#simply waiting till tomorrow when i have laptop again is not an option though

[karliahs]

trying to write on my phone bc I'm at my mums and don't have my laptop and man. at some point my phone keyboard has started recognising my most common typos as Real Words that must be respected and so won't correct them or will even correct things to that misspelling over the actual word. Heinous

[petri808]

Mirror’s of the Soul

Hau’oli la Hanau!  Happy Birthday!  @dark0angel13  Hawaii misses you ;)

Based on the folklore of a “dog-man” in Hawaii called the Kaupe.  Spun to be a werewolf AU lol, but with a twist.  The Kaupe was used in the DC tv show Legends of Tomorrow.  It was pointed out to me that Lucy’s character reminded them of character from Witcher 3 as well lol.

~~~~~ Nalu AU one-shot

Lucy had heard the wild rumors of the dog-man of Nu’uanu Valley, but she chalked it up to Hawaiian folklore.  These islands were full of such supernatural tales, and as a transplanted college student, seemed more like ghost stories intended to keep children from misbehaving.  She hadn’t heard of any actual werewolves confirmed in the last few centuries, and this was probably not a real case.  As far as she was concerned, superstitious hocus-pocus wasn’t going to keep her from hiking in the valley.  It’s lush rainforests, waterfalls, or Pali cliff overlooks were stunning, especially near sunset or sunrise.  A slice of nature surrounded by a growing metropolis.  

While the professor droned on at the front of the lecture hall, one of her closest friends slides into the seat next to her.

“You’re late Natsu,” she whispers, “class started 20 minutes ago.”

“Did I miss much?” the young man retorts.  Lucy shakes her head.  “Then I’m not late at all,” he grins back.

She rolls her eyes but can’t help a chuckle from escaping.  “Got any plans this weekend?”

“Tomorrow yeah,” he shifts in his seat, “but should be free Sunday.”

“How about you take me on a Dave ‘N Busters date Sunday so I can kick your ass at RD again.”

“You’re on!”

The next morning, Lucy awakens to perfect outdoor weather.  Balmy breezes lightly shifting her curtains and blue skies as far as the eye could see.  It seemed her roommate hadn’t made it back to their dorm in the night, probably staying the weekend with her boyfriend off campus.  Lucy sighs, and turns on her bed facing the window, maybe one day she’ll be able to do the same.  Yeah sure, Hell might freeze over before Natsu saw her in that way.  He was the best of friend that any could be, but no matter how many times she threw subtle hints or flirted with him, it all seemed to go right over his head.  Oh well, the times they spent together sufficed, but for now the valley was calling her name.

Not only did she like simply being surrounded by the peace and tranquility the forest could provide, it also served as a perfect, distraction free place to write her stories. Notebook, extra pens, fully charged laptop, trusty outdoor blanket, lunch, and ready to go, she ascends the Lulumahu Falls trail.  It was only a 2-mile hike round trip, but unlike some of the other trails in the area, this one cut through a bamboo grove and wasn’t one of the official paths.  As such, traffic tended to be lighter with fellow hikers opting for the maintained trails instead.

She reaches the end of the line and finds a shady area with large flat boulders to sit on.  Thank goodness for the recent sunny weather.  The trail had been mud-free, humidity was lower, and the air was crisp.  Lucy takes out her laptop, balancing it on her thighs and gets to work, letting the sounds of the forest send her into a rhythm.  Her words flowed forth like the gentle burbling of the nearby stream of the same namesake.  Hands gliding across the keyboard like the chirping birds around her.  Every now and again there was a crackle of a falling branch, or footsteps of a fellow nature seeker, but she paid these no mind, her characters keeping her enthralled.

It was great when ideas came to her so easily.  The infamous writers block plagued her from time to time, but not today, and it wasn’t until the light was growing dim that she realized how long she’d been in the writing zone.  Oh crap!  It may still be warm for fall, but the sun also set quicker in these later months.  She checks the time on her phone and guestimates another hour tops before she needed to get out of there.  Alright, this chapter was almost finished, she could make it!

She didn’t make it.

And by the time she’d stumbled into what she assumed was the Kaniakapupu Ruins, it was dark, cell phone coverage was nil, and it was growing a bit chilly.  Thank goodness for her blanket!  Lucy had two options, keep trying to find her way out through unmarked trails and risk getting more lost, or staying put until morning.  The clear skies were in her favor and the bright harvest moon chased away some of the darkness.  She groans and finds a decent rock to plop onto, guess she’ll just hunker down for the night.  

About a half mile away, deeper into the Nu’uanu valley, something catches the scent of the lone female, but that wasn’t good, for he recognized the scent.  ‘What is she doing here and on this night of all nights?!’  He came here to hide during this phase of the month, an ancient calling against his bloodline to guard the heiau of Kaheiki.  Legend has it, his ancestor had impregnated a human female shortly before being killed by a chief from the island of Hawaii, and to atone for that progenitor’s misdeed’s, a descendant was born as a Kaupe every hundred years or so to guard the heiau of the priest that helped to stop it’s rampage.

A thousand years later, it was Natsu’s bad luck that this curse fell upon his generation and with puberty came the confirmation.  He tried consulting the most knowledgeable kahuna’s and priests he could find in the hopes of breaking the curse, but they all told him the same thing, this was his ancestors atonement and only the gods could see fit to change that.  Yeah, well his family had been punished enough for something they hadn’t even done.  It wasn’t fair in this modern era to keep suffering like this.  All he wanted to do was settle down some day like a normal person, but who would want a freak like him?

