Emily (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iluvroadrunner6) wrote2019-03-12 09:56 am
iluvroadrunner6) wrote2019-03-12 09:56 am
Entry tags:
- canon: castle,
- canon: dc extended universe,
- canon: falling skies,
- canon: lucifer,
- canon: marvel cinematic universe,
- canon: original,
- canon: supernatural,
- canon: teen wolf,
- canon: vampire diaries universe,
- canon: white collar,
- castle: alexis castle,
- dceu: diana prince,
- falling skies: hal mason,
- lucifer: lucifer morningstar,
- mcu: thor odinson,
- mcu: wanda maximoff,
- original: rosalina frostward,
- prompts: get your words out,
- ship: alexis/hal,
- ship: cora/stiles,
- ship: derek/elena,
- ship: jeremy/malia,
- ship: kira/scott,
- ship: neal/sara,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- teen wolf: cora hale,
- teen wolf: derek hale,
- teen wolf: kira yukimura,
- teen wolf: malia tate,
- teen wolf: peter hale,
- teen wolf: scott mccall,
- teen wolf: stiles stilinski,
- tvdverse: elena gilbert,
- tvdverse: hope mikaelson,
- tvdverse: jeremy gilbert,
- white collar: neal caffrey,
- white collar: sara ellis
get your words out { 2019 } yahtzee tracking
TRACKING
SET #1: WORDS
SEVENS
Title: then you came and you cut me loose
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: Pretentious
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 3,150
Summary: Derek and Allison are shoved together on a business merger, and have to figure out how to work together.
Warnings/Notes: Written (belatedly) for August 23 of AU August for
Title: i'm tired of using technology
Fandom/Original: DCTV/MCU
Prompt: Peppery
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 3,287
Summary: Zari's worlds collide when an fellow government agency infringes on the Time Bureau.
Warnings/Notes: Also (belatedly) written for AU August, this one just for me.
Title: feel the burn
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: Aggressive
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 2,905
Summary: Stiles is trying to get back into shape for lacrosse. And maybe also try and date the girl he convinced to train him.
Warnings/Notes: Written (belatedly) for AU August, for
Title: just turn your fears to trust
Fandom/Original: The Vampire Diaries/Dark Angel
Prompt: Playful
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 2,949
Summary: Elena starts fresh with her new life in Seattle, and somehow manages to find herself more trouble.
Warnings/Notes: Written (belatedly) for AU August, for
Title: night at the museum
Fandom/Original: Supernatural (AU)
Prompt: Fizz
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 1,787
Summary: Olivia and field trips do not get along.
Warnings/Notes: Written (belatedly) for AU August for
SET #2: PICTURES
ACES
Title: i wanna fly away
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: touching the sky
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 300
Summary: Cora and Stiles talk about his love of flying.
Warnings/Notes: Set in an AU I write with
Title: wolf like me
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: full moon
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 300
Summary: Cora helps Scott through his first shift.
Warnings/Notes: See above.
Title: baby you can drive my car
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: parking lot
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 300
Summary: Derek takes the time to help his daughter with a work of art.
Warnings/Notes: See above.
Title: vacation all i ever wanted
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: suitcases
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 300
Summary: Stiles attempts to pack the car for a family vacation and gets interrupted.
Warnings/Notes: See above.
Title: gonna always be there
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: Japanese street
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 300
Summary: Scott manages to track down Kira after she disappears.
Warnings/Notes: See above.
i wanna fly away | peter & cora | 300 | set 2
Stiles glances over to her briefly, drawing his attention from the light fluffy clouds above them and back to his fiancée, and he offers her a small smile. “I’m up there all the time.”
“For work. Not for fun. Or as fast and fun as you’d probably like to.”
Stiles shrug, shifting one arm so he can tuck it around Cora’s shoulders to pull her closer. She can feel the stir of uncomfortable feelings, and she just waits, letting her head rest against his shoulder as he sorts them out.
“I don’t know. It’s still doing something that matters. Me getting up there just to do tricks doesn’t really have the same effect. When we were training, we were training for the fight. It had meaning.”
She hums softly, one hand tracing against his chest for a moment before she shifts to rest her chin on his chest. “You know I have a lot of money right?”
Stiles nods. “I do.”
“I could buy you a plane if you wanted.”
He smirks. “Would you go up in the plane with me?” There’s a pause as she tries to answer that in the affirmative, but her nose wrinkles instead and he laughs. “If you’re going to spend that much money, I’d rather it be something we can do together.”
“Okay.” She pauses again, considering before her eyes light up again. “I could buy you a boat?”
“A boat?”
“A really fast boat.” They go to enough beaches, it seems like a purchase that makes sense. “Maybe a beach house to go with it.”
“Maybe,” he smiles softly. “I do still want to take you up there one day.”
“Maybe one day,” she nods, before she resettles and looks back up at the sky again.
wolf like me | peter & cora | 300 | set 2
“So far so good?”
Scott looks like he doesn’t really know how to answer that question, and Cora doesn’t really blame him for that. She doesn’t really know how this is supposed to be either, given that she’s never taken care of a beta on their first shift before as an alpha, but she’s willing to do the best she can.
Scott’s pacing in the room that Peter’s built for them, the light from the full moon starting to peek through the windows around them. “Is it going to hurt?”
“Maybe a little. Your body’s never done this before, so it has to learn how to make it work. Kind of like when you work out a new muscle. But … more intense.”
“Great.” Scott swallows hard. “You won’t let me hurt anyone, right?”
“Right. That’s why we’re down here, to keep you from getting out.”
“And no one can come down right?”
“Right.”
“Because you know Stiles …”
“Peter says he will knock Stiles out if he has to. He won’t be coming down here.”
“Good.” Scott exhales again, before looking over at her, his eyes softening with the uncertainty of what he’s gotten himself into. “Do you regret it? Turning me.”
“No.” She gives him a small smile. “You’ll be healthier this way.” Then a pause. “Do you regret it?”
“Right now? A little.” Scott gives her a small smile in return. “But … giving it time, I don’t think so. I like being able to breathe.”
She laughs, before moving to sit next to him. They both slide down against the far wall of the room, and they can both feel the moon hitting its peak. She takes Scott’s hand and squeezes.
“You can do this.”
Scott nods, just as howls split the air.
baby you can drive my car | peter & cora | 300 | set 2
“Hey, Luce,” Derek’s voice comes from over her shoulder, and she doesn’t look up, but she does respond.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Did you have fun at dance class?”
“Uh-huh.”
There’s another pause of silence as she scooches in a few more cars, and a couple of footsteps as Derek makes his way closer. “What’re you doing with Jacob’s cars?”
“Nothing,” she says, as she picks up a couple more. “Just making a pattern.”
“Making a pattern, huh?” Derek moves to crouch down next to her. “Do you want some help?”
“Yes, please.” She hands off some of the cars to him, and between the two of them, they finish the gradient in question, Derek taking each of his daughter’s instructions very seriously. Once they’re done, they stand back, looking at it from above and Lucy beams.
“It looks like my friendship bracelet.”
“Yes, it does,” he says, reaching down to pick her up and set her in his hip. “It looks very cool. What made you think of it?”
She shrugs. “I just thought it would look nice.”
“Well, you were right.” He turns to face her. “You did a great job.”
She beams, ready to say something else when her little brother charges into the room, smashing through their hard work. Lucy gasps, dismayed.
“Jacob, no!”
Derek laughs. “Guess we’re starting all over again.”
vacation all i ever wanted | peter & cora | 300 | set 2
Stiles glances up from the stack of suitcases in front of them, and the empty space in the back of the van. Packing the entire pack and their significant others into one vehicle is a bad idea, which is why they’ve divided themselves into separate cars, but all of the luggage has to go somewhere, so the van bearing the bulk of them needs to Tetris in a lot of the mutual luggage items and things like food.
“I can do this.”
Cora nods. “I don’t doubt you can. But Peter’s only going to take it out and redo it anyway.”
“I’m not that obsessive,” comes Peter’s voice as he makes his way out of the house with the last of his and Melissa’s bags.
“Says the guy who banned me from packing the car ever,” Scott teases back from the middle of the van.
“You nearly killed us in an avalanche of suitcase – I think that one was justified.” Peter seems to have his focus on Scott for the moment, but as soon as Stiles leans forward to reach for one of the suitcases there’s a quick, judgmental change in tone. “You’re starting with that one?”
Stiles hesitates, then withdraws and gestures to the piles of luggage in front of them. “Would you like to take care of it?”
Peter sighs dramatically before moving forward to get to work, and Cora grins as she pulls Stiles backwards, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry. The sooner he’s done, the sooner we can hit the road and pretend he’s not there for a while.”
“Before this vacation drives all of us crazy?”
Cora grins, laughing as she leads the way to the van. “You said it, not me.”
gonna always be there | peter & cora | 300 | set 2
“Scott.”
“Kira.” The rain continues to pour down around them, and were it not for the street traffic the silence would be deafening, but eventually he spits out. “What the hell?”
Kira swallows, before taking his hand and pulling him with her. “C’mon. We should get out of the rain.”
It doesn’t take long for them to get back to her family’s home. She can already feel the itch of electricity across her wet skin, desperate to get rid of him before things get worse, but she knows it isn’t going to be that easy.
“What happened?”
She swallows before turning to face him. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“So you just left, without a word?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I love you, and I thought you loved me too. I at least deserve an explanation.”
She swallows, tension causing the energy to build. With each word, she knows she can’t stop the arcs exploding out of her, shorting out the lights and plunging the room into darkness.
Scott recoils from her. “You can’t control it.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong. I didn’t mean to be gone this long.”
Before she knows what’s happening, Scott is taking her hands in his. “This is the kind of thing we do together, you know.”
“I know, but my mom said …”
“Forget your mom. I want to help.”
She closes her eyes and wraps her arms around him. She knows things aren’t okay, not yet, but she’s desperately wanted Scott here, no matter what her mother says. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t do this to me again, okay?”
“I won’t. I promise.”
SET #3: PICTURES AND WORDS
THREE OF A KIND (neal & sara)
Title: i should have been away
Fandom/Original: White Collar
Prompt: Train
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 999
Summary: Sara runs into a tough spot on a train, but someone is there to have her back.
Warnings/Notes: In the same vein as this fic.
Title: the tired streets that hide away
Fandom/Original: White Collar
Prompt: Petrichor
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 931
Summary: Neal has something that he needs Sara's help with.
Warnings/Notes: In the same vein as this fic. Follows the fic above.
Title: in your desperate whisper
Fandom/Original: White Collar
Prompt: Library
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 944
Summary: Neal and Sara get to work and try to sort out what they're doing.
Warnings/Notes: In the same vein as this fic. Follows the ones above.
the tired streets that hide away | white collar | 931 | set 3
In this particular moment, he finds himself leaning over the balcony outside Sara’s apartment in London, where he accompanied her after he offered his assistance on the train. She’s still asleep, curled up into the spot that he had left behind, given that they had spent their reunion the way they spend most reunions, and he was about to make breakfast, but for a moment he wanted to simply enjoy the aftermath of last night’s rain.
Things are going to get complicated as soon as he manages to step away, and he needs to make sure he does this right.
He spends a little too long lingering in the window, however, as he feels her arms come around him from behind, giving him something to lean back into.
“What are you thinking about?”
He shrugs. “Trying to figure out if there’s a way to paint how the world smells after fresh rain.”
She laughs in response, before turning and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “And?”
He raises an eyebrow as he turns to face her more, the cup of coffee moving to the small table by the door so he could hold her properly. “What makes you think there’s something more to it than that?”
“I’m certain that idle artistic thoughts float through your head every day,” she murmurs softly. “They’re not really distracting enough so I can sneak up on you.”
“Fair point.” He leans in to kiss her softly. “I was also going to make you breakfast in bed.”
“Oooh,” she hums into the kiss, her arms winding around his neck. “I have missed having you cook for me.”
“Then I guess I better get started.”
“Later.”
“Later?”
She pulls back and looks at him seriously, the flirting tone of their conversation falling away as she tries to pull the truth out of him before they even get started. “First I want you to tell me what’s really going on. Why were you on that train?”
He sighs, because he knew he could only distract her for so long. After straightening, he leads her back into the apartment, closing the doors behind them to shut out the noise of the city below. “I need your help.”
“And you couldn’t just call?”
“You know exactly why I couldn’t just call.”
“Because you insist on the need to be a dashing hero at any given moment?” She’s teasing him, because she knows why, but he still can’t help the smirk that tugs across his lips.
“That’s true. I really do like saving the day.”
She shakes her head, before moving to sit down on the edge of the bed with him. “What’s going on?”
“I need to get a look at some rare documents.”
“Do I want to know why you need to see these documents?”
“Probably not.”
“Is this going to be part of some kind of illegal scheme?”
“Yes and no. No, I won’t get you into any trouble – in fact, I might even get you a win at work.”
He knows that the position Sara is in means she’s evolve, somewhat, from needing to be Sterling Bosch’s golden girl, but that doesn’t stop her from needing to impress her bosses every now and then. There’s an interest that gleams in her eyes and has her sitting up a little straighter.
“Why are you bringing this to me? Are you saying you just couldn’t charm your way in?”
He pauses, before reaching for one of her hands. “I’m saying that they may have been forged and replaced recently – by someone who is not me, but who I have a vested interest in taking off the streets.”
“So you want to get a look at them and see if it’s true.”
He nods. “They’re insured by Sterling Bosch. So if I’m right, and we manage to recover them … ”
“It’s a big win for the company.” She tips her head to the side for a moment. “Still doing the same job, even though you don’t want to go back to the FBI.”
“The FBI made me feel like I was trapped.” It always had, even though he enjoyed working with Peter. “That doesn’t mean I want to stop doing the good that we did.”
Sara nods, before reaching out and squeezing his hand softly. “Well, I’m in. But … eventually, Neal, we’re going to have to decide what this is.”
He knows. He knows that this back and forth between them was going to have a limited run and that eventually he would have to make a choice, but for now, he’s comfortable with leaving it where it is. They have a job to do first. Feelings will have to wait until later.
