#three-quarter length full sleeves

[gogmstuff]

1780s (or so) dress (from top to bottom) -

Lady with a dog in the garden by Jean-Frederick Schall (location ?). From arthive.com/artists/85882~JeanFrederick_Schall/works/598470~Lady_with_a_dog_in_the_garden 1582X2000 @180 1.2Mj.

Lady Walking With A King Charles Spaniel by Jean Frederic Schall (Waddesdon Manor - Waddeson, Buckinghamshire, UK). From Google search leading to cutlermiles.com/a-lady-walking-with-a-king-charles-spaniel-jean-frederic-schall/ 931X1280 @72 302kj.

Après la Comédie-Italienne hier, l'Opéra (mais si peu) avec Mlle Duthé - gravé par Janinet d'après Lemoine. From twitter.com/MASEstampes/status/611573195385217024/photo/1 2306X2694 @144 9.7Mp.

ca. 1780 Anne, Viscountess Townshend by Sir Joshua Reynolds (Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - San Francisco, California, USA). From Wikimedia; darkened third to adjust for veiling reflection 2100X3495 @72 1.3Mj.

[supercantaloupe]

also the dress code they sent out for this concert tonight is "black gown or ladies suit" for women. fuck that you're getting my standard concert black lol

[intergalacticfop]

Minoan Heanos

The distinctive open-front dresses worn by Minoan women are probably even more iconic than the multi-layered kilts. Over time, there's dispute whether the garment is one piece or a separate bodice and skirt, but currently the one-piece theory is in ascendance.

The word heanos is derived from the Linear B logogram *146, wehanos. The wes- prefix, which is the squiggle in the middle, indicates a garment. Bernice Jones believes that this logogram represents the garment worn by Minoan men and women.

Marie-Louise B. Nosch, The Textile Logograms in the Linear B Tablets, pp 133-138

More research and construction below the cut:

The theory that the garment is a full-length tunic is further supported from imagery from the time, like these figures from the c. 1400 BCE Hagia Triada Sarcophagus. This detail from the sarcophagus shows three figures in some kind of procession, 2 women and 1 man. The woman at left wears a tunic with some kind of pelt as a skirt, and the other 2 figures wear tunics without anything over them, showing that they are one continuous, ankle-length garment.

Some of the most important resources for interpreting how the heanos was constructed comes from the two women depicted in the House of the Ladies in Akrotiri, wherein the side seams of the tunic are clearly visible running along the side of the body and under the arm.

details of figures from the House of the Ladies, Akrotiri, via Wikimedia Commons

advadbsvasb

Diagrams from Bernice Jones' book Ariadne's Threads, p. 82, via Gorgeous Tangents

The heanos itself is made of 3 pieces of fabric: 1 back and 2 fronts. These diagrams show a concave hem like on the labrys-shaped kilt but I went with a straight hem, which is an equally valid option. The end of the sleeves are level with the edge of the hem at the widest point. This would probably be the width selvage-to-selvage on the fabric, being narrower than fabric widths commonly are today. There are 4 seams: the shoulder seam, the two side seams, and a front seam (optional, but recommended if you would prefer not being arrested.) It may be tempting to fold the fabric across the shoulder, so the only sewing is side seams and a neck hole, but this makes a weaker garment overall. I used this as a shortcut in my fitting muslin and it caused tears and weak points at the three points of the front opening.

my fabric was a lightweight, moderately loose-woven cotton with a supplementary weave pattern in squares and diamonds. Linen or wool would have been more accurate but also? much harder to find from online quilting stores selling fabric for affordable prices. The main fabric is dark orange and the pattern is made out of pink/lilac threads. This weaving technique resulted in a LOT of long floats (unsecured expenses of thread) on the back--you can see how the wrong side of the fabric is much pinker than the right side. These floats could snag easily if I wasn't careful, so while it made a very effective visual for this tunic, I do not think that this fabric type would be viable for everyday wear. I'll leave it to people who actually know about weaving to ponder what more accurate weaving techniques would be.

Construction

The overall pattern is basically a T-shaped tunic, and the most important measurements are shoulder circumference, shoulder width, bust circumference, and the shoulder-waist length. In addition, you need measurements for the bicep, waist, shoulder-navel length, and hip circumference. After working out the fit with a muslin, I ended up with this pattern, 1 of 4 identical quarters.

Your first impulse may be to make the tunic very close-fitting, since the depictions in frescoes are skin-tight, but since the pattern has no added gusset this is a recipe for Cannot Move Arm. So I gave a very generous curve under the arm, which also made the dress look better when my arms were down, avoiding armpit wrinkles. I continued that ease into about an extra 2 inches added on to my waist measurement and plenty of extra space around my hips so that I could do exciting things like Sit Down.

I sewed the shoulder and side seams using the machine, and felled the raw edges on each side of the seam by hand with a whipstitch. I foided back the front edges of the v-neck instead of cutting them, which was a tip I got from the Gorgeous Tangents blog. This strengthens the neckline and keeps it from stretching, and also means that everything can be readjusted if you have size fluctuations or just want to modify the tunic into something more or less modest.

I whipstitched the front edges together by hand--the contrasting selvage didn't matter because it would be covered up by trim. I ended up cutting the tunic a liiiittle shorter than I wanted, so I finished it with some leftover bias binding instead of hemming it to conserve as much length as possible.

Trim

I custom-ordered the woven tape trim from Long Creek Mercantile. Both are made of wool--the "header band" and the hem trim are 1 1/4" wide and the center-front and cuff trim are 3/8" wide. I observed that most images of the Minoan heanos show trim with two colors at most, in a simple geometric or linear pattern, so I consciously restrained myself from ordering anything more elaborate. The clothing on Minoan frescoes is characterized by strongly contrasting colors, so blue trim was the most obvious, and best-looking option. Orange tunics with blue trim appear multiple time in art like the "Dancing Lady" fresco from Knossos:

Dr. Jones suggests that the band across the shoulder would historically have been a header band--a band of threads woven at the beginning of a project in order to properly space the warp bands (see her diagram at the beginning). That may be a reason why the shoulder trim often depicted under the front or sleeve trim, as shown above. Regardless, the trim almost always coordinates.

I sewed on the shoulder trim by hand, the sleeve and hem trim by machine, and the center-front trim with a combination of both.

Tassels

Many frescoes from Akrotiri and Hagia Triada show the ends of the supposed header band turned into tassels. This embellishment is not universal among heanoi, as you can see from the "Dancing Lady" above, but it does add a fun little something!

(yes, my Lounging Pants are very fashionable)

I turned the excess ends of the shoulder "header band" trim into fringes, knotting the yellow ones into a lattice and turning the blue yarns into tassels. The lattice-tassel appears on a fresco from Hagia Triada:

Reproduction of fragmentary fresco from Room 14 at Hagia Triada, Crete

The saffron gatherers from Akrotiri shown below have clearly displayed fringes at the ends of their sleeves. The one on the left has red fringes that appear knotted or ravelled/unravelled in an undulating pattern, and the one on the right has fringes that may be either beaded with papyrus-shaped leaves or cut into short tassels.

Another option is leaving the fringes loose, as seen in the Akrotiri frescoes from Xeste, room 3:

The final garment was super comfy, actually! It's much simpler to create than I thought it would be based on the frescoes, which made it all feel pretty magical when everything came together. I did think it was a little unusual how tailored this garment is, and the potential waste of fabric that comes from a shaped garment, especially compared to how later ancient greek clothing was mainly rectangles. I don't know enough about bronze-age and earlier clothing to have any idea how typical this was, since I'm extremely Not an expert on this subject, but am always open to learning more!

[plussizefantasia]

Orange Slices

Flufftober Day 19: Sweaters

Aaron Hotchner x Plus Size! reader

Word Count: 1.0k

AN: I know that I always write with bigger bodies in mind, but this one does mention sharing clothes and some body image stuff. If that bothers you, please protect yourself and don't read. It's still really fluffy but I just want to give a heads up.

Anyway, I love a cute little hotchner family moment and this was really fun to write. I'll see y'all tomorrow <3

divider credit @royallaesthetics

Aaron always took care of the people he loved, it was something he was incredibly good at and something you loved to witness. He took care of you, his team, Jack, and Jessica, and he had tried his best to take care of Haley until the two of them split.

One way he cared for Jack was by coaching his soccer team. He spent extra time with his son, running drills in your backyard. And Saturday mornings were pledged to soccer games. 

The best way that you could put the weather this Saturday morning was brisk. When you had gotten to the fields Jack had run away immediately after getting out of the car to go join the rest of his team. Aaron had helped you unload the cooler with halftime snacks and drinks, your folding chair, and the bag that Aaron brought when he coached full of cones and two or three extra pairs of socks and shin-pads for kids who might’ve forgotten them.

“It’s a little chilly this morning dontcha think Aaron?” You had asked, walking side by side with him, both of your arms full.

“Too cold? I can run back to the house real quick and grab you a jacket.”

“No, no. I’ll be fine it’s not that bad.”

“You sure hon?” You smiled at his concern.

“Yes, Aaron I’m sure I’ll be okay.”

You were not okay. Well at first you were, the first quarter went by kind of fast and Jack had scored a goal right off the bat so you were pretty pumped. But as time went on and things became a little less exciting you started noticing the crisp air biting at your skin more and more. It wasn’t enough for you to complain, but you did start rubbing your hands up and down your arms while you sat to try and generate some friction heat.

Aaron noticed because of course he did, it’s his job to notice and while he might not get paid to notice things about you, you’re one of the most important things in his life and he likes to keep tabs on you.

So when he sees your leg start bouncing and you beginning to blow into your hands to try and warm them up he makes his way over to you. He lets the other coach know that he’ll be right back and shouts some parting encouragement at the kids while he walks away.

“Cold?” He asks, but it’s not a question. He knows you’re cold. He knows everything about you, like how the pout you’re giving him means that you’re going to say no but you don’t mean it, you just don’t like being wrong.

“I’m fine Aaron, don’t you have a team to coach?” He notes the attempt at deflection but also notes the little puff of air that he sees coming out of your mouth when your hot breath meets the cool air.

“Take my jacket.” He starts unzipping the three-quarter zip that he bought just so that you can share. Aaron’s jackets usually don’t have a problem fitting you in the shoulder area or length but you had hated the way his coat had clung to your stomach the first time he offered it to you.

And he noticed because he always does. So the next day he went to the store and bought himself this sweater, it was a little too big for him. Not baggy enough to be noticeable, but he did have to push the sleeves up when he wore it because the cuffs on the end didn’t hold onto his wrists.

But the extra room in the sweater meant that it was perfect for you, you could share it and in moments like these, that was kind of a lifesaver.

Aaron shucked his sweater off leaving him in just a plain grey long-sleeve shirt and his black sweatpants.

“No Aaron you're gonna get cold.”

“But you already are.” Was his reply. Not even moments later did a small body crash into yours.

“Did you see that goal I scored!?” Jack’s exclamation and excitement put an end to whatever potential back and forth was about to commence and you slowly pulled the sweater over your head while Jack gave you a play-by-play of the game you had just been watching. 

“You’re doing good Kiddo, you’ve got one more half think you can do it?” You asked offering him a small red Gatorade from your cooler and an orange.

‘Course’ I can, m’ not even tired.” 

“Okay Jack, go kick butt.” He gave you one more hug and took a final swig of his drink before tossing the still-half-full bottle at you and running back out to the field. 

Aaron turned to you, “Keep the sweater hon, I’ll be fine. Promise.” He placed a chaste kiss on your forehead and went to go give the team the halftime pep talk that got them hyped for the last thirty-ish minutes of the game.

You had to admit though, that watching the second half of the game was a lot more enjoyable than previously, where you were more focused on not losing any fingers than what was going on. 

Jack played a great second half, scoring two more goals and winning it for his team. And Aaron looked great standing on the sideline, anytime you got to watch your kid have fun and check out your husband at the same time was a win in your book.

When the game ended and Jack helped you and Aaron pack up everything you’d brought, minus a few oranges, you’d all clambered into the minivan and Aaron pulled out of the parking lot. But he had gone the opposite way to your house.

“Where are we going, Dad?” Jack had asked from the back seat.