Natsu’s worries were confirmed the moment he crept up to the ruins and sees Lucy sitting on a rock all bundled up.  With his keener eye sight, he can see her hiking back pack near her feet and puts two and two together that she must have gotten lost.  He could only imagine how cold she must be with nothing more than a light blanket to stay warm with.  At least his fur helped with that, but it was still another 10 more hours before the sun will rise.  Natsu paces as he weighs his options.  Great, so what should he do?  He couldn’t leave her all alone.  But if he made his presence known it might scare the wits out of her.  

He fails to realize that Lucy is now staring in his direction.  It was strange at first the mixed scent of Natsu and canine.  She couldn’t see him through the darkness but knew he was out there somewhere, but putting the clues together and it wasn’t a total shock.  Lucy groans internally at the irony.  The man had been keeping a secret, though she was no better.

“Natsu,” she lets out an exasperated exhale and stands up.  “You might as well come out I know you’re there.”  

That was impossible!  How could Lucy know that he was there in the first place, and second, he wasn’t some random person!  He hears her sigh.  

“Natsu, I can pick up on your scent, now please just come out.”

With a lot of trepidation, he steps beyond the tree line into the clearing.  “Lucy… but how??”

“Just come closer,” she sits back on her rock, “we both have a lot of explaining to do.”

Okay things were getting a little weird, and considering he was the werewolf, to think this was all really strange was… Weird!  No one outside of his family had ever seen him in this form because he’d done well to stay completely hidden from humans, and even though clearly this woman knew it was him, Natsu was still hesitant to let Lucy see him for what he was.  It was also a bit unnerving how unfazed she seemed to be.  He finds a fallen log about 10 feet away from her and sits down on the edge of it.  If he needed to take off again, it would only take mere seconds to do so.

Lucy adjusts the blanket around her body, then props her head with her hand against her knee.  “I assume you are confused?”  Natsu nods.  “Back home, my family hails from a long line of hunters…. Creature hunters.”  She tips her head, “I remember my mom telling me how my great, great, grandfather immigrated to America to establish a line of Heartfilia’s in the new world.  I think it’s silly and I moved here to get away from it all because I didn’t want to continue the tradition.”  An exasperated sigh escapes her lips.  “How ironic that I run into one so easily.”

“That still doesn’t make sense.  How did you know it was me?”

She taps her nose.  “I can track.  Look I know it seems strange, and it’s not normal for a human to do that so easily.  How do I explain it…  Somewhere in my family line, an ancestor was imbued with a few abilities.  I can’t see in the dark, which is why I’m stuck here, but an enhanced olfactory system allows me to detect scents, especially inhuman ones.”

“And, what do creature hunters do exactly?” his voice filled with an air of hesitancy.

“In the old days, they hunted to kill.”

Natsu tenses up and leans back, “should I leave?”

Lucy just waves her hand, “I came here to Hawaii to get away from that life.  Just wanted to be normal, ya know, but it seems I can’t run away from it either.”  She shivers as a breeze funnels through the clearing.

“Are you cold Lucy?  I’m sorry I don’t have a jacket or anything and I can’t leave the area till morning.”

“Why not?  In fact,” she pats the area next to her, “come closer and tell me your story.  It’s only fair since I shared mine.”

“I--I really don’t like anyone seeing me like this, you’re the first outside of my family to.”

“I’m not gonna hurt you and I don’t care what you look like.  I know you’re still you.”  Natsu shakes his head.  “Suit yourself.”  Lucy stands up, gathers the blanket around her and trudges over.

“Wait, what are you doing!” Natsu scrambles to his feet, tripping, and falling backwards over the log with a thud.

She rushes over to help him up, “Are you okay?!”

He rubs the back of his head, “I’ve got a hard head,” he winces, “more my pride that got hurt.”

Lucy chuckles, “see,” she pulls him to his feet, “should’a just stayed still.”

After getting him to come back to the rock with her, Lucy pulls her feet into a cross-legged position. “Alright, now spill.”

With a deep exhale, Natsu lets the words flow.  Everything he knows about his family, the curse, and what it’s like to be a Kaupe….  

All the while Lucy sits quietly not wanting to interrupt him.  She’d heard other tales of werewolves, old legends and such, including the idea of a curse causing the transformation.  Though this was the first time she’d heard of a curse carrying on through a bloodline before.  Guess, there is a first time for everything.  The tale he told was heartrending.  Their family’s ancestor may have been cursed because of a cold-blooded killer nature, but the man sitting next to her was nothing like that.  Natsu would give you the shirt off his back if you were in need and he always made her feel safe, especially at night.  If only there was a way to break the curse.    

Having determined for herself what kind of soul lay behind his Olivine hues, the longer she stared at him, it occurred to her that Natsu… wasn’t that bad looking in this condition.  Hawaii didn’t have wolves so did that make him more of a Weredog?  Not that she truly knew what a werewolf or weredog was supposed to look like since old tales differed on appearance.  Some depicted them as more human with canine features, others as more canine-like and barely human anymore.  Almost all of the stories described large fangs and claws dripping with blood, no ability to discern right from wrong or with any human consciousness left.  Boy were they wrong in this case!  Natsu was fully aware of himself and more scared than she was.  

His human fangs did look a bit longer than normal, his eyes still green but more canine-esque, with claws on his fingers and toes.  Tufts of fur covered the parts of his body that she could see, but he wore a t-shirt and baggy pants, so it wasn’t much.  A tail was definitely coming out of his lower back with pointy ears growing through his pink head hair.  Lucy tips her head, those ears were really cute!  She wondered what he would do if she rubbed them…

“Ahem.  Are you even paying attention anymore?!”

“Huh?”  Lucy shakes her head.  “Sorry,” her face flushes and she’s glad it’s too dark to see it.  “Curiosity and all.”

“I can’t let you touch them, so don’t even think about it.”

“Touch what?”

Natsu rolls his eyes, “my ears that you’ve been staring at for a solid 5 minutes.”

