#ot3: the bad times were the good times

[hopeagainsthope97]

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself - 1x04

#The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself #Nathan Byrne #Annalise O'Brien #Gabriel Boutin #Nathan x Annalise x Gabriel #Nabrielise #Jay Lycurgo #Nadia Parkes #Emilien Vekemans #1x04 #tbs&tdhedit #tbsatdhedit #tbsatdh #tbs&tdh #the bastard son and the devil himself #half bad #my gifs #ot3: the bad times were the good times

[idiopath-fic-smile]

i make no promises, like i genuinely don't have any real ideas for scenes after this one, but uh here is more Singin' in the Rain ot3, continuing from here. they're not even on the honeymoon boat yet! but for whatever it's worth, there are shenanigans.

Here was another thing Cosmo had failed to predict: Don was a nervous flier. 

Cosmo had been up in the air a handful of times; Archibald owned a small personal craft that he flew sometimes on the weekends. And sure, it was cold and noisy and there was no denying that watching the ground disappear below you could give a guy a bad case of the stomach lurches, but it was a thrill all the same. An adventure, he thought, burrowing deeper into the very warm wool coat he’d had the presence of mind to bring. Don was generally up for an adventure; he’d once ridden a motorcycle full speed off a high canyon and fallen ten stories into the water below, for nothing but a day’s wages and an approving nod from the director.

The airplane offered comfortable seats and tables and fashionable cold salads served by very calm stewardesses, but from the moment of liftoff, Don sat there like a man waiting for the electric chair. Now he was clutching the armrests so tightly, the knuckles stood out sharp and white against his normally very appealing hands. 

“We should have taken the train,” said Kathy.

“Nonsense,” Don gritted out. “I’m fine. This is all perfectly fine.”

Belted in on either side of him, Kathy and Cosmo exchanged a look. One of the benefits, thought Cosmo, to being the funny little friend and not the leading man was that you were allowed to admit when you were terrified, at least a little, at least if you could make it a joke.

“I’m so sorry, Don,” Kathy said. “I should have asked if you’ve been in one of these before. Even knowing we’re perfectly safe, a train would’ve been so much more comfortable.”

Don closed his eyes. “Really, Kathy,” he said, a little more sharply. “You don’t need to—” The plane dropped several feet, and he swallowed hard.

Cosmo considered the situation. The facts were these: Don Lockwood was too proud, and too enamored with his wife, to be willing to discuss such a weakness in front of her, and now if somebody didn’t act fast, the three of them were in for an awkward, unpleasant flight. Or rather, series of flights, since the plane was going to need to refuel a couple of times along the way.

There was nothing else for it; Cosmo would have to save the day.

He took in Don’s ashen complexion and Kathy’s guilty face, and then he said cheerfully,

“Y’know, Kathy, for what it’s worth, Don actually has been in one of these before.” When this failed to earn any real response from the man, Cosmo poked him in the cheek. “Haven’t you, Don?”

“What?” said Don distractedly, swatting the finger away. “No, I haven’t.”

“Yes, you have.”

Don’s tense brow creased for a moment in irritation. “I think I’d remember—” he started.

“It was for one of those early stunting gigs,” said Cosmo. “A little biplane. They gave you goggles and an aviator hat and a brown leather jacket—” The incident stuck in Cosmo’s mind mostly because Don had looked very good in that jacket, but there were half a dozen reasons nobody needed to know that, “—and then they had you crash the plane through a barn.”

“Through a barn?” Kathy repeated, disbelieving, because apparently the fan magazines didn’t tell you everything after all.

“Into, not through,” said Don. “I didn’t come out the other side.” His fingers had relaxed ever so slightly on the poor armrests. “And that doesn’t count, that contraption never got off the ground, I only had to—”

“Into a barn?” Kathy interjected. “Why?”

Cosmo stuck a mock-pensive pose. “The things we do for art. And five dollars. And I think the producers let him keep the jacket.”

They had; Cosmo had suffered that autumn.

“Well, what about common sense,” said Kathy, “and human rights, and basic safety?”

“I said he had goggles on, didn’t I?” 

The truth was, back in those days, no matter how dangerous the feat, how seemingly impossible the stunt, Cosmo had never truly worried. It was Don, and Don could do anything. Except admit to his wife that he needed help, apparently.

“What about—about dignity,” she went on, and Cosmo snorted.

“I regret to inform you that Lady Dignity will not be making an appearance tonight.”

“Cosmo,” said Kathy, slowly, “Why in the world did you let Don do a thing like that?”

“Let?” Don and Cosmo said in unison, Don a little weakly but it was something.

“Don’t pin this on me, madam,” Cosmo added, “I am not my brother’s keeper.”

“Not my brother at all,” Don muttered, which stung a little, but Cosmo decided to let it slide in the face of how his plan was working.

“That’s hardly the worst thing we did for money,” Cosmo said instead. “Has Don told you much about our ignoble days on the road?”

Kathy shook her head, delighted. Don very discreetly kicked Cosmo in the shin. Things were looking up.

.

“So there we are,” said Cosmo, “performing in this tiny hamlet in Nebraska called, I kid you not, Oatmeal—”

“Oatmeal?” Kathy laughed.

Don had freed his fingers from the armrests entirely; he was now resting his entire face in his hands. He was no longer pallid as Nosferatu; in fact, he might have been blushing.

“It was Coyoteville,” Don volunteered without looking up.

“Pal, if you think I’d forget a place with a name like Oatmeal, Nebraska—”

“If you think I’d forget a place with a name like Coyoteville—”

“Coyoteville was in New Mexico!” said Cosmo. “Coyoteville was where we had to bunk with that ventriloquist, remember?” He watched as Don sat up and snuck a look at Kathy, who was clearly having a ball.

“The one who insisted his dummy got its own bed?” Don said with a slight smile.

“Don and me had to sleep on a twin mattress on the floor,” said Cosmo, “Curled up like a pair of puppies, if you can picture that—”

“I think so,” said Kathy, leaning forward, eyes bright, “only what happened in Oatmeal?”

“Wait, was Oatmeal where—” Don started.

“Yes! We’re about halfway through our routine, singing and hoofing our hearts out—fit as a fiddle and ready for love—when we look off to the side, at the next act waiting in the wings and we see—”

Don laughed. “You’re right, we were onstage when we realized it!”

“—at more or less the same time, I think—”

“Yes?” said Kathy.

“—the Amazing Dancing Daisy, the headliner following us—”

“Nobody had bothered to explain to us that she was a trained donkey,” Cosmo explained. “We were literally opening for an ass.”

“How was she?” Kathy managed, once she had more or less gotten her wild laughter under control. “The dancing, I mean?”

“Her footwork was a little sloppy,” said Don.

“Don’s just cross,” said Cosmo confidingly, “because she got much more applause than us.”

“They kept throwing her flowers!” said Don. “What was she meant to do with them? She didn’t even have hands!”

“So listen, Kathy.” Cosmo leaned way over Don to make eye contact with her. “The next time you two are having some sort of petty domestic squabble, if Don tries to act all high and mighty, just remember: I’m pretty sure your lawfully wedded husband is still, deep down, jealous of a donkey.”

Don grabbed Cosmo’s shoulder and flashed him a mock-scowl. “Why, when we get back on solid land…”

“I’m not afraid of you, villain,” said Cosmo, “not with your lady love here.” He stretched out an arm to Kathy. “You’ll protect me, won’t you?”

“Of course, good sir,” said Kathy, genteelly taking his hand and it was a joke, it was ridiculous, it was all completely harmless because Cosmo was hardly a threat to their marriage, and so Cosmo ducked his head and fluttered his lashes at her, and cooed,

“How shall I ever repay you?”

And then, without breaking eye contact, Kathy brought his hand to her mouth and kissed it, just a quick, warm, press of lips, entirely chaste but somehow something different, and Cosmo darted a nervous glance at up Don—he was practically in Don’s lap at this point, to better reach out to Don’s wife—because threat or not, there had to be some kind of line Cosmo was crossing. But Don was just watching them, with parted lips and slightly glazed eyes, as if it was not at all upsetting to see his girl and his best friend doing…whatever it was they were doing, and this moment was rapidly sliding away from any point of reference Cosmo might’ve had. 

Normally, Cosmo liked other people’s eyes on him. That was half the reason anyone was in showbiz, wasn’t it? Nobody might’ve looked at him twice in the street but with the right props and a couple of dance moves, he could be somebody for the length of a number or two, spread a little joy and get a lot of it back. So it wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy Don looking at him and Kathy like that. It was just—it was too much, too close to something he might’ve dreamed up alone in his bed at night. He hadn’t, but that was mostly because he’d lacked the imagination.

Cosmo freed himself, twisted back upright, and coughed. “On second thought,” he said. “I think the ventriloquist was in Dead Man’s Fang, in Arizona? Coyoteville was where that strongman threw up inside Don’s fiddle.”

“How did he manage to—” Kathy sounded sincerely perplexed. She’d left a coral pink lip print on the back of Cosmo’s hand. He tugged his coat sleeves down to his fingertips.

“Sheer determination,” said Cosmo.

#to be clear all of the tiny town names they reference i got from pausing on the signs that flash up briefly in the movie #i WISH i was enough of an artist to invent the town of Oatmeal Nebraska #singin in the rain ot3

[fierymiasma]

۵ The Spare ۵ // Sebastian x f!MC x Ominis - Silver Trio

Summary: Ominis tries to be happy for Sebastian and their new friend. Really he's happy that his two favorite people have starting seeing each other.

...It's too bad that he wasn't included.

Sebastian and f!MC try repeatedly to court Ominis, too bad he's oblivious.

