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aurorawest · 1 year

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Reading update:

AHH. So good. I read Timothy Janovsky’s first book in this series, Never Been Kissed, and while I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it. I loved this one. It’s about a spoiled rich boy (the titular Matthew Prince), who gets sent away to the small town where his mother was raised. There, he meets Hector, who also turns out to be his roommate (Hector is staying with Matthew’s grandparents because he can’t afford housing at the university in town). Obviously, Matthew learns to be less selfish and entitled, and he falls in love with Hector, and everything is adorable and wonderful. 5 stars.

This one was...alright. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Barista and rock star fall in love, overcome obstacles to be together, the standard. The barista is interesting because he’s at university but has a very young daughter with his best friend, because they got drunk and slept together, despite him being fully aware he’s gay. So he’s laser focused on school and work so he can send money back to them and also finish uni on time, so the friend can take her turn with her education. The MC’s posh family is also homophobic, and I always enjoy a good putting-the-homophobic-family-in-their-place scene. The main problem with this book is that it needed better editing. It just could have been a lot tighter. And some of the jokes fell flat, like...I felt like I was kind of missing something? It was probably funnier in Hayden Stone’s head.

This is the second in the Logan, Minnesota series. This one takes place a year after the first and focused on one of the side characters from the first, Arthur. I was...concerned, because it’s made abundantly clear in Let it Snow (the first book) that Arthur is very into BDSM. Since that can be one of my squicks, I was iffy on this book. Also Arthur was obnoxious in the first book. I ended up liking it a lot. Arthur, unsurprisingly, is less obnoxious in his own book, and I really liked Gabriel, the town library who he falls in love with. There are some BDSM elements but quite mild, so it didn’t squick me.

This was more of a novella, about a guy trying to get home for Christmas. A winter storm shuts down flights all across the country, and by the time it occurs to him to rent a car, all the rental cars are gone too...but then the person who got the very last rental car walks up to the desk and it turns out...the main character knows him! They went to high school together, and they clearly have History. A road trip ensues and of course they get together. Considering how short this book was, there was a lot of sex. Which was fine lol. You know, good for them. Again, fine, but not amazing.

Oh, and honestly, I’m pretty sure it’s the same person kissing himself on the cover?? I’ve spent too long staring at it at this point.

Roan Parrish is really turning into one of my favorite authors. I’m asking you to ignore the incredibly cheesy cover and that tagline on it. This book is about a man, Adam, who adopted his sister’s child, and eventually his partner (it’s unclear if they were married) is like, nah, I’m not interested in this. So Adam and his daughter, Gus, return to the town Adam is from—Garnet Run, WY (this is the third in the Garnet Run series). Their neighbor is this weirdo, Wes, who only comes out at night and never talks to anyone. Gus breaks into his house because she sees something interesting and is extremely taken with all his pets, especially his tarantula (Bettie). Adam is obviously horrified by his daughter’s behavior, but Gus can’t take a hint, and she keeps bugging Wes. Adam and Wes obviously end up falling in love.

The ostensible plot of this book is that because Gus is sad about her other dad abandoning her (and he legit does), Adam asks her what she wants for Christmas, and she says for their house to have the most Christmas lights ever. And it’s fine, it works, it causes the wedge between Adam and Wes before their inevitable HEA—but the characters in this book were just, ahhhh. Lovely. I loved them. We got to see Charlie and Rye from the previous book, which was fun, and River, who is Adam’s sibling, had a pretty decent role. Wes’s background and the reason he’s the way he is is pretty sad, but it worked really well, and I loved how enthusiastic and sensitive Adam was. I even loved Gus! A child character! So yeah, I recommend this one. 5 stars.

The third in the Logan, Minnesota series. This one focuses on the third friend in the trio from the first book, Paul. What we mainly know about Paul going into this book is that he was friends with benefits with Arthur, but really, he wanted a relationship—and when it became clear he wasn’t going to get one with Arthur, he moved out of their shared cabin. Turns out Paul is very shy and desperately loves Hallmark holiday movies, because everything turns out okay in the end, and that’s what he wants. He can’t find a man who wants to settle down and also his family is completely horrible and thinks him being gay is a phase (he’s 38).

His love interest is Kyle, who is 25 and has had a crush on Paul since middle school. I love an age gap romance so right away this one kind of became my favorite in the series. There’s a lot of angsting about the age gap at first (by Paul). What I liked a lot about this one was that these two guys really really want to be with someone, and they’re looking for a partner to settle down with. It was a change from the first two books.

Another Roan Parrish novel. This one has actually been in my TBR pile for months, and I didn’t realize it was a holiday book until recently. It’s very different from what she usually writes, but was absolutely gorgeous. Really lyrical and magical. It’s about Alex, a baker, and Corbin, a very strange man who lives in Alex’s Michigan hometown. Corbin is intensely, heartbreakingly lonely, because he’s been told all his life that his family is cursed, and that anyone they fall in love with will die within a year. So he doesn’t let himself get close to anyone.

Highly highly recommend this one. Definitely a 5 star read.

More Fence. Nothing really to say about it, it’s a bunch of pretty, gay boys fencing.

I’m just going to copy my review from Storygraph here, and it does contain spoilers, so if you want to read this book (please don’t, it was so bad), I guess don’t read my review:

Where to begin with this book. I'm a fan of Simmons' work—Hyperion is possibly my favorite book ever, and I really enjoyed the much-maligned The Terror. First off, I actually liked the mountain-climbing detail. Yes, it was long and technical, but that was the strongest part of the book. I probably would have given it a 3.5 star rating if not for the final section. I guess Simmons wanted to write a WWII book and a Mount Everest book, and for some reason he thought it would be a good idea to make them into the same book. The big twist is that a whole bunch of people died (and climbed Mt Everest) for photographic evidence that Hitler had sex with young boys—and we find out in the epilogue that the threat of this getting out stops Hitler from invading the UK in 1941. Absurd. Absolutely absurd. I was actually laughing. This book was written pre-2016, so I guess it wasn't as painfully obvious that people can do horrible things and still rise to and stay in power, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief. Also, Winston Churchill is in it, because of course he is. And Lawrence of Arabia and Charlie Chaplin show up. Why? Who knows! Why not. Literally the only reason I'm giving this book 1 star instead of like, 0.25 stars is because Yetis may have saved the main character from the Nazis.