“Oh, why not,” she pouts.

“Because they are sensitive.”  Okay that was a semi-lie.  They were sensitive but rubbing them made him feel good in a provocative manner.  “So, as I was saying, we have no idea how to break the curse, no one in the family ever knows who in the next generations will become the next one, but it usually happens when the current Kaupe is close to death.”

“Is this why you’ve never tried to make a move on me?”

Well that was blunt!  “Um, I guess, yeah…” he scratches his head, “wh-what makes you think I would have?”

Lucy shrugs her shoulders a little sad by his response, “wishful thinking, I guess.  Anyways, don’t worry, your secret is safe with me Natsu.”

“Y-you know Lucy,” he averts his eyes to the ground, “if I had… asked… what would you have answered?”

“Yes,” she turns his chin back and smiles, “I do like you, if that wasn’t already obvious.”  Chuckling, “I just figured you only saw me as a friend.”

He takes a leap, “what about now, even after knowing this about me?”

“Hmm,” Lucy leans against him, resting her head on his furry shoulder, “the huntress and the werewolf,” she chuckles, “it sounds like a movie plot, but,” she looks up and smiles, “yeah, I’d still like to be your leading lady.”

[megsironthrone]

Looking After Him

Based on this request:  Hi Meg! Can you please write a fic where Petyr is very ill and the reader looks after him till he's better. Your choice if you want to make it modern au or not. Thanks!

AND:  Hi Meg! So happy that you've opened your ask box again!! Can you please write a Hospital AU where Petyr is either really sick or badly injured and the Reader finds him and takes him to the hospital?

Here you are, lovelies! I do not own Petyr. He belongs to George R.R.Martin. 

Warnings: Modern/Hospital AU! Mentions of illness. Fluff

Pairings/Characters: Petyr Baelish x reader

To say you were worried would be an understatement. As you glanced at the clock yet again, you felt yourself nearly panicking. Petyr was NEVER late. Ever. It wasn't that the two of you were together or anything. You were just business partners, no matter how much you wished differently. But the two of you had dinner together every couple of weeks in order to discuss business. It was your turn to cook instead of going out and Petyr was late. Very late.

           After you'd been waiting for nearly an hour, your phone rang. Seeing Petyr's name on the screen, you answered the call. "You better have a good reason for standing me up, Baelish," you joked. "Y/N,," Petyr's voice sounded completely ragged, "Help." Your brows furrowed as you moved to the window.

           You gasped when you saw Petyr lying face-down on your lawn. Leaving the now stone cold food, you darted out into the rain where Petyr was. "What happened?" Petyr didn't look so well. He was extremely pale. You pressed your wrist to his forehead. He was burning up and he was wheezing. You wanted to smack him for being so ridiculous. You knew he worked a lot, but working when he was obviously sick enough to pass out was just plain stupid in your book.

           Struggling a little, you managed to get Petyr up off the ground and wake him up enough to walk into the house. You laid him down and placed a cool rag on his head. Once he was comfortable, you got yourself ready to go out. You had no medical training so you knew you'd have to take him to the hospital. You didn't say anything to him about it. If you had, you knew he'd refuse to go like the stubborn man he was.

           Once you were ready, you tried to help Petyr to his feet again. He was all but asleep, but he was still wheezing horribly. You hated the sound. Somehow, you managed to get up and out to your car. He was shaking so you grabbed a blanket from the house and then drove to the hospital. He coughed, wheezed, and shook the whole time and you were worried he wasn't going to make it.

           You got Petyr checked in as soon as possible. When you tried to go back with him, however, the nurse told you it was family only. "He doesn't have any family!" you protested, but the nurse shrugged. "I'm sorry. I can't let you back there and I can't give anyone who isn't family any information." You let out a huff and sat down. How were you going to get back to Petyr when you weren't family? Crossing your arms, you started to think, eventually making your way outside to get away from the noise.

           You weren't outside long when the nurse came outside. "Excuse me?" You looked up at her and she smiled. "Look, I shouldn't do this, but I can see you really care for him and if he doesn't have any other family, someone should be there for him. So, I'll let you go back. If anyone asks, you're his fiance, okay?" You grinned and thanked her. She simply shrugged a little. "I know love when I see it." You felt yourself flushing, but didn't argue with her. "Thank you..." you paused to read her name plate, "Margaery." Then, you headed back inside.

           You heard Petyr before you saw him. He was barking out demands, making you shake your head. "Where is Y/N?" he asked before a coughing fit stopped his speaking. You sighed and rounded the corner. "Here I am, Petyr." He glared up at you. "You know I hate hospitals." You gave a little hum and turned to the doctor. You knew that would make Petyr angry, but you also knew he wouldn't tell you what was wrong with him. "What's the damage, doc?"

           "Well, I'm afraid your-" the doctor cut off and glanced at you. You smiled and replied, "Fiance." The doctor nodded. "Your fiance has pneumonia. Not severe enough for any permanent damage, but he'll have to stay here for a few days." Petyr's eyes grew wide. "A few days?! I will not!" You glared at him and for once, he actually grew quiet. You thanked the doctor, who left you alone with Petyr.

           You rounded on your business partner with an icy stare. "I don't care what that man says, I am not staying here." You arched a brow at him. "Yes, you are, Petyr. You've been working far too hard and look where it's got you. You could use the days to rest and they can keep an eye on you." Petyr fixed his green-grey eyes on you. "So could you."

           "Wh-" He cut you off with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Isn't that part of your duty as my fiance?" You huffed. "I just said that so they'd let me back here. You're staying right where you are." Petyr sat back on the bed, but didn't say anything at first. He never took his eyes off you until he finally spoke again.

