#I will Also go in to that place tomorrow but uhhhhh yeah

[seilon]

wow ok that’s the quickest I’ve ever had my application thrown out. super cool

#I didn’t even get the chance to go in in person first cause the plan was to do that tomorrow #like shit dude what the hell do you want from me #I spent hours reworking my resume and writing a cover letter #and they tossed this app out in. less than a day #for real though I genuinely have no fucking idea why #my work history and credentials are pretty good for these low ass entry level positions??? and my schedule is literally just. Whenever #I’m wondering if it’s an automatic system and it got thrown out this time becuase thr resume reader program or whatever couldn’t read my #resume since it’s not formatted in a standard way #anyway I’m still going to go in tomorrow but. gee that sure is infuriating and discouraging lol #I applied to another hotel as well and I’m hoping maybe that one doesn’t kick my ass like Hyatt has 2000 times now #I will Also go in to that place tomorrow but uhhhhh yeah #it’s been over half a year and I have not had a single job application accepted at any place #and it makes me want to split my fucking skull open because I don’t know what I’m doing wrong #kibumblabs #‘after careful review and consideration’ bitch how did you carefully review an application you literally just fucking got

[floral-hex]

Just a bunch of text below because I feel like rambling, nothing too exciting

Where to start? Just gonna babble a bit

Met with the nice nurse yesterday morning to talk about meds. That sucked. Very offputting and distant. Lots of anxiety and worrying during the appointment and she just either stayed quiet or made me feel bad for not being able to make an appointment she referred me to (which I tried to explain I couldn’t make because I am fucking pooooor and it’s an hour away and life is ridiculous right now but nooooo I blew it so thanks lady). Ugh she’s usually so nice. Maybe I just caught her on a bad day. Anyway, upped my viibryd & now I’m on vistaril instead of buspar.

Therapy appointment yesterday afternoon, which also sucked. God, I just keep feeling like I’m letting people down. It’s like if I don’t come in with concrete improvement each week, I just feel like shit. Yes, I’ve been fucking lazy. I’ve been fucking depressed and stressed and worried about moving, I hate myself, I feel shitty, and then he just kinda makes me feel worse about myself. I know that wasn’t his intention, I know he’s just trying to push me because lord knows if I don’t get pushed I’ll just stay a lump forever, but still, it’s left me with a shit mood since leaving his office. Ugh… but I still dig the guy, even if I feel like I’m “failing” therapy.

I have to be out of this place by next Wednesday 😬 and I honestly haven’t even packed anything yet… which is doubly, triply, dozensly bad because turns out family is coming to help move boxes TOMORROW! Ugggghhhh so I’m going to spend the day packing.

Which leads into: still don’t reeaaally have a place to move into. There’s one of two options, so hopefully one of those comes through. The places look nice. I’m going to miss living here, but I think that’s mainly because I’ve been here so long, I’m comfortable here. I will be comfortable somewhere else. It’s just the transition period that’s rough. We’ll see.

This vistaril is making me a bit muddled. I know it’s basically mega-benadryl, but at least I feel something from it compared to buspar. Just finished my second cup of coffee.

I don’t have anything else important to say, I just wanted to put another bulletin point here.

Oh, this house is full of spiders. I don’t know where they all suddenly came from, but there have been tons of… I don’t know exactly what they’re called… those brown hunting spiders. Not the tiny ones, either. Usually I love spiders, they’re good little dudes, but they’ve just been popping up a lot lately. I was walking barefoot in the kitchen the other day and stepped on something chunky, only to lift my foot and have a big spider, still alive, drop to the floor. I love you guys, but you gotta not be near me, okay?

Okay last bullet point, I swear… uhhh… I love you.

I lied. One more. I’ve had two coffees and this vistaril is STILL beating my butt back and balls. I’m such a lightweight. I wannnnna fuckin uhhhhh smooch. yeah bro, smooch.

When I get… I’m not tired… but like, when I get… I can’t think of the words. Like tired but not tired. Drowsy but not. I could sleep, but I won’t. I get mushy. I feel mushy. I feel like a mushy peach. Sweet and squishy. I want to be mushed. squished. smushed. smooched. I love you, goobers.

#not important not important not important #ummm whomst wants kissies?? #you can ignore this #aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa #text

[multi-lefaiye]

HI

happy wednesbuilding worldday

can you share the Rewritten Biomutant Lore please and thank you

HI happy worldbu- wait. i see how you spelled it now. oh that's fun. i am calling it wednesbuilding worldday from now on and nothing else <3

meant to post this earlier, but alas. brain. (also i know by the time i am posting this that you have gone to bed and tomorrow you will be on you trip. so. whoops!)

okay so the Rewritten Biomutant Lore is a project i've been working on on and off with my partner @skitzo-kero for uhhhhh. A while. A few months. Time isn't real.

there's still aspects we haven't figured out, but that's okay, that's fine!

i meant to answer this earlier, but i got a little distracted whoops-

anyway thank you for the interest!! :D to keep things simple, i'm gonna give a rough overview of the lore, and then. well. if anyone's curious i'll elaborate, but for now <3 overview time.

under the cut b/c i anticipate this is going to get long

so we don't have a proper name from this project aside from Rewritten Biomutant Lore (or maybe Biomutant Rewritten), at least not right now, but uhhh don't worry about it! doesn't need a name yet.

the basic premise of this universe is that it takes place in a world where there was an apocalypse driven by climate change and pollution. the exact events of the apocalypse are intentionally a bit vague, because the creatures that live in the world after the humans disappeared don't fully understand it.

one thing that the creatures do know is that most of the humans perished in the apocalypse, but a significant chunk of them left the planet entirely in ships known as Arks, in search of new worlds to live on now that their old one was destroyed. there's no evidence that these Arks actually existed, however, aside from old records mentioning their creation.

the actual story of this world takes place in a massive valley called The Cradle, artificially created by humans centuries before. The Cradle is a place that is completely cut off from the outside world, relatively untouched by the pollution ravaging the rest of the globe. there IS life outside of The Cradle, but for the most part, the creatures living there know little about it.

within The Cradle, the main sentient beings are humanoid animals similar to raccoons in appearance. so yeah they're all furries. there are a few different breeds, but as centuries have passed, the distinctions between the breeds matter less and less and are less noticeable. i do have notes for the breeds, but they're based more directly on biomutant atm and aren't too important to a lore overview so i'll skip over that for now.

ANYWAY, there are six factions in The Cradle called colonies, and each faction follows a roughly similar belief system, though each one has different approaches to survival and the world around them. for context, morality in The Cradle is defined less as 'good' vs 'evil' and much more on the basis of what has to be done to survive.

i'm not gonna go into All of the different colonies right now, but in their beliefs, they range from "the best way to survive is to continue to evolve and fight on your own, and you must consistently strive to improve" to "the best way to survive is to work together and flourish through what we have" and everything in-between.

(insert obligatory hate-letter to the way morality is handled in Biomutant)

the colonies have an uneasy alliance with each other, but this alliance can be very easily broken and strained. however, in the face of greater threats against The Cradle, the colonies will always come together to defend it and each other. well, nearly always, at least.

in terms of spiritual beliefs, the colonies all follow roughly the same system, like i said, and believe the same base set of gods. i'll just roughly summarize the gods real quick-

the tree of life - located at the heart of The Cradle is a massive, sprawling tree that has roots extending throughout the valley. this tree is believed to be the center of all life and the source of all the magic in this area. the general belief is that as long as the tree stands, life in The Cradle will continue to flourish.

dusk & dawn - there are two spirits believed to represent dusk and dawn respectively. while they are not on the same level as the tree of life, dusk and dawn play important parts in the magic system as well as the beliefs of the colonies. essentially, dusk represents a need to persevere through darkness and evolve to survive the unknown, while dawn represents a need to work together and thrive in the light. essentially, they represent the two extreme ends of the spectrum of beliefs the colonies follow.

(the dawn and dusk spirits' part in the magic system will be explained a little later.)

the child - a bit of a nod to the protag of biomutant itself, but the child is a figure in the history of The Cradle who has been deified in history. details of their exact identity are unknown and different colonies will add different details to their story, but the general mythology around the child is that they saved the tree of life from destruction when it was still in its infancy. the child died in the process, but their legacy lives on.

sun & moon - sort of extensions of dusk and dawn but on a larger scale. haven't worked out a lot of the mythology here yet, but much of the idea is that the sun represents things to come, while the moon represents things that have passed. this also ties into the colonies' general attitudes towards the afterlife and reincarnation: when a creature dies, its soul joins the moon, and when it is ready to return to the world, it comes down from the sun.

life and death are a cycle that cannot be avoided and must instead be embraced, and that's what really lies at the heart of life in The Cradle.

destruction - okay this is a temporary name, but the destruction deity is a manifestation of the forces that ended the world originally. essentially, the creatures in The Cradle found records of the various companies and corporations that polluted the shit out of the world originally and caused the apocalypse, and in the eyes of these creatures, those groups are a god with the power to end everything they have created. some colonies view the destruction god as an inevitable part of life, and all of life as a great cycle, but others view the destruction deity as something that must be warded away.

--

okay uhhh it's late and i'm a little sleeby but i do want to talk a little about the magic system. this is more my partner's forte with the development, but the basic gist is that the magic in The Cradle depends heavily on the fact that these creatures are HEAVILY irradiated and mutated little shits. and these creatures' malleable DNA means that they can change themselves very easily. magic generally is referred to as psi-powers, rather than true magic.

some powers are innate, but others are a result of environmental factors. despite the time that has passed since the apocalypse, The Cradle still has tons of areas that are severely irradiated and dangerous and. well. things go wrong sometimes. these environmental powers are different for nearly everyone they manifest for, based on what environment prompts their formation.

(for example, there is a large zone in The Cradle known as the hypoxia zone, in which the land is almost completely dead and unusable, to the point where the air is very thin and there's barely any oxygen in the air. few creatures survive the hypoxia zone for long, but there are cases of creatures surviving the hypoxia zone and coming away with unusual psi-powers.)

environmental psi-powers are significantly more common than genetic/innate ones, but they are also significantly more unstable and difficult to master.

also as a note! i mentioned that dusk and dawn are important to the magic system! and that's because, in the mythology of the colonies, there are specific genetic psi-powers associated with dusk and certain ones associated with dawn. generally, psi-powers users lean one way or the other with little overlap.

--

and okay this is long. but have one of the first maps i made of The Cradle <3 i want to remake this at some point and rework it, but it's a good glance at what things look like. i have several more of these.

[Image Description: A mock-up of a map in my partner and I's project to rewrite Biomutant lore, showing the main setting The Cradle set against a black background. The Cradle is a large, slightly round valley, with light blue marking major bodies of water. Dark green marks the largest roots of the Tree of Life, located at the heart of the valley. End ID.]

#nciko #talk to the bunnykitty #god this took so long. anyway. #worldbuilding wednesday #or should i say. wednesbuilding worldday #biomutant rewritten #that's gonna be the new tag for this #even tho it's moving further and further away from biomutant the more we work on it #this game had a lot of potential that was underutilized. we decided to fix that #anyway if y'all are interested i would be very down to share more about this

[still-breathing-and-full-of-life]

🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️ Hi, I’m Luna and I’m just blob of a human who was plopped onto this planet for some reason and I like to scream about stuff I’m interested in.

Yeah, this image about sums it up.

You may follow or interact with me as long as you’re respectful and mindful of everyone else. (And I mean everyone, Karen) Bullies and haters may go away and sit in the corner to either melt away into a puddle or rethink their entire existence as a human on this planet.

Some things about me include…

Name: I named myself Luna/Lunita because I couldn’t think of an internet name so I looked up to the night sky and thought, “Moon… Yeah, it’s good enough.”

Age: I am old enough to get married but not to drink alcohol in the USA. No, I won’t be updating this when it changes. It may even change tomorrow and you’ll never know. (Or maybe I just got married but can’t down a glass yet)

Species: Human female. Although, for about a month when I was five, I was convinced I was part magical unicorn. (I’m still mad that I’m not)

Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino. More specifically I’m Mexican-American who speaks fluent Spanglish in all my pocha and chicana might.

Emojis: I use emojis a lot. Especially if I am thanking someone or like something. You’ll just see a bunch of 💖💝💖💘💖💘💖💕💓💗💕💖💝💕💓💗💝💓💖💞💞💓🩷💘💖💕💘💖💘💝💘 spattered everywhere. Sorry, not sorry. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Something That I Don’t Have A Category For: I have some health things that sometimes land me at the hospital or extended bed rest, sooooo if I post something a little weird or hyper just blame it on the meds or a long night and I’ll fix it later. Also I may disappear for a bit but I always plan to return.

Humor: Broken and not due for maintenance anytime soon.

Names: I call people “bro” gender neutrally a lot and use it in place of calling someone op. Sometimes I’ll call people “guuuuuuurrrl” (girl) too in the same sense. One time I called an old man who was a veteran, “guuuuuurl” by accident when I got overly excited. He was cool and laughed it off.

Favorite Color: Scarlet red and turquoise. Not mixed together, I like them separate.

Favorite Songs: (It changes over time) Uhhhhh, High Hopes by Panic at the Disco cause it makes me feel like a superhero and I like the dance they made for Just Dance and I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe cause it hits different after certain life events.

Pets: Some dogs, cats, and fish. I will protect their identities by not mentioning their names or what they look like because they are secretly superheroes who fight crime every night after I go to bed. (At least that is what I am told by the horde of little kids who I am related to)

@jasmineofthecommonwealth is my other main blog that’s dedicated to my Fallout OC and some companion reacts get sprinkled in there when I feel like it. I probably spend more time over there than over here.

@nintendo-girl-4-life is my Nintendo blog.

@you-are-wanda-ful is my Marvel blog.

[callsignbaphomet]

So yesterday C took me to the gym he goes to and got me a one day pass to see how I like the place.

Yes, I've always said I didn't want to go to any gym bc tbvh I'm self-conscious aaaaaas fuuuuuuck and I would feel like everyone was judging me. I've had several people tell me that everyone just does their own thing and are too busy with their own workouts to be judging anyone but I'm made out of anxiety ¯\(ツ)/¯

Anyway, spent an hour there and tried three machines, the last one actually tired me the fuck out lol. We spent an hour at the gym and C's gonna see about getting me one of those 3 day membership thingies and he said he'll go with me until I feel confident enough to go on my own. Also apparently his trainer enlisted so he might have to switch in the coming months. Then we went to Vitamin Shoppe and GNC cuz C wanted to restock on some things and I got hyper. For as long as I can remember every time I do any kind of workout or exercise I get hyper afterwards.

Was a pretty good day and I had fun.

Today I had the appointment with the endocrinologist and she gave me a laundry list of tests I have to get done by tomorrow so that I can go and see her again next Tuesday. She also gave me some referrals: one for getting my eyes checked and one to see a nutritionist. She was gonna have me see a dentist but since on the 12 I have an appointment with a dentist for the crowns she didn't.

Interesting bit was that I weighed 20 pounds less than I did last year so yay.

I'm probably gonna go and take a nap cuz I had to wake up at stupid o'clock so I'm just gonna sleep some. I'm pretty sure my mom and my aunt are gonna wanna see the labs I gotta get done so I'll hopefully be awake by then.

Uhhhhh so yeah get your blood sugar tested yearly please. This shit sucks. HARD.

#werewolf howls at dusk

[gremlincatsblog]

Love that I drove 1h30 to a job interview called up the person cause I wasn't sure how to get into the building so called her since she said I could and this is how the conversation went:

"Hi it's X I've got a job interview with you today at 12. I just wanted to-"

"your job interview is Wednesday"

"uhhhhh. I have it written down as Tuesday. That's what I was-"

"Well it's Wednesday. Someone must have made a mistake. Im down south today so I can't do it."

"right"

"can you come tomorrow? Or we can do Thursday"

"I can't do Thursday as I'm working."

"well Wednesday?"

"I'll need to check" (I'm off and free but it's my only other day off and at this point it was pissed)

"well like I said I'm down south today so I can't do it. We can sort something"

"yeah okay. Bye." *Hangs up*

I can't convey the tone of voice but the woman sounded like I'd inconvenienced her. Also that "someone must have made a mistake?" It's her. She's the one who made the mistake. She was the one who I'd initially spoke to to set up the interview and she sent a text with the address and the day/time which guess what ? Said TUESDAY.

