#the boop may turn out to be more of a whack

[highfaelucien]

Hmmm maybe lucien and elain playing with nyx and elain marveling at how good lucien is with children...

@bow-dawn also requested "give us elain watching lucien playing with nyx and that warms her heart enough to have a talk about their mating bond 😭" Everybody wants Lucien with babies because they know he's baby catnip. And I have no idea how children work but an attempt is gonna be made!!!!

send me ship prompts! platonic or otherwise!

Elain's arms were starting to get sore. Even with her being fae now. Arms that had stabbed the King of Hybern were somehow unequal to holding one small Ilyrian baby.

He was a very important baby, to be sure. Since he was her nephew. And the son of the two most powerful people in Prythian's history. Or so everyone kept saying.

Maybe he knew that. He was certainly doing everything in his power to make sure the whole of the Night Court, maybe the whole of Prythian, was aware of him right now, with the racket he was making.

They weren't sure which powers of his parents' the babe would inherit yet, he was too young. But he had an incredibly potent pair of lungs, of that she was sure of.

She'd been holding him for what felt like decades, bouncing him in her arms and trying to soothe him. He had managed to wear through her considerable patience, and she was now bordering on the edge of desperation.

This was her first time babysitting by herself. Feyre and Rhys had trusted her with their son, and she couldn't get him to stop crying! She was a terrible aunt. What kind of mother would she be? Unable to comfort her flesh and blood.

That thought made her stomach plummet. Had she lived out that other life, the one she sometimes saw reflected mockingly back at her in mirrors and pools, and married Greysen...She'd likely already be a mother. Would probably have at least one baby of her own.

She pushed that thought away before she joined Nyx in his crying.

"Cauldron boil me, Feyre!" A voice called from the stairs leading up to the roof where she'd taken Nyx hoping some fresh air might calm him. "What in the name of the Mother are you doing to that hellspawn child to make him scream that way?"

The voice was familiar, but unexpected. But she barely had a moment to process that before the door banged open and she found herself staring at Lucien.

"Oh," they said simultaneously.

Then Lucien, his cheeks changing colour to match his hair, said, looking abashed, "Lady Elain, please forgive me. I, I expected to find Feyre up here."

"I can tell," Elain said, giving him a little smile, "By the way you were shouting her name."

"Yes, well," Lucien muttered, looking rather flustered.

She found she quite liked that look on him. She always tended to see him as the polished, silver-tongued courtier, always composed and prepared to handle anything.

"I, I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be up here. I would not have spoken to you that way if I'd known you weren't Feyre," he said, with a bow.

"Why not?" Elain said, cocking her head to one side, "I'm not some delicate flower that can't handle hearing curse words, you know," she told him, almost defiantly, "Amren has taught me many new ones. Cassian showed me how to do it in Illyrian. Rhys can be quite inventive when he's grumpy. And when all that fails, I can always just fall back on the word fuck."

He blinked at her, then grinned broadly, "Shockingly, I don't make a habit of cursing at people that I don't know all that well. Feyre and I are good friends, so she has earned my fragrant cursing at her."

"She's also High Lady of the Night Court," Elain said, raising her eyebrows, "With more power than anyone in Prythian's history has held in a long time."

Lucien waved an idle hand, "I knew her before she became all Made and Rhysandish," he told her, "Once you've seen someone puke faerie wine into a fountain of the mother at the Solstice it's hard to see them as too grand to curse at anymore."

Elain giggled at that, then winced, as that apparently seemed to upset Nyx even more.

Lucien raised an eyebrow at them, "Cursing aside," he said, leaning idly against the wall, "My question about that one still stands - what by the Cauldron have you done to him?"

"Lots of things!" Elain said, her voice snapping a little bit, "I've fed him, and I've changed him, and burped him. I've tried to put him down for a nap. I've tried to rock him, and bounce him, as swoosh him side to side. I've talked to him, and I've sung to him, and I've begged him and he still. Won't. Stop. Crying!"

Lucien smiled slightly, which made her want to smack him, because this was absolutely not funny, and she felt tears of frustration starting in her eyes.

"Feyre and Rhys trusted me to look after him on my own and I can't get him to stop crying! I don't know what I'm doing wrong," she confessed hopelessly.

"May I hold him for a moment?" Lucien asked.

Elain hesitated a moment. But Feyre had let him hold her son before. She had seen tears in his eyes when he'd done so, and it had bridged some connection between them that had never fully healed since the war. She didn't think her sister would protest, as long as she was still here.

And she was so tired. Her arms were so sore, and Nyx was becoming a very heavy and dense weight in her arms. So she nodded gratefully, eagerly pushing the little bundle into Lucien's arms.

Lucien held him with a surprising ease, as if he'd done this thousands of times before. A broad, genuine smile spread across his face as he peered down at him, bouncing him slightly in his arms.

Nyx peered up at him. Elain expected this to trigger an increase in the volume of his howling, but, incredibly, he quieted almost at once, seemingly entranced by Lucien's face, his glinting metal eye.

"There we are," Lucien said, smiling, but raised a finger as Nyx started grumbling again, "Now, now, we won't be having any of that," he told him calmly, "Ah, you have wings, don't you? Let's see then..."

Lucien carried him over to the table, unwrapped his blankets. Before Elain could protest about the cold, he rewrapped him, but gently extended his wings first, and curled them around his little body, securing them in place around him with his blankets.

"You know about babies with wings?" Elain asked, bemused.

Lucien nodded, "Certainly," he said, then seemed to consider, "Not Illyrians, and not Rhys-spawn," Elain giggled against her will, "But I'm hoping the principles are the same."

He scooped him up and bounced him. Nyx actually giggled at him, the little monster.

"How did you do that!?" she demanded, peering down at the baby, who was now lifting his chubby little hands and grabbing, as if trying to catch the glinting eye above him.

Lucien smirked, "I have a known gift," he said, sounding entirely too pleased with himself. Elain would have whacked him for that, if he hadn't been holding her baby nephew.

"You, you've been around a lot of babies?" she asked.

Nothing in his history, though admittedly she knew little of it, had implied that babysitting had been a big part of it.

"Oh yes," he said, very seriously, "Fae with troublesome younglings came to me from all over Prythian, every court, lesser and high alike so that I could use my gifts and soothe them."

Elain put her hands on her hips and growled at him, "Don't you bullshit me Lucien," she said, as sternly as she could, poking a finger into his chest.

He snickered, still grinning at her, shifting Nyx slightly in his arms as he started to fuss again, "I have a very big family," he said, shrugging.

"I thought you were the youngest of your brothers," she said, frowning.

Lucien nodded, "True," he confirmed, "But I have lots of aunts and uncles and cousins, and friends," he added, with a flicker of some emotion she couldn't quite read. He took a breath and added, "Regardless, they all felt that, as the Lord's seventh son, I didn't have anything better to do with my time than babysit all of their offspring. I've had a reasonable amount of practice."

"Well you saved me today," Elain said, collapsing into the seat that Rhys always liked to sit and brood in, overlooking the Sidra, "I don't know what I did wrong," she muttered, bracing her chin in her hands and sighing dejectedly.

Lucien cautiously approached, Nyx still cradled in his arms, and sat in the seat next to her, also glancing out over the city. "If it helps," he said, "You did everything right. Sometimes babes are just tricksy little bastards," he said with a shrug,

She frowned, trying to determine if he was patronising her.

"They like to be dramatic and seek for attention," Lucien told her calmly, "Especially when they have Rhysand, Night Discomfort, Death Irritate, the most dramatic bastard to ever spread drama, as their father" he added in a lofty voice that acutally sounded uncannily like Rhys.

Elain stuffed her fist in her mouth to stop herself snorting as she laughed.

"He is very dramatic," she agreed, tickling Nyx's tummy.

Lucien smiled down fondly at the babe, and for all his comments about him being dramatic, there was a tenderness in his face she had never seen before from him.

It made him look younger. His face was still scarred and strange, with that mechanical eye, but there was a gentleness in him she hadn't seen from most fae in her time in Prythian, it made her feel safe and calm.

Nyx started fussing a little again, and Lucien hushed him, and fluttered his fingers in the air above him. Little lights appeared above him, circling like a mobile and flashing different colours.

Elain let out a little gasp of delight watching him, which was echoed by Nyx.

Lucien glanced up at her, a wry smile on his lips as he said, "My magic isn't particularly powerful or impressive, but it's very good for entertaining infants."

"I think it's beautiful," Elain said, quiet, but sincere.

Lucien smiled.

Then he turned his head back to Nyx, tickling him with his free hand while the lights continued to circle, swooping down and booping the child on the nose, causing him to giggle.

Elain felt a sudden pulse of warmth and joy blossom in her chest like a swelling rose, and she let out a little, "Oh!"

Lucien glanced up at her, startled, "Are you alright?"

She put a hand to her chest, without breaking eye contact with him, "I, I fel you," she said quietly.

"I apologise," he said, looking truly sorrowful, "I usually keep better control of myself, but being around you makes that more difficult."

The little river of his joy faded away as he closed off the bond on his end.

"No!" she cried, with a desperation she couldn't quite explain, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm, "No," she repeated, more quietly, "Please don't, don't close down on me."

He raised his eyes, and held her gaze, unwavering, unfaltering. She felt that river again, the joy at holding the babe still there, but also excitement, anxiety, and almost unbearable anticipation. Though she had the sense he was trying to keep her from the worst of it.

"It's good," she whispered, "It feels good. I've, I've had dreams of you," she told him, "So much pain. So much guilt, and sadness, and hopeless need."

He ducked his head, turning away from her, seeming ashamed, "I'm sorry that you-"

"No," she said, quiet but firm, cupping his face in her hand, tracing his scar with her thumb, "No. You don't apologise to me for the things that others have done to you. You never do that," she said, with a fierceness that surprised even her.

"I shouldn't have let that touch you," he said quietly, "I, I don't want anyone to feel that, least of all you."

Elain held his gaze and, for the first time, she tentatively tapped at that string inside her, on her bottom rib, that one that extended beyond her in a way even her newfound Sight did not.