           "But, how would it look if my fiance just left me sitting here for several days when there's work to be done?" You chuckled and argued that it would make it look like someone gave a damn about him and his health. He didn't have anything to say about that. "Y/N. if you force me to remain here, I will simply call you every chance I get to make all the work is getting done. You will never hear the end of it." You opened your mouth to argue, but he continued on.

           "However, if you were to escort either to your home or my own, you could look after me as the doctor wishes, we could get work done, and you can have some peace of mind." You felt your lips turn down into frown. He had a point. And if he was bugging you at all hours over the phone, you'd never get any work done. "Damn," you muttered. You hated when he manipulated the situation like that. "I'll talk to the doctor."

           Despite talking to the doctor, he was adamant that Petyr remain in the hospital. That really left you with one option if you wanted any semblance of peace. Work from the hospital with Petyr. So that's what you did. Every day, you'd go to the hospital, laptop in hand, and sit with Petyr while you got work done. The only problem was that Petyr grew bored rather easily since he was only able to sit in bed and talk.

           It was only a little bit of a problem though because it gave you a chance to learn more about Petyr. You grew even closer to him and hoped he felt the same way about you. And you found him looking at you with a different look in his eyes than normal. You couldn't place what it was, but you didn't care. You hoped he was at least grateful that you were there with him, looking after him as he recovered.

           "Alright, as long as you don't have any setbacks, you should be able to leave tomorrow, Mr. Baelish," the doctor said after Petyr's fourth day in the hospital. He left the room and you smiled at Petyr. "Well, it's about time. Wasting the day away in bed for such a thing is ridiculous." You chuckled lightly as you looked at the clock. "Lunchtime. I'll be back in a bit." You rose up and started for the door. Then, you felt a bit of pressure around your wrist.

           You looked back to see Petyr giving you a small smile that surprised you. It wasn't the fact that he was smiling, but for the first time since you'd met him, the smile actually seemed to reach his eyes. He brought your hand up to his face and kissed your palm. "Thank you, Y/N." His gaze meet yours and his eyes pierced through you. There was a sincerity there you'd never seen before. You shuddered a little at the intensity of his gaze.

            "Y-You're welcome." He let go of your wrist and you darted from the room, your heart beating a mile a minute. Things with your business partner just got a lot more interesting. You smiled to yourself thinking that maybe you'd have to look after him more often.

(a/n: I hope you like it. I’m a little out of practice with writing Petyr)

@brewsthespirit-blog @ghostie-writes @littlemisscaptainfandom @etherealpotter @line-viper @frozenhuntress67 @cd1242 @sol-martell

[actualtext]

08/02/21

GOODNESS GRACIOUS. THERES SO MUCH TO UPDATE fdjsaklf Reason being- I only like to post from my laptop. Fuck texting all this text. lmao

07/23/21: Dad's Karaoke/Girls night/Amy Winehouse tribute night RIP Amy. 10 years. wow. We miss you. We celebrated this icon by attending one of the many live tribute shows in our city. Who is "we"? Well a random group of girls who decided to get together cause one mutual friend was depressed af and needed us, that's who! Our mutual friend had posted something along the lines of wanting a hot girl hang out, cause she was depressed. Before she could react, me and another one of her friends came together and created a group chat to plan a get together. It was lovely and wholesome. 10/10 would do again.

After the tribute event, we decided we wanted to continue our hang out, but that we needed something a little more lively. (Pun not intended, RIP Amy!!) I recalled a passenger of mine (I'm a personal driver) mentioning that he hosted Karaoke at a place called "Dad's" so I brought up the idea of attending to the girls and they loved it. There was four of us total, and we all looked stunning, ofc. I sang "wanna be" by the spice girls after getting a feel of the crowd. I was drunk, but from what I remember, everyone absolutely loved it.

OMG but something crazy happened. Crazy at least to me. There was a guy doing karaoke when we arrived. He sang 1985 by Bowling for Soup, and I was just jammin' along while recording a snap cause he was just so into it and it was golden. He looked right at me and pointed into my camera and was all about being recorded. NGL, he was so cute. Anyways. I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew him from somewhere, and no- it wasn't just cause I thought he was cute and I thought we had a connection. I kept looking at him (probably seeming very creepy), and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Finally towards the end of the night, a name popped into my head (which is insane cause I have a SHIT memory). Edward. *Eye roll* NO, not twilight Edward. When I brought it up to the girls, that's what they instantly thought, and they assumed I was calling him my like... soulmate(?) or something. I don't know. But this guy, who I assume is named Edward, and I used to attend the same middle school (if it is indeed the guy I think it is.) What's even more insane is that, if I'm not mistaken, he has a little sister with my first name! I was too enthralled trying to figure out who he was while trying not to seem creepy (and probably failing) to ask him anything about himself. Didn't help that he was sitting with a gorgeous woman who totally intimidated me. Anyways, I never got to ask who he was, and all I have is that snapchat video of him saved on my phone (again, like a fucking creep). Edward, if you're out there... I love you.

JK

After karaoke, I drove my gf home. Almost peed my pants from drinking so much water, but made it to a convenient store before my bladder burst :) We stopped to get some tacos (ofc.) and then made it to her place safe and sound. When we arrived, her pal was there chillin' with her little sister. His name is John, and he's apparently really cool but I don't really know him like that. When I first met him, my gf was trying to hook us up, I think. She just said things like "He's single, you're single... it'd be really cool if two of my best friends dated." and shit like that. But like.. I don't know if he's my type. Politically, we're polar opposite, that's for sure. I'm a goof ball, and he doesn't like comedy movies... hahaha I don't know if those two things are even related but like... I don't know. SO ANYWAYS, we walk in, and I'm telling you, we look hot. My friend always looks hot tho, so the only one who really changed was me. And John made it a point to tell me. He said I looked "swanky" and when I asked what it meant, the way he described it was like it was a step above classy. I was flattered to say the least.