I would have considered going today, mistakes happen and sure it's a long drive but this place seemed promising, but she was so fucking rude that I'm just thinking if this is how you treat potential employees how to do treat actual employees (spoiler: you're either a favorite or you get treated like shit to the point you're pushed out).

Like she kept cutting me off, tried to gaslight me into thinking I was wrong and wouldn't take accountability for making a mistake. Moreover I didn't even get an apology for it.

Fuck corporations.

[miraeluc]

you have an anxiety attack

prompt: “after a long day you’re just trying to cook for you and your roommate, but when you accidentally switch salt and sugar the stress dawns upon you and you lose it.”

pairing: kaeya x gender-neutral reader

warnings: description of an anxiety attack, explicit language

word count: 1.6k

genre: fluff, angst

rough day? 

no

roughest of the rough 

it started in the morning - all was good until you were all dressed and ready to go

all you needed to do was brush your teeth

of course you dropped toothpaste on your new blouse and had to change because your boss would literally kill you if you strutted in there with toothpaste stains on your clothing 

that didn’t upset you too much anyway,, yep, it kinda sucks but it is what it is

you went to work

that’s when it started to REALLY go downhill

first, you had to sit your ass in this tiny cubicle all day and it remained right on that chair every time you stood up

that’s what it felt like at least

then, you lost data that you’ve been working on for a MONTH

an entire month’s worth data!!!! LOST!!!!

curse you and your issue with forgetting where you put your folders

so you started over

was it worth it? 

no

your boss hated it

you ended up dropping the project overall,, handed it over to a co-worker

your excuse was that you felt too ‘unfit’ for the whole project and he would totally be a better fit!

poor bennett 

bennett is a nice guy, you always hang out with him during break

you usually talk shit about the other co-workers and he just listens and sits there like ◕ ◡ ◕

he’s just there for the food you bring him, really 

he’s a little dumb so he took the project from you with no hesitation

“i’ll do it for you, dont even worry about it, y/n!”

you ended up working overtime 

you had about 7 projects to finish until tomorrow morning and they were all only half-done 

so you got your coffee, turned off your phone and got to work

you finished at 9pm

your work hours are 8am-5:30pm

nope, not having a great time 

well, at least you can go home now!

you pack up your stuff and get up, leaving this hellhole of an office, stretching as you wait for the elevator before checking your phone to see 7 missed calls from your roommate

aka kaeya

aka boy that is most likely emotionally unavailable

aka boy that KEEPS TURNING OFF THE HEATERS TO LEAVE YOU TO FREEZE

his excuse is always that he can’t handle the warmth but you’re sure its so you whine about the cold so he can hug you to warm you up

maybe you have a teeny tiny crush on him???? BUT WHO CAN BLAME YOU 

he’s a whole package - the only thing he’s lacking is emotional availability lmao

which is why you never mentioned the day by day blooming feelings you’ve been developing for him

there would be no positive outcome from you telling him. he would politely turn you down, having to explain yet again that he doesn’t see himself having actual romantic feelings to someone 

you’re content with your current relationship with him

right?

kaeya is known as the fuckboy! of the city

neither of you mind, he’s having his fun

and you know that there’s much more to it 

you’re very happy to have gained his trust enough for him to let his flirty side down when with you, at least

well, there’s no time to ponder over your relationship with him because you’re already sprinting to catch the last bus of the day

right as you got to the station it drove away

fuck

what now?

you have to walk home. alone. in the dark.

oh well. 

usually bennett drives you home but obviously he left earlier

its only a 15 minute walk you can do it

it’s not that bad there’s street lamps hey!

not that bad until it starts to rain, apparently

by the time you get home there’s water in places rainwater shouldn’t be

kaeya is running by the time he hears the front door

“where were you??”

“why didn’t you reply to my calls??”

“do you have a slight idea about how worried i w-”

he stops when he sees your soaked figure and tired expression

“oh, y/n, what happened?” 

he immediately helped you chuck off your wet coat and shoes 

“i worked overtime and missed the last bus so i had to walk home”, you sighed

he nodded and hummed “Go ahead and take a shower then, wouldn’t want you to get sick now, would we?” he winked

you scoffed but nodded anyway

 “yeah, especially in this coLD FUCKING APARTMENT BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO LET THE HEATERS TURNED ON-”

you only heard him laugh before shutting the door in the bathroom and jumping into the shower, needing to warm up because you were sure your toes were about to fall off from the cold

at least the shower went well

:///

you got dressed in lounge attire when you got out of the shower, walking to the kitchen because you were very hungry

you gave bennett all your food today so you didnt have any left

he just looked so hungry

ANYWAYS

you’re in the kitchen, deciding on what to cook

if you ask kaeya he will tell you to just drink wine instead so, no

you kind of want something sweet so you decide to bake cupcakes

kaeya shows up too

“what’re you baking?”

he sat and watched as you gathered all the ingredients you need

“cupcakes. how was your day?”

you strike up a conversation - all you talked about today was work and you need some decent interaction, plus kaeya is a super nice talk partner

“good. i had a day-off today so i layed in bed all day”

you hummed, stirring the eggs and flour 

“how come? you never get off”

“no reason, i was forcibly given a day off- well anyways, what i wanted to tell you about before you worried me because i thoght you were deAD when you didn’t respond, is that i need your help setting up a date for diluc-”

you stopped listening halfway

you were looking at the unopened sugar bag on the counter

you just stirred the sugar in, why is it unopened????

you look over at the open bag of salt

wait a second 

you take out a little dough and taste it

FUCK

“hello??? earth to y/n?? are you even liste-”

he stops himself as soon as you look at him with your lower lip trembling 

uhhhhh

he’s never been in this situation

“y/n?? why are you crying-”

he looks at the counter and the dough, then he sees the salt beside the bowl you were stirring in and leans over to try some

oh, that’s why

“oh come on, is that what you’re crying over?” he snorted

he could barely catch you when you collapsed and started sobbing 

he immediately regreted what he said

“hey, y/n, it’s just a little dough! its okay-” 

you just sobbed and he sat down with you, sighing and pulling you into a tight hug

you felt your lungs constricting and your hands started shaking 

you didn’t even notice how antsy you felt all day until now

you gasped for air and he tightened his grip on you

“w-why am i so worthless?!”

you punched his chest

“i can’t do a single thi-ng with-out messing it up!”

punch

“i’m so us-useless”

punch

“i should just kill m-”

he immediately pulled away and cupped your face before you could finish what you were about to say

“y/n, look at me. you had a bad day - you’re not useless! you’re stressed out! you’re one of the most hardworking people that i know- and, and don’t you ever mention anything about killing yourself! i won’t let you go, not as long as im here”

you were too busy fighting against the constricting feeling in your lungs to notice the tear slipping down his cheek before he hugged you tightly again

your hands gripped at his tshirt

his hand rested over your shaky ones

it broke him

seeing you in such state hurt him so much, he felt his own heart breaking a little with every gasp you took 

“come on, let’s breathe together”

his voice was soft when he spoke to you

he took a deep breath in, you following

you wrapped your arms around him and leaned your head against his chest when breathing out 

hearing his heartbeat made you feel safe

he kept breathing with you until he was more than sure you could breathe comfortably again 

why did he feel like this?

sure, flirting with girls is fun 

and ghosting them is also fun

he usually doesn’t care about hurting them

but why does he feel the need to protect you from all bad things?

and why does your pain hurt him too?

he sighs and shakes his head as if that would clear his mind 

(it doesn’t)

oh well. 

taking care of your needs is more important right now

he picks you up and walks over to the couch, sitting down, placing you on his lap and hugging you 

“you’re not cooking anything, we’ll order takeout.”

you sniffled and nodded 

you did feel your heart flutter a little when he sat you down on him

he’s never done that 

you ignore it and reside into the warmth he gives instead, nuzzling your face into his chest 

he smiles softly and strokes your hair, using his free hand to type in what you were ordering

you both fell into a comfortable silence

at some point he thought you fell asleep lol

“kaeya?”

he rose his brows a little and looked down, humming

“thank you.”

additional notes: welp. this was my first drabble! it was very fun to write and i genuinely look forward to writing more! i’d appreciate it alot if you leave any feedback or even requests for drabbles :-)

#kaeya #kaeya x reader #anxiety #anxiety attack #angst #fluff #diluc #bennett #genshin impact #kaeya alberich #gender neutral s/o #genshin impact x reader #kaeya scenario #genshin impact scenarios #kaeya alberich x reader #kaeya fluff #kaeya angst #genshin impact angst #genshin impact fluff

[someone1348]

Another one *mind blown!*

Haha anyways enough of me being werid here is a small fic because i feel soft today and its been a good day! Let's goooo!

People in this: Ler!Techno and Lee!Tommy

(PLATONIC!!!)

Plot: Baby Tommyint was left alone for Techno to babysit while phil and will went out to the store, what could go wrong

Tw: None this is so soft and adorable i can't

With that being said enjoyyyy :]

___________~☆°♡°☆°♡°☆~______________

Munchkin

It felt like a normal afternoon, wasting the day in his room, punching things, ploting ideas on how to over throw the government. You know the normal Techno things when,

"Tech! Im going out to the grocery store and im taking Will with me! You're in charge of Tommy while we're out! No killing him, hurting him, handing him dangrous objects or burning down the house while we're gone! K'?!"

No! This can't be happening! Technoblade jumped out of his bed rushing down the stairs to confront his dad and slightly younger brother.

"Woahwoahwoahwoah! You can't do this to me! You know how i am with kids! Me and children do not mix! Why can't you take him with you? Or Will stays and watches him while i go with you"

"Sorry Tech my mind is made up, we are leaving, now be nice and no murder got it"

"But-"

"Techhh"

"Ughhhhh fine! Fine! I wont punt the kid"

"Good, let's go will"

"Coming!" Will smirked at techo sticking out his tongue

Techno glared at him before waving the two off turning around to see the younger who had already reached out to touch Techno's long hair before retracting his hand back.

"No touch"

"Lame" the tiny blonde went to his room getting a cheese stick while techno rolled his eyes going to his own room down the hall

'This is going to be a long night'

Its not that Techno hated kids he just didn't know how to take care of them and that didn't sit well with him there was just something about em' he couldn't ever figure it out.

Not even two minutes later a small knock was placed on his door.

He sighed "yesssss"

"You're supposed to take care of me"

"And?" Techno said opening up the door

"And im bored so fix it, play with me!" the young one said staring up at the pink haired male

"Yeah no, fix it yourself bud im not playing with you"

Tommy rolled his eyes going downstairs hoisting himself with all his might onto the big couch rolling over onto one of the cushions just barley making it, catching his breath before turning on the tv to some cartoon he liked.

Tommy groaned annoyed from boredom and a bit sad that his big brother didn't wanna play with him.

Soon enough he began to cry a bit quickly whiping them away, he's a big man afterall he doesn't cry! But he just wants to play with his big brother.

Light footsteps approached the kid

"You cryin'?"

"N-no! I dont cry! Im a big man!"

"Mhm, come here" Techno sat next to the blonde pulling him into a hug

Techno didn't understand what was happening or what he just did but something in him was different, Tommy was family and no way in hell was he gonna let him cry.

He lightly sighed turning off the Tv "What do you wanna play butthead"

"PIRATES!!!"

The pinkette couldn't stop the growing smile on his face and he let this new found playful attitude take over him

'Ah what the hell what did he have to lose'

"Arggggg!" Techno said with his deep/raspy voice "prepare to walk the plank matey!"

"Argg no! Its you who walks the plank!" Tommy stood up pointing a pencil at techo

"Ah ha but that's were you're wrong see i also have defense!" He grabbed another pencil from the nearby coffee table pointing it eraser end at the kid as to not harm him with the sharp side

"Uhh whats the word? I dont know how to say it"

"On gaurd!"

"Yeahh!! Ha!" Baby Tommy said taking a swing at his older brother as the two slapped there pencils together like swords

"Boop! I win!!" Tommy said as he poked the pencil into Techno's chest

"Ahh nooo you got me!" Techno flopped down on his back snatching Tommy up in the process lifting him in the air and back down as he giggled up a storm.

Techno safely put the pencils back, drawing his attention back to his younger brother.

"You know stabbing me was not cool Tommy" Techno joked with the kid as Tommy's smile turned into a frown

"Sorry! I- i didn't-"

"You need to be careful who you mess with Tom's because they might come back to bite you!"

He swiftly picked up the kid again, as he squeaked, digging into his stomach soft enough to not hurt him of course but definitely enough to tickle alot

"EE! NAHAHAHAHA TEHEHEHE" the kid tried to say his name but couldn't which to that Techno smirked and continued his tickle attack.

"This is what happens when you mess with the wrong person kid" He lightly giggled and tickled the boys sides

"Eee! HAHAaha tehehechnoho! Stahahap!"

"Hmmmm nope! Tickletickletickletickle"

He teased the boy switching between his sides and stomach occasionally dipping quickly into his bellybutton to watch him squeak every so often.

"nahahAHAhahAH! tehe-HEHEheHEY!"

"Im gonna getcha'!"

"Nohohoho!"

The older squeezed his knee earning a quick kick before using the end of his long braided pink hair to tickle his neck

"Pfft ehehew get awahahay"

Techno laughed and wiggled the pink hair all over his face to keep him giggling

"Ehehewww it got in my mouth! Haha"

"Thats what you get punk" He ruffled the blonde's hair and sat him up straight.

"You want ice cream?"

The boy's eyes lit up and he nodded rapidly

"Okay okahay let's go" he carried the boy with one hand to the kitchen making a small bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry.

"Thank you Technooo!"

"Anytime Munchkin, but you can't tell Phil or Will about this Okay?"

The boy nodded shoving a spoonful into his mouth.

As the boy finished techno put the bowl in the sink filling it with water.

The door opened

"We're home!!"

"DAD! WILL!!" the youngest ran out to greet his family hugging their legs tightly

"Welcome back"

"How was it?"

"Really good actually"

"Yeahh!" The kid agreed jumping up and down.

"Good im glad that's great news, maybe i should leave you two alone more often"

"Sounds good to me"

"Im shocked" Will said laughing a bit

"Ha ha you're hilarious" Techno said in his usual sarcastic tone

"Tech Tech can we play again pleaseeeeeee"

"Its getting late we will play tomorrow yeah?"

"Ughhh willlll can we please play piano gameee pleaseee"

"You heard the man it's getting late go to bed Champ"

"Okayyyyy G'night Techno! G'night Dadza! G'night Willl!"

"Goodnight Munchkin'" Techno ruffled the boy's hair before pushing him lightly making him giggle and ran to his room.

"Munchkin?" Phil said smirking

"Oh shut your mouth old man"

"You wanna go tech"

"Uhhhhh ha ha ill be in my room it was nice! Goodnight everyone ha ha ha-ZOOM!" he ran out and nervously laughed as Phil laughed and and smiled

"You'll get him one day dadza"

"Oh i plan on it as soon as the fucker wakes up"

"Hahaha"

"You're not safe either will" he smirked at him as will booked it to his room too

"Hahaha"

Phil smiled and walked to his room leaving on the bathroom light for Tommy.

"Goodnight boys!"

"Night dad!!"

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

Please! This was so adorable to make im definitely making a part two! I hope y'all enjoyed :]

#ler!technoblade #ler!techno #lee!tommyinnit #lee!Tommy #sbi tickle fic #dreamsmp tickle fic #dream smp tickle #mcyt tickle #k writes tk things

[cadaceus]

C2E141

One last time, y’all. This campaign and these characters have meant so much to me, and this seven hour finale was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. (Yes, I shed actual tears at one point, which rarely happens to me with media. But this is a special occasion.) These liveblogs are nearly as long as the episode itself, so grab a snack! With that being said, here are my very last liveblogs for Campaign 2 of Critical Role. As always, major spoilers below, so beware. 

- Veth taking a level in Wizard, god I am really gonna cry ten minutes into this thing...  😭

- We got our first “stay with us” to Essek, I am emo...

- I was fully not expecting to say goodbye to Frumpkin, but now I’m on the verge of tears... farewell dear fey friend (Marisha saying “that wasn’t supposed to be what broke me” me too me too)

- “You’re a good person.” “I could be.” “You are.”

- “I think you’re a good person” I never thought that I’d hear Beau say that about Essek and this genuinely might be what breaks me... she thinks he’s a good person.... redemption is possible.... maybe love is real....

