#it's a 10k fic so i recommend reading on ao3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

comeonpeters · 1 year

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i realized i never posted this on tumblr so

together we can take on the world

this was my troped round 3 contribution last year

Theme: Canonverse

Trope 1: Secret Places

Trope 2: Neighbors

Trope 3: First Kiss

Trope 4: Time Jump

find it on ao3

October 8, 1983.

The house is loud today. It’s not actually loud, because it’s Friday afternoon and that means Jessie still has homework to do, so their parents don’t really let the house get too loud. Alex’s mother is flitting about the house, baking and anxiously cleaning the already pristine house, however, so it feels loud. It always feels loud when his mom is being… a lot. He just wants to go outside, but she already told him that he’s not supposed to go outside until the cookies are done, and if he asks again, she’ll give him the look. It’s better if he just waits. His only homework (so far as homework goes when you’re six years old and six weeks into the first grade) is to read for thirty minutes, which he’s already done, and he doesn’t particularly enjoy reading, so he’s not going to do any more of it than he has to.

Instead, he taps a beat against the table and waits. He doesn’t think he’s being particularly loud, and he’s not even humming, but his mother comes and hovers over his shoulder within a minute anyway.

“Just go outside, Alexander,” she dismisses him, sighing and gesturing toward the sliding glass backdoor. He jumps out of his seat and heads for their backyard, ready to wander and adventure, some of the very best things a person can do when they’re alone. Other kids in the neighborhood haven’t ever particularly liked Alex, preferring his older sister or the other children in general for company, so he’s learned well enough how to be alone. He’s too finicky about dirt, too scared of getting in trouble, too prissy about rules, too particular about things being the way that they’re supposed to be, he knows. But, even if he’s all of those things, he’s not going to stop being those things. Stuff is supposed to be how it is! If it wasn’t it wouldn’t be. Other kids just… need to understand that.

He doesn’t stay in his own yard, but he never does. They don’t have enough trees, and trees are so much more fun than just getting into the dirt where nature keeps bugs, and while Alex loves nature, bugs are gross. The fact that nature needs bugs for stuff is just proof that the world just has to be gross sometimes, even if it sucks. And that’s okay. Alex just doesn’t want to be involved in it, so he climbs trees instead of being involved in the grossness. He’s going into the little park in their neighborhood (his mom is only a little angry at him if he says he left the house to go to the park when he explains where he was, usually, especially because it means that he didn’t cross the road) when another boy catches him by the wrist. Alex is proud of himself when he only jumps a little, and he spins around to find glittering green eyes and a smile with crooked teeth.

“Hi! I’m Reggie. Reggie Peters. I just moved in down the road,” the boy says, pointing at the house with the moving truck that had sent Alex’s mother into a tizzy just this morning. Every time someone moves into the neighborhood, Elaina Mercer works herself to the bone to look like an effortless housewife, a perfect mother, the picture-perfect figurehead of the PTA and of the homeowner’s association. Alex doesn’t figure that he’s supposed to be meeting the son of the family before she arranges it, but he slips his hand from where Reggie is holding his wrist so that he can shake Reggie’s hand anyway, anxiously flicking his hair out of his eyes.

“I’m Alex Mercer, I live over there. Want me to show you some of the cool stuff in the neighborhood? We have a park,” Alex offers, politeness and shyness both sticking together in his throat. Reggie’s smile flourishes into a grin.

“That sounds cool! Do you guys have lizards? I have this research book on animals and it says that sometimes, if you move from one area to another, different species don’t live in the new area that lived in your old area, and we moved from really far away, so I don’t know if you guys have lizards. My favorite is the Northern Green An-an-. Hm. The Green An-ole Lizard. They’re small, and not really fancy, but they come on the porch back home and they’re so friendly!” Reggie rambles this all very quickly, so quickly that it’s almost hard for Alex to keep up, but Alex finds himself so enraptured that he nearly trips over his own feet while trying to show Reggie the park. Lizards. They have lizards. He’s seen a lizard. Lizards are cool!

“We have lizards. Where’d you move from?” he asks, and that sets Reggie off again. He doesn’t actually answer Alex’s question at first, instead saying that it’s October 8th, which is true, but also that it was October 6th two days ago, which of course is also true, because that’s how math works, which apparently means that Reggie turned six two days ago and that he’s a Libra according to the magazines that Reggie’s mom reads aloud when Reggie paints her toenails. When he eventually remembers the question, Reggie says that he just moved to Los Angeles from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a pretty small town in the mountains, and they’ve known each other a little less than five minutes and Reggie Peters might be the loudest, most obnoxious boy that Alex has ever met, and he absolutely has to be Alex’s new best friend. He’s pretty sure that Reggie Peters is his new favorite person in the world.

“What’s your favorite color?” he asks, and maybe it’s a test, but Reggie doesn’t have to know that.

“Red!” Reggie answers quickly, and with conviction. Alex nods. They don’t have the same favorite color, though Alex rarely does have the same favorite color as other boys. “What’s yours?” he asks, and Alex purses his lips. Now for the actual test of Reggie Peters. Is he like other boys? Or could he stand the first test of Alex’s general weirdness?

“Pink,” he says, quiet and shy, and he doesn’t look directly at Reggie when he says it, instead looking at the trees and wishing he was climbing one right now. He’s surprised when Reggie bumps their shoulders, a little rough but much gentler than other boys would be with Alex Mercer, weirdo extraordinaire.

“Pink is cool. I like pink flowers, the little ones that my grandma grows, beg- beg. Hm. Begonias,” Reggie says, stuttering over his words again like he did the other time, and Alex wonders how many words he keeps in his head that he trips over them even just talking. Reggie must be really smart. Alex looks around and realizes, suddenly, that they’re not really in the park anymore, that they’ve wandered further than the park’s little area of trees and toward the beach. That’s okay, he thinks. He doesn’t know where Tennessee is (he knows that it’s a state, or he’s pretty sure anyway, because it’s one of the longer ones and that’s easier to remember), but a lot of states don’t have oceans, and oceans are pretty cool, in his opinion. Reggie will like the ocean. He takes Reggie’s hand.

“Come see this.” He guides Reggie toward the sound of the ocean like he has any idea where they’re going, like he’s ever been in this area of the neighborhood, and he forgets to be scared when Reggie laces their fingers together. It’s time to show Reggie a little bit of the ocean, and that means walking through a few more trees, and then some underbrush, and Reggie chatters about ferns when he picks leaves off of a plant and passes them to Alex delicately, his smile still confidently in place. It strikes Alex suddenly that Reggie Peters is probably also very weird. It makes Alex want to squeeze his hand and show him the ocean and be his best friend and keep him forever, and so that’s what he plans to do. They’re nearly to the beach when Reggie scares him deeply.

“Woah, what’s that?! Lex, we gotta check it out,” Reggie says, and he uses their joined hands and Alex’s distraction to drag Alex along with him. When they stop walking, Alex finds himself standing on the land end of a half-broken, seemingly long abandoned dock, plants grown over enough of it to hide it from most plain sight. There’s about ten feet of dock left standing solidly in the water, looking like something out of a photograph before it gets to the broken, cracked off part. If Alex were to guess, he would suppose that an earthquake or a storm broke it. Immediately and without any regard or hesitation, Reggie makes to walk further down the dock.

“Reggie! What if it’s not safe?” Alex asks, fear ratcheting up through his chest. Reggie squeezes his hand exactly like Alex wanted to do just a second ago.

“We won’t know until we try. Come on,” he says, and it’s enough to make Alex come with him despite himself and every better instinct his mother has ever tried to instill in him. Together, hand in hand, they walk down the dock and test it out, though Alex keeps his firm grip on Reggie’s hand to make the other boy go slower than he originally intends. When they get to the very end, the dock is still safe. And the ocean is beautiful. The waves lap gently against the end of the dock and Reggie leans down to dip his hand into the salty water, coaxing Alex to lean down with him without even trying to, until they’re both dipping their hands into the Pacific with the hands that aren’t linked to each other.

And so, at six years old, and for a long, long time thereafter, the hidden, broken dock behind the neighborhood park becomes the secret place of one Reginald Peters and one Alexander Mercer.

September of 1989.

Not many people ask Reggie how things are going, but if one were to ask an eleven (nearly twelve!) year old Reginald Peters his opinion, he would say that things are awesome. Ever since Alex started drums during the summer, he’d been begging his parents to let him try out guitar (he was gonna try drums too, but Alex convinced him that guitar or something would be more productive, so that they could play together rather than playing the same thing, which made a lot more sense, but Alex is really smart, so), and when school started, they finally agreed! He knows that it’s because they finally realized that he’s actually in the smart classes this year- surprising, according to everyone who has to listen to him talk- and they want him to keep it up. If they had read any of the letters from the school at the beginning of the summer, they would have known, but… well… they didn’t. And they never do. And they probably never will. And that’s okay.

Things are going awesome! Elliot just started high school, so he thinks he’s too cool for anybody and everybody, so he’s not around as much, but who needs an older brother, really? He has Alex, and they’ve got Luke now! Reggie likes Luke a lot- he watches Star Wars, he plays the guitar, he’s funny, and he always goes along with Reggie’s impulsive ideas, and has impulsive ideas of his own to reflect right back. Best of all, Luke likes Alex just as much as he likes Reggie, which has been a deal breaker in the past with a few fair-weather friends that he and Alex had made in the past; you can’t just have one of them without the other. Luke might be the best thing about middle school so far.

He met Luke Patterson in guitar lessons, and the three of them are gonna form a band and everything is going to be great, and things are going awesome, and he has no idea why Alex is in such a bad mood, honestly. It’s a problem for a multitude of reasons. The primary reason, of course, is that Alex is obviously upset (Alex can pretend that he isn’t all he wants, Reggie knows Alex Mercerology, practically invented the study), and then the secondary problem is that if Alex is upset, Reggie is obviously upset because he can’t imagine a world where Alex is unhappy and he’s somehow perfectly happy. That world just doesn’t exist. It’s like a world where he doesn’t like Star Wars. Come on! It’s just not likely.

Because he’s the reigning expert on Alex Mercerology, truly the only professor of it, because neither of Alex’s sisters can claim this throne, Reggie knows that Alex isn’t going to talk about anything emotional with anyone else around. They don’t do the bro thing that other guys do where they get all closed off and gross, they never have, but Alex is a little bit more reserved around others than he is around Reggie. Their openness around each other is probably part of the reason why it’s always been so hard for them to get other friends, but if the alternative was to give that up, Reggie would take Alex any day. He made a commitment at six years old, and he’ll stick to it for the rest of forever, thank you very much. Anxious mess of a best friend and all. He sits Alex down on their dock and kicks his feet in the water, holding Alex’s hand like they always do.

“Talk to me, Lexi,” he says, an opener as good as any, given that he knows that he’s going to have to wheedle Alex either way. Alex looks at him sharply.

“About what, Peters?” the other boy asks, his tone harder than it usually gets in Reggie’s direction if they’re not fighting, and Reggie doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t even know what they’d be fighting about right now. Everything is supposed to be going great. He can’t help the way that his expression dips into a frown, his brows furrowing.

“You’re bein’ all mean and stuff. What’s up, Lex? You’re my best friend. Talk to me,” he repeats. He’s confused when Alex snorts.

“Am I your best friend? You’ve been pretty cozy with Luke lately,” Alex says, and Reggie straightens his spine. Pardon?

“Pardon?” he asks aloud, echoing his own thoughts, and he continues, “Alex, what are you talking about?” The hurt that laces through his voice, the way that he sounds like his mother, he hates how he sounds. He can’t decide between looking at Alex and looking at the sea. He looks at Alex. Alex looks away, his lips pursed.

“Ever since you and Luke met, you’ve been really buddy-buddy with the guy. You’ve hung out with him a lot. You let him convince you to try out the bass. He eats lunch with us. It’s… you’re my favorite person in the world, Reg. You’re my best friend. I don’t… I can’t. Do you like him better than me?” Alex asks, blurting the question out at the last second, almost like it’s an accident to ask at all. It feels like Alex reached into Reggie’s chest and shattered something essential, like he shook up Reggie’s bones and made a bone salad.

“First of all,” Reggie starts, and he hates the way his voice sounds, because he always sounds so stupid when he’s hurt, “you were both at the table when we were talking about me playing bass, and I thought you wanted that too, because, you know, drums and bass, they go together, and guitar and drums and bass, that’s a band, and we’re supposed to make a band, Lexi, that’s what we said-”

“I know what we said, Reginald, that’s not what this is about-” Alex interrupts him and Reggie can’t take it. Not right now.

“Alex!” he interrupts back, and he never does that, and Alex finally looks at him. He looks up from their still-clasped hands and sees Reggie’s hand yanking through his hair (Reggie doesn’t know when that started happening), and the tears at the corners of Reggie’s eyes (he doesn’t know when that started happening either), and the corners of his mouth turn down from their already downturned, collected sneer and he gathers Reggie up in his arms, hugging him for all he’s worth. Reggie, for all that he always does, sinks into the affection, buries his nose into Alex’s collarbone and smells the detergent that Alex’s mom uses mixes with Alex’s sweat and all of the other comforting smells of Reggie’s best friend, Reggie’s person, and he wonders how badly he’s messed up that Alex Mercer thinks that Reggie doesn’t want to live in this moment for the rest of his life.

“It’s okay, Reg. I’m sorry for getting mad. I’m sorry,” Alex soothes, smoothing his hand up and down Reggie’s back, and Reggie makes a noise of protest.

“I’m sorry I made you think that I don’t- that you’re not important. You’re the most important. We’re a family, Ali. I love Lu, I do, but part of the reason why I love Lu is because you like him too, and because he likes you. I can’t be friends with anybody who doesn’t like Alex Mercer. We’re a package deal,” he says, squeezing Alex’s waist and nuzzling further against Alex’s neck. They’re a family. Reggie’s parents might not be the best, and Elliot might not want to be around him anymore, and people at school might not like him, but Alex Mercer has always loved him larger than life, and that is dependable. Alex squeezes him back around the shoulders, and Reggie thinks he feels a kiss on the top of his head.

“We’re a package deal, Reg.”

December of 1992.

“You’ve gotta talk to Reggie, dude,” Luke says, parking his ass directly on top of Alex’s floor tom, though thankfully he’s just balancing on it this time, and not actually putting his ass through it like that one time. Their moms had been so fucking mad. He’s uncomfortably close to Alex’s person this way, but he usually is, given that that’s just Luke’s thing (as if it isn’t also Reggie’s thing, but listen Alex has just had his entire life to get used to Reggie’s things, it’s not like he still gets butterflies when Reggie grabs his hand, or dances with him, or lays on him; that would be absurd!). Anyway. So totally not the point.

“What do I need to talk to Reginald about?” Over the three years or so that he and Reggie have been friends with Luke, it’s fallen to him to manage Reggie and probably fallen to Reggie to manage him in a lot of ways. Luke has been picking up a few things here and there, but when behavior issues come out of the woodwork… turns out knowing someone since he was six years old really seems to do the trick. Since they’ve started high school, he has noticed some… weird things going on with Reggie, but he figured that he would settle things out himself. However, if Luke has noticed? Luke’s not dumb, none of them are dumb (Alex has decked people for saying less about Reggie and Luke, befriended Bobby for decking people for saying that about Reggie and Luke), but Luke isn’t always the most observant, so.

“He’s being a bitch to Bobbers and Bobinald won’t talk to anybody about it because he figures that that’s either just Reggie’s typical behavior or just what happens when people join the group, but you and I both know that Reggie is nicer than both of us combined so something has to be going on. I’ve tried to get it out of him, but he just shuts down on me when I try. It’s gotta be you,” Luke explains, his lips pursed. He hates it when one of them shuts him out, hates being the odd man out, but what can they do? For nearly six years, all they had was each other. For nearly six years, no one else would even talk to Alex Mercer and Reggie Peters, the weird kids from down by the beach. For nearly six years, all Alex had was a little brunet boy and his big smile and all of their combined attitude problems, so yeah, sometimes, they’re the only people in the world who know how to fix each other. It is what it is. He has to make a joke to break any tension in the room.

“Reginald Peters? A bitch? Language, Lucas!” For all that it’s just to break the tension, it’s also that Alex can’t resist commenting on it, he’s just a bitch that way. Luke rolls his eyes like he always does.

“You’re six months older than me, Alexander, I swear to fucking God. I can’t help that I’m still fourteen!” Luke grabs his songbook and heads out of the studio, huffing as he goes. Alex can’t help grinning after him. He’s so cute. Oh no. Nope. Don’t have time to unpack all of that. Better throw out the whole suitcase. Bigger fish to fry.

Reggie is home this afternoon, something about doing homework, but that has to be bogus and Reggie’s mom has always loved Alex, so if he’s the one to grab him, it’ll be fine. The walk from Bobby’s neighborhood to Luke’s neighborhood to Reggie and Alex’s neighborhood (because you can’t get to the last without going through the intermediary) isn’t awful, but Alex jogs it anyway. If something is wrong with Reggie, he has to take care of it. That’s his… they take care of each other. When things get out of hand in his head, Reggie helps him manage it, as best as he can. He spouts off whatever facts he can to keep Alex in the moment, tells him about pink begonias that bloom in June, or nocturnal flying foxes, and how someday, once they’re done being rockstars, maybe one day he wants to work with animals.

He thinks maybe he knows more about animals than he ever would have known without Reggie Peters, but the idea of without Reggie Peters once made him read an entire animal encyclopedia, so maybe not.

He’s sweating slightly in his pink hoodie by the time he gets to the Peters house, but Reggie’s mom still smiles when she sees him, which is more than Luke gets when he gets there, usually. It’s probably because he put a hole in their wall once, wrestling with Reggie and Elliot, but that’s none of Alex’s business. He’s a petty bitch who doesn’t make contact with Elliot unless absolutely necessary.

“Hey Mrs. Peters. Is Reggie around? Would it be okay if I borrowed him for a few hours?” he asks, flashing his most charming, adult-attention-grabbing smile, and Mrs. Peters opens the door for him at once.

“He’s in his room doing math homework. He’s all yours as soon as he’s done,” she says, and Alex knows damn well that that’s a lie. Reggie never has math homework. He always does it in class. It’s the one class you can always finish the work there, Ali, he can practically hear Reggie saying that to him, but he just nods at Reggie’s mom and follows the familiar path to Reggie’s room (only semi-familiar, because neither of them really use the door as much as each other’s windows, typically, but well). Alex’ll take his hoodie off and eat it if he finds Reggie doing calculus of all things. Reggie’s mom doesn’t bother to follow him past the entryway, but frankly, he’s surprised she answered the door, or that she was sober enough to hear him knock, really. They don’t talk about how much he doesn’t like Reggie’s parents. They don’t talk about how much he knows about them, either. They don’t talk about a lot of things. He just pushes open Reggie’s door when he gets there, not bothering to knock.

“Mom, I’m doing home- you’re not my mom. Hey Ali,” Reggie says, looking up halfway through speaking and immediately looking cagey. It’s understandable why; Reggie’s parents wouldn’t recognize it right away, but the notebook in his hands isn’t for homework. It’s his songwriting journal, which definitely keeps Alex from eating his hoodie. Score one for Alex. He breathes out through his nose.

“I’m not your mom and that’s not calculus. So, why are you pretending to do homework in your room instead of hanging out with us, dude? What’s the problem?” he asks, his voice on the careful edge between casually cavalier and gentle. If he gets too cavalier, Reggie will think that he’s only asking out of a sense of propriety. He knows how Reggie gets into his own head. If he gets too gentle, Reggie will clamp down even further, thinking that he’s being babied. In any case, Reggie looks back down.

“There isn’t a problem,” he insists. Alex resists the urge to snort, barely.

“I’ve known you your entire life. Try again,” he says, voice still carefully even. Reggie’s eyes are still on the floor. Alex doesn’t like it one bit.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” his best friend says, quiet and awful, and it’s heartbreaking in its own tiny way. Like glass in Alex’s chest. Fuck.

