#with such love and knowledge and respect it overwhelms me with happiness and laughter and sadness and so many emotions in such a good way

[qkmlh]

I loved Into the Spiderverse and it was a beautiful and game changing movie but Across the Spiderverse?? Oh it is special!!

Seeing Rio and Jeff and Miles and the way they communicate and the spanglish and Mile’s B in Spanish immediately riling his parents and the panadería with the lady decorating the cake and telling Miles to write shorter and the counselor’s let’s play up the struggling immigrant family angle that isn’t even true and everyone gathered around the way the do and Mile’s tia immediately going míralo!! Look how big you’ve gotten and the way she gets so close exactly the way tias just do and all the different dishes and the carne guisada con papa y zanahoria and Rio’s “I bet she doesn’t even speak Spanish” looking Mile’s and Gwen’s way and!!

“Bendición mami.” y “Que Dios te bendiga, mijo.”

And Miles’ grabbing Miguel an empanada and immediately going Tio!! And the ever so detailed difference between Miles’ and Miguel’s pronunciation and accents and speed and fluidity of which they speak Spanish and English and Spanglish because there’s also the generational differences and and and!!!

All of it!! Every single beautiful and wonderful detail I can’t remember right now because this is getting long but that’s so easy to see and process and feels just right and so natural because it’s done with such care and love and respect it is so so special!!

[mondscheinprinzessin]

138 (general) and 78 (kisses) with Joeleksi please. 💖 (Can I also request Allu being the one kissed? He has perfect tummy for that. 🥺) /Tri (who also sends a lot of hugs to you 💖)

I can always count on you to give me Joeleksi, thank you. And he does, I love his tummy. Kissing the soft part of the stomach, ugh I love it.

“How are you this perfect?” + pushing your lover onto the bed, kissing down their stomach

Aleksi was giggling into his mouth as Joel pressed him into the wall in the hallway, just so managing to close the front door with a nudge of his foot. But even the few seconds would have been too much as he needed Aleksi back in his arms as soon as possible.

The ride home has been long enough, and Aleksi had scolded him for taking his eyes away from the road and not letting him give even one kiss and it had made him desperate.

Now he was back to exploring Aleksi’s mouth, his hands already under Aleksi’s shirt, not caring for the buttons that were threatening to tear off from the fabric, his hands continuing to wander along Aleksi’s back and sides and stomach.

Aleksi’s laughter had died down to languid sighs and Joel was happy with every noise.

Hastily they slipped out of their shoes, not letting go of each other for long, their jackets falling down to the floor, followed by Joel’s shirt.

Aleksi was biting his lip as he drew back and extensively and slowly examined Joel’s chest with his eyes while his hands ran down to his stomach, stopping short above his pants. Then they slipped around to his back, his fingers dipping into his shorts and Joel pulled Aleksi back into a kiss.

It made him dizzy to taste the sweet wine on Aleksi’s lips as he had drunk most of the bottle they ordered with their dinner, Joel having invited Aleksi on a date. Afterwards he had convinced him to come over and spend the night at his flat, not ready to let him go yet.

It was never enough with Aleksi. No kiss or touch could satisfy Joel so much that he could willingly let him go. It was overwhelming how close they had gotten in such a short amount of time, it felt like yesterday that Joel had run into him and asked him out on their first date.

And yet it was as if they had known each other forever. With the knowledge of what Aleksi had gone through Joel tried to treat him with the utmost respect and gave him everything he wanted although Aleksi never wished for anything.

Nevertheless Joel did his best to make him feel loved and he had noticed during their first time how much Aleksi had been missing out on it, but Joel was willing to give him all of it. Everything he had.

Joel felt a hand in his hair, pulling the hair tie loose and letting his hair spill over his shoulder, smiling into the kiss as he knew how much Aleksi loved to play with his hair and see it open. It was at a perfect length to bury a hand in and tug on it and Joel groaned when Aleksi did just that, already aware of how much it stoked the fire in him.

Running out of patience Joel pushed Aleksi into the bedroom, pressing him against the dresser and keeping him there with a leg between his thighs.

With his eyes on him, following his movement, Joel quickly made work of the buttons on Aleksi’s shirt, ripping it off his arms and carelessly throwing it to the ground, instantly going to kiss Aleksi’s neck who grabbed for purchase on his sides.

One moan after another left Aleksi as Joel nipped under his ear and licked down to another spot.

“Fuck, Joel.” Aleksi breathed out, his chest already heaving without Joel having to do much, the sensations too much to leave him unfazed.

Joel could feel him hard under his thigh and he aligned their hips as he pulled Aleksi into his arms. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m here, baby.”

Switching to a more slow pace to give them time to breath Joel cupped Aleksi’s cheek and gazed into his eyes, for a moment just enjoying each other’s presence and the feeling of their naked chests pressed together, their fingers lazily wandering over skin, and air fanning over their heated bodies.

“I love you.” Joel said, peering into blue eyes peeking out from behind blonde dyed hair and caressing Aleksi’s cheek with his thumb, then letting a finger graze over his bottom lip when a bashful smile tucket at the corners of his mouth.

Aleksi always grew so quiet and shy when Joel proclaimed his love, not rarely averting his eyes while his face was tinged with a hue of red. One reason why Joel made it his mission to tell him as often as possible and making sure it was said with the honesty Aleksi deserved.

Too often Aleksi was lied to, and Joel would make sure to never make that mistake, sincerity being an important thing in their relationship.

“Love you too.” Aleksi whispered back and Joel leaned in to give him a soft but deep kiss, letting him know how much he loved him.

Taking him by his hand, Joel led him to the bed and gently pushed him down on it, coming to rest above him with his weight supported by his arms on the sides of Aleksi’s head.

Aleksi was pulling him closer with his hands on his shoulder but Joel for once could resist his kisses and instead descended, his eyes not leaving Aleksi’s as he first nipped over his chest and then made his way down.

For a short moment he let his eyes wander over Aleksi’s body who was squirming under his hands on his waist, uncomfortable with the attention and in need for more. Especially when Joel breathed over the spots he had just kissed and licked at, continuing his path down to his navel, his stomach going over to the soft part of his tummy that Joel loved.

“How are you this perfect?” Joel asked out loud but more to himself as he kept on leaving marks all over Aleksi’s body but paying the most attention to his stomach, always stopping right above the beginning of his jeans.

“So beautiful, and pretty, and amazing, and wonderful, and so, so perfect.” He said after every kiss, his lips dragging over the soft skin, his hands paying attention to every spot they could find, drawing another moan out of Aleksi.

“Joel, please.” Aleksi said once he had enough of Joel’s slow torture who smiled against his stomach at his needy tone.

Joel loved to worship Aleksi’s body, but often Aleksi was just too impatient to let him explore, but never would Joel go so low as to just use him for a two-minute shag, Aleksi deserved more than that.

Coming up again, Joel first kissed along his jawline and then his cheek before he assured him. “I’ve got you baby.”

This time he gave in to Aleksi’s desire and let him pull him in by his hair, their mouths colliding as Aleksi was eager to kiss him. Joel didn’t make it easy on him though when he lowered a hand and opened the front of his jeans. He would definitely give him more reasons to gasp his name as the night progressed.

[rainydaydream-gal18]

(Clone Wars) Obi-Wan Kenobi x Jedi!Reader: Here to Stay a Little Longer

Author’s Note: In this fic, reader is a jedi who volunteers to care for an educate younglings in the order. Just wanted to say I know a few teachers and caretakers, and I just wanted to say the amount of respect I have for people who dedicate their time to little ones whether it be for a job or because their your own little ones!

    “Good work today.” 

    There was no stopping the affectionate smile that bloomed on your face as the youngling chirped in response to your affirmation.  You could sense his happiness at the lesson being over for the day.  He wanted to take a nap.

   “Me too, Grogu,” you sighed.  “Me too.”  He waddled over to you, and you lifted him into your arms.  Another jedi would be coming to take him back to the nursery for rest. 

   “___________?” a voice asked.

   “Hm?” you turned to see an elderly female jedi at the doorway to the training room.  “Oh, jedi Lilanou.  You are here to take Grogu back to his quarters?”

   “Yes, indeed,” she said with a smile, outstretching her hands.  They were weathered but ever so gentle as you transferred the tired baby to them.  He waved at you, and you laughed and waved back.  “Grogu will see you later this week for another training session.”

   “I will be expecting him.”  You nodded.  Grogu wasn’t quite like the other younglings.  He was more developed mentally for one so small, and he was much older than the others.  This meant he started training, but only a little since he was still a baby.  As Lilanou carried him away, you felt sadness creep its way into your feelings.  No doubt your attachment to the young one went beyond what it should.  You felt that way about most of the younglings you volunteered to look after and train before they became padawans and were assigned to mentors.  It was hard to let go when that time came, but the need for jedi to step up and help the next generation of younglings drew you in again and again.

   With the absence of Grogu, your afternoon was free.  The rumble in your stomach told you it was time for a meal.  You released a sigh and stepped out of the empty room into the vast halls.  Jedi walked to and fro, some in pairs while others had their noses in datapads.

   The sound of children’s laughter weighed your steps until you stopped altogether.  It was a collective laugh as if it was one shared by an entire class.  You started back on your way again before it rang out once more.  It was indeed a class that occupied one of the nearest training rooms, and from where you stood outside the doorway, you could hear Yoda’s voice instructing.

   “I’ll just stop in for a minute,” you said, grinning.  “Lunch can wait.”  As you approached, Yoda paused the lesson to meet your gaze.  As he greeted you, the younglings that were all seated in a semi-circle turned their heads to look in your direction.  Their faces lit up in recognition.

   “Ah, _________, how nice it is to see you,” Yoda said.  “Younglings, say ‘hello.’”

   “Hello!” they chorused.

   “Hello everyone!” you gave a nod of greeting before turning your gaze back to Yoda.  “I was just wondering if I could sit in on class today?  And maybe help if you need any assistance?”  It felt like a silly question to ask.  He was Yoda.  He’d been training many generations of younglings since long before you were born.  Nonetheless, his features softened as he motioned with his hand for you to enter.

   “Needing a lesson to refresh your memory, are you?” he joked in a good-natured way.  You chuckled as you took a seat on the far right of the semi-circle.

   “Something like that.”

   “Good, your timing is.”  He nodded.  “Discussing the process of constructing lightsabers, we are.  Perhaps, share with the class your experience, you could.”

   “That’s right,” you mused.  “Many of you are nearing that time.  Oh, yes Ganodi?”

   The Rodian girl lowered her hand, galaxy eyes averted shyly for a moment.  “Was it hard to build your lightsaber?”

   “It was a challenge,” you admitted.  “But it wasn’t meant to be easy.”  When you noticed her nervous expression, you added, “I’m sure you will do well.”

   “I’m excited to build mine!”  Petro exclaimed.  “I can’t wait!”

   “All in good time,” Yoda told the enthusiastic youngling.  “Anyway, back to our lesson, we should get....”

- - - - - - 

   After the class had been dismissed by Yoda, some of the younglings stuck around to talk.  Yoda walked over to you.  “Thank you for your help today.  Warms my heart, it does, to see your compassion and willingness to nurture the next generation of jedi.”

   You smiled.  “It warms my heart to see them so eager to learn.”

   After he left, you found yourself in the middle of a game of tag with the younglings in the classroom.  Katooni was “it”, and the rest of the group scattered.  She was fast for a youngling!  You raced past Byph, and he got tagged instead.

   “Sorry, Byph!”

   You were so captivated by the game that you hadn’t noticed a new presence.  “I thought I’d find you here.”  You skidded to a stop, looking over to see Obi-Wan Kenobi standing at the doorway.  Your heart did flips at the sight of that smirk of his while he stood there with his arms folded across his chest.  He had left on a campaign weeks before, and his return to Coruscant was a surprise to you.

   You turned to the group, who didn’t seem to notice him.  “Give me one second, guys.”  They continued to run around, and you walked over to the jedi, out of breath.  “It’s good to see you.  How are things on the front?”

   “Well, we were successful,” he replied.  That smooth voice was like music to your ears.  As you listened to him describe the gist of the mission, your mind wandered to silly little things like his velvety hair that shone in the light or his soft blue eyes or the way his lip quirked when he spoke.  It was just so nice to see him, to be able to take it in that he was there.

   “Sounds like an interesting time.”

   “Oh, no.  Not interesting in the least,” he said sarcastically, the shine of amusement in his eyes.  “How have things been here?”

   “Same as ever.”  You smiled and nodded in the direction of the younglings playing their game.  “These ones keep me occupied.  It’s not fighting Separatist battle droids, but…”

   “It’s an important duty.  I can hardly think of a more noble endeavor,” he told you, eyes looking distant and warm as the younglings’ laughter carried.  “I myself hope to dedicate more time to the cause.  I haven’t been as involved as I’d like to be.”

   “Well, we could always use the help.  Besides, you have become a sort of legend around here.”

   Obi-Wan’s brow lifted curiously.  “Is that so?”

   “It is, and you have Anakin to thank for that.  He stops by every now and then and shares a story or two about his and your adventures on the battlefield.”

   “That sounds like Anakin,” he sighed.

   “He’s an inspiration to the younglings, as are you,” you paused.  “To me as well.”

   “Obi-Wan!”

  “Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan!”

   The group began to gather around the two of you, their eyes wide with admiration and curiosity.

   “Well hello there,” he said.  “I was beginning to think I’d gone unnoticed.”

   “Where’d you go? Did you fight Grievous?” Petro’s questions poured out quickly.

   “Was Anakin there?” Zatt asked, tipping his head to one side.  “He said he was going on a mission too.”

   “Alright, alright,” you laughed.  “Let’s not overwhelm him.”

   “I’ll tell you all about the mission another time,” Obi-Wan assured them.  “For now, you might want to run.”

   “What?  Why?”

   “Because it looks like Byph is still ‘it,’ and he’s sneaking up behind you.”

   “Ahhh!”  They burst into laughter and screams as they scattered once more, leaving you and Obi-Wan chuckling.  One of the smaller younglings fell down in front of him.  He simply took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet.

   “Careful, little one.”  His warning was tender, and you watched the scene with heart thumping.  Obi-Wan was always good with younglings.  His kindly nature and humility made him quite popular. 

   He’d make a good parent, you thought.  Realizing where your mind was taking you, you shook your head.  That was hardly appropriate for one to think about a fellow jedi.  Romantic feelings were normal, but these were driving you to imagine a life with him outside the order.  You imagined a loving man with whom you could have your own children with.  The way he was gazing at you made you feel embarrassed, as if he sensed your thoughts.

   “___________?”

   “Yeah?”

   “Are you hungry?”

   You glanced down at your stomach as it gave another rumble.  Ah, right.  You skipped out on lunch to join the youngling class.  How embarrassing he heard that!  “Uh yeah, I missed lunch.”

   “I’m rather hungry myself,” he said.  “Shall we go get something together?”

   You nodded, smiling.  “We shall.”  You looked at the younglings.  “I’ll see you all soon.”

   “Okay, bye ___________!”

   “Bye Obi-Wan!”

   They headed out the door, their chatter echoing down the hall.  You walked alongside Obi-Wan on your way to get something to eat.  He was always pleasant company.  He walked with his hands folded behind his back and his gaze occasionally resting on you.  You had longed to see him again, but when the moment was finally there, you weren’t quite sure what to say.  Finally, you thought of something.

   “Did you need me for something?”

   “Pardon?”

   “You said you might find me there with the younglings,” you said.  “Does that mean you were looking for me?” 

   He opened his mouth as if he had a clever response, but his voice came out in a subtle stutter before he found the words. “I thought I’d pay you a visit since I arrived back on Coruscant.  I merely...wanted to see you.”

   “Oh, I see.”

   “Is that a problem?” The question wasn’t irritated.  His eyes searched you with genuine concern.  He had made it known that he sought you out for no reason in particular other than his enjoyment of your company, and he didn’t want this knowledge to make you uncomfortable.

   “No, no, not at all.”  You shook your head.  “I’m glad you did.  I’m pleased to see you.  It was only a few weeks, but it felt like so long.”  You went silent after that statement, unsure if you crossed a line either.  You were supposed to be a jedi free from attachment, and the last thing you wanted was Obi-Wan Kenobi to think you were needy.

   “I know exactly what you mean,” he muttered in agreement.  His eyes went to the floor in a way that suggested he had something on his mind.  The implication that he may have missed you too made you want to hide your face shyly, but you remained nonchalant.

   “When do you leave Coruscant again?”

   “Not for some time, I hope.  Like I said, I’d like to be more involved with training the next generation for a while.”  He glanced your way, eyes crinkling as he smiled.  “But my apologies, that means you’ll have to see more of me.  I know how much of a burden I am.”

   “Indeed.”  You returned the smile.  “How terrible.”

   The warmth between you two was unmistakable during the playful banter.  Part of you was thrilled that he would be around, that you wouldn’t have to say “goodbye” for a while.  The other part was worried what it might bring upon both of you.  If the two of you spent more time together with the younglings, it would do you no good as far as dismissing the attachment you had to him.  And what of the Council?  Would they take notice?

   Obi-Wan sat across from you at one of the long dining tables, and those doubts one-by-one went out the viewport.  He spoke about his mission away and then listened as you told him about some of your adventures on Coruscant.  Some involved your travels outside the jedi walls while others were about your daily struggles and victories with the little ones.  You told him of a youngling still in the nursery that ran off without their robes that you had to chase down and dress.  Fortunately the nursing droids had proper security so the youngling didn’t leave the nursery.  Obi-Wan’ laughter rang out clear as a bell as he tipped his head back at the outrageous tale.  Something fluttered in your chest as he lost himself in the humor for a moment before taking a breath and sighing.

   “Well it seems I have much to look forward to,” he chuckled.  “I recall once you said you wished you had some war stories to share, but it seems you do now.”

   “Some days it is a battle,” you agreed.

   “Believe me, I know.”  He gazed at you then, that glint in his eyes as he smiled tenderly.  You found yourself unable to look away.  It was like a magnet pulling you to him, and if there weren’t a table separating you, you might have even leaned in for a kiss.  It was like electricity crackling between you, and you had to force yourself to glance down at your now-empty tray.  The time working with Obi-Wan again would be interesting.  Even after only a few hours together, you felt that same pull that you fought for years.  You wondered how long you could go without giving in.  You wondered if he felt it as strongly as you did.  By the look flashing in his eyes as you leaned in ever so slightly to scoot out of your seat, you figured he might.

   An interesting time indeed. 

[ohmygodtheywereparabatai]

Day 5 | Role-Reversal

Because who doesn’t want to see Firelord Zhao, five-pronged crown and all @zhaozaipalooza?

OKAY hhdhdjd while that was my initial plan, @fire-lady-ilah’s thoughtful and bittersweet Good!Dad Ozai AU made me decide on another approach for today’s prompt(s).

Taking her lovely concept a step further, I thought I’d flip the personality of every AtLA character I can get my hands on. No more gentle, loving moon spirit, only a tidal goddess of wrath! Well, okay, okay, I should slow down…

Let’s start small.

—

Not that he would tell, but… the musician’s self-imposed trembling was, not so imperceptible.

Had he left his children to chart out the course of his remaining life, and sailed the path like a star-wise captain? Most definitely; they were his greatest counsel as Firelord. A Fire Sage couldn’t have convinced him to remarry after Ursa’s loss - but they did.

Darling heirs that held her eyes and her laughter, and where they pointed, he found himself surely to go. Was Ozai still bound to encounter waves?

… It would seem so.

He wouldn’t so much as peep: a timid, jittery captain with no growth permitted of his facial hair than what was painfully humble. Or perhaps it got in the way of his instrument - was it a jaunty pipa? A carved flute, perfectly hollowed? The erhu, once the sole sound of his wife?

Ozai floundered to begin a conversation that didn’t end before he could grow a smile. And it happened quite quickly! Still! “I find myself curious…”

The gifted, devout soldier of a respectable rank - his children’s hand-picked selection - had not taken to him like he had him. At least, he assumed.

