^{(outoffire; Hey guys. I’ve been struggling with health issues, as I do from time to time as I have a long-term injury that causes me quite some grief, but I’ve been working hard on getting better. I just wanted to check in to let you all know I’m still here, this account ain’t goin’ nowhere (not on hiatus either! This really wasn’t planned) and I should be back on track soonish. In the meantime, feel free to leave me prompts, messages or questions for Neal, as those usually help motivate as well as keep me focused. I’ll be checking in regularly and will probably be posting a bunch of OOC things to let you guys know I’m online, but I can’t promise I’ll be very productive just yet, as I’m trying to lessen painkillers so I’m not as much under influence and tired all the time and can finally put some energy into drafts and such. Aherm. If you read through all this, I applaud you, now let me love you lot <3)}

justanorphan:

 _{Emma was actually only a little surprised that her parents had taken a liking to Neal despite what had happened. Then again, weren’t the two all about second chances? Given everything that they had been through together, as a whole, Neal certainly earned a chance in their eyes—and hers, too. A part of her would always feel a bit bitter toward him, nothing could change that, but that did not mean she wasn’t able to go past that. She wasn’t the type to hold grudges, and though she was still confused about having Neal back in her life and where they stood on things—even though she would always be wary around him—she wanted to be able to move on.}

      _{For a long time she had let what happened between them prevent her from opening up again. It prevented her from opening up and closed herself away from everyone around her. Now that she was able to move on, however, she felt as if something had been lifted from her shoulders; even though everything that had been happening. It was because of this she was able to lie here, in bed with Neal, eating a meal he had made for her. Otherwise, the first thing she would have done was kick him out.}

        _{Despite herself, lips cracked up into a smile. “The up sides to Thanksgiving,” she agreed, hand rising so she could cover her mouth as she chewed, just in case food particle spewed about from a random bout of laughter—really gross, really. There was just something about free food that made it taste so much better. Back in the old days, a bag of chips was more cheesier stolen than when bought—yet at the same time had a slightly bitter taste to it because of the guilt. If she did not need to steal to survive, she wouldn’t do it in the first place.}

                                           _{Hopefully this meal would lack that bitter after-taste.}

        _{Hazel pools lifted from the half-eaten platter which rested in her lap, falling on the other—studying him carefully. She watched the different shifts of his expressions, faces she once knew so well. But he seemed aged now, like something in him has changed—just the way she had. However, there was always that tall-tale smile of his, one of the most memorable smiles she has ever seen throughout her entire life. A smile she probably would never forget, even if she had tried.}

                                        _{“I’m sure Henry would really appreciate it.” An earnest smile touched her lips, a gesture which seemed to actually reach her eyes. Henry really liked having Neal around, and sometimes she found herself thinking if that was how it would be if none of the things that happened—happened.}

_{“I’m sure Henry would really appreciate it.”}

_{Of course, had he extrapolated the way the conversation was heading, Neal could have easily seen this remark coming. It was a clear way of letting him know exactly what the remark said -that Henry really did enjoy his presence-, but it also served to slow him down. No illusions, no stray thoughts, just the bare truth. And still, he couldn’t help but wonder—}

_{There was a fine line they were walking, or at least he was walking; since he was the one who needed to make up for time lost and things said and done, he would leave the decision-making, especially about the way their dynamics would be heading, to Emma. On one hand, he tried his very best not to have any expectations from the woman he’d left behind so many years ago, but on the other hand, things weren’t as bad as he had thought they would be. Henry had accepted him into his life, her parents seemed to be rooting for him for some reason—but how was Emma feeling about all this?}

_{It was a bold thing to ask, that much was certain, but then—he had never been one to dampen his curiosity. Relishing in the none too uncomfortable silence between the two of them a little longer, he then took a deep breath and decided to take the gamble of asking her, straight-up and honest.}

_{“What ‘bout you, though? Henry and your parents might be all for inviting me, but what’re your thoughts on the matter?”}

_{Honesty had always been their go-to habit, back when they were still together; even though Neal hadn’t shared every detail about his past with her, he figured if they would lead a dishonest life to the outside world, they could at the very least be honest with each other. Too many lies get tiresome, and if there was one person he had always placed his trust in, it was Emma.}

^{(outoffire; Hey folks :3 I’ve been trying to work on drafts for the past few days because I wanted to finish them all and put them in my queue, but I haven’t been as productive as I would’ve liked due to an increase in my daily painkiller dosage. So I’m going to do something I’m usually strongly against and play favorites, starting off with one or two threads that inspire me and then move on to people I’ve owed for quite some time now because I don’t want to keep you guys waiting even longer. Catch you on the flipside ;D)}