- If I end up crying over wizards, look away

- Jester lifting up Fjord’s arm to snuggle beneath it made me say “awww” out loud  🥺

- VETH GOING FOR A DIP IN THE POND, I AM GENUINELY SO PROUD OF HER

- “Aahhh!! It’s me! Your wife!” I am going to miss Jester’s sending so much

- Okay that accent bit was so funny, I am going to miss all of them so much

- REAL MOLLY IS BACK REAL MOLLY IS BACK REAL MOLLY IS BACK

- Oh but he doesn’t remember them... and Yasha is trying so hard to help him remember, it’s so so sweet 

- Something about the way he said “Tealeaf’s nice” made me tear up... I was neutral on Mollymauk early campaign because I went into things knowing that he passed away, but this whole conversation with the Mighty Nein is So Much. Also “Kingsley Tealeaf” 

- “Everyone should have a brother” as someone with three of them, I vouch for this  🥺

- a) I love Marion Lavorre (and Jester ofc!) so very much and b) I can’t believe that Jester’s parent trap actually worked??

- “I do not think Exandria is ready for how you’re going to change it” got to me... and it’s also so true. jester has already changed the world just by being kind.

- Good bye Marion... I love and will miss you so much! (And many thanks to Laura and Matt for creating an agoraphic single mother who raised a wonderful child <3)

- Beau and Jester teasing Marion for having a complicated relationship with Babenon reminds me of Caleb saying he has a complicated relationship with Essek...

- LEAVE CALEB ALON E FUOIKJLKGKNL 

- THIS IS ....... SO MUCH WORSE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

- Caleb’s biggest trauma(s) coming back to haunt him, I am genuinely going to cry I’m not ready for this I’m not okay

- Beau saying to Jester “Thanks, cutie” I love themmmmm

- INITIATIVE AAGJASKHDKJ AAAAAHHHH

- Essek’s Gravity Sinkhole did nothing? uhhhhh Mr Stark...

- EADWULF???? HELLO?????

- Essek using his entire turn to save Caleb last battle 🤝 Caleb using his entire turn to save Essek this battle

- ASTRID???? I TRUSTED YOU??? WE ALL TRUSTED YOU????

- Another Counterspell chain sdfdghjkdl wizards !!!

- “It’s just business” is literally the Neutral Evil line, it always gives me chills when any character says it

- This hurts more after Liam confirming on Twitter that Astrid/Caleb/Eadwulf were all three a romantic item... please stop hurting Caleb, you loved him  😭

- THE FJORD VS EADWULF SWORD FIGHT IS SO CINEMATIC I LOVE IT HERE ACTUALLY

- Essek taking every opportunity to pull Caleb to safety makes me so emotional...  😭

- “You’re not the first student I’ve had to put down” I am burning with my anger for you, old man 

- THE DISPEL WORKED LET’S GO CALEB.....

- Remember when Matt said that Essek doesn’t openly show concern/emotion? And now he’s saying “I’m scared” in front of his closest friends and his worst enemies.... growth my love.....

- BEAU AND VETH LETS GO CHAOS CREW LETS MF GO BABEYYYY!!!

- FJORD COUNTERSPELLING THE DIMENSION DOOR..... and Matt having him describe it.... is this taking the place of a “HDYWTDT” *eyes emoji*

- CALEB GOING DOWN NO, THANK GOD FOR THAT DEATH WARD

- Veth’s illusion of Caleb’s parents flanking Caleb in the flames.... that got me too, Liam

- “Stay down.” yeah, okay, that was sexy

- ASTRID BEING THE ONE TO ACTIVATE THE COLLAR IS LITERALLY POETIC JUSTICE... Trent being beaten by the student who stuck with him longest I love this so much, she deserved that moment honestly

- Break Time, AKA Emma Makes Her Weekly Mug Brownie Interlude

- Sometimes I feel like “death is too good for you” is a copout, but in this case it fits so well, I want this mf’s reputation destroyed and the entire operation exposed and overthrown let’s goooo

- “I loved you both so much”.... Astrid and Eadwulf walking away.... oh, Blumendrei... I know this is not the end of your story. What’s past is prologue, loves

- The Empire Siblings are gonna burn down the whole system because it’s the system that enables individual corruption... I am so fulfilled by this, god i love them

- “I love you too” OH MY GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, FJORESTER ARE THE CUTEST FOR REAL

- Jester and Essek’s friendship still means so much to me btw just in case anyone wanted a check-in

- Veth giving the flask to Kingsley!! Good for her, good for her!

- OH Blumenduo are back already! I truly thought that was going to be their last appearance of the Campaign, why is this taking me more by surprise than Trent’s appearance

- “[Caleb] notes how similar Eadwulf and Fjord are” this is Widofjord adjacent... this episode we have gotten Widomauk-adjacent, Widojest-adjacent, and Widofjord-adjacent (and Blumentrio ofc), now come through Shadowgast and we can get a full Bingo on the “Bisexual Maelstrom” card

- Speaking of relationships, I am lowkey into the Fjord/Jester/Kingsley dynamic LOL no one look at me I’m in hiding

- I’M NOT READY TO SAY GOODBYE TO VETH AND CAD 😭 It makes sense and the fact that they have their families back is beautiful but also consider this: I’m sad and I will miss them 

- The goodbyes to Caduceus..... I am going to cry aren’t I?

- “If he’s anything like his mom, you won’t see him until it’s too late” Okay that made me giggle, I love Veth and I love Luc and I love their little family

- IS ESSEK LEAVING TOO? THAT’S GONNA BE WHAT BREAKS ME ISN’T IT

- If Essek leaves and we never see him again, getting a triple whammy of goodbyes I will be so incredibly sad, I cannot do this  😭

- If anyone is interested, no I am not doing well

- I was lowkey ready to get an Essek’s feelings for Caleb confirmation tonight, I guess it makes sense that we didn’t but I hope that this is not the last time we see Essek... I want to write another emo post about him and about how much he means to me but I will refrain

- CALEB BEING A TEACHER IS THE ENDGAME I WANT FOR HIM PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

- Wow, I really was not ready to see Caduceus and Essek go for some reason... I really wanted this Campaign to end on the image of the Mighty Nein together as all nine of them... I’m feeling so numb right now having to say goodbye  😭

- Oh, we’re in the epilogue now!

- When Fjord said “[the sea] is my favorite place to be” I genuinely felt that on a spiritual level... the ocean is home, it truly is and always will be for me as well

- “I CAST MODIFY MEMORY” FJORD LMAOOOOOOO

- Okay, that Widobrave ending is what made me shed tears for the first time this episode... not to be Personal but my biological brother graduates High School tomorrow, and for some reason this conversation just reminded me so much of me and him and now I’m emotional

- NOT THE SYPHILIS BANDITS DSYUHDFJKLSFJ;DS OKAY I NEEDED THAT LAUGH

- “I’d like to hear about your friend” Kingsley aww

- Beau giving Kingsley her first diary to help him realize who they all are is actually so perfectly fitting, I love that!

- “The other eight and I, yes” Caleb counting all nine of them again  😭

- CALEB BEING OFFERED AN ASSEMBLY SEAT WTF AAAHHH

- Oh shit, Astrid took the Assembly seat... I’m not sure how I feel about this, I feel so bad for her for having to stay in the system that abused her for so long and I would have loved to see her burn the whole thing down, but I hope that she at least has a sense of contentment with this title

- “I go where you go, baby” Beauyasha.... my darling loves....

- Beau’s dad??? But also Beau being the one with power over her father is so Good, I’m glad that she got justice on that front as well!

- This talk with Artagan... “I didn’t want you to be a god. I wanted you to be my friend.” and in the process my love you created divinity... maybe divinity is the friends we made along the way

- OH SHIT WE ARE GETTING ALL THE VANDRAN LORE TONIGHT I’M READY LET’S GO LET’S GO

- VANDRAN AND AVANTIKA WERE AN ITEM???

- Wait crack theory: Sabian was a half elf right? Could he be the son of Vandren and Avantika? Or is that too much of a stretch? 

- Vandran going with them!!! Also I feel like that moment between Fjord and Vandran was lowkey a tease to a post-campain Uk’otoa one shot and I am ready for it already 

- THIS BEAUYASHA MOMENT... “i’ve never known anyone as deeply as i know you” & “explore every bit of you in multiple ways ;)” & “your past doesn’t scare me, it only makes you beautiful” .... this is so much they are so much i love them so much

- “I will have you and then some” Beauyasha   😭

- I’m torn between “oh my god there’s still half an hour left?” and “how is there only half an hour left??”

- “You will let this Skyspear live at least?” oh my god so Yasha killed the last Skyspear then? Oof...

- YASHA GIVING ZUALA(’S GRAVE) THE BOOK OF FLOWERS, OH DEAR HEART

- And Beau’s talk to Zuala about being the luckiest woman alive and sacrifice.... 😭  

- PLANTING FLOWERS AT ZUALA’S GRAVE... “NO BETTER GRAVE MARKER” THIS IS MAKING ME SO EMOTIONAL, I KNOW I’VE SAID THIS A LOT THIS EPISODE BUT THIS TRULY IS SO BEAUTIFUL

- So... I may or may not be crying again

- Shadowgast with a steel chair??

- Caleb’s plan for saving his parents... it’s clear he has thought of this so much, oh my darling love  😭

- Caleb burning down his chance to change his past is so symbolic and something he really needed to do, it does make me emotional though

- The other book was him writing to his parents?? Oh bby boy  😭  

- While I would have loved for Caleb to open his own magic school (especially with Essek, or the Mighty Nein, or someone else as well), I am so pleased that he stays with Veth and that their friendship continues for the rest of their life because again: they mean so so much to me, and in a way they remind me of me and my biological brother (which I never realized before this episode) and yeah. They just make me Emo

- Also. Caleb being a professor was my Number One Endgame Hope for him and the fact that it came true is just so surreal in the best way possible. I’m so used to being robbed of happy endings. The fact that the Mighty Nein all got theirs makes me incredibly happy. A story does not have to be sad to be impactful. Happy stories and happy endings, especially during a time period of tumultuous real life circumstances, have just as much value and meaning and they always will. Caleb is teaching the next generation magic, and he is teaching them to be Good, and he is nurturing them, and that just means so much

- MATT CRYING IS GONNA GET TO ME

- “Let’s do it again” Please, let’s.

- Okay, everyone. I made it all seven hours in one piece with surprisingly minimal tears (though who knows, this might all sink in tomorrow.) I already wrote my thoughts earlier today about how much the Mighty Nein mean to me and how much this show and these characters have kept me holding on during quarantine and today... I’m still not ready to let them go, but I know that I can always revisit to say hello and to say thank you for changing me. Until then though... I love you all more than you could ever know. And for the last time of Campaign 2... is it Thursday yet?

Good night 💗

#cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #c2e141 #critical role #my liveblogs #cr2 #i genuinely can't believe this is the end y'all... what a journey. what a freaking journey 💗 #to anyone who has ever interacted with even one of my liveblogs: i love you and i think about you every damn day dfghjkflf #it makes me Emo knowing that i'm not just speaking to the void and that there are ppl out there listening etc #also this liveblog was TWO THOUSAND WORDS LONG i checked it in a google doc sgdhjkdl #so if you made it through all that you may be entitled to financial compensation #but in all seriousness: i love you mighty nein. and thank you for everything. #is it thursday yet? #queue #(i always queue these for the mornings dgfhjk!) #and yes i WILL be liveblogging campaign 3 #also mayhaps this hiatus will be time for me to catch up with vox machina?

[wearequeer-andwearehere]

Hey Ryan! First of all, I want to tell you that I'm so glad your blog exists. It's a wonderful place to find support :)

Secondly, I would like to ask you a question. I'm afab and questioning my gender. I feel connected to the word "woman" just on an external, superficial level. Like, I don't really mind being referred to as a woman and I feel connected to the word because I understand the struggles that come with misogyny. However, I also feel like I'm partly a man. It's like if my core, deep identity is male. Sometimes I love keeping this part of me private, I feel comfortable doing that. Sometimes instead I would like other people to actually see this part of me. I experience gender euphoria when I use masculine things, like an aftershave or a suit. And I hate when people assume things about me because of my assigned gender.

For now I just go by nonbinary and genderqueer. Do you know any labels that could be more specific and accurate?

Thank you for your patience and help!

Heya anon :DD And thank you, I’m so glad you like my blog ajdjakd /gen 

It sounds like the transmasculine label might fit you! Here is a list of masculine genders :D

Hmm yeah it does sound like you might be a trans man! Obv your gender is up to you and only you to label, but yeah it does sound possible if you feel like your core identity is male!

Here’s my advice on gender questioning!

Remember, the only way of being trans is being yourself!

Don’t force yourself into labels that don’t fit. You’re not supposed to fit labels, labels are supposed to fit you

There’s nothing wrong with not having a label or using only umbrella labels

Feel free to experiment with labels! Live your life for one day and say “I am [gender],” try it out for a day or so and see how it feels!

Labels are like sweaters, you can try them on for a bit and see which one is comfiest!

“What makes me happy?” and “what makes me feel truest to myself?” are better questions than “what am I?”

The goal of gender questioning isn’t to find a label, it’s to make yourself happy—whether having a ton of microlabels, a few umbrella labels or just going unlabelled!

It’s okay to have “contradictory” labels as long as you aren’t hurting anyone

And last of all, take your time. You don’t have to find a label tomorrow or today. It’s okay. Don’t rush, take a deep breath. Maybe you’ll find labels, maybe you won’t! And that’s okay! Live your life and be happy, that’s all that matters

Feel free to look through my #gender questioning tag or send me an ask if you want to!

Also, here’s a link talking about aspects of gender dysphoria for questioning people, as well as accounts from trans people of what dysphoria feels like!

Also this is stupid as FUCK but uhhhhh. The r/egg_irl subreddit has memes for trans people who are questioning and it certainly helped me lol and while it is very not as formal as the other stuff I suggested it might help you too skdkfkf

I hope I could help you out, and I wish you luck with questioning! Lmk if you have any more questions and have a great day/night!

#ask #anon #helping out a questioning person

[razorblade180]

Twin snowflakes part 24: Date Night.

Part 23 here! <-

Still exhausted, Veronica flopped back onto her bed with the help of Nick. The girl let the mattress steal all tension from her body, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. “Aaahhhh! That’s the stuff. Appreciate the help.”

“Don’t mention it. Especially after what you just did. Frankly I had no plan to get Summer to cooperate.”

Veronica chuckled the best she could. “Hehe, not often Nicholas Schnee doesn’t have a plan. I guess you owe me then? Lucky for you I take words of affirmation as payment all the time.”

Nick smiled. It was nice to see Veronica joking. Encountering Shiva always put a dread over him, but she seemed to not care much. That’s Veronica alright, refusing to take crap from anybody. “I could praise you, or how about I praise you over a nice dinner?” Nick quickly responded.

All the neurons in Veronica’s brain suddenly came to a screeching halt. Her body immediately came flinging forward to sit upright to stare at the smiling boy. “What…?” She asked, still processing the question.

“Let me take you dinner.” He said again, “I have a reservation at this place in Atlas tonight. I was gonna cancel but we could just have a night out together. You still haven’t tried much food from here right? Plus I know you still have to be hungry. This works out.”

Veronica couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did Nick just ask her out on a dinner date? That didn’t sound right, even if it was a thank you gift. As quickly as her eyes lit up, they began to squint at him with skepticism. “What happened with Valerie?”

Now his eyes got big. He wasn’t expecting that response. “Uhhhh what?” His voice gave away his nervousness and Veronica could clearly tell.

“Don’t play dumb with me Nick. I’m not gonna call you a liar or anything, but I know you, and you know me; as well as my feelings.” She said that last part sheepishly. “You aren’t the kind of person to play with my emotions or offer a dinner date when you’re crushing on Val, so what’s up? Be straight with me”

It was becoming clear to Nick that he apparently could be read like a book. This is the third person within twenty four hours to look at him and automatically knew to ask about Valerie. This was ridiculous! His life had many things that made him bummed out. How are people guessing right on the first try!?”

“Uhhhhh” he scratched the back of his head and sighed. No point tip toeing around it. Not like it was a secret or anything, yet his stomach felt queasy all the same. “I ran into her yesterday. She was pretty upset that I didn’t tell her I got sick. I apologized and tried to smooth our recent bickering over with dinner. It was going okay, but then…Val immediately started to brush me off. I got upset, she started deflecting, people started staring, then she really started saying some things that really got me upset; kinda made a little scene out of it before walking off. Nor really princely, huh?” He tried smiling at the self jab, but failed. “Anyways, next time we meet per her request more a less will be at the tournament. We currently aren’t on speaking terms. Something she should be fine with since distance was what she wanted in the first place.”