“To go get another sweater, just to keep in the car.” You had hit his arm at that and started sulking in the passenger seat. Aaron had just cracked a grin and chuckled a little at your reaction and Jack had just called out, “Can we get a hot chocolate too? I’m a little chilly.” 

At that, both you and Aaron burst out laughing.

[anonymouspuzzler]

silly little doodle page i've been chipping away at the past few months! what if Habits in an Outfits...

Original reference links for: Emoticon T-Shirt | Sheer Daisy Shirt | Fluffy Coat | Lily Sweater | Foopball Sweatshirt | Coat & Beret Outfit | Hairy Jewish Guy Hooters

[Full image description under cut!]

Image ID: A full page, black-and-white, digital ink drawing of Boris Habit from the game Smile For Me, wearing various outfits. There is an off-white paper texture in the background. Going roughly clockwise from the top left corner, the drawings are as follows:

A full-body drawing with an outfit consisting of a knee-length dress with a pointed collar and pleated skirt, a loose striped tie, a long open coat with a pointed collar and trim along the collar and inner edges, knee-length socks, Mary Jane style shoes, and a beret with a pom-pom. Habit's hair is tied up in a loose bun, with his bangs loose. He is smiling and looking off to the side, posing with one arm to the side and the other holding up a lily, one leg crossed over the other as if mid-twirl.

A half-body drawing (from roughly hips up) with an outfit consisting of dark pants, a turtleneck sweater with a large lily flower and stem embroidered on the front, and a kitted hat with a large pom-pom. Habit's hair is loose under the hat and he is standing with his hands in his pockets, looking off to the side with a casual expression.

A half-body drawing (from roughly hips up) with an outfit consisting of dark pants and a sheer, long-sleeved blouse with a frilly collar and cuffs, and embroidered daisies patterned all over. Habit's hair is down and has a flower tucked behind one ear. He stands with his hands braced in front of him as if leaning against a counter or table, and he is looking off to the side and winking with a goofy grin.

A half-body drawing (from roughly stomach up) with an outfit consisting of a low-cut shirt, a dark collared blazer, and a long simple scarf. Habit's hair is also braided, with the bangs loose. A bit of chest hair is visible over the collar of the shirt. There is wind blowing in his face, sending the braid and scarf blowing back behind him. He is braced against the wind with his eyes closed and a big goofy grin with his tongue sticking out.

Two three-quarters-body drawings (from roughly knees up) showing the same outfit from the front and back. The front view shows Habit leaning back as if sitting on a surface, with a wink and goofy grin with his tongue sticking out. He is wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a large, sideways winking emoticon printed on the front. His hair is down. The back view shows him standing with left arm to his side, pulling his hair over his right shoulder, revealing the same shirt with a sideways surprised emoticon printed on the back.

A half-body drawing (from roughly hips up) with an outfit consisting of a blouse with elbow-length sleeves and a Peter Pan-style collar with scalloped trim, a loose, sleeveless flower-pattern top over it, round sunglasses, and a large floppy sunhat with flowers lining the brim. Habit's hair is loose under the hat, and his mouth is open as if in the middle of talking. He has one hand roughly at his hip, and the other is holding up a glass with an icy drink and a little paper umbrella decoration.

A three-quarters-body drawing (from roughly knees up) with an outfit consisting of a sleeveless collared blouse, jeans, a belt with a square buckle, and a small ascot tied around Habit's neck. His hair is tied in a ponytail while his bangs are loose. His hands are held behind his back and he looks off to the side with his mouth slightly open, as if in the middle of talking.

A half-body drawing (from roughly stomach up) with an outfit consisting of a frilly, off-the-shoulder, flower-patterned blouse that is tied into a bow on the back. Habit is slouched forward over a table or counter with his head peeking out over his folded, hairy arms, with his loose hair spilling forward. He is looking up curiously, sticking his tongue out.

A three-quarters-body drawing (from roughly knees up) with an outfit consisting of jeans and a printed sweatshirt with a graphic of a football, reading above the graphic "FOOPBALL", and below, "AMERICA'S SPORNT". Habit's hair is tied back in a ponytail with his bangs loose. He is giving double thumbs-up and has a silly expression with dot eyes and a big, open-mouthed smile.

A half-body drawing (from roughly stomach up) with an outfit consisting of a dark, baggy top slipping off Habit's shoulder, as seen from behind. Habit's hair is tied up in a big, sloppy bun with the bangs loose, and he has very light, patchy stubble on his face. He is looking off to the side with a sleepy expression, as if he's just woken up.

A full-body drawing with an outfit consisting of a long, open coat with thick frilly trim along all the edges, a low-cut top tucked into flower-patterned bell-bottom pants, and chunky platform boots. Habit's hair is tied up in a messy bun with the bangs loose, and he is wearing round sunglasses. A bit of chest hair is visible over the edge of the low-cut top. His legs are crossed and one arm is swinging behind him as if he's in the middle of dancing, and he is smiling wide with a little cat-mouth grin.

A small drawing of the puppet Habit. He is seen from behind with his hair tied in a ponytail, looking up and smiling wide.

A three-quarters-body drawing (from roughly thighs up) with an outfit consisting of very short, roughly cropped jorts and a similarly roughly-cropped tank top reading "HAIRY JEWISH GUY HOOTERS", with the last word being the Hooters restaurant logo. Habit's hair is down and quite a bit of body hair is visible on his arms, tummy, and chest. He is posing with one hand on his hip and the other in a V-sign, leaning forwards, with a silly expression with dot eyes and a big, open-mouthed smile.

A full-body drawing (from roughly ankles up) with an outfit consisting of denim overalls with cuffed legs, and a ringer-neck t-shirt with cuffed sleeves. Habit's hair is tied back in a ponytail and he looks off to the side with a neutral expression, standing with one hand at his side and the other at his hip.

A full-body drawing (from roughly ankles up) with an outfit consisting of roughly-cropped jorts and a spaghetti-strap tank top. Habit's hair is tied up in a ponytail, and he is also wearing simple round stud earrings. He is seen from behind mid-walk, one hand on his hip, leaning his head back to look over his shoulder with a big smile.

A small drawing of the puppet Habit. He is sitting on the ground with his hands splayed at his sides, wearing round sunglasses with frames that makes them resemble flowers.

End ID.

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Day 28: pumpkin patch

Masterlist flufftober 🎀

Reblog if you liked it!

“Remember that to choose the ideal pumpkin we have to check that it doesn’t have bruises or soft parts and is decomposing, this will make the carving much easier and the final product will last longer”

“Don't worry, pretty, I'll be sure to check with you first,” you murmured, trying not to sound too amused at your boyfriend's excitement.

Autumn had already fallen and with it the pumpkin harvests also appeared, whether to prepare pie, soup, or carve a beautiful design to decorate. Your boyfriend had insisted that you accompany him to one of the first activities in a long schedule of Halloween preparations, and since your porch had enough space to put up decorations, you would take an afternoon to carve some pumpkins.

You were holding his hand when you walked towards the entrance of the pumpkin patch, where there were already some people and families choosing the best specimens on the piles of straw or placed in huge wooden boxes. The field was huge so the two of you would be busy enough walking around it for a while; not that you were complaining though, you loved spending time with him.

"Are you cold?" he asked, once you stopped at the first pile of pumpkins, while he adjusted the scarf you were wearing. Although the day was sunny you had to admit that the air was cool and you were grateful to him for insisting you wear something warm.

Spencer, for his part, had decided to wear brown pants, boots, and a blue plaid shirt that was very messy; open collar, untucked, and with the sleeve folded three-quarters over his muscular arms. However, that wasn't what had you enthralled, but the black-rimmed glasses on his face. The doctor had recommended using them again for a few weeks so that his eyes could rest, and of course you hadn't made a single complaint about that.

“No, everything is perfect,” you smiled, stretching out so you could press a kiss to his cheek and watching him form a smile of your own “These pumpkins here are cute, do you want to see them?”

Your boyfriend was an expert in many things and choosing those kinds of vegetables seemed to be another one to add to the list. There were various colors, some paler than others, some in shades of green, and others completely bright orange; small, large, elongated, all with curious and varied shapes.

You kept walking next to him, exchanging a few words from time to time, while he felt the specimens in front of you. At some point you got distracted by something else and when you looked back you found him in a position that made you sigh. His body was facing you, but his head was focused on something else, as if he were debating with himself whether to carry a third pumpkin, allowing you a view of the length of his neck and the profile of his face. There were soft rays of sunlight bathing his hair and skin, giving it a golden glow that contrasted with the coldness of the time, and you simply couldn't miss the opportunity to capture the moment.

Spencer turned at the sound of your phone's camera and smiled shyly when he realized you had just taken a photo of him.

"What are you doing?"

“You looked very handsome,” you laughed, proudly showing him the image on your cell phone screen.

"You think?"

“Of course, you are my ray of sunshine,” you called him affectionately, stretching out a hand to caress his face that had already completely blushed.

“Do you like these? I thought we could make soup with them.”

“They look good”

“Do you want me to pick one for you to carve?” he asked excitedly, nodding toward the pile of small, round pumpkins.

In no time Spencer's hands were full and then, laughing, you suggested looking for a wheelbarrow to make your job easier.

“Will this do?”

“I think so,” your boyfriend smiled at you, carefully placing the pumpkins that you had already chosen and then approaching to take you by the waist even more carefully. “What if you give me a kiss?”

“Hmm, I guess I don't feel like it,” you lied, wrinkling your nose and shrugging your shoulders slightly.

"And what is that for? If I can know”

“I don't know, I just don't want to.”

Normally Spencer would insist until you laughed and ended up kissing him or he would just try to get it without asking you, but right now he just opened his eyes wide, feigning understanding, and then walked away from you.

“Well, we have to continue then”

"Wait…"

“No, if you don't want to, I'm not going to force you.”

“Spencer!” you complained, grabbing his arm in a struggle to get his attention while he tried to hide a smile.

He resisted a little, but when you finally had the opportunity, you didn't even hesitate to capture his lips with a playful kiss to which he responded with pleasure.

"Happy?"

“A little,” he replied with some disdain, but from the mischievous glint in his eyes, you knew he was just pretending. Just to be sure you gave him another one and that one managed to make him smile.

“Will you take me in the wheelbarrow?” you asked with a smile, and he just couldn't refuse.

You opened a space between the pumpkins so you could sit down and when you were ready your boyfriend raised the tool so that you could start moving toward the dirt road. A couple of people looked at you disapprovingly, but there were a few others who smiled at you, most of them children or couples in love like you.

Spencer made a few stops to choose from and asked your opinion, but for most of the ride you remained your boyfriend's princess passenger.

“I think this is enough, what do you say?” he asked, after almost an hour, when you already had a considerable amount of pumpkins and you were practically buried under them.

“Yes, let me get up to…”

“Wait,” he interrupted you, gently placing a hand on your stomach to keep you in place. You were going to ask something until you saw him take his cell phone out of the back pocket of his pants, imagining what he was about to do “You already have one of mine, so it's only fair that I have one of yours, right?”

"Yes, it's fair"

“Show me a smile, my girl,” he requested and you obliged his whim, hearing the camera click a few times. You couldn't know it, but he was so pleased with the photo that he would later ask Garcia how to use it as wallpaper “That's it. You can come here now”

Spencer helped you up from your uncomfortable but fun spot and you were finally aware of the amount you had chosen, a little impressed with yourselves.

“My porch will be the most decorated in the entire neighborhood.”

“And I was thinking that on the way back we can go to Target and buy some things, so it looks even prettier”

“What happened to that consumerism kills the planet and is a form of imposition and control by the bourgeoisie?”

Your boyfriend blushed at the way you were using his own words against him and opened his mouth without saying anything for a second, as if he was thinking through his answer.

“Can we make an exception just to have a happy time?” he tried and you nodded with a wide smile.

You would literally do anything just to see that man happy.

taglist: @navs-bhat @reidwritings @tricia-shifting14 @spencerslove @vivian-555 @r-3dlips @rhiannonhippiegirl @taygrls @simp4f1 @sdddoobydoobydoo @taintedstranger @missabsey

[shyvioletcat]

Happy Holidays @sassyhobbits. I know this is very late but it's finally here! Thank you for understanding the hectic circumstances I found myself in pre-Christmas. I am officially the last postee of the @rowaelinscourt secret santa and as an apology I added a bonus epilogue to this fic. I hope you love it! It was very fun to write.

