#spring fling 2024 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thecandywrites · 2 months

Text

Monster March 2024- Day 6- Doppleganger- Adjacent- Spring Fling

So what makes this Prompt Adjacent is- I actually commissioned @momolady for a modern- Short King- Goblin Boyfriend. Because I had this idea but my brain- at the time went- "nice idea, I have no dialog for that". She has not released the commission to Tumblr yet (it's coming, Matthias is EPIC and everything I never knew I always wanted) And OF COURSE, the moment I commission her? My brain went- 'Oh yeah, here you go'. So, obviously different characters, different names, same idea and concept which is close enough to a doppleganger in my opinion. And what better way to share "versions" of the same story than through something like this? And of course, I want to be clear- this is not being released because I wasn't perfectly happy with my commission, that's not true, I'm always 1000% satisfied. This is just what my brain gave me while I waited on a *Professional* because plot bunnies have a way of breeding and growing.

So, as always, huge thanks to @borealwrites for their amazing Monster March 2024 Prompt List. You have brought order to my chaos. lol. Enjoy.

Spring Fling

Gabe stopped and froze when watched the most beautiful woman he had probably ever seen in his life- walk into the hotel lobby as he was trying to push his kid and himself and their luggage cart into the elevator but stopped and rubbernecked the lilac night elven hybrid beauty that walked in.

“Hello Gorgeous.” Gabe breathed to himself as he felt his eyebrows raise into his hairline and his cock twitch against the leg he had put his cock next to in his pants. Hot damn.

She was gorgeous and practically a goddess. That perfect, pastel lilac with a soft ballet slipper pink undertone skin, paired with long, platinum blonde hair that reached that bodacious derriere, hanging in curls he wanted to wrap around his finger. Those hips that were hypnotizing him. He nearly fell over, trying to crane his head around as he watched her walk through the lobby.

And that jiggle of her ample cleavage and even that heavenly soft belly? Oh, he was done for. And then to see her in a sports miniskirt, with those long legs, with her large and in charge thighs that jiggled ever so deliciously from her steps, that he wondered would snap his waist off if they were to wrap around him? He could dream. Especially to see those tattoos snake up her legs and disappear under that skirt? Oh he wanted to see just how high up they went.

She was already nearly statuesquely tall, made even more exquisitely so in her wedge sandals with those bangles around her ankles the charms delightfully jingling with each step, accentuating her beautiful, pedicured feet in them.

Granted, Gabe was half goblin and half verdan, so he was already short, and he already knew every other woman was going to be taller than him. Which, he had made his peace with, a long time ago. Then he looked past her to see that the affect that she had had on him- was the same affect was on every other guy in that lobby as they seemed to part for her and let her walk right up to the desk since they had already checked in themselves but seemed to linger to watch her appreciatively, from orc, to elf, to tiefling, to minotaur, to human, every single kind of guy stopped to stare, some of them even whistling which made her head duck down and a pretty fuchsia blush dust on her cheeks as she pressed those full lips into a thin line and those heavenly lashes flutter as a worried frown cross her features before the protective side of Gabe came roaring to life.

He owned a coffee shop, and employed a lot of baristas and he knew that look all too well. But this wasn’t his establishment and, as much he wanted to step in, he was clearly outnumbered and most of these guys were at least two to three times his size and ten times his strength.

“Hi, I have a reservation under Thorne?” She offered to the receptionist before the elevator dinged.

“Dad?” Tristan asked and that finally pulled Gabe out of the spell Miss Thorne had seemed to cast over him.

Right, he was here with his son. He probably shouldn’t go chasing tail while he was with his son. He needed to refocus.

“Yeah, sorry, let’s go.” He finally said before he pushed the cart into the elevator before a few more passengers boarded the elevator with them to go up to the various rooms.

Meanwhile, Tatianna kept her head down as she walked into the hotel as she felt anxious that she felt that everyone was staring at her as she tried to walk quickly from the door to the receptionist’s desk and hated that the lobby was full because of course it was full of other dad’s whose wives and kids were in the car as they waited for their dad’s to check in. But being a single mom, she had to do this and to see a guy rush from the back- to dismiss the receptionist so he could stand proudly at the check in desk and smiled brightly at her as he got into position to wait on her as he even gestured to her and called her over.

"I can take care of you right here Miss." He pleasantly called out.

“Hi, I have a reservation under Thorne?” She asked as she had her phone- in it’s wallet case in one hand and got the credit card she was going to use to pay for this trip- in the other.

“Yes, hello Miss. Thorne, welcome to Starlight Suites. My name is Nathan, I’ll be checking you in today. I see you have booked a Little Dipper Suite, however, we are actually overbooked for that class of suite. So could I get you a free upgrade to an Aurora Suite instead?” The manager asked hopefully as he had seen her from the office and immediately got up out of his chair so he could check her out himself.

“That would be wonderful, thank you.” Tatianna smiled as she seemed to pull her phone down just out of sight as she silently put the phone to record this interaction.

“And you said that’s a free upgrade to an Aurora Suite right?” She repeated for her own record as she tucked her arm under her cleavage but kept the phone placed in such a way so as to record him too.

“Of course. You won’t be charged anything, not even the smallest of fees for the free upgrade to the Aurora Suite.” He repeated with a charming smile.

"Oops, overbooked on those too, Let’s get you into the Grand Celestial Suite.” He quickly offered as he clicked like crazy on his mouse to move her reservation up through the various tiers of their system- straight to the top.

“And also, for the inconvenience, I’m going to throw in fast passes for the park as well.” He informed her as he went ahead and gave her every add on he could in the computer and using his managerial code to comp it all too, as if Tatianna had been a five diamond award inspector he was trying to schmooze his way into getting a five diamond rating. But he was going to do his best to give her a five diamond experience nonetheless as the other receptionist slowly turned her head to give her manager an incredulous look before she just turned back to what she was working on and subtly shook her head.

“Oh, that’s very generous of you. Thank you.” Tatianna simply smiled pleasantly as she had hoped that this wouldn’t happen. But, at the same time, this would enhance her daughter’s Natalia’s vacation too so she shouldn’t complain as she chanced a look at the other receptionist and saw how she was just shaking her head and Tatianna was sure she was blushing from her chest up to the tips of her ears as she feared all the other guests were about to contest that perhaps they didn’t get the same treatment. But thankfully that didn’t happen.

“I’ll be right back.” Nathan offered before he had to go into the back to get the packages that were technically supposed to get all kinds of upcharges to access, but that he was freely giving to the hottest guest he had had in years as he avoided the irritated glares of the receptionist who was on duty but who had instead made herself busy clearing out the room cards from other guests and putting them into the basket that was used to recode for new rooms.

Nathan came back only a moment later with everything he had eagerly grabbed from the back to make a custom “welcome package” for his guest. And when he printed out practically half a reem of paper of all the coupons and vouchers and passes to her, he had to instead put it all into a folder to keep it all organized as he even gave her a discounted rate on her actual reservation. So that she essentially got half of her original reservation for free, but with the value of everything she now had, was really at a huge discount as he made sure to use his best pen- to write down all his phone numbers with, especially his personal number on the back of his best business card for her.

“Will you need any help getting your luggage from your vehicle? Also, feel free to park in priority parking. Just in case.” He insisted as he made sure to give her a special placard that she could park there without getting towed or anything before she took that as well.

“No, we packed light, we can carry it ourselves. Thanks.” She waived off before she waived by with her left hand, trying to subconsciously flick her left ring finger with it’s wedding ring still there on her finger the most- to hopefully catch his attention and give him the subtle signal that she wasn’t “on the menu” herself before she walked out of the line of sight of the receptionist desk and past the elevators, just as Gabe was there, with his now empty luggage cart.

“Oh, are you returning that?” She asked as she pointed to it.

“Yup, you need it?” He asked as he gently pushed it towards her.

“Yes, thank you so much. Have a great day!” She thanked him brightly with a smile that shamed the sun and that made him swoon as she took it and pushed it herself as now Gabe could really oggle that amazing ass and those powerful thighs in that flouncy work out mini skirt with shorts underneath- as she walked away from him. But not for long before the elevator doors closed and he found himself simply sighing in defeat as he went ahead and pressed the button for his floor.