07/30/21 Kansas trip with my aunt Irma My cousin Ruben was going to be getting married on the 31st, my aunt was going to drive up to Kansas from Texas with her brother and his wife. However, as luck would have it, her brother's wife ended up falling ill. He was still willing to take her, but she felt that he should stay in town with his ill stricken wife so that in case anything happened to her, my aunt couldn't be to blame for taking her brother a way at a time of need. So because he wasn't going to be able to drive her, she called me up and asked me to do the deed. I thought it would just be me and her, but it ended up being me and her and her grandson.

The trip was pretty cool minus the fact that the very small town we stayed in had very limited food options, and for a vegetarian almost none. Getting there was no issue, but on the way back, my aunts grandson made me wanna bash my head into my steering wheel. I've never met anyone so disrespectful or ungrateful in my life. That's all I wanna say about that.

Lets talk about the wedding. My cousin that got married was unofficially adopted by a nice rich white family in Kansas. His mother was very grateful that this family had taken him in because they provided opportunities for my cousin that she simply would not have been able to as an impoverished single parent. At the wedding, I met this family. I was introduced to the three biological sons (all of whom were handsome). I had my eye on the oldest one (not seriously though, cause.. I live in Texas), but by the end of the night, I swear their mother was trying to hook me up with her youngest son. I drank and danced and had so much fun, I even ended up befriending the girlfriend of the oldest son that I had my eye on :p

The trip was 11 hours one way, so 22 in total. Plus, going to visit my now married cousin's brother who lives 3 hours from where we were staying, two separate occasions (a total of 12 hours). In total, I drove 34 hours in one weekend. *cries internally*

08/03/21 Photo Editing Photo editing is definitely going to have to wait till tomorrow (it's Currently midnight, so later today?) cause I'm so dang exhausted. I just wanted to journal a little cause the trip really took a lot out of me. I didn't realize how big of an impact talking about my life would have, even if it's just on a website that no one is ever going to look at.

I will be editing some photos I took of a local band, and I'm really excited to send those to them. I'm not a professional photographer, I wouldn't even say I'm an amateur photographer, cause photographers have skills and certifications and know how to edit. I simply crop and occasionally fix the colors, but nothing major like photoshop.

These poor guys in this local band have been waiting months for their photos and I simply suck at remember to get shit done, so here I am months later up at midnight talking about how I'm going to eventually send the pics to them. ha! I don't know what else to say on this topic without making me look like even scummier scum, so I'm going to leave it at that. Goodnight, Tumblr. Try not to judge me too hard :(

[writingwife-83]

Night Shift

I was liking the mention in TLD that Molly was coming over later to keep an eye on Sherlock at Baker St. so I thought I’d write a little something. This is sprinkled with angst, but it’s got some nice fluff too. And I also feel like it fits a prompt that @vegasring gave me a little while back. Enjoy! ;) (oh and this is almost 3k words. Will definitely be putting it on AO3 soon, but I kinda couldn’t wait to share it. Thank goodness for the read more option lol!)

“You want tea?” Molly asked as Sherlock tossed his scarf and coat onto the couch.

“Thank you, yes,” Sherlock agreed, taking a seat in front of his laptop.

Molly puttered around the kitchen for a few minutes, slowly setting up to make the tea. While doing so she glanced at the time. It was almost half past eight now. She hadn’t minded taking a long shift overnight. Especially since it was either that or stay with Rosie overnight. At this point it was a toss up which would lose her more sleep. Sherlock was a restless recovering addict but poor Rosie was an unsettled infant, missing something she could not fully express or even comprehend. At least here at Baker St, she didn’t have to hold back tears every time the baby woke up and Molly was met with a face which was only minimally comforted by her appearance. She could always see a tiny hint of panic in Rosie’s eyes, wondering where that other face was…her favorite face. Molly knew that it would take some time before she’d simply stop looking for it.

She walked over with the tea just as Sherlock was shutting his laptop.

“Nothing good?”

“Doesn’t London understand that I need to be kept busy at the moment?” he complained.

“Well that’s what we’re all doing here,” Molly responded cheerily as she settled into John’s chair with her tea. “We’ll keep you busy.”

“Drinking tea?” He rolled his eyes while taking a sip.

Molly shrugged. “Or whatever else you’d like to do. I’ll do anything.”

Sherlock looked over and raised a brow, prompting Molly to give him a warning glance.

“Obviously not anything. But you know what I mean.”

“You should have brought body parts,” he said with a sigh, setting his tea cup down.

“That did occur to me. Sorry, there just wasn’t really anything available today.”

Sherlock appeared a bit impatient, his knee bouncing steadily. Molly felt her own nerves mounting. It wasn’t even all that late yet and she’d have to keep him busy till morning. And with Sherlock, it was hard to tell how much he’d actually end up sleeping.

“I don’t believe I’ve come down from the high yet,” he muttered.

“What?” Molly’s eyes widened a bit.

“Sugar high, Molly,” he clarified.

She released a breath she’d been holding for a moment. “Ah…right.” She smiled. “Worth it though. Good cake, I’d say.”

“Mm.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Speaking of which, I should send a picture to Mycroft.”

Molly giggled. “We did invite him but your poor brother had a meeting.”

“You honestly think he had a meeting?” Sherlock asked with a laugh while typing away on his phone. “He has a meeting whenever he’s invited to a social function he’d like to avoid. Trust me, he deserves to see this picture. Besides, it’s hardly right for me to be the only one going without. Got to remind him of what he’s missing!” He punched the send button dramatically.

“Misery loves company, eh?” She winced. “Not that I’m suggesting you’re literally miserable.”

Sherlock’s features fell just a touch. “Aren’t we all, in a way?” he asked softly, and the answer was of course yes.