“I know,” he says, taking her hand, and bringing the back of it to his lips for a kiss. “But for now, I think you would rather have me make breakfast.”
She laughs before leaning in to kiss him again. “Obviously.”
in your desperate whisper | white collar | 944 | set 3
The conversation is as light as it had been on the way over from Sara’s apartment, mostly trying to fill the space with words so that they didn’t have to talk about something more serious. As far as Sara is concerned, he knows she’s serious about having that conversation, about what this thing they keep doing is and if it’s even sustainable. He knows she’s not wrong either. He just knows how he thinks the conversation is going to go, and he doesn’t want these lingering moments between them to end.
“Take as long as you need.”
Their guide makes his exit, closing the door to the viewing room behind them, and resting on the table are the letters – very old, environmentally preserved letters that detail the lives of famous people long ago, and for a moment he just basks in the artistry of it all. He reaches for the gloves that were left nearby to examine the pieces should they need to, but at first, he just uses his eyes. He takes in the details of the curve of the cursive, the color of the ink. From a distance, it’s designed to look just like the originals.
But he knows here are flaws somewhere. He just has to find them.
Silence permeates the room as Sara watches him, perched on the edge of the table so that she has the best view, her head tipping to the side as she does. He knows there’s curiosity in her features cataloguing each move he makes, not out of suspicion, but almost as though if she follows his technique, she might be able to see what he sees. Sara’s always been an observer, a learner, and it’s one of the things he enjoys most about her. She’s absorbing the world around her, just like he is.
Eventually, unfortunately, she has to speak.
“What are we doing, Neal?”
His eyebrow raises and he sighs. “I thought we were going to save that conversation until after the job was done?”
“We were, but then it got a little too quiet.”
“If you would rather go explore the library yourself, you’re more than welcome to.”
“And leave you alone with three hundred year-old documents worth over half a million?” She raises an eyebrow in the silent question of who do you think you’re talking to? “I trust you, but I don’t trust you that much.”
He smirks in response, before turning to face her more. “Or are you bringing it up now because there’s less of a chance that we’ll get distracted?”
Sara laughs. “I don’t think being in a library has stopped us before.”
“No, you’re right. I think that time it was Mozzie,” Neal sighs before pulling out one of the chairs and moving to sit down. “I don’t know, Sara.”
“What we’re doing?”
He nods. “It’s just every time I see you, I find myself winding up right back where we left off.”
“I know.” She’s quiet, contemplative. “But we left things where we were for a reason.”
“Because you were in London and I was in New York,” Neal pauses as he takes a step closer. “Now that’s not true.”
“No. Because now you’re dead.”
His face sobers, before he takes another step closer. “Dead, but with a new identity.”
“That only changes your name. Not your face.” She reaches up, brushing a hand against the side of his face. “I think in my industry it’s safe to say you’re pretty damn recognizable.”
“I still think it’s my name, more so than my face.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” She sighs as she brushes her thumb against his cheekbone. “I just don’t see how this doesn’t end in the same place.”
He nods. “Not unless you quit your job and come travel the world with me instead.” There’s no real weight behind the suggestion, almost as though he knows already that it’s not one she’s going to take. There’s no solution that allows them to both have what they want. All they can do is end it well before someone gets hurt.
Sara nods, before pushing up so that she’s standing with him, moving her hands to rest on his shoulders. “One last job. One last breakfast, and then we go our own ways.”
Neal nods, his arms coming around her waist to pull her in closer. “I really wish being together didn’t always feel like a goodbye.”
Sara smiles sadly as she looks up at him. “Maybe one day it won’t.”
He nods, brushing a kiss to her forehead, before stepping back and turning to the documents. “But for now … we should probably get back to work.”
Sara nods, before returning to her seat again, turning her eyes away to the other corner of the room. “We really do know how to time things, don’t we?”
He laughs, before nodding. “We should probably work on that.” They probably never will. This is what they do, after all.
But Neal would be lying to everyone if he wasn’t going to miss her.
SET #4: WORDS AND PICTURES
FOUR OF A KIND (hal & alexis)
Title: collison course
Fandom/Original: Falling Skies/Castle/Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: Oily
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 649
Summary: Alexis and Hal have an unexpected collision in the dining hall.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: changing worldview
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/Falling Skies/Castle (AU)
Prompt: Polite
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 909
Summary: Hal learns a new truth about the world and takes it ... somewhat well?
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: jungle excursions
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/Falling Skies/Castle (AU)
Prompt: Old village
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 894
Summary: Alexis runs into an old friend in the middle of a South American jungle.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: course correction
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/Falling Skies/Castle (AU)
Prompt: Flaky
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 981
Summary: Alexis and Hal complete one milestone and start planning for the next one.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
collison course | new york wolves | 649 | set 4
Cora’s in chem lab. Malia is being bored and snap chatting her in Math for Liberal Arts Majors. It’s the moment where it really starts to sink in that this isn’t like high school but with more freedoms. It’s truly something different, and not everything is going to stay the same.
She’s stabbing at her salad with a bored amount of force, mostly wallowing a bit in her feelings rather than focusing her intentions on eating it, when a voice floats through the noise in front of her.
“Watch it, Murphy!”
Suddenly, the table jolts, sending the “soup” portion of her soup and salad lunch splattering everywhere. She shoves backwards, but it doesn’t stop the oily brother from splattering all over her shirt. Wide eyes then dart upwards towards the members of the lacrosse team that were staring at her with dumbfounded expressions on her face.
“Uh, whoops,” one of them mutters – she assumes Murphy from the embroidered name on his jacket, and they shamefully move on from the mess they’ve made, save for one. He grabs a handful of napkins out of the nearby dispenser and holds half of them out to her.
“Sorry about that. They’re kind of dicks sometimes.”
“Kind of?” Alexis says, raising an eyebrow before taking them to clean herself off. “That might be underselling it a little bit.”
He smirks, and the way he does make her stomach flip ever so slightly, like it’s seen something it really likes, even if he’s only been there a few minutes. He’s cute, in the jock sort of way, with dark hair and eyes and a casual-if-cocky demeanor, but whatever it is, she definitely likes it, even if she doesn’t understand why.
“Well, sometime they’re only generally off-putting as opposed to giant assholes.”
“Ahh, so you’re just splitting the difference.”
“Exactly,” he grins, before he finishes cleaning up the mess and holding his hand out to her for the used napkins. “I’m Hal.”
“Alexis,” she replies as she puts the napkins in his hand.
“You a freshman too?”
“Yep,” she nods with a small smile. “Pre-med.”
“Nice,” he nods. “Sports management.”
“Does that go with your lacrosse scholarship?”
He laughs. “I’m not going to lie and pretend it doesn’t. But I actually do enjoy sports.”
“I will take your word for it.” She’s about to say something else when another shout comes from across the dining hall.
“Yo, Mason! You coming?”
He waves them off before glancing back to Alexis. “I gotta go. But maybe I’ll catch you here again?”
“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.” He turns to disappear into the crowd and she finishes gathering up the rest of her trash before heading out of the dining hall. As she hits the sidewalk, she spots Malia coming up to meet her for their next class together.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” she asks curiously as Alexis turns to fall in step next to her.
“I met someone,” she grins.
Malia frowns. “It’s not another Pi situation, is it?”
Alexis laughs, before leaning forward to slip her arm in his. “No. I think it’ll be something better.”
Malia nods, before tipping her head to the side and leaning forward to sniff slightly. “Why do you smell like tomato basil?”
changing worldview | new york wolves | 909 | set 4
“You okay?”
“Honestly?” He looks at her almost as though he isn’t sure whether or not he truly does want her to give him permission and she frowns before squeezing his hand again.
“Always.”
“This is … crazy. Like … really crazy.”
“I know.” If Alexis hadn’t been a child herself when she found out, she probably would have had a much harder time with it. “It takes a while for it to really sink in.”
Hal take a deep breath before leaning back into the couch behind him, trying to figure out how to process all of this in a way that doesn’t scare him. “When did they tell you?”
“When I was twelve.” He seems surprised by that, glancing over to her with wide eyes and she shrugs before continuing. “I don’t know if Laura knows how early it was but Cora was my best friend. And one day, she told me that she wasn’t going to be able to come to my birthday sleepover and wouldn’t give me a reason for it that wasn’t a lie. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Cora is a terrible liar.”
“I find that hard to believe when she’s kept a secret this big from coming out all her life.”
“Have you ever asked her directly if she’s a werewolf?”
Hal almost seems baffled by the question, almost as though he wants to know why she would think that he would have taken the time to ask her something like that, given that werewolves hadn’t come up before this moment. “No.”
“Then she hasn’t really had a chance to lie to you about it.”
Hal blinked again, before nodding. “Okay, you’ve got me there.”
“Anyway, I was both upset I was being lied to, and that my best friend was going to be missing my birthday party, and told her that obviously she didn’t want to be my best friend if she wasn’t willing to tell me the truth, and she looked like she had been slapped in the face.”
Hal winces. “She’s good at that.”
“Yes, she is.” Alexis sighs. “But then she just spit it out. ‘I’m a werewolf.’”
“How’d you deal with it?”
“It kind of made everything about her whole family make sense?” Alexis laughs. “Malia’s always been a little feral – she doesn’t really know the difference between human time and wolf time, so there had always been weird quirks about her behavior that didn’t make sense until that explanation snapped it into place.”
“And you just kept that secret this whole time?”
“It wasn’t really my secret to tell,” Alexis shrugged. “It was theirs, and they were trusting me with it. Plus Cora told me about hunters and how if people found out what they were and that they were here, they would come and try to kill her family, and I didn’t want that to happen.”
Hal’s eyes seem to widen because when they told him to keep it a secret, they left out just how dangerous they could be. “Is Stiles going to be okay?”
“As long as he keeps his mouth shut, he’ll be fine,” Alexis nods. “And he’ll be much better off than he was if he was still sick. He’d be able to fight and protect himself. Even play lacrosse again. Those benefits outweigh the risks that will be minimal as long as he sticks with his pack.” Then there’s a pause as she takes all of that in, almost as though the argument Cora gave her way back when still holds water. Once she’s sure it does, she nods again. “He’ll be fine. They’ll all figure it out. But I’m not worried about them right now, I’m worried about you.”
“Why?”
“Because the word just got a whole lot bigger. And sometimes that’s not really something you’re ready to handle.”
“Yeah, but I’m not about to cut off all my friends over it.” Hal sighs, dropping back into the couch again as he tries to parse through his thoughts. “I just have to … get to the acceptance part. It’s going to take a little more than a long talk, I think.”
“That’s fair.” She inches closer and he lifts his arm on instinct, dropping it around her shoulder. “I’m sure they appreciate you being polite about it.”
He wrinkles his nose. “Is that what I’m being? I thought that was closer to being shell shocked.”
“Shell shocked is a step up from angry yelling.” She gives him a soft kiss. “You know I’m here if you want to talk about it though, right?”
“I do,” he nods. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
And just as they’re getting comfortable, Malia bursts through the door, burgers and fries in hand. “Who’s hungry? Time to eat.”
Hal wrinkles his nose. “Does your timing get any better now that I know you’re a werewolf?”
Malia shakes her head with a smirk as she drops down in front of the table. “Now I’m allowed to be worse.”
jungle excursions | new york wolves | 894 | set 4
The Masons, on the other hand, are all about the history.
Their family trips are all about what they can learn from the past, whether it be civil war battle fields or sites of ancient civilizations, and it’s the latter that the annual family vacation has lead them to this particular year. Richard helped chip in for a venture to South America that seemed to split the difference for both families. Richard and Martha could get in plenty of beach time, while the Masons could explore some of the ancient historical sights nearby.
Tom, of course, is having a field day, rattling off all kinds of facts and stories. It’s clear that even while his department is American history, he clearly loves the subjects in all it’s forms. They’re making their way through a cluster of small houses, all stone faces but covered with moss and ivy, when he climbs down over a ledge or two and waves for her to follow.
“Alexis! Come get a closer shot of some of the carvings.”
Alexis follows dutifully as his photographer for the day, listening to him jump into a story about how the native people of the area used the carvings to signify some kind of early calendar when another voice splits the air, one that she hasn’t heard in the longest time.
“Lex?”
She freezes in place, and Tom looks at her quizzically. Almost no one calls her that, not even Hal unless he’s half asleep, and she slowly turns on her heel to face a pile of dark curls. Under those curls, is her ex-boyfriend Pi.
“Oh my God.”
“Holy shit, I knew it was you.” He walks over to her with a wide smile, throwing his arms around her and pulling her in tightly. The hug still feels the same, but Alexis almost wants to flail against it, given who she happens to be in the presence of. “Wow, you look great.”
“It’s good to see you too, Pi.”
“Pi?” Tom looks clearly amused, resting his hands on his hips, and Alexis pulls out of the hug before awkwardly rubbing the back of her head.
“Uh, Tom, this is my friend Pi. Pi, this is my fiancé’s father, Tom Mason.” She hopes that Pi will get the message but he doesn’t seem to.
“Oh, damn, fiancé! I didn’t know you were getting married. Malia didn’t say anything.”
She squints. “You still talk to Malia?”
“Oh yeah, we’re friends on Facebook. She’s the best.”
Tom, still looking amused, then asks the dreaded question. “So how do you and Alexis know each other? Friends from school?”
“Oh no, sir. We used to date.”
Alexis closes her eyes, wincing under the bluntness of that delivery. It gets worse when she hears the voice behind her next.
“You used to what?”
She spins to find Hal standing behind her, a confused expression on his face. Alexis opens her mouth like she’s about to explain, but Pi cuts her off.
“We used to date. See, we both did this study abroad break during our senior year of high school, and that’s where we fell in love, under the gorgeous papaya trees. Did you know that papayas are an amazing source of nutrients?”
“I did not,” Tom acknowledges, and Hal drapes an arm around Alexis’ shoulders, tugging her in close. She’s happy to burrow into his shoulder as Pi drones on about papayas for a bit, before eventually returning to the point at hand.
