#that is called being comfortable and we all deserve that

[endelineinwonderland]

Let The Light In: Part 7

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Words: 2.7K

Pairing: Paige Bueckers/Media Manager! Reader

Warnings: Angst, Fluff (?!), Friends to enemies to lovers, reader is actually so incredibly in the wrong, slow burn (but we're about to be on fire).

A/N: A few hours later than planned but still, as promised! Also, time jump???!!! Lmk if we hate and if it should never be done again.

2/5/24

“Leo, I’ve told you 100 times I’m not comfortable doing shoots with Paige anymore. I really need to be taken off the schedule for tomorrow,” you insist, frustration tinging your voice. This is not the first time the two of you have had this particular conversation and you doubt it will be the last.

The morning after your talk with Paige you’d gone to Leo and told him everything. Over the course of your time at UConn Leo really had become like a second dad to you, but this was the first time you really had bothered him with your personal life. 

Luckily for you, he’d been very understanding and even took you and Charlie out to breakfast. You, because he wasn’t quite sure how to handle a sobbing 20-year-old and he figured throwing free food at the problem would be relatively pacifying, and Charlie because he figured she deserved a thank you for having dealt with a sobbing 20-year-old all night (and for saving him from the unfortunate task).  

The man turns to you with a heavy sigh, his eyes weary. “I’ve tried, for three months now I’ve kept you from being assigned to her, but this time I need the best of the best, and that’s you, kid. I’m sorry.”

The relationship between you and Paige had been hastily sewn back together over the past few months, a single, weak thread intertwining the two of you again. And things have, admittedly, been rougher than you’d like. 

The best conversation the two of you had shared took place over the course of a two-hour-long phone call where you let her know that you’d removed yourself from any future shoots with her. She immediately argued that you hadn’t needed to do that. You disagreed, then she disagreed with that, the process repeating again, and again, and again until the two of you realized that the time on the clock was now well past midnight and it was in both of your best interests to head off to bed.  

She came up to you after games, just like old times, greeting you in a quick hug and stealing your camera off your neck to flip through a couple of the photos before nodding in approval and wandering off again.

After finals you’d run into the team on a night out and joined them. Paige had walked you home, each of you drunk off your asses and using it as an excuse to cling to each other like ivy to an old brick wall. It had started snowing so you’d offered to let her stay the night, she’d said no.  

The holidays stood out only for their flurry of awkward ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy New Year’ texts.

Everything else, however, had been remarkably unremarkable; seeming so insignificant that even when you were spending hours over analyzing each interaction the two of you have had, remembering these felt like a waste of time. 

But now, standing in Leo’s office, for the first time in months, even with the lack of real communication, you felt that fragile thread between Paige and you threatening to snap.

“Leo, please,” you said, your voice softer now, almost pleading. “I don’t want to mess things up with Paige again. We’re barely holding on as it is.”

Leo looked at you with a mixture of sympathy and frustration. “I get it, but you’re both professionals. You can do this. It’s one shoot. Just one. After that, we can reevaluate.”

You took a deep breath, trying to steady your racing thoughts. “Fine,” you said finally, the word feeling like a lead weight on your tongue. “But if it becomes too much, I’m out.”

Leo nods, relieved. “I understand. Just give it your best shot.”

The next day, you arrive at the shoot early, the familiar buzz of the studio doing very little to calm your nerves. You busy yourself with setting up your equipment, trying to focus on the technical aspects to keep your mind off the impending interaction with Paige, or rather, the interaction in the setting the two of you had been trying your hardest to avoid.

When she finally walks in, your breath catches in your throat.  She looks as beautiful as ever, you had desperately missed being near her, the occasional run-ins the two of you had doing very little to stifle your aching need for the blonde. 

The shoot begins, the atmosphere almost painfully tense but still professional enough that Leo was satisfied. You direct her with a calm, steady voice, doing your best to maintain the distance she seems to need. 

Paige follows your directions flawlessly, her movements graceful and precise. It is almost like old times, except for the invisible barrier she's put up between you.

During a break, Paige approaches you, her expression tentative. “How’s it going?” she asked softly, her eyes searching yours.

You shrug, trying to keep your tone light. “I mean, it's photography and it's you. Hard not to love it.” Admittedly, the last bit was a lie, having to capture her like this again was nerve wracking to say the least.

Sure, the picture of her on the court is what had gotten the two of you here. But in your mind, these shoots marked the beginning of the end, where you had started getting selfish with your art, where you had been given to much control and in turn, abused it.

She nods, biting her lip. “I appreciate you doing this. I know I’m kinda ruining your thing for you right now which I really didn’t want to do.”

You look at her, the sincerity in her eyes tugging at your heart. “I’m trying P.” 

She looks around briefly, confirming that no one is watching before swooping down to briefly press her lips against your cheek. “I know you are.” She whispers before Leo calls everyone back to set. 

By the end of the night, almost everyone had left, leaving you and Paige, who had apparently decided to stay with you a while longer instead of returning to her dorm, to pack up alone. This would have been fine if it wasn’t so eerily reminiscent of all the other times you two had worked together. Everything was just still so painfully raw, even nostalgia hurt.

As you tried desperately to busy yourself, ignoring the blondes lingering stare, Paige finally broke the silence. “Do you remember our first shoot together?” she asked softly.

You paused, a small smile tugging at your lips, there were a only a few moments the two of you have shared that didn't immediately make you tear up for one reason or another when you recall them, this was one of them.

“Yeah, I do. You were so nervous, kept fiddling with your necklace, I had to photoshop like half of those damn pictures so you weren’t grabbing at it in all of them.”

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “I was terrified. But you made it easier. You always did.”

“It only ever felt easy when it was with you." You looked at her, the memories flooding back.

—-

The studio was buzzing with activity. Assistants scurried around, adjusting lights, setting up equipment, and preparing the backdrop. You were standing near the camera, checking the settings one last time.  For you, the energy in the air was nothing short of electric, this was your game day, this was the thing you lived for. 

Paige walked in, her eyes wide and filled with dread. She always liked the end result of getting her picture taken but the process was tedious and dealing with photographers could be just downright unpleasant. 

She was clad in her home jersey, the navy blue 5 contrasting sharply against the stark white. She clutched the necklace around her neck, a small silver cross pendant that she would continue to fiddle with incessantly the whole day. 

You looked up and saw her, your heart skipping a beat. You'd taken pictures of her before, of course, the night at the gym, a few games, and for a few homework assignments that’s she’d, thankfully, agreed to help with, but this was something else entirely, a shoot. A shoot for Leo.

"Hey, Paige," you called out, offering her a reassuring smile. "Ready?” 

She walked over. "Yeah," she replied, her voice missing its usual enthusiasm. 

You positioned her in front of the camera, giving her small tips on how to stand, where to look, and how to relax her shoulders. She followed your instructions diligently, though you could still see the tension in her posture.

"Remember to breathe," you said gently. "And try to think of something that makes you happy. It'll show in your eyes."

Paige closed her eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. When she opened them again, there was a spark of confidence that hadn't been there before. She smiled, and you could see the transformation happening right before your eyes. 

You didn’t know at the time but all she had done was think about the night she met you.

"That's it," you encouraged, your own excitement growing with hers. "Just like that."

As the shoot progressed, Paige began to relax more, her movements becoming more fluid and natural.

You clicked the shutter repeatedly, the two of you inventing a silent language; thumbs up: all done with this look, change your pose, thumbs down: this isn’t working, give me a second to do change things on my end, palm out: stay still, etc, etc. 

By the end of the day, you had captured a series of stunning photographs, each one better than the last as she had gotten more and more used to being in front of your camera. 

As you packed up your equipment, Paige had approached you, her eyes shining with renewed sense of excitement. "Need a ride?” 

"Oh no it’s okay, thank you so much though” you replied, turning to the girl. “I’m just gonna walk.” 

She smiled, her fingers once again playing with her necklace. "No come on, it’s late, I’m driving you.” 

You had hesitated despite already knowing your answer, “only if you’re sure," you said, unable to hide your relief.

The two of you left the studio together, stepping into the crisp evening air. The city was quiet, the hustle and bustle of the day giving way to a serene calm. Paige led you to her car, popping the trunk and helping you load all of your stuff safely in the back. 

Once inside, you both settled into a comfortable silence, the only sound the hum of the engine and the occasional rustle as Paige adjusted her grip on the steering wheel. You glanced at her, noticing the way the streetlights cast a soft glow on her face.

"Wanna get ice cream?” Paige said suddenly, breaking the silence. “There’s this cute little place nearby and I’m starving, plus there’s no way the dining hall is still serving dinner.” She’d been so nervous that her words had come out in one breath. It would have been more than just bordering on incoherent if you hadn’t been giving her every single ounce of your attention already, clinging to every word.

You looked at her, surprised by the sudden change in plans but also grateful for the suggestion. You were starving. “Let’s do it.”

Paige grinned, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she turned the car around and headed towards the ice cream parlor. The streets were quiet, the cool evening air settling over you two.

When you arrived, the bell above the door had chimed softly as Paige opened the door for you. The smell of freshly made waffle cones and the sound of soft music filled the air.

Somewhere in the back of your mind you registered that the song playing was the one on an old Etta James record. The same one your grandmother had said was playing at the jazz club her and your grandfather had gone to on their first date. But, you pay in no mind, all of your conscious thoughts consumed by the blonde in front of you.

The parlor was cozy, with a few small tables and a counter displaying a rainbow of ice cream flavors. Paige immediately made her way to the counter, her eyes wide with delight as she scanned the options.

“What are you getting?” she asked, turning to you. 

You took a moment to consider, then decided on your usual favorite. “I do this weird thing, I get two kiddie scoops, one cherry and one strawberry and mix them. When I was a kid, my mom used to get strawberry and I used to get cherry and she’d always let me have her leftovers so I mixed them together one day and now I can’t eat ice cream any other way.” You said, smiling. 

Despite the fact that you had known Paige for a month, the expression on her face when you told her this was one that could only be described as love struck. There was a gentle warmth in her eyes that caused your heartbeat to quicken and your breath to catch in your throat. It was as if the entire world had melted away and all that remained was the two of you, standing there in that moment, caught up in each other's unspoken affection.

“Here, how ‘bout I get strawberry, and we can do that. You’ve got me curious now” she said. 

“Deal. You won’t regret it.” You’d chuckled, reaching your hand out to hers for her to shake, you really had just wanted an excuse to touch her.

You both placed your orders, and the worker, recognizing Paige, had scooped more than generous portions of ice cream into the two cups.

Paige handed you your cherry scoop, and you both sat down at a small table near the window. Paige took a bite of her strawberry scoop, then mixed a bit of it with your cherry. She paused, the spoon still dangling out of her mouth, and her eyes lit up. “Shit this is really good.” 

A smile quickly spread across you face. “Told ya.”

For a moment, you both sat in comfortable silence. Each of you dipping into each others cups, giggling when one of your spoons got caught on the others, inevitably making the dessert fall back into the bowl it had just been scooped from. The world outside the window seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you in this cozy little bubble.

When Paige had finished hers and the remainder of yours after you’d pushed your leftovers at her, the two of you returned to the car. 

The drive home wasn’t long but the combination of your fatigue from the long day and the gentle rocking of her car had made you fall asleep without even realizing what was happening. 

Pulled up at your dorm, she gently shook your shoulder, “hey, we’re here.” 

You blinked awake, disoriented for a moment, then realized where you were. 

