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intangibly-here · 3 years

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i miss you (more than anything)

zhongli x gn!reader

- scenario; 2.4k words - modern!au - fluff - jealousy

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zhongli isn’t one for jealousy— usually.

title from mitski - francis forever.

requested by anon.

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“an excellent choice, sir.”

again with the nicknames...

slender fingers pick up a considerably stylized box, the smooth white a stark contrast to dark, glove-adorned palms. zhongli turns the box over in his hands, inspecting the various fine print explanations splayed along the edges of the plastic. now this is...

BANG!

clink.

zhongli barely stifles a flinch at the sound of the door slamming, hinges squeaking and metal lock clicking into place with a whirlwind of motion. amber eyes flick up to the doorway, then back down to the polished counter.

five minutes late.

he sets the ice cube he’s handling into a wine glass after a brief pause, beginning to fashion up a flute of apple cider vinegar. the pattering of lively footsteps against tiled flooring rapidly grows nearer, clattering to a halt directly across the bar from where he stands.

“hey there, mister zhongli! looking just about as boring as ever!”

hu tao plops into the cushioned chair, swiveling back and forth on the seat and leaning forward to watch him pour the concoction.

(it’s designated for customers of course— though that’s only usually. she happens to claim, to his exasperation, that she has “owner privileges”; whatever that could possibly mean when the place itself is meant to serve the needs of customers: that would include the spacing and chairs they may potentially desire when they enter the premises. unfortunately, he’s given up on understanding on her whims.)

from his position across the counter, zhongli absentmindedly spies the edge of a bright-red butterfly wing from underneath her outfit’s loose, flowing sleeves, the simple pendant string looped twice around her wrist.

swallowtail.

it’s the name (”like the butterfly, zhongli! the butterfly!”) of the establishment he’s currently employed at and is “run” by the granddaughter of a distant relative (though the bar is legally owned by said relative’s family). due to his— well, rather particular (per say) spending habits and a lack of mindfulness regarding the matter of what they liked to call savings (why would there be a need for these “savings”? he’d like to protest he’s traversed life well enough without them), he’d been pushed into putting the multitude of experience from past jobs into this one.

and well, here he is now.

chop. chop.

two evenly-sliced apple slices tip over from against the blade of the knife and onto the wooden cutting board. fetching a sprig of mint from the small potted plant just below the rack of knives (growing lights and shelving did wonders in the spontaneous lighting of the nightclub), zhongli finished decorating the non-alcoholic drink of choice for the pseudo-proprietress. who knew what havoc she’d cheerfully throw herself into, archons forbid, if it were liquor. she’s already enough of a handful as it is.

he sighs in resignation and slides the beverage over. the ice tinkles in the glass confines. he does have a favor to ask today after all. hu tao gives the drink a sniff, then puffs her cheeks in mock anger.

“no alcohol? booooo, you’re such a rock.”

she takes a generous sip anyway.

“so, what did you call me here for? not very zhongli-like for you to ask something of lil’ ol’ me. archons, have you been replaced?”

she squints at him judgingly, then raises an eyebrow when he hesitates to answer.

“doesn’t look that way, old man.”

zhongli can feel the beginnings of a headache forming between his brows. he waves his hand dismissingly as if flicking away her babbling nonsense.

“i have a favor to ask of you.”

“oh-ho?”

hu tao smirks playfully and pushes the half-finished drink aside, craning her neck forward.

“what can i do for our esteemed mister zhongli, hm? hehe.”

zhongli clenches his fist under the edge of the woodwork in an effort to calm his raging annoyance.

(it doesn’t help.)

he should just ask, shouldn’t he..?

“..i’ve been pondering this for a number of days now, but nothing quite appropriate for the occasion has happened to come to mind... do you happen to have any gift ideas for...”

he looks to the side to avoid eye contact and trails off, but hu tao immediately gets the memo.

“ohhh..” her smile only grows wider, “this is for your daaaate—”

zhongli’s face flushes the slightest tinge of rosy pink and he hisses a sharp “shush!” through gritted teeth. and here he had thought she couldn’t get on his nerves beyond how she’d already acted thus far...

the cheshire grin on her face still continues to climb.

“well, you’ve definitely asked the right person! how about...”

some new polaroid film? is what she had proposed.

“it’s not some fancy-schmancy anniversary gift, no? just a date! a date! don’t worry yourself so much over it— no, don’t look at me like that. if you called me over to ask about it, you’re deeeefinitely losing hair over this— okay, okay, i got it! don’t kick me out! old man... sheesh. why don’t you get some more polaroid film and wrap it up all nice? useful and an excuse to take more pictures together! i know, i know, i’m a genius— mmph!”

he can still hear her voice bouncing around in his head (”can’t believe you’re getting rid of your boss, mister zhongli! didn’t take you for the rebellious type—”). zhongli brings his hand up to his temple and breathes out another sigh. it’s not like her idea was a terrible one; if anything, it were a wonderfully exquisite proposal— not that he would tell her.

“i’d like to purchase this, if you would.”

he hands the box over to the shopkeep, who scans the package and rings up the bill. indiscreetly, he feels up the pocket of his jacket. thank the archons he remembered his wallet today. it would certainly be embarrassing to put this particular item on your tab.

“sure thing, mister zhongli. i’m assuming this is a gift,” they eye him knowingly, “so would you like it wrapped up?”

deja vu, his brain mutters, this is very much deja vu. he shuts it up promptly.

“not this time, but you have my sincerest thanks for the offer. i’d like to wrap it myself.” he can feel his (generally..) expressionless face flaring up the faintest hint of pink and berates his mind once more. only when it comes to you...

acquiring the purchased item, zhongli dips his head in acknowledgement as he heads out. the plants hanging from baskets strung along the ceiling sway their leaves to and fro, nearly catching a wayward lock of his hair. he smooths the stray strand back.

“thank you once again, aether. let lumine know they can drop by for some tea again whenever they’d like for me, please.”

the bell hanging over the doorway tinkles when he pushes it open, and the bustle of the busy harbor seeps into the tranquility of the shop. aether nods and waves a hand at him in return, resting an arm on the cash register.

“come again.”

while he’d imagined many ways your planned outing could play out, this was certainly not one of them.

he’s approaching the meeting spot you two had decided on (right in front of the flowering quince tree near the park; its blooms resemble those of simpler, smaller silk flowers, and it happens to be quite the scenic location to wait) when he spies not only your stature, but another figure residing right besides you.

who...?

as he steps closer, he can hear your laughter, the kind that he knows bubbles out of your chest and escapes your lips unconsciously. your amusement isn’t lost on your companion apparently, because they smirk teasingly, letting out a full-blown laugh of their own.

“oh, zhongli, over here!”

your voice snaps him out of his meandering thoughts, and he stops fiddling with his earring (when did he start doing that?), continuing forward from where he’d paused in his observations of this newcomer. something starts to bloom in his chest, small and bittersweet. he’s not sure what to make of it.

following your beckoning, zhongli finally makes his way to your side, mentally taking note of your.. friend? he doesn’t remember you mentioning anyone like this before though. surely he would remember your friends, no?

his earring sways in the wind, white tassel fluttering cheerfully.

“zhongli, this is my friend kaeya. i met him when i made that trip to mondstadt awhile back, remember that? oh, and kaeya, this is my boyfriend zhongli.”

(the little dragon curled up in his heart preens at your introduction of him, small and sweet.)

ice blue meets molten gold when zhongli’s eyes dart up to make eye contact with this stranger. they squint at him, assessing, then dip into the makings of a playful twinkle. a hand reaches out for a handshake, which he returns in equal measure. interesting...

“he got a little lost touring liyue and i happened to see him here in the park. small world, huh? i know it was our day love, but do you mind if we take him around for today?”

zhongli smiles appeasingly, gentle and assuring as always. he can recognize the slightly nervous look on your face, one that’s a stark contrast to how energetic you’d looked just a few minutes ago. if kaeya’s company makes you happy and you’d like to take him around, then who is he to refuse your request? you two will have more time to spend with just the two of you later, he reasons with himself. accompanying your friend, and in turn his acquaintance, is nothing big.

(and no, it’s certainly not you calling him love that makes him cave.)

“of course we can.”

tugging at the string of his eyepatch, kaeya swiftly ties his hair back and adjusts the collar of his shirt. “so, where to first?”

zhongli takes your hand in his, squeezing softly. you squeeze back.

getting along together should come just fine.

he takes it back.

he takes it all back.

he’d accepted it at first because, well, this was your friend. he shouldn’t be controlling who you interact with nor who befriended you - that’s not up to him. it shouldn’t ever be. however— with every passing moment that kaeya inched closer to you, taking up the entirety of your attention and bringing that bright, bright grin to your face—

(this was supposed to be your date. just the two of you. he hasn’t seen you in a month; surely he can feel a bit selfish, right?)

the three of you turn the corner to an intricately-themed restaurant and pause, where even zhongli looks appreciatively at the beautifully grown bamboo stalks lining the edges of its front walls.

“wanmin restaurant,” kaeya reads, craning his neck up to gaze at the signboard. bold red calligraphy is sprawled across the rough-cut wood. “awfully simple name for such a stunning place, isn’t it?”

if he weren’t stewing in a pot of conflicted emotions, zhongli would surely inform him of how carefully selected this title was, how it represented more than just a name, how it hid at least several decades worth of effort and teachings— but as it is, he (really, of all people) has no patience for that at the moment.

first tugging on the hem of your outfit, zhongli then takes you by the elbow and hastily leads you forward to the glass doors of the establishment. he grasps your hand in his as usual, but something must be off, because you twitch a little and look at him curiously.

he turns his head away, lips pursed just the slightest.

“let us dine here for the time being. it is an appropriate time and place, after all.”

the sun shines brightly in the clear sky as if illuminating his words.

kaeya raises an eyebrow, singular eye looking on inquisitively and arms crossed, then moves further ahead of you both once more. the corner of his mouth dips in a clear show of mirth. bowing with one arm held at the waist, one not unalike a formality from a server, he looks straight into zhongli’s eyes and holds the door open for entrance.

“that sounds like an excellent idea. well, if you would.”

“thanks for the tour around you two.”

kaeya hums his thanks with a cheerful lilt to his voice as you all stand under the porchlight of zhongli’s house.

(it’s not the largest abode, but it’s cozy and sweet, and it’s definitely enough for the both of you whenever you decide to stay over. tonight is one of those nights, and they may as well become more frequent after the trip you took abroad.)

his car keys reflect the glow of the bulb, swinging around his finger in loops. they clink noisily, metal against metal, and he grabs them all at once, halfway through another turn. in his car sits a box of treasure-themed artifacts, likely old and had found its way into your hands somehow. zhongli knows you’d been meaning to give them to someone, but he hadn’t known it were kaeya— either way, the artifacts that’d been laying on his shelves for weeks were now handed off.

ruffling your hair, kaeya pulls you in for a brief hug; although zhongli can feel the bitter pang in his chest, he stays where he stands, keeps it still and small. he can wait.

that said, the moment kaeya drives off, he’s hauling you into the house and curling up on the couch, pulling you onto his lap and tugging you into his arms. the long thought over gift sits patiently on the counter. it’s waited the entirety of today; it can wait another.

right now, he needs you.

your body sinks against his, relaxing from the lively, though exhausting, day. slumped against his chest, he burrows his head in the crook of your shoulder and cuddles you, nuzzling into your neck. finally, you’re home. home with him.

it’s warm...

“..it was our day...”

you shift your head at his mumbling, lifting his chin to presumably look at his expression. your attention is his now. not kaeya’s. not anyone else’s. just his.

(his eyes are soft and droopy, smudged red making them look especially mellow in the dim lighting, and lips pushed into the slightest pout. he knows what you’re seeing when you gaze at him fondly, and you can almost see the puppy eyes he sports. how unusual of him.)

“someone’s a little jealous here, hmmm?”

you drag out the syllables teasingly, and from lips that are pressing kisses against your skin, he responds a little muffled—

“perhaps.”

#zhongli #genshin impact #fluff #jealousy #zhongli x gn!reader #zhongli x reader #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact imagines #request #cecilia

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goldentournesol · 4 years

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The Receptionist and The Profiler (Three)

Chapter Three: Minimal Loss

(Spencer Reid x f!Reader)

Series Masterlist

General Masterlist

A/N: as a heads up, a large part of this chapter is a flashback, separated by ~~~. angst of minimal loss, buckle up y’all it’s getting serious!

Some cases don’t require the whole team to go investigate. Sometimes a few members go out to consult on something and come right back. Apparently, a 911 call had been received from a 15 year old girl saying that a man was sexually assaulting her and other girls her age. The call came from inside a cult’s base and now Spencer and Emily were sent to the ranch to investigate the leader, Benjamin Cyrus. Y/N selfishly wanted to tell Hotch to send someone else in place of him, but she knew Spencer was the least intimidating of the bunch and so it made sense for him to go undercover as a child victim interview expert alongside Emily.

Y/N watched as JJ zoomed straight past her desk and stood behind Derek’s desk, “Morgan.” she said, flicking the volume button of the TV across the room, panic fighting its way through her voice.

Morgan and Y/N’s attention went straight to the news reporter on the TV, “--what is reportedly being called a routine questions and answers meeting by Colorado child services has turned into a violent and deadly standoff between Colorado authorities and a French religious group known as Separtatian sect. The raid--”

“JJ, that’s not the ranch Prentiss and Reid--” Morgan said, standing from his desk.

“They’re still inside.” JJ informed.

“HOTCH!” Morgan yelled across from the bullpen, sending panic and goosebumps to every nerve ending in Y/N’s body. All she could think was, not again, please, God, not again.

Suddenly, all the phones of the bullpen began ringing. Y/N was absolutely frozen in her seat, not even aware of the phone on her desk ringing its wire off. It was like the air was heavy and she couldn’t breathe. She was vaguely aware of JJ’s outline as she approached her and placed her hands on her shoulders.

“Y/N. Y/N!” JJ called out as if she’d been calling her name for hours already, for all she knew, she had. Y/N unexpectedly felt a salty bead of water enter her mouth through her lips, she was crying.

“JJ...not again, JJ.” She practically whimpered, shaking her head in disbelief. The blonde’s heart wrenched in her chest as she thought back to the events of Georgia.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re on our way to him right now. We’re going to do our best to get them out. I need you to stay strong for me now, alright? The phone’s going to be ringing a lot, we need you here.” JJ attempted to comfort her and Y/N was quick to compose herself, nodding.

“Yes, yes, I know. I’ve got it.” She sniffled, rubbing her cheeks. JJ pulled her into a quick tight hug, well, as tight as she could with her growing belly between them. Y/N squeezed her tight, “You get him back to me safely, JJ.” She whispered and the blonde nodded before taking off with the rest of the team.

“Is she okay?” Morgan muttered to JJ as they speed walked out of the building, secretly wondering if that’s how friends should react to hostage situations.

“I’m not sure.” JJ answered honestly and the two shared a pointed look.

It was no secret that there was something going on between Y/N and Reid, they knew they held intense feelings for each other, however the team decided to stay out of it...for the most part. Derek, on the other hand, was very good at not missing opportunities to mess with Reid and tease the hell out of him.

It took Spencer a while to get back on his feet, especially after Gideon had departed, but Y/N helped him every step of the way. She drove him to NA meetings whenever she could. She helped him take his mind of things when he was having cravings. She finally, finally agreed to learn how to play chess, even though she was positive she was destined to lose. She’ll never forget how excited he got when she’d offered.

~~~

“Wait--what?” Spencer stopped mid-sip from his morning coffee. The team hadn’t filed in yet, but he was hanging around her desk like he usually did when she told him.

“Yup, you heard me. I’ll let you finally teach me how to play.” Her eyes twinkled with playfulness and he could have sworn his heart swelled twice its size. He was aware that he was gaping at her, but for some reason he couldn’t stop. The thought of sitting across from her so closely and for so long as he tried to teach her the moves was enough to make him forget his words.

“Hello? Earth to Spencer?” She laughed, waving a hand in front of his face. He snapped out of it, blushing.

“Yes! Yes, I’ll teach you! We’re going to have so much fun!” He exclaimed, his face practically splitting in half from his grin. She was about to make a comment about how it wouldn’t be so fun to lose to him (the whole point of not wanting to learn it in the first place), but she decided the genuine excitement on his face was worth more than winning ever would be.

