neck, tangling in his hair. He leans his head back, giving in to your touch willingly. 

He holds your gaze as your fingers weave through his silky hair, capturing you with his eyes and refusing to let go, “I’m yours, Draco. Please don’t let me go.”

He leans his forehead against yours, “never, love.”

Hogwarts releases the breath it had been holding, the noise of the courtyard once more fluttering around you. You go to get down from Draco but he stops you, tightening his arms. You only shake your head and smile, letting the sunshine warm your face.

Your heart aches slightly still though, “what are we going to do about your father, Dra?

He starts walking, the sudden movement causing you to tug his hair a little harder.

His voice is strained when he finally answers, leaning down to rub his cheek against your head, “just let me handle that, ok?” 

You give in, for now, laying your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes for the final time, “where are we going, Dra?”

“We, my love, are going to take a very much needed nap.” 

[transpoettryinghisbest]

Shout out to @sunnyskies281 for his help on this fic. I've seen a lot of alternatives for how Bridge to the Turnabout could've gone, and this is my version. Trigger warnings are in the tags

I seize Dahlia from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. She shrieks and drops to the ground, slipping out of my grip, and scrambling away from me. At some point, she dropped her knife in the snow, but she's still making her way towards Maya, regardless. I push Dahlia to the ground, holding her in place with my knee. She struggles, still screeching, but can't get free.

“Go!” I tell Maya. “Run! Now!”

She does.

Dahlia has somehow managed to get herself twisted around, and is clawing at my leg with her nails. Just as she wriggles her way free and goes to run after Maya, I grab Misty's staff that's lying beside me, and bring it crashing down on her head.

She falls face down into the snow.

I'm still tensed, ready to react if this is some kind of trick and she jumps up again. She doesn't move. I kick her. Still nothing.

Then a thought crosses my mind. Did I kill her? I wouldn't care if I killed Dahlia Hawthorne, except…that's not her body she's inhibiting. And I promised myself that I wouldn't let Maya's mother come to any harm.

Reluctantly, I touch two fingers to Dahlia's neck, and there's her pulse. I let out a little breath of relief. I glance around and Maya is nowhere to be seen. I want to check on her. But I know I can't take any chances. Luckily, I came prepared.

I tie Dahlia to the stone lantern with the rope I brought, and head off in search of Maya, taking Dahlia's dagger with me in case I need to defend myself.

I stop in my tracks when I see the bridge up in flames. A jolt of panic surges through me, but I dismiss it. Maya wouldn't run across a burning bridge, even if she was desperate, she's not stupid. I try to stay calm. No one's hurt.

I catch a glimpse of someone on the other side, waving at me. Must be Iris. I call her on my phone.

“What's going on?” she asks me. “Is she okay?”

“She's fine. And Dahlia's out cold, I tied her up. What the hell happened to the bridge?”

“It was a lightning strike. I…you won't be able to get back now.”

“Don't worry about me. Listen, I've got to find Maya before your sister wakes up. Just keep watch for me, let me know if anything happens.”

“Okay.”

“And where's Pearl?”

“I thought she was with you?”

I let out a sigh. “She'll be fine, I won't let anything happen. Just sit tight.”

“Alright. I…I trust you.”

I don't know why she trusts me. But I guess right now, she doesn't really have a choice. I hang up and find myself outside the inner temple. And there, inside, is Maya, passed out and shivering violently. I pat her down, gently, checking for any injuries, and she stirs slightly, staring at me.

“It's alright,” I say. “You're okay now, Kitten. You're alright.”

This seems to calm her, and she drifts back into unconsciousness. I grab a blanket and wrap it around her to keep her warm. As long as I know where she is and I know she's not hurt, that's enough for me.

When I get back, Dahlia's spirit has already left Misty's body. I appear just as Misty is waking up.

“Welcome back.”

“Where's Maya? Is she…?”

“She's okay. She passed out in the Inner Temple, she's not hurt.”

“Thank goodness. I don't know what I would've done, if…” Only then does she seem to notice that she's tied up. “Oh, uh…”

“I might have had to…take things into my own hands. Here.” I cut her free using Dahlia's dagger and help her to her feet. “How's your head?”

She touches her temple. “I suppose that was you as well?”

“Well Dahlia wouldn't exactly go down without a fight.”

I pick up Misty's staff, brush the snow off it and hand it to her. She leans heavily on it.

“Thank you. And…thank you for saving my little girl.”

“It's the least I could do. After I failed to save Mia.”

She's silent.

“Listen, I have bad news.” She looks at me, panicked. “Not that bad. It's about the bridge. Apparently the lightning hit it, went up in flames. So we're stuck on this side for a little bit.”

“Alright. Thank you for letting me know.” She hesitates. “Can I…?”

“What is it?”

“You said Maya's at the Inner Temple? Can I see her?”

“Of course.”

I take her there. Maya's still asleep. I'm about to call out to wake her up, but Misty stops me. She silently crosses the room and kneels in front of her, just watching her lie there. Misty goes to stroke Maya's face, but changes her mind and retracts her hand without touching her. She sighs.

“I didn't think I'd ever see her again. But when I received your call, you said she was in danger…I had to do something. It's been such a long time. When I saw her, I…I barely recognised her. She's grown up so much. Without me.”

“You could've come back at any time,” I say, softly.

She shakes her head. “I can't. I brought shame on my family a long time ago.” She hesitates. “There was…an incident.”

“DL-6?”

“You…know about that?”

“It's pretty well known in the legal world.”

“I see. Well I'll spare you the details, then. Just know that…for someone of my status and ability to fail a channelling like I did? It was unheard of.”

“Do you really think you failed?”

“It doesn't matter what I think. Soon, the word got out that I was a fraud, and…” She shuts her eyes. “I couldn't take it. I wouldn't let my bad reputation reflect on my daughters. So, I…”

“You ran.”

“I know it wasn't the right thing to do. I guess you could say I panicked. Not that that makes it any better, I suppose. I left them where I thought they'd be safe, though I turned out to be wrong about that too.”

I say nothing. What does she want me to say? I can't convince her it wasn't her fault, if she's already convinced herself that it was. Still, Maya's alive. And safe. And Misty seems eternally grateful of that fact.

“I've missed her so much,” she says. “I miss both of my girls. When I first found out that Mia had passed, I…I thought I couldn't bear it.” Her face screws up. “I swore I wouldn't let that happen again. All I want now is for Maya to be safe. And happy. Does…does she seem happy to you?”

“The heart holds a magnitude of truths that the face doesn't show,” I say. “She must miss you. Even if she doesn't show it.”

“I want to come back. I want to tell her everything, I just… How can I? Being a medium is everything to her, I can see that, and I…I'm not worthy of my title of Master. How can I train her when I can't even do my job right?”

“You can do one job right. You can love her. That's what she needs more than anything.”

“Do you think she'll ever forgive me?”

“It takes a strong person to drink down the bitterness of life. But she who does will appreciate sweetness all the more.”

One of Misty's tears drips onto Maya's face and it wakes her up.

“What's going on?” she mumbles.

Misty hurriedly wipes her eyes. “You passed out. Are you alright?”

“I think so… Wait, no, I'm not. Someone's after me. In the garden. There was…”

I manage to calm her down. “It's okay, we handled it. You're not in danger anymore.”

“Mr Godot, what are you doing here?”

I hesitate for a moment. “It’s like Godot blend #105. A flavour so complex it’s hard to properly articulate.”

“So…it's a long story?”

“That would be one way of putting it.”

She rubs her face, tiredly. “I…I want Nick. He always makes things make sense. Where is he?”

“Probably still in dreamland,” I say.

“You'll be able to talk to him tomorrow,” Misty reassures her. “I know there's a lot you don't know and you're owed an explanation, but…it's difficult. And right now, we're more concerned about your wellbeing.”

“I'm okay. Really. And I can take it, whatever it is.”

Misty looks at a loss for words, so I take over.

“The person who attacked you in the garden was an enemy of your family. A jealous relative of yours.”

“Like my aunt?”

“Right. Elise and I found the written plan, so we knew it was coming. That's how we managed to stop her in the garden.”

“Is she dead? The person who attacked me.”

“She's gone. That's all you need to know.”

“I saw you in the garden. It was too dark to see anything else, but…your mask lights up. That's how I knew it was you.” She suddenly rushes forward and hugs me. “Thank you. I don't know why you saved me. But thank you.”

“It's simple. Because you mean a lot to a lot of people.”

I stroke her hair. It feels familiar. Painfully so.

“And you don't just have to thank me,” I go on. “Elise helped save you too.”

She pulls back. “Really?”

I watch Misty try to mentally prepare herself. “Maya, I…there's something you need to know. I'm sorry I took this long to tell you.”

“What is it? Is it something bad?”

“No. Well…I hope you won't take it in a bad way.”

Before she can continue, there's a rustling sound coming from behind us. We look, and there's Pearl.

“Mystic Maya! Are you okay?”

“Pearly? What are you doing here?”

“I was so worried…” She runs over and jumps into Maya's arms. “I'm sorry. This was all my fault.”

“No, it wasn't,” I say. “Don't worry, Kitten.”

Pearl shies away from me. I guess she doesn't trust me as much as Iris and Misty do. I wouldn't expect her to, she's probably been taught stranger danger her whole life. And look where that got her.

“Pearl, listen,” I say. “Maya and Elise need to have an important talk, how about we give them some privacy, hm?”

Pearl hesitates, glancing back at Maya.

“I'll be okay, I promise,” Maya says.

Pearl and I wait by the bridge, which has finally burnt itself out into cinders. She doesn't say much.

It takes almost a full day for the bridge to get repaired enough for us to cross back. Wright is waiting on the other side, and he and Maya hug as soon as they see each other.

