#anyway back to husbands. i just think they’re neat

[thehappiestgolucky]

buggy husbands,,, bugsbands :)

#hollow knight #doodles #hk markoth #hk xero #crimson nails #hk gijinka #hollow knight gijinka #do not perceive me i have been thinking about them #rotating them in brain #ughghghg they make me soft #sorry for no doodles uh. monster hunter happened #again. god i love the game and i wanna ramble about it #sorry to like all my hollow knight followers my constant original brainrot is invading the bug territory #i can *hunt* with *NPCS* now i’m so happy you don’t understand- #anyway back to husbands. i just think they’re neat #it’s the: #._. smart x :) dumb for me #i’ve been thinking of them cuddles. markoth resting his head on xero’s chest cuddles #hearing his strong heartbeat and knowing what an amazing but it comes from and it relaxes him and lulls him to sleep easily #and i do headcanon markoth to actually have a decent sleep schedule and xero is the bad sleeper. but there’s just something nice about hi #*him. feeling nice and comfy in his smaller husbands arms knowing there’s nothing but care

[that-student-that-has-homework]

Portgas D. Ace Headcanons 01

Excuse me Oda-sensei, but that 40 year old Ace is simply criminal. Thank you so much for blessing us with him

Anyway! Have some Husband!Ace headcanons For more Ace content please head to my Tumblr MasterList

Ace is, respectfully, a huge simp for his wife

To the extent that the Whitebeard crew straight up jokingly awarded him with a “Biggest Wife Simp” Award

They made it look official and had Whitebeard sign it and everything. There's even a stamp.

Ace has it framed and hung proudly on the wall next to your bachelor’s degree / college diploma / degree in general. 

I feel like despite his own personal insecurities, Ace still manages to be an amazing father

I imagine Ace originally setting out for like one or two kiddos at most (because y'know...what if he's not good enough) and ending up with 3 or 4 kids

Thing is, that’s both your faults.

Ace is tender and goofy with his kids, and he’s so friggin caring: to the extent that…well wouldn’t it be neat to see him with maybe another 2 or 3 kiddos of his own? 

(Your husband is hot okay?)

In his case, he swears you have a unique glow about you when you’re pregnant. But more than that when he sees you with your first born, he suddenly wants a big family with you.

I imagine his kids are an eldest son, then his princess, then the youngest boy who takes after his uncle Luffy.

His kids aren’t parentified. He keeps his issues far, far, away from them. Besides, he’s got you by his side.

He was dedicated to making sure they got as much playtime as possible.

He heard about learning through play, and he is DEDICATED to doing that as much as possible

Ace’s kids are spoiled with affection, but not spoiled brats.

While it’s true he’d give them the world, he’d rather let them go get it themselves. 

For example: when they asked for a tree house, he gave them the greenlight immediately.

But they had to build it themselves.

It was a super fun project lasting a little over two months with the whole family involved.

Oh and the Whitebeard crew helped too.

It took a while to get the design down initially, then the shopping logistics and whatnot (they used a lot of math here - see education via play)

Building the thing took maybe a weekend or two because the Whitebeard Crew and even the Strawhats came over to help

(It was mostly Franky and Usopp doing work, Sanji was cooking with Thatch)

Uncle Luffy was not allowed near the construction zone after an accident.

They almost destroyed the tree house with their partying once

Ace’s kids were not happy and no one was allowed in the backyard for the rest of the night

He makes sure they have proper manners and self-defense skills

You had to help out here, no lie.

He admitted he needed your help, especially after a dinner with Garp where Makino tagged along to see Ace again

He puts all of his kids into martial arts classes

especially his princess - he’s so proud of her when she beats up bullies

He’s not great at discipline though to be honest. He probably goes about it similarly to Garp. 

Ace will not tolerate any of his kids being nasty to their mother. No matter the phase.

You will have to hold him back if you want to let them get their frustration off their chest.

He’ll let them talk, but you’ll have to keep a hand on him somewhere, his arm, his hand, his knee, his shoulder, his back and rub soothing circles

Let’s just say, “talk shit, get hit,” is Ace’s attitude towards anyone being demeaning towards you (more so with adults, not his kids, but that's why they get a scolding)

"Ace my love" (he melts every time you call him that) "the kids’ll start thinking you love me more than them if you do that"

"My kids won’t disrespect their mother though!"

"They’re just venting darling, and when they say or do something that violates my boundaries, I'll be sure to reinforce it. Lead by example right?"

If they ever feel like pissing Ace off for fun they can just say something kinda not nice about you and he'll get mad and they'll flee from him giggling like the little gremlins they are

Ace is veeeeeeeeerry physically affectionate and he isn’t shy about it at all.

At gatherings with the Whitebeard family, he will gladly seat you in his lap, he will happily hug you as you are seated.

His arm is on your waist most of the time.

They tease him to make him tone it down, he does not.

He, in fact, dials it up. Turns up the heat lol.

You have kids? Not in front of them? What do you mean, not in front of the kids? It’s important they know just how much he loves their mama!

So he will continue to be playful with his hugs and kisses and other displays of affection.

It’s nothing too over the top. Just hugs and quick pecks wherever.

Your entire head is fair game for his smooches, your arms (he loves kissing your pulse and then making eye contact, sneaky guy that he is), your shoulders.

Maybe lifting you and spinning you around. Cuddles. Little bites.

He will play-wrestle his kids to “fight” them over getting to cuddle you, and then he’ll just put all his weight on all of you in a group cuddle

Just to let you know, your kids also receive all the warmth and love of his affections.

When his sons are still tiny and adorable, he smooches them all over. The kisses grow less frequent as they grow older, but the hugs do not stop.

Oh no, hugs galore.

Ace still pecks his little princess on her forehead though

When they’re all under ten he’ll wrap them in a hug (after he chased them down and caught them so they’re laughing and screaming) and start smooching their cheeks while they laugh and try to get out of his grasp

Also yes she’s his princess, but that girl has no problem throwing a fully grown man twice her size around, he made sure of it.

I reiterate: Ace is not remotely shy about displays of affection

Like his eldest could have a friend over, and Ace would still launch a full scale hug attack using the rest of his troops (daughter/youngest)

It's complete with screeching, screaming, and a lot of laughter

His kids used to get teased for it, but it didn’t take more than a few conversations for them to instead jeer at the kids that teased them.

"You’re all jealous your parents don’t love you like ours do"

"How sad, your parents don't hug and kiss you"

Their dad, grandpa, uncle - uncles really, are all gremlins - it's in their DNA

The kids are really physically affectionate with each other as a result

Deadass they’ll be kicking the shit out of each other one second and the next they’ll be all cuddled and huddled up playing Mario Kart or something

Ace is his kids’ hero.

His sons aspire to have his level of fitness.

His daughter, when she’s older, uses him as a standard for dating

You're relieved

Ace is touched and a touch nervous, because he is aware of his shortcomings, though he works hard to keep improving

Of course when you look at him, a twinkle in your eyes, and tell him, “I’m so proud of her, I’m so proud of you!” He feels better

When you continue: “if she can find a guy like you, who cherishes her as much as you cherish me, I’d be so happy.”

Ace loves you so much he swears

#portgas d ace x reader #portgas ace x reader #portgas ace x you #one piece x reader #one piece x you #portgas d ace x you #portgas d ace fluff #portgas d ace #portgas d ace fanfic #one piece fanfiction #one piece #ace one piece

[patcaps]

you can read my other thoughts on the finale here so i’m not gonna just say all the same things again but

the ending was always gonna be divisive with people loving it or hating it, liking it but wishing some things were a bit different. it’s the ending of a beloved show and nobody is ever gonna agree on what the right ending would be. it sucks to have folks outright rejecting it but it also sucks to see people like “you are wrong for having any criticisms whatsoever” like, i’m all for being able to discuss aspects of media and what we liked and didn’t like. it’s not always a bad faith interpretation, or cynicism, or being poor at understanding the writing and intention. and i love meta and analysis that doesn’t completely pick apart something and refuse it any grace or leniency. i think sometimes we’re way too hard on stuff that is ultimately heartfelt and from a place of love and joy, and unraveling them dampens the magic.

anyway. that aside. i love this show so much. there are things i’d have done differently, pacing choices that made it fall flat in places, but it’s not my show and these guys know their characters and love them as much as we do. and the ghosts and mike and alison never stopped being family - which is, ultimately, the biggest thing that matters. not the house, not where they are, but how they’ve helped each other for the better. alison and mike spent their entire lives making sure the ghosts were never forgotten, always went back to catch up. they got to enjoy all the fun and love of visiting family without the stress of living under each other’s feet 24/7 - and relationships with family often improve tenfold with that breathing space.

the show ended where it started with the plans to turn it into a hotel, but this time instead of the ghosts panicking and being like “drive her out, kill her” they loved alison enough to take all of that change on, safe in the knowledge that alison would never ever just abandon them. that’s such a neat way of showing how they’ve all helped each other. like, robin’s seen that house and the houses and land before it change so much but he felt so good about this change, literally said he felt christmassy finally, because they could do this. for her. for their friend, their family member, their alison.

they existed before alison and they’ll exist after her, but in the meantime they get to enjoy being her family and also know they’ve given them a more stable, secure, less stressful living arrangement that works for them all. they aren’t fully dependent on alison anymore and alison was no longer fearful of leaving and losing them because she knew they’d still be her family no matter what. i’ve seen some people interpret this as “they’re saying having a baby meant her found family weren’t important anymore, they have to go be a traditional family alone” and that was my kneejerk response too, but then i sat with it. and actually, alison goes from being a (presumed) orphan with no family besides mike and his side, to having all of that plus the ghosts, people who love her and always welcome her back to visit whenever she wants. how lovely for her to have her very own family she can go and see, who did such a kind thing for her, however bittersweet a decision it was initially.

and yeah, it’s true that the ghosts have less of alison there to take care of things like personalised entertainment, but that’s the whole point of them leaving - alison wasn’t in a position where she could worry about entertaining them all the time whilst also being with her husband and raising a newborn. it wasn’t fair to keep asking her to run around after a houseful of ghosts when looking after yourself and a small child is hard enough. she could have stayed and ended up resenting them, getting frustrated and angry the way they did with mike’s mum, potentially souring that relationship with the ghosts. instead she moved out and gets to go back and see them and love and enjoy them fully without that responsibility 24/7. i’m sure she took them new things, gifts, let them watch tv and read books, i bet they had requests for whenever she visited which she was more than happy to supply. and i bet they always had new anecdotes and things to catch her up on.

the more time i have, the more i warm to it all. it’s easy to say “they should have stayed together at the house” but this show is about being human, about life and death, how existence is both cruel and kind and beautiful and unexpected and it changes you and you change it. they did stay together, just not under the same roof. home is more than just button house, more than just a dream because dreams change as we go, and belonging is about more than just a destination. alison found home and belonging in the ghosts, and they found it in her too. the rest is just bricks and mortar.

#bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts #quill to paper #ghosts meta

[harryforvogue]

Perhaps…spare…some…Annalise & Harry crumbs miss 🙈👀

these are CRUMBS fr so sorry <3

***

"Harry?" Annaliese calls from their room.

“Yes?” Harry answers back from his place at the dining table. 

She skips down the steps to see him. He’s got one hand in his hair, elbow against the table, and the other holding a pen poised over paper with scrawls on it. “It’s ridiculous,” he mutters. “We’ve spent an entire 5 weeks on the French Revolution and not one student has mentioned Robespierre thus far.”

Annaliese sits beside him, leaning in. “That was the terror guy right?”

He looks up. “Oui, ma femme française. The terror guy.”

She grins, reaching out and plucking the pen out of his hands. “How long do you think you’ll take on this? Will you be done by 7?” 

“Did you need me for something?”

“Yes. You know how we’ve got the women’s town hall meeting? So we kind of need some security while we’re actually having the meeting so ensure people don’t come barging in and all that.”

Harry’s eyebrows pull together. “Barge in?”

“Yeah, and all my friends are trying to convince their husbands to form a little troop and hang by the entrance to make all the weird people go away, and I thought I’d ask you.”

He leans back in his chair. “Whoa, whoa. Has it happened before? Like, the weird people hanging out by the front.”

“Yeah, I mean, women talking about having rights isn’t exactly what most men want to hear. They kind of just show up and linger. But that’s not thepoint. The point is–”

“Has that happened at the meetings you’ve gone to in the past? Like the one last week?”

