reasons to watch rise: "a better question would be... did i really lose?"

please support rise of the tmnt by watching the show and movie over on netflix!! 🙏💜💙

Helloooo could we maybe get Kasey Leo bonding time? I adore how you write!

Hello, hello, hello. Thank you so much, anon! That is very kind of you <3 Kasey and Leo bonding time you say? Yes, please. Enjoy!

CW: Food talk 

Rating: G

These characters and the Sweater Weather universe belong to @lumosinlove

“Hey blizz,” Leo waved his hands to gain his fellow goalkeepers attention, waiting for him to remove the AirPods he’d shoved into his ears after finishing his shower. “Finn headed back to New York straight after practice, and Lo’s just informed me he’s going to some art thing with Cap, so the apartment is going to be pretty lonely, if you wanna hang. I think we might have some leftover barbeque?”

He didn’t think either Sirius or Logan would object to him tagging along, but it appeared there was something emotionally cathartic about their rants in their native tongue for the pair of them. His french wasn’t good enough to keep up with their rapid conversation, however, in his defence, he was pretty sure their huffs, snipped sentences and aggravated hand gestures weren’t comprehensible by the rest of French - speaking Canada either. Still, Logan always seemed to come back in a better mood than he left in, and according to Leo’s reconnaissance with Remus, the same was true of Sirius, so he left them to it. 

“Sure,” Kasey nodded, “You’ll never find me turning down good barbeque.” He started to pull his slightly damp hair into a ponytail, letting out a small laugh. “Besides, Nat will probably appreciate having me gone a bit longer anyway. She’s editing it, and you didn’t hear this from me, but she gets a little...intense.”

“To be fair to her, editing is a bitch,” Leo chuckled, shoving his sweaty uniform into the laundry trolley. Back in high school, he’d had a small gaming channel that by now was buried in the depths of Youtube, and editing had always been his least favourite part. 

“Yeah, I keep telling her she should just pay someone to do it, but you know Nat,” Kasey shrugged, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. “You ready?”

“Ready,” Leo hummed, taking one last glance behind him to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He fell into step alongside Kasey as they walked down the hallway.

***

“What’s this?” Kasey drawled. Leo looked up to find Kasey leaning casually against the doorframe, expression smug. It took him a second to register exactly what the maroon item of clothing dangling from his teammates’ finger was.

“Oh, that’s,” Leo cleared his throat, “Finn’s?” He felt himself cringe as the name left his mouth, the questioning tone not even the slightest bit believable. 

“That’s odd,” Kasey tilted his head feigning confusion, “because it says LK, here on the label.” 

Leo sighed, cursing his mom’s insistence on labelling his clothing before she’d packed him off on his senior trip. “Yeah, alright it was mine. Did you drag that out of the donation pile, anyway?”

Kasey pushed himself off the doorframe, crossing the room. “It was on top of the donation pile, which by the way, rude,” he slipped one of the plates Leo had been piling food on from the counter and set in the microwave. 

“Kind of weird to have in my closet now,” Leo managed a small laugh, hoping his cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. “Anyway,” he crossed his arms over his chest, “I was a goalkeeper, am a goalkeeper. Of course I had your jersey.”

“Sure it had nothing to do with a little crush,” Kasey teased, draping the jersey over the back of one of the stools. 

“Wrong cub. Have a word with Finn,” Leo scoffed, immediately feeling a bit guilty about how quickly he’d dropped his boyfriend in the deep end. 

“O’Hara brothers have good taste,” Kasey retorted. “Don’t donate it,” he cocked his head towards the shirt, “I’ll sign it. Imagine how much my jersey worn by you will rake in. We can give the money to a charity. Maybe something that helps queer kids?”

“You know, just when I want to hate you, you say shit like that and it just makes it impossible,” Leo swatted Kasey’s hand away from where he was about to reach for the hot plate with his bare hands mumbling something about impatient hockey players. “Sounds like a good plan. But circling back to O’Hara brothers, I heard a certain one dropped the L- bomb recently.” 

“No, no, no,” Kasey shook his head, his forehead creasing into a frown, “we are not talking about that.”

“That’s alright,” Leo smirked, “I’ll just call Nat later.”

“How about a compromise?” Kasey suggested. “We don’t talk about this, and I don’t tell the whole team I was little Leo’s favourite.”

“Fine,” Leo relented. “Just one more question,” he let the pause hang for a moment. “Did you cry?”

“Everybody thinks you’re the cute one, but you’re just a little shit really.”

“You love me.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Finn and Logan,” Kasey grabbed the tray Leo had gestured to, and followed him into the living room. 

“Okay, serious talk for a second. Sure, it’s weird to have that jersey in my closet now, but you really were an inspiration for me growing up,” Leo sent Kasey a shy smile, as they sat on the sofa. “I never thought I’d get to thank you in person, but here I am and you played a massive part in that, so yeah, thank you,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Still coming for that first choice goalie place though, old man.”

“Hey, you’re a hell of a player and I’d be happy to see you take my place one day, but not quite yet, rookie,” Kasey snorted. “Barbeque is great, by the way.”

“Just keeping you on your toes,” Leo nudged Kasey lightly, turning the TV on and selecting an animal documentary they had started the last time Kasey had been round. And really, 17 year old Leo could never have imagined telling Kasey Winter how much he admired him, but here they were, team mates, best friends, family.

Hello Miller!! Hope you’re having a good day! Coming at you with pt. 4 of lovestruck boys and bakeries 🏒🍰 [@lumosinlove character credit]

Skates shaved against ice as Logan pushed forward.

They were just practicing, a friendly 4v4 game at the end of a good day. They were only playing until one team reached five points - and Logan’s team was winning, four to three.

One more point and they’d come out the victors.

“Talker!” He called, trying to get his attention as his teammate was pressed closer to the boards by Pascal.

Talker slapped the puck over to him, finally, and Logan shot off with it, smooth and fast.

The other team flurried around him like sharks in the water, each one watching for prey to grab and sink their teeth into. Logan wasn’t gonna let them steal it away from him.

“Ouvert!” Jackson yelled, and Logan sent the puck flying between the quick glide of Remus’ skates.

“Motherfucker,” he heard Loops mutter as Jackson was left unguarded, easily using his momentum to surge past Finn to the goal. With one fast hit, the puck fumbled past Timmy’s goalie pads and struck the net.

It might as well have struck gold.

Logan whooped along with the others who had won, skating a victory lap and slamming into Jackson, sending them both skidding.

“Aw, fucking shit!” He heard Finn yell, and his smug smile only grew.

The winners unloaded off the ice first, talking about the great shots they’d scored.

Logan caught Finn’s eye on the ice over Kasey’s shoulder, and Finn pouted comically at him. “Leave me, then!” his boyfriend called dramatically. Logan laughed, face scrunching together like it did when he felt comfortable enough to let his guard down.

In the locker room, once he had showered and reemerged with wet curls, he made his way back to his stall. Finn was standing at his own, next to Logan’s, in a towel with his back to him.

Logan wrapped his arms around the redhead’s waist and squeezed. “Are you still sad you lost?”

Finn dropped his head back onto Logan’s shoulder. “I’m gonna be sad forever, Lo. How could you? I thought you loved me!”

“I do!” Logan promised with a kiss to the freckle right on Finn’s pulse point. “But I love beating your ass on the ice more.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Finn pulled away as he grabbed his t-shirt from his bag.

“I’m sorry you’re so heartbroken,” Logan teased as he turned back to his stall.

Finn twisted his shirt and whipped it at Logan’s bare chest with a smirk. “You can make it up to me later.”

“Non, non, non. Non,” Dumo said emphatically, covering his ears. “I don’t want to hear about that!”

“Then I’ll change the subject,” Loops supplied as he put his watch back on. “What do you guys want for wedding favors? Sirius and I figured that since you’re gonna be the ones taking them home, it should at least be something you like.”

“A life-sized cardboard cutout of both of you,” Talker announced. “I’ll prop that baby up in my living room.”

Remus shoved his shoulder.

“How about cookies?” Dumo suggested. “A special wedding design for the icing, or special shapes. You could get them from that baker your cake is from. Il s'appelle…what was his name?”

“Leo,” Logan said, at the same time that Finn said,

“You mean Leo?”

“Oui!” Dumo said, clapping his hands in delight. He looked back at Finn and Logan. “Leo. A nice man, non?”

Finn’s neck and cheeks bloomed red, and Logan looked down at his feet.

“Hm, that’s an interesting idea, Dumo,” Remus said thoughtfully, thankfully moving the conversation along.

Finn glanced down at Logan, both of them facing away from the group now. “We see him Sunday,” he murmured a reminder.

“At noon,” Logan nodded, lips turning up at the thought as he pushed a snapback onto his head.

Finn smiled. “Can’t wait.”

“I can’t do it, Marley, I fucking can’t.” Leo was clutching a washcloth in his hand, squeezing it hard enough that the water it had collected leaked back onto the counter and left the rag rough in his hand. “You have to do it for me. Please, God, do it for me.”

Marlene raised an eyebrow at Leo as she picked another grape off its stem. “I don’t think I’m the one they want to see.”

Leo lowered himself into the chair next to her and closed his eyes, clasping his hands for good measure. “Lord in heaven, please, please don’t make me face their cute faces. I’ll faint if I do it. I’ll drop dead.”

She chuckled. “You’re so dramatic, Leo.”

“I’m serious!”

“I know!” She laughed harder.

Leo pursed his lips. “Marlene, I’m begging you right now. I really can’t. Maybe I won’t drop dead, but I’ll cry. They’re gonna be all…gooey, and mushy, and in love, and engaged - and I can’t handle that!”

She looked up into his pleading eyes and sighed. “What will you do when I show up as their consultant, and they ask for you?”

“Hide,” Leo answered automatically, and Marlene cracked up again. “No, don’t laugh!” He whined. “I...I’ll figure something out by then, just- just trust me, it’ll work!”

Frank pushed the two-way door to the kitchen open with his shoulder. “Hey, chill out back here you two. Any louder and the customers will hear your bickering.”

“We’re not fighting, we’re having a crisis,” Marlene informed him as Leo sulked next to her.

“Both of you?”

She shook her head as she bit into a grape. “Remember that famous couple Leo’s crushing on? They’re coming in on Sunday for their wedding cake, and Leo wants to avoid them. He asked me to manage their appointment for them instead of him.”

Frank raised an eyebrow at Leo. “I don’t think she’s the one they want to talk with.”

“Right?!” Marlene chuckled. “That’s what I said!”

Leo put his head in his hands and groaned. “Sweet mercy. I am so, so screwed.”

*SCREECH*

WHAT A WONDERFUL THING TO FIND IN MY INBOX

The Stars In Your Eyes - Sterekhaleyes

Chapter 6 - "Where's Stiles?" (Extract)

"Sir, is it time?" 

The black-haired man slowly lifted his head to glare at the boy stood in the doorway, "How many times do I have to tell you, Leo. After the full moon." He slammed his hand on the table. "Now go and do something useful."

Leo quickly darted out the room causing the woman, sat beside the man, to tut, "Do you have to be so harsh, Ty?"

Ty ran a hand through his spiked hair, "The more they fear, the easier to get them to do my dirty work, Jennifer."

"How inspiring."

Feet clattered towards them, heavy on the concrete floor. A short, blue haired girl rushed in, halting at the end of Ty's desk. "Mr. Whittle, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

He sat up straight in his chair, "What is it?"

"It's the Hales," she said. "They know you want the girl."

--

Derek didn't want to get up. Stiles' head was resting on his shoulder, sound asleep; the last thing he wanted to do was to wake him. Nevertheless, he had to get up; it was Harley's birthday after all. Plus, he didn't want Cora to wake him, only to find Stiles in his bed. She'd be so smug about it.

He gently lifted Stiles' head off his shoulder and back onto a pillow, quietly sliding out of bed to get changed. Stiles was still asleep when he finished, so he soundlessly left the room.

Once downstairs he began setting up, putting up birthday banners everywhere. He lay out a few of the present's the pack had bought Harley and then headed towards her room.

When Derek opened her bedroom door, she was stood in the middle of her bed, spinning her little solar system model hanging from the ceiling. She caught sight of him and beamed, jumping up and down on her bed, "It's my birthday!"

"I know," he smiled. "Why don't we get you changed, and then we can open present's?" 

"Yes!" She cheered, jumping off her bed.

Derek got her changed her from her space pyjamas to jeans and her favourite plaid shirt. Harley wouldn't keep still, though he didn't know if that was from excitement, or if it was because she had her first full night's sleep in weeks.

Harley ran down the hallway whilst Derek strode behind her. She still struggled with the steep stairs, so Derek whisked her down them, her giggling away. He placed her down just as the front door swung open, Cora ambling in. "Auntie Cora!" 

Cora swung Harley around, "Happy birthday sweetheart!"

The rest gathered in, wishing her a 'happy birthday' causing her smile to brightening. 

Harley shuffled up to her dad, "Where's Stiles?" 

"Yeah," Erica threw her bag on the floor, "where is Stiles?"

"Still asleep." He said blankly, not wanting to give anything away.

"I'll go and wake him then." Allison said.

Derek shook his head, "No, I'll go." He began walking backwards towards the stairs.

"Don't worry-" Allison hoisted her bag onto her shoulder "-I'm going upstairs anyway. It's only another flight of stairs."

"But-"

Lydia raised her eyebrows, cutting him off. "Is there something you want to tell us?" Derek didn't say anything. "I'm going to get him."

"So am I." Erica and Allison said in unison, following Lydia. 

Cora patted her brother's shoulder on the way past, "You should just say it how it is; nothing ever gets past us girls."

"Shut up." He growled. This was the last thing he needed.

Once they reached Derek's and Stiles' floor, Cora barged through Derek's door. "Rise and shine." Cora shouted; startling Stiles' awake. The girls exchanged smug expressions as Cora drew the curtains back.

The light streamed in, blinding Stiles, "Are you taking the fucking piss?" 

She drew the covers back off him, "No, I am not."

His sight adjusted to the light as he sat up on the bed, rubbing a hand across his face. He then paused, realising that he wasn't in his bed, he was in Derek's...

Shit

His looks quickly shifted to the girls who were gathered by the doorway, sly smiled on their faces.

Cora pulled him up, "Go get changed, there is a birthday girl waiting for you downstairs."

Stiles sighed and trudged out of the room like a teenager who had just been caught doing something he shouldn't have done. He pushing his own room door open, not even giving the girls a second glance.

"I knew it would work!" Erica exclaimed as she entered behind him.

Stiles stared at his closet; his head too messed up to even pick out something to wear. "What would?" 

Lydia came beside him, gliding her hand over his clothes. She picked out a plaid shirt and threw it over his shoulder, "Date night of course."

"I don't understand." 

Lydia pushed a pair of jeans and socks to his chest, "We all went out in hopes of you two realising your undying love."

Stiles tiredly rubbed the back of his neck, "I should have seen that coming." He lumbered into his bathroom before any of the girls said anything else, getting changed into what Lydia had given him

As he wandered back out, Cora raised her eyebrows, "You still smell like him."

Stiles cocked an eyebrow, "Is that so? Hang on a minute, I'll just go and roll in some flowers."

Allison rolled her eyes, "Let's just go. We don't want to keep Harley waiting."

"Of course." Stiles mumbled. He hung back with Lydia as the rest strode off, "How did it go?"

She didn't try to hide her smile, "Amazing. He was ecstatic."

"That's amazing, I'm really happy for you both." 

"Thank you." She said as they stepped off the stairs. Harley greeted them, her grin distracting him for what he was about to face.

"Stiles!" She shouted, skipping up to him.

He crouched down to her level, "Happy birthday Harls."

"Oh will you look at that!" Erica smirked. "You're both dressed the same."

Stiles looked back at Harley. As a matter of a fact, they both were. Stiles glare shifted to Lydia, "Mm, what a coincidence."

"Can we go open present's now?" Harley asked, oblivious to what was occurring. Stiles nodded, his glare altering into a soft look. "Yay!" She rushed into the living room, straight over to her gifts.

