#2nd week and I already had a test

[bittersweetstargazer]

not saying I'm going to, but I think i understand why people drop out of high school 😓😓

[irisintheafterglow]

[bernie sanders voice] i am once again.. thinking about coparenting megumi with boyfriend!satoru.

"so you're both megumi's..."

"guardians," you smile politely, praying stupid shit doesn't leave the mouth of the boy next to you. it's wishful thinking.

"yes," he beams so tenderly that you resist the urge to scrunch your nose in disgust. he takes your clammy hand lightly in his and turns back to megumi's teacher. "we had him young." a soft ow comes from under satoru's breath as you kick him under the table, forcing an expression of normalcy onto your face.

you hated parent-teacher conferences because it reminded you just how abnormal megumi and tsumiki's situation was. they had no parents, nor did they have any close relatives that cared for them the way a family should. that left you and the white-haired idiot in the tiny seat next to you to fill in that duty, and between missions and training students, you weren't around as often as you wanted to be.

"i...see," the teacher says hesitantly, eyeing your boyfriend with obvious unease. after a moment, she regains her composure and refocuses on you completely. "is there anything you wish to discuss before we begin?"

"not for me, no."

"when can we get him bumped up a grade? or have him skip one altogether?" every single word that comes from satoru's mouth is a joke but it still has your face burning with embarrassment that you were associated with him. "you know, i skipped a few grades when i was young."

"i can tell," you whisper and he pinches the flesh of your thigh between two fingers in defiance.

"i believe that skipping grades would be unwise at this time, as we haven't done any testing yet-"

"he was kidding, i swear," you say apologetically and, thankfully, the teacher continues as if on a script.

"i see. well, megumi is progressing wonderfully in the class. he's very adept at reading and writing, but he does struggle with math sometimes. it's nothing to be worried about; many children struggle with math at his age." you nod in understanding but grimace inwardly. megs always wanted you to help him with math homework since satoru became frustrated with the problems faster than the actual 2nd grader.

"for being the strongest, he's not that smart," megumi stated bluntly one night while you helped him on a coffee table in the teacher's lounge. you'd sent satoru on a walk around campus after his distress was clearly bothering megumi, who ended up suffering more from satoru's "help" than benefiting. "you're not around that much anymore to help me so i don't know what to do." his tiny eyebrows furrow and you reach out to run your fingers through his spiky black hair.

"i'm really sorry i'm not around as much anymore. do you want me to ask nanami? he handles math all the time."

"i think that'd be worse than satoru."

"you can't get much worse than satoru, buddy," you concede and his mouth turns up a little bit. nothing like a little insulting his mentor to get the boy's mood improved. still, his frown returns like it's his default expression.

"what if i can't do it? what if i'm not like everyone else?" it made your chest ache in a different way when megumi or his sister said something like that, like they were well aware that they weren't normal children. your heart panged for them and mourned their loss of a "normal" childhood just because they were born into a big three clan. it wasn't fair and it was something you lamented to satoru almost every week. you couldn't tell the boy any of that, though, no matter how much you wanted to explain why he wasn't like the rest of the kids in his class.

"just try your best, okay? sometimes, that's all we can do. you're already doing great by asking for help. it's not your fault if someone doesn't know how to help you, so just keep trying." he nodded determinedly; after another hour past dinnertime, you finally finished walking him through the rest of the problems while satoru draped his lanky body over the couch behind you, watching defeatedly over your shoulder.

"is there anything we can do to help him with math?" you ask, unconsciously weaving your fingers with satoru's and giving it a light squeeze. he squeezes back three times. i-love-you.

"he just needs a little reassurance that he's on the right track sometimes."

"mmm, don't we all," you murmur and you don't expect the teacher to laugh softly under her breath, muttering her agreement. before you know it, you've organized megumi's papers into his folder and picked him up from the playground outside his classroom, taking his hand as you walk back to the car.

"your teacher says you're doing well in class."

"really?"

"mhmm, though i didn't need her to tell me that since i already know." you shoot him a small smile, leaning into satoru's body as his arm wraps around your torso. "you, however, need to learn some manners," you lightheartedly tease, knocking your elbow against his abs. "you were not helping in there, you menace."

"it was boring, what do you want me to do?" his tone is so carefree, so comfortingly satoru it made your heart melt.

"it's a parent-teacher conference, not parents. you could have waited outside if you were so bored. went to play on the playground or something." his head dips close to your ear and you feel some strands of his hair brush against your skin.

"but then i don't get to watch you be all mature and put-together."

"trying to follow my example?"

"trying to break your composure," he corrects with a sly grin. "i'm the fun one, after all."

"that's one way to put it," megumi deadpans without hesitation and you stifle a snort.

"i'm one of a kind!"

"you're out of your mind, is what you are." before he can protest, you press a kiss to his cheek and he turns a slightly opaquer shade of pink. "but i wouldn't have you any other way."

[stove-top96]

Wicked Game

Ch. 00

Y Batfam x GN Reader

featuring: platonic Tim Drake.

1.3k words

It’s been a hot minute. I broke my hand snowboarding, then had tests. The writing for this one is significantly better, I’m taking a creative writing class for extra credits and decided to try something new with how I formate my chapters. I’ll be posting a chapter to both my story and my concept soon. This idea has just been in my head and the story I have planned out is exciting.

Class Schedule

1st period: Art

2nd period: Maths

12:00 - 13:00: Lunch

3rd period: biology

4th period: English

3:50 Dismissal

4:00 - 6:00: Basketball practice

(Friday 5:00 -> Basketball game)

You twirl your pencil between your fingers, lazily watching as everyone else scribbles notes, following the math equation Mr. Snyder is rambling on about. It’s been ten minutes on the same question, and you’ve checked out about thirty minutes ago. Not that it’s Mr. Snyder’s fault—Gotham Prep has the best teachers. It’s just maths has never been your thing. It’s 2 weeks into the new semester and you're already falling behind. Probably not a great start.

You glance up at the clock—11:53. Ugh. Lunch can’t come soon enough. Mr. Snyder’s voice makes time drag on and on. You dash out of the classroom the moment the bell rings and head straight to Brandi’s locker.

“Girl, I’m literally gonna lose it. I can’t handle these people, they’re insane,” you spill out, frustration pouring from you. Rants like these have become more frequent.

“Tell me about it,” Brandi shoots back, her voice sharp with annoyance. “I’ve never met people so out of touch with reality. These pretentious assholes.” She grits her teeth. “How are they even real?”

You nod, walking together towards the cafeteria. Brandi continues her rant, but it’s nice—almost comforting—to know someone else feels the same way. She’s the only other Scholarship student in the grade—your only friend.

Lunch is its own endeavour. Students give weird looks as you two eat your packed food. The two of you learned very quickly that these kids were in a league of their own, and didn’t take too kindly to outsiders.

As you and Brandi talk mindless gossip, lunch flies by. biology’s next it’s your favourite. There’s nothing better than Mrs. Young’s lectures. She’s able to bring life to the lessons, and the material has a way of sticking.

Heading to class a little early you grab a seat near the back. It’s the only table without another person there. Mrs. Young tends to be late to class, so what better way to pass time than to scroll on your phone. Engrossed in TikTok a voice snaps you back into reality.

“Mind if I sit here”

Glancing up from your phone, you recognize the face almost instantly— you’d be stupid not to— Tim drake. Dark brown hair, bright blue eyes and a ‘pretty boy’ face. He’s practically the ‘it boy’ of the school, popular, friendly, and stupid rich. There’s still plenty of other open seats around the class. Probably beside people he’s better acquainted with. But he wants to sit with you? “Sure” you shrug, not like you were gonna talk to the guy.

The bell rings for the end of lunch, Mrs. Young still hasn’t shown up. The silence between you two is suffocating, even inside the room filled with mindless chatter.

“I’m Tim by the way” his introduction was meant to ease the awkwardness. He knew that you knew who he was. “y/n” you answer, praying the teacher will walk in, anything to get you out of this conversation.

”you’re on the basketball team right? You got in on an athletic scholarship?” He asked, ignoring the way you slump into your seat. “Yep” you mumble. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for students to recognize who’s on scholarship and who isn’t—especially athletes. But for him to know you're on the Basketball team 2 weeks into the school year— Kinda weird. But questioning him would mean talking to him, and you weren’t gonna engage.

Before the silence could get too awkward Mrs. Young walks in, and begins the lesson. The lymphatic system. It wasn’t your weakest subject but definitely not your strongest. Today is especially hard. Mrs. Young is unusually keen on racing through as much of the topic as possible.

You rush to write notes and keep up with the teacher but before you’ve even finished 1 sentence she’s erasing the board. Sighing in defeat, you slump back into your chair. Maybe if you just listen to the teacher you’ll be able to grasp most concepts? you’ll just scan through the textbook after practice.

Tim must’ve noticed your defeat, because a moment later he slides over his notebook. God, even his handwriting is perfect. Copying down the rest of his notes.

“thanks.” You mumble, he nods with a subtle smirk on his face.

The next 45 minutes follow the same pattern—you write down as much as, then copy the rest from Tim, and repeat.

It's only until Mrs. Young claps her hands together. The loud sound grabbed everybody’s attention “We finally get to start our first group project of the semester!” Her excitement is met with groans from the class. “because I don’t want you guys to get too comfortable I took the liberty of choosing your partners”. Your stomach drops. Not that you knew anyone here it was still obvious who would make a good partner and who wouldn’t.

As Mrs Young lists off names you don’t recognize “y/n l/n” your head perks up. “And Tim Drake”. Fuck. Your stomach twists. You really didn’t want to go with him. Sure, he’s nice enough to share his notes for sure but he’s still Tim Drake, it’d be much less drama to avoid him.

Tim didn’t even bother hiding his smirk. “The project must be a poster of any negative or positive feedback loop. Be sure to discuss details with your partners. I won’t be giving much class time, so plan accordingly”

The bell rang signaling the end of class, and you were quick to pack up and get out. The sooner you’re gone the better.

“So how do you want to do this?” Tim asked as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. “I don’t really care. you pick”

gym’s next, so you should leave as soon as you can. “Let’s work on it tomorrow after your basketball game. We can choose our topic together,” he answered.

Great, now you’re gonna have to spend your evening with the guy. “My game will probably take 2 hours,” you said. That should probably be enough to get him to back off.

“I’ll watch, I like basketball” you raise a brow. “I guess” you shrug.

The rest of the day blurred together— same mind numbing stories in English, same repetitive drills in practice. By the time it’s all over you’re already on the subway heading home. A wave of exhaustion falls over you.

Unlocking the Door to the empty apartment, you want nothing more than to crash into your bed and doom scroll for the rest of the night. Still you figure you should eat something and take a quick shower first.

Scanning the fridge and cupboards like expected there isn’t much. With a sigh you grabbed a box of cereal and poured a bowl before heading to the bathroom to shower.

The evening passed uneventfully. You weren’t expecting your mother to be back anytime soon, so it was just the quiet hum of the apartment.

A buzz from your phone snapped you back to reality.

<Unknown Number>

Hey y/n it’s Tim Brandi gave me your number for the project.

You roll your eyes. Why would Brandi do that? It's totally unlike her. Tim must’ve been persistent. Hovering over the message you debated answering or not. After a beat you typed back.

<Y/N>

Cool, I’ll see you tomorrow then.

Short and simple, Tim probably won’t send another message. With a sigh you put your phone on silent, and roll over to finally get some sleep. Once you get through this project you’ll never have to talk to him again.

little did you know the project will be the least of your worries.

[luvly-writer]

Crimes of a Mother

Batfamily x Latina! Reader

—•—

Author´s note: Hello! Hope all of you are okay! Welcome to my new...whatever this is! (I have no idea if this will be a series or just a one shot...If it does become a series, it will definitely be a short one unlike the others) This is not in ANY of the universes of my other fics. Hope you enjoy!

Warning: None

General Masterlist:

Masterlist:

—•—

City lights. A scream. A dark looming shadow. A manor. Gun shots. It was the same dream every night. A city dark as night and curious as a cat.

Unraveling the never-ending mysteries that Gotham had to offer was one of my fascinations in life. For the longest time, I had held a certain obsession with the city. It always felt as if something was out there...calling me towards the magnificently mysterious place. Mom always tried to discourage it and would say that the city held secrets that would be unwise to uncover. It was a recuring argument in my household and it got worse the moment I told her I was striving to enroll on Gotham University.

SMACK

I snap out of my daydream.

-You know...normally, I don´t mind when you space out, Yn, but if we expect to make it out of here and straight to GU, we seriously NEED to study.

Taylor, my best friend ever since childhood, dropped a book on my desk, and looked at me impatiently. Charles, snorted from his place in my desk chair, watching the entire ordeal amusedly.

-You know it's bad when Tay is the one that wants to study and not you, Y.

-You know, you don't have to follow me all the way to Gotham. Brings out your attachment issues.

-First of all, you bitch, OF COURSE we have to go there. We are the iconic trio of Robinson Academy; we can't be separated. And second, Yn Salazar, you are forbidden of going into this mystery solving quest without your trusty sidekicks. How else is the documentary of your life supposed to be entertaining if you don't have the two dazzling, gay, and hilarious side characters who everyone will make edits of. Duh!

Said Taylor, throwing herself on my bed.

-It is the last Spanish test! Vamos a estar bien, chica! Mr. Soto will probably give out like a short quiz for us to be done with Senior year. Besides, we are ALREADY in! Forgot that piece of information?

Taylor opened her mouth and just shrugged, making Charlie and I laugh.

-Fair.