Annaliese laughs fleetingly. “Yes, but it’s nothing severe. A few hurls here and there, some taunts. Really. We have thicker skin. But I think it would help us women feel a lot better if you and some of the other husbands and brothers stood by the entrance of the hall.”

Harry bites the inside of his cheek. Her hair is in neat finger waves, a pin holding her bangs back. She’s in trousers (which has been a lot to take in already), and a shirt that’s tucked into her waistband. Her boots make a loud noise against the hard floor. 

“Annaliese,” Harry says quietly after much thought, “I’m not sure I feel comfortable letting you go to this meeting now.”

Annaliese crosses her arms. “Nothing ever happens. You know the nice husbands would never let the weird men actually harm the women, no matter what they’re meeting about.”

“That doesn't mean I’m okay with some asshole yelling and mocking my wife,” Harry says incredulously. “No. I won’t allow it.”

Her eyes narrow. “You can’t stop me from going.”

This he knows. He can’t stop her from doing anything. He doesn't want to stop her. 

The meetings at town hall happen every week, sometimes every two weeks. It’s not in the main chamber of course, but a small adjacent room. Housewives and working women meet there to discuss their prospects of gaining more rights. The overarching organization is country wide, and this is a smaller division in New York. Recently, they’ve been organizing a protest. Two weeks ago, they completed their campaign of sending 2000 letters to the mayor, hand written by women about the urgency of the matter of letting women vote in community level elections.

Harry doesn't mind her attending these meetings. In fact, he thinks Annaliese’s understanding and eagerness of her fundamental rights exceed the expectations of her neighbors. Though he’s never been at any meeting, he’s positive that his outspoken and fierce wife has instilled some morale in the other women.

But despite her ability to take care of herself, he feel reluctant.

Harry sighs. “I’ll go with you then.”

She immediately smiles. “Great! So be done by 6:30 so we can catch a bus, okay?” She leans and kisses his cheek. “Wear a warm jacket!”

***

As they approach the building, Harry’s fidgeting. “What if I’m the only man standing guard? What could I even do anyways? I'm good with a rifle, not my fists."

Annaliese fixes her burgundy gloves. “Other women told me their husbands will be there too!”

When they get to the entrance, Annaliese is shivering with excitement. “Oh, I wish you could sit in with us. The things we discuss and plan – it’s all so fun!” She holds his arm all the way until they get to the right room. 

Thankfully other men are there. They nod politely at Harry. Annaliese is already fluttering into the room when Harry grabs her waist and tugs her back. “One hour, right?”

“Yes,” she says, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him quickly. 

(One of the men by the doors whistles. Harry ignores it.)

“Okay,” Harry murmurs.

“Bye!” She closes the door behind her.

He walks to the other side of the door and stands by the wall, hands tucked into his pockets. One man holds out a cigarette for him, but Harry shakes his head. “I’m good.”

It’s quiet after that. Harry makes conversation with the men, telling about his service in France (to which one of the younger men, who must be someone’s brother, salutes him, and Harry turns red with embarrassment), and speculates what they could be talking about in there.

“My wife said they’re planning to storm our workplaces as a protest next week,” one man chuckles, turning his head to blow out smoke. “I’m pretty sure she’s messing with me, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“No? Why?” Harry asks curiously.

Just then, there’s a loud roar in the room. Someone starts banging on the desk, yelling, “Order! Order!” and the man who offered Harry the cigarette chuckles and says, “That’ll be my wife.”

The chaos happens for a very long time, and when the hour is up, women begin to quietly leave as if none of that ruckus ever happened. Annaliese is bright eyed with flushed cheeks when she shows up, looping her arm through Harry’s. 

He’s very interested in the organization now. They will definitely be talking about this later at home. He’ll want to know more about the plans they have, including the protests. He’ll want to make sure she’s staying safe. Maybe he’ll buy her those cool brass knuckle things they saw once at a medieval convention downtown. That’ll work.

He wraps his arms around her and pulls her close when they walk out into the cold air.

“It’s going to be great,” Annaliese whispers excitedly. “Revolutionary, even.”

Harry kisses the top of her head. “I believe it, baby.”

#harry and annaliese #harry styles fic #harry styles x oc #harry styles writing #harry styles fluff

[thecasualauthor]

Jily Microfic Prompt 27: Trust

@jilymicrofics I stayed up way too late to write this but I think it's pretty neat. (these two have taken over my life.)

Words: 515

---------

“Do you trust me?” 

Lily’s locks her gaze with James, and her breath catches in her throat.

It doesn't matter how long they've been together, he has the same effect on her he's always had. Butterflies erupt in her stomach, and her face warms. They’re so close to each other, lips merely inches apart, kneeling behind a patch of bushes, hidden in darkness. She’d kiss him right now if they weren’t about to enter another life or death situation. She forces herself to focus, to pay attention to the task at hand. 

You can kiss him later, she thinks.

“James–” Lily says, and she's surprised to hear her voice crack a little. “James, there are too many of them in that house. Bellatrix Lestrange is in that house. And as much as I want to curse her into oblivion right this second, we need backup. We can’t do this alone.”

“Peter is in that house too, Lily,” James says, fire in his eyes. “We don’t have time to get back-up. Who knows what they’ve done to him already, how long he has left in there.” The pained look on her soon-to-be-husband's face makes something in Lily’s stomach twist uncomfortably, but she plows on anyway. 

“There are ten of them.” she says. “ At least. And Peter– he’s probably– he can’t help us. The odds–”

“I don’t care about the odds,” James says impatiently, “I only care about getting Peter out of there, which we are going to do.”

Lily closes her eyes and lowers her head, knowing the argument is pointless. Not for the first time, Lily curses James’ sense of undying loyalty.There are, the way she sees it,  only two ways this situation could go. Either she could leave to get backup, and let James go into the building Peter was being held in to face ten death eaters at once, or go with him now and make it two against ten.

“James,” she says again, eyes still closed, but James interrupts her. 

“I have a plan,” Lily,” James says. “I just– I can’t leave him at the mercy of the Death Eaters. I won’t.”

And Lily knows that. She knows that James would rather die than leave a friend in a situation like this, even if it meant putting himself at risk as well. It’s one of the things she loves most about him, even though it usually ends up with him (and Lily as well) in mortal danger.

“Do you trust me?” James asks again, his voice soft. Lily breathes in deeply, and she feels James’ hand against her cheek. She lifts her head and meets his eyes again. She searches his expression, trying to memorize every last feature of his face, trying to commit to memory every single moment she’s had with him. She does this every time there’s a fight ahead of them, because one never truly knows. 

Her stomach twists as she thinks that this– this may be it for them. Ten Death Eaters against her and James. But–

“Of course,” she says softly. 

She does trust him. 

Unconditionally. 

#jily #jily microfic #james potter #lily evans potter #harry potter fanfiction #microfic

[oh-no-the-hyperfixations]

hi y’all you remember those tma flight rising fandragons i posted a few months ago? Well theres more- and i need your help to pick out the final fandragon for the original series ^^

Mild spoilers ahead

Nikola- i skried out them Ages ago and i had been searching for their specific color way for Months and months. I’m Very pleased with their genes and outfit. I thought jester gave a wonderful circus tent look, seeing them without their outfit is also quite neat because the Poison gene makes them look like they are smiling a big empty grin. I gave them soap as their final gene because it reminded me of the hard plastic they’re made of And it made them look like they have a clown nose

Jude perry- I wanted her to reference a moth to a flame and burning from the inside out. I tried some different colors and genes but eventually settled on this (i think she matches my agnes really well)

Andre ramos (homophobic vase guy)- i wanted him to look like shattered pottery as if he tried to smash that vase to get his husband back. Just because i thought it’d be fun visually<3 he’s such a fun character i just needed to have one of my own

Breekon and hope- i really wish there were burlier twin headed dragons but i’ll just have to cope with what aberrations give me</3 i gave him the primary gene wasp to look like a mannequin and patchwork to match nikola and the dark circus theme. Waiting for this color way took Ages too

Jordan Kennedy (exterminator ant guy)- he’s been one of my favorite reoccurring characters in the series i really really hope he shows up in protocol. It took like- 6 separate dragons and 2 months of breeding to get his specific colors with the plague eye type.

Georgie Barker- i thought she deserved some mice and her cat the admiral sitting on her shoulder i’m so happy with her colors and her outfit she Looks like a silly little ghost hunting podcaster. I gave her ghost as a tertiary gene to reference her affiliations with the end

Adelard dekker- i’m still working on his outfit (i just cant find anything i think looks good both with his colors and salvaging his “coated in concrete” look but i figured i’d show him off anyways cause he’s Severely under appreciated.

Now heres where i need your help- what should be the final character in my original series to fill in this missing spot? I wont be doing anything from protocol yet because i want to see more of the series play out before i make them fandragons (i might make an exception for mr bozo tho- bro has a cannon design which should be pretty easy to make)

#tma #the magnus archives #flight rising #fandragons #nikola orsinov #jude perry #tma andre ramos #homophobic vase guy #breekon and hope #jordan kennedy #georgie barker #adelard dekker

[crockettmarcel]

ooh how about sockett + detective au for the three sentence fic prompt?

sorry this took so long it turned into slightly more than three sentences lol

Crockett strolls into the bullpen half an hour early, with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. He's got over a dozen unread emails, and when he left the night before, the stack of papers on his usually immaculate desk was looking dangerously close to collapse. If the traffic downtown hadn’t been so bad, he’d have been here even earlier, but half an hour should still be enough time to at the very least get through some of his emails, or start organising the mountain of papers. He expects he’ll probably end up shredding most of them anyway.

As he nears his desk, he skims over the subject line of one more email — something about one of the break room coffee pots — then slips his phone back in his pocket, ready to start fixing the administrative nightmare that his life has become in the last forty-eight hours. He takes a sip of coffee and then stops in his tracks a few feet from his desk.

There’s a woman sitting cross-legged in his chair. Her face is mostly hidden behind a newspaper, but what he can see of it looks young, and she has curly hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. She has a gun holstered at her hip, and Crockett’s stomach sinks. She hasn’t noticed him yet, too engrossed in whatever article she’s reading, so he starts walking again, all the way to Goodwin’s office at the other end of the bullpen.

He knocks, then waits for her Come in before opening the door.

She’s at her desk flipping through paperwork, something he should already be doing, but she sets it down as he enters. The room is well-decorated, with plants and art dotted around, but, Crockett notes as he approaches the desk, the frames that once stood there proudly displaying the face of her husband — Bert, is it? — are now nowhere to be seen. 

“Hey, Sarge, look—”

She holds a hand up to stop him. “Is this about Detective Reese?”

He blinks. Detective. 

“The woman waiting for me at my desk?”

“That’s Detective Reese, yes. She’s your new partner.” She folds her hands on top of the file she’d been looking through when he came in, and fixes him with a stern gaze. It’s obvious where this is going.

“Sarge, all due respect, I don’t do partners anymore. Not since last time.”

“Detective, it’s been a year. Reese is a good cop, and I think the two of you will work well together.”

A silence falls over the room as he figures out what to say next. He’s not ready yet, and there are other detectives looking for partners, but he settles on “Am I being punished?”

“No.”

“Is she?”

Goodwin sighs, and that’s all he needs to know. “Look, Crockett, I just want you to give her a chance. A few weeks, that’s all I’m asking. There are other people I can pass her on to if it’s really not working, but you have to at least try.”

He nods, then starts making his way towards the door.

“Crockett? One more thing.” He turns back to face her. “Be nice to her. Please. Things will be a lot easier if you are.”

Another nod, and then he leaves, shutting the door quietly behind him. From here, he can see his desk, and Reese still sitting comfortably in his chair, completely unaware. He’s not sure how to do this, but he strolls over anyway, and stops directly in front of her.

“Detective Reese?”

She looks up from her newspaper, eyes wide, then scrambles to fold it up, creasing the pages until it’s obvious it’s not getting any flatter and she has no choice but to set it down on the desk the way it is.

“Hi, yeah.” She stands and holds a hand out. Crockett ignores it. “Detective Sarah Reese. I’m your new partner.”

“You’re early.”

“I wanted to take a look around before I started. Sir.”

He shakes his head at that. They’re partners.

“Sorry. Detective Marcel.”

“You can call me Crockett.” He grabs his wallet out of his back pocket, then searches through it for a moment before handing Sarah a $5 bill. “Go and grab yourself a coffee, take a walk around the block, whatever. I don’t want to see you again until eight, okay?”