~~~

She also remembered him practically fangirling to her over David Rossi’s books. He was so excited when the other founder of the BAU joined the team in place of Gideon. Of course, Spencer had read all his books and was more than ready to recite them to her if she wanted him to but she preferred to keep the crime and the gore at a minimum, preferring to hear about Victorian love stories and obscure children’s stories that are told in African villages she’d never heard of before. Rossi was a fairly nice man, much warmer than Gideon but was still somewhat cagey upon joining the team. She didn’t really blame him, he’d left the job only to come back to it years later and find a bunch of younger hotshot agents in the unit he created. At least Rossi took the time to learn her name and smile at her in the mornings.

Sometimes he’d sit and watch the two interact from his office. He’d assumed they were together when he’d first joined the team, almost a year ago now. Seeing how they leaned into each other when they spoke and maintained such intense eye contact, it just made sense to him. That and the fact that he’d noticed the way Reid was so much more comfortable around her than he was with his team mates. He’d note the not-so-subtle lingering hand touches on arms and the way they chose not to move their knees away from each other if they bumped. But, most of all, what he thought was a dead giveaway, was the way they smiled at each other; they smiled with their whole faces. Spencer’s mood seemed to brighten around her and even though he hadn’t known the young genius for long, he knew that that was a good sign. If he hadn’t seen Y/N and Anderson getting in the same car together, he’d never have guessed that they were together, much less engaged. You don’t need to be a profiler to know what the longing glances across the bullpen meant, though. Or the sad eyes she gave him every time he left for a case. Or the hug she gave that was obviously tighter than anyone else’s when they came back.

Hopefully, he’ll come back this time.

Y/N was practically a mess at her desk after they all left. She was glad that Anderson was currently not around, then she remembered she should be wanting his presence. That is...assuming he brought her comfort. He didn’t. She took calls to try and distract herself from her panic but she found herself freaking out in between them. Her eyes traveled to the far corner of her desk where the book she was currently reading sat. She smiled as she saw the tassel fall from in between the pages of the book. The book felt heavy as she opened it, she slipped the bookmark from in between the pages, and pushed the book aside. The raised letters of her favorite poem felt familiar as her fingertips touched them. She touched the words as if they could seep into her bloodstream and finally calm her. She remembered the day he gave her the bookmark.

~~~

After years and years of participating in the office Secret Santa, Spencer finally got Y/N. He was overjoyed, in fact, he couldn’t wait to give her her gift. He had it meticulously planned out. He was ready. He poured out his heart and soul in a letter first (this took the longest). Turns out, confessing your undying love for someone wasn’t as easy as it looked on screen. With all the letters he’d written in his lifetime, he was positive this one would be no different. But, man, he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Then, he made the bookmark. Store bought would never impress her. He struggled with finding the right kind of paper and the right kind of string for the tassel, but thankfully Garcia had his back. She even helped him laminate it so it could last, for years and years. The way he wanted to last with her. He printed the words of her favorite poem. One that he’d never forget, and not even because of his eidetic memory. He chose a shiny gold string to represent the strings of fate. He had told her once the ancient Greek myth of the Moirai, the three women responsible for fate. Although he’d gone in way too great of detail, she hung onto every word. He knew she’d remember the story whenever she saw the gold string. He hoped she might pick up on what he was trying to say.

That fate would always bring them together.

That he knew that she was it for him, but if he wasn’t it for her, that’d be okay, too.

She’d also complained all too often about the nasty coffee at work, claiming that she wished she never tasted the “vile bean juice”. It was enough to shift her off of coffee completely, unless it was from the coffee shop on the corner of Spencer’s street (he took her there a lot and he liked to bring her her favorite drink in the mornings when he wasn’t rushing in). But she’d recently gotten into teas, and was annoyed at her teapot at home because she said it just tasted weird. So of course, he researched the best kind of teapot possible and hunted every single kitchenware store in DC down until he found it. She’s gonna love it.

To top it all off, he decided to get her a necklace. While looking for the teapot, a small silver necklace caught his eye in one of the shops. A small birthstone hung by two chains, he recognized it as her own, and it was perfect.

He placed the gifts and the letter inside the teapot carefully and placed two pieces of tape to ensure the top doesn’t come off in the box before making his way to Garcia’s apartment. It was really no surprise she decided to host the Christmas party, considering her love of all things Christmas. He was buzzing with nervous energy as he set the gift box under the tree. He was the first to arrive, which meant he had to endure Garcia’s endless questions about the finished gift. She pried it all out of him, even the letter. Garcia was practically jumping up and down as he told her about the contents of the letter. He didn’t know he and Y/N were such a hot topic around the office. A few minutes later, the team flowed in, one by one. Y/N and Anderson were the last to arrive.

But something felt different as they entered the apartment. Her smile was brighter than usual and she seemed extra comfortable around her fiance. He thought maybe he was reading into it too much, but then even Emily noticed.

“Woah, Y/N! You look literally radiant, what’s going on?” She asked as the couple struggled to find places to sit. Anderson found a seat on the couch and offered her his lap. Spencer watched as she blushed and pursed her lips shyly, leaning into her fiancé as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Spencer practically had a nervous ugly green creature growing inside of him. He’s decided to name him Carl. Might as well name him, you know, since he seemed to be around a lot lately. He shifted in his seat a little, which made Morgan glance over at him.

“Well, we were going to wait until later to tell everyone, but I guess that’s the downside to being friends with profilers.” She laughed and shared a look with Anderson, whose hand was grasped tightly in hers.

Spencer noticed her change in vocabulary, she said ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. He grew more and more nervous as the pause lengthened. He had to physically put his hands on his knees to keep them from bouncing.

“We finally set the date! Next August!” She exclaimed and Spencer’s heart absolutely combusted in the same exact moment.

He immediately drowned out the cheers of congratulations and kisses on cheeks. The sinking feeling in his chest seemed to strive for more. More destruction.

He was vaguely aware of Morgan grabbing his shoulder and giving him a pointed look, reminding him of his silence. Morgan felt bad for the kid, but didn’t want to embarrass Y/N. Spencer snapped out of his trance and swallowed heavily.

“Congratulations, guys.” He mustered a smile and she beamed at him.

“Thanks, Spence!” He barely registered it.

It was finally happening.

The wedding.

And he’d have to go.

And see her.

And smile at her like his heart hadn’t been ripped from his chest and placed at the altar for everyone to see as it beat for absolutely no reason.

Seriously, what was the point of his heart beating if it wasn’t beating for her?

Except, he knew it’ll always beat for her, even if she didn’t want it.

He’d have to watch her marry another man.

Watch as she walked away from him rather than toward him.

Everyone pretended not to look at Spencer but he could feel the glances anyway.

Oh no.

The letter.

The letter that was in the teapot under the tree!

Spencer didn’t know his heart was capable of beating as fast as it was. He sent a panicked look to Penelope, hoping she’d get the message, but she was too busy coming up with wedding ideas. Spencer could feel panic oozing out of the pores of his skin. Morgan took him aside and into the kitchen.

“Kid, you alright?” Morgan asked, watching as his younger teammate squirmed in the kitchen.

“This is bad, Morgan. This is bad.” Spencer paced around the kitchen, hands in his hair.

“I know, kid, I know. But you need to calm down.” Morgan tried to reason with him.

“No, Morgan! You don’t understand!” Spencer whisper-yelled as he gripped his shoulders and Morgan saw his wild eyes, “You don’t understand! The letter!”

Morgan steadied Spencer, “Reid, breathe. What letter?”

“I’m her secret Santa. I wrote her a letter, Morgan. I wrote her a letter, a letter which contains very sensitive information that she cannot read right now--o-or ever!” Spencer’s hands flew to his hair again and Morgan had to think quickly.

“Okay, okay. I’ll help you, we need to think of a way to get the letter out of the box.”

“Morgan, it’s inside the teapot-- which is taped shut by the way-- inside the box, under the tree!” He flailed around nervously.

“Damn, man. Okay, just follow my lead. When she opens her gift, I’ll distract her and Anderson and you have to get that letter out.”

Spencer nodded and when they joined the rest of them outside, people were already opening their gifts, one by one. Spencer waited anxiously as she began to unwrap her gift.

“Oooh, I’m excited!” She said, carefully unwrapping the wrapping paper and opening the box, still seated on Anderson’s lap. She gasped, “It’s a teapot!”

Spencer grimaced as he watched Morgan fake a trip and spill his drink all over Anderson’s shirt, getting some on Y/N’s back.

“Shit, man! I’m so sorry!” Morgan glanced at Spencer and Spencer jumped into action as the couple were distracted by the spilled drink. He quickly unstuck the tape on the teapot and lifted the lid enough to squeeze his hand through to remove the letter. He stashed it away in the pocket of his cardigan. In fact, he planned on burning it when he got home. He successfully restored the gift to how it was before they returned from the bathroom.

“No one says a word.” Reid warned the rest of the group, who were watching the whole debacle like it was a spectacle. They all undoubtedly figured out what was written in that letter, therefore they understood and nodded.

“Not a peep.” Garcia said, locking her lips with an imaginary key.

“Anyway! Now that that’s all sorted out. Back to the teapot.” Y/N came back to her gift and her seating arrangement.

“Um, you should...you should look inside. There’s um, bonus gifts.” Spencer was absolutely beet-red in the face.

But Y/N knew the gift was from Spencer the second she saw the wrapping paper, which was full of adorable snowmen dressed in Christmas clothing. She grinned, remembering the argument between them which started by her telling him how cute she thought snowmen wearing clothes was and him getting frustrated trying to explain to her how snowmen wouldn’t need protection from the cold. She opened up the teapot and pulled out the bookmark. Spencer watched her eyes soften as they roamed over the words of her favorite poem. She toyed with the gold string of the bookmark as she reached into the pot again and pulled out the small pouch that contained the necklace. She pulled it out and gasped.

“Oh, Spencer, it’s all so perfect. Thank you.” She moved the gifts aside and wrapped him in a hug. Spencer stopped listening to the persistent ache in his chest as he hugged her back. He let all his senses be consumed by her, just temporarily. He found peace in that moment and he tried his hardest to hold onto that peace as he watched her fiancé clip the necklace onto her neck.

Oh, what he’d give to be in Anderson’s place.

~~~

She smiled at the memory the bookmark brought. She found her fingers weaving themselves through the gold strings gingerly. That seemed to calm her nerves enough for now. Garcia had convinced her to go home finally after promising to call her and let her know if anything changed.

2 days.

It was 2 days before she heard any news. She had been cooped up with Garcia in her batcave for emotional support. Also she wanted to know about any advancements as soon as possible. Garcia and Y/N were currently watching a live feed from some news channel.

“Damn, how did he know there were FBI agents in there? Word travels--” Garcia began but the explosion on screen cut her off. Y/N stood up from her seat abruptly.

“What was that?! Garcia, was that the ranch?!” Y/N all but screamed with panic, “Penelope! Answer me!” Garcia’s stunned face was paired with teary eyes as she turned to look at Y/N. Garcia frantically called Hotch and Rossi, but no one answered.

“No, no, no. NO! This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening, Penelope. Are we sure Spencer and Emily were still inside?” Y/N’s voice wavered as she held her hands to her chest in disbelief. Garcia shrugged honestly and wordlessly.

“NO!” She began sobbing uncontrollably, falling to her knees, mumbling nearly incoherently, “I never got to tell him...I never got to tell him.”

Garcia fell to the floor, holding the sobbing woman as best as she could without falling apart herself. Y/N gripped her tight as she felt the walls closing in on her. Her chest felt tight and she suddenly felt as if the air was ripped from her lungs. She could hear strangled sobs, but wasn’t even registering that they were her own.

It was too late.

She’d never see his smiling hazel eyes again. She’d never hear his hearty laugh once more. She never told him. She never told him how deeply her love for him ran. What was she waiting for? She’d waited too long. How utterly stupid of her. And now there’s no chance. He’s gone...he’s pulverized into bits and pieces--

The phone rang and Garcia leapt to it ungracefully, “Sir?! Reid and Prentiss--”

“They’re okay, Garcia. They made it out in time. With Morgan.” Hotch said sternly.

“Morgan was in there?!” Garcia screamed into the phone.

“Yeah, but I’m alright, babygirl, don’t you worry ‘bout me.” Morgan’s silky voice was heard from farther away. Garcia was about to reply when Y/N snatched the phone from her.

“Spencer?! Spence, are you there? Are you okay?!” She half-sobbed into the phone, not wanting her voice to give her away completely.

“Yes, yeah, I’m here. I’m alive.” Spencer choked out, relief flooding her system as she heard his voice. He was very much still alive and breathing, albeit with difficulty. Y/N didn’t register the rest of the conversation between Hotch and Garcia. She lay back in her seat and buried her face in her hands, trying to control her breathing. Garcia hung up and rested a kind hand onto her shoulder.

“Whew, that was a close one.” She said with a small smile. Y/N took her hands off her face and met with her warm eyes, “You know you’ll have to tell him eventually.” Y/N froze in her place again. She suddenly avoided her friend’s gaze. She was really hoping she hadn’t caught onto that. “It’s okay, pumpkin, we can all see it.”

She was right, oh my God, she was right.

“No, I don’t--I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re wrong, whatever you think you know, you’re wrong.” Y/N felt bad saying those words but there was nothing else she could do to protect herself. Garcia stayed silent, but gave her a look that shook Y/N at her very core.

Later, on the jet, Morgan took a seat next to Reid and stared at him intently before speaking.

“So, a little birdie tells me your girl was pretty heartbroken…” He trailed off, but not without an obvious wiggle of his dark brows.

“Morgan, for the last time, she is not ‘my girl’, she is engaged. She is very much someone else’s girl.” Reid rolled his eyes, attention going back to his book, although he tried to ignore the way his heart fluttered at the thought. He didn’t know if his heart was fluttering because of what Morgan called her, or because she was so torn up about the thought of him dying. He knew he shouldn’t ever feel good about someone else’s pain, but what did her pain mean?

“So what? Engaged ain’t married, pretty boy.” Morgan shrugged, saying it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Spencer shook his head at his friend.

Back in the bullpen, Y/N waited for their arrival ever so anxiously by the glass doors across from the elevator. She was rolling onto the balls of her feet and bouncing with anticipation. It didn’t even matter that it was half past 3 in the morning. She had to see him.

The ding of the elevator was the most comforting noise she’d heard in about a week. There he was, way in the back of the elevator, lifting his gaze from the floor to meet with hers. They both broke into the largest grins they’ve ever seen. She practically pushed Morgan out of her speedy way as he stepped off the elevator and slammed into Spencer with enough force to knock the air out of the both of their chests. Spencer caught her gladly and spun her around, laughing.

“I thought I lost you.” Y/N whispered into the embrace.

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Spencer replied softly into her hair.

The team all watched the reunion, adoration clear on their faces.

Emily was caught mumbling, “Damn, I wish I had someone to greet me like that after almost dying.” This, of course, resulted in a full blown bear hug from Garcia.

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jewelthomasson · 2 years

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✨Artist Research & Selection Post✨

1.Maria Nepomuceno

2.Tanya Aguiñiga

3.Cecilia Vicuña

🎨About Artists Work:

1.Maria Nepomuceno:

▫️Title/Year: Little Delilah, 2018

▫️Medium: Ropes, beads, ceramic, fiberglass and resin (Sculpture)

▫️Size: 86 5/8 x 63 x 47 1/4 in. (220 x 160 x 120cm.)

▫️Price: US $20,000-US $30,000

2.Tanya Aguiñiga:

🔹Title/Year: Papas, 2017

🔹Medium: Synthetic hair (Textile Arts)

🔹Size: 60 x 26 x 12 in. (152.4 x 66 x 30.5 cm.)