“Reg. Please?” Reggie’s expression twists.

“Then… not here? Can we go somewhere?”

“Our spot?”

“Yeah.”

Despite insisting that Reggie would have to finish his homework before leaving, Reggie’s mom doesn’t even try to catch them before they go; Alex doesn’t even see her. The walk is quiet, near silent without Reggie’s usual chatter, and it’s Alex who takes Reggie’s hand rather than the other way around when they get past the treeline. He laces their fingers together and squeezes Reggie’s hand immediately, his thumb running over whatever parts of Reggie’s hand that he can reach. They’ve held hands since they were six, nine years now, and he doesn’t plan on giving it up. No one is going to make him give it up. They’re a package deal. Reggie Peters is his person, and that’s forever. Reggie curls around his hand as they walk, his entire body listing toward Alex’s, and if it wouldn’t be weird, Alex might offer to carry him.

But that would be weird, right? That would most definitely be weird.

“Alright, Peters. Talk to me,” he says when they get to the dock, sitting down cross-legged in the center rather than letting his legs hang over the edge like they do in the spring and summer, and sometimes in the fall as well. Reggie goes to sit across from him, facing him, but Alex resituates, uncrossing his legs and pulling Reggie to sit back between them, which Reggie settles into with familiar ease. Sitting up like this without something to lean against will make Alex’s back hurt after a while, but he doesn’t care. He knows that Reggie feels better when they’re closer. He wraps his arms around Reggie’s chest and hooks his chin over Reggie’s shoulder for good measure.

“Do you remember… when Luke became our friend?” Reggie asks, and Alex feels it vibrate through his chest, and he has to focus on the words because he cannot focus on that. He hums.

“Yeah, I remember. What about it?” Alex can’t help but feel embarrassed about that entire era in his life, no matter how much Reggie assures him that it was just a time in their lives (even if Reggie does reserve the right to make fun of him about it occasionally, though never in front of Luke).

“When you… got jealous. I’m feeling that. And I need. Ali, I need. I don’t know. You’re still my favorite person in the world, and I love Luke, and I like Bobby and he’s our friend, but every time you guys are talking, I can’t help it, I get worried about you liking him more than me and not being your favorite person anymore, and it’s not healthy, and I don’t know what I’m doing,” Reggie rambles, and Alex is probably hugging Reggie’s person a little harder than a person should be hugged, but fuck. If this is how Reggie felt during that conversation, he’s sorry. He’s so, so sorry. God, they’re codependent. They probably need so much therapy, but the only kind of therapy his parents would ever send him to is-

“Reg, you are still my favorite person. My best friend. The only person I can think about when I’m calming down, the only person I can think about when I want to feel safe, you’re my safe place, this is my safe place, here with you, this place where we’re probably one wrong step away from getting drenched in the ocean, and we’re probably trespassing, but it’s ours, so I don’t really care. I feel safe here because it’s ours. I’m scared all of the goddamn time, but you make me feel safe, Reggie Peters. How can you- how can you think you’re not my favorite person when you’re the only person I can imagine coming out to? The only person I can imagine feeling safe enough to say those words to?” Alex asks, and he doesn’t mean to say that, but the words come out anyway, unbidden, stuttered out and just there, and he doesn’t know what to do.

Did he just come out to Reggie? As a part of a rant meant to reassure Reggie? Did he just-

Oh God. Reggie is climbing out of his lap and he’s never gonna sit in Alex’s lap again and he’s gonna hate him and he’s never gonna trust him again and he-

Reggie turns around and climbs into Alex’s lap facing him, arms around his neck and hugging him, forcing Alex’s arms back around his waist to catch him.

“Thank you for telling me, and I love you, and I’m probably not straight either and we’re gonna be okay, Lex, I promise,” Reggie says, and he’s spilling into Alex’s lap and over him and Alex has to hold onto him to hold him in. It takes him a second to catch up to what Reggie said, too, and then he has to think about it for a second because- even in this- this- this thing that he thought was awful for so long, even in this, Reggie doesn’t let him go alone. His arms around Reggie’s waist grow tighter and he’s probably crying but he doesn’t care, because Reggie Peters is the most important person in his life and he’s gay, and Reggie doesn’t care in the best way possible, Reggie still loves him, and it’s the first time he’s ever- holy God. Holy God, he loves Reggie so much.

For this moment, he pretends that all of his love for Reggie Peters looks like friendship. They’re a package deal. A matched set. And he can’t afford to do anything to fuck that up.

July of 1993.

He likes Bobby’s bed more than he likes his own, which might say something about the state of his homelife, but Reggie doesn’t like to analyze things like that. He’s more for shoving things like that to the side and putting everything into the music instead, or just hanging out with his boys and pretending everything is okay that way. That’s cool too. He and Lu are kinda similar that way; Ali and Bobbers are the ones who are gonna make them take it apart and look at the reasons for their concerns, unless those concerns happen to do with Alexander and Robert’s own emotions. If that happens to be the case, well then, those can certainly be ignored, according to their resident Virgo and Scorpio. Honestly, Reggie doesn’t know how they function. A Virgo (Alex), a Libra (him), a Scorpio (Bobby), and a Pisces (Luke) walk into a band, and somehow it stays together.

Anyway, he likes to lay in Bobby’s bed pretty much as often as possible. It’s comfortable! Bobby has one, two, three- eight pillows, and still has three pretty large stuffed animals, and two heavy blankets, and stuff over the windows because he gets bad headaches, so it’s like a really comfy cave. He feels like a cave-dwelling lizard. It’s awesome. Until Bobby eventually discovers him burrowing in his bed, of course, and extracts him to come down to the studio for band practice, because he’s a party pooper who poops on parties.

“Practice is cancelled, I can’t deal with whatever is going on with Alex, dude. He keeps being twitchy and bitchy, and I’ve tried to help with his breathing and shit, but he won’t let me in. Far as I’m concerned, that’s your demon,” Bobby says, scowl present on his face and marring his features. Reggie can’t help the way that he recoils, but he tries to keep his footing anyway. His friends are not his parents. They’re his family. They consider him an equal, and they love him. They’ve pressed this into his skin enough for him to know this.

“Hey! He’s not-” He doesn’t get halfway through his response before Bobby folds.

“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. He’s just- stressing me out. Haven’t had a cigarette in four days, you know,” the other boy says, sideways and apologetic smile pulling Reggie back in. Reggie smiles back, nodding.

“I’ll take care of Ali. And I’m really proud of you, Bobbins. Keep it up, I’ll take you out for ice cream, I swear,” he promises, his smile becoming more genuine. Bobby huffs out a laugh.

“Take me out for ice cream with all two dollars in your wallet?”

“What can I say? You better be a cheap date.” Bobby’s eyes roll so hard it might just hurt.

“Go take care of your actual boyfriend, Peters. I’ll see you tomorrow.” It’s a joke that Bobby has made before, and yet one still that Reggie always takes the time to deny. He doesn’t ever want it getting back to Alex; they’ve both come out to Bobby and Luke at this point, and the other two boys have come out in return (at which point all four of them had laughed over the overwhelming worry they had experienced beforehand), but Alex is still sensitive about being teased about it.

“Not my boyfriend, Bobbers. Love you bunches,” he reminds Bobby. Bobby rolls his eyes again, but Reggie catches his blush.

“Yeah, yeah. Love you more,” Bobby says back, and Reggie grins, waving as he leaves Bobby’s room through the window. He doesn’t have to- Bobby’s parents are never home, probably haven’t been home since they got out of school in the beginning of June- but it’s faster, and it’s kinda thrilling. He skips to the studio (because he’s fuckin’ whimsical), and finds Alex pointedly looking at his drum set, though not playing, as Luke lays shirtless on the couch, not doing much of anything.

“Get hot, Lu?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. Luke grins up at him.

“Come on, babe, you know I’m always hot.” He should have been able to predict that level of flirtation coming out of Luke’s mouth, but he always forgets.

“You’re a menace. I’m grabbing Alex- Bobby says he’s not feelin’ up to practicing today. I’m worried he might be gettin’ one of his headaches or coming down with somethin’, if you wanna go check on him,” he says, which might be something of a lie, but Luke jumps up immediately, and blessedly puts back on his shirt, so at least there’s that. Alex gets up from the drum set without any argument, falling into step with Reggie as soon as he can. Even when he’s in a weird, shitty mood, they still go together. They’re still them. It assuages some of the tight feeling in Reggie’s chest, the one that never goes away when Alex is in a weird place, like the symbiosis of their bond won’t allow him to exist in relative peace if Alex isn’t okay. He’s okay with that, really. He doesn’t want to be okay if Alex isn’t.

Don’t have time to unpack all of that. Better throw out the whole suitcase.

He chatters inanely about his own classes, which are somewhat different from Alex’s; he takes more sciences and maths while Alex’s course load involves chorus and another music class, and musical theory. Those classes sound interesting, but Reggie’s parents would never in a million years let him take anything like that. He’ll be lucky when they let him take the art class that’s required to graduate. He likes science, though, and math isn’t awful. Calculus is pretty interesting once you get into it! The boys groan whenever he says stuff like that, but when they’re alone, Alex lets him talk about math theory for as long as he wants, even when he sounds weird and he knows he isn’t making as much sense anymore because he’s talking about universal theories and how they intersect with math, but Ali always tells him to keep going and-

It’s nice, you know? To be listened to. It’s nice.

He walks Alex past his own house and takes a turn before Alex’s house, guiding them past the park and toward the dock when Alex stops him with a hand on his wrist.

“Do you need to talk about something?” Alex asks, raising an eyebrow. Reggie uses Alex’s loose grip to make it so that they’re holding hands instead, making sure that they’re far enough into the trees that it won’t freak Alex out.

“I think you do, buddy. Come on,” he replies, and Alex digs his heels into the ground for a second, obviously not thinking he needs to discuss anything, but Reggie can be just as stubborn as Alex is when he needs to be, so he squeezes Alex’s hand, pulling him along. He only has to pull him for a second or two before Alex acquiesces, slumping onto Reggie for a second and startling a giggle out of him. “Come on, you mess,” he repeats, pulling the boy off of his shoulder and making him walk for himself fully. God, he loves this boy.

“I don’t know what you think I need to talk about,” Alex says before they even get to the dock, breaking their earlier moratorium on discussion of private events outside of the dock. Reggie waits until his feet hit wood to respond.

“You’ve been acting weird lately. Some would call it bitchy, but you’re my best friend, so I would call it… bitchy,” Reggie says, unable to make himself look Alex in the face when he’s talking about something that might… well it won’t make Alex happy, if you catch his drift. He’s not so good at the angry part. His dad… it’s not important. It’s not about him. This is about Alex. This is about standing on the dock with their hands still held together and waiting for Alex to get mad at him and not getting panicked about it, because it’s just Alex, at the end of the day. Even if Alex is angry with him, even if he deserves it, Alex has never hit him. Alex has never even yelled at him, not really.

“I’ve not been acting-”

“Alex,” Reggie says, makes himself say, because Bobby asked him to do this. Bobby and Luke always ask him to do this, whenever Alex gets too keyed up and his anxiety makes him mean, and maybe Bobby and Luke always ask Alex to reign him in too, he doesn’t know, they always end up here. Their place. The dock. Sometimes, they come just to hang out, just the two of them (they’ve never brought anyone else here, it’s just for them), but usually it’s for things like this. Alex folds.

“I think I- IhaveacrushonLuke,” Alex rushes out, nearly incomprehensible, but Reggie understands, his years in the study of Alex Mercerology never going unused, and certainly not in this moment. He looks up at Alex and is nearly rocked off of his feet by how scared Alex looks, is nearly taken out by how scared he is, how much he loves Alex and how he wishes- don’t go there. Okay, so Alex has a crush on Luke. We can work with that, he tells himself, because he and Alex are a team. They work together on things. Anything Alex Mercer is anxious about, they figure out together. He’s broken down enough anxiety attacks into statistical probability to be able to handle a crush on a teenage boy, he can handle- he can handle this. No matter how much it- don’t go there. Everything is fine.

“Alright. What’s freaking you out?” Reggie asks, his voice much more level than he’s feeling, carefully curious. Alex looks at him like he’s certifiably insane.

“You- I- he’s our best friend! He’s our bandmate! He’s literally the guy who made the rule about dating inside the band! And he’s Luke! He flirts with everyone and literally everyone flirts back, because he’s gorgeous and how the fuck am I supposed to compete with literally every human person in the world, Reg, I’m not- I’m just-” and Reggie knows not.

“Pump the breaks, Mercer,” he interrupts, “because I know you’re not about to disparage my totally hot best friend, Alexander Mercer, who could totally bag Luke Patterson, if that is what he so desires. You’re hot, and you’re mad fucking talented and you’re smart and you’re incredible, and you can do and anything you want and bang anyone you want because you’re Alex fucking Mercer, and that’s that on that. Anybody would be absolutely fucking blessed to have you.” He taps on Alex’s chest with the hand that’s not holding Alex’s own, just for good measure. Alex is his best fucking friend. He’s not gonna let anybody talk shit about the guy, least of all Alex himself. Alex catches that hand too and holds it to himself.

“You’re so weird, and I love you,” he says simply, and Reggie grins.

“I love you too, man,” he replies, his hand splayed flat on Alex’s chest, and he can feel the other boy’s still racing heart. He doesn’t think about his own. He doesn’t take his hand back either.

“But what do I do if he does like me? Like I know you probably have a million counter arguments for why I’m awesome and Luke’s awesome and things aren’t gonna go horribly, so I’m not gonna cover what if things go wrong? side A of the tape, but on side B, what if things go right?, like, Reg, what do you even do if someone likes you back? I don’t know how to date someone! I know how to hold a hand and how to cuddle, you made damn sure of that, you little rat bastard, but I have no idea- how do you go on a date? I’ve never kissed anyone! What if he expects me to kiss him? What if any boy that I date expects me to kiss him? I don’t know how kissing works! How do people do this? How do- please interrupt me, I don’t know where I’m going with this,” Alex sputters out, breathing hard by the time he gets to the end of his tangent, and Reggie keeps his hand on Alex’s chest, still flat, and uses it to guide Lex through breathing with him before he talks.

“First of all, kissing is not something anybody should expect from you, and if anybody ever makes you feel like they expect you to do anything you don’t wanna do, even and maybe especially Luke, let me know and I’ll punch their lights out,” Reggie begins, because that’s mega important and he should begin with the mega important stuff, especially if it’s gonna make Alex smile like it immediately does.

“I want to kiss someone, Reg, I’m just… I’m not scared. I just don’t want to be bad at it because I’ve never done it before,” Alex says, clearly and boldly lying about not being scared, but it’s a good effort. That’s when Reggie gets an idea. It’s probably a bad idea, because a lot of ideas that he gets on his own are, well, bad, but, well, Alex is here, so if it’s a bad idea, usually Alex can stop him from his bad ideas before they can get out of hand.

“What if you had done it before?” he proposes, looking up at Alex and trying, his own heart absolutely racing, to ignore how Alex’s heartbeat picks up.

“What do you mean, Reg?” Alex asks, though he thinks the other boy knows, because his voice is so soft that it sounds like it could break beneath the waves on the shore. Reggie gives him a smile just as soft, humor just barely creeping in at the edges.

“You’re comfortable holding hands and cuddling because of yours truly, Lexi, what’s trying out one more thing?” he asks in return, his own voice so much softer than he means as well, and maybe this is less of a joke than he means, but this isn’t about him. He won’t mention that this is his first kiss too, because he’s never talked about that; he flirts just as much as Luke does, talks to girls and boys at gigs just as much as Bobby does, no one ever questions what he does when he goes off with someone at a party. It doesn’t matter that all he does is let girls do his makeup and paint his nails, because no one ever asks. What’s more perfect than Reggie Peters and Alex Mercer having their first kiss together?

“You would do that? You would kiss me?” Alex asks, and it brings Reggie back out of his head. He’s almost offended that Alex has to ask.

“Dude, of course! Did you not hear my little speech earlier? I can give you a reprise. Alex Mercer is an absolute ten and anybody with eyes would absolutely-” He’s cut off by Alex’s hand slamming over his mouth roughly enough that he can feel it in his teeth a little. It’s not bad enough that it hurts, but Reggie is still pouting when Alex pulls his hand away, not least of all because Alex unlinked their hands. He takes the stolen hand back in his.

“You’re as much of a menace as Luke,” Alex says, rolling his eyes fondly. Reggie’s pout slips easily into a grin.

“Yeah, probably, but I’m adorable and you love me, so… can I kiss you?” he asks, because he’s already swung out and proposed it, might as well actually ask. He’s half-surprised when he gets a nod, but the hand on Alex’s chest slips to cup Alex’s jaw anyway, natural as you please. He looks up into Alex’s eyes for one last confirmation, suddenly and absolutely nervous as he could possibly be, but Alex just smiles at him, leaning down the last little bit necessary to connect their mouths, and in the next moment, Reggie feels completely different.

He’s had thoughts about Alex’s mouth over the years, okay? He’s a healthy teenage boy, and he has a hot best friend, and they’ve been best friends his entire life, and he’s not a monk. He knows what he’s working with here. Alex’s mouth is soft and pretty and Alex leans down to kiss him and moves his lips carefully at first, but then, as he gains confidence, he grows more intense as well. Alex’s free hand moves to cup Reggie’s jaw, tilting his head as he pleases, and Reggie’s face has never felt more delicate than this moment. He’s never felt more cared for than this moment, and yet he’s never felt more set alight. He’s never felt more absolutely right than in this moment, in this exact space, kissing Alexander Mercer on the dock that the two of them discovered as children, in this secret place they chose together.

Alex just told him that he has a crush on Luke, and Reggie might very well be in love with the best friend he’s ever had. For this moment, for the only one he may ever get, he presses closer to Alex and he kisses him for longer, holds him closer, and tries his damnedest not to cry. For all that Alex has loved him more than anyone ever has, he won’t ruin this moment of his own making. He asked for this. He might as well do what he can with it. He lets Alex pull away after maybe a minute, probably far too long for a first kiss, but Reggie wouldn’t really know anyway.

“Wow, um. Okay. I definitely like kissing as much as I thought I would,” Alex says as he rests their foreheads together, laughter tinting his words. Reggie smiles. He lets his heart crack in his chest.

“I’m sure you’ll knock him dead, Lexi. You did great.”

August of 1993.

“Don’t take this the wrong way but… I miss Bobby. And Reg, but. I miss Bobby,” Luke says, his voice slightly muffled against Alex’s shoulder. Alex snorts, but contemplates it.

“We saw him an hour ago, but I think I know what you mean,” he replies, thinking about Reggie. And isn’t that the problem?

“Just, like, how they leave us alone all the time? I don’t really dig it,” Luke continues, sounding put out as he picks his head up to look at Alex well enough to pout at him. He receives nothing but a raised eyebrow for his troubles.

“You realize that you’re literally in my lap right now, right? That’s something that you’re aware of? It’s important to me that you know that,” Alex says, looking down at where Luke is, in fact, straddling his lap, though it’s not like they’re really doing anything right now. Luke, like Reggie, just happens to be particularly tactile, and has told Alex that he likes to be held, so Alex takes the opportunity to do so whenever he can. And, the kissing is nice. He actively doesn’t compare it to that one time, because he loves kissing Luke, and he loves Luke, but-

And isn’t that the fucking problem?

You get kissed by your best friend in the fucking world one fucking time and now you think you’re- well. He and Luke are in a relationship. They’re happy. It’s just like when they were friends, except now they kiss sometimes! It’s great. Alex is probably the second most observant member of the band (used to be the most observant member, but Bobby goddamn Wilson just notices things, like some kind of wizard), so he’s noticed that Reggie has kind of… pulled back a little, since he and Luke started dating. Bobby has too, in his own way, but it’s more noticeable to him that Reggie has, because of the way that he and Reg have always been. They’ve always been attached at the hip and the shoulder and the everywhere else, so he just doesn’t know what to do now that Reggie is acting like they aren’t. It’s not his fault. It’s making him want weird things. He wants to- God.

