#only Charles can wake him up from that dead state

[captainshadowgirllostfan]

Magneto saving his boyfriend with two metal rods making X is probably my favourite part of the movie

yeah...I’ve fallen hard for Cherik....

#come on Erik definately loves Charles #he was all set for ending the world #and then he thought Charles died #and then there was a montage of their relationship in First Class #and he shed a tear #and it's like #only Charles can wake him up from that dead state #this is the only thing matching cannon this series has successfully portrayed #at least i think they did #based on panels of cherik shown in the comics I've seen on tumblr anyway #cherik #Charles Xavier #Professor X #erik lensherr #Magneto #X-Men #x-men: apocalypse #apocalypse

[thefandomenchantress]

My Headcanons for How Every Member of the DRDT Cast Sleeps:

Yes, this is rather random and strangely specific, but for some reason I have a lot of headcanons for this.

Teruko: She can fall asleep literally anywhere if she has to, since on the run she couldn’t count on having a bed to sleep in each night. Sleeps sprawled out on the edge of her bed, as proven by this CG:

Xander: Snores very loudly. And since the building DRDT takes place in has not-at-all-sound-proof walls, this means that Teruko and David have to deal with all the noise while trying to fall asleep, since they had the misfortune of being assigned the rooms next to his.

David: Doesn’t sleep. /hj

Rose: This one’s pretty obvious. She can fall asleep anywhere, in any position. It doesn’t matter how loud her environment is, she can and will fall asleep.

Levi: The fact that he was apparently the only one to hear the commotion when Ace was banging on Nico’s door after they failed to murder him suggests he’s a very light sleeper. He probably sleeps on his back with his hands folded across his stomach.

Nico: They have a lot of stuffed animals, and they make sure to sleep with each one of them for the same amount of nights so that none of them feel left out. They curl up like a cat when they sleep, unsurprisingly.

Veronika: Sleeps on her back with her arms crossed in an ‘X’ over her chest, much like a corpse or a vampire. She sleeps like the dead, and the only way you’ll be able to get her to wake up is by shaking her a lot.

Ace: Curls up into a ball under many blankets, often being startled awake by nightmares or even the slightest noise. Meaning he is a literal ball of anxiety when he sleeps. He still sleeps with a stuffed animal, but will take that secret to his grave.

J: All of her pajamas have to be black or some other dark color, and will usually be comprised of a tank top and shorts. That way, she can feel cool and tough even when she just woke up. The best way to describe her sleeping position is ‘doesn’t give a fuck’.

Min: She makes her bed every morning, unlike the other cast members. She does, however, usually keep a book on the end of her bed that will often fall to the floor when she inevitably accidentally nudges it in the middle of the night. If she doesn’t fall asleep while reading a book, which she often does. She’ll often sleep with an open book resting on her chest.

Hu: Sleeps in a night gown with her hair up in a bun, and is the only one besides Min to actually make her bed each morning. She’s a relatively light sleeper.

Arturo: Let’s be honest. He’d probably own a body pillow of some famous celebrity and cuddle with it at night.

Arei: Wears a blue sleeping mask that probably says something like, ‘Wake me up and you die!’ in a glittery, cutesy font. She’s a very light sleeper, since her sisters used to try to play pranks on her or steal things from her room as she slept.

Eden: She is a VERY deep sleeper. She acts like the three alarm clocks on her nightstand are just for show, since she made them and they look very pretty…But in reality she needs to have multiple going off in rapid succession in order for her to wake up.

Whit: His bed coverings are all some shade of pink. He also somehow always smiles in his sleep. It would seem his efforts to always look and feel happy 24/7 are even transferred to his sleeping, subconscious state.

Charles: He would really like to have a stuffed animal to cuddle, but he has deemed himself ‘too old and mature’ to have one. So instead he’ll just cuddle a pillow.

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #drdt spoilers #ace markey #david chiem #arturo giles #whit young #nico hakobyan #levi fontana #teruko tawaki #xander matthews #eden tobisa #hu jing #min jeung #veronika grebenshchikova #rose lacroix #j rosales #j moreno #arei nageishi #charles cuevas #i might edit this to add a little more to some of the casts’ sections later

[thequiver]

Who is....Ruth Aldine | Blindfold? A Reading Guide

Ruth Aldine in an X-Men affiliated mutant from Marvel comics first introduced in 2004. She was born with no eyes or open eye sockets and due to her mutant condition her father left her, her mother, and her older brother only a week after her birth. Spending her childhood tormented by her abusive older brother, Ruth would eventually find freedom and happiness only after her mother had died protecting her from her brother's attempt on her life. Now living with her aunt, Ruth would begin to teach herself to harness and control her extensive mutant powers, but her brother's execution would result in him stealing half of her powers and her being sent to the Xavier Institute, where she first received her codename, Blindfold.

Ruth is currently the girlfriend of Professor Xavier's son, David Haller, and does not have a corporeal form on Krakoa, instead living inside of David's head. David has however as of 3. May. 2023 blinked himself out of existence and Ruth's fate is unknown.

Ruth was born in North Carolina and it is implied that she is from the Appalachian region of the state!

Below the cut you'll find a mostly complete reading order for Ruth!

First Appearances

Ruth's first appearances are found in the lead-up to M-Day/Decimation and its immediate aftermath. It may be beneficial to read Astonishing X-Men (2004/Vol. 3) #1-6 for context before reading Ruth's first appearance if you would like a better understanding of the run.

Astonishing X-Men (2004) #7-8 New X-Men (2004) #23-24 X-Men (1991) #201-204 [A stories only] New X-Men (2004) #37-41 Astonishing X-Men (2004) #15-18

Divided We Stand, Manifest Destiny, and Utopia

In the wake of Messiah Complex Charles Xavier is presumed dead and X-Men are disbanded. There is no home for mutants, no trust and no purpose to live for. Scott Summers is at this time the leader of mutantkind...things are going about as well as you'd expect. This gets picked back up following Necrosha (explained below).

Young X-Men (2008) #1-6 X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008) #3 [C Story] Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus

Necrosha

Necrosha is a crossover event that deals with mutants being resurrected for the dark purposes of Selene Gallio (an old enemy of the X-Men, first appearing in New Mutants (1983) #9) who intends to use these resurrected mutants in her quest to become a goddess.

X-Necrosha (2009) #1 X-Force (2008) #21-22 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #231-233

Utopia Continued

The following issues are a continuation of Utopia!

Nation X (2010) #2 [C Story] X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back (2010) #1-3 <- this a 4 issue story so I would personally recommend reading #4 as well ;) X-Men: To Serve and Protect #3 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #244

Age of X (sort of)

The mutants are almost extinct, tortured by a strike force led by Colonel Graydon Creed. The first signs of the Age of X appeared in X-Men: Legacy #244; the events were removed from the Earth-616 mainstream continuity, with no memories of the alternate lives. If you've taken a look at my David Haller Reading List you'll see this event explained as "David’s desire to be loved forces him to grapple with reality," and as a story that "places David in a role where he has to choose between a false universe where he is considered a beloved hero and reality where he must choose to be a hero despite the fear others feel about him." Ruth's appearances here are still pretty connected to the X-Men: Legacy (2008) plotline we've been following now for a bit.

New Mutants (2009) #22, 24, 27

Curse of the Mutants

In what can only be described as the "oh shit we've run out of ideas" last resort of any creative company putting out too many crossover events in a short period of time..... the X-Office put out Curse of the Mutants. The arc centers on a human bomb exploding in San Francisco's Union Square, covering dozens in vampire-converting blood. It then becomes the mission of the X-Men to track down Dracula's son Xarus, now "Lord of the Vampires", even if that means enlisting vampire-hunter Blade. Yeah.... I don't know either.

X-Men (2010) #11

Schism and Regenesis

Schism follows the break-up of the X-Men at a moment of peak anti-mutant sentiment. Regenesis is the period of regrowth and reorganization following Schism.

X-Men: Schism (2011) #5 <- May be helpful to read #1-4 as well! X-Men: Regenesis (2011) #1 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #259, 261, 263

Avengers vs. X-Men

When the Phoenix Force approaches Earth, Hope Summers is assumed its next host. The X-Men and the Avengers are divided on how to handle the situation. The X-Men believe that the Phoenix Force will herald the rebirth of the Mutant Species, while the Avengers believe that it will bring an end to all life on Earth. This leads to a war between Marvel's two powerful superhero factions.

Avengers vs. X-Men (2012) #3

Legion: Son of X

This is where Ruth's path first crosses with the professor's son, David Haller, in any real meaningful way. It does however mold her story around his and start the descent of her story into being focused around David rather than Ruth.

X-Men: Legacy (2013) #1-24

Ruth has a handful of blink and you'll miss it appearances between Son of X and This is Forever but they aren't..... really important at all and don't really do anything to tell Ruth's story.

This is Forever

The X-Men are all presumed dead, but this isn't the case.

Uncanny X-Men (2019) #11

Legion of X and Before the Fall

Ruth Aldine is back from the dead.... and is now living inside of David Haller's head rather than having a body, and oh did we mention that she now pretty much has no motivations that don't revolve around David and is only seen when she can promote David?..... As a David fan, I am exhausted.

Legion of X (2022) #1-10 X-Men: Before the Fall- Sons of X (2023) #1

Reading list is current up until 6. November. 2023!

#ruth aldine #blindfold #reading guide #reading list #comic reading guide #x-men #x men #xmen #x-men reading list #x-men reading order #comic reading order

[pollyna]

Tom's cancer goes:

0.

1.

2.

His breath is short and his throat hurts like he forgot do drink for days. His hands feel clammy and it's only when Ron's arm catch him that he realises he's falling. Every single person in the room is looking at him with the expression of who just saw a titan falling from the sky. But his feet are steady, more or less, on the ground. His best friend doesn't let him go until he's sure Tom isn't going to collapse again. He blames it all on exhaustion.

(It's not a total lie because when his parter isn't around he tends to work two to three times more than usual. Most of the time Charles, the Vice Admiral who has office a coupe of doors from his, finds him still working in the middle of the night and already working when he comes in at eight. All his concernes go blind on him.)

3.

4.

The house is silent when he comes back from the visit and Ron is still walking just a couple of steps behind him. Ron who's hands were big and warm while the doctor dictated his sentence and Tom was hoping, the whole time, for smaller hands in his. Pete is far away and he's going to be until the end of the year. By the time he's back Tom is probably going to be dead.

I have to- he starts but Ron is already taking away is computer and cellphone. Not tonight Tom, not tonight.

They don't talk a word until he falls asleep on the couch, Ron's arm around his shoulder and half of the dinner still on the coffee table.

5.

Writing to Bradley leaves him without energy for two entire days but it's the first round of chemio that does that, not the long and verbose mail he composes. He starts the white pages for forty minutes and writes seven different drafts. Dear Bradley, Kiddo listen, Lieuten-, Fuckin' christ, Baby Goose I really need y-, I'm dying, It's for Mav and the 8th is the good one because he writes as Admiral Kazansky and not as Uncle Tom. He writes to Bradley's superior and order him to give the boy, a man this days, five days of leave and that he has to report back in DC as soon as he's back in the States. Then he calls a person who will call another person and Bradley is going to arrive in Miramar.

6.

He spends hours learning ASL. The doctor says his voice could be forever damaged. He spends a little more time learning ASL.

7.

It takes almost three months for Bradley to be there because, as the superior officer writes back, right in that moment only some sort of deity would allow the Lieutenant to leave his mission and, contrary of popular belief, you Admiral Kazansky are still not a god. With all the respect, sir. By the time he's at the door step Tom's day is a full cycle of meds to take at what hour and how much morphine he's allowed the think about to take before that dosage got cut in half and then in half again. Bradley says Admiral Kazansky, sir with the whole salute and Tom can barley lift his arm to do the same.

8.

9.

It's not an easy argument to have. Ron makes them tea, kisses Bradley's forehead and he's out of the house for hours. At some point, while Tom is trying to explain papers and his will Bradley leaves the house too. He doesn't scream this time, he's not eighteen anymore, and the silence that follows is more defining than all the words he said the first time. He falls asleep on his armchair and wakes up for dinner, a table ready for three and only two person eating at it. He will come back Ron says. Tom would like to believe him.

10.

Somedays he's better than ever and registers long messages to Pete. Things he's going to listen when Tom is dead and he knows his husband would appreciate. He says I love you as much as he can and reads books and passages of their favourite poems. Once, seven months in to therapy, Tom records an entire hour of Pete's favourite pieces at the piano and sings along for what he can. Bradley is around and lately is always seem on the point of running away, for the third and last time. Tom is greatful he's still here. Ron calls him a romantic at heart and Tom gives him the finger. It's nice, they're laughing, and it almost doesn't feel like the last of his good days.

Tom's remission goes:

10.

9.

8.

He's still half asleep and there's a smaller hands in his, the weight of something, a head?, near is shoulder and his nose is full of the generic shit his husband likes to call his favourite shampoo and that make him cry more than the absence of his voice and the ugly scar that will forever sign his skin. He's alive and Pete is too.

7.

6.

Pete spends a lot of time kissing him, on his lips, on his cheeks and everywhere he can reach without moving away from him. Getting back home from the hospital isn't as smooth as he tought he would be and the road to heal is far from done. Bradley is still there, Ron is still there and Pete wants to say something, probably scream at him, but sometimes he can barley talk at all.

5.

He screams at Ron tho. He picks stupid fights, tries to make Ron angry and goes out on long walks and he almost end up in jail, more than once. Tom pulls some strings and let him fly, because flying is the only way Pete knows how to deal with emotions. He spends hours out there and he's mourning and giving all over again but this time no one is dead, not yet.

4.

3.

Speech therapy is a mountain Tom doesn't feel like he's never going to finish climbing in. But it helps more than he could ever think. And gives Pete the out to scream at him now, even if all he can do is answer with his fingers. It's ugly, how could it not be when he spent a year dying without having the possibility to tell it to his husband?, and it ends in tears from both sides but is a starting point. Another one.

2.

Pete takes on experimental programs that let him be at home at 5 and give him, them, free weekends. He learns ASL and he learns how to talk with Bradley again. Ron goes back on his boat, I missed this old gal he writes him in the first postcard he received, but everytime he has leave is sleeping in their spare room or on the couch.