Word Count: 9500

CW: Swearing and smut

~~~~~

Aelin didn’t know how it happened. After almost a year of dancing around each other she and Rowan had finally gone on a date. And that date was perfect. Perfect food, perfect conversation and Aelin even found the perfect dress to wear for the night. It was a tasteful red number, in her favourite shade, tight enough to show off her form but not tight enough that everyone got the full show. Aelin couldn’t fault the night, and she had replayed every moment over and over enough to be confident in that conclusion. So she didn’t understand why even after the sweetest and most perfect kiss goodnight Rowan had vanished. 

Completely and utterly ghosted her. 

After kissing her goodnight at the door she had neither sight nor sound of him. There was a string of messages from her that had gone unanswered and in the end she had to find out through mutual friends that he had in fact vanished—physically. No one knew where he went or why, one day he was there and the next he was gone. Aelin hadn’t even managed one day of post date flirting in their office before he was gone. 

She had to go to Lorcan of all people to get confirmation that Rowan was alive. The information was passed over in a brief and curt conversation that between the lines said very clearly mind your own business. In other circumstances Aelin would have never approached the surly bastard, and the fact she had was testament to her desperation. Aelin was left to wonder and wallow, both of which she kept out of the workplace. She was the picture of professionalism, aloof and pretending to be unaffected by her damaged heart. Because she liked Rowan, more than liked even, and she thought that he cared for her too. Everything that Aelin had assumed was obviously wrong. 

It was pointless to worry about and Aelin was determined to put it out of her mind. Tonight was the perfect opportunity at the annual Yulemas party. A night of drinking and frivolity was exactly what she needed. This year the company had rented out a private room in a swanky pub by the river. Being so Aelin was dressing for the part. She knew the place and had been there a few times. There was a giant fireplace that would warm the whole room, so really she only needed her coat for the brief trip from the car to inside. She was wearing a satin green dress, the whole thing pleated. The neckline and back both dipped into a deep V, with a thick band around her waist. The sleeve barely went past the top of her shoulder and the hemline reached mid calf. It was a classy number with just a little bit of daring. 

The responsible driver that she was, Aelin checked on the arrival of the Uber as she put the finishing touches on her ensemble. They were elegant gold drop earrings and a delicate matching chain around her neck. The gold dust she added to her eyelids highlighted the gold tones in her eyes and matched her jewellery too, and with one final look in the mirror decided she was done. Aelin watched the approach of her ride on her phone and when it was close enough she slipped on her red three quarter length coat and darted out into the cold. 

Blessedly, the ride to the pub wasn’t far and her driver was on the quieter side. Aelin didn’t feel like talking to a stranger. She still said thank you though as she left the car, and she had just dipped her hands into the pocket of her coat when she felt her phone buzz with a notification. Not willing to freeze her fingers off in the bitter Orynth winter, Aelin waited until she was in the doorway before she pulled her phone out to read the message. It was from Lysandra, her best friend turned cousin’s girlfriend through a turn of happy circumstances. She didn’t work with Aelin but she would have come as Aedion’s plus one because he did. 

Lys: You’ll never BELIEVE who’s here.

There was no other information besides those five words but Aelin knew, she knew who Lysandra was talking about. Her stomach twisted as she pushed through the door and she couldn’t tell if it was the warmth of the fire or her anxiety that warmed her cheeks. The sound of chatter and laughter drew her attention and she could see all her colleagues standing around, drinks in hand and mingling. Like a moth to a flame her gaze zeroed in on the one man she was not expecting to see.

Dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and grey pants, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and looking effortlessly handsome as he always did, was Rowan. He didn’t notice her and Aelin bit down on the need to hide before he did. She just needed to disappear into the crowd and effortlessly ignore him. 

Aelin slipped off her coat and draped it over her arm, walking over to the gathered party. She was just on the edges of it when Rowan noticed her.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath. She quickly turned before she could read the expression on his face, she needed to come up with some kind of plan—and fast. Aelin glanced over her colleagues and spotted her saviour. A man who was down for anything, and despite being friends with the both of them Aelin knew he would do whatever she asked.

Plastering a smile on her face Aelin hurried the last few steps towards her target which would be interpreted as excitement. When she was close enough her hands rested on his forearm, steadying her as she rose up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. 

“Pretend to be my date,” Aelin said, wiping away the slight lipstick residue from his cheek.

Fenrys peered down at her with a perplexed look that quickly turned into enthusiasm. “Sure thing, I got you.”

Aelin sighed in relief. “You’ve saved my life.’

Fenrys gave her a perfectly flirtatious wink. “Always happy to help. Would you like a drink?” 

Aelin nearly groaned. “Desperately.”

Fenrys stepped away, putting a hand on her lower back as he circled her on the way to the bar. As soon as he was gone Lysandra sidled up next to her, dressed in a form fitting, knee length, one shoulder, green velvet number. She looped their arms together, bringing them closer so she could whisper. “What was that?”

“Hey, we’re matching,” Aelin diverted, nodding down at her own green dress she’d chosen for the evening. 

But Lysandra was not going to be so easily distracted. “That was nowhere even close to the answer to that question.”

Aelin knew she wouldn’t get away with not answering and tossed her loose hair over her shoulder, standing a little taller. “Fenrys is now my date.”

“Oh, I see,” Lysandra said, nodding sagely. “And that wouldn’t have anything to do with the sudden reappearance of a certain someone, would it?”

Her best friend was privy to everything that had gone on. Lysandra was the only one to have heard about Aelin’s feelings about being abandoned by the man she might very well be falling in love with. Aelin had gone back and forth and around in circles so many times trying to figure what had happened, then more importantly how she felt about it. Lysandra had listened and given advice, so knew how much Rowan’s appearance had rattled Aelin even as she took the contrary path. 

“Of course not.”

“Well, you do what you have to do. A little bit of jealousy never hurt anybody,” Lysandra said. 

“Precisely,” Aelin said as she sent a glowing smile Fenrys’ way as he approached with their drinks. As he got closer Aelin disentangled herself from her best friend and swapped her physical closeness to her date. She wrapped a hand around his waist and took her drink. Fenrys played the part perfectly, casually relaxing into her touch brushing his thumb at a respectful position on her hip.

“Do I get to know what all this is about, or?” Fenrys asked, shooting a curious look over the rim of his glass. 

“Maybe later,” Aelin said in hushed tones, not wanting to risk being overheard. “But for now, you are my date.”

“Boyfriend?” Fenrys was sounding a little too keen. 

“Mmm, almost,” Aelin hesitated. She glanced at Rowan who was looking over at her and doing a very poor job at hiding it. Her reaction was to lean into Fenrys a little more, a hand lifting to his face to brush one of his stray curls out of his face. “We’ll see how we go.”

Throughout the night they both played their parts perfectly. Fenrys was doting and attentive, he always had a hand on her, making sure they looked like they were here together. If any other colleagues had questions they kept quiet. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves enough to not worry about anyone else’s business. Aelin was on her way back from the bathroom and searching for her fake date when she got distracted by some kind of clatter coming from the kitchen and ended up walking into a body. In her towering heels she swayed a little but that body also had an arm, and it reached out to stop her from falling on her ass. 

“Sorry, Aelin.”

Oh no.

Dread filled her body as she recognised the voice, and considered running. She had expertly avoided him all night and then now because of one moment of distraction it had been ruined. She would have circumnavigated her way around him instead of walking into his stupidly solid body. 

“It’s fine,” she muttered.

Rowan must have realised that he was still holding onto her, and almost gingerly let her go. Aelin pointedly ignored every emotion that abrupt gesture made rise up. She didn’t know where to look, but she certainly didn’t want to look at him, so she chose up. 

Oh. Gods. No, no way was she committing to this and she needed to move before someone else noticed. Everyone was tipsy enough that they would insist. Whoever decided hanging mistletoe was a good idea needed a brutal form of punishment. And looking at Rowan now… she knew that look in his eyes. He was contemplating the godsdamned tradition. She would bet her Yulemas bonus that the next words out of his mouth would be asking for permission. Aelin needed to flee, with dignity, and she couldn’t quite work out how to do it. 

“There you are, Princess,” Fenrys’ smooth voice came from behind her as his arm snaked around her waist. Aelin literally sighed in relief. “And would you look at that.”

As Aelin turned into Fenrys’ embrace she followed his gaze upward to the tastefully tied sprig hung from the ceiling. 

“May I?” Fenrys asked under his breath. 

“Yes,” Aelin answered just as quietly. 

Cupping her cheek Fenrys lowered his mouth to hers. Slow enough that Aelin could change her mind, but not so slow it made it look weird. His lips were warm and steady, and she had to hand it to the guy, he was a good kisser. More than that he made sure it was quite the show for anyone—just maybe the person closest to them—who might be watching. Fenrys even went as far as giving her just the smallest of dips, a broad hand on her back to keep them steady. She had to hand it to him, he was putting on a show in the very best way. She was sure from the movement of his lips that it probably looked like he was devouring her face too. 

The kiss ended and Fenrys righted them, giving Aelin a sly wink along the way. She couldn’t help it, she turned to see Rowan’s reaction. She sensibly expected to find that he had fled the scene. To her petty delight he hadn’t, he was just glaring at them with an expression of confused shock. Then he shook his head, walking away and straight to the bar. 

Aelin turned to her partner in crime who was looking very smug. “Thanks for withholding the tongue.”

“I am nothing if not a gentleman,” he replied.

That made Aelin laugh and she hugged her friend in gratitude for upholding his reputation for being down for absolutely anything. 

“Come on.” Fenrys said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Let’s get you a drink.

It was two drinks later when the flow of the night was disrupted and brought to a very abrupt halt. Aelin was at the bar when there was an almost simultaneous reaction as everyone received the same message at the same time. Aelin read the alert and was mildly thankful she had a legitimate reason to cut the night short. 

SEVERE WEATHER WARNING: BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED. SEEK SHELTER SOON IN PREPARATION.

There was a lull while everyone processed and then everything restarted as they planned their next moves. Not having her car here, Aelin was in a slight bind. She quickly brought up the Uber app but the drivers were all shutting down their cars so that they could stay off the roads and bunker down. Aelin’s masterful plan of getting a ride had backfired, and she didn’t exactly live near anyone else in attendance. Aedion, who was her best bet, had left about an hour ago. Her only option now was to beg for a lift. Fenrys, as her fake date, seemed the best place to start. She looked for him in the crowd and spotted him at the table they had been occupying while they ate the steady stream of nibblies that had been served throughout the night. 

“Can you drive me home?”

“Sure thing, babe,” Fenrys said. 

“You live in the complete opposite direction,” Rowan said without an invitation to the conversation. Aelin hadn’t even noticed that he was standing there. 

“Yes, thank you for pointing that out,” Aelin said, dismissing him. 

“Let me take you so Fenrys can get home before the weather gets too bad,” Rowan added. 

“Don’t hate me, Aelin,” Fenrys said quietly and grimacing. “But he has a point.”

“Some date you are,” Aelin threw back at him. 

Fenrys tried to give her a smile but the glare she was shooting at him must have been making that difficult. “Misty doesn’t like snow storms.”

“Low blow, you know Misty is my weak spot,” Aelin said, voice resigned. Misty was a white husky and a complete baby. She hated being left alone, and Aelin knew that in this weather her anxiety would rise. Despite her substantial size, that dog was as soft as a marshmallow, which with her winter coat he closely resembled. 

Fenrys stooped down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Aelin. If he tries anything just kick him in the balls and kick him out of the car. He’s cold-hearted enough that he’ll survive.”

And didn’t Aelin know it.

She tried not to let her disappointment and anxiety show as she smiled at Fenrys. “Thank you for a lovely evening.” 

Fenrys gave her a wink as he picked up his jacket from the back of the chair. “Any time.”

Entirely unimpressed by the situation Aelin turned around to address Rowan. “Fine. Let’s go.”

She grabbed her coat and stormed over to the front door. All he did was fall in step behind, catching the door for himself as they stepped into the cold. In her rush Aelin hadn’t bothered with putting her coat on and was now freezing. What made the situation worse was that in her frustration she managed to lose her coordination. She got one arm in but the other refused to work with her and she couldn’t find the other sleeve.

The coat suddenly got lighter and there was a soft murmuring of, “Here.”

Just wanting to get warm Aelin allowed the assistance to happen. She didn’t bother to look at Rowan or say thank you, she just braced herself for the deteriorating weather. The wind sent the snowflakes around in thick flurries, and from the bitter and harsh chill in the air Aelin knew they were in for a bad one. Rowan was only a few steps behind her, and she waited for him to lead the way to his car.

“This way,” was all he said before he walked down the street. 

The snow was sticking enough that Rowan’s shoes were leaving imprints in the snow. Aelin followed them step for step, not wanting to risk slipping. Honestly, she wanted this walk to last forever so that she wouldn’t have to be alone in a car with this man who found her so abhorrent he couldn’t even offer an explanation for his behaviour. Probably. That was obviously the most logical reason. 

A ridiculous reason was that he had been abducted by aliens and had only just been returned to earth. 

Aelin was so caught up in her own thoughts that her high heeled boot sinking into untouched snow was her indication that they’d reached Rowan’s car. He was there, the door held ajar ready to let her in. She hated the chivalry of it, hated that she liked the consideration. Why couldn’t he just be a bastard and make it easy to hate him? All Aelin could do was ignore everything besides the need to get home. The door opening was a means to an end. Sitting inside the freezing car waiting for it to drive on the snow covered road was just the next thing on the list. Sitting in silence is what would get her home. She just hoped Rowan was in on the plan. 

Rowan started the car, all his attention on the precarious conditions outside. It seemed they were on the same brainwave because he didn’t say a word and Aelin chose to distract herself on her phone. She shot off a message to Lysandra to explain the awful situation she has been left in thanks to her early departure and then she checked the weather. They were in for a serious storm tonight, and it was looking like it might shut the city down tomorrow as well. That at least meant tomorrow she could wallow in self pity alone. 

At times Aelin knew Rowan was glancing her way, she could see him in her peripheries but not once did she fall for the bait. If he didn’t have the balls to start a conversation she wasn’t going to give him any help on the matter. Aelin just started counting down the minutes until she would be safe and home.

