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dearophelia · 1 year

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best of sara's fic, according to her

Because I’m feeling some kind of way about my cancer lately and wanted to put together a Sara’s Greatest Fic Hits while I’m still around to do it (which is a morbid thing to type, but see the intro: been feeling some kind of way lately).

These range from my most popular fics, to the ones lost to weird posting hours, and everything in between. If I counted correctly, there are 14 fandoms on this list: from Mass Effect and Dragon Age, to Grey’s Anatomy and Stargate SG-1, to The West Wing and Calvin & Hobbes.

I’d appreciate reblogs on this (I am not ashamed to pull the stage iv cancer card here) so it can reach as many people as possible.

I have been writing fic for over 15 years; this is not a short list.

All are rated T or lower unless otherwise indicated. All stories are at or under the 3k mark unless otherwise indicated.

Stargate SG-1:

waves are universal (the heaven in hiding remix) (Sam/Jack; I’m very Normal about this fic; time travel and alternate realities, a host of OCs (and some familiar faces from Norafic if you look closely), oh and the Sam/Jack kid from the alternate reality! Only she’s an adult and working on a way to save the world! This has it all, folks: humor, romance, angst, action! I told you I’m Normal about it; 40k)

strange is the night where black stars rise (Sam; horror! A low creeping sense of doom! The King in Yellow! No, seriously, fuck that planet; 10k)

#sg1wedding (Sam/Jack; their wedding turned into An Event against their will; bets are going down about who would win in a fight: Bra’tac or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; also Jack loses his socks; twitterfic from 2012 and technology has definitely Marched On, just read it like an unhinged group chat fic)

phoenix (Sam/Daniel/Teal’c, Sam/Jack, Sam/Jack/Daniel/Teal’c; apocalypse (that I consulted a real live geologist on!); rebuilding in the wake of said apocalypse; team family feelings, kids, and some really shitty neighbors; 38k)

Dragon Age:

joy cometh in the morning (Ariadne; rated M; a host of OCs; mind the warnings; friendship; worldbuilding galore; friendships and mentors and first loves; did I mention friendship and worldbuilding?; 56k)

through the rude wind’s wild lament, and the bitter weather (Ari+Cullen; quiet magic, kind magic, good magic is still new to Cullen)

as the sun kissed the horizon (Ari/Josephine; a relationship in ten moments)

‘til we meet again (Ari+Cullen; platonic sleeping together!)

so hold my hand, consign me not to darkness (Ari; her faith is the core of who she is and, for the first time, Andraste isn’t there; post-Trespasser)

raise your fists up to the sky (Kylie/Krem; it’s Krem’s first day with the Chargers and there’s a naked elf in the middle of camp)

every demon wants his pound of flesh (Krem+Bull; Krem was in the Fade with the Inquisitor and the fear demon had some Things To Say To Him)

black dove (Anaya) & strange little girl (Anaya+Dagna) & dissolving clouds (Anaya+Cullen) (because neurodivergent Inquisitor, friendship, blossoming romance, and three very different takes on blood magic)

skeletons (Zahara+Bull; she is saarebas, he is Ben-Hassrath, and language is important)

children shouldn’t play with dead things (Juliette Amell; she’s always had an easier time with the dead than the living; cw for bugs)

a sorta fairytale (Josephine/Cassandra; flower shop & tattoo parlor AU; 8k)

Mass Effect Trilogy:

gonna set your flag on fire (Nora Vakarian, Liv/Garrus, James/Liara, Liv+Liara, Livfam; action! Humor! Angst! Worldbuilding! OCs!; I am Super Normal about this fic too; I promise everything’s okay in the end, promise, even though it isn’t written yet; Nora is an N3 and has an inactive control chip in her head. She and her team are ordered to investigate a Cerberus facility. It goes, shall we say, awry; 40k)

anthem (Liv/Garrus, Hannah/Zaeed, Liv+Liara; eight months is a long time without each other; angst with a happy ending (I promise); post-Destroy; 13k)

holy ground & dress (Liv/Garrus; ficlets from the night he gets sworn in as Councilor)

brightly shone the moon at night (Liv, Liv+Liara, Liv/Garrus, Livfam; five Christmases in Olivia Shepard’s life; 5k)

the pieces of gold, they light up your eyes & now we’re alone, now we’re alive (Liv/Garrus; the evolution of a relationship)

fighting is said to have reached palaven (Liv/Garrus; please, please let him be alive)

and some things you just can’t speak about (Quentus+Nico; the war)

‘cause i know that it’s delicate (Liv/Garrus; pre-wedding!)

nosce te ipsum (Nico; he likes boys and fanfiction and he didn’t think he’d get his little italicized oh moment)

i will write you love letters if you tell me to (Liv/Garrus; Hannah gives him one of Liv’s notebooks before he goes off to Omega; Garrus does the only thing he can think of with it)

i really need you (Liv/Garrus; James POV during the reunion scene in Priority: Palaven)

you look really tired (Liv/Garrus, Liv+Liara; post-Thessia, Olivia’s not doing well)

hey, so, ground rules (Liv+Zaeed; it’s a lot weird now that he’s dating her mom)

and all the scars you bear are from a previous war (Liv+Quentus; Mom!Liv)

you can hear it in the silence (Liv/Garrus; just a moment, post-war)

this all started because of a bad day (Liv/Garrus; from first meetings to matching rings)

combat, i’m ready for combat & turn on your favorite nightlight (Hannah; she’s a civilian and her daughter isn’t, and she’s bound and determined to know what Liv goes through when her boots hit the ground; Hannah, Zaeed, Liv, and Garrus hit up Armax)

four quarians who never made it back to the fleet (and one who did) (kinda what it says on the tin, honestly. Oh, Tali’s in this!)

everyone’s lost, the battle is won (Evangeline; somewhat predictably, my experiment in getting as many of my team killed as possible resulted in Feelings About It)

across the sky (Susan/Liara; how to make the Control ending feel good)

and yours is in red underlined (Vanessa; The Illusive Man has pissed her off for the last time)

i’m headed straight for the castle (Vanessa; renegade control ending; kneel before your queen)

Mass Effect Andromeda:

for saviours (Tori; ten scenes from a pre-Andromeda life; 10k)

ringing joyful and triumphant (Tori/Liam/Jaal; just some morning fluff)

the thing with the baby angara (Tori/Liam/Jaal; thinking about the future)

the undone and the divine (Tori/Liam/Jaal; the lone single solitary explicit fic on here, give it props for that alone; Liam gets absolutely railed by his partners. That’s it. That’s the fic.)

you’re like the thing that makes the universe explode (Sara Ryder/Suvi, Drack; kid, the only people who don’t know that you like Suvi are people who haven’t met you and Suvi)

this one’s for the torn down, the experts at the fall (Tori+Garrus; one night in the intersection of Victoria Ryder and Archangel; maybe they’re better friends than they both thought)

The West Wing:

a great revelation sigh (CJ; she’s Chief of Staff; ten steps to the apocalypse; the apocalypse source probably didn’t age well, heads up)

it’s in my blood and i won’t give up ‘cause it’s running through my veins (Amy+Andi; it’s Election Day in the future and Amy has nothing to do)

Grey’s Anatomy:

dropsonde (the singers in a lower choir remix) (Addison/Alex, Derek/Meredith, Addison+Derek, Addison+Mark, Mark+Derek; the one that kicked off all the remixes; absolutely off the rails from canon somewhere in S3; budding romances and kidfic and my theory about people being storms and lighthouses; 40k)

scarlet city (Mark/Addison, Burke/Cristina; film noir gangster and detective AU; Addison’s the gangster, Burke’s the detective; literally everyone I could fit into this fic shows up; also Denny is comic relief; 18k)

Misc:

access records (Star Trek Voyager; Naomi Wildman’s holodeck access for the past week; worldbuilding!)

in this twilight our choices seal our fate (the song in the house of night remix) (SVU; Olivia/Elliot; rated M; on the rise and fall of partnership; probably a little too much religious imagery but what the hell else am I gonna do with a minor in religious studies?; 4k)

the end of days job (Leverage; Parker+Eliot+Hardison; the apocalypse job, basically; this one ages well!)

let the only sound be the overflow (D&D; Calia/Kelpie/Edal, aka ot3: fathoms below; the ocean is big and they are not)

we are golden stars above silver seas (we hear echoes from another galaxy) (Calvin & Hobbes; Calvin+Susie; throughout all those years, she never gave up on him; this one went viral on tumblr [LINK] and I cleaned it up for the AO3 version)

lift her, pull her, from the orchids (Grace and Frankie; Grace/Frankie; the one where I invoke the spelling bee)

rocket queens (Babylon 5/Pacific Rim; Susan Ivanova/Talia Winters; look, they’re jaeger pilots, I really don’t know what else to tell you)

the great gig in the sky (Battlestar Galactica; Six; rebirth is painful, she forgets this sometimes)

#screams hits post #s:words

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neuronary · 2 years

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concept: steddie florist/tattoo artist au with a side of no upside down

obviously eddie is the tattoo artist and steve is the florist. he and robin started working at the local florist after family video finally shut down (admittedly it made literally no money the entire time they worked there) and third time lucky, because it finally stuck. when the old lady that owned the florist died with no family to speak of, she left the two of them the shop and the apartment above it.

robin never ended up going to college, despite having the equivelent of a linguistics degree in knowledge anyway, which was always a contentious issue between steve and robin. (she doesn't give a flying fuck how much he believed in her; she was barely scraping 'B's throughout her high school career and college was never in the cards for her.) so they stuck around in hawkins. they watched the kids graduate (and endured a ridiculous amount of teasing from said kids over the whole florist thing), they grew up into proper grown ups who did taxes, and they grew an enormous garden in the mean time.

and then 1993 rolls around and a tattoo parlour opens up down the street. which. huh. sure. not something either of them would have expected, but hawkins has gained a pretty significant goth tourist population given the whole 'cursed' thing ("it's not exploitative if the 'creepy' pressed flower frames are profiting off of our own trauma, dingus") so maybe it'll work out for the guy, who knows. and then steve bumps into said guy while doing the daily sandwich run and robin did not warn him that he was hot. which is because robin is a little bit preoccupied with the fact that her second (and least embarrassing) high school crush, chrissy cunningham, is back in town following the death of her mother, and has somehow become even more of a fucking smokeshow and did steve see that violets pin on her jacket does that mean what robin thinks it means holy shit steve holy shit. and cue them both being gay disasters.

chrissy hightailed it out of hawkins the second she graduated, which everyone assumed was because of the whole creel debacle. whilst she still keeps in contact with the other victims (patrick sends her letters from his apartment in chicago, max calls from california every so often, fred, may he rest in peace, occupies her nightmares), she avoids any mention of hawkins like the plague. people will stare no matter where she is, wondering about what could have happened to leave her looking the way she does. but chrissy has always been a smiler, and that goes a long way to making friends in a big city. new york started out lonely and expensive but she slowly, painstakingly found her people in the greenwich village. in 1993, after seven years of screening her calls and refusing to speak to her mother, the call finally comes. she’s dead. it’s really over. now she just has to plan a funeral and figure out how to feel about that. she always thought she’d have more time but the cards didn’t fall that way.

eddie needed to get out and start his own shop, after finally feeling like he actually knew what he was doing and, well. his uncle wayne is getting on in years, and disgraced queers have to stick together right? so eddie packs up his kit and his guitar and he moves back to hawkins. (he does not think fondly of his three year stint in high school there, fucking off to indy to start a band when he flunked senior year.) he sinks all his savings into a storefront on main street and sleeps in the back office because who’s gonna kick him out, exactly? and then it starts going... better than he expected, actually. there’s this gang of college twerps home for the summer that all want matching fucking demogorgons of all things, and the fiery redhead girl wants the hand and eye of vecna for god knows what reason. there is also, as he predicted, a steady flow of vacationing goths, conspiracy theorists, and true crime enthusiasts that want souvenirs inked into their skin. so eddie makes good money. at least that’s a balm for the undying shame and indignation he has over crushing on steve fucking harrington, king of the douchebags from hawkins high, now a stupid twunk-y florist with an easy smile and a thin, almost unnoticeable scar running across his stupid kissable lips.

it’s fine, eddie and steve both complain to their respective agony aunts. wayne grunts and goes back to sleep. robin invites chrissy up for some homegrown weed to take the edge off of the funeral prep.