1.

Bradley starts calling them Uncles again and then dad and pops. If Tom still had tears he would have cried over his icecream. He hugs him as strong as he can against his chest. He isn't as strong has he used to be but he's starting getting back a little muscle, he hopes the hug is warm as the warmth he feels inside.

0.

He says his second first word looking straight in his husband, now legally so, and says Pete and then I love you.

Polished version: here.

#pain and numbers have a strange correlation in my mind they almost walk hand by hand #tom iceman kazansky #ron slider kerner #pete maverick mitchell #icemav #bradley rooster bradshaw #he gets sick and mav is on a year long super secret mission so ron sticks around a little more #iceman & slider friendship #bradley gets back and tries to stay (it's not easy. tom doesn't really blame him) #technically mav&ice aren't married but they call each other husbands #pre top gun: maverick #angst #terminal illness (almost) #anger #maverick's copy mechanism isn't always the best #otp: i heard from the heavens that clouds have been grey

[verdemoun]

Ik you set this up to ask about characters but can I ask how a beach day would go with the gang? Who's been buried in the sand and left there, what's Kieran getting up to, who's gotten the cops called on them and got removed from the premises? Do the girls get to enjoy modern swimwear as much as I think they would?

fuck yeah asks are for gang activity ideas too

bessie has no time for ageism she looks like aphrodite in her sunhat and sheer coverup and hosea almost has a heart attack and dies right there because of how beautiful his wife looks and how much he loves her

i need to set this in the whole gang chapters because arthur spends at least an hour making fun of john who is downright afraid of going near the water but instead of admitting he's afraid he just gets angrier at arthur

jack also can't swim and abigail is increasingly wondering why she even agreed to come jack looks like he's about to pass out because he insisted on wearing all black in his typical angsty teenage bullshit

isaac morgan to the rescue he convinces jack to at least change into shorts and take off his coat. being the sweetest most courteous man to ever exist he bought a paddle board and jack just gets to sit on the front enjoying getting further away from the embarrassing chaos that is the gang while isaac paddles.

course isaac is also a shit and jumps off at several points because it's hot he wants to be in the water and after giving jack suffient panic attacks he rows to a little secluded spot so jack doesn't have to be embarrassed about not knowing how to swim and tries to give him lessons

eliza and abigail both absolutely radiant like modesty is dead and they are thriving at its wake abigail is serving in the strapless bikini and her beach wrap and just because her boys can't enjoy the water doesn't mean she won't. they both deserve to be able to relax without worrying about their children or the men who fathered them if arthur and john kill each other they don't care anymore they're living their best lives

also men stupid enough to catcall them soon learn the reason the gang didn't react is because abigail can punch as hard as they can and will not tolerate that shit

sean gets buried mostly because he started to burn the second he left the car after claiming it was too hot to wear protective clothing and his skin has forgotten he used to be an outlaw who literally lived outside. burying him was the only way to get him to stay still long enough to put sunscreen on his face. karen proceeds to lay on top of sand mound so he can't escape which he is okay with because she is unapologically rocking the purple two piece

lenny is the only one with the mental facilities to remember everyone's ice cream orders so he spends half the trip trying to carry a gang worth of ice cream back from the truck but he would really enjoy swimming little nihilistic nerd ass is swimming around imagining it's the weightless of space and thinking about perceptions of gravity

everyone has been doing their own things for a good 30 minutes before they realise kieran has wandered off and they swear to god he is doing it because he enjoys causing them distress

kieran and albert mason went to look at rock pools which is fine NOT FINE DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY THINGS IN THERE ARE VENOMOUS charles has to abandon his relaxation to supervise and make sure they don't poke anything that could kill them

micah is trying to teach baymax how to swim the giant baby of a rescue dog has never been in water deep enough where he needs to paddle

dutch and micah would be the ones kicked off the beach because it's not a dog friendly beach and upon being asked to leave micah started shouting about stupid laws which triggered dutch into another 'oh so this is the great and bountiful united police states where you can use your almighty powers to govern where a man takes his companion'.

grimshaw gently squeezing annabelle's hand like honey that ain't your problem anymore. let the ladies lay on the beach and enjoy wine and cheese while dutch gets arrested

molly didn't even know the gang were going to the beach but it's good to see everyone every once in a while (she turns up after dutch left or she would have shived him). she brought 4 different outfits for different times of day depending on uv exposure and javier applauds her for it. she is taking so many selfies and encourage javier to pose with her

#rdr2 timewarp au

[the-letter-horror-lover]

The Matchmakers

Chapterdaze

Summary:

Lady (Y/N) Feridge finds herself torn as her late father's will includes a letter to the earl Phantomhive, stating that the latter can choose who the lady should marry, and then benefit from the outcome. In their quest for a suitable suitor, (Y/N) meets the charming Earl Grey, from a rivaling tea company to that of her own. Though her heart is immediately sold to the white-haired, seemingly uninterested male, Ciel Phantomhive disagrees, not approving of (Y/N)'s choice. With the help of his servants and his fiancée (Elizabeth Midford), (Y/N) devices a plan to make the Earl see reason. Will she win over both Ciel Phantomhive, and more importantly, Charles Grey?

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Chapter Text

The rainy night had made room for a rose-coloured morning sun. The crisp smell of wet grass wafted through the door opening as a tall, handsome man clad in black stepped onto the porch. He did not care for the fresh dawn. He did not linger to feel the cool spring breeze, or hear the chirps from waking birds. He was the butler, Sebastian Michaelis, and the only thing he cared about was getting the newspaper for his master. Though he had no intent of letting the season get to him, he couldn't help but scan the trees surrounding the Phantomhive Estate with his crimson eyes. He had the nagging sensation that something was coming. He sighed. Today was going to be an eventful day.

The morning routine contained the usual chaos. The housemaid Mey-Rin had dropped the dishes. Cook Baldroy had burnt the jus d'orange for the young master's breakfast (Sebastian was still not sure how) and they had found Finnian somewhere on the floor, sobbing because he found a dead bumblebee in the garden. By the time the earl had to be woken up, Sebastian had already cleaned away the broken plates, remade breakfast and held a funeral for the insect (Finny insisted they'd get Undertaker for the job, but Sebastian refused). When he remarked that they really should better their efforts before the afternoon guest would arrive, Bardroy asked: Sebastian, who exactly is this Lady (Y/N) that’s coming to visit us today?”

“According to the young master, Lady (Y/N)’s father was a marketing manager associated with the former Earl. He took his family with him when he went to do marketing research abroad years ago.”

“Pardon me but did I hear you saying he was a marketing manager?”

The butler sighed in annoyance over Bardroy keeping him from his work. “Yes, Lord Feridge died recently, that’s why Lady (Y/N) returned. She wants to discuss some business matters with the young master. Now if you would excuse me, I need to tend to said master,” and with that, Sebastian left.

He was glad to be away from the chaotic trio, when Snake came around the corner, nearly knocking over his food tray.

"Good morning Snake. Although it would have been less good for the both of us had you knocked down the tray."

"Beg your pardon, Black sir, says Goethe," Snake replied.

"Then, do you perhaps mind telling me where you were during the morning briefing?"

"I'm very sorry, but Emily and Wordsworth are nowhere to be found! Says Webster."

Snake was now lifting the hallway rug in his search.

Honestly, were he and Tanaka the only ones capable around the manor? Sebastian sighed.

"Well, continue your search and report to me after you've found them. I really must go and wake the young master now."

And with that, Sebastian continued on his way.

The sun had climbed significantly higher since Sebastian picked up the newspaper. The rays now peeked through the curtains in earl Ciel Phantomhive's bedroom, colouring everything orange. The earl did not seem to mind, as he was still sound asleep. Only a few strands of navy hair were visible on the fluffy pillows.

Sebastian swung open the bedroom door, and entered. Setting the tray aside, he opened the curtains. The heap of sheets on the bed stirred.

"Good morning young master. Have you slept well? This morning, I have prepared a traditional oolong tea."

Sebastian did not wait for his master to answer and poured the tea. The earl seemed to be used by it, as he groaned and stretched.

"What's for breakfast?"

"We have prepared scones and muffins."

"I prefer the scones." Ciel accepted his teacup from Sebastian.

"Certainly, my lord. This morning, your classes consist of economy studies and music lessons. This afternoon you have a meeting with the lady Feridge. After that, there is some paperwork to be done.”

Ciel took the last sip of his tea. "Better get to it, then."

Sebastian bowed, and walked towards the wardrobe.

Breakfast flew by quietly. Sebastian had not forgiven the servants for their mishaps that morning, and had put them all on tasks somewhere at the outermost corners of the mansion. That way, he was certain the young master could enjoy his morning in peace. Even the classes flew by swiftly, though Ciel did voice his dislike for the ‘dreadful lessons’. Soon, it was afternoon. Ciel was waiting in his office when he heard Finnian shout that a carriage was pulling up the driveway. He straightened himself, and headed downstairs.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Chapter Text

“It’s been a long time…”

(Y/N) looked at the tall mansion in awe. After all this time abroad, hearing barely anything but bad news about the estate, she finally made it back, and the building looked no older than it did the day she left. All that misery the letters talked about seemed to be nothing more than gossip, she could guess that much by glancing out of the window of her carriage, which stopped in front of the entrance. A man dressed in a black tailcoat opened the door.

“Welcome to the Phantomhive manor, Lady (Y/N),” the man smiled and offered her his hand.

“Let me introduce myself,” the man continued once he helped her out of the carriage. “My name is Sebastian Michaelis. I am the butler of this estate. Now, if you would follow me inside, I will escort you to my master. He is awaiting your arrival in the lobby.”

(Y/N) nodded. “Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Sebastian escorted (Y/N) inside. There, Ciel was standing next to the central stairs.

“Ah, Lady (Y/N), welcome to my estate. I am Ciel Phantomhive, the current earl. It’s very delightful to finally meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, my lord.”

“Please, have a seat. Sebastian, prepare us some tea. We will be in my study”

“As you wish,” Sebastian replied. With swift steps, he left. Ciel turned to (Y/N) again. "Well then, shall we?"

“I’m sorry to hear about Lord Feridge’s passing. My condolences,” the earl started.

“Likewise, my lord. We tried to get back to England as soon as we heard what happened to the mansion, but I was unfit to travel due to some health issues, so my family decided to stay.”

“To be honest with you, I didn’t know there was still someone associated with the former earl active in your lineage of work.”

“Well, it was more friendly errands my father would run for the late earl than work anyways. You may not know because you were far too young, but our fathers were somewhat close when it came to business.”

“Excuse me, but if they really were, I think I would have known,” the earl responded, looking a bit upset.

“I’m sorry my lord, but I can’t think of another reason why my father would mention Vincent Phantomhive in his will, let alone having the late earl sign it,” (Y/N) shoved an envelope towards Ciel, who looked at it dumbstruck. Nevertheless, he opened it and started to read out loud.

“…. As for my daughter (Y/N) Feridge, I hope my dear friend and co-operator Lord Vincent Phantomhive will take care of her until she marries. As payment, Lord Phantomhive has the right to decide together with my daughter whom she will marry. Furthermore, he is free to profit from the outcome of the marriage. Was signed, Earl George Feridge and Earl Vincent Phantomhive.”

A silence befalls the two of them. They get startled by a knock on the door.

“In,” Ciel said, trying to regain his composure. Sebastian entered, pushing a cart containing afternoon tea. While Sebastian busied himself with the porcelain cups, the tension between Lord Phantomhive and Lady Feridge was noticeable.

“Is there something wrong my lord?”

“Prepare a room for Lady (Y/N). She’ll be staying with us for a while.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Sebastian left again. Ciel got up and started pacing back and forth.

“… You don’t have to let me stay. It was your father’s promise, not yours.”

“I shall do exactly what my predecessor intended to do, though I don’t see how any of this was ever going to be beneficial for him. Probably a plea from his so-called friend… Do you have a fiancé?”

“No, but-”

“At least I get to decide alongside with you then…” Ciel sat back down, and took a sip of tea.

“I’m sorry. I know it must be a lot to handle for you as well, but I’ll promise not to be a nuisance,” (Y/N) looked at the desk apologetically.

“Never mind. Maybe we’ve started off on the wrong foot. Welcome to your new, temporary home.”

“Thank you, I guess…”

“It will take some getting used to, but I’ll make sure my servants will treat you with the utmost hospitality so you will feel at ease as soon as possible,” Ciel got up from his seat once more.

“I will have Sebastian show you around the manor. Afterwards, you can rest in your room until dinnertime.”

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter Text

“Lady (Y/N), it’s time to wake up, yes it is.”

A blinding light filled the room as the maid of the household, Mey-Rin, opened the curtains. Ever since (Y/N) came to live in the Phantomhive mansion two months ago, this has been a part of her everyday routine. Mey-Rin helps her get ready for the day, she has breakfast with the earl, tries to work on marketing and developing, then afternoon tea is served and finally, she has dinner together with the earl again before retiring for the day. The only interceptions thus far have been games of chess with the earl (which she never seemed to win) and the search for a fiancé.

As (Y/N) walked down the corridor towards the dining room, she heard someone squeak.

“You’re so cute Ciel, I can’t wait ‘till you’ve seen the outfit I picked for tonight! I want ours to match!”

(Y/N) rounded the corner to find the source of the noise. A blonde girl wearing a frilly orange dress was hugging Lord Phantomhive very tight, spinning him around in her dance of joy. Sebastian looked at the scene from behind the girl, clearly debating whether he should stop her or let her continue.

The blonde girl let go of Ciel upon noticing (Y/N). “Oh hello, who is this adorable lady?”

“This is Lady (Y/N). She was an acquaintance of the former Earl Phantomhive. Moreover, she now lives here as a dying wish of her late father.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry to hear that!” The girl exclaimed in shock.

“(Y/N), this is my fiancé, Lady Elizabeth Midford.”

“Oh please, call me Lizzy. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” (Y/N) made a small bow.

“Please, allow me to escort you to the dining room. You’ll be able to talk further there,” Sebastian suggested.

