#((took me a while to get this one out BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!! THIS WAS GREAT!!))

[phosph-ate]

Need To Know

Dr. Phosphorus x GN!Reader

(What I want him to do to me 🔝)

Summary: You match his freak, a little too well

CW: SMUT! 18+!, thigh riging(ish), burning, pet name (cupcake), newly establish relationship (hinted at), no use of y/n, no beta reader, soft dr. phosphorus (even tho he burns you...), reader has enhanced healing and is immune to radiation

WC: 0.8k

A/N: Loosely based off this ask. it gave me this idea and i just AIHSJD AAAHHH. I love him so much ugh

“Please…” Your voice was soft and airy. Needy. “Alex, please.”

One of Dr. Phosphorus’ hand gripped your hip, and the other was on the wall. He leaned his weight onto that hand and his face was in your neck. His hips were grinding into yours. He was still mostly clothed, wearing pants and his jacket. You were almost completely naked before him, wearing nothing but underwear.

His thumb rubbed circles into your exposed hip. You were dying for something. He could not tell what.

“What is it?” His voice was strained. “What’d’ya’ need?”

“I want-” Your eyes shut tight, and you whispered something under your breath. You wanted him to mark you up. In a potentially unconventional way.

“What was that?” He stopped the grinding and cocked his head at you.

You groaned and your head rolled back. “I want you to… Burn me.” If he had eyes they would be bugging out. That is not what he expected. “I mean-” You immediately defended yourself, “I can heal fast, I’m immune to your radiation… I want to- Need to know what it feels like.”

While you waited for an answer, the wall beside you began to heat up. Dr. Phosphorus moved his hand from the wall quickly and you looked over, seeing a handprint singed on the wall. You shivered.

“You’re being serious?” He asked, trying to compose himself.

“Completely.” You sucked in air and your jaw clenched.

“Okay,” He took a step back, “we need a safe word first.”

The smile on your face was about to make it all worth it for Phosphorus. “How about red, if I need you to stop, I’ll just say red. If reassurance is needed on your end, I’ll say green.”

“That will work.” He was impressed with how fast you were. How long had this been on your mind? He was not sure, but he was happy to oblige. You leaped towards him and kissed him quickly. “You have a spot in mind?” He asked curiously.

“Collarbone.” You spat out, smiling at him. You pointed to the spot.

“People will see that-”

“I want them to.” Your smile turned into a smirk. “I really want them to.”

Dr. Phosphorus almost lost his mind. For a brief moment, he was burning up. He collected himself and his hands flexed. You noticed how worked up he was. You could not help but wonder if he thought about burning you.

“First thing’s first, cupcake,” He pushed you back against the wall. “I will not be burning you fully. I know you heal fast, but-” Dr. Phosphorus sighed. “I cannot bear the thought of hurting badly. Secondly,” He put up two fingers, “use the safe word if you need it.”

You nodded, excitedly. Violently. Your stomach flipped. Your back was flush with the wall, and you smiled at your boyfriend, excited for what was to come. “I promise! I will let you know if it’s too much.” But it won’t be, you thought. You did not want him to get upset, so you kept the last part to yourself.

He nodded and you shut your eyes. Dr. Phosphorus placed a hand on your hip and on at the base of your neck, above your collarbone. You began to grind your hips against his again and your head leaned back, giving him better access to you.

“I’ll be okay,” You whispered. Your hands grabbed his jacket, and you pulled him closer to you. You peeked at Phosphorus. He was obviously thinking. “Alex, green, please-” Your begging seemed to be enough to push him over the edge.

Dr. Phosphorus pushed a knee between your legs and his palm laid on your collarbone. You felt heat at first. You moaned. You leaned forward, the grinding continued. The friction was almost enough to bring you to orgasm alone. Your hips moved steadily at first. You knew what you were doing. But as soon as you felt the heat becoming hotter your grinding became quicker, sloppy.

“Fuck,” You hissed.

Dr. Phosphorus was losing his mind. The way you had given yourself to him was exhilarating. A pleasured scream ripped from your throat and your hips jutted forward. You were coming undone. Every part of you tensed and your grip on his jacket tightened. Dr. Phosphorus pulled his hand away from your skin and you twitched against him. You let out a soft whine and your head dropped.

It was quickly lifted back up. Your eyes opened slightly, and Dr. Phosphorus examined your burn. “How’s it look?” You smirked at him.

“You’re freaky,” He responded, head lifting slightly, looking at you presumably, “you know that?”

You let out a low laugh, “Like you aren’t!”

“Come on,” Dr. Phosphorus pulled you away from the wall, “I know you have enhanced healing, but we need to clean that, and you, up.”

You nodded. You followed Dr. Phosphorus to your bathroom and sighed. That was a lot better than you could have even imagined. “Alex,” you started, causing him to turn back towards you. You wanted so badly to tell him you loved him. You figured it may not be the best time. “Thank you.”

“For burning you?” He almost yelled, but he did not falter getting you to the bathroom. Your bare feet hit the tile floor. “You are freaky.”

“No,” you swatted at him, “for helping me clean up.”

“Oh, that’s just what good boyfriends do.”

You let him look at the burn in the light. “You know,” You started, “when someone sees this they’re going to absolutely lose it.” You smirked.

“I hope Rick sees it.” Dr. Phosphorus laughed. “Oh, how I hope he sees it…”

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE *  assorted dialogue from the game, adjust as necessary

whatever happens, you can't fall in love with me.

promise you'll come and save me.

we need to make the most of the time we have... to live our lives the way we wanna live. every minute, every moment, matters.

i'm glad i met you, [name]. i really am.

i'm grateful for all the words we've shared, for all the moments and the memories.

you've made me more happy than you know.

there's a much bigger threat.

i just want to do everything in my power to help.

can i come?

then it's a date!

a long time ago i used to sell flowers here.

go. follow your heart.

i'm not some princess who needs to be coddled.

sorry i'm late.

this calls for a song.

this is a one time gig. when it's done, we're done.

survival can be a matter of luck or skill. and you can't rely on luck.

if it feels wrong, don't do it.

i'm a light sleeper.

when we were kids, everybody wanted to be a soldier. by the time i made it in, they didn't need heroes anymore.

i'm not cut out for this crap.

quit acting like you know me.

you have to look at the bigger picture here.

nothing worth fighting for was ever won without sacrifice.

hold onto this.

a good man who serves a great evil is not without sin.

i'm a man of modest dreams.

answer me!

would kill for a shower.

i'll be fine. you've seen how much ass i can kick.

it's kinda funny. us going our separate ways, thinking that must be it... that we'd never meet again... and then here of all places we do.

deep down, you're a pretty nice guy.

they took everything from us. again.

i don't care! i don't want anyone else to die, please!

we should totally celebrate!

i'm sick of this! i'm sick of all of this!

are you ignoring me again?

what's with you all of a sudden? like you're losing that hard edge.

you can't do this.

you gotta be better than this if you're gonna play the hero.

is it our destiny to defy destiny?

i am what you see before you. nothing more.

you are too weak to save anyone. not even yourself.

those who look with clouded eyes see nothing but shadows.

that was then, this is now.

you have failed again.

through suffering you will grow stronger. isn't that what you want?

do you fear me?

do you dream of me?

you're not real. you're dead.

you should rest up while you can.

can't sleep?

i heard footsteps.

sorry. didn't mean to wake you.

it kinda feels like i've gone back to my childhood home.

everyone dies eventually.

do i get a say in all this?

i'm coming for you.

did you miss me?

[eclipseberrycake]

Poly! MoonBerryCake x Reader

I took some inspiration from @huneybeen who wrote this first so please please dont hate me but I've been thinking about them for the past 3 days and I needed to word vomit.

...K thanks bye.

Divider Credit: @sister-lucifer

☁ The dynamic of this alone is something I'd like to touch on especially because it's so fun to me.

☁ I imagine if anything the reader would be a common toon, so that changed things. You have two mains, Astro and Sprout, and two commons, yourself and Cosmo.

☁ You and Cosmo probably meet first because of that. You get close because of similar interests and stay close during runs.

☁ To add an extra layer to this, imagine Distactor! Reader too? Licking my fingers at this.

☁ Cosmo thought he had just gotten a new friend! He loves giving them treats and using them as a taste tester and even taking naps together wherever possible! It's great!

☁ Until...it's not? Why are you taking off? Why do the trinkets hooked onto your belt look suspiciously like the ones Goob and Tisha are known to use? Why are you actively getting the Twisteds attention?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

☁ The first time he sees you distract is a little stressful for poor Cosmo. The second you're back in the elevator and it clinks shut, he is whirling on you and demanding an explanation.

☁ He's so exasperated that he's left speechless when you simply smile up at him, still high off adrenaline, while talking a mile a minute about how much fun that was.

☁....Are you insane?

☁ That being said, after the fact, Cosmo is literally your personal healer. He is constantly fighting Toodles the other toons for heals, not for himself, not really, but so he's never left with nothing to give you.

☁ That's probably when he realizes he has an initial crush on you. He's mid-way through using a med-kit on you, on a floor high enough he can see the running starting to effect you. You're sluggish and fatigued and can't chug pop fast enough. It makes his chest ache at the sight before he's swallowing his nerves and wrapping his arms around you.

☁ "You're doing great. Thank you for the work you do."

☁ Feeling you melt against him made every grueling floor worth it in that moment. The draining yank of his own health leaving him to go to you through every new treat was far beyond repaid. He would do it a million times over for you if only for a smidge chance at this moment again.

☁ The run was finished soon after that, and you were quick to express your thanks towards him after that. Safe to say, if you thought he was clingy before, that was nothing. It's like he literally took an invisible chain and connected it between you two and you just haven't found it yet.

☁ He's always there with a smile and a treat and a snuggle if time and twisteds permit.

☁ Now, some world building for ya. I imagine that the OG Twisteds of the mains you see, are the real mains until that research is completed. Then Dandy lets you purchase an...un-twist antidote or something and that's when they come back. It's fun to me >:(.

☁ Following this, most people are gonna assume Sprout comes first.

☁ WRONG. I got Astro first so guess whose coming back. Astro.