Through it, carefully, she pushed all of the depression, all of the pain, and all of the grief, and hopelessness, and even the darkness that had almost claimed her, caused her to step into it and never return.

He started, and his eyes filled with a thin veil of tears. But not because of the emotions she shared, but the fact that they were twin to his own. The fact that, as he looked into her eyes, he knew that she had felt what he had felt.

"We are the light for so many," she said quietly, "The sun that they grow towards, the thing they reach for in their own darkness, when they need hope, and someone who will always find a smile for them."

Lucien nodded, and picked up that thread she'd left dangling for him, causing one of his orbs to circle close to Nyx. The baby tried to catch it, giggling, and Elain saw that, but also the shadow it cast on his soft skin.

"But where there is light, there is shadow," he murmured, eyes not leaving hers, "That is the quiet burden we bear to be their light."

Elain nodded, and together they looked back down at Nyx, and let the warmth and joy at him flow, tentatively, between their bond.

***

thank you!! I hope you enjoyed!!!

[silentprincess17]

A Proposal Gone Awry

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | AO3

Summary: Link has been touring the breadth and width of Hyrule to clear out the remaining monster camps, and soon enough, he reaches Zora’s Domain. Mipha asks him to wait before he heads back to the castle, which he was intending on doing... but some mischievous children may have other plans.

Part 3

Mipha had completed her list of assignments for the day, and now she headed out to the Zora River, diving in on her way to Hyrule Castle. As she swam gracefully, swooping and twirling through the air as she breathed, before sinking back down into the water, she reflected on the day’s events. She’d attended the Zora General Council Meeting in the morning, where they discussed new refurbishments to be done around the Domain. Rather embarrassingly they’d decided to create a statue, depicting her, to be placed in the fountain at the centre of the Domain. She couldn’t say no, it would be disrespectful to the likes of Ledo, and Seggin, her Master, ordered the poor man to do it as well. Mipha personally didn’t really like the extravagance- she would much rather use the resources elsewhere. But, her father disagreed, stating she had become one of the Zora Greats, alongside Princess Ruto who was claimed to have been a Sage, in a time long past. It made her feel proud, at least, to be a Princess who had helped prevent such a disaster, and to know she’d helped Link in his endeavours made it all the sweeter.

At the thought of Link, her heart skipped a beat, and a shiver went down her fins. If only her plan that night had worked! She’d set everything up so carefully, so determined was she to profess what had truly driven her motivations to hold up the mantle of the Champion, how she wanted to protect him from any harm that could befall him… Sadly, under the influence of mischievous children he’d gotten hold of the armour she’d painstakingly made, and somehow deduced it was simply a practice run. For the love of the Goddesses, she couldn’t have anticipated such a turn of events.

One positive had come of the entire situation though, she’d found Kodah and it turns out Kodah’s head was truly filled with clouds: she was simply lusting after Link. Whilst Mipha could see the appeal, her feelings ran deeper. She didn’t just like the look of Link, she adored his very soul, and Kodah understood that and promised not to interfere. If anything, she looked sheepish and was ashamed about the whole affair. Mipha was quite glad that little piece of unpleasantness was over.

She sprouted from a gush of water, and she smiled. She always felt most at home in the waves, almost as though she and the river were one. It made her feel empowered, strong, but mostly comfortable. This was where her strength lay, in the powerful currents underneath her and how she wielded control over them.

Soon enough, the Castle came into view. Everything had mostly been fixed, people had settled back into Castle Town after their hurried evacuation, and Mipha was glad to see the people recuperating, already almost back to normal. She wondered, sometimes, what would have happened if Terrako hadn’t summoned the help from the future that they ended up relying so heavily on. What would have happened to her, if Sidon, her grown up, almost of courting-age brother hadn’t shown up to protect her. And Sidon’s presence had allowed enough time for Link to come and help defeat the Waterblight, and she blushed a little at the thought. Truly, he was her Hero. And to think Terrako hadn’t only sent help her way, but to the other three Champions as well… The small egg-shaped guardian had done so much for them, and she didn’t want to dwell on what might have been, had it not been there.

By the time Mipha arrived in the Sanctum, it was close to sunset, and she had spent some time drying herself to make sure she didn’t soak the carpet floors. And okay, she’d also spent some time roaming around the garrison, and the barracks but she hadn’t managed to spot Link.

She sighed, he was probably with the Princess, where he nearly always was.

Revali was the next to arrive, and he fluffed his feathers, brusquely adjusting his neckerchief, “Are the others not on time? How asinine. Although perhaps it’s too much to expect such high standards from them.”

Mipha sighed, much more discreetly this time. He had a rivalry with Link, and that could not be forgiven in her books. “Revali, we are, as of yet, early. Urbosa and Daruk are both travelling from-”

“Afar? Yes, I know, that’s no excuse though, Mipha, have you ever heard of leaving earlier? They also cannot fly to their detriment. Did you see Daruk’s paraglider break after using it a mere five times? Who told a Goron he could sail through the air? It’s just so unnatural!”

Urbosa walked in then, and Mipha left Revali alone for a few minutes. He briefly called to her though, as she turned away, although when she’d waited patiently for him to say something, all he’d done was glance down at her ornamental armour, before brushing off his feathers.

She shrugged, classing as typically strange Revali behaviour before she turned back to Urbosa. She wanted to ask if the Gerudo Champion had seen Princess Zelda, and by default Link. It pricked her a little, that she had to find the Princess first in order to locate Link, but he was her Knight after all.

Sadly, Urbosa hadn’t seen Princess Zelda. Apparently, she was getting ready in her room. Mipha could only assume Link was guarding her door. Shortly after that, Daruk had appeared and then the King had walked in, welcoming them to the Castle. They would have a private dinner, with a few select Sheikah, and Master Kohga to privately congratulate the group on their success and then move across to the Sanctum later on in the evening for the Ball in their honour. Hestu had decided to remain with the forest spirits, and Monk Maz Koshia had re-entered the Shrine of Resurrection, in his deep other-worldly tones saying he’d now wait for the next Hero. Mipha shuddered a little at the memory, wondering what the next Hero’s fate would be…

They walked with the King, who pulled out an apple to snack on whilst they trekked to the Dining room, where they would meet Princess Zelda, and Link. Her heart sped up a little in anticipation.

Impa, Purah, Robbie and Master Kohga were all waiting in the room, a single banana in the middle of the four of them and heated debate was clearly ongoing, but they stopped as soon as the King walked in and knelt. He bid them to rise, and they all sat, waiting for the Hero and the Princess to join.

And her heart rate did spike, as the Princess walked in, hand in Link’s elbow as he escorted her inside. His eyes never met hers, but Mipha didn’t allow that little fact to distract her, because oh, Link was in Royal Guard uniform and –

- Terrako bounded up, jumping up to Link’s waist, and he caught the egg, settling it on its own chair, and it beeped and booped, waving its little guardian legs at them. Mipha waved back, but really, she was trying to stifle her laughter as Impa gave the poor thing a good whack in return and it jostled into the air, pointing its little finger at her. Terrako truly was very cute, but Mipha was distracted again by Link coming closer still.

He looked radiant, polished, a perfect guard, his hair slicked back into that cap, the royal dark blue armour overlaid his muted red undershirt, and Mipha choked a little on the water she was sipping when she looked at his pristine white gloves and boots. Oh Goddesses, the gloves. He looked devastatingly handsome, and- wait. He held the chair for the Princess, as was expected for a guard, Mipha reassured herself, but he… smiled at her. A small smile, a classic Link smile if you will, but he smiled at her, and she smiled back, gently, tucking her hair behind her ear. Not for the first time in their presence, Mipha felt a dash of fear strike her, but it was quickly forgotten as Link sat down, and smiled the same smile, if a little less bright, towards each of them, until he reached Revali and then it was a nod. That made her chuckle a little, and the Rito just shrugged, instead turning to Zelda and inquiring about her health.

But Mipha was watching Link, and she didn’t miss his fingers tightening over his glass. Subtle, but she noticed still. And the fear pricked again. But he was just annoyed over Revali, right?

He turned to Daruk, who started talking about the newest iteration of Rock Roast, and Link sat up, paying earnest attention.

And Mipha let herself breathe. She was really overthinking this whole scenario to be fair.

Soon enough, the King lifted his champagne flute, and they all looked at him.

“Champions, I invited you all today to commemorate your success! Tonight, we feast, and make merry, for the Darkness has been Sealed and the light of Hylia shines upon us all. I would like to personally extend my thanks for your service in the name of Hyrule, and I pray that you all remain in the best of health, and achieve whatever you set your minds too, for those in the room today are amongst the brightest and most capable citizens of what is surely to be, a glorious future.”

Everyone politely clapped, and Mipha felt encouraged, she could do what she set her mind to, she could confess to Link, she could achieve the future she most wanted- to rule her Domain with him by her side.

Dinner passed by any further without incident, Mipha joked a little with Urbosa, who was in the middle of setting up a “girls-night only session” for the five of them. And Urbosa had done something very strange, she mentioned she wanted to host another catwalk, and then she had winked at Link, who had promptly blushed, pulling at his collar. Mipha wasn’t sure she understood the reference, it felt like an inside joke that she wasn’t privy to, but regardless, she was excited. A chance to bond with other girls her age who weren’t Zora was hard to do, enclosed as they were in the Domain. Then there was the whole ageing issue, because by the time everyone in this room had died, Mipha would actually still be in the Hyrulian equivalent of her thirties. But today was about celebrating their success, and she shouldn’t be thinking of something as morbid as death.

As soon as dessert was passed around, which unsurprisingly was fruitcake, Princess Zelda’s favourite, the group made to disband. She remained, thinking perhaps this would be the ideal time to snag Link for a few minutes, out on the walkway just outside the dining room before they headed to the Sanctum.

She walked very slowly to the door, and then remained just outside, intending on asking Link as he walked out with the Princess. She waited for a few seconds, and he hadn’t shown up yet, so she discreetly held her jewellery and poked her head back in, and she almost wished she hadn’t.

