#split the lark

[avoyagetoarcturus]

Dickinson’s Sue and Emily at the opera inspired by this hilarious Kings Choice ad for @femslashfeb day 19: play 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩😂

[thatwritererinoriordan]

Sue Gilbert: I can't decide what to order at this restaurant.

Emily Dickinson: Do you want to split the lark?

[artbyblastweave]

The way in which I know that nobody on this website gives a single solitary fuck about Marvel Zombies by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips is that I have never seen anybody, aside from myself, right now, acknowledge how Kirkman just sort of casually included a decades-long mutual-pining functionally-asexual rebound-romance between the still-living severed head of reformed mass-murdering undead cannibal Janet Van Dyne (she's better now, she's very sorry about all that) and the octogenarian demure introverted mad scientist who's spent 40 years doing iterative upkeep and improvements on her neck-down full-body prosthesis. So much going on with that. Utterly batshit thing to just drop in there as a romantic b-plot. Relationship dynamic focus-tested at in a clandestine laboratory to give half of this website's core user base covid if, and this is crucial, if it were to appear in a single solitary work of fiction that was not Marvel fuckin' Zombies

[deadwooddross]

Buncha scribbles from the past week…featuring Lark just handing out Earnest Tenderness for FREE in the same page as bullying haruspex. Those ones are based on in game lines bc they’re funny as hell.

And of course: STAIRS!!

[jamiesfootball]

Always lowkey simmering a Leverage AU in the back of my head hear me out:

Ted is an ex-insurance investigator who was able to get his son life-saving medical treatment because his first, original Crime Pal Beard was like ‘Ted if your company doesn’t come through with the coverage, we’re doing things my way.’

The company did not come through. The company did let him go due to suspicion of Ted’s involvement in the incident, but Ted will happily remind folks that no charges were formally pressed. Henry is alive and healthy and living with Michelle, who divorced Ted shortly thereafter (not just because of pre-existing marital problems, but because Ted wouldn’t tell her anything about why the doctors “””suddenly decided to do the procedure for free”””). Shortly thereafter, Ted fled the country.

What Ted learned from the whole experience is that there’s a lot of people out there, good people just trying to live by the rules, but sometimes things happen that are just out of their control. And well- if we’ve got the means to help the good people out when no one else will, then shouldn’t we try?

“We’ve got means,” Beard agrees. “And motives.”

They do things Beard’s way now.

[masterrainb0w]

He had been so fragile- the boy who ended the world.

[kaseyskat]

hmmm. 22 or 24 for lovesong? if ur still doing these no rush or pressure tho :-)<33

(#22- a kiss in a rush of adrenaline- #24 a kiss in danger)

(for context: because i don't want this one to sound too similar to the other lovesong prompt, i ammmm going to set this in RWBY au! i'll explain some terms in the notes for yall so nobody is too lost :) my apologies)

~~

It isn't often that team TGLNS gets separated for missions. After all, the whole point of being teamed up is that they learn how to work as a team, and yet...

... well, they were told this situation required delicacy. They were split three-ways in the cover of the night: Lark would go on his own, completely cloaked by his semblance, while Grant and Terry covered them from behind, leaving Nick and Sparrow to pair up and secure the base they were sent to protect.

Fighting at night is always harder. Already, Grimm lurk in the shadows, and it is only the faint way Sparrow is glowing that wards them off for the time being- Nick is fairly positive that if she weren't using her semblance, they would've already been attacked.

Sparrow is quiet for once, though her hand trembles in Nick's own as they walk through the forest path towards the base. Her semblance - her own personal superpower, the way she can turn herself into light - certainly comes in handy to make her the world's prettiest night light, but it's a little unnerving to see the way she trembles ever so slightly in the dark.

"Hey," Nick whispers, squeezing her hand. "What's up?"

"I wish Lark were here," Sparrow admits, and she shivers as the breeze catches them both, ruffling her hair and his jacket sleeves in one gentle wave. "I'm worried about him."

"Your brother is gonna be fine, he's a total badass." Nick reassures, and he resists the urge to throw his arm around her, to hold her the way he's been longing for weeks now. "And he's entrusted your safety to me, so give him that same faith, huh?"

"I could kick ass without you," Sparrow retorts, but the silly quip works; she's not shaking so much, and her light is a little steadier as they approach the base.

Crazy that this is the base that criminals use. Nick swallows thickly as they stare at the door, the sounds of Grimm getting closer faint but not far off. "Your grandfather could be here," he murmurs, the words getting stuck in his throat. "Are you... okay with that?"

"My grandfather is a piece of shit who wants to make the world harder for everyone except himself," Sparrow scoffs, and she drops Nick's hand to summon her gauntlet, her form getting a little brighter. "I hope we run into him, so I can kick his ass properly."

Grimm are on their tail now, no longer warded off by Sparrow's semblance, and even though Nick is sure that Grant has their back from the trees and Terry is ready to spring to action if they need him, he can't help but vibrate with adrenaline- brothers above, he loves the thrill of a good fight, especially when he's in such good company. "Looks like the Grimm might get to us first," he warns, even as he summons his spear, his own semblance thrumming underneath his skin, waiting to be used. "Seems we won't get into this place without a fight regardless."

"Let's hope Lark's beaten us there, then," Sparrow says, and she clenches her gauntlet into her chest, spinning on her heels to face Nick. There is something dark in her eyes, even as her glow gets even more intense. "Ready for Operation Flash-Bang?"

"We were born ready," Nick grins.

Before he can use his semblance though, Sparrow does something completely unexpected: she leans up on her toes and draws Nick into a kiss. It isn't the first time they've kissed, but the way that Nick's heart is already beating rapidly from the oncoming fight coupled with how Sparrow's non-gauntlet-ed fist comes to tangle in his hair has him heady, faint.

"For good luck," Sparrow whispers while still against his lips, her breath warm and sending shivers down Nick's spine. "Let's kick some ass, shall we?"

"If you kiss me before every battle, I'll have to fight more often," Nick whispers right back, and he can't resist the urge to lean back in for one last quick kiss, lingering in her taste, her scent.

"Don't get too cocky," Sparrow teases when he straightens back up, but her cheeks are flushed, the light of her semblance doing little to hide it. "Now come on: it'll be embarrassing if Grant takes out more Grimm than we do from the trees."

"Pretty sure that's his job," Nick points out, but as Sparrow leaps into danger, gauntlet held in front of her and glowing brighter than ever, it's all he can do to follow her lead and activate his own semblance, his spear splitting in half as his form splits in two.

It's still a long shot, three against... however many Grimm face them in the woods, not to mention the White Fang rebels they might find in the base. But as long as they're together... Nick has no doubts that they'll be victorious.

[merp-blerp]

Taking poets’s poems and turning them into songs should be done way more and made its own famous genre.

[renegadeguild]

Renegade Edible Book Day 2023

And that's a wrap!

(actually, it's more like a taco?)

While efforts to wrangle the first annual Edible Book Week may have been a bit half baked, some of us are calling it a success! Two baking classes, a number of WIP edible photos shared, and enough puns to choke on-- we're here. April 1st! Edible Book Day!

Members of Renegade did not disappoint! Behold the tasty treats offered for your viewing pleasure!  And if you'd like, feel free to vote in our joke poll -- it's all for fun because clearly every entry is a winner!

Sushi Book 

created by  rhipiduridae

i like sushi and normally it’s smol and round and quite おいしい but now it’s flat and tho i’m shook i pick it up i lik the book

The Breakfast Pages (Pancake, egg, green onion and cilantro)

created by Lauren

If I would attempt this again I would experiment with adding flavor to the pages and the pancakes. While edible unseasoned and basic, not the most tasty.

Renegade's Other Motto

created by Daemonluna 

Nori cover ornamented with tofu skin, corn tortilla pages and mushroom letters attached with umiboshi paste, bound with cilantro stems.

I Don't Actually Like Ham

created by Lark

I would not make this again

A Sweet Snack

created by six

Dehydrated mango covers, crepe pages, pamphlet stitch with Twizzler. Very tasty!

Gingerbread tablets

created by Rachel Kadel

Writing practice, some cuneiform and some roman alphabet.  The cuneiform is mostly gibberish but says "Ashurbanipal" at least once.

Dyptic

created by anonymous

dyptic made of shortcrust and salted caramel, text written in blue food colour

My naym is Dyptic  and when of old  the peeple were sick scrolls to hold They split in half  now don't be schook a piece of wood to make first book

[alien-bluez]

raahhhh guh. another lineup, s2 kiddads. i love them so much they're rotating in my mind like a rotisserie chicken. god.

design notes for them under the cut if ur interested!

Grant

blue sweater bc blue is symbolic of titanic ep (something borrowed, something blue)

his tie color is the same color as Darryl's hat in my design

Wears Frank's watch that Darryl gave him, even if it's broken he doesn't take it off.

