#yellow and orange are out of my comfort zone for the most part so this was a fun experiment | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

carpenoctxrn · 1 year

Text

Doctor. Doctor. (Spencer Reid x FemReader)

Chapter 6: The DIstraction

Chapter 5 is here

Join my taglist by clicking here so you dont miss my future works.

Warnings: Horny reader, manipulative reader like they actively try to seduce, mentions of fingering reader, mentions of voyeurism, creepy vibe reader like they are obsessed with Spencer Reid.

P.OV: Y/N

Walking to the group outside I didn’t understand how I should behave. These people are profiler’s. The abrupt actions of before could be justified as first time jitters but now, thirty minutes into the party I couldn’t walk away anymore. I had to face my fear, or rather face my crush.

“Here’s a cocktail made for you by a gentleman whose name I learned is Matt Simmons,” I said as I handed Lisa her drink by coming up in front of her on the couch. Across from me sat Phil and Penelope, the couch against the wall had Luke and Lisa, while Spencer sat on the couch opposite of Luke and Lisa.

“Ohh that's a nice sunset colour,” Lisa said excitedly at the orange and yellow hues of the drink.

“Reminds me of the sunsets I saw as a Lonely ranger,” Luke said with a dramatic seldom look on his face as he looked into the distance.

Penelope just stared at him with a Youre fucking crazy Newbie look, whilst Phil and Reid just laughed at his expression. Lisa however was genuinely interested in what more Luke had to say.

Slowly sipping my Cuba Libre I loved the cold drink against my warm flushed cheeks. I listened to the group chatters between the pairs but soon realised it was conversation amongst themselves. I had only the one human that makes me into a stuttering, blabbering, mess to talk to. Taking a bigger sip of my drink I stood up slowly and sat closer to Spencer. This got his attention and he just looked up at me with a smile.

WHY DOES HE LOOK SO CUTE.

“I’m sorry about what I did before,” I apologised as I began seating.

“I have no idea why you’re apologising,” Spencer's words laced with confusion but his eyes held a warmth and concern that made me look deeper into them.

“You know, inside when I abruptly walked away saying I needed water and I most definitely zoned out, and I just didn’t want a rude behaviour like that to go by unapologetically.” I whispered out my words as my eyes left his and focused on my fingers that were playing with the rim of my half full glass.

“Hey I understand,” His comforting words whispered out his lips as his eyes raked my face, hoping to make eye contact. Giving him the opportunity to have my attention my face looked up with a smile.

“Meeting new people at times, especially friends, is a very anxious moment. You act different because you’re feeling different.” He concluded his words with a small smile on his lips.

Biting my lips a wider grin came on my face as I let a small chuckle pass my lips. Breaking eye contact for a moment I looked back at him.

“Thank you.” I simply said with my head sideways a bit and a genuine smile on my face.

I don't know how to explain it but his words had meaning to it that it's hard not to feel its effect on you. Our eyes still held each other's gaze as his face held a small comforting smile.

And now this is the part when he pulls you in for a kiss and says his stupid little girlfriend isn't his love but it's me and he was dating her to get over me.

I couldn’t help the stifled laughter that came out of my mouth. Covering my mouth with my hand I began to profusely apologise.

“I’m sorry I just remembered a memory from long ago,” I said, giggling at my thoughts and now at the memory.

“Is it a special one?” He asked a bit confused and a tad bit angry at me. Which I could understand. I began laughing like an idiot just at random.

“You tell me,” I said, laughing a bit. Taking in a deep breathe I steadied my laughter and looked back at him.

“I was 14 years old, in 10th grade and my mom was pregnant. Because of her pregnancy she would get these cravings of certain indian food from specific stores. So this particular day she got a severe craving for Chicken Biryani from the Indian store not too far from us. My father, mother, and my cousin sister who was living with us that year, picked me up from school. Now because of homework, obligations in clubs and home made my sleep schedule become really messed up, so this day I remember being awake till 3am and waking up at 6am to catch the 7am bus. Anyways in my sleep deprived state at the restaurant I made the mistake of drinking soda and since I would skip lunch to talk with my friends I was starving. I became so deliriously giddy like I saw this fork with three spikes and I went crazy. I began - I- oh..” I stopped with the story as my stomach began hurting from remembering that fork and the familiar delirious laughing feeling came back.

“Oh my god I can't, I just can’t.” I said covering my mouth as I continued laughing with tears in my eyes.

“I'm sorry. It's just I remembered how much the fork looked like a trident and I was imagining someone replacing the trident with the fork and how ridiculous it would be,” I said sniffling and wiping tears as I felt myself calming down.

“You don’t have to apologise. By any chance were you diagnosed with iron deficiency?” He asked casually.

“The very next day in fact.” I stated, looking at him with amazement but also just to admire him.

He was speaking about how he concluded that, and I smiled and nodded and added comments but none that I could remember. At this moment I was studying him. His eyebrows would furrow as she would make eye contact when he is stating facts from memory. When his eyes evaded mine his eyebrows would become less furrowed but his forehead would be a bit scrunched as he continued citing facts from memory.

His eyes would hold a glee to them as he shared his knowledge as he purposely tried to keep a normal tone to his voice but the pace he talks is giving away his excitement. And when I would say I read that work from that article or met the scientist behind that article his eyes would widen in surprise. His mouth would form a smile and he would ask me if I liked the scientist, the work, and any question he didn't have an answer to.

I truly couldn't look away from him. He was just so perfect in my eyes. My breath mimicked his as my face couldn’t stop the smile, the laughter, the giggle that would come out of it due to his comments, jab, or him apologising for possibly offending me due to his strong words against a person's theory.

“Hey guys, it’s dinner time.” Jennifer came to announce as she held a bottle of water in her hand.

I still sat on the couch letting the two other couples pass us slowly. Then I stood up and so did Spencer Reid.

“After you,” He said politely with a small smile.

I knew I should see him as a friend and I shouldn't do anything that would make things weird between us but the emptied glass of Cuba Libre gave me liquor and sugar courage. As I was walking in front of him I made sure to talk a bit fast for enough distance for me to pull my stunt. Fortunately for me he turned back to grab his phone that fell from his pocket so I quickly had the opportunity to “twist” my ankle. Letting out a small “Oh fuck” before I “limped” to a stool close to me. I placed my “right” leg a bit high on the stool making sure to cover it in order to keep the scene as innocent as possible before my whorish display.

“Y/N are you okay?” Spencer asked as he planted his tall body behind me. Both of his hands unconsciously ghosting my hips.

“Yea- I think I just twisted it a bit. Let me check.” My wavering and “oh so in pain” voice said.

He didn’t say anything but as I began slowly removing the slit of my dress I revealed my thighs and my bare legs to hom. I could hear Spencer take a deep breath in and as I grabbed my thighs in an effort to “massage” away the “pain” he let it out at a wavering pace. My body bent forward a bit more to reach my ankle and as I was reaching for my ankles my upper turned back a bit to look at the sunken eyes of Dr. Spencer Reid.

“Why don’t you go ahead and sit? I’ll be in shortly.” I said with a small smile on my face. I let my fingers knead at my flesh, to leave small marks of my hand behind. I was shamelessly displaying how easily I can be marked and I knew he was shamefully enjoying it.

“It’s okay, if something goes wrong it’ll be handy to have a doctor near by.” His joking words left his mouth breathlessly. Clearing his throat he came beside me and squatted in a position to get a closer look of my ankles.

“From here I don’t see any visible bruising or anything serious,” I stated my observation as I allowed him to inspect my legs.

“I agree,” He said as his eyes trailed my legs before making contact with mine, “Why don’t you try walking just to make sure.” He said with a firm close lipped smile.

“Good Idea Doctor Reid.” I teased back with a smile that he so dashingly reciprocated.

As I removed my right leg from the stool I planted weight on it. Looking at him I nodded as if to say it doesn’t hurt. Then I took a step with my left leg and sighed. Looking back at the Spencer who now was standing up, his hands in his pocket his eyes focused on what I am assuming is my leg but it could’ve been my back, my ass, my figure to be honest. Knowing I had his attention made my mind spin with confidence that boosted my ego. I felt like I could control his thoughts, his behaviour towards me.

“It’s not hurting,” I said with a sheepish smile to hide my own maleficent thoughts.

Stepping forward with my right leg with confidence, my eyes clouded with ego embarrassingly didn't see the elevated step in front of me. The front of my half of my feet were on the tile but the other half were in the air, in slow motion I felt myself beginning to fall back. My mouth took in a huge gasp of air to subdue the panic that fueled my widened eyes. My body felt cold in that second as I was falling backwards. But a familiar warmth surrounded me.

Spencer had planted half his body behind me. His left hand held on to my clothed left hip. Whilst, his right hands went around my waist and gripped my thighs. His hands held onto the flesh that was exposed. His hands were warm. They felt calloused but soft at the same time. His hands couldn't go around my thighs completely but they did cover half of it effortlessly making me conclude that this man behind me is feeding into my big hand kink.

“Are you alright Doctor?” He whispered in my left ear, in a low and comforting voice. He placed his face right on my left shoulders as he crouched to come at level with my ears.

I knew I shouldn’t turn my face, I knew that if I did it could be awkward. But I couldn’t help myself. Slowly I turned myself a bit. My eyes lowered on purpose so I could study his face slowly to savour how handsome he is before I look into those deep coffee hued eyes. Those eyes that I stare into right now held so much care in them but their dilated pupil looked so feral. Like a pool of good sex that will make my hips bruised and my throat raspy from shouting out

“I- um- I think so.” I admitted as I let out a breathless giggle to show my surprise at this turnout and to the thought that was running in mind.

The very thoughts that made his hands on my naked thighs much more prominent. I could mentally picture where each one of his fingers are, how long they are, and how thick they are.

Imagine his fingers, that are so damn close to my freshly shaven and now wet cunt, beginning to rub me through this dresses thin material.

Imagine him rubbing my sweet swollen clit with his fingers, allowing the shivers of pleasure derived from that one spot travel up my spine. Making me whine, moan, and arch against his figure.

Imagine one of his long fingers sliding over a little bit more of fabric of the dress and a little bit of the fabric of my slutty panties before pushing in his long finger. Making me feel full.

Imagine, my back arched as his finger is curled and set in a pace to make me cum, the only mission they seem to know.

Imagine staring into his eyes as his hands crept closer and closer to that one spot except….

I didn't have to imagine it was happening right now. And it wasn't creeping closer, it was slipping away. Clearing his throat Spencer removed his fingers from my thighs and hips.

“Excuse me, I have to go call my girlfriend, she said she will be joining us for dinner so I am just going to notify her.” He spoke without looking at me as he was facing down looking at his phone as he texted and walked away from me at the same time.

Damn. Did I take it too far?

Not knowing how to react to this I decided to just go to dinner. The commotion of utensils and people chatting were my guide to this villa of a house. At the table people sat down respective to the name cards that were placed on the huge oak table. A group of three waitering staff was apparently hired and would serve us our dinner.

“Y/N over here,” Said the sweet voice of Penelope Garcia.

“Hi again,” I said as I took a sit between Penelope and Luke.

“Sorry I switched out our seats, you can have it back anytime you want though,” she said kindly.

“No it’s okay. It’ll give me a chance to judge this one.” I whispered to Penelope as I eyed Luke’s figure behind me.

“Wait so I’m being scrutinised?” Luke said in disbelief as he had heard what I was saying to Penelope.

“Clearly we need to work on respecting others' privacy.” I said with a fake tone of seriousness.

“Agreed.” Penelope popped her head in and said.

“Second, that.” Added on Matt.

“Oh stay out of it.” Groaned poor Luke at everyone ganging up on him.

A small fit of laughter spread around the table. As everyone basked at the serenity and a sense of comfort in the air. A feeling that was perfect. A feeling that resembled a calm before the storm. Something deep in me clearly said that this sense of comfort is just a distraction from the true reality.

“Hey, where’s Spence?” Asked Jennifer who was seated next to her husband and Matt’s wife. She spoke as she gestured the two empty seats across from me directly.

“We’re right here,” He said as he walked in with a woman in his arms.

“Hello Everyone.” A quiet but loud enough voice said.

“Maeve!” Exclaimed Emily, Jennifer, Penelope, and Krystall as they basically jumped out of their chairs to go greet the woman.

And there’s the storm.

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR MY WHORES! I LOVE YOU ALL FOR THE LOVE AND SUPPORT AND FOR THE REBLOGGING! And yes in this Maeve doesn't die. We are pretending the bullet missed her because she like yanked her head back and was able to get away from the creepy killer. And to clarify this will not be, I repeat will not be a cheating trope, it's more complicated than that.

Next chapter is here

Taglist: @hopelessromantichopefulthinking @lovemesickly @liidiaaag @kodakmack @strangerintheblur @fairydresses @ohnojessica @ohnojessicaa @savi-0r because savi-02 doesnt exist

#Spencer reid x reader #spencer reid xreader #Dr. spencer reid x reader #Dr. spencer reid xreader #Spencer reid x y/n #Spencer reid x y/n smut #Spencer reid x female #Criminal Minds #Dr. spencer reid x reader smut #Spencer reid smut

109 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 2 years

Note

Random ask but how would you describe your style? Are you into fashion?

I love random asks!

I'm gonna flip the order of the questions and say that I am into fashion - like I don't go out and buy magazines or necessarily look at a piece of clothing and go "that was from the spring 1997 collection put out by [x]" but I think about it constantly - which overall styles or elements work and don't work together, what sorts of trends there are and how things have shifted (or reverted), and knowing about different designs from different eras and historical periods, and I read and look into things just because it interests me and to get a better understanding. And I've always been doing this - when I was younger I would talk with my sisters and discuss outfit pairings and critique celebrities and other fashion, and now that I'm older and more myself and more independent, obviously I think more about how I look and present myself (and how I want to present myself).

And honestly, I'm not sure how I'd describe my style, really - I was thinking about this a lot recently because I'm never sure how I come across or look, really (I asked several friends how they'd describe me and I was surprised, but in a good way). Part of the problem is I get very into the mechanics or details - does this particular top go with this particular skirt or pair of pants and this pair of shoes, or does this dress work with this necklace and scarf, etc. - and so to a certain extent I get somewhat divorced from thinking about an overall theme or set of descriptors.

But (and I almost said that my style is "professionally fun" but that makes me sound like I'm doing something I've neither the confidence nor time for) I think my style would be "generally professional but also fun", "comfortably nice in an off-kilter sort of way", "partly inspired by my favorite or most identified-with fictional characters", "21st century bureaucrat-cum-human services-cum office worker mixed with 80s guest star character"? (Feel free to send in descriptions or comments on what y'all think my style or fashion sense is because I always love to know what others think).

I don't really like to show off that much ("keeping the demilitarized zones covered" is how I describe it) really, partly because I'm not comfortable feeling so exposed so much (and I don't know that I have a lot to show off anyway) and partly because I'm a pale ass bitch with predominantly Irish ancestry and I burn like a motherfucker. I do like my legs (mostly from like the knee to the ankle) and so I don't have much of a problem showing those off too much (I'm sort of built like an upside-down bowling pin.)

I like patterns and prints and colors (partly because I spent so long mostly avoiding those and focusing on what was simple but appropriate while still being comfortable due to work, in particular animal print (so snakeskin - LOVE a snakeskin print and I wish there was more stuff with that out there, as well as crocodile print - and leopard and tiger) and paisley and houndstooth and maybe having one standout element or piece (usually the jewelry). For colors I'm all over the place but I try to avoid too much yellow or orange (I don't think it really works well with my coloring) and I go more red (and various shades) and green (etc.) and blue (etc.) and I try to avoid anything too tight or bodycon but I don't want to be completely shapeless and drab, like a Laura Transgirl Wilder/My Transtonia prairie look or The Blahb, and I hate my feet so I don't want anyone to see what they look like (hence no sandals or peeptoes really).

I'm conscious (some might say overly and concerningly away) of my flaws/"areas which could be improved" and so part of my choices are to help mitigate or deflect those, and to work with stuff that I know will be more flattering (although selfies are always a difficult thing and I don't know that I'll ever master the confident yet casual or "casual" selfie).

I don't mind being noticed but I don't really want to stand out too much, at least currently (not that it'd stop anyone).

13 notes · View notes

thedancingnerdmermaid · 2 years

Text

Identity Crisis

SHOW/CHARACTERS: Criminal Minds; Hotch x swat!fm!reader; SWAT characters

WARNINGS:18+ MINORS DBI, language, angst, violence, identity theft, threats against a child, usual CM case stuff, death penalty, death, fluff, kissing

Notes: Reader is essentially Hondo's character on SWAT except female. Hondo doesn't exist in this because Derek Morgan is still with BAU in this one. I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THESE CHARACTERS

*Part one doesn't actually have Hotch in it. It more of the set up

PART ONE

It was such a warm fall day. The leaves has started turning and falling. Quantico was covered in hues of oranges, reds, and yellows. Occasionally you could still see some slightly green grass. You were comfortable in your favorite jeans and a Henley t-shirt as you walked into your favorite local coffee shop. The scent of coffee beans and spices hitting your senses as soon as you pulled the door open. You inhaled deeply then sigh contently; this is your favorite time of year.

Before you can get up to order your usual coffee and pastry, a handsome man approaches you. He has short blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Hi there!” He smiles

“Hello.” You greet politely.

“I'm Aaron Hotchner. I work for the BAU of the FBI. What's your name?” he asked.

“Y/N Y/L/N. I...” before you could tell him where you worked, he cut you off.

“Would you mind having dinner with me tonight?” he asked almost nervous.

“Uh sure. Where?” You asked.

“The Log Cabin Restaurant, just outside of Quantico. I could pick you up at 6?” he beamed suddenly more confident.

“I'm off work at 5pm today, so I'll just meet you at the restaurant at 6:30pm?” you offered. Something seemed off but you tried to dismiss it as nerves. You never dated much; always too busy with work.

“Sounds great. I'll make the reservations now. He's my number.” He quickly scribbled his name and number on a napkin and handed it to you before heading out of the coffee shop.

Placing the napkin in your pocket you thought it was odd that he didn't give you his business card instead. Shrugging you got your coffee order and headed to work.

After arriving at work it seemed to be a slow day for SWAT. You were telling your partner and best friend Jim Street about this morning.

“Oh shit! GET IT BOSS!” He cackled.

“Omg Street, what are you? 12?” you scoffed mockingly

“13, actually,” He snapped back making you laugh.

Street had been your best friend and partner since before you became a sergeant and team leader. He always had your back, and you would always have his. At lunch you and your team were sitting in the kitchen eating and talking. You, however, were not paying attention and zoned out of the conversation.

“Yo! Boss? You good?” Luca (another member of your team) asked.

“Huh? OH! Yeah. Fine. Was just thinking...” You mused.

“About a certain FBI agent??” Street teased which lead to questions from the rest of your team and you retold the story.

“I don't guys. Something seems off about this guy.” You stated.

“Like what?” Deacon (another team member) asked.