Tags: Love triangles, Slight Angst with eventual happy ending, Confessions, Mutual Pining, Fluff, OT3, Silver Trio, Making Out

Word Count: 5k 🍃

A/Ns: Got a lot of requests from readers to do a spin-off of my other Silver Trio Fic "Between". It's a bit longer but hope you enjoy it!

|| My Other Work || AO3 || Other Silver Trio Fic

"Your willingness to use powerful spells is admirable.  You're much more powerful than you ever let on."

"Sebastian, please, you can stop with all the flattery."  She laughed, trying to fight the rising blush on her cheeks.  She casted another spell at the practice dummy.  "I've already promised you that I'll take you on my next outing to fight the poachers instead of Natty.  You have already gotten what you want!"

The boy in question mocked offense.  "What?  I can't give the most powerful witch our age a simple compliment?"  She rolled her eyes playfully, pretending to be annoyed.  Sebastian was unrelenting.  "I bet you could even give Professor Hecat a run for her money."

Ominis's hand trembled on his wand, unable to cast the new spell they've been practicing.  His stomach couldn't help but churn in disgust as his friends continue to tease each other.  Even in the vast space of the Undercroft, it felt too stifling whenever Sebastian charmed their mutual friend.

His wand showed him the hazy rough outlines of the other two.  Sebastian's arm practically draped around her.  Ever since the start of their 6th year,  the trio had been spending more and more time together in the Undercroft.  Sebastian and the Hufflepuff frequently snuck out of the castle at all hours of the day, finding adventure elsewhere.

Ominis tried not to let it bother him, how close they were getting.  They had invited him along, of course, time and time again on all of their adventures.  Ominis had no idea why they thought that he would like to trail along after them.  Be a bystander to the newfound romance that the other two were so clearly keeping a secret from him?   Hard pass, thank you very much.

"Your spellwork is exception."  Sebastian continued, watching her land a particularly nasty hit on the dummy.  "You'll have to teach me some of the tricks you've picked up."

Ominis could feel the palpable embarrassment emitting from her.  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears.  "Well, I did take a leaf out of your book, Sebastian.  I picked up this jinx from one of the books I 'borrowed' from the restricted section."

Sebastian laughed.  "Getting into places you're not supposed to be?  A woman after my own heart."

Ominis swallowed thickly.  It felt like it was only yesterday that Sebastian returned after his first night sneaking into the restricted section with the new student.

Sebastian groaned, flopping face first into his bed, exhausted from a night of crouching around the library away from the searching eyes of Madam Scribner. 

"Did you have fun, Sebastian?" Ominis drawled from his on bed, having been rudely woken back up by Sebastian's return.

To Ominis's shock, Sebastian sighed dreamingly.

"Merlin's beard, Ominis.  She's exceptional."

Something ugly festered inside Ominis.  He wanted to be done with this conversation, to go back to bed and wake up to a reality where he could still pretend he had a chance of being with Sebastian.  "I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to."

Sebastian rolled onto his back, looking up at the top of his canopy bed, as if he was trying to picture her face.  "The new girl.  On her very first duel, she knocks me flat on my bum."  He scoffed.  "Said it was good practice.  What I won't give to duel her again.  Makes getting detention for her entirely worth it."

Unable to stomach any more of Sebastian's words, Ominis fluffed his pillow before turning away from the other boy.

 "Ominis, she's beautiful.  Her lips, her eyes, her hair.  Merlin's beard, Ominis, she could be part Veela for all I know.  The second she walks into any room, it's like everything else fades away."  Sebastian squeezed his pillow close to his chest as he faced the other boy.  "Ominis the things she can do with a wand.  The way she took down that troll…"  Sebastian sighed, lost in his own thoughts. 

Ominis was glad that his back was facing Sebastian.  He was afraid that his expressions would betray his inner anguish.  "Fighting a troll for you on her first day of Hogwarts?"  Ominis's nose wrinkled.  He was painfully reminded of all the other giggling girls who threw themselves at Sebastian's feet. "There is a such a thing as trying too hard."

Sebastian's smile dipped downward.  "No, Ominis, the fight was almost easy.  That's how brilliant she is."

Ominis had always known that the crush he harbored on the other Slytherin boy was doomed from the very start.  Sebastian's silver tongue had the entire female population of Hogwarts (and some of the wizards as well) completely under his spell.  Why, with enough effort, Sebastian could certainly find a witch he liked enough to settle down with.

It seemed like, Sebastian already had.

Tears burning his eyes, Ominis pulled the covers over his head, trying to drown out Sebastian's stream of consciousness as he continued to heap praises on the new student. 

"Ominis?"  She shook his arm gently.  "Ominis, are you with us?"

Ominis returned to the present.  Honeysuckle, rosewater, and ivy.  Her perfume was a familiar comforting presence.  His tight knuckles relaxed on his wand.  His eyes felt too hot, and he hoped he hadn't teared up in front of them.  He could feel the other two exchange concerned looks.  She reached over.  Her thumb rubbed soothing circles on Ominis's biceps.  Even under all his layers of fabric, he could feel goosebumps starting to form. 

He withdrew from her hot touch. 

His parents had always told Ominis that love at first sight (or lack of sight) was a fairy tale fantasy left for those of lesser blood or muggles.  So, Ominis was entirely unprepared for it when he confronted the Hufflepuff sneaking out of the Undercroft for the first time. 

He heard the telltale mechanical whirls of the clocktower that hid the Undercroft.  He heard distinct footsteps, light, with a high heel to them. 

It was just as he had feared.  It wasn't Sebastian.  The magical aura that surrounded this next person didn't feel quite like Sebastian's.  It was foreign, ancient and old.  It was the newest addition to the Hogwarts student body.  The insufferable show off who somehow seduced her way into winning  a duel against Sebastian.

Ominis couldn't tell what he was more angry at: her existence or Sebastian who had betrayed his trust by telling a practical stranger the secrets behind the undercroft.  It was Ominis's hiding place, his secret to give.  It was special, a place where Sebastian and Ominis could be together, alone.  Where Ominis could pretend that he had escaped from the cruel reality of their lives.

He turned that infamous Gaunt anger onto the new girl.  She was a Hufflepuff, like all of her brethren, Ominis was sure she would wilt under his venomous tongue.  It wasn't the first time Ominis sent a girl crying back to her dorm.

"Did you just come from the Undercroft?"  He snarled.  "How did you get in here?"

Calmly, the new student answered.  "Actually, Sebastian brought me there.  But he made it perfectly clear to keep quiet about it." She had a soft, soothing melodic voice. 

Ominis scoffed, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice.  Typical Hufflepuff, soft-spoken, meek, quick to squeal and rat out their friends the second their arm got twisted. 

"You breathe a word about this place to anyone and not even your precious Professor Fig will be able to help you."

He could tell that mentioning Professor Fig had struck a nerve.  The quiescent unnamable magic swirling around her grew sharp, its aura almost suffocating Ominis.  She took a firm step forward towards him, her heels echoing loudly against the marble tiles.  Her voice grew louder, firmer.  "You needn't threaten me, Gaunt.  But mention Professor Fig again, and even your family name won't be able to shield you from me." 

She took another step forward.  Ominis took a hesitant step back.  He didn't expect the badger to have claws.  "I was trying to defend Sebastian.  He was clear that this was a secret place, and I was to tell no one."  Ominis was startled by her closeness.  He could smell her perfume, flowery.  Honeysuckle, rosewater, and ivy.  She took another step forward.  "Sebastian's a good friend.  He cares very deeply for you." 

Ominis's lips curled.  As if she knew anything about Sebastian.  About what Sebastian's wants and needs were.  He held his ground.  "I don't need you to tell me about my oldest friend, thank you very much.  Sebastian gets himself in enough trouble.  He doesn't need your help." 

To Ominis's surprise, her shoulders relaxed a bit.  Her arms uncrossed in understanding.  "You care for Sebastian.  You worry over him."  Ominis's throat felt dry.  Was she trying to insinuate something?  "You needn't be concerned, Ominis.  I can see you're scared."  Ominis was about to deny her accusations but found that he couldn't breathe.  "I am not trying to come in between you or Sebastian.  Your…bond is sacred."  Was he that obvious?  "I'm not trying to steal anyone's…friend away from them."  

For once in Ominis's life, he was speechless.  It was rare for him to find someone who could match his venomous tongue and cruel words. 

"I'm not sure what you're implying."  Ominis lied.  "You forget yourself, new girl."

"Ominis!  Ominis!" Sebastian practically shouted in his ear.

Ominis jumped.  Too lost in thought, he hadn't realized that he had been daydreaming again.  They were still in the Undercroft, practice dummies now completely forgotten.  Her soft hands were still on his arm, trying to comfort him.  Sebastian, on his right, hovering a tad closer than a concerned friend normally should.

His throat felt dry.  He wasn't comfortable being the center of their undivided attention.  He needed air.

"You two keep practicing your hexes."  Ominis muttered, pulling his arm away from her and turning away from Sebastian.  "I need to lie down for a bit."

Ominis wasn't able to see the way Sebastian's eyes met the Hufflepuff's, a silent conversation held with just eyes alone.  "Is everything alright?"  Sebastian asked.  "Ominis, you can confide in us, if you need."

Ominis snorted as he threw his satchel over his shoulder.  Like he could ever reveal his true feelings to the happy couple. 

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

He avoided the Hufflepuff and her Slytherin for a better part of two weeks.  A difficult task given how persistent the other two were.

"Ominis!  There you are."  Sebastian purred, his voice dipping down an octave.  "You've been rather difficult to pin down lately." 

Ominis didn't even pause.  If anything, he walked faster down the hallway to his next class.  "I'm sorry, Sebastian.  Far too busy with this extra essay Professor Sharp assigned me.  I'll see you at dinner."