Ozai didn’t enjoy making assumptions - not of a man’s worth. Some he would never get to know in their bravest hour; from that roused the rest of his sentence, “… to know what you think of the state of the world.”

“For- I, what?”

“As Firelord, I court many things.” He coaxed him from the shadows, moved from pillar to pillar that entwined the gardens. “The content of my people is… the result. I only influence it, and I barely can during war, can I? Families are splintered, loved ones lost… it’s a cost I can never repay. Not with a thousand years of prosperity… But I listen to their stories.”

After a tense silence that would cue a tight-lipped reply - the Firelord’s only reward for gentler inquiries - Zhao spoke, and this time, for as long as he dared:

“… Ocean.”

Ocean? The Firelord was about to turn in his hand at untangling the enigma trailing his lofty steps - what was it Azula said, that he enjoyed theater? What had Zuko prized about him… that he hid a host of gnarly battles in a crimson ledger? Then Zhao breathed out,

“I chose… a naval career. Because the waves always roll toward home. Of course, it’s concerning - since Chieftess Yue used the spirits against their will, at the cost of her tribe’s safety… The waves have risen higher, moved faster to Fire Nation shores. She may use the ocean and moon to tear us down.”

“But, if my men drown, I can hope - the bodies… they wash up where…”

Ozai sensed, rather than heard, the knot in his words, and dove to console him. “Then I pray Agni should watch over their safe return.”

He nodded, turning away.

“My wife would… take us to the waterfront, set lights and lotus flowers adrift to float down the canals.” He paused, leaned his weight against one pillar. Zhao jerked to a stop, heels meeting with a click.

“They went past grieving houses, some bereft of sons, as a sign of our deepest respect. The city grew to see them as… a brightly lit path for spirits to follow in the afterlife. We carried on the tradition after she - left.”

“My con-” Zhao began, then stuttered.

“Oh.” A shiver crawled into his tone. “Is that why… My lover, he kept a small book, made paper animals from the pages. He set them on the water for our friends. My hands weren’t for folding. I only played the song.”

“And I only played the song, when he…” His voice watered. “I couldn’t fold any paper. Couldn’t sing - couldn’t breathe. Just the erhu. No faith protects the dying… only swallows the living.” Lu… Lu… Lu.

It blossomed in Ozai, spread like wildfire through the recesses he’d barred after Ursa’s loss - a weighing darkness bursting with light. A voice crying it’s him, it’s him, your children found a jewel. And at all costs, he would protect the faith he had left.

“Seems we are no strangers to grief.” He reached for the underside of his palm, the way Ursa would when his beloveds were small - stroking the beating vein until it stilled, and the kids slipped back into sleep. How many weeks had they walked like this? Wasn’t it time to tell him - blessed enough, to taste him?

Zhao ripped out of his grasp with a start, nearly tumbling over the stone railing into a bush of pale flowers. Nearly.

He whirled on him and shrieked, “What is this for? Is it some arrangement? A charade, a test of faith? You think you can invite believers for the amusement of - of burning in your shade?”

“Wh-”

“If there’s something I should atone for - i-if there’s someplace I should voyage with the knowledge that I won’t return… If you’re waiting for me to - to - throw myself at your feet or offer up the blood in my body as tribute, a god needs only speak.” The flurry of words even the Firelord, trained socialite, couldn’t string together ended on a hiss.

Ozai fumbled. “This isn’t - no, no - I’m only a man looking to make his children happy, and what they want is a happier father.” He sought to yield or compromise in an affair, and admitted his flaws when they were complicit. I’m only a man.

His smile was soft, real. And yet.

“You are Agni incarnate.” The noise in Zhao’s throat was a bow raking over untuned string, and I am nothing, I am nothing. “If I have duty here, I will finish it. Otherwise… mercy. Mercy. Please.”

Lack of faith hadn’t ground him into silence. It was pious zeal. Clinging desperately while living stagnant; the thought of letting belief go was more terrifying than it failing. He revered spirits that would never return the favor. Ozai thought of his daughter, throwing herself into the first pair of open arms, indifferent to reason - fear is for fools. Trust is reliable.

He was on his knees - hands too unsteady to fold paper into cranes but perfectly balanced for compositions to take flight, hands calloused from war and clutched in prayer - wanting mercy.

Living to see another day, and knowing nothing more of being spared than a terrifying way to be loved.

Ozai felt the spark in himself simmer to a boil, and even behind closed lids it read, your faith will protect him.

Better than any god could.

Wasn’t that the prerogative of kings?

He knelt by the shivering body, elbows tucked to pull him in with his palms. Their heads touched, royal silk gathered against the gritty, unswept courtyard stone… but that didn’t matter.

“Too many soldiers made of this war… too many lives lost.” He didn’t consider himself soothing by any means, not as Ursa was; Zhao stilled, if slowly. “I should be the one devoted to you.”

Taste could wait, yet his conviction was overwhelming. Ozai pressed his lips to the side of his hair, and stayed; my, was he prepared to stay. “Give me the chance.”

[depressedacadamia]

I couldn’t tell!

Word count: 2.1K

Summary: Solangelo one-shot! It started when a Will bought Nico the wrong coloured clothes.

Warnings: Nothing much, just some kissing at the end and solangelo being dorks.

A/N: okay, so this picture does not make sense now but once you finish reading this, it will. This was based off of this post so thanks for @didnt-want-to-be-a-halfblood for the inspiration. I meant to say that Will has tritanomaly not tritanopia- tritanomaly is a kind of blue/yellow colour blindness. I hope yall enjoy and make sure you comment, like, reblog and all that jazz. <3 from moi!

“Uh, Will- I asked for navy, not… camo green?” Nico raised the t-shirt in front of him, his nose wrinkled as if the colour offended him in any way. Now that Nico thought about it, most of the clothes in the shopping bag were a similar colour, looking as if Will was trying to send him off to the army.

“What are you talking about?” Will whipped his head towards Nico, his blond hair following him. Nico pointed to the vast sea of green covering his bed- almost all the clothes were green and there were even some yellow ones in there.

“The clothes, they’re all the wrong colour?” Nico repeated. Cabin 13, for once, was brightly lit, so Nico could prove his point that his clothes were the wrong colour. Camo green jackets, yellow bracelets and nail polishes and only a few navy t-shirts.

“You asked me for some navy stuff,” Will spoke slowly before picking the camo green jacket. “This is navy, just like you asked.”

Nico couldn’t tell if he was meant to laugh or scoff at the statement. Was this a prank? Surely Travis and Conner were right around the corner with a camera filming the entire thing. Perhaps Will was working alone and this was supposed to be some initiation for his birthday- after all, it was right around the corner.

“Will, everything here is green…” Nico picked up the yellow bracelet. “And this is yellow.”

Will’s face bore true and utter confusion. The jacket was navy, just like Nico wanted. He had bought the red bracelet and nail polish for Nico because he thought he could do with some colour and since he refused to wear any clothing of colour, he thought perhaps some red nails would give him a fun look. Will couldn’t see Nico’s problem- it wasn’t like he had bought neon green eyeliner.

“No. It’s not. That’s red,” Will said, his voice on the verge of confusion.

“This is yellow,” Nico’s voice wobbled, also on the verge of laughter. He shook the bracelet in Will’s face. “Will, you dork, stop it with the jokes. It’s yellow.”

Will frowned, his eyebrows creasing and eyes quinting hard at the object. He looked at the clothes strewn across Nico’s bed. What was Nico talking about?

“Nico, I’m not joking- are you sure your lack of sleep hasn’t finally caught up to you?”

“Are you insinuating that my lack of sleep will one day catch up to me?”

“I’m insinuating that your lack of sleep may have altered the way you see things.”

“Are you calling me blind?” Nico’s voice echoed with mock outrage.

“I’m calling you colour blind,” Will pointed to the masses of clothes, accessories and makeup across Nico’s room. Nico raised his eyebrow at the statement. His room was quite monotonous- black covering almost every inch of the walls- the only streams of colour peeking through being the white duvet sheets, the mirror hanging on his wall and Will’s terrible fashion sense. Will may have been cute but boy did he not know how to dress. From his bright orange Camp Half Blood t-shirt to his green zip up hoodie he was wearing. But Nico didn’t care- Nico thought Will looked cute in his clothes.

On the Night of Halloween.

“Will, where is the hair dye you were talking about?” Piper yelled as she went through his belongings, trying to find the box of platinum blond hair dye that Will had been telling her about earlier. He was planning on being Draco Malfoy, because Nico told he couldn’t pull it off, besides- Will had always appreciated snakes; something about the elegant way snakes would move always captured his eye.

“Uh, it should be in the shopping bag!” He called out as he scrambled about to check the time. Piper shoved her hand in the bag, rummaging around until her fingers glided across a box like shape. She pulled it out and immediately frowned at the box.

“Uh.. Will, this is strawberry blonde?” Piper asked questiongly as she looked at the colour of the hair dye label.

“What! No, no, I could have sworn I got platinum blond, I even looked at the little box which shows the hair colour!” Will began to panic as he turned towards Piper.

“Sorry Will, but this is definitely strawberry blonde. Kinda looks red-ish to me.”

Will reached his hand out to Piper, indicating he wanted to check the box. Shrugging her shoulders, Piper handed it over. Surely, Piper was joking? This would be some funny and long elaborate prank that she was playing on him. As he looked at the colour of the label, he sighed in relief- he was right; he had gotten platinum blond.

“Ha ha Piper, very funny,” Will’s sarcastic drawl took her by surprise and just as she was going to point out that she wasn’t joking, the door clicked open and Nico walked in.

“Where have you two been all day?” Nico asked, his voice suspicious- he was not about to dress up for halloween.

“Preparing.” Will stated bluntly. He took a look at Nico’s confused face before adding. “For the Halloween party.”

Nico groaned and threw his head back. “Of course you were, dorks.”

“Says you,” Will muttered as he started unboxing the hair dye in his hands.

“You’re dying your hair?” Nico said, his voice shocked and slightly bewildered. Will knew how much Nico loved his hair. Nico always compared his blond curls to the sun. How whenever Will would glow, Nico would enjoy basking in the warmth his curls provided as well as his golden skin; the freckles on his skin would stand out and make Nico want to kiss his face even more.

“It’s only temporary and it’s just platinum blond.” Will shrugged as he eyed the contents.

“Will, you’re going to look like Octavian if you dye your hair platinum blond,” Nico complained slightly. Piper nodded with her eyes slightly widening. Will stopped, confused and turned around.

“What do you mean I will look like Octavian if I dye my hair platinum? Octavian had red hair,” Will said incredulously as if it were the most obvious thing ever. Piper and Nico froze, their eyes almost bulging out of their heads as they struggled to contain their laughter. While Nico and Piper obviously respected the dead (Well Nico didn’t always respect them but he fed them happy meals and that's what truly mattered), the idea of Octavian sporting red hair was enough to make them crack up.

“What?” Will asked, his voice innocent and his nose scrunching up.

“Octavian had blond hair- Like Jason’s blond hair!” Piper cried.

“No. Octavian’s hair was red. Jason’s hair is red!”

“Will, what colour do you think your hair is?” Nico asked, his face suddenly very serious.

Will struggled on that question. “Uh.. it’s strawberry. It’s strawberry blonde, kinda ginger sometimes, right?”

Nico lost his composure and fell back, laughing so hard, he could have sworn his ribs were breaking. Will was colour blind and he had no idea as well!

“Sunshine, have you ever considered that you’re colour blind?

“Nico what are you on about?”

“Remember when you bought me green clothes instead of navy? And you said you bought me red nail polish but it was actually yellow?” Nico recalled, his hands resting on his hips, making contact with the sword that was practically glued to his side.

Will did indeed remember these circumstances as it wasn’t the first time someone had called out his lack of knowledge when it came to colours. He had always suspected something to be up with his sight but he would forget to book an appointment and other times, he just was not bothered enough. He had never thought his colour issue had been a big problem.

“I guess that’s happened more than once… anyway, I don’t see why you’re complaining. You’re wearing the bracelet and nail polish right now!” Will argued.

Nico snatched his hands away from view. “Those are not for your eyes, Piper,” he snapped as she turned her eyes to Nico’s hands where the sunflower yellow nail polish along with the yellow bracelet (that indeed had sunflower and sun beads on it) resided.

After plenty of arguing, trick or treating and continuous laughing at the fact that Will thought his hair was red (Nico refused to get over it as he believed Will’s blond hair to be his most prominent feature and the very idea of it being red was ridiculous to him), Will and Nico were resting in Cabin 13, where several candy wrappers were strewn across the room.

Will was sitting on Nico’s bed while Nico sat on the floor below him, in between the gap in his legs. Will was leaning over Nico’s shoulder as he showed him more mythomagic cards. Out of nowhere, Nico reached his arm up, weaved his fingers into Will’s golden locks and pulled. Hard.

“Ouch, jee- no need to pull so hard,” Will tutted as he started to glow. The tug on his head started out as a little joke- Nico had once called Will his personal night light and Will, in return, had said that Nico could tug on his head and he would turn on like a lamp. Will never thought that Nico would actually take him seriously.

Will’s skin was gorgeous, warm and glowy. He remembered once when Will had asked him ‘Why does everyone want to be compared to the sun? People should compare others to the moon because all I do is squint at the sun angrily’ .

At the time, Nico had found it funny- considering Will was a child of Apollo. But as time grew, Nico kept on thinking about the statement and he decided that the beauty of the sun sometimes is overwhelming and yet when it is missing, the entire world falls to despair and depression. It glows and basks everyone in their light and when they’re away people complain. That is what Nico would see about Will- why Will was his personal little sun.

“Wait, Will- does that mean when you glow, you think you’re red?” Nico asked all of a sudden, the intonation in his voice raising like a child.

Will groaned and nodded, embarrassed and annoyed.

“I’m sorry, okay! I couldn’t tell!”

Nico turned his face so he could see Will and sat up on his knees so their heads were at the same level. His lips were so close that his breath tickled Will’s lips and he could practically smell the caramel on his breath. Their lips closed together softly and Will sighed into the kiss, one of his hands moving to cup Nico’s cheek and the other to support his back. He pulled Nico deeper into the kiss, their lips moving passionately against one another. Will’s lips were warm, comforting and tasted like the caramel apple he had eaten earlier. Nico’s hands moved against Will’s face and Nico slowly pulled away from the kiss and started planting small butterfly kisses across Will’s face.

Every freckle, every feature, every inch of skin was blessed under Nico’s soft lips, muttering italian words that Will could only imagine the meaning of. Nico’s touch had no possible words to describe it because Will knew no words in english that could describe the magnitude, beauty and divine power his kisses held. No angel could resist the temptation of sin when Nico was the sinner- his onyx eyes so terrifying and yet so beautiful- he felt like he was looking at shattered glass, glass that had cut oneself over and over again; but the way Nico kissed Will made him believe that even if the glass cut him a thousand times, the way Nico kissed him would heal every wound.

The soft hands that cradled Will’s face now were the hands that had caused the death of too many to name. The fingers that grasped the sword and directed such a powerful force of rage now stroked Will’s face softly, holding him. Nico’s aura of pure terror and fear held a bewitching aura- an alluring aura- completely irresistible and filled with desire. He wore the scent of blood and death as if it were his perfume and his eyes so heavenly and yet so shattered, it made Will wonder how anything good can exist without being broken.

“You know I still love you..” Nico muttered. Somehow during the kiss, Nico had climbed up and was now straddling his boyfriend. Will looked up at him in awe. He had no words. He had nothing to say, he was too stunned by the divinity of Nico. So all he did was nod.

“...Even if you do think your hair is red,” Nico added, his lips curling into a smirk. Will threw his head back and groaned. The rest of the night was filled with the echoes of Nico’s laughter.

[hoeforpoeanddin]

Within Our Bodies

Paring: Poe Dameron x GN! Reader Summary: Poe and you keep secrets from each other. Some sweet, innocent secrets. Count: 1.2k Warnings: fluff, mention of food, non-sexual nudity, mentions of losses AN: my very first fic in English. my very first SW fic. please be kind. happy birthday Oscar Isaac, my daddy

Masterlist

“Poe”

“Hey, gorgeous”

Whenever Poe used a pet name, a shiver ran through your body. You prayed that Poe hadn't noticed. Though even if he did, it was not particularly a horrendous situation for you. It was merely embarrassing. Embarrassing for how your soul and body craved and cherished his affection. How warm he made you feel. How easily he could influence you. He knew you appreciated his gestures reflecting his care for you, but you wanted to hold this small secret from him for now.

“Didn’t see you at lunch.”

“Yeah, I was too busy. Had to help Snap out with his X-Wing.”

He enveloped you with his body. His warmth and steady heartbeats seeped through you slowly. Nuzzling your nose into his neck, you hold onto him. The faint scent of grease, sweat, soap that you two shared and his personal aroma all combined grounded you. You two are together, in each other’s arms. Safe and sound. Despite wishing this moment would last for eternity, you loosened your arms around Poe’s waist.

“Hungry? Want to grab dinner?”

“Yes.”

A light kiss connected the two of you momentarily. Then, grabbing each other’s hands, you head to the cantina. It was crowded, an influx of people moving fluidly within the cramped space. Luckily, you found Rose, Finn and Rey who saw you two and secured seats for you. Sitting down in the chair, you smiled at Rose, who looks particularly exhausted.

“Busy day for you?”

“Yeah, after the last mission, there’s so much to be repaired but we don’t have the resources.”

Rose sighed and Poe and Finn patted softly on her back. Rey shot an empathic smile to her. The last mission, carried by the Blue squadron, was a failure. It was something that was supposed to be an easy assessment mission on a world we suspected to be one of the First Order’s refueling points. It became something else immediately and the Resistance lost a few fighters. Losing someone came with the cause, though you never get used to it. Without a doubt, you might become numb to the losses and pain that came afterwards. Though the numbness can reveal itself as grief all of a sudden and haunt you during the day and night. Poe patted your thigh lightly and you squeezed his hand for a second. It is okay, we have each other, we are still here. You look around and see your friends, some smiling, some mindlessly walking and some concentrated on the food in front of them. We are here.

The conversations flowed, food was consumed and you were all satisfied. You were listening to Rey and Rose talking about a neighbor of their quarters, who has been bothering them with their horrendous singing at night. It was calm, filled with laughter and distracting from the harsh reality we were all facing.

“Baby.”

Poe whispered and you turned your head to him. His eyes were soft and warm, looking directly at you.

“Tired?”

All other three sets of eyes were now on you. It just hits you that your body is slowly sinking into the chair from exhaustion.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, it‘s our time to go. Gotta get my baby to bed and grab BB too.”

He grabbed the trays in front of you and stood up. Rey’s strong hand rubbed your arm and you smiled at her. Your friends are here. The person whom your heart belongs to is here. At least for tonight, you are safe. After Poe’s return, he grabbed your hand and you stood up. Saying goodnight to your friends, you followed him. Cantina is now less crowded. Low hums of people’s voices, cutleries clattering, chairs moving. Mindlessly acknowledging those sounds, your thumb rubbed Poe’s hand.

“Now where’s BB-8.”

“I don’t know, I thought BB was with you or Rey.”

“Ugh why don’t you get ready for bed, I’ll go find BB.”

Once you reach your shared quarter, Poe lightly pushes you towards the fresher.

“But I want you to join me.”

The look on his face. Oh the utter shock that ran through his body.

“Okay. If you insist.”

The signature smug smile of Poe unconsciously made the corners of your lips curl. Opening the door to the fresher, you tugged Poe’s shirt upward. He complied and you placed your hand on his chest, above his heart. The thumping heartbeats. The blood coursing through his body. He is alive. He is safe. You lunged into his body and hugged him tightly.

“Hey. Hey, my star, what’s the matter.”

His bare hands touching your shoulders. His nose pressed into your scalp. His heart syncing with your heart.

“Poe, I...”

“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. I got you.”

Poe’s lips kissed your hairline repeatedly. Wandering your hands all over his back, you inhaled his scent. Does he know how comforting he is to you? Would he ever learn how safe he makes you feel? Is it possible to convey all the emotions and affections you have for him during your lifetime?

“Poe, I have to tell you something.”