And this was not in my Storygraph review but I keep thinking about it—if Hitler didn’t want these photos getting out so badly, couldn’t Churchill have, idk, stopped the whole war? And the Holocaust? As my wife put it, Mr Simmons, I am vexed by the gaping plot hole in your novel.

UGH

Current read/palate cleanser:

This is another one set in Logan, MN, but is part of a new series. I haven’t actually started reading it yet but just looking at it is soothing me after reading the trash fire that was The Abominable.

#you're a mean one matthew prince #timothy janovsky #when london snow falls #hayden stone #sleigh ride #heidi cullinan #if only in my dreams #keira andrews #the lights on knockbridge lane #roan parrish #winter wonderland #the remaking of corbin wale #fence #cs pacat #the abominable #dan simmons #the christmas fling #reading tag

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whispersafterdusk · 9 months

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Heart of Stone - ch 9

Finding anything in a sandstorm was like...trying to find something in a sandstorm -- more or less a fruitless endeavor, so it was a good thing Unsuur hadn't yet decided on what to use in place of the heart knot as the chances of him actually locating it would have been very slim while the sand was flying around like this. And one thing he'd promised himself today, as he'd walked and thought and walked some more, was that he wasn't going to say anything to Dawn about his crush on her until he had that knot replacement in hand and was ready to bare his soul and hope for the best. It was going to be hard to keep quiet but he didn't want to ruin his chances by being unprepared. ((Continued below cut))

Unless...what if she brought it up first? If she'd noticed the effect she had on him with just her smile or a touch (or that kiss to the cheek - that was something he couldn't think about unless he was alone because he started grinning like an idiot when he did) would she say something? And if she did, would it be something positive? It would have to be...right? She'd kissed him, after all. If she admitted she had a crush on him first that would be the best day ever -- oh, wait, would Arvio refuse to sell her a heart knot too? You didn't NEED a heart knot to tell someone you liked them but it was a lot easier to offer one and know without a doubt the recipient knew what you meant. Guess he'd better keep that in mind when he was picking what to use in place of the knot...

The sandstorm had died down by early evening which left a narrow window of time between the weather clearing and when they were having dinner at Dawn's. Unsuur was able to squeeze in a quick shower and put on a clean shirt (that he covered up with his uniform jacket anyway) then met Justice outside his house and walked with him to the saloon. Owen was behind the bar leaning against the bar top chatting with Grace, who was sitting on one of the stools on the other side, when they walked in. Both greeted them and Grace excused herself to the kitchen to pack up whatever Justice had ordered for tonight.

"You know, with the storm passed I don't necessarily need to close early -- usual evening crowd might trickle in," Owen said as Justice sat down at the counter.

"Appreciate it but I'd hate to change plans again - especially this close to them. Plus, smells like you already have everything made," Justice replied.

Unsuur dropped onto an empty stool to wait; Justice had insisted tonight would be his treat and he had no idea what he'd ordered. He could smell something tangy and meaty wafting from the kitchen and as he'd (unintentionally) skipped lunch his stomach growled quietly, even though he usually didn't care much for meat-heavy dishes.

"Has word spread about the moisture farm yet?" Justice asked.

Owen walked the length of the bar to collect a tray of clean glasses. "Couldn't tell you -- not sure who heard about it yesterday and then that storm did a good job at keeping everyone home. I imagine after today it'll be all folks'll be talking about. Dawn - and Mi-an too! - did an amazing job."

"Yeah, that they did," Justice agreed.

Unsuur rested an elbow on the bar and put his chin in his hand; Dawn HAD done an amazing job, and had almost worked herself to death to do it. He really hoped she'd have time to rest and recover, and get proper recognition for all she'd done. "Amazing" described her so well...

He quickly steered himself away from that particular line of thought. "What did you order for us, sheriff?"

"Some sweet and sour tenderloin, Highwind fried rice-"

"-hopefully Dawn finds my take on it acceptable," Owen interrupted with a laugh as he began to put the glasses away behind the bar.

Justice snickered. "Scared of falling short in front of a Highwind native?"

"Hey, it's not often someone from there travels all the way to Sandrock. If I'm going to be serving one of their signature dishes I'd like it to be, well, of their liking!"

"And," Justice went on, shooting Owen a smirk, "some potato salad. Dawn and Mi-an both said they'd provide drinks and Heidi wanted to bring something sweet."

That all sounded ok, though it wasn't yellow soup with lemons. ...he wondered if Dawn had ever tried it.

"Here you go, guys," Grace announced as she came out of the kitchen with two bags in hand. "And try not to tilt them -- not unless you want to leave a trail of sauce from here to Dawn's."

"Now that would just be a waste," Justice said, standing to take the bags. "Thanks, you two. See ya."

He was careful to scoot his stool back in close to the bar as he stood to follow Justice out. "Bye."

As they headed for the tracks Unsuur spied Cooper over on his front porch unpacking a large crate; the brightly colored canvas coming out of it was very familiar -- he'd almost forgotten about the Running of the Yakmel. With the storms causing delays, Logan holding up the train, and then the moisture farm being attacked the event had been pushed out to the next season so it was going to be a chilly festival this year. Unsuur didn't participate in the riding part (he preferred his horse, yakmel were too temperamental for his liking) but he enjoyed watching the controlled chaos in the ring. Did Highwind have anything like that? He should ask Dawn.

Oh, wait. Seeing Cooper had reminded him. "Did you ever find the missing horses?" he asked Justice.

The sheriff shook his head. "Neither hair nor hide of them. My best guess is either one of the villages around here has 'mysteriously' acquired some new horses, or they wandered off and got eaten by something. Ranch is right by the Valley, lots of rockyenarolls out that way and it wouldn't be the first time Cooper lost an animal to one of their packs."

"That's true. And unfortunate. I bet Elsie is upset."

"Not much we can do, pardner. Just a part of life living out here," Justice sighed.

Unsuur nodded; they were almost to Dawn's gate now. The yard was quiet (it was weird seeing everything off after days of constant use) and he spotted movement at the window as they stepped into the yard. The front door opened as they reached it and they both had to quickly step back as Amirah came out of it.

"Hello Justice, Unsuur," was her simple greeting.