Stiles idled in the doorway, surveying over the room for a specific someone. It just happens that the specific someone was slouched in the corner of the couch, hiding behind a book.

Stiles looked amused as he made his way over to him, sitting beside him on the couch. He bumped his leg against Derek's, "Why are you hiding behind a book?"

"I can't stand Cora's smirk." Derek grumbled.

Stiles glanced to Cora. She looked like she could barrel over in a fit of laughter at any moment. He looked back over to Derek "You know they planned it all."

Derek peered around the book to look at him, "Seriously?"

Stiles hummed. He reached over and plucked the book out of Derek's hands. "Now, ignore everyone and focus on your daughter."

Derek huffed, but there was a small smile present. "Fine."

Puppy meets Jealousy

Aka the second instalment of my fluff series: Puppy meets world. As always, I advise to read it on AO3, but just in case, here you go tumblr, that one’s for you.

——————

Of course things couldn’t stop at Princeton. Of course it had to go further than that. Of course there had to be another thing stealing Buck from him. Of course.

Now, Eddie and Princeton aren’t arch nemesis anymore. You can even say they are friends. But Leopold? No way. Leopold is a vicious, manipulative fucker who knows exactly what she’s doing. Eddie is starting to wonder if animals have a thing against him. 

Leopold is a cat. A gracious ragdoll with baby blue eyes that rivaled Buck’s—except it didn’t because Buck’s eyes are the prettiest, that’s a fact, Eddie does not make the rules—. 

Leopold’s name doesn’t suit her—who the fuck names a ragdoll Leopold anyway? Buck, that’s who—but she makes it work by skipping around, head held high and her beautiful collar with her name on it on full display. She loves it, or maybe it’s the attention she gets that she loves. Attention seeker.

Leopold is a cat, Buck’s cat, and she’s only been there for two weeks. Two weeks is too much in Eddie’s book because Leopold is a little shit who has all the Buck privileges and she knows it. She definitely knows because she taunts him all the time.

This time though, Eddie is not the only one who’s jealous, no! This time, Princeton, golden retriever extraordinaire, the greatest boy in Buck’s book—after Christopher but Princeton doesn’t need to know that—, is also incredibly jealous. And while Eddie is a broody jealous, Princeton is the whiney type. The two want Buck’s attention and they will have it.

If it’s a war Leopold wants, a war she will get.

.

Puppy meets jealousy

.

Buck got Leopold as a gift. It was his birthday and everyone was gathered at Eddie’s house because the loft was way too small to have everyone over. 

Maddie, the traitor, had brought with her a medium sized box and when her dear brother had opened it, a beautiful cat had emerged. Alright, more like, a cat had jumped out and almost clawed Buck’s pretty eyes out. Anyone would have been completely scarred and would have demanded for the cat to be brought back from where it had came from. Anyone but Evan fucking Buckley. No, the blond had decided right there and right then, that the cat was his baby and he would love her forever. 

He had also announced her name out loud in the span of five minutes of heavy staring.

Leopold.

Leo-fucking-pold.

Who names their cat Leopold? Who does that?

“You can’t name her Leopold, Buck.”

“Why not?”

“Because...that’s not a name for a cat.”

“You take that back!”, Buck had gasped, completely offended by what Bobby—his father figure, Leopold’s grandfather—had said, “She loves it!”`

The man had simply huffed a laugh and patted Buck’s shoulder with an apologetic smile, used to his antics.

And guess what, Buck named the fucking cat Leopold. 

.

Now at the beginning Leopold hadn’t been a problem. She was welcomed in the family despite being quite passive-aggressive with everyone. They had all thought it was simply because she wasn’t used to them but the thing is, she did warm up. To Buck and only Buck. The rest of them? Enemy. Particularly one Eddie Diaz and one Princeton the golden retriever. 

And she makes sure they know it. Every single day.

.

Princeton is a dog. Leopold is a cat. Naturally their relationship isn’t the best. Princeton is also a golden retriever, one of the nicest and softest dog to exist, happy-go-lucky, energetic, gentle and easy to be around. He is the station mascot and most of the time stays there, but he also leaves with Buck quite often. It’s not a surprise to see him at his apartment, curled up at the foot of Buck’s bed, or lounging on the sofa, his head in his best friend’s lap—yes, Eddie has accepted the fact that he has to share that title with Princeton, reluctantly—.  He wouldn’t hurt a fly, except if you count that one time he ate a butterfly, but he knows better now. He swears.

So can someone please explain to Princeton why is the newcomer, a CAT, looking at him as if he was an intruder in his own home? Buck is Princeton’s human. Who is this squatter and how dare they look down on him as if he was a simple visitor. And also, what are they doing in his best friend’s lap—Princeton’s place, not cat’s place.—The audacity of the feline species never failed to surprise him.

“Prince, stop growling, you’re going to scare Leo.”, Buck looks at him sternly, the kind of gazes that makes Princeton feel guilty. Ouch. That hurt. But it’s alright, because Prince’s human, Bucky-great-cuddles, doesn’t know how mean cat is. Princeton will show him.

.

Princeton’s plan to show Bucky-great-cuddles how mean cat is, failed. Terribly. It backfired on him so badly, he was put on time out. Bucky-great-cuddles is looking at him in disappointment and cat is looking all smug in the background.

Cat is evil, but damn, cat is good at this war thing.

.

Eddie is sitting on Buck’s sofa, waiting for his boyfriend to come back from his errant at the grocery store. His abuela had Christopher for the night. She’d told him that she would take care of Chris and that he should go and have a fun night with Evan. She had also closed the door with a wink and a wide grin. 

Eddie never wants to see that expression on her face ever again. It speaks volume and at that moment? The volume was astronomical.

So here he is, alone in Buck’s apartment waiting for him to come back. Or maybe not so alone if Leopold counts. The cat is laying on a small bed—made just for her—and she’s glaring daggers at him with her piercing blue eyes. He glares right back. It might seem ridiculous, but he knows the little devil. He will never forget the day she broke the glass that was beside him while Buck had his back turned and left with her head high. She’s up to something and it shows.

The room is eerily silent, saved for the faint sound of the TV playing. Eddie and Leopold end up in a staring contest and none of them ever waver.

It’s not until the front door opens and Evan’s pretty smile appears that they stop glaring at each other. Both of their heads snaps and Leopold struts to her master, rubbing her head on his leg. He laughs, and put the bags in his hand on the table before bending down to gather her in his arm. 

“Did you two have fun?”, he walks to Eddie and gently presses a kiss on the corner of his mouth—much to Leopold’s irritation if her sudden mewl was anything to go by. 

“Absolutely.”, Eddie’s smile is strained and he’s glaring dagger at the cat in Buck’s hand. It’s not even in jealousy anymore, just exasperation at her presence. Okay, there’s a little bit of jealousy there still. Just a tiny bit.

No, Eddie does not kiss Buck fervently just so he could drop Leopold. That would be mean and childish. No, he does not put his hands on his boyfriend’s hips and makes him fall on the sofa before following suit. No he does not start a full blown make out session, with Buck under him, Eddie does not let his hands wander, he does not pepper kisses on his cheek, jaw and neck, he does not bite. He does not.

Except he does and it’s great! It’s fantastic, perfect. Things are heating up, the desire for more is building up, their moves are more passionate, frantic and bolder. 

It’s perfect. 

But they can’t go on.

Of course, fucking Leopold would ruin the mood, of course she would stare at them so hard they both feel it. Of course she would take a very, very nice and hot and sexy—emphasis on the sex part—night from Eddie’s hands. Of course.

They could go upstairs and continue their little make out session, but knowing the beast, she would follow them. She oh-so would. And knowing Buck, he would never let Eddie lock her in her cage—useless cage—or in the bathroom or anywhere.

Leopold cockblocked Eddie. 

Fuck. She really is winning the war.

.

“She is the worst.”, Eddie has a deep frown on his face. His hot coffee is sitting in front of him, still untouched., “Even Princeton thinks so and he likes everyone.”

They are at the station. Bobby and Buck are downstairs, possibly with Princeton, checking the ladder truck. Hen and Chimney are both sitting in front of Eddie, listening to his complains, as always. Hen is holding one of those magazine she always have when she pretends she’s not interested in gossip; so he’s sure she’s attentively listening and is already making three plans to help him—or make his life more difficult. Chimney is not hiding his thoughts of how ridiculous Eddie is being, he’s smirking and rolling his eyes and Eddie is pretty sure he’s live texting Maddie at the same time.

“She’s a cat.”, Hen deadpans, looking at him from behind her magazine.

“An evil cat.”

“Still just a cat.”

“You don’t understand Hen, it’s like she just hates me for some reason.”

“The same way you hates her for no reasons?”, Chimney chimes in from his place, still typing furiously on his phone—he was definitely live texting Maddie.

“Am I the only one who remembers all the things she’s done to me? The broken glass? That one time she crapped in my shoe? When her litter box was right where it usually is? Or that time she scratched me because I touched my boyfriend? My own boyfriend?”

“Okay, so maybe she does have some kind of grudge against you—”

“—Exactly—”

“Or maybe she still needs some time to warm up to you, and to the rest of us...”

“But that’s the thing Chim, the rest of you don’t see Buck as much as I do. I mean, we’re dating! And I see her way too often, she should be used to my presence by now! She’s used to Christopher, hell, she loves him!”

“Who doesn’t?”, Hen mutters with a fond smile.

“True but not the point. All I’m saying is I need to find a way to get her back.”

“The cat? You want to get back to...the cat?”, Hen looks at him in disbelief, even putting down her magazine, “And I thought you were one of the sane ones.”

“It’s only us in this case Hen.”, Chim laughs.

“Keep telling yourself that Howie, there are only two sane people in this team and that’s Bobby and me, the rest of you are morons.”

“Hey! Can we go back to the topic at hand? Yes. Thank you. Give me ideas to, I don’t know, get her to tone it down or something.”

“I don’t know what to tell you Eddie, talk to your boyfriend about it?”

“Yeah, no, not doing that.”

“Forgot you were emotionally stunted.”

“What does that have to do with anything? And I’m not emotionally stunted, thank you very much.”

“Obviously.”

.

Modern problems requires modern solutions. That’s what Eddie will say when they will ask him why he did what he did. 

Edmundo Diaz likes to think he’s a very responsible person. Between him and Buck, there’s no doubt about who is the most responsible and level-headed of the two—even though, after the thing with the well, there would be an argument about impulsiveness. But he stands by his point. He’s a responsible adult with a child.

But right now, standing in the middle of Buck’s apartment with a cat in his arms, a cat that is not Leopold, he’s starting to think that maybe, just maybe, his boyfriend’s impulsiveness and tendency of having crazy ideas are starting to rub on him.

Modern problems requires modern solutions. For Eddie, modern solutions means going to the shelter, get a kitten, and coming back to Buck’s with a little companion. The kitten is adorable, grey with big and curious green eyes. Eddie already loves him. Hopefully, Leopold will as well because he got him for her. Or well, to keep her busy at least while he finally gets some alone time with his boyfriend.—Honestly, why did they let Buck rent such an open space apartment? Like? Why?

Eddie sets the kitten on the floor and let it walk around, under Leopold’s wide eyes, and looks around for his boyfriend, only to find him upstairs, rummaging through his closet.

“Hey.”

“Finally you’re here, I need your help with—”

“I have something for you...but don’t get mad.”

Buck raises an eyebrow, thrown off by what Eddie had said. What could he have done to make him mad? He follows Eddie down the stairs only to see a small cat walking around his living room.

“Eddie...why is there another cat here?”

“Modern problems requires modern solutions.”

Edmundo Diaz should really start thinking before talking. That’s usually Evan’s scene. 

Neither of them notice the kitten making his way to them until he rubs his head on Buck’s leg. The young man looks surprise but still takes him in his hands, petting his small head. At this moment, Eddie knows, Buck is completely sold. 

They keep the kitten.

.

In the end, the kitten is a good thing. Buck ends up naming him Charles X. When Eddie asks him if it’s because of X-Men, the young man just looks at him in confusion. Eddie is not surprised. Leopold adores him too, she never let him out of her sight and cuddles with Charles X, like, all the time, and that means that Eddie has Buck way more than he used to when the evil cat that Leopold is, was stealing his attention. She even seems to have mellowed down if the way she doesn’t stare or hiss at him anymore is any way to go by.

So, yes, maybe Eddie suffers Hen’s and Chimney’s endless teasing at any chance they get, and maybe Maddie dies of laughter every time she sees Charles X, and maybe Christopher now wants a pet as well, and maybe Abuela tells him that if he’s going to act like that, he should just marry ‘lovely Evan’, and maybe Bobby shakes his head in desperation every time the kitten comes up in a conversation, and maybe Athena and Karen both call him a drama queen whenever they see him; but Eddie would like you all to know, that he once again won the war for Evan Buckley’s love. Fair and square.

Buck does mock him too when he learns the reason behind the presence of Charles X, and he does tell him that there was no war and that he loves him the most—after Christopher and Maddie thought, which, wow, rude but fair—. 

Ah, and, yes. Princeton and Leopold are still enemies...but that’s a story for another time.

CSSNS 2019 Rionnag Dorcha Gorm (Dark Blue Star)

Hello all!

This is my contribution to this year’s @cssns

I know my other story is still going on and it will find it’s ending, but since I cannot say no to @kmomof4 here I am, once more.

I wanna thank the lovely ladies at the CSSNS Discord. I love chatting with you all.

I wanna thank the mods of CSSNS19, my lovely very patient Beta @searchingwardrobes and my artist for the event @hollyethecurious

Below the cut, you will find the current chapter and at the end art by me.

AO3

FFN

Killian woke up at dawn and quickly changed. He realized now how much he had missed the sea. Sure, there was the lake he'd mention to Emma last night, but it wasn't the same. The smell of sea salt called to him. He looked outside his window to make sure there was enough light for him to take a walk to the docks.

He rushed out of the inn. It was a fresh morning and the air was cool and crisp. He arrived quickly to the docks. The ship was easy to spot. The Jewel I floated proudly on the gentle waves. The last time he was on the ship he had his mum and Liam. They were a happy family, and now they were gone. The Jones family ship looked a little beat up. He was surprised, knowing how particular his father was. He touched the ship reverently. While lost in thought on the ship's deck, he missed a swish in the shadows.

There was a sudden change in the air. His heart sped up, and his senses were on full alert now. He turned just in time to come face to face with the thing that killed his mum and had been terrorizing young Leo.

