#pinkninjapj

[angels-and-aliens]

TOG BIG BANG 2022

I am so honored to have been able to make art for @pinkninjapj for this year’s @oldguardbigbang!

She is the author of one of my absolute favorite fics and I couldn’t believe it when we were paired together. The cherry on top is that this mandalorian fusion is the perfect combo of two of my favorite things! I only hoped that I would be able to do her writing even just a shred of justice.

Please check out her amazing fic!!

Summary: Joe and Nicky never got together back on Earth, and instead had a terse and somewhat playfully antagonistic relationship. Now they're in an entirely different galaxy, and Joe has sworn the Mandalorian Creed and kept his face covered for lifetimes. But when he picks up a strange green Child and swears to return him to his kind, who does he find but Nicky of kriffing Genova, training Jedi children in the Force. Meanwhile, Nicky is falling hard for the mysterious stoic warrior with a kid in tow. Who wouldn't? Does it count as a slow burn if you come in at the end of four thousands of years of enemies to frenemies?

#pinkninja has brought me to tears with her writing on multiple occasions #she is so so so talented and my jaw was legit on the floor when i saw i was paired with her #legit took me like a full year to finish these #but nothing gets you out of a slump like a deadline am i right?? lol #angelsaliensart #pinkninja #pinkninjapj #the old guard #immortal husbands #kaysanova #joe x nicky #yusuf al kaysani #nicolo di genova #the mandalorian #star wars #star wars au #star wars fusion #mandalorian au #mandalorian fusion #tog au #the old guard big bang #the old guard big bang 2022 #tog big bang 2022 #tog big bang #the old guard fanart #the old guard fanfic #tog fanfic #tog fanart

[raedear]

Do you have any Joe/Nicky fic recs?

Do I ever, bestie.

Here are my bookmarks on ao3, which functions as a rec list really

Specific shout outs include:

He, Dreamless by @guarncre, which I read with a breathless hysteria I've never experienced in myself before

say the word (& I'll be your renaissance man) by @bewires. Everything by Lia, actually, but this happens to be my particular favourite that wasn't written as a gift for me.

If Never Again, If Every Day by @gallifreyburning & @takiki16. A true and proper gamechanger of a fic. Sets the standard we should all aspire to.

Leave the Window Open by superblackmarket, who has never missed even once in their life, their every fic is a joy

Continuity of Memory by AirgiodSLV, which I absolutely adore

i want to wear your sweater (i want to wear your ring) by @knoepfchen which is just flawlessly fuckin hilarious and wonderful. Once again, please read all of Laurel's fics.

some cupids kill with arrows (some with traps) by @nicolos surely everyone has to know by this point that soulmates of any fashion are my kryptonite

honey i’m lovedrunk (it’s what you do to me) by @maddielle, which was the first fic of Maddie's I read and I hadn't even finished it before I subscribed to her.

Exposure by @chinchillinator and its sequel of course, this whole series is such a balm to my soul in the face of the terrible fuckin gender politics I've seen in omegaverse fics. Legs never misses.

wherever you are and wherever you go by @werebearbearbar I can't read just one of melly's fics, I have to read them all like I'm eating my way through a family bag of crisps in one sitting, but this one literally changed the chemistry of my brain

this song is new to me by @captainshakespear entirely flawless ace!Joe fic. I think about it every single day.

Roll Initiative by @nanashi-07 never fails to have me in absolute bits, it's wonderful

the dark matter of you by @polarcell I still think Nicky should get to murder him a little. As a treat. For me. The emotions this fic inspires in me, good lord

Lionheart by @non-un-topo absolutely no one does a mystery like siggy, holy fuck. I was going to link Perferō but I think you should start at the start of the series and work your way through

whatever here that's left of me by asifnotbound. peach can absolutely do no wrong in my eyes and this fic showcases her fantastic range and emotional depth.

Old Olives by aeli_kindara I love this fic so fucking much

Ten Ounces by @the73rdpostscript do I think of this fic every goddamn day? Yes. Yes I do. Read postie's fics I swear to fuck.

nothing here that is not sacred by @sixth-light. No one does it like sixth-light. No one. This just happens to have demi!Joe and I'm so outrageously here for that, but please just consider this the jumping off point for reading everything she's ever written.