“Not sure. Small stuff. Like why write his number on a napkin instead of giving me his card? Why introduce himself as FBI right off? Why was his confidence level clearly different when he said his name but not when he was setting up the date?” You asked while looking at the team while pulling out your phone.

“Are you going to call him?” Tan asked.

“Actually, I'm going to Google him.” You laughed as you typed “Aaron Hotchner BAU FBI” into the Google search bar. You were immediately flooded with images, press conference videos and details about Aaron Hotchner. The only problem is, he looks nothing like the guy that asked you on a date. The guy on your search results was way better looking and seemed confident.

“Uh guys, we need to run the guy that asked me out.” You said flatly.

“Why?” Asked Street

“Because according to Google, this is the real Aaron Hotchner of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.” turning your phone around to show them, “And that is most definitely not the same person that asked me out.”

Everyone turned to look at each other. Deciding it was best to let your commander and your chief know what was happening you headed for their offices. After explaining the situation and showing them your phone, your commander, Hicks, said, “I've met Hotchner before. That's definitely the real one. So who is this other guy?”

“Not sure, sir.”

“What moron asks a SWAT officer out after impersonating a federal agent?” Chief Cortez wondered aloud.

“Oh! That's right! I don't think he knows I'm SWAT. He cut me off to ask me out before I could tell him!” you laughed with a mischievous smile on your face. “Chief, Commander, I have an idea. It's not exactly protocol but I think I have a way to get this guy to admit to impersonation. What if I actually go through with the date?”

“Absolutely not, Sergeant, that is out of the question.” Commander Hicks boomed.

“Call me curious but I actually want to know more about this plan.” Chief Cortez offered.

“I meet him for the date. Have my guys placed throughout the restaurant undercover as back up. I spend the date getting him to talk about himself as Hotchner, he seemed quite narcistic, so he'll probably be unable to stop himself. Then we tail him until we get the information to the real Aaron Hotchner. I know if it were me being impersonated, I'd like a part of taking this guy down.” Looking between your two bosses for approval.

“I like it. Get your team up to speed.” Chief Cortez ordered.

The commander didn't love the idea but saw it's merits. You went back to your team and came up with a plan. Tonight you were going on a date and you needed your wingmen.

PART TWO

**** Feedback always appreciated. Reblogs are best. Tags by request. Part two coming soon

Tags: @eternal-silvertongued-prince @hotchnerxo @yoshigguk

192 notes · View notes

helliontherapscallion · 3 years

Text

Adrenaline Junkie

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

Spotify Playlist (collaborative)

Ages (oldest to youngest):

Philza- 32

Technoblade- 17

Wilbur- 17

(Y/N)- 16

Tommy- 14

Pairing: platonic!sbi x winged!sibling!reader

Warnings: near death experiences, mentions of depression, OOC sbi (this is my first time writing about them)

Summary: Philza finds out about your little “habit”

Word count: 1,962

You grinned as you flew through the air with your feathers glinting in the low sunlight. You absolutely loved the feeling of freedom you got whenever you flew. It always gave you a sense of calm when you needed a break from your family. You loved them of course, but you needed a break once and a while; you often felt drained if you didn’t take some time to yourself. The cold air rushed past you as you continued to flap your wings to keep you in the air.

You could not see the ground below you as you soared higher into the clouds, weaving in and out of them. Flying higher, you steadied yourself to look at the sunset. The mixture of pinks, oranges, and yellows blended together perfectly. You always loved the sunset, it was one of the only consistent things in your life. You wished that you could stay hovering hundreds of feet above the ground, but mobs were going to be spawning soon. The last time you stayed out past sunset you had almost gotten killed by a skeleton. Your dad had given you quite the lecture after he made sure that you were alright. You still had the scars on your arms from when it tried to shoot you out of the air.

You angled yourself so you were upside down, put your arms tight to your sides, and extended your wings fully behind you. You dove closer and closer to the earth, quickly picking up speed. The wind whipped around you as you gained velocity, getting closer and closer to the ground by the millisecond. At the last second, you fully extended your wings and drastically slowed your descent to the ground. The extra velocity you had made you soar up once again before you regained control and landed safely on the ground. The adrenaline that the skydive gave you was the most exhilarating feeling you’ve ever felt, and you were always craving it. Your dad didn’t find it as fun or exhilarating as you did.

“(Y/N) (M/N) MINECRAFT.”

Your father’s voice boomed from behind you. You could tell that he was in a lecturing mood without even having to look at him. He grabbed your arm and spun you around. Grabbing your other arm, he looked you up and down with worried blue eyes. After seeing that you were alright, his gaze hardened and he took a deep breath.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

He rattled on and on about how you could’ve killed yourself, but quite frankly you didn’t care if you died or got hurt. In your opinion, the adrenaline you got was worth it. You had three lives you could spend, and if you did die, you wanted to go out with a bang all three times. What could you say? You were an adrenaline junkie through and through.

He started to drag you inside the house mid lecture. Swinging open the door, he pulled you towards the kitchen, where the scent of fresh mushroom stew wafted from the pot on the stove. Your brothers looked at you each with their own different reactions. Techno looked as stoic as ever, Wilbur eyed you with slight disapproval, and Tommy looked at you with awe and excitement. They must’ve seen your little trick through the window.

“(Y/N) THAT WAS POGGERS! YOU WERE SUCH A BADA-”

Tommy’s excited rant was cut short as he saw the stern look on Philza’s face. After a few moments of hesitation, your brothers were making small talk with each other with Philza occasionally chiming in. Poking idly at your food, you contemplated how you should go about apologizing to your dad.

You supposed that the best route you could go was telling him that you wouldn’t do that again, but you knew you would do it again. That was the biggest adrenaline rush you’ve ever gotten and you were already craving it again. You couldn’t lie to your dad, your wings always gave you away by twitching uncomfortably whenever you lied. On the other hand, telling him that you felt empty when you didn’t have adrenaline coursing through your veins was not an option. He already has enough to worry about with working to provide for four teenagers. Deciding that your best bet was to lie to him and hope for the best, you zoned back into the conversation around you. Tommy was ranting about how he had broken his favorite sword dueling Techno.

“-do you have any idea how long it took me to find that enchantment, Techno?”

Techno huffed slightly in amusement. “Actually I do because I helped you find that enchantment. We found it in the village together, remember?”

“Tommy,” Philza said tiredly, “we can get you another enchanted sword. Techno, you need to be more gentle with your little brother. You have to remember he’s three years younger than you, so he has less experience in dueling.”

Tommy grumbled to himself, busying himself with shoveling food in his mouth. Wilbur glanced at him with disgust.

“Do you have to eat like that, Tommy? It’s disgusting.”

“Well, Wilbur, it’s not my fault I’m hungry.”

“You’re eating like we don’t feed you.”

You usually enjoyed it whenever your siblings argue back and forth like this, but lately it didn’t make you feel anything. You didn’t feel much anymore if you weren’t pulling off impulsive stunts. Of course, you hid it from your family and acted like you did before. It was relatively easy since you were naturally a quiet person. You thought you were doing a great job at it, you pride yourself on your acting skills.

Dinner went by fast without anything notable happening. Since it was your night to clean up, you got to work after everyone parted ways for the night. You stacked the dishes left on the dinner table and got to work washing them. Luckily, since you lived with three teenage boys, you never had to deal with leftovers. You subconsciously stretched and twitched your wings, feeling restless without feeling the wind moving through your feathers. After you got done with putting the dishes away, you took a deep breath and set out on your search for Philza.

Walking into the living room, you saw Techno sitting near the fireplace reading one of his mythology books. “Hey, Tech. Do you know where Dad is? I need to talk to him.”

Without looking up from his book, he responded in his usual monotone voice. “Yeah, he’s up in his room. I think he’s going to bed early.” He paused for a second before looking up at you with sincerity. “You know, he was terrified when he saw you earlier. He thought that you weren’t gonna stop yourself in time. Hell, we all thought you were gonna die.”

That made you feel guilty. He already had to deal with providing and raising you four and he didn’t need anything else to worry about. You felt your wings droop slightly as you sighed.

“...Thanks, T. G’night, love you.”

You started to speed walk to Philza’s room without giving him time to respond. You needed to apologize to him and fast. Out of all your siblings, you were always the one to hate conflict and would always apologize first whenever you got into a disagreement with anyone. You were always the pacifist.

Walking past Tommy in the hallway, he tried to stop you to talk to you, but you ignored him with a dismissive wave of your wing. You heard him mumbling to himself as he started to walk down the stairs, probably to challenge Techno to a rematch. You nervously fluttered your wings, feathers occasionally brushing against the walls and causing you to shiver slightly at the small touch. Your hands were shaking slightly as you took a steadying deep breath and knocked on Philza’s door. Hearing his tired “come in”, you slowly opened his door. He situated himself so that he was sitting on the edge of his bed and gestured for you to sit next to him.

“Hey, Dad. I-I just wanted to say sorry for worrying you earlier. If I knew that it would stress you out, I wouldn’t have done it.” You sat next to him.

He sighed as he wrapped an arm across your shoulders, pulling you into his side. “I don’t care if it stressed me out. You could’ve gotten killed from a fall at that height. You could have lost a life. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t open your wings in time.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“Then why’d you do it if you knew that you could’ve gotten yourself killed? I just want to understand why you would pull a stunt like that, I’d never expect you out of all of your siblings to do something so dangerous.”

You took a deep breath as you contemplated your next words. You really wanted to tell him about how you felt empty without putting yourself in danger. You wanted to tell him that you didn’t feel like yourself anymore. Unconsciously, your wings started to twitch and pull themselves closer to your body.

You jumped when you felt something else wrap around you. You looked back and saw black feathers. Looking back up at your father, he looked at you with a concerned expression.

“Take a deep breath, you’re shaking hun.”

You looked down at your hands and to your surprise, they were shaking. You took a few deep breaths and clasped your hands together tightly while Philza rubbed comforting circles on your back.

“...It’s just that, I haven’t been feeling like myself lately, if that makes any sense. It’s like I can’t feel anything anymore without doing stupid things that could get me killed. It wasn’t the first time I’ve dived like that. One time I lost control and almost flew into lava-filled ravine.”

“...How long have you felt like this?”

“A few months now.”

Philza felt his heart break, how did he not notice that you were different for months? You could’ve gotten yourself hurt or permanently maimed yourself and it would’ve been his fault because he didn’t notice your mood shift.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t notice sooner.”

“It’s not your fault, Dad. I didn’t tell you anything was wrong. Please don’t blame yourself.”

“We can help you find something that’ll help you. Something less dangerous.”

“We?”

“Your brothers and I. They’ve been listening this entire time, weren’t you, boys?”

You heard shuffling and muffled voices arguing with each other before the door opened to reveal your sheepish brothers. Wordlessly, they all filed into the room. Tommy grabbed your shoulders and yanked you into a tight hug. You felt Wilbur hug your other side before he pulled Techno into the group hug also. You felt feathers tickle your cheek as Philza joined, wrapping his giant wings around you all. The family hasn’t had a group hug since you all started to hit your teenage years. For the first time in a while, you felt happy without risking your life.

After that night, you were right in your assumption that you’d be grounded (literally and metaphorically) from flying for a while while your family worked hard to find something safe that gave you a distraction. Soon, Wilbur found a book about the intricacies of redstone working and you were hooked. Sure, your family was rambunctious and a strange group, but you wouldn’t want it any other way.

#sbi x reader #winged reader #sibling reader #philza x reader #technoblade x reader #wilbur soot x reader #tommyinnit x reader #tw: near death #tw: depression #tw: swearing

1K notes · View notes

beyondthetemples-ooc · 3 years

Text

OC-tober Day 2: Glass

OC-tober prompts put together by @oc-growth-and-development! I have to ramble in meta instead of write, because my brain is Mush lately. (I know I’m behind but I have a lot pre-written, I just need to put it into coherent words!)

This one especially can be rambled about at length, because the most important “glass” object in my stories is one I greatly enjoy exploring: Dove’s mindscape mirror!

^ I drew it forever ago; here’s the deviantArt link if you’d like to see the big version!

https://www.deviantart.com/ravenshiddensoul/art/Dove-s-Keepsakes-Mirror-and-Box-284227087

It’s largely modeled after a bird stretching its wings upwards, with a handle like a tail and certain details are inlaid with Azarathean gold to better channel its magics.

Now, this is where the rambling begins: The mirror’s backstory, and I’ll be exploring one of my favorite things to develop in all of my stories: Dove’s mindscape!

Dove's mirror isn't one of her most prized possessions, nor super incredibly sentimental, but it IS an object touched with her mother's magic, it has flourishes of Azarathean gold (some of the last pieces to exist), and it's useful for introspection and self-soothing, so it does have some value and importance.

Dove struggled with meditating quite a lot as a child, and there was only so much her mother could do to help. Meditation was pretty important to them as both a means of helping Dove control her powers, and as a staple of Azarathean spirituality. As she so often did, Alerina poked around and asked enough questions around the temple that she was told about Raven's mirror, and she decided to replicate it for Dove. She custom ordered a gold-lined wooden hand mirror, and then cast the spells to connect it to Dove's inner world herself. It took a few tries (it's much harder to connect something to someone else's mind than your own, after all), but she was nothing if not determined to help her daughter, and eventually figured it out.

As for its main purpose: Self-reflection! (If you'll pardon the pun.) Dove uses it to meditate, but where Raven uses hers for centering and compartmentalization, Dove uses it more as a blend of escapism and a focusing aid.

Much like Raven's, Dove's mirror acts as a portal to the depths of her mind, and this is where it gets fun!

The vortex that transports the users is usually white and gold, imbued with the same energies that give Dove her powers, at least on her mother's side. It's noticeably touched with black and red in DDD. (Dove's evil side starts taking over her mind, and thus its energies manifest through the mindscape, and Dove's portal into it, hence: black and red energies instead.) It tends to open up like a light tunnel and almost opens the mental world around the user, rather than dragging them in.

Once inside, one can't expect to navigate the same way as Beast Boy and Cyborg did in "Nevermore". Every mind is different, after all! We saw Raven's mindscape divided nearly into emotional sections with a neutral space between them, and the way through each area was preset and linear. While different parts of Dove's internal world manifest in different "areas", they're not so totally divided and separate, and there's no real "neutral" zone except at the very "center". The scenery changes, but it's more of a gradual transition, and though Dove employs thresholds to mark key areas, they're very much just visual aids.

Dove's mindscape is laid out more like a series of rooms and courtyards in a very (very, very, very) large mansion. The ground is generally of crystal, spires and columns decorate the scenery, and the thresholds are modeled after birds with their wings outspread. (While this seems like a play on Dove's namesake, it's actually based on Azarath's architecture, particularly that of George Perez's Azarath in the 1980's New Teen Titans comics.)

Dove's sky shows various stars and often casts moonlight from an uncertain source, particularly when she's introspecting. The ambient temperature varies amongst the locations, chilly in the regions ruled by fear and sadness, uncomfortably warm near her demon's domain, and comfortable and breezy where her peace and contentment reside.

One could easily get lost in her mindscape if they don't know where they're going. The place can shift and change on a whim.

Where Dove spends her time building that peace and contentment, it's very closely modeled after her mother's memories of Azarath (which is where she learned how to find peace, after all): there's marble and gold everywhere, and the stars twinkle with dozens of colors in the sky.

Where Dove retreats when there are feelings of timidity, her excruciating shyness, her grief and doubt, the world becomes shrouded in thick fog. Broken buildings and pale light litter the grounds.

Where she built her love for reading, for history, for creativity and study and learning, it's arranged as rooms with dark marbled tile and a carpeted path, the floor for dozens of feet on either side littered with piles of books.

Dove's inner happy place is an open field on gently rolling hills, where thoughts take the form of birds and somehow the sky holds both the stars and suns. One might find trees, flowers, abstract forms of cottages, and forts loaded with mugs and cozy cushions. If you wander far enough you'll find very tall stone walls surrounding it, because Dove's mind is such that her happiness is one of the few things she really truly believes she needs to protect from the rest of herself.

And then there are the aspects of herself that she shoves the deepest down, secreted far away from the surface: the anger, the hunger for power, the mean streak. (Yes, believe it or not, Dove does have a mean streak! You just have to work especially hard to bring it out. Or trigger her in just the right ways around sadism, violence, war, or death. It's very much Not Recommended; bringing too much of that mean streak out could mean Dove loses control of her powers, or worse: her demonic aspects.)

Those secret forces aren't so much located in one particular space of her mind as they're hidden in every dark corner, coursing through the underside of all the ground, a tantalizing power running through every part of her, only ever set free enough to use the dangerous powers to her own ends.

Her places for Fear and Curiosity in particular will be explored in the upcoming Missing: Raven rewrite. (As they're the strongest things Dove is feeling in that story, that's going to be what Beast Boy and Cyborg encounter.) I also explored the way these things manifest in DDD, and in that same story Dove will focus on rebuilding Peace in the final chapter.

I can't talk about Dove's mindscape without mentioning the "emoticlones". These fun little guys are called by the fanon term given to Raven's "emotion clones", the separate parts of her that express a specific set of traits based on particular aspects of her personality. I had so much fun playing with their voices and thoughts in Dove's head during DDD, you have no freaking idea! I also copied the concept of them having Colored Cloaks from Teen Titans canon, because honestly it's a quick and easy way to identify them, and the fandom's familiar with this system through Raven.

Which colors mean what was more inspired by details from a really old, now-defunct website called Cartoon Orbit that had separate "online trading cards" for each of Raven's emoticlones! On that site, Raven's were labeled as such, and this is what I based Dove's system on, loosely: - Pink: "Raven Happy" - Red: "Raven Rage" - Orange: "Raven Rude" - Yellow: "Raven Smart" - Green: "Raven Brave" - Brown: "Raven Fear" (I'm pretty sure there was a purple one, but I don't recall what it was called. "Love" maybe? That might be from fanon; this site was running like 15 years ago, and I was like 10 years old, so I hardly thought to pay Super Special Attention to it...)

But I digress. The point is, I adapted that system for the key aspects of Dove's unique personality, and came to understand them as follows:

- Pink: Joy, relief, coziness - Red: Cruelty, impulsivity, anger - Orange: Apathy, indifference, disregard - Yellow: Curiosity, study, intrigue - Green: Courage, determination, activity - Blue: Contentedness, pacifism, spirituality - Purple: Compassion, friendship, romanticism - Gray: Sadness, grief, longing. - Brown: Fear, fear, fear!

But for Dove's mind in particular, it's not only HER experiences and personality that form the world! She's a telepath, and though she holds others' privacy in very, very high regard and tries never to read someone's mind without their permission, her sense of receptive telepathy is ever-present. Echoes, lights, shadows, reflections of others' memories and thoughts might affect the very edges of her mind. It's a constant sense, but it only ever causes very ephemeral changes unless something deeply affects her.

Her mindscape also grows and changes as Dove grows and changes, experiences life, learns to cope, and changes how she handles her own emotions.

