#little bit of snail damage but so far so good

[n3ongold3n]

Spent half the day weeding on the alottment 💪🏽

#excited for the gooseberries :D #this is my absolute favourite rose colour(s) - orange yellow pink all in one plant/flower #super happy the red yarrow made it through the winter #there were many bees on the flowering radishes 😅 so i'll give them another week #shiso is still alive and the sunflowers are getting stronger #little bit of snail damage but so far so good #grapes are going berserk - wish i knew how to prune them in summer #no sunburn! the ugly-ish sun hat i bought worked well #garden blogging

[blushweddinggowns]

Part two to this from this fic!

It wasn’t a good call to be driving, he was well aware, but he didn’t exactly have a choice. When he’s far enough from the house, he had the wherewithal to pull over in an attempt to collect himself a little. He looked at his reflection through the rearview mirror, cringing at what he saw. He looked like shit. He’d really done a number on him, worse than any time before. At least when he was younger he’d had the self control to hit or cut him in places that people couldn’t see. 

Oh god, Eddie was going to see him looking like this.

The thought was almost enough to make him cry. He didn’t want Eddie to know about this. He never wanted him to know. There’s only so much shit you can put onto another person before they get sick of you right? And Steve was already a lot to deal with. He knew that. 

He was clingy as all hell, always monopolizing his time and inviting himself whenever he went out. He had random, horrible screaming night terrors about the fucking Upside Down, nightmares that Eddie would have to comfort him from. He was stubborn, he was bitchy, and now what? Eddie had to play as his personal nursemaid on top of all of that?

A large part of him didn’t want to go back. He wanted to hide away, fix himself up and maybe find him the next day, like about a car accident or something. Anything but forcing him to take care of him. He was so fucking scared that Eddie was going to leave him. He’d always been scared of it, always waiting for the day he realized he could do better than being with his dumb, damaged ass. What if this was the straw that broke the camel’s back? What if this made him finally realize that Steve wasn’t worth all the trouble?

The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain was really starting to set in. He was hurt worse than he thought, and he was getting dizzier by the second. He started driving again, at a snail’s pace, terrified that he’d crash and hurt someone if he wasn’t careful. 

He went back to the apartment, despite his fears. It’s not like he had anywhere else to go. Besides, he was losing the thread of coherent thought concerningly fast. He needed some kind of help, as loath as he was to admit it. He…he needed Eddie.

By the time he pulled up the building he was barely hanging on to being conscious. He felt horrible, horrible enough that he couldn’t even get out of the car right. He stumbled to the ground the second he tried to stand, because why not add a little bit more humiliation to the pile? 

He didn’t even have time to try again before Eddie was scooping him up in his arms. Steve didn’t even know where he’d come from, but his touch was enough to have him relaxing in his arms. They’d only been separated for a few hours, but to Steve it might as well have been weeks. Eddie carried him back inside, gently setting him on the couch while he looked him up and down, clearly panicked.

Steve’s pretty sure he asked him a question, but he couldn’t quite catch it. But it was an opening for him to at least apologize, “I’m sorry I’m late. It didn’t go so good.”

Eddie was taking the jacket off for him, gasping when he saw the glass in his arms. Steve had forgotten about that part. Most of his focus was on the blinding pain he had in his head. But he had enough wherewithal to realize he was about to ruin their couch.

He tried to sit up, muttering, “I’ll get blood on the couch.”

But Eddie was already pushing him back down, hissing, “I don’t give a shit about the couch Steve.” 

He ran a hand over his face, obviously annoyed and Steve couldn’t blame him. He wouldn’t want to deal with him either. 

Eddie stood,“Wait here sweetheart, and keep your eyes open, okay? I’ll be right back. Just let me take care of you.”

Steve nodded, but the second Eddie was out of sight he was back on his feet, spreading a blanket down beneath him. He had already ruined their night, he didn’t need to ruin their furniture either. Eddie was back in less than a minute, and the look he gave Steve at the sight of him standing was enough to have him sitting right back down, guilty as hell. 

His head was still killing him, bad enough that he could barely pay attention as Eddie tended to him. 

“What hurts the most, baby?” Eddie asked, hands shaking as he tweezed the glass from his arms, “I need you to tell me.”

“Head,” Steve mumbled. He could barely even focus on the pain in his arms, and Steve couldn’t help but wonder how many more hits to the head he could take and come out okay, “Feels like it’s burning.”

“Steve, I think we need to take you to a hospital-”

“No.” Steve may have felt like his head was splitting open but he wasn’t going anywhere. This whole thing was embarrassing enough, and he just…wanted Eddie. That’s it. He couldn’t deal with anyone else seeing him like this. 

Eddie stared at him, mouth hanging open like he couldn’t believe his audacity,“Why the hell not?”

"I don’t…I don't want everyone to know, okay?” He admitted, squeezing his eyes shut. He was so sick of this shit. He was so sick of being hurt, forcing other people to take care of him. He was sick of people knowing how useless he really was, “Not yet. I just want you."

"But-"

“Eddie, please?” He wasn’t above begging at this point. He wasn’t sure what he needed, and yeah, maybe he was risking his health, but what else was new? He just wanted to go to bed already and pretend like none of this shit ever happened.

Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose, conceding, “Okay, okay. Just stay right here, and keep your eyes open, got it? I’ll be right back.”

Eddie kissed his forehead before leaving the room, ignoring his soft comments about being sweaty and gross. Steve watched him go, beyond thankful that he was letting him get away with it. He kept his eyes open like he was told, staring up at the ceiling while he waited for him to come back. He still couldn’t really think straight, nothing was really sticking beyond his own self-loathing but he at least managed to stay conscious.

Eddie came back a few minutes later, taking a seat on the floor next to him before giving his hand a squeeze,“Wayne and Mindy are coming over in a bit, okay? Someone has to check on you.”

Great. Now he ruined Eddie's night and Wayne’s. And now he was dragging his poor girlfriend into it? Steve started to protest, but one look at Eddie’s unamused face shut him up. He looked away, muttering,  “I forgot she was a nurse.”

“If she says you need to go to the hospital, you’re going.”

Steve sighed, “Okay.”

There was no point in arguing. Eddie would literally drag him there if he had to. Besides, Steve didn’t want to fight anymore, not with anyone. Steve let his eyes close, playing with the rings on Eddie’s hand every so often to prove that he was awake. He knew he was waiting for some kind of explanation, but he didn’t even know where to start. He didn’t want to start. He just wanted to go back to a few hours ago, back to when they were cuddling on the couch and nothing was wrong. 

Eddie broke the silence first, voice leaving no room for argument,“You’re not going back there. Ever. I'm never letting you out of my sight again.”

Steve laughed despite himself, wincing when it made his lip bleed a bit more. But still…it made him feel a bit better, knowing that Eddie was scared for him, as sick as that was. 

“I, um, can’t go back there, actually.” Steve admitted, eyes still shut, “They said it was you or them. I chose you and,” he chuckled, humorless, “And they did not take it well.”

“They know?”

Steve nodded, “They told me on the phone, said they knew what I was up to, that I owed them an explanation.”

“How?”

Steve shrugged, regretting it instantly. Jesus even that hurt, like he couldn’t feel more pathetic, “Tommy, I guess. He called them, sat down with them or something. Worried about my life choices or some shit.”

Steve startled a bit when cold hands were suddenly cradling his face. He opened his eyes, resigned when Eddie carefully forced him to meet his eyes. He looked so…sad. It made Steve’s heart clench in his chest. He hated that he was the reason for that expression,"Stevie…baby, why did you go?”

Steve could feel tears start to well in his eyes. He hated this. He hated this so damn much. He hated that he had to explain that his dad was a fucking psycho. That he had been terrified of Eddie getting hurt. That he never told him the truth, and risked his safety just because he was a coward.

He went to bite his lip, a nervous reflex before flinching, quickly realizing what a mistake that was,“If I didn’t go he would have shown up here. A-and I didn’t want you to get hurt. I thought I could talk them down or something, or just lie my way through it but…I couldn’t.” 

“How many times have they done this before?”

Steve went for the lie on instinct,“They haven’t-”

“Sweetheart, please don’t lie to me,” Eddie wiped away some of the tears from his good eye, lovingly patient as he waited for Steve to speak.

There was no point in lying about it anymore. There was nothing to protect, not his parents or his own dignity. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes, admitting the truth out loud for the first time in his life, “I’ve lost count.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

"I didn't want to scare you away," Steve said, painfully honest. But he was done with the lies, no matter how much the truth scared him. Eddie deserved that at least. 

He could hear the confusion in his voice, “What does that mean?”

The tears were really starting to fall now, and they fucking hurt, the salt stinging the cuts on his face. But he powered through. He needed to say this,“I-I know I’m already a lot okay? I’m clingy and annoying a-and I fucking scream and shit in the middle of the night and I just didn’t want to add another thing for you to have to deal with.”

Steve opened his eyes, heart breaking at Eddie’s devastated expression. Eddie swallowed, tears welling up in his own eyes, "There is nothing that would ever make me not want you, I'll always love you, don't you know that?"

The fucked up part that was he did know that and Eddie proved it to him every damn day.. His favorite catchphrase was sweetly calling Steve his first and last love for god’s sake. He knew he wanted a life with them together, he knew that he adored him, flaws and all. But it only took one shitty meeting with his parents to make him doubt every good thing in his life. 

"I-I do, really,” Steve admitted, ashamed at his own doubt. He could barely see Eddie anymore over the cloudiness from his tears, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one crying, “I just...I don't know. I should have told you." 

He could hear the sound of Wayne’s truck pulling into the driveway, footsteps not too far behind. Eddie kissed the side of his mouth as lightly as he could before standing to let them inside, while Steve tried to wipe the tears away. Mindy made quick work of tending to him, shushing him everytime Steve tried to apologize for wasting her time. She really was a good person, perfect for someone as kind as Wayne. 

"You can stay home tonight," she finally declared to Steve, gesturing Eddie over, "You just need lots and lots of rest. Give those ribs a chance to heal a good while before you do anything strenuous. Now let's help get you to bed.”

"Thank you," Steve mumbled as Eddie scooped him up. Now that he had gotten the go-ahead to sleep, Steve’s eyes kept slipping closed on their own accord. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he really was. He was too tired to even fight the embarrassment of Eddie carrying him to bed like a kid in front of people, too grateful to try and seriously protest. 

Eddie set him down on the bed carefully, and then helped him change into clean clothes, ignoring the weak protests that he could do it himself. He already felt better, just being back in their bed. But there was still one more worry in the back of his mind. 

“Please don’t go after him,” Steve mumbled when Eddie got him under the covers, "Promise me?"

Eddie hesitated, "But-"

"It's not about them," Steve rushed out, shaking his head. If Eddie could get away with mainiming his dad then he’d let him, but Daniel Harrington was a rich, litigious piece of shit. The risk of something bad happening to Eddie would never be worth any kind of petty revenge,  "Getting arrested isn't worth it. Losing you isn't worth it. Swear?”

“I swear.”

"Thank you," Steve whispered, finally letting himself fall asleep, "I love you."

He could feel the wet press of Eddie’s lips to his forehead, and then he was out, nearly instantly asleep after his final fear had been expunged. He only managed to be down for an hour or less before he was blinking his eyes back open. 

His head felt a bit better. But his body was still hurting like a bitch. He could officially feel the broken ribs, which was not a good feeling. But what was worse was that Eddie wasn’t lying next to him. He pulled himself out of bed, ignoring his body's screaming protests to stay put. Slowly, he wandered out into the living room, frowning when Eddie wasn’t there either.  

Wayne was on the couch, watching tv with a beer in hand. He raised a brow at the sight of Steve standing there, “Why on earth are you out of bed?”

Steve shrugged, sitting down next to him, ignoring the question,“Where’s Eddie?”

“Out,” Wayne said vaguely, “But he’ll be back soon.”

Steve could feel his stomach drop,“He’s not doing anything stupid is he?”

“I didn’t say that. But he’s not going after your parents if that’s what you’re thinking.”

That…almost helped. Steve wanted to believe him. He did, but Eddie was nearly suicidally protective of him if the shit that happened with the Upside Down last year was anything to go by, “I’ll believe it when I see him.”

Wayne shrugged, pretending to turn back to the television. But Steve could feel him watching him from the corner of his eye. They sat in awkward silence and Steve hated that he was the cause of it. Usually, nothing between him and Wayne was awkward. It was kind of their thing, the fact that they got along so bizarrely well. Maybe it was the shared love of sports, or maybe it was their shared love of Eddie, but they just clicked.

But now he could barely look at him. 

“I’m sorry,” Steve said eventually, anything to fill the suffocating silence. It was a reflex, to just apologize. Even when Steve didn’t 100 percent know what it was for. 

Wayne stared at him, brow furrowed, “What on earth do you have to be sorry for?”

“For ruining your night?” He tried, cringing when it came out as more of a question. 

"Jesus christ, no wonder Eddie gets so pissed when it comes to you."

“I’m sorry-”

“For the love of God don’t apologize again,” Wayne groaned. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, annoyed to a level that Steve had never seen before, “What did you do to me huh? You got the shit beat out of you and you think that warrants saying sorry to me?”

“...yes?”

“God, maybe I should have let him go after your dad. Steve, listen to me. You didn’t do anything wrong. And us wanting to take care of you isn’t something you need to be sorry for. We want to do it. You’re a good kid. No, you’re a great kid. And Eddie loves you to hell and back for good damn reason. But he’s not the only one, understand? You’re family now and that’s all there is to it. And family looks out for each other. So don’t you dare apologize to me again.”

Steve stared at him, eyes going wide. He knew Wayne cared about him, of course he did. Why else would he let him live under his roof rent free? But he just…underestimated how much. That seemed to be a constant issue with him, not understanding the extent that people cared for him. But his little speech felt like a proverbial slap to the face. In a loving, fatherly kind of way. 

For a second, Steve couldn't help but wonder how his life would have turned out if Wayne had been his dad. He probably would have been nicer, happier, and been able to skip that whole dick phase in highschool if he had had a single good role model. And if it wasn't for the fact that that would have made Eddie his cousin, he would give anything to have that childhood instead of the one he got. Though the idea of growing up with Eddie was definitely appealing. There was so much lost time they could have spent together, if only Steve had been able to get his head out of his ass and see the amazing person in front of him. It would have been great, fantastic even if his alternate universe could find a loophole for the whole incest side of things. 

But Steve was getting off track. He nodded at Wayne, throat closing up a little as he spoke, “Thank you. I…I love you too. You and Eddie are the best family I could have ever asked for.”

“Damn straight we are,” Wayne chuckled, taking a sip of his beer, “Took me nearly twenty years to get a son that knows what a quarterback is. You’re gonna be stuck with me for life.”

They talked for a bit longer before Wayne headed off to his room, stopping to hug Steve on the way out, as gently as humanly possible. He tried to convince him to go back to bed, but he just couldn’t. He wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep until he saw Eddie. Or at least got a call from Hopper that he was in custody for being an overprotective idiot. 

But he didn’t have to wait too much longer. Less than an hour later, the front door was opening, the sound of a thump and a grumbling Eddie felt like music to his ears. But as happy as Steve was to know he was safe, he was still pissed he had left in the first place. Eddie stopped in his tracks at the sight of Steve waiting for him on the couch.

He shrunk a little at his glare, meek when he asked, “What are you doing out of bed?””

He ignored the question,“What did you do?” 

“Nothing, I promise!” Eddie said quickly, hands up in a placating gesture, “You won’t be seeing my name plastered on any headlines. I just got your stuff.”