Recover what was lost by @pinkninjapj, a stunning change of pace for me here, I know. Anyone who's ever talked to me for more than ten minutes knows my heart beats Retrograde, but I need to show love to Recover as well, which I have read easily a dozen times.

Shattered Pieces by AraSigyrn. I think of this fic every goddamn day.

with every inch of my heart by @smilebackwards what if Nicky had a Michelangelo and I cried about it many times????

walk inland by ScribeofArda fucking hell this fic does me in each time and I ADORE it

Departures by spqr I can't even BEGIN to tell you how much I love this fic. It makes me see shrimp colours.

In Pursuit of the Best Taste by PastyPirate they're rival bakers!!! It makes me so happy!!!!

This list is definitely not exhaustive, we'd be here forever if I listed every fic in this fandom I love. I've absolutely forgotten top tier fics and writers, but they're in my bookmarks for sure. Please go through all the authors' back catalogues too, because there is so much wonderful work in this fandom.

#rec list #ask me anything my dudes #joenicky #immortal husbands #kaysanova

[ibrithir-was-here]

What were interactions between toddler and/or kid Quincey and his Father like? i imagine the Count spent at least some one-on-one time with his little diavol

Oooh he was all about this unholy child-thing,born with fangs, hungring for blood from birth. The child can grow and learn and walk the day without loosing strength, this is the most interesting thing that’s happened to him in ages! And the chance for moulding this new kind of creature from birth in his image almost makes up for all the inconvenience he’s had to suffer since his aborted move to England. It’s certainly a delightfully entertaining new way to keep his two new acquisitions in line.

He’d never had an heir, one doesn’t need children to carry on a legacy when one plans to live forever. But it’s been so long since any of his possessions really interested him to this degree, and he finds he’s rather thrilled to take on the title of ‘Father’.

He’s more than happy to let Jonathan and Mina deal with all the actual parenting parts though,. Childcare is for women and vassals, babies are loud and messy and he has far more important things to do, like standing menacingly on a turret plotting future conquests and remembering the glory days.

But he always makes time to take the child under his wing and teach him his Lessons. Like the glorious history of his house, the proper way to introduce one’s self in company to put them at ease so as to better needle out their weaknesses, the best way to break an enemy’s spirit. True the boy seems to have a soft heart now, no doubt due to his Papa’s meddlesome influence, but Dracula knew from the first time the days old infant bite at him, searching for blood, that he’d found a whole new means of immortality

Also Doodling/writing all this reminded me of a certain conversation over on Discord about Dracula wanting to preen just a little too much one night…

(Obviously Jonno does survive but this incident is yet another reason that Quincey getting careless when those teenage growth spurts hit really freaks Mina out)

Also if you want some really great Dracula interactions with young Quincey in the Blood of my Blood AU please go read @pinkninjapj ‘s excellent fics

"Lessons"

"Love is Loyalty"

Honestly go read all their stuff it’s sooo goood and delightfully creepy, they were very influential in creating the dynamic between Quincey and the Count in this

Edit: Been pointed out that I should make clear that Quincey here is still only Jonathan and Mina's son. He's only a vampire because Mina got bit while carrying him. Dracula is in no way his bio dad--he's just the guy who decided to try and steal the title :p

#my art #blood of my blood #Dracula #quincey harker #mina harker #jonathan harker #other people’s awesome writing #friend writing #dracula fanart #dracula fanfiction #dracula bad ending #(I promise we will jump back to the on going story I just hit a lame Winter Low Energy bit 😅) #tw blood #tw teeth

[three--rings]

My final Binderary book is a copy of Retrograde by @pinkninjapj which I typeset for our annual Renegade typeset exchange. I decided to bind this last minute when I realized it was a leap year and I had two days left. (And I really enjoyed the fic. It's The Old Guard fic and I'm not big into the fandom but I do enjoy it.)