You stare into his eyes.“What is it beautiful?”

“I love it when you call me that, or gorgeous, or baby, or sweetheart.”

“Yeah? I’m glad.”

“And Poe, you mean so much to me.”

Titling his head, Poe brings his hand to your cheek. His thumb is lightly caressing your cheekbone and your throat feels tight.

“Do you know how much you mean to me, baby. Do you?”

You pause. Poe’s eyes are now glazing over your face, laced with warmth and softness.You didn’t know. Whenever his name leaves your lips, Poe’s heart would skip a beat. Though you didn’t have to know, Poe kept telling himself. This knowledge shall be kept within the body and mind of Poe. Not that he was scared. In fact, he was more than comfortable to share his affections his heart yielded for you. Truthfully, his hesitation was rooted in the fear of overwhelming you. He never doubted your care, feelings and respect for him, though he did not wish to weigh you down. Caging you, trapping you, or pulling your wings towards the ground. He could not do that to you, to his beautiful beacon of hope. That’s what he has been telling himself.

“Tell me.”

Your eyes. They told him that there’s so much that you want to share with him. How much you care about him. The infinite amount of affections you had for him. Poe squeezes you hardly, making me forget how to breathe.

“We have all night.”

“All night to share.”

Poe loosened his grip and you two lean into each other for a kiss, that’s when you two heard a bang.

“BB!”

Running to the door, Poe welcomed his beloved droid in, who ran to the charger. Patting BB-8’s round head, Poe turned back to you. His bright smile, BB beeping happily, it’s all too much.

“Come here, Poe”

“Oh baby, let’s start with that.”

“With what?”

“When you say my name.”

Giggles filled the fresher. Articles of clothes were discarded. Kisses were shared. For tonight only, you two will dedicate their mind, soul and body to each other. You two could free all the affections that you have been keeping within the bounds of your body and now, you two can start a journey to learn more about each other and how significant you are to the other.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[latinasmoak]

the sweetest life (and the loving is easy when you’re with me)

tumblr version:

rating: mature

tags: no warnings, mutual pining, idiots in love, jealousy, colin my dramatic king, penelope is confused

Chapter Two: Strawberry Crème Brûlée p. 1

For the first time in his life, Colin Bridgerton wasn’t hungry.

Nevermind that he had invited himself over to Eloise’s and Penelope’s flat with the singular intent of sneaking in some sweets made by his favorite homebaker. All of that was swept aside, his gigantic appetite becoming non-existent at the sight displayed in front of him.

The easy upturn of his lips, a smile famous for charming all the women in his life, quickly vanished. The glimmer of mischievousness in his eyes dimmed, the words he had prepared to announce his arrival got caught in his throat; because who the hell was that man towering over Penelope in the kitchen? Why was this stranger whispering so close to her? And why was she giggling? At the sweet sound of her laughter Colin inexplicably felt a mad rush of... frustration. The urge to go and physically separate the two was overwhelming and he almost took another step inside the tiny kitchen when what happened next made his stomach drop.

The prat, after taking a spoonful of whatever it was in front of them, moaned and smiled brightly at Penelope before leaning down for a hug. Worse still, Penelope with her eyes alight with joy, happily reciprocated the embrace and wrapped her arms around him.

Colin couldn’t even begin to understand all the tumultuous feelings inside him at the sight. All he had were questions upon questions running through his mind. Who was he? How long has this been going on? Since when did she bake for someone else?  Colin shook his head as if the simple act would brush away all the unanswered questions cluttering his mind.

When he had decided on his last minute trip to Greece over two months ago, he never imagined he’d be coming home to this. Since his friendship with Penelope deepened, he found that his attention to his phone increased dramatically. What simply started off as links for recipes, became chats where they talked about anything and everything. That's when he knew that Penelope Featherington wasn’t just his family friend. She was his best friend. So why, during all the countless chats they shared while he was away, did she never mention the fact that she was dating?  

As much as he wanted to get to the bottom of all his queries, the thought of walking in and having to witness the apparently happy couple up close, made him physically ill. He just knew he couldn’t act as if all was well. Colin was struggling to come up with reasons as to why this new information didn’t bring him happiness for his friend. If anyone deserved to be in a loving relationship it was Penelope. He knew that. So why did the mere thought of her being in one make his jaw clench?

It was a small comfort that his arrival wasn’t expected. To the entirety of his family he was still in Iceland, he had made the last minute decision to cut his trip two weeks short, and instead of alerting them, Colin had been giddy at the thought of surprising them all. It had been a spur of the moment decision to drop by Eloise and Penelope’s first, before settling in the room set up for him at his mum’s place. Next time however, he’d be sure to give a heads up. He couldn’t bear to go through this again. To come unannounced and heaven forbid, see them in a more compromising position. Just the thought of it felt like someone suckerpunched him in the gut. Colin simply and quietly turned around and walked away.

“Penelope you are a genius!”  

Phillip Crane moaned as the blackberry cream melted on his tongue. He finished his spoonful of the delicious filling the lovely redhead was making before continuing his praise.

“Eloise is going to love this. I can’t even begin to thank you enough for helping me out.”

Though he was never one to initiate grand displays of physical affection, Phillip couldn’t help but reach out and hug Penelope with the utmost gratitude. Her help in his grand plan to convince Eloise that it was time to declare their relationship to their respective families was invaluable. He wanted her to meet his older brother and he wanted to finally get to know the alphabet personally. He knew that without Penelope’s support, his ideas would have never manifested as grandly as they did. That, and she had already agreed to watch his twins overnight while he wooed Eloise on a weekend getaway. If anyone needed proof that Penelope was on her way to sainthood, they only needed to learn that she volunteered to take care of his little hellions. Thank god for angels on earth.

“All you have to do is make sure my best friend is happy,”

Penelope disengages from the hug and takes a step back, making sure to look up into his eyes. The seriousness of her following words could not be ignored. She may be tiny, but the protective love she held for Eloise shrouded Penelope with unmistakable power. She could be a threat if the need arose.  

“Because if she’s miserable, or heaven forbid hurt, I will personally ensure that you will be too.”

Penelope’s voice maintained its sweet inflection, while her blue eyes turned into an icy glare. Phillip gulped before nodding solemnly.

“She’s the most magnificent woman I've ever met. If I'm the fool who makes her miserable, I deserve whatever torment you deem appropriate.”  

The ice in her demeanor melted as Penelope swooned on behalf of her friend. She patted Phillip on the chest in approval before focusing on the various ingredients before her. She had planned to make Eloise’s favorite fruit tarts but with a twist.

“I’m glad we are in agreement! Now back to the sweets. I can recreate this cream for the tarts, all I need is more berries and those edible flowers you were talking about earlier! You will have to be in charge of dinner, I can bake but cooking still eludes me.”

Penelope herself was more than happy to help Phillip in his quest of making his relationship with her best friend public knowledge. He had been smart enough to realize early on in his relationship with Eloise that Penelope’s opinion was of the utmost importance. So he tried to be friendly, even when his stoic demeanor could often be misconstrued as snobbish elitism. Penelope was keen enough to know there had to be something about him that held Eloise’s attention. In the end, they ended up bonding over literature, -though Eloise loved to tease that it was a miracle he read anything outside of his botanical interests- and gardening. Phillip soon began to gift Penelope with the excess fruit and herbs he grew in his own little greenhouse so she could turn them into magical bites of perfection.

Sworn to secrecy, Penelope never hinted or uttered a word of his existence to the other Bridgertons and in the end, the only beings who knew of this relationship were his twins and herself. Penelope was excited for the secret to be out! It was alarming how often she found herself wanting to share the news. She wanted to join in on the inevitable teasing, she was eager to brag about the fact that she knew this secret before any of Bridgertons, and she was ready for someone to complain alongside her about how sickenly sweet they were with one another. She often imagined Colin being quick to tease or annoy Eloise about it... and just like that, Penelope felt her heart ache. As thoughts of Colin were known to do.

She missed him. It was alarming how much she missed him. He's been gone before so she really had no excuse to act as if this were new, but then again, before the eclair incident she had never spent so much uninterrupted time with him. He had spoiled her with his singular attention. They still texted each other almost every day but it wasn’t the same. She had gotten used to his physical presence. The way he towered over her, often helping her get things off the top shelf. The way he would sing her a song as he cleaned the dirty dishes and she would try and harmonize with him as she dried them. She also missed his chaotic energy in her kitchen, even when it could annoy her at times. The way she would need to slap his hands away to prevent him from dipping his finger in the raw batter or when she would have to take away the bag of chocolate chips to ensure there were enough for the cookies she planned to bake. He could never stay still but it was always such fun and there was always a delicious snack at the end of the night as a reward for all their hard work. He might never love her the way she loves him, but she had gotten greedy, soaking up all the moments he freely gave her and now she was going through withdrawals. Oh Colin, how am I ever going to get over you? Do I even want to?  

After ensuring everything was going as planned, and shaking thoughts of Colin out of her mind, Penelope shooed Phillip out. Eloise was soon to return and she didn’t want the surprise to be spoiled. Penelope baking alone is no longer an odd sight, but if Eloise came home to her boyfriend being there unexpectedly, she would stop at nothing to get the whole truth.

A single beep from her phone alerted Penelope to an incoming message. Her heart picked up in pace as her anticipation rose. It's been a few days since she’s heard from Colin. The longest bout of silence since he left two months ago. Penelope took a deep breath before swiping the lockscreen away. Immediately her shoulders drooped, and she tried to temper her disappointment when she noticed that the message was from her baby sister.

Felicity: hey pen, the love of your life came back early!

Felicity: it was a shock to the whole fam, hyacinth even canceled our movie night! something about blue gifts or whatever.

Felicity: anyways, just thought you should know 😇

The initial joy at the news of his early return was quickly marred with the confusion over the total silence on his end. Did she do something to upset him? Or maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. She really needed to stop expecting him to update her on his personal matters as if she was his girlfriend. It wasn’t fair to put those expectations on him, and it wasn’t fair that she kept disappointing herself because of her daydreams.

Penelope ignored her phone, not giving Felicity the satisfaction of adamantly protesting her feelings when they both knew she was not off the mark. Instead she pulled out a recipe she had been eyeing for weeks now. She had been waiting for Colin to come back before attempting to make it. Only she would spice it up and make it with strawberries. She knew that he had a fondness for them and she wanted this treat to be special, to be more than the usual standard.

Strawberry Crème Brûléé

She was tempted to reach out to him and ask him if he wanted to join her while she baked it, but she thought better of it. Surely the trip back home must have been exhausting and whatever energy he did have, must have been depleted after a dinner with his family, a boisterous lot that they were.

Looking over the recipe, Penelope noticed that it called for the creme brulee to chill overnight. She smiled as this offered the perfect solution, tonight she would bake the night away and keep her mind busy, and tomorrow she would invite him over and hope that she was simply imagining any weirdness she felt over the sudden silence. Grinning to herself, Penelope nodded decisively and set out to make a delicious strawberry compote.

-

Colin woke up moody, frustrated and tired.

Sleep evaded him all night; he had been plagued with nightmarish situations, each one of him of losing his best friend, of losing Pen. The more he thought about it, the more it terrified him. Penelope having a boyfriend meant that those late night baking sessions would come to an end, the constant trips to other bakeries would not be as frequent, and while Colin was sure that Penelope wasn’t the type to shun her friends in favor of her relationship, Colin wasn’t sure he could stomach the thought of being around her while she was kissing someone else. When she should be kissing me.

Colin paled as the thought crossed his mind, a thought that should not exist when Penelope was only a friend. Just a friend, friends don’t think about kissing their beautiful friends.  

Although now he couldn’t stop thinking about how plump her lips were, especially after nervously biting them while she waited for his verdict on her sweets. He wondered if they were as soft as they looked? He would have to lean down to reach them but he could already imagine himself holding her closer, pressing himself against her soft plump curves and cupping her face. Lightly biting her bottom lip before using his own tongue to soothe the sting. He wondered if she would simply gasp and let him use that to his advantage, or if she would bite him back, Penelope was unpredictable afterall, he would never know what to expect from her...

Colin groaned as pure lust slammed into him the more he thought about Penelope. He laid back in shock over how quick his mind was, to turn against him like that, but it was like a pandora’s box. Now that it was open, things would never be the same. Colin couldn’t help but look back and notice all the little things about her that made her shine. The way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, and how when she blushed it was obvious for the world to see on her normally milky skin. The way she would be the first to share her food and would always offer encouraging words when needed. Colin thought of her laugh, and how loud and contagious it was, or how her bottom lip would tremble as she tried not to cry when she accidentally burnt or cut herself. All these moments rushed through his head and it killed him that someone else was learning these things about her right this very second.

Yes, her voluptuous figure, tiny stature and dark red curls were attractive on their own, but paired with her intelligent blue eyes, witty humor and overall sweetness, it was no wonder she was taken. It was a miracle it hadn’t happened sooner! How could he have been so blind? If he had never gone on his most recent trip, would he have been able to stop it from happening?

A subtle buzzing on the bedside table alerted him to his incoming messages. He blindly reached out, not even bothering to use any excess energy when all he wanted to do was waste away in bed. It’s what he was good at apparently, wasting time.

His heart began to accelerate when he noticed that it was Penelope.

Pen: a little birdy told me that you are back home.

Pen: welcome back 🥳

Pen: i was going to text you later in the day but I have something exciting to share with you!

Pen: knowing you, you’ve probably already had breakfast by now, or you're about to! come to my place right after! see you soon.

Colin could feel the cold brittle fingers of dread latch on to him. Weighing him down and chilling him to the bone. He had just come to the startling realization that he kind of, sort of liked his friend as more than just a friend and she was going to tell him all about her new relationship. Any fleeting hunger he might have felt was chased away by the churning in his stomach. And even though a large part of him wanted to make up an excuse, any excuse to get out of this sure to be painful encounter, avoiding Penelope Featherington after having spent so much time integrating his life with hers, would be like wishing it never rained in London, absolutely impossible. Taking a deep breath, Colin finally got up out of bed and went about preparing for what he was sure to be, the worst day of his life.

-

As soon as Penelope received a text from Colin, letting her know that he was on his way, Penelope pulled out two of the chilled ramekins from her fridge. She also pulled out the homemade whipped cream she had made last night, a couple of fresh strawberries and the turbinado sugar. She was quick with the knife and sliced up all the strawberries, ridding herself of the green tops and setting the rest aside once finished. She had gone all out and gotten herself a kitchen torch for the sole purpose of making that crunchy top layer that made creme brulees so fun to eat.

She was excited to have Colin try it. She had originally intended to call him over later in the day but then remembered she’d be taking care of the twins. Seeing as she didn’t want to have to explain that, Penelope figured it was best to call him now, she was just glad that he hadn’t made any morning plans already.

When Colin finally walked into her kitchen making use of the spare key, it only took a split-second to realize that something was off with him. Penelope used a kitchen towel to pat her hands dry before walking towards him. She tried to catch his gaze, but it seemed as if he was looking around for someone. Her head tilted slightly in confusion, Penelope wondered who he could possibly be looking for, surely he was aware that on Saturday mornings Eloise had brunch with his mum and sisters?

There was something downtrodden about him and the urge to comfort him came at her so fast, she was unable to resist. She didn’t really want to resist anyways. Opening her arms wide she pulled him into a hug, pleasantly surprised when he returned her embrace with gusto.

“It’s so good to see you! Am I being silly if I admit that I missed you?”

Penelope murmured into his chest. He was so damn tall, she wondered if he even caught what she was saying.

-

“Well I missed you too, so we can just be silly together.”

Colin had meant for that to come out in an upbeat, charming reply, but his body had a mind of its own, and instead he simply squeezed her tighter, he dipped his head close to hers and he softly admitted that she was no more silly than he. In fact he could have gone on to admit that he was more than silly, he was a damn fool for letting her get away, for not realizing that the feelings he had for her were more than just platonic. He wasn’t sure if it was love, but he knew that it could grow to be, it was all a moot point now, he wouldn’t even get the chance. So he held on, he breathed in her sugary sweet scent and wished that he could stay like this forever. Colin didn’t want to let go. How was he supposed to let go? In the end, he didn’t have to force himself to, she had pulled herself away.

-

As much as she would have loved to stay in his arms forever, the knowledge that something was wrong made her want to help him in whatever way she could. The way he clung to her let her know that whatever was ailing him was really serious. And she wanted to enjoy it, she wanted to close her eyes and melt in his embrace. But she felt guilty, deriving pleasure from his pain felt wrong. Knowing that food could at least partially help, Penelope withdrew from the hug and looked up at him, smiling at him softly as she tugged him closer to her counter.

“I made you something! When I found out you were back I just knew I needed to welcome you back home with style.”

“Pen, you didn’t have to do that.”

Colin rubbed the back of his neck, and Penelope wondered if the slight flush on his cheeks was him blushing or if she was just imagining things.

Penelope let go of Colin to make her way to her ramekins. She quickly and with minimal mess, poured two spoonfuls of the brown sugar on the top of the strawberry custard before spreading it around, covering the light pink creme from view.

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,”

She grabbed the kitchen torch and turned it on, giggling at Colin’s alarmed reaction and wary eyes.

“Plus, I really really really  wanted to use this today.”

She directed the open flame on the sugar and giddily watched as the sugar melted and browned, turning itself into the perfect crust to crack. She felt the moment Colin stepped into her bubble, the way he was looking over her shoulder was a move he’d done in the past and she’s proud she no longer jumped or startled when he invaded her space. Her heart still races, but at least her body no longer expresses her shock at him being so close. In fact, Penelope was proud her hand was still steady. No accidental burnings yet. When the first creme brulee was finished she breathed a sigh of relief before swiftly moving to the second, finishing  that one too. Once both were done, she turned off the torch and grabbed the whipped cream, adding a generous spoonful on each, before finishing with the strawberries as a garnish.

“Ta da! A strawberry creme brulee. This is an experimental recipe so please be honest in your feedback. I think you’ll like it. I promise, no artificially flavored strawberries are found in this creme brulee!”

Penelope pushed his dessert closer to him as he had moved himself to the left of her during her explanation. She offered him a spoon and then grabbed hers. She wasn’t going to bite into it just yet, she was dying to see his reaction.

She watched as he cracked the top layer with his spoon, a satisfying snap resounding in the kitchen. He gave her a brief smile before dipping his spoon further in to capture some of the creme. Penelope flushed when she noticed his tongue lick around the spoon, not willing to miss a single bite. She just stood there, a little dazed as he dug in after that initial spoonful. She finally got ahold of herself and beamed at the way he devoured it. She managed to bite into her own and softly moaned when the velvety smooth creme melted on her tongue, the caramelized top adding the perfect crunchy texture to every bite. She had truly outdone herself.

So caught up in her own taste testing, Penelope never realized that Colin had turned stiff at the sound of her moans.  She couldn’t have known that such a little innocent sound had triggered a tsunami of misconceptions and angst. No, she didn’t know anything about the regrets swirling around Colin’s brain at the moment. She did, however, notice that he was leaning heavily on the counter, gripping the edges so tightly his knuckles appeared ghostly white.

“Colin what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick? You look a little pale…”

Penelope set her own dish down and quickly closed the small distance between them. She stood on her tiptoes so she could reach his forehead, he felt a little warm but nothing out of the ordinary. She cupped his face, wanting to get to the bottom of what was wrong.

“Colin look at me, please tell me. What happened? Did my food make you sick? Do you need to lie down?.”

Penelope lets go of his face to reach for his hands, she gently pulls his hands away from the counter, clasping them with her own. She holds them and squeezes softly, quietly letting him know that he can depend on her. She looks up at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something, anything.

-

How could he begin to explain everything that was wrong?

It was a small comfort that he didn’t have to meet her significant other, but just knowing that moments like these, where he can stand over her shoulder and just see her doing something she loves would be an activity she would share with someone else. Someone else would get to hear her make those little moans, someone else would get to make them happen in a different setting. How does he tell her that it's killing something inside him to know that it won’t be him?  How does he begin to explain that he feels this possessive urge to steal her away and never let her out of his sight? He doesn’t even know where to start. He’s not even really sure that he should.