She nods. “Yes si- Crockett. Thank you.”

Her coat is thrown on the back of his chair, and she quickly grabs it and shoves her arms through the sleeves. She offers a quiet “see you later” before leaving, and Crockett doesn’t hesitate to take his seat back before she’s even out of view. 

Twenty-four minutes until eight. He can’t bring himself to think about it.

#chicago med #sarah reese #crockett marcel #writing #detective!au

[lovecaitlined]

KaySun 🔞 headcanon fics 🖤

Some casual KaySun headcanon smut I wrote because I’m delusional. Read at your own risk! I don’t have the time nor the plot idea to make a full-on fic and I just remembered I used to write short-form / bullet point stories on here, years ago, and I enjoyed the non-committal format.

First of all, Suna is not conservative since we saw how she used to excitedly talk about halvets with Seyran…it’s horrible foot fetish man who gave Suna the trauma (which she got over during her first night with Kaya). I talked about this with @/academyofbrokenhearts and we both agreed Suna is not conservative, just repressed!!! There is a difference! Also, she is a product of the environment she grew up in (like with a father as terrible as Kazım in Gaziantep, no wonder the Şanlı sisters dressed like old ladies back then).

And now, I personally believe Suna WANTED to have a good first night with her husband, not just to get over her trauma, but because 1) As she told Kaya, she didn’t want their marriage to be defined by fake formalities, 2) she has had enough of the evil men in her life defining her, and 3) She was just…horny…scared and traumatized, but horny…very willing too because consent is important and both of them wanted eo and both of them wanted to feel wanted by eo. Chile anyway Kaya definitely wants his wife and he can help her with everything! I choose to believe both of them have a great sex life together despite them both trying to figure their lives out. (Let’s forget that as of writing, they’ve only been married for like 4 days haha).

First, yes, Kaya eats Suna out. I think that’s obvious. And Suna gives him head too eventually aurrr 😭😭😭

I’m gonna be honest, Kaya loves pleasuring Suna, he eats her out every chance he gets (so long as she’s willing, of course).

Suna is shy at first but he tells her to let go and just enjoy it…and she does! Yes there is a lot of tongue but I won’t get into that because that deserves privacy.

Suna won’t always admit how good it feels, but when Kaya is between her legs she grasps their sheets until her knuckles turn white, and she calls out his name,

…so Kaya is satisfied and can sort of tell she’s having a great time, anyway.

Also, my headcanon is Kaya personally doesn’t mind if Suna has a bit of a bush down there (he’s open-minded like that)—

But our girl Suna is so neat, she keeps everything down there clean and completely hairless because that’s just part of her new rich girl aesthetic 💅🏻—brows shaped, lashes filled, and every inch of her skin smooth and well-oiled like butter. Honestly so slay of her.

Yes, Suna also ends up giving head to Kaya for the first time. 😭

Suna has never given head in her life but she’s so grateful to Kaya that she wants to make him feel good for a change.

She’s hella scared though, so she tries to Google how and she reads a bit before stopping herself 😭

(and she has mortifyingly invasive thoughts about scraping him by accident with her teeth)…

One night though as they’re kissing she just goes for the jugular, she tells Kaya she wants to do something for him for a change.

He raises his eyebrows but doesn’t say anything because he’s confused, even while Suna is putting her hair in a ponytail.

It isn’t until she kneels down and starts pulling down his pants that his eyes widen.

“Are you sure, Suna? You don’t have to—”

“No, I want to do it for you for a change.”

“But—” “Do you not want me to?”

“I…I never said that.”

It goes better than Suna expects, because while Kaya is pretty big in terms of girth, he’s not too gigantic, and she closes her mouth over him without much difficulty.

Kaya is a gentleman and vvv supportive sooo he actually encourages her when she’s doing it 🫶🏻

He also closes his eyes and tells her how good it feels, because holy crap it does feel amazing !

Honestly, this makes Suna feel better and more at ease with using her tongue and swirling it around when she’s sucking him off ~

At some point she stops and looks up and asks him innocently if she’s doing alright, and he immediately gets frustrated and says yes, please just continue!!!

So she laughs to herself and does just that.

And yes, it feels so good that later on Kaya can’t hold it much longer and tells her so.

And he comes in her mouth. Hard.

And Suna is a bit surprised by the sensation but with a lot of effort she manages to swallow most of it, except for a bit that stays on her mouth and drips down to the ground.

Everything is a bit too salty and her cheeks were kind of painfully full…but she kind of enjoys it and the look on Kaya’s face + knowing the effect she has on him?

Kaya is apologetic and a tad bit embarrassed but he also finds what Suna is doing so hot:

She’s dabbing away what remains of it from her lips with her hands, looking at it curiously as it drips down stickily from her well-manicured fingers.

Kaya’s about to say something, maybe say sorry(?), that was too much, but she throws her hands around him and starts kissing him, so he just sorts of…melts away…

But wait, there’s more.

It affects him a lot, because one time when Suna accidentally drops the beads of Kaya’s prayer bracelet again and she’s on her knees on the ground just like then picking up the pieces, Kaya does get a boner—

He prays she doesn’t notice it, but she eventually does, and he’s embarrassed but she’s deeply pleased (again, knowing the effect she has on him)—

So she locks the door behind them and helps him out.

Other stuff!

Everyone probably thinks Suna is the dom but GUYS. She is not.

She probably enjoys going on top and riding him, and Kaya loves the view as well (plus being the “sub” once in a blue moon) but at the end of the day she just wants Kaya to take the lead in their relationship—

(And I know what y’all are thinking—isn’t Kaya the malewife here? Isn’t Suna the strong woman in the relationship…guys, here’s the thing, he may seem under her irl but in the bedroom it’s a different story. That’s how the dynamic is usually with powerful women lmfao they don’t always want to lead, and if you don’t believe me, look at this interview of Rihanna saying she’s a bottom and that she wants to be disrespected and then read the Twitter discourse agreeing with her and explaining the psychology behind it.) 😃😃😃

Also Kaya takes birth control as his responsibility very seriously. He thinks it’s his duty as a man—

He disapproves of birth control pills because he knows that they mess with your hormones and he never wants Suna to experience that wtf!

So he’s just extra-careful with using condoms, and Suna does her part with the counting method too, if ever …

Because of course, there are very rare instances wherein they slip up in the moment and forget, so there is a Plan B morning after-pill going on in those times.

At one point, Suna brings up getting an IUD, but Kaya shuts it down immediately— “No way are they cutting up skin and embedding something in my wife. I’ll wear the condom.”

I do think they have a very fun sex life and they do it semi-frequently, like that meme “until the window fogs up…” blah blah, but guys—

Suna tried that, and while she did enjoy getting slutted out by Kaya, and while she did liked how warm she felt when he came inside her…

God did she feel sticky after a couple of rounds, with all that sweat and his cum running down her legs. She needed to take a shower, stat lmao—(Suna is neat as hell guys wahaha)

So they decided to stick with condoms and a few rounds at a time only. (Sex is tiring, KaySun can get freaky but I honestly think they need a good night’s sleep if they want to successfully get their revenge and function as regular humans in society lmfao).

Besides that, I do think they try a variety of positions. Mostly I imagine they would like missionary the most and cowgirl sometimes.

Have they ever tried the 69 oral style? Probably they have…I honestly can’t see them not wanting to do it, but I do think they’ll find it a bit inconvenient lmao.

They have tried doggy style, but Kaya isn’t impressed. Like do you think he would enjoy fcking his wife if he can’t see her beautiful face 🥲

I do think there will come a point where they take a small couple’s vacation in a log cabin somewhere with a lot of beautiful snow and trees, and he’ll just fck her from behind while she’s bent over a table. But honestly—not his favorite position! #LetKayaSeeSuna!

First night…(?)

First night fics are very common already, so I’m not sure what to add to it, but…

I do think Kaya is amazingly gentle. I do believe he tried to use his fingers to get her comfortable first.

He definitely held back as much as he could and encouraged Suna to relax and trust him.

He’s probably aware that she’s a virgin so he won’t be rough with her.

He’s doubly aware she has had some trauma so he won’t do anything too harsh to her too, and he looks at her for consent at every turn.

Suna is nervous as hell but he makes her feel so good and at ease that by the time he enters her, it’s not the most pleasant feeling, but it isn’t painful either—she doesn’t even bleed!

And okay, she doesn’t come yet but she really enjoys it. They don’t use birth control that first night either so they’re just lucky (and good with counting) that she didn’t end up hamile.

Both of them feel really good and yes they cuddle afterwards!!!!!!!!!! 💞

Fantasies?

Suna definitely has her fair share of fantasies of Kaya having his way with her, lol—

And she tells Kaya she wants this, and he’s just so confused, because consent is a big deal to him and Suna’s fantasies don’t sound very consensual.

But she insists, insists that there are times when he must keep on going even when she’s crying no, because it feels good for her—

“Suna, I would never want to hurt you—” “You won’t be hurting me, Kaya, you’d be making me feel good and fulfilled.”

So they end up agreeing on a safe word.

I do think they end up having angry sex and after-fight sex sometimes (because relationship development and they’re very good at communicating by this point…haha right @/writers?)…

Kaya can get rough and unrelenting, but he always respects her boundaries still. And let’s face it, this is Suna we’re talking about, she definitely wants it rough from Kaya; she probably enjoys it, too.

BUT OF COURSE gentle sex and consent will always be KaySun’s thing! Don’t get me wrong! But they’re both freaky af so they’ll eventually evolve and get rough and they’ll both enjoy it extremely.

I do like to think that the post-nut clarity will make Kaya a bit guilty sometimes for how intense he was with Suna the night before, so in the morning he’ll just go out into the terrace and sit by himself and stare into space in the silence. Suna is used to him being like this by now. (Cackling as I write this).

Now, as for other things:

Period sex: Honestly, I don’t think Kaya would mind. Probably a part of him wants to try it. 💀 But I don’t think Suna would ever allow this to happen lmfao. She would rather die. But Kaya will always buy her chocolates when she’s in a PMS mood, and honestly that sounds so much better.

Shower sex: I’m on the fence about this!!! Honestly I think KaySun both need their alone time in the bathroom to cry about their traumas so it’s not their fave thing to have someone else there, but it does happen and they do enjoy it! (Feel free to correct me). (Bruh I think Kaya will genuinely cry in there when he does it with Suna. Poor man).

That brings us to the topic of comfort sex and again, of course it happens, of course it will always be their thing, whether it’s their past traumas or new challenges in life. I definitely think though it’s not always going to happen—see, Suna has a very nurturing side and a lot of love to give, and the problem was she was never loved by her family. So I like to think that yes, comfort sex happens. But sometimes Kaya just lies in bed with her, listening to her heartbeat, and she strokes his back and plays with his hair, comforting him.

As for all the other stuff, I really don’t know much about bdsm or anything like that…I do think some stuff can happen. However, I honestly don’t see KaySun partaking in anything involving odd costumes, because that’s generally not their thing, since they’re not on that level yet but we’ll never know. I don’t know enough about toys either to know what they will use 🤷🏻‍♀️ they definitely won’t get them delivered since they share a house with the entire Korhan family and a random maid can find it while cleaning and embarrass them. Maybe when they go on honeymoon in London they’ll give it a try. (Head canon is that they’re freakier in London. Idk if Suna will ever enter a sex shop, but I think 50/50 chance that Kaya can convince her haha).

(Also let’s face it, KaySun can get freaky but at the end of the day they are 2 broken souls healing eo, so I guess while they can get rough and while Suna can have fantasies, they’re still relatively very vanilla sometimes…nothing wrong with that—) (But I could be wrong in reading their characters, so if you guys disagree you guys can write your own thing and I would 100% support it).

I do see Suna getting excited to buy lingerie to wear for Kaya though and getting a lot of beauty treatments and doing prep beforehand because she does want to please her man!!! She doesn’t know Kaya would want her anyway. 😂 #LetSunaBeGirly and high maintenance though homegirl deserves it!!!

Finally, I believe that while Kaya has more experience, Suna surprises him more, and he very much enjoys and appreciates it and he tells her so. She’s new to all this but she’s very unsure, and she’s grateful for all his support always and she really does want to do nice things for him. 🫶🏻🥰🥰🥰

Anyway that’s it, bottom line is they have a pretty good and healthy sex life. Kaya and Suna love each other and are endgame. If you made it all the way here, thank you for reading my delusions/ ramblings. 😘🫶🏻

#kaysun #smut #kaysun smut #fic #fics #kaysun fics #beril pozam #taro emir tekin #yali capkini #yalı çapkını #dizi #dizis #gif #caitlinfics #Caitlin fics

[ghouljams]

GHOUL !!!! I appear to tell you more about the Orang Bunian bc I love talking about my culture’s folklore I just think it’s so interesting.