🔹Price: “Not Stated”

3.Cecilia Vicuña:

▫️Title/Year: Quipu Gut, 2017

▫️Medium: Dyed unspun wool (Installation)

▫️Size: Unknown

▫️”Artwork Sold”

✨Why I Picked Each Artist:✨

1.Maria Nepomuceno:

Out of all the artists on the list, Maria Nepomuceno is my absolute FAVORITE!!!! Let me tell you why…

She creates art in such a way that brings me back to so many childhood memories of creating art. You know the time when art didn’t have so many “rules” attached to it. When I saw the art work (that I posted above) I immediately thought of when I was little playing in my play room with sensory toys. Those types of toys are so important in childhood development! Her artwork especially reminded me of the oversized bead necklaces I often would play with as a kid. Because of this, I instantly felt a connection with her. It’s almost like she has the piece of my artwork that feel like has been lacking. Overall, I feel like it would be very beneficial for me to spend time getting to know this artists even deeper, and learn how (and why) she creates her artwork. I see her playful child-like inspiration in her artwork and I would love if some of that rubbed off on me. I feel like I personally have become so focused on creating more “sophisticated” artwork that in a sense looks more “grown-up?” Does that make sense? I often forget that our childhoods don’t have to be forgotten and thrown in the attic. 😂

Anyway, Maria Nepomuceno was the artist that inspired me instantly. When I researched her work I immediately had so many ideas on how I could engage with her techniques! It got me so excited! I really hope that I get her for this assignment because her creations brings me joy and that is my goal for all the art I create. I know I will be able to learn so much from her and her style! She is definitely my #1 Pick!!🤩🙌🏽🥰

2.Tanya Aguiñiga:

I picked Tanya Aguiñiga in my top three because she creates art like I have never seen before! In this particular artwork, that I listed above, she created almost like a large “tassel?” I couldn’t tell what it was made up of right away, but then I started researching. I found that the materials were actually made from synthetic hair—which is so cool! I feel like this artists is really inspiring because she creates art with a completely different level of thinking than I do. I have never once thought “I am going to make something with wigs.” But then again, why not?🤷🏽‍♀️ I think this artist would be beneficial to study because she creates art with materials that I never thought could be worked into an artwork. So I think, I would be able to gain a different perspective on how I could create art. If I got her, I can see myself enjoying the process on figuring out how she comes up with the interesting ideas she has!🤔

3.Cecilia Vicuña:

I picked Cecilia Vicuña, because I really liked how she had such a variety to her artwork. Above I posted a picture of one of her installations, but she also does a lot of paintings and explores other mediums that are also very cool and unique! Her installations kind of remind me of Sheila Hicks’ work, that I was able to explore in color theory. But Cecilia has a different sort of approach to things that I have yet to explore deeper. From viewing her work, her techniques are very interesting because she deals with so many different mediums. Her uses of her color and arrangements are very important to each piece and I think I could learn a lot on her intentionality. With her works every detail has a purpose conveyed in the piece that makes it so unique. I would love to gain a deeper understanding on different ways I can be intentional to get my message from the piece to the viewer.

My Picks:

#1 Maria Nepomuceno

#2 Tanya Aguiñiga

#3 Cecilia Vicuña

📸Image above:

#sculpture #artist research #artistresearchselectionpost #week3 #Maria Nepomuceno #Tanya Aguiñiga #Cecilia Vicuña

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karoiseka · 3 years

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Starlight

((5.3 Spoilers!! I figured this should take place before the events of 5.4, just... because. Have a sappy, Happy Starlight story!))

"It's snowing!" G'raha's surprised, yet excited voice carried to where Karo was still buried in a mountain of blankets on the large bed in their suite at the Rising Stones. He had gotten up to tend to the fire, but the odd light from the windows had called to him, beckoning to view the world transformed by the thick layer of snow that was continuing to pile up. He stood transfixed by the sight outside, red tail swishing--betraying his emotions as he lifted his right hand to the glass-paneled door leading out to the balcony. Even though they had made the trek North to Coerthas since he had returned, and there was plenty of snow there, Mor Dhona had not received more than a light dusting, melting almost as soon as it had fallen.

His braid, messy from sleep, whipped around as he turned to face the bard still in the warmth of the bed. Karo noticed that he was rubbing his right arm again as he fully turned to face her--she was sure it was a left over habit from when it was solid crystal and almost completely without feeling. She smiled at him, still not fully awake, watching as he self-consciously stopped and with a calming breath walked back over to the bed to perch on the edge of it. Leaning over, he cupped her face with his hand, kissing her forehead then lips gently, fingers running along the crystal hair tassels that never left the ends of her braids.

“Happy Starlight, my Star,” G’raha’s voice had dropped to the quiet calm tone, the one sounding closer to when he wore the title Crystal Exarch. The melding of his two personalities was going well, the older of his memories grounding the enthusiastic youth that had never left the Source. The joy in being back, and alive, seeped into all of his actions though, making every venture new and wondrous, optimism overflowing.

"It looks like some gifts have been delivered under the tree," the boyish mischievousness was back in his voice as he continued to play with Karo's hair as she slowly came to full alertness--the Warrior of Light happy to be somewhere that it was unnecessary to do all at once. It had been one thing after another almost consistently since she had joined the Scions, so she reveled in the occasions she could take time to be lazy. It was definitely one of the first Starlights in several years that didn't feel overshadowed by melancholy or missing friends. Leaning into his hand with a small sound of contentment and a murmur of a ‘Happy Starlight’ in return, Karo smiled, her expression matching his.

"Well then, let's see what the Saint of Nymeia has left us!" Wriggling out of the nest of blankets took a few moments, as playfulness on both their parts didn't make for an easy job of it--wrestling and tickling, burning off early morning energy before finally grabbing a blanket to wrap up in and moving down the loft stairs to the main room where the decorations glowed in the early morning light. Karo rushed the last few steps down, blanket falling to the floor, as her eyes caught one of the waiting gifts, glowing faintly on the table next to the tree.

“Raha!! How? But--these are from Rak’tika!!” Karo stumbled over the words as she carefully picked up the vase of blue flowers, the same that lit the path to Fanow, now here on the Source in her home. G’raha beamed at her, his voice full of pride that she obviously liked the gift.

“You may be Feo Ul’s [sapling], but your [branch] still likes to do nice things for you, and being near you, she could hear me call as well. I remembered how you told me you loved these flowers, and wanted to make sure you had a bouquet. She enchanted them so they will always smell that sweet and will never wilt. Her only request is that you don’t forget to call on her.” Karo had the good grace to look abashed at that, knowing how many times she had frankly forgotten the pact she had with the Fae, or even just in ignorance of how much she could safely call on them. Taking another whiff of the blooms, Karo placed the vase down on the fireplace mantle, mentaly sending a burst of joy down the connection she shared with the Fae King before clearing her throat and turning with a package in her hands for G’raha. The paper it was wrapped in was not smooth, or secured well, but it covered the gift adequately. Holding out to him, her ears dipped and her tail twitched nervously as he closed the distance between them to take the gift from her hands with a smile.

“I know it’s not much, and you’ve probably already heard and researched it all before, but I hoped there would be at least a few insights you hadn’t heard yet,” Karo’s babble had started as G’raha had peeled the paper from the journal he now held in his hands. The brown leather cover was embossed with the red Star that had caged the ancient primal, and inside was a neatly written account of her personal thoughts and discoveries, including rough sketches of the wonders therein.

“I did my best to remember all we had found about Bahamut when exploring the shards of Dalamud, and I got Alisaie and Alphinaud’s help with some of the details near the end. There was a lot of Allag technology in there that I haven’t seen elsewhere, and I know I gave a report when we were done, and you might actually remember more than I learned--” G’raha stepped forward closing the distance between them and stopping her rambling with a deep kiss. Karo froze in place before leaning into him, relaxing and letting her nerves dissipate.

“It’s amazing,” the scholar beamed at her, holding the tome to the side as he pulled her into a tight embrace. “No matter what I’ve learned so far, having your first-hand account, along with notes from the twins about what you found there is priceless. I’m going to enjoy reading this.” He kissed her forehead as they were so close then looked back down at the book, running a hand across the cover, smiling. Placing it carefully on the table, they headed back to the little kitchenette for some breakfast before getting ready to head out for the day.

--K--

Donning their warm Starlight robes (G’raha had received one as a gift this year), they headed down to the main rooms of the Rising Stones, hand in hand as they greeted their friends. It seemed that the newest Scion wasn’t the only one to receive a home-made robe, as each of Scions were bedecked in a rainbow of colors all of matching Starlight garb. Tataru in her typical pink was buzzing from group to group, ensuring everyone was fed and happy before the core group headed outside in a fit of energy to help clear Mor Dhona’s streets of the piled snow--especially around the aetheryte right outside their doors.

The snow was still coming down lightly, sun peeking between the clouds making the whole town sparkle. Not to anyone's surprise though, when the work was nearly done and the afternoon stretching on, the first snowball was thrown, sparking a heated battle. No one would admit to starting it, but the group paired off with Alisaie, Y'shtola, Krile, and Karo on one team, Alphinaud, Thancred, G'raha and Uriangier rounding out the second.

The mock battle lasted several bells, with the townsfolk cheering on the Scions in waves, occasionally joining in. Every time it seemed to be winding down, someone else would get a lucky throw in, and the melee would begin anew. Finally winded, cheeks red with glee and exertion, a truce was struck--as the Warrior of Light was tackled into a snowbank by the combined efforts of G'raha and Thancred. The three of them lay there laughing, Karo holding them fast to her, enjoying having them close. Kissing them both on the cheek, she took the proffered hand from Alisaie helping her out of the snow, and pulled the younger girl into a hug before they all gathered around a fire that had been set up.

By ones and twos the group slowly retired for the evening, Karo and G’raha left alone to watch the flames flicker in the twilight. The Miqo’te pair leaned against each other, tails twinning, worn out from the snow battle from the afternoon. As a shiver ran through the Bard, G’raha hugged her extra close before standing and tugging her up after him. Naught a word said as he led her back into the Rising Stones, and above to their shared suite.

--K--

“Comfy?” G’raha looked down at Karo who was now sprawled across the couch they had ended up on, head resting on his leg. They had both changed into something that wasn’t soaked with snow, and settled in for the evening curled up together to end Starlight as they had started it. Karo nodded almost imperceptibly, however the slight purr of happiness reached her lover’s ears as all traces of tension left her body. He knew he didn’t have much energy left either, but the draw of the journal gifted to him earlier was not to be ignored. Opening it, he reached down to caress one of his shining Star’s ears, amazed once more that she was at his side after all that had happened. This had truly been the most magical, amazing Starlight he had celebrated. Getting to stay at her side, watching her laugh, he wanted more. To get to know her even better, know what kept that smile dancing upon her lips, to know what made her heart race, and her favorite everything. Using a tendril of magic, he tugged at the blanket at the other side of the couch, using the magic it to cover her without having to move or disturb her one onze.

“Happy Starlight, my love,” he whispered, turning to the book in his hands, letting her take him on yet another adventure with her words.

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youarejesting · 4 years

Text

Femme: 35

[MASTERLIST]

Pairing: BTS - OT7 x Reader,

Rating: Amajin

Warnings: Tripping out in dreamland

Length: 2.4k words

Announcement: I dedicate this to my friend @h5naaa It made me happy, and all you said was “I really can’t wait for the next chapter” and that made me happy.

Recap: Cooking video finally complete. Shower and a sexy check-up with Hoseok. A Christmas Eve break-in. Christmas Day proposal. Barbecue lunch with friends. And a heart-melting quickie in the bathroom.

After all the celebrations and all the calls home where you smiled and showed off the ring to countless relatives. The sun finally set, marking the end of Christmas Day. You walked to your room early and bid everyone a good night.

“Wait Noona” Jungkook’s voice stopped you in your tracks, he hadn’t called you that in a while, you turned knowing he was clearly upset. “Kookie leave her be she has a lot to think about,” Yoongi called him back to the couch with a wave of his hand, your not so conversation in the bathroom let him know you needed time.

“Wait, princess, I don’t want to sleep alone?” Jimin said sadly ruffling his hair, Yoongi pushed himself up off the couch and placed his arm around Jimin's waist, giving it a small squeeze to try to bring him comfort. “You can stay in my room Chim”

“Hey, I don’t want to sleep alone either” Taehyung whined looking around at his hyungs, hoping someone would invite him to cuddle. Seokjin sighed pinching the bridge of his nose trying to look cool. “Alright, you can sleep in this handsome hyungs bed tonight?”

“Ah, slumber party in Jin’s room” Hoseok grinned pulling Jungkook by the arm, but he barely budged and his eyes hadn’t left yours. “Ya! I can’t fit that many in my bed go with Yoongi and Jimin, they are both small” Seokjin scolded pushing Hoseok back into Yoongi who rolled his eyes dragging Hoseok by the back of his soft sleep shirt.

You could hear Yoongi scolding the two boys already as they walked down the hallway “no giggling, no being annoying, don’t touch my things, you wake me when I am sleeping and I will beat your asses”

Namjoon saw your pleading look and responded with a curt nod. Stepping behind Jungkook, he placed his hand onto the maknaes shoulder. “You can stay with me, come on, give her some time to think”

“Good night, Jaykay goodnight my baby bear” Taehyung waved at you both before scurrying off after Seokjin. “Hyung can I hold you while we sleep?” “No”

You walked slowly into your room noting all the gifts the boys had brought you. How they all made you so happy. Unclipping the collar from around your neck the velvet making you smile. Memories from that first meeting, those shy boys. They loved you a lot, and you loved them too.

Settling in your bed, it took about ten minutes of the tight feeling in your chest to finally break you. You sobbed quietly, everything was pouring out sadness, love, happiness, guilt, fear, everything you bottled away since you met you thought you had dealt with but you really just pushed the issues further and further back.

But you had to let them out, you took a pen to paper and you started writing. You let everything out until your only thought was how much you loved and wanted to be with the boys. Falling asleep from exhaustion.

You walk through an orchid of peach trees. It was drizzling as you walked past the trees, they flowered and each tree ended up covered in ripe peaches. You saw a brown bunny hopping along. Feeling playful you decided to follow it. At the end of the orchid, there was a single tree this one was different. It only had one flower which when it bloomed bore a single apple.

Reaching for the shine red apple your fingertips barely touched it when you heard a sound. It was rhythmic. Listening closer you realised it was someone rapping. Turning to the source you could see a school of fish swimming around a lilypad.

Kneeling down by the side of the pond you could see everything easier. On top of the lilypad was a Caterpillar smoking heavily lounging on the surface. His head tilted back as the smoke poured past his lips. He smirked in your direction. Rapping in Korean leisurely yet there were still some parts you couldn’t understand properly.

The days of my youth seem so far away And now it's full of buildings and cars But this is my home now (Seoul, Seoul) Why do you sound like 'soul’? What kind of soul is it that you have? What holds me back by your side like this?

“Hello, I was wondering if you had seen-” He raised his hand to silence you continuing to rap. Waiting politely for him to finish but, he didn’t. Following one verse after another. You noticed he looked like Namjoon and frowned why was he refusing to speak to you. “I was wondering if you had seen a rabbit?”

If love and hate are the same words I love you Seoul If love and hate are the same words I hate you Seoul

“Oi! Shut up and listen to me” Lifting him onto your palm, so you could look at him eye to eye. “I would if you would talk to me,” “I was talking to you”

“Not in a way I could understand” he leaned back in your hand a cocky expression on his face before he started rapping once more. “Try the apple Noona” The fish spoke blowing bubbles that floated into the air. You noticed they looked like the young boys next door. “Try it Noona, it’s tasty”

You couldn’t refuse their smiles and took a bite. They hadn’t lied; it was delicious, but you shrank. Shocked when you became shorter than the grass. You didn’t have much time to ponder how your clothes shrunk too before the rabbit ran past he was just as small as you. He was singing.

I’m going to the place that’s getting clearer

The rabbit was fast, you couldn’t hear any more of its beautiful voice. You did, however, notice he resembled Jungkook. Staggering after him through the grass. You heard singing again, you almost thought you had caught up to the rabbit, but this voice was different.

What am I trying so hard to find now? Where am I continuously drifting to?

“Hello, who is there?” You asked laughter echoed “Jin is that you?” “Yes, it is I, the Amajin flower; Kim Seokjin” you looked up to see Jin’s face but he was a flower. Looking down on you like the sassiest thing in the world. “Where are you running off to?”