Before he can wave her worries away, before he can reassure her that her food would never make him sick, before he could pretend like he was just feeling off. Something in him takes over and all that comes out is the most important question that will guide him in regards to how he should treat Penelope Featherington.

“Are you happy?” is all that comes out, ragged in its intensity. Colin’s eyes burning with the need to know exactly how she felt.

Whatever Penelope was expecting, it was obvious from her reaction that this was not it.

“What?!”

Colin closed his eyes briefly, gritting his teeth as he gathered the bravery necessary for this inquisition. He opened them and this time he used her grip on his hands to his advantage, bringing them up to rest against his chest. He wondered if she could feel how fast his heart was beating for her.

“Are you happy? With him?”

|| CHAPTER THREE  ||  || AO3 ||

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Four

Read it on AO3: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Four

When Adrien woke up, everything smelled fresh and clean, like fabric softener and laundry detergent.

He was warm and dry, and the bed, the covers, and his pyjamas were all comfortable and soft.

He’d been holding his cat plushie, Chat Noir the Third, when he’d fallen asleep, and C3 was still tucked under Adrien’s arm, fur fuzzy against Adrien’s skin.

It was comforting. In a way, it reminded him of Plagg and how they would sometimes snuggle.

Adrien rolled over onto his back and hugged C3 closer.

Grief and joy mingled in Adrien’s chest as he stared up at the clean, white ceiling.

The morning sun was pouring in through Adrien’s windows in a cheerful, inviting way that Adrien had never experienced in his old room with his old windows.

He was safe. He had a home—a real home this time.

It had been eleven years since he had last had a true home…since he’d lost his mother and the mansion had become silent, cold, and empty.

But now Adrien was home and safe and wanted.

He buried his face in C3’s fur, remembering what Luka had told him the previous day: Luka had bought C3 for Adrien so that he would remember he was loved.

It had been a long time since Adrien was last loved, and the prospect of getting something like that back was overwhelming.

He set C3 aside so that he wouldn’t get him dirty as he cried.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he was crying, if it were happiness or sadness or stress, but it felt good to get the emotions out.

When he was done, he sat up, cleaned his face with the tissues on the nightstand, and got out of bed, ready to do his best with the second chance he’d been given.

It felt amazing to get dressed in new, clean clothes with the knowledge that he could throw them in the laundry whenever he felt like it at no charge and that he didn’t have to sleep in them or wear them for multiple days at a time.

It was really nice to have a spacious, private bathroom with a door that locked where he didn’t have to worry about the sanitation.

Well…Luka’s bathroom was currently a mess with toothpaste and shaving cream smudges on the counter and mirror and grooming products left spread out all over the place. Used towels were scattered, crumpled on the floor, and the medicine cabinet was left open.

But Adrien wasn’t necessarily worried, unlike he had been when using other bathrooms where he didn’t even want to think about what kind of germs were growing on surfaces.

Once dressed, Adrien went to Luka’s door and listened for signs that his roommate was awake.

The apartment was still, and Adrien didn’t see any light peeking out from underneath the door, so he assumed that Luka was still sleeping and, instead, made his way to the kitchen.

It was a war zone that had been subsequently ravaged by flood, famine, and pestilence.

It was hard to believe that things could go to ruin in as few as six days, but Adrien was seeing the evidence with his own eyes. Luka was the comparatively neat and tidy Couffaine, but The Breakup had obviously laid him very low indeed.

Dishes were piled high in the sink and crusted with days-old food debris, so Adrien rinsed and scrubbed to the best of his ability before loading them all up in the dishwasher.

Hardly anything in the fridge was worth salvaging.

Adrien got out trash bags from under the sink and started checking dates. He sniffed the items that still resembled food and summarily tossed the ones that were more petri dish than pasta.

He cleared off the counters, sorting the refuse from the misplaced possessions and raided the cabinet below the sink for cleaning supplies.

Once the kitchen was spotless, he expanded his efforts to the living room, picking up the dirty clothes, junk food wrappers, and takeaway containers.

He located the mop, broom, and vacuum cleaner in the coat closet and set about sweeping, reasoning that he would vacuum the rug once Luka was awake so that he didn’t disturb him.

With the living room looking presentable, he gathered up the rubbish, dirty clothes, and items needing to be returned to their respective homes, putting each grouping in their own location to be dealt with later. He then moved on to the bathroom.

By the time he was done tidying and scrubbing, it was midmorning, and he was starting to get kind of hungry. When he’d woken up, he’d still been full from the ridiculous amount of food he’d eaten the day before, but after burning so many calories cleaning, his body was getting ready to eat again.

Luka still hadn’t emerged from his room, so Adrien left a note on the blank page of a sketchbook he had found while cleaning to let Luka know that he hadn’t run away. He was just grocery shopping.

He tore another empty page out of the sketchbook so that he could write up a list of the things he needed from the store.

There was a Monoprix just up the street from the apartment, so it took him less than an hour to walk there, shop, and make it back home again.

He picked up a croissant from the bakery section to snack on as he cooked breakfast but noted that it paled in comparison to what he remembered of those from Tom and Sabine’s.

Adrien was beginning to think that Luka was dead as he plated the food. It was almost noon, and Adrien hadn’t heard a peep.

Luka had looked exhausted the previous day, and he’d mentioned not sleeping well since The Breakup, so maybe he was just catching up on sleep, but Adrien had enough experience with depression to know that it was time to step in and drag his flatmate out of bed.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob and discovered it was unlocked.

“Luka, I’m going to be really mad if you’re actually dead,” Adrien grumbled, hesitantly pushing the door open. “Luka?”

Adrien blinked as he got his first glimpse at the inside of Luka’s bedroom.

It was even worse than the rest of the apartment, and that was saying something. Garbage and dirty clothes were strewn everywhere, and the floor was like a minefield of filth.

“Oh, Luka,” Adrien cooed, carefully making his way across the room to the bed. “You’re really hurting, aren’t you?”

Luka snored softly, deaf to Adrien’s sympathy.

“Orpheus.” Adrien kept his voice quiet as he gently shook Luka’s shoulder, not wanting to startle his friend. “Luka? Hey. Wake up.”

Luka drew in a long breath, and his eyes slowly blinked open.

He stared up at Adrien in a daze.

“Angel,” he whispered, reaching out to stroke Adrien’s cheek.

Adrien was torn between enjoying the attention immensely and feeling guilty about it because Luka was obviously still out of it.

“You are not awake,” Adrien chuckled, carefully removing Luka’s palm from his face. “Earth to Luka. Come in, Luka.”

Luka gave a jolt as he blinked and his eyes came into focus. “Oh my gosh. Adrien. Sorry. Hi. What’s wrong? Did you need something?”

“It’s breakfast time. Get up,” Adrien teased, tugging on Luka’s arm lightly.

Luka cursed under his breath. “I am so sorry. Give me just a minute and I’ll go to the grocery store and then make you some breakfast.”

Adrien snorted in laughter. “No need. It is I who have made you breakfast. Come eat before it gets cold.”

Luka blinked at Adrien. “You what?”

“I made omuraisu,” Adrien explained with a pleased smile.

“You what?” Luka repeated, wondering if his ears were failing him.

His Adrien didn’t cook.

“I’m twenty-four,” Adrien enunciated. “I make my own breakfast. Now, get up or I’m seriously climbing in bed with you and pushing you out.”

“…You made breakfast?” Luka echoed in disbelief as he followed Adrien toward the door.

“Yep,” Adrien confirmed with a pop to the p. “I’ve worked in a lot of kitchens these past few years. The chefs taught me some things.”

They stepped out into the living room, and Luka had to do a doubletake. “Faeries came during the night and cleaned the apartment.”

Adrien cracked up. “I mean…it’s not like this is the first time someone’s ever called me a faerie, but…I prefer the term ‘knight in leather armor’.”

Luka gawked at Adrien. “You cleaned the apartment?”

His Adrien wouldn’t know what to do with a broom if his life depended on it…unless he needed to use the broom as a weapon. His Adrien had that covered, but to use a broom for its intended purpose…

Adrien came to a stop in the kitchen, pushing one of the plates of omuraisu towards Luka.

“Surprise,” he announced softly, a sad expression in his eyes that made him look older than Luka had ever remembered. “I’m a functional, responsible adult now too.”

“Yeah,” Luka breathed, looking at Adrien with new eyes. “You went and grew up on me, didn’t you?”

He pulled Adrien into a tight hug, and Adrien squeezed back.

“I had to get it together pretty quickly,” Adrien confessed bitterly. “I cook, clean, do laundry… I even scrub toilets now.”

Luka pulled back, looking mortified. “Please tell me you didn’t clean the bathroom.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Adrien assured.

Luka dropped his forehead to Adrien’s shoulder and let out an animalistic groan. “I am so, so sorry. I swear I was going to clean everything today.”

“I know. I believed you when you kept telling me so last night,” Adrien informed. “It was just that you were completely wiped out, and I saw an opportunity to be helpful.”

Adrien took Luka’s face in his hands and tipped it up to look him in the eye. “This isn’t like before when I’d sneak out and come visit you when I was upset. I may still be a mess, but you’re a wreck too at the moment, and, now, I’m able to help and support you too.”

“Don’t sound so pleased about me being a disaster,” Luka chuckled, horrified and amused all at once.

“I promise I’m not. I’m just glad that I can finally do something for you after all you’ve done for me.” Adrien gave Luka a sincere smile and then stepped back to focus on his food. “Eat your breakfast already.”

Luka sighed, resigning himself to this alternate universe where his Adrien was fully capable of taking care of himself.

“Thank you,” he stressed, digging into the omuraisu. “…Geez, this is good!”

Adrien smirked around his fork. “Told you so.”

“What else can you make?” Luka wondered through a mouthful of rice and egg.

“I specialize in ethnic food,” Adrien preened. “I do desserts passably too, so maybe tomorrow I can make tiramisu and chickpea coconut cashew curry.”

Luka bit his tongue to stop himself from confessing his eternal love to Adrien because it was way too soon after The Breakup to be developing feelings for anyone. Besides, Adrien was vulnerable; Luka would be taking advantage of Adrien’s dependency on him if he made any kind of move.

He never wanted Adrien to feel pressured into anything for fear of winding up back on the street again.

Instead of the declaration of love, Luka smiled gratefully. “I’m really, really glad you came back into my life yesterday.”

Adrien paused, looking taken aback for a moment, his fork pausing halfway to his mouth. “You like curry that much?”

“It’s not just about the curry,” Luka chuckled. “Thank you for all of this.”

“Sure.” Adrien returned the smile with a grin full of pride. “I’m not even done yet. I still have your room to clean.”

“No,” Luka groaned. “I can clean my own room.”

“I’m sure you can, but I’m going to help you,” Adrien informed in a tone that told Luka he would not be backing down. “You can tell me what you don’t want me touching, but I can at least help sort the trash from the dirty clothes from the dishes from the stuff that just needs to be put away.”

“I will consider letting you help,” Luka conceded through gritted teeth.

“Perfect!” Adrien chirped cheerily. “…So, I didn’t start any laundry yet because I wasn’t sure what your preferences were, but this evening after we sort through the stuff in your room, you can tell me how you want your laundry done, and I can work on that while you hide your dirty magazines or whatever.”

Luka rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure that Adrien remembered that Luka was demi and didn’t experience sexual attraction unless he had a strong emotional connection with someone and, therefore, had no need for dirty magazines. They’d talked a lot about sexuality when Adrien was sixteen/seventeen and trying to figure things out. Adrien didn’t have trusted adults to talk to, and Luka was actually really honored that Adrien had come to him.

“I will consider letting you help with laundry,” Luka repeated with a shake of his head.

“Great. So…status update,” Adrien prattled right along, leaning his forearms on the counter as he consumed his omuraisu. “I gathered all the trash and piled it up in bags by the door because I didn’t know what the building’s trash collection procedure was.”

“We can take it down to the dumpster on our way out the door to band practice,” Luka replied.

“Cool.” Adrien nodded, taking in the information. “I also piled all the clothing articles in two heaps over by the couch….” He hesitated, biting his bottom lip. “…Not all of the clothes are yours. I can wash them and fold them up in a trash bag so you don’t have to see them, if you’d like.”

Luka winced. “…I don’t know right now. Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Adrien rushed to assure. “I’ll just go ahead and do that, and then you can deal with them whenever you’re ready.”

“I really hope there wasn’t anything too embarrassing,” Luka groaned.

Adrien grimaced. “You both have impeccable taste in underwear?”

“I want to die,” Luka replied with an ironic smile.

“It seriously wasn’t a big deal,” Adrien stressed. “…Though, I wasn’t able to determine as easily what was yours as far as possessions go, so I just lined them up neatly against the wall out of the way. I hope that was okay? You don’t have to go through them anytime soon. They can just wait until you’re ready.”

Luka reached out and rested a hand on Adrien’s bicep. “Thank you.”

Adrien placed his hand over Luka’s and smiled. “What are friends for?”

“For times like this,” Luka hummed, feeling blessed.

There was a beat, and then Adrien went back to his status update. “I cleaned out the fridge and went shopping for the essentials, but we’ll need to shop again tonight or tomorrow for the rest of the week. Also, I bought a cheap rice cooker. I hope that’s okay. I had a rice cooker up until a few months ago, and I used to cook all kinds of things in it. I can do a lot with a rice cooker.”

Luka grinned, watching Adrien fondly as he animatedly recounted his rice cooker culinary adventures.

Adrien had slipped so easily into Luka’s life, making himself indispensable in less than twenty-four hours. It left Luka wondering what he’d been doing without Adrien for the past four years.

 “Émile!” Josie cried, sprinting across the bar and enveloping Adrien in a fierce hug.

Luka, smiling fondly, stepped around them and went over to get the things he’d left with Jacob the previous day from the bassist. “Glad to know I mean nothing to you, Josie.”

Josie ignored Luka, focusing all of her enthusiasm on Adrien. “Look at you! You clean up nice, Kid! Look at your little baby face! You are the cutest thing. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Josie,” Adrien chuckled, hugging her back with genuine affection.

Luka couldn’t stop grinning because Adrien was adorable. He got attached to people so quickly.

Jacob looked back and forth between Luka and Adrien and quirked an eyebrow quizzically. “You two came together?” he whispered so only Luka would hear.

“He’s actually my roommate now,” Luka confessed, wanting to get this conversation over sooner rather than later.

Jacob’s eyes bugged out. “Dude. You work fast,” he hissed. “You’re already shacked up?”

“No.” Luka winced. “It’s not like that. It’s completely platonic. He just needed a place to stay.”

Jacob nodded, not believing that for a second. “Right.”

“Émile!” Marc greeted, leaving his guitar propped against his keyboard on stage to go give Adrien a hug. “Hey, Kiddo. I did get your text with your phone number. Sorry I didn’t text back. I read it right away, but I was in the middle of burning food, and I completely forgot.”

“No worries,” Adrien assured, returning the hug and absolutely loving it. “So long as you got the message.”

Luka promptly shoved down the little niggling of jealousy that sprouted up at seeing Adrien being affectionate with another guy.

Josie quickly distracted him as she came over and hung off of his shoulder. “You don’t look like crap today.”

“Thank you?” Luka frowned, trying to decide whether to be insulted.

“He said Émile needed a place to stay, so he moved in with him yesterday,” Jacob reported, looking at Josie expectantly.

Josie’s eyes went wide. “Wow. Very opportunist. You get any yet?”

Luka swatted her away. “It’s platonic. I just broke up with The Girl, guys. I am not jumping into anything for a very long time.”

“Are you trying to say that my baby brother isn’t good enough for you to seduce?” Josie snorted, doing a very good job of actually looking offended.

Luka threw his hands up in frustration. “You know, I was having a good day until I had to deal with you two clowns.”

“Émile!” Jacob waved as Adrien and Marc came over to join them. “Sup, Kid?” He opened his arms for a hug which Adrien readily gave.

“Hey, Jacob.” Adrien smiled nervously as he pulled back, reaching up to rub at his neck. “I actually have something I need to tell everyone.”

The band’s expressions suddenly went serious.

“What’s up, Émile?” Josie prompted gently.

Adrien took a deep breath. “That isn’t actually my real name.”

Luka’s eyes widened, and he reached out to rest a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “You sure you’re ready to do this now?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. They’ve shown me nothing but kindness. I don’t want to lie to them.”

“Is your real name ‘Adrien’?” Marc inquired.

Everyone looked to him in surprise.

Adrien blinked. “You knew?”

Josie and Jacob turned to Marc with twin frowns.

“How’d you know that?” Jacob demanded.

Marc shook his head. “I wasn’t sure. I just thought you kind of looked like the billboards I used to see all the time.”

“Billboards?” Josie echoed, arching an eyebrow.

“My name is really Adrien,” Adrien confessed. “Adrien Agreste.”

Jacob blinked. “That…sounds familiar?”

“I used to be a model,” Adrien elaborated. “Especially about ten years ago my face was on everything. You couldn’t get away from the advertisements if you tried…. I’m also known more notoriously as Gabriel Agreste’s son,” Adrien informed, gaze directed intently down at his shoes. “You know. Papillon.”

Jacob promptly pushed Luka out of the way and wrapped his arms around Adrien, announcing, “Just so you all know, this is mine now.”

“I don’t think so,” Josie huffed, coming to join the puppy pile. “I saw him first, but if I get caught when I sneak into jail to assassinate his father, you’d sure as hell better take care of him for me.”

She turned to Adrien (who looked very, very confused).

“You’re adopted,” she declared, her voice just on the right side of calm even as it came out clipped and furious. “There’s no way you’re actually related to that slimewad. He akumatized my little sister when she was being bullied, and there is no way you’re related to him. Besides, like I keep saying, we are officially adopting you now.”

Marc reached out a hand to rest on Adrien’s shoulder. “We’re here for you. Promise.”

“People…don’t usually react like that,” Adrien hiccupped. “They usually want nothing to do with me when they find out who I am.”

“People suck,” Jacob reported. “Obviously, they didn’t put much effort into finding out who you really are because, if they had, they would have discovered that you’re a precious baby who deserves to be loved and protected.”

Adrien turned to Luka with a watery smile. “You pick good people.”

Luka grinned. “I picked you, didn’t I?”

The whole group besides Adrien groaned.

Adrien only smiled.

“…So why ‘Émile Dupain’?” Josie inquired as they slowly pulled away.

“‘Émile’ is actually my second name,” Adrien explained. “I was named after my mom.”

Everyone nodded, making cooing, “that’s so sweet” noises.

“‘Dupain’ I stole from a friend,” he confessed with a blush that made Luka narrow his eyes. “It was the most common surname out of all of my friends, so… Plus, it was like taking a little piece of home with me while I roamed around.”

They all cooed again.

“Wait. Hold up.” Jacob turned and pointed to Luka just as the conversation was about to shift. “He’s not surprised about any of this. Did you tell him already yesterday?”

Adrien bit his lip, smiling guiltily. “I’ve known Luka for about a decade now, actually. I didn’t recognize him yesterday until we were outside on the street, though. He still had blue hair when I last saw him.”

“Man, I dated him when he had the blue hair,” Jacob sighed, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have let him go so easily if I had known the black hair upgrade was coming.”

“Hey,” Luka grumbled. “I looked good with blue hair. It went with my eyes.”

“I actually think the black offsets your eyes better,” Adrien hummed thoughtfully. “The black makes the blue pop. I like it like this.”

Luka’s brain broke. “O-Oh? You think so?”

Marc put a hand over his mouth, holding in a laugh. “He’s never going to dye his hair again.”

Josie opened her mouth to quip, but then she caught the soft, warm, gooey way Luka was looking at Adrien.

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Holy crap! He’s Adrien!”

Adrien gave a start, suddenly very worried. “Uh…yes? I thought…that was okay?”

She waved her arms, shooing away his concerns. “No. The thing with your father is fine. I meant that you’re Adrien. Luka’s Adrien!”

Jacob’s jaw dropped. “He’s The Boy!?”

Adrien looked to Luka for reassurance, quite obviously anxious at something he had no way of understanding.