“Down boy.” He sarcastically chided his own cock as it had seemed to instantly get hard and wanted out of his pants and instantly into her. He was practically a dirty old man at this point, there was no use lusting after a sweet young thing like her.

He went back to his room and unpacked and then went to go get some ice and nearly dropped the ice bucket when he saw Miss Gorgeous walking down the same hallway he was staying on with that luggage cart with quite a bit of luggage on it.

“Natalia, could you please get the door for me?” Miss Gorgeous asked a young girl who was wearing a hoodie with her shorts and headphones and still nose deep into her phone before the girl murmured and put the key card to the reader and opened the door for her mom.

“Thank you Sweetheart.” Her mom cooed as she maneuvered the luggage rack into the room from the hallway before the door shut behind her and Gabe practically engraved the room number onto his brain before he decided not to be a nosy stalker and continue to get the one thing he knew he needed to get- ice. And at this rate, a very cold, ice cold shower.

Then, once he had to practically dive to scrape the remains of the ice from the ice machine and he got the ice and was on his way back to his room, he noticed the manager outside of her room, knocking.

“Is there a problem?” Tatianna asked worriedly once she came to the door.

“No! No problem at all, Miss Thorne, you just forgot this at check in. And I wasn’t sure if your drink bar was fully stocked or not, so I brought some complimentary items, just in case.” He offered her another folder and a bunch of gift bags, practically bursting with goodies and even a flower arrangement and two bottles of wine in wine gift bags, dangling from his fingers, one red, one white, along with a bottle of champagne, the best they had- from the bar downstairs.

“Oh, thank you so much.” She managed to say in a forced polite, pleasantness that Gabe caught onto once again as his instincts suddenly planted his feet right where they were as he stayed at a respectful distance but still in full view as his own ears seemed to train on Miss Gorgeous and this manager, who was clearly making her very uncomfortable.

“And of course, my card, feel free to call me at any of those numbers if you have any needs that I can fulfill.” Nathan tried to say as he pointed to his personal number he had written on the back of his business card for emphasis as Gabe frowned deeply as she seemed to want to hide as much of herself behind the door.

“Oh, ok, I still have your card that you gave me downstairs at check in, but thank you. Now I really have no excuse to accidentally lose your number. But really, the room is very nice, quite luxurious, thank you so much for the free upgrade, my family and I really appreciate it and it’s really making our family vacation from good to great.” She tried to compliment.

“Oh, yeah, um, sorry, did I need to add more passes or something? Did I miss someone?” He asked as he distinctly remembered that there was just one adult and one minor at check in, both feminine names.

“No, it’s a girls weekend this weekend, we left the boys at home. And it isn’t Miss Thorne, it’s Mrs. Thorne actually.” She tried to waive off after she put the things down behind the door instead of letting him come into the room himself.

“But we really appreciate your hospitality and generosity. Have a nice day.” She tried to politely say before she shut the door and Gabe’s gut and instincts screamed at him that this asshole was going to be a problem. Gabe got a good look at the manager’s name badge so he could have half a mind to write corporate about this as he changed his course to walk right up to this guy as the manager made a single step away as he had turned away from Gabe to head to the elevators.

“Can I have your card too? Just in case I should need anything either?” Gabe asked loudly before Nathan seemed to jump a little that he got caught before turning on him with an irritated scowl that he quickly tried to cover up in a pleasant smile.

“Unfortunately that was my last card, I’m sure if you go down to the receptionist desk, they can give you one there. If you’ll excuse me, other guests need my attention.” Nathan politely offered before he walked off and rounded the corner at the elevators before the door creaked open and Mrs. Thorne peeked her head out.

“Is he gone?” She whispered.

“Yeah, he’s gone. Sorry about that, you should complain to corporate for harassment.” He offered to her as he backed away from her door, so as not to appear to be crowding her too- as she poked her head out further to make sure that manager wasn’t lurking anywhere before she heard the elevator ding and the doors open, thanks to her large, beautiful ear inclined towards the elevators as she faintly heard him huff as he went on and then the doors closed, bringing him back to the main lobby.

“Here.” She offered the card that the manager just gave her and gave it to him.

“Are you here with your family too?” She asked as she eyed him appreciatively as she recognized him from the elevator earlier as now he was closer, she could take a moment to really appreciate more of his features. Those big, beautiful sage green ears, combined with that very distinctive nose, that had been just a touch crooked from his fighting youth she imagined and she of course, noticed how a few gray hairs peppered his otherwise dark brown hair as it slicked back over his head with a few pieces, defying it and curling back over to hang in his face as a few wrinkles seemed to frame his eyes and make a pair of laugh lines around his handsome mouth.

“Yeah, granted that family consists of just me and my son, Tristan. But yeah.” He offered.

“That’s wonderful. I take it you’re here for the Spring Fling?” She asked hopefully as she nodded out of the window that showed the amusement park, with it’s world renowned and world record holding roller coasters piercing the skyline since this hotel was considered one of the many resort suite hotels of the park.

“Yes.” He confirmed with a nod.

“Us too, maybe we’ll see each other again at the park. Here, he gave us free vouchers for fast passes at the park this weekend. If they’re tied to my room, just use my room number and my name. Tatianna Thorne, in room 1553 and you can claim you’re my guests if need be. Here let me write that down for you.” She grabbed at her purse behind the door and got a pen out and wrote them down on the paper before she just handed him the new folder of new coupons and vouchers, another set of the ones Nathan had already given her at the receptionist's desk.

“Oh, we’re ok. You don’t have to.” He tried to refuse her.

“Did you have all of this already? Because if you did, you could use this instead and get a refund for yourself.” She tried to insist as she took a step out of her room and practically pushed the folder into his hands.

“You don’t owe anyone anything, me most of all. If the manager is going to be like that- the rest of your stay, I’ll happily bear witness to his harassment as an objective witness to it. Just in case.” Gabe insisted.

“I know, that’s why I’m so grateful for you stepping up and stepping in. He insisted that all of this was free at check in and I’m afraid that if I say anything now, he’ll end up charging me for all of this. And I really don’t have that kind of money. And I really don’t want it to be a ‘he said- she said’ kind of thing.” She offered in a low, hushed murmur, as if she was afraid that if she said it too loudly, the manager would jump out of a room at any moment as she gave the hallway another worried glance to see a family head towards the pool as the dad gave her a longing glance before he refocused on his family.

“So what exactly did he say at check in?” Gabe asked as he felt himself slip back into protective manager mode.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, could I get your email address? I actually recorded the conversation, just in case. I could send you the audio file, it’s too big to send in a text.” She offered as she pulled her phone out of her pocket on her shorts under her skirt.

“Yeah sure, it’s…” Gabe gave her his gmail address before she gave him her phone as he traded his ice bucket and the folder for so she could save him as his contact as Gabe felt like he must have slipped and hit his head because this felt so surreal.

But the poor woman was scared because she was being preyed upon. And obviously this had been done to her so many times that she knew she had to do things like this to protect herself and he would not be that asshole to take advantage of this, or her before they traded it back and she sent a quick text to him, so that he would know who the new message was from so he could save her in his phone.

“Dad?” Tristan asked once he poked his head out of his room to wonder where his dad was.

“I’ll be right there.” Gabe offered.

“Thank you so much for doing this. I hope you have a good weekend with your son.” She offered.

“Thanks, and I hope you have a good girls weekend. You should call those boys in your life to come if he tries that again.” Gabe offered.

“Oh, that. Yeah.” She blushed and looked away guiltily and moved her side swept bangs behind her pretty ears that had blushed a dark violet.

“White lie to keep the creeps at bay?” He guessed.

“That obvious?” She asked with a wince.

“Nope. Sounded like the gospel truth to me and it is- as far as I’m concerned. I own a coffee shop, the things my baristas have to tell all their customers, I’ve heard it all.” He waived off.

“Oh! That explains it then. I’ll let you get back to your son. Thank you so much for your help.” She offered.

“Yeah, and if you ever need mine, I’m just a few doors down the hall, in 1575. Don’t be a stranger ok?” He pointed to where his son was standing and watching curiously.