“Is (Y/N) attending the ball tonight too, Ciel?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes.”

“Yes? Am I not allowed to decide for myself? I wasn’t even aware there was a ball.”

Before Ciel could make a remark, Elizabeth interrupted.

“Of course there is a ball you silly! It’s the queen’s birthday after all!”

Ciel cleared his throat. “I thought it would be an opportunity for you to search for a suitable candidate.”

“Oh. I see…” (Y/N) jabbed her fork into a piece of scrambled egg.

“I assume you are familiar with the formalities of a ball?” Ciel grabbed his napkin, having finished his breakfast already. “Otherwise, I’m sure Elizabeth is more than happy to help you.”

“Of course! We also have to decide which dress you’ll wear! You need to look good if you’re still searching for a fiancé,” she continued to talk, while (Y/N) stared annoyed towards Ciel, who gave her a look of amusement. It seemed like he had been planning this all along.

“You haven’t been to an English ball in a long time now, haven’t you (Y/N)?”

“That’s right. I’ve spent a lot of time travelling around the world for my father’s company. Most of the time we would be somewhere in Asia.”

“Oh you’re such a lucky girl to be seeing so much of the world. What was Asia like?”

“It was-”

(Y?/N) was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Milady, I have your dress right here, yes I do,” Mey-Rin walked in the room, holding a beautiful evening gown.

“I bet it will look absolutely adorable on you!” Lizzy exclaimed, grabbing the dress from Mey-Rin, and dancing with it around the room.

“Lady Elizabeth be careful!” Mey-Rin clumsily dances along, trying to retrieve the dress.

“Oh how romantic, getting to meet your fiancé at such a grand ball…” Lizzy swoons.

“Hold on miss, there’s no telling for certain that I’ll actually meet someone…” (Y/N) scuffs the floor. Finding a fiancé that Ciel approved of was hard. It seemed like the earl would turn down every man presenting themselves until he’d find one he could actually benefit from.

“Don’t be silly. We’re going to make you irresistible!” Lizzy continued. “Now then! Time to get to work!”

Lizzy’s grip was so tight that (Y/N) couldn’t possibly protest. Before she knew it, she was donning a stunning gala dress.

“(Y/N) you look so beautiful!” Lizzy jumped up and down, while Mey-Rin awed at (Y/N) with a blush. (Y/N) looked at herself in the mirror. ‘You know what?’ She thought. ‘This might actually work.’

From her seat, (Y/N) could see the long line of carriages waiting to pull up to the grand doors of Buckingham Palace. “Looks like we’re not the only guests this evening.”

“Of course not,” Lizzy laughed. With her frilly dress, she made the space inside the carriage pretty occupied, bubt (Y/N) didn’t mind. Lizzy had insisted that she and Ciel would be sitting next to each other, so (Y/N) had her own side of the coach.

“I heard that Her Majesty invited Johan Strauss II to play this evening. This is bound to be an interesting night,” Sebastian’s voice cut in from the open carriage window.

“Then we can dance together, Ciel!”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh come on. It’s not common for Her Majesty to hold a grand ball like this. Not since prince Albert died.”

“Something tells me it wasn’t her decision to throw one anyway,” Ciel breathed, so Lizzy couldn’t hear. But (Y/N) did.

“Who do you think proposed the idea then?”

“I don’t know. My best guess is John Brown, but perhaps it could have been one of the Double Charles.”

“Double Charles?”

“The private secretaries and butlers for Her Majesty. Their actual names are sir Charles Phipps and earl Charles Grey. They cause more problems than solving them, if you ask me.”

“I like them. I had fencing lessons with them when I was younger,” Lizzy explained.

“Charles Grey… As in the Earl Grey tea?”

“An invention from his father. Now that he passed away, Charles has all the benefits.”

“I know. His father worked together with mine.”

“That’s right. You have a tea company as well, don’t you (Y/N)?” Lizzy asked.

“Yes, though the Grey family focuses on black tea, and my company is more interested in Oolong teas and herbal teas.”

Lizzy was about to ask another question, when Sebastian opened the carriage door.

“We have arrived.”

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Chapter Text

(Y/N) took Sebastian’s hand and stepped out on the porch. Before her was the breathtaking sight of Buckingham Palace. A nudge from Lizzy brought her back.

“Don’t forget your objective for tonight,” she winked. They walked up the front stairs together. Of course a ball hosted by the queen came with certain formalities. There were guards at every section of the palace, and guests had to identify and show their invitations to get inside.

Once the hustle was over, a host accompanied them to the ballroom. There, they caught a glimpse of queen Victoria herself, on a throne in the center of the furthest wall. She was dressed in all black, and wore a veil. Divided over both her sides were three men dressed in white. One of the men caught (Y/N)’s interest.

“That’s Charles Grey,” Lizzy whispered. (Y/N) nodded. Suddenly, earl Grey turned his head, and his gaze met (Y/N)’s. She quickly looked away.

“Did he notice you?” Lizzy giggled.

“Sssh ladies. They’re going to make an announcement,” Sebastian hushed.

One of the three men stepped forward. Despite it becoming dusk outside, he was still wearing sunglasses. The crowd became silent.

“On behalf of her majesty, I would like to wholeheartedly welcome all of you to Buckingham Palace to celebrate her birthday. Her special gratitude goes out to sir Johan Strauss II, who was so endearing to play for us tonight. Any minute now he and his orchestra will start to play, and the queen invites everyone to merrily engage in dancing. But before that, we will sing God Save The Queen in her honour.”

The orchestra played a tune, and soon enough the ballroom was filled with voices. (Y/N) sang along. Even though it has been a long time ago since she last paid homage to England’s ruler, she never forgot the lyrics. The man with the sunglasses bowed upon the ending of the song.

“Thank you.”

He then stepped back. The queen leaned over to him, and whispered something.

“One more thing. Her majesty would like you all to know that the wine that was picked out for this evening is solely wine from the year 1819, the year in which our late prince Albert died.”

“All hail prince Albert, may he rest in peace.” Was the answer of the guests. The orchestra started playing again, and (Y/N) followed Lizzy and Ciel towards a table.

“Please excuse me, I shall fetch all of you something to drink,” Sebastian bowed out.

“How typically beautiful of her majesty. Even the wine is modelled around her beloved prince Albert,” a voice behind (Y/N) spoke.

“Viscount Druitt?!” Ciel jumped from his chair.

“Ah yes lord Phantomhive! I have an urgent matter to discuss with you! I heard you were in the possession of an extraordinary young woman in search for a man! So I, Viscount Druitt, would like to present myself!”

“Not a chance,” Ciel spat.

“Now now lord Phantomhive, don’t be so rash with conclusions, let me first introduce myself to the young lady.” The Viscount’s eye then fell on (Y/N).

“And this must be her! My delicate robin, I am so happy to meet you.” The Viscount bowed gracefully.

“I wished I could say the pleasure is all mine, but I do have to press that I am, in fact, nobody’s possession.” (Y/N) crossed her arms.

“Why of course not, milady! Don’t worry, I shall court you-”

“There will be none courting this evening, thank you,” Sebastian interrupted the Viscount.

“Now if you would please move out of the way so I can serve my master.”

The Viscount gazes with an estimated look at Sebastian, figured that he wouldn’t make it out unscratched if he would cross him, and walked away grumbling.

“What in the blazes was that all about?” (Y/N) shivered. That creepy man gave her the goosebumps.

“With the odd Viscount, you can never tell,” Ciel sighed.

“Thank you Sebastian,” Lizzy said after Sebastian put down their drinks.

Ciel, at the other hand, seemed as brooding and glum as the queen.

“I’m done with this already.”

“Cheer up Ciel, it’s a celebration after all. How about we participate in the next dance?”

“For the last time Lizzy, I’m too tired to dance.”

“Maybe you won’t touch the dancefloor tonight, my lord, but there seems to be someone heading over for lady Feridge.”

(Y/N) followed Sebastian’s gesture. From across the room, Carles Grey was walking towards their table, his eyes fixated on her.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Chapter Text

“You are not going to dance with him.”

“Incorrect. as opposed to my fiancé, my dance partner is something you have absolutely no say in,” (Y/N) smirked. Ciel scoffed.

“No matter what you think of him, he seems like a decent gentleman, and I’d be honoured for a dance.”

“What a relief, I was just about to ask.”

Charles Grey had made his way over to the table, and was now holding out his arm for (Y/N), who took it gracefully. Lizzy cheered.

“Have fun!”

Once on the dancefloor, Charles gently placed one hand on (Y/N)’s side, and placed his other had over hers. The orchestra initiated a waltz. (Y/N) let Charles take the lead, and together they swayed over the dancefloor. His grey eyes glinstered mischievously.

“If I’m not mistaken, I am having the pleasure to be dancing with lady (Y/N) Feridge, am I?”

“Correct. And the pleasure is all mine. I haven’t seen you in a long time, lord Charles Grey.”

“I believe your family moved all over the world, not?”

“Correct again. Though my father passed away while we were staying in India.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. He was a good colleague of my own late father.”

“A good colleague would be an understatement. Had my father not convinced the late earl Grey last minute to come with him to China, we wouldn’t have any Earl Grey tea at all.”

Charles smiled. “Don’t worry, I don’t tend to underestimate things.”

They twirled. While spinning, (Y/N) caught a glimpse of the other white-haired male next to the Queen.

“So you and the other Charles are working as her majesty’s butlers now?”

“Butlers and private secretaries. I take modest pride in my duty.”

“Excuse me, but earl Charles Grey and being modest?” This time, it was (Y/N) who smiled.

“I have grown out of my attitude since childhood, I can assure you,” Charles answered earnesty.

“I was merely teasing,” (Y/N) admitted.

“Speaking about teasing, what did Viscount Druitt want from you? He seemed very upset when he left the table.”

“He tried to court me, since I’m still looking for a fiancé.”

“Oh is that so…” Was all Charles said. The waltz ended. Charles let go of (Y/N) though she was wearing multiple layers of clothing, she could feel a warm spot where his hand had been resting. Her hands were warm too. Charles bowed.

“I must return to her majesty’s side. It was lovely seeing you again, lady (Y/N).”

“Likewise, earl Grey.”

Had they been spinning that much that everything around her blurred as Charles walked away?

Another waltz came on, and (Y/N) hurried to the sideline, back to the table.

“And?” Lizzy immediately began. (Y/N) felt a blush creep onto her cheeks.

“It was pleasant,” she quickly said.

“Good, let’s keep it at that.” Ciel was leaning with his head on his hand, staring at the dancefloor. (Y/N) felt a small twinge of dread. Ciel wasn’t fond of Charles. There was no way he’d ever allow her to marry him. Then, the twinge grew into a heavy feeling in her stomach. Maybe Charles was engaged already. Or married. No, he wouldn’t ask her to dance if he had a wife, would he? (Y/N) didn’t see a wedding ring either.

“(Y/N)? Helloooo…”

(Y/N) shook out of her thoughts when Lizzy waved a hand in front of her face.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was asking if you’d like to come along to one of my fencing classes. Maybe you could impress Charles with some basic techniques.”

“Don’t even think about it Lizzy,” Ciel warned her. “I do not approve of Charles and that’s final.”

Lizzy pouted. (Y/N) pouted internally. Her heart had sunk. There goes another potential partner. She hastily downed her glass to hide her red face.

“Easy on the wine, lady Feridge. 1819 was not a very good year.”

Sebastian’s advice came too late. (Y/N) pulled a sour face, earning laughter from Lizzy and a roll of the eye from Ciel.

Lizzy’s laughter turned into a yawn.

“I guess it’s time to go home,” Ciel concluded. He got up, and offered Lizzy an arm. Together, they walked towards the doors, with Sebastian and (Y/N) in tow. (Y/N) watched them enviously. If only her father had decided whom she should marry before he passed away…

All in all, it hadn’t been that bad an evening, (Y/N) thought as she was sitting in the carriage back to the mansion. Even though she greatly missed her family, she was glad she had returned to England. Especially when she sunk deep into her pillows, exhausted from the day, and she could fall asleep effortlessly, without having to worry where she would travel tomorrow.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Another two months passed at the Phantomhive estate. Lizzy had been swinging by occasionally, visiting her while her betrothed was on an errand for the queen at some high-classed school. She even taught (Y/N) as much about fencing as she could before the earl would return. The earl returned earlier than expected, and the lessons became rare after that. Still, Lizzy hadn’t given up on (Y/N) getting together with Charles Grey, and, (Y/N) had to admit, she herself hadn’t either. She caught herself daydreaming about that night in the ballroom multiple times, and had even seen the earl’s white hair and lashes in her dreams at night. Luckily for her, she had made good friends with another white-haired boy within the mansion, to distract herself. Snake had been thankful for (Y/N) when she found his lost snakes on day one of her stay (they weren’t that hard to find, perched atop her dresser). They had talked a lot whenever Snake caught a break. Though she always did the talking, and he was always the listener. That late afternoon, (Y/N) had been reading in the garden, when Snake passed by. Halfy fantasizing away, (Y/N) had mumbled something about dancing.

“You’re really not giving up, aren’t you? Clinging on to our prey much like us, says Oscar,” Snake had shaken her out of her thoughts.

“The hopeless romantic side I’ve inherited from my mother is sticking its tongue out at me. Is that like a snake too?”

“It enhances our sense of smell and taste, says Bronte.”

“Well, my taste in men doesn’t seem to please the earl a lot. Another two turned down today. And he still hasn’t changed his mind about Charles Grey…”

Snake sat down next to (Y/N). Normally, this would be the part where (Y/N) would go and tell Snake all about her troubles. Today, though, she didn’t feel like it.

“Say Snake, I heard you used to work as a snake charmer at a circus. Right?”

“That’s right milady, says Emily.”

“I reckon not too many people were fond of your snakes.”

“We tend to have a scary nature. Joker and the others didn’t mind. They took us in like family.”

“I’ve met someone in Holland who was interested in snakes. He said some types of venom could also be used in cures.”

“Did he really? Says Webster.” Snake now turned toward (Y/N), a surprised look in his eyes.