-Now, let's finish setting up and get started.

We move efficiently, setting up the camera on its tripod and strapping each tiny microphone to ourselves. We get settled on my bed and hit record.

•[Recording]

-Hi! My name is Yn Salazar. Born and raised in Puerto Rico. Currently, it is May 2nd, a week before my last day of high school and three weeks before my graduation. These are my best friends, Charles Martinez and Taylor Perez. Following today, we will be headed for Gotham University. Why Gotham precisely? Well, Gotham is a city full of mischief, madness, and chaos; and I plan to uncover it. From cryptic, to vigilantes, to rouges, this will be only the first of many time capsules. Beware Gotham, I'm coming.

—•—

A FEW MONTHS LATER

Unlike most college students, Charlie, Taylor and I had decided to not go on the dorms and find a three-bedroom apartment close to campus. Seeing as the three of us came from families that were economically well and rent was unsurprisingly cheap in Gotham, we had finally settled last week. Our apartment was fully furnished and decorated, and we still had a few weeks before classes began in September. I had just ended a call with my mom and headed for the living room, where Charlie was seated rewatching House of the Dragon. Taylor was in the kitchen trying out a new recipe she found on Pinterest.

-Ugh!

I say as I throw myself on the couch dramatically

-Your mom still thinks it is a bad idea to come to Gotham?

Taylor screamed from the kitchen.

-YES! I will never get it! What is in here that puts that woman in such a bad mood? All my life, my one dream has been to come to Gotham, I mean this is where every criminal journalist thrives! She is always so paranoid of this city and telling me that the secrets I would find here should stay hidden and for me to give it a rest. I think it is because my father lives here and if he does, who is he? Every time I ask, I get the same speech of powerful men and their ways...My mom has good judgement! I don't think she would have been with just anyone. For fuck's sake, she is one of the smartest and highest paid psychologists in Puerto Rico. I need to find out what this city is hiding...what happened to mom when she lived here.

-More like who happened probably

Muttered Charlie.

-EXACTLY! It is even worst that she sent me here with this letter to give to a Mr. Bruce Wayne.

-The Billionaire? (T)

-I guess...maybe I can interrogate him and see if that gets me a lead on this entire thing.

-When are you going? (C)

-After we drop you at soccer practice and T at rehearsal.

-FUCK I THINK I BURNT IT!!!

-TAYLOR!!!!

Charles and I got to her rescue laughing.

-Looks like we will be having takeout tonight

She said with a laugh

----

-That is one creepy ass manor...

I mutter from my driver seat. I press the button on the intercom near the gate. It buzzes and a voice with a distinct English accent speaks up,

-Good evening, with what may I help you today?

-Yeah...uh...hi! My name's Yn Salazar. I came to deliver a letter for Mr. Wayne...it's from Valentina Salazar.

-Oh dear...I'll let you pass straight away.

I hear the gate buzz and open. I drive in and park my car just outside. We had all pitched in and bought a car because we knew Gotham was not the best of places to walk around during the night. So, this is more convenient.

I take a deep breath and grab my bag, making sure my notepad is there, with my phone and wallet. I double check that the letter is there and once I see it, I get out of the car and lock it. I walk towards the entrance and just before I go to open the door, a man dressed like a butler opens it.

-You must be young Miss Salazar.

-Yn's just fine, and yeah that's me

The man takes a second to look at me, slight shock in his features. I observe him from head to toe and try to give him a smile. Top ten weirdest encounters ever. He moves aside and gestures for me to enter.

-Right this way, miss, Master Bruce is in his study expecting you.

I inspect everything around me as I follow the man. As we walk past one of the doors, I hear a bunch of screaming and I peak inside. Five guys, all varying in sizes and two girls, one blonde and another with raven hair are seen playing Mario Kart. I stay for second when one of them catches my eye and we make eye contact. He furrows his brow and I panic and leave, catching up to the butler.

We finally reach the study, and he knocks. A faint “Come in” is heard and I'm led inside.

-Young Miss Salazar

The butler announces and takes his leave. The man, Bruce Wayne takes one look at me and goes rigid. We stay a few seconds just looking at each other. His eyes show shock and disbelief. Mine I can guess show curiosity and uncertainty.

-This is for you!

I cringe at how awkward I sound. Great job, Yn, he already fucking knows that. He coughs and nods as I walk towards him and hand him the letter. I take a seat and wait patiently for him to open it and read it. I play with my fingers as silence engulfs us.

-You are Valentina's kid?

-That is corrrect

-How old are you?

-I turned 18 back in February.

-I see...

His face pales at the revelation and he continues reading. I didn't think it was possible for this man to get any paler, yet he does once he is done reading the letter.

-How did you know my mom?

I went directly to the point

-We were close friends

-How close? She never once mentioned this supposed friendship

He flinches at that statement,

-Valentina is a woman of many secrets

-On that we can agree, how close?

He observes me for a moment, and I harden my gaze on him. The corner of his tilts up slightly, clearly amused by me.

-Close

-How informative of you. Did you attend Gotham Academy together?

-Yes.

-Hmmm, have you any clue on why she left Gotham?

-I don't think it is my position to give that information

-How noble, have you any memory of who were her friends aside from you, of course?

-I may. Yn, is it?

-Yes.

-I suggest you follow your mother's advice and keep away from this. Your mother is a good woman and anything from the past should be placed at rest. Some skeletons are meant to stay in the closet.

-Did you know who was my father?

I push one last time and I see him take a sharp intake of air.

-Ah...so you do, wonderful.

-Yn...

-Thank you for your time today, Mr. Wayne. I can assure you this won't be the last time you will see me. Here's my mother's number. You can call her and tell her yourself that her plan to shoo me away from my investigation has been unsuccessful and that getting her “close friend” to deter me from it as well will do nothing. Good day.

I stand up to leave and Mr. Wayne just observes me as I take my leave. Alfred, who I just learnt his name, leads me back to the door. We pass by the kitchen where the group I saw earlier are gathered muttering. They see me and quiet down, just observing me. I raise my eyebrow at them. I hear a low “He got another one?” as I continue on my way. Finally, we get to the door, and I thank Alfred for him time. I get on my car and look up, seeing Mr. Wayne watching me from one of the windows and the group of people trying to be discreet from another window. “This won't be the last time they see me for sure”, I think to myself as I connect my phone to the car and play Running Up That Hill by Kate bush as I drive away.

—•—

Back in Bruce's study, Alfred interrupts his train of thought as he watches the car leave.

-Is that who I am to believe it is?

-And who might you think that is, Alfred?

-Don't play coy with me boy, I can detect a Wayne from a mile away. That girl is yours.

Alfred replied courtly. Bruce walks back and hands him the letter. His eyebrows raise high on his head as he reads.

-I have never met anyone with Wayne blood that was not troublesome, and it seems, this one will keep you with your hands full for some time.

-What gave her away?

-Her eyes, master Bruce. That scrutinizing and calculative gaze is one that can only be found in anyone related to you, blood or not. You have another young detective in your hands, and this one just as brilliant.

-That is what worries all of us.

-•-

Tell me what do you guys think about this draft? Should it be a fic? Are y'all interested? Should there be a taglist? Leave me a comment or a reblog :)

[preet-01]

I wasn’t going to post this snippet until Saturday, but it’s been a very shitty day so I’m trying to find joy in the little things that I can control and won’t catastrophically destroy my life

Here is a snippet from the first draft of a current wip that has drastically changed since I started it a few weeks ago. While none of this will be in the final fic, I did like this snippet a lot.

The actual wip now focuses on hopeless romantic, model Daniel over the course of 15 years as he continually gets his heart broken by multiple formula one drivers until he finally finds the one who loves him just as much he loves them. All of this began from the line: some Australian model that Seb’s been fucking

Max remembers the first time he saw Daniel.

He hadn’t been in Formula One then, no, he’d been in Formula Three battling his demons (a shitty car) and Esteban Ocon (another demon if he was honest). Red Bull and Mercedes had both been courting him — there really wasn’t a better way to say it. Mercedes was dominating that year and Red Bull was on the back foot after dominating for so long. One would think that his best option was Mercedes, but his dad and manager didn’t seem to think so.

Mercedes already had two strong drivers — a world champion and the man who’d beaten his Uncle Michael. A strong and not old line up meant that Max wouldn’t be the first choice. Not for them, they’d put him in F2 and have him fumble around in the Williams for years until either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg left or retired. Red Bull, however, had a seat for him for the coming year. Not in F2, but in F1. Red Bull had a junior team — Toro Rosso — with a seat that could be his if he (his dad and manager) picked them. And unlike Mercedes, the main team line up gave him room for promotion because everyone knew Red Bull’s champion, Uncle Michael’s protégé, would eventually go knocking on Ferrari’s door. As for the 2nd seat, the Frenchman currently occupying it wasn’t someone the team expected to win championships with.

The first time Max sees Daniel is in 2014 as he tests with Toro Rosso in a young driver session in Suzuka. He’d seen Daniel in the Red Bull garage nodding along to something Sebastian Vettel had been saying to him.

“Some Australian model that Seb’s been fucking,” one of the mechanics had told him when Max asked who Daniel was.

From there on, Max continued to see Daniel around the paddock. Always on the arm of Sebastian Vettel and hopelessly in love with him despite the number of others that Sebastian paraded around when Daniel wasn’t present.

[margeoww]

Hey, I think I already requested this, but I didn’t specify what I meant. I asked about if you’d be up to writing an alternative 2nd part to “too wide a divide” where reader finds out she is pregnant?? Like before they got back together. Maybe happy ending??

Too Wide a Divide: Alternative Ending

part 1 | part 2 (endl 1) | part 2 (end 2)

pairing: toto wolff x fem!reader

summary: months after toto and the reader part ways due to the disapproval of her family, she finds out she’s pregnant. Torn between resentment and longing, she debates whether to tell him. Fate intervenes when their paths cross again, leading to a heartfelt confrontation and the possibility of a second chance.

It had been three months since that night when everything fell apart. His words still echoed in your mind:

“I can’t keep going, knowing your family is tearing you apart because of me. I can’t be the reason you’re suffering.”

The memory was a knife that twisted in your chest every time you let yourself think about him. You’d tried to move on, but the ache lingered like a shadow. His scent still clung faintly to your pillow, and when Formula 1 broadcasts filled your living room, your gaze always searched for him, despite yourself.

But something else had begun to demand your attention. It started subtly—a faint nausea when you woke up, an overwhelming fatigue that had you retreating to bed far earlier than usual. At first, you dismissed it as stress. The breakup had taken a toll on your body and mind.

But one morning, as you sat at your kitchen table trying to stomach your coffee, a wave of dizziness struck you so strongly you had to grip the counter for support. You froze. Your mind pieced together the symptoms, and a cold realization settled over you.

An hour later, you stood in the bathroom, a test in hand, staring at two unmistakable lines.

You were pregnant.

The discovery left you paralyzed. Joy and fear warred within you. A part of you thrilled at the thought of a life growing inside you, something so uniquely yours and Toto’s. But then, the doubts crept in.

What would Toto say? The question haunted you. Could you even tell him? After all, he had been the one to leave, to decide that love wasn’t enough to overcome the barriers between you. Would he see this child as another complication?

And then there was your family. The disapproving looks, the harsh words they had thrown your way when they learned about your relationship with Toto. You could only imagine their reaction now.

But despite the fear, one thing was clear: this baby was yours to love and protect. And no matter how daunting the path ahead seemed, you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Weeks passed, and you kept the secret to yourself. You focused on preparing for the baby, slowly coming to terms with the reality of doing this on your own.

That all changed on a crisp winter afternoon. Leaving your first ultrasound appointment, you were tucking the image of your baby into your bag when you saw him.

Toto stood in the hospital lobby, speaking with someone you didn’t recognize. His tall frame and familiar presence made your heart lurch painfully. You tried to turn away, to slip out unnoticed, but fate wasn’t on your side. He looked up, his piercing eyes meeting yours across the room.

—You’re here —he said —his deep voice laced with surprise as he stepped toward you.

You froze, unsure what to say, until his gaze fell to where your hand rested protectively over your stomach. His expression shifted, confusion melting into realization.

—Is it…? —His voice trailed off, his eyes wide.

You swallowed hard, your throat tight. There was no point in hiding it now.

—Yes. —you said softly. —It’s yours.

Toto’s face was a mixture of emotions—shock, disbelief, and something deeper, something raw that made your chest tighten. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped, as if the words refused to form.

—Can we talk? —he asked, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant.

You hesitated. The urge to run was strong, but you knew this moment was inevitable. Nodding, you led him outside to a nearby bench. The winter air bit at your skin, but the cold was nothing compared to the tension between you.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. He was staring at the ground, his jaw clenched. You could feel his struggle to find the right words, and finally, he looked up, his dark eyes locking with yours.

—I didn’t know. —he said, his voice heavy. —If I had known… I…

You cut him off, shaking your head.

—If you had known, would it have changed anything? You made your choice, Toto. You walked away because you didn’t think we could make it work.

Your voice cracked, but you pushed through.

—I wasn’t going to tell you. I thought… I thought it would be easier for both of us. You left, and I wasn’t going to beg you to come back. But now…

You paused, placing a hand on your belly. The gesture was unconscious, but his eyes followed it, softening as he looked at you again.

—Now you need to know, because this baby deserves to have both parents if that’s what you want. I won’t force you to stay. I’ve already decided to do this on my own if I have to.

Toto’s brows furrowed, and he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the ground again.

—You think I wouldn’t want to be here? —he asked, his voice quiet but firm. —You think I’d walk away from you? From them?