“I am not running anywhere, I am trying to find something?” “What are you trying to find?” “It’s a rabbit looks like Kookie” “A rabbit that looks like a cookie?” He asked and you protested “I saw a rabbit not too long ago he went that way but is that really what you are looking for?” “It is. Thank you,” Running after the rabbit as he took a dark path into the forest.

I’m going to the place that’s getting clearer

You walked through the forest getting lost. Sounds of laughter and the smell of alcohol filled the air, you moved faster wrapping your arms around yourself. You felt like you were being watched the voices were eerily familiar and unpleasant. Up ahead you could see a fork in the road.

“Hello?” you looked around trying to find the rabbit. You spotted two arrows pointing opposite directions but with no words. Leaning in trying to see if there were any faint letters on the wooden signpost, you were disappointed once more. “Damn it why are there no words on the signs, how the hell am I suppose to know where to go?”

I still wonder, wonder beautiful story Still wonder, wonder best part I still wander, wander next story I want to make you mine

“You seem lost, in this beautiful forest” A voice like the richest dark chocolate seemed to float around you. Like a ghost materialising before your eyes, there was Taehyung grinning a big boxy smile. He had cat ears and long striped tail.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it beautiful,” “Why not anywhere is beautiful with you” Tail swishing as he began singing once more, floating around the space content and curious.

Come back to my home, come back home

“I want to know which way to go?” “That depends, my love…” Giggling he rolled upside down in the air and humming “on where you want to end up”

“Well I don’t really know anymore” Voice growing quiet he grinned brightly, landing on a tree branch he sat upright his tail swishing and hitting you in the face “I was trying to find a rabbit he had brown hair”

“He went that way, toward the Mad Hatter,” He pointed down a path and swung forward on the branch. He toppled over completely until he hung upside down his face in front of yours. Planting a kiss on your cheek, and disappearing as easily as he appeared his humming faded out slowly. Continuing down the path until you came across a small house it looked strange everything was distorted and odd-shaped. You heard the sound of instruments playing and saw Hoseok dancing on the table around Teapots.

But all of this is about reaching you It's the answer to my journey I'm singing to find you Baby to you

He was singing, trying not to startle him as you approached you spotted Yoongi. As small as a mouse with little rounded ears, Yoongi was sleeping on a saucer. Hoseok was caught up in his dancing he didn’t notice he was about to step on him. Grabbing Yoongi you held him to your chest. “You almost stepped on him! Why wouldn’t you look where you are going?”

“I am sorry, I was just celebrating” Hoseok frowned jumping down from the table walking to a faraway seat and slumping into it. You followed him curiously his mouth had fallen into a triangle frown and he was busy playing with the tassels on his jacket.

“What are you celebrating?” “Celebrating yes” Standing up once more he was on another tangent “We are celebrating because today is the day, It’s a warming party” “Warming party?” you said curiously as Jimin appeared from behind a chair where he had been stoking the fire to boil the tea. His long ears twitched and he tended to move them when he talked like gestures “Jimin you are here too, and you are a rabbit?”

“I am a march hare miss, I am here for the warming party” Jimin looked stylish as ever. He smiled picking up teapots and putting them on the burner plate above the fire to boil them. He was meticulous taking one or two at a time and arranging them so they would all get hot.

All your answers are in this place you found In your Milky Way, inside your heart

“What is a warming party?” Handing Jimin a teapot making him smile bright as his fingers brushed against your hand. “Well, have you ever been cold darling, so cold your bones feel like ice,” Hoseok wouldn’t even let you open your mouth “well this is the opposite of that, have a warm cup of tea”

What else would there be? Is it even right? It's honestly different to the future I had hoped for

Yoongi mumbled laying on the saucer while the others worked to boil tea. What they needed so much for was a mystery. Hoseok leaned over your shoulder. “He is very excited about the warming party he has been thinking about it for weeks now, ever since we got the news” Looking endearingly at the small Yoongi mouse, his eyes blinked gentle open and he sat up looking at you. He looked sad. The pity kind of sad, like he knew something you didn’t. It made you feel uneasy.

I’m going to the place that’s getting clearer

The rabbit ran by singing as he went; you went to follow but Yoongi grabbed your hand standing on the edge of the table your pinky in his hand. “Where are you going?” “I am going to find the Rabbit”

“You are so cold,” Yoongi muttered dropping your hand. Hoseok shouted the word cold laying you on the table, you turned to see him grab the steaming kettle. “We will thaw you out in no time”

Screaming you ran scared for your life, Hoseok was going to pour boiling water onto you. Landing in a garden full of white roses, you looked around and saw some children painting the flowers. You looked confused passing them by only to be captured. “Let me go where are you taking me?”

“To see the King and Queen” dragged into the room where you were forced to kneel. You felt the uneasy feeling return. “You are hereby charged with the crimes of abandonment, how do you plead?” “I didn’t abandon anyone” Your head was turned to the side, where you saw your hibernation pod.

“Does this not belong to you?” “It does but, I do not see how I-” you looked up and in front of you were all of your family members just as you remembered them. You felt your eyes start to water. “I didn’t abandon you?”

“Then why do you feel guilty,” your mother asked her face stone cold and her expression deadly serious. “I don’t know” You sniffed “I just don’t want you to think I am happy that your gone, it feels bad to feel happy like I didn’t care about you all” “And is that the case y/n?” With a firm gaze from you were helpless to your emotions. “No, I miss you so much?”

“Then come home, all you have to do is climb back into the hibernation pod and you can come back to us” Your mother smiled holding her arms out. The doors were thrown open and the boys were all there.

“I can’t” “Can’t or won’t” “I want to stay with them, I love them” “Then that’s all we need to hear, we are happy for you” your family members took turns hugging you and saying goodbye.

“We will always be here for you, right here” Your mother gently placed her hand over your heart and you heard singing.

I’m going to the place that’s getting clearer Take my hands now You are the cause of my euphoria

You woke feeling kind of heavy and dry like you had run a marathon, your eyes stung and were puffy from crying yourself to sleep. But you felt lighter like all your problems were solved and they were. You decided from now on to let your emotions out and voice them with the guys. And you wouldn’t make yourself feel guilty for being happy without your family.

You spent a good half an hour starring at the gorgeous engagement ring. You remember Jimin telling your boss how it was moissanite, which you knew a thing or two about stones and moissanite was first discovered in a meteorite. Moissanite was more brilliant and had a higher dispersion which meant it gave off a lot more sparkle.

It was pink moissanite in the shape of a heart, with a halo of white diamonds each with flawless clarity. The band was white gold as you had told Seokjin one day that it golds didn’t compliment your skin tone. After getting positively mesmerised by your beautiful ring your hand dropped onto the pillow beside you and you rolled so your face was pressed into it squealing.

It was four in the morning and you couldn’t wait any longer, walking through the house opening the first door to see Seokjin wrapped in Taehyung’s arms. You walked over and shook them.

“Mmm, what is it are you okay?” Seokjin sat up confused his eyes barely open and you kissed him fully on the mouth, you pulled away telling him you loved him dearly. Repeating the process for everyone excluding Yoongi as you didn’t want to wake him, unfortunately, he did wake and was pissed.

“You can’t keep your moaning to a minimum Jimin” he scolded “Sorry Yoongi, I love you” you leaned over and kissed him quickly and he pulled you down onto the bed and wrapped his arms around you so he could sleep again. “Now not a fucking word until the sun fucking rises”

When the sun did rise you didn’t want to move but the others slowly made their way into Yoongi’s room and he huffed as if he was mad but you knew he loved the love. That is until Taehyung decided to lay on top of everyone and kiss them all enthusiastically. “We are getting married!”

Femme Media 35

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stainandscribble · 4 years

Text

REVENANT (Part 2)

Pairing: Baekhyun X OC (Original Female Character)

Genre: Baekhyun Witch AU; fluff; fantasy; angst

Summary: To witches, names hold power, and Eleonora happens to have a very dangerous gift, one that can be deadly when misused- she has the ability to read names, true names that the witches and warlocks share only with people of utmost trust. It is a secret she hopes to take to her grave. Baekhyun had left his coven, and joined one with Suho’s. They too, possess unspeakable gifts. When Junmyeon warns him of his marriage, Baekhyun begins preparing, but so does Eleonora. With the veil thinning, and the darker half approaching, will their secrets stay safe? Or will the world burn?

PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6 PART 7

Word Count: 2121

A/N: This one is a little short, but part 3 will be coming up sometime at the end of the upcoming week, maybe next Wednesday/Thursday.

Once their meeting had ended, and the two covens parted ways, Baekhyun didn’t know what to do with himself. He tried sitting at home to finish the matching hat and scarf he was making, but he found himself unable to follow the pattern. He tied baking himself something for dessert, but after he burnt the vanilla cupcakes into charcoal he gave up. Instead, he found himself occupied with bouncing the light off of stained-glass windows in his attic, flicking his lights on and off and basking in the sun streaming from his windows.

After a day of this, he decided to sulk around in Suho’s home.

He sat at the table with Junmyeon and Winnie, slumped over the dinner they had graciously provided for him, a bowl of rice and warm stew.

“Was it like this for you?” He finally asked, playing with the broth, the light bouncing off his empty glass in all directions.

“After we left I made the water in my bath float.” Junmyeon confessed, taking hold of Winnie's hand and intertwining their fingers. Winnie smiled at him, before her eyes fell on Baekhyun, an inquisitive look on her face. She supposed it would be interesting to watch her two friends fall in love, especially knowing how stubborn they both could be.

“That is a good thing Baekhyun.” His leader told him, sincerity lacing the warm tones of his voice as he looked at the struggling man, behaving like a lovesick puppy as he moped around at his table.

“That is why we give and receive warnings.” He told him, and Baekhyun looked up from his food to look him directly in the eyes.

“How is this a good thing?”

“Because you are becoming infatuated. And you will later love her.” Junmyeon answered, playing with the spoon in his hands.

“Does she feel like that too?” The curiosity and hopeful tones that broke through Baekhyun’s dejection made Junmyeon laugh. The sound broke through the still air and flew over Baek like a warm shower, making him feel reassured.

“Do you know how many jars exploded when he left?” Winnie asked, giving Junmyeon a sly glance as her lips turned into a smirk. It was a rhetorical question, but Baekhyun wanted to embarrass her anyway. Before he could even open his mouth, Winnie’s steel tone cut him off.

“Don’t ask!”

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

“What is happening to me?” Eleanora asked her mother when she missed another eye in the knitting pattern. By now the jumper looked more like holey cheese than something wearable, and Eleonora was at her wit's end, ready to just start over rather than keep the mess she had so far. The sweet taste of rocky road mixed in with the tang of cherries blossomed on her tongue, and she cursed the fact she could taste her own feelings, along with everyone else’s.

“Are you thinking of Beak?” Her mother asked, smiling knowingly as she put another batch of cookies in the oven. She could taste her mother’s amusement, like lemonade on her tongue, mixed with the minty freshness of relief at the idea that she did think of him.

“No...” Eleonora’s voice faded slowly into nothing, her eyes not meeting her mothers. Despite that, she knew her daughter was frustrated. She knew she was planning on leaving, running somewhere far she had never been to. Eleonora wanted to run, belong to no place, hear no names blaring like bells in her head. She had dreamed of tasting foods and feelings she was unfamiliar with. Now, after the Crone had come to her with a Warning, her plans fell through, and she had to pick up a knitting needle rather than a plane ticket. She was angry, and her mother had no doubt she was bitter too. Bitter, angry, defiant. She knew she could run, fate could not force her to do its bidding, but fate had its ways. Fate had its ways, and it had done what it wanted to her daughter, or so it seemed.

Eleonora watched her mother, bitterness light on her tongue, as she watched her mother think, knowing that there was disappointment in her heart, and defiance too, fainter than her own, but still fragrant.

“That is why they give you Warnings.” Her mother told her, laying her warm hands on Eleonora’s shoulder, squeezing it gently as she threw away her needles.

“To make sure you don’t burn your house down?” She huffed, making her mother laugh.

“More or less.” She nodded, looking behind her shoulder at her husband.

Eleonora’s father rummaged through the fridge, finally pulling the glass sugar bowl out of the fridge, raising it in a toast towards his daughter.

“You have a real talent sweetheart!” He called out, smiling brightly, watching with gleeful eyes as Eleonora sank into the couch with a huff.

“Maybe you should meet up?” Her father suggested, and your mother nodded in agreement, eyes shining.

“I met up with your dad after we met.” She confirmed, looking between her mother and father, and tasting nothing.

“Meet up and go where?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That nice café down the block? It has Halloween themed desserts right now.” Her mother pointed out, swatting her father’s hands away from the pie

“I eat that every day.” Eleonora complained, and her parent’s amusement flooded her tongue.

“No, you don’t. Don’t be dramatic.” Her mother smiled.

“Off you go. Call him!” Her father ushered her off the couch, walking her towards the door as he handed her mismatched hats and scarves lying about on top of the shoe rack.

“Did they leave their phone numbers?” Eleonora asked, putting her shoes on.

“Yes. Go to the Coven House, The Crone should give it to you.” Her father told her, waving goodbye as she disappeared outside, her figure swallowed by the golden rays of the cool autumn sun.

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

It was only an hour after she left her house, that she found herself sitting in the café right outside of the town square. The pavements outside were littered with golden leaves, the trees that were green and lush only a few months ago were standing nearly bare, ready for their winter sleep. The sun shone but had almost no warmth to it.

“Hello.” Baekhyun said, his voice ringing through the quiet café as he reached her table.

“How are you?” She asked, smiling at him as he sat down across her. His hair was tasselled by the wind, his jumped was fluffy, and the blue denim jacket he wore hung loosely on his shoulders. Despite his slightly dishevelled appearance, his smile was bright, disarmingly so. He seemed to be shining when he grinned.

The two got up to order coffee after he settled down. He paid for Eleonora’s coffee, ordered her cake and toom their tray to their table. All the while, Baekhyun carried the conversation, joking with Eleonora about Halloween, laughing at the infinite number of pumpkin-spiced treats, pointing out the witch cut-outs decorating the café.

“Do we really look like that?” He smiled when they finally sat down, eyes glued to the window decal right beside him. Eleonora laughed, shaking her head, the sweet taste of chocolate and cherry that made up rocky road thick in her tongue now that Baekhyun sat in front of her.

“I burned the cupcakes.” Baekhyun confessed to her, his fingers fidgeted with the small silver dessert fork. His eyes no longer met hers as a shy blush dusted his cheeks.

“I burned the apple pie and put the sugar into the fridge.” Eleonora confessed, remembering her father pulling it out along with the milk.

“I always wondered why they call it a warning.” Baekhyun mused, eyes falling on Eleonora, where they stayed. Their intensity burning into her.

“This is nice.” Eleonora whispered, taking another bite of cake.

“It is.” Baekhyun nodded, looking at her over his coffee.

They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the sweet cake and warm coffee, watching life happen outside, unaware that a great and old magic was taking place around them. The smell of burning hung in the air, and both Baekhyun and Eleonora smelled it. They felt the chill of the autumn air and the draft coming through the Thinning Veil that came with it. Their eyes rested on the charms each one wore as protection. The pretty copper bracelets, and the charms that hung on chains around their necks, all meant to ward off evil spirits as the darker half approached.

“What does your coven think of me?” She broke the silence, and Baekhyun’s gaze was piercing, looking through her as if he was looking for something. For a moment he didn’t speak, and she could taste an inner battle on her tongue.

“They find your empathy quite interesting. They started wondering what feelings taste like.” He spoke, his voice even and serious, the playful tone was gone.

“Do you know what romantic love tastes like?” He asked as the world seemed to shine a little brighter as excitement and curiosity returned to his voice. Eleonora shook her head, and for a moment, she could see Baekhyun’s grin falter, and the light in his eyes dim a little. She scrambled for a better answer, something to explain why that was.

“I know what infatuation tastes like though.” She quipped, sheepishly turning her head away from his. She hoped he would not see the blush rising on her cheeks, but the light giggle had told her he already had.

“What is it?” He asked, leaning closer, the playful glimmer in his brown eyes seemed golden, and Eleonora relented, turning back and looking at him with a serious expression, the blush now gone from her cheeks.

“Rocky Road ice cream.” She stated. Her straight face did not match the response she gave him, and Baekhyun could not help but laugh, the sound light and contagious, coaxing Eleonora’s laugh.