Twenty minutes later and they’d done it. All the way out to Aelin’s tidy little house neither of them had said a single word. Rowan pulled into her driveway, his headlights the only thing illuminating the front facade of her house. Aelin must have forgotten about her porch light on her way out the door. From the look of it the snow was already a few inches thick. The flashlight on her phone would have to be her trusty companion. Because she wasn’t entirely devoid of manners she wasn’t going to leave without thanking Rowan for going out of his way. 

“Thanks,” she muttered quickly. 

Before she could even get her hand to the handle Rowan replied, “let me walk you to the door.”

Aelin was gaping as he got out and turned the torch on his phone. She got out of the car before he could come around and get her himself. Then she couldn’t help it, she slammed the door harder than she should have. Rowan didn’t say a word to her the entire trip and now he was trying to be the nice guy and walk her to her door? She’d had enough. Aelin wanted him gone but she also wanted some kind of explanation because this cold to lukewarm was beyond frustrating. 

Marching past Rowan with her own phone out, Aelin blindly grabbed her keys out of her handbag. It was small so that was easy, and she had them in hand as she stomped up the wooden steps of her front porch. The porch was screened in so it offered some reprieve from the weather. Rowan was considerate enough to angle his phone so that she could see what she was doing and in moments her front door was unlocked. 

“Goodnight,” Rowan said, his obligations discharged. 

That was when Aelin broke. She nudged the door open just so she could reach on and flick on the porch light. Rowan had already started his descent into the night but she wasn’t about to let him get away that fast. 

“Hey,” Aelin nearly shouted. “What is your deal?”

Rowan stopped just on the edge of the porch, then took another step forward to stop the snow from falling on him. “I didn’t want you to fall in the dark.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Aelin willed her emotions in the direction of anger. “What did I do that made you disappear for weeks and then you come back and there’s still nothing?”

Emotion flashed across Rowan’s face, and his mouth tightened. “It wasn’t you.”

Aelin scoffed. “That’s lovely to hear and I totally believe you.”

“I’m not lying.” 

“Why, Rowan?” Aelin asked, her voice coming out with a finality that told him if he didn’t answer her now he wouldn’t have another chance.

Rowan stepped forward a little more, fully under the protection of the porch roof now. “It was my ex.”

“Your ex?” Aelin’s voice was incredulous. “Ah-uh. That’s reassuring.”

“Please, just listen.” Rowan’s fisting tightened, showing the tension in his body. 

But Aelin could not suppress the bitter resignation that was overwhelming her. “No, say no more. I’m a smart girl. I can put two and two together.”

She was more than obviously on her way into the house, because she’d heard enough. Hearing the confirmation from Rowan’s mouth just might obliterate what was left of her heart. Seething anger was her best defence, she couldn’t let him have the upper hand. Freedom was within reach—Aelin’s hand was on the door—when there was a gentle touch on her shoulder. A voice inside her head told her to ignore it, to just step inside her house and give the door a well deserving slam right in Rowan’s face. For some godsdamned reason she chose not to listen to that angry but highly sensible voice. Aelin turned, taking in Rowan’s hesitant features in the grey light. 

“Can you just hear what I have to say?” Rowan all but pleaded. Aelin nodded, watching as the man in front of her sighed heavily, readying himself. “Turns out right before my ex and I broke up she got pregnant, and she didn’t tell me. I have a daughter, her name is Ivy and she’s nearly two. I left because I went to Doranelle to meet her and sort everything out. You didn’t hear from me because I didn’t know how to process any of this. All I knew was that I needed to get on a plane and meet this child I didn’t know anything about, which is what I did. And I’m sorry for whatever pain that caused you.”

Aelin was speechless, she could only stare at Rowan while emotion flooded him. She hadn’t expected this. When he’d said ex she had expected that they had come back into Rowan’s life, and that old flame had rekindled, not that. 

“Oh,” was all she managed to say.

“I’m sorry for what happened, Aelin,” Rowan said. “It wasn’t what I wanted for us, but I didn’t know how to navigate through it all.”

For a moment Aelin just contemplated the news. Rowan had a kid, a daughter—nearly two according to him. It was a lot to take in, and there was one thing she kept coming back to. It was most likely due to her simmering anger, but she and Rowan had been friends until they took the plunge into something more, so Aelin couldn’t help but ask herself why hadn’t he told her? She’d been devastated, and she couldn’t let that go.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Aelin said quietly. 

“I…” Rowan hesitated and looked out into the dark. “I don’t have an answer for you.”

“You need one, Rowan.” Her anger had free rein now that the shock had worn off. “You left me hurt and wondering what I could have done to drive you away. You could have said anything, just one little thing and I would have been fine. I get what you’re going through is hard but you didn’t need to shut me out.”

“You’re right,” Rowan said simply.

“Great, glad we cleared that up.” Aelin felt her emotions rising as she spoke, and she didn’t want to cry in front him. “You should go.”

“I will,” he said, but he didn’t go just yep. “I’m sorry, again.”

“Thanks for that, means a lot,” Aelin said, the sarcasm dripping from each word.

Rowan straightened, anger flashing across his features, but besides a slight narrowing of his eyes he offered her no other reaction. Aelin didn’t say goodbye as she went into her house, leaning on the door to shut it. She thought she could hear Rowan’s footsteps trudging through the snow, or maybe that was just her imagination willing him away. He’d offered her an explanation but that didn’t wipe away the weeks of simmering hurt. Yes, they had taken the next step in their relationship but more than that they were friends. And friends didn’t leave like that. 

Aelin shook her head and made for her bedroom, fiddling with the thermostat on the way. If a blizzard was imminent she wanted to prepare accordingly. She focused the heating towards her bedroom, there were no plans to spend any time elsewhere in the house. Maybe just the kitchen for a midnight snack to drown her sorrows.

She tugged off her coat and hung that up, and then her boots were next. Aelin was unclasping the chain at her neck when there was a knock on her door. At first Aelin thought she was hearing things so just froze where she was, listening and waiting to see if it happened again. It did, this time more insistent. 

The first thing she felt was confusion and then apprehension, because who would be knocking on her door at this time of night in this kind of weather? Aelin’s chest caved a little at the most obvious answer as to who it might be. Barefooted, she left her bedroom and walked down the hall to the front of the house. The porch light went back on and Aelin used the peephole to confirm her suspicions. 

“For fucks sake,” she muttered to herself and didn’t wait to all but throw the door open. “What is it?”

Rowan stood there, looking miserable and freezing. “My car won’t start.”

Aelin blinked once. “What?”

“Cold drain and it won’t start,” Rowan said, a jerking gesture of his hand towards the driveway.

Aelin peered around Rowan’s broad shoulders, noting how bad the weather had gotten. His excuse was plausible and there was no way he’d be able to find an alternative arrangement to get him home now. Aelin could not believe her luck. What else was this night going to throw at her?

“Come in then,” she said, stepping back to let Rowan through the door. 

He did as she instructed, with barely a glance in Aelin’s direction. Rowan quickly ran into a problem—he didn’t know where to go. So he ended up lingering in the entryway, kind of glancing around to get some idea of where he should be heading. Aelin shut the door on the blistering cold of the outside world and felt like she was setting a trap for herself. There was only one course of action here, despite her feelings she couldn’t leave Rowan to freeze in his car. Her couch would have to do. 

“This way,” Aelin said, leading him through the entryway and past her study to the living room. It was far colder in here because of the floor to ceiling windows that looked out on a stylish courtyard. Even with the curtains closed there was a definite chill in the air. It would only get colder too. “I’ll grab you some things.”

“Thanks,” was Rowan’s response. 

Aelin went off to her linen cupboard, gathering some sheets and her thickest blanket. While she quickly slipped a pillow into a fresh pillowcase she worked very hard to keep her thoughts rational. 

“Fine. This is fine,” she told herself. “I’ll just close my door and pretend he doesn’t exist. I’ll just pretend he’s off living his new life without me.”

Hugging the bedding to her chest Aelin went back to the living room. Rowan was by the window, peeking behind the curtains, checking out the weather. Aelin dropped everything in the middle of the three seater. Rowan let go of the curtain but he didn’t move from his spot by the window. This felt like a standoff and Aelin couldn’t work out what for. Did he want to say something? Apologise again? Or was he waiting for her to magnanimously forgive him for leaving her? If the latter was what he was after he was out of luck.

“If you need anything else the linen cupboard is just outside the bathroom,” Aelin said and left it at that.

“It’s nice to see you’ve moved on so quickly.” There was a definite tinge of bitterness to his voice. 

For a brief moment Aelin was confused, then she remembered her little game of pretend with Fenrys that seemingly was coming back to bite her in the ass. But she wasn’t about to yield defeat now. “Jealousy is never a good look.”

“I’m not jealous,” he said far too quickly. 

Aelin was relishing in the fact that she had got under his skin. “Enjoy the show, did you?”

“That’s all it was, wasn’t it? A farce to get a rise out of me?”

Rowan was always a little too perceptive for his own good. Aelin shrugged in response. “Sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Rowan asked. 

But Aelin wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation. “Goodnight, Rowan. Sweet dreams.”

The house was silent as Aelin made her way back to her bedroom leaving Rowan floundering with her sickly sweet goodnight and confusion around the whole Fenrys matter. The only sounds were the steadily worsening storm outside. Sleep was the ultimate goal and Aelin could only hope that Rowan wouldn’t haunt her dreams—his close proximity making that very likely. Back in the sanctuary of her bedroom she reached for her phone typing across the screen at breakneck pace and managing not even one typo. The message was intended for her best friend, but Aelin doubted she’d get a reply. Lysandra would probably be blissfully asleep by now. 

Aelin: Thanks to your early departure to do GODS know what ROWAN has ended up in my house. I blame you and your drunken horniness. 

Aelin threw the phone onto her plush blanket and yanked on the tie that held her sleeves up across her upper back. Apparently, she had pulled the wrong one, because all she accomplished was tangling it into a tight knot. Biting down on her frustration she counted to three before shifting her focus to her zipper. If she could get the dress loose around her waist it could just go over her head. Simple. 

But Aelin wasn’t as in charge of her appendages as she thought she was. That frustration was swirling with that anger and mixing into something that was feeling a lot like anxiety. That combination was fatal and the sharp pull she gave on her zipper only caused it to jam. The satin had slipped between Aelin’s fingers and no matter how hard she tried, the fabric wasn’t coming free.

“Come on,” she hissed, trying over and over again. It didn’t work. She was trapped and she vowed never to wear this dress again. 

Aelin moved over to her mirror so she could inspect the situation. Peering over her shoulder it was hard to tell the best way out. She was searching through the pleats when her disastrous night took yet another turn for the worse. The lights went out and Aelin cursed colourfully. What a time to get stuck in her dress.

There were three options for Aelin at this moment. One, she could rip herself out of the dress, but she liked it and had spent a decent amount of money on it. Option two she could sleep in it, even though that would mean being highly uncomfortable with it cinching at her waist and it would undoubtedly tangle around her legs. Number three was the worst but also the one with the highest chance of success. 

“Rowan,” Aelin called out into the dark, waiting for a response but not expecting one.

“Yes?” He answered surprisingly fast. 

“I need your help, can you come in here?”

There was no verbal answer but soon enough she heard his footfalls moving through the house. He was using the torch on his phone to lead the way and Aelin blinked as that white light came not the room. Rowan was still in his shirt and pants, but he had removed his shoes. For a moment she wondered what he’d planned to sleep in but promptly decided that it was none of her business. Instead She put her back to him so that he could see the problem, but still said, “I’m stuck.”

“Okay,” was Rowan’s very simple answer. 

Aelin heard him move closer and he set his phone down on the bed so that he could work. With a brief nudge of his fingers he shooed hers away from the jammed zipper so that he could work. She dropped her hands to her sides and waited. To help with whatever the problem was his fingers brushed the bare skin of her back. Aelin could have yelped from how freezing they were. It reminded her that her living room would be so cold without the heater to warm it up now that the power was out. Her bedroom would be the most comfortable room in the house. Lucky her. 

They both stood in silence, Aelin perfectly still while Rowan worked. His presence behind her was hard to ignore, she could feel the warmth of his body and it sent her rigid when he stepped that little bit closer to get a better angle. 

“It's stuck good,” Rowan muttered. “Just give me a second.”

“Alright,” Aelin said softly. 

There was a sharp tug around her waist and then the sound of the zipper giving way, and Aelin sighed in relief. 

“Hold on, I’ll get the top too,” Rowan added. 

The ties tickled her back so much that Aelin shivered and Rowan murmured his apologies. Soon enough that was undone too and she felt the sleeves threaten to fall off her shoulders. Aelin didn’t move, and neither did Rowan. There seemed to be an impasse developing, they were caught in a limbo. It was Rowan who sighed and stepped back, sighing as he did.

“I’m so sorry,” Rowan said, his voice sounding almost devasted. “I didn’t mean to hurt you like I did. It was selfish of me, but I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure how you would handle it. Suddenly I’ve got baggage and my life has completely changed, and there was the chance you would run. And I…” Rowan inhaled deeply. “I don’t want to risk this because I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Those words shocked the breath out of her. Aelin turned slowly, the white light of the phone torch lighting Rowan’s features. All the anger of earlier was gone, in front of her stood a man defeated. For all her claiming that they were friends, Aelin wasn’t being a great one herself.

“I just,” Rowan stalled again and ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to be a shitty father. I couldn't ignore Ivy’s existence and keep going how things were. I’m sorry you were the casualty in all of this.”

“Oh, Rowan,” Aelin sighed. Yes, he had left her, but the alternative might have broken him further. The Rowan he knew would never shirk out of a responsibility that would have such lasting effects. That wouldn’t be the man she had fallen in love with. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologise, this is me. I fucked things up,” he insisted. “You have nothing to be sorry for, I shouldn’t—“

Aelin did the only thing she could think of to shut him up and that was to put her mouth on his. Rowan immediately melted into the kiss, his broad hands going to her waist, then sweeping to the small of her back to press her closer. When their lips broke apart their foreheads met and for a few long moments they just stood there, taking each other and the sudden development in. 

“I want you, everything that you are, Rowan. If you had not gone you wouldn’t be the man I know,” Aelin told him. “The man that I’m falling in love with.”

His hands tightened on her waist. “Aelin,” Rowan whispered.

“This doesn’t change who you are,” Aelin said, stepping a little closer. “You’ve said you’ve messed up but I’m seeing now you were doing what you could. I’m sure you’ll make up for all the shit you put me through.”

“My life is completely changed now, though. I have a daughter.” There was a touch of anguish in his voice, as if he was still tearing himself up over everything. 

“And I have a thing for DILFs.”

The inappropriate words were out of her mouth before Aelin could even think and the mortification she felt quickly melted away as Rowan laughed. The sound burst out of him, likely due to the suddenness of the quip. She was even rewarded with a brief but infinitely sweet kiss. 