“Yes. He told me snakes are very helpful creatures. The use of snake venom in treatments has been long known in East-Indian tribes, but recently made its way to the modern world.”

“Maybe you should see your problem with lord Grey in the same way, says Oscar.”

“What does snake venom have to do with my fiancé problem?”

“Well, they made snake venom into something useful, right? Says Emily. Maybe you could convince Smile that he can indeed profit from your betrothal in some way, says Webster.”

(Y/N)’s face lit up. She jumped up and applauded the footman.

“Snake, you’re a genius! What a brilliant idea!”

“Do, do you mean that? Asks Oscar.” Snake blinked his eyes. Clearly no one complimented him like that before.

“Now we only need to figure out what about Charles would be useful to Ciel…”

Just as Snake was about to make another remark, Sebastian came outside.

“Lady Feridge, dinner is ready.”

“What? You’re going to Germany?”

(Y/N) almost dropped her knife.

“On the queen’s orders, my household will travel to Germany for an investigation.”

“But, how long will you be gone?”

“The duration of the investigation is uncertain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it would last a month at least.”

(Y/N) looked at Ciel in disbelief.

“A whole month? What do you expect me to do in the meantime?”

“You will stay with Elizabeth and her family. They have agreed to take you in for the time being.”

(Y/N) calmed down after hearing this. At least Ciel did not expect her to travel along.

“We will be leaving in two days. Make sure you pack thoroughly.”

(Y/N) nodded, her mouth filled with the delicious cookings the servants always prepared. Ciel clicked his tongue at her. Sometimes (Y/N) had the feeling it wasn’t just her choice of men he disapproved of.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Chapter Text

The Midford estate was just as grand as the Phantomhive mansion. It’s rustic and elaborate appearance were befitting of a Marquess. As soon as (Y/N) stepped inside the manor, she was welcomed by the energetic head of the family, Alexis Leon Midford. He gave her a grand tour through the entire building (though (Y/N) was sure she would get lost regardless) and ordered his maids to show her her room. Her bedroom represented the rest of the estate perfectly: spacious, lavishly decorated and welcoming. (Y/N) had just freshened up when Lizzy barged in. She and her mother had just finished shopping, and she was so excited to have (Y/N) over as a guest, that she bought her a dress for a celebration that same night.

“Thank you for the thoughtful gift, Lizzy, but you really didn’t have to.” (Y/N) said, feeling guilty she had gifted nothing but a general present to the manor in gratitude. Maybe she should have given Lizzy something on her own. (Y/N) made a mental note to buy Lizzy something the next time she was in town.

“I insist. I did invite a very special guest for tonight as well.” Lizzy gave (Y/N) a meaningful look. (Y/N)’s heart jumped.

“You mean you invited earl Grey?”

“Right you are dear! You’ll have the opportunity to talk to him all evening during dinner!”

“Oh Lizzy, that’s wonderful!” (Y/N) exclaimed. She had looked forward to seeing him again. The Queen’s birthday seemed ages ago. And getting to talk with him without Ciel’s watchful eye on her would be a relief.

Suddenly, (Y/N) was reminded of Snake’s idea.

“Say Lizzy, can I talk to you about something?”

The other girl sat down on the edge of (Y/N)’s bed. “What is it?”

(Y/N) told Lizzy about her chats with Snake, and the suggestion he had made.

“I suppose that seems possible…” Lizzy said after (Y/N) was done explaining, her hand on her chin.

“We just need to figure out how Ciel would profit from me marrying earl Grey. You’re absolutely sure he isn’t engaged already?”

“Positive, dear,” Lizzy nodded. “Who knows, maybe you can interrogate Charles Grey in an subtle way about the matter tonight. Right now, we need to focus on making you the shining star of the dinner party!” Lizzy picked up the dress, and pulled (Y/N) up from the bed.

(Y/N) wasn’t sure if it was the corset of her nerves which made it hard to breath as she walked down the main stairs towards the dining hall. Lizzy had made sure that Paula, her maid, strapped the corset extra tight around her body and, fragile as she may seem, Paula had trapped (Y/N) in a deadly constriction. She was almost certain getting wrapped up by one of Snake’s Boa Constrictors would be less painful. She however clenched her jaw. She wouldn't let herself be bested by clothing on a special night like this. She was thankful towards Lizzy for setting this up, and she was going to make the most of it. She tried to breathe as deeply as she could, and nodded towards a servant to open the double doors of the dining room.

Inside, the marquess, Lizzy and Lizzy’s brother Edward were already waiting. The servant guided her to her seat. Lizzy told (Y/N) that she had arranged a seat for her right next to earl Grey. When (Y/N) took place, however, the seat next to her was still empty. Lizzy, who was sitting across the table, shot her a smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll arrive soon.”

Then, the servant announced the arrival of Lizzy’s mother. (Y/N) got up from her seat. Lizzy’s mother was a stern and proper woman, Ciel had told her, and (Y/N) had to behave with the utmost care around her. The lady in question, Francis Midford, was the sister of Ciel’s mother. She walked over to (Y/N), who bowed.

“Madam the marchioness, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Equally so, Lady Feridge. I hope you found your accommodations to your liking.”

“They are lovely, my lady.”

Marquess Midford sat down, and (Y/N) followed her example. Soon after, the servants announced the arrival of the guests. One by one, they entered, bowed, and were seated. It seemed like forever until a servant finally exclaimed “Earl Charles Grey”.

(Y/N) felt the blood rush to her cheeks the moment he walked over. She had dreamt about seeing him again, but gazing at him in the live flesh was a hundred times better than she could imagine.

Now that the party was complete, the servants served the food, and soon the dining room was filled with the chatter of the guests and the clinking of silverware.

“How lovely to be seated next to the guest of honour,” Grey opened the conversation between two bites of his fork. He seemed to have quite the appetite.

“I hope you’ve been doing well, Earl Grey.”

“Please, call me Charles,” He said, as he took a sip of wine. “And I’ve been doing extraordinary,” he continued.

“I’m glad to hear that, Charles.” Calling him by his first name alone felt good. (Y/N) quickly glanced over to Lizzy, who was talking to Lord Everett, a knight in her father’s order.

“So, how is the search for a betrothed going?” Charles asked. (Y/N) choked on her drink. Trying to to cough all over the table and holding back tears, she managed to answer. “Not very good.”

“Honestly, is lord Phantomhive really that picky?”

“What makes you so sure the fault is his and not mine?” (Y/N) answered after she had recovered.

“You look like a woman who knows what she wants. I can’t imagine you don’t already have someone in mind. Perhaps one of the men who presented themselves to you.”

(Y/N) had to try her best not to sound busted. “It does not matter as long as lord Phantomhive disagrees, but he has all the right to choose someone he can benefit from.”

“Forgive me for saying this, but I think that’s a very wrong thing in the first place. Why should lord Phantomhive profit from the marriage of a girl he has met merely months ago? What right does he have to choose for you?”

“It was a promise of my father to his.”

“Well, that changes the game…” Charles toyed with his fork.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if I’ve learnt anything about the late predecessor of the current earl Phantomhive, it’s that he wouldn’t make such ties if he had nothing planned ahead…”

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Chapter Text

(Y/N) wasn’t really sure what Charles meant with that statement, but Charles had brushed it off as quickly as he cleaned his plates (there was quite a stack of them now on his part of the table) as he pressed the subject.

“So, (Y/N). What do you look for in a suitable suitor?”

(Y/N) was too embarrassed to look Charles in the eye.

“Well, I, uh…”

That’s when Lizzy cut in.

“Lord Grey, did you know that (Y/N) has been following fencing lessons?”

“Really now? Don’t you know that playing with swords is dangerous for a woman?” Charles smirked. He then patted his belly, and sighed. “Ah, I’m so full I couldn’t possibly say dessert. Oh wait, I said it anyways!” He happily accepted a plate from a passing servant. (Y/N) and Lizzy looked at him in disbelief.

“I suppose you’re the one teaching her then, Lady Midford?” Charles asked. Lizzy nodded.

“What other past-times does (Y/N) enjoy?”

“I enjoy reading, playing the piano and horseback riding.”

“Seems like we have another thing in common.”

“You like riding horseback? You and (Y/N) should ride horseback together sometime!” Lizzy pointed her spoon at the pair of them.

“Why not? Sounds fun. How about somewhere in the next two weeks? I’ll have to see when I’ll have the time in between her majesty’s duties for me, but I will make sure to send a notice ahead.”

(Y/N) smiled. “That sounds delightful.”

The rest of the evening flew by quickly. After dessert, it was soon time for the guests to depart again, including Charles.

“That was quite the fantastic meal. I look forward to seeing you again, (Y/N),” he said as he approached his carriage. (Y/N) and Lizzy waved until Charles was out of sight. They then slumped against the doorframe.

“Ugh I’m so full. This corset is truly killing me,” (Y/N) complained.

“Say what you want, but you looked truly dashing tonight,” Lizzy told her.

“Thank you Lizzy. For everything.” (Y/N) meant it. Lizzy had grown on her since the day she met her at the Phantomhive estate.

“You can repay me by trying your best to convince Ciel of you and Charles. You make the cutest couple together! Well, almost as cute as me and Ciel.”

(Y/N) felt the cool night breeze whipping up her skirt. She looked up at the stars. Just what had Charles meant by the late earl Phantomhive planning everything ahead. She shook her head. She shouldn’t worry about such a thing. As long as she got to spend time with Charles, what did it matter?

Now that (Y/N) was at the Midford manor, she and Lizzy had all the time to pick up her fencing lessons whenever they felt like it. Even Lizzy’s mother joined them occasionally. She was a top-notch sword wielder herself, as expected. one particular hot day, while (Y/N) and Lizzy were practising outside, the head maid came walking towards them.

“Lady Feridge. A letter for you.”

(Y/N) looked at the consignor.

“Buckingham Palace…”

Lizzy hurried over as (Y/N) perched herself against a tall oak tree.

“Is it a letter from Charles?”

(Y/N) opened the letter and began reading aloud.

To my dearest lady Feridge,

I am happy to invite you to the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace on the 12th of august forthcoming, for an exclusive tour combined with an afternoon ride on horseback.

I will be awaiting your arrival at 1 o’clock in the afternoon.

Kind regards,

Earl George Charles William Albert Grey

Private secretary of Her Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India.

“A private tour through the Royal Mews? How exquisite!” Marques Midford, who was just taking an afternoon scroll through the garden, had stopped to listen to the letter, exclaimed.

“How romantic, you mean! And so soon! The 12th is tomorrow” Lizzy joined her father in celebration.

“You can join me there. I have an inspection scheduled at the royal palace,” said the marques.

“Thank you very much, lord Midford.” (Y/N) gripped the letter tightly. Was this Charles Grey trying to court her? Or was this just an act out of friendship? (Y/N) was determined to find out by the end of tomorrow.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Chapter Text

“(Y/N), don’t be so nervous, your palms are all sweaty,” Lizzy groaned as she tried to fit on a pair of gloves on (Y/N).

“I’m not nervous. It’s the warm weather,” (Y/N) protested, but she knew she was lying. She hadn’t slept all night thinking about this afternoon. How was she going to find out what the earl felt for her? What was she going to ask him? Her head was still buzzing with worries when it was time to climb into the carriage opposite of lord Midford. The ride towards the palace wouldn’t take too long, (Y/N) knew, as the Midford estate wasn’t that far away from London.

“Do you visit Buckingham Palace often, marques?”

“On occasion, my dear. When duty calls for it, you can find me there.”

For a little while, there was a silence between the two of them. Then lord Midford asked: “How is the tea business doing?”

“It is thriving, marquess. The profits have nearly doubled since two years ago. It seems the grounds in China became even more fruitful than my predecessor initially thought.”

“I am glad to hear that. Your father was a remarkable man.”

(Y/N) nodded. “He was indeed.” Though she missed him greatly, the last few months had been unraveling new details about him, and (Y/N) wondered if she ever really knew her father. She remembers how mad she was when she found out someone unknown to her would be deciding who she would marry. She had screamed and cried how unfair it was for her father to arrange such a thing. But with both her parents gone and no siblings to comfort her, she had no other choice but to honour her father’s dying wishes. So with nowhere else to go, she had turned to lord Phantomhive. A man her father spoke grandly about, though it seemed he had lost his own battle as well. Or…

“Ah, there we are.” the marquis shook (Y/N) out of her thoughts. She looked out the window. To her surprise, the royal palace was nowhere to be seen.

“Weren’t the stables near the palace?”

The marques laughed. “The Mews are at the other side of her majesty’s private garden, right here.” He nodded towards the arched gate, flanked by two guards. “This is your stop.”

“Thank you again, marques.” (Y/N) stepped out of the carriage as one of the guards opened the door. The marques simply waved at her, and his carriage continued, disappearing around the corner.

“We humbly welcome you to the Royal Mews, lady Feridge,” the guard said.

“Earl Grey is waiting for you inside,” continued the other guard, while opening the gates. (Y/N) walked in.

The arched main pathway contained many stoïc pillars, and led to an open square. The square held what appeared to be the guest carriages. (Y/N) took a look around, when Charles appeared from behind one of the coaches.

“Ah, (Y/N), how very lovely to see you. Welcome to the Royal Mews.” He bowed with an amused face upon reading (Y/N)’s spooked reaction.

“That was not funny,” (Y/N) pouted, her face turning red. Charles shook his head, and offered her his arm. “Would you be so kind as to join me for tea in the royal carriage venue?”

The centerpiece of the royal carriage venue was the Gold State Coach. The grand masterpiece had been used for the coronation of the three most recent monarchs of England; king George IV, king William IV and finally, queen Victoria. These events were immortalized in life-sized paintings adorning the walls of the room. Near the golden coach a table and two chairs had been placed. It looked like the tea was already served. Charles pulled back a chair for (Y/N), before sitting down himself.

“I’m glad you could make it on such a short notice,” he began, taking a biscuit off one of the plates on the table.

“Lizzy and I were practising fencing when the letter arrived. She and her father stood on it that I’d reschedule to come here.”

“Still playing with swords? When will you learn that’s a dangerous thing for a lady to do?”

“Excuse me but Elizabeth Midford happens to be one of the best fencers I know.”