A bit of silence settled in then and Molly started feeling a little uncomfortable. She finally got up and walked over to peruse the bookshelf, hoping to find something interesting and perhaps motivate him to follow suit. She was pleasantly surprised when Sherlock got up as well, though he picked a different activity…his violin.

The next two hours were spent without conversation. Sherlock played and made notes, apparently writing something new, and Molly found a fascinating book on psychology and quickly become absorbed in that.

"I think I'll have a shower," Sherlock finally announced as it was nearing eleven.

Molly shut her book and smiled. “Sure, that’s fine. I’ll just…be here.”

He gave her a little nod and then exited the room. Molly did her best to go back to focusing on the pages of the book as she heard the washroom door close, the shower turn on, and the curtain slide closed. It became a tiny bit harder to ignore what he was doing when she heard…was that humming? Molly clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud, despite being out of earshot. She couldn’t quite make out the tune, but he was most definitely humming in the shower. She shook her head a smiled. How was it possible that even now, even given the circumstances, she found little ways to fall further in love with him?

In about twenty minutes Sherlock emerges fresh and clean, in his pajamas and dressing gown with his hair still a bit damp. The smell of his soap wafted a bit as he walked by and Molly wondered if perhaps it was better for her heart to start leaving the night shift to John and Mrs. Hudson.

He settled in his chair again and his fingers began flying on his mobile. “Thank God Twitter never sleeps,” he muttered softly.

Molly yawned, probably unconsciously triggered by the word sleep. “And what about you? Are you not planning on sleeping?”

"Mm, not tired.” A moment later though, he looked over at her half reclined on the couch. “No need for you to stay up though. You can certainly take my bed.”

As tempting as the thought was of curling up in his no doubt luxurious and delicious smelling bed, Molly had resolved not to sleep unless he did. She knew what the silence did to him, and she refused to leave him alone with that sort of torment.

“Oh I’m not really all that tired,” she said, probably a bit too brightly.

Sherlock smirked while looking back down at his phone. “You’re a truly terrible liar. How will you stay awake at the hospital tomorrow?”

“I took a later shift. If I’m tired I’ll nap a bit tomorrow morning before I go in.”

Unexpectedly, something shifted in Sherlock's eyes, as if he’d just had a thought. He set the phone down on the side table and grazed the edge of his forefingers over his lips and chin. Finally he glanced over at Molly again.

“Speaking of your job, Molly,” he began, looking instantly hesitant. “Would you say that your career-” He paused again, the next words getting a little tangled in his throat. “Completes you…as a human being?”

Her first reaction was to let out a short laugh at the wording. He seemed rather serious though, so she cleared her throat. "Completes me as a human being? Well, I dunno, that seems a tall order for a regular old job.”

He tipped his head a little in genuine confusion. “Why? You enjoy it.”

Molly nodded. "I do, yeah. I love what I do."

“Ah!” he exclaimed, looking pleased. “There you go, you love it!”

She pursed her lips. “I still don’t know if I’d say it completes me though.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “You’re good at it, you love it, it supports you materially…what exactly is it lacking?”

She paused for a moment and then shrugged one shoulder just slightly. “It’s still just a job, you know? It’s not a person. Not living or breathing. Maybe I love doing the job but…” The rest was a tiny bit harder to get out. “Well, it could never love me back, could it?”

He blinked and then swallowed. “So it has to be something- someone- who will love you?”

Molly gave him a tight smile. “That’s the idea I think, yeah.”

Sherlock nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Although," Molly added, feeling the need to clarify a bit even as she cringed in embarrassment at the path her words took. “Sometimes getting the same in return isn’t necessarily the most important thing. When you love someone, I mean.”

"So..." he began slowly, eyes narrowing. “If you love a person, that in itself can be fulfilling?”

She inhaled slowly and deeply while smiling. “Right. Sometimes…in some ways…that’s enough.”

He considered this for a moment and then drew a breath. “John and I disagreed today about what is needed to feel complete.”

“Do you feel complete?”

His eyes shot to hers, maybe a bit faster than she’d expected in response to her soft question.

“Sometimes,” came his low rumbling answer. “Do you?”

Her brow shot up a little, not really expecting him to turn the question to her.

Molly was embarrassed to feel the lump form all too quickly in her throat. “Sometimes,” she echoed.

“It’s no wonder John believes all that I suppose,” Sherlock said with a little huff and then added softly, "She's not even here anymore.”

“What?”

He looked at Molly solemnly. “Mary. She’s not even here…and yet she moves him. She still moves John to be…better. Better than he sees himself to be anyway.” He sniffed. “Of course, technically it’s all in his head I suppose. But there’s still something surprisingly and profoundly powerful about all of that. So I suppose he would have his own logical reasons for urging me to pursue a similar course.”

Molly tried to turn her head away a bit and covertly wipe the tears that had started to overflow from her eyes. She didn’t completely conceal herself though, because as she turned back, there he was standing by the couch looking a bit concerned.

“Forgive me,” he said in a contrite tone. “I didn’t realize that would bother you.”

Molly shook her head and smiled. “No, it’s ok, it’s not your fault. I just-“ She had to wipe more tears away. “I get emotional anytime I hear about Mary.”

He very slowly moved forward and took a seat, though it was at the opposite end of the couch.

“You’d become close,” he stated.

She nodded. “Well yeah. But I mean, it’s a bit more than that right now.”

Sherlock frowned slightly. “What is it then?”

Molly waved her hand at the question. “It’s silly,” she said with a shaky laugh. “I’m just making something out of nothing.”

He leaned back and lifted his palms for a moment. “What else have we got to pass the time? Care to try a bit of therapy? John swears by it.” He smiled.