He wants to hold Reggie’s stupid hand, and he wants Reggie to sit in his stupid lap, and he wants to run his fingers through Reggie’s stupid hair, and kiss Reggie’s stupid, pouty mouth, and he has no idea what to fucking do with that last impulse because he has a fucking boyfriend and Reggie helped him get that boyfriend because he’s the best fucking friend in the world and Luke is a good friend and a good boyfriend and Alex is a bad fucking person. He numbs out all of his negative thoughts against Luke’s mouth and Luke is more than happy to let him, because Luke has no idea. And he won’t.

That feeling lasts until their next gig, because that’s when the bubble pops. It’s just a studio gig where they invite a bunch of people they know to come listen to them play, so it’s not like it’s a huge amount of stress, but after they’re done playing is more the problem. Reggie is hanging off of Bobby like it’s the only place he wants to be, and he’s flirting with girls and boys and anybody who will listen, and Alex feels like he’s going to snap one of his drumsticks in his hand like a pencil, which is pretty much impossible, and yet. He should be talking to some of the people who were invited by their extended friends, network with the people they don’t know, but he’s not in the right headspace for it; if anything, he’d drive them away. He doesn’t even notice Luke’s eyes on him until people are starting to leave, Alex himself having only talked to a few people, mostly having stared at Reggie and Bobby (mostly Reggie) all night.

“We need to talk, dude,” Luke says, balancing on his floor tom and looking endearing like he always does, except that he kinda looks… not quite pissed off, but certainly not happy either. Immediately, an anxious thrumming starts under Alex’s skin.

“What happened? Did I do something? Did someone else do something?” he asks, panic building up in his throat so quickly it nearly hurts to talk. Luke reaches out and takes his hand, but it’s not nearly so calming as- it works. It calms him down a little. It works enough. Luke shakes his head.

“Whenever Reggie is doing his promo flirting thing that he does, you get super jealous and weird about it. You don’t even get jealous about it when I do that stuff. I don’t think we’re working out here, man. I don’t think… are you in love with Reggie? It’s okay if you are. I don’t wanna do this if you are, though. You should talk to him,” Luke explains it all in a jumbled mess, a very Luke-like jumbled mess, and he’s very cute, and Alex wishes very much that he was in love with him. He’s a sweet guy and a goof and a good kisser, and an okay boyfriend too, when he remembers that there’s more to being a boyfriend than songwriting, but he also might be right. Just this once. Can’t let him get a big head about it.

“I’m really sorry, Luke,” he says quietly, dipping his head down. He likes the fact that he and Luke dated, but he wishes he could have had that without either of them getting hurt. Luke gives him a smile.

“It’s okay, buddy. Don’t tell him, but I might have a thing for Bobbins. So much for not dating in the band, right?” he says, his smile flashing fully into a grin. Alex rolls his eyes.

“You made that rule up before the rest of us even came out, dumbass,” he replies, a familiar jeer that puts him back on even ground. Luke shrugs.

“I stand by it. I also stand by the fact that you should talk to Reg. It’s getting a little ridiculous, and I think he might surprise you,” Luke says, and then he stands up off of the floor tom and leaves the studio entirely, presumably to go find Bobby like he usually does after any emotional conversation. Bobby is an emotional void (i.e. he makes everyone else deal with the emotions once he identifies the fact that emotions need to be dealt with), so he’s a good landing place when one needs to be without them. Alex startles when he’s spoken to again.

“Talk to me about what? That’s all I heard, I swear,” Reggie says, coming in as Luke leaves. Alex huffs a laugh at the circumstance alone.

“Luke and I just broke up,” he says, which isn’t what Luke was talking about at all, but it’s important, probably. Reggie looks affronted immediately.

“What? Did he- did you- I would hate to have to do it, but if he hurt your feelings, I can totally beat him up,” Reggie says, and Alex can’t help it. He laughs outright. He laughs because Reggie offered and he laughs because Reggie might actually think he can and he laughs because Reggie might actually think he should and he laughs because he’s the one who might have hurt Luke and he laughs because that sucks and Jesus Christ, what is his damage that that makes him laugh? The laughing might lead to tears or the thinking might lead to tears but either way he starts crying and Reggie comes across the studio in a flash, standing in front of between his stool and his kit, thin body carefully maneuvered to hold him close, to cradle him in and keep him safe.

“We broke up,” he says again, and he can’t get the rest of the words out because Reggie is stroking his hair and holding him for the first time in at least a month, and he’s overwhelmed. Reggie hums.

“I know, Ali, I’m sorry,” Reg says, and he thinks that might be the first time Reggie has called him a stupid nickname in a month too and this is so stupid.

“We broke up because I’m in love with you,” he finally chokes out, and it’s out there, and Reggie’s hand in his hair stops and for a moment, the entire world stops, and Alex swears it’s going to crash down around his ears, he can feel the way that the world is going to end, he can feel the way that his best friend in the world is going to reject him, he knows it’s going to happen. But Reggie’s careful hands pry him away from the boy’s soft stomach and those careful hands cup his face so gently, as if it's made of the precious things, and Reggie wipes away the tears that are still on Alex’s face, and he just looks at Alex for a moment. God, how he fucking looks at him.

“You know, when I said anybody would be lucky to have you, Alex Mercer, anybody included me. I love you… so, so much. Tell me this is real,” Reggie says, his voice breaking, tears welling up in his eyes too, and Alex has to stand up to hold him. He can’t do this without holding Reggie how he’s always held him, and holding Reggie has always meant being taller than him, because no matter how much Reggie has grown, Alex has always outpaced him by an inch or two. He wraps an arm around Reggie’s waist and pulls Reggie flush against him, closer than he’s been in a month’s time, and it feels so good that he can hardly breathe, can hardly focus at all, and he leans down to put their foreheads together gently, just like after they… just like when they kissed.

“This is real, Reg. This is so real that I’m terrified, but I’m not, because it’s you. I’ve loved you my entire life. If there’s one thing I shouldn’t be scared of, it’s loving you, isn’t it?” he asks, the feeling burning through his chest, and the touch of Reggie’s holy fire hands against his skin enough to make him ready to cry again, but he won’t, not now. Reggie leans up, and he leans down, and somewhere, the waves crest against their dock and flick up against the shore, and he kisses Reggie for the first time in two months and it's the best thing that’s ever happened to him all over again. He bites Reggie’s lip and relishes in the noise he makes, chases it with his tongue, follows the sound and does whatever he can to make this beautiful boy make more beautiful noises like it. He holds Reggie’s face in one hand and it’s like holding the entire world, everything beautiful, and he never wants to leave this moment.

Eventually, Reggie pulls away to breathe, and Alex lets him. He doesn’t want to, but, well, needs must. Reggie pecks his nose and smiles at him, so it’s not all bad. A pretty boy is still in his arms and smiling at him, after all.

“Not bad for our first real kiss, huh?” Reggie jokes, and Alex immediately shakes his head. The first kiss, while it wasn’t the confessional that this one was, was real in its own way, raw and unfiltered, and so new that Alex doesn’t know how to describe it. But it was real. He can’t imagine anything with Reggie not being real. Reggie is the most real thing in the universe, maybe. Alex presses a kiss to the side of his head.

“The first one was real too. Everything… everything with you has always been real, Reg. All of it.”

#ralex #it's a 10k fic so i recommend reading on ao3 #reggie peters #alex mercer #bobby shaw #luke patterson #jatp #mine #troped

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kotlc-fanfiction · 1 year

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you were in the darkness too, so I stayed in the darkness with you

Summary: The Solreef family is having a rough night and ends up in pairs comforting each other after a series of nightmares, ending in a proposal that will change their family forever.

My thoughts: 19k words of absolutely gorgeous writing! The parallel scenes work beautifully to create the suspense that both looms over the story and is intertwined with sweet familial moments. Rayni, Linh, Tam, and Wylie are written delightfully well, as are Tiergan and Prentice and their relationship. This fic is the perfect blend of humour, angst, and fluff, all while exploring and expanding upon the characters' canon selves. For any Tiertice or Solreef family enjoyers, this fic is definitely the fic for you.

Cover:

#this fic is so. ahhh. i adore it but i wanted to avoid spoiling what happens so i won't give all my thoughts here #just know that this fic is like. a must-read #ship: tiergan/prentice #character: tiergan alenefar #character: rayni aria #character: wylie endal #character: linh song #character: tam song #character: prentice endal #type: in universe #length: 10k-50k #site: ao3 #queue are booktok recommended

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bellaxisworld · 3 months

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sharing an extensive fic recommendation list, aka my favorite fics. because everyone deserves to read them <3

all fics are completed & posted on AO3. i am not listing tags or warnings, so please take time to look at those on ao3.

(300k+ words)

Crimson Rivers (author: bizarrestars. Explicit, 865,000 words, non-magical hunger games au, jegulus & wolfstar focused, but main influence are the black brothers.)

Meetings That Start In The Dark (author: writingamarie @writingamarie. Explicit, 656,233 words, magical, marauders at hogwarts & the first war, canon-divergence, jegulus & wolfstar focused.)

Choices (author: Messermoon @sophsicle. Explicit, 624,289 words, magical, hogwarts & the first war, canon compliant, jegulus-centric with wolfstar and jily.)

Best Friend's Brother (author: bizarrestars. Mature, 329,740 words, non-magical modern au, estranged black brothers, sort of coffee shop au, platonic moonwater & prongsfoot, accidentally falling in love with your best friend's estranged brother, wolfstar & jegulus.)

Kill Your Darlings (author: MesserMoon @sophsicle. Explicit, 303,777 words, non-magical college & college hockey au, regulus black-centric, jegulus & wolfstar & rosekiller & marylily & dorlene.)

(100k-299k words)

You Signed Up For This (author: Solmussa @solmussa. Explicit, 293,831 words, non-magical modern-au summer holiday, jegulus & wolfstar & dorlene & rosekiller & pandalily.)

A Black Mass Over Highway Ninety (author: greenvlvetcouch @greenvlvetcouch. Explicit, 243,539 words, non-magical road trip au, pining and they're so in love but slow burn, wolfstar-centric, background jily.)

when you were mine (author: sequinhaze @sequinhaze. Mature, 235,676 words, non-magical modern au, regulus black & jegulus focused, exes to lovers/forced proximity, jegulus raising harry, background wolfstar, narcissa & draco, peter.)

Art Heist, Baby! (author: otrtbs @otrtbs. Mature, 219,117 words, non-magical modern art heist au, sort of slow burn, jegulus centric, wolftsar & dorlene & rosekiller, found family.)

Dear Your Holiness (author: MollyMaryMarie @mollymarymarie. Explicit, 142,264 words, non-magical modern au, church&priest, musician&band, pining, wolfstar, background jily and harry and teddy.)

pink lemonade (author: moonysbookshelf. Mature, 121,120 words, non-magical marauders-band au, jegulus-focused, background wolfstar & rosekiller.)

pathological people pleaser (author: rweoutofthewoods @rweoutofthewoods. Explicit, 114,435 words, non-magical modern au, summer holiday & angst, secret relationship, mental illness, james potter-centric, jegulus focused, background wolfstar & rosekiller & friends.)

(10k-100k words)

The Road Not Taken (author: MollyMaryMarie @mollymarymarie. Explicit, 88,278 words, non-magical au, chocolate shop au, fame/musician au, exes to strangers to lovers wolfstar, sort of forced proximity, background jily and peter.)

sweet poison (author: damagecontrol @imdamagecontrol. Explicit, 76,208 words, non-magical modern au, college au, age gap relationship, professor/student relationship, smut, jegulus-centric, background wolftsar.)

lessen my load (author: moonymoment @mayescapade. Teen & Up Audiences, 73,424 words, non-magical modern/college au, wolfstar focused, meet-ugly, background jily & friends.)

'tis the damn season (author: moonymoment @mayescapade. Teen & Up Audiences, 71,805 words, non-magical modern holiday au, remus & sirius as teachers, wolfstar fake dating, based on a taylor swift song.)

Bird Set Free (author: MollyMaryMarie @mollymarymarie. Explicit, 70,984 words, non-magical au, professional ice skating au, sirius coaches remus, wolfstar.)

Le Mange Dieu et le Dèvoreur de Mondes (author: greenvlvetcouch @greenvlvetcouch, ThisLiminalSpace @thisliminalspacedaydreams. Explicit, 63,050 words, hogwarts & magic, slow burn/falling in love jegulus.)

Worst Case Kid (author: rweoutofthewoods @rweoutofthewoods. Explicit, 42,761 words, non-magical modern au, age-gap relationship, pining, regulus black & jegulus focused, getting together & breaking up & getting together, tolerate it fic, based on a taylor swift song-and other songs, background wolfstar & the black brothers.)

contrapasso (author: damagecontrol @imdamagecontrol. Explicit, 41,788 words, non-magical, supernatural & modern au, vampire hunter regulus black, vampire james potter, jegulus focused, background wolfstar & rosekiller, inspired by the divine comedy.)

call me by my name (author: bizarrestars. Mature, 31,470 words, non-magical modern au, transgender regulus black, transitioning, gender euphoria, jegulus & the black brothers.)

let me wrap my teeth around the world (author: moonema. Mature, 27,316 words, magical hogwarts au, canon divergence, regulus & sirius black are vampires, regulus & jegulus-focused, background wolfstar.)

love, stars, & reasons we don't keep in touch (author: moonysbookshelf. Mature, non magical, canon divergence & modern setting, sad sad sad, angst & grief, jegulus.

i fell hard (in your arms tonight) (author: grimjobs @pupmotif. General Audiences, 17,942 words, non-magical modern au, regulus black & jegulus focused, touch-starved reg, the black brothers.)

Wishes on Stars (authors: TherestheSnitch @theresthesnitch, Quietlemonhush. Explicit, 19,319 words, magic & fairytale au(gods & goddesses in a modern setting), growing up together, wolfstar focused.)

Be silent like deep water (author: her_smile_forges_galaxies her-@her-smile-forges-galaxies. General Audiences, 16,736 words, non-magical modern au, coffee shop au, barista & deaf remus lupin, wolfstar-centric, background jegulus.)

I look for you when I'm lost (author: Halftruths. Not Rated, 15,592 words, supernatural/sort of non-magical modern au, vampire regulus/barista james au, getting back together, soulmates au, jegulus.)

entr'acte (author: avorra @avorra. Explicit, 11,620 words, non-magical au, FWB falling in love, references to Ancient Greek Lore, jegulus.)

heart shake (bend and break) (author: mraudersmoon. Teen & Up Audiences, 10,465 words, best friends to lovers, trans & autistic james potter, trans & autistic regulus black, pining, jegulus.)

(less than 10k)

what's it gonna be? (authors: fensense @alarainai. & industrations @industrations. Teen & Up Audiences, 9,060 words, non-magical modern au, chance meeting, love at first sight, wolfstar, background james & lily.)

we should just kiss (like real people do) (author: moonyslovergrl. Not Rated, 7,875 words, magical/hogwarts, pining & love letters, friends to lovers jegulus.)

touch starved (author: introvertedhufflepuff @iliketoreadstuf. Mature, 4,324 words, magical, hogwarts, jegulus fluff & comfort.)

when you saw that dead little bird (you started crying) (author: calamitoustide @calamitoustide. Mature, 4,315 words, The First War, based on a Phoebe Bridgers song, angst & morally grey jegulus.)

cherry blossom (author: fensense @alarainai. Teen & Up Audiences, 3,736 words, non-magical, modern au, speed run enemies to lovers, neighbors, short & sweet, jegulus.)

if anything here is incorrect, please let me know! i included the tumblrs of the authors that i could find, but please tag the others if you know them! happy reading <3

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bergandysam · 1 year

Text

BTS Fic Recs pt 2

purely because i am trying to keep track of what i have read and want to read in the future lol.

‼️18+ minors DNI, if you choose to anyways, PLEASE be careful. try to heed our warnings, we have them for a reason‼️

teachers pet 8 JK

reflection RM to read

on the borderline JM to read

aim for the heart JK to read

lost and found JM to read

yet to come JK to read

in motion 09 JK

a fine line 12 RM

raise the barre 09 JM im not ready for 3 chapters of angst

last for life 03 JM

flip and reverse it 02 JH

mostly smut ngl :-)

also lots of one shots

recommend:

[not in any particular order] [if any users would like me to remove their post from this list please let me know and i will do so immediately!]

YOONGI:

twirl for me @gimmethatagustd

dilf!au, angst, smut, series (ongoing),

surround me @yoonivy 10k

BFF2l, FLUFF, smut, one shot

swing life away @aphrodijin 5.2k

husband!yoongi, smut, fluff, angst(?), one shot

a boy like you @cinnaminsvga 11.5k

coworkers2l, f2l, FLUFF GALORE, shy awkward yoongi i love him so much, bread cheeks :,), one shot

fxck christmas @haliiimede 23.4k XMAS

old friends2l, yoongi is such a sweetie, fluff, the tiniest angst (idk MC is a lil grinch for understandable reasons), smut, one shot

the singularity theory (AO3) @/dovechim 30.1k

s2l, fluff, smut, yoongi is such a little shit but hes so cute i love him so much

countermelody @bonvoyagenoona 100k

prod!yoongi, CHARACTER 👏 DEVELOPMENT 👏, yoongs so cute, fluff, angst(?), smut, series

aquiver @floralseokjin 86k

idol!yoongi, fluff, ANGST, smut, honestly yoongi was such a sweetie but things turned in the blink of an EYE - idk how it happened so fast but i loved it, series

this christmas @suga-kookiemonster 30.1k XMAS

ex!yoongi, ANGSTTT, smut, i would love to say a happy ending. yoongi and Y/N lack communication🥲, one shot

sunrises and liquor @aamalaaa

barman!yoongi, fluff, angst, smut, nearly everyone is gay, yoongi so hot, yoongi so cute, yknow, the usual, series

SEOKJIN:

raspberry truffles @gukyi 5k

bff2l, FLUFF, jin’s the sweetest dork, fake!dating but not in a making someone jealous way, one shot

dick n go @winetae 12.8k

hook up!jin, crack, smut, one shot,

christmas warfare @gimmethatagustd 14.5k XMAS

exes2l, FLUFF, smut, one shot, jin is honestly the cutest thing ever. one shot

catch of the century @joheunsaram MULTI

30 different fics by 30 different authors to celebrate jin’s 30th birthday. smut, angst, fluff, everything you could ever need. pls show these authors some love!!

knocked @sailoryooons

gamer!jin, roommates2l, fluff, smut, jin is so cute as always

NAMJOON:

the dimple theory @e-cm 18k

university!au, fluff, smut, angst, 2 parts,

all night @luaspersona

s2l, BBF, honestly just pure filthy smut. lil fluff, one shot 12k… 12k all smut. so fkn good 👨‍🍳💋

Hooked @joopiterjoon (AO3, also on tumblr) 103k

s2l, honestly idiots2l, fluff, ANGST, smut, series (completed),

you wanna beat the fuck out of MC in the best and worst ways possible. 2 endings btw.

real magic @here2bbtstrash 16.7k XMAS

s2l, WAHH SOFT JOON, fluff, smut, joon is so awkward like always i love him, one shot

the stand in @yoonia

pregnant!reader, fluff, smut, lil angst, joon best boy, kind of a series- can be read as a one shot

all i need is me @yoonkimint

idol!joon, SMAU, fluff, angst, a lil fast paced but cute asf, i love this joon but he a lil bitch, series

not another holiday romance @kpopfanfictrash 32.2k XMAS

small town hallmark!au, FLUFF, i love historian namjoon so much, angst, smut (at the end)

JUNGKOOK:

across a crowded room @monimonimoon 10.7k

idol!au, angst(?), fluff, smut, one shot

streams and sheets @astralmono 10k

streamer!au, angst :(, smut, one shot

lights out @hobisonlyhope 9k

tutor!au, smut, angst?????, one shot

out of time @97erstan

ex!jk, smut, ANGST (infidelity), mini series, ongoing

risque @mercurygguk

older!jk, smut, fluff, angst, series ongoing,

long way home @sparklingchim

dilf!jk, f2l, angst, fluff, series ongoing

thirteen rounds @monimonimoon 13.2k

boxer!jk, HONESTLY PURE SMUT. LIKE SMUT WITH A LIL PLOT

not my fault @taegularities 12.6k

uni!au, fluff, smut, SIGGGHHHH nerdy jk 🤭🤭

HOSEOK:

started with a spark now we’re on fire @the-boy-meets-evil 6.5k

f2l, smut, fluff, one shot,

blue side @hamsterclaw 7.7k

f2l, smut, angst, lil fluff

sonic rain @jungblue 25k

dancer!au, smut, angst, fluff?, honestly hobi is whipped, one shot

upbeat @/fizzydrink698 (AO3) 12.6k

IDIOTS2l, bff2l, fluff, like the tiniest of angsts, they’re both kinda dumb

keynote @missgeniality 18.5k

s2l, i’ll be straight up. it’s DIRRTY ASS SMUT- that’s all. LOL.

part 2 touchless 8k

perfect dream girl @bonvoyagenoona 35k XMAS

f2l, the cutest hobi fic to ever exist, FLUFF so fluffy, tiny tiny angst, a lil smut, the tannies just want hobi to be happy 😭😭

for the first time (what’s past is past) @candlewaxandp0lar0ids 15.7k

neighbour!hobi, i love them. i love them. i love them. such a cute fic. fluff fluff fluff, a lil smut, tiniest of tiniest angsts.