Most notably, the internal struggle in DDD tore her mind apart. Initially it was due to a breakdown of certainty and confidence, hastened by guilt and grief, but it soon became a deliberate tactic to wage war on the parts of Dove's mind that were trying to resist the evil; eventually her inner demon began intentionally breaking/corrupting everything it could touch.

By chapter 20, that evil is the only strong and stable thing in Dove's mind. Raven's attack to remove the evil in her took away that stability, and strength, and thus took away what was essentially the last support holding Dove's mind together. As it says in the story: "everything collapsed". Dove's mindscape was utterly destroyed, and only the most basic aspects of her remained.

For awhile, that left Dove unable to remember things clearly, or feel emotions without great pain. Rebuilding it to the point where she was able to talk and feel Mostly Normally again took months of meditation.

When Dove is kidnapped and Leyla has distressing dreams about her mother, she, Srentha, and Raven use the mirror to check on Dove by accessing her mindscape. With her powers stripped away, surrounded by people who mock her, and certain Fauni rituals sickening Dove to her soul, naturally her mind is very different: shadowy forms flitted at the edges of vision, the ground wavered, her discomfort was thick in the air and the constant fear made everything so, so cold. "Shadows" of others' thoughts flashed in and out of existence, and Dove's desperation manifests as fleeting voices on the wind. It's uncomfortable to be in her mind while she's so distressed.

It's also worth mentioning that her mindscape changes again, essentially "growing" the part of her that belongs to Love when she finally lets herself love Srentha, and it expands again when Leyla's born and Dove once more finds depths of love she didn't know she could carry.

#oc tober #oc tober 2021 #rhs has ocs and this is the tag about them #iala yona #ddd #rhs oc tober

11 notes · View notes

weathergirl8 · 3 years

Text

Master of Deflection - Part 6

Finally found time to post this sucker during this crazy week of graduation prep! Graduation practice tomorrow and actual ceremony Friday night for my associate's degree!

This is for you @ak47stylegirl and anyone else who enjoys Alan whump/smothering. Of course, there will be some extra Virgil in there too, because I just love the big guy.

@misssquidtracy @gumnut-logic @godsliltippy Thank you for your support on this fic!!

I bring you some Sky Turnip and Land Cabbage 💙💚

As a friendly reminder, I originally came from the TOS and TB 2004 era. I’ve tried to write a few TAG point-of-views, but my comfort zone is the previous. This will take place with Gordon as the redhead, and Virgil as the middle bro. Sorry!

Summary: Being the youngest of five is always hard, especially when they pounce at the slightest hair out of line. Sometimes the art of deflection can sting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Virgil tried to suppress a yawn as he grabbed the needed medication from the infirmary. Alan’s fever had climbed nearly another degree. The medic of the family instinctively made the call to start antibiotics quickly. Virgil was confident they were now dealing with more than the common cold and that a bacterial infection was beginning to set in.

Entering Alan’s room, the middle Tracy was concerned to see the bed empty. Only the sight of the strewn sheets and a pile of used tissues remained. “Allie?”

“I’m in here,” Alan’s hoarse voice called from the bathroom.

Virgil sat the meds down and met the crumbled form of his baby brother. Alan sat on the bathroom floor, the wall seeming to be the only thing holding him up. “Sick again?”

“Yup,” Alan grumbled as he reached to flush the toilet. Virgil handed him a towel to clean himself up. “Thanks.”

Virgil helped him up but quickly took hold of his younger brother’s waist as the teen’s legs nearly crumbled. “Alan, you okay?”

“Yea,” the teen panted as another cough erupted from him. “Brain and body just don’t want to cooperate at the moment.”

“C’mon, let’s get you back in bed,” Virgil urged as they made the short walk to Alan’s bed. “If you don’t start keeping things down, I’m going to have to start an IV, kiddo. I’m worried about dehydration.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. This isn’t exactly a party,” Alan wheezed, letting his head sink back into his pillow.

Virgil observed him as Alan coughed and tried to take in a deep breath. “How long has that been going on?”

“I dunno,” Alan shrugged. “Awhile, I guess. It’s not like I’m writing all of this down.”

The middle Tracy handed Alan two pills, motioning for the teen to take the antibiotics. “When you’re not exerting yourself, is it hard to breathe?”

Alan gave his older brother a weird look but decided against the first thought that entered his mind. He wouldn’t exactly call laying in bed exerting himself, but who was he to judge? “If you call breathing with my mouth mostly, then sure.”

Virgil now wished he had kept the kid in the infirmary so he could ease his mind and have all of his equipment at his disposal. Knowing it wasn’t something the baby of the family would do, he opted for what he had in front of him. “Alright, if it gets worse, let me know immediately. Here’s something that will help with nausea, and something to hopefully help with that cough,” he said, handing Alan the tiny pill and cup of cough suppressant.

“Why do these always have to taste so gross?” Alan complained as he quickly swallowed several gulps of water.

“That’s how you know it’ll work,” Virgil smirked, winking at his annoyed sibling.

-TB-

The sunrise was Scott’s favorite part of his morning run. The smell of the morning dew across the island jungle and the colorful orange and yellow hues that rippled across the water.

He slowed his pace to a jog as he came across the broadest part of the beach on the Island. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the oldest Tracy paused as he noticed a figure ahead. Confusion met him as he recognized the build of the person. Scott quickly jogged forward, calling out to his younger brother. “Virgil?”

“Hey, Scott,” the chestnut-haired Tracy greeted, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

Scott struggled for a moment. He knew he was treading on thin ice for his brother to be up this early. Virgil was always active, but athletically the medic was more of a gym guy. He found more solace in lifting weights and punching bags. Sprinting and running were always something the other brothers had enjoyed, barring John. It was rare to catch Virgil on a run outside of the gym, especially on one before the sun had been up for at least one hour in the sky.

“Pretty view, huh?” Virgil interrupted his thoughts, almost sensing his brother’s unease.

“Always is,” Scott smiled in appreciation. “No sunrise seems to be the same.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Virgil replied, taking a seat along the sand.

Scott’s concern only increased, but he followed his brother along the cool sand. His blue eyes searched the ocean while taking small glances at Virgil.

“You can ask,” Virgil exhaled, surprising the elder. “I know you’re wondering why I’m out here so early.”

Scott tried to suppress the grin that he knew was also on Virgil’s face. “Didn’t want to push.”

Virgil nodded in understanding, letting his hands rest on his raised knees. “Bad dreams and worried about Alan,” he stated plainly.

“I checked in on the kid before I started my run. Al was sound asleep, but he still felt warm and sounded congested. I think that humidifier might be helping,” Scott said, watching Virgil as he stared out into the water. “I didn’t want to disturb him. He needs his rest.”

“Allie’s exhausted,” Virgil admitted. “Between the coughing, vomiting, and congestion, his sleep has been interrupted. I gave him a round of antibiotics and something to help with the other symptoms. Alan’s definitely caught something bacterial for sure. Those cold waters from the rescue didn’t do him any favors.”

“I’m sure those will help,” Scott reassured. “He just needs time for the meds and his immune system to work.” The elder Tracy studied his brother once again. “Do you want to talk about the dreams?”

Virgil sighed as he threw a rock he had been playing with toward the water. “It was about the last mission.”

“I figured,” Scott added. “I would’ve been surprised if you didn’t. I know what it felt like being on the receiving end. I can only imagine what it was like in the moment physically.”

“Definitely won’t be in my top 20,” Virgil chuckled solemnly.

“Who said it was getting past the top 50?” Scott laughed, nudging Virgil.

“Point taken,” the middle Tracy smiled.

“All jokes aside,” Scott started. “Are you okay?”

“Okay is a relative term, Scott. We compartmentalize and move on-“

“-Virg, you know that’s not what I meant.”

“I do,” Virgil acknowledged meeting Scott's intense gaze. “Look, you know what happened. I don’t have to tell you again. I just…. I can’t get the image of the gun shoved against Alan’s neck out of my head and that look on his face. That look… Damnit, Scott. He’s too much like you!”

Scott tried not to laugh but empathized.

“I could tell Alan was scared, but the kid refused to show it. He was so trusting. Trusting of me to get us out of that situation.”

“You did, Virgil. Allie is safe because of you, and so are you. I was just as worried about you as I was our baby brother,” Scott countered. “You did what you had to, and no one was harmed.”

“That’s not the point, Scott. You have no idea how close it came.”

“What do you mean?” Scott asked, confused.

“There’s a bullet hole in the floor of the rescue platform. A hole that was inches away from hitting Alan when he hit the deck.”

Realization dawned on the oldest Tracy. “Is that what your dream was about? That the bullet actually hit Alan?”

Virgil remained silent as he collected his thoughts. He felt Scott turn to face him, the older pilot’s knees resting against one of his own. “Mostly, but what stuck with me most was that look. Like I said, having a hard time getting it out of my head.”

Scott placed a comforting hand along Virgil’s knee, squeezing it. “I know you don’t need me to tell you about how great you are when quick decisions need to be made. That goes without saying, but Allie trusted you with his life because so would I. Any of us would. The next time a lunatic threatens one of my brothers with a gun, he’ll wish neither one of us were around.”

Virgil smiled. “Thanks, Scott.”

“Anytime. You good?”

“I’ll be fine,” Virgil replied. “We probably should head in. Breakfast will be started soon, and I need to check on Alan and make sure Dad isn’t camping at his side.”

“Dad was still asleep when I checked on Al,” Scott said as they began to walk up the path that led to the main villa. “Besides, he has an early call with one of the new brokers, if I remember correctly.”

“Good, that should keep him occupied,” Virgil grinned.

TBC…

#thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds 2004 #thunderfam #alan tracy #virgil tracy #scott tracy #my writing #part 6 #fanfic #writing

25 notes · View notes

meenah-chan · 3 years

Text

Requested by: @zimelu-eloni-nova-lycan (hope you see this since I can't tag you ಥ‿ಥ)

My apologies in advance if Malleus is OOC. Other than wanting to play TW and doing a bit of research of him, I know nothing 😂 I never thought of taking requests coz I'm a slow writer but it was quite interesting so I did it anyways. (And took daaays to finish 😂)

To Thine Own Self Be True

An OM! Brothers x GN! Dark Fae MC (slight OM! X Twisted Wonderland crossover)

5.47k words

Genre: flangst

Trigger warnings: self harm, violence, self depreciation? (cringe jk) Read at your own discretion.

"You're an incomplete puzzle... I hope you find your missing pieces." And thus, they were sent to someplace they didn't know...

They... have always been alone. But Y/N is not lonely. They have Malleus, a powerful yet caring brother. They have their grandmother, that even as busy as she is, tries to show her love as much as possible.

They are the only one they need. As long as they have them, they needn't anything else. Or atleast they think so.

"As a part of royal family, you have to broaden your horizon." But they think otherwise.

Before Malleus' departure for Night Raven College, he left Y/N a word, "You're an incomplete puzzle, Y/N. I hope you find your missing pieces." and that was months ago, and they were still confused by it.

Incomplete puzzle... It doesn't feel like they are. They are content of what they have. They capable of doing most tasks perfectly. They fulfill their responsibilities impeccably. It's not like they can't live on their own either. Having no friends and acquaintances but they're two family members is also fine. They don't need any more. No one who could stand their presence anyways.

The intimidating dark energy far more destructive than a fae possessed, in which Y/N could never control. Those menacing, sharp green eyes. Their skin as pale as the dead corpse, and lips charred black. But most of all, those pair of disgustingly sharp, black horns that keeps on growing back no matter how hard they try to get rid of it.

Y/N is the epitome of fear. They knew it more than anyone. If they were to be reckoned that way, it is better to maintain distance from everyone.

But I should fulfill my duty, atleast. They thought, fortifying their resolve as they stood before the future King of Devildom and his butler. "Welcome to Devildom, Y/N Draconia."

"It's an honor to be of your acquaintance, Prince Diavolo." Placing a palm on their chest, Y/N bowed.

As per the two Kingdom's agreement, they were to live in a safe place different from a lavish lifestyle they have been used to inside their gold plated walls. And thus they were led by the Future king's shadow, Barbatos, to their new home. The House of Lamentation.

House of Lamentation. What a gloomy and dreadful place, befitting a sinister being like me. they scoff.

But the sight the dark fae witnessed within that walls was not within their expectations.

"Beel! Don't eat the my wallet! H–Hey, I said let go! My goldie'll snap! B–Belphie, help me!" A white-haired man is pulling a leather wallet from the teeth of a bulky orange-haired one.

"Smells chicken mushroom oil." While the orange head kept their teeth sunk into the wallet almost ripped into two. "It's just a drop, stop going crazy over it!"

"Belphie, wake up! You promised you'll help me with clearing dungeons today! The raid will start anytime now!!" A violet haired male violently shakes an asleep man in blue but the man is far from dazed at all.

"Hrmm... Five more minutes—" "We have no more time!! I can't play with a missing player!"

A feminine faced guy appeared right in front of them, instantly invading their comfort zone and kept locking eyes with them. "Ohh? Who is this with you Barbatos? Ahh, The one moving in! You're quite early, darling. Ignore those bunch in the back and play with me?"

"Behave, you fools!!" A booming voice reverberates and in an instant, the rowdy bunch is silenced. "Such a disgrace..."

Except for one, who didn't make any ruckus until that very moment.

A bucket came flitting up in the air and in the next second, all of its contents all poured on the man who controlled the ruckus a while ago.

"SAAAAATAN!!" It was an utter chaos. This place far from the gloomy place they have in their imagination. It is filled with rabid demons that could obliterate them were they to join forces, and now Y/N have to adjust in this new environment.

"I see it's not a great time to introduce myself." Said Y/N, yet the only one who probably heard them is the butler beside them. "If you'll excuse me, I would like to know where my room is."

"As you wish, your Excellency. Allow me to lead you the way." The butler responded to them. They left the common room, where the rowdy ones moments ago, were trying to suppress the supposedly-most decent of the seven, from destroying the mansion.

Y/N usually do not receive a normal greetings on the events they've been into or more like, forced to come by either their grandmother or by Malleus. It could be the fairies either— gives them space with no one dare shorten the distance; reluctantly greet them before leaving them as fast as they could or; flat out ignore them.

Yet so far, the experience I have today is by all odds, the most insulting way I have ever been greeted. Y/N clasps their trembling hands as they sat on the bed.

I wish this will end sooner. This will be a hell for me...

Almost everyday is a crazy, eventful day. Far different than their everyday life in the Valley of Thorns, their homeland. First impression doesn't really matter to Y/N, but for some reason, they couldn't stand them since day 1. Sure, they haven't done anymore distasteful things like the rude way of welcoming them. Still, the members of the family are crazily weird in their own ways. And they hate it.

Lucifer is the eldest of the brothers. The one who leads the brothers and manage everything in place.

"As your family have wished, you were to live differently than you have thus far. So I won't exempt you with the cooking and housework."

"As a part of Royal family, I expect great things from you. I won't tolerate screw ups."

"Remember to complete your tasks. I am assigned by Diavolo to take care of you, so I will check on your activities throughout your stay here." He is an ass. A bossy and dominating dictator who think he could order a royalty like them.

But one time, when they entered his study, they saw a scene they never thought they'll ever perceive.

*Tak* A fountain pen falling from his gripless hand.

He was splayed on his desk filled with tall stacks of paper, out cold. Y/N didn't know they would witness such vulnerable side of such condescending demon.

So they chose to put off their business for tomorrow, placing his coat over him and letting him rest.

But the event didn't occur only once. Atleast twice a week of exact time before midnight, he's always been unconscious on his desk. That's when Y/N realized: he is not strict and short tempered for no reason.

As the eldest, he took it to himself to be the father figure to the brothers, all while perfectly doing his job as Diavolo's right-hand man. He fulfills his job with perfection. But perfection doesn't come without hardwork nor sacrifices. For the sake of his great responsibility he sacrifice himself, working so hard until he drop on his desk.

With thoughts of him made Y/N ponder over something.

Does having a father feels like having a Lucifer in my life? Maybe it is, they never knew since they never remember their's. He isn't as bad as they thought he were if they think it that way. That is praiseworthy, as they think so themself and deserve some respect.

No more stern expressions whenever speaking to him. Being more compliant if his instruction is reasonable. Thanking him even for a simple thing he does for them.

Soon, they noticed he doesn't nitpick them either and praise them for every job well done. The dark fae may still be annoyed with him but that's not a bad outcome at all.

And then there's Mammon, the second eldest, who is supposed to assist the eldest.

"Ye're a royalty right? So ye're loaded. I'm in a pinch right now so let me borrow from you." He leans on their shoulder, with his smug grin.

"Don't listen to that fool. It's past 200 years and he still haven't paid his debts to me yet."

"Shut up, you otaku!"

Behind violet-haired appears the black haired demon. "MAMMON..."

"EEK— W–Wait!! Lucifer, this is not wha–ACK—!!" Mammon is a scum. A rude demon who could care less of his words and language. Trouble is where he is. Even so, in his tough exterior, Y/N took note of a soft side.

Y/N saw him one time, poking at the mopping otaku demon outside his room. "Yo Levi. What you doin' there?"

"Just let me be... I lose my raid last time because I couldn't play... Now I can't even bear looking at my PC... No one would want to play to a no-show gamer like me..."

"Hmm... Then, it can't be helped. C'mon, your big brother Mammon will play with you!"

"R–Really..?"

"Yeah, Yeah. Let's play to your heart's content" He pulled him up and push him inside his room.

Consoling a sad brother, lending a helping hand when they need it. He may not look like it, but Mammon is also taking good care of his brothers. All the emotional support Lucifer fails to give his brothers, Mammon provides.

So before Mammon entered the room, the dark fae decided to tap his shoulder, earning his attention. "You really love your brothers."

"W–Wha... Where does... who loves—"

"That's really admirable." They promptly reach out a bottle of a jet-black faerie dust only they could concoct. Mammon gingerly took it from them and scanned the inside. "That may help you settle some of your debts. Then..." After giving the bottle, they went on their way.

"AAAAHHHH!! THIS IS ULTRA RARE!" As expected to a man who could appraise goods.

They remember Malleus from his caring side, they couldn't help but smile and commend the yellow demon. I miss my brother...

Leviathan on the other hand, has a different case. He is the third-born of that household. A timid person... At first glance, atleast.

They just can't understand him. He spoke in language they couldn't wrap their head around like, "LOL! ROFLMAO!", "Tss, normie..."

It is tolerable, at least. What they can't tolerate is the fact that,

"UUWAAH!! MY RURI-CHAN LIMITED EDITION COBALT PIN AND FIGURINE IS HERE!!" He is, by far, the loudest. His sudden and unexpected outbursts kept on triggering every jumpy cells in their system.

Leviathan is too hyped he seemed to enter his own dimension. He skipped through the corridor, he sung a Ruri-whatever song that is, until, "Ahh—" he made a misstep in the stairs, a few steps away from them.

Y/N dashed and caught them barely in time, with firm hold between his shoulder blades and another to his package, which should be flying right now but was pressed secured to his chest.