Steve stared at him, looking for any tells. Eddie didn’t know it, but he did this thing when he lied to him. He’d be a little bit more fidgety, either tapping his foot unconsciously or letting his brow twitch. But he passed inspection enough for Steve to finally relax. There were a lot worse things he could have done than break into his house to get his shit back. 

“Come here then,” Steve made grabby hands at him, impatient to just be near him already. 

Eddie went to him, hugging him to his side with careful hands, “How are you feeling baby?”

“Horrible,” Steve admitted. Literally everything hurt, but at least nothing hurt worse than before, “But not worse.” 

He cuddled up to his side, frowning at how tense Eddie felt. He was just about to ask what the problem was when Eddie spoke first, “I uh, kinda ran into your mom, while I was there.”

Steve went rigid in his arms, staring up at him with wide-eyes. 

"But nothing happened!" Eddie rushed out, flinching at the sight of Steve’s panicked face, "We just talked."

“Why would she want to talk to you?”

Eddie sighed, digging into his back pocket. He pulled out a folded envelope before hesitantly handing it over, “She wanted me to give this to you.”

Steve stared at it, taking it in shaky hands, “She gave it to you?”

"Wrote it out in front of me. She said, uh, that you deserved to know everything you were giving up.”

His mom-Steve stopped the thought in his tracks, shaking his head. She wasn’t his mom. A mother would never let happen what she let happen. She was just…someone who was going to stay in his past. But still, the paper in his hands was bizarre. Helen wasn’t the type to reach out. He thought she would act like she always did when things went bad, like nothing had ever happened. But this was new.

And Steve wanted no part in it. He frowned at the paper in his hand, an idea popping up in his head, "Help me up." 

“You’re not supposed to be moving-”

“Just to the kitchen,” Steve insisted, “I’ll lay down right after,”

Eddie gave in, helping Steve to his feet, He hovered as Steve steadied himself, following closely when Steve weakly walked towards the kitchen. He dug around in the drawers until he found a book of matches, then made his way over to the sink. Eddie watched, wide eyed as he lit a match, promptly setting the stupid thing on fire. 

"Steve-"

“It doesn't matter what it says," Steve cut in, letting it drop into the sink, "I made my choice."

And he made the right one. Whatever they had to say to him he didn’t care. He was done. He had a new family, a better family to worry about now. He turned away from the sink, stepping back into Eddie’s arms, “All I want is you.”

Eddie held him, trying his best to be gentle. Steve looked up at him, heart squeezing when he saw the tears in his eyes.

 "You won't regret it.” Eddie promised, voice hoarse, “I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you don't."

In all honesty, Eddie could dump him tomorrow and Steve still wouldn’t regret it. Every single happy moment he had with him was worth more than his entire childhood. But the idea of spending the rest of their lives together…now that was something he could get behind.

"It sounds like you're proposing," Steve said with a wet laugh. He giggled as Eddie started kissing his face, peppering all of the non bruised zones with light pecks. He felt light, he felt good, despite all the crap that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

He felt loved.

"Maybe I am,” Eddie managed to gasp out in between kisses, “But only if you'd say yes." 

Steve stopped him when he circled back to his mouth, cupping his cheeks to press a light kiss to his lips, mindful of his own cut. He whispered into the small space between, like a secret just for them. Like everyone he knew didn’t know how quick Steve would agree to spending the rest of his life with him,  "I would."

#tw homophobia #tw violence #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #steddie #the perfect loving nightmare

[hollyhomburg]

👉🏻👈🏻 Can you go into your skin care routine a little bit as in what order you apply things and how long in between applying products (like is it immediately or do you wait 5 mins to let the first stuff dry/sink in before the next product)?

I get so lost with skin care that I get discouraged and then dont so anything.

oh god this is probably gonna be really long but,

so for the pm- Basically with most of the humectant (moisturizing stuff) you wanna apply that as soon as you get out of the shower and in quick succession so that any water and moisture can get absorbed into the skin and not just evaporate. assuming you shower at night like a sane person this should be your first step when you get out of the shower, you can not wipe off your face with your towl to keep your face damp for longer, i usually don't even wait to put on my pj's before i sit infront of my little skincare stack and start to slap stuff on my face.

the first batch is stuff like the cosrx snail mucin, cosrx glactanomicies ferment filtrate and hyaluronic acid (you'll see a lot of people tell you that 'the ordinary' one is bad but tbh it's fine and cheap, but a good option is also the one from good molecules, neither of them are more than 10$).

if you do not shower at night or wait to long and your skin gets dry, then you want to preface all of your skincare with some sort of toner; the lineage cream skin is absolutely amazing- especially if you have redness and inflamed skin- it is a little bit pricey but tbh most toners run in the 15-30 per 60oz range. these can last you up to 6 months. my leniege one was actually a gift from a follower for my last birthday and i've been using it very sparingly. i immediately follow it up with snail mucin, hyaluronic acid, or something light and hydrating, this is the first barrier of skincare that kind of cushions your skin if you plan on using an actives.

You want to sandwich all of the stuff that dries out your skin from acne, takes care of your fine lines and wrinkles, or chemically exfoliates your skin between your serum and cream. now is when you get into the waiting- when you start to apply your actives.

Actives are stuff like retinols/retinoids, aha's or lactic acids, bha's or glycolic acids, salicylic acids, and niacinamide. these are things that can damage your skin if improperly used. for me- aha's feel a little less damaging than glycolic acids. aha's and bha's are generally a once a week thing especially if you're just starting out. niacinamide help with sebum and clogged pores as well as pigmentation issues, salicilic acid is also something that kinda helps keep your skin sterile from acne causing bacteria, if you have sensitive skin introduce these very very slowly, start with niacinamide and work your way up. i apply niacinimide almost every day and everything else as needed.

next you have your eye cream- it can change based on what you want to solve, if you have fat loss around your eye (ie deep set eyebags like mine) you want to use stuff thats going to thicken the skin faster- staying away from stuff that decreases blood flow like caffeine, if you have dark circles- you want stuff that has brightening agents. if you have fine lines- then eye patches (mini eye face masks basically) and a super hydrating undereye cream will help. i tend to lean for the hydrating stuff. because i have dry under eyes, fine lines, and fat loss.

the ones ive tried are the cosrx snail peptide eye cream, the beauty of jeoseon ginsent and retinal eye cream, the mizon snail repair eye cream, the purito green level eye cream, the haru haru wonder cream the inky list retinol and caffine eye creams, the good molecules, yerba mate wake up eye gel, and the milky dress wrinkle and whitening eye cream. the ONLY ONES that i saw ANY difference with are the good molecules, milky dress, and haruharu, but the one from good molecules is adequate under makeup and the best by far and cheapest.

fat loss is one of the main reasons why you want to stay away from things like lash growth serums, there are some that claim to not cause fat loss, but tbh, seeing as the only way to fix it is via invasive cosmetic surgery- i wouldn't risk it. it's not worth it.

Next i go in with a cream. and then acne gel over top and then you're done!

So basically

shower

Toner,

hyaluronic acid/serum/hydrator

wait until skincare has absorbed,

Apply actives if you desire actives to fix issues, wait inbetween each application so that the skincare has time to sit and soak in,

You can apply your eye cream at the same time as these steps, because usually actives should not go around the eye area.

Cream, no need to wait

Acne treatment

hope that helps! i have to start my workout now~~~ good luck!

[rainbowbarnacle]

We took a trip to the North Shore!

On Monday Luka and I went to Duluth to go look for agates and visit the rock shop and eat mindblowingly good pie. The drive up was really nice--very long, but we listened to Stephen King's Fairy Tale on the way and it is very good so far--a kid named Charlie is isekai'd to another world where he plans to take this absolute SWEETHEART of an elderly dog to this magic sundial so she can be young and not arthritic anymore. That's all I know so far but it's been really good so far.

The only hitch in the whole trip was when we were looking for a place to look for rocks, and this crazy dog with no leash and no collar goes zooming into the road, and Luka slammed on the brakes, and the person behind us just barely slammed their breaks, and we ended up accidentally clipping the poor dog--there was a big wet splat of water and a bit of hair on the front, but no damage, and the dog just kept running without a thought in its dear little head and disappeared into some forestry that happened before the beach

So we went looking for the poor dog so we could tell its owners that we bumped it, and we never found the dog or its owner, but we thiiiink the dog is probably hopefully okay x_x

And while we were looking for dogs and people, we found out the area we were in was a perfect swimming spot, so we went down to the beach and luka got out his snorkeler and a really nice drunk lady gave us a heart shaped rock Luka found a bunch of really cool stuff! Sea glass and some kind of really lovely piece of terra cotta with a honeycomb pattern on it, and a big laker agate and a bunch of really interesting hunks of things with fascinating crystals and pretty streaks of things running through it--he can tell you much more. I found one that looks like a kitty!

And the lake was just lovely. There was a cute family of loons and people kayaking (including one woman who had her golden retriever sitting on the boat while she rowed) and one guy flew by on a motorized parachute and threw us the horns. 8)

Then we went home and wolfed down food and fell the heck over at the Motel 6, where in the morning we discovered Ellie had tried to make a nest on the floor:

We went to the culinary miracle that is Betty's Pies, where I had pancakes and luka had biscuits and gravy and we had phenomenal pie.

Then we got to go to the ROCK SHOP. :D

The folks running the store were INCREDIBLY nice and helped identify some of what Luka found in the lake the day before. I was fortunate enough to be able to nab some pretties at very reasonable prices (seriously these were like a few bucks each)

If I am remembering the labels correctly, I nabbed: a tiny slab of coral, then a lake superior agate, carnelian, citrine, green jasper, malachite, labradorite, dumortierite, sodalite, petrified wood, crazy lace agate, and amethyst. The neat little platform it's on came from a nearby goodwill and has a bunch of fossilized snails in it? IT WAS A BUCK FIFTY, HOW

But yes it feels nice to have pretties finally. <3 I also nabbed a fossilized clam and an opalized ammonite.

Aaand after that we were gonna visit the Temperance River, but then the sky opened up and munched on roadtrip snacks and listened to more audiobook while the rain pounded down, and when it cleared up we took pictures of the forest.

And Ellie had an awesome time:

The highlight of our trip back was finding this billboard. Luka got off the southbound freeway, back on the northbound freeway, and back onto the southbound freeway, over a span of several miles, just to get this picture:

WORTH IT. 8D

and now I'm hoooome and I've cuddled my kitty and I'm going to be a zombie for a little while

What an awesome time, though. I hadn't been on a roadtrip since we went with @kurloz38 and @misa-chu in June of 2018. @_@ (we gotta get you guys back up here!!) It was indescribably nice to get to swim and splurge on pretty things and enjoy a really good book.

#domestic blifs #north shore #ROAD TRIP

[brianedner]

Luz’s Crimes (Counterfiting)

1: counterfeiting

 DISCLAMER: counterfeiting is a crime that has the potential to raise prices if it gets bad enough, please don’t do it.

 Luz was busy looking over the households budget, seeing is there was anything she could do to help ease the strain of adding 5 more people to a single income household. Officially, only her mom had to worry about it and she was supposed to focus on being a kid. Unofficially (according to Luz), this was her fault and she had to do something to fix it. Which is how she ended up taking the binder her mom used out of her room while she was at work to look though it and figure out what she could do to help.

 While their friend was trying to figure out how to slip her allowance back into her mom’s account without her noticing, Amity and Gus were looking at $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills that Luz had stashed in her room from before she went to the Isles.

 “So, this is what humans use for Snails?” Gus asked.

 “In the US they do, but other countries use their own form of currency. There are also coins, but they are lower denominations then the bills. Don’t ask me why they decided that, I don’t know.”

 Amity was just shaking her head at the money. “I just can’t believe they would use something that would be so easy to damage. You don’t see snails catching on fire, getting torn, or being water damaged.”

 Gus looked thoughtful at that. “Yeah, and these are way too easy to counterfeit. You just need some ink and paper.”

 At that Luz put down her pencil and turned to look at them. “That is not even remotely right. I saw some videos online about the safe guards put in place. The bills are printed on fabric-based paper that is only produced by one company in the world that is kept a very close watch over so that no one else can get their hands on. Also, the images on the bill are made with a very specific ink put on in very specific patters that you need special equipment to make. The is also a small strip in each one that glows under UV lights that has different patterns and locations depending on the denomination of bill it is. And there are probably even more that weren’t mentioned in that video.”

 Gus and Amity just looked at each other before back at Luz. “any objections if we take these 4 bills with us back to the cabin for a bit? We want to try something out.”

 Luz thought for a moment. “If you help me figure out how to cut expenses, I will consider it a fair trade if you end up destroying $36 dollars.”

 Amity just smiled and walked over to sit down next to Luz and look at the math. “Doing accounting with my girlfriend is #7 on my top date ideas list.”

 Luz just shot her a look. “Really? Why do people think I’m the nerd in this relationship if you think doing a balance sheet is a good time.”

 Amity then interlocked her fingers with Luz’s. “don’t worry, it’s the ‘with you’ that gets it that high.”

 The next day at the Shack

 A large man wearing a tux and a fez was holding a cane with an 8-ball handle was giving a group of tourist a hall filled with exibits about all the mysteries of the world.

 Not that shack

 Luz had just entered to see how her friends were doing. Her mom wouldn’t be home from work for a bit so she had some time to check in. As she entered, she saw Gus and Amity sitting on beanbag chairs with a small table in front of them with 3 $20s and 1 $1.

 “Did you ask mami for some more money to examine?”

 Gus just smiled at Luz. “No, that’s what we wanted to show you.”

 He then twirling his finger and making a ghostly form of the $20 on the far-left side float over and overlay the $1. Amity then had the small amount of abomination goo she brought from the Isles in a flask cover the $1. She then lifter her other hand and began to focused as both had glowing rings around each one. Her entire face was scrunched up in concentration, changing a little bit every now and them.

 Luz felt like she could just watch her girlfriend do that all day.

 After a few minutes she withdrew her goo and left behind a $20 bill where before there was a $1.

 Luz just staired at them. “How did you do that?”

 Amity just smiled at her. “Using abomination goo to lift and move ink after it has been printed onto a piece of paper is a common training technique for abomination students. It is even a entire field in the Isles to essentially be a living printing press and editors since a good one can replicate an entire book in a few minutes with the help of a illusionist who makes a pattern for us to follow.”

 She then gestured to the bills. “All we did here was move the ink already on the bill around until it looked just like the real $20 you gave us. We kept the serial numbers the same as though, since those are unique to each bill. The strip was harder to change, but just moving it a little so it’s in the right place was much easier.”

 Luz just staired at the $80 on the table where before there was just $36 for a few minutes before a smile broke out on her face. She then looked up to her friends.

 “Who want to go grocery shopping for the week.”

 Both of them stood up with smiles on their face.

 “Spending time in a human market?”

 “Spending time with my girlfriend in public without worrying about my mom doing anything?”

 The two then looked right at each other and said at the same time “paying Camilla back for taking care of us?”

 They then rushed over to Luz and hugger her. “When can we go?”

 Later

 Camilla pulled into the driveway next to her house before parking and walking inside. He day was really rough, having to deal with a number of people that thought that owning a pet meant that you were automatically an expert on how to take care of them and that having a vet degree was just having a fancy piece of paper with no real meaning.

 When she went inside she saw that Luz had gone to the store and was busy putting the grocery’s away with the help of her friends. When she heard the door open, she turned around and greeted her with a smile.

 “Welcome home Mami.”

 “Hi Luz, and thanks for getting the groceries. Where did you get the money for those?”

 She just smiled. “We used cash you put aside specifically for my grocery runs. I put the receipt in there so you can better do the accounting later.”

