#'you're welcome/I'm sorry' is ALSO a running theme

[misstrashchan]

I know people have picked up on the board game scene in RWBY V2 Episode 2 (Welcome to Beacon) as foreshadowing the events of the show, but for funsies I want to take a stab at how it foreshadows the general arcs of each four kingdoms myself.

So we have Blake playing as the Kingdom of Vale, and she's completely unaware of the events of the game unfolding and not really paying attention, clearly distracted.

"Alright Blake, it's your turn!"

"Huh? Sorry, what am I doing?"

"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the four kingdoms of Remnant!"

"...Right."

The Vale arc is the first three volumes of RWBY, where all our protagonists are at Beacon, but during that time, much like Blake during the game, they're unaware of the larger conflict with Salem, and aren't actively participating in the war at that point. They are ignorant and reactive instead of active. However it's ironic that Blake plays as Vale, since the reason she's not paying attention to the game and seems distracted is because, out of all the main characters in the Vale arc, she is the one most concerned about being kept in the dark and that they're ignorant as to what's really going on.

Blake: I just, I don't understand how everyone can be so calm.

Ruby: (approaching Blake) You're still thinking about Torchwick?

Blake: Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!

She also leaves the game during her turn, much like how she runs away after the FoB and the end of the Vale arc.

"Right. Well, I think I'm done playing, actually"

Yang is playing as Mistral, and she's the most savvy and knowledgeable (hah) player, winning many rounds of the game, teaching Weiss how to play, and has the other players falling into her trap cards.

"Heh, pretty sneaky sis, but you just activated my trap card!"

There's two ways this can be interpreted, with how the Mistral arc (volumes 4-6) is when our protagonists start to gather more knowledge and awarenesses of themselves and the world. It's also in Mistral that our heroes have their most decisive victory so far. It's fitting to have Yang playing as Mistral then, since during the Mistral arc she's the one who who learns from Tai to fight smarter, and to question the authority figures around her from Raven, and after confronting her in the vault is the one who retrives the relic of knowledge.

But, most of the losses our heroes experience are because of Cinder, who is from Mistral, and them falling into her own "trap cards" with the Fall of Beacon being orchestrated by her, killing Pyrrha and Ozpin. And in Atlas the same, with her manipulating Ironwood, undermining the heroes plans to evacuate everyone from Atlas, and killing Penny. She often finds ways to trick and exploit others, and is most dangerous when overlooked and underestimated, like falling into a trap.

Which brings me to Ruby playing as Atlas, where Ruby and Yang have this exchange after Yang's trap card is activated by Ruby:

"Giant Nevermore! If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two!

"But! If you roll lower a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces!"

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take"

In the Atlas arc (volumes 7-9) the theme of trust and taking risks is very prevalent. Like the move Yang makes in the game it is a risky one, that could end badly for her, but it is one worth taking nonetheless. They take the risk of trusting Ironwood but he ends up turning on our heroes. Oscar takes a risk trusting Hazel and Ozpin, as well as Emerald later on being accepted into their group, and it ends up working out for them. Ruby takes a risky chance in sending a message out to all of Remnant and evacuating Atlas, which saves a lot of people, but they still lose some, including Penny, a dear friend of Ruby's.

"Noooooo! My fearless soldiers!"

"Eh, most of them were probably androids anyways"

"Goodbye my friends... you will be avenged!"

Ruby acts distraught when losing her turn in the game as Atlas, expressing anguish over losing her friends who are described as androids by Yang, just like how Ruby is incredibly depressed and broken after the Fall of Atlas in V9, mourning the loss of Penny, who was both a sentient android and Ruby's friend. (I do wonder if Ruby's comment on avenging her friends might be foreshadowing for her wanting to avenge Penny's death in the future, like how Jaune tried to 1v1 Cinder in V5 to avenge Pyrrha, but I think it's too soon to say)

As a sidenote the fact it is a Nevemore in this turn that has a chance of turning on Yang or helping her is interesting, as it puts me in mind of two characters who can turn into ravens/crows, like the bird and poem Nevermore is associated with. It could pertain to Raven, someone who turns on Yang in v5 during the battle of Haven, but appears to help her and her friends in the V9 epilogue. It could also be about Qrow and his semblance, since during the Atlas arc it begins to evolve so that it is not simply a bad luck semblance, but one that can generate good luck too. In other words he can affect whether the chances are in people's favour or not.

After defeating Ruby (Atlas) Yang says this:

Yang: Not until I draw my rewards! Which are double this round thanks to the Mistral Trade Route!

Ruby: Bah!

Yang: Oh, and what's this? The Smugglers of Wind Path?

Ruby: Bah! Bah, I say!

Yang: I say, it looks like I'm taking two cards in my hand!

After the Fall of Atlas Cinder retrives not one but two relics for Salem, and with Atlas falling into Mantle, two kingdoms are destroyed in one fell swoop.

Then it's Weiss's turn. Weiss is playing as Vacuo, but has no idea how to play the game. Yang takes it upon herself to teach Weiss how to play and what she can do to win the game:

Yang: Well, Weiss, it's your turn.

Weiss: I have... absolutely no idea what's going on.

Yang: (Yang slides up beside her and puts her hand on her shoulder.) Look, it's easy! You're playing as Vacuo which means that all Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus.

Weiss: That sounds dumb.

Yang: See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge... Oh, oh! (She pulls up a card to show Weiss.) Resourceful Raider! See, now you can take Ruby's discarded Air Fleet—

Ruby: (crying) Nooo!

Yang: —and put it in your hand!

We know from the end of V9 that what remains of the airfleet of Atlas, as well as the airfleet of Mistral and Vale, have all flocked to Vacuo's defence. What remains of the kingdom of Atlas, the airfleet, but most importantly the people, have now fled to Vacuo and are trying to make a home there.

Yang continues to give Weiss advice on how to win the game to Weiss, building her up, until Weiss starts to get arrogant, believing she's going to win the whole game and is the one in control:

Yang: And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance against Natural-based hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom! (Yang points a finger at Weiss.) Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war.

Weiss: And that means...

Ruby: You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!

But then Yang turns on Weiss, activating her trap card, and Vacuo loses.

Since this is may be foreshadowing for the Vacuo arc that we haven't seen yet, I can only speculate what this might mean.

...But judging from the V9 extended epilogue and the books, my best guess would be that if Yang/Mistral is meant to be in part Cinder/Salem and their forces, then Weiss as Vacuo is in part the Crown. In the extended epilogue Jax and Gillian appear to be recieving help from Tyrian and Mercury, meaning Salem has decided to recruit them to her cause.

The Crown wants to restore the Vacuoan monarchy and detest outsiders, especially Atlesians. They do however wish to protect Vacuo from the same forces that destroyed Beacon, aka Salem, and so they are likely going to be manipulated like Weiss is by Yang in the game, being offered aid and giving them advice on how they can win and achieve their objectives, making them believe they can "conquer Remnant", only for them to realise later they were being tricked and used.

"Once again, Vacuo had been isolated from the conflict raging throughout Remnant—only this time it was an opportunity. With the global CCT network disabled, Vale in ruin, Haven leaderless, and Atlas closed off, Vacuo was theirs for the taking. This was likely their last, best chance for a generation. And it was their only hope to defend Vacuo against whomever had been targeting the other kingdoms. In likelihood they had written off Vacuo, like everyone else did, but if they tried to move against the Crown, they would have an unpleasant surprise.

Vacuo wouldn't break this time around."

Weiss: (Weiss stands and a thunder clap accompanies Weiss' overjoyed psychotic laughter.) Y-yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!

Yang: Trap card... (Yang's arm appears holding the card.)

Weiss: Huh?

Yang: (Yang shuffles the pieces on the board, Weiss' pieces disappearing in a puff of smoke.) Your armies have been destroyed.

Weiss: (Weiss slumps in her chair, cries and whines.) I hate this game of emotions we play!

Weiss as Vacuo may lose to Yang after realising they've been tricked, but is offered comfort afterwards by Ruby who relates to her losses and empathises with her, which is interesting since Ruby plays as Atlas. So I'm predicting at the end of the Vacuo arc they'll experience somewhat of a loss, whether that's the Crown, our heroes, or likely both, but Atlas will give support to Vacuo and the two kingdoms will come together to heal and ultimately work together, making steps to overcome their tense history with one another.

"Stay strong Weiss we'll make it through this together!"

"Shut up, don't touch me! "

...Which does make Weiss specifically playing as Vacuo especially intriguing, as she is the SDC heiress from Atlas, and Vacuo is a kingdom that has suffered the most in being exploited and colonized for it's natural resources by Atlas. From the epilogue it seems like the Schnees are being confronted directly with all the harm that has been caused by their family and kingdom, so I wouldn't be surprised if Weiss recieves a certain amount of focus during the Vacuo arc in deciding what her legacy as an Atlesian and heiress to the Schnee name will be. Moving forward to make amends, maybe inspiring the citizens of Atlas/Mantle to come together with Vacuo so they can all help and support one another, instead of isolating themselves and suffering alone.

Jaune offers to plays Weiss's hand for a turn also, with Weiss refusing:

Jaune: (Begging with both hands folded together.) Come on, let me play your hand for a turn!

Weiss: I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!

Which is reminiscent of how Vacuo is mistrustful of outsiders, as we've seen in After the Fall and Before the Dawn books.

Yang follows up to say that Weiss attacked her own forces, which could reference the infighting in Vacuo, especially with the Crown.

Weiss: Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt that you possess.

Yang: Uhh, you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago. (Weiss makes an annoyed sound.)

Overall Weiss as Vacuo recieves the most help as any player during their turn, being taught how to play by Yang, offered comfort by Ruby after losing, and Jaune wanting to help her by playing her hand for a turn. This seems to fit with both how all kingdoms have flocked to Vacuo's aid in response to Ruby's message, but also Weiss as a character, who starts out "the loneliest of them all" but gradually opens up and warms up to other people. The crux of her arc being looking outside herself and at the people around her, relating to their struggles and coming to support them and being supported by them leads to her better understanding herself and becoming stronger for it... Which is kind of what the Kingdom of Vacuo needs to learn too!

Following this is Blake's turn as Vale, which I covered at the start of this post, but that's not the end of Vale's turn. We don't actually see it, but we know the aftermath of the game is this:

Yang: Ugh, we should have never let him play!

Ruby: You're just mad cuz' the new guy beat you!

Blake leaves the game during her turn as Vale, and presumably the "new guy" which is likely Neptune, who they'd just been introduced too, takes over her hand as Vale and wins the game of Remnant overall, even beating Yang and her trap cards. This is likely the endgame of RWBY itself, our heroes return to Vale after the Vacuo arc during the last volume for the final stand, where they win.

How and what that victory will look like I don't know, as we don't see the last turn of the game, so yet again this is even more vaguer speculation. Neptune doesn't really have much plot significance so I can't think there's any meaning to that except that he's a minor foil to Jaune, and the line of it being "a new guy" that wins, so maybe someone who recently joins our heroes side in the final act of the story, possibly Mercury or Cinder.

[juustokaku]

Confidentiality - Chapter 4. - yandere!ATEEZ OT8 x f!reader

Introduction: Joining a peer support group for mentally ill was a good idea for the last two times you were there. Then it's only natural for the third time to go well too, right?

Pairings: yandere!Hongjoong x reader, yandere!Seonghwa x reader, yandere!Yunho x reader, yandere!Yeosang x reader, yandere!San x reader, yandere!Mingi x reader, yandere!Wooyoung x reader, yandere!Jongho x reader

T/W: This story will include talk about mental health struggles such as body dysmorphia, paranoid thoughts and more. Possessive and obsessive behavior, stalking. Dark themes are to be expected. A mention of a dead animal in this chapter.

A/N: I don't know why every chapter I write is longer than the previous one, I'm sorry. Hongjoong and Mingi biased people, be patient; their time to shine is yet to come! As always, I love feedback, so if you feel like you want to share your thoughts on this, you're very welcome to do so <3 A big thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story!

Word count: 4 658

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your palms were sweating. If the man broke in, your hands wouldn’t be able to hold a weapon. 

Your legs were trembling. There was no way for you to be able to run when they barely held you standing. 

Your heart was beating fast. Feeling dizzy, you didn’t know if you’d be able to even stay conscious. 

It was a paralyzing feeling to be trapped inside your own home. The man kept knocking on your door like he was a zombie trying to get inside your base to eat you. That’s how desperate he was to get his teeth on you, to take a piece of you or swallow you whole. 

“Open the door, love. Do you want me to force my way in?” 

You wouldn’t let him in no matter what happened. There was no guarantee that he could get in, but it was sure as hell that letting him in would be the biggest – and probably last – mistake of your life. 

The best choice now was to pretend you weren’t home at all. It was unlikely the man would be stupid enough to believe your act, but he’d get bored eventually. Or he’d break in and do whatever he wanted to you, if he really was serious about getting in one way or another. 

His attempts to open the door were futile, but that didn’t discourage him. 

You stood there, eyes locked on the door, fully prepared to see it fling open and reveal the man behind it. Who would it be? Who would take your life and everything that was dear to you? 

“Make your choice already.” 

It felt impossible to move your limbs. They stayed in the same spot almost like they had never been yours in the first place. You should have already obtained a weapon, but you just stood stock-still. 

“Choose me. Choose you and me. Choose us.” 

There were no more knocks after those cryptic words. Only the sounds of your heavy breathing and soft hum of air conditioner could be heard in your apartment. 

Then an envelope dropped in from the mail slot, the sound startling you. Your mind rushed instantly to the worst-case scenarios of what it could contain. 

You didn’t dare to move your eyes from the door, waiting what else could still happen. The envelope would be for later, for when the immediate danger was far away. The danger would never end though before either you or the man was dead. 

Receding footsteps behind the door could be heard, as the man was probably leaving. He surely knew you were still there. But he also knew you wouldn’t give up that easily. 

A few minutes went by as you just stared at the envelope silently. It felt threatening; what else could it contain than something meant to drive you crazy with fear? The envelope tried to present itself as so innocent, laying there on the floor, but you knew better. 

Hesitantly, you finally approached and picked it up. The floor was quite moist. The snow from your boots had melted into a tiny puddle of water and made the envelope wet. You didn’t know whether to hope the letter inside was still readable, or that the most likely threatening words on it would be complete nonsense to your eyes. 

But against your expectations, a photograph could be found inside. 

You wanted to throw up once you saw it. 

The picture was of a dead sparrow on a road. You had seen dead animals before, sure, but this bird had been run over with a car, left mangled in a mess of fresh blood, broken bones and ruined feathers. The poor sparrow was barely recognizable, but what confirmed your suspicions of the bird’s species was a feather you found from the envelope as well. 

Dry blood was spilled on it, making it even filthier than it already was. You felt like you were holding evidence of a crime in your hands. But who would care about a dead sparrow? Although it was a sign that you could be the next victim, there wouldn’t be much the police could do. 

As if finding the sparrow’s feather and a photograph of the gruesome fate the bird had faced wasn’t enough, you found handwritten text on the backside of the picture. 

“I’m sorry. It’s too late to stop the car now.” 

It was no surprise that you thought about that envelope and its contents for the next days. 

Days flew by like on wings, and it didn’t take a long time until you were sitting on one of the ten armchairs again. The therapy room wasn’t full yet, only Seonghwa and Hongjoong chatting quietly in the other side and Mingi sitting near them, bopping his head while listening to music on his headphones. They were probably the most harmless people in the group, being the only ones you hadn’t interacted with, but there was still a possibility. Possibility that one of them had been following you. It surely had to be one of the group members who was tormenting you and making you fear for your life. 

You watched as Jongho came in. With the usual unamused expression on his face, he scanned the room with his eyes. It didn’t take more than one second for his eyes to find you. 

“Hi,” you gained courage to greet Jongho as he sat down next to you. It was for the best if you got on everyone’s good sides so they wouldn’t have a reason to kill you. 

You hadn’t expected or even hoped to start any conversation but a greeting back would have been nice. He couldn’t even spare you an acknowledging glance, just ignored you completely. Having had enough, you swore to yourself silently you would never talk to him again. 

“Did you save this seat for me or were you hoping someone else would take it before I could?” Jongho finally replied, not to your greeting but it was a reply nonetheless. 

His gaze was suddenly on you. The way his eyes tried to break through your barriers, and find out all your darkest secrets and deepest fears, made you feel like you were naked. Not naked in a way that he would desire you, but naked in a way that he would think of you as disgusting if he found out what kind of a person you really were. 

“Neither. I don’t really care who sits next to me.” 

“Don’t you remember I told you last week to sit next to me today?” 

Why was everyone so focused on who was sitting next to you? Last week Wooyoung, San, and Yunho had gotten into an argument over seat arrangements, and now Jongho was pressed about you being open to sitting next to anyone. Well, you were definitely not open to sitting next to Yunho, but like Hell you were going to say it out loud. That could only end up in the said man losing his composure and shooting you with a Glock 22. 

“O-Oh, I’m sorry. I had a rough week so I think it slipped my mind.” 

Jongho’s face was surprisingly neutral unlike in the horrifying scenarios you had come up with. He just nodded, but it was likely he knew you were lying. 

“Why do you want to sit next to me?” you presented a question that had been occupying your mind since last week. 

His expression didn’t even falter as he leaned closer to you. As he whispered, his warm breath tickled your ear. 

“Stay here after the session. It’s not safe to tell you when we’re this near to other people.” 

If his closeness didn’t already send shivers down your spine, his threatening words definitely did. The tone of his voice was unreadable. You had no indication of what words were about to leave his plump lips after the session. 

You could barely focus as the session started with everyone finally in the room. The hem of your shirt was crumbled up inside your fists, as you pondered about all the possible things Jongho could tell you. 

“Valentine’s Day is approaching, and to honor that, we will write each other short, anonymous letters of appreciation today!” 

Hongjoong sighed in frustration at Charlotte’s words while everyone else seemed somewhat intrigued. Even Jongho’s ears perked up at the mention of letters. 

Seonghwa had a question, “Should I write one letter to everyone?” 

“Yes. It’s to show we all care about each other,” Charlotte smiled, “You may even find out about a possible secret admirer.” 

You understood Hongjoong’s frustration. He was clearly here to receive help to his workaholism yet now he had to write letters to eight different people he couldn’t care less about. 

“Remember: only nice things. We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings here.” 

Hongjoong looked like he wanted not only to hurt Charlotte’s feelings but her physically too. That’s how dark his expression looked, left eye almost twitching from annoyance. 

When everyone had eight little pieces of paper and a pen in their hands, they found places to write at. Some had hidden in the corners of the room, unlike San and Wooyoung who were next to each other, cackling together at the things they wrote. 

“Do you think Jongho would take this well?” 

“I don’t recommend writing that to him. He doesn’t seem like the type to understand jokes,” San answered to Wooyoung as he took a look at his paper. 

You had stayed on your chair and decided to start with writing to Seonghwa. He seemed like a normal person, and you had pleasant things to say about him. 

“Your facial features are like a god had crafted them,” is what you truly craved to say to him, but instead of that, you just wrote, “Your hair is beautiful but your face even more so. Don’t cover it.” 

Glancing at him, you noticed how he was hiding behind his quite long, black hair again. A thoughtful look on his face, he was writing a letter, and you wondered who it could be for. 

You decided to write for Yeosang next. The letters were supposed to be anonymous so you couldn’t reveal too much. 

“You make me feel more comfortable here. Also, I love your birth mark.” 

Next letter was for San, “You clearly take good care of your body. Would you take good care of me as well?” 

You were insane already according to your psychiatrist, but this just made you feel even crazier. Letter by letter you were getting bolder, having fun with the fact that nobody could pinpoint you as the letter’s writer with complete certainty. 

“Do you make love songs as well? I could be your next muse,” as you wrote your letter to Mingi, you almost giggled to yourself. 

“If I kissed you, would that shut you up for a second?” read in the letter for Wooyoung. 

You were having way too much fun with writing these until you realized you’d have to write for Hongjoong, Jongho, and Yunho. The men that scared you the most. Hongjoong was stern, Jongho secretive and cryptic, and Yunho unstable. That was the end of your playful, bold letters. 

You pondered what to write for Hongjoong. It had to be something lame and not too affectionate. 

“I find your work ethic admirable but don’t burn yourself out.” 

Was that too personal? You did not care. It felt anonymous enough, so if he got mad, he wouldn’t be able to direct his anger at only you. 

“I’m interested in finding out what you’re like,” was what you wrote for Jongho. 

It would be impossible for him to guess who wrote it. You didn’t lie in your letter; Jongho was intriguing though intimidating. 

But what to write for Yunho? That was the question. 

You raised your gaze from the paper to look at him and consider what words would you write on the paper. As you looked around, your eyes found him in the corner of the room. Surprisingly, he wasn’t looking at you unlike usually. He seemed very invested on the writing process. 