#steddie #buckingham #stranger things

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irelandking · 10 months

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avenger bucky x regular reader fic recs

bucky barnes x reader

❤️ = fluff 😔 = angst 🔥 = smut

one shots:

hold my girl - @pellucid-constellations

Bucky comes home from a mission and needs time to hold his girl. ❤️

test drive - @cherrypickertheory

Bucky has a breeding kink. 🔥

disney princesses and dog tags - @buckyalpine

single reader mom reader starts dating Bucky doesn't tell him off the bat about kid and he starts getting a little antsy ❤️🔥

princess cut - @viollettes

Bucky sustains an injury because of a punk-ass kid, and you swoop in to do something about it. ❤️

every night - @ijustreallylovezebras

Bucky sneaks out of the compound every night, the team want to know why ❤️

counting - @pellucid-constellations

Time heals all wounds. Bucky’d been holding onto that proverb ever since blip. But time had never been particularly kind to him, so he opted to keep track of the sweet girl’s in his apartment building instead, the one that made him banana bread and took him to diners at two in the morning. Sometimes, you didn’t keep the same schedule. That made Bucky panic. ❤️😔

flowers in the compound - @pellucid-constellations

That girl from the flower shop seems to be taking up a lot of Bucky’s time. ❤️

name - @ijustreallylovezebras

The reader works in the local Starbucks and Bucky comes in almost every day but always orders with a different name ❤️

the safest place in new york - @wkemeup

A stranger comes to your rescue when you find yourself held at knifepoint, alone in an alleyway, by a man demanding your money ❤️

the sound of music - @delicatelyherdreams

Bucky never heard music the way everyone said he should. He never got a song stuck in his head. He never had a soulmate. Until he did. (Soulmate AU) ❤️

perfect for me - @prettyyoungtragedy

When your friends set you up on a blind date, you have no idea what you’re walking into. Is it a total fail or true love? ❤️

story time - @delicatelyherdreams

Bucky is coerced into joining a local library’s story time for veterans. He’s not sure what to expect. ❤️

something tells me - @ugh-supersoldiers

Soulmates are supposed to be a beautiful gift, created so that no one every goes through life without love. Born with an invisible matching marking, a tattoo to signify their bond, that only reveals itself after the two souls touch for the first time. After escaping Hydra, Bucky hopes more than anything that his soulmate died a long time ago, but little does he know you’re right around the corner. ❤️😔

in the name of love - @moonbeambucky

Bucky meets a nurse he thinks is playing hard to get and he’s more than willing to throw himself in the game.❤️😔

sing me to sleep - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

Bucky meets a lovely stranger on a commercial flight.❤️

rose - @softlyspector

In a world where soulmates share each other’s scars, oddly enough it’s a tattoo that brings Bucky and the reader together. Soulmate AU ❤️

love in four acts - @buckybarnesowl

You’re a nurse living in Brooklyn. You’ve got a crush on your next door neighbour who doesn’t seem to know you exist. One day his cat finds its way into your apartment, forcing you both to finally meet. That’s when you learn that he’s James Buchanan Barnes, ex-Winter Soldier. Well, there goes your chances. Or maybe getting close to a superhero isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds ❤️😔

three times - @softlyspector

Some people say things differently. Bucky learns how to say I love you. Y/N learns how to hear him say it ❤️

who's she? - @itsapeterthing

when sam gets injured during a mission and isn’t able to go to a hospital, bucky brings him and natasha to his own home to get cared for by his girlfriend, y/n, who he’s been keeping a secret. ❤️

a little old fashioned - @gogolucky13

Bucky is a bit subtle in telling you he likes you ❤️

serious questions - @espinosaurusrexex

Bucky agrees to go on a date to make his colleagues shut up. Now, he just feels sorry for the poor woman that has to spend an entire evening with him. He really tries to make it work, though, because he actually enjoys her company. ❤️

a little longer - @buckyalpine

you're bucky's neighbor and he brings you to a cookout with sam as his fake girlfriend ❤️

search history - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you look at each other's search histories ❤️

new year's day - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you and bucky kiss at midnight on new years eve ❤️

history's mysteries - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you listen to a podcast that covers the winter soldier and ask bucky about his past ❤️

good old fashioned lover boy - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you introduce bucky to things he's missed ❤️

earthly possessions - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

bucky moves into readers place and has very few possessions ❤️

dress code - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you have an ex that used to slut shame you for your outfits, but bucky loves them ❤️

chain round my neck - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

bucky gives you a special necklace ❤️

life before you - @world-of-aus

The reader has some form of abandonment issues (she doesn't want to be clingy) and thinks Bucky will leave her or something and he comforts her and there is a kinda fluffy-ness.  Or the reader always says thank you and sorry for everything even things that aren’t her fault and it’s because she had a rough past or dodgy ex or cause she thinks she’s a burden X Basically I crave fluff X Thanks in advance x Lots of love Xxxxx XXX X ❤️

gentle - @softlyspector

Bucky and the reader are sharing an intimate moment when he accidentally reveals something to her. Or, Bucky Barnes wants a normal life. ❤️🔥

two pages - @softlyspector

Bucky laughs and curls a finger under her chin, tilting her head up and back. “Lemme take care of you,” he says, blue eyes clear and sparkling, like salt on the sea. 🔥

hint dropped - @rocketrhap3000

while looking at rings online, you accidentally click a “send a hint” feature addressed to Bucky’s email, despite never having that conversation with him and not even knowing whether or not that’s something he wants, but his reaction surprises you :) ❤️

valentine - @softlyspector

You’re Bucky’s neighbor, Bucky is your secret admirer. Valentine’s day and a potential date forces him to act ❤️

teddy bear - @softlyspector

soulmate!au in which when one soulmate loses something, their other half finds it. When Bucky begins finding things that don’t belong to him, he realizes he has a soulmate in the modern world after all. Even though they should be perfectly matched, he struggles to find a reason why he should meet her, and be a part of her life, convincing himself she’s better off without him. ❤️😔

secret relationship and bucky - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

bucky is always disappearing from the compound and everyone figures that it’s bucky being bucky.. but he’s visiting his civilian girlfriend and knows that she’ll be in danger the moment they go public so he doesn’t even tell the team about her.. and their circumstances of meeting could be in the aftermath of some Avengers thing? ❤️😔

nutella - @teamatsumu

Late at night, you turn on the kitchen light to find a stranger bleeding on your floor and eating your Nutella. ❤️

possession - @teamatsumu

On your 25th birthday, for twenty four hours, you are allowed to possess your soulmate; a process called The Possession. As you look at the world from their eyes, you find out everything you can about your soulmate so you can locate them when The Possession is over. But you have a slight problem: you wake up in a cryo freezer. ❤️😔

sounds of heaven - @moonbeambucky

Tired of another night without sleep, Bucky finds an unlikely source for help ❤️

baby - @ugh-supersoldiers

After you spend the night at Bucky’s for the first time, you drop a nickname that turns the ex Winter Soldier into a blushing and stuttering mess. ❤️

saturdays - @sunmoonandeddie

bucky barnes has a new routine ❤️😔

bookmark - @buckyalpine

reader is a romance writer and the other avengers discover her books ❤️🔥

pucker up, buttercup - @witchywithwhiskey

it's been a long day of working at your lemonade stall during the town's busy summer festival and making the day worse is all the unwanted attention and come-ons you've gotten from customers. by the time bucky barnes tries his own tired pickup line, you've had enough—but then he goes and spills a fresh pitcher of lemonade and offers to make a new one. you're reluctant to admit bucky might not be like all those other guys. in fact, he might be someone you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with. sunshine!bucky barnes x grumpy!fem!reader ❤️

gentle - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

Y/N has never seen Bucky be anything but gentle and loving. It’s hard for her to believe her boyfriend was ever the world’s deadliest and most lethal assassin. ❤️😔

bad day - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

Y/N has an absolute shit day at work and Bucky tries to make his girl feel better. ❤️

#bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes fluff

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hazmatazz · 1 year

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speedrunning byler soulmate au ideas (long post)

au where you're able to see where your soulmate is hurt physically as it's marked on your body.

miwi + lonnie. when will is in the upside down. mike or will immediately going to the other when they know they're hurt. mike or will being sad they can't help the other when will is in lenora.

half of a quote on eachother.

mike having "together" tatted on him and thinking it's a different phrase while will has "crazy" and knows what's up. "it's not my fault" can apply to mike with how he's sometimes at fault for things he didn't do + "that you don't like girls" little will struggling with that

There's a marker on your skin the first time you touch your soulmate

Mike and Will have matching prints on their palm from where they met (hc they shook hands). or, mike gave will a hug so he's always surrounded by his love

your soulmark is the most recent drawing your soulmate has made for you

will loves making grand drawings because then he can see his dragon trailing up mike's back or a bouquet of flowers covering his forearm (he always looks so pretty). will with little doodled hearts littering his skin because mike stole his homework and drew hearts all over it (imagine one lands on his mole and mike traces it amused). miwi...mike always getting excited... mike always loves his art and it's even better seeing will's love on his skin. them not getting new drawings because will is in lenora or mike getting a heart shield randomly with no context (him kicking his feet knowing will is still drawing for him)

sharing a dream space

miwi playing like kids there. sharing kisses and moments there because it's where they're the safest (hidden. also imagine miwi first kisses there). maybe when will is in lenora and mike is in hawkins and they're not talking they avoid eachother in their dreams

soulmate's birthday is tatted on you

hurts will more that mike has forgotten his birthday. maybe, birthdaygate, the tattoo has disappeared (maybe...mike forgets will is his soulmate like birthdaygate)

everytime your soulmate lies it's written on you

mike assumes because he has like literally nothing on him that his soulmate is el. when it comes out that el lied while in lenora he's surprised to find nothing on him. the entire monolog will gave him is tattooed on his back (he's super distressed about that. maybe eventually he gets a tattoo done that changes the wording so it's what will wanted to say instead)

first words your soulmate say to you appears on your 15th (?) birthday

will knows that his soulmate is mike immediately "do you want to be friends". mike gets a simple "yes" on his wrist which doesn't help him at. all. will keeps from mike his words

the music your soulmate is listening to/singing in stuck in your head

mike only hears should i stay or should i go when will is missing (while he likes knowing will is alive hearing his shakily recite the song haunts him). will being excited his soulmate is listening to smalltown boy, the gayest song ever, on repeat.

if your soulmate loses something it ends up in your possession

will/mike returning the items in school. mike/will cherishing the iteams they get when will is in lenora/mike is in hawkins. will painting the items mike loses (making mike try to purposefully lose things)

you feel warmer when you're close to your soulmate and colder when far away

mike knows something is wrong in s1 ep1 when he suddenly feels frigid. mike and will being constantly cold when will is in lenora. will and mike meeting up in winter and being soooo warm <3

they share a book/can write on eachother's skin

i think they should be both in love with their soulmates but also in love with eachother outside of knowing the other is their soulmate. like jealous of the other's soulmates and shit <3. also domestic byler writing shopping lists or love notes <3<3

#asked the byler discord server for ideas and they said soulmate au so why not #byler #byler au #stranger things #babble

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snifflyjoonie · 11 months

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Call Me What I Am

In which Jimin has to take an immediate leave from work.