His partner in crime appeared around the corner, as if she apparated to Sebastian's side.  "A-Ah, hello, Ominis!"  She nervously greeted.  "Your hair looks rather nice today!  Looks kind of like the portrait of the bloke we're learning in History of Magic."

Ominis did finally pause in his stride.  "Uric…the…Oddball?  I look like a lunatic who wears a jellyfish on his head?"

Her shoulders fell.  Maybe she should have paid more attention in class.  She hadn't actually thought that one through too much. 

Without another word, Ominis swept away around the corner, onto his next class.

Now properly alone, Sebastian groaned.  "Merlin's beard, sweetheart, what was that?  Were you trying to woo him or get him to commit you to a loony bin?  We want to charm him not send him running away screaming!"

She glared at him in offense.  "I'm not good at flirting!"

Sebastian sighed, running his fingers through his hair in fake exasperation.  He couldn't help but smile, as he looked at her teasingly.  "It is truly one of Hogwarts biggest mysteries how you managed to bag someone as charming as me."

She tried to kick him in the shin for good measure.  He calmly took a small step back avoiding her rather short legs.

"Don't worry, sweetheart.  Sebastian's here for you.  Time to show you how to properly sweep a man off his feet."

She rolled her eyes, "Like you can do better."

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

[Cont reading here]

#sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt #hogwarts legacy #sebastian x mc x ominis #hphl #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow fanfiction #harry potter hogwarts game #harry potter #sebastian sallow fic #ominis gaunt x sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis x reader #silver trio #ot3 #ominis x you #ominis x sebastian #fierymiasmawork

[faorism]

(really in my feels about the ot3 because of the @powerpolyculeshowdown so here's some propaganda)

parker and hardison allow eliot to be sillier. more ridiculous. outragous, even. eliot sings the stupid ditties hardison writes special for him, and he rolls his eyes at parkers pokes and prods and the occasional "accidental" face slap, and eliot can express himself for what actually bothers him no matter how nitpicky, versus having to calculate what he should say. (he still argues with hardison that throwing in on a brewpub was a stupid plan given its risk, no matter how many times hardison claims it was always a gift for him.) eliot laughs more. real laughs; you can tell because his smiles look more and more like grimaces: the way his ma perked her mouth which his dad always teased her about (though it was his favorite thing about her), rather than the wide toothy grins eliot learned because he knows, tactically, they are best for charming. parker and hardison let him not feel like he's a monster. or... parker tells him she always thought the big bad wolf had a bad rap, and hardison says some stupid shit about monsterfucking being the hip thing the kids are into these days, anyway.

hardison and eliot allow parker to feel deep. it's food that tastes like a hug and it's gadgets made just for her and it's loving and being loved and it's being one another's real families. she doessn't want to run away, anymore. or... she wants to run but with her friends beside her. or... running cons is all she's ever wanted to do, and all she did, for so long. parker is good at it. she loves it. she loves that hardison and eliot love it too. but... feeling deep is also being deep. she's no longer just her piles of money because she is no longer afraid of herself. her past. the memories that hurt. the habits she thought she needed to grow out of but always missed. these habits, like bleeping sounds that arent words and hands move move moving. hands that were once made to stay now can fly because hardison buys her fidgets and designs some just for her and keeps locks in lucille for when parker feels like infinity and needs the vibrations of ticktickticks to bring her back to herself. and eliot lets her braid and unbraid his hair; he won't let her blow dry it, not yet, but... he lets her pet his hair while it's still hot, now. it frizzes his hair a little, and parker feels her pulse rush throughout the day knowing she did that to him. eliot and hardison kiss her knuckles when they burn.

parker and eliot allow hardison to be mean. vindictive. he is nicer than he needs to be. wants to be... what he needs to be is nonthreatening, for the most part, in many places. he knows what it means to be him: tall and black and queer and gaining muscle and too smart for his own damn good and so very, very tenderhearted. hardison loves so damn deep, and he cares so damn much, but part of caring (the other side of a coin) is not giving a fuck. it's the boiling point of rage and betrayal. the i need to walk away from this fight because you are dead wrong and imma about to say something imma regret, so go fix yourself. the im not gonna forget, im not going to forgive, and im going to get my revenge. parker and eliot would not have questioned hardison's joy at securing the capture of the men that put him in that damn coffin; they hold space for him to be fully himself with all his ugly parts and his petty parts and the parts that do bring hardison shame if he thinks about it for too long. they know he's not perfect, and that? that feels like safety and love and forever to hardison.

#alec hardison #parker leverage #eliot spencer #leverage #leverage ot3 #thiefsome #faorism work #faorism headcanons #of hearth and home and other promises

[bihansthot]

Can you do a Syzoth story about the OC teaching him about human customs since he’s probably not used to being around humans?

Sorry for the long wait lovely, for some reason it took me a very long time to come up with ideas to write about! I already touched base on teaching Syzoth how to kiss so I skipped that one for this ask and focused on some other human customs! I hope you don’t mind I wrote it as my OT3 with Bi-Han, it’s all safe for work and wholesome, weird for me I know but even I have my fluffy soft moments.

Edit: oopies! I lied! There’s a referenced bj lol sorry

Eating with utensils: despite your lizard boyfriend not being able to stomach human food it didn’t stop you from teaching him how to use basic human cutlery. You taught him how to use forks, spoons, and even knives even though it was pointless and your joint boyfriend, Bi-Han, taught him how to use chopsticks. Now when you come home from the pet store with a bucket of crickets for Syzoth he sits on the couch with his own pair of chopsticks popping the bugs in his mouth.

“Sy, why are you using chopsticks, you can use your hands around us, you just said you wanted to learn when we were out in public so you didn’t get stared at,” you sit down next to him as you ask.

*Crunch* *Crunch* “I don’t get cricket residue on my fingers this way, thanks Bi-Han,” Syzoth calls to your boyfriend who’s in the kitchen fixing himself his own snack, definitely not involving crickets.

Bi-Han plopped down on the couch in between the two of you giving you both a kiss on the cheek, “so much better this way right Sy? Next has to be toothpicks, you have cricket legs in your teeth babe.” Bi-Han gestures to Syzoth’s upper teeth giving him a half smile.

“Are those the little wooden things you use sometimes Bi?” Syzoth asks using his long, forked tongue to try and work the leg out of his teeth before popping another cricket in his mouth.

You nod and chuckle at the two of them, “yeah they’re specifically to help remove stuck food from your teeth.”

“Hmm, clever, we just usually chew on sticks, which I guess is a pretty similar concept, maybe you humans aren’t so weird after all.” Syzoth ponders as he continues to maneuver the chopsticks expertly digging into his bucket to retrieve more of his treat.

You and Bi-Han can’t help but laugh in unison at your cute Zaterran boyfriend.

High Fives: high fives are another human concept you and Bi-Han introduce to Syzoth, you had to explain it to him after Johnny Cage tried to high-five him during his visit to the Lin Kuei.

“Why did Johnny try and slap my hand? Was he upset with me?” Syzoth asks you as you stroll through the dead garden in the icy temple complex.

“That’s a high five Sy, it’s a very natural human thing. It’s like a celebratory gesture!” You try and explain to your lizard boyfriend.

“Usually douchebags high five, like Cage,” Bi-Han chimes in giving the two of you a look as if he was somehow above high fives.

“Polar Bear! Be nice! You know Johnny isn’t a douchebag, he’s just well, he’s an actor, who’s a little, teensy bit full of himself, maybe,” you try and dance around describing your fellow friend.

“I’m not saying a douchebag is necessarily bad, I’m just saying he is one,” Bi-Han argues before grabbing your hand. “Here, this is a high five Sy,” Bi-Han slaps your hand with his and his cold, calloused hand stings a bit in the cold air.

“Friends do it when something good happened Sy, so Johnny wanted to congratulate you for doing a good job beating Kenshi when you were sparring earlier,” you explain.

“Why the hell are they here anyway qīn? I thought they were Earthrealm’s chosen ones, shouldn’t they be protecting the realm or something? Not disrupting me and my warriors?” Bi-Han huffs in faux anger.

“Liu Kang sent them, something about they can learn things here that the monks can’t teach them,” you answer your grumpy boyfriend.

“So its like saying ‘a job well done?” Syzoth asks and you nod in agreement, then the Zaterran turns to Bi-Han and gives him a high five, “for last night!” He smiles brightly.

“Oh fuck me, please do not give me a high five for sucking your cock Sy!” Bi-Han fumes, his cheeks colored pink with embarrassment.

“But you did a good job…” the Zaterran cocks his head with confusion at Bi-Han’s reaction.

“It’s more for like sports things Sy, like you did a good job scoring a point,” you double over with laughter at the interaction between your boyfriends.

“Oh, I see. Human customs are most confusing,” Syzoth shakes his head while Bi-Han still seethes with embarrassment, grateful none of his brothers were around to hear the exchange.

Hugs: hugging your lizard boyfriend is one of the first human customs you teach him, wrapping your arms around him and snuggling him close. It’s something he takes to immediately loving how warm your body makes him feel.

“Can we hug again sunshine?” Syzoth asks a light blush on his cheeks as he stands there with his tail flitting back and forth behind him.

You pause your activities, making dinner for you and Bi-Han as you smile at Syzoth, “you know you don’t have to ask, you can just hug me Sy.” You laugh softly as you open your arms to let him snuggle you.

“Mmmm, I like this human custom, it’s so warm, well it’s warm with you, it’s cold when Bi-Han does it,” Syzoth laments as he bends down to nuzzle in the crook of your neck.

“You still like hugging Bi-Han though don’t you?” You ask running your fingers through his short brown hair.