I realised I didn’t talk about their appearance the first time I rambled about them, so I thought it would be neat to tell you more idk

1. In our realm, they walk around in vaguely humanoid shapes covered by a thin layer of fabric that conceals most of their features, and they’re described to be translucent. HOWEVER if they choose to reveal themselves to you, they can!

2. Somehow we believe that they’re really pretty, but it’s obvious they’re not human. Like yk your description of how Soap is ‘too human’, almost? Yeah, it’s kinda like that here too in my understanding when you’re in the alternate realm.

3. The division of realms are blurred near natural bodies of water. Like waterfalls, lakes etc. For that reason, people who prey on the Orang Bunian try to look for secluded natural bodies of water.

4. There’s actually a story here (idk if it exists anywhere else? Maybe yes, maybe no) where a man spies on a group of fae taking a bath, and he steals the clothes of the youngest faerie. The rest of the fae return and leave her to look for her clothes because she needs them to go home— things from the alternate realm cannot be left in our realm. Anyway she can’t find them, so the man offers her human clothing and they fall in love, have a family etc etc. THEN one day when she’s cleaning their house, she finds her clothes and feels betrayed by her husband, changes into them, takes her kids and returns to the alternate realm.

Yes more folklore!! God I love all of this so much. The story you included reminds me of Selkie myths. Where fishermen steal their seal skins in order to keep them as wives, only to lose everything when the selkie finds her skin again and runs back to the sea.

I love love love hearing about Orang Bunian, thank you!! Are people preying on them often? What are they doing with the Orang Bunian they find?? I have many questions

#ghoul speaks #folklore #i am getting so much joy hearing about your culture's folklore #I love u bun ur such a pleasure to have around #my favorite raccoon

[quietblueriver]

Right on Time (Ch. 4)

Ava’s sitting on an exam table in a hospital gown, kicking her legs back and forth, when Beatrice knocks on the door. She’d unfrosted the windows when she finished changing, because that’s a thing you can do in Jillian’s fancy home lab thing, so Beatrice can see her, can see that she’s dressed, but of course she’s still knocking anyway. She gives Bea two thumbs up and pats the spot beside her on the table as she walks through the door. 

“Hi, hi. Like my new look?”

Beatrice smiles and when she reaches Ava, lets her hand rest on the bare skin of her calf as it swings forward, catching it. Her fingers spread and then trace down to her ankle, which she grasps for a moment before turning around and bracing herself so that she can press up into the space beside Ava. It’s graceful and effortless. Ava had clambered up onto the table like a fucking toddler, all elbows and knees, but whatever, same result. Bea settles and turns to Ava, taking the short sleeve of the gown between her thumb and forefinger and rubbing. It’s a familiar motion; the first time Bea had tested a t-shirt in Ava’s favorite thrift shop this way, Ava had barely managed to hold back a laugh. Just like she was then, Ava knows Beatrice is about to be very disappointed. Sure enough, she’s frowning immediately, like she’s somehow surprised it’s not silk. And it’s not, probably because Jillian gets these gowns from the same place everyone else does, but it’s sort of soft, at least, and it wraps all the way around her instead gaping open at the back, so Ava’s not complaining. 

She grabs Beatrice’s hand and brings it from her sleeve to her lap, holding it between both of her own and leaning over to bump their shoulders together. “You didn’t answer. Is hospital chic not doing it for you?” Beatrice says, leaning into the pressure of Ava’s shoulder and letting her own feet sway back and forth the tiniest amount, “You look unfairly attractive in a hospital gown, but I do prefer you in my clothes.” 

“You think I look good in your clothes?” She eyes the pile of items in a chair in the corner, folded just neat enough that they won’t make Bea twitch or feel the need to get up and fix them. “That’s fair, actually. Your sweater looks fucking great on me.” She’s never above fishing for compliments but she’s going somewhere with this. They’re playing footsie now, eyes down, but Ava doesn’t have to see Beatrice’s face to know she understands what Ava’s doing. It’s right there. To her delight, Beatrice plays along. 

“Yes, Ava.” The next words from her mouth are resigned, almost pained, but she says them anyway. “My sweater looks fucking great on you.” 

Ava bites her tongue, holds the line. Her silence is surprising enough that Beatrice pulls away slightly so that she can look at Ava, brows raised expectantly. Ava bats her eyelashes, exaggerated, and adopts the most innocent expression she can. She sees the moment Beatrice realizes what Ava wants and when Beatrice looks to the ceiling and blows a breath out between her closed lips, Ava knows she’s going to get it. She says, indulgent, “But it’d look even better on my floor.” Ava lets go of Beatrice’s hands to wrap her arms around her, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek and resting her chin on Bea’s shoulder. “Fuck yeah it would. Wow, I love you.” 

--

Three weeks into their gig at Bar La Vasseur, the often absent but always good-humored owner of the bar, Lars, stopped in and pulled each of them aside to talk about the bar’s performance. He hadn’t had much to say to Ava; she wasn’t a great mixologist or whatever, and they both knew it, but she brought in customers and a fuck ton of tips and that was good enough. After a very brief check-in about Ava’s hours and happiness in her position (solid on both fronts), they spent their time gossiping about a few of the regulars and discussing her progress in the cocktail book he’d pulled from the back for her to experiment and practice. Ava asked after his husband, Marcus, and their Bernese Mountain Dog mix, Alfie, who had very sadly had to stay home today because Lars had several additional errands to run. 

She knew, when Hans came back downstairs frowning and stepped onto the back patio to smoke a cigarette, something he did only very rarely, that they had not had the same kind of chat. Beatrice, last to speak with Lars, had returned without comment, smiling at Ava briefly before sitting back down at her regular table with the books. It was only later, when Hans responded to Beatrice’s request for more glasses with a very loaded, “Ya, Chefin,” and Beatrice’s expression flickered, for just a second, that Ava pieced together what happened. 

She wasn’t surprised that Beatrice got promoted. Hans was wonderful—funny and handsome and great with the customers—but he was not the most organized. He was worse than Ava, actually, when it came to things like inventory and tracking tabs, which was really saying something because Ava barely had it in her to give a shit. God only knows what he’d been doing with the ledgers before Bea got there. It only made sense that Lars would notice the sudden increase in organization and profit and on-time restock requests. 

She wasn’t surprised, either, that Beatrice didn’t make a big deal of it. She didn’t like bringing attention to herself, and, even if she would deny it, Ava knew she didn’t want to hurts Hans’s feelings by bringing any more attention to their change in status. Ava, though, loved giving Beatrice attention. She loved watching her cheeks turn red and listening to her generally measured speech stutter, loved the pleased little smile that appeared when she realized Ava meant what she was saying, like she was surprised every time that Ava had found something about her to compliment at all. Ava loved Beatrice, she was coming to understand, in a big fucking way. And she wanted to celebrate her, and her promotion, like they would if they weren’t undercover preparing for war with the world’s oldest incel. 

The bar was closed on Tuesdays, so Ava made a plan. On Tuesday morning, they did training as usual. Ava finished the run at pace and sparred without complaint and with form good enough that Beatrice let them call it half an hour early. Ava could tell she was suspicious, and Ava wasn’t good at keeping secrets, so on the walk home, she said, channeling the authority that seemed to come so naturally to Beatrice, “I’m taking you to the thrift store and then to the bookstore and then to dinner to celebrate your promotion. Don’t argue. Just get excited.” At the hesitation on Beatrice’s face, she stopped, grabbing both of her hands. She softened her tone and didn’t bother to hide her affection as she said, “You’re very impressive, okay? And as your best friend, it’s my job to make sure you know it. Please, Bea. Let me do this for you.” Beatrice, skin back to the red it had been after they’d finished their run, looked at her shoes and then back at Ava and said, very quietly, “Okay. Okay. Thank you.” 

“Why the thrift store?” They were walking toward the bridge, showered and changed, Ava nearly skipping in excitement. She looked over at Beatrice and grinned. “Celebration outfit. I’ve got mine already. Gotta find one for you.” Beatrice’s brow furrowed and she shoved her hands into her pockets the way she did when she was nervous, but she did not protest. 

Ava already had a dress. She’d seen it in the window last week, bought it immediately and impulsively with no idea when she’d actually have a reason to wear it. She didn’t believe in luck or fate or whatever, but she was very happy about the timing; she couldn’t think of a better reason to break it out. 

So now, she was focused on Beatrice, pulling things she thought Bea might like. As they browsed the store, she watched Beatrice eye the men’s section. There weren’t words for how fucking hot Beatrice would look in menswear. Ava honestly couldn’t let herself think too hard about it. More than that, though, Ava thought Beatrice deserved to wear clothes that made her feel good, and wondered, a lot now that they were wearing civilian clothes, what it would look like for Beatrice to let herself be exactly who she wanted to be. Ava resented the Church for so fucking many reasons, but these days what it did to queer people, what it had done to Beatrice, stayed near the front of her mind. Ava forced herself to exhale and focus on the hangers in front of her. That was a conversation for another time. For now, Beatrice didn’t wander and Ava didn’t push.

When Bea came out of the dressing room in a black jumpsuit with long sleeves, more form-fitting than most of her clothes, her face was uncertain. Ava very intentionally let her eyes wander before holding Beatrice’s gaze. “Hot, Bea.” It was a gamble, could just as easily have pushed her in another direction, but happily, Beatrice simply blushed and went back into the dressing room to change, emerging with a simple, “I’m ready when you are.” Ava mock glared at her when she tried to pay, Beatrice caving as much to avoid a scene in front of the cashier as anything. She held the door open for Ava and as they walked toward the bookstore, she let their arms brush and said, “Thank you.”

Ava felt as good in the dress in their bathroom as she had in the dressing room of the thrift store. It was a muted orange, cut just above her knee with flowing short sleeves. The back was high, of course, but the front was low, a v that stopped just high enough to hide the clasp of her bra. Buttons ran the length of the dress, and she left the last several undone, which created a slit that reached mid-thigh. It was maybe, probably, too nice for this dinner, but she wasn’t going to have another reason to wear it, and she really wanted to see Beatrice’s reaction. 

And wow was it worth it. Ava had been flirting shamelessly with Beatrice for most of their time here, and she was pretty sure, had a lot of evidence actually, that Beatrice liked it, liked Ava, more than liked Ava. Still, it was hard not to have doubts because, y’know, Beatrice was a nun assigned to protect her and she was very kind on top of that. Sometimes, at night, Ava laid awake scared that she was falling in love with someone who thought of her the same way Sister Frances had. Gentler, of course, but someone who felt Ava as an obligation. And then there were moments of reassurance, moments like this, when Beatrice was looking at her like she wanted to take the dress right off of her, that made Ava’s doubts fade to almost nothing. 

“Ava.” She said it on an exhale, her eyes wide and wandering and her cheeks pink. 

“Yeah?” She knew Beatrice liked it. The look on her face right now made Ava feel more powerful than the halo, honestly, but she couldn’t help herself. She pulled at the fabric lightly, totally unnecessarily, and let one of her legs press forward so that the slit became obvious. Beatrice’s eyes followed the action with obvious interest and then lingered on the newly exposed skin. She seemed to catch herself after a moment because she cleared her throat and met Ava’s eyes, cheeks a shade darker. 

“You look,” she hesitated, fingers flexing nervously at her sides, “You’re beautiful.” It was soft and genuine and unassuming and it reached well beyond the dress. Ava imagined, for a moment, that she could say thank you with a kiss, that they were going on a real date to celebrate Beatrice, that she could tell Beatrice that she thought of her when she picked this dress, that she could whisper, as they walked home, that she wanted Beatrice to take it off of her, if she’d like. That wasn’t their world, of course. The brightest parts of Ava held onto the hope that maybe one day it would be. 

The moment had become heavy and as much as she wanted to let it grow, she knew she couldn’t, not right now, so she steered them back to more comfortable and ridiculous ground. “I know the dress looks great on me.” She twirled and struck a pose, one hand on her hip, and waggled her eyebrows. “But don’t you think it would look better on the floor?” It was light and teasing and Beatrice groaned, but she was smiling, an easy smile, as she followed Ava toward the door. 

