#but i feel like i really... well... became who i am today in this city.

[florencemtrash]

The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Chapter Twelve

Azriel x Day Court Librarian Reader

Summary: Y/n's clairvoyance is a gift from the Mother, but it feels more like a curse. With the power to gain knowledge through touch alone, Y/n holes herself up in The Alcove and hopes her powers and parentage will remain a secret. But things will change after the Summer Solstice ball and a chance encounter with a certain Shadowsinger.

Warnings: None! Familiar faces return to Velaris and Y/n finally gets a chance to explore the city...

The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Masterlist

Masterlist of Masterlists

I’ve been dreaming again. Dreaming of him. 

Thanatos. With his milky pale skin the color of bleached bones. Bold brush strokes of black ink mark his clothes and paint his hair and his marble eyes. I should feel unsettled when looking into the face of death. But I don’t. I’m the only one who gets to see him like this. The only one who gets to see his true face and I don’t know why. He doesn’t understand it either, and it frustrates him to no end. 

He’s almost as curious as I am. Almost. 

He came to the cabin again today, carrying that black lit candle between his spindly fingers like he believed in the Mother and was prepared to pray and sing to her like the rest of us. He says he likes to hear me during the service, tiny and informal as it is, but really I think he’s here because it irks me, and because I’m some tapestry he can’t seem to unravel.

He asked me again whether I’d call upon the Mother for him. He says he has a question that needs answering, and once he has his answer, he’ll be able to tell me how we can defeat Koschei. If it’s even possible. 

But I don’t believe that male for a second. He’d sooner carve the world to bits and devour the scraps before helping us like the coyote he is.

Rest assured I will never agree to his bargain. It will take more than that to turn Bethsevah Mordeigh.  

Although he said something strange that night, when the candles had dripped and left their waxy marks on the altar. 

“You were made to ruin me, Beth,” he said, “And I will let you do it a thousand—a million—times over.” 

He spoke in a dozen different voices, but I can’t deny I liked how the sounds came together and became his own. 

You jerked awake with your hand still cradling the book against your chest. 

Bethsevah Mordeigh. 

You had a name. 

You had a name! 

You burst out of your room. 

“Az! Az! I’ve got something.” You beat your fist against his bedroom door. “Az!” There was silence. 

The kitchen was empty, dirty dishes scrubbing themselves clean in the sink. A glance at the clock above the oven told you you’d slept in a great deal.

You took the steps two at a time, sprinting down the hallway towards the west wing. The training arena took up most of the second floor stocked with enough weapons to outfit a small army. Wood and stone knobs stuck out from the wall at extreme angles as part of the climbing gym. The ceiling dipped up and down like draped fabric. On any other day you would have seen Valkyries with rippling arms and backs making their way up to the green flag pinned directly above the room’s center point, bodies straining against the pull of gravity. But not today. 

Two of the three mats spaced across the room were occupied and you heard the beat of Illyrian wings before you even opened the double doors. 

Feyre and Nesta stood against the side wall bracketed by racks of steel swords, glistening throwing knives, and an Illyrian bow as long as you were tall. 

Feyre licked her lips, greedily tracing Rhysand’s powerful form as he went toe to toe with Azriel. You couldn’t help but stare as well as they leapt around the ring in a blur of wings and shadow. You’d never seen Azriel shirtless but… well… it was a sight you could get used to. 

It was a dance — a dangerous, deadly dance — and although the language of violence wasn’t one you were familiar with, you could read the display well enough to know that Azriel would win this round. 

Sweat glistened on his skin, slipping down the curves of his back where leathery black wings fused with his shoulder blades. Tattoos wrapped around his shoulders and across his chest, pulsing with a life of their own as Azriel cleanly side stepped one of Rhysand’s kicks. There was the faintest crease in the High Lord’s brow to let you know he was getting tired. 

But Azriel was just getting started. And now that he knew you were watching? He wanted to make it worth your while.  

Rhys gritted his teeth, launching out with a strike quicker than lightning. Someway, somehow, Azriel was faster. He dipped to the side, Rhys’s knuckle just kissing his cheekbones and came up for a counterstrike, slamming his fist so hard into his brother’s cheek that he staggered back. 

That was unnecessary. Rhys snapped his jaw back into place.

Azriel grinned. Fatherhood suits you. But I can’t let you get soft.

There was a roll of violet eyes. Sure. That’s why you’re trying so hard right now.

Rhys snatched Azriel’s leg out of the air, rolling onto the ground in a move that sent the Shadowsinger twisting in a graceful arch that had your breath catching in your throat. He broke free of Rhysand’s hold, leaping onto his feet like gravity didn’t apply. 

You met his eyes, heady and dark, and could have sworn he winked. But it may have just been a trick of the light. 

You ducked your head, hurrying across the room towards Feyre and Nesta and hoping they wouldn’t comment on the flush creeping up your neck.

“Fey—” you began urgently.

The High Lady held up a hand and you fell silent. There was a sheen to her eyes that let you know she was honing in on Rhysand’s moves with more than just her eyes. 

Nesta smirked at you as you blushed. You struggled to keep your gaze from drifting back to the powerful display, even as you caught glimpses of Azriel’s tan body out of the corner of your eye. Rippling, bold, strong. 

“Don’t worry about staring,” Nesta said with a wicked glimmer. “The boys admire us. We admire them. It’s an even exchange.” 

One mat over Cassian was sparing with a new female you’d never seen before. Illyrian, but there was something wrong with her wings. They were held strong and proud above the ground, but they dragged in places where Cassian had control over every minor movement. If you concentrated closely enough, you could make out the thin, shiny scars that had snipped the tendon closest to the apex of her wings, just by the arch of her claws. 

Your stomach dropped with horror.

Her wings had been clipped. 

She held her own against the Lord of Bloodshed. Cassian might have had the advantage of experience and his longer limbs, but she moved with a daring determination. She dodged every blow by the narrowest margin, conserving her energy so when she was able to slip close and find her opening, she slammed her elbow up and into his nose with a sickening crack that echoed throughout the room. 

You winced, hands flying up to your face at the same time that Cassian’s did. 

“FUCK!” He roared. 

“Whooo! THAT’S MY WIFE!” A gorgeous, curvy blond hung off one of the ring posts, legs propped up on the tensioned ropes. 

There was only one member of their family that had ever been described as sunlight incarnate. That had to be Mor. Which meant the striking female currently giving Cassian hell on the mat was Emerie.

Emerie blushed, stealing a heavy look for long enough for Cassian to snap his nose back into place. He ducked down and swept her legs out from beneath her, wrestling her to the ground in a tangle of leather and wings. But Nesta didn’t let him have the advantage for too long. 

Cassian choked on the teasing words he’d prepared for Emerie when Nesta sent him a particularly candid image of herself in a strip of black fabric. 

For later tonight. She whispered down the bond.

Damn it Nes.

Emerie smashed her forehead into his already swollen nose, then her knee surged up with enough strength to crack ribs. She braced her foot against his chest and flipped him over her head and onto his back, wrapping her powerful legs around his neck and pinning him to the ground with his arm forced back in his socket. Finally he tapped out. 

“Poor Illyrian baby,” Nesta crooned as Emerie pulled Cassian to his feet. Despite the blood that dripped from his nose, he was glowing with pride at Emerie. “Better luck next time.”

Mor grasped Emerie by the front of her training gear and yanked her close for a long kiss that left the Illyrian stumbling back with red lipstick smeared over her lips and a dark blush across her caramel cheeks. 

Nesta yelped when Cassian wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her off the ground with one arm like she weighed nothing.

“We could try that move tonight. Your legs, my face? But this time I won’t tap out.” Cassian winked and Nesta leveled a sultry glare in his direction, eyes lingering on the sheen of his muscular chest with unabashed heat. 

“Get a room,” Mor called out and Emerie threw a towel in his direction. It landed over his shoulder with comical perfection. 

“Says the pair that had to disappear to another continent after their wedding ceremony.” 

Mor flung an obscene gesture his way and Cassian returned it with equal fervor. “Says the pair that made Azriel run for the hills when he was left to chaperone.” 

“Hey! That’s on Rhysand. He never should have left us with a chaperone at all.” Nesta cut in. 

“You rang.” Rhysand appeared sweaty and spent behind Mor’s shoulder and slung his arm around her. The bruises on his cheeks were turning darker by the second.

Azriel hovered on the edges of the crowd, glancing at Mor and then at you. He was mildly disappointed that you’d been too busy watching Cass and Emerie to see him win at the end of the fight.  

“Gross, get off of me.” Mor shoved her cousin away. 

Rhysand’s shoulders shook with laughter. He smiled at you, eyes gleaming with happiness. It had been so long since he’d last seen his cousin. 

“Mor.” He gestured to you, “Meet Y/n—” He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I think I just realized I don’t know your last name.” 

“Halwynn.” You offered up your mother’s last name. Even though you technically didn’t have any right to it as a bastard, it’s the name you’d gone by your whole life.

“Meet Y/n Halwynn,” Rhysand finished. 

“The resident intellect,” Mor said, caramel-brown eyes shining. “Well thank the Mother, you showed up when you did.” She looped her arm around yours easily and you caught a whiff of the perfume she’d dotted against her collarbones — amber and vanilla. A ruby the size of your thumb hung from a gold chain, following the dramatic dip in the front of her scarlet dress that left little to the imagination. You thought she might just be the most gorgeous female you’d ever seen. 

“We’d be absolutely lost without you. I hope the Library is up to your standards, although let’s be honest, it probably isn’t.”

You agreed a little too quickly. 

“Bethsevah Mordeigh.” Rhysand turned the name over in his mind, testing its familiarity and coming up empty. “Any takers?” 

You all stood around Rhysand’s desk, the book propped open beside bottles of jet-black ink, eagle-feather pens, and neat stacks of parchment paper.

Everyone shook their heads. 

“Fair enough.” He looked disappointed, but not surprised. “We’re only separated by a few thousand years, give or take.”

You paced in front of the windowsill, nervously picking at your fingernails until they were under threat of bleeding. Azriel noticed and one of his shadows gently wrapped around your wrists and pulled your hands apart. You looked at him gratefully and stuck your hands in your pockets.

“The oldest text I’ve seen dates back twelve-thousand years,” Feyre offered. “I’ve also asked Gwyn and Clotho to begin searching.”

“What about the Day Court?” Azriel looked at you.

“I can ask Helion to search the archives. But I’ll warn you, records dating back that far are few and far apart. And priestesses back then were less keen on recording the movements of their members. But we might get lucky with some of her descendants if they ever joined the order. Work our way backwards through history.”

Mor shot Rhysand a look. “Why ask me to come back here now? I could have been of better use searching for this information on the Continent.”

“Now is not the time for you to be traversing foreign lands. Not with Koschei at risk of being let loose.” 

You shook your head. “And it wouldn’t matter. Bethsevah wouldn’t have been born on the Continent. If she ever went, it would have only been to trap Koschei. Our best bet is to search for information about her down south.”

The others stared at you in confusion. You blinked as if the answer was obvious. “Organized religion surrounding the Mother emerged in Southern Prythian and her priestesses didn’t spread out to Hybern or the Continent until the Insynthian Age.”

“Your point being?” Nesta folded her arms over her chest. When it came to the specifics of Prythian history, she and Feyre were about as useful as a glass rod in a lightning storm. 

“The bit about the candles is a very, very old ceremony. People would write their prayers in blood and have a priestess burn them on a candle made with a strand of their hair woven into the wick. If Bethsevah was a priestess performing this ritual, she would have been an early member of the order. Before the Insynthian Age.” 

“That would narrow things down significantly.” Rhysand nodded in approval. “I’ll reach out to Lucien, see if he’ll be able to find anything out for us.”

You pulled a sheef of paper out from your pockets and Helion’s pen. You scribbled down a note to him about what you’d discovered and within five minutes the words were racing south to the Day Court. 

“How on earth do you know this?” Mor asked incredulously, looking at you with a mixture of awe and bewilderment.

“I’m a Librarian.” She looked unimpressed by that statement. “I had a religious phase.” You smoothed your thumb over your necklace, feeling for your mother’s seal — a flowering heather and fountain pen crossed over in an “x”. 

“A religious phase?”  

“Yes.” 

She clicked her tongue, red lips turning up in a smirk. “You Day Court fae are certainly something.” 

You blushed. “I’ll let you know if I learn anything else.” You went to grab the book, but Mor’s hand slapped down first, pinning it to the table and you with a stare. 

“Nope. Work is for tomorrow,” Mor declared, eyes glittering with fondness. “Today, I want to see my city with my family.” 

You tapped the book through your robes, counting the rhythmic swings against your hip like a metronome. One. Two. One. Two. One-

Cassian leaned down to whisper, “You’re doing great,” before waving to a male with ash-blonde hair standing beside an apple cart. 

Pink ladies, honeycrisps, and ambrosias were piled high into luscious clouds. Two gestures and a flick of a coin through the air later and Cassian was shoving a small, flimsy basket in your hand. Roasted apples covered in burnt sugar and drizzled with caramel seeped into the wax paper. 

One. Two. One. Two. 

It was still too early for most of the Night Court, but the hustle and bustle in the Palace of Bone and Salt was unperturbed. Now was the time for the owners of small shops to haggle for prices without interfering with common business. The apple cart you just left had a new customer already — a wispy female with candy-floss hair lugging a basket on wheels capable of carrying three bushels for the bakery two streets over.

“Would you like some?” You held the food up to Azriel, but he only stumbled over a crack cobblestone street before shaking his head no. 

He was being awfully quiet today. Quieter than usual. 

Maybe he’s sick? You thought to yourself. He hadn’t eaten lunch either, but maybe that was just because he disliked the sandwiches you’d made. Or maybe it was because of a certain blond-haired female who kept giving him side glances with questions eating at her from the inside out.

“Come on,” you encouraged, nudging his shoulder. “You haven’t eaten since breakfast.” 

Azriel looked at the apple slice you held out for him like it was a personal torture.

Cassian grinned and slung his arm over your shoulders, peeling you away from Azriel’s side to his relief. The weight was a comfort coming from him and you felt that thrill in your stomach whenever any member of the Inner Circle touched you. 

“Azriel won’t starve. I promise, Y/n.” 

Nyx thought he might starve. He was a growing boy, and had a stomach to match. He tapped your elbow and you wordlessly passed over the basket to him, but not before snatching a piece for yourself. The sugar crackled, then melted over your tongue, the sharpness from the apple cutting through caramel in a burst of tartness. 

“How is Helion doing by the way?” Mor dropped the question casually. “Rhys says you know him well.” 

You blinked at her. What did she care about Helion? “I’ve worked on a few projects for him before this one. And he’s doing as well as he can be, I suppose. Things aren’t exactly perfect in the Day Court right now.”

“Ah, Helion,” Mor breathed out, almost wistfully, “He was one of the few good males I ever slept with.” 

You choked on your food, sputtering and coughing for long enough that Cassian started to slap your back. You felt your bones shake with each blow.

So… Mor had slept with your father… figures.

Feyre looked at you with concern. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” you said meekly. You shoved more food in your mouth before anyone could ask any further questions.

Azriel felt that familiar pool of jealousy bubble in his stomach at the mention of Helion. You kept rubbing that necklace of yours, Helion’s seal displayed prominently like he’d personally stamped you as his. 

He allowed himself to get close enough to brush against your shoulder and a few of his shadows creeped onto your body, weaving themselves into your hair. You looked up at him and smiled. 

“You’re in a good mood today.” Azriel’s hazel eyes were brighter in the morning light, flecks of green poking through the amber. “You’re smiling.” 

And what didn’t you have to be smiling about? You were finally exploring Velaris. Mor, Cassian, and Nyx had touched you, albeit through the fabric of your robes, and you hadn’t been overwhelmed. And you’d finally been able to take knowledge from the book.

 It had been a pinch of information as potent as saltwater. You had gotten a name, and names held power. 

Azriel’s eyes glimmered with quiet delight. 

“I’m just happy,” you said. “I think things are getting better, with—” You glanced down at where your arms swung side by side and you reached out a finger, allowing it to gently brush against the scars at the top of his left hand. You curled your fingers around his for the briefest moment before letting go. “And… you know.” You shrugged. 

Azriel stopped walking abruptly and everyone turned to stare at him. The Shadowsinger was strung taughter than an Illyrian bow. 

Mor raised her brow in open appraisal. There was a flash of something like shock in her eyes and then she was buried in Emerie’s hair, whispering something into the female’s rounded ears that had her dark carved eyebrows flying up to her hairline.

“Az?” Rhys asked cheekily, “Everything alright?”

Cassian chuckled and even Nesta smirked.

Last year he was giving Elain and Gwyn the bedroom eyes, and now he short-circuits because Y/n brushes her hand against his? I don’t believe what I’m seeing, Cass.

Some females like their males a little pathetic and lovesick. 

You would know. 

Cassian chuckled, looping his arm around her waist and burying his lips in her hair. He twirled the face framing pieces between his fingers like he always did, and Nesta tried not to think about how she’d first started leaving them out after meeting the Lord of Bloodshed. It would seem she had once been a pathetic and lovesick fool herself.

I love it when you tease, Nes. 

Maybe she still was. Nesta couldn’t help but lean into his touch. 

They do make a good couple. She admitted and Cassian was in agreement.

Feyre was thinking the same thing as you twisted towards him, hand still outstretched like there was a string tying your fingers to his. You couldn’t help but want to drift towards him as surely as gravity makes rain fall to the earth. 