The htv on the cover didn't work as planned since I set it in a cutout. I could have just done it plain, but I was excited to cut a perfect circle in my board with my new Cricut. And it worked great! Except you can't get a home iron in that circle to properly get the vinyl to bond. So, IDK.

Everything about this book was done fast and on impulse, like choosing endband colors and endpages. So there's not much logic to it.

#my fanbinding #the old guard #binderary2024

[scimitar-and-longsword]

So I'm sitting here working on a few half finished chapters from my WIPs, and was thinking about TOG fics I loved back in the day and just remembered Retrograde?! And now I'm seriously considering rereading a 100k+ word fic because it's honestly one of the best fanfics I've ever read.

@pinkninjapj I hope you know you're still ruining my life with this fic 3 years later....

#retrograde #lolo rambles #like freaking out over each update was so fun #oh man... its 11pm... why didnt i remember this in the morning lol

[zairaalbereo]

Fic Writer Interview

I was tagged by @laviejaguardia. Thank you! 💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 

89, but 12 of them are art only

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

724,869

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

That’s His Name (Merlin) - 29.981

In the Winter of My Soul (Merlin) - 5.952

Just Have To Save The World (Merlin) - 4.343

Me Casa, Su Casa (X-Men) - 2.427

Most kudos for The Old Guard: Room for Love - 904

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

I try to because I love them, and that’s why sometimes I fall into that trap of “I need to adequately convey how happy this comment made me, I can’t just say ‘thank you’’ and then I leave it for too long. Also sometimes I don’t have the spoons at that moment. But I appreciate every last one of them.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I love angst, but I love a happy ending even more, so in my fic the angst usually gets resolved. A fic that regularly leaves people in tears, though, is At Samhain, but the ending has hope.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

So many happy endings! ☺️ One of the happiest might be my Merlin Age of Sail AU, The Seven Seas , which has a very happy ending after a lot of angst and heartache.

7. Do you write crossovers?

No, not really.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really personal attacks so much, but I have received snide comments, character bashing and absurdly wilful misinterpretations. And always on anon of course.

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

Yes, I do. I’m a proud alumni of multiple Pornathons in the Merlin fandom. When I write kink, it tends to be PWP of the kind that’s about losing control, or pushing the lines of taboos. In my longer or more plotty fic it’s more emotional, focused on the characters’ connection.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I once had someone write a fic that had the exact same plot down to locations and minor details and even almost the same dialogue as one I was posting. Like a (bad) rewrite. It was very weird.  

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a few, which I’m ever so grateful for. 💕

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

No. I’m honestly not sure how that would work for me. 😅

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Joe/Nicky really is the fulfillment of all my shippy hopes and dreams. 😍 Beyond them, maybe Cherik. I like the drama. 😂

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

A Cherik bodyswap fic, set between XMFC and Days of Future Past, while Erik is imprisoned. I love the premise and what I have so far, but it’s been so long that I’ve been in that fandom.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Conveying emotions and believable dialogue 

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Transitions and being overly dramatic, which is probably connected lol

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I do enjoy it in sprinkles, if it’s done well. Endearments, curses, stuff that mostly won’t need a translation footnote but grounds a character in a different cultural background. 

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I wrote stuff before I knew about fanfiction. Before you could find (and easily post) stuff on the internet. But the first fic I wrote and posted was Harry Potter, gen with very, very heavy wolf star undertones 😅

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I don’t really have an unfulfilled craving right now, and I tend to focus on one fandom, and even one ship almost exclusively, but I’m a little surprised at myself for never having written Sterek. 🤔

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

That is so hard to pick, but two favourites are Shalom Malak for XMFC and If You Abide With Me for TOG

Tagging, but obviously only if they want to @falcon-fox-and-coyote @tobebbanburg @pinkninjapj @beepbeepsan @isabellehemlock 💗

#ask game #fanfic #my writing #personal #the old guard #merlin bbc #cherik

[isabellehemlock]

Went from catholicnicky -> isabellehemlock

I had been wanting to change it for a few months, as I've been slowly branching out to other fandoms, but had been holding off until some other fandom events wrapped up, but I'll tag my paired writers as well, and can easily email it out to whoever needs an updated link.

