[id: an excited cat in a birthday hat and bowtie]

@noodyl-blasstal wrote me an incredible fic for my birthday, so obviously i had to retaliate! celebrate with us by enjoying the NEARLY 9K i've written for this good good friend.

read EMBRACE THE DARK here!

i hope you love it!!!

[id: an excited cat in a birthday hat and bowtie]

@noodyl-blasstal wrote me an incredible fic for my birthday, so obviously i had to retaliate! celebrate with us by enjoying the NEARLY 9K i've written for this good good friend.

read EMBRACE THE DARK here!

i hope you love it!!!

[id: an excited cat in a birthday hat and bowtie]

@noodyl-blasstal wrote me an incredible fic for my birthday, so obviously i had to retaliate! celebrate with us by enjoying the NEARLY 9K i've written for this good good friend.

read EMBRACE THE DARK here!

i hope you love it!!!

Image ID in alt!

My half of the art trade I did with @ceilingfan5!! This is part of a (human) AU that they're still working on!!! I'm so excited for it just based off what they have let me read so far sdlfsdf

Blupjeans Week Day 1

It's @blupjeansweek! Blupjeans week last year was the thing that encouraged me to start writing fics, so it's been fun to play with it again! Like last year, it's loosely connected (so far anyway!). So, now I'll stop blethering and here's some words. Day 1 - refuge

16 hours to go.

16 hours until he tanked his viva, fucked up everything he’d been working for, and his supervisor says he hadn’t ever believed Barry was capable, he just wanted his fees... Well, John would definitely say that if Barry could get hold of him but it had become abundently clear over the course of his postgrad research that John wasn’t the easiest guy to reach. Which might not be a problem if it wasn't his literal job to support Barry through his PhD.

At this point Barry hadn’t heard from him in two weeks despite a variety of progressively more panicked emails. The last conversation they had was John's particularly un-comforting statement that Barry should “...expect majors" because "it’s not the worst thesis I’ve ever read, but it certainly isn’t the best.” Barry's secondary supervisor hadn’t even bothered to show up for that meeting, so it was anyone’s guess what his take was. Barry assumed it wasn’t great.

He grabbed the pot from the coffee machine he’d abducted from the kitchen a few days ago and perched on his desk instead. He debated swigging straight from it, that seemed more efficient than using a mug, plus, his hand seemed to be shaking a bit and he didn't want to risk trying to pour it into a mug then into himself - he needed every drop to keep him awake long enough to work out how to fix this disaster.

“Knock knock! This is your 16 hour anxiety check in.” Barry’s door creaked open, but Lup didn’t appear. “Barrrrooollllld?” She sing songed, then added hopefully “...have you finally decided to sleep?” 

Blupjeans Week: Bet (day 2)

It's @blupjeansweek day 2. This follows on from yesterday's prompt. You can also read on Ao3

-

"It's going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say, you just casually revolutionised thermodynamics, you're gonna walk your viva." Barry could hear Lup rolling her eyes at that one, though he stayed resolutely focused on the raggedy copy of his thesis which was, at this point, 70% sticky notes. Could he read what any of them said because of how much they overlapped? Shut up.

"Natch, evocation is never going to be the same thanks to cha'girl's research, but that doesn't meant you're going to fail, Barold."

"No, they're just going to MPhil me out."

Lup sighed heavily. "Oh no, you worked hard and gained mastery in a subject, how terrible, what an embarrassment."

Barry did look up then, didn't she get it? He’d thought she’d get it. It was an embarrassment! She’d watched him put so much into this, the stupid well thumbed, badly bound paper stack represented four years of late nights, early mornings, cancelled plans, 3am anxiety… he thought she understood. She’d lived it with him, they were working for the key to the next level, if they gave him the wrong one what was even the point? "You think…?"

"I'm being flippant because that's not going to happen. Once again, I've read your work my guy, it's good, in fact, it’s great. In fact, right now, you’re arguing with established fact.” Barry grimaced as Lup spoke, but she ploughed on. “... you've already published three chapters of this thing in peer reviewed journals. 6/6 esteemed peer reviewers agree!"

