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luci-in-trenchcoats · 3 years

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By Your Doorstep (Part 1)

Summary: When the reader is looking for her teenage sister’s service dog one day, she runs into Dean Winchester who thankfully saw him run past. When she arrives, her sister is fine aside from a sprained ankle but Dean’s decided to follow along and help get her sister home...

Pairing: Doctor/Neighbor!Dean x reader

Masterlist

Word Count: 3,200ish

Warnings: language, minor injury, mention of car accident/death

A/N: Parts of this series are told from two different POV’s. Dean’s POV are written from limited third person. Reader’s POV are second person (like a typical reader insert). Please enjoy this first part! …

_________

“Toast! Toast!” you shouted as you ran down a street. “Toast boy!”

“Uh, you okay?” said a guy walking on the other side of the street. He was raising an eyebrow and you shook your head.

“Toast is a dog,” you said.

“Oh, gotcha. I thought you were nuts for a minute,” he chuckled.

“You haven’t seen a german shepard around have you?” you asked.

“I saw one run down the block a few minutes ago,” he said. You looked the direction he pointed and you started sprinting. “Hey!”

“Sorry! Can’t talk!” you shouted back. You ran down the block and across the street over to the park. You ran over to the basketball court and saw Toast there next to Tessa. She was sat up and holding onto his vest when you jogged over to her. “Tess. Are you okay? Did you have a seizure?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. She was holding her ankle and you saw the swelling. “I think I broke it playing. My phone’s over in my bag. I told Toast to get it but I guess he ran home and got you instead.”

“He barged in through the doggy door, I thought he was just nuts at first,” you said. You heard footsteps behind you and the man from the street was there panting.

“You found your dog,” he said as he caught his breath.

“Yeah,” you said, the man wincing when he saw Tessa’s ankle. “We’re all set.”

“She needs a doctor,” he said.

“Tessa, you okay here while I run home to get my car?” you asked.

“Yeah I’m fine,” she said. “Toast’ll stay.”

“I can carry her,” said the man. You both stared at him and he shrugged. “Save you a trip.”

“Are you some kind of weirdo?” you asked.

“Says the woman running through the neighborhood shouting Toast,” he smiled back.

“Alright. Tess if you’re cool with it…” you said, the man nodding.

“Dean Winchester.”

“Dean will carry you back to the house and I’ll drive you to urgent care,” you said. “If you do try anything though Dean, Toast will rip your face and junk off, just to be clear.”

“Got the message,” he said. Tessa climbed on his back and he was careful of her ankle while you grabbed her bag. You walked with Toast by Dean’s side back the few blocks towards home. “I think it’s just a sprain actually. I wouldn’t worry too much.”

“You play basketball?” you asked.

“No. I’m a doctor is all. First glance it doesn’t look too bad.”

“Are you single? Y/N’s single,” she said.

“You’re a little shit, Tessa,” you said. Dean chuckled and Toast bumped his leg. “He wants you to get on the sidewalk.”

“Will do,” he said, Toast giving some space once he’d stepped up off the road. “He’s very intelligent.”

“We’ve only had Toast two years but he’s been very good with us,” you said. “He’s Tessa’s. I just feed him and pick up his poop.”

“I have school, loser.”

“I have work, loser,” you said.

“You guys must be sisters,” he said. “I’m a big brother. I would know.”

“If your younger brother is single and half as good looking-”

“Keep it in your pants, Tess,” you said.

“I like you two,” he chuckled. “Sorry Tessa but he’s probably a little too old for you.”

“They always are,” she sighed.

“You’re seventeen. You’re fine,” you said. “Besides college has way more attractive guys and stuff.”

“Oh yeah, Elmdale community college. Known for it’s hotties,” she mumbled.

“Elmdale University has some good choices,” you said.

“I thought it was too expensive,” she said.

“Well I was gonna tell you this at dinner but I applied for a different job awhile ago. I heard back this morning. I accepted. It’s double what I was making before.”

“Really?”

“Yes. With your grades you can get a half-ride and I figure between inheritance and my new salary, you can do your four year out of the gate without loans,” you said.

“Thanks, Y/N,” she said quietly. “Really.”

“You still need your part-time job if you want to get stuff for yourself though. I’m sorry. I can’t make it work if-”

“S’okay,” she said. “I can’t believe I can go to the university.”

“I called up the school earlier and talked to your guidance counselor. We gotta work on your application but we can make it work,” you said.

“Can I get a car? I know I can’t afford room and board but maybe I can get something used so you don’t have to drive me all the time?” she asked.

“Tessa…” you sighed. You knew you couldn’t afford insurance on two cars at the moment and everything else and she wouldn’t make enough part time to cover all the car expenses herself. “I-”

“I can pick up more shifts,” she said.

“Tessa, I want you to enjoy college. I sure did. I’ll give you rides whenever you want. I’ll drop you off in the morning and pick you up at night. That would work, right?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I don’t even care about my ankle. I can get my art degree!” she said.

“Tessa.”

“I’m joking,” she laughed. “Art minor?”

“You can minor in whatever you like but please for my sanity major in something you can get a job in?” you asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said. You rounded a corner and started to walk up a driveway, Dean setting Tessa down in the passenger seat of your car. You opened the back and Toast jumped in, Dean smiling when you shut both the doors.

“Thanks,” you said. “For helping us out.”

“Sounds like you two know how to solve problems on your own,” he said. “Happy to help. Here.”

He dug in his back pocket and pulled out a card.

“If you ever need a doctor, I’m two blocks over,” he said. “Or just to talk.”

“Thanks,” you said. “I’ll see you around, Dean.”

It was around nine when you were sitting on the front porch with a glass of whiskey in your hand. You drank slowly, eyes catching a man in a baseball cap and reflective shirt jogging by.

“Do you always run at night?” you called, Dean stopping at your front walkway. “Cause I never see you run at night and I sit out here a lot.”

“Whew well let’s stop that charade cause running is so not my thing,” he said. He breathed hard for a moment as he walked up the steps. You nodded to the other chair and poured him a glass, Dean drinking it down. “Your sister okay?”

“Yeah. Just a sprain,” you said. “Still gotta pay the deductible for the x-ray though.”

“How old are you?”

“How old are you?” you asked.

“Thirty one,” he said.

“Twenty eight.”

“Where are your folks?” he asked.

“They and Tessa were in an accident two years ago. It’s just us two now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m slowly getting used to be a guardian,” you said.

“I raised my little brother. My parents are still around but they fought a lot. I get becoming the parent when you’re not ready.”

“Do you ever get to just be a sibling again?” you asked.

“Yes. But they have to grow up first and you got a few more years ahead of you before it happens,” he said.

“I figured.”

“What does she have? Toast is a service dog I saw.”

“She gets seizures sometimes. It’s from the accident. She hasn’t had one in seven months. Fingers crossed we got her on the right mix of meds finally,” you said.

“So who takes care of you?”

“My buddy Jack Daniels. Sometimes I hang out Jim Bean too.”

“I’m partial to Johnny Walker,” smiled Dean.

“Very nice. I don’t drink much. Too tired most of the time,” you said.

“So nobody takes care of you then.”

“Who takes care of you?”

“Good point,” he said. “But I didn’t have it this rough.”

“We’re getting by. We always do.”

“I have no doubt that you can,” he said. “Take care of yourself every once in a while is all.”

“When she’s done with school I will.”

“She’s got five years left. You won’t last that long,” he said.

“Watch me.”

“Who worked on your sister at the urgent care tonight?”

“Dr. Novak. Why?”

“Cas is a good friend. I’ll see about getting that x-ray test off the bill,” he said as he stood up.

“Dean, you don’t have to do that.”

“It’s no trouble,” he said, heading down the steps. “You want me to leave you alone from now on?”

“...No.”

“You want to go on a date tomorrow?”

“Okay,” you said.

“I’ll pick you up at noon? I’m buying. Nothing too fancy,” he said.

“Okay,” you said. He smiled and nodded, spinning around and sliding right off the last two steps to his bottom. You rushed down them and he groaned, shaking his head. “Are you okay?”

“Yup,” he said, grunting as he stood. “Oh my ass hurts.”

“That’s what she said,” you said, Dean laughing.

“I definitely like you,” he said as you helped him take a few steps. “I’m alright. I’ll swing by tomorrow then.”

“Bye Dean,” you said.

“Bye Dean!” called Tessa from her bedroom window upstairs.

“Oh my God, go to bed!” you shouted back.

“It’s nine and I’m not twelve,” she said.

“Goodnight ladies,” chuckled Dean, waving as he headed back down the path. You gathered up the bottle and glasses, bringing them inside and locking up for the night. A few minutes later you were upstairs in Tessa’s room, frowning as she giggled while looking through her phone.

“Oh come on,” she said as she rolled her eyes at you. “He’s cute, he’s a doctor, he’s single and he’s a dork that just fell on his butt in front of you cause he’s so nervous and trying to play it cool. Like what is wrong with him?”

“Nothing. We have a date tomorrow,” you said, leaning against the doorframe.

“We used to talk about guys,” she said.

“I know,” you said. You picked at the wood, Tessa putting her phone down.

“Y/N. You’re not my mom. I know you gotta act like her sometimes but you’re not. Mom and dad would want you to go on dates and stuff. I haven’t seen you do anything fun in years.”

“I barely knew how to be an adult for just me,” you said. “You’re my priority now.”

“I’m not in a hospital bed anymore. My seizures are under control and I got Toast to watch out for me just in case. Dean had a point. You gotta take care of yourself,” she said. “Including me going to community college.”

“Tessa-”

“It’s both our inheritance and you can’t spend all of it on me. I can do two years at community and transfer to the university after.”

“Tess. You don’t have to do that. I did the math and it’ll work out.”

“When’s the last time you bought something for yourself? Seriously when?”

“I bought a new bedspread two weeks ago.”

“You needed one. That doesn’t count. When-”

“Before mom and dad died, Tess. Is that what you want me to say? They made good money but you had medical bills. Do I want a new winter coat? Sure. Do I want to splurge and by myself a nice pair of leggings? Of course. I want things. But I want us to stay in this house. I don’t want us to get shoved in a tiny apartment. I want you to be able to go to college like I did and not worry about this crap. I’m the grown up, not you. I choose how to spend the money.”

“Fine,” she said. She grabbed the crutch by her bed and got up, going to her dresser. She opened her jewelry box and grabbed a wad of cash, holding it out to you. “It’s three hundred. I want you to have it.”

“Tessa, no.”

“I earned it. I get to choose how to spend it,” she said. “You’ve always told me that. Buy a coat and leggings and whatever else you want.”

“Tessa. It’s yours. You were saving up to buy an iphone.”

“I don’t need a fucking phone. I need my sister to stop looking like she cries herself to sleep every night. Just take it,” she said. You shook your head and she shoved the money in your hand. “Y/N, take it.”

“Alright,” you said.

“Good.” She waited a beat before pulling you into a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you said. “You got plans tomorrow night?”

“I was gonna sleepover Hailey’s house if that’s okay?” she said.

“Yeah. You guys have fun,” you said. “Just be careful on your ankle.”

“Duh,” she said. “Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

“I’m kinda beat. Sunday for sure?” you said.

“Okay. Night,” she said.

“Night, Tess,” you said. You went next door to your room, opening your desk drawer and opening the envelope inside. You counted the money she’d given you and added it to the front. You definitely had enough for her phone now and her birthday was only a few weeks away. You smiled and put it away, writing out a few bills before you gathered up your pajamas and walked down the hall to the bathroom. You kept going though, down to the shut door. You pushed it open, the room cold and dark. You flipped on a light, a coating of dust on everything again.

“Y/N?” said Tessa from the other end of the hall. You turned off the light and shut the door, Tessa by the bathroom when you walked back. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna shower quick before bed. Shout if you need something.”

“Yeah. Night.”

Dean POV

“Hey, Sammy,” said Dean after he’d gotten out of the shower and was laying in bed.

“Hey, Dean. What’s up?” asked Sam on the other end of the phone.

“I think I just went full on weirdo on this girl I met today.”

“Well that’s obvious but what’d you do? You didn’t like stalk her or anything.”

“She lives in the neighborhood. I kinda went jogging past her house tonight and she was sat on the front porch.”

“Okay that’s kinda creepy,” said Sam. Dean ran his hand over his face and sighed. “Did you talk to her?”

“Yeah. I don’t think I gave off creeper vibes but she might have just been polite. I don’t know. We’re going out tomorrow,” said Dean. He was quiet as he shut his eyes. “Which sucks cause I really like her too. I hope she doesn’t think I’m weird.”

“Maybe she’ll have pity on you and let it slide. Where’d you meet her? I thought you swore off women after your last hookup went bad,” he said. Dean didn’t speak and ran his hand over his face again. “De I know something happened that night.”

“Sammy I got tired of hooking up. I’m too old for it. I just want a girl to go home to at the end of the day and laugh with. That’s all there is to it,” said Dean.

“Dean I was still living with you at the time. You were off for days. I know-”

“If you’re gonna bring this shit up again-”

“I’m just saying it’s nice to hear you excited about a girl again...and you can tell me anything. Anything, Dean. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re twenty seven. You’re a kid,” said Dean. He rolled over on the bed and lay on his stomach, putting his hands under his chin. “Some things I just don’t tell you about, Sam.”

“Dean, I asked you to stop raising me awhile ago. You’re not my father anymore.”

“I still gotta protect you from stuff,” said Dean with a shrug.

“I get that. But my mind has gone to the worst case scenario on this more than once. Just promise it wasn’t that,” said Sam.

“Sammy, I called to talk about a girl.”

“You want things to work out with her? Then figure out whatever the hell happened in the past so it doesn’t happen again.”

“You don’t understand,” said Dean.

“Whatever. Just crack a joke next time you see her,” said Sam. He hung up and Dean looked at his phone, sighing before he jammed his face in the bed. He gripped the sheets tight and felt his heart rate pick up, bile rising up in the back of his throat.

“Stop. It,” he said to himself, forcing himself to sit up. He wiped off his eye and dropped his head to his chest. “It’s just a fucking girl. It’s just a girl, it’s just a date. It’s all it is.”

He saw his phone light up and Sam’s name appear. He swiped and put it on speaker before he faced away from it.

“I’m sorry,” said Sam.

“It’s okay,” said Dean, freezing when he sniffled. He stared at the phone and Sam cleared his throat.

“You alright?” Dean stared at the phone and shook his head. “De, you there?”

“Are you alone?” he asked.

“Yes…” said Sam. “It’s just me.”

“You repeat a word of this to anybody or you laugh or you tease me or-”

“Hey. I’d rather we not have this conversation over the phone. I can be there in an hour.”

“...Fine but you better bring some pie with you.”

“I’ll see you in an hour, Dean.”

______

A/N: Read Part 2 here!

#spn #supernatural #dean x reader #dean winchester #doctor!dean #au!dean x reader #dean x #spn reader insert #supernatural reader insert #doctor!dean x reader

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excaliburofficial · 3 years

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Headcanons Undesputable, 100% Canon Facts I have about Mira Naigus

Okubo didn't give us the time with Naigus that we all deserved so I'm here to make up for his crimes. Here I have a list of headcanons 100% real facts that I made up just now got in an email from Okubo convienently at the same time I said her vibes are too cool to be in the background. Yes this actually happened I promise. No you can't see the email becaus....uh... bc my dog ate it.