--

“Where’s Jillian, anyway? I want to get this over with. I’m actually getting tired.” She says, a preemptive response to the question she knows she just prompted, “I’m good for a few more hours, at least. Don’t worry. I just want to spend as much of that time as possible curled up with you and not,” she waves a hand around the room, “doing this bullshit.” She cranes her head to see if Jillian’s in the hallway. “Should I go get her?” 

“Actually, it’s my fault. I asked her if we could have a moment.”

Ava’s not totally sure what’s going on, but her face, on the Beatrice scale of concern, is only just past “can’t get the door to the bathroom to stop squeaking despite oil and several YouTube tutorials,” so she’s not really worried. (The high end of the scale includes classics such as: “my faith is being destroyed by a sleazy Backstreet Boys reject” and “the person I love is literally dying in my arms.” They’ve been through some shit.)

“Everything okay?”

“Yes. Yes. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. And I’m sorry.” Ava raises an eyebrow in question and she continues, “I know today has been a lot. I imagine you aren’t eager for another emotionally involved conversation.” Ava’s not eager for another emotionally involved conversation; she’s eager for Beatrice’s sweatshirt and Beatrice wrapped around her in a bed and definitely at least a little bit more of what they were doing in the hallway. But she knows Beatrice wouldn’t bring it up if it weren’t important, so. “Tell me.” She does that thing with her face that she does when she’s getting her words together, and Ava knows from the purse of her lips that she doesn’t get quite where she wants to go, but she starts to speak anyway. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to include me in this.” 

Ava’s a little confused, and it must be obvious, because Beatrice shakes her head at herself and tries again. “I want you to feel like you can have all of the privacy you want and need as you deal with this, with the…transition back. I want to be there for you and with you as much as you want me to be, but I also…I can be supportive in whatever way you need, Ava, including giving you space to have conversations with Dr. Salvius or whomever else about what happened.” 

It’s a kindness Ava hadn’t been given for the majority of her life—the ability to draw her own boundaries and have them respected. She takes a minute to consider. It’s an easy answer, in the end. Well, at least part of it is. “I want you with me. I promise I’ll tell you if I need space, or if I want to have a private conversation with someone, or whatever. Cross my heart.” Ava should be finished. That’s enough. But she hesitates, and Beatrice sees it. 

“It’s okay, Ava. Whatever you need is okay.” 

The thing is, Ava’s not sure how to say what she wants to say but she knows she needs to try anyway. 

“Okay, so. Bear with me here, because I’m still trying to work this out in my head, and, yeah, today has been a lot already but I feel like we should...I feel like I should say this, maybe? If I can figure it out?” Bea takes one of her hands and cups Ava’s jaw, kisses her. It’s brief and warm and what she needs. She takes a deep breath and tries. “I want you to know what’s happening with me. I really do. But I don’t know what Jillian’s going to say about what’s happening with my body or the halo or what I might need to do now that I’m back here, even if I do feel fucking great. And I just…You’re really good at taking care of me, Bea; you spent so much time putting me first.” She squeezes Beatrice’s hands. She can almost hear her protest already. “Don’t try to deny it. Taking care of me was your job. We both know it.” She grins, raises her eyebrows. “Even if it was your pleasure, too.” She knows she’s won for a minute when Beatrice’s eyes roll and her shoulders relax slightly. “I just…I don’t want that to be the way we work. I don’t want you to feel like I’m someone to take care of, you know? I want to be more than that. Not that I think you were treating me like an obligation, or something, but now that we’re…doing this,I don’t want it to be…” She sighs loudly and runs a hand through her hair. “Fuck, I don’t know. Sorry.”  
Beatrice’s eyes are locked with Ava’s, thoughtful, and after a moment she says, “Can I try?”

“Yes.” She smiles, something wobbly, which is a little embarrassing but whatever, long day and way too many big conversations. “Help, please.” 

“Stop me, if I’m misunderstanding.” She pauses and Ava nods. “Things are different now, and you don’t want me to see you the way that I did when I was still...when I still had my vows. Even though you’re right, you were never an obligation; you’re also right that protecting you was my job, and it was my duty to keep you safe.” She stops to check in, and Ava nods. “Now, though, now we’re just Beatrice and Ava, and I can sit with you in the room with Dr. Salvius and listen as your…” Ava watches her hesitate and sees the moment when she decides to push forward anyway. It’s no small thing, Ava knows, for her to love Ava like this, much less to talk about loving Ava like this. “Girlfriend. Partner. As the person who loves you.” 

At her pause, Ava kisses her, because Beatrice is brave in a million different ways, and Ava is so, so grateful. “All of those things, yeah. Lucky me, my god.” The freckles on her cheeks are even more visible with her blush and Ava admires them happily. Beatrice says, voice strong and pitch low, “No. Lucky me.” Ava tries to keep it together because they’re having an important conversation but she still swoons, like, a medium amount because my god. Beatrice’s voice is back to normal as she asks, “Am I doing okay so far?” 

“Yes, yeah. Thank you.” 

“Good. Good. So then, whatever Dr. Salvius says, we’ll deal with it together.” She bites her lower lip, which is both incredibly attractive and a clear sign that she’s thinking something through. (In Switzerland, Ava really enjoyed watching Beatrice do the crossword, cute little socked feet tucked under her on the futon and tea warm and waiting nearby.) “I still…I still want to take care of you, you know. You can always tell me if it’s too much, and I never want to make you feel like I think you’re an obligation or that you can’t handle yourself. It’s just that I love you very much, and part of that means always wanting to keep you safe and make you feel cared for.” 

That’s the thing. Ava wants that, too. She likes taking care of Beatrice, and she’s pretty sure she’ll like being taken care of, too, if she can deal with some of her shit. She thinks of JC trying to show her how to use a shower and fights a grimace. Poor guy. She’s gotta ask Bea about that therapist. “Maybe we can try taking care of each other? In like a normal couple way? As normal as we can be, anyway.” 

She pushes herself off the table and steps between Beatrice’s knees. In this position, when she wraps her arms around Bea, her head rests against her sternum. Bea’s hands land near her shoulder blades as she holds Ava close and Ava lets the halo hum and warm the skin along her back. Beatrice presses her hands into the warmth, sighs, something happy, Ava thinks, and says, “Yes. I’d like that.” Ava moves back and wiggles her shoulders and torso a little, a little more when an affectionate smile eases its way onto Beatrice’s face. “Great, yay, love this for us. Now, you be still for a minute, and I’m gonna go get Jillian and see what weird shit she wants to do to me.” She stops in the hallway, realizing that she has literally no idea where Jillian is, but before she can ask, Beatrice is saying, laughter in her voice, “She’s in the kitchen, my love.” Ava’s cheeks and the halo burn bright the whole way there. 

--

Jillian’s sitting at a rolling stool parked in front of a portable computer station. She’s turned outward to face Beatrice and Ava, one of her black pumps resting on the lower rung of the stool as she balances a tablet on her leg and taps around doing something. Ava takes a second to stare. She looks great, honestly, in wide-legged navy slacks and a white blouse. She looks expensive and put together and Ava knows she has to be real fucked up but it’s not obvious, not right now, not compared to the way she was when they first got back with Michael.  When she looks up from the tablet, Ava sees the dark circles under her eyes, covered by makeup that probably costs a fucking fortune and does its job super well. It’s just, Ava’s looking closely. Probably too closely. She’d been with Reya for way too long and her manners weren’t exactly stellar before that, but she knows enough not to gape at someone openly, so she shakes out of it and looks down at her feet for a second. When she looks back up and meets Jillian’s eyes, they’re soft and her lips turn up at the corners in something that might be a smile if there weren’t so much concern in it. 

“I’m sorry to make you do this so soon. I couldn’t be happier that you’re back and that you appear to be doing very well. I just want to make certain that everything is alright.” 

“No worries, Jillian. Really. I appreciate it. What’s first?” 

“Well, before we begin, is there anything I should know?”

Ava gives a brief rundown: Reya said her body would be fine. She told Ava that she’d done some work to “bond” her with the halo (“Oooooh, a bond. Best buds, like, officially. Can I name it? Hal? Is that too obvious?” Reya had not been appropriately appreciative of her stellar sense of humor.) and some work to repair Ava’s spine independent of the halo, so it didn’t have to spend so much energy on her. Also, she’d taught Ava a bunch of neat tricks with halo energy. Ava stands up and does a light trick, eyes bright and a little aura around herself, and waggles her eyebrows. “Cool, yeah? And this is just kind of showy, although I can use the aura thing as a shield if I adjust it just a little.” She does, and the light becomes something stronger, hums into the room. “Plus a bunch of other really useful shit.” 

She frowns, because she can’t help but think of every single warrior nun who didn’t know what she knows, who was left trying to figure out this deadly thing with no user’s manual. She thinks of her own terror when the halo kept giving out, her fall from the sky, the loss of sensation in her body. Beatrice reaches out, a concerned hand on her shoulder. She breaks through the barrier with no effort. The halo has always understood her priorities when it comes to Bea. Ava covers Bea’s hand with her own and shakes out of it. “Anyway, I’m like a Jedi master now but the lightsaber is built in.” She hops back up on the table and leans her body into Bea’s. 

Jillian can’t hide her curiosity, but Beatrice says, in her most no-nonsense, I-am-a-nun-who-will-kick-your-ass voice, “Dr. Salvius, I know that tonight you’re focused on information related to Ava’s immediate health and safety. I’m sure we can return at some point for further conversation.” Jillian responds affectionately, “Yes, of course. Ava, thank you for telling me all of that. The tests will just confirm that everything is working as it should be. If it’s alright with you, we’ll get started. I’ll have you out of here as quickly as possible.”

Of course, the first thing she does is pull out a metal box that, when she opens it, lets loose a familiar blue glow. “Oh, good. Been a while since someone has stabbed me with Divinium.” Both Bea and Jillian look horrified and, whoops, yeah, she’s had way more time for that to become funny. She does damage control, rubbing a soothing hand over Bea’s back and smiling at Jillian. “Sorry, sorry. I’m fine. Really. Humor. It’s a default.” 

Beatrice smiles the smallest smile, and Ava knows she hears the callback. Jillian offers, as she puts on her gloves, “Is that what we would call humor?” 

Beatrice huffs in amusement and Ava swats her lightly. “Ouch. Clearly you’ve been spending too much time with Mother Superion.” Jillian applies a tourniquet and wipes Ava’s arm down with antiseptic before pulling a needle free. “Suzanne has a wonderful sense of humor.” It’s said almost absently and she immediately finds Bea’s eyes, tilting her chin down and raising her eyebrows. “Oh, does she?” Jillian hums something that sounds affirmative, yeah, definitely absentmindedly, which Ava appreciates given that she’s about to poke her with her equivalent of Kryptonite. Beatrice is shaking her head at Ava, expression long-suffering. 

Before Ava can continue down this fun path, Jillian raises her eyes and says, “Ready?” 

Ava risks a cheery, “Stab away!” 

Jillian, the bitch, takes it to heart. Being pricked with Divinium-tipped needles is exactly as not-fun as she’d imagined, which she lets Bea and Jillian know as soon as Jillian pierces her skin. “Motherfucker. These things suck balls.” It gets a laugh from Jillian and, score, Beatrice can’t suppress a smile as she teases, “Language, Ava.” 

They move through test after test and Beatrice stands sentry the entire time, touching Ava whenever possible—a hand on her knee, on her shoulder, fingers twined. During some weird nerve test that requires her to lay flat with everything but her head in a tube, Beatrice stands for a solid five minutes running a hand through Ava’s hair and brushing a thumb over her eyebrow, chatting with Ava as casually as she can manage, which, turns out, isn’t very casually at all because Beatrice does not like any of what’s happening and she’s not super great at hiding that. When Ava has to be isolated for scans or for the brain shit (at one point Jillian has her in, like, a dark closet because something something sensory something), the last thing she sees, invariably, is Beatrice standing beside Jillian, vibrating with concern. 

Ava, for her part, is fine. She doesn’t love any of it, because who the fuck would, but there’s nothing too terrible, and it’ll be good to know more about what’s happening in her body. She makes it through more than two hours of scans and Divinium-tipped needles and weird cognitive tests.

Then there’s the energy test. She’s strapped to one of those fucking vacuum hose things and put in an isolation chamber while Jillian stands behind a glass wall and says, through an intercom, “Ava, we want to take a scan while the halo is expending energy elsewhere and then when it’s at max output. The goal is to see what’s happening in the rest of your body when the halo isn’t fully focused on you. That way, we’ll know what, if anything, we need to develop for you in terms of a reserve. This should give us an idea of what Reya’s adjustments have done.”

