#foweek

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Happily Ever After Week Day 6: Baby Fever

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper

Summary: Nic has baby fever and it gives Archie a realization

It would strike Nic at random times. She never knew what started it, but every once in awhile she’d get baby fever.

Archie could always tell when she had it. She would point out babies whenever they went out, and coo at them in the stores. She would ask Belle and Rumple if she could babysit Gideon, and Archie would come home to find Nic chasing little 3 year old Gideon through the yard as he giggled. Sometimes she babysat other young kids, sometimes she decided to do decorating lessons at the bakery. Parents would bring in their children, and Nic would help them decorate whatever it was that day.

She often found herself lost in thought, daydreaming about what it would be like to have a family with Archie. She’d think about bringing home their first child, and how she thinks the kids would look, what their names might be. It would happen anywhere, sometimes while she was at work, other times at home with Archie. Once, they were going to bed and he heard her suddenly crying beside him. He never found out what was wrong, but she cuddled him the rest of the night, kissing his cheek.

She had mentioned kids a few times offhandedly to him. Nic never gave a pure indication that she wanted kids with him, but she hoped he’d assume. And more than once Belle had told the couple that they would make great parents. But it had never been purely stated by either that they wanted children. All of the hints were there, Nic and Archie just didn’t take them. However, it truly occurred to him one day when they were at the store.

She had a tendency to wander off at times. Archie never worried, he always was able to find her or she would find him. But he didn’t expect to find her in the baby aisle. He stood there for a moment and watched as Nic looked at bibs. They all had silly phrases on them, and it seemed to amuse her. She had a soft smile on her face as she looked at everything. Archie watched as she picked up a onesie and admired it.

That’s when it finally hit him.

She did want a family, and she wanted it with him. She wanted to have a child with him, but neither of them had the nerve to say it yet. Archie smiled, deciding that later he would be the one to bring it up. He wanted it with her, and he needed her to know that.

Nic finally noticed him out of the corner of her eye and looked over at her husband. “Honey?”

He took a few careful steps towards her and buried his fingers in her hair. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” She replied, putting the onesie back.

“Let’s finish shopping,” he put his hand on her lower back and guided her back to the shopping cart. “I want to talk about something when we get home.”

“Okay?” She raised a brow at him curiously.

“Don’t worry, muffin,” he kissed her head. “It’s nothing bad. Quite the opposite.” He smiled softly. “Exactly the opposite.”

#mywriting #foweek #happily ever after week #otp: happily ever after #my conscience #self shipping #self ship #self ship community #self shipping community #self insert fic #self insert community #self insert

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Happily Ever After Week Day 1: Happy Birthday

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper

Summary: It’s Archie’s birthday but he keeps interrupting Nic’s surprises

In hindsight, Archie should’ve known better when he woke up to the smell of bacon and other delicious aromas. It didn’t surprise him when he got downstairs that Nic was cooking breakfast. What did surprise him, however, is the tray that the food was on. Nic hadn’t seemed to notice him yet, or she wouldn’t have, at least if Pongo hadn’t run up to Archie the moment he saw him. The excited barks of the Dalmatian as he jumped up onto his hind legs in an attempt to lick Archie’s face caught Nic’s attention. She looked over at Archie and wiped her hands on her apron.

“Oh no, you go back upstairs right now.” She said, walking over to her husband. Archie was still trying to keep Pongo at bay. “You are getting breakfast in bed because it’s your birthday and you can’t argue with me, okay?” He looked at her for a moment, a little taken aback by her sudden outburst. He had forgotten all about his birthday until now, and he certainly didn’t want her to fuss over him because of it. Pongo managed to successfully lick Archie’s cheek, then happily trotted into the kitchen to finish his breakfast.

Archie blinked, wiping his cheek with his shirt. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to go through all this trouble.”

Nic crossed her arms. “I’m making you breakfast in bed, Archie. You can’t stop me.”

He sighed defeatedly, giving her a small smile. “I know, but it’s worth a try.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll go back upstairs and wait for you.”

“Good.” She smiled sweetly. “I’m almost done.” He started to head up the stairs when she called for him. Archie paused. “Don’t forget, August and Marco are taking you out for your birthday!”

After a few minutes, Nic took the tray upstairs to Archie who sat in bed waiting patiently with a smile. She placed it in his lap and was about to walk away when he caught her wrist. He pulled her into a small kiss.

“Thank you for this.” He whispered.

She smiled and pulled away. “Anything for you. Happy birthday, cupcake.”

It was close to 5 in the evening when Archie finally got back home. August and Marco had kept him occupied for most of the day, and wanted to keep him longer but Archie insisted on going home to Nic. When he stepped inside, Pongo excitedly jumped towards him, and Archie laughed. He closed the door behind him to make sure Pongo didn’t run out, and scratched behind his ears.

“Hey boy, I’m back now.” He said to the happy Dalmatian.

“Archie?” Nic looked at him in surprise and rounded the counter, standing in front of whatever she had on it. Her hair was messy despite being it being pulled back, and she had flour on her apron. Her hands and apron had icing on them, and she even had a little on her face. She leaned back, trying to hide something from his view. “You–you’re not supposed to be home yet. You weren’t supposed to get back until six.”

“I wanted to spend the rest of my birthday with you.” He told her, hanging up his jacket. “Is that a problem?”

“Yes—I mean no! I mean—” Nic sighed, hanging her head. She stepped to the side and revealed the half iced cake on the counter. Archie walked over to her as she spoke. “I knew they were taking you out today so I asked them if they could keep you busy until six. I wanted to surprise you with this.” She gestured to the cake.

The cake itself was a simple, yellow cake with white frosting. She had been in the middle of writing ‘happy birthday’ on it when Archie came in. All she managed to get on it was ‘happy bir’. Archie smiled at her.

“You didn’t have to go through all this for me.” He said, using his thumb to wipe the icing off the tip of her nose.

“It’s your first birthday since we got married, I wanted it to be special.” She replied shyly.

“Oh muffin,” he smiled softly. “Every birthday with you is special.” He kissed her head. “How about this: I’ll go take a long shower, and you can finish the cake along with whatever other surprises you might have.”

She looked up at him and smiled, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I can work with that. But don’t come down until I call you. It might ruin the surprise.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckled, kissing her once more before going upstairs.

It was a little past 6pm when Nic finally called for Archie from downstairs. He came down the stairs and smiled when he saw the dinner laid out on the kitchen counter. Nic stood to the side, beaming at him.

“Happy birthday, cupcake.” She said softly.

After they finished dinner and the dishes were clean, Nic pulled the cake from the fridge. She set it on the countertop and put candles in it, then lit them.

“Make a wish, Archie.” She said. He smiled at her then blew out the candles. “I hope whatever you wished for comes true.”

“Don’t worry,” he told her, taking her hands in his. “It already has.”

#foweek #otp: happily ever after #happily ever after week #self insert fic #self insert community #self insert #self shipping community #self ship #self ship community #self shipping #mywriting

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Happily Ever After Week Day 5: Cookies

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper

Summary: Nic and Archie bake some cookies

“You have a little dough on you,” Nic giggled as she watched Archie scratch his nose. He didn’t even notice the cookie dough on his hands until she mentioned it. He gave her a bashful smile and she reached up. “Let me get that.” She wiped the cookie dough off his nose and onto her apron, grinning at Archie the whole time.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, picking up the tray of cookie dough. “How do you not get it all over yourself when you’re baking? I always seem to get the dough on my hands no matter what I’m baking.” He opened the oven door and put two trays into it before shutting the door. Nic set the timer to 7 minutes to let the cookies bake.

She laughed, remembering all the times he’s gotten cake batter on his hands. “Years of practice? Or maybe everyone is wrong about us and you’re in fact the messy one,” she teased, putting some sugar cookie dough on another tray.

Archie selected the sprinkles and carefully put them on some of the dough she had already placed on the tray. “Well as you can tell I’m obviously messy in the baking area.”

She paused for a moment and glanced at his shirt that was covered in flour. “Oh I can tell.” She held back giggle. “But you never did tell me how you managed to get flour in your hair that one time.”

“And I never will,” he said, recalling the time she came over to his house and found him almost completely covered in flour. He wasn’t about to tell her that Pongo tripped him and made him drop the bag of flour on himself.

She put the last piece of dough that would fit on the tray then paused. “Why are you only using blue and orange sprinkles?”

Archie’s cheeks reddened. He was hoping she didn’t notice. “Well… blue is your favorite color and orange is mine.”

“Why are they on the same cookies then?” She asked, crossing her arms. The smile she held was mischievous, as though she knew the answer. She had a feeling she knew, but she wanted to make sure she was right.