It had never gone unnoticed by you how handsome he was. How handsome all of them were. His presence and looks reminded you of a friendly golden retriever, but you knew he was in fact not like that. His eyes that always lingered on you were more like of a hungry wolf that has gotten too comfortable with seeing life leave its preys’ eyes. 

“Your hair is black. I like the color black.” 

Your letter to Yunho was nothing but lame, but that was exactly how you wanted it to be. 

The timer rang indicating time was up, just as you had finished writing all the letters. 

“Give all the letters to me and I’ll deal them to their correct receivers,” Charlotte guided. 

After you had handed the letters to her, you remembered San’s shirt, which he had lent you at the cafe. You had to give it back to him. 

As you returned the shirt to its rightful owner, you mumbled sheepishly, “I’m sorry. I forgot to wash your shirt, so it may have my scent on it.” 

Something flickered in San’s eyes at your words. He took the shirt from your hands, his fingers brushing against yours. 

“No worries. I don’t mind,” a delightful look he couldn’t hide was on his face. 

The whole interaction made you feel weird. Why did he seem so happy although you returned him his shirt used?  

You didn’t have much time to analyze his actions, since Charlotte started sharing the letters to everyone. 

As you received the eight letters in your hands, you were getting surprisingly excited. Of course, you were scared of what other people thought of you, but the chance of a letter complimenting or wishing you nice things felt inviting. 

“Seonghwa may start reading his letters.” 

You listened intently as Seonghwa started reading his letters out loud. 

“You seem soft-spoken and respectful.” 

“Your voice is soothing.” 

Seonghwa read a few letters before finally seeing the letter you had written. 

“Your hair is beautiful but your face even more so. Don’t cover it.” 

A pretty, flustered smile spread on his lips. Despite the letter’s guidance, he covered his face with his hair like out of a habit, as he blushed. 

“The writer of this is lying.” 

You almost screamed out “No, I’m not!” when you heard Seonghwa’s words, but he had already moved on to the next letter. 

Hongjoong’s letters were comments about his clothes, and you realized you should have written those things as well, when you heard his reaction to your letter. 

“Burn myself out? I can take care of myself very well, so no-one has to worry about my state,” he spoke, clearly irritated. 

It was too near, that your face would have flushed in embarrassment and revealed everyone the stupid letter had been written by you. 

The round continued with Yeosang reading out compliments about his calm nature, looks and the birthmark. Like Seonghwa, he seemed shy and flustered to receive such kind words. It was like he had never been appreciated the way he should be. 

“Stay away from her.” 

As Yeosang read those words out loud, everyone, including Hongjoong who had looked bored, turned to look at Yeosang, shocked. 

“I told you guys, only nice words,” Charlotte scolded everyone gently, like she did not care that much about the ominous words on the paper Yeosang was holding in his trembling hands. 

“Does it say anything else?” you asked before you could stop yourself. 

Yeosang shook his head, lips pressed in a tight line. 

“Who is the writer talking about?” Seonghwa wondered. 

“Who else than Y/N? She is the only woman here.” 

You had suspected that immediately when Yeosang had read the paper, but hearing Hongjoong say it, made the clenching feeling in your heart tighten. 

“It’s not April’s Day yet, the writer should not joke like that,” Charlotte just chuckled light-heartedly, “Let’s move on to Mingi.” 

The said man smiled excitedly, more ready than ever to look through the letters. 

“You look like a duck.” 

Mingi tilted his head at the letter, not quite sure if it was a compliment or insult. 

“I don’t think it was an insult. Ducks are cute,” Yunho smiled. 

Mingi smiled back, relieved that the letter for him wasn’t meant to insult. 

“Do you make love songs as well? I could be your next muse,” Mingi read the next letter out loud, voice wavering more and more at every word he said. 

He casted accusatory looks on everyone around the room. You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his reaction to your letter. It was so cute, but unclear if he was happy or mad about the flirty words. 

“Well, to answer the question on the letter, I haven’t found my muse yet so there are no love songs.” 

The next turn was Yunho’s after Mingi had read everything. Yunho seemed to be enjoying the letters, but it was almost like he was searching for something. 

It was the last letter he read, that was the one you had written. 

“Your hair is black. I like the color black.” 

Yunho smiled confusedly at the words directed to him, “Thank you. I was thinking of dying it, but I’ll keep it black just for you.” 

What was terrifying was that he turned to look at you when he said that. Did he somehow know you were the one who wrote the letter? It shouldn’t have been even possible. Anyone could have written those words, yet he still decided to be a creep and stare at you like he always did and would continue doing. 

San started going through his letters, most complimenting his muscles and kindness. A slight smile decorated his lips as he thanked for each and every letter he received. It was adorable and admirable how respectful he always was. 

Suddenly, his smile turned into a frown. It was not only of concern. You could swear there was a hint of anger deep inside his eyes. 

“Who is writing these pathetic threats?” 

“What do you mean, San?” Charlotte asked. 

“I got the same letter as Yeosang. Telling me to stay away from Y/N.” 

Something was wrong. This couldn’t be just a joke; you were sure of that. You had no proof, so it was easy for Charlotte to play it off just as a stupid joke, but this was a threat from someone inside the group. 

“I also have it!” Wooyoung chimed in, taking out a letter he had received. 

Your heartbeat was accelerating as you thought about who could have written those threats. It had to be Yunho. He was the only one who seemed crazy enough. 

“Jongho and Y/N, check if you have those letters as well.” 

At Charlotte’s demand, you started checking the letters you had gotten. It was difficult with trembling hands which were barely able to hold onto the letters. One of them even slipped out of your hands onto the floor. 

“I don’t have a letter like that,” you heard Jongho say, as you were picking up the piece of paper you had dropped. 

The paper wasn’t the only thing that had dropped. Your heart dropped as well, once you saw the last letter you hadn’t gone through yet. 

It would have seemed innocent in anyone else’s eyes. They would have said “aww, cute!” when they saw the drawing on the paper, but you knew better than to think of it as harmless. 

The drawing wasn’t that good, on the average side actually, but you recognized what it was. It was a bird. 

That bird was alive and well, even had a smile on its face, unlike the bird on the photograph you had received a few days ago. But anyone with a brain would have been able to put two and two together. The bird was clearly meant to be a sparrow despite the drawer’s lacking skills. 

You didn’t want to read the text next to the drawing, but it was inevitable. 

“This time the bird is alive. Do you want to stay alive as well?” 

Immediately after reading the words, you burst into tears. It was not a beautiful sight, a grown woman crying and hyperventilating. 

You honestly felt like you were going to suffocate. The fear was pulling you deeper underwater, threatening to drown you. You couldn’t breathe. No matter how many breaths you took in in just a couple seconds, they were too shallow and short for you to get in the air you so desperately needed. You needed air. You needed to get out of here. You needed someone to touch you soothingly, but at the moment, you despised the idea of any of those men getting close to you. 

Still, one of the men walked to you and got on his knees in front of you. 

“Deep breaths. Don’t focus on anything else but breathing and my voice.” 

You closed your eyes as the man took your hand. The way your nails dug onto his hand probably left marks, but he didn’t seem to care, because he knew you needed to hold onto something in this moment of vulnerability. 

“I-I’m going to die!” you sobbed, keeping your eyes tightly shut, as if it could have protected you from the reality. 

“Everything is going to be fine. I’ll take care of you, angel.” 

The feeling of embarrassment, that was surely going to arrive later if you didn’t die now, didn’t even cross your mind. You were too focused on surviving this moment. You were in danger, you knew it. First the photograph and feather of that dead bird, and now an indirect threat. The stalker was here in this room with you, analyzing your every move and taking pleasure in seeing your terror. 

You opened your eyes again. The once comforting lights in the room felt suddenly too bright, like you were on stage, forced to perform for thousands of people. You could almost hear the laughter of the audience in your ears. They were all mocking and observing you. 

“Look at me, Y/N,” the man in front of you said softly. 

The man was mocking you too. He was just crueler than the others, wanting to see you fall for his comfort and then crush you with his bare hands. 

“I’m not going to hurt you. Look into my eyes.” 

Slowly, you forced your gaze to look at the man. It was Seonghwa. He didn’t have a cruel smile on his face nor was he looking at you with danger. Just a genuine, compassionate look as he held your hand. 

“What happened, Y/N?” Charlotte asked. 

“Are you alright?” San worried. 

“Of course she isn’t. She had a panic attack,” Wooyoung slapped San’s shoulder. 

You felt dizzy, finally realizing that everyone had their eyes pinned on you. It felt like you were an animal at the zoo, only meant for everyone to observe you. 

“I want out...” you tried to breathe, “I need air.” 

Seonghwa nodded instantly and helped you up from your seat, “Come, I’ll help you.” 

If anyone else than Seonghwa or Yeosang had done that, you would have screamed and ran away – that is if your legs would have worked in their shaky state. You let Seonghwa lead you away gently. 

Once you were sitting in the hallway, out of the therapy room, Seonghwa opened the windows to let in fresh air. He didn’t care if the electricity bills leaped into astronomical prices; Charlotte deserved to pay a bit more anyways, since she hadn’t done her job as a therapist and helped you. 

Seonghwa put his own jacket on you. 

“Breathe in through your nose and let it out through your mouth.” 

You listened to Seonghwa’s guidance. After a while, you just felt exhausted. You had gone through a panic attack, and it had taken a toll on your body. Only now you noticed how sweaty you were yet chills still shook your body. 

“Can you tell me what caused you this distress?” Seonghwa asked, tracing circles on the back of your hand. 

As you explained the envelope that had slipped in through your mail slot, and what the letter said, Seonghwa’s eyes grew concerned. 

“Have you considered telling the police?” 

“I don’t know if there’s anything they can do in practice.” 

“You could ask Yunho. He probably knows.” 

Your heart skipped a beat at the mention of Yunho. That man was most likely the one behind all of this! If you told him that you were going to snitch on him to the police, he’d kill you faster. 

“I can’t. Please, Seonghwa. Don’t tell anyone about this.” 

Seonghwa looked worried but gave a reassuring smile and a nod, “I won’t. Your secret is safe with me.” 

Once you two came back to the therapy room, everyone looked grim. 

“Y/N. I don’t want to worry you even more, but I think you need to hear this.” 

You gulped and nodded your head, giving Charlotte your permission to continue. 

“We noticed that the handwriting in the letter you received is same that in the threatening letters to San, Wooyoung and Yeosang.” 

Was that supposed to surprise you? The stalker, who had followed you home, and given the envelope and letter, was clearly trying to isolate you. He was trying to have you all alone, at his mercy, cornered like a mouse. 

“I understand your reaction, since this letter seemed quite scary, but I think there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Charlotte continued. 

“But this-” 

“It’s just your wild imagination playing tricks on you again. There’s no danger. Those letters were nothing but a stupid joke.” 

The rest of the session, you stayed silent, staring at the floor. Others were exchanging stories and experiences of their lives, doing what you should have done as well. 

But it wouldn’t be safe for you to tell anything more about yourself. The stalker was among the group, gathering more information about you every second. 

Every breath you took was pained, lungs feeling like they would rip from the massive amounts of air you took in to stay calm. 

The session went on and on, everyone seemingly relaxed. It was so unfair. So fucking unfair that you had to be the one, shaking in fear, when no-one but Seonghwa took your concerns seriously. 

After many excruciatingly slow minutes, the session ended and you were able to leave and go home finally. Although you weren’t completely safe at home either, it was the one place you could barricade yourself in. 

“Did you forget something?” Jongho’s voice startled you as you were walking out. 

Realizing you were supposed to talk to him after the session, you stopped in your tracks. That didn’t stop your shaking though. Even Jongho himself had said that everyone was a possible threat, including him. 

“Do you want to know why I wanted you to sit next to me?” 

“Yes, please,” you nodded, trying to keep your voice steady. 

You shouldn’t show any weakness in front of him. 

Jongho looked around, making sure everyone was out of earshot. Sounds of Wooyoung and San’s loud conversation somewhere echoed in the house but it seemed like they wouldn’t hear Jongho’s words. Jongho had a serious expression, a slight frown on his handsome face. He then turned his eyes on you, a hint of sympathy flickering in them. 

“I want to protect you. I know someone from the group is following you.” 

It scared you how observant Jongho was. What else did he know? 

“I have a proposal to you which may help.” 

Your ears perked up although you had already been listening almost too intently. 

“Go ahead.” 

Jongho’s voice was careful yet firm, like he knew what he was going to suggest would be difficult to hear yet a clever idea, “I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend.” 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<- Chapter 3.

Chapter 5. ->

Masterlist

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taglist: @devilzliaison

[mxrcjqckspnchqsc]

Lost You

Pairing: Max Mayfield x GN!reader

Pt1: Promise?

Summary: In which Vecna targets you instead of Max and she's scared of losing you

Genre: Fluff/Angst

TW: Near death experience, mentions of drug abuse, mentions of blood and gore, mentions of strong language, romance themes, and the usual stranger things theme.

A/N: Your favorite song is Everybody Wants to Rule The World by Tears for Fears. You sorta have to read the first part to understand this one, I said sorta because this one shot starts where the first part ended and stuff.

IT'S FINALLY HERE SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT GUYS I DIDN'T MEAN TO

Anyways enjoy this oneshot/imagine(that isn't proofread whatsoever)

You ran for what felt like miles, you panted now out of breath. When you realized that you weren't in your house anymore, it was red and clocks were floating. And when you turned around you was met with a dead Chrissy Cunningham, you also screamed at the sight.

"Y/n," Vecna's voice loomed the air. "It's time for your suffering to end."

You turned around and was face to face with Vecna, he backed you into a corner. Which was stupid on your part as vines began to wrap around your arms and legs.

"Let me go!" You exclaimed.

"Why should I? It's clear to see you're suffering out there." Vecna stared you down.

"You don't know anything!" You spat.

"Oh but I do, I know everything about you Y/n." Vecna revealed. "I know about your mother and her history with the pills, such a shame isn't it?"

"Shut up!" You screamed.

"I'm only telling the truth y/n, it's all your fault. You should have been more careful," Vecna looked into your eyes.

You tried to look away when you felt a vine making its way around your neck, choking you.

"There's a reason why you don't tell them the truth, why you don't tell Max the truth." Vecna spoke.

...

Dustin held the radio in his hand, listening to Robin's words as they came in and out. Apparently well according to Robin, music was the key to saving Vecna but what was your favorite song?

Dustin ran back to the group and took out everything from your bag.

"What's their favorite song?" Dustin asked the group.

"What? What does y/n favorite song have to do with this?" Max exclaimed.

"Well Robin said that the key to escaping Vecna is by listening to your fav- nevermind what's her favorite song?" Dustin exclaimed.

"Uh let me think!" Lucas exclaimed.

"We don't have time to think, Y/n is about to die right now!" Steve panicked

"They aren't going to die, just tell me what's their favorite song!" Dustin screamed at Steve.

...

"You're not really here," You said in between breaths.

"Oh but I am Y/n, I am here. And I don't plan on leaving,"

...

"Cmon, cmon," Steve mumbled to himself, why did you have so many cassette tapes in one bag?

"Tears for Fears!" Max exclaimed, out of nowhere. "That's their favorite band!"

And with that, the group began to look for the one cassette that they knew you owned by them.

"I found it, I found it!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Hurry put it on!" Steve exclaimed.

"I'm trying!" Dustin shouted.

"Hurry up!" Max exclaimed.

...

Tears welled up in your eyes as Vecna's hand went to go over your face, that's when you hear it.

"Welcome to your life"

Vecna turned around to see where the noise was coming from and that's when you saw them, saw her. They were screaming at you to wake up, hoping that you would. You saw yourself and you were flying? But that thought erased your mind when Vecna turned back to watch you again, you squirmed.

"It'll all be over soon," Vecna told you with his hand over your face.

Through his fingers, you were still able to see your friends. And you realized that you couldn't die now, they needed you, she needed you. Your favorite memories of them began to flood your mind, when you were truly happy.

The dice rolls to a 12, you did it. You won the game. Lucas runs up to hug you as did the others. They all began to cheer for you.

"You did it Y/N, you did it!" Lucas exclaimed.

"That was so amazing Y/N!" Mike agreed.

"You just have to play with us again!" Will smiles.

"Forever actually," Dustin added.

"I shall!" You laughed.

You thought of another memory with your friends, one in particular.

You and Steve were riding down the street, Madonna came on.

"Oh, this is my jam turn it up Steve!" You exclaimed.

"Oh my god," Steve mumbled but does what he's told.

You began to sing along to the lyrics with your fake microphone.

"And we're living in a material world and I am a material girl," You sung along, horribly which made Steve chuckle.

You glared at him before laughing with him, it felt like hours and you hoped it would never end.

Another tear rolled down your face as you remembered one more memory, of Max.

You had gotten a bad grade on a test, and you weren't happy about it at all. Max approached you and saw your face and knew what it was.

"Hey," Max greeted.

"Hey," You grunted.

"Wanna hang out at my house today?" Max asked.

"It's the middle of the week, Max, maybe this weekend."

"My mom said it's fine,"

"No she didn't," You replied instantly.

"Cmon just this once, we can rent that movie you wanted to see."

"Really?" You turned to look at her.

"Yes!" Max smiled. "Whatever it takes to make you happy."

"I'm the happiest when I'm with you," You admit, Max's cheeks flushed as your words as she smiled at you.

You gasped as your hand was now free and punched Vecna in the face, knocking him away from you.

"Help me make the most of freedom"

You fell to the ground, you tried not to care as you got up and ran towards the portal.

"And our pleasure, nothing ever last forever."

You ran closer and closer to it, Vecna tried to ruin your path. You tried your best to evade it and you made it to the portal.

"Everybody wants to rule the world."

You gasped as you fell down, the others began to surround you. Max hugged you tight. Steve wiped a tear from your face as he caressed your head, you hadn't realized you were crying.

"I'm okay, it's okay." You told them but you were really you were telling yourself that.

"That was scary Y/n, please don't do that ever again." Lucas says.

"I'll try," You smile at him.

"I thought I lost you," Max whispered.

"You'll never lose me Max, never." You told her and that was a promise.

[proshippers-against-censorship]

That anon might be right, maybe we need more positivity in the community. So here is some proshipper positivity and validation because I'm wearing yellow today!~

Minor proshippers are valid! The safety rules of the internet still matter but you're not being "brainwashed" for it.

Adult proshippers are valid! You're not a creep for being so.

Proshippers who have been here since the beginning of fandom are valid! Thank you for your service.

Proshippers who realized just yesterday are valid! Welcome to the community.

Proshippers who are ex antis, whether they used to harass or never harassed in the first place, are valid! Your actions in the past don't have to define who you are now.

Proshippers who are loud and vocal about it and posting about it are valid! Thank you for helping build community, be careful out there.

Proshippers who remain quiet and don't get into fandom drama are valid! Sometimes you just want the peace and quiet.

Proshippers who feel like they can't be themselves in certain spaces are valid! I'm sorry for your circumstances, hoping you'll find more acceptance soon.

Proshippers who are also com/ darkshippers are valid! Keep consuming your "problematic content".

Proshippers who only like peaceful themes in fiction are valid! You're not a "fake proshipper" because of that.

Proshippers who are picky with their "problematic" or non-problematic content and ships are valid! You still have your place here.

Proshippers who are paraphiles are valid! Your existence is not a threat, and you deserve support and outlets for yourself.

Proshippers who are/ were traumatized or mentally ill, whether that affects their stance or not, are valid! You deserve all the support you can get, not to mention com/darkship content *is* a healthy coping mechanism.

Proshippers who are not traumatized, or don't have trauma relating to the specific content they like, are valid! You don't need to be any certain way to be a proshipper.

And many more.

And thank you admin for running the blog, always remember to take care of yourself if it gets too stressful.

ᦗᦗᦗᦗᦗ

[forthechubbies]

Mommy Virgin ll // Alpha! Babydaddy! JJK x Pregnant! Chubby Reader

W! Strong Language¡!..Sexy buff men¡! Jk in uniform¡! Guess the guest star? Not a warning but 🤷🏽‍♀️

Pssst...if you're new, You might need this -> Mommy Virgin I

An eye-opening scenery opposite of once you closed them welcomed your weary eyes. The sun-kissed your chubby cheeks-Your..in a field...Again, your modesty was at stake this time around the bend.

The nightgown felt like a second layer of skin...clingy onto every curve on your body. You covered yourself from the chilling breeze.

Where's the solder? He didn't do this...Did he? But I would notice him carrying me.

Between the pervious nightmare and now, This place is heaven on earth-soft vibrate flowery fields was a sight for sore eyes. Yet, We all know since can change in a *Snap* especially in a dream.