He sat up straight, his expression resolute.

—Yes, I made a mistake. I thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go. I thought I was protecting you from the pressure, from your family’s disapproval. But it was the worst decision of my life.

His voice wavered, but he pressed on.

—I still love you. I never stopped. And now… Now we have a chance to build something, to be a family. Please, let me prove it to you.

Your heart ached at his words. You wanted to believe him, to trust that he meant every word. But the pain of his leaving still lingered.

—This isn’t just about me anymore, Toto. If you’re here, it has to be for both of us, me and the baby. Not because you feel guilty, not because it’s the right thing to do.

He reached for your hand, his fingers warm despite the cold.

—I’m here because I want to be, he said softly. —Because I love you, and I already love them. I want to fix this. I want to be in your life, in their life.

Tears burned in your eyes as you searched his face for any sign of hesitation, but there was none. He was serious, and for the first time in months, you felt a glimmer of hope.

—Okay, you said. —your voice trembling. —But this is going to take time.

Toto nodded, squeezing your hand.

—As much time as you need. I’ll be here.

The months that followed weren’t easy. Trust had to be rebuilt, and the wounds of the past didn’t heal overnight. But Toto was there for every step of the journey—doctor’s appointments, nursery shopping, late-night cravings.

He made mistakes, of course, but he worked tirelessly to prove his commitment, not just to you, but to the family you were creating together.

The day your baby was born, Toto was by your side, holding your hand as tears streamed down his face. When he held the baby for the first time, his broad shoulders seemed to shake under the weight of his emotions.

—He is perfect. —he whispered, his voice thick with tears. —Just like their mother.

You watched as he cradled the tiny bundle, his hands so careful and steady, as if he were holding the most precious thing in the world. In that moment, the doubts and fears that had haunted you for months seemed to dissolve.

Toto looked up at you, his eyes shining with a mixture of love and determination.

—I’ll never let you down again. —he said softly. —Both of you.

You smiled through your tears, reaching out to stroke the baby’s cheek.

—We’ll hold you to that. —you replied, your voice light but full of meaning.

The three of you sat there in the quiet room, the chaos of the past forgotten as you embraced this new chapter. It wasn’t the fairy tale you’d once imagined, but it was real, and it was yours.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, the divide between you didn’t feel so wide anymore.

[princessbrunette]

kinktober : oct 2nd

modern!anakin x post argument sex

something about your emotions being so fragile made the sex all the more pleasurable.

you’d argued, not over something silly or small — but it had gotten blown way out of proportion, and anakin had spent the past hour apologising after spending the past two hours sulking separately in different rooms. you’d both messed up — he’d done something to upset you, unknowingly — and you’d spent the last week being distant and cold instead of just communicating. it was a classic game of pride, but after talking it out — you were finally on the right path again.

he’d kissed your face, tasting your salty tears and all, and then your swollen lips, which turned into grabbing eachother just to feel the warmth of each others skin and heartbeats under palms. this had snowballed until he was between your thighs, his strong arms holding them open as you lay bare on the bed at the mercy of his tongue.

“j-just a minute—” you shudder, voice hoarse as you come down from another orgasm. his only response for the time being is soothingly stroking your hips, spitting on your cunt and rolling the dollop of saliva up to your clit with his tongue. when you jerk with a whine, he relents— pulling back breathless with a slick covered mouth and chin.

“do you forgive me yet, sweet girl?” he rasps, his own voice weaker and lower from earliers argument. your hand runs through flattened blonde curls as you exhale.

“already forgave you ani.” you remind him, but he doesn’t look satisfied, licking over his glossy bottom lip.

“want you to really mean it.” he mutters, pushing himself up onto his knees where he sat on his feet. effortlessly, he guides your shaking body to sit up, and then onto his lap where he could hold you close. your body welcomes him easily when you sink down on him, having been worked open previously — but you wince at his size all the same.

once inside, he’s dropping his forehead to your shoulder, large rough hands caressing your bare back feeling you flutter around his length.

“ani…” you whimper, arms wrapped around his neck, chests pressed together.

“i know baby, i know.” he sighs, hands finally taking the meat of your hips and started to move you, doing all the work. you collapse against him, a muffled sob leaving you as you drop your face onto his warm skin, and he continues to shush you. “it’s okay to cry, beautiful. wanna make it all better now yeah? make my girl feel good.” he pants, mouth hung open as you clench and squeeze around him, ever so slightly testing his practiced self restraint.

your cries are whiny and slurred as if you were drunk, all the emotions having tipped you into this super dependent subspace, emotions at an all time high. you babbled, barely coherent as he fucked you on his cock. “just wanna be good. i don’t like being bad, ani.” it’s pathetic and weak and his heart melts for you.

“you’re my good girl, sweetheart. i know.” he reassures, voice teetering on a groan as he’s lifting his hips to meet your movements now, hand sneaking down to play with your sensitive clit. “let me have it pretty, take what you need.”

anakin always knew how to make you feel better.

requested tag! : @hanasnx

[gatawoman]

Serenity of the Rain

Jason Todd x GN

Hiii guys, two things: 1st, this is my first time writing a story, and 2nd, I’m open to any suggestions or even if you guys want more :)

AN: Reader is a student at the University of Gotham who is trying to become a nurse and has known Jason since her childhood.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　

Pit pat, pit pat. The sound of rain in Gotham is something that you have grown very much accustomed to hearing for as long as you can remember. That still doesn’t mean you aren’t annoyed with it, especially when you have an upcoming test in three days that you’re studying for.

A grunt leaves your lips as you find yourself distracted by every little sound your ears start picking up on: the sirens, the raindrops, the thunder—and your window being lifted up.

Your window being lifted up??

You drop your pen and slowly take the spiked bat Jason gave you as a joke (not really) as a late birthday gift and tiptoe your way to the living room. You see a tall figure entering your living room, and your arm winds up with all the strength you have to swing.

“Drop it. You should know by now it’s me,” Jason says with a hint of amusement.

“Yeah, well, in a city where people go around in makeup or masks with leotards either committing crimes or stopping them, you don’t want to take the gamble, do you?” you snap back, a bit annoyed. It’s not like you don’t want him here. To be honest, as much as you’d hate to say it out loud, having him around always gives you a sense of security and peace of mind. “What are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be in space or something?”

“That was last week,” Jason says with an eyebrow raised. “C’mon, gorgeous. Don’t act like you aren’t happy to see me,” he adds with a smirk.

The minute you’re about to retaliate, you notice something: his hand is holding onto his left side, his stance isn’t as straight, and the little wave of arrogance is replaced with a small, sharp inhale.

“Hey, what’s going on?” You rush to his side without hesitation, and all the annoyance you had leaves your mind, replaced by a blanket of concern.

“During a drug bust on Penguin’s goons, I got a tiny injury—nothing serious,” Jason replies as he slowly removes his hand from the delicate spot.

The minute his hand stops shielding the spot, you’re torn between yelling at him and punching him in the exact same place.

“Jason, a tiny injury is not a bullet wound!” you yell at him. “What’s going to happen if one day I’m not here and I can’t treat you? Who would you go to then? What would you do?” You feel bad, but you can’t help expressing your genuine concern and a bit of anger toward him. You and Jason have known each other since you were kids in Crime Alley. You’ve lost him before and can’t bear the thought of losing him again—or even not being there for him one day. The thought isn’t far-fetched; you live in Gotham, and you’re already proud you’ve made it this far without a freak-show incident happening to you.

And it’s like he can read your mind. His gloved hand reaches out to you. “Hey, look at me,” he says, holding your chin to make you look up at him. “Don’t you ever say that. I would never let anyone even touch a single hair on you, Y/N.” Jason’s voice, now serious and stern, somehow makes you even angrier.

You bite your tongue and guide him to the bathroom where you keep your first aid kit.

And you feel like you’re back to square one trying to concentrate on your work, this time on the needle you’re using to stitch up his wound. Your hands are shaky, and the room holds the noise of your uneven breath as you try to find a normal pattern. All you can think about is what if. What if you can’t be there for him one day? What if you lose him again? What if you never get the chance to say how you felt the minute his green eyes met yours in Crime Alley? It sometimes feels like you’re racing against time, but you’re losing. And, come on, you don’t even have any real combat knowledge—just some experience from street fights as a kid.

“Ouch.”

Your hand halts as you make eye contact with Jason.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Jay.” Great, you’ve caused the guy even more collateral damage.

“I’m joking. Just wanted to calm that little mind of yours. What’s going on in there, huh?” Jason’s eyes are filled with concern.

How do you even respond to that? Oh, nothing. You know, just thinking about how I might lose my best friend again without telling him I’m deeply in love with him. Totally normal. Yeah, no. Instead, you go with your go-to answer in these scenarios:

“Nothing’s going on. I’m just tired, Jay,” you say in the most neutral tone you can muster.

“Now you know, Y/N, I can tell when you’re lying,” Jason replies, his voice soft and delicate.

As you start putting your equipment away, you can’t help the annoying feeling of your chest becoming heavier and your eyes stinging as you fight tears. And it’s like he senses the shift in your emotions. Two strong arms wrap around you.

Silence takes over the room as your tears seep into Jason’s t-shirt. Not that you cry often, but when you do, you’ve always preferred silent comfort over being bombarded with questions. Jason knows that by now, and that’s what he gives you—a comforting silence, his actions showing you that he’s there.

You and Jason stand there for about five minutes. The tears start to dry, and your breathing returns to normal. You feel his rough thumb wipe your eyes.

“I’m not going to rush you to tell me what’s wrong, Y/N. I just want to know if I’m making it worse by being here right now,” Jason says.

“Don’t even think about leaving, Todd,” you reply, trying to lighten the mood by using his last name. Key word: try, but Jason knows you too well. He catches the hint of sadness in your voice.

A yawn escapes your mouth, the exhaustion of studying, overthinking, and crying draining you completely.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Jason says, scooping you up so suddenly you don’t have time to argue.

As your shoulders slump and he carries you to your room, your eyes grow heavy. You feel his arms dip, replaced by the softness of your comforter.

Just as Jason starts to leave, your hand shoots up, grabbing his.

“Stay,” you murmur before you can process what you’re asking for.

There’s a pause, then the bed dips as Jason lies down beside you. You don’t know if you imagine it, but you could swear you hear him say, “Always.”

The rhythm of his heartbeat mixes with the rain outside—a sound that, earlier, annoyed you but now brings a peace you haven’t felt in a long time. As sleep claims you, the fleeting thought crosses your mind: maybe he already knows how you feel.

[wordstome]

kingdom come - ii

king König x princess & assassin reader

2nd person, no y/n, she/her pronouns, afab reader, romance, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, kind of age gap because König has been king for a good chunk of time but it's not really much of a factor, fantasy/medieval setting

4.4k words

tw: none

[PREVIOUS] [NEXT]

Let's have something lighthearted and playful after the absolute Week the cod fandom has had, shall we?

“What do you mean he’s letting you kill him?”

“I don’t know what you want from me, Calliope, I thought I made myself quite clear.”

“But…but that’s mad!”

“He is mad!” You shove the sleeves of your blouse over your arms. “But I’m still alive, so I’m not complaining.”

“Of course. Should I send word to your father about these new developments?”

You bite your lip. “No,” you say. Something catches your eye outside the window, and you move closer to have a look. König is outside, walking with one of his advisors while eating an apple. It’s a strange juxtaposition between the relaxed boyishness of him throwing the apple in the air and catching it, and the stark, emotionless expression of the mask covering half his face.

As if he can feel your gaze on you, he looks upwards, eyes locking with yours. You shudder and quickly shut the curtains.

“I can do this.” You say, determined.

“You’re not eating.”

You stare resolutely at him from across the table. “I’m not hungry.”

He sighs, as if you’re a difficult child he’s being forced to babysit. “I heard your stomach growl. The food won’t bite back.”

“To be frank, I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“Who the fuck is Frank?”

You glower at him. “I know this is all a game to you, but I’m trying to stay alive.”

“By not eating?”

You look down at the food dubiously, and your doubt must be written all over your face, because König laughs. “Surely you do not think so lowly of me that I would poison my bride at the breakfast table,” he taunts. “That wouldn’t be in the spirit of the hunt.”

“You’ll have to forgive me for presuming otherwise of the man who asked me to eat a nightshade berry.”

He rolls his eyes. “One berry can’t kill a full-grown man. Or woman.” He takes a sip of wine. “And besides, that wasn’t the point of our little encounter in the garden anyway.”

Your hunger wins out over your apprehension. “Enlighten me,” you say, tucking into the food.

“Isn’t it obvious? I was testing you to see if you were going to try and kill me.” He points a fork with a piece of sausage on it at you. “Quiet, secluded place with nobody watching, plenty of exits. You surprised me by staring at me like a startled doe.”

“You caught me off guard,” you mutter. “You’re a very off-putting person.”

He gives you a bemused look. “You’re not a very good assassin.”

You bristle. “I assure you, if my target was anybody else, they would already be dead.”

“Tell me, princess. Have you ever killed anybody?”

“I’ve killed.”

“A human.”

“I know how to kill someone!”

“So that’s a no.”

You’re fuming at this point, your meal long forgotten. “It’s not to my advantage to let you know what I can and can’t do.”

He studies you, twirling his fork in an admittedly mesmerizing motion. “And your father sent you here, to kill me, having never spilled another person’s blood before.”

“My father prepared me my entire life for this.”

“Not sure that speaks highly of your skill.”

You’re already tired of him. “What’s the point of this?” you demand. “A smarter man would have either killed me or thrown me in a cell by now.”