☁ When Astro comes back, he's evidently shaken by the whole ordeal. The mains probably didn't know the commons overly well unless they were explicitly paired together. Like Sprout and Cosmo in that one animation, or Glisten and Vee, etc. Astro isn't seen with any commons, as far as I know, so he's probably a little lost and feels like an outsider.

☁ While he's recovering he's banned from any runs. Point blank period. However, that means he's alone while the commons are all out scavenging for research.

☁ Guess who comes in? Guess :)

☁ It's you!

☁ Unlike Cosmo, there are other distracting toons. Tisha and Goob both are more than happy to take some shifts while you stay back to recover yourself. Unfortunately, there's only one Cosmo, so he's left going on the runs as a healer and leaving you behind. You always see him off though, giving him pecks on the cheek before he's stepping into the elevator.

☁ You take the time to wander through Gardenview, eyeing each room as you pass before blinking at the infirmary. The new toon was in there.

☁ Astro half expected you to just continue on, regardless of if he was there or not. He was fine on his own, even if it wasn't his favorite. It reminded him too much of when he was... Of before.

☁ But you poked the top of your head in the doorway, your eyes being the only part of you visible. He blinked at the action, making eye contact. Your head tilted at the action and his own mirrored it. It made you giggle as you disappeared back around the door.

☁ Despite it, Astro found himself smiling at the action. what an odd toon you were.

☁ He never heard your footsteps disappear however, stunning himself when you popped your eyes back in, gleaming with mischief. The rest of you stepped in right after, pressing a finger to your lips with a humorous little wink. "Wanna sneak into the kitchen and steal some cookies?"

☁ Needless to say, he found himself in the kitchen, sitting beside you with a cookie jar shaped like a suspicious, rainbow petal'd plant sat between you munching on cookies that looked a little too familiar for comfort.

☁ You filled the silence whenever something popped into your brain, talking about things you felt he should know for whatever reason. He now knew all about Rodger and Glisten and Teagan's tension, which he wouldn't have guessed, and all about Gigi's...problem with misplaced objects. He even knew about your own rumors that laid hushed in the walls, spoken like they were about someone else.

☁ "Yeah! People keep saying Cosmo and I are a thing but he's never asked so until then, that's a no."

☁ He hummed at the time, even if some part of him felt a bit relieved at the information.

☁ By the time he was cleared to go on runs, you were bouncing up and down by his side excitedly, trinkets clinking from where you had hooked them onto your waist, with Cosmo excitedly grinning behind you.

☁ He liked seeing you two like that.

☁ Now. Sprout. Mr. Seedly.

☁ He's last to join. Astro helps with this tremendously. When you're downed from a surprise Shrimpo attack, clutching your arm as Ichor pooled over, Cosmo is quick to try and jump in to help, only for a twisted clone of himself to turn and lock in onto him.

☁ As much as I love to proclaim "Distractor! Cosmo!" he's not actually a distractor. So, he has to run to lose the twisteds quickly before getting bit himself. This is where Astro comes in. Not only does he quickly re-energize both you and Cosmo, he is able to give you a momentary heal, letting you run off, air horn blazing, while hiding in the back to turn his attention to Cosmo.

☁ Whatever pieces you or Cosmo may lose, Astro picks up. Yet, not all of them seem to click into place just yet.

☁ When the elevator stills and you all hear the telltale steps, Astro is quick to grab your shoulders and spit all sorts of warnings. "Watch the tentacles. You'll know where they're going to appear. Don't try to test them. It's not worth it." "He's slow but don't take that for advantage. He will find a way to keep up." "Ignore every other twisted. We can handle them."

☁ Blinking, he watched you slowly nod before blinking and giving a much more firm acknowledgement. "Understood."

☁ When the elevators opened, Astro watched as you quickly got Sprout's attention, darting around a budding pile of ichor before sharply turning the other way. The reason why quickly became apparent when a twisted Teagan turned the corner, which Goob quickly took away.

☁ Nodding to himself, Astro found himself turning to face Cosmo, who looked terrified at the what just happened. Did he look that way when Astro was...That way with him? He hoped not.

☁ Frowning, he gripped his blanket tighter before letting out a breath, extending one of his hands through the opening towards Cosmo. The other looked at it with wide eyes before his eyes upturned to look at Astro's. "I'll stay with you the entire time."

☁ They had to follow you after all.

☁ They stayed a good distance away from where you and Goob were distracting (which was rather entertaining to watch actually), grabbing capsules wherever possible and tossing healing treats to you both as you passed.

☁ It was a rather seamless process actually up until the elevator timer began, sending the other toons of the squad running. Cosmo, who had been waiting for Astro to finish the last machine, seemed to halt before Astro was urging him forward, steeling himself to stay behind. "They'll run out of stamina before getting to the elevator. We'll be fine!"

☁ Albeit hesitantly, Cosmo did turn and run, finding safety next to Rodger while Astro stayed a ways away outside. Goob was quick to return, free of twisteds, but looking no less stressed. "They were far! Sprout cut off their exit!" Goob quickly explained, twiddling his fingers in front of him.

☁ Astro nodded before instructing him to stand in the elevator as well just in case.

☁ As the seconds ticked down, Astro was seconds away from stepping just far enough to remain out of Goob's range just in case when you came skidding around a corner. He could tell you were running on low as you kept looking back, narrowly avoiding Sprout's clawed grasp. Waiting until you were close enough, he let his power thrum along the ground, watching as you immediately perked up.

☁ Goob took this as a signal, or maybe you gave him one, as you quickly moved to push Astro forward, right into the awaiting arms as you continued towards the elevator. Just as the elevator began to close, you dove, making it just under the steel metal as it slammed shut behind you.

☁ You were panting as you laid on the ground, the entire elevator silent save for your heavy breaths and the sound of Dandy preparing for his arrival.

☁ Cosmo was quick to jump onto you, hurling threats of no more heals if you ever tried anything like that ever again. You took it with grace, gently resting a hand on his head as he cried into your shoulder. Your eyes angled back, catching his and extending your free hand. "You can't fool me. I know that scared you too."

☁ If Astro moved forward to take your hand, sitting close enough to you his knees brushed your shoulders.

☁ You had gotten what you needed though, evident with the glower Dandy shot at you, hidden behind a plastic smile.

☁ Getting Sprout back was harder than getting Astro back, admittedly. You had explained that when getting a main back, you kept most of the toons behind simply for everyone's sake. Distractors, Cosmo and fast extractors was where you drew the line.

☁ Which Astro understood. But didn't like. However, that being said, his power made him a valuable asset, which he used to argue his point. When you acquiesced, he nearly cheered, triumphantly trekking into the elevator with Cosmo by his side.

☁ To say this was like the previous runs, but on some sort of crack would be an understatement. It was fast. It was grueling. It was a thing of constant motion with machines constantly being done and the elevator a repeating pattern of opening and closing.

☁ There were no jokes like usual. There was no chatting. There was a new tension among the people in the elevator, simply waiting for the countdown before starting it all over again.

☁ Cosmo ensured he stuck beside Astro the entire time, remaining a rock the entire time while you were busy. They kept close enough they could rush to you should the need arise, and have a few times, but stayed within hands reach of each other.

☁ By the time they reached floor 24, with all of you tired and injured to some extent, the sound of his steps were both a welcome reprieve and a dreaded expectation.

☁ You were the one trusted with the serum, clutching it tightly as you glared at the elevator before you were turning to look at Cosmo and Astro over your shoulder. "Stay safe, please. Don't wait for me."

☁ It was a harrowing ask, but not one they could linger on as the elevator opened and you took off.

☁ But then the lights went out.

☁ And then they heard Sprout let out a shrill roar signaling he spotted you.

☁ Then they heard the snarling of Pebble signaling he too also spotted you.

☁ That was all they needed before the group of them dispersed, eager to complete the machines as quick as possible before you paid the price for their lack of action.

☁ One by one each ticked off before the elevator was reopening and they all rushed back to the elevator. Goob, Cosmo and Astro stood right up at the lip of the elevator, eyes darting for you. You appeared much quicker, both Pebble and Sprout on your heels as you did.

☁ You dropped a quick smoke bomb, loosing both of their attentions as you quickly rounded around a counter. Pebble let out a snarl as he ran off in the other direction. He didn't get far before hearing you move and it was like a movie.

☁ You moved, launching at Sprout with the Serum poised and ready while Pebble snarled, rushing to catch you. You managed to catch Sprout, digging the spout of the needle into his neck before being chucked off, making you scramble as you quickly darted back around the counter. Astro let his power thrum as Goob snapped his arms out, Cosmo catching you as you ran into the elevator while Goob's arms snapped back. The elevator snapped shut as Glisten moved to end the run and send the elevator back up, both you and Cosmo moving to where Goob cradled an ichor riddle body.

☁ You quickly let Cosmo do what he needed too, diverging to wrap your arms around Astro, who's eyes were locked onto Sprout.

☁ He spent the night with you and Cosmo, both of which he dragged out of your rooms to sleep in his that night.

☁ Sprout's recovery is quicker than Astro's, as he's a toon made for healing. He's up and bitching before any of you can stop him.

☁ Cosmo is his first stop, duh, they're canonically very close, with Astro a close second as he would know the other main. But you? Sprout's got no idea who you are.

☁ So he's a little stand-offish. He sees you interacting with Cosmo and sees you with Astro, and both seem to thoroughly enjoy your company, but he also saw you when he was a twisted.

☁ You were a dumbass if he had anything to say about it.

☁ You'd see someone way down a hallway and risk running into a wall to avoid them getting maybe even possibly spotted. He'd seen you eat enough chocolate bars to make him sake just to stay just in front of Pebble. He'd seen you slip on a stray jumper cable only to get right back up and do the same thing when you rounded around.

☁ He wasn't sure he wanted that rubbing off on him.

☁ But you stuck around. When Cosmo wanted to bake, you were the first to get a bit of the final product. When Astro wanted a nap, you were right there with a blanket, acting as a pillow while you napped with him.

☁ Even on runs, you were quick to come to his aid, taking back the twisteds once he'd gotten his aggro-tapes. All with a stupid smile.

☁ He kind of hated that smile.

☁ Man this is getting LONGGG

☁ Anyway, how would you and Sprout bond? Uh, the common denominators silly!

☁ You were injured on a previous run, bad enough to warrant bed rest decrees from both Cosmo AND Astro. Lucky you!

