#the boy downstairs

[gingerylangylang1979]

Any recommendations for Soft Romantic stories (books or movies) featuring Black Women?

I hope I don’t offend anyone and this is not meant to be a rant against all white women or anything. I also don’t expect every creator to create specifically for me, how can they if they don’t all get my experience? I’m just tired, y’all. 

I recently finished the Normal People limited series. I liked it at first but towards the middle I was really unimpressed and the end left me cold. No, I will not read the book. I think the thing that struck me most is how much I just don’t want to engage in any more romantic story lines that involve privileged white ingenues. I just can’t for the love of humanity watch a self absorbed girl rocking the nonchalant French girl aesthetic and strain to find her relatable. I live in Brooklyn. I know these girls. I just can’t relate. But they are not someone who’s inner life I need to get to know better. Maybe this is why I had no desire to ever watch Girls. I have a few white girl friends, they are not like these girls, like. at. all. I also recently watched The Boy Downstairs and The Worst Person in the World. See a theme here? Basically, I have Hulu and was struggling with finding modern romance to watch, thus this losing streak of irritating protagonists. I think Rory Gilmore is perhaps the archetype of this girl? I didn’t make it through the first season of that show. I just didn’t get the hype. 

Anyways, this got me thinking that I really, really, really would love to have some GOOD romantic entertainment that features someone that looks like me. But what I don’t want is a soap opera or a typical romance novel formula. ( I can get down with a good telenovela style epic drama, but I want a different flavor here). I think the appeal of genre of films I mentioned is that they try to go deeper, they try to be smarter, nuanced, layered. I get the draw. It’s just none of these characters are that interesting to me and people seem to fall at their feet for no discernible reason. But I want the fluff, the softness, the allusions to great literature and art, the camisoles worn ever so gracefully, travel, and promise. I just don’t want the sense that no matter what these girls are going to be ok and land on their feet. Maybe they have some trauma, but honestly I have trauma, too and I still have to be a Black woman that is still struggling to be valued in relationships, in the work place, in society at large. So no, one shitty parent and sibling is not the totality of my lived experience and the extent of my angst. There is a whole lot of other shit going on. I don’t have a trust fund to fall back on that can also finance all the self care, elite higher education, and travel I desire. I also still live with roommates. See what I’m saying? If you get it, you get it, if you don’t, you don’t. 

I’ve been writing a fanfic based on Carmy and Sydney from The Bear. It is so fluffy, but also deep, sensual, witty (at least I think so). Sydney is coming into her full womanhood, defining her career, loving a man who is wounded, and guess what, she’s broke ass fuck but still looks cute and has fun. I need that, but someone else to write it so I can enjoy. Props to all the other fanfic writers! Can we get something like this published or on the screen? FYI, I do not care if the romantic interest is Black, white, Asian, whatever. It does not matter to me. I want intelligent writing and a protagonist who is not aloof, who is vulnerable, delicate, actually works a challenging job, and inspires adoration not just because, but because she is seen. I swear if I have to sit through one more scene of a boring white girl in a perfect messy bun take a half bite of a pastry in slow motion I’m going to scream. Or watch a racially ambiguous girl get fawned over because of course she would because she’s slightly exotic and safe. AKA, she cannot be light skinned or mixed for the love of God! 

Side note: I do recommend Good Luck to You Leo Grande (the ending was a bit meh, but the rest excellent and my goodness Emma Thompson always makes me cry) and Enough Said (who knew James Gandolfini was a great romantic lead). Maybe middle aged and older white women are better viewing than millennials and Gen Z?

Anyways, who has recs for my rant?

Edit: I think I found the vibe of what I’m looking for. Imagine all of the love songs from The Sea and the self titled albums from Corinne Bailey Rae. That’s it. 

[haveyouseenthisromcom]

[animatedjen]

“You don’t have to do this alone, Cal Kestis.”