“I do, I just can’t tolerate it for very long, but he’s so strong, it feels nice and reassuring,” he hums happily as your fingers massage his scalp.

“It must be hard for you being cold blooded and Bi-Han being a cryomancer, sometimes I’m surprised you two managed to work things out,” you mumble as you wrap your arms around him pulling him closer.

“He’s worth the discomfort, but I am very grateful he always has the fire going for me, and the heat lamp and space heater and all the blankets for when I get too cold,” the Zaterran sighs happily leeching your body heat.

“It takes getting used to I know, but yeah he is worth it, you both are,” you smile and place a kiss on the top of the Zaterran’s head.

Syzoth makes a happy chirping sound as he continues to enjoy your body warmth and his second favorite human custom.

#mortal kombat #bi han #sub zero #mk reptile #syzoth #ot3 #bi han x syzoth x reader #bi han x reader #bi han x you #sub zero x reader #sub zero x you #syzoth x reader #syzoth x you #gender neutral reader #mk imagine #mk headcanons #drabbles #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat x you #Syzoth needs lots of hugs #my writing #requests #thanks for the ask! #suggestive #bj mention

[youwillfindilluminating]

Roy x Jamie x Keeley & Roy x Jamie fic recs - Part 2

Part 1 is here

Part 3 is here

These recs cover the fics I’ve read from about 4/22/23 - 6/17/23, but some of them were written earlier.

-

Roy x Jamie x Keeley:

be your teenage dream tonight - liesmyth - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Probably my favorite 3x11 OT3 fic!  6k. It’s just the right amount of hot and sweet. Mainly set in the hotel room after they were at Jamie’s old house. Includes lots of poster talk, which is my fav. Includes Keeley suggesting Roy come on Jamie’s face. 👌👌👌

“Reality living up to the wet dreams?”

“You can take the piss all you want, it won’t work,” says Jamie, who has no fucking shame. He sounds so immensely proud of himself that Roy doesn’t know if he wants to suck his dick or smother him with a pillow.

.

because your right foot was kissed by god - jedusaur - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Another amazing 3x11 fic! 3k.

Their first time starts with some light D/s (Roy smacking Jamie’s ass and telling him to get Keeley another drink), and flows into body worship of Roy, which Roy is uncomfortable with and has to work through his feelings in his head about it. Includes the following fantastic lines:

"Roy is extremely tempted to grab him by the fucking walnut mist and fuck his throat, but he resists the urge."

-

"You know, I almost got away from men entirely," she says wistfully. "Now somehow I've ended up with two of you dipsticks on my hands."

-

"You and Keeley are more than anything to me. Why are you not listening?"

.

Tongue Tie - MoreThanSlightly (cadignan) - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Another fantastic 3x11 fic. 3k. It makes sense that the thing that would ease them into an OT3 is a competition (over who eats out better).

Champagne in the physio room is a good idea until the first bottle’s nearly empty and Jamie leans forward and says, “Tell the truth now, Keeley. Does he eat you out as good as I did?”

.

soft things - inlovewithnight - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  

Just as the title says - SOFT and precious. They’re moving Jamie into his new house that’s connected to Roy and Keeley’s via the garden, and they find his old teddy bear in the closet. 1k.

An uncertain look flickers across Jamie’s face. “I can bring him to the new house, right?”

“Of course you can. It’s your fucking house.”

“And if I wanted to bring him round to Keeley’s… the main house?” Figuring out what to call what is a complete fucking mess, and if Roy had his way they would’ve just bought an entirely new house and started from scratch, but it’s important to hold up the illusion of things until either Jamie retires or the world suddenly gets very cool about polyamory.

.

our love keeps the things it finds - Chapter 1 - shampoobaby - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

This is gorgeous. I sometimes skip feminization stuff, but this was just the right amount for me. Roy calls Jamie “princess” and it’s sort of the catalyst for the OT3 (but mainly Roy and Jamie) working through some gender-light stuff. (I’m doing a bad job of describing it). Ends on a lovely Greek vacation for all of them.  I loved the bit with always-cold Jamie and him not wanting Roy to “baby” him at practice by asking him to wear a coat. 20k.

 .

if you could redirect my day - lady_ragnell - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

This is SO GOOD. 11k. I’m assuming this is one of the OG OT3 fics out there. Written for Yuletide in 2021. Keeley kind of sends Jamie to Marbella to keep Roy company. The author really nails the characterizations, it’s incredible. Two of my favorite quotes that I pulled:

The first thing Roy thinks about is the way Keeley always smiles a little when Jamie says her name the way he does.

-

“That man has wanted you to tell him he’s good or that he’s a brat or both in a really dirty kind of way since before he even met you. He just doesn’t handle things well.”

.

en déshabillé - inlovewithnight - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  

13k. A fluffy OT3 fic where Jamie gets into lingerie (with Keeley). They all take a trip to Paris and it’s all very lovely! There’s a good bit in the middle where Roy asks Jamie if it’s a gender thing and Jamie tells Keeley he just likes pretty things. The ending scene is based off Carey Price using his wife’s underwear as a pocket square. 👀

.

wishing, wanting, yours for the taking - inlovewithnight - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Listen, if there’s some well-written Consensual Non-Consent out there, I’m gonna find it and rec it. This one is particularly delightful because the nature of it is kind of theatrical and jokey, as they’re playing parts in a sort of historical scene (the only way Roy was comfortable doing it).  Jamie gets what he wants, they all have fun, there are plenty of check-ins and lots of aftercare and everyone is happy. 4k.

Keeley can't believe she's the only one willing to commit to the concept here. After all the negotiating and discussing and research and Roy's PowerPoint presentation, the two men she is, for some reason, in love with can't be bothered to dress for the theme?

.

Follow the Hearts and You Can't Go Wrong - inlovewithnight - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

3k. An OT3 future fic that centers around Jamie’s retirement. Roy and Keeley go up to Scotland for one of his matches. I love future fics and they are hard to come across sometimes.

 -

Roy x Jamie:

Once More, with Feeling - liesmyth - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

8k. An Amsterdam anniversary fic. Roy’s the new manager, the team is doing amazing and Jamie scores 3 goals and takes Roy out after. They go cycling and Jamie stops him and asks what Roy would do if he kissed him. There’s also a part where he’s telling Roy random facts and he tells him one about Roy as a young player, and it’s precious. I love Jamie’s characterization here, he’s such a happy sunshine boy!

“Yes, yes, you were fucking gorgeous out there, but I meant now. The post-match.”

Jamie’s bike falters, a bit, the front wheel swerving in the mud. He gets it back under control and raises his eyebrows in Roy’s direction. “Fucking gorgeous, am I?”

“What, you angling for compliments?”

“From you? Yeah.”

[…]

“When we do something together, that’s always the best part of my day, you know that? I wake up in the morning and I’m fucking excited to do sprint intervals just ‘cos we’ll get to talk about it later. When I get good news I can’t wait to tell you. It’s just, I’m proper fucking gone on you.”

.

The Secret Language of Bum-Smacks - jedusaur - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

3k. Another amazing kinky fic by jedusaur! Butt pats turn into something more. Praise kink, spanking, etc.

"Just realised the gaffer don't pat me bum, like, ever. Pep did it all the time."

Roy shrugs. "Americans. They think it's fucking sexual harassment or some shit."

Jamie makes a face like what the fuck. "It's nice, though," he says. "Like a little 'good lad' without having to speak, y'know? I like it." He takes a swig of water and bounces on the balls of his feet, awaiting further instructions.

.

nobody's ever crashed this hard before - silverhelme - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  

5k. A very sweet, well written Amsterdam fic!  They talk about their feelings at a café. Very in-character and the dialog is so good. Jamie bats his eyes at Roy and there’s a callback to the “ugly boy” scene.

.

Chip Shot - baffledbear - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

13k. This is phenomenal! This basically covers from the beginning of the show, from Roy’s perspective. Keeley mentions how fun it always was that Jamie liked being told what to do. Roy and Jamie start training together. It rains – they go back to Jamie’s. Things happen! The smut is SO well written in this. Roy is very in character, but he’s also sweet. Lots of mentions of how he’s falling for Jamie, etc.

.

i know how you learn best, tartt - leaveanote - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  

“Jamie’s never sucked dick before.” AKA BJs with feelings. It’s pretty rare to see fics where Roy is Jamie’s first time with a guy, and this one does a nice job with it.

.

the pull of you - soofyahn - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  

8k. Uncle’s Day get-together. The second half is very sweet and fluffy (and hot).

.

take my hand (take my whole life too) - LikeAMovieIOnceSaw - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  

2.5k. Jamie gifts Roy his dirty jersey from the England game and asks if he can suck his dick. D/s elements, a bit of praise kink, subspace, Jamie coming in his pants. All things that are good!

.

heaven-sent is the way you say you're proud of me (i'm unconditionally loved) - holographiccs - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

2k. Roy helps Jamie understand that being soft is a good thing. I am such a sucker for emotional h/c around Jamie’s daddy issues.

“You soft thing, you,” Roy chokes out around the lump in his throat. Doesn’t even think about the word until he clocks the way Jamie freezes. The way every muscle in his back seems to tense up at once.”

.

Something's Gotta Give - pepperlandgirl4 - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

3k. Season 1 AU where they’re assigned to be road roomies for a night. Roy hates him and Jamie loves teasing him. This is sexy! I want more S1 AUs where they have a ton of sexual tension and Jamie is basically openly horned up for Roy. There are two sequels as well that are worth a read!

“I knew you could be nice,” Jamie murmured.

“I’m not fucking nice.”

“Knew you liked me.”

“I fucking hate you.”

“Hmm, and you think I have a pretty face.”