“Only if you won’t be one either.” She grinned happily.

“For sure Mrs. Thorne- enjoy your evening.” He offered as he used the folder in his other hand to salute her off and walked away, feeling a whole foot taller.

“You too.” She returned before she slipped back into her room.

“So what happened?” Tristan asked his dad.

“You know how I, very rudely and disrespectfully, ogled at Miss Gorgeous when she walked into the hotel?” He asked with a wincing grimace.

“Yeah. And now you’re talking to her. Did you get her number?” Tristan asked his dad hopefully.

“I did, but not for that reason. The manager of the hotel was coming on to her and she was very, understandably- uncomfortable. So I made it a point to stay and witness the interaction, just in case the manager tries anything else. And because I took that stand of solidarity, she got my number and my email address so she could send me the recording of the interaction as proof of what the manager did, just in case he doubles back on either her or us. And, he already gave her a set of fast passes and so she had these extra ones that she felt obliged to share with us. So if we see her, and her daughter, be nice and say thanks ok?” He urged as he gave his son the folder and put the ice bucket in it’s place before he fished his phone from his pocket to smile at the new number and save it as Tatianna Thorne.

“Holy cow! She got…everything! He hooked her up!” Tristan gasped in astonishment as he took the folder to the table and took out everything and organized it before Gabe wiped his hands off and came over and sat down to see it all.

“Tatianna Thorne.” Tristan read off of the pretty name written across the paper.

“Pretty name.” Tristan grinned at his dad.

“And an even prettier woman with it.” Gabe blurted as he just looked at all of this stuff and knew he was holding vouchers for hundreds, if not at least a thousand dollars worth of stuff as he got on the app and used the codes already printed off on the papers to add what he could to his digital tickets on the theme park’s app and grinned when all of it was added flawlessly and seamlessly.

“So what’s her daughter’s name?” Tristan asked.

“I have no idea. I didn’t ask and she didn’t tell. But I’m sure you’ll see her around, probably at the pool if not in the theme park.” Gabe shrugged.

“Got it all?” Tristan asked before they double checked it.

“Yup. Got it all.” Gabe nodded.

“Can we go down to the pool now?” He asked.

“Yes.” Gabe caved before they got changed into their swim trunks and went down to the pool and swam around for a while with the other kids before Tatianna came down, both her and her daughter in bikinis and bath robes as nearly every guy and several women with a pulse seemed to stop and stare to see them there.

“Ugh.” Natalia glared at everyone who was gawking at her and her mom.

“Let’s just go.” She urged her mom as she pulled the bathrobe around her tighter.

“If you feel unsafe we can go. Do you feel unsafe?" Tatianna asked.

"...no..." Natalia grumbled as she practically had to stamp 'fuck off' all over her face as her dirty glares finally got the others to look away and stop staring at her or her mom.

"Well, if any of them dares to approach you or makes you uncomfortable, let me know and we will deal with them and we'll leave. But otherwise, I would really appreciate at least a little soak in the hot tub. The younger kids are still safe, I'm sure most of the moms are too. And there's other girls here who look to be about your age. Maybe you can make a friend or two while we're here.” Tatianna encouraged as she put her things down and put her hair up into a messy but still gorgeous bun before she shirked the bathrobe off and walked over to the hot tub and slipped in just about the time, all the dads seemed to want to get into the hot tub too.

“Hi, I take it you’re Mrs. Thorne’s daughter?” Tristan asked as he came up to Natalia and gently tapped on her upper arm before she turned on her heel to start cussing this guy who had the audacity to know her mom's name- before she turned and frowned and closed her mouth and then looked down to see Tristan there, staring up at her with a friendly smile. Aw, he was just a little kid. Ok, false alarm. She reeled her knee jerk reaction back and dialed down her intensity a bit and tried to remind herself that not every single man she saw was not out to get her or her mom. That there were still some good, and innocent people out there. And with him being so much smaller than her, and appearing to be so much younger than her, she happily slipped into 'big sister' mode.

“Oh, hi, yeah. I’m Natalia Thorne. Nice to meet you.” She offered as she sat down on the sun chair so she could be more or less eye level with him and smiled warmly as he looked about at least a year younger than her, but because he was clearly a goblin hybrid himself, made him a lot shorter than her, but only helped her feel more at ease with him.

“I wanted to come and say thank you for the fast passes and the drink cup vouchers and the funpix.” He cheerfully offered to her.

“Aww, you’re welcome. I’m happy you get to use them. So what’s your name?” She asked as she offered her hand for him to shake.

“Tristan, Tristan Black. That’s my dad- Gabriel Black. But you can call him Gabe.” He said as he pointed over to his dad who was still in the water, trying not to get jumped on by the other kids jumping into the pool as Natalia connected the dots from the earlier conversation her mom had had in the hallway that she had overheard.

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you Tristan. So you’re here for Spring Fling right?” She asked.

“Yeah. I won this trip in a book reading contest at my school over the whole school year.” He smiled.

“Awesome! How many books did you read?” She asked.

“One hundred and thirty eight!” He beamed.

“Holy cow! Wow! That's a lot. I probably only get to read a few a month. Which ones were your favorites?” She asked.

“All of the Lord of the Rings.” He smiled.

“Ooh! I've seen the movies, never got a chance to read the books.” She offered happily.

"Well did you like the movies?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah, granted they're a bit typecasted. But yeah." She nodded.

"Well yeah, unfortunately, it is. That's the way it's always been in Hollywood." He had to nod in agreement with a more dissappointed expression.

"Well you never know, there's a lot of actors and actresses that try to break all those typecasting molds. Besides, with Netflix and Amazon and Disney, new types of media are being produced all the time. Maybe a new mini series will come out that will break all the molds and make us look at everything and everyone differently." She encouraged.

"Well what kind of books do you like to read?" He asked when he saw a corner of a book peek out from her pool bag.

“Oh! It's a ‘laws of the universe’ book that discusses how gravity, electromagnetism, along with strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force can orchestrate how different solar systems work and we can use them to chart courses through star systems one day.” She answered as she pulled it out and showed it to him.

“Woah, I know about gravity. I don’t know about any of the other things.” He offered sheepishly as he stared at the different diagrams and things in the book.

“It’s ok. Very few people do. I just really like science. But did you know that most of the rides that are in the park- run on electromagnetism? Every single steel coaster uses electromagnetism…” she began before she slipped her robe off and walked with him from her chair back to the pool to talk about how and why they used it to mimic jet propulsion without having to use the engine of a jet or the mechanics of a big hill to gain speed and momentum.

Gabe hung back as he was sure Tristan was learning more in this moment than he had his whole life in school as soon other little kids, overhearing Natalia talk about the coasters came to join in on the conversation and listen to her with rapt attention as she sat on the steps with all the little kids around her as the older kids seemed to hang back and then regroup with each other and left her alone.

“Did you invent the roller coasters?” One kid asked.

“No, it's just an interest of mine." She shrugged off before the other families came down to the pool as the older teen guys immediately perked up at seeing Natalia there with the other littler kids as their dads seemed to immediately notice her mom as Tatianna immediately put her guard up with the older guys as Natalia did the same with the older boys.

Meanwhile- Tatianna felt like she batted away every advance from every other guy, even ones clearly there with their families as she used that time to make sure each and every single one knew and understood that her daughter was only 14 and way under age and off limits and that if their sons tried anything, they would be dealt with accordingly with the proper authorities if need be. Granted she got a bit of flack for her daughter dressing like "jail bait". But she could easily and readily defend that the problem was with them- sexualizing a child. Not, what that child was wearing.

That seemed to shut the dads of the boys up and get them to pull their sons aside and let them know that Natalia was off limits. But that didn't stop all the other guys who didn't have a son to pose 'a threat' to Natalia to just close in tighter as they were eager to run all the other guys through the dirt and mud for practically being pedos. So while Tatianna got to win Natalia some breathing room by getting as many as she could off of her daughter's trail in a sense- it only made her feel more hunted herself.