[scatterbrainedbot]

I AM SPINNING I AM PACING I AM FULL ON FROLICKING IM SO EXCITED

@d1sc0rd1a THANK U FOR THESE TAGS

okayokayokayokay so pretty much all of these questions will be Officially Answered properly in the character design/intro pages im working on but also i am physically vibrating with excitement about the fact that you noticed all these details and i have very little self control so! lore dump time!!!

(minor tw for mentions of leos self-harm/self-destructive anxious behaviors and unhealthy coping skills)

- mikey does indeed have curly fur! i believe he would be considered a 'rex' rat (pictured on the left) for this trait? though the curls can be more easily seen on mice (pictured on the right). or, at least it seems that way. have not delved too deeply into the details of rodent genes and husbandry, but id assume its the same sort of mutation considering curly haired mice are also referred to as rex sometimes? either way hes a extra floofy bby 🧡

-as for raphie, unfortunately being more fluff and less shell than the average rapheal comes with its downsides. especially if you and your brothers occasionally encounter things like territorial dogs, hungry cats, or sewer crocodiles while exploring places ur dad said not supposed to go. (most of his scars will have more ninja related stories, but his ear i think got messed up from something very animal. probably around age 11 ish? old enough to sneak out from dads protection but young enough to not fully know how to handle himself alone against real danger. thankfully his ear injury looks worse than it actually is for the most part, as the damage was largely to the outer ear. his hearing wasnt super affected, except that he now has a bit of a harder time being able to track/pinpoint noises origins if its on his right side.)

-also yep! dons got some glasses that just clip/rest on the bridge of his nose! theyre mostly just for home use, as they do fall off if hes knocked around. in the field he has some goggles he tends to use (theyre helpful as they have multiple additional functions like heat-imaging, extra zoom/telescoping, and recording capabilities. but also theyll give him headaches if he wears them for too long without breaks). contacts are theoretically also an option but he absolutely hates the sensation of putting them in. so sometimes when hes tired he'll just not bother with either clips or goggles and just squint and struggle. leo hates when he does that lol.

-speaking of leo, he is def an anxious baby :) he has a few patches of fur missing on his hand cos he has the tendency to tug on it while hes thinking. he yanked and chewed on his own tail a lot when he was younger too, which is why when hes older he usually wears some wraps to cover the scars left from that behavior. he finds those scars specifically to be kinda embarrassing and shameful because they werent from any battle or life-lesson, just his own 'inability to control himself'. all of his brothers have repeatedly called him out on the fact that that is not a healthy way to think about his anxiety or mental health, but leo insists hes fine. hes kinda convinced himself that a proper warrior always has control over his own body* and his own thoughts, thus he should be able to just like willpower-brute-force his way into 'being better'. (this line of thinking pisses raph off so much he has to leave and go hit something)

Splinter also tries to talk him through some of that internalized guilt/shame/everything, but splinters very metaphorical, poetic, and indirect when it comes to talking about Big Things, which combined with how much leo gets caught in his own head, makes it kinda hard to gauge how much these talks actually help

*this is made extra fun considering leos also ftm trans, so he is faced with a body that fundamentally disobeys him perhaps more than the average rat-man.

-and im still going back and forth between a few species for splinter, but im leaning mostly towards an African Spurred Tortoise! they have these beautiful if kinda subtle geometric shell patterns and are the third largest species of tortoise in the world. the only thing that doesnt fit perfectly with Splints is that (allegedly) their lifespan in captivity is around 50ish years, whereas im p sure Tortoise Splinter is well over 75, probably closer to 90 when the boys are born and hes mutated into Old Man Papa.

but maybe hes just a particularly long lasting African Spurred Tortoise.

the Hamato family has taken very good care of him for many decades after all. :)

(well. until everything all fell apart, that is.....)