It had a cloak and its face was pale and covered in scars, with white eyes. The thing tilted its head in recognition and glided towards him. Killian turned and grabbed a steel hook hanging from the ship's wheel. He sliced through the creature, and it shrieked as it disappeared. He thought that maybe those supernatural shows were onto something. Killian looked around to make sure he was alone once more. Still shaking, it took him a minute to calm down. He shoved the hook into his back pocket and finally left the ship. He walked to the inn as fast as he could. He gave Ruby a strained smile as he walked by the front desk.

~~~

Emma woke up to the sound of scuffling. She darted up, her eyes instantly turned to the spot Leo was supposed to be. "Em, I'm hungry." The boy told her. She studied him for a bit. He looked better, he was rested. She couldn't help but smile. Killian had been back for one day, and her little brother had managed to sleep through the night.

"Okay, kid. Let me get ready. Is Killilan in the restroom?" She got up and stretched.

"Nope, he wasn't here when I woke up." He looked at her with his big eyes.

"Okay," she looked around the room. She panicked for a nanosecond. His things were all still there. "Well, he probably went to the diner. Leo, go to the restroom, and brush your teeth. There's an extra toothbrush for you. Wash your face too. Killian probably just got hungry, and he didn't want to wake us up."

The boy rushed to the restroom. Emma picked up her clothes to get ready once Leo vacated the restroom.

The door flew open, and Emma met a rattled Killian. Her brow rose as he looked around the room. "Emma, where's Leo?"

"He is in the restroom. Why?"

"That bloody thing just attacked me at the docks."

"Wait, right now? In the morning?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes, it was in the shadows, but I used this" he takes out the hook from his back pocket. "It went away. I think it caused it pain. The occult books Belle gave us to read mentioned iron can hurt spirits. The occult books Belle gave us to read mentioned iron can hurt spirits."

“This helped?”  She took the hook from his hand.

The restroom door flew open, and Leo burst out. As soon as he saw Killian, and ran to him. The boy hugged him tightly. Emma couldn’t hide her smile. Killian’s eyes met Emma’s, and for a moment happiness flowed over them.

The moment was interrupted by Leo's stomach growling, and the trio erupted in laughter.

Killian sobered up, "I'm guessing, Granny's for breakfast."

Emma cleared her throat, "Yeah, give me a second to change." She handed Killian the hook.

Leo's eyes lit up at the sight, "Whoa, is that a hook? Can I touch it?"

Killian looked at Emma for guidance, but she had gone inside the restroom already. He pondered if he should let the lad touch it. The boy just wanted to look at it, how bad could it be?

"Alright, lad. Just a quick touch."

The boy’s eyes went wide with excitement. "Cool!"

The boy's fingers barely tapped the hook.

"Leo, be careful. The tip is sharp, and I don't think your sister would appreciate it if you hurt yourself."

Leo rolled his eyes. A family trait he shared with Emma.

Emma finally emerged from the restroom, fresh-faced. She wore the same clothes from the day before, but still managed to look beautiful.

“Alright boys, I’m ready and starving.”

~~~

Leo sat next to Emma, and Killian sat across from them. The trio looked over the menu.

Granny approached the table with a big wolfish smile. Ruby had mentioned that Emma’s friend Killian was back. Unlike most of the town, the older woman never believed the boy had hurt his mother. What happened that night she didn’t know, but she did know the boy adored his mother. She could see it each and every time the Joneses entered the diner for some food.

“Good morning, so what can I get you?” Granny asked.

Emma answered, “Good morning, Granny, can we have three orders of pancakes?”

“Of course,” the older lady raised both eyebrows, “anything else? Maybe some eggs and bacon?”

Killian turned his gaze to the young Leo, “That sounds lovely, Lady Lucas.” He gave her a charming smile.

Granny smiled, “You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you boy?” Her gaze turned to Emma, “I can definitely see the appeal.” She finished writing on her pad and headed to the kitchen.

Emma’s cheeks turn red. Is it that obvious? She tried her best to avoid Killian’s gaze.

They were enjoying their delicious food and failed to notice the pair arriving at the table.  

Ahem.

Emma, Killian, and Leo turn to the source of the sound. Her dad and mom beam at them. “Good morning, my sweethearts,” Mary Margaret gushed.

David added, “That looks delicious. May we join you?”

Leo smiled and nodded. Emma glanced at Killian. “Yeah--” She waited for a sign from him that she needed to decline, but all she saw was a genuine smile on his face.

David guided his wife to sit in the empty spot Killian had left vacant. Killian slid over in the booth to make room for Mary Margaret. David graciously got an empty chair from another table and sat down.

Granny approached them as quickly as her age allowed. “I’m guessing you two don’t need to see the menu. The usual?”

Mary Margaret and David nodded their agreement.

Emma, Leo, and Killian continued eating. The silence was overwhelming. Young Leo was the one who broke it once he was done chewing his food. “Mom, Dad I finally slept through the night. Look-” He pointed to his well-rested eyes, and gave a smug smirk. “Thanks to Killian, he kept the monster away.”

Killian winced, Emma muttered, “shit.” Leo, oblivious, dove back into his food.

Mary Margaret and David shared a look. “Son, what monster?” David looked at Leo for clarification.

Emma responded for him, “Dad, he means” she lowered her voice so her parents were the only ones to hear her “the night terrors. He doesn’t need the treatment the doctor is recommending.”

“Just because he had one good night doesn’t mean he is better,” David stated.

Mary Margaret was awfully quiet just looking at her son. He looked happy, relaxed. and rested. “We could wait, look at him, he does look better.”

Killian was extremely quiet still eating.

Mary Margaret turned to Killian, “Killian, I’m sorry we’ve been rude. It is so nice to see you.”

David tilted his head to get a better look at him. “Killian, it’s good to see you. I’m sorry-”

Killian’s bright blue eyes turned to them. “It is nice to see you both.” He added politely.  

Granny arrived with Mary Margaret and David’s food.

David looked at his food. All those years ago, he had asked Emma to keep away from Killian. Yet they’ve found each other once more. Once the awkwardness had disappeared, everyone enjoyed their breakfast.

Mary Margaret and David asked Emma to keep an eye on Leo since they had to take care of some errands before the Gala.  

Emma and Killian were just talking about simple things when Belle burst through the door. The little belle announcing her arrival was still chiming when she reached their table.

“I think I found something,” Belle told them, out of breath.

Emma smiled, “Okay Belle, calm down. Catch your breath, and you can tell us what it is you found.”

Belle grinned and dropped some sort of archive/record book. It looked old. “Look here. There were disappearances for almost 300 years but not as consistent as in the last 100 years. The most notable were of the founding families, and it was always the second born child to disappear.”

Emma bit her lower lip and glanced at Killian. Despite everything, Emma was just happy Leo was in the kitchen making cookies with Ruby like a normal kid.

Killian asked, "When did the attacks begin?"

Emma added, "Yeah, something must have triggered them."

Belle looked at the pair, “The attacks started about 300 years, but they were rare. There’s no exact date. I agree something triggered them to become more consistent in the last 100 years give or take. I think it coincides with the Gala. We started the Gala to celebrate the founding families about 100 years ago, right? That is when the attacks intensified. You’re both descendants. Killian is the second Jones, so he was attacked. Emma you are the eldest, Leo is the second and was attacked.”

Emma shook her head, “I thought they got attacked because they both peeked. You are not supposed to peek, if you do the fairy will take you away.”

Killian was silent just listening to them.

“I know but as descendants from the founding families it looks like they were selected that way. I don’t think it made a difference that they peeked. What matters is their bloodline. I don’t know what happened, but this thing has it out for the families.”

Emma pondered Belle’s words. “I think mom has somethings passed over from my great great great grandmother, diaries I think. Mom saved them because they are part of our heritage. Maybe there’s something there.

Belle smiled brightly, “As soon as you have something, you can take it to the library.”

Emma nodded, “Okay.”

Killian stared at his hands. “So it truly was my fault.”

Emma turned to him, confused, “What?”

He met her eyes. “My mum, if I would have let her take me, my mum would be alive, and maybe Liam would be too.”

Emma laughed, “Are you kidding me? To your mom it wouldn’t have been a choice. Your life for hers. She adored you, and "if she had it to do over again, she would choose you.” She smiled and reached out for his hands.

“It doesn’t matter, it's still my fault.”

She shook her head, “No, this is not your fault. Whoever angered this thing, that’s who is at fault.”

Leo arrived from the kitchen with a big smile. He had a big, chocolate smeared grin on his face as he put the plate of warm cookies on the table.

They ate a few of the delicious, gooey cookies in silence.

“Hey kid, do you mind keeping Belle company for a while? We need to go to the farm to pick up some stuff. It won’t take long. You know how organized mom is.” said Emma.

Leo just nodded his agreement. He liked Belle.

Killian leaned into Emma’s space, “We better hurry, if Belle is right about her deductions. When is the Founder’s Gala?”

“Tomorrow night. Do you really think she’s right?” Emma glanced at Leo worriedly.

“She seems like a smart lass. Imagine if someone has wronged you, would you be happy if that person was celebrated as a hero?” His eyebrows rose to his hairline.

Emma sighed "I get it. I just think it's crazy."

Killian smiled "What? That there's a vengeful ghost out there targeting the people you love?" His ears reddened. He meant Leo, but deep inside he hoped he was included. He hadn't been back that long, and now he was having a hard time seeing himself anywhere else.

“Alright let’s go. Come on, kid.” They shuffled out of the diner after paying for their meal.  They walked to the library, and Leo rushed inside.

“Don't worry lass," Killian encouraged her, "he will be okay. We will find a way to end this.”

They drove out to her parent’s farm just outside of town.

“So when did your parents move from the old house?” Killian asked.

Emma didn’t take her eyes off the road. “I think we moved a few years after your mom. The neighborhood didn’t feel the same. My dad always wanted a farm.” She shrugged.

“Do you not live with your parents?” Killian turned his full attention to her.

“Oh no, I don’t. Dad wasn’t happy about that. He claimed it made no sense since the farm is big enough. He said I wouldn’t lack privacy, but I enjoyed living on my own when I was in Boston. The loft is pretty cheap, I lucked out.”

They arrived at the Nolan Farm.

“Would you like a tour, Killian?”

“Not this time, let’s just find what we came for. Maybe another time you can show me around.”

“It shouldn’t take long, my mom is very organized.”

They got to the cellar and found a few old trunks. Each going through a trunk, they searched for the journals.

After an hour or so, Emma said, “Killian, I think I found something. Uh, this diary is from Eva right after the first Founder’s Gala. I tried to warn them but no one listened.” she muttered, “I knew Hester Blue wouldn’t be pleased.” Emma mumbled, “Oh here we go. My grandmother told me how Hester was killed unjustly. She loved the town kids, indulged them with sweets, and as a special treat when they lost their last baby tooth, she would give them a gold coin.” Emma looked up when she heard scuffling, and Killian sat next to her “the youngest Spencer and Midas went into the forest alone after they were told not to. They were missing for hours. The town quickly turned on Hester. She got blamed for the missing children.” Emma looked at Killian, “she was judged and executed by the town’s most powerful men. They buried her by a tree next to her home. Since her death, the forest hasn’t been the same.”  

“I believe this is it, Is there anything more?” Killian asked as he got up.

Emma flipped through the pages. “We can take it and read it carefully at the library.”

“Alright let’s get back to Belle and young Leo. I just hope there’s more of the location. Do you think her home is still out there?”

“We’ll find out.” Emma grabbed his hand and with her free hand held on to the diary.

They headed to the library to share with Belle the new information they had found and to see if they could find out more.