“Why?” He asked through deep breaths, eyes confidently looking her over.

“It’s exciting, I guess.” She sipped on her drink, her gaze matching Baekhyun’s.

“Do you want to get some ice cream?” He asked, getting up from his seat and extending his hand so she could grab it.

“Now?” Eleonora asked, watching him nod eagerly.

“Now.”

“Come on.” He said, grabbing her hand and walking out of the coffee shop, their hands clasped together loosely.

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

The ice cream parlour wasn’t far away, since most cafes were situated in the town square. The walls outside were painted a bubble gum pink, and inside they were painted a pastel yellow, with flowers and pot plants decorating the interior. An older witch from her coven ran the place, and Eleonora had greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, as the elder gave her a sly wink, looking from her to her hand, still in Baekhyun’s own.

They had ordered their ice cream, and walked off into the town, passing through alleys, dried leaves crumbling under their shoes and the autumn sun painting everything golden.

“Is this what being with me tastes like?” Baekhyun asked, licking his ice cream. he had insisted on getting rocky road, while Eleonora went for one of the more unusual flavours they were serving- a rose sorbet. Truthfully, she had been tasting the decadent flavour so much she wanted something different for a change, something to cleanse her palette.

“Sure.” She nodded, stirring Baekhyun into a shortcut that would take them to the park.

“You said you can taste feelings. Surely you have been around people in love before.” He mentioned. taking her hand in a firmer hold.

“There are limitations to every gift.” She mused, eyes looking up into the sky, the sunset turning the sky various hues of pink and orange.

“I can only taste the feelings I have felt myself.” She told him, licking her ice cream as they walked. Baekhyun pondered over her words and she began explaining.

“If I have never felt something, I cannot taste it.” Eleanora kicked up some of the golden leaves lying on the pavement.

Baekhyun smiled, the prospect of being the one to make her finally taste romantic love was exciting. So exciting in fact, that the sunset lasts longer than usual that day, and when he had come home, he watched as all the lightbulbs in his home exploded, one by one as he turned the lights off. For the rest of the night, he had played with the silk moonlight streaming through his windows, the candles burning yellow flames around him.

He thought about what Eleonora said, about being with him tasting like something exciting and decadent, and he began wondering, once the infatuation is gone, and love settles in, what would it taste like?

#baekhyun #EXO baekhyun #byun baekhyun #exo fanfiction #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun fluff #baekyun fanfiction #baekhyun x oc #witch!baekhyun #exo witch au #exo fantasy au #baekhyun fantasy au #exo fluff #kpop fanfic #kpop fluff #exo au #baekhyun series #exo x oc

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i-choose-liam · 6 years

Text

Tassels - King Liam x MC (The Royal Romance)

A/N: An anon requested Liam and Mc playing truth or dare. It’s pretty suggestive, but not nsfw, so don’t worry. Tagging @bowful, @indescribablechoices, @indiacater, @zaffrenotes, @angelicfangirl, @thatspicegirlssong, and @lizzybeth1986. If you would like to be removed from the tags, please please let me know. I feel awkward enough tagging you as it is. Thanks.

Pairing: King Liam x MC (Queen Riley)

Rated: T, for sexual themes

As the Queen of Cordonia dropped her head back to the couch, she let out a weary sigh. Her husband was standing by the dresser, taking off his coat and looking at her with a smile. "Tired, my love?", he asked. Riley turned her head to the side to get a better look at him. She said, "No. Just bored. Contrary to what my teachers said about me in college, I cannot talk an entire Parliament into submission" Liam chuckled, taking off his cravat. "I'm sure you could, dear, provided we hand you a bottle of vodka before" "Ha-ha. Wait", she wondered aloud, "When was the last time I got drunk?" She sat up straight when she realised - "Liam, I can't remember the last time I was drunk. I think it was that time when I played truth or dare with Maxwell and the others, but I'm not sure" Liam turned away from the mirror to face her, unbuttoning his shirt as he spoke. "You lot played truth or dare? When?" Riley shrugged, "It seems like ages ago. I think it was before your Coronation" "Wow" He said and turned away. Riley had become so accustomed to her usually impassive husband's moods, it didn't take her long to figure out something was amiss. That "wow" hadn't been one of nostalgic surprise. It had undertones of hurt. "What do you mean by wow?", she asked. "Nothing. Just that it has been so long" "No", Riley got up, "I know all your wows. Your wow, when you see an amazing artwork. The other wow, when you can't believe how funny something is. Then there's another wow, when you see me naked" She smiled on hearing his laugh. ‘God, I love that laugh’ Liam turned to her. He was unbuckling his belt, while the ends of his shirt lay wide open, exposing his chiseled torso. "I am quite flattered that you have been studying my speech patterns" "Or as I like to call it... Liam-guistics" "Dear god" "Oh hush. You love it" He took her in his arms, saying he did indeed. Riley laid her face against his chest, lovingly dancing her fingers along his abs. Liam was quite tall, so she often got to enjoy being enfolded in his arms, having his chin rest atop her head. She asked, her cheek growing warm against his chest, "What was that 'wow' about?" Liam rubbed circles on her back with his hand. He said, "Do you really want to know?" "Yeah" "Well, it's going to make me sound petty. But I felt jealous that you guys played truth or dare without me. Sorry" She said, "Aw. Don't be sorry. If I were in your place, I would have never forgiven any of you for playing without me" "You can be rather vengeful" She gave him a playful push, moving her face away from his chest, but Liam held her tight in his arms. Riley looked up into his smiling face. She said, "There is a way we can set this right. I'll play truth or dare with you" "That is incredibly sweet of you. But you don't have to" She held his arms, insisting, "I want to! It will be fun, I promise" Excitement flickered in Liam's eyes, until he compressed it into one word. "Okay" "Great! Come on, we will sit on the bed" Riley had changed into her nightdress, and Liam wore his pyjama pants. They were sitting up on different sides of the bed, facing each other. Riley had explained the simple rules to him before she asked, "Shall we play then?" "Absolutely" She said, "Okay. You pick first. Truth or dare?" "Hm", Liam seemed to be giving it a thought, "Truth" Riley smirked, waggling her brows at him. "Too scared to be dared, Your Majesty?" He returned with a devious smile of his own, "I'm just getting warmed up, my Queen" "Well then, truth, huh? Okay!", Riley asked, "When was the last time you got a hard-on in public?" Liam's eyebrows rose, as he said, "Wow" "That's definitely your 'I can't believe this' wow" "You're just jumping right into it, aren't you?" She winked. Liam cleared his throat. "If I must answer... it was four days ago" "Four days ago? We were at the Beaumont estate four days ago" Liam nodded. He wouldn't meet the surprised look in her eyes. "You were helping Maxwell with the cleaning. You offered to wash the car. Bertrand and I were discussing Parliamentary matters on the lawn" "But I don’t remember doing anything sexy", Riley said. Liam gave her a look. He said, "That's what always happens. You are just doing your own thing, and without knowing it, you can seem unbelievably sexy" She laughed in disbelief. "Okay. So I was washing the car and?" "It was hot out and we were inside the estate grounds. So you were wearing shorts and a tank top. And you threw on a red plaid shirt over it. There was that wash bucket, the foam and washcloth", Liam said, "You were bent over the hood, washing the glass. The angle of your body, it... and you had foam on your chest" "Oh my god" Liam blushed, "That's not what I...! Anyway, you... you wiped the sweat from your forehead and took off the shirt because it was too hot. Then you crawled on your hands and knees on top of the hood… to clean the car's roof. Let's just say that was enough to... illicit an indecent response from my body" Riley laughed, "Liam! Why didn't you tell me right then?" "How could I? Bertrand was talking to me, and all I could think about was pinning you down on that hood and getting your tank top & shorts out of the way" Riley covered her face as she laughed some more, expertly covering her blushing cheeks too. She asked, "How did you get rid of it?" Liam said, "I took a newspaper from the tea table and put it on my lap. I had to pretend to read it. Then Savannah came in with Bartie and handed him to me. I was horrified at the thought of seating him down anywhere near my... so I just awkwardly held him in my arms throughout the rest of the conversation" "Poor baby" "I made sure he didn't..." "Not Bartie. You", Riley giggled. Liam grinned. He told her, "You're more dangerous than you realise" "Oh I totally get it now" Looking more relaxed, Liam reclined into the bed. He said, "Now it's your turn. Will it be truth or dare?" "Dare, obviously" "Very well. I dare you to take off all your clothes and keep them off for the rest of the game" Riley stared at him in surprise. Liam looked as innocent as a lamb. "That was fast", she said, "Were you planning it or something?" He gave her a nod, saying, "It was the first thing that popped into my head when you suggested playing truth or dare" Liam laughed on seeing the expression on her face. He sat up in bed, pulling her to him. "Come on. Don't tell me you're scared" "I'm not" Riley narrowed her eyes at him, before getting on her knees and pulling off her negligee. "Wait", Liam said. She watched him get out of bed. He had the nerve to turn on every single light in their bedroom, even the bedside lamps. He plopped down into bed, resting his head on his elbow and watching. "Continue", he said. With his eyes hungrily caressing every exposed inch of her skin, Riley slowly pulled off her nightdress. She rose on her knees and arched her back fully, making Liam's jaw drop. Her fingers unhooked the bra from behind. She held it in place for one agonising minute, before it slipped out of her hands and fell on the bed. Liam's pulse visibly moved in his throat. Riley turned, so he was facing her side, and slipped the panties off her butt, the fabric caressing her skin as she pulled it down. She sat down in bed and stretched her right leg up in the air. She pulled down the panties along the length of her leg, freed it from her left leg, then tossed it on the floor. When she turned to Liam again, he was practically devouring her with his eyes. So for added effect, she shook her head to let her hair bounce and splay, till it settled on her shoulders. "Riley...", Liam growled. He advanced on her, saying, "You're so fucking gorgeous..." "Uh-uh", she put a hand to his chest, keeping him away, "I did what you dared me to. Now it's my turn to ask" Liam almost sounded desperate, "But darling..." "Rules are rules, Liam" He immediately schooled his petulant expression into one of nonchalance. He sat down on the bed, away from her. "Fine. I choose truth" "You're such a chicken!" He laughed, "The choice is up to me, isn't it?" Riley scoffed. She rolled her eyes, "Fine" On purpose, she positioned herself in bed on her side. Liam could gaze unhindered at her front, and the curve of her body cresting over her hips and narrowing at her legs. "Tell me. If you absolutely had to, who would you have sex with - Drake or Maxwell?" "You...", Liam exclaimed, "What kind of a question is that?" She tried not to burst into a laugh. "It's a question. You have to answer truthfully" Liam put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. He sighed. "If I absolutely had to", he mumbled, "Drake" "I'm sorry, speak louder" "I said Drake! You happy?" She giggled. "Oh very happy" Liam warned her, "If you tell him, I swear I will tell our friends what your nicknames for them are" "You wouldn't!" "If you tell him this, then I will tell them", Liam said, "I'm quite sure Miss Honeypot will forgive you though" "Liam!" He ducked the pillow she threw at him and laughed. This time, Riley chose truth. Liam gave it a long thought. "Are you going to ask me or are you just going to stare at my body?" "Hm?" "You're such a..." "Okay, okay!" He finally asked, "What is the most public place you would be willing to have sex in?" "Why do I feel like you are asking this for future reference?" "What if I am?" She blushed, "You are incorrigible. I swear, your exhibitionist kink is going to get us caught some day" "Answer the question, Your Majesty", he grinned ear to ear. Riley thought about it for a while. She said at last, "Anywhere but public transport. Those places are crawling with germs" Liam raised an eyebrow, "Anywhere, you say? Interesting" She cut him off, saying, "It's your turn now, pervert. And if you pick truth again..." "Dare" Riley confirmed, "Really?" Liam nodded, "Yes. Dare me. It's only fair" When she sat up in bed with a big smile on her face, Liam realized he was in trouble. Riley said, "I dare you to take a sexy selfie and send it to one of your closest friends" She chuckled when Liam shook his head at her. "A dare's a dare", she reminded him. Liam groaned, throwing a pillow over his face. Riley pulled it off him, laughing, and put his phone in his hand. "Come on now. Don't tell me the King of Cordonia can't keep his word" Liam gave her a pained look, "If I wasn't in love with you, I would hate you so much" "Yeah, right. Sexy selfie now. Come on" "I don't even know how to take a sexy selfie!" "Just pretend you're going to send it to me. What would you want me to see?" "Well…" Riley giggled some more. She said, "I mean, other than my favourite part" Liam huffed. He had a hand under his head as he lay in bed, the muscles in his arm flexing. He turned on the front camera on his phone and positioned it above him. It did present a good picture. His shirtless torso, the fruits of his workout, and his mussed up hair. He managed to give half a smile to the camera before clicking the picture. "Let me see!" Riley took the phone from his hand and gawked at the picture. She said with reverence, "This is definitely going in my private collection" Liam asked hopefully, "Does that mean I don't have to send it to a friend?" She began typing, "Oh you're definitely sending this to someone. Who's it going to be?" "Darling, please..." "I'll just send it to Drake" Liam shot up in bed. "No!", he took the phone away from her, "He'll never let me hear the end of it" Riley chuckled. "Then how about Hana?" "That would be extremely inappropriate" "Then that leaves..." Liam closed his eyes, mumbling, "Forgive me, my friend" He typed in the name but couldn't hit send. "You send it" Riley took the phone back from his hands. She said with a wicked leer, "Gladly" She even attached a caption: I'm waiting for you. "And... sent!" "You are pure evil. I really wonder at times if the red dress you wore at the Masquerade wasn't a sign after all", Liam said. Riley laughed, exclaiming, "Oh my god, he replied!" "Nooo...", Liam groaned. Riley read the reply aloud. "Uuummmm... Liam, you sure you got the right number?" "Give me that!" She rolled on the bed and laughed, while Liam typed a frantic apology to his friend. ‘I'm so sorry, Maxwell! That was meant for Riley. I apologize. So very sorry’ Maxwell texted back, ‘Lol awkward. No harm done tho. You two kids play safe. G'night!’ Riley was still laughing when Liam jostled and tickled her as punishment. By the time she had regained her breath, Riley was sitting up. She grabbed her bra from the bed and her panties. She got out of bed to put them on, saying, "I sure hope you enjoyed your first game of truth or dare, babe. That was fun" "It's not over yet" She turned to see Liam get out of bed and approach the side of it where she was standing. "What do you mean it's not over?", Riley asked. Liam had a stoically sexy expression on his face, one that made her stomach flutter. He said, as he advanced on her, "I was the first one to choose. You still have to make your last choice" He walked to her, backing her into the nightstand. Riley tried to retreat from his lustful gaze lighting sparks under her skin, but there was nowhere to escape. Liam towered over her, 6'2" inches of masculine beauty and abundant sex appeal. His broad chest, his wide shoulders, his arms that she knew could bench-press two of her. She had never felt so... intimidated by Liam's size. He looked like he could do anything he wanted with her. The possibilities turned her speechless and immobile. "What will it be - truth or dare?" 'Oh fuck. He's using his sexy voice' Riley took a deep breath and defiantly met his heated gaze. She said, "D-dare" "Excellent" He leaned forward, making her jump. She saw he was only reaching for the bottom drawer on the nightstand.