Veronica could hear a little venom in those words. Val really did have Nick upset. He’s never this openly bitter. Though maybe it was being behind closed doors that allowed him to drop the facade of being consistently pleasant. Frankly, that made Veronica a little happy for him, in an odd way. However… “I see. So I assume that this dinner reservation was for you and her?” An answer wasn’t needed. Nick’s moment of sulking was replaced with a guilt ridden look on his face the moment she asked. “You know, kinda shitty you’re asking me to a dinner meant for another girl that turned you down. Not a fan of being someone’s second choice.”

Nick closed his eyes and let in a sharp breath like he had just been hit. “Oooo yeah, yeah that was pretty messed up for me.”

“Mhmm, big time. No girl wants to hear that you know?”

“I didn’t mean- I wasn’t trying to...sorry. That was tasteless and selfish of me.” He looked down, shamefully and with genuine guilt. It was only when Veronica’s hand lifted his head by his chin did he see the girl stare at him with an observing gaze and lips pouting to the side. She then crossed her arms and looked away from him, ears tucked and a tinge of red visible on her.

“You’re lucky you’re a good person and I am hungry. I…guess you could apologize with a good dinner?” Veronica knew he wasn’t trying to be insensitive. Still, she was more than a little ticked off at herself for letting him off easy. Darn his good qualities! Being mad towards him for long was never gonna happen. Not to mention having a calm outing together is a golden opportunity. No way she wasn’t gonna capitalize off of Valerie’s mistakes. Her eyes shifted towards Nick to see a relieved smile that only made staying upset harder.

“This place better be good! Also I’m gonna order every expensive thing possible!” Veronica declared, attempting to save face.

“Hehe, thank you, and go right ahead and order anything you want. It’s not until around nine so please, get some rest.”

“I should be saying that to you. Isn’t going out at night in the cold while moody only gonna give you more sniffles?”

“Pfft, I’m sick anymore. Just focus on healing and rest. Not that I have to tell you this, but you gotta dress nice for where we’re eating.”

Veronica smirked, pointing at a closet of designed outfits. “Careful. I may not be worth billions but I’ll make you look like a pocket change if you don’t wear you best.”

The boy let out a cocky chuckle before walking to the door. “For your information, I’m two billion.” He said puffing out his chest playfully, leaving on that note. He could hear her gentle laughter behind the door. At least he could lift one girl’s spirit. As for the other, Nick looked at his sister’s locked door. He couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t going to knock, but he had to at least walk to it. Come to think of it, Nick had a hard time remembering when this door remained open. Most days it kept either the warmth in, while shutting others out. Slowly he rested his hand against it. The wood, cool to the touch.

“Tell me what you need.” He thought, “I’m not a mind reader…” Nick could only sigh. He removed his hand and stepped back. As he began to walk, the door moved. As if something was pressed against it from the other side.

“I know you’re there.” Summer said from the other side. Nick quickly walked back to it. Somehow he could imagine how she was on the other side. One leg extended while the other was bent as she pressed her back to the door. Nick took a seat himself, mimicking the pose he envisioned.

“You okay?”

“Far from it, but that’s par for course…” Summer looked over her shoulder as if she was actually resting against her brother’s back. “Honestly I feel so fucked up some days that therapy feels like a joke. I think I need a break.”

“What kind of break?”

“The usual…” Summer let her words draw out lazily. The back of her head rhythmically tapped the door. “Care to join me?”

Nick tugged at the carpet fibers, mulling it over. “Mmmm sorry, I’m not in the mood for that kind of relief. Besides, I already have plans. I’ll cover for you though. I think venting could do some real good for ya. Just don’t stay out too long. Leave around… half past nine.”

“Will do, thanks Nick.” Even though a door separated them, Summer could feel the care from the other side. Veronica’s words back in the forest about Nick and how Summer treats their relationship struck an all too sensitive cord. “I promise not to worry you. Have fun with whatever you’re doing tonight. I’ll keep you updated and everything.”

“Don’t stress about it. I believe in you. Anyways, I gotta get going. I think I’ll do a bit of distressing in my own way.” Nick stands up. “Better go while there’s daylight.”

“Gonna pay respects?”

“Yep. Enjoy your outing. I’ll see ya tomorrow if I don’t see ya tonight before I leave. Love ya.” He walked away after that, not expecting a response. Didn’t need one. After all, Summer coming to the door said enough.

All in all, things felt okay. Life felt okay. By no means was it perfect, but Nick was thankful he had blessings to count. He’d feel better after the tournament. What should’ve been an exciting time was getting more troublesome. Training, performing, fighting Darren in the duos, and now a not so friendly rematch with Valerie. At least Eliza still had a sportsmanship attitude. He still needed to ask her favor as well. By the end of this she would certainly be sick of him. Nick was surprised she didn't block his number yet. That would royally suck.

His slow walk took down the stairs and back to the front of the manor. He heard dishes clanking from the door to the far left while he grabbed his dark blue winter coat off the rack. “That you dad?” The kitchen door swung open to show Jaune drying a cup and Yang waving in the background as she held a slice in her mouth while talking to Blake. How they managed to swipe pizza out of Veronica’s room was beyond Nick.

“What’s up?” Jaune said, noticing his son put his jacket on. “Heading out? Your mom and aunts should be back soon. Pretty sure they’d want-”

“Veronica and I are going on a dinner date later.” Nick interjected. As planned, his father was derailed. Stammering footsteps came plopping out of the kitchen in the form of a very wide eyed blonde, and a shocked ninja. Blake’s ears even did the little twitch Nick as seen Veronica do whenever she’s caught off guard. “Yeah I thought you all should now. I’d say don’t bug her about it and let her rest, but considering Yang’s feet are already pointed towards the stairs…”

Yang looked down. “Huh...how about that?” She said, walking up the stairs with Blake trying to stop her.”

“Let her rest Yang!”

“But I wanna say stuff~” she whined, “I guarantee you she’s listening to us right now.”

Yang was right on the money. Veronica was currently judging how much strength it would take to lock the door. Her odds were bad. “Okay I don’t care how cute he is. This was cruel!” Veronica thought loudly to herself.

Jaune watched Blake slowly get dragged up the stairs by trying to stop Yang. Without looking, he leaned forward and reached out to grab Nick’s shoulder, who was trying to slowly back up to the door. He faced forward and smiled. “Good attempt, but you’d need a better distraction than that.”

“Eh it was worth a shot…” Nick sighed. He was pulled forward and fell into a surprise hug. He stood silently for a minute before wrapping his arms around his dad. “You needed a hug?”

“Not really, but you looked like you did.” Jaune said, squeezing tired. “You know you’re growing up into a fine young man. Better than me by a long shot at your age. I hope you know your entire family is proud of you.”

“I know dad…” Nick said, his voice getting stuck in his throat a little.

“I know I can’t relate to some of the pressures you feel. Honestly being a part of a household with this much attention and expectation still gets me anxious from time to time. So don’t hesitate to vent to me. You’re a young adult yeah, but I’m still my son and sixteen. Weiss and I would much rather see you yell at an annoying cameraman or get scrappy with a bully than see you try to hold it in for the sake of family image. Remember that.”

How did he do it? It was unfair, downright cheating almost in Nick’s eyes. How could so many people easily call him out? “What’s the point of enduring if everyone I wanna reassure sees right through the act? So much for a brave face.” He muttered. Jaune finally let go of him. The compassionate father poked Nick right where his heart was.

“Enduring an ordeal for the sake of others is pretty brave in my book, but who said you couldn’t endure hardships and still be open to those who matter? Have you meant your friends and family? Besides your sister I don’t think there’s a soul close to you who isn’t an expert of seeing past masks. Val and Vee live with bleeding hearts and the rest have had to put up with me!” He chuckled, “Just like I’m sure you know when someone is upset.”

Nick had his doubts. “Mmmmm, starting to think I might not know them as well as I think. Val is...ugh, I don’t know she is. Learned about Vee’s traits recently for the first time, and Summer-”

“Okay, I see your point. But! Learning new things about them and knowing there’s things you don’t know, doesn’t erase what you did. Y’all are teens. There’s a bunch of things to sort through. At the end of the day though, you know them where it counts. Does that make sense?”

“....Yeah, I think I do.” Nick nodded, thanks dad. Seriously. It’s kinda scary how good at talking you are.”

“Comes with practice, specifically learning to listen and just watch closely. You may not realize it but you do this plenty. It’s a big reason people gravitate towards you. Well… people who are just money hungry anyways, but that’s more of a rich person policy than a Nick-ism. I digress! You better get going before your mother comes back and give you her own talk.” Jaune said. He opened up the door for Nick to leave. “From the way you’ve been acting I assume you’re heading to pay your respects?”

Nick nodded, “I’ll try not to be terribly long. Don’t tell mom unless she asks. You know how she gets?” Nick walked through the door, fist bumping his dad on the way out.

Jaune closed the door and went back to the kitchen. Somewhere above him he could hear giggles and a few squealing. “Hopefully nothing catches on fire up there.”

“You are starting a fire!” Blake yelled, trying to contain Yang’s excitement so the blonde’s hair would stop flaring up. “Use your words.” Blake laughed.

“Please…” Veronica groaned. This level of energy was higher than usual. “You’re more excited than me. It’s just a dinner date. Barely even that. More like a thank you gift I suppose.” That being said the blush coming to her face clearly sung a different tune. “Can we please talk about anything else? I mean mom, you’re here!”

Blake crossed her arms. “So I heard you got into a fight? Let’s talk about that.”

“Ummm, so this date, any suggestions on what to wear?” Veronica poorly deflected. Blake didn’t even respond and Yang was smart enough not to. There was no choice but to talk about it unfortunately. “Sigh….I know okay? Ma told me I should’ve eaten and I didn’t listen. I should’ve, or learn to walk away from-”

“I’ll stop you right there. Don’t think for a second I wasn’t okay with a person getting hit when they were clearing harassing you.” Blake took a seat on the bed. “Expecting you to balance instinct, emotions, and logic here in Atlas was never in the cards, because frankly we don’t know what that balance is. Not to say I assumed you’d fight here. All I wanted was for you to try and...take a break from the norm.”

“If that’s the case then school should’ve been removed right off the back. It doesn’t matter the location, people act the same. Different faces, same insufferability. Only difference is these bozos are rich and human.”

“You make it sound like you aren’t crushing on a rich human whose parents are allowing you to stay in their manor.” Yang deadpanned. “Not making you go to school would only leave you bored and gods know what you’ll do with too much time on your hands. Then again you managed to stir things up already by stealing a spot on the cheer team.”

Blake did a double take. That wasn’t mentioned earlier. “Cheer team? How did that happen?”

“A girl got cocky with me so I out performed her. Honestly I was more than a little surprised by it all. Holding pom-poms, doing flips on mats, and even the couch blowing the whistle, kinda forgot what those things were like until I was in the moment.”

“See? That’s a change from norm.”

“Pretty sure that counts as a return to form.” Veronica countered. “It’s whatever though. Just a temporary thing. Although I’ll admit that Eliza chick, Marigold’s kid, she’s pretty decent.”

Blake wasn’t expecting that easier. “Oh? Well that’s nice. Sounds like that could be not so temporary?”

“Eh, whatever happens, happens.” It was a nice thought. Veronica couldn’t deny that. “Any other thing you wanted to discuss with me? I’d like to lay down for a bit longer.”

“How’s it feel to discuss all this genetic stuff with Nick and Summer? Call it what you want, but telling them was no different from a therapy session if it made you feel better.” Blake stated.

Veronica frowned. “Not how I see it. I’m pretty indifferent for the most part I’d say. Haven’t thought deeply about it. Veronica plopped her head on the pillows and turned away.

Blake and Yang took their scrappy daughter’s hint to leave. Blake got off the bed and was more than fine revisiting the discussion later. Yang briefly bent over Veronica’s covered face and kissed her head.

“Muah! By the way, I’m pretty sure Nick would love to see you in his colors. No heels though. He’s a little touchy about his height.” Yang left after that, closing the door gently. Veronica could only lay there pondering the advice.

“Hmmmm that could work.”

xxxx

While the youth finally got some rest, Adults were hard at work trying to piece together all that’s happened. Ruby and Weiss scoped out the undisturbed frozen lake along with Winter, Nora, and Penny most importantly. Though there wasn’t much to go on. Just crushed rocks, claw marks from ferocious grimm, and a mix of blue and red blood that made Weiss particularly uncomfortable. Ruby sensed that uneasiness and quickly began rubbing her partner’s back.

“Your daughter’s fine.” Ruby reassured. “If what she said is accurate then she never actually lost control.”

“Yeah but the blue dyed snow before us means she just barely held on. That’s too close for comfort.” Weiss held her hands together gently. “It feels like things are getting worse.”

“Because you’re in the thick of it.” Nora spoke, projecting her voice to get their attention. The strong and prideful woman made her way over to them. “Every day you’re worried for her and wake up knowing your daughter is a few rooms away upset. A parent is only as happy as their saddest child, and seeing Summer so distant makes it difficult to see the good stuff. This situation is trying, yes, but Summer still fought back. Your daughter fought Shiva off and killed grimm to protect someone. Determination like that is a sign Summer isn’t done fighting by a long shot, so that means you shouldn’t mope. I mean she gets all that strength to defy assholes from you.”

Ruby gave a big smile. She couldn’t have said it better herself. “Yeah! Nora’s right. We’ll turn this around.”

“....Geez, you two ever stop being helpful?” Weiss said, smiling gently. She was happy to have them here. “Thank you, especially you Nora.”

“Considerate my way of apologizing if Valerie really upset Nick. I told her she needed to call him, especially after him having the decency to call me so I could keep her in the loop about this. Apparently she wasn’t very pleased that he was ill and didn’t mention it. She’s….a lot sometimes.”

“Hey, so were we. I’m sure she means well and I’m not oblivious to the fact Nick can be...a lot as well. I’m partly to blame. I enable some of his actions towards her from time to time. I think I’m projecting a bit. Maybe I should tell him to move on?” Weiss sighed. Perhaps she played matchmaker too much and misread things.

Nora could only chuckle. “Hehe, I wouldn’t. Believe me when I tell you Valerie doesn’t hate having Nick look her way. A little forwardness is the only way she’ll acknowledge problems she doesn’t want to deal with. I can’t say for certainty what those problems are but I don’t pin any of it Nick. Val has a way of wanting her cake and eating it too. She’s gotta learn hard ways that’s not how life goes. I just hope Nick finds it in himself to not hate her because of this.”

“Pfft, I don’t think hate truly exists in his vocabulary.” Weiss laughed. She could count on her hand how many times Nick truly despised a person. “He’ll be petty about it I’m sure, but that’ll go away. Space between them might be good. At the end of the day I at least want them to still be close. Val has a way of motivating him that I like. He actually has fun.”

“Yeah, my Little Thunderhead excels at moving people, that’s for sure. Her semblance would be pretty mediocre otherwise if she wasn’t.”

The three continued talking lightly until Penny eventually walked up with Winter. “Okay, so I’ve finished running some tests of the area and the deposit of Diamond Dust. I have….unique results.” Penny said, a bit baffled.

Ruby wasn’t a fan of that statement. “Ummm that doesn’t sound great coming from a person who reads books written in binary. What did you find?”

“This dust is less volatile than the samples in my lab, even though it’s been untouched for longer. By all means it should be more refined.”

“Well isn’t it a good thing that it isn’t?” Weiss asked. “We barely handle what we have.”

“True, but it’s strange. There’s a couple possibilities that may explain this. Summer may have used up some unintentionally, or maybe Shiva herself was syphoning it.”

Winter folded her arms, “Not a fan of that second option. Based on the story though, what if it wasn’t touched at all?”

“Panic attack.” Penny said immediately. “She hasn’t been here since the accident, right? It’s entirely plausible that Summer’s mind and body remembered the trauma. Repressed memories or outright fear and anxiety could be the basis for this entire event. I tried contacting Oscar if he’s noticed anything different in Summer’s behavior, but I can’t get in contact with him. The seas have been rather violent lately due to weather changes.”

“So what you're basically saying is we're as lost as usual?” Weiss said, falling backwards into the snow. “Juuuuuust great. I’m going to assume the pain attack option then. That’s something I can work on with her. If Shiva is by any chance stronger now then the only thing we can do is what we always do. Brace ourselves.”