“Oh, sorry,” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Paige smiled, her expression tender. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a long day.”

You gathered your things and hesitated for a moment, not wanting the evening to end. 

“Thanks for the ice cream, Paige. And for everything else.”

“Anytime,” she replied, her voice sincere. “Get some rest, okay?”

You nodded, stepping out of the car. “You too. Goodnight, Paige.”

“Goodnight,” she said, watching you walk no more than 10 steps away from the car before she was rolling down her car window to talk to you again, “hey, same time next week?” 

You’d turned back to her, confused. “What?” 

“Ice cream, you and me, next Thursday. Come on it’ll be like, our thing.” 

A warmth spread through you at the suggestion, and you found yourself smiling back at her. “Yeah, I’d like that. Ice cream Thursday.”

“Awesome,” she replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “It’s a date then. Goodnight for real this time.”

“Night,” you said, waving as she drove away, her taillights disappearing into the night.

—-

“Hey do you need a ride home, for old times sake?” Paige grabs your attention again as you let the memory fade from into the background.

She's rocking back and forth on her heels as you finish packing up; obviously trying to gauge whether or not she’s overstepping.

You grab the rest of your bags, replying, “that’d be great, thank you" before getting an idea, "hey you know, it’s Thursday, we’ve missed dinner, and if you’re free, I think our ice cream place is still open.” 

Paige’s eyes light up, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You're on."

[pinkanonwrites]

The Immensity of Vacancy

Energon Universe Jetfire/Human Reader, +1200 words

Just a little bittersweet something I wrote after the last issue of the Skybound comics came out. Jetfire my sweet, you did not deserve your fate.

ENERGON UNIVERSE COMIC SPOILERS AHEAD.

It was curious how even the most harrowing of circumstance could, with enough time and enough patience, shear down its jagged edges until it became something nearly palatable. 

Not comfortable. Primus, no, never comfortable. But palatable.

Stars no longer graced Jetfire’s curious optics, all light snuffed in favor of an inky nothingness soothed only by memory. There could be no ache of stasis lock when the freedom of movement had been ripped from his frame entirely, left to the whims of his fellow Cybertronians. The breems of silence would stretch into cycles, tuning his remaining audials ever finer upon the low thrum of Teletraan, the rattle-step of Autobots passing through corridors below. 

Perhaps that was why he could always hear you coming.

Your footsteps didn't boom or echo like those of Optimus Prime, never accompanied with the screech of tires like Arcee or Cliffjumper. Instead came the soft tink tink tink of tiny, booted feet against the resonant floor, the jangle of metallic jibbitz swinging from a clip on your belt. ‘Keys’ you had called them, though they were nothing like the data-keys or passcodes more familiar to him. ‘One for my car, one for my house, one for the back door at work.’ Primitive, but undeniably clever. 

You always paused in the doorway of the hangar when you approached, a brief instance of silence. Perhaps you were waiting for a transformation from him, a flourish of panels shifting and plates fluttering into place to reveal his root mode, his towering form compared to your own tiny one. You knew as well as he did that idea was an impossibility, but you paused nonetheless.

“Hey. Are you awake?”

Jetfire spent much time in recharge nowadays, the only respite from the insurmountable emptiness that surrounded him that remained in his control. It was another consistency from you, willing to let him rest for untold lengths of time, as if your own presence was not wildly preferred.

“Yes. For quite a while now.”

You let out a soft, sad sounding hum. “I’m sorry I couldn't get here earlier.”

“That's alright. I’m sure you have much of your own work to attend to.”

“Maybe, but it's not really anything exciting.” He could hear the shuffle and thunk of your backpack hitting the metal landing bay, the pull of the zipper. When you settled in your spot on the floor and leaned back against his landing gear, heat radiated through the space where your back pressed to his cool plating. “Work, mostly. Had a late shift last night, so I ran to the library this morning instead. The librarian actually recognized me.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, I just didn't expect it. I never went there until recently, anyway. Guess now that I’m going in a couple days a week I’m becoming a regular. Imagine that.”

Jetfire let out a soft hum. “We’ll never be wanting for reading material then.”

You seemed to hesitate for a moment as you removed something from your bag, the flutter of paper against your fingertips tickling his audials.

“I brought a new book. ‘The War Of The Worlds’. It’s an old sci-fi classic.” You softly fanned through the pages again. “It’s about, um… It’s about aliens. That come to take over Earth. It was probably a stupid choice, we can read something different if you want.”

He could understand your hesitation. Though Jetfire had not spent long interacting with the local lifeforms of your planet, he’d heard more than enough from the other Autobots about the occurrences at the power plant; The terror, the violence. The story of a hostile occupation from beings infinitely more powerful and dangerous than the planet’s inhabitants could strike offensive if presented in the wrong way, to the wrong bot. And yet…

“I would like to hear it.”

He couldn’t help that part of himself that yearned to understand. To learn. How often would he get the chance to hear the perspective of another species, better yet from the species themselves? Considering his current state, likely never again.

“Are you sure? It doesn’t have to be this, I brought other books. To Kill A Mockingbird, Treasure Island, maybe some Shakespeare-?”

“No, I… I want to hear it. I’d like to understand.”

You hesitated further still, as if you were waiting for Jetfire to change his mind. Then you let out a small, huffy noise, like you were trying to clear your vents. Jetfire recognized the sound to be what you’d called a “sniffle”. Paper shuffled, you let out a low, steadying sigh, and began to read.

“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own…”

You were a delightful narrator, though you’d often brush off Jetfire’s compliments as to the former. ‘You should hear David Attenborough!’ you’d reply, though Jetfire had no idea who this apparent man was. Your cadence and accent would adjust slightly when switching characters, like you were putting on a play. The first descriptions of the alien conquerors were read with a faux suspense, as if you could scare the Cybertronian with narration alone. And yet, when you came upon the paragraph describing the first human deaths, there did your energy began to falter. You shifted against his landing gear, swallowing thickly as you described the heat ray that jumped from man to man, ‘...as if each man were suddenly and momentarily turned to fire.’ Your hesitance didn’t seem to stem from the words themselves, but the context in who you were reading them to. Did the recent Decepticon attack on the hospital strike as close to home mentally as it did physically?

You paused again at the end of the chapter. Usually here Jetfire would have rattled off the questions he’d saved while you were reading, foreign concepts and names of unknown locations and the intricacies of human interaction that he didn’t quite comprehend. But he found himself in silence here as well. Not stunned, not scared, merely… contemplative.

“Sorry. It’s not too late to read something else, you know. Treasure Island’s still on the docket.” You murmured, fingers tapping absentmindedly along the book’s spine. 

“There’s no need to apologize. Already it’s a fascinating tale.” He paused for a moment, mulling over his words. The question he was about to ask seemed painfully obvious. Yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to leave it unsaid. “Are all humans this afraid of… aliens?”

‘Will all humans be this afraid of us?’ He did not ask.

“I think…” You hummed, head thunking back against his landing gear plating. “I think that most humans are afraid of the unknown. The idea that there’s something out there we can’t understand. We don’t like being reminded that we aren’t actually in control. That at any point in time we could die.”

Jetfire thought back to Cybertron- the expeditions failed, the cities razed, the lives lost- and he understood the sentiment exactly. 

“Would it comfort you to know that the experience isn’t uniquely human?” 

You barked out a short laugh. “A little, actually.”

Jetfire had spent so much of his life in the cold. The cold of space. The cold of the ice. The cold of the silent, empty hangar. But here, in this moment, with your body pressed to his plating, your voice filling the blackness, he felt inexplicably warm. 

“I’d still like to hear more, if you would continue.”

Though Jetfire could not see your smile, it was more than enough to hear it in your voice.

“Sure thing, big guy.”

[tunaababee]

we will be everything we say - Chapter 8/Epilogue

masterlist // fic playlist // read on AO3 // overall rating: e // wc this chapter: 5.3k

Feyre Archeron has been best friends with Rhysand Sterling ever since she moved onto the same street when they were kids - the two became absolutely joined at the hip, with nothing able to come between them.

As they get older, life gets more complicated and things get harder. Not everything comes as naturally as it once did. People change, things happen, friends... drift.

But after drifting apart, maybe life can push them back together again, in time.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

a/n: thank you all so much for coming with me on this journey. this fic has been my baby for a long while so it feels weird to have it fully out in the world, but i hope you've enjoyed! also, biggest shoutout to @climbthemountain2020 - the best beta reader a girl could ask for and without whom this fic wouldn't have been possible. <3

more smut in here btw! have fun <3

Chapter 8/Epilogue: forever and always

Being with Rhys felt so easy – as natural as breathing. Since they had gotten together a bit over a year ago, life hadn’t always been smooth sailing and stress-free, but it was definitely easier to roll with the punches with him by Feyre’s side. She wouldn’t trade it for the world, though she was still always in a bit of disbelief as to just how loving and kind he was towards her. Every day with him felt like a gift she didn’t deserve but treasured all the same.

Since that night, things had definitely moved… fast, to say the least. With any other person, Feyre would have thought that moving in together after only two months would have been insanity. But, of course, it had simply been a natural next step with the amount of time she spent at Rhys’ place and vice versa. Besides, they’d already spent twenty years getting to know each other – it’s been overly drawn out if you ask me, Rhys would say whenever she asked him if he was sure about it all. Soon enough, she’d gotten settled into the roomy apartment in Velaris over in uptown Prythian, and it had quickly gone from his to theirs. The first few months of living there he couldn’t help but get giddy like a schoolboy every time she called it home. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel the same way, but he gushed about it to her every minute he could, and it made her laugh. It certainly made her stomach flutter every time he followed ‘my home’ up with ‘my girl’ and ‘my Feyre’, though.

They’d set aside a workspace in the apartment that the two of them shared – Rhys busy designing dresses and suits and outfits in between paperwork at his ever-cluttered desk, Feyre painting and drawing and bringing her visions to life right next to him. Her art career had been kicking off at a steady pace – she was being regularly featured in various gallery shows, alongside her online art store comprised of her more fun works bringing in a comfortable amount of sales. Rhys was succeeding all on his own merit as well, which didn’t surprise Feyre in the slightest considering all his ambition. Night Triumphant was becoming more and more reputable as a brand, beginning to have a handful of brick-and-mortar stores slowly but surely expanding across the country, meaning he was travelling more often for work. The two of them would collaborate sometimes as well, with Feyre making artworks that got printed on custom fabric and made into the most stunning garments, often for her to wear if Rhys had his way. It wasn’t uncommon for one of them to find the other watching them work before they were all over one another. If there was one thing the two of them couldn’t ever get enough of, it was each other. They managed to make it work and live comfortably pursuing their dreams, and Feyre couldn’t think of another time she’d been so happy in her life.

But right now, it was New Year’s Eve, and the two of them had each been busy with their own respective business – Rhys had been trying to fulfil the higher demand from people wanting a stunning outfit over the holidays, while Feyre had been dealing with her own higher volume of orders for the giving season. Balancing time with their friends and family, each other, and working had been difficult and they’d definitely had to set some of it on the backburner to make sure they met all their commitments. Late nights, long days and bone-deep exhaustion that only that lazy week between Christmas and New Years could allow them to recover from. Both of them had been too tired to do much of anything besides sleep and binge Netflix together, but at least they were together.

Tonight, they had decided they should go and see their friends for a few drinks to help ring in the new year, the two of them having gone a little bit stir crazy after a while.