“You had me so worried,” he says. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine. I had some people looking out for me.” She glances at me and Misty.

“Thank you,” Wright tells Misty. “I really appreciate it.”

They continue to chat as a group. Even Iris shyly hangs around. Pearl refuses to let go of Maya the whole time. I watch this little family. This cobbled together mess of people who've lost and found their way. I know it's not the same with one person missing.

I start to walk away.

“Hey, wait!” It's Wright. “Maya told me what happened in the garden. That you saved her. I just want to say…thanks.”

“I didn't do it for you, Trite.”

“I know. I know why you did it…” He glances at Maya, then back at me. “Diego Armando.”

“You finally figured it out.”

“I think so. Listen, about Mia, it wasn't-”

“I know. I blamed you because I had to blame someone. But I figured out what was more important than whatever grudge I had against you. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.”

“Either way, you won't have to worry about me anymore.”

I turn to leave again.

“Where are you going?”

“Who knows? But my job here is done.”

[glorifiedpigeon]

DL-6 never happened au.

Mia and Maya are raised by their mom in Khurain, with Mia slated to become the Master when her mom's gone. Morgan harbors some resentment, but she doesn't exactly have a good opportunity for a coup with Misty and Mia both around.

Miles becomes a defense attorney like his dad, and he and Phoenix have the world's cutest and most annoying mutual pining. Larry is their obligatory no homo third wheel, there for them to conveniently use as proof that things aren't romantic /j. (They have a Dynamic- Larry is the talk you into bad choices friend, Miles is the talk you out of bad choices friend, and Phoenix is their poor sad impressionable sap friend.)

Diego takes the Fawles case. Dahlia and Phoenix never meet. I'm still not totally sure how Mia's absence would affect the situation, but Phoenix would not have been in the court library, so Dahlia couldn't have used him as a scapegoat.

Phoenix does his artsy stuff! Larry still drops out of high school, despite Miles' constant arguments as to why that was a poor choice. Larry and Miles are maybe not as close as they used to be because of this.

Phoenix asks Miles to defend Larry for the Cindy Stone case. Gregory suggests that may be a bit intense for a first case and offers to handle it instead, but Miles is already saying he'll do it, and Phoenix is calling him his hero, and Gregory's lost his son to the Gay Feels.

Hmm, some other characters... well, Manfred Von Karma didn't kill anybody, and I guess he doesn't have a whole bullet in his shoulder either, but he's still a rotten bastard. He has One penalty on his perfect record and he hates it but it's not like there weren't rumors before. He's not a good father.

More on Franziska later?

Is Winston Payne still known as the Rookie Killer for the Cindy Stone case? Absolutely he is, and he still has that dumb fake hair.

Don't ask me about Redd White, I don't have any answers, shush, leave me alone I'm just doing Brainstorming right now.

Miles takes the Will Powers case of his own volition. Phoenix accompanies him to the scene of the crime because he's between gigs and they care about each other. Because Miles gets Powers that sweet not guilty verdict, he does go to the Gala thing at the Gatewater Hotel from game 2, more on that later. These two boys big brain their way through the Powers trial, and Miles comes down with another terrible case of Feelings.

IS-7,,, I want it solved 🥺🥺 Jeffrey Masters and Katie Hall,,, they deserve better,,, 🥺🥺 tragically, I BARELY understand what happened in those cases, so like, I'll leave the thinking to brighter minds on that front.

Who the shit are the prosecutors that Miles works with in the trilogy... Winston Payne, Manfred Von Karma, Lana Skye,,, is Jacques Portsman a good prosecutor to slam on top of these cases? I don't like him. You know what, sure, Jacques Portsman is annoying enough to be the prosecutor for like,,, two cases. If I'm not wrong, and he's in the prosecutors office at this time, then he handles both the Powers case and the Berry Big Circus case, because he'd be SO ANNOYING for the first one, and the second one is hell and I want him to suffer.

Tyrell Badd asked Gregory to defend Gumshoe during the Faraday situation, which did end up going to court. Callisto Yew disappeared before the first trial. Miles tagged along because he was studying law at the time. Gregory and Kay's aunt worked something out and she's technically Miles' foster sister. She and Phoenix are Miles' guests to the Global Studios Gala event, more on that later.

It's for Kay and her schoolgirl crush on her classmate Ema that Miles takes the Skye case on. Maybe Franziska is prosecuting?

I do not see Miles doing a whole trial without any memories without someone in his surprisingly large support system (in this au) being present and noticing something is fishy, so Gregory or Ray sub in for the Byrde case.

I've been trying so hard to rub my brain cells together and figure out more of this au, but I've fried my brain, I'm sorry. 🥲

[yawnzzjun]

Did i skip school more than once? yes. Was I happy I was finally home? Yes. Was I lonely YES. This sucks, really badly. Not only that i can't see Niki or Jungwon but I can't even see the boys because my mother said so. Though she was proud I outed Mia but besides that point she got mad that I tagged the school's name in the tweet and breaking in a computer.

Not only those but the text I got from Hana a day ago. I haven't opened it up as yet and I'm not planning to anytime soon. Right now I'm home alone on the verge of breaking out and running around the neighborhood like a mad woman to fill my lack of attention.

Clack!

"Huh?" I turned my head to the direction of the sound and noticed it came from my window. Pushing myself to the window another stone hit the pane and scared the shit out of me. In results I got annoyed and opened the window and then shouted:

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!"

"YOU!"

"EXCUSE?"

I looked down to see it was none other than Yeonjun himself.

"JUN?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF SCHOOL?"

"I CAME FOR YOU DUH."

"I CAN'T COME DOWN. MOTHER'S RULES"

"OKAY? GET DOWN HERE."

"OKAY, I GUESS.."

No point fighting him.. plus I wanted to jump out the window like in those movies.

"DO OUT JUMP OUT THAT WINDOW."

"FINE."

-

"You skipped school just for me?? aren't you nice."

"Mhmm yea whatever anyways are you alright?"

"Yea why?"

"Does the words not affect you that much?"

"Oh that. It did but it doesn't really anymore."

..

"Liar.."

"WHAT?"

"Let's go to the arcade mm?"

"Yeah we can do that.."

"Who even created this thing call a game.."

"Yeonjun your just bad at fruit ninja. Suck it up."

".."

"Are you okay?"

"HUH?" "Yeonjun why are you asking me these questions?"

"Becauseee you're not okay?"

"What."

"Just tell me what's wrong."

"..."

"OKAY FINE. Uh Hana ans Iseul was friends with Mia and believed her over me and Hana texted me and I haven't opened up the chat, I want to but I don't know why I'm scared to.."

Yeonjun looked at me and raised his eyebrows in surprised at my problem. He looked away for a bit to think of a response and hugged me.

"For starters both of you weren't in the wrong, they didn't know that Mia was like that because she wasn't called in for something like that and you weren't in the wrong for blocking them off for a bit because they chose someone who hurt you and didn't believe. So don't feel scared that they might hate you or something, respond when you feel to."

Yeonjun ended. He couldn't see my face because of the hug but I was smiling from ear to ear and shoved my face in his shoulder.

"Thank you."

-

AN: first an😱! ANYWAYS remember to watch good boy gone bad mv😉😉😁.

SYNOPSIS:Due to family reasons, you had to move away from your old country and start over a whole new life in Korea but the thing is you have never been to here before.

In creating your new life, you began a secret relationship with Choi Yeonjun.

MASTERLIST | NEXT ->

TAGLIST : @kaal-ee @hiqhkey

[thelukesalvez]

Luke Alvez x Reader: The Flower Garden

Prompt: “can you write an imagine where luke is late to someone's funeral (like a family member or something) and realizes that he wants to bring flowers so on his way he steals some from the readers garden!!! fluff if you can :) thanks!”

Tagged: @ssaic-jareau​ , @alvezstan​ , @lcvischmitt​ , @ogmilkis​ , @goldenalvez​ , @ssa-morgan​ , @garcias-batcave ,  @akimagies​, @zhangyixingxing1 , @pinkdiamond1016 ,  @yourwonderbelle​ , @rachelxwayne​ , @sc4rletw1tch​ , @moreidultrastan​ , @ellvswriting

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: none

A/N: hi bbys! sorry for being so mia i was on vacation all last week,, here’s a spontaneous, fluffy fic to make up for it!

Luke is late. In every sense of the word, he is so late. He’s been wearing this same pair of jeans for almost 48 hours now and his burgundy polo shirt is scratching uncomfortably underneath his rain jacket. His hands are freezing and he doesn’t even have any flowers. His family is going to be so mad.

He’s power walking, well aware that he probably looks like a mom on a mission in the grocery store (thinking of that makes his heart clench in his chest). There’s one more street to walk down–he refuses to drive there, it makes it feel too real. He stuffs shaking hands in his pockets and turns the corner.

Luke doesn’t have flowers. He’s visiting for the first time since it happened, he’s late, and he doesn’t have flowers.

He’s a block away when he sees them, the roses growing almost chaotically over a small wooden fence. He stops and looks down at them, then around. No one’s watching, so he crouches and picks a decent handful, murmuring a few sorries as the stems snap. He notes the house number and reminds himself to write a thank you note before standing up and continuing on his way.

Everyone’s already there when Luke arrives, eyes watery from the wind. His sister gives him a look that would’ve been terrifying if not for the red around her eyes, and Luke mouths his apology while passing out hugs.

With a deep breath he crouches and places the six roses at the base of the polished stone. “Hi, mom.” Luke whispers, pressing a kiss into his hand and then to her name. “Sorry I’m late.”

I miss you. I stole these flowers for you, the old lady they belong to probably noticed already. My boss gave me a few extra sick days because she knows. I’m tired of everyone knowing. I love you.

