#2 of them quit the next day. they weren't even the ones being yelled at they were just scared

[thawthebeez]

captain tadashi yamaguchi is always on my mind. he was only allowed to exist for 3 seconds because furudate knew he was too powerful. captain yamaguchi could shoot lasers out of his eyes and level cities in a matter of seconds. he will also be smiling the whole time with the biggest, brightest eyes. he has the confidence of a demigod. he is breathtakingly gorgeous. he is the most horrifying person you will ever meet.

[thatfreshi]

Could I request an Astarion/GN!reader(Tav) where reader has trauma around their throat being touched and stuff but bears through the panic attacks just so Astarion can feed and Astarion only finds out after they make camp and confronts reader/Tav about their mental breakdown after a battle they had prior in the day?(reader got grabbed forcefully by the neck?) Essentially a bit of angst and comfort?

Set in act 2!!

TW - choking, panic attack, disordered eating behaviors

Recommended Song: Don't Invest In Me - Adam Melchor

Battle is horrifying, something Astarion never truly quite realized until he fell in love you with. He's talented, especially at killing people. He's never had to worry in a fight, because it was always just him. Now he has to worry about you, and it's painful, not being able to be by your side constantly, watching you in perilous situations, looking death right in the eye. When your group ran into a few violent adventurers yesterday, you weren't expecting any trouble. Suddenly, metal clashing, magic moving through the trees. Astarion moved quickly, offing one of the offenders almost immediately. When he turned to see who was next, bloodlust in his eyes, he saw you being held by the throat. You were frozen, running out of oxygen, tears welling at your eyes. He ran through the trees, running his blade through your captor's back.

"Tav? My dear, are you alright?"

You can't speak, utterly shocked. No one had ever tried to choke you in the throes of battle, and it reminded you of awful things, things that were better left unsaid. He checks you for any other wounds as you're trapped in your own mind. The fighting continues, but he doesn't care. All that matters is you, the others can handle themselves just fine. And if not, that's their loss, not his.

After thoroughly checking you over, he can't find anything else of concern. The bruising on your neck though, it's black and blue already. Racing thoughts, wondering if there's been any lasting damage. He can't decide if he should be more concerned about the fact that you're practically frozen in place or if your windpipe is destroyed.

"The fuck are you doing? We have shit to deal with!"

Karlach silences her complaints when she sees you lying on the ground. Astarion doesn't even look up at her, afraid. He's only ever truly had one thing, one thing that was his, and that's you. Everything else feels so impermanent, but you? You're constant.

"Astarion! Astarion!"

She yells out his name until he finally snaps back to look at your tiefling friend.

"Take Tav back to camp, we've got it covered."

Karlach then runs off, back to assist Wyll with a shadow-covered half-elf. You groan in pain, your neck on fire. As you start to come back to reality, you realize you're in the vampire's arms, a vampire currently moving through the dark as quickly as possible. Neither of you have lights on you, but he knows there are still torches lit at camp, he just has to get there before the shadow curse starts to take hold. You're light-headed, both from lack of oxygen and the panic attack.

"Where...?"

"Hush darling, it's alright. We're almost there, almost to camp."

Through a couple more feet of trees, the two of you make it, bathing in the warm light of the torches posted behind the brush. He takes you back to your tent, where your bedrolls lie side by side. He silently curses himself for not knowing any healing magic, promising himself he'll finally learn after this.

"Aster?"

You call out groggily.

"Yes my love, I'm right here."

Ceasing the nervous pacing, he sits by your side.

"What... what happened?"

He almost doesn't want to say, worried about how you reacted while it was happening.

"One of the shadow-cursed, they... they had you in a nasty chokehold, and I killed them."

You shift, wishing he didn't have to know about all of this.

"Sorry."

"About what darling? You've done nothing wrong."

"About not telling you- not telling you about it."

You're gasping to get your words out, your throat clearly damaged. He furrows his brow in concerned confusion.

"I- I really don't like people touching my neck, doing anything to it to be honest. Wasn't expecting one of them to grab me like that."

Coughing at the end of your sentence, you don't see Astarion's eyes travel through his thoughts, realizing what that means.

"Darling... you let me feed off of you almost every evening."

You smile a little.

"I know."

He grabs one of your hands, clasping it in both of his.

"I'll never do it again. I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

Frantic, worried he's done something irreversibly wrong.

"No, no Aster it's okay. Does it suck sometimes? Yeah, but I need you to be healthy. Besides, what's a better way to work through your trauma than exposure therapy?"

"That's not fair. I can find something else, some other way."

"And what, go back to forest animals? You know there's nothing for you out here, in the darkness."

"Then I'll simply starve! Done it before, I'll do it again."

Gods, he's stubborn. You don't blame him, he would never want to cross anyone's boundaries after his have been trampled a million times.

"My love, come here."

You reach out, beckoning to pull him down beside you.

"If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't. You need to feed, and I can provide that. You do plenty for me, let me do this one thing for you."

"But, but you hate it."

"Yeah. Those two things can coexist, my hate for people touching my neck, and my love for you. I can put up with the anxiety if it means you're okay."

"I would be okay though."

You cup his face in your hand, making sure he's looking at you.

"I'm telling you I'm okay, and that you deserve more than rats. Okay?"

You've been around him long enough, you know his logic. If he survived for two hundred years living off of flies and rats, he certainly doesn't need blood like yours. If he had starved for an entire year, he could take a few months before getting to Baldur's Gate. Sometimes you have to remind him that survival mode isn't living, that he's allowed to have nice things. Tears fall from his eyes.

"Are you sure my sweet? Absolutely certain?"

"Of course, and if I ever needed you to stop I would tell you, promise."

You put your pinky out, and he stares at it.

"What... what are you doing? Is this you offering me to feed off a singular finger? Because if so, that's uh-"

"No, gods! It's a pinky promise."

"A... a what?"

You start laughing, so hard that you start coughing again, tears falling down your face.

"You've never heard of a pinky promise?"

It pulls at your heart a little, realizing he probably never had anyone teach him.

"I guess I haven't."

You put your pinky out, and he does the same, and then you hook yours, interlacing the small finger with his.

"There, I pinky promise that I'll tell you if you need to stop feeding on me."

As you pull your hand away, he looks confused.

"And that's what, some non-verbal contract?"

"I guess so Mr. Magistrate."

You start laughing again.

"Okay, you have thoroughly scared me, and made me cry, and teased me, in one night! I'm not sure how much more I can take."

There's a hint of humor in his tone. Honestly, he also thinks it's ridiculous that he was a magistrate, considering he was terrible at it, at least from the small things he remembers.

"Well, it's over now. I'm okay, and we're safe."

He narrows his eyes.

"I'm still going to have Shadowheart look over you when the rest return."

"Well, that's your fault for not learning healing magic."

"Okay, you don't know any magic, so I don't want to hear it!"

The two of you stay up for hours, laughing at stupid jokes, hysterical from the tragedy that evening. Sometimes after something horrible, you just need a good laugh, especially with your easily provoked lover.

[buckyandgeraltsupremacy]

remus x shy!reader (part 4)

author: sj

warnings: fluff; angst for remus lol; reader is in hufflepuff; uses she/her pronouns; not edited

done with finals!! now battling the want to only read fics and not write, let me know if you want a confession from rem!!

masterlist

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 5

---

it was the day of the date and remus had been up since 4 am. he couldn't stop thinking about your date. however bad he hoped it would go, he didn't want your first date experience to be horrible. he wanted you to be treated how you deserve and to have a lovely time while also never ever wanting to see the fool again. and that is why he had woken up at 4 in the morning and couldn't stop the fight in his mind.

it was 11:30am and he was laying on the couch in the common room, one foot on the ground tapping constantly. the boys had decided to stay in this morning because james was worried they'd run into you and that sirius would end up embarrassing you and ruin your date.

"moony, if you don't stop tapping your foot, i'm going to lose my mind." sirius grunted, head in his hands covering his ears from the tapping noise.

"she should be done with her date now, right? its been 2 hours. why isn't she back yet?" remus asked.

"relax you love sick dog. your precious wife will be returned soon." sirius replied dramatically, rolling his eyes at how abserd this whole situation was. "if you had only confessed your love for her when you had the chance, she wouldn't be snogging another fella while you fumed the whole time." he added. remus shot upright on the couch with a wide eyed expression and a look of dread covering his features.

"here she comes!" peter shouted, holding the marauder's map in his hands, walking into the common room where the other boys were. all of their heads turned towards the portrait hole where it swung open and you stepped through.

you were excited to tell the boys all about it, but you weren't quite expecting them to all be staring at you when you got back.

"well, hi." you said, cheeks flushing more than they already were, glancing towards the floor to not meet their eyes. you sat down on the couch next to remus like normal, not sensing the tension in his body, only feeling their eyes on you.

"WELL??? i need all the details. spill your guts flea!" sirius cried across from you.

"it was okay! it wasn't bad! but it also wasn't great. like it was pleasant but it wasn't anything to write home about. is that good? like are you supposed to know if you want to marry him already?" you rambled, entire face flushing and not meeting their eyes.

"aw, hoppers. i'm sorry it didn't go well." james consoled you.

"what do you mean?" you asked, confused why he sounded sad for you.

"well, it didn't sound like there was any chemistry, that's important if you're gonna date someone." james explained.

"flea, i know it's your first date ever, but even i thought you'd know that." sirius shrugged. at the mention of it being your first date, you tensed and shot a look a remus, hurt that he spilled a secret to the boys. remus met your gaze with a look of panic.

"that wasn't me! i swear it! i didn't tell them!" he yelled.

"oh he didn't tell us, but the way you were acting before was kind of obvious and the fact that remus would've known that you were dating someone before you were part of our group and you certainly haven't since we've been friends because of remus' behavior." sirius explained, you relaxed and reached to touch remus' leg.

"sorry for thinking that you told them when you didn't ." you apologized and remus nodded back.

"its fine bun, i'm not hurt." he said, covering your hand with his.

"so hoppers, did you snog him?" sirius asked crudely. your cheeks flushed bright red.

"that is none of your business sirius! and a lady never kisses and tells!" you exclaim, avoiding all their eyes. "i told him that it would be best if we were friends, and he agreed. i don't think dating is for me, i just got so anxious before! and the thought of having to go on another date, just makes me nauseous." you say, leaning onto remus' shoulder and resting your head.

"thats okay, bun. you don't have to date if you don't want to." remus patted your thigh, his heart soaring that he won't have to go through this again. he knew he'd have to tell you that he liked you soon, the thought of you with someone else almost killed him.

"thanks rem." you mumbled back, sinking deeper into his side.

sirius observes this going on, looking to james and mouthing, 'are they fucking idiots??'

james simply rolled his eyes in response.

[ihaznoclue]

May I get a wee bit of Lycaon x Reader angst, where reader ran away due to bad parents, Lycoan (bring a romantic partner or just very close friends) gets that gut feeling but thinks he just got a stomach bug, and later on in the day he realizes you aren't at home and he goes looking for you. Only to find you in the hollow slowly turning into a Eatheral. (Sorry if it was long and worded weird, English isn't my first language)

Pairings -> Von Lycaon x Reader

Warnings -> just full on angst

Note -> You run away from your horrible parents, Lycaon finds you in a hollow slowly turning into a Ethereal

Genre -> Angst

Von Lycaon

You hated it here, you hated everyone, you hated your family

You HATED your parents

No, you DESPISE your parents

You just couldn't deal with them anymore, the only person who understand you and cared for you was Lycaon, your partner. He has been with you for 2 years already

But your parents didn't care for you at all, that's when you decided to run away from them

Your family has always been so terrible towards you, always yelling at you for the smallest mistakes.

Now it was time for you to disappear from them, they wouldn't care anyways

Apparently your family went out this evening WITHOUT you, you were home alone of course and this was the perfect time to leave this hell hole

You put on a hoodie as it was quite cold outside, you didn't feel like packing anything so you just left

You were walking around sixth street now, passing everyone that was out this evening

You felt.. lonely

disappointed in yourself

You didn't go to anyone, even your own partner Lycaon. You didn't want to bother him and ruin his night

So you turned a corner into a alley way, you were looking down not looking at anything

You felt like you were teleported somewhere, the air felt intense as you looked up

Huh? Where were you?

You looked back to see no alley way and no Sixth street, could It be that you

Walked into a Hollow...

The next day, Lycaon wanted to pay you a visit but something felt wrong, his gut felt it

But he shrugged it off as a stomach bug

He was walking up to your house as he knocked on the door, no answer

You usually would answer, something wasn't right

He messaged you but also no answer, he found out you weren't online for 2 days already

That's weird, you would always text him in the mornings

So where were you?

'BING'

A message from Rina

'Sir Lycaon, I fear that your partner is in the hollow near you, Master proxy has messaged me about it, Belle has saw it on the news about a girl that matched the description of Name, Hurry she might of been in there for a while' - Rina

Lycaon wasted no time in running to the hollow, why were you in the hollow in the first place? How long have you been in there? Did you get hurt? Attacked?

God he hopes not

"Damn it!" You yelled, you didn't want this to happen, you didn't mean for this to happen

All you wanted was to go somewhere safe, and now you in a hollow

You were attacked by Ethereals and now you were slowing turning into one, you've been in this hollow for how long?

You didn't even know

Was anyone going to look for you? Has anyone noticed? That you were gone for the past day? Maybe not

"NAME!" You heard your name being called out

"Lycaon?" You softly spoke, Lycaon was here to find you

Of course he was, he's your partner but you didn't want him to see you like this

You have black crystals poking out of your skin on your left leg and some on your arms as well, your eyes were blurred as some black lining was on your face

You tried to not panic but it was too late, Lycaon finally found you

"Lycaon.." You started to cry, you didn't want to die, not in front of him, not like this

Lycaon were beyond shocked, why didn't he noticed sooner

"I'm sorry.." You sobbed

Lycaon kneeled down in front of you as he took your head onto his lap, he could see the injuries as well as the crystals poking out of your skin

"I'm so sorry, I didn't want you to find me like this, I-"

"Shhh, Don't waste your energy talking, its okay. We'll figure something out" Lycaon said as he looked around

"You can't... I've been in this hollow way too long and I got attacked by a Ethereal, I'm sorry it was because I ran away from home, From my parents. I just didn't want to bother you or anyone else, I didn't want to ruin your night" You sobbed

"I don't wanna die, Lycaon.." You cried out

"You won't, I'm not going to let that happen" Lycaon looked serious, he didn't want you to turn into those creatures

Your tears fell down your cheeks like a waterfall on a winter night, your eyes looked dull as you hissed, Pain was shooting around in your body

Your control over your body became weak, you were turning

"Lycaon.. Please I don't want to hurt you.." You grabbed his butler vest

"Get out of this hollow before I.."

"No.. I'm not leaving you here" Lycaon didn't want to leave you, even if it means that he has to hurt you in the end

Your control over your body was completely gone

"Lycaon.. I love you, I'm so glad that I got to be with you.." You weakly smiled

That was it, Lycaon's partner was now gone

He had to, He had to do it

He had to kill you... You lifeless body on the ground in front of him

He just wants to rewind in time to actually save you..

But there will be no rewind...

This is what reality does

Hurt people and their loved ones

Until one of them dies....

-A<3

[missingmark]

― who you gonna call? pt.1

the boys know they'll always have someone to call when they need them. that someone in question being you, luckily that feeling is more than mutual.

‧₊˚ matt x gn!reader

‧₊˚ warnings: light swearing, otherwise very very wholesome :)

‧₊˚ word count: 840

‧₊˚ pt.2 ( nick ) | pt.3 ( chris ) | masterlist

( 𝖒. ) ; you call him when it all feels like way too much

You had almost fallen asleep in Matt's car if it weren't for the enthusiastic rambling of your best friend next to you. One of his hands would sometimes leave the steering wheel to comb through his hair or emphasize his words with some sort of gesture. Your eyes, even half lidded, would follow his movement, your head against the window in the passenger seat

He had offered to pick you up from college after hearing how awful your day was.

"-and, I don't know what happened but Nick suddenly developed a weird obsession with Po from Kung Fu Panda, it's like all he talks about. Can you believe it? Chris has to leave the room any time it starts."

If you weren't so tired you would have giggled at his story, but any movement seemed to drain your energy even more and you were saving it up for having to peel yourself from the seat and walking into their home.

Matt insisted on assisting you, carrying you on his back into the house as he continued to talk.

"Yesterday I walked in on him reading an article called "25 inspirational Kung Fu Panda Quotes that will change your life forever" and when I tried to address it he just hissed at me. He hissed."

Chris looked up from his place on the couch, a smile forming on his face at the sight of the two of you. He, too, was forced to listen to your whining in the group chat about your hard day.

"Move," Matt muttered once he stood in front of his brother, turning around and letting you plop onto the couch with a small thud, your head landing in Chris' lap.

"Ouch! Dude, your head is heavy as fuck."

You opened one eye to glare up at him.

"Cuz it's full of knowledge, stupid."

"I highly doubt that, considering you literally sat through the wrong class today and didn't notice for the whole 50 minutes."

"How do you know that?!" You yelled, covering your face in embarrassment.

"Cuz you literally spammed us all about it in the group chat today, you goof."

"Oh god." You mumbled into your hands, not noticing the third brother also entering the room, leaning over the couch to offer you some of his sympathy.

"Why did I even want to become a film major, who put this insane stupid dummy-dumb idea into my head?!" You groaned, kicking your legs in frustration.

"Because you made a compilation of Nick falling down when we were in middle school and you called it your magnum opus," Chris recalled, stroking your head in sympathy.

"That was a pretty funny video," Matt mumbled under his breath.

"I should quit," You murmured only to be met with disagreement from your friends.

"Sure you're having a bit of a tough day, but you'll get through it," Nick tried to cheer you up, "You'll be done with college soon anyway."

"But if you want to take a bit of a break, we'll understand, maybe skip some classes tomorrow to get a good rest and-"

"That's a terrible idea, Chris! They already missed one of their classes today. If you skip you'll just be farther behind with the material."

Nick walked over to you, taking your hands in his as he looked deep into your eyes.

"A real warrior never quits," he smiled.

You almost smiled back.

"Po said that in the first Kung Fu Panda, but to be honest the second one is like-"

"Ok. I have to leave," Chris mumbled, lifting your head as gentle as he could despite the sudden spike in rage that was building up in him at his brothers words.

He walked towards the kitchen only for Nick to follow after him.

"What?! What's your problem with the panda? You hater!" Their voices grew faint. Only you and Matt being left at this point.

He walked over towards you, lying down on the couch too and pulling you into his chest.

"I believe in you. Never ever tell him I said this but Nick is right; don't quit, okay? Rest a bit now and I'll help you with your assignments once you wake up."

You grinned into his sweatshirt and let the tiredness finally take over your body.

i wrote this while watching schaffrillas production review kung fu panda 2.

i hope you enjoyed, luv u <3

[slightlystupidhun]

Niente

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

A band AU I’m writing! Sorry if it’s bad! There is no magic in this universe, just music! @puffin-smoke did an amazing Redacted Band AU that you should check out too!

Niente; To nothing; indicating a diminuendo which fades completely away…

It was a cool fall evening in the shaw household, the lights of the house emitting a warm feeling from the outside. It had been half a year since Gabriel Shaw took Tank in. Their parents had dropped them off to study with David and just never came to pick them up. Tank remembers so vividly how the phone rang, and rang, and rang but no one picked up. Gabe refused to let them leave on their own so he took them in, they were just a few months away from turning 18.