Green creeper socks because it's a Must. He wouldn't be Grant without them.

Sparrow

curly hair he got from mercedes' genes. he grew out his hair like lark

has a pink flower tucked in his hair like my henry's design

his jewelry and clothes are mostly borrowed from mercedes, he got really into crystals and other things like that growing up and got closer to his druid roots.

earrings are a feather and an oak leaf maybe i dunno i'll figure it out later lol

tattoos! there's supposed to be a bird outline there and other plant/nature related stuff on his arm. I'll draw it out better in the future mayhaps.

colors are brighter, more lifelike cuz he's closer to nature and all that jazz.

Lark

his hair has strands of white hair because of stress/trauma/Everything going on

hair is messier, unkempt because he cares less about appearances and doesn't have time anyways.

darker forest colors, less in tune with nature than sparrow.

his pants are the same color as my Henry's shorts :0) i needed a connection somewhere to his parents, and it just had to be henry.

Terry Jr.

purple shirt because his color is purple to me

fish motifs!! everywhere! i hc that when he and ron get closer bonding thru fishing they'd get each other fun fish printed shirts or something. This was Ron's gift to Terry. The colors of the fish are color picked from my Ron's design.

Fish tail tie and the shirt is also split like a fish tail maybe.

he's the tallest of the kiddads forever and always

Nicky

he wears glenn's sunglasses on his head

he grew out his hair long like morgan's because it's like the one thing he still really has of her. has her hair type and he takes very good care of his hair.

still has the ripped leather jacket from his time as nick and various patches of bands he likes (didn't want to draw them out yet.)

blue shirt because of his time as nicholas/reminder of jodie. blue holster belt and pants are also blue for jodie association

[verefex]

Caged Giant (Titan Origins) pt 4

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Content warnings in tags. It's hard being a titan.

How long had it been since that day? Crashing through the planet’s atmosphere, encased in rock, emerging from the cracked halves under tons and tons of soil.

Sky’s memory was foggy. It may have been a year. Perhaps two or three years.

“Here it is.” The giant said as his enormous self stood before the impact site. A tremendous crater, ringed by mounds of earth and rubble. In the center was a large meteor, mostly buried. Tire tracks and boot prints littered the ground, indicating that humans had investigated the site.

“It’s huge…” Lark said as she peeped out from the giant’s collar.

“Yup. This is where I woke up.” Sky said as he approached the center of the crater and crouched down, touching his fingers the dark space rock.

Lark became excited upon seeing the giant touch the meteor. Her curiosity got the better of her and she tugged at the titan’s shirt.

“Can I look at it? I’ve never seen a meteor before.” She asked, trying to hide her excitement.

“Sure.” Sky laughed as he reached up and let Lark jump into his hand before lowering it to the ground. Lark hopped off and approached the meteor, little blue eyes wide as she gazed up and down the surface.

“It looks like it’s been split in half, such a clean cut…” She uttered as she ran her fingers along the edges. It reminded her of a geode, with the inside being a lighter color than the rough outside.

Sky crouched over her, examining the buried meteor. He furrowed his brows as he gripped the edge, noting how clean the cut was, almost as if a laser split it open.

Lark gazed up at the enormous man above her, engulfed in his shadow. She found herself staring at his intense, serious expression.

“...Sky?” she said timidly, and the giant’s face turned to look at her.

“Huh? Oh. It’s just, you’re right. It was split almost perfectly down the middle. There’s no way it could have broken so evenly without a guide.” The giant’s words were solemn.

Lark looked from the giant’s face to the meteor. She nibbled on her knuckle in thought.

“How did you get encased in a meteor in the first place?” Lark asked the giant.

Sky blinked, then sighed as he sat back heavily on his rear with a loud thump. Lark stood frozen as the ground shook her, and she was met with the towering torso before her, his legs arched above on either side.

“I don’t remember.” Sky said softly. “I don’t remember anything except waking up to dirt falling into my eyes. I dug my way out between this broken hunk of rock. I was so exhausted and weak, I fell asleep as soon as I freed myself.”

Lark was quiet, intently listening to the giant as his hulking body surrounded her. Her little frame knelt down on the ground in the wake of the titan’s shadow.

“And when you woke up…?” She urged the giant to elaborate.

“I… felt this hunger that has never left me since then. Gnawing, aching, compelling me. It’s the only thing I’ve known, the only constant. I didn’t even have a name. I knew I came from the sky, so that was what I called myself.” The giant uttered as he recalled more and more.

“I started to learn about this planet, as I satisfied my hunger… I’d gain knowledge whenever I consumed something new. Humans. Animals. Plants and minerals. Nothing was off the menu. And there are endless things to discover on this planet.” Sky’s face became darker as he went on, and Lark’s nervous little hands gripped her thighs in the presence of an enormous all-consuming being.

“So… is that your goal? To… eat everything?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” Sky huffed as he stared at the meteor again, almost wishing that it would talk to him and provide answers.

“It was the same thing every day for me… until I got captured. And then I met you.” The titan eyed the small woman under his gaze. “Since then I have been… conscious about the decisions I make and how they impact the lives of humans. Until I find out what my true purpose is here, that’s what I’m sticking to.”

Lark felt her cheeks warm as the weight of her decision to free Sky became apparent. She found herself devoted to unraveling his mysteries, anything to keep him interested in her.

Is that really what she wanted? She shook her head.

“Wow, that’s… really awesome.” Lark smiled up at the giant as she stood up. “It’s unfortunate that you don’t remember anything about your past, though.”

“It’s all I’ve known, so it’s fine.” Sky said as he leaned forward, gripping his thighs as he stared down at the human peering up at him. “I just don’t know where to start looking for answers. This meteor doesn’t tell us much.”

“You sure about that?” Lark asked cheerfully. “Maybe you can dig it out and see the full thing, that might help.”

Sky grumbled as he looked at the partially buried meteor. It was under heaps of dirt, but perhaps Lark had a point.

“Alright. You might want to stand back.” The giant said as he reached down and plucked Lark off the ground, then leaned over and set her safely to the side.

The titan then rolled up his sleeves on his pristine white jacket and got to work scraping dirt away with the largest rock he could find. Clouds of dust filled the crater as he dug and dug, his jacket now a shade of rusty orange as he finally loosened enough earth and was able to pull one half of the meteor out of the ground with tremendous effort.

The two observed the cylindrical rock. The outer surface was rough, but smooth to the touch, like cooled lava. The most curious trait, however, was the interior. Rather than rock, it had a likeness to metal, with a green sheen inlaid with etchings and port structures.

“I guess it’s… not a meteor?” Sky rumbled as his fingers ran across the etchings.

“Wait, let me see!” Lark yelled from the edge of the crater, and Sky reached over and picked her up, bringing her up to the inner surface.

“You’re right, it’s etched metal.” Lark said as she touched the smooth, curved surface from the safety of the giant’s hand. “It’s like it was manufactured this way.”

“Huh… look at the outside, too. It’s not even rock, it’s just burnt and melted metal, I think?” The giant said as he touched the rough outer edges.

“It probably looked a lot different before being burnt up coming through the atmosphere… I can’t believe you survived the crash, Sky.” Lark said, looking up at the confused titan from his palm.

“Must be really tough stuff. It kind of looks like an escape pod, so it’s meant to crash. But that still doesn’t explain why I’m here in the first place…” Sky sighed as he stood up and looked at the giant melted pod, the other half still mostly buried in the earth.

As the giant stood, clouds of dust and dirt fell from him. From his outstretched palm held at chest height, Lark could see streaks of brown and orange all over his jacket.

“Oh, your coat!” She said suddenly, and Sky looked down at himself. He blinked and looked at Lark with a calm expression.

“It’s fine, it’s washable.” The giant said as he used his fingers to brush off some of the dirt.

“Hmm, well it’s not like there are washing machines for clothes your size.” Lark sighed as she examined the titan’s enormous thick coat, padded and lined for warmth. She then blinked suddenly as she realized something inexplicable about the hulking man’s wear.

“Sky… where did you get that coat, anyways?” She asked up at the giant. “You didn’t even have a shirt on when I first met you.”

“Uh… I don’t know how to explain this, but it kind of just appeared.” Sky said flatly as he held the woman in his hand closer to his face.

“...please try to explain.” Lark replied, her face blank.

“Okay, so, after we escaped and parted ways, I was pretty cold without most of my clothes. It does take a lot for me to get cold, but the next night I remember I started shivering. Then, my insides glowed blue under my skin, and I got real warm.” Sky said as he gestured with his free hand, then grabbed the loose collar of his jacket.

“And then, these clothes appeared on me. And I been wearin’ em since.” The giant shrugged.

Lark, speechless, glanced down at the giant’s palm, which was covered with a thin, black fingerless glove. She picked at the fabric, deeming it rather sturdy and very similar to a glove she might wear.