Whump-centric featuring an injured Jimin and a stubborn Yoongi. (plus a little allergic!Yoongi as a treat)

Word count: 3032

FlowerShop!AU Part 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

a/n: Hi, all! I’m so excited but so incredibly nervous to be back with my first full-length fic in awhile. I feel so unbelievably rusty, and I’m really hoping that doesn’t reflect too much in my writing. I’m so beyond appreciate of those of you that have been so kind to me while I took a much longer than anticipated hiatus. But I’m happy to be back! The featured flower for this installment is a black dahlia. Points if you know what types of emotions they represent! This is my first ever fic on this blog that doesn’t involve illness, and is my first injury fic period. It required me to do a bit of research, so I hope I did the story justice! Please let me know if you guys end up liking this one xx thanks for reading!

It had only taken Jimin a few months to realize that there truly was no-one out there quite like Min Yoongi.

Granted, he had expected so from the very beginning. There was just something about the tattoo artist that continued to draw Jimin in the more they spent their time together. Each date would seem better than the last, and Jimin found himself more times than not planning out what the two could do on their next outing before the current one had even finished. But despite the unbridled amounts of joy they would experience together, there was something about Yoongi that had been on Jimin’s mind for quite some time now.

For one reason or another, the tattooer did not want to call him his ‘boyfriend’.

The pair had been exclusively seeing each other for a while now and had mutually enjoyed every single excursion they’d been on, but yet…nothing had been made official. Jimin was more than ready, but Yoongi – despite his normal air of nonchalance – seemed oddly hesitant. The florist had tried to subtly hint at his eagerness to be partners, but whenever any kind of ‘boyfriend’ or ‘lable’ conversation began to rear its ugly head, Yoongi was always quick to change the subject. Jimin had even tried asking Namjoon about it, hopeful that maybe the man’s ex-coworker could shed some light on his uncertainty, but all the other could offer was a shake of his head and an unsure-sounding ‘Yoongi is…just like that.’

Yoongi’s unwillingness, or perhaps tentativeness, to solidify their relationship had started to fill Jimin with anxiety and self-doubt. The longer this went on, the worse the feelings would get. There were many nights he’d lie awake second guessing if he was maybe too loud on their most recent date, or possibly too giddy, or too annoying…too anything that would make Yoongi not want to see him anymore. But, Yoongi would always call him the next day, ready to plan something else, or to even just talk. It would always leave Jimin feeling more confused by the end of it. It almost felt as if he was getting pulled in two different directions — the relief of Yoongi still wanting to see him on one side and the frustration of maybe not being good enough on the other.

Finally, Jimin had had enough. He was going to get an answer out of Yoongi one way or another. He owed it to himself. He wasn’t going to get strung along like all of the other times in his life.

Yoongi was going to make a decision whether he liked it or not, no matter the outcome.

Jimin stares out his shop’s window with his chin resting in his palm as the fingers of his free hand drum anxious melodies against the wood of his front counter. It’s raining outside, and the florist can see the fat water droplets draw indiscernible patterns as they trickle down the window pane. It has been raining for two days straight and, according to the weather forecast, would rain for at least three more. Jimin sighs. It was almost as if the weather outside could feel his own inner turmoil, the sky crying alongside him in chaotic solidarity.

He pushes himself away from the counter and heads over to the front door, locking it and flipping his sign from ‘open’ to ‘closed’. Today had dragged on, and Jimin was both relieved and nervous when the clock had finally struck five.

He had been anxious all day, playing the conversation he wanted to have with Yoongi over and over on loop in his head. He dreaded the worst case scenario. Despite what he kept telling himself, he really wasn’t ready to possibly lose the other. He couldn’t bear the thought.

Letting out a shaky breath, Jimin pulls on his coat and slips on his shoes. He knew Yoongi would be at his tattoo parlour tonight, so that was where Jimin would head next. It was now or never.

As he pushes open the door and tumbles in, Jimin hears the words before he fully registers that Jungkook is resting stomach down on one of Yoongi’s tattoo beds.

“Oh shit, Yoongi — your boyfriend is here.”

He sees Yoongi glance over his shoulder towards him briefly before turning his focus back onto the half finished artwork on Jungkook’s back. If he was at all taken aback by Jungkook labelling him as “boyfriend” his face doesn’t show it.

“Hey.” He greets, and Jimin is barely able to make it out over the buzzing sound of his tattoo gun.

“Hey, sorry to bug you.” Jimin huffs as his soggy hair drips cold raindrops down his cheeks. “I knew you were working late so I thought I’d drop off some food. Hey, Gguk. There’s enough for you too, if you want.”

Jungkook makes an appreciative noise as he turns to Yoongi with mock surprise plastered on his face.

“Yoongiiiii, I would die for your boyfriend.”

There it is again, that word...boyfriend. It makes Jimin go ridgid, but why would Jungkook consider them anything else?

This time he sees Yoongi scoff slightly before deciding to speak up.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” He mumbles as he turns his attention back to Jimin, his expression unreadable. “Just put the bags on that table there.” He nods towards a small coffee table that sits in the corner of the room. “I’m a little busy right now.”

Jimin can see Jungkook’s eyes dart to him like a homing beacon. He’s waiting for a reaction, waiting to see if what Yoongi said was out of line or really the truth. Jimin doesn’t give it to him. He instead simply smiles tightly, nods, and sets the food down where Yoongi had instructed.

“It’s Chinese.” He murmurs. “Hopefully it’s okay.”

Yoongi hums instead of responding. He’s too focused on what he’s doing which Jimin finds both admirable as well as frustrating. Jungkook on the other hand seems ecstatic, which Jimin guesses he appreciates.

“You guys…almost done?” He questions as he wiggles out of his soggy jacket and kicks off his muddy shoes.

“Nearly.” Yoongi deadpans as Jimin slowly makes his way over to take a peek. From what he can see, Yoongi is etching one of his beautiful signature floral pieces into the other’s skin. The artist had already finished the line work and was now working on delicately shading each individual petal.

“Like it?” Jungkook asks, his smile growing when Jimin nods back. “I just let Yoongi do whatever he wanted this time. I’m glad he had some space for me today because I—”

The host is cut off as Yoongi suddenly sniffs sharply, lifting the tattoo gun from Jungkook’s back as he pushes himself away. Jimin can see him scrunch up his nose before he aggressively begins to rub it against his shoulder.

“All good?” Jungkook asks, glancing curiously over his shoulder to try and see why the tattoo artist has stopped.

“Ugh, yeah, just…fuck.” Yoongi suddenly snaps his attention to Jimin and the florist is surprised to see that he’s glaring. “Did you come straight from the shop?”

“I? Yes?” Jimin blinks, surprised by the sudden bite in Yoongi’s voice. “I mean I grabbed the Chinese before coming here, but I—”

He’s cut off by the artist aggressively waving him away.

“Look at you, your shirt’s covered in pollen. Ugh, you smell like a goddamn garden, Jimin, back up.”

Although taken aback by the other’s hostility, Jimin obeys without question and takes a deliberate step backward. He’s aware of Jungkook’s eyes once again locking onto him, clearly searching his face for any sign that Yoongi’s behaviour is perhaps abnormal, but again Jimin remains stoic.

“Why are you even—hh—hH’ISSHhhiuew!” Yoongi interrupts himself with a sneeze that he desperately tries to aim anywhere but towards his sanitised equipment. After the first comes a second, and then a third. Finally Yoongi swears loudly and slams his tattoo gun down onto his table, swivelling fast in his chair towards Jimin. “What are you doing here, Jimin.” His voice is like venom, but he becomes considerably less intimidating upon a gurgling sniffle. “I’m busy tonight. I told you that when you texted me yesterday.”

“I just needed to talk to you, Yoongi.” Jimin murmurs, “I knew you’d be here and I don’t mind waiting. Why don’t I just go sit in the lobby so I don’t—”

“Talk about what?” Yoongi cuts him off as he presses his nose against his tattooed forearm. “What could possibly be so urgent?”

For the first time since walking into the tattoo parlour, Jimin can feel his voice start to falter. Up until this moment Yoongi had never once before spoken to him in this tone, and frankly, the florist wasn’t sure what to make of it. He had expected Yoongi to get annoyed with him, granted, but to be annoyed even before the conversation he wanted to have began was making Jimin’s initial adrenaline start to sputter and fizzle out.

“I think I’d…rather talk in private.” He almost whispers, glancing towards Jungkook with mild embarrassment as the host looks back and forth between the two. “That’s why I don’t mind waiting. I’m sorry about this, Gguk…” he offers meekly, but the host quickly shakes his head and gestures that it’s fine. Despite this, Jimin can still tell that he feels uncomfortable — who wouldn’t?

“You came all of this way without warning, you’ve now interrupted my session, and on top of everything you’ve made my allergies flare up in the middle of a tattoo.” Yoongi scoffs, emphasising his last point with another wet sniffle as he pulls off his gloves, making Jimin wince. “So you might as well just say what you need to say so that I can blow my nose and get back to work.”

“Yoongi, I really—”

“Jimin, just get on with it.”

“But I just—”

“Listen, you’ve got about five seconds before I—”

“Yoongi, I need to talk to you about us!” Jimin blurts, instantly flushing red as he watches Yoongi’s mouth fall agape, his sentence abruptly dying on his tongue. Jungkook in turn buries his face into his hands, clearly wishing he could be anywhere else but here.

“…What?” Yoongi chokes, obviously taken aback.

“Us, Yoongi.” Jimin continues on, desperately trying to ignore the unexpected third person in the room. “I just…need to talk to you about us.”

To Jimin’s surprise, a light pink blush begins to spread across Yoongi’s cheeks.

“…What about us?”

“I just…” Jimin rakes a hand through his damp hair and allows himself a moment to search for the right words. Despite all of his attempts to prepare for this conversation he still doesn’t feel ready. “…I need you to tell me what I am to you.” He finally says, locking eyes with Yoongi as he does so. “I need to hear you say it.”

“And this couldn’t wait?”

“I’ve been waiting.” Jimin retorts, but the tone of his voice is starting to noticeably pitch up in desperation. “It’s been months, Yoongi.”

“And somehow you think the right time to bring this up to me is when I’m…when I’m in the middle of— HATSH’hhiuew!” Yoongi twists to the side and catches his sudden sneeze into cupped hands before he swears loudly once again. Jimin can see he’s getting visibly agitated at himself and the situation, but the florist isn’t ready to back down.

“I tried to tell you it could wait until you were finished, but you weren’t listening!” Jimin shouts back as thunder claps somewhere off in the distance.

“Why the hell does this matter so much to you?”

Because I’m falling in love with you!

Jimin bites down hard on his tongue and fights back the tears that are starting to well up in his eyes as his inner voice screams the words he’s too afraid to say. The silence that follows is loud and horrible, only being broken by the crashing sound of raindrops as they pelt wildly against the windows.

“Jimin,” Yoongi continues after a moment when it’s clear Jimin has nothing more to say. “I like you and I want to keep seeing you. Shouldn’t that be enough? Why do you want to label this so badly?”

The florist feels his cheeks grow hotter with a mix of rage and humiliation. The conversation was going absolutely nowhere and he nearly felt ready to rip his hair out. He opens his mouth to respond again, to maybe come up with some type of response that would somehow magically show Yoongi exactly why it felt so important to him, but instead he’s cut off by a sudden interjection from Jungkook.