[bri-in-ur-attic]

Just some lil risqué thought I had, nothing explicit but its kinda steamy, just two idiots in love tbh (not proofread)

Imagine getting in the right mood, dimly lit candle with books surrounding you and all

P accidentally read a romantic novel and he felt the ergo in his heart churning as he imagined being in the scenario with you

Noticing he had been completely still for a long while, you peeped over next to him asking what he was reading

Placing the book down, P turns his head to face you, his face conflicted

Worried that he might've read something depressing you place a hand on his shoulder with concern

"Did you read something not pleasant?"

Shaking his head, P leaned his body towards you, your concerned expression now confused and flustered

"It was..good actually..really good.."

The implications behind his words and body language was clear

P had just read a steamy scene from a romantic novel.

"Ah- I-I get it now..."

Unable to handle his deep gaze you look away, overwhelmed but in a good way

Recalling that the male character from the book took the initiative, P gently directs your face back to him with his index finger now grabbing your chin

Deeply gazing into your eyes, he then looks down to your lips

Taking the fact that you licked your lips as a sign, P leans his face forward with eyes lidded, you mirror his actions and hear his small inhale before your lips meet his

The kiss was very gentle, like a first kiss which indeed was for P

You having a little more experience tilt your head to enhance the kiss and you hear a soft moan from P

Placing your hand where his mechanical heart is, you feel the thumping, P despite being non-human feels and acts so much like a human-being

You pull away to catch your breath, pouting at the loss of your warmth P chases after your lips and feeling more confident grabs your face but with ease to keep you at a close proximity

Grabbing his hands, you let out a breathy laugh at his assertiveness

"i need to breathe for a moment.."

While you were kissing, P had slightly pushed you down which leaves you under him, legs draped under his

After catching your breath, you pressed your lips towards P to which he reciprocates, this time you decide to let your tongue out a little to tease P's lips

He halts and eyes widen, worried that you made him uncomfortable you push yourself away embarrassed

But before you could even move 2 inches away from him, P grips your hip in one hand and the other on the back of your head and slams his lips on yours

With how human he acts, you sometimes forget that he's a puppet, but no human has ever made you feel this way, from his gentleness to his ethereal beauty, with each motion your lips move against each other, he truly is human at heart, the fact that you're French kissing with a literal puppet doesn't bother you much at all

*chirp* "Woah! You finally did it! Y/n you have no idea how much he was pining for you! I'm so proud of you pal!"

Both you and P look at the Gemini with annoyance

[splitpierrot]

the tumpet. bwaaaaa

[the-ace-with-spades]

A High School AU where Jake and Bradley meet during freshman year and get into a fight straight away. So when Mav picks up Bradley from the principal's office, he instantly starts hating that Seresin boy that has a such bad influence on his Baby Goose. And Bradley keeping on complaining about Jake every time they interact at school doesn't help and in Mav's head, Jake's become the devil reincarnated. That Seresin boy.

(Meanwhile, every time Bradley complains at the dinner table about that smug bastard, Ice is having a deja vu moment)

The problem is, Bradley quickly becomes the star baseball player and Jake is the football MVP so they start hanging around similar circles of people. And by the time they're juniors, they kind of start to talk. And then hang out. And then they kind of start liking each other. And then Jake asks Bradley out and they start dating.

Bradley doesn't tell them at first, that Jake and he started dating - he knows they'll be okay with it - but he brings Jake to dinner one evening, so they could meet. It goes completely not like he thought it'd.

Mav still does not like Jake, no matter how charming Jake tries to be. And Jake doesn't know what to do because he's never had to deal with so much passive-aggressiveness. They finish dinner and try to go to Bradley's room and Mav starts saying something about how it's getting late and would you like a ride home Seresin? and he makes Jake leave and drives him home in silence. Literally doesn't say a thing.

Since Jake has, like, four siblings and his grandparents living under one roof and there's no privacy in his house, they keep on meeting at Bradley's when Mav is still at work (Ice might or might not know that the Seresin boy is in Bradley's room whenever he's working from home even if he pretends otherwise...). And then comes a time when Mav takes his annual leave and he's home all the time for two weeks.