It was a very real email tho

I haven't rewatched NOT for a while but I simply did not like the vibes they forced on her so it doesn't exist now because I make the rules (yes this was in the 100% real email Okubo sent me himself)

Really tho I'm sorry but going from super cool camo pants wearing mummy with abs design to the like generic anime teacher lady vibes is like the hugest downgrade in anime history and it simply does not exist. It is not real. I do not see it

Okay actual headcanons now

She was actually really shy and awkward growing up and had trouble speaking up

But she was a really good student and a hard worker even as a kid and did super well even if she was shy

She and Sid were childhood friends and part of why they got along so well was bc they were both really hard workers even when they were young

Idk I also feel like Sid was probably p outspoken as a kid and I kinda like to imagine he was more like B*Star as a kid than he wants to think (idk I like the vibe) and Naigus always really admired that he could be so extroverted and confident

He was probably one of the only other kids her age she could open up to much growing up

They're basically siblings tbh

When she was at DWMA she was usually at the top of her class even if she was so quiet

Even if she's so quiet she's always been really good at staying calm when things go south

She was a band kid in high school and played the oboe

She is one of the absolute best at DWMA at keeping calm under pressure and is really good at thinking on her feet and improvising

Loves working out on the field where she can put that skill to good use and it shows

Sid isn't stupid obv but Naigus is the real brains of the operation bc of how good she is at working in stressful situations

She generally prefers working behind the scenes to get things going and is the backbone of whatever operations she is involved in for sure

In fact the only reason that she didn't become a death scythe is bc she wasn't really comfortable w all of the attention and fame that comes with it and I've ways imagined that death scythe work is mostly like kinda boring compared to basic weapon/meister work (except when the real big stuff goes down) bc I get the feel you would use them as like your big defense line idk?

She looked at it and made a really hard decision to pass on it bc she knew it just wasn't what she wanted

After making that decision she actually left DWMA for a bit

Wasn't really sure she made the right choice in not doing it at first

When she was away from DWMA she worked as a paramedic (which is why she was qualified to be school nurse for a bit when Medusa was found out)

During that she was actually really glad she turned down the opportunity to be a death scythe bc she really likes that fast pace environment

Being a paramedic actually really got her out of her shell and made her more confident as a person and just made her ability to stay calm even better

After a little while she got home sick and went back to DWMA and partnered back with her good pal Sid who was v glad to work w her again

Really proved herself as a great weapon when she returned esp with her experience as a paramedic

Prob brought a really good and fresh perspective to the job bc of it

Is an honorary death scythe because she is a badass

Shes worked really hard to overcome being shy and its really worked out, shes alot more confident now and has no trouble speaking out about things or putting her ideas/strategies out there

But she is still p reserved and is slow in opening up to people especially civilian types

She doesn't really see that as a flaw though and more just accepts it as part of who she is

She would rather show who she is through her actions than through talk anyway

She actually has a really good sense of humor with people she is close to though and is absolutely the funny one between her and Sid

She has a rescue dog (german shepard/husky mix) that she spoils

Has absolutely gone skydiving

Actually really likes to cook when she has time, she makes a really good veggie sauté

She is best girl (fact)

#will add more if okubo emails me back #remember these are facts guys #soul eater #soul eater naigus #soul eater mira naigus #soul eater not #soul eater headcanons #mira naigus #damn wrenn back at it again with the useless soul eater headcanons #wrenn's headcanons #text post #long post #headcanon #no i didn't just give a whole backstory to a sidecharacter #what are you talking about i would never

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goldnratio · 4 years

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Dating Luke Alvez HC’s

word count: 1.3k

warnings: some are a little risqué but nothing major

a/n: here’s some headcanons for luke! might do some nsfw ones, and for spencer and Hotch but I have to finish some requests first

—

love love LOVES music

michael jackson, david bowie, queen, biggie smalls, etc.

oh what I would I do to see him sing ‘hypnotize’ (I know he drinks his Respecting Women Juice but he always emphasizes on “bulletproof glass tints if I want some ass” with a laugh ‘cause it reminds him of an ‘inside joke’ you two share aka the time you two fucked in one of the bureau’s SUVs during a boring stakeout but that’s a story for another time)

ALSO SPANISH MUSIC DUH

our puerto rican + cuban king loves daddy yankee, calle 13, nicky jam, bad bunny, marc anthony, juanes, hombres G!!!

does Not Care if you can’t speak/understand Spanish, he’s got you dancing with him either way

GOING CRAZY TO ‘gasolina’ AND ‘yo perreo sola’ AND ‘safaera’

this mere idea of dancing to reggaeton with luke,,, im lightheaded

all you feel is his hands’ tight grip on your hips and the feeling of your ass pressing against him has him groaning and im gonna pass out if I keep thinking about it

not even gonna talk about dancing with him to cumbia bc y’all would never hear the end of it

anyways you got him airpods for christmas because you were sick of hearing him complain about always having to detangle his wires; he wears them almost 24/7 and likes that he can share one with you and not have to worry about the wires

he has playlists for EVERYTHING

big cuddle monster

luke is naturally a Big Spoon, have you SEEN HIS ARMS AND BODY? so Wide and perfecting for holding you

loves to hold you in his sleep, you’re like an anchor for him when he gets nightmares from cases

the bau team has several pictures of you two asleep on the jet; some of your head on luke’s chest with one of his arms around you and others with your limbs so tangled together that they can’t tell where luke ends and you begin

prefers Real Cuddles at home though because both of you are handsy and innocent cuddles have turned into sex more times than you can count

but sometimes after a bad case he just wants to be held with your fingers running through his hair. you’re in bed and he tightly wraps his arms around your waist, resting his upper body on yours with his head on your chest or face buried in your neck.

He’s a very protective man

and not like in an overbearing way

it’s just that you both have seen and know firsthand how sick and dangerous the world can be sometimes and he never wants it to touch you

almost always has a hand on you; whether it’s holding hands, or an arm over your shoulders, or a hand on your waist, or—

alternatively, your hands always wind up in his back pocket or holding onto his GIANT biceps

usually in lines he stands behind you with his arms wrapped around you and resting his chin on the top of your head, or you’re next to him and holding his arm with your head resting on his shoulder

sometimes you go on runs together with Roxy

and sometimes you go run by yourself, and Luke always suggests taking Roxy with you

not because he thinks you’re incapable of taking care of yourself without him but he doesn’t want to take the risk of something happening to you when he’s not there

also because “she could go for a run, burn some of that energy, right, Roxy?”

ALSO EXTRA PROTECTIVE IN THE FIELD!!!!

He knows the danger is part of the job but he just hates the idea of something happening to you

He will try to talk you out of something too dangerous but won’t tell you that you can’t go (even though he REALLY WANTS TO) because as much as he loves and cares for you, he knows you’re a great agent and are capable of taking care of yourself out in the field

I suppose it also depends on the case and the unsub? ‘cause like if you fit the unsub’s victimology then he’s more,,,cautious about it

Luke always tries to put himself in between you and the potential danger, which is funny because you try to do the same thing

[insert that meme/comic of the two people bending to protect each other]

does a mix of the ‘get behind me’ and ‘mom arm reflex for an abrupt stop’ so he can protect you from anything ahead and you have his back with a view of anything behind you guys

literally will take a bullet for you if it comes to it and he knows without a doubt that you would do the same

BACK TO ROXY!!! that adorable german shepard

HIS ENTIRE CAMERA ROLL IS JUST YOU, HIM, AND ROXY

but mostly you and Roxy

with the occasional bau team pics

but when Luke first introduced you to her the first time you came over to his house

it went...ok?

roxy—like luke—has seen Some Serious Shit

even being a friendly dog, I think it’d be natural for her to be cautious with new people

so when her daddy is bringing the same woman home she is like oH??

she was a little shy and kept her distance, staying close to luke the first few times you went over

eventually she got used to you coming around more often, sitting closer to you and letting you pet her more

you swear luke’s eyes were glossy the first time Roxy curled up next to you and laid her head on your lap

“no, (Y/N), I’m not about to cry it’s just that I have…dust...in my eyes…”

he’s melting on the inside though because you’re both his Best Girls Who He Loves Very Much!!!!!

he also trusts you enough to watch Roxy if he’s away and loves that Roxy trusts you too

sometimes he stays at the BAU later and comes home to you asleep on the couch with Roxy right by your side, or you’re in bed with Roxy right by the entrance of the room

either way it makes him Soft™️ that Roxy is also just as protective of you

“what’s up, baby? you taking care of mommy for me, being a good guard dog for (y/n)?”

with both of you working at the BAU, you are literally the Hottest Couple Most Sleep Deprived Couple

you sleep at the hotels when you’re on a case but let’s be real: sometimes the case is too fresh in your mind to let you sleep, same goes for Luke

you guys find that just talking about it helps

sex works too, but there’s only two moods after: I’m so tired now thank you and I love you, goodnight OR I now have more energy than I did when we got in bed can we please go another round

NAP DATES ARE SO FREQUENT

like you will just go over to cuddle him and sleep

you stay over a lot more than luke stays at your place and it’s mostly because taking Roxy back and forth gets difficult, especially if your place is like less equipped for pets

ANYWAYS

as sleep deprived as you two are, you can’t sleep in late

You’re both used to waking up early and at ungodly times because of work, plus Luke takes Roxy outside in the mornings to potty so you usually get up to make him coffee

so your bodies aren’t exactly programmed to want to sleep in, but there are rare times when you’ll sleep in till like 11am (Luke has potty pads in place for Roxy just in case)

but since you guys tend to wake up early on your days off, you spend the mornings in bed and just nap throughout the day

finally, having lots of pet names for each other!!!!!

his for you include but are not limited to:

mamas

baby

sweet thang

mi amor

pretty lady

princesa

yours for him include but are not limited to:

babe

big guy

sweet cheeks

papacito

cariño

papi chulo (he ALWAYS blushes with this one but he tries to cover it up with a smirk)

#luke alvez #luke alvez x reader #luke alvez imagine #luke alvez x oc #luke alvez one shot #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds oneshot #adam rodriguez #ssa luke alvez

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princesspiratecat · 3 years

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The Rise and Fall of the Shepard Family Part 29: Summer, 1084 & Fall, 1085

Part 1& Part 2

Part 3 & Part 4

Part 5 & Part 6 & Part 7

Part 8 & Part 9 & Part 10

Part 11 & Part 12 & Part 13

Part 14 & Part 15 & Part 16

Part 17 & Part 18 & Part 19

Part 20 & Part 21 & Part 22

Part 23 & Part 24 & Part 25

Part 26 & Part 27 & Part 28

It was strange to be back.

Most of Gwendolyn’s memories of the Allard estate were from a time when Aélgarda had been alive. During her exile at the hovel, she had come to miss so many things about it, and had reveled in the little luxuries she had once had. The fire was always roaring, the meat had always been cooked to perfection, and her feather bed had always afforded her a good night’s sleep when her mind was quiet. But now the house had a coldness about it that she hadn’t remembered from before. It was dark and damp and surprisingly dirty.

Gwendolyn wrinkled her nose at the smell of dog and garlic from last nights’ dinner that hung in the air in the Great Hall. There was something else there that she couldn’t account for....rotten vegetables perhaps?

Yuck.

They made their way to down the hall to the stairway and she could feel her palms getting sweaty. Frances met her eyes and offered her a reassuring glance, but she still felt a burning tightness in her chest as they treaded up the stairs.

Courage. You need courage.

“Oh brother! I am so glad you’re here!” Francine’s face was a mix of nervousness and fear as she hugged her brother tightly, and then hugged Gwendolyn. She had never seen her so frazzled before. Francine had always been the girlish one, full of giggles and frivolousness. But today, that was all gone, and she looked older than her eighteen years. “He is getting worse by the day, yet he still insists on coming down to sup and drink his mead. Then he is in his cups until he passes out. Frédérique says she will be here in the morning with her husband, but I am hoping they will arrive sooner. I cannot handle him anymore.”

“Mead? Is that wise?” The beautiful features on her husband’s face flashed with a look of concern.

“I cannot stop him. He won’t listen to anyone and keeps ranting about how he cannot trust women. I don’t know what to do!” The look of helplessness and hopelessness on her face disarmed Gwendolyn. She had seen that look before. It was the look her father had shortly before her mother died.

“Take us to him.” Gwendolyn could see exactly what he was feeling without him having to say anything, just by the tone in his voice. He was nervous and slightly terrified.

We all are.

The room smelled of sweat, vomit and stale air. She had never been in the Master’s bedroom before, but it was a beautiful room, despite the smell. The bed was large with fine fabrics that seemed to shimmer in the light, and the furnishings were inlaid with beautiful carvings done by a highly skilled hand. The light streamed into the room through long windows, which, under different circumstances would have been pleasant, but just then it made her feel exposed. The floors were covered in a variety of fine furs, and the niches were filled with silver candlesticks and beautiful decorative wooden boxes. In the corner sat a bucket of unknown contents, and Gwendolyn tried not to think about what might be in it.

Marcelle had lost a considerable amount of weight since she had last seen him. He was frail and old looking, with dark circles under his eyes. But she noticed he was dressed in a long elaborate robe in the Norman fashion that set him apart from all the other men who wore the Saxon style. There was a finely carved silver medallion at his breast, which Gwendolyn found an odd thing to wear when one was sick. Had he dressed purposely for the occasion?

He still wants to remind us of his status. Of course.

“What are you doing here, Shepard girl?” The raspy words slithered out of his mouth like a snake before she could even think. Upon his features was a look of disgust, reserved especially for her. She bristled under his gaze and felt her anger surface.

“I am come to support my husband.” She looked away, intimidated by his hatred of her. She wanted to add that she had also come in the hopes that the breech between them could be healed, but after seeing his face she knew that it had been a foolish hope. Why was she here? The whole thing seemed like a stupid idea now, and she wished she had stayed away.

“Get her out of here, Frances.” He said his son’s name between clenched teeth, and her heart fell. What had she done for him to hate her so? Besides being born and falling in love with his son, she had never caused him harm or hurt him purposefully. If anything, it should be her that hated him.

Perhaps it was better for her to go. If Frances wanted peace, then she was likely standing in the way of that just with her mere presence. But a small part of her hated being rejected by him, and it hurt her more than she expected it would. She got up and looked at what seemed like dead eyes and held his gaze to the point of making him uncomfortable. She wasn’t going to waste this chance to speak her bit, and he was going to hear it.

“I have come to inform you that I have forgiven you for all of the terrible things you have said and done. For exiling me, and for stealing my dowry, and for the hurt you have caused both of us. Although you really don’t deserve my forgiveness, nor my pity, I give it anyway.” His gaze was empty, as if he found her ridiculous.

Then she moved closer to him and half whispered in his ear, ”Your time has come old man. You better get down on your knees and pray hard that your God will forgive you too for all of the rotten and disgusting things you have done.” She could feel her lip quiver in anger as she reflected back the look of disgust he had given her. His eyes grew wide with surprise, and it gave her a slight thrill. He hadn’t been expecting her to speak that way to him. In the past she would never have dared.

Before he could respond, she walked out of the room with more confidence than she felt. She noticed that her hands were shaking and her heart seemed to want to burst out of her chest.

As soon as she walked into the long hall she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had said what she come to say, and now it was over. She never had to think about that man again, and once he died, she would be free of him forever. But she couldn’t stop her tears from falling, yet she refused to give into the ache in her heart.

Not here.

She left word with a servant to tell Frances that she would be at the orphanage, and on shaky legs made the short walk down the lane to see her sisters. She wanted so much to collapse into Gwyn’s embrace, and after a few short moments, she did exactly that.

She told her everything, in between sobs and sniffles. And when she had gained enough composure over herself, she asked her sister’s opinion. “Do you think I was too harsh on him? Do you think I should have said something kinder to a dying man?”

“Marcelle?! No. He is lucky indeed that more don’t make their opinions of him known. His wealth protects him. But most people have turned against him since what he did to you has come to light, they whisper about him. People are disgusted by his abuse of power against a helpless orphan girl. He’s no longer seen as a gentleman. If I were you, I would have said much more.”

Gwendolyn felt a small sense of relief that the village was on her side, but she was still worried about the rest of her new family. Where did they stand on the issue? Would they turn their backs on her once Marcelle was dead?

