here come real stars to fill the upper skies, and here on earth come emulating flies, that though they never equal stars in size, (and they were never really stars at heart), achieve at times a very star-like start. only, of course, they can’t sustain the part ~ robert frost
Thank you @artistpolly for this gorgeous, enchanting art of Nate and Suri
Dedicated to all the fireflies on all the summer nights this year
Thank you to everyone who took part in this event! It's been so much fun to see your creativity and talent!
If you haven't done so yet, I highly recommend scrolling through this blog or the #summer in wayhaven tag to see all the submissions and give them some love 💕
Submissions made during the rest of July will still be reblogged here, though it may take a little longer. Don't forget to tag this blog if you share something ^^
What a lovely moodboard, soft pink is so pretty 😍 I bet she looks amazing wearing it! Also love the nods to her relationship with Nate in this. And the quote!
Thank you so much for running an amazing event!!!!! ❤️ It was so wonderful to see so many people's creations (and I have so many to catch up on now)!!!!
You're welcome 💕 Very glad to hear you've enjoyed it, it really has been a lot of fun to see all the creations!
Two drinks for Sai from two different people: how, oh how will he choose? Him looking at Adam while making to take Nate's drink is so good! It feels like their entire relationship is captured in this one image!
Summer in Wayhaven: "Festival" + bonus prompt "Summer Fling" (which is definitely all this was ever going to be, idk why you'd ever think otherwise)
"I'm just thinking..."
"About?"
"Whether I can even entertain the idea of a second date with a person who's anti-marginalia." She tilted her head, eyes drifting upward in mock contemplation, voice laced with mirth.
Nate raised his eyebrows, lips quirking up in amusement. "So it was a date, then?"
thank you so much to the incredible @valcubust for bringing this scene from 'attachment theory' to life, and to @summerinwayhaven for hosting such a fun event!!
It was a date indeed! And many more would follow, even if Holland is telling herself it'll only be a summer fling 😉 Gorgeous art for a gorgeous fic, they look amazing and so very happy together!
This left me swooning and smiling! Nate and Alina are so very much in love, it's wonderful to see that come through in every gesture and thought. Also, the detail of Adam holding Farah back, as if he already knew what was going to happen haha!
This is absolutely enchanting 😍 The fireflies are so pretty, though it seems Nate has more eyes for Sai (also very understandable). What I wouldn't give to know their thoughts!
The sight she found was unsurprising. Tina slowly surveyed the structured chaos that spread across every nook and cranny of the small yet well-designed kitchen. Packages of mostly opened fruit settled near the sink, separated from the cooling fruit tarts by a pipe bag that looked like it had been squeezed within an inch of its life … in the proverbial sense – since pipe bags were inanimate objects.
The finished baskets for the summer fair were – well-wrapped and looking pretty – piled up in the corner, as if they were planning to stage a mutiny, and the unopened ones were stacked haphazardly, like unused chairs in an auditorium. She made sure to carefully track the variety of colorful and nicely scented details. If she was going to convince Kendis to let her help, she would have to at least show she wouldn't get in the way.
Kendis didn't take too kindly to surprise meddling in her kitchen. Or to meddling, period. Or, most times, to anyone but themselves in any kitchen they were in charge of.
"Did Nate let you in?"
Tina barely resisted flinching. She had been so busy surveying that she had missed the slight shift in her friend's posture. Kendis was now eyeing her from the corner of their eye. Tina rushed to deny the claim, wanting to spare her reluctant co-conspirator any trouble (or else he might not be any type of co-conspirator in the future) and dim the severe frown that marred the face of her typically mischievously grinning friend, as she bit the bullet to dare enter Kendis' domain, "No. I slipped inside when he was leaving."
Kendis stared at Tina for what felt like an unnaturally long moment. She met Kendis's gaze head-on, only releasing a breath when a smile twitched at the corner of the taller person's lips, and they rolled their eyes. "Ugh," they scoffed. Dramatically, Tina thought. Not that she'd say it … in this moment, "he should've kicked you out. What a wimp."
"Oh, yeah, your super tall secret agent vampire not-a-boyfriend is totally a wimp. And not at all because he's polite and nice and takes pity on your worried best friend."
