#the book was out of stock for a few days because of the update

[britishchick09]

guess who just bought an updated copy of the rewrite? ;)

[sweetnans]

Pairing: f.reader/bakugo

t.warning: angst? war flashbacks and fluff

a/n: I'm sorry if I misspelled something. My hand hurts. Enjoy 💖

He be goddammed. Mina had asked specifically for a comic book to give Denki for his birthday, and none of the dumbasses on the squad have found it. So here he is, entering in the twelveth bookstore on his day off. Bakugo couldn't believe his position right now. The last time he had a day off was like ages ago, and now he has to find a stupid book for one of his friends.

He walked in with his usual scowl, looking for the labeled shelf with all the colorful spines highlighting above the bored ones.

The bookstore was empty. He was about to give up on his search when the building appeared on his way back home. It was a tiny store, cozy and brown. All shelves were made of wood, and the sitting area was no different. Brown chairs varnished with fluffy blankets on top. It was like a fairy forest magical paradise kind of shit. He liked the quietness.

"Hey, welcome! How may I help you?" The girl behind the desk spoke out of nothing, putting him in defense mode. He couldn't help it. He is a heroe, after all.

He saw the girl rising his hands in surrender with a comical smile on her face.

"Calm down, I'm only trying to help you," you said, putting your book down in a very slow movement.

"Shit, sorry" he apologized.

He couldn't help but notice how the smile on your face shifted to a weird look, scanning him from tip to toe.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" You tapped your chin while bending over your desk to have a better look on the man who was in front of you.

"Probably from the screen or magazines" He said nonchalantly. He was used to this kinda stuff.

"Mm yeah maybe" you were unsure about that. "So, what are you looking for?"

"Im looking for a comic book." He looked at you while you walked to the comics shelf, and he followed when he noticed that had no other information."It's a special edition, I haven't found it yet, and I'm starting to think that's not in stock"

"Just a few people have found this place, it's not even in the google map, so you have the odds to find it here, I like to keep my stock updated" you said, looking at him. God, where have you seen him? How could you forget such a guy like him?

While Bakugo kept searching the famous comic book on the giant shelf, you tried to search in your mind the sight of him.

"You told me that I could have seen you on magazines. Are you a hero, perhaps?"

Bakugo stopped his search in a bit. He wasn't full of himself like when he was younger, but it was difficult to believe that someone didn't recognize him.

"Yeah, I am"

The look on your face didn't change with realization like he expected. Your facade was even more puzzled than before.

You kept silent trying to think. You found Bakugo particularly special. He had features that weren't easy to forget, so why were you so confused?

"GOT IT!" The two of you screamed at the same time, sharing a look. Bakugo was confused, and you were extremely excited.

You two walked to the register, and he lent you the book he was holding.

"May I ask what you got?" He asked secretly, praying that you would give away the information.

"Oh yeah sorry, I remembered you" you scanned the code and put the book on a paper bag.

"Is that so?" Bakugo wasn't sure if you had like a dementia or a memory problem.

"Yeah" you simply said, "Also, you will love this book, it's so good" you said holding the bag to him after he paid.

"Have you read it?" He was curious. You didn't seem the type of girl fan of comics.

"Yes, I just did"

He would be amazed if he didn't live in society based on quirks. It was odd in the society working on a thing that wasn't related to the individual's quirk.

"How does it work?" Bakugo asked because he found that he liked the quietness your bookstore provided. He didn't want to leave.

"When I touch the book, I just know everything about it, the storyline, the plot, etcetera. It's pretty helpful. it works with people too, " you explained to him.

"That's pretty cool," he said, giving it a moment. "Wait, people? That would be pretty useful. Have you ever thought about working with the police? Or the Pro's?

You sighed with a smile on your face. He was getting used to your mannerisms.

"I worked with them for a while..." You intertwined your fingers above the counter. "When the war started, I was assigned to the special identification unit"

"I never heard of it." When the war started He was so busy fighting and being injured to notice anything else. "What was your job there?"

"I was in charge of the identification of dead and destroyed bodies"

Bakugo was shocked even if his face didn't give it away. You were about his age. He sympathized with you because he lived the same shit that you lived, the same trauma, watching people die and suffer in a different perspective.

"That's...-" He didn't know what to say.

"I know..., they pulled me out of the school to make me help them". It was raw, but the war made its havocs to everyone.

"So you were in the field..."

"Yeah, right after the heroes fought, we used to get the call and head to the battlefield"

"Why did you quit?"

You doubted. Maybe he wasn't ready for the upcoming truth...maybe he didn't even know what happened.

"You know, it all changed when I went to this battlefield. It was one of the last fights that occurred during the war. A lot of people were injured, some of them dead, some of them presumed to be dead...I was so excited when I remembered you because I never got the chance to thank you"

He was stunned. When you made a mention about him, his world stopped its rotation. You really knew him? Like outside the press?

"Thank me about what?" He asked curious.

"Your life vision," you said in a calm way. He didn't understand. "Fights and battles move out faster than you think, sometimes they're fighting in the sky, and then they're on the ground, so me and my team had to be quick following the main focus of them. I was looking for injured people to send them to the EMTs when I found you. I remember holding you in my arms. Your face was destroyed, and there was blood everywhere. I saw who you were, your failures, your accomplishments, your friends, your life, and it amazed me. You were just a kid fighting for the grown-up mistakes, but you liked it. You were devoted to your dreams. I never felt that while working with the police. " You stopped for a bit to breathe again. You couldn't look Bakugo to his eyes. "When I touch a corpse, I see everything in a gray hue, every memory fading away. It's sad. You were in my arms when that gray hue started to change to a bright and the most precious tone of orange and red, you were alive, I've never seen something like that before. I was, god, I didn't even know how to put it in words. I remember crying and thinking that it would be a chance for you to pursue your dreams. It wasn't over for you like it was for the other people I attended. Other colors started to appear as well. I felt your chest move again, and I took you to the EMTs. You were the most beautiful vision I saw during the war. You made me realize that i didn't want to watch other peoples crushed dreams. I wanted to live my own, you had your chance, I wanted a chance too, a chance far away from the sadness and catastrophe"

He kept himself quiet. For the first time in many years, he was out of words.

"This is head spinning, I don't know what to say." He was overwhelmed with everything you've said. He was well aware that someone must've saved him, but he never thought that he was presumed dead when it happened.

"Don't get me wrong, I feel like I did my duty as a citizen, and I'll do it again if they need me, but it was devastating touch those bodies and realize that there were people waiting for them at home or that they had kids that they never will be able to see grow up. I haven't done my peace with the war yet"

"I remember being carried to the ambulance. Was that you?" That was the first memory he had after he woke up. It was a blury one like those memories you don't know if they're real or not.

"Yeah, you were such a heavy lift. No offense, " you giggle a little.

"Not taken, how old were you?" Bakugo scratched the back of his neck, trying to assemble every piece of information.

"I was eighteen at that time. You were sixteen, i think, a major pain in the ass for what i saw. Before you woke up i was upset for you, the people you had around really loved you and cared about you, it was unfair and i started to feel guilty about the lives they would never be able to have, yours included"

"Dont be hard on yourself. It wasn't your fault. I was fighting for the grown-up mistakes, but you were definitely living the consequences of them"

The silence between you two was absolutely necessary. You dreamed about this day, you weren't looking forward to it, you didn't do your research or bother to look for him but it was happening. Bakugo couldn't piece the information right. You saved him. He didn't remember much of it, but he knew that someone, a girl, took him to the ambulance, but until a few hours ago, it was just a thought that appeared in his lonely nights. Now you were in front of him, sharing a crucial part of yourself and himself aligned.

"Fuck" That was the first thing he came up with. It was the perfect word to describe how he felt.

"Same," you said. You weren't sure how to feel either. You let it all out, and you were happy that He was alive. "Did you fulfill your dreams?"

He put a weird look that had you regretting your question.

"I'm the number two pro hero in Japan," You covered your face with your hands in absolute shame and laughed.

"I'm so sorry, I don't watch TV or anything." He smiled as well. Your laugh was contagious enough to make him smile. "I'm happy to see you alive"

You were cute. When he first saw you, he thought to himself that something, outside everything he had known, was pulling him to you, like an invisible string or something. You saved his life, and he didn't even attempt to find you sooner. He couldn't let you go.

"My friend's birthday is this saturday," he started. "I know it's not like a proper date or something, but if you don't have any plans or a boyfriend or something like-

Most of the time, he didn't get that nervous, but you were there, standing in front of him, looking at him with perfect eyes and trying to hide your smile.

"I'd love to," you answered before he could say anything else. He felt relieved for the interruption and for you saying yes.

"Good," he watched while you scribbled down your number in a paper.

You put the paper on his hand, and even though he was skeptical, most of the time, he would've swear that he felt a sort of electricity running up and down his spine.

"There you go," you said, batting slightly your lashes at him.

He felt weird. He didn't want this encounter to end. He wanted to tell you a lot of things. He wanted to vent about his life. He wanted to make you a part of him.

"Fuck the party" he muttered. "Are you free? Like right now? Let me buy you a coffee."

He was desperate.

"Let me think about it," you tapped your chin jokingly. "Help me close this thing, and I'm all yours"

The air that he was holding left his lungs. He didn't think that he was being impulsive with all this. He just knew that you were something that was meant to happen, but he never thought that he would have a second chance to meet you again.

Do not edit or reupload my works elsewhere! All rights reserved.

[cozage]

Helloooo! Congratulations on 2k! Every time I see you update my day instantly is made 🥰 I love the way you write and how you portray the characters! For the event prompts (if you’re still accepting!), would it be possible to write how you think Law would propose to his s/o? Thank you for your hard work! 🥰

A/N: Law is my weak point you guys do not understand. Pls enjoy <3 Characters: gn reader x Trafalgar Law Total word count: 660

Proposal

Law would put careful thought into a proposal. He would spend months thinking about any possible situation and how to make it flawless. You are perfect, and you deserve nothing less than a perfect proposal. 

It would get to the point where you might even start to think “is this guy ever going to propose?” because any time you bring up thoughts of marriage or the future, he gets very dodgy. Not because he doesn’t want to marry you, but because he’s afraid you’ve figured out his plans and he’s trying to throw you off his trail. 

You don’t even realize he’s planned it. Everything kind of falls into place randomly in your eyes. Here’s how the day goes:

You arrive at a spring island. Not just any spring island though, an island full of cherry blossoms in full bloom. These islands are rare to come across, and you beg Law to go explore with you. He “reluctantly” agrees.

The two of you grab a picnic basket and stroll off to find the perfect place, and strangely enough, it doesn’t take long! There’s a beautiful isolated spot next to a stream, with cherry blossoms gently cascading all around you whenever the wind blows. “Law!” you cry. “This is perfect! Can we eat here?!” He only smiles. He knew you would pick this spot. That's why he paid people to stay away from it.

The two of you eat and lay around for a while, and then you explore the small little town. 

It has an old bookshop you could spend hours in, and you do. Law doesn’t rush you as you roam the books, and he doesn’t say no to the ones you want to buy. He needed to expand his library, coincidentally. 

The next place you stop is a tea shop, and the two of you sip tea and chat for at least an hour, trying an arrangement of teas to stock up for the ship. Law watches you with amusement, happy to see you in such a good mood and enjoying the island. He picks all of your favorites, knowing you’ll want to remember the flavors of this day for a long time. He will too. 

It’s almost sunset, so the two of you grab little desserts at a bakery and walk up the hill to watch the sun sink behind the cherry blossoms. “I can’t believe there’s nobody else up here,” you whispered. “It’s the perfect place to see the sun go down.” Law just chuckles, and hands you your cake. 

“Today really has been the perfect day,” you said, looking at him with tears in your eyes. “I know sometimes I demand a lot, and I’m sure you would’ve rather been on the ship today. So thank you for exploring with me.”

“Nonsense.” He wiped your tears away and gave you a few soft kisses across your face. “I love spending time with you. You’re the best part of my day, no matter when or where we are.”

You open the box to find a small cake with the words “Will you marry me?” across it, with a beautiful, one-of-a-kind ring in the middle. You’re about to tell Law you got the wrong dessert, but the glimmer of hope and the hint of nervousness makes you realize with sudden clearness that this was all a part of his plan. Everything today was orchestrated by him. 

Now you’re crying for a whole other reason, and you sob out the words “yes, yes, a thousand times yes,” as you hold his face. He’s laughing at you, relieved you said yes, but holding back tears of his own. Because he finally gets to be with you forever. And he gets to have the best part of his day every day for the rest of his life.

[maliciousblog]

NCT 127 as your saesangs

Taeyong ( The collector) ♥️

He would own every single album, photocard, merch both official and non, he would also have purchased any item you had a collab with, your group once had a collab with Pepsi he bought out the entire stock , of a store just so he could get the limited edition photocard that came with it.

He would also probably buy any item related to you or any item you used. The lip balm you used he would have a box of it, the book you recommended he would have read it twice, the perfume you used he would use to, the tissues you used in a vlive he would have, he would buy the same phone case as you too.

The man would basically have a shrine dedicated to you.

He would also manage to get into every single fansign.

He would also probably run an update account.

Taeil ( the cover) 🧡

Taeil wouldn't let his obsessive behavior show he would be mature and would be a loyal fan since day 1.

But in his mind he would imagine what it would be like to have a family with you.

He would also cover your songs and you had in fact noticed him quite a few times and you were quite impressed with his vocals and soon you found yourself answering his dms and slowly falling for him.

He had planned for this to happened in his mind this was what was best for you and you believed it too because to you he was a sweet caring man who loved you very much. What you didn't notice was how you slowly drifted away from everyone in your life and now it was just him and you and in all honesty you couldn't care less.

Jhonny (The Youtuber)💛

He was a youtuber with quite a big following he would mostly film vlogs and do reaction videos.

Whenever he did a reaction video to one of your groups it was quite obvious who his favorite was.