“So your body… glows, and creates things out of thin air.” She chortled.

“I know, it sounds stupid.” Sky sighed, bringing Lark closer to his face. “But I’m not complaining. I’d be walking around almost naked otherwise.”

“Yeah, what a… shame that would be.” Lark said with a cheeky smirk.

The giant raised his eyebrows curiously at her comment. “Hmm?” He rumbled questioningly as he stared down Lark, who suddenly became shy and averted her gaze from his looming face.

“I mean, maybe, if we were in a warmer climate.” Sky shrugged. “It’s pretty damn cold here. I like it though.”

Lark leaned back into the giant’s palm and hugged her arms. “It’s alright… I wouldn’t mind living somewhere warmer. My team has been here for a while and it’s barely gotten warmer than 50 degrees.”

Sky chuckled as he glanced down at the woman in his hand, admiring her petite size.

“My body is very warm, you know. You can live in my pocket if you want.” The giant giggled as he gestured to his coat pockets on his hips. “But… nah, I mean, you must have a home or something to go back to, huh?”

Lark shook her head heartily and scooted along Sky’s palm, where she wrapped her arms around his enormous thumb. “I want to be with you.” She said firmly, hugging his thumb.

Sky’s expression softened as he gazed at the adorable little woman clinging to his thumb. His heart fluttered at her dedication and trust towards him.

The titan lifted his hand up to his mouth and pushed his soft lips into Lark’s body, feeling her warmth, her minuscule proportions.

“What made you trust me so much?” Sky whispered, incredulously, as he pushed his lips against her.

Lark froze up as the giant’s mouth whispered directly into her ear, his breath smelling faintly like birch.

“You… didn’t eat me.” She responded timidly, still clutching his thumb as his face smothered her against his broad palm.

“I could. Right now.” The giant rumbled, and Lark could hear his tongue scraping against the back of his teeth, directly behind her head.

“… I know.” Lark said softly, closing her eyes tightly, ever so hopeful.

Sky’s throat rumbled with a soft growl as he parted his lips, then his teeth, and suddenly his mouth had encircled her, trapping her between his palm and his enormous, blue mouth overhead. It took everything in her not to scream, to trust this mischievous giant with her own life as she forced herself to let go of his thumb and roll onto her back, staring up at the channel of his tongue, the grooves of his palate.

The interior of his mouth was partially illuminated only from the light pouring in from the gaps between his lips and his palm. While her back was against his palm, she was completely inside of his mouth, his teeth and tongue encircling her with no escape.

Her breath caught in her chest as she reached out and touched her delicate fingers to his tongue beside her.

“Sky. Enough.” She said shakily, forcing her eyes to stay open as his mouth surrounded her.

The titan grumbled as she touched his tongue, wanting nothing more than to close his mouth around her and seal her inside. But he obliged and withdrew himself, leaving her shaking in his palm.

“Huff- you’re no fun.” Sky said breathily, smiling warmly down at the tiny woman in his hand.

Lark stayed on her back, glaring up at him with a pout as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Just cause I trust you doesn’t mean you should push it!” Lark retorted, and Sky couldn’t help but giggle mischievously.

“I know, I know…sorry.” The titan licked his lips and moved his hand away from his mouth, eyeing her carefully. His appetite was certainly whetted by her proximity to his jaws. He had to be more careful.

“It’s alright… no harm done.” Lark said as she sat up in his palm and crossed her legs, nestling into the giant’s warm hand.

“So, where would you like to ride from here on out?” Sky said as he gestured to his body.

“Ride? Um…” Lark leaned back and took in the enormous breadth of Sky’s imposing stature before her.

“You do have a lot of pockets. How about the chest one again?” She said as she started to fuss over her hair and tousle it back into place.

“Good choice.” Sky said as he lifted the tiny woman up to his left breast and unzipped the pocket. He tilted his palm towards the opening, and Lark gingerly stepped inside and dropped to the bottom of the pocket.

Being flush against the giant man’s chest warmed Lark to the core. She found herself smiling as she nestled into the bottom corner of the fabric pouch. As Sky walked with his enormous heavy steps, Lark was comforted by the sway of his gait. It really was a perfect place for a small human such as herself.

Sky smiled as well, feeling her fluttery little body against his right breast. His fingertips grazed the outside of the pocket protectively.

“Shall I zip you in, seal your fate?” The giant grinned as he tugged at the zipper, pulling the tab slowly along the teeth.

Lark gasped as she looked up at the opening of the pocket, the light dwindling as the enormous zipper teeth came together in a neat row.

“Hey, no! There’s no way I could pull that back open!” She whined, standing up awkwardly in the fabric folds and stretching her arms up. Her fingertips only grazed the teeth of the zipper.

Sky merely laughed and left the zipper halfway closed. “I’m kidding! I want you to be able to get out if you need to.” He patted the pocket gently and continued walking, consciously aware of the tiny life tucked away against his breast.

Very few humans lived in the remote wilderness of the north where Sky roamed. Aside from temporary settlements and camps, such as the one Lark came from, he was unlikely to encounter many people. Titans, on the other hand, were known to travel in a wide range.

Sky let out a long, pained sigh as he stood still. He gazed down at his breast pocket where Lark was safely snuggled into.

“Hey Lark. I know you agreed to stay with me, but… it will be dangerous if I meet another titan. I don’t know how well I can protect you if things get ugly.” Sky rumbled as he pulled the zipper outwards to peek inside his pocket.

Lark peeked up from the bottom, gazing at the giant’s worried eyes through the zipper opening.

“You mean like a fight? Do titans attack each other?” She asked.

“I might. It depends on how cooperative they are.” Sky replied. “I intend to only ask questions… I gotta learn more about myself. I don’t know where else to look for answers, and the meteor only complicated things.”

“Hmm… well, I’d still rather stay with you, Sky. I trust that you’ll keep me safe…” Lark said as she looked up and placed a small hand on the giant’s breast, a tiny reassurance within his pocket.

“I’ll protect you, Lark. If anything, I might just have to hide you somewhere you can’t be stepped on or crushed on accident.” Sky said while touching his fingers to the outside of his chest pocket. “Just wanted to uh, forewarn you. Though I’m sure you know other titans aren’t as gentle as I am.”

Lark let out a laugh. Though Sky was the only titan she had really met, she was well aware of the dangers. “Yeah, I won’t go waltzing up to another giant… don’t worry!”

Sky glanced down at his pocket again and grumbled, placing his hand over his entire breast protectively. The cold northern air chilled his enormous body, but his pocket remained warm, tucked against himself. Lark would be safe from the cold as long as she was with him.

As he walked, the titan suddenly winced as his stomach tightened into a knot. He had been ignoring it for the majority of the day, but the pain was now amped up to a 10.

Sky halted, standing still among the trees. His glowing blue eyes scanned the treetops, deliberating on which one to take a bite out of. Yet, as he brought his mouth up to the leaves, he stopped.

This wasn’t right. His body was telling him it was hungry for something else.

The titan blinked. When was the last time he ate humans?

“Damn…” Sky grumbled, gritting his teeth as he stared at the leaves in front of him, a snack he had eaten many times before when he was desperate. The thought of choking them down right now made him nauseous.

Lark, sensing the giant’s turmoil, peeked her head out of his pocket’s zipper and looked up at him.

“Sky, you okay?” She asked timidly, and the giant did not look at her.

No, he didn’t dare look at her, so small and vulnerable in his pocket, with her taste still faint on his lips. He merely closed his eyes and clenched his jaw tight.

“I don’t know. Stay in the pocket, Lark.” He rumbled lowly, reaching up with his fingertip and gently pushing her back down into the depths of his clothing.

“Hey-!” She squeaked as she was forced inside, even more so when Sky promptly zipped the pocket all the way shut.

The giant breathed deeply, feeling his lungs swell and his guts cramp painfully. This had certainly been the longest time he had gone since devouring Lark’s kind. He had to keep her safe, no matter what. Safe, and oblivious.

The titan turned in place and walked purposefully towards a hillside he had passed by earlier. He had caught a glimpse as he was walking of a dirt road winding through the trees, a pathway paved by humans.

Inside his pocket, tucked against his pounding chest, Lark was fiddling nervously. Rocked this way and that by his strides, her efforts to reach up and undo the zipper were fruitless. She was helpless, all she could do was sink to the bottom of his pocket.

What was he planning to do? She had to know. While the giant was distracted, she focused her attention on the seams lining the bottom corner of the pocket with her small knife.

Sky followed the dirt road, his giant boots plowing through trees and rocks as he scanned the area. It was unlikely, but there was a chance there would be humans somewhere along the road, either by vehicle or in a campsite.

Sure enough, the giant’s long strides brought him to a small camp. Three tents surrounded an electric portable stove on the top of the hill. No sign of a fire or smoke, a telling sign that the inhabitants were trying to avoid detection.