Ava gives a thumbs up and Jillian says, Beatrice frowning deeply beside her, “There’s a little light bulb in front of you. When it flashes red, blast the halo. We’ll do this several times, with increasingly heightened energy expenditures, and then I’ll ask you to hold the output at different levels for longer periods. I’ll check in before each scan. Does that makes sense?” 

“Copy that, Doc. Shine bright like a diamond.” 

Beatrice’s lips twitch slightly and Ava winks at her and then Jillian says, “Okay, Ava, when the light flashes, give a short, low-energy blast, please.” 

She does. And then she does it again. And again. And again. 

“Slightly more energy this time.”  “Hold it for ten seconds.”  “Slightly higher output this time.”  “Go ahead with more. It looks like the cable will hold.”  “Can you do two consecutively?”  “Two minutes now, Ava, if you can.” 

She does it all, and it’s…fun. It’s fun. She gets to show off a bit, and her audience is obviously impressed. Ava’s got a view into the little room where Jillian and Beatrice are waiting, so she can track the evolution of Jillian’s expression. She starts very serious and doctor-y but by the time she asks Ava for a full two minutes at mid-power, she’s outright smiling at whatever she sees on the screen. It’s Beatrice, though (it’s always Beatrice), who holds most of Ava’s attention. When Ava starts, her arms are crossed and she’s wearing her most serious frown of concern, broken out for things like updates on demon cult leaders, dangerous situations involving Ava, and handsy customers at the bar. As the test continues, though, Beatrice uncrosses her arms and moves closer to the window, ends up nearly pressing her nose against it. Her frown lifts and then shifts, a parade of relief, fascination, and awe making their way across her face. 

Jillian says, “Okay, Ava. Wonderful. Last one. Can you go for a minute at full energy?” If Beatrice were any closer to the glass, she’d leave an imprint. Ava thinks of the afternoons she spent wiping evidence of Alfie’s over-excited cat patrol from the window of Bar La Vasseur. It’s a kind of eager expression that Ava has rarely seen on Beatrice’s face. She likes it. She likes it a lot, actually, and she can’t help herself; she wants more. When she catches Beatrice’s eye, she smirks and says, “No problem,” and then, when the little red light blinks, she turns her own lights on. 

She’s going all out, like Jillian asked, but she’s also showing off because why the fuck not. Reya told her that a long time ago, before Adriel, demi-gods and others from her realm would sometimes pass through this one. It wasn’t uncommon for them to have implants like the halo, and they would cover themselves in light when they jumped realms, a protective measure. “They thought we were angels,” Reya had explained, “and there was no reason for us to correct them.” 

She had taught Ava how to create the shield of light, and Ava does it now, turning up her earlier demonstration by about a thousand. She wears the light like armor, lets it break out through the pores of her skin and shine through her eyes. It covers her feet and lifts her just slightly from the ground. She feels strong and in control and at home, now, with the light that lives inside of her. 

Jillian has stopped paying any attention to the computer and is focused on Ava, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. Beatrice looks, well, Ava’s already got an ego and this isn’t going to help at all—she looks worshipful. Ava basks in it. When the red light flashes again, Ava powers down and drops the armor and waits as Jillian, who appears shocked by the passage of time, fumbles momentarily with the computer screen. 

“Great, yes, Ava, thank you. Thank you. I’ll take a closer look at everything but from what I can see, you’re doing exceptionally well on all fronts. Certainly no reason to keep you here any longer.” 

Beatrice is through the door before she has even finished the sentence, walking with purpose toward Ava. When she reaches her, though, she blinks and seems confused at her own location, looking down at her hands and then at Ava, who raises her eyebrows. 

“All good there, Bea?” 

The red that rushes into Beatrice’s cheeks tells Ava all she needs to know. Bea really liked her light show. Excellent information to have. 

“Yes. Yes. Sorry. Are you ready to go?” 

“Yes. Please get me out of here.” She speaks to the glass wall. “No offense, Jillian.” 

Jillian responds, easily, through the intercom, “None taken.” As they pass back through the door, she smiles at them and says, “It is so good to see you, Ava. Now, please go do something fun. Or restful. Or both. I look forward to seeing you two tomorrow.” She breaks from the screen to give them brief hugs and then makes a motion with her hand that Ava’s pretty sure is a motherly shoo. She doesn’t need to be told twice, snagging Bea’s hand and heading back to the exam room to get the fuck out of the hospital gown. 

--

While she was gone, Ava spent a lot of time thinking about what life could be when she got back. She relied on memories and an imagination that was pretty fucking well-developed from more than a decade of being almost totally isolated by sadistic nuns. It was a lifeline, when she was surrounded by beings that she did not like or understand. It was important. And now, watching Beatrice pull and tear an exact measure of floss, face freshly washed and hair in her slightly looser sleep-bun, Ava’s a little bit terrified that she’s trapped in one of her daydreams. 

And then she’s a lot terrified. She’s holding a brush and watching Beatrice floss but what if she’s not. Her breathing gets shallow and she tries to find something to ground herself. This isn’t a dream. She’s back. She’s back. And Beatrice is here and everything is going to be fine. She puts down the brush  and tries to put toothpaste on her toothbrush but her hands are shaking and she makes a mess. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She tries to count her breaths but it’s like there isn’t space enough in her chest for the air that she needs. She closes her eyes. 

“Ava.” Beatrice is next to her, voice gentle, gentle, gentle in her ear. “Is it okay if I put my hand on your back?” 

She nods, keeping her eyes closed, and feels the warmth of Beatrice’s palm low on her back. 

“Can you tell me five things that you feel, Ava?” 

She nods again. 

“Your hand on my back. The counter. It’s..it’s cold under my hands.” She takes a breath, still not deep enough, but less frantic at least. “There’s, um, there’s a string loose on these shorts that keeps brushing my thigh. The socks Cam knit are really cozy. And,” she keeps breathing, opens her eyes, finds Beatrice’s in the mirror waiting for her, “there’s a little bit of toothpaste on the back of my hand.” 

“Good. So good, darling. Okay, tell me four things that you see.” 

Beatrice walks her through the rest of her senses and by the end, she’s breathing more deeply as she sits on the floor slumped against the cabinet, Beatrice pressed close to her. 

“Thanks, Bea.” 

Beatrice presses a kiss to her temple. “I love you. Do you want a cup of tea?” A smile overtakes her face and she rests her head on Beatrice’s shoulder with a soft laugh. “I missed you so much. You know that?” 

She feels the press of Bea’s lips on the top of her head. “I missed you too.” They rest for a moment and then Ava says, because she needs to say it, “I was serious. I’m doing really fucking fantastic. But, uh, I definitely need to talk to someone, too. This shit’s hard, Bea.” 

Beatrice hums into her hair and plays with Ava’s fingers. “I can introduce you to Margaret, if you’d like. She’s the person I’ve been seeing and she’s been…helpful.” 

It’s the same way she’d complimented a stew Hans had made and brought to the bar for them to try. “Healthy,” she’d said, trying so hard with a grimace-smile on her face. Ava had turned around and bitten into her thumb to keep from bursting into laughter. Beatrice had swatted at Ava, who was laughing hysterically on their walk home, and said, “It wasn’t a lie. It was healthy. I had to say something, Ava.” Ava had been then, as she is now, totally in love. 

“You hate it don’t you?”

“So much, Ava. I hate it so much.” 

Ava laughs and lifts her head, turning Beatrice’s head with her hand so that she can kiss her properly. 

“It’s good for me, though. I know it is. It’s only been a month or so but I’m already…I am coming to understand and to…to accept myself, and what I want. And, of course, I’m working through some of the,” she hesitates, “violence of my life, in the Order and before. It’s a process.” She says this like it’s something she’s tired of hearing and lifts her eyes to the ceiling. Ava traces a finger down the slope of her nose because she can’t help herself and Beatrice leans further into her before she continues. “It’s difficult, but Margaret understands more than most.” At Ava’s questioning look, she responds, “She used to be part of another order, sort of like the OCS. They dealt with, well, things out of the ordinary.” 

“Huh.” 

“Yes. And she’s gay.” Ava smiles as Beatrice pauses, fiddles with the hem of her shirt for a moment. “Yasmine recommended her, and Jillian called and offered her a job. She’s working for the OCS now, for the foreseeable future. As it turns out, many of us could benefit from additional attention to mental health.” 

Ava tries, unsuccessfully, to hold back a snort. Beatrice pokes her knee. “Don’t be rude.” She kisses the finger that had poked her in penance. Beatrice appears placated. 

“I’m scheduled to see her tomorrow. I thought maybe I would cancel, but I could bring you with me, if you’d like? We usually meet just down from my room…the room where I was staying at the temple. Or, if you’d prefer not to go back there, she’s coming to Cat’s Cradle in a week or two, I think, to set up there. It’s just been easier, with enough of the Order coming back and forth during the day, for her to stay close to the temple for the moment. In any case, I’m sure it wouldn’t be an issue for us to go with Camila to the temple tomorrow morning.” 

Ava considers, wiggles her toes in the fuzzy purple socks Camila had apparently knit for her while she was gone. “I’d like to meet her, if you’re up for it.” 

“Of course.” Ava stretches and pushes up from the floor, offering a hand to Beatrice purely for the contact. Beatrice takes it, Ava assumes, for the same reason, brushing the back of her shorts off and reaching for the floss to tear herself a new piece.

Beatrice finishes and Ava manages to brush her teeth and then they’re in bed, facing each other in the low light from the lamp on Ava’s bedside table. It’s quiet, for a moment, before Beatrice, without any hesitation at all, kisses her, a hand carding through Ava’s hair as she brings herself closer. Ava twines their legs together, and the slide of her smooth skin on these stupidly nice sheets had been baller but the feel of Bea’s skin, the warmth and the texture of the hair on her legs? That shit’s fucking perfect. 

She sneaks a hand up the t-shirt Bea is wearing, another Arq-tech loan, and lets it rest just above the swell of her hip. She’s not trying to escalate anything, not right now, but she’s greedy for contact. Beatrice seems to feel the same way, the hand in her hair moving down to slide under her own t-shirt, resting low on her back. She presses a kiss to Ava’s chin, her nose, her forehead. The halo goes fucking wild, humming and lighting up the room. She tamps it down, because it’s late and she wants to do this with her own body and words. 

Hooking a leg over Beatrice’s hip, she rolls them and situates herself on top, arms braced at an angle above Bea’s shoulders. Wide, brown eyes stare up at her. It is better than all of her daydreams, the feeling of Bea’s body laid out underneath her. Hands make a tentative home on her waist and Ava nods, whispers, because this is for them, “It’s okay, Bea. Touch me however you want. I want your hands on me.” The flex of fingers and a new sensation, the fabric of her shirt pushed up slightly so that Beatrice can hold her the same way without any barrier. It’s so good, Bea’s hands on her. She bends down to kiss her in approval and then moves to nose into the skin of her neck. Beatrice tilts her head to give Ava more access without a thought, and Ava’s stomach clenches as she lets her lips graze Bea’s pulse point. The shiver that she feels run through Beatrice, the knowledge that she made it happen, it’s almost too much. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you so much, Ava.” 

She drops from her hands to her forearms, rests her weight on Bea’s body and arches slightly as hands move from her waist over her spine, tracing her scar. Ava and the halo gasp, a sharp breath and a pulse of light. This is far from the first time someone has touched her here, but it has never been for this, never felt like this. 

The hands hesitate and Ava says, nose tucked under her jaw, “Feels good, Bea. Feels so good.” There’s no more hesitation, then, and Ava whimpers as Beatrice explores, varying pressure in her fingertips, occasionally letting her nails catch on raised skin. Eventually, she moves her hands away and settles them, spread wide, over Ava’s shoulder blades. By this point, Ava’s breathing deeply, caught very pleasantly in the space between entirely relaxed and undeniably turned on. She lets the latter go for the moment because they have time, now, and it’s late,  and her partner doesn’t have a magic battery in her back. And even though she wants to touch Beatrice so, so badly, what she’s doing now is in no way a consolation prize. It’s something she’s wanted for a very, very long time. 