Does she know? Mor grasped Rhysand’s arm, eyes wide and staring. Does she know they’re mates? 

Not yet. 

Mor groaned. Are you fucking kidding me?

I wish I was.

Damn you, Azriel.

Azriel shook his head and forced his body to move forward. The world had stopped when you touched him, and it was only just starting to pick up again. 

“Sorry,” he murmured. 

Nyx munched on his apple slice, staring at you both curiously before following after his mother and father.

“Did you hear something?” You stayed by his side, no longer interested in the aromas fluttering in the air from the bakery, the soup shop with its stone vats bubbling in the back, the smokehouse with its slabs of bacon crackling on grease. “From your shadows?”

“No. Why did you think that?”

“You had a look in your eye, like you weren’t quite there for a second. My mother used to say that I looked like that sometimes when using my powers. Like for a moment I was untethered from the earth and at risk of floating away.” 

Azriel saved that piece of information, storing it away in his mind next to the knowledge that you had always wanted a dustbear for a pet because they were such simple, mindless creatures and you never felt overcome in their presence. 

“I do feel that way at times.” He waited until your little troupe passed by the spice shops. The particles in the air always made Cassian sneeze. “But not now.” 

Everyone dipped into a paisley blue building, the bell ringing with a soft clang to announce their presence. 

“Right now I feel… settled.” 

You grinned at him brighter than the sun, moon, and stars combined. “Good.” 

You followed after the others, and while your back was turned, Mor took her opportunity. She clawed the back of Azriel’s leathers, hauling him down the alleyway before anyone could notice. 

Azriel’s eyes blew open in surprise when Mor shoved him up against the wall hard enough for a rain of petals to fall over their heads from the second floor balcony. It would have been romantic if it weren’t for the incredulous look in Mor’s eyes and the fact that Azriel was still caught up in your smile and the feeling of your skin against his. Gods he wished you were the one pressing him against this wall. He couldn’t stop thinking about that hug in Rhysand’s office. He wanted to feel the softness of your body against him once more. 

“You idiot!” Mor slapped him across the face and it shocked him back to the present. “Why didn’t you tell me you found your mate?” She hissed. 

Azriel looked frantically back to the street, half expecting you to be standing there with your inquisitive eyes. It was still a jolt to his system whenever anyone used that word: mate. Equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. It was such a fragile word, and the others tossed it around so dangerously. 

“I didn’t—” Azriel stammered. Mor and Emerie’s arrival this morning had been unexpected for everyone except Rhysand and Feyre. “There wasn’t time.” “So?! You should’ve made time.” Mor stepped away, letting the Shadowsinger back down onto his feet. He had the good sense to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck while Mor tossed her waist length hair over her shoulder. Her cheeks were flushed pink, tanned and freckled from her time on the Continent. 

Azriel felt that familiar coil of guilt building in his stomach and he tried to remember the apology he’d been preparing for this exact moment when he and Mor would be alone. 

He cleared his throat and bowed his head to the ground in a picture of reverent apology. “Mor, about what I said—”

She crashed into him again, arms looping around his neck and squeezing him so tightly he felt his ribs crack. And she was… laughing?

“You have a mate!” She giggled through happy tears, bouncing on her feet. Her heels clicked against the granite tiles. “My best friend finally has a mate!”

She kept repeating it over and over again, like she couldn’t quite believe it herself. 

“Mor, please. Keep it down.” They were attracting attention and Azriel wordlessly summoned his shadows to hide them from view.

Mor finally let him go, covering her mouth with her hands. “I’m sorry I just—” She squealed. 

Azriel let out a long, heavy sigh. This was closer to the reaction he should have had when Mor and Emerie announced their engagement. Instead he’d gone cold and silent. 

He should have known Mor preferred females, and maybe he had known all along that Mor could never love him the way he’d once loved her. But he’d done what he always did when it came to love and ran forward with a blindfold on, hoping his aim was true but never bothering to check. 

Mor furrowed her brows. “Are you upset by this? Why do you look like that?”

“What?” Azriel hissed like the question physically hurt him. “No. No! I’m not upset, I’m—” He clenched his fists and said in a small voice, “I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.” He took a deep breath and winced, “And I’m thinking that you must have felt similarly when you got together with Emerie, and that I royally fucked up by reacting the way that I did.” 

He could picture it clear as day — Mor’s radiant smile slipping off her face, left hand dropping behind her back to hide the glittering ruby, the tears that gathered in her eyes when all Azriel did was remain stiff as stone before dropping off the balcony at her engagement party. 

Mor hesitated then tucked her honey-gold waves behind her ears like she did whenever she was uncomfortable. “I should have told you sooner.” Azriel knew she was referring to more than just her relationship with Emerie. “I knew you loved me and I let you believe for so long that there might be a chance I could return those feelings. But I was scared because… because I wanted to know there would always be someone waiting for me if…” She pressed her hands over her stomach. The nails may have disappeared from her body without a trace, but they’d been hammered elsewhere in her soul and she hadn’t managed to take them out just yet. “It was wrong of me to use you like that. To keep you waiting for so long.”

Azriel rubbed her shoulders. “I think you gave me more than a few hints that it wouldn’t work out. Chief among them, Cassian.” Mor’s gaze dropped to her feet, but all Azriel did was press a gentle kiss to the crown of her forehead. “I still love you, Mor, and I always will. It’s just a different kind of love now. I’m happy for you and Emerie. Truly.” 

“Yeah?” She looked up hopefully. 

Azriel nodded. He pulled Mor close, wrapping his wings around her to block out the sounds of bartering happening in the square. They stayed like that for a long while, until the shadows on the wall had dropped another inch. 

Mor sniffled and pushed him away. “Ok, enough of this now.” She carefully brushed away at the corner of her eyes, “You’re ruining my makeup.” 

Azriel’s shoulders shook with silent laughter, and Mor noted how it seemed to come easier to him now.   

The whole day you’d felt that something was amiss, but it wasn’t until a flustered artisan carrying bolts of spider silk fabric crashed into you that you realized what it was.

You stumbled into Azriel’s sturdy arms, feeling the strength and power beneath his leathers as he propped you up against his side. 

“So sorry, miss. Please forgive me.” The artisan blubbered. His cat eyes glowed a pale orange as they flickered over you from head to toe, “Can’t see with this.” He lifted the bolt. There was something about his gaze that unsettled you, like he was searching for something. Like he was hungry. Or scared.

“It’s alright.” You adjusted your clothes, tucked the book behind your back so it was pressed up against Azriel’s hip. 

That look in his eyes disappeared and he huffed in relief before continuing down the cobblestone streets, too much in a hurry to notice the Shadowsinger glaring at him.

“Are you ok?” He let you find your footing, keeping his hand at the small of your back. 

You stared at the male’s retreating form. “He didn’t… he didn’t bow to you. To any of you.” You blinked at Feyre and Rhysand.

She wore no crown, no jewelry except the ring on her finger and the diamonds in her  ears, but the male must have known he was in the presence of his High Lady. And there was no mistaking Rhysand and his brothers.

“Like Azriel said when you first arrived here, we take the casual approach.” Feyre said, and as if to make the point, Nyx shoved his hands in his pockets, tilting his head to the side in a manner so like Rhys that Azriel and Cassian burst out laughing. Rhys looked down fondly and brushed back his hair. 

Feyre drifted to your side, watching with amusement as Nyx disappeared into the forest of color that was the Palace of Thread and Jewels. Every inch of fabric was too precious to be wasted, and so the weavers collected the scraps and tied them together, end to end, until they became one long chain. They hung from the entrances of shops, from the arches criss-crossing overhead, and from hand-painted signs. They wrapped around doorways and caught on the shoulders of passerbys, whispering of the time and effort spent crafting them.

Nyx weaved in and out of these strands, chased by Cassian and Azriel as they pretended to be tricked by the little boy’s lithe footsteps. You gasped as he turned invisible, then reappeared four inches to his left, jabbing at Azriel’s side before disappearing again.

“He can wrap light around himself as much as he can weave darkness,” Feyre explained, staying close to your side, “I think he might have gotten some remnant of the Day Court’s power from me. It made him an absolute nightmare for about three years when he couldn’t control it. Can you imagine having a toddler waddling around and wreaking havoc that you can’t even see?”

Nesta let out a sharp breath of laughter. “I think that’s an experience unique to you, Fey.”

You had to agree. You’d never turned invisible as a child, although you had to admit it would have been a very useful power to inherit from your father.

“Gotcha! You little rascal!” Cassian said triumphantly. 

You heard Nyx shriek with laughter. Cassian and Azriel both had one arm raised above their heads and with a little shake the boy came back into view, dangling upside down from his ankles.  

“Don’t break the boy, Cass.” 

“I won’t break him, Rhys. Gotta let him grow old enough to beat all those bastards at Windhaven, don’t I?” 

Rhys and Feyre’s smiles slipped ever so slightly. 

Nyx was lowered to the ground. He kept his arms out and balanced on his hands for a brief moment before walking over onto his feet with a flourish. 

“Gwyn taught me that last week. She’s part river nymph. Very flexible.” He brushed invisible dirt from his shirt and continued on, leading the way towards the Sidra like he owned the place — which in some respects he did.

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Author's Note:

Just another little chapter with more slowburn antics between Y/n and Azriel! And! Mor and Emerie are here! I am slowly but surely collecting characters like pokemon cards because you know I want to have my favorites in Velaris when shit starts to go down...

#azriel x reader #azriel x reader slowburn #azriel x y/n #azriel x you #azriel shadowsinger #the shadowsinger and the inkbird #acotar fanfiction #acotar #azriel angst #azriel spymaster

[sunny44]

You shouldn’t let her go

Pairing: Lewis Hamilton!girlfriend reader x Max Verstappen!ex-girlfriend reader

Warnings: stupid Max, pregnancy

Summary: Max left his fiancée after years of relationship because he felt he couldn't stand being tied to someone anymore so after almost two years she shows up in the paddock with Lewis and he realizes he shouldn't have let her go.

Ps: just to make it clear, I am not in favor of the rivalry that is imposed on Lewis and Max, I know they are not friends but the reality does not match my stories, this is fiction so don't take it personally.

Next Chapter

When he decided that our relationship should end I thought he was joking.

For days and weeks I couldn't believe that this was real, but my mind was made up as soon as I saw pictures of him on the internet with women in parties.

It was then that I realized that our engagement was over.

I don't think I have ever suffered so much in my life, I never thought that I would be isolated for months.

I suffered so much that I started to stop eating, in the beginning I ate very little but as the days went by I decreased until I almost stopped completely but luckily my mother saved me from being at the bottom of the pit.

The first months were difficult, I had been used to our own routine for years and having to leave it suddenly was extremely difficult, in fact I was torn out of that routine.

I had to leave where I had lived for years since the apartment was his, I had to learn to take care of my place by myself since now there was no one else for me to share my tasks with.

But 5 months later I met someone, someone who made me have those feelings again, the feelings that I thought after Max I would never have again.

I already knew who he was and he also knew who I was but the fact that he was Max's enemy but leads meant that we never really talked.

Lewis and I had been dating for almost 9 months when he ask me to be his girlfriend and I remember being extremely happy that he was taking our relationship as seriously as I was.

And since that day we have been together and today would be the first time I could be in a formula one paddock since Max and I broke up.

Today was the Dutch GP and Lewis and I were on our way to the paddock, him and I had agreed early on in the relationship that we would only go public when we were comfortable letting the world know about us. I know how well this world works, if you don't do something people judge you and if you do something they judge you anyways.

And I knew what the fans would say that I was a hustler who only dates drivers and that since I got dumped by one I went after another.

But they don't know the half of it because the part where I suffered they don't care because one of the most coveted pilots became single so they can go after him and try their luck and some of them really do.

Most of them are like that, they go from city to city in nightclubs chasing silly girls who are willing to have their one minute of fame for being able to say that they fuck a formula 1 driver, but in the end this is nothing because in years of relationship he can forget you in one day so how long does it take for them to forget a simple fuck?

When we arrived in the paddock I could already feel my nervousness and so could Lewis, he knew I was afraid to come but not because I was here again or even because I had to see him.

But because of the fact that I would be judged for dating a driver who doesn't get along well with my ex for clear reasons.

But I'm already expecting that his fans don't like me.

"Are you okay?" He asks looking at me but I don't answer and just stare at nothing. "Hey, baby."

"Yeah?" I asked looking at him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Again he asks and I don't answer. "I'm not sure we picked the right GP to do this."

"In this situation there is no right GP. But I think we picked the worst one." I say and he laughs. "Look they are going to hate me anyway with us showing up together today or in the next race so let's just get over with."

"That's the way to talk." He says cheerfully and we get out of the car.

When we got out of the car and were getting in it seemed like the world had stopped around the two of us, the flashes and noises of the cameras, the movement was so big that even some of the drivers that were scattered around looked and were surprised at what they were seeing.

Halfway there I felt Lewis taking my hand and intertwining our fingers and confirming what people were thinking.

We walked to the Mercedes garage and before we entered I could see him standing in front of the Red Bull garage with some people from the team talking to him but Max was more focused on me than on them.

When we got inside I went to say hello to the people from the team, some faces were already known but most I didn't know who they were.

"We have an unexpected visitor." I hear a voice behind me and I recognized it right away by the accent.

"Hi Toto, how are you?"

"Fine and you?"

"I'm great taking all the attention."

"It's almost as if Beyoncé is walking into the paddock."

"I felt like her." He laughs.

"I'm going to go change and be right back okay?" Lewis says and I nodded and he gave me a kiss before heading to his room.

"I'm going to get some coffee, will you let him know for me?" Toto agrees and I leave to get a cup of coffee.

Which I shouldn't have done if I knew Max would find me and come after me.

"Hi."

"Hi Max."

"Good to see you, you look great."

"Thanks."

"And how are you?"

"Fine."

"I haven't heard from you anymore."

"You wouldn't have had to know, you made it very clear that you didn't want me in your life anymore the last time we saw each other."

"And that was the biggest mistake of my life.”

"That’s your problem now." I said walking past him but he held my arm. "Can you let go of me?"

"Are you really with him or was that whole scene just to make me jealous?"

"Pay close attention because I'm only going to tell you once, you broke up with me and it was you who broke my heart. You don't know what the hell my life was like after you dumped me, so don't come to me wanting to know about my life because I don't owe you anything.”

"I'm sorry I was an asshole and I deserve that you are angry with me but seriously you are dating him? You didn't even like him."

"YOU didn't even like him Max I've never even spoken to him to draw those conclusions. And you are rivals on the track but off the track you have no connection."

"So you're dating a guy who hates me? After everything we've been through?"

"And after everything we've been through you dumped me like that for no reason at all so it looks like we're even." He looks at me with anger and sadness at the same time. "And for your information yes I am dating him and it's been a long time, it's not something recent that happened just so I could make you jealous. So leave me alone."

I turned to leave and after a few steps I stopped and looked at him.

"Actually I do owe you something.” He looked at me. "I owe you a thank you for breaking my heart years ago because then I could meet a guy who really loves me and who sees a future with me unlike you who only saw me as a trophy that you dragged everywhere."

Having said that I actually left and went to get a coffee which would actually be a tea since I was avoiding drinking too much coffee.

After buying the tea and a donut that I couldn't resist when I saw it I went back to the Mercedes garage seeing a super worried Lewis.

"Oh my God, where were you? I was worried when I came back and didn't see you here."

"I asked Toto to tell you I was going to get something to drink."

"He had to go to a meeting and must have forgotten."

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"You look a little pale, is something wrong?" He asks, running his hand over my face and I know why I was pale but I wouldn’t tell him right before the race.

"I had a forced conversation with Max on the way over."

"What did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"He didn't hurt me he just wanted to know if we were really together or I was just using you to make him jealous. But I'm not." I hasten to say."

"I know don't worry about it, don't worry about him okay? He's not worth your time."

Lewis put his arms around my waist bringing me close to him and I held his face and kissed him until we were interrupted by the crew calling Lewis to get in the car because the race was about to start, he kissed me once more and went to the car.

I didn't remember how torturous and agonizing it was to have someone you love racing at over 300km/h, every time it seemed like someone was going to crash and I was scared to death that something was going to happen to Lewis but I knew that he was an excellent driver and had total control of what he was doing.

That was until he started to lose positions and that made me and the team worried because the car was the best of the weekend.

Max was first now and I could almost hear his laughter in my head and it really pissed me off.

"Y/n come here." I heard Toto calling me and Bono handing me a microphone.

"Why are you giving this to me?" I picked up the headset in confusion.

"He's nervous for some reason and we can't calm him down so try talking to him."

"Lewis can you hear me?" I ask after I put the headset on.

"Honey? What are you doing there?"

"You need to concentrate, what's going on?"

"I keep thinking about you and him, and it's distracting me. I'm afraid that after you talked today you might want to get back together with him.”

"Don't think about it, I love you and I'm never getting back with Max, understand? I couldn't even."

"Why couldn't you?"

"Because me and our baby love you and we are here rooting for you too."

"Our baby?" he asks without understanding.

"I'm pregnant babe."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am."

"Are we having a baby?"

"Yes we are." I could hear him laughing with happiness. "So go get him."

Right then he sped up and sped up as if his life depended on it and on the last lap he passed Max and the whole garage celebrated, when he crossed the finish line we all went in front of the podium where I went running with the team and stood right in front, he jumped out of the car and celebrated and then came running towards me and kissed me, he pulled me through the fence hugging me even tighter. He bent down and kissed my belly making me laugh through my tears and the look on Max's face that came second didn't go unnoticed, I don't know if it was me but their eyes seemed to shine with the tears but at the moment I didn't care because my happiness was there with me celebrating his victory.