"You should be more careful or you'll hurt yourself. Your treasured package almost fell." They sighed.

"... An angel has descended." He stared at them in awe. As he move his hand to the box, he touched their hand. That's when their position fianally sinks in to him. His face flared beet red and in a few seconds blew a fuse, passing out right on the spot.

"... What a troublesome demon..." With no other choice but to bring him themself, he carried the unconscious Leviathan up to their room. After opening the door, what welcomed them is a messy room.

No, not messy. The room is filled with items and materials of all sorts. Tons of CDs, figurines and posters on shelves and walls. Stuff toys and pillows of all shapes and sizes. Hanged intricate costumes and clothes, which in just a glance, they knew is made with effort. Even pins, threads and needle atop a... Sewing machine? Did he made all of this?

Y/N took another glance on the other side of the room. There he saw three monitors with various programs registered. A game, video editor and a Photoshop... I wonder what else can this man do?

Is this what they call a hobby? Such passion and dedication in pursuit of doing what he loves... An unfamiliar feeling for this dark fae.

They... can't really understand this man. Not at all... But I can now see him in another light, I guess...

The one who sought Y/N first were Beelzebub, the sixth-born. A bulky, tall demon who loves to eat. They were having a snack on the balcony when the older twin sniffs his way in. Such action that freaked the dark fae out internally, considering the sight they witnessed when they first moved in. The fact that they saw a few times 'accidentally' eating inedible things doesn't helped at all either.

"I followed the smell from the kitchen. Your cake smells delicious!" The drooling giant stood by them, and they couldn't take another sip from their tea.

"Hmm... Help yourself." Or you may help yourself with my flesh if I didn't satisfy your hunger.

"Really?!" He sat oposite to them and within minutes, all the plates on the table were wiped clean. "That was delicious!... Ahh that's right. Y/N, why aren't you eating with us during meals?"

"I'm used to eating by myself."

"But why? Eating with someone make the food taste better." Y/N doubt that'll be the case if that someone is him, who could definitely eat them if his appetite cries its needs.

Beelzebub touched his chin, thinking. "Hmm... How about I eat with you during snacks time? I'll bring food you'll definitely like!"

"Ah—" And they lost their timing. His eyes sparkles like stars and the pure happiness in his voice made it impossible for them to refuse. They wouldn't know what he could do were they to decline what he desire.

Since then he would appear without fail during Y/N's snack time, sharing both of their food with each other.

They tried to slowly end such dangerous activity yet, the enthusiasm in his eyes whenever he eat held them back. In the end, Y/N conceded, increasing their baked goods everyday to sate the needs of the ball of sunshine before them– who could bring warmth or burn them. As a response he will also eat it all like it's his first time eating their goods.

He is a man of few words yet, also quite easy to read, especially when eating the sweets they made themself. A straight forward person who means just as he say.

He would even sometimes bring his other twin, who will eat a few bites before snoozing.

"Beel really likes you, you know..." They glanced from their teacup to the youngest, seating beside them as the gobbling twin is busy with his food.

Belphegor stares in an ever-drowsy eyes. He is the man they least interacted with. How can they? Whenever they see him, he is always asleep. And it's not like Y/N is interested in communicating with him or anyone at all. "He even does his research for everything he brings you here. I don't know if you knew, but he really want to convince you to eat meals with everyone."

"...Ehh? Why? We're not even..." Y/N raised an eyebrow.

"Because he loves everything you make. He wants to talk to you ever since the first time you cook, but you're too antisocial to even eat with us."

"Says the demon who is always sleeping whenever I see him." Y/N snorts before taking a bite from the cupcake Beel brought. Hmm... this is good...

"...You, are you getting enough sleep?" Belphegor peers at their face.

"...None of your business."

"Whatever..." He frowns before burrying his face on his pillow.

What a keen observant. Y/N thought.

They've also been observing him since the first day. They share a lot of classes together and the dark fae knew, he is someone who rarely attend his classes, and whenever he does, he is always asleep. They also never saw him hold a book, much more read it. Yet, when they have exams, he finishes halfway the alloted time, almost the same time as them and sleeps after. The worst thing is that he could pass them easily.

He... is a dormant monstrosity. They conclude as they unlock the door to their room the day after. But before they do so, they noticed something.

Beside the door is an unfamiliar paper bag and inside... is a pillow, a bit caved it to the top center—similar to the one they use back to their home to be able to sleep well. It also comes with a note:

'The caneles and the stew is passable. You can throw away the pillow if you don't want it. Just know that it took me a great deal of effort to buy that.'

Really, what a frightening observant.

And there is Satan, the fourth-born, a pretty decent guy who craves for nothing but knowledge. If Y/N may say, he is the one they spend the most time with, though it's not that much.

"What are you reading?" Voicing not a word, they faced him the book cover.

"L’intelletto e Il Cuore... Hmm, that's a good choice." With at least 3 meters away from him, and few to no words exchange between them inside the library, it's not really that much.

He is a rational and intelligent man who respects personal space. Though, from time to time he would snicker eerily between the silence they have, holding either a cursed or homicide book. Creepy.

"What did you say...? The books you borrowed from me... Fell in the river? And it was washed away...?" And when he is angry, all his rationality is thrown out of the window.

"I–I will replace it I promise–" Pleads the peach-haired demon, kneeling before him.

"Replace, you say...? Didn't you know they were a Century membership gift to me from the Bibliomagicus Guild? Do you think that's replaceable...? Ha... Haha...HAHAHAHA!! THEN WHY DON'T YOU REPLACE THEM WITH YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE, HUH?!"

His wrath makes Y/N tremble, like all the bookshelves and books present in the library. Right, the books, the bookshelves. He'll destroy everything if this continues.

"Somnus Enim a Dum." So in a snap they cast a spell, amplified by their own dark pixie dust, and render him unconscious.

"Y/N!" That night he showed up in the library, frantically and still disheveled clothes and hair.

"Thank you. I don't know what would've happen if you're not there. And I also apologize you get to see that side of me." It's the first time they ever saw him smile without looking at the book. A smile similar to their brother.

"You're weird. You got so angry because of books that you'll ruin all the other irreplaceable books here."

"..."

"Don't mind it. I'd feel bad if the books are ruined."

"...Right." He chuckled, brushing his hair with his fingers and fixing his clothes to place. He then picked up the book he's reading, pulling the other sofa to sit beside them.

Now that's annoying. Nevertheless they let him. For they're a mere guest.

The fifth-born, Asmodeus, is not a problem back then. Having only a few occasional invitations for salon and parties, they could decline politely. But after the book incident, everything about his approach changes.

Since then, there was Asmodeus, everywhere!

In the classroom, in the library, in the music room, in the planetarium, in the balcony, in the bed, even the bathroom! He won't give them a break!

"Y/N~ I noticed you're always with Satan in the library. Are you getting along well? Beel too, you always bake and eat with him. That's so unfair! And you invite Belphie without me? Don't tell me you already like one of them?"

"If you'll choose one of us, shouldn't you choose me, the most beautiful demon of them all? I swear I can love you thousandfold than any of them, but... of course you can only be my second~~"

"What's with you and Lucifer? You always went to him every night. Is it a nightly endeavor? Hey~? Y/N, don't ignore me~!" He is a complete chatterbox. A motormouthed demon who don't know when to shut up.

But being with him comes with a few merits. Despite not looking like it, Asmodeus is a real gentleman. He maybe not as keen as Belphegor's capability to observe, but Asmodeus is an attentive and thoughtful demon. He does his everything to provide every small help he could give to them.

Whilst not needing help, it's much better than him being a clingy, dead weight. Y/N tries to look at the bright side.

"But this is tiring..." Y/N sighed, closing the book they are holding.

"Are you tired of reading? C'mon, let's go out and breathe fresh air!" I'm tired of you, you idiot.

"If you want to go out, you can go." The dark fae massaged their temple. It's been throbbing from time to time after that incident with Satan and Asmodeus bugged them.

"No! You've always been cooping yourself here or your room since coming here. You have to go out from time to time or you'll wither away!"

"You're so noisy Asmo. Y/N said they don't want to go." Asmodeus pout at Satan sitting beside Y/N, before pulling the dark fae out of the library and House of Lamentation.

"I'm telling you, I don't need this." Asmodeus holds 5 hangers of clothes, pondering which one fit them best.

"But~ It's such a waste for a beautiful person like you if you don't try dolling yourself up..." They stare at Asmodeus as if he just said the most ridiculous thing he could ever say.

"Don't tell me..." Asmodeus stared at them in disbelief, gasping dramatically like he always does,t "Y/N, YOU'RE GORGEOUS! DON'T EVER THINK YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE A DROP DEAD BEAUTY AND—" They covered his lips before he could even shout louder in such a public place.

He then pulled their hands off after a few moments. "And look! A bit of blush suits you! And black lipstick—" Y/N let him dressed them up— in exchange of shutting up. He chose meticulously, accenting every parts that they consider an abomination. A dizzying position they were in.

But the real deal has yet to come. What's worse than being bothered by a bug? More bugs...

"Asmo, are you nuts! You're hogging them all to yourself!" Mammon barged in their room as Asmo is applying makeup to them who gave up on him for a while now.

"Y/N couldn't come to our snack time because of you." Beel and Belphegor followed close behind, clearly unamused of Asmo's action.

"I haven't even got a chance to introduce them to the wonders of anime and games!" So do is Leviathan.

"They prefer reading in the library more, right Y/N?" Satan rest his back on the door frame, crossed arms.

"Excuse me? If I may say, Satan, Beel and Belphie are the one who took their time more than I!"

"YOU—" And their greatest fear since living in Devildom occurs. All hell broke loose. An all out brawl of the short tempered demons before them with all the six brothers, a thread away from transforming and blasting everything they touch. No... That's not it. Without transforming, they're already smashing everything into pieces.

The dressers. The desk. The chairs and mirrors. Everything but the bed they are sitting on.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE!" The last and the strongest of the brothers made his appearance, yelling in his most intimidating voice.

And they...finally snapped.

"Each and everyone of you... GET. OUT!!!" Such horror reflected on their eyes, with their whole being trembling uncontrollably. Tears poured down one after another. All of the emotions the brothers have never seen them make all spilled before them. As if a predator threatened to the end of their life.

On their hands...

were horns severed from their own head. The seven demons were so taken aback their bodies moved on their own to comply to Y/N's order... or more like, plead.

And the doors were completely closed.

They never left their ransacked room. They wouldn't open their doors to anything. No food, gifts nor even apologies. All but the brothers' words received a single response: "Malleus... I want my brother."

Hence the brothers and future king have no choice but to call him as soon as possible, or they will perish inside such place, alone like they've always been.

"Thank you for taking good care of my sibling. I hope you will continue so in the future."

"We also hoped we could. Yet considering the circumstances, I doubt they would want to stay here a second longer."

"Let—" but before Malleus could even finished his sentence, Y/N came flying down on him.

The distressed fae buried their face in their safe haven's chest. He then proceed carrying them in his arms, assuring them they are safe.

Lucifer led them to the music room, giving them privacy in their conversation.

"You've become so light, Y/N. And what happened to your horns?"

"...I wanna go home."

"Why? Do you hate this place?"

"I'm scared of them since the first day."

"That's understandable... But is that all?" Y/N stare at him in disbelief, while Malleus smiling softly at them.

"...Then what else... should I feel? I know I'm a monster... But that doesn't mean I could live with such monstrous demons! I'm just a monster with a weak heart!"

"Then you can blame it all on me. I'm the one who chose this place for you after all." All words were blown off Y/N's mind. The furrow between their eyebrows disappears as their face relaxes.

"Brother... But why?"

"I want you to realize your own self."

"..."

"Now answer me. You said you're scared of them, but do you hate them? Do you want to leave this place so badly? Is that really everything you've felt in this place?"

"Of course! I... I..." Y/N already knew the answer to his question, way before he even asked.

"They were annoying, noisy and self-centered bunch who does things as they pleased. They keep dragging me on their antics, I never had a peace of mind... I hated it, I despise it. I..." They bit their lips.

"I felt so frustrated! Why do they look so lively and happy despite being so unruly? They're always on each others neck yet they were having fun? Why?! And hobbies? How can they have such thing? I have nothing of sort! I just wake up day after day, desperately searching for something and fill this empty void inside me!"

"I fulfill my responsibilities without fail, on what cause? I have no purpose! Seeing that demons made me feel so miserable with my existence!"

They looked on their lap, holding back the tears on verge of falling. "What do they have that I don't? They're also the strongest, incredibly so that even I shook when they unleash their power! So why aren't they isolated like I am? How can they live a normal life unlike me?!"

"I think you already know the answer."

"...Because... They rely on each other. I never relied on anyone nor let anyone rely on me..." Malleus' smile widens when they hit the nail on the head.

"You're a strong person, Y/N. You won't even depend on us, not until today. You're capable of anything. You're just afraid of any more rejection, of being left behind." He paused and lift their face to meet his eyes, "Diavolo and others explained to me what happened. They said the incident frightened you. Yet knowing you, I doubt it is fear. Will you tell me why you blew off?"

"...I was overwhelmed. They were fighting over me. It never happened to me before so don't know what to feel. The attention was too much that I hated it. And I don't know how to respond to them..."

"So you brushed them off and isolated yourself." They nod weakly.

"And you snapped your horns to show them you're not who they think you are; to scare them off."

"Something like that..." Malleus smiled at them as he pet their head. "See? It's not bad being honest to yourself. Do you still want to leave, now that you let it all off your chest?"

Y/N shooked their head. "I want to stay."

"My Y/N is amazing... To surpass all the beings who estranged them. You're all grown up now." He held them in his arms, Y/N nuzzling onto his chest.

"Come on, they've been waiting for you for the longest time. You know what to do, right?"

"Yes." They left the room, Y/N clinging to him like never before. As childish as it seems, Malleus knew they grew a lot in just a few months of living in Devildom. It is indeed a great decision to choose the brothers to take care of them. They were no longer the incomplete puzzle he saw before he left for his studies.

"Y–Y/N..." Waiting in the common room are the seven brothers with Diavolo and Barbatos.

"W–We understand if you really want to l–leave." Mammon looked down as he clenched his fist.

"It was our fault." Leviathan followed.

"We've been insensitive, pressuring you despite knowing you're not accustomed interacting with a lot of people." Satan said with a serious frown.

"We even destroyed your belongings." Asmodeus glanced away, holding onto Satan's jacket.

"We'll make it up to you in any form."

"Y/N, sorry." Belphegor and Beel voiced respectively.

"It was due to my negligence you have to experience such incident. I also want to apologize." Lucifer held his palm to his chest for a slight bow.

"N–No!" Y/N strongly shook their head, "I should be the one to apologize! I'm so sorry!!" before bowing deeply.

"Y/N!? No, please raise your head—" Diavolo held Lucifer's shoulder to stop him like Malleus cued to let his sibling continue.

"It was all my fault! I've been a coward all this time. I was wrong for trying to push you all away when you don't mean harm. It was all my fault for venting all my frustrations to you. Please, if you would still allow it, I want to stay a bit longer."

"Y/N you are more than welcome here so please raise your head now. We don't deserve your apologies." Satan was the first one who walked towards them to raise their head.

"Y/N?!!" But as he did so, a crying Y/N appears in the brothers' view.

"This is the first time I will ever ask someone but," they sob and sniff, "will you guys be my friends?"

"Y–Yes, so please stop crying!" As conflicted as the brothers are, being asked such question that could hinder their future plans with them, they were forced to agree to their wish instantly.

Let's leave it for another day... The same phrase runs in the thoughts of the brothers, a very rare occurence to happen once in a millenium.

With Asmodeus' lead—he, Mammon, Leviathan, and Beel wrapped their arms around them to console the crying faerie. Lucifer, Satan and Belphegor stood a feet away from them, watching the five in the middle.

As things calms down, they decided to sit on the same dinner table for the very first time. Food were served by Barbatos, who prepares who knows when. He could actually have predicted such outcome for all they know.

The place were so warm, and lively. "This tastes wonderful." That's an understatement. The food have the richest taste than everything Y/N ate in their entire life. "You're right, Beel. Food were best eaten with someone." Beel have them a toothy grin. "I'm glad you get me."

After the meal, Y/N fell asleep on the spot. "Hehe, they're so carefree now." Belphegor played with their fringe. They didn't woke them up and instead carry them in a new room, letting them have the deep sleep they couldn't have for days.

"Congratulations, for being Y/N's first friends. I'll leave them in your care." Malleus bid his farewell to everyone, not bothering of waiting for Y/N to wake up. "I also hope this incident will be the last one."

"Yes, we won't let such thing happen again, and ensure a comfortable life for Y/N throughout their stay here." Diavolo answers in stead of everyone. The brothers are not in the shape to reply as they absorb Malleus' first sentence.

First friend. Such a bitter-sweet word. Whether the word stings them or not, it doesn't matter. It won't stop the brothers from trying to achieve the same goal as subtle as possible.

And so, a not-so-obvious scramble goes on.

This took longer than I expect 🤣😂 In all honesty, it was quite challenging, making a blatant All Brothers x MC. I also don't have a plot and flow until I actually wrote it sksksk dunno if that's a good or bad thing 😂🤣 and this was the longest one I wrote for the past half a year.

Masterlist

47 notes · View notes

let-it-raines · 4 years

Note

Prompt - David and Mary Margaret discover this great groupon deal for an autumn leaf changing tour and cabin rental in Vermont, but the catch, it's for 4 people. Enter in the reluctant best friends that can't stand each other. (And you know, the cabin only has 2 rooms)

🍁 found on ao3 | here | 🍁

-/-

Here’s the thing about Killian Jones: Emma doesn’t hate him.

She really, really doesn’t. Hate is a strong word that she saves for people like Neal and the asshole who took her parking spot and made her lose her skip and her bigger paycheck last week. It’s not a word she uses to describe her opinion of Killian Jones. That would be better described as mistrust or slight animosity or dislike. In the nicest of terms, it could be described as nonchalance and uncaring, maybe a little bit of annoyance, but those are only true when she hasn’t seen him for awhile and has forgotten how annoying he can be.

Right now, annoyance is the exact word she would use to describe her relationship with him, mostly because his appearance was unexpected and unwelcome.

A month ago, Mary Margaret called Emma and told her that she and David won a trip to Vermont for a weekend of walking trails to see the leaves changing. It included free lodging, free dinners, tickets to a farm where you could pick your own apples and pumpkins and sit at their restaurant on the lake and drink the cider brewed at that very farm. It sounded nice, like the plot and setting of a Hallmark movie Emma only watches when she’s at Mary Margaret’s loft, and Emma told Mary Margaret that she hoped they had a good time.

Then Mary Margaret told her the trip was actually for four people, invited Emma and their mutual friend Ruby, and Emma figured why not? Her job has been stressing her out lately, and it’s a free vacation. Who passes up a free vacation?