Because Link was using those same white gloves, the pair she had so loved on him, to gently wipe some of the frosting on Princess Zelda’s outer lip. And then. Oh. Mipha had to turn away. She hastily walked off, trying to think of an excuse but was unable too.

Why had he licked his finger clean?

Well, to be fair, they had all become friends over the time, some of them, such as Link and Zelda, had spent even more time together and so were likely to be even better friends. Frankly, they were together all the time, and this sort of behaviour was common between friends was it not? As a form of teasing? Yes, that was it.

She felt somewhat reassured once she was back in the Sanctum, she’d wait for her moment and she would seize it. She would do as she planned today.

*

The King made a similar rousing speech, once they were inside the Sanctum, and the ball began in earnest. Link and Princess Zelda appeared some fifteen minutes after Mipha had arrived, and she had taken a total of twelve minutes to walk across to reach the Sanctum so clearly, nothing else untoward had happened.

Or, well, anything that she could forcibly see.

The music started, as a sort of prelude for the first dance, and Terrako jumped up, pulling off a “spinning” dance move set on the floor, twirling and flying upside down as it gracefully pirouetted, and everyone was fawning over the little egg. It responded in kind with a series of beeps and boops, in sync with the music.

She tried to squeeze her way over to Link, to ask if he would like to, perhaps, dance, and then she’d guide him away mid-swirl and clarify the situation that arose last week.

But, lo and behold, there he was, dancing with the Princess. It was the first dance, and etiquette meant that it was almost expected for Princess Zelda to open up the dance with the Hero. Mipha was nothing if not patient, and she smiled graciously at the courtesan who asked for her hand to dance. She acquiesced, anything to keep her mind off how Link was probably holding the Princess a little closer than etiquette required, and how those piercing sapphire eyes never left the Princess’s own. Whilst she was trying to pay attention to what the courtesan was saying, she hadn’t even caught his name, poor fellow, but she couldn’t help but remain focussed on Link.

She gasped when he spun the Princess in a tight circle, and then dipped her, nearly to the floor, and how in sync they seemed to be, how seamless the whole thing was. It made her suspicious. Link was very graceful in a fight; he performed some of the hardest moves as though he was passing a knife through butter, but… dance was a considerably different type of elegance. And the way the Princess was smiling at him, almost encouraging him, made a small stone settle in her stomach as she came to the most likely conclusion.

He’d learnt to dance with her. They had practised together. And she fought down the burn of jealousy that threatened to escape her.

Of course Link would learn to dance with Princess Zelda, he was her Knight! She must have offered because she knew this ball was coming up, and Link likely had no experience, so she offered to teach him!

And they weren’t dancing as lovers!

Mipha excused herself, she was feeling all hot and bothered and it was just so unlike her to feel agitated. She just needed a few seconds of fresh air, ideally to jump in a lake for a few seconds just to cool down and recover her Grace.

She escaped down a corridor and went through the first door that opened out onto a balcony, taking a few deep breaths.

Within seconds she heard girlish giggling, followed by a deeper, richer laugh. She stiffened, moving to hide behind one of the tapestries, for some reason feeling self-conscious even though she had no reason to be. The pair passed by the door without pausing, and although she likely knew who it was, she wanted to verify it with her own eyes.

And yes, as she’d guessed, there was Princess Zelda, holding hands with Link. The laughter that she’d never heard before was from him. She didn’t have the heart to be upset anymore, because she realised something then.

He was happy.

In all the time she’d known him, he had only ever smiled and laughed as a child, as a four-year-old. Never had he laughed once he grew older, only smiling, and that too, small, limited smiles.

Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest; it was all too much. She had just wanted to take a minute's breather, but she could still do that! She could just- she flipped around and saw another winding corridor.

She hurried down it, keen to try to recompose herself a little. Clearly though, she had forgotten that the castle was indeed circular in shape, and the corridor she had started on in her haste, actually ended up being the very same one Link and Zelda were walking down now. Goddesses, her luck had run out today. It was too late to backtrack, in her panicked, and half-unfocused state she had somehow missed their laughter, and now from the sound of their voices, they had nearly reached the entrance. Thankfully, it was dark, and Mipha pressed herself into the shadows, behind what she could vaguely make out to be a column. She would just wait until they had left, and she would continue forwards to end up back at the ballroom.

But no, even then, she was doomed because Princess Zelda stopped, and moved to light a small lamp on the side. She held it up to what Mipha could make out was a portrait.

“This corridor, Link. Have you had a chance to come before?”

He shook his head.

“Well, I’d imagined so, because we never had much time, really. Always heading from one battle to the next… But I’d like to show you something, now that we’re no longer under such duress.”

He smiled, nodding. “Okay.”

Mipha was distracted from her discomfort at being trapped and unable to escape when she realised that Link spoke. Casually, almost. Like this wasn’t a rare thing. Mipha felt the stone in her gut grow a little.

“We call this the Hallway of Remembrance, to commemorate the Heroes and the Princesses of time past, where Ganon, or at least, some form of him, came to terrorise Hyrule.”

She held up the lamp closer to the first portrait, and Mipha, despite her misgivings, edged a little closer in curiosity. It was a painting of what seemed to be a land mass suspended in air, with the back of a boy that looked a lot like Link, and she had to hold in a gasp when she realised he was, in fact, holding the Master Sword. Next to him was a girl with flowing blonde hair, not unlike the Princess actually… and she was holding a harp.

“This one was commissioned by Father actually. No one truly knows what Hyrule was like back then, but apparently, it was all in the clouds… And they used to fly around on animals that are now very much extinct. So, this isn’t really a portrait from then, but it felt right to include, you know?”

Link paused. “I. I remember it, a little.” He glanced up; his brow furrowed. “I think it was called Skyloft, Zelda. And we flew on loftwings… I saved you then too, although I can’t remember much else.” Mipha’s jaw almost dropped to the ground. Wow. So much speech. And… she still didn't quite understand what was going on, but it was dawning on her now that they wouldn’t be moving down from this corridor for a while. From the way things were going, it seemed like a private conversation she shouldn’t be privy to, and she felt guilty for unintentionally overhearing them.

But she was stuck! She couldn’t move in front of them, or they’d know she was here, and she couldn’t move back down the corridor she came from because they’d also see. So, she was trapped behind this white marble column, indefinitely, until they moved past her.

Princess Zelda laughed. “Obviously you did. That is a recurring theme by the way.” She paused. “Wait, yours was a Crimson loftwing wasn’t it? The rare one?”

He nodded, and he looked so excited. “Yours was blue.”

Zelda’s hand glowed, the blood of Hylia running through her veins, although Mipha saw no Calamity, and wondered what exactly was going on. “Sleepyhead?”

Link laughed, and pulled her close, hugging her tightly. “You will always be… my Zelda.”

And the stone grew. And grew. Mipha fisted her fingers into the small crevices of her jewellery, a storm of guilt and embarrassment over illicitly being here, over watching them when they thought they were alone, over how at ease Link was, over what those words meant. She had to keep reciting that it wasn’t her fault she was trapped here, she would just have to hold it together until they hopefully decided to move on. She couldn’t help but gently pass her fingers over the gaping hole in her chest that she’d hidden with her ornamental silver clasp. She tried her hardest to blot it all out and think up a rational explanation. She was just overreading this. Okay, so just because one of their previous… selves (?) had ended up together, didn’t mean all of them followed the same pattern, right? And of course, you’d embrace someone whose soul you knew like this?

Zelda leaned away from him a little. “Come, I have more to show you.” She pulled him along, and he followed, as he always did, the last thought echoed bitterly in her mind. “Although, I’d like to think things were a little different for us, at least, in terms of the whole saving scenario.”

He nodded. “You’re right. It was different this time… We saved each other, Zelda. I wouldn’t have thought to even touch the sword, if it hadn’t responded to me wanting to protect you, because that’s all I wanted at that moment. And your powers…”

She nodded. “Yes. I, I didn’t want to lose you, Link.” Even from here, Mipha could see her blush. And she felt increasingly uncomfortable. She just- it was too much. Link, freely talked to the Princess. Freely laughed with her. Had a deeper bond with her that wasn’t just for this lifetime but for… all?

Zelda coughed, “A-anyway. The next is of the Hero of Time, and this Princess was rumoured to be a sage…”

Mipha shoved all her misgivings aside and perked up- perhaps they’d have a portrait of this Hero with Princess Ruto because she was also a sage right?

Link winced. “That’s when it all got complicated isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

He shook his head, “Never mind.”

And Mipha felt her hope dash as they walked past the portrait, no mention of any other sage.

Her heart rate increased, as they walked towards her hiding place, slowly but surely. She was thankfully hidden quite well behind the ornate marble columns that held up the walkway above, which meant she was unlikely to be caught. She held tight onto the thought that it would soon be over, that they would soon move on past this damned corridor, and she could finally leave. But no, instead they covered each and every portrait. Mipha slowly felt her hope dwindle, despair set in, and guilt seep through her scales at her continued encroachment on their privacy. She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by what was being said as the duo continued through several iterations of the same Hero and Princess… always together, never far apart. One was in Twilight, another in foreign country called Lorule, one in the sea, yet another in spirits…

At that one, it was a portrait of a train, with the Princess… in corporeal form? She was flying beside the boy that Mipha knew was Link. He looked so much like her Link, when he was younger. She watched as Link laughed, “That was a good journey, I remember that.”

Zelda quite literally pushed him. “HEY! I lost my body in that one!”

“Yeah, but you got to be my sidekick for once.” Link was smirking. Mipha had to rub her eyes once, twice and then three times for her to believe what she was seeing was true.

“YOU- I’ll have you know you were MY sidekick. I recruited you! I was the one to pick you to be my engineer!”

“The phantom armour was the best though, especially when you carried me like the Hero I was.”