Bonus scene!

Yourusername instagram post

Liked by LewisHamilton, yourmom, mickshumacher, landonorris and others 82937

Yourusername After feeling lonely and unhappy for years I finally found someone who makes me feel like the most special woman in the world. I can't thank you enough for making me shine again and for making me a better person.

And now that our family is growing, I can only thank you for always being there for us, I love you so much.

Tagged: LewisHamilton

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#lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton edit #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton angst #lewis hamilton x you #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton one shot #lewis hamilton instagram au #lewis hamilton aesthetic #lewis hamilton icons #lewis hamilton smut #lewis hamilton social media au #lewis hamilton drabble #lewis hamilton fanfic #lewis hamilton fanart #lewis hamilton fluff #lewis hamilton headers #lewis hamilton blurb #lewis hamilton masterlist #mercedes amg f1 #f1 instagram au #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #mercedes

[octuscle]

You’re so good at transforming others so I was wondering if I could thank you by transforming you. Who do you want to become? 😊💪

I am almost 27 years old. I graduated from university almost two years ago. Since then, I have been working for an auditing company, auditing the risk management systems of banks. Not a particularly erotic job. But well paid. I travel a lot and my working hours are also less from 09:00 to 17:00. Not good conditions for getting back into shape. I used to be a competitive athlete. Open-water swimming. My shoulders and back are still quite broad… But the waist is no longer as narrow as it was in my best days. Well… The course of life, I would say…

Sunday morning. Normally I would sleep in, go somewhere for breakfast, then maybe do a bit of work. But today I feel like going for a run. At 06:00 in the morning. In the drizzle. I'm really crazy! But running clears my head. After just under an hour, I pass an outdoor gym in the city park. Yawning empty in this weather, of course. I really enjoy it! It's almost 10:00 when I get back home. Now for a hot shower. Uh, no. A cold shower! Hardens off. And then breakfast. Low-fat quark, protein powder, bananas, some fruit. Doesn't taste particularly good. But gives me the energy I need. A bit of Resident Evil 3 to relax. And around 3 p.m. I have to make my way to the stadium. Kick-off is at 5:30 p.m., and I'd like to be in my regular place in the south curve at 4 p.m. Getting in the mood with the boys. Highlight of the week!

Hehehe, that was a good brawl with the opponent's fans last night. That's a good black eye… And my lip is still a bit swollen too. Looks a bit dangerous. Despite the crisp white shirt, navy blue suit and polished black Oxfords. Even after a year on the job, I still haven't got used to getting up early on Mondays. Mondays are usually at 03:30. An hour of push-ups and a bit of weights training, as best I can at home. And then get ready, go to the airport and usually the plane takes off at 07:00 or so. And then I'm back to being the good auditor candidate. It's not as if the job isn't fun. But especially after the weekends, which are packed with hard training and fun with the lads in and around the stadium, the changeover is tough. I can only hope that none of my customers or colleagues ask me who beat me up like that at the weekend. I can't say that I'm one of the militant Ultra fans… Well, if anyone asks, I'll say that it happened during boxing training. They'll take my word for it. At the latest when I take off my jacket and people see my shirt, which looks like it's been painted onto my skin, nobody questions the boxer in me anymore.

05:30 on a Tuesday morning. An hour's run, then an hour's workout in the hotel gym, breakfast, 09:00 at the client's desk. A routine that I would never have expected a few weeks ago when I was doing my Master's degree. With your criminal record, the blatant undercut, the tattoos on your neck and the back of your hands, you'll never get a serious job, my parents complained. But damn it, I'm clever, I'm disciplined and I'm hungry for success. In the cage at MMA, in the fan curve at the stadium, at university and now at work. And fuck, when I show up at a customer's in a suit that perfectly accentuates my athletic figure, I'm surrounded by an aura of respect. Even if I'm the rookie in the project. For the first few days, my colleagues tried to persuade me to go out for dinner or a drink with them in the evening. Not in the mood! I found a club near the hotel where I can train properly in the evenings. Not the kind of wimpy workout I get at the hotel.

I'm so fed up with this fucking Master's thesis. Pumping, eating, fighting… This is what I live for! I've been working at the martial arts school since I got my bachelor's degree. On the one hand in accounting. And also as a trainer. Shit, why do I even want anything else? Would I like it better if I became an desk jockey in some office? I suspect not.

I love the moment when I open my gym in the morning. The sweat from last night is still in the air. Whoever had the last shift yesterday didn't leave anything tidy. I do my rounds and stuff forgotten socks, jockstraps and water bottles into the lost-and-found box. Okay, I wank on it again first. There's nothing like the smell of a used jockstrap that's still a little damp. I don't officially open for another hour, so I have that long to get my body ready for the day with the weights and sandbag. Let's see how full it gets. The place isn't yet self-sustaining. But with my jobs as a bouncer and my OF account, I'm more than able to keep my head above water. At least my tattoo artist doesn't have to worry about me not paying my bills. It's better that way. After all, it's his job to make sure I'm scary!

#male tf #muscle tf #reality change #inked man #age reduction #ai image

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for wanting to spend a night out with a guy?

I'm twenty, study in university and still live with my parents. I've been planning to move out since I was eighteen, but they told me to keep living at home and not get a job so I could focus on studying while they take care of me financially. This arrangement has worked mostly well in the past years save for a few small conflicts, but it's escalated in the past 3-4 months.

The issue is my time schedule. I have a very active social life, am active in the local art scene, do political work and a lot of extracurricular stuff for university (I'm a straight A student, I might add!). Because of this, and because I'm a natural night owl, I usually come home late several days a week (between 10pm and 2am) and stay out all day for most of the week. This means I can't do a lot of chores, and usually there's a lot of housework because my mum has a bit of a cleaning anxiety and wants to make sure everything is spotless 24/7.

Enter this guy, I'll call him Tim. I met him at a festival last summer and we became long distance friends. Tim has visited me for a day several times before, but this weekend he offered to come over for two days and we agreed to spend the night stargazing together without sleeping. I loved the idea and immediately said yes. It was gonna be just us, a couple energy drinks, and some bench in the city center, and I was really looking forward to it.

The thing is, my mum does not like Tim. Like, at all. She thinks he seems very sleazy and generally distrusts him because he feels "too nice" for her. Mind you, he's just a somewhat shady looking guy who is generally pretty anxious he might make a bad impression, so he overperforms the whole "respectable member of society" act a bit around new people. I've introduced him to my friend group and even the more sceptical people absolutely love him and think he's a very sweet, helpful person. In basically every stressful situation I've ever seen him in he's been deescalating, protective and helpful, and he has on several occasions been my first source of comfort when things went to hell.

Today I told my mum in an offhanded comment that I won't come home between Sunday and Monday and the situation escalated completely. She was crying, accusing me of ruining her month, saying I didn't care about this family, it got ugly. The main point she had was that I was staying out all night with someone who's a total stranger to her and she doesn't trust him at all. In the end we compromised that Tim and I would spend the night awake, but not in the city, at home.

I feel really humiliated by this whole situation and honestly, kind of betrayed, because I was promised stuff like this wouldn't happen, and it just hits in a much safer situation than ones I've been in before (I used to get blackout drunk and sleep at parties a lot.). I'm a legal adult, have been for years now and it's so disappointing that my parents still treat me like a child sometimes and are so judgy towards my friends too. At the same time, I'm wondering whether I've acted wrong too by not telling her about this earlier and not taking her concerns that seriously. I forget sometimes that I talk to Tim every day for hours, but my parents only briefly ran into him once, so of course their view of him is skewed.

PS: I should add that when I told him about this, he immediately apologized, asked if I needed anything or wanted to change the plan and decided to dig out the least offensive outfit he could find so he'd make a good impression on my parents. So he's definitely trying his best.

#am i the asshole #aita

[ggomos-maribat]

9 | in which nights are spent, kisses are missed, secrets are laid out

Part 9 of No Mr. Wayne You Can't Adopt Me! | Masterlist

"Hello? Damian?" Marinette tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder as she continued sorting out the files. "Listen, something came up at the office today and Mr. Wayne won't be able to meet you for dinner outside. Sorry, it was an emergency. He said he'll postpone, though! I'm marking his calendar right now."

"Hm. I'm on my way to the restaurant and I believe it's already reserved," said Damian. "Will you be occupied as well? Why not come in place of Father?"

Marinette paused, slowly registered what he had offered, and then smiled. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"Really? Didn't you say for it to be a date, one has to harbor some sort of romantic feelings for the other?"

"Yes, I did say that."

Marinette couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. And her reddening cheeks. Kwamis, was that him trying to flirt? When did Damian learn how to flirt?

"Well, are you free?"

"Yes, I am in fact." Marinette practically burst into her boss' office and shoved the remaining documents into his hands. "At seven, right? I'll see you."

She packed all her things in a hurry and sped home on her motorcycle to get ready. Though Bruce would oppose this 'date' of theirs if he knew, she didn't want to miss the opportunity. I'm already off the clock anyway. Let's just hope Bruce won't come crashing our dinner.

***

"Thank you for accepting the invitation on short notice."

Marinette had to admit, Damian cleaned up well. Since the restaurant was on the fancy end, he wore a simple button down that complimented his eyes. Marinette herself had only changed into a red blouse but kept her office skirt.

"I would've been in bed with microwaved dinner and my laptop if you hadn't invited me anyway," Marinette beamed as she took a seat. "Still, I didn't expect you to actually invite me."

"I thought you needed a break from your work," said Damian. "The company seems very busy nowadays. And you're still taking your online courses, aren't you?"

Marinette could've melted on the spot. Damian was always the support behind her like that. At first there were only little gestures: updating her if any of his siblings might come to the office and cause trouble; telling off his father for making her do extra work; dropping off snacks for her when he visited. Soon they became comfortable with texting each other regularly.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "There will be a big event two weeks from now, so everyone's trying to meet deadlines."

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Yes, Damian."

"Eating enough?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I am, mom."

"Has Father been bothering you too much?"

"It's just the usual," she said. "Actually, I think he's careful not to give me more work because he knows I tend to overwork. You don't need to worry, okay?"

Damian lowered his gaze, staying still for a moment. "You're like Pennyworth," he told her. "People like you . . . you help out people like Father at the expense of your wellbeing. I've seen it take a toll on Alfred sometimes—he is still human after all. I thought you needed a break from all that."

He looked up at her. "If you're taking care of everyone, who's taking care of you?"

Marinette just stared. There were some tears prickling at the back of her eyes but she didn't dare let it take over. Damian had hit close to home without meaning to.

"Ah, you're right." She noticed that her voice was thick. Oh fuck, fuuuck the tears are spilling. "Sorry, I . . . sorry."

"Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I . . ." She took a deep breath. "I just remembered something. Before, I used to do a lot of favors for a lot of people too. My parents, my friends, even acquaintances. Sometimes I never noticed how many things were already on my plate and so I end up so stressed out trying to please everyone."

To save Paris. To keep the city from crumbling under my watch.

"If you do feel stressed out, I'm here."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I meant earlier. I . . ." Damian's expression contorted, as if he were looking for the right words. "I've been trying to sort out my feelings recently and I want you to know that I care a lot about you. More than in the sense of friendship."

He likes me back. He actually reciprocates. Marinette's heartbeat stuttered.

"But you know my contract, right?"

"Yes, that is why I won't ask you to—well—enter into a relationship with me. Your job is on the line after all."

Looking to her side, Marinette saw twin doors leading to a spacious balcony. She needed to talk with Damian properly, and it was best they had some privacy. She turned back to him. "Do you mind if we step out?"

Damian quietly told the waiter and ordered the chef's recommendation before leading her to the balcony. Marinette took the liberty of closing the doors and then turned to him. "I just want to get some things out of the way since you confessed to me."

"I know about you," she said in one breath.

"Know about what?"

Marinette subconsciously fidgeted with her hands. "I know. I know everything. Mr. Wayne is Batman, you're Robin, your siblings are the other vigilantes."

He fell dead silent, which worried her a little. Was it a bad idea to tell him that after all? Kwamis, I should've kept my mouth shut. Now he's going to look at me differently and take back his confession and tell his father and I'll be fired from my job and forced to live in the streets forever blacklisted by Gotham's vigilantes—

". . . I see," he finally uttered.

She twisted her fingers. "Are you upset?"

"I don't know . . ." Damian stepped forward. Closer to her. "I shouldn't have underestimated your intuition. I also shouldn't hold it against you since Father's identity is glaringly obvious at this point."

"I trust you, Marinette," he added softly while taking both of her hands in his. "If you know about me, about my family, but still return my feelings then I shouldn't complain. I was afraid I'd need to tell you myself and you will see me differently."

Her eyes widened. "What? No, that doesn't make a difference! I mean, uhm, it makes me understand why you always look tired in the morning or why you're concerned when I go out at night. I'd never think it makes you a bad person."

"What if I told you I've killed people before?"

She bit her lip. "Um, can I tell you another secret?"

He nodded.

"I know your mother."

Damian's eyebrows shot up. "My mother? You know . . . everything that I did?"

"Yes." Marinette drew out a slow slow breath. "Yeah I, uh, I know her and it may or may not be because of my time in Paris as a magical girl saving Paris from akuma attacks."

"Ladybug. That was you?"

"Basically."

"And mother was . . ."

"My teacher of sorts."

She let him take it all in but couldn't read his face. Is he too shocked? Amazed? Sad? Angry? Betrayed? Is he going to walk out of the restaurant?

"I wanted to tell you so you know fully what kind of person I am," she quickly supplied. "I don't like keeping secrets from people I'm close with after hiding one for so long."

"It . . . it all fits, I suppose," said Damian with a squeeze to her hands. "You're a hero."

"Former hero," she shrugged.

"You still are. It must've been hard to shoulder that responsibility."

"You have no idea." Marinette chuckled.  " . . .So?"

He blinked. "So?"

"You still, er, like me?"

"Of course I do. Nothing will change." Closer. Closer. He pulled her gently closer to him. "What about you?"

"I like you a lot. I really do."

His lips look . . . inviting.

"But?"

"There's no 'but'." She shook her head. "That's it. I like you."

His head lowered down to hers, gaze flickering downwards. He was so close, close enough for her to feel his breath fanning on her skin. But at the last second, she pulled away.

"Sorry we can't." She looked up at him apologetically. "Not yet."

"Oh . . ."

Instead of a kiss on the lips, Marinette tiptoed to press one on his cheek. "It's okay. I'll get this to work out." She squeezed his hands. "Trust me."

bonus deleted scene: here

#this is the penultimate chapter :) #maribat fic #maribat fanfic #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat #dc x miraculous #NMWYCAM #PA!Marinette

[lost-my-sanity]

Morning after

Short little Kidd imagine

I woke up with a splitting headache and something heavy pressed against my ribs. As I cracked my eyes open things suddenly became clear. I was tangled up in my captain’s sheets, his metal arm wrapped around me, his face pressed into the pillow, wild hair all over the place. As he felt me stir his eye blinked open, a surprisingly soft look on his face.

“How ya feel? Are you sore?” He questioned, voice scratchy from hours of unuse.

“I… I’m a little sore if I’m being honest.. but overall not too bad” I admitted.

He smiled and snuggled me closer, kissing me on the lips.

“Ya know your mine now right? After a night like that there’s no way I’m giving you up to anyone else, I’ll fucking kill anyone that tries” he says with a wide grin and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“I can live with that” I say with a soft laugh.

“You know… I never really did that before but I’m glad it was with you” he confessed, his sincerity and honesty taking me by surprise.

“You never did that before, Kidd?” I question, surprise written all over my face.

His face changed to a defensive look but his eyes still remained open.

“Well.. yeah I mean I could have, but no one seemed worthy enough ya know?” He stared boldly.

My heart fluttered at what he just said.

“You…you mean I was worthy enough of being your first time?” I ask, running my fingers along his jawline.

“Well… yeah… you're hot, smart, funny and accept me for who I am.. you know me better than anyone else… except for maybe Killer” he stated, brushing my hair out of my face.

“Thank you for that…I’m glad that you trust me… and I promise I won’t betray that trust, no matter what” I proclaimed, putting my own heart out on the line now.

“Good, cause ya mine, and I ain’t sharing no matter what. Everyone’s gonna know that you belong to Captain Kidd! And when I become the king of the pirates you’ll stand by my side.” Eustass stated, with no room for an argument.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that” I confess, interlocking his fingers with my own.

Suddenly a loud banging on the door stole both of our attention.

“Hey captain! Ya done losing your v-card now or what?

“ We wanna go explore this new city!”

“Yeah put some fucking clothes on and come ransack this city with us”

Several voices all shouted at once.

My face turned white, all the color draining from it. Kidd looked pissed off beyond belief. He gave me a kiss to the cheek before he got out of bed in nothing but his boxers.

“Hey assholes, fuck you. I’m with my lady now, fuck off and go bother someone else, or I’ll skin you all alive. If you wanna go out so bad, take Killer or something…. I’m busy!” He shouted as he opened the door, I could see Heat, Wire, and Quincy all trying not to laugh and make the captain more mad.

I couldn’t help but smile at Kidd’s words, it was official then, I was his lady. Eustass slammed the door in their faces and walked back over, crawling into bed next to me, pulling me close to his chest and resting his chin on my head.

“We're not leaving this room until we absolutely have to today.” He told me, pressing another kiss into my hairline.