Under his personal effects, which he knew Riley would never snoop through, Liam had hidden a gift box. He laid the rectangular box against her bare chest, meeting her eyes under his dark eyebrows. "Open it" The box almost slipped out of her hands. But she managed to untie the silk ribbon and open it. 'Lingerie?' Liam said, "I was going to ask you to wear this for me on my birthday. But it looks like I'm going to get my present a little early" Riley lifted the two piece lingerie out of the box. It was black and nude. Silk and net and lace. It looked expensive as hell. And the design was weird. There were no cups on the corset and it had fastenings in the back. She said, "I have never seen anything like this before" "Thank goodness" Riley found two round patches in the box. They had the Cordonian flag on them. 'Wait. These aren't patches. These are...' "Nipple tassels?!", she asked with disbelief. Liam grinned like he had finally been caught. He rested his hands on Riley's waist, grazing the tip of her nose with his. He said, trying to sound sweet and innocent, "You don't have to use them if you don't want" "You have got to be kidding me" Now she realised why the corset didn't have cups. What she had supposed to be the back was actually the front. When she wore it, her breasts were going to be completely bare. Unless she put on the tassels. And the panties looked weird because they were crotchless, front and back. "Liam... you are officially the most depraved, lecherous, perverted, shameless..." He silenced her with a kiss. He smacked his lips loudly against hers, withdrawing and nipping her lower lip between his teeth. Resting his forehead against hers, Liam said, "I dare you to wear this under your dress tomorrow evening" Riley felt the heat rise up in her face. She said, "We are supposed to be at the Royal Theatre tomorrow. Why would you possibly want me to wear this there?" "For access, of course" Riley gasped and hit him in the chest, making him laugh. She wiggled to get away but her husband had her pinned against the nightstand. "I dare you", he said, moving to bite her lips and clacking his teeth just an inch short of her mouth. With his hand trailing down and squeezing her butt, and his eyes boring into hers, Riley said, "Challenge accepted"

#liam x mc #king liam x mc #king liam #the royal romance #fanfiction #trr #romance #fluff #playchoices #hana lee #maxwell beaumont #drake walker

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capsicletho · 7 years

Text

I Can’t Make You Love Me

…if you don’t. You can’t make your heart feel something that it won’t.

a Tony Stark series; author: @stvrktony | chapter 09

trigger: none.

word count: 2k+

summary: Reader and Tony found comfort in each other while they were trying to mend their own broken hearts.

a/n: there’s a huge time jump here because i need the plot to move further, but i hope you still find things easy enough to follow! I’ve already planned something or the next chapter, and it’s so exciting so stay tuned for that!

masterlist | ICMYLM masterlist | previous chapter

You retreated to your childhood bedroom after spending a few hours catching up with your family and enjoying a good home-cooked dinner by your mother. As soon as your body hit the bed, you immediately fell asleep and didn’t wake up until 9AM the next morning, which is already Christmas Eve. You can just hear the commotion downstairs. Your parents were well-known for their Christmas Eve party where they invite friends and work colleagues over, because Christmas Day is reserved only for family. Everyone were busy getting ready downstairs, and not even bothering to shower first, you put on the silk robe around your body and headed downstairs, hungry for some eggs and bacon.

As you descended the stairs, you can see people walking back and forth in your house setting things up, meanwhile your parents, grandparents, and your siblings are enjoying a good breakfast. Everyone greeted you good morning and you joined them for breakfast and it was a fun day all around. You helped your mother with organising the house and then you went to the mall with your sister and her children before finally getting ready for the get together with your parents’ closest friends. And by closest friends, there were almost a hundred people who had attended. Everyone had a great time, and that’s when you received a text from Tony.

How’s DC?

You smiled a little and quickly replied,

Cold and dull without you.

You continued to stare at the screen, waiting for a reply which showed up a second later.

I’m glad.

You giggled to yourself while you thought of a reply before you were surprised by your best friend who you haven’t seen since graduation. And just like that, you forgot to reply to Tony’s text.

After a minute of waiting, he set the phone aside–figuring out you were too busy to reply. He was okay with that, and continued to tinker with a new ‘toy’ he had been developing over the past six months. Something he had been using to distract himself after he broke up with Pepper and something that he had been losing sleep over.

The party at your parents’ home ended around midnight; everyone were clearing out, although a few guests lingered, by midnight a lot of guests had left, and you decided to excuse yourself and went up to your bedroom. Excruciatingly exhausted after a long day. You took off the outfit you had been wearing all night, washed your face, and you had initially wanted to scroll through your phone and reply through the messages you have been ignoring all night, but again, you drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

The next morning, everything was more noisy than the previous day. The nephews and nieces were so excited to open their presents. Everyone was already up and had already went running around, excited to open the presents stacked under the tree.

After spending time with your family in the living room, exchanging stories and having so many deep conversations, it was time to get ready for the family dinner. While you were enjoying undoubtedly one of the best Christmases you’ve had, someone else was having possibly the worst Christmas he could have. You knew Tony would not drive all the way to upstate New York just to celebrate Christmas–you weren’t sure that the Avengers were big on celebrating the holidays either.

“Shit,” you muttered, which made one of your nephews–who were sitting closer to you looked up at you in surprise at the curse word.

You quickly approached your parents across the living room and sat next to your mother, talking low enough not to disturb the rest of the family, but loud enough that your father could also hear.

“I have to go,” you said. “I have to go back to New York tonight.”

“What? I thought you were going back tomorrow?” Your mother looked a little bit surprised and sad at the same time, and you felt guilty, but you’ve spent three days with them already and besides your mother had a lot of people surrounding her. Granted, it was not you, but it’s not like she would be entirely lonely without you. But someone else would be.

“I know, I’m really sorry, Mom. But someone needs me. I can’t let him spend Christmas alone,” you said to your mother, but you looked at your father–hoping for support on his side.

“Well, that just won’t do, now would it?” Your father smiled understandingly. You smiled back, knowing that your father would always support whatever you decide to do. “Why don’t you go upstairs and pack up, I’ll get you a flight back, okay?” He assured you.

You reached over to hug him and whispered, “Thank you, Dad.” You turned to your mother, seeing her clearly disappointed was heartbreaking for you.. You promised to make it up to your mother and immediately headed upstairs to pack up your things while you wait for your father to get you a flight back to New York.

You glanced at the time. It’s half past seven, which meant you still have plenty of time before Christmas is over to get to the tower and you could only hope everything goes smoothly.

Tony had his vinyl playing the soft-rock rendition of classic Christmas songs. He sat in the middle of his lab and had U record everything while he test runs his new prototype after fixing a few glitches here and there. As soon as he slipped on the headpiece, the lab transformed into a room filled with Christmas decorations. It didn’t really transform, but Tony had spent an entire hour trying to arrange this image and the tables around the lab to create a plain background so that nothing would obstruct the viewing of his first test run.

You went straight to the Avengers Tower–which have been renamed the Stark Tower–from the airport. There was no need guess where he was at this time of day, especially considering the fact that no one was making sure he was sleeping right for the last few days.

Your tracks were stopped right in front of the lab when you saw what was inside the lab. Christmas lights, Christmas trees with tassels and presents underneath it, and every homey and cosy Christmas-related decorations in the lab.

“Wow,” you whispered to yourself, not quite registering what you were seeing there. FRIDAY opened the lab doors for you and your eyes landed on Tony’s back who still didn’t realise you were there; he was busy admiring the success of his work.

You made your way in gingerly, afraid to trip into something you were not supposed to. You cleared your throat and Tony spun around, surprised to see you there, but the smile he had been sporting a few seconds ago spread wider and even more genuine.

“What are you doing here?” Tony asked, trying to mask his excitement as he took off the headpiece and the your surrounding melted away and revealed the lab once again.

“I just thought you shouldn’t be spending Christmas alone,” you shrugged.

“What about your family?” He asked.

You glanced at the time and it showed that it was 10 PM. “Some of the kids would be getting ready for bed by now, and the adults would be sharing stories over eggnog and wine, so I think I’m good,” you said, walking closer to him.

He walked closer to you too, immediately pulling you in for a hug by the waist. It wasn’t like you’ve gave him a brief hug, but this was a real hug. The deep and meaningful kind.

Tony pulled away and his eyes were staring deep into yours once again; he had the same look he had when he looked into your eyes the night you slow-danced together. You kept your hands resting on his shoulders and all of a sudden he tugged on you like the two of you could be any closer, one of his hand was cupping your face and his lips were immediately pressed on yours.

You could feel his rough facial hair on your skin, but at the same time his lips were incredibly soft. It was not a sloppy or hurried kiss, it was actually very gentle and slow. You paused for a second, still trying to process things in your brain before you finally melted into the kiss, your arms wrapped around his neck and your fingers wove its way into his dark hair.

Tony tucked a strand of hair behind your ear as he pulled away, he kept his eyes on your lips, “Merry Christmas, (Y/N),” Tony spoke in a low voice

You let out a small laugh, “Merry Christmas, Tony,” you replied.

He rested his forehead on yours and you closed your eyes in contentment. You didn’t exactly know when this happened, but as soon as he kissed you, you immediately felt as if you have been waiting for so long, and maybe you have. The two of you pulled away completely when the whirring sound of a machine disturbed your peace; you turned your heads to look to U, which was the source of the noise and saw that he had been recording the entire thing. Tony shook his head and you let out a small laugh, pulling away and taking off your coat.

“Was that a new project? Is that what’s been keeping you up all night?” You inquired.

“Yeah. Been working on that for a while,” he reached to the table for the headpiece.

“That was amazing,” you complimented him and reached for the headpiece to look at it. “What’s it called?”

“Binarily Augmented Retro Framing,” Tony proudly said. “Just made it up this morning.”

You repeated the mouthful name quietly and then a playful smirk on your face, “You know what the acronym is?”

“What?”

“BARF,” you stated, which caused you to laugh and he just shook his head and palm-faced.

“Did not think of that,” Tony laughed.

You didn’t know how, but the two of you decided to lounge around in the living room. He brought piles of blankets and spread them out on the floor to make it comfortable for the two of you to sit on. Tony turned on the electric fireplace while you scrolled through Netflix for some Christmas movies. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and you leaned your head on his shoulder. The two of you stayed like that until you fell asleep in each others’ arms on the pile of blankets and pillows.

You would’ve probably woken up late if it weren’t for the multiple footsteps you heard entering the living room. You were the one to wake up first and Tony woke up because you moved. It took you a second to comprehend who they were, but they already froze when they saw you and Tony. Nat and Wanda’s jaws were hanging–if it were possible, they would’ve dropped to the floor. While Rhodey and Sam’s eyes were bulging. Steve’s expression was less comprehensible; anger, surprise, terror, disappointment, and heartbreak all mixed up into one. Steve averted his eyes away from you, but you couldn’t seem to look away either.

“Are you guys naked under there?” Rhodey said abruptly which caused Tony to sigh and rolled his eyes and Steve flinched slightly.

“What do you want?” Tony asked, a little bit irritated as he pulled back the blanket to reveal the two of you fully clothed in what you wore yesterday. He got up and strode to the kitchen to grab two glasses of water. Despite wearing a turtleneck sweater, you still felt cold and so you curled yourself into a ball and hugged your knees, looking away from the Avengers. Everything was incredibly awkward and you didn’t know what else to do aside from that.

“You didn’t have a party yesterday, which is surprising. But I guess now I know why,” Sam chuckled teasingly at you as he plopped on the sofa, to which you rolled your eyes at him. You pulled the blankets and turned yourself into a cocoon to keep yourself warm.

TAGS:

@thevanishedillusion @welcometomyworldwithoutrules @plan3tmadison @tonystarkismydaddy @poemfreak306

#tony stark fanfic #tony stark x reader #tony stark fluff #tony stark imagine #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark #icmylm

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kingkilvas-blog · 7 years

Note

5 Times the Love

Send “5 Times the Love” and I will write a drabble about the five times my muse fell in love with your muse

Her hands piled flowers into his own, little palms and little fingers covered in little, pink petals. He watched her with wide, innocent eyes. The youngest princess in the forest was always smiling, and she talked to him in ancient (which he was still learning and could only understand every other word). But her hair looked like gold spun into silk, and her eyes were so pretty and green.

Naesala smiled back as she began to arrange the little flowers in his messy hair and the grey fledgling wings on his back. His sun-darkened cheeks turned ruddy. “What’s this for? Is it ‘cause I’m a guest?” he asked with a small giggle. His aunt had told him that he was to always be grateful for the things other people gave him when he was a guest in royal houses. Now, his aunt and uncle were inside, talking with the princess’s mother and father. His older cousins had run off with her older siblings to play, and being the same age, they had been stuck together.

No one else was ever as young as him in the Kilvasi castle.

She answered but he didn’t know what she was saying. She probably couldn't understand him either... But she put the flowers over his brow as if it were a crown, then sat back in the grass, fluttering her fluffy white wings with pride.

It was the first time Naesala ever felt like he was really a prince.

II.

“Come on, Nae! You gotta at least try!” Reyson laughed at him as the young prince struggled to get out of the water. His black wings, new and glossy with flying wings, were weighed down by the river and he flailed his arms in a desperate attempt to find sanctuary on the bank.

“It’s not funny!” Naesala squawked. “You pushed me in!”

“You pushed me out of the tree, we’re even!” the young prince continued to snicker. Naesala began to consider that this was what he deserved for making friends with the rowdiest Herons. The rest of them were calm and dignified and liked to sing and skip and talk to him about poetry and philosophy and art. But Reyson and Leanne wanted to sneak away from the castle grounds and hike up mountains, build stick forts, and catch frogs. This visit, Reyson had insisted on making Naesala learn how to swim.

The young raven accidentally gulped in a breath of water as he tried to swim, and he felt his head sink underwater. He tried to cough, but couldn’t find any air. His wings were heavy on his back, pulling him under--

And then a pale hand took his and pulled him up with a grunt and a stumble. As Naesala lurched onto the river bank, he fell on top of Leanne and they both cringed in the grass.

“A-Are you alright?” she asked, worried as Naesala rolled off her and began to cough up small spurts of water. She rested a hand on his back and crouched next to him. “Nae?”

Sucking in air, Naesala opened his eyes and looked up. He saw that face again, framed by gilded silk and housing green eyes that were filled with worry. For him? Gods, he hoped so. He never noticed that she had little freckles before, right on the edges of her cheeks.

“You saved me,” he mentioned in a smiling gasp that was meant to tease her, but sounded more sincere. Her hair was long enough to come forward like a curtain and shine sun through it, as if she were casting some kind of special protection over him.

“You didn’t swim at all!” Reyson shouted as he approached from up the hill. “That’s pathetic!”

Leanne sighed, tired of her brother’s taunting, and leaned forward to briefly kiss the raven prince’s head. “All better.”

Naesala didn’t know why his heart was beating so heavily in his chest. He didn’t think he was old enough for courtship yet.

III.

She played with the embellishment on his lapels, tracing lines of silver embroidery and twirling the tiny tassels at each end. Her eyes were cast down to the fasteners on his tunic, but he liked the way her eyes looked darker green-- like the inside of a willow tree-- when his shadow was cast over her. The shining gold of her hair dimmed to a smoother, almost molten shade. And he could see those freckles again from here. They were tinted pink.

“I already asked my uncle,” he told her. One of his hands rested on the wall beside her shoulder. His other hovered close to her side, wanting to touch her waist, her hip. “The ball is in your court, princess.”

Leanne’s lips turned up into a small smirk as her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. “Is that how you ravens do it in Kilvas? You wait for a lady to make the first move?”

Naesala leaned in closer, his prominent nose just a scant half inch away from tapping her own. He smiled with all of the confidence and hope that came with adolescence. He might not be in the line for succession, but his uncle had recognized him as a legitimate member of the royal Kilvasi family.

“If we were in Kilvas, I’d whisk you off your feet,” he murmured. His own cheeks were darker too, even though he tried to hide it. “I’d take you away to the garden on the east side of the palace, covered in wild jasmine flowers and myrtle trees. I’d...” he hesitated, feeling his stomach twist as he tried to conjure the most romantic scene that he could. But he was still young, so was she.

“What would you do?” she asked, her eyes fluttered up from his tunic to his eyes, her finger that toyed with his tassel slipped and brushed against his collar bone.

Naesala’s eyes locked with hers. Dark and light.

“I’d recite to you all of the poetry written in tomes of love,” he told her, and it sounded so dreadfully cheesy.

“Would you kiss me?” Leanne asked-- she didn’t seem at all afraid of how bold her words were. She had not agreed to let him court her yet, but her eyes were challenging, playful, as if she wanted him to kiss her right now. Before her brothers and sisters found where they had snuck off to.

Naesala gulped and his voice sounded a little bit too hopeful and delicate when he answered.

“Yes.”

IV.

She was wilting behind iron bars, and he could see the bruising on her hands. She had tried to find a way out, but fighting against the metal rods only served to hurt her delicate blood. Her flesh and blood ran with seid and sensitivity, and he felt an angry bile rise up in his belly at the very sight of it.

But he held his tongue and he waited, with iron surrounding his own view as well. His wings screamed in pain, crushed and bound into the confines of beorc armor-- he wondered if they would be sprained or compoundly fractured by the time he could finally take the damn metals off. Wings were not meant to be contorted in such a way.