"Hey Amirah. Not chasing you off, are we?" Justice asked.

She shook her head. "No, not at all. I knew you were all coming - Mi-an is already here. I was just dropping something off anyway. Enjoy your dinner date."

Date. Unsuur looked down at his boots and mumbled a goodbye as Amirah slipped between him and Justice and walked across the yard. It took a moment to notice Justice had headed inside and the door was still standing open; he hurried in and was careful to shut the door gently behind him.

Mi-an was at the kitchen table; along with the two chairs that matched the table he recognized the two stools Dawn had had at her jewelry workbench, and there was another smaller, armless chair that he didn't recognize -- they were currently clustered around the little table and as he wondered how they'd all fit he noticed the couch had been turned around and almost pushed up against the bookshelf, the low table usually in front of the couch was now over near the bed, and the makeshift work table from outside had been brought inside and covered with a white sheet (it WAS just a flat panel on legs, no reason why a work table couldn't also be a food table).

On the kitchen table was an open canvas sack with what looked like marbles spilling out of it, if the marbles had been cut in half. Mi-an was admiring a handful of them but as Justice approached with the food she quickly switched to sweeping them all back into the sack to give him room to set the bags down.

"Hi you two! Heidi is running a bit late -- the plan is to put the food on this table and we'll all have room to eat at the other," Mi-an said with a smile.

"Where's Dawn at?" Justice asked as he set the bags down.

"She had to run something over to Mabel. Should be back really soo- ha, see," Mi-an cut herself off with a giggle as the door opened and Dawn swept in.

She looked a lot less tired than when he'd last seen her but not entirely rested; she had a large, serrated kitchen knife in hand that was missing the handle and she gingerly moved passed them to set it on the counter.

"Hi guys - sorry, Mabel broke a knife and asked to borrow one of mine until I can get a new handle put on the one she broke. Hopefully you didn't bring anything tonight that needs carving," she laughed, looking at the bags sitting on the table.

"Nothing a regular ol' steak knife can't handle. What's in the sack?" Justice asked, untying the first bag. The meaty smell wafted out in full force.

Dawn reached around Mi-an to grab the aforementioned sack. "Amirah and I came to an agreement that I'd use broken bits and cast offs from her work to create some unique pieces of jewelry to sell. We'll start off by splitting the profits but when we both have the time to spare we'll switch over to teaching each other our respective crafts." She dipped her hand in and pulled out a handful of the half-marble looking things then dropped them into Justice's open hand. "First up: glaze drips. I can turn them into earrings, or set them into a pendant or on a ring like I would a gem."

Justice held one up to the light; blue and white were swirled together like a sky with wispy clouds. "Huh. Look at that."

Unsuur plucked one from his hand and looked at it; if it was a fired gloop of glaze that explained why it looked like half a marble. This one was a bright orange flecked with green, about the size of the tip of his pinky finger; he could picture it set into a simple gold band. If he were in Amirah or Dawn's place he probably wouldn't think much about the drips or the pieces that broke... Dawn could see even sand's worth and now she'd have something new to turn into something beautiful. He really admired that.

Her fingers brushed against his as she took the glaze bit back, dropping it back inside the sack before tying it shut and tossing it onto her bed. "Heidi should be along shortly. Have a seat, make yourselves at home. Would you guys prefer some tea, juice, water?"

Justice grabbed one of the chairs and turned it to face the makeshift table before dropping into it. "Water for me, thanks."

Mi-an went to move the other chairs and stools to the makeshift table; Dawn opened up her fridge and took out two pitchers, with a large glass jar with a spigot toward its bottom also visible inside. The jar held a dark liquid that Unsuur assumed was the tea, and he knew that water pitcher from before.

He took a few steps forward, being careful not to get in her way or bump her. "Want some help?"

His stomach did a little flip at her smile as she handed him the two pitchers. "Thanks. We can keep these on the table with us but the tea will have to sit on the counter."

After setting the water and sandberry juice pitchers on the table he went back and helped her carry the glasses, plates, and cutlery to the table as well. Right as he'd placed the last fork there was a knock at the door; Dawn let Heidi in, directing her to leave her plate of sand jujube cakes on the kitchen table with the rest of the food.

"Well, now that we're all here, dig in!" Dawn laughed, lowering herself onto a stool with a glass of tea.

It seemed like she was going to let everyone else go first; Unsuur didn't think that was especially fair considering all the work she'd done lately and remained in his seat. When it was down to just the two of them he and Dawn both gestured at the other at the same time, drawing a small laugh out of her.

"Go on. Guests go first."

"But you've done a ton of work lately."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "So have you. Don't think I can't see how tired you look, or that I don't notice how often you pass by on your patrols."

Unsuur was suddenly aware of attention on him; out of the corner of his eyes he could see Justice grinning at him, and Mi-an and Heidi both sharing a knowing look.

Dawn must have noticed as well as her face tinged pink. "I-I mean that for both you and Justice. With the hydrogel fixed I can finally sleep in a little but you two are still burning the candle at both ends."

"Luckily, not for much longer," Justice said with a quick chuckle. "A subject I'll get to when we've all eaten."

When Unsuur still didn't budge Dawn sighed in defeat and stood, leaving her glass on the table and picking up her empty plate instead; she didn't take much - almost like she wanted to sit back down as quickly as possible - but he didn't go to fill his own plate until she had.

He wasn't the biggest fan of the tenderloin but the fried rice was something he'd not had a reason or chance to try before and it was pretty good (so was the potato salad). It was a leisurely dinner and once they'd finished the meal and had some of the jujube cake Unsuur helped Dawn clear away the dishes; she scraped them clean (all the bits went into a compost bucket) and then stacked them all neatly in the sink, and once they had sat back down Justice nodded to Heidi.

At the nod Heidi pulled out a packet of folded blue paper from an inner pocket of her blazer and began to spread it across the cleared table.

"So, here's the situation," Justice started. "The geeglers are holed up in Gecko Station, when they aren't hassling Sandrock. I was going to get a group together to go flush them out and drive them away but the other day I spotted a geegler prying a piece of Shonash Bridge loose and running off with it! Had Heidi here do a quick assessment and there's more than just that one piece gone, and no telling how recent the damage is either since I only just caught one in the act -- the thought of walking over that bridge now gives me the willies. I don't think it's very stable right now, so I needed a plan B."