Ruby Lucas apparently does in order to go to help her grandmother with the catering of a last-minute wedding, and Emma didn’t know about that until she got in the back of David’s truck and saw Killian Jones sitting in the spot that was supposed to be Ruby’s.

She feels cheated.

This was supposed to be relaxing even if it was going to be spent watching David and Mary Margaret be overly affectionate with each other, and now she has to deal with Killian for an entire weekend.

That’s two days and twelve hours too long if she includes today…which she definitely is.

They’ve been in the truck for a little over three hours, which means they should be at the lodge soon, and Emma’s trying to focus on the scenery outside. It’s gorgeous, much more rural than what she’s used to living in the central part of Boston, and from what she’s heard of the lodge and the trails surrounding it, it’s only supposed to get better.

This is good. This can be a good weekend. Maybe she can go off on her own for most of it, and she won’t have to be with Killian or the lovebirds. They’ll be too busy getting lost in each other’s eyes, and he’ll be too busy flirting with every woman around. There’s definitely got to be opportunity for her to go off on her own.

If not, she might fling herself into a pile of leaves and never emerge for air.

And she’ll definitely blame it on Ruby for not telling Emma about her last-minute cancellation.

When they do eventually arrive at the lodge – after thirty minutes of Killian complaining about one of his coworkers – it turns out to look more like a small castle than anything else. It’s made of gray stone and covered in ivy and weeds while still being maintained. There’s a round fountain in front of the entryway, and behind the building, Emma can see the path that leads down to the lake and the hills that are full of trees behind it. Every tree is a different shade of red, orange, green, and yellow, and Emma has never wanted to take a picture of nature so much in her life. She’s about to live out the life of one of those girls on Instagram who only do things for the aesthetics, and for a weekend, she can’t say she minds.

What she does mind, however, is that when David hands her the key to her room, he hands Killian a key to the same room.

The same room as in her room.

Her. Room.

Hers.

“No.”

“Why are you saying no?” David asks, tilting his head in question.

“No, as in no I will not share a room. I thought I was getting my own room.”

“It’s a couple’s weekend, Emma, and I bet you would have been fine sharing a room with Ruby.”

“Yeah, because Ruby’s…”

“Ruby’s not me,” Killian interjects, wrapping his arm around Emma’s shoulder. She tries to shrug it off, but it doesn’t move anywhere. It’s deadweight up there, and Killian has unfortunately turned so he can’t see her death stare. Not that it would have any effect on him. “You see, Dave, it’s just that Emma is wildly attracted to me, and she doesn’t think she’ll be able to contain herself knowing I’m only a few feet away from her, especially when she discovers I sleep in the nude.”

“Oh my God.” Emma moves from underneath Killian’s arm, her strength coming back to her, and moves toward her – their, ugh – door. She turns the key, which is for some reason the old fashioned kind and not a card. “Please stop talking, Jones. I am not wildly attracted to you, and I can handle sharing a room. I’m not a child.”

“See, I knew the lass could do it.”

He winks at her and does this ridiculous eyebrow thing at David, and Emma is seriously considering paying thousands of dollars (she googled this place when they walked inside, and it is not cheap) for her own room.

“We’ll meet you guys in the lobby in thirty minutes, okay? We’re going on a tour of the grounds with our guide and then dinner, so dress for both.”

“When is the hike?” Emma asks, lingering in the doorway.

“Not until tomorrow. I’ll get Mary Margaret to send you the itinerary.”

“She already has. I just haven’t looked at it.”

“I’m not telling her that,” David laughs. “See you soon.”

Emma waves, smiling at David, and turns into the room, dragging her luggage behind her. It doesn’t take long before she’s stopped in her tracks, her sneakers snagging in the carpet, as Killian runs into her back.

“Bloody hell, why’d you stop like that?”

She opens her arm to the bed – singular – in front of them, which would look cozy and soft and all of the good things if she had it all to herself. “If you didn’t bring clothes to sleep in, you’re sleeping in your fucking jeans,” she mumbles before turning toward the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

This is fine.

This is all fine. Emma has been through a hell of a lot worse, and maybe Killian won’t be an ass. Maybe he’ll be the gentleman he always claims to be.

She’s never believed him for a second when he’s said shit like that.

Emma changes out of her leggings and sweatshirt into a pair of jeans and a thick sweater, grabbing her red plaid jacket and a beanie and placing them to the side for when she leaves. She puts on some mascara, a swipe of lipstick, and brushes out her hair. This is as good as it’s going to get, and she doesn’t mind that. Mary Margaret will tell her that tomorrow or whenever they go to the nice dinner that she’ll have to dress up, and Emma is giving herself a break on the makeup until then.

She had to pile it on every night this week for work, and her skin is screaming for a break.

Killian knocks on the door, telling her to hurry up because he has to get ready too, so she takes five extra minutes…out of spite…because she knows it’s just petty enough for it to rub him the wrong way. She doesn’t feel bad about it either. Killian would do the same damn thing.

“You look nice,” Killian tells her when she opens the bathroom door and he’s standing on the wall opposite the bathroom, leg propped up and arms crossed over his chest. His eyes trail up and down her body, and Emma moves out of the doorway. A shiver runs down her spine, but she ignores it.

Definitely, definitely ignores it.

It’s cold up in Vermont, even colder than in Boston, and these old walls aren’t helping.

Killian takes approximately two minutes to get ready, all of which is probably spent getting into ridiculously tight jeans, and then they’re begrudgingly walking to the lobby where David and Mary Margaret are waiting for them already talking to the guide, a peppy woman named Anna who is like the redheaded version of Mary Margaret when Mary Margaret is in one of her “everything is a fairytale” moods.

Anna takes them throughout the property, giving them the history of the place while offering up different amenities that are not included with the package they won but still accessible if they’re willing to pay. There’s a spa, a gym, three different hiking trails, an option to take row boats out on the lake if the weather is nice, and there are two different restaurants on the property. They also offer drivers to several places around town, including the grocery store and the farm they’ll be visiting tomorrow after their hike, and Emma is sure several other things are said. She zones out about halfway through, distracted by the view of the trees and how they’re reflected on the lake. Everything is in an orange glow right now, one that brings comfort to Emma.

She’s always liked sunsets. It’s cheesy and she’d never admit it out loud, but she likes the predictability of them. They don’t always look the same, but they happen every day, even if she can’t see it. She likes that, having that constant. It’s not something she has a lot of, constants that is, and she takes every one she can get.

Maybe this weekend won’t be so bad.

If she says that enough, she just might believe it.

-/-

Dinner is nice.

The food is good, the wine surprisingly good since she was pretty sure it was going to be some funky homemade stuff, and even more surprisingly, the company is great.

When she thinks that, she wonders if the alcohol content in the wine was higher than the server said it was.

All the good thoughts about Killian go away, however, when they’re back in their (still so awful to have to think) hotel room, and Emma is awkwardly sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing lotion on her arms. Killian, thank goodness, is in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt, so he’s not even going to attempt to sleep naked.

She was 100% sure that he would try, and she’s honestly kind of sad she won’t get a chance to slap him.

On the cheek.

On his face.

She doesn’t want to slap him anywhere else.

Okay, that wine’s alcohol content was definitely higher than it should have been.

Killian plops down on the bed, the mattress shaking beneath him, and tugs the covers over him. His movements jostle her, and she grits her teeth as she finishes moisturizing. He turns on the TV, puts it on some show she has never heard of, and Emma tries to keep calm. She’s tired. She’s going to fall asleep quickly, and the TV won’t bother her. She falls asleep every night with the TV on, so this is nothing new.

Emma turns down the corner of the bed on her side and slides underneath before flipping the switch for the light. The room darkens except for the TV and the glow of the alarm clock, and Emma closes her eyes. They’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, and she doesn’t want to be walking around wishing she had an IV of coffee to keep her awake.

Slowly, sleep comes for her, tugging at the corners of her eyes, and just as she’s about to succumb to it, the comforter is tugged off of her, leaving her foot exposed to the cold air of the room.

What the hell?

Emma tugs it back, shifting her leg to have it covered, and for a moment, she’s warm. Warm and cozy and not even the too loud laugh track on the TV is disturbing her.

The fact that Killian pulls away the comforter again is, however, disturbing her.

Actually, it really freaking annoys her, so she pulls it back. Hard this time, and Killian grunts in response and rolls over. she feels his foot brush against her calf, and she kicks out, moving him back to his side. It’s only a queen-sized bed, so there’s not a lot of room for them to stay separate. She’s about three seconds away from finding pillows or their suitcases and putting them in between the two of them so he stops encroaching on her space.

And taking her comforter.

Because it’s definitely hers. Just like this room was supposed to be.

Killian wasn’t even supposed to be on this trip. It was supposed to be Ruby, who definitely would have stayed on her side of the bed. Better yet, she probably would have met someone and would be staying with them, and Emma would have this entire bed to herself.

It’s so comfortable that it’s a shame she has to share it. She’s not used to that anymore, and she likes to stretch out.

The comforter moves again, and Emma grips onto it, holding it where she is and tucking it underneath her ass to keep it as steady as possible. At this point, he has to be doing it to annoy her, and Emma is not going to lose this battle.

She’ll stay up all night if she has to.

“You know, Swan,” Killian mumbles, “normally I prefer to do more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back than fight over the covers.”

Emma groans and rolls over on her stomach, pointedly kicking out at him. “Shut up, Jones.”

“If that’s what the lady wishes.”

Emma mutters into her pillow, and for a few minutes, as the blanket stealing calms down and the TV quiets, Emma wonders if she could feasibly fake some sleeping disorder that has her punching Killian in the face all night.

She can be a pretty good actress sometimes. She could probably pull it off.

She doesn’t do that, though, because she eventually falls asleep, one foot sticking out into the cold air.

Damn you, Jones.

-/-

There’s a warm body nears hers.

That’s the first thought Emma has when she wakes up – after thinking of how annoying her alarm sound is. The body warm and solid and a little hairy, and it takes her two seconds to remember where she is and who she’s sharing a bed with. She knew she should have slept on the floor last night because in no world does she want to have her leg pressing up against Killian’s leg and her ass…

“Oh my God,” she murmurs, eyes blowing wide as she turns and moves her body as much as she can. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my Goooooooood.”

“What are you yelling about?” Killian groans, shifting behind her, which only makes it worse.

“I’m not yelling,” Emma hisses. She pushes away and sits up, and there’s no need to even adjust the comforter because none of it is on her. “What are you doing near me?”

He raises his brow, wrinkles on his forehead popping up. Getting a look at him now, she knows the ruffled look he sometimes does with his hair is natural, and for some reason, that really freaking annoys her.

“I was sleeping until you decided to have a conniption.”

“Yeah, well that’s because your dick…oh shit.”

Emma wasn’t going to say that. She really wasn’t, and from the way Killian’s brow is arching higher, she knows that she’s messed up. She’s given him the perfect set up for all of his innuendos, and knowing him, she’s never going to be allowed to live this down.

What a great start to her morning.

“Usually that’s not the reaction, but I understand your shock, love. You weren’t prepared, and it’s, well, a lot to take in.”

“Oh my God, shut up.” She takes the pillow from behind her and smacks him with it as he laughs. He’s getting far too much enjoyment out of this, and she’s wondering how long she would be in jail if she smothered him. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Make it cold and bracing. I think you might need it.”

“Yeah, I’m not the one with morning wood, but you keep thinking that.” She gets off the mattress and reaches down for her bag. Killian may have unpacked his stuff, but she didn’t bother to do that, even if it means everything is wrinkled. “Please don’t take care of it while I’m showering. That’s just…we have to share the bed, Jones, and I’ve worked in hotels before. I know they don’t always change the sheets.”

He mock salutes, the cheekiest grin on his face, and this is really going to be a long day.

-/-

It’s a long day.

Before she can even get coffee in her, she’s dragged out to the hiking trail. The sun hasn’t fully risen, and they’re supposed to be watching the sunrise and how it matches up with all the changing trees. It’s beautiful. She knows it is, and she does manage to take some pictures that she’s sure capture about half of the beauty. The thing is that despite her best efforts, she didn’t sleep well, and she’s only running on adrenaline and annoyance.

Mostly at Killian.

He’s been staring at her all morning, a joke on the tip of his tongue about their morning, and he’s started to make them several times before Emma shoots him a look or elbows him in the stomach. Mary Margaret has given Emma several funny looks, and if she wasn’t so wrapped up in David and the romance of the changing leaves and the sunrise, she’d probably ask about it.

Mary Margaret is not one for subtlety or staying out of someone else’s business.

David guides them over the trail, which is somehow all uphill despite no discernible incline, and eventually the come to a perch with a few of the lake and the lodge, miles of trees surrounding it. Emma doesn’t think she’s ever seen anything quite like it, and now she can truly see why so many people travel here just to stare at some trees.

“It’s something isn’t it, Swan?” Killian asks as he walks up behind her, the heat of his body making the chill of the air fade for a moment.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

“I didn’t think looking at trees would be your thing. I don’t take you as much of a nature person.”

Emma turns to face him and crosses her arms over her chest. “You don’t know me well enough to know if I’m a nature person or not.”

He steps closer, invading her space like he always does, and maybe she’s a bit of a liar when she says he doesn’t know her. “Just who are you then, Swan?”

Emma cocks her head and straightens her back, not letting him overwhelm her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

He smiles and nods, lashes fluttering until his eyes are hooded. “Perhaps I would.”

“We better get moving if we want to make it to the apple orchard on time,” David tells them, making Emma jump away from Killian and smooth down her flannel over her stomach. “You okay? You look flushed.”

“Just the walk,” Emma lies. “I’m sure that’s all.”

-/-

“I will throw this apple at your head.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Emma groans, audibly, and plucks another apple from the tree and puts it in her basket. It’s getting a little heavy, and not in a million years could she eat all these apples before they spoil. They’re not for her, though. They’re for the farm and its cider and pies and tarts and all the other apple goods they make. She must admit that it’s a brilliant business plan, having people pick the apples for you and then make them pay for it and the food and drinks.

She can’t believe people actually pay to do this. The hike, she gets, foraging for your own food, not so much.

Emma picks an apple out of her basket, one that kind of looks gross and a little squished, and she tosses it at the back of Killian’s head. It hits, just barely, and she stops as he reaches up to touch his hair.

“What is wrong with you?” he hisses, turning around to glare at her.

“You’re the one who has spent the last ten minutes being invasive to my personal life, so what’s wrong with you?”

“Asking if you were still seeing Graham Humbert is not invasive.”

“It is definitely invasive.”

Killian’s shoulders shrug, and he steps closer to her. Really close, actually. He does this obnoxious thing where he’s always encroaching on her space when he speaks, swaying closer and dipping his head down until their eyes are level. He’s doing that now, obnoxious, downright cocky grin gracing his lips, and Emma backs away, dodging some low-hanging apples, until her back is against the tree and she’s putting her basket on the ground. She really hopes there aren’t ants crawling all over her, but at this point, she’s too distracted to care.

For every inch that she moved, Killian matched her. And now, he’s more in her space than ever, the heat of his body warming her more than her jacket. How is he that damn hot?

Only in the temperature sense…not in the other way. She is obviously still a little tipsy from the wine last night that she still maintains had a higher alcohol content than usual.

He chuckles, and his eyes look at her before glancing down at her lips. It’s not even a quick glance. It’s pointed, and Emma knows she was meant to notice it.

“Please,” Emma huffs, “you couldn’t handle it.”

He doesn’t even flinch. “Perhaps you’re the one who couldn’t handle it.”

She wants to say something back, some smart, snide remark that will make him frustrated, but she also wants to prove him wrong. Emma doesn’t care what anyone else has to say, and she’s heard all the rumors. Kissing Killian Jones is not going to have an effect on her.

So she grabs the lapels of his coat and pulls him forward until his mouth is on hers and Emma’s head is pressing into the back of the tree. The bark scratching the back of her neck would be uncomfortable if she wasn’t so focused on Killian. He’s not kissing her back, his lips rigid against her, and she’s just about to pull back and give him shit over being a horrible kisser when he moves. His hand comes to her hair, yanking on the strands as he tilts her head the way he wants it, and his prosthetic rests at her waist. Every thought she had about him being stiff was wrong.

She’s never felt anyone move like this.

She’s also had some pretty damn good kisses in her life, but she can’t remember the last time one took her breath away and made heat curl over her skin as soft lips moved over her and slightly rough stubble scratched against her skin, likely leaving her red.

Emma can’t remember the last time she was kissed well, and damn, what a shame that is.

She could get used to that.

But she knows that’s a dangerous thought, and this is a dangerous game she’s playing. If she’s bringing cards to the table to play, she has to be open to the possibility that she can lose her hand.

Emma isn’t open to that right now.

So, she pulls back, just barely though, and tries to catch her breath as Killian does the same. He’s panting, and in any other circumstance, the sound would be like heaven to her, a strong indication of what’s to come next. Not in this one, though, and when Killian moves in, she pulls away.

“That was,” he begins, seemingly trailing off in a search for the words to describe what just happened.

She doesn’t know either, but it doesn’t take her long to figure out what she wants to say.

“A one-time thing,” she finishes, knowing she has to say it as she looks at him and the flush of his cheeks. “I’m going to find David and Mary Margaret. Don’t follow me. Wait five minutes and...” she glances down toward his jeans “…calm down.”

He mockingly bows, same smug smile she’s used to back on his lips. She knows how they feel now, and that feels wrong.

“As you wish, milady.”

-/-

The late afternoon lunch (or is it early dinner considering the time?) is awkward as hell. They’re sitting at a small, supposedly cozy table in the midst of the most romantic patio ever created (think of all the string lights in the world and then double it) with wine and cider in their glasses and good food on the table in front of them.

Emma wants to run away.

She can’t.

It really freaking sucks.

And it doesn’t help that Killian keeps looking at her with these big blue eyes that she doesn’t normally see. He looks earnest almost, and she doesn’t think Killian Jones has been earnest a day in his life.

Then again, how much does she know?

“Oh, this is so romantic,” Mary Margaret sighs. “I’m so glad we won this trip.”

“Does romance include two of your mates sitting at the table with you?” Killian asks. “Dave was playing footsy with me earlier we’re so cramped in here.”

“Was that you?” David hisses, cheeks going red, and Emma starts to laugh. That’s the best thing she’s heard all day.

“Yes, it is romantic even with you and Emma here. And with David somehow mistaking your leg with mine.”

“In my defense, Killian’s calves are only a little bigger than yours, sweetheart.”

“I’m not sure whether to be flattered or insulted.”

“Flattered, of course,” Killian says. “I have bloody fantastic legs. Ask Swan here. She felt them up last night.”

Emma kicks out her foot at Killian under the table, not one hundred percent sure she’s actually hitting his leg, but then she sees the slight wince. Gotcha.

“So, what are we doing after this?” Emma asks to change the subject. “Another hike? More apple picking? Second dinner?”

Mary Margaret sighs, “a carriage ride back to the hotel, but they’re going to take us the scenic route.”

“Of course they are,” Emma mutters, stabbing her food and stuffing it into her mouth. She’s going to need more wine.