“...because we’re married.”

Nic’s mischievous smile became a soft one as she leaned up to press a soft kiss to her husband’s lips. “You’re adorable and I love that.” Archie finished putting the sprinkles on the cookies, and Nic hugged his waist. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Hm?” Archie hummed, taking a small piece of cookie dough as eating it.

“I love you, cupcake.”

He chuckled. “That’s not a secret. But I love you too, honeybun.”

“How about the cookies are all done baking, get a glass of milk and enjoy what we made?” She suggested, kissing his jaw.

“That sounds nice, but don’t eat too much,” he told her as the oven beeped.

“I won’t,” Nic laughed, opening up the oven. “I promise, sweetheart.”

#mywriting #happily ever after week #otp: happily ever after #foweek #my conscience

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Happily Ever After Week Day 2: Walks

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper

Summary: A simple morning walk

Her hand was tucked into Archie’s, their finger intertwined as they walked the length of Main Street, Pongo leading them. They passed many people, a few familiar faces they would briefly mutter “good morning” to, but the walk was silent for the most part. She smiled up at her husband and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Archie grinned, the feeling of the kiss spreading through him and making him warm in the cold February morning.

“I love these walks with you,” she whispered to him as they passed Gold’s Pawn Shop.

“I do too,” he squeezed her hand. “I always made an effort to pass by the bakery to say hi to you. I loved seeing you every morning.”

She blushed lightly. “Well luckily for you, you get to wake up next to me.”

They continued to walk hand in hand, silence falling over the couple once again. Nic got lost in thought, thinking about all of the times she deliberately waited for Archie to walk by the bakery so she could catch a glimpse of him. She remembers there was a period of time she tried going on morning walks in the hopes of running into him. The morning walks didn’t last long, but it was nice to see Archie more often. Now all she had to do was go into the living room and she would find him on the couch working. Nic didn’t even realize the walk was over until they stood in front of the bakery. Archie gave her a soft smile.

“I wish these walks were longer,” she said absentmindedly.

“I know, I wish they were too,” Archie told her, bringing her hand up to kiss it. He grinned at the amount of giggles that erupted from her lips. “After work we can go on another walk if you want. Just the two of us?”

“Oh?” She gave him a playful smile. “A nice, quiet walk with just the two of us? We haven’t done that in a while.”

He nodded. “I think one is overdue.”

“I’d say so,” she leaned up to kiss him softly. “It’s a date then.”

“I look forward to our date later, Mrs. Hopper,” he smiled.

Nic blushed deeply at his comment. “I’ll see you then.”

Archie kissed her and smiled, then started in the direction of his office. As Nic went to open up her bakery, a smile fell onto her lips at the thought of the walk they’d be having this afternoon.

#mywriting #happily ever after week #otp: happily ever after #foweek #self insert #self ship #self ship community #self shipping #self shipping community #self insert fic #self insert community

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Happily Ever After Week Day 7: Perdita

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper

Summary: Archie finds a stray...

A/N: And with this, Happily Ever After Week is over!

Archie stepped out of his office and into the late evening air outside. He checked his wrist watch, wanting to make sure he wasn’t running late. He had promised his wife he’d be home by dinner time, although he was cutting close by getting a little extra work done. He was about to head to his car when he heard a noise from the alleyway beside his office. Archie paused at the opening, listening carefully for the noise again. It was a small, high pitch mewling, and he didn’t think twice as he stepped into the alley. Although it was dark, there was just enough light from the street lights to illuminate the small furry creature curled up on an empty trash bag. The kitten looked up at Archie and let out another small meow. His heart tugged at the sight of the small, abandoned kitten, and he didn’t hesitate to reach down towards it. To his surprise, the kitten didn’t let out a small hiss or back away. Instead, it stayed still and let him pick them up, then purred at the warmth of his hand.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” He asked the kitten, holding it close to his chest. He stepped out of the alley, and noticed how dark the fur was. Archie wasn’t sure if that was dirt or if it was just the natural color of the fur. It didn’t matter, though, as he headed towards his car, preparing an explanation for his wife when he got home.

When the door to the house opened, Nic looked up to smile at Archie, then she gave him a confused look as she noticed his jacket bundled in his arms. She set the plates in her hands down on the counter and opened her mouth to question what he was holding, but she was interrupted by a small meow emitting from the jacket. Archie put his umbrella in the umbrella rack and looked at her.

“I can explain,” He said.

Nic folded her arms, curiosity peeking. “I hope so.”

Slowly, Archie lifted the kitten from its warm spot in his jacket. “I found him in the alley beside the office. I couldn’t just leave him.”

She gave him a small smile. “Of course you couldn’t.” Archie walked over to her, setting his jacket on the counter and placing the kitten back on the warm spot. It purred happily.

“Where’s Pongo?” He asked, pressing a kiss to Nic’s cheek.

“Oh he’s napping upstairs.” She replied, pulling a plastic Tupperware bowl from a cabinet. She set it in the sink and started to fill it up with warm water.

“That’s good, I’m not sure how he’ll be with a cat in the house.” Archie said, beginning to set up the baby gates they normally used to keep Pongo out of the kitchen.

Nic reached over and picked up the small kitten that started purring in her hands. She smiled softly.

She gently rubbed the kitten’s face with her thumb. “Aw, aren’t you a cutie.”

Archie smiled at that. “I’m just glad he’s not hurt. Or he doesn’t seem to be.”

“She.” Nic corrected, inspecting the kitten. She may not be a veterinarian but she’s healed enough animals back in the Enchanted Forest to know what injuries look like.

“What?” Archie asked.

“This little ball of fluff is a she.” Nic said. She gently lowered the dirty kitten down just above the water, then cupped her hand and brought a little warm water up to the fur. “Just gonna wash you, little girl. You’re pretty dirty.” She glanced at her husband. “You said you found her in the alley?”

He nodded. “Who knows what would’ve happened if I hadn’t.”

“We can take her to the animal shelter in the morning and get her checked out.” Nic said, carefully washing the kitten in her hands. “My only question is, what are we gonna do with Pongo?”

He sighed. “We’ll think of something.”

The kitten had been all cleaned to reveal her black and white fur. Nic got some food and gave it to the kitten who ate it all up before Nic could even wash her hands. She and Archie knew it would be a sleepless night with a kitten in the house, and they did their best to keep Pongo away from her for the night.

The next morning after breakfast, Nic and Archie headed to the animal shelter. The kitten happily cooperated with them, purring again as Nic held it in her hands. They eagerly waited to find out how the kitten was doing as they sat in the waiting room. Nic’s leg bounced up and down as she sat next to Archie, silently hoping the kitten was okay. She finally broke the silence.

“What do you think her name should be?” Nic asked quietly.

Her husband gave her a questioning look. Was she insinuating what he thought she was? “Do… do you want to keep her?”

Nic nodded as if it was a given. “Yeah, I mean you found her. And she seemed attached so easily.”

“We’d have to introduce her to Pongo, and we don’t have the supplies to take care of a cat.” He said, although he desperately wanted to give into his wife. She had mentioned a while ago about getting a second pet, a friend for Pongo to play with. He always assumed they would get a second dog.

“She’s such an easy going kitten, though. And Archie, she was all alone when you found her. She needs a family who will love and care for her,” Nic told him, leaning into his arm. She reached over and took his hand. “And we can go to the pet store after this if she’s all cleared.”

He sighed. “Is this what you want?”

“Of course it is! And she can come to work with you like Pongo! Or she can stay at the bakery with me.”

“I guess we can keep her,” he smiled, squeezing Nic’s hand. “But you’re right, she’d need a name.”

“Alright,” the kennel handler came out from the back of the shelter with the kitten in his hands. Nic jumped from her seat and rushed over to the desk. Archie followed close behind, and he smiled softly when she took the kitten from the handler. “Surprisingly, she’s completely healthy. I found no issues with her.”

“So we can take her home?” Nic asked, the kitten purring in her hands.

The handler nodded, giving the couple a smile. “If you want to, sure. She seems pretty content right now,” he said, reaching over the desk to pet the kitten gently.

“Thank you,” Archie smiled. The handler nodded and went into the back of the animal shelter. Nic and Archie made their way out of the shelter, and she smiled down at the kitten. “We still have to decide a name.”

“Well I’ve been thinking,” Nic looked at him as they headed to the car, “she seems to be purring a lot so I was thinking… Perdita?”

“That sounds perfect,” he nodded. “We can introduce her to Pongo when we get home.”

She pressed a kiss to Perdita’s head, and the kitten let out a small meow. “Welcome to the family, Perdita.”