“Not a smarter man, a boring one,” König corrects.

“So you have a death wish.”

“Of course not. I have much to live for. Eating, killing, fucking. Great fun. But not enough on its own.” His grin is near wolfish as he stares you down.

“You are vile.”

“You could be doing something about that.”

You look at him in mortified disbelief. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”

“I was referring to killing me, but it is interesting that’s where your mind went first.” He looks entirely too pleased with himself, as if he’s caught you in a clever trap.

“Fuck you.”

“Now we’re talking!” He stands up, and for one fleeting moment, you fear he’s about to make good on the offer, but instead he just wipes his mouth and makes to leave.

“As much as I’ve enjoyed this little bout of verbal sparring, I have somewhere to be.”

“You seem in quite a rush to leave my presence, for a man who seems so convinced I won’t be able to kill him.” If he wants to be a smart little asshole, you can too.

“Ah, believe me, princess. I would like nothing more than to spend all day in your lovely, murderous presence. But unfortunately, I have responsibilities.” He runs a hand through his tousled hair, and you studiously ignore the way your stomach flips a little at the motion. “I’m obligated to hear petitions.”

You stand up. “I’m coming with you.”

“Why? It’s fucking dull.”

“So I can have more opportunities to kill you.”

“Yes. Of course.” Again with that smile. You’ve never met anyone half as pleased to be in your presence as he is. (The only exception is Calliope, but she kind of has to be near you.) This man simply refuses to act in any normal manner whatsoever, and it’s starting to get on your nerves. You throw your dagger at the back of his head more out of irritation than a dedicated effort to kill him.

He catches it in the air with casual precision and keeps walking. “Too predictable, little one.”

You should be concerned by his razor-sharp reflexes, but it’s difficult to feel anything but annoyance right now. And…respect?

You get up and follow him before you can give yourself a chance to dissect that.

König was right. This is dull.

At first, the concept of receiving petitioners seemed like an amusing prospect. But in practice, it’s all politics and people complaining about taxes.

You entertain yourself by watching König. He seems just as bored, if not more, as you. He appears to be intrigued by your dagger: examining it, testing the edge, handling the heft.

Some man is talking animatedly with his hands, bemoaning some property dispute with his neighbor. You’re sure that if König rolls his eyes any harder into the back of his skull, he’ll go pigeon-eyed. Admirably, he manages to push through—if it had been you, you would have just told the man to get out and stop wasting your time. As loathe as you are to admit it, König is a good leader.

“Alright, we’re done here. Tell them to go home,” König says, dismissing everyone with a flick of his wrist. The guards begin to push the doors closed when one last man runs in, near crazed, and throws himself on the floor, babbling incoherently.

“What is the meaning of this?” König demands, immediately standing up. The guards begin to approach the man, hands on swords.

“Wait! Please, your majesty, I beg of you,” the man pleads. “I have journeyed many days to come here and beseech your aid.”

König heaves a sigh. “Spit it out then.”

“Thank you, my king,” the man pants, pushing himself up to a standing position. “There’s a beast. In the south.”

“A beast?”

“It’s ravaging the countryside. It follows the flocks, but it doesn’t eat them. It’s…” The man swallows hard. He looks weary, run ragged no doubt by his arduous journey to the capital. “It’s taking our children, sir.”

König’s eyes narrow. “And you haven’t attempted to track it down yourself?”

“We’ve tried, your majesty. Our most skilled hunters have gone after it.” The man sways unsteadily on his feet. “None of them have come back.”

“Has anyone laid eyes on it? Is it a wolf?”

“None who have seen it have returned to tell the tale.”

König leans back, looking contemplative. One of his advisors speaks. “We’ve received reports about this already, sire. We’ve dispatched soldiers already but had no luck.”

The man shakes his head frantically. “It doesn’t leave anyone behind to tell the tale, sir. Not many people dare to go into the woods anymore, and the ones that do…they don’t come back right.”

“How so.”

The man’s voice betrays his naked fear, trembling. “They go mad, sir. Some think…some think it’s the fae’s doing.”

That seems to finally get König’s interest. He leans forward, his entire demeanor stiffening. A hush falls over the people gathered as the man invokes the fair folk’s name.

Everybody knows the fae exist. In hushed whispers, people tell the old stories: of when the fair folk lived among men and ruled over them with cruelty and trickery. There are some forests people know to stay out of. And when a newborn babe fusses just a bit too much, or a child grows up a little too quiet, the rumors fly in secret.

The fae are cruel, beautiful, and nearly impossible for a mortal to kill. If they’re involved in this matter with the beast, then that village is as good as dead.

Before König can say anything, the man fidgets and turns. You watch as his attention lands on you, eyes widening. Something his gaze becomes unfocused, misty, his chest beginning to heave as he visibly panics.

“You…they’re here…THEY’RE HERE!” With a crazed look on his face, the man lunges towards you, moving at a threatening speed. Your hand goes instinctively to your hidden sheathe, but your fingers close around air. Shit! König still has your dagger. You brace to defend yourself as the man draws even closer—

Like a deadly blur, König is on the man in an instant. The force of him knocks you backwards, watching in shock as König subdues the screaming, flailing man with cold, expert precision.

As if in slow motion, you watch with a mixture of horror and fascination as he turns to look at you. His eyes, usually a tranquil pale green, are blue. Vivid blue, with an unearthly glow to them that makes you wonder if you’re hallucinating. You feel like a butterfly pinned to cork by that stare, simultaneously trapped and admired.

He blinks, once, and his eyes are green again.

With what looks like no effort at all, he turns the man on his stomach and pins his arms behind him as he struggles and hollers. “Put this one in a cell,” he says with a deep growl. “We’ll see what he has to say for himself when he’s in his right mind again. If he ever is.” The guards rush forward to haul the man away as König stands back up.

He gives the rest of the room a cursory glance. “Well? Back to your duties.”

The gawking staff quickly gather themselves and scatter. König claps his hands together as if dusting off some nuisance.

“…Why did you do that?” You ask, unable to help yourself.

He gives you a skeptical look. “Why did I defend my queen from an attacker?”

You take a deep breath. Gods preserve you. “I’m not your anything.”

“Technically untrue. You are my wife, which makes you the queen.” He strides over to you and offers you your dagger, holding the blade so you can grab the hilt.

Its weight soothes you as you put it back into its rightful place. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ve already said I have no intention of killing you. Besides, it wouldn’t look good for me if I allowed you to be attacked in your own home.”

This isn’t my home, you almost say, but stop yourself. You’re starting to sound too much like a whining child, and you don’t like it.

You surprise the both of you with what comes out of your mouth next. “Thank you.”

He’s looking at you that way again, like you’re a puzzle he’s trying to solve. “You’re welcome.” He averts his eyes, hesitating for a moment like he wants to say more. Then he evidently thinks better of it and strides away from you.

“My lady!” Calliope rushes forward, concern written all over her face. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, just…shaken,” you say, still watching König leave. “I’m fine.”

“Simply outrageous. I can’t believe none of the guards got to that man in time,” she fumes, fussing over you in her way.

“Yes, well. König got here in time. So no harm was done.”

Calliope follows your gaze, eyes narrowing at König’s retreating backside just as he turns the corner and vanishes from sight. “I don’t like that one.”

“Neither do I,” you snort.

“No, pet. Listen to me.” Startled, you turn to look at her. You haven’t heard her take on this tone in quite a while: the last time was when you had broken your wrist trying to scale one of the abandoned towers back home. You can’t quite recall why you had been trying to do that, but you do remember the worried look on her face, and the sternness of her words.

“He’s not right,” she says. “Something’s wrong about him.”

It’s a foregone conclusion to say that König is no ordinary man, but something about the furrow of Calliope’s brow tells you that more is happening here than she’s letting on. “Are you going to elaborate?”

A strange look passes over her face, like a cloud briefly blocking the sun. “No.”

You wait for a few moments before nodding. Whatever it is, you trust her to know what’s best. “I see. Though I didn’t need a warning on how dangerous he is, you know.”

“You are a smart girl,” she says wistfully, straightening your ruffled clothes a bit. “But there are some things that are not for you to understand.”

“I have to understand, if I’m to kill him.”

She frowns. “I think you should put that out of your mind for now.”

“What?”

“I mean, you may have to play a longer game with this one. There’s too much we don’t know.”

You open your mouth, then close it. She’s right. There was something bone-chilling about the way he looked at you just now, but instead of feeling afraid, you feel something different. Curiosity. Fascination.

Not for the first time—or the last—you feel drawn to him.

König’s been antsy lately.

You’ve gotten quite good at reading his moods, even when he’s wearing the hood. The rest of his body betrays him: his shoulders are tense, and his fingers are constantly toying with a phantom knife. He prefers to be fidgeting with an actual one, but it tends to make him too intimidating for that to be practical.

You’ve taken Calliope’s advice and taken to studying your target rather than trying to end him and be done with it. There’s a lot to notice, which is surprising: you’d taken him for some mindless hulking brute upon first impression. It’s clear that he’s intelligent, with a cunning quickness to his thinking that both impresses and chills you.

Shame he’s still as much of a raging pervert as he was in the beginning, though.

“You know, I wasn’t sure about you in pants at first, but now I think you should wear them more often,” he says, surprising you during target practice. He startles you enough to throw your shot off, the arrow clattering uselessly to the ground below the target.

“Can I help you?” you demand, giving him a venomous side eye.

“Not at all, princess. Just admiring the view.” He leans against a nearby post, watching your confused expression. It takes him shifting his gaze downward for you to realize what he means.

“Ugh!” Without hesitation, you nock another arrow and shoot it at him, aiming right between his eyes. He dodges it, of course.

“You can’t expect me to marry a pretty woman and not look at her,” he says smugly.

It’s an unfamiliar situation, being desired. You don’t have much experience with this sort of thing: not only are you the king’s daughter, but you tend to give off a chilly, hyper-competent aura that keeps men with fragile egos away from you. You’ve only had one encounter with a man: a shy kiss behind the stables, featherlight touches that sent tingles through your whole body.

König has never touched you, but the way he looks at you is enough to make you blush. You should be indignant, but instead you find you don’t mind all that much.

“Why are you bothering me?” you say instead of responding to what he said.

“Bothering you? I’m hurt,” he says, placing a hand over his heart as if you’ve physically wounded him. “I came to inform you of my departure.”

“Your what?” you ask, gawking at him. “Where are you going?”

“Do you remember that man who came to tell us about the beast?”

“You mean the man who attacked me? I’d forgotten,” you say drily.

“Your wit is as alluring as ever,” he responds. “I’ve decided to enlist the help of the most competent man I know to deal with the threat.”

“And who would that be?”

“Me, of course.”

You shoot him a confused look. “You’re leaving to deal with something personally?”

“It’s too perilous of a problem to continue throwing my men at,” he says, taking on a more serious tone. He’s toying with a knife again: a hefty, aggressive-looking thing with a jagged edge. “If you want something done, you need to do it yourself. Or at least lay eyes on the problem yourself.”

“You’re not worried at all about dying and leaving your throne empty?” you ask disbelievingly. This is beyond reckless, verging on foolish.

“Don’t start,” he sighs. “I just got out of a hours-long meeting with my advisors. Anything you could say to me, they’ve already told me a dozen times. It won’t change my mind.” One look at him tells you he’s dead serious, and won’t be persuaded otherwise.

“Well, when do we leave?”

“We?”

“Yes, of course. I’m coming with you,” you say, puzzled at his confusion.

“You are not.”

“Yes, I am.”

“It’s too dangerous. And besides, the journey won’t be pleasant. I’ll be traveling without guards or servants.”

“Why on earth not?”

“Too much of a hassle. I’ll get there faster if I’m traveling alone. Emphasis on alone. Besides, I would prefer not to be sending any innocents to their deaths.”

“You’ll need someone to watch your back.”

“And you think you qualify?”

“Yes!”

He chuckles at your indignant tone. “With all due respect, my queen, I doubt you could take care of yourself out there, much less be of use to me.”

You wish he wouldn’t call you that. It makes your chest feel strange. Which isn’t helpful when you’re getting mad at him for doubting your competence.

“If you go alone, you might not come back,” you retort. “If I come with you, I can ensure you don’t come back.”

He looks at you, startled, and proceeds to let out a hearty laugh. “You are full of surprises,” he says. “It won’t be like a vacation, you know. We’ll have to travel light.”

“I can handle that.”

“I’m sure you can. The question is, can you handle whatever beast those villagers are so worried about? You may not worry about my wellbeing, but I would worry about your own first.”

“You don’t think I can hold my own?”

“To be honest? No.”

“Then let me prove myself.” You step right up to him, so close that your face is nearly pressed to his chest. God, he’s so big. And broad— “Let me show you I can hold my own in a fight.”

A sly smile crosses his face. “Alright. Let’s spar.”

You blink. “Excuse me?”

“Let’s. Spar.”

“You want me to fight you?”

“What were you expecting?”

“That’s not a fair fight.”

“You came here to kill me.”

“Assassinations don’t usually happen during prearranged one-on-one fights.”

“Touché. But I’m not asking you to beat me. If I think you’re competent, then you can come along.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“I actively do not want you to join me, mind you.”

You let out a quick, angry breath through your nose. Infuriating. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Excellent. I’ll see you after lunch, then.”

You turn away from him and trudge over to a tree to pick up some fallen arrows. “What’s the rush? Are you leaving so soon?”

“Tomorrow morning, in fact. Just before dawn.”

“I can wake up that early.”