"Are you alright?" This man was also dressed in military training attire. If his muscles and tattoos weren't intimidating enough then his piercings may do the trick...but he did had a charm to him. "Are you bleeding anywhere?" The soldier nonconsensually examined your bare legs something you didn't mind..honestly.

Only thing you could do was watch. You found yourself speechless over your new dreamland hunk much like Chu Buyeon. However Instead of long black hair, this guy's cut was short like the male leads in ceo themed K-dramas, his eyes were round and child-like, and his smile-

"Miss?" You appeared in a dazed state to the soldier. "Miss, I'm gonna take you with me for safety and medical treatment..."He attempted explained through your daydreaming.

As his large body crouch in closer, You sat still for the soldier as he carried you respectfully. He kept you close to his heart leaving you the perfect opportunity to read his name tag. Jeon.

About halfway through the journey you discovered a horrifying restriction in this dream, You weren't able to utter a word. You attempted to greet the soldier yet he didn't answer. He can't hear you.

"I'm sorry if I'm scaring you.." His voice was comforting. " I just wanted to get you into a safer place..not near the training grounds...it's not safe for citizens."

The soldier's handling of you resembles how a person treats glass.

Along the way, You can't help but notice his beautiful facial features. His brown eyes go deeper than you imagined, there's a cute mole under his bottom lip, a big cute nose, bunny teeth ♡ and chubby cheeks.

There's no way he's a soldier. You though throught the shock.

Before you could consent, you were in the arms of another man this soldier was bashful but crazy strong much like the bunny one. Woo read the patch on his chest. Woo's eyes widen at Jeon " Dude!" He was frantic. Women are strictly not allowed on base and for a good reason-the men. Woo restricted the entrances and blocked the windows. "What the hell?! Are you crazy or do you just have a death wise!?"

Woo kept his volume low ensuring he doesn't surprise you with his harsh tone to his comrade.

" I found her laying in the training fields. What else was I suppose to do, Do Hwan?.." Jeon took pride in lending you his aid regardless of the trouble that comes with you but it's not your fault in his eyes, you're a lost bunny (ironically). " If you were in my shoes you would have done the same thing." He stressed.

Woo could only sigh. "I'm sorry..I'm sorry.." He backed off - "It's just a really what the hell moment, right now."

" How do you think I feel? " Jeon added his horrifying experience. "I was scared shitless fucking running with her WITHOUT anyone seeing her." He reeks of fear.

Surprise! It's a Teaser! I'm sorry but it's more of a tester than Teaser. I'm getting writers block for this story but I love it so much. Please tell me if you like it.

[a-killer-obsession]

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

A search for a rumored Vegapunk weapon leads the Kid Pirates to an unexpected new crewmate, with a bloodlust that rivals their own and an incredible power.

CW: Please check AO3 for all current warnings, but general warning for smut, slow burn, serious gore, and really dark themes. AFAB reader, she/her pronouns.

Masterlist || AO3 || Chapter 1

Chapter 38 - Hea-T Go Home

Heat helps you with a painful problem, and Kid pulls his head out of his ass

Word Count: ~3.5k

Taglist: @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @iggy5055 @eyes-ofhell

A/N: uh.. had to add lactation kink to the tags cos of this one. Sorry/you're welcome?? Also don't deal with mastitis this way lmao, it's an old wives tale, some people swear by it but new research suggests other methods are safer. Probably just see a dr, tbh.

You could see the body of Dawn's mother laying on the rocks, red pouring from her body, limbs in unnatural positions, her eyes staring straight at you, boring into your very soul, making your blood run cold. The waves lapped at her misshapen body, her blonde hair almost glowing against the dark water under the half moon. “THIEF!” she suddenly screamed up at you, making you almost fall to meet her as you lost your footing for a moment, dirt and stone falling from the tall cliff and dusting her body. “YOU TOOK MY BABY! YOU STOLE HER, YOU KILLED ME AND YOU STOLE HER! YOU'LL NEVER BE HER REAL MOTHER! BARREN WHORE, NO WONDER HE DOESN'T WANT YOU!”

Her body flickered, as though it was hologram, and suddenly you were looking down at your own body, lilac strands stained scarlet as they bobbed in the rise and fall of the ocean. “It should have been you,” you spoke, cold pink-grey eyes filled with fury, “you should have died, they're all better without you”

Heat hovered over you as your eyes opened, a strained gasp escaping you as you struggled to catch breath. He was straddling your waist, careful not to put any weight on it, your wrists held firmly against your chest by his warm hands. The skin on your chest under them stung like you'd been clawed by a feral cat, your lungs heaving with every inhale and exhale that came hard and fast. You were hyperventilating, you realised. Heat made exaggerated movements with his mouth, trying to get you to follow his breathing pattern, trying to get you to slow your rapid breaths. You focused on his perpetually sad face, his dark eyes full of concern as they stared down at you, his expression relaxing as you finally synced your breathing with his. He let go of your wrists, flopping back to lay beside you and pulling you in close to his chest as a sob wracked through you, followed by more as tears began to spill. He held you close throughout, pressing kisses into your hair and rubbing soothing strokes up your back till you found the strength to calm down.

“You're okay now, Yin,” he soothed, “I'm right here. You're safe, you're loved, you're held”

You nodded in affirmation against his chest, his skin bare but wet with your tears. Your chest was burning, not just from what you realised were self inflicted scratches, but from the sheer pressure of milk in your breasts.

“Heat, it hurts,” you whimpered. He let you fall back a little so he could examine you. Your chest was red with grazes, but you hadn't drawn blood. Your tits were another problem on their own though, the left one entirely swollen and inflamed, almost solid under the pressure. He pressed the back of his hand to your breast and pulled it away quickly.

“You're burning up,” he replied, full of worry, “fuck, hang on”

He practically leapt from the bed, taking one moment to glance at Dawn and check she was still soundly asleep, before rummaging through his shopping bags. It'd only been a few hours since he'd gotten back, you'd barely both been asleep before your pained whines had woken Heat, finding you clawing at yourself and weeping in your sleep as the nightmare plagued you.

He found a book he'd been searching for and started flicking through it as he returned to the bed, brows furrowed in concentration as his finger ran down the index page in search of a relevant term before turning to the indicated page. “I think it's mastitis,” he told you after a moment of silent reading, still scanning the page, “it says it could happen if you didn't fully drain the milk or uh bacteria from baby's mouth or stress, there's other causes but I think those are most likely. It says we should drain it to relieve the pressure but you probably need antibiotics.” He sighed and put down the book, pinching the bridge of his nose, “we're gonna have to go see Mohawk. We can't just go back to the hospital here, the sudden baby is too suspicious and you can't walk there on your own while I stay with her, you're too delicate right now. It'll have to be Mohawk”

“Maybe we just start with draining and then see how it goes?” You suggested. You didn't want to go back to the ship till at least Kid apologised, maybe you could wait it out and he'd crack before you absolutely needed to see Mohawk.

“Okay,” he said nervously, “um… it says the best way to drain is with a pump or baby, but uh..”

“We don't have a pump, and baby is asleep and not hungry,” you realised, finishing his train of thought.

“Well, we do have a pump, the store clerk told me you'd need it,” Heat explained, “but it has to be charged, and all the parts need sterilising”

“I can't wait any longer,” you whined, “it hurts so much”

Heat could see the pain all over your face, and it broke his heart. He had to help you. Was it something he desperately wanted to do anyway? Perhaps, but he wasn't going to just steal from a starving kid. But you needed it, so he was allowed, right? Anxiously, and doing his best to not seem overeager, he brought his mouth down to your breast. You let out a gasp as he took it in his mouth, groaning around it as he suckled and the first warm spurts of sweet, thin milk coated his tongue. With a hand on the back of your head, he guided you to lay flat, the hand moving to caress your other breast, just breezing over it, he didn't want any of your milk to escape unless it was for his consumption.

He felt suddenly possessive of you, making small satisfied growls as he suckled, his hips rolling against the bed almost on their own as his erection grew. His eyes had fluttered closed as he drank you, hand sliding down your front over your bandages, running over the front of your panties. He knew he couldn't enter you, but fuck did he want to. He wanted to be deep inside you, pistoning you with his throbbing cock and feeling your cunt squeeze around him while you came, all the while drinking down your warm life giving liquid. You'd made it for him, he thought greedily, only him. Killer hadn't tasted you like this, it was all for Heat. You whined as his hand ran under the waistband of your panties, touching you with every bit of care he could manage, you back arching as his tongue lathered your breast and nipple, pulling every drop of milk you had. He wondered if this feeling was why you were always so keen to swallow his cum, the lewd and arousing notion of consuming fluid made by another. No wonder he loved eating you out. Fuck, that made him wonder what other kinks he didn't realise he had.

He almost choked as a thick glob of solidified milk hit his tongue, his eyes growing wide as you let out a whine, and suddenly it was like a dam wall had broken, your milk practically gushing into his mouth now that the clogged milk duct was open, milk escaping the corner of his mouth and dribbling down his chin as he greedily suckled. He ground his cock hard against the mattress, his peak so close, but you quickly found a way to break him, running your hand through his hair and moaning “good boy”.

He came with a deep groan, mouth unlatching from your breast to take a heavy breath, face pressed to your collarbone as his hips rolled and he rode out his high. All he could manage were stuttered curses, his pants soiled and sticky with cum. You pulled his hand from your pants, it'd felt nice but the doctor had told you strictly no sexual activity, warning that the strain of an orgasm on your muscles could cause injury. Quietly he returned his mouth to your breast, draining you completely before moving to the other. It wasn't swollen like the first, but what kind of man would he be if he didn't drain it anyway, just to be sure, for the good of your health of course. You happily let him continue, laying sleepily against the pillow as he suckled, your eyes heavy with sleep thanks to your nightmare and the contented feeling of Heat's mouth lavishing your chest. At some point you drifted off, Heat still fondling and suckling from you, a far more pleasant dream taking you this time.

Hours had past when you woke, and you sat up with a startle, on one part immediately concerned that you'd neglected Dawn, on the other confused that Heat was no longer beside you. Soft splashes of water and singing in a deep, scratchy voice caught your attention, coming from the bathroom where the light was on and the door was open. You didn't recognise the song, but you recognised Heat's voice. You'd only ever heard him sing a few times, when he was drunk enough to not care how hoarse he sounded, but it was definitely him.

You quietly slipped out of bed, taking wobbly steps to the bathroom door where a soothingly domestic scene was unfolding. Heat had some sort of pop up bucket thing setup on the bathroom counter, holding Dawn carefully in it with one hand so she wouldn't slip below the water, the other hand carefully tipping water over her hair with a cup to wash away soapy suds, the blonde tuft of hair slicking down with the water. Dawn was content trying to eat her fist, Heat's singing pausing for a moment so he could giggle at her and say “is that a tasty widdle hand?”

“You two look the picture of a family,” you said softly as you walked up behind them, wrapping your arms around Heat's waist.

“I didn't know you were awake,” he blushed, doing his best to finish washing Dawn but entirely distracted by the way you were nuzzling your cheek against his back. It was still bare, you guessed that was probably by design so he wouldn't get his shirt wet, though there was a small towel slung over his shoulder.

“Mmm, thanks for letting me sleep,” you mumbled, “does she need feeding?”

“Nah, gave her a bottle of formula,” he replied, “I hope that's okay, I was gonna ask but you looked so exhausted and the book said the mastitis was probably making you even more so. How are you feeling?”

“A little tender, but mostly okay,” you replied, “formula is fine, I never had much chance to think about it anyway, I just went straight to breastfeeding cos it's all I had”

“I got everything washed and sterilised, and the pump should be charged by the time you next feed,” he reported as he opened the towel a little and lifted Dawn to his chest, wrapping her in the soft white fabric. You let his waist go so he could move and giggled as he turned and revealed the towel was in fact hooded, with a tiny embroidered animal face and little bear ears.

“Cute!” You squeaked, absolutely overcome by how sweet Dawn looked with the little ears and her little wide eyes.

“She should be awake a little longer if you wanted to spend time with her,” Heat said as he moved back to the main bedroom where you saw now he'd laid out a padded changing pad on the dresser, nappy and clothes already set next to it, “She's been awake for a little bit. I fed her and changed her nappy, and we had some tummy time, the book said she needs a few minutes on her tummy a couple times a day, and then she did possibly the most explosive shit I've ever seen in my entire life, so we had a bath didn't we Dawn?”

“Ah, the infamous blow out,” you laughed, getting comfortable back in bed so Heat could hand her to you when he was done dressing her. You weren't supposed to lift anything, baby included, for another week or so. “Thanks for dealing with it, baby”

Heat blushed almost neon pink at the pet name, quickly finishing dressing Dawn and bringing her over to you. He was still pink as you took her, and you squinted playfully at him. “You okay babe?”

“Yup! I'm great!” He quickly replied, fleeing to the bathroom before the pink on his face could spread any further. You heard water draining as he emptied the little collapsible baby bath, and you realised from where you were that you could see his reflection in the mirror. You couldn't help but smile fondly at the goofy grin he had on his face, before his eyes flicked up to the mirror and met with yours. You stayed like that for a moment, just staring at each other, and it made you feel warm. You could feel his love, even from there, even through a reflection, and it made your smile grow even wider, his own grin reflecting yours.

A knock at the door ruined the moment, Heat's head perking up and looking at the door suspiciously as he approached it.

“Heat, I know you're in there, open up,” a gruff, frustrated voice came from the other side. Heat looked at you with a scowl, the sour expression not for you but for the man on the other side of the door. “I'm not here to fight, I just wanna talk” the voice continued.

“Unless you're here to apologise, you can get fucked,” Heat spat back. The uncharacteristic reply caught you off guard.

There was a heavy sigh from the other side, and a small thunk like a forehead was being rested against the door. “I am,” the voice replied, “I fucked up, please let me in. I can't just sail out of here without you, you're family, both of you. All of you, I mean”

Heat let out a sigh of his own and looked to you for confirmation. You gave him a short nod and readjusted your hold on Dawn, making sure she was held firmly in case the temper of your visitor changed. He threw on a shirt, and there was a click as Heat unlocked the door, opening it slowly to reveal Kid, his head hung in shame as he looked back at the firebreather.

“Package deal, Kid,” Heat reminded him as he stepped aside for the captain to enter, “her and the baby come with us, or I don't come back at all”

“I know,” Kid replied softly, “please come back. I know I said some fucked up shit, but I was just angry, I didn't mean it. I'm- I'm sorry Yin. I failed you as a captain. It's my job to keep you safe, nobody should be hurting you, not even the first mate, certainly not yourself. I should have been there too. I know I'm not your boyfriend or whatever but I'm your captain and your friend and I should have been there to support you when you were hurting. If you want this baby, I'm not gonna fight you on it. I know it's… I know it's not his but she's still yours so I'm still gonna treat her like any uncle should. If you can forgive me, and come home. The ship doesn't feel right without you guys”

You stared blankly at him for a moment. You hadn't honestly expected him to apologise, you were prepared to leave the ship for good. He had his soft side, you knew that, but he was also stubborn and arrogant and pig headed. It shook you a little, to hear him be so genuine and forlorn.

“And… Killer?” You asked hesitantly.

“He wants you back, needs you back,” Kid sighed, “but he knows it's not gonna happen overnight. He knows he fucked up, he's doing what he can right now to make things right for when, if you come home”

“He pulled his head out of his ass then?” Heat tsk'd.

“I think you did a pretty good job of pulling it out for him,” Kid replied, “he told me what you said. It was all true, and he needed to hear it”

“You talked to him?” You asked Heat.

“More like chewed him out,” Heat sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed next to you, “I bumped into him when I went for your mask”

“I know it means fuck all coming from me, Yin,” Kid continued, “but he's sorry, he really is. He probably would have come here with me but he's busy moving all his shit to your old room so you and the baby can have his”

Now that surprised you. “He's… giving me his room?” You asked, confused as to why he would do that.

“You can't fit a cot in that shoe closet,” Kid shrugged, “he said he's gonna keep good on his promise to turn that cupboard in the nav room to a nursery but for now you need the space his room offers. Wire already picked up a crib and he and Double are putting it together. We're just waiting for you three to come home. Mohawk managed to snag an eternal pose to the next island, so we can raise anchor whenever we want, but we didn't want to leave without you all”

It touched your heart to hear they could have already sailed away, but had chosen to stay. That in itself spoke volumes about the situation when you knew Kid was always eager to move along. Every day wasted was just another delay on his plans, and he was a highly impatient man.

Kid stood quietly while you thought about it, awkwardly shifting his weight between his feet. Heat looked at you discerningly, waiting to hear your decision. He would follow you to the end of the earth, he knew that now, so whatever you wanted would be what he went with, even if it meant abandoning the men he'd known as family for the last decade and a half. He'd leave them, for you, such was his love. His eyes widened hopefully though as you took his hand.

“Let's go home,” you smiled softly. He smiled and nodded back, relief washing over him. Kid let out a heavy, relieved breath.

“Thank fucking god, I thought I was gonna have to knock you both out and drag you back to the ship,” he admitted.

“You know you're no match for me,” you tutted. Heat was already up, packing all your things. He looked at the pile, then at you, then he forcibly pulled Kid's metal arm away from his body and started threading shopping back handles over it.

“Oi!” He protested.

“You want us home or not?” Heat scowled, continuing to pile bags up on Kid's arms, “she can't walk that far, she's still recovering from surgery. One of has to carry her, and it ain't gonna be you, you're not gentle enough”

Kid huffed indignantly but stopped his protesting, letting Heat load him up with bags till his arms were at capacity and he had to hold the last few against his chest. Heat really had bought a lot of baby shit.

He did one last check of the room before helping you into some loose pants, sticking your mask on your head and picking you up bridal style, Dawn held securely in your arms. Kid stared awkwardly at Dawn as Heat approached, seeing her in daylight for the first time, her blonde hair now dry and fluffy, her blue eyes wide and alert.

“Why does she look like him?” He asked, almost too quietly to hear, but you heard, and your face turned to anger.

“Do not say that again,” you growled, “she is not his”

“S-sorry,” he stuttered, using his devil fruit to unlatch the door and opening it with his foot so Heat could carry you past. He followed behind you, staring at Heat's back, his mind swimming and busy but at least a little lighter with the promise of bringing you all home.

Killer was on deck as you all returned, watching silently from the sidelines as Heat carried you to his your room, followed by Kid carrying mountains of bags. Just another way he felt he'd failed you, Heat had even had to provide for your baby, that should have been Killer's job. He sighed as he sunk back underdeck, returning to his room, still decorated in purples and yellows as you'd left it, and collapsing onto the dusty, long unused mattress with a heavy sigh.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

[musings-of-a-rose]

Jump Then Fall - Chapter 4

Pairing: Javier Peña x ofc “Vanessa Morales”

Word Count: 5000

Rating: M for mature - 18+ only!

Warnings: Please be aware there is an 11 year age gap. Mature themes and some canon mentioned. Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story.

Notes: Well, we've finally reached the end! I'm so sorry this took forever to get out. I really do love these 2 and would welcome any asks about them! When the story starts, Vanessa is 19 and Javier is 30 but in this part, Javier is 36 and Vanessa is 25.

**Shoutout to @vanemando15 for listening and bouncing ideas from me, and for her guidance with being a Latina herself. Without her, this wouldn’t even be a thing, just another line on my WIP spreadsheet. And also to my husband, who is also Latino and answered any questions I had (along with taking me to Colombia back in 2014). And to @wyn-n-tonic, who listened to my rambles and insecurities about writing an oc in first person.

**If you want to be added to the taglist, join here or let me know!

--If you like this, please let the algorithm know by reblogging! This way it can be shared with multiple people (it's how it works here. I don't make the rules!)

❤If you enjoy the fic, please consider giving me a warm beverage! (It is not required in any way!)

Jump Then Fall Masterlist

General Masterlist

Javier Peña Masterlist

<<Chapter 3<<

I don't see him until lunch the next day as he and Chucho had run into town for a few things. They both come in with some grocery bags and set them on the counter.

"They were out of broccoli so I got green beans. Will that work?" Chucho asks as he hands me a bag of fresh cut green beans.

I take them with a smirk. "Why do I get the feeling they weren't out and you just didn't want to eat the broccoli?"

"She's got you there, pops." Javier chuckles as Chucho punches his arm.

"Pendejo."

"Alright, alright. Get cleaned up and I'll make you both some lunch. Extra broccoli for you, old man."

Chucho hides a smile, grumbling as he heads upstairs to his bathroom. Javier stays in the kitchen with me, helping to unload the bags.

"New relaxation thing?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

"What?"

I gesture towards his mouth. "The chewing gum."

"Oh. Nope. Giving up the other one. I'm trying the Nicorette thing."