☁ Sprout had only been cleared for basic runs and this was another possible retrieval run, which you heavily protested against with not only you injured but your second healer still on probation.

☁ Still, they went on with it. You and Sprout were left in the infirmary, awkward silence settling between you. Neither of you knew what to say from there. Your buffers were gone.

☁ With a huff, you sat up, running a hand down your face before turning to face Sprout. Who was watching you.

☁ He watched you like a hawk, watching as you swung your feet off the bed and slowly stood like a shaky new born fawn. "Cosmo's not gonna like that."

☁ You snorted at him, falling back onto the bed only to try again. Sprout's eyes narrowed as he scoffed. "Astro's not gonna like it either."

☁ You snorted again, finally finding your standing before turning to look at him, narrowing your eyes at him. "Are you coming with me to get cookies or not?"

☁ ...well, he can't say he didn't warn you. He did follow you to go get treats, acting as a crutch along the way simply for the reason he didn't want to wait for you to hobble along.

☁ That was the only reason.

☁ By the time you both got to the kitchen, munching on treats, you had picked up a fun back and forth with each other, trading quips as you dug into the cookie jar once more. You pulled out the last cookie, offering it to him.

☁ He looked at it before shaking his head, only for you to roll your eyes and split it in two. He took it with a grumble, scoffing. "I made them I can make more."

☁ "Gonna make them with Astro's face again?" You shot back with a grin, nibbling onto your own half.

☁ He gave an affronted gasp before the ding of the elevator was making you both look over, Sprout giving you a hand to welcome back the group. They hadn't been gone very long, so it either went very well or not well at all.

☁ It turned out be neither. The run had been called as they were unable to fall into a rhythm and Scraps and Brightney had gotten into quite the altercation.

☁ Both you and Sprout find yourselves looked for Cosmo and Astro, only to find them chatting near the entrance, completely fine. There's a moment between you and hi m, where you both side eye each other before you're reaching out and shoving him. Without trinkets you two are practically the same speed, only he has you outmatched with stamina.

☁ Which was his only hope as he stumbled, not expecting the dirty play, watching you take off towards them. He quickly caught up trying to shove you only for you to dodge him with a laugh.

☁ He knew he should've distracted more. He had gotten complacent with Pebble and was now paying the price for it. He should've known you were a dirty filthy cheater. He should've guessed.

☁ In a last ditch effort he launched himself at you, making you squawk as you both rolled forward, giving both Cosmo and Astro little time before the two of you collided into them sending the four of you into a heap of undignified limbs and cackles.

☁ I spent that entire time just developing that omfg and its already long. sobbing.

☁ Anyway how y'all get together is gonna be TBD bc my head is hurty and my tummy is empty. ~<3

[jrswritings]

Tingles and Giggles - Chapter Twenty-Two- Tyler Owens x Reader

Get caught up with the Chapters 1-21 on the Masterlist! :)

Chapter Twenty-Two - Haggard, Jennings, and Strait

You had just left the gas station a couple of hours away from the small town where Auntie B lived, starting your journey to your parent's house. While you were filled with excitement, you were also quite nervous. You hadn’t brought any man home to your parents since your ex, Derek. Your parents were in love with Derek more than you think you were. They viewed him as the perfect boyfriend for you. He was pursuing a law degree and planned to have his firm in the Big Apple. 

Your parents listened to you, but there were times you felt your words landed on deaf ears for what you wanted in life. Every parent wants their child to be happy and successful in life, but everyone views success differently. 

While accelerating onto the highway, you leaned against the armrest and gripped the wheel tightly. In all honesty, it wasn’t just nerves you were feeling; you were scared, too. 

Tyler decided to lean his seat back and put his hat to cover his face, in hopes of taking a brief nap. You slid one of your earbuds into your right ear and selected a random playlist from your ever-growing list of music. The piano intro of Merle Haggard’s ‘That’s the Way Love Goes’ flooded your ear. You hummed along softly, but it was one of your favorite songs of Merle’s so it was hard to not sing along. 

“That’s the way love goes, babe, that’s the music God made, for all the world to sing, it’s never old, it grows,” you sang softly,  “Losing makes me sorry, you say, honey, now don’t worry, don’t you know I love you too, and that’s the way love goes.” 

Little did you know, Tyler was not asleep beside you but was listening to you the whole time. You grew up listening to Haggard, Jennings, and Strait so it brought you back to a time when life was simpler. 

Your phone dinged and your phone read it to you in your ear.

“A text from Mom, hey honey, what time do you think you will be at Uncle Oliver’s? Say what you’d like to respond with.” 

“In an hour or so,” you said, “Who’s driving the truck and trailer?” 

After it was sent, the fiddle on ‘Amarillo By Morning’ took over. You slightly started to rock your shoulders while listening, your fingers tapping the beat of the song on the steering wheel. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tyler shuffle, glancing over you noticed he was disconnecting your phone from your ear bud and connecting it to the truck. 

“What? I like this song, too,” he said, turning the volume up.

“Ah, okay,” you laughed softly. 

“They took my saddle in Houston, broke my leg in Santa Fe, lost my wife and a girlfriend somewhere along the way,” he sang, sitting up in his seat, “But I’ll be lookin’ for eight when they pull that gate and I hope that judge ain’t blind. Amarillo by mornin’, Amarillo’s on my mind.” 

“I never took you for much of a singer, Owens,” you said, turning the radio down slightly. 

“Auntie B and my Mom would always have music playing, no matter the time,” he said, “Especially if it was classic country. They always played Alabama and Johnny Cash.” 

“Sounds like my household,” you chuckled, “Hence why my boys are named Waylon and Willie.” 

“Same for Cash, ain’t that right, bud?” He asked, turning around and seeing his dog passed out in the backseat peacefully. 

“He’s had a lot of excitement the last 24 hours, babe,” you said, “Let the poor pup sleep.” 

“I know,” he said softly, reaching his hand over and placing it on yours, “My last few days have been a lot of excitement, too.” 

“I bet, you’re with one crazy lady,” you laughed. 

“The only thing she doesn’t know is that I’m crazier,” he laughed. 

Your phone dinged again, this time it playing over the truck sound system. 

“A text from Mom, your father planned on having you drive and use your truck, then we’d have your boyfriend help out with some of the manual labor. You know we have to see if he is even worth your time. Say what you’d like to respond with.”

You pressed the button on the screen to not send a reply. 

“Well that isn’t embarrassing at all,” you groaned, rubbing your forehead while turning off the main highway. 

“It’s okay, they just want to see if I’m good enough for you,” he said, “Normal protective parenting.” 

“That’s what you think,” you scoffed and rolled your eyes, “Just wait until they bring up my ex and won’t stop talking about them.” 

“Why do they like him so much since he broke your heart?” Tyler asked, squeezing your hand gently. 

“Because in their eyes he was the perfect boyfriend,” you mocked your parent's tone, “Meanwhile our relationship was far from perfect. I’m glad he cheated, even though it did give me trust issues.” 

“Okay, now I’m lost,” he said, leaning to be facing you slightly. 

“As much as my parents viewed him as perfect, after year two I was starting to fall out of love with him. We would fight, a lot and about the dumbest things. I’d want to go listen to bands and dance in downtown Salado, yet he would want to go to the city and bar-hop with his college friends,” you said, your mind going back to how those days made you feel, “He’d be gone to the cities for a whole weekend if not longer sometimes. He never helped out with the farm chores when we’d go to my parents. It’d just be that his soft little hands can’t get rough, it doesn’t look good in a courtroom.” 

“Was he going to be a judge or something?” Tyler asked.

“Lawyer,” you said, “My parents viewed him as going to be quite successful and would make me happy my whole life. So, I swallowed my pride and stayed with him to make them happy.” 

“Why though? If you were miserable,” he started to say.

“Because back then I was a people pleaser,” you snapped, “And others abused that so I’ve been working on not being one.” 

“I see,” he said quietly. 

“But what I view as being happy isn’t what they view, so I just suffered until I had an actual reason to leave him,” you said, pulling into a rest stop and putting the truck in park. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that for that long, baby,” he said softly, reaching over and moving a piece of hair from your face. 

“It is what it is, Ty,” you sighed, resting your forehead on the top of the steering wheel, “I’ve moved past it to what actually makes me happy.” 

“I make you happy?” He asked, a smirk coming to his face. 

“Yes, you dummy,” you said while sitting up and smacking his chest lightly, “I wouldn’t have said yes if you didn’t.” 

“I suppose you’re right,” he chuckled, kissing the back of your hand. 

“Are you okay to drive? I need to text my mom that we’ll be there in twenty and I need to calm down so I don’t lose it the next couple of days,” you said, unbuckling your seatbelt. 

“Anything for you babe,” he said, “I’d rather not have to bail you out of jail.” 

“I wouldn’t kill anyone, just say some not-nice things,” you said, opening your door and sliding out of your seat. 

“That’s what they all say,” he chuckled, getting out of his side of the truck to go around to the driver's side. 

While you messaged your mom back that you’d be there soon, you leaned the seat back slightly and rubbed your face with your fingers. There was a reason you rarely visited your family, and this was it. The home wasn’t a happy place anymore without James there. Your view of life changed, along with what priorities you had. You moved to stay focused on one thing and one thing only. Yourself.

Taglist: @fanboyswhore9 @faith719 @ummmeg @nerdgirljen @winterassassin1804 @smoothdogsgirl @xbox5angelx @ifilwtmfc @djs8891 @watashiwababy

[mugglebornmarvelite]

Sunshine in His Shadows

Paring: Avenger! Bucky Barnes x Avenger! Fem! Reader (Grumpy x Sunshine)

Summary: When Bucky withdraws into himself one night, you’re determined to remind him that his past doesn't define him and he doesn’t have to carry his burdens alone.

Word Count: Roughly 1.8k

Warnings: Fluff, hurt/comfort, light angst, mentions of his trauma and anxiety

Author’s Note: You can never go wrong with fluff and a bit of angst. And, I already have an idea for a lighthearted part 2 

Also, I added a taglist form!

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Divider by: @strangergraphics 

The compound was quiet at night, except for the occasional creak of floorboards as you wandered the halls. You found Bucky sitting alone in the kitchen. His was tense; you could tell by how his metal hand clenched into a fist as if he were holding something invisible but heavy. 