#roy x jamie x keeley #roy x jamie #ted lasso #ted lasso ot3 #jamie tartt #roy kent #keeley jones #roy x keeley x jamie #royjamie #fic recs #long post #ted lasso fic recs

[earthry]

Dragon Secondo & Copia and a Human Reader (OT3 Headcanons)

This is for @copiasjuicebox!

tw: violence, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, whump, enemies to lovers, secondo and copia are NOT related, not proof read or edited, happy ending, poly relationship, ot3, secondo/copia/reader. more dragon hc content.

Secondo knew you first.

He rubs it in Copia's face every chance he gets, reminding the other dragon that all your firsts belonged to him too.

When you lived in that castle all alone and scared, when you were abandoned by the king to a cruel fate; he was your first protector, your friend friend, your first love.

It was him who held you in his arms during the nights of the first few months (even though at first it was so you would stop that awful crying), when you had trouble adjusting, when you were anxious about knights coming to take you away to a life you didn't want.

Him that showed you kindness despite his prickly behavior, teaching you to cook and take care of yourself. Showing you how to do mundane things you were never taught. He never called you foolish or dumb or stupid or selfish for not knowing these things.

He may have been a little emotionally distant at times, may have been hard to communicate with, but he was all you had and you loved him. He loved you too, but he was always afraid to tell you so he never did.

He should have though. He should have told you every single morning and every single night. He should have held you closer, treasured you more. Should have let you know how much you meant to him instead of letting you guess because he didn't want to be vulnerable.

You were hiding when you first hear those dreaded lies leave his mouth. Confronting more knights, he had been annoyed. Rather than killing them right away, he had tried to turn them away first. He didn't know you weren't in the library anymore, that you had finished your book and gone to search for him.

You didn't know he had felt that way about you. The lies he spun that he never meant for you to hear. That you were pain, that you could barely take care of yourself. That you were a burden. You were undesirable, unwanted. That's why the king sent you so far away after all. Besides, you were used goods. He'd already taken his fill of you and surely these knights wouldn't want the leftovers, would they?

You'd heard of heartbreak, read about it even. But you've never experienced it till now and all this time you'd always thought to yourself: surely it cannot be that bad, can it?

You were wrong. You never knew you could feel like this, never knew that pain like this felt like drowning above water, felt like a growing blackhole in your chest.

Second was right, all your firsts do belong to him. First betrayal, first heartbreak, first deceiver, first realization of how foolish and naive you were.

You lock yourself away in your room for a few days, refusing to come out no matter how much Secondo tries to coax you from your haven.

You decide to leave, unable to stand having to see him everyday and know that he's been lying to you, know that he never loved you, that he thinks the worst of you.

You take off in the middle of the night and try not to take anything that's his, only taking what is yours (which isn't a lot).

When he discovers that you're gone, he practically tears his entire tower to the ground, searching. He calls your name for as long as he can until his voice is a low painful rasp and his lungs can no longer scream.

He's ruthless to anyone he comes by, interrogating and ripping them to shreds. He cannot be consoled for losing his love, his heart, his soulmate. He will never stop looking for you.

---

Copia was the one that found you.

He reminds this to Secondo whenever the man gets too cocksure of himself.

The world is a harsh place and you discover this quickly when you leave the safety of your tower. Money and food and supplies; these are all things you do not have and have no idea how to obtain or earn. Eventually you end up on Copia's doorstep, the entrance of a cave as you attempted to seek shelter as your last shreds of consciousness began to slip away. You were barely hanging in there when he discovered you; half frozen, half starved to death.

He takes you to his tower and slowly nurses you back to health. You don't trust him one bit, especially when you discover that he's a dragon. It hits too close to home, too close to the heart when you had just left yours behind.

He doesn't understand your distrust but he doesn't push and gives you all the time in the world.

When you're healthy again, he asks if you would like to stay. He's been lonely for a while and it would be nice to have someone in the tower to talk to.

You have nowhere to go anyways, so you reluctantly stay. You avoid him at all costs at first, using the rats to send messages to him instead of looking for him and speaking to him directly.

After the first few months with Copia, snow begins to fall and he asks you if you want to go to the surface to see it.

You do, and he takes you to see it. For the first time in a long time, you smile.

From then on, you're a little more trusting and willing to be around Copia. You become friends and learn more about him and find that he's awkward and silly and wonderful company.

You should have known you were falling in love, but you realized it too late. You practically have a panic attack and you avoid him for a whole week. He's concerned but he tries to give you space.

He knows you've had your heart broken before and he vows to never make the same mistake.

It's a struggle and a fight for the two of you but eventually, you fall into each other's arms and you tentatively accept his love.

For a while, it's enough. Even if you don't stop loving Secondo, even if you think about him at least once every day. Even if you miss him like you're missing a part of yourself. It's enough. It has to be enough.

He doesn't want you anyways.

---

The first time Copia and Secondo meet, it's almost a bloodbath. Secondo sees you in Copia's arms and the only thing he sees is red.

You manage to get in between them and they stop, though both are injured in some way. You tell them to stop and you ask why they're fighting.

Secondo's expression softens so much when he addresses you, and he tells you with a low growl at Copia that you are his.

The words feel gutting and you immediately burst into tears. The two dragons let out panicked and surprised noises and immediately try to comfort you.

You tell Secondo you heard every single word of what he had said and he looks horrified. He promise, swears that of it is true. He was only trying to get the knights to turn back. He gets to his knees for you, begs you to believe him. He would never, ever feel that way about you.

After carrying the hurt around for so long, you're not sure if you believe him.

You tell him with a shaky voice that he's never told you that he loves you, that he never shows it. You voice your insecurities and he tells you that he never said anything because he was afraid to. He realizes now how foolish it was of him, and he confesses all his own insecurities to you.

Hearing this, you finally let your heart start to hope just a tiny bit and you collapse into his arms. He holds you so so tight, finally having you back with him is like his heart is whole again. He never ever wants to let you go.

You tell him you missed him too, that you had thought you were unwanted. He gives you all the reassurances and love you need.

When emotions die down, another problem arises.

Copia. He's a good boy, he gave the two of you space to talk and when he returns, he looks uncertain.

He looks like he's bracing himself for you to take off with Secondo and while he says it's okay and that he'll manage, you know too much about heartache to mistake the expression he wears as anything else.

It takes a lot of negotiation but for now, Copia agrees to go with the two of you to Secondo's tower. Secondo hates the idea of Copia being around you, of him touching you or even looking at you, but he knows you love him.

He's hurt you so much already he can't stand the idea of hurting you more.

Co-existence takes time to get used to. Copia and Secondo are always posturing and posting up against each other-- Secondo more than Copia, but as Copia begins to realize that he's not in risk of being thrown away by you he starts standing up for himself more.

They do things to rile each other up on purpose, pulling you in to give you a kiss or press your body flush against their body and whispering things in your ear until you flush the prettiest colors of red.

It's constantly a war between the two of you and while it drives you nuts, they manage to keep it tame enough to live together for a longterm. Eventually Secondo relents to your pleading and tells Copia he can stay longer and bring his rats (but if they get into his things he'll eat them-- you were horrified at first but then he whispered in your ear that he's bluffing because he'd never do anything to upset you like that).

You spend the rest of winter together and soon spring comes and goes and summer is upon the three of you. The heat is oppressive.

You don't realize it has that much of an affect on Secondo until he collapses one day while you are out in the sun. You panic and you call Copia crying.

He comforts you and promises Secondo will be okay-- he takes Secondo and carries him back to the tower with you in tow closely behind.

When Secondo regains consciousness he admits sheepishly that he may have pushed himself too much-- he's the strongest in winter and weakest in the summer. The heat is a little too much for him especially with the summers getting hotter and hotter.

He shouldn't be under direct contact under the sun but he'd wanted to spend more time with you and you were so happy to go out each time. You're a little heartbroken to know he pushed himself for you but he promises you that he's okay.

The only issue is that his body has been strained way too much and he can't really get out of bed that often. Kind of like how animals hibernate, his body begins to shut down little by little to conserve energy and heal. He needs constant cold regulation in the room and you often sit by his bed with a cold towel and icepacks. You're worried but he assures you that it'll only last a few weeks to a month at the most.

For the first time, he has a talk with Copia. A true talk and a show of trust-- he entrusts your care and wellbeing and happiness to Copia while he's still sick and bedridden and Copia swears to him that he will do everything and anything to make sure of it.

This is when things begin to change.

You are not alone in taking care of Secondo-- Copia surprisingly helps a lot. Actually, he takes over a lot of the duties like cooking and making sure the room is cool. Secondo scowls at the first time when Copia comes in with a tub of ice and goes 'what the fuck are you doing?' and Copia just rolls his eyes and tells Secondo he's trying to keep him cool and Secondo just sits there blinking like 'Oh. Uh... thank you I guess?'. He's a little stunned.

Eheheheh anyways here's where he starts crushing on Copia because sudden he gets the 'Copia nursing you back to health' treatment, the 'Copia being gentle and caring and attentive to all your needs' treatment. And it's... it's really nice.

He starts looking forwards to when Copia comes to check on him, looking forwards to hearing Copia's little murmurs and noises that he makes to himself while he tuts around the room.

(He hates it though and will deny it 1000% if you ask him)

Copia doesn't know when taking care of Secondo went from being a thing of obligation and duty to one of care and choice. He can tell that Secondo is getting used to his presence and he thinks it's the funniest (and also a little cute) when Secondo catches himself feeling soft or agreeing with Copia and suddenly scowls and is all grumpy.

Secondo is tentatively back on his feet in two weeks-- he's still a little weak but at least he can move around which he's grateful for since being in bed for so long was driving him nuts.

At first Copia kind of tries to help Secondo a bit but after a few days they begin to fall back into their old dynamic and antics.