I close the refrigerator door and look at him. "Really?"

He shrugs. "It's a nasty habit, or so I'm told."

I turn away from him quickly, trying to hide the warmth creeping up at face at his use of my words.

"Well that person must be very smart to say that."

"I think so."

-------

I don't find the time to tell him the next day. Or the next. Or the next. Despite having a lot of chances to. Javier always finds his way to me around the house, chatting and asking me questions. I try to ask him some too, but his eyes grow dark and distant and he shuts in on himself, no doubt recalling the horrors of his time pursuing Escobar. I stop asking.

"Vanessa! We have to go or we'll be late to Danny's wedding!" Chucho yells up the stairs at me, just as I'm putting on my mascara.

"I'll be right down!" I take one last look at myself in the mirror, smoothing down my dress. It was bold, for me anyway. Spaghetti straps and a form fitting dress that stops just above my knee, a lacy slip over top of it all that's long sleeved. It's a dark green color, always one of my favorites. I'm not sure it's entirely wedding appropriate, but it's the only thing that I liked that fit me decent enough. My hair is down and loosely curled and I turn my head back and forth to make sure the bounce had stayed.

I grab my clutch and head downstairs. Chucho stands at the foot of the stairs, smiling at me.

"You look beautiful, Vanessa."

"You're just saying that so I won't make broccoli next week."

He chuckles and gives me a hug. "You caught me. Oh, when's Alex back?"

"Next week."

"Pops, we have to get going or we'll..." Javier comes walking back inside the front door, red flannel shirt tucked into tight jeans that hug his body in all the right ways. He stares at me, his eyes moving up and down my body until Chucho elbows him in the stomach.

"Fuck! You uh..you look uh nice, Vanessa."

"Nice?" Chucho says, chuckling in disbelief. "I thought you knew how to talk to women." He heads out the door, leaving Javier and I standing in the entry.

"You look really..handsome." I manage to choke out at Javier. "Now come on. Your dad will kill us if we're late."

I move to hop in the truck and then realize the stick shift will need to be right between my legs if I wanted to ride in the front.

"I'll get in the back," Javier speaks into my ear.

"No you won't. The bed is dirty and I will not have my son walking into church covered in-"

Javier puts his hands up. "Ok, ok. We'll figure it out."

I get in, taking Javier's offered hand to help me up into the cab. I slide across the bench, looking down at the gear shift as Javier slides in next to me. I try to move my legs but there's nowhere for them to move to.

"Tuck them next to my leg." I look up at Javier, the closest I've been to him since that night.

"Are you s-sure?"

"Yeah. I won't bite." I swear he mumbles "Unless you want me to" under his breath but maybe I'm projecting.

We make it to the church on time. Well, early actually as Chucho wanted "a good seat." We get out of the truck and to my surprise, Javier offers me his arm again. I take it, using him to help me out of the cab, smoothing down my dress when I finally plant my feet on the ground. But he doesn't let go, doesn't drop my arm, letting me choose if I wanted to hold onto him or not. I link my arm further in his, noting the small smile he's fighting to contain on his face.

I am very glad I chose to hold onto him. Not just because his touch is electrifying my body, but because the ground in the dirt parking lot is very uneven, the last rainstorm having put in several large potholes and what feels like millions of smaller ones. Javier saved me from falling right in the mud more than a few times. When we finally make it to the pavement, he still doesn't drop my arm, looking down at me with raised eyebrows, silently asking me what I'd like to do.

"Oh no. I'm attached now. If you let me go, I'll fall on my butt I know it."

He chuckles and covers my hand with his large one, engulfing mine. "I got you, baby."

We say our hello's to everyone as we enter and I feel Javier tense next to me at the amount of attention he's starting to receive. Many people wanting to shake his hand and tell them how proud they are of him, that he's a hero. He smiles, although it doesn't reach his eyes, and thanks them, shaking their hands with his free one. This happens several times on our way to the pew Chucho wanted and after the third time, I place my free hand over his, giving it a light squeeze. I can feel him relax into me slightly as the man in front of us thanks him yet again. But as the next person approaches, I cut them off.

"Juan, it's so nice to see you, but we need to sit. These shoes weren't made for real feet," I chuckle and nod my head towards my feet. "I swear if Javier weren't escorting me I'd be taking these things off or fallen on my rear end by now."

"Oh! Yeah go sit. See you later, Javs!"

We finally make it to our row and Javier gestures for me to go ahead. I make my way in, sitting down as Javier slides in next to me.

"Hey, thanks." He speaks quietly so only I can hear him.

"Yeah of course. Anytime."

Shortly after, the ceremony starts and Javier places his arm across the pew behind me and I will myself to not blush and just pretend like I'm focusing on the sermon, the priest now saying something about love and devotion in marriage or..something. I have no clue as I feel Javier stretch a little and slide a little closer to me in the pew, our hips almost touching.

The reception was beautiful, music starting up a bit later while everyone was eating. We finish eating and Javier turns to me, mischief in his eyes.

"Dance with me?" His hand is outstretched towards me and I take it without hesitation.

"Do you know how?" I ask as he pulls me to my feet.

"Do you?"

"Fair question."

He escorts me onto the dance floor, placing his hand confidently on my hip, the other taking my hand. The music starts and he spins us around, our feet moving together to the beat. His eyes are on me and mine on his, the air between us igniting with something that we felt 6 years ago.

That realization jolts me back to the present and I move my head next to his, looking over his shoulder. I really need to tell him. I catch sight of a blonde woman, about Javier's age, giving me a really nasty look. But then the songs ends and Javier pulls back.

"Thirsty?"

"Yeah."

We head back to the table and sit, several more people coming up to shake Javier's hand and tell him how proud they were, that he's a hero, all of it. I can see that far away look in his eyes, like he's here but not here. His eyes lock on something across the room and he leans towards Chucho and me.

"I'll be right back."

I watch him walk across the room towards the blonde woman who had given me such a nasty look earlier.

"Who is that?" I lean over to Chucho, nodding towards them. He glances up before looking back down at his plate of food.

"Lorraine. His ex."

"Oh. They serious?"

He takes a bite of his food and chews. "They were. But that was maybe 10 years ago?"

"Hhm.. how serious?"

"Well, they were going to get married."

"Oh."

Chucho looks at me and leans in. "He left her though. The day of."

"The day of...the wedding??"

"Not one of his best moments. But he was young and scared. And stupid."

I look over at them, a man now walking up to them and putting his arm around Lorraine.

"Well she seems to have done alright."

"Yeah. Married some banker or real estate guy or something. Seems happy. Couple of kids."

"Should you have told me this?"

Chucho gestures around at the room. "Everyone here was there that day. They all know. It's not a secret."

I nod, turning to look back at them when I see Javier turn, his hand doing that thing where it opens and closes, his bottom lip worrying slightly into his teeth. He stops a few steps away from Lorraine and looks back, watching as she picks up her kids and animatedly talks to them. When he turns back around, his face is full of regret and want, but I don't know if it's about her or the kids, his almost family. He walks through the room and out the back door.

"I'll be right back."

I get up and cross the room, heading out the door Javier did. I look around and see him sitting on a bench under a tree several feet out from the reception room. He pulls out some gum from his pocket and stuffs it in his mouth, his jaw chewing furiously. I walk up to him and he looks up at me, his eyes sad.

"Can I sit?" I ask, gesturing to the space next to him on the bench. He nods at the space, leaning back to put his arm across the back of the bench behind me.

"Thank you," I say to him after several moments.

He looks at me. "For what?"

"For...everything. I know you must have had to do some things you aren't proud of in order to catch a very bad man. I can't imagine how that must weigh on you, make you feel like you don't deserve praise. But you worked so hard and they took that ending away from you which was, excuse my language, very fucked up of them and you didn't deserve that no matter what you did, and I just....thank you."

His eyes bore into mine, shifting emotions behind them. Anger, regret, fear, disappointment in himself, disbelief, but then something else. Something softer as he focuses on me. His hand comes up to cup my face and I lean into it, loving the feel of his calloused hands on my skin. He leans in towards me, his eyes shifting down to my lips, his breath fanning out over my face.

"Wait. I have to tell you something, Javier."

"Can you tell me after we make out?"

Can I? No. No, Vanessa.

"I really think I need to tell you first."

He pulls back and it looks like it costs him a ton of effort, just like it did me to tell him to stop. He puts his hand on his lap and watches me, waiting for me to continue.

"Do you remember when I told you that Alex's dad had important things to do? And you thought he was giving me a line?"

He nods. "Yeah..."

"What if...what if that were you?"

He furrows his eyebrows together, confused. "If what were me?"

"If you had gone off to Colombia or were going off and you found out you'd gotten some girl pregnant?"

"I would have come home or not gone."

"Yeah, but wouldn't you resent them just a little for robbing you of this opportunity?"

He scoffs. "They would've saved me a lot of shit."

"You know that now. But then?"

He thinks for a moment. "I don't know. I can't say I wouldn't have been disappointed."

"Don't you think your kid would pick up on that?"

"I...I don't know. I didn't consider....Vanessa?"

I swallow down the tears that are fighting to escape my body. "Yeah?"

"How old is Alex?"

I take a deep breath and look him in the eyes. "6."

It takes him a few moments, probably doing the math in his head. But then his eyes widen and he pulls his arm from around me, scooting back a little.

"6?"

"Yeah."

He shifts on the bench. "Is he...who's his dad?"

I can't help the one tear that falls from my eyes. "Y-you are."

He looks at me before abruptly standing, pacing back and forth, his hand on his hip and the other pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm his dad? Me? Are you sure?"

"I've only ever been with you."

He scoffs. "It's been 6 years, Vanessa. You haven't fucked anyone in 6 years?" He stops to look at me and sees the truth in my face.

"I've gone on some dates, but nothing ever happened."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I can only tell you the truth, I can't make you believe it."

He laughs angrily, finally stopping in front of me, glaring down at me.

"Why didn't you fucking tell me?"

"I-"

"Did you not think I deserved to know?"

"I-I-"

"I would have stayed for you! I-"

I stand up and he backs up a couple steps. "That's exactly why!"

"What?"

"You would've hated us if you stayed. You would've resented it. You just said you'd be disappointed. You don't think we wouldn't have picked up on that?"

"You didn't give me a fucking choice, Vanessa! Does he even know me?"

"He doesn't know who you are. I told him you were a superhero, fighting a really bad man in another country. And that you'd come back when he was caught."

Javier hesitates a moment. "You never gave me a choice! I lost all of that time. I lost...FUCK! I can't even look at you!" He turns and walks away, past the parking lot and into the street, heading towards town.

I call after him but it's no use. I collapse onto the bench, my head in my hands, finally letting the tears out that I'd been holding back for so long.

-------

The next morning, I set at the kitchen island, a mug of hot coffee clutched between my cold hands as I wait for Javier. I hear the sounds of someone moving down the stairs and I sit up straighter, but Chucho enters the kitchen. I feel my face fall as he looks at me.

"I know I'm not a looker but-"

"Sorry, Chucho. I was expecting.." my voice trails off and he cocks his head.

"Javi? He left."

I sit bolt upright. "Left?"

Chucho pours himself a mug of coffee. "Yeah for Cali. Didn't he tell you? He was going to tell you last night that he was heading back. It was sort of a secret but I told him you'd probably notice if you were no longer sharing a bathroom."

I feel the blood drain from my face. "He's gone?"

Chucho turns, mug in hand and scans my face. "Yeah. I thought he told you? When neither of you returned to the reception, I assumed...well, I thought he'd tell you before he..."

Tears fall wet and hard from my already puffy face. Chucho looks alarmed but sets his mug down and pulls me to him, letting me soak his shirt as he makes calming sounds at me.

"I told him, Chucho. I told him about Alex," My speech is muffled but he hears it all the same.

"What happened?"

I tell him the entire conversation, how Javier just stormed off and how I expected to see him this morning, to apologize and tell him he doesn't have to be involved, that I can move out to make it easier. Chucho waves me off with that last one. "I would never make you move out. Javi doesn't cook nearly as good as you."

I give him a small smile, my shoulders still shaking from sobbing.

"Listen, Vanessa. I won't give you a lecture. You know my opnion and it's no use retelling you. But he knows now. Javier tends to run from things."

"So we're his latest Lorraine?"

Chucho cocks his head, thinking. "I doubt that very much. You're not Lorraine. He looks at you differently."

"Looked. I doubt he'll even want to see me again."

"Mm...let's just give him space, ok?"

"But what if he's down there another 6 years?"

"Something tells me it won't take him that long to think about things."

-------

Javier

It had been a month since Vanessa told him he has a kid. That he has a 6 year old son he knew nothing about, knew nothing about him. Except that he's a hero. Which is a lie.

The Cali Cartel had another 5 months before they would be "turning themselves in", which was a big joke. He had to catch them before the time was up so they could face actual justice and not this fake, bureaucratic bullshit.

He's tried to resort back to his old ways of dealing, burying himself in a woman. But when he tried to, he couldn't bring himself to do anything, let alone sleep with them. It was everything he could do to not pick up a cigarette, but his patience was wearing thin.

He tried not to think about Vanessa and her confession. But when the work day was over, and he went back to his penthouse the government provided, his brain would play that conversation over and over in his head. At first, he continued to remain livid, that she had denied him the choice of knowing his family, being with his kid. But then his dad's words echoed in his mind, the call coming the day he landed in Cali.

"That girl has been through hell, Javi. Don't be the asshole you claimed you wouldn't be."

"She didn't tell me I had a kid, dad. A kid! Who does that?"

"She was only thinking about you! This whole time, she was worried about your wellbeing. She didn't want you distracted or resentful, even if it cost her everything."

"What did it cost her?"

"Her parents! Her family, friends, her church. Ours welcomed her with open arms only because I was there to vouch for her. She was shunned from her entire life and still only worried about you. Don't be such a stubborn asshole."

He thought about Vanessa, so young and pregnant, trying to figure out how to tell her strict parents she was expecting despite not being married. Them kicking her out, closing her off from all of her friends and family, anyone who would support her. Her finding the strength and will to drive all the way back to Loredo to try and find him and discovering he would be away for an indefinite amount of time. What would he do in that situation? Run away from it, probably. Which she didn't have the option of doing.

He takes a swig of his drink, the ice cubes clunking against his top lip. He wants to meet his kid, Alex. Wants to tell him that the bad guy was caught and that he's back. Would he be back? It's probably good Alex doesn't know who he is, in case something happens to him here. But if he gets to go home, he knows he wants to be in his life.

What about Vanessa? Will she let him in their lives? Javier is pretty sure she will, even with the way he left. But what about her? If he's honest with himself, truly honest, when he looks past the anger, he sees her big eyes, the freckles on her cheeks, the sass she gives him in her quiet manner. And he thinks, no. He knows. He knows he loves her. He thinks she loves him. If she didn't, surely she would've told him long ago, not caring about his well being. But she had been so adamant about not telling him, wanting him to be safe.

He crosses his arms, pinching the bridge of his nose. Fuck, what was he doing? Granted he signed up to go back to Cali when they called him in, assuming that if he didn't they would throw him in prison. But honestly, he was ready to come back and actually be here when they get the bad guys. But then Vanessa came back into his life and now a kid.

Fuck, he's an idiot.

-------

Vanessa

6 months. It had been 6 months since Javier stormed out and ran away to Cali. Ok, run away was harsh as he went there for work, agreeing to it long before he knew I was here. But he hadn't called and I took that as a sign, no matter how many times Chucho said it doesn't mean anything because he doesn't call him either. He gets too caught up in his work.

It's the start of summer, the windows are open to get a cross breeze coming through the house. I do miss the ac back home, but I'll take Chucho's home over the one I grew up in any day, heat or no.

Alex got a new book and I hadn't seen him for a couple hours as he's spent them in his room, devouring the latest in his series. He did come out once, nose buried in the book, to ask me for a snack.

I finish washing his cup, setting it on the rack to dry. I stare out the little window over the sink, watching Chucho putter about between the barn and the shed, thinking about the animals and how hot it's going to get out there. I know they're used to it, but still. I'' have to get some extra ice trays at the store so I can throw some more in their water troughs. Chucho says that's why they all like me so much.

Suddenly, I hear heavy steps on the wood floor behind me, much heavier than Alex's. I spin, my hand gripping the cast iron pan that was sitting there. But when I fully turn, I nearly drop the pan.

Javier is there, standing in front of me, his chest heaving, a small bead of sweat sliding down his neck and onto his chest, which is slightly exposed by his several undone buttons in his lavender purple, button up shirt.

"Javier, I-"

"Sshh. I'm sorry."

"What?"

He takes a few steps towards me. "I never should have just left. I at least should've told you about Cali."

"No. I'm sorry. I should've told-"

He's only a couple steps from me now. "No, it's ok. I understand. You were thinking about your family. About how it would affect even me. you did what you had to do."

This was not what I expected. He reaches for the pan, still clutched in my hand. He takes it and sets it on the counter behind me, leaning close to me. He looks down at me, his hand coming up to cup my cheek and I inhale sharply at the sensation.

"You're so brave and I'm a fucking idiot."

"You have every right-"

He pulls me to him, gently pressing his lips to mine, giving me time and space to stop him. But what he doesn't know is his touch has sent me spiraling, spinning away into the sky. And when his tongue slides into my mouth, my body trembles slightly, my hand coming up to mindlessly grab onto his arm. But then he pulls back, staring into my eyes.

"I'm in love with you."

My stomach lurches, a thousand butterflies being released in my body at his words. Love? He loves me? I never thought I'd hear those words from anyone, let alone the man I've loved since I was 19. The reason none of my dates every worked out.

"And it's ok if you don't-"

"I love you too."

He smiles, a real smile that lights up even his eyes, both of his hands now cupping my face. "Really?"

"Why do you think none of those dates ever worked out? It was always you, Javi."

He kisses me more passionately now, his hand leaving my face to grip my hip, pulling me against him. I feel him through his tight jeans, pressing into me and I groan a little in his mouth.

"Fuck, you're so intoxicating. It was killing me not to kiss you."

"Mmm." Is all I can manage to say. But then I remember we're not alone, not this time.

"Do you want to meet him?"

Javier pulls his face back from mine. "He's here?"

I nod. "Yeah. Reading, upstairs."

He shifts, tugging on his pants. "Hell yeah I want to meet him. But uh, give me a sec?"

I glance down and chuckle. "Maybe I can help you with that later?"

He groans. "You aren't helping any now."

He turns and walks out the back door and I see him say hi to his dad, embracing him. Chucho watches him for a moment and then a smile appears and he claps him on the shoulder. I can only assume he's telling him he's going to meet Alex. Javier comes back inside, taking a deep breath.

"Ok, I think I'm ready."

"Alex! Can you come downstairs for a minute?"

Small feet patter across the floor upstairs and make their way down, Alex appearing in the kitchen a moment later, his book still propped open in his hand.

"Mom, I was at a really good part!"

"Alex, I have someone I want you to meet."

"Can it wait?"

I kneel down to get on his level, his eyes, so like Javier's, staring back at me, sensing the seriousness.

"Alex, meet your dad, Javier."

Slowly he turns, looking up at Javier who waves at him awkwardly. "Hey, kiddo. I uh, got the bad guy. I'm sorry it took me so long."

Alex continues to stare at him for a moment. Then he throws his precious book to the floor, running full out towards Javier, who throws his arms out at the last minute as Alex leaps into them, nearly knocking him over.

"Dad? It's really you?"

"It really is."

Alex clutches onto him, tears in both of their eyes. "I always dreamed of meeting you! This is the best day of my life!"

Javier hugs him tight, fighting back the tears that are quickly gathering in his eyes. "This is the best day of my life too, son."

-------

2 years later...

I load up the old tractor with a couple of picnic baskets, 4 large thermos full of homemade lemonade next to them. I close the back and carefully hop up, driving slowly across the property, a smile on my face. After a while, I pull up to the 3 men in my life: Chucho trying to carry wood by himself, Javi yelling at him as he runs to help him, and Alex, hammering away at a spare piece of wood. They were at the back end of the property repairing a downed section of fence. Javier sees me pull up and he rushes over, offering me his hand to help me down.

"I wish you hadn't driven this thing."

"Well if I walked, it would've been dinner by the time I brought your lunch."

"Mom! Watch me!" Alex starts hammering on a piece of wood Chucho had laid in the ground, Javier moving to help him pound it in further.

"My strong man!"

"Son, gather up the tools and put them in the box. We're taking a break for lunch."

Alex starts to look around for the tools as Javier turns back to me. He wraps his arm around me and leans in to kiss me, sliding his tongue over my bottom lip.

"Now now none of that. That made this happen," I rest my hand on my enlarged belly as Javier leans down, planting a kiss to my stomach before standing back up. He leans close to my ear.