You hesitated at the doorway, unsure whether to intrude. But you didn’t want him to feel alone, not when you could at least offer warmth.

“Hey,” you said softly, stepping closer. “You didn’t go out either, huh?”

Bucky glanced at you briefly, his blue eyes shadowed by something deeper than being tired. He didn’t respond; he just gave a quiet nod before turning his gaze back to the window. When he didn’t tell you to get lost, you took that as permission to sit beside him.

For a while, there was silence. Comfortable but heavy. 

You wanted to break it but didn’t want to push too hard before Bucky closed up again. Finally, after gathering your courage, you spoke, your voice as gentle as the night breeze.

“Bucky. Um, you never talk about your past.”

Bucky tensed further, his jaw clenching tightly. You noticed how his breathing changed, becoming shallower as if the very mention of his past dragged him underwater.

“I just, I want to understand you better,” you added carefully, your voice barely a whisper. “Not what I hear from others. I want to know you.”

There was a sharp flicker of something in his eyes, maybe pain or even fear. He stood up with his back to you, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t,” he muttered, his voice low. “It’s not something someone like you should hear. You’re too good for that darkness.”

Your heart ached. 

He was trying to protect you from himself. 

You stood, stepping toward him, your hand reaching out. Your fingers brushed against his metal arm, and he stiffened, though he didn’t pull away.

“Bucky,” you whispered, barely above a breath. “But you’re not that person anymore. You’re our Bucky. You’re my Bucky.”

That was all it took. 

His head lowered, his eyes closing as if to shut out the flood of emotions threatening to spill over. He tried to say something but stopped, his throat tight.

“I don’t…” His voice broke, and he took a step back, needing space. He literally had to walk away before he started crying because you, his sunshine, had said it with such genuineness, with such unwavering faith in him, that it shattered the walls he’d spent years building.

You didn’t follow him. You knew Bucky well enough by now to understand that he needed time. But it didn’t stop you from calling after him, your voice like a balm to his wounds. “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

An hour later, he found you in the living room, curled up on the couch with a blanket around your shoulders. You were lost in thought, and when you noticed him standing there, you offered a small, sweet smile.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” you said softly. “I just care about you.”

Bucky sat down beside you. His expression was guarded, but the guilt in his eyes was unmistakable. He didn’t know how to explain what he felt. It didn’t make sense how someone like you, all warmth and light, could look at someone like him and see something worth loving.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I don’t want to lose this. You. I don’t deserve this.”

You reached out, your hand slipping into his, fingers threading through his calloused ones. “You’re not going to lose me, Bucky. You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’ll be a pest till the day I die.”

He let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. For the first time in what felt like forever, he believed it might be true, that maybe he wasn’t beyond saving. 

In that quiet moment, with your hand in his and the weight of his past still heavy but not so suffocating, Bucky felt something stir inside him.

Hope.

Bucky didn’t say anything at first. He just stared at your hand in his as if trying to memorize the way your smaller fingers fit perfectly between his. You gave his hand a little squeeze, encouraging him, grounding him. 

Slowly, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and shifted closer to you until your shoulders brushed.

Then, without warning, he pulled you into a bear hug. His arms wrapped around you tightly, lifting you off the couch with ease. 

You let out a surprised squeal, then burst into laughter, your warm giggles filling the room like music. “Bucky!” you laughed, squirming in his grip, but not making any real effort to escape. “Put me down, you big grump!”

“Nope,” he muttered, the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “You earned this, sunshine. Gotta make sure you don’t float away with all that sweetness.”

You laughed harder at his dorky joke, and Bucky felt something loosen inside him. Holding you like this, hearing your laughter, made him feel lighter in a way he didn’t fully understand yet.

Eventually, he sat back down with you still in his arms, refusing to let go. You shifted until you were comfortably nestled against his chest, your head resting on his shoulder. His heartbeat was steady beneath your ear, a calming rhythm that made you smile.

“You know,” you murmured, “for someone who pretends to be all grumpy and scary, you’re actually a giant teddy bear.”

Bucky snorted. “Don’t spread that around. I’ve got a reputation to maintain, sunshine.”

You grinned up at him, mischief dancing in your eyes. “Oh, you mean the reputation where you glare at everyone and grunt like a caveman?”

“Exactly,” he grumbled, though the corners of his mouth twitched. “I’ve worked hard on that, kid.”

You poked him in the chest. “I’m not a kid! I’m 22! An adult, thank you very much.”

“Sure, kid,” he said, smirking now. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

You pouted, which only made his smirk widen. He loved teasing you, loved the way you’d get all huffy and indignant, but never really mad. One of his favorite things about you was your ability to turn his grumpiness into something lighthearted.

“You’re a meanie,” you muttered, crossing your arms but leaning further into his warmth. He noticed and gently squeezed you, his metal fingers brushing against your side with surprising tenderness.

“Yeah, well,” he said quietly, his tone shifting to something softer, more sincere. “You’re not so bad yourself. Annoying, sure. But good.”

The words caught you off guard, and you turned to look at him. He wasn’t meeting your gaze, but the pink creeping up his neck told you everything. Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier, your grumpy protector, was embarrassed.

A soft smile spread across your face. “Thanks, Bucky.”

“Don’t mention it,” he grumbled, still refusing to look at you. “Seriously. Don’t.”

There was a peaceful silence between you both before he asked about your day.

"Steve and Sam tried to teach me how to throw a shield today," you said, laughing at the memory. "I think I’m better off with a frisbee than that thing. I nearly took out a window when I threw it, and you should’ve seen their faces. I thought for sure they were going to cry." You chuckled again, shaking your head as you continued. "Then, Tony called me kiddo for the tenth time today. Like, does he even know my name anymore?"

Bucky couldn't help but smile at that, even if he didn't say anything. He was content to listen, his usual grumpy exterior slipping away with each little story you shared.

"Oh, and Clint swears he didn’t hide my favorite mug, but I know he did. I’ll bet anything he’s got it stashed somewhere just to mess with me." You sighed dramatically, leaning back against him, and Bucky could feel the warmth of your body settle into his.

He didn’t respond, not really needing to. There was something soothing about the sound of your voice, something soothing about you.

You made it so easy just to exist in the moment with no expectations or judgments. And for Bucky, that was everything.

Your voice continued, but the words blurred together as you rambled on. He wasn’t listening anymore; he was too focused on how your presence steadied him. A quiet, almost fond smirk tugged at his lips as he listened to your endless chatter. He didn’t mind it. If anything, he found himself savoring it. This was normal. This was simple. You were simple in the best way possible.

As you spoke, your words slowed, drifting into quieter murmurs, and your breath steadied as sleep took over. One moment, you were telling him about a joke you shared with Wanda earlier that day, and the next, you were asleep, your body sinking into him completely. Your head had slipped against the crook of his neck. You looked so peaceful, and he didn’t have the heart to wake you.

Bucky froze for a moment, unsure what to do. You were so relaxed, so completely at ease in his arms. He could feel your breath against his skin and hesitated for the first time in a long while. 

He muttered, his voice soft with a trace of disbelief. "Great. Now what, sunshine?" But there was no real annoyance there. Just a quiet acknowledgment that you’d stolen his peace in the best way possible.

Most nights, he would sleep on the floor, his back against something hard or leaning against the wall to keep his thoughts from overwhelming him. Touch was a foreign thing for him. But here you were, curled up against him like he was some sort of human teddy bear, and somehow, it didn’t feel uncomfortable. It felt okay—more than okay.

He carefully adjusted his position. He let out a quiet sigh, his head resting against the couch. Every instinct told him he should move, that he wouldn’t be able to sleep like this, but when he glanced down and saw the soft smile on your face even in sleep, something inside him softened.

He stayed perfectly still, letting the warmth of your body and the steady rhythm of your breathing lull him into something he rarely felt: calm. His eyes drifted shut, and for once, the memories didn’t come. There were no flashes of his past or haunting images of who he used to be. Just you, grounding him in a way nothing else ever had.

And for the first time in a long time, he didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, jolting up in a cold sweat or reaching for a weapon. 

He simply slept, wrapped in warmth, feeling something close to peace.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

If you'd like to be added to my taglist

Much love x

- Maeve

[anonomouslyabanana]

for some reason hate crimes md grabbed me by the throat randomly -- snippet based on a post (if anyone finds it pls lmk) that presented a canon divergence au that was essentially: Wilson freaks out when House start seeing Stacey again bc he made a move once and House rejected him on the basis that he was married (rly it was bc he couldn't handle being one of Wilson's one-offs):

For the millionth time, Wilson wonders if this is one of House’s elaborate pranks, if at some point he’s going to break and say “gotcha! I was playing the long game, what do you say we get outta here?” 

Which is ridiculous, because House would never say that. Then again, Wilson thought House would never sleep with a married (engaged) man (woman). And then he takes a second to wonder why the hell he thought that and realizes it’s because House told him so and he took him at his word. Which is somehow the most humiliating part of this whole ordeal. 

Maybe House didn’t care that he was married, just didn’t want him. Maybe he did want him but didn’t think it was worth the trouble. Maybe he’s secretly a Boy Scout at heart and somehow the difference between engaged and married is actually enough to change his behavior. That last option is a lot less likely, but Wilson is desperate, at this point. He feels like one of House’s ducklings, desperately throwing out hypotheses about the undiagnosable patient du jour while House looks on, blandly unimpressed but secretly loving it because there’s nothing he loves more than an impossible mystery. Wilson might be going crazy. He briefly has a vision of himself commandeering House’s whiteboard and scrawling “he doesn’t want me” for the fellows to puzzle over. Differential diagnosis, anyone? He feels a little hysterical, so he’s impressed with himself that he’s been having this little breakdown while conversing with House on autopilot.

[hivemuthur]

What was that? - Ch. 1.

viktorxfemale!OFC mature! (for now, I will mark later chapters as explicit when the time comes

friends to lovers, co-workers, sexual tension up to the wazoo, pinning and banter that got me frustrated when I was writing it, attempt at humour, some angst and a slow burn with a happy ending and a classic Viktor for once

to be added: Ch.2. | Ch.3. | Ch.4. | Ch.5. | Ch.6 | Ch.7. | Ch.8. | Ch.9. | Ch.10. | Ch.11. | Ch.12. | Ch.13. | Ch.14. | Ch.15.

word count: 4,6K

tag: #what was that

summary: A romance that explores two insecure people growing closer together through snippets of their time at work.

author’s note: Can I post three things a day? Yes. This is the first fic I've written and I love it dearly. It connected me with @rennethen who has been beta reading it patiently and helped me create significant parts of it, and for that connection alone it was worth to write it.