#mywriting #my conscience #otp: happily ever after #happily ever after week #foweek

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Happily Ever After Week Day 3: Valentine’s Day

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper

Summary: Archie and Nic celebrate their first Valentine’s Day while married

A/N: Was this an excuse for me to write about me making out with Archie? Perhaps

Nic rolled over in bed and moved slightly, hoping to get a chance to snuggle her husband before they had to get up for the day. But Archie’s side was cold and empty, and that caused Nic to open her eyes. She blinked for a moment and squinted, the early morning rays that seeped through the curtains blinded her. Slowly she opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light. When they did, a small smile grew on her face before she propped herself up on her arm. She picked up the single red rose where it laid on Archie’s side and brought it to her nose. Nic sat up and reached over, grabbing her glasses to put them on.

She wandered down the hall and down the stairs until she stopped at the baby gates separating the kitchen and living room. Archie hadn’t noticed her yet as he made breakfast and hummed along to whatever song was playing softly over the speaker. It gave her a moment to admire him, noticing how his hair was still messy from bed and his face was a little scruffy. She gently held the rose against her chest and smiled softly.

“Good Morning, honey.” She greeted him.

He jumped a little, looking back at her. Archie smiled when he saw his wife. “Good Morning, sweetheart.” He said back. Nic unlocked the baby gate and slipped inside the kitchen.

“Thank you for this.” She smiled, referring to the rose. She set it on the counter and walked up behind Archie as he continued to cook. Nic slid her hands into his shirt and hugged his waist.

“I’ve been practicing for you.” He told her. He lowered the heat on the stove and faced his wife. He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.”

She grinned into the kiss. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Jiminy.”

Nic was impatient when it came to certain things, and today was one of them. She was closing the bakery an hour early for Valentine’s Day, but it didn’t help that the bakery was busy all day. She barely got a break, she couldn’t sneak off for even a few minutes to see her husband. And to make it worse, Archie was leaving the office early to get ready for their date. She so badly wanted to leave earlier.

The clock struck 5pm and Nic immediately closed and locked the doors to the bakery, not caring that she was still wearing her flour covered apron. She only cared about getting home to her husband. She probably ran at least two red lights but she didn’t care.

Nic opened the door and pulled off her apron once she stepped inside, and Pongo barked happily from the couch. He jumped over and she gave him a few scratches under his chin before he settled down. Archie came down the stairs, smiling once he saw Nic.

“You got home quick,” he chuckled when he reached the bottom of the steps. “I’ll let you go get changed for dinner.” Wordlessly, Nic grabbed onto his turtleneck and pushed him against the wall, kissing him hard. Archie’s face became deep red at that.

“Forget dinner,” Nic said, panting slightly. “Let’s skip to dessert.” She kissed him again, and his hands found her waist. It took him another moment before he managed to pull away.

“We’re going to miss our reservation if we don’t leave.” He mumbled as Nic kissed across his jaw.

She groaned, pulling away. “Fine. I’ll change.” She pressed another kiss to his lips before going upstairs.

The date had gone exactly as expected: it was perfect. Nic was sure she managed to fall even more in love with Archie during the hour and a half they were on the date. But once they started heading back to the car, Nic’s grip got tighter on his hand. She veered him away from the front and opened the back door of the car, smirking at her husband. Archie swallowed thickly, unsure of what she exactly wanted to do. However, he went along and got into the backseat beside her.

The moment he shut the car door, Nic’s lips were on his. He barely had time to react as she gripped his jacket and pulled him closer until he was practically laying on top of her. It wasn’t long until Archie melted into the kiss and his hands found her waist. She threaded her fingers through his hair with one hand while the other began to pull the jacket off Archie’s shoulders. Neither were sure on how long they had been on the descent, but Nic’s back finally hit the seat of the car.

She began to pull on his jacket more as one of his hands ran down her side until it settled on her thigh. Nic kissed more intensely as she felt his hand squeeze her thigh before slowly trailing up her dress’s skirt. She started to moan into the kiss when suddenly there was a tapping on the car window. It startled both of them, and Archie quickly sat up. Nic propped herself up on her elbows, looking at the figure through the window. Her stomach dropped and Archie’s face flushed red as they both realized they had been caught.

The figure tapped the window again, and Archie swallowed nervously before rolling the window down. Once he did, Emma stood hunched over slightly, an amused grin on her face.

“Good evening Doctor Hopper,” she looked from Archie to Nic, who sat up. “Mrs. Hopper.”

Luckily it was dark or both Archie and Emma would’ve seen the intense blush that grew on Nic’s face. She cleared her throat. “Sheriff Swan.”

“So,” Emma smirked more. “What were you guys doing?”

“Nothing.” Archie replied, like a child caught doing something naughty.

She laughed, tapping the hood of the car. “Don’t stay out too late, you two.” Emma winked at them before walking off.

Archie rolled the window back up and glanced over at Nic. She stared at her lap, playing with the hem of her dress. “How about we finish this at home.” He suggested.

Nic nodded. “That sounds… appropriate.”

He chuckled and leaned over, kissing her cheek. “I love you, muffin.”

“I love you too, cupcake.” She replied as he opened the car door and stepped out, then helped her out.

#mywriting #otp: happily ever after #happily ever after week #foweek #self insert fic #self insert community #self shipping community #self insert #self shipping #self ship #self ship community

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Happily Ever After Week Day 4: Dinner

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper

Summary: Archie makes dinner for his wife

It was the day after Valentine’s Day and Nic was working late. She wanted to get the decorations that hung in the bakery for Valentine’s Day down, but she also wanted to sell what was left of the cookies and cupcakes. Archie felt this was the perfect opportunity to surprise his wife. They had both been a little too preoccupied the night prior after their date, and he forgot to give Nic her present. He knew she loved when he cooked, and he knew all of her favorite meals. Archie looked through one of the cookbooks Nic owned; he had no idea how she managed to memorize so many recipes, but he was thankful she still had the cookbooks in the house.

He didn’t want to do anything too fancy, but he knew he wanted it to look nice. He wanted to look nice. Archie set up the room to look as romantic as possible. He dimmed the lights and set the plates of food out. She would home soon so he rushed upstairs to change into nice clothes. Well, nicer than what he was wearing. He remembered that Nic loved seeing him wear his purple sweater vest, and he smiled at the thought of her reaction as he put it on.

Archie had just set the fireplace alight when he heard the happy barks of Pongo from the other side of the front door. There was the jingling of keys as Nic opened the door. She looked exhausted with her hair all a mess and dirty apron in her hands. Pongo ran inside and jumped onto the couch happily, laying down. Nic closed the door and paused when she finally noticed the set up Archie had in the living room. She looked at him curiously, kicking off her shoes and shrugging off her jacket.

“Um, honey? What’s all this?” She asked, putting her jacket on the coat rack.

He bounced in his heels a little as he grinned at her. “We were a little… busy last night when we got back from our date and I didn’t get to give you your present.”

She tossed her apron over the back of the couch and stepped towards him, ignoring the tiredness invading her body. “You didn’t need to go through all this just to give me a present.”

He took her hands gently and smiled. “You’re worth it.”

Nic blushed deeply at his comment. “Well now I wish I didn’t give you your present during dinner yesterday.”

“It’s fine, muffin,” he said, digging into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and held it up to her. “Happy late Valentine’s Day, Nic.”

She carefully took the box from him and opened it. She stared at the heart shaped necklace for a moment before Archie gently took it from the box. He opened it to reveal that it was a locket, and Nic gasped at the picture inside.

“Is that from our wedding?” She asked quietly.

He nodded and unclasped the necklace to put it on her. “I wanted you to have it with you wherever you went.” She put her hand over it once the necklace was on her neck.

“It’s perfect, Archie. I love it. Thank you,” she smiled.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead. “Now, would you like to join me for dinner?”

#mywriting #foweek #otp: happily ever after #my conscience #happily ever after week

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Cold Graves Week Day 3: Rain

Pairing: Cold Graves

Summary: Yasha isn’t the only one who gets excited at the rumble of thunder, and Caduceus makes sure Nic doesn’t get sick

Word count: 318

Gray clouds slowly rolled over the skies, a small rumble of thunder in the far distance. Caleb’s dome had been set up and the Nein were all comfortably inside of it, shielded from the rain that poured from the sky. All except for Yasha and Nicole, at least. Yasha stood just out of the dome, basking in the storm her god brought. Nicole, however, was running barefoot and childishly through the rain, jumping into puddles and allowing the cool precipitation to cover her.

From inside the dome, Fjord shouted, “Damn it, Nic! Get back in here! You’re gonna get sick!”