I'm also updating my pinned post, but here's my current carrd for all sorts of other links until then. Please feel free to signal boost and pass along but I hopefully managed to tag (in the post and comments) most recently interacted with people 🥰

@ceraunos @amyvalhalla @beepbeepsan @chinchillinator @raedear @werebearbearbar @a-cumberbatch-of-cookies @selling-my-soul-for-tony-stark @spacewitchqueen @zairaalbereo @asunlovingde @asamandra @astrabear @notablogtobefollowedunless @nonbinary-nicolo @nicolos @nicolosfaith @trelane82 @the-heart-of-leo @theresatvjoe @mostlyimmortal @almostcanon @southpaw1128 @pinkninjapj @pierremichelofavignon @heda-of-endlesswonder @samshinechester @sindirimba @katt5673 @alllthequeenshorses @energievie @captainfrostedcherry @celiaelise @runbymachinesandclones @kat0nline @dianadaughterofhippolyta @ongreenergrasses @vikiblood @bewires @thirdspin @bulllla @theanity @commander-codys @icannotreadcursive @baladine @wrenaspun @boutiquetraveltravelboutique @sphinx81 @angels-and-aliens @82tweeder

#url change #name change #please feel free to signal boost :) #isabelle hemlock is my ao3 handle and on twitter so if felt time to make it three for three lol

[sellkii]

10 Songs, 10 People

Tagged by @disregardandfelicity Thanks pocket buddy I love sharing my music :D Most of these I listen to when I don't want to be distracted by words I can understand

1. Sastanàqqàm - Tinariwen

2. Dieci Ragazze - Lucio Battisti

3. Tattica - Fulminacci

4. IN NOME DEL PADRE - Måneskin

5. 1977 - Ana Tijoux

6. проси пробачення - анастимоза 

7. Кłаmstwo to nowa prawda - Dezerter

8. Chę Ci powiedzieć coś - Kora

(and a few in English)

9. Private Investigations - Dire Straits

10. Make it With You - Bread

(bonus Midwest Emo)

Downhill - Lincoln

Your Graduation - Modern Baseball

Sober - FIDLAR

Trees - McCafferty

The Plan (Fuck Jobs) - The Front Bottoms

psst, teenagers, take off your clothes - Car Seat Headrest

Parks - Phantastic Ferniture

Please Don't Tell My Father I Used His 1996 Honda Accord to Destroy the Town of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania in 2002 - Pet Symmetry

I don't have ten people but I wanna see some music from @beepbeepsan @good-nightsocialite @boutiquetraveltravelboutique @little-ruru @pinkninjapj @theanity no pressure guys <3

#midwest emo #about me #tag game #music

[lindstromm]

Thanks for the tag @runawaymarbles!

10 things for 2023

a fic idea you want to write or read: Sigh. I've not been anywhere near the HP fandom since it was created, but then a bookbinding project sucked me in last summer. Now I'm writing a Remus/Sirius wolfstar fix-it to ATYD. Will I publish it? No idea. Right now I'm writing it for me. It's only about 15,000 words so I might dribble off and quit rather than writing my usual 80,000 words. I have no goals and no timelines; I write when I feel like it. Writing without having a goal to publish is different for me. I like the no-pressure of it all.

a place you want to go: I don't really like traveling. I want to go to the midwest to visit a friend, but that's about it.

a book you want to read: That book about how the Federal Reserve was created, so I've got a better understanding of how USA finances work on a national level. The reason I haven't read it yet (it was published in 2015) is because it's probably just as dry as it sounds.

something fun you want to do: spend lots more time with my friends; I want to get back to my pre-covid levels of socializing.

something you want to make: Fabric-based art based on photography of national parks. I'm working on practice projects now.

a habit you want to start:  I started an exercise class 3 weeks ago, so we'll count that as a start and hope I turn it into a habit.

something new you want to try: more of that mixed-media art, using mostly fabric, to create nature scenes and landscapes.

something you want to finish from 2022: I started a huge bookbinding project, Dragonchoice, and I've got about 6 volumes left to publish.

something you want to stop doing: overeating treats when I KNOW all the sugar is going to give me a migraine.

something you want to keep doing: speaking up at work and making sure everyone in the room knows my opinion.

tagging: @insertmeaningfulusername, @fullmetalcarer, @pinkninjapj, @turtletotem, @lyricfulloflight, @kaydeefalls and anyone else who wants to do this!