“Um,” the host starts, pushing himself up onto his elbows. “I know this is probably bad timing, but…are we going to eat that Chinese food, or…?”

The other two stare blankly at him in pure dumbfoundment. Sensing this, Jungkook merely nods in understanding and resumes his futile attempt to disappear. Yoongi is the first to speak back up, but thanks to Jungkook there is considerably less tension permeating the air around them.

“Jimin,” he sighs, and Jimin can see the man’s eyes visibly darken.

The same eyes that he could see oceans in, the eyes he’d get lost in, the eyes he’s grown to love…Jimin dreads what’s to come next.

“I think you’d better leave.”

The bluntness of Yoongi’s words cut into him like a hot knife through butter. He purses his lips and nods, doing everything in his power to fight the continued urge to cry. He feels stupid, regretful, and unbelievably embarrassed. He’d really thought that Yoongi was someone special, someone different, someone he could truly see himself loving for years to come. He was devastated to realize that wasn’t the case.

Without another word Jimin heads to the door. He pulls on his now chilly, damp jacket, slips into his water-logged shoes as fast as he can, and rips open the door. The violent rain wastes no time slamming against him like a thousand tiny bee stings as the hot summer storm rages with no sign of letting up.

Blinded by an indecipherable mixture of his own tears and the pouring rain, Jimin can’t help but immediately lose his footing on the steps outside of Yoongi’s shop. He tries to catch himself, reaching out dramatically for the railing to his side, but it’s too late.

The florist tumbles to the ground and lands hard onto his right wrist with a horrifically gory sounding crunch.

Hot searing pain shoots through Jimin’s joint like lightning. The agonizing tendrils reach all the way down to his elbow and up the very tips of each of his fingers. He cries out involuntarily and the sound he makes is shrill and animalistic. He barely even recognizes it as his own voice.

It feels almost as if he's been punched in the gut; he gasps for air greedily through his now gritted teeth but it never feels like enough. He sees spots and his head swims. Any attempt he makes to move his wrist is met by unimaginable amounts of sharp, protesting pain and he knows without a doubt that he’s broken it.

The florist grits his teeth harder still, whimpers, and awkwardly tries to cradle his now broken wrist. He swallows thickly at the misshapen sight of it and starts to feel woozy. He desperately tries to will away the cloudiness that starts nipping at the edges of his consciousness — he had never been good with pain and this time was clearly no different, if not worse, and now Jimin was almost certain that he was going to pass out.

Suddenly the door of the tattoo studio flies open and out rushes Yoongi with Jungkook hot on his heels.

The men rush down the stairs carefully and are on Jimin in a second, but the florist can barely register their presence. He’s able to hear Yoongi ask him if he’s okay, but it’s muffled and low. Jimin can’t respond, he can only gasp.

“Emergency services, what’s the location of your emergency?”

Jimin blinks up at Yoongi, his eyelids starting to feel heavy. He can see Yoongi barking his shop’s address into his cellphone, but everything is starting to feel much slower than normal. He vaguely registers Jungkook trying to help him sit up as rain pours down around them.

“Alright sir, and what seems to be the problem?”

Jimin realizes that Yoongi’s phone is on speaker as the blonde quickly begins assisting Jungkook.

“Hi, yeah, we need an ambulance. Fuck. His wrist is broken really badly. I think he slipped down the stairs? Fuuuuck, how long will it take?”

Jimin can hear the rising panic in Yoongi’s voice as his vision begins to blur around the edges.

“We have paramedics on route, sir. What is your relation to the injured?”

“My boyfriend.” Yoongi chokes out. “He’s my boyfriend. Shit, please just hurry, I think he’s passing out.”

“They’re on their way, sir. I need you to stay with him until they get there, okay?”

Jimin can feel Yoongi carefully pull him into his lap as he speaks, but he can’t hear what the other is saying anymore. It sounds too muffled and too far away, almost as if he were drowning thousands of feet underwater whereas Yoongi was somewhere safe on dry land.

He blinks one more time, one last in vain effort to try and stay conscious as Yoongi leans his upper body over him, shielding him from the rain and speaking more words that Jimin just can’t make out. He wishes he could stay present, hear Yoongi, assure him that he would be fine, but it was fruitless. He knew himself, and at this point there was nothing he could do to stop the darkness from enveloping him like a wet weighted blanket.

As Jimin finally lets himself succumb to blissful unconsciousness, his mind explodes into images of intricate and colourful floral patterns before everything fades away. The last thing he registers is the feeling of a gentle kiss being placed on his forehead as the wail of a far-off siren fights to slice its way through the thick summer storm.

#AHHH IM SO SCARED TO POST LOL #I’m doing this on mobile so I am hoping and praying it posts correctly #god I hope you guys like this #I’m so worried my writing may’ve suffered in my absence and just ufgggjdjssks #but what can you do #allergic!yoongi #bts whump #mine #bts sickfic #Tw injury #yoonmin #bts au #sorry that I made them fight LOL #bts snzfic #kind of if you squint heehee #bear with me I’ll update my fic masterpost when I get on my laptop later #bts snz

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autisticlancemcclain · 1 year

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fic rec friday 21

welcome to the twenty-first fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

1. Most Artists are Messy by @shipsgalore

Lance is drawing a complicated flower on the base of Keith’s wrist and it makes his lips pull up into a smile despite the panic. They’re always flowers when it comes to Lance. He uses them in everything he does, and usually doesn’t even know he’s doing it. Keith can count on one hand how many times the doodles on his arms haven’t been of flowers.

i love this one because keith & lance are just blatantly and clearly autistic. it’s wonderful. it’s sweet and fluffy and it’s a modern au, which as y’all know is my jam, and the last few paragraphs do this specific thing with sentiment repetition that genuinely gets to me every time

2. Be Alive With Me Tonight by @caesaria [EXPLICIT] [ABO]

When the Blade of Marmora requests assistance on an information gathering mission, Lance and Keith go undercover as a bonded alpha and omega pair. At first, it seems like this is going to be more like a vacation than a mission – right up until everything falls apart and they realize how unprepared they really are. Now, Lance and Keith have to fight to not only survive, but to make it out together. They’ll have to rely not only on their skills as Paladin, but the bond they’ve created and nurtured between them.

okay i gave this one the explicit warning bc there are chapters that are explicit, but tbh the scenes are skippable if that’s not ur thing. now this fic is an EPIC. truly. its a quarter million words and the plot is breathtaking, the worldbuilding is iconic and the romance is like HOLY SHIT. this is a novel, and better yet its a KLANCE novel, so. highly recommend if you have a day or two to read.

3. roses by @renyoi

Lance is always getting flowers for Keith, so Keith decides to return the favor--with a little help, of course.

written for prompt #4 of klance valentine's week!

keith is hilarious here. just in general but here especially and i love him. he wants to pamper lance so so badly and hes so straightforward and earnest!! and allura’s character in here is also excellent. i will leave u with this one line from the fic that made me laugh it loud: “ The next day, the sun rises to Keith Kogane, dressed all in black (that’s all that was clean, okay?!), loitering around in front of Alluring Blossom, the 5-star-rated “I’ve never had such a delightful bouquet delivered to me in my entire life!” flower shop of a woman named Allura Altea. Keith automatically trusted her because he loves people that also have alliteration in their names. “ king. love him

4. here it comes by rideahorse

Keith watched a lonely droplet of water fall from Lance’s soaked bangs, curving a path over the bridge of his nose and then pooling—almost teasingly so—at the bow of his lips.

“I feel like I won, for some reason,” Lance said quietly.

what have i told yall about fics from 2016!!! this fic made me SMILE and im not usually a fan of like senior year of high school fics but holy shit!! holy SHIT!! this fic had me smiling and kicking my feet and losing my mind. i will leave u with the note i put on my bookmark (spoiler warning):

a couple things: 1. “lance is a bad influence” and “lance is a pretty princess (tm)” are god tier tags so thanks for that 2. keith with a tongue piercing. must i say more. 3. i miss keith gyeong that was an excellent era 4. the couple tattoo moment had me taking a Moment 5. here’s how i imagine the aftermath of this: shiro: i saw u ditched prom. are you okay? keith: yeah actually! lance convinced me that we have to have a wild final night, so we went to a High School Party (tm), i decked a guy for lance and your honour, we panic drove away, went skinny dipping in a pool, got caught, ran away naked for two blocks, went to sonic in another town, got matching tattoos, fucked in the backseat of my car, and watched the sunrise :)) shiro: shiro: shiro: shiro: i’m sorry. what were those last parts keith: yeah i know you really like sunrises we probably should have invited you :// but it was kind of an us thing i’m sure you understand :) shiro: KEITH

anyways i laughed

5. if silence was a song by @angstinspace

“It’s … Your show is on so late at night,” Keith tries to explain, as if Lance didn’t know this already. “I guess I was just wondering why that is.”

A crackling silence answers him, and Keith’s stomach sinks. Did Lance hang up? Keith can’t exactly blame him.

But then he hears Lance make a noise––a short huff of breath that might have been either an impatient sigh or a quiet laugh … Keith has no clue.

“That’s the reason you’re calling? To complain about my time slot?”

or, Keith starts anonymously calling Lance's college radio show and develops an unexpected crush.

@catnippackets did a comic of this i believe, and it literally never leaves my head. yall know the trope where one person gets a phone call and halfway through they sigh wistfully and say “god i wish you were here” and then the other person smiles so viscerally it can be felt through the phone and they say “look behind you” and theyre THERE?????? that makes me lose it every time. i love this fic

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

#god fic rec friday is so healing 4 me #vld #voltron #lance #lance mcclain #keith kogane #keith #klance #brown-eyed lance #autistic keith #autistic lance #keith gyeong #lance sanchez #modern au #canon divergence #fic rec #fic rec friday

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avatarmerida · 1 year

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A Sleeve of Flowers

This is my attempt at a Huntlow Flower Shop x Tattoo Shop AU. There’s no real plot just like a fluff meet cute I guess? It kind of got away from me. it’s also very long for something with no plot lol but oh well If you see any spelling errors no you didn’t

---

Willow looked around the shop in wonder. Every inch of the walls were covered in something; art, pictures of past intricate tattoos, vintage posters of a books series she remembered Gus loved to read, clever memes Luz had clearly made. It was a vast collection of seemingly random things that came together to create the feeling of being inside a collage. She was so distracted by admiring the walls she didn’t notice the boy had entered until she heard him hit the ground.

“Can I- woah!”

Willow looked up to the sound and quickly looked down to see the source, a blonde boy in a jean jacket laying on the floor clearly embarrassed. What she didn’t know was that he had fallen because he was too busy staring at her to watch where he was going.

“Are you Caleb?” she asked with a smile as she offered him her hand. He looked at the girl before him utterly bewildered, she just looked so… classic. Her long black hair pulled into two perfect braids, her rounded golden glasses complimented the light green of her eyes and the matching color in her dress lined with small white flowers which she paired with an emerald sweater. She was a bright spot in the usual dark location Hunter could blame his distraction on how she managed to fit right in and stand out at the same time.

“Caleb? Oh! Because of the name! Of the shop!” he muttered as took her hand and rose to his feet, answering after what felt like hours. “No, no I-I’m Hunter.”

“Oh, Luz’s brother,” said Willow, recalling the hundreds of photos Luz had shown her. They didn’t do him justice, he was much taller in person and less blurry. And kinda cute. She shook that last thought from her mind and shook her his hand, maybe a little too enthusiastically. “I’m Willow Park.”