“Yeah!” Jester called as well. “You could get, like, a disease or something!”

“If she gets a disease don’t let her in here!” Nott shrieked. “She could kill us all!”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Beau added.

Nicole stopped and looked over in the direction of the dome. “You’re all a bunch of sticks in the mud!” She said before going back to enjoying the weather. She enjoyed the cool feeling of the rain against her face. She was never allowed to do this growing up.

An hour later, a waterlogged Nicole trudged into the cover of the dome. Fjord shook his head and and grabbed a blanket from the cart, throwing it to her. She wrapped herself in it, satisfied with her joy.

“You’re gonna get sick,” Fjord told her.

“Yes, thank you mom.” Nicole teased. As she settled into her spot next to the fire, Caduceus placed a cup of tea in her hands.

“Drink this. You’ll warm up quickly.” He said.

Nicole giggled, smiling at him. “I don’t feel the cold, Caddy. But thank you. I appreciate that.”

“It’s your favorite. I thought you would like it.”

She cooed. “That’s so sweet! Thank you, Flower.”

From a few feet away, Beau gagged. “You are both disgusting.”

“You’re just jealous cause I’m his favorite!”

#foweek #cold graves #cold graves week #cleric bf #Self Insert #self shipping #self ship #self ship community #self shipping community #self insert community #self insert fic #mywriting

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Cold Graves Week Day 2: Lost

Pairing: Cold Graves

Summary: When the Knowing Mistress seems to have left Nic to her own devices, she finds comfort in Caduceus

Word count: 1,191

The pyramid-esque object that sat on the ground in front of Nicole taunted her. It taunted her with its secrets and mysteries and hidden knowledge. The magic radiating from this artifact was unlike anything she or Caleb had ever come across. The closest they’ve ever come to that power is the Dodecahedron or the “Ball of Happy Fun Tricks”. Both artifacts were still mysteries but at least the group knew how to work them. This object was a complete and utter mystery.

They had acquired it a few weeks prior during a simple festival. Many folks were selling their old junk and this artifact caught Nott’s eye with its shiny surface and gold shine. After a quick Detect Magic from Caleb and Nicole, the group quickly spent the three silver to procure said object in hopes of figuring out what exactly it did. While both the Zemnian and the Druid were experts on nearly everything magic, and knew more than the entire group combined, Nicole was always given the task of figuring out strange objects. She relied on her personal knowledge as well as anything the Knowing Mistress would tell her. And to say she relied on the Knowing Mistress was an understatement.

Nicole meditated and prayed to her every other day, and always praised her for any insight given to them. But these last few weeks Nicole has become irritated. She hadn’t been able to figure out what this artifact was, not even its name. And the Knowing Mistress wasn’t coming to her. Thus Nicole’s frustration grew with each day that passed.

The Nein had set up to camp in a nearby field, not too far from the road they were travelling back to Zadash. Nicole had immediately hopped off the cart, pyramid in her arms as she marched off to a spot far from the noise of Jester’s chatter or Beau’s crude jokes. She didn’t give any of them—not even Caduceus—a glance as they called out her name.

Fjord had sighed and muttered a “let her be” before going back to unpacking the cart.

Jester and Nott were worried about Nicole, and rightfully so. She had become almost obsessed with the pyramid, but only Caduceus knew how deep her troubles really rooted. He was the only one who knew how she would stay up nearly all night trying to figure it out, and the only one who knew what was truly bothering her. Nicole could claim it was the pyramid making her distraught and upset all she wanted, but he knew that all of her frustration was because she felt abandoned.

Now here she sat, near dusk in the bitter winter air that bothered her not while she glared at the object of her obsession, the bane of her existence. The way she stared at it, one would assume it grew autonomous and killed her whole family. Alas, it was simply a puzzle she had yet to solve.

“Your thoughts are very loud,” Caduceus stated as he sat down next to her, his legs outstretched on the brown, dying grass.

Nicole clenched her fist into a ball. “I’m frustrated.”

“I know.”

“Why can’t I figure this out?!” She exclaimed loudly, disrupting a few birds nearby. They squacked and flew away, Caduceus’ gaze following them. “What am I missing?”

“Nothing. You’re thinking too hard.” He said as though it was obvious.

Her glare snapped over to him but softened just as quickly, and she sighed. “I must be doing something wrong.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I did something wrong.”

“She hasn’t left you,” he stated. “She can’t give you the answers to everything.”

“But I’ve given her everything.” Tears pricked at her eyes. “I was loyal and obedient and trusting and–”

“And you relied too much.” He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Her body trembled slightly as she held back a frustrated sob. “There’s no rush. Give yourself time. Give her time.” Caduceus stood, pressed a small kiss to her head and walked back over to the camp the party had set up hours ago.

Nicole took a deep breath and stared up at the orange-pink sky. She closed her eyes, legs crossed and hands placed softly on her knees. She took in a few more breaths, allowing herself to calm down and reflect on his words.

Nicole opened her eyes and she sat in a snowy field, the sky heavy and gray as snow slowly fell from the heavens onto the earth. It was serene and peaceful and felt like home—almost, actually. It almost felt like home. She blinked and before her stood an old woman, draped in dark clothing, the hood of a cloak pulled over her head, obscuring the view of most of her face.

Nicole knew her.

“Don’t be so troubled.” The Knowing Mistress said. Her words were whispers in Nicole’s ears, and for the first time in her life she felt a chill roll down her back. “Answers will come in due time. Patience is important.”

“I–I thought you left me.” Nicole murmured, too ashamed and too humbled to speak clearly.

The goddess chuckled. “I would never leave you. Like a bird, I felt it was time for you to leave the nest. You cannot rely on me forever.”

“So I have been told.”

“You have others that will guide you, and help you along the way. Learn to rely on them, but more importantly learn to rely on yourself. And don’t forget to cherish those closest to you.”

Another blink and the Knowing Mistress disappeared. Nicole felt something in her hand, and opened her palm. A small, pink flower laid in the center. When she looked up, the snowy field and dark sky was replaced with a warming sunrise and a field full of pink flowers. Nicole smiled. It felt like home.

She opened her eyes and realized it was dark. The once sunset-kissed sky was now dark, sparkling, and gentle. The only light source at the moment was the pinkish-purple glow from Caduceus’ staff as it sat between her and the Cleric himself.

“Oh good,” he smiled. “You’re back.”

“Back?” She raised a brow but doubted he would be able to see her expression in such low light. “I never left.”

“Okay.” He said in a tone that expressed he didn’t believe her. “You missed dinner,” he added, gesturing to the bowl of seasoned vegetables in front of her. “I didn’t want you to go to bed hungry.”

“Thank you, Flower.” She replied gently. Nicole tapped her fingers against her knees, mind wandering off to the Knowing Mistress. A small smile graced her features. “Is Jester still awake?”

“She’s on first watch.”

“I think it would be a good idea to put this artifact—” she pressed a hand to one side of the pyramid, “—in the haversack. I mean, there’s no rush right?”

Caduceus grinned. “You talked to her.”

“It felt more like she was… reminding me.” She smiled wider and leaned forward, kissing his cheek. “Thank you for everything and being patient with me. These last few weeks I’ve felt lost, but with you, I’ve found home.”

#foweek #cold graves #cold graves week #cleric bf #Self Insert #self shipping #self ship #self ship community #self shipping community #self insert community #self insert fic #mywriting

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Cold Graves Week Day 1: Cherished

Pairing: Cold Graves

Summary: Nic accidentally lets it slip mid-battle how she feels about Caduceus and they talk about it

Word Count: 1.2k

Nicole was never the confrontational type. She would jokingly shout “fight me” at Beau or Fjord whenever they said something she slightly disagreed with, but she never really enjoyed physically fighting. She was much like Caleb: intelligent, quiet, meek. That didn’t mean she wasn’t useful in a fight. Her quick thinking and strong resolve made it hard for enemies to use psychic incantations on her, and her arsenal of spells and cryomantic abilities made her nearly as lethal as she was kind.

But she still hates fights.

Cold mist flowed from her fingertips as she shot a blast of ice at a nearby warlock, said ice solidifying into a large spike and settling into the center of his chest. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of the sorceress, Deliah, whom Nicole had a rivalry with since childhood. She didn’t expect to run into an old face that day, let alone a fire fight in the middle of a tavern.

With a blast of archaic energy, Deliah aimed it at Nicole who attempted to duck out of the way. However, she was too late and the impact of the blast against her chest was enough to knock her to the ground. Vision blurry, Nicole didn’t lose the grip on her staff. The teal gem encased inside diamond glowed faintly, giving off the indication it still had enough energy for one last spell.