“Yeah? Without me carrying you, we would have been stuck at level two in the Tower, because you couldn’t walk through lava, being Hylian and all! And then where would we be? And don’t think I don’t remember how long we spent at the Rabbit Sanctuary. You loved frolicking!”

“Hey, no need to call me out like that Princess.”

And so, it continued. For every single portrait. Mipha felt progressively smaller and smaller. She watched as Link held Princess Zelda’s hand, she watched as he leaned his head on her shoulder, so familiar and comfortable. She watched as they exchanged stories, joked with each other, things Link had remembered from the Master Sword, legends Zelda had learnt in the library and her own memories as Hylia’s chosen. As they progressed, Mipha increasingly felt like she was simply a side character, in a longer, and more detailed history than she ever could have imagined. She remained, frozen in place, as they last reached the penultimate portrait, just by her hiding place.

“Ah. This is a precious one Link. I only really remembered this one after unlocking my sealing power.”

It was Link. Sitting atop what was a weird… Mipha didn’t know how to describe it. It had two wheels, one at the front and another at the back, with a sort of seat in the middle. He was wearing a familiar blue tunic, much like the one made for him by the Princess, and Zelda was sitting in front, his arm wrapped around her, his face half-leaning against hers. They looked very comfortable with each other, and it lacked the seriousness that some of the other portraits had. Behind them, were the Divine Beasts, each with their Champion in the distance.

“This is… the legend we tried to recreate in our world, isn’t it? So, this is the direct predecessor to ours…”

“Yes…”

There was only one portrait left, just by her column. This portrait was the only one with a red cloth over it. Mipha didn’t dare breathe, but Goddesses, she was so thankful it was nearly the end. She would finally be able to leave… Finally able to ignore the gnawing fear that she had completely misunderstood Link which oozed through her skin and clung to her tighter than the armour she had painstakingly made.

“So, this is the special one!” She uncovered it, and Link laughed, clear and loud. Mipha pressed herself tighter into her column, making sure to remain silent, and she realised it was, in fact, two portraits. One was of all of the champions together, Link, Princess Zelda, Terrako, herself, Urbosa, Daruk, Revali, Master Kohga, Maz Koshia, Hestu and the King even, and the second… The second was of Princess Zelda in her royal blue gown, and Link in his Royal Guard uniform.

He gasped, poking her cheek. “So, this is why you wanted me to wear this uncomfortably tight uniform the other day and you took a photo on the slate!”

“Yes, silly. I wanted to commemorate us, too. We’ve also fought against Ganon, and now we will be preserved in history, as will all the other Heroes and Princesses that have come before us.”

He leaned closer, until his forehead rested on hers, his hands cupping her face and Mipha felt her heart stop. It felt like the final nail was hovering over her chest, about to shatter the fragile, tiny bud of hope she had left. “Thank you, Zelda. Not, not only for today, but for saving me, and for letting me live all our lives again.”

She stroked his cheek. “You’re welcome, Link. I’m so very happy to have found you again, sleepyhead.” She laughed, “Although, I’ve decided I don’t quite like this cap. I cannot run my fingers through your hair.” He instantaneously pulled it off, and leaned closer still, and she laughed, before her lips touched his.

And the nail sunk in. Hard and fast.

Mipha’s heart shattered.

She turned and left, and they didn’t notice.

How could they, when they were so lost in each other. Deep down, Mipha knew. She denied it to herself constantly, but she knew. And now, after seeing just how many generations they’ve passed through, tied to each other, she realised something else. They were soulmates. Their souls were forever bound to one another. And she could never compete against that.

But even then, even if she disregarded their history, there was no doubt left in her mind that Link very much liked, if not loved, Princess Zelda. And whilst it burned her like acid down her throat, or as if she’d stepped into the lava that surrounds Death Mountain, right now, she knew that she would be happy seeing him happy. And if his happiness lay with another Princess, then who was she to say otherwise.

But tonight, tonight she allowed herself to wallow in self-pity, for a love lost, for a love, that no matter how hard she might have wished it to be true, was doomed from the start to fail.

[bittermarrow]

Imagine Slashers with an Angel S/O: (part 1) Jason Voorhees

I was originally going to do all of the slashers (at least the ones I felt like writing for) in one post, but they were getting ridiculously long so I split them up into different parts! (I’ll post Michael’s tomorrow)

Warnings: There’s some nsfw towards the end but it’s not really graphic.

Words: 1600+ (kms)

Jason

Jason grew up homeschooled and coddled by his mother for the short time he was alive, and any religious type of beliefs he may have had are a void in his memory. So he probably isn't going to think 'Angel fallen from heaven' when he finds you in the woods.

After gathering that you are no threat to his land and are quite obviously injured, he'd take you in. Simply because leaving you there to die would be just like leaving you out there to drown, turning a blind eye to your suffering like those irresponsible counselors had done when those kids had tossed him into the lake all those years ago.

You'd wake up covered in dirt and your wings covered in thick mud, with twigs and leaves sticking in your tangled hair.

The first confrontation between you had been rocky, you were panicked, and afraid, not allowing him to stalk within 10 feet of you. You curled up in the corner of his barely-held-together cabin, with the deteriorating walls and the roof half-caved-in and rotting away from years of water damage. You looked like a scared animal, shaking from the cold air that the structure did little to block out. You had the overwhelming urge to fly away, and you would have too, had your right wing not been so painfully mangled from the fall and brutal attack.

Jason is not entirely sold on trusting you either so he keeps his distance and stays on the other side of the cabin, it became unclear of which one of you actually needed the space more. He can't blame you for being terrified of him, he knows he's huge, and his appearance was likely that of a beast to you.

Once you’ve realized that he is not actually trying to kill you, your shaking settles down and you curiously crawl out of the corner. You're incredibly cautious in your first approach, and when he moved even slightly you got spooked and scrambled back a few feet.

You had just been attacked, so you weren't exactly in the mood for any more potential threats, and this man... if you could even call him that, practically radiated an aura of red flags, he almost smelled like danger. But you knew the difference between the monster that had ripped you from the clouds and the one that stared curiously from across the cabin. Despite your instinctual hesitance, and frustrating struggle to communicate in the beginning you decide to trust him, at least until you've healed enough to leave. 

.   .   .

Your wing's recovery stretches into long months of slow, natural healing. The pain has subsided, and as has the tension between you and Jason, whom you'd quickly learned the name of through rumors and stories of the few humans in town you’ve made contact with. He couldn't really tell you, so for a long time you just referred to him as "big guy," "mister," or "hey you" which hadn’t minded initially, but the first time he heard you say it he was all smiles, even though you couldn’t see his face you knew he was happy.

You'd grown fond of each other over the past few months, you could even go so far as to say you've never felt more at ease with someone like you did with Jason. It was the start of a promising friendship you hoped, maybe... you could stay a bit longer...

A year and a half rolled by without you realizing it, and in that time you had healed, chosen to stay with him—  much to his delight, and caring for this undead murderer more than anything else. You understood his need and cause for killing, it was not a hobby, it was an overwhelming need to fulfill his mother's wishes and punish people like the ones who'd made him suffer. You didn't like it, but you knew it was something you just had to accept. Besides everything else in the package was more than enough to make you love him, he was the sweetest most precious thing.

His gentleness with you and nature was a shocking contrast to the fierce, boiling rage and strength he shows while on the hunt. For someone so big he is so submissive, so shy, and so incredibly cute. You knew that under all that deep-seated anger was an innocent boy that needed love, needed acceptance.

He was; however, incredibly protective of you. He prefers you to stay inside when there are too many reckless teens running around his woods, not wanting you to get involved or possibly hurt. If you got hurt he'd never forgive himself, you've become his light, his angel, his whole world now. The last thing he wants is for that light to be taken away from him, or damaged.

Your strong, tightly-knit friendship shifts naturally into a love that can't be expressed in words. You've got him wrapped around your little finger, and neither of you is willing to let go. You can expect mask boops, fiberglass-cheek nuzzles, and indirect kisses until you finally convince him to show you his face. And the moment he does it's heartbreaking because he his expecting your revulsion, your horror, and most importantly, your rejection.

But it's the most satisfying thing when you take his deformed face in your hands and place a kiss on his forehead like it wasn’t horrifyingly disfigured, like he was normal. Your eyes and fingertips exploring curiously across grey-mottled skin with a gentle tenderness he’s only ever gotten from his beloved mother. When he realizes that you accept him, and his face, no matter how ugly, he’s practically shaking with the effort not to break down completely. In the end, it’s a useless effort because he’s already wetting your hands with his tears. (no don’t cry bb)

And it's enough to get you sobbing too— because no one should have to feel so incredibly grateful for simply being loved for who they are and not what their face looks like. His heart, although dead, is more beautiful than any of the faces you see in magazines.

Soon Jason is only wearing the fiberglass hockey mask outdoors, and you are able to kiss him whenever you want, it's a kind of freedom you abuse around the clock, but in a good way. He loves your affection.

Your wings started darkening the moment you touched the earth, but now they were almost completely black, it's not important to you anymore though, you don't want to return home like you once did.

Speaking of wings! Jason likes to touch them any chance he gets. At first, he expected them to be soft, but when you let him touch them he found that they were more scratchy. Not unpleasantly so, they were still soft in some places, but certainly more rough than they looked. Whenever you’re cuddled up somewhere he likes to smooth his big hands over them, almost petting them like he would a bird, and you never seemed to mind. It was comforting, and you liked the feeling of his hands on any part of you, whether it is covered in feathers or smooth flesh doesn’t matter to you.

NSFW

Sex is a touchy topic, and while you have your intimate moments his insecurities and thoughts about sex get in the way before you have a chance to get too far, but with lots of time and trust-building, you can count on him to come around to it eventually.

Patience little angel, this boy’s got some issues that need to acknowledged and dealt with before you can jump his bones. (I promise it’s worth it)

And when he begins to see that it is different between you, and not the kind of careless act he’s seen drunk teenagers have, he will begin to form his own perspective on it through experiences with you. And once he starts getting into it, he’ll start looking forward to it, it's likely to become a nightly occurrence. In his eyes, it’s an expression of your love for each other and another way for him to show that he loves you without needing to speak.