TAEHYUNG:

love and rivalry @kooktrash 17.3k

e2l, idiots2l, smut. (no angst they’re just idiots) one shot

much better @yoonivy 18k

tatted!tae, tae is a twin, fluff, smut, angst(??), idk i love this tae a lot he’s a lil cutie

part 2

fan service @bangtanintotheroom 30k

camboy!tae. imma be real. it’s 30k words of smut. that’s it. that’s the whole thing.

sweetbitter @rosedtae 16.9k

ceo!tae, e2l, smut, fluff???? angst??? idk i’m bad at tagging.

crazy for you @oddinary4bts 46.8k

idol!tae, bffs brother au, mostly smut ngl, but cute fluffy tae and yeontan, but ofc there’s angst too. one shot

sugar plum wishes @army-author 12.7k XMAS

fairy!tae, fluff, angst(?????????), hes a lil cutie. oneshot

farmer boy i love you @strawberrynamjoon 35k

farmer!tae, FLUFF, honestly i love this tae so much hes such a lil shit, oneshot

JIMIN:

heart wide open @jjiimin

bff2l, soulmate!au, angst, fluff, one shot

let’s get quizzical @taleasnewastime 28.6k

f2l, fuckboy(?)!jimin, small bit of smut towards the beginning, fluff, angst, you want to beat up MC, one shot

dr park with his smiley faces @1uvtae 8.8k

dr!jimin, s2f2l, angst(?), fluff, one shot

oh what a world (AO3) @/cutechim 141.4k

idol!au, s2l, angst, fluff, smut, series, WAAHHH i loved this so much so cute for no reason

starlight starbright @readyplayerhobi 17.5k

dad!jimin, s2l, fluff, smut, one shot, jimin and his daughter are so CUUUTTTEEE bro. his tattoo 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

believe it @writtenwhalien 28.5k

sort of high school! au, s2f2e2l, fluff, angst, smut, jimin just wants to protect reader :,)

the boyfriend concept @kpopfanfictrash 22k

pornstar!jimin, fluff, angst, smut, honestly the cutest ending ever

shake shack @kth1 14.4k

acquaintances2l, chim is adorable as always, fluff, smut

like i said at the end of my last fic rec post, if any of you have recommendations for me, please send them through!! my inbox is OPEN and i am always looking for more things to read!

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captainblou · 4 months

Text

I've been going through my AO3 bookmarks, and here are my absolute favourite fics I've read since I came back to the wonderful world of fanfiction:

By My Side - rated T - A 10 works long, 1 MILLION words ongoing serie by @demonicputto. It's breathtaking, I've spend evenings religiously reading it and can't wait for next part

Back to the Roots - rated E - 91K words. An oldie but GOD is it good! The first part is heartbreaking, it HURTS. But it's so, so worth it.

Trial and Error - rated E - 15K words by @fellshish. The Metatron brings in the demon Crowley to stand trial in Heaven. For tempting an angel. Uhhhh. Awkward. <== loved every bit of it, not gonna spoil, but JESUS.

I'm beginning to see the light - rated E - 12k words by @ineffabildaddy. I'm a big fan of Sam's writing, so please check their other works, but this one hit me different. Human AU, trans Aziraphale and a loooot of love.

Communicatio in Sacris - Rated E - 10K words by @voluptatiscausa. Oh is this efficient. Priest Crowley. Poems. The poem lives rent free in my head, I sometimes mutter it... holy holy holy.

The Grindr logo doesn't even have a G in it - rated E - 79K words. I have to include it, even if it's probably the most recommended fic of all time. It's for a good reason. It's awesome.

And many more, but really, those I will read again and again and again.

_______________

Also currently reading (and loving, go give some love to the WIPS!)

Don't Fall Away From Me - rated M - 160K words (WIP) by @phoen1xr0se. Came for the Muriel&Crowley dynamic, stayed for the plot going insanely interesting insanely fast

#ao3 recs #fic recs #good omens #good omens fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #fanfiction #leave comments #give love to the wips!#Tumblr book club

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sitp-recs · 19 days

Note

Hi Liv, first I want to thank you for taking time in making darry fics list, I'm new to ao3 and searching fics is little difficult for me, and second I was wondering if you have any recommendations on fics where Harry and Draco are roommates?

Hi friend! I’m happy you find the blog helpful, Drarry is such a massive fandom and ao3 can get a bit overwhelming when you’re exploring from scratch! Love the roommates trope, here are some old and new favourites:

Arms and Elbows by @sorrybutblog (E, 3k)

Or: Draco likes to pick up guys and fist them. Harry is his roommate, but that doesn't mean he should get left out of the fun.

The Real Thing by @skeptiquewrites (M, 5k)

Harry only means to cheer Draco up after a terrible breakup. He doesn't mean to fall in love.

Closer by @pennygalleon (M, 5k)

All who know them are convinced that Harry and Draco are a couple. But that's just ridiculous.

Hourglass Heart by bixgirl (E, 5k)

It only happened once — depending on how Harry counted.

Glowing by @cavendishbutterfly (T, 10k)

Harry's lived alone and vampiric in his cottage for ages, until a long-lived Draco Malfoy suddenly shows up to answer an advertisement Harry had practically forgotten he'd put in the Prophet. Cue soft blood drinking, quiet nights of reading and crocheting, and Harry thinking that maybe--just maybe--he might not be so alone anymore.

keep it down, orphaned (E, 13k)

Malfoy’s an inconsiderately loud roommate and Harry’s over it.

An Act of Kindness for One Harry Potter by a Sympathetic Draco Malfoy by 0idontknow0 (E, 15k)

As Draco leaned on the wall to wait for them to get dressed, he could not help feeling like he had done a very kind thing by disrupting them. Someone should give Potter a better rogering than that sorry sod had. The man had saved the bloody world—okay, mostly Europe—the least someone could do was give him a proper shag.

Around You Moves by ignatiustrout (M, 29k)

Harry knew Draco was gay when he invited him to move in. He’s never had a problem with this. So why does he feel so weird about Draco bringing men home all of a sudden?

Lumos by birdsofshore (E, 41k)

Harry never expected to spend eighth year listening to Draco Malfoy wanking.

Like Lightning at Your Fingertips by potterwatch (T, 43k)

The problem with living with another insomniac is, eventually, they find out you’re one, too. When Harry and Draco return for their eighth year, they think they’ll see very little of each other. Then McGonagall assigns them to room together. And the castle starts breaking. And there’s that thing with Potter’s magic.

#asks #Drarry reclist #roommates

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gallavich-fic-club · 12 days

Text

We are hosting our very first writing event ~ so stuff all your pens, notebooks, and art supplies into your favorite backpack, bring water and snacks, and join us for Gallavich Summer Writing Camp!

What is it?? Writers and artists will team up in “bunks” and write a story together, paired with accompanying art (if desired!). Stories will post the 3rd week of July - during our weeklong virtual campfire.

What kind of stories can we write? * The theme of your story is ... ☀️ SUMMER ☀️ * Story word minimum: 10K * Please make sure your stories and art are tagged properly

How do I join a bunk? * You can form one with your friends! Each team can have any combination of writers, artists, and betas - we recommend 3-4 people per group. And we'll expect a cute name for your bunk too :) * If you would like to be assigned to a bunk, we’re excited to find the right one for you!

Got my group, now what? * Once you have your bunkmates assembled, please fill out this Google Form by Friday, May 10 to let us know your plans. Just pick one representative from your bunk to complete it. * If you’re signing up solo and would like to be assigned to a team, you can indicate that on the form too + your preferred role.

The week of May 13, we’ll contact each group to let you know your assigned posting date ~ and then you can start writing and creating!

Posting Week: July 22-26; we will check in midway through to make sure you’re on your way or if you need anything as you work toward your posting deadline.

We’ll have a Collection on AO3, so at least one person in the bunk should have an account.

The Fic Club on Discord will set up a channel specific to this event where you can ask us questions and chat with fellow participants. If you’re not on the server yet, come join us!

We can’t wait to hang out by the fire, roast marshmallows, and read stories together!

#Gallavich Summer Writing Camp 2024 #gallavich fan fic #gallavich fan art

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wise-tortoise · 5 months

Note

Hi! i’m new to chengxian. so i was wondering, do you have any recs please? preferably long one shots (10k+) and set in the original location (i don’t like modern aus mostly as they are based in the us or uk). sorry for all the stipulations!

HELLO ANON AND WELCOME TO CHENGXIAN!!

I am DELIGHTED to be a source of fic recs, and I have JUST the fics for you.

First of all, I highly recommend checking out the various ao3 collections of past chengxian events, such as Chengxian Happy Ending Fest, or Chengxian Minibang 2023, Chengxian Week 2020, Chengxian Week 2021 , Our Meeting is Inevitable or The Chengxian+ Collection, which are a goldmine of wonderful fics. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding something to your taste among them!

Now, on to my personal recommendations, under the read more because this got LONG.

Based on what you said you'd prefer, the fic all my dreams have come and gone a half a million times by iri_vail sounds like something you'd enjoy. It's a lovely post-canon shuangjie reconciliation fic, 10k words, with wonderful art. There's frogs too!

consider rivers by Lirazel, 9k, canon divergence fic with no war that rewrote my brain chemistry. Jiang Cheng wants Wei Wuxian to marry Jiang Yanli: lots of yunmeng trio feels, lots and lots and lots of pining.

after the sun sets by Artemis1000, 12k words, it's an amazing fic set during sunshot campaign, lots of hurt/comfort, lots of love and understanding and softness between our two favorite miscommunicators.

electricity between both of us by zyprexd is an absolutely incredible series of two fics that make me go feral. Past w4ngxian, tentative shuangjie reconciliation with long overdue communication, lots of feelings aknowledged and accepted, Wei Wuxian introspection.

Turn Back, Dull Earth by groundwiremantaray, 8k, canon divergence, a whole lot of fluff (with a delightful twist). Though not a oneshot, if you like to read happy times with chengxian, this is absolutely the fic for you.

this love that I most fear by Runespoor, 25k words divided in three chapters, in which a coreless Jiang Cheng has to aknowledge Wei Wuxian as his bastard brother in order for him to become sect leader, with all the relative implications. An angsty delight!

Little Sesame by Rurtle, which is an absolute must read. In which the summoning ritual goes wrong and Wei Wuxian reincarnates into a dog. Shenanigans ensue.

born of waters like blood by Artemis1000 (same Artemis as before) which is one of my absolute favorite fics of all time. Chengxian baby made of resentment and lake waters! Chengxian being dads! An unspecified number of eyes!!!! This fic is a bit shorter than the others I've recced, but absolutely worth reading.

letters from inside the storm by serein, in which everyone has a very bad time (not me though, I enjoyed this IMMENSELY), double whump with a very tentative reconciliation.

if tomorrow would ever come... by Midori_99, 17k, a reincarnation fic in which Wei Wuxian after his death reincarnates into a playful little fox and, despite his best efforts, finds himself once again in Lotus Pier, beside Jiang Cheng (and, really, there's no better place for him to be). The good, GOOD, cathartic angst right here, good food for the soul.

If you'd like EVEN MORE chengxian fics, my bookmarks are open and the fics are all ready to receive lots of love (and of course, if you like, there's my fics too, but they're only open to registered users)

Alright, that's definitely not all the fics I would like to rec, but that's about all I can fit in a single post before it becomes too long.

I suggest of course that you check out other works by the authors I listed, as they are all incredibly talented (and I really really wish I could put more of them here but I tried to contain myself with word count and setting as per your request)

Thank you for the ask anon, I hope you'll enjoy your stay in the chengxian side of fandom and I wish you a wonderful day!!

#mdzs #chengxian #xiancheng #yunmeng shuangjie #cql #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #the untamed #anon ask

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allthingswhumpyandangsty · 29 days

Note

I read your post about not letting kudos and hits upset us. I try to think this way but I'm curious about something else. I've written many fanfics for my fandom and they're all "flop". I don't mind that honestly. But then some writers have written only one fic about the ship I do and and it gets hundreds of kudos. How do some writers achieve that when I'm doing the same and it doesn't get the same response. What else can I do?

I’m afraid I can’t give you a definite answer about what you should do or why this person’s work is more popular, but what I can give you are some advice and, from my experience, some reasons that might explain why other’s works receive more hits and kudos.

start with why other writers’ works are more popular when it’s the same characters, same ship, same fandom. there are various factors at play that might be it;

maybe the person already has large audience base prior to their posting about the fandom you’re in, I know a few authors who already have these sorts of loyal readers that would read any work the authors posted even if they (the readers) were not in that fandom.

maybe someone, anyone, decided share the link to this person’s work on Tumblr or Twitter (X) or any social media platform, and it kind of became viral, thus it drew in lots and lots of readers. it could take just one person, didn’t necessarily have to be the author themself, to share the link among the fandom as a recommendation, or maybe a screenshot of one sentence from the fic that they liked, what happened next is that the replies were filled with people asking for the link.

tags and summary are important factors when people are looking for a fic to read. so maybe this person’s work is tagged with the content people were looking for? maybe their summary grabbed people’s attention or curiosity?

these are just what I can think of over the top of my head.

as for what you can do to gain more readers, I’ve never seen your work so the advice I can give will be a general one; I believe the trick lies in summary, tags as well as the format of one’s work.

when it comes to AO3 (I assume it’s your platform?), tags and summary are the main things people use to determine whether or not they want to click on the fic.

tag your content properly, what characters or pairings it’s about, as well as what the readers will find upon reading your work (you don’t have to spoil it, only the general tags that will give your readers an idea of what they’re in for).

summaries are just as important. there are no “rules” obviously, and I’m not telling you or any writers what to do. though a little advice that I personally take is that you use this little summary section AO3 gives you to do anything to make sure it stands out and that people will see it and want to click on it. that means leave “author’s note” out of the summary section. folks, AO3 summary is the first glimpse into the fic itself that people will see prior to clicking on it, most of the time, people look at the summary to see the author’s writing style and if what’s written, plotwise, grabs their interest. personally, when I see an author use “summary” as a place to write “author’s note”, chances are, I will scroll past that fic as I am interested in what the fic is about, not what the author has to say about their opinion on said fic or their personal life or anything (there’s an author’s note section for that) and if I can’t get a glimpse of what the plot is about or what the author’s writing style is from the summary section, then I won’t click on it, and will look for other fic that can get me interested instead.

moving on to fic format, again, I am not telling anyone what to do here. this is only a suggestion, an advice I’ve learned and want to share: when you write your fic, make sure to use line and paragraph spacing. if your 10k word long fic is one long block of text with no paragraph break, chances are, people will back away from it entirely. also, if it’s two different characters talking with dialogues, don’t put all of their dialogues in one paragraph. for instance, a paragraph for character A’s dialogue, then another separate paragraph for character B’s dialogue and so on.

and I think that’s it for my advice? however, I’ll say this again that the secret to truly enjoying your role as a fanfic writer is that you only focus on yourself. write whatever you want for yourself. it doesn’t matter if this person’s work is more popular, because fanfics and fandoms aren’t a competition. you are your main audience. just have fun creating the stories you want to create for you.

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lavena · 8 months

Text

Since I am so incredibly desperate for tmnt fic recs, here I am supplying mine. All of these i HAVE READ AT LEAST 3 TIMES

pretty much all Mikey centric and jsyk every one I recommended I reread b4 posting this. Sorry If I repeat any, this took me over a week, college is kicking my butt and midterms are next week, kill me. If you have any you red please lmk either in comments or with rb I need the ficss guys please I am desperate.

On AO3

Train-wreck of thought by halogalopagost

A beautiful 2003 tmnt where Mikey is having trouble meditating and gets some tips from his dad and brothers, he struggles with his ADHD, he over comes it and turns out there is a lot more to this meditating than he thought. he intends to use it to his advantage.

The Legend of the Heiwa no Buki by abz_the_turtle

2012 Mikey is pure of heart and turns out that causes some problems for him, his brothers and a certain bother in blue from the future

exhaust trails through space by SpectrumWriting

2012 B team realizes they really need a break, after a fight between Leo and Donnie, B team pull a few favors and go to visit a few planets, look at some extraterrestrial inventions and get to see a festival of food. Each brother learns new things about each other and finally get to take a few deep breaths.

Surface Pressure by TheKeyBladeMaster1994

Mikey watched Encanto and something abut their family feels familiar. Honest to go so good, it is unfinished and only at 3 chapters but it is 32k words and by god if it isnt one of the best books I have read over 5 times already, featuring mikey being a helpful little brother and managing to stress his big brothers out in the proccess.

Pretend That I Never Left by redstingraven (sirimiri)

2003 Mikey gets taken into the Horizon Zero Dawn universe rather than the superpowered turtle universe in the SAINW episode. Positively glorious, he gets bashed and bruised and comes out the other end with an arrow sticking out of him.

All The Small Things by taizi @taizi

2012 Donnie gets deaged and Mikey gets to be a big brother. Positively adorable, Mikey is an enabler and the poor toaster will never be the same, plus just the right amount of angst to make me squeal.

Underdark by Nekotsuki

2003 Mikey and Leo and stuck in the sewers after a collapse, both are hurt and oh looky here it seems Leo has fainted and Mikey is panicking, it would be great if he could take a full breath to hyperventilate with.

We've been here all along by Taizi

Beautiful 2007 tmnt, Mike gets shot, worries about making Donnie abandon him, Casey says fuck that.

walk with open hands by taizi

Mikey can't get over his fathers death and knows his brothers cant get over it either, and he is going to do something about it, been if it almost costs him everything. Was originally 1 chapter, but a second chapter from Splinters POV makes everything gorgeous.

traveling so far to get there by taizi

different age turtles, 2012 universe, Mikey and Raph gets transported to a post-apocalypses time-line aptly called the after party, no one lives, but Mikey does manage to find himself a monkey companion and Raph really wishes his little brother and him would be back home. Little moment of Mikey and Donnie being twins that is positively adorable and I need more of it ASAP. Its 10k words but reads like 30 in the best way possible, like literally a must read!

Closer by Taizi

adorable human woodyangelo

Problem child by taizi

human AU, Mikey is going to give his big brothers a heart attack, he makes questionable friends, and it seems he has a lot of growing up to be doing

Things You Never Outgrow by taizi

Mikey might just have picked up some less than stellar habits from his family as a baby, and now its coming out to bite him in the butt as his brothers notice.