“Anyway, long story short, our tropical love was not meant to survive tough New York City life. Alexis broke my heart, but I want you to know, Lex,” he reaches forward and takes her hands, drawing her eyes back to him. “I’ve got no hard feelings. Sure, it was rough at first, but we were different people, and we needed to go on different paths. I see that now.”
“Well, good. I’m …really glad.”
“Good,” he smiles, giving her hands a squeeze. “Well, it was really nice to meet you, Masons.” He pauses and claps a hand on Hal’s shoulder. “Take care of her, will ya? She’s a pretty special girl you’ve got.”
“Oh, believe me. I intend to.”
With one last smile, Pi disappears back into the jungle whence he came, and Alexis just buries her face in her hands. “How of all the jungles in the world, did he show up here?”
The Mason men surrounding her just burst into laughter, before Tom reaches forward and gives her shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t worry. We all have one of those.”
“It’s true,” Hal nods. “I’m absolutely never going to tell you who mine is, but it’s true.”
Alexis sighs before holding up her hands. “I was seventeen, okay?”
Tom nods as he mimics the gesture. “I one hundred percent believe you.” Then, as he turns and continues to make his way through the ruins, he frowns. “Though now I kind of want papaya juice.”
Alexis groans, but dutifully follows. At least her father isn’t here to see it.
course correction | new york wolves | 981 | set 4
“God,” she murmured softly, “where did you come from?”
“I knew you were working really hard studying for boards,” Hal says as he comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer. “So I thought you might want a little good luck breakfast before you took a nap after your shift.”
“You are the best husband, ever, in all the world.” She turns her head to the side to give him a brief kiss, piles of affection pouring out of her eyes. “Thank you.”
“You are very welcome.” He then sighs as he pulls back. “Unfortunately I have to go to work, but you’ll call me when you get out of the test?”
She pouts, but nods. “Last one. After this we will be officially out of the school woods.”
“Good,” he kisses her one last time before disappearing out the door. As he goes Alexis looks over the breakfast buffet and begins making the selections in front of her.
“Okay, brain food. Time to get to work.”
One unsuccessful nap and a few hours of testing later, Hal returns home to find his wife asleep again on the couch. Not that he blames her, given that she’s had quite a few stressful days recently, and fairly little sleep. He does his best to bustle around her quietly, fixing them dinner and waiting for her to rise from unconsciousness. As he’s finishing up the last bits, she finds her way back in, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and leaning in over his shoulder.
“Hi,” she murmurs.
“Hi.”
“That smells good.” She rests her chin on his shoulder. “Thank you for cooking dinner.”
“It is my pleasure,” he grins, turning down the heat before turning around to face her. “How’re you feeling?”
“Oddly? A whole lot lighter.” Alexis sighs as she settles in his arms comfortably. “It’s like a great big weight has been lifted and we can finally get around to planning other things.”
“Agreed,” he nods, as he leans in to kiss her again. “There’s a lot of things I’m excited to get planning too.”
“Ooh,” she says softly, smiling up at him. “Like what?”
“Like … maybe starting a family of our own?”
Alexis tips her head back to look at him more, curiosity crossing her features. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Hal nods. “I mean, I know a lot of the reason why we’ve been waiting is because we were too young and we had a lot of work to do to get our careers going but now that you’re finished your boards and are moving towards the end of your residency … I don’t know, maybe it would be a good time to get started.”
“I’ve been thinking about that too,” Alexis nods. “I actually wanted to see if you were interested in doing this a little … unconventionally.”
He studies her, almost as though he’s trying to read between the lines of what she’s saying and find their truth, even if he isn’t one hundred percent sure of it at the moment, but he trusts his wife enough to at least continue to let her talk. “What are you thinking?”
“I do want kids. And I do want kids that are ours one day. But me doing my residency isn’t really a great time for me to get pregnant physically. The hours are too grueling and my nutrition and sleep patterns are not conducive to a healthy, worry free pregnancy. Maybe once I finish and decide whether I want to actually work in the medical examiner’s office or private practice, or if I’m sticking with the hospital.”
“Okay,” he says, slowly dragging out the word. “So … where does the unconventional part come in?”
“Since we’re not starting a biological family right away … maybe we can have an adoptive one.” It’s a long shot, in her mind, but she wants to see if he’ll at least give it a chance before giving up on it. “We have a good home with the means to take care of one, and there are a lot of kids that need homes like that. So all the fun of being a parent, without the wear and tear on my body or risks to my health.”
It’s a lot to take in, and she can see it on Hal’s face. There were likely expectations that he had for their family, and she was not exactly adhering to them. In addition, it was a big decision to just take in a kid that was going to require certain kinds of care that they might not be able to give. She lets the silence sit, before giving a shrug as she takes a step back.
“It was just an idea. You can think about it.”
Hal nods. “I will.” And she can tell from his tone that it’s not just him being shell-shocked. He really will put some consideration into it. “It’s just … a lot.”
“I know.” She leans in to kiss him again. “That’s why you don’t have to have an answer right now. We can wait to figure this out.”
He smiles softly into the kiss. “I know. You’re just putting the idea on the table.”
“Exactly.” She grins. “Right now, I just want to shove this food in my face.”
He laughs as he goes to turn off the heat the rest of the way, and move to carry it towards the table. “Then, my lady, dinner is served.”
SET #5: WORDS
FIVES
Title: i was left to my own devices
Fandom/Original: Supernatural
Prompt: Arrogant
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 600
Summary: Dean mulls the mistakes that got him into this position.
Warnings/Notes: Set during 407: Yellow Fever. Also written for
Title: dark matter ain't the only mystery at hand
Fandom/Original: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Prompt: Indulgent
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 600
Summary: Thor asks Wanda to come with him on his next adventure. Wanda doesn't say no.
Warnings/Notes: ENDGAME SPOILERS. Written for
Title: devil is in the details
Fandom/Original: DC Extended Universe/Lucifer
Prompt: Narcissistic
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 500
Summary: Diana meets a very interesting man in a bar.
Warnings/Notes: Because I felt like it. Enjoy.
Title: revising the plan
Fandom/Original: Original
Prompt: Acrid
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 600
Summary: The Cult of Tiamat is forced to regroup and rethink their plan after the last heroic intervention.
Warnings/Notes: Set in the universe of the D&D game I run for my family. Planning our next session and sometimes you need to write out the bad guys planning and plotting I guess?
Title: only takes a taste
Fandom/Original: Original (Teleios)
Prompt: Sour
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 600
Summary: Rosalina spends time with her sister before her big day.
Warnings/Notes: Set in
dark matter ain't the only mystery at hand | marvel cinematic universe | 600 | set 5
Wanda’s eyes glance over to Thor, Stormbreaker in one hand and a pack over the opposite shoulder. The offer comes so readily, so suddenly, that all she can do is blink and ask the question gracelessly:
“Why?”
Thor shrugs. “You are like I am – a person without a path, looking to find a new one.”
In some ways that is true. She’s been out of the world for five years, Steve, Vision and Natasha are gone, Clint is retreating to be with his family. She still has Sam, but Sam has new responsibilities to deal with now. Going into space could very easily be an excuse to run away from her problems, but what else is she supposed to do with a world she doesn’t fit in.
She glances over to the Guardians, a rag tag bunch led by a raccoon of all people. Then back to Sam, who meets her eyes over the shield, and almost as though he knows what she’s asking, nods, giving permission she didn’t know how to ask for.
“When do we leave?”
Being on the Milano is something surreal in and of itself, almost like a dream. She bonds immediately with Mantis, and the intrusive nature of their abilities, and every time she takes Wanda’s hands, Mantis can’t help a small bubble of comfort that slips between them.
“You’ll be less sad one day.” The hands squeeze and she smiles. “Grief, like all wounds, takes time to heal.”
Wanda would comment about how her time to grieve had been stolen from her, and she needed to move on, rather than wallow in what she’s lost, but she’s not sure that grief actually cares. Mantis knows just as well as she does – she lost someone too.
The real surprise in all of this is Thor. For once, she finds herself on what feels like equal footing – not a child that needs to be protected or a weapon that needs to be feared. She loved her team, loved the family that she built around herself, but in a lot of ways they had sheltered her. Thor thrusts her out into the world, knows her power and respects the damage it can do, but is sure to point her in the proper direction to use it. Maybe it’s his thousands of years, maybe it’s simply the fact that he’s always appreciated a female warrior, but he never tries to wrangle or leash her.
It’s something she’s never realized she needed until now.
“I’m leaving the Guardians,” he tells her over a table full of drinks and what passes for the space version of bar food, with a kind of certainty that almost makes her panic. “Temporarily. They need to settle things with this Gamora, and I’ve heard from a comrade of mind, Sif, that there’s a battle to be fought on another side of the galaxy.”
Wanda nods. “I see.”
Almost as though he senses her concern again: “I want you to come with me.”
“I’m not a warrior.”
“Your skill set generally means you don’t have to be,” he teases. “And I will not force you to if you do not wish to be. But I think we make a good team, don’t you?”
Truth, be told, she does. She enjoys their work together, and the Guardians will be fine on their own. More than anything, she appreciates him asking for her company, rather than just needing her as a blunt instrument. She nods, and offers him a small smile in return, as all their adventures start.
“When do we leave?”
devil is in the details | dceu/lucifer | 500 | set 5
“Really? That’s how it works? You simply ask them what they desire and they tell you?”
The man Diana’s been talking to looks baffled, staring at her as though she’s something he has never seen before. They’re sitting in a bar in England during the Blitz, alone in the quiet of the room, and Diana is almost certain her dinner companion might have encountered something he’s never seen before – someone who could say no to his charm. The tone of her question, however, is more curious than skeptical. She’s seen him use it on more than a few people who have come into his club over the past few weeks, and she had wondered how he could get them to be so painfully honest without the lasso of Hestia.
“Yes,” he states, a bit petulant, before leaning in closer to her. Now his curiosity is reflecting her own, and the narcissistic pretense he relies on falls away, just for a moment. He leans in closer, lowering is voice to keep things between them. “So what are you? Angel? Demon?”
“Neither.” She tips her head to the side curiously. “My father was Zeus.”
His eyebrows go up curiously. “A demigod then. Fascinating. I didn’t realize there were any of you still around.”
“I was hidden, on Themyscira.”
“Right, right, the Amazons. Yes, this makes quite a bit more sense now. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve come across one of your kind.”
“And I can’t say I’ve ever had the opportunity to sit across from the Devil himself.”
“Absolutely not. I certainly would have remembered you.” She can feel the leer through his words, even as harmless as it is, and she laughs in response.
“How disappointing it must be, that I’m immune to your charms.”
“Not disappointing, necessarily. I’ve never been afraid of a challenge. And if anything, you’ve just gotten a great deal more interesting. Especially if the longevity of the demigods is as long as they’ve claimed.”
Diana isn’t sure if she can truly speak on that, one way or another. She’s only lived the years she has. But she has noticed she doesn’t age as quickly as the world around her either. In fact, she hasn’t really aged at all.
“Well, my name is always Diana Prince.” She hasn’t ever felt the need to change it, and it makes it easier for her friends to find her. “And I certainly wouldn’t mind an immortal friend for the same reasons.”
“Then it’s agreed then,” he grins. “We’ll keep in touch when I’m here on Earth. You can catch me up on everything worth knowing.”
She laughs. “Why do I have a feeling our opinions on this are going to be very different.”
He grins unapologetically, before music starts up elsewhere in the bar. He turns, before extending a hand out to her. “Well? Shall we?”
She smirks, before reaching out her hand for his. “I don’t see why not.”
revising the plan | fam game universe | 600 | set 5
Yvonne’s voice rips through the air as neatly as the portal door she opens in the middle of their lair, dragging the limp body of Jason Brightman in behind her. The acrid taste of her blood still lingers in her mouth, thanks to Griffin and his pack of miscreants.
“What the hell happened to you?” Senator Gentry says as she glances at the blood soaked state of her two compatriots and raises an eyebrow.
“A hydra and Griffin Citadel’s team.”
Charlotte’s eyes widen in shock. “My God. Here, let me get some potions.” Waterford approaches like he’s going to heal her, and she shakes her head as she collapses into a chair.
“Stabilize him first.”
The senator frowns as Waterford acquiesces, proceeding to pump several healing spells into the body on the floor. “How did they know where you were going?”
“They must have cracked the map. Or are tracking us somehow. The Lady believes that he’s on our side.”
“We will have to absolve her of that delusion.” That much is certain. “But the seal. Is it broken?”
Yvonne practically spits her response. “No. They counteracted it with some kind of magic. It smelled like an archmage but I can’t be certain.”
“Alastair Crane,” Jason whimpers as he manages to finally come to, pushing himself into a sitting position. “I know his work, but not well enough to counter it.”
“Fantastic. And what was this spell work he did for them?”
“I don’t know. I’d have to go back and get a look at it.” Jason gingerly rests his back against the wall as he speaks. “But given the way it counteracted the sacrifice, probably not anything good for us.”
“It wasn’t just the spell. That mage of theirs is getting good. It’s like he was tearing the weave of the magic apart when he dispelled it.”
Senator Gentry’s jaw sets. “This Avalon Institute is becoming a problem. We need to take care of it.”
“We don’t have time. If whatever they’re doing is going to prevent us from getting those seals open, then we have a problem.”
“How do we determine what it did do?”
“Yvonne and I will have to go back and study it more. Which means more of you are going to have to start getting your hands dirty.”
The three members present looked discomforted by the prospect, but Yvonne grits her teeth as she takes the potion from Charlotte. “What did you think was going to happen? That you would just do nothing and reap all of the rewards?” The three of their faces are unreadable, and Yvonne takes it to mean that her assumption is the truth. “That’s what I thought. Jason and I can’t do everything. We need to study Alastair’s work if we’re going to figure out how to counteract it, and we can’t let them keep doing that to other seals, just in case it can’t be reversed. So some of us are going to have to keep breaking them.”
“Fine.” Eleanor Gentry wouldn’t have gotten into politics if she wasn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty. “I have a politic event in La Bon Rouge. I’ll take Charlotte with me and we’ll get it done.”