“Lady Midford has a lot of natural talent, that goes without saying,” Charles agreed, taking another biscuit. “So, what do you think of the Mews up to this point?”

“The carriages certainly look beautiful,” (Y/N) said, looking around.

“Why of course, they need to be befitting of a royal head.”

(Y/N) looked at Charles in admiration. “You really are very loyal to queen Victoria, aren’t you?”

“I am honoured to serve her majesty is all,” Charles answered. He then got up. “I’m quite bored of tea already. How about I show you the horses?”

(Y/N) blinked in surprise. “Sure…”

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

#black butler fanfiction

[nightmaretyrantvantas]

See More Daily Facts Here!

[thatoneidiotdts]

Sleeping (+morning routine) headcanons for some genshin boys

A/n: hello ladies and gentlemen I'm happy to announce that I may be back now that my life has decided to stop throwing endless shit at me. Now I also write for genshin so feel free to send asks in my inbox!!

Warnings: nightmares for xiao, favoritism in diluc's part, purposeful misspelling and slander in C*ilde's part,overall tooth rotting fluff

Zhong li

Sleeps like a rock (pun intended)

This man will not wake up unless there is an emergency

No matter how much noise you make or whatever is going on around him he'll stay there laying in bed completely silent

His breathing is so quiet you think he's dead half the time if not for his endless sleep talking

And you can actually have full on conversations with him while he's asleep

Also he sleeps in a solider position which leaves you to cling on him like a koala on a big ass tree

Sleeps in really soft bamboo pyjamas that you bought for him

Zhong li will only wake up at exactly 7:30 am no matter if it's a week day or a weekend/ his day off

He also doesn't stay in bed for more than 10 minutes unless as stated before its his day off and you aren't awake yet

The man will stay there taking in the sunshine rays from the window as he's looking at your peaceful face

After an hour or two hell rub your back and gently wake you up with forehead kisses while softly calling your name

When you finally wake up you usually start with the morning hygiene and whatnot

Also he will ask you if you want to take a morning bath together but absolutely respects you decision if you won't and you don't need to even give him a reason you declined in the first place but will make sure you know he loves you no matter what

After that he will sit down with you and drink tea and have breakfast with you for the next two hours

It's the only reason he wakes up so early

T̵̻̦̥͌͝e̸̟̗̮̮͌a̷̙͕͉̿̍͝

After that he goes to do his usual shift at the wangsheng funeral parlor

Venti

Menace to society

He either sleeps sprawled out in a starfish position with his arm and leg over your body or in a fetal position with his face buried in your breasts/chest

He usually sleeps in your clothes or in his everyday clothes

His little snores are super cute tho

Venti's snoring isn't super loud, it's actually really quiet but still there

Since he's a bard he stays at the Angel's share until it closes which is usually very late into the night so he sleeps until like 2pm

He isn't a heavy sleeper so you usually accidentally wake him up if you have some errands to run early in the morning

Venti will cling to you and pretend that he's asleep so that you can stay in bed with him

After like 20 minutes of this he finally let's you go and makes you promise him that you'll be back quickly

When you returned to your shared house from doing commissions you found him still sleeping in the bed so you quietly took a shower and snuggled in with him for another hour or two

After he finally wakes up for real this time he has breakfast lunch with you and goes off to Angel's share but not before giving you a thousand kisses

Kaeya

He's sleep schedule is ON POINT

He always gets back from Angel's share at exactly 1:00am, showers, eats and does his skin care routine and gets in bed around 1:30am

He also wakes up at exactly 9am but stays in bed until ten

He trashes through the night, he also talks in his sleep but it really weird and it's mostly things that are in English but you can't understand them at all

Kaeya is also a blanket snatcher and will snatch your blanket if you aren't holding it tightly

I feel like he also sleeps with socks on but has a few special pairs of socks that have some cute patterns that he would rather be caught working with the fatui by his own brother than wear them outside once

Also sleeps in silk pyjamas, doesn't care if the cotton ones are easier to breathe through, he likes the feeling of silk on his skin

Kaeya loves his personal space and he doesn't like to be touched while he sleeps but makes up for it when he's awake but still in bed

The only exception is when it's cold outside, I headcannon he's naturally cold and he doesn't like it at all

His morning routine is 90% of him taking care of his face and showering

His skincare routine is also more expensive than some people's houses so don't touch his products plz

Kaeya will gladly teach you the basics of skin care and will buy you your own products that thinks will suit your skin better

He's also almost late to work every day so every day you see him put on his shoes calmly, take in a deep breath and then he kisses you goodbye and runs off like a mad man in order to get to the headquarters on time

Diluc

He has so much unprocessed trauma I would be surprised is sleep schedule is anything but a mess

Diluc doesn't sleep a lot, he would have a normal sleep schedule but since he has a lot of stuff to do all the time it stops him from sleeping property

Not only does he work as a bartender at Angel's share when Charles can't he also works as the Mondstat's one and only Dark Night Hero

He usually comes home around 4 or 5 am and will only sleep until like 8 and you will have to force him to have a nap in the afternoon

Also he sleeps in his everyday clothing and he's sometimes too tired to even take his coat off

Diluc sleeps on his stomach which causes him to have back and neck problems but it's the only way he can actually fall asleep

He's a really light sleeper which also adds up to his sleeping problem

Also he snores loudly, like really loudly, and he only snores at night for some weird reason

You discovered that because one day you accidentally woke up at like 6 am and you couldn't fall back asleep because of his loud snoring but you didn't dare to move since you knew how little rest he gets

He's not a morning person at all, if he didn't hate alcohol, he would be the person that chugs half a bottle of vodka in the morning just to keep him awake

Diluc usually starts his morning off with some personal hygiene and then starts doing the endless paperwork without even having breakfast or anything to drink

So out will have to force him to eat and drink so that he doesn't pass out from work

On the rare days he doesn't have any work to do he usually sleeps them off to make up for the time he didn't sleep

Albedo

Chalk boy over here also has a terrible sleep schedule

He's not really forcing himself to stay up but rather doesn't realize how late it is

You will have to pull him out of his work in order for him to go to sleep

Albedo has a special pair of pyjamas that he wears when he's sleeping and he only wears them because for his last birthday Klee has given him a pair of pyjamas that were originally grey but she hand painted them herself with the help of Jean and Lisa and he's been sleeping in them ever since

And when i say every day I mean every day

But don't worry he hand washes them every two days and takes special care of them in order to not wash of the fabric paint

His snores are also really quiet and quite cute, I recommend commenting on that if you wanna see him blush ^-^

Albedo usually sleeps on his stomach but unlike Diluc he is small enough to not crush you under his weight so he usually sleeps with his head on your stomach or buried in your neck

Pease touch his hair he melts when you do

Albedo can sleep for a looonng time if you don't wake him up so he relies on you to wake him up or else he'll spend the next 16 hours in bed sleeping without a care in the wold

When he wake up he does his usual morning routine, which is usually a quick shower, breakfast, brushing his teeth and his hair out, and then goes off to work

He will absolutely make you have a nap with him in the afternoon or whenever he feels tired

Xiao

He doesn't sleep much, hell I don't this man sleeps at all sometimes

Adepti don't really require sleep or food like normal humans do

It took a lot of time for him to trust you enough to sleep besides him

Xiao doesn't feel safe while sleeping at all, he also fears that his karmic dept might take affect on you so he keeps his distance for quite some time

For the first month or two he would wear his normal every day clothes but then you gift him a cute plain green onesie and at first he straight up refused to put 'that thing' on but he gave in and hasn't sleep in anything else since

At first he would be the big spoon so that he can protect you from any harm but when you spooned him for the first time he felt so safe and warm he never wanted to let go of that feeling ever again

After that he would ask you under his breath if you could spoon him more often, you barely understood what he was saying but perfectly understood what he wanted and needed.

He also regularly has nightmares which causes him to trash around and maybe whack you in the face once or twice but you're quick to calm him down

Xiao never really realized that he was hurting you until he gently hugged you and you winced because he accidentally touched the small mark he left the previous night after having another nightmare

Doesn't touch you or sleep with you for a week after that, he already hurt you enough but you don't really care so you coaxed him into sleeping with you again very easily since he missed your warmth a lot

He doesn't really have a morning routine but he does wake up every morning before you so that he can teleport to the Huaguang Stone Forest to pick some Qingxin flowers for you

He's also gets back into your arms right before you wake up so that it seems like he never left in the first place

But you always notice the new fresh bouquet of the beautiful white flower on your desk and thank him for it

T*rtaglia

Listen here ok I'mma be real with y'all

Turbulence sleeps exactly one hour less than normal people but makes it seem like he gets like 2 hours of sleep per night

"Ugh I didn't sleep last night at all😩😏" Like bro stfu

He also makes jokes about sleeping so little because he was with you last night or that he was training so hard or doing a mountain of paper work

While you know damn well he was with you entire night sleeping like a baby right by your side

He sleeps naked solely so that one day when a hypothetical intruder gets into your home he can scare them off by yelling at them while being completely naked 💀

But he will put a pair of pyjamas on if you're uncomfortable

He mostly sleeps on his side because he needs to hold something while he's sleeping, if you aren't with him that night he will hug your pillow and sleep like that

Tagliatelle also doesn't like to sleep when in a cold room so he will have one of those water bottles that people use for back pain and will put one in the pillow he's holding and two in the blanket itself

He's totally a morning person and has no problem with getting out of the bed in less than like 10 minutes unless you ask him not to

If he has a day off he won't sleep in that much but he will curl up beside you and 'accidentally' place his head on your boobs/chest

Y'all saying Terrorism is the caring older brother? WRONG he's the forgotten middle child. we ofc know about Tonia, Anthon and Teucer but he also has two older brothers and at least one older sister

I feel like he's the middle child that had to take all the responsibilities when the older three/four moved out

So yeah he can make a damn fine breakfast for you without skipping a beat

But don't let me even start on his personal hygiene

Like shower are fine ok and he baths once a week only because he can but like

I know damn well his back teeth are ROTTING

He only uses mouthwash and brushes the front and bottom part of the teeth so that they look presentable meanwhile his back teeth got their souls sucked out

Moving on from that Tellurium can't really spend the whole morning with you so he will have to leave you late in the morning.

Coffee? :>

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli #zhongli x reader #genshin impact venti #venti #venti x reader #genshin impact kaeya #keaya x reader #keaya #genshin impact diluc #diluc #diluc x reader #genshin impact albedo #albedo #albedo x reader #genshin impact xiao #xiao #xiao x reader #genshin impact childe #childe x reader #childe #venti headcanons #zhongli headcanons #diluc headcanons #kaeya headcanons #xiao headcanons #albedo headcanons #childe headcanons

[apollostears]

FAMILY VACATION [ jjk ]

↬︎ anime: jujutsu kaisen

↬︎ featuring: college!gojo, choso, nanami, toji, and geto

↬︎ warning(s): swearing

PLOT. gojo takes you guys to his parents cabin in niseko, japan.

ADVISORY: reader is female and black unless stated otherwise.

college series

➟︎ on christmas, gojo surprised all of you with a trip to a skii resort in niseko, japan (where his rich ass parents co-own). well, more so he surprised you cause them hoes had already been before.

➟︎ despite gojo’s track record for being overly chill, he was more than prepared for this trip. having everything already taken care of and all you guys needed to do was pack and be ready.

➟︎ that should’ve been red flag number ten

“NOW IM ONLY GOING to ask you once gojo, and be honest with me, okay?” you warned, all of you in the foyer of the large cabin.

gojo’s head nodded quickly, “yes ma’am.”

“why is there only three rooms? did you do this on purpose?”

you were more than annoyed. four out of the five guys were heavy snorers and two of them slept rough as fuck, and one was an occasional sleepwalker. this was easily the worst situation you’d ever been in.

“i told my parents how many it would be but i guess i forgot to mention that one of us was a girl. they’re used to the guys, so they assumed. i can get you your own if you want!” gojo quickly suggested, face red in embarrassment.

which was a first seeing as gojo had never gotten embarrassed in his life. at least, not in front of you or because of you. sighing heavily, you decided to cut the ray charles man some slack.

“it’s okay, i can sleep with choso.” you solved, moving to the raven-haired boy.

choso was someone you had slept with before, on several occasions. whether it be to have a sleepover or because toji was being too loud, choso was a good sleeping partner.

“CHOSO?! you guys are sleeping together?! he got you before me?! oh my god.” gojo went through five stages of shock and then pretended to pass out onto geto, who let him fall instead of catching him.

at least you thought he was pretending.

“oh god, he’s dead!” you gasped, holding onto choso’s arm in horror, when gojo didn’t move after geto nudged him with his boot.

nanami rolled his eyes, silently asking the universe why him? “he’s not dead dumbass.”

“damn.” toji muttered under his breath.

you frowned, “well someone needs to wake his ass up.”

without a word, geto hooked his arms under gojo and dragged him down the hallway to, presumably, their room.

“you ready angel? i got your bags already.” choso had asked you, your eyes moving from the train wreck that was gojo and focusing on the man next to you.

you smiled at him and squeezed his arm that you were holding. “of course! lets go.”

“hey! don’t try no shit, you understand?” toji warned, pointing a accusing finger at the both of you.

“we aren’t hoes like you are.” choso answered before tugging you down the hall to y’all’s room.

you could hear toji talking to nanami down the hall. “did he just call me a hoe?”

“yup.”

“why, i never!”

➟︎ gojo and toji taught you how to snowboard. the both of them acting like they’re in the winter olympics when they do the hard courses.

➟︎ nanami was very good at skiing and often did that during your stay, than anything else. you guys think it was because of the beautiful skii lady that was at the slopes everyday.

➟︎ you, choso, and geto were always at the skate rink. whether you could ice skate or not, those two always dragged you with them.

➟︎ gojo’s parents got y’all a cabin with an outdoor AND indoor hot tub and when i say you were LIVING!! those boys could barely get you out of there, you stayed in there so much.

➟︎ geto had this awesome not idea of you guys doing the camping in the woods workshop that the place offered and it almost turned into a slasher movie.