“Willow?” repeated Hunter, as her strong grip shook his whole body.

“That’s me.”

“Like, Luz’s Willow?”

“Well, that’s not exactly what it says on my birth certificate but I’ll take it,” laughed Willow. “I guess you're the Hunter she’s always trying to set me up with then?”

“S-set you up with?”

“Yeah, I told her I wanted to do a sleeve of flowers and she said that’s your specialty so she’s been trying to line up our schedules for weeks now.”

“Oh! Like, set up an appointment,” said Hunter. “Duh, obviously.”

“I keep putting it off and with Valentine’s Day around the corner, my shop’s only gonna get busier so when she said you had an opening I thought it must be fate!”

“Your shop?”

“Oh yeah, I work across the street actually,” she said. “Willow’s Wallflowers.”

“That… makes alot of sense actually,” said Hunter, embarrassed to not have made the connection sooner. “That’s why Luz goes there so much on her lunch break.”

“You’re welcome to join us for lunch if you want,” said Willow, looking down and realizing they were still holding hands though the hand shake had already ended. Hunter pulled his hand back,embarrassed, and cleared his throat as he led her to his chair.

“Well we usually take separate lunch breaks so there’s always someone in the shop,” said Hunter as motioned for her to sit as he prepped the needles.

“Well, I can take a long lunch if you ever want some company,” said Willow, removing her cardigan and making herself comfortable. “I'm sure my boss won’t mind.”

“Well I would hate for you… I mean if you’re sure…” Hunter stammered to respond before the dots finally connected. “Oh, it’s you. Y-you’re your own boss.”

“Bingo.” she said with a wink. “I’m actually celebrating one year of being my own boss, so I’m getting the tattoo as kind of a present to myself.”

“Oh, well congrats.” said Hunter. “I’m honored to be a part of the celebration. So Luz showed me the sun-.” he stopped, noticing her bare arms. She was more muscular than he had anticipated and that had never been an issue for him before, but something about seeing this muscle paired with her smile and overall nature like demeanor made his stomach spin. He had a feeling this girl could easily hoist him over her shoulder and for some reason he was very into the idea. But that was not a professional thought. “... flower. The sunflower you wanted. A sunflower. This one.”

He held up the drawing he had made earlier that day, wondering if he had known who it was for if he would’ve spent more time on it. It was perfect, he was confident of that, but somehow he felt she deserved more than perfect.

“Yup” she confirmed with a wide smile. “On my shoulder.”

“Perfect, great choice,” he said as he placed the stencil over the spot and began tracing, trying to be toilet normal about how close he had to be to her. “Is this your first tattoo?”

She nodded. “Maybe it’s a cliche, I’m sure you do alot of flower tattoos right?”

“Well, mostly roses if I'm being honest,” he said.

“Ugh, roses,” groaned Willow. ‘Don’t get me wrong, they’re great, but Valentine's Day is nonstop roses, as though people don’t think other flowers can be romantic. My backroom is nothing but roses right now. And for what? They sit in a vase until they- sorry, I’m rambling.”

“No, no it’s fine, we have a similar stance on roses.” he chuckled as he removed the stencil to make sure she was pleased with the placement. She gave her approval and Hunter began the actual tattooing process. She winced slightly when the needle touched her skin, but nothing like his usual clientele reacted, Hunter was impressed, They sat in silence for awhile before Willow spoke again.

“So, are you busy on Valentine’s Day?” she asked.

“Uh… no I’m single,” he said, wiping off some excess ink. “I’ve got a perfect record of 25 Valentine-less Valentines days.”

“I meant the shop,” she said with a coy smile, not displeased with the answer. “Lot of couples getting matching tattoos I imagine.”

“Oh! Oh, yeah of course,” he chuckled nervously. Why would she ask about him? They had just met. She was his client, he needed to be professional. “Uh, yeah. This year is extra busy because Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday so that means the day before is Friday the 13th which gets us a line out the door.”

“Oh yeah, you do like $13 tattoos right?”

“Yeah, anything off my flash sheet,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a copy. “This is mine for this year, it’s mostly birds and wolves and some nature stuff. Luz’s does better, she does like creepy stuff that people really like.”

“Well, thank you for not making my flower creepy.” said Willow with a smile.

“Well, no promises on the next one,” he said with a smug smile. “That’s a joke, I’d never give you a tattoo you wouldn’t like. Not on purpose. I mean, that’s why we do consultations and tracings first so you-.”

“Hey, don’t worry it looks great,” said Willow, admiring her shoulder. “When I come back to add the color, would you be able to start another flower?”

“Oh, yeah sure let’s get you booked up,” he said, practically flying from his seat to the counter. “He flipped to his calendar to find the soonest date possible. Which was his usual process, it wasn't because he wanted to see her again as soon as possible or something.

“Um, how about Tuesday? Same time?”

“Sounds good,” Willow said with a smile. Hunter jotted her name down. “Oh, and here,” she said, reaching into her purse to pull out a card and a pen and quickly jotted something on the back. “Here’s my number just in case you wanna call me outside business hours.”

“Oh, cool,” he said, taking it from her and admiring the card. It was simple, the border a delicate vines littered with flowers and the I and o in her name were sunflowers, clearly her signature flower. As he went it tack it on the board, Willow reached back into her purse to pull out a collection of bills and handed it to him.

“Oh, Luz said you already paid,” he said, handing her back the cash.

“Well then consider it a tip,”

“That’s way too generous of a tip, it defeats the whole purpose of a friend's discount.”

“Oh please, she gave me well over the usual friend discount,” said Willow, placing the bills back in his hands. “And we went well over my allotted time, I refuse to be the reason for your small business’s demise. Take it.”

“Fine,” he said begrudgingly, taking the money. “But I’m applying it towards your next flower.”

“Fine,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Then I guess I’ll just have to find another way to tip you for your services.”

She winked at him before walking out the door and Hunter prayed to every deity above that she didn’t see the blush he knew was covering his face.

---

“So how did your session with Willow go?” Luz asked as she strolled into the shop after dropping off Amity at the bookstore.

“Fine,” said Hunter, pretending he was too focused on finishing a sketch in his notebook to give a more detailed answer.

“Just fine?” prompted Luz, knowing him well enough to know there was more. Hunter groaned and set his pencil down.

“Yeah, we have another appointment on Tuesday.” he replied, still not looking up.

“Yeah, she sent me a pic,” said Luz, sipping her soda. “It’s gotta be some of your best work. It’s gonna look so rad when it’s done. Looks like you two will be spending alot of time together.”

“Guess so.”

“You cool with that?”

Hunter sighed, clearly frustrated and Luz smiled; she was hoping for this reaction.

“Why didn’t you tell me your friend was so cute?” Hunter demanded as though she had omitted to tell him he was walking into a bear trap.

“Um, I definitely did tell you that, several times.”

“Well, you call possums cute and Amity, how am I supposed to trust your judgment?”

“Rude,” said Luz, not taking it too much to heart as she sat on the chair across from him, putting up her feet and making herself comfortable. “But you like her, right?”

“She’s a great client,” Hunter said, not taking the bait. “She has a high pain tolerance.”

“You like her muscles don’t you?” Luz said with a smug grin and the scarlet color that took over his face was the only response she needed. He gathered his things in a huff and went to the back before she could lure any other embarrassing truths out of him.

---

“So how did you get into the tattooing business?” asked Willow the next week as Hunter was at work on her orchid.

“Oh, well actually it was because I wanted to get a tattoo removed,” he chuckled.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he said, focusing on the details of the petals. “Before Camila adopted me, I lived with my uncle. And he wasn’t the best caretaker. He let me get a tattoo when I was 14, which is illegal and I would never do by the way. So after I got out of there and realized how toxic that living situation was it just reminded me of him so I wanted to get it removed. But the removal process is almost worse than the process of getting it, so Camila suggested we cover it. I drafted some ideas and the Owl Lady, who became Luz’s mentor actually, somehow managed to take the ugly sigil and turn it into this.” he held out his wrist and showed Willow the tiny cardinal that rested on his wrist. She never would have guessed it covered anything, it looked as though it was meant to be there. “And ya know I was really into drawing and I'm not squeamish so it worked out. Sorry it’s not the best story.”

“Are you kidding? That’s so sweet ” smiled Willow. “And then you got Luz into it too? A real family business.”

“Yeah, some distant relative left me the building in their will,” continued Hunter. “It used to be a restaurant and we turned into a parlor but we kept the name. It was a nice font.”

“It is a nice font,” Willow agreed and for some reason that made Hunter’s stomach flip. He thought he could control the feeling if he avoided asking certain questions.

‘So what about you? H-how did you get into flowers?”

“Well, I was a flower in a past life,” said Willow simply. Hunter stopped his work and looked at her skeptically. “I’m kidding.” she said with an airy giggle that made him feel lightheaded.

“Oh, yeah of course,” he said and went back to work.

“I just like flowers I guess, it’s not as good of a story as yours, sorry,” she said. “There’s just so many layers, ya know? There’s so many different types and they all mean different things. They’re good company I guess.”

“Just like you,” he said quietly.

“What was that?”

“Uh… just like your tattoo! Which is done!” he said nervously, and Willow turned her arm to admire his work.

“You’ve done it again Noceda,” she beamed, in utter awe of the latest addition. “It’s absolutely stunning.”

“Just like you,” he said, this time not quiet and he did not attempt to cover it up. Willow smiled as he carefully wrapped the new piece, able to marvel at this closeness without worry of distracting him.

---

“You don’t have to keep giving me the discount just because I’m Luz’s friend,” said Willow as went to pay for the latest addition. “That should only apply if she’s doing it.”

“Well then how about I give it to you because you’re my friend?” he said bashfully.

“Well, I don’t want you to think I’m just your friend for the discounted tattoos,” she said sweetly, trying to hide her thrill at his suggestion.

“Well the honor is more mine, I’d say,” he said offering her crooked, toothy grin

“How many other people get the ‘Hunter’s friend’ discount?” Willow asked, leaning forward in the counter, resting her chin on her hand.

“Well you’re actually the first,” he admitted with a nervous chuckle.

“Do… girlfriends get a discount too?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, Luz gives Amity a discount but her tattoos are kind of boring if I’m being honest.”

“And you’d prefer a girlfriend who gets interesting tattoos?”

“I mean, she’s okay and they’re happy so I don’t think-,” he stopped himself as he looked at her flirtatious grin and felt like he had stumbled into a larger question. “Oh, you meant for me?”

She nodded.

“Well I-I don’t, ya know it doesn’t even matter,” he laughed. “I already have plans for Valentine's Day, can’t imagine any girlfriend would like that too much.”

“Kinda nice to know we’re both in the same boat for Valentine's Day though, huh?”

---

“Welcome to Willow’s Wallflowers! How can I -oh, hi Hunter!” she beamed when she saw who had entered her doorway. She set down the pot she held and rushed over to greet him. He gave her a timid wave as he marveled at her shop. It was brighter than his shop, there were more windows which meant more sunlight which the flowers obviously loved. It smelled amazing. He recognized it, the same smell lingered in her hair when she would come by for her sessions. Not that he smelled her hair, that was unprofessional.

“Wow it’s… beautiful in here,” he said in awe.

“Thanks!” she said. She wanted to say ‘It’s more beautiful now that you’re here,’ but she was on the clock and that was unprofessional. “How can I help you?”

“Oh, no,” he said. ‘Well, maybe? But no, actually I had a last minute cancellation and I was wondering if you’d be interested in taking the slot? Do another session during your lunch? Maybe add that Chrysanthemum?”

“Oh, I’d love that,” she said. “You are so sweet to think of me; but I had to skip breakfast this morning for an early delivery so if I skip lunch I might pass out.”