Cross-posted on AO3

—

“Renly, are you being serious right now?” John stormed into the lab’s kitchen visibly flushed with anger. Renly only blinked at him, a question in her eyes.

“I guess? Didn’t you get my note?” She definitely remembered sending the note asking John to take a raincheck. She even made a song about it to not forget, like the last time. Viktor had mocked the song at first but later grew annoyed with it.

”Please stop, this song is now rotting my brain. I get it, John is a nice guy,” Viktor rotated on his chair with a groan that has clearly been building up for at least one minute.

“Sorry, it’s the only way I don’t get distracted and forget!” to Viktor’s demise, Renly sang this line as well.

“Well, didn’t you get my note?” John said, already huffing, seemingly offended. He did get her note, he did see the little heart she drew on it and a coffee stain that suggested she wrote it hastily, while doing something else with her other hand. So, he sent a passive aggressive jokey note back stating that it’s tomorrow or he doesn’t know when, because he is also oh-so-busy.

“I can’t make it otherwise,” he laid his hands apart in apologetic gesture.

“Like… this week? Or ever?” light mockery in her voice, she said with her back to John, while pouring coffee into two cups. “It’s okay, we can have breakfast here. Do you want coffee?” Renly pulled out the third cup from the sink and waved it at John expectantly.

At which point, Viktor entered their tiny lab kitchen, scrunching his wet hair with a damp towel, his cheeks flushed and clothes slightly dishevelled, clinging to his hot-after-shower body. “Do I smell coffee? Hi John,” he said, waving at the doorway.

“Nothing will hide from you. Crisis averted?” Renly asked referring to fifteen minutes ago, when Viktor banged viciously on the bathroom door, demanding shower access immediately, as he spilled suspicious fluid from Renly’s workstation all over himself.

She said it was punishment for snooping. He said she’d taken his favourite pen, and her workstation was planned ridiculously, making moving around risky. Also, she took showers that lasted forever. She said her shower was only fifteen minutes, which is perfectly within bounds of morning toilet routine. He said she should shower at home and sleep at home; otherwise, she would end up a social pariah like him and Jayce. She said it’s a bit late for that as night is a perfect time for quiet work and she is one person away from the social pariah status. She meant John. So right now, it really did look like she was close to adding it to her work signature. She had to evacuate from the bathroom before she had the chance to dry off completely, which is why her hair was wet.

“Did you shower together?” John’s tone gained additional pitch to it as he asked his ridiculous question, visibly getting more and more distressed.

“Yes, John. We also have occasional orgies that I forgot to mention,” Renly couldn’t help about the snarky comment but when she turned around to take a look at her… boyfriend? They went out about ten times and slept together twice, so she guessed he was her boyfriend already. Well, he looked hurt, and she immediately wished she didn’t say it, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.

“Please, don’t be like that. I pulled an all-nighter again, and it was too late to go home. We showered separately, obviously,” she said in a softer voice as the cups were placed on the tiny table in the middle of the kitchen, only three chairs.

“I will give the two of you some space,” Viktor swept his cup with Jayce’s face on it and gave both of them polite smile as he walked out faster, than Renly thought he was able to.

“So… are you very cross with me?” she waited for Viktor to leave the area and asked reaching out to place her palm on top of John’s forearm, but he winced away.

John had always been good at making himself seem indispensable. When they first started seeing each other, his charm felt effortless—little gestures like remembering her favourite tea or distracting her with a ridiculous joke when she was too stressed to focus. She had let her guard down with him in a way she rarely allowed herself to. It had felt safe, comforting even. But lately, the cracks in that façade were harder to ignore. He got offended easily and threw some stupid accusations at her when he was out of arguments. She did admit, she was quite oblivious to some of relationship savoir-vivre, but it was also discussed priorly! And he said he doesn’t mind, so the next part caught her off-guard.

“I… don’t think this will work out this way,” he said with a sigh and waved his hand around making her question if he meant them, or breakfast with Victor in near vicinity. “I didn’t know this is what I was signing up for frankly,” he finished and gave her a sad puppy glance. This made her… angry? Of course, he knew what he was signing up for. She told him from the very beginning how important her work was. And how bad she was at this, but he just called her cute. Surely, this was enough of a warning. Or maybe it wasn’t but John really didn’t seem like he heard anything of what she ever said in the long run.

He was a Piltie, and she was from Zaun. He liked posh places that were trying to pass as casual, she liked to hang out by the riverbank in the evenings and sneak into The Undercity to look at street art and eat street food. He always seemed to pay attention to what she was telling him about her lab work and how many lives it could potentially change but at the end of every test presentation and heated one-sided conversation (it was hot on her side only) when she looked at him expectantly, he praised her with a you are so smart or you look pretty when you get excited about science and it left her empty of all air like a sad balloon in the aftermath of a party. He probably had a politician’s career ahead of him, so in the future, he would be the person to decide whether she does or doesn’t get funding for her research and in her mind’s eye John was a person that would probably happily fund something else than the medicine for long term Grey exposure symptoms. But he was a good practice for that. And despite everything else, she did like him. He had his moments, as they say.

In a few seconds, that took very long in the pocket dimension of her brain, Renly tried to calculate how much fault in this situation was hers and if it was worth to back down and give him a peace offering in form of a dinner at her place, that she would cook, and they would be alone, and it would be romantic, and he would probably get to fuck her on the dinner table.

The plan started forming itself, when John said “I mean… you spend all your free time here, or you drag me around the lanes. Also, this Viktor guy? I got over Jayce, recently he is barely here. So…” he dragged his huge eyes across her face looking for a sign of understanding that wasn’t there “…you understand how I feel when you spend most of your time with another man.” It came out weak, but he decided to stand by it.

��Another man? It’s Viktor,” she scoffed. “Not even a day ago he stated how much I disgust him with Zaunian food in fridge. He works all the time. We sleep in separate rooms. He…” Renly inhaled, exasperated by this accusation. It’s ridiculous, how insecure John was to even suggest that.

“He is a friend. And that’s all. I assure you he is not interested in me.” She had a dead serious certainty about this. If something was fixed in this universe, it was the fact that Viktor wasn’t interested in her. And she didn’t think of him that way either. Except the one time she let her mind wander, and she did. Which was a lie, because she thought that at least twice.

Once, when they met for the first time. She already knew Jayce, who made her gasp the first time she saw him. The impression passed, but friendship remained. Jayce and Viktor, freshly acquainted, were passing her classroom when a quake shook The Uppercity. It caused one of her test tubes to fall into the vial she was working on, breaking and triggering a teeny-tiny exoenergic reaction (it exploded). The hero within Jayce’s body drove him straight in to help any casualties, of which the only one was Renly, face full of colourful goo. From the floor, she glanced at Viktor walking in shortly after his partner, and she gasped, even more than when she had met Jayce. She immediately knew it was wrong to look for so long. Her suspicion was confirmed when Viktor’s expression shifted from amusement to the realization that his brief chance to present himself as more than the guy with a cane had passed. From that point forward, he was very formal with her, though he occasionally joked about history repeating itself within the academy walls.

It was a lie though, as well. She first saw Viktor by the riverbank in Zaun, as a child. She had been maybe seven, and he could have been slightly older. Her eyes, round and curious, followed him trying to chase down his mechanical ship taken by the stream. She tried to shadow him that day, but he disappeared in the mouth of a cave she was afraid to walk into. He had a smaller cane then and she thought him a magician. So, she only lingered in disbelief that their paths crossed once more and that he was, indeed, real. And also, in awe of how beautifully he has grown up. But overall, Renly counted it as a one time.

Second time, after she decided to stay at university to continue her research and teach students, they were copying the notes together and Jayce was growing more and more bored, so he kept trying to start random topics.

"I wonder if all of them are as pretty as Mel,” he said, trying to trace down beautiful Mel Medarda’s heritage while fishing for reassurance from his friends about their imminent romance.

“But maybe it’s not a rule. I mean, looking at the both of you I would say the rule for Zaun is to be full of attractive people as well,” Jayce was waffling on, and Renly grew tired of it.

“And ugly people. And short people. And tall people. And fat people, and skinny people, Jayce. It’s all just people, like in Piltover, there is no rule to here or Zaun. Initially, it’s the same city, and we all come from different places,” she said harshly not lifting her sight from the notes she was copying.

“Oh relax, it was a compliment! And I am looking for reassurance from you guys, yes,” he traced his finger down the blackboard, wiping some of the old equations away.

“Not very progressive of you, the Man of Progress. I can give you reassurance – Mel seems fine. You will be fine. You are a big boy, Jayce. But I do not need compliments, not because I’m from The Undercity, nor because I’m a woman,” Renly’s dead stare made Jayce look for help from Viktor. She gave him a pass and went back to scribbling.

“Vik, any help?”

“I’m afraid with this one I have to place myself in Renly’s corner. Even though of the two of us, I probably am the one that needs compliments,” Viktor also didn’t glance up from above his paperwork.

“No, you don’t,” Renly didn’t notice she now got the attention of both of her friends.

“You are, yourself, quite…” her mind was absent at this moment, so it was probably the other part of her that spoke the rest “…dreamy.” A second past, in which her brain caught up with her mouth and a deep shade of red bled into her cheeks and chest. She cleared her throat, stood up quickly and threw barely audible excuse me leaving the boys to exchange their looks and make their fun of her. Jayce snorted when Renly was out of hearing range and Viktor only mouthed a what was that? That was the second time, infinitely more mortifying than the first one.

“You put a lot of effort into assuring me of this, but you never once said if you are not interested in him. From where I’m standing, you are definitely not interested in me,” John’s voice broke her out of reminiscing.

Renly’s face went into stupid mode, twisting her features with disbelief. How dare he.

“Are you really saying what I’m hearing? Are you accusing me of infidelity based on your own insecurity? Have I truly given you any reason to believe I’m involved with anyone else but you? When do you think I would have time for that? Or do you actually not listen to me when I tell you about what I’m doing here and how much of my time and energy it consumes?” John’s expression grew more and more panicked as he saw how far he has overstepped.