Given the fact that he has a lot of subscribers and that he was also a know fan of your group your company thought it would be a good idea for your group to collaborate with him.

Your group agreed and you both shot a collab , but jhonny wanted you to shine the most so when he filmed the other members he made sure to use bad lighting and angles to make sure you stood out the most.

He would also secretly let the cameras roll when you thought they were off, he would also have a camera in your changing room, which he would later use to black mail you.

Yuta ( The artist)💚

He would run an art page but most of the drawings were of you. It slowly started to become a fan art page of you. At first it was innocent and harmless, just a couple of normal  painting of you with cat ears or you as a Disney princess. He would always tag you and on a few occasions you had even liked and ever reshared a couple of paintings.

But soon as his obsession grew the nature of his paintings slowly started to change at first it was just slightly weird like paintings of you in handcuffs or with a blindfold, or ones with you with a little blood here and there. You brushed it off as most people make edits like this but soon they started to become more disturbing he started to draw paintings of you in a cage, you gagged and tied up, you in lewd positions. And various other sick fantasies he had.

Doyoung (The anti fan)🩵

He acted like he wasn't a fan, infact he acted like he hated you. He would always put you down. He would leave hate comments on your fan cafes even on your vlives.

One day you actually read out a hate comment he left he saw your face drop as you read it.

His heart went giddy with excitement you had noticed him, you were affected by him, he couldn't be happier. He continued to do it cause he enjoyed seeing you react he loved getting your attention even if it meant this is what he had to do in order to get it.

Would buy information from other saesangs and use it against you to get you to do whatever he wanted you to do.

Jaehyun ( entitled)💝

To him you were only meant to be his. You didn't have to do anything for anyone but him.

Your attention should be on him at all times these other people didn't deserve to get your attention.

At concerts he wanted you to only focus on him if he would notice you give attention to anyone else he would send you death glares.

You were once performing at one of your concerts and decided to go up to his section and you accepted a rose a male fan had given you when you turned your head you made eye contact with jaehyun and he shot you a look at that moment the were so terrified by the anger in his eyes you dropped the rose unconsciously and froze but soon one of your members dragged you to the center of the stage because it was time for the ending stage.

Jungwoo (lovesick)💖

A lovesick puppy. He would always have notifications on and would drop everything when you went live. You were his number 1 priority everything else came second even himself. He would be obsessed with you and would be in love with everything and anything you did. To him you were a godess.

He was so cute and cheering for you at your concert you shot him a wink and a flying kiss he nearly had a nose bleed.

To you he seemed like a harmless cute fan boy.

After your concert you were the last one out to get out off the venue but what you didn't know was that the paparazzi where waiting outside and began to mob you and you frantically searched for your manager who was waiting for you in the car. You saw a black car pull up and you got into it thinking that it was your manager as soon as you got out you noticed that the man driving didn't quite look like your manager before you could say anything you felt your vision black out.

Mark (Boy next door)💓

He was cute and charming and had managed to wrap your members around his little finger with his cute charm.

He would often show up at events which was normal and you would smile and wave at him like you would at any fan.

Soon he started to show up at private schedule's and on the sets of mvs or ads

shooting you thought this was a little weird cause no one was supposed to know about these schedules when you talked about this to your members they brushed it off by saying that it was probably the companies fault so you let it slide.

But soon you started to see him at places more often you saw him at the hair salon, you saw him when you took your dog for a walk, when you went shopping, he always kept his distance.

You were out with your friends at a cafe he was seated a couple of tables behind you when the waiter came with your drinks and started to flirt with you. You swore you could practically feel mark burn you with his glare.

Haechan ( quick wit)💕

He would always manage to catch your attention whether if it was by doing something cute or by passing a witty comment.

Soon things started to get out of control he always had to have your attention.

He would spam your lives, get into multiple fansign.

He managed to get your number and would relentlessly call and text you.

He would show up at your dorm.

You tried your best to ignore him until one day you saw a notification on your phone it was a picture of your room, then another picture of your mom on her way to get groceries, an other one of your little brother on his way to school, a text showed up.

"Reply if you don't want them to get hurt".

[rustbeltjessie]

To what purpose, April, do you return again? (or: finally, a pinned post for April)

Hi all. I'm Jessie Lynn McMains, aka Rust Belt Jessie. I'm an Xennial/Elder Millenial (please don't call me a Geriatric Millenial, thank you) writer/artist/zine-maker/etc. (I wear many hats.) I'm queer and nonbinary/genderfluid, and as far as pronouns go, I’m okay with any human pronoun (they and she are my most-used, but I like he, too, and I especially like it when people switch up the pronouns they use for me). I’m disabled and neurodivergent.

I live with my partner and our two kiddos, both of whom are also neurodivergent, and right now I’m supporting all of us on whatever money I earn. I do freelance copywriting and editing as my main thing, but I also make a decent chunk of my income from selling my zines and books and pins and whatever else I make, so the more I sell, the better able I am to pay bills and take care of my family.

Through my Ko-fi, you can buy my zines and books (I have both poetry and prose available) and pins, as well as commission me to make you a music-inspired mini-collage or hire me to edit your own writing. Or also just throw me a few bucks if you appreciate the content I make available for free.

If you live outside the US (I can only ship within the US via Ko-fi, because setting up shipping for multiple countries is a pain the butt), or just prefer to purchase something or donate via a different platform, I also have PayPal and Venmo (@ JessieLynnMcMains).

I also have a Substack newsletter. I try to send something out at least once a month. Sometimes it's a longer piece about music and nostalgia (I recently started a series called These Fucking Songs, for just that purpose), sometimes it's just updates on what I'm up to, sometimes it's something else. I'm currently working on one about poetry, and my writing process, and revision.

As if that weren't enough, this month I'm doing a 30/30 on the Tupelo Press site, which not only means I have to write a poem every day to be posted the next day, but I am also fundraising for Tupelo Press. My goal is to raise $350 by the end of the month. You can follow along with my daily poems here (the newest is always at the top; scroll down to read previous days), and the fundraising page is here. (I'm also offering some cool incentives for people who donate; more info about all that is available on the fundraising page.)

I'm pro-trans, pro-vaccine, pro-sex worker, pro-abortion, pro-Black Lives Matter. I'm for harm reduction for any drug user or addict, meaning I want them to be able to use drugs as safely as possible, rather than forcing them into rehab or incarcerating them. I'm anti-censorship and anti-fascist. I believe everyone, everyone, should have a safe place to sleep and enough to eat without having to earn it. I consider myself an anarcho-socialist, basically, but I do vote. I'm telling you all that because if you are vehemently against any of those things, we'll probably not get along.

I'm a forever-goth/punk who loves all kinds of music. (Things on heavy rotation for me as I write this are: The Replacements, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Oliver Nelson.) I'm femme but I'm a disaster femme; when I use nailpolish it's always sloppy and/or chipped, when I wear eyeliner it's always crooked and/or smeared, and I am incapable of not ripping a hole or two in every pair of tights and stockings I own. I love art and film and theater and literature and music. I'm a Shakespeare stan, I love growing my own vegetables, I collect souvenir pennies and stick and poke tattoos. I'm always a slut in theory, even when not always in practice. I'm perpetually nostalgic, melancholy, and restless. I spend all my free time posting pictures of myself on the internet and trying to prove I'm punk to anyone that'll listen.

Want more Jessie content? There's my website (still under construction, but it exists). Or you could try searching the my writing, my art, Jessie Lynn McMains, or Rust Belt Jessie tags on this blog. I also have a side blog, where I tend to post more frequently than I do on this blog. If you ask nice, I'll probably give you the URL.

On that note, my DMs and asks are open, and, as of right now, anon is on.

I think that's it! As always, whether you can send any $$ my way (or to my fundraiser) currently or not, keeping this post circulating helps. Thanks much. 🖤

[prikarin]

Regarding Killer Trait Updates

Hello, everyone!

It's been a good minute since my last Killer Trait update, hasn't it?

A lot of people have been asking me about Killer Trait updates and when the full-game will be released so, after a lot of thought, I decided to make this post.

Here's the thing: my Patreon hasn't been doing well. It hasn't been doing well for several months now. While the decline started after Where Winter Crows Go's release in November of last year, it's gotten progressively worse from February 2024 onwards. And because of this I'm going to have to pause my billing for my current patrons from August onwards—at least until I have something new to post.

It'd be a lie if I said this didn't affect me, I'm only human after all, but I'm also well aware that Patreon is a tough thing to maintain in a way that's consistent and interesting.

Unfortunately, since I live in Argentina, my only real way to get funds for my games is through Patreon, donations on Ko-Fi and sales and donations on Itchio. While it definitely helps that I hire some people from Argentina for certain art related things (so I pay them in Argentine Pesos), most of the people I commission are from overseas, so it's always a must to be able to pay them in USD.

And that's the issue: since I don't have that much money anymore and I can't commission people as often... this inevitably delays my progress on both Killer Trait and Potion Pleasing (DEMO out now!) indefinitely. It's sucks for me too, but it's the reality: making games costs money.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Killer Trait will have re-designs for most of the characters (not counting Carl because his design was originally my own) since the ones in the DEMO were stock sprites I bought from an artist, not my own designs. And I want these characters to be 100% my own, which is why I decided to have them re-designed. I've talked about this in the past in more detail when I decided to have Crowe re-designed, you can find that post HERE.

Of course, for these new character sheets (with the exception of Oz's, which has already been finished) and the new sprites, I need game funds in order to commission the artist. Even after the sprites are done, there are a couple of backgrounds—the characters' rooms—that I'd like to have originally made (especially since the ones I bought from Minikle are very limiting and don't really fit with the characters' personalities). And this doesn't even account for CGs, which I'll probably have to postpone for a while because the sprites and the backgrounds are way more important.

Some might be thinking "What about Where Winter Crows Go?". While I was lucky that WWCG's first demo was so well received, I still spent a whole lot of money from my own pocket to make it. I bought a lot of assets and, when I got a few donations, I commissioned a few artists to help me. WWCG was NEVER a game made with only free resources.

Making the art book for WWCG was a way I found to get a little of that investment back, but I'm well aware that I'll never get all the money that I spent back. And that's okay! To this day, I don't regret having invested my money to make WWCG because it gave me a lot of experience, perspective and made me learn a lot.

Be that as it may, however, I can't realistically make the rest of my games free. As I mentioned before, game development is expensive in both money AND time. Without funds, it's a given that things are going to be delayed.

So... where does that leave things?

Well, after pondering on it for a while, I came to the conclusion that I'm not really ready for a crowdfunding campaign right now. Those are extremely hard and ALSO cost money to advertise well and make sure everything's in order. So... the temporary solution I arrived at is setting goals on Ko-Fi! 

How would this work? Basically, I would set a monetary goal of the amount of money needed for a certain asset in a certain game that needs to be made. For example: sprites & character sheets in Killer Trait. Once that goal is met, I'll commission the person in question so they can start working on it! After that, I'll set the next goal and so on 💪

I'm thinking of setting the first Ko-Fi goal once August starts. And from there... I'll see how it goes! If things don't go well, I'm also considering making Where Winter Crows Go paid for a while—don't worry, I would make an announcement first—because I honestly have no more ways of getting game funds for Killer Trait and Potion Pleasing and, as mentioned before, making games is really expensive (and I'm only one person).

Thank you so much for reading until the end and I hope you have an amazing day!

[queerfanfiction]

Love Notes (Ch. 6)

Larissa Weems x musicteacher!Reader Thank you for being so supportive, even though it has been literal months since I have updated!! I will try to post a bit more regularly (but also who knows because depression is a bitch).

AO3 link

You decide to hop up and shower after Enid’s inadvertent pep talk, feeling more hopeful now than you have in days. After getting dressed and stocking the bathroom for recently arrived students, you head to Jericho. It’s time to finalize scavenger hunt plans. You don’t want to wait weeks and drag out the process through secret codes in your mixes.

Flowers were taken care of, thanks to your new acquaintance James. You had also created a few other clues but needed to access a few places, like the bookstore, in town to complete them. You try to push your latest trip with Larissa to Jericho from your mind as you begin jogging the wooded path from Nevermore grounds to the town square. The crisp spring air was welcomed, and hopefully you could use this time to clear your head. Besides, you didn’t want to check-out any vehicles to drive in case Larissa was nearby. Her quarters were right above the school’s scheduling office, and you weren’t ready to face her just yet.

Once you’re severely out of breath and think the pain in your side will topple you, you finally reach the outskirts of Jericho. Your pace slows, and you begin to map out a to-do list in your head. At the bookstore, you’ll need magazines and the clerk’s cooperation on the day of the scavenger hunt. At the flower shop, you’ll need to ensure James was able to secure lilies and might lend his labor in planting and arranging them. At the Weathervane, you will need to clue the new barista in on your plan. Since Tyler is now a guest of the state after everything went down a couple months ago, a new barista was hired. You two are friendly due to your aggressive kindness when they would accidentally make mistakes during training. You hated that people in town weren’t understanding of the realities of service work. Finally, you will need to visit city hall to ensure you don’t need a permit to occupy the public space around the fountain in the middle of the square.

As you check things off your list, you realize you still need a way to ensure Larissa makes it to the book store once in Jericho. You ponder this as you head back to Nevermore—this time at a reasonable pace. Once on the grounds, you cross through the courtyard to the dorms and see Enid giggling with Yoko. You smile softly at their carefree banter. It’s at this moment you have the idea to loop Enid into the scavenger hunt, especially since she had helped you put things into perspective when you were secluded away in your room. It’s also at this time that you know it would probably be a terrible idea to entrust Nevermore’s gossip queen with a secret regarding the school’s principal. Stumped at this conundrum, you trek up to your room to leaf through the magazines from the bookstore you bought.

You get to work creating the aspects needed to complete the scavenger hunt—a new mix CD, cut out letters, a fake newspaper crossword, and so on. After an hour or two, your energy and attention span begin to falter without food. Your eyes wander to the clock; with students back on the school’s campus, you could catch dinner before the cafeteria closes if you leave now. You toss on an oversized maroon cardigan and head downstairs.