She presses herself back up and kisses Beatrice, getting lost for a minute before moving to her side. Beatrice looks at her curiously and she kisses her again before asking, “Turn on your side for me, baby?” Beatrice takes another kiss, soft, before complying, and Ava wraps herself around her body as tightly as she can, one arm tucked underneath her neck and the other over her waist. Beatrice tangles their fingers together and brings them to her mouth, presses her lips to Ava’s knuckles before bringing their joined hands to rest over her sternum. It’s quiet, and Ava lives in it, in the way Beatrice’s body fits against hers so perfectly. She presses her mouth to the cloth covering Bea’s shoulder and waits for Beatrice’s breathing to even out, her body relaxed and surrounded by Ava’s, before she lets herself fall asleep. 

--

There are two pains au chocolat waiting in the kitchen next to a little sticky note proclaiming, in Cam’s handwriting, For Ava :) Ava doesn’t cry but she comes very close, biting into one and bopping happily over to the fridge to find orange juice. Beatrice makes herself toast and eggs, smiling indulgently and taking a bite when Ava offers. She doesn’t usually eat sweet things in the morning often because they can upset her stomach, but she does love good coffee, and Ava had been happy to see the reusable mug next to her plate of amazingness with its own little For Bea <3. 

Beatrice had texted Camila from bed this morning, Ava lounging unapologetically on top of her, to ask about going to the temple instead of straight to Cat’s Cradle. They’d gotten a thumbs up emoji and about an hour to get themselves ready, and now they were, Beatrice in a fresh version of yesterday’s outfit and Ava in the same sweater, this time with a pair of very utilitarian black cargo pants that she found to be hilarious and fun and which, bonus, left a strip of skin exposed that Beatrice had already run her fingers across several times. Because her girlfriend is constitutionally incapable of being late, they’re waiting for Camila in the foyer five minutes before schedule. Ava is somewhat resentful when Camila herself shows up four minutes late, because she had given up incredibly valuable alone time involving Beatrice’s increasingly confident exploring hands to be here on time. 

She hugs Cam and kisses her cheek and says, pouting, “Thank you for the pastries. I love you. And you’re late.” 

Camila rolls her eyes. “Good morning to you, too, Ava.” She wraps an arm around Beatrice and says, “Beatrice, I apologize for being late.” Bea grins, the traitor, and dips her head. “Please don’t worry about it, Camila.” Ava crosses her arms and pouts deeper while Cam and her girlfriend basically cuddle and make fun of her. 

“You’re both very rude.”

Camila laughs. “Oh, hush. We both know you’re only here on time because your,” she looks between them, eyebrows raised, and Ava and Beatrice supply, at the same time, “Girlfriend.” “Partner.” Camila grins and bounces a little. “Right, yes. Your partner is unfailingly polite and prompt. I have absolutely no doubt that if she were not in charge, you would still be in bed.” 

Ava is prepared to take full advantage of that opening when Mother Superion appears and says, “Good morning.” Beatrice shoots eyes at her and Ava rolls her own, miming a lock on her lips. Superion looks between the three of them and then asks Beatrice, because she was not born yesterday, “Is everything alright this morning?”  
“Everything is wonderful, Mother. Thank you. Are you joining us?” 

Mother Superion smiles and squeezes Beatrice’s shoulder in greeting before moving to do the same to Camila and Ava. “Yes, I thought I would. Are we ready to go?” 

There’s a lot less cuddling on the drive than there was yesterday, but she sits close to Bea and they hold hands the entire way and she asks about Dora and Yasmine and the newbies and Ava is happy and at ease. When they reach the temple, they make their way to a set of residential halls that Ava had seen only in schematics. They’re very nice, and they find one that looks like a sitting room, Ava plopping down nearly in Beatrice’s lap in a chair just big enough for the both of them. Beatrice’s arm is securing her immediately, and Ava snuggles in. 

“Margaret’s in with someone but she’ll be finished soon.” 

Beatrice nods and Ava lets her mind drift as the women around her talk. She’s not sure how much time passes before there’s a knock on the cracked door. The woman who follows is probably Jillian’s age, and she's very handsome. She’s wearing perfectly tailored dark gray pants and a crisp white shirt with a light pink windowpane pattern rolled to her elbows, a smoke gray watch on her wrist and a gold wedding band on her finger. There’s a dark brown belt and matching brogues and her hair is short and neat, and yeah, Ava’s about it. She pops up from her chair and Bea comes immediately after her, settling a hand on the small of her back and walking them forward slightly. 

“Beatrice.” The smile she wears is genuine, and when she turns to Ava, her eyes are blue and kind and interested. She reaches out a hand and Ava takes it. “And you must be Ava. I’ve heard so much about you. Welcome home.” 

#avatrice #sister beatrice #ava silva #warrior nun #warrior nun fic #sister camila

[queenofgraveyards]

ooooo yk i kinda want them to have an argument that starts off as a joke cause ivy is just trying to fuck with him but it goes wrong. something like he makes a comment about her never putting her stuff away and she just makes a snide remark back, just joking cause she knows her husband is never really mad at her. but it just happens to rub him the wrong way and he’s like idk why you have to make something out of nothing with your mean comments all the time, like why can’t you be happy we have a perfectly healthy relationship and we don’t need to start that toxic shit even as a joke. and ivy gets hurt cause shes like ??? how long has he thought that??? and also?? he’s kinda right im being toxic by trying to start something out of nothing bc we just have a normal good life together??? but also i was just joking???? and yeah boom

HOLY SHIT like…that is SO real and that would be the only way they’d argue bc maybe he’s just had a shitty day at work and he misses her being at work with him now so he’s kinda just like 🥴 everyone in this office is STUPID and I hate meetings and I hate not having my favourite person here to have lunch with and send stupid emails to throughout the day and then he comes home and maybe ivy is just…like she’s not a big emoter anyway we all know this so shes just like hi what’s up and then she’s kind of left shit everywhere and h for some reason is just like …this is stupid and he’ll say it nicely ofc bc he loves her but like what is SO wrong with just putting the mug in the dishwasher sweetheart? and ivy you know she’s the black cat to h’s golden retriever so she just snaps back like sorry I forgot I live in a fucking museum and h is just …🧍🏻‍♂️ and ivy doesn’t even blink and he gets hurt like he knows he’s a neat freak but it’s literally easier to put the mug IN the dishwasher than to leave it out and he’s just like you know you don’t have to be defensive all the time and then it just starts spiralling and it’s such a stupid thing to argue about!!!! but they’re both stubborn and they won’t back down and ivys a Scorpio ofc she fights back and her words strike to kill when she’s mad and well harry’s a fucking AQUARIUS do u think HES going to talk about it???

#answered #anonymous #fic stuff #bambi #ceo ideas

[shinebrightlikeanarwhal]

So right now I'm on PMS right now so i've been crying and sobbing uncontrollably for HOURS having an existential crisis that triggered my low self esteem issues WHICH MEANS I had a LOOOOOT of free time with pure angst running through my brain, and as they say, idle hands are the devil's tools >:)

Soo, Imagine if Travis not only had piece of shit of a dad but also had an excuse of a mother ?

Because why choose between daddy issues and mommy issues when you can just have both??

So his mom would always dismiss and neglect him, make fun of him, y'know, doing most of the mental/emotional abuse part

Maybe she'd trash talk him w/ Keneeth in front of him (because that's the only moment she could have any kind of connection(?) w/ him since he was also a shitty husband and abused her too)

Anyways whatch this video and picture Travis in it

My poor bby come here, have a hug, a headpat and some snacks ;0;

Honestly, if this was his home life I think he’d either be a worse bully, a really good mom friend or one of the ghosts Sal can talk to and get help when dealing with Kenneth.

The mom would probably be a prim and proper lady. Hair styled, nails done, clothes ironed and always neat. A house wife like the 50s weren’t years ago and woman had more to offer than just house services and children.

She dresses everyone and, with Kenneth’s ‘input’ makes Travis match with her. Since they’re so similar in appearance. Bleached blonde hair, dull green eyes. Warm skin tones. She would present herself so nicely. Non alcoholic anti-cigarettes! Abstinence before marriage! Adultery is punishable by death! Even though Kenneth definitely is sleeping with one of the cops in the cult, she smokes and drinks and her bedroom reeks of it 24/7

Travis would be constantly berated for wearing clothes picked by his mother. He can’t even work to buy his own things. She makes him come home and help around the house. She just wants the neighborhood to think their diligent and lovely son is working hard to help around the house. He hates it so much.

He hates her cooking too. He despises the spaghetti. Her casseroles are watery. She can’t even make a sandwich without it looking like it’s fresh from the dumpster. Her meatloaf makes him throw up. He fucking hates her. His father doesn’t even eat with them. He sits at the table. Drinks. Probably smiles remembering the dinner date with whoever he’s seeing outside of the home. Berate Travis for a minor accident. Might compliment the woman that puts in effort to keep the house presumably running.

She hated Travis. Not for anything Travis did. For what Travis couldn’t do. Kenneth doesn’t love her. Doesn’t even care about her. He’s more emotional and animated with Travis. It gave her weird vibes from the start. She didn’t want to think he could be… one of those. But he always seems close to those male friends of his. He goes on business trips despite them being in different fields. He’s often returning home with a grin never fueled by her. And she hates that.

She gave Kenneth her life. Her love. Her youth. And her child. Travis was supposed to be the glue to their marriage. To make Kenneth realize his sinful, ungodly affections would save them! But instead that useless boy just cried. He cried, he was sick, he was friendly with the heathens that fawned him. Those nasty kids that weren’t even close to gods good graces. She made him remove himself from them, or mommy could be quite mean.

She wanted the fairytale marriage she was promised. The wonderful children she yearned for. It’s no help her son may be one of those disgusting THINGS like his father! Why couldn’t Travis be like that new little blue haired boy. He may be a bit strange but he was so kind and courteous. He didn’t look at her like she was nothing! He let her give gentle pats on the head or back.

Maybe Travis could even be like a character we could get alternate endings for.

Hear me out:

If Travis has to deal with the physical abuse of his dad he can lash out physically, if he has to deal with the mental abuse of his mom he can lash out verbally. But both could make him break apart.

Instead of the outwardly aggressive Travis we had he may be a mellow bully who only acts aggressive when he thinks someone will hurt him. Which can be often because of Kenneth’s connections. Travis regrettably has never known the luxury of peace.

If Sal sees her in passing she would compliment him and berate her own son for ‘not respecting her. Doesn’t talk to her. Hardly sits with her unless she makes him.’ Only to see Travis with dead eyes just boring into sals soul.

Larry and Ash may have been friends with Travis when younger. But his lash outs made them distance themselves from him and he never tried to reconcile. When Sal pries him about it Larry admits that he knew about the home life but they were just kids and couldn’t do much. Now Larry willingly and happily terrorizes Kenneth any chance he gets. Particularly with Travis around to see a rare grin.

Regrettably Travis would still be forced to wear disgustingly campy clothes picked by the assholes. He will be made to act lovely and maybe even a bit spoiled. But even the church goers can spot Travis avoiding any physical contact with his father and never looking at his mother when addressing her. Which makes no sense for him when he so graciously hugs and helps the clergy and the older people with bright smiles and warm eyes.

I 100% believe Sal would find Larry crying if the route is failed and Travis dies. Travis would probably go by his own accord or Kenneth sacrifices him. Of course this leaves his mother stranded to Kenneth’s whims and Sal can choose to help her or let her suffer.

I kinda like the idea that ghost Travis would stop Larry and Sal would accidentally walk in on their heart to heart,

#sally face #sally face au #travis phelps #larry johnson #sal fisher #larry x travis #larvis #laravis #salvis #sal x travis #tw: child neglect #tw: child abuse #tw: childhood trauma #tw: abuse #TW: selfharm #tw: sui mention #Kenneth Phelps is a terrible father #the hypothetical mother is also bad #Travis has no supports until Sal comes #Larvis alluded too

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Showtime at Otsuru’s Okobore Teahouse

🎵 “A desert road, from Vegas to nowhere, but someplace better than where I’ve been... 🎵

Spider’s Cafe, where the Baroque Works Officers meet in Alabasta, was inspired by a 1988 film pictured above. Bagdad Cafe. We know this from the Vol.20 SBS. At the time, Oda laments it really isn’t the type of story that jives with manga so he kept it to a more simple design homage. Captured a little of the magic with their cover serial’s finale and the initial scene of the officer agents trickling in. His particular note was the “austere elegance” and tone. Having seen the movie, and being no stranger to the Southwestern US, I get what he means. Imagine you’re flying somehwere alone. You have to change planes, the layover turns into a delay. For the near future...you’re nobody. There’s a certain freedom in that, isn’t there? Especially when you’re not in a good place, moments like that can really lay things bare. That’s the point of this movie, how much that pause can change you. 