“Goodnight, Aelin. We can talk more in the morning.”

Aelin wasn’t having that and she caught Rowan by the shirt, hands fisting in the white crisp material that seemed to glow in the harsh light. “You’ll freeze out there. It’ll be warmer in here, if we stay together. You know what they say about the cold and body heat.”

The offer was there, and Aelin hoped to the gods Rowan would take it. She had just managed to get him back, she wasn’t about to let him go again so soon. 

“The couch is fine.” The words of a true gentleman. 

“Stay,” Aelin pleaded, foreheads together and she teased him with the slightest brush of her lips. 

“You’re sure?” Rowan asked, his grip on her waist getting tighter.

Aelin dropped her shoulders, let her dress drop to her elbows. It was something Rowan didn’t miss, his eyes darting down to the lace that was newly exposed. 

“Stay with me, Rowan.”

That was all the permission he needed and then he was kissing her again. Using the grip Aelin still had on his shirt she pulled him down with her as she fell back. Rowan was more than willing, catching himself as before he crushed her. 

“The whole time I was away I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he said in between kisses. “That one kiss is what kept me going.”

Aelin could sense yet another apology coming, but she had had enough of words, she needed action. “I said you could make it up to me, why don’t you start now?”

The sound of Rowan’s low laugh against Aelin’s neck had her skin breaking out in goosebumps, even more so when his fingers dragged over her shoulders, pulling her dress down. Aelin’s breath was heavy and she could feel herself straining against the confines of her exposed bra. The phone light was still on, highlighting every curve that Rowan’s dark eyes were currently roving over. When their gazes met Aelin’s arousal spiked, from that look she could tell Rowan was a man with ideas and she was ready to be part of every single one of them. 

“It would be my pleasure,” Rowan said.

And hers.

Braced over her, he lowered his lips to her breast, teasing the peak of it through the black lace of her bra. Aelin moaned, one hand finding its way into Rowan’s silver hair and the other running up his back. She could feel his muscles shifting as he switched to the other breast. Holy gods, was he determined to make it up to her. Just with his tongue and teeth she was already a needy, writhing mess. From the smile she caught tilting up the corners of his mouth it was clear Rowan was enjoying himself too. 

Then he was working his way down her body, taking the dress with him. When he and the dress got to her hips Aelin lifted them and within moments all that she was left in was her matching lingerie set. 

“Beautiful,” Rowan said.

Aelin preened under the compliment, raising a knee slightly and stretched her arms above her head. She knew she looked good, she could feel it in the way Rowan’s gaze tracked her movements—the way his hand slid down to a heavy presence at her hips. Rowan was kneeling at the foot of the bed now, he’d got there without her noticing. What she did notice was his finger moving her underwear to the side and his mouth pressing against her core. 

Aelin was dizzy with pleasure as Rowan worked her with his tongue. She utterly surrendered to him, letting him guide her towards that peak that was approaching embarrassingly fast. Rowan didn’t seem to mind though, and he could read her like a book. He sucked on her clit and then flicked it with his tongue, making Aelin moan.

“Come for me, love,” Rowan said lowly, his voice rumbling against her sensitive skin. “I know you’re right there.”

He went back to work with a rolling sweep of his tongue and Aelin broke. Her hips moved of their own accord, riding his face as wave after wave of her orgasm was drawn out by Rowan’s expertise. When Aelin’s body went limp Rowan withdrew, and somewhere in her hazy brain she registered him removing his clothes, then he paid her the same courtesy. Clever fingers undid her bra with one hand and then her underwear was gone as well. Aelin had recovered enough that she sat up on her elbows and was able to see all of him. Rowan was magnificent, and Aelin took the time to look her fill, eyes catching on the hand that slowly worked his erection. Sitting up a little further Aelin moved up the bed until she was leaning against the pillows. Like magnets being drawn to each other Rowan followed, nearly prowling until he was hovering over her.

Aelin reached down, stroking Rowan’s cock, sighing at the silken feel of him. He groaned, his head falling to her shoulder. Impatient Rowan kept one arm steady to stop himself from falling on her, his free hand wandered over the dips and curve of Aelin’s skin. She gasped when his fingers dipped between her legs, still sensitive from his previous ministrations. 

Rowan’s lips brushed over her cheek, then the corner of her mouth and then graced her with a proper kiss. “You’re so ready for me.”

All Aelin could do was nod, arching her hips, desperate for him to fill her. Sense kicked in and she reached over to her nightstand, yanking the drawer open and pulling out a string of condoms. 

“I don’t think we’ll need that many,” Rowan said.

Aelin’s snort was unattractive but she couldn’t help it. This was part of why she was falling in love with Rowan, they could be real and raw in every sense with no threat of repercussion. It now included bad jokes during sex, and Aelin didn’t mind in the very least. 

“Never say never,” she replied, ripping just a single packet off. She tore it open, glancing up at Rowan. “May I?”

This time Rowan nodded, his eyelids fluttering as Aelin’s fingers smoothed the condom down the length of him. There was a moment where they just looked at each other, waiting for the other to make the final move. In the end it was Aelin, wrapping her arms around her his neck and kissing him deeply. And then something snapped. 

When Rowan surged forward, his eagerness knocked his phone off the foot of the bed, plunging them into darkness. Their lips never broke apart, Aelin moaning as Rowan’s tongue swept into her mouth. She never wanted to leave this bed, not when he could make her feel this good. Rowan eventually broke the kiss, lips tickling over skin until he stopped where her neck and shoulder met. Aelin opened her eyes to near pitch blackness, all it did was heighten her other senses. Every touch felt more intense, heightened by not knowing where Rowan would be next. He kissed and sucked at her neck, distracting Aelin from his other goal. A broad hand covered her breast, fingers rolling and then pinching her nipple. The noises that escaped her lips were unrestrained and turned desperate when she felt his cock at her entrance.

Before he could push in, Aelin pressed on his shoulder, and Rowan took the hint—rolling of her so she could roll onto him. In the dregs of light coming from behind her curtains Aelin could just make out the outline of Rowan’s body, her hands smoothing over his stomach to his shoulders. His cock was hard and demanding beneath her, and she took the opportunity to tease him just a little by rolling her hips over him. Rowan’s sharp groan echoed in the quiet room and it was enough to break all of Aelin’s resolve. She reached between them, lining him up and then sinking down on him with a desperate slowness. 

“Fuck, Aelin. You feel so good.”

Aelin whimpered at the praise, hips moving of their own accord. For all Rowan said—he felt just as good. From then they moved together, Rowan thrusted up and Aelin ground down on him, each movement feeling delicious and decadent. Hands travelled where they would, teasing and soothing simultaneously. The coil within Aelin wound tighter and she chased that feeling. She felt Rowan’s hand on her stomach, pressing down and then sliding up her body, between the valley of her breasts. Naively Aelin thought he would stop there to taunt and tease, but he didn’t. His palm cupped her cheek, thumb brushing over the crest of it. 

“I love you,” Rowan breathed, hips flexing and driving her mad. 

“Gods, Rowan.” Aelin was close, and it might be this moment of softness that pushed her over the edge. “I love you too.”

That coil snapped and Aelin cried out as pleasure broke over every nerve. Rowan was right behind her, moaning her name as he spilled himself inside her. Limbless, Aelin fell onto Rowan’s chest, her rapid breathing falling into sync with his as her body rose and fell. They lay like that for a long while, basking in each other’s closeness. Aelin truly didn’t want to let him go, it seemed too soon. 

Still, she didn’t fight him as Rowan got up and retrieved his phone. He easily found the bathroom because it was the only other door besides the one he had initially walked through. Aelin made use of the time by untucking the blankets and scooting underneath them. Without Rowan’s body next to hers she was starting to feel the chill. The whole joke about body heat might actually have some truth in it. Rowan was back within moments, joining her in the plush bedding. He had barely settled when Aelin was shifting closer, pulling his arms around her. Rowan chuckled, bringing her in closer still as he settled into bed. 

“Thank you for giving me a chance, Aelin,” Rowan said.

Aelin tried to be serious but she couldn’t help it. “After that I don’t know how—”

Rowan silenced her with a kiss. “Godsdamned smartass.”

They both laughed and Aelin let it be. She rested her hand over Rowan’s heart and let that steady rhythm ground her. “You’re mine now, so.”

It was quiet for a long while, until Rowan spoke again. 

“This won’t be easy,” Rowan said, pressing a kiss to Aelin’s forehead. 

She snuggled in a little closer, melting into Rowan’s embrace, returning his kiss to his cheek. “We’ll work it out. Together.”

At those words Rowan held her tighter. “Together.”

ONE YEAR LATER…

Aelin was in a panic. She had a plan and then that plan had gloriously failed her. What was worse is that it wasn’t just one big thing, it was a collection of lots of little things that threatened to push her over the edge. Today was meant to be perfect, it had to be perfect. It was too important not to be. 

It had started with running out of flour, which Rowan was on his way out to get now. And then Aelin had stupidly not been wearing an apron and spilled sauce over the pants she had planned to wear the rest of the evening. But her biggest plunder had had to do with the semi raw turkey that she was currently staring at. Aelin’s kitchen was equipped with double ovens, which came in handy for Yulemas dinner. Or so she had thought. 

Aelin had the baked cheesecake in one oven and the turkey in the other. When the cheesecake was finished cooking it needed to be rested in the oven for a bit. So Aelin had switched off the dial and let it be. That was fine, good even. But then in her flustered state Aelin had seen that the other oven was still on, got the them mixed up and turned that one off too and was quickly distracted by the boiling potatoes overflowing. 

She had successfully turned both ovens off and now she was left without a main meal but a very delicious looking dessert. 

Rowan found her staring down the turkey as he dropped the shopping bag on the counter. “Everything all right there?”

“If there was a power outage it would just be the icing on the cake,” Aelin said, not taking her eyes off the turkey that she was sure was mocking her. 

She felt Rowan’s hand settle on her hips as he came up behind her, pressing a single kiss to her neck. “We do okay in a power outage.”

Aelin batted him away. “Not now. This is a disaster. I can’t serve raw turkey. Everyone will be here in like half an hour.”

The three people who were responsible for Aelin’s culinary demise. Rowan’s parents were bringing Ivy over from Doranelle for an early Yulemas celebration. Over the past year Rowan had worked his hardest to be part of his daughter’s life, and he had succeeded with flying colours. He was the best Dad he could be considering the circumstances. Co-parenting wasn’t easy, but Rowan had flown over as much as he could to build a connection with Ivy, and she had come to Orynth with her mother a few times to visit. So this wasn’t the first time Aelin was meeting Ivy, but it was the first time she would be formally meeting Iris and Evander Whitethorn. They had chatted over video calls, but that was it. And Yulemas was such a big event in a nearly three year old’s calendar. Aelin wanted to make a good impression but that goal was slowly slipping from her fingers. 

“Why not just put it back in the oven and see how we go?” Rowan suggested. “Maybe they’ll get caught in traffic.”

Aelin sighed. “It was supposed to be perfect.”

Rowan wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her temple. “And it will be. We might just have to eat dessert first.”

A miserable sounding laugh broke out of Aelin and she twisted in her boyfriend’s arms so that she could bury her face in his soft sweater. He was right. When had anything gone to plan with them? Regardless, things always turned out right in the end. 

“Maybe I should invite Fenrys over, he can pretend to be part of our throuple,” Aelin said cheekily, risking a one eyed glance up at Rowan. His features tightened, his mouth becoming a thin line. “You know just to spice things up to distract from my own failings.”

“Absolutely not,” Rowan said with a seriousness that made Aelin laugh. 

“Fine, I’ll just put the turkey back in and leave it at that.”

Twenty minutes later the turkey had barely progressed and the guests had arrived. Aelin had changed out of the dirtied pants into leggings and a knitted dress and that was step one in the right direction. Ivy had burst through the door and Rowan had swept her up as his parents followed behind. The little girl was over the moon to see her dad and Aelin had a hard time denying the funny things seeing Rowan with his daughter did to her ovaries.

“Aelin,” Iris all but exclaimed, arms extended for a hug. Aelin let it happen, caught up in the genuine joy that was filling the room. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”

“You as well,” Aelin said. 

“Aelin!” Ivy said and launched herself from Rowan’s arms.

Aelin caught her, kissing her chubby cheek. “How are you? Did you have a good flight?”

“Yep! I got to watch two movies,” Ivy explained. “I get two Yulemases this year, you know?”

“I do,” Aelin replied, setting the little girl down. “How lucky are you?”

Rowan’s family were only staying for a week, they would leave a few days before actual Yulemas so Ivy could spend that with her mother. Rowan had come a long way with his ex, Lyria, but Ivy spending a major holiday away from her mother was still out of the question. 

“Evan, how are you?” Aelin said as she kissed his cheek.

Evan smiled, holding up the bags he carried. “Pack mule, as always.”

“Oh hush, you,” Iris admonished.

“Presents!” Ivy said, eyes catching on the wrapped gifts under the tree. 

“Not until after dinner,” Iris said quickly.

Aelin’s gut sank. “Well about that…”

She divulged the whole story, and by the end her cheeks were red from embarrassment.

“Just dessert and no dinner?” Ivy deduced, her green eyes hopeful. 

“Well, no,” Rowan cut in. “It just looks like we’ll have dessert first. Dinner is still on the menu.”

Regardless of that clarification Ivy cheered, making all the adults laugh. Despite the imperfections the evening ended up being a success. They started with dessert, then presents and then dinner afterwards. Too distracted by toys and full of ice cream, Ivy barely touched her plate, but everyone else only had good things to say about the haphazardous meal. Rowan’s parents were lovely, and meeting them in person wasn’t the feat that Aelin expected it to be at all. It was late when they said goodbye, heading back to their nearby hotel for the evening. There was only one spare bedroom at Aelin’s house and it was furnished with a single bed, so comfort wise it made more sense for them to stay elsewhere. 

Aelin was tucked into bed when Rowan came out of the bathroom, dressed in the Yulemas pyjamas Ivy had gifted him. They were ridiculous, garish gingerbread men all over them, but Rowan wore them with pride. He slipped into bed beside her, not waiting to pull Aelin into his arms. 

“Was that as much of a disaster as you thought it would be?” He asked.

Aelin shook her head. “No. Still pissed about the turkey though.”

Rowan chuckled, his breath tickling her hair. “I think tonight was perfect.”

“Even if Ivy ate zero vegetables?” Aelin peered up at Rowan to wait for her answer. 

“Hey, it’s Yulemas. We’ll let it slide.”

Aelin was grinning when she settled into Rowan’s arms. They were silent for a long while and she even thought Rowan had gone to sleep until he spoke.

“Thank you,” he said into the quiet dark of the room, “for giving me a chance to prove myself and fix my mistakes. I couldn’t have done all that I’ve done over the past year without you.”

Aelin held onto Rowan tighter, thinking about everything that had brought them to this moment. They weren’t perfect, mistakes were made and there would be countless more in their future. But that didn’t matter, not as long as they had each other. They could face anything in the world as long as they were together. 

So Aelin was smiling as she said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