 Camilla smiled at her daughter. “Thank you, after a tired day like today, I forgot to get any myself.”

 She then went over to the stash and checked the receipt. It might have been her imagination, but it looked like there was more money in there than earlier.

 Camilla then decided to worry about that later and then start on dinner.

 Again, please don’t do counterfitting. I got the anti-counterfiting measures from a TED-ED video on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLMc5OFnQRs). I am trying to keep the level of knowledge Luz has on these features something she could know about, and I think er coming across a random you-tube video and deciding to watch it just because is a very realistic way for her to know this.

 If you have any ideas of crimes they can do, please commit or PM me with them. I will keep doing this until I run out of ideas or motivation, whichever comes first.

 I am also doing “Fanfic info dumps” on multiple series to help other fanfic writers with their works. They are on DevientArt here (https://www.deviantart.com/1228248) because Fanfiction and AO3 both said I couldn’t post them there.

 Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5646512/

Tumbler: https://at.tumblr.com/brianedner/luzs-crime-list-masterpost/dia848df51z4

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrianEdner1/works

#the owl house #the owl house luz #the owl house amity #the Owl house gus #the owl house camila #lumity #the owl house lumity

[blookmallow]

rosie thoughts (my welcome home sona in progress lmao)

i hope this is. remotely legible i was too lazy to get up and try to find my tablet so i spent like half an hour clumsily scribbling all over this template on my phone which ended up being way harder actually

rosie is generally friendly toward her neighbors, but keeps to herself quite a lot. she seems to be closest to frank, as they meet for tea and poetry reading every wednesday morning. their relationship is thoroughly platonic. While they seem to enjoy each others’ company, they don’t really discuss personal matters much. oddly, she has been known to confide in howdy more so than anyone else. His good nature and neighborly warmth must put her mind at ease.

rosie can often be seen gazing out her window and sighing around the time eddie does his delivery rounds… how strange. maybe she’s feeling down because she doesn’t get many letters?

some speculate that rosie was intended to be a counterpart of some kind to sally - sun and rain, with opposing personalities. However, thus far no shared scenes or clear information has surfaced, though rosie does claim that the sun exhausts her.

rosie and wally have a bit of a complic- GREAT friendship. He is her very best friend. :)

(im waiting on more information to decide what happened. he or Home may have killed or otherwise Removed her. she may be trapped somewhere. she may be dead.)

shes rarely ever seen in any official artwork; its largely assumed she was a scrapped character, but potentially may have appeared in the original pilot. Some people report strong memories of her in the early seasons, while others claim she never appeared at all. it is unknown why the character was removed, but some speculate it may have been due to malfunctions/design flaws in her puppet construction.

Rosie was the only marionette puppet in the cast. Her mouth did not move, though she did have some eye movement. No footage has been found, but her movements were reportedly always oddly stilted and lethargic, possibly a design complication, but could well have been an intentional character trait

some voice recordings have surfaced, but they are all heavily distorted and sound oddly artificial - possibly some kind of synthesized placeholder, as the character appears to never have been fully developed. she speaks slowly, with an odd cadence - it's unclear whether this was an intentional character quirk, a corruption in the recording, or due to rudimentary artificial vocals

her right eye is never shown open, and was in fact sewn shut on the original puppet. her existing eyeball is able to move in its socket to some degree, and some theorize she originally had both eyes, but one was damaged or lost at some point during development, and her signature wink was done as a last-minute fix that became a permanent design feature

she has a very gloomy, melancholy personality, but is generally well-liked by most of the other neighbors. she enjoys her alone time, and likes taking walks on rainy days. she plays piano, and writes poems, but is too shy to allow anyone (except, perhaps, frank) to read them.

her favorite flowers are blue roses

she claims the sun makes her very tired, and often carries an umbrella even on sunny days

a single snail links to the only video clip she is involved in - though there is no dialogue, the imagery is clear. we see a table with a nice lace tablecloth, a blue and white chipped teacup, a blue rose, and a few ink splattered, slightly crumpled, somewhat damp papers. Some sheet music and writing can be seen, but the handwriting is very slanted and blotted from the water damage, thus impossible to read (and several things seem to have been crossed out.) The footage is very distorted and fuzzy, and the colors are washed out. Claire de lune can be heard gently in the background, and rainfall. It’s peaceful, maybe a little sad. Suddenly, there is a strange glitched cut in the feed, and a loud crash and a discordant smash of piano chords, as if something has fallen on the keys. The camera cuts off and the footage suddenly clears. The teacup is broken in half. We now only hear the sound of rain for a long, quiet moment.

#rosie raindrop #welcome home #welcome home sona #welcome home oc

[thelovelychandelure]

Could I get a TFP Matchup? I'm a 5'0 straight female with freckles (like a lot) (I'm pale as heck and I don't tan I just burn and then get freckles) , green eyes, and brown hair (I used to have a Mohawk that I dyed different colors and its still in that awkward growing out phase).

I am a Sagittarius (tho I don't really belive in that sort of stuff) and have a mediator personality on the Briggs scale.

I love to bake, sew, crochet, draw, etc... Basically anything where I get to create something. I love seeing an idea come to life. I'm constantly making things and I like to fidget with anything I get muy hands on (meaning I have a habit of breaking stuff) (oops).

I also keep freshwater aquariums and love the process of building tanks and decorating them. I especially love shrimp because they are adorable. (And kulhi loaches) (and plecos) (and mystery snails) (and everything else I own). I love my fish....

I constantly crave affection (but will never admit to that) I really love cuddling, and am definitely touch starved but anyone who knows that has figured it out themselves. Because for some reason my brain thinks I don't deserve any of it.

I am way too nice to everyone, even at my own expense and tend to Bury my emotions when I am in pain. I have Depression and some anxiety and tend to worry about if anyone I know actually likes me while simultaneously thinking that I don't deserve anyone to love me.

I also tend to go into self hatred spirals that make me try to isolate myself (and do some other stuff that's not so good for me).

I am shy and awkward as heck. But I will talk your ear off if you get to know me.

I like being nature, alone and far from others. I like hearing the birds calls and the other noises. (Plus if there is a lake I will stare at fish) (yes I have problems).

Anyway thanks in advance if you do answer this :)

I’M ALIVE-

Sorry for being MIA for like two years, here’s your matchup-

I match you with Ratchet. You’re a little awkward? Great! He’s awkward too, and until you somehow manage to convince him to open up (most likely through surprising him with one of your interests like marine life which I think he would find fascinating) he probably will avoid you a little while. It’s nothing personal! He just wouldn’t know how to interact with you without making it weird.

Given that you also have a habit of breaking stuff I think it’s important to note that you’re one of the rare few who can get of his “I needed that!” scolding whenever something of his gets damaged. He just can’t bring himself to yell at you — though you might get one of his famous looks.

You’re not the only one who is touch starved, although you might have to be the initiator for anything in public. If you try something while he is working he’ll become especially flustered, and it only takes a touch of his servo or a kiss to his cheek to get his fans going.

Being an older mech he is a bit self conscious, and you’ll need to remind him every once in awhile that he’s good enough for you, and that even though he insists that you get with someone closer to your age group (and species) you’re perfectly content with him. He’ll do vice versa with you, and it’s a bit ironic how smitten he is with you even if he thinks you don’t feel the same at times.

He will join you on nature walks whenever he feels the need to get away from base, and on those special occasions he’ll find a nice spot where the both of you can enjoy the stars above — and each other’s company.

#tfp #matchups #im alive #transformers prime #ratchet

[dawnwritesstuff]

The first brick was normal. So were the first twelve, I think.

They could have all been normal, in theory. They probably all were. It must have been a hallucination. I probably have brain damage from an awful gas leak.

But I can't get myself to believe that.

It started while I was walking my dog, Escargot. We—my parents, my brother, and I—named him that because we found him trying to eat a little snail as a puppy. He's getting a bit old now, but I still make sure to walk him every day.

Anyway, we were on our usual walk, Escargot's leash in one hand and my phone in the other. I was in the middle of a call with my brother and we were talking about some movie. I can't remember which one, which is a bit odd because I remember I had some strong opinions about its dull plot and disappointing effects. At some point during that conversation, though I found myself staring at this church building. I'd seen it many times before, but I'd never taken a good look at it. It wasn't a particularly interesting building, just a one-story brick structure that took up a full block. The sign out front called it something strange, like "The Church of the Spiraling End" or something along those lines. It was a slightly unnerving name for a church.

Anyway, once I started staring at it I found myself unable to give much thought to anything else. I stopped responding to my brother with anything more than an occasional "Mhm" or "Yeah". He eventually said some bored goodbye and hung up, at which point I started walking toward the building. Its bricks seemed at that moment like the most interesting thing in the world, and I started to wonder how many there might be. So I decided to find out. It was quite a large building, though, so I decided to just start with one wall.

The bricks looked so detailed, like high-quality pictures instead of actual bricks. I know that sounds stupid, but that's the only way I can think of to describe it.

I started counting a row of them. I think somewhere in the back of my head was the thought that I could count vertically too and multiply them together, but the foremost thing on my mind was counting.

I don't know what exactly happened, or when, but by the twentieth brick, I started getting this sense that something was off. It was small, though, and almost entirely drowned out by the desire to keep counting.

By number fifty, I could tell something was definitely wrong. There was supposed to be something in my hand. A rope, maybe? But I couldn't bring myself to care. The bricks were far more interesting.

The world became blurred around me. Nothing seemed to matter except this line of reddish-brown bricks.

I don't know how long it went on, but it was far longer than it should have. I realized that by the five-thousandth brick. Soon after that, I stopped assigning them numbers, instead simply admiring and acknowledging each one.

I can't say much more about that time. It was so long, and every moment so captivating, yet I don't think you'd find a description of it particularly interesting.

Now I'm back home. In a room that seems familiar, yet different in some way. I have a cat now. I've always had a cat, according to my sister. My only sibling.

I never had a left arm. It was a birth defect and I don't know why I'd ever think I did.

I remember my cat, my sister, and living with one arm. I have memories of them. Those memories feel different, though, like they weren't always there. Like badly photoshopped pictures.

It was some severe gas leak. It was all a hallucination. It had to be. Because if it wasn't, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to live in a world where I'm a different person.

#fiction #short stories #my writing #writing #hello to anybody seein this :3

[hassedah]

What are the boys in Moonlight Lovers afraid of ?

Vladimir :

Vladimir is not a very brave person. But he tries to make the other members of the manor believe otherwise (no one is fooled).

He is scared to death of dolls and clowns (although he won't admit it about the clowns) and is already starting to get anxious at the mere mention of them. These words have been banned from the mansion.

He is also afraid of cars and trucks, this is one of the reasons why he does not go out in the city. They make a lot of noise and he finds them totally unpredictable.

He is also afraid of all new technology, mainly because he doesn't understand how it works at all. Ethan and Ivan have already tried to explain to him how cell phones, televisions and computers work, but the attempt was not successful. He is still afraid of airwaves, spy microphones and much more bizarre things.

He is also terrified of being alone again one day. This idea is one of his most recurring nightmares. And although his friends have already told him several times that he wouldn't leave like that overnight, he can't help but worry. What would happen to him if he was alone again? He really needs them, especially Aaron. He can't lose Aaron under any circumstances.

Béliath :

He is afraid of birds. It's something he finds hard to admit because he thinks it's ridiculous but he can't help it. Just seeing one makes him lose all his colors. The other members of the manor have taken to chasing them away to avoid an unexpected encounter.

He is afraid of spiders, and finds this fear ridiculous, he is an incubus, he should not be afraid of them, of their hairy bodies and their evil eyes ! He arrived at the mansion, the mansion was full of spiders. Vladimir is not afraid of them (he is used to insects because of his garden) and Aaron likes them (he had a tarantula at one time). Beliath finally admitted it to the others, so that he wouldn't be on the verge of a panic attack at every encounter. So the boys put the spiders outside (Aaron doesn't want them killed and Vladimir finds them useful for his garden).

He is also afraid of getting sick, which happens relatively rarely, but when it does he quickly reaches a high level of anxiety. Fortunately Ethan is a good doctor and always manages to reassure him.

Aaron :

It's pretty obvious to everyone in the mansion, but still surprising to see a mass of muscle as imposing as his being afraid of something. He's so strong and exudes so much confidence that you'd think he wasn't afraid of anything. In reality, Aaron is claustrophobic. He can't stand small spaces, crowded places, or any place where he feels like he can't breathe normally. When the full moon approaches, this feeling becomes so suffocating that even his room seems much too small. He spends most of his time outside at this time.

He also hates caves and yet he would love to go caving. For the moment, he just looks at pictures hoping to find the courage to enter a cave one day. Beliath has already offered to accompany him, but he prefers to wait a little longer before taking the plunge, he has all eternity before him after all.

Ivan :

He is afraid of reptiles, all that is snake, lizard and not only, earthworms, slugs and snails panic him totally. Because of this Vladimir tolerates that he works less in his garden than others. It is a fear of which he is ashamed. It is true, who is afraid of earthworms seriously? No matter how much the boys explain to him that it's okay and that he has every right to be afraid, he can't get the thought out of his head.

He has been terrified of ghosts and other supernatural things since he arrived at the mansion. He is very suspicious of mirrors, old objects, dolls, almost anything that looks old and a bit damaged. All the horror movies he's watched so far don't help him calm down much.

He is also very superstitious, especially since his arrival at the manor and his discovery of the world of the night, after all vampires were legends at one time. He will never go under a ladder, might scream if an umbrella was opened inside the mansion. The worst part of it all is that Ethan knows countless superstitions that he of course hastened to teach Ivan, his life has become much more stressful since then but no one could convince Ethan to stop.

Raphaël :

He is afraid of mice and rats and he knows that there are some in the cellar and the storeroom. He totally panics at the slightest suspicious squeak and has a hard time calming down afterwards even though Aaron swears there are no more rodents in the mansion.

He hates horror movies and creepypasta. Aaron and Ethan like to do horror nights when the weather is stormy. He participates in them anyway, but has a lot of trouble falling asleep afterwards. He won't admit it, but everyone knows it. (Vladimir usually talks with him to reassure him.)

He is also afraid of heights. He will not even get on a chair because of the fear of falling. Instinctively, he never gets very close to windows. He has never understood the attraction of new generations to airplanes, hot air balloons and all those horrible things. The floor is very good, why not stay there?

Ethan :

At the beginning of his transformation he was very superstitious (like Ivan, that's why he knows many superstitions). He was afraid of black cats, didn't want to wear green anymore, couldn't stand the number 13, and was terrified of breaking a mirror. Today he has calmed down a bit on the subject, although he still feels cold sweat running down his back when someone opens an umbrella indoors.

He's afraid of thunderstorms. He finds it relatively ridiculous, but the sound of thunder makes him anxious. Most of the time, he locks himself in his room when a thunderstorm breaks out or tries to take his mind off it by doing activities. This is one of the few times Beliath agrees to play chess with him (he normally hates it).

Although he makes fun of Vladimir and his fear of clowns, he feels the same fear in their presence. The only horror movies he refuses to see are the ones with clowns. He doesn't admit it, however, and pretends that they are just really bad movies.

Neil :

Like Aaron, he is claustrophobic. Unlike Aaron, he denies it completely. Admittedly, his few years as a lab rat were a traumatic experience that he is still struggling to recover from. But even if he doesn't recognize the problem, it exists. You can see it in the way he constantly observes around him in confined spaces.