…

It happens a few more times in the course of two months, and Luke really doesn’t mean to make it a habit, but he can never seem to remember the flowers until he’s well on his way, and there are so many of them in the garden that he hardly feels bad. He never got around to writing the note.

He’s sitting in front of the grave with a bunch of daisies. “The girls miss you.” Luke says quietly, arranging the flowers nicely along the stone. The white is almost too bright to look at. “We all miss you, mom.” He whispers, feeling a tear run down his cheek. “Today at work someone brought in their therapy dog. I can’t remember it’s name, but it spent the whole time licking my shoe. Reckon he knows, too? Anyway, it was nice.”

Luke never means to cry but he always ends up doing it. It takes about twenty minutes for him to be able to breathe again, then he says goodbye and walks the three blocks to his car.

He usually visits once a week, sometimes one of his sisters comes with him. If it’s his younger one, they go get ice cream after. If it’s his older one, which it usually is, they get coffee and don’t talk about it.

…

It’s running on month six when Luke sees you. He’s holding a beautiful bunch of chrysanthemums by his side, when he notices that there’s someone in the window holding the curtain. You make eye contact, and Luke feels very guilty. You don’t look angry, although there’s a noticeable furrow between your eyebrows. You’re wearing a cotton bathrobe and holding a mug of coffee. Luke could use some coffee.

He doesn’t know what to do, so he just smiles and holds up the flowers. Then turns on his heels and walks as quickly as he can.

“It’s not an old lady, mum, it’s a girl. She saw me today, caught me red handed.” Luke mumbles, laughing a bit to himself as he clears away some old flowers and places the new ones. “She didn’t do anything though, so I think I’m okay.” His voice cracks as he says it, and then, as usual, starts crying.

…

It takes two more times for the rightful owner of the flowers to confront Luke about his thievery.

Luke’s on his knees, picking some cute purple flowers when he hears your voice.

“Um, hello?” Luke nearly jumps out of his skin.

“Oh shit.” Luke says, looking up and feeling his heart sink. “Right. I’m sorry I just–your flowers are very nice.”

You smile and cross your arms over your chest. “Thank you.”

Luke’s still kneeling, hands shaking where they’re holding stems. There’s sort of crooked smile on your face. Neither of you are saying anything. You’re wearing an old shirt with a hole near the hem. Luke’s hands are sweating.

“You know, if you’re going to steal my flowers to take to your girl, I think I’m going to have to come with you to make sure she’s beautiful enough to warrant theft.” You say, oddly calm and good natured.

Luke doesn’t know what to say. He just nods, trying to ease the panic rising in his chest.

“Add a few roses.” You order, and Luke nods, picking a few and standing up, finally. “I’m Y/N, by the way.“ You add, extending a hand.

Luke smiles and shakes it. “Luke.” You smile at him one more time and then you start to walk.

You pester him with questions about his imaginary girlfriend, and Luke tries to answer them in the vaguest way possible, all the while trying to figure out how the hell he’s going to explain this when you get to the cemetery.

“Did she like the daisies you picked last time? I always thought those were more of a flower you give your mom, but I guess they’re nice.” you babble, and Luke almost chokes.

“Yeah, um. Yeah.” he says, his heart racing in his chest. The small side entrance is only a few meters away, and you still have no idea. Luke doesn’t say anything as he walks through the gate, holding it open for you, who immediately stops talking as well.

The silence feels like a heavy blanket, and you just follow Luke as he makes the walk, now committed to memory. Luke almost forgets you’re there, dropping to the permanently grass stained knees of his jeans and managing a smile. “Hi Ma.” He places the flowers around the base of the stone, like he always does. Luke jolts when he feels a hand on his thigh, near his knee. He follows the arm up and meets your sad eyes. Luke hadn’t noticed you kneel, too.

“Luke..” you whisper, obviously surprised. Luke doesn’t blame you.

“Don’t.” he says quietly, sniffling and looking away from you. “I brought someone with me. She’s the one I’ve been stealing all the flowers from.” Luke says, smiling a bit and he hears you mumble a soft hello. “She hasn’t called the cops on me yet, which I guess is good.”

He takes a shaky breath before getting choked up. He puts his face in his hands and this was always just a part of his agenda, but the arm around his shoulders is new.

You start talking.

“The first time I was sitting in my kitchen and I was like, oh god do not pick the hibiscuses, they’ve got bees. But he didn’t, he chose some tulips instead.“ you laugh a little, and Luke almost starts crying again. “Between us, I hope he never stops.” you whisper, and Luke knows he wasn’t meant to hear it. There’s a lot he wasn’t meant to do.

Luke sniffles loudly and sits up to wipe his eyes. Your arm is still around his shoulders. “I’m sorry.” he says out of habit, as he’s been doing every time anyone’s seen him cry since October. But you just shake your head and use a thumb to wipe a stray tear.

“Don’t apologize.” You say, you put your hand back on your own lap. Luke wants to tell you to put it back. “I’ll um, give you some privacy.” You stand up and brush off your jeans. “And, Luke, you’re welcome to my flowers anytime.” You give him a bright smile before walking away.

Luke doesn’t watch you walk away. He turns back to the gravestone and sighs. “She’s kinda nice isn’t she mom?”

Luke can almost hear his mom yelling at him. 

Don’t be stupid, dear, go after her.

He kisses his hand and presses it against the warming stone. “I love you.” He gets up, not bothering to dust off his knees and all but sprints back out to the sidewalk. Luke jogs down the road and turns the corner, smiling when he sees you walking peacefully down the street.

“Hey!” Luke yells, picking up to a run. You turn, and stop walking, looking surprised that Luke is running after you.  

“Let me, um, buy you lunch.” he says breathlessly.  “Figure I owe you one, since I’ve been stealing your flowers for months.“

You smile and nod.  “Yeah, I guess that's only fair.”

You talk as you walk to your pick of a restaurant, and Luke feels lighter than he has in months.

…

You walk back to your place, and you make Luke promise to close his eyes as you grab the spare key. Luke thinks that it’s painfully adorable.

“Wanna come in?” you ask, looking down at your feet as you say it. Luke’s cheeks go hot at that, being suddenly floored by how pretty you really are.

“I-” Luke starts, before checking his watch. “Really need to be heading home.” He tries not to let the way your face falls hurt his feelings too bad. “I have work in like, an hour, so.” he explains, and you nod.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Maybe another time.” you say, eyes wide and hopeful.

Luke grins. “Definitely. I’ll call you–or you’ll see me in your garden, either one.” He throws in a wink and leans in to peck your cheek before turning and walking down the street to his car.  At the corner he turns and finds you still standing in your doorway.

…

It was not a good day. Luke has been avoiding sleep because every time he closes his eyes at night,  he can’t stop picturing the time he showed his mom how he could climb the tree in the backyard. He fell on the second branch and skinned his shin and elbow. She patched him up and bought him ice cream, and then they watched movies until Luke fell asleep against her on the couch.

He sighs and presses the heels of his palms into his eyes. He’d stopped crying about an hour ago, now he’s just staring at his ceiling with his eyes burning. It’s four thirty. Sleep is definitely out of the picture, so Luke grabs his keys and does the only thing he can think of.

He picks seven roses on his way, hops the fence, and finds he can still cry, forehead pressed against cold stone.

He doesn’t know how long he sits there for, but when he opens his eyes, the sky is more grey than black. “Fuck.” He curses and rubs at his stinging eyes. “Sorry for swearing,” He whispers, laughing a bit. “I’ll be back soon, I love you.”

He stands.  It’s about to be five in the morning, and Luke really can’t see himself driving all the way back home. He doesn’t quite know what to do as he walks back, but then he sees the garden, and finds himself knocking on the door.

It takes a few, but you open the door, hair a mess, grey sweats hanging low on your hips. “Luke,” You say, surprised. “What are you doing here?” you ask softly.

“Couldn’t sleep. Needed some flowers.” he mumbles, blinking a few times to try and get rid of the blurriness creeping across his eyes. “Can I come in?”

“Yes, of course,” you say without missing a beat, and Luke sighs, relieved. He toes off his sneakers at the door and lets you lead him through the house.  He can tell that you want to ask, but don’t.

In fact, you don’t say anything, and Luke finds that oddly comforting, you just sit next to Luke on the couch and keep your hands curled in your lap.  

“I took some roses again this morning,” Luke admits.

“What color?” is all you respond with.

“The white.”

“That’s the best kind,” you assure him. You can keep helping yourself to those.” you say, leaning over and poking into Luke’s side. “Think of it as my gift to your mom, too.”

That makes Luke tear up a bit.

“I should go,” he says, not wanting to start crying in front of you for a second time.  

“Oh,” you say, sounding almost disappointed.  “Right— okay.”

Luke stands up, his chest feeling tight and his thoughts racing.  But in the midst of the chaos, he hears her voice.  Clear as day; the reason behind his messy, illogical mind. Don’t be stupid, dear, go after her.

Luke turns suddenly then, and takes a step closer to you so he can hold your hands in his own. “Can I take you to breakfast right now?”

You beam at him, dimples drilled into your cheeks as you nod in agreement. You hurriedly find a pair of shoes and a jacket, stopping at the door to lock it before following Luke out. You walk to his car hand in hand, and it all feels so right.

They get pancakes, and Luke kisses the whip cream off your lips. People give you looks as you laugh obnoxiously and fond over one another. Luke doesn’t care.

He wakes up the next morning in a bed that isn’t his own and to the smell of bacon. He smiles to himself. “I thought I was making you breakfast?” he asks, laughing a little when he sees you  standing in front of the stove.

“Maybe if you had woken up before me,.” you say, looking over your shoulder and smiling at Luke.

You sit down to eat breakfast on the couch, a blanket pulled over both of you, and it’s home.