They're teenagers. They can't stay apart for two weeks.

So Jake, one day when Bradley is sulking in his room after school, sneaks up using the tree that's near Bradley's window.

And it's exciting because they're sneaking around, Jake's taken the time to come see him and it's the thrill or maybe just hormones, but they start kissing and Jake's taking off his t-shirt and it's all just so fun--

And then Mav walks in, asking what kind of pizza Bradley wants for dinner. Sees them there, on Bradley's bed, half naked, with Jake's hands in Bradley's sweatpants and just freezes there in the door.

They scatter, Jake puts on his t-shirt in a record time and Bradley just kind of sits there for a minute, not knowing what to do because nothing like this has ever happened.

And Mav, with a completely blank face, asks, "Bradley, can I see you in Ice's office?"

Bradley leaves his bedroom telling Jake not to panic and how Mav is pretty chill usually, and meanwhile, Jake contemplates running out the window.

[eddie4bat-president]

I'm not a writer but i had this thought so- bear with me, yeah?

For months Eddie hears all about how cool and badass Steve Harrington is, yeah, but you know what he also hears about? How Steve and Robin are made for each other and how cool and pretty Robin is and how stupid it is that they're not a couple for some dumb reason, like Steve not wanting to be with a band geek and still clinging to high school hierarchy. And in all of the things Dustin says about Steeeve Harrington, that last part is the only thing that fits into the Munson Doctrine, so obviously everything else Henderson is saying is what's skewed in his little shrimp world view.

Steve Harrington thinks he's better than a band geek and that's why we won't look twice at a girl that would be perfect for him (according to Dustin Henderson, so... still questionably trustworthy information). Eddie probably assumes Dustin is talking up how close Steve and Robin actually are, just how he's exaggerating how close Dustin himself is to Harrington (like that would impress Eddie and the rest of Hellfire??? He really doesn't know how to get through to the little sheep that his worship of Hawkins' most notorious square is a detriment to his character and not something Eddie would find impressive. If it was real. Which it obviously isn't. Anyway-)

Turns out? Steve Harrington? Actually a cool dude. Not cool as in popular but cool as in "holy shit did he just bite that thing's head off???? Oh and he's not even gonna brag about that, it's just nbd, yeah sure, cool cool cool be fucking cool Eddie, oh god he's talking to me why is he talking to me" and just, chill to hang out with. After the whole shit show went down. Who would have fucking thought, huh? (except for Dustin Henderson, yeah yeah yeah, shut up)

So now Eddie has to reevaluate some other assumptions he made. Maybe Dustin was right and Steve actually is cool and badass, and he and Buckley actually are as close as he had said (and they really fucking are! He has seen them give Keith eerily matching bitchy looks for trying to schedule them on opposing shifts and basically bully the guy into changing the schedule around so they can spend as much time as possible in each other's presence. It's enough to make a guy question his own friendships when sometimes a few hours of band practice are enough to make him want to never see any of those chucklefucks again. Of course, that feeling abates but seriously, how are those two never sick of each other??)

So if they're as close as advertised but not a couple (and after meeting everyone Steve cares about and they're basically all nerds so the "Harrington thinks he's too good for a band geek" thing can't actually hold true-) what is the hold-up? Why aren't they a couple? And somehow, somehow Eddie comes to the conclusion that Steve is in love with Robin. Steve is a serial romantic (emphasis on romantic) and while his love life isn't the talk of the town post-earthquakes as it would have been before, people do still talk about the fact that he hasn't taken out a girl since it happened.

Which brings us to a day in summer, maybe fall, after Eddie has seen Steve look wistfully at a young couple with a baby, that he shows up at Robin's door step.

"Eddie? Hey what's up?"

"Good, good, how are you? Uhh can I... can I come in?" There's a nervous energy around him that is immediately infectious and she leads him to the living room where he immediately starts walking back and forth in front of the couch. She watches him for a moment, hands fluttering through different motions trying to find one that might calm him down before giving up on that. Instead Robin swerves around him, clambering onto the couch and wrapping her arms around her right leg, putting her head on her knee. She follows Eddie's path with her eyes and decides to wait before quickly realizing that she can't, actually.