Know the world in yourself by taizi

Donatello is an aspiring Egyptologist, and close friends with part-time thief and sometimes-scoundrel Casey Jones, who pickpockets an ancient map of the fabled City of the Dead off a young man he stumbles across in the Casbah—a young adventurer, it turns out, and none other than the little brother Donatello hasn't seen in almost eight years

Small spaces by Taizi

After 2012 Mikey gets captured and held by the Kraang, it seems he might just have a new fear, his brothers are not happy about it.

While you're here enjoy the view by taizi

Cute little woodyangelo 2012. They have my heart

Sleepwalking by TheKeybladeMaster1994

Splinter wakes up in a cold sweat and notices that Mikey is missing, and it seems like a dark entity is after his littlest sons light, good thing its just a nightmare, right? A few nights later it seems that is not so. Only 4 chapters but has 30k words and is a positive joy to read, I hope it continues to update.

The Ultimate Weapon by TheKeybladeMaster1994

Mikey is pure of heart and just about everything knows it, including but not limited to an eldritch entity that he swears is just try to make his life hard no matter what it tells you.

Interrogation or Malpractice by Professor_Anxietree

2012 Mikey when he got captured by the triceritons, their mind reading machine doesn't do quite what was intended and it spells out pain and sufferings for the smallest of the Hamato clan. Its pretty much being over stimulated to the max, like your skin feels too tight and you can hear your nerons firing in your brain type stuff, beware if you have overstimulation.

Someone to Protect by Koalagriton

2012. Mikey's big bothers get captured by Hun and Mikey doesn't take it well, that's going to become Huns problem.

Flowers by intomyfireyoushallfall

Mikey meets Tang Shen

The shinobi's garden by taizi

buncha one shots that you have to read, you have to istg 66k words of nothing but amazing.

family sticks together, bruh by hellomyoldheart

Mikey (Bayverse) discovers online shopping and sends it to Aprils place, April gets a package addressed for Mikey O'neil

too bad, but its the life you lead by angelmichelangelo @angelmichelangelo

2k7my beloved. Mikey is having trouble at home, good thing this new cat he found, affectionately named Klunk, can help a little. You will cry, I cried, still have read it four times, but crying non the less, read the tags or it will hit you like a freight train

the dad diaries by angelmichelangelo

pepaw Ronin and the new babies, adorable and angst ( in the form of flashbacks) nuff said

a minute from home by taizi

bteam for the win, I cant get enough, baby don and mikey wonder off and survive 3 months, it changes them

I've been afraid of changing by taizi

2007 Mikey really hates his job, Donnie didn't get that, but now he does

Give up the ghost series by taizi

Mikey can see ghosts, and that means he can see his one and only dead brother too, donnie, it causes problems for eveyone around him. human AU

The Gauntlet by T33la

Mikey and Don have to take a leap of faith, good thing Mikey has complete trust in his big bros tech

Flipbook by T33la

the 2003 SAINW donnie boy planned just in case and mikey finds the first bit of the plan, talks happen

Chronicles of the Cretaceous by T33la

Mikey boy manages to befriend a T-rex because of course he does

Words to be Spoken by Mona_E_Lisa @mona-e-lisa

Soulmate Au with woodyangelo, its got angst, just not for the boys, nd holy shyt I need more

The Silver Sentry by Mona_E_Lisa

2003 Mikey gets a son, and he deffo has some problems with Splinter, and I love him more than words

2088 by Mona_E_Lisa

If you haven't read this you haven't lived and that's all I can say. What are you doing? go read it??? like asap, will change you. Its 6k and this post will still be here when you get back, get going now sho sho

A Tale of Spirits by unorthodoxx @unorthodoxx-page

ATLA x tmnt 2018, everyone thinks they are spirits, donnie boy isn't going to correct them, and mikey ends up malnourished, but it updates this sunday so GO Go Go asap, it great

turning over stone by angelmichelangelo

2012 mikey gets angry, and kami does it suck, but good thing his big brother has experience in dealing with it.

caught in the rip tide by angelmichelangelo

Mikey gets hurt, and it might just be leos fault. 2012 based on the season 4 episode broken food.

yolk by angelmichelangelo

Mikey can't take the fighting anymore, too bad it took wrecking a midnight breakfast for his brothers to notice.

december 18th: raise a glass by angelmichelangelo

Mikey turns 21, and they really should be winding down by now, but Donnie doesn't have the heart. technically tagged with 2012 and IDW, but could totally see it with 2007 if u ignore that raph is in japan

december 15th: a size too big by angelmichelangelo

2007 Mikey was supposed to be bac an hour ago, he is gonna be the death of Donnie I swear.

the Kappas constellation by angelmichaelangelo

bunch a one shots

Honestly just anything by angelmichelangelo or taizi, but you can see that with how often they show up in this list

FF.net

Its a cycle by GhostiesandGhoulies

Adorable 2007 Mikey being hurt while doing cowabunga car and his brothers looking after him

Clogged drain by Goblin cat KC

Horror, the poor boys were not ready for this one but I adore it. Nothing more I can say than they will have nightmares and all of them will have night lights.

Hero among them by oliviasbizzaremind

2007 gang gets a call after a rough night, its for cowabunga carl, so how exactly does this lady know Mikey's name? Mikey always was a bleeding heart.

If Wishes were Fishes by Taisi (this is also on A03 I believe I just found it on ff.net fist so i figured id share that here too)

Human AU, adorable must read, like I cant stress this enough, you haven't lived without this. And as a former foster kid, damn.

Mikey's truly awful, incredibly sucky, super hella bummer of a day by Orange4Days

Exactly what the title says and you will enjoy this boys suffering and eventual comfort.

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt fics #tmnt fic recs #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt fanfiction recs #fic recommendation #fic rec #mikey fanfics #mikey-centric #Michelangelo fics #Michelangelo #Michelangelo-centric #teenage mutant ninja turtles 2003 #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 2007 #tmnt 2007 mikey #tmnt 2012 #tmnt idw

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anika-ann · 10 months

Text

Pomiluj me (Love Me Tender) - S.R.

Type: medieval/fantasy/fairy tale AU; standalone (NOT a part of this medieval AU)

Pairing: knight Steve Rogers x reader Word Count: 10k 😁 best possible division if needed is at the first divider

Summary: Knight Steven Rogers and his brothers in arms are returning home after having tackled an unruly creature terrorizing the people of Starkerbürg. Upon encountering an injured woman, Steven offers to bring her – carry her, truly – back to her home. How could he deserve a knighthood if he left a woman in distress to her fate, after all?

But not everything it as it seems. And love blooms in the most unlikely of places.

Warnings: 18+, nsfw, smut, unprotected sex (shocking in medieval times huh), bit of angst, tons of fluff, himbo knights in BBC Merlin style (long live the legends), knight Steve ‘cause he’s a warning, Slovak language ‘cause I can

A/N: Title from the song which inspired the story, Pomiluj mě (Love on Me/Love Me Tender)...tumblr cannot handle an “ě “in their title 🙃 Lyrics, translation and link here, you’ll find a few lines in the fic as well - truly recommend. DIVIDER by @firefly-graphics

A/N/2: AO3 says this is my 100th work (as posted here anyway) and I’m brushing 1,680k of words written according to the counter. Which… whoa. And it’s almost six years since I first posted a marvel fic 🥺 Enjoy!

Alone, you only wander in the dark Chased by the cold I shall light up the torch you’re guarding

Should I be worried about you That all you do is take When are you coming back to me?

The cavalry moved rather slowly.

The noble men appeared a far cry from the polished image known from books, even as they had attempted to wash in a river. They reeked of battle, smoke and blood still; and the drying blood in their wounds was just as red as that of ordinary men, the scent of sweat and fear having seeped into their clothes and armour. And yet, their vests carried the sigil of Starkerbürg with pride, signaling the knights’ dedication to the protection of their kingdom.

With only horse left, they truly might make a pitiful sight, certain weariness to their step; but an air of victory and camaraderie made for a picture of life instead. Laughter sounded between the group, a joke thrown around here and there, a tease about a wound each of them suffered, particularly the youngest one. Despite those, true concern for their new friend, Sir Parker, could be read in their eyes. He was the youngest to ever been dubbed in the history of Starkerbürg; it was no wonder the good men assigned him the role he would have played had the bond they shared been one of a blood family. The youngest of brothers was as much made fun of as protected, since he was eager to prove he deserved the honour to ride with the knights of Starkerbürg just like any other. Now he sat on the horse in front of Sir Barton, the eldest, as they made their way back after successfully ridding the kingdom of a horrific creature: the chimera had been believed to only exist in old tales until it brought terrible and painfully real suffering to the people of the west of the kingdom and so the king’s loyal servants were tasked to ride at dawn five days ago.

“Alright, alright, let us leave the poor lad,” Sir Barton said, patting the young Sir Parker on his shoulder a little too hard. “He shall do better next time.”

Peter smiled over his shoulder gratefully, having started to feel not humbled, but humiliated.

“Yes, yes, we should let him be,” Sir Maximoff agreed, side-eyeing the two riders mischievously. “We should talk about how you moved like an old lady.”

The collective ooooooh and chuckles might have as well come from a group of children, rather than grown men, causing Sir Barton to glare at the cheeky lad he called a friend.

“Old ladies are wise and worth of respect, Maximoff. You could learn a thing or two from them, as you had learned from me,” he scoffed, feigning offence. “Do not forget who taught you how to swing a sword, kiddo.”

“There is a point in what Clint is saying,” Sir Wilson hummed good-naturedly, raising his eyebrow at Pietro in challenge.

“Maybe. Does not change the fact he’s grown seven years older since then, while I have grown seven years more mature.”

The explosion of laughter following his statement was louder this time.

“In your dreams, maybe,” Sir Barnes snorted, elbowing his best of friends, Sir Rogers. “About as mature as this one was when he used to pick his battles with guys twice his size, eh?”

Sir Rogers, Steven to most, only smirked, speaking up for the first time in a while, since his thoughts were far far away. “Should we get technical, we all took up on an enemy twice our size only yesterday morning.”

“Oh?” Sir Barton feigned surprise. “Listen to the guy. He might tell you what brought the monster to its knees next – an arrow straight to its eye. Remind me, Maximoff, whose crossbow it was that fired it?” he asked pointedly, grinning down at the man walking by their horse, earning an eyeroll.

“Did it even have knees?” Sir Lang questioned, “All I know is that it was a nasty, nasty thing.”

“Nastier than Hydra? Cut off one had, two shall takes its place? I truly believed that was only a legend…” Sir Wilson said, a visible shiver of disgust shaking him.

“Not sure we can compare the two… maybe Barnes or Rogers could, huh?” Sir Maximoff suggested.

Steven’s face darkened; he did indeed remember the hydra creature very well for it nearly cost his best friend his arm. The scars still littered Bucky’s skin, from the back of his hand all the way up to his shoulder; Gods had blessed him enough that his ability to use his arm remained intact, even as its appearance did not.

As for the strange chimera they had slayed yesterday… it was true that Steven had gotten more familiar with it then he would have liked. He could recall it with uncomfortable clarity: its foul breath smelling of death on his face, feeling as if it had seeped deep into his very bones when he had finally thrusted his sword through its heart. He could still hear the clang of teeth near his neck, a near death sentence.

No, he would rather not compare the two. He would rather not think of either of the creatures at all.

“Why us, Maximoff? Because I nearly lost my arm to the former and my best friend to latter? No thanks,” Sir Barnes hissed, face turning ashen as well.

Steven instinctively reached for his friend, squeezing his arm, casting a concerned glance as he was torn away from his own dark memories.

“Buck…”

“Are you jesting? Sir Rogers was incredible,” Sir Parker cried out excitedly, having four of the knights groan, for Steven’s bravery – or idiocy, should anyone ask Sir Barnes, truly – was all the youngest knight had been talking about for the majority of their journey, causing Steven’s cheeks redden under his beard, sense of pride and satisfaction battling the terror of the memory. As for the remaining knights, well; while they did not diminish Steven’s important contribution of delivering the fatal blow, they had grown annoyed at the constant babble.

“Sure he was, kiddo.”

“Oh yes. They should probably knight him. Oh wait-“ Sir Wilson said, causing the men to laugh.

“Yeah, a set of deadly teeth perhaps three inches from his throat? Let him have all the glory and Princess Morgana’s hand too,” Sir Barnes grumbled, sending his friend both a proud and irked glance.

A sudden rustle of leaves and a woman’s yelp followed by a thud caused them all fall silent and turnbattle-ready in a split second, snapping in the direction of noise.

However, there was little need for caution. Their intruder barely appeared dangerous: the peasant woman observed them with wide eyes and forehead scrunched in pain, blossoms of common elder, spilled all around her like precious silks of a gown instead of the worn fabric of the simple shirt, shawl and ankle-length skirt, speaking thousand words of what she had been doing until she had fallen. Her fingers were clutching at her left foot, a clear sign of her ungraceful landing. The tree was by no means tall, but that should not mean the fall was what they could call comfortable.

For a moment, the group of knights stood frozen, rendered speechless as much as the poor woman who found herself face to face with not one but seven of the crown’s most loyal servants.

Steven, perhaps the kindest of them all, was the first to snap from the shock of an unexpected disturbance of their journey, releasing the grip on his sword, never having drawn it from its sheath. He took several long strides to the young woman, instantly capturing her attention.

“My lady, are you quite alright?” Steven inquired, gently as he realized his large frame, accentuated by his armour, might intimidate the poor sweetling.

And yet. Just as the question left his lips and his gaze met hers, he was the one rendered mute all of sudden.

Steven had never seen anyone more clearly, he was certain; and just as sure he was of the fact that no woman could ever hope to encompass sincerity and beauty in her eyes only as the one he was facing at the moment.

Her smile was but a shy little thing, pain masked by gratitude for the knight’s care. He was a handsome one, of robust built but with delicate lines to his face, bright blue irises with a speckle of green, plush lips framed by a short beard; distantly, she imagined his wide shoulders would barely fit the doorframe of her cabin – of her hut, truly. She found the imagery enticing, almost as much as the gentle tone he had spoken with despite his giant frame.

“’Quite aright’ seems accurate, sir. I am not hurting much beyond my left ankle,” she admitted, even as her source of discomfort was evident from her hand still covering the affected area.

Steven’s brows furrowed slightly in worry, yet he made no move, spoke no words, even as his lips parted. Instead, his eyes roamed the woman’s face, searching and fascinated. It was the silence which prompted his comrades to enter the interaction.

“Do you think you can walk?” Sir Wilson asked as he stepped forward – a movement barely acknowledged as the woman did not shift her gaze from Steven still.

“Wobble, perhaps,” she said, the corners of her lips briefly turning downwards. “Could perhaps one of you assist me? I should be most grateful for your chivalry.”

Sir Barnes could scoff at the absurdity of her wording; even as she suggested she would welcome anyone’s aid, her fixation on Steven was ridiculously evident. It almost scared him, how steadily she watched him; even as ladies’ interest in his best friend’s company had increased significantly along with how Steven’s muscles had grown, the way this woman observed him… unsettling him for some reason.

“Oh! We should borrow you the horse for a while-“ Sir Parker – bless him, the youngest and the purest of heart of them all – cried out, soon silenced by a more sombre voice of reason of Sir Barnes.

“Kid, you lose your leg should you put your weight on it now. Believe me, I have almost lost my arm to the same foolishness.”

“…oh.”

“Well, I suppose one of us should support you and walk you to your home,” Sir Barton suggested nonchalantly, preparing to dismount the horse. “The most experienced one of us, perhaps?”

“Truly? Is that so, Clinton?” Sir Wilson questioned as he eyed him, his tone carrying wryness of a man who would not care for nonsense – unless it was one that could earn him a great deal of fun. “Why you?”

“I have a pair of very well-working eyes for one,” the older man uttered, causing sir Maximoff to snicker silently.

“So do I and yet I would never offer!” Sir Lang opposed as soon as he understood the meanings behind Sir Barton’s words. “Must we remind you how inappropriate that would be, since you have a lovely wife and three kids at home?”

“And a knee that knows a rain is coming at least two sunsets ahead?” Sir Barnes added for honestly, the foolishness of Sir Barton’s idea battled the one of the youngling’s.

“Ugh, alright then. Spoilsports.”

Sir Maximoff, unsurprisingly, grinned and shrugged as he stepped forward. “Ah, well, fellas, it seems-“

“I can do it. I can even carry her.”

Sir Barnes sighed, an involuntary reaction to best of comrades choosing this moment to snap from his reverie. Speaking of foolishness.

Not once had Steven’s gaze left the beautiful woman since the very moment he had laid his eyes on her, almost as if he was drawn by ancient power whose pull not even his virtuous heart could resist. The pull had been literal too; while the movements had been subtle, step by step Steven inched closer to the woman, now standing barely three feet from her, way too close even as he had been the first to spring forward.

Sir Barnes would be amazed and certainly more than amused at his friend’s antics, had it not been for the fact the scene was as fascinating as disconcerting. For a myriad of reasons. Beginning with-

“You are injured as well,” Sir Wilson noted pointedly.

Sir Wilson appeared to be the only of the men aside from Sir Barnes who had not lost all reason in the midst of all of them having acquired an expression of awe and smugness. In all fairness, the reaction of the knights was nothing short of understandable, for Steven, Sir Rogers, who had kept from many women who had been rather literally battling for his attention, seemed enamoured all of sudden. And of all creatures, enamoured by a beautiful, yet the most ordinary of women. He appeared if not utterly lost to the fabled love at first sight, then certainly lost enough to abandon all reason.

“Oh no, if you are severely injured, I could not possibly-“ the woman resisted, gathering her skirt in attempt to stand up as if to prove she was considerably less inconvenienced by absence of aid than it had originally appeared.

Naturally, her efforts were doomed to failure – and just as naturally, Steve had been there to catch her, promptly supporting her weight. She had barely caught herself, one palm flat against his chest, the other on his bicep, lips parted in silent surprise; and much to the amusement of all knights, in awe of his strength.

Sir Rogers was certainly not the only one of the pair who appeared smitten.

“Thank you, good Sir.”

“Sir Steven Rogers, my lady. I should be happy to aid you,” he pronounced, the words ‘with anything’ unsaid but clearly implied as he helped her straighten up as much as her own injury allowed. “I have not been injured severely. Worry not.”

Needless to say, Sir Barnes would argue; bruised ribs, several cuts, more so when one of them sat right above his brow, should be considered severe enough not to carry a woman in his arms… particularly when these injuries were coupled with a heavy blow to the head. Before, Sir Barnes had not been sure how strong of a hit Steven had taken, but now, seeing how absent of any common sense Steven was-

Ah. His best friend was being quite himself, now that Sir Barnes thought of it.

“…so we are to ignore there are at least three better candidates whose ribs are not bruised or-“ Peter muttered in low voice to his companions, all but earning a warning slap to his healthy leg as Sir Lang gently shushed him, himself charmed by the romantic ballad-worthy scene in front of them.

“Seeing as she does, I suppose we do too,” Sir Maximoff scoffed lowly, tilting his head to side as he observed his comrade, suddenly frowning, his voice dropping to a whisper. “And so does he. Is he alright? He looks… strange. Has any of you put something in his water?”

“You are saying this as if you were not as miffed about him being chosen by her as I am,” Sir Barton huffed, sourness turning into humour at the other man’s misery.

Pietro’s gaze torn away from the pair, their downright love-sick gazes suddenly difficult to watch; it almost felt as if by looking at them, they were prying on an intimate moment. Pietro thought it curious, for he had never had any issues of laughing loud at the displays of affection his fellow knights had offered in the Tower tavern for everyone to see, but he did not want to examine it too hard. He could find joy elsewhere once they had made it to the city, with no shortage of ladies no doubt willing to offer comfort to the heroes of Starkerbürg.