Kendis set down what they were doing to properly scowl down at Tina. "You know I don't got no problem with throwin' you out."
"I know that's why I'm going to very quickly make you an offer you can't refuse. Let me be your taste tester." She rushed in that last sentence before Kendis could power up with a scoff or a 'psshaw' and, without a doubt, another eye-rolling.
Instead, blinked once. Then thrice. Then Kendis tilted their head as if they were a dog trying to suss out an unknown scent.
"And it's not because I don't think that you can't handle the doubled order. It's just … come on. We both know that Friedman is throwing a tantrum. He's pissed off about Douglas and won't admit it."
Kendis's nose wrinkled, head still tilted slightly to the right, "Or doesn't even realize that he is."
It was Tina's turn to roll her eyes. "I don't care. I just know he's taking it out on you, and it isn't fair. You'll get it done, and it'll be perfect. But with the new job, this, volunteering at summer camp, and –"
"Okay."
"-- and pet sitting for your downstairs neighbor, you won't have time to enjoy the fair because you're worrying about taking care of all the extr –"
"Tina. I said okay."
"Okay, what." Tina startled. Now it was her turn to blink. She had been full train ahead. She had come in ready to fight, so she was feeling a bit discombobulated.
Kendis let out a soft snort as they straightened their posture. "You can be my taste tester. And my basket deliverer. And … whatever else you wanna .. hel – do." They both pretended not to hear how Kendis stumbled over the word 'help'."
"What. Why."
"I mean you can still lea –"
"No! No take backsies. I said I was here to taste test, and I'm here to taste test. Use me however you want. Don't smirk."
"Don't tell me what to do. Here. Try this peach tart." Kendis had the decency to bite back a grin as Tina's nose automatically wrinkled. For a sweets goblin, Tina was surprisingly really against baked fruits. If she was volunteering to be an (not entirely) impartial taste tester – thus saving Kendis what would probably be ours of nitpicking at their own product – then it meant their friend was genuinely concerned about them overworking themselves.
They weren't jerkish enough to slam the door on that kind of sacrifice. …. And – and it really would be great to have the time to enjoy the fair.
—-
william bouguereau, les oranges
Iced fruits were one of the best parts of summer. From literal frozen fruits, to ice pops, to slushies that were often more artificial flavor than anything natural — it didn't really matter, there was something doubly refreshing about gorging on them on a cloudless, unbearably bright, and dry day.
This is how Kendis found themselves holding onto two stacked coolers as they used their elbow to ring the Verdas' doorbell.
They shifted from foot to foot in order to help alleviate the ache of her heavy packages. The sounds of feet stampeding in unison and screaming children, followed by what sounded like Sol's firm yet patient chastising, helped in ways hopping about didn't. A wide, amused grin almost took over Kendis' entire face by the time Verda opened the door for her.
"Darling, did you order –" He paused when he noticed one of the hands holding the two coolers upright wriggle at him in some sort of wave, "Who – Kendis? Kendis! Oh, my." He immediately reached to take one of the coolers from her but she shooed him away with a nudge of her foot against his calf. (Thinking on it later, he would consider she probably meant to poke at his ankle.) He was too bewildered by their presence to even note the streak of dust and dirt left on his pants.
"Yes, well. Very well. I assume you want the kitchen?"
"Yeah. Thanks! That'd be great."
It surprisingly didn't take long for him to direct Kendis—and the coolers—into his kitchen; likely, it was because the former detective wasn't an infrequent visitor to their home.
"There!" They huffed when she placed the coolers onto a clear counter.
"Yes, they certainly are. Now –"
Perhaps the correct adverb should've been 'why' instead of 'how'. Why had Kendis found themselves, at first on the Verdas' doorstop and now in their kitchen when they clearly hadn't been expecting her? Perhaps, hopefully, the question would be answered soon to help ease Solomon's already preoccupied mind.
"Fruit!" They interrupted abruptly with a proud beam.
"Fruit?"
"Mmhm." They punctuated as they began opening one of the coolers without even a 'how do you do'. (And certainly, still, without a 'why do I do')
Wisely, Sol decided it would be better – despite the sudden alarming screeching coming from his living room – to see than to ask further. And see, he quickly did.