She looked at him in confusion at first, unable to understand why the guard he pretended to be was opening her cage. Why he was taking her hand.

But he leaned forward and he whispered in her ear-- his voice was twenty years lower, matured, and tired by now-- “Come with me, princess, I’m going to set you free.”

He had forgotten how to say it in ancient, but he prayed that she would be able to read his heart underneath all of the iron and steel.

Her eyes found his, somehow, around the helmet and visor. She did not smile, she did not speak, but her eyes softened just enough. He picked her up into his arms, as he so often used to wish that he could, and carried her from the tower.

“How’s that, Leanne? It’s been twenty years, but I’m still quite an eyeful. Don’t you agree?“

She looked like the snow at their feet. She was pale and slight and because of her lineage, she had never been physically able to be very intimidating. He knew that being as close to battle as she had was making her feel sick. But still, she stood between him and the raging Gallian prince.

“Do not... bully... Naesala!”

The raven winced in that moment, because hearing her say his name always made part of him want to weep, and hearing her accuse Skrimir of bullying was enough to make him laugh at the irony.

“But... Naesala suffers too. Very very much... he--”

His urge to laugh disappeared. She turned around to look at him as snowflakes fell into her hair. The pure, frigid air felt twice as innocent, and he felt his own skin radiating with a toxin that was bound to infect everything around him. Even her.

“Leanne, I wish you would stop looking into my soul,” he spoke sternly.

And before she could tell him what she had seen in his petrified heart, the Gallian cub was preparing to charge, and he couldn’t convince Nealuchi or Leanne to flee. When his arm found its way around her middle, her arms latched to his neck. Despite the clumsy desperation he flew with, she fit like a long lost key there. As if he were a lock that had long rusted over, but only she knew how to wiggle her way inside and make him open.

He huffed and it landed in her hair. He could feel her breath briefly on his neck as Skrimir continued to roar.

He did not want to let her go. He wanted to fly back home, in the deafening silence, and hold her until he felt warm again.

“That was very brave of you, Naesala,” she murmured to him gently.

He only wished he didn’t feel so selfish for it.

#library #here you go a series of moments ;000000 #galdrxr

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the-hunts · 7 years

Text

My Wife

Prompt: The first time Owen refers to Amelia as, “my wife.”

I’m baaaaaack. Well, kind of. I don’t really know much, but I know I missed writing. A

Owen Hunt was not one to flaunt his relationships all over town. He appreciated the intimacy of a bond shared between two people, the closeness it brings to the couple. At the same time, he also had a very hard time not mounting his wife every second of the day. The way her scrubs molded against her shapely ass, how the vee of her collar would gape when she bent over, revealing a delicious view of her cleavage.

He was a firm believer in feminism and he knew firsthand that Amelia could stand up for herself, but occasionally he couldn’t help it. When a stranger’s eyes would linger on her petite frame a little too long he would slink an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Or when the waiter at dinner would shoot her a grin, Owen would reach across to intertwine their hands, making sure to flaunt her white gold band.

But Amelia Shepherd was not going to stand around while he figuratively peed all over her. She was no one’s territory to be marked, and he knew that damn well. Yet he had an inkling that a small part of her enjoyed his jealousy and possessive nature when it came to her. The glint in her eye, and the super hot sex, were a dead giveaway that she wasn’t completely against his behaviour.

The first time it became very apparent that he was a jealous husband was a short two days after their wedding. While they had debated stay-cationing in Seattle for their honeymoon, the dreary weather and familiar faces of their coworkers pushed them to travel somewhere else. Somewhere warm, sunny and carefree. Preferable somewhere far.

Somehow they managed to plan their wedding and book a vacation package for Maui despite their short timeline. Amelia had scoffed at the extravagance of the trip, rolling her eyes as Owen selected the largest suite and a plethora of amenities. After she finally finished complaining he turned to her,

“Are you done yet?” he had asked, his voice on edge.

Astonished, she turned to him, “Pardon?”

He sighed greatly, “Are you done complaining yet? Because all you’re doing is wasting your breath.”

She humphed adorably, an angry pout settling on her face.

Owen couldn’t help but release a small chuckle and grin, “Amelia, look at me.”

His stubborn fiancee reluctantly gave him her attention.

“How many honeymoons are you planning on having?” he asked seriously.

She looked perplexed, “Pardon?”

“I asked how many honeymoons you planned on having. Because personally, I’m only planning on having one - with you. All I want is to soak up the sun with my wife, and preferably she’ll be wearing a skimpy bikini. And if that means paying an arm and a leg, so be it.”

Amelia relaxed under his gaze, a blush creeping up her cheeks, “A skimpy bikini, eh?”

He smiled sheepishly, “A guy can dream?”

She leaned in slowly to press a kiss to his lips, pulling away ever so slightly.

“A wife can turn dreams into realities,” she whispered huskily before sashaying away, shooting him a wink over her shoulder.

If Amelia Shepherd was anything, she was true to her word. So after a morning romp in the sheets on their first day of their vacation, she had sent him down to the beach, promising to meet him there after a quick shower. He had protested originally, wanting to spend no more than a second apart but she enticed him with the thought of the warm sun and sand, eventually coaxing him to relent.

As soon as he left, a sly grin spread across her face. She showered carefully, meticulously scrubbing her body with a natural sea sponge, letting the citrusy body wash glide down her wet frame. Once she was done, she stepped out into the steamy bathroom and wrapped a plush towel around her body, enjoying the soft cushioning of the fabric. Raising a hand, she wiped the condensation off the mirror before reaching back to let her hair out of its bun. As she reached up to fix her hair, her newly adorned ring glinted in the light, and her mouth quirked into a smile. Amelia dropped the towel on the bathroom floor before going into the bedroom to rummage through her suitcase for Owen’s special surprise.

Owen had booked a cabana for them on the beach, equipped with a soft canvas mattress and curtains to draw around the whole bed. He had tied the curtains to the posts, enjoying the soft morning breeze coming off the water while he read his book. The dipping of the bag as the settled down her bag alerted him to her arrival. He slowly peeled his eyes away from the book to glance at her, his mouth going dry at her appearance.

In front of him was Amelia, wearing barely more than the blinding smile on her face. She was wearing on of the tiniest bikinis he had ever seen. It was dark blue, with small white stitching around the edges and playful tassels the ends of the strings. The triangular cups looked full with her small breasts, and the bottoms were barely there. Owen took his time dragging his down her body, appreciating the way that the suit had accentuated her features. Unconsciously, he bit his lip between his teeth, releasing a soft groan.

“Like what you see?” Amelia asked playfully, a lilt of amusement in her voice.

Owen nodded, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed. He reached his hands out to hold her hips, fondling the string of her bottoms between his fingers. Naturally, her hands came to rest on his shoulders, gently tickling the newly formed freckles she found there. Owen’s thumb swiped across the fabric at her hip, the smooth fabric gliding easily across his skin. A cheeky smile formed on his face as he looked up at her.

Amelia eyed him with a grin, “What?”

Owen chuckled quietly while moving his fingers across the top of the suit towards her ass, “I can’t help but wonder what the back of the suit must look like.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she laughed, before turning around.

Owen reached to cup her bottom, “And you love me for it.”

She looked down over her shoulder, “Damn right I do. Now enough feeling up my ass, let’s go swim!”

Owen allowed her to drag him by the hand to the water, where they proceeded to kiss and frolic through the salty waves.

The couple slept on the mattress in the cabana, exhausted by their early morning efforts and their play in the water. Amelia woke first, mewling softly as she stretched out across the warm fabric. She rolled her shoulders before crawling to the end of the bed to draw open the curtain facing the water. She eyed the pair of loungers outside of the cabana longingly, wanting to enjoy the heat of the sun directly on her skin, but she knew her sun lotion had been washed off by the ocean’s spray. She turned to glance at her new husband, who was gently snoozing. Amelia decided to risk it, and grabbed her book and sunglasses before going to rest on the lounger.

As the sun moved, Amelia moved with it, moving her lounger to further away from the shady cabana to sit more fully in the sun. She was so absorbed in her book that she did not notice the person approaching until a shadow loomed over her body. Startled, she looked up at the intruder, finding a handsome face staring down at her.

“Hello there,” he crooned with an easy southern drawl.

Amelia gave him a strained smile, “Uh, hello.”

“Hello darling,” he smiled, pulling up the other lounger to align them, “Anyone sitting here?”

As she began to answer he cut her off, “Great, I’ve been looking for a spot all day and what luck to find one with such a lovely lady - ” he paused, waiting for her name.

“Amelia,” she obliged.

“Amelia, beautiful face for a beautiful girl,” he smiled, “I’m Sam.”

Amelia nodded before reaching into her bag for her sundress. The stranger watched closely. Once he realized what the item was he piped up again, “No need to cover up for me, honey.”

She smiled curtly, “The sun is getting a little too warm on my shoulders.”

As she reached up to pull the dress on he grabbed her arm, halting her progress. She startled and turned to face him.

“How about I help you with a little lotion then? Your shoulders are looking a little pink,” he offered with a leer, his fingers wandering up her arm teasingly.

Amelia shrugged her shoulder lightly, dropping his hand from her frame, “I’m fine, thanks.”

His hand went back to her shoulder, gripping tighter than before, “Really, I insist.”

Amelia’s voice got lost in her throat as an unsettling feeling crept into her gut. Sam got up to stand behind her, his hands heavy on her skin. She froze in her place her stomach dropped further. Sam swept her hair to one side, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’m going to need some lotion for this to work, love.”

As Amelia faltered and pulled her knees to her chest, the hands were suddenly pulled from her body.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Owen seethed at the stranger.

Sam released his hands from Owen’s grip and shoved the taller man back, “Lay off bud, we’re busy here.”

Owen tensed, his tall stature looming over Sam’s, “I suggest you leave, right now.”

“I’m helping out with a little sun protection, that’s all. Besides, I got here first dude,” Sam scoffed, turning his attention back to Amelia, who remained frozen in her seat.

Owen’s hand clamped firmly on Sam’s shoulder, his fingers pressing against the muscle. He leaned in and lowered his voice, “I’m only going to ask you one more time. Get your hands off of my wife.”

Sam winced as he surrendered, “Alright, alright. Sorry, man. She never mentioned being married or anything.”

Owen scoffed and gestured to Amelia’s left hand, “The ring on her finger not proof enough?”

The other man glanced at the ring and rolled his eyes before walking away, “Didn’t notice. No harm, no foul brother.”

Amelia snapped out of it as Sam walked away. She quickly turned to face Owen, her breath evening out as she saw his baby blue eyes staring back. He walked around to sit and the end of her lounger.

“Mia? Are you alright? What happened? Who was that guy?” he questioned rapidly, his eyes searching her face for answers.

She was at a loss for words, “His name is Sam. He uh- he came to sat here, and he cut me off when I tried to tell him about you. And then he touched my arm and…”

Owen’s eyes filled with concern for his petite wife, “And what?”

“I froze. I- I didn’t know what to say or do” she whispered.

Owen put a hand on her foot, and gestured for her to come closer. Amelia slowly released her legs, scooting over to sit beside Owen more fully. She pulled one of his hands into her lap, playing with the large digits. She rested her head against his broad shoulder, and he leaned down to press a kiss to her salty hair as his hand wrapped around her waist.

After a while, Owen broke the silence.

“Sorry,” he murmured, a guilty look in his eye.

The brunette’s head turned to face him, her loose waves brushing across his chest, “What?”

Owen shrugged softly, “You know, for peeing all over you and stuff. I know you can stand up for yourself and well, I’m sorry.”

Amelia squeezed his hand before settling it on her thigh. She reached to hold his face, turning his gaze toward her, “Owen, thank you.”

His eyebrows gathered in confusion, “For what?”

“For telling him off. Getting him to leave,” she replied.

Owen’s eyebrow raised, “You’re happy I did that. You know, peed on you or whatever?”

Amelia laughed softly, “You need to word that better. But yes, I guess I am.”

He quirked a smile, “So you like it when I do that?”

Her eyes sparkled as she pretended to ponder the idea, “Maybe.”

A grin spread across Owen’s face. He reached over to pull her lithe body onto his lap and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “So you like it when I tell the world that you’re mine?”

A shiver ran down Amelia’s spine, goosebumps forming across the surface of her skin.

“When I tell people to stop staring at you, because only I can do that?” he continued.

She nodded mutely, her breasts rising and falling as a flush spread across her chest.

“When I tell people to get lost because you’re my wife,” he crooned.

Amelia turned, grabbing his face in her hands before putting her lips on his. Owen smiled as they kissed, his hands possessively gripping on her ass while her fingers raked through his short hair. His scruff tickled her as he kissed a line from her mouth down her jaw, nipping on her tender skin here and there. She moaned gently, turning her head to catch his mouth again. Amelia moved her legs to straddle his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as she softly rocked her hips against his. Owen dug his fingers into the flesh of her ass, grinding her harder on him. Amelia pulled away slightly, her voice breathy as she whispered, “I think it’s time you take me back to our cabana.”

Owen groaned at her words, dropping a quick kiss to her lips, “Anything for my wife.”

#omelia #omeliaff #omeliafanfic #omelia fanfiction #amelia #amelia shepherd #owen #owen hunt #owen and amelia #owen x amelia #grey's #ga #grey's anatomy #fanfiction #amen #amenff

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elizacornwall · 3 years

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Vengeance is an Idiot's Game - Chapter 28 - Polaris

Read all the published chapters here. -------------------------------------------------- Eliza spent the rest of the afternoon doing chores. Her friends were eager to know how her riding lesson went and especially Mary-Beth seemed interested, following every word of her tale while they were helping Pearson to prepare for dinner. “Ah it’s such a shame I can ride already, he sounds t’be a good teacher”, she said after Eliza had finished. “Ain’t like he’d teach anyone else than our Eliza here, he seems mighty fond of her. Never seen him so concerned over anyone”, Karen cackled. Eliza felt the heat rising to her cheeks, yes why was he so intent of making sure she was okay? Even this afternoon he had checked in twice on her to see if she needed anything. The gnawing thought about what her fluttering stomach could mean came back and she pushed it away. Not now. “He just feels guilty, silly!” Tilly tuned in. “He ain’t forgotten how they kidnapped her, wanna bet that’s why?” Yeah, that must be the reason, Eliza thought to herself. She flicked a potato peel towards Karen, who was still cackling away. The blonde girl protested as it landed in her hair and threw a handful of greenery back, covering half the prepped vegetables between them. Pearson grunted angrily and shooed them away, the girls laughing over the mischief they’ve caused. Hosea was nearby and came up to them, greeting them lovingly in his grandfatherly manner. He turned to Eliza. “Any chance I might steal you away for a little chat before dinner?” “Of course!” She hooked her hand under his arm and they made off to the edge of the camp, to the horses.