Ruby looked down at Weiss. “And option one actually means we have less dust to deal with. That’s a plus!” She knew it was a small amount of positivity but every bit helped. Weiss smiled at her and sat up.

“Here’s hoping for option one as well I suppose. We should probably head back. This place creeps me out a bit.”

Ruby helped Weiss up and everyone began leaving. Penny kept staring at the data she collected and trying to call Oscar. Unfortunately the man wasn’t answering. Her displeased sigh was heard by Winter, who rubbed the girl’s back.

“Not to be insensitive, but your son and Qrow wouldn’t do anything too crazy out a sea would they?”

Winter laughed nervously. “Hehehe….I’m sorry.”

“That doesn’t inspire confidence!” Penny yelped. Now she was only going to think about them being stranded by the gods or in a storm. Hopefully she would hear from him soon. “I guess a deeper study will have to wait. Ruby, can I stay at your place with Whitley for a bit? I don’t wanna go home yet. Too lonely.

“Sure thing! Door is always open. Though I bet you’ll have a livelier time at the manor these days.”

Penny tried her best to act like that would be a good idea. “Tempting, but a certain blonde teenage girl wouldn’t like that much, considering her parents so desperately want my husband to be her therapist. Summer also sees me enough as is. Nick would be happy I was there.” She said in a happier tune.

“He’s not home if I know him well enough.” Weiss frowned. “Times like these, I’m sure he’ll visit the graveyards.”

Truly, her son was easy to read.

xxxx

Right now the boy in question walked through an alley of tombstones and snow, his and covered in pollen. Atlas’s central graveyard had become a place for Nick over the years. The wide space and solitude became a welcoming barrier that blocked out most strangers from approaching him. Even the paparazzi had enough tact to not disturb a person here. His feet carried him down multiple lanes towards an old tree barren of any leaves looming over a grave with no actual tombstone. Standing before it was Eliza, wearing a dark blue winter coat and deep in thought. He wasn’t expecting to see her today.

Nick kept approaching until he stood beside her silently. A cool breeze went by them as the air itself felt still. Eliza eventually shifted her gaze to him, completely aware he was there. She looked down at his dusty yellow hands before speaking. “Talking to your grandma again?”

“Yeah. She says I should eat more sandwiches. Afraid I’m a little too then.”

“Heh, always witty. Visited your gramps yet?”

Nick shook his head, “No that’s halfway across Atlas from here and further from my home. It’s the next stop. What about you? Didn’t expect you to be here today.”

“Haven’t been in awhile.” Eliza waved her hand to cause a brief gust that blew away the snow from the grave and several others. “It needed cleaning and I was in the area. So what brings you here specifically? You only visit here on anniversaries, holidays, and when you’re moody. Last time I checked this is a random day, soooo”

“Eh don’t worry about it. Everything is alright now. Just decompressing.”

“Fair enough.” Eliza put her hands in her pocket and went back to thinking, until she realized Nick was looking at her again. “Uhh can I help you?” She said a little confrontational.

Nick got a little defensive and spoke quickly. “No, just surprised you’re not pressing me to open up.”

“Why? Your business is your business unless you make it my business. Something you’ll do if your attitude negatively affects the preparation for the tournament.”

“Ouch...well if that’s the case then the favor I’m about to ask you shouldn’t refuse.”

That peaked her interest. Eliza actually turned around fully. “You’ve been asking a lot of favors of me lately.”

“I’ve asked like two favors, and you’re the one telling me to directly involve you if-”

Eliza covered his mouth, irritated by him being right. “I know what I said! Sigh… what’s up?”

Nick looked down at the hand on his mouth, getting Eliza to remove it. “You’re lucky I didn’t lick it.”

“You’re lucky I don’t beat you up on hollow ground.”

Nick smirked. “Oh, so you think you can finally take me?”

Eliza squinted at him as her face got a little red. Why the hell did he have to be like this sometimes!? “The next words you speak better be your favor, or I’m walking away.”

“Well I wouldn’t exactly call it a favor but if you’re training by the harbor tonight, I’d appreciate it if you swooped by the seventh dock. The one with the huge building they rarely put cargo in. Summer is going to be there blowing off some steam. I don’t think anything will go wrong but you know, if you got the time…?”

“Hmmm I guess that’s not unreasonable. Wait, how do you know I train by the harbor!?”

“Did you forget my cousin literally owns a ship? If I’m correct, one time he said his sail caught on fire when a random bolt of lightning came down one day.”

“......” Eliza put her hand back in her pocket and began walking. “You’re really annoying Nick.”

“I’ve done nothing! Also I’m not done talking! I actually do have a real favor I’ve been mulling over for about a day!” Eliza kept walking away from him. “Hey! Don’t just- Can you train me!?” He shouted, hoping to gain her interest again.

It worked wonderfully. Eliza stopped mid-step and pivoted around. “Excuse me?”

“Training, yeah uh there’s this thing Schnee’s do called the candle test. Helps with our glyphs. Long story short, I’m ass at it hehe. Summer has stuff going on and it’s not really clicking with my mom or aunt. Since your magic is sorta like what I have to do, I thought maybe-”

“We are in a contest against each other, Nicholas.” She said firmly. “You are my opponent! One of two people currently in my way from reaching the top. Why on Remnant would I help you?”

Nick’s eyes avoided contact with hers. He began to scratch the back of his head as if he’d been caught red handed in a lie. “Because… you value sportsmanship?” He looked at her to receive an unamused blank stare that was colder than the snow. “Uh, and also you helping me in any capacity will let you in on a proposition that you’d find very intriguing. But I’ll only tell you when we’re training.”

“Tsk, I would think a Schnee would know better how to do business negotiations. Why would I make a deal when I don’t know if I even care about it? You tell me now or not at all.”

“I can’t say it now! I gotta smooth out details.”

“Then I guess we’re done here.”

“Fine, then I guess you don’t want a shot at gold with a sure fire way of at least getting silver!” He boasted, catching Eliza off guard. Nick slicked his hair back and crossed his arms to intimate his uncle’s calm yet assertive demeanor. “Yeah that’s right. I’m saying I have an idea crazy enough to benefit you and I. Everyone wants gold of course. However, you got a little more riding on this, don’t you?”

Eliza remained silent. Nick began walking a little closer to refrain from speaking too loud. “Last year was your real debut to the public eye and it was pretty good one at that. Third place is nothing to snuff at in the singles bracket. However...trust me when I say I know third is the worst seat in the house. That’s where the pressure and stress is. One mistake and you're off the podium and that feels terrible when people finally start looking your way.”

Eliza began tapping her foot. He wasn’t wrong. Not by a long shot. Confident as she was, Eliza was aware of her only two options. Do better, or hit the same bar. Winning was the goal but no one was gonna give her shit for losing to the top two contests. Nick and Valerie have been dominating for about three years now, and here he was saying he can get her to second. “Get to the point.”

Nick unfolded his arms. Time to be gentle again. “I cannot get into specifics at this time, but if you wanna show up at the manor anytime this week to help me, we can talk. I can get you second at minimum in King of the Hill.

His eyes burned with eagerness. Eliza had so many questions but obviously he wouldn’t answer them. This plan clearly had to be in his favor to get first, which neither of them had earned before. However, Valerie was first. How did she fit into this? What was going through his head!? Eliza had to know what regardless if she’d actually be okay with it. Her eyes narrowed at him. “Tsk, I take back what I said. Guess you are a Schnee. I will see when I can come over and help. Now, any other obnoxious request before I get driven away from this conversation?”

“Well……” Nick could feel just how dangerous this situation was. “It’s quite a walk to the other cemetery from here….hehe.” Laughing was hard when someone’s nostrils were flaring at you in frustration. Getting closer might’ve been a terrible decision.

Eliza closed her eyes briefly, then turned around to walk away. She went a few steps before briefly stopping. “Knock the snow off your shoes before you step in.”

Nick lit up like a Christmas tree. “You’re the best!!!”

“Why did he get more votes than me!?” Eliza internally screamed.

xxxxx

The day seemed to drag on. It had taken some time for Weiss to return home with the company of her sister and Ruby. Nora had departed earlier to check in on her family. Penny had opted to head towards Ruby’s home before her. They would’ve gone together but Ruby did want to see her niece and Blake. Penny had yet to properly see her friends. Though she wanted to, she thought it best to hold off for now.

The trio walked into the house and were assaulted by the strong scent of what had to be Jaune’s amazing cooking. They could practically see the aroma of spices dance in the air. One spice in particular hit Ruby. It was subtle but sharp at the same time. The kind of spice that sent a zing through your nose and hit your tastebuds. A mouth watering smile spread on her face and her stomach growled.

“Mmmmmm” Ruby hummed, “Somebody brought spices with them from Menagerie.” She sang. Ruby and Weiss wasted no time heading to the kitchen. Inside was an apron-wearing knight stirring a pot of stew, and their favorite faunus in the whole wide world in an apron cutting vegetables.

Blake didn’t even need to turn around to know what giggling pair just entered the kitchen. She put the knife down all the same and turned around with her arms wide open. “Well-” she couldn’t even say her boastful introduction before her two cheecky smile teammates dove in for a hug. All three of them just became a choir of happy laughter as they embraced one another.

Weiss finally let her friend go to get a good look at her. “Look at you! Traveled all this way and you’re helping make dinner!? I don’t deserve you!”

“Well I saw Jaune breakout a pot and I figured he’d enjoy some help without fear of something burning.” Blake jabbed. Ruby immediately tucked her lips to stop herself from snickering at the diss.

Weiss’s jaw dropped. She still smiled however, crossing her arms. “Oh ha ha, I’ll have you know my cooking is leagues better than what you remember since last time you had it. I can cook amazing meals all by myself!”

“As long as it doesn’t involve a fryer.” Jaune added, walking over to kiss his wife’s cheek really quick.

Weiss’s face got a little flushed. “Grease is bothersome.” She mumbled. Blake could only chuckle at the remark while walking to the pot and dumping the vegetables inside. The smell of the stew intensified and reminded Weiss she is still very much the weakest in her friend group when cooking was involved. “How are you going to outdo me in my own home? Why’d you bring spices in the first place!?”

“Don’t question it!” Ruby shouted. Her body went on autopilot to grab the plates and cups for the dinner.

“Ruby, aren’t gonna make dinner at home?” The room said, thinking about Whitley.

Ruby then proceeded to grab one of Jaune’s tupperware containers. Apparently they were now feeding Whitley as well. Ruby knew they wouldn’t mind, so she felt no remorse when filling it. Her boldness knew no bonds.

“Ruby, how do you know they aren’t making enough food for the people in this house?”

“Because this household would crumble anytime Jaune did a mission and didn’t make enough food for weeks.”

“I can cook!!!!” Weiss yelled.

Jaune playfully rolled his eyes and patted Weiss’s back. “Ruby isn’t completely wrong. Anyways she can take as much as she wants. Nick and Veronica have a dinner date tonight so they won’t be joining us for dinner. Then I don’t if Summer-”

“Nick and Veronica have a date!?” Weiss and Ruby shouted.

“Oh yeah… that happened while you left.” Jaune tried to reach for the ladle for the stew but Weiss swatted his hand before turning his head back to her. Fortunately Blake swooped in to continue stirring. “Yeah so they’re going on a date tonight. I don’t know details.”

Weiss turned to Blake who shrugged. “I didn’t press Veronica too much about it. Yang should be upstairs with her trying on dresses.

“Behold! A beautiful sunflower in the snow!” Yang cried out from outside the kitchen unexpectedly.

“Or I guess she’s downstairs now.” Blake turned off the burner on the stove and moved the pot before following her friends out to the main hall. Outside was Yang standing proudly with her hands on her hips and staring up the stairs proudly. Jaune and Weiss’s eyes went wide while Winter seemed….impressed? As much as she could be. Her feelings towards Veronica in general were mixed. The girl was definitely beautiful though. That was just a fact.

Blake looked up to see her daughter all dressed up at the top of the steps. She wore a white, thin strapped dress that had a light blue sash around her waist. The skirt portion went down to about knee level and the flats she wore were also white. The bottom of the skirt brought more color in by being an intense light blue that faded to white half way up; lace snowflakes were intricately etched on to that portion to break the color up. Gloves that went just passed her elbows followed a similar scheme but started white at the hands before transitioning to blue. To top it all off, a pretty little light blue ribbon formed a bow on top of her head. It was that accessory that made Blake notice that not only wet her ears gone from sight, but so was her tail.

Veronica’s face was stricken with a decent shade of red. Her feet shuffling in place a little as she rubbed her left arm. “So….ummm thoughts?” She said anxiously. “This is just one of several ideas so no need to hold back.”

“Several? What, did you make these in a couple hours?” Winter asked.

“No. I’ve been working on a Fire and Ice collection recently. This dress in particular was already put together for the most part. Although the snowflakes at the bottom was a last minute decision I made half an hour ago.” Veronica swayed to make the skirt flow side to side. “Normally I’d say adding flames or snowflakes is a bit heavy handed since the colors of the outfit already speak fire and ice, but I don’t know. Felt appropriate. Especially since the white lace is on the blue. I even have them on the upper rim of the gloves. Made sleeve versions too.” Veronica inspected the stitching to make sure it was okay. “Hmm not my best work, but I kinda like it.”

“I kinda love it!” Yang proudly said. “Oh it takes me back to the Beacon dance a little. Back then another Schnee was outdone by a Xiao Long wearing white.”

“Ha, no! Your dress didn’t even look done!” Weiss shot back, refusing to take such slander. “This dress is ten times better than what you wore.”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah sis, your dress was pretty plain. Didn’t even have a bow.”

“I couldn’t find one!” Yang defended.

Judging by the banter, Veronica was getting positive vibes from the dress. She looked at Winter since the woman was there. Surprisingly, a thumbs up was given. “Well that was more positive than I expected from her.” Veronica thought. The only person who remained silent was Blake. Veronica turned to see her mother assessing what her daughter had on. The silence she gave made Veronica a little concerned. “What’s up mom? Not a fan of how thin the straps are? It’s not a low cut anywhere.”

“No, all that is fine. I just have to ask, why-” before Blake finished, the front door opened once again with Nick coming through it this time. Everyone froze in place by his sudden entrance. Including him!

“Uhhh why is everyone just standing in the front of the house?” Nick questioned. It was only when he looked up the left staircase did he get his answer. “Oh, that’s why. You look...wow.” He said, rather clumsily. “I didn’t think you’d get ready three hours ahead of schedule. I still gotta wash up from the grav- I mean my walk. Yeah, walk, around town. With no real location stopped at.” He had no idea why he kept saying things. The deadpanned look on Winter and Weiss’s face clearly showed they knew where he was.

Weiss gave a reassuring smile and poked his forehead. “No need to lie, especially so poorly. If talking to them brought you some form of clarity then by all means have at it.”

“Yeah it’s not my business either.” Winter added, ruffling his hair.

Veronica wasn’t exactly sure what they were discussing, but it looked like things were going well. Nick even looked like he was in a better mood then when he left. His eyes went back to Veronica and made her fidget a little. The gaze he gave her was focused, deliberate even.She didn’t know how to feel about it until Nick began to look a tad displeased. “I-Is something wrong?” Veronica asked hesitantly.

“Not wrong, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cover your ears. Tail yeah, since it can get in the way a bit, but why the bow?” He asked, pointing at it from afar. Everyone looked towards her for an answer, especially Blake. Nick had beaten her to the question.

Veronica looked down at her feet for a moment before looking at her family, crush, others. She never really knew what to call Weiss or her siblings. “Well normally I wouldn’t cover them, but while you were gone I kept thinking about this date…and how I wanted it to be a simple night out.” Heat began to rush to her cheeks. “So you know, people will stare and judge less if I’m like this. Not that their opinions matter, but I’d like to keep things peaceful as much as possible tonight. That’s all.” She looked at Blake who was looking right back at her. The answer didn’t seem to upset or surprise the mother. Veronica played with her a bit. “Is...that okay?”

“Hmm? You’re asking permission? It caught me off guard seeing it. Whether it be for aesthetic or personal reasons, I won’t dictate how you wanna design your clothes as long as it’s appropriate. After all, ribbons and I have a history. Couldn’t judge you if I wanted.”

That was a relief to hear. Veronica had completely forgotten her mother wasn’t a stranger to trying to blend in. “Well if that’s settled-”

“Hold on.” Nick softly said, his calm footsteps walking up the stairs to meet her. Everyone fell speechless as they watched him. Veronica for some reason felt as if the mood had changed. The room was quieter, air completely still. The face of the boy in front of her began to look more earnest than it has ever been as it got closer, stifling her breath. Nick extended his hand out slowly till his fingers clasped a corner of the bow, then unraveled it.