Two humans appeared out of the tents, alerted by the titan’s presence. Geared up in tactical camo gear, they immediately began shouting into their radios as Sky wasted no time in reaching down and grabbing them both in one hand.

Sky stared at them both as they struggled in his hand, feeling his innards rumble with anticipation. This was it, the cure. He wasted no time in cramming both of the men into his mouth and sealing them inside despite their protests.

Under his jacket, Lark had slipped out of the hole in his pocket, and was making her way down along his enormous body. An audible swallowing sound filled the air, and she froze somewhere along his abdomen.

“Sky…” she whispered, horrified, as her proximity to his stomach gave away what he had just put in there. Indeed, the muffled cries of the two humans the giant had just swallowed whole emanated from within.

The titan felt himself go into a trance-like state as his body immediately responded to his latest meal, and a warm glowing feeling washed over him as the pain in his guts subsided. He let out a long sigh, then leaned back in satisfaction, just in time for Lark to slip out from under his jacket.

“Woah!” He yelled and fumbled, reaching down to catch her before she hit the ground.

“What are you doing?” Sky said with a gasp as he brought her close to his face, cupping her in his palm. She shuddered briefly before looking up at him in horror.

“You ate them!” Lark cried, pointing her finger at his enormous face. “People, you ate people!”

Sky stared at her guiltily, covering his mouth with his free hand. Now that his stomach pain had subsided, he was able to think more clearly. Didn’t he tell Lark directly that he would not be eating other humans?

“...I forgot.” He mumbled.

“How could you forget? It’s not like you ate them on accident!” Lark cried, pounding her tiny fists into his palm.

Sky bit his lip as he leaned over and stared down at his belly, which was happily full of squirming. Now that he had finally eaten, the thought of letting them back out was agonizing.

“You don’t understand… I have to.” He retorted, his gaze avoiding Lark’s.

“You have to? What will happen if you don’t eat humans? What about eating trees, like before?” She cried.

“I couldn’t continue any longer. It hurt… my insides felt like they were on fire. Now it’s fine…” Sky uttered.

“Sky…” Lark said, defeated, crumpling in his hand at his words. Her entire body shook as she was forced to witness such atrocities. All she could think about was how whoever was eaten was still alive inside of him… for now.

The titan sighed, glancing around his surroundings. He felt guilty for exposing Lark to this without much warning. If she just stayed in his pocket, would things have been better? She certainly would have still heard the commotion.

“I’m sorry. Maybe all this was a mistake.” Sky said as he crouched down and held his hand against the ground, with Lark on top. “If you stay with me, you’re going to witness stuff like this. I can’t change who I am.” The giant’s expression was solemn.

Lark’s lip quivered as she looked up at the giant, then down at the ground, at the empty encampment.

“You’re going to leave me here alone?” She asked, staring up at him with big eyes.

“Don’t worry, there’s one person left.” Sky said, nodding towards one of the tents. Lark followed his gaze and stared inside, indeed catching a glimpse of its occupant. Sky’s enormous hand reached over and plucked the tent off the ground, exposing them.

With a surprised expression, the last human in the encampment froze in Sky’s shadow. It was none other than Devon, the unfortunate man who couldn’t seem to catch a break from the titan.

“Oh god, it’s Devon… don’t leave me with him!” Lark whined, pointing her finger at the cowardly man.

Devon scrambled in place and stood up, clenching a rifle in his hands. Sky’s huge body eclipsed the area, a look of amusement on his face.

“You again…! You’ll pay, titan… for eating my men!” Devon shouted, aiming his weapon and Sky and pulling the trigger… a click. He had forgotten to load any rounds.

Sky, heaving a sigh, cupped Lark in his hand and leaned closer to the shouting man.

“Hey, don’t be so upset. They were very satisfying.” The titan said lowly, eyeing the lone human who was currently fumbling with reloading his rifle.

“Shut up, you!” Devon said, gritting his teeth as he finally loaded his gun and aimed up at Sky once more. The titan blinked, staring at the tiny gun pointed at him, and brought his hand up, over Devon, and clapped it down on top of him.

The man was flattened instantly under the giant’s massive palm, and when Sky removed his hand, Devon was reeling from the shock, sprawled on his back in pain. Sky took the opportunity to pinch the man’s leg between his thumb and forefinger, lifting him off the ground as his rifle tumbled down, out of his loose fingers.

Lark watched, still cupped in the giant’s other hand, as the limp body of Devon was lifted up by his foot, dangling precariously between Sky’s fingers. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what the giant’s intentions were.

Sky caught her gaze and looked at her, holding Devon up next to his face threateningly. His expression was stern.

“So, you don’t like this guy. Are you going to protest if I eat him, too?” The titan uttered, and Lark could hear the malice dripping in his voice.

“I…” Lark stammered, suddenly feeling like she was the judge, jury, and executioner of this one man’s life. She didn’t particularly hate Devon, but he did vocally advocate banishing her from their group.

“You don’t have to watch. I’ll make it quick.” Sky said as he slowly brought the dangling man to his mouth.

“H-He won’t feel any pain, right?” Lark asked innocently. Her hands started to get clammy as she braced herself for what she was about to see.

Sky shook his head. “No. At least, I don’t think so. They usually quiet down after a little while.”

“...until they get dissolved in acid, right…” Lark shuddered.

“No, that’s not it. Titan’s bodies are different from a human’s. Remember how I mentioned my insides glowing? It happens after I eat, as well. The light grows warm and disperses nutrients throughout, instantly. At least that’s what I think.” Sky said as he nodded down to his torso, clad in his warm jacket but a faint blue glow could be seen underneath.

Lark stared at his middle, her eyes indeed picking up the faint glow within the titan’s body.

“Really? So… that light in your body is responsible for regulating your organs, and… manifesting clothing and equipment for you…” She said curiously, head tilting as she contemplated the complicated nature of the titan’s body. “That’s pretty handy, you know. I wonder what else it does…”

As Lark sat comfortably in the giant’s hand, Devon was slowly coming-to, held by his leg in front of Sky’s face. He gasped as he was held upside-down, so high off the ground, staring at the titan’s mouth.

“Hey, no, no, no…” He said, flailing his arms as he swung back and forth from the giant’s fingers. “C’mon, you don’t gotta eat me too!”

Sky turned his attention to Devon, feeling his appetite growing by the minute.

“If I let you go again, you’ll just try to shoot me.” Sky retorted, already feeling impatient about delaying his meal.

“What? No, of course not! You really think that gun can do much damage to you anyways??” Devon squeaked helplessly.

“You could take my eye out. Not risking it. Besides, I’m not satisfied with just the two.” Sky said lowly, opening his mouth and raising Devon above it. Just as he was about to drop him inside, Lark piped up below.

“Wait! Sky, hold on.” She said, patting the giant’s hand. Sky glanced down at her, mouth still partially open. “We could… use this as an opportunity to see what happens in there…”

Sky raised an eyebrow at her words. He closed his mouth and leveled his head to look down at her in his palm.

“...go on.” He said. Lark bit her lip nervously, suddenly feeling rather put on the spot.

“Well, um, since you’re eating him anyways… what if we hooked up his body cam and transmitted it to my phone?” Lark said, holding up her device. “All of those suits have them.”

Sky smiled, impressed by her boldness to use a fellow human in this way. Devon, of course, protested loudly to the idea.

“What?? Oh come on, you’re gonna use me as an endoscope?” He squealed, and Sky merely flipped the man’s body into his hand and closed his fist on him.

“Didn’t expect this from you.” Sky laughed as he brought Lark up closer to his face. “Isn’t that rather morbid?”

Lark blushed at his words, fiddling with her phone as she perched in his palm. “You know what? Yes, it is. You were right, by staying with you I have no choice but to be complicit in… this. So, let’s make the most of it, and maybe if Devon cooperates well enough, you can let him go afterwards?”

Sky huffed, glancing upwards as he considered her request. He hadn’t considered letting humans free after swallowing them whole before. The process did not appeal to him, but he cared for Lark a lot, and if this is what he had to do to make her happy, then it was worth it.

“Fine. Let’s try it.” He said, bringing his hands together and opening up his fist in his right hand, which contained the disgruntled Devon. The man grumbled as he scrambled onto his feet, only to fall onto his rear once Sky’s hand tilted enough.

“I didn’t agree to this bullshit.” Devon grumbled as he started undoing the straps on his pants and boots. His clothing was quite bulky, so he wanted to minimize the risk of getting lodged in the giant’s gullet on the way down.

“That’s too bad.” Sky said, eyeing the man carefully. He could tell Lark was uncomfortable being so close to him, but it was only temporary.

“I just gotta set my app to your cam’s frequency…” Lark said timidly as she peered at Devon’s chest camera. The young man glared at her, unsure if he should be furious or thankful for her idea. He shook his dark hair and leaned back, turning on his camera.