The wives seemed to congregate together and watch on jealously as Tatianna wished her bikini top covered more of her bountiful chest, even though it was cut modestly, her bountiful chest could make a nun’s shroud look sexy as sin. She felt like her breasts were liable to float right off her chest and into the eager hands and mouths of the others in the hot tub with her as the rest of her body was not even close to relaxing, if anything it was even more tense than it had been before she ever slipped into this hot tub.

But then, Gabe got out of the pool and Tatianna found herself practically staring to see, even cold, the burmese python of a cock in his swim trunks as she subconsciously licked her lips and wanted nothing more than to see just how big and girthy it could get when it would get hard. He was like a well seasoned steak among fast food burgers, and she was starving and sick of fast food.

“There’s room for you to sit here Gabe.” Tatianna offered as she moved so that he would be between her and all the others in the hot tub.

“Oh, thanks.” He grinned as he came to her rescue and spread out to give her more room and space as she practically wedged herself into a far corner.

“So how are those boys of yours doing? Hopefully not getting into trouble while you get a girl’s weekend with Tali are they?” He decided to ask her before she beamed a happy smile for him that he would refer back to that little ruse she had used earlier.

“No, they’re on a motorcycle trip up north- doing the Tunnel of Trees because the trees are blooming and it’s really pretty this time of year. But much chillier.” She offered.

“Nice, and they ride…?” He ventured.

“Oh Matty got himself an Indian Pursuite Elite. So he and Jake are quite comfortable on that ride.” She beamed as Gabe whistled as the corners of his mouth quirked up into a big grin.

“That’s a nice bike.” He nodded.

“That’s a forty five thousand dollar bike.” Another dad balked.

“Well My Steve had an Indian Chief before and for our anniversary this year, he went ahead and got himself that early anniversary present.” Tatianna divulged.

“How many years have you two been together again?” Gabe asked.

“Fifteen. Natalia is 14 already. I can’t believe it, we’re getting so old!” Tatianna laughed, her own lines and wrinkles on her own beautiful face seeming to really make her look that much more like a masterpiece in Gabe's eyes.

"Nah, just better with time. But I know Steve still counts himself lucky to have you faithfully by his side." Gabe offered and the look of adoration and happiness that practically made her glow.

"You bet your sweet ass he does. He's never had to worry about that from me." She proudly proclaimed.

"Because you've never given him a reason to worry." Gabe smiled as she nodded.

"And I know he trusts you to keep an eye on his girls while he's away." She winked at him which made him crinkle his nose and laugh and nod.

"A trust I don't dare betray." Gabe nodded before the others took that as deterrent enough for them to lose interest and get out of the hot tub before Gabe slid away to afford Tatianna more breathing room before she finally felt safe enough to relax.

"Thank you so much for that." Tatianna thanked him as she melted into the hot waters.

"I take it, that happens to you a lot?" He asked.

"Yeah, I keep forgetting how much Stephan shielded me from all of that. Now, it's just easier to wear the ring and have everyone assume the idea of him as deterrent enough." She muttered.

"Divorce?" He guessed.

"Nope. He died. He was a firefighter. He got caught in the California wildfires when he volunteered to help fight them. His helicopter crashed when he got stuck in a fire tornado." She revealed.

"Yikes." He grimaced.

"Yeah. What about you? Please tell me you don't have a tale of woe greater than mine." She tried to offer in a slight teasing tone.

"Nope. Not even close. Tristan came from a one night stand. But his mom and I are friends but obviously it was a one and done. Simple joint custody. She moved on with another guy. And I have tried to as well. But every woman I try to date, thinks that every young batista I employ is a threat to her. But they are just college girls in a college town just trying to survive each semester. And I have no interest in girls in that age group. Especially when I'm right at that age where I'm not quite old enough to be their dad but not quite young enough to be a big brother either." He tried to explain as he used the water to slick back his hair again before it would fall back in his eyes and disrupt his view of her.

"What's the college and what's the town?" She asked curiously.

"Oxford." He answered.

"Oxford… Ohio?" She asked.

"Yeah…" He answered as she started giggling then laughing.

"Oh no way. Eaton." She offered.

"Oh my gosh. Wow. Small world." He had to laugh with her because that was practically 25 minutes away from home.

"So what's the name of your coffee shop?" She asked.

"Coffee, Black. Because my last name is Black and that's how I like my coffee. And I also own the adjacent bar Black and Tan." He offered.

"Nice. I'm a trauma nurse at Kettering Medical, Preble. I'm the trauma nurse stabilizing patients when they get care flighted from our little rural Medical Center to Dayton or Richmond Indiana." She offered.

"Wow." He blinked in surprise.

"Matthew was a helicopter pilot for Med Flight when he wasn't a firefighter or when he wasn't in the airforce, flying choppers for them. And we met when the Preble County Medical Center got a set of helicopters and a group of helicopter pilots. And after I showed a lot of aptitude for it, he got me on his crew and we got on the same work schedule so that we always worked together. But since he died, I've been on the swing shifts with the other pilots when I'm not the triage nurse." She confessed.

"Did he really have that motorcycle?" Gabe asked.

"No, he had a Suzuki, his brother got an Indian though and he got to ride it a few times when his brother broke his ankle getting his bike into a motorcycle trailer. That Indian was the most comfortable bike I had ever ridden and we had agreed that for our anniversary, we would upgrade to that. But when he died before we could do that, I used a portion of his life insurance policy and I upgraded to an Indian Elite. I got it in royal blue, my favorite color. But the way Tali and I pack - we needed the SUV for this trip and it's only supposed to be hot today and get the cold snap tomorrow. You know how spring is, a lamb one day and a lion the next." Tatianna murmured lowly so that only Gabe could hear her as she leaned in and cupped her hand around his handsome and distinguised ear before she sat back up as he could only hope and pray that these bubbling waters would distort the fact that his cock was practically trying to swim into her from there. God, it had been practically a lifetime since such a heavenly sound went into his ears as her face brushing up against it, almost made him shudder instead of just lightly shiver as all the hair on his arms tried to stand on end.

"So what about you? Is it just you and Tristan? Do you have any pets?" She asked.

"Two cats, and two dogs." He answered.

"Alfie, Lucie, Bugger and Trix." He listed off on his fingers as Tatianna got to appreciate he had four fingered hands and those fingers were bigger, and stout and strong and long. Long enough to probably reach her G spot just right if he fingered her she mused.

"Three cats, 1 dog." She answered.

"Jasmine, Contessina and Roxanne for the cats and one big chonkous humongous dog - Buddy." She listed off.

"Sounds like a full house." He said.

"It is. But that's only because Steve and I never got to have more kids. Because by the time Natalia was 4 and in preschool, and we were already so happy to be done with nursing, weaning, and diapers and potty training, and I was wanting to jump head first into flying helicopters, I couldn't do that and have a baby on the tit at the same time because I took those four years off to be a stay at home mom, which was fun, but I missed work and I didn't want to get just to the point of flying just to be grounded again for another four years. But then, just as I got my pilot's license, just for Steve to die in a helicopter crash trying to fight those wildfires that burned most of the state, and for him to be gone and now it feels like I wasted all that time learning to fly when I could have been a mother to more kids, but, still, can't change anything now. And now that Tali is getting older, it's nice that it's just the two of us and every weekend gets to be a girl's weekend." Tatianna tried to justify.

"Woman, you're gonna make me cry." Gabe tried to tease as he wiped a stray tear from his eye.

"Sorry, sorry, sad backstory over." She shook her head.

"So tell me about all those baristas in that coffee shop of yours." She instigated.

"Oh you mean the walking disasters that think common sense in a special kind of change in the cash drawer?" He remarked before she barked a loud laugh before he did everything in his power to make her laugh as her peals of laughter soon echoed in the pool room.

"Mom? I'm hungry." Natalia said as she came over and sat next to her mom.

"I'm hungry too Dad." Tristan said as he did the same.

"What sounds good for dinner?" Tatianna asked.

"I don't know, let just get dressed and see what's around." Natalia shrugged.

"Ok, see you at the park, you guys have a good night." Tatianna offered before she slipped out of the hot tub and picked up her things, slipped into her flip flops and left with her daughter out of there as Gabe resisted the urge to follow them.