Mi-an leaned forward, eyes wide. "They're stealing parts of the bridge?! Why? What'll happen if the train goes over it now?"

"No idea. I already let Jensen know - luckily we haven't had any trains from that direction this week, and until we figure out the extent of the damage we can't risk any trains going over that bridge. It'll delay pretty much everything rail-related but I'd rather we have to wait an extra week or two for our water shipment than risk a derailment into that canyon."

This was the first Unsuur was hearing of the missing bridge bits and a sense of dread hit him; it would be unimaginably bad to lose a train like that. What could the geeglers want with the parts? "So how do we get across?"

Heidi laid her hands, palms flat, over the blueprints to smooth them out and hold the top corners down. The blueprints were sideways from Unsuur's perspective but he could see what looked like a suspended cart sketched out and some measurements written all around it.

"There's a tram system left over from the early days of Sandrock," she explained. "The cables are still there and looked to be in serviceable condition when Justice and I checked them. We do have a couple of problems though: first, there's no tram carts. Second, the engine to move them is broken AND on the other side of the canyon."

Dawn pointed from herself to a blueprint and Heidi lifted her hands to let her tug one toward her, where the builder then flipped it upright and disappeared behind the paper. "So first we'll need the tram carts... With everything left over from the hydrogel I could probably knock one out in a day, two tops."

"Me too," Mi-an chirped, leaning over to look at the page Dawn held. "Are these the original plans?"

"Copies of them," Heidi answered. "Qi still had them in his collection but didn't want to give me the originals. I had him alter them a bit so we can hand crank the carts over the canyon, and these other plans here are for the engine repairs when you're across."

Mi-an sorted through the blueprints and took half of them, then began folding them back up while Dawn remained hidden behind the one she was studying.

"Thanks pardners, just let me know when you're done," Justice said. "I'd hate to rush you but I don't know how long our water will last if we have to ration it on such short notice."

"I definitely think we can get it done in two days, howabout you?" Mi-an grinned, nudging the still-hidden Dawn gently with an elbow.

"Absolutely. But, once we get the carts done did you have the other half of this plan thought out?" Dawn asked, peering at Justice from over the top of the blueprint a breath later; it was unbearably cute. Unsuur drained his glass of water and turned his attention to Justice before his face gave anything away.

"The other half of the plan is while you two builders get the engines fixed Unsuur and I are going to scout around for an ideal entry point. Then, we head back into town, grab Pen and whoever else is feeling up for a fight, and run those geeglers off."

"And then afterward we repair the bridge," Dawn said into the pause that followed, with Mi-an nodding beside her. "Easy peasy."

"That's the pl- er, the idea," Justice laughed. He got up with a groan. "-I think I hear bed calling - been a long...however long. Y'all have a good night."

"I guess it is kind of late," Mi-an said. "If we get a nice and early start on these carts it might not even take a day." She stood and after tucking her blueprints into the front of her overalls she went to pick up the jar of tea, carrying it in the crook of her elbow.

Dawn quickly threw back the last gulp of tea in her glass, moved her copies of the blueprints to the couch, and got up as well. "Well, thank you Justice and Heidi for bringing the food and dessert. Oh, and before you go, Unsuur - over on the coffee table are some paint samples. Could you have a look and let me know if any of them are what you were wanting?"

"Sure," he answered.

Dawn scooted around the table to go open the door for the others; as they said their goodbyes Unsuur moved over to the coffee table where eight painted strips of paper were sitting pinned under tiny glass pots of paint. Five were darker, three were lighter; there wasn't a ton of difference between the darker ones if he was just comparing them in the pots but he could pick out the hues better in the dried samples. He chose the second-lightest color as well as the darkest and set them aside. As he turned around he started in surprise as Dawn was right there -- he almost walked into her.

She jumped a bit too. "Sorry! I guess I walk too quietly."

"That's ok. It's your house - you can walk as quietly as you want."

She laughed at that and leaned around him to pick up the pots he'd chosen. "I'm sorry to keep having to push the paints out. It'd be nice to go at least a week without something dire happening."

"I'm in no rush, so you don't have to apologize."

"I still feel bad though."

"Don't," he said softly. "It's really not a big deal."

She smiled shyly up at him, then hurried to set the pots on the counter. "Are you able to go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight or do you have to complete your rounds still?"

...he actually wasn't sure. Justice hadn't said anything about what they'd be doing AFTER dinner but if he was going home to go to bed, surely that meant Unsuur could too? "I think I can just go home." Doesn't mean I want to at the moment. "Would you like help with the dishes before I go?"

"It's not a lot and won't take me long, don't worry. You need some rest," she giggled. "I wasn't lying when I said I could tell how tired you are."

"...I am. But I don't mind helping, or staying if you want the company."

"H-haha. Well... Any other time I-I wouldn't say no to your company but...you can't take care of Sandrock if you're not taking care of yourself. I would much rather you get some rest than waste what little time you have on me."

"Spending time with you isn't a waste," he replied - perhaps a bit too quickly. "I enjoy it."

Her face tinged red. "I'm glad to hear it, and that was probably a poor way to have worded that. Anyway, um...sentiment still stands. It's too easy to make mistakes if you're tired."

"Didn't you tell Yan you went-"

Dawn rubbed her hands down her face as she turned a deeper shade of red. "-ok, ok, yes, I'm a hypocrite," she laughed. Her voice was muffled behind her hands. "But the difference here is I'm not marching off to fight giant lizards! A slip up on a machine might lose me a finger but if a geegler gets the best of you..." She trailed off and then slowly let her hands fall away. That look of earnest concern made him melt a little inside. "I don't even want to think about it. Please go get some rest?"

"...all right." He didn't know what else to say.

Well, no, there were things he wanted to say, but he'd promised himself.

The concern gave way to relief. "We'll have time once these dumb geeglers are gone... Time for your paint, time for combat lessons, and I still have to show you those stretches."

"I'm looking forward to it." Smiling, Unsuur wove his way around the chairs and the kitchen table and headed for the door with her padding along beside him. Inside him was an odd sensation that was hard describe; her being worried, caring about him, wanting to spend time with him, it made him feel...lighter. Combined with that familiar fuzziness where he'd felt made of lead earlier now he didn't feel so weighed down with exhaustion, and there were words that wanted to bubble up and burst out of him if he wasn't careful.