“Oh, yeah no don’t do that,” he said. “Um that’s fine, we can’t keep your regular appointment no big deal.”

“Well what about you? Have you eaten yet?”

“Uh, no I had this scheduled during my lunch so I was just gonna grab a protein shake or something between sessions.”

“Well, how about you keep that time slot open and we have a little lunch date? My treat.” said Willow with a wink. Did she wink at everyone or just him? He never knew what to make of it.

“Oh, well don’t you usually meet with Luz? We still stagger our times so-.”

“Nah, she ditched me for a lunch date with Amity,” she said with a fake pout and Hunter couldn’t help but notice she had used the word to describe Amity and Luz, a couple, having lunch as she did to them having lunch. Did that mean something or was it just a common turn of phrase that he was reading too much into? “So it’ll be just you and me.”

He decided to test the waters.

“I’m not really dressed for anything fancy.” he said shyly.

“I mean, I’m not really either,” she said, removing her apron to reveal a simple green dress. She always looked stunning in green.

‘Are you kidding? You look amazing,” gasped Hunter and she smiled at his insistence. “I-i mean compared to me. Well, compared to anyone… you, uh… you always look… nice.”

“Why thank you,” she said. “But I’m kicking myself; I was in such a hurry this morning I forgot to grab a jacket and it’s actually a little chilly outside.”

“Oh well, here,” he said, quickly removing his jacket and placing it on her shoulder before she could protest. “I always wear too many layers anyway.”

“Wow, you tattoo your clothes too, huh?” she said, marveling at the patches that covered nearly every inch of the jacket.

“Oh, yeah I guess?” he smiled, holding the door open for her as she followed behind and went to lock up, flipping the sign in the window. “Camila got me into sewing, I guess I got a little carried away.”

“It’s amazing,” said Willow, twirling in it as though it was an elegant cape. “How dare you say you’re not dressed for anything fancy when you have this treasure?”

“You really like it?”

She nodded. “You better keep an eye on me or I’m gonna steal when you’re not looking.”

“Well it’s not like I don’t know where to find you,” he chuckled. “It does look nice on you.”

“Oh, can you take my picture in it?” Willow asked, handing him her phone. “I wanna send it to Luz.”

“Uh sure,” he said as she started to pose, looking over her shoulder so the whole jacket could be seen. His usual steady hand was shaky, and when he looked at the photos he was embarrassed that she was blurry and out of frame as he was looking at her and not the picture. She ran over to see the results before he could explain.

“Oh I love them,” she said, laughing.

“Sorry they’re not great I’m not much of a photographer,”

“Well luckily I am,” she said as they continued to walk. She effortlessly slipped her arm through his to guide her as she looked at her phone to edit the photos. Hunters eyes darted down to see what she was doing as she turned his blurry shoots into photos that could’ve been on a magazine.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” gasped Hunter. “How did you do that?”

“I do a lot of floral arrangements for weddings and events so I’ve gotten pretty good at photo editing,” she explained. “I usually use an actual camera, but my photoshop skills have gotten pretty good if I do say so myself.”

“Oh wow so all those photos in your store? You took those?”

She nodded.

“Wow, I should hire you to take some new photos for the front room,” he said.

“Well, here’s a free one,” she said, raising the phone up and pulling him close to her so they could take a selfie. She looked at the camera and flashed the peace sign, and Hunter was caught off guard looking at her fondly. She brought the phone close and smiled at the moment she had captured. “Oh, the lighting is so good! You look so cute!”

“Really?” He said with a blush, looking at the photos over her shoulder.

“Yeah!” She beamed. “Want me to send this to you?”

“Oh um I actually don’t have a phone,” he admitted bashfully. “I mean I have a phone at the shop just not like a phone for that.”

“A man of mystery,” Willow mused. “No worries, it’s not like I don’t know where to find you.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Um, so there’s a place up here? Is that okay?”

“Sure, she said, allowing him to lead the way. “So tell me, man of mystery, why did it take so long to finally meet you? Luz introduced herself with a plate of ginger snaps before you guys were even officially open.”

“Yeah well, she was always better at making friends,” he said. “I guess I’ve always kept to myself,bit of a wallflower you know?”

“Well, luckily for you wallflowers are my favorite kind of flowers,” said Willow. “Especially such interesting., golden ones.”

“R-right,” Hunter said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh hey! We’re here! Lemme run in to grab us a table?”

“Sure thing,” Willow smiled, admiring the photo. Just then, her phone began to buzz with a video call request from Luz. “Hey, what’s-.”

“Willow, how did you do it?”

“Um, hi to you too?” Willow said, confused.

“How did you do it?” Luz repeated.

“Do what?”

“You got Hunter to smile,” came Amity’s voice. Oh right they were together.

“Yeah, so? He’s got a nice smile.”

“Willow, he never smiles,” said Luz, seriously. “Every picture we’ve ever taken he looks miserable. Even when my mom convinced him to sit for our Christmas card he looked so uncomfortable we thought his appendix had burst, but you somehow got him to smile and show his teeth? Are you a witch, Park?”

“No, I just caught him off guard, I guess,” she said with a chuckle, feeling proud of her feat. “Also, I feel like he’s smiled at me plenty.”

“Ooh he’s probably smiling because you’re on a daaaaaate.” teased Luz.

“Oh, hush.” said Willow, not correcting her.

“Wait, are you wearing his-.” but Willow hung up before she could further interest her, seeing Hunter wave her inside having secured a table.

----

She wore his jacket to every session, waiting for him to ask for it back. He didn’t. A framed photo of them from that day mysteriously appeared on his desk. He considered it a fair trade.

---

“Hey!” said Willow as she flew in the door, the bell announcing her presence.

‘Willow!” Hunter exclaimed, appearing from behind the counter as though surprised to see her and not like he had been watching her skip across the street. “W-we don’t have a session today do we? Not that I memorized it, I mean I do know my schedule even if you’re not on it but um that’s because I uh- what’s up?” he cut himself off, leaning over the counter as casually as he could.

“I brought you something,” she sang, bringing her surprise from behind her back to reveal a flouting plant.

“Oh wow,” Hunter's eyes widened at the sight. “This is gorgeous.”

“It’s a fern,” said Willow with a smile, delighted he liked it. “You mentioned getting a plant and I’ve been looking after this little guy for awhile and I thought he’d be the perfect fit for the shop.”

“Oh wow, yeah,” said Hunter excitedly, “Where should we put him? How much sun does he need? Does he have a name?”

“I’m glad you like it, '' she said, setting it down to the perfect spot. “They're not hard to look after and I have a list of care instructions. Plus I’m right across the street.”

“This is so nice of you,” he said, still not used to receiving presents, “Oh! I got something to show you too!” He reached into his pocket and proudly displayed what Willow assumed to be the last flip phone on the planet. “For texting!” he said, pride shining in his eyes.

“Wow, look at you,” she said. “Do you need any help setting it up?”

“Oh, Luz helped me last night.” he said, handing her the phone. “She already programmed your number in.”

“I see that… and was she the one who put five hearts after my name?”

“Gah! I don’t know how to erase them,” he said shyly, taking the phone back. “But now we can talk… outside business hours.”

“Oh, and… what should we talk about? Outside business hours?” said Willow, rocking back on her heels and batting her eyelashes at him. She thought he would match her teasing tone but instead he looked sweaty and sickly.

“Ya know, whatever friends talk about I guess,” he said nervously. “Fern care?”

---

Willow started leaving clues around Caleb’s for what her next flower would be. When Hunter was away, she’d come in under the guise of visiting Luz and hide the flower somewhere she knew he’d find it before she came in for her next appointment; in a book or on his desk. It was not at all the professional or efficient way of letting your tattoo artist know what you planned on getting, but Willow was starting to care less and less for professionalism and efficiency.

---

“Are you Hunter?” came a voice, much younger than the voices that frequented the shop. Hunter turned around and almost didn’t see the short boy who had walked in.

“Are you… old enough to be in here?” Hunter asked, looking around to see if he had come in with anyone.

“I’m the one asking the questions here,” said the boy. “Now are you him?”

“Yes? Who’s asking?”

“Agustus Porter, student, science fiction enthusiast and president of the WIllow Park fan club,” he said very officially. “I’m here to investigate.”

“Investigate what, exactly?”

“Your intentions,” he said, trying to make his voice lower. “With Willow.”

“Intentions? L-like marriage?”

“Hmm interesting,” said Gus, jotting something down in his notebook. “No one said anything about marriage and yet…”

“I’m confused, did Willow send you? Is Willow coming? We usually-.”

“She’s running late, so I saw the opportunity and I took it,” said Gus. “You’ve been spending alot of time together lately. When she’s not with you, she’s talking about you and when she’s not talking about you, she’s texting you. You’re a very slow typer by the way.”

“Oh, are you Gus? You’re in Luz’s class at the-.”

“Now I’ll admit, being Luz’s brother does give you an advantage,” said Gus continued, consulting his notes. “But this whole ‘bad but sad boy thing?’ I always thought it was kind of beneath Willow. I always saw her with more of a stoic type, like Chief O’Bailey.”

“Chief o- wait; is that a Cosmic Frontier notebook?” Hunter asked excitedly, recognizing the symbol on the cover.

“Wait, you know Cosmic Frontier?” Gus asked with matching growing excitement.

“Know it? I have a tattoo of their ship on my shoulder blade of course I know it!” said Hunter.

“What? No way, that’s so sick!”

“It’s actually fairly healthy, I make sure to maintain-.”

“Can you give me one?”

“Can you show me some ID?”

“Do you want me to tell Willow I don’t approve of you?”

“How about a temporary one?” Hunter offered after a beat.

“Can you make it hurt like it’s real?”

“Probably.”

“Deal,” said Gus, hopping in the chair and rolling up his sleeve and presenting his arm. “Make me cry! Make me cry!”

“Won’t making Willow’s best friend cry hurt my chances with her?” Hunter asked playfully.

“Calling me Willow’s best friend over your own sister?” said Gus. “I think you just earned the Gus Porter seal of approval.”

---

Willow sent him a bouquet of flowers for receiving the Gus seal of approval, which could mean many things. She spotted them in the vase when she walked in for her next session, but he did not mention them. She hadn’t signed them but she felt like he knew.

Hunter wasn’t at the next session. Luz had taken his place at the last minute, which Willow didn’t mind, but she had grown accustomed to explaining each flowers’ meaning to him and counting how many times she could get his face to turn her favorite shade of red. Luz said he was helping their sister Vee move into a new place with her partner upstate and Willow didn’t ask any follow-up questions.

But during the next few days there were no spontaneous lunch dates, no waving at her from across the street, no popping in to observe flowers to practice sketching. Willow went as long as she could without bugging Luz about it. After the third time Hunter was not at their session, she had to say something.

“Does Hunter not work here anymore?” she said bluntly, no beating around the bush. “Or did he change his schedule or-?”

“Oh, are my skills not good enough for you Park?” teased Luz as she swapped needles to start a new color.

“No no, of course,” Willow laughed. “He’s just been here for all my other appointments so I guess I just-.”

“He said… it was a conflict of interest.” Luz admitted, knowing her brother would kill her if he found out she told Willlow.

“Why?”

“He… was worried he wouldn’t be able to do his best work because he was getting… distracted.”

“Is it because I talk too much? Because if that’s the issue. I’m fine sitting in silence, I just didn't know if it would be awkward for him but that makes sense because of course he would need to concentrate and I-.”