Luka grimaced and wrapped a comforting arm around Adrien’s shoulders. “Yes,” he said pointedly. “He’s the dear friend I’ve mentioned many times to you.”

Jacob scoffed under his breath at that.

Marc decided to stay out of it.

“I really was worried about you while you were away,” Luka explained to Adrien. “I may have been a little preoccupied.”

Slowly, Adrien began to nod, thinking he understood. “Sorry again for worrying you.”

“He survived,” Marc assured, beckoning Adrien over to the stage. “He was a real mess for a while, though.”

Josie hung back, giving Luka a skeptical look. “You moved in with The Boy a week after breaking up with The Girl?”

Luka shrugged helplessly. “It’s platonic.”

“You make questionable life decisions,” Jacob snorted. “You’re screwed.”

“He’s going to wish he were,” Josie sighed. “Does your sister know that you’ve set yourself up for total emotional annihilation by platonically moving in with The Boy a week after your breakup with The Girl?”

“Adrien isn’t ready to tell people he’s back in Paris yet, so don’t you dare say anything to Juleka,” Luka growled protectively, getting his friends’ attention.

They shared a look and then held their hands up in surrender.

“We’re just worried about you, Dude,” Jacob clarified sympathetically.

Luka sighed, all the hot air coming out of him. “I’m kind of worried about me too,” he confessed.

[winteranc156]

Let The Soft Animal Of Your Body Love What It Loves

Summary: A collection of vignettes about falling in love.

(Also on AO3)

Nothing extraordinary marks the moment.

Kara is trying to stifle laughter, mouth half full, blue eyes shining with happiness.

Lena’s answering smile is automatic and genuine. Her heart is warm and full.

Their eyes lock and Lena’s mind stalls. She has seen Kara’s blue gaze hundreds of times, but on the precipice of realization her mind insists it’s the gaze of someone other than Kara.

Lena’s world narrows.

And then the world slams back into place. Hard, clear, but somehow all wrong. Lena finally sees her. Really sees Kara. It’s in the slant on her smile and the depth of the blue, blue eyes.

Oh.

The smile slips from Lena’s face.

Silence stretches between them.

“Lena,” Kara says softly, “are you okay?” Her brow is creased and she’s worrying her bottom lip. But, she hasn’t stood, hasn’t moved at all. Lena can see her shoulders are hunched and that she is trying to shrink her presence as much as possible.

Lena doesn’t have words for the feeling that spreads through her at the question and the body language. It’s intense and visceral and wholly engulfing; something she hasn’t felt for anyone is a very long time.

But Lena’s heart feels heavy in her chest with the new knowledge of who Kara is. Sudden pressure beats viciously at her temples.

Lena takes a deep breath before opening her eyes to look at Kara again. “Supergirl…”

Kara seems to shrink further into the chair. Her eyes are screwed shut and she’s biting her lip hard enough to risk drawing blood.

“I have to get back to work,” she says, flatly, for lack of anything else to say. Her face is blank, her eyes hard.

-----------------------------------

This is all they are.

All they’ve ever been.

Kara: the last. Standing alone in the vast universe. Facing the future of solitude with head turned and eyes wide open looking at the past. Broken so thoroughly on the inside that love pours out of her like blood out of an open wound.

She tries to talk to Lena for days. She tries as Kara and is rebuffed by meetings and conflicts of schedule. She tries as Supergirl and Lena shuts her balcony doors and draws the shades. She retreats out of respect for Lena and her own dignity. But, the loss punctures her already broken heart and she bleeds love and anguish into her loneliness.

Lena: the orphan. Unbowed but her eyes closed and face covered. Forever repenting over a sin she did not commit. Broken so thoroughly throughout that guilt and shame crawl into every crevice of her being like water entering the lungs of a drowning man.

She hides in her fortress and behind her name. She has been made to look and feel a fool. She rejects Kara both the woman and the hero to lick her deep wounds in solitude. But, the loss punctures her already broken heart and betrayal and suspicion flood into her loneliness.

This is all they are.

All they’ll ever be.

-----------------------------------

“Lena,” Kara is breathless, “plea—”

Lena’s lips stop any further conversation. She doesn’t want to talk. She doesn’t want to feel.

They’ve fallen into this quite by accident. But at least she has some part of Kara back. She doesn’t want the messy conversation and the messier emotions that will come with talking.

This thing they’ve turned into isn’t good but it feels good in the moment.

They never undress. Their clandestine meetings are always done against a convenient surface with pants haphazardly open and skirts bunched up against thighs and waist, with urgent, searching, hungry hands hidden beneath the flowing folds of fabric.

There is no warmth or affection in their touches. Only desperation and urgency. And rabid hunger.

The heat and passion burns and consumes them until they are only incandescent desire.

Afterwards, they can’t look each other in the eyes. Kara stumbles over her words in a rush to find anything to say besides the obvious; Lena retreats into herself and says nothing. They go days without seeing each other, actively avoiding one another. Because they hate what they do to each other. They hate the hunger and thirst. They hate the release and satisfaction.

Though neither will ever admit it, it’s those secret, stolen moments when there is a possibility of more that they are both truly alive.

-----------------------------------

With tears in her eyes, Kara stops them.

“I can’t, Lena.” She pulls Lena’s hand gently out of her pants. “This,” she motions between them, “is killing us. We can’t anymore.”

Lena recoils, her heart throbbing with pain she doesn’t understand. She turns to leave but a soft hand clasps hers.

“Can we try and be friends again?” It’s a plea.

Lena’s heart pounds in her chest and her eyes burn with unshed tears. “How can I trust you?” She doesn’t turn back, but Lena holds on to Kara’s hand tightly.

“Let me earn it back,” Kara’s voice cracks. “Let me prove myself to you.”

It shouldn’t be so easy. Lena shouldn’t let it be so easy. But, she’s tired of the guilt and the shame and the pain. She relents and for the first time in as long as she can remember, she allows hope to seep into the crevices of her broken heart.

-----------------------------------

How did it get this far? Lena thinks absently.

It is different than before. Lena feels different than before. She’s not angry or hurting. She’s feeling a lot but none of it negative.

“It wasn’t supposed to go this far.”

Kara hums but doesn’t say anything coherent.

It had started with innocent touches. A gentle brush of fingers across a heated forehead. A tight hug as a reminder of solidity. A fleeting kiss for comfort.

Innocuous.

Innocent.

The rekindling of their friendship, nothing more.

But somewhere from there to here, something had stopped being so harmless about the touches. Fingers sparked electricity that set skin on fire. Hugs brought an awareness of how bodies fit together. Kisses were explorations with a ravenous hunger fueling their intent.

And, here she is now, willingly pressed against soft cushions. Kara’s weight a solid anchor above her. Kara’s mouth hot against her own. Kara’s hands undressing her, for the first time. Kara’s fingers burning a trail up her thigh.

Here she is pressing against her, opening her mouth, her knees, her being to Kara’s exploration. Here she is writhing under a wet heat that is all consuming, clenching her teeth to keep from moaning the name tattooed on her heart.

It wasn’t supposed to go this far.

But, it is too good to stop. She is too close to something…

-----------------------------------

It’s an obsession.

Lena knows it.

Kara knows it.

But, they can’t help themselves. They are possessed of something that controls their motivation, and in turn their actions. Every opportune moment becomes heated, passionate, thrilling with the press of skin against skin.

They are ravenous and insatiable, each meeting driving the obsession deeper. But, they continue. Because, obsession can be exhausted, overcome, spent when the object of obsession no longer holds the desired quality. And, that’s what they want: to exhaust this hunger one for the other.

Or so, they force themselves to think.

They only acknowledge the obsession. It’s not an addiction.

And, it can’t possibly be love.

-----------------------------------

Lena rubs her chest to chase away the pressure building under her sternum. It isn’t  painful…just…uncomfortable. Overwhelming. A bit like holding her breath too long and her lungs needing to expand to their fullest to take in sufficient air. It makes her lightheaded and it makes her heart stumble over itself.

It’s an odd sensation, though not unfamiliar. Kara seems to elicit it from her as easily as the sun rises in the east. As constant, too.

Warm hands press a square box into Lena’s hands. “Open it.” The command is light. And, the kiss that flutters against her cheek is incentive enough to do Kara’s bidding immediately. But, the second, firmer kiss stuns her into inaction.

And the feeling jammed between her lungs and her heart intensifies. It hurts in the best possible way, like seeing light after a dark night, like tasting water after a long drought, like feeling warmth after a cold winter.

Breath caught between the tightness and warmth of her chest, Lena succumbs to the unsettling—but not entirely unwelcome—sensation.

Happiness.

-----------------------------------

Lena closes her book and looks down. Of course Kara is asleep. It’s a warm autumn day, the picnic they brought with them is all eaten, the colorful plumage of leaves quiet the world beyond the copse of trees where they’re secluded. Kara is comfortable around her. Lena smiles and reaches down to play absently with the blonde hair.

This closeness. This intimacy. It’s effortless with Kara. She can’t remember why she ever thought it would be otherwise. Kara’s warmth and caring would ensure nothing else.

Lena’s heart flutters dangerously with an emotion she’s not sure how to categorize. It’s love, certainly. But a love that aches with longing she doesn’t understand…it’s like a hunger, a thirst, for something she can’t name.

The ambiguity of the emotion should worry her, but she can’t find it within herself to care.

She loves Kara; it makes very little difference if she’s falling in love with her.

-----------------------------------

Kara’s eyes are almost completely closed and her chest is still heaving from exertion.

Lena’s fingertips glide along the thin sheen of perspiration coating soft skin stopping above Kara’s heart. The smell of heat and sex assaults Lena’s senses. It makes her dizzy in a way she can’t quite describe.

Guilt lingers at the edges of her psyche. For not seeing sooner what was being offered her. For hurting them. She can feel the press of it against the pleasure of this moment. But, for the first time since she was a child, she pushes thought of consequences out of her mind. Kara captivates all of her attention because she is the person Lena loves most. And, Lena is famished for her. More is all she can think. It crowds everything else out.

It’s a hunger she can’t sate: the need to touch and be touched. She’s been so starved for it that the realization of the desire leaves her yearning and needy for more. But, she’s not practiced at asking. So, she hopes her need is transmitted across the pads of her fingers and the hitch of her breath and the dilation of her eyes.

“Again.” Kara whispers, hearing what Lena can’t say with words.

And, they possess and are possessed of the other.

-----------------------------------

Kara leans back into Lena.

Lena wraps her arms around her and wonders at the easiness of their intimacy.

Kara smiles her gaze warm and contented and relaxed.

Lena kisses her unexpectedly because she wants to and she can. Kara momentarily freezes, but the smile against her lips encourages her to return the kiss.

The intimacy—the comfort of touch—didn’t come immediately or with ease for them. At times, it still doesn’t.

But, moments like this, where Lena is exuberant and shining from the feeling of her own happiness, are all the more precious for it. The touches and the comfort and the intimacy are effortless in the confines of Lena’s joy.

-----------------------------------

Theirs is an easy intimacy, filled with small touches and warm smiles. It is an odd thing to witness for people who knew them as children. They were both so solitary and disliked being touched when they were young. Kara for fear of hurting anyone; and Lena for fear of anyone hurting her.

But with each other, there is no barrier restricting access. They are wholly together; one flows into the other. So much so that a smile from one is reflected on the other’s face; and a touch is felt against the other’s soft skin.

They are so close that when one closes her eyes the other dreams.

-----------------------------------

It happens at an innocuous moment.

A moment they’ve repeated countless times. A shared lunch in Lena’s office: Lena between meetings, and Kara between interviews.

Nothing extraordinary marks the moment.

Kara is trying to stifle laughter, mouth half full, blue eyes shining with happiness.

Lena’s answering smile is automatic and genuine. She watches as Kara swallows the mouthful of food and washes it down with a gulp of water.

“You’re a bottomless pit,” Lena is equally amused and impressed by Kara’s appetite.

Kara smiles and shrugs. “I skipped breakfast and I’m starving.” She lets out a small laugh, hands fluttering and smoothing out non-existent wrinkles on her pants, before she looks back up.

Their eyes lock and Lena’s mind stalls. She has seen Kara’s blue gaze hundreds of times, but on the precipice of realization her heart stops.

Oh.

“Lena,” Kara says softly, “are you okay?”

Lena sees Kara’s brows crease in worry at what she knows must be the pronounced changes in her heartbeat. Lena recalls every step of their journey to this moment. She remembers every touch and every word and every feeling. And every declaration of love Kara has been making with her words, her affection, and her touches.

Oh.

She walks around her desk and sits in Kara’s lap. Lena knows her smile is wide and happy, she can see it reflected on Kara’s face. She kisses her with all the awe of being in love and knowing it.

“I love you.”

[miss-smrxtiee]

-What is true happiness?-

Day 3- Happinesses

Pairing: Beckett Harrington x f!MC (Ellie)

Book: The Elementalists

Warnings: NSFW? I mean they get a little nakey ( for good measure?) also just fluff 🤗

Summary: Ellie is feeling an empty place in her heart saved for happiness, was it there all along? If so, who or what will make that appear to her?

———————————-

Authors note: Hey everyone! This is my first time participating in a monthly challenge but @julychoiceschallenge seemed way to good to pass up! I’m still pretty insecure about my writing but any feedback would be greatly appreciated!! ox 💖

————————————————————

Ellie sighed, “This is going to be one long semester...” she said while forcing her eyes from her window to the books and papers laid out in front of her. Ellie was an amazing student, but even the best still get stressed out sometimes.

Her classes with both Professor Kontos and Professor Englund has completely changed material and the whole class had piles of assignments to learn it. Ellie groaned and threw her head back on her pillow, her hand resting on her throbbing forehead, thinking how much fun it would be to hang out with her friends right now... but alas, work awaits...

The clock ticks by and Ellie’s thoughts don’t stop floating away, she hasn’t felt the same the past few days. “Everything is perfect, nothings wrong, why can’t I find anything to do that makes me happy, keeps me entertained, and why can’t I just be happy...” her thoughts told her.

Raise and Kane had been defeated, she had amazing friends, an amazing boyfriend, and she was happy around him, but she always thought she had to have something else that made her happy, for example.. a sport or hobby, she likes theif but it doesn’t start back for awhile since the teams taking a break.

She hears a faint, poliet knock at her door. “Come in!” She calls to the person on the other side, the door glides open to reveal her boyfriend, Beckett, on the other side. You knew he had a huge exam today and by the smirk on his face, you knew it went well.

“Helloo beautiful!” Beckett plops down on her bed and showers her with kisses all over her face, she lets out a giggle. “Looks like someone aced and exam.” She said in a teasing tone, Beckett’s smirk grew bigger “I finished first AND did every single extra credit work displayed on the paper!” He sounded ten times more cheery when he talks about his acedemic achievements. She knew his studying made him happy, and she couldn’t help but be envious of his love for knowledge. She was happy for him but her own happiness still felt empty for no reason...

“I thought you’d be in the dining hall with the others, but they said you didn’t show up, is everything ok?” Beckett’s voice was laced with concern, he was very protective and cared so much for her, she loved him and he loved her, everything was great between them.

“All this studying has me questioning my sanity, it’s a bit overwhelming and I decided to skip and eat some snacks I had here.” She said, still annoyed her head wouldn’t stop throbbing. “But my head is killing me..” She rubs her head with her hand and sighs.

Beckett taps his chin thoughtfully “Would you like to take a stroll by the merfolk lake? I heard the merfolk installed lights throughout the water to see the coral in the late evenings.” He asked. Ellie looked out her window at the clear sky with stars decorating it. “That sounds pretty amazing right now.” She says. “Perfect.” Beckett says while extending a hand, Ellie happily takes it as she walks out with Beckett hand in hand.

Their walk was leisurely but they soon reached their destination. What Beckett said was right, the water looked to be glowing. It was late enough on the school night that all the students had retreated to their respective dorms.

Beckett and Ellie find a rock on the edge of the lake and enjoy the tranquility of the area before Ellie breaks the comfortable silence. “Hey Beckett, do you think if you parents hadn’t really pressured you into being really smart, you wouldn’t be as excited about learning as you are now..?” Beckett was slightly taken back from her question, she never brought up his parents, but something seemed to be off and he decided to answer.

“Even before my parents pressured me, I still loved learning, so, yes I think I would still love it... why?” He said with a bit of curiosity in his voice. “Well... I realized I’ve never loved a hobby like how you like learning and I was just wondering what it felt like to really love something you do...”

The silence fell once more and Ellie’s back suddenly straightens up from where she’s sitting... “I have an idea..” she says, a grin spreading against her face. “Take of your shirt.”

Beckett goes white. “I- what. That doesn- wait. Huh?” He stutters over her question some more. “Take off your shirt.” She repeats in a, stern, confident voice. “Ellie! We’re in public! What if we get caught?!” He said. “Relax! I’m doing it too..” she winks and throws off her shirt, shoes, shorts, until she’s left In her under garments.

She slowly lowers herself into the water and lands on the shallow part with her upper body out of the water. She shivers at the temperature of the water and Beckett just stands there, mouth agape, staring at her. “Well? Aren’t you gonna join me?” She teases...

Beckett whips his head around, looking for anyone who might be watching and quickly follows suit. He swims over and raps his arms around her waist and shivers at the chilly water.

They stand there, getting used to the water, and right before Beckett began to speak, Ellie splashes him with a small wave of water and Beckett sputters while she laughs.

“Oh it’s on, Valentine.” He swoops her into his arms and throws her a couple feet away from him and quickly swims away.

“Hey! No fair!” She squeals as she wipes the water droplets left on her face.

The two continue their water fight, splashing, laughing, all until their breaths turn into sharp breaths and they just float in the water, staring at each other. They don’t know who started laughing first but in seconds they fell into giggles and laughter. After a few moments, Ellie paddles over to him and wraps her arms around his neck, his hands instinctively going to her waist. She feels content and realization washes over her, that she doesn’t need something to make her happy, she needs someone, and that someone was right in front of her.

“You make me happy, Beckett.” Now, that’s not a 100% normal thing to say, but for her it’s true. She’s realized she doesn’t need anything, or anyone else for happiness, she has Beckett, and that’s all she’ll ever need to be happy. She doesn’t need a hobby, she needs Beckett. He is her tomorrow, he is hers, and she is his, and as long as they have that, they don’t want anything else.

They shower each other with sweet, kind, happy kisses and get lost in the embrace. “You make me happy to, my princess...” Beckett himself has realized over the years that reading and learning isn’t all there is to life, and she helped him see that, she helped him have happiness and appreciation for life and its adventures. She’s his ray of sunshine and that sunshine is all he’ll need...

After a few more minutes they re-dress and walk back with a hope for a bright, happy, and sunny tomorrow...

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! I’m still new to writing but any support is greatly appreciated

[adora2723]

Supercorp

It was a precarious situation. Lena wondered how she always seems to find herself in the middle of those. Right now, Supergirl was tied to a wall, barely conscious due to the Kryptonite conveniently placed all around her; just the right amount to subdue her yet keep her aware of her surroundings.

Lena had just come to after being knocked unconscious by Eve in her office. She should have seen that coming, she thought to herself. Her head throbbed in sync to the beat of her pulse. She watched her brother pace back and forth in front of a screen, replaying what seemed like every interaction she ever had with Supergirl on a loop. Something wet and warm trickled down her forehead, and when she reached she found her fingers sticky with red, hot blood.

“Ah, finally! You’re awake. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up for 13 minutes Lena. You know it’s rude to keep people waiting, I taught you better than that. Sit up straight! Respect is built on the foundation of propriety and composure. Show your big brother some respect! Then again, it is not entirely your fault is it? Miss Teschmacher may have been a tad bit... overzealous in her execution.”

“What am I doing here Lex?” Lena bit out.

“Yes of course, straight to the point as usual. You see, I told you, Lena, to always mind the company you keep. And sure, I can disregard many things... you sending me to jail: sibling rivalry. Changing the company name: petulant yet expected. But, working together with that alien scum to take me down is a betrayal I wasn’t expecting from you!” Lex’ voice started out as mild taunting but by the end had been consumed by rage. He was living up to his reputation as a mad man; wildly gesticulating, spit flying everywhere. If he had had hair it would be sticking out in all directions. So much for composure.