“He is one lucky bastard,” he sighed, patting the horse’s neck, preparing to take off.

“And lucky he might get…” Sir Wilson sing-sang quietly, causing the group to laugh as their gazes once again appreciated the almost palpable spark between the unlikely couple, exchanging knowing glances as the woman gasped when Steven sneaked his arms under her knees and back, lifting her into his arms with ease despite his gear weighting him down.

“Alright, it is settled. We are certain you are safe with Sir Rogers…” Sir Barton called out, entirely ignored by the pair who instead kept observing one another without as much as a blink, as if they could not bear losing even a fraction of the precious time they were given. “For he is-- they are not even listening to me, are they? No one cares about me anymore, I truly must be getting old-”

Sir Barnes sighed again, realization dawning to him; one he should never share with his companions, but one he would for certain inquire about later when Steven returned to the castle.

“We shall move then,” he muttered, beckoning others towards the road, not before sparing the couple a last slightly disapproving glance.

He feared not for his most precious friend’s safety; he only feared for his heart, too big even for the impressive size his body had grown into since his early days as a weakling. At the moment, it was his mind Bucky feared for, since it almost seemed feeble under a spell of a beautiful woman. A spell no one dared to break.

As the group walked away, each of their steps was uncharacteristically silent; until they believed to reach enough of a distance to have a boisterous laugh about Sir Rogers no doubt to be rewarded for his chivalry. The sound bothered not the pair as they smiled at each other softly, the woman’s thumb brushing over Steven’s sternum, covered by worn chainmail.

The simple touch seemed to reach his soul; his breathing, having already eased since he had first caught her, cleared completely, the ache in his bones gone. The woman’s smile widened, silently prompting Steven to start walking. He was not one to hesitate, his feet moving almost of their own volition.

“You are not obliged to carry me,” she said, a teasing note lacing her gentle voice. “I slowed the landing enough. It is nothing but a bruise.”

Steven shook his head, appearing as if he was barely holding back a grin. “But I must, my lady. It is my duty as a knight of Starkerbürg.”

She pursed her lips, one corner lifting in a smirk.

“Oh? Is it so, my good sir? Hm... speaking of knights of Starkerbürg, Sir Rogers,” she emphasized, a playful spark appearing in her eye, “your friends act like children.”

Undignified for a knight for certain – yet who was he to diminish the already scraped reputation of men who truly unsubtly jested about him taking advantage of the very woman in distress he was to help – Steven snorted.

“Don’t I know it.”

“But Samuel might not be wrong…“ she said, voice equally full of amusement and promise. “Set me down, Steven. You must be tired.”

Tired he was not. Not ever since he had met the woman’s eyes moments ago and recognized their beauty and depth as familiar. But who was he to deny a lady?

And a lady she was, for all she was and was not. They might have jested about it together, but in Steven’s mind, she was precisely that and nothing less, no matter what any half-wit of this kingdom would think. Slowly, he lowered her back to her feet, his heart thundering in his ribcage in anticipation as he focused on the sounds surrounding them.

Content with only gentle whisper of the wind and songs of robins for a company, his worn hands cradled the woman’s cheeks, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones, heart trembling when she leaned into his touch, her lips brushing his palm.

In return, the tips of her fingers ghosted over his brow, the nasty cut closing at once, without a single sting of pain. She focused on that aspect often, even as she knew he would try and not as much as flinch for her benefit, much like he had not when she healed his ribs earlier.

“Thank you. They must be far enough now, I am sure,” he whispered, stepping closer so their bodies aligned and nearly merged in one. “Do not hide from me, bosorka moja. Let me see you, beautiful.”

Her smile turned a little coy, even as her soul sang at his sweet words. Steven was quite a master of compliments; but not a shameless flirt or a rake. What he said always came from heart; that beautiful, beautiful heart he had sworn belonged to her and never made her question it despite their situation.

“As you wish, good sir,” she whispered, fingertips sliding down his cheekbone, repairing the darkening bruising in their wake, before she turned focus on her own transformation. “Close your eyes, love, release me for just a moment.”

With a sigh of disappointment – but eager to oblige – Steven lifted his hands an inch, missing the lovely heat under his touch at once, and let his eyes slide close. Soft light caressed his skin, flickering behind his closed eyelids as her features shifted, her cloaking spell dispersing.

Steven did not fight the smile tugging at his lips as he allowed himself to open his eyes again just as the glow was dying out, welcomed by the sight of his beloved in her true face. The spell she had casted changed her features but a bit, only enough to protect her from those who would still hunt her upon mere suspicion of her being a magical creature. She appeared just as human as before; but should a half-wit still nursing grudges against magic even century and half since its dark side caused people to suffer ever recognize her as anything else… Steven did not wish to imagine what hell would have been raised; even as it would have been one he would fight to death against.

Indeed, she appeared human even in her true form to most, Steven assumed. Yet, to him, she appeared almost ethereal; she always had. From the very moment she had walked into his life and took his world by gentle storm, slowly nursing him back to health day by day from multiple wounds which would have been his doom. She had risked her own life in process, revealing her talents to anyone, let alone a knight of Starkerbürg, but for a good deed, she had barely even hesitated.

Beautiful, powerful, brave and endlessly kind; and now, by the blessing of gods, even as Steven failed to be a proper gentleman, his.

He let his fingers slide into her hair, tilting her face up to feast his eyes on her features, heart humming pleasantly as only a person who owned it could make it hum.

It was clearer than the skies that she felt just the same. Drawing him close, not waiting for his prompting, she rose to her tiptoes and brushed his lips with hers, sweet and healing. No cut was there for her to fix, but it appeared that whenever she kissed him, even with no magic involved as she had claimed, Steven’s often weary soul was lifted.

He followed her lips, earning a hearty chuckle but no protest, a hand on his nape as her fingers curled in his hair as well.

“Bosorka moja,” he said softly against her lips before tasting them again, greedy for every stolen moment, every stolen kiss she was willing to give him.

And she would give him a lifetime, much like he would give his own to her.

But there was not a single reason to do it right where they stood. One more peck to his lips and she escaped his arms sneakily, only to grab at his hand with both of hers, tugging him down the now familiar path.

“Come, rytier moj.”

And so he followed her, without a word of protest. He would follow his heart anywhere.

Their destination was by no means far, they were in no rush. Unbeknownst to Sir Barnes, his thoughts had been precisely on point – the pair of lovers cherished every moment spent together, may it be walking with purpose or wandering.

This day, they chose the former, the hut soon appearing in a barely-there clearing among the trees. Steve’s lips curled in a smile on instinct as despite the humble outside state of the tiny house, he knew what he would find upon entering with his love and lover by his side. A home. Not only hers; theirs. A safe space for their love.

As soon as they entered, the air smelling of herbs and dried meadow flowers, ones he had picked and gifted her the last time he had escaped his knight-bound duties, hit his nostrils and widened his smile. It was met with her own, soft and welcoming, heartbreakingly beautiful; ache echoed in his heart, its emptiness present for the past few days without her suddenly dissolving into nothing.

He brought her hand to his lips, a gentle kiss to her knuckles before releasing her, so they could begin their routine.

From the mountains Wind, dust and defiance is rising I lay your armour to your feet Don’t let my skin get cold at night

Wind from the mountains

Wind, dust and defiance is rising I lay my armour to your feet Don’t let my skin get cold at night

You made your way to the pot, a simple curl of your wrist lighting up a fire to heat the water for tea. Steven’s gaze followed you as he stood by the door, blindly unclasping his belt, putting away his sword and chainmail. He had no need for weapons nor armour in his home; vulnerability in this house was no sign of weakness, but one of strength. It was a privilege he took upon proudly as you were blissfully aware.

Then, you ruminated through your dried herbs in search of chamomile and lavender, even as you knew the exact placement of every single item; once you heard Steven lose his armour and step forward, you looked over your shoulder, offering an unassuming smile – despite assuming quite a lot from the many encounters you had shared before.

“Tea, my love?”

Like clockwork, like the most beautiful habit, you barely got the chance to speak the question before he stood behind you, fingers cradling your chin, angling your head further to meet your lips again, an indulgent smile tasting indulgent smile as neither of you ever believed a tea was to be served. Not yet at least.

Where your first shared kiss after days of being apart tasted of longing, relief and soft smiles, this one tasted of feelings much more primal. Your breath hitched in the briefest surprise at the intensity, yet you responded in earnest, shifting to accommodate his large body, your hands finding purchase of his broad shoulders as soon as you spun around. He rewarded your cooperation with enthusiasm; you yielded to his force with a breathy laugh once he allowed you to retrieve the air he so lovingly stole from your lungs.

“No tea then?”

A hand previously grasping at your hips wrapped around your back to pull you to his chest, three steps leading you to walk backwards until your back brushed the makeshift table, Steven’s lips as urgent as sweet, his beard scratching at your sensitive skin, each breath tickling your lips.

“Would rather drink from your lips, love,” he whispered to your mouth, the only chance for both of you to breathe in before his lips returned. His hold tightened to ground you against his advances, trapping you in a cage of love you could have easily escaped should you wish; yet, you only withdrew for a moment, a cheeky retort on your tongue as your need for him grew with every touch.

“That could be arranged, I believe.”

Glancing up, you were met with his darkened eyes, his hand firm as he held onto your jaw; and yet, his thumb caressed your skin gently, the desire blending into softness and amusement at your bold demeanour. You lifted one corner of your lips in a smirk, gasping when his mouth possessed yours again, teeth tugging at your lower lip, his arm still holding onto your waist – the only thing keeping you from practically laying on the table, his hips pining yours against the hard surface, fingers squeezing your flesh.

Now there was a thought; Steve’s weight rendering you weightless as he’d coax peak after peak from your body laid on the dark wood as an offering to Gods at an altar…

The very thought, however, was fast to dissolve as Steven’s hips rocked into yours, allowing you to feel the outline of his burning need, having you clutch at his shirt as friction teased your throbbing core. He swallowed the needy noise he elicited from your lips, fingers slipping under your shirt, thumb pressing into your skin just above your hipbone as to guide your movements.

You shuddered upon his lips travelling down the column of your throat, teeth grazing skin alongside the hem of your shirt above your collarbone; your hands began their own quest over the hard planes of his body, appreciative of his truly impressive physique. Steven’s fingers roamed as well, caressing and squeezing, your given name but a breathy whisper when his fingertips stroked the underside of your breasts.

You nearly missed his words due to the blissful sensation, but you had heard the silent plea spoken so many times before there was no mistaking it.

“Dance for me, my love?”

Your swollen lips curled in a playful smile as his fingers carded through your hair, kiss brushing your cheek and jaw and finally your mouth again.

“Oh? Is that what you wish for, lover mine?”

His gaze followed the patterns his fingertips whispered over your face as if they were brushes painting the most precious canvas, a curious contradiction to his eager kisses and hardness.

“Would you hold it against me?” he inquired in a hushed voice, stealing yet another kiss from your waiting lips, his nose gently caressing yours before his gaze bore into yours with intensity again, “that I wish to see something so beautiful and so alive after a battle?”

The amusement slipped from your face, features softening as your heart sored at the subtle confession. The knights of Starkerbürg were full of jest and gestures so great they might border on insanity when situation allowed it. Their bravery was a thing of legends, as much of a legend as the thing you knew they had gone to fight days ago and were only now returning, having bested a mythical creature much more vicious and deadly than yourself, crushing life with not more than one bite to a man’s flesh.

Yet, for all their heroism, even knights, even the most precious of them all – even your Steven – felt the disarming fear of death itself, cruel and all too powerful. You would be always be more than willing to remind him of the power of life for a change, until you’d release yours with your last breath.

Ad so the answer was no – no, you would not hold it against him, whatever he would ask. Never him.

Standing on your tiptoes, framing his face with your hands, his whiskers and already messy hair ticking your palms, you told him as much, sealing your deal with a kiss.

Easing his grip, he allowed you to push against chest, easily giving in as you lead him to walk backwards until his calves hit the frame of your bed. He sat down obediently and you leaned into him, stealing another brief peck.

“Please, bosorka moja,” he pleaded once more as your forehead touched his, taking a moment to breathe him in, reminding yourself that both you indeed were still alive; and thus, such victory should be celebrated with joys life itself provided. “Dance for me, my love.”

Smiling, you placed a finger over his lips to shush him at last, gliding several steps back, mischief appearing in your eyes as his own followed your every movement hungrily, more so when you slipped out of your shawl, the shirt far from brushing the waist of the skirt suddenly hanging low on your hips, providing Steve with a silver of skin of your stomach.

There was no music but the howl of the wind carrying the occasional note by chaffinches and dunnocks and rustles of leaves. Yet, an old old melody echoed in your heart, guiding your movements and filling you with power and confidence of all witches that came before you and enchanted men into giving away their kingdom without as much as a fleeting thought, surrendering their strength and their hearts, all that only to be blessed with a single sinful glance, a single touch of magic as old as humanity itself. For a single drop of passion.

You could feel it fill the air, the longing and thirst for life and body, your lover’s eyes turning dark, hypnotized by the simple swirls of your wrists above your head, at your sides, following every slide of the back of your hands over your ribs, over your bare skin, his visceral need to replace your touch with his own. Drinking in but the smallest motions of your hips, breath hitching at the briefest tilt of your head back or to side, his lips tingling to attach themselves to the exposed skin of your throat, to taste, to suck a bruise. The force with which his fists curled into themselves seemed to ignite sparkles in the air, bringing a sensual smile to your lips as you let your eyes slip shut, feeling the energy hum louder when you moved closer; a sweet thunder within you, within Steve, all around you.

The thud of Steve’s knees on the floor came with his hands grasping your hips; needy but not firm, only to feel the slow movements of your hips and allow you to continue swinging freely. You released a breath, head tipping backwards as Steve’s hot lips found the now burning skin of your stomach, nosing his way up an inch at a time, beard tickling, an open-mouthed kiss following and causing you to shudder – with pleasure, with overwhelming power.

“Steven-“

“Keep dancing, bosorka moja,” he hummed into your skin with a pleased smile, teeth grazing over your belly button as if to distract you from his rough but deft fingers slipping under the waist on your skirt, inching it lower and lower until it hit the floor. Cold air brushed over your bare core, Steven’s lips trailing to the junction of your thigh, his smile growing wicked. “I shall help you dance.”

The very first flicker of his tongue over your pearl had you stutter in your movements, a whimper leaving your lips as Steven’s fingers dug deep into your flesh of your sides and thighs, a wordless warning not to cease the dance he had pleaded for. With a shudder of a breath, you willed yourself to continue, naturally rocking onto his hot tongue as it swept over your weeping core with indulgence, stars flashing behind your closed eyelids at the contrast of the slick muscle to the scrapes his beard left behind.

“Steven-“

“Shhh,” your lover whispered, the sound gentle and teasing at once, the pleasant vibration against your sensitive flesh causing your fingers to find way into his hair and grip, only earning another appreciative hum. “Keep dancing, love.”

And so you did. Leaning into the affection so willingly offered, you succumbed to a different kind of dance. Fingers flexing in Steven’s hair upon a particularly smart swirl of his tongue, breathless praise, calls to Gods and desperate pleas for more more more spilling from your lips. Meeting his ministrations without shame; guiding him, opening up for him as the liquid fire of pleasure spread through your veins, turning into an inferno when you found your thigh on his shoulder, completely out of your doing, an instinct to chase relief – but thoroughly appreciated as Steven’s arm circled your bottom, pulling you impossibly close and loving you deep enough to set you on fire entirely.

You let the primal hunger consume you as you climbed to your peak, crying out when you reached it, head spinning from the intensity; waves of bliss washed over you, body pliant and relaxed. You shrieked when you suddenly found yourself losing your footing, for a brief moment frustratingly empty and cold; and then you were spread on the table, your lover’s lips wrapped around your bundle of nerves, burning blue gaze swallowed by lust firmly set on your face as two thick fingers entered you, latching onto the last aftershocks of your peak. You reached a second high with dizzying speed, unable to tear your gaze away from your giving – and so, so wicked – lover. Gods could possess you at that moment and you would have not felt as if you ascended to such heights as you had while indulging on Earthly pleasures with him.

A soft trail of kisses and pets soothed you as you came down, a breathless chuckle bleeding into a sob when you noticed few of your possessions floating in the air, your magic quite literally having exploded outside of you.

Steven’s lips curled into a smile against your jaw and then you were tasting your essence – as well his much-satisfied grin – on your tongue, revelling in the warm weight of his body covering yours. It seemed your Steven had a few magic tricks up his sleeve too, mind-reading being one of them. You smiled into the kiss, using your grip on his hair to pull him even closer. He could never be close enough; and as he stood between your spread legs, his hard bulge brushing against your bare core, his lips and hands eager, you were certain he felt just the same.

“So beautiful for me,” he whispered to your mouth before retreating, darkened eyes sparkling with lust and pride as well as affection.

“And yours,” you hummed, fingers raking through his beard appreciatively, chuckling when fresh hunger flashed in his pupils. Oh how possessive your knight could be… how much joy it brought you to tease him. “Should I show you?”

A breathy yes was your only answer and so you gripped his shirt, using the fabric for leverage to you sit up. You kissed him again, hands sliding under his garments, gliding over his stomach, your magic flowing freely and healing whichever injuries you had missed earlier.

Easily ridding him of his shirt and pants in between sweet encounters of lips and shedding your clothes as well, you wrapped your legs around his waist, a faint whisper of ‘bed’ enough to have him pick you up without protest; on contrary, with quite the enthusiasm since his hardness throbbed when you led him to sit down with you in his lap.

“Missed you… love you… need you,” you confessed, his breathy voice echoing your sentiments as your lips brushed over every patch of his skin in reach, fingers wrapping around him and guiding him inside you, bliss surrounding you both when you finally sank yourself down his length in one fluid movement.

You rested your forehead against his and simply breathed, living in the moment of utter bliss; a different kind, not the almost primitive one, no, not the wild one. This moment belonged to serenity. Sharing air and warmth with your lover, tender hands appreciating the wide planes of his muscles, strength radiating from flesh and soul alike. And love. Always love.

As if he was able to read your mind once more, his lips sought out yours, a declaration of love indeed, simple, honest and unyielding. His thumb gently traced the pattern of your tattoo, its ink reaching from behind your ear over the side on your neck, a swirl over your left collarbone and spreading over your shoulder. I love you as you are, for all you are, his touch whispered even as no sound left his lips. And even if you felt no shame for your nature, your Steven’s acceptance caressed your soul as did his diligence; not once he had forgotten his ritual of reminding you that with him, your existence was not merely tolerated – but adored and celebrated. When you first understood the significance of this habit of his, tears had stung your eyes, kissed away before they could roll down your cheeks.

“Ľúbim ťa,” you had breathed out then, a love confession in the old language, and ever since, you had not failed to say it once in response to his gesture.

Then, rough fingertips carefully followed the line of a fine silver chain carrying a tear-shaped indigo sapphire, a token of affection usually hidden from plain sight, protected; a promise of faithfulness even as you remained unwed. You had no need for gemstones, but you understood its importance, the significance of the gesture; it made for your heart warm and safe upon its possession and for Steven’s heart lighter a pound of the burden of your circumstance.

Your circumstance was not one of the simple ones, a forbidden love one might say; in which you were the only forbidden thing. Forbidden to even live, let alone love or be loved; an abomination to some. A magic wielder, no doubt seducing the most honourable with her dark powers, for what other reason could be there for him to take liking in you? It mattered not that there was less than a little true to it, that your bond was of much purer nature, as common and as human as the blood you drew from your own veins to cast protection spells over your beloved. True did not matter. Should you reveal your relationship now, Steven would have been painted a victim; and you would have lived no more.

An easy circumstance yours was not at all; but your dedication to each other was to conquer all troubles. And in the meantime, you shall have moments of serenity and of passion, of you and him.