What would be better than a heart knot...? He needed an answer.

She unexpectedly caught his arm as he stepped through the doorway, gently tugging him to a stop. Had she changed her mind about wanting company?

"Um, t-thank you. For your jacket the other night - that was really kind of you," she said quietly. She was looking down at their feet but her hand remained wrapped around his bicep. "It was a... a nice surprise to wake up to." After a moment she glanced up to him with a teasing look. "Seems I'm not the only one who walks around quietly. I didn't hear you at all."

It took every ounce of willpower he had to not rest his hand over hers. "I did think about waking you so you could go to bed in an actual bed but with how tired you looked and how hard you were working... I thought you'd be mad at me if I did."

The little laugh she let out was quiet, warm; that teasing look turned tender and he was ready to melt straight into his boots. "Not mad, exactly...probably crabby, but not at you. Just from a lack of sleep in general." She squeezed his arm and let go. "Speaking of which, I hope you sleep well."

"I'll try." He backed away a few steps and turned to go, then turned back around almost immediately. "How did you know it was my jacket?"

That bottom lip went between her teeth again and it was several breaths before she answered. "...Justice doesn't patrol this area, and if it wasn't his then it had to be yours."

That was true; his and Justice's patrol routes overlapped in some places, just not on that side of the tracks. And, really, she had a 50/50 chance of getting it right too...and yet...she looked like she'd wanted to say more but had thought better of it. Was that really it? He COULD press for more detail... But perhaps now wasn't the time for that. He simply said goodnight and didn't hear her front door close until he was through the gate.

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

Dawn had her tram cart completed by early evening, and Mi-an was done soon after as well; throughout the day each time Unsuur passed by her yard there were more pieces completed and stacked on a flatbed cart to be toted over to the cables - far fewer pieces than the hydrogel had required so they wouldn't need a big group to get them moved. After he'd been notified of their completion Justice gave both himself and Unsuur the rest of the evening off so they could get to bed early, to be better rested for their scouting (and possibly combat) mission in the morning.

Though he was technically off the clock Unsuur did one final pass along the tracks and Cooper's ranch (he'd spotted some roosters that needed shooing) and as he paused at the train station he could see Dawn in her yard working on -- that was the jewelry workbench she was sitting at. Was she already using those glaze drips? He was actually curious about what she was going to do with those.

The jewelry work station was closer to the back fence line so rather than coming in unannounced through her gate he walked around to the rear of the fence. She was hunched over whatever she was doing until he got close, when she sat up straight and looked around; when she spotted him she smiled and waved at him with a tool in hand.

"Hello! Done for the day?"

He nodded as he came up to the fence near her, resting his elbows on the top and leaning. "Justice wants us all in bed early tonight so we'll be ready for tomorrow. What are you making? Are you using those glaze drips?"

She shook her head. "No, not yet. Just a few simple pendants and brooches -- Amirah mentioned my old pal 'the Mysterious Man' should be back in town in a week or so. Before I really throw myself into making new pieces I want to get an agreement in place with him again."

"Again?" he repeated.

"Yeah...again. It's...a bit of story."

Unsuur never really paid the man much attention; the few times he'd looked at the man's wares he'd never found anything of interest but now he was wondering if he'd seen Dawn's work in the past before they ever met. "I like stories. You don't have to share if you don't want to though." That got him a quiet chuckle and a smile that he could see didn't quite reach her eyes in the second before she looked down at her lap. "-I mean that literally, not in some reverse-psychology-trick sort of way," he added quickly.

Her laugh was much more genuine. "Well I didn't think you did, so no worries there. No, it's more -- you could say he's the reason I was able to attend the builder's school. He helped me raise the funds, so to speak."

Now Unsuur was wracking his brain, trying to remember if he'd ever taken note of any jewelry. "He bought your jewelry? I think he buys Amirah's pottery too since I see him carrying it sometimes."

"He bought my jewelry and everything else I brought him," Dawn replied quietly. "He didn't have to, but he did. And that gave me enough gols to afford the ticket to Atara and my first year at school."

Based on her tone there was definitely more to that story, but he again wasn't certain if he should ask about it or just let it go. He chose the safer option. "He comes by every month so if you don't catch him this month there's always next, and the months after that."

"Yeah, he did the same in Atara. It hasn't been THAT long since I last saw or sold anything to him so hopefully he won't be against picking up where we left off." She rubbed the back of her wrist across an eyebrow; he could spy a glint of pink held in her hand - maybe that opal he'd seen before? "I just need to have a decent stock built up before he gets here. He always liked to hem and haw and pick through things even when he bought everything I had..."

"Be careful not to overwork yourself again. Nights can get dangerously cold here in autumn and winter so if you fall asleep outside again at best you can expect to get sick."

"Well, then, I guess you'll just have to wake me up next time and make me go to bed," she teased.

He smiled and straightened. "If you promise you won't be crabby. Or I could leave you my jacket again."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I can't give any promises on expected levels of crabbiness but I'll try to keep it in mind. What time is it anyway...?"

"Not very late but we should probably head to bed."

Dawn blinked at him and quickly turned back to her work bench, her face a bright red; for a moment he didn't understand why, but then replayed his words in his head and-

"I mean- uh. To our beds."

"Y-yes. We do have a uh, an early day tomorrow," she mumbled. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. Good night. Bye," he said, spinning on his heel and marching off at a quick pace.

Dang it...he hadn't meant it like that. Or hadn't purposely meant it like that. Now all he could think about was cold desert nights and warm bodies under a blanket-- His bed wasn't even big enough for two people, he didn't need to be imagining things.

...her reaction definitely hadn't been his imagination though, so maybe she was thinking about it too.

When he got home he set his alarm for an hour earlier than usual and after he'd put his sword by the door he crawled into bed. Life should get a lot easier once the geeglers were gone and he could put his energy toward finding something suitable to use in place of a heart knot.

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

"All right, we all ready to go?"

Unsuur and Justice had gotten up before sunrise and had helped first Mi-an then Dawn move the tram cart pieces over to the cables, then had provided muscle or an extra hand as needed while the two builders got the carts assembled and installed. They looked pretty nice hanging there - shiny and new, almost sparkling in the early morning sun.