My pitch here is going to be that by the time we got to Wano, he figured out a way to capture this and did so through Tsuru’s Teahouse. Mind you, going in I was looking for other little nods for our 12 Days of Miss Merrychristmas spectacular. Somewhere along the way I realized where I was recognizing the vibe from. This will be a bit of a long one, but I hope you give it a shot. Oda’s always been a big film buff who slips a lot of homages in. He gushed about this movie in the SBS question. For good reason.

Here’s one of those little shared motifs that make me think I have something. I’m not just randomly using a still from the film, this shit with the binoculars is exactly the same as it is in the movie. That guy’s Sal, one of the main women’s husband. He spends the bulk of the movie observing from afar, commenting through his binoculars like some Greek chorus. Just like the Heart Pirates here. One of those cool bits about Okobore/Bakura is that fate like, forces that story to go unimpeded. 

Then take that idea we’ve touched on with the Tsuru/Kiku/Tama trio, the notion they're kinda the same woman at different stages of life. It's filtered through being part of a larger work than the self-contained focus, but that’s a core thread of Bagdad Cafe. Now add the fact all three are introduced fleeing a man trying to take advantage of them. The movie is all about two women breaking from their husband and finding a certain magic in leaning on each other, trying to make something more of the desolate truck stop. A lot of the driving force was the German tourist Yasmin appreciating the temporary break. Ultimately in the end she comes back, establishing the Bagdad Cafe as one of the swinginest lil spots in the Mojave.

This is how the movie ends. The journey and tone matter more anyways. Yasmin is back to stay for good, the rundown cafe is an oasis in the desert (hi Yuba!). A swinging show, everyone’s using their talents and so much happier. It’s not like a whole lot is better, it’s still a rather poor and desolate town. But that cheery cafe makes all the difference. Brings people together and makes the community feel a little more special. And it makes me think of that “pillars of the community” theme we had all Wano. Yasu in Ebisu, Tsuru/Kiku in Okobore, Toki in the past, & Marco on Sphinx. But also like...I love this idea that Okobore/Bakura are this micro-show before we get into the giant sweeping samurai epic. One that has some themes that weave in and out of the rest, but others that won’t flare up until after. For some reason, we start by introducing a couple of core characters coming out of this kind of environment. Being called to play their part.

I’ve said this about Kiku before, it feels like her story is out of order. Okobore sorta suits her as a nice reprieve. She seemed like one of the few people genuinely at ease in the “outsider” towns. Just by being her earnest, quirky self. So to take that, mix it in with this neat film reference, and use it as an intro to the arc? It makes me think about the narrative reason for stripping Luffy of all the buildup to this arc. Fate forced him to stumble into this side story, only picking up Zoro along the way who’d need to repeat with it spelled out more. Meanwhile Luffy’s story will blaze ahead into a big unanticipated victory with these new girls as the rest of the crew catches up by building their own connections.

I know it’s a small ripple, but I’m over here geeking out about it! The movie is adorable and yeah, even when I wasn’t really looking for it I saw major Teahouse Trio vibes. So, way to go Oda! You cracked the code, it did work as a way of introducing someone. Just like Baroque Works, but here it feels like it helps me understand the intention. An intention that tracks with how I was already wondering.

#one piece #okiku #otsuru #otama #curious curiosities

[feralmushro0m]

new dnd character i am b u z z ing to play whenever that will be cause i’m already in a campaign rn:,)

dara deerwater!! any pronouns i don’t think they exactly have much of a concept of gender. little firbolg who merged with their tiefling (or just demonic?) twin in the womb and has a freaky little mouth and sentient shadow as a result. he lives in the little hidden rooms of an ancient library where they were left as a baby because either his mother was horrified by what she’d created or she’d had an affair with an infernal/demon and dara was very obviously not her husbands kid so she panicked and left him at the library n 🏃‍♀️💨

also they’re dead lol💀💀she’s very anxious and introverted but decided to go talk to some village kids beyond the library but they made fun of her and threw stones at her to make her go away but one bigger kid threw it hard n it hit them in the head n they staggered back to the library where they fell asleep and didn’t wake up… until they did!! cause an old librarian who had secretly been caring for dara unbeknownst to everyone else, used forbidden magic to bring them back to life! and then had to flee to avoid getting caught, leaving the library and dara behind.

so dara’s been on their own and dead for a while but they don’t know they’re dead yet. but i like having little design hints towards it like their antlers have already shed their velvet but that shouldn’t happen till they’re older but since they’re dead there’s no blood flow so they woke up with the bloody velvet strips hanging off their new bony antlers. very scary and confusing for him he’s just a little guy bro. and i put little forget-me-nots on their antler cause i just think that’s a neat flower for someone who’s dead and basically forgotten but so desperately wants to make connections with people and be thought of and remembered.

anyways they’re just a lonely little wannabe wizard who likes to read books and press leaves and flowers in all their books and collect little rock’s and crystals and just wants to make friends so bad bro. she also desperately needs glasses but has no means of getting em so they gotta read with magnifying glass they carry around everywhere or with the book right in-front of their face n eyes all squinted. i love em so much it makes my eyes wet WAA

#dnd #dungeons and dragons #firbolg #dnd oc #wizard #dnd5e #dnd character #character concept

[fourteenfifteen]

elfcommie for the domestic meme

yesssssssss my GUYS!!!!! readmore bc i wrote u a novel

big spoon/little spoon: ike big spoon. what is the point of big husband if not get him to hold u

favorite non-sexual activity: getting out of the city together when they can : ) day trips and things

who uses all the hot water: they’re only using it all up if they’re in there together HEY-OH

most trivial thing they fight over: buying things from shitty companies. look obv the main chocolate companies are awful but sometimes a man wants a package of m&ms ok

who does most of the cleaning: they’re both pretty neat but probs caleb since ike is more likely to straight up just get busy and forget abt it (he feels bad when he does)

what has a season pass on their dvr/who controls the netflix queue: mostly caleb since ike isn’t usually a tv guy. when they occasionally make him pick it always ends up being something weird like they end up watching the sound of music

who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: 100000% ike are u kidding. doesn’t help that i’m sure he knows a lot of the trade workers in the city shdjfk

who leaves their stuff around: caleb is more likely to in general but ike def leaves like half-read books and magazines around

who remembers to buy the milk: both of them. grocery game unmatched

who remembers anniversaries: also both of them!! caleb cares abt that kind of thing a lot more tho ike mostly keeps track of it and makes plans just bc he knows they like it

Who cooks normally? ike likes to cook but he doesn’t always make time for it. idt they eat together all the time anyway so usually they just heat up shit for themselves, if they are and aren’t eating out they’re probs cooking together

How often do they fight? they’re pretty good at communicating so not that often, when they do it’s less of a blow out argument and more of a “we can both be stubborn and we’re both frustrated w each other” vibe. and uhhh more often and more seriously after the feedback : )

What do they do when they’re away from each other? damn that’s the question huh shdjfkfks uhhh ike is known to overwork himself and was esp bad about it before they got together and i think he sometimes gets back into that habit when they’re not around. esp when things are stressful like he likes helping people but he also just likes to keep busy. they still try to encourage him to take time away even when they’re not there and when he actually does it’s probably either reading or going for extra long runs or picking up new hobbies or hanging w other people (caleb would claim that helping teammates w odd jobs is not taking a break but again ike likes keeping busy). caleb also hangs out with other people especially lou and rivers when they can. i think they like going out to bars and stuff too and will do that sometimes when ike isn’t with them just bc it’s extremely not his scene shdjfk. they do jock shit too like they practice sword fighting (tbh they may do more cardio without ike than w him. runs remind them of him now). but they also just! talk a lot. i really think they talk on the phone or face time pretty much every day unless something is happening that keeps them from doing so

Nicknames for each other? ok this is a thing ppl point out in my writing abt them but!! ike is always calling caleb baby like 9 times out of 10 is saying that instead of their actual name. caleb mostly calls him by his name but will sometimes call him like. affectionate teasing insults lol camp has discussed “pinche isaac ❤️” before

Who is more likely to pay for dinner? ike but at this point like i do think they share a bank acct shdjfkf

What would they get each other for gifts? caleb gets ike things that he wouldn’t buy for himself yk like things that are a little fancy or a luxury that he’d rationalize himself into not spending the money on. not literally a stand mixer but that sort of thing. idt ike is a good gift giver shdjfkf he gets them what they asked for/what lou or rivers suggests (or the gift is just like. we’re going away for the weekend! fancy dinner!! that kind of thing)

Who kissed who first? ike kissed caleb first. the man has game

Who made the first move? i’ve gestured at this before but !! i think ike tries to start smth very casual w them sometime in s10 and then gets rejected bc caleb has actual serious feelings for him and is freaked out about that and also the bloodsport of it all. anyways so that puts caleb in the driver’s seat so to speak when they actually do get together ike wasn’t gonna raise the subject again so they had to

Who remembers things? ike’s pretty organized but also things slip through the cracks so caleb

Who started the relationship? cleb : ) they pined a little it’s fine

Who cusses more? caleb does but ike has his moments

What would they do if the other was hurt? ike can and will work himself into a frenzy trying to take care of his injured husband. caleb is more normal about it but def like wants to make sure he’s doing alright and help out however they can

#shame that my ike s24 wip has never turned itself into anything shdjfk #i know what he’s doing i just haven’t done the thing yet lol #thank u hayden i love them?? if anyone hasn’t noticed #blaseball #chicago firefighters #ask tag #domesticity meme

[polyamorouspunk]

Heyy tumblr bestie!!

Life is still absolutely *WACK* but its *fine* I took today off work to just not and get my shit together a bit. Dad got biopsy results that he’s refusing to look at, niece is being pulled out of school cause of death threats, and Im just here lol

On a brighter note though! I got invited to a dnd campaign for January so I’ve been working on a really fun new character!! AND, Im taking Mountain Boy to my family’s Christmas party tomorrow which is great cause I’ll get to avoid all the ‘why no boyfriend?’ Questions but also SO nerve wracking cause my family is MUCH crazier than his. But Im excited anyways to make him play cards with me there and meet my fam (except my brother and nephew cause they’re down in Kentucky cause my nephew qualified for the junior olympics for track)

Anyhow, I hope you have a good weekend!! Lots of love! 💛💛💛

-key

Hey there! Love you so much too!

I’m glad Mountain Boy is meeting your family today! Congrats to your nephew! In our family newsletter I saw that on Thanksgiving one of my cousins had a gymnastics meet that they were inviting the family to and I was like man I would go if I still lived in Connecticut. I remember being invited along to my neighbor’s once and it was neat. When I was up visiting you my cousin was doing hers at the college which I think I told you about, you said it was pretty far away, like 5 hours right? She ended up spending the night with me at her grandma’s house the night before I left and I was taking a plane back to NC and she was going to be driving to NC that day as well. Her and her mom just came down to visit the 2nd week of November so her mom could run a race with my mom’s other cousin. And I’ll be looking forward to coming up next summer to visit you again!

I really would love to play dnd but I don’t have anyone to play with and I think I would need to play in person to really understand what’s going on. I was part of a test pilot group for a dnd-style game my friend and their brother pioneered and when I went to stay at their house my friend was like “by the way we’re talking about this game we made up” and both their brother and I were like “yeah OUR friend group was the test subject for that” and they were like OH RIGHT I FORGOT. They have a Friday family game night that I was crashing (they invited me to crash it since I was sleeping there, and invited our other best friend and her husband to crash it too if they wanted) but since it was Halloween it was more of a party where my friend and I watched Bluey for 2 hours and ate food their mom had made and we exchanged gifts and I got gifts too and I was like 😭 thank you 😭

I’ve been keeping it on the down-low but I’m dating again (really lowkey for right now because holiday season is retail is nightmare) but I haven’t really told anyone outside of my discord server because I was like “hey advice on this” and then my friend on discord I talk to every day and my best friend since she had to third-wheel the last date we went on since she was diving me around. My other friends have met her before but I doubt anyone remembers because my other best friend has the WORST memory (like forgetting we were the ones who demoed their game) but my other friend might remember because we all went to college together. I should tell my other friends I just have not.

Sending your dad so much love and support, as well as you and Mountain Boy and the rest of your family.

#punk gets mail