➟︎ all of you were in one, huge ass tent, so really you guys were glamping, and one of the skii resort workers decided it would be a good idea to play pranks on you guys.

➟︎ lets just say that if you guys could’ve gotten banned, you would have. like toji and geto almost got y’all thrown in prison.

➟︎ nanami makes BANGING hot coco and that’s a certified fact. atp he’s a dilf that has five adult kids living in his upscale tokyo apartment.

➟︎ snowball fights have ensued and both toji and gojo are excluded from them bc they provoke each other to the highest of hells and throw really hard balls at all of you.

➟︎ geto gets really bad frostbite but still decides to go out like he’s a fucking supermodel.

gojo in the background “hoes don’t get cold!”

➟︎ toji brought his tattoo travel kit and gave you guys a couple of small tattoos. somehow, y’all all agreed on getting matching tattoos. it was a small writing of ‘4lifers’ and it was honestly so cute.

➟︎ shoutout to gojo’s parents for co-owning a skii resort. the best vacation you’d ever been on.

NOTE. lemme actually write something relating to them being in college 😭

↬︎ join the taglist: @rubinocore @nyxeclipse @sweeneyblue1 @knjkitten @namjoonswifeyy @sunrayyellowhalo @pimpnameyannie @brownmochi @mae-avenue @gabzlovesu

#mayawrites #black!reader #ambw imagines #anime #fluff #college!jjk #college au!jjk #jjk college au #jjk x black!reader #jjk x reader #jjk hcs #gojo hcs #gojo x black!reader #gojo x reader #toji x black!reader #toji x reader #toji hcs #nanami x black!reader #nanami x reader #nanami hcs #choso x black!reader #choso x reader #choso hcs #geto x black!reader #geto x reader #geto hcs

[imaginesbymonika]

Mischief and Bagels | Part 7

A humor B99 x Marvel Crossover.

Plot: Loki fleed Asgard and he is now roaming the earth. Only the mightiest heroes on earth could stop him- with the help of the world's mightiest detective (in his opinion), who knows the streets of Brooklyn like the back of his hand.

Characters: Y/N x various marvel characters, Y/N x The Squad of the 99, might some Y/N x Matt Murdock and Y/N x Jake Peralta who does his best at flirting.

masterlist | previous chapter

“The only logical explanation would be, that Loki snatched them right out of that backyard.”

Bucky leans against the wall. “You’re right, that's the only logical explanation.”, Y/N declares:” I doubt, that Jake and Amy would take off without telling us - or me, anything.”

Steve takes a pen into his hand:” Show me the backyard.” Y/N nods and walks over to him, her finger gliding over the map until she locates the area.

“So…you’re a lawyer.”, a voice suddenly whispers and Matt nods his head without flinching. “How does one study anything when they’re blind.”

“Is my blindness such a big deal for you?”, Matt whispers back and Sam chuckles:” Are you that intimidated that you think I’m lying?” “Of course not, no.”, he mumbles and pauses.

“So what do we do now?”, Charles asks, fumbling with his finger:” My friends are out there kidnapped and we do what? Only chat about it?” Y/N sighs and runs a hand through her hair:” I think we will have to wait, till-“.

“Till what?!”, Charles asks, his voice loud and shaky:” Till they’re dead?! Till Loki executes them and puts their heads in front of our doorstep?!”

“He won’t kill them!”, Y/N lets out:” He’s probably-“.

“Using them as bait.”

——

Jake who slowly wakes up groans. He can sense the massive headache coming his way. “Gosh-.”, he states and attempts to move, only to discover pretty quickly that he is bound to a chair:” What the fuck?!”

The space in which he is is gloomy and he can only see slight outlining of the furniture. “Ames?”, he whispers:” Y/N?!”

But when he is met with silence he feels how the anxiety begins to form in his stomach. “J-Jake?”, a sluggish voice asks and Jake instantly turns his head in its direction:” Amy?! I’m h-here. Are you okay?” “Yeah, I think so. Where are we?”

“I don’t know.”

——

“We are talking about Loki here.”, Y/N says and crosses her arms:” He isn’t just killing people for enjoyment. If he wants something from us, of course, he’ll take our people hostage.”

Rosa scoffs:” ‘Of course, he’ll take people hostage’, do you guys understand how stupid that sounds? Jake and Amy are not just some random people, they’re our friends- our family.”

Matt, who sits next to Sam unexpectedly tense up. “I know, and we will find them!”, Steve declares. “When?! We have no leads, no clues whatsoever. Loki is like a phantom.”

“Guys.”, Matt lets out softly and Y/N turns her head to look at him. “What?”, she asks, a frown arises on her face. “He’s here.”

#marvel #mcu #mcu imagine #mcu x reader #steve rogers #angst #fluff #x reader #imagine #matt murdock #matt murdock x reader #mcu x b99 #marvel x b99 #steve rogers x reader #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson imagine #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #jake peralta x reader #jake peralta #amy santiago #charles boyle

[dancingamongstdust]

Old Habits (Warren Worthington x Reader)

So I was digging around in my old files and I found this from a few years ago. I’m sure I published it somewhere once but I have no idea where. Either way, the writing isn’t too bad so I thought some readers here may enjoy it. 

Before, when you originally met Warren, you had never had an issue with reaching out and grabbing his wings if he tried to march away from you. It had become a habit.

There would be an argument over something inconsequential and both of you would scream and shout like children. Warren would realise that his temper was getting out of control and try to stalk away from the fight before it got out of control. You would snatch a fistful of his feathers or the edge of a wing; anything that was within range was ample gain. It never hurt him but he stopped moving due to the sensation. Then he would turn around and kiss you until your lips were bruised and you couldn’t breathe properly.

This time…

You had been eternally grateful to Charles Xavier for bringing Warren back despite all his previous actions and your heart belonged to whoever had saved his life. When you had seen him walking through that portal, you had sold yourself on the notion that you would never be seeing him again. A bitter reality without the white angel wings that you had spent hours wrapped in.

The fight had been inconsequential really. Something about his sulking and yelling at anybody who tried to get close to him.

But now you withdrew your hand as quickly as you reached out.

Warren still spun around to look, the metal feathers screeching against the walls as he did so. Instead of kissing you, his eyes fell on your bloody hand and he reached for it with tentative hands. “I…” his words died in his throat.

You met his eyes with a clouded expression and sighed. “Sorry,” you said. “I forgot…” Your eyes fell on the huge metal wings and you sighed. “I didn’t think that through. I’m sorry.”

“No,” Warren said. “No, you shouldn’t have had to think about it in first place.” Unlike the feathered version, these wings made a horrendous noise when they bristled and even he winced at the sound. “Just go and get somebody to look at that.” And he stormed back into his temporary room, slamming the door far too loudly behind him.

You sighed, shoulders slumping. Charles had approached you to see if you could possibly fix the situation and maybe convince Warren to relax a little more in the mansion. His end goal obviously being to offer the angelic mutant a permanent place to stay.

Stomach churning, you hurried down the stairs to the nearest mutant that could heal your hand or at least somebody who knew basic medical skills.

Two stitches and a little bit of healing later, you were sitting in your own room and staring down at your bandages. While you had been standing up there, it hadn’t hurt at all but now it was burning like fire. You rubbed it gently and sighed. Warren had always been self-sabotaging. At this point, shutting you out could almost be classified as a hobby of his.

So eventually – at an hour that any reasonable person would be asleep at – you climbed out of bed and marched over to the room to quiet your wailing mind. If you didn’t know Warren’s self-destructive tendencies you would have presumed it was too late.

But you had lived with the man before.

You didn’t bother knocking. You knew that Warren would have pretended he didn’t hear you. So you counted on him forgetting – or purposefully – not locking the door.

“I’m tired of this,” you said when Warren finally noticed you and removed the headphones that were blaring rock music so loudly that you could hear them from across the room. You walked over and sat on an untouched desk, watching the winged mutant carefully. “Every day, you make me sit and watch you turn all that anger and hatred inwardly and I can’t do anything about it. I feel useless when it comes to you. Like there’s nothing I can do to help.”

“Help?” he scoffed. “Help what?”

“You.”

He rolled his eyes and sat up on the bed, those metal feathers screaming a symphony as they were dragged across the wall. “I don’t need your help,” he said. He glanced at your bandaged hand. “Look what happens when you try. I’m fine. They said that my feathered wings will grow back soon and then I’ll be able to get as far away from this fucking place as possible.”

“I want to stay.”

“Then stay.”

You gave a forced laugh. “And here I thought you knew me well enough to know that there isn’t a chance that you would leave without me following.”

Warren crossed his arms and his wings puffed up as he attempted to become more intimidating. It would work on most people. Not you. “Nobody likes codependent twits,” he grumbled. “But then again, it’s not my problem if you want to chase me around the country like some lost poodle. If you get killed, I don’t want anybody blaming it for me.”

“It’s not… alright, no, I’m not rising to that,” you said firmly. “No matter how often you insult me, I’m not going to leave and you know that by now. Warren, won’t you at least consider staying here? There are others who –“

“Joined forces with an ancient evil and attempted to bring about the end of the world because they were offered shiny wings then almost died and had to be saved by their enemy out of pity. Just so many of those assholes running around that I can barely even walk without seeing one.” His hair was falling into his face now but he didn’t seem interested in doing anything about it. “But they don’t count if they switched sides during the actual battle.”

“You were unconscious the majority of the battle.”

“Thank you for reminding me. I wasn’t aware.”

You sighed and reached out to move his hair away from his eyes. It said something that he didn’t move away despite the glare he was sending in your direction. “Wouldn’t you prefer to be able to rest for a little while until you got back onto your feet?” you asked. “I’ve been talking to some of the people here and they’re all friendly if you give them a chance.”

“I don’t see any weapons attached to your back that are constantly hurting people you actually care about,” he noted.

“My hand was my own fault,” you repeated. You stood up and moved closer, reaching the uninjured hand past his head and resting it gently on the metal of his feathers. “See? I’m being careful now and it’s not getting me hurt. If I had taken a few more seconds to think it through, I wouldn’t have grabbed your wing out of habit. But you said they’ll go back to being normal soon.”

“Apparently,” he said. “Some of them have fallen off but they’re meant to do that. What would you do if they stayed metal? You’d have to start finding your own beds instead of curling up next to me constantly. Something tells me you won’t find these wings ‘comforting’.”

A phrase you had always used when speaking about his wings and it hurt to hear him spit it with such bitterness in his tone. It had always been something genuine to you. “They probably won’t keep me as warm as the normal feathers,” you admitted. “But I don’t doubt that I could grow used to them and love them as much as I adored the originals.”

He scoffed. “Always a fucking optimist. Even when I have tattoos that probably will never fade etched into my face.”

“I’m not always an optimist,” you said. “When you disappeared into that cage fighting thing for months without telling me and then came back with your wing fried to a crisp, I was so worried that I thought I would vomit. I lost countless hours due to nightmares about waking up and finding you dead or missing again.”

“And then you did.”

“I was too late,” you said. “No matter what you said, I knew that your wings were making you distressed and I wanted to help but I didn’t know how. If I had figured out how to fix things sooner then there wouldn’t have been a reason for you to go with that asshole.”

Warren just glared at you and then flicked his bedside lamp off and lay down on his side. It used to hurt his wings when he slept like that but you were unsure that the metal felt anything. Either way, you lay your hand on his shoulder temporarily and then took the hint to leave the room. There was nothing else for you to say or do.

Almost a week passed where you only opened the door to throw random food and drink items at Warren where he was pretending to be asleep. Sometimes he would mumble something and other times he would continue to ignore you. You took the bandage off a few days later. It was something Warren undoubtedly noticed but he didn’t say anything until the day you opened the door to find everything strewn across the floor in such a state of disarray that you flinched.

“What’s the problem?” you asked.

Warren glanced at you out of the corner of his eye and muttered something about not having any shirts that weren’t torn to shreds by his new wings. Which later led to you going shopping and returning with a bunch of new shirts with cuts in the back for the new wings. It took you a while and he grumbled under his breath when you dumped them on the floor but you didn’t say anything.

The charade continued day in and day out but you weren’t deterred. You waited patiently for Warren with a well-learned routine. This had happened many times before. A waiting game that you had perfected over many years of worrying about the angelic mutant who held so much of your attention and your heart.

You walked through the door with a milkshake in hand when he was busy plucking the metal feathers off his wings. Silently, you placed it down and settled cross-legged behind him on the bed to help him peel off the shedding metal over the unreachable areas.

It came off easily and you happily spotted some of the soft, white feathers peeking out from beneath the metal. You ran your fingers happily over it and smiled. They would be returning soon.

“You’re going to need to preen these daily while they’re growing out,” you said. You didn’t expect an answer but you said it with the knowledge that you would be the one to do it. “Otherwise they’re going to be crooked and then you won’t be able to fly properly.”

Warren’s feathers fluttered slightly as he turned around to face you. They didn’t sound quite as horrible when they brushed against the wall now and there were fewer grooves than before. Deep scratch marks already tore up the bedframe and one of the bedside lamps had disappeared a week ago. “Just leave.”

“Alright. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Why do you bother?”

Your fingers brushed the doorknob and you shrugged. “It’s just force of habit now.”

#x-men #one shot #archangel #warren worthington x reader #warren worthington iii #x-men apocalypse

[earnestly-endlessly]

Hi there! I'm in love with your Cherik fic lists so I was wondering if you could make one about fanfiction where one of them faked his death? (And, y'know, the other one was all angsty and deppresed and ain't those the feelings I was trying to avoid) but, surprise! He was alive and now he knows you love him!

I'm so sorry if this is one very specific ask, I'll honestly be happy with just one fic with this dynamic I just need it so much

(Sorry for my broken English)

Hi anon, thanks for the ask. First of all, don't apologise for your English, you are doing a great job. Second of all, I have been looking through all the fics I can recall that fits your description. I could only find about two that fit them exactly. However, I decided to include fics where either Erik or Charles thinks the other is dead one way or another, or either of them has faked their death. Some might fit the bill better than the others, but if you enjoy this trope then I think you'll find some good ones here.