"I think we are," Mi-an answered, dusting her hands off and returning a screwdriver to the tool box she'd brought. "Everything looks good from this side."

Dawn had worn a tool belt instead of bringing a box, and had strapped her sword across her back. "My only concern at the moment is how windy the ride might be. We won't tip over but depending on how hard the wind is blowing it might not be the smoothest of rides."

"It just has to get us across," Justice laughed. "Right, now - one thing Heidi suggested, just out of an abundance of caution, is to keep the weight even between the two carts. Based on the engine parts we've got, the tools you're carrying, and our weapons along with ourselves, that puts Unsuur and Mi-an in one cart and Dawn and I in the other."

Over the top of Dawn's head Justice mouthed 'sorry' at him, and he did look appropriately apologetic; Unsuur frowned but the sheriff was probably right -- Justice preferred a large and heavy hammer as his melee weapon of choice. That thing alone probably weighed more than the tool box and engine parts combined, and Dawn was smaller than Mi-an was. No matter how disappointed he was with the facts it did make sense to put her with Justice.

They filed into their respective carts and Unsuur began to crank the handle; the tram lurched forward and did start to sway quite a bit as they got away from the platform and out over the canyon into the wind. He could hear a soft grinding noise and some clicking coming from the gears as he worked the crank; Mi-an didn't seem concerned by any of the mechanical noises he was hearing so he kept turning it until he heard a high-pitched 'ting!' noise, and an odd metallic twang -- it made him think of Cooper plucking a wrong note on his guitar but it rapidly changed from one twang to several in quick succession along with a shrieking noise and then an incredibly loud snap, and with a dawning sense of horror he realized those noises weren't coming from the tram cart he and Mi-an were in.

Across from them - right in front of them - the second tram cart shuddered in mid-air for a split instant as the cable it was hanging from gave way from the other side of the canyon and came whipping toward the cart as it began to plummet; it collided with the front panel of the cart with a thundering thud that was drowned out by the startled screams of both Justice and Dawn as it fell, followed by the sound of glass shattering and stone and metal busting apart beneath the cart's weight as it slammed into the corner of the roof of a ruined building about twenty feet down from the canyon's lip and disappeared into the darkness inside.

"No... Oh no..." he whispered. At some point he'd taken his hands off the crank and stepped to the tram cart's side, where he was gripping the top of the side panel so tightly his fingers were actually hurting. He didn't even remember moving.

The tram listed slightly to that side as Mi-an stepped up beside him. "What do we do? What do we do?!"

"We-" Come on, think...think... Dawn, Dawn was- and Justice, too-- No, don't think about THAT, think about-- What COULD they do? Even if they got across the ca- oh man, they NEEDED to get across before this cable had the chance to fail too; there wasn't a roof or building underneath his and Mi-an's cart. Unsuur seized the handle and began to crank it as fast as he dared. "We need to get across. And-" And then what? "-and, and find a way down. Or inside. Both. That's part of Gecko Station down there. If we can find a way inside we can find them."

Mi-an looked white as a sheet but nodded at him and moved more toward the middle of the tram cart to even out the weight; they got across without a sound -- not from each other, not from the tram cart, and not from the cable. Mi-an was shaking as they both hopped out of the tram cart and onto the far platform.

The platform looked well-weathered and had piles of sand and dust all over, which made the fresh geegler tracks everywhere all the more apparent.

"Someone cut the cables...or tried to. Look-"

Unsuur tore his attention away from the tracks and followed Mi-an's finger as she pointed over his head to where two sets of two gigantic iron pulley wheels were mounted high up on the walls of the building that housed the broken tram cart engine; the one on Dawn's side was... Without a cable. And the one that had managed to hold him and Mi-an up looked like a frayed rope -- the cable was made of lots of thinner metal cable twisted together and someone, or someTHINGS, had attempted to cut through it but had either given up or thought they'd done a good enough job.

Geeglers. They somehow figured out the plan, though HOW they'd figured it out wasn't important right now.

"We need to look for a way inside," Unsuur said, trying to keep the dread and panic out of his voice.

Mi-an nodded, but then shook her head a breath later. "I should fix the cable before it completely breaks or else we'll be trapped over here with no way to get help."

...that was a good point. "All right. But be careful. Yell for me if you see any geeglers."

With that he took off running down the nearby stairs; he doubted he'd find a safe way inside this high up on the building but kept his eye out for any obvious openings as he went. The stairs and walkways he was sprinting along wound back and forth along the eastern side of the station all the way down to what had once been the entrance to the ruins but had been boarded up and blocked off for ages now by the geeglers. He could...probably break his way through. He had to, or else they would have to figure out how to scale the cliff down to where the tram cart had busted through the roof, and then down however far it had fallen after that, and--

His breath was burning in his lungs as he leapt over the railing and hit the ground, throwing himself into a roll to break his momentum. He was down at ground level. There HAD to be some way inside from here. There...there had to be. Please let there be some way inside...

#Heart of Stone #HoS #Heart of Stone - ch 9 #mtas Unsuur #mtas Justice #mtas Heidi #mtas Mi-an #mtas Owen #My Time at Sandrock

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broflovski-brah · 10 months

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info

rules

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miss-conjayniality · 11 days

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y’know……being gay is a blessing tbh. it’s honestly crazy how much power butch women have over me…..natural mood boosters for me.

#heidi’s tangents ♡#soft hours with heidi ♡#I was having such a miserable morning coz I was tired as hell and needed some black coffee to jolt me awake #ok so i was having a coffee break at work and the same woman who did my drug test when i got the job came up to me to say hi and #converse with me. god. Every time I see her I am mesmerized by her presence and start getting all giddy inside #her presence lit me up more than any cup of coffee ever could…#i remember the first day I met her during that drug test I was so flustered by how stunning she is #she told me she loves Indian culture and food 🥹#she’s buff AND has tattoos AND a crossfade AND dresses nicely AND wears some nice blingy jewelry 🤤🤤#AND works in IT AND is a kind lovely person AND loves indian culture🤤🤤🤤#A WOMAN!!! PERIODT….#unfortunately she’s taken 😢 but I still have such a massive crush on her…..#she’s my ideal type almost down to a tee…..#she makes me delulu FRRRRR #high femme🤝stone butch

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hitchell-mope · 6 months

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Follies fancast.