“This is not… I didn’t…”

“What you didn’t do is think. You are the one who is not interested in me, John. You listen to me, but you do not register, nor remember anything I tell you. What do you want from me? Should I drop everything I’m doing just to dangle from your shoulder at the parties? Should I change the way I speak? Should I cut all my friends and relatives loose because they are from The Undercity? Would that make you feel secure enough?” she spat at him, becoming more and more angry with every sentence, self-winding regret fuelling her.

“Gods, this is not what I want, and you know it,” John brought his hand to the back of his neck, his voice gentler this time. “I just don’t feel like you want me around, is all,” he whispered, his words making Renly’s shoulders drop and her chest sink.

His fingers tapped an idle rhythm on the table, his eyes darting toward the adjoining lab room. It wasn’t the first time she’d caught him stealing glances at her colleagues’ workspaces, but she had always dismissed it as idle curiosity or stupid jealousy, first over Jayce, then over Viktor. Now, though, every stolen glance felt like a clue she should have picked up on sooner.

“I do,” she hesitated. “I did. I invited you to meet my people, come to my home, my work, my bed,” at which point, in the other room, Viktor—who was doing his absolute worst not to listen—squeezed a piece of chalk a little too hard, causing half of it to disintegrate into dust with a loud, whiny, bone-chilling sound that gave him goosebumps at the back of his neck. So, they slept together, great. Just great. It didn’t bother him at all, and yet… it bothered him greatly for some reason. Probably just because she will be a nightmare to be around for the next week or so.

Ridiculous, Viktor thought, though the word didn’t carry the weight he wanted it to. What did it matter who she invited into her bed? It certainly wasn’t his concern. The tightening in his chest wasn’t jealousy—it couldn’t be. No, it was irritation, that’s all. Irritation because she was so impulsive, so reckless, letting herself be distracted by someone so undeserving of her attention.

Why did it bother him? It wasn’t the first time she’d been entangled in some personal drama, and usually, he had the patience to tune it out. Yet here he was, bristling at every raised word, every pointed jab from John. It wasn’t his place to care. He had told himself years ago that people like Renly—bright, chaotic, and distractingly beautiful—were nothing but a complication. And yet, he found himself gripping his cane tighter every time John’s voice rose.

“Just realistically, I don’t think this is what you want. So, the obvious choice would be to put a pin in it until we both decide what we want,” her voice faltered. Breaking things off with John hadn’t been part of her plans for the day, and she could never have been emotionally prepared for this—especially not before breakfast. She wasn’t really breaking things off with him, either. Maybe a short, temporary break would do them good, cool things off. She fidgeted with her fingers under the table, becoming increasingly self-conscious about how much of the conversation Viktor had overheard.

“Really? So now it’s about me not respecting your Zaunian heritage, instead of you blowing me off at every opportunity?” at this point John knew that guilting her into giving it one more shot was probably his only chance. His father really wanted those hextech blueprints, and he would be very disappointed if John didn’t manage to get them. “Look, I don’t mind if we hang out here at all. But truth be told, you don’t really invite me here very often,” John said, his voice softer now, but there was an edge beneath it, like a scalpel disguised as a pen.

He had a way of twisting her words, making her feel like the selfish one for not prioritizing him more. It was a skill he wielded well, and for a moment, it almost worked. But the memory of all those little disappointments—the times he had brushed off her work as "just another experiment" or barely listened when she explained her progress—bubbled up like a pressure valve ready to burst. He did actually like her. She was his type – pretty, quirky, talented and driven. She could be a bit more elegant, but that would be polished with time. “We could make a schedule, meet here when nobody is around? Maybe you could even show me some hextech, hm?” with this, he knew he probably pushed a little bit too far, as her expression grew weary.

There it was again, that same calculated curiosity masked as casual conversation. At first, she had chalked it up to natural interest—what Piltover scholar wouldn’t want to know more about hextech? But now, with his eyes lingering too long on the blueprints and his questions steering the conversation in predictable directions, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was about more than idle fascination.

“I… you know I don’t work with hextech,” she shook her head while her brain was glueing the pieces together. “Why would you…,” and it hit her gently, prompted by the guilt painting her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend’s face. Unbelievable. When she thought about it longer, he did usually snoop around innocently while waiting for her to wrap up work. He would wander between the lab rooms, seemingly just killing time, but she saw him linger on the blueprints more than once. When she told him about her experiments, he always drove the discussion towards Viktor and Jayce’s work. How are they doing? So does this hextech actually work? And what do they want to use it for again? And he tried to pin it on her sleeping with Viktor. The audacity.

Renly wanted to believe the relationship had been real, that it hadn’t just been about her work or her connections. But as she stared at him now—his charming smile just a little too polished, his words just a little too well-placed—she realized how many times she had ignored her instincts. How often she had pushed aside the nagging thought that he didn’t see her, not really. Just the parts of her that were useful.

“So… you come here and make a scene about the note that you seemingly wrote for me and that I didn’t get. You accuse me of cheating on you with my colleague,” at which point Viktor scoffed to himself in the other room. The idea of Renly and him being a thing was laughable. She was too stubborn, too unpredictable, too... distracting. And yet, John’s misplaced jealousy had struck an uncomfortable chord. Absurd, Viktor reassured himself. If anything, she deserves better than someone like me. She deserves better than both of us.  

“You propose a solution – let’s hang out here,” Renly exhaled, and her eyes rested on her hands with the realization of being used all this time hitting her hard. She didn’t think she cared that much. Frankly, having a normal secure relationship also with someone normal and secure was a hope she didn’t dare to entertain very often. It was mostly work and friends for her. So, when John came along, she just let it happen, as maybe, she thought, it was a good thing happening to her. Realizing there was no love in it, left her feeling numb.

In the other room, Viktor stopped pretending to work and simply sat on a stool, his hands and chin resting on his cane. That was new territory, a kind of danger they hadn’t anticipated. Also, he did feel angry for Renly – annoying as she was, she really didn’t deserve this. He wondered if he should intervene and kick John out, but the act would have to be based on his authority, which as a fellow Zaunian in John’s eyes he had none. Any show of force would need to be purely verbal—calculated and precise enough to leave the boy speechless and make him back down without a fight. While he was negotiating the terms of this heroic act with himself, he heard Renly’s voice echoing across the corridors: “I think it’s best you go.”

“Can we talk this through?” one last desperate attempt on John’s side as he covered Renly’s palm with his. She slid her hand from underneath his, threw a quick no over her shoulder and stepped through a heavy metal door that separated living area form the laboratory. She locked it behind her with a loud crank and immediately sank to hug her knees. Well, shit. This wasn’t part of her plan for today. And she didn’t want to cry in front of Viktor. If Jayce was here, he’d make it better, but he was with the beautiful Mel Medarda having breakfast in her quarters, which was a secret. Viktor would make fun of her—or worse, he’d get cross for endangering their life’s work. On one side of the door, her mean ex-boyfriend, on the other her mean niggling friend. She could just stay here.

“Do you need help getting up?” Viktor’s voice made her gasp and release the tears that were gathering under her eyelids, now streaming down her cheeks. And just to be clear, they were angry tears, not sad pathetic tears.

“Maybe,” Renly said, wiping her face with a sleeve, unable to bring herself to look him in the eye. She accepted his offered hand, which was about to pull her up. Unfortunately, the sudden movement sent a cramp shooting down Viktor’s calf, leaving Renly standing while he folded in half.

“Oh shit, Viktor I’m sorry, let me grab a stool!”

“Ah, no need. It’s fine. Just a cramp, it’ll stretch,” he panted, sliding down the corridor wall. She crouched down by him, question in her eyes about what to do.

“Well, where is it? I can… rub it out?” she heard herself saying and a darker shade of pink flushed her already enflamed cheeks. Viktor noticed. Her hands were faster than her brain this time and she already had his calf in her grasp, looking for the knot.

The warmth of her hands startled him, a flicker of something unwanted creeping into his thoughts. He shut it down immediately. She’s just helping. Don’t make it into something it isn’t. But the gentleness of her touch lingered longer than it should have, and when she looked up at him, her face flushed with concentration, he had to look away. Focus, Viktor. This means nothing.

“How did you get this so bad, Viktor?” she gasped at the state of her friend’s muscle, contracted like a rusty hinge. Her eyes full of concern, and some guilt. She made him uncomfortable in his own lab, because of some stupid drama. Stupid, yet it tore a hole in her heart.

Viktor remembered this look. He remembered the way she had looked at him back when they first met—not the awestruck gaze she reserved for Jayce, but something deeper, sharper. It had unnerved him. People always noticed the cane first; it was a fact he had come to accept. But she had looked past it—no, she had lingered on it, and he wasn’t sure whether it was curiosity, pity, or something else entirely. It didn’t matter now. He had decided long ago to keep her at a polite distance.

“Too much sitting down, ah!” he gasped when more pressure was applied “I tried to work through your… quarrel,” Viktor’s voice grew breathier, his eyebrows pinching together. Absent-mindedly, he placed his right hand on Renly’s shoulder and closed his eyes, letting his body relax into her touch. She was very careful, almost… affectionate.

“I guess this would fuel John’s theory,” he chuckled slightly, forgetting himself. Did he just admit that something was possible? Renly was too focused on getting rid of the knot to notice the awkward grunt following this sentence, and without much thought to it she said, “don’t be ridiculous.”

Something sunk in Victor’s chest hearing that. Of course, it was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. All of it. He was about to figure out how to run away, take his leg with him and tell her this is good enough, when she continued.

“I mean, we are not responsible for someone’s insecurities. I refuse to be. Also, as I presume you heard all of it, you will know that it was all a play,” she put so much attention into rubbing Viktor’s calf that the words just went out of her mouth. “Just to get his hands on hextech. So, I’m guessing this accusation was also fabricated to guilt me. Or he was obsessed with you. Which I understand… gotcha!” she exclaimed as the muscle relaxed under her fingers, and Viktor gave an involuntary moan, making both of them flush slightly.