During the ride back to the Inn, Marcelle explained everything that had happened and what his father had said.

“Of course he chided me for leaving, and for marrying you and called me a simple fool. He called me simple!” Gwendolyn said nothing at this, as it was hardly a surprise. “Honestly, I thought he was going to be more angry and refuse to see me. But Gwendolyn, then he said the strangest thing- he called my mother a whore and said that myself and Francine are the only ones he can be sure are really his!”

Gwendolyn gasped in shock. “How could he say that of Aélgarda?! What an absurd thing to say! She dedicated her life to all of you, and the village. And as for your parentage, one only has to look at your siblings to know they have the same parents as you do. They are all different arrangements of his own face!”

Frances nodded in agreement. Every one of his siblings had the same dark eyes as Marcelle, the straight sharp noses, and even the same shade of that beautiful sable colored hair. Gwendolyn thought that Frances was the best looking out of all of them, of course, but there was no denying that they were all related. It was as plain as day to anyone that cared to look.

“I can only imagine that he is suffering from delusions. Perhaps a combination of poppy juice and mead?! He looks awful. I’ve never seen him so weak. It made me pity him.”

“Well, did you make your peace with him? How did you leave it?”

“In a way, I suppose. He said that I would inherit the estate since I am the only son he can be sure of...which shocks me to my core. I think the things you said to him had quite an affect on him, because he then told me to leave so that he could ‘make peace with his maker.’” He gave her a look just then, and she could see he was still recovering from shock. “What exactly did you whisper to him when you got close? I’ve never seen him pray in my life!”

She pinched her lips together and said quietly, “I told him what needed to be said. It was for his ears only.”

His mouth curled into a little smile and he let out a chuckle. “Something about god? I’ll make a note never to cross you, as I have to say that I never want to see the look you gave him directed at me.” His eyes were teasing and he kissed her gently on the neck. “What a saucy Tigress you are.” She laughed and then he kissed her again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In just a week’s time with the arrival of autumn, another nasty illness had spread to Barton Upon Humber from the North, and then made it’s way to Grimsby. Most people remained indoors, fearful that another plague would wipe out as many as it had several years ago, or more. Their fears were not unfounded, as it had been reported that twelve people had already died in the nearby farms and villages.

First it hit the Merchant household of Handel, and killed not only Master Uddulf Handel, but his young son as well. Everyone was surprised it had brought down such a large, healthy man, but luckily his wife and daughter were spared.

Next it hit the Merchants, and killed the Irishman, Fáelán. For a time people thought that it would take Aoifé and the children as well, but they narrowly escaped death after several weeks.

Soon after it traveled to the house of the late Olric, where it bedded his widow, Agatha. The three children had to be sent to the orphanage while their mother was too sick to care for them, and she died just days afterwards, alone.

But finally it ended it’s travels at the Allard estate, where it made short work of Marcelle, who had been hanging on. It also banished Francois to his bed, where he clung to life. Yet just as quickly as it had spread, it was gone again, leaving the living to mourn the dead one more time.

As soon as Marcelle died a messenger was dispatched to the Inn. Frances had been summoned to the estate where the reading of the will was to take place, and they hastily began to pack their trunks. As Gwendolyn began to carefully fold her clothing, she couldn’t help but wonder why she felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. It was true that she mostly hated Marcelle, but now that he was gone she remembered the days when he used to come visit their father and offered them fresh cherries from his orchard. He would sup with them sometimes, and her father had always been so proud when he did. She had considered him a father figure for so long.

What had made him change so much?

She glanced over at Frances, as tears silently rolled down his cheeks, and she could feel his sorrow. She stopped folding and clasped her hands in his. He looked away at first, too ashamed to look her in the eye. Then the tears gushed out, and he quietly began to sob. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she could feel him shake with misery. She gently rubbed his back up and down, up and down, until he sobbed even harder and it all came sputtering out.

“Now we’re both orphans,” he whispered.

#sims 2 stories #sims 2 challenges #new foundations

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adawneveryday · 2 years

Text

And the winner is...my first art show and first win

I was very fortunate, not only did I get to experience my first professional gallery art show at the Glen Eure Gallery, but I was awarded the “Excellence” ribbon. This was the 27th Annual Artist Self-Portrait show. So not only do I have a professional line to add to my CV for experience, I now also have and award I can list. So very grateful. I’m hoping by the end of summer I will have something else to share as a professional development, but I’m going to sit tight and see how things progress. I’m taking lessons for the first time in my life to address the skills I wish to improve or hon. The art teacher is also an accomplished artist and teacher at a local college with her own studio. I’m largely self taught, having public school classes and then an elective painting class in college.

For my entry, I was to title it “I Am …” fill in the rest. So I titled my piece “I am She.” In part the title comes for the Elvis Costello song about loving a complicated person who is both ups and down and a hundred different things within the measure of a day.

But what I wrote in the description was this:

Although intended as my first painted self portrait from a photo of me in front of my first large

completed painting after 10 years, it was transformed by the influences I felt around me: favorite

artists and artwork, family life, hikes around the waterways that I love, as well as the intruding

anxieties of raising two children while living life in an unstable, beautiful, dangerous world.

So a lot was left out specifically and there is a lot going on in this 4’ x 3’ acrylic on stretched canvas. So in an effort to get better and more comfortable talking about art and specifically my art, I’m going more in detail here.

First it is a painting of me in front of a painting, but instead of standing in my studio, I’m standing in the marshy brackish sound. In the top left corner is my son running in the SUN with our new rescue puppy, a german shepard golden mix we all named Harris, short for Harrison. His father’s name was Herman, and so we went with a name beginning with H. And he is handsome. So the beach and the sky and the water are exciting and vibrant and colorful. Even a pair of dolphins are in the waters off our neighborhood’s little beach down the street we visit almost daily. Over my shoulder behind me is my daughter exploring the shallows on the sound with a staff of driftwood she had found. In the distance the clouds are pretty but are tinged rusty by a wild fire or slow burn. As you look down, the marsh grass if full of life. And I could have depicted more than I have done here. There is a red winged black bird with a nest in the tall straight branches of some wild brush. Below her are other birds but also a snake winding it’s way through. The snake is both prey and predator like the birds, as snakes are easy meals for the talon armed raptors. People are so wary of snakes, it was an easy and obvious pick to insert some danger. But more danger, more subtle, is the vine and trash snagged around my ankle. Sometimes walking you can trip in vines, but also ropes, wires, plastic mesh, and more trash that gets caught around the edges of the great filters, our marsh. My rescue cat, named for where she was found, Salvo, is standing behind me warily stalking dragonflies, butterflies, birds in the wild flowers. And in the water is the moon reflecting. I, as an artist a mother a woman, I am over the moon, but also wary and pensive and poised where ever I find my feet or my mind. My dog is still a puppy asleep in my studio, but also like a sleepy sand dune protecting some marsh from the crashing waves at my feet. Behind him is the old inherited chair I use as an easel. It is a bottomless chair from times gone unrecorded, and my painting of the waves crashing into retaining wall rocks has sprouted an osprey nest. The osprey nest has two fledgling osprey show are spreading winds and opening mouths, almost as if I am their mother and I myself have two fledgling older children. Their movement has dislodge some sticks and the waves in the painting while not real are threatening to them. So this is my anxiety of uncontrollable danger imagined near my fledgling. .

There are touches of bronze and gold, and another favorite song, Fields of Gold, by Sting, is written in the grass.

Colors found in nature are intended as impressions of real nature. Colors not found in nature are emotional: anxiousness, excitement, admiration, passion, and fear.

Ok, I have indulged myself as much as I can bare. Although driven to create art with a sincere desire to share with the world, I am also uncomfortable as I was raised to be small and quiet and serve others. So even time in my studio, while driven to establish and spend time there, feels like a guilty pleasure or an act of selfishness. Probably why I’ve created and then tossed so many previous creations and attempts. But we shall stay the course now.

Thank you for any time you take with this. Much love to you and yours.

Dawn

#art show #art show win #original art #artwork #art #acrylic painting #painting #new artist #originalart #selfportrait #self portrait

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sapphosvioletts · 3 years

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Okay well, I’ll answer your questions first.

1. Yes, I do indeed do chores - this surprises me half the time as well 😂. I only really HAVE to do one chore, and that’s washing the pots up ((or is it dishes in America? Or is dishes the British one and American TV has brainwashed me? I’m not sure- )) and that’s only cause that chore pays my phone bill

2. I technically have five dogs - three toy poodles who live with my Dad and step mum, and then at my Mums we have a springer spaniel cross staffy ((not sure if that’s the spelling)) and then the molting dog in question is…complicated. We originally thought she was a Husky crossed German Shepard, but now there’s a chance that she might an Austalian Kelpsie crossed with one of those? Either way, she’s very sweet and kind and not the brightest and she gets dog hair literally EVERYWHERE - with the amount she molts you could probably make another batch of dogs

3. As for my 3DS, aside from tomodachi life ((which I haven’t played in forever and I’m scared to go back to cause the characters comment on how long you’ve been gone for and I’m not ready for that emotional guilt trip- )), I only have Pokémon games. Today I’ve been playing Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, but there’s a fair chance that means nothing to you-

4. I’m not really sure if we have Dance Moms here as I typically tend to not watch those kinda shows as they stress me out with all the stress and shouting - if I’m imagining this correctly that is - so I cannot answer that one sorry 😅

But anyway - that all sounds confusing, stressful and amazing!!!

I’ve never really done anything or been involved in anything like that tbh so I don’t have much experience in that kinda environment - although I have been involved in a few school musical productions, and that’s always stressful as I’m usually running around managing the lights and sounds and stuff ((I’ve never performed myself because I can’t sing, but apparently that’s gonna have to change real soon because as part of my performing arts GCSE I have to be a main part in a musical so that thought is stressing me out))

People have repeatedly tried to get me to do dance, but I’ve always said no cause I have the co-ordination of a blind moth and the muscle mass of an otter!! And I repeatedly tell people that and they ignore me and say that Since I’m double jointed and flexible so I’ve already got a head start and I’m like 99% sure that ain’t how things realistically work— ((it is funny though to watch people freak out as you put your arm behind your neck, bring it back around in front of your face and then proceed to touch the same sided ear 😂))

Sorry- I got side tracked there

But it does sound like you kinda have a love hate relationship with dance? Like it punishes you and you don’t like that but yet you still enjoy doing it at the same time..? I might be reading into that wrong

Either way, what you do sounds really impressive and cool and you should be proud of yourself as is certainly doesn’t sound easy!!!

((Also what’s middle school age? Because In the UK we have primary school and high school, then college and University are optional I’m p sure but Idk what our equivalent of middle school is?))

- 🦋

yeah we call it dishes here lol i absolutely hate doing the dishes my sensory issues when i touch a piece of wet food 🤧 or the scraping and blegh i can not stand it lmaoo but i used to do like almost everything around the house except for dishes until my mom found out and got pissed at my brother and dad because i was doing literally everything so at least now i really don't have to do much bc my dad and brother are still making up for me doing literally everything for like 2 years lol

AND OH MY GODDD THATS SO CUTEEE😭😭 the dog hair though i get that lmaooo but that's so cute shsjsk i love dogs (and cats, i'm more of a cat person but i love both lol) my dog is a corgi terrior mix so thankfully he doesn't have as much hair, but our other two dogs we've had in the past had so much hair IT WAS EVERYWHERE but oh my god i love dogs and i loved hearing about your dogs they sound ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE AND ARE THE GOODEST PETS EVER give all of them pets for me pls

omg no not the guilt trip 😭 i hate when games do that lmaooo and yeah i don't understand pokémon really but it sounds super cool!! it sounds very fun even tho idk what any of it means lol is a 3ds (i think that's what it was called?) similar to a nintendo switch? for a bit i wanted a switch cause i was really into animal crossing for a while lmao so i know at least a tiny bit about switches but not really anything about 3ds

and yeahhhh i used to watch dance moms when i was younger it like first came out but like you said the AMOUNT OF YELLING i could not handle it lol whenever someone even slightly raises their voice at me i cry and even tho it's on tv and not even pointed at me i hated it lmao but people here love it for some reason and always ask "omg is it like dance moms?" lol

but managing the lights and stuff sounds so stressful omg and so bright shsjsksk and omg whatttt why do you have to be the main role?? i feel so bad lol like they won't just allow you to be an extra or in the general cast?? i cant sing either so i get it lol our musical theater isn't like actually singing, it's just to musical songs and wearing character heels lmao oh i forgot to include i also do heels, for some fucking reason i've been doing heels since i was 12 😭 not the most appropriate but you know what i live in vegas this is just how it is i guess lmaooo

THAT ANALOGY I CANTTTT lmaooo honestly my coordination is shit with everything besides dance, i think it's just cause i've been doing it my whole life so it's like muscle memory but outside of it, i am not the most coordinated lol my friend tried to teach to play soccer once (or football lol) and it was a nightmare i couldn't do shit lmao but unfortunately i have the muscle mass of a refrigerator if that's a thing, one of my teachers always gets on me for my "boulder quads" like mam i don't know what you expect from me leave me alone lmaooo

but ughhh i hate when people just won't listen. like sometimes they're trying to be encouraging but it's still just so annoying like just shushhhh. and being flexible does make it a lot easier, but it also makes you more prone to injuries. so you'll get a head start definitely but get set right back once you get injured. i used to do contortion too so i'm pretty flexible, but i have definitely learned that if you don't have the right muscles built up either, you're really prone to injuries. hence why my back is fucked up bc at first i didn't have the back muscles to basically protect my back lol i would say just tell people that next time they try to annoy you about it... but knowing neurotypicals they probably still won't even take that as an answer lol but oh my god i can't even do that lmaooo i'm not double jointed so that's impressive lol

and yeah definitely, it depends lol i love it but sometimes it's just too much and i wonder why i'm even doing this lmaoo but then there's other times that just make all of it worth it. so yeah definitely love hate relationship lol i never though about it as punishing... but now that i think about it yeah it definitely is and dance is also a VERYYY self deprecating sport like you are literally taught to criticize yourself constantly from a young age, that's what the mirrors are there for. and there's definitely times i've used dance as a punishment for myself when i wasn't happy with myself and thought i deserved it... but this isn't a therapy session so ima shush now lmaooo but maybe i just came to a realization lol

and omg thank youuu 🥺 it's kind of unspoken rule in dance to never be happy or proud of yourself because you can always be better, but that really does mean a lot 😭🥺

and oh! middle school age is like 10-13 lol my bad i forgot it's different there

#violet replies #🦋 anon

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mrsalenko · 3 years

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some headcanons. long and stupid. hope the readmore works lol

some shenko headcanons (sadie shepard specific because every shepard is different of course) because they live rent free in my head and give me serotonin. sadenko would prob be the ship name lol. which i like because it sounds dumb.

low pda couple. very low. most is hold hands in public, and only on off duty time when off normandy. private about kissing around other people.

affectionate in private though, but not constantly in contact because sadie doesn’t like hovering or constant needs for attention and kaidan is cool about respecting boundaries. sadie is spontaneous and passionate though so she’ll randomly give him a really big kiss and it will makes him smile for hours. she puts her whole heart and soul into them.

likes sharing a bed but doesn’t cuddle while sleeping all the time. shepard thinks it’s too hot to have him touching so she’ll shove him over the other side in her sleep and he’ll gradually move back but she doesn’t really mind. kaidan sleeps heavily some nights and sometimes really poorly but she doesn’t mind staying awake with him and giving him a scalp massage for headaches or talking quietly.

kaidan always calls her shepard. likes always. from habit from the SR1 and trying to be discreet and it bled into personal life. she sometimes gets slightly annoyed it’s like he doesn’t actually know her name so she’ll sometimes just call him alenko constantly and he’s like ‘okay what did i do wrong.’ because generally in private she’ll call him kaidan. often alenko on duty though.