Sally Durant. Maya Rudolph and Sofia Wylie.

Benjamin Stone. James Marsden and Milo Manheim.

Phyllis Rogers. Amy Adams and Sadie Sink

Buddy Plummer. James Monroe Igleheart and Chosen Jacobs.

Carlotta Campion. Queen Latifah.

Stella Deems. Helena Bonham Carter.

Heidi Schiller. Michelle Pfeiffer.

Hattie Walker. Katy Sagal.

Dimitri Weismann. Richard Gere.

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suchananewsblog · 1 year

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‘SNL’ Recap: Former NBC Page Aubrey Plaza Achieves Career Dream, Attracts All Of The Celeb Cameos (Including Sharon Stone!)

After taking a month off over the holidays, Saturday Night Live returned to greet 2023 without Cecily Strong, but with more surprise celebrity cameos than you ever could have, would have guessed. Even with me writing that, how many cameos would you guess? You might’ve had Amy Poehler on your SNL guest list, but how many of you had Sharon Stone? Or The Property Brothers? Tony Hawk, even? Allison…

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2ndaryprotocol · 1 year

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The Christmas crime pic ‘Cold Steel’ collided with moviegoers this week 35 years ago. 🎄☠️🔪

“𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸’𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢. 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚒?”

#otd #movies #christmas #action #thriller #b movie #brad davis #sharon stone #jonathan banks #anthony lapaglia #Adam ant #jay avocone #Heidi kozak haddad #Dorothy Ann Puzo #cold steel

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captain-yeet · 8 days

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The Fine Line

Summary: Requested by @thiccboinbackpack, all is going well until a new recruit into the Volturi tries to stir the pot. All of the coven learns what happens when someone draws even a speck of blood from Felix's mate.

Word count: 800, short and sweet.

Warnings: Violence, explicit language

Author's Note: I love this person for suggesting this to me because YESSSS. I am a 🥰weakling🥰 for some hyper protectiveness.

Executions were a smooth operation for Felix, same shit different day. Some poor sod doomed for damnation by the Volturi get sentenced, he executes them, time to burn the bodies and clean up, repeat.

Now that he had a mate in the castle - a human mate no less - he took extra precautions around the time of sentencing.

"Promise me you will stay right here?"

You'd nodded, humming in agreement. "Don't worry Felix, I'll keep out of trouble."

The trial was mundane. Another vampire thinking that because they're immortal they didn't have to bow down to any rules or laws. The masters give their sentence. A swift twist of the head. Demetri at his side to assist by holding the accused in place, and another successful trial ended.

Everything was in order.

Felix liked order. Needed it.

As he was disposing the body Heidi came careening into the room, all her decor and poise gone. She locked eyes with Felix and he knew that something wasn't right.

"It's Y/N. There was another vampire - I didn't see. I didn't see him slip away from the rest of his coven."

If his heart could still beat it would have frozen. Wasting no time he dashes out of the room, following the trail of Heidi's scent to find his mate. Climbing staircases and numerous hallways the smell of blood made his throat burn.

Her blood.

His mate's precious blood.

Two lower guards had an unknown vampire pinned to the ground, his mate backed into a corner. A single cut on her cheek and a burst lip sent him over the edge; not in hunger, no, but rage.

Taking long strides to where she stood frozen in place, he took her chin gently, making her look at him. "Did he do this to you?"

You nod weekly, eyes wide in shock. Frozen. Like a deer in headlights.

His gentle, soft and caring mate in a state of such fright... It hurt him.

The culprit had to pay.

"Bring him into the throne room."

"Felix, please don't-"

"Darling, it's alright," he soothed, pressing a kiss to your forehead. His body felt like a live wire. Electrified. Ready to burst. "Demetrius..."

His friend knew him like the back of his hand. Being around someone for two thousand years will do that to a relationship. By the dark tone in Felix's voice, the blond already knew what was coming. "Just tell me what you need from me, brother "

"Take Y/N to my room. Keep her there until I return."

Felix locked eyes with Demetri. With a curt nod, he scooped up Y/N and whisked her away to safety.

Leaving Felix with the freedom to succumb to his most primal form. A predator whose mate was just harmed by a lesser life form. And like any other predator, the urge to tear apart this pathetic excuse of a vampire's stone flesh piece of piece powered each step he took towards him.

The rogue vampire blanched at the menacing expression Felix wore. "No, wait, stop! I was just hungry, come now. It's just a human-"

The pleas were cut off by a large hand crushing his windpipe. Squeezing so tight a meek squeak was the only sound the vampire could make. Bending down to eye level, pure rage glowed in Felix's eyes. "My human. Mine," he snarled."

The other guards released the rogue vampire. Anyone who knew Felix recognised that glowering stare by a mile off and knew to steer clear of it.

Quicker than the vampire could keep up with, he was spun about and pinned to the ground, arms held behind his head, freeing his throat. Growls filled the room, Felix being driven on by the need to protect. To kill. To destroy. Effortlessly, he tore the arms from the vampire's body, the sound of a cracking boulder echoing in his ears.

Ignoring the vampire's screams, he lifted him off the ground and sunk his teeth into his neck, ripping away stone flesh until the head rolled free of his shoulders. No one hurts my mate and lives.

Y/N was curled up in Felix's bed when he returned. His expression impassive. The rush of the kill coarsing through his long-dead veins. A small half smile lite of her face. "You killed him, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," Felix huffed, joining her side in the blink of an eye. "You're only the most precious thing to me in the world."

Y/N snorted. Her eyes shimmered with love and adoration. Crawling to her knees, she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "My big protector," she sighed against his skin.

A low, content sound rumbled through Felix's chest. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her body, pulling her close to him. "Always will be."

#twilight saga #volturi #felix volturi #twilight fanfiction #its been a whileeeeeeee

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fanfictionlibrary · 11 months

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I loved your Demetri fanfic! it was so bittersweet and well-written.

your bio says your requests are open? could I perhaps request one for Felix? feel free to let your creative juices flow, but something sweet and fluffy between him and his fem!mate?

Thanks lovely! x

Respectful Humming (Felix x fem!Reader)

The reader's appearance is not specified. She is shorter than Felix, though.