It’s All Coming Back to Me – Reagan

Summary: When Erik hears that Charles died on the beach where he left him, there's only one thing left for him to do: take the world down with him as he crashes and burns in his grief. But maybe the world will get its reprieve before he goes too far.

Afterlife – Anna (arctic_grey)

Summary: A year after Washington, Erik wakes up in excruciating pain as sudden awareness washes over him: Charles is dead. Erik has to adjust to yet another future: no extinction, just a world without Charles. But the death of his former friend leaves Erik weak and his powers drained. His quest for answers leads him back to Westchester, where Erik has to face his past with Charles and put together the puzzle pieces of what happened to the man he once cared for.

It’s like one of us woke up – kaydeefalls

Summary: "You came here for me," Charles said, meeting Shaw's gaze levelly. "So let's not waste any more time."

Canon!AU in which Charles and Erik do find Shaw in Russia.

Boden’s Mate – kaydeefalls

Summary: "Shaw has information that we need, and we need him alive to extract it," Moira says, and there it is: the job is on the table. Extraction.

XMFC/Inception fusion AU. Erik is an extractor, Alex is his point man. They're assembling a team to go after the most dangerous mind in dreamsharing: Sebastian Shaw. But unless Alex and the team can keep him in check, Erik's desire for vengeance might just rip the whole job apart around them -- and then there's the shade that haunts his dreams...

Regret – zimothy (orphan_account)

Summary: Do you believe in second chances?

November Man – keire_ke

Summary: Mystique spent much of 1972 in Vietnam, enjoying only such news from the States as came in the papers. She is therefore rather surprised to see her estranged brother in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by both Viet Cong and Soviets, with his finger on the trigger of a gun.

My Single Greatest Regret – sherwoodfox

Summary: "...is that he had to die, for our dream to live."

A stray bullet on the beach in Cuba killed Charles Xavier. Years later, Erik Lehnsherr- escaped from the prison beneath the Pentagon, on the run from all authorities- returns to the mansion in Westchester, which was closed off after the death of its owner and has not been inhabited for years...

At least, not by anyone still living.

Not Half As Blinding – keire_ke

Summary: Cuban beach AU. Charles discovers that death does, in fact, solve everything.

The Mad Ones – Black_Betty

Summary: The name Charles Xavier is written on a grave in Westchester county. Charles doesn't know about the grave, doesn't remember having a body or being afraid. He only knows the world of dreams, and of the minds of others. One day he touches the lonely thoughts of a sick boy on a boat to America, and that is the day when everything begins to change...

Worth Living For – Harleydoll

Summary: Charles is 75% certain that Erik is dead. Not because he saw him die or anything, that would be stupid.

Charles is certain that Erik is dead because that is what Charles can do, he can see the dead amongst the living. Sometimes the dead don’t know that they’re dead, and apparently this dead guy really likes to follow Charles around and hit on him and completely blow off even the most blunt statement of ‘You need to pass on, you can’t stay here.’ and laugh at Charles like he’s the crazy one.

Charles, in all honesty, might be a little afraid to see Erik go.

#cherik #cherik fic recs #asks #earnestly answers #fake death au

[doortotomorrow]

Mirrors and Cautionary Tales : John Murphy’s Journey to Redemption

When it comes to John Murphy, plenty of people have wondered why he spent a significant portion of his screen time interacting with the seasonal villains, and I think I’ve come up with a reason why this feels like such a steady trend in his overall story arc. It all comes down to how these villains represented Murphy’s internal struggles with himself as he grew and matured into the man we now know him as today. 

Let’s take this back to the very first season of The 100 where we first encounter Murphy as he touches down onto Earth and the kind of person he was back then. As beloved a character as he is now, I can’t mince words or sugarcoat things. He was the villain for the delinquents in the first season. So, what kind of villain was he?

He wanted power and authority by any means necessary - ( “Well, I think the princess is dead... but I know the king's about to die, so who's really gonna lead these people, huh? Me, that's who, and, yeah, maybe I'll have to kill your grounder-pounding little sister.” - We are Grounders I )

He was downright wrathful - ( his willingness to kill Jasper, holding someone over a fire, ganging up on Wells to remove his bracelet, almost killing Raven )

He was selfish and all about his own self preservation- ( making everyone else do the work around the delinquent camp while Bellamy is gone, wasting resources to blow a hole in the drop ship to make his getaway )

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With those things out of the way, let’s jot down all the villains Murphy interacted with.

Charles Pike

Ontari kom Azgeda

Paxton McCreary

Josephine Lightbourne 

Sheidheda

We’ll start with John Murphy’s origin point and his experience under his abusive Earth skills teacher, Charles Pike. While Murphy was largely absent from witnessing much of what Pike did to become Chancellor of Arkadia, he did see the end result of how that worked out for him. Desperate, in a jail cell, and then later on, stabbed to death in an act of revenge for the horrific things he did while in a position of power he practically stole. 

On the Grounder side, he had the unfortunate luck of being trapped in Polis with Ontari kom Azgeda. Initially, he went along with the whole false Commander thing, masquerading as her Fleimkepa and even gave her advice on how to maintain her power...but then he started becoming unnerved by her violent paranoia, ultimately getting traumatized by her when she viciously abused him.

Murphy’s front row seat to watching two people’s quests for power and authority left him with this valuable lesson : being power hungry will turn you in a paranoid, unhinged person with a list of enemies a mile long. You will never, ever have a moment’s peace. You will always be looking over your shoulder wondering if this is the day you get a knife in the back.

After the third season, Murphy’s desire for power and authority completely disappears. It’s not something he’s interested in anymore because he’s been shown that it’s simply not worth it. 

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

Enter season five and its main villain : Paxton McCreary. What does McCreary like to do for fun? Start riots, blow things up, fire off big guns, and getting high off of combat. Oh, and he’s always, always emotionally detached and angry. His default setting is rage. It’s sounding kind of familiar, isn’t it? 

The fifth season is where Murphy’s at his most chaotic and destructive(both internally and externally). He’s blowing things up, playing with huge guns, causing riots, jumping into any battle he can for the adrenaline rush, pushing everyone away, breaking up with Emori until finally, it all comes crashing down on him. All of this chaotic behavior leads to him getting shot in the Rover, nearly losing his life in the process.

On the other side of the war, McCreary’s wrath caused untold levels of destruction. It was McCreary’s need for destruction that lead to Earth being completely fried, it was McCreary’s wrath that resulted in the loss of Monty and Harper, taking away two members of Murphy’s family from him. 

All of this unquantifiable destruction and death was a giant wake up call for Murphy. McCreary leaves him with this lesson: if you let rage and chaos possess you, you will end up losing everything. 

That’s why, when the sixth season rolls around, Murphy’s lust for battle was greatly diminished. 

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

Speaking of the sixth season, it’s time to revisit Sanctum and get ourselves reacquainted with Josephine Lightbourne. 

When Murphy arrived in Sanctum, his heart was heavy, clearly in a state of mourning over those he lost when he woke up and realized Monty and Harper were gone. Not only that, but yet again, he had suffered another traumatic near death experience during Sanctum’s Red Sun event. His first day out of his long hibernation was hardly fun at all, experiencing nightmares about going to hell when he fell into a coma and waking up screaming over what he saw.

So, in a moment of vulnerability and wanting to avoid going to hell, Murphy became more and more tempted with the concept of the Prime’s method of immortality. The ultimate survivor’s move : not dying at all. It’s at this point where he met Josie and saw first hand what living forever does to a person. At first, he made a deal with her to get his hands on some empty mind drives(getting Emori in on the deal as well), but the longer he lingered in her company, the more immortality started losing its luster. When it was revealed Clarke was still alive, Murphy joined the others in helping to get Josie out of her head.

Immortality had turned Josie into a sociopathic monster, utterly incapable of respecting other people’s feelings and wishes, only focusing on her own wants and needs for the sake of preserving herself. This wasn’t who Murphy wanted/needed to be anymore, having fallen in love with Emori, and creating a family alongside her which Murphy valued too much to lose. After all, what was the point of living forever if he lost his family?

That’s why, when the mind drives come up again in the seventh season, they’re now a symbol of finite time in Murphy’s story. Just a few more hours with the woman he loved as humanity itself faced its final hours.

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

With all of these cautionary tales Murphy’s seen play out throughout the seasons, avoiding all of those pitfalls the previous villains fell in, we’re introduced to his perfect foil : Sheidheda, the dark commander. 

Sheidheda was everything Murphy could have become if he never went on his journey of redemption, falling in love, and finding a family to fight for. Sheidheda craved power and desired nothing more than to see everyone kneeling at his feet. Through the Flame, he had lived forever, waiting for his moment of opportunity to arrive where he could rise again. If something got in his way, he’d burn it all down, creating chaos and bloodshed in his wake. He’s all of the previous villains combined into one package.

We were in desperate need of a hero...and we got one.

When Murphy and Sheidheda had their first confrontation, Murphy was deep into hero mode. He helped Emori calm down a rioting crowd, saved Sanctum from a nuclear meltdown, and rescued a group of frightened children. He kept on saying he was tired of playing the hero, but let’s be honest here, he wore the title well. Sheidheda was flawlessly utilized to showcase how far Murphy had come as a character, becoming a man we know his father would be proud of. 

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There you have it! My long, long winded way of breaking down why Murphy spent so much time interacting with the villains. It was their way of marking down each stage of Murphy’s overall arc. It was very much intentional. 

#The 100 #John Murphy #Richard Harmon #this wasn't meant to be this long #but I ran with it

[gointothevvater]

Seeking to devour

Chapter one: I Saw The Dead, Small And Great

Summary: Once upon a time, many, many years ago, Charles's great-great-grandmother, who had herself lived an unnaturally long life, told him that their family was descended from that one wicked snake that haunted the Garden of Eden, that the family Offdensen were more serpent than man. At the time, Charles had thought she was joking, just a senile old woman weaving mindless tales.

He knows better now.

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)

Tags: Chickles, Southern Gothic, horror elements, set in the 1920s, kinda-sorta Godklok on Pickles’s part. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS: SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, LOTS OF RELIGIOUS IMAGERY, PERIOD-TYPICAL HOMOPHOBIA, LOTS OF TALK OF DEATH.

Read here or on AO3! 

.

Is your soul prepared?

Charles isn't sure how the sign got onto his property. It's been there for years and years, the nails rusting, the white paint chipping, the wood rotting beneath it. The sign is as tall as he is, and double as wide as he can stretch his arms. It's sinking into the mud, though, like everything else in this damned place, standing crooked enough that it might just topple over in a strong breeze.

He's been waiting for it for months, but it hasn't happened yet. It will, though. It's inevitable. Everything eventually falls here. It's a wonder he's still standing.

Is your soul prepared?

The words were wrought in bright, angry red once, but they're an ugly brown now, the color of old blood. It's oddly fitting.

Hooligans, Charles thinks, but he can't be sure. The sign is large, and its post is set deep into the soft earth. Would just any rowdy local boys be able to do such a thing? Would they have any inclination to pass on such a message? He'd been the target of their little pranks before, but such an effort from boys who hadn't the cleverness to not wet the front of their trousers when they took a piss? It seems unlikely. They’ve always been more the type to leave dead animals hanging on the gates. The sign is too civil.

It was the church that planted the sign, Charles is sure. The Ascension Parish Southern Baptist Church had been after him for years, all the way up until it had caught fire and burned to the ground in 1912. Fingers had pointed at him for that, too, and even now, he occasionally wakes to find God is watching or Repent now! or Open your heart to God! painted across the front gates.

Removing the paint gives him something to do, he supposes.

Is your soul prepared?

Charles has considered removing the sign more times than he can count, but it's not as though any other living soul sees it. Why bother? It's not as if his family's sinking home is the only site of such signs. There are others like it scattered all over the bayou, ones of this seemingly standard size, smaller ones tacked to chain link fences, even huge billboards. God sees all>, they proclaim in letters taller than he is. Jesus saves. Hell is real.

Of course Hell is real, Charles thinks with a roll of his eyes. He lives there, after all.

Hell's End is the name of this area, a name given long before his great-great-grandmother had first arrived in the States all the way from the Netherlands. She hadn't known of the name when she built the house. Her home had been meant to be the end of her long and dangerous journey west, the start of her Heaven on Earth. How wrong she had been. How wrong they had all been.

Charles is one of the very few who dare to come near this part of the swamp now. The brackish waters part around his feet, and his elegant boots leave no prints in the mud. The gators go scurrying away at his approach, and high in the moss-draped trees, the cicadas fall silent.

The snakes, though, make no move to flee. They watch him with their bright, slitted eyes, and they bow as best as they can. He is one of them. He offered an apple to St. Cecilia, and another to Magnus, apples of forbidden, carnal knowledge. He is the snake in the Garden of Eden given human form, and he is the master of this particular bayou.

 Once upon a time, his great-great-grandmother, who had herself lived an unnaturally long life, had told Charles that their family was descended from that one wicked snake, that they were more serpent than man. At the time, Charles had thought she was joking, just a senile old woman weaving mindless tales.

 He knows better now.

This wickedness is in his blood. His parents had tried to fight it, but Charles has long since given in. There's no use in trying to deny who he is.

The wickedness is as much a part of who he is as the swamp is.

The Offdensen family have always been the masters of this bayou, back since the 1750s when the house and its great iron gate had sprung seemingly overnight from the mud. That was centuries ago. Charles isn't sure of the year anymore, but he is certain that it's high summer now. The children should be catching fireflies and the old biddies should be sipping sweet tea on the porch while their husbands talk about the weather, but Charles is the only Offdensen left in this part of the world, and the sinking mansion sits quietly in its watery grave, waiting to claim him as it has all the others.

His family is long gone.

Charles, with his twisted magic and his unnatural tastes, is all that remains of his once-great, once-powerful family.

The irony of it is enough to choke him, to send his hundreds of dead relations a-spinning in their graves. Or spinning in their coffins, at least.

This is the swamp, after all. There are no graves here.