[scabopolis]

will and angie + karaoke (you. know. what. i. want.) ((extra bonus friendship points if you include miggy's polyamorous relationship either on or off screen and extra extra bonus if this karaoke is pre established relationship)) (((fun fact: never knew karaoke had that extra a! very sneaky)))

Title: Candle Related Feelings Rating: PG? (I don’t even think there are swears in this?) Fandom: Single Parents Pairing: Will Cooper/Angie D’Amato Additional Tags: Idiots to Lovers, Requited Love Between Two Giant Dumbs, Gratuitious Karaoke Moment, Me Crossing My Fingers I Hit All of Jennie’s Prompts Word Count: ~4,400

Got too long so read the whole fic on AO3.  *** I think I get extra bonus friendship points with this one! And I think I even fully remembered your request behind your request for a Will/Angie karaoke moment??? I think!?!  ***

The plan is simple and, if Will does say so himself, flawless. Show up to Angie’s house. Make a big gesture of friendship. Get their friendship train back on the track (choo choo!). Big gestures have (mostly) served his and Angie’s friendship well, so there’s no reason to worry. Except, worrying is exactly what he is doing. 

He wipes his sweaty palms off on his jeans and knocks on her door. 

It’s been two weeks since Angie’s unheralded return from Barstow. Two weeks since she showed up on his front porch, a pile of garbage bags stacked behind her, and waved a snowman candle under his nose. Two weeks since she ignored all his questions—questions like how did she get there? and was she okay? and where was Derek? Two weeks since something about his response to the candle waving (“fermented sugar cookies?”) sent her running.  

Post-snowman candle on the porch incident, he’s seen her once to drop off her bags, and all the other times have been at the Winebrary, and it’s—

Well, he’s an optimistic guy by nature, but it’s always bad. Really frickin’ bad. Awkward and ‘finale of How I Met Your Mother’ bad. She barely makes eye contact, definitely avoids all physical contact, and sits two seats away.

The worst thing is that Poppy keeps giving him these apologetic looks with really sad eyes. That woman knows too much. 

There was one good day, though. A day when Sophie called from camp, and Graham popped into the shot to wave hello. At the sound of Graham’s voice, Angie pressed up close behind Will, an arm slung over his shoulder to ask the kids about the food in space and their mylar leotards. But then the kids had to leave for ‘Warp Speed Choreography Hour’ and Angie slunk back to her own seat. Best-friend Angie there for a flash and then gone again. 

So, Will’s out of normal ideas which is why he’s here now, standing on Angie’s doorstep. One last chance to fix it. She answers the door, looking both harried and annoyed, and then somehow even more harried and annoyed when she registers it’s him. 

“You, me, karaoke, and I won’t take no for an answer,” Will says. 

“No.”

“No, see, I said I wouldn’t take no for an answer.” 

She groans and walks away but leaves the door open for him to follow. Okay, that’s not nothing. 

Angie’s house looks much like it did the day she left. Except, one of the blankets Will remembers from his floor nest is folded over the arm of the couch and it’s enough to make his stomach flutter. He averts his eyes and notices a sociology textbook on Angie’s coffee table. That’s probably just one more thing in a long line of things he’s not allowed to ask about. Which sucks because he has so many questions! Really good questions. Chiefly, what is going on?! And then there are follow-ups: Did one of her subletters leave the book? How did she get the subletters out of the house? Is Angie going back to college? Is she going to be a sociologist? What do sociologists even do? Should he become a sociologist so they could join forces and...do whatever it is sociologists do together? 

“Angie.” 

“What?” 

“Rockaraoke Palace got new microphones.” 

“So.” 

“So? So! They have all sorts of cool little effects on them! Which means you can finally nail the Lil John shout in ‘Yeah’.” 

“Hey!” she points an accusing finger in his direction. “My Lil John shout was already perfect.” 

“Yes it was. I am so sorry for implying otherwise.” 

She stands stone-faced and unmoving, arms crossed. Her only tell that she might be considering his invite is the slight drumming of her fingers against her arm. 

Please, he wants to beg, forget my utter idiocy and be my friend again. It takes him back to Mia. To that terrible time when he kept waiting, waiting, waiting, for her to tell him their marriage was over. Back to signing on a black line and dividing assets. Except with Angie there’s nothing to sign. She could just...say no.

“Your Lil John on the other hand needs a lot of work,” she says. 

[coffeeblack75]

20 Fic Questions for 2020

Thank you so much for these, curator-on-ao3​ – such a great idea!

1. Fandoms you wrote for this year

Star Trek Voyager, one for Picard.

2. Favorite fic you wrote this year

Your Shadow Falling (Caesar). It may not the best fic I’ve written technique-wise, or anything-wise, but it’s the one closest to my heart and of which I’m most proud. I loved writing about Chakotay in the place he is in that fic; I loved of the adult relationship of equals I wrote for C/R and hinted at with J/C – it represents the development of my understanding of Chakotay and Rios, and J/C. But, most importantly, I loved all the behind-the-scenes that brought me to the spot from which I could write it: it wouldn’t exist without @traccigaryn – all the discussion we had over the year on the characters and in developing this fic series, and her ideas in Wherever We’re Lost (Jupiter), which she graciously let me spring from in my story.

3. Favorite fic you read this year

You are kidding, right? ‘Fic’ is plural, right? 😂 I could not hope to pick just one! Here are some of the fic that I’ve loved and/or which have been influential to me in terms of my writing and/or my understanding of the characters this year:

Between Decks 4 and 5 by @traccigaryn (J/C, G-rated) – the adult J/C conversation the show owed us

if you came this way, by tree (J/C, E-rated) – this beloved fic does not need a gush, surely?

Sparks, by Jaye_Voy (C/P, E-rated) – for its exploration of Chakotay’s (and Tom’s) backstory, among other things ...

Motif by Filenotch (C/P/T, E-rated) – a wonderful look at B’Elanna and Chakotay’s friendship, among other things ...

BlackVelvet’s Lucky (J/C, M-rated) – so much wisdom in this fic!

@curator-on-ao3’s Cutting it Close (J/C, G-rated) – beautiful in every way

Pessa’s Final Bell (J/C, G-rated) – an example of the kind of closure J/C could have had on the show

(Oh How I Need) Someone To Watch Over Me, by zjofierose (J/C, E-rated) – the first fic I read that paid Chakotay some of his due. I cried the first time I read it! (And the next few times!)

Soft Light by northernexposure (J/C, E-rated) – the first E-rated I ever read ... I’ve not been the same since! 😏

Feels So Good (G-rated) and Venice (E-rated) by @killermanatee – gorgeous, adult J/C

Good grief, I have to stop ... We are blessed in this fandom with so many incredibly talented writers!

4. Favorite opening line/scene you wrote this year

Ah! I normally hide from openings, lol. Perhaps the first few lines from Blue Sky:

She remembers the sky was so blue, like Earth’s. And the sun on their backs and the feel of his hand in hers and a monkey that always interrupted but was never unwelcome in the fullness of a life that stretched out before them.

5. Favorite ending line/scene you wrote this year

The last line to Slippery Slope:

She’s not a poet. But there is a song in her now.

6. A trope you wrote this year

Corn porn?! 😂 Does that count as a trope in the Voy fandom? In The Other Side. Or ... first-time sex – I wrote a few of those!

7. Pairings you wrote this year

J/C, Chakotay/Cristobal Rios, Janeway/Neelix (hahahhahhaha!)

8. A fic regret from this year

I don’t think I have any regrets. All of the fic I wrote are what they are and were the best I could do at the time I wrote them, so I’m just pleased I achieved what I did! They’re all stepping stones!

9. A song that helped you write

Again, just one!? Nope! I write all my fic to songs – I usually have a playlist for each fic! I’ll restrain myself and just hit you with three ...

Phoria’s Yourself Still (listened to when writing Slippery Slope mainly, but also Someplace You Know)

Heavy Metals by Noah Gundersen (various WIP fic – it’s my get-J/C-to-a-place-where-they-can-be-together song)

Beast by Wednesday’s Wolves (listened to when writing WIP fic as part of my Other Side series and ... my vamp!Chakotay WIP)

10. Total number of fics you posted

13 (one of which was written in 2019 [Space] but only posted this month)

11. Total number of words you posted

44,199 (not including Space) – I ... cannot believe I wrote that much! 😵

12. Most popular fic written this year

Someplace You Know – in terms of kudos and hits combined. Looking at hits:kudos, it would be Blue Sky. I have a feeling though that The Other Side was actually my most popular, but this is not really reflected in raw stats.

13. Least popular fic this year

By hits and kudos, probably Reflection, a little Janeway/Neelix drabble. I’ve no idea why that one hasn’t been more popular? 🤷😂

14. Longest completed fic you posted this year

Someplace You Know – 10,529 words.

15. Shortest completed fic you posted this year

Reflection and Made It, both drabbles at 100 words each.

16. Favorite character to write about this year

Chakotay. Of course. I expect this will be the same every year!

17. A fic you didn’t expect to write

Um ... all of them? They come from ... strange inspiration. Perhaps I’ll go with The Other Side. I was feeling especially crappy about my writing prior to writing that and the wonderful @caladeniablue gave me a prompt and a pep talk and ... corn. She gave me corn. And away I went!

18. Most memorable comment or review

Probably this one from @mia-cooper on This Day:

YES. This is a diamond with a crack right through it and it's so perfect. Love the despair, love how bleak this is. Love that there's not even a shred of a happy ending. Fucking yeah. #2020MOOD

19. Fics you wanted to write but didn’t

I think I started all the ones I wanted to write at this stage. I do wish I’d got further along with my vampire!Chakotay one though!