He also has a fear of water and hates to take the boat, you can't understand him if you have never met the Flying Dutchman, it was the worst night of his long life and he won't talk about it. His fear of water is also accompanied by a fear of the deep. The abyss totally frightens him. He knows very well what is hidden there and he doesn't want to be confronted with it for even a single second, besides he doesn't want to talk about it either. Seriously, you think that the Marianas Trench is just another oceanic trench ? Just saying the name makes him shiver with fear.

#moonlight lovers #moonlight lovers raphael #moonlight lovers ethan #moonlight lovers beliath #Moonlight lovers aaron #moonlight lovers vladimir #moonlight lovers ivan #moonlight lovers neil

[shemarmooresfedora]

Collision Course

Summary: You and Spencer were just bound to collide. Only fate could plan a first meeting that unique.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Content/Warnings: fluff, minor car crash (no serious injuries), swearing, sexual harassment (specifically cat-calling from a stranger), mentions of eating a lot of food, implied allusion to sex (not specifically stated)

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: this is my one-shot entry for @ellesgreenaway ‘s 1k follower celebration! congratulations! <3 i’ve had this fic in my drive for a while but i never got around to finishing it until now

Masterlist

The metro was down for scheduled repairs today. JJ offered to bring Spencer in but he politely declined. He figured he should drive his car at least every once and a while so it doesn’t just collect rust in his parking spot.

Leaving his apartment 15 minutes earlier than he normally would to account for his rather slow driving, Spencer cautiously reversed out of his space.

He sighed in relief that he had not hit the neighboring cars. Spencer began to pull out of the parking garage. Unfortunately, he was so relieved from his little victory that he forgot to check both ways when he drove out of the parking garage.

Spencer slammed on the brakes but it was too late. He hit a young woman jogging and knocked her to the ground. Luckily, his average speed was that of a snail so he hoped her injuries were not too bad.

Spencer put the car in park and got out, “Oh god, oh god, oh god. Are you okay, miss?”

“I think so,” you were on the ground, assessing your body for any damage.

“Can you stand?” Spencer extended his hand to help you up.

You carefully stood, wincing a little when you put pressure on your left ankle.

“Is there anyone I can call? Do you want me to drive you to the ER?” Spencer frantically asked.

Your eyes widened, “No!” you stated a little too loudly, “Um I mean no thank you. I should finish my run anyways. I have a 5k for Alzheimer’s research coming up and I need to run or else I don’t raise any money,” you politely waved and took off again, much slower this time.

Spencer cringed as he watched you limp slightly every time you stepped on your left ankle, knowing it was his fault you were in pain. He sighed and pulled out his phone.

“Hey JJ, have you left yet? I need a ride, I’ll explain in the car.”

-

“Pretty Boy, how was your drive in?” Derek asked as soon as Spencer stepped off the elevator with JJ.

“I got about 20 feet and then hit someone with my car and had to call JJ so not great,” he admitted.

“Boy Wonder, you did WHAT? Are they okay?” Penelope gasped.

“She insisted she was fine but then she was limping away. I offered her a ride but she didn’t seem too keen on getting in a car with me,” Spencer explained.

“I wonder why,” Emily chuckled.

-

So there Spencer was. In the park in his only pair of short athletic shorts and a hoodie.

He had asked Penelope to sign him up for the 5k as a way to sort of make it up to the woman he hit. Plus, obviously it was for a good cause that was near and dear to his heart because of his mother.

Spencer had to take a lot of water breaks, periodically stopping to walk for a bit.

In the distance, he saw you on a bench and he suddenly felt the energy again to continue running to you. As he approached, he saw you tightening an ankle brace around your left foot and to make matters worse, you had a wrist brace as well.

Spencer considered just leaving you alone but he felt the need to apologize.

“H-Hello,” he awkwardly sputtered.

“Oh, hi,” you replied.

“I am so so sorry. Please let me pay your medical bills and any other expenses that I caused,” Spencer apologized.

“Unless you meant to hit me then it’s fine,” you stood from the bench.

“I definitely didn’t and I wasn’t on my phone or anything like that. I just barely ever drive but the metro was down today,” Spencer explained.

“You don’t have to pay my medical bills. I’m friends with a nurse so she did this for free. However, I would allow you to sponsor me for the 5k,” you answered.

“Absolutely,” Spencer nodded, “And funny story, you inspired me to register as well. I got everyone in my office to sponsor me.”

“That’s so great! The money is certainly going to a good cause.”

Spencer saw you smile for the first time since he met you.

“I’ve never been much of an athlete though. I barely passed my fitness test for work,” Spencer admitted.

“What kind of job has a fitness test?” you asked.

“I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI,” Spencer stated.

“Oh shit, you’re a federal agent? Maybe I will sue you and make bank,” you grinned.

Spencer’s face reddened.

“It was just a joke. You can laugh, then that means the incident is in the past and no hard feelings,” you smiled, “I’m Y/N.”

“Spencer.”

“Well, Spencer, if you ever need a running buddy, I’m more than happy to come along seeing as we both are training for the same thing. But I do have to warn you, this brace is kind of a bitch so I’m a little slower than normal.”

“I can assure you that you will probably still be faster than me with the brace on so maybe it was a good thing for me that I hit you with my car so you won’t be miles ahead,” Spencer grinned.

You laughed wholeheartedly, “See, Spencer! I’m laughing about it so no hard feelings, all is forgiven.”

“I’m just finishing up for the day but I was planning on being here again on Wednesday at the same time if you want to meet at this bench,” you offered.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Spencer nodded.

“See you around, Spencer. Hopefully not in your car though,” you winked and waved.

-

“Oh god, you’ve fallen in love with the chick you almost killed,” Derek groaned.

“Not love...well, yet anyways. She’s so pretty and easy to talk to and isn’t mean to me after everything that has happened and her laugh is like honey,” Spencer smiled softly, recalling the sound in his mind.

“Okay, lover boy,” Penelope giggled, “Did you get her number?”

“No but we’re meeting for a run tomorrow. We actually met at the park when I was training,” Spencer said.

“So she’s seen you in those short shorts and agreed to another meeting? Maybe you do have a chance, kid, cause you really put it all out there,” Derek smirked.

“Speaking of, I actually need to get more of them,” Spencer sipped his coffee.

“Just go all the way and get spandex. Leave nothing to the imagination,” Derek chuckled as Spencer rolled his eyes.

-

“Jesus, I’m going to have to hit your right leg this time if I’m going to have any chance of keeping up with you,” Spencer huffed as he bent over his knees to catch his breath.

“Well good news is that was four miles so you definitely will be able to run a 5k because it’s only 3.1 miles,” you encouraged him.

“Technically, it’s 3.10686 miles but I see your point,” Spencer heaved.

“I know a really good smoothie place nearby. Come on, it’s on me,” you grabbed his hand.

Luckily, Spencer’s face was already red from exercising so you weren’t able to see the blush that formed on his cheeks.

“No, it’s definitely on me. I know you said we’re fine but I am forever going to be indebted to you because of the incident.”

“Spencer, really just forget about it,” you assured him.

“I can’t, I have an eidetic memory,” he grinned.

“Ah, I see. Fine, you buy me one smoothie but then we’re even,” you conceded.

You were walking down the street to the cafe when you heard a whistle come from one of the cars driving by.

“Damn, your ass is looking sexy in those leggings,” a man hollered from his passing truck.

You flipped him off and tried to pull your shirt down as much as possible, crossing your arms tightly around your front.

Spencer unzipped his hoodie and extended it towards you, “Sorry, it’s a little sweaty but if you want to wear it, you can.”

You smiled softly and accepted the sweatshirt, feeling more comfortable now.

“I’ve got his license plate number memorized and I intend to file a police report. Unfortunately, reports like these usually don’t go very far but I’ll keep pushing it through. I’ll also call the company that was printed on the side of the truck and ask to speak to his supervisor,” Spencer spoke softly after a few minutes.

“Thanks, Spencer,” you leaned your head on his shoulder and sighed.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m just doing what’s right. He had no right to make comments about your body,” Spencer said, wrapping a gentle arm around your upper waist.

-

“Welcome to Y/N’s carbo-loading extravaganza!” you opened the door of your apartment to let Spencer in.

“I brought dessert as requested,” Spencer held up a chocolate cake.

“I like how you think, Spencer. Dinner’s all ready,” you smiled.

“Spaghetti, meatballs, and crispy buttery garlic bread,” you pulled the bread out of the oven.

“Looks absolutely delicious,” he complimented.

“Eating carbohydrates before a race boosts the glycogen storage in your muscles allowing you to work out longer,” Spencer informed you.

“Interesting, I never knew the science behind it but I’m never going to complain about eating tons of pasta and bread,” you twirled some pasta on to your fork.

Halfway through the meal, Spencer accidentally got a sauce stain on his pale pink shirt.

“Oh no,” you said as he tried to dab it away.

“That needs to soak right away. I don’t want any casualties at the carbo-loading extravaganza. Give it to me to scrub and I’ll get you another shirt.”

Spencer unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it off. You gulped at the sight of him shirtless, grabbing the shirt and heading to your bathroom sink to scrub it with laundry detergent.

“You can just grab any t-shirt from my room that you think will fit,” you called out to him.

Spencer settled on a light gray shirt with a golden retriever on the front.

“Okay, the stain is out! It’s just soaking now-“ you immediately stopped talking as soon as you saw the shirt Spencer was wearing.

He noticed your eyes were beginning to glisten with tears, “I’m so sorry. I can pick a different shirt,” Spencer was already beginning to pull it over the top of his head.

“No it’s fine, Spencer. That’s just my grandma’s t-shirt. I forgot I even had it.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he spoke guiltily.

“You didn’t know, besides it looks good on you anyways,” you smiled, “My grandma is the whole reason I’m running the 5k.”

“My mom has Alzheimer’s too so I understand that it’s extremely hard to watch a loved one go through that,” Spencer pulled you in for a hug.

You cried into his chest as he rubbed soothing circles on your back.

After Spencer hadn’t heard any sniffles in a while, he whispered, “Do you have any tea I can make you?”

You nodded and Spencer guided you to the couch, wrapping you in a blanket before turning the kettle on.

-

Spencer answered the cheerful knocking at his front door early in the morning.

“Race day! Are you ready?” you exclaimed.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Spencer smiled.

“I promise we are sticking together the whole time because it doesn’t matter how long it takes us as long as we finish,” you held up your pinky.

“Together,” Spencer affirmed, locking his pinky with yours.

The starting line in the park was only a short distance away from Spencer’s apartment so you and Spencer decided to walk there as a little warm-up.

You and Spencer were doing quad stretches when you saw his eyes wander to something behind you and then widen. His face immediately reddening.

“What?” you asked, turning around to see a group of people with a sign that read ‘Go Spencer and his girlfriend!’

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t expect them to do that,” Spencer stammered.

The poor boy was so flustered so you decided to take it easy on him.

“I don’t mind,” you shrugged with a slight smile.

“You don’t?” Spencer clarified, “I’m not very good with words or flirting in general but I would like to see you again after the race is over. Maybe I could take you out to dinner?”

“Yes but my only condition is...I’m driving,” you smirked.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that,” Spencer grinned.

An air horn sounded, signaling the start of the race.

“I think you’re going to have to catch me first, Dr. Reid,” you giggled as you sprinted ahead.

-

“It’s in sight, Spencer! We can do this!” you pointed to the finish line in the distance.

“Y/N, you’re going to have to carry me. I can’t,” Spencer heaved.

“If you finish this race, I will…” you cupped your hand to his ear and whispered something.

Spencer immediately perked up and started running again.

“Hey, wait up!” you laughed.

You and Spencer crossed the finish line at the same time. Spencer’s legs immediately gave out which caused you to fall too, collapsing on top of him.

“I know I’m really sweaty and gross right now but can I please kiss you?” Spencer whispered.

Your lips were pressed on his as soon as he finished his sentence. You honestly didn’t know how long you had been kissing for but you didn’t look up until you heard one of the race officials shout, “Hey lovebirds! That’s very sweet but other people are trying to cross the finish line.”

“Sorry!” you and Spencer apologized, scrambling to your feet.

“Not really,” Spencer whispered to you and you jabbed him in the side with your elbow playfully, stifling a laugh.

what slightly inspired this fic is one time @samuel-de-champagne-problems commented on one of my posts “i could never stay mad at spencer” and then i thought to myself “same. i couldn’t stay mad at him even if he hit me with his car” and now here we are... 🚙

taglist: (just ask to be added or removed!): @samuel-de-champagne-problems @g0lden-cth @spencerreid9 @averyhotchner @coldlilheart @k-k0129 @ickleronniekinsemotionalrange @harrystylesandthegoobs @cmily @jswessie187 @rem-ariiana @hoodpankow @mochionly

#spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid #cm fanfic #spencer x reader #reid x reader #dr spencer reid #spencer reid fic #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid x fem!reader #ellesgreenawaybookclub

[tastesoftamriel]

I was asked about what dishes you should never offer to Daedric Princes by a follower who's probably a little too curious for their own good. Here's an interesting question I certainly have not thought of, because I generally try not to invoke the wrath of Daedric Princes! However, if you really want to potentially bring the punishment of Oblivion down upon yourself, please feel free to try the following...

Mehrunes Dagon

Instead of fiery destruction, I propose something...cute. A classic chilled custard tart topped with warm berry compote and some Hammerfell-style rose-and-vanilla pashmak is bound to melt hearts, just not in the way one of his Dremora would.

Peryite

I love making healthy foods just as much as indulgent dishes, and as the popular adage goes, an apple a day keeps Peryite away! A classic rucola and feta salad with a balsamic and Cyrodiilic olive oil can be made even better with an extra handful of spinach, a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate, halved walnuts, avocado and cucumber slices, and a few diced apple pieces! Simply delectable, and sure to keep scurvy and pestilence at bay.

Molag Bal

What should you not offer the Daedric Prince of domination and creator of vampires? Probably a soft, delicate vegetarian dish. A Breton vegetable quiche with an all-butter crust, goose eggs, sun-dried tomatoes, delicate baby spinach, fresh chanterelle mushrooms, squash, lots of garlic, and a spot of chevre. Mouth-wateringly good, this little beauty makes for an excellent meal at any time of day, and is bound to make Molag Bal sneer.

Namira

I'm going to be a little cheeky here and turn something gross and creepy into something delicious that even the fussiest nobles I've served love: garlic butter snails. Namira's followers are known to chow down on live, raw snails, shells and all, but I prefer mine with a garlicky gratin and a sprinkle of cave-aged West Weald parmesan. Oh, and don't forget to eat them with a fancy silver snail fork like a proper diva!

Boethiah

Plots? Destruction? Snakes? Not with this dish! What you see is what you get with a traditional Nord bread-and-butter pudding! It's a great way to use up your leftover bread scraps and stale butter, and is one of Tamriel's most satisfying desserts in my humble opinion. Served with hot custard and dried snowberries, this pudding is the perfect, least deceptive dish I can imagine.

Hircine

You were spot on with a salad, but let me raise the bar a little. Not just any salad will do, but you'll want all your ingredients to be gently cultivated by hand and farmed, as opposed to wild foraged. Iceberg lettuce and pink pear salad with some crumbled goat cheese and honey hits the spot, but how about topped with some marbled fatty beef? The historic Gweden Farm near Anvil has won countless awards for its pampered cows who are given a daily massage and the best fresh grass and Cyrodiilic grain. Domesticated, happy, and wonderful...unless you're a hunter, that is.

Hermaeus Mora

You'd have to be downright stupid to try a traditional Argonian worm bowl unless you're Saxhleel, and even then, most of them don't want to touch this nasty, wriggling dish. Fresh, live mealworms and kotu gava eggs are drowned in a fermented blood worm sauce, with shredded catapult cabbage and flame-grilled, toxic haj mota flesh. I once commented that it looked a little like Hermaeus Mora himself, before taking a tentative nibble and spending the rest of the day throwing up in the swamp. Please don't try this. It's the dumbest dish in Tamriel, and a pox on whichever Argonian invented it.