As you wander, you wonder if Larissa will be tucked away in her office with dinner and wine like she usually is. You desperately missed the time you two would spend together. You also speculate about whether or not you two would stay friends if she rejected you. You think too highly of her to be sour if her heart does not feel the same magnetic tug that yours does.

—

The same morning as your talk with Enid, Larissa awoke in sweats. She normally regulated her body temperature well and wasn’t terribly affected by nightmares. She’d lived through enough monsters to not be effected by them in dreams. Recently, however, she had been agitated…fitful. She knew why, even though she tried to rationalize it away.

She didn’t have a lot of friendships, let alone close ones. Shapeshifters never do. That’s why she constantly worked so hard to change the perceptions of outcasts—both within and outside the community. Whatever she had with you, Larissa feared she had ruined it. At the beginning of her relationship with you, there was a feeling between you of treading carefully, of testing boundaries. When could you be silly or drop the professional façade? That hesitance quickly dissipated and was replaced with comfort and familiarity. Unfortunately, Larissa had learned to rely on it. She craved it. It balanced her. Letting others in didn’t come easily, yet it felt like you were meant to know her.

After giving it more thought, Larissa isn’t completely sure if seeing you flirt with someone made her lash out or if it was about being confronted with her own feelings for you. Regardless, the underlying fear came true—damaging her relationship with you.

Once her breathing steadied after waking, she peered around her room. Her living quarters used to feel so luxurious and private, something completely hers in a boarding school that constantly pulled her in so many directions. Now, though, all she can sense is emptiness in the space. Bitter echoes of joyous moments she had with you throughout the room lingered.

Not only did you vanish from her room and office, but she hadn’t visibly seen you since that day at the Weathervane. You were no where to be found these last couple weeks. Instead of regularly creating music in the orchestra room and popping into her office, the library, the conservatory, and student dorms, you had hidden away. She knows this, because she had asked around about you to various faculty (and even some students). Larissa’s schedule often took her throughout Nevermore, and she ached to catch a glimpse of you—check in on you in some way. It wasn’t until she stepped away from answering emails to drink tea on her balcony for a moment that she saw you. You were outside in the spring air, heading away from the school.

Larissa had never seen you in athletic clothing…mainly because you two had joked about running being a punishment, that it was often a mutually constituted performance by people who bought into traditional, often limited ideas of health. Of course, that’s not why seeing you stunned her.

Rather, her heart ached. She felt panicked, as if she should make a decision about what to do right then and there before you ran completely out of sight. With a deep, slow breath to hinder acting impulsively, Larissa began to consider her options. Is it better to swallow the hurt and try to salvage the friendship? Surely, only a friendship with you is better than being without you completely. Or would doing that and being close with no hope for a future together hurt worse? Could she handle seeing you with the florist all the time? Larissa sat her teacup down to rub her temples.

A distant knock at the door to her office pulled her away from her thoughts. She stepped inside and called for the visitor to enter. There was work to do, meetings to be held. Quickly and neatly compartmentalizing her thoughts and emotions, Larissa moved forward to greet the mayor.

—

You were in the orchestra room, arranging a new composition in preparation for the scavenger hunt. You couldn’t sleep now that you had decided on a course of action, so you decided to make use of the extra energy swirling in your stomach and radiating out through your arms and legs. Thankfully the dormitories were on the other side of Nevermore’s campus, meaning students could not overhear or be disturbed by your work. You don’t quite remember how you got across the grounds or what time you left your room. All you knew was that this was your time, your safe space.

All of the sudden you hear heels from down the corridor and know that it must be Larissa. Who else would it be? Sure enough, Larissa comes in. No hesitation in her approach. Your stomach flips, and you’re surprised she seems so confident and determined. No silk pajamas; she’s still in a work outfit. You can’t remember if you’ve seen it before. Her sense of purpose impelled you to lean the cello in your arms to it’s stand instead.

Her lips are on yours before logic can catch up with you, her hands cradling your face as if you’re something holy and sacred. You let out a surprised “mmph” but return the kiss eagerly, wrapping your arms around Larissa and inviting her closer. When your lips part ever so slightly, she deepens the kiss without delay. Her hands drift downward from your face to your neck to your arms to your outer thighs. You feel as if your heart is going to beat so quickly and become so enlarged that it will begin to break through your ribcage. Still, you wouldn’t stop this long-awaited union for anything.

Larissa’s swift hands had begun to pull you up into her arms, urging you to wrap your legs around her torso. You couldn’t bother with whether or not the cello was okay. After feeling her warmth against you, knowing she could feel the heat radiating from you too, both of your movements turned frantic. Your breath mimicked the raggedness it had from your run the other day.

“I want you. I want you. I need you.” Breathy declarations from Larissa ring out and ring throughout the room. In response, you bring her hand from the small of your back to your front, just under the edge of your shirt. The encouragement makes the taller woman whimper in between fervent kisses.

Suddenly, a deafening, reverberating crash sounds out.

Heart racing, sweaty, you jolt awake in your office chair in the orchestra room. Looking around anxiously, you see the cello you were playing on the ground, still vibrating. You must have was accidentally kicked it over in your sleep. The reddest blush plasters itself onto your cheeks. You were no stranger to dreaming of Larissa, but this is the first suggestive dream since she left you in the Weathervane. You didn’t even know someone could feel this embarrassed with no one else present. You’re alone and unsure of what time it is or what time you fell asleep after traipsing across campus. Only the quiet singing of birds outside indicated it was early morning. You normally frowned upon clocks in the classroom, but maybe you’ll rethink that now.

You look to the sheet music stand near you and find your phone. It’s dead. With a deep sigh, you gather your items and make your way to your living quarters. You need to confirm what time it is and change your clothes. Today is the day that you’re putting your scavenger hunt into motion.

—

Outside of Larissa’s office is a corkboard for Nevermore news, flyers, events, and so on that she checks daily. You post the anonymous note that serves as your first clue and fade into the stone wall behind you just as her office doors open and she steps out.

Larissa moved towards the board, not suspecting any terribly special memos pinned on a Saturday morning. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read the pasted together instructions. Larissa knew the mismatched lettering had to belong to whoever was gifting her the elaborate playlists. It was finally time to uncover the truth that she so desperately desired. She quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching or leaving the area. …No one.

The patchwork note from cut-out magazine letters read, “Alas, it’s time to confess who I am. Come and find me if you can. I can skip but can’t walk. I’d rather sing than talk.”

A wild goose chase? Larissa considered. Truly, what can come of this? Just another CD with no confirmation of who this is? Even with her skepticism, Larissa was intrigued. She enjoyed conquering puzzles. There was something so satisfying about hunting down information and excavating the truth. With everything going on with you, Larissa welcomed a distraction, especially from someone who she considered herself to have a certain bond or connection with.

Snatching the clue from the board, Larissa retreated back to her office, abandoning her morning plans to roam among the grounds. I can skip but can’t walk…sing rather than talk…hm… Larissa mulled over the riddle. After a few moments, she can’t believe it took her this long to realize: CDs. Of course, it’s telling her to go back to the CDs. It’s where this all started. She walked over to her media player where one was already in place and started from track 1. Larissa felt as if she had committed the sounds and occasional lyrics to memory. How is there a clue here?

Pacing in front of her lit fireplace, Larissa fumbled haphazardly with the CD case in her hands as she listened with new intent. On the third turn around, her hand accidentally brushed off a sticky note that was placed on the back cover. “Wha-” she began while bending over to pick up the small piece of paper on the floor.

“Finish” she saw written on it. Finish what? A bit frustrated that she can’t make sense of the notation, she went to her desk to examine the other gifts. Sure enough, there were post-its on the backs of them as well. When read all together, they directed her to finish the newspaper crossword. Okay, so whoever this was definitely knew her routine. That’s not exactly breaking news, though. Larissa stepped out onto her balcony where she laid the newspaper next to her finished cup of tea. Flipping through to the crossword section, she saw a custom crossword tucked into the paper. In all honesty, she admired the dedication and thought that went into these clues.

Once she completed the crossword, it very obviously did not read out her admirer’s name like she had hoped. Rather, the answers prompted her to go to Jericho. Larissa pursed her lips, attempting to win against a budding smile as she shook her head. This is ridiculous. The final part of this clue spelling out Jericho also mentioned finding an outcast and a normie laughing together. Larissa didn’t know if she hated or loved that prospect, seeing as many Nevermore students had passes to Jericho this weekend. How many will be hanging out with a local, though? she asked herself while grabbing her overcoat and heading out the door.

—

“Alright, and what’s the plan?” you quizzed Enid on the ride over to Jericho.

In the passenger seat sat a wiggly werewolf who bounced her legs with excitement. In a singsong voice, she responded,“Hey now, give me some credit. I’m the one who suggested Lucas and I could give Principal Weems the next clue!”

“What if she asks who is orchestrating the scavenger hunt? How do I know you won’t crack under her prodding?” You narrow your eyes at her briefly before returning them to the road. You try to keep the tone light while still voicing your concerns.

With a small scoff, Enid confidently replies, “Please, one time Thing accidentally spilled nail polish on Wednesday’s typewriter, and I was an iron trap. If I can handle Wednesday Addams, I think I can handle Weems.” She ends the statement with her arms crossed, seemingly very proud of herself. To be fair, that was impressive. “Besides, I’m on the side of true love. This idea is so romantic!” Oh my god was all you could think to yourself at that statement. Once parked, you and Enid walk into the center of the square to wait for the normie component of this clue.

“What are we doing here again?” Lucas, the mayor’s son, questioned once he was in front of Enid. She sheepishly glanced at you and back to Lucas and then swiftly elbowed him in the side. It was kind of cute how seriously she was taking this.

You’ve done all you can do, so all you can do now is hope for the best. You put your hand on Enid’s shoulder and reassure her, “If you need anything, just give me a signal and excuse yourself. I’ll be watching from the Weathervane.” Well, mainly you’re reassuring yourself.

—

Once in Jericho, Larissa felt it an insurmountable task to search every store and outdoor area for the right outcast and normie. It didn’t help that she automatically parked in her usual spot, which happened to be by the flower shop. Getting out of her car, Larissa saw that very florist outside, pruning and watering plants. He noticed her and waved. She could feel a scowl on her lips, so she looked away, pretending to not have seen his friendly gesture. At least that’s one person that the admirer couldn’t be…

Having walked past the flower shop, Larissa cups her hands over her eyes to look inside Uriah’s Heap. She can’t imagine a normie having fun in the morbid antique shop, but she’s nothing if not thorough. After being satisfied that Uriah’s Heap did not contain her next clue, Larissa turned around to consider where to search next.

Before she can decide to go into another store, she sees Enid. Actually, she sees multiple Nevermore students. It’s a beautiful day, and many students want to make the most of their time before classes officially begin. Curiously, though, all of the other students are with Nevermore peers, and here is Enid with the mayor’s son. Larissa wouldn’t have pegged them to be friends.

Attempting to take control of the situation, Larissa came straight up to them. “Enid? Young Mr. Walker?”

“Principal Weems! Wow. Hi!”

For a brief moment, Larissa considered if running into them was a red herring. There was always a possibility that at a boarding school, the person sending her gifts and love notes could be a student with a harmless crush. Could Enid be the admirer? Larissa had always considered Enid to be like a daughter or menteé. She had felt protective of her, especially when Enid’s own mother made some questionable choices at the last parents’ weekend. Larissa pushed the thought to the furthest recesses of her mind; the person from those letters had a connection with her that no one else compared to. Well, almost no one else.

“What are you-” Larissa began but was cut off by Enid’s excited voice. “You should try to find the building with the most stories!”

“I assume this is the next clue?” Larissa stood in the familiar pose she often used to command attention. Combined with her height and immaculate dress, it simply wasn’t hard. “Enid, I’m terribly busy with finalizing spring semester contracts, schedules, and arrangements. I need to know who has enlisted your help. I know you know more than you are letting on.”

In an effort to be defiant, Enid asked, “What do you mean, Principal Weems? What help?” Her face gave her away, though. Her lips were pressed together firmly, as if she was attempting to hold back a grin.

Larissa considered escalating, but before she could, the young girl interrupted again with a determined look, “Remember, find the building with the most stories.” With that, she grabbed Lucas’s wrist and skipped off, pulling him behind her. All Larissa heard was next was a distant, “Byeeeeee, Principal Weems!”

Larissa is a bit surprised Enid could hold out, but the young werewolf’s evasiveness helped in that regard. Sitting underneath her gaze made Enid uncomfortable. Larissa remembers a time when she pressed the girl on Wednesday’s whereabouts the night Crackstone’s crypt flooded and the water was dyed red. Enid promptly confessed after Larissa put on a semi-firm voice and a stern look of disappointment.

Back to this never ending task of uncovering the identity of her secret admirer, Larissa thought. Bars have quite a lot of stories… The only bar in Jericho is the Rabbit’s Foot Tavern, and the only tales it holds are repetitive small town musings and desires to leave the town behind.

Though it seems like a long shot, it’s her only lead. As Larissa headed in the direction of the bar, she began to pass the bookstore. She only made it two more feet before she stopped in her tracks. There are thousands of stories there!

Feeling pleased with herself, she steps inside only to be met with a tired clerk that is paid too little to care about town shenanigans. The worker behind the counter gives Larissa a sticky note with specific numbers from the Dewey Decimal System. He doesn’t even look up from his phone. Larissa blinks slowly and gestures appreciatively before she heads to the 700s, somewhere in Arts & Recreation.

The “book” that she finds at the detailed location is actually a mix CD on the shelf disguised as a musicology textbook. Torn between feeling excited to have a new playlist and determined the find the next clue, Larissa pushes herself to continue and try to examine the cover, rather than only appreciating it. The track listing is unlike the previous CDs, so she begins to break down what she assumes is a code. Finally, Larissa cracks it: “Make a wish, but don’t take a drink.”