~~~~~

Thanks for reading! I haven't had the time to fiddle with taglist yet. It's on my list of things to do

[theoddcatlady]

The Strangest Roommate I’ve Ever Had

This took place all about three years ago. I was going to college at the time and was living with two of my friends, Phoebe and Macie, along with Macie’s boyfriend Joe. I’d been friends with Phoebe since we were kids but only recently befriended Macie within like a year of agreeing to move in together, and Joe was sort of a last minute addition.

Well, to sum it all up so we’re not here all day, Joe was a jackass. He was a lousy roommate, but he was even worse to Macie, who’s a pretty meek person and a doormat for Jackass Joe. It was the third time Joe was caught sleeping around that Macie finally snapped and broke up with Joe. He responded by taking off and leaving us scrambling for a new roommate so we didn’t end up losing our place. I think it was Macie who posted the ad on our school’s Facebook page as a last ditch resort. It didn’t matter if they smelled like ham or were up all night blasting Marilyn Manson, we just needed someone to pitch in with the bills.

The next day I answered the door to Miss Dorothy Ball.  

I could already tell she was a weirdo off the bat- she was wearing a floor length navy colored dress with long sleeves and a high neck and didn’t seemed bothered at all by it considering it was almost ninety freaking degrees out. Not a blonde curl was out of place, not a drop of sweat on her paper white skin or rosy cheeks. Her large blue-green eyes stared at me as I stared at the trunk and suitcase she had behind her.  

Her head bowed down, speaking so quietly her lips barely moved.

“I’m Dorothy. I’m here about the roommate ad?”  

I only let her in because I felt bad about how hot she had to be in that get up. When she sat across from me I noticed she even had white gloves on, she seemed to be doing all she could to hide every inch of skin she could.  

“I have the money here.” Dorothy sat down an envelope on the table. “I intend on staying a full year, minus any unpredictable happenings. I would like to stay in a room by myself, and I promise that I will be silent as a church mouse and that the rent will always be on time. Will that be fine?”  

I cleared my throat. “I’ll have to talk to everyone else.” I opened up the envelope and nearly choked on my spit as the crisp one hundred dollar bills fell into my hand. “Is this for half the year?!”

“Just the first month.” Dorothy cocked her head to the side. “I found out the cost of rent, is this too little?”

“You’re only supposed to pitch in a quarter-” I cut myself off as I realized Dorothy knew exactly what she was offering. “You’re paying for all of it?”  

“The first month at least.” Dorothy laughed quietly, her lips not even twitching. “My family is quite wealthy. I would just like to live close to the campus and this is such a nice area, I want to show my appreciation for letting me board here.”

I had a meeting with the other roommates after introducing them to Dorothy. I showed them the cash. Phoebe’s eyes filled with dollar signs as she was clearly imagining what she’d do with all the spare cash she had while Macie seemed a bit more hesitant, but we’d not had any other offers. Most people by now had a place to call home while they went to college, and someone offering to pay all of this month’s rent? You’d be an idiot to say no to that.  

Dorothy was pleased as punch to be allowed to stay here, even giving us all a hug as she thanked us again and again. Phoebe tried to bolt from the hug but Dorothy insisted on it. We did have to move things around a bit, Macie moved into my room while Dorothy took her old one, but I didn’t mind since Macie and I basically had the same sleeping schedules anyway.  

You know how I said I wouldn’t have minded if we got a roommate from hell as long as they paid the bills? Well Dorothy was basically the roommate from heaven. She kept to her promise, she was so quiet she’d sometimes scare me because I didn’t even realize she was there. Not to mention she was a neat freak- there was never a dish in the sink or a speck of dust on the shelves. I swear it was how she had fun, well, that and shopping.  

There wasn’t a week that went by that we didn’t have a bunch of packages on the front porch. All cloth or dresses, Dorothy was quite the seamstress. Her closet quite literally overflowed with dresses, all long sleeved with floor length hems. The few that didn’t have high necks she’d pair with chokers or scarves, again, she didn’t want to show any skin. Not like she minded us dressing how we did, I think Phoebe nearly cried with Dorothy presented her with a crop top she made that was hot pink and had her name on the front. She made me something too, this summer themed dress printed with lemon and lime slices. I still wear it whenever I can, and it fits perfectly. She could guess a person’s measurements just by looking at them.  

