#this one is just so sillys.. it also has a little tail and wings printed on the back | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

micksture · 2 months

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hello i’m back on the grind and today i bring you the fullbody refs i nearly did a backflip over 🌞 hope you’ll like em

notes under the cut

CHARLIE

- Former Princess of Hell. She resigned from her role and place in the royal home because if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to fulfill her dream of redeeming Sinners. Her parents had different plans and expectations for her, and deem her as an embarrassment. Charlie lived in a dingy apartment and worked a couple of jobs for a few years to gather money. She struggled, but she finally earned enough to afford an empty, run down building. At the start, she and the gang will have to start rebuilding and renovating it to make the hotel she planned to build :p

- More goat motifs (ears, nose, horns, pupils, legs and hooves)

- Doll-like joints, which make her movements awkward and robotic at times

- Fangs and buck teeth <3

- Fluffy, puffy hair!!! The color is a mix of Lucifer’s hair back when he was still an angel (golden) and the hair he has now, after falling (red)

- One snake on each side of her head. Both of them are different species and have different personalities. They’re also super venomous, but she doesn’t rlly use that ability

- A mole under her left eye because I just couldn’t help myself hehe

- Tail that she can’t retract and has all the time. It’s a bit too short and just bothers her most of the time by accidentally knocking stuff over

- A blue ‘blouse’ (it’s actually a long sleeve top with buttons printed onto it, kinda like those silly faux tuxedo t-shirts) and shoes with accents of the same color, as any variant of blue is a vital part of the very loose dress code for the hotel’s workers. She also wears blue earrings and always adds a bit of blue to her makeup :3

- Other than that I think her outfit is pretty much similar? At least to the Pilot one

- I tried to sneak in some hearts to her design and just overall make her look friendly and awkward lolz

VANHI

- Former Exorcist angel. She gained consciousness during an extermination and was discarded solely because of that fact. Exorcists are programmed to be killing machines that feel nothing and don’t ask questions, so when they gain consciousness (which is very rare), their higher ups – so Lute and Adam – get rid of them. Vanhi was found by Charlie two days later, miraculously still alive. Charlie rushed her back to her apartment and slowly nursed her back to health, recognising her as an angel, but not an Exorcist. They’ve known each other for 3 yrs now, and they took some time to grow fond of each other but they’re getting there

- Obviously, the name change… She did used to be called Vaggie (when she was still an angel), changed it after being banished from the holy troops and left behind in Hell

- STRRRONG 💪💪💪💪 probs the strongest one out of the main six characters, at least physically

- Lots of scars all over her body from previous battles

- Long teased hair put up in a high ponytail for practical reasons. The black tips are dyed. Also RACOON TAIL!!!!!!!!

- Some moth motifs, like the antennas that mimic a bow and also her hair kinda resembles the wings of a moth when it is down.

- A funky ahoge (I think that’s what it’s called..) that looks like a halo :3

- A different eyepatch + protective gloves

- She wears a pink and white striped pullover under her blue shirt and she also has mismatched socks 👾

- Angelic spear, obvi.. its’ handle is a little bent in the middle, because Adam tried to snap it in half for dramatic effect and failed LMFAOJEBW BOZO

ANGEL DUST

- He’s a famous pornstar under Valentino’s contract, and he has been for some time now. Before that, he’d perform in clubs

- Lots of Valentino’s influence in his choice of clothing: shorts, boots, the black top, pink gloves + fur scarf, rings and the collar. The only thing that wasn’t gifted to him by the overlord is the pinstriped shirt and hat that he’s had since the very arrival in Hell. ALSO SHOUTOUT TO MY FRIEND FOR THIS IDEA: the buttons on his suit are little flies because he’s a spider!!!!!!

- Six eyes, four arms (but he can also grow out two more), pedipalps and abdomen to rlly play into the spider theme

- His teeth are stained with Val’s red saliva

- He has lots of toned pink spots all over his body. I couldn’t rlly decide on an exact design for his markings and I felt like there was already a lot happening on him so I just went with little pink speckles

- Very fluffy :v

ALASTOR

- Powerful Overlord that came back from his seven years of radio silence to invest in the biggest flop of a project in Hell and stick around, seemingly just to laugh at its’ failure

- Toned down colors yay

- Long, pinstriped crimson suit worn over a beige dress shirt, 1930s inspired shoes (they still have the silly hoof prints on the bottom don’t worry) and a tie because I’m sick of the bazillion bowties 👿👿👿

- Voice box located between the top of the knot of his tie and the bottom of his high neck ruff. He often uses it to speak without moving his mouth

- The two sharp ridges that peek from under his neck ruff and have a white glow to them are actually a part of a collar. He’s forced to wear it because of his deal. It’s made of angelic metal, so he can’t really take it off anyway

- For the deer features, I changed his ears to be a little more deer-like, made his antlers bigger and gave him a deer nose :p He has a tail and hooves too but he hides them as much as possible

- No fuckass bob 🙏

- Couldn’t help myself and gave him a pencil mustache 🕴️

- Staff inspired by a 1930s microphone. It can be shortened to a regular mic or expanded to work as a cane!! It's a sentient being and it often adds to situations/conversations by playing sound effects. And yes it does have tiny antlers hehe

- Different monocle

- Some green accents because his magic is green idk

HUSK

-A former Overlord, long past his prime. His enjoyment of Alastor’s 7 year absence was short lived – now, he has to deal with even more annoying people in the hotel. He works the bar and because of Charlie’s request he’s allowed to only fix up mocktails instead of real alcoholic drinks

- Based his design on a mainecoon cat, so he’s super fluffy. Lots and lots of fur, which is unkempt because he gave up on trying to care for it a while ago

- Owl wings. His right wing is clipped (because of the deal with Alastor) and he can no longer fly. He can’t even expand this wing to its’ full length without having to painfully strain it to get it to move out even a little bit

- boy why u so eyebrow…….

- I live for chubby Husk <3

- A bunch of scars

- A rough beard and a droopy mustache

- A stained, patterned blue shirt with rolled up sleeves and a missed button at the top, tiny magician hat, black pants + suspenders and a green cloth to wipe empty glasses

- Give this poor man a break…

NIFFTY

- Used to work at a tailor shop and one day, she came across Alastor when he went in to get his suit fixed after a fight. Rather than being presented with a deal offer, she offered her soul to him herself. He agreed, of course, but he was so weirded out by this that he decided to spare her life to further observe her antics. They’ve grown fond of each other and now have a father-daughter relationship of sorts

- I rlly leaned into the idea of her being a bug… She’s a grasshopper/ant mix, so she has antennae and mandibles

- Fluffy, glowy hair that she curls with hair rollers every day

- Green eye (same shade as her dress)

- Freckles :3

- Big patterned dress, a matching head scarf, blue apron and blue cleaning gloves

#hazbin redesign #hazbin hotel redesign #my art #artists on tumblr #hazbin hotel #hazbin #digital art #art

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obeymeluv · 4 years

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Cute + Awkward Headcanons (SFW/NSFW)

Trying to turn a bad day around, so I thought of these

Lucifer

Sometimes you can’t tell if he’s giving you bedroom eyes or if he’s actually angry. Lucifer has spent THOUSANDS of years glaring at his brothers and doesn’t know if he’s just staring or glaring

I think he’s super out of practice with romance so he’s hella awkward but when he gets that first positive sign that you’re into him, the charm and pride wakes up and suddenly he’s smooth AF

Flirts so formally he misses his shot 8/10 times

Has a habit of trying to police you like one of his brothers and it’s a knee-jerk, 1000+ year reaction to looking after 6 man-children of various difficulties. Always owns up and apologizes

Has accidentally almost made you pass out from kissing too long. Forgets you don’t have the same lung capacity

BRUISES YOU TO HELL! FORGETS SO MUCH! FEELS SO BAD!

That’s why he has the gloves, to soften his grip because he was one of the strongest in the Celestial Realm and that translates to power in the Devildom

Only complains to you about his back pain from long nights burning the candle at both ends. You find it cute and sad at the same time

Is probably physically very heavy given his stature and the weight of his wings, so if he falls asleep on you, you’re trapped

Rare midnight snack dates when he MUST finish papers by the deadline.

You may or may not have had a Demonus date in his study when a particularly bad batch of paperwork was finally done

You’ve probably cracked at least one (1) antique wood chair

Quickly learned he CANNOT spank you because that shit seriously bruised your ass. You either need a strengthening charm or he has to re-learn how to use his strength around people

That caused one awkward visit to the infirmary because you didn’t know if you were just sore, pinched, dislocated, or cracked. Turns out you were fine. There was no mistaking that hand print, though

It was the second time he’d apologized so profusely in his life. There was no pride left in this man.

You had a special cushion to ease the pain and it looked top of the line (hella fancy. Could probably resell it as fake Gucci in the human world.)

Lucifer gives me big dom vibes and orgasm denial/over-stimulation kink because of his pride basically demanding you beg for him. You passed out at least once from over-stimulation.

When you first start dating he wouldn’t want to own up to any awkward boners so if you sit in his lap while he’s taking a paper break, he’ll make every excuse under the sun (”That’s my belt,”, etc.)

Mammon

This boy is nothing but awkward moments, are you kidding me?

It’s a lot of ‘open mouth, insert foot’ because he can’t be upfront with his feelings. It’s partly not wanting to lose any ‘cred’ he has with people, but also because he’s embarrassed and can’t be honest

There’s lots of tracking you down to sort out things you might have overheard (that he didn’t honestly mean if they sounded bad)

Super sentimental about anything to do with you. You once kissed a piece of Grimm as a good luck charm for his exam and he’d kill someone over it. Always has it on him.

This lovable doofus just assumes you’re dating because you’re always together and you’re perfect and he’s your best man so who’s better?!

When you actually ask him out (with something silly, like ‘I think us dating would be pretty cash money’), he’s so confused. (”But we’ve been dating for, like, a month! Right, human?!”)

He talks big but he’s weak. You’ll always be able to fluster him

Wanted to make love to you on some Grimm and quickly realized that it’s uncomfortable. Porn lied to him and the idea’s ruined. You guys cut the session short to find every piece of Grimm so you can actually lay in the bed

Tends to plunk his head down on your chest and demand scratches/cuddles and has bruised you several times.

Accidentally fought you once or twice for his glasses while half asleep. Levi, Asmo, and Satan used to take them and hide from him

You learned he’s actually hella blind (contacts with non-prescription sunglasses or prescription yellow glasses) and have walked him around the House of Lamentation several times when his glasses went missing

He’ll complain about his brothers having it out for him and getting back at him, but it turns out they just wanted to make an excuse for you guys to hold hands. It’s like a date!

Made you hit your head on the headboard once when he was doing missionary style. Had to stop and check on you, then it got awkward. He cuddled and kissed you the whole time, though. Even got you an ice pack!

The type to flirt with you, try to lean on something, and take himself out on the way down

You’ve had a few of those cliche ‘trip and fell on each other’ moments

Has accidentally swung you into doors and walls trying to scoop you up and run/march out of a room

Levi

This boy is also super awkward

When you’re alone, he’s an absolute sucker for any kind of affection you can give. This boy will literally slither across the floor to make himself comfortable in your lap so he can game.

Pet his hair. He loves that.

Will also have to re-train himself on how to be with you in public. With him, it’s not making fun of a ‘normie’ as much.

Not big on PDA but will definitely hold your hand. How ELSE are people going to know you’re together?!

You get cute matching shirts or jewelry with the ‘Player 1, Player 2′ theme

Does a lot more snake-like things with his tongue. Especially when frustrated. Rub his jaw and chin to see it come out a little bit. It’s like a happy floppy dog tongue, just not as long or wide.

Craves a soft, warm thing to sleep on. You will be his new bed.

The first time you had sex, he broke out his demon form because he looked at you and loved you. He knew he’d get jealous if anyone ever saw you.

Was a little clumsy but determined. Sank in and started going at it, but wanted to look down and watch. He got his horns stuck in your hair and had to stop.

Is #1 fan when you’re naked. (”Ugh. Smother me.”) Boy can’t stand it. He needs it.

Tries to dress a little nicer (even if it’s casual) when you guys go out on dates.

You pack little snack bags when he stands in line for midnight releases and GODDAMN he’s gonna marry you?!

If you’re napping together and someone comes to wake him up or needs you, he just glares at them from underneath you, tail swishing threateningly. No one takes his human, okay?!

He has over-the-ear headphones but I bet he carries earbuds and has probably done that ‘share an earbud’ thing to hold you close and listen to music

Do you need to get up while he’s still sleeping? Untangle yourself and tuck your pillow in his arms. He’ll be fine. Bonus: you get to see the snuggling in action.

Between all the anime and centuries in the Devildom, he’s gotten used to using tails as another way of expression. They act subconsciously based on what the demon’s thinking. He’s surprised both of you several times by accidentally wrapping you up in his tail because he doesn’t want you to leave.

When he gets visibly uncomfortable in social situations, slip him something with your scent on it. It’s comforting. If you make up an excuse to get him out of there (he’s your escort and all), he’s over the moon.

Satan

Had more awkward moments than he’s willing to admit, but he’s more open about them than Lucifer. Basically, if someone guesses it happened, he won’t deny it.

BOY HAS A BOWTIE KINK. PLAY WITH HIS. STEAL ONE AND WEAR IT!

Has probably tripped over books walking you through his room or rushing to answer the door (not that you’d know how happy it makes him).