I knew that from this moment on, things would be different on the Victoria Punk, and I was excited to see where it would lead, but for now, I’m going to savor seeing this side of Eustass “captain” Kidd and relish being in his arms.

#one piece imagine #one piece x reader #one piece #eustass kid #eustasscaptainkid #eustass captain kidd #captain Kidd

[bellarkeselection]

This is my first ask so I hope I did this right. I was wondering if you could do a Will Halstead x reader where the reader is new to the ed and then caught Will staring and he was embarrassed or something. I’m really sorry about this ask I know it’s super bad. Thank you

You Cheeky Flirt

Entering the Ed building I was so nervous about getting thrown today since it was my first official day working here. Sitting my bag down underneath my desk I was a new nurse who came from Indiana being a simple country girl trying to make it in the big city. "Hey I haven't seen you around here before." A male voice spoke to me where I was met with soft eyes and auburn hair.

"Ah well I'm new here. So that’s why you ain't see me around here...Dr. Halstead." I shifted my gaze over his name tag.

He sat down the medical chart he had in his hands leaning on the countertop in front of him. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Will, what’s your name Nurse L/n?"

"Y/n, Y/n L/n." I extend my hand and we shook hands where he never moved his gaze from mine.

Will lowered his gaze from mine where I began to feel uneasy. He normally never had any problems talking to girls. But in this moment he was a blurting mess like he was back in high school. So he did the best thing he could think of. "Do you like burgers?"

"I guess so. Why do you ask?" I was curious to see where he went with this.

Will moved his gaze back up to mine. "Would you want to get one with me sometime?"

"Will...Actually that sounds great." I blushed, taken back by his offer to date. Will seemed releaved through by my answer and I can say that we ended up going on a few more dates and became official after the 5th one.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

- I am sorry that this is so short. I wish I could have wrote more for Will

#will halstead oneshot #will halstead imagine #will halstead writing? #will halstead #will halstead x reader #one chicago x reader #chicago med fanfic #one chicago fanfiction #chicagomed #chicago med #chicago med x reader #requests open #ask box is open for anything #comments really appreciated

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

hi Elanor! I'm going to be Wales for the first time (and am wildly excited), do you have any recommendations for things that really shouldn't be missed in the Cardiff area? (please feel free to disregard if you don't feel like being a virtual tour guide, I've just been seeing your abundant enthusiasm for Wales on my dash for years and can't wait to visit myself)

:D :D :D

I'm doing so much for the Welsh Tourist Board today! They should pay me.

Okay, let's think... A lot of it will depend what you're into. Do you like history and heritage stuff? Wales is extremely rich in castles, so there's a whole load around there - Cardiff Castle, obviously, but also Caerphilly Castle is the second largest in Europe and has a fun leaning tower, while Castell Coch is just west of Cardiff and was built by a lunatic who wanted his castle to Look Right, and so features the sorts of parapets, towers and moats that a cursed Disney princess would be happy with. Said lunatic also built the Animal Wall around Bute Park, which is a lovely park just left of Cardiff Castle in the city centre.

Also St Ffagans Museum, that's in west Cardiff - that's one of those living heritage museums, so they've taken historic buildings from around Wales and very carefully, brick by brick, moved them into St Ffagans to preserve them. They've made it into a little village though, it's so cool (honestly I could write an entire post about St Ffagans alone). Aim to get there for mid-morning so you can buy fresh bread from the popty in the village square, they've usually run out by about 1.30. The sweet shop does GREAT lemon sherbets. There's a lot to see (including a couple of Eisteddfod Chairs :D), so wear comfortable shoes for walking. They also have a high ropes course, and various specific events.

And, Caerleon Roman Museum, north Newport. The Romans built a lot of forts in the UK which became towns, but only three fortresses, and only where vitally needed because of Extremely Restive Locals. Caerleon is the biggest of the three, and in the Mabinogion, that's where King Arthur's fortress is - Caerllion. Whole sections of it are remarkably well preserved, including the little amphitheatre, but they built an actual museum over the top of a chunk of it; it's pretty cool.

OH ALSO do you want to go down a coal mine? Big Pit in Blaenavon will take you down an actual literal coal mine. You do not know darkness until you have been down a coal mine. There's also the Rhondda Heritage Centre, which doesn't take you down but has built a coal mine set above ground and last time I went featured one of those rollercoaster simulators.

Leisure stuff: four different escape rooms, if that takes your fancy; technically six but avoid City Mazes and Play At Pins. Cardiff Bay is swanky as fuck (albeit the most expensive part of Wales, which is... still less expensive than London) and includes things like the Millennium Centre, which will have various shows on. Also the Millennium Centre's cabaret area is currently liberally coated with photos of my husband. Oddly oppressive presence. Unsettling.

Cardiff International White Water does white water rafting/tubing, kayaking, that sort of thing - super fun if you aren't terrified of water. Cardiff International Pool and Gym has some fun slides. Techniquest is a big science centre.

Oh, and as ever, if you want to do one of those guided tours there are a billion to choose from in Cardiff. Including a Doctor Who one, if that floats your boat.

Anyway I hope there is something useful in there!

#asks #wales! #closed for cleaning on mondays

[inthememetime]

DP × DC but it's a tired and burnt out Danny that makes landfall in Gotham, in this AU Danny is a halfa but it is his sister that plays the role he does in Canon and he only got his powers via ectoplasm contamination. He got burnt out acting as his sisters occasionally sidekick and her alibi in regards to their parents, so after he finally graduated from Casper High he opted to find himself while Jazz joined the Justice League.

So here we have a severely overtired and burnt out Daniel Fenton working at a local Lexbucks Coffee Shop when out of the blue he gets involved in the usual Gotham drama that results in a drive-by shooting wherein Danny gets shot. Danny, being a Halfa, gets up despite having been visibly shot in locations that would be fatal to anyone else but for him it's nothing and he goes back to work.

So begins the interest in Gotham's newest criptid; The Undead Barrista.

👀👀👀

(Lmk if you'd like to read this on my A03, and/or a version from his coworkers POV!) Ok so I did a fic!

Length: short boi. Save about 10-15 minutes.

Summary: see ask above. PLUS Danny sasses Gotham's Rogues Gallery into submission and finds out he really wasn't as useless as he felt.

Danny was second; he was the second child. The second smartest child. The second best as dealing with people. The second one to DIE and get superpowers.

At first, it was exciting! Phantom and Wraith, superhero duo of Amity Park! But Jazz- or Wraith, when she was in ghost form- had the ability to make people feel safe. To calm down situations before they ever started.

Danny had the ability to tear enemies to shreds, destroy infrastructure, and scare people.

Even Sam and Tucker agreed, although not in so many words. They didn't need to; after Dan, after they knew what he'd probably become, things really changed. He was watched, less to make sure he was safe, and more to make sure he didn't become Dan.

When he started sympathizing with that Fruitloop, Vlad, he knew something had to change.

So he flew up, up, into Earth's orbit, so he could look at the planet below. He didn't know how long he stayed there, but when he saw the sun set over the Himalayas, he felt something in him... settle, somehow. And he came to the realization he needed to leave.

It wasn't their fault- his sister, Sam, Tucker. He was the worse liar, so their parents suspected him of everything. He dealt with ghosts better than people, so Wraith was more trusted. As they aged, and Wraith looked the same but older and Phantom started looking like Dan- well. It wasn't the people of Amity Park's fault, either. Besieged by monsters, who would want to rely on one?

He got his things and left. He left a note saying he needed a fresh start, and then took off. He didn't leave the name of the city he was moving to. He didn't know.

That was how he became a barista at a Lexbucks in Gotham with a tiny loft apartment. And for the first time since he was 15, he was happy. Really, truly happy. He made friends in an astronomy club, and got together every other Friday withe people to watch old movies.

He was about to start a management program at Lexbucks. He would be 'needed' by Clockwork every Monday for an unknown amount of time (it was hard to tell time when CW paised as needed. Sometimes Monday lasted weeks, if he thought it was warranted.)

Clockwork being Clockwork, that sometimes meant he needed to solve some ghost issue, or fix a paradox, or come over for dinner, or take a vacation. (Was there a portal in his closet? Yes. Yes there was.)

He saw Frostbite once a week too, Gotham being closer to the Far Frozen, and was learning Greek- both ancient and modern- from Pandora.

He was finally going to ask out Eduardo from the bookstore across the street today.

That meant, of course, he was shot right outside his apartment. Danny left for work around 3 AM; his apartment was pretty close to the edge of Crime Alley, he was the store opener and they started serving customers at 4 AM. A match made in hell.

He heard the gunshots before he felt them, and reflexively turned invisible to change into Phantom. The drive by shooting ended as quickly as it began, leaving Danny to curse and change his shirt. Dammit.

Ah well. Gotta love Tuesdays, right?

Next Tuesday was when Condiment Man walked into the Lexbucks. Probably to try and rob it, but it was difficult to understand over all the giggling from his regulars.

"Bring Gotham to-"

"Sir, this is a Lexbucks. Please just order your coffee, tea, other drink, or something to eat."

Condiment Man gaped for a moment. "I- I don't want coffee. I want villainy."

He nodded. "Fair. But this is a Lexbucks. No villainy, just coffee, tea, sodas, food. No evil available except the evil inherent in corporations."

"I. Um. Ok?"

After a moment, Danny cleared his throat. "So about your order?"

"Um. Well. Can I order you to join me in my quest to bring Gotham to its knees?" He asked nervously.

"Kinky." He said, and Condiment Man sputtered. "But no." His calm demeanor changed in the blink of an eye. "Get your hand off the trigger for that mustard right now, or you'll be cleaning every inch of this place with a toothbrush until it sparkles!"

Condiment Man yelped and left. The locals- regulars and newbies- started laughing. He was pretty sure somebody started crying. His tips were glorious.

Maybe Tuesdays weren't so bad after all.

XxXxXx

"I got a hit on Danny!"

Jazz spun around. "Really? You're sure, Tuck?"

"About 50%, the video is pretty grainy. But you tell me somebody else who deescalates villains with sass."

"Where?"

"That's the problem. They were using a VPN. It's somewhere in the US, probably Gotham, Metropolis, or League City- Gotham Rogues get around sometimes."

Jazz's face started to fall. "Tucker, thank you, but- it's been 5 years. Are we sure his face didn't totally change? I mean, remember Vlad's before and after?"

He sighed heavily. "Jazz, we failed him. I failed my best friend. I missed that he was hurting for 3 years before he ran. No matter what that note said, I was probably part of the problem. Give up on him of you want. But I'm gonna keep looking."

God, those notes had been like kicks in the teeth. If it was Vlad, he'd say it was orchestrated. But it was Danny. He very much did not blame them. He didn't want to go. And what was carefully not said, but pieced together when they compared the note left for him, Sam, Jazz, and the elder Fentons was they were the biggest reason he left.

XxXxXx

"I, the Baffler, will bring chaos and confusion to Gotham's streets with your assistance, Undead Coffee Person!"

That was, oddly enough, better than Inviso-Bill. Still. "Hey man, this is a Lexbucks. And I have a name."

He seemed delighted. "Wonderful! What is your villain name?"

"No, no, no villain name. I'm not a villain. Just a barista. My name's Jack. What's your order?"

The baffler seemed. Well. Baffled. "But aren't you going to join me in my life of crime?"

Danny sighed heavily. "Dude. I just wanna pay my bills. Coffee, tea, what do you want?"

"You can pay your bills with crime!"

The Baffler seemed so honestly pleased it was hard to get angry. Just a big guy in a dumb costume, and Ancients he missed his dad. But then he shot the cash register. "See? Crime!"

Danny snarled and, quick as a blink, The Baffler's hamds were frozen to the counter. "You have ice powers?!"

"And you have dumbass powers, you knockoff Riddler. I'm calling the cops."

XxXxXx

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help," Vlad said with amusement plain on his face.

Sam narrowed her eyes, and Tucker scowled. "Yeah, well, we need untraceable cash, and you're the kind of guy to keep that on hand."

"And why do you need it?"

Sam grit her teeth, but replied, "let's just say if we find what we're looking for, the number of halfas might be back up to 4."

His eyes flashed brightly. "Well, then. How much do you need?"

XxXxXx

"Together, we will bring Gotham into the next ice age!" Mr. Freeze roared.

Danny narrowed his eyes. "Doctor, this is a Lexbucks. What do you want to order?"

"You, too have powers of ice! Together, we can bring Gotham into the cold!"

He sighed. "Ok. So frozen. Small, medium, or large?"

"I- I am ordering destruction, not coffee!"

Danny pointed to the menu. "Do you see destruction on the menu here? No. No, you don't. Your order?"

He gaped. "Chai latte? Mocha cappuccino? You seem like a smoothie kind of guy, want one of those?"

Mr. Freeze cleared his throat. "What kind of smoothies do you have?"

XxXxXx

"Are you seriously going behind my back with Plasmius?"

Wraith stood, arms crossed with a scowl. "Oh back off, you're nowhere near as scary as Phantom. Or even Skulker." He snapped.

Batman cleared his throat. "I'm told you have information about an incredibly dangerous illegal meta in Gotham?"

Sam shook her head. "I wish I could say I couldn't believe this. He's your brother."

Jazz swallowed. "You don't even know for sure if this is Phantom. This could be a legitimate threat."

"Every time I start to wonder why he left, all I have to do is remind myself about-"

"Sam."

"He's our best friend, Tucker! And she just might've gotten him thrown into Arkham, because Batman doesn't believe in rehabilitation!"

And another argument began.

XxXxXx

"I'm so sorry, Jack. I really like you, I do! It's just..." Eduardo trailed off, shaking underneath Danny's jacket.

"It's ok. You didn't sign up for getting kidnapped by the Penguin in a sick job offer."

He smiled a little shakily, and Danny hugged him tightly. "I'll see you around, ok?"

"Thanks, Jack."

Why the hell was he so broken up over a guy who didn't even know his real name?

XxXxXx

Thursday began at the sight of the Joker prowling around. Danny let his jaws drop and released a hiss that made fully grown ghosts back the hell up, following it by the unearthly rattle he learned from Fright Knight.

The Joker backed up. Swallowed. Put on his trademark grin, and stepped back in. Albeit a little further from the front counter. "Now, now, kid, I'm a clown! Kids love clowns, yeah?"

Another hellish hiss echoed from behind the Joker. He paled, then stiffened as a massive blue hand was on his shoulder. "Perhaps this isn't the best place for you."

The Joker laughed shakily. "Hey, pal, I'm-"

Plasmius' glowing eyes flashed, and the Joker's started glowing red. The clown's face fell slack. "This isn't the best place for you."

"This...isn't the...best...place....for me." The Joker slurred.

"Leave." Commanded the vampire ghost.

The Joker staggered out drunkenly. Plasmius turned his attention to the counter. "Can I get a large black coffee? With a shot of espresso, please."

Danny cocked his head and tried not to laugh at Kristen's face when the fruitloop sat next to her. "Sure. Kristen?"

She looked at him, wide-eyed. "He's not going to hurt or overshadow you. Right, Plasmius?"

"Of course," he agreed magnanimously.

Plasmius drank his coffee at the store. He bought a blueberry donut. Gave him a $500 tip. "The number hasn't changed. Call me, and we'll see about moving you before Batman and his friends crash the place."

"I can fly, you know."

"He has multiple jets. And besides, from what I've heard, Wraith is helping him track down the big, scary meta."

"Thanks for the warning, Plasmius. I'll think about it."

The elder halfa nodded and left, phasing through the door.

Jazz was hunting him. Jazz was hunting him. His sister was- it wasn't fair. He left her the entire territory of Amity Park. She had the undivided love and attention of everyone in Amity Park. Inside the roll of $100 bills was a business card.

He pocketed it, and yet another super came in. Plasmius was right. They were hunting him. Red Robin frowned at the menu.

"Hey, do you still have the mint hot chocolate?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Small, medium, or large?"

"Large, please." Red Robin waited in silence while his drink was prepared. "So, Jack Walker isn't your real name."

Danny shook his head. "Nah. If you're going to arrest me, might as well just call me Danny."

He observed him carefully, then nodded. "I'll see you around, Jack. Try to keep out of trouble."

XxXxXx

"He isn't a threat!" Tim snapped.

"You deliberately disobeyed me! We agreed not to approach the person who can use mind control!"

"You agreed, B. Wraith, just leave him alone, ok? He just wants to make his coffee and leave every day."

"Is he my brother or not?"

"Does it matter? He left." Tim snapped. "That guy is just trying to make a living. He's not going to hurt anyone who doesn't start trouble."

Jazz embraced both Sam and Tucker, feeling real, true hope for the first time in years. "It's Danny! Guys it's Danny, we can bring him home!"

"None of you are leaving until we can bring him in for questioning."

Jazz's face hardened, then she agreed. That was alright. She had a secret weapon. Two of them, actually.

XxXxXx

"Jack, you've got people asking for you."

Danny groaned.

"Sorry Jack, you're the one who made the rule about people in weird suits with guns."

"Yeah, fair. Thanks."

He stepped out behind the counter, and froze. "Danny?"

He swallowed. Blinked to make sure he was seeing what he thought. "Mom? Dad?"

For the first time in 5 years, he was embraced by his parents. He didn't feel bad about the tears. He couldn't. "Let's go home, baby. Let's go home."

"I can't. I- I'm not..."

"It's ok, Danny. We know now. About Phantom."

"I'm so sorry we made you feel your only recourse was running away."