"I plan on putting as many kids in you as you'll let me."

I slap his chest, but the thought warms me. "Let's just see how these 2 go first, yeah?"

He smiles at me, kissing me again before lifting Alex into the back of the trailer, helping me to set up the picnic lunches I had made for all of them. As we stare out at the river, a boat comes through, obviously carrying illegal items, most likely drugs. Javier stiffens, but then looks around at us.

"I'm done. I've done all I can. Now I just want to spend my life with my family."

-------

General Taglist:

@frankie-catfish-morales @chaoticgeminate @janebby @astoryisaloveaffair @balekanemohafe @greeneyedblondie44 @hoeforthefictional @marvelousmermaid @hauntedmama @icanbeyourjedi @wretchedmo @sunnshineeexoxo @livingmydreams13 @adventures-of-a-noodle @sara-alonso @theewokingdead @punkerthanpascal @giggly-otter @f0rever15elf @phandoz @gallowsjoker @lovesbiggerthanpride @booksarekindaneat @charlispersonallyhell @xoxabs88xox @amneris21 @gooddaykate @avengers-fixation @paintballkid711 @harriedandharassed   @ladykatakuri @practicalghost @withakindheartx @batdarkladyvampir @justanotherkpopstanlol   @mermaidxatxheart @alexxavicry @justreblogginfics @kmc1989 @veryprairieberry @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @heartpascalispunk  

[fandxmslxt69]

CLEM'S BIRTHDAY HANG OUT!!

Hello friends!

As March comes to an end (my birth month wooo) I thought it would be a fun idea to have a little hang out during the last week! So from March 25 - 31 we are PARTYING !

Sort of!

My askbox is open to all sorts of silly dilly fun time! This is my first little hang out so PLEASE BE KIND TO ME i'm just a silly girl who wants to make friends and have some fun! I'm also hoping this might get me back into writing!

Yes, the poster is all Loki NO HE'S NOT THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION!! Here's a little info I guess (I am just winging this as we speak, it is not very thought out):

Rules & Info

The event will run from 03/25 to 03/31 - you can send in as many asks and hang out as much as you would like!!! No I will not kill you if you drop a hello in my askbox start of April - to be honest, I love friends so I won't ever turn anyone away

You can stop by my askbox to say hi, share some thoughts (or thots...) tell me anything, or play a game! (will talk about that in a bit)

Anyyyyoneeee is welcome I don't care if we aren't mutuals or we don't even talk, STOP BY AND SAY HI :D If you are rude or disrespectful in any way, I will kick your butt and break your nose.

This is a positive, fun zone. I just want to have my fun and mind my business, please don't be trying to cause problems. I'm a relatively small blog so thankfully no one really looks my way but I've had some bumps in the past.

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME DOING THIS AND IM LITERALLY GOING TO DIE FROM NERVES SO BE PATIENT WITH ME OKAY

Games:

Fuck, marry, kill - send me any three characters that you want me to decide a fate for....oh my god please don't make me kill anyone I love dearly....

Blurbs!! - send me a little prompt/kink/thought & a character and I will try SOOOOO HARD to put out a little itty bitty something of writing! Like 500 words or so!! Can be fluffy or smutty. Angst is not allowed unless its just a LITTLE sad and with lots of fluffy stuff after

Character Association - tell me about yourself and let me give you a character. This is literally my favourite game ever, and I swear I'm super good at it

Book Recs - tell me your reading vibes/popular tropes you like and I will give you FIVE (not one, not two, but FIVE!!!) book recs because I like talking about books. If you show up talking about non fiction, then sorry but I am not your gal at all.

Chat - Come talk!! Come chat!! Come say hi and giggle with me about anything!! Come be crazy with me over narratives and themes and character arcs!!! Tell me about school or your day, your OCs, latest WIPs or anything currently on your mind!

Okay that's all I could come up with but literally any and all games are free game. I am keeping this as chill and lowkey as possible.

Characters/Fandoms:

You guys already KNOW my vibes and what I'm around and what I'm not, so feel free to send anything! I float around Marvel/DC (just send in any character and if I don't vibe with it I'll just let you know or leave it unanswered), I think it's obviously I'm Oscar Isaac obsessed....um. Pretty much anything. It's free game and I'll put my foot down if I'm down okay with something or don't want to answer :D

I'm..about to tag some friends...if that's okay...

@divine-knight-hand @romanarose @sarahscribbles @lokischambermaid @lokisgoodgirl @sailorholly @in-som-niyah @fictive-sl0th @mischief2sarawr @saturn-rings-writes @superficialdomina @planetwaynez...and I can't remember anyone else now I'm sorry LMAO

KISSES EVERYONE <3

Clem

PS: If you're worried whether I'm comfy or not or familiar with a character or not, just send it in anyway and we'll figure it out from there!

[draw-your-self-ship]

Welcome to Draw Your Self Ship!!

-> This is a blog for self shippers to find and submit art prompts for their ships, F/Os, self inserts, AUs, and more! Gushing is also welcome and highly encouraged, no passes required!! Feel free to use this as a sort of imagines blog if you aren't a visual artist or creator as well!

-> This blog is run by an adult, but will NEVER have NSFW or any dark content. All ages are welcome to interact, follow, and submit prompts!

-> Everyone is welcome here except for pro//shippers, those who self ship with real people, adults who self ship with minors, and anyone else who meets general DNI criteria (TERFs, transmeds, exclusionists, bigots, etc.). Please keep this space discourse free!!

-> If submitting an image such as a base, a Draw the Squad, or any "Your Character Here"s (YCHs), please add credit to the original artist of the image and please make sure they are free for everyone to use! Many bases require payment and most YCHs are only for the creator's use. I can assist when needed in finding image sources, but please keep in mind I do not have all the time and energy in the world. PINTEREST DOES NOT COUNT UNLESS NO OTHER SOURCE CAN BE FOUND.

-> If you want me to reblog the art you've made with a prompt, feel free to @ this blog or send the post in an ask or DM (which ever you're more comfortable with! ^w^) In addition to all of the blog-specific tags detailed below the cut, all blogs/users, sources, characters, and ship names/tags (if available) will be tagged for filtering purposes. Please note that I get a lot of notifications and I do not always have the energy/time to sort through them to reblog art and prompt fills. I'm trying my best, however!! <3

-> This is a side blog! My main is @jay-sketchin and my proper self ship blog is @coles-scythe. My rentry on my self ship blog has my F/Os and those I am uncomfortable sharing (only two!) For those who aren't checking out my other blogs, I go by Jay and use they/them + he/him pronouns!

-> Please check the tag "layout credit" for all layouts, dividers, and other images used for this blog, both present and past. If there is no credit for a theme or elements of a theme, then I am the creator of those themes/edits! As of June 2024, the character featured is Saki Izumo from D4DJ!

(Minor disclaimer: Saki is not an F/O of any type to me. She’s currently the character voted to be used as a theme by the followers of this blog.)

Blog Tags:

♥ Prompt: Romantic F/O

💛 Prompt: Platonic F/O

💙 Prompt: Familial F/O

💗 Prompt: Queerplatonic F/O

💘 Prompt: Crush F/O

💞 Prompt: Multiple F/Os

⛵️ Prompt: Self Ship

👤 Prompt: Self Insert

💌 Ask: Prompt

💌 Ask: Submission

💌 Ask: Gush

❌️ Not A Prompt

♻️ Reblog

♻️ Self Reblog

♻️ Prompts Used

Trigger tags = "tw (trigger)" + "(trigger) tw" Common triggers I am aware of will be tagged, but if anyone needs anything else to be tagged please don't hesitate to ask!

I cannot tag user-specific filters like "(name) don't look". Sorry!

[petrichor-idyllic]

Hi! Maybe a Minho x reader where the reader is already in the safe haven, and is doing some gardening while singing or dancing and minding her business and Minho sees her and recognizes her from before the maze trials but not entirely, and he feels attracted to her and tries very hard to get her attention and it's all flirty but also funny and a little embarrassing. Like an aftermath and it's all fluffy and cute and maybe a little spicy in the end:D

Man, your ideas are always so good. I absolutely love writing your requests omg.

MIRAGE OF THE PAST

MASTERLIST | MINHO MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: See above. Fem!Group B!Ex-Runner!Reader x Minho. Kinda movie based fic.

WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, some suggestive themes, spice at the end, reference to Newt's death (sorry), group B slang from the wiki page but they might be fanmade but I'm going with it.

"Come on, Minho," Frypan groans as the remaining Gladers sit around the burning bonfire, "there's gotta be at least one girl here that you want."

This conversation had been going on for the past few weeks. Once the initial shock of surviving and escaping to the Safe Haven passed, the other boys (apart from Thomas) immediately started scoping out the women. Watching Gally and Frypan attempt to flirt with anything with tits is admittedly quite funny.

But Minho's not interested. Not only does he have to deal with the trauma of being tortured for half a year, but also the death of his best friend.

Romance had never been something he particularly took interest in, even if a girl would have come up in the Glade, or when girls started joining the group.

Sure, it's not like he doesn't have any frustrations or urges. He didn't really have much of an outlet for that kind of thing during his pubescent teenage years- and he figured years of pent-up sexual energy would've started to actually affect him by now. Especially with no Maze or WCKD to distract him.

But not really. Not at the moment.

"Dude," he grumbles, swirling the contents of his glass, "I'm telling you; I do not care."

"There's something shuckin' wrong with you, man," Gally scoffs, entertained more than anything as he drops his head. "There are girls eyeing you up left, right and centre- and you're telling me you don't care?"

Minho had obviously noticed the attention on him, but he'd always known he was good-looking. Even back in the Glade. The attention is, admittedly, an ego boost. And he enjoys watching his friends grumble and complain when some anxious girl approaches them, only for her to want Minho and leave with her tail between her legs.

"Nope- there's no one here I want, okay? Leave it."

Well, Minho was wrong.

The next day, he'd got roped into helping Thomas and Gally move bags of produce and seeds. Vince was too busy running the place, as per usual, so his normal daily tasks got thrown onto Thomas- something that he welcomed with open arms.

And that's when Minho saw you.

You spend a lot of time in the gardens- it's probably your favourite place in the Safe Haven. Similar to Minho, you ran the Maze in Group B, but you'd always had an affinity for plants and used to use the Gardens to calm down after a hard day. Now, it's more like using the plant life to relax after a hard life.

You prune away at the plants as you hum to yourself, dancing around and replaying the drums in your head from the previous night.

Thomas notices Minho's hesitation as he slows down, watching you from a distance. Gally is quick to also slow when he realises both of his colleagues have stopped moving.

Minho pays no mind to them. He's hit with a weird wave of nostalgia as he watches on, unconsciously admiring you. You're gorgeous; wearing the same casual clothes as everyone else, a jacket tied around your hips and your hair in a style he's already decided is his favourite.

What makes Minho's heart jump is when you flip the knife you're holding, tossing it into the air and catching the blade before throwing it. You're still dancing around and bobbing your head as the knife sinks into one of the wooden supports for a weak plant. It hits with a thud, easily holding in place and staying there as you crouch down to pick a tomato, mindlessly tossing it into a nearby basket.

Minho blinks. Processing what the hell just happened inside of him. The way you acted and how casually you just did that left some kind of impact on him.

Was that... hot?

Is that what the other boys call attractive?

Whatever. He can get over that. What he can't get over, however, is the strange feelings of familiarity he's experiencing. He knows you.

Somehow, he knows you.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" You perk your head up, looking in the direction of Sonya's voice as you stand up. She struggles through the shrubbery as you chuckle, slipping your hands into your pockets.

"Hey, Sonya. You good?"

"Yeah, Harriet, Aris and I are gonna grab a drink later, if you wanna join?"

"Uh, I don't know, man- maybe another time."

She groans as you turn back to your plants, dramatically flopping over you and throwing her arms around your shoulders. "C'mon," she drags out the word, "we never see you, anymore."

"That's not true," you gently and playfully shrug her off. It's kind of true.

You'd be lying if you said you hadn't become kind of elusive since you'd come here. You'd decided to enjoy your peace, and you were never a people person. But here, you don't have to protect everyone and stress about getting out of a deadly Maze. So, now you keep to yourself. You don't tend to join in on the late night drinking or partying. You've become a teenage Grandma.

"Dude," she crosses her arms, face suddenly serious, "one night. Hang out with us. Please."

"I'll think about it." You scratch the back of your neck, throwing your head back and stretching. You pull it back up, catching someone staring at you from across the sand.

Minho instantly tenses the second you make eye contact. Red starts to dust his cheeks as he pulls his gaze away.

Shit.

Gally barks a laugh. "Wow, Minho," he snorts, and even Thomas laughs along. "Thought you weren't interested in anyone?"

"Slim it, shuck-face," Minho grumbles as he walks past, his head dipped low as he tries to avoid your attention.

What is happening to him?

"Is it just me, or was Minho totally just staring at you?" Sonya asks, even though you shrug it off, returning to your work.

"Who?" You practically hear Sonya's neck snap with the speed she looks at you.

"Who? Did you seriously just ask me who? Uh, Minho? The hot Asian dude that was just completely gawking at you?"

"Never heard of him."

"Are you kidding me? He's the guy that everyone spent months tryna save from WCKD."

"We spent months tryna save all of you from WCKD."

"Yeah- but Thomas and Newt broke into WCKD Headquarters for him. He's kinda a big deal, dude- and half the girls here have a thing for him."

"Sounds like quite the catch," your tone is dull and results in Sonya rolling her eyes.

"Just... just come hang out with us later? We miss talking to you."

"Alright, finch-face," you huff, "I'll have a couple drinks later if it gets you off my dick."

Sonya seems satisfied with this, leaving you to it. To your own surprise, your mind wanders to the boy. You'd never been one for attention, and you'd not really had any advances here. So, why do you feel flustered at this random dude staring at you?

You, in fact, do not meet them later for drinks. But you do promise another time.

Minho, on the other hand, spends the next week watching you every chance he gets. Thomas and Gally silently agree to keep it between themselves, but it's kind of hard.

He feels creepy and stalkerish. But he can't help it- you're just so perfect and he's never been this anxious to talk to someone ever. He wants to talk to you, but he just can't bring himself to.

After much consideration, you decide to actually join your friends for one night.

The girls are very happy to see you and you offer a friendly hug to Aris, joining them and Brenda around the campfire.

Minho takes note of this, watching you laugh and chatter, the flames dancing off of your skin and the drink swirling around the glass in your hand.

Gally nudges his friend, caving in and having to gossip with someone else. "Fry, have you heard?"

"Hm?"

"Minho, here, is in love." Thomas snorts into his drink, having to put it down so he doesn't choke.

"Shut up, Gally- I am not." Minho kicks him.

"What? Have I missed something? With who?" Frypan, not very subtly, tries to get a glimpse of you.

"Shuck's sake," Minho grasps at his friend, forcing him to sit down, "Fry! Stop!"

"What? What? Is she hot?"

"Yeah, she's hot," Gally scoffs, earning a glare from Minho. "Think she's called (Y/N), or some klunk."

Frypan's face contorts into a grin. "Ha, (Y/N)? No way."

"What? You know her?" Minho blinks at his friend, shocked because no one else seems to know who you are.

"I mean, Brenda knows her-" he leans further forward in his seat "- she's from Group B, used to be a Runner for them. Don't really know much, but they all make her sound like the best of the best. Sonya and Harriet think the world of her."

"Wait," Thomas interjects, "if she's so close with them, how come we don't know who she is?"

"She's not much of a people person," Frypan shrugs, "prefers to be on her own- does her own thing kinda deal. That's what it sounds like at least."

"Great, that means you don't have any competition, Minho," Thomas grins at his friend. "Why don't you just go talk to her?"

"No."

"Why not?" Thomas' smile immediately vanishes. He knows Minho better than most people here. He thinks getting to know someone new could do him some real good.

Minho falls into silence. What reason does he have to not talk to you? Is he just scared? The man has risked his life literally every day for as long as he can remember but he's scared to talk to a girl?

Sounds about right.

"Well," Gally slaps his legs as he stands up, "if you won't talk to her, guess I will."

You could hear the cogs turning in Minho's head as Gally starts to walk towards you. There's no way he's about to watch Gally take the only girl he's literally ever taken any interest in.

The chair moves back as Minho stands up.

Gally gets to your group, opening his mouth but no words come out as Minho is quick to reach him.

"Hey," Minho has absolutely no idea where he's going with this, awkwardly standing with his hands in his pockets as he hovers over the group. Sonya looks at you, repressing a smirk at Minho's slightly shifty stance.

"Hey, Minho," Brenda smiles at her friend, oblivious to what's going on. "You okay?" Gally smirks, making eye contact with Sonya, raising his eyebrows slightly before walking away and returning to the other boys.

"Uh, yeah, just uh, thought I'd come say hi," Minho flinches at his own words, visibly cringing as his confidence dwindles.

"Well, uh, hi?" Brenda is visibly lost whilst Harriet is quick to catch on, also being told by Sonya what happened prior.

"Minho," Harriet, the boldest of the group, decides to move this forward, "have you met (Y/N)?"

Oh no.

"Uh, I don't- no, we haven't met." Minho is having some kind of internal panic attack. The poor boy is going to pass out any second.

"Well, (Y/N) here was our best- she basically ran the joint when I was busy."

"That's not true," you look at him, immediately shutting down Harriet's bragging. He feels very small under your gaze.

"Nah, it is- stop being so humble."

"So, you were a Runner?" You blink at this question.

"I... I never told you that?" Minho freezes. Ah, yes, me and my friends weren't just talking about you or anything. Totally.

"Uh, yeah, I'm just assuming, yanno?"

You shuffle forward, trying to hide the smirk threatening to cross your lips. "Yeah, I was a uh, what did you call it? Runner?"

"Yeah, were you a Keeper?" You blink at him, not understanding the slang that differentiates between the Glade and the Glen.

"What's a Keeper?"

"Oh, it's, like, the person that's incharge of the section."

"Oh, like a Jailer?"

"A Jailer?"

"Yeah- I guess what you called Keepers we called Jailers. But, no, I wasn't a... Keeper. Just did my job, stick."

"You shoulda been a Jailer, finch-face," Harriet complains, adding to an argument that you'd been having for a while.

"I didn't want to be a finching Jailer, Harriet."

"Yeah, but you woulda been so good at it."

"How are we still arguing about this?" Aris asks, earning a chuckle from you.

"Minho was a Keeper, though, weren't ya?" Brenda butts in.

"Oh, yeah?" Maybe Minho is hallucinating, but your tone sounds almost flirty, "What was that like? Can't have been easy tryna look after a bunch of boys."

"Eh, I didn't mind it. Kept me busy and I knew the Maze like the back of my hand- which made my job easier."

"Wow, that's quite the feat- I didn't even remember the Maze that well."

"Yes, you did," Harriet jumps in, and you send her a confused look.

"No, I didn't?"

"Yeah, ya did- I've been out there with you."

"No, I used pattern recognition to figure out what was coming next."

"Same thing."

"That is not the same thing," Minho defends you, almost naturally, which shocks himself.

"Exactly- you gonna argue with with two Runners?" Harriet puts her arms up in defence, accepting her defeat.

The conversation starts to flow more naturally, and Minho eases. You leave for a second, going to get another drink. This is going well. Minho has absolutely nothing to be worried about, and apparently, Gally is a decent wingman. Who would've thought?

Well, you approach again, not saying anything as someone shouts Minho, making him turn around without realising you're standing right behind him. He knocks into you, sending your drink into you chest, spilling it everywhere.

"Shuck," he hisses, watching you pull your lips into a fine line. The liquid drips down your chin and stains your favourite shirt, causing it to stick to your chest- something that Minho tries to not act weird about. "I'm- shit, I'm sorry."

You put the glass down on a nearby crate being used as a table. "It's fine," you say through gritted teeth. "I'm gonna call it a night, anyway."

You suck on your teeth. This is why you don't like people. You don't have problems like this without other people.

"Aw, what?" Sonya complains, but you're already walking away, wiping your face with your hand. "(Y/N)!"

Minho groans, rubbing his face before making eye contact with Brenda. "Smooth."

You resort to your typical demeanour, spending your time in the gardens and ignoring everyone.

"Have you tried actually flirting with her?" Brenda suggests, no fully in the loop even though it wasn't exactly hard to miss. Brenda, Minho, and Gally sit around a table, taking a break from the days workload.

"I spilt her drink down her- I don't think she'll appreciate me flirting with her." Minho huffs.

"She's pretty forgiving. You might as well try."

"I don't- I don't even know how to flirt with a girl- what do I even do?"

"Try and touch her as much as possible, tell her she's hot and that you wanna-" Gally's input is cut off by Brenda punching him in the arm.