The tension in his calf eased, but his chest felt impossibly tight. He was about to thank her—briefly, formally—when the look on her face stopped him. She was glowing, not with the self-satisfaction he often associated with Jayce, but with genuine care. It was infuriating. No, not infuriating—irrelevant. Why do you even notice these things? he scolded himself, rising awkwardly to his feet and turning away before the warmth in her eyes could undo him further.

“Forgive me, I… thank you,” was all he was able to say.

“That’s… it’s nothing, no worries.”

“I believe you know this, but in case you don’t—he’s a donkey, and you’re brilliant, yes?” Viktor tossed over his shoulder. “Ah, I’m not… thank you,” she said, standing in the corridor, confused, her face burning. What was that?

[raven-cincaide]

The S.. Yuji Pulls

Summary: Life's hard; working at a restaurant sucks, especially a closing shift. So, really, you shouldn’t be all that surprised that Yuji decides to spike things up with a joint. Or what happens after a shift stays between you after a shit.

Requested by: Tia. Sorry it took so long, but I honestly hope it was worth the wait <3  WC: 1.8 Warnings: Themed around joint/smoking, unhealthy working conditions, cursing, banter and bad decisions and friends being friends.

Hope you enjoy ~

"You have got to be fucking kidding me"

"What?" Yuji flushed a tired grin before he brought the newly lit joint to his lips and took a deep, long drag, purposefully taking his time to answer you. 

"Don't ‘what' me, Mister! the last customers are barely out of the door, and you've already lit that shit!”  You made an angry motion between his lips and the second unlit self-rolled joint laid out in plain sight on the newly cleaned table. “What the hell will you do if they see and complain to our boss? We'll get fired!"

Yuji let out a low groan, pulled himself up to his feet from the chair he just sat down on after a gruelling 13-hour shift and came over to you. " So? " he asked in the most 'I don't give a fuck’- attitude you've ever seen him have as he reluctantly started with the closing routines. "If boss fire's us, well, then we’ll just go work at the next shit-joint down the street. Except maybe that one will pay on time.” 

The joke hit a little too close to home, and you inevitably grimaced and turned away from him. Wordlessly and angrily you began helping him while taking your anger out on the furniture with each violent flip-and-slam of the chair onto the tables.

Yuji took another drug before he passed the half-smoked doobie to your lips. "Here. It takes the edge off"

"I don't know Yuji, I haven't-"

"Don't worry about it! You know I wouldn't offer you some harmful shit"

"Normally, " You corrected him with a teasing smile, feeling a bit better despite the shitty predicament you were in. "Right now you’re half a joint high. Who knows the kind of shit you’d suggest purely for your own amusement.” 

"Hey!" Yuji, cried out almost dropping the two chairs he flipped with one hand but caught them last second before they could hit the floor. "If you're gonna be snarky, I won’t share- in fact you can get your own- Heeey! Get back here you!” 

You knew running from Yuji was like running from a car - a pointless waste of time. But you still felt like annoying the crap out of him, especially after you successfully managed to snatch the joint he was so proud off right from out of his lips. After all, He started it by bringing that stuff to work and lighting it the second the last customer exited the door- consequences be damned. 

You managed to dart out of the dining room and took two steps towards the kitchen, where Magumi and Nobara dutifully scrubbed the last of the pots and pans before he caught up with you. 

“Nob–” 

“-shhh you little-” 

“Hey!” Megumi’s voice echoed from behind the swinging kitchen doors, barely muffled by the sound of running dishwater. Both you and Yuji froze his one hand on your waist which kept you still, his other over your mouth to prevent you from disturbing your friends. A look of disgust on his face as your bright pink tongue darted between his fingers- a desperate trick to get his hand off your face. But Yuji was too used to your antics and merely kept his disgust to himself while his hand stayed right where it was, making sure to wipe your slubber all over your face in the process. 

"Yeah?" Yuji called out, his voice as calm as a cucumber. 

“If you’re slacking off again, we’ll leave without you two.” Megumi threatened, his glare feelable even without his physical presence. 

You shuddered then cursed internally, knowing that no Megumi meant no ride home. Which was bad given that the last train would leave in 20, and you still had half a dinner of chairs to pick up, scrub the floors and prepare the last of the restocking for the morning coffee rush, not to mention-

"ts fine, we've got it. Go ahead you two,” Yuji called out, followed shortly by a much quieter “owie” as you stepped on his foot as hard as you could. But he didn't let you go instead, he dragged you back to the dining room, kicking and muffled screaming. 

"What the hell is your issue?" You snapped as he finally let you go, and you spun around to face him “Why the hell did you pull me out of there like that? And what about our ride?" You huffed as he looked at you unusually smiley. 

"And they call me ‘dense’ and ‘clueless’" 

You gaped. 

Yuji replied with a coy grin before he brought the re-stolen roach back to his lips. He re-lit it, using his tongue to guide it whenever he wanted a drag while his arms tossed up the chairs as if the entire debacle hadn’t occurred.  “ Well, we have 18 min” 

You didn’t need to be reminded twice; Howling chairs at a much more human speed, scrubbing the floor and then, with 13 minutes left to go, you began prepping the refills for the morning rush. At 5 min, however, you both dropped down onto the worn yet still-in-one-piece leathery couch, equally dejected. 

“won’t manage”, you muttered, kicking the floor with all the defeat of an exhausted waitress missing the last train home. You rested your arms on the table and dropped your head on them, too tired to start thinking of solutions. 

"Maybe if we run like now..”Yuji tried to sound convincing, but you scoffed. 

“Yeah, and have another deduction on our paychecks, No thank you!"

“Then that’s settled” Your pink-haired nuisance flopped down beside and finally lit the abandoned joint he offered you earlier. This time you didn’t reject it. 

"It's your fault, you know" " you muttered after barely half a drag in as your awful influence of a friend pulled it away from your lips too soon. "If you didn’t tell Megumi to go ahead, we’d be halfway home by now.” 

“Totally my fault”, Yuji rolled his eyes then added in his defence “C’mon though, would it have been worth it? We close and open, so why even bother to go home only to be back here in 4.5 hours or so?” 

You didn’t want to admit it but he had a point, after all, since admitting Yuji was right would be like giving a child a paintball gun and praying they don’t cover everything in all colours of the rainbow. In other words, it was a disastrous accident just waiting to happen. Except in this case, the ‘child’ was a twenty-five-something-year-old man with more similarities than differences with an unruly teenager. “ You know, there’s a thing called ‘sleep’ and ‘showers’ that normal people enjoy and use to unwind?” You muttered with a roll of your eyes. 

“ Overrated, and besides, there are showers here too, you know. And we can use the time we saved on travelling to get more sleep.” 

You reached over and playfully punched his shoulder. “Oj, since when did you become so pragmatic? Megumi is a bad influence on you.” 

Yuji barely sat up straight, but he raised his finger back at you. “Most people would call it ‘responsible’ and ‘growing up’-” 

You laughed in his face: “But in your case, it’s called ‘running out of dumb things to say so now when you say something half decent, you sound like a genius” 

“ Keep it up and you’ll be left high and dry”, Yuji growled without anger. Then, a devious look crossed his face as he reached down to his shoes.

Your eyes widened in horror. "Don't you dare”  you gasped "or..or... You'll be doing the rest of closing chores alone."

"But my feet acre"

"Don't. or I'll tell the owner you ought to pee in a cup” 

"Snitch", Yuji gasped, his long arms reached out to pull you to lay down beside him on the cramped couch "and you'd be right beside me peeing in the same damned Cup"

You rolled your eyes but didn’t protest, getting as comfortable as you could in the cramped space. It didn’t come anywhere near your bed, but it sure beat trying to find an available inn at this house. “ Not in the same cup you dimwit" You muttered, stifling a yawn 

A beat of pleasant silence passed safe for an occasional drag of the remaining joint, flickering the ash onto the floor and lighting another one. The atmosphere was pleasant, a kind of warm feeling that came with being with someone who knew you from half a word, half a moment and half a gesture. The rest of the chores were all but forgotten- a mutual agreement to deal with them bright and early for a hopefully slightly less tired you.  

Everything was going great, almost too great, until "Oh my god, I think something died here.” You gasped out and hurried to sit up, ready to abandon the couch you intended to borrow for the night, at least until your eyes landed under the table on the pair of bare feet awkwardly hanging inches from the floor. “You didn’t” You pressed a hand over your nose. 

"What?" Yuji; asked Innocently, already half asleep. 

"No - No - No You're not gonna get out of it this time. You reeked up the entire dining room- so you’re gonna get up and finish the chores while I  am going to find a place where I can crash that- hey, let go!” 

"No..."

“ Eww Yuji, no, yucks, get your death-feet away from me.”  You heard him laugh and snuggle closer, effectively caging you in with both his arms and then his long legs, purposefully burying his legs against your pants. Clear payback for earlier. Jerk. 

Objectively you knew this was a good time to finish closing up. Stop messing about and ticking your employee clock, and instead, work your butts off for the rest of this damned shift. But as Yuji pulled you in a little closer on the far too small, uncomfortable couch in the silent restaurant that overcharged for water while giving the waitstaff pennies, you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, Yuji was right. 

Maybe it didn’t matter whether you got fired or not - this dump needed you more than you needed them- cuz surely even a fast food joint paid better, and in the end, it was a question of needing to stop clinging to the familiar. And even if you did get fired, then you’d just find another desperate hellhole to slave at. 

And if shit completely hit the fan? 

Well, then you’d just file it under the list of all the shit Yuji has pulled over the years and dragged you into it, and the two of you would figure it out together.

… as long as the stench from his feet didn’t kill you by morning, that is.

Author note: I have to admit I struggled a lot with this one. It's kinda hard to portray this intimate friendship and a mix of lightheartedness and despair that comes from a shitty life yet having someone in it.

So I'm really thankful for ☆ tia for the request. It was a challenge I didn't know I needed. Thank you once again so so much. And you, my dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this mix of fluff and just randomness. And if you did, feel free to check out more of my works from the links below!

[reiwanwan]

Treat her right

You had just broken up with your boyfriend and now you’re heartbroken. Don’t worry, your best friends Ada thorne and Lizzie Stark are there to make sure you know just how worth it you are.

Ada Thorne x Female!Reader x Lizzie Stark

This was inspired by @vivianleighwishesshewasme and her Grace x female reader fic which I’m obsessed with btw, and it made me want to write for the peaky women esp Lizzie since I don’t really see much fics about her

a/n: I’ve never written anything sensual like this so let me know what you guys think!