There’s a 50-50 chance that he’ll steal a glance and act like he didn’t, hiding behind an upside down book or something

Has definitely dropped books on his head after charming them down from the shelf. Your voice just sucks all his concentration up. You get bonus points for checking on him because some of those books are HELLA HEAVY

Say the right thing during a quiet tea session and you might hear him choke

Has probably been outed by one of his friends. Satan always seems to make friends without trying and gets invited to tons of stuff. What didn’t seem like a date turns out to DEFINITELY be a date (according to the friend).

Plan some silly treasure hunt/detective date and this guy is yours for life (especially if you’re the prize at the end).

Isn’t the most upfront about the disdain for his demon form, or how he feels weird about not being a true angel (just an extension of Lucifer), so expect a lot of raw, near-tears conversations in his demon form.

Hold him, run your fingers along the inside of his wings and the tips of his horns and Satan hugs you like there’s no tomorrow. He’ll cry, but he doesn’t regret these tears because they’re healing.

Weak for hand kisses. Smooch them hands.

Not super into PDA, but he’ll do other things to show he cares like carry your books and make sure you know what the weather’s like before you leave

Satan still hasn’t lived down the time Lucifer and the others broke down his door because they smelled blood and thought he’d hurt you. Turns out you guys were having sex and he just bit too hard.

Wouldn’t talk to any of them for a week. He swept you up on an impromptu hotel vacation and you continued to avoid everyone by shopping and eating at cafes.

The type to hold your panties hostage or like a trophy. Gives them back eventually, and enjoys watching Mammon almost have an aneurysm as he tries to figure out why his room smells so strongly of you.

Tea dates, cat cafe dates, and plenty of couple pictures with cat filters. Satan’s Devilgram activity goes up substantially when he’s dating.

You’re not his lock screen, but you’re his background.

Asmo

When you two start dating Asmo is literally the happiest demon in all of Devildom. Yeah he’s smug and cute like ‘how could they NOT fall for beautiful me?’ but boy is literally so stoked. All of that babble’s just a cover for how sickeningly happy he is

Thinks the world of you.

Wants to spend all his free time with you, be it napping and cuddling, shopping, getting pampered, or just doing your nails.

Now that he has that real, true love he doesn’t want to be without you.

You trend on Devilgram at least once

SO MANY PICTURES

Took you shopping for perfumes and has the tester strip you used to pick your perfume taped to his vanity. Then he can smell it whenever he likes!

Gives you a small thing of his cologne for when you get lonely or want to smell like him

Boy is super, super extra. Probably has matching shirts that say he’s yours and you’re his.

The type to get couple’s pillows, cups, and pajamas. You also get couple’s massages.

If you wear lipstick, he’s definitely made you a custom one at some exclusive-invite Devilgram event. He put your initials on the base of the tube and thinks it’s the cutest damn thing. His pride and joy--it’s basically a child.

There’s no shame in the bedroom with this one. I really doubt he’d have awkward moments because he has a lot of experience and has run into a lot of things that he’s handled one way or another. It’s gentle coaching and some sweet teasing.

The most embarrassing thing he’s ever done is probably moaned/whined at the wrong time. Or said something semi-naughty at a bad time. He’s not easily shamed so that doesn’t really matter, either.

He melts at the gentlest touches and will be SO dramatic about it, like half fainted into his bed.

Is easily hypnotized by jewelry. He’ll massage your ears if you have earrings in, cooing over them and wanting to look at them. If he’s laying on you and you’re wearing a necklace, he plays with it the whole time.

Beel

Smart but distractable. Beel’s love language revolves around protection and food so pack him a lunch for practice or bring him something from a town date with one of the bros and he’s super excited

He means well but forgets his own strength so there’s a lot that can go wrong in the bedroom

Has probably broken his bed several times

Had sex on the kitchen counter and the bros only found out because one of them was setting up dinner prep and one of the legs just gave out

Big, snuggly bear. Best hugs.

Hardest to wake up because he tends to sleep well and easily. It’s a side effect of being connected to Belphie. Will hug you to him and keep snoring. You have to get someone else to wake him up because he’ll just snuggle you the more you move around and talk

I headcanon that Beel does a tongue thing like Levi, mostly because his cardinal sin is gluttony and that helps get the food in his mouth faster. It’s not as slender or serpentine as Levi’s, but it definitely moves.

Has licked you in his sleep as an affectionate thing.

Loves to snuggle into your hair when he sleeps.

Bite mark king. He’s so affectionate and earnest when he makes love that he just ends up leaving all kinds of signs on you--mostly bite marks but when he’s conscious of leaving too many, they turn into hand prints.

Makes the purr sound when he’s inside of you. Purrs very easily.

Most of his awkward moments come from being oblivious. He’s the kind of guy you have to out-and-out tell you’re flirting with him, that you like him and want to date him.

Beel’s also very shy with flirting. He thinks you’ll just understand that he’s flirting when he shares food or wants to hug, or just anything. It can be missed because he’s generally chill and friendly.

Was royally embarrassed by Asmo (on accident) when he didn’t eat as much at dinner one night and you were ‘too tired’ to come down. Beel went to carry your food up and Asmo somehow found out he’d eaten you out right before. He was filled up on the human energy and you couldn’t walk to come down.

If you ride his face, grab his horns to hold on. It does something for him and his hands go crazy and he really eats.

Scratch his back and he’ll be your forever heater.

His PDA is carrying you because why not? It’s a workout AND you’re close. It makes him give that big, nice smile.

Belphie

The biggest issue is that he falls asleep on you all the time. He doesn’t mean to but he’s TIRED, okay?

Has a name for the cow pillow. Calls it ‘my moo.’ You are one of seven people that know that. Apparently it’s been a thing since he was little.

Has accidentally called you ‘my moo’ when he’s sleep delirious. It means you’re highly thought of. Beel used to be his moo, too, and now he’s been replaced.

This sloth will smother you. He’s like a koala that demands total contact to sleep

Gives you back rubs and massages. Sometimes he stays awake through them, sometimes you get sleepy and that makes him sleepy so he ends up falling asleep on your back.

Not big on PDA, but his version of caring for you is making sure you’re not bothered by annoying people. Wants you to sit with him at lunch though, and he’ll sulk if you don’t.

His favorite kind of dates are where you stockpile food and drink in the room and just feed each other while lounging in cozy blankets

If you make him any kind of pillow or blanket for a birthday, it’s at the top of his collection. Everyone will see it when they walk into his room.

You’ll plan dates in the star room where he just holds you and points out constellations until you fall asleep. Knows a lot of the mythology/stories behind them and shares that.

No matter the size, Belphie likes to cuddle between your boobs. He says it’s for your heartbeat and that they’re comfy like pillows. His tail wags like crazy when he does this.

Also big on physical contact due to his time in the attic. You just have to be alone.

Brush and play with his hair. That’s what he likes most.

Just hold this boy, okay? He needs it.

If you guys are trying to nap and the other brothers are being noisy, he’ll do the demon scream thing to tell them to shut the hell up. He’s an absolute angel to you though. You’re tired too, he knows.

If you get a little purple streak or something in your hair, he’s smitten.

Get him a kanigiri and the boy is super stoked. He’ll wear it all around the House of Lamentation. Bonus points if it has a hoodie or something he can throw up to annoy Lucifer.

Might get you a little stuffed cow toy so you have something to hug if you have to go away or can’t be with him.

The type to be restless if he can’t sleep with you. Will come to your room in the dead of night and ask to snuggle. It’s the only time he’s nice about it (and vulnerable), so say yes.

You get to be a human body pillow. He loves it very much.

#Obey me!#Obey me x reader #Lucifer x Reader #Mammon x Reader #Leviathan x Reader #Levi x Reader #Satan x Reader #Asmodeus x reader #asmo x reader #beelzebub x reader #Beel x Reader #Belphegor x Reader

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whatarubberchicken · 5 years

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Our Love Can Save the World

Surprise, @reckling-turtle! I was your Secret Santa for @mlsecretsanta! You said you wanted JuleRose with them as Miraculous holders, so I hope you enjoy! It was so much fun to write!

Read on Ao3 or ff.net as well!

......

Our Love Can Save the World

Rose had known Juleka for what seemed like forever. In reality, it had only been a couple of years since she’d first seen the other girl being teased for hiding her face. She had ‘stepped in’ to show those bullies how mean they were being, and the two of them had ended up being a formidable team. Since then, they’d been inseparable. Still, Rose liked to think they’d been friends forever. They certainly understood each other in a way that nobody else seemed to appreciate.

Sure, Juleka was quiet and mysterious, but she was intrinsically a good person in her own way. And Rose needed that quiet support just as much as Juleka needed someone optimistic and cheerful in her life. They fit each other.

And they knew each other so well.

Which was why, when she saw a tiny black jewelry box in her room, Rose was certain it was from her girlfriend. Juleka knew Rose loved surprises! But she also liked to see Rose’s expression when she opened her gifts, so Rose grabbed the little box without opening it and ran out the door to Juleka’s place. (Probably not the best idea she’d ever had, since there were giant stone monsters roaming around! Poor Ivan!)

When she’d finally gotten to Juleka’s room on the little houseboat, Rose had been surprised to see Juleka staring at an identical box in her hand.

“Juleka!” Rose called breathlessly, “You got one too!” She held out her own box.

Juleka blinked in surprise.

“Your mom?” she asked quietly.

“Nah, if she’d gotten us something, she’d have presented it to me in person,” Rose said, thinking. “Maybe it was yours?”

Juleka shook her head. “She likes that cheap costume jewelry,” she said, looking down at the clearly old-fashioned, and semi-expensive looking box. “Not her style at all.”

“Why don’t we open them and see?” Rose asked eagerly.

“’Kay.” Juleka shrugged nonchalantly, but Rose could tell she was excited.

They didn’t even have to count out loud, they simply opened the boxes at the same time. Twin flashes of brilliant light lit up the room and they both cried out and dropped the boxes to the ground.

“Rose, you okay?” Juleka’s voice convinced Rose to try to open her eyes. The bright light was gone.

“Yeah. What was that?” she asked, looking up.

She froze when she saw two… things hovering in the air between them. Juleka was watching them as well, her hand casually inching towards her guitar. One was black, the other red, and they looked—well, they looked like enormous bugs with oversized heads, actually.

The red one was obviously agitated and kept fluttering between them, wringing her tiny little… hands? Paws? Whatever.

“Oh no, oh no, this has never happened before!” she squeaked. “You’re supposed to be alone—and you’re certainly not supposed to be together!!”

“Well, that has happened before,” the black one corrected, staring down Juleka and nodding his head at where she was now gripping her guitar. “And you can try it, but it’s not gonna hit me, girlie.”

“Juleka, wait!” Rose said, stopping her girlfriend from smashing her favorite guitar in an effort to get rid of these… whatever they were. “I don’t think they mean us any harm. Excuse me, are the two of you fairies?” she asked politely. (Rule number one of working with fairies: always be polite. She’d read that in one of her storybooks.)

“Umm, sort of…” the red one hesitated, still looking uncertain.

“We’re kwamis,” the black one said simply. “We grant magical powers.”

Rose blinked. Well that was a new one. On the other side of the room, Juleka put down her guitar, looking exited.

“Cool,” she said softly.

“Plagg! You can’t tell them that! They’re supposed to be alone when they receive their powers!” the red sprite scolded.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that, Tikki,” the black one said lazily. “At least we know they’re both our chosen owners.”

“But—”

“So, you’re going to give us magical powers?” Rose asked slowly, memories of the horrors of earlier today flashing through her head. “Is that what happened to Ivan? Are you guys what turned him into Stoneheart?!”

“Oh no,” Juleka breathed, her eyes widening in realization.

“No, no, no,” Tikki assured them, “we’ve been sent to help you combat this Stoneheart—”

“By who?” Juleka asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Being raised by Anarka had made her wary of The Man. “Who sent you?”

“We can’t… really tell you that.”

“Why not?” Rose and Juleka asked together.

“Well… I…,” poor Tikki looked lost and confused. Plagg, however, rolled his eyes.

“Because it’s not ‘how things are done,’” he drawled sarcastically.

“So, we’re just supposed to trust you?” Juleka said.

“Well, yes,” Tikki said slowly, sensing the mistrust growing in the air. “I promise you, we are your friends, Juleka and Rose. You have been chosen by…,” she gulped, “by the Guardian, to protect Paris from evil.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it, Sugar Cube?” Plagg said tauntingly.

“It’s not our secret to share!” Tikki snapped back.

“Still, you’re asking a lot from us,” Juleka pointed out. “It’s only fair that—”

“Will these powers help us save Ivan?” Rose asked suddenly, thinking hard.

“Yes!” Tikki said excitedly, swooping over to her. “With our help, you’ll be able to restore him to normal!”

“Hmm.” Rose considered it. She could understand Juleka’s hesitation, but if they could save their classmate, shouldn’t they at least try?! “Let’s hear them out, at least,” she said, looking up at her girlfriend.

Juleka nodded, always willing to follow her lead. “I’m not signing anything long-term until we see the fine print,” she warned the kwamis.

Tikki was still reluctant, but Rose had the feeling that they’d gained Plagg’s respect by being so suspicious. One brief explanation about the powers the kwamis could grant and how to access them, and she was willing to give it a try. It all sounded straightforward, after all. And if they really could help Ivan….

Juleka, however, kept asking questions until Tikki pointed to the window where they could see Ivan’s monstrous form raging. Finally, her girlfriend agreed to help.