"As riveting as it is watching you walk a groove into my parents' rug, do you maybe want to say something? I mean I can definitely talk enough for the both if us if that's what you want it's just that I have the slight suspicion you've got something you need to get off your chest" Eddie stopped walking halfway through her monologue and starts nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah yeah yes you're right it's just- I haven't a hundred percent made up my mind about saying something", Eddie has one arm wrapped around himself and uses the other to alternately play with his hair and gesticulate at her, "because on the one hand it's a little bit driving me crazy, maybe, but on the other hand this is none of my fucking business" And Robin who was worried at first just because Eddie is nervous, then for a second because she was scared he was going to confess to a very ill-advised crush on her, is stumped. What the fuck is this about and why did it bring him to her of all people?

"Just say it you weirdo", is what decides to comes out of her mouth but it doesn't even matter because half of her sentence is layered with his "Are you aware Steve is in love with you?"

[here we're facing the issue of me not actually being a writer and pretty much running out of steam but we also haven't reached the part that sparked this whole thing yet, which is wild - let's just pretend I wrote a very funny dialogue between those two in which Eddie confronts Robin for stringing poor Steve along ]

There's a moment when they're both silent and there's a moment when they're both talking and then there are steps coming down the stairs. They make a smirk grow on Robin's face that is starting to worry Eddie when not a parental figure but Steve Harrington steps through the doorway. He's wearing sweatpants and a shirt that might be Robin's and there's a headband pushing his hair away from his face.

"Don't yell at me for coming downstairs, you took forever and the first layer... is... dry....", he stops in his tracks the moment he looks up from his bare toes and sees Eddie. Then he very quickly rips off the headband and slings it somewhere to his right into the unknown of the hallway.

"Hi Eddie. What's... up" Eddie is going to sink into the floor and never come up for air again.

In the meantime Robin stood up on the couch to sit cross-legged on the back of it for a better vantage point and is steepling her fingers in front of her face. Eddie is getting the distinct impression he's missing some crucial information here.

"Stevie, babe, platonic love of my life-", Steve nods for her to go on, "you know how we decided I get a veto on your romantic life because we realized droves of suboptimal dates actually make you miserable so we're going for quality over quanity for the first time in your small-town Casanova life?" Steve has that cute little crease between his eyebrows while he's looking back and forth between Eddie and Robin, trying to figure out what's going on but he rolls his eyes at the end of her sentence, back in familiar territory. "Yes, Robin-"

She interrupts: "And you know how I also reserved the right to give a shovel slash molotov cocktail talk to anyone we deemed worthy of being a potential future partner?" Steve's face somehow shows an emotion that can only be encapsulated by "?!" as he glances to Eddie before shifting back to Robin with just the "?" remaining.

"First I have to say I'm personally very pro, I loved this experience; Eddie here really made a fool of himself, very worried for your delicate sensibilities and how I'm breaking your sweet little heart." "...what...?"

"So: what's the verdict on a potential future partner giving me the shovel talk?"

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Bobby would so have an entire collection of these kind of shirts all of which were bought for him but he would totally wear anyway

[steelycunt]

living with boys when you are a girl is just like. everything is fine and fun but do not ever voice discomfort or ask someone to do something they should be doing anyway or remind someone of something that needs to be done because then you are a boring bossy nag and also irrational and unreasonable and hysterical and also kind of a bitch because it was never that deep in the first place and you need to relax and get off their backs and why are you so angry oh my god.