Not to say I wasn’t still a bit offput by her. Something was just not right about this perfect roommate. Any time we’d ask a question about her family or her past, she’d give a half-answer and change the subject, usually by offering to buy us dinner. Even though she did that I never saw her eat, although she enjoyed tea twice a day, once at ten and once at three, like clockwork. I never caught her in the bathroom, although I did hear the shower run late at night when we’d all gone to bed, even Phoebe who’s a night owl and potential insomniac. Whenever she talked she’d bow her head down so I couldn’t see her mouth clearly, she’d never complain about being hot or cold, hell, she never complained at all. And her face was practically frozen. She’d blink, but she had no real expressions from what I could tell- again, she’d always bow her head down so I couldn’t get a clear view of her face past the curly hair.

Again, all of this is weird, but harmless. I chalked up my willies to just Dorothy’s weirdness and did all I could to be friendly to her. I never wanted to be an asshat.

Dorothy was closest with Macie. After Joe left her Macie was pretty messed up, she cried nearly every day and Phoebe said she was afraid Macie was going to drop out and leave us too.  

That changed after Dorothy moved in. I think Dorothy sensed how sensitive Macie was and focused a lot of her energy on becoming her friend. Macie never told me what they’d do when they hung out, but Dorothy made it a habit to enter our room and just… talk with her for hours. I’d usually just excuse myself to the living room to binge Netflix and well, whatever Dorothy did worked. Macie got out of her funk, her self esteem shot way up, and she even began going on dates. All the while Dorothy was just basking in her glow, just happy that Macie was happy.  

Of course, something did happen. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten Jackass Joe from the beginning of this story. For a little more context, Macie’s old room was on the ground floor, while my room that I now shared with Macie was on the second floor.  

Waking up to hearing Dorothy scream bloody murder at around three AM was not a welcome sound.  

I jumped the stairs three at a time to rush down there, and when we threw open the door I saw Macie was hiding under her quilts while Joe was sitting in the center of the room completely flummoxed.  

“I thought it was Macie!” He tried to explain as Phoebe dragged his ass out of there. Naturally, no one was interested, even if it was Macie it’s gross as hell to just crawl into bed with your ex girlfriend who wants nothing to do with your ass anymore.

I approached the bed, Dorothy still shaking and crying. I tried to draw the blankets back but the blanket bulge flinched back. “No! Don’t take away the blankets!” She screamed.  

So I just sat by the bed and waited for her to calm down. Her crying did slow but she refused to come out.

“Are you okay?” I finally asked.

“… He almost saw me.”  

The very top of Dorothy’s head peeked out from under the blankets, I did absentmindedly note how her eyes weren’t bloodshot and her face wasn’t red and blotchy, but she was still shaking. “I know… I know if anyone sees what I hide, they will never want to come near me again. And to suddenly have a man in my bed, I… I was frightened. I am so sorry for screaming.”

“Don’t be, I think most girls would freak out with a stranger suddenly climbing into their bed,” I rested my hand on the side of the bed. “It’s okay. You’re my friend, no matter what you’re hiding.” I meant it too. Sure, she was strange, but she was nice. And I prioritize nice.  

Dorothy slipped back under her blankets, but I heard a muffled ‘thank you’ as I exited the room.  

Of course Joe wasn’t going to stop being the worst because he accidentally got in bed with the wrong girl. He began harassing Macie, saying he was ‘sorry that she felt hurt’ and he’d ‘never do it again’. A quick Facebook check revealed that he was about to get kicked out of his dad’s place for being a shithead, so it made sense he’d go back to his doormat ex to get a new place.

Cept of course, in the few months Joe was gone, Macie had grown a backbone and she was just not interested. Neither were the rest of us, Dorothy especially. The first time I heard our strange roommate swear was when I heard her call Joe a bastard over breakfast, which nearly made Phoebe choke on her Cheerios. Joe could rot in hell. Joe probably sent over one hundred texts asking Macie to kick out ‘the weird chick in your room’ so he could move back in. Macie just ignored him, blocked his number and then every social media profile he tried to reach out to her on. She kept blowing him off, and we all figured sooner or later Joe would get bored and leave us alone.  

Oh boy. Not even close.

Phoebe was out that night. I just went out to go pick up some frozen pizzas at the corner store, I was probably gone for like ten minutes. When I got back my heart sunk in my chest when I recognized Joe’s truck out front. I didn’t even enter the house to hear them arguing.

I bolted up the stairs to see Macie and Joe screaming at each other. One of Joe’s friends was there too, a guy named Derek. From what I could make out apparently Joe did find another place, but they needed one more roommate to make it work, and apparently Joe was back to harassing Macie about it. Macie’s face was bright red as she yelled at them both to get the hell out of her house, she wasn’t interested in ever being near Joe again, and if he didn’t leave she’d call the police.

That police threat seemed to really rub Joe the wrong way as he grabbed her arm and squeezed it so tight I thought he was going to break it. I tried to step in, but Derek actually pushed me away, stepping between us so I couldn’t get to my friend to help her out. My cellphone was in my pocket and I was considering just running for it to call 911 when I heard someone walking up the stairs.

I turned to see Dorothy, her head bowed so I couldn’t see her face. She was dressed in a white nightgown that reached just past her calves, I could make out what I thought was scarring on her ankles and toes as she paused at the top of the stairs for only a moment. The next moment she stormed up to Joe and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him towards the stairs, clearly intent on throwing him out herself.

“Get out of this house. Right now. And never step near Macie again.”  

Her voice was cold and grating, far from the typically soft mumbles. Joe was probably frozen in shock at first, but he reacted with violence. He shoved Dorothy with all his might, Dorothy stumbling for a moment at the top of the steps before losing her balance and falling down the stairs.

When her body collided with the steps, it sounded like someone had taken a stack of china and thrown them down to the ground.

Dorothy rolled down the rest of the steps, the discordant sound of smashing glass causing all of us to freeze in our tracks. Dorothy finally hit the bottom step with her head and stayed all too still at the foot of the stairs.  

Joe shot us all a ‘what the fuck’ look before Dorothy stirred. With the rattle of broken glass, Dorothy got up on all fours. For a nauseating moment I thought the side of her nightgown had been pierced with a piece of bone, but with a sickening grinding sound, Dorothy grabbed onto her gown and ripped it down the side,  grabbed the loose shard of white porcelain in her hand, and began the painful looking process of crawling up the steps.  

Now I could see what Dorothy had been insistent on hiding, now that her gown had been ripped to ribbons thanks to her shattering. Each of her joints was like the ball joint on a doll, a dip in the skin that now made more disturbing grinding sounds as she hauled herself up the steps. Slivers and pieces of porcelain continued to fall from her body, the biggest missing part nearly taking up her entire right side. Inside of her I could make out incredibly lifelike imitations of ribs, lungs, all cracked and breaking apart. Her right cheek was horrifically cracked, her eyelid hanging half down, unable to fully shut or open. Her chin hung loosely open, her mouth a black, gaping hole. But that still open eye was focused right on Joe, and it was full of loathing.

Macie acted first, bolting into her room and turning the lock. Derek screamed in horror and shoved me forward to act as a shield. Dorothy hauled herself up that last step and I nearly fell on top of her, barely managing to catch myself as I stepped on another piece of porcelain and sliced my foot open like butter.  

Dorothy paid me no mind as she managed to push herself to her feet, swaying as she tried to regain her balance before she began to limp over to the terrified men. Joe looked at me and I think I remember him saying ‘help me’.  

I responded by crawling into Phoebe’s room and locking the door behind me.  

They weren’t screaming for much longer.  

I hid in there for hours, clamping my hands over my ears to block out the worst of the wet ripping and tearing. I didn’t leave until I heard Phoebe enter the house, call for us, and then shriek when she saw all the blood.

And there was a lot of blood. It soaked the carpet on the second floor, with bits of flesh and muscle embedded in the fibers. But other than that and the shards of porcelain scattered about the stairs, there was no sign of Joe, Derek, or Dorothy.

We never heard from Dorothy again. An envelope containing enough money to cover a few more months of rent did appear in our mailbox, but the police couldn’t even confirm Dorothy Ball was a real person outside of her school registry. I never even told Phoebe the entirety of the story, only that Dorothy had attacked both Joe and Derek.  

I still don’t know what I saw, not really. The image of her shattered body crawling up those stairs, the hate in her still working eye as she stared at Joe will never leave even as I try to rationalize how on earth that could happen. People don’t shatter like… like that.

But I do know Dorothy was real. I know she was.  

And I’m thankful for her. And she’s still my friend. Wherever she is.

[mayakern]

are the sleeves for the second sweater type three quarter? or are they full length?

full length

[symphonic-scream]

Back when the Legend of Korra finale first aired, I was a little baby gay and had a different tumblr which I believe I deleted. On said tumblr, I think I mentioned vaguely that I had an idea for fankids for them

It's been 9 years since I deleted that tumblr. It's going to be 10 years since the finale this December. The release of the (underwhelming) live action Last Airbender has brought me back to a show that truly changed my life, and made me feel seen as a queer, mixed native kid (I'm a quarter, my grandpa was full)

So. Here's a little post about those ocs, who I found in my old seventh grade french notes (I never paid attention in that class lmao)

Anyways!y Korrasami kids. Let's go over them

Hiroto Sato (Ref age 16)

So I imagine that once their lives were stable, that they'd want to have a baby. Asami would carry in my mind, just because Korra would be all worried about how her body would handle it after the poisoning thing. However, their plans go, twisted. Cause they have twins

Their first born is their son, named after Hiroshi Sato, though Asami didn't want to directly name him after her father because her feelings would be still complicated. So, Hiroto. He goes by Hiro, mostly, and he's a fire bender

His eyes are a dark brown/grey, and he keeps his hair at a sort of medium length? It curls slightly around his ears, and he'd need glasses starting at age 14. He likes warm, comfy clothes

Hiro isn't very physically, well, talented. He's clumsy, trips over his own feet sometimes, the kind of person who's thinking so hard he smacks into polls and apologizes to them. He'd nervously chew on the skin of his thumb as he works. Hiro's an awkward guy, not great at conversation. He's always had a knack for art, and wants to become a city planner. He's not a great bender, but he does like helping out in the kitchen

Yasuko Sato (Ref age 16)

Their only daughter and youngest bio child, it's younger twin Yasuko! Korra chose her name. She knows how much Asami's mom meant to her, and honestly, the baby looked a lot like the old photos of Yasuko. As much as a baby can, at least. Like her brother, she's a fire bender

She's nearly a carbon copy of Asami. Green eyes, wavy black hair, though she smiles a little crooked. She keeps her hair up in a high pony, and even though she needs glasses like her brother, she rarely wears them. She forgets them more often then not, and just takes his to read momentarily. She's, like, "sleeves? Never heard of them"

Yasuko showed real promise in fire bending when Korra first started teaching her, so she decided to get both twins a proper teacher. Yasuko wanted to be a hero like her Moma, and grew up wanting to help people. Her goal is to be a fire fighter! She's the funny friend, always makes others smile, a jokester

Kova Sato (Ref age 19)

So, the next three are all adopted. There was a disaster type happening in the furthest parts of the Northern Water Tribe, and Korra went to help in the aftermath. After helping with search and rescue efforts, she goes to visit the injured to sort of, give them hope

That's where she meets Kova. He's 9 at the time, yet he was working hard to use his water bending to help heal alongside the elder women. She talks to him while handing out some food shipped in from Republic City, and finds out he lost his parents, and has been looking after his younger brother

Long story short, both boys return to the city with her, and Asami ends up understanding why her wife couldn't leave them behind

Kova is a big guy. He's mixed water tribe earth nation, so while he's got dark skin, his eyes are a dark green, and his hair is messy, dark brown. Quiet guy, but tall for his age. Real gentle, there's a reason he has an affinity for healing. He's got little sun freckles too!

He's great with words. He's a blooming poet, writing the stories people tell him during healing sessions. Incredibly kind, loves the idea of memories making someone immortal. The first poems he writes are of his birth parents, and the second? Of his mom's, and his siblings.