—

Once you watch Larissa disappear inside the bookstore, you leap into action. Hopefully you’ll have enough time to sit out all the lilies before she figures out the next clue. Thankfully, Enid offers to help (and makes Lucas assist). Even James briskly walks over with an armful of lilies. You appreciate the kind gestures and make a mental note to send everyone thank you after this is all over. You’re not sure how long it takes, but your calves and lower back ache from the manual labor. You all successfully sit out hundreds of lilies planted in recycled Weathervane cups. Thank goodness the new barista, Emily, was on board to save as many used paper cups as she could throughout her shifts over the week.

When Larissa makes her way to the town square fountain from the bookstore, you are safely back inside the Weathervane, becoming more and more anxious as you realize she is so close to finding out you’re completely smitten with her and have been keeping it from her. However, she stands at the fountain, unmoving, for much longer than anticipated.

Larissa did not expect this—the humble lily of the valley, her favorite flower. She had never been gifted them. When she was younger and pining after Morticia, Larissa remembered getting the other woman an entire slew of flowers. Dark, moody flowers. Orchids. Carnivorous plants. Anything she thought Morticia would like. In return, when Morticia asked about Larissa’s favorite flower, she ended up giving her lilies. Larissa thought lilies were beautiful, but she had always adored lily of the valley. It hurt that Morticia did not care enough to get her the correct flowers, because it symbolized so much more when it came to their relationship.

The lily of the valley is always overlooked, considered modest and unimposing. Of all people Larissa thought Morticia would appreciate that every single aspect of the flower is poisonous. Now Larissa is at a loss for who arranged this scavenger hunt, because she hasn’t told a soul about what this flower means to her in years. Before she can intervene, tears begin to fall from Larissa’s eyes, staining her face. Sitting on the edge of the fountain, surrounded by hundreds of lily of the valley, Larissa takes a few minutes to appreciate the flowers, almost as if she is mending her relationship to them.

After awhile, Larissa stands, smooths out the creases in the front of her clothes and takes a deep, filling breath in. As she can infer from the cups, the next stop is the Weathervane.

At the Weathervane, Larissa takes notice that it is unusually empty for a Saturday. She strolls around the counter and then the seating areas, examining the area for any clues. Her eyes glance quite a bit to the booth she normally shares with you. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary except for the much smaller amount of people she would expect.

When Larissa internally questions if this is the wrong destination, the barista calls out “Larissa” and sits a mug in the “pick-up” area before going back to make the rest of the drinks in the queue. Scrawled on the cup are the words “sit where you are most comfortable.” That doesn’t seem like much of a clue, she surmises incredulously.

The task at hand proves to be more difficult than expected. Larissa looks to her regular booth, the one you two often shared. Is that where I am most comfortable? She wants to face the door, to surveil the inside of the café for any changes. However, she normally lets you sit in that direction; Larissa liked to have her focus on you instead of the bustling environment. Longing for that familiarity wins out, and Larissa takes a seat facing the back of the Weathervane.

No more clues. You knew that was the last one. Once Larissa sits in her usual spot, you phase through the back wall near the bulletin board. Astonished, the taller woman steps up and out of the seat with a slight gasp.

Before preparing to explain the past several months and your previously concealed ability, you proclaim, in what you hope is the most impressive way possible, “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but you owe me a hot chocolate date.”

You slide into the booth opposite to Larissa, waiting for her to sit back down.

—

Tagging: @lilsmeaux, @suckerforcate, @rickistheman, @tundra1029, @aster-loves-gwen, @justcallmelittleone, @poorwritingandstalecoffee, @lvinhs, @one-pining-queer, @kimiinou, @bobia13, @gwendolinechristieiscute, @kay-liah-scope, @readingtheentrails, @a-queen-and-her-throne, @weemssapphic, @ctrlamira, @im-a-carnivorous-plant, @winterfireblond, @gwendolinechristiesnumberonegirl. Let me know if you'd like to be tagged or have your tag taken off future posts. :)

[vanishingstarrs]

playing house

katsuki bakugo x reader, established relationship, fluff

( my bf and i basically played house yesterday and it felt very bakugo coded so enjoy :) <3 )

It was nearly midday when you woke up, unlocking your phone to multiple messages from your boyfriend. He sent you updates throughout his morning, seeing as he was a much early riser than you. It didn’t help that you were sick (him being the cause of it, you having caught the cold he had last week) and sore from the random urge to redecorate your entire room last night.

Turns out, hauling furniture and books and all the little trinkets you’d received as gifts from your boyfriend took a toll.

You headed down for breakfast (lunch technically) while responding to his messages before acknowledging his see you soon text with a question.

soo what do you wanna do today ?

You’d already been planning on seeing one another, you’d talked about maybe seeing a movie, though none of the ones out now seemed to really catch either your attention. Various messages came in one after the other as you heated up your food.

parents aren’t home today, they’re at some event until late

i was thinking we could watch Y/F/M and buy some snacks

plus you’re sick so i don’t wanna go far

then later i’ll make us dinner

and if you’d like we can go get ice cream

Your heart swelled. Katsuki didn’t always seem like he’d be the sweetest and your friends always questioned the nature of your relationship and how it worked out, but you knew deep down he was a softy. Especially when it came to you.

you offering to take care of me the whole day ? 🥹🫂

He responded quickly.

the least i can do after getting you sick

You laughed.

so you admit you got me sick ?

yes

sadly

i didn’t want to

it’s okay, worth it in order to kiss my baby 🫶🏼

good

lmk when i can pick you up

After your meal, you sat at your vanity, trying to decide how to style your hair, already having opted out of wearing makeup when Katsuki texted you again.

don’t do your hair, i wanna see your natural hair

well in that case you can come get me whenever, i was already planning on skipping makeup

nose is all red from tissues, it’d all come off anyway :(

. . .

You watched the little dots appear, go away, and then come back before a text came.

what if i told you i was already outside ?

You stood up, heading to your window to find your boyfriend standing right outside. You unlocked the latch and called out to him,“Five minutes, I just gotta change clothes!”

“What for? I already told ya my folks aren’t home.”

“I know, but still! Just hold on!”

You shut the window before he could counter you again and quickly found a semi-presentable outfit just in case his parents left their event early as they sometimes did. Katsuki always shook his head at the fact that you insisted on wearing a perfect outfit whenever you’d be at his house, you couldn’t help it though. You wanted to look nice in case his parents wound up being there.

You weren’t even that comfortable being home alone with him, especially when a certain look came over his face and you two wound up in not so innocent positions.

The only reason you were allowed over was because Katsuki had told his parents he’d gotten you sick and he wanted to cook for you.

You bid your parents goodbye and met up with Katsuki, hugging him first thing. You didn’t miss the way he inhaled your scent, most prominent in your hair by the way he buried his face in it before planting a quick kiss on your neck.

“I missed you too.” You grinned, knowing through his actions what he was trying to say.

He was a tad clingy and you loved it.

Since neither one of you had a car, you walked, though you didn’t mind and you knew he didn’t either as you chatted the entire way. Plus, he didn’t live too far.

There was a convenience store near your house, but Katsuki wanted to wait until you guys reached one closer to his as he wanted to pick up a few ingredients for the meal he was planning and he was certain they had them in stock there. Plus that way you didn’t have to carry anything on the way to his house.

So you walked and took turns talking, you told him about the way you’d decorated your room and the new layout of it and then he told you all about the fashion show his parents were attending and how they mentioned they’d like you two to attend with them on a day you weren’t sick since they had a lot of them coming up and they thought it might interest you.

“We’d have to dress up though, and that’d be annoying.” He frowned.

“Sounds like it might be fun though,” you shrugged,“Plus it’s your parents career, wouldn’t hurt to go in support of them.”

“Yeah, true…”

The topic shifted yet again as you neared the store and Katsuki grabbed a basket at the entrance,“Any snacks you want today, babe?”

You pointed out the premade coffee and he shook his head,“What do you need that shit for today? We’re just gonna be laying around all day.”

“It’s not that I need it, I just enjoy the taste, if I needed it at some point it honestly would’ve been last night, I stayed up way too late.” You sighed.

“Tsk, told you you didn’t have to get it all done in a day.”

“Yeah, but I did and I feel way better about it since now I don’t have to worry about it this week.” You countered, watching with a smile as he grabbed the one he knew you liked and tossed it into the basket.

He knew your favorite snacks too so he didn’t really have to ask what would make you feel better, he took his time nitpicking ingredients and you hugged him from behind all the while he decided whether he might change his meal last minute. It was all very domestic and you allowed yourself to imagine that this is what it’d be like if the two of you lived together. “Make your decision yet? I told you I’m okay with whatever, baby, I’ll eat anything you give me.”

“Don’t I know it.” He smirked and you punched his shoulder at the inappropriate comment.

“Stop.” Your cheeks heated up.

“You love it.” He teased further, even going as far as giving your ass a slap, despite the family strolling right by when he did it.

You rolled your eyes, waiting for them to pass before heading back to his side to hug his arm again,“Yeah, maybe.”

“No, completely, or you wouldn’t be with me.” He pecked your cheek and you leaned into the touch of his hand.

Once upon a time he was shy touching you, now he did it so freely and naturally. It felt like you’d been together forever, despite the fact that it’d only been roughly eleven months.

You went about a couple more aisles, finishing up and walking the remainder of the way home. He set up his things in the fridge and grabbed all the snacks and your drink,“You don’t want this in a different cup? I can change it for you, plus it’s already feeling kinda warm. I’ll add ice.”

“It has ice, love. Plus half the fun is the cup it already comes in.” You made grabby hands,“Sit, and let’s watch. You know you’ve been dying to know how this series ends.”

He settled himself beside you on the sofa and you quickly snuggled up to his side, though it was a tad uncomfortable wearing outside clothes when he was lounging comfortably in sweats. Katsuki took notice of how you constantly pulled your shirt down and he sighed,“I told you you should’ve just worn your pajamas. They’re not coming home, you’ll be back at yours way before that.”

“You’ve said that before, you know your dad will wanna bail before it ends.”

“You’re annoying.” He rolled his eyes, but you know he didn’t mean it as he said,“At least wear one of my shirts.”

In the end he somehow convinced you to wear one of his shirts and an old pair of sweatpants he had from when he was younger that fit you.

You frowned all the way down the stairs, but you couldn’t deny the fact that you were a lot more at home in his clothes than what you’d been in before.

You felt him walk up behind you and his teasing voice in your ear,“Now it looks like we fucked.”

“Katsuki!” You shoved him down the remaining steps, but all he did was laugh and open his arms up to you.

You rolled your eyes,“Keep it up and we won’t again for a month.”

“Don’t pretend to be a prude.” He scoffed as he tugged you back down to lay with him.

As soon as your head hit his shoulder, the reality of how sick you felt and tired you were finally settled into your bones and the warmth his body naturally produced made it so you fell asleep at only fifteen minutes into the movie.

By the time your eyes opened again the movie was at its final scene and you felt guilty as you asked him if he was actually paying attention to it and if he genuinely liked it.

He claimed he did after all three times of you asking him if he was sure he enjoyed it. He placed a kiss to your forehead before standing up and stretching,“Gonna get started on dinner, do you want something to snack on in the meantime?”

You thought about it,“Nope.” Better to wait and see what he’d make.

You stood up with him and followed him into the kitchen with the blanket he’d draped over you at some point still wrapped around you, sitting patiently at the island while he maneuvered his way around the familiar space.

The first time you found out Katsuki knew how to cook you’d been shocked, now it seemed fitting that he knew how to work the stove.

In fact, he knew more about knife techniques and the perfect cooking temperatures than you did. The few times you’d found yourself in the kitchen ended in more injuries than successful meals.

You spoke while he cooked and occasionally he’d come over to receive a kiss like it was a reward, when he finally finished he took both your plates and walked you back to the living room to watch something else while you ate. You couldn’t help the thought from crawling into your mind:

Is this what it’d be like if you lived together?

You’d never felt more like an old married couple than you did now, even with all the times you and Katsuki had disagreements and people described you as such. It didn’t really feel like that until now.

“I love you.” You broke the silence that had settled among you both after finishing eating.

He flushed, looking away and you couldn’t help but smile.

“I love you too.”

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

I wrote this probably over 2 months ago and haven't done shit with it since. I thought it was cute but never elaborated on it.

So it is what it is. But it's about Nanami. ANYTHING to bring this man back lol.

SFW from what I can recall. Enjoy <3

Hear ... Me ... Out.

Nanami is at his favorite coffee shop one day and he sees this girl (woman, ok? don't get into semantics over it) and she is just a hot fucking mess.

Her hair is in the world's messiest bun on top of her head. It doesn't look like it's been brushed for a few days. Her clothes are like, less than casual. He doesn't want to use the word "sloppy", but damn. She look so sloppy rn that he has this overwhelming need to go straighten her up.

She's not ugly, not beautiful ... natural, though. But there's something about her that he is drawn to. She's kinda chubby. Which adds to her unique appearance(?), but with the right fitting clothes, she would be so cute, he thinks.

There's not a speck of make up on here face. And Nanami can't help but find that somewhat refreshing. There are stains on her sweatshirt from the coffee she is drinking. Crumbs on the table from her bagel with cream cheese.

GOD he wants to give her a napkin but doesn't want to offend her. What is the etiquette here, he wonders. Could he spin it so he comes off as polite? Caring, even?

He watches her for a while longer. Studies her face as she reads up on whatever textbook she's studying from. He can't get a good look at it, but it's a thick book.

Speaking of thick, he looks down to her thighs. They're thick, too.

His tired mind begins to wander uncontrollably to what she would feel like, what she would taste like. Then Nanamin catches himself staring too long. Spit pools in his mouth and he swallows hard. He looks away, hopefully before you catch him eating you up & out with his eyes.

But it's too late. You felt someone's gaze on you. And not just someone's. Fucking Kento Nanami's breathtaking brown eyes.