“No need to put the horse before the carriage here. If you’re going.”

“I’m not concerned.” You bend down to pick a few arrows out of some scrappy tough grass, and when you straighten, König is right there, looming over you like a threatening shadow.

“What—” You gasp as the knife König was fiddling with rushes past your face and embeds itself in the tree trunk behind you.

“I don’t think this is quite getting through to you, so I’ll only say this once,” he mutters darkly, leaning over you to whisper directly into your ear, his hand firmly gripping the knife above your head. “You have nothing to prove to me, and I don’t know what you’re trying to do by insisting you come with me. If you change your mind now, we need not speak about this again.”

You glare up at him. “You’re not going to change my mind. And it’s quite suspicious that you’re trying to.”

“Is it really so difficult to believe that I’m concerned for your welfare?”

You don’t understand him. Being this close to him isn’t helping you think straight, either. There’s no other way to describe it, but it’s almost like you can feel the intensity radiating off him. He smells like pine needles and lye, and some distinctly manly musk that you don’t dislike. And when he’s up close like this, you can see every detail of his eyes, the green streaked with blue and brown.

“It would be easier if you weren’t,” you whisper.

He snorts. “Don’t I know it.” Before you can process what the hell he means by that, he’s pulling his knife out of the tree and stalking off, suddenly in some sulky mood.

You stare at the deep mark left in the bark, wondering what just happened.

“Again,” calls the swordsmaster.

You scramble to your feet, exhausted and sore. “This isn’t fair,” you whine. You’re twelve years old, and the man who’s been teaching you how to fight has just dropped you for what feels like the millionth time in a row.

“How so?”

“You’re bigger than me!” you pout. “And far stronger.”

“That isn’t always an advantage, you know,” he says, doing a flourish with his practice sword that you vow right there and then to master someday.

“How? That’s all fighting is. It’s just big people beating up the little people.”

“Being smaller just means you have to be nimbler.” He gestures for you to come at him again. “Don’t focus on trying to hit me in the chest. Use your size to your advantage and focus on weak points.”

You brandish the practice sword again and ground yourself, steeling yourself with a deep breath before charging. You go for the knees, smacking them so hard that they buckle, bringing your instructor down with a shout.

“I did it!” you beam proudly.

“A little unorthodox, but the job is done,” he pants. “Remember, there is no decorum when you are fighting for your life. It is imperative you intuit your enemy’s weak points and exploit them. Even the strongest enemy can be brought low.”

You nod with determination. “Always go for the knees.” That draws a laugh out of your instructor.

There’s something deeply unnerving about the way this man moves.

König is so big, but he doesn’t move like it. The way he paces reminds you of a big cat: all intimidation and quiet, deadly strength on light feet.

“I’ll let you make the first move,” he says with a crooked smile. He looks deliciously rumpled, the sleeves of his shirt pushed to his elbows. You’re only looking at the swell of his biceps for tactical reasons, of course. Of course.

“How generous,” you reply. Without hesitation, you lunge at him.

He’s ready for you, of course. He matches you hit for hit, parrying you effortlessly. If you thought he was fast before, there’s something downright inhuman about it now. You doubt he’s even breaking a sweat.

He pushes you back, sliding on your feet a little. “Do you seriously have one hand behind your back right now?” you hiss.

“You’re as difficult to fend off as a feather,” he shoots back.

It’s like having a conversation, sparring with him. More than just the banter, of course. You trade blows, each unable to move in too closely to the other. He may be strong, but you’re fast. And you can tell you’re wearing him down.

“Getting tired, big boy?” you taunt.

“Of waiting for you to give up? Perhaps,” he grits out. “Don’t try my patience, princess.”

“I want to watch you squirm,” you respond. You watch as König’s eyes widen slightly. You jump at the opportunity, taking advantage of his moment of shock to knock him off balance and pinning him underneath you.

“That wasn’t so hard,” you purr as he pants under you. “Feel familiar?”

“Last time we were in this position, it didn’t end so well for you,” König shoots back. He can say whatever he wants, but you’ve visibly winded him.

“This time, I went for the knees.”

“Oh?”

“You have buttons that are very entertaining to push, your highness.”

“You little—”

It’s quick. One moment he’s pinned underneath you, and another moment some supernatural strength has him rapidly reversing your positions. He catches you off guard, and you spot a flash of blue in his eyes as the wind is knocked out of your lungs.

“Next time you have an enemy pinned like that, finish the job instead of crowing about your victory,” he hisses.

You wheeze a little before shooting him a coy look. “Struck a nerve, did I?”

“You are an infuriating little minx,” he says, visibly frustrated. He stands up, offering you a helping hand.

You take it, springing up with a little bounce to your step. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Am I coming with you?”

He sighs in consternation. “I suppose you are.”

You give him a little pat on the face. His exposed cheek is warm underneath your palm as he looks at you with an indecipherable expression.

“Glad we sorted that out. See you at dinner,” you say sweetly.

You prance off without a look back. You could use a bath.

MOOOOOOOM THEY'RE FLIRTINGGG

I started out unsure of how this chapter was going to turn out, as it's mostly just setup for the plot to get going. But I ended up having a lot of fun, and some pretty important things are set up in this. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Comments and feedback are of course always appreciated <3

@crowbird @poohkie90 @cumikering @iytatsworld @papaver-decervicatus @anxietyrain @riotakire @ax0lotly @cookiepie111 @kacchasu @no1runawaymilkdad @chthonian-spectre @backwards-readings @yxllowtxpe @garbau @hexqueensupreme @queenthorin1 @violetstyless @her-majesty-theking @vegan-peppermint @peonytarian @ghostslittlegf @euuuuuuun @e1x03 @kokonoiwife @deaddainish @dragonfang @teehee-47 @catluvwr @keiva1000 @waves-against-a-cliff @channelsoph @cutiecusp

[inkedbookboyfriend]

Vulnerable StoryTime 2024 in review:

(Please do not reblog. But know if I can get through the following and still be super positive and optimistic, then so can you. I believe in you and hope my story helps)

2024... Wow, what a year!! Started off with new years day 911 call and getting admitted to the ER for a month. During that time I was dating a gal who I was in a volatile/narcissistic relationship with. We were planning on getting a place and I was going to raise her son as my own (that she was pregnant with when we met and already had 3 other kids so what was one more right 🤷🏻 i always wanted to be a dad) and kid was born in November and things were great. Then January happened. Got admitted for my flare up of ulcerative colitis and went through three infusion treatments and couldn't get it under control.

January 24th I woke up in my hospital bed screaming to "get it the f**k out of me" as my colon went mega toxic colon and I was distended the size of a beach ball (it was dead and exploding inside of me) had it removed. No more colon and was left with an ileostomy bag to shit in for the rest of my life (if I chose not to do jpouch procedure) and my life was forever changed.

I had almost died from organ failure due to malnutrition from not eating since December 2nd (was down from 207 in prime shape working out everyday to 150lbs) had a pick line put in with a bag of nutrients to keep me alive during this. The whole time in the hospital the girl I was dating never came to see me. We fought etc and not to mention on January 16th the baby passed away due to sids during that major icestorm we had (she lived two hours away in Eugene where it was very bad. So here I am almost dying, baby I was planning on being a dad to died, malnutrished, 150lb skeleton, lost my Colon, stuck shitting in an ileostomy bag and then she ghosts me (which I understood her baby dying I can't imagine how she felt)...

I get pushed out of hospital a week later and scared af, traumatized by so much of everything and get massive infection 3 days after being released and taken back to hospital. Surgery number two to insert drainage tube and was there most of February. Get out and have two massive wounds from on surgical line from the infection.

Then she pops back up out of no where and find out she was cheating on me and having a whole ass other full time relationship with another guy and she was cheating on him with another guy on top of that! Like wtf how is this possible! Literally extremely sick and twisted... so that ends! Then comes the worst shit you can say to another human being "Of course I cheated. You have a bag of shit stuck to the side of you. I'd never touch you again. No woman will. I was only with you for your money anyways and that's all you'll ever be good for now. No one wants to be with someone like that". Dude I've never been so hurt in my entire life.... I wanted to die after everything I had been through and still dealing with.

Back to health: so now I'm going to wound care 3 times a week to have dressing changed for a month then get a wound vac put on for another month and a half and during that time trying to learn to change this stupid bag lol (I had the hardest time doing that) now we're in May and end back up in the hospital for a week for infection again.

Then out of nowhere I wake up one night in pain! Horrible pain and can't move. Took 30 minutes to get out of bed and another month of Dr appointment and test and then get to rheumatologist to find out that my ulcerative colitis now attacks my joints like severe rheumatoid arthritis because it is an autoimmune disease. Even though my colon was gone it now attacks this, greeeeeat. So I now have to take an injection 💉 once a week on top of a ton of other meds and an ungodly amount of pain meds just to function daily. I still get flare ups but they are now short and fast lived. Few days max but they are rough and I hurt like he'll.

Then I meet Jessica. An amazing woman whom I adored and we would just talk for hours. She was a great woman and mom and she made me feel like a human being again. Helped restore my confidence and made me realize how much of a good man I really was. I gave her and her kiddo the world and summer and fall were great. However, she had alot of emotional Baggage and abuse she was dealing with from her ex (won't go into detail but was alot) and unfortunately it just wasn't going to work. We split up and that was rough too because it was a great relationship for what it was. Just wrong timing but we both got what we needed from the other to grow as people.

Then surgery number 3 happened during this time too and she was great (unlike the other one lol) and it went could to clean up all the scar tissue and and pull my stomach facia back together because it had split from the infection. But a day later I developed a hematoma along the whole surgical line. Basically a 13" blood clot and they had to go back into surgery again 2 days later.(#4 this year) and recovering this time was so much harder. Last few months had no energy and way more difficult due to the amount of trauma my body has been through.

Now I didn't cover all but the main parts. Here is what I took from this year.

It was the hardest, weakest, strongest and most challenging and growing year of my life. I had my lowest lows and my highest highs.

I found and lost love twice (which is surprising in itself considering I never date) I mourned the loss of a child, but I experienced him for a month and a half prior so was blessed with that even though he wasn't mine, I endured the most narcissistic/manipulative person alive, I found the most amazing, kind, loyal and encouraging person too, I learned true patience and understanding from her and her situation, I learned healing and self dependence on a level I never knew existed, I found myself after losing myself, I accepted total defeat and over came it, I found strength I never knew anyone could have, I found compassion and empathy in ways I can't explain because I also found true forgiveness and actually forgive Mariah for the evil she did.

Life is never what we expect it nor will it ever be perfect. We can only choose to be patient and understanding of everything we have and be fully grateful for life itself! It is so short my friends... so short. Make the most of it. Take chances. Take risks. Give yourself the opportunity to have an amazing life and be happy but most of all find your peace.

Find forgiveness and let go of the pain and hurt others caused you. We are not what has happened to us. We are not what anyone has done to us. Those were actions and choices reflecting on them. Let it go.

Find the people who choose you consistently day in and day out and please be kind.. always be kind to others because you never know what they're going through.

If I can get through and handle all that and still happy, smiling, helping others, trying to make as many people smile and laugh as possible, then you can get through whatever you're going through I promise you! I believe and have faith in you and am always here for anyone whoever needs to talk!

P.S.

GO TO DISNEYLAND & GET A TATTOO!!

(My cousin took me for the first time in my life, and it was my dream come true)

[thewinter-eden]

psycho | han jisung (7/20)

7 : the new girl

Pairings: HAN JISUNG x OC | LEE MINHO x 2nd OC

Rating: mature

cross posted on AO3 under the_winter_eden and wattpad under alone-at-last.

Warnings: discussions of murder, torture, rape.

psycho masterlist

< last chapter | next chapter >

note: for the last chapters, Cass's notes were supposed to be underlined and italicized and Minho's were just italicized but I guess that's not a thing with Tumblr so I'm adding tags to avoid confusion. Sorry about that.

There’s a commotion that Anna can hear all the way down the hall when Han comes to get her for evening meal. He’s finally got some color back in his cheeks, finally able to stand up a little straighter. It’s been nearly two weeks since Anna first cleaned up his stab wound. Two weeks since Sara stopped appearing at evening meal.

Han didn’t have to tell her the she had been killed that night.

They all knew.

When he comes to get her, surrounded by sounds of chatter, he offers her a shaky smile. It’s been the same routine ever since. Careful smiles, friendly touches, words of reassurance from both of them to each other.

She’s now one of the girls.

One of the girls that he holds and comforts in their worst moments, one of the girls that he looks after like his own sisters.

“Anna,” He greets her, pulling her door open. “How’s your arm?”

It’s still her most recent injury. Cain has left her alone to allow the bones to set a little before he starts in on her again, to exacerbate her wound when it’s safer to do so. As far as she can tell, he does his best not to break them too soon. It’s a strange system of scientific precision mixed with ungodly disregard for humanity.

She crawls out of bed with slow movements. “Hurts like hell.” She manages a weak smile. “But I don’t think it’s getting worse.”

He smiles back, and loops an arm around her waist to help her down the hall. He’s warm and stronger against her, a testimony to the evident healing that he’s somehow managing in the hellscape they’re all trapped in.

“And you?” She nods to his lower torso, and sees his right hand come up to hover over the wound.

“I’m cleaning it regularly, I promise.” Han gives her a little squeeze. “There’s something important, though.” He pulls them back, halting them before they get to the community room where all the conversation is coming from. He gestures with his chin. “There’s a new girl out there.”

Anna’s heart sinks. “What?”

It’s only been a little over a month since she was abducted. She’s still the new girl.