“Me?” Charlotte balks. “What?”
“It’s a news event, dear,” Eleanor said firmly. “Do your job. Report it.”
Yvonne nods. “Good. Then Jason and I will take care of this. Hopefully, things will go according to plan this time, and we won’t have anything else to worry about.”
And if the Avalon Institute intervened again, well. They would have another thing coming for them.
only takes a taste | teleios | 600 | set 5
Veronica raises her eyebrows, curiosity crossing her features as she leans in to taste. “It’s medicine. Isn’t it supposed to be sour?”
Rosalina shakes her head as Veronica takes a sip, a pleased look crossing her face as the flavor hits her lips. “Not necessarily. Just because the ingredients aren’t necessarily favorable does not mean that it can’t still taste good. They just need to be blended properly. You don’t dislike the taste of your tea, after all, do you?”
“Point.” Tea is often medicinal, just as much as it is for flavor. She should have recognized that early on. “Still, how do you flavor it without counteracting the efficacy.”
“That involves knowing your herbs. A skill father would have taught you if you ever managed to sit still for five minutes.”
“Why would he, when he knew you would be here after he was gone to nag me to death.” Veronica’s eyes roll, before she leans back on the couch with a sigh. “You’re only here a few days, Rosa. Can we not have you mother me to death in the process?”
“I’m sorry,” Rosalina sighs, before lowering the heat on the pot and moving to sit next to her. “What would you prefer we do?”
“I don’t know.” Veronica shifts to rest her head against her sister’s shoulder, tucking one arm in hers to keep her close. “I can’t you for the advice one normally would ask a sister for.”
“Oh?”
“About … what will happen tonight.” She pauses, before swallowing. “Brenton and I haven’t …”
“Oh.” Rosalina swallows, while considering. “While I agree I do not have … direct experience in this matter, I do think that you have chosen well. Brenton is a good man and he will respect whatever wishes you have.”
“It’s … very awkward, thinking about that sort of thing. Being … with him in that way.”
Rosalina tips her head to the side, and she presses a kiss to the crown of her head. “While my experience isn’t directly the same, I do know that with the right person, in the moment it doesn’t feel strange at all. It feels far more natural than you would think in the abstract.”
“I hope you’re right.” She then sighs. “I also don’t want to move to Asgard.”
Rosalina laughs, giving her hand a squeeze. “It’s not as bad as you think. The land is beautiful.”
“But it’s so warm.” She makes a face. “Their winters barely even last the season!”
“Only you would have that complaint my dear. I’m sure you will be able to adjust to all that sun.”
Veronica pouts, her long dark hair falling around her face. “You’re no help.”
“Do you love Brenton, Veronica?”
Veronica sighs, before nodding. “I do.”
“Then trust that, and don’t worry about anything else. And know that I will always be there to look after you and your children. And your children’s children, and their children’s children …”
“Yes, I get it, you’re going to live forever.” Veronica looks at her sister with a smile. “And that’s a greater comfort than you will ever know, if only you would stop being so smug about it.”
Her sister laughs, before giving her hands a squeeze. “You will be fine, love. Brenton will take good care of you, and you will have a lovely family. I know it.”
“I know. It’s just … wedding day jitters, I suppose.”
Rosalina nods before getting to her feet. “Shall we go find something sweet to chase those jitters away?”
Veronica grins. “Please, lead the way.”
SET #6: PICTURES
FULL HOUSE (regency)
Title: frogs and snails and puppy dog tails
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf (AU)
Prompt: Stream in woods
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 839
Summary: Claudia decides to go searching for frogs and cons her father into joining her.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: to protect and to keep
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD (AU)
Prompt: Snowfall
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 699
Summary: Elena tries to reconcile her feelings of danger after their home is invaded.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: new incoming arrivals
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD (AU)
Prompt: Trinkets
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 617
Summary: Derek is mildly annoyed that the rest of the manor seems convinced he and Elena are having another girl.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: coming home again
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD (AU)
Prompt: Leaves and an Eye
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 983
Summary: Hope is called home for sadder reasons than usual.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: music of the heart
Fandom/Original: It's part of the same AU as above, but these are mostly Original characters so ... idk.
Prompt: Neon music
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 985
Summary: Patience and Mercy get an opportunity to bond while Patience stays there.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
frogs and snails and puppy dog tails | regency au | 839 | set 6
Claudia’s head whips around to see her father standing behind her, at the top of the ravine she had just painstakingly crawled down in order to get to the river. As a result, the hems of her dress are muddy, as are her hands. She glances down at them briefly, before tucking them behind her back and looking up at her father with a bright smile.
“Hello, Father.”
“Hello, Claudia.” He seems amused, his smile is warm rather than disapproving, but she does know she’s supposed to stay out of the ravine without supervision. Despite her newly found werewolf healing at the age of nine, the ravine can be dangerous and she knows that her parents like to keep her in their line of site.
(Never mind the fact that Ben, aged twelve, does not require the same amount of supervision and still gets into far more trouble, but that is an argument that she never seems to win.)
“What are you doing down here?”
Her eyes go to their most innocent, pushing up on her toes just slightly before smiling. “Catching frogs.”
“And where is your brother?”
“I don’t know.” Which is true. Ben abandoned her for a game with Gracin and Miranda ages ago, and she’s just trying to keep herself occupied. Stiles sighs, and her face falls because she knows she’s not going to get away with this one quite so easily.
“He’s supposed to be with you.”
“He went off with Gracin and Amanda to play their pirate game.”
“Why didn’t you go with them?”
She makes a face. “I don’t like playing pirates. They always make me be the princess.”
An eyebrow raises, amused. “And you don’t like being a princess?”
“Not when the game is pirates!” She huffs. “Being the princess means they tie you up and you’re stuck and you don’t get to do anything.”
He sighs, before nodding. “I see. I’m going to have to have a word with him about that.” Claudia looks up hopefully, like perhaps she may not be in trouble, when a frog hops up onto the rock next to her father.
“Father … do not move.”
His face turns stern for a moment, because he’s trying to reprimand her and she’s making it very difficult, before he turns to follow the line of her eyes to find the frog in question. He stills just enough to adjust his posture, before his hands surge forward and catching the slippery frog off the rock.
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
“Yes!” Her face brightens as she darts forward peering up at his hands so that she can see the animal in question. “He’s so slimy.” She sounds positively delighted by the prospect, and Stiles laughs.
“We can’t keep them, you know.”
“I know. But it’s still fun to try and catch them.”
“That it is.” He glances up the ravine, before turning back to his daughter. “Do you want to see how many we can find?”
Claudia lights up in response and nods. “Yes!”
A few hours later, Claudia and her father are emerging from the ravine, covered in mud but clearly very content with the results. As they get closer to the edge of the courtyard, Cora comes into view, arms crossed in front of her. It’s unclear if she’s mad or simply disappointed, but it’s certainly not happy.
“Where have you two been?”
Stiles and Claudia glance at each other quietly, before Stiles supplies, “Catching frogs.”
“Catching frogs?” Cora then glances to her daughter. “I thought you were supposed to be with Ben.”
“He was playing pirates with Gracin and Miranda.”
“Why didn’t you play with them?”
“It’s not important,” Stiles waves a hand, not wanting to get into the whole tirade about not wanting to be the princess again. “I was with her, she was perfectly fine.”
“You were supposed to be here, preparing for the dinner we’re about to have with your uncle and his business partner, and now you’re covered in mud and dinner is about to be served.”
Stiles nods slowly. “You’re right, you do have a point, but I’m fairly certain that catching frogs was a much better use of my time.”
Cora sighs, heavily, before shaking her head and gesturing them both towards the back stairs. “Time for baths, both of you. And I hope you don’t have any frogs lingering anywhere.”
Claudia simply grins as she dashes towards the stairs, before looking back at her father with a smile. “Today was my favorite day.”
As she disappears around the corner, Cora glances over at her husband and shakes her head. “She has you completely wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?”
“Did you really doubt she would?” Stiles laughs, before dusting some of the mud off his hands. “I don’t get this dirty for anyone.”
“Eventually you’re going to have to learn to say no, you know.”
“I know,” he smiles at his wife. “But that day doesn’t have to be today.”
to protect and to keep | regency | 699 | set 6
And then Kali and Ennis happen. They force their way in, take Laura, take her daughter. Elena remembers all too clearly staring down the face of Ennis, and she knew that he would kill her if she gave him the opportunity. She didn’t, but it was far too close for her comfort. Despite the promise that Elijah had made her, suddenly she was back in the mindset that she will never be safe. Because despite how powerful they are, the Mikaelsons are not the only monsters in the world.
“Elena?”
Derek’s voice calls to her from the bed, and she closes her eyes, turning from the window where she can see the snow drifting down and offers him a small smile. “You are supposed to be resting.”
She can see the bandages from the wounds that are still healing as he pushes himself into a sitting position. He meets her smile with one of his own, before holding his hand out to her. “I will rest better with my wife next to me, resting as well.”
She sighs, but goes where he beckons her, shedding her robe before climbing into bed next to him. She doesn’t like seeing him weak like this. It reminds her that he’s mortal, just as she is, even if most of the time he can heal himself. She also remembers feeling through their bond the tear of claws dragging through him. The night has shaken her, more than she cares to let on, and despite knowing that he can feel everything she feels, she doesn’t want him to know all the same.
“Elena,” his voice is soft as he pulls her closer, letting her curl into his chest and pressing a kiss to her forehead. His lips continue to rest there as he murmurs his response. “I’m fine.”
“For a moment, you weren’t.” She knows it’s pointless to bury these things, and she’s never been one to suppress her feelings to begin with. “I felt how painful those blows were, remember?”
He’s quiet, his hand rubbing her arm gently. “We’re going to fix this.”
“I know. That … that’s not it.” She’s quiet again, before looking up at him. “Mystic Falls was always full of monsters. Some more easy to spot than others. But here ... here always felt safer.”
He pauses, before pulling away just enough that he can look in her eyes. “And now it doesn’t?”
He’s worried. Concerned, that his wife doesn’t feel safe with him. The feelings flood over her in waves and her guilt responds in kind, not wanting it to feel like she doesn’t trust him or doesn’t want to be with him. That isn’t the problem. She could already feel the breath leaving her body at the prospect of losing him at all.
“Now it’s … not as sturdy as it used to be. But not enough to scare me away, or feel like I’m not safe. I know you will do whatever it takes to protect me and protect our family.”
“Anything, Elena,” he murmurs softly, leaning in to kiss her. “You all are the most important things to me.”
“I know. And you to me.” She reaches over, brushing a hand against the side of his face gently. “Just promise me, when you go to retrieve your sister that you’ll be careful. And that you will wait until you’re fully healed.”
“I promise,” he whispers softly. “And I promise I will come home to you always.”
“Good.”
With that, she closes her eyes and tries to relax against him. It may not be a promise he’s able to keep forever, but she knows it’s a promise that he’ll strive to, and for now, that’s what matters.
new incoming arrivals | regency au | 617 | set 6
“What now?”
“Why is every convinced we are going to have another girl?”
She laughs, one hand moving to rest on her very pregnant belly before tipping her head to the side. “Precedent, maybe?”
Derek moves to sit on the edge of the bed with a huff, reaching to disrobe himself of his court attire and transition to something more comfortable for the evening. “Every decoration in that nursery is just slightly skewed for a female occupant, when we have no way of knowing for sure if this is a boy or a girl. It could just as easily be a boy.”
“I know, darling,” she sighs. “You’ve said that for every child we’ve had thus far.” And aside from Patience, who was conceived before Derek and Elena even knew each other, so therefore he couldn’t have been certain of their gender, they had all been girls. He manages to read between the lines of that statement, and gives her a brief look, making his way closer to rest his hand over the crest of her stomach.
“But this time, I have faith that this one isn’t going to let me down.” He receives a look from his wife at that one, and he sighs. “You know what I mean.”
“Do I?”
Derek sighs as he pushes himself up. “You know I love all of them dearly.”
“I do,” she sighs softly as she gets to her feet to meet them. “And I know you will love this one just as well regardless of what gender they are.” She lifts a hand to brush gently against the side of his face. “But I also know how badly you want a boy.”
“I do,” he admits with a small pout. “There are certain things about raising a boy that I always wanted to share with a son of my own.”
“I know,” she says as she leans in to kiss him. “And I want that with you.”
“Then there is a way that we can perhaps apply mind over matter?” He raises an eyebrow. “Dress the nursery as though it will be a boy.”
She laughs. “As though if you will it to be a boy, it will become one?”
“Maybe,” he grins. “It can’t hurt, can it?”
“I suppose it can’t,” she smirks in return, before turning to pull him back to bed. “I’ll speak to Melissa about rearranging the nursery in the morning.”
Derek smiles as he follows his wife’s lead, leaning in to kiss her again as he helps her settle into bed. Not long after, he shifts to settle in behind her, resting one hand over the curve of her stomach to keep her close. “I love you. And I do love our family.”
“I know,” she murmurs as she lifts her hand to brush against the side of his face. “And I really do hope this one is a boy.” Especially considering it will likely be her last.
“Whatever it is, I will be fine,” he replies, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I promise.”
“Good,” she sighs as she closes her eyes, preparing to drift off to sleep. “I love you too.” And with that, they are soon both asleep.
coming home again | regency au | 983 | set 6
Hope isn’t entirely certain how long she’s been sitting on the bench in the middle of the courtyard, staring at the piece of paper in her hand, straining to process the words written there. She’s been reading them, over and over for some time now, and were it not for Ben’s voice next to her, she might have continued to stare for a great deal longer. There was so much weight to the news that she isn’t entirely sure how to handle it, but after a moment, she takes a breath and turns to look at him.
“I need to go home.”
“What?” he looks almost alarmed by the prospect, almost as though she was going to disappear forever with that statement, and her face softens before shaking her head.
“Not for good. My great-grandmother’s passed away. I need to return for the funeral.”
Ben relaxes soon after, an exhale he likely didn’t realize that he was holding. “I’m sorry, it’s terrible of me to say but I would miss you while you were gone.”