20. Something to write next year

Vampire!Chakotay, ofc. It’ll have him on the label, but it will (probably!) be a story about KJ growing and dealing with some of her issues, so she can best help him. And smut, naturally. And my fun ooc Indiana Jones J/C AU. I just want to keep learning and progressing as a writer, trying different genres, writerly techniques, learning to plot properly, etc.

It’s been an amazing year in this fandom – my first full year! Thank you to all the wonderful people who’ve welcomed and helped me along the way with my writing – in discussion, in betaing, in reading. ❤️

And if you’re reading this and a fic writer, consider yourself tagged to answer these questions too! 🤗

[multimetaverse]

did the love victor pilot that leaked turn out to be real?

Yes it did anon, most of what was in the leaked script ended up in Love Victor 1x01, though there are some differences. If you scroll back under my love victor tag you can find a link for the script. The biggest difference by far is that in the leaked script there are numerous references to Victor being pretty sure he’s gay whereas in the aired pilot he was much more unsure about his sexuality. 

Victor’s first message to Simon is largely the same but in the leaked script after he tells Simon ‘’screw you’’, Victor mentions Simon having the world’s most amazing coming out story and that for some people there’s no way in hell that they can tell people (that they’re gay) but those lines are cut from the actual pilot

In the leaked script we see a flashback of the Salazar’s driving into Atlanta where Victor gazes at a Shawn Mendes ad for Calvin Klein. The aired pilot did keep Pilar’s line to Victor about him understanding why she hates moving if he had girlfriend back in Texas and in the leaked script it mentions that it’s clear that no one knows that Victor is pretty sure he’s gay

Victor telling Simon that he was happy to start at a new school was largely the same though Victor says it’s because ever since he was a little kid he was expected to be one way while in the aired ep he says it’s because there wasn’t a lot of room to be different back in Texas

The flashbacks to Victor’s life in Texas was changed substantially. In the leaked script we get a flashback to a young Victor playing with a little girl and their moms watching and wondering if they’ll get married one day with Victor narrating that everyone was real excited about him being that one way (ie straight). Victor later narrates that he always suspected he was different as was see a 14 year old Victor at a basketball game while his teammates ogle female cheerleaders while we see that Victor is actually eyeing a handsome basketball player on the other team. Both scenes were cut in the aired pilot and replaced by a brief scene of teenaged Victor eating lunch with his friends while they mock one of the boys for eating a salad instead of ribs. The church scene is largely the same and Armando’s flojito slur is kept in (perhaps not surprising that the homosexuality was trimmed down but the homophobia was kept intact) 

Victor’s first convo with Lake and Mia is the same in both scripts but in the leaked script after Lake asks Victor again if he has a girl back home, Victor narrates that all he had to do was tell them that there was no girl and that he actually thinks he might be gay which leads into what the script says is Victor’s coming out fantasy as Lizzo’s Good as Hell plays and Victor strides into school and introduces himself by saying, ‘’Hi I’m Victor. I like basketball, dog rescue videos, and dudes. I think’’. A passerby titled as ‘’accepting girl’’ tells Victor she supports him (interestingly enough there was an actress credited as accepting girl on imdb very early on in the production process which suggests they may have actually filmed a similar scene before cutting it) 

Later in the fantasy sequence a teacher comes up to Victor and asks if he’s the new maybe gay kid and Victor replies, ‘’I am! I mean, I’ve never kissed a guy. But when I think about kissing, it’s always a guy.  Usually Nick Jonas.’’ (hard to see the Victor of the leaked script being in a relationship with a girl the entire first season)

When Simon messages Victor back in the leaked script he says he’s sorry that Victor feels like its impossible to come out right now while in the aired pilot he says he’s sorry that Victor doesn’t have anyone to open up to. At the end of the leaked pilot script after Victor walks past Benji to ask Mia to ride on the Ferris Wheel with him he replies to Simon that maybe he does deserve a great love story but that doesn’t mean he’s going to get one whereas in the aired pilot Victor tells Simon that maybe he does deserve a great love story but he’s not sure what that looks like for him

A minor but telling change from the leaked script is that Mia Strauss becomes Mia Brooks. The original actress for Mia was a 16 year old white girl who was let go during the filming of the pilot as production team wanted to take the character in a different direction and then cast Rachel who’s black and one of the oldest of the cast members. Brooks is a much more common surname among black people than Strauss is which explains that change. I think we can guess that the different direction they wanted to take Mia’s character in was both dating Victor the whole season but also being romantically involved with Andrew. Michael was 19 during filming and still looks young but Mason was already in his 20s and can’t really pass for a teen so they may have felt that that original actress looked too young and perhaps didn’t have enough chemistry with either Michael or Mason

Andrew’s character had a lot of his dickishness toned down in the aired pilot as compared to the leaked script. A scene where Andrew calls Felix poop dick was replaced by the VP calling Felix lone stone (poop dick was funnier imo). Andrew is less of a dick to Victor during gym class and most notably in the aired pilot he doesn’t wolf whistle when Benji helps Victor with his lunch, they gave that role to a random extra. It’s hard to imagine the wolf whistling Andrew of the leaked script being someone who would tell Victor in 1x10 that he would never out him. It seems like they were originally planning to make Andrew much more of a villain then he ended up being which I think also ties in with them deciding to go with Mia and Andrew; Mia doesn’t seem like she would go for a guy who was as bad as he was in the leaked script

Felix meeting the Salazars is largely the same though in the pilot he was supposed to creepily appear uninvited in their apartment rather than meeting them on the front steps. Adrian has more lines in the leaked pilot including a few that set up the Abuelos visiting later in the season and a brief gag of him peeing in the bushes that got cut. Isabel tells Victor that marriages are hard sometimes even the good ones but in the leaked script she adds that Victor shouldn’t worry as her and Armando have a really good marriage. It seems like the plan was to always have the Salazar’s marital conflict come to a head but I wonder if they settled on having the parents announce their separation before Victor comes out so that Victor doesn’t feel responsible for it. There’s also a brief mention of Benji being Jewish which we may learn more about in S2. Other than that they were aiming to have Tony Hale back as the VP which didn’t pan out. There are lot’s of references to the show being on Disney + which are hilarious in hindsight

[inkblotsandpapertrails]

Heart of Stone {R.H.} [Pt 3] (The Medda Interlude)

Warnings: none

Pairing: Racetrack Higgins x Reader

Description: You didn’t agree with your brothers much. You didn’t like how they treated people or handled emotions and etcetera. But you could all agree that the Delancey’s were a proud family. A strong family. You didn’t get close to people, you didn’t show emotion, you didn’t let anyone have power over you, no matter what, because that made you weak. Except for the pretty newsboy with the foghorn voice and smart jokes, apparently.

A/N: okay. okay. so i know i have been MIA for a while but i have a good reason!! i’ve been working on a lot of WIPs and trying to perfect this next update. the first part of this update was very quick and easy while still having some decent character development (in my own personal opinion) however, the next part turned out to be crazy long and difficult to write, so i decided that instead of forcing you guys to wait another long while for an update, i may as well give you a quick little Medda interlude, considering this first part didn’t really fit in well with the rest of the chapter. hope you guys are okay such a short update after such a long wait. next update is on the way!

You stayed at Miss Medda’s for about two days. She kept you fed and forced you to stay in one of the spare beds she had for her Bowery Beauties until your wounds were healed, and while you appreciated it, it felt so strange to be waited on and taken care of like that. You felt thoroughly embarrassed whenever she changed your bandages and dressed your wounds, and you wanted to hate it, but you couldn’t help but sink into it and enjoy it a little.

“There you are, sugar.” Medda smiled as she taped some gauze over where you’d scraped your cheek from your fall from the window. You tried not to shy away or push her hand away from you – it’d been the spot Race had gently rubbed with his thumb when he’d rescued you from the fight at Newsie Square, and maybe it was your imagination, but you could still feel the warmth, just a little. “All better.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” You said quietly. You weren’t too sure what etiquette you were supposed to use here – with Wiesel, it’d always been ‘yes, Uncle Wiesel’, unless Snyder or his other friends came to the house, then it was ‘yes, sir’. But his friends had always been men – you’d never been in a situation where a woman held power over you, and in this situation, it barely even felt like she had power on you – or if she did, she was refusing to use it. You wondered if all women were like Miss Medda. You hoped so.

Medda clucked her tongue disapprovingly at you.

“I toldja, kid, it’s Medda. I don’t want any of this ‘ma’am’ business in my theatre, not until I’m good and old.”

You were too tired to fight off the smile spreading on your face.

“So, you’re a newsie?” Medda asked as she lay down a plate of bread and cheese on your lap.

“Oh, I can go down and eat at the table-“

“Nonsense, sugar, your legs are worn right out! You eat here, and then you rest.” Medda said firmly. “I wonder why I haven’t seen you before – I know Jack Kelly like he’s my own son, and I take pride in knowing all his newsies.”

“Oh, um,” You stumbled over your words. “I’m new. I’m, um... I’m a friend of Race’s.”

“Oh, Anthony!” Medda smiled brightly. You blinked in surprise – you hadn’t expected Race to have an actual normal name. You decided to ignore it; Race suited him far better than Anthony. “Sweet boy; a little loud, but he’s got a good heart, bless him.”

Your thoughts wandered back to the way Race had brightened when you told him your name.

“Yeah.” You said quietly. “Really good.”

“Pity you joined at this point, though, what with the strike and all – here, kiddo, have some water.” She pushed a tin cup into your hand, and you almost got whiplash at how quickly she could slip in and out of her maternal nature. “Hope this won’t discourage you from staying. They really are lovely boys.”

You sighed into your cup. You did your best to focus on the watermarks on the metal instead of looking Medda in the eye.

“I don’t really have anywhere else to go.”

“Well, I have to disagree with that.” Medda smiled, cupping her hands over yours. “We’ll always keep a bed warm for ya at Medda’s, sweetie.”