shepard probably eventually semi retired from the alliance mostly because she can’t physically handle it. or psychologically for that matter. she’s pretty traumatized in general from everything. the thing that got to her most was dying and missing two years, and then the whole war thing and nearly dying again. she is fucked up beyond belief after the war for ages. takes a while to graduate from bed rest, to wheelchair, to crutches, to walking. kaidan takes care of her really well and is super protective. takes her to physio and does everything around the apartment. cooks, cleans, whatever. they live in anderson’s apartment, when it’s repaired enough because the keepers fix things pretty quickly. but prior to that a hospital on earth.

she also broke lots of things and had burns. the burns healed quickly with artificial skin grafts and medi-gel but the breaks were really bad. heaps of internal bleeding. they were worried she’d die but she pulled through.

kaidan becomes a bit of a worry wart about it all. really sick and stressed because he’s also trying to help with clean up, helping the rest of the normandy crew.

but eventually their life on the citadel becomes pretty comfortable and nice. kaidan remains in the alliance the rest of his life, the only reason he’d ever give it up is shepard and she never wanted him to. once shepard semi retires early, she talks up yoga and dancing for fitness. kaidan is baffled by the dance thing but appreciates it nonetheless.

it’s really easy to go to earth from the citadel with the beam that remains. kaidan goes down all the time to visit his mother who lived through the occupation, and tend to the property the family own but shepard refuses to come unless it’s by ship, because she can’t handle going through the beam. the beam is setup like an airport but like for instaneous travel. she’s forced on select occasions but only with holding his hand as they walk through. she likes kaidan’s mother, is sometimes confused by her, but likes having a mother figure who is very kind to her.

kaidan’s mom wouldnt have picked shepard for kaidan’s life partner (too messy, not quiet and sweet and kind like she always pictured for her boy) but likes shepard because kaidan loves her truly and she can see that. she just wants him to be happy. he never really told her much about shepard after she died and he came home on shore leave after the SR1 was blown up but kaidan’s mom knew something really wrong had happened to kaidan and he wasn’t the same. she couldn’t have guessed that he had an affair with his CO though. kaidan’s dad was ex alliance and she knew the rules through him and would have thought that was a really bad decision on kaidan’s part. kaidan’s dad if he knew would have been really disappointed in his kid. so kaidan never told him and he died without ever really knowing about shepard although he was a little suspicious. kaidan’s mom’s name libba and i always headcanoned as alma i believe, and casimir for his dad.

kaidan’s family is rich. they never hurt for money, so kaidan is the main one who brings income to his and shepard’s household. shepard has a good retirement pension though. so they’re quite comfortable. shepard finds it really weird because she grew up so poor and she remained poor until she climbed to higher ranks in the military. she worked from enlisted to officer which was really hard but all she ever did her teens and 20s was work all the time and volunteer for hard missions and be reckless.

kaidan had a degree in technology so he was able to join up as an officer.

their affair on the first normandy was probably the most passionate time in their relationship and based a lot around sex and this weird magnetism and insane attraction. it wasn’t shallow but they were both resisting a bit developing the emotional attachment because they knew it was wrong to be fraternizing. he is doubly devastated when she died because holding back didn’t mean anything in the end, she still died anyway. after this, his previous friendship with joker which was quite strong, is damaged pretty much irreparably because kaidan blames joker for getting her killed. joker says some unkind things to him at a service/wake and it nearly erupts into violence. joker was just trying to cover up his own guilty feelings but he alludes to their affair and kaidan is furious at him. they build some bridges during the reaper war but things remain a little snide. shepard knows she can’t fix it with words so doesn’t comment. she knows she missed a lot when she was dead she can’t take back or repair.

joker thinks it was wrong they were fraternizing. kaidan feels guilty but doesn’t regret a thing. in fact after shepard died, he wished he had said more.

after she dies he volunteers for high risk missions. spends a lot of time alone and drinks a lot. doesn’t really help. he’s a bit crankier than normal but he gets by. it feels like a secret he carries around that he can’t tell anyone or let go of. it’s not like he can say to someone ‘oh my last girlfriend suffocated in the cold of space and i was right there and couldn’t save her.’ so he doesn’t say much.

they did go on shore leave once before the mission to hunt down geth remnants with the SR1 after the battle of the citadel. it was to a hot sunny planet. they held hands once there and they blushed because they got to act like boyfriend and girlfriend and it felt a little weird but nice. the sun was baking hot, they drank a lot, hung out a bar and had sex mostly. they thought it was a really happy time. they had to pretend when they came back to the normandy that they went to separate locations but they both had a suntan that liara innocently commented on.

kaidan discovers then that shepard smokes and says she really shouldn’t. shepard gives him a really dirty look so he didn’t say anything again for a long time until he worked up the courage, but he doesn’t ride her about it. shepard also drinks a lot. sometimes quite a bit too much which he always worries about. kaidan doesn’t mind a drink and doesn’t even mind getting hammered occasionally but shepard uses it more like a crutch which is what worries him. she only stops drinking later in life, long after the war. she never did it on duty and hid it well. during the reaper war kaidan wanted her to see someone to talk to professionally but she scoffed and refused which caused a fight.

their fights can get a bit nasty. kaidan can get a little bitter in tone and critical and judgmental which makes shepard really angry. shepard for her part never knows the point to stop and can go too far and say hurtful things. they both apologize eventually and makeup. those kind of fights are rare and are usually the result of extreme external stresses.

shepard wants a dog when they live together. due to citadel policies over life support they can’t have one. but they play with the dogs at the orchard his mother keeps which shepard adores.

kaidan would have as many children as shepard wanted but shepard only agrees to two. well one really. the first was an accident but he’s the favorite really because he’s special and looks most like kaidan, but a mix of their personalities. has some anger issues like shepard but is usually fairly quiet. he had special needs growing up, he had nightmares and sensory issues. their second child was mostly planned and also a boy, who’s very good looking, talented with everything he does, but isn’t a strong biotic like his brother which always annoyed him. the older brother happens to be a biotic prodigy, and joins the alliance to be like his parents.

they might have a third child, a daughter, much later in life when everything is quite stable and the two boys are growing up a lot and shepard gets nostalgic. she would be absolutely spoiled by kaidan as his only girl and looks just like shepard. she looks up to shepard as her idol and hero and goes to dance class with her.

shepard has no idea how to be a parent and can be pretty lax about discipline. it was hard to bond with the babies. kaidan is really good at it and found bonding easy, always got up in the night when he could and let shepard sleep and he loved every second. shepard found it exhausting and hard but loved the kids more than anything in the world.

#sadie shepard

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lastoneout · 3 years

Text

Hey is there anyone who knows a lot about cats that could give me their opinion on something?

I currently have a ~7 year old female short-hair tortoiseshell cat(indoor only), and in the future my partner and I are thinking about possibly getting another cat. Thing is my current cat doesn’t seem to like any other adult cat that she has interacted with. She hisses at the stray cats she sees out the windows, and when we’ve tried to introduce her to other adult cats she gets very upset. She does like dogs(I have no idea why), and is very friendly and affectionate with my german shepard/lab mix and australian cattle dog, but she def doesn’t like other cats.

However, she has had kittens before, and whenever I watch videos where you can hear kittens meowing she gets very agitated and runs around the house trying to “find” the kittens. So I wonder, if we were to get a young kitten and introduce them, would it be possible that she would accept them?

The reason we were considering another cat as opposed to another dog(our two dogs are very old and at the end of their lives, so this would be after they both pass away ofc) is because she really tries very hard to bond with our current dogs. She always approaches them with her tail raised and curled, tries to groom them, play with them, cuddle with them, even eat with them, but they are a bit scared of her and don’t understand “cat”, so they tend to run away when she tries to be affectionate. It seems pretty clear that this frustrates her(what usually causes the dogs to run off is her batting at them when they don’t let her groom them or play with her), but I don’t know that there’s much I can do to help my dogs “get” her language given their age.

So I figured that if we got another cat she would have a companion to be affectionate with who like, understands her affection and will play with her and be social in the ways she wants, but given her attitude towards other adult cats I figured we would either just have to try to find another dog who’s been raised around cats, or potentially try a kitten and see how she reacts. (It’s also worth mentioning that the few times she’s interacted with other adult cats were not handled well on my part because I didn’t understand how to do it right, so perhaps if it was done correctly she might be more accepting.)

So yeah, I know there’s no way to be sure of anything, and it’s perfectly fine with us if we just can’t get another cat and our best bet would be looking into dogs that already are comfortable with cats, but I know a lot of people who rescue cats who have been able to successfully introduce a cat who doesn’t tend to like other cats to a new cat, so I wondered if it’s worth a shot, and if trying with a kitten would be better than with an adult cat. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

#cats #cat #pet help #pets #animals #I dunno what to tag this as

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meggannn · 3 years

Note

ship meme: shakarian, shepley, vhawke

sorry i’m late babe!! i already answered shakarian so here are the others

SHEPLEY:

What made you ship it?

starting from my first playthrough, Ashley has been one of my Shepard’s favorite companions because of her easiness to talk to, practicality (that conversation about siccing your dog on the enemy and running the other way is crude but accurate, and Shepard knew that), and also I think Shepard sees a bit of herself in Ashley, where deep down, she really doesn’t have that high of an opinion of herself. like most of my ships, I enjoy a “best friends” angle there—I wouldn’t call my Shep and Ashley best friends, because like, Ash probably considers her sisters her best friends, but on the Normandy especially after Kaidan’s death, I think they share a lot of unspoken mutual connections as the only human women combatants who are expected to carry humanity’s legacy in this war.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

they have a lot of things in common at first glance, but the further you look, the more they feel like mirror opposites in other ways. they’re both level-headed marines that take their career trajectories very seriously. in my head, Shepard and Ash are also both woc, so they have that in common on the SR-1 as the only combat women onboard. my Shep and Ash are also both older sisters, although Lydia failed to keep her sibling alive, and Ash succeeded in successfully raising four younger sisters; Ash has a big family and they’re very dear to her, and Shepard has none, and in fact, a lack of family is a big thing for her because she feels she rebuilt herself in the Alliance. yet, they’ve both built identities around being career soldiers.

they both know sacrifices are going to be made in war; they don’t have to mince words with each other. but maybe the biggest thing is that while Shepard is highly recognized, Ashley’s skills are constantly looked over and pointedly ignored, and yet Ashley doesn’t let that bother her at all. eventually, when they both become Spectres (and post-Ash’s promotion) they gain equal footing in rank, but Ash is still more than willing to take orders from Sheaprd because she believes in them that much. so like... the ease with which they’re able to fall into each other’s orbit again after reconciling on Huerta. they acknowledge Horizon was a low point in their relationship that was neither of their faults. if Shep keeps visiting her, Ash trusts Shep entirely again by the time of the coup that she turns on Udina herself. if Shep puts effort into meeting her halfway, Ash returns so much.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

well... idk if this is unpopular but I really only ship femshepley... sorry mshep players...

VHAWKE:

What made you ship it?

I know the exact fic that started all this, Liquid Courage by pibroch. I remember seeing this in a friend’s bookmarks and going “what? varric/hawke? that’s stupid. that would never happen.” then my cursor moved and clicked it without my consent and then suddenly I was reading it. and I remember thinking this had a nice Varric voice, so I kept reading for that at first. iirc the angle was that they start something as friends with benefits, and then Varric realizes as he’s picking up a gift for Hawke he’s caught big feelings and oh shit. and then I was oh shit too.

eventually, damalur’s fic became a big reason I stayed with it—she wrote so much vhawke back in the day—and then her starting starting the hightown funk exchange kept it a regular interest.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I won’t say “best friends to lovers” again, I promise (even though it’s true)

I have a mix of reasons here that are similar to the answers I wrote in my shepley and shakarian responses, about grief, and found family, and juxtapositions, and blah blah. the long and short of it is that they’re both very similar in several ways, but in other ways they’re mirror opposites, but I think, at least with friend!Varric, that their relationship is one of the only reasons either of them gets through DA2 at all.

a big theme for Hawke, of course, is family. DA2 is, among other things, the story of how they slowly end up losing one family and gain another (and possibly lose that one too if their friends leave them in the story). Varric is a little of the same way: he’s lost his parents and eventually loses Bartrand to betrayal; the person who is there for him before, during, and after is Hawke. they both sort of become each other’s lifeline for the greater found family no matter whatever chaos Kirkwall or the rest of their friends descend into. bioware obviously intended for Varric to be your bff, and while in Mass Effect with Garrus I think this attitude of forcing a companion to be your best friend had its problems, with Varric I think it works better because Varric is meant to be a “true neutral” compared to the others that sticks by you not because he always necessarily supports you, but because he finds you interesting enough to tell stories about. morally and politically, this has its issues, because he’s a centrist and even if he’s sympathetic to mages, he’s also a ~both sides have their good points~ kind of guy, and besides, he’s more of a talker than a doer. but Hawke speaks in actions, so it makes sense to me that he’s so fascinated by them: Hawke has the courage to do all this heroic stuff that he’s only ever written books about. of course he’s going to write about them too!

but while he starts viewing them as a sort of iconic, larger-than-life figure, he realizes over the years that by penning his best friend’s exploits, he’s made them a political target as the violence in the city grows—and eventually, he realizes he might have straight-up ruined Hawke’s life. it’s a burden of his own that he bears as Hawke shoulders the weight of the city: they both feel like Kirkwall’s downfall was their fault. post-DA2, they both set off to try to make it right in the best way they can, Hawke by leaving, and Varric by setting the story straight and protecting his friends the best way he knows how, with words. a big part of why all of that attracts me is just the drama of it all if you decide to view that romantically—especially if Varric recognizes his feelings but chooses not to say something, like if Hawke is with someone else—but really I see Hawke and Varric’s relationship as a tragedy no matter if it’s platonic or not.

of course a lot depends on how you play Hawke, but no matter if they’re blue/red/purple, I think they hide their grief behind whatever their facade is. Varric is much the same, where he hides his behind humor and only really expresses himself fully in writing—however exaggerated—but also growing up in a family full of bitter alcoholics has given him the ability to recognize when his friend’s at a low point, and how serious that low point is. since he’s sort of a peacemaker, his inclination is to look out for them without forcing them to talk about their grief; I’m really attracted to ships that have that “I’m here if you need me” energy with no pressure attached.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

hm, I don’t think so? I think this ship has the potential to work in a lot of different ways so where I’m normally picky about the way I like things, with this one I am more open to interpretations I wouldn’t normally like.

I guess, idk if this is unpopular, but I don’t really have any hard feelings against Bianca, although I am not convinced Varric’s infatuation for her is healthy. so in general I am in favor of him finding a way to move on from her, although that isn’t the main reason I like vhawke

#perihelions #megan does memes #shepley #vhawke

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mai-nonsense · 3 years

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Basics: 2, 6. Appearance: 4. Personality: 3, 8,9. Background: 1, 5. Relationships: 1, 3, 4, 7. Fun facts: 1, 7, 10.

*claps hands together* Alright! I'm going to do the answers for my Shepards, otherwise I'll be here all week.

2. What does their name mean? Why are they named that?

Jane: The original reason she's named that is because I was too lazy to think of a name so I just went with the default (she was my first ever Shepard), now I Headcannon that she went by Shepard until she joined up with the alliance, so she chose the name Jane because it's the only one that came to mind

Cassidy: I don't really pay attention to what names actually mean when I name characters, but I named her that b/c it's pretty and she just kinda looked like Cassidy

Henri: Henry is a family name on both sides of my family, but I wanted to use it as for a femshep b/c I like androgynous names (partly because I have one, but also because I think there should be more of them in circulation)

Damien: His name was originally Darren but I changed it b/c my sister and mum pointed out that Darren's a bit bogan. And instead of owning it I covered it up like a coward. I renamed him Damien because my favorite Robin is Damian Wayne and litteraly no other reason

Vance: named after the singer Vance Joy, b/c his songs have a lot of emotional significance to me and I like the name

Ryan: he's my only actual Canadian Shepard and my mum and I have a running joke about all Canadians being named Ryan (b/c of Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling etc.) So he's Ryan.