Haoyu Sato (Ref age 12)

He's Kova's younger brother, and was only 2 when Korra took them in and brought them to Republic City.

Haoyu is just paler than his older brother, with darker, messier hair, and blue eyes. His smile is bright, pure joy and energy. He's an endless ball of energy, and reminds his mom's and grandparents of a young Korra; he knows he's hot shit. He's an earth bender, starting at age 6

He's obsessed with pro bending. But, he doesn't dream of being an athlete, but an announcer. Reading is tough for him, and he struggles a bit in school, but when he comes home each day, he's surrounded by love, and care. Asami is always happy to sit with him and help him make sense of his school work, gentle, kind, and patient

I imagine he'd wear someone like a hoodie and soft puffy pants, the kind that end above the ankle.

Gyaltsen Sato (Ref age 5)

The youngest, and again, not exactly a planned adoption. His mother was a newer air acolyte, and she didn't make it through the birth. Tenzin asked Korra and Asami to look after baby Gyaltsen away from the busy temple until someone could take him in, but, the mom's got attached

Just barely darker than Asami and the twins, Gyaltsen has the lightest hair in the family, and the darkest eyes. He's an airbender who shows extreme potential, and is one of Jinora's most promising young students

He's got this spark for life. Everything is so cool to him, so amazing, it's rare for him to be disappointed by something. He feels things strongly, and his Moma Korra sits with him to meditate and talk about his big feelings

He's still very young and growing up, so he's got time to become himself

--

ANYWAYS. THERE THEY ARE. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

[transenbyconfessions]

I am a trans woman and as a tall (6"5) person, I find it's taking an un-necessary long time to find feminine clothes. I am an artist and clothing is very important to me, I believe this is partly why my social transition progress is delayed. When I took my measurements and looked around online back in 2021 after my egg cracked, I quickly felt discouraged since nothing would fit. I did not feel welcome in the feminine space and been doubting every since. I am lucky to be on HRT (3 months !) but I feel there is a long way and that I am barely starting to transition: I only found the courage to go out and buy feminine clothes last week, I am out to only a couple of friends and my girlfriend. I know I will make it but it's tedious. My advice to my fellow tall transfems: identify what body shape you have and then find hacks that will make the clothes fit. Full length sleeves can become three quarter sleeves, skirts can become shirts and shorter length shirts can become crop tops :)

Submitted March 12, 2023

[gogmstuff]

1763 Antoinetta Coenradina des H.R.R. Countess van Heemskerk by Pierre Frédéric de la Croix (Frans Hals Museum / Rijksmuseum Twenthe). From history-of-fashion.tumblr.com/image/168152700289; fixed spots w Pshop 1245X1564.

[krtart]

[Image description: A reference sheet depicting Diamond in his original body. He is an adult man of medium weight, with light brown skin, an epicanthic fold, a broad jaw, straight black hair, and a mustache and narrow beard. He wears a medical ID necklace. An info panel gives his name, pronouns, height (5’7”, i.e. 170 cm), and shows the trans and bi pride flags. Detailed description below the cut.]

.

On his original homeworld of Mars and in his original timeline, Diamond was an embittered former neurosurgeon who had found a new career as a QA coordinator at a cybernetics firm. He met Clemcy in the depths of his disillusionment; Clemcy offered to heal Diamond’s dysfunctional telepathy, and to teach him magic as well, in exchange for Diamond’s financial and technical support on his own projects.

Diamond took the deal, and several years of embezzlement and illegal experimentation followed. The two of them got along quite well with one another… so long as Diamond ignored Clemcy’s treatment of other people and the sneaking suspicion that this was not a deal that he could ever back out of safely.

(He eventually proved himself right. Having gotten what he wanted from Clemcy, and after discovering some of Clemcy’s lies and least savory pursuits, Diamond confronted him. In response to the perceived betrayal, Clemcy mutilated and killed Diamond for the first time.)

.

Detailed image description:

Diamond is illustrated once clean-shaven and with short hair, but otherwise, he is illustrated with long hair and a short, narrow beard framing his jaw. He occasionally has a thin strip of dyed or bleached hair at his forelock. In portraits and busts he is illustrated with tired or mildly irritated expressions. In one sequence of full-body illustrations he is shown with a sharp, somewhat mocking smile.

Diamond is illustrated in both his original Martian storyline as well as a contemporary AU. His Martian medical ID tag is a token with glowing yellow lines resembling stylized sutures; his contemporary AU ID is a medallion with a blue star of life symbol. He sometimes wears a thin black choker and black nail polish in either setting.

Diamond is illustrated in some busts with a pale blue turtleneck, in one waist-up image in a maroon blouse with puffy sleeves and three-quarters length cuffs, and in a sequence of full-body illustrations showing him in his underclothes and two outfits. These show:

In his Martian body, Diamond has very faint top surgery scars and a moderate amount of chest and body hair. He is not drawn shirtless in the contemporary AU.

A semiformal Martian outfit consists of a long-sleeved white undershirt, a dark blue tunic with ice blue trim and a wrap around his waist, loose black breeches, tall brown boots with no visible clasps or ties, a glowing wrist band, and a glowing drop earring.

A casual contemporary outfit consists of a pink mock-neck shirt, a very dark brown jean jacket, pale tan pants, hiking shoes, and small silver earrings.

[theknitpotato]

History of the Jingle Dress Dance

The Jingle Dress Dance began with the Mille Lacs Band of the Ojibwe Tribe in the early 1900s and became prevalent in the 1920s in Wisconsin and Minnesota (Great Lakes region) in the US and in Ontario, Canada.

The story is that the dress was first seen in a dream. A medicine man’s granddaughter grew sick, and as the man slept his Indian spirit guides came to him and told him to make a Jingle Dress for the little girl. They said if the child danced in it, the dress would heal her. The Jingle Dress was made, and the tribe came together to watch the child dance. At first, the child was too sick to dance alone so her tribe carried her, but after some time, the little girl was able to dance alone, cured of her sickness.

The dance has since been not only a ritual of healing but also one of pride.

What Do Jingle Dresses Look Like?

Jingle Dresses, also known as Prayer Dresses, are believed to bring healing to those who are sick. As mentioned above, the dance gets its name from the rows of ziibaaska’iganan (metal cones) sewed to the dress. These cones are traditionally made from rolled snuff can lids and hung from the dress with ribbon close to one another, so they make a melodic sound as the girls and women dance. Traditionally, the dress is adorned with 365 visible jingles, or cones. Nowadays, these cones are often machine-made.

The dresses come in every color imaginable, from yellow to bright blue, to deep red, and accented with sparkles and even neon-colored fabrics. They are often made with shiny and sparkly materials and decorated with fringes, embroidery, beading, and more.

They usually have three-quarter length to full-length sleeves and come down to mid-calf or the ankle. They are secured at the waist with a thick belt, often made of brown leather. On their feet, the dancer wears decorative moccasins embellished with the same kind of detail found on their dresses.

What are the steps for the Jingle Dance?

As the ziibaaska’iganan hit one another it sounds like rain falling, so it’s important for the dancer to be light on their feet, to move in time with the drum and stop when the beat stops. They keep their foot movements low to the ground while dancing, kicking their heels and bouncing on their toes to the music. Typically, this dance is done in a zigzag pattern, said to represent one’s journey through life—or so the story goes. Often, they keep their hands on their hips, and if they are dancing with a feathered fan (full of neutral colors, like eagle feathers) as the more modern Jingle Dress Dancers do, they will raise it into the air as they dance to receive healing.

The traditional Indian dance involves low, soft-footed steps, as could be performed by those who were sick, while the modern competitive dancers push the boundaries some as they try to out-dance their competitors. The manner in which the dance has evolved has built firmly on its origin story.

What are the songs and music for Jingle Dance?

The music for this style of dancing has a foundation of a solid drumbeat, and of course, the metal cones make a loud jingling (hence the name) as the women move, which contributes to the music you’ll hear at a Jingle Dress Dance. Jingle Dancers will usually dance to Northern drum groups. Special songs for Jingle Dance include a Side Step or Crow Hop

[bomberqueen17]

trissmiss

well it was shaping up to be not a very merry christmas, but the sun came out so we went out to shovel.

cut for photos and blathering

in my driveway, looking west toward the garage. [image: snow, a drift of at least five feet pressed up against a small white garage, nearly obscuring the door; the corner of a house, heavily-drifted, but a section of driveway scraped down to the pavement by wind.]

My driveway, looking east toward the road. I set about shoveling this drift, but it broke me and i gave up and only removed the left half of it, to clear part of the driveway to make a foot path. [image description: a drift coming around the side of a house, about four feet in height but quite thick, in front of a car with very little snow on it. Beyond that, a man in blaze orange snow pants is throwing snow onto a pile; he is up to his thighs in snow.]

Dude started out by the sidewalk. The street wasn’t plowed, so we figured ther was no point clearing by the road because when they came by they’d plow us right back in. (This is the horror that all of us in the snow belt know: when they plow the road, it throws a snowbank into your driveway.)

But after we’d been working for maybe an hour, we heard an engine, and looked and there was a town snowplow working on the cross-street a block up. We were very excited about this; I ran out to take a photo of it. But then imagine our shock and delight when it turned and came down our street next! Dude ran back in front of my car to get clear, and it came down the road in a glorious explosion of snow, operating at full speed-- Town of Tonawanda operates big highway plows so this guy was probably going 30-40 mph, flinging debris a good 20 feet either side. it’s the only way to deal with snow this deep and heavy.

Once plowed out, we focused our efforts on getting a pathway to the street.

[image: my partner, a six foot three inch man in orange snow pants, sits on a hunk of snow in a tiny passage he’s digging one shovel blade wide through a heavy snowbank. he looks tired.]

Once we’d dug out, we came inside, cleaned up, and then assembled our goods and hiked a quarter-mile down the street to dude’s mom’s house. Just over the border into the city of buffalo, no plows had been by but people were trying to dig themselves out.

[image description: footprints in snow in foreground, midground is the man in the orange snowpants carrying a shovel over his shoulder, background is a row of houses.] Note the cloud bank behind the houses: this is looking south. That is a lake effect front still dumping on south buffalo, which had been spared the worst of this storm but now is Getting It, though I think less severely.

Once at Dude’s mom’s house we unwrapped some presents and then made appetizers. These were what we’d planned to bring to a party on Christmas eve that got cancelled: Lil Smokies sausages wrapped in those Pilsbury crescent rolls that come in a tube.

[image description: pastries with tiny hot dogs sticking out of the ends of them, on a platter]

I’m pleased to report that I managed to wear the me-made dress I’d intended for Christmas after all; it traveled beautifully under my snow pants. Merino wool, baby.

[image description: the author, a fat blonde woman, is posing in front of a large mirror wearing a knee-length wool dress that’s quite tight-fitting through the bodice and flares a bit in the skirt. It is maroon-red with elbow-length sleeves.] That’s a Cashmerette Turner, modded to include side seam pockets.

[storekn1fe]

sketches

[id: photo 1: A digital sketch page with Victoria and Romana from Doctor Who and Akane and Power from Chainsaw Man. On the top left are two drawings of Victoria. She is a young woman with dark hair tied into a bun. She is wearing a jacket over a shirt with a frilly collar and sleeves. In the first drawing she looks to her left with a concerned expression. In the second, she is holding her right hand up to her face and has a shocked expression. At the bottom left is a drawing of Akane Sawatari, a girl with short hair wearing a dark hoodie. She is holding out her right hand and is about to summon the Snake Devil. To her right is Power, a girl with long hair, horns, and sharp teeth. She is wearing a white button-up shirt, a tie and dark pants. She is creating an axe from blood in her left hand and looks excited. On the right side of the image is a full-body drawing of Romana II. She has long straight hair. She is wearing a dark jacket and long skirt, with a frilly, lacy shirt. She is looking to her right with a slightly annoyed expression. To her upper left is a smaller, waist-up drawing, showing her in a white shirt and dark hat. photo 2: A digital sketch of Haru from Dorohedoro. She is wearing black pants and a black and grey crop top. She has dark, shoulder length hair. She is drawn in a profile view with her hand on her hip and her head in a three-quarter's view. /end id]