“50602.” He uttered as the camera powered on. “That’s the code.”

Lark avoided his gaze as she punched the numbers into her phone. The devices connected, and she could view the camera.

“All set… um, good luck.” She said with a wave to Devon, who sneered back at her.

“Yeah, thanks.” He said sarcastically.

“Hey, be nice to her. She’s doing you a favor.” Sky said as he brought Devon up to his face.

“Not so much as she is doing it for her own creepy needs. You two sicken me.” The man said, feeling the dread rising inside of him as he was brought close to that terrifying, blue mouth yet again.

“You’re not gonna change my mind. Just relax and enjoy the trip.” Sky said with a smirk, before tilting Devon into his mouth.

The man grunted as he was tilted inside, the giant’s enormous size easily engulfing him and surrounding him with his teeth and blue maw. He fell flat on his palms in the middle of Sky’s tongue, with a clear view of his throat before him.

Lark watched her phone with bated breath as the camera fogged up from the titan’s hot breath. All she could see was the blue of his tongue, before the screen went black just as Sky swallowed.

Devon was tilted into Sky’s throat by his powerful tongue, sliding down head-first into the darkness. He grit his teeth as he was forcibly squeezed down, his small size effortlessly fitting inside the titan’s esophagus.

After what felt like an eternity in the giant’s throat, Devon reached Sky’s stomach, where he was suddenly dropped from the throat and into the bottom. He landed with a thud, rolling down the side of the titan’s stomach until he was flat on his back, trapped in the pit of Sky’s belly.

Sky let out a satisfied huff as his empty stomach was filled. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them as he brought Lark up to his face to observe her. She was staring at her phone, admiring the look of the inside of her enormous companion’s gut.

“It’s… bright blue…” She uttered, noting how the inside of Sky’s stomach lit up with an ominous glow.

Devon shivered, scooting himself backwards from the pit of the giant’s stomach. His breaths were coming out rapidly as he looked around his environment. Every fold and ridge of the titan’s stomach were illuminated by a bright blue glow, which emanated from underneath the flesh.

“Holy shit…” He said, fully expecting to see the half-digested bodies of his comrades inside the titan’s stomach. He was completely alone inside; not a trace of them were to be found. Devon’s eyes went wide as he realized his time was very limited before he was completely digested.

“Are you done yet??” He yelled as he continued backing into the walls of Sky’s stomach. Just then, among the inner gurgling and groaning of the giant’s guts, a pulsing mechanical sound whirred around him. The glowing flesh of the titan’s stomach became brighter, and waves of lines traveled up along the folds from the center.

Lark stared at her screen in disbelief as Sky’s stomach appeared to be scanning its contents, surrounding Devon with waves of light. “Something crazy’s happening… I think it’s bad news for Devon.” She said as she looked up at Sky, who was eyeing her curiously.

“My stomach feels very warm.” Sky said as he glanced down to his middle. He grimaced, knowing he would have to empty it.

“Get me outta here, this shit’s crazy!!” Devon wailed as he plastered himself against the walls, and the waves of light got more and more intense.

Suddenly, the giant’s stomach contracted, and its contents were squeezed upwards. Devon was forced back up the wide throat he had just slid down and in just a few seconds, he was back in Sky’s mouth, utterly soaked in fluids.

Sky leaned over his free hand and calmly opened his mouth, rolling Devon’s limp body off of his tongue and into his palm. The man lay there, dazed after being squeezed so hard on all sides.

“Is he okay?” Lark asked timidly from the giant’s other hand, and Sky nodded.

“Yeah. That was close, though. Another minute and he would have been gone.” The giant said as he cupped his hand around the regurgitated human.

“You’re goddamn kiddin’ me. That was insane. I hope you two know that.” Devon groaned as he sat up in Sky’s hand and started wiping globs of spit off his face.

“Hmm, but you’re probably the first human to get eaten by a titan and survive…” Sky said thoughtfully, running his tongue along his lips, savoring the remnants of flavor.

“Well, whatever you are, you sure as hell ain’t like us. Blue insides. Glowing, blue insides at that. And what must have been a damn full-body scan…” Devon said rather lowly, as if he was talking to himself.

“Do you think… it’s an artificial organ?” Lark said thoughtfully, mostly directed at Sky, who looked at her rather incredulously.

“Artificial? Like, you think I’m not comprised of flesh?” The titan asked, tilting his head at the curious little woman in his left hand. “I guess… I never thought about that. I… don’t think I’m artificial, but, maybe parts of me are…”

“I am not going back in to get a biopsy.” Devon retorted, sitting with his back turned to both Sky and Lark as he squeezed moisture out of his hair and clothes.

Lark glanced at the disgruntled man and bit her lip. He looked awful, drenched in digestive fluids with his hair and clothes matted down. She looked down at her phone and ended the stream to his body cam, saving the recording.

“I think it’s about time to let him go.” Lark said, glancing up at the titan, who nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Thanks for taking the plunge.” Sky laughed as he bent down and brought Devon lower to the ground in his hand. The man scoffed before hopping off eagerly.

“As if I had a choice…” Devon seethed quietly as he promptly walked back to his tent and started drying himself off with a rag.

Sky then stood up and turned his back to the campsite, walking away without another word. He held Lark close to his chest, cupping her protectively as he walked, enormous stride easily taking them a good distance before finally stopping.

Sky sat down with a contented sigh, spreading his legs out as he cupped Lark in both hands and held her close to his face as he leaned over. He gave her an exasperated smile.

“I feel like I have more questions than answers now.” He said, using his thumb to gently rub Lark’s petite shoulders.

Lark smiled warmly as the giant touched her. Despite his enormous size and terrifying appetite, the titan’s hands around her were a welcome feeling.

“Do you still think we’d be better off parting ways?” She asked timidly, looking up at the titan with big eyes.

Sky’s eyes narrowed, and he smiled as he shook his head.

“We make a good team, don’t we?” He rumbled as he touched the tip of his thumb to the top of her little head. Lark giggled in response.

“I’m glad.” She said softly, leaning into the giant’s warm embrace, his touch already numbing her to the memory of his recent meal.

[season39]

All official round pairings for the season below !

——————————————————————————————————

( NOTICES : Because of the extremely large number of contestants, the leaderboards will be splits into two parts . Side A, and Side B . Side A’s polls will commence first and Side B’s polls will go next .

We will be going from left to right, and bottom to top in rows when carrying out the polls .

Side A and Side B will end with finalists that will go against eachother lastly . )

Also, credits to @shakingparadigm / @solei-eclipse for composing most of the materials that will be used for the season ! I personally really appreciate all that they did and thank them sincerely ! I also hope everyone else can thank them if you’d personally like to !

——————————————————————————————————

Side A :

Here are the pairs ranked in the order they’ll be done ! :

Azure ( @4listr / @azureitri ) VS Cirrus ( @yunoftheclouds )

Vera ( @junebluues / @bittersweet-adagio ) VS Moran ( @geospiral )

Stasya ( @billwasnot ) VS Noora ( @kamersona )

Min ( @starry-skiez ) VS Himei ( @bluemoonscape / @lookatmysillies )

Rose ( @rosedeleca ) VS Sai ( @junebluues / @bittersweet-adagio )

Vermillion ( @subzeromoron ) VS Aurien ( @apriciticreveries / @aurienneirua )

Daiki ( @teapotuser / @daiki1k ) VS Tallis ( @bluemoonscape / @lookatmysillies )

Khoi ( @junebluues / @bittersweet-adagio ) VS Ji Woo ( @starry-skiez )

Side B below ! :

Side B :

Here are the pairs ranked in the order they’ll be done ! :

( 9 . ) Ryu ( @starry-skiez ) VS Lark ( @kamersona )

( 10 . ) Tov ( @ivanttakethis ) VS Minori ( @skyisjusthere / @minori-dash )

( 11 . ) Akane ( @aakaneeee ) VS Evon ( @kofeedoggo )

( 12 . ) Ellie ( @junebluues / @bittersweet-adagio ) VS Flor ( @sotogalmo / @druggofgold )

( 13 . ) Jae ( @kofeedoggo ) VS Vii ( @starry-skiez )

( 14 . ) Aegaeon ( @paradisedisconcert ) VS Saachi ( @starry-skiez )

( 15 . ) Toon ( @nottoonedin ) VS Lang ( @pwippy / @its-langgg )

( 16 . ) ( O ) Nyx ( @rockwgooglyeyes ) VS Castor ( @bluemoonscape / @lookatmysillies )

——————————————————————————————————

( NOTICES :

SCHEDULING : Each poll will be prepared and scheduled to start at 12 : 00 AM . There will be 4 polls a week, scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday each week .