"So how did things go with Mrs. Tatianna go?" Tristan asked.

"Really well, how did things go with Natalia?" Gabe asked as he noticed his son was practically vibrating with excitement.

"She's so cool! And wicked smart!" Tristan gushed before he spent the entire walk back to their room to talk about it.

"So why did you stay so close to Gabe?" Natalia asked and she and her mom got to their rooms and stripped out of their bikinis to get changed into something for dinner.

"Because he heard me tell the manager it was a girl's weekend and that we left "the boys" at home." Tatianna prompted.

"And?" Natalia nodded.

"And Gabe was there, in the hall and witnessed that. And he stayed until the manager left. And at the pool, he brought that up to the other guys, and we pretended to know each other and with him playing along with the little white lie that Dad is alive and that you have a brother who is currently having a boys weekend with Dad, he was essentially a cockblock for me. And saved me from more and more aggressive flirtations. And he owns a coffee shop in a college town and he deals with aggressive patrons trying to flirt with his baristas so he's used to running interference without also having an ulterior motive. And so far he's the first one on this trip who hasn't tried to flirt with me. And he just made me feel... safe and relaxed while he shielded me." Tatianna tried to explain as she stuffed her boobs into yet another minimizing bra to try to contain her bountiful cleavage.

"So the first gentlemen among pigs." Natalia grinned as she slipped into a sports bra and then another outfit for dinner before she grabbed her little makeup bag.

"Yes, very much so. But now, thanks to this little white lie that got spun into this whole thing and with Gabe practically swearing I'm a good little faithful wife who would never dream of infidelity, now I can't pursue him while we're here without appearing like a huge hypocrite and then open myself up to the masses. And to make it either worse or better, he lives in Oxford. Like 20 minutes away. And he's actually my age! And he wears his age so well and he's actually, genuinely funny. But this is still our vacation and I should be focused on you." Tatianna tried to console as she touched up her own makeup in the mirror.

"Hey, if you want to get dicked down while we're here, I'm cool with that. And if a weekend fling ends up being a little more permanent, I don't mind. Plus, Tristan and I got along pretty good. He's still at that "most girls have cooties" stage. Which is actually kind of nice.” She praised.

"So what would you like for dinner?" Tatianna asked.

"Steak, and shrimp." Natalia answered.

"So that's either Outback, Longhorn, Texas Roadhouse, Logan's…" Tatianna listed off.

"Let's invite Gabe and Tristan, see what they want." Natalia offered.

"Really?" Tatianna asked as her eyes lit up and her ears perked up.

"Yeah, if your ears perk up that high at the thought of it. Yeah." Natalia grinned happily, happy to see her mom happy too.

"Ok." Tatianna beamed before she shot Gabe a quick text. Oh this trip officially had the potential to go from good to great if Gabe said yes.

To be continued….

#Monster March 2024 #Monster March 2024- Day 6-Doppleganger-Adjacent #Spring Fling #Goblin Boyfriend #Short King Modern Goblin Boyfriend

7 notes · View notes

nico-meridius · 6 days

Text

Spring Fling 2024: Archived

�� Once again a big Thank You to Gil for pulling all the material together for Spring Fling! Thank you to all those who participated. It was great to see all the fun things as I recovered! I can happily say all the material for Spring Fling has been archived. So if you missed it, or would like to take a second look – head to the archive! Sylum Archive

View On WordPress

#Archived #Spring Fling: 2024

1 note · View note

meidnightrain · 3 months

Text

SCENT OF SUMMER BREEZE - a 6reeze event

❝ take a breath and wipe your sweat, till it feels like summer once again ❞

SUMMARY: the scent of sunshine still lingers on, the breeze carries the memories that bloomed with him as you wait for the summer to kiss your cheeks once more

WARNINGS: reader is gn in all fics, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, tw will be put in fics itself on a later date

NOTES: this is a yorushika inspired event, with all the fics being named after their songs! do not send asks to my inbox asi won’t respond to them or may forget about them. updates may be sporadic and inconsistent. alternatively you can follow the tag 🎐 - scent of summer breeze.

TAGLIST (only reply to this post) : @akutasoda, @ryuryuryuyurboat, @luvkvni, @kaiserkisser, @kissingkzuha, @veekoko, @lillian-llumina,

BLOOMING IN THAT SUMMER - aether

modern au, gn reader, childhood friends to lovers

you’ve never had the heart to confess to your crush and things take a turn when he leaves on the last day of summer

EAT THE WIND - venti

canon timeline, reader is gn, bartender x alcoholic

as someone who’s always given love advice, you’ve never given it a try until a drunk bard stumbles in one summer day

FIREWORKS BENEATH MY SHOES - xiao

modern au, reader is gn, doomed summer romance

fireworks are beautiful and colorful but short-lived, ending with a bang just like your summer fling with him

GHOST IN A FLOWER - kazuha

high school au, reader is gn, friends to lovers

eating popsicles under the summer sky, dancing barefooted by the shore, you pray these memories won’t fade like ghosts

SPRING THIEF - heizou

canon timeline, reader is gn, forbidden romance

meetings under the cherry blossom tree have always been a summer dream when two lovers are on different sides in a war

THE LYING MOON - wanderer

canon timeline, reader is gn, youkai x puppet

three times he has met you under the lying moon, each with a different name but this fourth summer, you do not know his.

185 notes · View notes

aintinacage · 3 days

Text

“What would you have me do?” Garden | @monthly-challenge

#springfling2024 #spring fling 2024 #spring fling #monthly challenge #garden #timothée chalamet #timothee chamalet #timmy chalamet #theodore laurie laurence #theodore laurence #little women #little women 2019 #florence pugh #amy march

27 notes · View notes

theroadtofairyland · 1 month

Text

Spring Fling

Watercolor on Black Paper

2024, 9"x 12"

Daffodils

84 notes · View notes

monthly-challenge · 1 month

Text

Hello Everyone, welcome to the third Monthly Prompt Challenge, April Spring Fling (April 10-April 30, 2024)

How To Participate:

Reblog this post to get the word out!

Create your own Gifset, Fanart, Fanfiction, etc!

Tag your post as #springfling2024

Tag us → @monthly-challenge

Rules and Guidelines:

There is one prompt for each day! The event starts on April 10 which will give you time to get a head start on your creations!

Make your own creations!

Absolutely No NSFW content!

Whump and angst are acceptable and encouraged but please no gore!

Tag me! I want to see what you have created! As long as I am comfortable with what you have created, I want to share it to this blog!

If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out!!!

Other Things To Keep In Mind:

You do not have to do every prompt in order to participate

The choice of fandom is up to you!

If you are a few days late on a prompt, it's okay! As long as you tag me and the post appropriately, I'd still love to see it!

#springfling2024 #April challenge #monthly challenge #gif prompts #fanfiction #gifset #fanfiction prompts #spring #monthly prompts #prompts list #fanart prompts #prompts challenge #fic prompts #art prompts #prompts

64 notes · View notes

popjunkie42 · 2 days

Text

sirens in the beat of your heart (read on AO3)

A humble offering for @nestaarcheronweek 2024! This is for @witch-and-her-witcher who is my fearless beta and takes all my writer whining in stride!

Nesta watched Feyre breathe, watched the tension in her with some queasy feeling. At how quickly tempers still flared between them.

So different from her Valkyrie sisters. They were a unit, complements to each other. Unlike the Archeron sisters, always discordant foils to one another. An ongoing play of hurts and scores and changing allegiances that tore at them all.

The specter that was between them: sleeping but still present, of jealousy. Of hunger. Of two skinny, vicious girls scrabbling for whatever was left on the table. Teaching themselves not to need love from the inhospitable desert that was their family.

Feyre took deep breaths until her muscles relaxed, just a little.

Or: Nesta and Feyre try out a bit of their new relationship post-ACOSF.

Behind the cut or Read on AO3.

It wasn’t the dull, constant thud of knives in wood that drove Nesta to the roof.

The truth was she couldn’t sleep, feeling a restlessness inside of her that had her lacing up her boots and leaving Cassian alone, sprawled out on their oversized bed.