"Kendis! Is all of this for the girls' party? There was no need for you to do that!"
"Of course, there's a need. I'm like your daughters' honorary godparent and, also, I'm awesome. There's no way I'd let my nieces not have a party filled with cool yet healthy food."
"It isn't as if the party was their idea." He chuckled. He couldn't help but point it out, even though he had a feeling it would go through one of Kendis' ears and promptly out the other. He and Eric had drawn the short straw during the last Parent Association Meeting. Though comparatively, hosting a BBQ for under-sixes was infinitely better than getting Halloween duty. Once the day was over, they would be clear from hosting for the rest of the year.
He was proven right by their airy wave, "Idea schmydears. Oh, and I hid a gin and raspberry tart for you and Eric like waaaay, at the bottom. You're totally welcome."
Verda bit back a smile, "Yes, yes. Thank you very much."
"Perfect! By the way they've been screaming, I'd say start with the slushies, do food, and finally treat them with the ice pops. All organic, I promise."
He couldn't help but be amazed by the sheer number of snacks. They would have to send some of the kids home with whatever the girls didn't want to keep for themselves.
—-
Umbrellas were one of the best inventions known to man.
Kendis and Farah ended up finding themselves caught in a downpour. The fall of rain was not overbearing but still heavy enough for Kendis to worry about it ruining her recently done-up hair. They pulled their bikes to a nearby stand – or, more accurately, both bikes belonged to Kendis, but Farah was borrowing one. They were teaching the vampire how to ride.
It had been a subject that had popped up randomly and the two of them, being the two of them, decided to chase that rabbit down the hole. Now here they were, bikes leaning against the broad wooden post of the stand, wet (the umbrella-less Farah more than Kendis) yet giggling.
"Hey, would you look at that?" Farah jabbed Kendis' side with her elbow, causing Kendis to flick Farah's arm in retaliation, "Didn't you need more oranges?" She returned as she smirked, unbothered, up at Kendis.
"Did I – Yeah! Yeah, I did. I definitely didn't tell you that."
"Didn't you?" She teased as she perused the large crates filled with different sorts of fruit. She didn't have to look behind her to know that her friend was rolling their eyes, she could hear it in Kendis' dramatic huff, "Fine. Fine. Fiiiiine! I saw it on Nate's grocery list."
Nate had taken to stocking the Warehouse with Kendis' favorite foods. He, at times, also made the effort to collect things Tina and the Verdas liked — but they came around much less frequently. Farah was often the one who was 'stuck' doing grocery shopping with him if he needed an extra pair of hands (that 'stuck' being a teasing exaggeration or close to an actual death sentence, depending on where they were going). She preferred food shopping to utensil shopping. The colors were pretty and Nate sometimes didn't scold her when she tried to touch them; unlike the way he acted at the home decor store. Accidentally break one or four bowls, and there would be a lecture every time they headed there.
Farah picked up a prickly fruit she'd never seen before. She was pretty sure it might be a pineapple. It looked like Spongebob's house. However, she'd never realized how pointy those things were.
Anyway, she picked up the fruit to ask Kendis a question when she caught the tail end of Kendis' pleased smile. It only took Farah a second to recall what might have prompted it.
"He's such a busybody." They mumbled under their breath.
The young vampire shot her friend a knowing smirk, "I thought you liked it when he acts like he knows your b –"
"That's a pineapple. And shut up, Farah."
Golden eyes twinkled with mirth before she let out an unrepentant cackle. They spent the next hour or so playing, "What fruit is this?" vs "I could make a really good [human food] with this". The rain had slowed into a drizzle fifteen minutes in, but the two of them ended up having such a good time in each other's company. And in the company of the oranges.
–
"Reasons why you just stuffed a peeled apple in my hands … Go!"
"Don't want it, don't eat it." Morgan scoffed as she began to walk away, "Don't care. You can throw it away. Just make sure that Nate doesn't come crying to me the next time." Muttered loudly by someone who supposedly didn't care.
Kendis considered lobbing the apple at the back of Morgan's head or chasing her down for an answer, but following through on either action was immediately halted. As Kendis had been putting their unappled hand into their purse to retrieve their keys they were met with something wet and sticky.