XxXxXx

He had started to get the idea Jazz might be hunting him in a violent way. The only violent thing was the force of her hug, and the way her nails dug into his shoulder to keep him close.

Danny couldn't quite understand her over the blubbering, but that was fine; he had always been a sympathetic crier. Although the way all of the bats, Constantine, and Superman were shifting awkwardly, trying not to watch them while watching them, was pretty funny. It got worse when Sam kicked Batman in the knee and joined them. Then there was Tucker, and his mom, and- his dad was squeezing them tight enough to pick them up a few inches.

It took a ridiculous amount of time to get them all to stop crying- and Danny included himself. He had a good 5 years of believing he did nothing but harm to his human(ish) family to cry over.

"So just to be clear. You are not a villain."

"Yep. Used to be in the hero game, even."

"And you're not going to start being a villain."

He chuckled. "No, I won't."

"For now, your stay in Gotham is fine, though you should start using your legal name. If you don't like Danny Fenton, you can always legally change it. Can we call on you if we get a ghostly threat closer to home?"

"Absolutely."

"Wait! Danny, you're going home, though, right? With us?" Jazz asked hopefully.

"I'd like to visit," he said quietly, "but Jazz- I scare humans. Pretty badly."

"The ghosts negotiate with you, they listen to you! And people- look, now that Phantom's not there stopping fights by talking to ghosts before they start, or helping the new dead solve their murders- well. Phantom has been missed."

"Jazz, you do all that too. And you calm humans down way better than I ever have, so-"

"Danny," Tucker interrupted, "please, buddy. You don't have to stay, just come for a week. Things are different now. Promise."

And. Well. Even if they were wrong, he missed them. So much. "I can do a week."

#condiment man #the baffler #vlad masters #plasmius #sam manson #tucker foley #mr. freeze #halfa!jazz #batman #the penguin is referenced #the joker was not prepared for 2 halfas #red robin #tim drake #danny phantom #dp x dc #Danny deescalates using sass #long post #30 minute-1 hr read

[genshrineimpact]

Today's brainrot (possibly one of two or more)

You are an adventurer who is stationed in liyue

You saw and explored all of liyue, discovering various ruins and artefacts. During one of your adventures you stumbled upon a giant nest in a cave. There were multiple shattered egg shells, or at least what looked like ones, but they have been there for at least a month, abandoned. But among some rocks, slightly away, you find a weird, round rock, that was brown and smooth with some golden markings on the surface.you thought tht it was a rock, until you heard some chirps coming from it.

After some internal debate, you think that whatever this creature was, it's parents didn't exactly care about it and took it home.

You placed it in some warm nest made with cloth and blankets, washed its surface and checked on it few times a day. After a few days, you invited traveler for some lunch at your home in liyue harbor (let's say you helped them during liyue archon quest and became friends). They had this elegant man tagging along and you didn't mind. You knew zhongli as a furneal parlor consultant and briefly met him earlier, but that was it.

Cue Zhongli being weirdly skirmish around your house, like he was looking for something.

Then you decided to show the egg to the traveler and his companion, talking about how you didn't know what was that, but it seemed alive so you took it in. Then you looked at them, and traveler had weird, shocked look on their face and Zhongli, well...

I leave the reaction up to you lol

luke back at it again with the brainrot everyone say thank you luke for the meal 🍽

i am combining these two into one because i can hope you don’t mind ehhehe also snakes are so cute awww look at that tiny lil face i wanna boop that lil snoot <3 who's a good snakey snakey??? yes you are!!! <3

zhongli can feel it, the energy of a fellow mythical beast, and so that’s why he’s so antsy, looking around the vicinity like an animal who smelled a nearby predator and is trying to locate it. their presence is unwelcome in the city - in what used to be his city.

when you show them the egg, zhongli is tempted to yank it off you and fling it away towards the mountains because a xiushe definitely does not belong in a human abode. mildly concerned for your safety, he tells you that it’s a beast that can grow into an extremely massive size, said to be able to even swallow a primo geovishap whole. and he tells you that he will gladly relieve it from your hand.

now, obviously, you don’t know zhongli well enough yet, and even though you’ve heard of people singing praises to him, you’ve gotten a little attached to the egg, so you’re reluctant to part with it. i mean, sure, a funeral parlor consultant’s knowledge must be pretty extensive, but does he really know what he’s talking about in this case? you’ve heard about him being broke and having to borrow people’s money - what if he just wants to take the egg and sell it for some mora??

but then the traveler who is your friend also nods along and tries to convince you to let go of the egg, saying something about how it didn’t feel “right” and that you can trust zhongli, because he definitely knows what he’s talking about…. so with a pout, you pat the egg one last time and tries to hand it over to zhongli.

- the thing is, when you were about to do this, it starts to crack along the golden markings. you freak out because you thought you damaged the egg from your pats. zhongli and traveler internally freak out because “oh shit it’s hatching are we too late oh crap oh fu-”.

a golden-colored snake head pops out from the top, a pair of unnaturally tiny horns jutting right above its big beady red eyes, which were intensely staring right at you. a familiar sounding chirp cuts the tense silence.

it’s…. very adorable.

safe to say that you decided to keep the little one despite the two people’s insistence for you not to. zhongli tells you a xiushe is most definitely not a pet, but how can you believe him when the little thing keeps bumping onto your hand gently, asking for head pats? in the end, you tell him that if he’s that worried, he’s more than welcome to check in with you every now and then, to make sure everything is fine and dandy and the beast hasn’t swallowed you whole or something.

... which is the beginning of how you and zhongli started spending more time together. xiuxiu is always with you (truly, you possess a superb naming sense) third-wheeling much to zhongli’s displeasure. both of you slowly realize that you’re enjoying each other’s company very much, and your relationship develops further in a slow-burn, feels-steady-move-slow kind of way; from mere acquaintances of a friend to actual friends to best friends to dating-but-not-really to finally-dating to unofficially-married.

and throughout it all, zhongli absolutely adores you, he really does….. he just wishes you would stop bringing the snake beast on your dates.

the irritating reptile clearly knows of his draconic ancestry and has a personal vendetta against him. whenever he's around you, the lesser reptile makes it its job to rile him up. always wrapping itself around your body in some way or another, hissing whenever he gets too close- he swears he saw it smiling, perched smugly on top of your head when you tell him that you have to get home because it’s feeding time for your cute xiuxiu.

zhongli’s seen the snake wandering out in the fields and swallowing a whole darn hilichurl. he really thinks it can feed itself just fine.

“are you sure that’s xiuxiu? maybe you mistook it for a snake monster? i mean, look, ‘li! he’s so tiny! how can he eat a whole hilichurl, aren’t they the size of human children?”

he’s been waiting for the right time to tell you about his past, but at these times he’s so tempted to just blurt it out. maybe even transform into his dragon form, so you’ll finally believe him when he says your cute little xiuxiu’s actual body has now enabled it to eat an adult human being if it so wishes.

well, at least he sleeps better at night knowing you’re safe cuddling with your clingy snake child… though he wishes it was him you’re cuddling instead... (literally the "Ah Yes. Me. My s/o. And Their Sentient Reptilian Mythical Beast" meme sldfjlsjdfk)

© genshrineimpact / shourin | 2022 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #zhongli #zhongli x reader #rin writes #rin answers

[ave09]

i know

han solo x reader

note: this one has to be my favorite. i rewatched esb today which is what inspired this

also, han looks so pretty in this gif like wtf

“whatcha thinkin’ about, sweetheart?” 

you felt his arms around your waist, hugging you to him. “just thinking, nothing important.” you replied softly. “everything you think is important.”

you scoffed, feeling han rest his chin atop your head. “so, what are you thinking about?” he asked again. 

“well now i’m thinking about you.”

“i’m flattered.” 

you smiled, “i’m thinking about you, and how things are going to be once this is over.” “what do you mean?” 

“you said you had to go back to tatooine, to pay jabba. am i suppose to go back with leia and leave you? so much has happened so quickly han, it’s overwhelming.” 

your life seemed to be a blur now. one minute you are in alderaan with leia, and the next, you were in hoth falling in love with the scoundrel that was han solo, and now you were here in cloud city, awaiting luke’s return and spending as much time as you could with the man you loved.

“you could always come with me to tatooine.” you wrinkled your nose, “i’m not the biggest fan of sand.” “well i’m not staying there permanently. i’ve just gotta pay off jabba, once i do that, i’m free to go wherever i want. you could come with me.”

it sounded nice. exploring the galaxy with him. you’d give anything to live that life. but then you thought about your job, what you’d sworn to do.

“what about leia?”

“what about her?” 

your hands rested upon han’s wrists, your thumbs caressing his skin, “i swore an oath to the senate. i can’t just leave.” 

“says who?”

“says the oath i swore.” you let out a forced laugh. han lifted his head, slowly turning you around to face him. “leia is strong. she can handle herself.”

“i know, i know, but, i don’t think i can just leave.”

“i’ll put in a word with the princess. she’ll let you go. and if she doesn’t, i’ll find a way. you’re gonna be free, sweetheart.” his voice was stern, convincing. he made you believe that you could be truly free. 

and you were beyond thrilled.

“you’d really do that for me?”

“i’d do anything for you, darling.” 

you smiled softly, standing on your tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to his lips. every kiss with han was passionate, magical even. never did you think you’d find someone who would make you feel so happy. and then han strolled into your life. he was the light in your darkness, and you loved him more then anything. 

he pulled away, breathless, brushing a strand of stray hair behind your ear, “i love you.”

“i know.” you whispered, bringing your lips to his once again. 

you were thrown back into reality at the sound of chewbacca’s cry. you glanced at him, the wookie was thrashing against the stormtroopers, trying to fight. he wasn’t going to let his best friend die this way. 

“chewie!” that was han. tears stung your eyes as the severity of the situation suddenly became clear. 

“chewie stop! this won’t help me now!” the wookie let out a loud groan, you didn’t understand it, but you could tell he was hurting.

“hey! listen to me! i need you to look out for her, okay? that’s your job now, okay!” chewbacca stopped his fighting and stilled, allowing the stormtrooper to place cuffs upon his wrist.

you averted his gaze, extending your wrists as the soldiers clad in white armor placed the restraints onto your wrists. 

“sweetheart, look at me.” you choked back a sob. “look at me, please.” he begged. and so you did, you slowly glanced up, locking eyes. “you’re gonna be okay.” he assured. 

“not without you.” 

there was silence as he shuffled toward you, leaning down, kissing you hard. it was a lingering kiss, one that neither of you wanted to end. 

but then he was ripped away from you, being pulled toward the freezing chamber. suddenly, overcome with a burst of emotion, you called out, “i love you!” 

his reply was immediate, “i know.” 

your chest rose and fell with heavy breathes as you tried to remain composed. but you found it more and more difficult to remain collected as you watched him sink down into the chamber, a cloud of smoke covering him. 

you squeezed your eyes shut, letting out shakey breathes. “did he survive?” 

you held your breath as you waited for lando’s response. you prayed to the supreme maker, you needed him to be alive. you couldn’t lose him. 

“he’s alive. he’s in a hibernation.” 

a wave of relief washed over you. he was okay. he was alive. chewie let out a guttural groan. you pried your eyes open, feeling tears slip down your cheeks as your eyes fell upon the slab of carbonite on the floor, the outline of the man you loved etched into it. 

the last encounter before this horrid event replayed through your mind. 

“once i do that, i’m free to go wherever i want. you could come with me.”

“you’re gonna be free, sweetheart.”

“i’d do anything for you, darling.”

“i love you.”

“i know.”

#han solo #han solo x reader #han solo imagine #han solo fanfic #harrison ford x reader #harrison ford #young harrison ford #empire strikes back #chewbacca #lando calrissian #star wars #was tearing up while writing this for some reason but i’m proud #princess leia #luke skywalker #leia organa

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hiya! Something struck me and I was wondering if you have any headcanons about how would the bachelors (from both vanilla and expanded) react to finding out their kid is being bullied/picked on at school or something like that. I'm mostly curious about a certain Expanded's bachelor's reaction, but if I pointed out who, I'm sure you'll figure out who I am, haha. Feel free to answer if you have some for all of the bachelors! If not, sorry to bother you! 🙇‍♀️

I really love your headcanons but I'm very shy to go public, so I'll be anonymous for now.

- From 🌻 Anonymous

Dear anon,

Thank you very much for your question. The news that you like my headcanons warms my soul. But I would also like to point out that you clearly overestimate my abilities if you think that I can recognize you from the selected headcanon candidates. I'm literally like that Patrick meme with a board on his forehead and a hammer. And I have a great desire to write about all the bachelors, dividing them into a vanilla version and SVE mod (for those who are not familiar with mods). Thanks again for the question and enjoy the headcanon.

Sincerely, me. ❤️

(Why the hell am I writing like Elliott?! 🤣)

SDV bachelors react to their child being bullied:

Sam:

Since the Farmer is busy working on the farm today, Sam volunteered to pick up their child from the music club. How happy he was when their kid wanted to "be cool, like daddy!", And such developmental activities will help the kid develop their talents. Sam, all joyful and positive, did not have time to enter the main building of the music house, when he saw his child... crying??? Above them were two older children, apparently also members of the musical club. Sam did not hear the beginning of the conversation, but he distinctly heard how the bullies called his child stipid and said that such a loser would not become a musician. Ok, this is not cool.

The child stopped crying abruptly, and the bullies didn't realize their change of mood until they saw Sam behind. He folded his arms, looked at these punks with a stern look and declared that they were acting like cowards. The bullies immediately calmed down, because they recognized Sam. He is the same young and promising musician who became the idols of many, and, apparently, of these teenagers too. And well, how can you not be ashamed when your idol says that you are a coward and a disappointment. They apologized to Sam, to his child, and promised they wouldn't do it again. Sam let them go in peace, and then winked at his child, letting them know that their cool dad will always come to the rescue.

He picked up his talented kid and invited them to go and buy sweets so that they would not be so upset. The child gladly agreed, forgetting about sadness. Just don't tell the Farmer that he treated you to sweets before dinner, ok? :D

Shane:

Oh, this little bastards. They will regret that they were born.

He had a similar case, when teenagers from big cities teased Jas. He then scared them so much that one even wet his pants. Here, too, he does not take pity on those who even came up with the idea to mock his precious treasure and other children. Of course, he and the Farmer will listen to the whole story from their child, and when they finish the story, it will be even harder for Shane to restrain himself from strangling these little bastards.

The Farmer had not yet had time to call the parents of these hooligans, as Shane had already managed to "visit" these bullies and scare them for good. To Farmer's stern look, Shane swore to Yoba that he hadn't laid a finger on them, only scared them. But still, Shane and Farmer called the director and the parents of the bullies.

Fortunately, the adults turned out to be decent than their naughty children, apologized and promised that this would not happen again. Their kid is no longer bullied at school, and those bullies bypass Shane. That's right!

Harvey:

Harvey is a doctor who has treated not only adults, but also children and teenagers in his life. And given that it is sometimes much more difficult to work with young patients (fear of needles, a frightening atmosphere, or just a whimsical character), Harvey knows a little about child psychology. Well, at least enough for a doctor to calm a crying boy or girl who is terribly afraid of vaccinations, when their parents can’t calm them down on their own. Harvey also knew that this knowledge would be useful to him when he and the Farmer had their own child - both to raise their beloved little one, and for a bully who, for some reason, decided to offend their child. Is this how parents raise their children?

Harvey addressed the bully very calmly, showing no aggression or fear, standing between the bully and his kid. And when the ill-mannered teenager began to sprinkle Harvey with swearing and name-calling, the doctor still remained unperturbed. There was no malice or fear in his eyes, only one emotion: disappointment, and this put the bully in a stupor.

Harvey immediately revealed his trump cards. He began to explain that by bullying children weaker than themselves, they are trying to hide their own vulnerability and weakness, that they are trying to assert themselves. Harvey was able to just destroy all the bully's desire to continue his teasing so much that they stood and cried silently, because everything turned out to be true. But Harvey needed not their tears, but the realization that what they were doing was wrong. He addressed the bully no longer so strictly, because they are still only children. But he insisted that they apologize to their child and promised to improve for the better. So they did.

Harvey smiled and, when the bully left, he took his baby in his arms, listening to their admiration for how they drove the hooligan away. Harvey promised to explain why people sometimes do this, and how to behave if the situation repeats itself.

Elliott:

It is impossible to imagine how many emotions were inside Elliott when he and the Farmer came to the city to pick up a child from a new school, and saw them crying. And when the child said that they were offended by children from older classes, then Elliott was simply filled with rage.

The writer in a gentle voice asked to show with their finger who exactly offended them, and when the hushed kid pointed in the direction of those bullies, even the Farmer did not have time to stop their husband, as Elliott flew like a storm towards those scoundrels. What a scandal he raised, oh my! Elliott, of course, did not swear in front of the children, but given his rich vocabulary, his indignations turned out to be...emotional.

When the Farmer arrived in time with their child, as well as the teachers who stood nearby and heard the scandal, everyone began to calm Elliott. Having dealt with the bullies, with the confidence that the vile brats would no longer offend his child, everyone went home.

Later, when Elliott and his family returned home, he apologized to everyone for how emotionally he reacted to this. Elliott was very much afraid for their preciousness, because bullying is no joke. Bullying at school can push a poor kid into rash acts that Elliott doesn't want to think about. The Farmer understands his partner, and when everyone calmed down at home, Elliott invited their little one to take a walk with him and get some ice cream. As the writer and the child happily weaved ice cream, Elliott asked their little one not to be afraid to talk about bullies and promised that he and the Farmer would always protect them.