Considering there will be 31 polls in total, and with the scheduling as of now, it’ll take about 7 weeks, or a basically a month and a half .

I hope the scheduling of this is ok ! If you think they are better ways to save more time, or I made a mistake with the calculations, don’t be afraid to tell me !

If you guys need anything else, or have any more questions, I’m open to them at all times !

The first round of AZURE VS CIRRUS, will commence on the 30th !

I hope this season goes well and everyone enjoys it !

Let SEASON 39 of ALIEN STAGE commence soon, everyone !

[murasaki-cha]

Tcf part 2 chapter 281

Ryan's eyes widened. He paused. Just for a moment. It was really just a moment. For a split second, he saw a fog rolling over him. And the poison mixed in that fog.

"Nya!" He heard the cries of cats. “It’s a special poison that can even fight Dragon Lords! I made this with my sister and Grandpa Ron!” Those children that White Snake Wisha talked about. That wasn't just about Lock. Among the rubble of collapsed buildings. Two cats were sticking their heads out. “Of course, it’s still weak because it’s still in it's experimentation phase!” “It’s enough to make you pause for a moment.” On continued Hong's words and blurted out. “That’s enough.” The corners of On’s mouth turned up with a grin.

As she said, it really was just a moment. It was a small amount of time, about 1 second. But that one second was quite big. And the ones who knew about On and Hong's practice and efforts better than anyone else were Lock and Raon. “I got it!” The moment when the fog covers him. That one second gap. Raon immediately worked his magic. "!" Ryan's eyes widened. A small black shield blocked his mana-covered fists. That was Raon's defense to protect Lark. “These-!” In that moment Ryan immediately removed the paralysis and broke down the shield.

And then, when he saw Lock extending his fist towards his face, he tried to use magic and attack at the same time. "Die!" Lock shouted and turned around. He immediately unclenched my fist. "Ha ha ha!" Cale laughed again.

THE KIDS HAVE GROWN SO MUCH!! Oh this was such a cool scene and it made me so prowd of them! They cooperated so well and showcased their power resulting in completely catching the enmy off guard! And Lock tricking Ryan into thinking he was attacking but he went for the divine item instead!

No wonder Cale was laughing he was just so proud of his kids!!

[soulless-computerbug]

Toby:

Oak, birch, aspen trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves, the rush of the north wind. Babbling brooks and creeks, a trout jumping and splashing on the surface. Campfires, woodsmoke, ash and dust rising from a glowing plume into the starry night. Bonfires. House fires. Dumpster fires in the cold icy streets. Car exhaust and drunk drivers on empty lonely highways, flat energy drinks in the cup holders. The sound of splitting wood, cracking ice, falling stone. Granite sparkling in the dusk light. Icy cold fingertips pressed against your palm, nails gently biting your skin.

Kate:

Stale cigarette smell in old musty carpet. The clack of billiard balls against each other, quiet chatter and laughter, low blues music crackling through old speakers. Blues, classic rock, hard rock, headbanging to old punk music in the car with your friends, parked in the lot after a highschool game. Smiling so wide your cheeks ache. Pounding throbbing feet on concrete, the rough grooves of brick and mortar under your nails. The chokehold of terror in your chest, the moon through douglas firs and redwood trees. February breeze at 3am, cold air seeping under your jacket, the flannels of your pants. Cold fingers, cold toes, steaming hot water that stings like pure bliss. The taste of medicine that follows the ringing of an alarm.

Liam:

Larks and robins at 5am. The smell of black coffee and old books, the rustle of papers and shuffle of feet. Linoleum tile under leather doc marten soles. Rye grass and blue river water, stormy gray skies. The thwap of latex gloves against your wrist like a second skin. Bubbling, fizzing, foaming, colors shifting from green to gray to blue to orange. Apple slices as you scratch note after note onto old notebook paper. Losing your voice after screaming for hours, dull migraines and illusory palinopsia. Lyssavirus, crutzfeldt-jakobs disease, marburgvirus, all neatly labeled in perfect little vials. Lying in wait.

[wexhappyxfew]

"Hello, love! Could you please write from seeking out physical affection”, specifically comparing hand sizes, holding their hands against each other's, and then just holding hands” Could you also add a kiss on the cheek? For Judy and Rosie.

Tarzan and Jane vibes!

P.S Resending this, because I forgot to say that it is for Judy and Rosie 😆

Love you ❤️

AH HELLO!!!!! thank you so so much for sending this in! both you and @archival-hogwash sent in Judy x Rosie for this AND the same prompt so i hope you *both* enjoy this one!!!! i certainly had a GREAT time writing this, as i haven't done judy x rosie in what feels like AGES!!!!! SO!!! this is probably one of my favorite things for judy and rosie because we really get into their connection on multiple levels, along with their emotions and a piece purely focused on them. i would say this is purely self-indulgent on my part haha! so, i truly hope you enjoy! <3 THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN BOTH OF YOU!! :D

know it's you

(a/n): to the judy x rosie girlies, your joy and support and love for this duo has truly transcended, and so this piece is for you! judy rybinski is an OC i hold incredibly near and dear to my heart and it seems she's made quite the impact as well. plus - her and rosie make my heart melt and there's a whole lot of that here. so please, truly, enjoy! :) definitely love the jane/tarzan vibes in the gifs too hehe - that's so them in ways!!! AND -- to the judy anons earlier talking and asking about judy's past, we see a bit of why that is important to her character right here! ps — there’s some intimacy here but nothing super intense past that! just incase there are some not interested parties!

The barracks were much emptier these days - it still housed the Silver Bullets group, but with them 40% down their normal crew, which was now dispersed halfway across continental Europe, with the other 60% obtaining various positions in the air and on base - quiet was the new normal.

It was an off day and Judy hadn't been one to complain - they'd been doing missions and training relentlessly for days and by this point, to say the exhaustion wasn't getting to her would be a whole other level of lying lunacy. She'd had dinner with the rest of the girls - Dougie joining in beside Carrie because ever since they'd seemed to silently make it official between them, they'd been attached at the hip when they didn't have to be apart.

By that point, everyone else had gone out to the flying club, but Judy wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and read the rest of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - she'd gotten close to the part with the love confession - she could feel it.

Freshly showered, hair nearly dry as it clung to her nightshirt and neck, she sat crossed-legged sideways on her bed, back leaned up against the wall of the barracks, listening to the silent hum of all the bugs outside, the crackle of voices somewhere in the distance and the hum of the lantern light turned on beside her.

If this was peace, she never wanted to let go of it.

It was almost a weird comfort that reminded her of training days - first getting the group of women together when Birdie had called on a crew. Meeting the girls, hanging out late into their off-day nights, talking, hearing peoples' stories and backgrounds and family history. By that point, Judy had taken to wearing her PT shorts to bed with one of the pale wool button-ups that Birdie had requested for the crew. Now, cuddled with her blanket, her button-up and her book, she was as happy as a damn lark. A gentle knock came from the door.

"You in there, Judy?" the voice called through. The corner of Judy's lip drew upwards.

"Who's asking?" She knew. She always did. She grinned wider.

"Who do you think?" the voice called back, a slight chuckle on their lips.

"I don't know…."Judy called back, "kinda hard to distinguish entirely with a wooden door breaking up the noise." She heard the laugh behind the door and couldn't help but take a split-second to brush her lose strands of hair behind her ears and rub a bit underneath her eyes, hoping the dark circles weren't as big as they had been earlier.

"Am I good to come in?"

"All clear." Judy called back. The door slowly pushed open and Judy couldn't help but feel her heart spin a bit out of control at the sight of Rosie Rosenthal stepping inside, crusher cap perched on his head, layered in his A2 and button-up, that look on his face that was a mixture of soft worry and concern all at once.

"Hi." Judy said, watching as he shut the barrack door behind him, waltzing over towards her with that silent look on his face and lips.

"Hey." he said back, pulling over one of the chairs from a table and placing it beside her cot and settling himself into the chair comfortably before leaning forward, "You doing okay? Didn't see you at the officers' club." She could feel the tension in her shoulders slowly unknotting at his worrying question, watching him peel off the A2 and crusher cap; it only took her a matter of seconds to slowly nod, a small smile on her face as she tilted her head.

"Yes," she said quietly, "just didn't feel up for being out tonight, I'll be honest. What about you though?" Rosie watched her as she let her eyes gently draw over his entire face, taking in each aspect of his eyes, his cheeks, his lips that made her feel all over the place on the inside. He grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you're here then," he said quietly with a nod, "sometimes you need a night away." She grinned. "I was at the officers' club. But, I don't know….didn't feel up for being out tonight. Wanted to come and see what you were up to." Judy let out a laugh and gently closed her book and leaned towards him over her crossed legs with a smile.