Tank had not intended to join the “family” band either. It was more of something that happened to them. One day while paroling the house they saw that one of David's old electric guitars was left out in the living room. The black guitar with red paint splattered on it, giving the impression of blood, was so appealing to Tank they simply couldn't resist. They had practiced acoustic guitar, but had little experience on electric. They only remembered what little their father taught them when he attempted to play, the instrument never sounding right in his hands.

They picked it up, it was already plugged into the amp, and looked around the room. Pausing for a moment, waiting to hear if anyone had come into the house, they were pleased to find that they were still home alone. David and Gabe left for a meeting for their band. David was the drummer, Asher was the singer, and Milo played bass. Their old electric guitarist, Asher's sister, left for a different band. The first few notes they strummed on the guitar sent electricity through their veins. They strummed again, becoming obsessed with the sound. It fully represented them, their thoughts, feelings, their whole being. They began strumming out the chords to an AC/DC song their dad tried playing, thunderstruck. It was the a simple standard they knew how to play on electric.

The music soared from the guitar and filled the room. Tank started playing with the strings and improving their own melodies. They were so wrapped up in the song that they didn't hear Gabe and David enter the house. They didn't see the pair walk into the living room. The sound enveloping the house was completely theirs, like they owned the instrument. No one could replicate the way they played. Even if they weren't perfect at it they were still so alluring.

As Tank strummed the last chord on the guitar, Gabe stepped forward and applauded. Their head snapped up, fiery eyes meeting his warm ones. A slight blush spread across their face and they quickly stepped away and set the guitar on the soft green couch next to them.

“I… I… sorry…” They mumbled out. “I wont touch it again…”

“No! Don’t say sorry. In fact, you were quite good. Ever played before now kid?” Gabe asked moving over to pick up David's old guitar.

“No… not really. I mean I've been playing acoustic guitar a little, or I used to with my da… with you know.” They kicked their feet on the hardwood floor..

“Well my band is looking for a guitarist. I'm sure Dad would be willing to teach you. He taught Asher's sister.” David said, nudging Tanker with his shoulder.

“Me?” Tank asked.

“Absolutely! I will! You’re in the band Tank!” Gabe cheers as he wraps an arm around Tank. “I’ll start teaching you tomorrow.”

That is how they ended up where they were now. On a large stage opening for a band that Tank has been a fan of for a while now. They were called Tooth&Fang. Tank was practically in love with Quinn, the lead singer. He was attractive and very, very charismatic.

As their set came to a close as David rattled the symbol one final time. The whole band waved as Asher yelled out one final time.

“Thank you everyone! We are DxW! You have a good night!” He and the band ran off stage, high fiving one another. Tank stood on the outside avoiding the three’s cheers.

“Hello~” A sly voice spoke into Tank's ear. Tanks eyes widened, immediately recognizing the voice. They pivoted to see the mischievous grin on the face of Quinn Fox, the lead singer they're practically in love with. “Well aren't you, a spitfire. You played that electric like a star, precious.”

Tank was on cloud nine. Quinn even offered to meet them in his dressing room after the show.

“No.” David said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall in the alley way. The band was packing their equipment up in their van.

“What? Why not? He literally just wants to meet up!” Tank pleaded, waving their arms about.

“No. No super famous 28 year old rockstar wants to meet with a 19 year old, just to chat and hang out. I've heard about his reputation…”

“But you haven't seen his reputation have you. You haven't experienced it first hand. You have no idea whether or not it's true!” They pointed their finger into David's chest, knowing it would irritate him.

“Tank. No. And get your finger off my chest dumbass.” David's eyes lit up with anger.

“I'm going. I am 19 fucking years old. I am old enough to choose what I am gonna do with and where I am going to spend my time.” They pivoted on their heels and began walking back inside.

“Tank stop!” David yelled at them before crossing his arms and standing firm. “I’ll tell Dad.”

Those three words stopped Tanker in their tracks. Was he serious? He was going to rat on them and play tattle tail. Furrowing their brows and balling their hands into fists they walked back over to David. “I hate you.”

The next two days the only time Tank spoke to David was if he directed them to do something in the band. They were pissed off at him. How the hell was he able to control what they did? And the fact that he threatened them with telling Gabe. They continued to ignore him and mope around until their phone buzzed. They looked at their instagram feed and saw a message from Quinn_The_Vamp.

[codesandstuffs]

Mcyt Yuri Week - Day 2: Au

(link to ao3 version here, made for @mcyt-yuri-week 2023!!)

<File Retrieved...> <Loading...>

OFFICIAL COMPLAINT SUBMITTED AT: 07-08-2023 16:12 SUMBITTED BY: Z

B,

I regret to inform you that the agent you have assigned as our department head is unsuitable for the job. She is tardy, impolite, disorganised and underqualified. It is my recommendation that she is returned to whichever previous role she had.

Since joining, she has requested a copy of each of our current mission directories as well as halting all operations until paperwork was signed and resigned multiple times. Apparently, this is something my colleagues have also experienced, indicated she has issues with organisation.

For several weeks, she has also become increasingly inconsistent either which meetings she will attend and how late she arrives to them. This makes it very difficult for the rest of the department. I find timekeeping to be an essential quality in this field - is this really something we can compromise on as someone in the position of a department lead?

Another issue I have observed is the lack of professionalism she shows in the workplace. Even from her first day here, she has addressed all of us with a casualness that is inappropriate in the field, and on some occasions made jokes in poor taste, on subjects such as firing us or reassigning missions on a whim. While I understand being friendly with your department - one of my colleagues has recently taken up regular pub visits with her, for example - there is a certain level of respect expected in the workplace.

If you are unsure yet of the validity of my concerns, I might suggest a review of her work and brief investigation into her performance so far.

I'm sure you understand that all of these complaints come from a place of concern rather than one of malice. I truly do only want the best for our agency. It simply seems that our new department lead does not.

Z

<End Of File>

(fic below cut!!)

"Are you fucking kidding me?" shouted a voice from the next room over, and Cleo groaned into their pasta. "What is she doing? She lost my file again?"

Yeah, her morning was going great. Thanks for asking.

Not that the groaning from next door was about her, obviously. They weren't the sort of person who would misplace important files, nor the sort of person who would allow people to yell things down the corridor about them in third person. No - this was about Pearl, their new department lead and new boss, and quite possibly the worst agent Cleo had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

And frankly, Cleo empathised with the person from the next room over. She, too, had been told many a time that Pearl had lost something or the other of hers.

But the topic of Pearl felt even more sore today, on account of Cleo losing her closest ally in her petition against their new boss.

Just last week, she and Gem had been discussing ways they could remove their boss from her position, and now Gem was hanging out with Pearl after work. When had those two even become friends? Cleo certainly hadn't seen it coming, and she literally lived with Gem.

Whatever. She had work to do. She had important operations to oversee. She had charges now, people to manage as they began their first few missions as agents and learnt how to apply all their training in the actual agency. That was important. Gem and Pearl being chummy was not.

Cleo huffed and ate another fork full of pasta, aggressively flicking the page over.

It was fine. Everything was fine.

-

A week later, Cleo finally received their very first punctual report from Pearl. This was something new - it was almost tradition already that Pearl would somehow manage to turn everything in at least a little late. Gem was sitting next to them when their fax began printing out the report and - as she was closer - picked it up to read the header.

"Oh, it's from Pearl!" she said, already smiling brightly. "She did say she was getting a new fax machine, look how crisp this font is!"

"That's my fax machine's good quality, not hers, thanks," Cleo muttered. She stopped typing and turned to Gem. "What's it about? Last week's approval? My mentee's been waiting for days for that one."

"It's the weekly report." Gem glanced through it, eyes widening. "The one due by the end of today."

"Wait- what?"

"It's on time," Gem said, almost in wonder.

Cleo stared at her, then snatched the paper so she could see for herself. Indeed, the report was actually perfectly on time. If anything, it was early.

"This has got to be a prank," they frowned, squinting up at their door to see if someone was about to jump through the door and shout 'surprise!' or something. "Do you think she got kidnapped? Are we dealing with an imposter?"

"I think she's just gotten better at it," said Gem, wearing that enthusiastic smile again. "I told her she should try to get things done on time, even if it's not entirely perfect."

"So now I have to worry about the reports being wrong as well?"

"Cleo!" Gem scolded. "Pearl is a lot better than you're giving her credit for. Just because she's not triple checking everything anymore doesn't mean it's not still going to be accurate!"

"And why was she triple checking everything, then, unless she was pretty sure she was doing something wrong?"

"She's just nervous. Give her time."

Cleo rolled her eyes. "Of course you’d say that, she’s your newest best friend.”

“My newest -?” Gem paused and cocked her head. “Are you jealous?”

“I am not jealous,” Cleo said firmly, but Gem was already grinning and shaking her head.

“I would never replace you, Cleo! We’re just hanging out - no best friends being replaced or anything of the sort, so don’t you worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Cleo deadpanned. “I just think she’s incompetent.”

Gem’s mouth fell open.

“Off the record, of course,” Cleo added as an afterthought, though they were pretty confident Gem wouldn’t be gossiping about this behind their back. For all her traitorous Pearl-befriending, she was a reliable friend. “I just don’t think she makes a good boss. If she needs time to improve, maybe she should do that before being given an important role.”

“Cleo,” Gem said gently, apparently having recovered from her shock for the most part. “It’s not - alright, I’m not supposed to tell anyone this, but…” She glanced behind her to check there was nobody in the doorway, before lowering her voice and continuing, “Pearl wasn’t in this agency at all until recently. She was working in a small team halfway across the world, with some of the same goals as us but none of our resources and organisation.”

“Alright. Sounds like yet another reason that she shouldn’t be given this job straight away.”

“No, no, let me explain better: she managed the whole team on her own. She’s got the skills to lead this department, she just has to get used to the structure of our agency, and we just have to give her that time.”

Then Gem paused. She checked the doorway again, before leaning a little closer and dropping her voice into a whisper.

“Our agency and her team were working together for a mission a few months ago, but it went wrong. Really, really wrong,” she emphasised. “Pearl is the only one left of her team. It’s been rough on her these past few months, but our agency wanted to give her a place to carry on her work, and -” Gem shrugged. “They think she can do the job. Even B does, actually - sent her own personal approval.”

Well then. That was… news. And maybe it did explain a little of Pearl’s behaviour, though it didn’t change Cleo’s mind all that much.

“I’m sorry that happened to her old team, but I still don’t think she makes a good head for our department,” she said. “There are people better prepared for the role.”

“She can do this, we just have to be patient,” Gem insisted.

“There isn’t space for being sentimental here.” Cleo turned back to her keyboard and tried to find her place on the document on the screen before her. “Sorry, Gem. I’ll try and be nice, I guess, but I’m not going to just wait for her to be good enough.”

Next to her, Gem sighed, but didn’t press the issue. The room was blessed with peaceful quiet, and Cleo found that it was a lot easier to work without the distraction of having to talk about Pearl.

-

When Cleo finally bumped into Pearl for the first time after hearing her background - her tragic backstory -  from Gem, she was tempted to speak up and apologise about her team. It was only polite. Cleo may not have liked Pearl, but she wasn’t that heartless.

But then she remembered that she had only been told that story in confidence, and ended up fumbling her greeting entirely.

“Pearl! I heard - I mean, I think that - well,” they said, and then stared at Pearl expectantly, as if they were waiting for an answer.

Pearl blinked back at her in bewilderment. “Sorry?”

“Thanks for the weekly report,” Cleo tried instead. “It was on time and everything. So - thanks. For that. Good job, I guess, that one time.”

“Oh!” Pearl’s face broke out into a huge smile. “Thank you! I mean, you’re welcome - no, I mean - what do I mean?”

“I don’t know.” Cleo was not giving her any help.

“One thing is for sure,” Pearl pushed on anyway. “I’m going to work on getting more things done on time. I think I’m getting the hang of it already, actually! I’m going to be on time for my next meeting, it’s at nine but I left a few minutes early so I can -”

She stopped in horror, before glancing at her watch and gasping.

“Oh no, I’m going to be late, shoot! Sorry, Cleo, I - we can catch up later! Bye!”

And with that, in a whirlwind of coat and paper, Pearl was off down the corridor again, frantic as ever but somehow seeming far less malicious than she’d seemed to Cleo before.

Now, where did that change of heart come from?

[searchingforgravity]

Summer Nights (Elvis/Austin!Elvis x Reader)

Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Prompt: You work as a waitress at a local restaurant in Memphis when Elvis unexpectedly comes back into your life. The two of you were neighbors growing up, and you'd developed a crush on him before his fame skyrocketed. When he comes back to Memphis, he invites you to a house party at Graceland when things shift in your relationship.

TW: None (that I can think of. Maybe mild sexual harassment.)

Rating: PG (But not a PG story, there will be smut in the future.)

Word Count: 2642

A/N: This is a series I thought of a while back and have gotten the inspiration to continue. I want to do more 50's Elvis era, and I hope you guys enjoy this story!

Growing up, you had always known Elvis. You were his next door neighbor for as long as you can remember. For years, you and your family would visit his house for barbeques and birthdays, and his family would come to yours. He would always be so happy coming over to your house as he played with you and your siblings. Growing up with no siblings of his own, you were happy to have him whenever he came. You had gone through different phases of life together. From early childhood all the way up to early teens. He had always liked hanging around you, but tended to gravitate towards your older brothers, playing football and wrestling with them in the scorching summer heat. You'd be lying to yourself if you said you didn't like watching him out there in the sun, his chest bare and his jeans low. When you got to your early teen years, you two weren't as close, the both of you going through various changes. Him having girlfriends and you having your nose stuck in your school books. "You like school, don't cha, Patsy?" Elvis had asked you one day while he was over at your house, roughhousing with your brothers. He had developed the nickname Patsy for you when he caught you practically yelling a Patsy Cline song when you thought no one was home, only to find Elvis at your front door grinning from ear to ear. You never did hear the end of it. "Yes," you respond, not looking up from your book. School allowed you to escape your hectic life of 2 older brothers and ,quite frankly, it made you feel smart. "And I need to study if I'm ever going to get out of this town, you know." You longed to leave Memphis. Not because you hated your hometown, but because you wanted to explore. See the world and all it had to offer. "How's about we get outta here someday. Really make somethin' of ourselves. You could make all the smart life choices when I wanna make some bad ones." At this you looked up. He smiled down at you, and to your surprise, he wasn't teasing. You two were never super close, so this statement made you blush as you shoved your face back in your book. "Come see me at graduation." The next week he had a girlfriend, and you'd forgotten about the conversation.

During your early teen years, though, was when you really started to fantasize about the boy. His body was filling out more, his features becoming more pronounced. He smile more captivating. You'd imagine him walking up to your house, knocking on your door, asking your dad to take you to the dance. Of course, he never did. He never liked you the way you liked him, or if he had, he never let you know. You figured he didn't even see you in that way, with him always being in love with a girl. To your disappointment, it was never you.

One of your guilty pleasures all throughout your life is when he would sing on those warm summer nights, thinking no one was around. You would hear it from your open window and listen with bated breath. You would be mesmerized completely by his voice. One night, when you were walking home from going to the movie theater with your friends, you heard him in his back yard, playing his guitar and singing his heart out. Having the trees as a hiding place, you would shield your body by one far enough away to not get caught, but close enough to see his eyes sparkling in the moonlight. He looked absolutely beautiful. His chest bare from the heat, and his pants hanging loosely on his hips, he played that guitar and sang his heart out like he was performing in front of an audience. Little did he know, he was. He almost always was, and you were his number one fan.

Things have changed since then, with you now working as a waitress, trying to make ends meet in Memphis, while Elvis had blown up into a superstar and was God knows where doing God knows what. You wish that you two could've become close, not because of his fame, but because a big town can become lonely when you don't have anyone to share it with. You had heard that he bought a house in Memphis this year. No, not a house, a mansion. Your neighbor boy Elvis now lives in a mansion. You laugh to yourself at this, thinking what you would do if you had enough money for something like that.

"Hey, Earth to (y/n)!," the grill cook, Jeff yelled as he waved a meaty, scarred hand in your face. You blinked once, twice, pulling yourself out of your daydream. "Table 21 ain't gonna come back here and get their food themselves," he spit out, talking through his teeth as he chews on a soggy and demolished toothpick. Jeff is a pig. He is the typical, reach up the skirt, whistle at the girls type guy. On the flip side, when he's angry, you better hope you're not at work that day. He's always sweating as he eats more than enough calories to feed an entire town in one day. You've worked with him for four years now, and you don't have one good thing to say about the guy. The only reason he hasn't been fired is because of his surprising punctuality. And maybe the fact that your boss wouldn't do anything if anyone reported him for harassment anyway.

You quickly pick up the plates of food from the food line and hurry out of the kitchen, hearing a whistle leave his mouth after looking at your backside. You blush at this as a small hint of anger floods through you, pushing it down as you approach the table. "Alright folks, here we are. One American breakfast and some flapjacks." The two customers in front of you are regulars who always request you when they come in. Tim and his daughter Shirley. Tim is a quiet, sweet man in his mid thirties and he brings his daughter, Shirley, every week at the same time for some flapjacks. You aren't sure what happened to the mother, and you never intend on asking, you like the dynamic, and Tim always tips well.

"Thanks sweet heart, you're the best..." then, "You know...it's non a my business, but you shouldn't let that man talk to you that way. He's a great hog and you're too pretty to have anyone treat you like that." You blush as you look down, a small smile playing on your lips. "Thanks Tim, but it's just part of the job, you know." He grunts in disapproval but doesn't comment further. "Yeah, (y/n). You're too pretty to be a hog!" young Shirley of six years old shouts, bits of pancake hanging out of her mouth. This makes you giggle softly as you grab your small notebook from your coffee stained apron, getting ready for the next table. "Thank you Shirley q. Now you eat up your food and I'll be back over with your malt shake before you go." After a while of them being your regulars, you decided to give Shirley a milkshake on the house and you just kept doing it, paying for it out of pocket. From the way Tim looks at you when you do, you know that things are probably tight at home. People that have money to spare don't have that same glint of appreciation in their eye, you've come to notice. Not to the extent Tim does, anyway.

After a long day of waiting tables, your feet are sore as ever as you huff, finally sitting down for the first time in hours as you collapse in the drivers seat of your beat up truck your dad gave you for your 21st birthday. You still live at home since you have no boyfriend to speak of, and you can tell your parents are getting antsy for you to find someone. You turn the key in your ignition and it sputters a moment before roaring to life as you start down the road to go home. While driving, you turn on the radio, and non other than Elvis plays softly through the speakers. You smile to yourself, looking down at the radio as if you could see Elvis himself, like you are back at his backyard, hidden behind a tree as his fingers dance over that guitar.

You are jolted out of your memory when the front of your truck collides with someones bumper, having taken your eyes off the road for too long. You inhale sharply as your eyes snap forward. You think your heart almost stops when you see the car you hit, a pink Cadillac. Whoever you just hit has money, and you had none for the repairs if you damaged it. "Shit, shit, shit," you scold yourself as you unbuckle your seat belt, looking to the ground as you stumble out of the drivers seat, your feet landing on the pavement of a backroad on a hot Memphis night. "Sir, I am so sorry. I-" You are stopped short when you look up, finally seeing who you hand hit. Elvis Presley.