You will; however, have to be a bit mindful of your wings in certain positions. If you’re laying on your back with him on top of you, hips nestled between your legs your wings will spread out at the very most, but during particularly long sessions or intense orgasms, they like to wrap around him. But, it's something Jason actually likes you to do, so holding them down isn't necessary. Trust me, he loves being in your wings almost as much as he likes being inside your arms and inside of you.

But on the occasions where he takes charge and is slightly more rough with you— entirely at your request– with your face buried in the sheets and him pumping into you from behind, it can get a little complicated…

Your wings like to pop out or jerk when you feel sudden bursts of pleasure, so you’re inevitably going to accidentally whack him with them sometimes and he barely feels it but if it makes you self-conscious, and if you can convince him it's okay for him to hold them while he fucks you, he will definitely oblige.

Your wings are also a bit of a 'spot' for you, so having them held, scratched, or petted feels pretty good during some slow, soft, and romantic sex. Jason is observant, and once he knows, he's not gonna stop touching 'em. If he gets you up there a good tug on the wing can reduce you to shivers in no time.

A pet name he likes particularly much in bed is “my angel,” because to you he is the angel here. If you’re soft-spoken please feel free to whisper sweet things and how good he’s doing, and he'll be sending you straight back to heaven!

[hippychick006]

1.01 - Pilot Recap/Review

Original Air Date: 13 September 2005

Episode 1 of a 327 Episode Watch

Lawrence, Kansas, 22 years ago…

…Nope, more like 37 now… sobs

Love this episode, so many iconic brother moments and the start of the epic love story of Sam and Dean (creators words, not mine).  Where do we even start?

Intro is a little difficult to watch now, with so much changed with Mary from this original episode over the years –with her a) being a hunter, b) making the deal and c) the family not actually being as happy as they are portrayed in this episode which kind of screws up John’s story for me, but this is my only negative, and it certainly wasn’t an issue at the time the pilot aired.  

Weechesters!  First words from Dean to Sam: “Night, Sam” and if these are the last words (and both are alive), I will be a very happy bunny!

John (handing baby Sam to Dean): Take your brother outside as fast as you can and don't look back! Now, Dean, go!

Wee!Dean telling Wee!Sam it will be okay.

I love how John picks them both up as he runs.  Also love that shot of John and his two boys on the hood of the Impala at the end of the intro.

Now, Stanford University...

Nope, almost 15 years ago – add a few decades for each brother for their hell experiences

Our first glimpse of Baby!Sam as he peeks around the door, reluctant to go out for Halloween: “Do I have to… you know how I feel about Halloween?” Boops nose, he’s so gosh darned cute! Ignores the later canon that he doesn’t like Halloween because he puked in front of a girl (or similar story as I can’t remember it fully).  Also forever bitter we don’t get the deleted scene where it’s suggested that Sam dress up in something slutty. “Slutty Dorothy, Slutty Alice…” 

Jess is rightfully proud of her boyfriend for scoring a 174 on the LSAT which is “scary good.”  I’ll take her word for it as I have absolutely no idea what an LSAT is.

I love how Sam is instantly alert at the noise in the apartment. Hunter instincts.

Urgh, the first ever broment. I mean they’re fighting, but it’s still a broment!  I love the whole fight scene and how it was shot.  Instant chemistry.  Excuse me while I watch it several times.  Will never be tired of the “Woah, Easy Tiger!” from Dean.  Question though, why was Dean fighting Sam?  He broke into his brother’s apartment and he didn’t think to go “Wait, Sammy, it’s me, stop trying to punch me!”  Also, Jensen is gorgeous, these are my favourite Dean years.

Dean, stop hitting on Sam’s girlfriend!

Call to action that starts the whole thing: Dad’s on a Hunting Trip.  And he hasn’t been home in a few days.

Exposition Kripke!!  Though we do find out a lot, Sam was chucked out, wouldn’t pick up the phone if Dean had called, and they were “raised like warriors”. Dysfunctional family?  Hello, yes, I’d like to watch 327 episodes of this show, please!

Brother feels!

Dean: I can’t do this alone

Sam: Yes, you can

Dean: Yeah, Well, I don’t want to

What the hell is a gold wave?  Was that made up?  That sounds made up.  Me as a writer.

Dean: “You know, in almost two years I've never bothered you, never asked you for a thing.”  This is so sad their relationship got to this point and they hadn’t seen each other or spoken. 

Dean telling his brother to skip the job interview.  He really wants his Sammy back.

Before the end of the show, I want to see Sam using that lethal looking knife he packs in his duffel in this episode. Just once.

I like the MOTW in this one, Lady in White was a good starting point for the show.  Troy is the first victim we see with her and since he’s a cheating scumbag, I don’t feel sorry that his guts are now splattered all over his car.

Dean asking Sam if he wants breakfast.   Lawyer boy is concerned about how Dean paid for it – “You and dad still running credit card scams?” Sam is also concerned about Dean’s music collection

Sam: I swear, man, you've gotta update your cassette tape collection.

Dean: Why?

Sam: Well, for one, they're cassette tapes. And two… Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica?... It's the greatest hits of mullet rock. (*cough* Vince Vincente Sammy *cough*).

DEAN: Well, house rules, Sammy, Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.

Sam protests Dean’s use of Sammy, but as we know, Dean’s the only one who gets to call him that (except later seasons where everyone seems to call him that).

I love Sam’s face when Dean is searching through the box of fake ID’s.  He’s horrified.  He can’t believe Dean is going to use a fake badge.  Oh Sam.

So much brotherly bickering in this episode:

Sam stomping on Dean’s foot and Dean whacking Sam on the head.

Dean smacking Sam’s hand and Sam wheeling Dean’s chair out of the way so he can take over control of the computer in the library when they look up the case.  Dean smacks Sam on the shoulder in return. (first ever scene they filmed according to Jared).

Also First Ever Winsync!  When they interview Troy’s girlfriend and say at exactly the same time: “What do they talk about?”  

Also, in this same scene, someone needs to remind Jensen he’s playing Sam’s brother, not his boyfriend.

Love the whole scene on the bridge at night, Dean slamming Sam up against the side just because he talked about their mom.  You. Are. Brothers!  

Sam may not be happy about using fake credit cards, but he’s more than at home with a lock picking kit.  I like how Sam yanks Dean inside the room.

Sam tries to apologise for talking about their mom.  

Dean: No chick-flick moments

Sam: Jerk…

Dean: …Bitch

Dean leaving the motel, spotting the police then calling his brother to warn he’s been made and telling him to take off.  

Sam placing a false 911 call to allow Dean to escape and Dean being resourceful in getting out of the cuffs.

Sam demonstrating exactly why you shouldn’t talk and drive.  Luckily he runs over a ghost and not a real person.  

Uh, That Constance bitch is in the car with Sam demanding to be taken home. Sam refuses and she takes over controls, locking the car and mentally driving it home.  Constance: “I can never go home.”

Sam: You’re scared to go home.

Constance, you get your hands off Sammy. Sam: You can’t kill me.  I’m not unfaithful.  I’ve never been!  Constance: You will be.  Uh no, he said he wouldn’t, stop cheating Constance and go after the real douchbags!

Hurt!Sam – Constance is digging into his chest, going for his heart.

Big Brother Dean to the rescue – he shoots her in the face, but she keeps reappearing.

Sam’s had enough, “I’m taking you home.” To Dean’s shock, Sam drives his baby straight into her house.  

Dean helps Sam out of the car, while Constance looks at a photo of her and her children.  She’s not happy with Sam and Dean, tking the sideboard to slam right into them and pin them against the car.  Luckily, before she can do any more damage, her ghost kids turn up and they all melt into the floor.

Sam gets the kill count on this one. Sam: 1, Dean: 0.  Dean’s proud as he slaps Sam on the chest right where Sam had been injured. Dean: You found her weak spot. Nice work, Sammy.

Sam: Yeah, I wish I could say the same for you. What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face, you freak?

Dean: Hey. Saved your ass…. I'll tell you another thing. If you screwed up my car?... I’ll kill you

Oops, the car is damaged, one of the headlights is out.  Sam seems okay though, he checks co-ordinates their dad left earlier while Dean drives.

Dean just wants to hunt with his brother and Sam just wants to be safe, but at least Sam wants a relationship with Dean: “And maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?”

Dean: You know, we made a hell of a team back there.

Sam: Yeah.

Jess made Sam cookies ☹

Sam’s tired and flops down on the bed, it’s such a peaceful moment and he’s happy and then blood drips on his forehead and it’s just…

Big brother Dean to the rescue again (though I don’t think they should have cut what brought Dean back). Dean literally has to drag Sam out of the room and I’m always here for Dean manhandling Sam.

The scene at the end, Dean looking at Sam, worried about his brother, Sam looking at him, sighs and nods, tossing the shotgun he’s been checking into the trunk.

Sam: We got work to do

Yes Sam, 326 more episodes of work to do!  I really miss these early boys so much, they’re both so dragged down with constant crap over the last few years to the point of being almost unrecognisable.  

[puffberries]

Dating Peter Parker Would Include:

Author’s Note: Mostly focusing on preferences and headcanons for now since I’m an unorganised bitch

Request:

Without a further ado kids, I fucked this up so let's fix it

• Peter absolutely melts when he sees you, without fail, every time.

• No matter what stage you are at in this relationship, he will take you to see Aunt May, first thing. Her blessing on this pairing is like the wax seal of approval.

• Ned HIGHKEY ships it

• Your sleep schedule will become so out of whack, it’s ridiculous.

• You two will stay up almost all night on FaceTime, half of the time playfully arguing about trivial opinions, the other half trying to figure out why Peter’s wifi was so fucking slow

• He’s a hot mess whilst at school, so if you don’t have many classes together, you’ll barely see him.