Here’s what I listened while writing this so you can listen to it while reading ;)

Content warning: Slight NSFW? take it however you want 🤭

The night started with tears, but Lizzie and Ada had a way of making everything feel manageable, even when your world felt like it was crumbling. After your breakup with your boyfriend, they had dragged you to Ada’s house despite your reluctance with promises of wine, warm company, and a distraction. You loved a good drink after all, only they would know that well.

Now, hours later, the bottle was empty, and the laughter in the room had softened into a quiet, soothing energy. You hadn’t planned on staying too late, but Lizzie had insisted you stay, practically pulling you by the wrist to the couch where she and Ada were already nestled with glasses of wine.

“You can’t leave just yet,” Lizzie said, her voice smooth and teasing. “We’re just getting started, aren’t we, Ada?”

Ada smirked, leaning back with a knowing look. “Oh, absolutely. No one leaves until we say so.”

You laughed, feeling a little out of place but warmed by their affection. The night went on, the wine flowed, and the chatter turned softer, more intimate. The two women were slightly tipsy, uninhibited, their laughter growing louder as their touches grew bolder.

Lizzie, sitting beside you, reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear, her fingers lingering against your cheek. “You’re so damn beautiful, you know that?” she whispered, her voice low enough that it felt like a secret.

“You’re better off without him,” Lizzie murmured, her voice firm but tender. She tilted her head, studying your face like she was committing every detail to memory. “He didn’t deserve you.”

Ada hummed in agreement. “Definitely didn’t. A man like that wouldn’t know what to do with someone as special as you.”

You sniffled, managing a small smile. “You two always know what to say.”

Lizzie leaned closer, her fingers brushing a tear from your cheek. “We’re not just saying it. You’re too good to let some idiot make you feel small.”

“Exactly,” Ada chimed in, her hands slipping to your shoulders, massaging away the tension. “He’s the one who lost a gem, not you.”

You felt your cheeks flush at their unwavering attention. Lizzie’s thumb traced soft circles on your knee, while Ada’s touch felt grounding, her fingers moving with practiced care. Ada’s fingers moved to trace light circles on your arm, and Lizzie’s thumb brushed over your lips, her gaze lingering there for a moment before she leaned in, her kiss soft and lingering.

“Relax,” Ada whispered, pulling you gently to recline back onto the plush cushions of the couch. Her hands found your hair, undoing the tie that held it up, letting it spill over your shoulders as her fingers combed through it. Lizzie shifted, her hands now resting on your waist, her lips trailing from your temple to your jaw. “Let us take care of you”

They didn’t give you a chance to argue, their touches deliberate and affectionate. Ada pressed a kiss to your neck, her lips soft against your delicate skin as she leaves her lipstick marks on your neck. While Lizzie’s fingers slid under the hem of your dress, tracing lazy patterns along your stomach, your body responding immediately and your whimpers grew more desperate.

“You deserve this,” Ada murmured, her hands cradling your face as she kissed your forehead. Lizzie took your hand in hers, lifting it to her lips to kiss the back of it with a flourish.

“You’re so beautiful, you know that?” Lizzie said once again, her lips curving into a soft smile.

Your laugh came out shaky and slightly breathless. “I don’t really feel like it right now.”

Lizzie shook her head, leaning in to press a kiss to your temple. “Well, you are. And you’ll believe it soon enough.”

Ada smiled from above you, her fingers tilting your chin so you met her gaze. “We’ll make sure of it.”

“You’ve been holding up for too long,” Lizzie said softly, her voice wrapping around you like a warm blanket. “Let us take care of you for a change.” Ada nodded, gently guiding you to lie back against the cushions. “Close your eyes dear. Just let us soothe you for a bit.”

Lizzie leaned over, pressing a kiss to your cheek, pressing just long enough to make your heart flutter. “See? Women know what other women need,” she said with a playful grin, her voice laced with affection.

Ada chuckled, leaning down to brush her lips against your other cheek. “Exactly. Men will never get it. But we do”.

You felt lightheaded, a little overwhelmed, but their warmth and softness anchored you. The two women exchanged a look above you, their smiles conspiratorial but full of love for their heartbroken friend.

“Don’t you dare think about leaving,” Ada teased, her hands stroking your hair.

Lizzie pressed another kiss to your lips, lingering just a moment longer this time. “We’ll let you up eventually.”

“But not until we’re finished spoiling you.”

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Hi!! Your Cherik is so good and gorgeous 🤩🤩 If you don't mind wanna try to draw some Fall of X Cherik please?

thank you so much !!

i have a couple of ideas relating to the fall of x period specifically since theres. A Lot i wanna play with, so i hope this lil thing may be a satisfactory start :]]

and the obligatory bonus:

[winepresswrath]

genuinely don't understand how lestat nation is mad about that last episode. we have established.

Louis still thinks of Lestat as the one he trusts, is violently guilty and also horny about him

the final thing that makes him stop circling armand and go for it is confirmation that lestat and armand fucked. like they are clearly attracted to each other on their own merits but they are also appropriating lesbian culture.

lestat has the most magical dick in paris. probably europe. possibly the world. everyone who looks at him falls in love with him a little and no one who fucks him ever gets over it.

armand specifically isn't over it. 200 years later louis by his side he's still like that.

there is a 0% chance there isn't more to the nicki stuff. armand didn't even mention gabrielle and hannah moscovitch has already said gabby is what she's most looking forward to in season three (hard same). also if lestat did tell his creepy boyfriend kidnapping stalker he loved him as a distraction so he could run away the only thing he did wrong was not taking the boyfriend with him. he owes armand less than nothing! i love armand but if lestat wanted to slit his throat and leave him in a swamp he'd be justified in that. he doesn't, which is great for me, but that is the one person besides his dad and i guess the ghost of magnus where he can do whatever he wants forever and it's fine. unholy trinitity of bad men who were bad to him when he was vulnerable and couldn't fight back. if claudia hated him less they could talk about it. however, speaking of bad men who are bad to people. oops.

[sylvieserene]

Fixing history using the power of editing and my editing skills!!

For today we have, New Titans (1980) Issue #100

✨ Wedding Special ✨

@robstarblog @robstaryeah pinging yall just in case so that this doesn't get lost in oblivion (It'd be painful since I worked 5 hours non stop on it lol)

I think the most time was taken by the final panel and adding in the finishing touches since I pretty much had to change everything to the pixel level, quite literally lol (I'm serious, I did)

Welp I hope the results were worth it! And with that, another one gets a good ending!!

I kinda didn't add sleeves in the first two panels of the final page because it didn't look good and looked janky with how I was editing it so yeah please ignore that-

[candlebel]

I cared. I still do. I still think of you and I still cry over you. You were importat to me. You still are.

[kuromi-hoemie]

last rb stressed me out lowkey akakska i had an ex like that and it became a self fulfilling prophecy kinda thing..

[tres-fidelis]

1. What is one word to shut them up?

5. List 3 fears; one “surface level” fear, one “repressed” fear, and one “deep dark” fear.

All three ladies

50 “Not so Nice” OC or FR Asks

"I think these particular questions can coincide with each other, depending on the person's own personal insecurities and...well, their own fears too." Jayden set aside the thermos making sure to keep the lid closed, and the contents scolding hot inside. "For me...I think a surface level fear pairs well with something someone could say to me if they want to keep me quiet. Something I know will..." She sighed.

"...if I'm...incompetent...or if I'm too softhearted...because in news, someone in my position requires to stay middle ground. We can't lean towards one side, but I know my other co-workers all have their own agenda. There's an audience the company must appeal to, and sometimes when I go into work I always get anxious whether or not they gossip about me since I'm a 'by the book' kind of reporter." Her foreigner status didn't play well into those concerns either. "As for the rest well...I've grown accustomed to hearing gunshots but I still flinch a little every time I hear them, even if I happen to be watching a movie."

And lastly...

"....I hope my father never returns..."

----

"Ehhhh...I get antsy sometimes when th' police bring me in fer some petty shit I did. More times then not, I know how'ta handle their interrogations, but every now 'n then some of 'em rookies like ta pressure me by throwin' in a scare tactic. Pressin' legal charges or...even takin' me straight ta juvi." It pissed her off how it happened nearly every single time. "That's...not sumthin' or...somewhere I wanna end up, not cuz I don't WANT to go but..." Her nose flared upon exhaling a harsh breath.

"...man, I don't want ta leave my aunt behind. Think that's uhhhh...one'ov those fuckin' nasty fears that get ta me. My aunt's all I got now. I ratha' not let her down more, ya know?"

She hated this feeling of invulnerability. Others could read between the lines, dig further and find out all on their own how much Rin ended up a complete failure of a person. As a daughter. "...'right, now th' otha shit yer so curious 'bout knowin'. Guess I could say I get worried when my baby takes some damage from races, or if it's on th' spritz fer some reason. That jus' comes with ownin' yer ride, ya know. Speakin' of that though well...guess I'll admit, it's more than jus' adrenaline I'm feelin' wheneva' I get behind th' wheel."

----

A genius. A prodigy. She was special.

It didn't even need to be vocally spoken. Anyone giving her that adoring and dazzling gaze, a tantalizing smile enamored by her mere presence, it all read the same. KC knew the signs after years of traveling, years worth of blinding lights snapping her portrait for yet another magazine cover. She achieved great accomplishments at such a young age, under the guidance of her parents' world-renown expertise. What more could she strive for now?

What could she do now?

She couldn't do anything!

She never believed to be some prestigious virtuoso, and since her parents always dote on her every need she couldn't stand on her own either. That's not the making of a genius, or any able-bodied teenager her age. Perhaps...that could be considered one of her most deepest fears. She can't hold her own ground, and quite frankly it appeared the situation would never change. This was her entire life.

No wonder her voice never returned. Would it ever come back? Did it exist in the first place? Years had passed now KC can't even remember how it sounded. Soft and smooth? Brash? Airy or light?

It's a horrible realization...

[yardsards]

adulthood is just visiting ur friends, saying "damn bitch, you live like this?" (affectionate) and aggressively helping them clean up while they politely tell you that you don't have to do that. and then having friends do that to you when they visit your apartment.