#3409

[sleepsucks]

[manoelt-finisterrae]

muller cara ao mar XIV

© Manoel T, 2023

[honjitsuno1mai]

#3409 ＠ 台北市大同區延平北路一段（國立臺灣博物館鐵道部園區）

[vanillastopbath]

3409 Chicago, IL 05/02/2023

[bobbie-robron]

But you’re supposed to be her friends. She’s entitled to expect better. (2 of 2)

Just as Jack & Diane decide to give it another go and kiss, Elaine arrives with news about Donna. The trio then grab Viv to head back to the pavilion followed by Bob via a call. Jack blasts the teens for Donna’s state (‘you call yourselves mates?!?’). Donna is taken away in ambulance.

03-Apr-2003

[zerobaselove]

a perfect fit | zhang hao

pairing: campus crush! zhang hao x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 3409

warnings: minor swearing probably?  lowercase intended, not proofread

prompts:��4. "what do you want?" "you" 5. "i want to help you, so please, let me." 11. "is that my sweater?"

notes: combined a hao prompt request (i changed the phrasing of 4 a little bit IMSORRY) with a campus crush! hao request and came up with this,,, honestly longer than i was expecting and somehow shorter than i wanted it to be ?? idk.. anyways geology major! hao you are dear to me (i want him so bad i'm clawing at the walls of my enclosure) hope you all enjoy <3

college was stressful. you knew it would be, it had to be expected. but what you didn’t expect was that the hardest part wasn’t the coursework or the seemingly constant stack of homework sprawled across your desk; it was actually paying attention in your classes.

how were you supposed to focus on mantle convection when three rows down was arguably the prettiest boy you had ever seen in your whole life. zhang hao.

you only had a few classes together, but coincidentally, due to your wandering eyes those happened to be the classes you were falling behind in. and he was to blame. 

truth be told, it seemed everyone had some sort of campus crush on the boy; between the way he dressed and carried himself and the way he always managed to be at the top of every class, just about everyone either wanted to be him or be with him. and you couldn’t blame them in the slightest. 

zhang hao was someone to admire from afar; across the lecture hall or the path between buildings. so when he ended up in a study group you had joined in an attempt to graduate with a respectable grade, you were dumbfounded, what was someone like him doing in a study group for a class he was passing with flying colours? maybe it was charity work, you convinced yourself.

the study group was only so effective for you, with zhang hao in the group you couldn’t focus, yet again. it was too hard to not notice the way he fidgeted with the pen in his hand or the way he doodled small animals in the corners of the paper. or the way he leaned over a fellow classmate as he helped them with a particularly complicated question in the textbook. 

you were doomed.

——

after a few weeks of no progress, you were just about to give up. maybe i’ll just drop out and work at a department store or something. you told yourself as you crouched down outside the library you all studied in. 

sure, you were being a little dramatic. but you were one question away from bursting into tears as you walked out of the study group an hour early. the embarrassment of leaving paled in comparison to crying in front of the boy who had been your reason to showing up to class some days. 

“are you okay?” the question pulled you out of your pity party, looking up to see the tall male in front of you. he gave you a worried look at your curled up frame leaned against the brick. “i’m just feeling a little stupid,” you tried to laugh, a dry husk of humour pushing past your lips.

the boy didn’t respond right away, opting to crouch beside you as he sat down on the concrete right next to you. if you weren’t so stressed about your academics right now, you probably would’ve been a stuttering mess at the close proximity. maybe you would’ve even noticed the scent of his cologne. but all you could do in that moment was frantically wipe your eyes and attempt to not look as pathetic as you felt. 

his eyes softened as he watched your hands rest on top of your knees, “you’re not stupid,” he said, a sweet tone in his voice, comforting even, “it’s a difficult class, everyone has been struggling.” his kind words tugged at your heart more than you’d care to admit.

“but everyone else seems to be getting it eventually.” you sniffled, concentrated on the tears threatening to spill again, “and i just keep slipping further and further behind.” you let out a heavy sigh, “i’m never gonna catch up at this rate.” 

you almost forgot the boy was even sitting there, silently listening to your troubles. “shit sorry,” you let out a pitiful laugh, “i didn’t mean to drag you into being my therapist.” 

he shook his head, a smile spreading across his face, “it’s okay, i’m glad you told me.” he turned his head towards you, “how about we make a deal?”

you only tilted your head in curiosity, urging him to continue his train of thought.

“you let me tutor you from now until exams. if you pass, then we both win, and if you don’t, then at least you tried your best.” 

the offer was sweet, but you couldn’t help but wonder why zhang hao of all people would take time out of his days to tutor you.

“what’s in it for you?” you let a small smile break out across your face, the first in what felt like weeks. 

“well,” he pretended to ponder for a moment, “maybe i just want to pass my knowledge onto someone.” you couldn’t help but laugh at the reason as he continued.

“and maybe, this can double as a way to make a new friend, if you’d want.”

sure. “friend” had no real implications of anything beyond a good acquaintance. but you almost choked at the disbelief. the university’s sweetheart, zhang hao wanted to be your friend? the boy you had spent the better part of the last two months trying to tear your eyes off of while your professor droned on about chemical reactions and the composition of rocks.

“are you sure? i don’t wanna take up too much of your time and-“ he cut you off before you could finish. “i wouldn’t offer it if i wasn’t sure,” he smiled gently, “i want to help you, so please, let me.”

you pondered the offer for a moment again. maybe it was the prospect of spending more time with him, or maybe it was just the idea of finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that was this class, but you had made up your mind.