The House of Wind was silent at night, except for the wind that sometimes howled outside, the cold stone air smelling crisp and mingling with the ash of dead fires from the evening. Nesta moved quietly, reluctant to break the stillness, heading towards the roof for a breath of fresh air.

At the first noise she had tensed, reaching for a knife that wasn’t at her side, but quickly relaxed when she saw the familiar lazy braid of her sister.

The night sky hung over the training ring like a dome, the jeweled stars of the Night Court sparkling overhead. It was a cold night, for spring, and a chill wind whipped across the stone, masking her footsteps.

Feyre was in leathers that looked a size too tight, thrown on hastily. Her youngest sister was never one to shy away from the casual or practical but tonight she looked…disheveled. Light hairs were whipping out of her braid, a halo of fine, frizzy hair framing her forehead and temples. Her boots were thrown on without being laced. She stumbled in them as she leaned forward for a throw.

There was also the fact that she was flinging knives, alone, at almost three in the morning. At someone else’s house.

Only one knife was lodged in the painted wood target, others littered around it. As Feyre released another blade, the wind kicked up and blew the dagger wide.

“Shit,” she muttered into the night.

“Your stance is crooked,” Nesta observed, walking up behind her before she could grab another blade.

Her sister gasped a little and whirled around, revealing a blotchy red face, blue eyes puffy with tears.

“Nesta,” she said, sounding guilty. Feyre quickly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Did I wake you up? I’m sorry. I just — I didn’t want to wake anyone at home and I thought it would be quieter —”

“You didn’t wake me. What’s wrong?” Nesta’s mind ran through the options — she wouldn’t be here if something happened to Nyx, and to be alone— “What did he do?” she asked, ready to draw blood.

Feyre laughed in exasperation, sniffling. “Rhys didn’t do anything. I’m fine.”

She turned away, and another knife flew through the air, silent and fast, missing the target by an inch and clattering on the ground amidst a dozen other failed attempts.

“You need to loosen your shoulders.”

“Thanks.” Her voice was clipped, her back stiff. Nesta wondered if she had been hoping for Cassian to be the one to find her. “Do you want me to leave? You can use the ring or whatever you came to do.”

Another knife thudded against the wood, hitting the target but failing to find purchase. Feyre avoided Nesta’s eyes. She swallowed, sorting through the maze of Feyre’s emotions.

If her little sister thought she could hide her avoidance, or if Nesta wouldn’t rise to uncomfortable confrontation, she was sorely mistaken.

“Feyre,” Nesta demanded. That unsettled feeling was only growing, as Feyre’s magic seemed to crackle and hum in front of her. Like her emotions were a storm about to spill out of her body. Nesta hadn’t woken up tonight prepared to deal with this emotional powderkeg.

The way Feyre’s eyes grew cold, like she retreated in on herself, and the stubborn jut of her chin made her look so young. This was the Feyre she was used to tearing apart over a worn dining table — raw with anger and a little self righteousness, fear and cruelty simmering just underneath.

Someone she hadn’t seen in a while, under Feyre the Cursebreaker, under the High Lady.

“I was just stressed, all right? I couldn’t sleep.”

“So you came here to lose all our knives?”

Feyre went stiff.

Her own wisps of wind cast out and gathered the knives, scraping over the stone and into a gently swirling cloud she brought back to the small table beside her. “Maybe I just wanted to throw things. Maybe I don’t care if they hit or not.”

Nesta didn’t know what to say. So she grabbed a knife and stepped up to her sister.

“We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” Maybe she could call Cassian. Her stomach sank a bit at the thought, the guilt. Maybe Cassian would be better at this, maybe he wouldn’t fumble and stomp his way through Feyre’s mess of emotions.

Thunk. The tip of Nesta’s knife buried into a bullseye.

Feyre huffed.

This time when her sister stood she anchored her back foot, setting the other in front, bouncing her wrist to feel the weight in her hand.

She pulled back her arm, stepped forward and they both watched as the knife went short, skidding loudly across the stone.

“Your stance is too tight. You need to loosen up your back a little, let your arm go.”

Feyre grunted, her lip curling up in a little angry sneer.

“Hey. Look at me.”

The eyes that met hers were like a beast in the forest.

There was her feral little sister. For a while now she had been the cool High Lady, the head of her house, the responsible sister. To see her old anger flare up again startled Nesta.

They were both far too powerful now to let it get the better of them.

“Take a deep breath. Just like me. And hold. Ready?” Nesta exaggerated the swell of her lungs, the lift of her shoulders. Cold night air filled her chest and she felt her feet ground into the stone, like she was an extension of the mountain.

Feyre fought her at first. She had to close her eyes to take in the deep breaths and let go.

“Let your thoughts come to you, whatever’s on your mind. Just let them fill you and then pass through. Keep breathing.”

Nesta watched Feyre breathe, watched the tension in her with some queasy feeling. At how quickly tempers still flared between them.

Feyre took deep breaths until her muscles relaxed, just a little.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help,” she finally said.

Nesta’s voice was as cold as ice. “I think maybe we spent so long fighting over scraps, and now it’s hard to remember —”

“That there’s enough?”

Nesta nodded.

It was hard to put into words. She was still getting used to the endless affection that poured from her mate, how she could ask for things and be given them without a thought, without a cost.

Even though a new peace lay between her and Feyre, the old scars were human, and wouldn’t heal so easily.

“Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

Feyre sighed again, her eyes focusing on the shining knives in front of her.

“Nyx finally went down and I was trying to fall asleep, but I remembered this fae a few weeks ago who came to petition — she and her family needed help with their farmland since their father died unexpectedly. And I told them we would send assistance — and then I just — forgot.” She swallowed thickly.

“I got up and was at my office trying to find the notes, and Rhys tried to send me back to bed, like he isn’t up working late into the night most days. Like the weight on me isn’t the same as his,” she played with a knife, pricking her fingertips on the tip of the blade idly.

“Then Nyx started crying, and it was like my whole body seized up. It was weird. It was like…my body didn’t belong to me.” Feyre shook her head, looking pale. “I just thought about that family, waiting every day for help, waking up every morning thinking ‘this will be the day.’ And I just…forgot.”

For a moment, something vicious slithered inside Nesta’s gut: a preening, satisfied feeling. At perfect Feyre, finally stumbling for once.

No. Nesta breathed through the thought, watching her sister’s tight face. Checked frantically that her shields were up.

That was an old way of thinking. When she thought they were competing. Let the thought pass through you. Feel it and let it go.

Nesta shifted on her feet. This was her terrain, her familiar training grounds. How would Feyre fit in this space?

She tried to shift the way she saw her sister. How would Cassian, or Azriel, size up a new recruit? What would Nesta feel towards her if she was a new priestess, walking nervously through that door?

How had she felt when she saw Gwyn pass that threshold for the first time, scared and seeking strength? Why was her sister any different?

“I might not be able to give any High Lady advice. But why don’t you pick up a sword? Let your body work it out.”

Feyre shook her head, her arms wrapping around her stomach. “I haven’t trained in months. And — I feel different. My body feels different. Even with everything healed I just feel…changed.”

“We can start at the beginning. I won’t go too hard on you.” Nesta cocked her head, unsure of what to make of the writhing mass of Feyre’s emotions.

“I don’t want this. I don’t want to —” Feyre paused, looking away, unable to meet Nesta’s eyes. “I don’t want some competition to see who’s the better fighter. You can be the warrior now. I don’t want it. Maybe I never did.”

Nesta swallowed. Thought about the emptiness that came when she first spilled blood –

She let the thought pass through. Focused back on Feyre, circling her slowly, watching the way she was tracked with her sister’s eyes, how her body turned instinctively to keep Nesta in her sights.

Not a fighter, she said.

This one needed an anchor. A goal. Something outside of her own panic to hold to, to pull herself up.

“Koschei is coming.”

Her words were casual. As if he were arriving tomorrow for tea.

Feyre’s face hardened. “Yes.”

“And are you ready to face him? Ready to protect your family?”

“Nesta…”

“Are you?”

Silver lined Feyre’s eyes. Nesta felt her heart crack. But she stayed still.