So now you're taking him in. And he is the most put together person you have ever seen. His blue button-up shirt is so well pressed that there isn't a single crease in it, even as he sits there in the cafe, it hugs his large arms looking like it was about to give at even the slightest miscalculated move. His tie hangs perfectly around his muscly neck. The light colored pants he wears - Oh God. They look like they're painted on. And they leave very little to the imagination.

He's got a tiny cup in front of him, his regular drink, espresso. But you don't know that's his regular drink. Because you have never seen him before. You don't even come to this cafe regularly. The one you like, the one closest to where you live, is having some renovations done. It has ruined more than one morning for you this week. Seeing the tall, ridiculously handsome man sitting across the seating area is starting to fix some of today's damages, though.

You tilt your head to the left and size him up, just like he was doing to you. But you're not even trying to be discreet. You decided that morning that you had nothing to lose by doing the societally deemed shameful things.

ie: oogling an attractive man, while you're looking like you're coming down from a 23 hour gambling bender with Toji (Nanamin doesn't know you know Toji and vice versa). Not that he'd permit you to keep associating yourself with him if anything were to become of the two of you.

No, he'd put a stop to that years ago. No proper lady of his would be fraternizing with garbage like Toji Fushiguro. No, no, no.

He's already decided he wants to talk to you. And while he has absolutely no reason to be shy about speaking with you, he can't bring his legs to move. That could be in large part to the considerable amount of blood that has pooled in the center of his body. He'll give it a minute and compose himself before he walks your way.

Nanami glances back at his newspaper and continues to read the daily stock updates. He sees movement in his periphery but thinks nothing of it because, after all, this is a busy cafe. It is a Wednesday. More people than you will move around.

It is you, though. You pack up your stuff, purposely leaving behind your cellphone beside your empty coffee cup, and walk toward him, holding eye contact for the entire time you're heading toward the exit.

He gets excited for some reason he can't yet understand and his pulse gets faster and faster the closer you get to his table for 1. Without thinking, he straightens up the scattered papers on the small table surface like he was expecting company. Your company.

But you turn at the very last second and push open the door to the sidewalk. The disappointment Nanamin feels crushes him like nothing he's quite experienced before. You are no one to him. He, in turn, knows that he's no one to you as well. Yet the dejected feelings remain in the forefront of his thoughts.

His eyes squint against the bright reflection of something silver on the table you were sitting at. You'd strategically forgotten and placed your phone to pick up the sun's light emerging from behind the clouds to get his attention.

It worked. He made his way across the cafe to the shiny object left behind. Picking it up, he tapped on the screen. To his great pleasure, there was no lock on the main screen. He had access to your photos. Your contacts. Your notes. Everything. He could look at everything.

Being the gentleman he is, Nanami thought it best to not look through it, though. He thought about giving it to the barista and letting them handle returning it to you. But there's no fun in that. He would track you down and give it back himself.

On the car ride to the "Return To" address in the phone, he felt his stomach turning. There was no reason for him to be nervous about this task, considering what his career is. He dealt with much worse shit than delivering a phone to a woman to whom he was attracted but couldn't figure out why. This was child's play. There was no curbing his excitement though.

Arriving outside your apartment building, he was surprised at how nice the place was. If he had to guess by just looking at you, he'd not have guessed a place such as this.

The doorman let Nanami pass with no problems. Looking as respectable as he does often grants him permissions that other people can't even entertain the idea of.

He pushed the button to call the elevator down and waited for it to carry him to the 14th floor.

Walking down the hallway until he found your place, he smoothed his tie down and knocked 3 times. He heard your footsteps coming as you padded your way closer to your door. And then he saw your shadow moving underneath, on the opposite side that he stood.

"Hello?" He said, his voice rumbly and deep. "You left your phone at the cafe we were both just at. I - thought I'd return it to you."

Nanami watched your shadow stretch out a little more and heard your fingers tap on the door as you looked through the peephole.

@darkstarlight82 @viburnt @arlerts-angel @kazutora-kurokawa @katkusuo (tagging you on the off chance you give a shit =))

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Sunflower, Book 1, chapter 27

Tom Hiddleston x OFC Series rated: M Chapter warnings: Flashback smut afterglow, speaking of a condom AN: Sorry for being so late Dearhearts- we had to set up for my daughter's birthday party <3

Masterlist AO3 KoFi

~~~~~<3

Tom had so much he wanted to say the night before but instead, he had suggested Mia go ahead to bed without him. She hadn’t argued as he threw out needing to make some calls as a excuse. He stayed up lost in his own thoughts while taking care of the last bit of tidying, enjoying the silence of the apartment. 

He was a coward, he knew that. It wasn’t necessary for someone to be around to tell him that. The silence around him did the job just fine. 

He needed to tell her how he felt but it was so easy to just push it off for another day. What was the point anyway, she would just push him away.

He made his way to bed once he was sure Mia was asleep, like a coward. 

~~~~~<3

The morning came with the harsh sunlight of the desert. He was becoming accustomed to it. It also brought with it the weight of Tom’s last day with them for a few weeks. 

Mia seemed to tip toe around him until she left for work, feeling the same awkward tension in the air that he did. 

“Did you and mom get into a fight?” Sally had asked as the door latched shut behind Mia.

“Why do you say that?” Tom asked, leaning against the counter and finally relaxing. 

Sally shrugged. “It’s different.” 

“Sometimes adults just act different.” Tom offered, “It doesn’t mean we got in a fight.”

“Is it because of me?” Sally’s little lip quivered as questions came fast. “You’re not going to stay gone, right?”

“I promise you,” Tom came around the counter to kneel in front of Sally, “I will come back. You didn’t do anything. Your mom didn’t do anything. It’s just grown up stuff that makes me worry sometimes about all sorts of things that have nothing at all to do with you.” He felt like a fish out of water having this conversation without Mia there to guide him. 

“Okay,” Sally said and just like that, the topic was closed letting Tom return to his tasks in the kitchen. 

“You should go on a date.” 

“Why do you think that?” Tom asked, cutting up a bowl of fruit for his tiny companion. 

“Because that’s what boyfriends do,” Tom couldn’t deny such a statement. “And I don’t want you to go away and not come back.”

“Sally, I am going to go but I will come back here.” 

“But what if you don’t?” Sally pushed a slice of apple around her plate. “What if you go away and decide you don’t like Mommy and me anymore?”

“I won’t.” Tom took her little hand in his. It was sticky thanks to the fruit.

“Dad said he wouldn’t leave either.” Sally softly said.

Tom knew then that this was a continuation of last night. He made his way around the counter and took a seat on the barstool right next to Sally. He wanted every bit of her attention on him. 

“I am going to come back,” Tom said seriously, “I promise. I am not going to get tired of you and leave. I’m not going to get upset with you and leave. I’m not going to get into a fight so big with your mom that I leave. When I have to travel for work or to see my family, I am going to come back. I am always going to come back.”

~~~~~<3

Mia was sitting at the food court table with an oversized T-shirt and leggings over the skimpy mini dress and stockings. It was usually how she took her breaks. If you looked like part of the Vegas attraction, you were approached even if you were obviously on your lunch break.

On the table next to her food, her phone buzzed to life. Tom was always good about providing her updates about his day with Sally. It didn’t surprise her that Sally had been worried about Tom leaving them. She expected the text to be another update about Sally’s insecurity. 

Tom: How do you feel about going out tonight?

Mia frowned at her phone. She wasn’t usually one for going out after work but this was Tom’s last night.

Mia: Sally probably won’t want to be with a sitter.

Tom responded nearly instantly: It was her idea

Tom: You wanted to see my work, right?

He sent the information for a listing for Thor at the theater near the apartment. The movie poster was small but clicking on it, she could see a superhero man with a hammer on a dark backdrop. Above him floated four faces, including one that looked so similar to the man she knew and yet so very different. 

Tom: Sally wants us to go out on a date. Said it would make her feel better

Mia: Are you using Sally to manipulate me?

Tom: Is it working?

Tom: And she started it, using her little puppy eyes to manipulate me

~~~~~<3

Sally was very excited to hear that her mother agreed to go out on a date with Tom. Tom had to direct and guide the little girl in her picking out his outfit for the night. Without his assistance, the child would run wild and while he was eager to indulge her, he has to keep some standards. 

Tom knew there was little chance he could get away with going to see his own movie and not get recognized. While he would have loved to wear whatever Sally picked on her own but the idea of sky blue slacks with a black suit jacket and a red shit really didn’t work. Luke would skin him alive. The shit he gets for his running leggings under his shorts was bad enough. 

Together they refined his wardrobe choice to a dark wash pair of jeans and a simple white cotton v neck shirt. It was light and airy. Casual. They added his black leather jacket, old and worn to a comfortable softness. 

Okay, maybe Sally just thought she got to pick out the outfit. 

Next he helped direct her through picking out Mia’s outfit for the night. Tom hoped she wouldn’t mind being dressed up like a doll. 

Sally went from dress to dress, looking and dismissing each one in turn. Tom waited and watched while he texted Mia the time. He was excited to take her out for the night, even if it meant seeing his own movie. They hadn’t gotten much time together one on one outside the domestic bliss of the apartment. 

Leaving weighed heavy on his mind after the night they had the night before. It was too soon to leave, emotions between the three raw and festering. That was as close to a fight as they had so far. 

There was a weird tension in the air since. He hoped that spending the evening together would clear it and he could leave the next day with them at a good place. 

He wanted them to be back in a place where he could call and it feel casual, comfortable. A place where it would feel like he was calling home. 

It was more than that though. Tom’s feelings had grown over the few weeks they had been married. He cared deeply for them. For Mia. There was a deep longing in his heart to be trusted. 

To be needed. 

To be wanted. 

It made him question how relationships were defined and the true meaning of emotions. If they had not been married, would she call him her boyfriend? He would call her his, that much he knew. But would he have stayed for all the pushing away she had done?

Probably not. 

He knew that too. That was the power of marriage. That was the power of their marriage and he was thankful for it. 

~~~~~<3

Mia knew time was short as she slammed the door to the car behind her. Traffic was a nightmare. Tom had probably gotten reservations somewhere nice and she had to find the right dress to shove herself in and hope she looked half decent. 

There was no way Tom could fly under the radar at his own movie. This would be it, her first interaction with her husband’s fans. The second official outing as the actor’s wife. 

She jogged up the stairs, thankful for the tennis shoes she had changed into. She hadn’t been great about remembering to leave early enough to change at work rather than wearing the skimpy dress to and from in the last few weeks. Routine changes really were hard for her and she was still very much struggling to remember to leave in time.

This time she had and while she hadn’t time to change out of the dress, she did have time to switch out the neck breaking heels for sneakers. She needed every ounce of speed she could get. 

“I’m sorry,” She said, busting through the door and startling Tom. “Traffic was a nightmare, there was an accident-”

“Sally picked out a dress for you. I’ll figure out dinner. Don’t worry, just go change.” Tom swept her up for a fleeting moment of greeting, arms wrapping around her in a hug. 

Mia wrapped an arm around Tom and leaned into him as she made her way past. It was more instinctual than intentional, fleeting hug in the motion of moving around each other that resulted in feet slowing for a fleeting moment as she looked into his deep eyes. She caught herself as she had gone too far though. 

Tom could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Was she going to kiss him? Why did the thought send his heart into fits? They had kissed before. They had kissed the night before even. 

She had wanted to kiss him but instead ran to her bedroom. Their bedroom, she corrected herself. Navigating a not marriage marriage was by far the most confusing thing she had every done. 

There wasn’t time to critique the dress Sally had picked out. It was one she had purchased on a whim but never had any reason to wear. It felt too fancy to wear to a movie but she had no idea what Tom had planned for dinner. 

This was a date. People dressed up for dates, right? Tom had looked wonderfully casual in the living room however. 

Fuck it, she thought, she didn’t have time to overthink it. 

Reaching behind, she unzipped the dress and let the slinky fabric free from her, trusting Tom not to walk in rather than taking the time to hide in the closet. Wiggling out of it, she let if fall to the ground and kicked it to the corner to be delt with later. Her current bra and panties joined the pile as she walked. 

There wasn’t time to worry about being modest. Now was the time for speed and efficiency. Grabbing a thong from the laundry basket of clean clothes waiting to be put away, she stumbled while trying to put it on as she walked. 

Turning on the shower, she grabbed the shower head and leaned forward. The water hadn’t had a chance to warm up and it felt like glacier water was running over her hair. She made quick work of washing it. It wasn’t the most through job but it would get most of the smell of cigarettes out of her hair.

She towel dried her hair while making her way back to the bed. Sighing, she glared down at the dress she was sure would make her look too… something. Or not enough something. Again, she wished she could search for something else.  

Scrunching and rubbing her hair, she grabbed a bra from her dresser and put it on. Mia wasn’t even sure if she could fit into this dress anymore or if it would look decent on her. Maybe it wouldn’t even fit. 

Putting it on wasn’t the easiest thing. The dress was made up of a black sheath strapless dress that only reached to her mid thighs and was extremely elastic. On top of this was a long sleeve, high neck lace dress with golden embroidered details.

The black inner dress was short and skin tight the whole way down. There was enough stretch in both layers of fabric to allowed her to wiggle into it but it looked a lot like a snake trying to shed it’s skin played in reverse. The outer lace layer was secured to the bodice of the inner dress. A scalloped hem ran a circle around her throat and the sleeves rested low, caressing the back of her hands. 

Where the skirt of the black dress clung to her thighs, the sheer skirt gathered and swept out in waves of lace that cascaded from just above her knee at the highest point and down, caressing her ankles in the back in a elegant dip hem. 

~~~~~<3~~~~~<3~~~~~<3~~~~~<3

He clung to her, panting as aftershocks rocked through him. Her lips found his neck as she caressed his back without a care for the sheen of sweat on his skin. With limbs that felt weighted down by lead, he rolled off of her. 

She curled into his side. That had to be a good sign, he told himself. God, he hoped it had been as good for her as it had been for him. 