“Willow, it’s totally not that I promise,” assured Luz. “Hunter is a pro at tuning people out, I mean he lives with me after all. No, he….well, remember when Amity and I got our Azura tattoos? Hunter did both of ours because he said me doing Amity’s would be a conflict of interest because…”

She trailed off, hoping Willow could finish the rest.

“Because you kept flirting with her and it was taking forever to finish,” Willow recalled. ”But how does that- wait.”

She looked at Luz with wide, distraught eyes. “No….”

Luz nodded. “Yup.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so embarrassed,” groaned Willow, covering her face.

“Wait… what?’”

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh I can’t believe I made him so uncomfortable I ran him out of his own shop,” she exclaimed, horrified. “Ugh, and he was such a gentleman about it, oh my,...and I sent him flowers?! What was I thinking? Luz, can you please tell him-.”

“Willow, Willow, Willow!” said Luz, reaching out to calm her friend, careful of the fresh ink. “That is… not what I was talking about.”

“Then what do you- unless…. No…”

“I’m gonna need you to say exactly what you mean because I’m afraid I'm gonna guess wrong again.”

“Was he… flirting with me too?”

“Ding ding ding, we have a winner!” exclaimed Luz happily. “And my brother prides himself in his professionalism and insisted he could not date a client, hence the conflict of interest. So the only solution would be to remove you as a client.”

“So he could ask me out?”

“Exactly!”

“So why hasn’t he?”

“Well, he can’t exactly send you flowers, can he?” smiled Luz.

“He’s tried,” laughed Willow. “He called and asked if I could deliver a bouquet to the pretty girl at the flower shop, but I thought it was just a joke. He chickened out in the middle of ordering when he felt he was wasting my time on an order that wouldn’t be going out and then offered to pay anyway.”

“Yeah, that sounds like what his idea of flirting would be,” sighed Luz. “You know him, he’s a perfectionist. He’s logical and weird. He wanted to be absolutely sure of his feelings before he acted on them.”

“And?”

“Can I show you something?” Luz said, rising from her seat to rummage through his drawer before finding a red leather notebook and handing it to Willow. “This is where Hunter works on new stuff for his flash. Before it was mostly birds and wolves, some cosmic frontier stuff. When he met you, there were maybe one or two flowers. Then suddenly-.” she opened the book to reveal pages that envied a garden. “He became obsessed with flowers. Then, soon….” She turned the page and Willow felt as though she was looking in a mirror.

“Is that… me?”

Luz nodded.

“He was gonna tattoo me on people?”

“What? No! I don’t think… no, but he clearly could not stop thinking about you,” said Luz. “Between you and me, he’s never really had a crush before. He’s always been so serious and studious, focusing on school or work or something. I know for a fact you’re not the first client to flirt with him, but you’re definitely the first one he’s flirted with. Or at least tried to.”

“So is he gonna ask me out or is he just gonna avoid me?”

“I think both options are equally terrifying to him,” said Luz. “But this was supposed to be your last appointment so maybe he’ll stop being such a baby. I mean, I’m pretty sure he got a phone just so he could text you, I don’t know what he’s waiting for.”

---

The session with Luz turned into a gabfest so Willow started walking home later than usual. Forgetting if she closed the window, she quickly went over to her shop to double check. To her horror, the door was unlocked and she knew she had locked it before leaving.

Someone else was here.

She grabbed a cactus from the windowsill to investigate as she followed the muffled sounds of shuffling coming from her office. She spotted a flashlight shining from beneath the door. She took a calming breath before raising the cactus over her head and kicking the door in, screaming as loudly as she could ready to attack-

“Hunter?” she said confused, the dim light revealing the panicked boy. He smiled at her nervously, his gap tooth grin confirming his identity as she set her weapon down. “What are you doing here?”

“I used the spare key you gave me!” he exclaimed, his arms behind his back.

‘Well, okay that’s how you got in but why-?”

“I made you a jean jacket!” he said louder than he intended to, nearly shoving the piece of clothing in her face as though it explained his presence. Willow took the jacket and examined it, like his own it was covered in patches but Willow could tell this had been carefully selected for her: flowers, bees, mushrooms. On the sleeve was an elegant W, obviously hand stitched. The whole thing was. It must’ve taken him hours to make.

“Hunter this is… it’s so…”

“It’s too much isn’t it?” he asked, his hands balled into fists at his sides. “I can take some off or rearrange them, I just kept finding ones that reminded me of you and so I-.”

She cut him off by wrapping her arms around him, trapping his arms at his sides. Hunter was used to hugs, his adopted family was extremely affectionate, but something about getting one from her… it was a whole new experience. “Hunter, I love it.”

“R-really?”

“Yes,” she said, slipping it on and delighting in its perfect fit. “But is this why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“No! I mean yes, I mean that’s what I was doing while I was avoiding you I mean… you noticed I was avoiding you?”

“Well yeah kinda,” she said, trying not to show her hurt in hearing him confirm it. “I really like talking to you and spending time with you, and just when I got used to having you around you vanished.”

“Sorry about that I just… I’m not used to being around,” he tried. “That’s not a good reason and I don’t blame you if you hate me but I didn’t know how explain why without sounding stupid.”

“Hunter, I’m sure it’s not stupid,” said Willow. “Unless you hate me, then that is stupid.”

“I don’t hate you,” laughed Hunter, her humor putting him at ease. “I kind of… the opposite of hate you. It’s just that Luz pointed out how much longer I spend on your sessions and I got worried I was taking up too much of your time just because I liked seeing you which wasn’t fair to you so I-.”

“Hunter,” she cut him off with a smile. “Do you really think I needed to spend two hours deciding what color I wanted my lily to be? I was practically holding you captive.”

“I just… words aren’t my strong suit,” he said. “I’m more of a doer, I guess? Every time I tried to say anything to you, I just… words didn’t work. So I started making this and I was gonna leave it on the back of your office chair for you to find and you’d put it on and you’d put your hand-.”

“-in the pocket?” finished Willow, pulling a small green envelope from said pocket with her name written in golden on the front. Hunter looked like he stopped breathing and Willow knew she was meant to find this in private. “What’s this?”

“It's to explain… h-how I feel… about you.”

She fiddled with it for a moment. “Well, before I read it… can I show you how I feel about you?”

“Oh, uh sure,” Hunter said anxiously. “Did you make a bouquet or-.”

No, Hunter had already misinterpreted several floral arrangements. She needed to express her feelings in a more direct and defiantly unprofessional way. She brought her hand up to cup his jaw and he leaned into the touch watching he rise to his level as she leaned up and gently pressed her lips to his, tilting her head only so slightly so there nearly bumped noses. She could tell he was holding his breath, and he truly did not exhale until she parted. He looked at her with disbelief, and she gave him her signature wink that sent a familiar warm tornado over his whole body.

“That’s… better than floriography,”Hunter said with a lovestruck smirk.

Willow smiled, pleased with his reaction as she opened the envelope she gripped slowly and her face could not hide her confusion. “It’s a… coupon? For Caleb’s?”

“Yeah,” said Hunter. “For your next tattoo. It’s a certificate, actually.”

“You… value me as a customer?” she said reading the prewritten sentiment all their certificates came with.

“Yeah, oh no wait, flip it over.”

“'The girlfriend discount?’” she read, breathlessly before adding playfully, “You’re giving me Amity’s discount?”

“What? No! No, uh that’s your discount,” he said. “I-if you want it, that is.”

“My discount huh?”

“Yeah, I’m upgrading you,” he said, dreamily. “I-if you want it.”

“Can I redeem it right now?”

“Really?”

“Well, luckily I have space for one more flower,” she said, holding out her arm to show him the empty spot on her wrist that perfectly mirrored where his cardina was. Luz had only done a few small flowers in addition to his larger intricate ones. He was impressed with his sister’s work, but couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. “I was thinking maybe a rose?”

“A rose?” he laughed. “I thought you hated roses.”

“Roses signify love and admiration, I could never hate them,” Willow scoffed dramatically at the notion. “Especially if it’s a rose you gave me.”

#huntlow #toh #willow park #hunter toh #toh au #winter toh #its so long and nothing really happens but whatever #also theyre older here obvi because they own businesses #willow is a girlboss

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justhere4thevibez · 7 months

Text

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @staceymcgillicuddy @cyraclove and @bibiche007 thanks guys 💛💛💛

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

32! I can't believe it!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

420,197 which is insane!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things, hellcheer specifically

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Long Is the Road Out of Hell (dnd au)

The Interview (college/fake dating au)

Hold Onto Me (vampire au)

Cooking Up Something Sweet (rockstar social media au)

Waiting For This Moment (flower shop/tattoo parlor au)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I try to respond to every single comment! They took the time to give me a comment, why wouldn't I take the time to thank them for it?

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That's tough, because I always try to give hellcheer a happy ending - they deserve it! But Release My Inner Fantasy, despite being almost purely smut, definitely has the angstiest ending. (although it might be slightly cheating since it is part of an ongoing series, and I do intend to give them an eventual happy ending)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, I love to write happy endings! So most of my fics are very happy at the close. But Hooked on a Feeling might be my most sappy-sweet ending. It's definitely one of my more lighthearted fics!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

honestly, no! the hellcheer fandom overall has been very kind to me. the closest I get to hate on fics is people wishing/asking me to do something different than I've already done (i.e. write an alternate ending because they didn't want A or B in it), which can be very discouraging. but I don't get that a lot!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! However, I had never written actual smut in my life until this year, so I'm still pretty new at it

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not really. The closest I've ever gotten to a crossover is crossover elements loosely integrated in a fic. Devil in the Woods, for example, uses bits and pieces from things like little red riding hood and beauty and the beast while remaining very much its own thing!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! And I'd very much like to keep it that way

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i don't think so! but i'd be honored if somebody did

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven't, but I have a lovely friend who betas for me on occasion and we bounce ideas back and forth so much it sometimes feels like cowriting ( @slumped-in-the-arms-of-fiction )

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

hellcheer, if you couldn't tell 😉

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I intend to finish every single wip I have going atm (As well as a few on the back burner lol). but sometimes it feels like i'm never going to finish them, especially when i'm on the very last chapters. why does it always work like that???

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel like i'm pretty good at writing intimate scenes. and by that i mean scenes where not a lot's going on, where a small group of characters (usually two) can be together or have a conversation that doesn't do much for the plot but sheds a lot of light on the characters themselves (both to the readers and within the story between characters)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm very undisciplined with writing habits, i don't write every day or have certain goals. i struggle to describe people and scenery in a concrete way that is integrative with the story itself.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

find a native speaker and get (and listen to) their feedback. whether it's tenses, phrases, or cultural tendencies, let someone who's actually the expert be the expert.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

hellcheer! unless you count me scribbling in my journal when i was about eight, writing a boxcar children story because i'd heard that they employed ghost writers and i thought "i could do that!" i wrote like half a dozen sentences, convinced i was going to become employed by the boxcar children publisher.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

honestly? probably Devil in the Woods. it's the one i go back to the most when i need a comfort read.

Tagging @slumped-in-the-arms-of-fiction @sloelimbs@ebongawk and anyone else who wants to join!

#hellcheer #writer asks #vibez answers

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sxugaryx · 7 months

Text

Yellow Flower (Fanfic)

New Chapter in my main series

(Just a friendly reminder that this is an AU and characters and things that happen in-game lore are not the same here.)

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Geppetto and Pinocchio were in the shopping district, at first, they just wanted to get groceries for the house, but as it happens when you go shopping, you get derailed and start to get unnecessary things, besides, there is no harm in looking around, and treat yourself to something, Geppetto has a good amount of money, not like Venigni obviously but his work had always paid well, even after the frenzy, Geppetto’s reputation didn’t seem to change much, frankly, he feels he doesn’t deserve it.