His face is filled with uncontrolled rage until you see recognition flood his features. "W-Wait a minute....Patsy?" he asks, shock now washing over him. You both stand there for a moment, stuck to your spot before he bursts into a fit of laughter. Your cheeks flush a brilliant red as you look down at feet, a soft smile playing on your face. Another few moments go by of his melodic laughter before he looks back at you. "Well, hell," he chuckles as he looks at you, his eyes swiftly traveling down your body, lingering only a moment before coming back to your face. "Well, don't be rude, come say hi! It's the least you can do for hittin' my car," he bellows and your feet carry you to him, almost on their own accord. When you reach him he envelopes you in his arms, pulling you to his chest as he gives you a bear hug. You can't help but laugh as you hug him back, before he grabs your shoulders, holding you out to look at you. "Wow, you sure grew up, didn't ya'" he observes as he looks at you again. Embarrassment runs through you as you gently shove his shoulder, the familiarity coming back to you. "Oh, stop it," you groan as you cross your arms over yourself, a smile returning to your face as you look in his eyes.

You are pulled away from him when the passenger door to his car opens, a movie star looking girl emerging from it. "Hello," she says sweetly, though her eyes bore into you like she wants to rip you to shreds. When her eyes trail to see you wearing your uniform, you see a smug smile play on her face. She's no longer threatened. Anger starts to bubble in your chest at this woman, but you aren't able to sit in it long before Elvis is speaking again. "(Y/n), this is my lady friend, Judy. Judy, this is (y/n). We grew up together," Elvis smiles, taking delight in this little interaction. At hearing this, Judy's expression changes completely, now sporting false excitement. "Oh, very nice to meet you, (y/n)," she chirps, no doubt trying to impress her boyfriend.

"Well, it's just great we ran into each other. It just so happens that I'm havin' a party this week, and I'd love it if you could make it. Ask your folks if they'd like to come. Hell, the brothers too. My mamma and daddy would just love it!" he beams. You glance at an excited Elvis, then at his girlfriend, her face now sour by his invitation. "Well...okay. Yeah, sure! That sounds great, and I'll let them know. But, Elvis, your car-" you start but he holds his hand up to stop you. "Not another word about that. I think I got enough money to take care of it," he states with a newfound sense of pride. "Really, let me help a little-" you try to argue but he stops you again. "Now, (y/n), I won't hear another word of it." You decide it's useless to argue as you look in his eyes, smiling in appreciation.

Looking at him for a moment longer you see a shift in his eyes, and it's as if he's seeing you, truly, for the first time since you were neighbors. He looks at your worn uniform, then to your truck before pulling you in for another hug. "Let me know if you ever need anything, doll," he whispers quickly before pulling away. You are about to inch away from him to say your goodbyes when he leans in and kisses your cheek. Electricity buzzes through you as you pull away, trying not to make it obvious that this flustered you. You smile at the pair of them as you say your goodbyes. "Nice to meet you Judy. And good to see you too Elvis. It's been a while." "You're tellin' me! Hey! Don't forget about that party this week! It's at 8 o'clock and Friday," he hollers as you get back to your truck. "Alright, I'll be there!" you yell back as you get in the drivers seat. "You better!" you hear his shout as he starts down the road. After shutting the door, you just sit there for a moment, looking out into the summer night, the lights from the Beale street strip in the distance.

"You're kiddin' me! Our neighbor boy Elvis! That's who you hit?" Your mom asks in disbelief, laughter escaping her at the concept. You and your mother are very close, she even knew about your crush on him growing up. "Oh man, I bet the care was a looker too wasn't it?" You sigh as you flop down on one of the kitchen chairs, your body aching. "Oh Mama, it was a Cadillac!" you say in exasperation, hiding your face in your hands. This makes her gasp, then laugh incredulously. "Well I'll be. Charlie! Did you hear that!" She calls for your dad, who is watching a sport game in the other room, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, you can smell the smoke. "(Y/n) you gotta pay that boy! That's a downright tragedy; poor car," he calls from the other room, amusement in his voice. "He wouldn't take money, dad! And thanks so much, I'm fine!" You tell them about the party he invited you all too and your parents are ecstatic. They were happy that they were going to see Elvis' parents and talk while their children mingle.

"Was he happy to see you, sweetie?" your mom asks in feigned innocence while she busies herself with cleaning the dishes. "He has a girlfriend mama, she was in the car with him. And he never wanted me anyways, he wouldn't now." At this your mom turns to you, her hand flying to her hip. "Now (y/n), you two were just kids then, things change. Your father and I knew each other since grade school and he didn't ask me out till we graduated." You roll your eyes as you get up from the table. "Oh mama," you sigh as you go to make your way to your bathroom. Before you get far you mom stops you, pulling you in for a short hug. "Your just as pretty as those movie stars, sweetie." That was the first night in about 4 years you shed a tear for your old neighbor.

Masterlist

Tag List:

@flowersofcement @looloolily @tantamount-treason @horrorgirl4life @peaceloveelvis @goldobsessionsworld @father-of-2cats

[butterflies-and-blades]

Session 2: Job 1/3

At the inn, Talo got their own room for all of their equipment and so that they can work on potions in the mornings with more space. Verca and I set up in a room with two beds across the hall.

Once settled, Talo took some time to make an elixir; meanwhile, Verca and I went out to see if there were any notice boards for potential jobs to put us in good standing with city officials so we might be able to speak with the mayor with more ease. We eventually found a board with three jobs in front of City Hall--or some similar governmental building--waiting to be claimed. Upon Verca's suggestion, we took all three, and then we went inside to discuss the matter with the secretary. Verca's plan proved to be a smart move; the wait to talk with the mayor otherwise would be close to a month. So we have three days to handle bandits, gnolls, and a bulette.

While we were walking through Legen, I registered how different everything was from the cabin and its surrounding area. The architecture was primarily carved stone. It made sense for a spot in the middle of a desert with no surrounding vegetation in sight, but it was still odd not seeing the rich browns of trees and soft green moss at every turn.

During our trek back to the inn, I also noticed a considerable number of odd looks following Verca and myself. He tried to explain that we were indeed an odd sight, but I still don't quite understand why that would garner so much attention. We weren't doing anything wrong.

Back at the inn, through the blind swinging of my pointed hand at the job papers laid before us, the gnolls were selected first.

After a brief run in with exploding sand imps--the sand was a pain in my eyes, but Verca was kind enough to help rinse it out with his water--, we came across the gnoll encampment. They yelled as they ran towards us, and in my gut I wanted to try and talk through the issue first since Talo made a very fair point about them being people too, but none of us knew a shared language--leaving "fight" as the only option on the table.

Something about Verca changed during the fight, though. The two other times we had fought together had been brief, but this was different. Shortly after conflict started, I noticed that he seemed to enjoy the carnage that followed the heated tip of his spear. His smile was sinister, something unlike any expression I've ever seen before.

Just as I thought the battle was ending, there was the sound of someone else coming, and I must have blacked out again. One second I was watching Verca turn sand to glass--which evoked a rather strong reaction from Talo about the sheer difficulty of that accomplishment--, questioning what we were doing, and the next I was looking down at my new sword stabbed through the large body of a gnoll figure I had never even seen before. I don't understand what is happening to me. Or why it keeps happening.

I have a sinking feeling that Da would be disappointed in us. Dad certainly would be, at least.

After the fight we (mostly) agreed to try and talk to the bandit group when we pursue them. Hopefully they speak Common, or at least some language that one of us knows. I'm not sure how convinced I am that Verca will put his full effort into that attempt before jumping to violence, though.

We agreed to take a moment to rest and regather ourselves before heading back to the city to pick up our first reward from City Hall.

[oediex]

Any advice for going barefoot? I’m getting used to barefoot shoes and having a great time I LOVE being able to feel the ground fully, but I’m a bit nervous to take the next step haha

Hey! Thanks for your question! I've never had a question about barefooting before!

The fact that you're already wearing barefoot shoes puts you a step ahead of me, haha! I just went straight to going barefoot. Though I did do it in steps.

At first, I would wear my sandals (it was summer) to go to university (where I was a student and working), but take them off the moment I got there. And I didn't put them back on until I went back home.

Then I did some research, learned about the health benefits involved with barefooting, and decided just to go to and from university barefoot as well. I would still take my sandals with me in my bag though, just in case. I was also still cycling with shoes on, and also would put them on if it were dark and I couldn't see where I was walking.

Until I stopped doing that too 🤷 including leaving my sandals at home. (Except when it gets too cold. At first that was 10°C for me, then 5°C, now I can go outside until it's nearly 0°C (freezing temperature, in case you're a °F person), and it'll depend on how long I'm outside. I have closed shoes for the winter, I wear them maybe 2/3 weeks per year? Of course that depends on the climate you live in.)

The fact that I did this in steps means I really gave my feet the opportunity to strengthen slowly. It's not advised to go immediately full-time to barefoot if you're used to shoes, because it can be quite a shock. You need to give the muscles in your feet the change to develop, same as you would do with any other muscle. But since you're getting used to barefoot shoes already, that's something you're already doing, so that's good!

One thing that you will need to get used to is certain surfaces. The first time I cycled barefoot, for example, was a bit painful (because of the texture of the pedals). But then my feet got used to it. Same with hot pavement. It barely bothers me now (only when I'm standing still, so you'll often see me hopping from one foot to another in the summer), but I remember a few long-time walks on pavement on sunny days that the soles of my feet did not enjoy! Gravel is another surface that needs practice, as well as anything with pebbles.

The advantage of going barefoot over barefoot shoes are, I would say,

feeling the ground and its different textures beneath your feet 💚

not having to spend money on shoes as much 😂

not having your feet in a dark, warm enclosed space, which is an environment that bacteria (and smelly feet) love. (if you're wearing closed barefoot shoes)

Some disadvantages:

people will look at you, and talk to you, take videos or photos, and you have to decide how to deal with that. Personally, I don't care what people think of me and my bare feet. Most reactions are positive and/or neutral. The negative reactions are few. When people ask me why I do it, I usually say "because it's healthy". When kids ask me, I tell them it's because it's fun ❤️ (which it is). I have a friend who gets really annoyed when people take pictures or videos of me, and she'll yell at them to stop doing it. 😂 Honestly, I barely even notice. When I do notice, I usually let them be, though I have considered going up to them and asking them if they think it's really okay to film people without their permission.

my family (parents and sisters) weren't so keen on it when I started. They'd have certain rules in the beginning. Like, you have to wear shoes at your grandmother's birthday party, or something. I was more flexible in the beginning, and would sometimes put shoes on if they asked. But then they got used to it, so they wouldn't anymore. And now we joke about it. Like, the other day my mum went "Oedie, your feet are so dirty". And my reaction was "well obviously" and my dad chuckled and said the same, "well duh". Also recently, my grandmother died and I warned them "I'm not wearing shoes at her funeral" and they weren't keen on it. But then it was 3°C (near freezing), so I told them "you're lucky, it's too cold not to wear shoes since we're going to be outside for a while". 😂 So, long story, but basically people around you will think it's weird and depending on your relationship with them, that may bother you more or less.

This is probably the most important one, but there will be places where you will not be allowed to be barefoot. I've been told I wasn't allowed to shop somewhere, wasn't allowed to eat somewhere (this was in recent years, they were worried about covid???), and I've also been told at places where I've worked to wear shoes. My personal approach to that is that I'll put them on if I have to (like at work), but if it's a shop that's forbidding me entrance and I can go somewhere else, I'll go somewhere else. (I'll tell them that, and I'm also very consistent in that. If a shop has told me I'm not allowed in, they don't get my business.) I also always make it very clear that if something happens to me, and it was because I'm not wearing shoes, that's my responsibility. The upside of this is that there will be businesses who will love my going barefoot and I love going to those places, because I feel especially welcome.

Anyway, sorry it's so long! But I hope it's informative. If not, please feel free to send me another aks! And thank you again!

[paperbag880]

Venom / Eddie Brock x injured male reader

This has multiple parts(this is the first part) and it's my first story here. Please alert me of any mistakes.

Summary: I had this thought about what if our beloved reader got himself in a bit of a pickle and Eddie and Venom were passing by.

Relationship: the reader knows both Eddie and Venom as close friends

Genre: fluff, angst?

Warning: mature language, bloody stuff, mention of drugs and a drug dealer, cannibalism

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

"Awww this sucks..." You sighted out as you held your side that was currently open. Some of your guts were out. You thought about pushing them back into you but they were dirty and it hurts like shit.

Your eyes shited in front of where the source of your injuries stood. Much to your discomfort, they walked closer to you. "For crying out loud you sure did what you told me you'd do. Impressive indeed. If I could I would clap." You said annoyed at the pain you felt from your side. "So this is the part where you're gonna eat me?"

"Indeed." Their heavy accent rumbled in your ears. You cringed a bit at the thought of dying to a person with such a heavy accent. Never thought you'd be dying to this.

You always thought Venom will do the eating part on you one day. Swallowing you whole like a grape. That will never happen, unfortunately. But back to the story.

You found yourself paralyzed as you could barely breathe cus of the blood loss. The person kneeled in front of you and stretched the collar of the shirt you wore, that Eddie gave you, and exposed your collarbone and your neck more.

"Not even gonna cook me first- FUCK!!!!" You yelled into the night as you felt your skin tear and your muscles detach. Blinded by both the pain in your side and the pain of someone quite literally taking a bite out of you made you feel light-headed and you almost completely blacked out. You woke up again because of the complete detachment of your skin. You screamed even more somehow. Why was nobody around?

The person gagged you with something as you struggled against them. You weakly clawed at their hand but your body became too weak to even hold yourself awake let alone fight against that weird cannibal drug dealer. You just wanted a god damn plant to smoke not to be food.

You could hear your skin tearing in the dealer's mouth as he chewed. It made you sick.

You finally stopped struggling as your adrenaline rush stopped and your body slowly gave out. You let out a last few muffled screams before shutting out. When you closed your eyes you heard an inhumane screech and a human scream.

'Venom...Eddie?' Your last thoughts before complete blackness

You woke up to a very familiar beeping sound of an electronic vital sign monitor next to your head making it ache. You opened your eyes and saw everything blurry. Being the panicking person you are you thought the drug dealer ate your eyes and brought you to their basement to eat you alive. But then again you won't be able to see at all, wouldn't you? You brought a hand to your face and unblur your eyes.

You looked around now seeing everything clearly. You were in a hospital, not in a dirty basement. You sighed in relief and tried to get up. Big mistake. As you did so your side and your left shoulder ached like they were going to kill you for even thinking of moving. You hissed.

"Hey, hey take it easy." You heard a familiar voice to your left. Once turning to it you saw Eddie with an outstretched hand towards you. He looked more tired than usual.

"Wassup man?" Your statement made him freeze a bit, like you weren't in a life and death situation hours ago. Your smile was innocent. It hid the mischief and pain behind it.

"What were you doing in that alleyway M/n?"

"Straight to the point I see, Edds. You know I'm not one of your so called "clients", right?" You looked at the ceiling ashamed to tell him you were going to buy drugs. He was quiet, Venom was probably saying something but you were drowning in guilt. This wasn't the first time the duo saved you. You felt powerless beneath your friends' gaze.

"You could have died-" Eddie said more frustrated than before.

"DO YOU THINK- I haven't noticed that, Edds?" You accidentally shouted the first part but silenced yourself before continuing. "I was literally being eaten alive like a fucking pray!" Your voice was shaking but not enough to make you cry. You were terrified. Who wouldn't? Even tho you seemed calm while the drug dealer with a horrible accent neared you, you never thought they would start to eat you while you were still conscious. That feeling will linger on your skin till the day you'll die.

You sighed sharply and brought your right arm to your face as you realized you have shouted at your only friend. "I'm sorry Eddie... I just-" you swallowed dryly. "I was going to buy some drugs from that person. Never knew they wanted to fucking eat me." You chuckled. You found it all so bizarre yet so real.

Eddie was quiet and when you looked at him he sure didn't look happy. He took a seat next to you. His hands fidget around as his frustration and probably Venom we're getting into his head more and more. You looked away once again. The last thing you wanted to see is your friend struggling...yet this was your doing.

"I- We have so many questions as to why?" He finally said something but you weren't happy about it. You've never told him you're an addict. You're ashamed of it yet you can't stop.

You looked further away from him. "Ask away, buds." When you didn't get an answer you looked at them. Eddie was squirming in his seat. He seemed uncomfortable. "I-..." You swallowed thickly, "I...I started smoking and taking drugs way before we met." You were struggling for words but you knew Eddie won't ask you anything.

He looked at you kinda surprised, it made you chuckle dryly. "Is it really that surprising? I mean look at me." You waved your right hand at yourself. Once you sighed and closed your eyes you let your hand fall. "I'll get it if don't want to be friends with me anymore. Who would want to be friends with an addict, really?"

"We would." This time it wasn't Eddie who spoke. It was the black goo that flote next to Eddie's head. You looked at them with doubt in your eyes as you sheepishly smiled. "I'm no use to you guys."

This time Eddie sighed and grabbed your hand gently to not irritate the eaten chunk on your shoulder. "We can work this out. If you don't want to heal we won't force you but we also don't want to leave you. Know we'll support you." He paused and chuckled a bit. "You know you want it yourself."

"I do." You said honestly and looked into Eddie's eyes. "I want to heal, Edds. I really do." You looked at Venom too as to say I will do it for the both of you rather than yourself.

"Well, first you need to heal from that." Eddie pointed to your shoulder. You were actually very curious if you'll look like the apple logo. "And that." Now Venom pointed to your side. You chuckled. "Will do captains!" You saluted with your free hand, the other was still held by both Venom and Eddie.

To be honest you never saw them this sentimental before. They were always bickering which you found funny at times at the other, concerning but their chemistry works.

"How did you guys find me?"

"You forgot your jacket in our place so we wanted to give it to you." Venom spoke first and laid your jacked on your laying form. Not gonna lie you found it cute.

"Okay, but how did you know where to look for me? And thank you Venom." Now you asked more specifically. Eddie looked away from you. He seemed embarrassed. You tilt your head towards him. "Edds?" He didn't say anything so you turned towards Venom. You know they would say it probably. "V?"

"We've put a tracking device for dogs, we bought, on your pants." To say you were stunned to speak is an understatement. You looked at Eddie for confirmation. He was looking everywhere but you fidgeting in his seat. Your eyes widen when Eddie made brief eye contact with you your mouth slightly agape. "Look, after the incident with the old lady, we had to!"

"YOU SWORE TO NOT EVER BRING IT U- ow ow ow!" You jokingly raised your voice but regretted it as your side started to hurt. You laughed tenderly at the memory. Eddie laughed with you too. "Who's idea was it?" You looked at both of them.

Venom looked at Eddie who double looked at Venom like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Hey don't put all the blame on me! You agreed instantly and insisted on buying it the same day!" They started to bicker over whose idea it was. You smiled at them.

They sure were your best friends. Although you want to save them one day too. It's not fair they always save you. You are no damsel in distress. You'll heal for them and you'll be a better friend too.

You really don't have a healthy mindset kid.

[stardustintheabyss]

Soulmated To Sunshine Eyes

Haikyuu soulmate!au

Bokuto x fem!reader

Warnings: swearing, lil angsty

Sum: One of your childhood best friends, Tetsuro Kuroo, begs you to be Nekomas team manager just in time for the summer training camp, you agreed not knowing who you'd find there

When you turn 17 a tattoo representing your soul mate appears. When they are near(2 mile radius)it tingles but both people have to have them first. It stops when you kiss.

A/n: this has been sitting in my wips for a year and I promised myself I'd get this done in time for my loves birthday and I finished with an hour and a half to spare (shout out to pressurized procrastination). Anyways happy birthday to my favorite beefy owl 😚

"Y/nnnnn! C'mon it'll be fun! You come to all the games anyway and you're good at hyping up the team, even Kenma, and giving advice. And I've seen the statistics notebook you keep. Please, please, please!" Tetsuro begged.