Alex:

The beach season is in full swing, and on this beautiful day, the Farmer just has no worries about the farm for today. Therefore, Alex decided that they should definitely spend this wonderful day on the beach. The Farmer gladly agreed to this, and their child generally squealed with joy.

Armed with sunscreen, inflatable sleeves and plastic buckets, the kid sat on the sand and built sand castles while the parents rested nearby and remembered to keep a close eye on their little one. There were a lot of people today, in addition to the usual inhabitants of the Valley, there were also visiting tourists. Alex and his spouse carefully watched the child so as not to lose them in the crowd.

The Farmer was offered to buy snacks at the Saloon, which was a good thing: Alex was a bit hungry. They quickly left in the direction of the institution, leaving their child under the watchful eye of Alex. And as soon as the athlete turned away for a second, he heard a child's cry, which he recognized instantly: their baby was crying near the already destroyed sand castle, when some punk stood and mocked their kid, causing them to even more tears. In vain this bully did so, oh in vain.

Alex with one jerk was near this punk, and with one movement he twisted their right arm. The bully immediately hissed in pain and tried to break free, but how could he compete with the (future) sports champion. At the same time, Alex ordered to apologize for the fact that they mocked their child and destroyed the sand castle, and then, as soon as they apologized, he kicked the ill-mannered punk from the beach with one kick in the ass. Alex didn't understand this at all - okay, he would almost get is if it was another kid, but it's was almost adult.

In the end, Alex nevertheless reassured their baby and offered to build another sand castle together, even better than the previous one. While they were both building a real sand palace and the kid had already forgotten about that unpleasant incident, the Farmer returned to them with snacks and sweets. Their child, with all their joy, ran to the other parent, and Alex thought to himself that if the Farmer had caught this situation, then there would not have been a wet place left from that bully.

Sebastian:

Unfortunately, Sebastian knows very well what it's like to be the victim of bullying. After he and his mom were abandoned by their biological father, no one but Robin protected him from being bullied in elementary school. And even older, due to his shyness, he still endured bullying of his peers, until Sam, with whom they studied together and who became his first real friend, began to protect him.

They have all grown up, and Sebby can already easily defend his honor if he is attacked by all sorts of idiots. And yet, inside him, he uncomfortably shrank when he saw a similar situation again, but this time his child became a victim of bullying. The Farmer and his kid are his happiness, which he was not going to give to anyone, especially to some noobs who thought that they could simply be like brats over the weak like that. He didn't even have to do anything: Sebastian subdued two bullies who looked at him in horror, and simply said: 'Get lost' in such a threatening tone that the bullies immediately ran away, not wanting to test Sebastian's patience.

When Sebby calmed his baby, they both went home. On the way, the young father told the child that he was also often a victim of bullying, and how his mother protected from nasty people, adding that he and the Farmer would also not let anyone offend their treasure.

SVE bachelors react to their child being bullied:

Lance:

Lance recalled his youth, namely those cases when he himself had to defend himself from hooligans and protect others from bullying in his native village. A torn shirt, a busted nose, but a satisfied smirk - that's how Lance remembered himself, peering into his own reflection while his restless parents tried to figure out what happened to their son. Lance was never the initiator of a fight, but he could not just stand and watch how others are humiliated who cannot fight back. And Lance understands that people are different, that there can be more offenders, that the victim, constrained by fear, does not know what to do. And so Lance, even in his youth, considered it his duty to protect the weak.

And if a brave adventurer could come to the aid of anyone who got into such a situation, then what can we say about his own child, still too small to cope with a whole group of hooligans. At the sight of a sword-wielding adventurer, any brat with any leftover convolutions in his brain will retreat instantly. But if there is someone left who wants to be rude to Lance as well, then the pink-haired man will have a short conversation with such persons: he will pull on the ear so hard that the idiot will howl in pain. Lance will not forget to remind them about the honor and how low they are acting, and then with a warning drives the bullies away.

And while his child looked at his father in admiration, Lance had already managed to pick them up in his arms and smiled at the already laughing child. "Need to somehow teach them self-defense", Lance thought to himself, noting that even if his and his spouse’s baby starts to defend themselves, this will not cancel the parents’ concern and they will always come to the rescue.

Victor:

Victor almost choked on his spaghetti when his child said that someone was bullying them at the new school because of their looks. What does it mean "for looks"? Their child has a normal looks, and the usual school uniform. And bullying?! He can't leave it like that!

Victor, seeing the worried face of his baby, reassured them and said that he and the Farmer would not leave them in trouble, because they are their parents and love them very much. The next day, when Victor informed the school principal of the situation, they were all called to the school for a parent-teacher meeting, along with the bully and their parents, to discuss and resolve the conflict.

Victor may seem vulnerable to others, but when the question arises of protecting people dear to him, he will show all his determination to protect his family to the last. To his and Farmer's regret, the little bully's parents turned out to be no better in behavior than their offspring. It is immediately obvious that rich parents, spoiled in childhood, also spoiled their child and now they think that they can do anything. They didn't even show respect to the principal, because "we financially support the school, so shut your mouths." Victor realized that a civilized conversation with them would not work, and decided to make a call, which he put off at the last moment, hoping that he would not need it:

"Mom, can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?"

Enraged (already) grandmother Olivia will literally destroy those who decide to insult her son, his partner and her dear grandchild. And believe me, her hot temperament and connections are enough to make arrogant parents with their spoiled child quieter than a mouse.

The bully did not offend Victor's child anymore, since their parents transferred their capricious child to another school. Although Victor sadly thinks that it would be better if they had gained intelligence and patience. Oh well, their child is safe, and he and the Farmer will be laughing for a long time at the faces of those upstarts when Olivia put them in their place. Their child squeaks with joy that their dad and Farmer are brave and kind, and Granny Olivia is cool!

Magnus:

To say that Magnus was furious would be an understatement. And who would not be furious in his place - he saw from the window of his tower how someone wanted to throw rocks at the child. His child!

Magnus figured a day out in nature would be good for his little one, and the Farmer let them go, with the promise that their dear husband would keep an eye on their treasure. To which Magnus pretended to be offended and kissing his spouse, swore an oath that he would protect the child like the apple of the Eye. Everything was going well, Magnus was reading another book with spells in the yard, and the kid was looking at insects and flowers nearby.

And as soon as Magnus left for literally one minute to pick another book, he heard unkind voices with a touch of causticity. Quickly going to the window, he saw that some teenagers, not local (thank Yoba Jas, Vincent and Leo were well-mannered and good children). One of them pushed the baby onto the grass, and the second wanted to throw a rock at them. To which Magnus teleported with lightning speed and stood between the child and the bullies.

These brats dropped all the items from their hands when they saw a tall man in purple robes, from whom streams of magical energy emanated. Magnus glared at them, letting them know that if he wanted to, he would incinerate these assholes with fire. He wouldn't do that, of course, because Ministry rules and all, but hooligans don't need to know that, right?.

Rasmodius just raised his hand as the teenagers immediately ran away, frightened at the possibility of experiencing the wizard's wrath. After making sure that everything was fine with the child, he took them to the tower, reassuring them that they would never see these bad people again, and that Magnus would immediately come to the rescue. In the meantime, Magnus will treat them some magic rock candy and let them go out on the yard again, watching his precious child even more closely.

#stardew valley #sdv #stardew valley expanded #sve #sdv farmer #sdv sam #sdv harvey #sdv sebastian #sdv alex #sdv elliott #sdv shane #sve victor #sve lance #sdv wizard #sdv rasmodius #sve magnus #sdv headcanons #sve headcanons #this post is long holy shit #didn't realize that

[clumsiestgiantess]

Chapter 21 of The Other-world Universe; is promising to save an entire city of people from an apocalypse the smartest thing to do? No. Is it the right thing? Hopefully.

all chapters listed here

[Calm Before the Storm]

I woke up the next day with the immense relief that I had not rolled over in my sleep.  Yet when I yawned, I didn’t feel Erica's form shift on top of me.  My head shot upright in a mini panic attack as I searched for her, trying to make as little movement as possible.  I was a few seconds away from fully sitting up before I finally found her.  

Erica had — either intentionally or subconsciously in sleep — managed to slip her way into my bra, and was sleeping soundly in the center of my chest.  Bewilderment and relief flooded through me so suddenly, I nearly laughed aloud at the sight.  Heat already began seeping across my cheeks as I watched her snuggle against me.  I was slightly suspicious that this might have been her plan all along, but it was entirely possible that it was a mistake.  After all, she had no blanket, and her spot tucked between fabric and my skin had to be rather cozy.  I have to admit, I don't blame her for sleeping there.

For a while I lay in the field trying to get control over my furious blush, but soon I felt Erica stirring on my chest.  I quickly shut my eyes, pretending to have been asleep.  Obviously, I couldn't see her reaction, but I could feel her flinch slightly once she awoke.  There was a split second of confused crawling around before she gasped; the audible shock behind its sound convinced me that she had in fact not planned for this.

"Holy shit!" I heard her whisper faintly, "How the hell did I get here?"  I bit my lip, desperately trying to keep myself from smiling at her reaction.  Thankfully, I hid my bemusement quickly.  Erica slowly crawled out from the top of my bra, trying her best not to wake me.  As quickly as she dared, she clambered down my side to the ground below.  The echoes of her faint touch still danced across my skin long after she'd stepped away.

When I was certain she had moved further from me, I pretended to wake up.  Erica was sitting on my cast-off clothing when I opened my eyes, no doubt pretending that was where she'd slept.  "Good morning," I addressed her with another yawn, "Did you sleep well on my shirt?"  Even with the slight distance between us, I could see the massive amount of guilt written over every one of her features.  To hide this, Erica busied herself by looking for the top half of her own clothes, which had been tossed off into the darkness the night before.  "Uhh, yeah!  I enjoyed spending the night with you."  Even her voice sounded slightly off-pitch with embarrassment.

"Something wrong?" I asked her.  "No!  Nothing's wrong; I just.. I can't find my stuff."  "Mhm, sure."  My mocking tone gave everything away.  She turned to look up at me, eyes wide.  "You woke up before me, didn't you?" she accused, a bit shaken.  "I may have," I replied, sliding closer to her.  "I.. That was an accident, I swear.  I wouldn't have done that unless you were awake.  You know, in case you disagreed."  "Well.. I don’t think I am disagreeing with it."

For once, Erica became a blushing mess instead of myself.  She collected her things from the ground with flushed cheeks and an embarrassed smile, pressing them to her chest.  We had breakfast together, and Erica promised to come sleep with me at least once every week.  "To keep you company out here," she clarified, "Not because of, you know, anything that happened last night."  “Really?” I mocked a shocked expression, “That’s not the reason?”  Erica rolled her eyes, “Alright, that’s part of the reason.  It’s like.. a billion times more exhilarating making out with someone who’s building-sized.”

With a bemused chuckle, I finished my meal.  "Let's go see what everyone else is up to today, shall we?" I asked after we'd readied ourselves for the day.  "I'm supposed to be guarding the town, but lately I feel like I've just been slacking off."  "Alright," Erica agreed, "I'll go bother Ivan, then."  I smiled, shaking my head slightly.  Ivan is, to say the least, almost the opposite of Erica personality-wise.  I can easily imagine the havoc she undoubtedly thrusts upon him in the Cavern Town.  Usually, I was around to deal with her charisma myself, but I guess he'd been having to deal with it for the past few days that I’d been away.  

I held out my hand for Erica to climb on.  It was an unspoken rule that she would ride on my shoulder whenever we traveled together.  She stretched tiredly across its length before sitting up sideways, her back tucked against my neck.  With her settled in, I started off towards the town.  I couldn’t help but sneak a glance at her every so often.  Erica always seemed the most comfortable perched on my shoulder.  Half of me thinks it’s adorable, but my more reasonable half always reminds me of the times she nearly fell off.  Despite this, the former part of me always wins in the end, and I let her stay.

Reaching the valley of the Cavern Town, I checked in with the guards before anything else.  However, they were nowhere to be found.  Erica and I exchanged puzzled glances as I bent closer to one of the wooden structures.  Multiple large guns greeted me in response.

I flinched harshly, feeling Erica’s grip tighten on me as she was thrown backwards.  After a few tenuous seconds, someone recognized me.  “Get down!” a guard whisper-yelled at me, “There were giants spotted on the horizon to the west!”  My nerves spiked instantly and I dropped onto the valley floor.  If the scientists come back now, I might not be able to fight them off!  Sure, I have my new weapon, but I barely had time to practice with it yesterday.  I haven’t even put up a barrier around the town, either.  What if they attack it again?!

Worst-case-scenarios drifted through my head while I pressed myself to one of the mountains behind me.  They're here for the other-world people, not me.  I tried unsuccessfully to calm myself down, but I knew that wasn’t true.  In fact, they might've come back specifically because of me.  After all, I'd killed a few of them in my rage the last time we'd clashed.  

What if the scientists came to kill me?  I don't think I can fight any more than five of them at a time.  And I only managed to do that because I'd caught them off-guard.  What if they lock me away like everyone else — an oddity from a world that isn’t there?

Suddenly, I was startled from my thoughts by a whisper to my side.  "You're alright; it's ok,"  Erica comforted me, carefully laying a hand on my neck.  "The hazmat giants aren't here.  Just- Just calm down.. you're shaking."  I am?  I am.  I hadn't even realized that my shot nerves were vibrating my body with fear-induced adrenaline.  Try as I might, I couldn't get myself to stop.  My heartbeat pounded in my ears, and I was almost pulled into another downward spiral of worries.  Thankfully, Erica snapped me back out of it.  She tapped my shoulder lightly and I turned to see her.  With one small gesture, she slid into my awaiting palms.

I tried in vain to stop myself from shaking as I slowly brought her in front of me.  Despite that, Erica still wobbled in my cupped hands as she stood, reaching out to gently grip my face for balance.  Once she steadied herself, she stood directly in front of my vision.  "Focus on me, alright?"  My head was brought closer to herself.  "You'll be ok.  Just focus on me."  I listened raptly, trying to match my erratic breathing to her calmer breaths.  Her chest grazed my fingertips with every inhale as she leaned over them.  Erica’s concerned expression filled my view while she tried to take my focus off the possibly vengeful scientists.

Is this how Erica sees me? I wondered, watching her concerned expression inch ever-closer to my eyes.  Do I take up her vision like this when I get close?  It was strangely comforting now, but I could certainly see how overwhelming I would’ve been to her before we got to know one another.

I kept my gaze on her, though she only really fit into my view one eye at a time. Before long, a guard from the structure opposite us gave the all-clear.  I stood up with Erica grasped lightly in my clutches, gazing out at the horizon beyond the mountains around me.  “Where’d they go?” I wondered aloud.  “Must’ve been on the hunt for a different town,” Erica noted, “They know better than to mess with this one, thanks to you.”  I smiled down at her thankfully.  She met my gaze with such tenderness I nearly went in for a kiss before remembering where we were and deciding otherwise.

Together we made it the rest of the way to the cavern, where a small crowd had gathered outside.  I recognized Ivan immediately; he stood at the front, nervously shifting from foot to foot.  He flagged me down, but two vaguely familiar people stepped in the way before I could get to him.

Erica quietly explained from her spot in my hands that they were the co-founders of the Cavern Town: Isabel Ashford and Marcus Stoll.  She’d met them briefly when she’d been ‘kidnapped’ from the cliffside.  These were the same two people who’d negotiated the protection deal.  I knelt in front of them, letting Erica off shortly afterwards.  “Defender,” the kinder one, Ms. Ashford, addressed me as I settled cross-legged on the ground.  'Defender' is my nickname amongst some of the people living there; many of the guards called me by it.  

“The giants could have attacked us earlier, and you would not have been here to do your job.  The one thing we asked of you is that you protect our city as amends for destroying it.”  I nodded my head solemnly, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.  I have no excuse.”  Silently, I shifted to feel the smooth crystalline structure embedded in my neck.  “However,” I continued, remembering why I’d wanted to return to the Cavern Town, “I might have a solution.  At least, I hope I do.”

With a slight flourish, I slid my gun out from behind me.  A murmur rose from the group of people gathered outside.  “I made and tested this yesterday.  Working properly, it’ll be able to create a protective barrier over your whole town.”  The shorter gruffer one, Mr. Stoll, was ready with multiple questions: How strong is the barrier?  What is it made of?  How deep does it go?  Would people be able to leave once it was put up?  Would they be able to breathe inside it?  Will I continue to stay in the valley after I've set it up?  All good questions; I answered every last concern until the two leaders reconvened and headed back towards the town to debate my idea.

A large number of Cavern Town residents stayed behind once they heard Erica tell me to demonstrate the barrier setting for her, including one of the founders, Mr. Stoll.  He broke away from the other founder and slunk along the edges of the crowd, watching me intently.  I pretended not to take notice, but I could feel him watching me.

After covering various pieces of land with green, glassy covers, I realized I’d yet to figure out how to take them down.  Oh no, please don’t make me recreate this thing again.  Ivan managed to slip through the crowd towards me as everyone gathered around to see the small barriers for themselves — walking through them and testing their strength with various objects nearby.  I watched them intently.  None of them were strong enough to cause much more than a strong ricochet, which worked out perfectly.  I didn’t need anything blowing up by mistake.