“How can there be a new one already?”

Han’s jaw clenches. “He killed two of his test subjects.” His eyes redden as he shoots her an awkward smile. “He doesn’t want to risk running out.”

“What a terrifying sentiment.” Anna swallows harshly and feels her stomach turn. “Is she okay? Was she hurt badly?”

He shakes his head. “I looked at her a little before I came to get you all. She has a few bruises but she seems alright. When she wakes up, she’ll be scared. Like you were.” His eyes are round and sincere as he watches her. “None of this works without everybody’s support.”

Anna nods slowly. “You’re asking me to reach out to her?”

He leans back a little, pulling them both a bit farther back into the hallway. “Look, when I first started this…everything was so much worse. The girls were surviving this on their own. They didn’t know each other, they never saw each other. They could hear each other, but that only made it worse, you know? They sat in their rooms, terrified, never knowing what was coming next, just to be dragged away and tortured whenever Cain chose.”

She listens, holding her breath. She thinks of Ruby, huddled in her bedroom, listening to the screams around her. Waiting in the dark, never released except to be strapped down to a chair and tortured by a madman.

“When we started this system,” He gestures to the group of girls that they can see huddled around someone in the middle of the room. “They were able to lean on each other. They were all going through the same thing, feeling the same fear, the same pain. And they started learning together. They shared information and figured out his schedule. They figured out his motives, his techniques. The older ones were able to warn the younger ones and give them support for what they would soon have to endure, and it got them through.” Han watches the group of girls with a terrible fondness in his eyes.

She feels her own well up with tears as she realizes how much he has done to help them all survive, at risk to his own safety. He’s brought them together to fight the terrible loneliness and abandonment they must have felt when they were on their own.

“You have to understand, Anna.” He whispers. “Before they got to build this support system together, there was a killing every week. Without each other, without being able to see behind the curtain, they did everything they could to block out the pain and it was literally killing them.”

She can imagine. If she thought she were alone down here, if she were just waiting in the dark in fear of the next torture session, she would probably be just as desperate to detach her mind from her surroundings in any way possible.

“You guys keep each other alive.” He tells her. “If you don’t take each other in, you don’t survive. Okay?”

She knows what he’s telling her.

This new girl needs all of them.

“And you?” Anna wonders. At his confused frown, she hurries on. “You do all of this for us. Does it help you survive, too?”

He chokes out a weak laugh and turns to grasp her by both shoulders. “I am trapped in this hell, watching my little brother die every single day.” A tear slips down his cheek and follows the trail of a thick scar beneath his eye. “Caring for all of you, seeing actual people every day…” His hands tremble as they squeeze her. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”

She barely manages a smile.

“And that.” He adds, peering at her through his bangs. “I never thought I’d see any of you happy after what he does to you. But you all smile at me. And the way they hold me—and you looked after my injury—if you squint your eyes, it almost looks like some type of livable reality.”

Anna’s heart breaks. She’s standing in the hopeful grasp of a boy who’s every inch of skin has been marked and torn, who’s watched an unknown number of young girls die without rescue, and he’s holding on to their smiles.

He’s staring at her, pleading with her to open her arms and let the new girl in so that she has the same chance that the rest of them do. He’s waiting for her to assure him that she’ll do her part and lend some strength. “Anna?”

She gives him a smile, the first real one since she woke up on that filthy floor. “None of this works without you, Hannie.”

A gasp rasps down his throat and a trembling smile beams back at her.

pov : minho

“Her name is Josephine Brown. They call her Jo. She’s sixteen. If I can go talk to her friends and family, I might be able to figure out how and where she was taken from.” Officer Lee stands next to his partner in Captain Bang’s office with the latest report from Cass. “It sounds like she was abducted only last night—her parents probably don’t even know what’s happened yet.”

The captain looks between Minho and Seungmin, expression blank. “That’s not how this works, Lee.”

Seungmin glances to his partner, confused. “I’m sorry, sir, I was under the impression that this is exactly how this works.” You find a lead, you follow it, you learn everything you can. Basic template for casework.

Captain Bang leans forward in his chair and points between the two of them. “No, that’s not how this works. You chuckleheads are supposed to bring me the information you dig up, and I’m supposed to delegate the next steps. Not to you, put your hand down, Officer Kim. To the FBI. I have absolutely zero operational authority on this case, and if I allow you two to do anything beyond what you are already doing, I will be reprimanded. Harshly.”

When Minho’s eyes dare to roll, Captain Bang’s hand slams down loudly on his desk. “If I am reprimanded, that means that the two of you are reassigned—not with each other, by the way—and you will be forbidden—yes, forbidden—from ever contacting the unfortunate Miss Young ever again. So. I say again. That’s not how this works.”

He shuffles the latest round of notes into an envelope. “I will run this up the chain. If you two behave, I will do you the courtesy of updating you on the FBI’s decision. Please do not make me regret my kindness.”

Minho can’t hold his tongue any longer. “Sir—”

Bang holds up a staying hand. “Neither of you are necessary to this operation, Officer Lee. I would be more than happy to recommend that a gussied up federal agent be assigned to slosh around in the sewer and maintain contact with our victim instead of sitting here knowing that two of my patrol officers are not actually patrolling.”

Seungmin takes offense. “Sir—”

“For the love of god, both of you get out of my office.”

Minho: Do you need more painkillers?

Cass: Always. Do you have anything stronger?

Minho: Not at the moment but I’ll see what I can do.

He makes a note to talk to Bang about working out some way to get actual prescription medicine and antibiotics to treat the girl’s wounds. Immediately following the irritated dismissal from the boss’s office doesn’t seem like the best time to make such a difficult request.

“Does she want chocolate?” Seungmin tiptoes through the sewer tunnel behind him, holding three unopened Hershey bars. “Felix just gave these to me, and I hate milk chocolate, so if she wants them—I mean, how worried can she be about cavities at this point?”

Minho scowls at him but immediately begins affixing the chocolate bars to the twine. He lowers them carefully through the hole in the floor, along with a note reading, ‘from my friend Seungmin. You can send the wrappers back up.’

When the twine comes back up, the candy is gone, but there’s a response on the note. ‘This feels like Christmas. Thank Seungmin for me. Does he have five more?’

Seungmin says nothing, merely turns on his heel and bolts back up the ladder.

Minho: Chocolate on its way.

Cass: Thanks, Santa.

Minho: Seungmin’s Santa. I’m just a helper.

Cass: Do you have a red nose?

Minho: Only when I have hay fever.

Cass: What about when you don’t?

Minho: I don’t understand the question.

Cass: What do you look like when you don’t have hay fever?

She’s grasping at distractions from real life, but it’s the first time she’s asked him what he looks like. He knows she has dark brown hair and light brown eyes, and that people say her face looks like Katherine Hepburn. He knows she’s five-foot-three, and that she used to think she was kind of pretty but now she thinks she looks like a skeleton wrapped in skin. On top of everything he’s heard from her directly, he’s seen her missing persons photo.

He knows what she looks like, but she wouldn’t recognize him if he fell through the ceiling on top of her. She doesn’t even know he’s a cop.

Minho: I look like any sleep deprived college student.

Cass: A cute sleep deprived college student?

He can’t help a laugh at that. He hears Seungmin coming down the ladder and quickly scribbles back a response to send down before his partner can see.

Minho: I’d say my cats find me rather strapping.

Cass: I knew you’d be a cat person.

Minho tucks the piece of paper into his pocket and tears off a new one from his notepad just as Seungmin reaches him.

“Five more chocolate bars, as requested.” He produces the candy and helps Minho attach them to the twine, and then borrows the pen and paper and writes his own message for the first time.

Seungmin: Hope you like them. There’s always more. -S

Cass: You’re our hero, Santa.

Seungmin’s face breaks out in a huge smile and he chuckles as he reads the note. He’s already given the pen back, so he says, “Tell her I’ll bring them anything they want.”

Minho understands the feeling. After being prevented from doing anything that can actually help Cain Roberts’ victims, every little thing that they can do feels like the most achievable and desirable goal in the world. He pens the note as requested and sends it down, receiving an answer and a single chocolate wrapper in return.

Cass: The largest army you can find. Barring that, maybe some fruit.

Seungmin doesn’t need any convincing.

Minho: I have black hair, brown eyes, and I’ve been told that my features must have been carved by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Cass: Oh, and he’s humble, too.

Minho: I figure you can only take my word for it, so I might as well be my own wingman.

He doesn’t share these notes with Captain Bang. Some of the messages between himself and Cass are for himself and Cass alone, which is not something he ever saw coming the first time he lowered a piece of twine into that mysterious void.

When she has relatively good days, she’s flirty and inquisitive and desperate for human interaction, and he finds himself following every cue she sends. It’s the least he can do if he can’t free her from Cain’s trap.

As the days and weeks go by and he reads about the horrors she endures, he finds that his heart breaks for her. He no longer sympathizes as a police officer learning of an innocent civilian undergoing cruel hardship, but as someone who wishes to save a friend from suffering.

So when she’s well enough to write up topics of conversation that don’t revolve around captivity, he latches on and keeps it going as long as her time allows.

This time, it’s Captain Bang who calls Minho and Seungmin into his office. His expression is bleak as he beckons for them both to sit and offers them coffee to fight the chill of fall.

They both refuse, so he folds his hands atop his desk and settles in with a hefty sigh. “Alright, look. I don’t want to tell you this any more than either of you want to hear it.” His palm comes to rest on top of a pile of envelopes that Minho recognizes as the ones which hold all of his notes to and from Cass.

“The judge has placed a moratorium on the Cain Roberts case. It’s a cease and desist order.” Bang purses his lips as he anticipates the outrage that will surely come from his two most hotheaded officers.

It never comes.

He looks up, confused.

Minho is gritting his teeth at the floor, veins pulsing in his temples, and Seungmin is leaning back in his chair with a wry laugh on his lips. Neither of them are surprised at the news.

“You don’t even know why.” Bang mutters.

“Does it matter?” Seungmin grumbles. “We haven’t been allowed to do anything so far. All I’m hearing is ‘keep doing nothing’.”

Captain Bang sighs again. “There is more happening here than just a handful of kidnappings and the occasional murder. I don’t mean that the way it sounds. I am not discounting the severity of this situation, I am presenting this to you the way the judge presented it to me.”

Minho is moments away from throwing down his badge and marching out, but he just rolls his shoulders back and narrows his eyes.

“Cain Roberts is part of a larger syndicate that the FBI has been trying to track down and dismantle for a number of years. There isn’t much I’m allowed to tell you, except that it is imperative that he remain free to operate without suspicion so that their investigation can continue. He is a crucial piece of a much larger puzzle, and if we book him for crimes that he commits in his—quite frankly—downtime, we lose the biggest opportunity we have to stop a much larger danger.” Captain Bang sucks his teeth. “I’m sorry, boys. For now, all we can do is what we’re doing.”

Minho leaves without dismissal.

He doffs his uniform in the locker room and heads across town to campus, seeking the wisdom of his professors.

[hauntingkiki]

HII!!! can i request Venture with pregnant reader? how will they react finding out shes pregnant? headcanons on them taking care of her throughout the pregnancy, giving birth, etc? Even them taking care of the baby later on!! and Venture parent headcanons in general!! sorry if it’s a lot, i’m just thinking of Venture as a parent!! SO CUTE!!! love ur writing btw!!

OMG AWWW YES! this is so cute! and it’s not a lot dwdw!! and thank you! i’m glad you enjoy reading my work!

Venture x Pregnant! Reader

Overwatch

2nd POV

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

- i want to start this off by giving a quick headcanon!!(idk if ive said it already) but i TOTALLY believe that sloan has a huge family, and i mean HUGE. bunch of brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews, so they’ve ‘experienced’ what it’s like to have someone who’s pregnant

- but anyways, into the request!

- so! a few weeks after the two of you got 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂, sloan noticed that you were a little…off?

- something didn’t sit right with them, but they kind of shrugged it off to ‘it’s been a while, and we both have shitty sleep schedules; it’s probably that’ and they went to work

- you knew something was wrong, so you took a pregnancy test from the bathroom

- ^ the girls in sloan’s family gave some tests for you just in case

- but anyways, you took the test, patiently waited the three minutes and-

- you were pregnant.

- sloan got home a few hours later, and you told them you made a discovery while they were at work. sloan’s mind immediately clicked to you finding a geo in the backyard but they closed their eyes, and opened them to reveal a positive pregnancy test!

- they were so happy!! started crying tears of joy while they peppered you in kisses and engulfed you into so many hugs!

- when you’d have really bad morning sickness, sloan would hold your hair back and just sit with you on the bathroom floor

- they know you’re going through a lot, and you’re going to go through more as the months go on, so they’ll accommodate to your every need:)

- one of my irl pookies gave me a headcanon😳 she said, “venture the typa parent to act ike theyre calm and collected the whole pregnancy but constantly freak out and worry about their partner” WHICH I SO AGREE ON!

- even though sloan went through this multiple times, they’re so stressed out because it’s YOU! their partner!!

- you’d be in bed, upset about something then sloan will come to the rescue!

“don’t worry, i’ll go get you something!” *stands completely still*

*in disbelief while tears are STREAMING down your face* “WHAT ARE YOU DOING??”

“I-I DONT KNOWWW!”

- they panic so much cause they don’t want to make you more upset or anything:)

- sloan tries their HARDEST to not make you mad at them, but it just ends up with you crying because of how sweet they are towards you

- whenever you have a new craving, sloan is so down to try it. a good 70% of the times they like them! but the other 30%…never again.