The smallest shift of Steven’s hand pulled from your thoughts, breath hitching when his fingers slid an inch lower, brushing over your nipple. Your hips buckled on instinct, drawing a groan from your lover’s lips, a grip on your bottom encouraging you to move.

Who were you to deny pleasure to you both?

Smiling, you withdrew, index finger covering Steve’s lips as he tried to follow, a discontent furrow to his brow. You tilted your head, thumb brushing over his swollen lips.

“Would you like me to dance still, lover mine?” you inquired teasingly, his disapproval at your actions wiped away in an instant, replaced by fire in his eyes.

Gentle flames of affection battled those of desire, his warm palm caressing over your lower cheeks, before he snapped you impossibly close, causing you to gasp – and to question who it was who had the upper hand here. Your hand fell to his chest, his heart beating wildly under your palm, an answer of its own.

Both then. It seemed you were both on top and simultaneously under the other’s thumb. Such a beautiful thing.

“Would you, bosorka moja?”

Your smile grew, lips attaching to his once more and planning to remain for as long as possible, first careful rock of your hips the first step to reach for the stars – together this time.

“Oh Steven… for my honourable knight? For you, my love? With pleasure…”

An absent smile played on Steve’s lips, his fingers running up and down your arm, appreciating the softness and warmth of your skin. An air of comfort and contentedness hovered around you as he held you close, fast asleep in his arms, cheek pressed to his chest as if the very sound of his heart against your ear lulled you to peaceful slumber.

Despite the sweetness of the idea, Steve felt his brows furrow in concern. While as he was perfectly happy to serve as a pillow for his beautiful lover, aware there was barely any greater expression of trust than a shared sleep, worry seized him for this occurrence was beyond rare. He once asked whether your incredible magic was an effortless as you made it seem, met with a weary chuckle and a kind, if a little condescending smile and a confession that if seen weak, your kind would have been an easy prey. Having understood he had taken your answer as a testimony to the lack of trust you had laid in him, you had also admitted that while the teachings of your ancestors had been deeply ingrained in your instincts, part of your reluctance to show your weakness to him was precisely what weighted his conscience just now. You simply could not be bothered to make him fret too much.

The fact you had let sleep take you alone was truly worrisome and Steve pondered just how exhausted you must have been. Even as the fresh memory of your breathless pleas for more and the cries of pleasure as you rode him till you both tasted heaven were nothing short of precious to him, he could not but wonder whether he was taking too much; your magic healing his wounds, your body a sanctuary to his love and fears.

Perhaps he had. But who could ever blame him?

Steven had never known a woman like this – unafraid to give, just as unshy to take; one or the other, but never like this. He had fallen for you and had fallen hard, body and soul. Yes, should anyone call him selfish, they would not be wrong, because Gods, did he take what he craved and lusted – and yet. Yet, every moment with you felt ethereally right as your still unconscious form drifted closer, almost as if you sensed his thoughts and wished for them to evaporate. And so far, they always had, dissolved in your easy smile when you refused his offer and plea to come with him; to bring you to the castle with him so he could give as well, give more, provide and protect and worship you in his home, your new home, true home where you would not have to hide in the middle of the woods like some sort of an abomination.

It is not the time yet, my love. It will come, you would always say, washing away his guilt with a sweet kiss and a promise. One day. One day I shall come with you and we should be unabashedly happy with no fear, free to be you and me.

He had let your words and touch sooth him, always; but not today. Your body having melted into his had his protective instinct flare up, determination set in his very heart. He should convince you today, to make you his and him yours as two people in love deserved. He shall make an honest woman of you in the eyes of the whole kingdom at last. It was what you were worthy of, for you were worthy of anything and everything. And with you… he believed he deserved the same. He could not stand it anymore. Parting ways with you, only to hope for your next stolen moment to come the very minute after he had left. He could no longer bear you existing so close and yet so far out of his reach.

No, he shall convince you today, insist more than ever. He wanted this, he wished for nothing more than to lay to sleep like this every night, with you. You deserved it. You deserved the world and he shall lay it to your feet, for his honour and his benefit at once.

Any other day, you would have berated yourself for having fallen asleep; but knowing the changes your body was going through, weariness settling in sooner than it used to, it only brought a smile to your face when you found yourself waking to Steven’s tender fingers carding through your hair.

The night was slowly falling. Wandering the woods in darkness would have been an unnecessary risk for anyone, even for a skilled knight with your protective spell over him; your lover was more than aware of it and still, you could tell it pained him to bring you out of your slumber nevertheless. It was no feat to kiss his guilt away, smiles adorning your faces, noses caressing, hands wandering, nearly leading you back into the clutches of lust.

He sat patiently on your bed now, half dressed as you took your blade, his eyes following your every move with more attention than ever as he absently sipped chamomile tea; he found himself deep in thought, such was obvious. It was not difficult to guess where his mind had trailed off to, for it had always been the same.

His voice was soft when he spoke the words, a soft wrinkle on his forehead as your cut your finger and stood between his spread legs.

“Come with me.”

A sad smile played in the corner of your lips as your heart fluttered at his plea, one he never failed to deliver, even as your sigh must have sounded weary every time.

“I cannot. Not yet.”

Steven was no half-wit, which was more than could said about many of the people of Starkerbürg. He knew precisely why you could not come; why you never could, at least not yet. Magic was still forbidden – as if it was a choice, as if one could choose to stop breathing and still live – hated for the pain and destruction the dark twisted witches and sorcerers had once left in their wake, misusing magic to spread fear and suffering. It was not just that all magic wielders were still paying the price for what their ancestors had done. It was even less just that you, not having done any harm unless you needed to escape imminent danger to your life, should live a hermit life, too far from your love and lover. Yet it was how times were, still.

But you were no fool either. You could feel Steven’s uneasiness growing heavier every time he left without you, for it went against his very nature, against the need to keep you close, to hold you, to love – to protect you from harm. You had no doubt he would lay his life for you. You could not allow him to do that, not when the time was finally growing near for your love to be cherished as any other, time for your kind to be free. You must not lose him to rushed foolishness. He was no longer only yours to lose.

“I would protect you,” he promised, steely conviction in his husky voice.

As sweet as the sentiment was, you could not but smirk, a knowing gaze reminding him that should the situation require it, you could very well protect yourself, even as your true gift – the one special talent every magic wielder had, naturally developed with barely any practice – was of the healing kind. Should you truly wished, you could burn villages with terrifying ease; gods knew sorcerers and sorceresses had done this and more with a single snap of their fingers.

Steve took no offence in your teasing gaze; but the determination in his own remained unshaken as you begun to draw the protective symbol over his sternum.

“The time is yet come for people to understand the blessings of magic again, for its light to outshine the darkness it had sowed,” you reasoned, as much as it pained you. “The time shall come soon, I promise. It is simply not today, my love.”

Long fingers circled your wrist, gentle but firm, having you cease your movement, your gaze meeting the brilliant blue roaming over your face.

“I miss you. All days, all nights. I-“ he paused, licking his lips, a shadow of hurt passing over his face. “Don’t you?”

Your heart soared, a sigh leaving your lips. Steven was not easy on you today; but your conviction and determination was just as strong as his. You had to be brave and so did he. A few days longer, that would be all you needed. The right time would come. You were certain of it, even as it was nothing but a whisper of intuition in the back of your mind. Wait, the voice said, the time grows near, but you must wait.

“Do not do this, rytier moj,” you scolded Steven, letting gentleness seep into your voice. “It does not suit you. You must know I love you. I miss you too. And I worry. All days. All nights. Therefore…”

You wiggled your fingers, Steven’s shoulders sagging as he released you, an exasperated pout to his lips – unjustly adorable – as you resumed your work. You smiled widely despite your unnerving circumstance; he would give you anything and everything. The knowledge of this, having been reminded by every little gesture, every word he spoke, made for the warmest feeling in your soul.

Content with your handiwork as you drew the last spiral, you had to swallow a chuckle when Steven’s brows furrowed in confusion, head bowing, eyes flickering over the unfamiliar pattern. A triskele instead of a simple two-headed spiral. A symbol speaking more words than your knight could ever imagine in his wildest dreams, you supposed.

“It’s different.”

Shrugging, you withdrew your hand, calling to your magic to finish the ritual.

“You always draw two spirals connected…” Steve continued, eyes growing large and curious.

“I do”, you agreed softly.

He observed you, intrigued. He had once said he might not understand your power, but he swore he would always try. He would not dare to question your rituals, but you could almost feel how fast his thoughts whirled in a frantic search for an answer. The ritual had remained the same, always, countless times, over and over… why would you steer from it today of all days? What was its significance? What had changed?

Oh Steven. Your sweet, sweet Steven… if he only knew.

“You always say it is about love. The unity of us. You and me,” he said slowly and you nodded, unable to contain your joy any longer, eyes surely glimmering.

“Yes. Our love, you and me. Unity of two.”

His eyes, roaming your face in silent question still, suddenly widened, flickering down and snapping back up as the realization dawned on him, leaving his lips slightly parted.

You simply shrugged, a chuckle shaking your chest, while guilt already began to gnaw at your conscience. You should have not told him, not yet. But how could you have kept it for yourself? How could you have denied yourself a little indulgence, even when knowing nothing could change just yet? You simply wished to see him learn your sweet secret, yours and his, even if for a moment, see he was equally elated.

Your knight did not disappoint you, not that you believed he ever could. His face was a perfect blend of shock and delight, radiating joy and hope and shame and sadness in equal amount as he stammered, shaky hand reaching out to carefully brush his fingers over your belly showing no signs of the treasure growing inside yet.

“You- are you—are we? Oh gods-“ And then, as you predicted, his expression shifted in an instant, determination taking deep root. “Then you must come with me. Allow me to take care of you, to-“

Satisfied and aching at once, you promptly shushed him with your still bloody finger to his lips. A single tear rolled down your cheek; a testimony to happiness, reassured anew of your lover’s goodness and dedication to you. To your family. The wonder, the glimmer of hope and the conviction in Steven’s expression would stay with you till you could grant him his wish.

“The time has not yet come, my love. I share your joy. And your worry,” you whispered through the tightness of your throat, even as a smile adorned your lips. Your finger drew a small cross over his mouth despite the pain it caused you. You had had your moment – and that had to be enough for now. “I am sorry, rytier moj. But you shall not remember this, not yet.”

Before he could as much as take a breath, you withdrew your hand, the symbols on his chest and lips disappearing with a soft glow. Disoriented, your knight blinked, steadying himself by the hand on your hip even as he remained seated.

With a shaky inhale you composed yourself before he could, leaning forward and planting a tender kiss on his lips, fingers raking through his hair. His hand cradled your jaw, adoring.

“Be careful,” you spoke against his lips, earning another small peck.

“Always.”

You retreated with a huff, shaking your head as you went to find an ointment you knew his friend would soon need.

“You speak as if I did not know you, Steven. A basilisk chimera’s teeth three inches from your throat, I heard? Careful indeed.”

His smile was sheepish as he rose to his full height, tying the top of his shirt before reaching for the garments you had so hastily rid him of earlier.

“I always try. The idea that should I fail, I shall never see you again… it can be quite a motivation,” he sweet-talked, succeeding just a bit in softening your exasperation.

Perhaps the vision of him dutifully putting on his armour, making his frame appear even larger – and protected – calmed you further.

“Well, Steven, try harder,” you snipped, pressing a tiny pot into his hand, earning a raised brow. “And take this to Peter, the wound on his leg was already turning foul. And this…”

You reached for a salve you had prepared for when a wave of nausea had taken you by surprise, dipped your finger in the dark substance and carefully patted it over Steven’s brow where his cut had been. You did not expect Steven to feel nauseous – after all he was not the one carrying a new life under his heart – but the colour was convenient. A cut healing so rapidly would have casted a dangerous suspicion on whoever he had interacted with – or worse, on Steven himself. You could not have that.

He observed you softly as you tended to him, adding a small tap where a bruise had begun to form earlier on his cheekbone. He did not utter a word until you were satisfied with your work. Once your hands fell to your sides, his own framed your face, pressing a kiss to your forehead, your nose and finally your mouth again, a bittersweet goodbye.

“Always so meticulous and careful… always so good. Taking care of me, of my friends…” he mused, breathing you in one last time, hovering, hesitating more than usual. Almost, almost as if your spell had not worked and he still knew. As if he still knew precisely what he was leaving behind this time. “Take care of the person most precious to me too? Until I come back again?”

There might be two of those for you now, you thought, the memory of his delight flashing in your mind, bringing a smile to your lips as you nuzzled into his touch and kissed his palm.

Looking up at his face, you echoed his own reassurance. “Always.”

With one last kiss and hearts as heavy as light, you declared your love to each other. You walked him out quietly, watching him disappear between the trees, his gaze turning to you several times, always finding you standing at the doorstep of his true home, a tender smile on your lips.

Once he was out of sight, you released a sigh, hand settling over your belly, a tear stinging in your eye despite the corners of your lips having been turn upwards.

Yes. The time was yet to come for the people to see again the blessings of magic. For now… the blessing of love already bloomed and it was enough.

Očaruj mě (a fic with the same pairing in the same universe)

S.R. masterlist - contains other knight!Steve fics, independent of this one

Complete masterlist

Yes, I’m mixing symbols, I know… do I care? Nope.

Terms of endearment/addressing used from Slovak language: bosorka moja = witch mine rytier môj = knight mine ľubim ťa = I love you

Thank you for reading!💕 I wrote it in between really difficult exams in the ocourse of two months and it needed a LOT of editing afterwards too, so... feedback is, as always, appreciated 🥰

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fluff #knight steve rogers #knight steve rogers x reader #knight steve rogers x you #knight steve rogers imagine #medieval au #fantasy au #fairy tale au #lemons #pomiluj me #anika ann

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theriverbeyond · 10 months

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salut!!! do you have any fave griddlehark au fics?? your taste is immaculate so i would appreciate the recs

omg thank u!! and YES i have tons of recs. I have started a couple of bookmark collections on ao3 for my personal favorite fics, THREE of which are about griddlehark!! As a heads up I only made them somewhat recently, and am therefore trying to catch up on my bookmarks backlog, so they aren't complete but I recommend everything in them :D

Griddlehark Modern AU bookmark collection (what it says on the tin, all fics >10k words) Griddlehark Canon Divergence AU bookmark collection (Basically any AU ft. griddlehark with canon divergence from any period in the timeline, including regular canon divergence & more drastic alternate paths such as Nova AU, BOE!Gideon, Her Divine Highness AU, etc) Griddlehark Misc AU bookmark collection (Any non-canon, non-mundane AU)

for specific fic recs, just off the top of my head:

Waiting and Better Days by badgerjaw (Griddlehark modern AU sickfic & hurt/comfort, made me cry (positive), really beautifully written)

I am one of the young women who was rescued from the Locked Tomb cult, AMA. by mintpearlvoice (formatted like a reddit AMA, funny but also angsty in the best way. what can i say but them <3)

literally anything written by @valancietrinit/valancytrinit, especially if you like your alternative universes with an angsty modern flavor they have some utterly FANTASTIC oneshots here, literally no words u just have to read them and experience it for yourself

hold you like a weapon by @gideonisms/GingerAlchemy (ballet fake dating AU with pitch perfect griddlehark dialogue and banter. holding them in my arms)

The Heart Is Hard To Translate by JustBeCos (BOE!Gideon AU, Harrow is captured by BOE and Gideon ends up guarding her. One of the most scrunchable Harrows ever, with SUCH a well written Gideon as well, tears my heart out with each update!!!)

Mors Vicit Omnia by @four-for-fidelity/WalkingDisaster (forensic anthropology AU that has me by the THROAT!!! in suspense, truly one of the Fics Of All Time, to me)

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by @neornithes/pipistrelle (MOBY DICK AU where the scions of the Houses are called by God to go on a Ressurection Beast hunt. Once again, truly one of the fics of ALL time, the way this fic re-interprets Resurrection Beasts, Lyctorhood, the River, and necromancy in general is just beyond fantastic)

#HOPE THIS HELPS anon and have fun reading!!#fic rec #ask #anon #griddlehark #as usual i have probably forgotten many. also wish i could add some currewnt WIPs i am reading to this rec list but alas that will have to #wait a bit. but know i am recommending them IN MY HEART!!!!

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habken · 1 year

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🥲 I love your art and vibe in general , I was wondering if your ao3 bookmarks are public??? I just feel like you have some BANGER fics to browse through

Thank you ! This is embarrassing lmao I read a lot of fics and I think a have almost 500 public bookmarks 😭 my username on there is just habs if you wanted to browse them, a huge chunk of them are quirk accident stuff

my personal recommendations:

si vis pacem by athenoot - 70k incomplete - john wick reincarnates as deku, it’s so good and also a Very Funny concept to me

the dispatcher by bovie - 18k incomplete - deku’s like a semi omnipent god and also ten years old and also works as a dispathcer for underground heroes! The dedication the author has put into the fic is insane there’s so many maps, the disaster management and just everything is so well thought out and researched it’s honestly really impressive

permanent ink by maxine - 117k complete - it’s a bkdk soulmate fic, you get words on your arm at a certain age, something that your soulmate has said to you that’s important. Bakugou knows it’s deku but doesn’t know how to tell him. It’s bkdk but it also lowkey really made me like bakukami too

vacation by literalpieceoftrash - 10k incomplete - the last update was Awhile ago but I recommend it wholeheartedly anyways. Basically planes trains and automobiles except all for one accidentally kidnaps deku when he steals inko’s rental car and so all might (posing as a civilian) and her are trying to get deku back, and everyone is collectively trying to make their way across the country to get to california for the hero convention (to top it off, it’s also dad for one) 10/10

seeping through by ashenice - 6k complete - I love fics with the one for all holders so much, anything with the quirk haunted tag I will gobble up and this one is super funny. Summary is deku starts developing traits/skills from the past users starting with a shellfish allergy

the fine line (between you and me) by azureflowers - 50k complete - bkdk sharing a body I love bodyswap shenanigans so much and this one was so fun to read ! Little angst, little goofy, deku’s body technically kicks it but,,, it’s fine

cat’s paws on calm water by floating cow - 19k complete - pro hero!deku goes back in time to stop villains from attacking his class, tries to do so wothout being found out but it doesn’t fully go as planned. One of my favourite time travel fics ! I’ve reread it at least once I like it a whole bunch

a bunny and her son by wonhaebunny - 2k complete - this one is topical because of the bunny bakugou stuff I drew, but bakugou’s a big miruko stan and doesn’t know how to act when he meets her it’s just very cute and sweet and deku’s a little shit <3

gingerbread cookies by necroesthe - 14k complete - I originally read this when I was looking for peanut allergy!deku stuff and it’s so sweet I love it a lot. It’s shindeku and summary is deku get too many cavities so his mom (and everyone in 1a) bans him from eating sweets, he finds shinsou making cookies and decides to kick it with him during lunches

#ask #i was gonna give quick summaries but then I just wanted to gush #I haven’t been able to talk about fic a lot lmao #some of these are popular but I tried including ones I enjoyed and would read again #fic recs

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magicalblgirl · 8 months

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Ayo, so I see people are interested with the TianShan fic I was looking for. Anyway, I got some insanely good recommendations for all of you. There's some amazing story telling and plot going on here so bear with me...

I LOVE THIS FIC TO BITS! 🤧 I would coddle it if it was my child. He Tian is a brat but Momo would not budge, he's just as determined and won't back down. A glorified babysitter to an overgrown man child (please I love the jabs here 😝). Momo just wants to do his job but He Tian's stubborness is getting in the way *cough cough*. Also, there's violence, guns and knives. Read HERE

THIS, I love this so much 😭. Somewhat dark and violent in the beginning. Come on, He Tian beat Momo up in place of Jian Yi. But Momo is strong in his own right and it left He Tian puzzled. Momo and Jian Yi are like bffs here. He Tian and Zhang Zhen Xi are friends/mafia bros. Read HERE

This is friggin PAINFUL. Like angsty, violent, heart-wrenching, punch in the gut painful. BUT it is also one of the most AMAZING fics I've read. 🤕⚠️ LIKE YOU JUST WANT THEM TO BE TOGETHER BUT WTF. Mo got trust issues, He Tian got a truck load of em. It's bloody and kinda graphic especially what happened to Momo (nothing too gory tho imo, okay but some parts are kskskskdjd but for me they are bearable) so reader discretion, check the tags. Read HERE

This is ongoing so I am thankful for the author for updating it on New Year's eve 🎆. A friggin emotional roller coaster. I love to suffer, kick me in th b4lls with the angst but I also like the moments of vulnerability. Like for the emotionally constipated people like me, this fic is GOLD. And yeah.. SMüT (almost in every chapter 😏). Read HERE

Anyways...