“So, which one is mine?” Rose asked, looking at the two discarded boxes still laying on the floor.

“I—umm, I honestly don’t know,” Tikki confessed. “You both dropped them so quickly we weren’t able to form a bond!”

“Just pick one and go,” Plagg suggested. He turned to Juleka. “Though I must say, I do prefer your dark-and-mysterious look, missy.”

“Just for that, I get the ring,” Rose said, scooping it up. Juleka laughed at the look on Plagg’s face and picked up the earrings. They grinned at each other. These kwamis had a lot to learn!

“Plagg, claws out!”

“Tikki, spots on!”

Rose and Juleka gasped with delight as the magic encircled them, and then Rose positively squealed when she saw her costume.

“I LOOK LIKE AN ADORABLE BLACK KITTY!” she exclaimed, turning to look at herself in Juleka’s mirror. Black ears, black tail (she was pretty sure it was a belt), a cute little black miniskirt dress with black leggings and everything was edged in pink—and a bell! An adorable little bell fastened at her throat! And a domino mask that made it look like she was going to a costume ball!

“Cute,” Juleka agreed.

Rose turned to see her friend. “Ooh! You too!!” she cried. Juleka’s long hair had been pulled back into a ponytail with red ribbons. She had a longer skirt than Rose’s, and it had a tiny mini cape in the back that was split down the middle, resembling ladybug wings. Both of them had knee high boots, but whereas Rose’s were black to match the rest of her costume, all of Juleka’s outfit was now red with black spots.

“Juleka, we’re so pretty! And you look like a ladybug!”

Juleka chuckled. “That’s Miss Ladybug to you!” she said, doing a silly pose from some of those superhero shows they liked to watch on weekends.

Rose giggled. “And I’ll be… Kitty Noir!” she said, also posing. “Now, let’s go save the day!”

As it turned out, saving the day wasn’t as easy as they’d hoped. Ivan didn’t want to listen to them at all, no matter how much they begged him to see reason. He just kept roaring about throwing Kim off the Eiffel Tower.

And then, when they finally tried out their powers, it turned out Creation and Destruction weren’t as powerful as they were cracked up to be. Miss Ladybug got this strange, spotted wetsuit for a Lucky Charm. Kitty Noir was very nervous about using the Cataclysm; not only did she only get one shot, but anything she touched would be destroyed! Anything! Sure, Ivan was the enemy, but he was also their classmate! They needed to save him, not destroy him!

Best part? They had no idea where the akuma was hiding! Tikki had said it would be obvious, but Stoneheart was completely made of stone! Rose was half-tempted to de-transform and demand the kwamis be more specific when Miss Ladybug noticed that Stoneheart had Kim grasped firmly in one hand and was keeping the other one clenched as well. Now they needed to figure out how to make him open his hand.

So, when Stoneheart started walking away from them, Kitty Noir was so frustrated that she simply used her Cataclysm on the street below him, trapping the monster. Then, Miss Ladybug got a brilliant idea! She leapt up on his shoulders and tied the wetsuit around his head like a blindfold.

Ivan roared with displeasure, but faced with the choices of being blinded, dropping Kim, or opening his other hand, he made the obvious choice and dropped the little wadded up piece of paper. Both superheroines dove for it, smashing it to pieces.

Then they had to scurry to save their classmates before they fell onto the unforgiving ground!

“Pretty,” Miss Ladybug said, watching a tiny black butterfly flutter away.

Kitty Noir jolted. “Jule—I mean, Miss Ladybug, catch it!” she cried. “Remember? Tikki said we have to capture it!”

Miss Ladybug snapped out of it just in time and quickly caught it with her yoyo. They both breathed a sigh of relief. That could’ve been disastrous. Thank God Kitty had been there to remind her! Two heads were always better than one!

Miss Ladybug tossed her wetsuit in the air, just as she been instructed. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

They both oohed and ahhhed at the swarm of magical lights. Especially when the magic put everything back together again. Ivan could’ve caused millions in property damage!

Then Rose, or Kitty Noir, spun on their classmates. “Alright, what was that about?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “You’re going to tell me everything!”

Ivan and Kim both looked sheepish when faced with a real-life superhero.

“Kim—Kim, he… he’s been teasing me—” Ivan stammered. “And then, I felt so angry, and there was a voice in my head telling me I could hurt the people who wronged me. He—he called himself Hawkmoth and I….” He trailed off, looking uncertain. Silently, Juleka (Miss Ladybug) handed Kitty Noir the piece of paper the akuma had been in.

“’You haven’t even got the guts to tell Mylene you love her, wuss.’” Kitty read. She shot Kim a glare.

“I—I was just trying to get him to man up and tell her, that’s all!” Kim said quickly, paling at the expression on her face.

“Well, obviously, you didn’t succeed. And is this how you wanna be remembered, Le Chien? As a bully?” Kitty Noir said scathingly.

“Of course not!” Kim said. He turned to Ivan. “I—I’m sorry, man. I shouldn’t have written that. For what it’s worth… I think you two will be a cute couple?”

It was obviously awkward, but Kitty Noir was satisfied.

“And as for you, Ivan, I think we can agree that listening to voices in your head telling you to destroy people is a bad thing,” she said. They’d have to ask the kwamis more about this ‘Hawkmoth’ later. “Remember the Zombie Skullcrushers’ new single, ‘Courage in the Pit of Despair?’”

Ivan perked up. “You know that band?”

“Well, of course I do, silly. I’m—”

Miss Ladybug pointedly cleared her throat, and Kitty Noir quickly snapped her mouth shut.

“Well, look at the time! We have to be going now! Be nice to each other!”

With that she and Miss Ladybug swung away.

As soon as they were alone in an alley, Kitty Noir threw her arms around Miss Ladybug.

“That was amazing!” she squealed.

“You were amazing!” Miss Ladybug corrected, beaming down at her fondly.

“Me? You fixed everything!!”

“And you talked to the victims afterwards and made them settle their differences.”

“Well, obviously, we just make a good team!” Kitty said, blinking as their jewelry beeped at them. Moments later, they were back to their original selves, with two tired-looking kwamis hovering before them.

“Food! I need food! I’m starving!” Plagg moaned.

“Are you two okay?” Juleka asked, holding her hands out so the kwamis could land.

“We need to eat after every transformation!” Plagg pouted. “What I wouldn’t give for some delicious cheese!”

“Didja see us?” Rose gushed at Tikki. “Did we do everything right?”

“We can’t really see while you’re in the suits,” Tikki said, smiling tiredly. “But from what I could sense, I think you did quite well!” Rose cheered. “But there is still the issue of secret identities,” she added, frowning.

“What do you mean?” Juleka demanded as Rose immediately stopped cheering to listen.

“Nobody is supposed to know your secret identities,” Tikki said solemnly. “Including you two. Oh dear, we’ll have to tell the Guardian about this, and then he’s going to have to choose new owners and—”

“But why?” Rose said, feeling like crying. “We did everything right, you said so yourself!”

“But, it’s not safe!”

“And you think two different kids, our age, totally alone, are going to be safer?” Juleka pressed. She scoffed. “I’d like to hear your reasoning for that.”

“If—if one of you gets captured—”

“Then my first priority should be rescuing my partner, not worrying about my secret identity!” Juleka snarled. “Being partners means watching each other’s backs, not hiding from each other!” Rose nodded in agreement.

“We’re stronger together!”

Tikki looked from one of them to the other. “But—but—”

“I don’t think you’re going to win this one, Sugar Cube,” Plagg drawled from where he lay on Juleka’s shoulders. “They’ve got their minds made up.”

“But the Guardian—”

Juleka shrugged. “You two have to do what we say, right? Isn’t that what you told us earlier?”

Plagg narrowed his eyes. “Well… technically….”

��Then I order you not to tell the Guardian about us,” she said simply.

Plagg started laughing, especially when he saw Tikki’s dumbfounded expression.

“OH, I LIKE THESE GIRLS, TIKKI! CAN WE KEEP THEM??”

……

The next few months were interesting, to say the least. They were closer than ever at school. Paris quickly got used to the new pair of superheroes, especially when Hawkmoth tried to make his public demand for the Miraculouses. Rose, as Kitty Noir, berated the talking face for close to ten minutes about being a bully and hurting people while they were at their lowest. Miss Ladybug (Juleka) just told him to go suck an egg. He was never getting their Miraculouses.

Miss Ladybug’s words turned into a battle cry for those who Hawkmoth targeted. The phrase “I told Hawkmoth to suck an egg,” became a point of pride for those who managed to reject the supervillain’s offer. And, since they knew that Kitty Noir would give them a stern lecture after they were de-akumatized, many did, in fact, refuse. It just wasn’t worth it to be berated by a petite little blond in a catsuit. Especially once Alya started filming. Some people criticized her for this, but Kitty stood firm.

“If you’re going to use your personal problems as an excuse to become a public menace, don’t be surprised when we call you out on it!” she declared.

Some people also criticized them on their relationship. “Two female superheroes,” most critics pointed out, especially to the enthusiastic fanboys, “they can’t be anything other than good friends!”

This time, it was Miss Ladybug who answered them, though she used no words. Christmastime was right around the corner, so she simply stopped Kitty Noir from leaving after their latest akuma was defeated (“YOU DO NOT MESS WITH SANTA CLAUS!!” Kitty Noir had furiously shrieked into the night. “HAWKMOTH, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU—!”), pulled out some mistletoe and kissed her passionately, right in front of the cameras. They both giggled a bit when Kitty fanned herself dramatically afterwards and winked at the camera before they took off for home. (“Well, that added some Christmas cheer to my night!” Rose had giggled later. Juleka just smiled and promised to do it again.)

Of course, they got flack for their romance as well, including the few purists who demanded their ages, but they simply responded that they couldn’t give out any personal information that might lead Hawkmoth to their secret identities.

“None of your business!” Kitty Noir sang at the cameras, giving them a friendly wink and blowing them kisses.

And then, Hawkmoth tried to take advantage of their relationship by having akumas target one of them, but the pair was prepared for this, and the result was immediate and ruthless.

They switched Miraculouses.

Juleka had often said that Rose was the more violent of the two, but nobody believed her. After all, it was sweet, innocent Rose! But everybody was talking about the blond Ladybug whose Lucky Charm had turned into a machine gun and took out the Fanboy army that had come to claim Kitty Noir as their mascot. And Juleka, as the Unlucky Cat, had terrified the akumatized villains so badly that they’d given up their akuma willingly, begging her mercy.

Hawkmoth was never able to akumatize another person whose main goal was to separate them… ever again.

Nathaniel even illustrated a comic about it that he called, “REKT.” It sold out.

“I think this is my favorite part,” Rose said, reading it one night while curled up with Juleka in her bed. Akumas were few and far between now, but they still enjoyed each other’s company whenever they could get it. “Where you growl, ‘YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH MY KITTY, YOU’RE GONNA GET THE CLAWS!’ I love how Nate drew your cat eyes glowing, and you even have little fangs!”

“You like fangs, huh?” Juleka teased, nipping at her ear playfully. Rose giggled and leaned against her, sighing happily when her girlfriend started running her fingers through her hair.

“And, is it just me,” she asked, “or do you get the urge to pun whenever you put on the ring?”

“It’s not just you,” Juleka said solemnly. She nodded to where their kwamis were dozing in little pile they’d affectionately dubbed the ‘kwami ball’. “I think Mr. Stinky-Cheese Man there has a bigger heart than he lets on.”

“Yeah, he’s a big softy,” Rose agreed. She was so glad the kwamis had finally relented and made no noise on separating them. She liked to think they’d proven themselves as superheroes, but sometimes she worried they weren’t doing enough to defeat the bad guy. Still, she wouldn’t give Juleka up for anything. Not even superpowers.

They were quiet for a moment, just reveling in being together.

“Do you think we’ll ever defeat Hawkmoth?” Rose asked quietly.

“Dunno,” Juleka replied. “I’m just glad I get to have you as a partner. It’d be terrifying to try to do this alone.”

Rose hummed an agreement and curled up against her tighter.

“No matter what anybody says,” she murmured. “Our love is what’s gonna save the world.”

-END.

#mlsecretsanta 2k19 #mlsecretsanta #julerose #au #juleka couffaine #rose lavillant #plagg #tikki #just girlfriends saving the world #and looking cute doing it

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rayne-storm · 4 years

Text

50 Word Prompts - Malcolm Astr, Martin Esmer

Hands

"Surgeon's Hands" have never been so literal, or so beloved. At least, that's what the younger man thinks as he feels them caressing his body with expert care.

Sleeve

The first time Malcolm sees the fairie without his arms covered - since the Incident - he has to remind himself that maybe the man is sensitive. He stares, but in simple admiration.

"Do they hurt?" He asks, cautious as ever with his fragile lover.

"Not any more."

And like that he's touching and kissing, pressing adoration into the marked and starred limbs.

Rescue

"I'll get you out for good some day."

Well, it was some day. The sirens blaring and the riots diverting most of the attention, it's a simple thing, really, for the changeling boy to slip in, pick a few locks, and slip right back out with his beloved in tow.

Opera

Martin never heard his boy sing before, he realizes, as a lovely tune floats from down the stairs where Esmer is making breakfast. He doesn't recognize the words, but it's all in French anyways.

Mostly he's amazed at how well it carries. A miracle they haven't gotten noise complaints. He'll have to try harder, then. And maybe introduce his boy to Mozart.

Water

It very quickly becomes apparent to Malcolm that the childhood "game" Astr is describing is straight up torture.