Slowly, they pulled it out and found it was a grapefruit. It was a grapefruit with a note pinned on it. The note was mostly indecipherable, but Kendis recognized the stationery they'd gotten for Farah, so that she'd stop using Kendis' good stuff for paper planes. If she squinted, she could almost make out parts that looked like Farah's scrawl. Not all of the letters melted into each other.
They could make out a 'get be' and 'eat' and 'well'. Or was that 'will'?
"Anyone wanna tell me what the fuck is goin' on??"
It had all started with an overgrown fruit basket Nate had delivered at her house. Then it had been Adam handing her slices of clementines during their meeting — he had actually stopped the start of it when he'd heard Kendis hadn't had a chance to grab breakfast beyond some grapes, from the aforementioned fruit basket that morning, to get it for them. They had been too startled to be … well much of anything.
Why were they all obsessing over fruit? Was this a reaction to the fruit-related products Kendis had created through the summer? Did they think she was on a fruit diet? That they could only survive on fruit or they would get sick and die –
Kendis stilled their stomping toward their car (obviously not awaiting the answer to their question; they had a busy day ahead and had no time to wait for more of UB's weirdness) as realization hit them like lightning striking a bare tree during a thunderstorm.
Awareness nearly split them in half as they spun suddenly to march back toward the Warehouse, but then spun again back toward their care, because they really did have things to do — for example, they had a follow-up appointment with their GP.
A follow-up to the bad flu Kendis had caught …
See, Kendis wasn't one to get sick and they weren't the best at taking care of themselves when they were ill. However, their packed summer schedule ended up catching up with them. It forced them to take the rest they'd been cutting off and Tina had parked herself on Kendis' couch to ensure Kendis took that rest. And Tina was as fierce as a pitbull when she wanted to be. No one had been allowed to disturb her rest.
It had just been a few days since their fever had cleared and only two days ago that they had been up and about.
They had been giving her fruit all day.
They had been giving her fruit all day!
How had it not clicked? 'Get be'… Get … be – Maybe 'get better'? Was that what Farah had been trying to say?
'Get be', 'eat', 'well'. The spare words Kendis had been able to read from the note attached to the grapefruit rattled in her mind as she drove down to the town square. The clementine. "Just make sure that Nate doesn't come crying to me the next time." The next time … the next time they were sick?
Their mind turned over the clues like they were testing the ripeness of mangos at the grocery store.
She suddenly wondered what the note on the fruit basket Nate had sent had said. She hadn't had time to read it before heading out the door.
They should be mortified that they hadn't noticed. Maybe even frustrated at the really weird and unexplained coddling. But … but, despite themself, all Kendis could do was feel warm.
–
"Food in the basket an' coolers?"
"Check."
"Okaaaay … we got the umbrella for Morgan?"
"Check! Verda said he found the old one in his attic, so he's bringing it just in case. And I got the earplugs, earmuffs, and walkman like you asked. I don't know why you had me buy all of this. It's not like she's going to stay the whole time."
"You talkin' like it came out your wallet," Kendis snorted as Tina rolled her eyes, " She should be comfy while she's there, yeah?"
"The only time I've seen Specialist Agent Morgan 'comfy' is when she's smoking like a chimney and making fun of people. She's so lucky that she's hot," Tina muttered under her breath.
"You're just still mad'bout what she said last month 'bout your –"
"Check!"
Kendis chuckled, "Okay. Sure, sure, sure. Umbrellas down. What about extra sunglasses and towels?"
"Check and check! And Farah said she'd handle the picnic blankets, and yes, I got one extra large one just in case … I think we're set to go now."
"You say that, but whose's the one who's gonna have to come back around if you forget something?"
"Adam?"
"Shut up."
Tina giggled, "You need to relax. Everything's going to be fiiiiine!"
"I'm relaxed an' everything's gotta be perfect."
"And it will be! Everyone's going to have a good time. We'll eat together and become closer. Just like you've always wanted!"
"I haven't always," Kendis scoffs, "You make me sound like some … some … like someone's grandparent. It's just a get-together idea I came up with, 'cause I thought it'd be fun. No big deal."
"Uh….. huh. If you say so. You can also finally say thank you to the agents for trying to boost your immune system with random acts of fruit." Tina smirked like she was funny.