6. What's their star sign, birthstone etc? Does it hold any special significance for them?

All of them besides Vance have Shepard's canon birthday and none of them besides Cassidy have any belief in that kind of thing. Cassidy is a quietly spiritual kind of woman so she likes the whole star sign/ birthstone kind of thing, but she'd never admit out loud.

4. Appearance- How do they carry themselves? What is their default expression?

Jane has resting bitch face. She walks around like she's going to go beat someone up, probably because she usually is.

Cassidy has a very casual, approachable demeanor about her. Her go-to expression is either concern or pouting.

Henri carries herself shoulders back, chin up and head held high. Her usual expression is a mix of serious and thoughtful

Damien carries himself like a serious soldier but with a hint of sadness, he has resting sad face

Vance also walks around like he's looking for a fight and he's usually scowling

Ryan has a cocky swagger and usually has a sideways smile on his face

Personality 3. What are their hobbies and interests?

Jane: Is gun-modding a hobby? Because if so then that's one of them. She genuinely enjoys the combat part of being a soldier and enjoys training herself to be a deadly weapon, a side effect of growing up in the reds most likely. She doesn't really have many interests outside of being a solider, and doesn't really eat anything outside of protein bars and ready-meals.

Cassidy: she likes to mod games in her spare time, and practices her hacking skills a lot in order to keep herself sharp. She has a fondness for Turian and Salarian pop-culture, video games especially.

Henri: Henri likes hard copy books, with old-fashioned dust jackets and everything. Even with new release publications, she'll always go out of her way to find a hard copy if she really wants to read it. She usually reads non-fiction but she's a sucker for a good romance novel.

Damien: Also throws himself into his work so much that he barely has any free time. On the rare occasion that he does, he likes to build things, usually model ships or card towers (which he knocks down immediately after)

Vance: Vance actually really enjoys cooking, it's something he used to do with his mum when he was little so it's his way of keeping her alive in spirit

Ryan: Ryan has a penchant for old earth comic books and music from the 20/21st century, he likes to draw and regularly carries a sketchbook

8. What are their manners like? Any habits?

Jane's manners are atrocious. She's straightforward, tactless and blunt, which gets her in trouble quite a bit. She's not a fan of sparing feelings, if you're doing something that's pissing her off, she'll let you know

Cassidy is also pretty blunt, but has a lot more tact and isn't as crass as Jane. She's nice whenever possible but she doesn't skirt around issues

Henri is anxious people-pleaser that always looks for the best in everyone at heart, but has a polite but proffesional exterior.

Damien varies depending on his mood, Mass Effect 1 Damien is polite and proffesional but that drops as time goes by. By the time ME:3 rolls around he is 1000% done and doesn't have time to put up with anyone's shit and reacts to social situations accordingly

Vance goes in the opposite direction to Damien, starts off rude and aggressive but gradually softens as time goes by.

Ryan has decent manners, but can often be inappropriate in social situations

9. What are they most afraid of?

Jane: before falling for Kaidan, it's falling for Kaidan, because she hates having intense emotions about people that she can't control. After falling for Kaidan, it's anything bad happening to Kaidan. She doesn't really care for her own well-being but she constantly worries about and will protect her friends and loved ones at all costs.

Cassidy: Dying. Specifically, dying again and Garrus continuing down the dark path she found him on after her resurrection. She'd hate for him to completely lose hope like that again.

Henri: dissapointing those around her.

Damien: Also letting everyone down.

Vance: Everyone he cares about dying painfully.

Ryan: spiders.

Background, 1. Where were they born, what was their childhood like?

Jane was born in Brisbane, believe it or not, she gets carted off to one of her aunts in America at age 4. After that it's foster home to home for her until she ditches them for the reds at 10. Needless to say, her childhood was rough.

Both Vance and Henri were born and raised on Mindoir. They both had good childhoods until Batarians killed their families.

Damien was born in Chicago. He spent his childhood being bandied about from alliance ship to alliance ship. He spent a lot of his childhood alone.

Cassidy was born in New York, but has the spacer background. Her mother had a much more caring presence then Damien's however, so she grew up well.

Ryan was born in Montreal, spent his childhood in and out of foster homes until he was 14, when he joined the reds for protection. Despite this, he views his childhood in a positive light, as he knows he's come a long way since those days.

5. Where do they currently live? What's their place like?

I'm going to skip this one because I don't have a good answer for any of them at the moment lol.

Relationships, 1. Do they have any friends? Who would they consider their best friend?

Jane has more friends/people who care about her then she thinks she does. She considers her best friend to be either Miranda or Liara.

Cassidy gives off chill older sister vibes and treats her crew as family, so a lot of people come to her for support or just for an ear. She loves talking tech with Tali and considers her to be her best friend, with Ashley coming in as a close second.

Henri initially has more colleagues then friends, but she learns to loosen up and to have a more relaxed approach to the people she cares about. She considers her best friends to be Kaidan and Joker (though her feelings for Joker develop into something more ever time)

Damien has the ruthless background, so he's more feared then loved. He's also quite socially awkward so it's hard for him to make friends to begin with. Despite this, the people who do call him friend do so wholeheartedly. He considers his best friend to be Garrus.

Vance, despite being an asshole, actually has a lot of friends. Because he's a loveable asshole. His best friend is either Liara or Jack.

Ryan is very likeable, and is often the life of the party. But people more look up to him then actually consider him a friend. He considers Kaidan his best friend. (who he's also secretly in love with, but shhhhhhh we'll get to that)

3. What's their love life like? Do they have any kids?

I'm currently using Jane as my "Kaidan as subject zero AU" Shepard, because I think she fits so well with subject0!Kaidan, as I love writing stories about two hardened badasses who just want to be loved, falling in love. Non-au Jane also ends up with Kaidan, and have a daughter named Astra

Cassidy is one of my two Shakarian Sheps, who gets the more 'traditional' happy ending out of the two. That is, she retires somewhere nice with Garrus and they adopt a bunch of orphans together.

Henri is my one and only Joker-mancer, one of these days I will write their story (once I finish planning it out lol) but I currently have other projects at the forefront. As for kids, neither Henri or Joker want them because there would be to many medical factors/lifestyle changes they'd have to consider and they couldn't put that burden on a kid.

Damien's life motto is: no kids, only dogs and he manages to stick by that pretty well. When Vance (his half-brother) has kids he settles into the role of cool uncle though. Though Damien thought he wasn't one for romance at all, he somehow fell in love with Kaidan without realizing it and they eventually end up together.

Vance and Ashley fall hard for each other, and after many hardships and triumphs, they eventually marry and have three kids together

Ryan sleeps around a bit but spends the duration of ME:1 and 2 pining for Kaidan but never saying anything b/c he doesn't want to make it awkward™. Naturally they end up together but it takes a while. Am currently undecided on whether they have kids together or not.

4. Who do they look up to? Who do they trust?

Jane: Anderson. He took her under his wing and believed in her when nobody else did. She comes to trust her inner circle in time. That consisting primarly of Kaidan, Miranda, Jack, Liara, Garrus and Wrex.

Cassidy: Her mother, as she managed to give her a good childhood while in the military as a single mum. She trusts Garrus and Tali with her life.

Henri: Anderson and Hackett both, as they've always pushed her to do her best. She trusts in her crew, as, in her eyes, they've never let her down.

Damien: Hackett, as he gave him a second chance after Torfan and promised him that he wouldn't let him down. People don't trust him on impulse so the people whose trust he earns always have his in return.

Vance, Anderson and Samara. Anderson because he helped him after he lost his family on Mindoir and Samara because she's a powerful biotic with a commanding presence and he learns a lot about discipline from her. Vance eventually learns to trust Damien after not wanting him anywhere near his life for a long time.

Ryan: He tries to find a way to learn at least something from everyone he encounters, good or bad. He doesn't really trust anyone for a very long time but gradually comes to trust in his ME:3 crew

7. Are they good with kids? Animals?

Jane: Surprisingly, yes. Though it can depend on the kid or animal in question *cough star child cough*. She strives to protect those who can't defend themselves and improve lives for future generations.

Cassidy: Very good with both.

Henri: She grew up a farm girl, so she's pretty great with animals. She's good with kids until they start screeching and then she promptly nopes out.

Damien: Good with animals, dogs in particular. Is okay with kids, but doesn't really like interacting with them unless he has a good reason (like them being his niece and nephews).

Vance: Despite growing up a farm boy, he's not too big an animal lover. He loves his own kids, but isn't too big on them in general.

Ryan: Used to hang out with stray cats as a teen. Decent kid-wrangler™.

Fun facts, 1. Which tropes do they fit? which archetypes?

Jane fits the "does bad things for a good goal" trope and potentially fits the stereotypical "bad girl" archetype as well

Cassidy fits with the "protective matriarch/sister" archetype/trope

Henri gives me "girl next door", but with a gun, vibes

Damien fits the "everyone thinks he's evil, but he's really just misunderstood" trope

Vance is def an "asshole with a heart of gold"

Ryan's a himbo

7. What languages do they speak?

Vance knows a tiny bit of Mandarin, and Ryan speaks okay Canadian French, everyone else speaks English and only English for now, though that may change as I find out more about them.

10. What songs remind you of them?

Jane: Missile, Dorothy

Cassidy: Dead Weight, PVRIS

Henri: CHAMPION, Bishop Brigs

Damien: The Phoenix, Fall Out Boy

Vance: What's Up Danger, Blackway ft. Black Caviar

Ryan: You're Gonna Go Far Kid, The Offspring

WOW. I just did a big old-fashioned info dump right there. Sorry about that.

Thanks for the ask!!!

#ask meme #oc asks #crqstalite

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bobasheebaby · 4 years

Text

At Last- Following Her Heart Wedding

Pairing: Athena x Perceval

Word count: 5,613

Warnings: tear jerking fluff, drama, 🍋

Summary: Athena and Percy finally have their wedding.

A/N: I know. I know, about time, don’t worry any gaps in the story will be filled in with time. After this we shall be moving forward to babies in a new series that features them married and expanding their family since my muse is showing that more clearly than the lead up.

A/N2: Leo’s ceremony borrowed from PB, my own twist added. Vows are completely mine.

A/N3: prompt is from the Grey’s Anatomy prompt list requested by @loveellamae 12 “You were like coming up for fresh air. It’s like I was drowning and you saved me.” — Derek Shepard Percy prompt will be bolded.

A/N4: the beautiful commissioned artwork at the end was done by the insanely talented @somewillwinthank you so much for the gorgeous pictures that capture my couple so perfectly. (Pictures definitely helped me finish this too.)

A/N5: a HUGE thank you to @loveellamae for prereading and to @sirbeepsalot for prereading, being my cheerleader along the way and being the best damn beta reader ever! Love you boos!

A/N6: Written as part of @choicesmaychallenge hosted by @kinda-iconic for day 16 Sunset.

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist.

Disclaimer: I only own Percy, Alex and Bailey, the rest I’m borrowing from PB.

Athena turned to face Percy as the first streak of color kissed the sky. Purples, pinks, and oranges painted the sky, the brilliant colors reflecting across the ocean as they joined hands.

She beamed at him, her caramel eyes sparkling in the light of the tiki torches that lined the silk runner marking her aisle. He looked at her with such love and devotion that tears pricked at her eyes. This is it.

Everything she’d been through, conquered, and endured led her to this very moment. From the second she stepped onto the private plane her future was uncertain. There had been a chance that she would become a queen and rule beside a kind and benevolent king. There had been a time when she believed they were in love and that she belonged by his side. She had thought she’d lost her only chance at true happiness the night he called another woman’s name.

It was now clear to her that each and every step had her here, to him.

Every moment of pain dissipated as she stared into his twinkling hazel eyes. Nothing else mattered. She was where she belonged. Every tear she shed in hurt or anger was worth it in the end.

It no longer mattered that the importance of his title had been thrust upon them as they planned their special day. Everything was as it was meant to be. She was finally following her heart and marrying the man who saw her for her and not what she could be by his side.

She lightly squeezed his hand as she turned toward Leo, a groomsman turned officiant at the last minute. It was a change that might leave any other bride reeling; for her, it felt fitting. Nothing had gone according to plan since she stepped on Cordonian soil. A wedding officiated by a friend seemed more intimate and felt right.

This is going to be fun. Her eyes leveled with Leo’s sea green. Far from perfect, yet perfectly us. She stifled a laugh when he winked as he started to address the crowd.

“I know I don’t spend as much time in Cordonia as I used to, but for an occasion like this, I was happy to return home. Today, I’m here to help celebrate the wedding of Athena Morgan, and my close friend Perceval Hunter, the man who’s lucky enough to wed her. Originally I was meant to be in the wedding, but shit happens and I was more than happy to step in for my lifelong friend. Someone had to marry them, might as well be me.

Enough about me, let’s get to the marrying part, shall we?

There are many different wedding traditions around the world … some that involve more leaping over fire pits than others. But at its heart, every wedding is about one thing: the love between a couple and the bond they have chosen to share.

Here in Cordonia, we like to think of marriage as a promise. The promise that you will renew your love and commitment to one another every day that you are together.

Just as planting a seed is not enough for it to grow into an apple tree, speaking your vows is not enough for a marriage to truly flourish. But if you nurture and cherish one another, your relationship will always grow stronger.”

Percy gently squeezed Athena’s hand as they both nodded, turning to face one another.

“Good. Now, I believe you wanted to recite your own vows.”

Percy’s thumb brushed across Athena’s knuckles as she started to speak. “Percy, meeting you was purely by chance, but the stars truly aligned the day that brought you into my life.” She glanced down at their joined hands.

“When I met you, I was questioning every decision I ever made since coming to Cordonia. What I had thought was a sure thing had unraveled. I had been ready to leave but something kept me here. I know now that it was you.”

She smiled as he mouthed ‘I love you’ while giving her hand an encouraging squeeze.

“That night on the train you claimed my heart. You were the piece of me that had always been missing; finding you has made me happier than I could ever put into words.

Each day with you is a new adventure I will never forget. I vow to cherish every moment we share over the years and to love you more each and every day.

I’m so thankful you came into my life and that I get to call you my husband.”

“That was beautiful.” Leo smiled, nodding to Perceval.

“Athena, when we met I felt a spark that I never thought I’d ever feel. You called yourself broken, but I have only ever seen you as strong and courageous.

I’ve always called you my Doll, and I led you to believe that it was because you were broken that night, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I saw a woman who carried a strength within her, a woman who deserved to be cherished. I have never been as drawn to someone as I am to you.

You make me the happiest I’ve ever been, and I’m the luckiest man in the world to have your heart. I promise to only make you cry tears of joy. I will strive every day to make you feel as cherished and loved as you deserve.

No matter what the future brings, I can’t wait to experience it with you by my side.”

“Thank you both. Now, would the ringbearer please come forward.”

Chance yipped as he stood from his resting place by Percy’s feet. He took the few steps forward to Leo before carefully dropping the tulle bag into his outstretched hand.

“Thanks buddy.” Leo said, patting Chance’s head.

Chance gave a happy bark before he trotted back to Percy’s feet, where he plopped down, resting his head on the sun warmed sand.

Athena softly laughed at Chance as she delicately plucked the warm vintage band from Leo’s palm. Chance quickly becoming attached to Percy was one of the many reasons she found it so easy to let down her guard and let him into her heart. She couldn’t help but wonder, if Maxwell had not begged her to take in the abandoned corgi would she have still followed the same path? Was she always meant to be standing here in front of the man that swept her off her feet and helped piece her shattered heart back together?