• Lunch hour is the safe haven in which you can openly debate EVEN MORE trivial things

• You’ve punched Flash so many times for insulting Peter, YET HE STILL DOES IT

• GET A FUCKING CLUE FLASH

• His Spider-Man secret remains a secret until Tony Stark bursts into his room while you’re there

• ‘Mr-Mr Stark! What’re you doing here?’

• 'Oh my god, you’ve got a woman in your bedroom, this was unexpected.’

• His nicknames for you:

- Babe

- Sweetheart

- Y/N/N (Your Nickname)

- Boo

• Your nicknames for him:

- Spider-Boy

- Radioactive Spider

- Webber

- Petey

• 'Be careful. Don’t let Captain America beat you up again.’

• You are frequently found in his video diaries

• 'Oh look! It’s Y/N! Say hi to the camera, Y/N!’

• 'You seriously just swung into my room to film me?’

• You try cooking a cake with each other

• It literally took 10 seconds for it to turn it’s a disaster

• Definition of Disaster: Throwing the ingredients at each other in a seriously competitive food fight and/or eating all the cake batter if you even get that far into the recipe

• Hardcore movie nights and TV marathons

• Watching R.I.P vine videos late at night

• Shouting Vine references at each other from across the high school hallway

• 'WHAT THE FUCK IS UP KYLE?’

• 'YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK WE’RE GONNA BE FRIENDS! *Violent Kazoo Noises*’

• Halloween is the best holiday between you two

• Couples costumes are common. Some examples are:

- Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

- Princess Leia and Han Solo

- Betty Boop and Popeye

• You once dressed up as a 1950s Suburban Couple to hand out candy to the kids

• Going to Homecoming together

• Him having to leave to be spidery Spider-Man, so you dance with Ned instead

• Once again, NED IS THE FUCKING CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIP

• I wouldn’t be surprised if he started handing out merch

• Overall, your relationship with Peter is perfect already and I’m pretty sure Aunt May is planning the wedding

[desktopgargoyle]

the road trip series - chapter 2

so this took a little longer to write than i would have originally liked, but what can i say? i’m a student, i have deadlines. anyway, here’s chapter 2 of the road trip series! reviews and criticism are always appreciated :)

i’d like to credit @captainlittlegrasshopper for nino’s playlist in this chapter (which you can listen to here)

ff.net version

chapter two

“This is the Worst. Trip. Ever.” Alya folds her arms and sinks even lower into her seat, propping her feet up on the dashboard as she does so. They’ve been stuck in traffic for around two hours now and she’s willing to bet that they’ve moved about three feet at most.

“Hey, hey, hey! Feet off the dash, Al!” Nino exclaims a little too loudly. “I had the car cleaned last week, there’s no way I’m paying for another clean this week!”

“Calm down, Lahiffe. They’re just socks, they’re not gonna leave footprints or marks or anything.” Alya brushes him off and grabs her phone. She might as well scroll through Instagram for the dozenth time, even if it ends up being the same posts that she scrolled through not even twenty minutes ago.

As expected, nothing new has happened since she last checked. She scrolls through the same pictures of Chloé’s sushi (artfully taken by Sabrina, of course), Rose and Juleka in Amsterdam, Nathaniel’s latest half-completed painting for his upcoming gallery show. Everyone is doing awesome things (apart from Chloé because, in Alya’s opinion, there is nothing particularly interesting about raw fish) and Alya is stuck in traffic. She’s about to check Snapchat when Adrien suggests that they play ‘I Spy’.

“Not that I have anything against ‘I Spy’, but we’re not seven, Adrien.” Alya glances at him in the rear-view mirror and it takes all her willpower to look away because he’s making that face. That face is the face he pulls whenever he really wants someone to agree with him and it’s so, so much more powerful than his pouty face. His eyes widen and this childlike grin splits across his face and he looks so much like a stupid baby kitten that Alya just wants to squish him and boop his nose.

Damn her maternal instincts.

“Please, Alya? Pretty pretty please with sprinkles and a cherry on top?”

She resists pointing out that she actually hates cherries and, against her better judgement, agrees. “Fine. We’ll play ‘I Spy’. But be warned, Agreste. I will end you.” If she’s gonna play, she’s gonna play right.

Adrien does a little happy dance before declaring that he’ll go first. “I Spy with my little eye…something beginning with...T?”

“Really, Agreste? T?” Alya throws him a disbelieving look over her shoulder. “It’s a tree. You can see trees.” She facepalms as he nods sheepishly. “Look, Adrien. I know you didn’t really play this game that much as a kid, but come on! You gotta be more original and inventive than that.”

Adrien huffs and has a quiet strop while Alya begins her turn.

“…something beginning with…S.”

Adrien looks around. “Sky?” Alya shakes her head. “Seat?” Alya shakes her head again. This is turning out to be a lot more difficult than Adrien anticipated. Whenever he had played with Chloé when they were kids she’d always use the same thing: M for ‘Me’! I’m the only thing worth looking at around here, Adrikins.

After fifteen minutes, Alya’s already shot down ‘seatbelt’, ‘steering wheel’, and ‘stereo’ and at this point Adrien is losing the will to continue. On the plus side, traffic has started moving so he’ll try to focus on the positives.

“Signpost?”

“Nope.” Alya responds, popping the ‘p’ smugly. Adrien scowls as she sticks her tongue out at him.

“Scarecrow?”

“Sun?” Marinette has woken up from her nap at this point. Adrien glances at her and chuckles at the indent on her cheek from the door. She’s completely oblivious to this, however, as she rubs her bleary eyes and stretches her arms out, yawning languidly and almost whacking Adrien in the face as she does so.

“You guys are the absolute worst at this, how have you not guessed –”

“Socks.” Nino cuts Alya off mid-sentence, smirking at her as he watches all previous satisfaction drain from her face. He shoots her a wink and she squeaks in indignation.

“How –”

“Psychic, babe. C’mon, you know this already, Al.” He watches with a sly grin as Alya huffs and crosses her arms, muttering about how her stupid boyfriend is an idiot and never lets me win anything I should just break up with him now.

“You know you love me, Al. You’re contractually obligated to love me forever and ever and ever.”

“And I regret that decision more and more each day.”

“Liar.” Nino leans over and kisses Alya’s cheek, smiling widely as her cheeks flush slightly.

Adrien shakes his head fondly at his two idiot friends in the front seats. They’re good for each other, no matter how much they annoy each other, and they fit together so well in a way that Adrien has never really seen before. Healthy relationships haven’t exactly been a big part of his life and watching Nino and Alya together gives him just the slightest sliver of hope that maybe, one day, he’ll have something just as special. If his eyes happen to flick towards Marinette for even just a couple of seconds, Adrien doesn’t dwell on it.

He’s so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice Marinette’s eyes lingering on him, the same sentiment of hope reflecting in them. By the time he shakes off his reverie and looks over at her properly, the shining look from moments ago has passed and he finds her instead sketching diligently what appears to be a new coat design.

“So, do I get a turn at this game or have we all stopped playing?” Nino asks. “Because I think I could be really good at this, y’know?” He drums his fingers lightly on the steering wheel in a weirdly complex rhythm.

Alya nods begrudgingly, still mumbling under her breath.

“Right, here we go, my dudes. I spy with my little eye something beginning with…”

“HOLY SHIT NINO WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!” Alya screams as the car careers close to the central reservation of the motorway and jolts suddenly as Nino suddenly swerves back onto the lane, away from the metal dividing strip.

“I don’t think that’s a letter, babe. Did you forget the rules of the game?” Nino jokes weakly, trying to cover the situation with some questionable humour.

Alya raises an eyebrow at him, evidently unimpressed. “That’s it. Switch with me, there’s a service station in ten minutes and I don’t want any arguments from you. You’ve been driving for four hours and you’ve only had three hours sleep.” She pats his knee softly in reassurance.

Nino sighs and agrees, albeit reluctantly.

“Hey, if you want you can switch seats with me so you have more room to nap in the back here?” Marinette suggests. She knows only too well the struggle of staying awake with a sleeping pattern like Nino’s. It’s part of the reason she naps so much in car journeys; any rest she can get is valuable.

“Thanks, Maribro, I think I’ll take you up on that.” Nino shoots her a grateful look.

Thirteen kilometres later, they pull into the service station and get out of the car in order to look for food. The road trip snacks have been helpful in keeping them mostly satisfied, but after four hours it’s a unanimous decision that they need some real food right about now.

The service station is, to be quite honest, a bit of a dump. Sure, it’s got good parking but, other than that, there really isn’t anything positive to say about it. Nino sighs. When they had agreed on ‘real food’, they’d been hoping for more options than just a hotdog stand, a McDonald’s, and a Starbucks. And not even a good Starbucks, for that matter.

“I guess there’s only really one option then.” Nino says as he locks the car, unlocks it, and then locks it again. “What? I do that for security reasons, Mari. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Remind me again why we decided against packing our own lunch?”

“We didn’t decide against packing lunch, Agreste. You just decided against waking up early enough to do so.” Alya pokes Adrien in the side.

Adrien gives a long-suffering sigh. “I regret that. I regret that very much.”

“I guess now would be a good time to say that I packed lunch for everyone anyway, right?.” Marinette chirps, snatching Nino’s keys and unlocking the car again in order to grab her picnic basket from the boot. “Impromptu picnic, anyone?”

The looks on her friends’ faces are perhaps the funniest Marinette has seen in a while. Alya’s face is a mix of relief and ‘why-didn’t-I-think-of-this’, Nino is staring at the picnic basket with what can only be described as adoration (she thinks that he may be drooling slightly), and Adrien- well. Adrien’s face has lit up with possibly every happy emotion and he’s looking at her in such awe that she thinks she might burst (although she’s pretty sure that he is just very hungry and he’s really thinking about food).

“Marinette you’re a genius! I could just kiss you!” Adrien shouts, racing over to her and throwing his arms around her. Yep. He’s definitely just really hungry. There’s no way on earth he’d say something like that to her in any normal situation.