She nods. “No, I would as well. But unfortunately I need to leave quickly. They’ve scheduled the funeral for a few days from now.”
“Of course. Please allow me to help you make the necessary arrangements.” The phrasing is practiced, just like a lord is supposed to be, and placing a little distance between their relationship and the task at hand. Hope isn’t sure she will ever be that good at being a lady in charge of property, a leader of a pack. Trying to place any distance between herself and the situation at hand always requires more willpower than she is often able to provide, leading to impulsive, emotional choices. Ben balances her well, in that way, though she isn’t ever really sure how to tell her that.
“Thank you.”
A moment of quiet spaces between them as they walk before Ben steps up and glances to her. “Perhaps I can go with you?”
She blinks in surprise. “You will come to Orleans with me?”
“It does not seem like the kind of thing you should be alone for. I have not lost one of my grandparents – at least not one that I have known – as of yet, but I can only imagine the kind of pain that may be. If you would like, I would like to accompany you.”
Hope smiles, eyes watery as she considers his offer, before nodding her agreement. “I would like that very much.”
The Marshall-Kenner home in Orleans is quite different from the Hale Manor in a number of ways. For one, while it’s a nice house, it’s nowhere near as large as a manor, meant to be a comfortable space for a small family to grow. It’s surrounded, on the edge of the bayou, by other smaller homes. All of them are empty by the time Hope and Ben arrive, however, their residents gathered on the edge of the river that runs through the bayou in preparation for the ceremony.
“This is where you grew up?” Ben asks as he scans the surroundings.
“I know it’s not much,” she says with a small nod. “But there’s a lot of love here. I was very happy growing up.”
Ben nods, before glancing back to her with a smile. “I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t. It’s just … not what I expected, with your father being who he was.”
“I suppose you’re right. But my mother insisted I be raised with my pack. My father’s manor is on the other side of Orleans.”
Ben nods, before offering her his arm as they begin to make their way to closer to the rest of the group. Hope takes it, and speaks quietly as they go.
“Grandma Mary was my stepfather’s grandmother. But she never treated me as anything less than her own. She loved me a lot and I loved her too. Taught me everything about being a werewolf.”
“She sounds like she was wonderful.”
“She was. I wish you could have met her.”
Hope breaks off as they get closer, leaving Ben for a moment so that she can be reunited with her parents, and she sinks into their holds for a moment, before pulling back to make the introductions. “This is Lord Ben Stilinski. Lord Stilinski, this is my mother, Hayley Marshall and her husband, Jackson Kenner. Lord Stilinski was gracious enough to offer to escort me here for the funeral.”
“That was very gracious of you, Lord Stilinski,” Jackson comments dryly and Hayley elbows him in the side before she gestures back to the ceremony.
“We probably should get started.”
As they all move down to the river, there’s a body resting in a boat, covered in leaves. Several people step up to give their eulogies, telling stories and adventures they had, and raising their glasses for a toast after each one. Then, finally, they cover the body in dried leaves, set it aflame, and then set the boat on the river. Hope manages to keep her head high through all of it, but when the smell of burning leaves fills the air she can’t take it much longer and she glances away, her eyes filling with tears she had been fighting so hard not to shed.
Ben tips his head to the side as she leans into his shoulder, giving her hand a squeeze. “We can take a walk after this, if you like? You can show me where you grew up.”
It would take time away from her family that she was excited to see, but it would also give her time to compose herself. She looks up at him, a small smile on her lips before she nods her agreement. “I would like that.”
Whatever sorrow the world held, they would manage it together. At least for today.
music of the heart | regency au | 985 | set 6
It’s not that she doesn’t know how to behave – she does – she’s just never been abroad in someone’s home for so long without her family. There’s no safe space for her to nestle herself into with someone who knows her well. Any alone time she gets is spent by herself, which isn’t always the most charitable place to be.
Still, the duchess is lovely, and she’s slowly getting to know her brother, but part of her doesn’t know what to do with the English court. It’s odd to be in a place that doesn’t know her, or the circumstances in how she came to be. To be treated like a person, first and foremost. She finds herself retreating from it, more often than not, almost as though she has to learn how to not be reviled anymore.
Things are also a lot fancier, but honestly she could get used to that. She had taken after her uncle in terms of an impeccable appearance.
She’s in the process of preparing herself for dinner, smoothing down the folds of her dress and preparing to descend when Mercy appears in her doorway, dressed almost as though she’s a queen. “Are you ready?”
Patience’s eyes widen as she takes her in. “ … I thought I was, but now I’m not so sure.”
Mercy laughs, before reaching for her hand. “You look lovely. But come. We’re going to see a performance tonight.”
Patience nods, reaching for one of her shawls as she gets ready to follow her. “What kind of performance?”
“Music,” Mercy replies. “One of my favorite composers is giving a performance, and we are going to go listen. I have an extra seat in my usual box, and normally your brother accompanies me, but he has other matters to attend to this evening.”
Patience isn’t bothered by being second choice. Jason and his mother have their routines, and he was raised by her, after all. She’s sure that she and her father have the same traditions. She smiles and nods, before moving to follow her. “I’ve never been to a concert before.”
“Why does that not surprise me,” Mercy laughs. “Your father doesn’t strike me as someone who’s fond of large social events like this one.”
“No, but my mother is,” she smiles. “We attend the Founder’s Day festivities in Mystic Falls every year, as well as the holidays.”
“I suppose he must have adjusted to them, then.”
“‘Adjusted’ is one way of putting it. ‘Tolerated them because my mother loves them’ is likely another.”
Mercy laughs. “And they say men never change.”
Patience grins. “I can’t speak to who he was when you knew him, my lady, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who believe that my father is a better person for marrying my mother. Including himself.”
“That, I don’t doubt.” Mercy smiles. “Though I doubt she had to change much. You did a bit of work on him as well.”
Her head ducks sheepishly for a moment, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I suppose. As I said …”
“You can’t speak to it. I know.” They approach the coach that is waiting outside and Patience steps aside so that Mercy can climb in ahead of her. Once she settles in the seat, Mercy gives her a smile. “Though if I may speak from my entirely biased opinion, I didn’t think he was that bad in the first place.”
Patience hesitates, before swallowing hard. “Not many would agree with you.”
“Do you agree with them?”
“No.” Her father, to her, was one of the best people she knew. But she also knows that that is the highly biased opinion of a daughter being asked to criticize one of the people who love her most. “But there are more of them than me.”
“Well, I think to him, you are the only one that matters.” She smiles before holding out a hand to wave the footman on. “But enough about him. Tonight, we shall just enjoy the music, yes?”
“Yes,” Patience agrees with a smile as the coach lurches forward. “Let’s.”
The concert turns out to be like nothing she could have ever imagined. She sits in the box with Mercy and the music simply washes over her, surrounding her in sound in a way that makes her temporarily grateful that she is in fact human. Werewolf hearing would likely not be able to bear this as easily. There are even some points where she’s moved to tears, being able to feel the emotions that are trying to be conveyed. Each movement has its own tone and story, and she can’t believe she’s never had an experience like this before.
As the concert comes to a close, Mercy hands over the handkerchief with a smile. “I take it those are good tears?”
Patience laughs as she takes it. “I wasn’t expecting that. But yes, they are happy tears.”
“Good,” Mercy smiles. “You are welcome to fill in any time Jason is busy while you’re here. Or, if you prefer, we can try and get you your own seats in the main area.”
“I would like either very much.” Honestly so long as she can hear it, she would welcome the experience. “This was … lovely. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Anytime, my dear.” She reaches over and takes her hand gently. “I’ m glad that this is something we can share together.”
Patience glances over to her, sees the earnestness in her expression, how much she wants it clear that she does care about Patience very much. Slowly, Patience turns her hand in Mercy’s before nodding her agreement.
“As am I.”
They may never be mother and daughter the way they should have been, but perhaps, in the moment, they can have this.
SET #7: COMBO
LARGE STRAIGHT (thor + wanda)
Title: thor and wanda's excellent adventure [1/5]
Fandom/Original: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Prompt: Punctual
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 824
Summary: Sif brings sobering news from Thor in the aftermath of Endgame and Ragnarok.
Warnings/Notes: SPOILERS THROUGH ENDGAME. Follows this fic, for
Title: thor and wanda's excellent adventure [2/5]
Fandom/Original: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Prompt: Rings on a chain
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 985
Summary: Thor has something difficult to ask of Wanda.
Warnings/Notes: SPOILERS THROUGH ENDGAME. Follows this fic, for
Title: thor and wanda's excellent adventure [3/5]
Fandom/Original: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Prompt: Gurgle
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 833
Summary: Thor and Wanda dip into his memories with hopes of finding what they're searching for.
Warnings/Notes: SPOILERS THROUGH ENDGAME. Follows this fic, for
Title: thor and wanda's excellent adventure [4/5]
Fandom/Original: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Prompt: Autumn woods
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 1,235
Summary: Thor and Wanda make a breakthrough in solving their puzzle.
Warnings/Notes: SPOILERS THROUGH ENDGAME. Follows this fic, for
Title: thor and wanda's excellent adventure [5/5]
Fandom/Original: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Prompt: Upside down city
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 1,396
Summary: Thor and Wanda return to Asgard to complete their quest.
Warnings/Notes: SPOILERS THROUGH ENDGAME. Follows this fic, for
thor and wanda's excellent adventure [1/5] | marvel cinematic universe | 824 | set 7
As much as Thor believes they’ll be able to travel anywhere, so long as they put their mind to it, wrangling another ship to venture outwards is a simple thing that can be done easily, actually putting those beliefs into practice is another thing entirely. Spoiled by the nature of Asgard where they have a built in transport system in the rainbow bridge and how amenable the Guardians had been, he ventures into the local establishments, searching for someone to get he and Wanda wherever they need to go. He offers to both pay well and the pleasure of their company, but given the reputation he developed for drawing if not welcoming trouble, as well as the destination, not many pilots were willing to brave it.
Thor briefly considered simply buying a ship of his own when things got especially difficult, which they didn’t have the credits for, but eventually they managed to find a ship that was enthralled by the idea of having an Asgardian on board, rather than opposed. After that, it was off to Vanaheim, and Thor happily recounted numerous tales of the Vanir, a strong and resilient people. Rivals of the Asgardians, but friendly ones.
(The example he uses is like the Yankees and their friends with the red socks, and Wanda comes to the conclusion that Steve did not teach Thor enough about how baseball works.)
That being said, when they finally land on Vanaheim, and take in the scene around them, they find there’s not much of a battle left. Both groups seem to be licking their wounds over their conceded victory, and Sif is standing off to the side, still donned in her battle armor. Wanda watches the bright smile that crosses the other man’s face, before he throws his arms open and goes to greet her.
“Sif! It is wonderful to see you.”
Sif greets him with a warm smile and an equally warm hug, before she pulls back with a teasing smirk. “Punctual as always, I see.”
“Apparently without a bifrost, things become much more complicated,” he admits sheepishly, and Sif’s face falls.
“I heard about Heimdall, and Asgard. I’m glad that you and our people still live.”
Thor nods. “I’m sorry I missed the battle. I was actually looking forward to punching something.”
She laughs, before her face shifts to something more of concern. “Actually, there’s another reason I wanted you here. There’s something I think you should know.”
Wanda has been watching from a distance, giving Thor a chance to catch up with his friend and not wanting to intrude on that time, but at some point the conversation takes a turn, and she sees Thor’s entire body language change. Eventually they turn away from where she is waiting with the ship, having a conversation that she could spy on if she wanted to, but she doesn’t. If it matters, Thor would tell her. She just hopes it doesn’t end in him losing any more than he already has.
When he finally pulls away from Sif, making his way back towards the cruiser they were using, he looks at her for a moment and looks so lost. She recognizes the look well, saw it in Steve whenever it came to anything related to Bucky or Peggy or anyone else he lost when he fell into the ice. She almost doesn’t want to ask because whoever could conjure those feelings for Thor was likely someone that could be dangerous.
“I need your help.” He asks softly, looking plaintively into her eyes almost as though he doesn’t know the words to use. “Please. It’s possible you’re the only one who can.”
Wanda straightens, concerned, before swallowing hard. “What do you need?” It is not a stretch to say that she would do anything for him, but she feels the need to ask what it is first.
“I need you to help me find my brother.”
She frowns, confusion masking her features as she processes that. “I thought you said your brother was dead.”
“He was. But Sif says that when she was trying to recover relics from Asgard’s fall, his name was not in the Book of the Dead. That book is automatically updated, no matter the circumstances, so if his name is not in it …”
“Then he must be somewhere else.” She can follow his conclusions through to their logical end, but she pauses because while she’s never met Loki herself, she’s heard a lot of stories that don’t always paint him in the best life. If he isn’t causing trouble, perhaps it’s best to leave him alone. “Are you sure?” she asks, even though she feels like she already knows what his answer would be.
“Would you, if it were yours?”
Wanda swallows, before nodding. “How can I help?”
thor and wanda's excellent adventure [2/5] | marvel cinematic universe | 985 | set 7
“This is a bad idea.”
Wanda is sitting on a bench on board the ship, fingers clenched around the necklace around her neck. She knows that she’s capable of what Thor is asking her. She’s done it before, gone into people’s heads to see what she could find. She’s done it to him specifically, so the idea of why he’s asking her to do this again is beyond her, and she isn’t sure she should say yes.
“You do remember the last time I went into your mind, don’t you?”
The silence hangs between them, resting in the space Thor has given them when he chose where to sit, and she wants to be able to articulate all the reasons why this is a bad idea, but she thinks that that question does most of it for her.
“The last time you went into my mind, you had ill intent. This time you do not. You’ll be going with me, not against me.”
“That doesn’t mean …”
“The last time you went into my mind, you showed me something I desperately needed to see.” He reaches across the space, taking her hands in his, giving them a small squeeze. “You gave me a much needed warning of what would be expected of me and what was coming. True, it was hidden in horrors and intended to torment but Ragnarok was coming for me and my people, whether I was ready for it or not.”
Wanda sighs softly, letting him keep her hands in his as she tries to parse exactly what he’s asking for. “I don’t understand what there is to gain by all this. How is going into your mind going to help us find Loki?”