"Just talk to her, compliment her, let her know you're interested and then let her make the move- don't listen to Gally, that'll just make her uncomfortable."

"How do you know?"

"Hate to break it to you, Gally, but I happen to be a woman."

"Yeah, but, I mean.." Minho stands up, sick of his friends bickering and all the teasing. He'll just take Brenda's advice and talk to you. It was easy enough last night, for the most part.

"What do you want?" You say before he even opens his mouth. You're crouching down, planting even more seeds in your already overgrown garden.

Not a great start.

"I, uh, I just wanted to apologise for last night. I didn't realise you were stood there and-"

"I already told you; it's fine."

"Yeah, but still," he sighs, "I feel like kind of a slinthead."

"I don't know what that even means."

"Right," he pauses, Brenda's words circling his head. Maybe he should try a compliment. "You, uh, you look pretty." You pause, not really saying anything for a second.

"Do I?" You're covered in dirt and in your gardening garb.

"I mean, yeah. I mean I think you look pretty- I mean you do look pretty- you are pretty- you look good, even when you- you always look good."

You look at him, a lop-sided smirk appearing in your face. "You wanna try that again?"

Obviously, you've noticed Minho's attraction to you. Actually, you've been told it both from your friends and from Brenda. This morning she came over basically begging for you to give Minho a chance, only to be pulled away by Jorge.

It's actually kind of cute.

"Shuck, I'm bad at this," he mumbles, "Yeah. Could I?"

"Be my guest."

"I think you're beautiful, (Y/N)," he says after a second to gain his composure.

Something about this clicks in your head. Your heart rate picks up as you look at him. For a moment, you understand the hype around Minho. He's objectively attractive, and him being an anxious stuttering mess around you is somehow only making him more appearing.

You stand up, scoffing to yourself. "Thanks, Minho."

God, his name sounds so good on your lips. He could listen to you say it all the time. He wonders how else it would sound when-

He stops himself.

It took you saying his name for his mind to start going in that direction? Maybe he's more worked up than he thought.

"Hey?" You wave your hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his trance, "You good?"

He cleats his throat. "Yeah, I'm good."

"You just gonna stand there or gimme a hand?"

"Uh, sure- yeah." You throw a bag of seeds in his direction. He fumbles slightly, but he catches it, not coming across as smooth as he would want to be.

He spends the rest of his day poorly attempting to talk to you. He even does that almost cartoonist thing where he tried to lean on a beam and completely missed.

Another thing you notice is the sheer amount of girls now looking in your direction. They're gawking over a working and sweating Minho and glaring at you.

"You're quite the eye-candy," Minho's heart nearly jumps out of his chest as he picks up another bag of fertiliser.

"What?" You jolt your head towards the small group of girls gathering. "Oh, right."

"Seems like you get a lot of attention."

"I don't want their attention," his tone is blunt and sturdy for maybe the first time since you've spoken to him.

"Oh, yeah? 'Cause you want my attention instead, right?" Minho freezes as you look at him, hand casually on your hip.

"What if I do?" Confidence bubbles in his chest. His tone is flirtatious, and he's starting to actually understand that this is how you hit on someone.

"Maybe you could try talking to me like a person instead of stalking me from a distance," and with that, Minho's bubble of confidence bursts.

"I wasn't- I didn't mean-" he sighs, "I didn't mean to be creepy."

You laugh. You actually laugh. And it's like music to Minho's ears.

"I don't get it," you shake your head, continuing with your shovelling, "you could have anyone you want here."

"Yeah, well, I don't think you're right about that."

"Huh? You clearly can."

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"Because I want you."

Maybe that was too forward from Minho. That much is clear when your moments stop, but when the red starts to creep across your face, he realises that he's actually cracked you.

"I- I, come on, man," you force a laugh to try and play it off, "you can't be saying klank like that."

"Why not? It's true."

"Dude," you send him a warning look. "Why me? Hm? You don't even know me." He falls quiet. You furrow your brows, confusion setting in. "Minho?"

"I think I do," he mumbles.

"What?"

"I think I know you," he says, more confident, "I know it sounds insane- but we obviously had our memories wiped- I don't know. You feel familiar, like maybe I knew you before."

You stand, silently looking at him. You honestly don't know what to think of this. He knows you? It's clear your memory wipe is stronger than his, but it does feel like you've met him before.

"Sorry- that's weird, I just-"

"Minho!" Frypan yells him from a distance, "Gally needs help building this shack! Come on!"

He anxiously looks at you, vaguely pointing in the direction of his friend before walking away, leaving you to process everything that's happened.

You told Sonya, Harriet, and Aris everything that had happened. Aris was lost, Harriet intrigued, and Sonya was practically frothing at the mouth.

It then turned into them pressuring you to talk to Minho instead, but you decided to leave it until you saw him again naturally.

That doesn't exactly happen.

Waking up early one morning, you come out of your hut and notice Minho sitting on the sand, in front of the waves, basking in the rising son.

Sucking in a deep breath, you gain some confidence and walk over to him. "Hey," he looks up at you as you stand behind him. You're in your casual running pants and sports bra, which makes his brain do a backflip.

"Hey," he's kind of surprised that you've approached him first, but you've spent the days between your last conversations thinking of him.

"I was gonna go on a run, wanna race?" A grin starts to cross his face.

"You think you can beat me?"

"No," you smirk, "I know I can."

He stands up, dusting off some of the sand. "Alright, girly, where we racing to?"

"From here to the Creek?"

"The Creek?"

"You don't know about the Creek? Bro, you're missing out."

He agrees to these terms and you both get ready. Counting in, you both start, though Minho stumbles slightly- clearly not used to the sand.

Despite your head start, Minho easily catches up. You playfully push him out of the way, which he's fast to return.

To get to the Creek, you have to cut across some of the sand dunes, which means leaving the beach. You take a sharp right, causing Minho to stumble as you book it through the dunes.

Loud laughs escape you as you throw your arms up. You grind to a halt, stopping at a large circle of rocks with a pool in the middle, accompanied by a small waterfall.

"You shucking cheat!" He catches up to you, slowly to a jog before he doubles over.

"Told you I'd beat you," you grin at him.

"Yeah, only because you're a cheater."

"Wow," he stands up straight as you step closer to him, "shoulda guessed you'd be a sore loser."

He presses his tongue into his cheek, humming as he nods, bitterly. "That's how you wanna do this, huh?"

"Gotta play the game."

"Hm, well, if you insist." With now warning, Minho picks you up, making you shriek as he throws you over his shoulder.

"Minho!" You cry out, kicking your legs but it's too late.

The water is freezing as he drops you in. You're submerged by the crystal-clear serene water in seconds.

You rise again, gasping for air as Minho laughs at you. "You bitch!" This just makes his laugh even more.

"Gotta play the game, right?" You splash him, making him step back. "Alright, alright!" He shields his face, running his fingers through his hair before he looks at you, a mischievous smirk appearing.

"What?" You dare ask.

Minho pulls at the bottom of his shirt, yanking it over his head. You don't mean to stare, but you do. He chest and mid-drift are chiselled as dark hair dusts across his lower stomach, leading further into his pants. Your mind goes fuzzy for a second.

You don't have much time to ogle though as he runs forward, pulling his legs to his chest and cannonballing into the water. Water spashes everywhere, drowning you once again as you turn to face him.

He re-emerges, flicking his hair before pushing it back. "Shuck!" He exclaims. "It's shuckin' freezing!"

You laugh at him, wheezing as you try to cat g your breath, resulting in you being hit by another wave of water that Minho throws at you. You respond this time, which ends up turning into a splashing match.

And then into a shoving one.

The Creek is filled with laughter and the sounds of splashing water, and neither of you remember the last time you had this much fun.

You keep sending small, concise waves in Minho's direction. "Okay, okay- stop. Okay," he swims closer, grabbing you wrists and stopping the movements. "That's enough."

Your giggles slow as he holds your hands in place. "Enough." Both of your chests rise and fall as he stands in front of you.

Minho thinks you're the most beautiful thing he's even seen. Your hair sticks to your face, water running down your collarbone and cleavage.

And, honestly, the feeling is mutual. The chuckles quickly stop as you both stare at each other. You can't help yourself when your eyes land on his lips.

Oh God.

Almost unconsciously, you move closer to him, and he does the same, like two magnets pulling towards each other. Your faces are mere centimetres apart as he drops your wrists, hands coming to your hips under the water instead.

Minho is hypnotised. You're so close, and the feeling of your skin under his fingers is making him feel almost drunk. He didn't know it was possible for a person to make him feel this way.

Faint shouting from the distance snaps you both out of your trance. People at the Safe Haven are waking up and the day is about to begin- both of your absences isn't going to go unnoticed.

You pull away, clearly your throat, "We should go. They'll wonder where we are."

"Uh, yeah- you're right."

Minho doesn't bother to put his shirt back on for the walk, letting the air dry his skin. Which is completely distracting, and you swear he caught you looking more than once. But he doesn't say anything.

Once you're closer, he pulls his shirt back on and you split up, mumbling some very awkward goodbyes.

You slip back into your hut, unnoticed, drying yourself off and getting changed.

Unfortunately, damp Minho had an audience the second he returned. He doesn't think he's ever got this much attention.

You and Minho suddenly become as bad as each other. Your conversations are brief but full of tension, so much so that your friends can notice until it all comes ahead.

You've, once again, been peer-pressured into having some fun. Leaning on a beam at the side of the party, you watch from afar.

Some girl came up to Minho about fifteen minutes ago, and she's beeb hanging off of him ever since. You've failed to join in on your conversation with your friends, who are exchanging some knowing looks between one another.

"I don't get it," Sonya says after a while, "you know he likes you, and you're clearly at least starting to like him- so why not do something about it?"

"What?" You pull your death stare away, looking at your blond ally instead.

"You and Minho? Finch it, being in the same room as you guys is enough to turn anyone on- so I can't imagine how you guys feel."

"You're looking to much into it; everyone likes Minho. I'm not about to be another girl pining for his affection."

"Yeah, but he likes you." Harriet joins in. "There's no competition because he's already yours. Sonya's right; do something about it."

You look at them before returning your gaze to Minho and the girl. They're right.

And you've had enough of this.

"Fuck it," you down the rest of your drink in one mouthful, slamming it down and making your way over to him.

Wordlessly, he notices you approaching as he sits amongst his friends, practically ignoring the girl. You take his hand as he looks up at you like a lost puppy.

He makes no hesitation to push the girl off, standing up and letting you lead him to literally wherever you want. Whistles from Gally and Frypan fill the noise from behind you, but you don't care anymore.

You pull him into your hut, the light is dim as you shut the door behind the both of you.

"(Y/N)? What are you-?" You push him backwards, making him hit the wall as you stand in front of him. Once again, your faces are painfully close.

"You still want me?" You mumble, nearly into him as his body goes limp, eyes becoming hooded.

He nods. "More than anything."

"Do..." the questions makes you cringe, somehow becoming nervous despite knowing you're not about to get rejected, "do tou want to be my boyfriend?"

Your eyes flicker down, not able to meet his gaze, and you hear him scoff. "Of shuckin' course I do."

The scene you look up at him again, his lips are on yours. It's a deep kiss, but a safe one, and you pull away from each other for a second.

"Damn," he smirks, "if I knew you were the possessive type, I woulda made you jealous sooner."

"Shut up," you grumble, pressing your lips back to his. It's feverish this time, his hands gripping your hips to pull you closer, whilst your hands come to his hair, tangling in his dark locks.

He hums into you as you pull on his bottom lip with your teeth, both of you move in sync as he leads you to the bed, falling on top of you.

His hands travel under your shirt, desperate to feel your skin against his once again as your bodies tangle together. You pull at his shirt, and he takes the hint, breaking the kiss to pull it off.

It gives you the chance to drink in his appearance. He's dishevelled and messy, panting with large pupils and parted lips. He's never felt this needy in his life, watching as you sit up, pulling your own shirt off.

You reconnect, Minho pushing himself between your legs, your nails digging into his back as he transfers his affection to your neck. You let out a shaky breath, which very nearly comes out as a moan.

It just pushes Minho further as he sinks his teeth into the sensitive flesh of your neck. Your body twitches, and you gasp, clinging onto him further.

"Minho," your voice is whispy and full of an emotion Minho hasn't heard before. He thought he liked hearing you say his name before, but now he could literally get drunk off of the word. "Please."

He grabs you thigh, hiking your leg up further as he grinds against you. Let's be honest, the boy has been rock solid since the first kiss.

"I've never..." He mutters against you skin, "I've never done this before. I don't really... know what I'm doing."

"You think I do?" You chuckle. "Do you want to do this, or should we wait?"

He pauses, looking at you. "I want you so fuckin' bad- I've never felt like this before. But if you want to wait, then I'll wait for as long as you need. Do you want to wait?"

Hearing Minho actually swear instead of the Glader slang is rare, and sends even more heat through you as Harriet's words ring through your head.

He's already yours.

He hovers on top of you as he waits for your answer, and you shake your head.

"No," you mumble, bucking up your hips against his, making him hiss and his breath hitches before you kiss him once again.

Another Minho piece woooo. I've got a couple of requests to get through now to keep me busy, so there should be some steady content coming out, but requests are still open. Also sorry if it takes me a bit to get to your requests, I promise I will get to them.

I hope you enjoyed :))

[clavissionary-position]

What Emma Would Do

Ignore me. This is just me working through my own thoughts and feelings on this. Also I'm an idiot.

***BIG EDIT: I misread and misinterpreted. Azel was nearly drugged and SA'd, so his reaction, however cruel, makes complete sense to me. If he was real I couldn't apologize to him enough.

Moving @/caffedrine's billion-dollar comments up here.

My original, misguided post is below the cut if you're interested.

I have to ask myself what Emma would do. Within reason. And only within the scope of this fictional game, because I'm not about to touch this topic as it exists in the real world. That's for people much smarter than me.

But for the game, my dismissing of Azel as a cruel misogynist without seeing his circumstances and worldview shuts down the conversation the same way it does when Azel dismisses a woman as a slut without seeing her circumstances and worldview.

(Did he actually use the word 'slut' or did google just translate 痴女 like that for me... I should double-check... edit: oh my bad, he calls her a "female molester", which... I can't say he's wrong considering she tried to give him an aphrodisiac...? The word also means "stupid woman", so he could very well have meant it that way too, especially for some reasons I get into later in the post.)

Soooo, he didn't actually call her a slut. I'm an idiot 😌 I'm sorry, Azel. Dunno if any of my points below mean anything, but I'll leave it here anyway:

The running theme in Ikepri is to look beyond the beast and see the human inside. To meet them halfway. To see their heart. And that heart is always so very terribly scarred. All these guys have gone through their own traumas and come out the other end behaving in ways designed to be armor, to protect themselves from any further pain.

I can only speculate about Azel this early in his story arc, but being showered with the same adoration and reverence that people only show a god, day in and day out, probably fucks with your mentality a bit if you are still only human at the end of the day. Having women try to seduce you only because you're The Living God, well, we saw what that kind of shallow treatment did to Silvio. Women see you as an object and so women become objects to you. You want to be loved, but you don't want to be hurt.

That might only be scratching the surface with Azel, though. He's also clearly jaded from listening to the same old interpersonal problems people have when in relationships. Love is actual trash to him, not even worth a single penny. It's trash because the very people who follow him prove it to him on a daily basis, I imagine.

Yet that's still not the full picture. I mean, we obviously won't have the full picture until his main route drops, but there's another key factor to consider with Azel.

He quotes Pascal in Licht's sequel. "Man is only a reed, the weakest thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed." The full quote goes onto say:

"All our dignity consists, then, in thought. This is the basis on which we must raise ourselves, and not space and time, which we would not know how to fill. Let us make it our task, then, to think well: here is the principle of morality.”

(Did I read the entire context of the quote? HA! What do you take me for? A scholar or something?)

Free will and independent thought is arguably the most important thing to Azel. He has no respect for the sheep who flock to him for direction (though he'll happily take their money and tributes). Even with the dancer who tried to seduce him in the prologue, when he tells her to lick up the food she dropped after he tripped her, he presents it as a choice. Nevermind that the staggeringly unequal power dynamics at play made it so this was nothing short of coercion in the end; there was no way the dancer was in a position to stand up for herself and say no, even if that's exactly what Azel wanted. But from his perspective, defiance would have been welcome. That's why he phrased it as a choice. That she started licking up the food only solidified in Azel's mind that this woman is an unthinking reed without dignity. If you're going to act like trash, he'll treat you like trash... maybe that was part of his thinking.

On a slightly different note, I think another reason he hates the idea of love so much is because love makes people lose their ability to reason, to think. I believe he outright says as much, iirc.

In the end, I don't know from where exactly Azel's fury and cruelty comes from. It could be all of these things, it might be something else entirely. All I can think is, you can't be 'God' everyday and not be scarred by humans.

In conclusion, I can't excuse Azel's behavior. I don't excuse it. But I think Emma would try to understand the why of it, like she does in any other route. The other running theme in Ikepri is that, as a certain someone would put it, the essence of all people is love. It's their environment that twists them. Somewhere in Azel is the purest kind of love. A kind that would make any god look away in shame. That's what I want to believe in, anyhow.

Also, I need stress that I was SO wrong about whether he actually called the dancer a slut or not. Google fucked me over by translating it that way! Ah, Azel, I'm so sorry!

[devskindawritingblog]

Okay, I have a couple of Christmas-themed Yellowjackets requests for you! The first one is for Nat. She has a fight with her dad and runs to Reader's house to see them, but because her shitty dad never celebrates she forgets that it's Christmas Eve/day (you decide). She's really embarrassed and she tries to leave again, but Reader invites her in to spend Christmas with their family. Could also have an awkward "meeting the parents" scene before Nat and Reader get to be alone together.

My second request is for our favorite Van! It's Van and Reader's first Christmas together as a couple, and they're exchanging gifts. Van gets Reader a gag gift (ofc) and it's a Vans hoodie (the shoe brand) because it looks like it says "Van's". She originally thought it was funny but gets really shy in the moment, but Reader absolutely adores it and showers her with kisses. Then maybe Van takes Reader to the team Christmas party and they wear it and Van is annoyingly smug about it/grinning and blushing the whole time. (I'm going to have a scene in my TaiVan fic where Tai finds out that Reader's already had this gift from Van, but I think the initial gift-giving would be really cute, especially when she's a teen, and I know you would bring it to life beautifully!)

Sorry for the really long ask, I just got so excited when I saw you were taking more requests! I love your writing and I can't wait to see what you do with these ideas! Thank you for sharing your work!🥰

Thanks for the long request , I really liked the Nat one well and the Van one. So I’m gonna do both.

Unexpected Christmas

Natalie scatorccio x reader

AN: I did my best with the request. I hope I did it justice. I just decided to make a simple family I didn’t want to make it to intricate . Also I know it’s 1996 but I decided to make the parents accepting. It was supposed to be nice and sweet and I didn’t want to make it about homophobia. Because that wasn’t that the request was about .I wanted it to be happy. Natalie’s text is in blue. I fear nat is ooc but I don’t know .

word count : around 1.4k

Nat didn’t know where she was going; all she knew was that she had to go anywhere else. She had another awful fight with her father. Something about her being ungrateful. She had started to learn to just tune out all his yelling. It got to the point where she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed her leather jacket and left, bearing the cold weather of Christmas Eve. 

Nat walks through the snow and cold. And she gets an idea. The only place she knows she will be safe is with you. She makes her way to your house, picking up her pace as the temperature cools.

As you and your mom set the table, the faint sound of Christmas music plays in the background. It’s a lovely, peaceful night-your annual Christmas Eve dinner with your parents. Your father is finishing up the food in the kitchen. It's all calm and cheerful.

*Knock Knock*

You and your mother both turn to look at the front door. You place the last plate down and walk over to the front door. You're greeted by a red-flushed Natalie, the snowflakes easy to see littered in her brown hair.

Your eyes widen in surprise, definitely not knowing she would turn up unexpectedly. She clearly walked a while to get to your house.

“Nat? What's wrong?” you say, pulling her into a hug. You know quite a bit about her dad’s issues and start thinking the worst.

“I-Im ok.” she says, her voice breaking as she shivers. “Really, please don’t worry, I’m ok; it’s just my dad being an asshole again.” she says, shooting you a small, reassuring smile. You bring her in, take off her coat, and shut the door, as your parents get curious and make their way over to the front door. You turn around, and your parents are standing in the doorway.

“Um, who's this? I didn’t know we had visitors”Your mother says.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I’m intruding” Nat says as she tries to put her coat back on.

“No, please don’t go, Natty; we're having Christmas Eve dinner; you're welcome to stay. “You say as you tug on her arm, giving her a small smile. You get a little closer and lower your voice. “And I really want to tell them about us tonight and if you were here, it would make it so much better.”