“Perceval Hunter, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you vow to love her, comfort her, and cherish her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in times of joy and in times of trial, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Athena Morgan, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you vow to love him, comfort him, and cherish him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in times of joy and in times of trial, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

Athena carefully slipped the vintage golden band onto Percy’s finger, the deep etchings and five small diamonds glinting in the light of the flickering flame as the sun slowly sank below the horizon.

Percy held her hand in his left as he slowly slipped the diamond band onto her finger. The seven diamonds creating a gentle, sparkling curve in the waning light. The band wasn’t a perfect match to his mother’s ring, but would compliment it well enough. While she felt honored that he loved her enough to give her his mother’s ring the rings were mere symbols of their love. The old and new would blend perfectly no matter what, maybe she’d pass them both down one day.

Athena glanced at her hand adorned with the rose gold ring, her smile stretched as she imagined her heirloom teardrop ring sitting in front of it. She once again locked eyes with Percy, her husband, unshed tears shined back at her matching her own.

“By the power vested in me by the kingdom of Cordonia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May this blessed union be sealed with a kiss!”

She tenderly cupped his bearded cheek the world around them melted away. The man who really saw her now finally hers in every sense of the word, and she was his.

Her head tilted up, her lips meeting his in a soft, love-filled kiss that echoed every word they spoke to each other and every unspoken word held in their hearts. They pulled apart, her hand slipping into his as the sounds of cheering filtered into her reverie from their guests mixing with the roar of the waves meeting the shore.

They made their way down the aisle in the sand, Chance happily trotting behind them. It was impossible to miss the one solemn face amongst the happy crowd of friends and loved ones. She felt a small twinge at the pain etched in his face. She looked up at Percy, unwilling to allow her happiness to be dampened. One glimpse of Percy’s smiling face and all pain instantly melted away; she was exactly where she belonged.

Athena’s eyes crinkled as she beamed at the photographer taking pictures of her and Percy in multiple poses; Chance sat firmly at their feet.

The photographer looked down at his digital screen. “Could we get a few shots without the dog?”

Athena laughed. “You’d have better luck rubbing sandpaper on a tiger's ass than getting Chance to leave Percy’s side willingly.” She instantly thought of the first night they’d spent together. They’d fallen asleep talking as they waited for Chance to fall asleep. Percy’s patience and understanding when dealing with the corgi was merely one of a million reasons he captured her heart.

The photographer sighed. “Okay, then. Can we have the groomsmen and bridesmaids?”

Athena’s eyes grew wide and her smile dropped a bit as Maxwell came towards them with the grey top hat he promised he’d only wear during the reception settled on his head. “Maxwell! Top hat!”

Maxwell looked at her sheepishly as he pulled the top hat off. He slowly moved to place it on a chair. “Can’t I just take one picture with it?” He looked at her with puppy dog eyes. “Please little blossom?”

Athena let out a sigh. “One picture …”

“Yay—”

“At the end.”

Maxwell made a show of slumping his shoulders in defeat as he laid the hat on the seat. “Okay fine,” he agreed as he joined the group, a smile once again present on his face.

The photographer snapped away, pictures of the entire wedding party, the groomsmen with the bridesmaids, groomsmen, bridesmaids, a few of just Athena staring off at the water. With the last of the natural light waning, he called the maid of honor and best man forward.

Alex smirked as he slipped his arm around Bailey. “Looks like it’s just you and me, Red.”

Bailey forcibly rolled her eyes. “I’m not the only redhead here, you know.”

“Only one I’m interested in, besides she looks a little … preoccupied.” He replied, his eyes falling on Olivia, who was thoroughly engrossed with her phone.

“I already told you I’m seeing someone.”

“Are they here? Would love to meet the lucky guy or gal that caught your eye.”

Bailey swallowed. How was she supposed to answer that? They were both there, but not with her. Drake couldn’t date her publicly and, since the trip to Applewood, Liam had taken her out less and less. She hadn’t been to a public event with him since the Homecoming Ball.

She understood -- or that’s what she kept telling him. Maybe it was herself she was telling. He had just made a public admission of his love for her cousin, who was now married to another man. Liam had to tread carefully for all three of them. A relationship held within palace walls was becoming tiresome, but she still cared deeply for both. She could endure.

She gave a soft, hopefully not too forced smile. “No, he couldn’t make it.” The lie twisted in her gut, but she couldn’t tell him the truth.

Alex hummed in response and she noticed his hold on her waist loosened. “His loss.”

She just nodded, fearful she might backtrack and admit the truth.

“Just one dance.”

She looked up at him in surprise.

“A beautiful woman like you shouldn’t have to stand by on the sidelines just because her boyfriend was too busy.”

The words felt like a gut punch. He wasn’t too busy, they just weren’t official. Was that the word? He told her every day he loved her -- they both did -- yet they all came to the wedding as ‘singles’.

Maybe she could dance with Liam, but she knew they’d both feel guilty about Drake the entire time. Drake didn’t dance, or maybe he did since college, but even so their minds would remain elsewhere.

Her other options were Leo, who seemed to be having an argument with his wife on the phone, and Maxwell. Maxwell was sweet, but she knew she’d never be able to keep up with him on the dance floor.

Her sage green eyes met his olive green. She gulped, the look in his eyes could nearly rival the one Perceval had when he looked at Athena. “Okay, one dance.”

Percy led Athena to the portable dance floor that was laid out on the soft sand as the opening notes began to play.

At last

My love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

They gracefully glided around the floor in perfect step. Her caramel eyes sparkled with love as she looked up at him. “This is all like a dream. To think that you talking to me that night would save me.” She shook her head. “Thank you for really seeing me.”

“I should be thanking you. You saved me.” He twirled her out pulling her closer once she returned to his arms.

Oh yeah yeah

At last

The skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clover

The night I looked at you

She looked up at him with questioning eyes. “How did I save you?”

“I was a bachelor partly by choice. Most of the women I dated had a different idea of what it meant to be noble. It was all status to them. You were like coming up for fresh air. By the time I met you, I’d resolved to never getting married. You get me in ways that no one else did. It’s like I was drowning and you saved me.”

I found a dream, that I could speak to

A dream that I can call my own

I found a thrill to press my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “Why don’t we just say we saved each other?”

He smiled. “I like that.”

He playfully dipped her, both laughing and smiling as he pulled her back into his arms. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She tilted her head up, giving him a tender kiss.

Oh yeah yeah

You smiled, you smiled

Oh and then the spell was cast

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine ...

At Last

Athena blushed as they pulled apart as she suddenly remembered all eyes were on them.

The sound of silverware clinking against crystal filtered through the air, drowning out the soft sound of the waves kissing the shoreline a few yards down the sand. Athena’s cheeks tinged pink as she looked to her husband, her stomach flipped at the thought. A year ago she would have never thought she would be across the ocean and married to a man who made her feel like she was walking on air.

As much as she loved kissing him, doing so on command felt strange. She smiled as Percy tucked a stray curl behind her ear. He rested his palm on her cheek as he leaned down, planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

“I love you,” he whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes staring into hers.

“I love you too.” Her fingertips brushed across his bearded cheek. “Everyone is watching.”

“Let them.” He replied giving her another peck on the lips before reluctantly pulling apart.

“Okay you two lovebirds.” Alex chuckled, sending Percy a wink. “Save it for the wedding night.” He raised his champagne flute. “I’d like to propose a toast.”

Athena bit back a giggle; she was sure Tabitha was fuming somewhere in the crowd at Alex’s impromptu toast.

“I’ve known Perceval for a long time, since the day I met him back in boarding school he has always been the kind of guy you could count on. He was always down to Earth and hated the title he was born to, even if it got us both out of trouble with the dean.

The one quality he always said he wanted in the person whom he married was someone who could see past all the etiquette and titles and see who he really is. You don’t need to spend much time with Perceval and Athena to see that she does in fact see him for who he is, regardless of title.

Athena, I have spent more than half of my life being friends with Perceval, and I have never seen him as happy as he is with you. I wish you both a long and happy union full of love and joy. To the bride and groom.”

Athena lifted her champagne flute as the sentiments were echoed across the sand.

“I guess it’s me.” Bailey giggled as she stood, brushing down her knee length skirt. She turned to face the newlywed couple, smiling at her cousin with tears in her eyes.

“Athena, you are my cousin and best friend; more than that, you are my sister. You have always been happy, but, when Uncle Nick and Aunt Pat died, I noticed your eyes didn’t shine as brightly until you met Perceval.

Perceval, you are the kind of man I always pictured Athena marrying; you are kind and caring and you love my cousin completely. I know that with you by her side that her smile will never falter.

While Uncle Nick and Aunt Pat can’t be here today I know in my heart that they would be proud of the woman you’ve become and welcome Perceval to our family with open arms.

So welcome Perceval. I wish you and Athena all the love and happiness in the world. To a long and blessed union.”

Damnit Bailey. I told you not to make me cry. Athena thought blinking back tears welling at her cousin's words. She took a second small sip of the dry champagne before setting the flute back onto the table.

“You okay?”

She looked to Percy as his hand covered hers. “I’m fine, you worry too much.”

Athena looked up as Tabitha tapped her shoulder. “It’s time for the cake cutting.” Tabitha said, smiling sweetly.

Athena looked back at her barely touched meal. Between speaking with guests and the million excited butterflies swarming in her stomach, she’d barely been able to enjoy the menu Percy had planned. She turned back to Tabitha, taking Percy’s outstretched hand. “Okay.” I’ll just eat later when things calm down a bit.

Athena and Percy stood in front of their three tier buttercream frosted cake. The adorning fresh roses almost seemed to sparkle under the twinkling fairy lights. She glanced up at him as the cake knife glided through the cake.

Everything still felt so surreal; the entire day was like she was floating on a cloud. All the tears she spilled during the planning of their wedding no longer mattered. Their day was here, and it was everything she dreamed of.

She picked up a bite of cake turning to Percy, her husband. Her cheeks hurt from grinning so widely all day. She held the sweet confection to his lips.

“Smash it in his face!”

She shook her head at Alex’s request.

Nothing could dampen this day. It was utterly perfect; they were finally husband and wife. Even if the heavens opened up and rained down on them she knew she would still look up at him with a smile on her face and love in her heart, laughing at the surprise shower.

She carefully took the delicate bite from his fingers, her eyes closing as the flavors exploded on her tongue. It was as delicious as the day she’d picked it.

“You have a little cake right here.” He said pointing to the corner of her lip.

“Can you get it for me?”

She gently sighed as his arms slipped around her waist and kissed her.

Her heart soared as she envisioned their life together. Their home would be filled with so much joy and laughter.

“Could today get anymore perfect?”

“I have a few ideas …”

“Oh?”

He nodded, his eyes sparkling brightly.

“I’m listening …”

Bailey’s arms hung loosely around Alex’s neck as they swayed on the dance floor. She should have known that Alex would pick a slow song, he didn’t believe she was really dating someone and it wasn’t like she could confess the truth.

The truth. What was the truth? She was with Liam and Drake, or that’s what they said in private. Outside the palace she couldn’t hold hands or kiss either one of them. Liam had taken to avoiding the topic of him dating and his search for a queen, instead pushing reporters to the coming nuptials of Duke Perceval and Athena.

Bailey hadn't missed the way his jaw tensed every time he brought up the wedding, yet he did it time and time again. She couldn’t help but wonder what he would use as a buffer now that the wedding was over. Would he ever introduce her as his girlfriend and potential queen? She glanced up at Alex. Is that what she still wanted?

All this time, had she been subconsciously pulling away from them? Why else hadn’t she voiced her concerns to Liam and Drake?

Bailey quickly looked away, trying to force the unbidden thoughts away. She loved Drake and Liam, she was just being stupid. She shouldn’t be questioning their feelings for her; they loved her too, right?

She sucked in a breath as she met Liam’s eye. She couldn’t miss the hurt etched on his face even from so far away. Her stomach knotted because she didn’t want to hurt either one of them; she just didn’t like being hidden.

How the hell had Drake handled it for so many damn years? No wonder Athena fell for Perceval. He was available and showered her with affection no matter where they were. He always made her feel loved and cherished . She wanted that, not to be a secret in the night.

She shifted her arms, unconsciously moving closer to Alex. Her heart hammered in her chest as he tightened his hold on her hips. She knew she should pull away, tell him to put more space between them.

Instead, her body leaned in closer, the heat of his body soaking into hers. What was she doing? Tell him it was a mistake, step back.

She tilted her head up, her lips slightly parted to speak. Her head felt cloudy and she lost the ability to speak or even breathe as he leaned down. She needed to step back, push him away, something, anything to stop him but she couldn’t. It was as if her body was frozen, but not in fear. Did she actually want this? Did she want to kiss him? She couldn't want this, she shouldn’t be letting him get so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips.

Turn your head!! Stop this. Time seemed to slow. Or was he just giving her a chance to stop him?

Why wasn’t she stopping him?

Her breath hitched as his lips inched closer to hers. What was she doing? She was taken -- she already gave her heart away. Push him away, this is your last chance!

His lips were soft and warm as they met hers, and her arms instinctively pulled him closer. It was as though her brain short circuited as all thoughts of telling him this was a mistake ceased. All thoughts left her mind, leaving only the way his palms went flat on her back as he pulled her closer.

Her body was flush to his as they stood still in the center of the temporary dance floor. When had they stopped dancing?

She gasped as his lips pressed harder to hers, their lips moving together in tandem. Her body tingled, every nerve ending alive. What was even happening?

She pressed herself closer to him, acting purely on instinct. His grasp tightened and his tongue swiped against her lip. God, what was she doing? Did she want this more than she thought?

She pulled back, leaving them both stunned. “I … I …” she stuttered stepping backward. Tears stung at her eyes. She wanted it, but she shouldn’t. “I’m sorry.”

His hands fell to his sides as he watched her retreat with wide eyes. “It —”

She shook her head, “I shouldn’t have,” she said as she turned and ran towards the crashing waves.

Alex stood stunned. He could still feel her lips against his. She kissed me back. He wasn’t even sure why he leaned in in the first place. He had every intention of respecting her, it was just a dance between friends. He hadn’t expected her to move closer to him; he hadn't planned on kissing her. It was as if they were drawn to each other much like a moth to a flame.

The moment he leaned in he had been sure she would push him away but she didn’t. Did she want it too? He was pulled from his thoughts as a firm hand gripped his shoulder. He looked up into whiskey colored eyes that flickered as though they were on fire.

“What the hell -- she told you she had a boyfriend and to back off!” Drake growled through gritted teeth. Anger coursed through him and it took everything in him to not deck the piece of shit in the face.

Alex shook the shock from his face. “Maybe instead of getting in my face you should be more concerned with the reason a guy would claim to be too busy to escort someone as great as her to her own cousin’s wedding.”

“She said that?” Drake felt like he’d been hit by a Mack truck. Is that how she feels? Confusion filled his mind. Things had been complicated from the beginning but he thought they were all as happy as they could be given that they remained hidden. Sure, it was hard to pretend she was only a friend, but it’s what they needed to do.

“Yeah,” Alex gave him a cocky grin, “maybe instead of being pissed at me you should go tell off the piece of shit that made her go stag.”

Drake saw red; this asshole had no fucking room to talk. He continuously made unwanted advances towards Bailey and now he wanted to make him and Liam out to be the bad guys?

The pulsing pounding of the blood rushing in his ears was all he could hear as he clenched his fist.

He pulled his fist back, intent on showing Alex what happened when he walked around like a smug arrogant bastard who could have whomever he wanted.

He stepped forward, the anger leaving him as his fist collided with Alex’s jaw.

“Drake! What the hell?!”

Drake shook his head as Liam’s surprised shout reached his ears. “This piece of shit kissed Bailey.”