- have you seen those cute gender reveals where it’s just the parents and they cut the cake? yall did that

- this and this tiktok are MY FAVORITE GENDER REVEALS EVERRR!! and it’s EXACTLY how i imagine it!!(kinda)

- the two of you were somewhere pretty, like a lake, flower garden or a beautiful meadow! and you two had the cake in front of you, the glasses in hand.

- little oneshot real quick for this😳:

“you ready?” sloan muttered, hands shaking as they held the beautiful champagne glass that was going to cut the cake to reveal the gender.

you nodded faintly, heart hammering against your chest. your hands shook violently, your wedding ring tapping against the glass, a faint ding sound ringed through the glass.

the two of you hovered over the cake, both glasses clinking together.

“i’m so scared.” you sighed, your voice cracking as tears stung your eyes.

sloan brought their fee hand up to your face, caressing your cheek before letting their hand rest on your arm. “it’s okay!” they reassured with a chuckle, rubbing their thumb across your forearm.

sighing, you nodded, the two of you closing your eyes and pressing down into the cake, pulling your glasses up once they were filled with cake.

“okay.” sloan chuckled, rolling their shoulders. “3…2…1…”

the two of you opened your eyes, you bursting into tears while you dropped your glass into your lap, the frosting staining your dress.

sloan let out a breath, eyes wide as they examined the glass in their hands before leaning it against the cake, pulling you into a hug as they two of you cried tears of joy.

it was a girl.

- once sloan found out you two were having a baby girl, they went on an outfit shopping spree; buying everything that they found cute for her.

- months have past and you were going to name your baby girl, d/n (daughter name), but, you were trying to figure out what she was going to call sloan when she starts talking

- you were looking for gender neutral titles for your lover, before sloan walked into the living room and sat next to you, unaware of what you were doing

- they turned to you the same time you turned to them, a sad look on your face as you open your mouth but sloan beats you to the punch

“…i’m going to be a dad.”

- your due date inching closer, the stress was getting to both of you. both of you were ready to see this baby but, what the fuck do you do?

- sloan backed a backpack full of necessities and left it in the car a month prior, so you were good there. the nursery was all set with everything the baby needed, baby monitor was also installed, stroller was purchased- the list went on

- then, it happened.

- as soon as the words “my water broke” left your lips, sloan suddenly locked in and knew what to do

- it all happened so fast, one minute you were in your apartment then the next you were in the hospital

- while sloan and you were waiting for you to be fully dilated, they helped you do some stretches and get your mind somewhat off of the pain, which helped a ton

- they held your hand the entire time, not letting go at all. they held your hand when you were getting your medication for the pain relief, and when you were pushing- they were at your side the whole time

- when you were pushing, you were expecting them to pass out, but they didn’t (you weren’t super surprised since they’ve been through this before)

- constant words of encouragement from them! they’d also give you small pecks on the lips during your breaks before kissing the top of your head

- then, many hours of pushing, the baby had arrived

- sloan started bawling the second they saw her, obviously letting you hold her first as the two of you cried happily together

- when you passed d/n off to sloan, you were a little nervous, but they did fantastic holding your baby

- while you were getting some sleep after the birth, they were just holding her. their mind was blown that they were a father, a parent!

- when they were getting sleepy too, they joined you on the small ass hospital bed, but they let you be practically on top of them, so it was a win in their book LMAO

- i think that’s all the pregnancy head canons😓 so let’s dive into the general parenting headcanons!

- they’re 100% playing in the dirt with your daughter, looking for rocks, worms, and other critters and surprises

- d/n definitely got sloan’s love for rocks and nature, she’s constantly begging her father if they can go outside

- you two hardly get mad at her, since she’s such an easy kid

- sloan deffo limited the amount of trips for work, only going on week long trips instead of month+ trips, but as she got older and more mature, they started going back to work again

- the wayfinder’s absolutely ADORE HER! she calls everyone aunty/uncle there and they treat her like she’s family(she basically is)

- if you and sloan want to go on a date night, sloan would drop her off and they’d happily take her in:)

- as she got older, sloan and her got more into archeology; them telling her all about their adventures and even about overwatch too!

- oh, and (mostly) everyone at overwatch loves her too

- rein, ana, and sigma have honorably taken grandparent titles

- they would so want to give her a quinceañera when she’s 15 (since mexican from sloan), but they won’t force her to have one if she doesn’t want one

- they’ll speak spanish to/around her, that way she can get familiar with the language and she can communicate with family members who only speak spanish

- and you do the same too! if you speak another language, that is

- they’re the overprotective parent when it comes to dating/boys

- if she wanted to have a sleepover with 10 friends, they’d so let her! sure, you’d probably get a little upset, but sloan would help feed them and clean up after them:)

- but, overall, they just really love their little girl. they’re so happy to have a family, especially with you!

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE!! thank you for requesting!! i hope you enjoyed!:)

[baebebell]

Kirishima settles into a routine of his classes but had passed for the minimum score for an ap economics class he didn't want to take but decided to just tough it out and ask his friend Bakugo to help him and tutor him but Bakugo's techniques are extreme and finds himself only succeeding with this class at the expense of his other classes.Being in the 2nd row with Bakugo at their usual seats as the professor has the tests passed out he looks down at a you seeing the score being a 101 higher than Bakugo's by 1 point, he only knows this because Bakugo had the nerve to make a nasty comment about 'how that chick is always near the same library spot we go to and that she most likely doesn't have anything important to do with her time'. Bakugo found gears in his head turning as the blonde stares down at your test and Kirishima's 78.

After everyone at the end of class begins to leave Kirishima notices bakugo straggling behind intentionally still at his seat despite being all packed up. As kirishima is about to ask what he is doing.Bakugo singles you out

"Hey, extra with the messy hair!" he points at you stalking towards your path shocked, considering this is the first time speaking in the 3 weeks of class.

"Yes, Bakugo?"

Bakugo yanks Kirishima's test score from his hand."Hey what the-"

"He needs help with tutoring I've spent over 6 days of studying with him and i have better things to do with my time and your already in the library when we are there so your gonna help him you got that four eyes!"

He shouts in your face the wind from him yelling fogs up your glasses. taking them off and wiping them with the bottom of your shirt you just squint over at Kirishima before nodding and speak with a slight smile.

"Could've just asked. Does this mean the library will finally go back to peace and quiet Bakugo?" Bakugo scoffs and Kirishima anticipates another outburst, but instead he just yanks Kirishima's phone out of his and and your phone as well.

"Put your number in his phone."

You do not put up a fight figuring this would be the easier process. Bakugo presses the call icon and just nods seeing your phone buzz.

"Thanks mutt, cmon kirishima before the idiots start blowing up my phone."

"Alright, thank you-" he waits for you to respond with your name.

"(y/n), I'll see you later Kirishima."

he smiles at your kindness and bearing when coming to his explosive friend's temper and commands. He waves goodbye to join Bakugo going to see the rest of his friend group for the student cafeteria.

• • •

Kirishima heads to the library to the usual spot he and bakugo used to go to after getting a text from you insisting despite the circumstances that you would actually enjoy tutoring him. He looks around before spotting you and your stuff in the usual couch and coffee table surrounded by bookshelves and near the cafe spot in the library that he always sees you occupied. He smiles at you after you notice him stare at you.

"Hi Kirishima, do you have the material you are struggling with and the test Mr. Snipe gave out today?"

He nods unpacking his backpack and notices all of your stationary to be in the same color as your backpack assuming its your favorite. After he is all settled in he looks over you seeing you being smaller than he thought and taking in all the features of your face.

"Well we should start off the questions you got wrong being mainly the ones that trick you with wording an average person would be tricked as well so don't feel too bad about that here are the main phrases you should focus on to avoid problems like this in the future."

He sees your hand trace over the problems he got wrong and being in a quiet and calm setting in contrast to bakugo hitting his head with a book everytime he got it wrong he sees himself understanding the content of the subject more than usual. You break it down in a simpler way for his simple mind to understand and he feels his ego slightly hurt from being gentle parented in the subject but more enthusiastic about him finally understanding the questions thrown at him.

• • •

He looks at the time and sees it has been 2 hours and 30 minutes he sees the cafe sign and sees they are open 24/7 kind of brutal for the baristas but he assumes people will always need coffee.

"Let me get you a drink from the cafe what would you like?"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive and I don't care what you get I have a friend named mina who adds a bunch of syrups and foams and whatever else there is to add to coffee or chai or whatever else there is."

You giggle at him hes trying to make it less awkward.

"Ok that's very kind of you but just ask the barista for a students crack and to give it a chain and she'll know what to make."

"Some weird barista lingo but ok."He comes back with his cappuccino and your matcha with sweet foam and light ice. The tutoring continues for another 2 hours he checks the time being 7pm. Finishing the graded test and the weeks ahead curriculum from the syllabus Kirishima finds himself ready for the week.

"You probably won't need to see me until next Monday, we pretty much covered the rest of the week so depending on your test scores, I'll see you Monday?"

"Sounds great thank you again for the help, I know Bakugo launched this at you but I am very grateful you took me into your study session anyways."

He smiles at you as you two begin to pack your things and throw away your cups of finished drinks learning he feels very strongly about littering when he had interned in highschool his boss made him pick up litter around the city for 12 hours straight.

"Let me walk you to your dorm it wouldn't be manly of me to leave a friend by yourself."

You agree and you walk on the UA college campus. It’s late afternoon, the time when the sun casts a warm, golden haze over everything. You notice groups scattered across the green lawns and tucked into shady nooks. There’s laughter in the air, people sprawled on blankets, tossing frisbees, or studying together with legs tangled and heads close. You can’t help but let your gaze linger on them—their easy closeness, the unspoken bond that holds them together like gravity. Then you look at Kirishima as he smiles at you the sun directly behind him giving him the illusion that he shines, or was that just his angelic aura you don't know but continue on the walk until you reach your door."Thanks again for the help with you in my corner I feel unbreakable!"

He poses activating his hardening quirk having you giggle at his friendliness.

"Well thank you for the drink, you didn't need to give me anything, I'll see you again at the library on Monday."

"Alright then, don't be a stranger (y/n), I'll see you in class."

• • •

It's the next day in class when Mr.Snipe decides to have group projects of 3 since there are around 62 people in the lecture hall. Kirishima and Bakugo see the amount of students begin to surround you with pleading looks on their face, most likely hoping you'd take pity and do most of the work. Kirishima doesn't hesitate and waves at you above the crowd of 7 students.

"Hey, (Y/n) me you and Bakugo should make a team we'd definitely work out the best!" , looking over at the blonde he seems uninterested with the conversation focusing on his laptop researching the given topic of historical Japanese economic moments that impact the current economy.

"Sure, Sounds good kirishima give Bakugo my number and we can decide how to divy up the work."

"Of course, wanna grab a bite to eat afterwards at-ow"You see kirishima jerk slightly Bakugo glare at Kirishima no longer focused on his laptop daring kirishima to finish his sentence. Kirishima not understanding the cue finishes his question

."A nice burger joint we frequently go to, you'd be able to meet the rest of our friends since we're basically pals already."

Seeing kirishima trying to invite you out despite the looks of his friend creates a warm feeling in your chest. However to keep the peace for the upcoming project it'd probably be best to decline for now until building rapport with Bakugo.

"Thank you for the invite, however I use lunch time for a stem program I'm in for the support course."

Bakugo lifts an eyebrow at the response somewhat intrigued. But just slams his laptop shut closing it. Kirishima looks at him as Bakugo begins to talk to you.

"Alright square, I sent a text to the group chat meet at the library at 1800."

Bakugo rolls his eyes and leaves the lecture hall with kirishima following him. He flashes you a smile before leaving.

• • •

It’s only been three days since you’ve broken past that awkward barrier with Kirishima going from tutor to close friends, but somehow, in such a short time, he's managed to weave his way into your life as if he’s always been there. The quiet greetings exchanged when you two would enter class at the same time have become a regular thing, but Kirishima’s never one to keep things subtle. Now, whenever he spots you on campus or in the library, his face lights up with that unmistakable grin, calling out,

“Hey, (Y/n) my friend!”

loud enough to turn a few heads. He seems determined to emphasize your newfound friendship to anyone within earshot—and he's not shy about wrapping an arm around you whenever he gets the chance, his hand resting comfortably on your shoulder as if it’s the most natural thing in the world he insists on now having you sit right by him and kind of sad if you stay in your seat saying a disappointed"Oh ok, no biggie.", how could you say no to a dear friend.What you hadn’t expected was that "studying together" would be just the beginning and the project just sealing your fate. Kirishima has this magnetic personality that pulls you into his orbit effortlessly, and now you’re being dragged along with him and Bakugo into his—well, your—friend group. The so-called "Bakusquad," as Denki likes to call it, although you think it’s a ridiculous name. It puts Bakugo at the helm, which you’re certain he hates but doesn’t outright reject either.

You suppose Denki isn’t wrong, though; it’s because of Bakugo that you’re even friends with Kirishima now, seeing as you never would have agreed to tutor him if Bakugo hadn’t practically cornered you into it.But now, you’re here. Somehow, you’re spending your time after classes huddled with these rowdy boys along with, Mina and Jiro who are thankful to have you there to balance out the group of friends, they all have taken to treating you like you’ve always been part of the group. And, though you’d never admit it out loud, you’re starting to enjoy it despite not really being social before hand and keeping to yourself. Kirishima’s arm still hangs around your shoulders while you’re talking, a comfortable weight that makes you feel... included. He’s animated, excitedly recounting some ridiculous story from last night’s training session, his laugh infectious and warm. Bakugo rolls his eyes at the tale, muttering insults under his breath, but there’s a small, hidden smile there too, barely visible to anyone but you.And somehow, without you realizing it, this chaos has become a part of your daily routine. The noise, the easy camaraderie, the way Kirishima’s gaze lingers on you sometimes, and how he insists on calling you his friend—somehow, it’s all started to feel like the new norm.