Of course Lena knew what this was about. She’s known for three weeks, ever since Lex escaped from prison, that he was going to come after her. She wasn’t really worried about herself; she knew their confrontation was inevitable. Neither could live as long as the other survived. If only her life was as magical as these novels. Unlike Harry though, she was all alone. No dependents who would suffer from her proximity, no family to mourn her untimely and cruel death, and no friends who would miss her during random lunch dates or impromptu game nights. Well, one friend. Kara. Kara was her solace in an otherwise dreary existence. Kara who she had come to care for as more than the best friend she pretended to be. Kara who she should have cut ties with as soon as she received the first foreboding letter. The letter, sent anonymously by Lex, that seemingly was just fanmail by a devoted admirer, sweetly relaying his adulation through Ancient Greek song. Turns out she could have avoided a tragedy, but she was Icarus flying too close to the sun, incapable to resist. She will pay the price for this.

“Let her go. Please! It is me you want. Take me!” Supergirl feebly tried to fight off her restraints. Her voice barely audible, rough and scratchy from exhaustion. Lena admired her perseverance. Supergirl’s sense for justice never seemed selfrighteous, a feat her cousin couldn’t quite pull off. Despite their dissent Supergirl didn’t falter in trying to protect her; maybe in a promise to Kara? Wishful thinking.

“There won’t be much of you left to take, Kryptonian! Besides, you have no value to me, no. This is personal. This time I came here to quench my thirst for revenge. You see, most people think we Luthors don’t have emotions. And usually they would be right in their assessment, however limited it might be. Average brains produce average results. But nothing about us Luthors is average. We are eminent, exceptional, extraordinary. And so are our feelings. And you,” he turned his burning eyes to Lena, “hurt mine. It is not just that. It is a matter of respect, isn’t it. How dare you drag our name through the mud-”

“Me?! I wasn’t the one who went on a suicidal mission-”

“How DARE you use MY company, my brain, my knowledge, my tech for the empowerment of those roaches ?!  HOW DARE YOU. Everything you have is because of me. Everything you built, every business deal you closed, every prestigious award you got, the recognition, the applaud, the esteem. EVERYTHING you are, is because of me. Without me you are nothing. I made you who you are and you go against me.” He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply, seemingly gathering his composure. “How dare you betray me like that, sis?” He turned his back to her. Supergirl was stunned speechless, deliriously following Lex’ tirade. Lena used this opportunity to scan her surroundings. They were being held in what looked like some sort of cave. It was dark and moist, and the air smelled of sulfur. Against the confinements of the cavern Lex had constructed his head-quarters. The only exit was a tight tunnel, pitch-black and not very promising to aid them in their escape to daylight, it was also very inconveniently located on the opposite end of where Supergirl was tied up. And Lena was not leaving without her. Their future seemed dismal.

Lex took a deep inhale. “It is vile. What you did to me... I want you to feel it to. Before I kill you, I will see the same betrayal in your eyes and on your dying breath you will realise, that you were alone all along, just like me.” 

“She is not alone! And she will never be like you. Don’t listen to him Lena.” Lex laughed hysterically. “Oh, that’s rich coming from you, Supergirl. See, I realised some while ago that people with feelings tend to be more concerned about their loved ones. Indeed, they care more about those who are near and dear to them, completely disregarding their own self in the act, which turns out to be the grounds of their demise. And, unfortunately for you, Lena, you are as selfless and tempestuous as they come.” Lex paused for seemingly no other reason than dramatic effect. For a guy so aversed to theatrics he had a flair for ostentatious performance.

He side-eyed Supergirl surreptitiously. “Say, how is that reporter friend of yours? Kara Danvers?” Lex smirked mischievously. Supergirl began fidgeting frantically. Lena’s brain whirred to life. She started working through all the ways that this could play out at a highspeed. “What about her?” She chose nonchalance. She knew she had been putting Kara at risk by befriending her, but staying away seemed impossible. If anything happened to the bubbly reporter just because Lena wanted to indulge in a hopeless little crush, Lena would never forgive herself.

It might have even been more than a crush. Lena remembers the night vividly that she realised she was in too deep. They had known each other for a little over a year by then. Eventhough they were colleagues now (well, technically, she was her boss) the acquisition of Catco brought with it a shitload of paperwork, board meetings, and late-night phone calls that had to be dealt with, and Lena was stretched even thinner than usual. They hadn’t seen each other for a month after their reconciliation, and Lena was just happy to spend some quality time with her best friend who finally seemed to be over her ex. When Kara had initially invited her over Lena wanted to decline. Abstaining that long from Kara’s cheeriness had made her revert back to old customs. Lena had resigned herself to go back to being lonely, writing Kara off as a shooting star that briefly flew by to illuminate her firmament for a precious while, too good to last. But Kara had insisted and she couldn’t resist her pull. 

So she had made herself comfortable on Kara’s couch, dressed down in comfy clothes that no one was allowed to see her in except for Kara. She had ordered Chinese food, knowing Lena’s taste by heart, and while Lena was animatedly telling her about her childhood before she was adopted, Kara not so sneakily stole some chicken from her box. There was nothing new about that; Kara was known to be a voracious eater and often snuck some food in from foreign plates. What she did next, however, was unprecedented: she replaced the chicken with a potsticker from her own plate. She had spent enough time with the Danvers sisters to know that Kara sharing food had near-apocalyptic implications. But for her to do it so casually, while keenly and earnestly absorbing every word of Lena’s most treasured tales, that’s what made Lena’s heart simultaneously expand and implode at once. In the warmth of the fairy lights, lounging on the snuggly sofa, Lena lost her heart to riveting eyes and giddy laughter.

Now, she wished she would have closed her eyes and made a wish. Letting the shooting star take its destined course. Now, that star was gonna crash and burn, diminishing all hope in its wake, all because Lena could not stay away. Because Lena was selfish. “Don’t play dumb now, sis, inanity doesn’t suit you. We all know how you feel about that bimbo. Though I have to admit, you always had a keen eye for beauty. Unfortunately, you never bothered to look beyond what’s on the surface. Well, how do they say? ‘Love is blind.’ Isn’t it right, Supergirl?”

If they weren’t in a situation of life and death Lena would have been petrified. She was very careful to never show even an ounce of her overwhelming affection to anybody. Least of all people who she knew were connected to Kara and might tell her about Lena’s deplorable feelings causing Kara to finally abandon her, kindness be damned. Least of all people who had a unyielding sense of rectitude and might believe Kara had a right to know about what Lena was so desperately hiding. Least of all people like Supergirl.

Alas, she had more pressing matters to attend. “Don’t you dare touch her! You hear me, Lex, you go after her and you will regret the day you were born!” Lex’ grin turned from smug to wicked. “Oh, don’t worry little sis, I won’t even come near her. You see, it just happened to be the case that you, dearest Lena, embraced the provenance of your own demise. It just happens that delay is the deadliest form of denial. And you’ve been in denial for so long. We Luthors, we do feel emotions. Just not all of them, no, only the crucial ones. Avarice, pride, rage, and betrayal. Fuelling our power. And once you feel that betrayal, Lena, you will kill for me two birds with one stone. You will drive yourself to death in your quest for revenge and you will take that pathetic Supergirl with you. Feel the rage Lena. Feel the betrayal.”

Lex turned towards the screens mounted on the cave walls just as Supergirl tore free of her restraints in an anguished scream.                    

[astraltickles]

(n.) something lovely discovered by chance

[Trouvaille]

Summary: After reminiscing on childhood antics -  Klaus, Luther, Diego, Allison and Five realise that they don’t know as much about their sister as they thought they did. 

Ticklish!Vanya

Word count: 1917

One could use many different adjectives to describe the Hargreeves family; extraordinary, cunning, powerful, dysfunctional or arguably- ‘one-of-a-kind’. A word that most wouldn't choose however, would be observant. In many aspects of life, but especially when it came to the 7th sibling, Vanya. Being in a famous crime fighting organisation from before they'd hit puberty could be considered rights for justification for her 6 siblings, but the fact remained the same - her brothers and sister could count the number of things they knew about Vanya on one collective, super-powered hand.

Being the only ordinary one in her family, her powers limited to that of playing the violin; she found herself celebrating most of her victories alone. Aside from having most of her milestones in life ignored, such as the name of her first boyfriend, when she first learned how to ride a bike, the time she got accepted into a high-end music school or when she got her first client at her independent business - it bothered Vanya the most that they didn’t know the little things; what was her favourite colour? her favourite song? Where did she go to college? she gave up hope of hearing the correct answer leave her beloved siblings’ lips long ago.

It was an abnormally still evening at the umbrella academy mansion, each sibling silent in their respective rooms, feeding into the awkward and slightly tense atmosphere that seemed to linger within the household no matter the circumstance; the only sound being the soothing tune of Vanya’s Violin. This was until the peace was broken by a familiar ruckus in the living room. Allison, Klaus and Five descended the staircase out of curiosity to find Diego and Luther wrestling over what seemed to be, the television remote?

Allison considered sharing her thoughts on the immature yet unsurprising scenario unfolding before her but chose instead to simply prop herself down on the armchair and observe, smiling internally at the childish tenancies of her siblings. While its not the most peaceful pass-time, anything that wasn't fighting for their lives (or the fate of the universe) was a breath of fresh air. Her siblings did the same, getting comfortable and enjoying the show; adding comedic  commentary when they (Klaus, mostly) deemed necessary. 

This went on for quite some time before Diego executed a game changing tactic - he dug his fingers into Luther's armpits, causing the much Larger man to let out a strained yelp and buckle over before falling completely to the ground. Diego took the opportunity straddle the oh so mighty moon boy and unleash a series of squeak inducing pokes to the belly and chest. 

“Cut it out, 2!” Growled Luther, his dignity hanging by a thread as he’s reduced to a giggling mess by someone barely half his size.  

He swiftly grabbed Diego by the knee and squeezed desperately, effectively making the master of knives gasp and refrain his tickle attack immediately, rolling quickly off of Luther’s large form. They remained frozen, staring at each other with narrow eyes before Allison suggested a truce, and they both backed down and relaxed. 

“Still as ticklish as you were when we were kids, I see” Teased Diego, Remote long forgotten. 

“watch it, Kraken. Don’t think I’ve forgotten your spots” Luther replied, in a threatening yet teasing tone. 

“Okay okay, cut it out you two” Allison intervened, laughing softly.

“We get it, you’re both ticklish wittle soldiers” She cooed, high-fiving Klaus who naturally, cracked up at her playful mockery. 

“I wouldn't test us, chipmunk” Snarled Diego, wiggling his fingers in mid air while Luther recreated the facial expression and high pitched laughter that earned number 3 the nickname chipmunk when they were kids, after being tickled ruthlessly by her brothers. Allison glared at them, while Klaus laughed along at the memory.

“Do NOT make me rumor you, again” She huffed, crossing her arms and turning slightly pink.

“That reminds me” Started Diego, “Does anyone remember the time we tickled Klaus’ feet until he cried and promised to do our homework for a full week?” 

“Or Christmas Eve, when we got Five to beg for mercy after only 3 raspberries and give us his extra pudding?” Luther added, smirking. 

“Glad I wasn't around for much more of that” Five muttered under his breath, focusing on reducing the blush on his youthful features.

“And Ben” Allison smiled, “Poor kid would all but hyperventilate when you’d get his neck” 

Klaus laughed out loud at this, probably at some remark from Ben that only he could hear. 

“Good times” Diego smiled, looking over at Luther who nodded in response. They really were the tickle monsters of the group.

The 5 of them sat in comfortable silence for a couple minutes after that, the air thick with the joyful reminiscence of their childhood. Vanya came down the stars shortly after, assumingly having finished practising for the day, gave her siblings a kind, shy smile and plopped herself down on the couch in front of the television, she picked up the prized television remote and began flipping through the channels. 

It was then that Luther made eye contact with Diego, Five with Allison and Klaus with Ben (Or just stared off into space, it’s hard to tell with number 4). All of them having the same thought. Klaus was the first to move, he went and sat himself on the couch to Vanya’s right; smiling wide. Five did the same, but to her left. Allison, Luther and Diego positioned themselves leaning against the coffee table in front of her, blocking the television from view. Vanya looked around curiously-

“Is..everything okay?” She asked

“Everything is perfectly fine” Five reassured, in a tone that could only mean that he knew 100% what was to come.

“Vanya?” Klaus began

‘..Yes?” Number 7 replied hesitantly, already flushing slightly at the amount of attention that she was currently receiving from her siblings. All eyes on her, this was certainly new.

“Are you ticklish, perhaps?” he propped his elbows on his knees and stroked an imaginary beard, pondering mockingly.

A wave of guilt overcame numbers One through Five at this question, ashamed that it even had to be asked. It was now more than ever that they wished they’d included Vanya in their childhood antics. She however, began to shift her weight from side to side and avoided meeting any of her siblings eyes. 

She was. Extremely so. She had found this out about herself as a young teen, when her boyfriend at the time snuck up behind her and squeezed her sides. She had left that situation with new found knowledge, and him; a bloody nose.

While she had always yearned to be apart of the fun as a kid, watching her siblings ganged up on tormented with tickles was one of the very few times that she didn't mind being left out. 

She stuttered slightly, feeling the the pressure of her siblings (nay, superhuman siblings) surrounding her. 

“uh, not really” She spat out finally, fiddling with her hands in her lap.

“why?” She asked innocently 

Klaus’ smile didn’t falter at her response, knowing that no matter what she said, Vanya was about to receive a whole lot of family love - Hargreeve style.

Five, on the same page as his brother, promptly jabbed a finger into Number 7′s left rib cage (Coincidentally her worst spot) causing her to shriek and jump into Klaus’ awaiting arms. He pulled her onto his lap in a tight hug from behind and whisper/sang into her ear “Liar, Liar pants on fire”.

“Actually, It’s her face that’s on fire, isn’t it Van?” Pointed out Five very matter-of-factly, bringing attention to her blush and causing the rest of her siblings to collectively ‘awww’. Which only worked to intensify the crimson patches forming on her cheeks. 

“Guuyyss” Vanya whined, wondering why she couldn’t stop a smile from creeping up onto her freckled face.

“This is no fair, c’mon lemme go” But she didn’t want to be let go. Her heart was certainly going a hundred miles a minute and she was scared shitless for what she knew was coming but above all that, she felt loved. 

“But Vanya, we have to make up for lost time” Allison pointed out, as Diego approached, showing off his most devious of smirks.

“No no it’s okay! Really it’s fine we don’t have to” She rushed out, preemptively letting out bursts of giggles and halfheartedly trying to escape from Klaus’ grip.

“Oh, But we want to” Diego reassured, before reaching into the gaps left by Klaus’ hugging arms and digging into her ribs.

Vanya tensed every muscle in her body and squealed at first, before dissolving into uncontrollable giggles and letting her head fall back onto Klaus’ shoulder. She shook in her brothers arms, trying to twist and turn away from the tickles - but to no avail. Diego was only poking and prodding at her, very clearly going easy on her to avoid making her overwhelmed, but it was enough to get their ultra ticklish sister squealing (something that they were all very happy to find out). 

“Diego!” She cried out, between giggles. “Stop!”

“Stop? fine - Five, you want a turn?” 

“Do I? Why i’d love to, Diego” Five replied, squeezing Vanya’s left knee as Diego returned to his position next to Luther.

Vanya screeched and kicked her legs while her (younger?) brother administered his tickle attack above and below her knee’s. This seemed to be a good spot on her because one particularly calculated squeeze earned five the most adorable fucking snort any of them had ever heard. Vanya could hear Klaus’ cackling in her ear.

“Fihihive, quite it! I swear to gohohod” She stammered out, kicking wildly yet never escaping his skilled fingers.

It was then that Klaus made the impromptu decision to blow a raspberry on the side of Vanya’s neck - which may have just been the winner.

Her siblings watched in awe as she broke down into silent laughter, her mouth wide open - smiling wider than any of them had ever witnessed. 

Klaus and Five stopped their attack, while Vanya got the chance to catch her breath. 

“You’re all evil!” She breathed out, the grin on her face giving away any undertones suggesting that hadn't enjoyed every moment of it.

“well well well, looks like Vanya is more ticklish than all of us combined” Pointed out Luther, a genuinely loving smile dancing across is usually hard features.

“Our dear sister, who would have known?” Klaus, continued. Morphing his hold on his sister into a more hug-like position 

“We should have” Allison chimed in, softly. 

“Well we do now” Exclaimed Diego

“And whether it’s a good thing or bad thing for you, sis, we’ll definitely have to make up for all that lost time” He smiled sincerely at Vanya, shooting her a playful wink

“Oh that’s not necessary” She replied, with a mock death stare in Diego’s direction

“And if it makes you feel better, you’re without a doubt number 1 on the ticklish sibling scale” Luther declared, earning a symphony of agreements from his siblings.

“And now we know that you snort when you laugh too hard!” Klaus gushed

“And that your smile is one of the most beautiful there is” Countered Allison

“And that our family antics aren’t complete without you in them” Concluded Five

And that’s three more things than they knew yesterday. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a damn good start.

[bsd-bibliophile]

Mark Twain Quotes

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” 

― Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

 “A person that started in to carry a cat home by the tail was getting knowledge that was always going to be useful to him, and warn’t ever going to grow dim or doubtful.”  ― Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

 “There ain’t anything that is so interesting to look at as a place that a book has talked about. – Huck Finn”  ― Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

 “As near as I can make out, geniuses think they know it all, and so they won’t take people’s advice, but always go their own way, which makes everybody forsake them and despise them, and that is perfectly natural. If they was humbler, and listened and tried to learn, it would be better for them.”  ― Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

 “So it shows that for all the brag you hear about knowledge being such a wonderful thing, instink is worth forty of it for real unerringness. Jim says the same.”  ― Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

 “I don’t see any use in finding out things and clogging up my head with them when I mayn’t ever have any occasion to use ‘em.”  ― Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

“Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain

“If books are not good company, where shall I find it?” Mark Twain

“Honesty. The best of all the lost arts.” Mark Twain

“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” Mark Twain

“Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.” Mark Twain

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” Mark Twain

“Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.” Mark Twain

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” Mark Twain

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”  Mark Twain

“But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?” Mark Twain

“I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.” Mark Twain

“Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.”  Mark Twain

“When angry, count four. When very angry, swear.”  Mark Twain

“Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.”  Mark Twain

“Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.”  Mark Twain

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”  Mark Twain

“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”  Mark Twain

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.”  Mark Twain

“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”  Mark Twain

“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Mark Twain

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”  Mark Twain

“Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.”  Mark Twain

“Never argue with stupid people; they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”  Mark Twain

“There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” Mark Twain

“I have a higher and grander standard of principle than George Washington. He could not lie; I can, but I won’t.”  Mark Twain

“Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”  Mark Twain

“Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.” Mark Twain

“It’s easy to make friends, but hard to get rid of them.”  Mark Twain

“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.” Mark Twain

“There is nothing so annoying as having two people talking when you’re busy interrupting.”  Mark Twain

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.”  Mark Twain

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” Mark Twain

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”  Mark Twain

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”  Mark Twain

“Unconsciously we all have a standard by which we measure other men, and if we examine closely we find that this standard is a very simple one, and is this: we admire them, we envy them, for great qualities we ourselves lack. Hero worship consists in just that. Our heroes are men who do things which we recognize, with regret, and sometimes with a secret shame, that we cannot do. We find not much in ourselves to admire, we are always privately wanting to be like somebody else. If everybody was satisfied with himself, there would be no heroes.”  Mark Twain

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” Mark Twain

“Write without pay until somebody offers to pay.” Mark Twain

“Don’t wake up a woman in love. Let her dream, so that she does not weep when she returns to her bitter reality.” Mark Twain

“The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creatures that cannot.”  Mark Twain

“When I am king they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books, for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved.”  Mark Twain

“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”  Mark Twain

“Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.”  Mark Twain

“I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.”  Mark Twain

“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” Mark Twain

“Please take it,” says I, “and don’t ask me nothing—then I won’t have to tell no lies.” (4.15) from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” Chapter 18 from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: 'All right, then, I'll go to hell'—and tore it up.” Chapter 31 from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“The stars were shining, and the leaves rustled in the woods ever so mournful; and I heard an owl, away off, who-whooing about somebody that was dead, and a whippowill and a dog crying about somebody that was going to die; and the wind was trying to whisper something to me, and I couldn’t make out what it was, and so it made the cold shivers run over me.” (1.8) from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“I was pretty tired, and the first thing I knowed I was asleep. When I woke up I didn’t know where I was for a minute. I set up and looked around, a little scared. Then I remembered. The river looked miles and miles across. The moon was so bright I could a counted the drift logs that went a-slipping along, black and still, hundreds of yards out from shore. Everything was dead quiet, and it looked late, and SMELT late. You know what I mean—I don’t know the words to put it in.” (6.22) from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“What’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?”- MARK TWAIN, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is, knows how deep a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our race. He brought death into the world.”- MARK TWAIN, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson

“When we remember that we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.”- MARK TWAIN, Mark Twain’s Notebook

“Classic.” A book which people praise and don’t read. – MARK TWAIN, Following the Equator

 “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – MARK TWAIN, Autobiography

“Who would find out that I am a natural fool if I kept always cool and never let nature come to the surface? Nobody.”- MARK TWAIN, letter to Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Jan. 28, 1870

“Ah, well, I am a great and sublime fool. But then I am God’s fool, and all His works must be contemplated with respect.”- MARK TWAIN, letter to W. D. Howells, 1877

“My mind changes often … People who have no mind can easily be steadfast and firm, but when a man is loaded down to the guards with it, as I am, every heavy sea of foreboding or inclination, maybe of indolence, shifts the cargo.”- MARK TWAIN, letter to James Redpath, Aug. 8, 1871

 “I would rather have my ignorance than another man’s knowledge, because I have got so much more of it.” – MARK TWAIN, letter to William Dean Howells, Feb. 10, 1875

“I am as prompt as a clock, if I only know the day a thing is wanted—otherwise I am a natural procrastinaturalist.”- MARK TWAIN, letter to W. D. Howells, Dec. 8, 1874

“Words are only painted fire; a look is the fire itself.”- MARK TWAIN, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

“The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.”- MARK TWAIN, Following the Equator

 One of the sources I used is pasted below.

https://everydaypowerblog.com/mark-twain-quotes/

Thanks very much for your time Anne. Take care of yourself.