The ribbon flowed slowly into his palm and then was brought down towards Veronica’s. “If a calm night means you have to hide, then is it really a calm worth having? Like you said, those people don’t matter. Besides, I like your ears.”

Burst, Veronica felt like her heart could’ve burst. The blush on her cheeks deepened greatly and her eyes went wide from the shocking words. She had barely remembered to breathe. If she paid attention to the audience below then she would’ve been embarrassed by the grins that went ear to ear but no. Veronica only noticed Nick and his gentle smile that matched his words. Her mind finally caught up with itself and Veronica grasped the ribbon ever so slowly.

“O-Okay…” she said without thinking. Anybody else may have gotten more of a debate on it. Not him though. Not after words like those. “I’ll...make a few adjustments then.” She said, flattered and flustered as she walked back to her room without any more words.

“Take your time. You still have about three hours like I said, plus I gotta wash up.” He reminded her, not realizing just how sweet his words were. He turned back around to see smug faces and contained laughter. “What?”

“Nick…” Winter said, smiling with her hands on her hips. “And you wonder why girls flock to you obsessively. You’re too much.”

“I’ll say.” Blake said, admiring the boy. “But you know what? There’s something perfect about that. Nicholas, thank you.”

He wasn’t entirely sure what he did but he got embarrassed all the same, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. At least things finally felt relaxed in this house. “Umm you’re welcome?”

With teasing done and the mood lightened, everyone went back to doing their respective things. Jaune and Blake went back to prepping food. Weiss went with Ruby to set tables and properly catch up, while Yang decided to keep Winter company since both her son and Qrow were off adventuring. The chatter filled the hallways and even reached upstairs to not only Veronica, but Summer, who finally managed to fall asleep peacefully. Even Nick found a bit of proper rest in the bath. The soothing warm water filled with epsom salt was more than enough to make him doze off. Time steadily went forward and the adults began winding down. However, the kids were just getting ready for the night.

xxxxx

Dusk finally came. Winter leaned up against the main door waiting until she saw Nick coming walking down the stairs looking dashing. His crisp white suit, ice blue tie and handkerchief were perfectly in place along with his slick back hair.

“Hey Whitley jr.”

He groaned, “Please don’t. This is why I do nothing with my hair. One minute I look like dad, then the next I’m uncle.”

“Grow it out more then.” Winter suggested.

He shook his head. “That’s a slippery slope. Too long and I’ll be compared to you, mom, and sis. I guess my face is just too great.”

“Pfft, you just know you can’t compete with all this.” Winter sassed, turning her head to sway her hair. Nick would have objected if she wasn’t right.

“Whatever hehe. Anyways, everybody still here?”

“No, Ruby eventually headed home, but everyone else is strung about. I’m heading out myself but I figured I could drop you and Veronica off for your date.”

Nick gave her aunt a huge smile. “Awww, auntie!”

“Oh hush, don’t make it a big deal. It’s convenient, that’s all.”

“Well I appreciate it nonetheless. Veronica will too.”

Winter mumbled,“She better show it by not getting you or sister into trouble.”

“I heard that.” Veronica called from up the staircase. Winter and Nick looked in that direction to see her walking down. Nick wasn’t prepared.

Veronica had switched the gloves out for detachable sleeves that still exposed her shoulders. They also followed the same white to blue pattern. What really changed was she used the ribbon to make a high ponytail and now dawning jewelry. A pearl white necklace rested around her neck and complemented the pearl earrings she wore. Slowly she approached Nick with her hands holding each other in front of her. Veronica’s face was still a healthy shade of red. This close, Nick couldn’t help but smell of peach nectar. An interesting and oddly refreshing choice for perfume.

“Well...ummm...you weren’t kidding when you said you would out dress me.” Nick said, captivated. “I’d say you’re one billion, easily.”

Veronica chuckled nervously. “Hehe,th...thanks. I wouldn’t go that far, but I appreciate it.” Looking at him was harder than usual. Men’s dress shoes had a bit of heel, so Nick actually was a bit taller then her now since she chose flats. It could only be by an inch or two but it made a hell of a difference to her. “I had a little help near the end. These are actually your sister’s pearls.”

“Really? Oh, that’s right! I think the only reason she got them was so this other rude girl couldn’t. I don’t remember the specifics.”

“Wow. You two are….extremely petty at times.” Veronica said. Yeah pettiness was nothing new to her, but she’d never bought something to spite someone else. That’s the lifestyle in Atlas she supposed. “Anyways, if you’re ready to go then I am too. I’d really like to avoid-”

Click! The sound of a camera cut her off. The two teens looked back to see their parents all taking photos. Trying to stop them would be impossible. The only thing they could do is quietly wait for the clicking to stop, which was thankfully over in seconds.

“Gee I didn’t realize I lived with paparazzi.” Nick quipped. Another flash came from up above the second floor. Summer and her bed head leaned against the railing. “Summer!? You too!?”

“I came down to eat and saw we were embarrassing you. How could I not?” She took one more photo and then made her way down to the kitchen. “Have fun. I’m gonna eat and go right back to bed.”

Nick knew she was lying of course. That was the real reason she came down now, to announce she’d be sleeping in her room so nobody would disturb her. Summer, never missing an opening, also collected everything she needed from upstairs without anyone noticing. It was scary how far she’d plan ahead sometimes.

Winter finally decided to open the front door and head out. “Let’s move people. Rich or not, it’s rude to be late for reservations.”

“So strict. Almost think that you’re about to go drill instructor on me.” Veronica jokes, walking out the door.

“Don’t think I won’t make you drop and give me twenty just because you’re in a dress.” Winter shot back, closing the door as Nick walked out.

“The sad thing is she isn’t kidding…” Weiss nervously said. “That’s gonna be a long car ride.”

Summer came out of the kitchen with a bowl of stew and an evil look in her eye. “Why are there less left overs than usual? Who had seconds?”

“Ruby took some for Whitley. As well as had seconds…”

Summer squinted as if Ruby was there to actually receive the grumpy look before putts spoonful in her mouth and walking back upstairs.

“Ma’am, the table. Not your room.” Weiss said, using her mom voice.

Summer did a heel turn to the dining room. “Who made this stew!?” She said annoyed. Jaune and Blake both raised their hands. “It’s fantastic!” Was all she said as she continued walking.

Blake and Yang looked at each other confused before looking at their friends.

“Hangry.” Was all Jaune said.

“Ah…” the couple said together.

The moment Summer was out of sight from everyone she put the bowl down and searched around the living room quickly until she found her guitar case. Quickly, she grabbed it and opened a window towards the side of the estate and tossed it on a set of glyphs that hopefully propelled it right into her open room window. She then ran back to the dining room to sit down and eat comfortably.

“Phew! That was the last thing. And now I wait.” She took another bite of the stew happily. Nothing tastes better than an escape plan coming together.

#rwby #rwby au #rwby twin snowflakes #jaune arc #ruby rose #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #nora valkyrie #nicholas schnee #summer schnee #val valkyrie #winter schnee #penny polendina #veronica belladonna #rwby whiteknight

[backhurtyy]

tagged by @zukkaclawthorne !!! thank you for the tag my dear!!!!

1) why did you choose your url? i'm ace and i like dragons.... zuko's ace and he has a dragon.... bam

2) any side blogs? i have a star wars side blog @aceobiwan

3) how long have you been on tumblr? uhhhhh i was on here in like 8th grade? and then i deleted my account, tried again in sophomore year, deleted my account again, and now i've had this one for a year.

4) do you have a queue tag? no i spam people with a bunch of nonsense then vanish into the ether and then do it again a little bit later

5) why did you start your blog in the first place? i was desperate for more zukka content and also wanted to promote my fics somewhere

6) why did you choose your icon/pfp? i actually made it!!!! i just wanted an ace zuko pfp to go with my blog but i didn't just want it to be a flag behind him, so... i did some editing :)

7) why did you choose your header? because i adore terra with my entire heart and it was the first time anyone had ever made me art for one of my fics and i loved it and it's just so NICE to look at! although, i will say that it will be changing tomorrow....

8) what's your post with the most notes? the one i made about asexuals being transcendent

9) how many mutuals do you have? uhhhhhhh....... a lot? always more than i think i do

10) how many followers do you have? 585

11) how many people do you follow? 222

12) have you ever made a shit post? my entire life is a shitpost

13) how often do you use tumblr each day? .....so often. far too often.

14) did you ever have a fight/argument with another blog? who won? i really hate drama so. no

15) how do you feel about "you need to reblog this" posts? despise them. i don't want to see them. they make me anxious.

16) do you like tag games? yeah!!! i don't always do them but i always smile when i'm tagged in something

17) do you like ask games? PLEASE TALK TO ME

18) which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous? oof uhhhhh jo probably? uhhhh i feel like alex's blog is really popular too. and im mutuals with a lot of the blogsquad? i would consider them tumblr famous. or at least in our little atla bubble.

19) do you have a crush on a mutual? what is a mutual if not someone to be platonically in love with?

20) tags? i am tired and have been looking at a computer all day so i don't really wanna... think about tagging so. bam if you want to do it, you're tagged

#tag game #zukosadragon ace speaks

[mrvdocks]

Plus One

It’s Joyce and Hopper’s wedding. A new member is added to the household, and things get real.

(chapter one)(two) 

It’s a Wednesday in February when he returns home and plops down onto the couch. The bar shifts just seemed to get worse. In the span of three minutes, he had to break up a fight, have the bouncer kick out a guy for harassing his manager, and clean a spill a drunk party group had made.

I’m not paid nearly enough for this, he thinks.

A sneeze breaks him from his misery. 

“Bless you.” He says with his eyes closed. They shoot open when he realizes you don’t sneeze like that. 

He sits up and looks at the moving thing under the pillow. His heart races as he hears some kind of breathing. 

Please no, he thinks. We just took care of the plumbing. 

He lifts the pillow carefully, expecting to see a pile of rats or mice or worse. Instead, he’s greeted by a sneezing dog. 

It’s a Scottish Terrier with big eyes that just seem to interrogate him as to why he interrupted his sneezefest. 

“Uhhhhh, where’d you come from?” He scans the apartment, seeing a dog bed at the corner of the lazy boy across from him. 

This had to be the work of one person only.

Steve calls out for you, hearing you run out from the bathroom in a hurry and a towel haphazardly wrapped around you. 

“What’s the emergency? Oh, I see you’ve met Mickey.” 

He’s speechless, looking at you like you’re out of your mind. “Mickey?”

“Yeah, they brought him in today and I felt really bad that they were taking him to the choky tomorrow. I had to save this poor baby. And who can say no to his little eyes?” You singsong the latter half of that sentence in a baby voice, kneeling to ruffle your fingers through Mickey’s fur.

“What if Tony finds out we have a dog? What do we say? We can’t keep him.”

You roll your eyes. “Relax, he’s quiet when he eats the jerky from Tom’s.”

“That’s my jerky!” Steve whines.

“Okay! I’ll get you extra then. Don’t be such a sourpuss.” 

Steve glances back to Mickey still staring at him. He puts out a cautious hand, Mickey getting close enough to sniff and then lick. 

At least it was nice to have another man in the house. 

He runs his hands through Mickey’s surprisingly soft coat, earning a low whimper from the pooch. Mickey lies on his side, clearly loving the scratches Steve is giving him. Steve catches himself smiling, suddenly forgetting the looming threat of eviction for a moment.

He’s wanted a dog since he was six, but his dad would never let him keep one. Not even a goldfish. He thinks maybe if he’d had a dog, he wouldn’t have turned out so cold in his teens. He just wanted to love something and have it love him back.

“Hmm, maybe you’re not so bad.” 

Mickey responds by kicking his tiny paws in the air, writhing on the couch.

Steve is so bewitched by the creature he doesn’t even notice when you come back into the room or even left for that matter.

“So, anything from that Sissy girl you were seeing?”

“No,” he pouts, “I mean I think she was scared off by this.” He gestures to himself.

“Oh my god, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what? I just felt like there wasn’t any long term potential there.”

“You guys went on one date, and you didn’t even kiss! You blue balled her!”

“Okay first of all, who takes their date to their family member’s birthday party and expects a whole relationship to blossom from there? And second, when you’ve been single as long as I have, you just know what you want and what to expect.”

You snicker. “But you don’t know what you want, you have like, the worst standards.”

“Uh, I like to think they’re realistic.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I don’t think it’s fair everyone has to compare to Phoebe Cates.”

“Phoebe was a great product of her time, thank you very much. And, I mean what about Tessa Grey?”

“Tessa Gr - my co-worker?”

Steve nods adamantly. “I would date her. You know if she wasn’t - engaged.” 

“Alright we have to unpack that sometime but first why do you always say their names like some sort of serial killer?”

“Because,” he thinks, “they’re firsty-lastys. The same way I’m Steve….” 

“Oh please don’t say it.” You cover Mickey’s ears. 

“Steve “The Hair” Harrington!” 

You groan in response, bringing Mickey to rest on your chest while you put your feet up on Steve’s lap. 

“Sounds like someone’s jealous.” He mimics. 

“Oh, please. Okay, okay, let’s say for the sake of this being hypothetical, Tessa breaks off her engagement and she shows up here and says, ‘Oh my god, Steve Harrington I would love to have your babies, let’s get married! You can meet my family and eat my famous pasta, wahhhh!’” You flail your hands around for effect, seeing the amusement in his face.

His face screws up, “Geez, am I dating Wario now?” 

“That is exactly how she sounds! Plus, you would find something wrong with her and then you’d bail.”

“That is not true.”

“Oh but it is! It’s so true. In fact, anyone as grotesquely tall and hair-obsessed as you cannot be so picky.”

“I’m just trying to make sure I find the -”

“Don’t say it.”

“The one.” 

You groan, shoving your face into Mickey’s chest. 

“Oh yeah? I don’t see you bringing anyone home. Still not over Danny?”

Your mouth forms an O, you kick his thigh with the heel of your foot. 

“For your information, I have been seeing someone.”

This piques his interest. “Who and is he an escaped convict?”

“Okay,” you scoff, rolling your eyes. “I haven’t talked to him but he left his number at the desk so who knows?”

“Hmm, I may be wrong, but I don’t think that was meant for you. You are a receptionist after all.”

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we? But I just have some stuff to take care of beforehand.”

He nods.

“Personal…..maintenance.” 

“Yup.” 

“Gotta mow the lawn.” You emphasize.

“No yeah, I got you the first time. But come on, let’s be honest here. You’re stalling.”

“For what?” 

“Jumping into the unknown. Danny was a huge part of your life so I get what it’s like to lose that connection.”

You laugh sarcastically. “Okay, grandpa are these your words of wisdom? I am totally over Danny. At this point, I can say screw Danny! I have all the time in the world to find someone else!“

You weren’t completely wrong. Danny had been with you since senior year of high school. You thought it would be like one of those fairy tales where the high school sweethearts end up living together in an amazing house surrounded by all these treasures and all that jazz. Nothing could tear you down.

And then junior year of college came and he slept with one of your college friends. You transferred soon after. It was your first relationship, and you just felt like a failure. 

You don’t view California so great anymore, instead choosing to uproot yourself and finding the first place you could in New York for cheap.

It worked out fine, you think. It led you to Steve and Robin. 

Even though you clowned him for it, you also wanted that special connection. Love that movies taught you but you’d learned the hard way they weren’t going to translate into real life the same way. 

“Uh-huh. I mean there’s no shame in it, I was the same way with Nancy.”

“I wasn’t moping around and wallowing in self-pity like you, though.”

“C’mon what was that whole period of just ‘Danny!'” He mimics your voice crying and eating out of an invisible tub of ice cream. 

You feign being offended, chucking the couch pillow to him as he catches it and smothers himself with it. 

“Your dad’s crazy. Yes, he is.” You pout to Mickey. 

Joyce & Jim’s Wedding

Chincoteague, Virginia

March 1-3rd 

“I remember during ‘84, Chief Hopper had a special visitor waiting for him in his office to talk to him about the disappearance of her boy. At the time she was just the town’s nut, but I bet no one would guess the wild ride these two would go on to end up here.” The man who Steve tells you was one of Hopper’s officers back home, toasts.