You looked at her quizzically.

“I...” You said slowly. “I don’t... Know you. You don’t know me.”

“I know you’ve been through some hardships.” Medda said simply. “Too many hardships for a kid your age. And I know you’re a friend of Anthony’s. Jack sends the kids he thinks needs personal attention, but Anthony’s never sent anyone here before, so I can only assume you’re a person very important to him, and that he believes you need to be cared for.”

Your blood began to boil in your veins.

“I don’t need to be cared for.” You muttered. “I’m not a child.”

Medda shot you a curious look.

“Well, I’m not too sure what else you are.” She chuckled. “Kid, I don’t know how to tell you this, but... You’re not an adult.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m helpless!”

“No, but it does mean you’re still growing and developing.” Medda said gently. “And if you’re put in the wrong environment, or put in the wrong treatment, you’re not going to develop the right way.”

You snorted bitterly.

“So is that why Race sent me?” You scoffed. “He thinks I’m not growing right?”

“Yes.” Medda said simply. “At least, that’s what I think. I think he knows what you could turn into, and I don’t think he wants that. So he’s trying to help you and show you the kind of treatment you deserve.”

“Why would he do that?” You huffed. “’Cause he feels sorry for me, is that it?”

Medda shot you a look.

“Kiddo.” She said slowly. “It’s because he cares about you.”

And just like that, your walls were stripped away. You looked at Medda helplessly, your mouth opening and closing as you searched for any kind of response. Why didn’t you have a response for that? For being told someone cared about you? Why had that not even registered in your mind as a possible answer? Should it have? Was that something other people were used to?

You’d always thought being soft and letting people in and allowing them to care for you was stupid. It’d make you rely on people too much, and then once they were gone, what would you do then? So you and your brothers scoffed at the idea of being supported. Why would you need someone’s pity when you could just fix the problem by yourself?

You’d always thought you were the ones in the right. The normal ones. But for this whole time, had you actually been the abnormality?

Medda shot you a small sympathetic smile.

“You’re not the first one to come in here without an answer for that.” She said gently. “That doesn’t make it okay, and I’m so sorry you’ve been raised to think no one could care about you. But you’re not the only one.”

You looked at her for a moment, entirely unaware of how to respond to the genuine compassion in her eyes.

“I think...” You said slowly. “I think I’m not hungry anymore...”

Medda smiled gently.

“Why don’t I leave you to rest?” You were almost in shock at how easily she’d understood what you’d meant. With your brothers, they’d scoff at you for being so passive-aggressive and continue to harass you about the issue until you snapped and wound up going to bed with no food and a swollen eye. Medda took your plate and moved it to the bedside table. “I’ll leave this here if you want any more, okay?”

“Mhm.” You nodded. Once the door was closed, your eyes flicked to the half-empty plate. You were kind of lying about not being hungry – having been fighting and running since yesterday morning, you were starving and exhausted. But you hadn’t been lying about not having an appetite. Everything here was so confusing and different it made your stomach hurt. You couldn’t understand why everyone was being so nice, why everyone cared so much, why everything made you feel so warm and fuzzy and...

Now that you thought about it, the bread and cheese didn’t look so unappetising.

You snuck a glance at the door before grabbing the plate again and stuffing your mouth with food. The bread was a little stale and the cheese tasted funny, but it was still the best meal you’d had in years.

---

(tag list: @annabethgranger123 @farfromjustordinary @yxseminx @oswin05 @theater-geek76 )

[naivesilver]

TV shows/movies tag game

Rules: list your top 20 TV shows and top 40 movies

@janiedean tagged me (well. She didn’t. But she said I could do it anyway so thank you Lavi Ily) and it does sound a little daunting, especially the movies, but I love this kind of thing so eeeh. Let’s go! We’ll see what happens.

(Under the cut because it got LONG)

Shows:

Il Commissario Montalbano

Good Omens

Pokèmon

Sense8

I Medici

Fleabag

Doctor Who

Vikings

Yuri!!! On Ice

Broadchurch

Once Upon A Time

The Witcher

Alias Grace

Midsomer Murders

North & South

Dark

Cold Case

Sonic X

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

The Umbrella Academy

Movies:

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring/The Two Towers

Pokèmon: Mewtwo Strikes Back

Pride & Prejudice 2005

Pinocchio 2019

Sonic Movie

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Venom

Into the Spiderverse

The 12 Tasks of Asterix

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Old Guard

Klaus

The Aristocats

The Shape of Water

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Mamma Mia

The Two Popes

Lèon

A Goofy Movie

The Man from UNCLE

Il Giovane Favoloso

Call Me By Your Name

Detective Pikachu

Guardians of the Galaxy

Lilo & Stitch

Il Ritorno di Don Camillo

The Chronicles of Narnia; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Deadpool 2

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Logan

Robin Hood

Latin Lover

Cipolla Colt

Les Misèrables

La leggenda del pianista sull’oceano

The Sword in the Stone

Thor Ragnarok

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

I will definitely get yelled at for some of these and there are more cartoons than I would have expected but sssssh

I’m tagging @freenklin @samanthacblack18 @bewilderedmoth and whoever else wants to do this!

[sadaboutniall]

something about you;

introduction | masterlist | tag | wattpad

Twenty Eight. January, 2018.

The second time Niall gets to stare at Isla from the altar at a wedding, it’s because their best friends are getting married. This time, they’re both up there—Niall’s the best man and Isla’s the maid of honor and this feels so right compared to last time, so much more complete. Just like last time, Niall knows he should be looking at the bride but it feels impossible to keep his eyes away from Isla for more than a few seconds at most, to do anything other than think about what it might feel like, one day, to watch her walk up the aisle toward him. 

They get to walk down it together, at least, arm in arm behind Mully and Emilia once they say their vows. Niall’s a little surprised to notice that he can hardly see through his tears, that every time he blinks the sight in front of him gets blurrier and blurrier, enough that he’s actively thankful to have Isla guiding him along. Over the music and the roar of Mully and Emilia’s guests in the pews, Niall can hear Isla sniffling too, and when he clears his vision enough to look at her she’s watery-eyed and emotional, clutching her bouquet to her chest desperately. 

Niall knows this moment isn’t about them, but he can’t help himself. They exit out onto the stone steps of the church, flower petals fluttering through the air, and this feels real, just for a second. Isla, her hair blown back with the Irish wind, tears in her eyes, a boundless smile on her face. If he squints just right, this moment could be theirs. 

He wants it to be. 

-- 

‘Finally, if there’s one thing Sean and Emilia taught me,’ says Isla, holding her champagne glass in the air. Every eye in the room is on her, and Niall feels like he’s bursting with it, a combination of pride and protectiveness. ‘It’s that love will always find you. I’ve had a complicated, twisted love story of my own, and all along the way I’ve looked up to Sean and Mia. There’ve been moments where I was jealous that things worked out so perfectly for them, and moments where I looked at them and felt an acute sadness, a longing, a twinge of third wheel.’

Laughter, from Isla, and the crowd. Emilia blushes scarlet, and Mully looks smug. ‘But, above all,’ Isla continues, ‘watching Sean and Mia’s love story has shown me over and over again that love has its own way. I’m a pretty logical person, most of the time. I’m a lawyer, I like facts, and I like reason—but I also like to believe that the Universe has a plan for us all. I think Sean and Mia are living proof of that. When two people are meant to love each other, to be together, the Universe will conspire to make it happen. Maybe the Universe will make one teenager move halfway across the world, to a whole new country, to meet the person they’re meant to be with. Or, maybe, the Universe will bring two people back together after half a decade apart, because they’re meant to be together. The Universe has a plan, Love has a plan, and I think Sean and Emilia are a perfect, beautiful, flawless result of that plan in action.’

‘Mia, Sean, my two best friends in the entire world: I love you. Thank you for showing me what love is, what love can do, what kind of love everyone on Earth deserves. I think I speak for everyone here when I say I’m absolutely, unbelievably delighted for you. Congratulations, and I’m so, so excited for whatever comes next.’ 

Smiling, Isla wipes at her eyes with her palm, champagne glass still raised. ‘To the Mulhollands,’ she says, holding the glass higher, tipping it back for a drink as the rest of the wedding repeats after her. Around them, the hall bursts into cheers, and Niall wills himself to stop crying. 

-- 

The night speeds by them, a blur of sweaty bodies on the dance floor, of roaring laughter and raised pints. Mostly, Niall remembers Isla: her cheeks flushed with alcohol, her hand brushing against his as she passed him her shoes to hold while Emilia pulled her away to dance, the wet brush of her lips against his cheek, the tendrils of brown hair curling around her ears. He remembers her delighted gasp when they cut the cake, her muffled sniffles during the first dance, her head resting on Niall’s shoulder as Emilia’s dad gave his speech. 

He remembers being surprised at how happy Isla’s parents are to see him: at how his dad shakes his hand, how her mom kisses him on the cheek. He watches them, seated at a table with his own parents, and imagines them as grandparents someday, a mini him, a mini Isla, seated on their laps. 

And he remembers this, too: slow dancing with Isla near the end of the night, guests slowly saying their goodbyes, the DJ gently bringing the party back down to Earth. They’re swaying in the middle of the room, Isla’s head on his chest, his arms around her waist, and it’s so peaceful, so right, that Niall doesn’t even want to go to bed, despite the late hour. He wants this, he’s sure. He wants it forever. 

‘Isla,’ he says, smoothing one of his hands down her back. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

She glances up at him, eyes soft, head tilted. He can tell she’s tired so he pulls her closer to him, lets her support even more of her weight against his body. ‘Everything okay?’ she asks, furrowing her brow.