Sheogorath

No cheese or strawberry torte here! In fact, the least madness-inducing food I can think of is a nice, mild pistachio ice cream profiterole, dipped in sweet milk chocolate and topped with fresh nuts is the perfect Breton summer treat, yet far too boring for the Prince of Madness to bother with. Which leads us to...

Sanguine

I really dislike coming up with bland, mundane dishes for the occasional fussy eater I come across during my travels. Sanguine, Prince of hedonistic pleasures, probably lurks over my shoulder at the average feast I throw, so I admit I was a bit stumped here...until I remembered my Granny Matilda's chicken noodle soup. As basic as soups come, this simple broth is made by boiling leftover chicken carcasses for a night and a day, and served with plain egg noodles. The perfect food for when you're feeling under the weather, or have the palate of a small Nord child.

Malacath

Altmer cuisine seems like a good way to get Malacath really mad, because it's basically the antithesis of what he stands for. Delicate Quicksilver Lingwe cerviche with a yuzu drizzle and Crystal Hannia caviar, with a light avocado mousse flavoured with apple blossom? A sensory delight, and bound to make any Malacath-respecting Orc gag.

Jyggalag

Fried, hand-pulled buckwheat noodles with a spicy Pellitine-style curry sauce is a good way to make this Prince quite cross with you. Not only is it messy to eat, but your furniture will likely suffer bright orange and yellow stains from the turmeric and tomatoes, and your bowels will also be as tangled as the noodles after consuming a fiery Khajiiti curry.

Vaermina

So mundane and boring, you're definitely not bound to have any dreams or nightmares about a bowl of saltrice porridge with comberry preserves and scrib jerky. The staple food of the common Dunmer, it's tasty enough to eat on a daily basis, but hardly the stuff dreams are made of.

Mephala

This spidery Prince enjoys interfering with us mortals, so it's time to fight back with a dish that'll probably make most other Daedric Princes frown too. Imperial food is famous for its balanced flavours, textures, and fresh ingredients, and a Gold Coat seafood stew is a vibrant dish bursting with the best fresh fish, mussels, lobster, and crabmeat the region has to offer. Mild but but with a tangy punch from the sun-dried tomato based soup and a dash of crisp white wine, this is a dish that both young and old enjoy across Cyrodiil.

Meridia

Charred jerk wild boar stuffed with timber mammoth cheese and a delicious bloody jus-and-honey sauce is sure to make any Bosmer's mouth water! It's definitely dead, it's definitely cooked, and it's definitely bound to disappoint Meridia. Just a warning- try this for a laugh and you'll never be able to get rid of her beacon.

Azura

By Azura, please don't offer this to the Lady of Dawn and Dusk unless you want to irreparably have your race changed! Love and devotion is what this Prince craves, so why not damage yourself with a fiery Dunmeri Vvardenfell fondue, made from scuttle, crab meat, and extremely spicy fire petal blossoms? Enjoyed by the most pain-seeking of Dunmer, my version comes with fried hackle-lo leaf and saltrice-and-wickwheat bread for dipping. It'll have your guts in a twist for days, which is the price to pay for this deliciously hot "cheese" dish. Oh, and did I mention that it's best washed down with a nice cup of Vivec's Gingergreen Chai?

Nocturnal

There's absolutely nothing dark about a Redguard sun-jelly, made with fresh fruits from coastal Hammerfell. Coconut, palm fruit, watermelon, and bananas are the stars of the show in this dessert, set in a chilled agar jelly that keeps the heat at bay. The fanciest Redguards love mixing edible gold flakes into the jelly itself, giving it a delightful luster that is sure to put a smile on your face and chase the shadows away.

Clavicus Vile

You're not going to want to strike any bargain to give up a delicious baked chub loon gratin with echatere cheese, over hasselback potatoes and crispy radish chips. This Orcish delicacy is surprisingly so good it's even tickled the fancy of the fussiest eaters in Tamriel! The chub loon meat is juicy and melts in the mouth, and the echatere cheese melted into the cracks of a hasselback potato are wonderful with radish chips for dipping. Admit it, you're drooling aren't you?

#Asks #Daedric Princes #Daedric Lords #TES #the elder scrolls #World building #worldbuilding #long post #text post

[eastofthemoon]

Title: A Rose Has Thorns

Rating: G

Series: The Owl House

Characters/Pairings: Hunter/Willow

Summary: It was Hunter's first solo mission since he left the Emperor's Coven and moved into the Owl House. All he had to achieve was purchase a few items at the market. That should be simple, right? 

Archive of Our Own

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Luz asked.

Hunter sighed as he held up the list, swinging the basket over his shoulder. “I can handle a shopping trip, Luz.”

“Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you’re not exactly used to things like shopping,” Luz retorted. “I mean, from what Lilith said about the Emperor's Coven...”

Hunter couldn’t deny that. Most of the domestic chores in the Emperor’s Coven were handled by servants or abominations. Hunter had never even done his own laundry until he found himself living at the Owl House.

That had been an interesting lesson. Eda claimed Hunter had done well, but Hunter had a hunch that setting clothes on fire was not as common as Eda claimed.

Hunter sighed as his cardinal flew to his shoulder. “Look, I’ll be fine. I have my palisman with me and I have actually bought things before.”

Luz chewed her lower lip. “Yeah, but-”

Eda placed a hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Let him go, kiddo. If Hunter wants to do this solo we've gotta respect that.”

“Besides, it’s not like he could do any worse than you did,” King called out from the couch. “He just has to avoid trusting any wizards.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Why would I trust a wizard? They’re famous for being shady-”

“Oh, wow, would you look at the time,” Luz said nervously as she pointed over her shoulder. “I have to, uh, go get ready for my date with Amity! See you later, Hunter! Byyyyyye!”

Luz hastily dashed out of the room. Hunter turned to Eda.

“Do I... want to know?” he asked.

“Meh, I'll fill you in on the blackmail later,” Eda said as she crossed her arms. “Seriously, kid, you sure you don’t want to at least take King with you?”

Hunter rolled his eyes. “For the last time, I’ll be fine. I’ll be back within the hour.”

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

Two hours later, Hunter couldn't suppress the twitch in his eyelid. He had finally managed to find almost every item on the list... except for formian crystal. He was almost tempted to just return empty-handed, but he knew the house needed it for their crystal ball - whatever his opinions on King's shows.

Besides, it was a matter of pride at this point. After his declarations, how could he prove to Luz and Eda that he could be useful and handle things like a normal person if he didn't return with every item on the list?

Unacceptable.

His cardinal gave a comforting tweet. It had tried to give him some suggestions, but hadn’t been in the market place for a long time. So in spite of intentions, the little palisman knew even less than Hunter.

Hunter patted the cardinal’s head as he glanced around the various shoppers passing by. There were many less people around at this time of day which admittedly is why he had come alone. There was a much lower risk of one of the Emperor Coven guards spotting and arresting him on the spot.

Still, Hunter wasn’t thrilled with the idea of asking someone for help. What if they recognized him and reported him? Maybe if he picked the right shopkeeper- Wait. Not far from him were a couple of girls close to his age.

Chances of them turning me in is lower, Hunter thought and walked over. At least if they're anywhere near as anti-authority as the human. I’ll ask them.

The two girls were laughing over some joke, but stopped abruptly as they noticed Hunter approaching.

“Hey, can I ask you two a quick question?” he asked.

The girl with pink hair and three eyes looked at him and smirked. “If you mean where to get a better fashion sense, that is not going to be a 'quick' answer.  Where do we even begin?”

“Uh no,” Hunter said with a raised eyebrow. “I just wanted to know where I could find someone selling formian crystal.”

The other girl tapped her chin in thought. “Um. That's for old crystal balls, right?  I think there’s a booth over in the east-”

“West side,” the pink haired girl jumped in with a grin. “She means there’s a seller on the far west side of the market.” She turned to her friend. “Right, Skara?”

The girl named Skara blinked, but then nodded rapidly. “Oh..uh, yeah, like Boscha said.” She gave a shaky smile and pointed. “To the far, far west side.  Nearly...outside the market?”

“West side, okay,” Hunter said as he started walking in that direction. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” the girl named Boscha said with a smirk.

Hunter found her a bit odd, but he was too worn out from shopping to worry about it.

“Last item.  Last item!  I can do this.  I just need to get this done so we can head home,” he said aloud to his cardinal.

Another hour later, Hunter had been up and down the west side of the market three times but he still hadn’t found any formian crystal.

“Where is it,” he grumbled as his cardinal hovered nearby. “It’s supposed to be here!”

The cardinal tweeted in his ear.

“No, I will not just go home,” Hunter said as they continued to walk. “I can't fail my mission, and it isn't complete until I find-”

Suddenly, he walked straight into someone's back. The pair of them let out a grunt as each, separately, stumbled and fell to the ground.

Hunter quickly forgot about his annoyance as he scrambled to his feet. “Sorry, are you okay?”

The person he had bumped into was another girl. She waved off his concern as she adjusted her glasses and dusted the dirt off her clothes.

“Don’t worry,” she said with a small smile. “A little dirt never hurt anyone.”

A bee palisman carrying a small basket hovered nearby and the girl gave it a pat on the head. “I’m okay, Clover - oh dear.”

Hunter looked down and saw what she had noticed. The items from his basket had fallen out when he had crashed into her.

“Great,” Hunter grumbled as he knelt down and started picking them up. “Just what I needed.”

He started gathering up and inspecting the items for damage, engrossed in his task until a jar of toad jam was suddenly thrust in his face. He hadn’t realized the girl was kneeling next to him and was helping to gather everything

Hunter blushed. “Uh, thanks,” he replied. Why didn’t I see that?

“You're welcome,” the girl replied, still smiling. “Do you need help with anything else?”

Hunter sighed. “Actually, yes,” he said as he rose. “Can you tell me where I can get some formian crystal?”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Formian crystal?  Here?”

“Yes.  The vendor that’s supposed to be stationed in this area.”

The girl frowned. “Um..last time I checked, no one in this part of the market has ever sold anything like that.  This is the area for fertilizers, cloth dyes, and any of the really pungent produce.”

“What?!” Hunter cried. “But that Boscha girl said there was a stall here for it.”

The girl’s eyes widened, then narrowed as she held a tight frown. “Wait, Boscha? Three eyed girl with pink hair? She told you to come here?”

Hunter didn’t like where this was going. “Uh, yes. I’ve been searching for over an hour.”

The girl sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Boscha, honestly…” She shook her head. “I kind of hate to tell you this, but she lied.”

“What?” Hunter growled. “Why would she do that?”

 Was it all a trap? Was she working with the Emperor’s Coven-

“Because she’s a mega jerk and probably thought sending you to the 'smelly' end of the market would be funny,” the girl replied firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. “She has a twisted sense of humor.” She pointed to herself. “Personal experience.”

“Oh,” Hunter mumbled. “That kind of makes sense.”

He glanced over the list. Maybe he should just head back now. He had wasted enough time as is and there would be...concerns if he wasn’t back soon.

The girl gave a small smile and pointed. “Come on, I’ll take you there.”

Hunter blinked. “Um..take me where?”

“To where you can get some formian crystal.”

Hunter frowned and tilted his head. “You will? But... why?”

“Because I want to,” the girl replied. “Besides, I was heading in that direction anyway.”

Hunter paused. Should he trust her? What if this was another trick? But without her intelligence, he had no way to avoid failing his objective.

“Are you coming?” the girl asked with a concerned frown.

Hunter shook his head. “Yes, sorry.  I was just lost in thought.”

The girl smiled back. “I’m Willow by the way.”

“Hunter,” he replied, frowning to himself. Willow? That name sounds familiar. Wonder why?

He tossed the thought aside and quickly caught up with her.

True to Willow’s word, she took her directly to a stall selling assorted magical crystals, including what he was looking for. She even helped him bargain to get it a few snails cheaper.

Hunter tucked the small bag carefully in the basket.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No problem,” Willow replied with a smile. “I know what it’s like dealing with a bully far too well.”

So, do I, but on a different scale, Hunter thought as his mind drifted back to the Emperor’s Coven.

His cardinal tweeted and Hunter patted his head. “I have to get home, but thanks again for the help.”

“Sure thing,” Willow said as she began to walk in the other direction, the bee buzzing busily beside her. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Hunter said with a wave.

As he walked home. The girl’s name bugged him. Willow...Willow...I know I've heard that name somewhere, but where?

Hunter got his answer exactly two days later.

Luz had invited two of her friends over for a 'study session'. Amity had apparently been dragged off into ‘bonding sibling time’ with her brother and sister, which was admittedly a bit of a relief for Hunter. She was still suspicious of him over that whole Eclipse Lake business.

Gus was the first to arrive. He seemed wary of Hunter, but was mostly friendly.

“If Luz says you’re okay, then I’m willing to trust her opinion,” Gus said. “She’s a pretty good judge of character.  Besides, it's hard to pull the wool over an illusionist's eyes!”

Hunter couldn’t help but agree with him.  Or at least his opinion of Luz.

They chatted for a bit before Luz’s other friend arrived. Hearing a new, and yet somewhat familiar voice, Hunter raised his head and froze.

It was the same girl who had helped him at the market. It was only then his brain connected the dots.

Willow, as in Luz’s friend Willow who she talks about all the time, Hunter thought with a gulp. Cursing his poor memory, he stood up.

“And this is Hunter,” Luz said as she pointed to Hunter. “Also formerly known as - wait for it - the Golden Guard.”

Willow gave a shaky smile, but it vanished as she spotted Hunter. The basket slipped from her fingers, kept up only by her bee palisman's efforts.

Hunter coughed as he gave a sheepish wave. “Um...hi?”

He could feel everyone’s eyes on them as the silence between the two of them continued.

She’s probably just as surprised as I am, Hunter thought.

Luz got in between them and frowned. “Something wrong?”

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh...we've met before. Actually."

Luz tilted her head as Gus grasped his chin in thought, muttering under his breath.

“You have? When?” Luz asked.

“Uhh…” Hunter stammered as he struggled to find an explanation that wouldn’t have Luz fretting over him.

“In my dads’ shop,” Willow chimed in quickly, fending off King's attempt to climb her and peer into her basket.

Hunter blinked. “The shop?”

Willow gave him a look and suddenly he understood.

“Rrriigghhhttt,” Hunter said slowly and gave a shaky smile. “I was just curious so I popped in for a quick look.”

“Yeah, and we had a nice little chat,” Willow added.

“Oh,” Luz said as she placed an arm around Hunter’s shoulder. “Man, the Boiling Isles.  Small world, am I right?”

“Suspiciously small,” Gus commented, tapping the spine of a book.

“Who cares,” King said as he pointed at Willow. “The important thing is that I’m smelling tasty yum-yums that should be in my tum-tum, but they're still in that basket.  You have brought tribute to your monarch, and it must be delivered!”

Willow smiled. “You're right!” she glanced at Luz. “It’s snaggle bread but my dads left out the fairy wings so Luz can enjoy it.”

“Aw, that was nice of them,” Luz said as she moved to take the basket. “How about I get some plates?”

“I can do it, I know where they are,” Willow offered as she headed into the kitchen.

“Okay,” Luz said. “There should be some toad jam in the cupboard too!  Fresh from the market!”

Hunter glanced behind as his cardinal landed on his shoulder.

“Um..I’ll go make us some tea,” Hunter offered as he pointed. “Be right back.”