“No.” It was a whisper in the wind.

She watched as Feyre worked through it, the seizing fear, the desperation, the stubborn Archeron resolve to face it.

Mother knew there was nothing Nesta wanted more than her life here, small but full, with Cassian in her bed and next to her in the training ring, with her friends nearby and her work. Growing every day, luxuriating in love and happiness and sore muscles like it was a warm bath.

But Rhysand had shared Cassian’s memories with them all, of a frozen lake, of a chill wind that promised death and malice. Of even Cassian’s quaking fear.

“Then we’ll get there. I’ll help you. If you want. Or Cass can or — whoever you want.”

Nesta tried not to feel the worry of rejection. Every swing of the axe, or pull of the bow in lessons between them before had been fraught with sizzling tempers and cold viciousness.

She thought about Gwyn and Emerie, about Roslin and the other priestesses she worked with, encouraged, cheered for everyday. Thought about those emotions like a cloak and tried to see how it would fit around her sister.

“You would train me?” Feyre asked. Nesta tried not to bristle at her surprise, at whatever part of that offer caught her sister off guard.

“I could show you the Valkyrie techniques that will work with your Illyrian training. Sometimes these days, I’m the one teaching Cassian things.”

Feyre gave a watery grin. “I’m glad. Someone needs to check that Illyrian arrogance.”

“Maybe that’s why we’re mates. The Mother knew they all needed to be put in their place.”

A blade turned slowly in her sister’s hand. “You’re the Oristian.” A small, wistful smile came over her face. “I wish I could’ve been there when Devlon and the camp lords found out.”

Nesta’s smile was cold. “They don’t know what they’ve unleashed.”

“I’m proud of you,” Feyre said, her voice a choked whisper, Nesta's eyes going wide. “Not that — I know you don’t need —”

“Feyre.” At her tone, her sister stopped babbling. “That’s —” Nesta took a deep breath, letting all the discomfort and swaying emotions from her sister settle and pass through. Whatever anger or resentment she might have from before had washed away when she smelled the blood in that birthing room, when she had to beg for her baby sister’s life from the Mother herself. “Thank you. It was really hard, for a long time. But I’m happy. I’m happy here.”

Her sister’s chin wobbled and her face crumpled just before she buried it in her hands.

Breathe. In and out.

Nesta thought about her Valkyrie sisters. How sharing their heavy stories had made them feel lighter. How they looked into each other’s souls and didn’t turn away.

“Feyre. It’s ok.” Nesta rested her hand on Feyre’s arm, feeling her body shake with sobs under her palm.

At her touch, Feyre fell forward, burying her face in Nesta’s shoulder, covering her leathers with tears.

Nesta stiffened, unused to her sister’s touch.

Hating how she felt like her mother.

How would she want her mother to hold her? How would they all hold Nyx from this day forward —-- without reservation?

You can do this.

She could do it —-- accept love, and give it too. It would be hard but —-- she reached out her hand, pulling Feyre closer, rubbing her back gently, breathing through her discomfort and trying to bring down those walls.

When Feyre had tired herself, she stepped back, looking somewhat ridiculous with a swollen nose but with a new lightness in her eyes.

“I thought — I worried — you and Elain might never be happy here.” Nesta thought of her library and her friends there, of Cassian’s scent, and his stupidly handsome face. Happy.

The moment sat quietly between them, Feyre’s fears and the miles they’d traveled unraveling.

“I’m sorry I’m falling apart,” her brow furrowed in frustration. “I had Nyx and everything makes me cry now. Yesterday I stepped on a worm in Elain’s garden and Rhys raced home from the Governor’s council because he thought I was dying.”

Nesta’s lip curled. “I think Nyx has the power to turn all of us soft.”

“Do you ever look at him, and —” Feyre stopped short, like the words died in her mouth.

“What?”

“Sometimes I look at Nyx, and I think…I hate them. Mother. And…father. Sometimes.”

Nesta stayed still. Like the admonition would have her sister bolting at any wrong move. “I think I know what you mean.”

Feyre nodded. “I love him so much. And how could they have seen us so young and still do what they did? How could they have let themselves look away? It seems impossible. And then I worry: what if there’s some secret terrible thing that will happen that will make me feel the same way someday?”

“You will be a thousand times a better mother than our parents ever were to us. There’s no way you could ever be like them, Feyre. It’s impossible.”

“But —”

“Feyre. You’re a good mother already.” Feyre’s chin wobbled again. “And if you do slip up, I’m sure your sisters will let you know about it.”

Feyre took a deep breath, in and out through her nose. “You promise?”

“Try and stop us.”

A smile was on her sister’s face.

Nesta grabbed a throwing knife, the metal warming in her hand.

“Ok, do ten shoulder rolls, then we’re working on your stance.”

The yellow-pink fingers of dawn were pulling at the horizon by the time Feyre’s boots were tied, her muscles stretched. It wasn’t enough to warm them, yet, but the light shone on something brighter in Feyre’s face. Nesta reveled in the new feeling of being the cause of it.

She turned to her new recruit.

“Are you ready?”

#nesta archeron #nestaweek2024 #feyre Archeron #Archeron sisters #acotar #ACOSF #acotar fanfic

48 notes · View notes

paladin-of-nerd-fandom65 · 1 month

Text

'Who am I to Complain?'

As part of my own contribution to this year's first day of Spring 2024, aka the in universe birthday of one Richard John Grayson-Wayne, the First Robin and the crime fighter known as Nightwing, I would like this opportunity finally....FINALLY...posting up for you all a fic that's been in my drafts for pretty much the better part of any entire year. Originally meant on being released last Christmas, various forms of delay, writer's block and other general distractions have prevented me from finally finishing such a project. Well finally after such anticipation at least on my end, I have managed creating a final form for this story I think can satisfy.

For very quick context, this story is a component of my long running idea proposing and lore building of my own version of the DC Comics Universe. In particular, it takes within the long storyline both @thattimdrakeguy and I have crafted for the better part of two years, the first part being involved within the hypothetical Nightwing solo book, 'Clipped Wings' and its follow up crossover with Detective Comics proper, "Blue Hawk Down'. For more information regarding the general summaries of events, check out the links here and here.

I shall like to dedicate this story to my mutuals and friends @adalineozie @meara-eldestofthemall @nightglider124 @faesystem @confusedhummingbird @spider-jaysart @mothnem @lightdusk96 @camo-wolf @sbd-laytall @theredheaded-stuff @celaenaeiln @starlightbelle @shootingstarssel @avaraydrake @pin-crusher2000 @sillymanwithocs @batboyblog @bluegarners @tarisilmarwen @orange-s-mario @altinyns-multimedia-museblog @katmaatui and so many others

Constructive Criticisms are Generally Welcome; Replies and Especially Reblogs are greatly appreciated

The Following May Contain Graphic Scenes of Violence, References to Sexual Assault and other themes not suitable for a Young Audience. Viewer Discretion is Heavily Advised

As per usual, All Rights and Copyrights to Characters and Concepts seen in this work are owned by DC Comics, Inc, a subsidiary of DC Entertaiment and Warner Bros. Discovery

With all that....Happy Birthday Dick Grayson....Here's my gift of Grade A angst for you

Sigh. Cough Cough

Look at yourself. Just Honest to God, Dick, just look at yourself.

Take a good look at those cuts, that blood all over your ugly as hell face, that blood pouring out of your stupid, big fat hole you call a mouth. You wanna know who’s Goddamn fault it was for all this? You wanna know who's responsible for you being more pathetic and a freak than you already are? Cough Cough

You.

Don’t try to deny it. Why should you?

After all, you allowed this to happen to you, right? Not just with what happened tonight but over these last few weeks. You know what I’m talking about. Losing your home and failing to find out how despite insisting you paid for it. What will Kory Cough say now when she comes back and sees that home you wanted to allow her into isn’t even yours anymore? What kind of fiance are you to allow that?

Why stop there? Here you are, without any place to call a house, your face gushing and oozing red as it had been lately, broke, nobody likes you, not a single damn soul cares about you. You wanna know who’s fault it is? Yours. In fact, as you right now are flinging that bottle of peroxide into your ugly face and stinging from it as you deserve, how about we explore what even happened tonight that led to this, shall we?