“We don’t have to stay out all night, right?” Feyre called from their bedroom, rifling through the closet in nothing but underwear and a bra to try and find a nice but comfortable outfit for the night.

“Not unless you want to, darling. But you know I’m never opposed to sneaking out of anything early with you.” Rhys’ tone was playful as he came up behind her, arms wrapping around her bare waist before pressing a kiss to the delicate spot between neck and shoulder.

She turned her head to press a kiss to his temple with a smile before focusing back on her task. “True, but we have to actually get out of the door to do that in the first place. Now go get ready!”

With a playful swat to his hip he let her go, hands in the air in mock defense before grabbing some clothes of his own and retreating to the bathroom. The cheeky, Cheshire Cat grin never left his face the whole time she could see him, and it always made her heart do a little flip, beating in double time. Everything about Rhys always made her feel like a kid with a schoolyard crush in the best way – like she was able to tangibly grab that lost time she hadn’t had with him in her hands and make it real.

Feyre carefully picked through the closet before settling on something that definitely leaned more on the casual side of things, but still made her look and feel good. She grabbed a tight-fitting white crop top, paired with her favourite black tennis skirt and thick, fleece-lined pantyhose to keep her warm despite the winter chill. Cute but comfy – exactly what she was after. There was also the added benefit of that it would drive Rhys a little bit insane, which she always took an immense amount of joy in.

As if he’d heard her thoughts like a moth to a flame, he came back into the room as she stood in front of their full-length mirror and pulled her top on. Rhys looked drop-dead gorgeous in a tight fitting henley shirt and dark blue jeans that outlined the quickly developing bulge in his jeans deliciously. She couldn’t help but smirk, fussing with the shirt and fiddling with the necklace around her neck – the same one he’d given her the night they had gotten together. She hadn’t stopped wearing it since.

There was a hunger in Rhys’ eyes as he leaned against the doorframe of their bedroom, biting his lip slightly as he folded his arms and raked his eyes over her.

“You almost ready to go, honey? I just need to grab my sneakers and a cardigan.” She looked at him over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eye as she schooled her face into the most innocent expression she could manage. She knew exactly what he was thinking when he looked at her like that.

“Mm, I’m not sure. I feel like I might have forgotten to do something before we go,” he said, crooking two fingers at her to beckon her closer, the silver rings he always wore gleaming against his skin. “Do you know what that could be, Feyre?”

Feyre took deliberately smaller steps than normal, drawing out the tension between them as she stalked closer and closer before she could slide her arms around his neck. “Mm, no idea what you could mean. What I do know is that if we don’t leave soon, we’re gonna be late to meet everyone else at Rita’s.”

He didn’t hesitate to grab her ass, roughly kneading the flesh there as Rhys tilted his head down to brush his lips over hers. “Let them fucking wait.”

Before Feyre could even try to pretend to put up a protest, he pressed his lips needily to hers, hands sliding down to the backs of her thighs to hoist her up effortlessly. Her back hit the wall, groaning into his mouth as she could feel his hips pressing relentlessly against her own as her legs wrapped round his waist. She couldn’t help but roll her hips to try and drive him even wilder, eliciting a delicious little moan from him that was music to her ears.

“You really thought we’d be able to leave the house on time? When you’re wearing that? Making yourself look all pretty just for me, hm?” Rhys’ lips and teeth made headway down the column of her neck, nibbling and biting and sucking to leave a trail of hickeys for everyone to see.

She hummed with satisfaction, a smile playing on her lips. “I thought I’d- ah- make at least a little effort since it’s N-New Years and all, what can I say?” A harsher nip to the crook of her neck made her gasp, a hand knotting itself firmly in his hair to press him closer as if there was any gap between them in the first place.

Rhys moved a hand from under her thigh to slip between their bodies, under her shirt, under her bra, to greedily palm at her breast and pull and tweak at her hardened peaks. He pulled his mouth away from her neck to lock his gaze with hers, an intensity in them that he reserved just for her. The eye contact with him always made everything feel so much… more and she lived for it.

“You can say my name as I make you take every inch of my cock,” Rhys grinded his hips against hers roughly to punctuate his sentence, rock hard against the searing-hot wet spot that was quickly soaking through her panties and beginning to show on the stockings she was wearing. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you Feyre? Being my little whore, taking everything I give you?”

She couldn’t do anything but whine, nodding dumbly as she tried to rut against him, attempting to develop more friction between their bodies. He smiled almost mischievously, gently placing Feyre onto her feet for barely a second before they were both scrambling – Feyre to yank her stockings and panties to the floor before tossing them aside, Rhys to be rid of his belt and undo his jeans. The moment he was finished, Rhys grabbed her hips with a bruising force that sent heat spearing through her centre. Feyre almost jumped back into his arms as he pushed her back into the same position they’d left off at. Her mind and body were practically putty in his hands, nothing but sticky, syrupy thoughts of the pleasure she knew full well he was capable of providing her running through her mind.

“You’re such a good fucking girl,” He muttered lowly, moving a hand lower and lower over her abdomen until his fingers began to drift teasingly through the folds of her pussy. “All soaking wet already.”

Her face was buried in the crook of Rhys’ neck, a desperate whimper leaving her as she bit down into his golden-brown skin with need. Her hips canted against his hand, fingers occasionally slipping inside her with exceptional ease before they drew right back out again. He was deliberately trying to drive her mad and it was working far too well. “Baby, please please fuck me already, pl-please, I need you- need you to fill me, unh- up so bad.”

The ministrations his hand provided stilled, Feyre’s head firmly falling back against the wall before she met his gaze. Rhys’ pupils were blown wide, his cock twitching at her words against her inner thigh. “Need me to fill you up, huh?”

Feyre nodded at him with a groan.

“Need to feel me come inside you? Fuck it into you nice and hard, like a little slut?”

She groaned lewdly at that, fingernails digging into the back of his neck. “Yes, baby, plea-ase.”

Without warning or ceremony, he lined himself up and quickly pushed inside her with no resistance, twin moans spilling from their mouths in delectable harmony. The hand that had been fisted around his cock quickly moved up to her neck, gripping lightly as the firm planes of Rhys’ body and his rough thrusts pinned her harder up against the wall over and over. The lock her legs had around his waist loosened, one of them pushed right back up with his free hand to hit as deep as he could, her feet bobbing up and down with every snap and roll of their hips into one another.

Feyre caught a glimpse of the two of them in the full length mirror she’d been preening in on the other side of the room a little while ago and oh god, the sight made a moan warble from her throat helplessly.

“Gonna fuck you so full, Feyre,” A whiny little ‘uh huh’ escaped her with every sentence, every ounce of filth he slurred into her ears. “Gonna make sure my darling is filled to the fucking brim, god, you were made for me.”

Feyre’s mind just got more and more hazy as she felt her climax build with each roll of her hips, every stroke of Rhys’ cock inside her pressing against that one spot that made her lose any sense she had. She could hear him babbling about so perfect and babygirl and would look so good with my baby inside you one day – it made it near impossible for her to form words or sentences even if she tried.

“C-Come, Rhys, I’m gonna c-“ Feyre didn’t even get to finish her sentence before she was letting the most depraved, guttural sound she’d ever heard loose from her throat as her walls tightened like a vice around Rhys’ cock. He kept fucking her right through, the sensation so intense that a stray few tears fell from her eyes as she focused solely on the complete ecstasy enveloping her. She was distantly aware of Rhys coming apart not long after her, making good on his promise to fill her well – sweat slicked his forehead, his gaze solely locked onto where their bodies joined and the slight hints of his spend she could feel leaking out of her around him.

After a few moments spent in the haze of each other’s warmth and embrace, peppered with kisses and sweet words mumbled in each other’s ears, Rhys pulled out – though not before gathering up what mess had dripped out of her cunt and indulging in a few extra moments inside her to fuck it right back in with a low moan. He slowly lowered her onto her feet, her legs trembling like baby fawn, barely keeping her up with the most satisfied look on her face. She looked down just as Rhys got to his knees, grabbing her soaked panties from the floor where they’d been hastily discarded and gently starting to coax them back onto her feet and up her legs. The span of his hands over her legs was comforting, the caring and delicate touches slowly bringing her back to reality as he helped her back into her stockings.

“We have to hurry Feyre darling; we’re going to be awfully late.” Rhys quipped as he stood up in front of her. She simply rolled her eyes with a laugh, lightly swatting his chest.

“As if you’ve started caring about that now.” Feyre fiddled with his hair, trying to form it back into something presentable as he tucked himself back into his jeans and made himself presentable once more – though not without a visible bite mark on him to match her own.

“What kind of partner would I be if I left my beautiful girl all empty and needy? Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, you know.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, stroking her hair gently before stepping away to grab his phone. “Go do what you need to feel ready – I’ll call the Uber.”

She could feel her cheeks warm a little, but she was grateful for the extra time – she knew that the minute the two of them walked into Rita’s everybody would know why they were late. It wasn’t exactly the first time this had happened. But she at least wanted to look a little less messy – that was something she saved just for Rhys, and that was exactly the way the two of them liked it.

Before long she’d fixed her hair, slipped on her shoes and her thick black cardigan and walked with Rhys into the crisp night air.

It was already a little past eight-thirty when the two of them arrived, their circle of friends spotting them the minute they rolled through the door. Cassian had his brows arched dramatically sitting at the end of the booth, staring at Rhys as he tapped at an imaginary watch on his wrist. Azriel simply shook his head thoroughly with a smirk, while Mor looked far too satisfied for her own good at the whole affair. Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie couldn’t care less as they were thoroughly engrossed in trying to rope Amren into their book club. The attempt didn’t seem to be working.

“Wooow guys, over half an hour late? Shame on you two for making all of us wait! You’re lucky we haven’t ordered food yet.” Cassian’s tone was exaggerated and playful, Feyre simply grinning at his antics as she and Rhys slid in next to him the booth they had all piled into.

“They say patience is a virtue, Cass. You could learn a thing or two! We’re just trying to impart good values.” Feyre retorted, trying and failing miserably to keep a serious look on her face at him.

His façade broke after that, Cassian slinging an arm over Feyre’s shoulder to pull her into a tight hug with a wide smile and a laugh.

“So, what kept you two sooo busy, hmm? Important business I imagine?” Mor drawled, finger twirling around the rim of her cocktail with a ruby red grin on her face. She knew full well what kept them waiting, but everybody knew she loved getting a rise out of her friends.

Rhys didn’t hesitate, more than eager to rib back. “Well, if you must know, I was busy fuc-“

A crumpled-up ball of napkins hit Rhys square in the face as Nesta levelled a glare at him across the table, iciness in her eyes. “I’m glad my baby sister is happy, but I swear to fucking god, I do not want to hear about what you two get up to behind closed doors.”

Rhys responded with a jokingly smug ‘suit yourself,’ before he turned his attentions back to Feyre and the others at the table, everybody ordering enough food and drinks to feed what felt like an army – most of it almost certainly being consumed by Azriel and Cassian. Before long, they’d all worked up a pleasant enough buzz and Mor had dragged Emerie onto the dancefloor despite her many protests. This, of course, led to a chain reaction – Emerie begged for Gwyn to help, which led to Gwyn recruiting Nesta, which meant Feyre got dragged up too because no way was she going to be caught dead on a club dancefloor without as many people she could rope in as possible.