He ignored their baffled expressions as he ventured into the kitchen. Willow didn’t turn around. Hunter hesitated, considering talking to her, but finally just moved towards the kettle in silence, turning on the tap.

More silence followed until Hunter turned off the tap and placed the full kettle onto the stove.

The clearing of a throat caused Hunter to look up. Willow had finished arranging slices of bread on a plate with the jar of jam, and was rifling through the butter knives.

“Ssssooo,” Willow began as her bee fetched teacups from the pantry, “I’m assuming you didn’t want Luz to hear how we actually met?”

Hunter covered his face with one hand. “Yes, please,” he groaned. “If she found out how my first shopping trip went, she would never let me live it down.”

Willow’s face softened. “Luz isn’t like that,” she admonished as her bee palisman landed on her shoulder. “But I get how being tricked by Boscha can be kind of embarrassing, so I’ll respect your pride.”

Hunter sighed. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

Willow crossed her arms. “However, there is something else I want to make clear.” Her eyes narrowed. “Amity and I do talk about things, after all."

Hunter sighed. He’d been expecting this. “All right, let me have...it?”

Suddenly, Willow was holding one of the knives and was stomping forward. Hunter barely had time to react before he found himself pinned against the wall. His cardinal gave a concerned tweet, but the bee was buzzing angrily nearby and it stayed where it was on the counter.

Hunter could theoretically get out of this. Probably. Maybe. Willow was shorter than him and he had more training, but she had a weapon and he didn't - not to mention the sheer determination shining in her eyes.

“Luz is a very dear friend to me, and I care a lot about King, Eda and Hooty,” Willow stated firmly as she held the butter knife unwaveringly. “Now.  I do believe in second chances.  That's why Amity and I are friends again.”

“Under...stood,” Hunter said slowly, wondering how a simple butter knife could be more threatening than Kikimora's clawed monsters.

“I do, however, wish to inform you that Luz is friends with a plant witch.  Plant witches know about plants.  Including which ones are very toxic,” Willow pulled his shirt collar close until both of their noses were touching. “If you betray Luz, or Gus, or Amity or anyone in this house you'll get first-hand knowledge of dragon fly blossoms.”

“The... burning, stinging kind?” Hunter guessed.

“The same,” Willow said as her bee gave another buzz. “Do we have an understanding?”

“Clear as formian crystal,” Hunter replied as he held up his hands.

Willow’s smile returned. She slipped the butter knife up her sleeve and her bee suddenly became much calmer.

“Good,” she said and took a deep breath as she steadied herself. “Oh boy, that took a lot out of me.”

Hunter wasn’t sure how to reply, but was thankfully saved by King’s voice.

“Where are those snacks?!” he cried. “Your tiny tyrant is getting hungry here!”

“Be right there,” Willow called as she gathered up the plates. “Coming?”

“In a minute.  I, um.  Need to wait for the water to boil to make tea,” Hunter added quickly.

Willow smiled, nodded and left the kitchen.

Hunter took deep breaths until he heard the kettle boil, removed it from the stove and started pouring it over the teabags. As he was putting the lid on the teapot Hooty extended his head into the kitchen window.

“Wooow, that was intense,” Hooty commented.

“No kidding,” Hunter commented as his cardinal landed on his shoulder and then paused. “Wait, you saw the whole thing?”

“I see everything in this house,” Hooty replied cheerfully.  "Eeeeeverythiiiiing."

“And you didn’t do anything?  Say anything?!” Hunter asked.

“Willow wouldn’t have hurt you unless she had to,” Hooty replied as he smiled. “She’s a lovely lady who's as sweet as a dragon fly blossom.”

Hunter kind of understood. Helping out during his first shopping trip proved what kind of person she was. And yet, there was that look in her eyes. Willow, for all her sweetness, was clearly also a person who was willing to protect those around her.  Whatever the cost.

Even A Rose Has Thorns, Hunter thought.

It was a line from one of Belos’s old books. Hunter never quite understood the significance. Of course roses had thorns. It was just how they were.

He looked to where Willow had stood. Now he felt like he understood the full significance.

“She’s very admirable,” Hunter muttered, andis cardinal tweeted in agreement.

He glanced at Hooty and saw the house demon was smirking at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You liiiiike her,” Hooty sang as he wiggled about.

Hunter blushed. “What? Well...Yes, I mean I hope to be her friend.”

“Oh, old Hooty has been around all the blocks!  This is clearly the beginning of a slow-burning subconscious unrequited crush,” Hooty replied in a sly tone.  "That is, for noooooow~"

Hunter waved his hands in the air. “What makes you think that?!”

“Oh, I don't knooooow," Hooty smirked.  "Why are you blushing?”

The words died in Hunter’s mouth as he fumbled with the kettle, putting it aside and sweeping the teapot onto a tray.

“I’m leaving now,” he declared.

“Feel free to ask me for advice,” Hooty called to his retreating back. “I’m knowledgeable in all the glorious and sinister ways of the heart! Just look at how I helped Lumity set sail!  Literally!”

Hunter vowed he would never ask as he left the kitchen.  And did his best to ignore the tweeting of the cardinal on his shoulder.

#huntlow #winter #the owl house #willow park #hunter the golden guard #my writing #toh

[frankthesnek]

#26 "things you said in writing" kind of speaks to me today if it inspires you?

Oh writing?? This is an interesting one 🤔

So, for the record I have not read what all the prompts on the list are. I glanced at them briefly but wanted them to be a suprise so I couldn't plan ahead for them. Seems like they're apparently a very mixed bag!

Thanks for the prompt 💜

26: Things you said in writing

Rodney rubbed his eyes and sighed in annoyance. He hated his new staff at Area 51. Hated the lab space they had given him. Hated that he wasn't in Atlantis with John at his side.

Opening his door he reached down and picked up the mail that had been dropped through the door slot. Junk, junk, more junk…. A hand addressed envelope with handwriting he recognized instantly. 

John? What would John send him in the mail?

Tossing the annoying  junk mail in the trash he sat on the couch and carefully opened the letter. It wasn't fancy, just the simple yellow paper from a standard office notepad. Written out in plain black ink, and John's sloppy annoyingly all capital letter handwriting. 

     "Dear Rodney,

Things at SGC are not how I had expected them to be. Not that I had many expectations because I never thought I'd be working here. I keep trying to get my team switched but it's taking forever. Guess I forgot how much sway and power I had as CO in Atlantis."

Rodney snorted and rolled his eyes. Crossing his legs at the knee, he settled back more comfortably into the couch.

     "The people on my team are fine, nice enough but they're not you guys. I miss Teyla and Ronon. Think about them a lot. What do you think their lives went back to? How much damage has been done without us there to help? I try not to think about that last bit. It keeps me up at night if I do…

You'll probably use this against me at some point, but I miss you the most. I bet you've got a real smug look on your face right now!"

Rodney chuckled and schooled his face out of the smug expression John had predicted. The other man knew him too well.

     "I miss having you around. No one here gets me like you do. I make nerd jokes and they look at me like I'm an idiot (except for this one scientist. Can't remember his name, balding, thinks he's real funny? Ring any bells?). Anyway, it's weird. I don't like not having you around. I miss other stuff too.

I miss waking up next to you. I miss the way you snore (don't deny it!). I miss showering with you in the mornings. I miss how you touch me… before we got together it had been a long time since anyone had touched me like you do. I didn't miss it back then, guess I'd gotten used to it. But now, well I can't wait to see you again."

Rodney took a deep breath and looked away from the letter for a moment. He missed all those things too--sans snoring, and yes he would deny it, because he didn’t snore. Smiling Rodney reread the last few lines again. Okay, maybe he snored a little.

     "I keep hoping they will call us back in. That the Ancients will realize we were doing good there and invite us back. I don't know though, it's starting to feel more like just a pipe dream."

"Feel you on that one buddy," Rodney muttered, frowning at the paper.

     "The return address on the envelope is for my new apartment out here. It's nothing fancy, just a one bedroom studio. I don't really like it that much. It's too dark, not enough windows. I guess Atlantis spoiled me for that. I think I would probably like the apartment better if you were here with me. Then it might feel more like home. 

From,

Sincerely, 

Love, John"

Shaking his head and smiling, Rodney dropped the letter onto the coffee table. He talked to John regarly on the phone and didn't understand why the other man had written to him. If he felt like writing instead of talking, email was--in Rodney's opinion--far superior to the archaic snail mail system of the postal service.

Taking the landline from the end table Rodney started to dial. Just as he was about to hit the 'call' button the letter caught his eye again. It had landed face down on the table, and there was writing on the back. 

     "PS. I know you're probably wondering right about now why I wrote to you using the 'archaic snail mail system of the postal service' (isn't that what you call it?). On deployments I saw guys writing letters for the people they loved back home. I never had anyone to send a letter to. Now I do. Thought I'd give it a shot."

Rodney's smile softened and he replaced the phone in its cradle. Moving to his desk, he sat down and pulled out a notebook.

     "Dear John, 

First of all, you realize you have a horribly ironc name for this kind of thing, right?......

Interested in a drabble? See my pinned post ☺

#asks #answers #800 words #love letters #fluff #established relationship #john trying to be romantic #stargate atlantis #john sheppard #rodney mckay #mcshep #prompt fic #prompt challenge #fanfiction #writers on tumblr

[junghoseokwife]

Merfolk in a Manhole 2

Merman! Yoongi, Merman! Seokjin, Merman! Jungkook, Merman! Jimin, Merman! Taehyung, Human! Namjoon, Human! Hoseok Human! Reader Summary: After getting kicked out of your apartment, you moved in with your parent close to the beach. Digesting as much salty air as you had, you became restless going to the beach to relax. A rather harsh wave smashed onto the beach bringing seaweeds a buttload of fishes and a hideous fish man with big bug eyes and webbed hands or was he a beautiful, sculpted tanned merman who needed help to find his friends? Paring: OT7 x reader Wordcount: 2.7k A/N: Sorry it took so long and I have been trying to get the hang of tumblr so please bear with me editing mistakes. Thank you for all the comments on the first chapter, I am never satisfied with my work so seeing you all like it makes me excited for more.

Your legs weren’t carrying you as fast as you wanted. You wanted to be as far away as possible. The financial stability you had been pining for had just been flushed down the drain and you were just so overwhelmed. You were never the most athletic of the bunch but today you could prove yourself wrong. The only sounds you could hear was the wind whipping against your body. You furiously tried to breathe, but the air was knocked out of you with every step you took. Your vision was collapsing on itself with the lack of oxygen that was entering your lungs. Your body shook violently as you round the corner of the street a little too late slamming your foot on the red and white traffic pole. The minor injury did not slow you down at all. You kept running the harsh pavement heating up under your foot, becoming a pain to move. Your name echoed through your head, your body jolting backwards slamming into a hard surface. You winced in pain as the adrenaline left your body, finally feeling the weight of your situation and the open wound on your leg .You watched the cars zoom past, too busy to care about the pedestrians waiting to cross; this foolish crusade of yours could have ended badly. The arm that had pulled you back tightened around your wrist. Your eyes scanned the road in front of you before looking up at the owner of the hand. “Hoseok” The drive was suffocating. Hoseok had not said anything after he bandaged your wounded leg and dragged you into his car. He tossed his now damage groceries, that he had dropped to chase you, into the trunk. Your anxiety peeking through as you nibbled at your fingernail. He looked through the rear view mirror letting out a disapproving sigh. “Stop that” He motioned for you to take your finger out of your mouth which you did reluctantly. He refocused on the road leaving you to your own devices once again. You decided to look out the window, small trees and dried grass was all you could see for miles. Crossing your arms you allowed the wind to blow your hair not minding the way it whipped your face. You had concluded Hoseok wasn’t carrying you home and you could not be happier, but a little knowledge on where you were going would put your mind at ease. You didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment, but knowing Hoseok and you weren’t on good terms made you queasy so you did the only thing you knew would melt his heart. “Hoseok?” You whispered putting on the best puppy eyes you could “No” He deadpanned not even looking at you. You scoffed; leaning back into the seat “Rude” you whispered under your breath missing the way Hoseok had to bite his lips to contain his smile.

..........

“Wow!” Your voice was louder than you expected on the quiet beach. Hoseok had hauled your injured self out of the beach and dragged you onto the sand. You made a small snail trail that would be helpful if you got lost wondering the beach which wouldn’t be unlikely with how excited you were. You’ve never seen the ocean in your life; your parents never liked the salty air or the sound of the waves. They wanted to live in a wealthy area not ‘some fisherman’s village’ and you just never had time for recreational activities. The aquarium at work could not compare to the vast ocean and long beaches. You sat down, unable to walk anymore with your injured leg. The sand was warm under your skin, sighing contently; you looked at the water eyes reflecting the scorching sun that bounced of the ocean. Everything was serene Everything was beautiful The sand crunched under Hoseok’s weight, you didn’t pay attention to his persistent poking to busy soaking up the view that you might not see again in a while. You really should visit the beach more often. Hoseok was fed up with you ignoring him like he had done to you through the whole car ride. He spun the soda can, now full with condensation, trying to find the coldest area. He smiled devilishly as he placed it onto your skin. You quickly jolt back hissing in surprise, quickly slapping Hoseok on his arm before he had time to flee. He fell into fits of giggles when you grumbled, rubbing the your skin to heat it up. “Namjoon told me about what happened” He sobered up rather quickly opening the can and handing it to you. You swung the can into small circles, slushing around the soda in the can. You hummed as you took a sip, peeking over the can waiting for Hoseok to continue. He also seemed to be waiting for you to say something or at least to give a different reaction if the deer in headlights look on his face was anything to go by. You cracked a smile taking another sip before putting the can down. “Is that why you took me here then, to cheer me up?” “No. I wanted to see you in a swimsuit.” He leaned in a little causing his breath to tickle your face. The serious look on his face caused you to splutter a little. You made a disgusted face leaning back to put distance between both of you. Hoseok’s laughter sound like music to your ears. He returned to his former position, finally taking a sip from his own drink. Hoseok and you had developed a flirty relationship over the years; you both would either reciprocate or reject the other person advances. This type of friendship came out of nowhere but you had no problem with it. “You should move in with your parents. If you get kicked out I mean…” He rose from the ground dusting the sand off his clothes. “They’ve probably been waiting for you to go home for a while” He held out his hand for you to take pulling you off the beach. “I know” you whispered, picking the cans off the sand. “They’re just -”A sigh escaped your lips as stacked the cans ontop of each other following after your friend to the car. Your parents weren’t bad people they just weren’t ready to have children, and it showed. They always kept you at arm’s length, like you were an acquaintance. They would control your social circle deeming Hoseok not worthy to be your friend and that you should get married to Namjoon for connections to his family. “I know…” He smiled sadly “But it’s been years. They are old now. You can leave if it becomes too much.” He turned around taking the cans from you, resting them into the cup holder. You grunted deep in thought. What if he was right? Could they change? You looked back at the beach for the last time as the car started driving. You missed it already.

“Hoseok wait!!” He slowed down the car; you ignored the confusion all over his face as you popped the door open running far down the beach. You ignored the pain that surged through your body, probably reopening the wound on your leg. The sand clung to your feet like it was trying to stop you from where you were going, you stumbled a little before scooping the item in your hand. You turned around to the street giving Hoseok a thumbs up. Following the trail you made earlier in the day you clambered into the car closing the door. You held the item closer to your chest, contented.

..........