Once again Emma asked for Leo to spend the night, but they spent it with Killian. Leo felt safe with Killian.

~~~

In the shadows of the town, the vengeful spirit of Hester lurked. She hid in the dark corners. She had become angrier and restless after the child escaped her all those years ago. There was a new child to focus her ire on, but he too proved elusive.

Norkus Nov, Day 13 - Carl and North 

 AO3

North doesn’t need her uncle’s help to find a boyfriend, but when he pushes his new assistant at her, she can’t bring herself to be so cold hearted.

Carl Manfred was many things - a great painter, a terrible cheat at cards and most distressingly to his nieces: a matchmaker. 

Having only one estranged child of his own (Leo… where did he go wrong?), Carl put most of his attention on his three young nieces. Kara was the oldest, the sweetest and the most optimistic of them. She had known Carl before his car accident and been the first to help her uncle when he was recovering. Kara’s constant positivity had stopped him becoming the kind of bitter old man he feared (even if she locked up his drinks cabinet). 

She never put herself first, so it had been up to Carl to help Kara realise that her perfect match had been right in front of her the whole time. It only took a little subtle nudging before his oldest niece was shyly asking if he would like to meet her new boyfriend, who just so happened to be the same Luther that made his paint deliveries. Kara had taken it well, although admitting about his inferring left his second oldest niece eyeing him suspiciously. 

The youngest of Carl’s nieces, Alice, was painfully shy. She shared the same vivid imagination and artistic flare as his famous uncle and they spent most of the summer painting together. Being too young for traditional matchmaking, Carl had settled for introducing her to some of the neighbourhood kids, hoping some new friends would help Alice get out of her shell a little. It was even more rewarding to hear her babble about her plans with her new playmates. 

Carl’s middle niece was proving to be the biggest challenge. North proved to be just as stubborn as he was, ducking out of ‘chance’ meetings with any potential dates. (“Maybe I’ll set you up one day,” she threatened once.) Still, Carl caught moments when she looked wistfully at how Luther held open doors for Kara or when the couple snuggled together during movies. Carl was determined to find a match so perfect for her that it overcame the infamous Manfred stubbornness. 

And he already knew who. 

   Markus had been Carl’s caretaker for the last three months. His job, by the most basic description, was to make sure he took his morning and night medicine. However, Carl had grown rather fond of him as they shared chess matches and card games (Markus wasn’t afraid to call out his blatant cheating, although Carl always denied it). 

Carl, using only the most subtle methods, had talked his young assassiant into coming to a gallery opening. 

“Are you sure I’m the right person for tonight?” Markus smoothed out his suit self-consciously. “I’m not an artist or…” 

“Who else is going to sneak me a whiskey?”

“Now, now, you know what your doctor said.” A voice drawled. 

“He was just kidding.” Markus pushed the glass behind him. 

North grinned. “I won’t tell if you won’t.” She held up a bottle of her own. 

“North, hi.” Markus smoothed out his jacket again. “You look pretty. I mean your dress is pretty, I wasn’t like objectifying you or anything. I mean…”

“Thanks,” she interrupted. 

Markus had a slight flush on his cheeks and even North’s usual eye roll seemed less sarcastic than usual. Most of their interaction seemed to end with Markus flustered, his crush on Carl’s niece painfully obvious. 

She fixed Carl with a suspicious look. “You didn’t tell me Markus was coming.”

“Old age,” he replied with a shrug. “You do look lovely dear.”

“Kara picked it. Not really my style.” North looked down at her long red dress self-consciously, stealing the tiniest of glances in Markus’ direction. “Too flashy.” 

“I like it,” Markus said. 

Carl smiled to himself, glad his plan was starting to take place. 

   “Markus, come help me carry these drinks.” 

He nodded, eagerly following her to the bar. Carl watched as they walked off, already feeling a little smug. (“Stay out of my love life,” North had told him, “I see you scheming.” But he knew best.) 

“Listen to me,” North whispered, grabbing his arm, “my uncle thinks he knows what’s best for me. This is a set up.”

“Like a prank?” 

“Like a date,” North corrected. “He always does this to us.” 

“Oh.” Markus looked at where her hand still gripped his wrist. “Is that why he told me to wear a nice suit?” 

“You call that a nice suit?” 

“What’s wrong with-” 

The grip on his wrist tightened a little, but Markus couldn’t bring himself to pull away. “If I asked you to-”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t finish.”

“Right, sorry.” Markus felt the usual flush to his cheeks in her presence. “Go on.” 

“We should turn this around. Pretend to be super into each other and just when Carl thinks his meddling worked we-”

“Kiss?”

“Did you just say…”

Now Markus was blushing for another reason. “No.” 

“Just when he thinks it’s another success story, bam!” North hit her other hand on the bar. “I throw my drink over you.” 

“But this suit is new.”

“Trust me,” North said, “I’m doing you a favour. Unless it’s too much. I’ve been told I can be intense.” 

“You are… but I kind of like it.” 

North laughed. “We’re off to a good start. Look, if you help me, I’ll owe you a favour.” 

“Okay. I’m in.” 

North grinned, clinking her glass against his. “It’s a deal then.” 

   Markus peaked over North’s shoulder, catching Carl with a smirk on his face. (He and North made a similar expression when they were up to mischief. But her smirk was cuter.) 

“Does he do this a lot?”

“The matchmaking?” North asked. “Yeah. Kara’s fault really. She’s engaged because of his poking around in her business. And she thanked him! She might as well have signed my life away.” 

“Maybe it’s a sign he has good taste.” 

North hummed in response, but still seemed unconvinced. “Kara’s got a big heart. It’s easier to get her to open it up to someone.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with having a big heart.” 

“Oh no, an optimist.” North laughed at her own joke. “Fine, I’ll admit I’m happy for my sister.” 

“I’ve only met her once. Kara, I mean. But she’s kind.” 

“She was like a Mother to me. I mean I had an actual Mom too, but she was off doing rich people stuff a lot. Kara’s eight years older, so she picked up the slack. She’s good with Alice too.” 

“Sounds like it was hard.” 

She shrugged. “It was what it was. I’m tough now.” She finished her drink off. “No more sad rich girl stuff now. I’m sick of it.” 

“Are you really?”

“Really what?”

“Sad.” Despite the fact it was just an act, Markus let Carl’s eyes on them justify resting his hand on top of her own. “I’ll listen.” 

“I”m not…” She glanced at him and sighed. “Sometimes. Mostly it makes me furious. I guess Carl told you I went a little off the rails when Alice was born, cause my Mom went and did it again.” Carl hadn’t, but Markus didn’t correct her. “And then she died and I was really Motherless. But so was my baby sister, so I had to grow out of smashing windows and getting arrested. You wouldn’t get it.” 

“Why do you say that?” 

“Because,” North began, “you’re so calm and you listen. I just scream.” 

“Sounds like a good match.” 

She laughed, but it was laced with a hint of bitterness. “You sound like Carl. I’ll stop talking about myself now.” 

“I’d listen to you all night.” The words escaped before Markus could really think about them. “I mean…” 

The hand in Markus’ own curled to hold back. “That’s such a line.” 

“I’ll tell you about the time I got arrested, if you tell me yours.” 

North grinned. “Markus, you are full of surprises.” 

   Out of breath, Markus checked around the corner, glad to see they weren’t followed anymore. 

“I- I can’t believe you did that.” 

North scoffed. “You’ve never played the ‘don’t touch the art’ game before? Amatour.” 

“I’ve never been to one of these before.”

“Oh,” she said, “and I’ve totally hijacked your first one and made it all about me.”

“No, no. I’m having fun.”

“But you want to be an artist. You are an artist,” she corrected. “Shit, sorry.” 

“You haven’t ruined anything. I’m not too nice to say no to you.”

“Could have fooled me.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with being nice.” 

North rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t know; I’ve never tried being nice.” 

“I don’t quite believe that.” 

“You are a raging optimist.” 

Markus couldn’t help but smile. “Guilty. But I still think you’re kind, deep down. That’s what matters.” 

“Stop.” North glanced at the main entrance. “All clear.”

“We can’t go back in.”

North pulled her hair into a long ponytail. “There. Power of disguise.”

“It can’t be that simple.”

She spun around. “The best part about a dress like this, is no one is looking at your face.” 

Markus followed her in, not quite brave enough to protest against her. 

   “If your doctor asked, I brought you water.” 

Carl held up his glass. “Cheers to that.” 

Markus nodded. “How’s your night Carl?” 

“Whilst you’ve been running around with my niece, I’ve been admiring something different.” 

“Oh. You noticed that?”

“Don’t look so nervous Markus. I know North can hold her own. I should be more worried about you.” 

“North is stunning. I could listen to her talk forever and never get bored.” Markus seemed a self-conscious. “There’s a room full of beautiful art and I can’t seem to look away from her.” 

Carl was a little stunned himself. He had seen Markus’ crush on his niece from the moment they first met (he dropped a glass as she ruffled her hair; it was like a movie) but he hadn’t expected Markus to fall so hard. 

“You seem smitten.”

The signature blush was back.

“I am. I know she’s hate me asking but do you think I should ask North to dance?” 

   “It was a nice touch,” North said, swaying along with him. “The speech.” 

“You heard?” 

“Yeah. So, I’m stunning and a great conversationalist?” 

He groaned. “Don’t start.” 

“Hey, it’s affectionate teasing. I know it’s just part of the act.” 

“Right, the act.” 

“Besides,” North said, “no one ever talks about girls like that. It’s all ‘she’s hot’ and fist bumping.” 

“Is that really how you think I talk to people?”

“Maybe not you.” North giggled as he spun her around. “I can see my uncle thought you’d be a good boyfriend.” 

Markus felt a hint of hope. “Really?” 

“You’re sweet.” “Does this mean I don’t get a drink on my head?” 

“I was going to throw it on your suit actually.” 

“I’ll never dress myself again.” 

North shook her head. “Maybe that can be my favour. I don’t think you’re the suit-wearing-type. You should go fully artsy and buy a flowing coat.” 

“I have a flowing coat.” 

“You’re kidding!” North said. “I knew I liked you for a reason.” 

“So maybe I can dress myself.” 

“Maybe,” she echoed. “Thank you, for going along with my stupid idea. Truthfully, I get kinda bored at these things. Just not tonight.” 

“I’ll be your partner is crime any time.”

“Deal.”

Markus dipped her back as the song ended. 

“Markus,” North said, delighted, “you really are full of surprises.” 

   “I’ll see you tomorrow Carl,” Markus called, waving with his hand full of keys. “Bye North.” 

“Bye.” 

Carl waited until he had disappeared into the building before turning on her. “Nice boy.” 

“Yeah, he’s a real sweetheart.” 

“You didn’t even drop your drink on him. I owe your sister twenty.” 

“What!” North turned to him. “You knew!” 

“I practically raised you, dear. Of course I knew you’d be scheming. It was the best way to get you to spend the night with Markus.” 

“You’re evil.” 

Carl only smirked the signature Manfred smirk. “You liked him.” 

North dropped her head in her hands. “I know.” 

“Don’t feel bad about it my dear. I’m great at many things: painting, cards and matchmaking.”

“He was just playing along.” 

“That boy,” Carl said softly, “is the best assistant I ever had. But he wears his heart on his sleeve. Be careful with it.” 

Even with her face half-hidden, Carl could make out the smile on her face. 

Another success story. 

Puck it chapter 4 liveblog

btw @bipercabeth @jasonsmclean enjoy <333

under the cut because this is going to be long af

He doesn’t want Jason to think he doesn’t respect Annabeth, but he also doesn’t want to break his promise to her. But that promise is already broken. Jason already knows. And Percy really can’t handle the thought of Jason thinking he doesn’t respect women. “You have feelings for her, don’t you?” Jason asks, his tone a bit lighter, eyes a bit softer. Percy sighs and the words rush out of him on the exhale. “Yes I do Jason I’m so fucked please help.”

ME SCREAMING A LOT!!!!!!!!!!! they matter so much to each other omg. and Percy having loyalty to Annabeth even in this, I am DECEASED 

A sigh falls past Jason’s lips; his shoulders deflate and he ducks his head with a slight nod. “I figured, but I also figured I need to say it straight up. I can’t get mad about you not telling me when I’ve been keeping this from you.” “Trying to keep this from me.” Percy takes a risk and grins slightly. “I’ve known for a while now. But I appreciate the honesty. I don’t want this to be something we fight over. We’re better than that.”

DARLING IDIOT CO-CAPTAINS WHO ARE BEST FRIENDS

That’s… a lot of ‘no’. But I respect the last one. I’m glad you guys prioritized, I guess. But you’re seriously okay with all of that? That’s gotta be a lot on your mind.”

“Yeah, I guess it is. But it’s worth it to be with her. Like, the sex is great, but she’s just so good to be around. I’m definitely saying it all wrong, but something just… pulls me to her? It’s hard to explain. She’s not an escape from everything, but she calms it all down. Like at the first party, I wasn’t doing well, and Annabeth gave me a way out. Then we just kept talking, and she was going to walk home alone, and I— one thing led to another.” Percy sighs and messes up his hair. “Sorry, I don’t mean to make this about me, but if we’re getting it all on the table, you deserve to know why.”

PERCY JACKSON IS IN LOVE WITH ANNABETH CHASE IN EVERY SINGLE FUCKING UNIVERSE

“Wow, we’re so fucked.” Percy can’t help but laugh. They’d realized their feelings within 24 hours of each other and still took an entire month to talk about it.

FIRST OF ALL THIS IS THE MOST HOCKEY THING IN THE WORLD AND WOW!!!!!!!!!!

“Should we pay him for his emotional labor? I feel like we should pay him for his emotional labor.” Jason jokes.

I CACKLED

“I accidentally rigged Secret Santa on purpose.”

OF COURSE YOU DID PERCY! OF COURSE YOU DID 

“I knew you’d be mad if I rigged it just for me to get Annabeth, so I rigged it so you’d get Piper, too!” Percy holds out a fist, waiting for a fist bump. “You can thank me now or later, whichever you prefer.”

PERCY JACKSON YOU ARE THE GREATEST

Except Jason wants to be so much more than that.

Ever since the Halloween party, Piper’s been talking to Jason a lot more than she did before, and she talked to him a fairly decent amount before the party. Of course, she’d gotten so ridiculously drunk at the party that she ended up puking so she apologized profusely to him for putting him through that, even though he’d wanted to stick around. (Oh man, he’s sounding cheesier by the second when it comes to her.) Since she’d been so wasted, he doesn’t want to bring up the dancing to her, especially since he’s convinced she’d only danced so close because she’d been so drunk.

Still, there’s a tiny part inside of Jason that hopes maybe she’d been aware of her actions even though she’d been drunk.

Jason’s always been a rule follower. It’s a fact, plain and simple. He sometimes bends the rules when they’re unfair or unjust, but overall he doesn’t dare break them. Especially when it comes to hockey. He’s not one to defy his coaches or trainers or talk back to his captains (before he became one, of course).

But now with the stupid no dating rule, Jason’s tempted to defy his coaches, which scares the shit out of him.

LOUD LONG SCREAMING JFC JASON *SHAKES HIM* THAT’S SO FUCKING ROMANTIC I WANT TO DIE FUCK YOU BOTH

But the smiles and jokes have made him only want to break the rules more.

YOU LOVE HER YOU WANT TO MARRY HER YOU WANT TO HAVE HER BABIES

Annabeth swings a leg over Percy and leaves him stranded on her bed, his hands still fastened to her headboard. One second he was on top of her, kissing down her neck with the intentions of going far lower, and the next she had him flipped and restrained. Suddenly she was pressing down onto him and teasing him relentlessly, forcing him to beg for release (which she’d eventually granted, but only after making him beg). Annabeth and that damn tie.

oh my fucking god this entire scene was so fucking hot!!!!! also how’d you know that hockey and bondage is like a thing 👀👀👀👀

ajklfdsjfdsladsfjaklfsdajlkfdasjlk annabeth being jealous, annabeth tying him up, Percy with that satisfied smirk I just 

So he pushes his heart out of where it had leapt into his throat and sits back down on the edge of the bed, pulling her into his lap as he slides back. She follows and Percy pulls her face to his, letting her set the pace and meeting her there movement for movement. If he can’t claim her as his, he’ll be damned if he doesn’t show her that he’s hers. - I WANT TO DIE

that’s all he wants right now. That’s all he’s going to want for a very long time. WELL I’M IN A GRAVE RIGHT NOW GOD THAT’S ROMANTIC AF

Matching with your boyfriend? That’s cute.” Annabeth says from behind him.

Percy turns to look at her, fully taking her in for the first time today. She’d followed the ugly sweater rule, but only barely. It wasn’t one of the gaudy or loud ones he knew would make an appearance tonight; instead she’d settled on a light blue turtleneck sweater with grey squares making up that classic Christmas print and setting off every different shade in her eyes. She looks more cute than anything.

Her eyes are fixed on his sweater, which is black with red details and the word ‘HO’ stitched onto the front. Percy feels heat flood his cheeks as he tries to play it off, but it’s only a matter of time until the entire team sees Jason’s matching ‘WHERE’S MY HO AT?’ sweater. - OK NO NO NO YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME!!!!!!!!!! THEY DEFINITELY MADE OUT EARLIER AND I WANT TO MURDER NO GIVE ME ALL THE FUMBLING FIRST KISSES OH MY GOD 

“It’s a Rangers sweatshirt.” He says slowly. “You hate the Rangers.”

“To be fair, I still think they suck. Islanders for life and all that. But what do you think?” Her voice betrays her smug words. - THE NEW YORK RIVALRY I AM DEAD AND BURIED OH THIS IS THE SWEETEST THING ANNABETH 

Annabeth doesn’t pull away or refuse him though, so he holds on for a bit longer than he should, one hand resting on the back of her head and holding her to his chest while the other finds her back. Her arms loop around his waist, her fingers lacing behind his back. Percy takes in as much of this moment as he can before she pulls away, because he knows he won’t be the first to do so.

When she does pull away, it feels almost reluctant. He lets himself believe that, cling to that for a moment as she looks up at him with those big gray eyes. And as she does, Percy realizes that he is completely and utterly ruined for anyone except her. - JFC I’M A WRECK

“You know at some point I’m going to need to see this on you.” - POST HAT TRICK SEX, I CALL IT

“You,” he can’t help the way he leans into her, far too close to be out in the open like this, “are impossible, Chase.”

“I’m flattered.” Annabeth scoffs. - THESE ABSOLUTE DORKS I LOVE EVERYTHING