Normally Rhys and Cassian would opt to join them, Azriel having always preferred watching from the sidelines and wading into things at his own pace and Amren never forced into anything she didn’t explicitly want to do, but tonight they were suspiciously glued to the table in hearty but hushed discussion that Feyre could barely make out over the music. She didn’t pay it too much mind – it was likely about Cassian and Nesta’s wedding since it was just in a few months’ time, or how they were going to rope their respective partners into some harebrained idea that they’d cooked up together. Ultimately, whatever it was, she knew it wasn’t something to worry about and just focused on having a good time feeling the music in her bones and the alcohol in her body.

The time flew by as the clock ticked a bit past ten-thirty, Feyre sat squarely in Rhys’ lap and felt the exertion of the day catching up with her. As much as Rhys tried to look like he wasn’t feeling the tiredness seep into his bones, she could see it in the sag of his shoulders and the slight droop of his eyelids – it was time to call it a night. Before long they’d said their goodbyes, kisses on cheeks and all too-tight hugs from everybody who’d come.

“Can’t believe you’re not staying out ‘til the New Year rolls in. I think you might be getting old, sport.” Amren punched Rhys in the arm with a laugh, having always been a party animal when she felt like it – she was usually going one-for-one right by Rhys’ side through each and every drink.

“Am, you’re literally the oldest one here, are you sure your bones aren’t turning into dust?”

With a hearty laugh and an eye roll so fierce they could practically hear it, Rhys and Feyre headed home. As much as she loved the company of everybody, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t excited to jump into her pyjamas and get comfy for the night. She stepped out of the Uber and back into their apartment building with a long yawn.

“Ready to wind down for the night, love?” Rhys stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist to hold her close against him on the elevator ride up.

“Mmhm. Sometimes I forget how tired I am until it hits me all at once, y’know?” Her head rested gently against his neck, his chin resting in her hair. She always loved when he held her close like this – no matter where they were, it felt like safety. Like home.

The elevator dinged softly as it got to their floor, Rhys being ever the gentleman and insisting on unlocking the door and ushering her through into their apartment before him. Feyre did a little curtsey with her tennis skirt, possibly hiking the hem a little higher than she needed to. But that was neither here nor there.

“Why thank you, Mr. Sterling! And they say chivalry is dead.”

He chuckled lowly with a small bow at the waist toward her. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss St- I mean, Miss Archeron.” A flush crawled up his neck and onto his cheeks, only matched by the way her own face was almost equally as pink in turn. It wasn’t the first time he’d almost called her ‘Miss Sterling’, but it made her tummy do flips and tie into knots more and more every time. It had a certain ring to it that she more than appreciated.   

Ever the one to commit to the bit, Rhys delicately took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles as he met her gaze. Instead of letting her hand drop however, he used it to pull her in close and kiss her softly. “Go hop in the shower, darling. I’ll get a movie and some snacks set up for us, perhaps?”

A dreamy little sigh escaped her as she looked up at him, face as soft and kind as it had always been to her.

Her Rhys.

“You’re too sweet to me, you know.”

“Not sweet enough, if you ask me. Now get.” He gave Feyre’s backside a light swat to send her on her way, making her burst into a fit of giggles as she set out toward the bathroom.

She made sure to pick out her comfiest set of pyjamas and the fluffiest socks she owned, letting the water help ease the aches and weariness across her body. Especially her hips, but she didn’t really have any wiggle room to complain about that one. Feyre put her hair into a simple braid over her shoulder, softly padding out into the living room again as she wrapped a hair tie around the end of it, but she almost forgot what she was doing when she saw what had been set up in her absence.

It felt just like when they were kids.

Their couch, one of those fold-out futons for when there were one too many guests, had been pulled out and stacked with pillows and blankets galore, including the ones from their own bed. It almost looked like an impenetrable nest from where she was standing. The room was lit by only the glow of the widescreen TV and a few warm lamps throughout, with Howl’s Moving Castle already on the screen and paused for the two of them to begin at their leisure. In the middle of it all was Rhys, in his own pyjamas instead of just an old t-shirt for once, with two bowls nestled in his lap and both of their Steam Decks right next to him.

Exactly like when they were kids, but for who they were now.

The thought made Feyre’s heart beat in double-time – she’d never quite known what she did to deserve someone like Rhys, but she wasn’t going to start questioning it now. She climbed into the bed of blankets, making herself comfy as she struggled to wipe the incredulous look off her face. “What’s the occasion?”

“Just because we’re having a quieter New Year’s doesn’t mean we can’t still have a luxurious one. Besides, we’ve both been so tired lately – I figured we deserved a bit of a treat.” He held out a bowl to her, spoon sticking out of a thick bed of choc-mint ice cream. As she took it he scooted a bit closer, sides pressed together as he clicked ‘play’ on the movie and began to eat his own bowl of ice cream – boysenberry.

Some things truly never changed.

Feyre tried to press a firm kiss to his cheek, but he was quicker and turned his head to catch her lips with his own briefly. She simply smiled against his mouth before turning her attention to her own bowl, and not long after they’d both finished, to finding the most comfortable position for them both to play their games together. Eventually they settled on sitting up right next to one another, Feyre’s legs draped over the top of Rhys’ as they snuggled up under god-knows how many blankets.

As the TV was busy with Sophie Hatter’s journey up the palace steps to see the King’s witch, Rhys and Feyre were busy trying to water all their crops and save up for a better barn for their farm in Stardew Valley. Feyre had insisted that all their farm animals be named after foods, while Rhys had been much more hung up on making sure their crops were optimised for the maximum profit during the season. Maybe it was because he was a detail-oriented guy, maybe it was because Feyre kept spending all of their gold on decorating the farmhouse – who was to say? Either way, it was one of their favourite games to play together and tonight was no different. But they were in the middle of the Autumn season on a stormy day, when Feyre could feel Rhys’ gaze flicking between her and the game.

“Honey, you keep looking up at me and running into walls – everything okay over there?” She paused her game, setting her Steam Deck aside before doing the same with Rhys’.

“Yeah, I’m alright, I’m just – I got reminded of something, actually.”

“That’s awfully cryptic of you, haha.” She lifted a hand to brush his hair from his face, a few stray locks having fallen into his eyes, before resting her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch, eyes closing for a moment with a contented hum.

“Well, it’s something that I wanted to ask you before the new year and I have…” He grabbed his phone briefly, glancing at the time on the lockscreen. “…About eight-ish minutes left.”

“You sound pretty serious.”

“It is, heh, but probably not how you’re thinking. Close your eyes for a second.”

She did exactly as he asked, hands over her eyes, though Feyre was more than a bit puzzled. She knew by the furrow of her brow and the nervous laugh Rhys gave that she wasn’t on the same page as him quite yet and he knew it. The rustling of blankets and the shifting of Rhys beside her only added to the mystery.

“Okay, you can open them now.”

Feyre pulled her hands away from her face, a little confused as to what was different – she was looking straight out at the TV, unable to spot anything out of the ordinary, but she could feel Rhys’ stare locked onto her. Then he gently placed his hand on her leg over the thick down blanket, bringing her gaze down with it.

Right down to a pitch black, little velvet box.

Her hands shook a little bit as she reached out for it, looking between the box and Rhys over and over. Was this a fever dream? Was she imagining all of this? This felt far too good to be true.

But the feel of the smooth velvet in her fingertips assured her it was, as did the glittering ring it held inside. A deep purple amethyst, so deep it looked nearly black, sat in the middle of a delicately adorned silver band. It was shaped like a four-pointed star, with two smaller circular amethysts nestled on each side. A few other gems lay between and around them – knowing Rhys, they probably wouldn’t be anything less than diamonds – twinkling between them like the stars in the night sky.

It suited her perfectly. Suited Rhys’ tastes, as well. As soon as she saw it, she knew he’d probably been hiding it for what would have felt like forever to him. Knew that it was almost certainly what they were talking about at the bar.

“Is this for real?” Her eyes were wide as she looked up at Rhys, a few tears escaping against her will. He simply wiped them away with his thumb before tucking his fingers under her chin, making sure she couldn’t look away from him.

“Feyre, I can’t tell you for just how long I’ve wanted to call you my wife.”

“Well, at least the past few months since you keep almost calling me Miss Sterling.” The two of them laughed together for a moment, Rhys nodding slightly at her.

“You’ve got me there. But I mean it with every beat of my heart when I ask you…”

Rhys took the ring from the box with the hand that had been under her chin, the other coming to hold her left hand with a squeeze.

“Feyre Archeron, will you marry m-“

She kissed him with so much intensity, cutting off the end of the question, that she wasn’t sure she could ever quite express just how much she loved him – both in this moment and every other.

“Rhysand Sterling, I will marry the shit out of you.” She said against his lips, matching smiles spread across their faces.

Feyre pulled away for a second, letting Rhys slide the ring onto her finger before she climbed her way into his lap and kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close as he kissed her right back with just as much fervour as she gave him.

It wasn’t lost on Feyre just how lucky she was, and it certainly wasn’t lost on the rest of the apartment complex either with how loud they were that night.

No matter what life had thrown at them or would present them with in the future, they both knew a universal cosmic truth – one they’d known for as long as they could remember. Every time, every world, every situation, it was going to be Rhys and Feyre together against the world.

Always.

the end.

[eirianerisdar]

For the director's commentary thing: I would love a director's commentary for Icarus on what went on in Red Bull HQ after Daniel came back, specifically when he went on the sim for the first time and it all went so horribly wrong- what happened that we didn't see in the story afterwards, how did Simon and the rest of the team cope? And how did Max react when he came back, did Daniel or Christian tell him what had happened?

Hahaha this is asking more for a Director's outtake rather than commentary, but I don't mind.

For the unaware, Icarus is a platonic maxiel wingfic where Daniel is pressured into trimming his wings for speed in McLaren, and has a long, slow fall before anyone notices. Much Maxiel angst and hurt/comfort and fluff.

Have an outtake from Max's POV that would have slotted directly after chapter 28 of Icarus:

=====

It's late when Max reaches Christian's country estate at last. He guns his engine and takes the imposing driveway up to the mansion at twice the proper speed limit, manicured trees blurring past on either side.

He's probably ruining the cobblestones. He doesn't give a fuck.

He should've insisted they delay Daniel's sim session until his flight landed. He should've-

Max steps back from the door, his hand smarting. He hadn't planned on banging at the door like that. He'd planned on ringing the doorbell. But every fibre of him is screaming for his flock; his wings feel like they are on fire.

One of the house staff opens the door. "Mr Verstappen-"

Max shoulders his way past. He's probably being rude but he doesn't care.

A moment, where he stands in the cavernous, marbled entryway, with sweep of the grand staircase up to the second floor and heavy oak doors leading in every direction.

Daniel. Where's-

"Max," a voice calls softly. "You're here."

Geri. Max snaps towards her. "Where's-"

"They're in the garden," Geri says, tilting her head towards the back of the house. "I think Daniel's alseep." She doesn't seem to mind the dirt Max is tracking into her house. But maybe she has people for that.

Max moves through the house like a dream. Entryway, living area, kitchen; through a set of french glass doors and into the back garden. The garden itself is dim, but there is a bonfire in the fire pit casting the grass in ruddy reds and yellows. Silhouetted in the flickering light are two winged figures - one with golden eagle wings crouching to tend to the fire, the other bundled in a blanket on a lawn chair, bandaged macaw wings painted sanguine by the light of the fire.

Daniel.

Christian stands as Max rapidly approaches. "Shh," he says quietly, holding a finger to his lips. "He's sleeping."