[its-freakinbats]

Across the Multiverse 1/?

[solastia]

Say You Won’t Let Go | 2

Chapters: [1] 

Pairing: Namjoon x Jimin x Seokjin

Word Count: 5,579

Genre & Warnings: Fluff, Angst, and hey, the smut is here!  Nothing really to warn about, unless you’re triggered by sad. 

Jimin walked the familiar worn path from Taehyung’s home, arms laden with food leftover from the previous evening’s celebration. They had plenty of their own meat at home since Namjoon always got a share of everyone’s game, but Jimin had snatched up these berry treats that he loved. He knew his alpha would appreciate having them for breakfast, especially since neither of them can cook very well. 

Jimin purposely caught everyone’s eye as he walked, searching for any signs of rejection by his pack members. He’d woken up that morning expecting his entire world to be different. Instead, it was a beautiful sunny day, his bond felt intact, and everyone still bowed in respect as he passed by. The weaver girls still giggled and waved as he passed, the elders still stopped him to make him listen to their gossip, pups still tried to sneak honey candy from his pockets. 

The only immediate change was that he was terrified to go home. 

He stood in front of the wooden door leading to his dwelling. Does he knock? He shouldn’t have to, right? But what if they were doing something? 

Jimin squared his shoulders and flung open the door, striding inside with his head high. He didn’t smell Namjoon nearby, but he could still detect faint hints of sex and what must be the omega’s caramel scent. His instincts were going insane, wanting nothing more than to cleanse his dwelling of the other omega’s smell, his heart twisting at the knowledge that Namjoon had in fact done his duty. 

The omega himself was still here, apparently in the middle of preparing a meal. He smiled warmly at Jimin when he noticed him and bowed low. 

“You must be Jimin! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pack Omega. I’m Seokjin.” 

“Uh, yes, it’s nice to...” Jimin’s mind came to a screeching halt when he laid eyes on the omega’s neck. There, in all of its fresh glory, was a mating bite on the left side of his neck, right over his scent gland. 

Realistically, Jimin had known to expect it. He had known that Namjoon would have had to mate this person in every sense of the word. Still, it was one thing to have a general idea and another to see the evidence right in front of your face. To know that this person had laid in the nest of furs that Namjoon had collect for Jimin for years, made love with his mate, received a lifelong bond with him. Was probably still filled with him and possibly growing the one thing Jimin couldn’t give his mate at this very moment. 

He tore his eyes from sight and glanced up at the omega, surprised to find him looking at Jimin with a sympathetic gaze. He’d expected the omega to be crowing with pride and eager to rub it in Jimin’s face. Instead, Seokjin’s rich caramel scent was rife with submission and comfort, like he was assuring Jimin that he knew his place and he understood his pain. 

“We didn’t...use your furs, if you’re worried about that. I brought my own. I tried to think of how I would feel in your place, so I made sure to set up my nest in another spot.” Seokjin softly explained. Jimin followed his gaze to a corner of the dwelling that had been left empty for future pups, and sure enough, there was a separate nest of mostly white furs, along with several other piles of belongings that were new. 

“Thank you,” Jimin whispered. “They’re beautiful furs. I’ve never seen so much white.” 

Seokjin smiled gently, seeming to know that Jimin was being far more kind than he felt. 

“My Father’s territory is covered in snow for most of the year. We only get a small reprieve in the middle of summer. Because of that, most of the animals in the area have white coats to blend with the snow. I actually brought some for you as a gift, if you’d like them. I kept them stored away, so they are unscented.” 

“Thank you, that’s very nice of you.” Seokjin was proving to be his worst nightmare. He was beautiful, thoughtful, apparently can cook, and was nice. He was the perfect omega. 

“Um, did Namjoon say where he was going?” He needed to see his mate now. His instincts were going haywire, and he needed reassurance. He could practically hear the scared whimpers of his inner omega. 

Seokjin had returned to cooking and glanced over his shoulder at Jimin’s question, his annoyingly kind smile still intact. 

“I think he said something about a river? I’m not familiar with the area yet.” 

Jimin hummed, knowing exactly where Namjoon had run off to. He nodded politely to Seokjin then left the dwelling to stroll down the familiar path that led to the river.  

***

It was almost unfair that it was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, with barely a cloud in the sky. Birds were singing, and he’d even spotted a few butterflies. It was days like this that would usually prompt Jimin to gather up his friends to help him convince Namjoon and Yoongi to ditch their duties for the day and just play. They’d swim in the river, play tag (minus Yoongi who would only yell commentary), and nap in the sun. 

There would be none of that today, he knew, because as he got close enough to the river to hear the flowing water, he realized the entire area was overwhelmingly drenched with the scent of distressed alpha. 

He followed the trail until he reached the riverbank and froze at the sight before him. There was his strong pack alpha, his mate, his Namjoon, laying on the ground, naked and sobbing. He’d been at it for a while, judging by how hoarse his throat sounded. His normally warm and comforting cinnamon scent was bitter and sharp, hinting at the extent of his turmoil. 

Jimin whined, overwhelmed with the need to help his mate. Namjoon sat up at the sound and wiped his red shot eyes. 

“Jimin? Baby, please, come here. God, please.” Namjoon held his arms open, his gaze pleading and tentative like he was afraid Jimin would reject him. 

Jimin launched himself into his lap, and Namjoon crushed him to his chest. He was still a little wet, having apparently washed in the river. Jimin was glad of that, not wanting to smell Seokjin’s scent all over Namjoon right now. He promptly began scenting Namjoon to help calm him down, but also to make Jimin feel better himself. 

“I’m so sorry, baby. I felt so horrible. I was pretending it was you, even though he didn’t smell the same, and I just gave in to my instincts. I...I knotted him and marked him, he marked me too. It’s done, there’s so going back. I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I love you so much.” Namjoon was sobbing hysterically, clutching Jimin to him like he would run off at any second. Jimin wanted to join him, but he had cried so much the night before, and now he needed to be strong for his mate. 

“It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay. Just breathe.” Jimin cooed and rubbed Namjoon’s back in an attempt to soothe him. 

He leaned his head back and stared at Namjoon’s neck. The bite from Jimin was still there, right over his scent gland on the left side. On his right was a new mark, still red and looking somewhat sore. 

“Besides being sad, do you feel okay?” Jimin asked as he touched the new mark, trying to not let his jealousy and bitterness win over his concern for his mate. 

“I’m...okay, I think. It doesn’t hurt, and it doesn’t feel too strange in my head. I just...I felt so bad, Jimin. I pretended to fall asleep afterward, and I was so tempted to go look for you. I knew you wouldn’t want to be there, but my wolf was so confused and wanted his omega. I think I almost attacked Seokjin before he got aroused and the scent made my instincts take over. I know you probably don’t want details, but I just didn’t want to hide anything from you.” Namjoon sniffled and rubbed his cheeks against Jimin’s neck. 

“I know, love. I know. It’s hard for all of us. I’m...not happy with it either. I spent most of last night crying, but I know it’s something we have to do. We have to do this. We don’t have a choice. There are almost two hundred people in the pack now, and growing every day. That’s two hundred people that would be killed or captured if other packs sensed weakness. I’m the weakness.” Jimin’s voice wavered as he fought off the urge to sob. Namjoon pulled away enough to grab Jimin’s face with pull hands, forcing him to look him in the eye. 

“Hey, no. You are no weakness. We had a problem, and you solved it, sacrificing for the good of the pack. Yoongi may be my official right hand, but everyone is well aware that you are the real power behind me. We all love and trust you, every single person under our care respects you, there is nothing about you that is a weakness.” Namjoon sighs heavily and wipes Jimin’s tears before nuzzling his head into Jimin’s hair. 

“Am I sad that we couldn’t have pups together? Yes, but not because it makes you a weakness or a burden, or whatever other things you’ve been telling yourself. But because it’s always been my dream to build a family with someone as wonderful as you. And we can still have that. Seokjin...it may take some time to figure things out, but he seems decent. The pups might not come from inside you, but you’ll have as much a hand in raising them as anyone. You can teach them to be strong and kind, to be filled with sweetness and laughter. I’ve always been sure that the reason I turned out half as well as I did is that I always had you at my side. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for my children.” 

“Wow, when did my Joonie get so wise and smooth?” Jimin cooed and kissed the side of his neck. Namjoon chuckled and began scenting Jimin, starting from his hair and moving down towards his cheek and finally into his neck. 

“We need to get back soon. I’ve avoided my duties all morning. Just let me do this first.” Namjoon murmured into Jimin’s neck as he nipped at it. 

Jimin purred, pleased by the attention and getting practically drunk off the alpha’s scent. He burrowed himself into Namjoon’s neck, nibbling and licking on the side that bore Jimin’s mark. He’d nearly forgotten about the other one until the faint scent of caramel coming from it reminded him. It was still too new for the smell to have been thoroughly washed away. Jimin couldn’t stop the light growl as he stared. His mind knew that it had to happen, but his heart and omega didn’t. 

“Mine.” Jimin hissed and pushed a startled Namjoon onto the soft grass. The alpha quickly grasped the situation and relaxed, baring his neck for Jimin to scent as he pleased. 

For an alpha to bare their neck to anyone was against their very nature. It was submissive and left them open for an attack. But for Jimin he merely sighed and allowed the omega to drench him in his comforting vanilla scent, only making the lightest of sounds when Jimin would take the time to suck a new mark onto his exposed chest. Jimin could feel his slick dripping down his thighs as he got more and more worked up, and suddenly he needed. 

“Baby?” Jimin whispered as he moved back up to look Namjoon in the eyes. 

“Yeah?” His eyes grew large in worry when he noticed Jimin’s timid expression. 

“I need...I need to fuck you.” 

Namjoon’s concerned gaze quickly changed into a smirk, complete with both of his annoyingly gorgeous dimples on display. 

“Of course. You don’t have to say it. Come here, sweetheart.” Namjoon opened his arms in invitation to cuddle again, but Jimin was quick to shake his head. 

“No. I need to fuck you.” 

“Oh,” Namjoon observed Jimin, surprise evident in his eyes. They’d fooled around with stuff before, obviously. Jimin had eaten him out plenty, and he was familiar with a finger or two. But to completely bend over for an omega? 

“Okay.” 

Jimin’s head shot up from where he’d been staring at Namjoon’s chest as he let the other make a decision. Namjoon was just gazing at him with fondness and love and didn’t seem upset that he’d asked. 

“Yeah? I just - I know it’s barbaric of me, and I sound like a possessive alpha instead of a “proper” omega, but I just...need this.” Jimin rambled. 

“Baby, it’s okay. I get it. You want to remind me who I belong to. I’m an alpha; if anyone understands that feeling, it’s me. I’m still going to do the same to you later, but I want you to do this. Stake your claim, sweetheart. Remind me who my soulmate is.” Namjoon mumbled as he turned over and raised his ass in the air, presenting like an omega, complete with a cocky teasing smile over his shoulder. 

Jimin growled and ripped off his clothes faster than he could ever remember. He collected his own slick in his hand, using it to coat his fingers and Namjoon’s hole. At the first press of Jimin’s little fingers, Namjoon moaned and backed into them a little. This was easy. This was explored territory already. Jimin slid his finger all the way inside before trying for another. He slowly moved them in and out and pet Namjoon’s thighs in comfort, cooing as his alpha’s breathing sped up and his cock hardened until hit his stomach. 

“Such a good alpha. Being such a good boy for your omega.” Jimin softly praised him. Namjoon obviously didn’t mind because he grumbled a curse as he slammed his ass into Jimin’s hand, searching for more. Jimin giggled and pressed a kiss against Namjoon’s hip. 

He knew he couldn’t reach the little bundle of nerves with his fingers so he focused on loosening up Namjoon’s entrance enough that he wouldn’t hurt him. Jimin wasn’t as big as Namjoon was, but his cock was still thick enough that it would hurt a little the first time. When he decided it was safe to continue, he gathered up more of the slick that was falling from him and applied more generously to Namjoon’s hole before he lined himself up. 

“Are you ready?” Jimin asked softly, grabbing hold of one of Namjoon’s cheeks and pressing the tip of his cock against him. 

“Yeah, go ahead sweetheart. I trust you to take care of your alpha.” Namjoon moaned lowly as Jimin gently entered, pausing to let them both get used to the new sensation once Jimin bottomed out. 

“Fuck, I can tell why you like this. It’s so tight and warm. You feel so good wrapped around me, Namjoon.” Jimin observed breathlessly, nibbling on his bottom lip in an effort to keep himself under control. 

“Move, Jimin. I can take it. Fuck me good, baby.” Namjoon wiggled his ass with impatience, chuckling as he peeked over his shoulder to watch Jimin struggle, no doubt remembering how hard it had been to control himself the first time he’d been inside Jimin. 

Jimin nodded and pulled out slowly until just the tip was inside, before taking one deep breath and slamming back in one fell swoop. It felt incredible, and as Jimin began pounding into Namjoon relentlessly, all he could think about was why didn’t they try this earlier? 

Jimin felt powerful and more confident with every slap of his hips against his alpha’s ass, occasionally using more of his own generously flowing slick to make it wetter, loving the lewd sounds echoing around them. Namjoon was being so loud and moaning praises and endearments, egging Jimin into fucking him harder and faster. 

This was his mate. His alpha. He was taking it like a good omega for no one but Jimin. Jimin felt drunk on the power and wanted nothing more than for Seokjin to show up and see just who Namjoon belonged to. 

The thought alone brought Jimin close to the edge, and he leaned over and began nipping at Namjoon’s back since he couldn’t reach his neck from this angle. 

“Mine. Tell me.” Jimin growled, digging his hands into Namjoon’s thigh’s harder the closer he got. 

“Yours! All yours. I love you, Jimin. Love you...oh god...” Namjoon was practically sobbing as he came, digging his nails into the grass below him. 

Jimin was quick to follow, pumping a few more times before releasing inside. With a ragged groan, he slowly pulled out, holding Namjoon’s cheeks open to enjoy the view. He just came inside an alpha. Jimin watched his cum seep from Namjoon’s abused hole and felt like a God. 

With a pleased grin, he maneuvered them both onto their backs and pulled Namjoon close to cuddle, reaching up to place a gentle kiss on his lips. 

“Are you okay? Everything feels alright?” Jimin asked, watching Namjoon’s face for any signs of discomfort. 

Namjoon seemed fine, however, as he glanced down to meet Jimin’s eyes with a dopey smile on his face. 

“Yeah. All good. You were incredible. Uh...feel free to do that whenever you need to.” Namjoon waggled his eyebrows at Jimin, who merely scoffed despite being very happy he did well. 

They stayed quiet for a while, just staring up at the sky and holding each other close.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Jimin said quietly. 

“Me too.” Namjoon tightened his grip on Jimin’s shoulders, holding him snug to his chest. 

Jimin sighed wearily. “We should probably wash up a little and head back.” 

“I would if I could, but I have forgotten everything I’ve ever learned.” Namjoon jokes as he sits up to stretch. “I’ve decided to stay here until I grow into a tree.” 

“Well, we should probably head back long enough to let Yoongi in on that plan. If he finds out we’ve turned into trees without him getting to be a rock, he’ll be pissed.” Jimin giggles and leans over to peck his silly grinning alpha. 

Namjoon just pauses and stares at Jimin, who suddenly feels self-conscious enough to stop laughing. 

“What?”

Namjoon shakes his head. “Nothing. You’re just...you’re so beautiful. Thank you for being mine. I’m never letting you go. I love you.”

Jimin blushes and throws Namjoon’s clothes towards him. “Shut up. I love you too. Let’s go.”

***

“This is delicious!”

Namjoon and Jimin had decided to head back to their dwelling to grab something to eat before going about their day. And, of course, Seokjin had an admittingly pleasant-smelling stew waiting for them. Namjoon couldn’t stop praising it as he shoveled it into his mouth with gusto, acting like Jimin had been starving him for all these years. 

“Hey, slow down before you choke yourself.” Jimin admonished him quietly before finally deciding to try it himself since his stomach didn’t understand his unwillingness to appreciate the meal. 

He wanted to dislike it, but when the first bite hit his tongue, there was no denying that it was perfect. It was probably even better than his own mother’s. It was rich in flavor, chocked full of elk meat, herbs, and veggies. The last time Jimin had tried to make the same dish it had somehow congealed all together, making some sort of meat jelly. 

“I’m glad you two seem to like it. Namjoon’s mother told me last night that it’s a favorite and one of the few dishes he’ll eat with vegetables in it.” Jin beamed proudly before starting on his own bowl. 

The fact that Seokjin was already having conversations like that with Namjoon’s mother just irritated Jimin even more. This was his family. That woman had practically helped raise Jimin, and now she was aiding the enemy. She was probably thrilled that Namjoon would be getting decent meals regularly. 

“By the way, Jimin, I wanted to tell you that’s a beautiful necklace you’re wearing. I believe that is Jasper?” Seokjin asked as he glanced at Jimin with an eager expression. 

Jimin guessed he was just trying to make it less awkward, and for Namjoon’s sake he took the bait. 

“I believe so, yes. Namjoon would know better because he collects them. This was my courting gift.” 

“Well, it’s lovely. Red is a good color for you.” 

“You knew the name - are you interested in stones too? I have a whole collection if you’d like to see.” Namjoon said eagerly, bouncing in his seat as he tends to do once something he’s interested in is brought up. 

“A little. I couldn’t go hunting for them or anything like you, because that would have meant digging through snow and ice, but I do find stones and gems pretty.” Seokjin grinned and propped his chin in his hand. 