“Your power allows you to find the minds of those you know, correct? Pick them out of a crowd regardless of where they are?”
“You want me to use my power to search the universe for Loki?”
“More or less.”
She stares at him again, still not withdrawing her hands but looking inherently skeptical at the idea that this is going to be something that they’re capable of. “I’m not strong enough for that.”
“You’re a child of the Mind Stone. You’ve likely barely begun to test the limits of your power and I’ve seen you do great, powerful things, Wanda. You were strong enough to destroy the Mind Stone. Who’s to say you’re not powerful enough to do this?”
It’s at that point where she withdraws her hands, both from the wave of grief that comes with the memories he referenced, as well as the flash of memory of Strucker’s voice in her ear, telling her to push further and harder, even at detriment to herself. She knows that Thor isn’t asking her to push beyond her limits, to hurt herself. She knows that she’s more than an experiment to him. Still, the desperation in his voice worries her, and she can’t help but wonder if that line will eventually be crossed too.
Thor sits in the silence with her, recognizing that he said something wrong, and he tries to course correct. “You are important to me, Wanda. And you are certainly not more valuable to me than the life of my brother. If you truly do not wish to do this, we will find another way to find Loki.”
She watches him, heart breaking because she knows the pain of having her brother so far out of reach that he’s impossible to find, only to be tempted into having him close again. She reaches up to play with her necklace again, before leaning back against the wall.
“Explain it to me again.”
There’s a brief flash of hope in Thor’s eyes at the request, and he straightens again, almost like he’s a general crafting a plan of battle. “In order to locate Loki, you need to recognize his mental signature.”
“Yes. But we’ve never met.”
“You and Loki haven’t. But Loki and I have. I will act as the go between.”
“You don’t have any psychic abilities of your own.”
“No, but he has used his magic on or around me many times. He also used to wield the scepter that was used to create you.” Thor straightens, shoulders squaring as he lays out the plan. “You may not know him as intimately as you would name your own brother or me, but you can find the fragments. Use the ones in my mind to connect the ones in your own and use them to create one whole psychic signature.”
She swallows hard, closing her eyes as she leans back against the wall. “This may not work.” She pauses. “Even if I do find the signature, and am able to piece it together, the universe is a massive place.”
“I know. All I wish is simply to try.” He watches her again. “You can say no, Wanda.”
“I don’t want to,” she admits softly. Thor is her friend. Her good friend, their bond running deeper and deeper since they climbed aboard the Benetar and took off for points unknown. “I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
A smile crosses his face, before getting up and moving to sit on the bench next to her. She feels so much smaller, in the way that he dwarfs her with the massiveness that is Thor, but she still feels safe, all at the same time. “Never,” he says softly. “Succeed or fail, we do this together.”
She smiles in return, before reaching for his hand and linking her fingers in his. “I’ve never done this before,” she admits softly. “At least not in this way. You may have to lead me.”
Thor nods, giving her hand a squeeze as he leans back and closes his eyes. “You will have no resistance from me.”
She nods, closing her eyes in return and taking a deep breath. “Here we go.”
thor and wanda's excellent adventure [3/5] | marvel cinematic universe | 833 | set 7
At first, it simply feels like they’re falling. It’s almost as though the world has dropped out from under them and they’re just falling into an abyss and trying their best to keep hold of the various footholds at their disposal. She should have known that the abyss that greets them would be endless, given that Thor is over a thousand years-old, and the memories that his mind stores, even if he can’t fully remember them, all have to go somewhere.
At first, she simply enjoys the free fall, just letting everything rush over her, before she pulls herself into a standing position, but keeping Thor’s hand tight in hers.
“Thor!” she begins, squeezing his hand to bring his attention back to her. “You need to guide me. Take me to Loki.”
For a moment, he doesn’t know how to respond. His eyes are cloudy, like his own defenses are trying to push her back out again, but eventually he remembers why she’s here. He let her in. He needs to show her the way. The black abyss they’d been falling into rights itself, a haze of colors clearing her vision, until the two of them are left standing in the fields of battle. Golden trees stretch out around them, as far as the eyes can see. The world is bright, colorful and beautiful in so many different ways, and so different from the Earth she knows. They are surrounded by the damages of war – broken bodies and gurgling cries of the fallen, and somehow even that is still beautiful.
Thor’s hand is still in hers, and he smiles, bright and wide. “I remember this. It’s been centuries.”
Her eyes scan the scene, trying to ignore the smell of war and how the burning fields and fresh spilled blood called her back to another war zone that didn’t have the benefit of being this beautiful. “Where are we?”
“Alfheim. Home of the Bright Elves.” He points to one of their fighters, tall and valiant in their silver and blue armor, slashing away at the invading force around them. “They had asked for our assistance dealing with a challenge from Nidavellir. Dwarves and elves … they’ve never gotten along.”
“I see,” she says softly, tearing her eyes away to scan the rest of the fields. “And where are you and your brother?”
There’s a pause as Thor tears himself from the thrall of the memory and scan the field around him. For a long time, there is silence, before he turns and points to something that is barely a glimmer, a shimmer, like air rising off hot pavement in the summer. She squints at it, before shifting the hand in hers to her shoulder, freeing her hands to be able to work.
“Some elements of illusion magic are physical,” she says softly as her eyes glow red, looking for the gridlines of Loki’s magic to see if she can make them more visible. “But a lot of it is a simple tricking of the mind. If your mind believes that there is nothing there, it will see nothing.”
Contrary to popular belief, Wanda knew that there were wizards in New York City. She had felt the throb of the time stone calling to her from miles away, and had visited. She never met Stephen Strange prior to Thanos, but she did buy Wong a lot of deli sandwiches in an effort to understand herself a little bit better.
“But we know better, don’t we?” She pulls on the threads of Thor’s memory, as delicate as they are, and spins them around to cut through the invisibility spell that the brothers had placed on themselves, to surprise their enemies in battle. It’s almost like Loki had simply thrown a cloth over them, but that cloth was woven with the fabric of his own intent and thoughts.
Thor is mostly silent as she takes in the information, and it’s almost enough. It reconciles with the pieces of Loki that got transferred to her from the Mind Stone – the cunning, the desperation – but it’s not quite complete. It’s a Loki of the past. One where his bond with his brother isn’t nearly as strong, and wouldn’t be a good example of the Loki that they’re looking for now.
She clasps her hands together, closing the hole in her magic with a nod before reaching for Thor’s hand again.
“I need something more recent. The last time he did magic for you.”
Thor hesitates, and she realizes, belatedly, that that moment could have been the moments right before he died. She knows that Thanos took Loki’s life, and she can understand how those wounds would still be fresh. She squeezes his hand.
“It doesn’t have to be that recent. But … as recent as you can.”
Thor nods, squeezing her hand in return. “Then once more into the breach,” he says, amused, before the world falls out from under them and everything is darkness and falling once again.
thor and wanda's excellent adventure [4/5] | marvel cinematic universe | 1,235 | set 7
When Wanda opens her eyes again, she finds herself on another golden field, though this time it’s simply showing signs of autumn in the dull evening glow. A plain stretches out ahead of them, backlit by the gold and orange trees of a planet she doesn’t recognize, and Thor, five years younger with no Thanos weighing on his heart, holds his hands out ahead of him.
“So? What do you think?”
“I think it’s very … orange.”
Wanda turns at the sound of an unfamiliar voice and takes in Thor’s brother for the first time through something that isn’t a news report or a picture online. What was likely originally designed to be menacing and manipulative by the media becomes softer and more casual in Thor’s mind, almost as though a tension had been released that he never intended to carry. Or maybe it simply is the lens of a brother who loves him, who wants this version of Loki, more than any of the others. Who can see the whole, complex person – mistakes and all – and still love him regardless. She remembers it being like what Pietro used to be for her.
At the same time, it’s strange to look at a man who has shaped your life so completely, and yet you’ve never met before. Without Loki bringing the Mind Stone to Earth, Wanda would not be standing here now. She would still be in Sokovia, and maybe Sokovia would still exist, even though it was rubble long before the Avengers would destroy it.
She stands next to Loki, Thor’s hand in hers, and watches him, almost as though he doesn’t know how many lives he changed by arriving in New York that day. And he probably never will.
“Where are we?” she asks, almost taking the opportunity to lower her voice and take it all in. She can’t disturb the conversation in the memory, she knows that. But it still feels rude to interrupt all the same.
“S-425, I think the designation is. Some small border planet, not far from Asgard.” He pauses, swallowing the weight. “Or at least where Asgard used to be. We had stopped for supplies on our way to Earth, but I thought perhaps we needed a better fresh start.”
She nods, as the conversation continues around them, and she does what she can, trying to extrapolate the pieces that she needs. Loki uses his magic at one point to produce an apple and tosses it to his brother. Thor catches it, ready to eat it only to watch it turn into a snake before his very eyes. What ensues is your expected brotherly squabble, full of laughter and good natured jabs.
The fact that Thanos will soon come in to ruin all of this breaks her heart, but she can’t change the past for Thor, and try and make it better. Try and make it into a world where he still has his brother. Find what’s missing and restore it somehow.
“I think you’re wrong, brother,” Loki sighs as Thor jogs ahead of him to the ship. “I think we certainly belong somewhere else.” And then, his head turns and he looks dead at them, not through them. “And you don’t belong here either.”
Thor doesn’t break their connection, but moves instantly to place himself between Loki and Wanda. Never mind that he’s a memory, never mind that Wanda is more terrifying on a good day than Thor is on one of his bad ones, he still strives to protect her, holding out his finger like it was a sword.
“How can you see us?” He blinks then glances back to Wanda. “Has Loki been inside my head all this time?”
“No,” she replies, amused. “I would have noticed.”
“Fair point.” He glances back to the memory of his brother again. “Then why are you doing this?”
“Because I’m your mind, you simple idiot.” The words are clearly meant to be endearing, but Loki doesn’t linger on it long. “Because you know where I am. You know how this works.”
Silence stretches between them in the field, and all Wanda can do is wait. She doesn’t know how Thor’s world works, so naturally she can’t help but fill in the gaps for him. Loki also waits patiently, but when Thor refuses to answer, he sighs.
“How did you find out that I wasn’t dead?”
“Sif said you were not in the Book of the Dead,” Thor replies simply. “Therefore you must be alive.”
“And yet you saw me die.”
The world flickers, suddenly, violently, and before Thor can do anything to stop it, they’re on the deck of the Asgardian ship. Bodies are scattered everywhere, and Thanos is there, talking, but his words become muffled static in favor of the corpse that’s stretched out ahead of them.
“Come now. You must remember how all of this works.” Loki crosses his arms in front of his chest, leaning casually against one of the blood stained supports. “Asgard never dies …”
“Because Asgard is it’s people.”
“No, brother. Think of Ragnarok.”
“Ragnarok?”
Thor’s brow furrows, trying to make a connection that seems to escape him. “Ragnarok was prophesized as being the end of our people. The destruction of our home. Surtur rose up … well, more like I released him into Asgard, he destroyed everything. Also took out my sister, but that was a bit of … necessary sort of thing. She would have just killed us all, so at least Surtur gave us time to escape.”
“So what does that have to do with this?”
“Give him a moment, darling, he’ll get there.”
Wanda and Thor both give Loki a glare before Thor closes his eyes, doing his best to drown everything else out. Wanda helps, using her powers to drop away the rest of the scenery, leaving only the two of them and Loki behind. She studies the man, before resting her hand on her hip.
“Are there any more pertinent clues you’d like to give us?”
Loki just smirks. After a moment, Thor’s eyes fly open, almost as though he’s had some kind of revelation.
“Ragnarok comes in cycles.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.”
Wanda’s brow furrows confused. “We are?”
“The names in the Book of the Dead have been committed to Valhalla, for they died with honor and valor. But they have to live with that same honor.”
“But sometimes, if you still meet those circumstances in your death, you may be reborn and given a second chance at life.”
It takes a few seconds of parsing that statement for Wanda to realize what it means. “Then that means …”
“My brother has been reborn,” Thor grins, and with a yank, suddenly they’re being catapulted out of the darkness and back into the small enclosed quarters of their rented ship.
Wanda drops his hand, startled back into reality again, and before she can truly find her bearings, big bear arms are being thrown around her shoulders, and Thor presses a warm kiss to her cheek in the process. A feeling of warmth rushes through her, something she hasn’t really felt since Vision, but she doesn’t have room to parse it now. Just as suddenly as he hugs her, he lets her go with a wide smile that she can finally see.
“What?” she asks, curious. “What is it?”
“I know exactly where we need to go.”
thor and wanda's excellent adventure [5/5] | marvel cinematic universe | 1,396 | set 7
In Wanda’s experience, even with what limited pieces she’s seen of the galaxy, most planets look like planets. They’re generally round, and it’s contents are generally undistinguishable from anyone looking from above. This is not the case when it comes to Asgard. As she and Thor begin their approach, Asgard looks like a city on a hill. A smoldering, ruined city, but a city all the same. They come at the planet from below, which somehow seems to be a mirrored reflection of the city above, and Wanda isn’t sure how any of this works but it is truly a sight to behold.
This proves to be less so for Thor. Sorrow rolls off him in waves for the home and people that he’s lost, and she reaches forward, after a moment, taking his hand and giving it a small squeeze.
“Are you sure he’s here?”
He glances back to her, giving her hand a grateful squeeze in return. “If Asgardian magic is what has returned him to life, then there’s nowhere else he will be. Given the state of things, he would have been hard pressed to find a way off the planet.”
She nods, taking that in, before tipping her head to the side curiously. “When you say ‘reborn’ …”
“The expression is not literal,” Thor grins. “It’s more … metaphorical.”
That is a bit of a relief. She would regret taking Thor on this journey if what they were going to wind up with was a literal infant – and at this point, a likely dead one. Despite her friendship with Wong, Asgardian magic seems to be far out of her depth and she’s quite comfortable keeping it that way. Eventually, they set down on somewhere that seems stable enough to stay steady, and disembark.