As long as Annabeth is here, Jason’s ultimately edged out. - OUCH

“Bisexual people exist, Leo. ”  - HE’S ALREADY SMARTER THAN ALL HOCKEYS EVER, SORRY JASE I LOVE YOU BUT YOU’RE TOO SMART FOR THE NHL

Thanks, captain.” She takes the cup back and takes a sip and Jason would be a dirty liar if he said he didn’t stare at her lips the entire time. - ME: DYING

The consequences might be worth it, though. - YES JASON GO AFTER HER

“I didn’t say it was for me,” is Reyna’s cool reply. - I LOVE EVERYTHING SO SO SO MUCH OMG REYNA GETTING A DILDO!!!!!!!!!

Before Percy can look at Annabeth, his head whips around and he settles his glittering green eyes on Jason. “I know what we’re doing tonight,” he stage whispers as he winks.

“Do you guys need condoms? Some lube?” Connor asks, lifting up his newly gifted bottle of lube and box of flavored condoms.

“Don’t worry. We’ve got a nice supply,” Percy responds, wrapping an arm around Jason’s shoulders.

“Percy, not in front of the kids,” Jason complains, and he’s not embarrassed until he sees Piper giggling behind her hand. - *BOUNCES* GIVE ME THE BACKSTORY - hockey fandom has corrupted me and now I ship them to a ridiculous degree *shrugs*

Inside the box lays a brand new hockey stick. When he says brand new, he means brand new. The paint is shiny and glossy and he can just imagine how it’ll feel when he uses it on the ice. It’s white, blue stripes painted onto the butt and the bottom of the shaft, just before the blade. On the heel of the stick, he can see GRACE 1 painted in red letters. It’s the nicest hockey stick he’s seen gifted to a college player. The only thing he can compare the quality of this is to NHL and Olympic equipment. - I LITERALLY SCREAMED OUT LOUD LIKE IN MY DORM A VERY HIGH PITCHED SCREAM PIPER MCLEAN PIPES BABES YOU GOTTA KNOW PLEASE 

god every single one of the gifts just demonstrates how well they know each other, how much they love the other person already and I am in TEARS

Holy fuck, Piper did that. - MY REACTION SAME 

the two California kids bonding over their warm state and the fact that they’ve found a home on the ice - say with me AWWWWW

“Jason.” She takes a step closer to him. “I want you to have it. You deserve it. You love hockey and…” She falters and she bites down on her bottom lip. “I wanted to give you something meaningful. I just didn’t have the guts to do it without using Secret Santa as my excuse. I’m just so lucky I got you.” - dfaslkdjfdsajlkdfsjaklkjdfslakljdsajlfsdkakljszdfjoirewaklcszioojewfkmflsiouearwjoweiofjfdwerijefojfeidljfiawfjcewuoirijffuiwoewjdkoeioewuoriwejafwK

THAT’S ROMANTIC AF PIPER

“Shut up.”

Before he can think straight, her arms wrap around his shoulders and she angles her face up until he feels her lips press to his. He doesn’t hesitate to bring his hands up to her hips, holding her there and soaking in the fact that this is real. Here he is, giving into the temptation, allowing his heart to win the ruthless battle over his head. All rationality and self-control go out the window as he focuses solely on kissing her. Her lips taste like peppermint and are just as soft as he’s imagined them, which also brings back the influx of memories of the persistent daydreams that’d plagued his mind for weeks. Yet every expectation pales in comparison to this moment. He feels like he could melt from the heat coursing through his body, engulfing him in a fiery embrace. - FALLS ON THE FLOOR, SCREAMS, COMBUSTS - god you guys write the romances so well, they’re totally unique and this was PERFECT

Nothing,” he lies easily. While he usually can’t lie to save his life, he finds this lie effortless. “She was just being a good friend, Percy. Nothing more.”

A look of disappointment floods Percy’s face. “Really?” he asks sadly. “Damn. I was hoping for a good conversation or at least a kiss. I’m sorry, man. That sucks.”

“Yeah.” Jason shrugs and tries to look crestfallen. “Oh, well. Rules are rules.”

“Right.” Percy shakes his head once and sighs. “Rules are rules.” - *buries head in hands* JASON I HAD HOPE FOR YOU, oh well I guess this does mean you can survive the NHL

If this is what Jason has to do to be with Piper, so be it. - OH FUCK

fklasfjslkdafjskldaajfklsd guys this was so fucking good and beautiful and perfect and the perfect mix of angst and fluff and I JUST WOW 

22 * ROCKET * 22

Impact: Chapter 22

Chapter title song: Rocket - Def Leppard 

HARRY

I make sure to drop Jess off for class before going back home to meet Ryland to get my duffle. He pulls up in the driveway seconds after I've sat down on the couch. He doesn't bother knocking, instead just walks inside with the duffle over his shoulder. He tosses it on the couch next to me and collapses beside it, his attention turning to the TV in front of him.

I grab the duffle and pull it onto my lap, unzipping it and digging around for the stacks of money I know are hidden in the bottom under everything.

"You fought good last night." He says, punching me in the arm.

"In the second half." I laugh, reaching a hand to my bandaged nose.

"You were a different person after she showed up." He thinks aloud, turning to me but I don't acknowledge him.

"She's just good at snapping me out of shit." I lie, not daring to tell him about how worried I was about her not getting home before the fight started.

He stands from the couch and starts making his way to the door. I jump up and follow him, sorting out the blocks of cash in my hands.

"Hey Ry, how much?" I ask, flipping through a block of rubber-banded twenties.

"Five grand." He smirks.

My head snaps up in shock. He's lying. The smug look on his face confirms it though. That's nearly double my regular average.

"Five grand?" I ask incredulously.

He nods, laughing. I grab all the blocks of cash and stare at them crazily, I'm holding five thousand dollars in my hands.

"When you got your ass kicked in the first half, bets on you dropped by half. It was a good tactic Styles, maybe you should bring the chick around more often."

"What? No way, she's not coming to another fight." I say seriously, dropping the money on the counter.

He shrugs, opening the front door and stepping outside, "We could be making that money every time, think about it."

I close the door in his face, turning back to the kitchen. I stare at the pile of money on the counter. If I was getting five grand at every fight I could pay off all of my student loan debt and even the house in a few years. I could buy her whatever the hell she wanted and more. I could take her out to fancy dinners like Miles and buy her a car that she doesn't have to share with Sam.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I take it out to see a text from her asking if I'm there to pick her up for work yet. It's like she knew I was thinking about her. I tell her I'll be there in five minutes and take the stacks of cash to Niall's room and hide them in the safe with the rest of them until I can get to the bank.

JESS

He pulls up beside the curb and rolls down the window, the sound of The Outfield echoing from inside. I laugh and open the door, falling into the seat beside him and turning the heat dial all the way to the right. When I look at him and see the bandage across his nose, I'm reminded of the night before and my stomach feels sick.

"How was class?" He asks, driving away from the curb.

"Fine, I nearly fell asleep though." I yawn, my head falling back against the seat.

"It was a late night last night." He smirks, looking over to meet my eyes.

I cover my face with my hand, my cheeks blushing bright red I'm sure. I reach over and swat him, and he laughs, pulling onto the main road towards Lexington. I grab my bag and start to look through it to get my clothes, so I can go ahead and change considering how lovely it went last time I waited to change at work.

I drag my sweashirt up over my head and I feel his eyes dart to me as I fold it up and put it back in my bag. I take my dress out of my bag and slide it over my head before shimmying out of my jeans to reveal my tights underneath. I look up as I'm folding my jeans to see his eyes flickering between me and the street.

"Eyes on the road, Styles." I tease, sliding my heels on my feet and finally sitting up and buckling my seat belt.

He clears his throat with a chuckle and gets into the turning lane for the building, "Yes ma'am."

We walk inside, and he surprises me as he grabs my hand, leading us both to the elevators. Harry has never been one for PDA from what I understand from Niall and Sam and yet he always seems to want to have his hands on me.

We ride the elevator up to the thirteenth floor and he makes a b-line for the office. He holds the door open for me and I step inside, falling into my chair and he takes a seat across from me.

"Only a few more days of this you know, I say, looking up from my lap, "The two weeks is over in two days."

I watch his face fall as the realization hits him. I expected him to be happy, ecstatic even. He was hardly willing to give it up in the first place and now he's disappointed that it's time for him to get it back.

"Yeah, I guess I'll have my office back which is nice." He says half-heartedly.

I stand up from my desk and walk over to him, sitting on the arm of the chair and wrapping his arm around my waist. He looks up to meet my eyes and I lean down, pressing my lips to his cheek and running my fingers through his hair.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing." He says, forcing a smile onto his face.

I raise my eyebrow at him and he drops the smile, he knows I'm onto him. I know him well enough to tell the difference between his smiles.

"I'm just not ready for you to not live with me anymore." He sighs, not daring to meet my eyes.

I laugh, leaning my head on his shoulder, "You really think you're going to get rid of me that easily?"

He perks up at this, sitting up and meeting my eyes finally. Suddenly he's smiling again, really smiling, his dimples showing and his eyes alive.

"You'll stay?" He asks eagerly.

"Well, no, not all the time," I say carefully, trying to tiptoe around his good mood, "I need my own space Harry, but I'm sure I'll stay over more often than not."

His smile remains, and I wrap my arms around his neck, leaning down to press my lips to his. I know it's risky after the Audrie situation, but I can't be bothered enough to care.

"And now it'll be a special occasion," I grin against his lips, "When I stay over."

I can feel his smile widen and he pulls away from me to meet my eyes. He reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear like he always does, and that stupid smirk finds its way onto his mouth.

"Well I do like the sound of that." He teases, and I stand up from the arm of the chair before he can kiss me again.

He reaches out for me, but I keep walking, sitting behind my computer and checking my emails for anything from Lex about meetings or deals. He walks up behind me and puts his hands on my shoulders, massaging the tense spots in my neck before leaning down and pressing his lips to my skin. I turn around, scolding him and he laughs, turning away from me to occupy the desk in the hallway.

I spend the rest of the day editing a manuscript and sending my notes to Harry via email. I don't know what's with him today, but he can't seem to keep his hands off of me. Part of me knows it has everything to do with last night but I can't afford to let him come in here every time I finish an annotation if he can't leave without kissing me.

Soon enough it's nearly time to head out and he comes into the office with his keys in his hand. He twirls them around his finger as he stands in the doorway, his leather jacket already on his shoulders.

"Come on baby, let's bounce." He says, nodding out the door.

I shake my head at him, standing from my desk and sliding my feet into my heels that have long since been kicked off. He passes me my jacket and hooks his arm around my waist, leading me out of the office to the elevators. He starts to ask me where I want to go for dinner when his phone rings in his pocket, cutting him off.

He releases my waist, taking out his phone and holding it to his ear. He listens for a few minutes and I concentrate on the voice on the other end, trying to place it or understand any of the words but it's nearly impossible.

"Yeah, yeah okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," Harry says impatiently, "Alright bye."

He hangs up and tucks his phone back into his pocket as he leads us out of the building to his car parked in the first row. He doesn't say anything, and my curiosity of the unfamiliar voice is killing me.

"Who was-"

"That was the shop," He sighs, "Someone came in and requested me specifically. I'll drop you off before I go and then I'll be home later." He explains.

I look at him and raise my eyebrows as I open my door and slide into the car beside him. He glances over at me and looks at me expectantly.

"What?" He asks.

"I just can't tell if you're actually going to the shop or if I'm supposed to be picking up on some 'I'm actually going to a fight' code word." I say, looking over his face to spot any tells that he's lying.

"Jess," He laughs, "I'm actually going to the shop, promise, that was Leo on the phone, my boss."

I narrow my eyes at him, trying to decide if he's really telling the truth, "I think I should go with you to make sure."

He looks over at me as he rolls to a stop sign, "What? No way baby, you're not going."

"I knew you were lying." I smirk, reaching over to point my finger in his face.

"I am not lying!" He laughs, shoving my hand from in front of his face and holding it instead, "Fine, you want to come to the shop? We're going to the shop."

He swerves to get in the left lane and turns on his blinker to make a U-turn. He heaves out a sigh and I know I've annoyed him, but he can't be that mad because he's still holding my hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth against it.

I see the complex coming into view as he drives up the street. I haven't been to the flower shop in what feels like ages and seeing it across the street reminds me of the day he came in to mess with me. He pulls into a parking spot and gets out of the car, shrugging his jacket off and unbuttoning his dress shirt. He pops the trunk and walks around to the back of the car to throw on a plain black shirt. It's crazy watching him change into someone else. He takes his glasses off and tucks them into his jacket pocket and lets his hair fall down around his shoulders.

He walks back to the front of the car and leans into his seat to meet my eyes, "You coming, babe?"

I nod, and he meets me at the front of the car with his denim jacket held out for me to put on. I slide my arms through the sleeves and he adjusts it on my shoulders. I turn back to him and he scrunches his face, looking me up and down.

"God, they're going to eat you alive in there." He laughs, throwing his arm over my shoulders.

"I doubt you'll let that happen." I smirk, leaning into his shoulder.

He reaches for the clip in my hair and releases it, letting my hair fall down, just barely brushing my shoulders. He tosses the clip in his pocket and turns to me, looking me over one more time.

"Better." He shrugs, grabbing the door and holding it open for me to walk inside.

I step inside and instantly I hear the incessant buzzing sound of a tattoo needle. It makes my skin crawl. He walks up behind me and places his hand on my lower back, leading me past the busy front counter and towards the back of the shop.

"Stay close." He says, eyeing everyone and shoving me in front of him.

I laugh at his protectiveness and roll my eyes as he grabs my hand and nearly drags me to the supply room at the back. He shuts the closet door behind me and flips on the dingy lightbulb in the corner as he searches through countless bins and boxes on the shelves.

He finally turns back to me with a tattoo needle in one hand and a pair of gloves in the other. He grabs a towel and tosses it over his shoulder before nodding to me and walking out of the closet behind me.

"Wait so you," I start, trying to wrap my head around this, "you actually do the tattoos?"

"Yeah," He laughs, looking at me over his shoulder, "what did you think I did working at a tattoo shop?"

"I don't know, I thought you were like the receptionist or something," I shrug, following him back to the front where he logs into the computer and scrolls through the list of appointments for today, "How many of your tattoos did you do yourself?"

"A few, mainly stupid ones, the good ones are all by Leo," He smiles, nodding to the tanned man walking a girl from the waiting area to the back, "It's nearly impossible to give yourself a tattoo and it turn out good, I promise."

He turns around, calling Leo's name but he's already around the corner with his next appointment. Harry looks back to the computer and squints, scrolling back through the names before turning to me.

"Hey dollface, look through this and tell me if you see any appointments for me on here," He huffs, "I can't fucking see that tiny font."

I laugh, nagging him about wearing his glasses and he rolls his eyes as I move him out of the way, so I can see the computer screen and scroll through the names myself. Nowhere on the schedule does it say there's a request for Harry.

"I don't see-"

I'm cut off as a tall, thin man comes to stand in front of the desk with a wickedly perfect smile. He leans on his elbow on top of the granite counter, his eyes locked on Harry.

"Yeah, I told him not to bother adding me to the schedule," He smirks, running a hand through his short black hair, "I think it'll be a fairly brief appointment."

He's undeniably attractive with the lightest blue eyes I've ever seen, and his voice is smooth like silk. He's almost as tall as Harry but he's built like a telephone pole whereas Harry is all muscle. The way he's smirking at Harry, the wicked glare in his eyes, tells me he's not here for a tattoo.

I turn around to see Harry completely rigid, he's staring at the mystery man with a certain determination and I know that if looks could kill, this poor man would be a corpse. He rips his eyes away from him and turns to me, his expression softening but his words still coming out of grit teeth.

"You need to go, take my keys and drive home, I'll come pick you up as soon as I can-"

"Harry are you insane I'm not driving your car-"

"Please-"

Our argument is cut off by the man once again as he leans across the counter, his hair falling into his face and his wicked grin never leaving his lips.

"Oh, there's no need for that, I'd actually much prefer it if the babe came with us, I could use some eye candy while I treat you to a beer, Harry." He smirks, sending me a wink and I scrunch my nose in distaste.

"Shut up, Zack, can we please do this another time?" Harry sighs, finally looking back to him.

"Well," He laughs, "you see I already told Ryland and the guys that we'd all meet at Blue Jeans so, no, we can't."

He sighs, looking back up to glare at Zack and Zack smiles, knowing that he's won whatever argument is going on here. I have no idea what's going on, but the increasingly tight grip Harry has on my hand tells me this isn't good.

"Can I drop her off first?" Harry asks, nodding towards me.

"Looks to me like the girl could use a beer," Zack laughs, "and besides, Ryland said to make sure you brought that hot piece of ass you've been toting around, and I don't think he meant Ashlyn."

Harry grimaces as the words leave his mouth and finally Zack turns back towards the front doors, laughing as he reminds Harry of the time and place one more time before shoving his way out the doors. Harry turns to me with a pained expression on his face, grabbing my shoulders.

"You don't have to come, I can drop you off right now, I can't believe I got you mixed up in this-"