“I could show you all the best spots sometime if you’d like. There’s a cave not far from here that has a lot of great stones, and I find loads in the rivers. I found Jimin’s stone in our favorite area of the river. I was just sitting there wondering what to make for him when I spotted the red shimmering in the water. It was like a sign.” Namjoon sighed lovingly and grinned at Jimin, who pet his necklace with a blush. 

“Jimin is a lucky omega,” Seokjin remarks with a chuckle. 

Jimin’s hand clutches his spoon tighter when he notices the shy and uncertain expression on Namjoon’s face as he looks at Seokjin, somehow knowing what was coming next.

“I could...make you one too? I mean, I probably should, right? This...we have the thing...and. I don’t know, I have a whole collection you can pick from, or we could go find one together since you’ve never been able to go hunt for them before? It could be fun I suppose.” Namjoon rambled nervously. 

Seokjin nodded, “I’d like to go hunting for them sometime. It would certainly give me a chance to get to know my new home better, too.” 

“Oh! That’s right, you still don’t know where anything is. Jiminie could probably show you around later if you wanted. You don’t mind, do you baby? I know you have your Pack Omega tasks, and you’ll want to see Jungkook and Yoongi now that they’re back, but could you make the time?” 

Jimin really wanted to say that there was no way, but it was Namjoon asking, and Jimin didn’t like disappointing him. 

“Of course. I’ll come back to fetch you after I finish my rounds. Probably in about four hours?” 

Seokjin nodded, and that annoying gentle smile was back on his face. “That’s perfect. It will give me time to finish unpacking.” 

“Well, now that’s all settled, I have to get to the main lodge. We are expecting the scouts back today. Have a good day, you two. Thank you for the meal, Seokjin, it was delicious.” Namjoon stood up and held out his hand to help Jimin up as well. 

He awkwardly waved at Seokjin before leaning down to kiss Jimin goodbye, whispering be good against his lips. 

“I promise nothing,” Jimin smirked, and Namjoon left the dwelling with a chuckle. 

“Okay, so I’ll be leaving too. Thank you for the food. I’ll be back later.” Jimin rushed out with barely a wave, letting the door slam on Seokjin’s farewell. 

***

“You’re cute when you’re angry.”

Jimin grimaces at Taehyung’s comment and splashes him with a little bit of the yellow dandelion water they were using to dye cloth for Jungkook. Taehyung insisted that yellow was the young alpha’s favorite color. Therefore he needed yellow cloth to make him something. And somehow, Jimin had been roped into helping.  

“I’m not angry. I’m just annoyed, and rightly so. I’m an omega sharing my alpha with another omega. It’s going to make anyone irritated.” Jimin snaps and wrings the cloth, avoiding Taehyung’s eyes. 

“Maybe you’re irritated. But you’re also angry. It’s not good to hold that in, Jiminie. I mean, you’re being petty as hell right now. You were supposed to just show him around, and here it is almost dark and you’re here avoiding him still.” 

“Who made Jimin angry?” 

Jimin jumps a little, startled by the new voice behind them. 

“JUNGKOOKIE!” Taehyung squeals and leaps into Jungkook’s waiting arms, wrapping his long legs around the alpha’s tiny waist. 

Taehyung and Jungkook’s kisses are always loud and last way too long for the public eye, so Jimin loudly clears his throat to remind them where they are. They both untangle themselves and look at Jimin with slightly dazed expressions and disgustingly wet lips. 

“Don’t act like I didn’t catch you and Namjoon in the fields when he came home from that two-month journey a few years ago. Gosh, Jimin, we grow our food there.” Taehyung smirks before answering Jungkook. “That new omega you brought here. Jimin’s angry at him.” 

“I thought he was nice, but I’ll kick his ass if you want me to,” Jungkook responds with a grin. Taehyung coos and curls in tighter against him. 

“Listen to my big, strong alpha. We’ll make such cute babies.” 

“Hell yeah, we will!” Jungkook agreed smugly. 

“You guys are gross, and no, I don’t need an alpha to beat up an omega. Especially not when it looks like the omega would give you a good fight.” Jimin shook his head fondly. “Welcome back though, Kook. We’ve missed you. How was your first journey out of the territory?” 

“It was awesome! I mean, it was being led by Yoongi, so it went slower than I wanted it to because he had to stop every hour, but it was great. So many awesome things to see, and lots of stuff to climb. I brought presents back for everyone. Oh, and we went hunting for a whale! It was huge and their whole pack helped. It was good. A little weird, but good. Pretty sure I almost died, like three times, it was awesome.” 

“Your idea of awesome and mine are completely different, but I’m glad you had fun.” Jimin laughed, standing up and giving the boy a hug. As he pulled away, he caught a whiff of mint coming closer.  

“You seem somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?” Yoongi drawled, smirking as he made his way to the group. 

“Many, many times.” Jimin laughed before forcing Yoongi to accept a hug too, giggling when the beta pretended to groan and go stiff. 

Jimin released him and moved the dye project out of the way so everyone could sit together in front of Taehyung’s family dwelling. Jungkook and Taehyung still had yet to dislodge from each other and were sitting side by side, staring into each other’s eyes in silent conversation. Jimin missed being that free with Namjoon.

 Yoongi settled against a log before clearing his throat meaningfully, staring at Jimin like he could see into his soul. 

“So, how are you holding up?” 

Jimin sigh wearily. He knew that out of everyone, Yoongi would head straight to the issue. 

“I’m...doing okay. It hurts, obviously. Namjoon did his duty, though, and the mating is complete.” 

“And how is Seokjin treating you? He seemed nice enough on the journey back, but he could be different with you, who knows?” 

“No, he’s freaking perfect. He’s nice to me, showed me respect. He’s a good cook. He even made his own separate nest. I’d probably like him very much if he wasn’t having sex with my mate.” 

Yoongi snorted and bumped his shoulder into Jimin’s. “Look, I know you’re doing this for the pack, everyone knows and respects you for it, but don’t forget about yourself. He seemed nice enough, kind of a dork, but not a bad sort. Make sure you tell them what you expect, what you want. I love Namjoon, he’s my best friend, but I don’t know how he’s going to juggle two omegas with his scatterbrain. So demand your time. I know you’re going to have a problem with that, but if you want, I’ll watch out and kick his ass if he’s slacking.” 

Jimin smiled faintly and reached out to squeeze Yoongi’s hand. “Thank you. I don’t know how I’m going to handle this, but I feel better knowing I have you guys to depend on.” 

“Of course, Chim Chim, we’re always here for you.” Taehyung murmured as he finally left Jungkook’s side only to wrap himself completely around Jimin. They giggled together for a minute before Jungkook finally separated them, demanding Taehyung so they could go “for a walk.” 

“You’d think they’d have picked a new code word for that by now. Surely they know we are all aware that means they are going to have sex in the woods.” 

“By now I just assume they want us to know, the kinky bastards.” Yoongi’s glare at their retreating backs was laced with fondness, making Jimin giggle. 

When the two were finally gone, Yoongi turned to Jimin. “You should head home, pup. Namjoon was headed that way a bit ago, and he doesn’t look like he’s been sleeping well.” 

Jimin sighed and nodded, knowing that as usual, Yoongi was right. He stood up and said his goodnights to the beta and headed home. He had to admit, sleeping in his own furs tonight, wrapped up in Namjoon’s embrace, sounded incredible. The exhaustion from not sleeping well himself the past few nights was catching up with him. 

He hummed as he walked and tried to think of a good excuse for not showing Seokjin around. He’ll do it, eventually, he just hadn’t wanted to today. 

Once his home came into view he began smiling, anxious to see his alpha. He put his hand on the door, only to pause when he heard a sound, almost like smacking. His felt his heart speed up and it became hard to breathe as dread pooled in his stomach. He knew he shouldn’t, he knew he didn’t want to see, but he opened the door anyway, slowly so it wouldn’t make a sound. 

His furs were clear so he looked to the left where Seokjin had put his snowy white nest. The omega was naked with his head being pushed into the furs, mewling in pleasure as an equally naked Namjoon was slamming into him from behind, growling roughly. Jimin watched silently, tears running down his face, as Namjoon lost himself in the slick heat of the omega. With a final yell, Namjoon pushed into Seokjin and groaned as he knotted him, holding still as he filled him with cum. He turned them both onto their sides to wait out the knot, licking the mating bite on Seokjin’s neck. 

Jimin slipped out as quietly as he came in and dropped onto the ground, crying into his hands. He’d thought it was hard knowing it happened. It was worse seeing them in action, seeing how much Namjoon enjoyed himself. Jimin didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to go in there with all of that happening. He hoped Taehyung would take him in again tonight. 

A scout was running towards the dwelling, so Jimin forced himself to stand up and wipe his eyes. The beta looked terrified when he finally caught up with him, bending over and trying to catch his breath. 

“Is the Pack Alpha available? I have news.” The scout stuttered between breaths. 

“He’s...not. Tell me. What’s wrong?” 

“We spotted the Pack Alpha of the North Valley wolves coming this way. He had a party of at least forty and they didn’t look friendly. They were in war paint.” 

[onhellandhighwater]

The Different Rules Of Summer

One

‘The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea.’

‘One summer night I fell asleep, hoping the world would be different when I woke.’

‘As far as I was concerned, the sun could have melted the blue right off the sky. Then the sky could be as miserable as I was’

‘Monday, June fifteenth, 1987!’

‘For the music to be over so soon. For the music to be over when it had just begun. That was really sad.’

Two

‘“Fifteen-year-olds don’t qualify as people.”’

‘I hated being volunteered. The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea.’

‘I decided to go swimming at the Memorial Park pool. It was a small idea. But at least the idea was mine.’

Four

‘All on my own. I was in love with that phrase.’

‘Not that I really believed in my mom’s phase theory. It didn’t sound like an explanation - it sounded like an excuse.’

‘It was better to be alone and miserable. It was better to drown.’

‘That’s when I heard his voice, kind of squeaky. “I can teach you how to swim.”’

‘I had a rule that it was better to be bored by yourself than to be bored with someone else.’

‘I kind of liked his voice. He sounded like he had a cold, you know, like he was about to lose his voice.’

‘“What are you allergic to?” “The air,” he said. That made me laugh.’

‘“My name’s Dante,” he said. That made me laugh harder. “Sorry,” I said. “It’s okay. People laugh at my name.” “No, no,” I said. “See, it’s just that my name’s Aristotle.”’

‘We laughed again. We couldn’t stop. I wondered what it was we were laughing about. Was it just our names? Were we laughing because we were relieved? Were we happy? Laughter was another one of life’s mysteries.’

‘“I was ashamed of myself for being ashamed of myself. I didn’t like that.”’

‘I liked the way he said Nice to meet you, Ari. Like he meant it.’

‘Water was something he loved, something he respected. He understood its beauty and its dangers. He talked about swimming as if it were a way of life. He was fifteen years old. Who was this guy?’

‘He was disciplined and tough and knowledgeable and he didn’t pretend to be stupid and ordinary. He was neither of those things.’

‘He was funny and focused and fierce. I mean the guy could be fierce. And there wasn’t anything mean about him. I didn’t understand how you could live in a mean world and not have any of that meanness rub off on you. How could a guy live without some meanness?’

‘Dante became one more mystery in a universe full of mysteries.’

‘I had this idea that Dante read because he liked to read. Me, I read because I didn’t have anything else to do.’

‘We laughed. We always laughed.’

‘Then I got this idea. “Let’s ride the bus and see what’s out there.”’

‘We both fell in love with riding the bus.’

‘That really made me smile. I’d never heard anyone say that about their parents. I mean, no one was crazy about their parents. Except Dante.’

‘We made up stories about the other bus riders.

For all we knew, they were writing stories about us.’

‘Boys. I watched them. Studied them.’

‘But for some reason the whole thing fascinated me, how you could get a heart to start again. I didn’t quite understand the science of it.’

‘Why couldn’t he just talk? How was I supposed to know him when he didn’t let me? I hated that.’

‘I wasn’t wildly popular. How could I be? In order to be wildly popular you had to make people believe that you were fun and interesting. I just wasn’t that much of a con artist.’

‘I was good in a fight. So people left me alone. I was mostly invisible. I think I liked it that way. And then Dante came along.’

Five

‘He seemed like a man who was in love with being alive.’

‘Dante’s father didn’t have any darkness in him. Even his black eyes seemed to be full of light.’

‘I’d heard that phrase, nice to meet you, a thousand times. When Dante had said it to me, he’d sounded real. But when I said it, I felt stupid and unoriginal. I wanted to hide somewhere.’

‘It was a big room with a high ceiling and wood floors and lots of old windows to let in the light. There was stuff everywhere. Clothes spread all over the floor, a pile of old albums, books scattered around, legal pads with stuff written on them, Polaroid photographs, a couple of cameras, a guitar without any strings, sheet music, and a bulletin board cluttered with notes and pictures.’

‘“Inscrutable.” I knew when I went home, I would have to look up the word.’

‘I felt like such a fraud, using that word. Maybe that was the thing about me. I wasn’t a real boy. I was a fraud.’

‘That was interesting - that he had secrets.’

‘Some poems were easier than others. Some were inscrutable. I was thinking that maybe I did know the meaning of that word.’

‘I got to thinking that poems were like people. Some people you got right off the bat. Some people you just didn’t get - and never would get.’

‘Dante’s world had order.’

‘He was so perfect in his newly organized room, the western sun streaming in, his face in the light and the book in his hand as if it was mean to be there, in his hands, and only his hands.’

‘I liked his voice as he read the poem as if he had written it: He’s dead the dog won’t have to sleep on the potatoes anymore to keep them from freezing he’s dead the old bastard-’

‘When Dante read the word “bastard” he smiled. I knew he loved saying it because it was a word he was not allowed to use, a word that was banned. But here in his room, he could read that word and make it his.’

‘I didn’t worry about understanding them. I didn’t care about what they meant. I didn’t care because what mattered is that Dante’s voice felt real. And I felt real.’

‘Until Dante, being with other people was the hardest thing in the world for me. But Dante made talking and living and feeling seem like all those things were perfectly natural. Not in my world, they weren’t.’

‘That afternoon, I learned two new words. “Inscrutable.” And “friend.”’

‘Words were different when they lived inside you.’

Six

‘My dad glanced at my mom. I think they were smiling at each other. Yeah, they were thinking, he’s finally found a friend. I hated that.’

‘He and my mother exchanged glances. My mom and dad did a lot of that. They liked to talk without talking. I made up things about what they said to each other with those looks.’

‘I could almost see his mind working as he thought of a convincing argument. A convincing argument that was true.’

‘See, I didn’t get my dad. I could never guess how he would react to things. Not ever.’

Seven

‘“You are smart, Ari. Very smart. And anyway, being smart isn’t everything. People just make fun of you. My dad says it’s all right if people make fun of you. You know what he said to me? He said, ‘Dante, you’re an intellectual. That’s who you are. Don’t be ashamed of that.’”’

‘I noticed his smile was a little sad. Maybe everyone was a little sad. Maybe so.’

‘“Ari, I’m trying not to be ashamed.”’

‘I knew what it was like to be ashamed. Only, Dante knew why. And I didn’t.’

‘Dante. I really liked him. I really, really liked him.’

Eight

‘And because of that book, I learned something new about my father. He’d studied art before he joined the Marines. That seemed not to fit with the picture I had of my father. But I liked the idea.’

‘So I just collected clues. Watching my father read that book was another clue in my collection. Some day all the clues would come together. And I would solve the mystery of my father.’

Ten

‘Somewhere away from the lights of the city. Light pollution. That’s what Dante called it. Dante seemed to know a great deal about light pollution.’

‘We all wanted to see what Dante was seeing.’

‘When I looked through the telescope, Dante began explaining what I was looking at. I didn’t hear a word. Something happened inside me as I looked out into the vast  universe. Through that telescope the world was closer and larger than I’d ever imagined. And it was all so beautiful and overwhelming and - I don’t know - it made me aware that there was something inside of me that mattered.’

‘As Dante was watching me search the sky through the lens of a telescope, he whispered, “Someday, I’m going to discover all the secrets of the universe.”  That made me smile. “What are you going to do with all those secrets, Dante?” “I’ll know what to do with them,” he said. “Maybe change the world.”                 I believed him.”

‘Dante Quintana was the only human being I’d ever known that could say a thing like that. I knew that he would never grow up and say stupid things like, “a girl is like a tree.”’

‘“Too much light pollution,” he said. “Too much light pollution,” I answered.”’

Eleven

‘One more important fact about Dante: He didn’t like wearing shoes.’

‘I don’t know why but I just started laughing. The truth is that I got to like the war Dante was having with shoes.’

‘“I don’t like them. That’s it. That’s all. There’s no big secret here. I was born not liking them.”’

‘“You know, wearing shoes is an unnatural act. That’s my basic premise.”’

‘Sometimes he talked like a scientist or a philosopher.’

‘He reached over and unlaced my tennis shoes as he talked. “Take off your shoes, Ari. Live a little.”’

‘“Did anybody ever tell you that sometimes you talk like a lunatic who speaks perfect English?”’

‘“No,” Dante said, “the fun is in the game. It’s everywhere.”’

‘“And not only that - what if a car comes along?” “We move out of the way. And besides, we could play in the park.” “The street’s more fun,” I said. “Yeah, the street’s more fun.” We agreed on something.’

‘I looked back at him. I knew I didn’t have a chance. I knew we were going to play the game according to his rules. But the truth is, it mattered to Dante. And to me, it didn’t matter so much.’

‘“You’re the only kid in the entire universe who could come up with a game as an excuse to beat the holy crap out of his tennis shoes.”’

‘I studies Dante’s face as he threw his tennis shoes with all his strength. His father was right. Dante had found a game as an excuse to beat the crap out of his tennis shoes.’

Twelve

‘Dante was staring at his feet. That made me smile.’

‘He had this thing about telling the truth. He was as bad as my dad. Except my dad kept the truth to himself. And Dante believed you had to tell the truth in words. Out loud.Tell someone.’

‘I laughed. I got to thinking that one of my jobs in the world was to laugh at Dante’s jokes. Only Dante didn’t really say things to be funny. He was just being himself.’

‘He looked crazed. Really crazed.’

‘I guess I was just afraid these guys were going to hurt Dante. I just said what I felt I had to say.’

‘Dante looked down at the dead bird. A few minutes ago he’d been mad as hell. Now, he looked like he was going to cry.’

‘We both knew that we were mad for different reasons.’

‘And then he started to cry. I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there and watched him.’

‘He tossed his tennis shoes across the street with all his might and anger. He wiped the tears from his face.’

‘“Were you scared?” he asked. “No.” “I was.” “So?”’

‘“Birds exist to teach us things about the sky.”

‘I wanted to tell him not to cry anymore, tell him that what those boys did to that bird didn’t matter. But I knew it did matter. It mattered to Dante. And, anyway, it didn’t do any good to tell him not to cry because he needed to cry. That’s the way he was.’

‘Dante was crying again. And I felt mean because I didn’t feel like crying. I didn’t really feel anything for the bird. It was a bird. Maybe it didn’t deserve to get shot by some stupid kid whose idea of fun was shooting at things. But it was still just a bird.’

‘I was harder than Dante. I think I’d tried to hide that hardness from him because I’d wanted him to like me. But now he knew. That I was hard. And maybe that was okay. Maybe he could like the fact that I was hard just as I liked the fact that he wasn’t hard.’

‘There was a tear running down his cheek. It seemed like a river in the light of the setting sun.’

‘I wondered what it was like, to be the kind of guy that cried over the death of a bird.’

‘As I walked home I thought about birds and the meaning of their existence. Dante had an answer. I didn’t. I didn’t have any idea as to why birds existed. I’d never even asked myself the question.’

‘Dante’s answer made sense to me. If we studied birds, maybe we could learn to be free. I think that’s what he was saying. I had a philosopher’s name. What was my answer? Why didn’t I have an answer?’

‘And why was it that some guys had tears in them and some had no tears at all? Different boys lived by different rules.’

‘I thought of Dante and wondered about him. And it seemed to me that Dante’s face was a map of the world. A world without any darkness. Wow, a world without any darkness. How beautiful was that?’