Nevertheless, Marinette’s face turns a million different shades of red. “Uh, it was – I mean, and well…you know – I – um – no problem, it was – not deal big – Wait! I mean, not a dig beal- big deal! Uh, yeah.” Out of the corner of her eye she can see Alya facepalming and Nino laughing hysterically, but she decides to ignore them as she always does when she makes a fool out of herself in front of Adrien. “What I meant to say was, it’s not a big deal and, to be honest, I kinda saw this coming.” Marinette breathes a sigh of relief, having finally managed to complete her sentence like an actual functioning human being.

The end up sitting inside of the car, passing food around and chatting about nothing in particular. Maybe ‘picnic’ wasn’t exactly the right word for…whatever this is. But, Marinette reasons to herself, they’re happy and relaxed and more awake with all the food.

“Bro, chill out with the cheese there, would you?” Nino laughs, slapping Adrien on the back and causing him to almost choke. “Get some variation in your diet!”

“What? I like cheese, okay?” Adrien says, mouth still full. Nobody really knows why Adrien loves cheese so much but it’s always been a thing. He says that it’s his cat’s fault because Plagg just really loves cheese and I end up buying so much of it that it’s all I have in my fridge.

Marinette has always found this explanation slightly suspicious, since she’s pretty sure that she read somewhere that cats are lactose intolerant but, then again, she knows Plagg only too well.

Nino has stopped questioning the Cheese Thing because he has, for a fact, seen that cat devour half a wheel of camembert. It was slightly unnerving the first time it happened but he has since gotten used to Plagg’s strange eating habits.

Alya is the only one to make sure that Plagg gets actual cat food. It’s not that Adrien doesn’t ever buy actual cat food, it’s just that he forgets. A lot. But Alya makes sure to buy the massive bags so that Adrien rarely runs out.

Nino, from where he is now seated in the back seat, reaches forward to grab his phone. He clicks onto a playlist and grins to himself. It’s a playlist that Marinette doesn’t recognise and now she’s certain that he’s broken Rule Number 1 of the Road Trip Playlist Committee Rulebook. She has reason to believe that this is, in fact, the second time Nino has done so. This has yet to be confirmed. He winks at her and Marinette suddenly has the feeling that Nino knows something she doesn’t. She scowls and watches as he grins at her, all his annoyingly perfect teeth on display. Yep. He definitely knows something.

Nino is squealing on the inside as he looks down at his phone. His newest playlist, the ‘omg-adrien-is-looking-at-mari-like-/that/-again-and-it’s-so-FRICKING CUTE’ one, is currently blasting in the car and, honestly, he never thought he’d see the day. Both Marinette and Adrien are completely oblivious. Which, he supposes, isn’t necessarily new with them because he’s been trying to get them together for forever and they’re too caught up in pining for each other to realise. Maybe Marinette more so than Adrien.

From: the idiot I’m in love with To: the light of my life AL AL AL AL AL GUESS WHAT

From: the light of my life To: the idiot I’m in love with Babe, I’m sitting directly in front of you. Why are you texting me?

From: the idiot I’m in love with To: the light of my life LOOK FRICKING_CUTE_playlist.jpg

From: the light of my life To: the idiot I’m in love with Are you telling me you made a playlist especially for when Adrien looks at Mari?

From: the idiot I’m in love with To: the light of my life affirmative that is exactly what I’m telling you

From: the light of my life To: the idiot I’m in love with This is genius. But you’re still an idiot.

From: the idiot I’m in love with To: the light of my life go on…say it!!!11!!

From: the light of my life To: the idiot I’m in love with fine. You’re my idiot.

Alya groans audibly at the sound of Nino’s satisfied laugh. Nevertheless, she smiles and glances back down at her phone. Nino is always so incredibly sweet and she wonders how on earth she managed to get this lucky. Sure, he may cause her to roll her eyes more times in a day than is strictly necessary, but she loves him. It took her a long time to admit that, to both herself and Nino. Far longer than it should have, if she’s being honest with herself.

When they first started dating, it wasn’t actually on purpose. It was the week after Alya’s 16th birthday. The plan had been for all four of them to go to the cinema to see some horror film that she no longer remembers the name of. It was supposed to be a pretty standard hangout, which it was, until Adrien and Marinette both found reasons to back out. Adrien supposedly had a photoshoot and Marinette was apparently given a last-minute shift at the bakery. It was all rather fishy to Alya at the time, but she didn’t think anything of it.

She and Nino had never really hung out without either Marinette or Adrien present. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to hang out without the others, but they’d just never really found occasion to. Of course, it was a little awkward at the start but, they soon found that they had a natural rhythm and that they clicked in a way that they never had before. It wasn’t necessarily in a romantic sense, but there was something there.

After the movie, food seemed like the logical option. Nino suggested that they pay for each other’s food. “I have a very logical reason for this so we’re gonna run this like a lab experiment.” He had said as they headed in the direction of the pizza place opposite the cinema. “Here’s the hypothesis: by paying for each other’s meals, rather than our own, we still have the option to split the bill but we can also still do something nice for the other person. That way I can afford bubble gum tomorrow morning, you can afford coffee tomorrow morning, and we’ll still have paid for something that isn’t for us.”

Alya had readily agreed, as coffee always took priority in her life, and that was that. Nino had walked her home from the bus stop, they’d deliberated over whether or not to hug before eventually settling on a high-five, and then the not-quite-a-date was over. Neither of them really expected anything to happen between them. They were just friends.

The next morning Alya, in what is perhaps still recognised as her most uncharacteristic act, decided to forego her morning coffee from the small café three streets over in favour of buying bubble gum. It was just meant to be something small and nice, to let Nino know that she would be up for hanging out again, if he wanted.

Nino texted her to meet him by the Trocadero. She eventually found him, small-café-three-streets-over-coffee in hand, and the rest was history. She may have fallen a little bit in love with him in that moment. But he is never allowed to know.

“What are you thinking about?” Marinette pokes Alya sharply in the ribs, causing her to jump.

“Nothing important,” Alya hisses in pain, rubbing her side and shooting a glare at Marinette. “Just thinking about the not-quite-date.”

Marinette giggles. “You are so sappy, you know that, right? You get this weird dreamy look in your eye and I swear I heard you sigh at least twice.”

“No way! I’m not sappy, Nino’s the sappy one!” Alya huffs. It’s true; she is the sappy one. Marinette knows it, Alya knows it, they all know it.

“Oh yeah? Well when is you guys’ anniversary, huh?”

“Six days, four hours, and twenty-seven minutes.” Alya mumbles, somewhat embarrassed.

“Wait, you seriously remember –”

“I have a countdown on my phone.”

Marinette raises an amused eyebrow as Alya turns an even brighter shade of red. She leans over and envelops Alya in a hug.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed about it, Al. I think it’s cute.”

Alya laughs. “Thanks, Mari. I just – it’s coming up to five years, you know? And I guess it’s just – I don’t know. I wanna make it more special this year.”

“It’ll be great, Alya. Don’t worry about it. I will do everything in my power to make sure everything goes perfectly. Scout’s honour!” Marinette raises her hand to her head in an overdramatic salute.

“Mari, you were never a Scout.”

“It’s the thought that counts, right?”

[fuck-you-i-am-spiderman]

Hollstein for the ask ship meme!

I miss them so much :(

Who accidentally pushes a door instead of pulling/vice versaThis is a total Laura thing to do but as we saw in 3x06 Carmilla can get fairly clumsy when she’s flustered so I think if Laura pushed her buttons then Carm would pull a push door and then blush violently as Laura points out that it’s one you push.

Who doodles little hearts all over the desk with their initials inside themLaura. Carmilla leaves her little notes for her lunch with quotes from her favourite books. Laura doodles hearts so much, it got to an embarrassing level when she accidentally drew one on a paper she was marking.

Who starts the tickle fightsLaura 100%. Carmilla is extremely ticklish and she tries to act tough but Laura knows when to attack and she loves that Carmilla runs so fast and hides so that Laura can’t tickle her. The carefree way Carmilla laughs and squirms as Laura attacks her tickling everywhere makes Laura’s heart flutter, she loves that Carmilla is more open now but she teases a lot and so Laura takes her revenge by tickling her relentlessly.

Who starts the pillow fightsDepends. Laura often starts them to get Carmilla out of bed (it usually backfires because Carmilla grabs her and pulls her down and then pillows are forgotten as their lips meet). Sometimes Carmilla will initiate them because she’s bored and she likes to annoy Laura so if Laura is marking work or typing an article up she’ll turn for a second and them whack a face full of pillow and we all know Laura is not one to back down so it becomes an all out war which more often than not includes a nerf gun battle.

Who falls asleep last, watching the other with a small affectionate smileIt fluctuates but it’s mainly Carmilla. She isn’t quite used to sleeping at reasonable times so she tends to stay awake until it starts getting light outside and then she snuggles in beside Laura and wakes up nearing 4pm. They get into the routine of Carmilla reading to Laura before bed, Laura is comforted by Carmilla’s voice and she always rests her head on Carm’s chest letting the slow thud of her heart beating soothe her and lull her into a peaceful slumber.

Who mistakes salt for sugarPffft...Carmilla, only because Laura makes that much cocoa that she would never make that mistake. However Carmilla is used to living on little to no food so maybe she puts sugar on her fries and salt in her coffee. Laura doesn’t let her live it down.

Who lets the microwave play the loud beeping sound at 1am in the morningLaura most days. She gets distracted by tumblr and her search for the cookies Carmilla’s hidden. Thankfully Carmilla is still quite in tune with her hearing so she usually swoops in to grab Laura’s food, berate Laura for getting distracted again and then retrieve the cookie packet from the bookshelf. Laura still can’t figure out how Carmilla can hide them so successfully.

Who comes up with cheesy pick up linesLaura for sure. Carmilla rolls her eyes but she can’t deny that Laura’s attempts make her smile. She can confirm that she has never been hit on using Harry Potter references but Laura does get fairly creative with them: “Hey, baby; I must be in the Room of Requirement, because I require YOU!” and “A cyberman couldn't delete you from my heart.” are two of Laura’s best.