"It's okay, it's just a bar," I say, cutting him off and running my fingers through his hair to calm him down, "Who is he?"

"Yet another person I was hoping you'd never have the pleasure of meeting." He frowns, not daring to meet my eyes.

I grab his chin and tilt it up, forcing him to look at me. I can see the worry in his eyes as I release his chin and wrap my arms around his waist instead. He lets out a breath and I feel it shudder through his body, a heave of relief as I bury my face in his chest.

"You don't have to do this." He says yet again.

"I know I don't," I sigh, "but I want to, whatever this is."

"Being the hot piece of ass I've been toting around?" He laughs, his sad smile finally breaking into a real grin.

"Something like that." I laugh.

He grabs my hand and pulls me back out of the shop and to his car. We both get in and he backs out, speeding back onto the main road. Before I know it, his apartment is coming into view.

"Harry, you're not dropping me off-"

"I know, I'm still in slacks and there's no way you're wearing a dress to a biker bar." He says, cutting me off as he pulls into the driveway.

He turns the car off and gets out and I follow him to the door. Niall sits up on the couch as we walk inside but Harry walks right past to his bedroom, tugging me along behind him.

"Hey guys-"

"We don't have time Niall," He huffs, stopping in his doorway, "Zack's in town apparently."

I watch as Niall's eyes nearly fall out of his head. He stands up from the couch and rushes over to Harry and my curiosity of this Zack character grows.

"Go get ready baby, put on some jeans or something." Harry says, opening the door to his room and nodding inside.

I want to stay out here and witness whatever conversation these two are about to have but I know that Harry is already on edge. I walk inside, and he shuts the door behind me quickly. I hear their whispered voices moving away from the door, but I can't distinguish their words.

I move to my suitcase on the other side of the room and shuffle through it for a pair of jeans. I slide a black pair up my legs and search for a shirt as soon as I have them on. I can't seem to find anything fitting enough for a biker bar and the last thing I want to do is draw attention to myself with everything already being on edge.

I turn to his closet instead and shuffle through it until I land on a rolling stones shirt. I slip it over my head and tuck it into the front of my jeans before grabbing his denim jacket and tossing it over my shoulders. I grab a pair of black boots from my luggage and slide them on my feet just as his bedroom door opens and he walks inside.

I look up to meet his face and his lip ring is pulled between his teeth as he looks me up and down. I stand up from the edge of his bed and tug his jacket up on my shoulders.

"How's this?" I ask, gesturing to my outfit.

"Perfect, I uh," He says, clearing his throat as he walks to his dresser to grab a pair of jeans, "I've never seen you dressed like that."

"Well only half the clothes are mine," I laugh, grabbing my makeup bag to put on some lipstick, "I just want to fit in."

I can feel his eyes on me as he drags his jeans up his legs and shoves his feet into a pair of sneakers. My hair is a frizzy mess in the mirror from being clipped up all day, but I run my fingers through it to shake out the curls and hope it doesn't look as bad as I think it does.

I turn around from the mirror to see him dressed in black jeans and his leather jacket. He looks so undeniably amazing in black but before I can make any remarks, Niall is walking through the door. His eyes land on me and his jaw nearly hits the floor as he looks me up and down.

"Holy fuck Jess-"

"Careful." Harry warns, walking over to me and throwing his arm over my shoulders.

Niall laughs, walking back the way he came and tossing Harry his keys, "Listen, I'm not making any moves on your woman, but I'm allowed to tell a girl when she looks hot."

Harry smirks, looking down to meet my eyes as he leads us to the door, "Yeah, she looks pretty damn good," He grins, leaning down and pressing his lips to mine, "There's no way you're walking out of the house like this every day though, this is a one-time thing."

"What? You don't like it?" I laugh, dragging him to the car.

"No, I do, that's the problem," He chuckles, opening his door and getting in," And so will every other guy on campus."

I shove him as he starts the car, momentarily forgetting about the hurricane we're quite literally walking into. He turns up the music as he drives and soon enough we're pulling into Blue Jeans, a tiny dive bar with a neon sign and an entire row of motorcycles parked out front. He shuts off the car and meets me on the other side, taking my hand and telling me to stay close.

As soon as we're inside the haze of cigarette smoke hits me like a ton of bricks. He leads me to the back and then I see him, his eyes shine eerily in the dim lighting of the bar. He stands from the table with a pint of beer in one hand, gesturing for me and Harry to sit down.

"There they are! So glad you two could make it." Zack smiles warmly, offering me a seat and pushing it in after I've sat down.

Harry sits next to me and takes out a cigarette, lighting it between his teeth. I can tell he's still nervous, he rests his hand on my thigh and gives it a squeeze as he leans back in his seat. I look up to the four faces around the table that aren't Harry. Zack is eyeing me up and down and the way he licks his lips as he does so makes me feel like I need a shower. Ryland is directly across from me; his eyes are beyond bloodshot and his knee is bouncing under the table rapidly. I look to the unfamiliar faces, one blonde boy with brown eyes and the other a brunette. They look too nice to be caught up in this crowd.

"I saw you fight last night." Zack speaks up, taking a sip of his beer.

"Did you?" Harry asks, leaning forward curiously.

"Yeah, I saw you nearly get your ass kicked until the second half," He says dismissively, "When she showed up."

I look up from my lap to see him nonchalantly pointing at me. He takes another sip of his beer and leans back in his seat once his eyes have caught my gaze.

"That was some stunt you pulled there Styles. It was smart, lose the whole first half and then turn it around in the end. Win double the cash because you pulled a fast one on the crowd," He rambles, taking out a cigarette for himself and leaning forward for the blonde boy to light it, "But you see, people are getting skeptical. How are you supposed to bet against someone when they always win?"

I can feel Harry's hand tightening his grip on my thigh. I reach under the table and place my hand over his, threading my fingers through his. I feel him relax as he intertwines our hands beneath the table, his eyes trained on Zack and his cigarette bobbing between his lips.

"So, what are you saying?" He asks, narrowing his eyes at Zack.

"I'm saying you're going to lose," Zack says simply, "Tomorrow night, I'll set up a fight and the whole thing will be staged. You will lose and therefore interest will be regained, I can't have people thinking my entire ring is a setup. That it's rigged so my fighter always wins, where's the money in that?"

I look up to see Harry's face and I can see the gears turning in his head. I don't like the sound of him losing. How bad will it have to be for the crowd to believe it? I suppose it can't be worse than last night but here he is sitting beside me with a torso covered in bruises and a bandage over his nose.

"Who am I fighting?" He asks, and I can tell he's trying not to grit his teeth.

"Haven't decided yet. I have to find someone that's willing to go with the plan."

His jaw tenses and I can tell he doesn't like the sound of this. He squeezes my hand under the table, assuring me that he's alright before Zack speaks up again.

"Oh, and one more thing," Zack grins, his wicked smile returning from earlier, "The girl, I want her there."

My head snaps to look over at him. His eyes are trained on me, maliciously. The wide grin on his face makes my skin crawl, he knows exactly what he's doing.

"No way," Harry seethes, "She's not going anywhere near another fight."

"She is if I say so and I do believe that's what I just did," Zack says, his friendly façade faltering as he raises his voice, "I'll see you two tomorrow in Berkeley Hall. Ryland will text you the details."

He stands from the table and takes out his wallet, tossing two hundred-dollar bills onto the table to cover the bill. The other two boys stand up right behind him and follow him out of the bar. Harry relaxes as soon as he's gone, releasing my hand from his death grip, and running his thumb over my knee.

He turns to Ryland suddenly, getting up from the table and grabbing him by the back of his shirt. He yanks him up from his seat and turns him around to shout in his face, his jaw pulled taut against his cheek.

"What the fuck is he doing here, Ry? Did you call him?" He shouts, shoving his back against the table.

"No! He just showed up! He said he wanted to check on the ring and I told him I had a fight last night, so he came." He breathes uneasily.

Harry drops him, shoving him into the table and causing a glass to hit the ground and shatter. Ryland holds his chest, breathing heavily in relief as Harry walks back over to me and grabs my hand.

"Come on, we're getting out of here." He huffs, nearly dragging me back towards the entrance and into the car.

He doesn't say a word the whole drive home, but his jaw is clenching against his cheek and his fists grip the steering wheel with white knuckles. He surprises me as he shuts the radio off, something I've never seen him do. He pulls into the driveway but neither of us get out of the car, we stay seated, letting the heat run.

"Harry," I start, my voice shaking as I try to gauge his emotion, "I won't go if you don't want me to."

"No," He says, nearly cutting me off, "You have to go now because I'm a fucking idiot and I let you get mixed up in all this shit after promising myself that I wouldn't let it happen!"

I flinch away from him when he raises his voice and bangs his fist against the steering wheel. He's livid, at me or himself or Zack I don't know but it seems that every time I think I've seen him at his angriest, I'm wrong.

"It's not your fault," I assure him, grabbing his balled fists in my hand, "It's mine, I made Niall take me there last night, you were trying to keep me safe and I should have listened-"

"Don't blame this on yourself." He says, making my rambling cease.

I wait for him to say more but he doesn't, he only lets out a sigh and brings my hands to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. I hate the pain I can see in his face, I wish I could kiss away the stress lines between his eyebrows.

"I wish I could say I don't like it," He says, his voice low, "The fighting. I wish I didn't love it as much as I do, I wish I could quit and say I'm done but it gives me a rush like nothing else does," He sighs, finally looking at me, "I don't want you to think I'm some kind of monster that gets off on hurting people but-"

"That's not what I think." I assure him, running my hands through his hair.

He smiles, finally, and I feel like I can breathe again. He closes his eyes and lets his head fall back to his seat as I continue threading my hands through his hair. I lean forward and press my lips to his cheek, making his eyes flutter open. His eyes meet mine and I can tell he's relieved. Was he really that worked up about what I thought of him after all this?

He finally shuts the car off and climbs out with me following suit. We nearly drag ourselves to his room and collapse into bed. I shove my jeans off and let them fall to the ground beside his denim jacket and my shoes. He does the same in addition to his shirt before wrapping his arms around me and tugging me into his side.

He's inhumanly warm and I relax in the feeling of his steaming arms wrapped around me. I lay my head on his chest, letting my finger dance across his skin, tracing the lines of ink I'm still not familiar with yet. I stare at the bruises along his rib cage and he winces when I adjust my head on his shoulder.

"You're pretty amazing," He mumbles, his voice already thick with sleep, "You know that?"

"Yeah," I smile, leaning up to press my lips to his, "I know."

Across the Stars - Ch.3

Warning, mentions of panic attacks in this chapter !! I can say it’s minor, but it’s mentionned and described twice. Things will get happier soon, I promise :’) !!! I’m just a sucker for hurt/comfort aaahhh First Chapter --> HERE Previous Chapter --> HERE Next Chapter --> HERE

She hated this. Like the whole world was against her. First the rain on her way to work, then the worst customers and Vee constantly dropping pile of clothes around or slamming her leg or foot hard against a table or a corner. And then her parents HAD to call her, asking for news, how her plans were doing. The lack of improvement regarding her artistic career always created some tension amongst the family, and now the fact that she had moved to New York bringing confusion and disappointement. Yes she had wanted to flee. Vee wanted to start fresh, but the glooming menace of failure always followed her, not even caring about her path. She wanted to disappear. The apartment was empty, Vee knowing April was spending the night at Casey's. She was glad, but on the other hand she feared being alone... Her vision was blurry, her breath harsh. She tried to remove her coat, but every movements felt like a hard task, her legs suddenly shaking. No. Not now. She collapsed against the entry door, sitting down, knees brought up, arching her head towards them. She wanted to hide, she wanted the thoughts to stop. Sobs and hiccups escaped her, cursing her miserable state. She felt like being in an endless loop, nothing ever changing, nothing ever improving. Every efforts she ever made were fruitless, as pointless as her life. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, the motion good enough to divert her thoughts for some minutes. She fumbled her hand through her coat's pocket, soon getting the device before her and noticing a new message. (Donnie): Hey, how was your day :)? A smile tried to find its place on her lips, but every attempts failed, her eyes drowning in tears. They had exchanged phone numbers ever since they met up at the lair a week ago and somehow that recomforted Vee, knowing she could join her friend at any given time or place... She didn't know what to answer, her hands numb and shaking. She took some deep breaths, trying to override her emotions so she could sound normal. She mindlessly pushed a button so she could call him, the ringtone almost too loud for her ear. ''Hey Vee!'' His voice was all she needed. ''Hi Donnie, sorry for calling … texting now just feels like a chore.'' ''Is everything alright?'' She could already notice the concern in his voice. She forced a small laugh, trying to sound light-hearted. ''Yeah, I guess. … I just had a long day today.'' She sighed, looking at her free, trembling hand. ''… I was wondering if I could come by your place? April's not here and I don't feel like hanging all by myself.'' ''Yeah, sure! We're not going on patrol tonight so it's totally fine.'' ''Could you come and lead the way, though? I have no clue how to get there. … Gosh I sound so demanding, I'm sorry.'' ''No you don't and I'll be there in twenty minutes approximately.'' ''… Thanks Donnie.'' As soon as the call ended Vee let out a long sigh, her head hanging back so it could rest against the door. She needed to breathe, calm her nerves... She finally got up, already heading for the bathroom. She looked like a mess, her eyes slightly red and her cheeks wet. Grumbling, she proceeded to splash some water over her traits, trying to refresh her. Her shaking had dimnished, but it was still slightly present, especially in her hands and knees. She decided to make herself a cup of tea, knowing waiting would only bring back some bad thoughts... Sitting by the table, her coat hanging nearby, cup in hand, she stared down her brew, her fingers lightly tapping some random rhythms, occupying her somehow. Then she heard a knock on one of the living room's windows, a soft smile coming to her lips as she got to it and noticed the presence of the turtle on the other side, hanging on the balcony nearby. She opened the way to him, next stepping aside so he could come in. ''Hi!'' he simply greeted, his eyes never leaving her. ''Hi,'' she replied, still smiling, although her eyes revealed her tiredness. Donnie couldn't hide his frown, studying the woman. Her posture, everything, showed something was wrong. Even her hand holding a mug was slightly shaking. ''… Are you sure everything's alright?'' he asked. She took a long sip of her tea, arching an eyebrow. ''Yes, genius. As you may recall, I said I had a long day today,'' she answered with a smirk. ''You sure you want to head out then?...'' Vee had moved back to the kitchen to dispose of her cup and next grabbing her coat, her smile now genuine as she got back to the turtle. ''Absolutely! A new environment will do good on my thoughts.'' She was already climbing out the window, finally spotting the mutant who was still inside, watching her. ''… Are you coming or not?'' she asked, amused. She finally saw him smile as he moved, soon next to her, closing the window. As they were making their way down Vee's mood was finally starting to shift, a warm feeling invading her. She felt so at ease by Donatello's side, not even minding as he took her in his arms, jumping down a manhole, soon dwelling into New York's sewers. Now walking side by side, they managed some small talk, Vee mindlessly hooking her arm around Donnie's, sighing with a smile. ''It's so funny to think we can hang out now. … I've somehow always thought you'd be nothing more but a name on a screen, and here you are...'' ''Here I am, with a lovely woman by my side,'' he commented. Vee snorted, looking up to him with amusement, noticing he was now blushing, realizing what he just said. ''I do have my charms, yes, thanks for noticing,'' teased the human. ''Don't ever listen to whatever I say. It's all just mess now.'' ''What now?'' faked Vee, as if she had troubles hearing. ''I'm sorry, I thought I heard someone speak. There must be interferences.'' Donnie snickered, slightly nudging the other in a playful way. They arrived to the lair, the place surprisingly calm, except for some noises coming from a television. As Donatello offered to take the woman's coat, being the gentleman he always was, Vee noticed that the sound was coming from a video game, Michelangelo and Raphael sitting on a couch, occupied with their competition. ''Woah, Super Smash Bros. Sweet,'' commented the woman, getting near. Mikey turned around with a smile, not even caring that he was then getting obliterated by Raph's character. ''Hey angelcakes! Good to see you!'' The end of the game made itself clear, the orange masked turtle suddenly looking at the scream, soon a loud laughter coming out of Raph. ''Well then! Now I know what's the trick for instantly winning against you,'' he said with a grin. ''I just need to bring a hot girl around and you won't pay any attention at all.'' Vee blushed at that remark, surprised. Although it was short-lived as Donnie was back to her side, rolling his eyes. ''Move aside boys and let a pro show you how to really kick butt!'' ''Wait! How about a four players match?'' questionned Mikey. He looked at Vee with a challenging smile. ''Unless the pretty lady is scared.'' Vee entered the game, puffing her posture as to look confident. ''I was born with a super nintendo in my hands,'' she declared. ''I can easily beat you