“That’s just the first time.” He said, catching his breath. 

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” She asked, voice slurred as she nuzzled into his arm. It was clear she was very relaxed, perhaps even beginning to doze off. He hoped that was a sign of her post orgasmic bliss, a sign that he had delivered for her more than just his own release. 

“I do,” Tom mused, “That’s how I knew I wanted to marry you. Do you?”

“Yeah,” The words were mumbled.

Tom looked down at her, his wife. Her eyes were hardly more than slits and sleep was quickly claiming her. She was beautiful, he thought. There was a softness to every curve of her. Her hair was wild from their lovemaking and his hands. 

The imperfections on her body made her more real under his finger tips as he caressed her naked skin. 

“Do you want some water, Dear?” Tom asked, only getting a mumbled response that may have been a word.

The world shifted and spun under his feet as he stood up. Bracing himself against the furniture, he made his way to the trashcan to discard the condom. From the sink he downed three glasses of tap water, cringing slightly at the taste of the hotel’s tap water. 

Navigating back to the bed with what had started as a full glass, he left a trail of splashes behind him. His hand and leg was wet with spilled water as he brought the remainder to her. 

His wife. 

~~~~~<3

Tag List: @winterisakiller, @alexakeyloveloki, @jennyggggrrr, @dangertoozmanykids101, @tilltheendwilliwrite, @tinchentitri, @wizardcherryblossom, @buttercupcookies-blog, @violethaze, @kats72, @soulpiercing, @evedia, @princess-ofthe-pages

[swansongofalyre]

Where to Find Memento Mori (Updated 9/11/2024)

On August 13, two days before 광복절 (Korean National Liberation Day), my debut novel was released. The book is about Korean-American family, and also about Greek mythology, and I promise this combination makes sense in the end. (For those who are curious, I wrote an uncharacteristically personal guest post for Women's Writers, Women's Books on the topic of what inspired me to write a Eurydice and Orpheus retelling about my Korean grandmother.)

It was surreal to go to a store the other day and see it on a table next to Salman Rushdie and other acclaimed writers. After 13 years of this story existing in some form, I'm so excited that this book is finally out—both because it is a beautiful book that I am proud of and that I hope you enjoy, and also because I would love to stop being my own publicist (it is VERY awkward).

So here is an omnibus post of book-related info that I will keep updated and pinned going forward to finally give the memento mori tag a rest. Below the cut, you will find a running list of indie bookstores and public libraries that I know carry my book. (If you have a New York Public Library card and have 5 minutes, I will love you forever if you would email your local branch to ask them to carry my book, thus fulfilling my lifelong dream of living in the NYPL.)

Also below are a few upcoming events at which I have been invited to speak!

Bookstores by State (as of 9/11/2024)

Search for your local bookstore here!

Arizona

Changing Hands Bookstore (Phoenix and Tempe)

California

Gallery Bookshop (Mendocino)

Timbre Books (Ventura) Sold out for now (but you can still order online)!

Indiana

The Press (Valparaiso)

Iowa

Prairie Lights Books (Iowa City)

Maine

Longfellow Books (Portland) Sold out for now (but you can still order online)!

Massachusetts

Nantucket Book Partners (Nantucket) Sold out for now (but you can still order online)!

Porter Square Books (Cambridge and Boston both back in stock!)

Missouri

Skylark Bookshop (Columbia)

Montana

Chapter One Book Store (Hamilton)

New Hampshire

Water Street Bookstore (Exeter)

New Jersey

Watchung Booksellers (Montclair)

New York

Astoria Bookshop (Queens, 1 signed copy left!)

Book Culture (Signed copies at the 112th St. and Broadway stores; also available at LIC and Pittsford Pittsford has sold out for now!)

Books are Magic (Brooklyn, at both Smith St. and Montague St.)

Market Block Books (Troy) Sold out for now (but you can still order online)!

Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn) Back in stock!

Shakespeare & Co (Manhattan, Lincoln Center has signed copies; Lexington also as copies back in stock)

Yu and Me Books (Manhattan; comes with bonus goodies, see below!)

North Carolina

Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh)

Oregon

Powell's (Burnside, Cedar Hills, and Hawthorne locations)

Rhode Island

Heartleaf Books (Providence)

Vermont

Phoenix Books (Burlington and Essex)

Washington, D.C.

Politics and Prose (at both CT Ave NW and Union Market)

Washington State

Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle)

Wisconsin

Woodland Pattern (Milwaukee)

Libraries (as of 09/10/2024)

Worldcat Listings (Probably the most comprehensive)

Libby (for e-books)

California

Berkeley Public Library

Illinois

Chicago Public Library

Kentucky

Lexington Public Library

Maine

Portland Public Library (On Order)

Michigan

Canton Public Library (On Order)

New York

Greenburgh Public Library (Available)

New York Public Library (Available)

Queens Public Library (Available)

Texas

Harris County Public Library (In Processing)

Virginia

Arlington Public Library (In Processing)

Wisconsin

Whitefish Bay Public Library

Washington State

Seattle Public Library

Online

Bookshop.org (US)

Bookshop.org (UK)

Massive Bookshop (all profits go to community bail funds)

Barnes & Noble

Target

KYOBO 교보문고 (Korea)

Upcoming Events

September 3: Astoria Bookshop in conversation with Maia Lee-Chin for the release of her incredible book Et Cetera

September 22: Narrative Bookshop (Somerville, MA) in conversation with Maia Lee-Chin

September 28: Brooklyn Book Festival for a debut authors panel moderated by THEE Edwidge Danticat

October 17: Fall for the Book Festival in Fairfax, VA for a panel on mythology with Rania Hanna, the amazing author of The Jinn Daughter

[motherserieszine]

Hello! In the interest of keeping everyone up-to-date with the production of the zine, here’s the latest newsletter update. As always, if you wish to subscribe to our newsletter, please email motherserieszine@gmail.com so we can put your email down!

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

We apologize for the delay in our communication! Between messaging manufacturers for quotes, managing 50 contributors and making sure we still answer our three social media, email and personal accounts, it's been a busy time for us. The mods and I hope this is a good update for everyone!

PRODUCTION UPDATES:

★ All merch and packaging material has been ordered and is on its way to our shipping and fulfillment mod, Yurei! Pictures of all merch items will be posted to our social media as they come in!

★In addition to the items in each bundle, all physical orders will include holographic stickers with our cover artist @Cosmosully's shaker charm design! This was budgeted out as a thank you for everyone's support and patience with our project.

★Because our order quantities for some items (books, stickers, and sheets) are close to a whole number (300), extras have been ordered in order to receive a bulk quantity discount. This means there MAY be a few leftover sales (10 or less stock of each item). This would be after fulfillment is complete.

★Aya, our head mod, is currently working on pressing the holographic magnets for all Early Bird, Half and Full Bundle orders by hand. It will be either these or the prints that we show first!

★The PDF of the zine is on its final revision and will be completed within a few days. After this, the printing of the zine books will begin. The final page count of the zine is 174 pages, which is significantly higher than what we marketed and estimated for the zine (which was 130+). Several of our contributors provided more artwork and writing for the project than what they came on to do initially, which was added to the book.

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

Many of you have reached out about shipping! As soon as we get all items, they will be shipped out accordingly. Our estimate for shipping completion is December, but some books may not arrive at your doorstep until January.

We know this is, again, not what our initial time frame was for the project. The mods and I are working as fast as we can, but we do all have lives outside of the zine. All of the mods are either in their final year of college, or are graduates with full-time jobs and shops to manage. We felt that rather than rush the book and merch out, we should focus on making sure they are works of art that both our contributors and fans of the series can look back on with fondness and take pride in having. You paid a lot to make this project happen, and therefore only the best work we can create should arrive at your doorstep! This is a passion project that we all want to see be successful, so we apologize for any inconvenience the change in schedule causes.

As always, feel free to reach out to us with any concerns or questions! Ask us anything. We want to be as transparent as possible, every question is a good question! And be sure to check out our contributor list if you haven't already, which can be found on our BigCartel and Carrd pages.

FAQ

Q: So wait, how does this work?

A: The only item we currently have in house are the magnets, as they are hand pressed, printed, and foiled by our head moderator. All other items are designed by our contributors and manufactured, then get shipped to our shipping moderator to be packaged into bundles.

Q: Oh gosh, I need to change my address now!

A: No worries, we will actually send an address confirmation email a week before we actually ship the items! Also, all physical orders come with USPS tracking; this way, there is no concern on where the package will go. This includes international orders!

Q: When will we receive the PDF?

A: PDFs will be emailed out in the same email as the address confirmation, or shortly after :)

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

That concludes this issue of MOTHER POWER! Stay tuned for our next issue, which is scheduled to be released later this month.

As always, fuzzy pickles!

[johannesson]

I ordered a really cool book (long)

I know it's Julius Ceasar day but I just got this book and I'm really excited about it!~ I just received it and I'm very happy to have it in my hands. I'm planning on (carefully, gently) photographing the pages for archiving

It's called "Life of General Warren; To Which are Added Sketches of the Lives of De Kalb, Wayne and Morgan." Published by Nafis, Cornish and Co. in 1847.

The box it came in was neat, a box for cable staples. It was nicely packed with styrofoam cut precisely, so that the book didn't shift around at all during transit. It was also tucked into a small plastic bag taped shut, the person who sent it to me took care for the safety of the book. The book itself is really little, it makes all the people in the drawings so itty-bitty. It's reeally cute

The cover of the book is worth noting - the back half is right-side-up, but the front side is upside-down. There is a little man that was once embossed in fake gold, but it's since been rubbed off. You can tell a little around the edges.

The same design is on the back cover, with no gold embellishment. That's the only place on the book where I could find it. Like most other old books I've found so far, I don't have a lot of experience outside of my grandparents' collection, the spine is cloth and has nothing on it. It's bound with glue, so some of the pages are loose and falling out. Not all of them, though. I think this little embossed man is the same design as the one on the color page (plate?)

Here's the other color 'plate'

It's featuring the Battle of Bunker Hill. Famous, bloody fight that scared Howe, but not to make him quit. The colors here are red, blue, yellow and green. Wonder what ink they used for the pages? It's still very vibrant after over a hundred years. The faces of the little people are hard to see with my phone photo, but they're actually very expressive, and tiny. I think up there is Clinton? With the two Epaulets. Could be wrong though

There are more illustrations inside, these are the only two color ones. On the first two pages, someone wrote down in ink advertising them. There's also some writing here? The "twenty-two dollars" must have been written later in pencil. Nice cursive practice, didn't expect the ink to bleed on this paper, did you?

Someone also wrote down a recipe on the back of the front cover...can't tell what for. Something about 1/2 cup tea?

Lastly, someone's name

Nice to meet you, William. I think on the next pages it says 'his book' in pencil, but it's faded.

I think he liked doodling.

A few more notable mentions : studying medicine. He looks so bored of it. My favorite besides his wee cunty expression is the simple house outside the window

stop! i know you might be confused here, but this is page 56

not to be confused with

anyway here's cowpens. tarleton isn't in the drawing because he didn't want that shit illustrated, he got his ass beat

i'm close to finished Lock, Stock and Barrel, but when I do, I'll probably purchase that book and do a little review on it before reading and posting about this one. I'll need a whole day off for archiving it

UPDATE : I started reading and it turns out that a few pages are missing from the front of the book, with the first few loose from the binding. The rest should still be intact, but it leaves out some information that way :(

[awhorrerstory]

Is trust enough?

Part 1/?

Hello yall! I just started watching Merlin after watching supergirl and totally falling for Katie McGrath so I decided to write a book for Morgana because I choose gay sadness. I’m trying to make it slow burn but we’ll see how it goes, I’ll be writing as I go so slow updates! I’ve only found a few for Morgana with gxg so I hope I can do her justice! Thank you for reading! Also happy birthday to Katie McGrath!!!

Warnings: violence, gay panic, slight nsfw at the end.

Y/N was a girl around the age of five when her father became a knight of king Pendragon, her mother became a maid to the lady of the kingdom, leaving y/n to fend for herself. She often ran along the shore of a nearby river, where she often collected seashells of many shapes and colors. Her fascination focused on the shapes and animals that aligned the river. One foggy day, when y/n was 8, she was being stocked by a hungry lynx. The girl was too focused on a cute fish that was enjoying its time as the lynx slowly approached her.

Morgana Pendragon had run away from the castle; desperate to get out of that ‘boring old place’. Her guardian; the king of Camelot, ignored her and relayed on the servants to take care of his mistake. Morgana had stumbled upon the young girl at the stream, looking at her curiously as she played in the water but quickly realized the girl was in danger. Morgana drew her dagger, slightly worried that what she was taught for self defense was not enough to take down the wild cat, and the fact that she was only 10. Still, Morgana knew she could not stand by and let this girl be killed. She crept up on the approaching Lynx and struggled to keep quiet due to the leaves and sticks. The rustling alerts the cat and it turns, pouncing on Morgana causing her to cry out gaining y/n’s attention. Morgana stabs the cat but it only makes the animal more angry as it growls and scratches at her. Morgana held the jaw of the Lynx while it tried to bite her, y/n taking the discarded dagger and stabbing the beast over and over again from behind until it stopped moving. Morgana quickly pushed the lynx off of her and gasped as she continues to panic. “Hey! It’s okay I killed it!” Y/n assured the crying girl, grateful for the save. “M-my apologies, I tried saving you but…turns out you saved me.” Morgana smiles and extends her hand as Uther had taught her. “My name is Morgana, pleasure to meet you.” She says smiling at you. “Y/n, thank you for saving me.” The girl says gratefully.