Packing was all you seemed to be doing nowadays. Your possessions seemed endless with the need to rest cutting in ever so often. You looked at your still bandaged leg frowning a bit. The leg had gotten infected when you underestimated the severity of the injury giving you a well overdue hospital visit. Hoseok refused to make you continue packing since you needed to ‘rest according to doctor instructions’. He was correct but your rest time prolonged your packing. You had the whole week to pack up and move out which you thought was more than enough time since you had the help of Namjoon and Hoseok, but they had been at work for majority of the week, so most of the work fell on your shoulders. Despite your lack of communication, you were thankful that your parents had paid for the damage to the apartment, saving Namjoon and your wallet from the burden of a lifetime. You decided to rest, wobbling over to your bed. You looked around your almost barren room spying the item you had picked up from the beach. It collected the sunlight in your room separating them in small rays illuminating small areas off the room. You weren’t sure if what you picked up was a seashell, it was shaped like one; if you put it close to your ears you could hear the sea but it looked like an aquamarine gem. It looked so fragile you didn’t dare to take it up after you accidentally dropped it earlier in the week. You have been thinking about making it into a necklace. Warmth spread around your chest whenever you looked at the seashell, you weren’t sure if it was a memory of your time at the ocean or because of how beautiful it looked just sitting on your bedside table. You taped the final box, bending backward to stretch your back. You let out a pleased groan when the muscle loosened. You looked at the clock, just in time you thought. The boxes were already lined up at the front of your apartment waiting for the moving truck. Namjoon had texted you, sorrowful that he couldn’t be there to help you move out. He was just so endearing you couldn’t be mad at him. You sat down on one of the boxes, checking the time. “Any minute now” You grumbled staring at the phone like it would cause time to speed up. When the sound of feet approached you, you quickly got up from the box to give the movers space to do their job. But the sound of your name caused you to look away from your phone. “Mom?” Her eyes were glassed over as she took in your form. You guess that happens when you haven’t seen your only child for years. She covered her mouth choking on her tears a little before turning to your father. They really aged gracefully. The fine lines and wrinkles on their face gave them a softer appearance than what you were used to. They looked like grandparents, kind and wise. You could imagine your mom baking cookies and your dad making a fool of himself trying to help her before she kicks him out of the kitchen. ‘Imagine’ “Mom” She teared up repeating what you had called her. “I’m so sorry, my daughter” Few words had to be spoken to know what that meant. How deep it cut you? You might never know, but the tears streaming down your face had said enough for your parents. The movers quickly stacked the boxes into the truck not sparing a second glance at you and your parents tear eyed and red faces, probably to not make you uncomfortable. After finalizing the move with you the men returned to the truck transporting everything to your new residence. Your father started off in the direction of their vehicle not saying anything to both you and your mom. Her watery smile struck you in your heart, she clasped her frail hands. “Let’s go home”

..........

“Mom!!” She placed a hand over heart still not used to the term of endearment. She wasn’t sure how she went through most of your life not liking the term. She hummed, still stirring the porridge she turned to look at you. You were clinging onto the door frame for dear life having woken up early to go to work. It would take an hour or two to reach but you didn’t mind. You ha adjusted nicely into your new home despite it being a couple days. Your parents had tried their best to make you feel welcomed, correcting their past mistakes. Asking about Hoseok and Namjoon ever so often, trying to integrate your friends into their lives.

“Have you seen my wetsuit?” Before your mother could answer, your father was at the door handing your wetsuit to you. He didn’t say anything as per usual, walking back to his chair on the front porch to overlook the sea. You folded the warm wetsuit placing it under your arm; he must’ve hanged it outside on the line for it to dry since you were too tired to do it last night.

“Thanks dad” You whispered. He grunted as a reply waving you off to get dressed.

Old age does change how someone perceives life. Your parents seemed to value a more peaceful, simple life. Unlike their younger selves who wanted money, business and connections. Now your mom went fishing with your father, she hummed songs as she planted flowers in the windowsills or baked for the children in the village a mile or so from the beach where you reside. The beach house was rather beautiful perched on a cliff, surrounded by shrubs and coconut trees, which mom always had use for. She would experiment making grater cake or coconut pudding allowing you to be the taste tester. Ideally you’d have wanted a father just as openly doting as your mother but this was fine. He took care of you in silence, behind the scenes, washing your wetsuit or suddenly not being hungry when only one portion of lobster was left. If you refused and told him to eat it he would leave the table and sit in his chair overlooking the ocean, forcing you to eat the last piece or it would go bad.

Placing all your belongings into a draw bag you pecked your mom on the cheek and your dad on the forehead before making your way to the bus stop. Your parents had insisted you use their car but your lack of driver’s license would make that impossible.

.........

You, Hoseok and Namjoon were the only ones at work. What irked you more was the lack of work you were getting. The tenseness in the air was palpable as you munched on the snacks you found in the fridge. Namjoon looked too sick to eat picking at his food ever so often. Hoseok was trying to sleep which remain unsuccessful. The lunchroom door opening startled all of you to varying degrees. Seeing your boss march through the door you pulled your hand from the fridge taking a cup of coconut pudding with you. Namjoon was alert while Hoseok sluggishly sat up, fatigue settling in his bones.

“You’re eating more food?” You bossed cocked an eyebrow in your direction. The question sounded normal; as eating before doing your job, which mostly involved swimming wasn’t the best idea. But you understood what he was insinuating, he ‘teased’ you alot. You shoved another spoon of pudding into your mouth to avoid confrontation. Seeing he wasn’t going to get a reaction, he cleared his throat deciding to talk about the matter at hand.

He placed a flyer on the table. One you had been seeing for a while now, on every surface they could fit.

A photoshopped picture of a mermaid sat at the forefront. Around the image were words saying this was the newest attraction for the aquarium. The aquarium wasn’t running low on funds so you didn’t know the need for a stunt like this. It didn’t matter to you, the more the merrier. You could ask them how they managed to hold their breaths so long or swim so gracefully.

“You and you” He pointed to both men in the room. “I need you to train them.”

“You” He pointed to me, seemingly taking in my current condition of being unable to swim he thought carefully about the task. “Reward them if they deserve it; punish them if they deserve it.

The already quiet room fell into a deafening silence.

“They’re arriving in a week or so, so be prepared.” He pulled his phone from his coat pocket, dialing someone before making his exit. Leaving all of you to rationalize what he had said, because mermaids were only mythological.

They didn’t exist.

#ot7 x reader #ot7 x you #bts ot7 #bts ot7 x reader #bts fanfic #bts x you #bts x reader #namjoon x reader #namjoon x you #namjoon fanfic #seokjin x reaer #seokjin x you #seokjin fanfic #yoongi x reader #yoongi x you #yoongi fanfic #hoseok x reader #hoseok x you #jimin x you #hoseok fanfic #jimin x reader #jimin fanfic #taehyung x reader #taehyung x you #taehyung fanfic #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fanfic

[elliethesuperfruitlover]

I’m So Baked (says the pie)

A/N: So I’ve been paying more attention to Topazi (mentally) and I realize that I need more shenanigans between her and Klaus..so here we are.

Warnings: some suggestive material

Tag List:  @joz-stankovich, @misskittysmagicportal, @badsext, @super-unpredictable98, @the-freckled-luba, @magic-multicolored-miracle, @ghouls-buddy, @maerenee930, @frogs–are–bitches, @neuroticpuppy, @forenschik, @bisexualnathanyoung, @robert-sheehan, @firstpersonnarrator, @salvador-daley, @lokis-rock-n-roll-chick

“Klaus, what happened to your hand?!” Topazi asked, as her partner walked in, his hand held far away from his body, almost as if it had offended him greatly.

“I was trying to get inside of the house and the patio door shut on my hand. We need to get that fixed at some point.” he said, putting a generous amount of dish soap on his “Hello” hand before putting it under the tap.

“I’ll put it on my list to get to. Do you know when Allison and Claire are supposed to be coming over. I need to make sure I have time to get the flowers done beforehand. And I need to make sure there’s no extra snails in them, like I’ve let slide recently.” she added, getting her tools gathered on the floor of the living room.

“Uh, I think she said around regular dinnertime, 6-7ish.” Klaus replied, and Topazi let out a sigh of relief. That’s plenty of time to construct and reconstruct her design.

  It was a simple bouquet, really. Allison hadn’t asked for a specific type of flowers, but she wanted to get a specific message across. Maternal love and affection. Claire had been through quite a lot, and she wanted to be sure that her kid knew that she loved her very much. Material objects only do so much as well, so Allison planned to write a letter, and just generally try to spend more time with her kid, and be there for her more.

“That’s valid.” T remembered saying, as she picked a few cinquefoils, as well as a few carnations from her collection, looking back at her sketch.

  It reminded her in pieces of a sunflower, actually, how it looked. There wasn’t a darkness in the center, but she chose yellow cinquefoils, and yellow carnations, with regular greenery on the outside, so she’d need to change something up a little. She worked away for some time, and made multiples of the same bouquet, trying different combinations of the flowers.

  In the kitchen, Klaus was looking at a recipe book. He wanted to make Allison one of her favorite desserts, a key-lime pie. He was sure that there were limes somewhere in the house (or if the neighbors have some). There had been multiple occasions where he wished to make a specific dish and lacked a few ingredients. Topazi had mentioned, in passing, of her wishes of having a fruit orchard. That would help with the fruit issue, lest Klaus decide to become a full-time baker. It may not be a huge one, but she wanted to provide for herself. Plus, who doesn’t want to take care of plants?

“Now where is the microblade?” he asked himself as he rumbled through the cabinets, trying to make sure he didn’t let anything drop too loudly.

“I don’t even know if we have one.” Topazi replied, eyes focused on trying to properly tie a ribbon on one of her bouquets.

“Ah, here it is!” Klaus exclaimed, extracting the microblade from between the cheese grater and a plate.

   He finally went into the fridge after a few more minutes of glancing over the ingredient page, and withdrew a few limes from the bottom drawers. Soon enough, Klaus began working on the crust, and took some of his anger out (mostly at the sliding door) pounding the graham crackers to crumbs. A small part of him wanted to taste said crumbs, but then he remembered that it was for his sister, not him. (although her giving him a slice isn’t completely out of the question) He pressed the crumbs into the side of the pie plate, making sure to press from the bottom, going up. He put it in the oven, took note of the time, and got started on the filling.

“T, why do you like flowers so much?” Klaus asked, zesting a lime. He knew the obvious answer, “They’re pretty, and a lot of people like them.” However, he wanted to hear his partner talk, as the sound of the cicadas outside were beginning to annoy him.

“I like them because what’s not to like about them? In a sense. They’re pretty, and were historically used as a means to communicate, when people thought it rude and insensitive to discuss such things in public. Everything about them is made so carefully, down to how they look microscopically. Even though plants themselves aren’t sentient, they still live, and have their own systems to maintain, and how they work. If one was to extract a piece of DNA from a sunflower, specifically one that gives it its color, our perception would be completely different of it.” she stops for a moment to collect her thoughts.

“It’s also how people work, too. I like flowers because they’re easy to maintain, if you know what you’re doing, and don’t forget they exist, or run out of energy. And they’re so nice to look at. You’ve seen me stop in parks to just admire how flowers are placed in the mulch, or soil. They planters may have had the littlest idea of how I would view them, even down to what order they put them in, but they’re there. I find it so worth it to just pause for a moment, and to think, and indulge in the true meaning of something, even if it wasn’t meant to be. That’s why I like flowers. It’s completely fine to just see the surface when someone gets you flowers “Ah, they got me something pretty, and thought of me to give me this. It’s a meaningful gift.” But I want to pick apart every part of it. Because there’s so much more to so many things than what you see.” she responds, and jumps when she looks up to see Klaus leaning over the kitchen island, his face in his hands.

  His hands have small bits of pulp on them, and the “Kiss the Cook” apron that he wears has abstract juice drippage on it.

“I fuckin’ love you T.” Klaus whispers, and bends over to capture her lips in a gentle kiss, and he feels her smile into it. Her hands carefully come to wrap around his neck, making sure not to get any of the stem juice in his hair.

“Love you too.” she whispers back, pulling away “Your crust smells just a smidge burnt (pronounced buent), by the way.” she says, picking up her phone to refresh her memory of other flower requests. A small look of panic passes across his face before he pushes himself off of the counter, practically ripping the oven door off to check on his crust.

  It, fortunately enough, wasn’t too terribly damaged. It wasn’t too crisp, or burnt. He set it on the stove to rest for a moment, and he grabbed the yogurt from the fridge, and sweetened condensed milk from the pantry. He poured the juice, zest, yogurt, and sweetened condensed milk into a bowl, and whisked to combine.

“I never thought I would be so turned on by a man cooking, and the pie isn’t even for me.” T admitted, looking at the way Klaus’ arms flexed while he continued to mix the ingredients together.

“Oh, is that right. I’ll be cooking a lot more then, if your response is openly admitting your horniness to my non-conformity to gender roles.” he said casually, blowing a stray hair out of his face.

 Topazi looked up, and stared Klaus straight in the face, and put a finger up, opening her mouth, only to close it, and put her finger down.

“I’m not sharing my thoughts with a malewife like you.” she uttered, shaking her head in mock disgust.

“And this malewife puts it down every evening for you, willingly that is, and this is how I’m treated, ugh, the gumption.” he mutters, putting a hand to his chest, feigning disgust.

  Topazi and Klaus look at each other once more before breaking out in laughter, urging Minnie, who was sitting on the floor, to wake up from her nap. Klaus snorted, hand gripping the counter. Topazi had to put her head down to prevent any excess spittle from getting on her flowers. Once they caught their collective breaths, Klaus poured the filling into the crust, and put it into the oven to bake. He washed the dishes that he had, and dried the bowl, due to needing it for the topping.

“Okay, good, I just need to write these cards, then I’ll be done with this.” T said, grabbing them, and grabbed a permanent marker.

“These look really good T!” Klaus exclaimed, his eyes shining with glee.

“Thank you love.” she said, dragging a hand across her face. She stood up to stretch, and her back cracked loudly, mildly surprising her. She walked over to Klaus and wrapped her hands around his waist, her head resting on his back.

“Every time you put your arms around my waist like that, I swear I gain 10 more years of life.” he said, wiping his hands on his apron. She felt the vibrations of his speech on her face, and she took a deep breath before responding.

“I wonder what happens when I hug you then.” T said, walking away to put the flowers in their designated “T’s flowers, do not touch nor smell.” place in the fridge.

“I’m so smart, I know.” he retorted, pouring the heavy cream into a bowl, along with a few tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar. T jumped at the sound, and shook it off. 

  She had mentally took note of the time Klaus put the pie in, and took an oven mitt off of the hook, (patterned with tiny cookies on it) The top looked set enough, and she set it to rest on the counter. She turned the oven off, and watched as Klaus finished whipping the topping, holding it upside down to check if it was ready. It didn’t fall on his head, so he put plastic wrap over it, and looked outside for a short moment, looking up the tree in the front yard. 

  He took a breath, and thought for a second. Maybe a bit too long. His mind fluttered back to what it took for him to be where he was. How much it physically took out of him, his siblings, hell, even the timeline for him to be able to have a peaceful life (for the most part) and a loving partner. A tear slipped down his face, and he thought of how silent the ghost had been recently. He still had his powers, but the ghosts seemed to respect his current want for peace. And he loved that. He would float around the house if his feet were tired, and sometimes even do a side gig of being a medium if he felt inclined to. However, something about knowing that he couldn’t physically see Ben anymore, (his Ben, he thought, now with his newest collection of siblings, with a limited edition Sparrow Ben). He still even missed the cult, even with its downsides. He never got the right type of parental love, or familial love. At times, he doubted his siblings’ love for him, even though they’d made it pretty obvious that they’d be there for him, lest he need it.