I think I should…Cough

Three Hours Earlier….

BAM

“Ack!”

“Tell Us Goddamnit, You Blue Wearing Cunt!!”

As if I would. How do I tell these bastards where the hell Bruce is if I wasn’t even able to speak to him for weeks by now?

I know what you’re thinking, ‘but are you his…’

Stop right there right now. If you’re gonna pull that whole ‘you’re his son’ bullshit on me, for one thing, at the very most I was adopted, I ain’t his real kid. I never deserved being his real kid at all given who we are. Another thing too; if he were to come to my help, he would’ve done so about…God knows how many times by now lately. I would handle it anyways, what kind of person needs any sort of father or even friends when it was their own damn fault they wound up taking two bullets to the hamstrings?

Why yes, that’s what I’m going through and yes it was my Goddamn fault being this utterly stupid and an utter embarrassment with my training for getting caught by those sickos like I was. Now you are thinking, everyone has an off day and…

BAM BAM BAM BAM

Crap! Two on the calves and two more on my hamstrings, I can tell.

“Motherfucker….” Damn it all they weren’t supposed to hear that. Great, now they laugh at it.

The hell’s wrong with me? There’s no time to let them know what’s going with my nerves acting up.

“You know, guys” (Cough) Keep it in, Grayson! You got something to say these assholes need to hear Damnit! “ You’re getting absolutely nowhere right now. If I knew where Batman was, I still wouldn’t tell you. So what the hell makes you think I do then after an hour and…”

“Shut the fuck up, Birdfreak!”

BAM

A kick right to my face? Yeah, another in my long line of failures and that one was justified; I should’ve seen that one coming. Hey, compared to the bullet holes though, it’s nothing really. Besides why even be hurt by that when I have this lowlife staring directly at my ugly mug of a face right now?

“You know him, more than us here! You have to know where he went! We got a sweet little gig here and I ain’t rushing to see that pointy eared son of a dick trying to ruin it! ‘Sides, you’re in our hands now, so you see; once we’re all done here one way or another, we can get that dough from the cops since they’re looking for you more than us! Now you tell us if he knows about this place and if he’s coming, will ya?! We ain’t got all night and I’m missing my game!”

Sweet little gig? As in the child trafficking operation they got here right now? Some of those children right behind me behind a cage like animals, forced to see me pinned on my torso and face, taking crap in many ways from them? They call that ‘sweet’ in mine and their faces?!

“You calling that a game? Selling kids to sexual slavery? I really hate to see what’ll be your idea for a movie if that’s what you.re saying” That quip, I couldn’t help, it was damn true and these creeps needed to hear that. It was about as much a fact as Bruce hates me right now and rightfully so.

Yet all they do is laugh even harder than before. They’re really….really starting to get on my nerves.

Their ringleader grins ever so much in my face. His disgusting and unbearable cigarette smoke billows in my face. “So what?”

So what? So what?? Is that really your best retort to me? It’s unbelievable, just what kind of devils and evils dwell in this city. But it’s evil I hunt for every single night. No one around me sees what I have to or does what I do around these parts. Not Bruce, not Tim, not Kory, no Donna….no one. On that note, no one should have to. Maybe it’s my failure to stop evil like this and everything I do, everything so wrong and never good enough, that’s why I’m certain Bruce decided just to cut me off.

No job, no place I can call a house or a home to stay in, no money, no spare clothes, no answering my calls, nothing. It’s been about three months of this so far, a three month test to see if I break if I had nothing, only for the big bad bat wanting me to literally cry my way back home to him. You know what? Screw you too, Bruce. Or whoever was doing all this. I know that, even for you Bruce, ins outs of everything, even you normally won’t stoop this low. It’s not just nothing I’ve been trying to figure out suggests otherwise. Maybe it’s just this….paranoia….no I can’t be paranoid. What’s happening is real and I need to deal with it and…

“Hey Cockscuker, you listening to me??”

Oh right, this asshole.

Looking at him, I can’t help myself but make my eyes go towards his own. What does he think would work now to make me talk?

In his hands was some sort of object. It looks bladed, I can tell based on the glistening of the steel coming from the moonlight coming in through the window. Once he gets a bit closer, I see it now….oh of course….a damn pizza cutter. Oh and just my luck too, in his other hand is a goddamn cheese grater. I guess either this warehouse is for kitchen tools or just my karma telling me how much I fucking suck and rightfully so again. Maybe the latter.

The asshole only grins at me. “Okay then, maybe some…slices can get ya to talk. What do you say?”

I take a deep breath and brace my teeth within my mouth. No use crying out, screaming or any of that weakness than I already showed earlier . This frankly I deserve, and come on.

I’ve taken a few swings from a baseball bat from Two Face, got injected with Slade’s nanoscopic probes that were shredding my cells inside and out, got blasted by an alternate Luthor, forcibly swallowed a heart paralyzing pill by Slade and the actual Luthor (that bald cunt)….and now just a circular blade and a metal sheet with blades on it on my forehead and face?

Seems fitting enough to take; whatever I’ve done and didn’t do in my vow to protect the innocent and never strive off the path of justice, being a terrible friend, never good enough for Batman as I had always been, letting the only two people that actually had any right to care for me fall to the sandy and hard floor, shattering almost every bone in their bodies when I had only one job to do which was catch them….yeah this is appropriate. This is exactly what I deserve after all of that. Losing my home, my job, and my means to do basically anything for myself, I deserve that.

Who am I to complain, really?

Back at the Present Day….

Sssszzzz….

“Ah Fuck!”

Peroxide…it never fails to emit any sort of sting on any sort of cut, don’t it, Dick?

Oh but you gonna start cussing and feeling it now? What the hell’s wrong with you? You can’t handle just a tiny sting of this shit without any yells?

Suck it up, will ya? You’re acting like a spoiled brat.

Who are you to complain about really?

Oh and by the way, there goes the last of our Peroxide, just circling down this old bathroom sink drain into God knows sewer pipes along with the blood it splashed off. You're gonna have to fetch some more, Dick. It’s not like Bruce is gonna get us anymore.

Fuck Him.

We’ve been putting up with his shit every since we lost are damn place to stay in, then our jobs all over this city, villain after villain breaking out, us being blamed for the Mayor, his wife and girl getting ripped to shreds and blood all over one day with one of your Wingdings, making you hunted down from pretty much everyone (for what only $1.5 Billion Alive? Oh c’mon that's too generous of a bounty for you. I’d put myself at about only 25 cents given your piss poor track record); You know for sure Bruce did all this, all behind the scenes, pulling every string he can to get us like this.

And why? Letting him know that you can take care of ourselves that one time and him being this offended by it? Well, fuck it, You’ve been showing him alright! Things are shittybut maybe that’s just how he likes it for you. Nothing gonna change that anytime soon; might as well make it the best for you, because it’s all you can do by now.

So now, no shoes, no fucking good socks at all, only one pair of torn sweats, that black tee, suit and toothbrush in your bag, here in this damn blizzard….every breathe getting…heavier….kinda….getting hard to stay awa…Cough Cough Cough

Hey! Cut it out, Dickface! Cough Keep going at least somewhere! Anywhere out of this snow…so much of it….Wait, that spot there, in this alley. That’ll work for now.

You hear that, laying on this backpack now….yeah this’ll work….at least not being out in that wind, though…..so much snow….it’s everywhere. It’s been everywhere these last few days. Fitting really, since well you do hear that right?

C’mon pick it up, Dick, your ears can’t be that piss poor

Cough

“May I, as your new Mayor, wish us all in this dear Bludhaven…..”

Yeah, there it is…..old Mafia boss now politician giving his speech for what today is.

“A Good…Merry ... .Christmas…!”

Okay, you get the idea. At least that’s one thing you got right….

Getting sleepy now….

…...pretty cold…..tomorrow might be better….

But at least that’s one thing, Dick….

…this damn city….all of its people….they got a good Christmas….

Gotta close your eyes now…..

Wait….that the Redbird….isn't that….can’t be Timmy…..