A/N: I let my creative juices 😉 flow for this one. Thanks a lot for this wonderful request. I hope you enjoy it, dear Anonymous. Still, I want to emphasize that I do not write sexual content about characters who are underage. I received a few requests for stuff like that, and I must say that I do not feel comfortable with writing those fics.

“That was a rather tedious trial,” Demetri remarked, carrying himself elegantly through the halls of the Volturi’s castle and putting any décor to shame. He was the most ornate décor to have ever existed anyway. The halls and rooms were lucky to have him. He was a statue created by Michelangelo.

“Indeed,” Felix replied, treading softly on the stone floor. Despite his gigantic size, he appeared to be levitating.

“I cannot quite fathom why Aro prolonged the trial unnecessarily.” Demetri turned right, heading toward the library.

“He was in a particularly bad mood today,” Felix explained monotonously. “You know how he can be. It has happened before. He really wanted to see that poor excuse of a vampire suffer.”

Demetri shrugged nonchalantly. “It shall not concern me.” As he and Felix entered the library, he added, “At least Jane and Alec got their fun out of it.”

“Exactly.” Felix's eyes scanned the bookshelves and sitting areas worriedly for your form. You had promised you would be here to await him after the end of the trial. But you were nowhere in sight. “The twins are satisfied for now, and they are unlikely to cause mayhem. Although that is never a guarantee.”

Feeling a heavy weight on his chest, Felix stopped in his track. Standing in the middle of the library, he crossed his arms and used his sensitive ears to locate you. However, neither your heartbeat nor the even sound of your breath seemed to be dwelling in the castle. That was bad. Panic seized him. The world of vampires was wicked and cruel. Had a newborn taken you? Or worse, had one of his ancient enemies broken inside the castle and humannapped you? For vampires, the worst possible punishment was to lose a mate.

A mate for a mate.

Keeping his composure, Felix looked at Demetri, who had sat down at a chess board opposite Heidi. They were flirting ferociously, and although they had been doing this for centuries, they always found new hollow phrases and sweet compliments to charm each other. Their friendship was real, but everyone knew where the two of them would end up. It was the reason why some wished for soundproof rooms. However, the Kings were against such an installment because to run the coven smoothly, their senses needed to have access everywhere at any given time. Traitors, raging newborns, enemies… None of them could have the opportunity to hurt the Volturi’s integrity.

“So, if I win, how about the whole night this time?” Demetri organized the chess pieces.

“First, honey, you have to win. Last time I beat you. And how about you start to become more creative. We have done that so many times already.” Heidi giggled sensually. Her flirting was always of the dominant kind. She never behaved submissively. Tilting her head to expose her neck was something she would never do. You had to accept her as the strong woman she was.

“Hey, Demetri,” Felix called out. “Do you know where (Y/N) is?”

The vampire shrugged. Clearly, he was uninterested. “I don’t know. If she is not here, she is somewhere else.” A cloud fell over the tracker’s face. “It is a pity that I cannot sense her tenor. But her immunity to gifts is the reason why Aro allowed you to keep her in the first place.”

A deep growl rumbled through Felix's chest. Demetri ignored his obvious anger, and the giant walked out of the room, seething. He hated the way Demetri and the others talked about you. Like you were a pet only kept for his amusement. Admittedly, vampires mainly see humans as food, and thus, it is most difficult to establish respectful relationships between humans and vampires. Still, Felix would not allow the others to look down on you. At least not in your presence. He ignored slighting remarks when you were not in the same room, knowing that those would be uttered behind his back anyway.

Anxiously, Felix hurried out of the castle. It was a cloudy day, and the sun was already setting. He didn’t need his cloak. After wandering around for a while and searching for your familiar heartbeat, he found you sitting on a low wall, overlooking the fields and trees expanding in the distance.

Relieved, Felix sighed. He felt like he was reborn into a human, only to be turned into a vampire again. He was so glad to see you were alright. He came to stand behind you and embraced you lovingly. Unperturbed, you continued to hum softly, dangling your legs in the air.

“I thought you wanted to meet in the library,” Felix whispered against the shell of your ear. He had to lean down to accomplish this feat of affection since you were shorter than him. Your head, although you were sitting on a raised wall, did not even reach his chin.

“I thought so, too. I had been in the library. But Chelsea and Renata came in, and they were not so kind.”

“What did they do? Did they say something hurtful?” Felix placed soft kisses on your head.

You shook your head. “That is between me and them. I won’t tell you. Also, as I have mentioned before, I can solve my own conflicts. If I want the others to respect me, I cannot let you fight my battles for me. Otherwise, they will not take me seriously.”

Oh, strong, cute you…

Felix picked you up bridal-style, turned you around, and sat you back down. Now you were facing him. His big hands caressed your shoulders. “I know. You have told me that a lot. More than you should have to.” He was obnoxiously protective of you. So much so that at the beginning of your life in Volterra, he tried to shelter you from the others, seeking out confrontations to solve your arguments. For him, this was not about protecting your pride or dignity or anything. Just that he could not allow others to pick a fight with you. However, it quickly turned out that you were the real menace. You did not back down from any conflicts, and if you were facing heavy provocations, you would unleash witty remarks of your own.

“By the way,” Felix began, “I love that you are not frightened anymore when I approach you.”

You laughed amusedly. “Right, if you had hugged me from behind two months ago, I would have jumped.” A cheeky grin was plastered on your face. You got up, standing on the wall. Felix grabbed you by your hips to stabilize you. Emotionally and physically, he gave you equanimity and equilibrium. “Look. I am taller than you are now.”

“Barely. I am not sure that counts.”

“Yes, it does. Even if it’s only a centimeter, Felix.” You rolled your eyes playfully. Then, your gaze became serious. “I was really afraid of you until we reached a certain level of trust. Now, it is like I can almost feel when you are around. I do not need to see you to have that feeling. A special kind of security shrouds my body and mind when you are near. Just now, as I was humming to myself, I felt that you were close and searching for me.”

Hmm… Was that an early manifestation of your gift? “You are wonderful. Do you know that?” Felix pulled you in by your waist.

“Of course, I do. You tell me every day.” With a big smile on your face, it was you this time who leant down to kiss him.

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