“I can do this quickly, if you like?” Wanda asks from midway down the gangplank. “Find him and bring him back?” She knows how she would feel if someone asked her to walk the ruins of Sokovia, even for Pietro –she would do it, but she would regret it all the same.
Thor glances over and greets her with a warm smile. “I appreciate your concern, but I should do this.” He pauses. “I need to do this.”
Wanda nods, before making the rest of the way to the ground, ready to follow in step next to him. “Then lead the way.”
And lead the way he does. There’s nowhere Thor goes that doesn’t have some kind of story attached to it, and Asgard has more than most. As they walk he’s happy to tell her all of them, despite the ruins in their midst. She can tell that each story is bittersweet in the way it could never be recreated, but she appreciates each personal touch all the same.
They’re rounding a particular corner in what used to be a grove, if the burnt out trees are any indication and suddenly a rock comes flying out of nowhere to smack Thor in the side of the head. Wanda ducks behind him out of instinct, using him as a shield as she peers around to see where the projectile had come from.
“Back, trespassers,” a booming voice echoes through the grove, and the two of them turn to see what seems to be a fairly large and muscular man with long dark hair and a rather large sword. “Or face the wrath of the guardian of this place.”
“Who are you?” Thor blinks, confused for a moment, almost as though he’s forgotten why they came. Wanda, on the other hand, isn’t looking at the man itself, but more unanswered questions. Like, for example, the way the man takes a look at Thor, and almost as though in a shimmer, buffs his chest out a little bit further and makes his arms a little bit bigger. It’s a subtle change, but a change all the same.
“I … I am the Grove Guardian. Guardian of the Grove.” The man stammers, before crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I command the power of the gods and caution you to turn back before their wrath is brought upon you.”
“Will it now?” Wanda’s bravado slips out as she moves to step in front of Thor. Thor seems confused, but trusts her enough to follow her lead. “And what if I do not believe in your gods?”
“Then … then that is your mistake.” The man nods. “For their wrath will be swift and … total. Especially for nonbelievers.”
“Mmm.” She smirks, before raising her hands eyes glowing red as she reaches for the threads of his illusion. “We’ll see about that?”
He seems to recoil in the face of her power, and the image flickers as Wanda begins to dig her fingers into it and tearing it apart. “What are you doing?” Briefly the image is replaced with that of a teenage boy, likely not older than Peter, before it snaps back to the man again. “Stop that!”
“Loki?” Thor finally puts two and two together, and that seems to be the nail in the illusion’s coffin. The image vanishes, and the teen looks between the two of them warily.
“Depends who wants to know.”
“My name is Wanda,” she supplies, before reaching over and placing a hand on Thor’s arm. “And this is Thor. We’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
Thor glances over at her, as though there’s so many things he wants to say, but he waits and lets Wanda take the lead, not wanting to overload his brother who seems to not recognize him. Loki still seems wary, glancing between them, but his eyes especially lingering on Thor, like there is a puzzle there he can’t quite put together.
“Why were you looking for me?”
“Because we heard you might want to see the universe,” she says with a small smile. “We have a ship. We could take you anywhere you’d like to go.”
Loki takes that in, before crossing his arms in front of his chest. “And why should I trust you?”
Wanda glances back over to Thor, and he takes that as his cue, making his way closer and shrugging. “What do you have to lose if you do?”
Loki glances back over his shoulder, studying the charred scenery for a moment, before turning back to the two of them again with a nod. “Fine. But I have some conditions. I don’t do manual labor, I am not doing any kind of ‘repayment’ for you rescuing me, and I get my own room on the ship.”
“Deal,” Thor says with a grin.
“Great. I’ll get my things.”
As Loki disappears into whatever hovel he’s created for himself, Wanda glances back to Thor over her shoulder with a smirk.
“How disappointed he will be when he learns that no one on the ship has their own room.”
He laughs. “I think with the money we’ve earned working with the Guardians, we can afford a ship of our own.” He pauses, before reaching over for her hand again. “Thank you again, Wanda. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I think I have a small idea,” she acknowledges.
“If I could return the favor, I would.”
“I know,” she smiles, before turning to face him more, standing closer than she probably should, but when you’ve been inside someone’s mind the way she has with Thor, physical boundaries become much less awkward. “But I’m glad that I could help. It’s nice, sometimes, being reminded that all of this can be used for good.”
One hand comes up, resting against the side of her face gently, his thumb brushing her cheekbone. “I think you always intended to do good. That was never a doubt.” She smiles softly, starting to lean into him, intending to close the gap between them when Loki’s voice returns, jerking them apart.
“So,” he grins, clearly aware that he interrupted the moment, but not caring. “Where are we going first?”
Wanda sighs, before rubbing the back of her neck. “Xandar for a new ship, then … perhaps we should head home?”
Her home, not Thor’s home, at least not as directly as the soil beneath their feet is. Thor glances to her, surprised, before nodding. “I think that’s a splendid idea. To Xandar.”
“Xandar. Lovely.” Loki pauses. “What’s Xandar?”
SET #8: COMBO
YAHTZEE (malia + jeremy)
Title: out there on the road
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD (AU)
Prompt: Sticky
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 1,000
Summary: Malia realizes she's not as over her car trauma as she thought
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: movin on up
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD
Prompt: Street lamp
Rating:
Word or Line count: 1,000
Summary: Jeremy and Malia talk about their future plans.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: the weather outside is frightful
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD (AU)
Prompt: Snowy street
Rating: PG-13
Word or Line count: 1,000
Summary: Jeremy barters to get Malia to play in the snow with him.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: if they could see me now
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD (AU)
Prompt: Tangy
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 1,000
Summary: Jeremy has to bring Malia to a work function and they get surprised by seafood.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
Title: beach bums
Fandom/Original: Teen Wolf/TVD (AU)
Prompt: Sand dunes
Rating: PG
Word or Line count: 1,000
Summary: The Hale family hits the beach and brings their significant others.
Warnings/Notes: Written for
out there on the road | new york wolves | 1,000 | set 8
She’s never fully comfortable contained in a metal box, but she can manage, sometimes, when the right person is behind the wheel. The forty hour drive from Beacon Hills to New York was a harrowing adventure of rest stop breaks, long meal stops and occasional nightmares, but in the years since Malia’s learned to deal with it. She’s learned to deal when a member of her family is behind the wheel. She’s learned to trust that a car isn’t as scary as she makes it out to be. She refuses to learn how to drive it herself, despite how Peter thinks it might help her come over those last roadblocks of her own fears, but when it comes to driving to dance competitions out of state, she can deal if a member of her family is taking her.
As she overs outside where the group is packing in the sticky New York summer weather, watching as her belongings get packed into Matt’s SUV in preparation of driving them down towards Mystic Falls and she has her unsure face on.
She knows this is something she has to get over. She knows that she needs to take a breather and remind herself that not everyone in her life is going to be a terrible driver and just because Matt is not Laura does not mean that he’s not incapable behind a wheel, and it’s so stupid. She knows it’s stupid. At the same time, she can’t seem to will her feet to move.
“You ready to go?”
Jeremy comes up to her with a small smile, and his expression indicates that he’s not unaware of her current feelings about the situation, but he’s going to try and push past it unless she says something. It’s hard for her to pin down what exactly it is about this situation that’s bothering her, but there’s something there and she swallows hard before blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.
“Maybe this is a bad idea.”
His face flickers, almost like he’s hurt. “Do you not want to go?”
“No, I do.” She wants to meet Jeremy’s aunt because she knows that’s important, and she wants to see Mystic Falls, but she can’t make herself get in the car. “But maybe I should go with Tyler and Caroline.”
It seems like an adequate compromise. Tyler and Caroline have healing factors of sorts, if Malia happens to lash out then they will heal and hopefully not hold it against her. Jeremy, Matt and his sister are all very fragile and very human and when she thinks about the possibility that if another accident happens, the same fate could befall them that did her sister and mother, she feels her chest tighten.
“Ty and Care left yesterday.” Jeremy’s voice is soft, because he knows something’s wrong, especially when Malia can’t fight the whine that comes with that plan being squashed, and she takes a deep breath. “Malia what’s wrong?”
She swallows hard. “I don’t do well in cars.”
“Okay,” he says slowly. “So how does that make Ty and Care better?”
“Tyler and Caroline can heal themselves.” She swallows. “You guys can’t.” There’s another pause as she buries her face in her hands. “I’m sorry, this is so stupid.”
“It’s not stupid,” Jeremy sighs as he reaches forward, taking her hands in his. “I just wish you would have mentioned it when we were making the travel arrangements.”
“I thought I could handle it. I mean, the last time I had a panic attack in a car, I was eleven. But … that’s also because the only people who have been driving me around have been Derek, Laura and Peter.”
“So you’re used to them and how they drive. But you’ve never been in a car with Matt before.”
She nods. “I’m sure he’s fine, and I’m sure we’ll be fine, I just … can’t convince my body of that.”
Jeremy nods. “Would you feel better if I drive?”
“Will Matt let you do that?”
Jeremy nods. “Yeah, he trusts me. And I’m sure he and Elena would much rather snuggle in the back anyway. You and I can sit up front.”
Malia considers quietly, trying to determine if that’s really better but she trusts Jeremy a lot more than she trusts Matt, even if she’s never driven with him before. And she’s seen his reflexes in action. He’s still not at werewolf fast, but … he could do.
It’s not the most rousing vote of confidence, so she doesn’t say that, but it’s enough.
“Okay,” she nods, before looking up at him with an awkward face. “And sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Making things weird.”
“It’s not your fault,” he replies, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head. “But we’ll be okay. We’ve driven this route a ton of times and nothing’s ever happened.”
“I know.” Given that Jeremy is still here and all. She doesn’t vocalize that sometimes she still feels more like a Stitch, destroying everything she touches, sometimes without even meaning it, and tries to focus on the confidence instead. She can do this. Jeremy can do this and she can do this. He tucks her into his side, and heads back towards the truck.
“So if it’s okay with you guys, I’ll drive and you guys can take the back?”
Matt frowns. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just Malia gets car sick so she needs to be up front, and I figured you guys would rather cuddle than split up.”
“Not wrong,” Elena grins, leaning into her boyfriend’s shoulder.
“Werecoyotes get car sick?” Matt blinks in surprise.
“Motion sickness is about equilibrium, not illness,” Malia nods, going with Jeremy’s ruse, even though she’s terrible at lying. Matt seems to take that at face value and nods.
“Works for me.”
As they head to the car, Jeremy squeezes her shoulder. “Ready to go?”
Malia smiles and nods. “As I’ll ever be.”
movin on up | new york wolves | 1,000 | set 8
“Comfy?” Jeremy asks as he follows with their sandwiches and she grins back at him as he settles against a tree.
“Very,” Malia replies, before shifting to press her back to the bark with him. “I’ve always done better with wide open spaces.”
“I don’t blame you.” He passes over her half of the food, before moving to dig into his own sandwich. “I was pretty sure you were going to rip off the door handle every time I had to swerve.”
“But I didn’t!” she’s quick to remind him around a mouthful of tuna salad. “I was very calm.”
“Matt is very grateful.” He then smirks before leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “I think you’re doing really well, though, all things considered.”
“Thanks,” she sighs, before glancing up to the rest of the world around her with a smile. “I like DC.”
He tips his head up curiously. “You’ve been here before.”
“Dance championships. Usually once a year or so with Landon and Laura.”
Jeremy nods, glancing up and taking the world in with a little more scrutiny. “What do you like about it?”
“It’s less crowded than New York. There’s more open spaces but still enough public transportation that you don’t have to be a driver if you don’t want to be.”
He nods again, trying to gauge why she’s bringing this up now, of all times. If there’s a point to it, or of she’s just making idle chatter to distract from the fact that he keeps teasing her about her car fears. He decides he’s not going to press it either way and waits for Malia to get around to the point. She usually does eventually.
“Have you been here before?” she asks, and he shrugs.
“Yeah, once or twice for school trips. Never really thought about how much I like it though.”
Malia falls silent again, taking a few more bites of her sandwich before she eventually gets around to the point of it all. “If you did, I’d be okay with living here.”
Jeremy blinks, surprise coloring his features briefly, before he pulls back, trying to determine how he should be processing that statement. “You would?”
“Yeah.”
She misses the fact that the question was designed to get her to elaborate, as Malia often does, so after a moment of silence with her not following through with his expectations, he tacks on another question.
“Why?”
She glances back at him, confused, almost as though she wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction, before she shrugs. “Most of your life is in Virginia.”
“… Okay.”
“If you wanted to be closer to them, DC is a good city where I can get around on my own for the most part, but it’s closer to Virginia.”
That doesn’t really give him much in the way of clarification, so he takes a breath and tries again from a different perspective. “But it’s pretty far from New York.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to leave New York?”
“No.”
“Then why are you giving me permission to move to DC?”
Malia glances back at him on that point, realizing that they’re both on separate wavelengths right now. She swallows her mouthful of sandwich, before she tries to figure out a better way to phrase it. “I’m not saying that you have to move to DC. But I’m also saying you don’t have to stay in New York because of me. That … I’ll go where you go, I guess.”
“What about your pack?”
“They’ll still be there. But Laura’s probably going to have more kids which means she’s going to need more space, and while I’m sure that Cora and Stiles are going to move out when they get married, eventually we’re going to want our own space too.”
“But you’ll be far away from them.”
“But I won’t be far away from you.” She shrugs. “I saw how it went when Cora and Stiles had to be separated all the time. They were miserable. I’d rather have to take a train to see them then have to wait for weekends or longer to see you.”
Jeremy watches her, then smirks as he leans forward. “So I guess you want me to keep sticking around, huh?”
Malia raises an eyebrow because they’ve been doing this thing for a while now. They’ve only very loosely put labels on things, but Malia thinks she’s made it plenty clear her investment in this relationship. “Are you thinking about not?”
“No,” Jeremy shakes his head. “I’ve actually been trying to talk to Jenna about how she would feel if I wound up staying in New York permanently.”
“Oh.” She pauses. “Good to know.”
He snakes one arm around her. “I want to be with you. And it’s good to know that you want to be with me too.”