“So I hear young Arthur has been teaching you to ride our way! How did that go?” “Very well, I think! Moonshine is a lovely horse mind you, I’m not sure if I’m any good at it myself or if she’s just incredibly well trained”, Eliza laughed. “Arthur was really helpful and patient. You seem to have brought him up well”, she added, smiling up at the old man. He returned her smile, amused. “Well it weren’t just me. But I do agree, the boy’s turned out alright, got a bright head on his shoulders and his heart in the right place. I for one am glad about that.” He sighed. “Not everyone would agree though, this is a hard life and sometimes I think he’s too good for us all. “Tell me about it”, she mumbled. “Do you know why he’s so eager to help me? I don’t see him teaching the girls anything, or even Lenny for that matter.” Hosea hesitated, looking at her as if he wasn’t sure how to answer. “That’s… Well, I have a theory. But you better ask him that yourself. It’s his business.” Her heart leapt up. She beat it down her throat again and nodded, disgruntled. “Is it because he feels guilty about what happened to me?” She couldn’t help herself, even though she knew the man felt uncomfortable talking about the subject. “I don’t know about that. I… really, you better ask him that. I wouldn’t want to be seen gossiping about the man’s past.” “I understand. My apologies.” She let her glance sweep over the horses. About a third were gone, including the massive Moonshine and mean Hera. Of course the two most efficient members were out on some errand. “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” His face lit up. “Ah, I just wanted to make sure your lesson went well my girl! I had feared I’d have to have a word with Arthur, but according to you he’s a good teacher”, he nudged her side, grinning at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “Even if Moonshine was a bit big for you” he added. Eliza knew he was only teasing her in good faith but that didn’t mean she wasn’t taken back to Sadie laughing at her. She grumbled. He nudged her again and continued. “Don’t worry, I have a feeling that’s gonna be taken care of quite soon. Arthur might have mentioned something.” She looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean, taken care of?” Hosea just shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “Wouldn’t want to give anything away young lady! Now would you stop slapping my poor old arm if you please, I’m too frail to endure such excessive violence these days.” She gave him one last playful smack and joined in the laughter. He really had a talent for making her feel at ease, she very much enjoyed the company of this old man. No flutter in your stomach though~ She shook her head and once again pushed the thought away. They observed the horses that were grazing nearby. She knew half of them by name and who they all belonged to by now. Her favourite was undoubtedly Moonshine, the mare had intimidated her with her enormous size at first, but she was gentle as anything and always up for a good scratch. Lenny’s horse Maggie was sat on the ground not far from them, the good little Mustang stood high in Eliza’s regards too. She yearned for her own horse, but had neither the money to buy one, nor the skill to tame one. Her and Hosea were chatting about different horse breeds and their specific traits when Pearson called the camp to dinner. Rabbit stew was on the menu this evening, the game they brought in a few days ago had run out already. It was pleasant as always and soon after Javier was playing softly on his guitar. Eliza excused herself and headed to the cliff, sitting down behind a rock and marvelling at the clear sky. She welcomed the cool breeze. It had been a hot day and she would have to head out for a bath soon, the warm weather made her grimy with sweat much quicker than she would have liked. Her eyes glided across the sky and got caught by the brightness of the North Star. Arthur had pointed it out to her when the two were sat here the other night, herself drunk as anything. She was embarrassed even just remembering parts of that conversation. No

wonder he saw her as a helpless child, stubborn and pouty as she had been. Yet… He hadn’t seemed to look at her that way when they had shared that dance. The memory still made her blush and her stomach fluttered again. She sighed, finally giving up on trying to find an explanation other than what it was. There was no denying it, she liked the man in more than just a friendly way. Why she felt like that she couldn’t fathom, he had been good to her, sure, but so had Hosea and Lenny and Dutch and all the others, really? He was gruff and awkward at times, a gentleman but also a brutish outlaw. She had always liked to imagine one day she’d fall in love with someone her age, a gentle fellow of decent standing that would treat her well and would pry her from her father’s grasp. They’d get a little farm or cottage; and they’d look after house and grounds together. Arthur didn’t seem like the type to settle down though, besides, wasn’t he like ten years older than her? Most men of his profession didn’t live much longer, it was a miracle Hosea and Dutch were still alive. Falling in love with an outlaw would only end in heartbreak surely. You’re not in love though, are you. Just sweet on him. She let out an exasperated breath. The last decade she had spent trying to develop feelings for any of the men her father picked out, just to escape his grip. The most she had managed to feel though was disdain at rich men’s incredible self-importance and narcissism. And now here she was, in the lowest bracket of society, surrounded by criminals and getting too fond of a thieving, murdering outlaw. The star above her twinkled and she lowered her head into her hands. She wouldn’t let her feelings get in the way she decided. There were more important things for her right now than romance, and he had never shown any interest in that sort of relationship anyway. Secondly, she was pretty sure Mary-Beth had a deep admiration for the man too, and she wasn’t about to destroy her friendship with the lovely girl for some short lived fling. She would have to ask him why he’d taken her on like some sort of personal protection project, maybe that would push all hope out of her heart so she could move on and leave these silly feelings behind her. Eliza got to her feet and turned to head to her cot when she noticed a small commotion at the camp entrance. Sadie and Arthur were back, and she thought she could see someone else, but they were hidden behind their huge mounts. She wandered towards them as Sadie called out her name, her eyes scanning their wagon, looking for the girl. “I’m here”, she answered as she approached. “What’s going on?” The blonde woman looked at her with a wide smile, Arthur hung back, his hat pulled deep into his face. Typical, she thought, but smiled. Sadie answered. “I wanted to apologise for earlier. ‘t wasn’t right of me to laugh at ya. Here, this one is all yours.” She beckoned to Arthur, who led a gorgeous horse towards them, white with black splashes. It had been hidden behind Moonshine, Eliza hadn’t realised it was another horse. Her mouth fell open and Arthur passed her the rope with a reaffirming nod. “W-what do you mean, mine? Where did you get it from?” She stared at the gorgeous animal. It had a heavy build but was much smaller than Moonshine, with a thick mane and tail and tassels of long hair around the hooves. “Let’s just say the guy who owns the stables in Scarlett Meadows owed me a favour”, the blonde woman answered. “He only needed a bit of convincing.” Her face pulled into a mean grin as she patted the revolver at her side. Eliza furrowed her brows. “You stole it you mean?” “No, really! I helped him with some horse thieves some months back. Honest, he owed me.” “Didn’t seem to think he owed you tack though”, Arthur chuckled. Eliza just shook her head in disbelief and turned her attention back to the beautiful mare. Her fur was soft and she seemed to be well looked after and healthy. It reminded her of her old pony Curdle, that she had to leave behind in England. “Is it a Gypsy Cob? I thought you didn’t

have these here!”, she asked. “I ain’t sure, he didn’t tell me”, Sadie admitted. “She’s young and strong though, calm in her temper mostly he said. Should suit you well.” She continued to pet her new horse, overwhelmed by this gift. The mare whickered softly and nudged Eliza with her nose. She laughed and looked at the woman to her left. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you Sadie, she’s beautiful.” The blonde smiled. “Thank Arthur here, ‘t was his idea really. Weren’t no trouble.” Eliza’s eyes shot to the man who was stood a few paces away, observing them two from beneath his hat. He tugged at his sleeve and shrugged. “Thought you’d like to have your own. Sadie wanted to pay ya back, with you getting her wagon and all.” He nodded to the mare. “What are you gonna call her?” She thought for a moment, considering the horse. Her white fur glistened in the moonlight and was only broken up by flecks of black splashed here and there. The mane and tail were two toned in white and black too and as her deep brown eyes caught the twinkle of the star Eliza had been staring at not too long ago. She smiled. “Polaris.” Arthur chuckled soundlessly and Sadie congratulated her. “That’s a good name. Now let’s see how you get on with that saddle of yours.” They let her take off saddle and bridle, standing by in case she needed help but Eliza managed to do it all herself. The seat was still very heavy, but much less so than Moonshine’s that had almost buried her. Polaris was also at a good height for her to be able to get her ready without the need of a stepping stone, but she would still look like a big horse with her on it. All the while she was talking gently to the mare, acquainting herself with the animal. She had missed caring for a horse, her father never let her into the stables after that incident with the servant boy, any horseback riding she did was just that – riding. Taking care of the horses wasn’t her job and he never let her do any dirty work that wouldn’t befit her status. In Yorkshire she had spent hours with Curdle, brushing him, talking to him and just sitting near him in silent company. She was so happy to have this cob to care for now. “Can I take her out tomorrow for a ride? Alone?” Sadie looked at Arthur, he lifted his shoulders. “Sure, don’t see why not”, he answered and she beamed at him. “I’ll ask Charles if I can borrow his bow and try to get something back for dinner!” Sadie cackled. “Make sure we ain’t getting too reliant on you, girl! Come on Arthur, let’s give her some time alone with her new friend. I’m tired.” They departed; Eliza stayed with Polaris for over an hour before she went to bed herself. She was happy.

#rdr2 #rdr2 fanfic #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption 2 fanfic #mywriting #eliza cornwall #arthur morgan #Vengeance is an Idiot’s Game #arthur morgan x original female character

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interiordesigntorontonews · 5 years

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Paint Color Trends 2020 - Introducing the Sherwin-Williams Colormix Forecast

If you’re a big interior design nerd like me, it’s a great day when Sherwin-Williams releases their color trends for the upcoming year.

Luckily for us, I was able to get one of Sherwin-Williams color forecast team members to submit to a gruelling Q & A session about their Colormix Forecast for 2020.

Emily Grundy is not only Sherwin-Williams’ designer account executive for Canada, she is a fine arts grad from OCAD University in Toronto, a member of the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), Decorators and Designers Association of Canada (DDA) and a proud member of the arts community in Toronto.

And today, she is going to spill the beans on how the Sherwin-Williams color forecast team arrived at their paint color trends for 2020.

NOTE: My questions are in bold. Emily’s answers follow.

I want to start with an overall description of this year's SW colors and how they are divided into 5 different themes....

Give me a general description of this year's color choices

Why they are the colors divided into different themes?

Describe those themes?

We are seeing trends this year leaning towards looking inwards, understanding personal health and wellness in this one great life we’re given. Our relationships, environments and material health comes increasingly into focus with trends driven by reflecting your own personality within your space. Developing a sense of human in our interiors is increasingly important, long gone are the days of an one size fits all aesthetic approach in design. The shift into personal reflection is definitely here. We’ve divided our colors this year into five curated themes, Alive, Mantra, Play, Haven & Heart. The overall connection between these colors is balance. Each group represents a moment in life, our lives are forever changing and evolving – and we think design should reflect that. Creating balance is crucial when selecting colors, tonality, style and composition for a space, these five themes reflect that ideology.

How are colors chosen?

Where does the team begin? What are the inspirations? What are the limitations.

How do the 5 themes relate to each other?

Our color forecast team first starts by selecting overall categories. These are the general topics we want to explore within the trends we see moving forward into next year.

Once we’ve selected the overall vibe for each category we begin to explore the trends which support each palettes mood. We look at many different elements of design, and we don’t stop at residential or commercial. We explore fashion, art, textiles, fabrics in carpets, drapery, even trends in glassware, dinnerware, flatware and furniture design! No stone left unturned in my opinion, we frequent design concept shows such as Interior Design Show in Toronto, Chicago’s best in design show, Neocon.

The guiding force comes from exploring all elements of design and the interesting thing is somehow it always ends up facing the same direction.

After all the categories are selected, we then begin to divide the research of our trends into the categories. If we see certain colors that are continuously being represented in a certain way we group them together. This is the most chaotic part of the process but also when you begin to get some clarity and start to see the overall patterns that come into play.

After we’ve conquered the research portion of the trends, we then head to our Sherwin-Williams color line to find the perfect colors to represent each theme. We pull colors from fabric, imagery, art works, concept furniture design etc. Once we’ve selected the correct hue, its tonality is explored. We look at each color set and analyze how it will be displayed, which colors will take a more primary approach and which will be a more supportive role.

We further develop each color set to its relation to each other, this is where the whole “color in balance” comes into action. Each one of these colors needs to be able to speak to it’s color neighbour. We wanted to create something that has the ability to be diverse, you don’t have to utilize all the colors together within each palette, you can essentially “mix and match” your design….creating a “true to you” design style.

Who are the people choosing Sherwin-Williams’ colors of the year?

What are their roles, education, work experience, training, etc?

Info on the entire Sherwin-Williams color forecast team can be found here.

The 5 Sherwin-Williams Color Palettes & 45 Color Trends for 2020

Alive Palette

Our Alive Palette is influenced by Optimism, authenticity & the New Local. This palette has a very open and inviting sense of color. Its neutrals are curated in a way that suits a variety of different tonalities ranging from cool to warm.

These colors have a very global feeling and are very rich in nature, from SW 6209 Ripe Olive (217-C7) - a deep viridian green - to contrasting SW6369 (128-C5 ) Tassel - a beautiful orange gold. In a sense, these colors are very traditional....greens and blues mixed together.

The thing that’s different about the Alive palette is the addition of the warm undertone colors which heighten the passion of the navy and deep olive when seen together.

Mantra Palette

Mantra is our most subdued palette, but in no way should this ultra-light palette be taken lightly! It’s influences are minimalism, serenity, scandinese & sanctuary. This palette is all about balance.

Mantra creates a push/push effect with Nordic simplicity and the order and elegance of Japanese aesthetic. It’s filled with beautifully toned neutrals, which slide seamlessly from warm to cool undertones. I think the most impressive part of this palette is the addition of SW 7074 Software (235-C5) .

When seen by itself, Software is a bold choice in its depth of color, but when paired with SW6232 Misty (222-C1) and Spatial White SW6259 (273-C6) it seems to dim the color and almost brings it to a more neutral ground. This palette to me, represents visual serenity.

Play Palette

Play is our third and most daring palette – its influences are Escapism, Humor, Joy and Energy.

This palette represents the bold in design. it’s for those who truly want a space that is representative of their true being, their playful nature and expect to shock and awe their guests.

On the other hand, this palette is also very versatile. Within all of these palettes, we’re not always suggesting to use ALL of the colors as wall paint, we know you’re not trying to create a circus in our space. Sometimes the pops of color can be seen in your artwork, the fabric on your new couches or even the fresh flowers you bring in from the garden. It’s all about personality in this palette. Every color in this set is unique, when paired together or seen separately. Some say that white is a color, but for me it’s an absence of color which allows us to create this shocking backdrop to these wild but tamed colors!

Haven Palette

Haven’s influences are simplicity, Wabi-Sabi, Conservation and material health. This palette is the representation of “home” We’ve selected colors that draw you in and encourage you to be inspired by seasonal changes. Rich and subtle shades of sea, sand, forest and sky. These calming tones of blues, greens, yellows and pinks flow effortlessly in this palette.

The concept of wabi-sabi, or the art and love of the imperfect as its known is being embraced by most these days. Wabi-sabi helps us realize the need to carve time out of our busy schedules for mindfulness and contemplation and to keep the idea of spatial and material health in the forefront.

One of the biggest concepts in Haven’s designs is the idea of conservation. As we move forward we need to ensure our designs reflect the protection of our planet. As we strive to make things more beautiful, we want to ensure we’re not creating destruction in our wake, this palette is a visual reminder to be aware!

Heart Palette

Our last and most harmonized palette is called Heart. This palette is influenced by Bauhaus, Bohemian, Fusion and Humanity. We called this palette heart because of its connection to a variety of genres and emotions. It’s a unique fusion of iconic modern design mixed with an intergenerational boho vibe.

This mediation on comfort, connection and pleasures of everyday stem from a place of balance. By utilizing similar undertones, this palette screams soft yet refined. These interconnected tones will suit almost any color set. By using a monochromatic color palette, you can harmonize almost any space. With the addition of SW9005 Coral Clay (114-C4) it adds a fun color dynamic of the unexpected.

How do different theme colors work for homeowners...are certain colors designed for walls and others for trim work?

For homeowners viewing these color choices, I would recommend that we acknowledge our unconscious color choices, because we make them every day!

It’s more than the color of clothes we choose or even the color lipstick you love… it’s the color of collar you picked out for your pet, it’s the color of t-shirt you picked for your kid, realizing that they already have 4-5 of the same color or even the flowers you always gravitate towards.

With trend colors, we have a tendency to ignore our own personal taste and move toward what’s trendy at the time. My best piece of advice would be to choose what you love, it will make a statement with how you pair it with what’s in your home. All of these trend colors can be wall colors, it depends on your personal style and how you want to be represented in your designs. There are some traditionalists who would love to say, your baseboards need to be white! But I have seen some beautifully unique homes with dark glossy tones gracing the walls AND the trim work and it works! Whether your choosing to be bold or neutral, we’ve created a unique set of colors that can add balance to any space.

I have one final tip to help homeowners with their color selections. Sherwin-Williams has this great smartphone/tablet application that can help, it’s called ColorSnap. You snap a photo of whatever sparks your interest and it will find all of the coordinating colors in the photo. You can also digitally paint your walls, to try the colour before you buy!

About the Author

EMILY GRUNDY - Designer Account Executive, Canada

Emily supports the residential interior designer market with color and paint specifications and provides continuing education for designers and industry partners. She works with the Canadian design account team.

Dedicated to the exploration of color and trends, Emily studied fine arts at OCAD University in Toronto. She is an allied member of the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), Decorators and Designers Association of Canada (DDA), and the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO), and a proud member of the arts community in Toronto.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @emily_grundy_

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#Guest Author #Sherwin WIlliams

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