all, video gaming's in my veins.'' The young turtle cheered as Vee was next seated between him and Donatello on the couch, soon given a controller. Her character choice was stopped on Fox as Mikey chose Samus, Raph Bowser and Donnie Greninja. The match was set with no time limit, only with five lifes each. And Vee proved to be a real challenge for the mutants. As the match went on, it was soon left to her against Donatello, both character's speed proving to be a good trial, until it finally resolved to the woman winning, all four players cheering from the thrill (Donnie was slightly pouting, jokingly, although he was a good sport about all this). ''Who won?'' asked a new voice. All of them turned to Leonardo who got intrigued by all this comotion. The three other turtles all pointed to Vee who was showing a large grin, victorious. The leader in blue smirked, somehow amused. ''Oh no, nobody's stealing this champion's title in this house, not even a guest.'' He came around the couch, grabbing Raph's controller on the way. ''Time to show who's the boss,'' he joked, sitting on the floor, glaring at Vee with a toothy grin. ''Game on,'' replied the woman, already up for the challenge. He chose Meta Knight, somehow predictable, as Vee took Yoshi. ''What the hell, Vee, you won't stand a chance!'' pointed out Mikey. ''Oh don't worry, I've got some tricks up my sleeves,'' simply answered the human, not even stressed. The rule was changed to three lifes instead of five and the battle began soon enough. At first Vee seemed overwhelmed by the other's prowess, although she was able to catch on, soon leaving both of them with one life each. It was time for the grande finale. Vee tried to look as emotioneless as possible, even if she wanted to laugh. She placed Yoshi near the edge of the map, waiting patiently. ''Vee, move!'' warned Donnie. She did not answer, waiting until Leo's character was near enough and she swallowed it, Yoshi shitting a frickin' egg into the void. The end was soon announced and acclamations roared from the three brothers, Leo too dumbfounded to react. He finally stood up, staring down the human, until he finally cracked a new smile. ''Alright, good game. But I will get my revenge,'' he said, next handing back the controller to Raph. Vee didn't know either she had to act smug or slightly scared. She waited until he was gone before she piped up: ''I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries by beating him.'' ''HA! Hell no,'' commented Raphael, amused. ''Lil' prince needs to be taken down his throne from times to times.'' ''And you totally need to teach us some kick-ass moves, dudette,'' added Mikey. ''That egg thing was awesomely clever.'' ''I can definitely show some of them, but not all if I still want to beat you guys!'' answered Vee with a smirk. With that started a new round, the woman's smile never fading, forever glad of this time she could spend with the turtles. *** The weeks went by, time always flowing too fast for Vee's taste. It was now a little over the middle of October, the air cold and crisp, the trees showing red and orange leaves, as bright as flames. The incoming freshness did bring some good to the woman as she took that as an excuse to bring coffees for Donatello and herself whenever she would go visit the lair. It wasn't rare for the duo to hang together now, mostly spending their time on starting projects, the human simply overjoyed to be able to participate. Even if it was simply cleaning tools, go over some of his lines on blueprints and mixing some fluids in his lab, she was glad to have a little taste of his world, may it be in silence or plunged into deep conversations. She couldn't help her feeling of easiness when around him, the bond they had developped over the last few months only getting stronger. Although she knew there were probably things she still didn't know about him, as she still omitted to reveal some about herself. But she knew things would come to light in time, if it ever was to happen... The last few days had been hard on her overall state. From insomnia to panic attacks, she knew her only salvation was to get herself occupied with various activities. She never mentionned her troubles, but knew too well that the dark circles under her eyes never escaped the mutant's attention. He never said anything, as if awaiting for her to speak or give a certain signal... Only for it to happen one night as she was cleaning some test tubes in his lab, one suddenly escaping her hands and shattering on the floor. ''Ah, shit, I'm so sorry,'' she hissed, cursing herself afterward, trying to search for a broom or anything that could help her clean. He noticed her hands shaking, her movements more frantic than usual. When she failed to find anything to clean, she crouched down, trying to take the broken pieces in her hands. ''Don't touch that! You'll cut yourself!'' warned Donnie, suddenly off from his chair, grasping her arm and putting her back on her feet. He noticed the woman's pained expression. At first he thought he was probably holding her a bit too strongly, but then he saw her hands shaking more, soon her knees following. He started to move her out of the lab, grabbing a stool chair on the way. ''No, no, Donnie, wait, I'm fine,'' started to blabber Vee. He didn't say a word, placing the object so it could face his chair and then he seated the human down, him next taking place on his own. ''You are not fine and now I want to hear why,'' he said, never releasing her hands, his eyes fixed on her. ''There's nothing to say.'' Her voice was shaking. ''You want me to overlook how tired you look, fine, '' he added. ''But right now you're showing signs of a panic attack and I'm not going to let you go over that alone.'' He slowly massaged her palms, trying to soothe her. ''… I've seen signs over the last few weeks and I thought you'd open to me one day.'' ''Because there's nothing to say,'' repeated Vee harshly, some tears escaping her eyes without her consent, looking away. ''It's something I'm going through all by myself and I don't see why I should bring others in this.'' She tried to calm her emotions as words didn't stop leaving her mouth. ''I've always been like this. I worry too much about things and then I overthink and this happens. I'm trying my best to succeed and please people around me, but everytime it just fails and it's never enough.'' This time she cracked, her head bowing down as a sob escaped her. She had tried so hard to fight everything for weeks, but now she felt weak. Somehow voicing all of this made her realize how bad things were... ''I feel like I'm stuck,'' she continued, her voice breaking. ''I just want to disappear.'' God, she felt so stupid right now. ''I- I didn't want you to see me like this. This is ridiculous...'' She could feel some spasms in her legs, her teeth clenching, trying to control it. She felt Donnie's hands shift, now cupping her cheeks. Her eyes were now planted in his, the mutant's voice almost an echo as he started to speak. ''Follow my lead,'' he said. ''I want you to breathe in for four seconds, keep it in for seven and then exhale for eight. Do it with me.'' Inhale. One. Two. Three. Four. Keep. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Exhale. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. She could feel his thumbs wiping her tears away, his touch warm and recomforting. Vee's body was slowly starting to calm down, keeping her focus on the turtle and the breathing exercize. After what felt like eternity, Donnie gently pulled the woman towards him, soon letting her sit in his lap. He didn't hesitate to keep her in his arms, embracing her in hopes that she would continue to relax. At first Vee was frozen, but she finally reciprocated the hug, her arms now around his neck, hiding her face against his skin. For once she knew she could forget everything, get lost in this feeling. She could feel his heartbeat, strong and rapid, just like hers. ''… Please, don't hide this from me,'' he started, his voice soft. ''You don't have to face it alone. … Whatever is happening, I want to help you.'' Vee sighed, all her tensed muscles falling, giving in. ''… I just want to stay like this for a moment, if you don't mind.'' ''Not at all,'' he replied, simply leaning back comfortably into his chair, one of his hands mindlessly petting her back. No more words were added, both closing their eyes and letting their thoughts drift away. It was as if a huge weight had fallen off the woman's shoulder, her mind finally clear. She focused on Donatello's touch, soon his caress lulling her to sleep. Right now she felt safe and it was all that mattered. When he noticed the regular pattern in her respiration, he knew she was sleeping. At first he didn't know what to do, nervous, but he decided to shrug it off, knowing Vee's body had probably craved that rest for a long time... He slowly turned his chair back to his computer, deciding to get back to work as the woman was still asleep in his lap. The overall feeling was strange, but not unwelcomed. He had a bit of a hard time to focus, mainly because of what just happened. From their discussions, he always thought Vee to be an overall happy person, always laughing and glad to be helping others, but now it wasn't hard for the turtle to see that this was probably all some sort of facade.  Maybe not completely, knowing the woman tended to have an optimistic view of life, but everyone had their moments of weakness, such as this... ''Hey Donnie, in thirty minutes we'll gear up and go on pat-'' Leo's voice trailed off when he noticed the situation, throwing a questionning glare at his brother. The tall turtle felt like shrinking in his chair, only to sigh briefly. ''… She had a rough day,'' he said, quietly. ''Don't worry, I'll wake her up.'' He knew the leader probably had more questions in him, but the blue masked turtle simply shrugged, prefering to turn away and warn the others of their future departure. Donnie preferred to wait ten more minutes before deciding himself to wake the woman up. He tightened his embrace a little, daring to lightly nuzzle the top of her head. ''Hey Vee...'' She gasped, her body jumping as she tried to get back into the living world. ''Fuck,'' she said in a tired tone. ''I'm sorry I shouldn't have-'' She stopped, her eyes meeting Donnie's. A blush came to her face, realizing how near they were now... At first she wanted to get off, but she was stopped by the mutant's desk, trapped on his lap. ''What the-?'' she grumbled. ''How long was I asleep?'' ''A good fifteen minutes at least,'' answered the turtle, turning his chair around so she could finally stand up. At first Vee's stance was a bit wobbly, her legs still asleep and recovering from her previous shaking, but she soon stabilized as Donnie was up to her side, a hand gently placed on her shoulder. ''You should have woke me up earlier,'' added Vee with a smirk. ''Had I been sleeping longer, I would have probably started drooling.'' ''How horrifying,'' joked the turtle. ''At least you didn't snore.'' ''Ha-ah, you're lucky indeed! … Anyway, why did you awaken this sleeping beauty, o prince charming?'' ''Leo told me we're going on patrol soon,'' answered Donnie, trying not to blush at what the woman had said. ''I guess we'll be dropping you to your place on the way.'' ''That'd be much appreciated.'' She was about to move out of his hold to get a grab of her coat, but the mutant stopped her, holding her hands once more. ''Vee... what just happened …, I don't like seeing you like this. If you need to reach out, please do. You don't have to be ashamed about any of that. We're friends, right? You can tell me anything.'' Vee showed half of a smile, somehow touched by his words. She did not hesitate to get near him once more, hugging him. At first the turtle was surprised, but soon decided to comply, his arms around her, nuzzling the top of her head again. ''I can't promise anything, but I'll try,'' answered Vee. ''I just don't like getting people involved into my bullshit, it gets so depressing.'' ''Try me, I'm tougher than I look!'' That got a soft laugh from Vee, finally looking up to Donnie with a genuine smile. ''Couldn't expect less from someone with a shell on its back.'' Their new proximity sent a slight shiver down their spines, their hold lingering for more than needed... It was only after Mikey's voice resonated across the lair, declaring their departure, that time was finally back on track, both now out of their arms, blushing. *** The night had been calm so far, except for a minor robbery attempt, but it wasn't anything the turtles couldn't stop. They were now sitting on top of a high apartment building, taking in the view before they called the patrol off. ''So,'' started Leo's voice, directed at Donnie. ''What was that thing with Vee all about?'' ''What thing?'' interjected in Mikey, truly curious. ''I caught tech-boy over here sitting in his chair with Vee all cuddled up on his lap.'' Donnie was already annoyed, especially after hearing Mikey commenting on how he was acting like a ''Don Juan''. ''I told you she had a bad day, Leo,'' answered the tall turtle. ''Yeah but having a bad day doesn't always have to equal with cuddling,'' added Raph. ''What's going on between you two anyway?'' ''Sorry for showing basic kindness. We're not poisonous so I don't see why it should be seen as weird or forbidden to hug someone, especially a friend.'' Raph threw his hands in the air, faking to be scared. ''You're the one making a big deal out of this now. … We're just curious 'cause we see how you two keep looking at eachother.'' Donatello sighed, not even denying his brother's words. ''… Look guys, she had a panic attack and I was just trying to calm her. Things seems to go bad for her these days and I just want to help.'' ''Man, she doesn't look like the kind of person to have that sort of struggle...'' commented Mikey, a bit concerned. ''Is she always feeling like that?'' ''I'm guessing some days are better than others,'' answered Donnie, shrugging a little. ''I've just discovered that she suffers from those. She hides it well at times and she's strong, but she shouldn't face it alone...'' ''And so what? Now you wanna try to fix her?'' objected Raph. ''She's a human, Donnie, her problems are not the same as our own. If she's strong, like you said, she'll figure things herself and get better.'' ''You obviously don't know anything about anxiety, do you?'' questionned the tall turtle, frowning. ''No, but what I do know is that if many humans don't want anything to do with us, why would she be any different? Why would she need your help?'' The red masked turtle was now standing straight, trying to make himself look more intimidating just like everytime he would start an argument, but Donatello wasn't phased by it, keeping his position. ''Because we're friends and that's what friends do, they help eachother. Knowing her, she would have already run away if she didn't want any of this.'' ''Okay, enough,'' intervened Leo, getting between the two, especially stopping Raphael. ''We are protectors of this city, Raph, and helping humans is what we do, better they like it or not.'' He looked at Donnie. ''And if one of them can find solace with one of us, fine … as long as it doesn't distract from trainings and patrols. Understand?'' Raph huffed, moving away, knowing he wouldn't be able to argue his way out of the leader's words. Some tension could be felt, until Michelangelo chided in: ''It's like watching a soap opera, dude.'' ''Shut up, Mikey!'' said the three others in unison.

You’re Welcome

  I will admit, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to happen, but then that got lost in translation from my brain to my fingers and computer screen. I mean, it’s the same general idea just a different approach. This also helped me get out of a big writing slump, and will probably hold me off for a while. Anyway, the first part of the fic may or may not be based off my daily morning struggle (hungover or not). And I placed some tv references in there...subtle but there. Anyway, so have some Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Leo with some of Percy’s little sister (who is not officially named as of yet), and some Sally and Paul because I love them all. 

Percy let out a groan when he felt the sunlight hit him in the face through the blinds on his window. His bed just so happened to be strategically placed so the sunlight decided to greet him in a blinding glare every morning at the crack of dawn, even when he really, really didn’t need to be up that early, ever.

It just so happened that the garbage men come up his block at around the same time in the morning. The truck’s loud BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, coming from reversing towards the dumpster echoing up to his window and into his room shaking the foundations of the building so much sometimes Percy thinks there will be an earthquake.

Really, Percy could kill someone some days. He’s woken up in a sleepy daze many times to scream “Fuck you!” in a groggy voice before slamming his head back down on the pillow and trying to ignore the inconveniences of living in Manhattan and trying to actually sleep for once. It is a struggle.

Percy heaved his body to turn around and not face the sun, wanting to get just a few more minutes of shut-eye. Half his face was smushed into his pillow, and he could feel his nose twisting in a way that could be described as mildly uncomfortable, but he couldn’t care enough to do anything about it.

When he did finally wake up, he lifted his head a little off the pillow, letting out a large yawn and realizing he had some serious dry mouth and his head had the familiar pulsing that only came with having a hangover. He let out another groan and some cursing to Leo and Piper and Jason for taking him and Annabeth out on the town last night. He let his head slam back into his pillow, full face smothered and muffled a mixture of a scream and groan. He could feel the wet patches where he had drooled in his sleep, which didn’t make him feel any better. He just wanted to lay there forever and never have to worry about anything ever again. And for a few more minutes, that’s exactly what he did.

“I hate them,” he muttered to himself before lifting himself onto his elbows.

He blinked slowly, the crust of sleep still covering his eyes as he rubbed them out. The sunlight was still coming in, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as sunrise always seemed to be. He had no idea what time it was.

He swung his legs off the bed, letting his bare feet touch the wood floors sending a little jolt from the coldness. He hunched over and rubbed his palms across his face and then through his hair which was sticking up everywhere from serious bedhead and the fact he needed to shower. He would do that after he got something to eat, he was starving.

Percy stood up stretching his arms high over his head, feeling the pull of the muscles on his lower back and biceps and triceps. Then he let his arms hang limply at his sides for a few minutes as he cracked his neck and back. It felt really good to do that and shake the sleep and stiffness out. He let out a deep breath and opened the door.

Percy was thankful that the lights were off. Since it was daytime, there was no use for wasting unnecessary electricity that would make the bill higher at the end of the month. Percy didn’t even live in his parent’s apartment anymore, but he was staying the night and babysitting his younger sister Moira for the day.

As soon as he took a few steps, a wave of nausea hit him. Percy stumbled and leaned against the wall, hanging his head down low and trying to get a grip and not vomiting bile all over the hallway floor.

“Shit,” he whispered, “I am never drinking again.”