-/-

The carriage ride is worse than the dinner. For one, the horses smell horrible, much worse than the food, and the carriage is somehow smaller than their table. She’s pressed completely up against Killian, their sides aligned, and he has his arm over her shoulder while they share a blanket. She tried to refuse, but it’s gotten really cold. Her nose and her fingers are going to fall off soon, and she’s as zipped up as she can be.

David and Mary Margaret practically make out across from them, and even though Emma knows more about their sex life than she would ever want to know, sitting his close to it as a horse drags them along the road is not something she’s comfortable with.

“Make it stop,” she murmurs into Killian’s shoulder, half to keep her from having to look at David and Mary Margaret but mostly to keep her nose warm.

“I’m afraid we have to ride this one out, love. If you want, we could share our own kiss…again.”

She hits his thigh underneath the blanket. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever helps you sleep through the night.”

-/-

She doesn’t sleep through the night.

She’s too aware of her surroundings, of the warm body a few inches from her own.

It’s all too much, even if he didn’t try to steal the covers tonight, and if she wasn’t so damn stubborn, she’d sleep on the floor. She told herself she would do that tonight, but now it feels like admitting defeat.

Emma doesn’t like to admit defeat.

-/-

They go for another hike the next morning, their last morning in Vermont.

Emma sticks next to David the entire time, asking him mundane questions she doesn’t care about just to keep the conversation flowing and to keep Killian from making any jokes she doesn’t want him to make. It works, mostly, and Emma is even able to enjoy herself and the view for a lot of it. Boston can be gorgeous, but she’s going to miss a lot of this.

It’s the picture perfect dream, but Emma knows perfection doesn’t exist. And in pictures, it’s almost always photoshopped.

Doesn’t make it any less stunning as she stares out at it all, and it doesn’t make her want the picture perfect dream any less. The one where she isn’t so scared of getting hurt again and where she lets herself have fun, lets herself feel safe.

Lets her heart in on the decision making with her head.

-/-

Emma sleeps on most of the car ride back to Boston, and when she wakes up, it’s with a sore neck and tired eyes. It’s also in front of her apartment. She thanks the Nolans for the weekend, and very slowly, it dawns on her that Killian is no longer in the car. They must have dropped him off first, and she doesn’t know why, but it stings a bit that she doesn’t get to say goodbye to him as well.

That’s the lack of sleep talking, obviously.

Emma would never miss saying goodbye to Killian because that would mean she was going to miss his presence. She wouldn’t do that, though. Of course not. Because she didn’t have a good time when he was around. He didn’t make her smile at all this weekend.

He never makes her smile at all.

If Emma was using her own superpower to detect lies, there would be a blaring red light over her head with a little bell blaring in her ears.

She is ignoring it in favor of stuffing everything about this weekend in her bag and not looking into it. It was pretty. Nice pictures were taken, good food was had, and nothing else happened.

(Ding, ding, ding.)

-/-

Life returns to normal. She goes to work, goes to the gym, is occasionally dragged out to bars and clubs with her friends on the nights she isn’t working.

(She does finally get that guy from two weeks ago, and the paycheck is worth the struggle.)

Killian is around a lot more than he usually is. He’s in school getting his degree in software engineering on some scholarship he got from his service in the Navy, and he usually bartends at night. That job fizzled out, though, so when they all have pizza night or go out or meet up for lunch, he’s usually there.

Emma finds it odd, but she doesn’t mind.

She doesn’t pay much attention to him because she’s making a conscious effort specifically not to pay attention to him, not until he misses a fantastic opportunity to make an innuendo, and she realizes he hasn’t been making a lot of those lately. They’re there, sure, but not in as high of a quantity as they usually are.

It’s weird, but the weirdest thing about it all is how much she misses them.

Huh.

When did that happen?

When did the flirting stop annoying her and start making her laugh? When did she start liking it?

Liking him?

The thought comes to her without true warning and without permission. It’s wiggled its way out of the deep caverns of her mind and made it to the surface, gasping for air so it can live out in the open. She has a physical reaction to it, her hands coming to cover her mouth as she inhales a deep breath that has everyone looking away from the TV to look at her.

“You alright?” Ruby asks from her spot on David and Mary Margaret’s couch.

“I’m fine,” Emma lies, knowing her friends won’t push her further. They’ve known her long enough to know not to do that too often. “Just need some water.”

She gets up from her chair and walks toward the kitchen, her mind running faster than Usain Bolt, and she tries to focus on pouring herself a glass of water and on the football game that’s on. She doesn’t even really like football, but it’s kind of a fall tradition around here. She just has to go with it.

Everything is fine. This is fine.

This is…this is crazy. It’s even crazier that she can’t tell if her body is experience fear, joy, or some insane mixture of both bottled up with all of the adrenaline it can muster.

“You sure you’re alright, love?” Killian asks as he walks into the kitchen puts his plate in the sink. Of course he followed her in here. He, unlike Ruby, Mary Margaret, and David, has no qualms about bothering her. “You look a bit flushed. You’ve gone red around your cheeks.”

“Fine,” she lies again. “I’m fine.”

If she says that word enough, it’ll be true.

“Are you certain because I – ”

“Why don’t you flirt with me anymore?” she blurts before she can stop herself. She must be going crazy because this is insane. Who has taken over her body, and can she get it back please? Preferably before she does something stupid like kissing him again.

Then again, that wasn’t all stupid. It felt pretty damn good.

Killian arches his brow, his forehead wrinkling, and she knows she’s about to get some dumbass answer. He scratches behind his ear with his prosthetic. “Because if I’m to win your heart Emma, as I’d like to, I’d like to do it in a way that doesn’t piss you off, as much as I do love that. It’s quite entertaining for me, especially when you go red as you are now. It’s a becoming color on you, but I realize my methods of getting your attention were a bit childish.”

Well, okay then. Maybe not a dumbass answer.

This is a weird, weird few minutes.

“Are you trying to tell me you’ve been doing the adult equivalent of pulling pigtails on a playground?’

He shrugs. “Aye, I guess.”

Emma, once more, doesn’t know what to do or say, so she lets instinct drive her. She steps forward and places her hand on his shoulder, looking him dead in the eye. They’re ridiculously blue, and it’s just not fair. “Asking me to dinner would have worked much better than that. Food has always been the way to my heart, especially if it’s cheap, greasy, and will make my stomach hurt afterward.”

She leaves the ball in his court (or in his possession on the field since they’re watching football and her sports metaphors should make sense, and she’s 82% sure that’s a correct metaphor), and walks away before being pulled back by her wrist until she’s looking at him again.

Once more, he’s earnest, and she’s still getting used to that.

And those blue eyes. Those too. They don’t have to be all devilish all the time.

“Would you like to go to dinner with me, love?” Killian asks, hopeful, kind smile on his face.

Genuine. He’s genuine, and she feels that little flutter that she hasn’t felt in awhile, not since she kissed him against the apple tree to prove a point to herself that she wouldn’t be affected by kissing him.

Emma really is a bad liar, especially when she’s lying to herself.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

#leaves are changing (and maybe he is too)#cs prompts #cs fic #cs ff #cs fanfic #cs fanfiction #captain swan fic #captain swan ff #captain swan fanfic #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan #wellhellotragic

106 notes · View notes

psychedelic-ink · 3 years

Photo

This is my commission for @sandpumpkin! Thank you so much for commissioning me love and letting me post it! I hope I did metalpumpkin justice!

Pairing: Eustass Kid x Hana (self insert)

Genre: Fluff, Romance, Modern AU

Word count: 2.1 k

Summary: Hana and Kid have been going out for a while but Kid realized that he hadn’t actually took Hana out on a proper first date and sets to fix his mistake.

Commissions | Ko-Fi

Night fell and Hana couldn’t help but shimmy further into her coat. It might’ve been spring but as soon as sunset the remains of the winter cold still lingered within every breeze. She was cold but Hana couldn’t help but smile as she saw a rather tall red haired man walk towards her. The man held two steaming cups in his hands, one filled with herbal tea and the other filled with coffee. He sat down next to her and gave her the cup. Hana’s smile grew as she wrapped both hands around the cardboard cup and warmed her hands. She took in deep breaths of the soothing tea and gently placed it on her lips.

“You’re going to burn your tongue,” Kid groaned, blowing on his coffee. “Wait a bit before chugging it down.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Hana opted to blow on to the piping hot beverage instead, the two of them sat on a distant bench, far from the commotion. The light was soft from where they were sitting, giving them both a nice glow as they blew on their beverages. Lifting the cup towards her glossy lips once more, Hana’s eyes lingered on Kid. His leg was bobbing up and down, a nervous habit he had. She raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask what was troubling him. They both sat in silence, sipping their beverages and enjoyed each other's company under the stars.

“S-So , I wanted to ask you something,” Kid said, breaking the silence. Hana turned towards him, blinking, she was startled by the almost shy undertone he had in his voice. He continued. “We’ve been going out for a while but we haven’t really gone on a “proper” date now have we?”

Hana thought for a moment before replying with a big smile.

“As long as we’re together I’m happy,” she chirped. “I don’t really care if it was proper or not.”

Kid’s eyes widened and he quickly covered his mouth. He was hoping his hand was big enough to cover the blush he was sure he had as a result of hearing such sweet words. He took in a couple of deep breaths as an attempt to calm his loudly beating heart. When he deemed himself ready to speak again he removed his hand and nervously scratched the back of his head.

“That’s...nice of you to say,” he muttered. “But still, I would...you know...like to actually take you out, if you want to…”

In that moment Kid could’ve sworn he could see sparkles glimmering in Hana’s eyes. His blush deepened as he averted his eyes. A soft chuckle reached his ears.

“I would love to!” she sang. “It’s going to be so fun.”

Hana was glowing with excitement already thinking about what kind of outfit she should wear. Inching closer to him, Hana let her head fall on his broad shoulder and closed her eyes as she sighed happily. Kid stiffened only for a moment before placing his lips over her orange hair. He took in a deep breath of her sweet smelling shampoo before placing a kiss.

Surprised, Hana lifted her head up to gaze at him. Kid smiled and wanting to seize the opportunity, he leaned closer. When his lips touched hers it was as if time itself had stopped, the faint noise coming from the commotion nearby completely drifted off. Kid’s lips were soft and gently moved against Hana’s, it felt almost like a sweet sounding lullaby enough to kidnap her into the realm of dreams.

The one to break the kiss is Kid, he slowly parted away enjoying seeing Hana chasing after his lips as he did. She blinked a couple of times and stared at him with half lidded eyes, her cheeks red as a soft smile formed on her lips. Kid grinned and nuzzled the top of her head thinking that he would never get tired of this.

“It’s a date then.” he muttered, lips moving against her hair.

“It’s a date.”

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

“What have I gotten myself into?”

Kid sat in the middle of seemingly endless piles of clothes, his head between his hands, he blankly stared into the wall. Ever since they talked about when they would go on their proper date, Kid had postponed picking out an outfit but now that the time had actually come he was cursing at his past self. He had so many choices but absolutely no idea what to wear.

With butterflies in his stomach he let himself fall to the ground and started to stare at the ceiling instead. His heart was pounding mad, his clothing issues aside Kid was also rather excited to be going out with Hana. He had the whole night planned, it was out of his comfort zone but he would do anything to make her feel special. Kid’s head started to spin, the more he overthinked the more his stomach churned.

“Kid?” a voice called out to him. “Are you alright?”

Kid covered his face with his hands and groaned.

“No.”

Killer chuckled as he knelt next to the red haired man. He stared down at him with an amused look. Kid couldn’t even look at him, his face still covered behind his hands. Needless to say he was embarrassed.

“What’s wrong?” Killer asked. “I thought you wanted to go out?”

“I do!” he exclaimed, letting his hands fall to his sides. “I...I don’t know what to wear! And she always wears the most pretty stuff. I don’t want to embarrass her.”

“I’m pretty sure she’ll be happy with whate—”

“And that’s not all!” Kid jumped and held Killer by the shoulders, startling the poor man. “What if I’m not gentlemanly enough? What then?”

“Why are you acting like she doesn’t know who you are,” Killer snorted. “I doubt she thinks you’re a gentleman.”

“Great pep talk man, thanks.”

Killer chuckled as he raised his hands in a sign of defeat.

“Alright alright I’m sorry,” he crossed his arms in front of him when Kid removed his hands. “But you’re overthinking, just pick something to wear and go meet her. Just be yourself.”

“That’s horrible advice.”

“It’s better than none.” Killer’s gaze wandered over the piles of clothes then he shifted his gaze back to Kid. “And about what you’re going to wear… I think it’s time.”

Kid’s eyes widened at his friend's words. He looked at him with a bewildered look.

“Really?”

He nodded, “It’s time to break out the kilt.”

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

Hana nervously fiddled with her thumbs. Her brain muddled with excitement, she ended up arriving half an hour earlier. Luckily Kid had already made reservations so she didn’t have to wait outside. Sipping the water the waiter had poured for her, her eyes scanned the restaurant. It was much fancier than she anticipated and to be honest wasn’t much of Kid’s style. But nonetheless Hana was rather excited and giddy about the date, she had worn a black laced dark red dress with a black bonnet. She had Kid’s hair in mind when she picked out the color and hoped the man would appreciate it.

“Sorry, did I make you wait?”

Excitement bubbling inside of her, Hana’s gaze flew up. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw the red haired man standing before her. Her eyes shifted down from his beautiful face, she saw that he was wearing a nice suit jacket with a white button up shirt and the collar was sealed up with a nice dark red bowtie, similar to the color of the dress Hana was wearing. Her gaze continued to shift down and then she was pleasantly surprised, so much so that she almost had a mini heart attack.

He was wearing a matching dark red kilt with a black, yellow plaid pattern. It was absolutely astonishing and breathtaking at the same time. Hana’s mouth fell open but she quickly composed herself and tried to swallow down her shock. Swiftly her eyes wandered a bit lower to see his bare legs and she quickly shifted her gaze back up to his face. Kid was looking at her with a rather amused look, his red lips stretched out into a devilishly handsome smirk. Hana was sure she was red as his kilt.

“See something that you like, princess?”

“N-No,” Hana quickly blurted out, her gaze falling to the table. “Why don’t we order? I’m famished, I’m sure you are too.” she spoke quickly.

Kid chuckled, “Since this is a date I’ll let you change the subject.”

He took a seat and stared at her with a smile.

“You look beautiful by the way.”

“So do you.”

The rest of the night was more or less what Hana expected. It was rather awkward being in a stuffy restaurant and even with his attempts to try and hide it, Kid clearly wasn’t much of a fan. But even so he almost showed none of his displeasure and only focused on Hana. It was a rather nice feeling being here with him and she was beaming with happiness. She enjoyed the food but she especially enjoyed a time well spent with her loved one.

As they gobbled up the last remains of their deserts Hana had her light bulb moment. She was enjoying herself, that was a given, but she wanted Kid to be enjoying himself as well.

“Why don’t we go for a walk?”

“A walk?” Kid repeated, a bit startled. “Why?”

“The weather is rather nice and we did finish our dinner after all.”

A faint shade of pink colored his cheeks as he realized what Hana was trying to do. He couldn’t help but smile and call for a waiter for the check. As soon as they took a step outside Hana could see the change in Kid’s demeanour, he stretched his arms and took a deep breath.

“Not gonna lie this feels much better,” he said as he, much to Hana’s surprise, took a hold of her hand. “Where should we go?”

Hana followed as Kid started to walk, her pulse quickened and she felt herself getting flustered. Kid’s hand was so warm, it felt nice, almost like a security blanket, his presence made her feel safe and sound.

“Maybe we can go to the park?” Hana offered shyly.

“The park it is!” Kid exclaimed, finally feeling relaxed enough to shout.

Hana’s lips spread out into a grin, she let Kid lead the way. When they arrived Hana noticed that there was a fair nearby and the faint sound of music could be heard from where they were standing. It had a nice tune, it had a certain softness to it. Before she could say anything, Hana suddenly found herself being pulled towards Kid’s broad chest. He gently placed a hand on her waist and took a hold of her hand. Trying to accommodate the rhythm of the music, the two started to sway from side to side.

Hana held her breath as she stared at Kid’s chest, she didn’t dare look at him fearing that her excitement would be clearly read from her face. The sound of crickets accompanied the soft tunes and Hana let her head fall onto Kid’s chest as they continued to dance under the night sky. Kid hummed happily and pulled her closer, he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“Hey, princess.”

“Yeah?” Hana replied in almost a sleepy tone.

“Look up.”

And so she did.

Kid’s lips brushed over her’s right before he captured them with a kiss. They continued to move with the music, their lips intertwined with each other. It was as if they were writing a symphony of their own. Hana had no idea how long their kiss lasted, it felt like an eternity. When they parted Hana was breathless, her mind dazed as she looked up to him. Kid didn’t seem to be doing much better, his cheeks red. Their dancing stilled as they gazed at each other, forgetting the rest of the world.

Then both of them smiled and started to giggle, Kid buried Hana’s face into his chest once more and nuzzled the top of her head, without warning Kid let himself fall to the ground and pulled Hana with him. She let out a gasp as she fell on top of him. Kid chuckled once more and placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb going in circles over her flushed skin.

“I love you so much.” he said, barely in a whisper.

“I love you too.”

They both continued to admire one another as they laid under the millions of stars that seemed to go on for eternity.

Just like their love.

#one piece #one piece imagine #one piece scenario #writing commission #commissions #eustass kid #eustass captain kid #eustass kidd #one piece x self insert #kid x selfinsert

31 notes · View notes

not-all-dead · 3 years

Text

angstpril day two: sole survivor

CW: lots and lots of death, su*cide at the end

fic under the cut

It was too much chaos. He could barely tell what was going on, his senses overwhelmed by everything. He couldn’t take it.

“Bolin, watch out!” Someone screamed at him.

Opal.

There wasn’t time to think. He ripped a hole in the earth below him and dropped in. A roaring fireball passed overhead just as he bent the earth back over him.

At least it was quieter here. It was cold, too. Cold and damp. He sank to the ground and pulled his knees to his chest. His was breathing quickly, and his eyes were watering. He stared into the darkness in front of him, trying to calm himself down.

The ground shook too often. He flinched at every tremor, trying not to imagine what had caused it. Trying not to imagine who’d have been hurt this time. It was especially difficult when there were screams. He felt tears tracing down his cheeks, but made no move to get rid of them. He felt frozen in place, the earth surrounding him a comfort yet also a prison.

He took to counting the seconds between blasts, timing each tremor that wracked through the ground. It was horrifying how frequent they were, but at least it was something to focus his mind on.

One, two, three.

Boom.

One, two.

Boom.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Boom.

One, two, three, four, five.

Boom.

One, two.

Boom.

He kept counting, the time between blasts gradually increasing.

How long had it been? The ground no longer shook. He couldn’t hear screams anymore. He couldn’t hear anything anymore. His cheeks had dried, his breathing evened out. The air in the space around him was stuffy, damper now than it had been at first. Warmer, too.