Who rearranges the bookshelf in alphabetical orderCarmilla. For a wile she’s unemployed - unsure where she wants to go with her life now that she’s free. She doesn’t mean to do it but she’s bored and she’s trying to find a new book (and by new it means she’s trying to find the book that she hasn’t read that week) and so she decides to sort them out. Laura comes back to find that the bookshelf has been organised as well as the fridge, the cupboards, the bathroom and Carmilla’s drawers. 

Who licks the spoon when they’re baking browniesLaura definitely. Carmilla whisks the bowl away from her grasp and boops her nose putting a dollop of mixtures on the tip. Food fights are often had and Perry actually put a ban on their brownie baking when she was scarred by the sight of a topless Carmilla having her way with Laura on the kitchen floor.

Who buys candles for dinners even though there’s no special occasionCarmilla, no doubt about it. She likes candles, they comfort her and Laura loves that Carmilla is still such a sap.

Who draws little tattoos on the other with a penIt’s actually Carmilla. She’s always had a thing for art and being able to leave her mark in a creative way. She draws constellations along Laura’s arm all along her vein lines. She draws an intricate panther design on Laura’s shoulder blade, the panther sleeping underneath a moon with a yellow pillow between its paws. It becomes Laura’s first tattoo and her Dad may have fainted but it makes Carmilla smile to know that Laura wants such an important part of who Carmilla is with her always.

Who comes home with a new souvenir magnet every time they go on vacationLaura (but Carmilla bought them). Laura said that they could just leave but Carm knows her gf wants souvenirs so she may grumble about being dragged in way too many shops but she will still waltz over to the counter with an handful of magnets and keyrings that Laura definitely doesn’t need and hand over a wad of cash just so she doesn’t have to see the dreaded pout that always appears when she says no to Laura. She gets kisses in response so she never complains too much.

Who convinces the other to fill out those couple surveys in the back of magazinesLaura for sure. Carmilla makes so many snarky comments and she always huffs about their stupid results but Laura insists and when she gets that determined twinkle in her eye even the toughest biker couldn’t deny her.

♡ Send me a ship and I’ll tell you

[mostleemorethansmut]

It wasn’t a good night Ch3: Stephanie’s true Nightmare

It was a quiet night. Matt nuzzled close to Stephanie. Stephanie whimpered a bit. She was happy, but still scared. How couldn't she be. Her dreams were terrifying her. As much as she wished it, she didn't have any choice but to fall asleep. Her mind craved it.

_-_

The next morning Stephanie awoke in her husband's arms. She sighed. "Good morning love," she sang. She nuzzled into him, trying to get him to wake up a bit.

Mat grumbled something and pulled her closer to him. Stephanie giggled and booped his nose. "It's time to get up," she said in a sing-song voice.

Mat groaned and pulled away from her. "Well I'm up now," he guilted. "I was hoping we could just lie together, but I guess we can start the day if that's what you want.

Stephanie looked down. She didn't want him to be so upset. She just wanted a bit of acknowledgment. She got up and started the shower. Mat came up behind her and softly kissed her cheek. "How about we just skip the shower this morning," he suggested, reaching over and shutting off the water. "It'll just be us two all day, anyway."

Stephanie sighed. "But I smell bad," she sniffed.

"Steph..."

"We could take one together," she nuzzled into him seductively.

Mat shook his head and led her by the hand away. "We'll take one later. Right now I just want it to be us."

Stephanie sighed and followed him to the couch where they stayed cuddling all morning. Beyond telling Stephanie to make them both a brunch, Mat didn't say much. He just listened to Stephanie list of the problems she was having. He nodded and took in all of her problems. It did feel good to have her problems off her chest.

*

The showers were the first sign. It was extremely subtle, but you can't start, can you? Any time she wanted to take a shower, Mat managed to somehow pull her away from it. Give her some work. Push himself into the shower with her. She found herself relieved when he told her that it'd be alright, and almost becoming giddy somewhat.

She was pacing back and forth in the streaming room when the first sign should've been made clear. She was trying to think up a new theory, but no one wanted to work with her. She hadn't actually showered in four days. Mat didn't argue, so...

Mat poked his head inside the room. "Jason said you wanted to see me?"

"Um, may I take a shower?" she asked, then she stopped. Did she seriously ask that question?

Mat nodded. "Sure honey. Just make it a quick one."

*

It was after a meeting that he slapped Stephanie. They had just finished meeting with a client for a consulting gig. The man had asked to meet in a Starbucks. The duo agreed to meet there. Since they'd been there before a lot, they parked in the alleyway behind it.

As soon as the door was closed Mat grabbed her wrist to get her attention. When she looked she was slapped right across the face. Stephanie kept her face turned away while he yelled at her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he shouted. "Didn't we discuss not talking about their choice of editing tool on the first meeting? You were the one who brought that one up!"

Steph couldn't answer. She just held her face and stood still, fighting off tears. Mat seemed to realize his mistake. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," he rushed, leaning down to give a hug. She tried to pull away, but got lodged in his arms anyway.

"It won't happen again," he promised. "Never again. I won't ever do that again."

*

That one was a lie.

*

Mat slapped her a lot. It was at small things mostly. Debates on who would run to go get food were quickly resolved with a smack across the face. Some of them she deserved though. She would lie and Mat would figure it out; one whack. If she messed up on making food or did something that lost them business; one hit on the face.

Stephanie began to feel like she deserved these. Less so on the petty arguments. Couldn't he compromise anymore? None of them bruised, they just hurt. She began applying more blush to hide her reddened cheeks.

It was during a fairly heated argument when he punched her for the first time. She let out a yelp of pain and hit the floor. She winced at first, but leaned into an ice pack that was placed against her head. The hits grew more frequent and the ice packs less so.

After a time she was instructed to get her own packs. She used to think a screw up was worth a slap. Now it was definitely worth a punch. A small dispute was certainly worth a slap. She always shifted her hair to her right side to hide his attacks from the livestream viewers.

Mat kept her on her feet, though. Sometimes he'd ready up a punch only to give her a kiss. He'd pretend to slap her and gave her a hug. It made the hundreds of strikes worth the one lovely gift.

One day, he slammed her into a fridge, though. Her eye bruised from there. Jason gave it a wary look, but so many people on the livestream asked, she had to come up with a believable alibi.

"I slipped," she lied to roughly 87,000 people, and even more in archive-land. "The floor was slippery in the kitchen, and I hit my eye on the counter when I fell."

The audience seemed okay, even Chris seemed to believe, but Mat caught Jason's dubious look. It was payday at GT headquarters. So, Chris was cut his check, and Jason his. Mat wished Chris a good weekend, and told Jason to not bother showing up on Monday. Then he closed the door on their confused looks.

Stephanie watched this from around the corner at the bottom of the stairs. She sprinted up the stairs as Mat turned around. She had asked permission to use the shower and Mat'd be pissed if he found out he wasn't doing that. She ended up taking a cold shower because waiting for the water to warm up would look pretty suspicious.

She sighed happily as she climbed into bed after with him. Mat grinned and set aside his book as he saw her. "How was your shower?" he asked.

"Good," she simply responded.

Mat leaned in and kissed below her neck. "Well," he said between long slow kisses, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. How about a bit more pleasure."

Steph shivered in fear and shifted away slightly. They hadn't had sex for a pretty long time, and she wasn't ready to resume now, especially with how he'd been acting recently. "M-Mat," she whimpered nervously. "I d-don't want t-to. T-tonight, I mean."

Mat climbed on top her. "Last chance," he whispered in her ear. He moved to drag down her pants.

"Stop," she yelled, trying to push him off.

Mat punched her. "Shut up!"

"Help!" she screamed. "Someone hel-" Stephanie was cut short as Mat slammed a hand over her mouth. She continued to struggle, tears rolling down her face.

_-_

Matt realized his wife was crying and tried to calm her down. He wasn't surprised that she was crying again. That's why he'd scheduled a therapist meeting for the as soon as possible. He felt bad. "Steph?" he asked, kissing along her neck. "Are you okay?"

His kisses made her flip out. She flailed about. "Stop!" she yelled.

Matthew tried to calm her down by caressing her face, but she winced in pain. "Help!" she screamed. "Someone hel-" Stephanie cut herself off.

"Stephanie Wake Up!" he shook. Her eyes snapped open. Seeing his face she backed away as fast as she could. So fast, in fact. She fell of the bed, pulling the covers away with her. Matt reached down to help her, but she continued away.

"Get away!" she screamed. "Get away you... you... you MONSTER!"

Matt didn't know what to do. "Stephanie? What's wrong."

She didn't answer, but whimpered and pressed herself up against their small window in fear. "Steph?" he calmed. "It was a nightmare. It's just me. Not Ryan. Just me."

She didn't do anything to respond, just pushed farther back, wishing the window would somehow break and let her fall out, even though the bottom of the window sill was at her neck.

"Stephanie," he tried to calm, shifting so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "What did you see in your dream?"

She sniffled. "You hit me. That wasn't a dream!"

"Honey, I haven't hit you. I never would hit you. Please, that was a dream. You were asleep."

The victim gulped hard. "When is it?" She knew for a fact it was August when Mat had first hit her.

"July," he responded. He tentatively took a step off the bed. "You told me about your past tonight."

"That was months-" Her voice trailed off. Was it all a dream?

Matt shuffled towards her. "I will never hurt you," he reaffirmed.

She nodded and tripped towards him. The blankets were hard to maneuver than she'd thought. But Matthew's strong arms caught her before she fell and she happily laid in them. This Matt felt different than the one in her dream. [Did you catch it yet?]

They fell asleep happily in that position. A perfect metaphor on how Stephanie got through the next few months to her 'breakthrough,' as the therapist called it.

[Well, I'd like to thank you for joining me through this harrowing journey. It's been hard, but very worth- hang on, I've just been handed a memo. Well, apperently my brain's been working in overdrive while I've been writing fifteen different Fanfics. I guess there's gonna be another chapter. Probably not worse than this one, though. See you when I manage to crawl myself out of homework]