Look at the update date. Look at me. Did I tell y'all it's UNFINISHED fics?? Cuz if I suffer, you suffer with me 😝 Also, I've read almost all TianShan fics in AO3 except those less than 1500 words lol. I prefer longer fics 5-10k and above, if there's a 100k completed fic I will errect a statue in your honor.

Anyways, if you read it, show the author some love or leave a kudos.

#tianshan #mo guan shan #he tian #he tian x mo guan shan #19 days #19days #old xian #old先

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honeydewsblue · 27 days

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#ao3moirecs. moirae’s ao3 fic recommendations.

a masterlist for all my favorite ao3 fics; fics i think should get more love, in no particular order. send the authors some love 🤍!!

disclaimer : most of these are reader inserts… sorry i need my dopamine fix. also read the tags!! read!! the!! tags!!!! my review will not be sufficient!!

includes … jjk (9), atla (2), genshin (1), misc. (1)

jujutsu kaisen

kintsugi, by kirketeer (21.3k wc) || toge inumaki / reader

sign language fic, looove how it deals with the hypothetical aftermath of shibuya arc! super funny too, overall a heartfelt and lighter, happier read :-)

ask me to bleed (for you i will), by kirketeer (3.2k wc) || geto suguru / reader

non-sorcerer reader. ‘you will die just as every other non-sorcerer dies: alone and afraid. and suguru will let it happen, because he knows his ideals are unflawed. they must be.’ ao3 author kirketeer you never miss

the color yellow, by rhydonium (29.9k wc) || gojo satoru / reader

hanahaki au. haven’t read in a couple years but i remember being utterly heartbroken. i also remember the concept of gojo and having everything and yet being unable to do anything in the face of something that can’t be helped sticking with me. (also read as: gojo and reader with a terminal illness.)

ariadne’s thread, by hawnks (3.8k wc) || gojo satoru / reader

‘he loses himself. he finds you instead.’ gojo dealing with losing and living. i can’t get enough of their characterization for him!! it’s too good. so much written in under 4k words—it made me appreciate how much storytelling you can do even without a higher wc. fell in love with the portrayal of falling in love.

let your hand become a blade so i may take it, by pantao (~10k wc, ongoing) || gojo satoru / f!reader

knight & princess au. ohhh my God. The writing is so good i’m sick. gojo in this… Phew. started my obsession with royalty aus. i crave the pining in loyalty and trust

doctor, coroner, mourner, by deadpooled (2.3k wc) || shoko ieiri

— and her companionship with death. character study. beautifully written :-( oh how i miss her so. i love her so much, i neeeed to read more works of her :-(

lover’s vigil, by nariveri (24.6k wc) || gojo satoru / f!reader

she fell first, he fell harder. gojo and taking care of ill readers pt2. love the characterization of gojo in this too!! gojo helplessly in love… gojo dealing with the repercussions (guilt) of being rude…

the natural movement of particles, by goldenlake (2k wc) || nobara & gojo

nobara has a talk with her teacher. what we could have had… love little stories that expand on things we don’t see in the original :’-)

the eightfold path, by hawnks (~16k wc, ongoing) || geto suguru / reader

soulmate au. ‘in the great scheme of things, you’re no one special. you are, however, the key to bringing suguru getou back down to earth.’ so! good! geto suguru is the people’s man… Ugh

avatar the last airbender

☆ measure each step into infinity, by paxbanana (200k wc) || azula / katara

azula’s growth from war and love. This is my Roman Empire. i can’t do this fic justice through a summary, but it altered the entirety of my chemistry. i appreciate and adore their exploration of azula’s character so, so much. this is my standard now. i want a physical copy ** since it doesn’t have additional tags, cw for nsfw/sex, descriptions of torture, heed the depictions of violence warning

make a meal of you, by thatweirdguyinthebushes (4.6k wc) || sokka

character study, ‘[his relationship] with the concept of war’. ‘the first time he kills someone, sokka is fifteen years old.’ so very beautifully written

genshin impact

what the wind brought, by jupiterism (38k wc) || kaeya alberich / reader

bookshop keeper reader. also haven’t read this one in a while, but i remember loving the storytelling and characterization :-)

miscellaneous

translations, by bignostalgias (~18k wc, ongoing) — hiccup haddock / jack frost

crossover. language barrier fic. did not know this ship was a thing until i found this fic one day when i got obsessed with the guardians movie… (there’s a whole crossover with tangled, brave, httyd, and guardians????) so, so well written. executes such a creative idea so, so well. worldbuilding is amazing. god i love writers

#moirecs #m.list #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk x reader #gojo satoru x reader #avatar the last airbender #atla

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mikkaeus · 10 months

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house md fic recs — short fics (<10k). hilson + rarepairs

Other house rec lists: long fics | episode tags | postcanon | infidelity trope (all of these are mutually exclusive apart from the infidelity one)

highly recommend not skipping out on the non-hilson fics!! scroll to the end for a list of some really great ones. No huddy though because I'm not the biggest fan.

house/wilson and gen fic

I decided to just lump the gen fic together with the slash because really most of them can be read as slash with a G rating. Before we get into the fics, here are some notable authors that have written several house fics. Not all their fics are going to be listed individually, but if I have the author there I've read all or a lot of their stuff and enjoyed it, so I recommend going through their backlog.

otter: Some really excellent prose and great atmosphere. A little soft, a little pensive. And they nail the characterisation and dialogue.

ignaz: im sure everyone has read ignaz's longfic (a modest proposal and its sequel — the one where house and wilson get married so wilson cant testify against house in the tritter arc) but absolutely check out all their other stuff — it's all quality.

bironic: I really enjoy the bit of edge in bironic's fics. It makes them so yummy.

bethfrish: What stands out about their fics is how they peer into all the pointy edges of Wilson and Julie's relationship, thus making them excellent and unique Wilson character studies. Great prose and dialogue that rivals the show's.

Transformatron: fics that are transcendent and porny, all featuring a d/s undertone or theme (wilson as the dom)

astolat: if u dont know astolat idk what to say to u. just go read their fics.

blackmare (livejournal / ao3 pseud 1 / ao3 pseud 2 / lj pseud third_owl for slash fics i think) Does really great short fics (mostly gen) that slot into episodes. Like meta but in fic form. All of them are worth a read. Some of their fics are on ao3 but a lot aren't (like nearly all the episodic ones).

Namaste (livejournal / ff.net): Some short fics, some much longer ones. Mostly gen focussing on H&W friendship, with some fics on canon pairings. Interesting character studies and exceptionally discerning prose that is a pleasure to read.

In order of length. *faves, ***underrated faves

***Touch by zulu (<1k) (2007) The number of ways House could embarrass him with touches, Wilson thinks, is practically endless.

Silent Sigh by thedeadparrot (<1k) (2009) Wilson, autumn, melancholy, and House. Second person.

Heartbeats by thedeadparrot (<1k) (2009) Three moments in which House and Wilson are almost kind of functional.

No Pain by bironic (<1k) (2008) House finds a permanent solution to his pain problem and convinces Wilson to give him what he needs. Vampire fic! Frottage! hell yeah.

Also check out the sequel: No Mercy by daasgrrl (3k)

***The Game of Wilson: Six Cards in a Five Card Game by paradisecity (1k) (2006) If you're going to play a game like moving in together, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. Fun and snappy. Great dialogue.

*we're getting good at this by ad astra dean (1k) Wilson had a migraine. Established relationship. Soft and sweet and realistic esp after 8.19. fuck. Premium hurt/comfort.

**********three more stories by besselfcn (1k) The first time it happens is (New Orleans, 1991 | Albany, 2009 | Augusta, 2012) and they are (drunk | sober | out of time). This fic emotionally obliterated me. I’m obsessed with the format like it’s prose halfway to poetry, so creative and unique and well-executed??? I cried so much. I am UNWELL and immeasurably fucked up about them put me in my grave. (Yeah I said these lists were mutually exclusive but this fic is the exception bc idc)

The Awakening of Wils-Ankh-Amun, Royal Concubine by blackmare, Nightdog_barks, pwcorgigirl (1k) It was a rather unusual 'morning after.' This is hilarious. Reads like a classic prank episode. They're so dumb together I love them.

The One Where House Has Always Been a Woman by thedeadparrot (1k) (2009) Despite the hospital gossip, House is not, in fact, a man-hating lesbian. Genderswapped House but not Wilson.

Gray Morning by starlingthefool (1k) All he remembers is that the transition between a stupid joke and the meeting of mouths was almost seamless. Christmas fic that takes place one year after "Merry Little Christmas" (3.10).

Loser Day Blues by blackmare, Nightdog_Barks (1k) February fourteenth is just another day, and another evening in which Wilson winds up at House’s, although — this time — not for the usual reasons.

*indefinable by PaintedVanilla (1k) House can hear Wilson getting ready for bed; he can hear him brushing his teeth, undressing, being unusually quiet. Normally there’s a humming; a breathless energy that House won’t admit to loving about him. He doesn’t hear it tonight. It’s dead silent.

criteria by PaintedVanilla (2k) “I don’t think they know that we’re married.”

***We Live Together in a Photograph of Time by ignaz (2k) Wilson's hair curls when they're fucking. God I'm devastated. The ✨atmosphere✨. This is so in character. And can we talk about the banger title and summary??? I was gnawing my arm before I even opened the fic. Set in s4.

***Things To Do Before You Die by thedeadparrot (2k) In which Wilson turns thirty-eight and a half, thinks about kittens, and doesn't have a midlife crisis. But not necessarily in that order. Prank war with a twist. I’m so fond. Hits all the right cadences with the writing.

So Let Us Melt, and Make No Noise by ignaz (2k) (2007) "You kill patients all the time," House said. "You never stay at work until--" He peered at the clock. "--Four in the morning to make sure they're really dead."

***Curiosity by Namaste (2k) (2006) From Cameron's perspective. Fun character study of her and by extension House and the other two musketeers. Not shippy.

Welcomed Change by JammiesDodger (2k) A cute G-rated getting together fic.

Alone, Together by daasgrrl (2k) Finding new ways to be intimate.

*Keep Your Eyes Wide by deepimpact (2k) There is no specific amount of time passed, no big event, no one thing that Wilson can pin as the catalyst. Obsessed with this. Great atmosphere, excellent prose, and and everything feels authentic and in character. Set pre-season/s1.

***Carrion Eaters by ignaz House, in some indeterminate future or an alternate universe, from the perspective of a new hire. I really loved this story. It's sharp and sad, with great build up.

***Projection by bironic (2k) Remember Ali, that really pretty 17/18 year old clinic patient that was obsessed with House? This fic is Wilson's elaborate fantasy about fucking her, which is of course as much about House as it is her. Post 3.04.

***No Exchange of Payment by otter (2k) The gifts that House gives to Wilson. I adore this. It's about the little things. Otter has exceptional prose and always nails the characterisation, which makes their writing a real pleasure to read.

***All the Effects of Intoxication (3k) by otter This only happens when they're drunk. Just as yummy as that one-line description suggests. I love this a lot — the characterisation and dialogue are excellent and I think this scenario is very realistic for them.

Leave This Harbor for the Sea by otter (3k) House was never the kind of friend who'd help you move, even when he'd had two good legs, not to mention two good arms perfectly capable of lifting boxes. He'd always been the sort of friend who'd stop by while you were packing, make cutting remarks about the failures of your romantic relationships, and use all the half-filled boxes as an excuse to root through your things.

***the growing up, the falling down by riceonrye (3k for the series) Wilson is trying to buy a nice make-up present for his girlfriend, but there’s a guy in the shop with him brazenly shoplifting. Wilson, meet House. This is so good!!! I grinned like an idiot all the way through. It captures the throw-bottles-at-windows side of Wilson so well. A very cute AU of a different first meeting whilst still remaining true to the characters. Don't forget to read the sequel as well.

***never rains (but it pours) by Transformatron (3k) So... remember that episode where House can't pee? I present you some excellently written pisskink pwp. Nails the hilson dynamic, so even if piss isn't your thing, give it a go?

***Blind Spot by blackmare, Nightdog_Barks (3k) Wilson becomes blind after a head injury. genfic.

***Four Blocks South of Eden by bethfrish (3k) If you wanted paradise, you're a little off. I loved the tentative, slightly off-kilter feeling of this. Bang on characterisation, dialogue, and use of 2nd person POV (House). Set in s1 — Wilson's marriage is falling apart, and it leads to a night that could be the start of something new.

***Lie To Me by zulu (4k) It's terribly simple. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after. Exuberant ketamine summer House!!! Equal parts sexy and heartbreaking. Check out the sequel as well (1k).

Stumbling Towards Something Real by ignaz (4k) House and Wilson on holiday in Mexico. (A flagrant excuse for smut, basically.) I'm soft. In character and well-written.

Goes the Neighbourhood by Dee_Laundry (4k) One month into their permanent positions, the new fellows catch a case on the weekend and have to track House down.

***Easy by GoldStarGrl (4k) James Wilson is the easiest person in his dorm. At McGill. In all of eastern Canada, maybe. A fleshed-out version of their first meeting, as well as an insightful character study of Wilson. Slots nicely into canon, whether you believe in the "wilson has cheated on every wife with house" version or the "they fucked when they first met and never talked about it again" version. I really enjoyed this — they’re beautifully in character, and it's excellent writing.

***A Momentary Lapse of Reason by otter (5k) Wilson and Julie through House’s eyes, from the beginning to the end. Skips back and forth between the past and now. The quiet yearning!!! Also *standing on the table with a megaphone* have i mentioned how GORGEOUS otter's prose is??

*Blow the Candles Out by bethfrish (5k) Another year older, another year wiser, another divorce lurking just around the corner. So good!!! Wilson celebrates his birthday amongst the detritus of his marriage. The prose is really exceptional here. House's dialogue is also especially well done. It's a fun read that holds up well on a re-read.

***midnight rain by GoldStarGrl (5k) Wilson can't possibly know the pain. But he wants to. I am vibrating!!! Set precanon, in the aftermath of the infarction. Infidelity, spanking, hello??? Hot, vivid, excellent characterisation, excellent writing etc etc. A+ no notes.

***Through The Looking Glass (The Male Gaze Mashup) by zulu (5k) "If Wilson didn't know, great. What he didn't know couldn’t hurt him. If Wilson did know, it didn't matter, because if he hadn't berated House for it yet, then it was permission to continue." Interesting character study of Wilson and the way House slots into his life. Imaginative and fun descriptions. I did feel slightly lost at some points but it was still a great read. Excerpt: House tears open every envelope, even those addressed to Occupant, then brings back the well-read contents like a cat offering half-dead moles to its hunting-deficient human.

Empathy, Inc. by sassyjumper (5k) Cuddy hires a company that provides 'empathy training' to doctors. House reacts. Set in an earlier season.

***All's Fair In Love (and war) by Transformatron (6k) House and Wilson are enjoying the last day of their holiday when an urgent call comes through from Princeton-Plainsboro - a medical mystery that only House can solve. And he does intend to solve it, despite Wilson's best efforts to distract him. (Established relationship.) Wilson making House do a case whilst fucking him?? I'm an absolute sucker for this trope and I was delighted to find a fic with it.

A Towered Citadel by Namaste (7k) A differential diagnosis for Wilson’s serial cheating.

***And the Borders of Old Cities Get Redrawn by blackmare (7k) Continuation/canon divergence from 8.02 "Transplant". Ch1 is the most perfect episode tag I am vibrating . The way they fall back into their old rhythm!! House seeking out his touch like a cat and Wilson accepting it, even liking it!! The hints of pre-relationship are so delicious. (This is a rare slash fic from blackmare.) Ch2&3 are also absolutely brilliant!! Great characterisation, pacing, and tension-building.

A Voice in Ramah (Welcome to Holland) by ignaz (8k) Cuddy POV on her pregnancy journey. Diverges from the show. Really well done. ignaz did this topic and Cuddy's character justice. I also particularly liked House in this one.

Singapore by thedeadparrot (8k) (2009) In which the boys go to a medical conference in Singapore, House has a few surprises up his sleeve, and Wilson figures some things out.

*A Helping Hand by bironic (9k) Wilson has an unusually rough day and House decides (somewhat despite himself) to help. Things go further than he planned. A believable foray into non-platonic territory, set in between 2.22 (Forever) and 2.24 (No Reason). What better way to take your mind off your patients than a good-ol handjob between friends? Chuck in an absolutely delicious fucked-up overtone characteristic of them and we're golden.

Rarepairs

Chase/House

***pretty doctor by spqr (5k) AU where Chase is a hooker. House becomes obsessed with him after he off-handedly gives the correct differential diagnosis. spqr is an excellent writer that I've followed across multiple fandoms, and this fic did not disappoint. Well-written, great chemistry, hilarious. I could read 100k of this.

***atonement in the locker room after hours by missaa (2k) robert chase makes two mistakes in one day Tags: Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, degradation, God Complex, Catholic Guilt This is just as yummy as those tags make it sound. Someone needed to capitalise on the whole *waves hand vaguely* thing that Chase has going on and by god did this person rise to the occasion. Love the characterisation and the elegant prose, and the structure that flashes back and forth between two scenes. I'm insane!

Chase/Foreman Shoutout to ignaz who sold me on this pairing.

*Pretty Harsh (Confirmatory Testing Remix) by everybodylies (2k) Foreman might have flirted with Chase six months ago for like thirty seconds. Chase can't stop thinking about it.

***Two For The Road by ignaz (3k) For the first ever Foreman Fest, prompt 107 -- "after a break and enter gone wrong, Foreman and Chase are both sentenced to 300 hours of community service, which it looks like they're gonna spend picking up trash on the side of the road." Really solid writing (I mean it’s ignaz), believable characterisation and relationship building. I love them 💓💓💓 just overall a real pleasure to read. Also it's hilarious.

***Eric Foreman Doesn't Take It Up The Ass (But If He Did, It Might Happen Something Like This) by ignaz (6k)

Self-Defense, or The One Where Foreman Teaches Chase How to Throw a Punch by ignaz (1k)

Cameron/Foreman/Chase

Third Wheel Rolling by ignaz He's not jealous, but he's been the third wheel for so long that it's hard to tell the difference. Sexy + great characterisations.

Cuddy/Stacy

***Your Reflection and Mine by Starlingthefool (3k) Sweet, hot, well written.

Amber/Thirteen

***Hate (to the power of 13) by ijemanja (2k) (lj) Porny, with snappy writing and believable characterisations.

Hen Night by zulu (<1k) This is how breakups go. Amber's seen movies.

Release by zulu (1k) Wilson dies on the bus instead of Amber.

Chase/Wilson

Erase by bethfrish (<1k) Featuring a bar and crossdressing. Precanon. Second person, Wilson POV.

Patrick Bateman/Wilson

Just Like You, Only Worse by bethfrish (1k) Ok before you raise your eyebrows at the pairing, give it a chance. Bethfrish is an excellent writer. This fic is really a Wilson character study, and it's an interesting read. Second person POV Wilson, set in s1.

#house md #hilson #house x wilson #house fic rec #house md fic #house md fic rec #my rec list #please let me know fi there are any formatting issues or random chunks of text that shouldnt be there or whatever because tubmrl sucks #i spent way too much fucking time on these rec lists

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