Erica surveyed everything from atop one of my knees while I sat in the midst of the crowd, trying my best not to get overwhelmed by the amount of small people surrounding me.  Once he’d made it to my side, Ivan called up to me, but I strained to hear his voice over the crowd and his distance from me.  Erica noticed my confusion.  “He asked if the barriers are really going to do anything, because it looks like they can’t!  Everyone’s just walking through them!” she yelled to me.  Ivan yelled at her and motioned for me to lower my hand to him, learning from Erica’s little gestures.

When my hand touched the ground, everyone around Ivan scattered as if I’d put down an explosive.  I tried not to dwell on the fact that everyone there seemed so frightened of me, or the fact that I had to pick people up just to understand them.  My height was quite the advantage in an apocalypse where ‘giants’ were invading, but it was such a hindrance for so many other things.  I want to help people.  If those same people are frightened of me, then are they really going to want my help?  A small sinking feeling arose in my chest.  These barriers better work…

With Ivan in my palm, I lifted him to my face.  “I didn't say any of that!” he told me, waving a hand at Erica.  “I asked if it was strong enough to keep giants out while still letting people through.”  Erica rolled her eyes behind his back.  “Hopefully,” I answered Ivan.  “there’s no way for anything besides your people and me to pass through one.  The scientists and whoever else tries to get in will be blocked, though I can’t exactly test it with the ‘giants’,” I confessed, “I did test it with a few different objects.  Nothing got through.”

“If they can’t get through it, won’t they try to dig beneath the barrier instead?”  I shook my head, “Even if they tried digging beneath it, the barrier will grow to cover anything they dig out.”  “Won’t it grow over the tunnels we make to get materials and things in and out, too?”  “Don’t worry, I thought of that.  The barrier will stay open around them so long as you make them before I put it up.  If you do it beforehand, the barrier will grow around the tunnels when it forms.  If you do it afterwards, like the scientists might try, it’ll sense that there’s a breach and grow to fill any gaps.”

Ivan seemed satisfied at that, and I let him off beside Erica. She gave him a teasing look and he said something to her. It was hard to tell sometimes whether those two were getting along or not, but Erica burst out laughing and Ivan grinned, so I guessed they were both fine. Before long, the crowd dispersed, leaving me, Erica, and Ivan behind along with a few stragglers.  I glanced around inconspicuously, trying to spot the founder who’d been watching me, but it seemed Mr. Stoll had disappeared along with most of the crowd.

By lunchtime, I was the only one left outside to patrol the mountains and practice with my new weapon — besides the other-worldians in the watchtowers, of course.  They came out in shifts, but there was always someone there occupying every lookout.  The others had left for the Cavern Town by then, hoping to find news about the debate and my idea. I toyed with my barriers, trying to seem like I knew what I was doing while the guards were watching.  Thankfully, I found that I had to hold my hand on top of a barrier and will it to stop existing if I wanted it to fall away.  The idea was somewhere in the back of my mind when I’d first created the crystalline bar. 

I’d just returned to the valley after eating lunch in my field when the founders returned.  Thankfully, they hadn’t arrived sooner, or they would’ve found me missing once again.  “We’ve come to a conclusion,” Ms. Ashford announced.  “You may place the barrier over the town, but only after we put hidden passages in place for our people.”  “Which means you stay nearby until they’re finished,” Mr. Stoll told me with a hint of distrust, “You will sleep right here in the valley, and return to your place in the field only after the barrier is up and functioning properly. Afterwards, I suppose we could cut back on your working hours so long as you make an appearance daily to scout for other giants.”  

The rules were fair enough.  I didn’t like the idea of sleeping in the slim space between the mountains, but it wouldn’t be for very long.  Erica had immediately complained once she heard about my sleeping in the valley.  However, I reminded her about her perfectly fine bed in the Cavern Town.  “At least you have an actual bed, and a house,” I said after she grumbled over the fact she couldn’t secretly sleep with me.  Erica mumbled a half-hearted apology before leaving for the town, yelling: “Steal a bed from your own world if you want one so badly!”  Before I could tell her that was a dumb idea, and the scientists would definitely be able to spot it, she’d vanished into the rocks.

With the plan underway and a full-time job taking up most of my time, the days blurred together quicker than I thought.  Erica would come visit me on the mountainside at least once or twice a day to keep me from getting too bored or too worried.  Ever since those scientists made their way along the horizon, I was anxious that they’d be back to take the town while it wasn’t protected by the barrier.  I trained with my weapon with every opportunity I got, which sometimes included late nights.  I didn’t sleep much anyways; the restricting space between the valley, and the potential to damage more of the mountainsides, kept me up.

Several weeks later, a few crude passages had been established.  They would be smoothed, tiled, and lit eventually, but they were solid enough in their current state to count as complete.  With crossed fingers, I pulled out my gun and shifted it into the fourth and final mode.  The whole town — which had really grown into a city — had to evacuate just in case something went wrong and the barrier somehow failed dangerously.

I was shocked at the amount of people that filed out of the gaping cavern in the side of the mountain.  I’d never seen the whole population in one place before.  Every day a scouting group would come back with various items and occasionally people in tow, but I hadn’t realized just how many other-worldians had settled there.  This has to work, I realized suddenly, Otherwise everyone here might not have a safe space to live anymore.  The scientists know all of this is here.  Why haven’t they come to take it yet?

With everyone finally out of the cavern, the founders gave the signal that it was completely empty.  With careful aim, I guided the barrel to the center of the hollow mountain and fired.  A firework-esque crackle resonated through the valley, making my hair stand on end.  Pieces of rock fell off the mountainside and exploded on the barrier’s face.  Small landslides tumbled dangerously close to the crowd, but I quickly swept them away with my free hand, blocking anything from falling too close.

It was a rather raucous creation, but once everything settled down, the barrier looked stunning.  Tension released from my taunt muscles as my plan fell into place, and I let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for days.  Soon, everyone from the Cavern Town returned inside — marveling at their brand-new protection.  I could hear the faint noises of celebration coming from within; cheers and music drifted through the barrier and the tunnels. 

As my reward, I was allowed to collect my things and return to the field.  The valley looked a bit more barren than usual without me in it.  I don’t know why I was so melancholy leaving it; I hadn’t liked sleeping there at all. Longingly, I watched the festivities from afar.  “If only I could actually celebrate my accomplishments with them,” I whispered, “but I bet everyone will get uncomfortable if I get too close.” I rubbed the bar on my neck unconsciously.  If only this thing worked how I made it…

Dark clouds rolled in on a strong breeze that smelled of rain.  I put up a barrier around my blankets in anticipation for the storm to come, then lay down and curled up in my empty patch of grass alone, left daydreaming about what I would be doing if I were other-world size with Erica and Ivan out celebrating.

The next morning, I woke up extremely early.  Too early. A storm had started up while I slept, and I was startled awake by a sudden downpour.  The sound of the rain pelting the barrier was horrendous.  For the whole city inside the other barrier, the sound was probably dulled by how full the hemisphere was with rock and machinery and patched-together houses.  For me in my almost empty barrier, the hollowness amplified the noise until it was impossible to sleep or even think.

I angrily took down the barrier and almost went to grab an umbrella from my own world before lightning suddenly streaked across the sky.  Shit, that’s close!  I hit the dirt, realizing that I was definitely the tallest thing in the field.  An umbrella would only make things worse.  If I got struck, I would probably just end up back in the basement rather than dying — just like what had happened on my very first day.  However, the electrical surge from an actual bolt of lightning, no matter how small, might be enough to knock me out.  At the very least, it would be tremendously painful.

Again I found myself hating my stupid living arrangements.  I was wet, my blankets and pillow were soaked, and I could barely keep my eyes open due to my early wake-up call.  The storm stopped a few hours later, but by then I’d stayed up for so long and was so soaking wet that I was already wide awake and shaking slightly with the cold.  I internally rejoiced when the sun came out, warming me up and drying me off a bit.

The whole field was practically underwater — flooded by the rain — so I took my meal to go.  I must’ve looked like an absolute mess.  The moment Erica saw me, she gave me a look that was equally pitying and slightly amused.  “You might want to borrow a brush from your world,” she chuckled, “You look like you were hit by a train.”  “Or a thunderstorm,” I grumbled, “I’ll be back.”  In a moment, I was in my own world.  

Thankfully, everyone was preoccupied with other things at the time, so I was able to get a hairbrush and a fresh change of clothes without anyone noticing me.  I stayed a bit longer once I heard my family making plans in the living room.  Soon enough they would come over to my room to bring me up to speed on their ideas, so I avoided them by taking a shower.  Minutes later, my dad yelled through the bathroom door that he and the others were heading out.  He offered to wait for me, but I turned him down.  I had to get back to the other-world.

With everyone gone, and myself finally pampered and warmed up, I took a moment to stroll through the house, marveling at how everything was just perfectly scaled to me.  Back in the basement, I packed a few extra items for my settlement — including a hairbrush.  When I went to put my things away, however; I got an ingenious idea.  Grabbing my blanket and pillow, I brought them into my world.  “I’ve had just about enough of being uncomfortable,” I grumbled.  

Taking them both into the field of strange energy, I gave them each special abilities.  I imbued the pillow with the ability to make it feel like I was sleeping on a mattress while I used it, and I imbued the blanket with the ability to be the perfect temperature at all times.  “There,” I sighed, placing them down.  “I’ll check on you later.  First, I’ve got to get back to the town.”

Erica was waiting for me in the same spot she'd stood before, milling around aimlessly, waiting for me to come back.  She did a double take once I re-appeared, then nodded.  "Yup, that's much better."  I rolled my eyes with a smile and gently scooped Erica up.  Or, more accurately, I’d barely reached for her before she scrambled up into my hand.  “Where are we going?” she asked, peering over my cupped fingers in excitement.

“Now that I have some time off, I was thinking of exploring the rest of the mountains over here.  I’ll get a lay of the land, maybe find another town.”  “Another town?” Ivan echoed.  He’d just stepped out of one of the new tunnels and overhead me.  “I don’t think that’s a good idea..  You’ll just terrify a bunch of innocent people.”  

“But I could help them!  I could give everyone a barrier just like this one,” I explained, gesturing towards the Cavern Town, now sealed off by an indestructible opaque hemisphere.  “You should wait until we know the barrier actually works before you do that.”  My brows furrowed in concern, and I knelt to see Ivan’s expression.  “You don’t think it’ll work?” I asked, slightly offended.  I’d worked hard to create something that would protect everyone from the likes of the scientists.

“All I’m saying is that we have no proof that it does work,” he reasoned, “I’m fairly confident it will keep the giants out, and so are most people, or else we wouldn’t have let you put it up.  But no one knows that for sure because no one’s ever tried to break in. You said so yourself that you couldn’t fully test it.”  I nodded, seeing the logic behind Ivan’s argument.  I wanted to solve everything desperately — to keep awful things from happening and to prove I wasn’t a part of such awful things myself — but not so desperate that I was willing to give false hope to people just to relieve some of the stress.

However, Erica scoffed in my cupped hands.  “And?  What are you suggesting?  Do you want us to lure some giants over to test it?” She asked sarcastically.  “No!” Ivan yelled, exasperation growing in his voice.  “We should know for a fact that the barrier keeps giants out before we go promising it to others!  If they’re depending on it to keep them alive and it fails, you’re going to be responsible for their capture!”  Erica was ready to quip something snide in return, but I placed my hand over her — holding her in an interlocking cage of my own fingers.  Again, it was hard to tell if they were getting along or genuinely fighting.

“Erica, let it go.  He has a point; we can’t go around giving out barriers claiming they can stop the scientists when we don’t know if they actually do.”  I could hear her grumble in protest, but her voice was too muffled by my fingers to understand.  “I’ll just patrol around the valley today.  Want to come with us, Ivan?”

He shook his head, “I have plenty of things to do in town.”  I nodded, watching him leave.  Was that an excuse not to come, or does he genuinely have stuff to get done?  Erica yelled something and I quickly released her.  “What did you say?”  “I said forget about him.  If he wants to sit around in the rocks, let him.  He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”  With an annoyed huff, Erica gave a running leap out into the open air before landing on my chest, clinging to the fabric of my shirt.  She clambered up to one of my shoulders and sat atop it — perched a dizzying height above the ground for someone as tiny as her.  

“Alright I’m set, let’s go,” she said as nonchalantly as if she’d got into a car rather than jumped over a deadly long gap.  Speechless, I glanced over at her with wide eyes.  She snickered and leaned back slightly, grinning at me.  “Something wrong?” Erica asked in an innocent voice.  I shook my head at her reproachfully.  “You’re crazy.  I don’t know how you get the confidence to do half the things you do.”

Erica thought silently as I meandered around the outskirts of the valley.  “Well, I know you’ll always be there to stop anything bad from happening,” she answered with a nonchalant shrug.  Of course I’ll always take care of her, but she she should still be at least a little self-conscious, shouldn’t she? It’s not just her I have to worry about anymore; it’s the whole town. The daunting reality had dawned in my mind watching the crowds of people outside the mountain, but now it had really settled in.

“We've.. stopped," Erica stated in confusion.  I could feel her edge forward slightly, trying to gauge my pensive expression from the side.  "Alexis?  Are you alright?"  A long sigh escaped my lips and I put a hand to one of my temples to massage it.  A slight headache had tormented me for the past few days.  The storm the night before had only worsened it.

"Yeah.  I'm just.. tired, I guess."  I sat down heavily on a flatter part of the mountainside.  "You haven't been getting much sleep in the valley, have you?" Erica asked, realizing how exhausted I really was.  "Well, there's that.  But I've also been so stressed with the whole 'this barrier better work because if it doesn't you might be leaving a few thousand people defenseless' thing too,” I added.  Erica patted the side of my neck comfortingly, I turned to her and she brushed a stray lock of hair from my face.  

“I know, love.  People talk in that mountain, too.  They know they have to rely on you…  It’s a mixed reaction, really.  All those people — I can’t imagine the burden,” she said softly.  “Even-” she paused, shook her head, then started again.  “I’m here.  I’ll help in every way I can, I promise.  I hate that this is happening to you.. to us, but I’m with you.  Even if I’m not physically fighting beside you.  Even if I really want to be…” Erica gave me a little pleading look and I returned it with a half smile.  “If you’re scared or stressed or anything, pick me up anytime and let me help you.”

“Thank you,” I sighed. Smiling softly at her, I reached up and stroked her arm, then carefully rested the pad of my thumb against the side of her head.  A rare genuine smile passed Erica’s lips as she closed her eyes, leaning into my touch.  “I didn’t get a lot of sleep-” I paused to yawn, “last night too, so you aren’t entirely wrong about the no sleep thing either. Stupid thunderstorm kept me up.”  “Then what are you doing carrying me around?” Erica asked incredulously, “Go and get some sleep, you big dork!”  “But, it’s not even dark-”  “If you’re stressed and tired, you have no reason to be up right now!  Go to bed.  No excuses.”

Sighing, I lifted Erica off my shoulder to get a better look at her.  She knelt in my palms, looking meaningfully up at me, gesturing for me to bring her closer.  The moment I bridged the small gap between us, Erica pressed a small kiss onto my cheek.  “Go rest,” she said softly, “You deserve a break, Alexis.”  I gave in — nodding my agreement as I headed back to the right mountain to let Erica off.  Leaving her and everyone behind the safety of the barrier, I trudged off to my things that I’d returned to the field.

When I flopped over onto my blanket, it felt like heaven.  I’d forgotten that I gave little powers to my bedding.  I spread out completely, enjoying all the room I had out in the field.  The tight walls of the valley near the Cavern Town had previously restricted my sleeping space — it had been close to claustrophobic.  Now I had all the room I could want, as well as my new more comfortable sleeping arrangements.  Though there were still plenty more hours of daylight left, I was asleep in minutes.

#beware the title of this one yall #next chapter won’t be pretty… #enjoy the sweetness of this one tho! #g/t #giant/tiny #other-world universe #gt writing

[synobun]

Want to get to know you better 💜 What's something that's been on your mind lately?

I will avoid the subjects that make people uncomfortable and instead talk about... Hrm. What is left after that, really.

Kidding. I think.

I've been thinking a lot about trying to exist in people's lives more. I've lived in Vancouver for almost ten years and I, uh... I had one friend here when I moved, that I already knew from online. We don't talk anymore. My fault. I left them when I first became bedbound, citing that I had nothing to offer them. I met someone the first year I was here as well, and it went poorly, and they moved away anyway. I've basically not bothered trying since.

One part of me wants to wield the antisocial badge and say it's because I'm just an unpleasant misanthrope or whatever. But the unfortunate truth is that I spent so many years just trapped in a bed or incapable of existing outside my home, so meeting people in real life, especially in a city so deeply committed to stereotype and cliche, was simply not a thing that could happen.

I feel like maybe I'm capable of spending time with people now? In a way where I'm not fighting for my life just to make it half an hour and then disappearing off the face of the planet for weeks after. It's been so long that I don't know how to exist around other humans anymore. And I can always come up with a reason why I shouldn't try.

But it's starting to really bother me. I need connection. I always have, but it's more pronounced and tangible now. The internet can only offer so much. Everyone I befriend sees the internet as their last resort. They prioritize what exists around them physically. And they should! But for someone who exists solely online, it gets sad to always be an option of convenience. When I have movie clubs, music events, online games, whatever, that's, like, the thing for me. For everyone else it's just a thing they can pop in and do if there's nothing better close by.