She groaned in pain, not finding the strength to stand. A gentle hand on her shoulder and a familiar rush of calmness seemed to caress her body. Nicole sat up and saw Caduceus kneeling beside her. She sighed in relief and gave him a nod before standing to her feet and focusing her attention on Deliah. Holding out her staff in front of her with both hands, Nicole inhaled a deep breath and the air grew cold. A gust of cold wind blew from behind the Druid and cleric towards Deliah. She instinctively shielded her face with her arms, ice slowly forming on her arms and torso.

Grinning darkly, Deliah took a few steps forward and began muttering an incantation. Nicole recognized it because she was the one to teach it to Deliah. The sorceress’s eyes flickered over to Caduceus for a moment before focusing them back on Nicole. “Kill him.” Deliah whispered.

The words echoed through Nicole’s mind for a moment, reverberating against her skull. She hesitated in her movements, vision becoming cloudy. She closed her eyes, fighting against the spell Deliah tried to cast on her. Opening her eyes, Nicole trained them on Deliah. Angrily, she growled.

“My love for him is stronger than your wickedness.” She gripped her staff tightly in her hands, staring at the stone. She had no more magic from the staff. But that didn’t matter as she brought it back behind her head and swung, hitting Deliah in the side of her face. Deliah fell to the floor unconscious.

“Holy fuck, Nic.” Beau grinned from the other side of the room. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Yeah,” Fjord agreed, sending his sword away. “Good job.”

“Thanks. Now let’s get the fuck out of here.” Nicole said.

Caleb nodded from his spot behind the bar. “Agreed. Let’s.”

It didn’t take the party long to haul ass and leave the tavern, then the town. Beau and Fjord continued to praise Nicole on her final hit against Deliah, but Nicole brushed it off. The topic of the fight itself seemed to be forgotten, until Caleb mentioned it again once they had set up camp.

They all sat by the fire, lost in their own thoughts. That was, until Caleb spoke, breaking the silence.

“Nicole,” he said. “How did you know them?”

“I only knew Deliah.” She replied, hugging her knees to her chest. She was thinking over the verbal slip she made before attacking Deliah back in the tavern. Caduceus hadn’t mentioned it, but she was afraid of what he thought. “We grew up together.”

“So this was what? Some kind of family feud?” Beau inquired, raising a brow at Nicole. Everyone looked at the Druid expectantly.

She sighed. “In ways, it was more a sibling rivalry. We were both studying under the same Sorcerer. We used to be friends, until she wanted to be better than me in every way.”

“Then why would she want to kill you?” Fjord asked.

“She wasn’t picked to continue as his apprentice. I was. I was expected to join the Soltryce academy.”

“Oh.” Was his only reply.

“But, if you were supposed to go to the academy… then why did you leave home?” Asked Nott.

“Because I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to live there anymore. That’s it.” She snapped. Nicole kept her past a secret, the discussion of her hometown to a minimum. She liked it that way. She wasn’t who she used to be. That person was gone.

“You don’t miss your friends?” Jester asked sadly.

“I can’t miss people who didn’t exist.” Nicole said, clearing her throat. “Anyway, it’s getting late. I’ll take the first watch.”

“I’ll join you.” Caduceus added.

About two hours after the party had fallen asleep, and the pair sat on watch. Nicole continued to stay lost in her thoughts, looking anywhere but Caduceus. Eventually, she found herself bored fiddling with her hair and polished her staff for what seemed like the millionth time that night. The thoughts, fears, and worries eating at her became too much. She couldn’t not talk about it. But she couldn’t force herself to bring it up. After a tug o’ war in her mind, Nicole took a deep breath and spoke quietly.

“Flower, is it… okay if I talk to you about something?” She asked hesitantly.

At the mention of his nickname, Caduceus looked over at her and nodded. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

She thought for a moment, words not being able to fully explain the thoughts bouncing about her in head. “It’s about earlier… during the fight at the tavern. About… what I said.”

“What did you say?”

Oh Gods, she adores how clueless he could be. “I—” she paused. She could just say ‘forget it’ and pretend as if it was nothing. He didn’t hear her. He didn’t know what she felt, what kept that spell from controlling her. She could ignore it, pretend this conversation never happened and— “I said that I love you.”

He hummed. “Oh.”

“But,” she quickly added, “that could never describe how much you mean to me.” He gave her a curious look and she explained. “I mean, I love living, and I love books, and the rain, and I love the Knowing Mistress. Love is used to describe so many things, but… it could never describe how I feel about you. I always had a bad habit of forgetting to cherish the things I love. And… I cherish you, Cad. More than anything in the world.”

“I cherish you too.”

Nicole couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face before falling into her back, hands covering her face. She mumbled, “Emotions are hard.”

Caduceus laughed and pat her leg gently. “You’re getting better at it.”

“Thanks, Flower.”

#cold graves #cleric bf #foweek #cold graves week #self ship #self insert fic #self insert community #self shipping community #self insert #self ship community #self shipping #mywriting

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Navin Week Day 1: Thanksgiving

Pairing: Gavin Reed x Nic Blake

Summary: Nic goes on a trip down memory lane and brings Gavin with her

Word count: 2.2k+

From the moment they met, Gavin knew Nic didn’t get along with her family. He never met her parents, and didn’t push to unless she wanted him to. And from the start she made it clear that she was not in any way ashamed of him, but of her parents. When Nic moved to Detroit she only brought with her the memories she wanted, leaving behind practically her whole life. Sometimes Gavin felt guilty about this, and Nic would remind him she did it of her own free will. She hasn’t looked back since, so when she came to Gavin one afternoon and told him she wanted to visit her hometown for Thanksgiving, Gavin was taken by surprise. He loved his wife, he really did, but sometimes her ideas were questionable at best. But upon seeing the pleading look in her eyes, he agreed without question.

He took a week off from work since they’d be in Virginia Beach for a week. Nic seemed excited, she talked nearly nonstop on the flight about all of her old stomping grounds that she was going to take him to. The hotel they were staying at was right by the beach which Nic did purposely. By the time they landed she was practically vibrating in her seat. A taxi ride to the car rental office and they headed to unpack. It was much warmer than Gavin expected—he was only used to weather in Detroit. While it was still chilly, there was no snow which only slightly surprised him. By early November Detroit was normally covered in a thin layer of white but there was just a bitter cold that wrapped the city of Virginia.

Gavin noticed Nic’s driving was much better than it was in Detroit. He figured it had something to do with that she grew up on these streets and knew how native Virginians drove. The hotel was nice, Nic having booked them a room with a balcony that overlooked the beach (“We call it the Oceanfront, the Beach is the city. You’ll get used to the slang.” She explained as some point). It was only eleven in the morning so Nic eagerly requested that she drive him all the way to her favorite childhood bakery in the next city, Norfolk. It was at least an hour drive to said bakery, and upon arrival Nic was bouncing on her heels as she dragged him to the mud green, rusty exterior bakery with large words on the sign saying “The French Bakery”. His wife quickly explained how she had been going there since she was small and that she knew the owners almost personally. This reigned true as she opened the door, a small bell ringing and an older middle eastern gentleman coming from the back to greet the customers only to break out in a grin and calling Nic by an old name long forgotten. She smiled and once they reached the counter, she leaned over and hugged him as he exclaimed that it had been too long since her last visit. She introduced Gavin who was greeted just as warmly, however he felt out of place. Nic ordered two pastrami sandwiches along with a long list of desserts that Gavin knew would give them both stomach aches that night. In his opinion they spent too much money but the grin on his wife’s face made it worth it. As they drove back to their hotel, both eating their lunch and making a mess of the front seats, Nic went on to tell him how she was surprised to find the bakery still open and how she expected it be out of business. Gavin listened intensely, devouring his meal and coming to the conclusion that the expense was well spent.

They spent the afternoon unpacking and eating the desserts bought, and both went to bed with stomach aches. Nic said it was worth it.

The next morning Gavin woke up early and ordered room service, wanting to get an early start that day. Nic woke up at half past seven, and that was late in Nic’s opinion. She woke up to pancakes with blueberry syrup and a cup of coffee, and Gavin half soaked wearing nothing but a towel as he stepped out of the shower.