However. The first time Secondo tries to make Copia jealous, pulling you to him with his arm around your waist and slotting his leg between yours, leaning in to brush his lips against your ear and whisper things that make you blush-- the first time that happens after Secondo gets better, Copia finds himself not puffing up with jealous, not bitter and huffy. No, he's not jealous.

He's turned on.

He splutters something along the lines of what he'd usually say before taking off. Secondo thinks he's storming away because he's jealous, but in reality Copia just doesn't want either of you to see the tent in his pants.

(You and Secondo think he's gone off to sulk but he's really just gone to find somewhere private to take care of his new problem)

Copia tries to carry on as usual, play his part of their little game. In the evening when Secondo is sitting by the fire and reading, Copia gently pushes you against the couch and kisses you dirtily using so much tongue while his hands come up to ruck up your shirt. You let out a soft moan and Secondo's head shoots up.

His expression is a stony one at first, before he really takes in the scene. And fuck do you and Copia make such a pretty picture. He's surprised to find that he's not jealous, he doesn't feel that red hot anger and rage anymore when he sees the two of you together.

He isn't embarrassed like Copia, so he sets his book to the side to loosen his pants.

Needless to say, while Copia and Secondo don't particularly talk about it, soon their little game against each other turns to mutual moments and 'activities' with the three of you involved at the same time.

Sometimes Secondo will sit back to watch you and Copia together, and sometimes Copia likes to watch you with Secondo.

It all comes to a head one day when intruders flood Secondo's tower and try to grab you. Both him and Copia crush them but not without Copia sustaining a bad injury. You're the first one to rush to him, but Secondo is the one to scoop him up and immediately head to the bedroom-- his own bedroom. He fusses over Copia's wounds and patches him up as much as he can.

That night is spent with the two of you curled around Copia protectively and when Copia wakes in the morning, you're both just as relieved.

Days together begin to turn to years and soon Secondo makes Copia a liar of his own underneath his tower. The three of you still sleep together every night but Copia is ecstatic to have his own space and domain.

There's plenty of space for the three of you and you take care of each other. It's not always easy but you'll always make it work.

Things are good, perfect even and though Secondo and Copia still argue from time to time, they always forgive each other and make up with gentle kisses and warm embraces.

#the band ghost #copia #secondo #ghost bc #ghost band #papa emeritus iv #cardinal copia #cardinal copia x reader #secondo x reader #papa emeritus iv x reader #papa emeritus ii x reader #headcanons #copiia #secondo x copia #unedited #this became so long dlafjklsj

[hils79]

Hils Watches Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Ep 8

I didn't watch one yesterday as I was visiting friends so it feels like forever since I watched this

Oh shit the evil child has figured out who Li Lianhua really is

Okay, I usually put two images above the Read More but this is a pretty major thing so

WHAT THE ACTUAL SHIT THE EVIL KID IS THIS DUDE IN DISGUISE???

Wait, does this mean Xiao Hua could theoretically disguise himself as a small child?

Well this has blown my 'he's going to give Li Lianhua the elixir so he has a worthy opponent' theory that I had a couple of episodes ago. Come on dude you can't kill him now he's all weak and pathetic. You were literally just complaining how sad you were about having no one worth fighting left in the world

That was a very dramatic entrance

The last time they met they fought to the death. Now that they're reunited Li Lianhua has decided to...flirt with him?

I think Fang Duobing would disagree

Why does this feel like Li Lianhua has just reunited with his ex-boyfriend who is still bitter about their breakup 10 years later

I still haven't decided whether I think he's dying in the way that Su Mengzhen was dying or if he's dying in a 'it'll be okay they'll find a cure' kind of way. Heroes kind of made it clear from the first episode how it was going to end. This one is less clear. I don't think I want to know so no spoilers please but I may change my mind on this later

Aww he went back to the tomb to get his puppy. His human puppy not his actual dog.

He's been unconscious for ages but the first thing he does when he wakes up is fret about Li Lianhua. He's a good boy.

Yeah, he pretends he doesn't care but we all know he does now

Poor Fang Duobing now thinks Li Xiangyi is a quack doctor named Li Lianhua and Di Feisheng is a servant named a-Fei

When the new boyfriend meets the old boyfriend. Look, we all know the solution to a love triangle is an OT3

Yes, that's more like it

Why do I feel like this is going to backfire spectacularly

Haha! He ate it all and it turns out he couldn't actually taste that it was bad

THERE'S ONLY ONE (GUEST) BED

Now kiss?

Asexual Li Lianhua?

I thought Di Feisheng was the one who poisoned him but apparently it was some other dude?

Dude stop trying to push your heterosexual agenda

Fang Duobing introducing Li Lianhua to himself

#hils watches #hils watches mysterious lotus casebook #hils watches cdramas #mysterious lotus casebook #cdrama

[sarah-yyy]

drive-by rec post for warm on a cold night which just finished airing last night!!

super quick “no time to listen to sarah yell over cdramas now” overview and links first before we get into it as usual:

what: period cdrama // 36 eps, roughly 45 mins each where: iqiyi // viki (usual disclaimer that i do not use eng subs so i don’t speak to the quality of subs) why: fun period cdrama werewolf romance with a sprinkle of crime-solving and uh hand-holding for Plot Reasons

my sweet girl su jiu’er of the qian kingdom! she is the only female constable in the city, but mostly does chores that none of the constables do because she’s had this condition since she was young where her body temperature drops rapidly out of nowhere and she faints randomly so no-one really lets her out to investigate cases even though she’s got the brains for it :(

this loser (affectionate) is han zheng, prince of the qi kingdom - the people of qi are all shapeshifters (think werewolves, though the actual shifting is never really explored too much so idk if they all shift into wolves or if this is specific to han zheng and his branch) who have superior physical abilities. han zheng starts out aloof, arrogant, and low-key anti-qian, but goes through a whole series of character growth because of jiu’er.

these two meet when han zheng sneaks into the qian kingdom to investigate the disappearance of his old friend (who has been branded a traitor of the qi kingdom; hz does not believe this). 

jiu’er finds out that touching han zheng alleviates her condition, like he literally warms her up whenever she touches him, so she keeps trying to do that (sometimes with adorable please save me i’m dying begging, sometimes with buddy you are literally an illegal immigrant here i call the shots blackmail, my girl has range) to han zheng’s initial distaste :))) the two of them team up to first solve recent mysteries in the city targeting the qi people, and then later investigate han zheng’s bff’s disappearance and jiu’er father’s death.

this show is so funny!! jiu’er persistently tries to get han zheng to try new things and make friends (even with his love rival!!!!!), and the banter between them at the start is so funny! their rivals to friends to lovers transition is also so smooth, and there is A LOT of gratuitous hand-holding scenes thank you scriptwriter for feeding me so well

ANYWAY the setting is fun, the cases move really quickly and most of them are quite interesting. i think it’s meant to be more a romcom than it is a crime-solving drama, so i went in with lower expectations re: the cases etc which helped! most of them are not that complicated, but still fun to watch unfold! the fight scenes are done really well

the side characters are also a+++

sleepy boy in the middle is wen jun (prince of the qian kingdom), who has had a crush on jiu’er since they were little and she took care of him when he was banished to this temple with his sickly mother by the emperor. they lost contact with each other when he was taken back to the palace after his mother passed. he is THE SWEETEST BOY!!! he doesn’t really have a mind for politics (that’s all left to his elder brother), so his fam just lets him enjoy life writing plays and spending money. he helps out with their investigation and follows han zheng and jiu’er around like a puppy :’) major ot3 vibes but ALAS

HELLO DA-DIANXIA MY LOVE :’) i am a sucker for a smart, well put together man, so can y’all really blame me for imprinting upon wen ying like this??? he is SUSPICIOUS af from the get-go, but also he’s so good and so kind to wen jun that i keep thinking the show is just trying to bait me into thinking he’s the bad guy :( ANYWAY in the later eps, he’s got this Thing going on with chi lan (badass general of the yi kingdom who is also han zheng’s other bff) that just makes me go !!! because of the potential

moustache man is jiu’er’s godfather! also one of my favourite characters with a+++ comedic timing tbh!!! can’t say more about him because spoilers but I LOVE HIM OKAY

if y’all are looking for a nice, low-stakes watch, this is probably the show for you! it’s mostly light-hearted, nothing too complex that requires full attention, and really easy to binge - i probably could’ve done this whole show in one weekend if i weren’t also battling jetlag :D

#tv rec #warm on a cold night #cdrama #ngl i started this because elle messaged me WEREWOLF BI WENJUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #the ending could be better?? it was a bit rushed but i actually really liked that final twist sdfkldsfklhdsdjskf #i was expecting something..............different #also my WEN YING/CHI LAN ship T.T

[olderthannetfic]

wait i’d love to hear yr thoughts about tony hillerman bc i grew up in new mexico (and still live here lol) & always thought he was just like normal pulp mystery

--

Normal pulp mystery with ten thousand digressions to talk about clouds and rocks. Hahaha.

IDK, do we use "pulp" like this now? (Genuine question.) His mystery style was fairly standard for the cozy end of mystery publishing if we mean not hardboiled, not police procedural, etc. rather than the cozy mysteries that are actually cozy with their cat-themed bookstores and such.

When I was a kid, my mother was obsessed with one day moving to Santa Fe, so for holidays, instead of seeing family, we'd go there. She had another phase where she was convinced she'd move to Orcas Island one day where, again, we spent holidays up around Seattle repeatedly. In both cases, there were things that happened to be culturally big at the time and easy to find that were also connected to local indigenous stuff.