"But they publish bad science all the tim…"

Lup cut him off. "Barry stop. You know you’ve done good science because a) I would have told you if you hadn’t, and b) peer reviewers might be lazy but you’re not. You know your submissions were solid, just look at the citations.”

“But…” She was right. But Barry still struggled, sure she hadn’t said anything incorrect, he knew he’d done solid work, but he also just knew that he’d fucked this up.

“...But what? But maybe they're idiots who can't recognise genius? They're gonna recognise it, Barry. It's impossible not to recognise how brilliant you are. That thesis is just you yelling “I’m Barry Bluejeans and I know what the fuck I’m talking about, pay me money about it.” Plus, publish a few more chapters and you can do PhD by publication without those losers to worry about anyway."

Blupjeans Week: Myth (day 3)

Following on from the last two days prompts! Part 1 | Part 2 Today's @blupjeansweek prompt was Myth. -

Barry couldn't fathom how Taako managed it. Of course he, more than anyone Barry had ever met, could feign nonchalance on such an important day, but still. Barry knew he must be anxious deep down - no one cooked as much as Taako had been lately when they were fine, but aside from his occasional toe flexes Taako was sprawled loose limbed and casual across the chairs in the corridor.

"Stop worrying so loud, Barold." Taako didn't raise his head. Barry couldn't even get a read on his face because his ridiculous hat was tilted down over his eyes. 

"I'm not worr…"

"Then what am I hearing, Barry? What distress is accosting my delicate elf ears? Taako's busy trying to nap and you're spreading your anxiety everywhere. It's not hygienic, my guy."

AU - Blupjeans Week day 4

My @blupjeansweek prompts are part of a story find the others here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | or on Ao3 -

Barry stood in the shower, grateful for the water pounding his shoulder blades. He let the steam curl around him and had to suds himself twice before he no longer felt gritty from getting wind blasted with sand on various roadsides. Finally clean, he changed into his pyjama bottoms and a soft tshirt, then opened the bathroom door.

Lup sat cross legged in the middle of the huge heart shaped bed, still damp from her own shower. She had drawn the canopies back to fully show off the ruffled red silk pillows and fluffy red throw. “Hey Bear! You can be super angry with me in a minute, but look what I found!” Lup brandished a remote dramatically and jabbed a button with a flourish. “Tadah!” The lights immediately dimmed and a lopsided disco ball lowered creakily from a hidden panel in the ceiling. Red tinged motes of light were sent spinning across the walls of the room and there was no way this was real. Surely Lup had just taken him to a nice normal motel, they had two shitty rooms with two shitty beds and Barry was going to wake up from his post-drive nap any minute. When tinny slap bass started piping out of speakers hidden somewhere in the wall Barry started laughing and wasn’t sure he was ever going to stop.

Lup scrambled towards the edge of the bed. “Oh fuck, did I break you?”

Barry stumbled across the room and just about managed to perch on the edge of the bed beside her. The music looped horribly, cutting itself off mid beat, and Barry’s giggles renewed themselves. He leaned his elbows on his knees and fought to stay upright. This was spectacular. Lup was a genius. “No… it’s… it’s perfect.” Barry managed to choke. “10/10, excellent.”

“Really sets the mood, doesn’t it?” Lup smirked. “I guess it did get you into bed with me.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Barry was definitely going to need his inhaler if he kept laughing like this. “Stop… Lup… you’re going to kill me. I’m going to die in this stupid big bed and I won’t even get to find out if it vibrates or not.” Barry wheezed and coughed.

Lup immediately grabbed the remote again. “Barry, you genius! I didn’t even think to check for that. It’d be great for your back.”

“Always looking out for my old man bones.” Barry regretted it as soon as he said it. Lup looked positively gleeful and opened her mouth to make what was no doubt a horrifying double entendre. “No, absolutely not, you criminal! I’m not old enough to hear whatever you were about to say.” He couldn’t get distracted or run back to the bathroom for safety. When the owner had finally left them alone in the room Barry had insisted they both shower before Lup explained. Thankfully she had understood that he needed a bit of time to absorb, adjust, and scrub off a layer of skin before he tried to comprehend their apparent marriage. It had definitely given him time to think, and the more he had, the more he wasn’t actually bothered by it. Nothing had to be different. “I think we should just go with it.”