Max's ignores him. He drops to his knees next to Daniel's lawn chair, reaches out with a shaking hand to brush Daniel's curls out of his face.

Daniel looks paler than when Max saw him last a week ago. The firelight makes the shadows under Daniel's eyes look bruised.

Daniel shifts in his sleep, leans into Max's touch. Even in sleep there is pain on his face.

Max twists to look over his shoulder at Christian.

"Explain," he says accusingly. He needs to understand.

Christian had promised he wouldn't force Daniel's healing wings into the sim before they were ready. Christian had promised that the team would treat Daniel with the care and respect he deserved after what that other team had done to him. After he'd almost lost his wings.

"He reopened his wounds in a couple of places," Christian says. His eyes are fixed on Daniel's bandaged wings. "But the hospital said he'd be okay. They've stitched him up."

"What the fuck does that mean," Max hisses. "How did it even happen?"

Christian puts up his hands. "Simon tells me he pushed himself," he says. "Went through the break without stopping, and he wanted to get back in the sim so we could perfect the setup for Brazil-"

"Fuck off," Max hisses. "Don't - don't fucking tell me he was bleeding into the sim and nobody noticed."

Christian looks at him. There is grief and guilt in Christian's eyes, but over it all, bitter, seething fury.

"Max," he says. "None of us noticed for a whole fucking year."

All the air is punched out of Max's chest.

It's true. Max hadn't noticed his own flock slowly fading to nothing as Daniel hid his trimmed wings from the world. Max hadn't noticed Daniel entering a wing crisis that fateful week before Monza, either.

Daniel shivers under Max's palm. His breath comes short against Max's knuckles.

Max takes a slow, shuddering breath, takes up Daniel's hands in his own to warm them. They feel like ice in the cold night air, so Max sets a hip on edge of the lawn chair and pulls Daniel into his arms. He wraps his trimmed wing as far as he can around Daniel's shoulders and drops his chin into Daniel's hair.

Daniel relaxes. His breath evens out.

Max inhales, breathes in the warm woodsmoke of Daniel's hair. "I'm taking him home."

Christian frowns. "Don't be ridiculous," he says, and he is Max's boss again, sharp-tongued, effortlessly efficient. "It's late. Geri and I'll put you up."

Max gathers Daniel closer. "I'm taking him home," he says. "Back to my apartment in Milton Keynes. We'll fly back to Monaco in the morning."

Max's apartment in Milton Keynes; the spare room that has slowly morphed into Daniel's, with Enchante merch in the closets and preening brushes in the living room, a place that smells of flock.

Christian rolls his eyes. "Max, don't be-"

"Daniel," Max whispers, pressing his forehead to Daniel's temple. "Daniel, it's time to wake up."

Daniel stirs. He blinks up at Max, brown eyes turned muddy with painkillers.

"Oh," Daniel slurs. He scrabbles at the sleeve of Max's jacket. "Maxy."

"Yeah," Max says. His heart is expanding and shattering at the same time. "It's me. I'm taking you back to my place."

Daniel blinks rapidly as his bandaged wings shift behind him. His face blanches with memory and shame. "I'm sor-"

"No," Max says. "You can apologise later. Let's get out of here."

Christian stares between them. "You're fucking serious," he says disbelievingly. "Both of you."

Max doesn't bother looking at Christian. He pulls Daniel's arm over his shoulders and gets to his feet, dragging Daniel up with him. They make their slow, swaying way back through the house, Daniel's head lolling on Max's shoulder and his breath gusting over Max's chin.

Christian is talking rapidly with Geri now, but Max doesn't care. He brushes aside Geri's well-meaning hands and hoists Daniel down the front steps and into the passenger seat of his car.

"You know what? Fine," Christian is saying from the front door. "I can't stop you two being idiots. Fucking goodnight, then."

"Christian!" Geri admonishes. "Goodnight, Daniel, Max."

Daniel acquiesces for Geri to pat his cheek, and Max shuts the door as soon as Geri steps back. He moves past Christian as he circles the car to get to the driver's seat. Christian doesn't say anything, which is good. Max doesn't want to talk to him.

They pass the stupid marble fountain and pull out of the driveway proper, on past the artificially manicured trees and into the Oxfordshire night.

The motorway is nearly empty this time of night. Max takes up a steady pace towards Milton Keynes.

Daniel's wraps his blanket more tightly around himself. Max reaches over wordlessly, threads his fingers through Daniel's.

Daniel sighs as Max's thumb moves over his. His breath evens out slowly, slows into sleep.

Max doesn't let go of Daniel's hand the entire way back.

======

For the uninitiated, you can read more of Icarus here!

Send me an ask with a scene or set of lines from any of my fics and I'll give you a director's commentary! Or, send in a ⭐star⭐ to have me select a section I've been dying to talk about!

(This particular ask ended up being an outtake, but director's commentary is more in the vein of explaining choices in wording or scenes, or explaining narrative choices)

[nqmonarch]

This is more of a personal piece, but I'm deciding to publish it on the off chance anyone else has similar thoughts and a similar experience to mine and if it may help them. I think even if you already know something it can be helpful to hear it again from someone else.

What's in the CWs doesn't happen between the reader and character but is rather discussed as something that happened in the past.

That being said this gets into some really sensitive stuff so if you don't feel comfortable with the Content Warnings (CWs) then please don't read.

TW and CW: Grooming

"I've always been a fool," You admitted the sun had long since set and the stars were nowhere to be found.

Jing Yuan was on the quieter side tonight, his arm comfortingly wrapped around your body as you leaned into him. At least you weren't alone. With your head pressed against his chest, silk shirt so thin you could feel the heat radiating off him, you finally felt somewhat at peace. At least physically, but your mind was at war with itself.

"We all have moments of foolishness," His voice was soft and wistful. A far cry from the general who commanded respect, he'd changed into the vulnerable old soul he was who had been hurt time and time again.

You frowned feeling your throat crack as you held back tears, your face felt like it was on fire. You'd come to hate that feeling, even if the warmth in your face was from getting flustered you still hated it-- hated it all. From the shivers you got from eye contact to the butterflies in your stomach that made you feel like you were going to be sick. It was atrocious.

Even now when you were with someone you could only dream of it you hated the feeling of being in love. "It was a moment, it was close to two years. At that point it's just plain stupidity isn't it?"

You didn't want to meet his eyes, you didn't want to see how he was looking at you. Was it pity? He knew what you'd gone through. Disappointment? Was he upset that the person he'd begun to date had failed to meet his every expectation once he got into a relationship? Or maybe it was adoration or hatred? You weren't sure which of those two would be worse.

"Y/N," Jing Yuan's voice was so soft, it was too kind, you didn't deserve to hear it, "It wasn't your fault." His hand moved up from your shoulder, moving atop your head his thumb making soothing circular motions.

You let out a noise similar to that of when a cat's when their tail is stepped on, "I know," you groaned out feeling miserable. Your eyes began to blur as tears gathered but you didn't let them fall. "But... I-- I always thought it was my fault. Even after it all I was still friends with them. I-- they were one of the few people I trusted. How could I do that to myself?"

Jing Yuan moved to meet your eyes. Rather than moving your chin or head, he scooted over so he was sitting in front of you. His golden eyes were the last thing some mara struck saw, in a strange way you hoped they would be the last thing you saw too. You wanted to be with him until you couldn't anymore. But how could you when you couldn't accept him loving you?

"Fool," It was something you wouldn't have expected Jing Yuan calling you. You'd called yourself it earlier in such a derogatory manner that hearing Jing Yuan say it with such affection gave you whiplash and you couldn't help but begin to sob.

Loud, ugly sobs that left your face a horrid red and hurt your throat. You cried tears which felt like hot acid burning you and left you scarred. "Go ahead," his voice was comforting, "cry it all out." His hands rested on your shoulders, keeping you steady. He was an anchor, not just for you but for the whole Xianzhou Luofu. You didn't deserve--

His fingers tapped on your forehead and you stared at him blinking the tears out of your eyes, "Don't overthink it. It doesn't matter if you were a guy and they were a girl, or vice versa, or if you were both the same gender. It doesn't matter how long it lasted or what they were going through."

You were ready to retort with the last one, they weren't in the right state of mind it wasn't their fault, "But--"

"No justifying it," Jing Yuan said sternly tapping your forehead, "If someone did something similar to Yanqing how would you feel?"

Horror echoed through your body, resounding and amplifying as it traveled from your limbs which all tensed up to your face which began to tremble. Yanqing was like a son to you, a very foolish one, but a son nonetheless. One who always tried to show off and ran to you the very few times he upset Jing Yuan, although the only sign Jing Yuan was upset was the slight disappointment and much larger worry in his eyes.

"I'd be outraged," You muttered, sniffling a bit and Jing Yuan used his free hand to wipe off your cheek. The streams of your tears were beginning to sink deep into your skin and stain, but he removed them like it was nothing.

He smiled at you, it wasn't lazy nor mischievous, instead it was full of comfort, "You were, and still are, a wonderful person. One who maybe cares too much for their own good." that was rich coming from the person who stayed strong amidst what had happened to his friends and taken up the role of leadership.

Jing Yuan tapped your forehead again as he noticed your attention beginning to wander. "You, were unfortunately taken advantage of, and it's not your fault. No matter what you say to justify the other person's actions. They still committed those actions. And you were young and impressionable, and at the age they were, they knew better than to do what they did. But they did it anyway," He paused looking out at the sky. Your gaze didn't follow his, instead it remained on his forlorn face.

Jing Yuan continued, "You and I are very different people," that was obvious to say the least, "and even still we both try to grab onto the past. At points, even looking for things that aren't there." Jing Yuan had been guilty of it with his past friends, and you made up countless excuses to say that everything that had happened was okay. But it wasn't. And you weren't okay.

Your eyes remained puffy and your hands dug into Jing Yuan's shoulder, clutching tightly as if you were afraid he'd disappear the moment you let go, but not tightly enough to hurt. Never tightly enough to hurt. The man in front of you was someone you'd only dreamed of being with. And yet when he was with you, you couldn't accept it.

"I'm scared," You whispered. You weren't sure exactly of what. You wouldn't let what happened in the past happen again, you wouldn't let yourself be lead around by a string willful to the whims of someone who you'd been taught to idolize. But you were fucking afraid. How could you ever trust anyone again after such a horrific ordeal that imprinted itself in your mind to the point it plagued your thoughts at night?

Jing Yuan looked back at you, hair resting elegantly alongside his face and you resisted the urge to dive into it, hide your face, and just disappear altogether. "I am as well, albeit for different reasons," He moved his hand onto your hand which was clutching his shoulder, "but we can't let fear hold us back forever." You had to move forward, both of you. It was the only way. The only way to feel like yourself again.

It would surely be difficult, and painful in some aspects. But right now you lived torn between the past and the present. Mind brutally split apart, never fully there. You had to keep trying. "I'm so lucky to have you." Your voice was hoarse and each word hurt to say.

Jing Yuan's eyebrows raised in slightly surprise, and shook his head lightly, "No, both of us are lucky that fate had us meet."

"Do you really believe in fate?" You asked, staring up at the sky.

In the corner of your eye you could see Jing Yuan smile, his usual carefree one, and let out a hum, "Maybe. If fate were to exist, do you think our actions would carry less weight?"

"They're still our actions," You answered nondescriptly. Then, suddenly, you saw a singular star in the sky.