What makes Hillerman interesting is that, despite being a white guy, he focused a lot on the Navajo reservation. It probably doesn't seem like much of anything if you're from that part of the world, and there are certainly some inaccuracies in the books that he himself would talk about in subsequent forwards, but they were a highly accessible introduction for someone who'd otherwise have had no reason to know about anything like that. I don't think that's so true now with more media on the scene, but this was the 90s at the height of his popularity (and of the series actually being good).

The thing is, they are normal mysteries. That's what made them work: people who didn't have a reason to care about the setting or particular political struggles bought them because they bought mystery novels in general. And then there was some other stuff in there too, but mostly, they're just fun genre fiction. One thing they did that I can't recall any other 90s media with a thousandth the reach doing was depict Indigenous characters who don't know that much about other indigenous cultures. There are a couple of books where the Navajo leads have to deal with Hopi stuff, and it's very clear these are different people with different communities. That sounds so incredibly small and obvious, but these books were sold in airport bookstores all over the country to an audience that knew literally nothing.

As for the books themselves, I like all the contemplative noodling about the landscape and the sense of place. That's something I often like in a mystery novel, especially one set somewhere I don't live.

The characters are compelling aside from their romances, which are horrendous. (Leaphorn has a wife who is a nonentity until she dies between books of something stupid, and then she comes up endlessly as the love of his life. Chee is a moron who makes bad choices and forces us to hear about them at great length.)

There's a bunch of archaeology stuff in some of the books, and I was a kid obsessed with archaeology. Honestly, our understanding of, e.g., Ancestral Puebloans is way different than it was in the 70s when some of these books came out, but it was still interesting stuff.

The adaptations now... Robert Redford bought the rights an eon ago and has been trying to make fetch happen ever since. One of the attempts was a set of three tv movies for PBS's Mystery! They hired Chris Eyre and unfridged Leaphorn's wife. There's a lot more humor relative to Hillerman's often rather gloomy style. And I am weak to buddy cops, to age gap with obnoxiously over-enthusiastic younger parties, and to OT3s.

[marzipanandminutiae]

Can I ask some random headcanons for our blorbo(lucille, obviously) for no reason?

Does she keep a diary? What's inside it? How many hours does she usually sleep a day? In modern AU, what's her favorite movie or theatrical piece? What are some significant objects in her room, other than what we already saw in the movie(like butterflies, books, wood carved animals)?

Sure!

I don't think she keeps a diary, but I can see her writing out her whole sad, sordid life story over and over, tearing it up each time, and scattering the pieces to the winds. A la the movie Byzantium. Because she can't tell anyone. She can't even tell Thomas everything; that wouldn't be Shielding Him from the worst of her pain and darkness (how well does she actually do that otherwise? shhhh). So she gives her story to the howling winter tempest instead.

On a good day, eight. On a bad day- and they are not infrequent -two if she's lucky. I don't think she slept at all the night Edith and Thomas were at the depot.

Modern-day favorite movie...not sure I've seen enough movies to say! I definitely don't think she's a horror fan, though the more lyrical side of the Gothic might appeal. She's seen enough horror in the real world, thank you very much. Something beautiful and sad- weirdly, I can see her enjoying Titanic or something similar. Thomas (and Edith, in OT3) is totally baffled by this. Meanwhile Lucille just doesn't understand why such a bittersweet tragedy about True Love has the reputation it does.

Significant objects in her room? You covered a lot of the bases, I think! I can see her having a very fantastical jewelry-box made by Thomas, though. Are there like four items in it? Maybe. But that's not the point. She deserves things like this, in his mind- beautiful, exceptional things to make her happy after so much darkness.

(the novelization version of her room, with definitely-not-in-the-movie preserved animal fetuses, and witchcraft paraphenalia from all over the world- the actress said she doesn't believe in ghosts; why would she have any interest in that? -can fuck off)

#ask #lucillesharpeismybaby #crimson peak #headcanon

[hopeagainsthope97]

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself - 1x08

#The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself #Nathan Byrne #Annalise O'Brien #Gabriel Boutin #Nathan x Annalise x Gabriel #Nabrielise #Jay Lycurgo #Nadia Parkes #Emilien Vekemans #1x08 #tbsatdhedit #tbs&tdh #tbs&tdhedit #tbsatdh #the bastard son and the devil himself #half bad #my gifs #ot3: the bad times were the good times

[salamispots]

I woke up at 3:45 am with shrine music in my brain so I'm gonna yell a little about totk spoilers below fhhhhh mostly about game things no real plot stuff haha

the intRO :'D that mononoke touch ahhhhh idk why but specifically the scene/shot of link's hearts going down from the wiggly worm demon smoke thing is stuck in my brain/makes me feel emotional

also the whole 'I was gone for a bit and the world looks different but sort of the same/everyone moved on' made me feel a little like the evangelion movie when shinji wakes up and he's still the same gives me feeLINGS not necessarily bad; maybe a little bittersweet? idk

I keep giggling at how GOOFY some of the weapons look when they're fused and the names (like...thick stick stick or something LMAO)

the glee of using a rocket for the first time also I'm building the most basic shit hahah I'm not particularly good/creative at stuff like this

ahhhh I loved how there's still those big stone talus in the game and the first one I come across is disguised as a base for bokoblin

the instantaneous fuck off panic of running into those red arm/hands and panicking because you run out of stamina while running away hahah

speaking of tHE MUSIC OH MY GOD I love the shrine music so much? and the first time when you go to the depths when you're falling the tone shift is so eerie

exploring too far into an area where you're too underleveled and getting one hit killed by something haha

when you leave the sky islands for the first time I was hanging out at the very top and was like...surely they're not saying just to jump off? I thought you were supposed to build something to get down but I sorta just fell off for the heck of it and I was extremely charmed by the fact that they said yes you can jump off and just dive into some random body of water from miles above in the sky and again I love the music for that/when you're first introduced to the sky islands

sky islands fun but it's nice being on the ground hahahfg/having a glider now and not constantly breaking into a sweat at hEIGHTS haha like....I went to the top of the temple and crawled all the way around to the other side of the locked doors lmao but the amount of times I slipped and fell of those tiny ledges

I still love freefalling and using the glider at the last second

running into a tree for the first time HAHA and the ominous tiptoeing after you

also yeah controls feel better now/just had to play more but I still definitely keep pressing the wrong buttons for things

I think once I got off the sky islands and to the ground that was kinda when I got fully invested? like again before actually buying the game and playing it I was kinda like ehhh I'll probably play it some point

also the game reigniting my need for link zelda ganon ot3 content :'D

the fondness of having character designs be 3/4 torso ahahha

PURAH I love her ouTFIT

the little detail of chasing fish and the fish trying to escape actually beached themselves on the shore??

LINK HUMMING WHILE COOKING I've only recognized one song so far (saw someone on reddit say they also heard song of storms and it clicked in my brain so now two haha)

oh! I love the amount of nooks and crannies to explore! like all the wells and caves >:0

ngl didn't end up finishing botw (I absolutely did look up the ending before I played totk HAHA >:'D ) because I ended up exploring the majority of the map/got bored after that and I didn't particularly like how the map felt empty/the same after a while? idk if the same thing will pop up again for me in totk but I do like how there's some new enemies and it feels more lively so far? we'll see

ALSO LMAO fighting bokoblins with a moblin and the moblin just straight picking up a bokoblin and throwing it at me??

#totk spoilers #lmao the problem of being sleepy and going to bed before/by 12 and almost without fail #always waking up at 3-4 am #if I play a game enough I'll start waking up with its music replaying in my head #hAFGHHF incoming massive wall of text warning haha

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

hi @leverage-ot3 here again

this isn’t even necessarily leverage ot3 propaganda, just leverage propaganda!!!

are you a sad/angry/annoyed at capitalism zillenial or just someone done with the world and it’s problems??? LEVERAGE WILL BE YOUR ULTIMATE COMFORT SHOW

like yes it has a word of god canon ot3 (which may not seem like much, but it happened in 2012 when gay marriage wasn’t even legal in the US where it aired yet so poly rights were extra not a thing) (below: the ot3 in 2021 looking extra fine and poly we love to see it)

but it also spends five seasons plus a reboot eating the rich and powerful for 45 minutes an episode

also this has THEE fastest found family speedrun you’ll ever see in your life!!! literally a dynamic I would kill for!

also the writers worked with real career criminals to get the cons and thievery right, and they were so good at what they did that the writers got reported to homeland security/fbi/etc multiple times because they found real loopholes in the system that would have inspired real crime so they had to write the episodes differently to deter that (literal goals???) definitely look into john rogers (one of the main writers) on twitter he is thee most chaotic and angry at capitalism people on that website

the team also gloats at the bad guys at the end of every episode for maximum greatness and it is wonderful to watch them feel smug and satisfied that evil people are going to jail (below is from the inside job- s3- and they are serving looks as usual)

also ALSO parker the thief (canon best thief in the world) and part of the ot3 is canon autistic and is treated by the writers with love, care, and grace! she’s perceived as super weird a lot of the time but her family and her boys love her for it and support her through her journey and love her for who she is 💖 don’t let her near you or she’ll steal ur wallet tho

anyways watch leverage for them (the ot3) but also them (the found family of your dreams) but also them (eating the rich for fun)

she can steal my wallet i dont mind *twirls hair*

#ppspropaganda

[disasterbijamietartt]

Since I won't "have to" get up at 3am to watch the finale (I'm probably the only person in the world happy about them pushing the release back by three hours lol), I now have time to humour you with two Roy x Jamie scenarios, that won't happen since the writer's ignore what's best for Keeley's character development (= staying single) and give us OT3, but that I'd love for someone to use for fanfic purposes.