It sat poorly with the guests, including a somewhat already even more pissed off looking Hopper. He seems to get the idea and ends his toast blessing the couple in their late forties. 

Jonathan goes up next, greeting the crowd. He’s dressed impeccably, his hair somewhat slicked back and his ring very prominent when the light catches it.

“I would like to thank everyone who came out to help us celebrate. I’m very proud of my mom and at first, I was a little wary about her settling down with someone. Not because I was moody about it but because she’s done so well on her own taking care of me and my siblings. She’s always been both parents to me but Jim,” Jonathan raises his glass.

“I want to thank you for helping us years ago, for believing in us. For being patient with us and sticking with us through thick and thin. My mom lights up every day like a Christmas tree and I think that’s evidence enough for me to happily welcome you into the family. To my mom and Jim!”

“To Joyce and Jim!” The crowd toasts. 

The wedding was held in a gazebo near the beach on the East Coast, with Joyce getting married in a white tea-length dress with lacing decorating her collar down to her arms and Jim in a grey suit decorated with one of Joyce’s favorite flowers in his pocket. They’d both changed for the reception, Joyce into a red sheath dress and Jim into a black dress shirt and pants and a blazer matching Joyce’s dress. 

You were seated with Jonathan and Nancy and another pair of family friends, talking and catching up with the other nuptials. They both told you the craziest stories about Steve from high school to when they last saw him, all the while he sat mere inches from you and hid behind his hand when something particularly embarrassing came up. 

You’d often erupt in fruity laughter, hearing about the time Steve got his Scoops Ahoy uniform stuck in the fridge or when he’d played Dungeons and Dragons for the first time only to lose every time. 

“So, how long has this been going on?” Nancy queries, gesturing to you and Steve.

You glance at Steve, lost for words for a moment. “We’re just friends.”

“Yeah, friends,” Steve adds right after you.

“I’ve been rooming with him for the past two years since Robin left.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she concedes. “I always hear you call him Honey over the phone sometimes.”

Your eyes widen.  Curse your sarcastic nature.

“Oh no, god no,” You laugh nervously. “I just like to mess with him.”

You drown yourself out with the drink in front of you, leaving Steve to pick up the rest of the conversation.

“We got a dog.” Steve blurts out, trying to fill in for the painfully embarrassing silence.

Jonathan raises his brows, “Really?” 

“Yeah, only instead of being the dad of the group back then, I’m a dog dad now.” He reveals.

Nancy and Jonathan laugh, almost as if to help ease both of you back into not being awkward. 

“Hey, you guys heard Dustin’s getting married right?” Nancy pouts with her bottom lip drawn out. “He’s so old now.” 

“Yeah, Steve loves the little guy.” You blurt. Steve glances at you.

“Last I heard he was starting up some fund for kids with CCD in California,” Jonathan alleges.

“Oh yeah,” Nancy remembers. “The Palm Springs wedding.” 

The music begins playing for the guests and Nancy jumps, exclaiming that she loves this song and asks Jonathan to dance with her. They turn to you and Steve and urge you onto the dance floor, but you say you’ll be there in a second.

“What was that?” He whispers in a shrill tone.

“I panicked!” 

“They probably think we’re idiots now.” 

You cock your head down and glare at him. “These are your friends, Steve. They would never think that. It’s just been a while since you’ve all seen each other they probably understand.”

Steve bounces his leg in response. You put your hand on his thigh, stopping him. 

“Look, we are gonna go out onto that dance floor and we are going to find you the best damn lover you’ll ever have.”

He nods rapidly, hooked onto your every word. 

You lead him in when a couple leaves, guiding his hand to rest on your lower back and rest your left hand on the lapel of his suit. Your right-hand holds out for his, swaying until you can match the tempo of the music. 

“Okay, what about violet in glasses?” You suggest, feeling him turn you to catch a glimpse.

“Too bookish.” 

“What’s wrong with bookish?”

“I already have you, don’t I?”

You roll your eyes. “Alright, what about red with the pony?” 

“Where?” 

“Behind you, rotate.”

He rotates you to the left and makes a face. “Too mean.”

“What? She seems nice.”

“The red makes her seem aggressive.”

You sigh. “Okay, pink with the braid?”

He glances quickly to his right, “Yeah she’s cute.”

“I’ll go and spill my champagne on her and then you just swoop in and dry her off.” 

“Is there any way you can do this without assaulting someone?”

“It’s not assault, I’m just very hands-on with this.”

“That sounds like it’s textbook definition.”

“When have you picked up a textbook? Nevermind, you want to try this or not? I haven’t failed you yet.” 

He purses his lips, thinking back to the first wedding. 

“Don’t. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

As the song ends you retreat to your table, grab your glass, and start sipping. Steve stays behind, watching you fake stumble and fall against the woman and drench her with the drink. She gasps as the cold beverage hits her, and Steve pulls out one of the fancy napkins from the table.

“Showtime.”

"You think she hates me now?” You say, drawing circles in the sand with your feet.

“You mean because a drunken guest dumped their drink on an expensive dress she was planning on returning?" 

You stare at him, unamused. 

"I appreciate the try. She just seemed….too hostile.”

“I get it, I mean a guy like you coming up to me and trying to pat my breasts down - I would want to leave too.” You chuckle to yourself.

Steve stands, smacking off the sand on his pants. He takes hold of your shoulders and leans you close to the waves as they crash against your ankle.

“Oh my god, Steve! You know I can’t swim.”

Steve is laughing like crazy, teasing you. He takes hold of your waist in a second, carrying you as far into the ocean as he can while you’re shrieking. 

He twirls you as you grip his hands tight, digging your nails into his skin and still screaming to be put down.

“Be careful what you wish for.” He says into your ear and drops you on your ass. The overwhelming cold and seaweed cover your body as you try to stand only to be wiped out by a wave. 

Steve is howling in hysterics, clapping like a seal.

“Oh my god, I’m gonna kill you!” You don’t sound too threatening, if anything your wet appearance was akin to that of a wet kitten just meowing in protest. 

Steve runs and dodges you, moving in a zig-zag pattern as you try your best to chase him through the water.

“You’ll never catch me!” He fronts. 

Anticipating him to move in a pattern, you wait till he moves to the left to start running to the right and knock him down against the sand with a hmph!

“Gotcha!” You exclaim, putting your hands on his chest and completely unaware of the position you’re in. 

You’re straddling him, legs on both sides and your face is inches away from his trying to catch your breath. He smells like salt and champagne.

He’s frozen in place too, one of his hands firmly on your lower back. 

Your eyes flicker from his to the rest of his face, focusing on the moles decorating his neck. He can smell your perfume still even through the saltwater. It inundates his senses, disorienting him momentarily. Your necklace dangles and touches his chin, taunting him. 

This is the moment you’ve been looking for, the one that the movies oh so love to display over and over again. Something in you tells you to do it, to just lean down and see if he tastes like you do. 

Instead, he pushes you to the side softly, catching his breath and patting your thigh. “I guess you got me.”

You nod, taking your dress by the ends of it to walk back onto dry land and leave him sitting there. You’d see him back at the hotel anyway.

@mochminnie​, @wolfish-willow​

#steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #stranger things imagine #joe keery x reader

[weirdo-with-a-nametag]

Brain is tv static with random frames interspersed

Think I'm like. Really stressed and jumping between topics to try and find something that helps / feels good

Topics:

Anyone know a good health tracking app for adhd people? I want one that like pops up when you open your phone, maybe? But is unobtrusive. Like maybe you just rate your mood or whatever when you open your phone, and it closes, and you go about your business. I just hate every app and paper method I've tried but really want to track some stuff

Pigeon. ? Pigeon as pet?

Service animals re: cats, pigeons, my cat specifically, and then also ESAs and also what to use as treats while training my cat (he's pretty happy to learn behaviors with praise and pets as reinforcement, but treats would make everything move much faster, but I haven't found something I want to give him so we've just been y'know. Chillin)

Service animals re: what tasks can my pet potentially do that would help me? I don't really know a lot about service animals and there is a Huge range. If anyone has suggestions, or places to read about it, I'd appreciate it! Mostly thinking they may help with anxiety, sensory, and mobility/fatigue related stuff. Not much of a need for medical alerts.

Bioactive enclosures for my snakes, need to research their biomes and make progress on designs and equipment specifications

Also. Hit a seriously hard patch and haven't been handling them much at all this month so that's not great

Casting stuff. Saw jewelry today made of metal casts of claws, skulls, etc, and they were really well done and made me want to do that

Some taxidermy / vulture culture stuff I won't get into right now

Puzzles????

How to organize my room

Need a shower

Need to organize bathroom

So Much Schoolwork

Uhhhhh trying, but not making much headway, to figure out how I want to do my music collection. Also really need to clean my records..

Make?

Food??? Ew.

Dental hygiene ://

Plampts. So many. Houseplants need maintenance, many need repotting. Keep taking in people's problem plants and like, they're doing better, largely, after being trimmed and watered and whatnot, but need repotting. Also need to trim some aquarium plants.

Also need to put water in tanks. And spray nepenthes.

Laundry.

Gotta pick up trash in my room. There's so much. Everywhere. Why.

Schoolwork. I'm so behind. So, so stuck. Kind of feel like I'm dying.

Going on a picnic tomorrow. Have to figure out what still needs doing for that, probably need to go to the store.

Leo needs water. I'm so....ugh, I'm trying so hard, but it feels impossible. I do my best to take good care of my pets, and I think they live pretty good lives most of the time, but sometimes I get like This and completely drop off the face of the earth and then like, wake up or whatever and two weeks have passed by and I have not cleaned a water bowl! That's a serious problem!!!! I do not know how to combat that, really, besides more reminders. Having someone around who is willing to like, help, when things are especially hard, would be great, but I don't live with my partner right now and do not feel like I can ask anyone here for that. But I can't put my animals at risk. I check on them every day, and if their bowls are dirty I do take them out and clean them, but sometimes (like now) i cannot get myself to do it without a pressure like a dirty bowl, or a feeding day. And like, it's really important that they have clean water. I'm talking to myself here but like, if anyone has advice. Please. With the tank redesigns and upgrades, the bowls will be more accessible, which will help because one of them is very heavy at the angle I have to pick it up, and another requires moving a lot of branches and is best to take out while the snake is out (this is Leo) which is fine because I love my boy, but adds time to the process, and makes it harder to start, you know? Maybe if I just got more bowls - I could take the bowl out and immediately replace it, fill the new one, and replace the decor and snake, and then clean the bowl as a separate task? That would be easier for my brain. Currently I have a Specific bowl I prefer to use for each tank, and then everything else is Just In Case, but I mean. Acquiring extras is something I want to do anyway, and it may help with several problems, so. Yeah. I'll try that. But also, any other ideas, guys?

Anxiety: can't stop picking at my face, skin, nails, cuticles, scalp, pretty much everywhere with callouses, also scratched a mole off my face, which is something I've been trying Not to do for a while, so that's...not great. Can't find my earmuffs, and also all of my headphones are painful? Ears are really sensitive lately.

Been playing a lot of Moth Game (flutter: starlight if you wanna be friends say hey I don't know how to do it but would enjoy talking about moths if nothing else. The game is just like, an idle ish collecting game with cutesy versions of different species, and very little actual information, but it's still fun, and if anyone else is on there and also Into Moths like I am, hiiiii) and like it's fun and cute but also greatly impacting my productivity, and raises my stress levels during events, which is most days, so the game has. Not been helping. But I can't stop because then I'll miss Exclusive Moths.

Anyway. Had baklava and two mugs of Thai tea today and the sugar has made me nauseous.

Trying to journal. Hurts to write. Also takes too long. Also my handwriting is very bad. But typing is..not as good

Want to draw. Thinking about drawing cats

Plants again! Want to make seed bombs, have seeds, have most of the other ingredients, just need to put em together, basically.

Really sad :(

Or am I?

Weird noise coming from dining room?

Birds. Spent half an hour at least on the deck tonight listening to a hundred different bird calls (literally) to identify one I was hearing, it was a pine siskin, which I checked early on but the recording was bad and I didn't realize which call was identified. Anyway, cool to put a name to a face, so to speak.

Need to practice for ASL

So much.....to do...

Only had like >3 hours of work this week which was not great because money, but also like I'm really feeling those 3 hours....

My cat is basically refusing to come into my room? Which is very strange and I'm worried something is Off but cannot figure out what. Also means less cuddles which means I'm sad.

It feels strange whenever people follow me, the attention is nice but I have no idea what content y'all are here for. So to everyone: hi, enjoy, hope my random personal posts aren't a surprise to anyone who followed for like. News reblogs and informational stuff.

Do I even have it in me to..be successful in school? Should I drop out of college? I'm struggling really hard and do not feel like I'm building on the skills I need to continue, so like. Uh.

My dad is being. Abrasive.

Mom and grandma are very angry lately

Housemate is also angry, about things i thought we were on good terms about, so I am stressed because like,, are we okay?

Can't find my eye mask :(

Yoga? Like...restorative yoga? Need to track down my PT stuff. And. Do it.

Need to put the stickers on my license plates....oops...

Still haven't found my antidepressants! Yay!

Do I want to store my stuff in open bins, or with lids? Which stuff needs spill protection and stacking capability and which stuff needs easy access?

How to earn money without..chaos

Gotta go to the pet store tomorrow. Have to compile my list of pet store items i need. Uhhhhhhhhhh

Also I have an essay due tomorrow that I've barely started. So. Wooooooo

Kt tape for supporting arches / inner ankles? I keep messing up my ankles, and part of it is walking wrong because I don't have the energy to engage the muscles in my feet/legs right to like, avoid injury, and part of it is I just need new shoes inserts. But i wear slippers a lot and they do not have arch support and it hurts. PT to help with this also but Where Is It

Family can't seem to get dish soap I can use, so I've just been having to avoid washing anything by hand, or being in the general kitchen area while anyone uses the stuff, which has led to more of my dishes sitting out, and more conflict over dishes. Lovely.

How hard is it for parents to learn they have to respect boundaries? Very hard, apparently. And you're supposed to just sort of remind people, and explain, over and over and over but like at this point my self worth is actually pretty good and the lifetime of proof that they do not want to listen? That's making me want to stop trying. Like, if you're not going to respect my boundaries I'm just not going to involve you in my life. I'm not talking to my dad right now because of this. Maybe I'll decide to lay things out to him, again and again and again again, maybe not. And I'm comfortable saying that's on him.

How to drink water

Am I dehydrated or are my hands just completely callous now. My fingertips have such hard skin. Why? It's uncomfortable. This is part of why I've been biting them.

Also testosterone. Been having a lot of trouble doing my shots, because anxiety and physical freakouts, but also not feeling super urgent about it. Which I'm realizing may be a sign i need to look at the effects so far and the possible effects of continuing, and see what they make me feel. It's possible I'm where I want to be as far as T, and don't really want to stay on it. A big thing for me is a deeper voice, so it seems time to take a look at whether I like my voice where it is or want to see if it'll drop any more. Etc etc

Miss my lil sisters

Saw a lot of cool rocks today. Huge (like hand sized) ammonite for $28. May go back and buy one because. Wow.

Want to plant food plants

Also my natives. Whole garden plot standing empty with a bunch of stuff waiting in nursery pots, needing to go in the ground. Because I can't get out of bed. Love that. Stuff is dying out there, I'm dying in here, there's a poetry to it and I do not want to romanticize suffering so I will say this: I brought a Bucket full of moss home a month ago and planted it and now go outside sometimes to drench my moss and it is very rewarding because the stuff is just so green. Incredible. When the rest of my plants are finally in the ground, that feeling will only intensify. But, for now, the moss is very nice.

Made a glow in the dark bead lizard from memory during therapy yesterday, and I love him. Also, still struggling with bringing up autism and psychosis topics with my therapist. Still very worried about. Things. Would like to get a new person? But sometimes she is helpful? And we have a routine. It's very hard to break the routine. Maybe I can set some time aside during the summer, to figure out what to do there.

Term ends in a couple weeks. The task of catching up, of passing, seems impossible. I really need to pass my courses. I'm on academic warning, because my GPA is lower than it should be, and if I can pass all of my classes this term I can get off academic warning but otherwise I'm not sure what will happen to my financial aid.