"Thanks for joining me then," Judy said, "can't promise to be as much entertainment as Dougie thinking he can dance, but….I can tell some pretty good campfire stories around the potbelly stove, I must admit." Rosie chuckled at her words, before looking up at her with a quiet look on his face, blue eyes watching her intently.

Rosie Rosenthal was like that though - he knew there was more behind it. He always did and with the way his mood had shifted, she knew in an instance that he'd been worrying for her longer than just the past hour when he came to see her. He could be in the flying club with the rest of the crews, drinking, having a grand old time, but instead he was here. With her.

"Just you here?" Rosie asked her, a slight tinge of concern in his voice and Judy nodded.

"It's okay," Judy said, looking down at her nails and picking at the edges of them with a shrug, "the other girls needed a night and I just wasn't feeling it. Didn't want them to miss out though. And sometimes just being here is what I need." Judy nodded towards the four usually empty and fresh-made cots. "Sometimes it's like they're here, ya know?"

They glanced towards the footlockers and cots across from Judy - mainly at the end of what was still Lieutenant Bradshaw's cot. Francis generally didn't allow anyone to touch it, open it, hardly even look at it. She always told people that they were coming back - if there was no word on any of the missing members of Silver Bullets or their bodies - they weren't dead. It'd be there until they got back. And Judy always believed Francis, she always did.

Judy couldn't help but feel her emotions wrangle with her heart as she stared at those four lone footlockers, untouched for months, cots forever-made on that last morning they'd been here.

The chair screeched slightly closer and she felt warmth overwhelm her hands, Rosie's large palms taking her small fists into his own hands, the nerves and tension immediately seeming to dissipate. Looking back towards him, she couldn't help but feel a small smile grow on her face, his face inches from her own.

"They're still out there," Rosie whispered quietly, his thumb running circles underneath the knuckles on her left hand, "I know that." Judy slowly nodded, knowing her words would fail her if she tried to talk. Rosie seemed to catch that in a matter of seconds and let out a deep breath.

"Tell me about what you were reading," he said quietly, nearly therapeutically, "that's a good one."

"You've read it?"

"I have." Rosie said, his voice a soothing sound to her ears, "When you have sisters, they convince you to read books like that." Judy gave him a look and he chuckled. "Didn't complain, I promise." Judy laughed lightly, eyes growing soft at his gaze on her as she smiled lazily.

"Mr. Darcy has just confessed his love for Elizabeth Bennet." Judy said quietly, retracting one of her hands to reach up and brush her fingers past some of his lose curls near his forehead, smiling slightly at the chill racing across his body underneath her touch, the way his eyes shut slightly and a small breath left his lips, "I would say it didn't entirely go as planned, but it has been one of my favorite things to read, I must say."

"You think it's a good book so far?" he asked her quietly, and she nodded, hand continuing to slowly careen back and forth over those few curls on his forehead.

"It blows some other books I've read out of the water." she said and she watched as he grinned, his eyes refusing to leave hers as he continued to watch her, the two of them falling into silence.

Watching each other in this quiet way was far more intimate than anything else she'd experienced in life and she hadn't experienced much. Her hand running through his hair, his hands holding her other, inches from each other's faces. Inches.

They each seemed to linger closer to one another, their eyes holding one another's gazes and she found herself welcoming his touch up onto her neck, the warmth making her whole body feel as if it were on fire.

It was always this.

Never touching this way, but still going to an extent before they'd back away. But now, they were alone and it was a warm, spring night and it was different; she wanted to feel something different than grief and loss.

Feeling his fingers grow up her neck towards her cheeks, her eyes shut at his touch; it was a little crazy to think about how close they were, his touch on her neck and face, breath fanning across her face. Maybe this crush wasn't as stupid as she had thought it to be. She was scared to open her eyes that had since closed and look at him, feeling his continual warm breath inches from her lips.

Kiss me, her voice seemed to whisper inside her head, please kiss me. His thumb brushed her warm cheek and she shivered a bit at the touch.

"You're shaking." Rosie whispered, and she shivered again, her heart racing inside her chest. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't do it.

"You make me nervous." she whispered back, her voice sounding light, almost like she was floating. Slowly, she opened her eyes - he was right there. He was so close, staring at her face like she was staring at something holy. His eyes were beautiful so close to her face, deep and caring and full. She had never been touched by someone like him, cared for, held and loved by.

"May I kiss you?" he whispered, his own voice sounding strained, "Please?"

"Please do." she whispered and it was in what felt like milliseconds where she was engulfed by him. His arms wrapped around her back, pulling her into him, his lips pressing earnestly against her own, her body snaking into his lap on the chair and her hands crawling into his hair and messing up those curls that were so perfectly done day in and day out.

Judy melted into him, his hands going up her back into her neckline, her body hot all over the place it felt as he tugged at her bottom lip, a small sigh escaping as she pressed her lips back to his.

It was such a quick-paced and desperate array of kisses - something she had never even experienced in her life. Rosie made a noise at the back of his throat, which made Judy pull back for a second, almost caught off guard - she'd never done this before, what was she even doing - were her hands in the right place? Could she even kiss well enough for it to be worth it? Did it mean anything? For him? For her? For them?

"Hey, you okay?" managed Rosie, trying to catch his breath, his lips a deep red - she realized she'd been sucking a bit on his bottom lip - his cheeks an equally similar color.

"Yeah, yeah," Judy said, her body clinging onto him with her arms and legs latched around his frame, "fine, this….wow."

Words, Judy, words.

It was so intimate to be so close to his face, almost like it was some secret thing no one had ever gotten the pleasure of doing before. She stared at him and watched as he licked his lips and glanced at her lips.

"Just…." Judy started as he watched her, his hands softly clinging to her back, his fingertips sending sparks along the fabric atop her skin, "I…..I've never been like this with someone."

"Like this?" Rosie whispered back, reaching up a hand to clutch at her cheek, brushing her flaming skin and smiling. Judy nodded.

"This….close." Judy whispered, "But for the first time in my life, I trust someone to be like this with." Rosie stared at her, a tender look on his face.

"I feel safe with you." Judy said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Rosie continued to watch her and then smiled.

"Thank you." he whispered softly back, "I feel safe with you, too." Judy felt her heart skip a beat - multiple beats if anything - and smiled.

Within seconds of such a thing to say, Judy was kissing him, wrapping her body around him, pulling her hands up through his hair, every part of her body feeling her heart continuing to race faster and faster.

There was a deep-seeded need, but gentleness that came with his touch to her lips, the exhaustion of the day ever-present, but the want to feel showing in ways she couldn't quite understand as he deepened the kiss there in front of the fire. He slowly bit at her bottom lip as they parted, the two of them shaking, deep labored breaths escaping their lips as Judy slowly looked upwards towards Rosie, staring at his eyes in the quiet darkness that evaded nearly all the light. Judy's hands slowly moved down from his hair to his olive button-up, her fingertips dancing on the buttons.

"Do it." Rosie whispered, his breathing heavy, "It's yours." Just those words seemed to flip a switch in her head as she slowly, button by button undid both the shirt and him.

As she came to the bottom, his bare chest began to show and she slowly let her hands move towards his shoulders, peeling the fabric from his form, down his arms and to the ground. Her body was on fire, as she looked back up towards him, staring at her with those darkened blue eyes that made her go slightly insane. His hands lingered on her waist, hers on his now bare arms, their bated breath held for a moment as they watched one another.

Every movement made her want more, every look, every touch.

Everything made her live with want. Her hands slowly trailed down to his own hands, which felt like they were equally on fire, and she slowly guided them to the front of her wool button-up.

"Judy…." Rosie whispered. She slowly looked up and met his firm gaze and she sucked in a breath. It was so insanely attractive to her to know he was looking at her like this. She leaned slightly closer, still holding his hands to the buttons and watched his gaze.

"Will you help me?" she whispered.

"Yes." Rosie said, almost without any hesitation and immediately began unbuttoning her top, her heart pounding, the need growing.

As soon as the button on the bottom was undone, the top slid off her shoulders to expose her bare chest - and if she was honest, her rather sorry-excuse of a bra - his lips were pressing on her own and goosebumps danced over her skin at the slightly cool air and his touch. His lips were so gentle and soft, placed there on her own, a distant hunger behind each deepening of touch that made her crave more.

Taking in a shuddering breath, his lips moved to a tender spot on her neck and a small noise in the back of her throat escaped - it was almost so light-hearted as Rosie pulled back and softly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and chuckled that soft, breathy laugh.

"You okay?" he whispered and she looked to him, a smile on her breathless face as she looked at him.

"Yeah," she whispered shakily, "yeah. Wow." Rosie smiled at her through the darkness before slowly leaning forward and bringing her into another kiss, him biting her lip, a groan from the back of his throat and a whimper from her own mouth.

The slight grind of his body against hers was making it much harder to just focus on him and his lips. He was kissing her neck again, his lips exploring the whole of her neck, arching down to her collarbone as her eyes shut and far too many pleasant thoughts entered her brain. She was unbecoming in front of him, as he clung to her in a God-like way.