That day she took him to the golf course with a long winded story of how that exact golf course is where she had her seventh birthday party and she hadn’t played a game of golf since. Her inexperience showed as she lost the game, a score of 130 to Gavin’s 80. He still questioned how she managed to get such a high score on an 18 hole course. After the game they got lunch at one of the many restaurants that rested on the strip that was the Oceanfront. Many shops were closed, Nic telling him that they normally closed for the winter since there weren’t any tourists. Virginia was a tourist heavy spot during the summer, something Nic loathed in her youth. After lunch, Gavin was dragged to the many stores that stayed open. Some of them had useless souvenirs, others had neat collectibles or stones that seemed to interest Nic. She left Virginia at nineteen and coming back home after nearly a decade gave her a large wave of nostalgia. She wanted to show Gavin everything she enjoyed, although they only had a week which wasn’t enough time in her opinion.

That night, she dragged Gavin to her favorite barbecue restaurant. It was the best barbecue Gavin had in a while and he was disappointed that it’s so far away. He joked a bit that they’d have to fly down to Virginia again if he ever gets in the mood for barbecue. That night was the first time Gavin has also seen Nic so relaxed. She really seemed to be enjoying this trip on memory lane, focusing on all of the positives.

They went to bed that night in a pile of limbs as they cuddled, Gavin suggesting they come back again for her birthday.

The next few days were blurs as Nic dragged him to several different places, all of which held special places in her memory. At one point, Nic brought him to her old high school to visit her favorite World History teacher who happened to still be teaching at that school. They talked to the class, a mix of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, with a lone senior. Some of students seemed to be fascinated with Nic, asking mostly questions about college and studying advice since she had been in their exact spot. She was disappointed when it was time to leave, but she managed to catch her old English teacher as well last minute as they were leaving campus. He told her about the Holiday Thrift Shop the school held every year about Thanksgiving. Nic insisted to Gavin they go before leaving for Detroit. They did go, buying some trinkets such as healing rings that Nic insisted on using for her wrists.

The second to last of their trip was Thanksgiving Day, and Nic has something special planned for them. She drove them out for two hours, not bothering to tell Gavin where they were headed. The moment Gavin notices the sign with the word “cemetery” in it, he had a good feeling what was going on. They parked in the loop, walked through the crunchy, frost covered grass down rows and rows of gravestones. They finally arrived at the gravestone with two familiar names and dates. Those names and dates were tattooed on Nic’s forearm.

With hands stuffed in her pockets, Nic spoke quietly. “Hey grandma, hey grandpa.” She smiled softly, and Gavin saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I know it’s been a long time… too long, honestly. But I didn’t forget about you. I didn’t forget about where I came from. I just needed a chance to find me.” She shrugged, giving a teary smile to the grave. “I found her. I had to lose a lot of family on the journey but… I think it was worth it. Besides, they wouldn’t like who I am now anyways. I know you two would though. Yeah, you were always proud of me no matter what.” Nic looked over at Gavin and held out her hand to him. He took it, tangling their fingers together as he rubbed his thumb over her wedding ring. “I want y’all to meet someone.” Gavin almost laughed. Her accent had gotten stronger since being there. “This is my husband, Gavin. He’s really good to me, and I love him a lot. I know if given the chance, y’all would have loved him too.”

He cleared his throat, not wanting to intrude in the moment but feeling the need to speak. “I promise I’ll take care of her.” He brought her hand up and kissed it. “Always.”

On the way back from the cemetery, Nic stopped by a small family owned diner. She ate there every time she would visit her grandparents’ grave and got to know the family that owned it. It originally owned by a lovely old woman named Ruth, and her husband. They have children, and two of their daughters worked in the diner alongside their parents. After the passing of Ruth and her husband, their oldest daughter took over the diner along with her sister, now both sisters and their children ran it. To say the diner was family friendly was an understatement. Nic insisted that Gavin get the clam chowder, her favorite soup of all time. He enjoyed it a lot more than he expected.

That evening, they went to the gift shop on the boardwalk and got some fudge. Nic got it every time she went to the Oceanfront and stated that it was the last thing she ate before leaving Virginia. She got half a pound of her favorite dark chocolate caramel sea salt fudge. Gavin got a pound which gave him the option to pick four different flavors. He picked peanut butter, red velvet, chocolate pecan, and white chocolate. The fudge ended up being their dinner, once again giving the couple stomach aches to nurse for the night.

Their last day was more intimate. They spent a good portion of it in the hotel room, watching tv on the crappy hotel television and listening to the waves. Come afternoon, Nic went out to the beach to have a walk. She was barefoot and in shorts, walking in the shallow part of the ocean where the water barely reached her ankles. Gavin joined her after a few moments, not wanting her to experience this alone. Hand in hand, they walked the length of the beach and back in comfortable silence. The waves and the cawing of crows and hooting of pigeons filled their silence. They watched the sunset, night blanketing the earth and making the air too chilly for their liking. They went back inside the hotel, opting to take a nice warm shower to combat the cool air.

Gavin sat on the bed, flipping through channels with the remote in an effort to fight off the boredom gnawing at his mind as he waited for her to get out. God, he thought, she always takes the longest showers. When Nic finally did, pajamas on and hair still soaked despite ten minutes of drying it, she sat down in front of Gavin, smiling softly. He shut off the tv.

“Thank you for doing this,” she said, taking one of his hands in hers and playing with his scarred, calloused fingers.

“It’s no problem,” he replied. “I had a lot of fun.” There was a pause. “If you ever want to do this again, just let me know. I’ll take off and we can fly down, whether just for a day or a week, or a month…”

Nic snorted. “I cannot stay for a whole month. I would go insane. Virginia gets pretty boring after a while.”

“With the places you took me, hardly seems like there’s a dull moment.”

She pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Yeah well, I took you to the fun places.” Her smile dropped as fell into deep thought.

Gavin knew that look. “Uh oh. What’s wrong?”

“Just…” she sighed, going back to playing with his fingers, “thinking.”

“About what?”

“I’m not gonna lie, when I planned this trip… I wanted you to meet my parents.”

“Nico–”

“I decided against it on the flight here. I realized, I should focus on the things that make me happy, like you and fudge and buying stupid souvenirs that we are never going to look at again.” She laughed, and Gavin laughed with her. “The positive memories are what made me come back, the negative ones should stay in the past.”

“I know you tell me how happy I make you, and I don’t doubt you about it, but…” Gavin tried to think of the right words. He never was a words guy. Hell, Abby helped him with his vows. But Nic didn’t marry him for his words. He continued, “But this is the happiest I’ve seen you in a long time. Your smile? I haven’t seen that one since our wedding day. So, once I saw that smile that you only break out for the purest moments, I knew this would be good for you.”

Nic tackles him onto the bed, her chin resting on his chest. “You’re so sappy.”

“Only for you.”

“I know.” She grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you too, nerd.”

#foweek #gavin reed #bastard husband #dbh #navin #self ship #self shipping community #my writing #self insert fic #mywriting

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Navin Week Day 3: Storm

Pairing: Gavin Reed x Nic Blake

Summary: Gavin is working late and Nic can’t sleep because of the storm so she visits him at work

Work count: 1k

A flash of lightning was followed by a loud clap of thunder, shaking the house. Rumball and his brother, Mufasa, were perched on a cat shelf. At the sudden loud noise they jumped, landing on the ground in the living room before running up the stairs to the bedroom where one of their owners laid curled up in bed. Nic hated thunder, the loud noise always scaring her. She knew it was an irrational fear, just like her fear of the vacuum cleaner or toothpicks. But everytime it stormed in Detroit she couldn’t help but feel on edge, the unpredictable booming always making her flinch. Maybe that was just a habit from her childhood. Sudden loud noises always made her cry.

Another clap of thunder rang through the house, and Rumball and Mufasa scurried into the room. Mufasa hid under the bed, Rumball jumping onto it and curling into the front of Nic. Chess, their five year old black and white cat, was laying on Nic’s hip, purring softly as she ran a hand through his fur. One more clap and Nic’s hand jumped to her phone on the nightstand, clicking the ‘on’ button to look at the time. 10:38pm. She sighed.

Gavin just had to work late the one night it decided to storm.

She laid in contemplation for what seemed like eternity. Eventually, another loud clap of thunder rang through the house. Nic gently pushed Chess off her and sat up, muttering a small “fuck it” before going across the room to their dresser and pulling out a pair of socks. She didn’t change from her night clothes, not really wanting to bother. She picked up her phone as it laid on the bed before dialing a number.

“Hi, I’d like a cab…”

Gavin didn’t like working late. He would much rather be at home in bed with his wife, their cats curled up next to or on their laps. He didn’t want to be writing these reports, he’d much rather listen to Nic ramble on about any ideas she had. Or how her day was. Anything but work. Yet, here he is, sitting at his desk, working on the reports and hoping he could get them done before midnight.

