#humanswords

They’ve been walking for days. Leo’s feet ache and the gaping wound on his side is throbbing. Part of him desperately wants to give up, curl up on the ground, let whoever is chasing catch up with them and just have him, he’s too tired to care. But it’s not just him. It’s never just him. His brothers and sisters have cared for him as a child and now it’s his turn.

“Charge?”

“34%.” Fred’s first to reply, close behind him.

“29%.”

“32%.”

“Mia?” He turns to look at her and notices for the first time how dirty they all are. How their exhaustion shows in the dulling of their eyes. He wonders how much worse he must look with his human face.

She gives him a sad little smile. “15%. Sorry, Leo.”

For the next twenty-four hours I’d like to see quote submissions for fanfictions surrounding Flash Singh, Karen Voss, and Mia Elster.

I don’t care how new it is, I don’t care old it is. Just hit me with what you’ve got - I’ll make something creative-yet-not-as-impressive to accompany the fics.

This one’s up to you guys. I have to work through the weekend so I can’t scour the AO3 a whole lot.

Those three little words roll off her tongue and end with her name, mumbled into her hair as Astrid is falling asleep on her shoulder one night. And Astrid tilts her head a little to press their lips softly together. “I know,” she mumbles back into their kiss.

“You know why I sat by your bedside, Leo?” Mattie whirled around to face him, her eyes fiery, “Because it certainly wasn’t out of guilt. I didn’t want you to die, and I didn’t want to wake up and find you gone and have you die, because I, I…” her voice trailed off, and she sighed, walking away towards the gate they’d come in through. He felt himself process her words, and he remembered her telling him Hester had told her to go, over a year ago. He felt a warmth in his stomach as he watched her retreating back, and it was as if his worldview finally made sense.

He trailed behind her the entire way back to the house, always a few steps behind her. He watched her unlock the door and let it swing shut behind her. He caught the door before it slammed, and shut it gently as he entered. He heard her footsteps retreating upstairs, and he followed her, finding her moving around her room. She pushed past him, muttering about her room being a pit, and he felt a wave of affection as she tried to clear her room around him. He ducked his head as she came close to him, instinctively trying to catch her lips in a soft kiss. Her lips were softer than he imagined, and he felt himself relax as she stopped in front of him. She looked up at him for a moment, her eyes flickering between his eyes and his lips, and he could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment, before she went on her tiptoes and he bent slightly to meet her in a second kiss. Her hand stroked down his jaw, and he moved one hand into her hair, his other gripping her hip gently, holding her steady as their lips met, at first messily but slowly improving as they learned the rhythm of each other. His hand felt large in her hair, thumb resting by her cheek. Her hair was soft, and he wanted to tangle his hands in it as they kept kissing, gentle open-mouthed kisses that melted him slightly. Her hands began to push his jacket off of him, and he let his arms down, letting his jacket fall to the floor, before her fingers began playing with the hem of his jumper, pushing it up to reveal his skin underneath. He pulled his jumper off, and felt Mattie’s fingers graze the scar on his abdomen. Her fingers were soft and gentle, tracing part of the edge of the scar, before she looked back up at him, before he leant in once more to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

- I Wanna Watch The World Burn (I Got The Gasoline) by @erudite-princess

They’re happy, after everything. They almost didn’t think it’d be possible. Laura kisses her on the balcony because she can, because they’re free.

- Maybe Someday by @sapphfics

Quote:

They can stare at those stars for hours, hands clasped, or her head against his shoulder until sleep takes them before the vibration of her alarm wakes them again and they part ways to maintain their secret. Mattie doesn’t want that to stop.  

- Can You Keep A Secret? by @gellsbellshead

**I’m doing something different tonight, which is, rather than make some half-baked tribute to the quote source, something that might be useful for writers or video artists. I compiled a playlist inspired by “Can You Keep A Secret?” and put it on Spotify. Feel free to use it however you wish (although I’m still annoyed that the link will only work for desktops unless you have Spotify Premium)

spotify playlist here

SONGS:

Believe by Savatage - Kind of a mood-starting rock ballad to kick off this list.

Blood & Muscle by Lissie - the ultimate mood ballad for an impromptu love scene

We Might Fall by Ryan Star - the “after” song, which retains the piano undertones of the Lissie song but has a sweeter message in the ambience

My Indigo by My Indigo - the anthem for an undefined relationship. 

Song #3 (Acoustic Version) by Stonesour - a good song for reflecting on the dark twists and turns of life that can be guided through by the right person

Jealous Gods by Poets Of the Fall - a very powerful, almost mystical-feeling song that inspires hope for a seemingly doomed romance.

Matter Of Time by Vanessa Carlton - lovely little fingerpicking melody about happiness, even while dropping little hints that it might not last.

Empire by Of Monsters And Men - an empowering theme for two people who are stronger together.

- No More Warmth, Now She’s Not Home  by @wellamarke

But he cannot part from her, cannot banish her as he had the others. She only lives while he thinks of her, so how can he ever stop?