"And your father told your 'friends' to play this with you…? Even after you asked them to stop?"

Shopping

Martin immediately notices the unconscious longing Esmer holds in his gaze as they pass the baby clothes. Suddenly envisioning his lover plump and round and full of his legacy, he can't help but long as well. Soon, he resolves, they'll be adding that aisle to their weekly outing.

Street

"Astr, I told you, it's a grid system."

"And I told you I don't know what a grid is."

Window

He found glass markers in a discount bin and has been painting the windows for an hour now. It's the only part of Notre Dame that he misses, and Martin has been such a help, printing photographs and using those surgical hands to do the intricate linework.

Cooking

"And you're sure this one won't poison me?"

"My love, I can't even tell with you any more. But no, I've let other human people try this and no one's died yet."

Quiz

"And this is..?"

"The… the hippo… hippocampus?"

"Very good, my boy! You're doing great."

He is so grateful he decided to try and understand Martin's passions. It's only fair.

Storm

Malcolm had thought the faerie would be afraid of thunder, but it's adorable to see him running and dancing in the rain. He hasn't really been… joyful, since Malcolm saved him that night. It's a sign of healing. And, he idly thinks, he has a part in it.

Time

"It doesn't really mean anything to me any more."

Go figure. Allegedly a thousand years of living will do that to you.

But he does see the need to spend as much of it with Malcolm as possible.

Picture

Martin sketches and paints the young man constantly. He cannot help but be offended when he learns Esmer has never seen himself in a photograph, and several tasteful shots (and a brief break with a decidedly un-tasteful couple of shots), and a small pack of photo paper later, Esmer really can appreciate how accurate the art is.

Blanket

When it starts to tatter, Astr gifts Malcolm with a new, larger weighted blanket for their cuddle sessions.

Light

Martin had never really appreciated the rainbow of colours different times of the day could have on skin until he had a darker lover. Blues and purples dance in the moonlight, followed by hours at an easel trying to mix the paints just right.

Shade

"I burn easy. Even easier now," the faerie mutters from beneath the parasol. He however will force Malcolm out to get some sun. It's good for him.

Pool

Large bodies of water frighten him, but if Martin gets in, he can too. He feels safe, knows he won't drown, knows Martin won't shove him down until he passes out. So he can get in, can also enjoy the sight of his lover's body, which seems like his reward.

Leaves

"No way. No. No. You're kidding."

Cronch cronch.

"Delicious."

He really just ate a leaf. Was he taking a joke too far? He won't tell.

Sweet

Strawberries taste much better stolen from his lover's lips.

Color

"So, are all faeries as colourful as you?"

"My brothers are, yes, but we come in all shades and palettes, really."

Malcolm finds he likes a little more blue in his life.

Phone

"Do I really need this?"

"Yes. I need to be able to reach you if I need to."

He didn't expect the addiction to bejeweled, and maybe he regrets getting his love a smartphone.

Race

"Okay so you're a faerie. But you have a brother who's an elf?"

"Half-elf. He has a tail and pointier ears and no wings, and he's a lot more muscled than me or our youngest brother, but he's also a lot more colourful than most elves and his skin takes tattoo ink very well."

"So is this a distinction in species or…?"

"No, it's more like how you humans are all different colours."

"But it's more dramatic than that?"

"A little. But thinking about it now I think it's a lot of political nonsense."

Stroll

Walking in the forest beneath a full moon, he can see the ethereal beauties of his lover.

Film

"Okay so you call picture-shows what now?"

"It depends on the length."

Human technology is so confusing sometimes, but definitely worth it to watch "Great British Bake-Off."

Bottle

"Is that the green fairy I spy? My dear boy I didn't know you had a thing for absinthe..."

"Not really. I just like the colour of the glass."

There are more valuable liquids to fill it with anyway.

Art

It unites them, in its way. Though they may not share a common medium, they're happy to create in a shared space.

Cork

"Much nicer than rocks," he murmurs offhandedly. Malcolm has no idea if he's serious. It's one of the things he loves the most.

Grasp

"I have you. I promise. I have you." He clings to his lover and bawls, finally safe enough to feel the anguish before he loses his mind.

Space

"Do you believe in aliens, or is that just a human thing?"

"It would be silly if anyone looked up there and didn't wonder if we're really all alone. Though interpretations differ."

"So just like humans yet again."

"You say that like it's surprising, my love."

My love.

To think the first time he said that would be looking up from the roof of the precinct during a five minute break.

Dream

His sleep looks more peaceful now. Good. Martin idly wonders if he comforts Esmer in there too.

Scare

When he sees him standing over… something, covered in blood, face snarling and… fangy, Malcolm can't help the adrenaline that shoots through his veins.

Mask

"I'm Fine."

Martin knows what it really means.

Thrice

Three is the number of times he makes Astr come, minimum, before he'll let himself.

Adventure

"Don't drink the wine, or you'll be stuck forever."

"Promise?"

Risk

He knows Martin is dangerous. An apex predator, and he might as well be a fluffy little lamb.

Security

Malcolm's arms are the safest place he's ever known. Strong enough to help him lift the world from his shoulders, but soft enough to absorb his tears.

Hold

With the gentlest touch, Martin realizes, he's more powerful than anyone in Esmer's life.

Lie

"I'm fine."

Malcolm doesn't let the hurt show. He knows he has to let him grieve. At least for a while.

Chill

"It's so cold…"

The Romani boy is burning up, and Martin knows that this isn't just a cold.

Plant

"I think it'll help. Give you something to love while you recover."

Astr's never loved a succulent so much.

Door

When Esmer brings home the sonogram, they don't even make it all the way into the bedroom. Martin's so much stronger than he looks, and a doorway is sturdy.

Boat

Esmer talks in his sleep. When it isn't about a red room, he whimpers about the rocking.

Pet

"Hello my love, how are we today?"

Malcolm never says "Disney Princess" out loud, but he always thinks it when he sees him interact with Sunshine.

Embrace

To look at Malcolm, you wouldn't think he would give such incredible hugs. It's Astr's best kept secret.

Run

It's thrilling to play predator and prey, to see how fast his lover can go, and the sweet sensation of catching him, making love on the ground, knowing how fully he possesses him.

Rest

"Sleep. I'm here. I'll stay here. You can't hurt me."

Malcolm eventually learns to trust that promise. Sometimes he gets 5 hours a night.

Break

It hurts it hurts it hurts!!

Nothing has ever hurt more than his heart at this moment. To see his lover, the man he trusted his whole self to, whispering sweet nothings into some woman's ear. Taking her back to their home.

He knew he would never be enough. But he didn't realize how painful that could be.

Check

They argue over who pays for dinner more than most couples. But when you're both that rich, and that dependent on being a caregiver, that's only natural.

Song

He may not understand the words, but Martin knows the grief. He wonders what died, and has no idea it's Esmer's heart.

Night

It takes all night, but he has his Esmer back. His beautiful boy won't ever have to feel insecure again.

#Mine #my work #fan work #original characters #esmer #astr #ficlet #drabble #mine #rayne writes

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fifiliphaser · 5 years

Text

Don’t Give Me Flannel (Cherik Ficlet)

[AO3 Version]

“You’re my roommate who’s super cute and it’s the middle of the night and you’re cramming for your exams in your flannel pajamas and disheveled hair and it’s becoming increasingly hard for me not to kiss you” AU

So, yeah, here we are. It was supposed to be a shorter one-shot, around 1,000 words or so, but I sort of took that prompt and ran with it, because apparently I cannot write something without any world-building in it. But it was a pure pleasure to write, even if I should've been working on my other WIPs. *sigh*

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this short—yet still somehow almost four times longer than intended—ficlet.

It's not beta-ed, just edited and proofread by myself, so you know the drill—and I'll be really grateful for any valuable remarks!

“Can you finally go to bed?”

Although Erik’s voice is hoarse, his annoyance seeps through very clearly. As a result, the question sounds more like an order, despite it not really being Erik’s intention. Nonetheless, he’s too groggy to care.

Generally, Erik Lehnsherr has always prided himself in being quite a heavy sleeper, capable of sleeping through anything and everything ever since he remembers. Even when he was just a few years old, he would occasionally wake up to hear about the storm roaring through the night, which did little to disrupt his sleep. His mother used to joke that the bomb blowing up nearby wouldn’t manage to jolt him awake. The manifestation of his powers in the early teenage years disrupted his routine for a while, but he managed to go back to it by the time he started university, and this time he hasn’t let anything get in the way of getting a healthy amount of sleep.

Willing himself to fall asleep has never been problematic either, even with a lot of background noise. Unfortunately, it seems like the light is his ultimate weakness. He’s been struggling to doze off for quite a while now, but a small lamp still kept alight turns it into a truly challenging feat. Facing the wall that his bed was pushed to, his eyes closed shut, he’s desperately trying to force his mind to finally shut down, having already given a shot to counting sheep and focusing on his breathing. Sadly, without the comforting darkness to drown out any unwanted late-night thoughts, he is unable to succumb to sleep. The worst thing is, he’s slowly growing more and more desperate and the thought to just ask Charles—the very culprit behind his current predicament—to do this for him keeps lingering at the forefront of his mind.

A quiet groan escapes his lips as Erik turns around, towards the rustle of paper behind him. Charles Xavier, his roommate, the fellow student who also happens to be a mutant, is sitting on the carpet between their two beds, surrounded by an array of textbooks and notes. He is, by far, one of the very few people whom Erik tolerates and who somehow tolerate him in return, which is still somewhat unbelievable to Erik—how such a person as Charles, so unbearably idealistic and impossibly kind, would like to as much as simply be in his presence continues to escape his comprehension.

Nevertheless, here they are, Charles spread on the floor and Erik failing to fall asleep. Overall, Charles is quite a nice roommate, certainly much better than the previous ones that Erik was unlucky to live with. (Or maybe it was them who were unlucky enough to cross his path, Erik wonders sometimes.) Although a chatter, Charles doesn’t bother with meaningless conversations and he has a quick wit, which is even more prominent over the chessboard that they sometimes use to play, all of which make him a pleasant enough companion even on the worst of days. His bright big eyes, with their remarkable blueness only accentuated by the flannel pajamas he is currently wearing and with his floppy hair falling over them, make him look rather appealing, as a quite impressive group of both male and female students can corroborate. Despite that, Charles’s favourable looks are no more than a pleasant addition, or so Erik tries to convince himself of.

He cuts that train of thought short, though. They are friends, even though this label hardly conveys the depth of their bond. Charles may be the closest person Erik has ever been to, other than his parents, which makes him just about the only family Erik has left. To ruin the most meaningful friendship in Erik’s life due to his irrational sexual urges is just unthinkable. So he proceeds to do what he’s been doing for weeks now, burying the budding attraction deep enough that the telepath won’t see it.

“I can’t fall asleep with the light on,” he grumbles, seeing that Charles has hardly reacted to his previous question. When that doesn’t work either, Erik continues, his brows furrowing, “I have an exam tomorrow, too, you know.”

Charles finally looks up at him, and his eyes are sparkling in the warm light of his bedside lamp, his liveliness evident despite the dark circles under them. Erik shouldn’t find that sight so endearing, and yet, he’s mesmerised all the same, almost forgetting his own annoyance.

“Yeah, sorry,” Charles says apologetically, gazing down at the notebook he’s just been leafing through. His lips, even redder than usual, what with the way Charles continues to chew at them, curl into a little self-deprecating smile. Erik can’t help but trace their movements when his friend adds, “Just… five more minutes.”

It’s clear how tired Charles is, leaning on his hand which is perched up on his lap and visibly fighting off the urge to let his head drop on his notes. Erik rolls his eyes, irritated with Charles’s insistence even more so now that he sees his exhaustion. It may even explain why Erik’s own tiredness feels so profound; if Charles is on the verge of falling asleep, his shields are prone to get weaker and sometimes he starts projecting his feelings, as if his mind was trying to get rid of the sense of fatigue simply by pushing it away.

In truth, Erik doesn’t mind it as much as he thought he would. He minds feeling more tired than he actually is, that is, but not the mental contact itself. It never fails to surprise him, how much he actually enjoys having someone brushing against his thoughts. Of course, he believes that all mutants should be treated equally, regardless of the nature of their mutation; and yet, telepaths are often facing quite a lot of resentment, even within the mutant community itself. For many, it is one thing to pass someone with a tail or a pair of wings on the street without batting an eye, and something else entirely to have a stranger overhear your thoughts—something intimate and meant to exist only for you to listen.

Erik can understand where such reservations might come from, even though he himself doesn’t view telepathy as so problematic. In fact, the anti-psionic bias seems to be chiefly the product of ignorance—there aren’t that many telepaths, most of whom not even powerful enough to fully enter someone’s mind without touching that person or at least being in a very close proximity to them, but people nevertheless are afraid of feeling so exposed, with more than unfavourable portrayal of telepathy in the media as manipulative and exploitative only feeding their fear.

Not that telepaths are actually interested in reading or controlling everyone’s minds; the fact that is obvious to anyone who has actually met a telepath. It would be exhausting, after all, to listen closely to every thought that comes your way. Not even mentioning the fact that a lot of people think they’re incredibly interesting and worthy of attention, while, in actuality, their thoughts are mundane and their secrets nonsignificant.

Erik has crossed paths with enough telepaths to know that. Besides, if telepaths truly did always listen to one’s every thought, Charles would already bloody well know how annoyed Erik has been for quite a while now.