You laughed and rolled your eyes at your best friend.  For a few weeks now, well more so since Kenma joined, he'd been trying to get you to be the Nekoma volleyball manager. And honestly he was starting to make a good argument. "If I say yes will you quit bugging me?" You joked as you lightly punched his shoulder.

"Yes ma'am!" He smiled.

"Fine then. You're lucky I love you and Kens." You laughed.

"Oh. By the way we have a week long training camp in a week." He grinned.

"What." That little shit, he KNOWS your 17th birthday is in a couple weeks. The same week as the training camp apparently. Maybe this was his way of trying to cheer you up... You let out a sigh.

He shoved some papers into your hands, hyena laughing before running for his life, "Here's the permission slip! Bye!"

"Tetsuro, I swear I'm gonna kick your ass next time I see you!" You yelled a half empty threat after him. After letting out a sigh you realized at least you'd be with your two best friends when you got your soul mate tattoo. You'd been watching Tetsuro and Kenma play for years. You let out a small smile, you really did love volleyball even though you weren't really good enough to be on a team but played well enough to practice with Tetsu when Kenma refused. Which was more often than not. So maybe being apart of the team as a manager would be fun.

And that was how you got where you are now, in one of the gyms at Shinzen high school. You were a little nervous about being the manager but the team made you feel welcome. Even Coach Nekomata seemed to like you. Probably because you didn't have a problem putting the boys in their place when they needed it. You weren't what he was expecting. This training camp gave you the chance to find your footing before a real game. And you were having a blast. It was the second to last day and you'd found a nice rhythm. You were writing down some stats and advice on the game the team just won when you heard a boisterous voice from the court next to yours. "Oh yeah! Nice one Akaashi!" You looked to see the Fukurodani captian praising his setter. If you remembered correctly his name was Bokuto Kotaro and he was one of the top 5 aces in the country. Who were you kidding, of course you remembered, you were borderline obsessed with picking out talented players and learning as much as you could about them. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and seemed like an amazing person in general. The kind of person people gravitate towards. And to be honest he wasn't bad looking either. "He's a great player isn't he?" Tetsuro said. You nearly jumped out of your skin.

You smacked his chest, your cheeks warm from getting caught staring. "God Tetsu clear your throat or something. You almost gave me a heart attack." Scowling at him you grabbed his water bottle and took a drink. "Yeah, he's pretty powerful but he also has a great setter to back him up and can read his moods too."

"Mmhm." He leaned in closer, taking in your reddened face. His eyes twinkled with knowing and mischief. "You think he's hot don't ya."

"What? No! Shut up!" You screeched, a little too loud. Loud enough to have number 4 look your way and give you a bright smile,  his eyes crinkled almost shut. You blushed, how could you not smile back at the sweet owl, so you returned an embarrassed small one. You turned glaring at your best friend as you shoved your notebook into Tetsuro's hands. Back at normal volume, more flustered than mad, "Fuck off Tetsu. What you need to work on is written in there. I need to go refill water bottles."

"Hey, later come by gym 3. Lev, I and a few other guys are having a 3 vs 3." He chuckled.

"Maybe, maybe not." You grumbled.

"Please Y/n, we could use your eyes." Tetsuro teased.

"Fine. But only cause I'm an awesome manager and you're hopeless without me." You mocked back before leaving to do your managerial duties.

"You know you shouldn't tease Y/n like that Tetsuro. Not with her 17th birthday tomorrow." Kenma said quietly as he came up next to him.

"Why? She knows I'm just kidding around." Kuroo told his boyfriend.

"Because she can still kick your ass if she feels like it." Kenma smirked before taking a drink of water.

"True but nah, she loves me too much." Kuroo couldn't wait for the little surprise he had for you later in gym 3....only a little afraid of what you might do to him. He was planning on asking you anyway but this development made things...interesting.

Bokuto had seen you around the training camp all week. Usually you were with Kuroo and Kenma. But this was the first time he'd heard you speak. He wondered what you were shouting at Kuroo about. He looked over giving you his biggest smile hoping it might brighten your mood, if just a little. In return you gave a soft but pretty one before shoving a notebook into Kuroo's hands and briskly walking away. "Hey, hey 'Kaashi, do you know who that is?" He nodded in your direction, you were gathering water bottles.

"The Nekoma manager I assume." Akaashi said disinterested.

Bokuto's cheeks rosied, "I know that! I meant do you know her name?"

"Huh uh." Akaashi smirked catching the color in Bokuto's face. "But earlier Kuroo mentioned he'd try and get their manager to come to the 3 vs 3. Something about 'she has a good eye', I don't know. So maybe you'll meet her tonight." That small smile you gave Bokuto lit up his eyes more than usual. It didn't take long for Akaashi to surmise that his best friend had a crush.

Your duties were done for the day and you decided to go run some laps around the track before heading to gym 3. You thought it might help to get rid of some nervous energy you had about tomorrow. In a few short hours you would have your soulmate tattoo. You didn't know why you were anxious about it, it's not like it mattered. It was bullshit, it wouldn't change anything. You shook your head changing your clothes. It was still pretty warm out so you'd changed into just a sports bra and leggings. Putting your ear buds in you cranked your favorite playlist and started running.

You didn't know how long you ran for but the sky was darker now and your leg muscles were twitching. You also weren't as anxious about tomorrow. Smiling you headed to gym 3 to go watch the game, wondering who the other 4 players were. Your mouth dropped open when you saw who Lev and Tetsuro were playing with. Two from Karasuno and two from Fukurodani. One of which was the ace you had been caught staring at. Briefly you wondered if Kenma would forgive you or help you murder Tetsu.

They were on their second set and you didn't want to interrupt anyone's momentum. You stayed in the doorway silently watching until there was a break in the play. "Oya?!" You shouted to get your best friends attention.

"Oya oya! Y/n, you made it! Bout time!" Kuroo yelled back before walking towards you. Everyone's head swiveled in your direction.

"Oya oya oya!" Bokuto added almost reflexively with a smile to yours and Kuroo's greeting followed by what looked like a scolding from his team mate.

You chuckled quietly to yourself before addressing Testu. "Yeah, I was just running some laps." Your eyes narrowed at him, letting him know he was in for it later for not specifying who he was practicing with.

"Nervous about tomorrow are we?" Tetsuro quietly asked you, for no one else to hear. He handed you a water, concern in his eyes. He may be a goofball and push your buttons but he's always been there when you needed him. Who knew the rooster-haired boy was such a mother hen at heart.

Blowing out a breath, "I'm fine Tets, thank you though." You gulped some water down as Tetsuro ushered you towards the other players. Not quite believing your words.

"Guys, this is Y/n L/n, the new Nekoma manager." Kuroo introduced you, slinging an arm around your shoulder.

Karasuno's number 10 walked over to you holding his hand out, " Hi! I'm Sho—."

You interrupted him, eyes sparkling and grabbed his hand to shake. Your volleyball geekiness was about to show. "You're Hinata Shoyo , Karasuno's Trojan whirlwind middle blocker!" Pointing, you named off the others, " Karasuno's Tsukishima Kei, the poker-faced perceptive bean pole middle blocker. Fukurodani's Akaashi Keiji, the analytical and supportive setter vice captian." You bit the inside of your cheek trying to not sound fangirly. "And last but not least, Fukurodani's Bokuto Kotaro, the powerful owl ace captian. Also one of Japans top 5 aces." Your eyes flicked over to Bokuto and lingered. A small shy smile forming on your lips and nervous laugh leaving your mouth. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a know it all. I just kinda have a knack for picking out talented and skilled players...and kind of obsessing. Oh and you all can just call me Y/n by the way."

"And boom. That's why Y/n is the best manager ever. Give her 10 minutes of a game and she'll pick out the specialties of a skilled players on any team!" Tetsuro praised.

"And she's nice when she helps me, she's patient unlike Yaku." Lev added.

"Oh, shut up Tetsuro." You blushed. "And you're welcome Lev. I just noticed you get less frustrated and play better when supported that way is all."

"Thanks Y/n! Well I am a pretty awesome player, right 'Kaashi?" Bokuto puffed his chest out. A faint red tint to his cheeks only Kuroo and Akaashi noticed.

Akaashi rolled his eyes, "Shut up Bo. No one likes someone who's full of themselves."

You could have sworn you saw Bokuto's hair deflate along with his happy attitude. You didn't like seeing him down. Before you could think you squeezed his arm comfortingly. "Hey, there is nothing wrong with being confident and believing in yourself." You gave him a wink, "Besides you're too sweet a guy to be an asshole about it."

Bokuto instantly perked up at your words. "You're so kind Y/n! Thanks, Akaashi means well but can be a little  blunt sometimes." Bokuto lifted you up into a hug, your feet leaving the floor.

"Y–you're welcome." Your face felt like it was on fire and sparks were shooting across where your bare skin met his. Gingerly you hugged him back as he twirled you both in a circle. He was so much bigger than you, you felt tiny in his muscle defined arms but oddly enough safe.

When Bokuto set you down Akaashi looked like he was about to scold him again. "Bo...we talked about boundaries."

Bokuto had an embarrassed red tint to his ears but still had his wide infections smile. "Sorry."

"It's okay." You patted Bokuto's chest and smiled up at him and Akaashi, "I get hugs like that from the guys all the time, especially Lev."

Suddenly Hinata was next to you jumping up and down.

"Ahh! You gave me a nickname! The Trojan Whirlwind, so cool! That's that sneaky greek horse right? That's way better than just 'decoy'! You're amazing Y/n!" Hinata exclaimed, wonder twinkled in his eyes.

"I don't know...you really think so?" Excitedly you started to geek out more, talking fast. "Actually I know Karasuno's starting line up. You guys have a pretty talented team! And you guys pick up some tricks from other teams too I noticed. You truly are crows, omnivorous. Kagayama has wicked pinpoint accurate sets, Sawamura's great recives, Nishin—."

"As enlightening as this conversation is we have a game to finish and I don't want to be here any longer than I have to." Tsukishima scoffed adjusting his glasses.

"You don't need to be so rude Tsukishima. Ignore him, he's just salty because he didn't get a cool nickname." Hinata assured you.

You laughed, "No worries. He's right though, I came to watch a game." You glanced at the score board."Hmm. Cats vs Owls and Cats are winning? Here I thought Tetsu's team would be at a disadvantage."

Akaashi stated jabbing his thumb at Hinata and Bokuto, "Why, I've got the shorty and this big baby."

"Because they have to deal with his annoying ass." You snickered and you swore you heard Tsukishima snort as you poked Tetsu in the side. Everyone failed holding in their chuckles.

"Rude, Y/n, rude." Tetsu said as he poked you back.

"You two seem awfully close, are you together?" Hinata questioned, his head tilted to the side.

Lev, Tetsuro and you erupted into a fit a laughter. Between wheezes of catching your breath you answered. "Ew, no. I've know Tets since we were kids, he's like the brother I never wanted. Kenma too infact,  except I actually like him. And besides Tetsuro and Kenma are soulmates, poor Kenma right?"

"Well we did kiss that one time." Kuroo fired back, bringing a finger to his cheek.

Everyone but Tsukishima had 'Huh? Excuse me?!' looks on their faces. It was hilarious.

Laughing rolling your eyes, "We were 13 and it was spin the bottle. You weren't the only one I kissed that night, you're not special. In fact it made my skin crawl."

"That hurts Y/n. But I still love you." Kuroo pouted, crushing you in a hug.

"Disgusting." You smiled up at him while pushing his head away,  "Yeah, yeah love you too idiot. Now get back to your game."

"Aye aye miss manager!" Kuroo called.

"Don't call me that you rooster haired hyena!" You snarked right back while smacking a loose volleyball towards his head, narrowly missing.

"Okay, I see the brother/sister relationship now." Hinata giggled.

You sat on a bench nearby to watch. It was a pretty close game, your leg was bouncing with excitement. You always got this antsy watching a good game. You were taking a drink of your water sideways still trying to watch the game. Maybe if you hadn't been you would've been able to dodge one of Bokuto's crazy strong cut shot spikes after it landed a point. Next thing you know you were on the ground, right side of your face stinging. You let out a low groan sitting up, rubbing your aching cheek.

"Oh my god Y/n! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" The ace asked helping you up.

"Wow! That was a strong kill! It knocked me over even after it hit the floor!" You gushed, stars in your eyes.

Bokuto's face flushed and his golden eyes met yours. How had you not noticed how pretty they were, like the last brilliant rays of sunshine before the sun sets. They flickered with...you don't know what exactly. Like he was trying to remember something maybe? But it was gone as soon as it came. His hand still remaining on your arm. "But are you okay? You're not hurt?"

Shaking your head and giving him a warm smile, "Yeah, I'm fine owl boy. It wouldn't be the first time I took a ball to the face." Your eyes widend, realizing how that sounded. "V-volleyball, it wouldn't be the first time I was hit by a rogue volleyball!" Hopefully your injured cheek was covering up your embarrassment.

Kuroo smirked slapping Bokuto on the back, "Don't worry Bokuto, Y/n's a tough girl. Oh and that's our point, it was out."

You frowned at Tetsuro. "No it wasn't. It was in, barely. Really it was an amazing shot."

"This is favoritism." Tetsu whined.

"No, it's what happened." You pointedly glared at him, ignoring his implications. At least he didn't say anything about the embarrassing words you just said. "Ask Tsukishima then." Everybody turned to the blonde. Tsukishima shrugged, "She's got a good eye, I'll give her that."

You stuck your tongue out at Kuroo. "See. Now go get the point back."

The game continued for another 15 minutes before the Cats won. It was a close game. The long day had hit you as you leaned against Kuroo after helping clean up. You yawned, "Mmm. Good thing you won, otherwise I was gonna up your training regimen."

Kuroo laughed softly, ruffling your hair. "Oh ye of little faith."

Rubbing your tired eyes, "I have all the faith in you, you jerk." You waved to the other players, "Night guys. It was nice officially meeting you." Saying to no one in particular but subconsciously in your sleepy state your gaze landed on Bokuto. "Good luck in your games tomorrow, unless you play Nekoma of course." You were met with a chorus of goodnights and a couple thank yous from Hinata and Akaashi. Only you, Tetsuro, Akaashi and Bokuto remained.

"You able to make it to your room Y/n? You're practically asleep on your feet." Bokuto asked.

"Hm. Oh. Yeah, it'll just take me awhile. I'm slow when I'm sleepy." You replied as you shuffled towards the door, your eyes half closed. You couldn't wait to flop into bed.

Kuroo kneeled down in front of you. "C'mon and climb up. I don't feel like taking forever walking you back."

You snorted as you wrapped your arms around Kuroo's shoulders for a piggy back ride. "Thanks Tets." You murmured as you layed your head down and your eyes fluttered shut. Not fully awake you drifted between slumber and reality.

"She must be exhausted if she's being this openly nice to me." Kuroo chuckled lightly.

"Hey, can 'Kaashi and me walk with you?" Bokuto asked hopeful.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Kuroo said giving Akaashi a

questioning look. The fun loving ace seemed to have a thing for the insightful Nekoma manager. Akaashi being so intuitive of his best friends emotions gave Kuroo a small nod. This gave Kuroo an idea because you definitely had a crush on the owl captain. Hopefully you wouldn't kill him later if you remembered. "But be warned. When Y/n is super tired like this, she is a lot more loose with the truth." Kuroo talked as he started walking in the direction of the guest lodging.

"What do ya mean?" Bokuto's brows pinched together in confusion following.

"Hm, watch this. Hey, Y/n what'd think of Hinata?" Kuroo grinned.

"Mm, baby sunshine. To pure for this world, protect at all costs." You mumbled.

"Tsukishima?" Kuroo questioned.

"Fucking tsundere if I ever saw one but cool, I guess." They quietly snickered at your reply.

"How 'bout Akaashi?" Kuroo fired.

"Straightforward and calm. Kindhearted." You answered snuggling into Kuroo's back.

"And how do ya feel about Bokuto?" Kuroo questioned lastly. Suddenly butterflies found a home in Bokuto's stomach waiting for your answer.

"He's sweet and funny," you let out a contented sigh, "handsome too." Okay, Kuroo was glad you didn't say anything too embarrassing. Honestly he wouldn't have been surprised if you'd said 'beef cake' instead of handsome.

The otherwise outgoing male was quiet. You really thought that about him? Someone as smart and beautiful as you? A wide dopey smile made its way onto his face along with a dark blush. "Agaashi, Agaashi! Did you hear what she said! She thinks I'm sweet and funny and handsome!" Bokuto whispered excitedly, not wanting to disturb you.

"Yeah, Yeah I heard her Bo." Akaashi gave his friend a small smile before turning to Kuroo. "Isn't she gonna murder you for this?"

"Maybe....probably. If having Bokuto and Y/n realize they like each other is something that will make her happy in the long run, especially after tomorrow it'll be worth it." Kuroo looked up at the night sky, he knew you were secretly dreading tomorrow and how you really felt about the whole soulmate thing. No matter how hard you tried to hide it from him & Kenma.

"What's tomorrow?" Akaashi wondered.

Bokuto was still in a daze over what you said and something was nagging in the back of his mind. He'd only really met you today so why did you seem so familiar? Unconsciously his fingers drummed against his thigh, where his tattoo was. Lost in thought he didn't hear Kuroo's answer and lagged behind the two males. "It's her 17th birthday."

"You lost me, isn't that typically a good thing?" Akaashi noted.

"How do I word this? Well ya know how not everyone's lucky enough to find their soulmate? Y/n's parents are one of those couples. Don't get me wrong they absolutely love eachother and I think that's why Y/n thinks the tattoos don't really matter. If her parents can find love and happiness together it's like it's proof there isn't just one person in the universe just for you. And she probably thinks she's one of those people who won't be able to find their soulmate. She never said any of this to me directly but I've guessed as much and she once said 'the world is a vast place to find the one person you're meant to be with'." Kuroo looked over his shoulder at you, his eyes soft. "So if I can nudge her in the right direction to help her get what her parents have, to make her happy, I'll do it. I owe her that much."

"I see. It's poetic in a way. I mean you really can't help who you fall for, soulmate tattoo or not. You just might fall more for the one you were destined to be with. And what do you mean by 'you owe her'?" Akaashi shrugged, he could understand where you were coming from. He'd had his tattoo for almost half a year and never felt anything. He also knew Bokuto had never felt that tingle of a nearby soulmate and he had had his for almost 3 times that long. And he also knew it saddened Bokuto when he was asked about it, that's why he kept it covered most of the time. He thought as he fingered the tiny tattoo on the inside of his left elbow. A coffee mug and an open manga book.

"Oh that's a funny story actually. I wasn't as outgoing as a kid, barely talked to anyone. So one day this girl and boy come over to me, Y/n and Kenma. And she said 'I've seen you all by yourself every day and you shouldn't be sad and lonely...so we're all friends now kay?', just like that. Honestly she was so bright I couldn't have said no even if I wanted to. I don't think she would have let me either. Even at six she was a force to be reckoned with." Kuroo laughed softly. "So because of Y/n I was fortunate to have my soulmate so early on in my life and fall for him before I even got my tattoo."

Akaashi looked to Bokuto, "Yeah, I'd do the same thing for that goofy bastard."

Kuroo gave Akaashi a devilish grin, "So, you in for trying to get these two love birds together?"

Akaashi smirked back, "Bo's got a big heart but sometimes has trouble expressing it the way he wants to. I'm in."

They had made it to where the boys and girls rooms split off. "Night guys. See ya tomorrow." With a wry grin, "Y/n say goodnight to Akaashi and Bokuto."