#i am so excited to get started on this! #chickles #charles offdensen #charles foster offdensen #Metalocalypse #pickles the drummer #magnus hammersmith #toki wartooth #ishnifus meaddle #godklok #my mtl

[amyscascadingtabs]

the way you keep the world at bay for me

post-the set up, a.k.a jake taking care of hungover amy, hungover amy taking care of sad jake, and mac caring mostly about himself because he’s a baby 😌

read on ao3

Jake doesn't get a lot of sleep that night, and for once, it's not even Mac’s fault. It's not even due to the pizza parlor simulator game either, although he does play a couple of rounds when Amy's finally snoring next to him after ranting to herself about the babysitter’s club for a solid ten minutes, but not even that can fully distract him from the dull sense of doom that's made itself at home deep in his chest. 

This is bad. Holt wants to see him tomorrow, and Jake knows there will be consequences. There has to be. There should be. He made a mistake, and he's going to get punished for it, and there is nothing he can do but accept his defeat. He already knows what he has to do; the nerve-wracking thing is the fact that it's still hours away, and his brain is spinning too fast for sleep.

He really wishes he could talk to Amy. She's sleeping on her stomach with her mouth open, arms straight out to the sides like she’s trying to push him out of bed, but he still can’t be mad at her. He hasn’t seen her this drunk since before she got pregnant, and he’s seriously worried about the hangover she’ll be sporting tomorrow, but he also knows she did it for him. Because they’re a team. Because she trusts him, sometimes even when it turns out he was wrong.

He wrongfully arrested someone. The sentence keeps repeating in his head, appears pasted in bold font on the inside of his eyelids if he tries to go to sleep, and displayed in luminescent letters on the ceiling of his bedroom when he gives up and opens his eyes again. He should have known better, has learned his lesson time and time again since his early days of constantly glorifying his job and letting his impulsivity get the best of him, and he still made a mistake.

  /

He just wants someone to tell him it doesn’t make him a bad person. If only Amy wasn’t so drunk he’s scared to wake her up right now, Charles wasn’t so devotedly biased in all questions involving Jake’s role as a detective, and Mac wasn’t, well… so completely unable to grasp any of the concepts involved in the question.

Amy lets out another mighty drunken snore, and Jake hopes she will consider it a testament to his love for her that he doesn’t voice record it. He turns his head instead and picks up his phone to go back to the pizza game. Maybe just a few more virtual customers will be able to lure him to sleep.

 ~

 He must have fallen asleep eventually, because when Mac does start babbling to himself over the monitor, the morning sun is shining through the windows, and Amy’s stopped snoring. She’s only moaning uncomfortably to herself now, and Jake’s guessing from her strained grimace that the headache has kicked in hard.

“I’ll get you coffee and aspirin as soon as I’ve checked on Mac,” he whispers to her with a kiss to her neck, and he thinks he sees the hint of a smile as she reaches out for him in what’s probably an attempt of a pat on the back, but ends up more of an unintentional slap to his butt. Or maybe she’s still drunk, and it is intentional. It’s hard to tell.

  /

Mac may have no clue about what’s currently going on with Jake, but at least it’s impossible not to smile when he hauls himself up and rocks back and forth on unsteady feet in excitement over the fact that someone’s coming to get him. He greets Jake with that wide grin that shows off all of his four teeth – two up and two down, and they’ve kept everyone up at night for weeks, but they’re so pearly white and cute so maybe it was worth it – and a laugh that’s been Jake’s favorite sound on Earth since the first time he heard it.

“Good morning, bud,” Jake tells his son as he lifts him up in his arms. “What do you say we get you a bottle and mama some coffee? Hmm?”

“Bah,” Mac repeats. Jake decides to give him the benefit of the doubt and say it means he agrees on the bottle.

“Bottle, exactly. You're so smart,” he says, booping his little nose and smiling as it makes Mac giggle. “Let's try another one. Dada.”

There's a tense moment of them both just staring at each other, and then finally, his son goes,

“Bah.”

“One day,” Jake says with a sigh as he carries Mac out of the nursery. “As long as you say me first, okay? We’ll get there. We’ll practice.”

  /

He puts Mac in the high chair while he tries his best to work the coffee machine and the bottle warmer at the same time. It's trickier than to be expected on almost no sleep, but at least he manages to pour the breast milk from the freezer bag into the bottle and not into his coffee this time. He's only made that mistake once (fine, maybe twice, and he kind of liked how sweet it tasted but he's never gonna tell anyone), but he suspects Amy's never gonna let him live it down. He gets Aspirin from the medicine cabinet while he waits, and puts a couple of slices of toast in the toaster. His own day feels already pretty much beyond saving, but at least maybe he can improve Amy's.

  /

Though, when she stumbles out of the bedroom, still in her pajamas with her huge glasses and hair on end and looking like she's either seconds from being sick or going straight back to sleep, he worries whether she might just be beyond saving, too.

“How are you feeling?” He asks as she gives him one drained look before walking up to the couch and face-planting on it with another pained groan.

“I think I might be dead.”

“That's called a hangover, babe. I think you used to be familiar with the concept once upon a time, but I guess it's been a while.” Jake grins at Mac, who only reaches his chubby hands out for the bottle out in response. “Toast?”

“Do I have to?”

“It's going to help.”

“Fine.” Amy pushes her head off the pillow to look at Mac. “He's not drinking the milk I pumped yesterday, right?”

“I poured that out for you. I know they say moderate amounts of alcohol are fine, but, well, you were speaking British.”

“Good call,” Amy mumbles as he puts the coffee, aspirin, and toast down in front of her. “See, this is why I married you.”

Jake just hums, but he does smile to himself as he goes to grab his own cup of coffee.

  /

“I wish I could call in sick to work today,” Amy says between bites of toast, and Jake looks up from where he’s absentmindedly brushing crumbs off the countertop while finishing his own. “My head feels like it’s going to explode.”

“I mean, you did very much go through contractions while managing an entire precinct during a blackout once. You could think about that?”

“No, this is worse than giving birth,” she states confidently, and Jake has to try very hard not to laugh. “Don’t tell my past self I said that. Or my future self if I ever give birth again.”

“Yeah.” He grimaces. “I’m pretty terrified to go, too.”

“Why?”

“Because yesterday? All of it?”

“Ohh.” Amy sighs. “Right. Maybe we should both just stay home.”

  /

Jake’s about to tell her how much he wishes that was an option when Mac drops the finished bottle against the tray, immediately starting to twist in his seat. Jake unclasps the belt and lifts him out before he manages to rock the chair – that kid’s shockingly strong – and Mac immediately crawls away towards the walker. He doesn’t use it to move yet, but he’s been pulling himself up with it for over a month, and the anticipation is high every time he lets go with one hand only to sit back down on his booty the next second. Sometimes Jake could swear his son does it for attention. At least Mac doesn’t seem to have inherited his impulsivity, Jake thinks, and then he’s back to beating himself up in his head.

  / 

“I just don’t know why I did it,” he mutters as he sits down on the floor next to Amy’s head on the couch. She nods slowly, and Jake takes it as a sign she might actually be able to listen to him now. “I should know better, right? These are, like... the kind of mistakes I used to make. I thought I’d gotten better at this kind of stuff. Smarter. Less impulsive. Less of a bad cop. But instead I arrested and tailed an innocent man, all because I thought I had a gut feeling and thought I was being set up.” He shakes his head. “I guess that FBI jerk was right about gut feelings.”

“You’re a great detective,” Amy says without missing a beat. “A lot of the time, your gut feeling is right.”

“That doesn’t excuse it. I still shouldn’t have done it.”

“No.” Amy sighs. “You shouldn’t have.”

“It sucked.”

“Yeah. It did. But there’s nothing you can do to change it now.”

“Do you think I’m a bad person for it?” The question comes flying out of him, and Amy frowns.

“Why would I think that?”

“Because it was a shit move! And because I’m definitely gonna get suspended for it, and that’s going to lose us money. And then we’re not going to be able to save as much for Mac, or pay for his baby music class or baby gymnastics. And then he’s going to end up broke and untalented and it’ll all be my fault, and then you’ll be ashamed of me and leave me and I’ll die sad and alone in a ditch.”

“And you don’t think you’re spiraling just slightly right now?” Amy asks. The smile on her lips is one of amusement, and it humbles him, bringing him out of his cycle of self-pity.

“I don’t know. I didn’t get a ton of sleep last night.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad person,” she says, and that does make him feel a bit better. “I think you made a really stupid mistake. There's no getting away from that. I’m not happy about it. But… I know you'll take responsibility for it. That’s already a whole lot further than a lot of people care to go.”

  /

Her fingers brush through her hair, calming him as she speaks. The hangover has made her voice a little scratchy, Jake notices when she's this close. It reminds him of mornings after long evenings out before they were parents, a time that always feels far longer ago than it was. Sometimes he thinks everything before Mac might as well be another lifetime.

  /

“And we'll work it out if you do get suspended,” Amy continues, talking over the obnoxious melody playing from a toy Mac has found. “It's not great, of course. But we can save lots of money on daycare if you stay home with Mac. That helps.”

“Like a paternity leave,” Jake says. He does like that thought.

“Oh yeah.” Amy laughs. “You’ll be just like one of those hip Scandinavian dads who get to stay home with their kids because they live in countries where they don’t hate people for having kids. And you two can go to all of the cool classes and playdates together. You’d be the sexiest dad at baby swim class for sure.”

“Wouldn’t I also be one of the only ones?”

“Good point. Make sure to mention your wife a lot. But hey, Mac’s going to love it.”

 /

As if wanting to confirm Amy’s point, Mac crawls over to Jake and tries to climb up on his knees to sit in his lap. He does this sometimes when he’s playing on his own; retreats to their arms for a hug or a quick cuddle, only to try and wriggle out of their grip and go back to whatever it is he’s doing in the next moment. Jake thinks it might be one of their son’s sweetest qualities. Mac rests his head against Jake’s chest, almost hugging him like that, and he wonders, not for the first time, how a person that’s not even one year of age can make every other issue in the world seem so insignificant. Even if it's just for a moment, it's a pretty damn good moment.

 / 

Fueled by the most powerful motivation of all – their son’s love and attention – Amy sits down on the floor too, patting her knees.

“You want to come to mama, Mac?”

Mac squirms for a moment in Jake's arms, and Jake lets go of him. Using the couch as support, for a second it looks like he’s almost about to take a step toward her. Both parents gasp in anticipation, and it must confuse him, because he reacts by giving Amy a shocked look and sitting right back down on his butt. Jake laughs as their son crawls away again, heading for the soft building blocks outside the playpen.

“He's such a tease.”

“He gets that from you,” Amy says, and Jake huffs in mock-offense. “Are you sure we shouldn't just stay home from work?”

  /

Jake thinks of his upcoming meeting with Holt. He's been fearing it for so many hours now, and he's starting to wonder if the anxious anticipation might just not be worse than the meeting itself. He already knows what he has to do; the only thing left is to rip off the band-aid.

“I don't think it will make anything better if we don't.”

“Yeah.” Amy sighs, closing her eyes and leaning on his shoulder. “I love you.”

“Love you too. And you should probably shower and put on makeup unless you want everyone to know exactly how hungover you are.”

“I know you're right, and I hate it.”

Jake grins and strokes her hair before getting up from the floor. “I’ll go get Mac ready for the day.”

  /

“Jake?” Amy calls out before he can leave for the nursery with Mac in his arms, and he turns around. Her voice is still a little hoarse.

“Yeah?”

“It's going to be okay, babe. We’ll figure it out.”

 / 

Jake brushes his fingers through Mac’s already unruly curls. He thinks of playground dates, the storytime for toddlers their library holds every Wednesday, and how much time he’ll have to make sure Mac says his name first now. Then he thinks of the bigger image; of daring to set a good example for this child, even when it's hard. If he wants the world to be a better place for his son, he's going to have to start by taking responsibility for his own actions.

“Yeah. I know.”

  /

For the first time that day, he dares to believe it.

#my writing #b99 #b99 fic #i put / bc tumblr doesn't do line breaks anymore clearly #anyway. this is late and not my best it's been a Week but i really wanted to write something so. here is Something <3

[dionysus-complex]

tagged in a thing by @rigidcactus, thanks for the tag!

Name: Rhys

Age: 28

Height: 5′10″

Where do you call home? California right now but I think of the southwestern US broadly as home.

Any tattoos or piercings? The La Dispute flower on my upper right arm, εὕρηκα in ancient Greek across my left forearm, plus a tiny tattoo on my chest that I always forget I have. For piercings, just pierced ears and I haven’t worn anything in them in years.

Last song you listened to? Digital Sea - Thrice

Last movie you watched? I think it was the new Spider-Man movie but that was over a month ago now, I don’t watch many movies I guess.

Last book or fanfic you read? Last book I finished was The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Currently reading I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins.

Do you collect anything? I mostly just collect books and concert tickets/posters and little memory tokens, and in theory I guess I collect musical instruments but (a) I don’t have the money to do it seriously and (b) most of the musical instruments I do own are currently in my parents’ basement two states away because I live in a tiny studio apartment.

Morning person or night owl? Former night owl, morning person since I started waking up early to teach a 5-day-a-week early morning Latin class in 2017 and then just never stopped.

Are you an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist? Optimist on a personal level, realist-to-pessimist on the scale of big societal issues.

A quote you live by? Extremely basic but lately it’s been Reinhold Niebuhr’s serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” 

Are you an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? Very very introvert.

Do you believe in an afterlife? Yes, but I’m still working out what exactly that means. I don’t believe in heaven or hell in the literal sense but I do think there’s some way we persist after we die, and recently I’ve been attracted to Christian process theology and the way that it describes the afterlife.

A weird or fun fact about yourself: My ribcage is totally, visibly asymmetrical!

If you could have coffee with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? While part of me wants to pick, like, writers I like or big historical figures, I think my first impulse is the scholar I’ve written about here before whom I think of as kind of my ‘academic grandfather.’ He taught at my current institution and unfortunately passed away from cancer at a young age well before I got here, but his work has been profoundly influential on the way I think and write and he taught my professor at my previous institution who nudged me toward coming here. I think it would be cool to just sit down for coffee with him and listen to him talk for a while.

Tagging my love @home-made-dynamite, @lingonberryjamistakenwhat, @radiosaturday, @amortaldothapproach, @algernon-charles-swinburne, and anybody who feels like doing it!