‘Jesus, yeah,’ he brings his hand up, cups her cheek. ‘Everything’s amazing. I love you so much.’

‘I love you too,’ she smiles, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Niall’s thumb. ‘You look so handsome in your tux.’

‘Yeah?’ He can’t help it, the heat rising in his belly. ‘You think so?’

‘I do,’ Isla fingers one of the undone buttons on his shirt, skin brushing his chest hair. ‘Glad Mully decided to go with the forest green. It’s good with your skintone.’

‘You’re sweet,’ Niall brushes his lips against Isla’s gently. ‘So I’ve been thinking?’

‘Dangerous.’

‘I know. But this is a good idea, I reckon.’

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

‘Actually, you’ll be the barrister—’

Isla laughs, shaking her head gently. ‘What’s up, Niall?’

‘Well,’ Niall hadn’t expected to feel so nervous asking this. He swallows thick, ignores the hammer of his heart against his ribcage. ‘You know that talk we had the other night?’

Isla knows what he’s talking about right away, he can tell from the sad look that works its way across her face. It breaks his heart now the same way it broke his heart then, holding Isla in his arms as she cried at the news that Mully and Emilia will be moving to LA after their honeymoon, trying to comfort her when she said, over and over, that London would never be the same without them. 

‘It just… got me thinking,’ Niall smooths a hand over her hair, a little frizzy with sweat. ‘I know you’re really sad about them moving, and so am I but, like, maybe it’s time for you to move too?’

‘Huh? I can’t move to LA, Niall, I’d need to re-do law school and—’

‘No, no, petal,’ Niall laughs a little, biting back tears that are already working their way forward. ‘Move in with me?’

Isla exhales, mouth falling open gently. ‘Oh,’ she whispers. ‘Oh my God.’

‘If you don’t feel ready that’s okay,’ Niall rushes. ‘But, I mean, it’s way closer to your work and I already brought it up to Willie and he’d be only delighted to have you and I fucking love having you around all the time. And I thought maybe it would make you feel a little less lonely, too, on top of all that.’

‘Niall, I can’t afford—’

‘Honestly, petal, I don’t give a shit if you pay rent or not. I’m already paying for the place.’

‘But I want to contribute. I’m not just going to live off you for nothing, Niall.’

‘Yeah, I figured you’d say that,’ he laughs, heart fluttering as Isla blushes. ‘You can keep paying the rent you pay for your place right now, and I’ll use that money as part of the rent every month. Or you can pay for WiFi and electricity yourself, or pay for the groceries, or the heat and hot water. There are a million ways we can make it work, Isla. If you want to draw up one of your fancy contracts—’

‘I do,’ she says, softly. ‘It would make me feel a lot better.’

‘That’s okay with me,’ he brushes his thumb along Isla’s cheekbone. ‘I just want to wake up with you every morning. It’s bullshit, living across the river from each other. There’s no point.’

‘Yeah,’ Isla nods gently. ‘I want that, too. I love waking up with you.’

‘S’my favorite thing in the world,’ he tells her honestly. ‘I’d be the happiest guy in all of London.’

Isla laughs, eyes glinting with the golden fairy lights in the hall, with fresh tears. ‘Monday morning,’ she tells him. ‘I’ll take a stab at that contract.’

In his chest, Niall’s heart does a somersault. He feels a warm tear make its way down his cheek, his stomach turning to mush. ‘I’ll tell my lawyer to expect it,’ he laughs, leaning in for a long, gentle kiss. 

####

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[midnight-marimba]

Mar’s DQXI Fic OCs

It’s Dragon Quest OC And NPC Week, and I’m going to approach it from the other direction than what’s described in the event proposal, because I rarely end up inventing a detailed character without context, but I often find a specific need for a character in a piece of fanfiction and build them up out of that prompt into something better than a footnote. So I’m going to take the opportunity to talk about some of my fics and the original characters and NPCs who wandered into them and made themselves interesting enough that I’m eager to share a little extra detail or commentary about them.  (Under the cut)

Hair Tie That Binds

A comedic story about Hendrik recruiting Erik for a heist to help fix his own mistake. (9k words)

I needed a minor villain, so I invented Lady Druzy (named off of an obscure corner of a gem list, so as to suit a minor Heliodoran noble).  She is petty, spiteful, vengeful, and apparently my favorite archetype of OC to write.  She is awful and I loved writing her.

After Rain, The Sun Will Shine

A Sylv/Hendrik one-shot involving Hendrik’s memories of Sylv’s mother. (8k words)

When I wrote this, I had not yet heard the detail from the voice drama (please somebody translate the whole thing?? <3) that Sylv's mom's given name was Gerbera and her stage name was Sylvia (that is, exactly the same stage name Sylv took in the Japanese version of the game).  I had only heard a broader rumor about the drama and Sylv choosing a stage name in honor of their mother.

So when I went to write a story about her, I looked at a list of Dutch names (to match Arnout and Hendrik — Zwaardsrust is Dutch) and hunted for one a name with a "Syl" sound.  I landed on Silke, which is also satisfying from a word association perspective (since it looks like "silk" which sounds highly appropriate for a "famous Zwaardsrustian beauty" — one of the few canon details we get for her).

I tried to make her stubborn and determined, inspiring and willfully optimistic for the sake of the people she had under her leadership.  Sylv-like, but with a slightly more intense philosophical flavor than canon Sylv, as she’s walking out of an arguably even greater tragedy (or at least more personal at a larger scale?)

Silk and Swagger

Faris/Reader, from the point of view of a Heliodor guard. (1.7k words)

The guard is nameless and the fic is relatively short, but my goodness it was fun inventing someone who is instantly smitten with Faris and believes the best of him at all times.

When Home Isn't Marked on the Map

A Sylv/Erik longfic set a couple years after the end of the game, in which Erik is coming out of a period of self-imposed isolation after a disastrous attempt at confessing his one-sided romantic feelings for the Luminary, and he begins by going looking for Sylv, the one old companion he dares hope won’t yell at him for his absence.  (74k words)

Since the ultimate seed of the idea behind this fic was "Erik would be protective towards orphans and Sylv would like that about him" I needed some kids to put in the story.  There are two sets of four that I named and included. 

First is the group from the rural area near Puerto Valor, and thus they have Spanish names: Isabella, Serafito, Paz, Ana.  I'm pretty sure I named the younger ones with shorter names to help myself keep them straight.  In my head, they have a darker complexion than the rest of the kids in the story, since I always wish the DQ world was a little more diverse on that front, but I fear that I forgot to actually write that detail in.  (Room for improvement...)

The second group is an expansion of the four child NPCs you can find playing hide-and-seek in downtown Heliodor.  I could only find a canon name for Cammo (the King of Hide-and-Seek) so I gave the rest of them stone related names, figuring the pattern from Cobblestone might extend around Heliodor into the poorer and less formal areas of the kingdom (Ruby the innkeeper notwithstanding). So they are Flint, Crystal, and Mica.

There are so many of them that it was tough to give all of them a lot of characterization, but I tried to distinguish each of them at least a little.  Isabella, the leader of her group, blunt in a way that reminds Erik of Mia and Veronica.  Serafito, a little bit of a self-sacrificing caretaker. Paz, young but outgoing, and Ana, even younger and a little shy.  Flint, the canny, cautious, and slightly manipulative leader of the Heliodor gang.  Cammo, sneaky and adventurous and clever.  Crystal, strong and brave and protective.  Mica unfortunately ended up being most notable for the ordeals he goes through.

My favorite among them ended up being Crystal, from the instant she decided she was after Hendrik's job.

Diamond

A Sylv/Serena and Sylv/Dave fic, from Serena’s point of view.  Set after Act 3 as Serena chooses a mission to research and perform healing around the world, travels alongside Sylv’s new circus troupe, and they both get to pursue some missing character development.  (118k words, technically 1 chapter short of an intended ending but may not be continued.)

Mind the tags and content advisory if you go into the fic itself, because (1) for reasons of 2020, a story about a doctor-hero was simply not an ideal story to begin in the year 2019, and (2) it is NOT a utopian style world — many characters have prejudices, others are closeted in some major ways, and not all of that is gone by the end of the story.  I 100% understand many folks not wanting to go roll around in that kind of fiction, and while there’s a discussion about Representation I could shoehorn in here, I’m going to set it aside for the sake of on-topic rambling about fun OC development.

For this fic, I wanted Sylv and Serena to be traveling the world together.  Serena was to be motivated in part by the allure of getting to meet more new people, and also, I think it’s useful for her personal growth to spend a little time away from her blood family and most of the people from whom she would naturally take direction.  I also wanted to explore Sylv as a leader in a way that’s not so easy within the canon party, and in general, I imagine Sylv both being friendly to every stranger and also having old friends pop up everywhere he goes.

Between the two of them, I ended up needing to plop in OC's left and right, both for Sylv’s new Act 3 circus troupe, and in every town they visited.  Because I’m a nerd, I expanded lore for some of the regions too, and I will mention some of those details here with the characters.

Sylv’s troupe:

Chill, a contortionist from Sniflheim, where people get kind of uncomfy about magic, especially when it looks too close to evil witchery.  Like, say, Zing.

Samir, a short, round bard from Gallopolis who can do amazing things with a variety of instruments, and his partner Grey, once a guard from Heliodor until he decided that job was even more bland than his name, and he ran off to Gallopolis to join the circus.

Maria and Mateo, a couple of quiet, short and slender dancers from Puerto Valor (in my head, Mateo is about 5 feet and Maria’s a couple inches shorter, though I keep gravitating away from talking in Modern Earth units of measurement when writing for this fandom).  Their kids, teenaged Leo and toddler Lena, aren’t (yet) performers, but are present because I thought it was interesting to plug some kids into a story about a traveling circus troupe, and because I wanted to give Sylv an excuse to interact with kids.