“You’ve been cramming it for—” Erik reaches out with his power, tugging at the magnetic lines surrounding him, and feels the hands of Charles’s watch which is still wrapped around his wrist.

The soft hum of its metal is pleasantly familiar. Charles takes it off only to sleep, and its constant presence allows Erik to sense him, even if his friend is out of sight. It never ceases to surprise Erik how comforting he finds it, the possibility to feel Charles’s warm skin against the stainless steel of the watch anytime he wishes, wherever he is.

Erik reads the hour and groans resignedly, “—for six hours straight. You know everything that you need already.”

“I have to ace it,” Charles mutters, his gaze fixed back on his notes.

He bites his lower lip, again, and it’s truly infuriating how captivating it is. Erik spends entirely too much time looking at those plush red lips of Charles’s, wondering distantly if they’re as soft as they look and if their redness would be even more intense after a thorough kiss…

It’s getting ridiculous. He shouldn’t allow himself to think such things, especially not about a telepath.

“Did you even touch the tea I made you?,” Erik demands instead, resisting the temptation to ask another question that sits at the tip of his tongue, one that is as improper as it is stupid.

A quick glance at Charles’s nightstand confirms what Erik has already suspected. The green mug with a cat and a silly chemistry pun printed on it is standing exactly where Erik put it three hours ago.

Charles looks up once again, his lips rounding in a way that is both adorable and infuriating. What’s more, the sudden movement makes his hair, ruffled from the way Charles runs his hands through them every now and then, fall down his forehead, and Erik barely battles the urge to reach out and gently brush them away.

“Oh,” Charles breathes, his wide eyes making him look like a puppy whose owner has just scolded them for something that they are absolutely guilty of. “I’m terribly sorry, my friend,” he says sheepishly, averting his gaze. “I’ve got too immersed in all of this.” His hand flies around over all the books, the sleeve of his slightly too big flannel pyjamas tumbling down his forearm and falling over his wrist.

Why Charles insists on sleeping in that atrocious thing, whose only saving grace is its nice blue colour, remains a mystery to Erik. Their dorm room is relatively warm, even in winter, and yet Charles seems to be perpetually cold at night, sleeping under a pile of blankets all year long. Erik is reluctant to admit it, but it worries him that although the summer is about to start, Charles’ nightwear hasn’t yet changed. If he’s so cold, perhaps there could be a way to warm him up a bit. Which is hardly the best line of thinking for now, because the only solutions Erik can think of involve things that he’s pretty sure Charles wouldn’t want.

A small shudder runs down his spine, and Erik has to clear his suddenly dry throat, forcing his mind to think about something else—anything else, really. He ends up recalling the details of a few cases which will most probably prove to be useful during tomorrow’s exam, trying not to wonder how it would be to wrap his arms around Charles and pull him under the covers.

Frustratingly, even repeating in his head what he already knows by heart isn’t tedious enough to put his mind to sleep.

“You can’t keep doing that.” Erik’s voice sounds annoyed even to his own ears, more so than before.

“I know, I know…,” Charles says under his breath, clearly having completely recovered from his previous mortification.

“You should’ve started earlier.” Erik’s tone might be a bit too harsh, certainly more than he intended. He can’t help himself but be frustrated, though, what with everything that watching Charles raise his hand and gently tap his fingers against his lips does to Erik’s insides.

Charles sighs, burying his face in his hands. “I know that too.” Erik can barely hear him, his voice muffled by his fingers, but he can tell that Charles must be annoyed with himself too. “Just… this isn’t half as interesting as the project I’m working on,” he explains, with an edge to his tone.

Erik rolls his eyes, though there’s hardly any malice behind the gesture. “I can believe that, but it’s getting annoying,” he says a little less sternly, despite his patience seriously dwindling.

“Sorry.” But Charles doesn’t look so sorry as he grabs one of the textbooks and opens it, back in that study mode of his.

Taking a deep breath, Erik barely refrains from raising his voice, his irritation only worsened by the worry about Charles’s awful sleeping habits. “You know all of that. Go to bed already.”

Charles’s thoughts are clearly far away from their conversation when he mumbles, “Just… let me finish—”

“Charles, you’re overtaxing yourself.” Erik’s tone is yet again harsh, though this time he can’t keep worry out of his voice.

The telepath doesn’t even respond, his whole attention at the textbook on his lap. Despite his immersion in the text, Charles’s head continues to be drooping, his back leaning heavily on the frame of his bed, and Erik doesn’t know what to do anymore to make this man finally get some sleep.

It’s still somewhat bewildering to him, to care for another person’s well-being so much that he starts completely brushing aside his own. It’s not like he is uncaring, but ever since his parents passed away Erik hasn’t allowed himself to get too close to other people. His wounds haven’t properly healed yet, and the thought of losing anyone else is so unbearable that he’d rather isolate himself than face the prospect of going through that again. Yet, he finds himself growing more and more fond of Charles with every passing day.

Although everyone seems to love Charles—that goes without question—Erik isn’t like everyone and a creature of very little trust, so he can’t be easily swayed into liking someone, even if confronted with the smoothest of flattery. But Charles isn’t like anyone else either and hardly an overconfident and snobbish smooth talker that Erik thought he was upon their first meeting. It took more than a couple of heated discussions during quite a few classes and the mutant rights club meetings and one memorable party, however, for Erik to start appreciating Charles’s seemingly endless enthusiasm, his infuriating idealism and the admirable faithfulness to his own ideals, and, most of all, his unconditional kindness.

As a cynic and a firm believer in the need for separation between baseline humans and mutants, Erik naturally would never agree with Charles’s integrationist ideas, though deep down he has to begrudgingly admit that such an approach might be beneficial in some instances. Besides, it’s not his fault, really, that Erik can’t resist that warm laughter, the playful quirk of that red mouth, and the mischievous glint in those hauntingly blue eyes. If he didn’t know much about telepathy, he’d think that this endearing charm is just a trick, but he knows better. Charles really happens to be just as charming, as if having the magnetic personality of an opposite pole, whose call is quite hard for Erik to resist.

Which doesn’t make Charles’s late-night study sessions any less irritating.

Erik must do something to make Charles finally go to sleep, and if the Charles way of talking and negotiating doesn’t work, it’s time for the Erik way. He slips from under the covers and jumps to the floor.

“Erik, give it back!,” Charles shrieks the second Erik snatches the book away from his hands, though his protests are much weaker than usual.

“I need sleep and so do you,” Erik says stubbornly, hugging the book to his chest. “So, just put it all away, or I’ll do that for you.”

Charles looks at him for a long moment, the exasperation in his expression mixed with something else, something odd. There’s a heaviness to his gaze that makes Erik shift minutely, slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of those brilliant eyes.

“You’re insufferable sometimes,” Charles says eventually, although he doesn’t sound resigned, only mildly amused.

“You’re the one to talk,” Erik snaps back, albeit good-naturedly.

Signing once again, Charles just shakes his head, a small smile creeping on his lips. Then, he fixes Erik with a stern gaze.

“I’ll go to sleep when I finish this chapter,” he says seriously, and the determination that is colouring his eyes suggests that he won’t step down this time.

Erik purses his lips and regards him for a moment, contemplating the offer. The chances for negotiating conditions more favourable for Erik are scarce, and now is not a good time to pick up a fight. It seems best to relent.

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it,” Erik decides, slowly releasing the book from his grasp.

Charles quickly goes to grab it before he can even let go of it, the telepath’s fingers brushing against Erik’s forearms and leaving a trail of the pleasant tingling sensation behind. Erik can’t help but sit here transfixed, the plush carpet soft against the bare skin of his shins, as Charles goes back to studying. There’s something enthralling in watching him in his element—because as exhausted as Charles is, there’s still so much passion in the way he’s practically devouring what is written on the pages before him. His eyes are alight again, and his lips are moving—lightly, captivatingly—as he’s quietly repeating the crucial tidbits of information.

Erik has never wanted to kiss someone so much in his entire life.

Although the book is once again laying open on his lap and stealing all his attention, Charles looks up from it, apparently having noticed Erik’s dumbfounded expression. “You can go back to bed now,” he points out lightly, his brows drawn in mild confusion.

“Not until I tuck you in first,” Erik responds before he has time to think much about his words.

He doesn’t even get a chance to start feeling self-conscious, however, as Charles is seemingly taking it all in stride. “That won’t be necessary, my friend,” he says, giving Erik an amused look, the corner of his lips—so distractingly red—rising in a half smile, and Erik finds it hard not to stare at them.

Instead, he narrows his eyes. “We’ll see.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Charles snorts and glances down at the book, his fingers finding their way back to his mouth.

The tip of his thumb begins to slowly trace the outline of his lower lip, back and forth, drawing all of Erik’s attention to that one delicate motion. He cannot help but be hypnotised, wishing against his better judgement that he could reach out and replace Charles’s fingers with his own. To map those lips with his touch, to explore the softness against his fingertips…

Erik looks up abruptly, his eyes boring in the ceiling. Breathing out, he almost groans, but refrains from doing so not to distract Charles. It’s really of no use, allowing himself for such mental escapades. This absurd infatuation has already made Erik’s life miserable enough, there is really no need to add fuel to the flames.

Except, he finds himself unable to stop. Everytime he sees Charles, hears his warm laughter, feels his fingers brushing against his own arm, is confronted with a clever and spot-on counterargument during their arguments, or witnesses a particularly cunning move during the game of chess, Erik can’t stop his mind from being consumed yet again by the thoughts of his best friend. It’s truly a miracle that Charles hasn’t picked up on those thoughts yet, and for once Erik is grateful for Charles’s strict moral code.

Nonetheless, Erik knows he has to put an end to it. It’s just a silly crush, after all, nothing worth putting their friendship on the line. No more foolishness from now on—he’ll just focus on getting through his studies, pushing all the other matters aside.

After some time, which seems to have stretched from mere minutes to long hours, Erik abruptly hears Charles close the book. He drops his gaze in time to see his friend put it down and then proceed to gather all the rest of the study materials into a pile.

“Okay, I’ve finished, happy?,” Charles says, pushing the pile closer to his bed. “You can tuck me in now.” He looks up and momentarily furrows his eyebrows. “Erik?”

Somehow, the earnest look of those beautifully blue eyes makes Erik’s resolve snap. So much for an end to all the silliness. Before he can stop his traitorous lips from moving, the question is already leaving his mouth, the one he’s been longing to ask for so long.

“Can I kiss you?”

There’s a moment of stunned silence, as Charles’s eyebrows slowly rise, disappearing underneath his dishevelled hair. He’s still for what feels like an eternity, and Erik can feel the tendrils of the telepath’s thoughts retreating from his mind, folding in on themselves, which can’t possibly bode well.

Panic begins to rise in Erik’s chest. With his breath quickening, he does his best to slip on a mask of indifference over his face, hoping against hope that Charles hasn’t seen anything damning in his mind, especially not any of those lewd thoughts he’s been having lately. But before dread can consume his mind like a wildfire, Erik sees Charles’s expression soften and then the telepath is leaning in, stopping only when his face is a few mere inches from Erik’s.

He’s so close that Erik nearly goes cross-eyed, Charles’s breath ghosting over his lips. Erik remains frozen, waiting for his friend’s response, anticipating and dreading it in equal measure. He sees that Charles’s eyes are flickering all over his face, filled with… Is it excitement, or rather nervousness? Regardless, his look is clearly inviting, so Erik lets himself hope that maybe his friend does want the same thing.

“Yes.”

For a second, Erik isn’t sure if he has heard it correctly. It was barely a whisper, and Charles agreeing to such a ridiculous request sounds too good to be true. It soon becomes clear, however, that Erik’s ears were not playing tricks on him when Charles gives him one last smile and leans in farther to close the distance between them.

Erik’s eyes close on their own accord, and it takes a heartbeat for their lips to meet. It doesn’t feel like a particularly world-changing moment—or maybe it does, just not in the way Erik expected. It’s not like a lighting strike, turning his world upside down and igniting a raging fire inside of him, but it rather feels as if long-lost puzzle pieces finally fell in their proper places.

Kissing Charles feels like coming home.

His lips are just so soft, pliable against Erik’s, the warmth of their gentle touch spreading through Erik’s whole body like little electric shocks. The kiss is rather chaste, close-mouthed; even so, Erik can feel the air between them slowly changing and starting to crackle with the kind of tension that has barely reached the surface before. The wave of excitement mixed with lust that swiftly encompasses his mind proves that he’s not the only one who notices it.

Erik senses something else, however, something much deeper and warmer, as his hands find their way to Charles’s face. He runs his fingertips over the expanse of smooth skin, gently stroking Charles’s cheeks, and he can feel the warmth rising there. He can’t help but smile against his friend’s lips, feeling an affectionate nudge in his mind in return.

And then Erik hears it, a soft murmur permeating his thoughts.

I thought you’d never ask.

If anyone's interested, here's the mug Erik was reffering to (I found it funny, don't at me ^^').

And I'm considering perhaps writing more in that 'verse, so if any of you has any ideas, prompts, or requests, I'll be more than happy to oblige ;)

(Generally, I have more in store for Cherik, especially after Dark Phoenix (we'll always have Paris, after all), but those works are also getting longer than expected. Still, I'm cautiously optimistic about finishing them in August.)

#cherik #erik lehnsherr #charles xavier #x men #xmcu #x men: dark phoenix #xmdp #fluff #fluff with traces of plot #kissing #cherik au #cherik college au #cherik fanfic #my fanfiction #my writing #hanshaped writes #and mumbles

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magicalgirlmindcrank · 6 years

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Okay. Every Single Battle Costume In Cardcaptor Sakura Ranked by my preference. Below a cut because its forty-one images with light commentary!