“I didn't know it was Christmas Eve; I’ve never celebrated it before.” Nat says hesitantly, not wanting to intrude.

“ See! Even the more reason to stay’’

“ Fine, I'll stay.” Natalie smiles at you and looks over at your parents before she lets you take her coat.

“Uh, mom and dad, this is Natalie; she's on the soccer team with me;can she stay for dinner?” You ask momentarily, lying to them, to at least get Natalie warm and comfortable in your house before you tell them the truth.

Your parents invite her to stay. They trust you, and Natalie looks like she had been freezing. They don’t want to lock a teenage girl out on Christmas Eve so they let her stay. The warm coziness of your home makes her feel 100 times better than she was twenty minutes ago.

All four of you make your way over to the set dinner table, and you go into the kitchen to get another plate and cutlery for her. All four of you sit down together. You and Natalie are next to one another, and your parents are across from you. The night proceeds well. Natalie is quieter than her usual self, and you almost laugh a little when your mom makes a comment about how Natalie seems like a nice girl and a good influence. She seems like she is having a good time having an actual holiday meal.

After everyone finishes eating, you take Nat's hand underneath the table, giving her a little squeeze to signal her. You sit up and smile at your parents. “Um, I've been wanting to tell you guys about something that I've wanted to say for a while.” Your dad nods non-verbally telling you to keep going. “So I was talking about how I said I’m seeing someone, and I was going to introduce them to you when I'm ready.” Both your parents look back at you, urging you to keep going.

“Well, me and Natalie are dating.” you say, slowly trying to gauge their reactions as you look over at Natalie to check on how she is doing. 

You nervously look back at your parents. “Really? That's lovely.” your mother smiles as she gets up to hug you. You're shocked that your parents don’t mind, but they have always been loving and trusting. Your father comes over as well, hugging you. He goes over to Nat and shakes her hand. You laugh a little at Natalie's face. It's a mix of nervousness and happiness all in one. You can tell she is nervous around your father and how he would react. She has had a complicated relationship with her dad, and seeing your dad being nice makes her feel so much better.

The four of you have a nice little talk. You get the whole "be safe” talk, and finally you drag Natalie up to your room to “show her your room.” You open up the door, pulling Nat in by the hand. You close the door behind you, and Nat wanders around your room, checking out your posters and little trinkets.

“How are you feeling, Natty?” You smile, ruffling her hair, as you lay down on your bed with her.

She smiles back. “Good, I'm glad your parents aren't assholes.” She jokes, but you know deep down she wishes her parents actually cared about her. 

You give her a small kiss on the nose, making her nose scrunch up. You laugh a little and sit up quickly, going over to your closet to grab something. “Close your eyes” you say, grabbing something and holding it behind your back.

“A gift? You know I hate gifts.” Natalie says, closing her eyes, even if she protests.

“Just shut up and let me do something for you.” You say walking over to her and giving her another kiss. “Okay, open your eyes.” you say as you pass her a homemade stocking with her name on it. You smile and sit down next to her. It's hard to know if she likes it or if she thinks it's cheesy because she hasn't said a single word. She just stares at it, taking it all in.

She turns to look at you as tears well up in her eyes. Your eyes widen a little, worried if she is okay or not. “I know my knitting is bad, but I didn't know you'd cry.” You say, hugging her close as you rub her back. She laughs through her tears as a small smile grazes her lips. “It’s not that. It's wonderful. It's the nicest thing I’ve ever gotten. My dad hates Christmas; he never lets us do anything; this is so nice.” She says as her tears start back up again.

Both of you lay there on your bed in a comfortable silence as you run your fingers through her hair. Natalie reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a little bracelet with your name on it.

“So I found my old beads, and I had enough to spell your name.”

“I was going to surprise you with it on our anniversary; I kind of forgot it was in my pocket until I sat down. I know it's small, and you made me a whole stocking, but-” You cut her off by kissing her, and she quickly takes the hint. 

“I love it, Natty; its the best gift I got.”

You both lay in your bed cuddled together, falling asleep to the sound of a Christmas movie playing in the background. It was both of your best Christmas ever.

[chaotic-on-main]

So glad you reblogged this because I did not see your post about this event before. And I almost missed it! 😱 But now I'm here… hi, Sky! Congrats on your milestone, dear! ❤️

I would be interested in one matcha green tea ice cream with cookie crumbles on top. If it's okay, could it be something like Levi comforting the reader while they're anxious and stressed? Something with nice calming domestic vibes maybe?

Order up!! One matcha green tea with cookie crumbles for Rose!!

Sky's Summer Fall and 250 Follower Event!

☾ Pairing ➼ Levi Ackerman x cisfem!Reader

☾ Content/Warning ➼ modernAU, pregnancy, anxiety, established relationship, pregnancy reveal

☾ A/N ➼ hi rose!! again, sorry it's taken me so long to get to this. this wasn't the initial path i had planned, but i think it went better than expected!! also i know i said i wouldn't write a pregnant reader, but i was inspired and i love the idea of dadvi even though i don't see myself wanting kids. there's something to unexpectedly soft about dad levi, and i love to imagine it. i mean, he's already so dad coded considering how many kids he adopts lol. also for anyone seeing this, the rest of my requests are no longer summer themed LMAO. i'm gonna have to do something simple for my next event a;lsdkfjalj

☾ Word Count ➼ ~1.9k

The pattering of raindrops on window panes is a sound that brings comfort to you, doubly so during this time of year. Orange and red leaves lie dormant on the wet pavement only to be run over by various cars going home for the evening. With the end of the year holidays looming around the corner, excitement fills the air. But not for you. Instead, it's overwhelming anxiety, and the rain does not bring the comfort you seek.

You're so in your head that you don't hear the keys in the door and the light footsteps of your husband coming home from work. As you toss some chocolate chips into the red bowl full of light brown dough, your mind bounces from one thought to another. Some thoughts hurt worse than others and you find yourself almost choking up until you force yourself to think of something else.

Long, cold fingers wrap around your wrist as you go to pick up a silicone spatula, holding your arm up midair. You're so startled at the sudden touch that you drop it straight into the bowl – thank god it was mixed enough to not splatter. When your eyes snap to the source, the automatic relief that normally comes with seeing those beautiful gray eyes doesn't wash over you. You’ve underestimated the anxiety that courses through your veins like ice.

“What's wrong?” Your husband's low voice comes out careful.

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about right now. Welcome home!” You force out, your lips pulling back on your teeth in a reassuring smile. Levi Ackerman has known you for far too long, and he wasn't stupid. His eyes scan the messy kitchen counters with furrowed brows.

“I count at least 4 mixing bowls, most half filled and only a few finished products. Either you've signed up for a bake sale, or something is wrong. You only get like this when something is bothering you.” Levi's eyes go back to yours.

“I- uh. It's nothing, really.” You check the clock on the stove and gasp. “I didn't realize the time, and I haven't even started on dinner yet. I'm so sorry.” You quickly push aside your mess to make room for some space.

“Go sit down.” Levi says as he puts his keys and phone in the little wicker basket that sits on the far end of the counter.

“No, it's okay! I can do this.” You don't even know what to make for dinner. You've been in a downward spiral all day and haven't thought that far ahead. The sound of glass bottles rattle as you open the fridge doors to peek at your options - only to find them extremely limited. You should have gone to the grocery store earlier today.

The fridge closes in front of you as Levi pushes his way in front of you. Suddenly his hands are cupping your face, thumbs stroking your cheeks in a way he knows is comforting to you. You just now notice his hair slicked back, stuck in place from the rain outside. Black eyebrows scrunch together in concern as he stares at you.

“Levi, I don't need help. I can do this myself.” You mutter.

“Go sit down.” He repeats, softer this time. You stare back, trying to find the energy to argue. But you have none, so you make your way over to the plush navy couch in the living room. In a means to help comfort you, you pull your knees to your chest and stare out the window. Night time has made its way home, the yellow streetlights hazily glowing through the cold rain. It takes everything within you to focus on what you see and hear, and not what races through your mind.

Either you dozed off or fell into a trance because before you know it, Levi comes over and taps your shoulder. You blink a few times as your eyes adjust to what he's holding out to you – a bowl and a glass of water.

“I bet you haven't hydrated once today, have you?” He raises a brow.

“I've been busy?” You give him a small smile, but take the glass anyway. He sets the bowl down in front of you on the coffee table. You didn't even need to see it to know what it was as the smell of it wafts from the kitchen to your nose. Spaghetti, and Levi's spaghetti at that. Well, technically Kuchel’s - Levi's mom – recipe. From the moment he had made it for you when you both first started dating, you knew this was the best recipe you have or will ever taste.

Not only was it delicious, though, it was comforting. It was home.

“Oh, Levi.” You sigh as you reach over to place your glass down so you can pick up the warm bowl in two hands. The smell of herbs and tomatoes dance in your nostrils as you breathe in deeply. You don't hesitate to poke your fork into the red pasta and slurp up the saucy noodles.

The sofa shifts as Levi sits next to you, leg crossed as he leans back with his own bowl in hand. He doesn't say anything as he digs in, eyes looking out to the darkened window. It stays silent save for the quiet smacking and the metal clinking on porcelain. For a while, you're distracted yet again as you fill your tummy but eventually your bowl is empty and the dread starts creeping back in.

“Did you want more or…?” Levi breaks you out of your thoughts and your eyes focus back to what you were looking at – the red-streaked bottom of the bowl.

“Oh, no I'm good. Thank you for making dinner. I'm sorry I couldn't have it done by the time you got home.” You smile softly at him as you hand him your bowl. His lips twitch as he regards you. He takes the bowl from you and you think he's about to get up but instead, he sets it on the coffee table and shifts so that he's facing you fully.

“There's nothing to apologize for, dummy. What's going on in that head of yours?” He reaches over and taps your forehead gently with a forefinger.

“I don't know if this is the right time.” You whisper, feeling tears prick at the corners of your eyes.

“I'm home for the night, we have plenty of time before bed.” His hand trails down your face and cups your jaw as he holds your gaze. “What's going on?”

Reaching up, you rest your hand over his and lean into his touch. Then with a shuddering breath, you gently pry his hand off and stand up. Without another word, you make your way to the master bathroom and retrieve what you're looking for. Before exiting, you bend over the sink to take a few deep breaths. You just need to rip this off like a bandaid, you keep repeating to yourself.

Making your way down the hallway back to the living room, your fingers shake. The room grows silent as you hold the little white stick up to eye level the moment you step in front of your extremely confused husband.

Levi has to squint to see the little pink plus sign. There's a range of emotions that flood his face past the initial shock. You know when the realization hits him because his wide eyes flit over to yours as he checks to see if you're kidding. You only nod your head back. There's a moment of excitement that lights up in his eyes before the same look of anxiety that no doubt mirrors your own stares back at you.

Your heart sinks to the pit of your stomach at that.

“I-" Levi chokes on his words.

“It's real.”

You hear Levi inhale loudly as he runs his fingers through his hair and step back as he processes. You’ve been with Levi for so long but even you didn't know how he would react. Children weren't off the table, but you both had agreed to start a family when the time was right. To you, this was the worst possible time with Levi starting a new job and your writing career finally taking off. His reaction is enough to confirm those thoughts. Or, at least that’s what you thought.

“I know this is awful timing. And I’m sure we're not ready. I'm so-" Your last words are cut short into a squeak as a pair of strong arms pull you into a warm chest, the sudden movement causing the pregnancy test to fall and bounce onto the rug. You can feel Levi's heart beating a mile a minute against your own.

“Don't apologize.”

“But you’re not excited.” You’ve started crying and you can feel your tears seeping into Levi's shirt. He pushes you away from him and holds you there. His dark eyes bounce between yours as he regards you.

“Who said I wasn't?"

“I- just your face-"

“I won't pretend to say I'm not nervous. You know, Kenny was the only father figure I had and he wasn't around, not when it mattered, at least. I'm scared, actually.” His eyebrows furrow to match the concern that laces his tone.

“Levi-"

“But this is exciting, and I'm thrilled. And we'll navigate through this like we always do. But, how do you feel about it?”

“Well, I guess I'm scared too. Anxious. Our jobs are just taking off, and while I'm excited for a family with you, I'm just not sure how to take this.” You pull a hand up to wipe away the salty tears that streams down your face.

“We have 9 months, give or take. That's plenty of time for us to figure things out. But is this what you want?” Levi let's go of your arms to cup your face again. That moment of hesitance that graced his features is no longer there, only replaced by love.

“Do you think we'll be ready by then?”

“Who knows. But we can try. We'll figure it out together.” Levi pulls you back in and holds you in his tight embrace. You bury your face in his shirt, once again letting it soak up any leftover tears.

“If it's any consolation, I think you'll be a great dad. I watch the way you interact with your little cousin during get-togethers.”

“Tch. If our child is anything like Mikasa, I'm sure we'll be fine. But if they're like her friend Eren, we're starting over.” You laugh at that and slap his chest playfully.

“Levi, you can't say shit like that.”

“I'm just kidding. Mostly. That Eren kid has something wrong with him, I swear.”

You hold on to him in silence for a bit, taking note of the slowing heart beat between the two of you as the news finally sinks in. You were going to be a mom. You were going to be a parent with Levi.

“Someone needs to eat this. This is way too much for just the two of us.” You hear Levi chuckle. You can't see it, but you know he's staring at the mess you've made all day. You'll be up until 3am making sure everything gets baked so it doesn't go to waste.

“Three of us.” You lean back to look at your husband, smiling at that comment.

“You're right, the three of us.” You feel as Levi gently rests the palm of his hand on your stomach and leans down to kiss you softly. Your anxiety still lingers, but now it's tinged with relief because no matter what life throws at you, Levi is here.

tagging: @humanitys-strongest-bamf @romantichomicide95 @youre-ackermine @roseofdarknessblog @missamity @levis-squishy-cheeks @icansmellsouls @dkbktk420 @elnyrae @secretmoneybearvoid @apolloshaiku @sujiroses @jadam724 @e-riellaaa @kamyru @highgoon69 @missyasma @kingkonoha @sckerman @notgoodforlife @nube55 @svftackerman @velouria17 @melodyuzumaki

if you're not a part of my taglist but would like to be (or take off lol), please fill out the taglist on my pinned post!

[yelenasdiary]

Different Kind of Love - Part I

Pairing: CEO! MobBoss! Natasha Romanoff x Assistant! Reader (Platonic)

Summary: Working for Natasha was never easy and being a low-level assistant for the CEO wasn’t where you thought you’d be after working your hardest for 2 years. After catching you in tears on Christmas Eve, Natasha cold ways start to warm up.

Dark Themes | Angst | Comfort | Language Warning | Reader is a single mum | Sexual Assault Mentions | Spiking | Mentions of drinking | Mentions of Depression | 3.6K | 

Notes: Dylan’s dialog is meant to sound like how a 5-year-old would talk and his nickname is Dyl and not a misspell. Reader is 26 while Natasha is 38.  

Different Kind of Love Masterlist

"Good morning, Miss Romanova" you smiled softly after knocking on Natasha's office glass door. The redhead looked up and smiled in return for only you to see, "Good morning, did you have a lovely break?" She asked. After Christmas, Natasha gave you two weeks off, paid of course, to enjoy some much needed one on one time with your 5-year-old son, Dylan.

 "It was lovely, thank you so much for everything with Christmas and giving me some time off, it really means a lot to me and Dylan" 

Natasha nodded slightly, "You're very welcome, like I said, you have been working extremely hard and I'm sorry I didn't see that before. Dylan is a great kid and I hope this new position will give you both more time together" she smiled once again, "Now, I'm really sorry but we have a meeting in about 25 minutes about the Davis case. Can you please make sure meeting room 4 is set up and ready?" she asked while putting her reading glasses back on. 

"Of course, Miss Romanova"

Natasha is the CEO and Founder of Romanova Lawyers. Being a lawyer herself, she and her business are one of the most successful businesses in New York City. Natasha has won over 450 cases and is considered one of the highest paid lawyers in the country. Not only does she own a law firm, but she also has another side business that runs through Romanova Lawyers which offers clients to hire Natasha herself or another highly skilled detective to do private detective work. Safe to say, Natasha is a very busy woman with a lot of money. 

It didn't matter what job it was, if you could get a job at Romanova Lawyers, you basically had a golden ticket into the work force. Many other law firms will hire past employees with Romanova Lawyers on their resume simply because you worked there. Getting a past employee of Romanova Lawyers was almost like getting the best football player to play on your team. 

Now that you have a new role at the firm, your work is a lot more interesting than before. You'd follow Natasha from meeting to meeting, taking notes, and making sure the Russian had all the necessary paperwork she needed before court or a meeting. She still would ask you to do some pointless jobs like a coffee run or pick up her dry cleaning, but you didn't mind doing that as much. Her attitude towards you was very different to how she treated the other employees. Her cold ways were still just as strong, she still groaned and raised her voice at people for small mistakes and even though you thought it was very harsh of her, you couldn't help but see this was the way she was able to become the woman she is now. 

"This case is going to be a fucking pain in my arse" Natasha mumbled while walking beside you as she quickly refreshed her memory of the case details, "why are men so stupid?!" she added with a light shake of her head. "Would you like me to record this meeting or just take notes today?" you asked, ignoring her comments that she clearly was saying to herself. "Might have to record this one" she replied before handing you the case file and adjusting her dress before walking into the meeting room with a welcoming smile. "Gentlemen, shall we start?" 

----

After your shift, your new hours being 7 am to 3:30pm you made some last-minute emails and signed off for the day. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Romanova, don't forget you have a skype call appointment with a Miss Maximoff at 4:45" you smiled with your head peeking into her office, "oh yes! Thank you for that reminder. Have a lovely night, say hey to Dylan for me" Natasha quickly looked up at you and waved you off. 

"Mommy!" Dylan came running from the living room and wrapping his arms around your legs before you could even kick your shoes off, "Hi honey, how was your day?" you asked with a smile on your lips as you placed your handbag on the floor. "It was good, but my fire truck needs more batteries and Kate don't know where you put them" he looked up at you with his big blue eyes and curly dark hair, "Do you want to go and get your truck for me?" you ruffed his curls before he took off back into the living room. 

"Hey there Miss Moore" Kate smiled while wiping down your kitchen countertop, "Kate, we've been through this" you shook your head playfully, "call me Y/n" you added. "I forgot, I'm so sorry" she replied, "Dylan just had his afternoon snack, he had half a banana and a small bowl of yoghurt so he should be fine until dinner" Kate explained, "oh and his fire truck Santa got him for Christmas needs new batteries, but I wasn't sure where you kept them" 

"Thank you so much for today. I usually keep them in my room, so I'll get some for him. I'll just go and get your money" 

"Here's my truck mommy" Dylan returned with his fire truck in his hands, "Thank you honey, I'll go get some new batteries right now can you do me a favour and get mommy's purse from her handbag please?" you kindly took his toy from his small hands, "sure mommy" Dylan smiled and raced off to get your purse. "God he's adorable" you heard Kate speak to herself, "You're not here when the word No is used" you joked before walking down the hall to your room. 

After dinner and Dylan was in bed you were doing your nightly routine of catching up on emails for work, looking at school for Dylan to start in September and now with the extra money you're making, you were considering putting him into pre-school. Being 5 years-old and barely having any friends and not having the time to do pick up and drop off you were excited for your son to finally make some friends and start learning new things every day that would blow his mind. 

*Buzz Buzz*

A smile tugged at your lips when reading the message. Christmas was different but lovely to spend with Natasha, you learnt so much about her and saw a side of her that you wished the entire office was able to see. The way she kicked off her heels and got on her knees to play with Dylan and his trucks, the way she sat with him and helped him read one of the books 'Santa' had gotten him but mostly what stood out to you was the way she spoke to you, the way she opened up to you and shared things about her life that honestly took you by surprise. 

——

The next morning you walked into the office already hearing the raised voice of an annoyed Russian. "Candice, do you think I give a crap about your husbands broke foot?! I asked for these documents to be done before today!" She slammed the file onto her desk. "I'm sorry Miss Romanova, I was doing them last night, but I ran out of time, I'm really sorry" the lovely woman who couldn't even hurt a fly or even yell at one for that matter replied. "News flash Candice, we're going to be late because of this!" Natasha spat back grabbing a pen from her pen holder. "Candice, why don't you go back to your desk, I'll take care of this" you whispered standing behind the woman, giving her an apologetic smile when she saw you, "Thank you" she mouthed.