My phone is playing the same 50-100 songs on shuffle and I don't even particularly like most of them and it is very strange

Got my face wipes! Hooray, i can wash my face again

Been eating too much sugar in general. It's making my joints hurt more, and the nausea

Pet a dog the other day. I miss that. It would be really nice to have a dog in the house again. The exuberance, the cuddles, the tail wagging, the walks... I'd really like that. Maybe once I'm out in my room, tanks and catio built and everyone is situated, I'll look into getting a dog instead of a cat next. Was planning on holding off in case I'm not physically able to take them out on walks and such, but I've been pretty successful at doing this job, and I think that my main hurdle for walking really is motivation. Dog walking is a strong motivator for me. Best to start by fostering, or just do Wag, for a while though. I'm feeling overwhelmed with my current responsibilities, and here I am talking about getting a dog. Good job, me

How do you get wax off of somewhat water soluble rocks? My housemate broke my lava lamp on some of my rock collection and I am not sure how to get some of them clean without damage.

I am...pretty sure there are collared doves nesting over my room but it seems they're less common around here than I thought? But they are..pretty distinctive. Like if I'm wrong, what are those birds. Some very distinctly colored feral pigeons? Who are nesting here, in a tree, without their flock, and who happen to have pretty much the exact same pattern?

Probably should go to the dollar store and get some bins for organizing

Been wanting to keep a bin by the door and stock it with stim/fidget stuff people can just .have ..like extras of some of my favorites and other things i can get ahold of, to offer to my friends who haven't really had the chance to explore the world of stim toys

Hands are really just not doing great the last several weeks. Arthritis type pain cropping up more and more in all the little joints, making it hurt more to write, type, or just use them for whatever. Coordination isn't great because of that distraction, and because my hands/arms are slow to respond and kinda weak. Most people would say I'm not using them enough but I've been doing 15ish hours of manual labor per week, so maybe it's the other direction? More water would help. If only it wasn't so heavy.

I haven't taken a single shower since I started my job. Which was March 29th. That's not great.

Practiced parallel parking today. 10/10 still very bad at it.

Having anxiety that my friends think I'm lying about things, faking, and are watching me to see if I'll slip up. So that sucks. Can either talk about that directly or indirectly, or just shut up about those things until I can get my brain under control again. I'm not sure right now if the reassurance would work as a reality check or make me believe it more, right now, so might hold off on the talking bit for a little while.

Saw, smelled, picked a couple pretty roses. Good times

At this point I'm just trying to list all my thoughts so that maybe I'll be able to sleep and not worry I'll forget

My mom has put her spider plant on the deck, and it has maybe five living leaves. I have no idea how she killed such a well established spider plant, the last time I saw it it was so happy. Did she stick it in a corner and forget to water it? Whatever happened, it is now in the Plant ER, so hopefully I'll be able to...help get it on the up and up again

Leo is such a pretty noodle. He's so pretty. He's posing. Hi, baby boy.

Oh, he saw me moving around and decided to come say hi. Sorry little man, i did not mean to disturb you. Please resume lounging. I can't bring you out right now, I'm trying to sleep.

Also, terrariums. Water features. Need to ask. Someone. The one who was making that super cool garter snake enclosure and blogging the progress? With the lazy river and pool? About maintenance on that kind of setup. My milk snake really enjoys water, and I'd love to put a water feature in his tank. But I'm unclear on how to keep it clean, or honestly where to start. Don't want any huge falls or anything, though it actually may not make the humidity too high if I did maybe a small drip wall into the pool? That seems like something he would enjoy, and a good way to support different types of plants. But like, that's the thing, it's bioactive and I haven't done that before and no amount of research is ever enough.

Oh, Shogun has a dirt hat. How cute. I love when they do that

See, this is the thing. My snakes make me so happy. All three of them are actually hanging out where I can see them from my bed right now, and it's really nice. I want their lives to be the best possible, and I think I have the resources to do that. Which is so exciting. Now if only my brain and body would cooperate. It would hurt quite a lot to have to re-home any of them, but the most important thing is their health and quality of life, you know? If I can't get my act together somewhat, it may be that one or all of them would be better off with another keeper. I don't know. It's just, i talk about all these tank ideas and all this husbandry standards stuff but how much of it actually gets applied to my own animals whose lives are in my hands? How well am I caring for them, really?

Oh!!! My red thread! I thought that was gone forever.

Anyway, please do not worry. My snakes are healthy. I pay attention, and watch for signs of illness, and they're okay. There will always be places to improve, and the water is a big one, but most of the time i change their water out frequently, I'm just worried because of bad depression and fatigue times, you know? I'm working on making the most self sustaining systems i can, in part so that I am sure they'll be okay if I mess up sometimes. Just saying this because I hope you guys don't feel like you need to worry about the welfare of my pets. They're okay, i just always want better for them, is all.

Anyway, the sun is coming up and I should probably go to sleep. So uh, thanks for reading, if you read all of this randomness, and if anyone has thoughts or advice on anything in this post, i would welcome it! Good night!

#mine #long post #snakes #pets #food m #uhhhhhhhhhhhh whatever else needs tagging

[darlingandmreames]

Babe! Contagion Inception!au with Eames as a liaison and Arthur as a field researcher—

Agsjdk okay so I meant for this to be under 1000 words but that uhhhhh didn't happen. Oops. It also got a bit angsty so sorry about that 😅 Because this is a Contagion AU, it deals with getting sick. That's obviously a topic that might make people uncomfortable given the state of the world right now. If that's the case, I highly suggest not reading this.

please feel free to send more prompts!!

*******************************************************************************************

Eames was still in Geneva when he got the call. He grinned as Arthur's name came up on his caller ID. Arthur rarely called anyone as a rule, so this was an unexpected surprise; part of him even felt a little smugly satisfied, if he were being completely honest. Something he admittedly generally avoided being when it came to Arthur. He picked up with a chuckle. "Hello, darling. This is a delightful surprise.”

“Eames?”

“The one and only, love.” He grinned a bit wider. “What, couldn't wait until I get in tomorrow to hear my voice? You better be careful, or I might start to think you don't actually hate me." He leaned back in his chair. "I was thinking, though, I still owe you dinner. If I can manage to pull you away from work for an hour or two, that is. Maybe tomorrow night? There's a little noodle place I love that…"

"Eames, I…I think I'm sick."

Eames stopped, stomach dropping. He sat forward, paying close attention; he had to have heard Arthur wrong. He couldn’t have heard him right. "What?"

"I-I woke up with a fever and I-" A harsh cough cut off Arthur's voice, and it was a moment before he was able to speak again. "I've had a cough since early this morning." He took a shaky breath and Eames could hear the edge of fear in his voice. "I contacted the hospital and they're sending a team to bring me in and put me in isolation but it might be a bit before they're here and I-I just needed…I needed to call someone."

No no no no, this isn’t happening. "I can…" Eames had already pulled up flights, scrolling through them quickly and clicking on the soonest option. "I can be there this evening." He logged off his computer and grabbed his jacket and the small packed bag he kept by his desk for emergencies, running out of his office. It'd be close, but he could make the flight if he headed out now. "Send me the hospital information and I'll meet you there."

"You don't have to come, you're coming tomorrow anyways, it's alright, I just…I just needed to hear someone’s voice, that's all, you don't have to…"

"Arthur." Eames cut him off. He tried to shove down the panic he could feel rising in his chest. Arthur was already afraid- god he could only imagine how afraid he must be- he didn't need to make it worse by letting his own fear show. "I’m coming. I'll be there this evening."

Arthur was silent on the other end of the call for a moment, and Eames could hear him sniffle quietly. When he finally spoke again his voice was quiet. "Thank you."

"You're going to be alright, darling." Cobb tried to pull him aside to talk as he ran through the lobby but Eames pushed past him frantically, shaking his head. He had to get to the airport. He had to make that flight. He had to get to Arthur. "I promise."

XXX

Eames hated hospitals. He spent his time more on the public relations end of outbreaks rather than the front lines or research end of things, but he was far too aware of exactly how many deadly diseases one could catch in a place most people associated with healing to ever be comfortable in one. Hospitals were, in his opinion, a breeding ground for antibiotic resistant infections and were best avoided as much as possible. Thankfully his job as a media liaison meant he rarely spent time in them even when on location and he preferred to keep it that way. When he was in them it was usually for press releases or meetings with administration. Not to visit someone. He tried to ignore how particularly strong the harsh antiseptic smell was as he made his way through the halls to where the isolation room was. It was a smell he'd long come to associate with sickness and death, and he didn't need his mind to go down that path right now. He couldn't let it. 

Arthur was inside the room talking with one of the doctors, who was seated as far away from Arthur as the room allowed and wearing full protective gear. The sight made the coil of fear that had already settled in Eames' stomach tighten. He'd always known this was a possibility- Arthur worked in the field, gathering information to help them understand what was actually happening, if anyone on the team was going to get sick it was always most likely to be him- but actually seeing him like this was different. Even from where he was standing Eames could see how bad Arthur looked. How sick. His normally pale skin looked grey and clammy under the harsh fluorescents and the hospital gown hung on him loosely, so different from his normal fitted suits. He wasn’t a large man to begin with and the ill-fitting gown made him look even smaller. Arthur wasn't supposed to look like this. He wasn’t supposed to get sick. He was supposed to just confirm the situation they were facing, to gather information and plan their next steps. He was supposed to be fine. 

The doctor left the room and Eames walked up to the window, tapping on the glass slightly. Arthur hurried over as soon as he saw Eames, expression equal parts relief and carefully controlled blankness. The look made Eames' stomach drop; he knew that blank expression. It was the one Arthur wore when he was giving bad news but didn't want to make it seem as bad as it really was, when he was worried but didn't want to show it. He reached for the phone and Eames picked up on his end. "You came."

Even over the tinny connection Eames could hear the relief in his voice. "Of course, darling. I told you I'd be here." He paused, pushing down the fear building in the back of his throat and trying to keep it from seeping into his voice. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit."

"Yeah, you look like it." Arthur laughed slightly and Eames gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. His smile faded though as Arthur's laugh morphed into a rough cough that doubled him over. It was several seconds before it finally subsided, leaving Arthur shaky and out of breath when he finally picked the phone back up. "Are you alright?" It was a stupid question, he obviously wasn't, but Arthur nodded nonetheless. "Do they…do they know for sure?"

Arthur shook his head. "They're still waiting on the test. I-I have the symptoms though and contact with a source, and it's within the incubation period. So they're pretty sure. They should hopefully know by the morning."

Eames nodded, taking a breath to try and steady himself. "You'll be alright. You'll be okay."

"You know the odds, Eames. You know the mortality rate. 30% for H7N9, 60% for H5N1, so regardless of what strain it is I'm not…" Arthur's voice broke slightly and he looked down. "My odds aren't great."

"Arthur. Darling, look at me." Arthur looked up hesitantly after a moment, fear written plainly across his features. Eames wanted nothing more than to pull him in, hug him and tell him it would be okay, but he settled for simply putting his hand up against the glass. It was the most he could do right now. "You're going to be alright. You'll get through this. You're the most stubborn man I've ever met, so if anyone can beat this it's you, okay? You're going to be fine."

Arthur brought his hand up on the other side of the glass, resting his forehead against the window. "I'm scared, Eames." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't want to die here. I don't want to die alone."

Something in Eames' chest broke at that. In all their years working together, all the outbreaks they'd investigated and responded to, Eames had never heard Arthur say he was afraid. He moved as close to the window as he could, hating that all he could feel was cold glass. "You're not going to die. And you're sure as hell not going to be alone, alright? I'm going to be here. I'm going to be here until you recover."

"But the job, you have to work with…"

"I talked to Cobb. He's having Ariadne cover for me. It’s alright. I'm not going anywhere, love, I'm staying right here." Arthur nodded and Eames gave him a small smile. "And you have to get better because I still owe you dinner, remember?"

Arthur nodded again and closed his eyes, seeming to hang onto Eames' words. "You can…you can take me to that noodle place you mentioned."

"Yeah, we'll go there and you can pronounce all the dishes wrong like you always do." Arthur let out a quiet sound that might've been a laugh, or maybe a sob. Maybe a bit of both. Eames watched him through the glass, chest aching. He could feel words swirling in the back of his throat, things he'd thought and considered saying but had never gotten around to because he'd been too nervous. Because it was easier to maintain their status quo of banter and flirting without taking the next step. Because he'd always assumed they had time. He took a breath, praying to whoever might have been listening that he hadn't waited too long. "It can be a date, yeah? A real one. Been…been meaning to ask you on one for a while now."

Arthur let out another half laugh, half sob. "You have terrible timing." 

"I really do, I'm sorry," Eames laughed quietly, resting his forehead back against the window. "I'll make it up to you though, I promise. When you've recovered."

Arthur's fingers closed into a loose fist against the glass, and Eames could almost imagine the feeling of Arthur's hand in his. "I'd like that." His voice was quiet, and Eames could hear it trembling slightly. "I'd like that a lot."

"Good. It's something to look forward to then." Eames closed his eyes. "You're going to be alright, love. It'll be okay. And I'll be with you through all of it."

“Promise?”

“I promise, darling. Whatever happens…” His breath caught slightly in his throat. It was going to be alright, he wasn't going to lose Arthur. He couldn't. Not now. Not with so many things he still needed to say. “Whatever happens, I’ll be here with you.”

#arthur x eames #arthur/eames #dream husbands #dreamhusbands #inception #contagion #angst #asks #prompts #so excited to have a writing prompt!!! send me more!!!! #local trash goblin writes stuff #local trash goblin speaks

[rhinkthreeways]

“What are you doing?” (Fluffy version)

U.S. Election talk, so immediate jump cut for y’all. Massive thanks to @likeaswitchinheat for recognizing that my anxiety has been super triggered!

Link walked through the offices of Mythical, checking in with the crew that were onsite. He and Rhett had been taking turns walking around talking to folks since they came back in the studio, and it was his turn this week. He knew the stress of the election was weighing on a lot of folks’ minds, as well as the ongoing pandemic. Even his. As he left the Mythical Kitchen set, his last stop, he sighed deeply.

Scrolling through his calendar app on his phone, he walked back to his office mentally preparing for the next meeting. He opened the door to their office and looked up to see Rhett looking pensively at his monitor, one hand on the mouse while the other cradled his chin, covering his mouth. Any other person would just assume Rhett was focused. And they’d be right. But Link could see the telltale sign on his brow that Rhett was also stressed.

“Hey, Rhett,” Link said, as he closed the door, pocketed his phone and moved toward his best friend. He cast a quick look at the monitor to see Rhett scrolling through Twitter. “What are you doing?”

“Doomscrolling,” Rhett said, his eyes not leaving the intermittent scroll of the commentary before him. 

Link quietly sighed. He placed his hand gently on Rhett’s shoulder. 

“We’re not going to know until we know, though. All the votes have to be counted.”

Rhett sighed as he finally gave in to Link’s presence. He turned his chair, and, holding Link’s hips in his hands, pulled Link in between his legs as his forehead made contact with Link’s stomach. Link’s hands flew to Rhett’s hair, which was down, and he tenderly pet his head.

“I know,” Link whispered, as Rhett nuzzled in and wrapped his arms around Link’s body. Link reached over, trying not to disrupt Rhett too much, and quickly punched in four numbers on Rhett’s office phone. There was a lot out of his control right now, which frustrated him, but he knew he could help Rhett right here and now.

“Hey, Rhett,” Stevie’s voice rang out over the line.

“Hey, Stevie, it’s Link. Could we push our meeting to later today, or tomorrow?”

“Uhhhhh,” Stevie said, trailing off as Link assumed she was checking calendars. “Sure. Everything okay?” 

Link wasn’t willing to share Rhett’s struggle, but was fully prepared to shoulder the reasoning. “Yeah, just a little wiped out. Just got done checking in with folks and want to decompress a bit.”

“Totally. I think everyone’s appreciated you guys doing that, so I get it. I’ll move the meeting.”

“Thanks, Stevie.” Link moved again to hit the button to disconnect the call and could feel Rhett’s grip on him tighten. 

“Why don’t we go over to the couch?” Link said gently, as he pulled a bit on Rhett’s shoulders. He could feel Rhett’s nod before the taller man pulled away and stood, slowly following Link to the couch. Rhett seemed to be tethered as his hand never removed itself from Link and, as they sat, he quickly pulled Link into a close, tight embrace.

“Are you doing okay?” Rhett asked. 

“It’s stressful, but it’ll be okay.”

Rhett took a shuddering breath. “How can you be so sure?”

Link smiled as he hugged Rhett tighter. 

“I’ve got you.”

#rtw: fluff #writer: sass-and-panache #prompt: what are you doing #rhink #rhink fic #comfort #cw: election talk