  “Hey, Klaus, the- are you alright?” Topazi asks. She had been calling a few clients back from her home office, telling them that their bouquets had been completed. She got a random craving for cookies, and planned to go to the kitchen to make them, but she found Klaus in tears, hand covering his mouth. He hadn’t even noticed her there.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I was just thinking too much.” he explained, letting her wipe the tears from his face.

“You sure?” she asked, and he nodded before taking a deep breath, and releasing it. “I was just coming in here to A. make some cookies, and B. tell you that the pie is good and cooled, and it’s time for it to be topped.” she said, rubbing his back gently.

“Okay. Thank you T.” he responded, gathering the willpower to put the whipped cream on the pie, and adding small lime slices and spare zest on top. He smiled at the completed job, and put it in the fridge to finish chilling.

“Go take a nap darling. You’ve been on your feet for a while, and you look tired. I’ll let you know when Allison is here. Or at least 5 minutes before.” she whispered, kissing Klaus’ cheek. She looked at him for a moment more, and cupped his cheek with her hand. The light scruff that covered the bottom of his chin tickled her hand, and she had the urge to scratch her palm. She however, resisted said urge, and took her hand away. Klaus smiled at her once more, and trotted up the stairs, with Minnie in tow behind him. Topazi went back to the kitchen and gathered her ingredients. She spun some vinyl as background music, and got to work on her cookies.

  A couple hours pass, and Topazi is drying the last cookie sheet she used for her cookies, putting it back in its rightful spot. She stretched again, and checked her phone, seeing that Allison had texted her a few seconds go, saying that she was on the way, which gave her about 30 minutes to get Klaus awake. She headed up the stairs, and ended their bedroom, where Klaus was sprawled across the sheets Minnie resting on his pillow. T gently shook him awake with one hand, and giving chin scratches to Minnie with the other.

“Come on, it’s time to get up Klausie.” she mutters, watching as her partner came to slowly, more of his hair having escaped from its confinements.

“Hmmm, I’ll be more up in a bit. You smell good, hon.” he whispered, rubbing his eyes.

 The sun was shining in his face, and although it may have been mildly uncomfortable to wake up to, he looked absolutely stunning in it. His hair seemed to glow, and his skin, albeit a little pale, seemed to reflect every bit of sun that hit it. His eyes though, seemed to be pools of emerald and gold. Topazi admired him from afar, and she ignored the strong urge to climb into bed with him and bask in the sunlight together.

“You’re staring love.” Klaus says, leaning on his arm in bed, petting Minnie, who was beginning to wake up as well. She meowed gently, and purred at his touch.

“Oh, hush. Like you haven’t stared at me in the sun before.”

“.....You got me there.”

“Yeah, mhm.” Topazi said, jokingly side-eyeing Klaus.

“Come here mama.” Klaus teases, pulling T’s arm towards him. She falls into Klaus’ arms, her head resting right below his. He bends down and kisses her lips, breaking away, before Topazi reciprocates the gesture, taking a small handful of Klaus’ hair in her fingers. Klaus smiles, and chuckles, letting his mouth fall to her neck. He nuzzles into it, and they sit there for several minutes, before coming to a realization.

“Oh shit, I forgot that Allison and Claire are coming over.” T said. “I’ve got to get the cookies in the jar...and I need to fix the bed too.”

“Ah, calm down. It’s fine. She’s not going to come up here and see where we engage in sinful activities, is she? No. However, I would love to join you in the cookie jarring.” Klaus mutters, smiling at her.

“Fine, you can help. But so help me god if I find even a crumb on the freshly swept floor.” Topazi said, closing the bedroom door behind her.

  T worked quickly to get the cookies together, and Klaus took a very short shower, as he knew that it would help wake him up, and he could go back to bed without having to worry about showering again. The doorbell sounded, and Topazi almost slipped trying to get to the door. She checked herself in the mirror once more before letting her niece and sister in law into the house.

“Hey Allison! And little miss Claire.” Topazi said, giving the respective people their own hugs.

“How’ve you been T?” Allison asked as she was welcomed in, shoes taken off at the door. She was also carrying a dish of some sort, covered in Aluminum Foil.

“I’ve been good. The business has been going well, and I’m thinking of making an orchard.” T replies, leading them both to the living room. “Let me get that for you.”

“That’s good. Claire’s been begging me to let her go visit the shop, but it’s always been at a bad time. Oh, thank you! I brought dinner as a bit of a treat.”

“It’s much appreciated. I like seeing you both, and having you two visit would never be a hassle.” she replies, petting JJ, the other cat, who just so happened to be waiting for attention.

“IS THAT MY SISTER AND MY FAVORITE NIECE?” Klaus yelled from the top of the stairs, quickly running down them to give his sibling a hug.

“Uncle Klaus!” Claire exclaimed, giving said uncle a very big hug around his middle, only to be picked up.

“How’ve you been, Allison, smaller Allison?” he asked, setting his niece back on the couch before taking the place next to his partner.

“We’ve been good.” Allison says. “We’ve been doing really good.” 

  The four of them sit and converse for a while, and eventually dinnertime comes around, signaled by Klaus’ stomach growling loudly. Allison had brought a very large amount of lasagna, and Topazi immediately dug in, which shocked Klaus, but he’d bring the cause up at a later time. Claire did, however, get a pre-dinner cookie (Topazi’s request because “That’s how you teach kids that good things come to people who deserve them.”)

“So, I do so happen to have a bit of a surprise for the both of you.” Klaus says, standing up and opening the fridge.

“Ooh, what is it?” Allison asks excitedly, and Claire matches her mother’s expression.

  Klaus pulls out the pie, and T moves to gently give Claire her bouquet, asking her to hold it a specific way as to not jostle the flowers, or change the position of the ribbon.

“That’s so pretty, T! Oh my gosh, I need to ask you to make more things for me, I swear I’ll pay you in whatever you want.” Allison exclaims, looking at the bouquet, leaning forward to smell some of the flowers.

“Thank you! The meanings of the flowers, and ribbon placement are on the card. Also your brother made a whole pie...by himself......we need to eat it before he does.” she teases, sticking a pointed thumb back at her partner, who already had a knife out to cut said pie.

“Klaus, it’s my favorite! Thank you so much.” Allison says, taking another bite of the pie.

“This is really good Uncle Klaus.” Claire states, looking across the island at him.

“Why danke. It was made with love. Both the pie and the bouquet, actually.” he said, kissing T on the cheek. She smiled against him, and took a piece of the pie for herself, trying to resist eating the rest of the pie it all of its entirety.

  The night came to an end, and Allison and Claire said their respective goodbyes, and drove off. T and Klaus lay in bed that night, with a book and knitting needles in hand, respectively. Klaus feels a weight against his shoulder, and Topazi had fallen asleep, small breaths escaping her lips. He put a marker in her book, and took note of note of where he stopped in his stitches. It took him some more time to get to sleep that night, probably due to his earlier nap, but he got to sleep, so peacefully. Something he’d wished for many a day, and now it seemed that he was finally getting it answered.

Masterlist

Key Lime Pie

#topazi marshall #topazi x klaus #klaus hargreeves x oc #tua fanfic

[timelesslords]

Off-Road Advantage

Read on AO3

In which the gang plays Mario Kart Wii

"Motherfucker!"

"Jeez McLean, language," Percy tutted, looking just as smug as Wario on the screen, celebrating Luigi hitting his banana. He looked less smug when, in the next moment, Piper sent a well-aimed green shell speeding towards his kart.

"Oh shit," he muttered, swerving to avoid it and subsequently falling off the track.

"You're such a hypocrite!" Piper cried, nearly sending Luigi off the edge as she jumped in indignation.

"Just ignore him, he gets weird about Mario Kart," Annabeth said. She was, predictably, winning; sitting on the floor directly in front of the sensor. "It's an only child thing."

"Okay, first of all I am not an only child. Tyson is my brother and technically so is every horse," Percy said, Wario safely back on the track and making up time surprisingly quickly.

"Horses can't play Mario Kart," Jason said. His eyes scrunched up in concentration, despite having been bullied into wearing his glasses by Piper 20 minutes earlier.

Right after making this astute point to Percy, Princess Peach sailed off the edge of the course. Jason sighed. He was, unfortunately, very terrible at Mario Kart. Camp Half-Blood had the privilege of owning a very abused Wii system, but Camp Jupiter had had no such luxury. As such, Jason had very little practice, and did not quite have the finesse required of a decade old Wii remote to make sharp turns.

"Whatever," Percy said, "The point is, I'm not an only child, and I don't get weird about Mario Kart."

"You absolutely get weird about Mario Kart," Annabeth said.

"Only because it's the only thing I can actually beat you at," Percy said, abandoning all pretense about having a normal attitude towards Mario Kart. Annabeth laughed.

"You can't beat me at Mario Kart," Annabeth said.

As if to prove her point, Yoshi sailed across the finish line, holding a solid ten second lead.

"Why the hell do you play with Yoshi, anyways," Piper asked, only a little bit bitter as Luigi rolling over the line in a respectable second place. Waluigi made third, half a second behind Piper. Princess Peach was in 12th, a half-lap behind the nearest computer.

"It's the most efficient," Percy said, nudging the back of Annabeth's head with his knee. She elbowed him in the leg in response.

"Look, the kart has a high drift, the speed is decent and Yoshi has off-roading advantage–"

"You only need off-roading advantage if you can't steer," Percy said. Jason promptly sent Peach flying into a patch of dirt.

"I can steer just fine, it's about not losing acceleration. It's simple math."

"You did math to pick your player and I'm the one who's weird about Mario Kart?"

"You guys are both weird," Piper said, patting Jason's arm sympathetically as the last NPC crossed the finish line, denying Peach a chance to complete her race for the third time in a row.

"You know what, just for that we're doing Rainbow Road," Annabeth said, wielding her player 1 remote like a knife. Piper and Percy groaned.

"What's Rainbow Road?" Jason asked nervously.

"I'm sorry babe," Piper said.

"Yeah Jason, I'm sorry my girlfriend is a sadist," Percy said. Annabeth elbowed at him again, but Percy was expecting it this time and managed to dodge.

The screen surveyed the Rainbow Road course, in all it's twisty, no-railing, rainbow glory.

"Oh no," Jason said sadly.

"Think of who you're hurting with this, Annabeth," Percy said, "Jason doesn't deserve this."

"Jason is necessary collateral damage. Sorry, Jason."

"It's alright. I lose every course anyways," Jason said, sounding very resigned to an unenjoyable four minutes.

"Your biggest issue is that you turn too hard, you only need to go 45 degrees for a light curve, not a full 180," Annabeth said. The course counted down to one, and Yoshi shot forward ahead of everyone, already pulling a lead.

"Don't keep bringing math into this," Piper groaned, tossing a green shell in Annabeth's general direction. It sailed harmlessly off the side of the course.

"It's the easiest way to explain it!" Annabeth protested.

Jason experimentally turned the remote a fraction of his usual degree. Peach skirted along the edge of the track, but mercifully did not fall.

"See, it worked," Annabeth said, biting her lip as Yoshi made a tight turn.

Another kart bumped into Jason's, and Peach rocketed off the side of the track.

"Kind of worked," Annabeth amended, "That wasn't about the steering."

"I think Jason is just cursed," Percy said. Wario was pulling a solid 5th place, having been hit by several shells right out of the gate. He was gaining speed though, and coming up on some item boxes.

"I think I just suck," Jason said, as the cloud fairy dropped him back on the track in his usual 12th place.

"You just need practice," Piper said, rather generously. Luigi was in second place, not too far behind Yoshi, but far enough that she would need an item or a major fuck-up on Annabeth's part to make first.

"You need a Bullet Bill," Percy said, crashing into an item box.

"What's that?" Jason asked, but Percy was too busy laughing to answer. His item had settled on a blue shell.

"Percy, if you send that at me I swear I will break up with you," Annabeth said, sounding deadly serious as Yoshi passed into his second lap.

"No you won't," Percy said cheerfully, clicking the appropriate button. The shell whizzed away, and Annabeth sighed deeply.

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"In this moment? Yes I do."

The blue shell circled around Yoshi once, then slammed down into his kart. Piper was close enough to get caught in the blast, and she groaned loudly.

"Fuck you Percy," She said, shaking her controller, trying to revive Luigi quicker. It was no use; Wario sped past the two lopsided karts, Percy laughing all the while.

"Your days are numbered, Jackson," Annabeth said dryly.

"Ooh, we're doing last names now Chase?" Percy taunted, unaffected by her tone. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Wario's lead, making him do a rather excessive flip off one of the ramps.

Meanwhile, Jason had managed to snag a Bullet Bill in an item box, but when it dropped him off at the end of his run, Princess Peach was still in last place.

"Aw man," Jason sighed, dejected.

"Dude, I'm about to lap you," Percy said, frowning at Jason's quarter of the screen.

"I keep falling off," Jason said.

"Try slowing down," Annabeth suggested.

"That sounds counter-productive."

"You're only falling because you can't control the kart at the velocity you're hitting," Annabeth said, knowledgably, "If you slow down a bit it'll be easier to steer."

"Are you sure you aren't using the remote Leo junked out?" Piper asked, risking a glance at Jason's remote. It was grungy and beat up, but didn't look any different than the other equally grungy and beat up remotes.

"I think I'm just not built for this."

"Jason Grace. Son of Jupiter, Praetor of Rome, Titan Slayer. Bested by Mario Kart Wii," Percy said, as he lapped Jason's kart.

"It's hard!"

"Don't worry babe, I'll get him back," Piper said, also passing Jason, only she had a red shell in store. She shot it at Percy and it hit it's target easily. She slammed into Percy's kart for good measure, and Wario ricocheted off the course.

"I probably deserved that," Percy said glumly.

"You definitely deserved that." Annabeth said.

"Can we do a course with walls next?" Jason asked, driving Peach at a snail's pace, making every turn but not gaining any ground.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want Annabeth's off-road advantage to go to waste," Percy said.

"Excuse me, I haven't fallen off this course once," Annabeth said primly, getting a mushroom and using it to overtake Piper seconds before they both crossed the finish line.

"How the hell do you come in first every single time!" Piper exclaimed, throwing her remote down on the couch cushion in frustration.

"Math," Annabeth said, stretching triumphantly as Yoshi took a victory lap.

"It's literally just dumb luck," Percy said, rolling over the finish line in 5th place, "I think Connor Stoll rigged player one to always win."

"I can beat any of you with any remote," Annabeth said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Well, we all can beat Jason," Percy said.

Peach was once again cemented into 12th place as the last computer-controlled kart crossed the finish line.

"I could beat you in a real fight," Jason said, but it came out particularly half-hearted, what with Peach crying into her hands on the screen.

"Nah, you couldn't," Percy said cheerfully, "Though, if we wanted to test that–"

"No," Piper and Annabeth said, simultaneously.

"Relax! I was going to say we should play Smash, I know it's around here somewhere–"

"Oh, you are so on." Piper said, picking up her controller again.

"What's smash?" Jason asked, apprehensive.

"It's easier," Piper promised.

"Can I fall off things?"

"Mm, only about half of the time. You can choose someone who flies, though."

Jason's eyes brightened.

"I like flying."

"Just think of it like this," Percy said, clapping Jason on the shoulder, "You can't be worse at this than you are at Mario Kart."

"That's good enough for me."

#I'm stupid busy and stressed bc of finals and i can't find it in me to write anything new so please enjoy this dumb thing i wrote in january #percabeth #jaspier #or is it jasper?? i can never remember #Percy Jackson #pjo #hoo #pjo fic #hoo fic #percabeth fic #percabeth fluff #jason x piper #jason grace #piper mclean #Annabeth chase #Percy Jackson fic