She let out a short chuckle and sniffled a little more. His smile was surprisingly comforting. She felt safe once his lips had lifted like that, and somehow she couldn’t help agreeing. Maybe she really should share what had been weighing on her.

“Ok well, please don’t tell me I’m being ridiculous, ok?”

“I’m not technically a professional, so I can promise I won’t attempt a diagnosis,” he stated, keeping the mood light.

Molly drew a deep breath of courage. “I just- I can’t help but feel…guilty when I think about Mary.” She glanced at him nervously.

His brow furrowed again. “What could you possibly have to feel guilty about?”

She licked her lips. “Nothing I did, of course. It’s more how I feel sometimes.” The next part was what really got her pulse racing. “How I feel when I see you.”

She could feel his focus on her heighten at that moment, and the lightness of mood very quickly vanished.

“Do you know what I thought that day?” Molly asked, going on while twisting one of the buttons on her cardigan. “When Mrs. Hudson called and told me what had happened? She told me everything and I- I though-“ She stopped, feeling her breath catch again, having to whisper her next words. “Thank God he’s alive.”

Sherlock looked almost terrified as he watched her eyes well up again.

Molly gulped back some tears. "And every time I see that beautiful baby girl, and I see John barely able to get up every day and put one foot in front of the other…” She inhaled in gasps. “In the same breath I feel myself thinking about how glad I am that you’re still alive and here with us, and then I hate myself for being so selfish!”

She didn’t dare look over at him then, but kept her eyes safely downward and only occasionally lifted a hand to wipe the moisture away from her face. He was silent, and she was grateful. Because in that moment she wasn’t sure she’d want to hear what he was thinking. She’d come this far and figured she may as well keep going.

Molly blew out a heavy breath and then leaned back. “I wish they could have Mary back. I wish that for John and Rosie, I really do. And I’d do anything to make that happen!” she said firmly. But her face crumpled again quickly. “But God, I’m so grateful it wasn’t you.”

There was a long silence as Molly took cleansing breaths and dried her face. She had almost begun to wonder if Sherlock had decided to mentally check out. She wouldn’t blame him. Probably not the best timing for her to heap her emotional burdens on him when he was just doing his level best not to shoot up in the loo.

“It means that much to you?”

The low sound of his voice made her finally look over. And what she saw made her eyes cloud over once again. He looked awestruck and humbled, his eyes searching hers desperately.

She licked her lips and nodded. “Yeah, it does.”

He pressed his eyes shut, turning away for a moment before looking back at her just as intensely. “How can it? How is that possible?”

Molly felt the blood pumping in her ears again. “Because it’s just- that’s how much I, um-“ She faltered and chewed her lip for a moment. She was going to try again, but she forgot how when she felt his hand enclose hers.

She looked over in shock. He wasn’t looking at her, but his hand was squeezing hers so tightly and his thumb was moving just a bit over her knuckles.

“Thank you,” he said, almost inaudibly.

He paused for quite a long time and Molly was too frozen in awe to move or say anything else.

“I know I have certainly considered it an error,” he added. “For Mary’s life to be lost in place of mine. The trade seems so incredibly unjust.”

Molly could barely stand to hear him speak that way. “Sherlock, nobody feels that way. No matter how destroyed everyone is to lose her, nobody would ever want to lose you either.”

He turned and his eyes reached out to her again. “Yes, but don’t you see? Nobody else has said it. They’ve all admitted it can’t be changed, I’ve been helped and supported, and even forgiven and assured I’m not at fault. But I hadn’t heard anything like your words till now…thank God he’s alive,” he repeated her wording with a very slight tremor in his voice.

Molly squeezed his hand hard in response and was able to manage another smile. “Everyone is thinking it, I promise. We’re all grateful to have you with us, even if we did lose someone else we love. Which might explain our anger at how terribly you’ve been treating your life lately,” she added pointedly.

Sherlock’s lips twitched upward momentarily. “There, you see? There’s something to be said for your supposedly selfish feelings after all. Perhaps I needed to hear it.”

"Well I can say it again and again, any time you want,” she said with a little laugh, relieved to feel her tears finally drying. Strangely enough this did actually help quite a bit. She’d never considered that the thoughts which made her feel rather guilty could be a bit of a lifeline for him. It felt almost…redemptive. She even ventured to think that he could be experiencing the same thing. That was what moved her.

“Come here,” Molly said and tugged on his hand, causing Sherlock to scoot over obediently.

Molly wasn’t offended by the instant look of hesitance in his eyes at the closer contact. This was Sherlock after all, and he wasn’t exactly cuddly. But she also didn’t mind asserting herself a little, given the circumstances. She leaned in closer and pressed a warm kiss to his cool cheek, drinking in the smell of his freshly washed skin as his stubble tickled in a way that was so heart wrenchingly normal, and then laying her head on his shoulder, all the while still clasping his hand tightly atop her leg.

It took a few moments for her to hear Sherlock gulp and then speak softly. “What was that for?”

“For making me feel better,” she said, and then added playfully, “I think there is something to be said for this kind of therapy.” She felt him chuckle. “And you know there is something to be said for what John told you too. He is right. It’s all true what he said. Even with some of the pain and trouble that goes along with it, that sort of love really is worth it in the end.”

More silence followed, prompting Molly to make a clarifying statement. "I'm sure it’s hard for you to believe. But I really do hope some day you see what everyone’s talking about.”

Molly felt her heartbeat rush as his arm encircled her shoulders and he craned his neck to press a kiss to her forehead. She felt him release a sigh and lean his cheek against her head as he answered softly.

“Maybe I’m already starting to.”