“What do you care? It’s not like you’re her boyfriend.” Alex's eyes sparkled as he made the simple connection. “I mean, how messed up would that be? Dating her but no one knows.”

Drake stared slack jawed. Did this fucker figure it out? Would this cocky bastard expose them all?

“Besides, it’s not like she didn’t kiss me back.”

Drake and Liam shared a stunned look as both men felt their stomachs sink.

“She what?” Liam questioned trying to make sense of what was unfolding. He’d been surprised when he saw Bailey dancing with Alex, so to hear he kissed her and she returned it had him reeling.

“She kissed me back. Guess that boyfriend of hers can’t keep her satisfied, which is not surprising since he couldn’t be bothered to join her for her cousin’s wedding.”

“Do you want me to hit you again?”

“Sure, maybe it’ll actually hurt this time.”

Drake drew his arm back ready to land another blow, intent of wiping the smirk from Alex’s smug face.

“Drake, stop!”

Bailey’s voice froze him in place.

“What are you doing?” Her heart pounded in her chest. She’d gone to the shore to clear her mind only to be pulled from her mixed up thoughts by the sounds of shouting.

She pulled away because she was scared. Scared of how much she wanted it and how far she’d let it go. Scared of what her jumbled feelings meant for her Drake and Liam. Did they even have a chance anymore? Did they ever truly have a chance when they had to remain hidden?

Drake turned, the hurt in his eyes enough to punch all the air from her lungs. “You kissed him back?”

Shit! She needed to talk to them, to explain all she was feeling, the hurt of being hidden and the confusion that led to her kissing back Alex. That’s gonna be an awkward conversation. As much as she knew they needed to speak, she knew it couldn’t be there with everyone watching. Double shit! The realization that one bad decision had derailed Athena’s wedding weighing heavy on her shoulders.

Thena is gonna be so pissed! Her eyes scanned the guests looking for her cousin. “Where is Thena?”

“Athena and Perceval ducked out before shit hit the fan.”

Percy and Athena stumbled into their room locked in a heated kiss. She wildly clawed at his jacket, pulling the garment down his arms, the linen fabric landing in a heap before the door clicked close.

Since the moment she said ‘I do,’ she felt an intense pull to be claimed by him. Every cell in her body screamed for him to show her, tell her, make her his.

Her fingers threaded in his obsidian locks and she let out a breathy sigh, her head tilting back as he trailed kisses along the slender slope of her neck.

She stumbled backwards, her hands fell to his chest, her fingers frantically undoing his buttons. She was desperate with need. She needed to feel every inch of him pressed against her.

She moaned, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as he peppered kisses across her collarbone and down her chest.

Desire prickled across her skin. “Percy,” she gasped, “I need you ...”

He looked up, the hunger in his eyes mirroring her own nearly taking her breath away. “The bed …”

She shook her head. “Too far.” The few steps to the bed felt like miles; if she waited any longer her desire would surely consume her alive. “Need you now.” Her hands dropped to his belt, fingers nimbly working it free.

He let out a feral growl, his hand gliding over the curve of her hip. His fingers caught the smooth fabric, hiking it over her hipbone as he spun her. Her back pressed into the wall as she shoved his pants down his thighs, his hardened length springing free.

She never felt such overwhelming desire before. She was positive she wouldn’t survive if she waited much longer.

To be skin to skin, his body against hers. Every movement took too long. Each second moving forward at a tortuously slow pace.

His hand ghosted her hip as he gripped the back of her thighs lifting her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, breath catching in her throat as he rubbed against her clothed core.

Please.

Her hands rested on his shoulders as he bunched her dress around her waist. She whimpered as he pushed her white lace thong to the side.

So close, yet still so far. Each passing second only made her desire grow. How much longer could she wait?

Her head fell back with a gasped yes as he slowly inched into her.

She finally felt complete, giving herself over to him entirely.

She clutched to his back as he thrust into her. Her walls squeezing around his length.

Her fingers curved into his back. It felt so good. Did it always feel this good? Was it possible they somehow were more connected?

Her mind swirled, overwhelmed by feelings. Every stroke broughther closer to the edge.

Her back arched and legs shook as she came with a soundless scream, her pulsing walls bringing him to completion.

He brushed her hair back as she looked at him with a dazed expression. “I love you.”

She smiled dreamily. “Love you too.”

He slowly lowered her to her feet, his arms holding her steady. His lips brushed across her sweaty hairline as he kissed her forehead. “Better?”

She nodded, “yes … bath and then round two.”

“Or … round two in the bath.”

“I like the way you think.”

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crqstalite · 3 years

Text

stargazer.

just a little something from the wip folder. i started writing it months ago and i honestly have no idea where it was supposed to be going. you might be able to tell where earlier!andre stops and now!andre begins.

otherwise, a drabble about kodelyn and her mother, hannah shepard. no warnings.

She used to love the stars.

She used to be a child who knew nothing more than the skies of Rio, curious and wide eyed when they'd say goodbye to her new stepfather and siblings. Then, out into the warm and humid air with her mother, who'd braid her hair back in cornrows and pick her up to a piggyback style. So far outside the city, she was amazed by the lack of noise, lack of light. The way the sky would be speckled with white and gold, the way they'd twinkle when she lifted her head just right.

They'd never had the time before her sister was born. It'd always just been them, her and her mother bouncing between stations. Hannah Shepard and her daughter, Kodelyn, with the endearing habit of typing her own reports with nonsensical subjects that the crew would take in stride. One had started giving her stickers for each one, much to her happiness.

She saw the stars outside her window on Arcturus, wondering what lay beyond the twinkling lights in the distance. She'd used to make up stories that there were aliens, like any good child would in the years preceding the First Contact War. It'd fascinated her, so far away, yet they sped past them with the usage of the mass relay network. Anywhere she could, she stuck glow in the dark stickers. Whether that be in the crew cabin or elsewhere, she loved the way they looked. The nebula of purples and blues and black mixing into a vision of what she lived to see. Her curiosity about the galaxy before her made many believe she was simply a carbon copy of her mother, someone who asked just about all the right questions and maybe a few that weren't relevant. They saw Hannah in her, a few officers referring to her as simply 'Little Shepard'. A little clone that was constantly on her heels, but it was more endearing than annoying. Most of the time. As long as she didn't get underfoot too often. And that was fine, she liked it. Loved it even. Would've been happy if it stayed that way.

Then all of sudden (well, to her it was all of a sudden), she wasn't living on stations anymore. It seemed sometime between all the childish fantasies of being a spacefaring heroine, domesticity had settled in and didn't seem like it was leaving. Someone who took care of her when her mother was on tour, a 'proper' father. Then, a sister that hung onto every word that came out of her mouth. Then a brother who thought she was the best thing since the Mars relay had been found. It wasn't just her and her mother anymore, a family had grown around them.

At first, she was confused. Why she didn't accompany her mother on cruises anymore, why she was rarely home. Nearly upset even, until she came back through the door with a smile on her face and tired crinkles around her eyes after months on missions. A warning not to dirty her dress blues when she'd been away at the garrison, but never minding to bend down and hug her daughter. The stars became her connection back to her, wondering which one had her mother's ship behind it. As much as the megaopolis' bright lights drowned out those in the sky, she still stayed up to watch the city sleep and the stars find their way to her window. Watching as the ships came in at the dock, becoming adept at identifying each model, growing excited when she recognized the one she'd been looking for. Her mother always said she didn't have favorite children, but considering the shiny models of Alliance ships brought back for her, only her, she had reason to believe otherwise.

Well, most of the time. She'd never tell her baby siblings, but she was pretty sure she was the favorite.

"Do you have to go back?" Kodelyn asks, voice small as she rests her head on her mother's shoulder. The last day of her shore leave, and she wasn't excited to let her just go again, "Let them have Mr. 'Quin, then you can stay home with me all day."

Her mother chuckles, adjusting her hold on her small legs, "If that were how the military worked, I'm sure he'd be gone already, Dee. But you know I have work to do, and I'll be right back here for your birthday."

"But that's forever away!" Kodelyn exclaims, incredulous at the notion. April was a long time from then, nearly a whole year from that July. She believed she was completely justified in her reaction to the absurd amount of time her mother would be gone. In the grand scheme of things, it was decidedly absolutely unacceptable, "You're gonna miss Mason's birthday, and Mr. 'Quin's."

"I wish I could be here for them all, you know that, bug. Shore leave doesn't always come easy to us marines," She responds, stepping out of the way of a bush, the crinkling of leaves underneath her boots, "Tell you what, how about we get a dog for him and Mason? They like dogs, don't they?"

"There aren't pets in space, mom. Everyone knows that," Kodelyn giggles, her mother shaking her head and surely smiling herself, "Are we there yet?"

A pause before they step out from the tree line, Kodelyn craning her neck to stare up at the sky. Her mother gently puts her down, sliding to the ground to sit. Her daughter unceremoniously does the same, eyes wide. It was true, then, you could see so much more from the forest than you could from her house. Gently, she lays down on her mother's legs, Hannah carefully drawing her fingers through her scalp. Names of constellations come to her in waves, pointing out each one to the woman who smiles.

"There's an entire galaxy out there for you to explore," Hannah smiles down at her, hands resting on the ground before she looks back up to the sky, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kodelyn responds, playfully exasperated. She already knew that, and she knew that she wanted to be a ship captain just like her mother when she grew older. Of course she was going to explore. She'd get back up into space someday, even if she was only twelve right now, "It's pretty from here, right? So you can just stay here, with me."

Hannah sighs, though still good natured when she gently pulls Kodelyn into a soft embrace, "I'd love it if I could. Though I have a commitment to the Alliance, and I can't just walk away, little one."

"Then take me with you...." She whines, while Hannah chuckles.

"What do you have against being on Earth? I thought you'd like it, after all the time we spent on the Citadel, and the stations, and the ships," Hannah asks, leaning her head gently on her daughter's, "So much room to run around and play with kids your own age. You don't have to keep to the mess or medbay anymore, isn't that what you wanted?"

"Earth is...nice, I suppose. Too many bugs though," Kodelyn sticks out a tongue, reminded of her first experience with a spider only a few years ago. She shivers at the thought, but turns her big brown eyes back up at her mother, "I wanted to stay with you. And then you keep leaving."

"Oh." Hannah pauses, then squeezing her just a little tighter, "Kiddo, I'll always come back."

"And what if you don't?

"I will, and that's that," Hannah answers firmly, "And if you have your way, you'll be with the Alliance in a few years yourself. Just be patient, and be happy you still have solid ground under your feet for now, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Kodelyn figures this is as much insurance as she's going to get on the matter, and relaxes her head back onto her mother's shoulder, "Space is still better."

"As if there was a question," Hannah brushes her hair out of her face, "Love what you have right now, kiddo. Please. You’ll never know if you’ll get this back.”

“You just said you’ll always come back, what do you mean?”

“Don’t take things for granted -- you could lose it in an instant.”

And that's how it would've gone. She probably would’ve lived out the rest of her days on Earth, had her younger sister not been swept up in the biotic tests that drove them to live on the Citadel more often than not. And that's how it would've gone had they taken it in stride and gotten her further treatment on-planet instead of the Citadel. Had Hannah's stations not moved further and further away from Earth. The list went on. And that's also, probably, how it would've gone had she made an actual point to stay on Earth. That didn't happen for a multitude of reasons.

Does she miss it? Not particularly. Spiders didn't follow her up, so that was a win.

No, she doesn't miss Earth exactly. She misses how she and her mother's calls end up being less and less frequent. There aren't anymore evenings that she drags Hannah out by the hand to stargaze. It isn't as if Kodelyn can't just look out a window and see them either, but it's a special sort of lonely that she can't quite put a finger on. Did she ever love the stars, the ones that eventually killed her, or was it the time spent together?

After her death over Alchera, the first thing she does once she can get her hands on a secured and encrypted channel is call her mother. She’s nearly clamoring for any real sense of reality, or part of her past that she can get her hands on.

Hannah nearly cries when she hears her daughter's voice for the first time in three years. She figures she’s lucky to get in contact with her at all, considering her current situation. Yet even though she still knows next to nothing of what Kodelyn is doing, she’s just grateful that she spares the time to speak to her.

“Hey mom?”

“Yes?”

“Remember when we used to go star-gazing out on that hill by the house, when I was still a kid?” There’s a muffled chuckle on the other end of the line, “After Alchera, someone in Cerberus had a sense of humor and decided I must love it so much that there’s a skylight above my bed.”

Hannah curses, “Great. Is there a way you can cover it?”

“I’m looking into it,” Kodelyn answers, “Still, I think it was far more fun when my feet were on the ground, and would stay that way. You used to hold me like I was the most important thing in the galaxy when we went out there. Hard not to miss it.”

“Hard not to,” Hannah echoes the sentiment, “I can’t stay for much longer, but please, stay safe. I don’t need to find out that your ‘death’ was only a trial run.”

“I will. At least to the best of my ability. Love you.”

#kodelyn shepard #oc #original character

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ljandersen · 4 years

Text

Wrong Part of Town

Pairing: FemShep/Kaidan, ME-3

Summary: The wrong part of town isn’t fun unless you also attract the wrong attention. Shepard and Kaidan are up for a little fun.

______________________________________________

“I didn’t know you could get sketchier than the lower wards.” Kaidan glanced around them. “I was wrong.”

Ramshackle storefronts with cage-bound windows lined the corridor. The hunched over forms in the side corridors were either vagrants or dead bodies. Either seemed likely. The low ceiling and crisscrossing passageways gave the Citadel Underground a rat tunnel feel.

There were more broken-out corridor lights than illuminating ones. Kaidan wasn’t sure that was a bad thing. It might be a blessing he couldn’t see what they were walking through. Shepard strode with a confidence Kaidan envied. She didn’t even flinch when she stepped on something squishy.

“Well,” Shepard allowed, “I wouldn’t say my favorite store on the Citadel is here, but it has a certain grungy charm.”

“I’m going to need a flea bath.”

Shepard elbowed him. “Hey. This store really does have the U-57 Kodiak, you’re in for an all-night celebration.”

“Over a model ship? Bordering on fetish there, Shepard.”

Shepard kicked a tin can out of their way. It panged off a dark building. A batarian lifted his head from his concealed Omni-Tool screen. He sneered at them and flashed his Brimstone V heavy pistol, illegally modded, and then hunched deeper over his screen. Gangs of vorcha watched them from a bar across the way.

“Hey, come on.” Shepard leaned into him and whispered. “This has to be better than that starchy meeting that took four hours of our life.”

“The hours of our life are appreciating in value,” Kaidan agreed.

“I found my own entertainment though.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kaidan pulled her out of the way of a group of mixed species mercs. Judging by the way they bumbled against each other and sang different songs, they were on something.

“You had me going,” Shepard said. “I think I tapped Admiral Hart’s boots sweeping the floor for your feet. And, you, holding them up the whole time …”

“There were four admirals at that table, Shepard.” Even now, Kaidan could see Admiral Hart’s sweaty, pink face, jowls wiggling, watching them out of the corner of his eye.

“Table wasn’t glass. How’d they know if I played footsies with you? You were brushing our elbows together.”

“Yeah, because the chairs were mashed together. I elbowed you as much as I did Hackett.”

Shepard pursed her lips. “Solid strategy. Indiscriminate flirt, it camouflages the real target.”

“What? I resent that.” Kaidan folded his arms. “I really did think Admiral Hart’s eyes were beautiful tonight.”

Shepard laughed and bumped him sideways. A leaking pipe overhead made them skirt the wall. They stepped over spilled trash cans. A sewage smell hit them in the face from the side corridors. Shepard pulled Kaidan back into the street clear of the goopy puddle behind them.

“What do you think Hackett would do if he knew? About us, I mean,” Shepard said. “They wouldn’t court martial us with the war. Think he’d transfer you?”