It's also getting ridiculous. Someone I know moved here three years ago and I still haven't met them. How absurd is that? It's nonsense. They like me. They've wanted to see me. I just haven't. Like I said... I always come up with a reason why I shouldn't. Someone I've known for the past year was in the city yesterday, specifically told me they wanted to have lunch with me, and I didn't say a single thing. Just told them to have fun at the hockey game. I am such a nincompoop.

I dunno. I've been thinking about how to be physically sociable. I'm not going to claim I was ever good at it, since I was an outcasted child and a high school dropout, but today it might as well be an alien idea. How do I exist around a person! How can they tolerate me when I cannot tolerate myself! My only in-person interactions in the past ten years have been with my friend I've had since I was eighteen and my ex when she visited me for two weeks two years ago. Besides that? Doctors. That's it. A couple one-off hellos/lunches, but... nothing, really, of substance. It's humiliating, even though I know for most of my 20s it wasn't my fault. It kind of is now, though.

You know, I said I would avoid the subjects that make people uncomfortable, but I don't think I did that. Well! Nevertheless. Now you know something that's been on my mind.

#ask reply #this was far more than what anyone really needed to hear :)

[valstranquility]

AMIGAS Y CHISME PODCAST

pairing: rutger mcgroarty x cami flores

notes: WELCOME TO MY NEW AU! pls do not think about the timeline of things described in this!! I am aware it might not make sense!! like always, please excuse any errors or inaccuracies.

cami & rut

Cami was in Los Angeles for the week which meant meeting up and working with all of her internet friends. She was most excited to meet with her friend Angie, who had her podcast, Amigas y Chisme, and wanted to record an episode with her. Cami loved talking to all who would listen to her, so agreeing to go on the podcast was an easy yes. 

-

“Hi, guys! Welcome or welcome back to Amigas y Chisme! I’m Angie and today I’m joined by a special guest, the amazing, talented Camila Sofia Flores,” Angie says with excitement. 

“Oh, full name. Wow,” Cami says laughing. “Hi, guys! This has been a long time coming.”

“I know! You’ve gotta come out to L.A. more often.”

“Girl, I’ve got school. I think you forgot we didn’t all drop everything to move to the City of Angels,” she says, slightly mocking Angie. 

“Bitch,” Angie responds, not taking offense at all. “But speaking of school, how is that? I barely graduated high school so I have no idea what college life is like.”

“Well, for those who don’t know, I’m a film major at the University of Michigan. But yeah, so far it’s been really good. I feel like I’m thriving over there.”

“Yeah, I wanted to bring that up. Why Michigan? I know you’re from Texas, so why not stay close to home? Cause I know Santi, your older brother, stayed in Texas.”

“Michigan wasn’t even on my radar if I’m being honest. But then I saw a clip of their gymnastics team and was like ‘Oh. I didn’t know they had all this.’ So I checked them out and eventually fell in love.

“And I knew that moving so far away would give me an independence that I never would have gotten if I stayed in Texas. It would've been like a fresh start. But I wasn’t completely alone. Lina, my bestest friend ever, is also at Michigan, we’re doing gymnastics together. I wouldn’t have been so confident in moving to Michigan if it weren’t for her.”

“Oh my god. I was also gonna bring up your whole gymnastics thing. How did that become your sport? I feel like I’m asking you all the things I should have asked you when we first became friends,” Angie says laughing. 

“My mom put me in gymnastics when I was like 3 or 4. I was just a kid who was always tumbling and doing little flips on the couch so she looked up a gym near us. But I also started soccer when I was like 7, so I was just doing both and I loved it. But my gymnastics coach said I could have a lot of potential if I really put all my time and energy into it, so my mom made the choice to take me off my little youth soccer team and took me to a bigger, more serious gymnastics training center.”

“Oh, wow. I had no idea you started that young,” Angie says.

“Yeah, that coach told my mom that because I had an early start I could grow up to be good.”

“And it sure did. I have this list of your accomplishments that I will now be reading,” she says, clearing her throat. Cami starts laughing and covering her face, growing slightly red. “You were a three-time regional beam champion and a two-time regional floor champion. You were the regional champion on the vault and in the all-around. You won the state championship on the vault, beam, and floor twice.

“Now I don’t know what any of that means but I said the word champion a couple of times, so I know you’re good. Girl, you should be in the Olympics.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I’m that good. Even if I was, I don’t think I’d be able to handle that pressure.”

“Hmm, I think your mom would disagree,” Angie says laughing. 

“Stop. Have you been talking to my mom? Dude I swear she thinks I’m the best gymnast in the world,” Cami replies. “I don’t know how she had time to come to many of my meets. All her other kids are in sports too.”

“That’s where I think your mom went right. Like I wish my mom put me in a sport when I was little. Maybe then I’d actually be doing something with my life,” Angie jokes.

“No, stop. Don’t even say that. I’m technically doing the same thing as you.” “And how did your mom react to that? Did you like ask her before you started posting or let her find out after?”

“Um, I definitely let her find out after I already posted a couple of videos,” Cami says laughing. “But it was very early on like I only had a couple thousand subscribers at the time and I was still in high school. She was very against it at the start. She was worried about my safety and was bringing up like every worst-case scenario. But I eventually got her to chill out and now she loves it. She loves being in the videos and even has her own TikTok now.”

“I see her videos all the time and I eat them up every single time. How did the rest of your family react?”

“My dad never really cared. Well, it wasn’t like he didn’t care, he just wasn’t as against it as my mom was. My dad’s always been that way, ‘As long as you’re safe and happy, I’m happy.’ Um, Santi didn’t care at the start but now he’s always like ‘I’m never in the videos anymore, my fans miss me.’ I always assure him that absolutely no one is missing him. And then the rest of my siblings were like ‘Okay?’ They didn’t care and weren’t interested in being in the videos at first. Except Cely. She’s always wanted to be in the videos, so I’m always taking her places with me.”

-

After reading the sponsors, Angie wants to find out more about Cami’s life in Michigan.

“So, as you know, I am all about the Chisme. I mean I created a whole podcast just so I can have an outlet for it. I am now going to ask you some questions and the goal of these questions is to try and get all the chisme out of you. Some are easy to answer and some might be more personal. Are you ready?”

“Damn, ok. Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Okay, first question. Are you in a relationship?” she asks with a smirk, already knowing the answer. 

“Yes, I am,” Cami responds, already growing red.

“Please, tell us more. What’s his name? How did you meet? How did you get together? What’s he like? Please tell us all the details,” Angie says enthusiastically. 

“You’re so annoying,” she replies laughing. “But, since you wanted to know so bad. His name is Rutger. [i made this next part up, don’t read too much into it :)] Um, we met on a random college tour. We were in different groups and passed by each other several times. We just walked past, gave each other a little smile but that was it. But then we ran into each other again in a dining hall. I got a closer look at him and thought he was cute but I was like whatever. I was with my mom and my sister and they went to get food so I was alone at a table. I was on my phone texting Lina cause she was going on the same tour later in the month. 

“I remember I had just sent her a text when someone approached me and said hi. Surprise, surprise; it was Rut. I could tell he was nervous cause he kept messing with his hair and kept looking back at his table of friends. I was like ‘Hi?’ and he jumped straight into the small talk and asked me what I thought of the school. I remember we talked for a little bit and then suddenly he was like ‘I’m Rutger by the way.’ I introduced myself and he asked for my Insta. Now, I was a little hesitant to give it to him, cause I only had one account and it was the one connected to my YouTube. So he was gonna be able to see that I was verified and had all these followers and for some reason that was so embarrassing to me. But I sucked it up and gave it to him. We followed each other and then he said he had to go. And that was it.”

“Aww, that’s kinda cute,” Angie comments. “What did he think of your Instagram and YouTube?”

“He told me that he liked that I had it because it allowed him to learn more about me and my personality.”

“So how did you two get together?” “Well, he DM’d me the next day. And then from there, we talked like every day. We didn’t meet up again until a couple of months later during my spring break. He flew to Texas and asked me to be his girlfriend. He met my entire family, but he wasn’t nervous at all.” “Wait he flew to Texas, solely to ask you to be his girlfriend? Cami that is so fucking cute.”

“Well, yeah,” Cami says laughing. “He kept saying he wanted to see me again, so I told him to come. But when he got to Texas my parents were like ‘If you go out, take one of the kids with you.’” “So they wanted you guys to have a chaperone?”

“Yeah, kind of. We always took Emily cause she was too young to care.”

“Aww, love her. She’s the cutest thing ever. Okay, next question. What does a typical day in your life look like?”

“Ooh. Um, it’s different every day. I’m a morning person so I gladly wake up at 6:30. I wake up and then I usually go to the gym. It’s either the gym or Pilates. I’ve been going to Pilates for a long time now. Um, then I go back home and get some work done before practice. Practice is usually in the morning. My classes are usually in the afternoon or the evening. So I have the rest of the time to relax and hang out with friends and Rutger,” she adds with a cheeky smile. 

“Okay, all I got from that is that I could never be an athlete. I hate working out.”

“Oh, not me. It just makes me feel really good. And it gives me something to do,” Cami adds with a laugh. 

“Okay, this last question is unrelated to your life in Michigan, but more for my own curiosity. Who is your favorite sibling?”

“Now why would you ask me that?” she asks after a moment of silence.

“Hey, now. Don’t go questioning my interview skills. Answer the question,” she says with a smirk.

“Ugh, whatever. I don’t have one favorite, I have two: Gabi and Cely. But it’s okay cause Chente is Santi’s favorite and Emily is the youngest so she’s my parents’ favorite.” “Okay, I expected Cely cause obviously, but Gabi too? Really? Wow.” “Yeah. You would expect him to be like ‘I’m too cool for you now’ but he was never like that. He still likes going out with me on random errands. And Cely’s always been like that. They’re both my little buddies.”

“Oh wow. And that concludes this portion of our video. Everyone give it up for Cami. Whoo!” she says, clapping. “Before we go, we have to do something very important. As you know, you guys can call in and leave messages for us to listen to and we asked you guys to ask Cami for any advice you think she could give you. Let’s play the first message!”

A recording starts playing: “Hi Angie! Hi Cami! My name is Brisa and I’m a huge fan of you guys, I’ve been watching you for years. The thing I need advice from Cami on is how to convince my Mexican parents to let me go to college out of state. I live in Idaho but my dream school is Stanford. I know you moved from home to go to college and I was wondering how you went about it. At this point, anything helps. Thanks, love you guys!”

“Hi Brisa! What I did was I convinced one parent at a time. I knew my dad would be more open to the idea, so I tried convincing him first because then I already had someone on my side when I talked to my mom. I say pick your battles. Do your research. Have a plan for every little thing because most of the time they will question everything. But I also think I wasn’t like most cases. I went up to my mom and said ‘Look, you’re the one that signed me up for gymnastics and you’re the one that wanted me to be the best. Michigan is going to help me succeed.’ Also, tell your parents that Stanford is a stone's throw away from Idaho. Tell them it could be worse, California is closer than, like, New York or something.” “Okay, so what I got from that is guilt trip your parents,” Angie jokes.

“I mean if that’s what it takes,” Cami says, shrugging.

“Thank you, Brisa for submitting a message! Let’s play the second one.” The second recording starts playing: “Oh my god! Hi, amigas! I’m such a big fan of both of you. I’m Jackie and I am looking for relationship advice. My boyfriend and I are going through a rough patch right now and I guess I just wanted to ask how you and your boyfriend find time for each other and keep the relationship steady. We’re both really busy with school and he’s an athlete so we were considering if taking a break was the best thing right now. Any advice helps! Thanks, amigas, love you. Bye!”

“Hi, Jackie! I’m sorry you guys are going through that right now. First of all, I know everyone says this but it’s true, communicate. You guys need to be able to communicate how you’re feeling to each other without any judgment. I know how busy both your schedules can get but try your best to carve out that time to spend with each other. Show your support to each other. He needs to make sure that he’s showing you he cares about you and what you’re going through and you have to do the same to him. But I think taking a break can be healthy if it's done right. As long as you communicate and set your boundaries, you don’t have to be scared of taking a break. It shows your maturity as a couple that you recognized that maybe a little separation can do you some good. I hope you both figure this out and come out of this stronger than ever,” Cami finishes, throwing out a little heart to the camera. 

“Thank you so much Brisa and Jackie for sending your messages. I hope Cami was able to help you guys out. But that is all we have for you today. Cami, thank you so much for joining me today. It was so much fun and I can’t wait for you to be back again.” “Thank you for having me! Next time you have to come to Michigan.” “Yeah, we’ll see about that,” she jokes. “Ok guys, I’ll see you next week. Go subscribe and follow all of Cami’s socials. I love you guys, bye!”

“Bye guys,” Cami says, giving the camera a wave. 

#— cami&rut au #rutger mcgroarty #rutger mcgroarty x cami flores #rutger mcgroarty fic

[cardcaptorsakura96]

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes-Chapter 23

Fandom: Supergirl

Characters: Kara Danvers, Clark Kent, Samantha Arias, Lena Luthor, Lillian Luthor, Ruby Arias, Oliver Queen, John Stewart, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen, J'onn J'onnz, Alfred Pennyworth, Lois Lane, Cat Grant, Lucy Lane, Damian Wayne, Felicity Smoak, Streaky the Supercat, Martha Kent, Selina Kyle, Talia Al Ghul, Lucius Fox, Maggie Sawyer, Alex Danvers, Jason Todd, Otis Graves, Lex Luthor

Summary: What if superheroes had to pay a property damage tax every time they had a fight in the city?

Trigger Warning: Violence

Kara pouted as she lay cuddled next to Lena on the couch in the House of El. Lena chuckled while patting Kara’s head. 

“Kara, you said you needed just five more minutes,” mused Lena. 

Kara's pout became more pronounced and said, “I know, but I like being your cuddle bunny.”

Lena smiled and kissed Kara on the forehead. 

“I love being cuddled up next to you, but I have to get to work. I have several projects at the hospital that I need to finish in the next two days or we will be very behind.”

Kara sighed while disentangling herself from Lena and said, “I know. There is stuff that I need to do, but I….”

Lena raised an eyebrow and said, “You would rather stay cuddled up with me like you have been for the last couple of days instead of face what has happened since the attack.”

Kara looked at Lena with a soft smile while holding her hand and said, “I know that I have to face the outside world. It has just been nice being in our own protective bubble and getting to know you better is all.”

Lena kissed Kara’s hand which caused her to blush. 

“I understand darling. However, we have lives to lead and people who miss us. My mom, Sam, and Ruby have been blowing up my phone wondering where I have been the last several days. Still trying to think of an effective excuse to give them when I come into the office today.”

Kara yawned while stretching and standing up. 

“You should just tell them the truth.”

Lena looked at Kara startled and asked, “Kara, are you sure….”

Kara cocked her head and asked, “Are these people that you trust?”

“Well, yes, I trust them very much.”

Kara smiled and said, “If you trust them, I trust them.”

“Really?” asked Lena with glossy eyes.

Kara leaned down to caress Lena on the face, kissed her on the lips, and said, “I do. Besides, we are dating, and I want to get to know your family better and I want you to get to know the family that I have on Earth.”

Lena raised an eyebrow and said, “Outside of Clark I guess.”

Kara chuckled while bopping Lena on the nose and said, “Of course.”

Lena smiled while wrapping her arms around Kara’s neck and said, “I would love that.”

Kara beamed and asked, “When shall we plan this?”

Lena chuckled and said, “Someone is eager to meet the family I see.”

Kara looked down sheepishly and said, “Why wouldn’t I not be eager. These people helped formed who you are today. Of course I would want to meet them.”

Lena caressed Kara’s face and kissed her for a couple of minutes. 

She then looked up to Kara and said, “It is those little things that make me love you even more.”

Kara smirked and asked, “You love me huh?”

Lena blush, looked down sheepishly, and said, “I do, but you don’t have to feel rushed to say it back to me or anything…”

Kara places a finger on her lips to cut her off. Kara smiled and said, “I love you too.”

Kara leaned forward and kissed Lena on the lips. Lena wraps her arms around Kara and lean into the embrace more. They kissed for a couple of moments before Lena leaned back and said, “I need to leave or I am never getting out of here.”

Kara smirked and asked, “Is that really such a bad idea?”

Lena chuckled and said, “Only if I want the hospital to go under.”

Lena and Kara got up off the couch and stretch. 

Lena turned to Kara and said, “My mom has a weekly dinner at her house on Wednesdays every week. Do you think some of your family members would be able to come this Wednesday?”

Kara smiled and said, “That is something that can definitely be pulled off.”

Lena smiled and said, “Perfect. I will let my mom know.”

Lena grabbed her things, sighed, and said, “I will get going now. Are you going to be staying around here the rest of today?”

Kara stretched a little more and said, “No. I think I will fly a bit to exercise my powers a little bit and visit Damian today. He is finally alert and isn’t too happy about having to stay on bed rest for the rest of the week.”

“Aww poor baby.”

Kara chuckled and said, “I don’t know how he would take to being called that, but I am hoping to cheer him up by getting him his favorite treat before heading to the manor today: chocolate and pistachio Baklava from Carrie’s Cafe.”

Read the rest on AO3

#dc comics #dc universe #supergirl #kara danvers #lena luthor #supercorp #kara danvers x lena luthor #clark kent #superman #samantha arias #dc comics fanfiction #dccomics fanfic #supergirl fanfiction #supergirl fanfic #supergirl au #supercorp fanfiction #supercorp fanfic #fanficiton #fanfic #superheroes #lillian luthor #bruce wayne #oliver queen #diana prince #john stewart #barry allen #j'onn j'onzz #lois lane #alfred pennyworth #Ruby Arias