Francine. A classically beautiful acrobat from Octagonia, where the only work she could find was being a bunny girl handing out flyers.  She’s had a crush on Sylv, which didn’t work out, and in the aftermath she’s a little bitter and is predisposed to dislike anyone else getting too close to Sylv.  She is rude and spiteful when she does not like someone (though she may do so in an overly-sweet tone), and she awkwardly overcompensates when she wants to prove she’s moved on from something, and she ended up being my favorite OC here.

Some other notable OCs in the world:

In Sniflheim: Healer Heather, the doctor who would really rather not have any magic in her house, so she doesn’t get a mob coming after her next time the tide of public opinion turns against witches.

In Lonalulu: Nohea, the charming and handsome hula dancer who isn’t quite as nice as he seems, and Pika, the shy, plain, and clumsy but kind-hearted net weaver.  Both are there as potential love interests for Serena (and for contrast against Sylv, of course).

In the Inner Sea: Coral the mermaid, a singer.  She's here for advancing Serena's character development, but it was fun to have other OCs react to a mermaid, and trying to write plot-advancing mermaid dialogue raised my respect for the localization team 1000%.

In Gallopolis: Doctor Zel, who is very scientific and good at her job, never makes eye contact, and lacks a comforting bedside presence.  (Happily they have Faris to help with public relations during a health crisis…?)

This is only about half of the OCs and NPCs named in the story, but they’re most of the ones with the most screen time, and most of the ones that stand out in my mind.  But the outgoing and friendly Sylv and Serena I was trying to write, both of whom wanted to engage with the people of the world at large, just spawned new characters around them as they went.  You know those stories about mythical people where flowers bloom after them everywhere they go?  This pair was like that, only with OC’s instead of flowers.

[thenightling]

The Dreaming (2018) in a nut shell

Full plot of The Dreaming (2018 run).  This is copied and pasted from a Discord conversation because I didn’t feel like repeating myself...  That’s also why it’s a bit disjointed.

I'll explain the whole plot as best I can, bear with me. There's this monstress named Dora living in The Dreaming, and she's got a chip on her shoulder since Morpheus had once promised her she'd never have to be afraid ever again and that was shortly before The Kindly Ones.  Anyway, she's been haunting the dream of this woman dying of throat cancer (revealed to be Rose's mother).  Daniel goes MIA and doesn't seem to want to be found.

Suddenly these "blanks" generic looking humanoid enterities start pouring in from cracks in the dreaming.   Mervyn invents a racial slur for them of Soggies (totally not "wet backs").

While Daniel is gone Judge Gallows (another old DC horror host) takes over The Dreaming and promises to make The dreaming great again.

Dora befriends one of the blanks who is very child-like and names him Ziggy. Merv starts penning them up on behalf of Judge Gallows and even attempts to lynch Ziggy. 

Merv has a grudge.  Shortly before Judge Gallows took over Lucien used the helm to un-create Merv's friends right on the steps of the caslte and it was implied to be out of spite

("I did warn you." - said by Lucien).  It's a "They took our jobs" thing, apparently. The blanks are more efficient. No immigration metaphors here, nope.

Lucien is apparently slowly losing his mind / going senile.  He can't remember anything.   Eventually Judge Gallows gets defeated and replaced with this weird AI, yes an AI named Wan.   WAN, as it turns out was created by this character who looks suspiciously like Steve Jobs. Actual character name: Hyperion Keter.

Totally not Steve Jobs had a nightmare decades before where Dora was attacking him.  he had confronted her in the dream and told her she's not real.  This caused her to have an existential crisis and flee into The Dreaming where Morpheus had tended to her and sealed her own memories to protect her mind.  He also hid the newly re-created ruby dreamstone inside her to aid her until she no longer needed it.

Steve Jobs-Knock-off guy creates Wan with the intention of invading and conquering The dreaming.  He thinks all the ills of humanity come from dreams.  Greed, superstition, religious zealousness.   Oh, by the way, Judge Gallows heavily indicates that Morpheus caused the civil war and holocaust by creating him (Judge Gallows) to prey on man's fear of "The other". So anyway, while that was going on Daniel was playing human and dating Ivy. Steve Jobs sends some occultists to steal a lock of Ivy's hair to control her.  Ivy gets upset when Daniel won't let her tattoo him since she's a tattoo artist. (that's where I grew to hate her).  She doesn’t accept no means no with his bodily autonomy.  Daniel apologizes to her and proposes marriage.  He gives her an emerald ring.

The occultists (working out of Fawny Rig) control Ivy and she gives Daniel a dream catcher / tree of life tattoo that works as a geas to bar him from The Dreaming and prevent him from calling out for help.

Ivy tries to "apologize" by giving him a cup of tea but it turns out to be poisoned.   Desire (or what appears to be Desire, it might be posthumous Morpheus in disguise, the face is always partly hidden and he's very thin) warns Rose of what's going on and Rose slaps the drink from Daniel's hand but he's already had a taste.  Daniel, freaks the f--k out.

A dog walker eats his own fingers right there on the beach.   Someone screams until their vocal chords burst in their throat.  Daniel is maming and mutilating right and left (and this is NOT where those partiers were killed, that was earlier and said very nonchalantly during the dating montage.  Daniel made some drunk bachelor party guys who cat called Ivy walk into the ocean and drown...  I think he killed the entire party...)

Daniel finds the occultists and traps them all in terrible nightmare half-concious states but still weakened and unable to return to The Dreaming he goes to apologize to Ivy, knowing she was being controlled but it's too late, she's ODed and brain dead.

He takes her soul with him to flee to another universe.

Dora, meanwhile, gets a hold of Destruction's sword, briefly meets up with Nuala (who has learned Titania's true name thanks to Daniel stopping by for help with the fae).  Daniel gets the egg that Titania has from back during the original Books of Magic, this is the "Mundane Egg" able to open or create another universe.

Anyway, back in The Dreaming Wan (the AI) is trying to run things and doesn't know it has a secret dark side programming to destroy the place.

Wan legitimately wants to do good and blacks out when the other side takes over. An AI with a split personality. Wan talks Abel into taking the initiative and kill Cain...

Cain does not revive. Wan also digitizes the entire dreaming library because of Lucien's memory problems.   Lucien decides he wants to die.

Abel scooped out Matthew's eyes with a spoon and gives him his own eyes so Matthew can see what he sses, the secret that Wan is destroying The Dreaming. Matthew with giant human eyes sticking out of his tiny raven head, Abel (whose eyes grow back), and Dora, head out to save the dreaming.

Cain, meanwhile, his soul was uploaded into an AI at the home of Not-Steve Jobs. So he's there.  The heroes make their way there and learn the story of why things are happening.   Poor not-Steve Jobs was dying of cancer (this was really tasteless to model him after Steve jobs).  And Daniel briefly came to him, showing him what he was destroying in destroying The Dreaming,  Hyperion tried to set things right but his own minion stopped him.

Dora shows up and accidentally shuts down Steve's life support system. Rose gets told more exposition dump from "Desire" (I'm telling you, there are clues it's actually Morpheus) She hijacks a bus to get to Steve Jobs'  place. Here we discover the re-created ruby dream stone was inside Dora the whole time.  Lucien, meanwhile, had tried to be re-abosrbed into The Dreaming with the help of his dream friends (eve, Merv, etc).  And he has a brief visit with Death who introduces him to Steve Jobs and gives him a special book that has all of Lucien's lost memories. Dora returns to The dreaming with the dream stone, and her, Lucien, and the other dream folk are able to summon Daniel back, breaking the geas spell he was under (Ivy is left behind).

Dora is a Night Hag, by the way.   That was her big secret besides having the ruby in her. They kept harping on how special she was, that she wasn't like the others in the Dreaming. ...she was a Night hag, that's it.  They kept going on about her being special, this big secret, she's a night hag.  Eve delviers a line I cannot forgive.  She says something like "We were worried he only kept us around out of laziness or loneliness. We were wrong."  They were HAPPY they were there as a failsafe, as tools in case he got captured again in the waking world.  They would rather be tools than for someone to want them around out of loneliness?!  Daniel uncreates Wan but as Wan begns to fade the good side of Wan helps Daniel set things right and apologizes for its other personality. Daniel erases Rose's memory of the entire adventure (which I think is bullshit).  She lost her f--king daughter, you asshole!  And Lucien learns to be 'More assertive" and when Daniel requests he come to the throne room so he can thank them formally Lucien says no, because he's drinking with Dora.

"character growth" TM

 hated Simon's run of The Dreaming but not as much as I hate Caitlin R. Kiernan's. 

Dreaming Waking Hours is about a Nightmare named Ruin who escapes to the waking world because he's fallen in love with a mortal.   It's so much better but all the events of Simon's Dreaming are still canon so that's a problem. The villain being modeled after Steve Jobs even if he sees the error of his ways in the end was totally tasteless. My hands ache from writing all that out...

Oh, and Cain is back to normal (for him) he and Abel took turns in a sort of tag team tormenting the tech support for Wan, via nightmares. So they couldn't intervene in stopping the destruction of the AI. That was actually a fun scene. "There will be no tech support today." Cain shows up with a chainsaw.

Also the reason "not Steve Jobs" knew about Dream was because he found a journal from an occultist at a garage sale that described Morpheus' capture.

I think I'm still traumatized from reading it, especially the early issues where Merv was used as a Trump supporter allegory. And Abel did give Matthew back his normal raven eyes while they were in Steve Job's house.   Though don't ask me how Abel even did the initial eye surgery of putting his eyes in Matthew while he was blinded.  

Someone tried telling me Simon Spurrier wasn't trying for a Republican metaphor, he was making a commentary on the Tories How is that better?!?

It's still a very dated political reference.