“In a heartbeat.” Kaidan smiled lopsidedly at her. “He thinks I should be leading my own team. Probably worry fraternization will cause disorder on the ship. Worry about bad decisions in the field. The Normandy’s missions are high-stakes, dangerous, central to the war effort. He wouldn’t want them compromised in any way.”

“Hmm.” Shepard frowned and chewed her lip.

Two krogan pounded on a shop keeper’s door. The ‘go away’ from inside only excited redoubled effort. They gave Shepard and Kaidan squinty eyed grins that gleamed with yellow teeth. The krogan stared at them until Shepard and Kaidan had passed, then they turned back to the store.

Kaidan chuckled. “Entertaining place if you’re hard up on credits and feeling bored.”

“Probably more entertaining if they think you have credits.”

Kaidan grinned. He leaned into her ear as if to whisper, but his voice came out in a boom. “Don’t go flashing that lottery ticket around. Not in these parts.”

Shepard smiled wickedly. She glanced around and leaned in closer to him.

"And you forgot your gun too?” she boomed back.

“Don’t need a gun. I fight better after twelve drinks.” Kaidan staggered against her.

“Hey, sober up.” Shepard popped his back. “Heard your daddy’s getting real tired of paying all your ransoms.”

Kaidan squinted at her. “Hey, wait. Did I see your poster outside C-Sec? Something about dead or alive with lots of zeros.”

“That’s another Black-Eyed Cutthroat Bonnie. Common name.”

“Yeah, knew a couple classmates who went by that.”

Shepard looked around them. Her expression fell. “Nothing.”

Kaidan narrowed his eyes at the darkness ahead. Two vorcha sat on a garbage can picking their teeth.

Kaidan put a hand on Shepard’s shoulders and cleared his throat. “And then, I pushed him off the ledge. But not before he gave me the last piece of the map.” Kaidan patted his chest pocket.

“And you’re sure anyone can enter and get this for you? Not just the pure of heart.”

“The darker the heart, the better,” Kaidan said.

A vorcha stood fangs bared. Shepard’s back straightened. Kaidan’s hand fell away, and Shepard's fingers twitched with a blue spark. The vorcha lunged. It grabbed a half-full bottle of booze laying sideways on the ground. The second vorcha raised its spiky head, snatched the nearest weapon -- a chewed-up spatula -- and rushed at the first vorcha’s bottle. It looked almost like a slap fight, but with claws and a spatula.

“Maybe we should walk around with a six pack of beer,” Kaidan said.

“Next time, Pepe. Next time. Let’s keep moving.”

“Pepe?” Kaidan snorted but fell in beside her.

“Yeah. Come on, you wouldn’t want to beat up someone named Pepe?”

“A name isn’t usually the deciding factor in who I beat up.” Kaidan paused. “Well, unless it’s being applied to my mom, then I guess the name’s a factor.”

Shepard laughed. “We’re getting nothing down here. Probably find my U-57 and then get mugged.”

“I won’t let the street riffraff run off with your model ship.”

“I’m thinking more of the box getting stained in all their blood or dog-eared from a tug-o-war.”

“Just gives a collectable character.”

Shepard nodded sagely. She smiled up at him. “You got me a U-57 Kodiak, remember?”

Kaidan grabbed her hand. “Of course I remember.”

Shepard lifted their hands clasped together. “Not worried about being discovered and transferred?”

Kaidan shrugged and interlocked their fingers. “I figure someone sees us down here, it’ll be a mutual blackmail sort of situation.”

Shepard pulled her hand out of his grasp and slid it around his waist instead. She rested her temple against his shoulder. “Oh, Pepe.”

Kaidan pulled her tighter to his side. “Oh, Cutthroat Bonnie, you have the prettiest black eyes I’ve ever seen. You give Admiral Hart a run for his money.”

Shepard’s smile made him smile wider.

“Shop’s up ahead,” Shepard said. She kneaded her fingers into his side. “Not so bad down here, right? Even without a fight.”

“It’s growing on me.” Kaidan pressed a kiss into her hair. “If you think a four-hour meeting with Alliance brass was a time sink, just wait until the Normandy’s decontamination cycle.”

“If we angle away from the camera are you gonna let me play footsie with you?”

“I’ll let you play footsie with me in front of the camera. Make Joker blush.”

“Daring.” Shepard snuggled against him. “Now, let’s get me that U-57.”

From “About Mars”: AO3 and FFN

#Shenko #fanfic #Kaidan Alenko #femshep #femshep x kaidan #About Mars

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hunnybadgerv · 4 years

Note

Writer Ask Meme 3. What is your favorite/least favorite part about writing? 10. Pick an author (or writing friend) to co-write a book with 12. Which story (or: stories) of yours do you like best? why? 17. What things (scenes/topics/character types) are you most comfortable writing? 29. Is writing more of a hobby or do you write with the intention of getting published? 36. Post a snippet 49. Favorite fictional world?

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors

3. What is your favorite/least favorite part about writing? Getting started. Once I’m writing, I can usually find the zone. But it’s getting started that is always the hardest for me. Like this morning, I didn’t know where to even start. So, I opted to edit, since it is something I wanted to accomplish this week. And I know that in the revision process I also tend to refine my prose, i.e., write, so my editing and writing work today coincided.

I have, however, written every day this month and I’m hoping to continue that trend. But regardless of the time of day, getting started tends to be my biggest obstacle overall.

10. Pick an author (or writing friend) to co-write a book with. Must it only be one? Gosh.

There are so many great writers I know, more than I could ever even try to consider for this.

I’ve always admired @theoriginalladya for the uniqueness of her ideas and character development are second to none; I equally love and hate when she and I talk about her characters because I get super excited about them because of how amazing they are. Then I quickly become obsessed, which may or may not be the only “bad” thing. @painterofhorizons has angst super powers; even in a snippet of text she can rip your soul clean from your body. Her writing is so evocative and emotionally striking. Then there is @chyrstis, whose ability to seamlessly weave humor into her fics sparks more than envy. She manages to put characters into such believable, yet laughable situations that it only serves to endear them to readers.

I’m not sure I could ever co-write a piece, but I would count myself lucky to write with any of the writers I regularly associate with, especially one of these three. Apologies to all the amazing writers I know who I did not mention by name, but I already didn’t follow the question in the first place by mentioning three rather than a single one.

12. Which story (or: stories) of yours do you like best? why? Oh gosh. This is so cruel. One story! Really? That’s all. Honestly, First Watch of the Night (Guardians in the Darkness Series) is one of my favorite. I think that might be in part because of nostalgia--it is Nyx Shepard’s WIP. I actually have it planned all the way through ME3, though I’ve currently stalled in the revision process in the ME1 timeline. I’m not sure why either.

I find myself wondering if the reason I have not finished it is because once I know what happens, maybe I won’t have the drive to finish writing it. Maybe I can’t get past the block because I’m worried that finishing their story will vacate those muses from my mind, which I kind of don’t want. I really have grown quite attached to Nyx, Kaidan, and her crew.

Honestly, I think that might be the struggle I end up in with all my longer fics. Short fics in collection are so much easier because the story never has to end. A long fic follows a certain line and has a definite conclusion, which I think worries me.

17. What things (scenes/topics/character types) are you most comfortable writing? Umm, If you were to look at characters like Tayen Quick, Nyx and Feign Shepard, Furia, Remy McGinnis, Mari Ryder, Cyna Mahariel, and Laerke, you’d see a common thread connecting them. I tend enjoy writing strong female characters, especially those that are flawed or broken in some way. Honestly, Nyx and Furia, also to some extent Leah Rook, all share imposter syndrome to one degree or another--so does Mari. I always tend to have one or two characters that share a flaw. I have Mari, Laerke, and Furia who have all lost their entire families. Characters that come from big families. But I tend to write female protagonists more so than males.

29. Is writing more of a hobby or do you write with the intention of getting published? I published a short story in college. And I really would like to be published some day. Right now, I am mostly writing for me. I’ve got original fiction ideas, but I don’t work on them currently. I focus on my fandom work in order to practice and hone the skills and plans I have for future pieces.

I want to write something in the mix of fantasy/sci-fi. But I also have a strong sense of realism. I still hold tight to Mark Twain’s statement that the difference between real life and fiction is that fiction has to make sense. Things have to stem logically from one another in a story, and I always try to ground my writing in experience--sights, smells, sounds, textures that my readers can be familiar with--in order to add some sense of connection. I try to make my characters flawed in ways that feel accurate to them.

A part of me screams in the back of my head that I am a writer. I can be an author, but a part of me worries that perhaps it may not happen. I keep writing. And I keep trying new things. I’ll always be a storyteller. I will keep writing and falling in love with fictional beings and places that I cannot resist exploring.

36. Post a snippet This is from First Watch of the Night. I really love the characters and depth I managed to capture in this piece. Honestly, it’s one of the pieces of my own writing that intimidates me ... a lot. I don’t write the same way anymore. I feel like my writing lacks the same emotional depth right now. And I’m not sure why. It might have to do with how disconnected from other humans I have been in the last decade.

The scene here is Nyx Shepard and her father from Chapter 18:

The two Shepards watched one another for a long moment, before Taranis returned his attention to one of the soft cherries. The commander sighed, sipping her tea quietly while the captain waited. It was his usual tactic. He knew there was more and he could always wait her out. Nyx would talk to him in her own time, even if it had to be in carefully crafted abstractions. His daughter knew the drill. Taranis' methods were nothing new to her. He would take long pauses, allowing her to consider all the things she was not telling him. Then he would ask careful questions in case it was actually related to her current or a classified assignment--since need to know could interfere with her desire to disclose and his fatherly curiosity.

Whatever it was, Nyx held onto it much longer than usual, which told him she really did not want to bring it up. Despite this, Taranis knew she would relent because she kept glancing over at him with a look that suggested she was merely trying to find the way to bring it up. Nyx always came first for him; he redirected his career to give her the life she had, a life where there was always one parent there to hold her tight when things weren't just so. He knew it was not perfect, but he did everything he could to be there for her.

Nyx sighed as she set the tea cup on the table between them. "Fine," she breathed heavily.

It took another few moments for her to look up at him. Then she scooted a little closer, lowering her voice in discretion. Watching her carefully Taranis could not quite be sure what she was going to say, but she bit her lip and winced a little when she finally asked a question he never expected to hear.

"What did you do when you met Mom?"

Everything froze for a second or two as he stared at her. The little blush on her cheeks threw her father for a loop, but made him smile. "Well, damn."

The commander shook her head at him, trying to discourage him from thinking too hard about what she had just asked.

"Answer the question, please."

Captain Taranis Shepard rubbed his hand through the short stubble on the back of his head as he stared at his daughter in stunned silence. "I avoided her. Tried to just keep my distance. I even put in for a transfer," he admitted with a wry smile. "It got denied because I did not put in what command thought was a valid reason. Then, on leave, I talked to your Grandpa Shepard about it."

Nyx smiled and laughed. "And what did the old devil dog have to say about that?"

Her voice held a note of disbelief that her father was not surprised to hear. Taranis' father was a stickler for rules, regulations, expectations. He was strict and set high expectations. The captain could tell by the way his daughter eyed the dregs in her tea cup that she was as completely unprepared for what her father was about to say as Taranis had been when he heard it.

"He told me it was not a weakness to want someone to be part of your life."

Nyx's eyes darted to his. She was easily as shocked as he had been. Moving the tea cup, Taranis laid her hand out in his and covered it with the other.

"I told him all the things, I'm pretty sure you're telling yourself right now. All the excuses about regs, concerns, and bad experiences and stories you've heard," Taranis said quietly as he stroked the back of her hand lightly.

She leaned toward him. Her voice was tight with emotion. "And?"

Holding her hand tightly, her father smiled at her softly. "He told me that there are some things that outweigh the regs."

They were both quiet for a moment as Nyx let herself fall back in the chair. Her mind was clearly racing. Kirk Shepard had always stern, at best; he still was totally by the book in everything except when he met his wife. That was the only rule Taranis could think of his father ever even bending, let alone breaking out right. Nyx had been very close with both her grandfathers; she respected them as men and as marines. For her they were role models, people she that influenced her greatly.

"I'm going to tell you something you probably don't know. My parents met in the service, too. We Shepards seem to fall for our brethren," he said playfully. Nyx did not look relieved in the slightest. "He almost lost her on a mission. Even in love, your grandfather was still the same man. He couldn't justify risking the primary objective. The mission at all costs, you know?"

Taranis knew she understood it. Hell, he knew she lived that decree just as solidly as his father.

"She made it out alive, barely. Your grandfather, sentimental bastard, proposed to her when she woke up from surgery. Grandma Amelie was just as stoic as he was. Told him she would consider it, but only if he promised to do always put the mission first, even if she was in his command. She believed him when he said he would. Even lived up to it. Had to put her at risk once more in the field before they got married."

"And he told you this when you asked him about Mom?"

"Yep," Taranis said, nodding as he studied his daughter's reaction. "I was rather hoping I wouldn't have to tell it to you, but I guess it was too much to hope you'd break the trend of falling for servicemen."

She shrugged and looked at their hands for a long moment. "Seemed to be going well for a while," Nyx said quietly.

"Just tell me it's not the Zingel kid."

Her laugh made him smile, and brightened her eyes. "No, it's not Caz."

Taranis leaned back in his chair, fidgeting with his uniform for a moment. "So, tell me something about this fella."

The way she tilted her head at him suggested that the question might have been her maximum.

"At least tell me his name so I can start checking up and get a little peace."

"Da."

"Fine." Taranis let his hands fall on the arms of his chair. "Don't relieve your old father of the undue stress he is now placed under worrying about what kind of man his plucking his daughter's heart strings."

"Seriously?" she replied with a doubtful look.

They both knew she did not see herself as the type of woman who was plucked, but Taranis had a long and vivid memory and he could still recall the girl with the romantic sensibilities.

"What? I remember the shelves of Austen, Gaskell, and the Brontes. Then there were the sonnets your grandmother always sent you. And if I recall you were planning on marrying Captain Wentworth." He tilted his head at her slightly. "Perhaps I should have seen this coming after all."

They both laughed. Then Nyx sprang forward and hugged her father around the neck. "I've missed you, Da."

"I love you, Nyxy-girl."

Her lips were warm on his cheek. "Love you, too," she repeated before she stood. "I should probably go."

"We should do this again," her father offered, as he stood and proffered his arm. "Soon."

His daughter smiled and looked away for a moment. "Sure. As soon as I can."

Once they exited the little shop, they stopped and he touched her cheek before he bent and kissed her forehead again. He did not like her chosen phrase. Taranis knew she meant it, but he also knew the schedule she had kept for the past several years and there was little hope of relief given the most recent change.

"I'd prefer sooner," he noted.

It always killed him to say what he said next, the phrase was tradition, but always made his heart ache because he knew there was always a chance that he could lose his girl in the line of duty. He had been in her boots and hung them up for her. She had taken them up with fervor and so much more skill and determination than Taranis ever possessed.

"Good hunting, Commander," he said, a waver in his voice, as he saluted her sharply.

Nyx returned it as smartly as she would to an admiral. "Thank you Captain."

Taranis watched the girl with her mother's hair and his eyes weave through the crowds in the wards. He remembered meeting a boy once, at her basic graduation. Keith or Kyle or something that started with a K. He managed to stick around until a few months after her graduation from Exeter. Somehow the kid had stuck it out through three mission deployments before the relationship ended without so much as a whimper. The captain could not remember his name or much else about him. Even after a few years together, his daughter never hinted at the question she just asked. It elated and scared the hell out of him.

49. Favorite fictional world? I really enjoy writing ME and in SWTOR. They are amazing worlds full of science, magic, adventure, and drama. Though I’m also drawn to fantasy for the same reasons. But I think futuristic worlds and space are some of my favorites.

#Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing #30 Questions for Authors #Writer Questions #long post #painterofhorizons

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