"Mm 'night Akaashi." Your arms tightened around Kuroo's shoulders and you murmured still in your vulnerable half asleep state, "Goodnight Kotaro."

Both Kuroo and Akaashi's gaze darted to Bokuto. He was looking at you with such softness in his eyes that they might have thought he was already half in love with you. It was like Akaashi and Kuroo weren't even there. "Goodnight Y/n." Brushing a stray hair from your face he whispered with a gentle tone Akaashi had never heard from his captian. Yep he was definitely smitten.

"Night Kuroo, Y/n." Akaashi grabbed Bokuto's shirt tugging him in the direction of the boys rooms. "Come on you love sick owl."

"I-. Uh." Bokuto stuttered before saying goodnight to the Nekoma captian. As Bokuto was being dragged away Kuroo heard him say, "Hey wait! I'm not love sick!....am I?"

Kuroo laughed at Bokuto's words. If anyone knew if Bokuto was love sick, it'd be Akaashi. A few minutes later you were at your door for your room. Tetsuro carefully set you down making sure you wouldn't fall on your face. "Hey, Y/n we're at your room."

"Hmm. Thanks Tets. Ya know you're not completely annoying. I'm glad you and Kens have each other." You told him with your hand on the doorknob.

"Only cause of you." He bit his lip, he had one more question to ask while you were still painfully truthful. He wanted to make sure his and Akaashi's plans could work. "Can I ask ya something?"

"Mmhmm." You hummed crossing your arms and resting against the door.

"You like Bokuto, right?" Tetsu asked you.

A sad smile splayed on your lips. "Yeah but it doesn't matter. He seems like the 'wait for your soulmate' type so it's pointless hoping he could like me back." You opened the door.

"Y/n..." Kuroo heard the hurt in your voice.

"Goodnight Tetsuro." You whispered shutting the door before he could see the tears brimming in your eyes.

Kuroo blew out a breath. Fuck, he was an idiot for not realizing how deep the soulmate wound really went. But you were an idiot too. "You're really oblivious sometimes Y/n." He whispered to the closed door.

You didn't know if it was from being drained or because of tomorrow or some combo of both. But the moment you shut the door the tears that had been resting on your eyelashes fell down your cheeks. While you changed into pj's and washed your face they never stopped. You fell asleep with the glistening trails running onto the pillow and your heart aching for someone you knew you couldn't have.

The next morning you awoke to your whole back and part of your arms tingling. 'The fuck. Really my whole fucking back?' You didn't give to much thought that it was telling you your soulmate was near. You were in the middle of a huge city for fucks sake. You were more pissed at how big it was. You sighed, twisting your head you looked over your shoulder trying to get some idea of what it looked like. All you were able to see was black, grey and white feathers. Their tips reaching just past your shoulders and onto your arms. There's no way you'd be able to cover the whole thing in this heat. 'Oh well'. As you were getting dressed after taking a quick shower you received a couple texts in your group chat with the boys.

Kens 🐱❤🥺: happy birthday y/n, do you want your yearly bd hugs consecutively or throughout the day?

Tets 🐓❤😝: mornin birthday girl! Remind me again why you let kenma's presents be hugs and not mine?

You smiled before replying. They really just knew what to say to cheer you up.

Y/n 💜: thanks guys 😘 throughout the day pls 🥺and because unforced hugs from kenma are ✨special✨ yours not so much.

Tets 🐓❤😝: this is F A V O R I T I S M  😑

Y/n 💜: wbk but yes❤

Y/n 💜: the only good thing about this shit bd is that it means 17 KENMA HUGS! 🥺

Kens 🐱❤🥺: that's it. Omw rn for your first bd hug.

Tets 🐓❤😝: am I a joke to you?

Y/n 💜: okee kens 🥰. Bro you want the truth or nah?

Tets 🐓❤😝: I—. Babe you see this?

Kens🐱❤🥺: Jared, 19. ➖👅➖

Tets 🐓❤😝: I hate you both

Y/n 💜: no you don't

Kens🐱❤🥺: no you don't

Tets 🐓❤😝: your right 😔 see you two at breakfast 💛💜

Y/n 💜: 🖤💛

Kens 🐱❤🥺: 🖤💜

Five minutes later a knock sounded on your door. "Mornin Kenma!" You said brightly opening the door to one of your besties.

"Mornin." He mumbled wrapping his arms around you.

You didn't realize how bad you needed this. Your hands tightly clenched his shirt. After letting go you whispered, "Thanks Kens, I needed that."

Kenma pulled you in for another hug. "This one doesn't count. You still have 16 left."

You hugged the dual haired boy back, soaking up the extra special hug. A laugh escaping your lips, "You're the best."

Walking to the dining area you looped your arm through Kenma's. Of course he was playing a game but you didn't mind, you liked watching. You and Kenma had a different kind of friendship, you both didn't care about the long stretches of silence between the two of you. You just enjoyed eachothers company. That's why it surprised you when Kenma spoke. "So Tetsuro said you were at the gym last night with him and the others?"

Your hand brushed against your cheek where you were hit. The memory of Bokuto's hand on your arm and his golden gaze...flushed you answered, "Yeah. It was a good game."

Kenma's eyes flicked to yours before going back to his game. "You know Y/n, it's okay to like him. There's nothing wrong with feeling that way."

Goddammit. Between Kenma's perceptiveness and Tetsu's well intentioned blabbering mouth, nothing got past the setter when it came to you. "I—." You blew out a frustrated breath. "I know. I know. It's just... so fucking hard. My mind and my heart say two different things." You came to a stop at the doorway to the dining room. Your eyes easily found a white and grey haired boy laughing at something between bites. Without you knowing it a small grin spread across your lips and your heart beat a little faster.

Kenma noticed your smile and where you were looking. You looked happy, a light in your face he hadn’t seen since you all were innocent children in the ways of understanding what a soulmate was. "Maybe you should let your heart win this time."

"Maybe." You grabbed Kenma's hand and led him to the Nekoma table where everyone was sitting. Taking a seat next to Lev you asked, "Hey, where's Tets at?" They all had a look of mischief on their faces. "Wha—?" A pair of hands covered your eyes for a few seconds and then were gone. Sitting in front of you was a fancy cupcake with a single candle lit.

"Happy Birthday Y/n." Tetsuro hugged you from behind.

"Happy Birthday to the best manager!" The team shouted. Earning a few looks from the other teams.

"You guys didn't have to do anything for me..." Your heart warmed at their thoughtfulness.

"Nonsense, we're lucky to have you! You've done so much for us, this is the least we could do!" Tora gave you a thumbs up.

"How could we not do something for you, you take care of us." Lev nudge your shoulder gently.

"Yeah, you make my life easier by dealing with Lev." Yaku announced.

"Hey!" Lev yelled, insulted.

"Thanks guys. I'm only the best manager because I've got the best team to back it up." A wide happy smile split your face.

"Blow out your candle and make a wish." Tetsu suggested.

You closed your eyes making your wish as you blew out the candle. You dared to wish for something you wouldn't have if not for the conversation you just had with Kenma. You wished maybe, just maybe for a chance at love.

"What'da wish for?" Lev asked.

"For you guys to win all your practice games!" Bringing a finger to your lips, "But really I can't tell, or it won't come true." You gave him a wink.

A pair of flapping arms caught your attention. Of course they were attached to a certain owl boy. Once Bokuto realized he got your attention he gave you a big smile and waved. You let out a small giggle and gave a bright smile. You lifted your hand and returned the wave, your fingers wiggling in the air. Bokuto turned to say something to Akaashi, his face pink. But you didn't notice. Kuroo had playfully tugged on a piece of your hair.

"Oya?" Tetsu smirked at you.

"Oh hush." You said slyly but the smile on your face and blush on your cheeks lingered. "Go eat your breakfast, you have a lot of games to win today and need your strength."

Tetsuro stuck his tongue out. "Yes, miss manager."

You were so happy you'd almost forgotten the constant tingle on your back.

It was the end of the day and Nekomas last game was almost over. The other teams coach had called a time out to try and break Nekoma's momentum. All day you had been rolling your shoulders uselessly, trying to get rid of the ghost like feeling of someone's fingers dancing across the skin of your back. It was really starting to fucking irritate you.

"You okay Y/n? You've been doing that all day." Kenma had observed.

Tetsu came over and wrapped his arms around his soulmate, resting his chin on the crown of Kenma's head. God they were disgustingly cute sometimes. "Whatssup?"

You gave them a sour face. "My soulmate tattoo. It hasn't stopped prickling since I got the damn thing. Not to mention it's on my whole fuckin back and part of my arms." You pulled your sleeve up a little to reveal the tips of feathers. Kuroo was practically radiating excitement. You knew exactly what he was going to say.

"That's great! It means your soulmate is probably at this camp! RIGHT NOW!" Tets almost shouted.

You rolled your eyes. "I'm not that lucky. We're in the middle of a huge city. You know how many people live in a 2 mile radius of here?" Your eyes trailed to the other game you'd been keeping watch on. Or rather player. "...Besides, my hearts kinda already stuck on someone." You admitted out loud. Bokuto seemed more exuberant and carefree today. Even after getting blocked a couple times he was still glowing. Your lips twitched at the untroubled ace. His aura infectious. You were pulled out of your daydream when Tetsuro pulled at the back of your shirt, trying to look at your tattoo. You slapped his hand away. "What do you think your doing?!" You hissed.

He blinked at you innocently. "I just wanted to see."

"Tetsuro, if Y/n doesn't want to show us that's her business." Kenma scolded.

"It's not that, just not right now. You guys are in the middle of a  game...and Coach would kill me." Laughing at Tets getting reprimanded by Kenma.

"I don't know, could give us an edge and distract the other team." Tetsu joked.

You chuckled, "Yeah and probably incapacitate Tora, embarrass Lev to the point where he'd be useless, Yaku would yell at anyone who dared to look, and Inuoka would probably try and cover me up without looking."

Tetsuro tried holding in his cackling and Kenma had a rare wide grin on his face. "Okay, okay. You're right. Only we two are immune to your beauty and charm."

You snorted. "Whatever. Now go win this game and make my wish come true or else." You said as you pushed them towards the rest of the team.

The first thing Akaashi woke up to this morning was Bokuto screeching about how his tattoo was tingling. At first Akaashi wondered, today was your 17th birthday...maybe? No they were in a big city. Bokuto's soulmate probably just happened to be nearby today. But then he couldn't stop talking about how you waved and smiled at him at breakfast. So maybe his attitude wasn't due just to his tattoo. He was in the best mood Akaashi had ever seen. Even failed plays didn't bring him down. Akaashi really didn't put it all together until he saw his best friend rub at his thigh, right over his tattoo. "Bo, your leg good?"

"Yeah! It's great. It's just hasn't stopped prickling." Bokuto beamed. "My soulmate must live by the high school or something 'Kaashi!"

'Was this himbo so far gone in his daze last night he didn't hear Kuroo say your birthday was today? And didn't he see the whole Nekoma team wish you a happy birthday at breakfast?' Akaashi thought to himself. "Or something." Akaashi muttered. His eyes gleamed with knowing. He made it his mission to get you two oblivious fools to realize what exactly you were to eachother by the end of today.

After the last game all the coaches surprised everyone with a barbecue for everybodies hard work. You were waiting by the grill with Tetsu and Kenma, waiting for the food to be done. You were starving and the aroma of meat was only making your hunger worsen.

"Hey, here comes your man!" Tetsuro whispered in your ear while playfully nudging you.

Your stomach growled loudly as you swatted at Kuroo. "Food now. Man later."

"You're right. Priorities." Kuroo chuckled holding up his hands. "But that doesn't seem to be stopping Bokuto and Akaashi from coming over here."

You glanced at the Fukurodani duo. Hunger forgotten.  "Holy fuck." You whispered. Bokuto Kotaro was not wearing his long knee sleeves. Your face flushed, "No wonder he wears those things. He'd be too powerful otherwise, no one would pay attention to the ball." Your eyes snagging on the rather large tattoo on his left thigh. A  cats face, half normal with a y/c eye and half skeletal. And nestled behind the skeleton side was...your favorite flower? It was just a coincidence, lots of people have the same favorite flower and your eye color. Maybe you were biased but you thought it was pretty.

Tetsuro snapped you out of your thoughts with a snort. "Simp much? And is that drool from the bbq...or the cake headed this way."

"Oh, that was a mistake." Kenma commented while playing his game. "It's going to be mildly inconvenient to replace you but you will be missed."

Casually you answered back, "Shuddup. Takes one to know one. I seem to recall certain screenshots that would look great posted on Twitter."

At that moment the Fukurodani pair made it to where you were. "Hey hey hey! What would look great posted on Twitter?" Bokuto asked with a smile.

You smirked at Tetsu, opening your mouth, "Tets caught being—." Tetsuro smacked a hand over your mouth.

"Nothing!" Changing the subject, "Y/n was just about to show us her tattoo. Right?" You licked his hand. "Gross. You don't know where my hand has been, you know how many microbes could be on there!" He yelled wiping it off.

You shrugged, grinning. "I have an excellent immune system." Clearing your throat, "Hey Akaashi," Your cheeks rosied under Bokuto's golden gaze. "H-hey Bokuto."

"Your soulmate tattoo? Cool, usually I keep mine covered but I felt like letting loose today after practice." He smiled lifting his leg. Akaashi groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. How was his best friend this dense?

You crossed your arms to keep the urge to trace it with your fingertips in check. "Er, yeah. I don't even really know what it is. It's on my back and part of my arms. All I know is it has feathers. Yours is gorgeous and interesting though."

"Why don't you have Kuroo take a picture of it so you can see it?" Bokuto suggested.

"That is a great idea Bokuto!" Rubbing his hands together, "C'mere Y/n, let me see that tattoo."

You rolled your eyes. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were a perv, Tets. I know I'm pretty but think of Kenma."

"Kenma is nothing more to me than a soulmate! I swear!" Kuroo joked.

"Back at ya babe." Kenma replied not looking away from his games. He had long become immune to yours and Kuroo's antics.

"You guys are strange but I'm used to weirdos." Akaashi smirked.

You poked your tongue out at Akaashi, "You say that like its a bad thing." You conceded. "Alright alright. I'll show you after we eat." You were curious about what was on your back.

"Y/nnnnnn. Why must you torture me?" Kuroo complained.

"I ain't ever seen two agreeable best friends, one of em always gotta be a whiney little bitch." You said to Tetsuro.

"So you admit I'm your bestie! Wait- I'm not whiney!" Kuroo exclaimed.

You cackled, "So you admit you're a little bitch?" Your eyes wandering, catching on a small girl holding an empty plate trembling in the middle of a bunch of boys. "I gotta do something, I'll be right back guys." You made your way over to the tiny girl.

"Oi!" Kuroo yelled after you.

"I mean she's not wrong." Akaashi snickered.

"Kenma, Y/n and Akaashi are being mean." Kuroo pouted.

"Show me the lie and I'll defend you." Kenma teased his soulmate.

"I hate it here." Kuroo crossed his arms.

Akaashi nudged him, talking lowly. "While Y/n's gone and Bo's distracted by the food. I found something out." Akaashi had a small impish grin, "I'm 99% sure Bokuto and Y/n are soulmates."

Kuroo's eyes widend. "No fuckin way! How?"

"Well Bo woke up this morning yelling about his tattoo tingling. It's the first time. And then during the last game I noticed he kept massaging his leg. I thought maybe he strained it but I asked and he said it hadn't stopped prickling all day. He thinks his soulmate must live by the high school. The himbo didn't hear it was her birthday today apparently." Akaashi explained.

Kuroo's mouth gaped open. "I think your right. Y/n said hers has been bugging her all day. But she also thinks it's someone out in the city." Kuroo looked to you then to Bokuto. "Holy fucking shit."

You pushed your way through the guys surrounding the girl, "Excuse me boys! Can't you see your frightening the poor thing?" You shooed them away. You knew they were just trying to be friendly but sometimes they didn't know how intimidating they can be. You gave a big smile to the blonde girl in front of you. "Hey, you're one of Karasuno's managers right? I'm Nekomas, my names Y/n. Are you okay? I know the guys can seem scary but most of em are just big softies." You punch one of your hands with the other, "And if they aren't you just have to seem scarier."

She returned a small smile. "H-hi. Yeah, I j-just joined. My names Y-yachi. Hinata mentioned you. He said you were nice. And t-that you gave him a nickname?"

"Really? I actually just joined a couple weeks ago but I've been watching my friends play forever." You blushed slightly at Hinata's compliment. "Er, yeah. I'm kinda a volleyball nerd and it seemed to fit him." You laughed.

"What did you mean by 'seem scarier'?" Yachi timidly asked.

"In my case I just use my scary face to keep Kuroo in line and mess with him...well and for jerks. Watch." You turned to face Tetsuro with dead eyes and your face emotionless except for the creepy grin plastered on. In a sing-song voice, "Kuroo Tetsuro!"

You only use his full name when he's in trouble trouble. Stepping behind Kenma for protection, "I didn't even do anything!"

"I know." You winked and softend your smile to a friendly one. Turning back to Yachi, "See, just pretend to be even more badass then you actually are. Give me your best scary face."

"I'm not badass, not like you..." Yachi murmured.

You snorted. "I don't know, taking on a rowdy buncha boys from Karasuno? Seems pretty badass to me."

Yachi gave you a small smile. "Ok." You could see the gears turning in her mind. Then she gave you her best scary-badass face.

"Perfect! No one will mess with you with that face!" You said excitedly. "It actually kinda reminds me of the look your setter gives Hinata if he messes up."

Yachi giggled. "Kageyama's angry face is the scariest thing I've seen."

"Ready to put your new skill to the test?" You raised an eyebrow.

With a determined nod she walked to the nearest grill and cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

A couple boys turned, "Hey, cu....tie." Their faces paled slightly and their words trailed off. As they stepped aside leaving their spots at the grill open, "Ah, nevermind." 

You chuckled lightly as Yachi turned around with a plate full of meat and veggies. Giving her a thumbs up as she walked back to you. "See I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks Y/n!" Yachi smiled.

"No prob-." Right then your stomach growled ferociously. Embarrassed you replied, "-lem. Um I better go and get some food before those heathens eat it all and my stomach decides to eat itself. Bye, Yachi!"

"See ya Y/n!" Yachi waved goodbye.

Making your way back to your little group your mouth watered. God you were starving and there was a juicy looking piece of meat in front of Tetsuro. Probably his but you have just as quick reflexes as him. With your chopsticks you grabbed it quickly while he was talking to Kenma. A second later another pair barely missing said BBQ. "Haha, too slow Tets!" You teased bringing the BBQ closer to your mouth. Except it wasn't Tetsuro.

"Damn Y/n, you're quick!" Bokuto laughed.

"Oh. Sorry, I assumed that was Tetsu's food. Here you take it." Your cheeks rosied as you set the food on his plate.

"No, it was his. I was just going to steal it. BBQ meats my favorite." Bokuto grinned, his eyes crinkling. "Do you want to share? I haven't seen you eat anything yet."

"Sure, us food pilferers gotta stick together!" You nudged his side playfully.

"Kenma, Akaashi!" Kuroo whispered fiercely. "You seein this shit?!"

"Wow." Kenmas eyes widened slightly.

"Whoa, Bo is sharing BBQ meat. That's big." Akaashi commented while turning to hand a cup of water to a choking Kageyama, completely unfazed.

"Y/n sharing food at all is...unnatural. You wouldn't want to get between her and her food, especially when she's hungry." Kuroo's eyes looked distant as he shivered remembering the one time he made such a mistake. "It's not pretty, trust me."