You would continue to try, if only for the star and Jing Yuan. And of course you'd continue to try for yourself. How could you not after all you'd been through?

Jing Yuan is a very large comfort character for me. Uh idk how exactly it happened he just looks really fluffy and comforting. But yeah, this whole incident has been on my mind for a while and it's like super distracting like I'm trying to be a productive member of society and then BAM lol. Or like I'm trying to just be happy and then something super small triggers me.

So uh I decided to try writing a lil comfort fic with our man, the legend himself Jing Yuan. In which I basically state what I know (Jing Yuan) vs how I feel which is the reader's thought process kinda. And then whenever I feel like shit I'ma come back to this and use it as an anchor when bad thoughts grab a hold of me.

Wasn't sure if I was gonna publish this but here I am and uh if this ends up bringing comfort to anyone else, really happy to hear that and I hope it can become your anchor too :) we all need a Jing Yuan in our lives both to comfort and be comforted by and just uh to be with

Anyway I yapped a lot at the end sorry, gonna go cry now. Hope you guys have a great day or night :)

[mcflymemes]

FOURTH WING PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue from the book by rebecca yarros, adjust as necessary

a dragon without its rider is a tragedy. a rider without their dragon is dead.

i'm used to functioning in pain.

that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.

have you always been this tall?

if we let fear kill whatever this is between us, then we don't deserve it.

dragon relationships are absolutely incomprehensible.

tell him if he harms you, i'll scorch the ground where he stands.

i'm calling out for you.

i thought you said kissing me was a mistake.

you are the smartest of your year.

dragons always know.

funny how people rename everything that makes them feel uncomfortable.

what changed?

you make it hard to look away.

if you'd just man up and admit there's something between us, i would strip down to my skin so you could see every single inch of me.

it's hard to love a second home as much as the first.

why would you say that?

that does limit it a bit.

i am completely, utterly obsessed with [name].

even when i'm not with you, there's only you.

i can't seem to stay away.

kiling you wouldn't be any trouble.

we can live as cowards or die as riders.

i'm just not as strong as other riders.

i know exactly who and what you are.

i don't deserve you. but i'm going to keep you all the same.

strength of courage is more important than physical strength.

even temples can be rebuilt, but books cannot be rewritten.

i will not run.

you're not going to handle me?

what are you waiting for?

you turned oranges into a weapon?

thank you for being my shadow.

it's not fun if you expect it.

i am annoyingly aware of everything you do.

don't borrow tomorrow's trouble.

there is no me without you.

i wouldn't be standing here if i'd quit every time something seemed impossible to overcome.

i am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been.

you still love me. it's possible.

i'm not afraid of hard work, especially not when i know just how sweet the rewards are.

i am infinite.

which one are you calling out for?

it's been my honor.

i'm so wildly in love with you that i can't imagine what my life would even look like without you in it.

if we're doing this, then we're starting from a place of complete honesty.

you never considered that it was you i couldn't stay away from?

coming in last is better than coming in dead.

i would rather lose this entire war than live without you.

if that means i have to prove myself over and over, then i'll do it.

you gave me your heart, and i'm keeping it.

hope is a fickle, dangerous thing.

you look all frail and breakable, but you're really a violent little thing, aren't you?

i'm going to keep you. you're mine.

thank you for being my friend.

none of this is worth it without you.

you're making us look bad. stop it.

i've been yours for longer than you could ever imagine.

lies are comforting. truth is painful.

it's just you and me in this room, and i don't share.

the right way isn't the only way.

i will not die today.

one generation to change the text. one generation chooses to teach that text. the next grows, and the lie becomes history.

you can't make me fall for you and then die.

going for blood today, are we?

[mikedfaist]

Mike x non famous reader! While Mike is off doing press his daughters miss him soooo much and he calls as much as he can to comfort them!

also for the sake of his ask, he has twin girls because that's what we all deserve

One of the reasons why he was dreading the press tour was because he hates any reason he has to be away from his girls. Being a father is his favorite thing, hence why he’s slowed down on the acting thing. He just wants to be present. If there was any part of the press tour he was dreading the most, it was Australia. He’s never been that far away from them; I don’t think he could get any farther from them.

He was 14 hours ahead, and when his girls were getting ready for bed, he was starting his day of press and interviews and photoshoots. When they were waking up and having their breakfast, Mike was finally arriving back to his hotel for much needed rest – rest that he struggled to find because any second he could find, he was calling them.

He knows they miss him; he can hear it in their voice on the other end of the line; he can see it in their faces when he’s able to FaceTime. He even brought one of their blankets with him for this press tour because he seems to feel less homesick when he cuddles with it after a long day.

He shows Josh and Zendaya all of the pictures you send him of the girls, like one of them sitting outside in their small, inflatable kiddie pool with Austin a complete blur in the background as he had the zoomies. Or them in the living room watching Up, in matching pajamas, their hair still wet from their bath. Or his favorite: it’s a video of the girls watching West Side Story (save for the ending; you wouldn’t put the girls through that) and they get so excited when they see their daddy on the screen. One of them starts clapping, the other is pointing and looking back at her mom.

“Is that daddy?”

“Dadda!” She squeals, turning back around to face the screen. “Issa dadda!”

It’s the scene when poor Baby John gets a nail through his ear, but the girls got so excited to see that familiar face.

[amuyyi]

Summer Rain .

synopsis: you head home to jeju island for summer vacation and reunite with your best friend and k-pop idol, jiwon after a year apart. you soon realize your feelings for "liz" go beyond platonic, theyre unexpected yet beautiful-- just like the summer rain.

trope: liz x f!reader, best friends to lovers, summer vacation, fluff

wc: 3.9k

cw: none

a/n: idk if u guys can tell but i love summer love and i love the environment... plants and outdoors are my calling.

A soft hum leaves your lips as you close your eyes, the cool summer breeze gently brushing your face as you smile. You always loved spending your summers in Korea, it felt great to get away from the chaos of the states—  all of that university, homework, internships, and endless responsibilities gave you practically no time to simply just be. The city of Seogwipo was covered in all kinds of nature for one to relax in, but as the summer months roll in, Jeju island always gets flooded with even more tourists than usual. People of all ages come to see the waterfalls or greenery or even come for the nightlife, and it becomes nearly impossible to exist within your own home.

Not here though. The leaves above rustle and the birds chirp, finding solace within your presence. This part of Seogwipo was a bit away from the heart of the city, and usually held less human traffic all year round. You sat comfortably at the edge of a picnic table, placed charmingly in front of a small convenience store as the girl sat across from you lay her head alongside the table, using her arms as a cushion. Jiwon hummed in response to your own as her eyes remained peacefully shut, taking in the environment through her other senses alone. You could tell that she was still paying attention despite dozing off, being able to smell the presence of the triangle kimbap you guys had bought from the store, to hear your calm breathing, to feel your guys’s shoes touching under the table– becoming an idol made her even more acutely aware of the world around her than ever before. You’re not all too sure if thats a good or bad thing.

The sight of your friend relaxing after working so hard still made you smile, though. You worry for a bit, concerned that her dark hair would get into your shared food, but decide not to wake her from her rest. After spending so much time promoting IVE’s newest comeback with endless photoshoots and performances, Jiwon and the other girls were rewarded with some free time to spend back at home with their families for the summer, and this was probably one of the few times you could finally see the ravenette in her “natural habitat.” She deserved this.

Taking in another breath of fresh Jeju Island air, you lean over the table and grab the last kimbap, unwrapping it and taking a bite. You savor the flavor with a pleased squeal as you enjoy the mix of spam and kimchi paired with the rice and nori. You missed this— and it was so much cheaper here than back at school overseas… 

“Mmm, let's go to the Falls today…” you hear Jiwon mumble from across the table, breaking the silence. You watch as she adjusts her position, snuggling deeper into her makeshift pillow-arms. “The Falls” was the name you gave a lake you and Jiwon had stumbled across while exploring the forests as kids. Since then, the falls has been your guys’ “spot” so to speak. You would go there every time you wanted to hang out as kids, needed a place to cry, or simply wanted to be away from the rest of the world. You nodded as you finished your snack, leaning over and tossing the rest of the trash away before placing a hand on the other girl's head, giving it a little shake. “C’mon then. We can't get there if you sleep in all day.” 

Groaning, Jiwon turns her head away from your touch, swatting your hand with an uncalled for attitude. This causes you to dramatically gasp and whip your hand away, kicking the girl from underneath the table. “Hey! Ow-WUH” Jiwon’s head snaps up as she hisses, glaring daggers at you as you feign innocence, whistling comically as you look around, scratching the back of your neck aimlessly. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Why are you looking at me?”

Jiwon lets out a playful scoff as she gets up, “uh huh… Right. Whatever you say,” she smirks, offering her hand to you as you gladly take it. The taller girl guides you out of your seat before linking her arm with your own, “so… How's school been?” Jiwon leads the way, following an all too familiar path to you two that was off the main road. The concrete beneath your feet gets replaced with overgrown wildgrasses, and the song of cicadas begin to emerge from overhead. Various bugs and flies lazily flew past the both of you as you walked, and you silently kept an eye out for a specific species as you pondered.

“So. Tiring.” You emphasized the breaks between the two words as Jiwon rolls her eyes, giggling a little, “and…?” 

You click your tongue as you begin to think of a proper response this time, eyes wandering towards the sky, the blue canvas and the incoming light partially masked by the overhead growth as you trudge deeper within the forest. “University is a different experience, I’ve never felt more grown yet so small at the same time y’know? It's like, you're a student, but you're expected to take on stuff like an adult, and you're in the same boat as literally thousands of other students but you’re still alone?” You begin to ramble, unknowingly unlinking your arm from Jiwon’s to dramatically act out your words as she nods. “And everyones expecting you to jump onto internships right away or to join a million clubs to put on a resume– I don’t know how to create a proper resume by the way, and talk to all of these professors and network, but also still maintain a social life, but freshman friendships fall off so easily and everyone just wants to go to bars or frats all the time and I get tired after one outing and it’s just so much!” You exclaim, throwing your arms into the air as the words spill uncontrollably out of your mouth. 

Jiwon chuckles, shaking her head. You had always been easily stressed, but the transition into university seemed to have taken an additional toll on you. “But you made it through your first year of university in the U.S, that's enough to celebrate!” She stops walking for a moment, bending over to pick up a broken branch hidden within the brush. Analyzing it for a bit, she nods to herself before returning to your side, using it as a walking stick as she continues, “besides, freshman year is meant to be your trial year anyways. You experience stuff and fail sometimes, but at least you know what to do next year. There's no need to grow up so fast,” the other girl's voice is reassuring and genuine, and you feel your gaze softening as you watch her speak. Still, she was one of your childhood friends. 

“Says you, you never even graduated.”

The jab was unexpected but playful, causing Jiwon to scoff and laugh as she flipped her long black hair with her free hand, “and where has that gotten me? I’m now your new favorite idol in the best Korean pop group of this generation!” 

You can't help but snicker at her response, not denying her statement at all as you ask, “How's that going by the way? I listened to your new song, you looked gorgeous in the music video.”

You swear you could see Jiwon’s cheeks grow pink from your comment, but disregard it quickly as your attention is brought towards small specks of white within the grass nearby. You begin to wander off, but Jiwon knows you’re still listening as she speaks. 