Since then, the girls became close. Morgana often snuck out to meet her friend at the stream daily and y/n began to feel happy every time she’d see Morgana come to the shore and looked forward to seeing her. Morgana learned of y/n’s father being a knight of the king and y/n was told about Morgana’s routine at the castle. These meetups continued until Morgana was punished for being caught outside castle grounds and y/n thought the girl had died from the plague or ran away entirely from her home. Morgana came back a week later, bruises and markings on her skin she refused to talk about; but that day she asked y/n something she never had before: “do you want to come over?” Morgana asks softly as she approaches the y/h/c girl. Y/n looks back at her in curiosity. “Sure? Should I trust you though?” Y/n asks with an uneasy feeling, not knowing whom Morgana belonged to. “And what happened to you?” Y/n asks, examining Morgana’s face and arms. “It’s nothing. Will you come? Please?” Morgana looks at y/n pleadingly. “I want you to meet my father so he doesn’t worry I’m coming out to meet a man.” Morgana says rolling her eyes. After the 5 years of knowing each other, y/n never knew who Morgana really was, never knew she was royalty. “Alright. I’ll have to ask my father though.” Y/n says smiling at the green-eyed girl. Morgana smiles and nods, “tell him it’s the Pendragon house…” she mumbles glancing away from her friend. “You mean…king pendragon?” Y/n asks her voice laced with confusion. “I’m sorry-i didn’t tell you I was scared about how you might react and I was worried you wouldn’t want to be friends or anything if you knew who I was.” Morgana rambles, her anxiety getting the best of her. “So you’re the daughter of the king?” Y/n asks in confusion and surprise. “Not exactly…they call me the lady of the castle, whatever that means.” Morgana rolls her eyes causing y/n to giggle making Morgana smile. “There’s those dimples I love to see.” Y/n says placing her hand on Morgana’s shoulder. “Nothing you could do would make me not want to be your friend Morgana.” Y/n says causing the older girl’s heart to swell. Morgana hugs y/n, y/n hugs back, surprised but welcoming the affection. “I’ll come meet the king then…if it means that we can play together.” Y/n smiles pulling Morgana into the stream Morgana screaming out as her dress becomes soaked. “Y/n! What the hell?!” She yells while laughing and pulling the other girl into the stream with her causing y/n to gasp playfully before the girls began splashing each other and laughing. Morgana smiles and looks at her friend, both of them wet and giggling as they get out of the water. Morgana looks y/n up and down worriedly, “come with me, we can sneak into my room and you can get some dry clothes at least.” Y/n smiles at Morgana, “are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble Morgana…” she says worriedly, but Morgana shakes her head, “nonsense, come.” Morgana takes y/n’s hand, both the girls feeling a spark as their hands touch but deciding it was nothing but electricity. Morgana led y/n to her horse and y/n tenses up. “Come now, you’re not afraid of a horse are you? You must’ve rode before with your father.” Morgana teases as she helps the girl onto the horse, “I-i have but never with anyone else…” y/n says nervously as Morgana gets on behind her, her arms wrapping around y/n while reaching for the reigns. Y/n feels a rush of blood to her cheeks feeling Morgana’s arms around her. Shes unsure why, maybe she was nervous about the horse…right. Y/n held onto the saddle as the girls rode through the forest and towards the castle, Morgana’s arms tightening around y/n as the horse ran faster. “It’s okay y/n, I got you.” Morgana assures y/n as they rode. Y/n’s heart only quickened at Morgana’s words and Morgana was just as confused. It felt right to hold y/n, her heart continually pounding around the girl she met 5 years ago. Y/n had showed Morgana a world the castle never could and she was very grateful for their newfound friendship.

After the 5 years of knowing each other, y/n never knew who Morgana really was, never knew she was royalty. “Alright. I’ll have to ask my father though.” Y/n says smiling at the green-eyed girl. Morgana smiles and nods, “tell him it’s the Pendragon house…” she mumbles glancing away from her friend. “You mean…king pendragon?” Y/n asks her voice laced with confusion. “I’m sorry-i didn’t tell you I was scared about how you might react and I was worried you wouldn’t want to be friends or anything if you knew who I was.” Morgana rambles, her anxiety getting the best of her. “So you’re the daughter of the king?” Y/n asks in confusion and surprise. “Not exactly…they call me the lady of the castle, whatever that means.” Morgana rolls her eyes causing y/n to giggle making Morgana smile. “There’s those dimples I love to see.” Y/n says placing her hand on Morgana’s shoulder. “Nothing you could do would make me not want to be your friend Morgana.” Y/n says causing the older girl’s heart to swell. Morgana hugs y/n, y/n hugs back, surprised but welcoming the affection. “I’ll come meet the king then…if it means that we can play together.” Y/n smiles pulling Morgana into the stream Morgana screaming out as her dress becomes soaked. “Y/n! What the hell?!” She yells while laughing and pulling the other girl into the stream with her causing y/n to gasp playfully before the girls began splashing each other and laughing. Morgana smiles and looks at her friend, both of them wet and giggling as they get out of the water. Morgana looks y/n up and down worriedly, “come with me, we can sneak into my room and you can get some dry clothes at least.” Y/n smiles at Morgana, “are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble Morgana…” she says worriedly, but Morgana shakes her head, “nonsense, come.” Morgana takes y/n’s hand, both the girls feeling a spark as their hands touch but deciding it was nothing but electricity. Morgana led y/n to her horse and y/n tenses up. “Come now, you’re not afraid of a horse are you? You must’ve rode before with your father.” Morgana teases as she helps the girl onto the horse, “I-i have but never with anyone else…” y/n says nervously as Morgana gets on behind her, her arms wrapping around y/n while reaching for the reigns. Y/n feels a rush of blood to her cheeks feeling Morgana’s arms around her. Shes unsure why, maybe she was nervous about the horse…right. Y/n held onto the saddle as the girls rode through the forest and towards the castle, Morgana’s arms tightening around y/n as the horse ran faster. “It’s okay y/n, I got you.” Morgana assures y/n as they rode. Y/n’s heart only quickened at Morgana’s words and Morgana was just as confused. It felt right to hold y/n, her heart continually pounding around the girl she met 5 years ago. Y/n had showed Morgana a world the castle never could and she was very grateful for their newfound friendship. These different reactions began shortly after Morgana officially became a woman. Her eyes began to roam and she caught herself staring at y/n on different occasions.

Shortly after they departed, Morgana and y/n reached the castle, Morgana helping y/n off the horse and pulling her through the castle to her chambers. “Go ahead and pick something out, I’m going to have Gwen prepare a bath for me.” Morgana says as y/n looked around the room in awe. She hasn’t been in a room as big before, “Morgana this is…” “too big and bland?” Morgana finishes with a roll of her eyes, quickly stripping away her wet clothes. Y/n laughs and turns to Morgana, ���No I was going to say it’s“ she paused as she saw Morgana without her dress her breath caught in her throat as she blushes and feels a stir within her. “Quite breathtaking.” Y/n finishes with a hint of lust in her words as she looked away from Morgana.

The king didn’t mind y/n. He was glad Morgana had something to entertain her little did he know that y/n and Morgana had growing feelings for each other. They spent their time together and Morgana was the happiest she’s ever been, and so was y/n. But the two wanted more, both not knowing what the other thought, though their tension obviously growing. Morgana often found herself having dreams of the two of them together…hands caressing each other, lips on one another and fingers buried inside each other. Morgana often woke in a sweat, but at least it wasn’t a nightmare…

Morgana met up with y/n at the stream her eyes roaming along her friend once more before greeting her; “y/n.” The girl looks up at Morgana, smiling at her. “Hello Morgana.” Y/n says, standing up and hugging her best friend. Morgana hugs back holding y/n tightly, “could I sleep over tonight? At your house.” Morgana asks causing y/n to look at her curiously, “my house? There’s much more room in yours-” “I don’t want to be there tonight.” Is all Morgana says while not meeting y/n’s eyes. Y/n nods and stands up to get a good look at Morgana. “Okay. We can. I’ll meet you in town and we’ll go okay?” Morgana nods and she smiles gently, “thank you y/n. I’ll see you at 6.” She says, getting back on her horse and riding back to the castle. Soon enough, Morgana met up with y/n in the town square, getting off of her horse and looking for her friend, who hugged her from behind surprising her. “Y/n, you scared me. Ready for our sleepover?” Morgana asks turning and returning the hug. Y/n smiles, “indeed, I love spending time with you Morgana.” She says as the two begin the walk back to y/n’s parent’s house. They go in and as usual no one was home. Her father being a knight and her mother a servant in the castle meant they weren’t around much. Y/n and Morgana walk into the kitchen and y/n prepared drinks for them while Morgana relaxed on the lounge in the main room. Y/n came in with two cups and offered one to Morgana as she sat down next to her. Morgana thanked y/n and they began to drink together and Morgana discussed things she would do if she was ruler. Y/n listened and smiled at Morgana’s rules and nodded along, agreeing to the changes she wanted to make. “Morgana, there’s another reason you wanted to stay here wasn’t there?” Y/n asks, almost knowingly. She could tell by the way Morgana tensed up at the mention of the king, the way she’d grow cold if y/n ever mentioned that Morgana looked hurt or bruised. “Well…it is my birthday.” Morgana admits smiling at y/n causing the girls eyes to widen. “Oh goodness! We better get plastered then!” She says giggling as she pours more ale for them. Morgan’s laughs as y/n rasies her glass, “to 20?” She preposes almost as a question causing Morgana to giggle and nod raising her own glass to clink with y/n’s. “To many birthdays together.” She says her dimples on display as they drank the ale. Soon after more drinks the two of them were a bit tipsy and Morgana grew more bold…

“Y/n, I’ve been…having these dreams-” “the nightmares again?” She takes her hand, “are you okay?” Y/n asks worriedly. “N-no…those are terrible too yes but I’ve been…having dreams about you, about us.” She says looking at the y/e/c eyed girl. “What do you mean?” Y/n asks softly, unsure of what Morgana meant. Morgana sighs; “they’re…good dreams but, very intimate…I wake up feeling quite flustered.” She says her eyes meeting y/n’s nervously. Y/n’s eyes widened in realization, “oh…I mean, how long have you been having them?” Y/n asks, blushing from the alcohol. Right. Morgana looks away at her glass, “a few years now…I just…didn’t want to ruin what we’ve had. I don’t know what I’m feeling for you y/n.” Morgana says looking a bit distraught. “It’s okay I’ve been…having these thoughts too. I thought it was wrong, the king declared same sex relations a sin, and here I am, having erotic dreams about his ward.” Morgan’s chuckles smiling and looking to y/n with something in her eyes that y/n hadn’t seen before.

“Trust me, I know how it feels.” Morgana says chuckling again and turning to her friend. “But I also know it feels right when I hold you, and when you take my hand in yours.” Y/n shakes her head, “you’re just saying this because you’ve been drinking-” “no.” Is all she says before grabbing y/n by the chin and kissing her softly. Y/n kissed back, not wanting to push the older girl away whatsoever. “Morgana…” she mumbled breathlessly against her lips as they pulled apart, Morgana wanting to make sure y/n was comfortable. Morgana kissed y/n again, pulling her onto her lap as y/n slips her tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Morgana humming in pleasure at the new feelings and meeting her desires. Her hands go to y/n’s breasts, squeezing and groping them as y/n whimpered into the kiss. Morgana tries to stand up but found her legs were too shaky to do so, causing both girls to giggle. “Apparently I’m too excited to lift you, so let’s go to your room.” She says softly as she tucks stray hairs behind y/n’s ear sweetly. The girls make their way into y/n’s room, shutting the door behind them as Morgana begins kissing y/n again, this time more rough and desperate. Her hands grabbing what they could as Morgana pushed y/n against her bed, “Morgana we shouldn’t…” y/n mumbles as Morgana continues to kiss her, “what? Are you okay?” Morgana asks worriedly. “No I’m scared it’ll ruin what we have, please we can’t.” Y/n says reluctantly pushing morgana onto her back. Morgana sighs and nods, “You’re right I’m sorry…” she mumbles softly as she catches her breath. Y/n hugs Morgana, and they cuddle. Morgana feels like she’s about to fall asleep so she drifts off leaving y/n confused on what just happened and still wrapped in her best friend’s embrace.

[1117feverlessdreams]

Mr.Write 📝 Right: Teaser Prequel

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☑️🤍Summary: At 25, y/n remains a virgin and the only action she’d ever gotten is reading fictional romantic sexual content in novels and webpages since age 19. Y/n not ashasmed at all, visits the library weekly and checks out with a stack of books inscribed with pure filth. One day on one of her visits, she spots an attractive journalist and secretly uses him as a muse for all her fantasies.

☑️🤍A/N: This will a a mini series featured on a masterlist with updates. This content contains adult content there MINORS DNI 🔞. Remember the behavior of Kim Hongjoong in this story is purely fictional and does not represent him as an individual in real life ❗️

☑️🤍Pairing: JournalistHongJoong! x ComputerTechReader!

☑️🤍Word Count: 395

☑️🤍Genre: Slow burn, Romance, Fantasy, Comedy, Drama.

☑️🤍Warnings/Kinks: Explicit smut! , Masturbation, Sexual Assault! Sexist/misogynist boss! Reader is a little bit stalker-ish? Language!, Reader is also a little bit of a Perv lmao. Invasion of Privacy!, Angst!, First Time!, Eating Disorder, Classism.( more will be added as I finish the next few chapters)

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Your husband kicks the door open to your shared penthouse while he has you hoisted upon his hips, and your legs around his waist. “I’m gonna fuck you so dumb kitten, you think you can touch other men right in front of me and not get punished?” He growls into your ear.

Your arms were held tightly around his neck while your head was placed under his jaw, and above his collarbone. Both of you had just came back from a celebration contributed to his business. A successful, international enterprise had just bought a huge amount of stock shares. Elevating his chances of success for business in the future.

…You’d think he’d be estactic right now, but he’s the complete opposite.

“Baby~, I was just making conversation with the CEO’s. I was only just trying to be friendly, I swear.” You beg and plead with him as your crotch bounces hard on his bulge when he carries you hurriedly toward the master bedroom.

Kicking opening the bedroom door too, he throws you down on the bed, emitting a creak sound from the bed spring, and the elevation of your body in mid-air as it bounces of the mattress.

“Right that’s why you were whispering in his ear with your hand on his shoulder, and he had his arm around your slutty waist.”

Truth is the billion dollar CEO’s you were talking to came onto you. Whispering into their ear while pulling them close was because you couldn’t hear over the classical music from the orchestra, or the uppity people chattering, and the plates and drinks clinking all around you.

But your husband didn’t care, he’s going based off what he saw with his own eyes and not what’s coming out of your mouth right now.

“Baby, I didn’t mean anything by it, it was so loud-” He yanked your legs forward and you yelp out in surprise.

He pulls up your silk red dress and rips off your panties, letting them pool down your ankles, onto the marble floor. “It’s Sir, not baby, kitten~”.