[oifaaa]

Was talking to someone the other day about good book covers and my friend was like "Oh I really liked the old hunger game covers" which threw me for a second until I realised they probably weren't talking about the covers I had when I was younger you know not these covers

[there-will-be-a-way]

Also, I called the support workers of the living group my bestie lives in last week to get an appointment for an interview and they said they would call me back on Monday to give me a date. I didn't hear back from them so I called them this morning to 1) ask them for the date for the interview and 2) show them my interest because you have to do that when searching for living groups. You have to call again and again and again, otherwise you'll never get to live there because their waiting lists are so long that they often "forget" people (aka ignore them on purpose if they don't show enough interest). The person on the phone was unkind - or at least I felt this way. She sounded annoyed and told me that they don't have a date yet and that they don't have a free room anyway. I felt let down and upset. She said that they have my contacts and that I'll hear back from them but tbh, I doubt that. And the way she treated me makes me not want to live there anyway. I'd rather stay here and live in a container or smth but have support workers who feel like a family. Idk

[k-k-armadillo]

um so basically a pox is upon me

[signorinaclaudiacardinale]

Claudia Cardinale in… Culture Club video!

Oh yesssss as you read! The first time I saw the video I was surprised! I had bought the Culture Club DVD back in 2018 and I started watching all the videos without changing (yes, I love Culture Club songs!) and suddenly "God Thank you Woman" came on for the first time I heard it and I loved it the sound and I stayed watching the video and to my surprise… my idol Claudia Cardinale appeared in a scene

from the English film "The Upstairs and Downstairs", 1959 (Directed by Ralph Thomas)

and I was all excited to see it!

Of course I was also excited to see in the music video Brigitte Bardot in "And God Create Woman", Sophia Loren in "El Cid", Raquel Welch, Britt Ekland and among other world-renowned European actresses.

Album: From Luxury to Heartache. Artist: Culture Club. Release date: 1986.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 The lyrics of the song are beautiful! Boy George sings this beautiful song dedicated to women, I like the part that says: "I would give my heart to you You're the air I breathe. There is nothing I won't do Just promise that you'll never leave… God Thank You Woman".

[softquietsteadylove]

We need more fake wedding/engagement AU pls ♥️

"Hey."

"Hey," Gil looked up, surprised by the soft voice and the silent steps padding into the kitchen. He pulled up his piping bag from making little rosettes of whipped potatoes. "What are you doing up?"

It had been yet another long day, and even longer than most. Ajak had required Gil to make a slew of appetizers for the engagement party she was insisting on hosting for them. He had agreed, of course, because it made sense.

Thena had expressed her worry over him slaving away in the kitchen for a party supposedly in his honour; couldn't they just get it catered? He said it was sweet, but he was happy to cook for it, and he would have plenty of time to prepare everything, so it wasn't like he would be too stressed about it.

It was only a partial lie, and it only satisfied Thena partially anyway.

She then spent all day helping Ajak plan the layout for the party in the expansive 'back yard' of the property, including their little section of beach. Ajak had the best eye for decoration, but Thena was a master planner. She had every square inch optimised and every minute accounted for while Sersi and Makkari focused on the guest list and aesthetic for the party.

They had both reconvened at the dinner table, swaying from the fatigue of the day. Thena had even excused herself earlier than normal to get some sleep.

"Are you still preparing for the party?" Thena asked, ignoring his question about why she was up. She walked closer, pulling her cardigan around herself. She wore a cardigan because it was cold but preferred the silence she could achieve with bare feet?

"I'm almost done," he smiled, piping his last few dollops of Duchess potatoes. "These just need to set, and then tomorrow I'll bake them with a butter bath and a little cheese so they can be served hot."

Thena drifted around the side of the table to him, similar to how she had hovered the day of the sandwich making--a day which neither of them had mentioned, but did it ever stick out in his mind.

He could never forget the feeling of her lips at the corner of his. Although he could also never forget the look on his mom's face when they both realised she was still in the room to witness their little moment. He had been embarrassed, sure, but Thena had all but run out of the room, barely looking at either of them for the rest of the night. She looked cute all flustered, though.

Thena watched him as he worked. "You're working awfully tirelessly for a party that should be for you."