Natasha frustratingly scribbled down words onto the unfinished documents with a huff and puff, "Miss Romanova, I'll finish those, you have to get ready for the Davis case in court today" you offered as you walked into her office. "No! These should have been done yesterday! How are things supposed to ever get done when people don't listen?!" She snapped, nothing unusual for you. "I'll have them done within the hour; I promise"

"Fine" Natasha sighed, placing her pen on top of the small pile of documents and grabbed her coat from behind her chair and her brief case from the side of her desk. She wore her hair up and a black suit with a red shirt underneath. "I can't be dealing with people's mistakes today. Do you hear me?!" She looked up at you, "Yes, Miss Romanova" you nodded before she brushed by you, storming out of the office. 

Everybody was on edge today whenever Natasha was around, after yet another case won, you'd think she would be happy but the look on her face when she looked up at you spoke other words. "Cancel all my remaining appointments and meetings today. I have some things to take care of for the rest of the day" she huffed, unloading her briefcase, "But Miss Romanova, the Maximoff case is marked urgent" you reminded her. "Well, you fucking deal with it!" Her eyes shot up at you full of rage which worried you as you'd never seen her like this before, "Just cancel or move whatever the fuck I have left today and don't let anybody contact me!" she added as she grabbed her keys and handbag from the bottom drawer of her desk. 

"Yes ma'am" you replied watching her walk out of the office. 

It wasn't until Saturday that you'd see her again. The rest of the week you had to postpone and move her meetings to a time that you only hoped would work better for her. You wanted to message her and ask if she was okay and ask when she'd be back into the office but decided to give her space. 

A knock at your apartment door made little Dylan jump with excitement, "I'll get it!" He called from his room. "No, you won't honey, we spoke about this!" you hollaed back already having your hand on the door handle and pulling it open. "Miss Roma- I mean, Natasha, Hi" you smiled even though you were shocked to see her at your door. "Hey, are you guys ready? We don't want to be late" she asked with a small smile of her own. 

"Miss Romanova!!!" Dylan came running down the hall with a wide smile. "Hey there kiddo!" Nat kneeled down to his level, "Are you ready?" she asked him. Dylan nodded, "will there be other kids?" your son asked with a hint of hope to finally be able to play with other children. He's always been so good at making new friends no matter how old they were, walking down the mall Dylan would always say hello to strangers. As nice as it was, it worried you that he was so open to talking to people he didn't know. 

"There's going to be plenty of other children for you to meet and play with, are you excited?" 

"Yes! Mommy said I can start pre-school this year" Dylan boosted with excitement, "That sounds very exciting" Natasha smiled softly at the young boy, "we should get going" she looked up at you. "I'll just get my handbag" you replied. 

----

"Isn't he a bit late for pre-school?" Natasha asked while Dylan was busy playing on his tablet, the car ride would be an hour long and for an excited young boy, that was like years. "Only by a year, I wanted to put him in last year but uh," you paused and looked away from your boss, "it was just my work hours, I wouldn't have been free for pick up and drop off, so it was just easier to get a sitter", you didn't want to talk about Dylan's pre-school admission, you wanted to ask her where she'd been, is she was okay but did you even have a place to say anything?

"I had some family things to deal with. I'm sorry I didn't contact you; I was confident you were able to step up and take charge while I was gone" Natasha spoke, seeing the way you looked at her, screaming your questions to her without saying a word. "You don't have to explain anything, I was able to move things to next week and the Maximoff case we decided to wait until you came back. I'm not a lawyer and I never went to law school so I wasn't sure what to do" you explained, your palms starting to sweat hoping she wouldn't cuss at you in front of Dylan but instead she nodded, "thank you, I'm sorry it was sprung on you like that" 

"It's okay, family always has to come first" you gave her an assuring smile, "you're right, it does" Natasha replied with her eyes shifting to Dylan. 

Arriving at the party, you were introduced to Natasha's best friend, Clint Barton and his family, Laura his wife and their children, Copper, Lila and Nathaniel. It was Nathaniel's birthday party and just as Natasha mentioned, there were plenty of other children for Dylan to mix with. 

"Hi, I'm Dylan" he smiled at Nathaniel, "Hey, do you want to join me and my friends in a nerf gun fight?" Nathaniel offered. "What's that?" Dylan asked picking at the hem of his shirt nervously, "it's just a toy gun fight, with these soft bullets they won't hurt and if you want you can wear my old armour vest" Nathaniel offered with a smile. Dylan looked up at you, his eyes full of excitement but he always made sure his mommy said yes before taking off with anybody, especially somebody he just met. "Go on, baby, go have some fun" you smiled and before you could blink, Dylan was running off with this new friend. 

"So, how long have you been working for Natasha?" Laura asked sipping her iced tea. "3 years in June actually. It's gone by pretty quickly, but I've enjoyed it for the most part" you replied forgetting any of the bad. "She's not tough on you, is she? I know she can be a little bossy" Laura chuckled, "oh no, never" you said sarcastically, chuckling with her. 

For the first time since Dylan was born, you found yourself enjoying the company of other mothers and fathers, people who knew exactly what you were talking about and even shared stories of how their children were when they were younger, funny stories, happy and the normal yuck stories of eating dog biscuits or having poop smeared up their backs. Natasha kept her eye on Dylan even though she knew he was more than safe, she loved watching him run around with her best friend's children with the wide smile that she felt was starting to light a fire in her cold heart. 

Every now and then she helped herself to a quick glance at you as you smiled and laughed with the other parents. The need to protect you came to mind as she sat back and thought about the past 2 years, she's known you. "Nat!" Dylan came running up to the redhead, breaking her thoughts. "What's up kid?" she smiled, "could you please tie my shoes?" he asked kindly, "I can't find mommy" he adds while looking around for you. Natasha nodded and kneeled to tie his light up shoes that Natasha got him for Christmas as a gift from Santa, "Your mommy is just over there" she pointed in your direction. "Thank you, Nat" Dylan smiles and gives her a quick hug, taking her by surprise as she slowly wraps her arms around the small boy and smiles softly at his kindness before he's rushing off to ask you for a drink. 

----

"Thank you so much for today, I had a lovely time and I think Dylan did too" you smiled at Natasha while running your fingers through Dylan's hair as he was snuggled into you fast asleep. "He really enjoyed himself" Natasha watched the scene in front of her, the limo giving plenty of room for you all to get comfortable. 

"He's really excited to start pre-school; I think today was really good for him"

"He told me all about it, you've done and still doing a great job raising him" Natasha complimented as she made eye contact with you. "It hasn't been easy but" you paused as your eyes dropped to your sleeping son, you smiled softly, "he deserves everything I can give him and more" your eyes traveled back to Natasha. There was a moment of silence between the two, you could see Natasha was wanting to ask the question everybody wants to ask, who's Dylan's father? 

"You can ask" you spoke. 

"Ask what?" Natasha frowned slightly.

 "You have that look in your eyes, the one everybody has when they want to know more about Dylan's father"

"You already told me, he couldn't afford to help" Natasha replied, you shook your head, "I lied" you admitted, licking your lips as your eyes fell to Natasha's feet. "What's the story?" she asked as if she didn't have a care for your emotions but looking back in her eyes, who was she to tell? You took a deep breath and made sure Dylan was still fast asleep before gently placing a kiss on the top of his head. 

"He was possessive. When I first met him, he was lovely and so kind you know…he never failed to make you smile or laugh, I considered him a good friend. One of his friends was throwing a party and my parents were fine with me going as long as I wasn't back too late, I was almost 21 and they trusted me. I got to the party and started having a few drinks with my friends. Then later on my friends were heading home but he convinced me to stay for an hour or two, so I did.

I knew better than to get drunk like he was, I had two drinks with him and I was out of my mind. I told him no and that I wanted to go home.." you paused as tears filled your eyes, "all I remember after he pushed me onto the bed was him saying I'd been asking for it all night…3 weeks later I find out I'm pregnant. It took me months to find out who assaulted me that night and when I told him I was pregnant he just laughed at me and said the baby could be his or one of his two friends and that I'd never know because I was too drunk and wasted to remember asking for it" 

Natasha's jaw clenched at the details you shared with her. "But if you were ever saw him, you can see that he's Dylan's father, there's no doubting it" you added, tears streaming down your cheeks. "He needs to help responsible for this" Natasha leaned forward and gently took your hand into hers, "I tried. I went to the police before I found out I was pregnant, and they turned me around and told me to come back when I had hard evidence" you explained.

"But you were pregnant, that's more than enough evidence. They could've done a DNA test"

"Natasha, by the time I processed everything and told my parents…I didn't want people to see me…I hid myself away for most of my pregnancy and after the police turning me away like they did, I didn't think they would believe me. 

"I'm so sorry, Y/n" she wiped your tears and looked deeply into your eyes, "That little boy is so lucky to have you as his mother. You got a fucking amazing job with him, you give him everything a mother could give a child and I have a hell of a lot of respect for you. Thank you for sharing all of that with me"

"Like I said, it hasn't been easy but every morning when I wake up and I get to see his beautiful smile and those big blue eyes he makes me forget all the horror and I only see the good. He saved my life, if I had apported him, I don't know what I would've done" you replied trying your best to keep from crying more. Natasha's soft hands gave yours a gently squeeze, "if you need anything and I mean anything, you come to me. Okay?" she kept strong eye contact with you, "I mean it, I don't care what time you need me, if you and Dylan need me, I will be there" she assured you as you nodded slowly, "thank you Natasha" you replied. 

----

Natasha carried Dylan up to his room for you as you grabbed his backpack full of toys, she gently placed him in his bed and pulled the covers over him before giving him a secret kiss on the forehead, "sleep well kid" she smiled before leaving his room. 

"Thank you so much again for today and tonight, I'm so sorry I was unprofessional and sharing my personal life like that" you looked at her as you placed your belongings on the countertop. "You're not the only one with secrets, maybe another time we can share a bottle of wine and I can share mine" she offered. "That sounds nice" you smiled softly, "Well, I guess I'll see you Wednesday morning" Natasha replied. 

"Wednesday?" 

"Yeah, take Monday and Tuesday as an extended weekend" she playfully winked before heading for the door, "thank you" you said once more. "Y/n, thank me one more time and I'll fire you" Natasha chuckled, "Oh, I'm sorry, boss" you smirked, "goodnight" she shook her head before closing your apartment door.

Taglist:

[meenatranslates]

[SR] Taichi | Reminiscence of Blooming

There were feelings of frustration, as well as regrets and repentance. Still, I was able to keep running without going off the rails because everyone acknowledged me. Lead Skill: A friend I admire, who is my comrade and also my rival Adlib Skill: Right side, good! Left side, good! My smile, good!

__________________________

Veludo Town Oshi Spot! ~Video: Taichi~ - Part 1

__________________________

―Yosei Uni (Day)―

Taichi: Haah...

Juza: ...Still not goin' home yet?

Taichi: Oh, Juza-san! Are you planning to go back now?

Juza: Yeah. But I'll listen to you if there's anythin' you're troubled with...

Taichi: Eh?

(Is he worried for me because I let out a sigh...?)

Thanks, Juza-san!

But it's no big deal, really! I just can't decide on which place to introduce for the video, that's all.

Juza: The one for the commemorative event on Inste?

Taichi: Yup, that one! Also, since the weather's good today, I was thinking of taking a detour somewhere before heading home...

And it's been a while since I've been to the karaoke, so I thought I could try singing to my heart's content once in a while!

Juza: ...I see.

Taichi: I- I told you it's not a big deal!

Please don't think that I sighed so seriously over such a small thing!

Juza: I wasn't really thinking that...

Taichi: So yeah, Juza-san!

If you have time today, wanna go to karaoke with me?

Juza: Karaoke, huh...

Taichi: Ah, it's fine to decline if you have plans after this!

Juza: ...No, I don't mind goin'. I was just reminded of the time when we were still in O High.

Taichi: O High?

Juza: Just like today, you invited me and Tenma to karaoke on our way back from school a few times.

Taichi: We really had lots of fun back then~! I might as well invite Ten-chan today...

Tenma: You called me?

Taichi: Wah! Great timing, Ten-chan!

Tenma: What do you mean?

Taichi: Juza-san and I just talked about going to karaoke! Wanna come along, Ten-chan?

Tenma: ...Sorry, I gotta leave for work after this.

Taichi: Oh, really? Okay, do your best at work!

Juza: You seem busy these days. Don't push yourself too hard.

Tenma: Thanks, you two. Go have fun at the karaoke.

―Karaoke Box―

Taichi: ...Ha~! Like I thought, it feels refreshing after singing all out!

Huh? You didn't put any songs to sing yet, Juza-san?

Juza: I got too absorbed in listenin' to your singin' that I forgot to do it. That song just now, I remember you also sang that last time we went to karaoke.

Taichi: Yeah, I did! It's the theme song for the drama that Ten-chan starred in! We sang in duet at that time.

It was a bit hard to sing while playing a tambourine, but it was really fun!

(I already feel nostalgic about that, huh~. We make a lot of memories each time we go here.)

(Come to think of it, we often come here to do karaoke. Maybe I should introduce this place for Inste...?)

Juza: You sure can sing even while playin' a tambourine. I don't think I can do that...

Taichi: It's 'cause I was trained by Ten-chan and Ban-chan! I feel like my tambourine skills improved thanks to them...

(Ah, that's right!)

Can we take a selfie together, Juza-san? I wanna send a pic to Ten-chan...

Juza: 's fine by me.

Taichi: Okay, here's the mic for you, and a tambourine for me...

Say cheese~!

*snap*

Juza: Was that okay?

Taichi: Totally! I sent him the pic and said "Let's go together next time"!

Now then, I gotta continue to liven up your song with my tambourine skills~!

Juza: Yeah, countin' on you for that.

―Lounge (Night)―

Tenma: I'm home.

Taichi: Welcome home, Ten-chan! Did you see the pic I sent on LIME?

Yeah, sorry for the late reply. I also saw the picture of you slightly cut off.

Taichi: Ahaha. I tried my best taking the pic while holding a tambourine, but my hands went a little crazy...

But then I thought, "This should be okay enough"!

Tenma: Yeah, I can really tell that you had fun from the picture.

Taichi: I did, but because I sang your drama's theme song by myself, I kinda felt lonely.

Tenma: It's the song for the drama that I was in, so of course it can't be good without me around.

Taichi: Yup, so let's duet together next time!

__________________________

Veludo Town Oshi Spot! ~Video: Taichi~ - Part 2

__________________________

―Karaoke Box (Day)―

Taichi: We came all the way here, so let's sing together today, Ten-chan!

Tenma: Don't get ahead of yourself! You need to shoot the introduction video first.

Taichi: I- I know that~! I was just joking...

Wait, why're you suddenly holding the remote control!

Tenma: Well, I saw that the theme song for the drama I starred in was in the rankings, and I got curious so...

Taichi: You're right! It's amazing that it's in 3rd place! As expected from a drama starring Ten-chan!

Tenma: Heh, I guess so.

No, wait- Just get started and film already!

Taichi: Ah, just wait, please~! I'm doing the preparations right now!

~~~~~

The person to introduce their recommended spot for this time is... Taichi Nanao, from Autumn Troupe in MANKAI Company!

Tenma: And the one in charge of filming is Tenma Sumeragi from Summer Troupe.

Taichi: Many thanks for Ten-chan! Now then, the place I'm going to introduce is here! The karaoke box!

There are times when I have the sudden urge to sing...

This happens to you guys too, right? How about you, Ten-chan?

Tenma: Quite few times.

Taichi: Thought so! At times like that, I always come here!

It's close to the station, has the latest models, it's pretty clean, and there's also the drinks station...

This is like, the best place to sing!

Tenma: I mean, it's a karaoke box after all.

Taichi: Well, yeah, that's true but~!

Oh right, the Autumn Troupe of MANKAI Company, of which I am affiliated with, once performed a band-themed play...

Tenma: Ahh, you mean "the Rad Red", where Taichi played the lead role. You guys also held a live performance of an original song during the play.

Taichi: Yup! I actually came here and wrote that original song at that time!

I've also come here with the other troupe members to sing, and many other fun things happened...

This place holds many memories for me.

*ding*

...Wait, what!?

It's the theme song of Ten-chan's drama! Why...!?

Tenma: Taichi! Your elbow's pressing the button on the remote control!

Taichi: Agh, it's true!! I should stop this, right!?

Tenma: I'll do that, so you just keep focusing on the video...!

Taichi: G-got it!

Umm, anyway, karaoke is the best! So everyone should come and hang out here too!!

―Lounge (Night)―

Tenma: ...Have you posted it yet?

Taichi: Uhh, just a second.

~~VLOG starts~~

Caption: Something unexpected happened during the introduction of karaoke box!?

Taichi: "I've also come here with the other troupe members to sing, and many other fun things happened..."

"This place holds many memories for me."

*ding*

"...Wait, what!?"

"It's the theme song of Ten-chan's drama! Why...!?"

~~VLOG ends~~

Taichi: I've successfully submitted my post!

Thanks for getting me permission to use the theme song, Ten-chan! I didn't have to do a retake thanks to that!

Tenma: I wanted everyone to see your video too. The way you panicked is amusing no matter how many times I watched it.

Taichi: Now that you said it, that was a bit embarrassing...!

Tenma: Hey, don't talk too loud or you'll hurt your throat. That awful voice is because of the karaoke you and the others went to yesterday, right?

Taichi: Uhuu, I had too much fun singing that I overused my throat...

Sorry, Ten-chan, even though you told me to be careful.

Tenma: ...Well, I did expect that this would happen.

Here, have some honey. It's the same one I gave you before. This should make your throat feel better. (1)

Taichi: Wahh! Thanks, Ten-chan! You're so kind that my heart's gonna get captivated again...!

Tenma: It'd be a problem if you can't go to karaoke for a while. Mostly worried about your tambourine skills, though...

Taichi: I can still play the tambourine even if my voice gets hoarse! Or rather, I want us to duet again some time!

Tenma: I get it already, so stop shouting!

Take care of your throat so that it'll heal quicker.

Taichi: Okay!

Story Clear!

=====NOTES=====

[1] Referencing the Epilogue of "the Rad Red".

[grimyandereencantosimp]

Hi!

Do you mind doing a camlio x female reader one part imagine where camlio has a crush on the reader and doesn't know how to tell her? And then later, when the Casa Madrigal is falling apart and y/n and Mirabel are trying to get the candle, Camilo confesses his love?

Tysm ily!

(I'm so sorry for the long wait! :( And thank you, also you're welcome!)

Crush (Soft yandere Camilo x Fem! reader)

(This gif is perfect for this oneshot lmao.)

Tw: Stalking, wholesome yandere, soft yandere, unhealthy obsession, yandere themes?

Camilo's crush on you had lasted for months, and you of course had no idea of it. Camilo had a strong urge to confess to you, but every time he built up courage to he always fell back to his anxious self. He just didn't know how to tell you. He hated how he didn't know how he should of, it made him feel like a coward.

It didn't help he had never done this either, yes, he always had been the romantiac type. But never actually had been involved with realtionships and confessions.

Mind you, you and Camilo were close friends. Even though you were you were you were his friend, it didn't make it any easier for him.

Even though both of you were friends he often stalked watched you just to satisfy his love for you. What was wrong with him? He thought to himself

Odd things had been happening in the Encanto lately, it was mainly Casita and the Madrigal family. There had been cracks spotted on the walls and floors, and some gifts were failing on certain family members.

But thats when Casita had decided to crumble.

You rushed up to the house, seeing dust leaking from parts of the house. You stared in worry for a momment before entering, running over to Camilo. "What's happening?!" You asked loudly but with worry, barley being heard over the rumbling of the house, and countless objects and picture frames falling to the ground. "C-casita, it's falling! M-Mirabel and Abuela started arguing and afterwards a giant crack appeared on the ground. And it only got worse from there!" Camilo explained. "What about the candle?" You said to him. "Not good, Mirabels attempting to get it in her hands now." You looked over to see Mirabel climbing up on railing, once part of casita.

"I'm going after it too."

"What?!" Camilo gasped, "but you can't!"

You then went to run, but Camilos hand stopped you, his hand wrapped around your shoulder. "What are you doing Camilo?" You asked slightly irritated at him stopping you. "No, I can't let you do this! I can't let you die (y/n!)" "I don't care if I die or not, I need to help Mirabel make sure that the candle is safe and not destroyed!" You said worryingly, determination also lacing your voice. "NO! I need to tell you something!" Camilo yelled, making you look at him straight in the eyes. "What then?!" You asked.

"I love you!"

Your pupils no longer dilated, but instead staring at Camilo in awe. His hand loosend around your arm as you turned to face him. "What?" You said, you mouth slightly gaped at the comment. "I love you." He said more gently. "Y-you love me?!" You said in disbelief, "Yes mi amor, I do." He said softly, well wholesomely smiling.

You then hugged him, tears slightly filling your eyes out of hapiness.

"I love you too Camilo."

(This wasn't really that yandere, but it was good to write something wholesome for once.)