When Nic walked into the precinct, only partially soaked from the weather, her breath hitched. She always loved seeing Gavin in uniform, and to see him in it now with disheveled hair made her swoon. I married a stud, she thought to herself. Hands clutching the front of her jacket, Nic walked over to Gavin’s desk. He must have caught sight of her from his peripheral because his head snapped up in her direction. He nearly jumped from his chair, walking towards her. When they met halfway, Gavin took her in his arms, a worried look spreading over his face.

“What are you doing here? Is something wrong? Did something happen to one of the cats?” His eyes scanned her for any sign of injury.

“No,” she placed a hand on his chest, their eyes finally meeting. “No, everything is fine. It’s just that…” Trailing off her sentence, she bit her lip.

“What?” Gavin looked at her, still worried.

She looked at the officers as they passed by them, some giving the couple odd looks. She looked back up at him, leaning forward slightly as she whispered. “It’s storming.”

“Oh.” He realized. He was oblivious to everything outside the precinct at the moment and it wasn’t until now that he noticed the sound of thunder and the sight of lightning flashing. Rain attacked the windows of the precinct, giving it an almost apocalyptic view. “Shit. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay.” She hugged his waist, burying her face in his uniform. “I couldn’t sleep. I need you.”

Gavin sighed, running a hand through her hair. There was no way Fowler was letting him leave before his reports were done. He couldn’t take her home and come back to work because she’d just show up again.

“I’m almost done.” He pulled away, slipping one of his hands into hers. “You can wait at the desk with me while I finish. Then we can go home.”

Nic peered up at him, almost childlike. “Okay.”

He took her over to his desk and she sat in the chair beside it. “How’d you get here anyway?” They only had one car, an extremely old 1985 Dodge Grand Caravan that she insisted they buy. Gavin had a motorcycle, but he was the only one who knew how to drive it. And there was no way she walked in this weather.

“I called a taxi.” She replied, folding her arms on the desk and resting her chin on them.

“Alright then.” He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before going back to the reports. Nic watched him, silently admiring him. She always thought he looked cutest when his face was scrunched up in concentration with his eyebrows furrowed. She had his face memorized at this point in their relationship, but still, she found herself finding new things about his face, whether it be a new freckle or a small blemish.

She doesn’t when she started nodding off, but by the time it was eleven thirty, she had fallen asleep on the desk. Gavin finished his work soon after, but now noticing she was asleep. He chuckled to himself, her sleeping form looking so peaceful. It was hard for Nic to fall asleep anywhere that wasn’t a bed so given that she just fell asleep in an uncomfortable position in a loud building, he knew she must have been tired. He really didn’t want to wake her, but he didn’t feel like carrying her to the car in the rain either.

He ran a hand through her hair before placing his hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. “Wake up. I’m done.”

Groggily, Nic lifted her head. “Huh?”

“I finished. Let’s go home and get you into bed.”

He stood, and waited as she tiredly got to her feet. “I’m pretty sure Mufasa is hiding in our room somewhere.”

“Heh, he’ll come out. Eventually. Come on,” he grabbed her hand and headed for the exit.

#foweek #dbh #bastard husband #gavin reed #self ship #navin #mywriting #self insert fic #self insert community #self shipping community #self insert #self shipping

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Cold Graves Week Day 5: Birthday Blues

Pairing: Cold Graves

Summary: It’s Nic’s birthday and she was hoping no one would remember, but the Nein won’t let her be sad on this special day

Word count: 1.3k

Nicole always hated the first few weeks of Thunsheer. Most times those weeks or days were spent in preparation of her birthday, a day she loathed ever since she was nineteen. That was the first year she spent alone, and for the next eight she would spend it alone. Every year it was the same, and after a while she decided to just forget she even had a birthday.

It was odd that she was a spring baby given her abilities over ice. Jester said it made Nicole unique, and Fjord said it was a nice taste on irony. Either way, she made Nicole made sure the Nein knew her birthday was off limits.

She had spent the last few days sulking, occupying herself with mindless tasks and dodging any mention of the 17th of Thunsheer. Yet still, the group secretly planned her birthday. The owner of the tavern was gracious enough to recommend a nice bakery to get a cake, and allow the group to have a small corner for the afternoon while they celebrated. Nicole was still none the wiser, the group too convincing and too talented of liars for her to detect their plans.

She sat on the bed in her room at the tavern, skimming through a spell book she recently “acquired” during the party’s last job for the Gentleman. She promised to share it with Caleb; it was the least she could do after hogging the teleportation scroll and then wasting it during a fight.

There was a knock on the door and she looked over. “It’s open.”

The door creaked open and Caleb stood there, oddly enough, grinning.

She raised a brow. “Caleb? You okay?”

“Ja,” he replied. “Um, Fjord called a meeting downstairs. He wants you there.”

“Okay…” she stood up, curious as to what Fjord wanted. He never called meetings. It was always Beau or Caduceus. She left the room and waited for Caleb to lead the way downstairs but he didn’t budge. Instead, he gestured for her to walk down the hall.

“A-after you.”

Her curiosity was beginning to peak, but not enough for her to ask him directly if there was something wrong. She nodded and began walking, Caleb trailing behind her nervously. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, she noticed the group huddle together, facing her, as if they were hiding something. The closure she approached the better she could see the grins on their faces. She looked back at Caleb who had an anxious smile.

She stood in front of them, arms crossed. “So, what’d you need Fjord?”

“Actually–” the half-Orc began before being cut off by Jester and Nott.

“Happy birthday!” They shouted, the group parting to reveal a cake with blue icing and ten candles on top.

“Uh…” Nicole looked between everyone, surprised by this. “Thanks?”

“We didn’t remember how old you were gonna be so we just got ten candles.” Beau explained.

“I’m twenty-eight.” Nicole reminded them.

“Oh wow,” Nott gaped up at her. “You’re really old.”

“Gee, thanks Nott.”

“You’re welcome!”

Jester grabbed Nicole’s arm and tugged her toward the table. “Blow out your candles and make a wish!”

Nicole stood there for a moment, staring at the cake. She looked over at Jester. “Why?”

“Oh, well it’s a tradition to–”

Nicole cut off Jester. “No, I mean, why did you guys do this?” She pointed at the cake. “Y’all didn’t have to…”

“Of course we did!” Fjord said. “You’re our friend, and you’ve been really bummed lately and we figured it was because you thought we wouldn’t remember your birthday.”

“I guess I’m just used to celebrating it alone.”

“Well no more!” Jester exclaimed. “Your birthday is important and we will always celebrate it with you!”

Nicole grabbed the blue Tiefling and pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Jester pulled back and pointed to the cake. “Now make a wish!”

Nicole looked back to the cake and blew the candles out. She made a silent wish and looked to her friends. “Wish made.”

Jester jumped up and down. “What did you wish for?”

Nott spoke up, “She can’t say or it won’t come true.”

Fjord grinned. “I know what she wished for.” He used his elbow to nudge Caduceus in the side. “Hey, ain’t there a tradition of the birthday person receiving a birthday kiss? Cad, why don’t you give Nic one?”

The Druid gave him the most deadpanned look she could muster. “Fjord, I will kick your–” She was cut off by the small squeal she let out as Caduceus leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to her cheek. Nicole’s face heated and her cheeks grew bright red. She pressed her hands to her face and mumbled, “Thank you, Flower.”

Beau smirked and high-fived Fjord as Jester cooed. “Aw! You guys are so cute!”

“Ah, enough talking!” Nott announced. “Let’s eat some cake!”

The cake was relatively small so everyone got a piece. Nicole was pleasantly surprised it was chocolate. She looked over at Fjord as he stared at the slice. She smirked.

“Is it good?” She asked.

“I dunno,” Fjord replied. “I haven’t–” Suddenly, Nicole’s hand cupped the back of his head and smashed his face into the slice of cake. The group laughed as Fjord lifted his head, face covered in icing and cake. He wiped his finger across his cheek and stuck it in his mouth. “It’s pretty good.”

Nicole grinned smugly. “And that is for the birthday kiss.”

Fjord grinned back. “Actually, I haven’t given you a birthday kiss either. And as your brother-friend, I think it’s only right I give you one as well.”

“Fjord no–”

He grabbed her face and pressed a kiss to her temple, smudging icing all over her face. “There. You’re welcome.”

“I hate you.”

After cake was all eaten, and birthday jokes were made, the Nein retreated back their rooms for a night of rest. Nicole washed the cake off her face and made a mental note to get Fjord back at a later date when he was least expecting it.

When she walked into the room she shared with Caduceus, she was surprised to find him waiting for her. He sat on the bed, staring expectantly at the door. As she opened it, he jumped slightly.

“Cad?” She asked, closing the door behind her. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replied. “I wanted to give you your present.”