“We don’t have to stay in New York if you don’t want to be.”
“I don’t know where I want to be yet. I just know that I want to be with you. So maybe, while I’m figuring out where I’m at with school and work, we could try getting something for just us? And keep our options open otherwise.”
“I’d like that.” She glances back to him with a smile. “We can probably get a pretty nice place.”
“Benefits of having a wealthy girlfriend, I guess.” He grins as he leans in to kiss her. “I think this is going to be good.”
“Me too,” Malia nods, before turning to where Matt and Elena are cuddling on the mall. “How do you think your roommate is going to take it?”
Jeremy smirks before pulling her in closer. “I think he can learn to live with it.
the weather outside is frightful | new york wolves | 1,000 | set 8
Mostly because she was used to having a fur coat and then went around living without it and found that fur is vastly superior. Sure, it’s hot in the summer, but there’s a way of shedding some of that, and it meant that she was never cold in winter. In fact, most winters she ran as far away from the snow as she could get, vastly preferring desert climates to any other option.
New York is not a desert climate.
In fact, New York is about as far from desert climate as you can get. It’s humid and temperate, and in the winters it swings into ranges that are very cold, and occasionally there is even snow. It is for that exact reason that Malia wakes up one morning in her bed at home, peeks out the window and discovers that the city that she normally loves to wander around in is covered in snow.
“Oh come on,” she grumbles, before burrowing back down into the blankets and the warm body next to her. Jeremy had spent the night, despite the sour looks from Peter (who still gives them to her anyway, even though he doesn’t even technically live there anymore) and right now he is warm and cozy and everything that the world outside is not.
“What’s wrong?” he mumbles, not fully awake yet, but somehow awake enough to have a conversation.
“Snow,” she says with a pout. Jeremy’s eyes open at that point, picking his head up and pushing onto his knees to look out the window from the low resting bed, and predictably, because he’s a normal boy, his face lights up in surprise.
“Oh wow,” he says with a grin, before turning back to his girlfriend with a laugh. “Are you personally offended by the weather?”
“Maybe.”
He laughs again, before leaning back down and getting close. “Not a fan of snow, huh?”
“It’s cold and it’s wet and it somehow gets everywhere and I don’t know why anyone thinks it’s fun.”
“Probably because of the promise of no school combined with snowballs which are a great deal of fun because you get to watch someone else be wet and cold for a little while.” He smirks as he leans in to kiss her. “But your reasons are still pretty valid too.”
Malia’s eyes light up at that particular point, before scrambling to reach for her phone. Jeremy blinks at her in surprise.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking my email. Maybe they cancelled classes.”
Jeremy laughs. “See? It’s got some benefits.”
“I’m still not going outside in it.”
“Not even if I ask you really, really nicely?”
“Nope.”
Jeremy smirks before leaning forward and brushing a kiss to the side of her neck as she browses through her email. She giggles at the brush of his skin against hers, before tipping her head back to look at him. “Do you think that seducing me is going to make me want to leave?”
“Who says I’m seducing you?” he murmurs as one hand slides across her waist to pull her closer. Malia’s eyes close as his lips return to her neck again and her phone falls to the side, forgotten. “But it might be nice, if you decide to come out with me to play in the snow for a little bit …”
She groans as she pushes him away, squinting at him because that isn’t fair. You can’t start to turn her on with promises of a fun day inside and then turn her off equally as fast. “Seducing me.” She’s just pointing that out. “And I hate the snow.”
Jeremy sighs. “There isn’t anything I can bribe you with to get me to build a snowman with me?”
“Nope.”
“No matter how big.”
“Not even a little.”
“You are no fun.” He’s clearly teasing and she knows it. She shifts to kiss him softly, one arm looping up around his neck.
“There are better things we could do than getting cold and wet.”
“Maybe. But I still bet I could make it fun.” She wrinkles her nose in response, and he leans over to kiss it. “If you go build one snowman with me, I will do something that I really don’t like for you.”
She huffs, considering and wracking her brain for something that would seem like an equivalent, based on what she knows about Jeremy and the things that he strongly dislikes. She isn’t really sure she can find anything, because Jeremy’s always been so amiable about trying the things that she’s into, but there’s one line that he’s drawn. She doesn’t want to force him, but at the same time …
“You’ll try one of Peter’s venison burgers?”
There’s a moment where his mouth gapes as he tries to figure out if there’s a way around that one. Every time she offers to let him try some, he makes a face and tells her something about Bambi, and she just shrugs it off. She’s used to people not liking what she likes. At the same time, if he really wants to find a way to bribe her, that’s going to be her price. She then pauses as she tips her head back with a smirk.
“If you really want to go outside and get cold and wet that badly, I’m sure Stiles would go with you.”
“Yeah, but I’d much rather get cold and wet with you.” He sighs. “Can it be a tiny burger? Like a slider sized burger?”
Malia considers his counter offer. “I think I can convince Derek to make them into sliders.” Peter won’t. Peter would be offended by the suggestion, but Derek has always been her favorite anyway.
“Then deal.” He holds out a hand for her to shake. She does, and he leans in to kiss her. “I had hoped you’d’ve made that a little easier though.”
She smirks, before pulling him closer. “Not this time.”
if they could see me now | new york wolves | 1,000 | set 8
Malia peeks up from the movie they’re watching, her brow furrowing as she tries to find the catch. The way he’s saying it makes her feel like he doesn’t think this is a great idea, or that she isn’t going to like it and while Malia knows he loves her exactly the way she is, she also knows that she’s a bit of an acquired taste.
“It’s with my bosses at the gallery. They’ve wanted to meet you for a while, but since you don’t come by with me when I drop stuff off, I guess they decided to force the issue.”
“… What’s the catch?” It probably won’t be a catch for her, as she’s fairly easygoing as a rule, but it seems like it’s a catch for him. As far as she’s concerned, it’s fine already. They’re his sponsors, they’ve bought a lot of his work and paid him handsomely for it – she gets why he can’t say no – but at the same time, she knows he doesn’t want to put Malia in a situation she wouldn’t be comfortable in.
“It’s black tie.”
“Okay.”
Jeremy blinks at her response, almost as though that’s not what he was expecting. “Okay?”
“Yeah.” There’s a pause. “You’ve seen how much money we have, right? This isn’t going to be my first black tie affair.”
“Oh.” He nods slowly. “I … forget sometimes.”
She smirks. “I know I don’t always give off the most cultured air, but Peter is my dad. He’s done his best to train me on how to deal with people who are giant snobs.”
A fond look crosses his face, like there’s the Malia I know and love, and he nods. “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“I will be fine.” She squints at him. “Are you going to be okay?”
Jeremy nods slowly, before giving a small shrug. “We can figure it out as we go?”
“Works for me.”
Despite how picky she can be about some things, Malia is never picky about food.
Sure, she has her preferences – usually meat, especially venison, and if she’s allowed to hunt it herself, even better – but she will probably eat anything you put in front of her at least once to try it. Which means that when it comes to choosing restaurants for dates, there’s fairly little she won’t say no to.
That being said, she isn’t particularly adventurous either. It’s not as though she’s going out in search of new things to try, she just won’t rebuff them if they’re placed in front of her. This spread for this particular dinner, however, is … adventurous. Still, Malia digs in to the tangy dish in front of her with a smile, and keeps any reactions that are untoward off her face as best she can. There aren’t any though. The food is good, and she’s just doing her best to keep up with the questions directed to her, and not cause any trouble.
Peter would be proud. Despite all appearances, he raised a child capable of culture. At least until one of the patrons leans over and whispers:
“Glad to see you’re enjoying the squid.”
Malia’s eyes bulge slightly, and Jeremy chokes on the bite next to her. She doesn’t necessarily seem surprised by the fact that they’re eating squid, but more that she didn’t realize it was something new.
“Really?” she shrugs. “I thought it was chicken.”
Jeremy chokes even harder, but the patron she’s sitting next to laugh, watching as Malia reaches over to pat her boyfriend’s back. “I hope you don’t have any allergies,” he smirks, and she shakes her head.
“Nope. Iron stomach.” She grins. “I can eat pretty much anything.”
“How fortunate for you,” the older man shakes his head. “Hopefully it will still serve you well when you’re older.”
“Fingers crossed,” she replies, knowing that it likely will anyway, due to the werecoyote of it all, but the patron in question doesn’t need to know that.
“I also can see why Jeremy likes you,” the older man nods. “It makes sense that he would be drawn to a woman with a lot of fire.”
“It’s not the only thing we have in common,” Malia smirks. “I think we get each other. Not a lot of people do.”
“Then best you hold on to him, then.”
“That was the plan.” Malia smiles.
“Also my plan,” Jeremy pipes up, just to make sure that Malia isn’t tying him down and compelling him to be her boyfriend, even though that probably would be on brand.
“I don’t think he was worried about you, darling,” another woman pipes up from across the way, teasing. “I think we all know by now you’re too smart to let go of a good thing.”
Jeremy laughs. “I guess you could say that.”
Malia grins, because apparently she’s a good thing. Good to know. “He is smarter than he looks.” Jeremy gives her a small look at that, and she grins before leaning in to kiss him. “I say it fondly.”
The rest of the table laughs and the subject changes. At the end of the night, Jeremy squeezes on her hand gently. “Hey.”
She turns to face him with a grin. “Yeah?”
“You were pretty good in there. Peter trained you well.”
“I’m sure he’ll be very happy to hear that.”
One hand pulls her closer, and she leans in, getting nice and close. “Did you mean what you said in there?” he asked. “About you not planning on going anywhere?”
Malia nods slowly, before looking up at him. “I think I’ve made that pretty clear, don’t you?”
He nods. “I like to double check. Make sure you haven’t changed your mind.”
“Nope. I could use some ice cream, though.”
He grins. “As my lady insists.” And off they go for the rest of the night’s adventure.
beach bums | new york wolves | 1,000 | set 8
The Kirsanov beach house that they have all been invited to for the summer is a bit small for having the entire pack and their significant others and children along for the ride, but it’s a comfortable kind of closeness. The kind of closeness that reminds her of when they all were too nervous to step out of each other’s shadows after the fire, and while she’s glad that that tension and anxiety has faded from their lives (for now) she’s grateful that everyone is together again.
“You’re going to bake lying around like that,” Peter comments from his safe and shaded position underneath the big beach umbrella that they had brought with them.
“That’s kind of the point,” Malia replies, flashing him a smile under her sunglasses but staying where she is under the beat of the summer sun. “I like being warm.”
“But you won’t like the sunburn you’ll get later.”
She rolls her eyes – most sunburn a werecoyote will receive will be healed in a few minutes anyway, and all she’ll be left with was the golden tan. Perhaps it might have been taking their healing abilities for granted, but Malia just thinks that if they don’t have any other reason to use them, they might as well take advantage. “I will be fine. If you didn’t want to be in the sun, why did you come out to the beach?”
Peter’s quiet, his eyes drifting over to the group playing volleyball, including Derek, Kate, Jeremy, Nadia, Nik and Victor. They linger on Nadia for a moment, before turning back to his daughter. “I’m spending time with my family.”
She smirks. “Nadia made you, didn’t she?”
“I’m over forty years old, I think I can make my own choices.”
“But when those choices involve doing something you hate, it’s probably best to assume that you chose it because she made you.”
Peter rolls his eyes before turning back to his book. “You’ll see that I have a point about the sunburn you know.”
“Don’t worry, I’m wearing sunscreen,” she sighs. “And you know she just likes spending time with you, right?”
“I do,” Peter nods. “And I’ve noticed you making some concessions lately for your own mate.”
She wrinkles her nose before shrugging. “It’s not really about concessions. You make it sound like we’re bartering a deal.”
“Aren’t you? Derek didn’t text me for my venison burger recipe for nothing.”
“No, he didn’t, but that was one time. Most of the time we just talk stuff through, like sane people. Maybe we won’t get everything we want, but most of the time we wind up walking away happy.”
“That’s good,” he sighs, before leaning back in his chair again. “Nadia and I have always been a chess match. For better or for worse. I think you’ll find that couples find their own ways to make sure things are working between them.”
“Still, it must suck if you come out the loser a lot,” she replies and Peter smirks as Nadia makes her way back over for water break.
“Trust me. I never lose.”
Malia shakes her head, getting up to go take some time in the water, and as she’s reaching the waterline, getting about knee deep in the surf, she feels something hit her from the side as she goes crashing into the saltwater. If it weren’t for the flash of his scent that hits her before she hits the water, she probably would have reacted a lot differently, but instead she manages to get a lungful of air before her head disappears underwater and she forces her way up to the surface again.
“Did you really need to do that?” she sputters as she comes up and Jeremy laughs.
“Only just the once,” he grins. “Couple right of passage.”
She rolls her eyes, before inching a bit closer, letting her weight sit back a bit so that most of her body was submerged in the cool water. “Now that you’ve gotten it out of your system –”
“You are completely safe. No more water pranks from me.” He then tips his head. “I was starting to think you were never going to leave that patch of sun though.”
“It was a pretty good patch,” she teases. “Though Peter was teasing me that I was going to burn.”
“He is pretty intense about that whole sun damage thing.”
“He has his reasons.” She wraps her arms around Jeremy’s neck.
“You know, it’s nice to see your whole family together like this, without everyone’s lives being in danger.”
She laughs. “You should see us at Thanksgiving. There are costumes.”
He squints at her. “How do you have costumes on Thanksgiving?”
“Well, it used to be that the Hales were the pilgrims and the Castles were the Native Americans but now that Hal and Alexis are married, the Masons usually wind up being the pilgrims and everyone else is the Native Americans, but it works. Even if the story is just bullshit that white people used to make themselves feel better.”
“It sounds like fun time.”
Malia smirks as she turns to face him more. “I know you like to go home for Thanksgiving with Jenna and Elena but if you ever wanted to stay up here one year, we’d be happy to have you.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Good.” She then smirks as she turns away from the beach and back to him. “So now that you’ve got me all wet, what are you going to do with me?”
He laughs, before leaning in to kiss her. “I can think of a few ideas.”