"Thank them for what? No one told them to be weird about it, yeah?"
"Okay. Sure, sure, sure," Tina quipped, echoing Kendis' previous dismissal almost perfectly. "Not like you were touched or anything."
"Not like you're not touched in the head."
"Well, that's not nice."
"Yeah, whatever." Kendis huffed. "Apology accepted," Tina grinned, "You sure your car will be able to make it to the beach with all this in it?"
"Do you wanna walk there or do you wanna get in the car?"
These snippets were so much fun to read! Like an ode to fruit and to summer! Loved how they felt connected because of the common theme of 'fruit', but also because the later ones referenced the earlier ones. UB sending Kendis fruit, aww! Also, I'd live to try one of Kendis's fruit tarts
Pairing: Adam du Mortain/Amelia Langford (F!Detective)
Rating: Teen
Word count: 800+
Summary: "If you keep inching away from me like that, you’ll end up stepping onto the road. And I don’t feel like explaining to the others why you got hit by a car."
A/N: For @thee-morrigan who gave me the prompt "lips barely touching". I don't love this, but I've been wanting to write something for this fandom for ages, so up it goes.
Submitting it for @summerinwayhaven, prompt: moonlight.
Other tags: @agentnatesewell @hanna-writess
It’s officially summer in Wayhaven.
Okay, not officially. June 20 is still a few days away, which – Adam would tell her – makes it currently spring regardless of whatever the weather is doing. But when it’s 89 degrees at one in the freaking morning, Amelia feels justified in calling that shit summer, no matter what Adam or the calendar say. Not to mention the humidity waging war on her hair, or the mosquitoes embarking on a coordinated (you can’t convince her otherwise) attack.
Amelia bits back a sigh. She usually likes the night patrols. Unless one supernatural or another poses an active threat to the town, she finds them relaxing, the way the townspeople tuck themselves away, snug and safe in their homes, leaving her alone with the picturesque houses and tidy yards, the fragrant late spring flowers infusing the air with cheerful scents.
Except it’s hard to relax with Adam du Mortain walking next to her, so careful not to touch her that he takes a large step away when their shadows so much as melt together under the moonlight.
Half an hour later, she’s had enough.
“I don’t bite, you know.” Unable to resist teasing him, she throws him a sideways glance. “Unless you ask nicely.”
“This isn’t the time for jokes,” he says sternly, but she’s pretty sure she hears a smile in his voice. “We must focus on the matter at hand.”
“Who said I was joking?”
At his bland stare, she rolls her eyes. “Fine. But if you keep inching away from me like that, you’ll end up stepping onto the road. And I don’t feel like explaining to the others why you got hit by a car.”
“Please,” he huffs. “As if I can’t outrun a car.”
“That’s not the point.”
Adam is quiet for a moment, likely debating whether to shut this conversation down… or see where it leads. “What is the point?”
“The point is that we work together. Yeah, we kissed, and yeah, I told you I loved you.” She swallows the knot in her throat at the memory of Adam turning her down. "Feel free to indulge in your angst-fest, and avoid me to your heart's content, but not when we're working."
A pause. Then he clears his throat. “You are… correct. I apologize.”
“Oh, wow,” she says in faux amazement. “I think that’s the second time I’ve heard you apologize. Be still my heart.”
“You’re impossible,” he replies, but the obvious fondness in his tone makes her treacherous heart beat faster.
“You know you love me.”
It’s a flippant comment, the kind of thing she might say to Verda or Mason when she’s trying to annoy them. But, it hits her a split second too late, the words don’t carry the same connotations with either of them as they do with Adam.
Just when she’s convinced she has sent him back into his man of ice persona, he looks upwards with a frown.
“Even in a town as small as this, there are too many lights to see the stars.”
“Do you miss it?”
“I do.” He takes a breath. “When I was a child, Cecilia and I would lie on the grass and compete to see who could identify more constellations.”
“Who won?”
“She did, usually.”
The pride in his tone makes her smile.
“From what you’ve told me about her, she sounds amazing.”
“She was.”
When his voice breaks on the words, Amelia moves without thinking. She grips his hand with one of hers, cradles his cheek with the other.