You turned to the three boys swallowing the mouthful you had. "My shit talkin radar is going off. You talkin smack, Tets?"

Tetsuro smirked, "No, just observing that you're actually sharing food with someone."

You puffed your cheeks out in embarrassment. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I share...sometimes."

"Random stray animals don't count." Kuroo laughed.

"They do too! They're just so cute and I want to give them all the love they deserve." You pouted.

"So does that make Bokuto a stray that needs all the love?" Akaashi teased.

"And that you think he's cute?" Kuroo questioned.

Bokuto's ears perked at the sound of his name and heard Akaashi and Kuroo's questions. It took everything in him to keep his face neutral and not look like he was eager waiting for what you would say.

He did not do a good a job as he thought he was doing.

Your mouth gaped open as your cheeks flushed. You glanced at Bokuto. His face was as flushed as yours felt and it looked like he wanted to take a step closer to you, he was leaning so close. Maybe you should take a chance. Besides the obvious dislike of today in general, you felt an air of hope also. Taking a sharp inhale through your nose you said quietly, "Well, you'd have to be a blind idiot to not think he's attractive. And I'm not blind nor an idiot so." You shrugged your shoulders while shoving a bite of food into your mouth. Akaashi and Kuroo had shocked expressions on their faces. They were not expecting you to admit it. Kenma had a small smile that said he was proud of you. Bokuto was practically glowing. You cleared your throat, changing subject. "So, we're done eating now yeah? I promised to show you my soulmate tattoo and I'm a woman of my word." You handed Tetsuro your phone. "Bokuto had the idea you take a picture so I can see the whole thing." In a small voice you asked, "Can you, please?"

That fear in your voice snapped Kuroo out of his shock. "Y/n, I know I've been giving you shit about it but really you don't have to." Tetsu spoke quietly pulling you into a gentle hug.

Kenma sensed your discomfort and wormed his way into your and Tetsu's hug, giving you your last birthday hug. "He's right. Don't force yourself if you don't want to."

You shook your head, squeezing tight your two best friends. "No, I want to. Curious even but...I know it's stupid but I'm scared."

"That's okay. We're here for you." Tets whispered.

"No matter what." Kenma replied.

"I love you guys, thanks." You nodded letting go. A wry smile gracing your lips. "How fitting my 17th birthday hug be right before the big reveal." You clapped your hands together, getting back to business. "Ight, let's see what this big badass bitch looks like." With that you twirled on your heel and pulled your shirt just over your head, leaving your arms in; your back facing the group of 4 boys. You did have some modesty being as you were surrounded by 150+ people.

"Oh damn! You weren't kidding Y/n. It really does take up your whole back." Kuroo said shocked as he took in the tattoo smiling.

You rolled your eyes. "Well not all of us can have cute little dainty ones like you and Kens." Testu had a little gaming controller on his inner bicep and Kens had the chemical formula for love on his ribcage. Lucky bastards.

You heard Kenmas quiet voice. "Y/n, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." You heard the click of your phone taking the picture.

"It's actually quite lovely too." Akaashi complimented as his theory was confirmed.

"Wow." You heard Bokuto murmur and before you could turn around you felt a finger delicately trace your back. You inhaled sharply as that sensation overrode the tingling of your tattoo. Was Tetsu being a creep? Or..? An awkward cough pulled you out of your thoughts and the finger gliding across your skin disappeared. Slipping your shirt back on you turned around. To be face to face with Bokuto. Was he the one touching you like that?! Your face turned a violent shade of red and your brain was glitching. Bokuto was staring at you intensely, his eyes zeroing in on yours.

Kuroo nudged your shoulder a wild grin on his face. "Here ya go Y/n." He sang song.

Breaking eye contact from Bokuto and looking at your phone you gasped. You were met with the same golden sunset eyes you'd recognize anywhere. The very same ones you were just staring into. Only it wasn't  Bokuto's face looking back at you. This time it was a grey, black and white owl with its wings spread in flight against a night sky filled with stars. And a handful of the stars were made into a constellation of a volleyball. No. No way was it possible. You looked up into the bright metallic eyes you had fell hard for. "You...?"

One of Bokuto's warm hands cupped your cheek tilting your head up. Leaning down he whispered, "I knew I remembered those eyes from somewhere."

His lips were on yours and stealing the breath from you. Eyes fluttering shut, your tattoo had finally stopped tingling and the knot in your heart loosened. Bokuto fucking Kotaro, the boy your heart had already started to fall for, was your soulmate. Suddenly you were lifted off the ground. Instinctively your legs wound their way around his waist and your arms twined around his shoulders, one hand in his hair. Bokuto lightly bit your lip making you gasp and open your mouth. His tongue darting inside to meet yours. A supernova of explosions were crackling in your veins. If he hadn't been holding you you would have fell due to the fact your legs becoming jelly. Your lungs were beginning to strain from lack of oxygen but you didn't care. You didn't need air when your nerves were buzzing alive from the contact with Bokuto. You didn't know how long you two had been kissing but Bokuto pulled away just enough. Both of you were breathing hard. "I promised myself that would be the first thing I did when I found my soulmate. When I found you."

A breathy laugh left you. "I'm gonna have to add kissing to the list of skills you have, Bokuto."

"Oh?" He smiled fondly at you. "Ya know Y/n you can call me Kotaro. Like last night."

Your brow furrowed. "I didn't—" Hazy memories of last night after the game came to you in flashes. You did use his given name. But more embarrassing is what you'd said about him in your frustratingly truthful state. A vulnerability only a few knew about. You were going to kill him. Or at least make him think so. "Hey Kotaro could you set me down for a sec please."

"Sure thing, baby owl." Kotaro set you down gently and kissed your cheek.

You blushed at the pet name and the soft kiss. Turning to the others you started to count silently on your fingers.

"What are you doing?" Akaashi questioned confusedly. He thought you would have been overjoyed at the fact you and Bo were soulmates.

"Oh I'm counting the ingredients  I need to buy for apple pie for Kenma. Kens how many pies do you think you'll need to get over Tets' death?" You smiled sunnily at Tetsuro.

"Hmmm. I think five would be good." Kenma replied.

"I am worth way more than 5! Wait, what?" Tetsuro panicked. "I promise Y/n I had the purest of intentions!"

You took a step towards Kuroo and he took one back. "Oh?"  You started chasing after Tetsu and he only made it a few feet before you tackled him.

"Y/n please don't kill me! Akaashi and I realized you and Bokuto liked eachother and we thought this would get the ball rolling, honest!" To say Kuroo was shocked when you hugged him would be an understatement. You weren't killing him?

Unwinding your arms from his neck you pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thanks Tets, for making me join the team" you mumbled, "and for helping with Ko."

Kuroo grinned. "HEY BABE! DID YA HEAR Y/N THANKING ME?! Y/N. THANKING. ME."

You rolled your eyes still smiling and pushed Tetsuro away. "And moments ruined." Once you made your way back to the group you snuggled yourself up against Kotaro's side and he wrapped his arm around you. Looking towards Akaashi you thanked him also. " Thank you for nudging us together so if you ever have a sweet tooth for a baked good, I'm your girl."

Kotaro kissed the top of your head. "My sweet girl."

"Oh you don't have to do that. I'm just happy Bo is happy, that's good enough for me." Keiji chuckled.

"Trust me Akaashi, you'll definitely want to take her up on her offer. Her apple pies are delicious and she makes mine and Tetsu's birthday cake every year too." Kenma added while still playing his game. You blushed at his compliment.

"Alright then, I will." Akaashi nodded.

"What about me?" Kotaro squeezed you & had a little bit of a pout.

You reached up on your toes and pulled him down to kiss his forehead. "For you, owl boy, I'll make a whole bakeries worth." You pecked him on the lips.

"Ew. Is this what me and Kenma are like?" Tetsu's face was all screwed up in disgust. "There is no way we are that bad. Right Kitten?" He declared as he was hugging Kenma from behind with his chin resting on Kenma's head. You've noticed that's his favorite way to be lovey.

"You are." Kens replied.

"Sorry bro but the love of your life is right." You giggled.

"I honestly don't know how I put up with you two. I deserve a medal." Tets said bewildered.

"Sure bestie. Sure you do." You ruffled his already messy hair.

"Don't patronize me." He pointed a finger at you.

You batted your eyelashes. "Me? Never."

Kuroo looked at Bokuto. "Y/n is your problem now. Good luck bro."

Incredulously you yelled. "HEY I'M NOT—"

Kotaro squeezed you tighter with one arm & with the other gently tilted your chin up, making you look at him. You could feel your heart go all soft looking into those golden eyes. "You're not a problem. Your my soulmate. I can't wait to get to know you and fall even more in love with you." He leaned in closer giving you another one of those earth shattering kisses.

This boy. This boy made your heart flutter, your stomach swirl... and your brain dumb. Thats why when he regretfully pulled away the only thing that came out of your stupid mouth was a whispered "Oh."

"Damn Bo way to make literally the whole camp feel single." Kuroo laughed. "Akaashi did you know that he was such a Casanova?"

Keiji nodded while eating a slice of watermelon & swallowed before answering. "I knew he was a romantic but not this intense."

A few hours later everyone was waiting to get on their busses to go home. You waved goodbye to the new friends you had made. However you and Kotaro were holding on to one another. You'd only just found eachother and now you had to say goodbye. You bit your lip. "I don't want to go yet." A few hours together had turned you into a mess.

"Hey, baby owl," His thumb traced your cheek, "its okay. We don't live that far from eachother. We'll see eachother all the time and talk on the phone yeah?"

You leaned into his warm touch. "You're right." You turned to kiss his palm. His cheeks flushed. He was also a mess. "So call me when you get home, to let me you got there okay, alright?"

At first his lips brushed yours then he deepened the kiss. Just as your lungs were about to scream he pulled away but just barely. Whispering "Looking forward to it."

That night you talked until the brightest of stars dimmed and the sun rose. Turning the sky a swath of pink, orange and a color that was quickly becoming your favorite. A color that reminded you of your soulmates sunshine eyes.

[sparklingchim]

better together; f | pjm

pairing: jimin x wife!reader

word count: 1.9k

genre: fluff, dad!jimin, married couple, slice of life au

warnings: oc is pregnant, nothing else unless you hate children ?

summary: just a casual day with your husband jimin and your little boy jihoon.

a/n: hello! this is a fic i wrote a while ago and thought about sharing it now🥰 there are a few more chapters that i wrote in that universe but they still need to be edited. i hope you like it!!❤

masterlist

Kick...kick...kick...

,,Why are you so active today, my little bean?" you coo, rubbing your belly and feeling the tiny kicks from your 7 month old baby girl in your womb.

,,Baby?" you hear the sound of your 2 year old little baby boy, who is sitting next to you, on his high baby chair. His pastel blue elephant bib is draped around his neck, already soiled with the chicken soup rice porridge your feeding him - even though he only ate approximately 3 spoons of it yet.

,,Your baby sister is moving," you tell him and he excitedly stretches his grabby hands, aiming for your bump, completely ignoring the spoon that he was about to latch his mouth on.

Of course his short chubby arms can't quite reach it, so you grab him from his baby stool and place him on your lap. He automatically brings both his hands on your stomach, roaming them all over your bump and anticipating the movements of his baby sister.

Both of your hands have a firm hold on his back and keep him safe on your lap, because Jihoon tends to get dynamic and thrilled at random times - especially when it had something to do with his still unborn sister. Jihoon loved feeling her kicks, even going so far to refuse to sleep sometimes and clinging onto your womb to not miss anything his sister does.

,,Ohhh," his stunned voice breaks the silence, his eyes going wide as he feels his sibling moving. You laugh at his reaction, one hand pushing his soft hair from his forehead.

When you attempt to sit him back into his baby chair, he whines in displeasure, putting pressure on your stomach with his small hands. You sigh in defeat, not wanting to make him sad because you don't let him rub your belly.

For a few seconds you let him be, granting him the glee he earns from being the closest as possible as he is able to be with his sister. The way Jihoons whole focus is solely fixated on his baby sister makes your heart swell in pure fondness. He couldn't wait for her birth just like Jimin and you.

You don't forget to feed him though. You grab a spoonful of Jihoon's porridge behind him and hold the spoon in front of his lips, waiting for him to open his tiny plump lips - that he definitely got from his dad - but his eyes are remain on your bump, not caring about the food presented in front of him. You slightly raise your hips up, causing his body to bounce on your lap to draw his attention towards you - but nothing. Jihoon simply doesn't care.

,,Jihoon-ah," you scold him with a stern tone  since he's obviously ignoring you.

He looks up at you, with those big brown eyes and your heart lights up at his innocent face.

You hold the spoon closer to his mouth, but still, he doesn't attempt to part his lips, only backing away with his head.

,,No," he says and pushes your hand away with his much smaller hand. You quirk an eyebrow up at his behaviour.

You don't get to berate him again, when you hear the door opening and then closing shut again. You both immediately get excited - well, your excitement isn't really shown outside compared to Jihoon, who seeks to get off your lap and eagerly wants to rush off to his dad. His feet slowly sink down to the floor with your protecting hands around his little body and then his chubby legs sprint to the hallway, desperately wanting to greet his dad.

You hope he won't fall, because that accident happened a lot of times already - always ending up with some sobbing, teary eyes and clinging onto either Jimin or you. Your little boy let his delight go too overboard sometimes and only reserved little care into his surroundings. You'd have to teach him to be more aware of that.

,,Hello little guy," you hear Jimin's voice echoing from the hall.

,,Daddy!" Jihoon exclaims, giggling afterwards because Jimin probably spooned him up and snuggled his face into Jihoon's neck.

You just sit there, a warm smile on your lips, and don't make an attempt to get up to greet your husband too, because your feet are killing you today.

A few seconds later, Jimin enters the kitchen with Jihoon in his arms. Jihoon wrapped his arms and leg around Jimin's upper body, like a little koala bear and you chuckle at that sight. Jimin tilts his head down and places a tender kiss to your lips.

Even though Jimin was only away for 3 hours - because he had some meeting at the company - you missed his presence at home. And I seems like your not the only one who missed him, since Jihoon is practically glued to his daddys body.

,,You three are good?" Jimin asks, taking a seat beside you, while rubbing your belly in soft strokes.

,,We're all fine.", you assure him with a sincere smile. Jimin kisses you again. You just look so adorable right now.

You look at the back of Jihoon's head. Jimin's hand is placed on his back to hold him closely.

,,But Jihoonie still has to eat, right?" you say and look expectantly at his back, waiting for a reaction to your words. Jimin's gaze shoot to Jihoon's - still full - bowl and frowns.

Jihoon wiggles his body and then muffles a tiny 'No' into Jimins shoulder.

Jimin chuckles but then quickly asks ,,What's the matter, baby?" He softly nudges Jihoons head with his shoulder, wanting to see his face. Jihoon looks up to his dad, his lips forming a little pout.

,,You're shirt is stained with his food.", you giggle, after seeing the mess that Jihoons bib caused on Jimin dark shirt. He peers his eyes to the stain but doesn't say anything to that. Jimin and you were already used to dirty clothes since your little boy couldn't stop creating a mess every five minutes.

,,How come you don't want to eat anymore when it seems like you apparently enjoyed it?" Jimin asks the little boy.

You sigh and stand up. Jihoon needs to eat something and if he won't continue eating this meal, then you're going to cook something else. He was already fussy when you sat him down on the baby chair earlier and you don't want to deal with whines if your going to resist on making him eat that food.

You groan slightly when your feet carries your whole body weight and instantly place your hand on your side to steady yourself. Your bump got really big.

,,No, no, baby. I've got this, sit down. I can cook something for him," Jimin says, standing up with Jihoon in his arms and puts a hand on your shoulder. You look up at him, wanting to say that it's okay, but he's faster.

,,Your feet hurt, right? Let me run you a bath, love," he says, putting Jihoon on his baby chair and whispering ,,Wait for daddy, okay?" Jimin places a quick kiss on his head. Then he bends down a bit and you feel one of his hand on the back of your knees.

,,I can walk Jimin, don't carry me," you retort, your weight making you a little insecure. Of course he doesn't listen to you and in one swift motion your in his arms. He naturally watched out not to discomfort you or the baby, while proceeding to lifting you in his arms. You hear Jihoon giggling behind you, entertained by the sight of his mommy getting carried by his daddy like a baby.

,,Your dad is so strong, Jihoonie," Jimin calls out while walking to the bathroom.

Jihoon only laughs more at that comment yelling a ,,Me too!"

,,You're saying I'm fat?" you ask hurt, swatting his chest.

,,No, no! Of course you're not fat, baby. I'm just playing with Jihoonie," he panics, looking worried and concerned, because he knows that your hormones are getting the better hand of you these days. But it weren't your hormones this time. You almost laugh at his panicked face, but you decide to hold it in and not try to sooth him. Maybe you just have a little demon inside you that likes teasing Jimin, but you think it's fine for all those times he used to tease you for something.

,,You better be," you mutter and feel his lips pressing a soft kiss on your cheek.

He slowly lets you slide of his hold and you sit on the closed toilet lid, watching him as he runs water into the tub. Jimin tests the temperature of the water and hums quietly when he is satisfied with it. Then he puts some liquid inside to create bubbles and a delicious smell.

,,No bath bombs this time, I have to buy some again," Jimin says and you only nod. The fact that he even noticed that there were no bath bombs left made you want to cry. Maybe now the hormones were actually kicking in.

,,Thank you," you answer, never missing a chance to thank him for his care and thoughtfulness he's showing every day.

Jimin turns around, a lovely smile already tugging at his lips and widening once he takes me into sight.

,,You need me to help you?" he asks carefully. You shake your head as an answer.

,,No, go and feed Jihoon, your mini-me is starving," you reply. Jimin rolls his eyes at your exaggeration.

,,My mini-me is not starving," he makes clear and his eyes soften at the cute nickname you both - actually you - created for your little baby boy. Jihoon has so many of Jimins features- his nose, his lips and his eye colour are just like Jimins. You both always said how you wanted tiny replications of both of you running around the house once you'd get married, but now that it actually happened, it's scary how a tiny Jimin waddles though the house, always giggling after he'd done something he'd surely wasn't allowed to do.

,,Mommy!", Jihoon exclaims in that moment and you raise a brow up.

,,Hurry up, he's waiting," you say, swaying both your hands to shoo him away.

,,He just yelled your name. Shouldn't I be the one he's missing after coming home from a meeting?", he pouts, but doesn't wait for an answer as he leaves the bathroom.

You smile at his question. Suddenly you feel the need to snuggle your little Jihoon in your arms since he shouted your name, because he's alone, but you have to take a little break from today and his daddy is on his way to him anyway.

,,Daddy's coming!", you hear Jimin shout and you start discarding your clothes on the floor.

,,No, want mommy!", Jihoon yells back and you start laughing.

Apparently Jihoon wasn't satisfied with anything he got today.

[heximagines]

Queen I got so much trauma the hookers are my comfort family and Severen is my comfort character. (you don't gotta do it if you don't want to)

may I please request a found family fic or headcanons of a fem!reader that ran away from a unhealthy home and she meets the hookers and sev falls for her and shes not used to all the touch and affections and Jesse and diamondback take her in as parental figures and homer,Caleb and may as siblings.

Dude I 1000000% feel you on this one. I got you. Also I hope you don't mind this turned out kinda long! 😅 I got carried away. Hopefully it's wht you had in mind but if you want more focus on the family after the meeting I could do part 2?