Pinocchio liked to look around, he wasn’t one to buy on impulse, but he always loved to see what shops had to offer, Gemini had to keep reminding the boy not to stray too far from his father.

“Alright, that’s enough, we should head back home,” Geppetto said, aside from the groceries, they ended up buying new shoes and clothes for the upcoming winter.

Pinocchio nodded and both were on their way back home, but before they could leave the shopping district, Pinocchio saw something he couldn’t ignore in one of the stores, he couldn’t believe it.

“That’s-!” Was all he could say, before quickly entering the shop.

“Pinocchio wait!” Geppetto followed him along, he didn’t see what his son saw, he rushed through the door to follow him, he only saw that the shop was some sort of business that accepted items for money and traded them. Once inside, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

In one of the displays at the store, there he was, Romeo, although it was more like what remained of Romeo, the lower half of his body was completely missing, and some parts of his left arm were becoming loose. Half of his face was torn, just like before; Pinocchio was next to him, he held out his hand to touch him.

“Hey, you can look but you can’t touch! Some of the merchandise is fragile” it was the voice of the shop’s owner, a tall woman, she was wearing a button-up shirt but one of the sleeves completely exposed her arm, filled with tattoos, the rest of her outfit was pretty average, with long pants and boots.

“Romeo? What is he doing here?” Gemini was the first to ask.

“Oh the King of Puppets, yeah someone from the opera house came here months ago, apparently they didn’t want to just throw it in the trash, I figured out some collector might be out for him, so I took them off their hands” the shop owner paused, “Unfortunately no one has wanted the thing and it just sits there”

Pinocchio clenched his fists, Romeo wasn’t just a thing, an object, he was his friend, or maybe he just was Carlo’s friend, Pinocchio always felt so conflicted and confused about Romeo, Pinocchio had seen the memories of Romeo and Carlo, he always felt so… unsettled, while fighting Romeo, Pinocchio had a strange feeling in his chest, his hands shook while fighting him, it was also clear that Romeo didn’t want to fight him either, but he didn’t know if Romeo was just confused as well, thinking that he was Carlo.

The messages Romeo had sent were also something that made Pinocchio’s emotions go haywire, Romeo had a kind nature, he wanted to stop the alchemist and their monsters, and he… wanted to stop his father, he couldn’t blame him, his father had done awful things, things he says he isn’t proud of but that he swears would never happen again.

Geppetto just looked at Romeo, so many emotions were swimming around his mind as well, memories of Carlo and Romeo together kept filling his mind, and even after all that happened, Geppetto couldn’t stand to see Romeo like that, because…

“So are you going to buy it or not? I’m sorry but in here we don’t really accept people that just come to look”

Pinocchio looked at his father, both with the same thing in mind, they couldn’t just leave it here.

Geppetto took a deep breath, “How much is it going to be?”

————-

They were back home now, the woman gave them Romeo in an old wooden box for them to carry, Pinocchio put the box on the floor and opened it, despite Romeo’s condition, he looked so peaceful, his eyes were closed, almost as if he was sleeping.

Pinocchio held his hand to Romeo’s face, he gently grabbed some of the strands of his hair, Pinocchio wanted to believe, that if they had met before, the two of them would be friends, that he could be friends with him and Carlo.

Thinking back when he heard Romeo’s voice, calling for Carlo, Pinocchio had a pounding headache, it’s something he never told anyone, but seeing Carlo’s memories was something he couldn’t even properly describe, he felt as if his body wasn’t his own, that he was stealing Carlo’s body, that he wasn’t supposed to be there, that he was supposed to be Carlo, and the awful truth is that, at that time, it was true, that his father only wanted him to bring back Carlo. Pinocchio had forgiven his father, he loved his father, but remembering those times wasn’t easy for him.

“Father, what are we going to do?” Pinocchio asked, but his father didn’t respond, he was too deep in his thoughts.

Geppetto couldn’t stand to see Romeo like that, he couldn’t stand it because he knew that Carlo loved him, the two of them weren’t just friends, they were more than friends, Geppetto remembered when he first found out, his mind taking him back to the memory of that day.

——-

Geppetto had arrived home late at night, almost 11 pm, the project he had been working on for months had taken a toll on him, but he couldn’t back down now, he couldn’t disappoint his clients, Geppetto always went beyond what was necessary for his craft, only he knew the ins and outs, he was protective of his work, no matter how hard others try to copy it, their creations never compared to his.

Geppetto was planning on going to bed, but he was too exhausted to have dinner, at first, he tried to walk carefully around the house so as to not wake up Carlo, but he soon heard noises in his room, Geppetto was angry now, he had told him so many times to not sleep in late, “I’m 18 now, I’m an adult! I can do what I want” Carlo recently started to say that, and Geppetto would throw him the typical “This is my house and you will follow my rules as long as you live here”

Geppetto didn’t knock on the door, in his anger, he pushed the door wide open, “Carlo how many times do I have to-“ but he didn’t finish that sentence, because in front of him was Carlo and Romeo, sitting in the bed, they were kissing each other, some of the buttons in Carlo’s shirt were undone.

Both of them stopped, for a moment time seemed to stop, Geppetto just closed the door, he briefly heard Carlo’s voice “Wait, father! This isn’t what it looks like”

Geppetto was just outside the door, a minute later he managed to say something “We can talk about this tomorrow” That was for the best, it’s the most embarrassing situation a parent can walk into, it was double embarrassing for his son.

The next day was a Saturday, with no school for Carlo so they had time to talk in the morning before Geppetto left for work, they were both sitting on the couch, Romeo didn’t leave Carlo’s room. It was quiet, no one knew what to even say at first, but finally, Geppetto spoke up.

“Son, I’m sorry for entering without knocking”

“Never do that again” Carlo was mad at him, but Geppetto could tell he was also anxious, his hands were shaking.

“Carlo I-“

“I LIKE MEN” Carlo blurted the words out, he said it so quickly, he wanted the entire ordeal to be over.

“It’s okay son, I really don’t care if you like men, I already know anyway”

“Huh? What do you mean you already know?” Carlo was angry but surprised at the same time.

“Carlo I’m not dumb, and it was kinda obvious, as your father I can tell about this kind of stuff” he wanted to reassure Carlo that it was alright, but in hindsight saying that it was obvious to see wasn’t a good idea.

“Oh because you know so much about my life right?” Carlo’s tone was bitter now.

“Carlo please, let’s not fight right now, I’m trying to be supportive” Geppetto didn’t understand why everything had to turn into a fight.

“But, you probably think it’s weird because it’s Romeo right? You probably think I’m a freak for liking him right?!” Carlo had started to cry now, he had been holding his feelings, he didn’t believe his father would accept him, he already believed his father saw him as a disappointment.

“What? Carlo-“ But Geppetto was interrupted.

“I’m a weirdo because I’m in love with a puppet right?! That’s what you really think about me!” Carlo was crying harder now.

Geppetto hugged his son, “Carlo listen,” it was best to just be truthful, “Look I’m not going to say it isn’t a little strange, but you can love who you want, and Romeo has been your best friend for years, it’s only natural for you to develop feelings for him”

Carlo’s sobbing had begun to be more calm, he was quietly crying now, “Are you really… are you really not mad? You aren’t going to, quick me out of the house or something like that?”

“Of course not Carlo! I would never do that, I love you, son”

Carlo was quiet, a few tears rolling down his face. Things kept quiet for some time, but Geppetto looked at the clock, it was time for him to leave for work. “Carlo I have to leave for work, but just know, that I love you no matter what��

Geppetto played with his son’s hair, before getting up to leave, when he was at the door, Carlo spoke up to him.

“Next week is my graduation, you are going to come, right?”

Next week, next week it’s the day he has to present his project.

“Yes Carlo, I’ll be there”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise”

———-

Geppetto would never forgive himself for not going to his graduation, he snapped back to reality when he realized that Pinocchio was trying to talk to him.

“Father?”

“Oh, yes Pinocchio I was just thinking about what should we do”

“Since he is dead, maybe we could bury him?” Gemini was the first one to actually think of something.

“That’s…a great idea actually” Geppetto was on board with it.

“Should we dig a hole outside?” Pinocchio wanted to give peace to Romeo as well.

Geppetto stayed quiet for a few seconds, “What would Carlo want?” It didn’t take long for him to know what his son truly would have wanted.

“No, not outside, Pinocchio I’m going to make a quick phone call”

————

It was evening outside when they arrived at the cemetery, it didn’t take long for them to arrive at the grave.

Carlo’s grave.

In truth, it was a very small mausoleum, it belonged to Geppetto’s family for a few generations, his wife was buried there, as well as his parents. The tiny building was white, it had a few cracks in it, a small statue of an angel was on top, on the floor, sealed shut, was a compartment meant to stop grave robbers, it was hidden by a rug that looked like artificial grass, once you opened it, you had access to the ground, to bury your loved ones, the ground was extremely deep, some underestimate how deep graves truly go, even if it seems there isn’t much space.

Pinocchio had a shovel in his hands, he started to dig in the hole, usually when you bury someone, the funeral home is the one to aid you in the digging process, but Geppetto didn’t contact one, he doubted they would help him in the first place, he had to call in a favor to bury Romeo, you can only bury people in the cemetery, and they need to have a registration of the deceased person, so Pinocchio was stuck having to be the grave digger. Geppetto insisted many times to help his son, but Pinocchio kept refusing politely. Even if he had an incredible amount of strength and stamina, it didn’t feel fair for him to do all the work.

“Are you really sure you can do this on your own son?” Geppetto asked one last time.

“Yes father, I’m fine, you always say you are getting old, I don’t want an old man like you to get hurt” Pinocchio teased his father.

“Well, I guess you are right”

“Don’t call your father old Pinocchio, that’s rude!” Gemini yelled from his cage.

“Why don’t you help me dig Gemini, crickets like dirt right?” It was now Gemini’s turn to be teased by Pinocchio.

“Haha, very funny kid” Gemini replied sarcastically.

After some time, Pinocchio got deep enough to touch Carlo’s casket, he touched it with his hands for a moment, it made him feel warmth, “I’m done, Father!” Pinocchio shouted, he learned that six feet underground wasn’t just a saying, in fact, he thinks he dug a bit deeper than that.

With that signal, Geppetto grabbed the box that held Romeo and with the help of a rope, lowered it down to Pinocchio’s position, his son adjusted the wooden box on the ground and used the rope to climb back up, now the grueling task of putting all that dirt back was next, Geppetto did help this time, although it was no easy task, by the time they had finished it was already twilight. Geppetto shut the compartment and put the locks back into place, and they put the rug back on top.

They had bought him flowers, not just for him, but flowers for Carlo as well, and flowers for his wife, the flower arrangement was beautiful, white roses, carnations, lavender, and tulips, such a combination of flowers should have looked off, yet the florist that arranged it had such talent, made the dull grave look lively, in a way, it showed that there might be gone, but shine they gave to others its still here with them.

Geppetto had also brought a tiny bouquet of yellow roses that were arranged in the shape of a heart, something special for Carlo and Romeo.

They stayed until twilight ended, no one said another word, staying silent to pay their respects.

Now at night, back home, they both showered and were ready to go to bed, Pinocchio and Geppetto were in their pajamas already, having said good night to each other. Geppetto closed the door of his room, he sat down in his bed, but before he could turn off the lights, Pinocchio opened the door to his room.

“Father, can we… talk about something?”

#lies of p #lop #liesofp #lies of p game #lies of p pinocchio #lies of p geppetto #lies of p fanfic #lies of p carlo #lies of p romeo #this is in ao3 too #ao3 link #alternate universe

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