41.

Its Just... The shoes, the balls the hat... its so bad... Tomoyo please...

40.

WHAT is that HAT. She looks like a Twi’lek. Its a pity tho cuz the rest of it is kinda cute.

39.

It’s not as egregious as #41, the colors, skirt and boots are pretty cute but I just dont like.

38.

I don’t hate this but I don’t like it. the Thunder Cat costume did a much better job and the Froggy raincoat did a job leagues better at being animal themed.

37.

Not feeling those shoulder pads or the ribbons.

36.

This isnt ugly, its actually pretty cute but I had to double check this was a battle costume because like... its so plain. If theres one true sin for any magical girl its having an outfit thats too plain.

35.

leagues better than her other bunny outfit, but still not great.

34.

Tomoyo this is supposed to be for a stealth mission. Also not a fan of the diamond patterning.

33.

On paper this works but theres something about it I just dont like.

32.

Tomoyo sure loves this jester theme huh?

31.

Colors are nice, the hat looks silly.

30.

Just not that into this one!

29.

This ones pretty cute actually! Would be very cute if you cut the awkardly shaped cape but still!

28.

Okay yeah! Shoes could be better but for being ox themed this is cute!

27.

This is really cute! It would be higher if it wasn’t just the dress from Alice in Wonderland but Tomoyo brings her own touch to it! Or maybe Sakura just makes it look good, its hard to tell.

26.

Its cute for sure, I really love the gloves, skirt, boots and hat. I think this is another one that’d be stronger without the tail but this one looks...okay.

25.

Simple, but cute! The bow theme does a lot here to tie it together.

24.

Adore the contrast of the gold and black on the lower half here. You also have pink on black. A very serious look for Sakura and it works well.

23.

The yellow trim is wonderful, The way the gloves and sleeves open up into each other looks great and the pom-poms and ribbons are cute.

22.

The Pink and beige look great and the light trimming pops on this one!

21.

Pinks and Purples look great pretty much always, also its themed after her namesake! The Sakura flower in the hat is nice touch.

20.

Absolutely adore me some asymmetrical stockings.

19.

Cardcaptor Sakura does Wings and Stars a couple times as themes and this one pulls off the wings theme exceedingly well. It makes being all shades of yellow work too.

18.

Honestly I just really love the colors here and the star brooch adds a lot. It does a lot with a little.

17.

Like Nya

16.

Queen of hearts? More like Queen of my heart. Seriously cute.

15.

Goes in on the Stars theme and does it very well! Maaaaybe a few too many around the collar but I adore the dress.

14.

This has SUCH a good 90′s Tech Feel to it, it makes me wanna buy something atomic purple and see through. I absolutely adore the headphones and shoulder pads here.

13.

Holy SHIT. Tomoyo did Witch once but she fucking NAILED it. The Dark blue shorts against the lighter red, the wing brooch, The hat, the BOOTS. Love this.

12.

Okay normally when you put this many flames in an outfit it looks bad but Tomoyo is fucking genius. The sash really makes this. The only two people allowed to wear fire print are Guy Fieri and Sakura in this outfit.

11.

Its just such a fun looking costume! I think it has my favorite shoes she wears.

10.

This dress looks like its straight out of a high fantasy princess’ wardrobe and it has that asymmetrical stocking thing going on. When I saw this in the Clear Card OP I stopped worrying if it was gonna live up the original run.

She looks like shes the hero of an RPG! I Adore the cape and the way the stars are placed on the outfit. The dark red lining makes the yellow boots and dress pop and yellow dress makes the lighter red shorts pop. The hat is also adorable.

Much like the one above, the way its all layered here is incredibly excellent. The Dark blue sleeves do kinda visually blend into the dark red cape which just makes her hands and thus her staff and cards pop even more. A very dramatic look.

90′s Space Themed. Incredible. Inspirational. Adorable.

You never really get to see a monochromatic outfit for in magical girl shows and that because this outfit already did it better than anyone else ever could!

This dress is illegally cute and I love the shawl.

Isn’t this just like the most adorable thing ever? Just look at it! I gasped when I saw this one revealed because I didn't expect it to be so damn cute. The way it moves on screen is a joy too.

I literally cried when I saw this outfit spoiled in the previews for next weeks episode. Sakura has a few animal themed costumes but this blows them all out of the water. Particularly fond of the gloves here. Absolutely adorable.

Honestly this outfit is a masterpiece. I was amazed that the first Battle Costume of Clear Card was this good. The dress, The Gloves, the Shawl The way the lining and the ribbons mirror each other, the asymmetry with those ribbons, the simple but incredibly cute boots, the frills. Tomoyo Truly outdid herself, she must have been sitting on this one and refining it during the two year in-canon hiatus between clear card and cardcaptor. Just incredible. I’d Kill to wear this.

Okay so there was a very large debate between me and myself for the last 5 over who gets the #1 spot but in the end, I don’t think it could’ve ever been anything else. After all, its supposed to be ranked by my preference. It just holds such a special, magical place in my heart. I see this and it goes: This is what being a magical girl is. Theres not a single thing on this outfit I don’t love dearly. The hat, The Wings, The Dress, The Frills, The gloves, the stockings, the shoes and the bows throughout the outfit tying it all together. This is My Personal favorite outfit in Cardcaptor Sakura.

#CCS #cardcaptor sakura #cardcaptor clear card #magical girl

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fantasyandromancelover · 5 years

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The Tale of Tales Chapter 18

Gray didn't have any trouble tracking Juvia. From what he had been told she lived up North of the forest just a few miles from the Magnolia village. Arriving there he found foot prints that were that of a young maiden and followed them, soon her tracks mixed with several other kinds of foot prints. Two which belonged to grown men and one that belonged to a young boy. When he reached the end of the trail he found the cottage. He knocked on the door but no one answered leaving him to believe that no one was home.

He was about to find a place where he could hide and wait for them to come home when he heard something in the distance. It was faint but he could make it out. It was a voice, a girl's voice humming. Being as quiet as a mouse he followed the humming and it led him to the edge of a steep hill. At the end of the hill was a river and Juvia was washing clothes in it.

"Let's see she looks about seventeen, blue hair, fair skin. Yep this is her."

She couldn't see him down there because he was hidden by the trees and her back was turned so she wouldn't be able to see his arrow coming. He pulled out his bow and arrow, drew back his arrow on the bow's string, and made his aim. It would be a perfect shot right through her heart and he wouldn't miss. He never missed. He was just about to fire when Juvia turned around and when he saw her face he was startled by her beauty. He knew that he was supposed to kill a woman he just didn't expect her to be so beautiful. He had never seen a woman more beautiful in his entire life and her voice was almost just as lovely.

"The water is wide, I can't cross o'er

And neither have I wings to fly

Give me a boat that can carry two

And we shall sail, my love and I

Oh love is gentle and love is kind

And love's a flower when first it's new

But love grows old and waxes cold

And fades away like morning dew

There is a ship, and she sails the sea

She's loaded deep as deep can be

But not as deep as the love I'm in

I know not how I sink or swim

The water is wide, I can't cross o'er

And neither have I wings to fly

Give me a boat that can carry two

And we shall sail, my love and I."

She had the voice of an angel which was sweeter than any that had ever been sung and he was so shocked by her lovely face and angelic voice that he accidentally shot the arrow while pointing down wind and it caused him to lose his balance and go tumbling down the hill. He landed on his ankle sprianing it in the process while also getting some scratches and bruises during his tumble. When he finally stopped rolling and sliding he tried to stand up only to feel intense pain in his ankle.

"Ah! Oh great I can't walk! Now I'm stuck down here!"

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" He turned in the direction of the gasping voice to find Juvia staring at with great concern.

"What are you looking at?" He asked in irritation.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you but I saw you fall down the hill and I was worried that you had hurt yourself so I decided to see if you were okay. Are you hurt?"

"No these bruises and scratches feel great." He said sarcastically.

"You don't have to be rude I'm only trying to help."

"Well I don't need your help now go away."

"You sure you don't need any help?"

"I just said I didn't." He tried to stand up. "Now scram! I can- Ah!"

He fell back down after feeling the pain in his ankle again.

"Oh dear you can't walk can you? Don't worry the house where I live is not far from here."

She took his arm and put it over her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" He asked her.

"I'm taking you back home with me so I can bandage your ankle and clean your wounds."

"Get away from me! I don't need your help! I can take care of myself!"

"Nonsense you can't even stand up, what are you going to stay down here until your ankle's healed? Now come on."

Gray tried to protest but Juvia was a stubborn and persistent woman who managed to convince him to give in and let her help him. She took him back to the cottage where she bandaged his ankle and cleaned his scratches and bruises.

"Ow! That stings!" Gray hissed when she touched his biggest scratch with a wet rag.

"Sorry but I have to clean it otherwise it will get infected." Juvia said. "And if you would hold still it wouldn't sting that bad. Now keep still."

"Ow...Ow...Ow!"

"Oh for heaven's sake you're behaving like a child! I thought you huntsmen would be used to this kind of treatment."

"If you're saying that I should be immune to pain then you are wrong on so many counts."

For the rest of the time Juvia spent tending to his injuries the two didn't speak to each other then suddenly Juvia started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Gray asked.

"Nothing it's just that this reminds me of when I was little and I fell out of an apple tree I was climbing and skinned my knee pretty bad. When my nurse cleaned my wound I was behaving just as silly as you were."

"Whatever."

"So may I ask what your name is?"

"It's Gray."

"Oh what a lovely name. My name is-"

"Juvia we're home!" They heard Romeo call as he, Elfman, and Gajeel walked inside.

"Who's this?" Gajeel asked.

"I'm Gray, I'm just a hunter who fell down a hill while trying to shoot a deer."

"He sprained his ankle so I brought him back here to bandage him up." Juvia said.

"Do you live around here?" Romeo asked.

"I'm just passing through." Gray said.

"So you don't have anywhere to go?"

"Pretty much."

"Can he stay here?" Juvia asked. "At least until his ankle is better."

"I don't mind." Romeo said.

"Fine by me." Elfman said.

"Now wait just a minute." Gajeel said. "We don't know this guy. We can't just let him stay here, he could be a thief or a murderer and besides where is he gonna sleep?"

"He can have my bed and I'll sleep on the floor." Juvia said.

"A real man wouldn't make a lady give up her bed." Elfman objected.

"He's right. Gray can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the floor." Romeo said.

"No how about you and I share a bed Romeo? That way no one has to sleep on the floor." Juvia said.

"Juvia we can't just let this man stay with us." Gajeel said. "He could be dangerous."

"You're too suspicious Gajeel you know that? And besides he can't even walk so how much harm can he do?"

Gajeel looked at Gray. He did look pretty hurt and he did seem like a decent guy but Gajeel had develop a biological alarm if you will and it started going off the minute he first saw Gray. He was very suspicious of the young man and sensed that he was dangerous but he knew that if he sent him away in this condition Juvia would see him as a heartless monster forever.

"Fine he can stay but only til he recovers."

"Wonderful." Juvia said.

"Hey Juvia, Elfman and I were going to catch fish for dinner wanna come?" Romeo asked.

"I'd love to but I have to take care of Gray."

"I'll keep an eye on him." Gajeel said.

"Oh thank you Gajeel."

She hugged him then kissed his cheek and left with Elfman and Romeo. Once they were gone Gajeel decided to have a little chat with Gray.

"Alright listen up pretty boy I believe you when you said that you were just a hunter who got hurt but I don't believe for one minute that it was deer you were hunting. Now if what you say turns out to be true then you have nothing to fear but if my suspicions are correct and you dare try to hurt that girl I'll break you into a million tiny pieces." He said cracking his knuckles.

Gray gulped.

"Are...Are you her father?"

"Let's just say I'm a guardian and you cannot imagine how much she means to us and all three of us are ready to kill to keep her safe. Just remember that while you're staying here."

Gray found himself in quite a predicament. He knew that this job was probably going to be the hardest one he had ever taken.

Since I gave Lucy the gift of dance I gave Juvia the gift of song. The song she sung was The Water is Wide by Orla Fallon. Since Fairy Tail uses a lot of cetlic music I decided to use cetlic songs.

#fairy tail #fairy tail au #fairy tales #juvia loxar #gray fullbuster #gray x juvia #gruvia fairy tail #brothers grimm #snow white #fanfic #fanfiction

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kog0ruhn · 5 years

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Denutena Review (#139281)

You have one of the most delightfully colorful lairs I’ve ever seen. Everything is so vivid and upbeat and happy, and the kind of eyeburners that I can totally get behind. It’s just all so cohesive, even the tabs for projects and storage that you told me not to pay attention to, and I don’t think I have ever seen a lair be so varied while sticking to a similar theme in my time on Flight Rising. And you have so many crystal dragons that I actually like, and I hate crystal.

Christ, I’m learning a lot about myself today.

Flutter immediately drew my eye, and despite the fact I usually dodge dragons with the April Fools eyes like the plague on my own dragons, there is just something so endearing about this fellow. It’s been a long, long time since a dragon’s got a legitimate smile out of me, but I was grinning the moment I opened him up in a tab. He’s colorful, silly, and wonderful, not to mention surprisingly pleasing to the eye. Orange and pink, for instance, are always safe colore to slap together, and the genes utilized on him make him both vivid and not-quite-burn-y. The contrast of his butterfly, for instance, makes the magenta pop, and glimmer is always a good go-to to make your brights brighter like the genetic equivalent of bleach. However, the use of crystal as his primary gives some variation that, while still neon as all hell, also has dark faceted areas that keep it from being too overwhelming.