Some kinda big triggers this one people so if you aren't in the headspace to handle hard drug use, alcoholism, toxic family dynamics, physical & verbal abuse, non-graphic sexual harassment please take care of yourself and skip this one.

And a special thank you to @turquoisebolotie for beta reading this bad boy and giving me some notes! Appreciate you. ❤️

"Another beer," your step father, Rick, slurred at you from the couch in the next room. You looked up from the vegetables you were cutting, not quite sure if you heard him. "What!?" You called back. "I said," he was screaming now, "Get me another goddamn beer!" "Oh for Christ's sake!" Your mother stormed into the kitchen, a lit cigarette dangling from her mouth. She brushed past you to the fridge and ripped the door open. "Can't you do anything around here?" You turned back to the cutting board and kept working. "I'm making dinner," it was just under your breath but her ears were as sharp as her temper. She delivered a harsh smack to the side of your head. "Watch your damn mouth! You owe us for letting you stay here. Without us you'd be on the streets like your brother." You swallowed down the rest of your words and averted your eyes. Sometimes you wonder if you'd be better off.

When you finished dinner you brought the plates out to the living room where you all usually ate in front of the TV. You set Rick's plate down first along with a new beer, not eager to be yelled at again soon. Then you set your mother's down but she shoved it to the edge of her little fold out table. Her appetite hadn't been the same for a while and you weren't surprised. Finally you sat on the floor and set your own plate on the coffee table. The Brady Bunch blared over the TV and your eyes glazed over as you half watched half daydreamed of a world where your family problems were solved over the course of one episode. A half hour interval where all your issues could be wrapped up with a neat little bow. You went to take a bite of your food when suddenly the full, unopened can of beer you'd brought out for Rick beamed off the side of your head. Your fork fell from your hands and you reached up to grab where he'd hit you. "Fuck!" "It's warm you idiot! Get me a cold one!"

Your days went much like that and those were the good ones. The only times they got better is when your mom spent all evening doped up and nodding out on the couch, too blissed and comatose to argue or fight with you. You found solace in the night time when they were asleep. You waited until midnight and then you could tiptoe out of your room and around the house. You were eternally grateful they weren't easily roused. It was times like these where you could do little things without being screamed at. Watch what you wanted on TV at a low volume, steal Rick's beer from the fridge, eat the leftovers your mom had left. You knew they'd never notice. They didn't notice much of anything. When they weren't outright abusive they were negligent and that suited you fine. You weren't a little kid who needed them, you were a grown woman. So why did you stay? Each day the answer became less clear to you. Maybe you were scared to end up like your brother, maybe you had just grown complacent in your routine, or maybe you just lacked faith in yourself all together. You turned the TV off before grabbing your half full beer and going to sit out on the wooden stoop your brother had built for the trailer. You sipped at the can and stared off past the trailer park and into the night. Wondering what was out there for you.

"You fucking bitch! C'mere!" Scott Mathis, a friend of Rick's, shot his hand out towards you and tried to grab your leg from his position on the floor. You'd been walking past him after dropping off yet another drink to Rick when he'd grabbed your ass. On instinct you punched him in the balls. You honestly hadn't even meant to do it, it just happened! He grabbed your left leg and you jerked it hard, kicking him in the stomach now. Rick came up behind you and grabbed you up in a headlock. "Have you lost your damn mind, girl!?" You kicked as he lifted you off the ground, desperate to get free. "You put her down Rick!" Your mother bolted out of the kitchen like a bat out of hell. Only she and your actual dad were allowed to put their hands on you, that was the rule she had. Rick dropped you to the ground only to turn on your mother and smack her across the face. "You bastard!" She spat at him before swinging on him but you knew your mom didn't have the strength she used to have, the drugs had eaten away at what muscle mass she'd had. You watched as Scott slipped out the door, still cussing you, before wedging yourself between your mom and Rick. His fist connected with your eye and the pain split through your head. You reeled back and threw your arms up to defend yourself but he just kept going, even grabbing one of your arms and pulling it away to get another shot at your face. Your mother stood back and just watched the scene unfold this time, so much for her rule.

You did your best to fight back, but Rick was a big guy. It wasn't over until he was a gasping sweaty mess, he shoved you to the ground with one last kick. "Fuck this shit! I don't need this! I'm going back to live in Lori's garage!" Finally your mother kneeled next to you on the ground, nails digging into your shoulder. "Oh you go back to fucking Lori then Rick! I don't need you! Y/n makes more money at the diner!" Your eyes darted up to her and you had to bite your tongue. She let him beat you and now she wanted you to take care of her? Typical. Rick stormed out of the trailer, slamming the door as he left and rattling the frame of the trailer. Your mother didn't stay by your side long or offer you a hand to get up. She quickly beeline for her stash, eager to forget her own troubles.

She spent the rest of the day and evening on the couch, head lolled off to the side, a steady web of drool flowing past her lips and a belt now hanging loosely around her arm. You stood in front of the phone, staring at it as if it could jump up and bite you. You glanced over at the firmly shut front door then back and finally you grabbed it off the hook and dialed your brother's number. It rang and rang but no answer came, you hoped and he didn't get evicted again. But you honestly weren't sure. The answering machine clicked and you hesitated before simply hanging up. There was no point in trying to get him to come home. You knew Rick would be back and your brother refused to live under the same roof as that dickhead.

You wandered back into the living room and looked down at your mom with a sigh. You pulled the belt away from her arm and tossed it over the back of the couch before laying her down on her side, much more comfortable than being folded over on herself. You'd started to notice a prominent curve forming in her spine lately. Without orders being barked at you you weren't sure what to do so you paced around the house holding a bag of peas to your bruising eye.

After a while you threw the melting veggies into the sink and started to pick up around the trailer simply desperate for something to keep your hands and mind occupied. As you tidied you came across a set of long forgotten car keys. The battered Chevette out front hadn't moved since your mom rear ended an elderly woman on 4th of July and lost her license. You peeked back in at your mom before looking to the door once again. Now or never. Quickly you snatched up the keys and scurried back into your room to pack a bag. You knew Rick would be back, you knew things wouldn't change, you knew they were only getting worse. Every logical part of your brain urged you to leave. But you still had to choke back the bitter taste of guilt that built in the back of your throat. Your hands shook with nerves as you zipped up the duffle and hauled it over your shoulder before darting across the hall to your mom's room.

You tiptoed over to Rick's side of the bed and opened the nightstand drawer. Inside was his Beretta along with a box of ammo and underneath was a porno mag with a girl, who was probably younger than you, stretched across the cover. You gagged and tried to pretend you didn't see that before fishing out the gun and bullets. You glanced anxiously over your shoulder, just anticipating the beating you'd get if you were caught. But no one was there. You slammed the drawer shut and shoved the gun in the waistline of your pants.

Ready as you would ever be, you stood 2 feet away from the front door. 2 feet away from freedom. You looked back at your mom and tried to remember what she was like before how she was now, before she became a shell of a person. But no memories came to the surface. It was almost like she'd always been this way. You snuck over to press a kiss to the top of her head anyway. "I'm sorry." Then, with all your courage, you dashed out the door and to the car.

You tossed your bag in the back and eyed the large crack her head had left in the windshield upon impact. You weren't sure if the car would even run after all this time but you settled in and jammed the key into the ignition anyway. You turned it and it sputtered before dying. "Come on!" You cranked it again and it sputtered once more but with some encouraging oomph. "Almost! You got it!" "Hey!" Rick's voice was like a whip that cracked though the dusk. Your head shot up and you saw him running for you full like the raging bull he was. You bolted up to slam the lock down on the passenger side door just as he grabbed at the handle. He slammed his fist on the window, making it rattle. "Get the fuck out of there!" He headed for the driver's side now but you slammed that lock down too. Your skin prockled and your breath caught in your throat as you turned the key once again. The engine turned over and the car rumbled to life. You weren't the religious type but you thanked God anyway. Rick pounded away at the window still screaming, red faced and eyes bulging out of his head, but you threw it in drive and floored it. The car hesitated for only a moment before shooting off, the back tire going over Rick's foot and leaving him crumpled on the ground. You laughed incredulously as you watched him from the rear view.

You drove for hours and hours, until the sun would soon start rearing its head again. You just wanted to put as much distance between you and them as possible. But now you were exhausted, the adrenaline wore off forever ago and your eyes struggled to stay open. You pulled up to a motel just as the sky was twinging with a hint of light. You rubbed your good eye and reached into your bag to pull out a wad of tip money you'd been saving up. You counted $576 and you reasoned with yourself that you could afford the luxury of a room tonight. You hadn't seen yourself but you knew you needed to get cleaned up.

You shuffed into the empty office and looked around before approaching the counter. A little hand written sign rested there beside a bell 'ring for service'. You tapped out a gentle ding and waited a few moments, but no one came. You tapped it again, a bit harder, and wondered if you should wait in your car for a more decent hour. Just as you were turning around to retreat the door burst open and a tall lean man practically threw himself inside. You reeled back in surprise and it seemed you caught him off guard too. He cleared his throat and straightened up, nodding to the counter. "Anyone here?" You tilted your head down, unable to meet his focused gaze. "I, uh, I don't think so. I was going to wait in my car." He hurried passed you and you jumped away from him. He kept looking at you as he slammed his hand down on the bell over and over again.

Eventually a young lady emerged from the back, yawning and rubbing her eyes of sleep. You felt bad she was woken up. "I need to rent one of your rooms miss." The woman seemed to need a minute to figure out what was being said, still groggy, but the man was impatient. He slammed some cash down on the counter. "I need to rent one of your rooms." He looked over his shoulder towards a window, anxious. "Yeah, I heard you," she yawned and stretched languidly before taking his cash. "Got one left." She grabbed the key and was about to hand it to him. "Wait!" Both their heads shot over to you, him because of the interruption and her because she'd just noticed you. As she took in your injuries she snatched the key back and eyed the annoyed man warily. You shook your head when you realized what she must be thinking. "No, no, just…" "Just what?" the man spat out, eyes still glancing over to the window. "I was here first! I need that room!" With no hesitation the young lady behind the counter shoved his money back at him and beckoned you over. "You got it." "I already paid," the man insisted. "Look at her!" The girl pointed at you, making you shrink back. Did you really look that bad? Your eyes shot over to a grimey mirror just behind the counter and through the dust you caught your reflection for the first time. Your eye had swollen up, blooming dark blue and purple around the socket. Your lower lip was busted open and blood crusted around the wound and down your chin. A bit of blood also clung around the edge of your nostril. You actually looked pathetic. So much so it made your stomach turn. It made you mad at yourself. Your eyes darted back to the man's and he gave a deep sigh.

Just as he was relenting the door opened again, this time a curvy woman with bleached hair scurried in. "Jess what is taking so long? We a need to get inside now," she hissed at him. "Well," he gestured to you, "she's got the last room." The new woman's eyes focused on you and all of this attention was really wearing on your nerves. Enough people had seen you like this. "Forget it." You brushed past everyone, the girl at the counter calling out for you, and ran back to your car. They could have the damn room.

You slammed the door shut and pressed your forehead to the steering wheel, trying not to cry. Maybe this was a sign that you'd made a mistake. That you should just turn tail, go home to take your beating, and beg for forgiveness. Your eye shifted to your hand and you saw the scar that was left there from last Christmas when your mom hand plunged a steak knife into it. No, going home wasn't an option. You cracked your windows and reclined the seat back, you'd get a bit of sleep if you could then keep driving. Just as you were closing your eyes there was a tap at your window and a muffled, "hey!" You opened them to look up and see the platinum woman standing by your car, fidgeting. You sat your seat back up and cranked the pane down lower. "Hey?" She swallowed and her eyes darted over to the beat up van they'd arrived in, you watched as other people piled out and into a room. "You wanna stay with us for the day?" You watched as the man from earlier looked back at her and she waved him off. "I, uh-" "Come on, honey. Day is too hot for you to sleep in this car. You'll roast. Besides you were nice enough to give up the room." You looked between her and the door. "Yeah, okay. Thank you."

When you entered the room behind Diamondback, as she'd introduced herself, all eyes turned to you. You paused but she pulled you further in and offered you a seat at a table, which you gladly took. The man approached and held out a hand to you, his fingers were long and crooked like the branches of a tree. You tried to shake firmly like you'd always been taught. "Jesse Hooker," he glanced back at Diamondback who fixed him with a firm look, "I apologize for earlier and thank you kindly for the room." You give him a soft smile and squeeze his hand before letting go. "No problem, I'm Y/n." Diamondback jumped in then. "Y/n, this is Homer," she pulled a sour looking young boy over to her side then gestured to a young couple, "that over there is Mae and Caleb." The pretty girl waved at you with a small smile and her boyfriend tipped his hat before taking it off completely. "And that's-" "Severen." A tall dark haired man interrupted her, coming to lean into your eye line. You turned your head to take him in. He was handsome with stubble peppered along his strong jaw, striking blue eyes, and lips that split his face in a large grin. You noticed how he had a small gap between his front teeth and decided it suited him well. "Hi." His grin grew impossibly wider. "Hey there." Diamondback gripped Severen by the back of his leather jacket and yanked him back into his chair. "Mind your manners, Sev." "I am!"

You excused yourself to get cleaned up and as you were tentatively wiping the dried blood from your split lip you could hear muffled conversation from the other side of the bathroom door. You wondered if they were talking about you but tried to push that thought down. You knew it was risky to spend the night in a motel with complete strangers. For all you knew they could be serial killers, or werewolves, or in a cult. You tried to ease down your frenzied brain with logic. They could be thinking the same of you right now, after all, you did look like you just crawled through hell. When you emerged they fell silent, confirming that they had indeed been talking about you. Diamondback came to you and gently brushed a thumb over your cheek, you flinched back and she quickly withdrew her hand. "Sorry. You look much better." "Feel a bit better," you nodded. She guided you back to the table you sat at before, where Jesse and Severen had started a game of poker.

"So, where ya from Y/n?" Caleb spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "Outta town," you answered vaguely on purpose. You figured the less they knew about you the better. "Where ya headed?" He pressed on. "Farther outta town." Severen chuckled and looked at him from over his shoulder. "Keep yer questions to yourself boy." He turned to you now. "Don't mind officer brown nose over there, don't know how to mind his own damn business." "Don't you go callin' me no cop!" Caleb threw his boot at the back of Severen's head. He only snorted back at Caleb like a pig. A hand flew up to cover your mouth as you giggled at his antics. This only seemed to encourage Severen, who's eyes lit up at the sound, and he added in some very impressive pig calls. "Sooooowe! Soooooooowe!" You laughed a bit louder and the others joined in. Even Jesse, who seemed rather stern when you first met, chuckled. Severen turned back to you quickly. You could practically hear the gears turning in his head, searching for any way to keep you laughing. "That's just what he sounds like when he's sleepin'. I don't wanna know what it sounds like when him and Mae-" "Severen!" Diamondback scolded him again before he could finish his thought. "Don't get yourself in trouble now," you couldn't stop yourself from snickering. "I'm always in trouble, darlin'." He nodded to Jesse. "Deal her in Jess. You play poker don't ya?"

You did indeed play poker. Back before your mom met Rick and lost her job she had been a bartender. She'd sit you at a little table in the back of the bar with only a deck of cards to keep you company. One of the regulars, a rumor about town said he was your dad but you weren't sure, had taken to teaching you how to play. After a few months you would beat almost anyone who dared to challenge you. It was a nice memory and playing again made you feel warm inside. You found your smiles and laughter came easier to you than it had in years. You looked around at your new acquaintances and thought to yourself that they were like a whacky TV family. Traveling together and getting into fun misadventures. The way they barbed and teased each other lacked all of the venom and resentment you were used to from home. You weren't just at ease, Hell you felt safer in this room full of strangers than you ever did in that trailer. It was a nice feeling. Your eyes darted to the side and you caught the edge of a card poking out of Severen's sleeve. You snatched it quickly and tossed it to the center of the table. "Not very slick, cowboy." He looked at you, mouth agape but an amused twinkle in his blue eyes. Homer cackled at him. "Usually only Jesse catches him," Mae piped up. You pointed at him. "I'm keeping an eye on you." He smirked. "I hope ya do."

When you were all wound down and ready to get some sleep it wasn't terribly difficult to figure out the arrangements. The room was thankfully a double. Each of the couples took a bed, Homer claimed a stuffed chair on the corner, and Severen stayed in a chair by the door insisting you take the beat up couch. You tried to convince him it'd hurt his back but he said, "If I ain't worried about it why are you?" Those words stuck with you as you laid down to try and sleep. You must had been exhausted because the next time you opened your eyes it was because Severen was up and shuffling through his bag. You sat up and tried to rub your eye, forgetting how tender it was. You hissed and yanked your hand back. He looked up at you and spoke in a hush, "I wake ya?" "No, no worries," you whispered back. Your feet found the floor and you stretched your arms out. You could feel his gaze on you but he didn't say anything else. He finished pulling out fresh clothes before heading for the bathroom to shower and change. One by one the others also woke. But you didn't want to impose on them any longer, you grabbed your bag up and slung it over your shoulder. You reached your hand out to Diamondback with a smile. "Hey, thank you." She returned your smile and shook your hand. "Thank you too honey. Travel safe now." You almost didn't want to let go of her but you made yourself drop her hand. You nodded and waved goodbye to the others, just catching Severen as he left the bathroom, his hair still damp and only in his jeans. You averted your gaze and slipped out the door. As you closed it softly behind you you were sad to go.

You looked back up to the Chevette and you were startled to see 2 cops shining their flashlights inside. You gasped and ducked behind the van parked just out front, staying low to the ground. Rick must have reported the car and his gun as stolen. You just escaped one prison and you weren't about to go to another. Beside you the motel door opened and Severen stepped outside, still shirtless, with a cigarette hanging between his lips. He looked at you quizzically and opened his mouth to say something but you held a finger up to your own lips. His eyes darted from you over to the cops milling around your car then back to you. "Hey!" one of them called out to him. You flung yourself under the van.

From the gap you could see their feet as they approached Severen. "You see the girl driving that car?" You held your breath as you waited for him to answer, praying he wouldn't sell you out. You heard a small spark as he lit his cigarette and took a long drag. "Yeah I did." You flinched and buried your face in your hands waiting to be dragged out from under the van. So much for your great escape. A silence stretched on before the cop pressed him, "well where'd she go son?" You heard him shift. "That way, bummed a cigarette and asked for the bus station. Somethin' 'bout goin' east. Far east." You could have cried as relief flooded your whole body, making you sag into the asphalt under you. You didn't even realize how tense you were. You heard the officer get on his walkie and radio in. "Suspect heading to the bus station, planning to go eastbound. Thanks son." You watched their feet as they ran off and then there was a long silence. After a moment Severen's grinning face appeared in the gap under the van. "Hope ya weren't planning on going east." You took a deep breath. "I seriously thought you were about to throw me to the dogs." He scoffed at you. "Oh ye of little faith. Come on out now, they're gone." You crawled out from under the van and he took your hand to help you up. "You got yourself into a heap of trouble huh?" You glanced back over your shoulder. "Worth it." He glanced between you and your car. "Looks like you're out a ride. But you're in luck. I'm good at gettin' new ones. As long as you don't mind more trouble."