“I’m sorry,” she says softly. “You deserved better. Both of you.”
“She did,” Adam says.
It’s what he doesn’t say that has her squaring her stance, turning his face so he’s looking at her. “Both of you. You’re not responsible for what happened to her. Only that horrible lord was.” She hesitates. “Will you tell me what happened to him?”
He opens his mouth. Closes it. “I…”
“It’s fine.” She squeezes his hand. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” he says quietly. “It’s just…”
“I understand.” Her hand slides back to thread through his hair. “Really.”
Adam bows his head in unspoken gratitude, and suddenly their faces are inches apart. “Amelia…”
All of a sudden he’s leaning in further, and Amelia is afraid of breathing, lest she break this unexpected gift of a moment.
“Amelia,” he repeats, and then his lips are brushing against hers, a whisper of a kiss that lights up her entire body. She barely has time to move her hand from his to his shoulder when he pulls back.
Like he did last time.
Like he always does.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I…”
“Yes,” she replies. She doesn’t have it in her to get angry this time, not when she can feel the pain radiating from him. Her lips twist, the best simile of a reassuring smile she can drum up under the circumstances. “Let’s keep patrolling.”
They walk on, accompanied by a pregnant silence and the clear beauty of the summer moon.
This left me forgetting to breathe for a moment! What a kiss! Of course he has to withdraw, but there's still this intimacy between them, I feel, with how Adam yold that snippet about his past, and that was wonderful to see.
in english we say loyalty but in the language of poetry: no matter how beautiful the moon is, the sunflower will always lean toward the sun! -- vednaaprapt; for @summerinwayhaven
This is making me so happy!! The quotes fit Farah so well! And all the sunflowers pics 😍 Gorgeous. I'd say it definitely has that hazy summer vibe, because that was the first thing I though of, before even reading your tags.
Written for the @summerinwayhaven prompt fruit! It got a little away from me, but there's some references to fruit here.
Summary/Excerpt: It’s never been this good before, at least for Farah. Maybe because she’s never liked anyone as much as she likes Jenny. Or maybe because no one’s ever looked at her like that (so hungry) or touched her like that (so gentle).
I can't quite decide who is luckier: Farah or Jenny. They are so good together and this fic was both very sexy and (befitting of the prompt) very sweet! Thank you for bringing the heat and the heartfelt emotions!
There's such a feeling of togetherness here and I adore that 'scrapbook feel'! I can just imagine Farah putting this together and sharing it with the team. What a beautiful collage!
Words: ~1400
Rating: Teen and up
Relationship: Female OC/Lesedi Koela
Warnings: None
When she’s cooling down in the ocean after a long week of work, Risa finds someone looking for her. What begins as a talk with Lesedi about work turns into a date, turns into… something more. Something Risa is not sure she’s ready for.
For @summerinwayhaven, "Beach"
*~*~*~*~
Waves crest and crash underneath the burning sun. Emerging from the water, Risa wipes the salty water from her face. Turquoise water surrounds her on all sides, the waves lifting her body, the tide slowly carrying her back to the beach. White cliffs curve around the strip of sand, greenery spilling down from their tops.
Where the cliffs meet the beach, a tall figure lifts a hand to wave at her. Risa squints. Is that…?
After a few strokes, her feet touch sand and she strides towards the beach.
“Hey.” She runs a hand through her hair, trying not to stare at the woman before her.
A long, emerald green cloth is wrapped around her hips to form a flowing skirt, a matching halter top . Lesedi’s style is always immaculate, Risa can tell as much from the few weeks they’ve been working together, but this outfit easily beats any of the elegant clothes she’s been wearing at work.
I don't have any snippets to share from The Seven Weddings of Farah Hauville's (my in-development WIP about Andy and Farah finding new reasons to keep getting (re-)married over the years) beach chapter, but this prompt was too perfect for me to pass up the opportunity to share something! So instead, here is a sample of some of my favourite pictures from my Pinterest inspiration board for the beach chapter ⛱️☀️🌊
These are lovely! The pink shells are very pretty and the combination of pictures is just so pleasing to look at. I hope Andy and Farah will have an amazing beach wedding (and other weddings as well, of course). Thank you for these wonderful beach vibes!