“It's going really well, actually. I mean yeah, we work crazy hard and I rarely sleep sometimes, but it's all worth it. I really like what I’m doing, and I think the fans are really starting to like me!” You watch as your friend’s eyes start to light up as she speaks, and you find yourself smiling at the sight. You loved when Liz was happy. Through various late night text messages, you had learned that your friend struggled a lot with self esteem and body image throughout her debut. There was not much you could do to comfort her, being over 6,000 miles away meant all you could really do was send her uber eats meals and call whenever you guys weren't busy. But it was nice seeing her confident again, you'd do anything to keep her like this.

You bent down within the grass as she continued on, eyes locking onto little white flowers you soon recognized to be a Japanese rose. The way that multiple white petals with yellow anthers would cluster amongst one another on a singular plant was always a wonderful sight to behold back at home. Your eyes scan for the prettiest bundle, carefully using your nail to cut and pick the flower with innate precision. Smiling to yourself, you twirl the small plant between your thumb and index, taking in its beauty as you return back to your friend. 

“You have to meet the girls one day y/n, they’d love you! Wonyoung is always so sweet, and Rei would be more than willing to talk your ear off…” Jiwon’s excitement and adoration for her girls was honestly contagious. She was normally so quiet and introverted until she was with you. Soon enough, she would go from a listener to a rambler, and you would gladly be her ears from then on.

Her voice trails off as you take a moment to tuck Jiwon’s hair behind her ear, delicately placing the bundle of flora in its place as you grin. This time, you could definitely see the pink blush that formed on her cheeks, and you smirk teasingly, twirling around and returning on your way down to the falls. The mention of meeting her group members though did make your heart race a little. “I’d love to meet them!” You chirp out, running your hand through the grass you pass by as she once again links your other arm with hers, “They seem so cool.. And obviously any friend of yours is automatically a friend of mine, so now I have…” You count on your fingers, “six famous kpop idol friends!” 

Jiwon’s grip tightens a bit on your arm as you laugh, her face absentmindedly turning into a pout as she speaks, “Okay well they're not THAT cool..” Her attempt to downplay how much she truly admired her group members was frugal, but she pressed on, “I don't need you liking them more than me, who's obviously your bias…Right…?” She teases, looking up at you with an expectant grin before something catches your eye.

Blue. A thin flash of blue followed by a light buzz caused you to pause in your tracks. Your eyes frantically scan the environment as Jiwon follows as well, her eyes lighting up as she spots the hidden creature. “Dragonfly!” You both exclaim in unison, grinning childishly as Liz intertwines her fingers with yours, excitedly leading you down the path the insect flew. Where there were dragonflies, there was water, and where there was water, there was your spot.

“Come on, come on!! We’re getting closer!” Jiwon laughs out as the pair of you jump over various rocks, ditches, and branches, almost as if you two knew this forest like the back of your hand— and you did. Every little den and tree branch has been dug through, explored, and climbed throughout the years you've spent here with the other girl. You also couldn't help but laugh as the wind rushes past your face as you guys maneuver through the brush. She really was the same Jiwon you knew and loved through all of these years. And as the sound of falling water grows louder, Jiwon grabs hold of a leafy branch and moves it off to the side, revealing the familiar bright blue lake enclosed within mountainous walls, a waterfall placed at its peak as it welcomes you two back home. 

“Waaahhh!!! It's just as beautiful as I remembered!” Jiwon cries out a bit too loudly, most likely scaring off any native fauna that was nearby. You chuckle at this, knowing that it truly didn't matter. This was your guy’s space. Nobody else mattered but you two. You follow the taller girl’s lead as she makes her 

“I bet you can still find some salamanders under the stones,” you comment, resulting in Jiwon’s eyes sparkling at the thought of finding a new friend before she sprints off, expertly hopping between the stones with ease. Chuckling at the sight, you shake your head, following behind as you take in the sights all around you. It’s barely changed since you last visited. It definitely got greener though, a good sign of little human interference. You take note of new growth alongside the mountain walls and some nearby birds nests and flower bushes that weren't there before. 

You sat on the rocks, listening to the water rush next to you. Your eyes land on the energetic Jiwon who was squatting down, flipping over various rocks to check for salamanders or other critters below. You smile, but you couldn't help but recall the last time you were here— the last time you were here with her.

You were out buying some snacks when you suddenly got a call from Jiwon. “Meet me at our spot in 10, okay?” Her voice rings out. You were honestly caught off guard, she rarely ever called for something as brief as this. 

“Okay… Why didn't you just text me that? Are you okay?” There was a brief silence on the other end followed by a, “yeah! …. Yeah. Just need to get out.” 

The call ends and you’re left confused and alone in the aisles of a convenience store.

Still, you swiftly make your purchases and bring the bags of various goodies with you as you delve deep within the forest, the sun slowly beginning to make its descent, progressively turning the once blue sky yellow. By the time you arrive, you see that Jiwon was already there, her figure sat close by the raging waterfall with her knees hugged close to her chest. The air feels heavy, and you slowly join her side, placing the bag down next to you as you tilt your head to the side.

“What's going on?” It was a simple question, really. Yet somehow those words make the taller girl’s body tense up as she hugs her knees even closer to her chest, her fingers digging into her calves as she struggles to find her words.

“I’m going to debut.”

Your eyes widen as you perk up, shocked yet overjoyed by the news. “What?! Seriously? Are you being for real right now Jiwon?” She merely nods in silence as you place a hand to your head, processing the information. “That's.. Amazing! When are you going to start your training? Next week? Next month? I don’t really know how this idol stuff works, to be honest…”

“… Tomorrow.”

Taken aback, your smile falters ever so slightly, but remains on your face as you nod, “That's so cool…” your voice trails off as you also hug your knees to your chest, your chin resting on the top of them as you continue, “so I guess we won't be seeing each other for a while then, huh?” The sentence comes out dry, but not menacing. It was laced with hesitance and defeat that you fail to hide behind a laugh.

Your attempt at being lighthearted towards the situation makes the dark haired girl move her head away from yours, unable to look at you. You can feel the walls Jiwon begins to build up. “Or ever….” She mumbles under her breath as she fights back tears. 

Jiwon knew she sounded like a child with her words, she wasn't stupid— but she was a child. Being freshly 18 didn’t automatically make you an adult, that much was true. She was still so young and yes, she did want this more than ever, that's why she became a trainee in the first place, but to be away from you? To work with complete strangers and to have you so far away in a whole other country for university? 

“Hey, we’ll still find time for each other! We’ll call every day, and if we can't call, then I'll text you whenever I can. It’ll be like nothings changed,” you reassure her, but it sounded like you were trying to reassure yourself as well. It was a big change for the both of you, after all.

A tense silence passes between the two of you, the only sound being the crashing waves from the waterfall nearby and the soon quieting chirping of birds above. The sky began to darken, shifting from yellow to orange, fading into a dark blue before Jiwon speaks up, “…Really?”

Her voice was soft and uncertain, but you look over as she shifts her gaze back to you, locking eyes as you watch silent tears stream down her face. Your heart aches at the sight, but you shift closer to her and then stick your hand out, raising your pinkie finger as you smile softly, “I promise.”

She hesitates at first, unsure of whether or not to trust you. But you’re her best friend, you haven't broken her trust before. She uses her sleeve to wipe her tears before reaching over, linking her pinkie finger with yours as you gave it a firm shake, a confirmation of that promise you made last year. She laughs, and it's a prettier song than all of the birds here combined.

Your cheeks warm before you pull her forward, wrapping your arms around her neck as she lets out a surprised squeal as her body collapses into your own. “I love you lots, Jiwon.” The words come from the bottom of your heart, they're light and shy, and you feel Jiwon lean into your touch, her head comfortably leaning against yours as her arms around your waist pull you in even closer.

“I found one!!”

The sound of Jiwon’s discovery brings you back down to reality, shaking you from your nostalgia. “Can you come grab it?? It's slimy…” the comment makes you laugh as you shake your head, watching as she struggles to keep a boulder of a rock upturned. She was strong, but it seemed as if the rock was even stronger. It was a wonderful sight, seeing your friend simply be a kid again after being forced to grow up all too fast, and you wonder how long you can stay like this, how long you can keep her here in this exact time and place before she begins to drift away again.

You get up from your seat as you make your way over to the girl. She was always tasked with just finding animals here, always being too scared to actually wrangle them herself for some reason. Squatting down, you meet the gaze of a small salamander beneath the rock your friend had lifted up, bright red in color and honestly a little fat as you scoop it up in your hands, holding it up as Jiwon cooes over it, “it’s so cute!!” It doesn't make any rapid attempts to leave your grasp as you lift it up, allowing it a view it may never see without human help.

Just above, dark clouds began to roll in as you crane your neck upward, furrowing your brows as you frown, “it looks like it's going to rain soon, we should head back.” You slowly return the salamander to the soil between the stones below as Jiwon looks up as well, crinkling her nose as she shakes her head, “it's just a little rain, it's not a big deal.”

And almost as if on cue, her nonchalant comment seemed to have angered the storm gods above, causing rain to almost instantaneously start falling from the sky, battering down at a rapid speed. As the rain above began to pour down on you and Jiwon, the both of you couldn't help but let out carefree squeals as you both began to sprint out of your spot, hoping to at least make it onto the main road before the dirt beneath your feet begins to give in.

Your hand was intertwined with hers as your grip tightened, not wanting to lose her in this moment. The branches whip past your arms and legs as you feel your shirt and skirt get progressively more soaked the longer you ran. Liz’s long hair becomes stringy and drips as you dramatically pop out of the brush onto the main road you had originally come from, and you were certain that your shoes were completely mud-ridden by now. There were various bits of twigs, leaves, and other miscellaneous parts of wildlife stuck to her hair, and you were sure there were plenty on you as well. 

The both of you couldn't help but laugh even harder at the sight of one another, Liz grabbing you by your waist and twirling you around as the rain almost cinematically surrounds you two. You squeeze her tight as she places you back down on your feet, her hands still comfortably placed on your hips, and you notice the rose within her hair still managed to stay on even throughout all of the chaos. The rumbling of the storm above roars, but you barely notice as you place your hand on the side of her face, your thumb grazing over her cheek as you soon realize these feelings you've felt all day today went beyond platonic friendship. It only took you years to realize, but that realization was unexpected and spontaneous, yet beautiful, just like the summer rain. 

“I… I love you, Jiwon.”  The words come from the bottom of your heart, having been said countless times before— but they hold a different meaning this time around. Her eyes widen, heat rushing to her face immediately before her gaze softens, she leans into the touch of your hand as she giggles, “what are you talking about?” The question was soft, not at all questioning her own feelings towards you, but your own to hers. 

“I love you,” you repeat, with more confidence this time, “I think I always have.” The smile on the taller girl's face grows even more as she pulls you even closer, grabbing your hand with her own as she gives it a soft kiss. The action makes your face flush, and you open your mouth to say something, but are cut short when your lips suddenly meet Jiwon’s. The world around you seemingly began to disappear, and suddenly it was just you, Jiwon, and the rain. Your eyes flutter shut as you practically turn into putty in her arms. The way she held you was so loving, and her lips were incredibly soft, tasting like a light layer of sugar as you can feel her smile against your own, causing you to pull back and giggle. 

“I love you too, y/n,” she breathes out, her eyes never leaving yours for even a moment, like she was afraid if she were to move, she’d have to go back to Seoul and your head back to the states, separating you two once again.