After taking a few deep breaths calming himself down, he slowly took some tentative steps towards the kitchen this time around. When he rounded the corner he saw that his mother was already cooking up breakfast for everyone, which meant that it couldn’t have possibly been too late in the morning or afternoon. He still had no idea what time it was.

He could hear the sizzling of bacon being fried on the stove, and the humming of the microwave as something else was being cooked in there. And at the kitchen table, sat Annabeth, Leo, Piper, and Jason. They all looked the same as he did: exhausted, nauseated, and very much hungover. It made him feel marginally better knowing he wasn’t the only one suffering.

He walked over to the table, pulled out a chair and slumped in it. He rested his elbow on the tabletop with his head in his palm. In the center, there was already a pitcher of ice water and bottles of Gatorade. Annabeth was bent over and resting her entire head on the tabletop, her blonde hair in a very messy bun with chunks of it falling out from the elastic. Jason appeared to be handling the hangover the best out of all of them, but he looked very zoned out going in and out of consciousness. Piper and Leo had pairs of sunglasses over their faces and were in matching zebra print Snuggies sipping light blue Gatorade from two straws from the same bottle.

“Morning Sleeping Beauty,” Piper said with a smirk on her face.

Percy opened his eyes and glared at her. This just made Piper bark out a laugh before taking her phone out and snapping a photo. Percy was too tired to give a crap at this point.

“I am never going out with you three ever again. You just drag me into situations that I horribly regret the next morning.”

Annabeth lifted her head up, her eyes were squinted and puffy but glared at the trio of younger demigods in front of them.

“I agree. I hate you, Leo for making me take Fireball shots with you. If I ever so much smell it again, I think I’ll vomit on the spot. You ruined cinnamon for me. Thanks a lot,” she croaked out.

Leo made an exaggerated slurping sound from his straw and then an exaggerated ahh when he finished. His sunglasses, which looked liked they belonged to a New York socialite slid down his nose as he looked at Annabeth. Then his lifted his palm and allowed a ball of fire to appear.

“Not everyone is made of hot stuff I’m afraid. Not my fault you aren’t,” he retorted.

“Oh fuck off. You’re supposed to repair things not cause the problems,” Annabeth snapped.

Jason seemed to come out of his own mind and smirked at Leo, who seemed just a little bit offended. He huffed, pushed the sunglasses back onto his nose and leaned back in his chair taking another sip of the Gatorade.

“Hey kids, mind not cursing and showing off powers in the house? We got some real kids in the other room, and I don’t want a situation to explain today,” Sally suggested kindly turning her attention to the young adults in the room.

“Sorry mom,” Percy apologized.

A chorus of “Sorry Sally”’s emerged after.

From behind Percy's head, the soft patter of footsteps and a hand landed on Percy’s shoulder. The touch was gentle, he still didn’t like being startled after everything. He looked up to see his step-father Paul’s face. His brown eyes were filled with mirth and just a tad of mischief.

“Hey everyone, since I know you all seemed to have had a rough night, I’ve done a kindness and bought everyone burgers and fries from Five Guys.”

With that, he dropped a bag filled with the grease filled stuff. Percy gagged at the smell and sight of it, and he saw his friends had similar reactions to seeing it. He heard Paul let out a hearty laugh, and then his mother joined in. Percy felt betrayed for a moment. He looked up at his parents.

“Traitors,” he groaned.

That only brought another round of laughter from his parents. Paul then went and picked up the bag putting it on the counter.

“You’re welcome. And you’ll thank me for this later. I was young once too, and I know a thing or two...or a lot about hangovers.”

A few minutes later, Sally wiped her hands on a dish towel. She and Paul set the table with plates and food. It was mouth-watering to look at. Sally walked over to where the living room was.

“Moira and friends, breakfast is ready!” she announced.

The pounding of little feet could be heard from the room as they made their way into the crowded kitchen. Everyone scooted their seats over to make room for the three seven-year-old girls who were joining them.

They were still in their pajamas. Moira’s brown hair was plaited into to two french braids, and she was in her Disney princess pajama set. Her light brown eyes were wide with all the food in front of her, and she looked ready to devour it. She turned her head and gave a big smile, filled with missing teeth.

“Mom, why does Percy and Annabeth and Piper and Leo and Jason look so tired?” Moira asked innocently.

His mother looked a little smug at the question, and a flush of red appeared on Annabeth’s cheeks from embarrassment. Percy felt his face heat up too. His mother sat down in a chair and looked at her daughter.

“Your brother and his friends had a little too much fun last night,” she gave a vague explanation without having to explain that they had all gotten very drunk.

“Is that why they were laughing and talking so loud last night?”

“Yes, sweet pea. No more questions, it’s time to eat,” Paul interrupted saving them. Percy sent a grateful look across the table.

He noticed Moira’s friends giggling between themselves at the interaction. All of his younger sister’s friends loved him. Everyone started to grab and pass plates of food across the table. His mother helped Moira with hers because she tended to be messy with just about everything. Percy stacked up his plate with pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and black pudding which made his stomach growl. He was slowly but surely recovering from his hangover, and now he was starving. Any food looked good enough to devour.

“Annabeth, pass the butter please,” he asked.

His wife reached over Jason and then passed it to him across the table. It was already melting from being out for a few minutes. He then started to cut and shove pancakes and eggs into his mouth savoring the flavor.

Moira was just hacking away with her knife and fork shoving unequal cuts of pancake that seemed to be too big for her mouth. She had chipmunk cheeks from all the food in her mouth. The conversation was lively between the younger girls, and slowly his friends were integrating into as well.  

The apartment was filled with noise and life. Percy enjoyed the little things now, and he was happy to see that everyone was happy. He was married to the love of his life, he had friends and family who were safe, and it was what he dreamed he could have when he was younger. All the quests were a thing of the past. He still had the occasional monster attack, but it wasn’t anything he needed to worry about. He had a little sister who he loved, and who loved him back. His mother had come so far, and he was glad that he could be there with her every step of the way.

“Oh! It’s my favorite song!” Moira exclaimed spitting food out of her mouth.

His mother gave a chastising look, which Moira smiled bashfully at before turning her attention to the song playing on the television in the living room. Percy leaned in to listen and heard they were watching Moana.

She then started to sing along with Maui, and her friends joined in. Percy was humming it under his breath and eating at the same time. When the song was over Moira went back to eating.

“Lucy, Amy, did you know my brother is just like Maui?” Moira said to her two friends.

“Really, how?” Amy, the little redhead, who looked like a mini-me of Rachel asked.

“He’s a demigod! And he’s done so many things like Maui has!”

Percy had just put a piece of bacon in his mouth and he choked on it in shock. He saw Annabeth do the same with the Gatorade in her mouth. Piper, Leo, and Jason’s eyes widened and Leo’s jaw dropped in shock.

“Moira,” Percy whispered trying to stop her.

“He can control the water of all kinds! He does tricks for me all the time with it. It’s so cool,” she bragged.

Percy dragged Moira’s chair closer to him and put a hand on her head. She looked up with her brown eyes narrowed. Even so little she knew condescension gestures. He hoped he gave her a look that said shut it.

“Moira you are a crazy rascal, just because I’m good with water doesn’t mean I’m a real demigod. I only like to pretend that I’m one sometimes,” he deflected.

A little smirk formed on her face and she turned towards her friends. She seemed to have gotten the mistake she made, and he would punish her by splashing water on her and tickling her later for it. Her friends started to laugh like she made the greatest joke. Slowly, everyone else joined in the laughter to break the tension.

“You just love causing trouble, don’t you? You better not tonight,” Annabeth said with mock sternness.

“I am the perfect disciple of discipline, Annabeth.”

Percy turned to her with an impressed look. He knew then that she had been hanging out with Annabeth way too much. And she was definitely his mother’s daughter.

“And since I am just like Maui, you’re all welcome,” he said with a wink to his sister.

“For what?” Moira questioned an eyebrow arched on her face.

Percy shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of water which felt nice going down his throat.

“For everything,” he teased, “and you started this.”

really LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES. repost, don’t reblog! tag 10! good luck! TAGGED.  @insolasidera​ TAGGING. Anyone wearing socks! Or if you just want to!

BASICS. FULL  NAME: Lance Charles McClain NICKNAME: The Tailor, Sharpshooter, Blue Paladin AGE: 19 BIRTHDAY: (Dark Voltron tell me Lance’s Birthday) ETHNIC  GROUP: Cuban NATIONALITY: America LANGUAGE / S: Spanish and English SEXUAL  ORIENTATION: pansexual ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION: demiromantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS: taken  (verse dependent) HOME  TOWN / AREA: N/A CURRENT  HOME: the castle of lions PROFESSION: pilot of the blue lion, guardian of water and defender of the universe

PHYSICAL. EYES: Dark blue eyes that swell like the depths of the sea, the pits of the ocean, sparkling with life, like sunlight dancing on the waves. LIPS: Thin and soft, almost always pulled into a smile or a smirk, always wrapped eagerly around his words. But they can be serious, drawn in a line along his cheeks, not allowing distractions or to be deterred in anyway. COMPLEXION: Soft, light brown skin that never allows room for blemishes to peek through, kept in shape from years of moisturization, a routine grained into habit that kept his skin in mint condition, an almost pristine state. He’s almost too worried to have blemishes, to have imperfections on his skin. BLEMISHES: Years upon years of routine have disallowed blemishes to appear, or stay for very long, so no. None. SCARS: The bane of his existence, the lines of discoloration that decorate his back, tear along his skin where the explosion ripped at him, exposed his flesh. TATTOOS: The only ‘imperfection’ that Lance has ever allowed on his skin, the rippled of black in a sea of brown. The lower right hand ‘corner’ of his back, the silhouette of a bird flying away, soaring through the metaphorical sky. HEIGHT: 6′0 WEIGHT: approx. 165 BUILD: Though broad in shoulders, he is lanky just about everywhere else, muscles pulled over long bones, more strength than given at first sight. FEATURES: The features the ripple the expanse of his face are given to us at angular angles, pointed noses and chins that pull his face to a tight point. ALLERGIES: n/a USUAL  HAIR  STYLE: Dark brown hair that brushes the skin just past his ears, breaching the top of his neck, exposing the skin their. Parted at the top of his forehead right in the middle, curled in both directions curtaining either side of his face, framing his features. USUAL  FACE  LOOK: A look often identified as ‘smug’ or egotistical, one thought to be quite full of himself, his lips pulled into a smirk, an angular eyebrow quirked high on his forehead, eyes pointed in the direction of which the person he is speaking to. USUAL  CLOTHING: His casual outfit of preference is a white and blue three quarter sleeved shirt, light blue relaxed fit jeans and his favorite pair of blue and grey tennis shoes. All brought together with a dark green cargo jacket with muted yellow stripes on either sleeve just below the shoulder.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S: Being forgotten, not being good enough, losing those he cares about. ASPIRATION / S: Graduate from the Garrison, Save the Universe from Zarkon POSITIVE  TRAITS: Confident, Funny, flirtatious, always trying to cheer up his team mates NEGATIVE  TRAITS: Self-loathing, self-sacrificial, desperately seeks validation. MBTI: Entertainer (ESFP-T) ZODIAC: Leo TEMPEREMENT: Sanguine SOUL  TYPE / S: Equally Performer and Hunter ANIMALS: Tiger VICE  HABIT / S: Pads of fingers dancing along the edge of his palm, tapping along eachother anxiously. A gentle pinch on the interior skin of his wrist, a gentle tug to ease nerves. FAITH: Raised within the walls of people who hold religion in a high regard, he would say he believes in something, just isn’t quite sure what it is, exactly. He believes that someone, something looks over everyone, that there is an essence that influences all things. He wouldn’t call it ‘God’ wouldn’t attach such a name for it, mostly because all ‘God’ ever did for him was diminish him, swipe away his identity with a few words from a really old book. GHOSTS?: Absolutely. They are here, they are self aware and they are terrifying. AFTERLIFE?: He likes to believe the stories told him as a child, that if you’re good and do well in life then you will go to heaven and live a happy life with ‘God’, but now, with the events that have happened, the string of things that brought him to this point in his life, the point in ones life where reality is too heavy, where good people make decisions at the cause of someone’s life, even if that person is terrible and is doing horrid things. Good people make tough calls, so currently, he isn’t sure. It’s a nice fantasy, but it’s still just that. A fantasy. REINCARNATION: No. ALIENS?: Absolutely. POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT: Besides becoming amused at the angry babblings of his relatives at gatherings, he holds no political statement, no side he would prefer over another. EDUCATION  LEVEL: Enrolled in collegiate level courses and piloting lessons, he didn’t do very well in school but in terms of intelligence he is quite advanced in math and tactical thinking.

FAMILY. FATHER: Alive (To be named) MOTHER: Alive (TBN) SIBLINGS: Older sister, older brother, two fraternal twin younger siblings. EXTENDED  FAMILY: Massive family on either side, too many extended relatives to count them all. NAME  MEANING / S: Lance means ‘Land’ and McClain means “Son of the Servant of Saint John” HISTORICAL  CONNECTION?: No

FAVORITES. BOOK: Action and thriller books that are short and sweet. MOVIE: Movies where ‘the hunter becomes the hunted’ 5 SONGS: Me Too by Meghan Trainor, Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots, Worth It by Fifth Harmony, Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars, Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira DEITY: none. HOLIDAY: Halloween MONTH: July SEASON: Summer PLACE: Varadero Beach, Cuba WEATHER: Sunny, warm, wonderful weather for surfing or just a day at the beach. SOUND: Upbeat music that’s nice to listen to, reminds you that life gets better eventually, uplifting music that your feet just have to move to. But also relaxing music that allows him to block out the rest of the world, allows him to zone out and hush his intrusive thoughts and grant him legitimate sleep. SCENT / S: Saltwater TASTE / S: fruity drinks, like lemonade. FEEL / S: soft typically, but loves the feeling of sand underfoot ANIMAL / S: likes dogs and cats, don’t make him choose. NUMBER: Number 1, always. COLORS: blue and grey

EXTRA. TALENTS: Providing a different train of thought, a different perspective for his team, sharpshooter, great at piloting under pressure BAD  AT: Self-preservation, thinking highly of himself, taking the high road TURN  ONS: Sense deprivation, lingerie, being tied up, someone taking control over him, but also overthrowing the other and turning the tables, taking back control, spanking TURN  OFFS: forced submission, choking HOBBIES: Listening to music, being with friends, playing video games, watching movies QUOTES: “I don’t mind not getting a happy ending if it means you get yours.”

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1: if you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about? A1: This blog is based off of the Netflix original series Voltron Legendary Defender, so pretty much that.

Q2: what  would  their  soundtrack / score  sound  like? A2: orchestral af, weeping strings and a commanding brass and percussion. but also moments of lightheartedness between the instruments. (<--- What Sam said p much)

Q3: why did you start writing this character? A3: Because Lance is me, dialed up to ten in terms of flirtation. We both would much rather take care of others than ourselves. But we both know that we are the shit and fuck you for thinking otherwise. But that way of thinking isn’t always the forefront and definitely doesn’t come without it’s own consequences.

Q4: what first attracted you to this character? A4: The scene where Lance first bonded with Blue, that scene is gorgeous and honestly one of my favorites and it’s very vital to the plot.

Q5: describe  the  biggest  thing  you  dislike  about  your  muse. A5: He flirts to much for my personal liking.

Q6: what  do  you  have  in  common  with  your  muse? A6: Personality (though his is really dialed up from mine), fears, mindset, the ability to make others feel better but not exactly bringing up the issue (aka, making them feel better by forgetting about it momentarily)

Q7: how does your muse feel about you? A7: I hope that we would be able to be friends and that we could help boost eachother up positively, give eachother a nudge in the right direction when they need it. In all honesty, I’d hope that he would like me.

Q8: what characters does your muse have interesting interactions  with? A8: Honestly every interaction is different and unique in it’s own way, no one interaction is the exact same than the other. For example, Lance’s interaction with his twins in twin verses are vastly different. With Alex ( @saltybluelion ) Lance is the younger sibling and tends to be a bit more rambunctious, and then there are interactions with Shiro ( @insolasidera ) where Lance is pretty dwelled in on his thoughts and emotions. On the flip side there’s interactions with Keith, two very distinct reactions, you either get  a really pissed off, easily irritated guy who is ready to fight you on your every word ( such as with @vermiillion ) and then you have adorable, BEAVIE loving Lance who loves his life and his family (such as with @redlionstar ) All of these interactions are different and amazing and I love all of them.

Q9: what gives you inspiration to write your muse? A9: I am heavily influenced by the things around me, so music, movies, literature. For me it moreso comes down to my ability to write a thorough and good response that I’m happy with rather than whether or not I have his muse. Because more or less, I am Lance. I say things, react to things how Lance would.

Q10: how long did this take you to complete? A10: I’ve been stopped quite a bit, so several hours. Plus those tests were long. Shrugs. A could of hours.