"What's on your mind?"
◥		augustusbooth-blog

^{What was he to say to that? In the best-case of all scenarios that Neal had rehearsed in his head, he would have the perfect explanation as to why he had picked up the phone and dialed August’s number, but the moment he heard the man’s voice, there was a distinct case of radio silence inside Neal’s mind. Funny, how in most situations, he would know exactly what to say, yet when it concerned Emma and the situation she was currently in, he was at a loss for words. After a deep breath and a careful recollection of his previous thoughts on the matter, Neal cleared his throat and finally spoke up.}

^{“I don’t—-it doesn’t feel right. You said this was in her best interest, that she’s supposed to fulfill some destiny or another? I just can’t justify the fact that I put her behind bars for crimes that I committed.”}

^{Pressing his lips together, Neal’s entire expression turned sour, and he started pacing through the room he was currently occupying. Another silence, though not because of an absence of thoughts this time, in fact, he was being pestered by an onslaught of guilty conscience. And amidst the guilt, a single, burning question.}

^{“How’s she holding up?”}

"You keep going and leave me here."
◥		belletheoutsider

^{“No, that’s—-no.”}

^{A plethora of thoughts ran through his mind that very moment, none of them very productive, nor particularly cheerful, at that. Perhaps if he had paid better heed to certain warnings, perhaps if he had protected her—-no, none of this was their fault. But it wasn’t something he could fix there and then. As his hands slipped around her waist and his arms under her body for support, he could feel the warmth of fresh blood seeping onto his clothes. After a moment of thought, he tore a piece of cloth off the bottom of his cloak and wrapped it carefully around her torso.}

^{"Try to hold still and keep pressure on it. I’m not leavin’ you here, and I sure as hell ain’t planning to let you bleed out, either. You ready?”}

^{Counting back from three as to give her a bit of time to brace herself, because even though he tried to be as gentle as possible, there was no way there wasn’t going to be at least some form of light shocking as he lifted her into his arms, he inhaled, disconnecting her body from the ground and using the momentum to gently position her in his arms in what he thought would be the most comfortable position, for as far as him running through the woods to find help with her in his arms had any resemblance of comfort for her.}

"Do not die on me!" [Starter Sentences]

"Do not die on me."
"Dying in your arms, the best way to go out."
"Hang in there, please."
"How are things going to be 'better this way' if I just leave you here to die?"
"I'm not going to let you die on me."
"I'm not going to make it."
"It's been a privilege knowing you."
"Just let it be, maybe things are better this way."
"Please do not leave me now."
"Stay awake, please."
"There's not even a hospital nearby, just let me die."
"You're going to live, it'll all be okay."
"You cannot die on me!"
"You don't need to act so tough and then not say something when you get hurt like this."
"You keep going and leave me here."

^{(outoffire; Alright, after various unsuccessful attempts to kickstart my muse, I’m gonna give you guys the go-ahead to jump into my inbox and shower me with drabble prompts, random asks and/or difficult questions for my muse. Really, anything goes so long as it fits the character. Not that my inbox isn’t always open, but with recent writing choices in show canon, I really need some motivation to keep my muse alive and kicking, so have at it!)}

^{(outoffire; For anyone who watched Eurovision, this is the song my country sent in yes we came in second woohoo, and for some reason it reminds me of Swanfire. Waylon and Ilse resemble Neal and Emma, funny enough, but the song just has a bit of a Swanfire ring to it. Or maybe that’s just me OTPing again :P)}

^{viridisalae replied to your post:(outoffire; Back from a long weekend away from my… If there is any way I can help, I would love to help you :) Neeeeal, Neeeeal wake up man.}

^{(outoffire; Yesss come help me. Idk, short conversation or things like that would probably help. I’m currently making foods, eating them and catching up on GoT but I will be scrollin’ in the deep and replying to things if I manage after that.)}

^{(outoffire; Back from a long weekend away from my birthday and caught up with OUAT (because I’m stubborn and I watched all that just to see a glimpse of Neal. But what the hell is going on with the show? I can’t even begin to describe how wrong these writing choices feel .___. Someone motivate me to jolt Neal back to life and have some proper storylines (read: reply to the things in my drafts because I’ve got some really good threads in there). The show’s doing nothing to motivate me, sadly. I’ll lurk for a bit and see if I can come up with creative ways to linger in the first few seasons of OUAT rather than being frustrated with how far off track the show has gone. But aherm yes, hey everyone!)}