And let’s talk about that apparel. The flowerfall matches well with his tert and, along with the butterflies floating around him, make him looks more dynamic and less static. The colors chosen for everything he wears are chosen well, especially the jester apparel, which seems tailor made for this bad boy. And, again, I actually LOVE the April Fool’s eyes on him, as they make him look jolly and lively and silly and fun.

Sterre is a remarkable Gen 2 Imp. Most of the ones I’ve seen are usually scatter-in-progress projects that I see folks pick up because of their heritage instead of their colors, but you’ve lucked out either via scrolls or breeding with this colorful lady. She oozes with hues and patterns that bring to mind the ‘90s heyday of Lisa Frank, with eye-catching leopard print and that beautiful bee secondary that’s somewhere between stained glass and jelly plastic. The whole thing just makes me warm and nostalgic, and she’s definitely one hell of a feel-good dragon (which, honestly, you have a LOT of).

I do appreciate with her, and so many of your other dragons, that you use apparel as more of an accent than as an outfit. This is especially true with Sterre who, with her gorgeous patterning, benefits from having a glove here, stockings there, and the healer’s reference as the only “large” apparel on her. It gives her personality without detracting from her inherent beauty.

Stella is a standout, and what a lovely standout she is. It was interesting to look through your lair and for her to immediately catch my eye just due to the pure contrast of the darker purples and bright, lively magenta of her primary. With how bright everything else is, those Night Sky silks and that Shadow accent do indeed clash with the neighbors, albeit in a truly wonderful way. As stated before, those more muted and darker violets do wonders to help her crystal pop and catch the eye, as well as her glimmer which would otherwise be a bit too dark for her.

And her apparel? Oh man, her apparel is A+. Nocturne females are one of the best dragons to don flowing apparel since they’re at a perfect pose to convey movement, and there is definitely a wonderful flow to her. As repeated over and over again, the colors of the silks are spot on for the rest of her, and the Starlight Cloak is the perfect middle ground to help tie together the silks and her natural colors. The accent also helps with this immensely, what with the fade it gives her wings and tail, a smoky gradient with a pleasing texture that makes her much more visually appealing to look at.

She may not have a name, but she doesn’t need one to be stunning. Bright green and purple already go really good together, being one of those underrated eyeburner combinations that I don’t see nearly as often as orange and purple, or orange and blue, or black and any neon color. It’s a shame, too, because green and purple of any shade are really kick-ass together, but now I’m off on a tangent. Back on target.

In addition to the green and purple, the touches of yellow (the complement to purple) and the cyan of her glowing accent make her less of an eyeburner and more of a vivid, spring-colored dragon that brings to mind things like Easter and April flowers. It’s comforting and invigorating and, again, unmarred by needless apparel. She has touches of flair here and there to help bring out hints of a personality and accentuate her natural gorgeousness, and that accent? It seems like it was made for her. It’s so iffy on every other dragon I’ve looked at it on, but she doesn’t seem like she would be the same without it.

Raneer. I know I said that Stella was a standout and that your pretty unnamed Imp was an underused color combination, but Raneer is all of that and thensome. I absolutely love this Imperial boy, and it wouldn’t be completely incorrect to say that he’s probably my favorite in your entire lair, due to just how he’s simultaneously unique and perfectly suiting when compared to everything else in your lair. His color combination is an absolutely wonderful new twist on a popular favorite among folks with darker, more plague-themed lair, taking the stereotypical “zombie” scheme and turning it into something bright, jovial, and fun.

And with the “swampy” hues of moss and spring, no less! Just the use of the proper genes to make them shine managed to take him from potential fodder to a sparkling member of the clan. And because the green is so dark and complementary to red, it makes the cherry on his mane pop in such a satisfying way. God, this boy doesn’t need any attire to dazzle, let me tell you.

I said that saying Raneer was my favorite wouldn’t be completely incorrect, and that’s because it’s a struggle choosing between him and this lovely little Fae in the back of your lair. She seems to be a newcomer, and she is most definitely a star. To have an XYZ dragon whose colors flow together so goddamn perfectly is a thing to behold, with the purple of the radioactive pinstripe moving into the fuchsia of the wings, the black accents of the noxtide lining up wonderfully with the black edges of the peacock, and then the green and cyan of the peacock tying it all right back to that primary. The inclusion of the dark black bits--the feet, the outline of the peacock, the lines on the noxtide--all work to add an extremely pleasing amount of contrast that makes her come across as all the more vivid and eye-catching.

And that’s to say nothing of the design of the gene choices, and how crisp and clean she looks. Bold lines, bright colors, smooth patterns. To top it off, she has big, beautiful Arcane eyes that are every bit as intense as the rest of her. She’s a beauty, and I cannot wait to see what you do with her!

#denutena #lair review

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angryrabbit42 · 6 years

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Muddy Prints

(Written for my friend Amy B. The character names are her irl children and dogs. She asked me to write a fun story including her dogs and this is the fun result. - K)

“Lash is out,” Ralph whispered, giving his sister, Charlotte a poke. “Wake up Char, c’mon.”

The sky outside the window was silvery gray. Morning was still a long way off and Lash was out. The Siberian husky had a habit of getting into trouble if Gomez, their golden wasn’t there to watch him. Ralph shook his sister again. This time she grumbled a bit before opening her eyes.

“S’morning?” she asked, rubbing at her eyes.

“No, Lash is out,” Ralph repeated. “C’mon. We gotta go get him.”

Charlotte tossed her covers off and slipped into her trainers. Ralph was in PJs, so she didn’t bother with clothes except for her jacket and her tiara. It was sparkly with a pink boa around it and she was convinced it was lucky. Besides, a princess would never be caught out of bed without hers. She pulled the covers farther back to reveal Gomez.

“Wake up, Gomez. We have to go out,” Charlotte told the dog.

Gomez got up and beat both children out of the room. Ralph stuffed a tiny Charmander into his pocket for luck and followed his royal sister. The house was silent except for children and dog out of bed but still, they kept quiet. It would go better for everyone if they caught Lash themselves and got everyone back into bed before breakfast.

Slipping out the back door, they stood and stared at the thick mist creeping up over everything. The trees seemed haunted, the slide seemed even more haunted and worse, there was no sign of Lash. Ralph whistled. Gomez’s floppy ears perked up but there was no answer from the husky.

“C’mon Char, he can’t have got far,” he whispered.

Charlotte adjusted her tiara to give herself a moment to think. “Wait Ralph, Gomez can find Lash. He’s a good tracker. Right?”

Gomez sneezed.

“See? He says he can,” Charlotte insisted.

Ralph started walking. “We don’t have time to mess around.”

Charlotte knelt down next to Gomez. “You are a big, good dog and you can find Lash, can’t you?”

Gomez huffed in her direction. Charlotte pet his head. Ralph rolled his eyes as the big dog sat down. Charlotte gently took hold of Gomez’s ears to get his attention. “There’s a treat in it for you.”

Gomez didn’t budge.

“Okay, two but that’s all I’ve got in my pockets,” Charlotte said, standing up.

Gomez sniffed the air before taking off down the road. The look Charlotte gave Ralph was very annoying. But he followed his sister as she took off running after Gomez. The air smelled wet like rain was coming but Ralph thought it felt too still. He couldn’t hear a single thing rustling. All the animals were asleep still, or gone. He put on a burst of speed to keep up. There was no way he wanted to get left behind when everything was so eerie.

Gomez didn’t stop at the edge of their property but dove headlong into the trees. Charlotte had grabbed his tail to keep him from getting too far ahead. The dog took this with a limited amount of dignity, occasionally stopping to give the human puppy an annoyed eye roll. Charlotte would roll her eyes back and he would be off again.

“We can’t go too far,” Ralph said.

“Can too, if Gomez says so,” Charlotte replied. “We’re already in trouble.”

“What’s a little more?” Ralph replied, snorting as his sister shrugged.

Gomez stopped. He stood stock still and the twilight bleached the yellow out of his coat, making him look for an instant like a stone statue. He stood before a circle of mushrooms, tail low and straight. Ralph pulled Charlotte back before she entered the ring. In the center of it were two large pawprints. Ralph pulled Charlotte back to see where the pawprints entered the circle.

“Lash went that way,” Charlotte said, pointing to the opposite side of the ring.

Ralph shook his head. “No Char, Lash went in this way, but he didn’t come out the other side. There’d be more prints.”

“Dogs don’t just disappear Ralph,” she said and moved forward.

Gomez growled and Charlotte turned to comfort the big dog. Ralph examined the ring from all angles. It was wide enough for a bunch of people to have a picnic inside. It smelled like mushrooms and wet grass. Gomez growled when he touched a mushroom, warning him away.

“Lash is in there,” he told his sister and dog. “It’s a fairy ring.”

Fairies are nice,” Charlotte said. “Like Tinkerbell.”

“Right, are you sure?” Ralph asked Char because he wasn’t convinced.

“Mm-hmm,” she said, bobbing her head. “‘Sides, I’m a princess. They especially like princesses.”

Ralph didn’t know anything about fairies. He liked nice normal things like numbers and video games. Charlotte was good with animals and fairies were a sort of animal. Plus, he trusted Charlotte. “Okay, but we go together. Hold hands.”

Gomez disagreed. Rumbling, he wouldn’t move, going so far as to sit flat, facing home. Charlotte took Ralph’s hand and led them into the center of the ring. At first, they just stood in the center of the grass but the air shimmered and Lash appeared. Lash barked and crashed into them, knocking them to the grass.

“Down boy!” Charlotte exclaimed while high voices giggled around them.

Ralph got Lash to sit and spotted a boy with dragonfly wings sitting around the dog’s neck. The boy has pointed ears, bright green eyes and wore a pair of jeans and a Minecraft Tee. He also had a tiny gold crown on his head. In the air around them, more fairies were fluttering around the circle. They were all colors and wore normal people clothes.

Charlotte was mesmerized. “Wow!”

“Dance! Play,” a girl fairy commanded.

The circle expanded and they couldn’t see poor Gomez in the grass anymore. Instead, they spotted a square for dancing next to a horseshoe pit. Beyond the pit was a fire where several strange creatures with hooves for feet were roasting marshmallows on sticks. Ralph saw groups of fairies carrying large hoops and dipping them into soap to create giant bubbles.

“Look! That’s why Lash ran in here! Silly dog can’t resist bubbles!” Charlotte squealed as Lash jumped and popped bubbles.

Gales of laughter escaped the fairies. Charlotte jumped and popped a few herself as Ralph watched nervously. This was cool but if they couldn’t see the ring any longer, how could they get back to Gomez? How would they get back home?

“All dance and play to honor the king!” the girl fairy commanded.

A ball landed in his arms. It was small but the right size for kicking, so he kicked it back to a group of tiny gnomes in red or green hats. They beckoned him over. Not wanting to be rude and seeing the girl fairy still hovering, he joined the game.

They played for hours. Charlotte found herself and Lash draped in flower crowns while Ralph was shown how to play ten pins. Fairies were good fun and had loads of sweets on offer. Charlotte ate a fluffy frosted purple cake. Ralph stuck to the weird sour hard candies and Lash ate whatever no one else wanted.

Breathing heavy after another round of horseshoes, the kids sat on the grass and grinned at each other. Fairies started curling up in balls around them. Some snored softly while others quietly talked to one another while drinking dandelion tea. It was clear that the party was coming to an end.

The boy in the crown bowed low before Charlotte. “Your majesty,” he said, “you have honored me. But the party has ended.” He winked. “I love a princess at my parties.”

“Your majesty,” Charlotte said and bowed low. She kicked Ralph in the shins until he bowed too.

The king grinned and disappeared.

The girl fairy who had commanded them to play appeared. Her long pink hair floated in the breeze her glittery dragonfly wings made as she hovered near them. She smiled brightly. With a bow, she waved a wand around the circle. They blinked and spotted Gomez, still sulking in the tall grass.

Lash barked. Gomez flicked an ear. Lash barked again. Gomez hopped up and spun to see the two children and the Siberian Husky. He huffed very disapprovingly at them. Lash licked his ear and set off toward home, not worried at all about the trouble he had caused.

Gomez, with a dignified sniff, herded the children back down the path where the mist was lifting. Charlotte looked at the sky. “How long were we gone, Ralph?”

“Hours,” he replied.

“Still dark,” Charlotte whispered back.

They reached the house and the lights weren’t on. Lash was by the back door, waiting with bright, knowing eyes.

“Could be the next day?” Ralph wondered.

“Mom would have called the police,” Charlotte argued.

“Yeah,” Ralph agreed. “Should we tell them?”

Charlotte grinned at her brother. “No.” To Lash, she said, “Thanks for letting us meet your friends.”

With an eye roll, Lash went inside. Gomez did not follow. He did block the kids way back inside. Charlotte tried to go around the dog but he wouldn’t budge.

“Move! We can’t get in trouble now!” Charlotte growled.

Gomez growled back and nosed her pockets.

“You owe him two treats,” Ralph reminded her.

“He’s going to get us in trouble,” Charlotte replied.

“Not if you feed him,” Ralph said.

“Oh, alright,” Charlotte agreed. “I did promise.”

She handed the dog the treats and he inhaled them before Lash could turn up. Dropping his jaw in a doggy smile, he let the human puppies return to their beds. He joined Charlotte under the covers.