[bestfriendforhire]

Entry 272

  I sat on the yacht, watching many of the others swimming by the beach.  Alma didn’t come last night, much to my disappointment.  I had gone swimming with the others earlier but quickly gained a crowd after someone recognized me from Ancient Tribes of Earth advertisements.  Gaming seemed a safer plan for me at present, though my gaze kept checking on the others.  I knew nothing was likely to go wrong, but Portentia might well be nearby.  Considering her, I felt vigilance was a better option.

 “People die at their time, boss-man, sir.” stated Aaliyah.

 I quite nearly jumped, having just watched her dive under the water near the beach, but I said, “Is it their time?”

 “Nope.  You can relax, boss-man, sir!  This is a vacation!” she exclaimed, smiling at me.

 I sprawled out on the seat and told her “I’m the picture of relaxation.  Happy?”

 Aaliyah seemed to be considering when she tripped, falling behind the table.  I knew better than to check on her, but I was out of my seat in an instant, finding the bikini-clad form of Trix there.

 “I could help you relax.” she told me with a grin.

 I did not feel relaxed, thinking a hundred ways this could turn out badly.    I turned, hearing Shaurya approach.  Aaliyah was already gone again when I looked back.

 “Were you talking with someone?” he asked.

 “I sometimes feel I’m never alone.  Gets me mumbling to myself at times.” I teased.

 He smiled and sat at his laptop.

 I felt a bit guilty that I hadn’t done anything with my own Lieutenant Generals now that I was getting to know Jarod’s this well.  Should I invite them to my wedding?  Wedding… I might well get married in the near-ish future.  The idea still seemed strange to me.  On this day a year ago, I was trying not to think about class.  My senior year in high school was only halfway through.

 A chance meeting with Alma had drastically changed my life forever.  Would I have met Aaliyah again if hadn’t met Alma?  I tended to think I would have, simply because I had actually met Aaliyah years before.  She made a point to show me that moment, so I had to think it was important to her.  Still, I was grateful for meeting Alma.  I could no longer imagine a life without her and have any sense of happiness.  Marriage still seemed an odd idea in my mind.  I never thought of myself marrying shortly after high school.  Well, my plans for the future were never very solid if I could claim any real plans at all.

 My thoughts continued circling around my head as the gaming and beach watching stretched over several hours.  The others arrived back for a late lunch, which I found somewhat shocking in its form.

 “Evanna!?” I blurted when a boat pulled up to our yacht.

 “We deliver!” she replied.

 “Huh?” I asked.

 “You’ve seen it before, right?” she questioned, handing several brown bags with the logo of the Intergalactic House of Awesome Sauce to Aaliyah.

 “Ummm… yes.” I told her.

 “Then you know!” she claimed with a wink.  “Enjoy!”

 As she was driving off, Jarod exclaimed “Oh!  I do remember her.  Crazy that she got a job here now.”

 “I’d say she was lucky, but I really wouldn’t give up my current job to come work for the Intergalactic House of Awesome Sauce here.” stated Brandon.  “No need to worry, boss!”

 “Oh, Brandon, you’d still be working for James even if you did switch to here, remember?” asked Mila.

 “Yeah-yeah, but you wouldn’t get to see me every day!” he retorted.

 “I do have access to the restaurant’s security feeds, so you could never be certain.” she teased.

 “Well… uh…” he mumbled.

 “Whoa there, Mila.  Getting a little creepy, aren’t you?” claimed Marlin.

 “Puh-lease!” exclaimed Aaliyah.  “Mila has way better things to do than stalking Brandon!”

 “Hey now!  I’m totally worth stalking!” insisted Brandon.  “I’ll challenge everyone who says otherwise to a duel.”

 Aaliyah grinned.

 “Except Aaliyah.” stated Brandon.

 She pouted.

 “Well, I wouldn’t particularly be interested in stalking you either.” I pointed out.

 “Except Aaliyah and James.” he stated.

 “You know I must accept your challenge.” stated Mila.

 “Except Aaliyah, Mila, James, any of the girls from the bachelorette party...” started Brandon.  Noticing Jarod smirking, he quickly added “and Jarod.  Wait.  I’ll take on my sister, so she’s back in.”

 “You’d want your sister to stalk you!?” asked Jesse.

 “She’s my kid sister.  She was born to stalk me everywhere.” he insisted.

 “I wouldn’t really call her a kid.” stated Lake.

 Smiling, Mila informed him “I may have informed Brenna you said that.  She’ll be logging into the game shortly.”

 “The girls have internet?  Oh, she’s welcome to try taking me on!” exclaimed Brandon.

 “You didn’t say you’d be taking people on one at a time, so she has plenty of help.  Right, guys?” asked Aaliyah.

 Alec laughed and said, “You know I wouldn’t stalk Brandon, so I’m in.”

 “Me too.” stated Shaurya.

 Frowning, Brandon told them “Guys, come on…  I know you wouldn’t stalk me.”

 “Hey, I wouldn’t stalk you either.” insisted Lake.

 “You’re gonna be eating your words.” added Jesse.

 Smiling, Marlin said, “It is so on.”

 “Guys, this just isn’t fair!” claimed Brandon.

 Brandon futilely tried putting up a fight once everyone was ready, but there really wasn’t anything he could do, other than laugh and protest the unfairness of this little event.  Poor Elf Hottie took a brutal beating.  We continued gaming into the evening up till Aaliyah insisted we made our way to Bay Street.

 The crowds gathering were enormous, and we saw a parade coming down the streets.  New Year’s Eve in the Bahamas was apparently a big event.  Fireworks started early, and the celebration was everywhere.  We ended up hopping around between clubs for a while before we ended up on a beach party that lasted long into the night.  Tomorrow, we were heading home.  Given the smiles and laughs Jarod had, I deemed his bachelor party a success.