[dokidokisadness]

Whumptober 2nd

tw: starvation.

(sorry this one is pretty much just a sketch with some text, I didn't have much time today.)

log 00x

last week 30 pets were found in the building of a small breeding company. they followed pretty much no regulations and seemed to use very unsavory methods... once the police got too close to them, they scattered leaving everything behind. now we were left to pick up the pieces...

very few biopets have fled, aproximately 6, including our first found, Maksim - probably the first to run out when he got the chance, must be the reason why he is a better shape than the ones who waited. Only a few of those could be saved, since most of them either, had already passed or were way too sick for us to help.

The poor pets kept clinging to eachother until the end, many didn't seem to realize their peers were no longer... well... maybe they just really wanted to believe they were okay...

none of the pets were registered or even tested for compatibility before mating. oh- and about the mating process... I supposed they didn't have budget for the full process to be done artificially in a lab - the most common and successfull option - so they were doing it... in the old fashioned way... we still have to study the case and it's lasting consequences... it doesn't look good...

[greyskyflowers]

Finally caught up on Bleach TYBW (anime) and a need to discuss a potential idea.

~ More Ichigo and the Visored ~

⚠️ Please scroll past this if you're worried about spoilers for the anime ⚠️

So because the idea that some of the visored die so soon after they've finally gotten back to normal devastates me in ways I can't fully put into words, and because I will never get enough visored and Ichigo interactions/relationships, I think a canon divergent/AU type fic idea towards the end of the 2nd season would be so fun to explore.

As always I'm gonna add in some more instinctive traits that I like to imagine the visored have.

So, I'm really into the idea that Mayuri can save Rose and Kensei but he's not going to do it out of the good of his heart. He's got the thing he's doing with the zombie type stuff already so let's imagine he's can save them still somehow. Or that they're going to be fine and everything's fine, totally fine. They're all good

However, Ichigo would be a prize that would make saving them worth the trouble. This would be perfect opportunity. He'll heal Rose and Kensei if Ichigo agrees to go with him, they negotiate x amount of time. Maybe a week or whatever.

Even better, Ichigo agrees to this. No one can even say that Mayuri had taken him against his will or done something worth being stripped of captain because when Ichigo agreed. And Mayuri is even going to honor the time frame agreed upon. He knows that he's already pushing it with the deal tbh.

I personally can't believe there aren't more fics about Mayuri trying everything he can to get Ichigo in his labs for testing and observation.

But I want to focus on the visored and Ichigo with this.

Rose and Kensei wake up to the others and they all have a little time for themselves as a group because the idea of losing any of them is devastating and they almost did.

And maybe people still aren't panicking about Ichigo yet, everyone assuming he's with someone else, but that quickly changes. Because Ichigo isn't with Chad and Orihime, or Rukia and Renji, or Urahara, Ganju, etc. And people start to panic because where the fuck is Ichigo?

I like the idea that Mayuri just tells people when they get smart enough to side eye him after he's been strangely quiet about wasting resources on searching for someone like Ichigo.

He didn't do anything wrong, after all. He and Ichigo had made a deal. They will get Ichigo back after the allotted time is up.

So everyone is stuck waiting for the time to be up, hovering outside the 12 division in shifts, trying to keep Kisuke from destroying his old division in a breathtaking rage and attempting to convince Kenpachi to wait until they have Ichigo before killing the clown.

No one quite gets what happened though. What could Mayuri had offered that Ichigo wanted so bad?

And maybe only a few people figure it out, or maybe everyone does, but somehow the visored put together that Ichigo saved Rose and Kensei specifically.

What would that mean to people who were used to betrayal? Who probably only truly trusted or loved each other?

Sure, Ichigo is one of their. And I wish we got to see more interactions with them. Bleach has so many great relationships and dynamics that we never really dig into as much as I'd like. But he was so young and there was a slight disconnect between them because Ichigo hadn't been betrayed like they had, he hadn't been left to simmer in his anger for years like they had.

They're fond of him, more so than they are about most people, but they would never had asked this of him. Or ever have even expected it. And that makes it even worse because Ichigo didn't need them to ask, he just did it.

There are certain people are Ichigo's, his to protect and love and sacrifice for. His sisters, Chad, Orihime, Uryu, Rukia, Kisuke, the Visored, and more.

So Mayuri had the ability to save people that Ichigo considers his and he didn't even have to think about it.

Of course he'd let Mayuri do his experiments on him, as long as Rose and Kensei would be okay. Because Ichigo also knows that it's going to destroy the other visored to hear that they're gone.

When the time period is up, Ichigo comes stumbling out of the 12th like he's drunk, clearly hurt, and starting to fall only to immediately be swept up and away by one or more of the visored.

There are many people who want to see Ichigo, to check on him and make sure he's okay but they all step back and allow the visored a chance to have him first.

They have a wildness to their eyes that doesn't have anything to do the gold in them and they seem darker, right on the edge of being cruel if they deem it necessary.

No one is going to touch Ichigo when he's hurt and vulnerable because of them.

So everyone steps back and lets them be the ones to get him first.

They have a room they consider safe and comfortable, far enough away to have some privacy but close enough that no one was going to throw a fit about Ichigo being too far away.

They hover when someone from the 4th comes in to check Ichigo and they make their intentions of being alone with him known to anyone who's brave enough to check on them.

They settle around the room with lips curled back to show teeth and eyes glowing, looking like the monsters they try so hard to not be. Their bodies sink into the shadows of the room and golden eyes focus on their youngest, hurt and passed out on a little futon in the middle of the room.

And to add to it, I think something about not being able to heal everything because they don't know what Mayuri gave him and how it will react to kaido, so he's just bandaged up for the time being.

Chad, Orihime, Rukia, Kisuke, and others keep everyone away and guard the room. Even though they would love to see Ichigo and make sure he's okay, they know that the visored need him more right now.

They make sure food and water is regularly provided and try to not look when the door opens enough for a hand to reach out and grab the supplies.

They looked once when the door cracked open and they just saw darkness and gold, a growled warning that went all the way down to their bones and had them snapping back around and pretending they hadn't seen anything.

Ichigo smells like blood and salt and hurt. It burns their noses because he's supposed to smell like warmth and power and Ichigo. Like pack.

He eventually wakes up and, because it's Ichigo, the first thing he focuses on is how happy he is to see Rose and Kensei are okay. How happy he is to see that they're all okay.

He smiles but it doesn't sit quite right on his face because he's still bruised and hurt. They yell at him, calling him everything they can think of and trying to make sure it's drilled into his head that he should never do something like that again.

He knows they've been staying there with him though, can tell by the state of the room that they haven't left him. They look rough, exhausted but with a fresh burst of energy from him waking up.

He can hear the thank yous in-between their lectures and complaining. He can feel the affection in the way they keep looking him over, all of them close enough to jump into action if he needed them. He knows they say don't ever do that again but they mean we will never put you in that position again, and god you're a fucking idiot but they mean god you're our fucking idiot.

There's still a small smile on his face, and he says he'd do it all over again.

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

1.) I'm fucking obsessed with Senjumaru. She's perfect. Her character design is beautiful, her bankai is incredible, and she could stab me with needles and I'd say thank you.

2.) I'm also enjoying Askin a lot? I've honestly found most of the quincy characters annoying as fuck but I'm enjoying him so far.

[flyonthewallmedstudent]

Q Fever

Aka, Query fever. What a weird name for a disease. Imagine telling people that's what you got.

in the 30s-40s, an Australian pathologist in QLD/Brisbane, came across an outbreak of the same or similar illness among abbatoir or slaughterhouse workers.

At the time, he called the disease "Q" fever or query as a temporary name until the pathogen could be identified. Unfortunately it stuck.

decades later, now nobel prize winner and virologist, MacFarlane Burnett isolated and identified the microbe responsible. I think this discovery contributed to his prize. i forget already.

Microbe responsible: Coxiella burnetti. Named for Burnett and HR Cox, the American bacteriologist who found the genus Coxiella where C burnetti falls under.

Initially they felt it was related to Rickettsia, responsible for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but as science progressed, this was disproven.

Now for a Case Report

A 55 yo Italian man with a history of aortic valve replacement was diagnosed with pyrexia of unknown origin twice. Further signs included myalgias/splenomegaly/night sweats. The 2nd time he was admitted for PUO he deteriorated rather dramatically and was put on meropenem and teicoplanin.

A host of organisms was tested for on serological testing based on the man's travel and epidemiological history, all negative. Even a rheumatological panel was done, also less revealing. He also had a history of MGUS (a haem disoder), which is kind of a red herring here.

Cultures were negative, no vegetations were seen on a TTE - so they did consider IE. Which is an important differential for PUO.

Eventually a PET-CT was done (often favoured when investigations do not yield much for a sick patient with fevers), finally revealing a focus of infectious on his ascending aorta, where he'd also had previous surgery done. And in a round about way, they also further identified Coxiella Burnetti. He was treated doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine. As it's so rare in Italy, it wasn't really considered even though he mentioned rural travel.

Bottomline: Q Fever is an important consideration in the work up for culture negative IE. Further to this, always consider IE in the differentials for PUO particularly if they're at increased risk for IE (prosthetic valves, damaged valves, select congenital heart issues, previous IE). IE can present with night sweats, fevers, weight loss and splenomegaly. It can be insidious and chronic in nature. other risk factors can be more suggestive as we'll get into below.

Causative organism

Coxiella burnetti, it's a zoonoses - i.e. transmissible from animals. Special powers: very tough/hardy, can survive extreme environments (high temps and UV light etc.) over prolonged periods and is resistant to many common disinfectants/surface cleaners.

It's an intracellular pathogen and gram negative coccobacilli (PINK!)

name coccobaccili reminds me of cocopuffs.

it's mainly associated with farm animals, which the CDC so wholesomely displays on its website on Q fever (wtf).

goats, sheep, cattle typically (but many other animals, even birds, dogs and horses can be reservoirs)

in particular bodily fluids - amniotic fluid, placenta, faeces/urine, milk etc.

you can get it through unpasteurized milk and through inhaling it if it lands on dust in the area

ever visit a farm or petting zoo lately? OMG WASH YOU HANDS.

That said, it's typically inhaled in inorganic dust. You inhale it, it goes to the lungs, and then the bloodstream.

Increased risk for Coxiella burnetti (What to take on history of exposures and when to strongly consider it)

live on a farm or near one

exposure to a farm

work as a vet on a farm

farm worker, dairy workers, researchers on these animals/facilities

slaughterhouse/abbatoir

Also from CDC:

Clinical presentation

Most won't get sick after exposure and remain asymptomatic, a very small minority does. even though it is highly infectious.

incubation time is 2-3 weeks (consider this time in your history of exposure, did they work on the farm 2-3 weeks ago as opposed to yesterday).

Nonspecific acute infectious symptoms:

nonspecific systemic fevers/malaise/arthralgias/myalgias--> key is high fevers though and can be associated with headache and photophobia.

non specific GI - N/V/diarrhoea

respiratory ones - SOB or cough, consider it as atypical cause of community acquired pneumonia.

rare: hepatitis and jaundice (granulomatous) or encephalitis with neurological complications such as demyelinating disease or CN palsies, also haemolytic anaemia and HLH (yikes)

really it's the history of exposure that will lead you down the garden path to Q fever.

Chronic Q fever is perhaps worse, and can present as culture negative IE/PUO. Months/years later, as B symptoms as above above + LOW/LOA, night sweats. More likely to occur if you are predisposed for IE as above, have a weakened immune system for any reason, including pregnancy.

Chronic Q fever has a mortality of 10% if left untreated. About <5% of those with acute Q fever develop this if left untreated. Speculation is that it's more of an autoimmune process or abnormal immunological response to the bacteria.

To be honest, most who walk in the door with community acquired pneumonia get treated empirically for atypicals anyway, (standard course of doxycycline), so we hardly really ponder the question of Q fever in every patient. But if they present chronically and did not have atypical cover at the onset of acute symptoms, then it's something important to consider.

Other important conditions - can cause complications in pregnant women and 20% will get post Q fever syndrome. like chronic fatigue.

investigations

Serology! nice and easy. Look for IgG antibodies in the chronic presentation. Or PCR. Down side to serology - can take 2-3 days for the body to make said antibodies to the bacteria for detection. PCR can be done on any fluids/tissue sent.

Cultures useless, hence it fall under the umbrella of culture negative (hard to grow outside a host cell, it is an obligate intracellular pathogen).

Other hints on bloods (as serology/PCR takes time to return) - elevated or low platelet's, transaminitis with normal bili, opacities in CXR with hilar lymphadenopathy, CSF will show raised protein levels if done when encephalitis is suspected.

imaging can also support the diagnosis.. as illustrated by the case report.

Treatment

Acute disease - as standard for atypical bugs, doxycycline 100 mg BD for 14 days. Alternatives - TMP SMX or Clarithromycin.

Chronic Q fever or IE:

native valves: doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine (200 TDS) for 18 months

prosthetic: same but 24 months

why hydroxy: enhances the action of doxycycline (increases the pH of the phagolysosome)

Follow-up: look for 4 fold decrease in IGG

Sources:

CDC

Stat Pearls

Wiki as linked above