He didn’t want to go back up. He was used to the dark now, used to the safety of the earth all around him. Here, he could imagine that the screams had been of the White Lotus. Here, he could still convince himself that they’d won.

Three-hundred and forty-two, three-hundred and forty-three, three hundred and forty-four.

It had been too long since the last blast. He had to go up.

He started to push the roof of his hole up, carefully lifting it until he saw light. He pushed it to the side and had to cover his eyes, the cloudy sky above still significantly brighter than it had been underground. He stood up but didn’t climb fro the hole yet. Instead, he listened. For anything, for everything.

There was a faint crackly of fire somewhere nearby. The air was still, the trees quiet without wind blowing through their leaves. His own breathing was the loudest thing around. There should have been more noise. There should have been, but there wasn’t.

He bent the floor beneath his feet up until he could step onto the solid ground. He spun in a slow circle to take in everything around him. It was so much worse than he ever could have imagined.

A massive fire raged through the forest in one direction, demolishing everything in its path. The smell of burning was strong in the air, smoke rising overhead. Next to the flaming forest was the Air Temple. At least, what had once been the Air Temple. Most of the building was collapsed into a massive pit of lava that seethed and bubbled below. What still stood was crumbling in on itself.

There was a pool of water in the other direction, yellow and orange strewn throughout it. Bodies. The new airbenders, all lying submerged, unmoving.

Opal.

He walked slowly towards the pool, still somehow hoping she wouldn’t be there. His heart broke when he spotted her, near the front of the group.

She must’ve died trying to protect the others, he thought to himself.

He wanted to stay there, to grieve her and the others, but his legs kept going. He turned towards the wreckage of the Air Temple, stumbling through hundreds of large dents in the earth. It looked like a war zone, but then again, it practically was. P’li had really outdone herself.

As he neared the lava pit, he noticed blue and red at the bottom of a cliff. He walked towards them, chest tightening the closer he got. It was Kya and Bumi, their bodies twisted unnaturally. He couldn’t bear to look at them like that, so he kept walking.

Some time later, after wandering aimlessly, he came across a large slab of earth. It’s corners were far too square to be natural. He walked around to the other side of it, hesitantly peeking underneath.

Lin and Su lay there, crushed by the weight of the slab. There was a stain of red on the dirt below them, blood seeping from their compressed forms into the loose earth. The metallic scent was strong.

He kept walking, terrified of what else he might find. He walked the perimeter of the lava field, scanning for anyone else he might know. He hadn’t seen Korra or Asami anywhere. He tried not to think of where Mako could be.

His path around the lava pit led him to where the Air Temple’s courtyard had been. It was messy to say the least. Korra lay in the middle of it all, platinum shackles and chains wrapped around her ankles and wrists. Her parents were thrown against a wall, Asami and a few others with them. If he hadn’t known better, he thought it almost looked like a slumber party. If only it had been.

He saw that there was an arch leading to one of the parts of the temple that still stood. His feet kept him moving, weaving through the rubble around Korra and taking him through the arch. The space was lit up orange, half of the floor glowing with heat. That was where he found him.

“Mako!” He cried, a relieved smile coming across his face.

He ran to his brother's side, falling to his knees beside him.

“Mako, I was so worried about you! But it’s alright, we’re alright,” Bolin continued, taking one of Mako’s limp hands in his own.

“You must be so tired, I can’t imagine. You know, I had to hide! I counted the seconds between every time the earth shook, it was crazy. It was so dark in the hole I hid in, I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. At least you had some light here, light is nice. But not too much, too much light isn’t good, just like complete dark isn’t good.

“I’m glad you’re okay though, Mako, it sounded like chaos when I was hiding. I was so scared you’d get hurt, I was scared everyone would get hurt. But it’s fine, we’re all fine. We’re fine, right? Yeah, yeah, we are. You’re just tired, taking a little nap. Just the same as Korra, and Asami. And Opal. And everyone else, it’s just a big group nap. You know, I’m pretty tired too. I might just lie down here with you, take a little rest myself. It’s so nice and warm in here, like a cozy bed. You were smart to choose here for your nap.”

Bolin shuffled himself around so he could lie down next to Mako, his hand still tightly gripping his brother’s. He stared at the ceiling, no longer knowing what to say. Something in the back of his mind was screaming at him to get out of there, to find help. But he felt so oddly peaceful laying there, holding his brother's hand, that he didn’t move. He stayed there for a very long time, willing Mako to wake up. He knew he wouldn’t, but he hoped anyway. When the sun was rising again, new light peaking through cracks in the building above, he finally spoke again.

“I love you, bro. I love you so much,” He said quietly, turning his head to look at his brother.

“I’m really tired,” He whispered, turning back to looking at the ceiling.

“I think… I think I just need some sleep. I’m sorry, Mako,” He turned once more to face his brother, who’s hand was now cold in his own.

“I love you,” He whispered again before bending the earthen walls of the temple out and collapsing the ceiling.

17 notes · View notes

child-of-the-danube · 3 years

Text

Lemme get heated for a moment, ok? Now, before I pop off, the criticism isn't directed towards the queens cause I genuinely enjoy most of them on TV and irl. I say most of them because some have shown to be shitty people but that is a conversation for another time since it touches on serious issues such as racism and transphobia. This is just opinions on a show that shouldn't get me raging but somehow still does and I hate that a tv show can make me this mad. What we see on TV is a curated image on which we can not base a proper opinion about the work/personality of the queens. Why? Because for what they have to do on the show, in a highly stressful environment, cut off from their regular support system (all of which definitely plays with their emotional state in that time and affects their behaviour), they would most probably take a lot more time to plan out, rehearse, touch up, perfect etc. in real life and not everyone is a jack of all trades which the show wants them to be all the time or else they fail... My critique is directed towards the format and the judging/bias/favouritism/clear dislike of some queens and so on.

Now, on to me snapping

I know a large part of the rpdr fanbase (a part, not all) doesn't know what a queen does or what kind of performer they are before they appear on TV which is understandable cause you can't keep up with an infinite amount of drag performers and go to everyone's show but god damn anyone who's been to a Joe Black show knows what kind of performer and star Joe is. I'm angry they brought him back just to shit on him again when he is arguably one of the biggest and most respected drag performers in the UK. Same goes for Ginny, same goes for Divina. Name dropping cause the lack of understanding for their drag/dislike towards them really showed. In UK season one Divina literally turned look after look each week stepping massively out of her comfort zone since she isn't a look queen and they had the audacity to call her runways "questionable" but praised some very much safer, simpler runways ???? Joe's first elimination was pure bullshit and he definitely didn't deserve to be in the bottom and I will forever be pissed about it!! While this performance wasn't stellar it wasn't completely shit either. The United Kingdolls were fantastic, don't get me wrong, but Bananadrama gave me, someone who lives for Eurovision, more of an early and 2000-2007 era Eurovision vibe where it literally was just a few people in simple/low budget campy outfits awkward dancing on a stage and that is what I took it to be. Graham's comment that they weren't cohesive in looks doesn't hold. At least they were all in a shade of pink and a dress/skirt (and yeah Joe's dress was simple as hell but it still looked right in regard how they chose to look as a group. Astina won a challenge in an ASOS jacket and shorts. This is no shade to Astina and her runway look but a call out of hypocrisy and the rage fit over H&M was unnecessary) while the other group had each of them in a different, for lack of better wording, character. Tia shouldn't have been bottom 2, just sayin. They praised her, she stepped it up in her own terms (and everyone steps it up to their own possibilities and vision). Seems like they just really enjoy seeing Tia lip synch.

I feel like this year gave us some of the best queens in a while but the shitties judging in years. And not just on UK but US too.

No one is calling Tina Ronald McDonald Burner out for constantly looking like ketchup and mustard but every other queen with a signature thing is asked by second episode to show something else cause they want to see vErSaTiLiTy. I mean, bitch found a way to incorporate red, orange and yellow on a little black dress runway ?????!!????!??!? While I adore the hell out of Gottmik, she was safe last week solo for the look and being fan favourite. And so the show could play on that no longer existent Tamisha/Kandy drama and make them lip synch against each other. They bashed Tamisha for having a too simple dress but Olivia got away with an even simpler dress cause they liked the hair ?????

Denali and Rosé had the hardest choreography, which they executed perfectly, and Denali for me, beside Mik, had the best look of the week and both her and Rosé were just safe???? Yeah, Rosé didn't have the best runway look but it was miles better than what Tina, who was in the top, did and those two should have been in the top too. And omg Tina's hair choice... *insert Jimbo's rant about Rita's wig here*

In conclusion, the queens deserve to be judged properly and fairly because they are all great but the predetermined choices and favouritism is showing a whole fucking lot. Not only is it bothering for viewers but it ends up being bad for the queens too because people will start disliking them for being favoured and that's just sad. They did nothing wrong and don't choose how they will be treated/portrayed on the show. It's just production fucking them over while trying to push them to success on the show.

#rpdr #rupauls drag race uk #rupauls drag race season 13 #some real bullshit #mister joe black #justice for joe black #what the fuck did they smoke before each taping???

25 notes · View notes

secrets-of-the-library · 3 years

Text

This is a fan-created personal home of Antonio Carriedo, the Hetalia personified nation of Spain. I did look up a few reference pictures but I mostly just took a few ideas I liked from them (A courtyard, a tower, certain design features, etc etc) but it is mostly ‘winged’ and ‘as I felt like it’. I’m not Spanish and I wasn’t aiming to do a 100% authentic or accurate build here. Just for fun. I like to imagine that he loves this huge mansion that he has built up over the years and there is TONS of plants and things to do to entertain not only himself but also guests, friends, and family. Like Arthur, he has his own personal office too. I can imagine Arthur complaining about his home being too big and spacious though lol.

Remember: This is fan/headcanon created. I build for fun and am not a professional. I do not build with the intention of having it livable/non-clashing. If something clashes it will be up to you to fix it because I build for the pure aesthetic and not functionality. I own a lot of packs so if you don’t own all the ones used in this there might be issues.

After the cut here I will provide a visual walk-through via screen captures. You’re more than welcome to download it and look at it for yourself. My username on Sims4 is Shinoshallbugyou.

This project in particular was HUGE, again, I like to do huge projects and mansions. Because of its size the ‘cut’ will be huge as well, keep that in mind. I’ll do my best to walk you guys through it but if you have the game and packs the easiest way would be to just download it yourself.

I chose Oasis Springs because of its desert surroundings. The only lot bigger than this one is park lots. I was tempted to do a ‘central courtyard’ and a house essentially wrapped around it but I chose this one instead. I like to pretend that his property actually extends down several paths on the cliff and to some stables, horses, and etc down below. I like to think the road leading to his house is more long and windy but the lot simply isn’t big enough for it so I compromised. I’ll be showing an occasional night-time photo of the building here and there but for the most part I’ll stay in ‘Afternoon’ because it’s the brightest to see in.

The overall look...

Now the overhead breakdown of each floor, overall...

Now for some shots around the outside in certain spots. I really liked the idea of a courtyard and I wanted to do that. I’m always a fan of driveways that go down to another level of the house. Please note, I am aware that the driveway would be too steep realistically but this lot is NOT big enough so I made do. While cars are not a thing in the Sims 4 (They were in 3) I still like to pretend and put them in there anyways even if the objects do not work. I wanted to try my hand at a lot more balconies and playing around with the outside of a house more as well as trying things I normally wouldn’t do like leaving a section on the roof uncovered or throwing in more gazebos (Or whatever). I especially liked the below photo of a wall that kind of comes out in increments? It looked neat!

The front door. We’ll explore the 1st floor now. I wanted a ‘rug’ that would descend down with the leveled steps/platform here. There wasn’t one like that so I created one. I often play around with things and use them in ways they wouldn’t have been normally used in the game: Such as upsizing that tiny toy horse into a ‘statue’ of a horse.

Next up: The Living room. I can imagine that he shoved in some things to entertain people with like Foosball and more. This area has a balcony too and a lot of areas on this floor open up directly outside to have airflow. Each area kind of has its own ‘major color’ to it. This area is more ‘orange’.

Downstairs here is where I decided to put a bar, storage for drinks (He’s a mass producer of wine, after all, and he likes to drink on top of it) as well as the garage for where the cars would go, etc. I usually improvise and take other objects to look like other objects. ‘Wine caskets’ don’t exist- Those are some weird metal object in the game that is a wall decoration.

Next up is the bottom of the tower connected to the living room. The tower is the tallest building on the map with it being four stories high. The bottom is connected to the living room and it contains a small changing/towel area (This could double up for the pool/hot tub) but mainly for the sauna I have installed in there (Because why not?). I also plugged in a bathroom with the remaining room there. Because it is such a small space it is hard to see.

The next room we’re going to is the opposing wing on the 1st floor, on the opposite side of the main entry room. There is a staircase that goes upstairs here but through the archways is a small reading nook. There are multiple ‘flowing corridors’ around this building, both internally and externally, that are very open for air and breezes.Often these will have a lot of seating and decor mainly on the way to other rooms. I went for more white/grey here.

Next up is the first guest bedroom. It is sandwiched between two of these flowing ‘corridors’ and it has its own personal bathroom. These spaces are big enough for people to stay in plus an additional seating area.

The next is that corridor on the other side that leads out onto an outside corridor as well as the courtyard. I tried often to get different decorations and objects going on in some of these rooms that would differ them from the other ones so it wouldn’t all just blend together into nothingness.

Next up is the courtyard. I had to have some kind of courtyard in here and I really liked how this one turned out with its nooks and crannies. It leads back towards the front door, back to where we came from, or to a wrap-around corridor that is only specifically on this side of the house.

Next up is that wrap-around outside corridor. The first one has a wall separating it from the front of the property. What follows it is what I filled that property with. I thought it would be neat to place what would’ve been an old ruin there that has long since faded away. I thought it would be a treat for the eye. I’ve never been able to use those weird rounded structures from the romantic garden pack before so I wanted to see how they would look here.

Now here is the other half of the wrap-around corridor but what makes this one so different is... Even though it is plain it doesn’t have a wall barricading you and thus you can walk outside with your sim more here. This corridor leads into the solarium.

The Solarium is two stories tall with the 2nd floor being hallowed out in the middle with a pathway surrounding it and a glass dome on top in a mock greenhouse effect. I wanted to play around with arches and I’ve always loved indoor gardens and such like these so I wanted to include it.

The Solarium branches out towards the ‘backyard’ where there is a pool, hot tub, karaoke, a fire pit, outdoor grilling area, and more. I really wanted to include this ‘gazebo’ effect not only for the look and aesthetic of it but also for potential ‘structural support’ for the 2nd floor balcony up there. Plus it ties in the same effect on the 3rd floor corridor up on top.

I forgot to get a picture of it but if you do an aerial view of the pool (Or perhaps basement level) I did add turtle decorations to the bottom of it. Tortugaaaa.

Here I’m going to show off the tower a bit. Please note: You can’t make rounded walls in the Sims 4. This is my closest attempt to being able to do that. I knew I wanted a tower and I’m happy with how it turned out. As I started it though it was trouble because I simply didn’t know what to do at first. I had no idea how to fill it and at first I was trying to put the staircase INSIDE rather than out. I finally got the idea for a wrap-around staircase which is also difficult given that they only make right angles. Putting them on the outside massively helped save on space inside. That and, actually, I had difficulty in general with stairs on this map. The awkward building spaces made it difficult to place them.

The overall look of the ‘backyard’ with roofs up.

The overall map layout of the 2nd floor with the stairs specifically outlined. I ended up giving up on trying to build another flight of stairs on the 2nd floor leading to the 3rd and settled for putting it, too, outside on the main back balcony. Out of everything on this map that was one of the most frustrating things that I struggled with. I don’t ever do outside stairs so this was interesting for me to try.

Next we’re going up the tower and coming into the pantry. It’s rather nice and big, he can grow stuff in there on hand to eat, a collection of fish, spices, oils, and etc is all in there.

The next up is the kitchen. This one was frustrating too but once it came together it was nice. I went out of my comfort zone here, too. I’ve never made a blue kitchen and while I loved the idea the Sims 4 pallet was NOT working with me. I even tried with yellow cabinets and it just wasn’t working. These cabinets were the best I could do which is rather unfortunate because I wanted older looking cabinets but... It’ll do. I accented it with white and it is very spacious for lots of company! This kitchen has its own balcony and small eating area out there too. While most would argue that the kitchen should go on the bottom floor I actually really liked it here specifically because of the panty, the additional balcony, and the large eating area on the back balcony too. That and the stairs into the main entryway are actually in here and near that front door so it isn’t as far as one would think.

If you look in the below photo, though you can barely see it... On the left countertop against the wall there is actually a ‘tea’ area. We ship spuk/engspa and so I like to think Antonio, while he does drink tea, doesn’t as much. He does have this little cute area for Arthur to make his tea at though. He himself has his own counter under a window where he stores all his coffee stuff. Also, while I’ve never done it before, I really like hiding the stairway with that china cabinet because it just changed the whole atmosphere of the room.

Below is a rather chunky corridor that I chose a ‘black and white’ tile scheme for. It really only serves as a point A to B type of thing. The kitchen is to the right, another corridor to the left, below is a balcony that overhangs the front entryway and the doors at the top of the image lead to a massive back balcony that serves as an outside dining area that I imagine Antonio actually prefers to eat in because of the views and especially when he hosts guests.

Next is the corridor to the left of that chunky middle section. This is a rather odd-shaped corridor that was one of the last things I put together because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with it. I ended up having it being a seating area, a bathroom, a piano area, a small library area, and another seating area. It leads to another guest bedroom as well as the solarium/wrap-around-corridor on that side of the building, to continue the pattern from below. I went with a ‘yellow’ kind of theme here which is completely out of my element. Also, I realize that the lighting on the piano area looks out of place compared to the rest of it but I wanted it that way so that the piano had a spotlight feature.

Alright- The last ‘room’ on this floor. The second guest bedroom. This one doesn’t have its own personal bathroom (Just down the hall) but it does have its own balcony and it is bigger. I actually like this one more, I think.

Alright. This is the last main wrap-around corridor. It opens up and is not separated from the 2nd floor of the solarium. I decided to differentiate this one big time by introducing colored carpets and furniture to give it a fun touch. Also it does have a ‘hookah’ area lmao. The solarium part is alittle more boring but it does have activities for your sim to do such as painting, woodworking, and more. I figured it was a good spot to put misc hobbies since it is more out of the way of the usual social areas but has a great view and airspace.

Now for the last section of the 2nd floor: The main back balcony. This thing is huge and has a LOT of seating. I really like that big main dining table, the record player, and decorations. There is a stairway here that I put in, cutting through the roof, to get to the 3rd floor because I could‘t figure out how else to do it. I actually picture Antonio preferring to eat out here.

This is that stairwell with the 3rd floor cut off.