He takes off his belt in a swift motion tying it around your wrists, securing you from stopping him (not that you would even dare). He begins unzipping his pants, pulling them down and his underwear with them revealing his monstrous cock. Angry and lined with veins on all sides.

“Now scream!”

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PLEASE DO NOT COPY MY ORIGINAL WORKS, reblogs are appreciated and accepted. Stealing and modifying my work or publishing out on other platforms is not. 🖌️

Be ready for Chapter 1 next Friday!

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Twenty One

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi friends!!

Thank you so much for the love on this fic, it means so much!! I hope you still are enjoying it and would love to know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 2.8k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List and will be updated as we go along. Please note that more warnings have been added.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

April 2009

She’s grateful that it’s a relatively short flight. 

She sits staring out the window, her thumbnail between her teeth as she looks out into the inky darkness, the world around her swallowed up by the night. Cases with kids were hard, they always had been, but this one had struck a chord, the thought of a young boy murdering his little brother for nothing more than breaking one of his toys enough to turn her stomach. The complete lack of emotion, of empathy, on Danny’s face as he casually explained what he did to his brother something she knows she’ll think about for weeks to come. 

“Are you ok?” 

She turns and offers Aaron a tight smile as she looks at him. He has two paper cups in his hands, steam rising from both of them, and he looks concerned about her. She’s looking forward to when they get back home, whether it’s her place or his is unimportant, the countdown to when they moved in together slowly ticking away now his place was listed, because it means she can seek the comfort she knows she wants and needs from him. The team were spread out around the jet, a few of them napping before they arrive back in DC, and the others reading their books or listening to music. 

They were alone as they were going to be for a little while.

She nods, and he takes it as she intended him to - a silent confirmation he can join her, that her not-so-subtle attitude that she wanted to be alone when they boarded the jet didn’t include him. 

“I’m ok,” she says, smiling gratefully when he slides the drink he made for her towards her. It’s chamomile tea, a favourite of hers if she struggled to relax or sleep. Aaron hated the smell, and would always scrunch his nose up whenever she made it before laughing when she made a point of kissing him when the taste of it was still on her lips. She knows the kitchenette on the jet doesn’t stock it, meaning Aaron must have had some in his go-bag specifically for her. She places her hand on his thigh and squeezes, grateful when his hand immediately seeks hers out, linking their fingers together, “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” he says, watching her carefully as she sips her tea before she turns her head to look out of the window again. He hadn’t missed the shake to her voice when she told the Murphys that Danny and shoved plane parts down Kyle’s throat. A brief crack in the facade she prided herself in when it came to their work. The armour she wore every day because she had to, because she’d always had to, chinked by the thought of a family broken apart so suddenly and the things they had done to try and cover it. 

He knows her well enough not to push her, and certainly not to do it around their friends. Even though they were only a handful of months away from it being a year since the team found out about them, an accidentally shared cup of coffee giving away what they’d only successfully hidden for a month, he knew they were still an item of curiosity for the team. He and Emily were both fiercely private people, and they both treasured their relationship, so moments when the team saw them as they were at home, were few and far between, fuelled either by alcohol on a night out or too close a call on a case. 

“What would you do?” 

Her voice is so quiet, so unlike how she usually sounds, that it takes a moment for him to register that she’s spoken at all. He squeezes her hand and she turns to look at him, her lips pursed together as she’s deep in thought. 

“What would I do with what, Em?” He asks, running his thumb back and forth on the heel of her hand, desperately trying to press some comfort into her skin. 

“If you were the Murphys, and you knew what Danny did. What would you do?” 

It’s not a question he expected, and it makes him falter, the breath briefly catching in his lungs as his thumb stops tracing patterns on her skin. He frowns, his eyebrows furrowing, his tongue poking out to wet his bottom lip as he tries to come up with an answer. 

“I-”

“Shit, I’m sorry honey,” she says, sighing as her brain catches up with her, the awful nature of the question only becoming clear to her when she sees the look on his face, “I didn’t mean to…” she shakes her head, closing her eyes for a second as she tries to gather herself, “You don’t have to answer that.” 

He feels her try to remove her hand from his grasp, as if she was trying to curl in on herself, and he stops her, holding her hand impossibly tighter. She looks up at him, her wide eyes shining with tears they both know she won’t shed. 

“I’ve spent my entire life believing in justice,” he says softly, “I’ve been hurt because of it, almost died too. I blew up my marriage to Haley because it’s something I value so much,” he says, smiling softly at her as she frowns, ready to jump in and defend him, even from himself, “So, if it was me I’d do what I consider to be the right thing and tell the authorities,” he adds, “And I’d get my son any help I could get him.” 

She nods, “That’s…a very you answer.” 

He laughs, her response unexpected, and she smiles too, “I’ll take that as a compliment.” 

“It was intended as one,” she replies, her smile genuine. He looks around the jet, a cursory glance to make sure no one was looking at them, and then he kisses her temple. 

“Are you ok?” He asks again when he pulls back, and she nods.

“I will be,” she answers honestly this time, and she rests her head against his shoulder taking as much comfort from him as she can before they land. 

“Good,” he replies, “Now drink your disgusting tea.” 

___

They were, so far, getting away with keeping it a secret. 

Emily was sure Penelope had never suggested quite so many girl's nights as she had in the four weeks since Emily found out she was pregnant, but thanks to work and a few white lies she’d managed to dodge them all so far. 

If the team found it odd Emily was no longer doing anything other than victimology or interviews from the safety of the precinct, they hadn’t mentioned it. It was how she found herself standing in a New Jersey police station looking back and forth between two interview rooms. The mother of one victim in one, and the husband of the other in a separate room. The only thing even remotely similar about the victims was how they were found, both dressed up like dolls, almost picture-perfect. 

Aaron had assigned her, and on this occasion, Derek, to interview them. His insistence that she didn’t go in the field was a little more restrictive than she’d like it to be, but she didn’t have the energy to argue with Aaron about it yet. She was still exhausted and felt nauseous most of the time. That, combined with the random nose bleeds she’d occasionally get, a fun little symptom of pregnancy she hadn’t been expecting, meant she had shelved talking him into letting her do a little more until the first trimester was behind her. 

There were just two weeks until the second trimester left, her next ultrasound, the first one with her regular doctor, already booked for the twelve-week mark. She was excited for the next stage, for her symptoms to hopefully ease off a little.

Mostly, she was just excited to share the news with people who would be happy for them. With the team and with Jack, who still didn’t know he was going to be a big brother. Haley’s reaction still stung if she thought about it for too long. Haley had since apologised to Emily directly, and she’d accepted it, but there was a part of herself that she didn’t like very much that resented that this would always be a part of their lives. 

“You want to talk to the mother?”

Emily turns to look at him, raising her eyebrow at Derek as she crosses her arms over her chest, “Why?” 

“Well…because you’re a woman,” Derek says, losing confidence in his sentence as it goes along. 

She narrows her eyes at him, “Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn’t noticed” she grumbles, turning back to look at the interview rooms the victim's family members had been taken into. She sighs and hands Derek the case file she had in her hands, “Together?” She offers as a compromise and he nods.

“Together,” he agrees and they walk the short distance to the first interview room. Derek opens the door and lets Emily walk in first, the victim’s mother looking up at them from her seat, a mix of shock and devastation on her face, “Mrs Jackson, I’m Agent Morgan, and this is my colleague Agent Prentiss. We wanted to ask a few questions if thats ok?”

She nods and clears her throat, her hands tight around the strap of her purse, “Yes of course,” she says and they walk over, taking seats opposite her at the table, “Anything if it will help catch the monster who killed Staci.” 

“I am very sorry for your loss, Mrs Jackson-”

“Please call me Linda,” she says, cutting over Emily, “Mrs Jackson seems so formal,” she laughs humourlessly, her lower lip trembling, “Staci always made fun of me for that.” 

“Of course, Linda,” Emily replies, smiling at her softly, “My name is Emily if that makes you feel more comfortable.” 

Derek clears his throat and Emily looks at him and nods, a silent agreement that they needed to get on with the questioning, the clock ticking for the woman who was currently missing. 

“Linda-”

“Do you have any children, Emily?” Linda says, cutting over Derek, her voice shaking as she speaks. 

Emily is grateful that she doesn’t react physically, that she’s able to stop herself from faltering. She grasps her hands a little tighter on the table to prevent herself from placing her hand over her still-flat stomach. This certainly wasn’t how she wanted anyone on the team to find out she was pregnant, and she saw no benefit in the whole truth at this moment. 

“No,” she says, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue, as if she was in some way betraying her unborn child, “Not of my own, my fiance has a son and we share custody with his mother.”

“It never gets any easier,” Linda says, clearing her throat as she looks down at the table, “you always want the best for them…”

She drifts off and Emily looks at Derek, both of them exchanging a sad look before he tries again, “It would help if we could ask some questions. It could lead us to who did this to Staci, and help prevent it from happening to someone else,” he says and Linda nods, and he smiles gratefully, “Would you say your daughter paid special attention to her appearance?” 

Emily listens intently as Linda answers their questions, all too aware of the fact they had changed her entire life today. That this woman had become one of many people they had delivered the worst news possible to. A name and a face that would slowly fade for them over time, not through lack of care but through the sheer volume of cases they worked. But they’d always be a part of her story. The people who spoke to her just after she lost her daughter. Faces and names she’d always associate with the worst day of her life. 

___

Emily yawns as they enter their apartment. She drops her go-bag onto the floor and just about gets her coat off and hung up before walking to the couch, flopping down onto it. She hears Aaron chuckle as he closes the door and she sits up just enough to glare at him.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at,” she grumbles, laying back down, “It’s your kid making me feel like shit all the time.” 

“My kid?” He asks, placing his bag on the ground next to hers before he takes off his coat, “Why is the baby always my kid when you feel terrible?” 

“Those are the rules,” she replies, pressing her face into the couch cushion, “I’m the one who gets sick, you’re the one who gets the blame,” she yawns again, her exhaustion bone-deep, “And at the end, we’ll get an adorable baby that makes us both tired.” He laughs again, and he’s much closer this time. She lifts her head just enough to see him sitting on the coffee table about to reach out for one of her shoes, “What are you doing?” 

“Taking your shoes off,” he says, smiling when she looks at him like he’s lost his mind, “Come on, it will give me practice for when you can’t reach them yourself.” 

The thought of it makes her smile and she nods, relenting silently before he grabs her foot and starts to unzip her boots, “That case was…” she drifts off, unsure how to phrase it as she blows out a breath, “Something.” 

He nods, placing her boots on the ground next to the couch, “It’s definitely one I’ll think about for while.” He stands and she sits up, grimacing as her stomach turns at the movement. He sits next to her and she leans against him, “Can I get you anything?” 

She shakes her head, swallowing thickly against the nausea, “Maybe some mint tea in a little while,” she says, looping both of her arms around one of his, holding him close as if he’d get up if she didn’t want him to, “I just want to sit here.” 

“We can do whatever you want, sweetheart,” he says, placing his hand on her stomach, his thumb rubbing circles just below her belly button. They lapse into a comfortable silence, content to just be in each other's company. He’s sure she’s fallen asleep, but then he hears the familiar clicking noise of Sergio’s claws against the hardwood floor and Emily laughs.

“Here comes trouble,” she says, chuckling as Sergio jumps onto the couch, immediately meowing at them both, as if complaining they’d left him alone a little too long in the company of their neighbour who checked in on him when they were gone, “Hey, Sergio. How are you?” She asks, scratching behind his ears. The cat climbs into her lap, curling up with his head on her stomach. 

“I remember when I was the favourite,” Aaron jokes, reaching out and scratching Sergio’s chin. 

She chuckles, thinking of how ever since they rescued Sergio he’d always been all about Aaron. Sleeping curled up on his chest, or resting in his lap as they watched TV in the evenings. She’d even come home once to find Aaron walking around the apartment with Sergio laying around his neck, the cat’s head on his shoulder. 

“If it makes you feel better,” she says, looking up at her fiance, “I have a feeling it’s everything to do with the fact he’s somehow figured out I’m pregnant and likes the mini you currently growing in my uterus,” she smiles, “And nothing to do with the fact he’s realised he likes me.” 

Aaron laughs and leans down to kiss her, “He loves you,” he says, kissing her again, “It’s impossible not to.” 

She rolls her eyes at him, but instead of the usual chastisement she’d respond with, calling him ridiculous for being so cheesy, she feels the back of her throat burning and her vision goes blurry. 

Damn hormones. 

“You can’t say that kind of shit to a pregnant woman,” she says, lightly slapping his shoulder before she wipes a stray tear from her cheek.

“Sorry,” he replies, clearing his throat to stop himself from laughing, knowing full well that she wouldn’t take kindly to it. He kisses her once more and she settles into his side, yawning again and he knows he has to get her to eat dinner before she falls asleep. 

“Aaron?”

“Yes, sweetheart?” He asks, smiling as Sergio purrs as he scratches behind his ears, the cat settling down even more as he curls into a ball on Emily’s stomach. 

“We’re never going to buy the baby any dolls, right?” 

He chuckles and kisses the side of her head, his palm on her cheek as he encourages her to look at him before he stamps a kiss to her lips,  “Absolutely not.” 

-x-

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