“I’m really sorry Barry, it was…” Lup stopped. “Wait, what?”

Bones - Blupjeans Week day 5

My @blupjeansweek prompts are part of a story find the others here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | or on Ao3

Barry woke up warm. Barry woke up warm because Lup ran warm. Barry woke up warm because Lup ran warm and she was pressed against his back with her arm slung over his side and her head pressed into his shoulder. He should probably move. Sure, they cuddled sometimes, but this wasn’t that kind of leaning against each other watching a movie cuddle. Right now, Lup didn’t know what she was doing. She was asleep and probably dreaming about someone else and she was going to wake up any second just to be repulsed by what was going on. Or… well, maybe not, because she always said he was great for cuddling. But still, he couldn’t take advantage. He tried to gently wriggle free, but Lup just groaned and snaked her arm further round his middle. Barry froze. If he kept moving he’d wake her, the disco ball was still spinning gently above them and only the dimmest light crept through the gauzy curtains. There was no way it was people o’clock yet and Lup was on driving duty today, ergo, staying still was the best thing to do. Lup got more sleep, he didn’t have to worry about her feeling pressured to drive when she was too tired, and maybe he could slip free once she’d settled again. Barry relaxed, Lup nuzzled his back and he drifted into sleep again.

Free day! - Blupjeans Week, day 6

My @blupjeansweek prompts are part of a story find the others here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 or on Ao3

“So why haven’t you told her how you feel yet?”

Barry nearly dropped the milk he was trying to pull from the fridge. She couldn’t just say things like that, what if Lup heard? “Mummig!” He said indignantly, face hot with embarrassment. Apparently the robust walls he’d tried to build around his feelings for Lup were tissue paper levels of flimsy as far as Marlena was concerned. Of course he knew she’d see through him. She always saw through him. But he thought maybe he could get away with it for more than a minute, at least a day, but apparently not. “Ssssh. What if she hears you?”

“Shall we take our coffee out to the porch then?” Okay, so Barry had no stay of execution, they were definitely going to have to talk about this. Then Marlena smiled wide and soft. “It’s nice to have a cup waiting for me. Thank you Barry.”

There was no world in which he didn’t make the two cups. Lup wouldn’t be awake for hours yet, but in this house? Here the quiet mornings belonged to Barry and Marlena. Instead of his usual solo research hours, they’d take the coffee pot and sit on the porch. Usually they’d watch the deer, rock idly, talk about anything, everything, nothing; but apparently today, they were going to talk about Lup. Him and Lup. Specifically his feelings for Lup. While Lup slept upstairs in his bed. Great. Good. That was fine. Barry could do that.

Aftermath - Blupjeans Week day 7

My @blupjeansweek prompts are part of a story and I'll be adding one more part to round it all off I think! Find the others here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 or on Ao3

“I think I’ll maybe do it after the bone church?”

“How romantic.” Said Taako, wryly. “Here’s a load of dead people whose bones they dug up and made a chandelier of, also, I’ve been in love with you for a bajillion years, wanna grab coffee?”

“I wasn’t going to say the last bit.” Barry huffed. It was already mortifying that he had to talk about this with Lup’s brother. Maybe he should have told Magnus instead, but Barry wasn’t convinced he could be counted on not to wave them off by shouting ‘good luck telling Lup how you feel about her’ or something equally mortifying. Taako, at least, was air tight.

“You aren’t going to tell her you love her?” Taako narrowed his eyes. “Barry, Barold, you are my best friend in the world and I will murder you to death if you do not do this. You have been promising for months. Months! I cannot live like this. It’s homophobic.”

“I’m your best friend?” Barry laid his hand to his chest. “Taako, I..”

“Shut up.” Taako hissed. “If you don’t tell her then I will.”

Barry tried not to laugh at the deflection. Torturing Taako when he accidentally confessed that he had feelings was one of Barry’s favourite sports. It was a toothless threat too, if Taako was going to tell Lup then he would have done it already. He clocked how Barry felt almost as quickly as Barry did. “I’m going to tell her. I’m not going to ask her out for coffee after. Probably.”

“Fine. Fine! But you’d better tell her. Or else!” Taako mimed a series of tiny punches.

“No, please, Taako! Mercy! Mercy!!!”