And here it is with the 3rd floor activated. It was a pain to get that to work but once I got it it worked just fine. I couldn’t figure out how to really connect the two separate buildings but then realized I could do an open-air corridor with no roof. That was DEFINITELY new for me and interesting to do!

With the roof on.

Next we’ll go to the office. I imagine that because he often shows up late (If even at all) and so he really utilizes this personal office and library a lot. It has its own personal bathroom, small kitchen, small records area, and eve a TV and fireplace near his desk. I often picture him trying to turn his desk around on the rug so that people on camera or on his zoom call won’t see his kitchen but I often see him forgetting to do that and so they just see a big microwave behind him lmao. Also I imagine, while the TV is helpful a lot for news and etc he is often distracted by soap operas, sports, and etc on it. Get to work, Antonio!

So we’re going to go back across that open-air corridor to the other wing and that is Antonio’s personal master bedroom and master bathroom. He has his own personal balcony that is colorful and relaxing.

First we’ll go into the master bathroom. I wanted a nice tub, plenty of space, more yellow accents... And I couldn’t figure out the shower and had to improvise. I actually put up stand-alone showerheads and nozzles into each of those pillars so he could take a really cool shower, if he wanted. I just didn’t want the shower to take away from the overall look of it and that seemed like the best option. Again, improvise, adapt, overcome.

Now for the final room on the 3rd floor: Antonio’s master bedroom. I went with ‘green for this’. It’s really cozy and colorful. I like to pretend that Arthur stitched those designs above his door and he hung them up because he loves them. Antonio also has a large walk-in closet/wardrobe that has been fitted onto the 3rd floor of this tower. I couldn’t get any good brown furniture to work so I shifted it to black in here. He’s a really fashionable guy and loves to care for his looks so it felt natural to make this his closet and area to get ready in.

From Antonio’s wardrobe... You have to use the stairs outside leading upstairs to the last and final room at the top of the tower and the 4th floor. It’s actually an attic/storage area and I often love putting these in the homes I build. I like to make them messy, cluttered, full of memories, and personal things to the person that lives specifically here. I always have a fun time trying to cram them full of stuff.

And with these last few pictures I wanted to show some of the scenery around in the area. It was a massive build and I’m glad I finally finished it at long last! Thanks for checking it out, it was a lot of hard work and time but I love it!

#the sims 4 #sims 4 creator #sims 4 build #hetalia #axis powers hetalia #aph spain #aph antonio fernandez carriedo #fan build

9 notes · View notes

weaselle · 4 years

Text

Sims 4 Build

OK. So. I started a new play through a while back and I wanted my sims to go out to eat and if you aren’t familiar with the Sims there are only bar/lounges and of course that ridiculous place in the faux Hollywood world. So I went to the Gallery and downloaded a couple of restaurants and...

Because I have worked for 25 years in the F&B service industry, I immediately became salty about a number of things.

And that’s why I built this restaurant, full of all the things people leave out of their restaurant builds.

See, it’s not a house. Stop building house shaped restaurants. And, nobody includes parking lots, but since I did, I made sure the handicap spots are the two closest to an entrance and have a loading zone adjacent.

I’m detail oriented in my sims builds.

If you’ve worked in restaurants, you’ll identify with all the commonalities I’ve found missing in most gallery builds that I’ve applied to this restaurant, even if you don’t play Sims.

If you haven’t worked in restaurants but you do build them in Sims 4, you could view this as a tutorial

FOH - The Floor

First of all, idk what people are looking at when they go out to eat, but evidently it isn’t the seating arrangements -- I kept finding restaurant after restaurant that seemed to have no ideal how to set up a dining area with tables. Like, the tables would be so crammed together the sims couldn’t actually walk between them, or they’d have a white cloth establishment with almost all 6 and/or 8 tops (a six-top is a table with six chairs) and almost no 2 or 4 tops; sometimes there would be like, mostly 10 or 12 tops!

Or they’d put chairs on every side of every table even though this makes everything cramped, or they’d jigsaw a bunch of different table sizes into a giant crowded square filling most of the restaurant. But mostly I saw people... doing all of these things at once they were all just doing all of this all the time omg.

(Though I did see a couple builds where they had a huuge restaurant and then like, five small tables) Nobody seemed to know how many people a space should comfortably seat, or how many tables/seats a restaurant might need, or how to set them up

look

some things to notice:

This seats 46. That’s good. When we move into the bar the bar tables and seating at the bar are going to bring it up to 63. Depending on your restaurant you’ll usually have between 40 and 80 seats, so I’m hitting my target perfectly.

more than half the tables are 2 tops, but more than half the chairs are at larger tables; this isn’t like, a rule, but does mean there is probably close to the right mix of table sizes, especially for a white table cloth kinda place. There are only two “large” tables, which is about right.

The layout is easy to comprehend and section out. This floor easily lends itself to a two-server or four-server shift, and three servers isn’t hard to figure out. Like, I know exactly which tables each server would have as a four-server shift transitioned down to the closer over the evening.

It’s nearly symmetrical but not quite 100% which is what you usually see in a restaurant.

The lights are not placed randomly. You might think this doesn’t need to be pointed out. You’d be surprised.

There is plenty of room to move between the tables and have guests feel like they have their own area, with like, lanes to walk down, but there is no wasted space. It’s very full, but not at all crowded.

There’s a defined entrance, with a waiting area. The game tells you that you have to include this host station

which, yeah, some places just have a simple podium, but I built it out to help define the entrance, which has a menu stand and some seating for a wait list and the host stand has clutter like extra table tent menus and a condiment caddy.

Similarly, the game says you need this server station

but I turned it into this

Now THAT’s a server station, with a drinks fridge, extra menus, plates, condiment shelves, and a coffee pot, which is orange for decaf because theres a regular coffee station that includes an espresso machine behind the bar. See?

Lastly, you can’t really tell from the pics so far, but the dining room and bar seating is only about half of the total space in the building, which is about right.

Here’s the bar tops

and the bar, which has a pass window right to the kitchen line, under the TV (don’t worry, there’s a proper pass for the servers and an expeditor through that door to the right)

But once I addressed these issues with the Front of House, I realized: there is so much more missing from most restaurants on the gallery.

Like the back office.

BOH - Office

I didn’t find a single restaurant on the gallery that included one, but just about every restaurant has a shitty little back office crammed into what should be, like, a small closet. They all tend to look a little something like this

I had to hunt through debug for most of this clutter - it’s hard to tell in this pic, but that’s a couple stacks of money just sitting out on the desk to the right of the computer. That’s, shall we say, not super unusual to see in one of these crappy little paperwork prisons. And of course the mess of files and mail and shit.

You know what else every restaurant has but I never saw in any on the gallery?

Dish Pit

The game is not set up to allow you to make a proper dish pit. Like, there isn’t an industrial dishwasher or anything. Bu tI made one anyway. From the floor sinks, to the dish racks, to the horrible, heavy-ass red rubber mat that’s such a pain to clean at the end of the shift, I think you’ll recognize this room right away

I really had to fiddle to get this one -- those dish racks? they’re actually overlapped home counter racks that look like this

they were super hard to line up right. The “floor sinks” are actually a drain that’s supposed to go on the bottom of a pool, the dishwasher is actually three floor models raised to the right hight and overlapped facing different directions, and I added the little drain panels on either side by shrinking and raising floor vents to the height of the counters, which are actually overlapping tables. The floor I lucked out on, the Sims 4 has a tile floor pattern that comes in both grungy and clean, so I placed the clean ones on the outside edge of the dish pit floor in half-tiles along an irregular pattern with the edges matched to the lines of grout and added a couple of my own floor smudges so there wouldn’t be a straight line of dirty versus clean tile. Then I put some water stains over the whole thing to mask it better, overlapping some of the water stains to create the illusion of a flow of water going down the floor drain.

Speaking of the dish pit, most restaurants have this cousin to the dish pit, that I don’t know what to call except maybe a

Mop Closet

The Sims doesn’t have one of the yellow industrial mop buckets with the squeezy thing attachment, but I did pretty good here. Wish I could have erased the shower head, but I for sure needed the wall spigot handles and the hose. Managed to size up a bucket with water to the right dimensions and trick the game into letting me stick in a mop that’s supposed to hang on a wall. Added some cleaning supplies and stuff to the shelves.

Speaking of shelves, nobody ever includes dry storage when they do a Sims 4 restaurant. You know, with the empty beer kegs and those metal rack shelves full of, like, rows of little bottles and the restock items like six packs of soda and sacks of dry ingredients and way up on the top is the shit that never ever gets used but somehow you have to get up there every other week anyway?

See that door, the one with a light over it and a light next to it and a little temperature gauge? Yeah, you know what else I never see in gallery restaurants builds?

Walk In

this was a pain, not only did I have to meticulously place every bottle on top of that fridge unit, but those kegs are actually tiny soda cans with no labels that I had to pull out of the vast un-tagged and un organized debug menu. I don’t even think they got placed by the devs anywhere in game, I think they are some kind of frame that gets a label/skin before it gets placed, usually. And see that fan up top in the middle of the wall? That’s actually two separate pieces of nonsense -- like, the center part isn’t a fan at all, its a stone wall decoration. But the design looks like a fan, so I shrank it and shoved it most of the way back into the wall til it was nearly flat and found that other thing that had a circle the right size in the middle. and viola. Oh, and it and those other vents next to it don’t just go to nothing, oh no, they match up perfectly on the outside to these

Okay, now, everybody building restaurants in the Sims DOES include a

Kitchen

And they often do a fine job, so I’m not going to spend much time here, but they do tend to skimp on prep space

(hey, see those shelves on the top right? Those are shelves full of dishes. I never see shelves full of dishes in gallery restaurant builds, but like, you need a bunch of shelves full of dishes. And off in the corner to the far left of the top wall? Prep sink tucked away back there.)

Dude, let me just say... that prep counter?I placed every vegetable on that counter individually, AND I had to trick the game into letting me put more than the like, three items each counter space usually has slots for. What a pain. Worth it tho. It’s hard to tell, but there’s a knife next to the cutting board.

And lastly, no restaurant would be complete without

“out back”

okay this post is long enough, but I just want to point out the stack of empty pallets, the discolored liquid and debris under the dumpsters along with a rat trap, and a little smoke break area with shitty chairs and a garbage table with some kind of bowl or something being used as an ashtray.

There’s more to this restaurant, employee lockers, bathrooms, etc, but this post is long enough, and I covered the most important stuff.

In conclusion, I’m getting pretty good at sims builds, and other builders should ask me for tips on restaurant builds or read this post, because I swear none of them have ever worked in food service

#sims #sims 4 #restaurants #sims build #sims 4 build #there's a huge wildfire about ten miles from me and headed this way #so guess how I'm staying distracted #when i say ten miles away i mean the fire is 48 square miles in size and one edge of it is maybe 15 miles from me #and it's burning another square mile every two minutes #so i've got my bounce bag packed and now i am Thinking About Other Things #i should be fine - there was a somewhat smaller but still pretty big fire between me and this fire last month so theres a decent fire break

66 notes · View notes

twistednuns · 3 years

Text

September 2021

Craving fresh oranges all of a sudden. I never used to be very fond of oranges but at the moment I think they're delicious and so refreshing.

Riding my bike through the woods, trying not to get stuck in the mud. The first mushrooms. Yellow goldenrod and magenta-coloured impatiens everywhere.

I've been Christina's fangirl since her Lifejournal days. For some reason everything she likes and does is cool.

Re-reading The Secret History and loving every minute of it. I've done some research on the Dark Academia aesthetic and already ordered a few new books to satisfy my craving for the vibe. Donna Tartt's descriptive language and references are truly fantastic. I would love to be able to write like that myself, preferably using more than one language (as in Umberto Eco's The Prague Cemetery, I suppose?), referencing to the most interesting works of art and describing any place in a way it feels oddly familiar to people.

The dreams are back. However, there's one thing I've noticed: the more happy I am and the more I've got going on in my life the less I seem to be able to remember my dreams.

Pre-ordering books. Forgetting about it. Always a pleasant surprise.

The weird energy-bursts I have when my diet consists mainly of fruit and vegetables (some dark chocolate, too).

The indulgent feeling of cracking open a chocolate marshmallow with your tongue.

Postcards from R. Pistachio souvenirs.

A good Saturday: Spending time with the kitten brothers. I named the grey one Moby. Then we walked to Nymphenburg and played on a seesaw, had delicious pistachio ice-cream and talked about the kind of classes I could teach next year.

R. is forcing/offering me to give workshops at the adult education centre because he thinks it would be good for me (I've got a chronic issue of not being challenged enough, I suppose). He even wants me to write applications to publishing houses because I know that I'm not entirely happy with my job. The other night he forced me to book a flight. Any flight. Because he knew that it would be good for me. He just sat there waiting for me to make up my mind, even when I sat there crying because I didn't know what I wanted and wasn't able to make a decision. Despite the discomfort this all creates I appreciate being held accountable and having someone nudging me to start doing the hard things I often put off indefinitely. Oh and he is able to stand my crazy streak, offers advice, conviced me to finally have surgery. He's a good one. I even wrote a letter to him on the plane to Funchal, trying to express my gratitude.

Brainstorming career ideas for me. I kinda wanna be an activist, explorer, producer or journalist/writer.

Watching movies in bed. With snacks. Reading in the morning with R. asleep, embracing me.

Finding exactly the shoes I wanted second hand. In the right size, cheaper than online and in mint condition, too. They were sold out everywhere!

Afghan food! We had dinner at an Afghan restaurant one evening and the next day Sadia incidentally published this video about the kind of food she ate growing up in an Afghan family. She's one of my favourite YouTubers - incredibly talented, with impeccable taste and always radiating positivity.

Gratitude and appreciation for the good things in my life. I'm a classic Negative Nancy so it's quite noticeable whenever I'm able to outgrow this part of my personality.

How cute R. looks with his hair in a bun, wearing my camel parka.

Truffle pesto.

Main character vibes. Travelling alone. Operating way out of my (current) comfort zone: Surviving the long-ish flight. Twice. (Flying stresses me out - it isn't even flying per se but the whole procedure; getting there, standing in line, waiting, TOO MANY PEOPLE, not knowing who I sit next to, everything is too confined and uncomfortable). Renting a scooter and going straight to the highway without any hesitation or practise. Going scuba diving for the first time since 2019 even though I wasn't planning on doing that. Meeting new people. Doing new things. The funny thing is that I actually love adventures - experiencing new things makes me feel alive - but I've taken a long break from doing anything, really. I've been depressed, feeling bad about myself - it's nice to see that I still have it in me and that my curiosity is still there; I've just got to practise a little and muster up enough courage and motivation to get into action mode again.

I ended up going to Madeira without really thinking about it (I'd just heard that it's a nice place) and it was SO beautiful. Cable cars, flowers everywhere, 180° ocean view. I saw whales and dolphins, got a tan, ate fresh fruit every day. Madeirans are crazy about passion fruit and I tried my best to taste all the different maracujà products (the queijo with passion fruit seeds was my favourite, I think). I met Higino who works as a spotter for whale watching boats; we had a lovely evening observing the sea and the sky, talking about nature, culture, animals and so much more. I saw gorgeous places on a jeep tour to the west of the island with a group of Dutchies. There was a spooky forest in the mountains, breathtaking views and I especially liked the natural volcanic swimming pools. I developed a sixth sense for lovely vegetarian restaurants (and even got my own tiny balcony at Olive's). There were cats. And banana trees. Crabs. I drank Poncha and spent too much money at Parfois. I had a really good time.

Oh and I found a used copy of The Girl on the Train in the kitchenette and spent the whole week reading it, ignoring the book I had brought along. I finished it on the plane on my way back. Very entertaining!

Checking out Raphael's new office. Stealing pencils. Drawing on his notepad. Checking out all the secret drawers.

Reuniting with my students after the holidays! It's surprisingly nice to see them all again. I also got to know a few new pupils (and I'm working on making the Spanish girl help me with my homework).

A video call with Clarence the cat.

My Tumblr revival. I'm thinking about going back to blogging again. When I was thinking of posting a photo on Insta (after a long hiatus) something held me back. Perhaps Instagram just isn't the right platform for me?

Getting along really well with Doris. She often drops me off at the subway station after work and so we spend a few minutes in the car together and I'm always sad when I have to get out because there's still so much left do discuss. Even though Doris doesn't wanna be friends with colleagues I secretely think we are besties.

Japanese food heaven with Margit. Calpis, black sesame ice-cream, Tonkotsu ramen and Tempura on rice. Even though I had to wait in line for one hour to get a table.

Making pumpkin/spinach lasagna with Manu. Talking the whole evening.

I also called Frank after not talking to each other for two months and we spoke for almost two hours. I appreciate having people in my life who just work for me. It's amazing when a friendship is effortless, you don't have to pretend or omit anything. And you can just pick up the conversation where you left off - even two months later.

Julie Delpy's series On the Verge / the new season of Sex Education - especially the scene in the second episode when the students performed Peaches' Fuck the Pain Away.

Forehead kisses / a cute photo for reference. I've been trying to get R. to make it a habit.

Adopting stray books at the tram stop (this time about a illiterate girl growing up in a book shop - and there was a cat on the cover as well; no-brainer).

A huge dragonfly on my balcony.

Getting things done. Stuff I had put off for weeks. Organising. Crossing off things from my to-do-list. I even did my effin taxes.

Watching chestnuts drop down from the trees like little grenades. Going out to collect some. Fall, quite literally, has arrived.

Sundays with Lena. Cake, vampires on TV, a walk around the lake, catching up, veggies for dinner.

Miezi Cuts - finally a name for a hair salon I don't hate.

Cleaning out my cellar (again). Finally getting rid of the old mattress and loads of miscellaneous items.

Our trip to LA: Mexican dinner at Cantina, ice-cream, talking all the time and getting along really well / when Raphael met my mum and got astro-analysed immediately / flea market in the sunshine; I found a lovely knife, an artsy mug and a book about mushrooms / the little crucifix I got for free (the perfect prop for jokes) / I got attacked by a nandu / goat-watching / walking down to the castle / lunch at Gstaudach, harrassing a kitty or two / more treasures at Hab&Gut / a walk in the forest with my mum - sadly we didn't find any mushrooms but she had some at home from earlier this year so we could eat creamy mushrooms and dumplings for dinner / playing badminton, boule and Quirkle together / the big grocery haul right before closing time

Sleeping in on Sunday. Vivid dreams. Spending two hours in the kitchen making banana bread, crisp bread, banana curry rice and a potato stew with leeks and mushrooms. Sunshine. Getting more stuff done. Good mood.

When I sat next to Raphael while he played the piano in my brother's room. He started playing Bach's well-tempered clavier - the first time I heard him play a proper piece. I also loved the self-composed one from the vampire play at his theatre.

The people who keep planting these pretty flowers along the footpath on my way to work.

Fun at the trampoline park with my class.

The last season of POSE: Angel and Papi's wedding got me all emotional. And My Love is Your Love was the perfect song choice for the series finale.

#september 2021 #september #2021 #personal #present perfect #things i love

2 notes · View notes