“We’re getting soaked, Jiwon… we should head back…” you comment between giggles as she presses her forehead against yours, eyes closed as she simply enjoys the feeling of your warm body in her arms amongst the cold raindrops from above.

“Mmm, can we just stay like this for a little longer?”

You let out a sigh, placing your lips softly on her forehead as she smiles. “Alright.. anything for you.” 

[lazzarella]

Okay, I wanted to note down basically every single moment because there was just SO MUCH goodness, ahhhhh. Anyway, here's some rambling from me:

- Noooooo, technical issues?? Whyyyyy? My life is meaningless D:

- ...oh, here we go! Yes!

- Oh no! :( Poor Yak! (I figured his mum was dead but oof)

- Wandee hugging Yoryak! And taking his hand! Ahhhh, opening strong with Dee looking after Yak <3

- Is Ter jealous because he like likes Dee? (A question I kept asking throughout this ep—I think he’s mostly just put out to no longer be the centre of attention)

- "You should know he moves on fast" then Ter said something about "too fast this time" ??? Curious about this??? Maybe just about his dating history?

- Lol @ Yak and Dee dropping each other's hands when they spot Kwan and Ter!!!

- "They have really good chemistry" You're so right, Doctor Kwan

- TER LIVES IN 666!!! Lmaooooooooo. Nice work, set folk!

- that whole conversation over breakfast about Yak being jealous and then already having someone he likes was soooo delicious to me

- TEACHING HIM TO FLIRT!!!!! Oh dee, what have you done, you silly boy? XD he really played himself

- THEY WERE GONNA KISS! God, I want them to kiss already but I also loooove the almost kiss moments so much. Just... the LONGING ugh

- "Did you like that?" Oh, he very much did, Yak

- The whole talk between Yak and Cher... Aside from the content, I love their interactions because it's just nice seeing them established as family I guess?? Like, that Cher isn't just his brother's boyfriend

- Yak saying he's not someone who changes his mind easily is interesting to me! Not just because he obviously does for Dee, but I wonder if that's partly why he's clinging to liking Taem? I mean, I'm not saying he doesn't still have feelings. Just spitballing

- The training scene killed me! Yak getting horny and flustered watching Dee do situps! Dee immediately jumping to Yak being sick and wanting to make sure he's okay! Yak calling Dee cute and *Dee* getting flustered! Taem coming in and seeing them horse around!! Dee getting jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!

- (speaking of horses, I don't understand all the sound effects yet, so I'm not sure what the horse neighing is meant to signify??)

- Have some thoughts about how I love how much of this ep is circling their developing feelings for each other via their feelings for others' (or Yak's anyway)

- the music changes between soft and romantic when the camera is on Yak and Dee vs fighty and upbeat when it's on Dee watching them is too funny lmao

- this situation is getting very 'you love her, but she loves him, and he loves somebody eeeeeelse' (Dee and Yak and Taem and Ter and Kwan and Ohm!!! That's a love hexagon???)

- Taem clocked the necklace 😏

- "Why do you complicate the thing that's already complicated?" Ouch. Kao doesn't know it but he totally called me out there lol

- Isn't their 'fake' dating going to put Taem off though??? I mean, IDT she likes Yak that way at all, but still

- loving the complicated feelings this show is going into! Because Yak does probably still like Taem while he's falling for Dee, and Dee still must feel something for Ter while he's falling for Yak and mmmm. Just delicious!

- and they NEARLY KISSED AGAIN! And then Dee pushed Yak and splashed him lol

- they are SO unconvincing (their reasons for Dee sleeping over)

- love the dinner scene with Dee, Yak, Cher and Yei <3 I love that Cher and Yei are so welcoming to him, even while they let Yak sort out his feelings

- Aww, I had a feeling he was finishing uni for his mum! And I love that he tells Dee that while he wasn't comfortable telling Yei

- Dr Kwan deserves better

- Dee cheering for Yak!!! <3

- Okay, of all the ways they end up tiger/bunny roleplaying, Kao getting them to do it was NOT on my radar lol except Dee is a leopard not a tiger

- Yak sulking! Dee coaxing him with a hug and a cheek sniff kiss!!! Yesssssssss

- ...and now it's a HPV vaccine PSA? Cool! I personally don't really need shows to give me sex ed but, you know what, good on 'em, anyway! I know sex ed, especially on queer sex, is pretty dire…probably most places? So yeah

- Sigh. And the countdown to next week begins again!

[kieren-fucking-walker]

Tell you what though all this Watcher stuff has really brought out how many of you don't have a fucking clue who the rich we are referring to in 'eat the rich' are.

[noturmuse]

So many men think they’re owed a woman’s time, attention, intimacy, etc and it has brought on so much violence that women have had to undergo

[synthshenanigans]

there’s one on here currently and they’re bringing back up old controversy (jashshipping)

Yeaa I saw that. They also seem to post a bunch of CJ related things, so I might make the daily photos one since there isn't one for just CJ screenshots/photos

[romanticatheartt]

Well f*cking done people. Keep this up and you'll chase away every single artist. Good job.

[gh-0-stcup]

One thing that's so odd to me about the Eugenia Cooney thing is how there's still people who think she's in denial about her ED.

She knows. She was in a treatment program, she mentioned in it Shane's "documentary". The people who are wondering what she's saying to convince doctors (and the recent crisis team) that she's fine kind of boggle my mind.

She just tells them the truth. That she has an ED and either that she's trying to work on it by herself or that she does not want to get better. It depends on where you live, but very often medical professionals aren't going to bother putting limited resources towards someone who does not want the help.

She can say, "Yes, I'm anorexic. Yes, I know I could die. No, I don't think going somewhere would help but thank you for the resources." Whether they decide that's grounds for commitment or not depends on the laws of her state and the personal judgement of those evaluating her.

Leaving her to die and moving on to the people who are in her same physical state but begging for help isn't exactly a wild decision.

[floatyflowers]

Dark Platonic! Fire Nation Royal Family x Non-bender Reader

With Ozai:

At first he didn't accept the fact that you, his youngest child, is a non-bender, and ignored your existence.

That was until he noticed how his older brother, Iroh, spends time with you, Ozai got extremely jealous.

And decided to spend time with you, only to realize that you are his favorite child, and felt like an actual father.

Yes, you can't firebend nor do you even have the ability to protect yourself.

But why would you need to protect yourself when your father is going to be the Phoenix king of the fire nation?

Ozai will burn down the world for you.

"You, my sweet child, will grow up in the presence of a very powerful father"

With Ursa:

When Ursa found out that you couldn't bend, she became overprotective of you to the point of paranoia.

Since childhood, she refused to allow you to play with anyone except Zuko.

One time, one of her handmaidens scolded you harshly for playing outside without your mother's permission which resulted in you bursting into tears.

The next day, that handmaiden was fired and Ursa made sure that she gets no other jobs.

While thinking of escaping, she thought to take you with her.

However, Ozai has forbidden that from happening.

"When you find out the truth, promise to come find me"

With Azulon

While still alive, he made sure you had the best education and guards.

Azulon also made sure to have you believe that the fire nation is without mistakes or faults.

He tried manipulating you into believing that just your loyalty to your people is enough duty.

However, you are kind, too kind.

Yet, he Azulon didn't hate you for it even if he considered a weak trait to have in the royal family.

He also still has the flower crown you made him stored away safely so it doesn't rot.

It is rumored that the last word he muttered was your name.

With Iroh

Uncle Iroh isn't really as possessive as the other characters, but he focuses on advising you from time to time.

You enjoy drinking tea with him and gossiping about everything.

Even though, Ozai has forbidden him from speaking with you, you would sneak behind your father's back to drink tea with him.

After the loss of his son in the war, Lu Ten, Iroh felt depressed.

Yet you managed to comfort him with your cheerfulness and playful attitude.

It reminded him of his son.

"The best quality in a princess is her kindness, something which your sister clearly lacks"

With Zuko

Zuko thought you would be like Azula but you have proven him wrong.

You are kind, gentle, and nurturing just like your and his mother.

That's why Zuko always found himself by your side, being your playmate...being your protecter.

His mother told him that it's his duty to protect you from danger considering that he is your older brother.

Even though Azula has never hurt you, but Zuko was always wary of her, especially after his mother disappeared.

When Ozai challenged him to an Agni Kai, you were the first to cry out and plead with him to let Zuko off, but Ozai felt jealous of your relationship with Zuko and was determined to teach his son a lesson.

However when your brother got banished, Zuko took you with him in secret not wanting you to be left with Azula.

"I know the journey will take long but once I restore my honor we can return home together"

With Azula

Azula was extremely jealous when you were born, thinking that you will take all the attention from here.

But she realized that you deserve all the attention.

You didn't treat her like a monster, you weren't scared of her.

Instead you showed her love and called her 'big sister'

You would cling to her as a toddler, whenever there was lightning, you would secretly sneak to her room and sleep beside her.

"How can you be scared of lightning, we control it, silly"

Mai and Ty Lee saw how Azula softens whenever you are around.

And when Azula discovered that you have left with Zuko, she destroyed everything in her way and burned a few servants.

"She's mine, and only MINE"

[inkskinned]

it's hard to explain because inevitably you sound like an asshole, but some people are allowed to lose their temper, lose their mind - you're not, though.

when your friend never texts you first and misses your birthday and never makes an effort; you don't mind. you know she's struggling, and you want her to get the help that she deserves. you give her every excuse and every chance.

it shouldn't matter to you so much that people are always coming through for her. you want her to be happy, you love it for her. you love that her community rises up to the occasion. why does it bother you that when she snaps at someone, says horrible mean things - but two hours later, everyone is comforting her while she's crying. you know she's stressed. why do you kind of hate that she is welcomed back to her job, that her parents are endlessly wiring her money.

and you're - fuck, are you envious?

but when you don't text back, someone sits you down and says i know you're struggling, but you're being a bad friend. when you're too numb to show up for work, your boss just shakes his head. i'm sorry. i can't approve more time off. we have the company to protect. when you finally snap back at your family for making that shitty comment again, you're forced to apologize for being too sensitive.

god forbid you need something. people aren't used to you being the one asking. you're the giver like the book you hated; your pages all open and rumpled. you always have the answer, always have the solution. you are reliable, trustworthy. people like you don't struggle with things. you're supposed to be lifted by tragedy. you are given a maximum of 24 hours to grieve, and then you need to just behave at the party.

you can't read the giving tree without feeling like crying, and even that feels like it's too much emotion. like, nobody looks at you and assumes you're the tree; they'd name five other people before even considering you in the running. you're just there, never-asking.

your friend gets to say mean shit, that's just her personality. when you make a snide comment, you're just being petty. people laugh when your friend stands you up for another event; they say she's just like that. you were 5 minutes late to a meeting with friends and they were mad about it for the rest of the evening. your friend sets everything on fire; everyone applauds her through the ashes. you so much as light a candle: and suddenly now you're an arsonist.

you don't want your friend to suffer, though. the thing is that you just wish that the empathy and kindness your friend gets - you wish you had that option, that everyone offered you grace and money and a gentle reception.

the other day you were fighting down the bad urge; the void call, the end note. you tried-anyway. you went to the family event, tried laughing at the right moments. nodded and smiled and all of it. one of your siblings threw a fit, but she's allowed to, so everyone just rolled their eyes about it. you took 3 whole minutes to stand outside when you got overwhelmed. you literally set a timer about it.

in the morning you woke up to a text from your parents: you were a complete disgrace last night. idk what your attitude problem is, but you really need to fix it.