He smiled at her, squeezing out the last bit of potato. "For us!--and besides, I don't mind."

"You keep saying that."

He couldn't help but be a little surprised. He hadn't expected her to voice a kind of defensiveness in his name. He shrugged, "I dunno, I'm used to it."

She tilted her head at him (cutely).

"I've always done stuff like this," he supplied easily as he finally set down his piping bag and looked at the three trays of apps he had finished. "Don't get me wrong, mom's a great cook, but stuff like this...I did do catering before I started at the company."

Thena also eyed his bounty, including all the dishes left from it. "Most caterers have entire teams to assist them, too."

He shrugged again, somewhat more sheepishly. "I guess, but honestly, hiring a caterer is more trouble than it's worth. At least I know what we all like, what we don't, that kind of thing. I know Sersi is allergic to buckwheat, I know Kari doesn't really like meat even if she's not totally vegetarian. I know Druig is picky with textures and I know you hate seafood."

Thena rolled her eyes at him.

He chuckled, though, picking up his tray and getting ready to load up the fridge even more. He smiled as Thena pulled the door open for him. "It's something I can do to take care of my family, y'know? Mom has done so much for us our whole lives."

And his father had done absolutely jack-shit for them.

"I wanna do whatever I can to help out," he concluded as she helped him load the last tray. The rest of the fridge was already stuffed with cheese appetizers, puff pastries to be baked, fruits that needed carving, and plenty else.

He turned and stretched with a groan. He was far from done, "I'll be up soon, don't worry. I just gotta finish these-"

"Leave them." He looked down at Thena, but she stared right back at him, arms crossed around her. "Leave the dishes for tomorrow."

He looked around the kitchen; it was pretty disastrous, and he didn't want to imagine what it would be like if his mother's kitchen weren't so massive. "The sink's totally full, not to mention the dishwasher. I can't-"

"It's not as if anyone will be using the kitchen for themselves tomorrow anyway," she shook her head, even pulling him by the hand. "They can wait until tomorrow, Gil."

"But-" he floundered, although he wasn't trying all that hard to escape the grasp of her very cold, very delicate hand. He looked down at the hand, and then at her bare feet again. "Thena, you're freezing--seriously, why aren't you in bed?"

She didn't answer him, still pulling him with her to their shared guest room.

"Were you cold?" he asked, and he had a feeling he was getting warmer (no pun intended). He tilted his head to try and get a better look at her, "is it too big? I told mom we didn't need a king sized bed."

"Just come to bed, Gilgamesh."

He grinned; she couldn't sleep without him.

He could admit just to himself that he had also gotten used to sleeping with her. After the general horror of sleeping with his best friend in a partial state of undress wore off, he had to admit, it was comfy. They fit together well, he gave off enough warmth for the both of them, and Thena would naturally wake him up by running her fingers through his hair.

Neither of them had mentioned that either, but he had a feeling she liked cuddling too.

"Fine," he conceded, yawning as he trudged up the stairs. "But I'm being a bad chef by leaving all that sitting there."

"I'm sure the code of conduct will forgive you," she drawled, finally bringing him into the room. She hadn't even closed the door behind her. She really did get up just to bring him to bed with her.

Gil sighed as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He was more tired than he thought he was.

"Get changed and lie down, Gil. Don't worry about the dishes."

Well, if she was going to tempt him with that lovely voice she had. He grumbled, hauling himself up and to the bathroom adjoining their room. Now that he was in the comfort of the familiar space, he felt how exhausted he was. Maybe she was right, he should ask for more help with stuff like this.

The dishes did get done, though. By the time he came downstairs the next morning to ask why she had gotten up so early, Thena had done every single one of them.

[edandstede]

on one hand: i’m a grown man, 28 years old, and i have nothing to be afraid of in my house

on the other hand: i just read many chapters of a horror-thriller book and now i don’t want to go downstairs to the toilet on my own at almost 4am

i am ridiculous