After getting Ted's truth bomb Rebecca heads over to Keeley to discuss it and we get a similar scene to 3x10. After unloading her thoughts about Ted, Rebecca asks if there have been new developments with Roy since the last time they talked. Cue for Roy: He descends the stairs in the background and makes two coffees in the kitchen. Then he heads towards Rebecca and Keeley right in time to overhear Keeley telling Rebecca that she made up her mind and that she doesn't want to get back with Roy, since she needs time for herself to grow into her own person, the same way Rebecca did. Rebecca then notices Roy, which prompts Keeley to notice him as well. Awkward pause, a "I'm sorry, that wasn't how you were supposed to find out." and Roy being "It's okay, you don't always get what you want", Rebecca chiming in with a "But maybe you'll get what you need." Roy nods along and heads back upstairs. Back in the bedroom he puts one cup on the bedside table and then says "Made you coffee", camera pans to Jamie in bed, sitting up and taking the other cup. Jamie notices that Roy looks a bit wistful and asks him what's going on. Roy tells him that Keeley and him won't be getting back together. Something that hurts but not was much as he had expected. Still, Roy gets a bit upsets when Jamie dons this small hopeful smile. He tells Jamie, that Keeley doesn't want any relationship right now and Jamie shouldn't get his hopes up if he is not willing to wait. Then Jamie looks at him, with a shy smile, biting his lip. "You know, I can be patient. I've been waiting for months." Makes big puppy eyes. "Just not for Keeley." Roy looks at him a couple seconds, his face makes a journey from utter confusion to realisation, then he goes "Fuck. This really isn't what I wanted." Jamie's smile falters. "But it may just be what I need." Then he grabs Jamie and kisses him and the scene fades out …

After visiting Rebecca Keeley seeks out Roy at training and they finish the "I want to be more than friends"-conversation. Keeley explains to him, that she needs to figure herself out and wants to stay single for the next couple months, maybe a year or two. Roy offers he would wait for her, but she looks at Jamie and whispers "I don't think you should." Perspective switches to Jamie who notices that Keeley and Roy have a—apparently heated—conversation, with them repeatedly looking in his direction. Jan pats his shoulder and wishes him luck for the upcoming boot room talk. And as expected Roy yells at Jamie to come with him to the boot room and explicitly tells Will to stay in the locker room. Worried looks are exchanged—that can't be a good sign. Jamie expects Roy to have a jealous fit or to yell at him, but on the contrary Roy seems nervous, almost anxious, only looking at him without getting a word out. "What happened when you talked with Keeley?", Jamie finally asks. "Well, we broke up for good. And she said, I should go for … get what I need and … Ah, forget it." "What?" "Nothing." "It is not nothing. If you need comfort, I'm here for you. Or if it makes you feel better you can yell at me or headbutt me or …" Roy grimaces, murmurs a "Fuck me it", grabs Jamie by the neck, pulls him closer and kisses him. After being surprised for a moment Jamie kisses back. And since they conveniently stand right in front of the window to the gym (? I'm still so bad at the layout of all rooms, but there is a window lol), Isaac and Colin see them and when they head back to the locker room Isaac blurts out "Roy and Jamie are making out in the boot room", Will shouts "NO! I've been waiting for this for months. MONTHS! And now I've missed it!", Colin murmurs "I've been really lucky Isaac didn't out me within five minutes of finding out …" and Trent just nods along knowingly, an unspoken "Finally" plastered onto his face. And Nate wonders, what else he had missed the last couple months.

#roy x jamie #jamie x roy #roy kent x jamie tartt #royjamie #jamie tartt #roy kent #fanfic ideas

[innytoes]

My roommate is sick and all they could talk about was how much they miss that one soup you always made them so I drove four hours to come and get some + OT3 of your choosing

When Ray opened the door at 11PM on a Thursday night, he was a little surprised.

"Hi, Mister Molina?" the young man said, fidgeting his fingers together. "We spoke on the phone?"

Because yes, he had spoken with Julie's boyfriend on the phone. It was just that he was pretty sure Julie's boyfriend was Luke. He had been since they got together in high school. She'd been so excited to join Luke to get her music degree at the same top-notch university. (And yes, they had a long conversation about picking the best university for her, not just the one her boyfriend was at.)

But this young man was not Luke. He'd thought he sounded different on the phone, and strangely formal, but he thought it was just because they hadn't spoken as much since Luke went away to school.

His poor little nena, first she broke up with her high school sweetheart and now she had the flu? Why hadn't she told them about Luke? Was she worried they'd be disappointed?

"Yes, of course, come in," he said, waving the boy inside. He had messy hair, ripped jeans and a leather jacket, but Ray knew that looks didn't say anything. Any boy who was willing to drive four hours just to pick up soup for his sick girlfriend had to be a good egg.

"The soup is just about done, Rose was just letting it simmer until you got here," he explained as he lead him to the kitchen. The way the young man was trying to subtly sniff the air was rather endearing. "Would you like to try some?"

"Oh, I couldn't," the boy said, but he looked longingly at the big pot simmering on the stove. "It's Julie's soup."

"There's more than enough," Rose said, already grabbing a bowl and ladling some soup into it. If she was surprised at this Not Luke Boyfriend, she didn't show it. Behind the boy's back, he made a confused shrugging motion at his wife, and she just quirked an eyebrow at him. I don't know what's going on either, it said.

"Oh, well, if it's no trouble," the young man said, all but collapsing into one of the stools at the kitchen island. Rose handed him the bowl and a spoon, and when he took a deep whiff, his eyes fell closed in what appeared to be bliss. When he took a bite, he actually whimpered a little. When was the last time this poor kid had some homemade food? Ray remembered his own college years, and if he were to guess, that boy lived off ramen and grilled cheeses.

"This is really good, Mrs Molina," the boy said earnestly in between big bites. "No wonder Julie was craving it. This would make anyone feel better."

"How is she?" Rose asked.

"She was feeling pretty crummy when I left," the boy said. "But her fever was down and she was craving food again, so that's a good sign." He looked up, concerned. "I didn't just leave her alone! Luke's with her, and Alex and Willie are on standby to drive them to the emergency room if either of their fevers spike."

So Luke was still with her? Was the break-up amicable?

"I just felt so bad, I mean, I was the one who got sick first, and then I gave it to Luke, and Luke gave it to Julie, and they were both so miserable, and when she said she wanted her Mami's special soup I just thought, if that would make her feel better..." He trailed off when he realised he was rambling, flushing.

"You were sick too?" Rose asked, concerned. "You poor thing."

"I'm fine now," the boy reassured her, even though on closer inspection, he did still look kind of exhausted. He had dark circles under his eyes, and the way he was slumped over the bowl of soup told Ray he wasn't exactly fit as a fiddle yet. Maybe the soup would help, though. "And I can be out of your hair as soon as we pack the soup up. I'm so sorry to spring this on you."

"Anything for our Julie," Ray said, and the boy whirled around, eyes wide, like he'd forgotten Ray was there. Yeah, definitely not one hundred per cent yet. "You look tired, though. Are you sure you're okay to drive all the way back?"

"Yeah, totally," the boy said, before knocking back the last of the soup, holding the bowl up to his face to get it all. "I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not," Rose insisted. "And Ray's right, you look tired. If you just got over the flu yourself, you shouldn't be driving eight hours straight. Why don't you go take a nap for a few hours?"

"But Julie..."

"Won't want to be woken up at three in the morning anyway," Rose pointed out. The boy's face turned into a thoughtful pout. "Just sleep for a few hours, and you can get up bright and early tomorrow and bring her the soup. It'll do none of you any good if you fall asleep behind the wheel."

"I guess," he finally acquiesced.

"Great!" Rose said, beaming. "Do you want some more soup?"

Of course he did, and she gave him another bowl, sending Ray upstairs to prep the guest room and find Reggie something he could sleep in. Ray just let it happen. He knew better than to get in Rose's way when she'd made up her mind, and just watched on in amusement as she ushered a confused young punk in a leather jackets up the stairs and off to bed.

When she came back down, Ray had finished putting most of the soup into tupperware (and maybe stealing a few bites for himself. It was really good soup).

"Julie never told me she and Luke broke up," he said. "Had she told you?"

"No," Rose said, thoughtfully, even as she wrapped herself around him, on her toes so she could hook her chin over his shoulder. "Maybe they haven't."

Ray turned as far as he could, catching a glimpse of her face.

"Reggie said he gave his flu to Luke," Rose pointed out. "And on the phone he said he was Julie's boyfriend. I think they're both dating him."

Oh, so his name was Reggie? That was good to know. Ray tried to wrap his head around it. He was just glad his daughter hadn't gotten her heart broken.

"He seems like a good kid," he said finally. "Driving all this way just to get Julie's comfort food."

Rose hummed in agreement. "Well," she said. "We'll have plenty of time to get to know him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" He would have thought Reggie would be anxious to get back home to his... partners, he guessed.

"Well, of course we're driving him back!" Rose said. "He's in no shape to drive!"

And Ray just nodded, and smiled, because when Rose made up her mind, it was best to just go along with it.

#julie and the phantoms #juliexlukexreggie #fanfic #rayxrose #I wrote a thing #yes rose is alive because I said so #maybe the soup really is magic shush #rose and ray are gonna show up with like 15 tupperwares of soup and juke's boyfriend and they're going to be like: oh fuck #and then very confused because Rose and Ray are all chill about the whole thing #did they tell rose and ray about Reggie in their feverish state and then forget? #and they ask Reggie later about if he came out to the molina parents for them because he knew they didn't know how #and he just stares at them like: SHIT I KNEW I FORGOT TO DO SOMETHING #luckily your parents are smart julie #reggie is way too out of it to even feel nervous about meeting julie's parents like... he Should Not Have Been Driving #but his girlfriend wanted soup!!! special soup!!!! and he got them sick!!!