Her heart melted at that statement. “Oh, Flower. You didn’t have to.”

“I thought you might appreciate it.” He replied. Nicole sat beside him on the bed, smiling at him. From one of his pockets, he pulled out a small crystal with rope attached to it. It was a necklace, and a beautiful one at that. She couldn’t help but gawk at the faint teal hue it gave off.

“It’s–It’s beautiful.” She exclaimed as Caduceus set it gently into the palms of her hands. “You really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to. I saw it and thought it was something you might like. Mister Caleb said it has some magic properties you might find useful.”

Her eyes lit up. “An elemental-crystal, I bet. I’ve only ever read about them—” She quickly put the necklace on and beamed. “How do I look?”

“You look very lovely.” Caduceus hummed. “I never gave you your birthday kiss.”

Nicole looked at him in confusion. “Yes you did. Ear–”

She was interrupted by soft, warm lips pressed against hers. Nicole’s blush came back, this time with a vengeance as the heat seemed to consume her entire face and crawled down her neck. As quickly as the kiss happened, it was over.

“Th–that–that was, um, it was very, uh, nice.” Nicole stuttered, looking to her hands. “I, uh, liked it. A lot.” Shyly, she looked up into Caduceus’ pink eyes. “That was actually my, uh, my wish. When I blew out the candles, that was my wish.”

“Heh,” he chuckled. “Well, Fjord told me you get as many as your age so… twenty-four more to go.”

“Twenty-six, Cad. I’m twenty-eight, and you’ve already given me two. Twenty-six more to go.”

“Even better.”

#foweek #cold graves #cold graves week #cleric bf #self ship #self insert fic #self insert community #self shipping community #self insert #self ship community #self shipping #mywriting

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Cold Graves Week Day 4: Found

Pairing: Cold Graves

Summary: Nic reflects on who she was and who is now thanks to her friends

Word count: 813

Nicole could barely remember her life before the woods. She vaguely remembers her parents, the arguing, the late nights spent hiding under her covers, but that was it. It all seemed like a blur, like it was a completely other life. That’s because for her, it practically was. Nicole Blake didn’t exist anymore. She was Nicole Raziel now, not the same weak person she used to be.

The woods was her home, and she cared about it and its inhabitants. She spent years there, ensuring the safety of the animals, ensuring the safety of the woods itself. And in exchange she was allowed to live in the woods. It was the least she could do, and not a day goes by where regrets the decision. After all, it’s how she met her friends.

They set up camp in the woods and of course she was curious but also on guard. She confronted them, nearly fought, but luckily Caduceus calmed things down. Honestly she doesn’t know what would have happened if he didn’t step in, but meeting the group was the best thing to ever happen. She’ll never forget that morning when Jester excitedly asked if she wanted to join them on their trip. Hesitant at first, Nicole couldn’t tame the curiosity boiling in her and so she agreed, thus their journey.

It took her awhile to get used to the group. She didn’t know them as long as they had known each other. They all had bonds, unshakable ones, and she was a new face in the group. There were several times she felt like she didn’t belong, that it’d be better if she just left. But Nott and Caduceus always had a way of making her feel welcomed into the group.

Caduceus was the first person she opened up to in the group. She felt like she could talk to him about anything, and the calming soul that he was, Caduceus listened and offered comfort. They were already close, and as time went on their bond grew into what it was today; their relationship.

While Nicole didn’t open up to Nott right away, she found the Goblin to be good company and a kindred spirit when it came to ignoring their pasts. Nott acted like a mother to the group and it didn’t take her long to take the Druid under her wing. Nicole would forever be grateful for that, and always knew Nott would have her back.

It took Nicole a bit longer to get used to Caleb. He was reserved with her at first, but their mutual love of books was something they learned to bond over. Now, anytime they’re in a new town, the first place the pair go is to a bookstore, if there is one at least. And in the end, Nicole can always count on Caleb to keep her from doing something she might regret. He also became her confidant when she didn’t feel comfortable talking to Caduceus or Nott about her feelings.

Given that she was from the Menagerie Coast, Nicole got along well with Fjord and Jester. Fjord became an older brother of sorts, along with Caleb, and once he got fully adjusted to her, made her life practically hell. They always messed with each other, pulling pranks, jokes, the whole nine yards. And they had a lot in common as well, aside from growing up on the coast. They both were big lovers of fishing, and if they ever went to the coast Nicole insists on taking the group fishing.

Jester and Nicole had a more lighthearted friendship. They both had creative minds which they wielded for mischief most days, and they had sweet tooths that could rot the entire group’s teeth. Jester was also very good at comforting people, and on an off day for Nicole, Jester is always there for her with Sprinkles, some pastries, and a large hug.

Beau was the hardest to get along with originally. Nicole was put off by Beau’s crude nature and her general disposition. But soon they gained a mutual respect for each other after several battles fought together, and Beau became the person who could always help Nicole let off some steam, and visa versa.

All in all, they were family and she loved them. Even when they got on her nerves or dragged her into life threatening situations, she loved them and would go to hell and back for them.

She sat at the table in the tavern, watching them joke, laugh, and have fun together. Nicole couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face. How did she get so lucky?

She didn’t even realize they were talking to her until Beau elbowed her roughly in the side. “Nic!” Beau shouted.

“Huh?”

“What’s up with you?” Fjord asked. “You seem lost.”

“I’m not lost, I’m just… thinking.”

“About what?”

“Something I found.”

#cold graves #foweek #cold graves week #cleric bf #self ship #self insert fic #self insert community #self shipping community #self insert #self ship community #self shipping #mywriting

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Navin Week Day 2: Early Mornings

Pairing: Gavin Reed x Nic Blake

Summary: Gavin doesn’t want Nic to leave bed

Word count: 554

As sleep exited her mind, making way for consciousness to enter, Nic found herself helplessly craving a cup of coffee as she caught up on some writing. While she may still be extremely groggy, she always wrote best first thing in the morning. Editing was something that could be done at a later time. She made an attempt to sit up, but found it futile as the arms that hugged her waist only grew tighter. She was pulled up against something hard, and Nic sighed.

“Gavin,” she whispered, once again trying to get out of his grip. “Let me go.”

He pressed his face into the back of her t-shirt, humming in response. “No.”

She whined, craning her neck to look at him. “But I have to work.”

“You work from home. Spend a day in bed.” Gavin pulled her closer to his chest. “Please.”

She huffed, settling into a comfortable position on her side. “Fine. I have the stronger bladder anyways. I can stay here all day.”

Gavin chuckled, lifting his head to press a kiss to the nape of her neck. “So, did you sleep well?”

“Had a fucking weird dream, I can tell you that.”

“What was it about?”

“You know that show I really like? Gotham?” Gavin hummed, telling her he knew what she was talking about. “I dreamt one of the characters had to fight the Avengers.”

“Your dreams are always the weirdest.”

“They really are.” Nic moved to lay on her back, looking at Gavin’s face. He had a dopey smile on his face, eyes half-lidded as he was obviously fighting sleep that was trying to retake him. “What about you? Did you dream about anything?”

“I’m looking her right now.”

She playfully hit his chest. “I’m serious, you goof.”

“So am I.” Gavin laid so one arm was propped up, pressing his temple to his fist. His other arm was draped over Nic’s stomach. “I dreamt we got another cat.”

“Oh no,” she covered her face with her hands. “We already have four!”

“Yeah but this one was calico!” Gavin laughed. “We named him Neapolitan because of the ice cream, you know? And he saved us from ninjas.”

“You were definitely dreaming.”

“You never know where ninjas are hiding. That’s why they’re ninjas.”

Nic gave him a knowing look. “You think there are ninjas hiding in our house?”

Gavin shrugged. “You never know. Maybe there are.”

“You need to stop hanging out with Leo.” She leaned over and kissed him quickly. “Can I get out of bed now?”

Gavin thought for a moment, staring at her. Finally, he lifted his arm up, allowing her to freely move. “Sure.”

“Yes!” She cheered. Then, there was a meow as their two year old brown cat, Rumball, jumped onto the bed and curled up on Nic’s lap. She groaned. “No!”

Gavin laughed, “You know the rule! You can’t get up until he wants out of your lap.”

“It’s Rumball! That could be hours!”

“Oh well.” He snuggled into her side. “Guess you’ll have to stay in bed. With me. For hours.”

“Then you better get my coffee when you get up to use the bathroom.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Gavin pressed his cheek to hers. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” Rumball meowed causing Nic to scratch his head. “Love you too, Rummy.”

#foweek #bastard husband #dbh #gavin reed #self ship #navin #self shipping community #self insert fic #mywriting