In the morning, they got grounded. Muddy footprints had given them away and parents don’t believe in fairies.

The End.

(if you like this, consider supporting me so I can write more ko-fi.com/fuzzym)

#short story #omg so cute #fiction #writing #stories #story #cute animals #cuteness #fluffy story #author #writers #flash fiction #stories about dogs #fairies #fantasy #kid stories

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evilsnowswan · 8 years

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Summary: [Rumbelle Mermaid!AU] based on this prompt by repeatinglitanies: “In a world where people are aware of the existence of mermaids, Belle is a mermaid who lives in the world’s largest aquarium along with other sea creatures. She enjoys looking at the little humans who come to visit, especially a floofy haired boy who comes every week with his father….” An injured Belle is captured and brought to Gold and Milah’s aquarium. Gold is a marine biologist dedicated to protecting the creatures there, Milah wants to turn a profit, and their son has his own ideas about how to befriend a mermaid.

Rating: G/Teen Link to full story: [Read on AO3] Previous Chapters: [Coverart][Chapter 1][Chapter 2][Chapter 3][Chapter 4][Chapter 5][Chapter 6][Chapter 7][Chapter 8][Chapter 9]

Current Chapter: 10/? Chapter Summary: Indigo is on the mend. Gold has doubts.

Chapter 10

The strawberry flavor had been a good idea. It had taken some convincing, but Indigo would now happily accept whatever beverage was offered to her - if it came in the mermaid sippy cup. She had been mesmerized by the redhead version of herself that adorned it, tracing the flaming red hair and green tail with a finger and pointing repeatedly. Gold tried explaining to her expectant face that the cartoon character was nothing but a pretty picture, that the depicted mermaid wasn’t real and never had been, but he wasn’t entirely sure he’d gotten the point across. At least Indigo had stopped pointing and gesturing every time he handed her the cup, accepting that they weren’t going to see another mermaid any time soon.

Mixing a fresh formula shake - banana-flavor, her favorite - Gold glanced over at Indigo, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She wasn’t looking back at him, feigning interest in the plain tiles at the bottom of the holding pool, lying belly-down in her harness. She reminded him of tourists at the beach, kids floating on flashy pool mattresses like bored lobsters with beach hats, gazing down through the see-through window head rests.

Nothing much to see, was there?

Bemused, Gold’s mouth twitched. It had been a little over three weeks. Just like with Bae, one quick look at Indigo’s face in the morning was enough to tell him exactly what kind of day it was going to be. This morning it had been overcast with a chance of rain, but he had hoped her mood would clear up by the afternoon. No such luck.

On good days Indigo was their model patient: cooperative and eager to start with whatever was on her schedule. On bad days her favorite sign was ‘no’ and she refused any and all things just to spite him. He never lost his temper with her, however. His short fuse wasn’t an issue when it came to Bae and, no matter what Indigo did or didn’t do, the same applied to her. He’d survived the terrible-twos once and he could do it again if he had to. Calm and consistent did the trick. Perseverance was key.

He twisted the lid on and scratched his nose. “What’s the matter today, sweetheart?” he asked, smiling at her when she lifted her head. “We’ve got work to do.” He opened a drawer and took out the flashcards, rifling through the stack until he had found the one he wanted. He held it up to show it to her, then walked over, crouched down, and pinned it to the magnet board.

To facilitate communication with Indigo they had printed out pictograms, laminated the cards, and propped up a magnet board against two chairs by the edge of the pool. It helped her understand what was going on and what they intended to do next. Routine and rituals were powerful tools.

Each activity had a corresponding flashcard: mealtime, playtime, physio, light therapy and rest or nap-time. He had raided Bae’s cupboard and taught her Connect 4, UNO junior, and backgammon, using their old travelling roll-up set.

Indigo’s favorites were Operation and Halli Galli, a speed action game in which players watched for sets of exactly five fruit and rang a bell as soon as they were revealed, tapping the silver bell - the type found at hotel reception desks - with the flat of their hand and crushing their opponents’ hands in the process - if they happened to have gotten there first and were in the way. Sharp eyes and quick reflexes helped to win, but Gold suspected Indigo loved the game simply for the colorful fruit and the loud pings that echoed around the medical wing, making her shudder with warm shivers at the shrill sound.

He set down the cup at the edge of the pool, and went back to get his tea and the other flashcards. As he did so, Indigo paddled over and snatched her snack, returning to the middle of the pool before he had made his way back.

He swapped the food card for the one with the big yellow sun, noticing her pout.

“Come on, you like the warmth!”

Indigo nursed her drink for a moment.

“Indigo?” He saw the name register, even though she was pretending not to be paying attention.

Not for the first time in the last three weeks, Gold wondered if there was such a thing as mermaid-years. If so, how old was Indigo anyway? Her appearance wasn’t much to go on to gauge her age. They knew nothing about aging and maturity levels in mermaids.

He waved a hand and pointed at her. “Young lady? I’m trying to have a conversation here?!”

She sniffed, tossing her hair. Gold knew she couldn’t understand what he said, but how he said it carried meaning too - and she was very well able to pick up on that.

“You’re going to be like that for the rest of the day then?” he asked. “Make both our lives miserable?”

Indigo smacked her lips, lowered her cup almost dramatically, and made for the magnet board. She still favored her tail, for the most part relying heavily on her arms and the harness to get around in the water, while occasionally splashing about with her fin. They would have to find a solution to that soon - before it could become a real problem. Her wounds were healing, sensation had returned to her bottom half, her muscles were strong enough. No reason to keep the crutch around longer than necessary.

Indigo bobbed in the water by the board until she was sure she had his full attention. Holding his gaze, she reached for the sun card, took it down, and turned it over with a flourish, placing it upside down on the tiles.

“And why is that, hmm?” He sat down at the edge of the pool, facing her and his feet in the water.

A tiny grin curled the corners of his mouth. Nursing Indigo back to health was a full-time job. Keeping her happy and entertained on bad days another one on top of that. Initially, they had put her mood swings down to the feelings of weakness and dizziness, and the frequent headaches she was experiencing. They took things slow, put her on Fiorocet - which only gave minor relief and, after five days, resulted in an awful skin reaction; Indigo’s torso covered in itchy hives. She switched to Aleeve and a little bit of coffee for a few days and had to take a Benadryl for the first day of the hives, but they faded quickly. The headaches subsided, the moods stayed.

He offered her the other cards, which she shuffled through listlessly, taking a long time to look at each picture before placing them on the ground face down one after the other.

“Then what would you like to do?” Gold kicked at the water, toying with the idea of swimming a few short laps to try and animate her to do the same. But it wasn’t the right time for physical activity just yet, her muscles weren’t properly warmed up, and since she wasn’t in the mood for anything anyway, they might as well stick to the original schedule as planned.

He leaned over to pick up the cards and looked for the sun. It went back on the board and Indigo blew bubbles in the water. She pushed herself off the wall with her arms, made the harness swirl in a circle, and turned her back on him. Silly girl.

He sipped at his thermos mug, Indigo finished her shake.

He’d give her a few more minutes to sulk, Gold decided. He carried his mug to the sink, checked all ropes and hooks on the hammock hoist and transport system for wear, and the mattresses on the gurney and exam table for stains or tears in the foam rubber. Indigo might have been on the mend, but he wasn’t going to take any risks with her safety or delicate health. When porous, that foam rubber became a host for various bacteria and soft rot fungi, and if the ropes snapped mid-lift the impact alone would kill her.

After he had made sure the equipment was ready, he returned to her to see if she was too.

He snapped his tongue to get her attention. “Ready to go?”

Indigo refused to respond or acknowledge his presence, looking right through him. He wasn’t going to be fooled by her antics anymore though, and calmly proceeded according to plan, pushing the button that lowered down the small whale and dolphin transportation sling into her pool until it was half submerged.

For quick procedures and short distances, a mattress of foam rubber or plastic was sufficient to make dolphins and seals comfortable out of the water. They could be used to transfer animals from rescue boats to their holding crates and vice versa, but weren't suitable for long distance travel, because lying on their bellies, the animals quickly grew uncomfortable. Their flippers had no freedom of movement and were forced in a somewhat awkward position. Even when put on their sides and strictly monitored to keep the blowholes free from obstructions at all times, dolphins had to be turned over every twenty to thirty minutes to prevent lung damage - and all that manhandling added considerably to the stress of being out of the water.

To reduce the number of casualties, mattresses had been replaced by sling or stretcher systems for long distance road transport and could also be used to hoist heavy animals up and out of their pools and pens. The most common models were padded slings to suspend a dolphin belly down. Slits on appropriate places allowed passage of the flippers, spilling of faeces, and the taking of rectal temperatures. Adaptations could easily be made to fit size and weight of the individual animal.

For Indigo transport in a sling or stretcher was far less complicated. She could lie down or sit up in it, hold onto the sling or ropes with her hands, and more than once Gold had had to warn her to keep still and not treat the pool hoist like a swing set.

Today, she wasn’t playing and it would require more effort on his part to coax her into the sling and out of the water.

“If you’re not coming out, I’m coming in!” he informed her, purposefully lowered himself into the pool, and waded closer.

Indigo couldn’t care less.

“Indigo.” He touched her fin - at which she shot him a dirty look over her shoulder - and pointed at the magnet board, widening his stance and squaring his shoulders.

Indigo rolled her eyes.

He pulled the sling a little closer and held out a hand.

She didn’t take it, just handed him her empty cup, and, revealing her painful looking bruised back and cut tail, carefully pulled herself off the harness and onto the sling, slouching in the fabric with her arms crossed like a petulant child.

Gold gave her a flat look, and Indigo’s frown deepened.

Even as she lay on the exam table a few short moments later, stretched out comfortably like a cat in a patch of sunlight, basking in the heat lamps’ warmth and relaxing to his touch, she hadn’t lost any of the attitude. Head resting on her arms, her eyes were closed, and she allowed him to knead and manipulate her back and tail muscles in any way he wished, but she wasn’t putting in an ounce of work herself.

Gold felt his hands and her skin grow warm as he worked, pondering how, in such a short space of time, he’d gained so much of her trust. Indigo trusted him enough to make herself completely vulnerable, allowing close contact, and putting her guard down with an openness that might have very well gotten her killed in the wild. Perhaps her trusting nature was what had swept her into their nets in the first place. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

He was gentle and careful, applying pressure only where it was needed to work out the knots. Her shoulders and lower back carried the most tension and he’d run through half the salt water spray bottle before there was any real progress. Once he had loosened her up, gone through one hundred repetitions of the hip rotation exercises, and stretched her tail sufficiently, he let his fingers run over her smooth skin and back up to the nape of her neck.

Not a single one of the soft baby hairs stood up in warning as he came closing in. His hands around her exposed neck, a little pressure, one hard squeeze - or a sudden pull or twist - would have been all it took. How could her instincts fail her this gravely?

Her breath came slow and calm, not a cell in her body aware of a possible threat to her life and calling a halt. He let his fingers curl, feeling her pulse vibrate against them, and it brought tears to his eyes. This was too much - even for blind trust. How much damage had they already done for her self-preservative drive to be overridden to the point of nonexistence? No wild animal, no matter how much it trusted another, would ever relinquish all control like this; put its life into another’s hands willingly and completely - unless severely traumatized or forced into submission.

Swallowing hard, Gold took a step back from the table, a wave of grief sweeping over him and making him sway where he stood, his feet growing cold in their booties.

She noticed, but again it took her way too long to catch up with the changes in her surroundings. And even as she did, her first instinct wasn’t to flee, to seek shelter or safety, but to prop herself up on one arm, raising an eyebrow at him and flopping over onto her back like a dog that wanted its belly scratched. If only she’d been acting more like a domesticated cat and dug her claws into his hands as soon as they dared touch her, but Indigo did no such thing - instead, Gold was sure, he would have heard her purr - if she had indeed been a cat and could have made those low, rumbling sounds.

The bitter taste of guilt on his tongue, he went through the motions of massaging her arms and torso, his fingertips skimming down her sides and making her squirm and laugh soundlessly. He even found it in him to smile back at her, so as not to unsettle Indigo in her vulnerable state and shake her faith in him - however misplaced it was. It wasn’t her fault and she shouldn’t have to feel punished for their mistakes. His mistakes.

Gold sighed.

Something small hit his temple and broke through his thoughts. He turned his head with a confused smile, blinking down at the red ball on the floor.

Hurt. --- Was she hurt?!

His eyes swept up her body and searched her face anxiously - only to find a lopsided smile and a quiet question mark gazing back at him.

He shook his head, trying to shake his dark thoughts like rain from an umbrella, and gestured to find out if anything he had done with his hands while lost in his head had caused her pain - as had been the agreement and the function of the little soft toy she’d thrown at his face.

Indigo brought her thumb and two fingers together. No.

She blew out her cheeks, batting her eyelashes, and Gold burst out laughing without meaning to.

Sobering instantly, he made himself stop, put a lid on the tension - bottling it up and pushing it down. He began pacing back and forth across the tiles, rubbing a relentless hand over his mouth as he thought, and watched her watching him out of wide, concerned eyes.

When the redeeming idea finally came to him, he pinched his upper lip so hard it turned white.

His eyes darted to the plain clock on the wall.

Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner, he wondered. All he needed was another thirty minutes and Ruby Lucas.

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle #rumbelle au #mermaid!belle #ouat fanfiction #my fic #fic: indigo

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