Severen led you nonchalantly onto the lot of the used car dealership. Your head whipped around nervously but he seemed so sure it made a bit of confidence bloom in your chest. You watched him kick the tire on a black Ford Bronco. "This'll do." He hurried to the driver's side and popped the lock with shocking ease. He slid inside and reached over, opening the passenger door for you. You both stayed low to the floor as he set to work. "Now watch and learn." He pulled some wires down from under the dash and produced a tool from his back pocket. "See this bundle of wires? You need these," he showed you 2 specific wires, "the ignition and the battery." He took them and stripped the ends. You couldn't tear yourself away from his hands as they worked, admiring them. "Ya wanna twist 'em together like this." The dash lights flickered on and he grinned at you. "Now take this starter wire here, and strip it lower so it's live. Then spark." He sparked the wires and the car roared to life. "That's it baby!" Severen then pulled a screwdriver from his pocket and jammed it into the ignition, turning the engine over. Just like that you were driving off the lot, pulling out right behind the van that carried the others. You didn't ask them why they were running and they didn't ask you. You did however turn to Severen with one question. "You guys aren't like a serial killer werewolf cult right?" He howled with laughter and shook his head. "Not quite, darlin'." You nodded. "Just checking."

[n1k1tty]

kiss me ! part 2

“hawaii!” niki yells, throwing as fist in the air as he enters the van “riki, it’s 3am in the morning, please shut up” jay retorts, going back to sleep as he leans on the window

as if it was almost planned, you and jake sat beside each other at the furthest seat. it was complicated, you didn’t know if you were comfortable or not, you felt tense, afraid of jake’s teasing if you touch him even the slightest. yet you also didn’t want to leave your seat.

you let out a huff, trying to find a position where you could comfortably sleep in. you were spooked at the sudden hand that leans your head on their shoulders “you can sleep on my shoulders, it’s alright” jake chuckles, already drifting to sleep the second after he did that “thanks” you mumble, easing into his warmth.

you laugh a little at his aching figure “this is funny to you? after i’ve been so kind to let you sleep on my shoulder?” he pouts “i deserve a long massage during our flight” he jokes, continuing to carry your bags.

dumbfounded by the fact that you stayed with him, giving him a glance filled with guilt “y/n seriously, i’m fine. it’ll go away sooner or later” he reassures you, his heart exploding at the sight of you with glimmering eyes, feeling the guilt you expressed them with.

“what do you wanna eat for breakfast?” you mumble, taking the luggage cart from his grasp. he laughs at your attempt to make him feel better “sorry? didnt quite hear that well” he teases, making you give him a glare, almost forgetting that he was ‘injured’ you raise your hand to almost give him a punch “good thing you’re hurting or i would’ve punched your ass back to australia” you roll your eyes “you heard what i said!” eyebrows frowning as you look away “alright alright, i’m fine with coffee really—” he lets out a breathy chuckle, dragging his feet as he follows you around “—nonsense! breakfast is important. don’t give me that type of bullshit sim” you cut him off, stopping by a little restaurant as you tell the other members to go ahead “im getting you pancakes. better finish it or you’re not living to see another day”

he laughs “this is quite a unique way to care for someone don’t you think” you roll your eyes "eat the damn pancakes sim jaeyun"

"yas ma'am"

--

after everyone had met up, you all started finding your seats. you were bewildered, somehow, because now you found yourself wanting to switch seats with sunghoon for obvious reasons. but of course, you --again, didn't have the guts to do so.

a few hours into the flight and a few glances from jake here and there, you received a message

jake :):

hey pretty girl, do me a favour and go to the washroom behind you

you:

and why exactly?

jake :):

no questions asked. i just miss you ;)

you swore you wanted to jump off the plane. pretty girl?! he misses me?!. you feel the heat creeping up in your face as you asked jungwon "hey, could you get up of a sec. i gotta go to the washroom" you whisper, mumbling a small 'thank you' before you walked to the washroom.

you felt a hand pull you "hey" he giggles, arms wrapped around your waist "you scared me! i thought i was getting abducted" you slap his shoulder. although you would be lying if you said you didn't want to just grab him and kiss him right at this moment.

he looked so good with his button up shirt, showing off his collar bones, neck wearing the beaded necklace you made for him during the summer and your birthstone necklace. his hair was messy, and you couldn't deny how hot he looked with his glasses on.

"you should consider buttoning up" you hesitantly say, looking anywhere but his eyes. of course he catches on to your intentions, but he felt like pissing you off "why? i'm showing off your necklace" he giggles "i even bought your birthstone" he grabs the necklace with his thumb, making you roll your eyes as you cross your arms, making sim jaeyun giggle.

he places his hand under your chin, finally letting you looking at him "switch seats with sunghoon please. i don't think i like the sight of you sleeping on jungwon's shoulders" now it was your time to piss him off.

"why?" you pout, "his shoulders are so comfortable, and we don't want your shoulders aching again now do we?" you give him a slight smile, well it wasn't like you weren't planning to switch with sunghoon way before the flight even started anyway.

jake rolls his eyes "that leaves you no choice--"

"can y'all hurry up? i'll switch with you y/n gosh! just let me pee!" sunghoon bangs on the door, making jake laugh "well that was easy"

--

oh how you regret changing seats.

because now you get to fully witness the flight attendants obviously flirting with him.

"good morning sir" she annoyingly giggles, biting her lip as she leans in way too close. jake leans back, letting out a small laugh out of politeness "hi, yeah i'd like..." he orders his food while you glare at the girl who's been displeasingly close to him "what can i get for you ma'am?"

"oh my girlfriend would like the same thing" jake interrupts, giving you a sly wink after placing his hand on top of yours. you let out a small scoff after seeing the disappointed look on the girl as she hands you the food. your skips a beat. girlfriend? you thought

now he was starting to piss you off. he was doing everything but ask you out. and with every ounce of pride you had in your soul, you hated to admit that you were starting to get really impatient. were you not obvious about your feelings? was the handmade necklace and the concern you have for him not obvious enough?

"ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hawaii" the pilot announces, after you got your hand carry, you didn't even bother waiting for jake. immediately walking out of the plane, causing him to tilt his head out of confusion.

he didn't get a chance to talk to you, i mean, how could he when you would immediately start walking away from him whenever he tried to walk towards you.

as you sat beside jay in the tour bus, he gives you a weird look "why are you here" you give him a lost look "can i not...?" that's when he knew something happened between you and jake "y/n if this is because of jake--" you place your hand on his mouth, leaning way too close. but luck wasn't on your side today, because jake saw.

"shut up please! and yes! it is about him. so please spare me and let me sit here for the meantime" jay chuckles, "jake's going to kill me for this" he mumbles, leaning back to the chair "what?"

"nothing" he gives you a grin

--

after you guys arrived to jay's beach house you immediately grab your bag before jake could help you

"alright riki and sunoo are sharing a room, jungwon and heeseung are sharing, and...." jay looks at you, sunghoon and jake, not knowing what to do "you three figure it out. i'm just letting you know one gets to have their own room" jay starts to head to his own room, shrugging his shoulders as he walks past you with widened eyes.

"we already know what's about to happen. i'm getting my own room-"

"no!" you yell

"yes!" jake yells in unison,

"well......" sunghoon stood there, waiting for the both of you to talk "well, i just think i should get the room since you know-- i'm a girl and-- you and jake are best friends so you should be roommates" you explain, giving sunghoon an awkward smile "yeah sure whatever- ow!" jake hits sunghoon in the arm "you idiot! take the goddamn room!" jake grits through his teeth "you know what y/n! i change my mind. i uh, i think im going to take the room"

"why?!" you whisper with a harsh tone. poor sunghoon "IM GOING TO JERK OFF OR SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW" he yells, although he regrets it after the maids give him a weird look "ayo what?" heeseung peaks through the door "nothing! i didn't mean that. just --ugh! i'm heading out" he grabs his luggage, stomping through the hallways as he walks to the room. leaving you with jake.

--

you were about to have a mental breakdown "jay! you're seriously not helping me at all!" you give him a shove "ow! you need to control your strength sometimes! and i'm sorry okay? i just panicked, and i think you and jake being roommates wouldn't be a mistake. it's better to fix your problems instead of just sweeping it under the rug. you can't avoid him forever y/n" he was right. and you knew that. but you couldn't bring yourself to tell jake what was bothering you. even the thought of it was embarrassing, because what if he wasn't even intending to date you at all?

you walk back to the room, hesitating whether you should open it or not. but after hearing no noise, you open the door "AH OH MY GOD SORRY--" there you saw a shirtless jake, hair wet and his glasses having a few drops of water from his hair. he grabs your hand before you could walk out again "y/n, please talk to me" he places his hands on both sides of your shoulders "did i do something wrong? whatever it is, i'm really sorry" he panics, slightly pouting at the silent treatment you gave him "jake i-"

"dinners ready!" riki barges in, freezing at the sight of you two "oh- hey! riki, let's go!" you grab his arm, walking towards the dining room "please don't mention it" you whisper, sitting in between riki and jay.

jake later follows, now in his grey shirt and the checkered pajamas he wore earlier, he gives you a small smile before sitting next to heeseung.

"so, sunghoon. did you have fun?" heeseung teases

"shut up!"

--

"this wasn't going as planned anymore!" jake groans, he was currently in jay's room, ranting his frustrations out while jay listened. when jake had heard about the trip to hawaii, he originally planned to confess when you guys went to the party, it's not like the party had already happened, but it was already tomorrow "i already apologized, yet she still wouldn't speak"

"do you even know why she's mad?" jay asked, leaning on the bad with his arms as he watched jake pacing around his room "...no?"

"jake sim you idiot"

it was 1 am in the morning and you finally finished playing games with riki and heeseung. you were hesitating to open the door once again. afraid of letting the incident happen once more. you knock lightly, hoping that he was there and you could finally make up

but before you could open the door, jake already opened it. immediately embracing you "please talk to me" he whispers gently in your ear. you couldn't help but burst out crying, causing him to panic, he caresses your hair "let's go for a walk yeah?" he grabs your wrist, his touch so gentle as if you were fragile.

he wipes your tears as you walk along the shore "i missed you. you know?" he holds your hand as you both drag your feet along the sand. you hit him on his shoulder "ow!"

"that's what you get!" you sniffle, looking at the reflection of the moon on the sea "what did i do?" he chuckles, searching for your eyes. he tilts his head when you don't respond "hello?"

"cause! you always flirt with me, calling me your girlfriend and hugging me! i hate it! i hate it because my heart always skips a beat every time and i always expect you to ask me out soon yet you never do!" you yell, your skin was glowing under the moonlight. jake was in awe the moment he saw your glistening eyes that had tears threatening to fall.

he had the sudden urge to kiss you and tell you how he felt.

and he did. because jake was a man who never doubted his feelings when it came to you.

he pulls you by the waist, causing you to let out a yelp. his lips touches yours, and it stayed like that for a while, to make up for the moments he wasted without you this whole vacation. you wrap your hands around his neck, playing with his hair

"can i be your boyfriend?" he cheekily says, his smile making you smile as well "suck my ass. sim jaeyun. yes, i'd love for you to be my boyfriend"

"i'd gladly suck your a--"

"sim jaeyun!"

--

[bonus bcs i haven't posted in a while]

it was the morning of the party, you were in jake's arms "finally you're awake! good morning!" he excitedly says, peppering you with kisses "the guys are in the pool so get changed" he informs you, smacking your ass as soon as you got up "getting too comfortable for our first day aren't we?" you tilt your head, giving him a smirk "can't help it" he send a wink your way.

as soon as you got out in your swimsuit, jake's mouth drops "do a little turn for me" he smirks, twirling you around as he hypes you up "holy shit! i'm so lucky aren't i" he checks you out, earning a smack from you "ow! alright but i'm not letting them check you out like that! wear my shirt"

(he didn't let you go from the jacuzzi after heeseung hyped you up lol)

--

[party]

you told jake to go ahead, wanting to surprise him with the dress you bought.

after arriving to the party jake almost dropped the drink he had in his hand after he saw you. he was smiling so hard when the little girl put a Lei (flower neck lace) on you. he felt so proud when the other men at the party look at you giving him a hug

"that's right, she's mine" he thought

after you walked to wards him he grabs you by the waist "you look so pretty in red" he says, hugging you tightly "is that so?" you ask, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips, making him all giddy

--

part 1

taglist: @zylenes @hwalllllllelujah @theskzvibe

HI GUYS :D. i will be posting the visuals for this fic so pls wait :)

[monstas1ut2]

1/3 (Eren Yeager)

(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

Bitches is my sons, that's why I be like, "Chile"

Chile, chile, chile, chile, ch-i-i-i-chile

At the lowest volume, Nicki was spitting bars. The LED lights on the brightest red there's to come as the window was covered with black out curtains. It happened to be bright outside but who opens their curtains at 8 am in the morning..? People who are productive and that's not you.

"Don't spend hours in there, brat."

A pout came onto your face, almost sucking your teeth... it wasn't going to be long until you were finished. Nonetheless though, your father always thinks you take hours to get ready to go somewhere.

"Im not ,daddy... Ion even wear makeup no more.. so it won't take long.."

Leaning towards the mirror, and pressing the lipgloss tip against your soft lips, your thoughts came around to your father.

Levi Ackerman, he's a short male who is quite intimidating, he IS intimidating. Despite his height, he's always winning a battle, whether it's verbal or physical. Which is why you always fail to win an argument against him. This was noticeable when you moved to his house ten months ago.

Before living with Levi, you were living with Hange.

Hange co-parents with Levi, the two were never together but they kept you happy and they are both Mom and Dad to you. The two are so different though. Hange would let you skip school, get ready late, almost everything in the book. She had to stop you from getting a sugar daddy though-

Levi is strict, he doesn't want anyone or thing touching his pretty Princess. Yes you're not biologically his but he still is your father, the only one you'd ever had. He taught you things, showed you the great life. He tried to get you to speak a bit more proper but he just stopped, oddly enough, he wanted you to embrace everything you had to offer.

It was a pain learning about your background, Hange was bad at doing anything for you as well. In result of this, your hair has dreads. Watching YouTube videos was Levi's new thing when you were younger. He managed to skillfully put dreads in your hair and... now they look quite amazing. Very long and pretty on you.

That's something you embrace, those pretty dreads. Knowing that your father put them in first , is one reason as to never take them out.

"I'm done, and, Mom said stop ignorin her... she wanna have a picture of me.. since it's my last year I guess.. ion know.. but she blowin up my phone.."

A bit of a smile casting on your brown skinned face. Fiddling with the phone in your hand. Today you were wearing a Jean like skirt and a black top to go with. Your med-long nails being a mix of white and gold, it complimented the melanin of your skin.

Levi glared at his phone that was vibrating on the nearest table and he'd sighed inwardly. Hange was so excited for your last year, while Levi was not. He also hates the fact that you are now going to the same school that he works at... the only bad thing being... the men there are complete perverts and prudes.

"Tell that bratty friend of yours to do it-"

"Connie isn't a brat, he just a lil mental..."

A lot of bald guys seemed to be mental, or is that just... stereotypical to say? Eh, either way, your Connie was mental. The guy was hilarious, he always knows how to put a smile on your face. Even though you two used to be fairly seperated. You now go to his school so at least you'll have one friend to lean on.

"dad, can you at least be happy for me...? It's my last year of school, not my last year of me bein in ya house.. cuz ion know how to cook... or do adult stuff.." a sheepish smile came upon your face, just staring at your father who happened to be suppressing a smile. He eventually did not though, but... you are the only person who can make him smile..

"I know, you burned down a kitchen before.." An evil smirk cascaded on his pale face. He knew that would hit you where it hurts, considering you were now silent but squinting your eyes playfully. It definitely wasn't Levi's kitchen, it was Hange's kitchen.. she had to get it remodeled.

Honestly, Levi liked that you couldn't cook, that way, douche bag men will stay away from you and it'll prevent them from making you barefoot and pregnant in a kitchen... he overthinks okay?

(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

Gripping your wrist ever so tightly, the two of you were walking towards the huge school. It was more of a modern taste, probably because the school was built only 6 years ago. The scale of the school had caused your body to overheat from anxiety. So actually, Levi was pulling you towards the school, no effort needed.

Once that door was open, it was all over. The main entrance had a pretty scenery. It was pictures and everything, though something that was odd was that black people were limited, looked like-

Okay okay, you're overthinking, but this school really doesn't have black people. If they do, they are in sports... which is why there was a man constantly talking on and on about female's basketball team...

You have to admit, you are a stallion.

"She doesn't want to be on the team... Shadis... stop yelling in her face.."

A bit of a concerned smile came upon your face as you glanced towards your father. Who only gave a soft look towards you. Levi may be insensitive at times but when it comes to you being nervous.. he's there.

"Where the hell is the principle..." Levi grumbled under his breath, he was quite late for his class.. but he had to make sure you were going to be fine.. like the worried father he is.

And Like on cue, a fine.. smexy blonde man came from the back door of the front office.. oooh.

His eyebrows were thick and he had this smile on his face. Like he knew who you were, though at the same time he probably already did. This man was in pictures at home, Levi knew him personally.

Apparently this man changed your diaper when you were little too.. so.. low chance of him seeing you any different..

Principal Smith... oohhh

"Levi, I told you yesterday, she'll be fine in my hands.. I can make sure she gets to every class. I'll also make sure nobody messes with her.." Erwin hummed out, knowing these words that came from Levi last week. His voice was deep and sincere, his pretty blue eyes glancing you over.. gawd oh mighty.

"And?" Levi's eyes squinted hard, his face quite serious about the last statement that Erwin seemed to pass by... or forgotten.. Man, someone would think Levi is the principal... and not Erwin.

"I'll make sure Yeager stays away from her.."

(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

The bell had rung oh so suddenly, the anxiety in you causing you to need to go to the bathroom but... your ancestors had to come down.

They whispered into your ear and explained that you are the baddest bitch in the world. Nobody can take that away from you, nor can the stupid anxiety.

"This is my daughter, (Y/n)... "

The baddest bitch with anxiety...

Every single eye was on you, in front of the class... it was obvious that most were just curious about you, mixed with shocked. When they heard the other day about getting a new student, they figured that it'll be someone... like them. At the same time though.. they could get used to the.. balance of the room.

The window across the room was beaming on your brown skin and it happened to make you look like a goddess. Your lipgloss sparkling as you glanced around, a soft smile on your face. Honestly, that only happened because of the fact that.. your bald friend was waving to you..

Connie...

The other day, a deal was made... Between you and your father. Who is also now your teacher for first period.

The deal was, you clean your room spotless and you get to sit next to Connie in class. Guess who succeeded?...

Your arms wrapped around male as he was blushing a tad. Being almost manhandled by you was everyone's dream at the moment. Especially a male who was behind you and Connie's table. He had this cool haircut, his face was long too but it fit his features.

"Why is she hugging the egg..."

"Jean you're just jealous.." the person who said this happened to be playing with their pencil. She had black hair and.. freckles.. it was cute. She looked mean though.

"Okay and..?"

Connie then began to of course, show off his best friend.. who happened to be you. Apparently what happened was that he told everyone about you one day. Nobody believed him, and Jean being the asshole he is.., he wanted answers so he -reluctantly- asked Levi if he had a daughter...

They weren't expecting someone like you...

Nor was.. this brown haired male who had his eye on you ever since you came in. His intimidating... blue, greenish looking eyes.. it's not something you failed to realize... but at the same time, you could feel your father's eyes as well.

"That's Eren over there, by Armin and Mikasa... he's a little coo-coo... so just talk to Armin and Mikasa.. then that's Bert , Annie, and Reiner, and Ymir, Jean, Sasha is the one eating and Historia.."

Honestly, you were never one to listen to someone when they say don't do something... Connie said don't talk to Eren... but some how... with the fluttering of your eyelashes.. you gave the long haired boy a wink. The wink sending him a burst of confidence that he already had..

it just got worse..

(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Masterlist 2