Slowly, Rosie shifted, clutching her to him and moving her to the cot, the blanket soft on her back as he laid her there and then pressed down onto her, his larger form a comforting weight there on top of her.

God, if someone walked in now, what would she say?

But, it was Rosie.

With Rosie, she was safe.

Rosie sucked on her neck, before pulling back for a second, his entire body shuttering as he looked towards her and then smiled, hovering overtop of her and softly kissing her forehead.

"You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever met." he whispered softly, eyes honest, almost like he spoke and got choked up in the middle and recovered.

"Thank you." she whispered back, her own throat choking up as she stared at him, the light from the lantern tickling his features, making his face a honey gold.

No one ever had told her such things, touching her and holding her as gently as he had, caring for her like he did. Rosie smiled and then Judy followed, a giggle along with it. Then, they were kissing, their bodies pressed against each other again.

At some point, his lips were on her collarbone and her lips had traversed his face and neck and then they were curled into each other's bodies, as he traced her bare back with a warm finger and she stared at his soft, cuddly face that she planted a kiss to every so often.

Rosie Rosenthal was shy when he wanted to be, but he was nowhere shy about where he wanted to put his hands and mouth.

But in this moment, quiet and intimate, all she could do was watch him.

"I'll admit, I've never been like this with someone," she whispered quietly as his light finger touch sent chills down her spine, "I'm sorry if my kissing didn't offer much." Rosie watched her and then shook his head with a playful scoff, and continued tracing her back.

"Don't say that," Rosie whispered quietly and then brought his lips to her ear, "your lips were reverent."

Judy could feel her body get hot just at his words and slowly turned to look at him as they lied there under the blanket. Her heart pounded as her cheeks grew hot, staring at his devastatingly handsome face watch her right back, like he could see all of her - which in ways, he definitely could.

She leaned forward and captured his lips again in hers, hungrily deepening the kiss, both their lips red and swollen as she bit down tenderly and a groan filled his mouth. She was sinking underneath him as he deepened the kiss against her lips this time. His warm hands were dancing across her bare-skinned chest and eventually reached the waistline of her shorts.

And the second she felt a finger on her waistline, her entire body grew cold and froze. She stopped kissing him, her lips growing shut, her eyes blasted wide-open and her shoulders immediately tense. Rosie pulled back in an instant, his hands on her cheeks gently, his own eyes open above her, worry pooling in his blue eyes as he looked down.

"You okay, Judy?" he whispered quietly, slightly out of breath, "We can stop." Judy looked at him, her eyes suddenly filling with tears she hadn't quite expected.

She didn't want to cry, why was she crying. No, no, no.

"Oh, hey, hey, c'mere." Judy put a hand over her mouth, Rosie coming off the top of her, reaching over the edge of the bed to grab his collared button-up. As tears grew down her cheeks, Rosie gently guided her arms into the long sleeves of his button-up, pulling it overtop her bare shoulders, before slowly buttoning it up, button by button.

"C'mere, Judy." Rosie whispered quietly, positioning himself sitting up against the pillows on the cot, allowing her to curl into his body, head snuggled against his bare chest, comforted by his presence, the scent of his shirt that always smelled like that pleasant cologne he always wore, and the quietness of the world surrounding them, "You okay, Jude?"

Whenever he kept repeating her name, it always brought her back, it allowed her to ground herself and think and keep her mind clear. Because it usually meant he was trying to get through to her and calm her down. And it always worked.

Judy could feel his hand around her waist, his other hand gently brushing through her hair, over and over in the most soothing manner. A mixture of embarrassment and guilt hit her in that moment curled beside him.

Would he think that he'd done something wrong?

Would he not like her because she couldn't do it?

Whatever it really was?

Would he think she was too inexperienced and naive?

Would he-?

"I'm sorry," she whispered out against his chest, the tears continuing to well in her eyes as she let out a shaky breath, "I just….it's me."

"No, no, it's okay," Rosie whispered quietly above her, gently pressing a kiss to her head - she could hear the smile in his voice, "it's okay." Judy snuggled closer into him and let out another shaky sigh.

"I'm not ready," she whispered through tears, "to do that yet. I'm sorry."

"No, no," Rosie said quietly - quickly, "don't apologize. You don't have to apologize to me, okay? Or…better yet, at all. You're ready when you're ready and if it's not yet, that's okay." Judy slowly peaked up at him, red-rimmed eyes, her nose probably getting drippy, looking far less unpleasant than she had earlier.

"Are you sure?" she asked him quietly and he gave her the sweetest smile she'd ever seen.

"I am." he said quietly, reaching up to brush at some tears on her cheeks, "I just want to be with you, Judy, that's all. In anyway I can." Her heart released the tension it had held for a brief moment and she nodded, a small smile peaking out.

"There's that grin," he whispered, pressing another kiss to her forehead this time, "there it is." Judy smiled wider and couldn't help but press closer to him, trying to gain access to every part of him there, curled into him in anyway she could. In a quick second though - she came quickly to the realization of what had just occurred and looked up at him.

Kissing him, kissing Rosie Rosenthal, kissing him the way she had and him kissing her back with just as much desperation as she did to him.

"That was my first kiss." Judy whispered quietly, staring out in front of them, towards where the sun had finally set out that little window, "My first….anything like that."

Maybe Judy should've held off saying that because Rosie froze there beside her, the hand on her hair going still, the hand on her waist tightening. She slowly peaked up at him and saw him watching her, a mixture of worry and concern mixed in his eyes and maybe a slight bit of nervousness that wasn't there before? She sat up a bit, and reached forward with her free hand that wasn't tucked against her body and lightly brushed her fingers against his face, smiling automatically, his own grin growing on his face afterwards.

"I'm…quite honored to be your first, Judy." he said quietly, the nervousness in his voice probably one of the cutest things she'd heard in a while, "Firsts are always special, so…."

"You always make everything special for me, you know that?" she said quietly, tilting her head against him, "That was really special though. Truly." Rosie watched her with that soft grin and she couldn't help but lean forward and press a soft kiss to his lips, the quickness of the familiarity of his lips almost insane to her - that her body could so instantly store in her mind the touch and feel of his lips just like that, his presence, his touch, him. Pulling back slightly, she watched him.

"Even if my first didn't…..go all the way, I guess." she said.

A few years ago, she remembered when all the towns girls would talk about their firsts - she remembered some were even getting married or having their first born! And there'd been Judy, waiting and waiting. Feeling left behind, embarrassed, too quiet not to say anything, too much of an outlier to say that she felt she was behind in the first place.

In her mind, she knew she was being too hard on herself, but it was something about her past few years that did it to her. But Rosie was stopping that and telling her there was no rush - he just wanted to be there. With her. And that was more important than anything.

"It doesn't have to," Rosie said quietly, cupping her cheek and smiling tenderly, "it doesn't need to. It's whatever you want it to be. And to even just….know it's you…." Judy watched him, eyes darting back and forth between his eyes as her cheeks slowly heated, despite the realization she'd been heavily making out with him moments earlier. He'd probably always have that effect on her.

"Know it's me?" she whispered. Rosie smiled, lovingly running his hand back through her hair before coming to dote underneath her chin, raising it up gently and pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Yes." he said quietly.

"What does that mean?" He watched her and grinned again.

"Ask me again in a few months." he whispered back to her, pressing another kiss to her forehead, making her feel all warm and fuzzy. Slowly, he held up his hand and she reached out her own hand to press against his - she giggled.

"Your hand is so big, Rosie, God," she said with a laugh, hearing his chuckle from somewhere above her, "mine is so tiny."

"It's cute." he whispered quietly, clasping his fingers around her hand, holding it there against his chest.

Staring at their intertwined hands against his chest, an aggressive feeling for him suddenly took shape and she realized how quick it was that it was in fact the feeling of genuine love.

Affection.

Adoration.

Love. For someone like him. For every part of him in every way.

Judy looked up at him, meeting his gaze again there in the lantern light and couldn't help it as she leaned towards him and lovingly pressed a kiss to his lips that slowly got deepened and rather emotional and slow and infused with a tenderness that she'd never felt before. It was slow movements, their heads and lips moving in unison, breaking every so often for a collection of air, before connecting again, their noses brushing, bits of laughter escaping every so often. Judy couldn't help but laugh at how ticklish his mustache was against her upper lip. It was all so gentle and peaceful - she had never felt so at peace with someone like this.

"If one of the girls came in now…."Judy whispered, before breaking into a laugh, "I'd probably never live it down." Rosie let out a small chuckle and shook his head against her softly, before pressing another kiss to her lips.

"You're something else, Judy Rybinski," he said quietly, eyes meeting hers again and she couldn't help but swell with emotion, "ever since I met you. Something special."