#tag game

[cookiemom6067]

@pinkninjapj 's Spooky TOG fic, "Real For Me" - Happy Halloween 2022

#podfic #the old guard #halloween #nile freeman #nile freeman's mom

[theresatvjoe]

Last Line Meme

I was tagged by @pinkninjapj thank youuuu, you tagging me actually got me to go and write some for my WIP, so thank you lol

Rules: write the latest line from a wip and tag as many people as there are words in the line. make a new post!

"A morning greeting dies on Nile's lips as she watches Nicky completely overshoot pouring the orange juice into his cup, spilling it all over the floor instead."

I tag whoever wants to do this!

#i was tagged #tink speaks #the old guard au #the old guard fanfic #i haven't really mentioned this AU to anyone yet #I've only just sorta hinted towards it i suppose? #pinkninjapj

[ibrithir-was-here]

Passing this on ~

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love! 💞

Oh definitely "Blood of My Blood" with all my amazing collaborators, @animate-mush @pinkninjapj @bluecatwriter , @thegoatsongs and your wonderful self @see-arcane ! Along with anyone else who's made awesome contributions!

After that I'd say:

"Rosemary Is For Remembrance" --The Picture of Dorian Gray sequal

"The Solider and the Solicitor"--Dracula time-loop story with Quincey Harker

My "Endless Heirs AU" for The Sandman fandom

And "Awake Unto Me" also for Sandman

Thanks for sending this my way and sorry it took a while!

#asks #my writing #fic recs #other people's awesome writing #blood of my blood #rosemary is for remembrance #dracula #tpodg #the picture of dorian gray #endless heirs au #the sandman #daniel hall #dream of the endless #Jonathan harker #quincey harker #the soldier and the solicitor

[starlightervarda]

20 Questions, Writer’s Edition!

I was tagged by my main elf @euriipides ​🧝‍♀️ 

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

At the moment, 53.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

404K

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I've written for Star Trek, Voltron, the Flash/Arrow/Arrowverse, Miraculous Ladybug, and The Old Guard. I've written one-shots, usually prompt fills for a bunch of others.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In It To Win It  (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Letters From Across the Universe (Star Trek AOS)

What's In A Name? (Arrowverse) 

In All But Name (Miraculous Ladybug)

Lattes, Prequels and Wrong Tables (Arrowverse)

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

Yes! I haven’t in a bit due to being busy/exhausted but I always get to them! Reading and re-reading them can really turn a shitty day into a good one!

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t really do angsty endings, but angsty middles. Think the closest might be By Any Other Name (the Flash) or Jealousy (Turning Saints Into the Sea) (MCU/Captain America).

They’re melancholic/angsty but end on a good note.

7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Probably To Gaze at the Stars  (TOG). It has the most ‘we all lived happily ever after’ kinda ending.

8. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Do AUs count? I’ve written a tiny Harry Potter!AU of Star Trek and a huge Hartenstraat AU! of The Old Guard.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yep. Most recently got shitty comments about a character whose trauma/mental illness was based on my own, and white people um ashkually-ing me about my own culture, giving me inaccurate ‘corrections’ and ‘advice’.

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

I just started writing smutty scenes, very glossed-over and not really graphic though. Still too awkward/embarrassed about it tbh but maybe I’ll get bolder later

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I’ve had one translated into Russian!

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

Nope!

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Spirk / Superbat

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don't think I want to finish any WIPs I have up, but I’ve abandoned ideas I was going to write due to how the fandom turned me off the project.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been told it’s dialogue!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action/Set-up

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Eh, it depends on how much is used, and how it’s used. Most of the time it’s used wrong, translated wrong, used in a way no bilingual/multilingual person would, and just ranges from cringe to pointless. It’s better to just italicize and say that they’re speaking in another language, unless the person hearing said dialogue can’t speak it.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Trek! 

20. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Currently, my Top 5 are:

Letters From Across the Universe (Star Trek AOS)

In All But Name (Miraculous Ladybug)

What's In A Name? (Arrowverse)

To Gaze at the Stars (TOG)

In It To Win It (Voltron)

Tagging: @goldfishiescribbles  @ignisentis  @kikibluemay @zambomarti @pinkninjapj @godihatethisfreakingcat @kiaya @youneedasoultraveller and anyone else who wants to do this. ✨

#i have no idea what's going with the font size on this post

[scarlet-welly-boots]

So I threw a little moodboard together for @pinkninjapj Tennis Au which just went live! Go and read and give love in the comments for them!!!! 💙💙💙💙

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29712420

#kaysanova #nicolo di genova x yusuf al kaysani #nickyxjoe

[zairaalbereo]

I was tagged by my dear, dear bearded brother in arms @good-nightsocialite for the 10 songs, 10 people game. Thank you for the tag! 💕

And since I’m old and have felt a little nostalgic music wise lately, I’ll give you ten songs that make my heart rise with that feeling because they mean something. (Don’t you love that music can do that?)

Maria — Blondie

Torn — Natalie Imbruglia

Summer of ‘69 — Bryan Adams

The Story — Brandi Carlile

Run — Snow Patrol

No Basta — Franco de Vita

Hollywood Hills — Sunrise Avenue

Snow on the Sahara — Anggun

The Rising — Bruce Springsteen

Ein Hoch auf Uns— Andreas Bourani

And if they want to do it, I’m tagging @begaydocrime-nickyjoe @albymangroves @kushielsmercy @pinkninjapj @morganasand @spacewitchqueen @emjudo @laviejaguardia @bazinmousqueton @oldjane — no pressure!

#ask game #personal #songs i love

[isabellehemlock]

WIP Tag & Seven Sentence Tag Games

Thank you to both @energievie & @boutiquetraveltravelboutique for tagging me to see what I’ve been up to with my writing : )  I took a week long break with my mom’s health issues, and have been easing back into it since yesterday, so I finally have something to share lol - technically it’s nine sentences vs seven but hopefully a tweak to the rule suggestion won’t be too out of line haha . . . But first, let me tag a few writers:

@bewires @beepbeepsan @raedear @astrabear @pinkninjapj @maddielle @alllthequeenshorses @sindirimba

I’m currently only working on my long fic, so once again, the TOG Cult AU one ha - but it should be wrapped next month, and then it’s a roulette of multi fandom one shots for the rest of the year   

But here’s a teaser from the next update - coming (fingers crossed and prayers said) next Wednesday <3

Under the cut if you’d like to avoid spoilers but no cw/tw needed woot woot

Joe was beginning to recognize that look, the far off one that implied there was a mental storm brewing behind ocean colored eyes - a kind of maelstrom that was internally churning Nicky through murky memories that threatened to drag him under if Joe didn’t pull him away from the rocks.  

By now he had learned that trying to reach out to him was not the comfort it could be for Joe, instead, he’d have to find alternative ways.  Since he hadn’t responded to his name, Joe figured he’d follow his line of sight to the flickering candles on the set table.  Maybe a visual disruption would help, and if Nicky felt up for it later, perhaps he’d share what had frozen him in place to begin with.

Carefully blowing out the two tall candles at the center of the table, he slowly stood up straight and smiled softly at Nicky, who blinked back at him -

“I’m sorry,” his face was strained, but at least he didn’t look away from him, “You shouldn’t have to - “

But he didn’t finish the sentence, his mouth clamping into a tight line as he shook his head, and Joe wondered - but tried to keep it light for the sake of Nicky’s obviously frayed nerves, “If blowing out some candles is the worst thing that happens to me this year,” he tipped his head and grinned, “then I consider myself lucky.”

Some of the tension in Nicky’s jaw loosened, allowing the faintest smirk to curve his lips as he quietly replied, “Thank you.”

Joe’s smile widened, “Thank you for making dinner.”

#thanks Evie and Sarah <3 #wip tag game #seven sentence wip tag game #mark of cain fic