“deal.” your smile widened as you stuck out a hand, his own coming out to shake yours as he mirrored your expression. 

this was going to be interesting.

——

your one on one study sessions had only been going on for a few weeks but you were already starting to grasp the concepts more with zhang hao’s help. “just call me hao.” you recall him insisting on multiple occasions, unaware of the way your brain would try and twist the intimacy behind it. just friends, you had to remind yourself, that was all you two would ever be, and that was honestly more than you ever could have expected. 

“hao,” the name rolling off your tongue, “it’s getting late, can’t we wrap this up?” you whined, pouting a little in hopes of getting sympathy from the boy. as smiley as he was, he was also quite the hard-ass when it came to studying.

“one more question and then we can be done for tonight, deal?” he smiled, gesturing to the last practice question from this page. you let out a huff as you mumbled an acceptance of the deal, grabbing your pencil once again as you wrote out the explanation, scouring your brain for the scientific phrases to communicate your thoughts. 

zhang hao looked over your final answer with a content hum, his hand coming over to ruffle your hair, “good job, you’re getting the hang of this.” 

you stiffened at the contact and praise, you had never really gotten validation like that, especially not from someone like him, and your brain was running with it. 

when you originally agreed to this arrangement you hoped that maybe it would be your way to get over your little campus crush on the boy sitting next to you, but it had only gotten worse, and you were slowly losing it. taking a moment to shake the thoughts from your mind, you started gathering your stuff up to leave, as was zhang hao. 

“don’t forget you’re stuck with me tomorrow too, y/n!” he chuckled lightly before saying his farewells and leaving first, rushing off to meet up with his friend; you were sure he mentioned his name once before, ricky maybe? something like that.

you only nodded as you waved, grabbing your jacket off the back of the chair and slinging your backpack over your shoulder, but then something caught your eye; a light blue hoodie draped across the back of the back of the chair next to you. zhang hao’s sweater. the boy was already long gone, and based on how often he was sporting the hoodie, you assumed it was one of this favourites, so you couldn’t just leave it here. “i’ll just give it back to him tomorrow.” you mumbled to yourself, picking up the sweater and resting it over your arm.

when you got back to your dorm you folded the sweater nicely on your desk, right in your view so you wouldn’t forget it tomorrow. as much as you tried to ignore it, that night you couldn’t help but notice the warm citrus scent of his cologne, and you swore you could smell it in your dreams that night.

——

the next day was a brisk spring day, the warm air having been replaced by a crisp, almost cold, breeze. to say you had not dressed properly was an understatement, you thought to yourself as you walked across the campus towards the library. in a moment of weakness as you called it, or rather a moment of strong winds, you took it upon yourself to throw the pale blue hoodie over your frame. he wouldn’t mind too much right?

sitting at your usual table in the library, you set up your many papers and textbooks, not paying attention as the boy you had grown close to approached the table, a little out of breath. 

“sorry i’m late,” he breathed out, catching his breath after seemingly running here. 

“it’s okay, i was early,” you laughed, finally looking up at the boy who’s cheeks were flushed light pink.

you watched as his gaze traced your figure, taking notice of the sweater you were wearing, “is that my sweater?”

now it was your turn to flush a shade of pink, trying to form a sentence as you stuttered through excuses, “oh, i’m sorry,” an awkward laugh escaped your lips, “it’s just you left it here yesterday and so i was bringing it to give back to you but it was colder outside than i thought it was and so i put it on on the way here without really thinking, i can give it back right now,” you barely stopped to take a breath, “or i can go wash it and then give it back if you’d prefer.” your train of thought was stopped by his hand on top of yours, your mind going from a million miles a minute to frozen solid in mere moments. 

“it’s okay y/n,” he chuckled at your flushed expression as he sat down next to you, “it looks cute on you anyways.” he said simply, moving his gaze to the textbooks in front of you as he flipped to the pages you were on the day before. 

this boy was going to be the death of you.

——

something in the air seemed to change after that day, and it wasn’t just the scent of the blooming cherry blossoms in the breeze. something had changed with you two, and perhaps that was how the two of you ended up in your dorm room rather than the library, and on a saturday of all days. 

“what homework have you got for me today teacher zhang hao?” you joked, leaning back on the arms as you sat on the end of your bed, looking at the boy who sat comfortably in your desk chair.

“aren’t i allowed to just hang out with my friend without talking about plate tectonics?” he said, a joking sarcasm lacing his tone. 

you only laughed in response as you tried to control your heart beating out of your chest at the simple, friendly, term. 

before you knew it, the day had faded into night in a blur of laughter and conversation; real conversation. it was a nice change of pace, and as much as you hated to admit it, the more you got to know him, the more your campus crush had changed into just a genuine crush. 

you tried to ignore it, but it was so hard to ignore the comfort you felt being around him, how easy it was to slip into conversations and how easy he made you laugh. how were you supposed to not think about that.

and much to the dismay of your heart, these weekend hangouts had become a sort of routine. on top of seeing him most weeknights at the library, your interactions had spilled into the weekends quite seamlessly. whether it was just having a movie night in your dorm room, wandering campus during sunset, or even just doing normal young adult things like going shopping. the two of you had even gotten into the habit of accompanying each other on errands just to keep the other company. 

it was nice, you couldn’t lie, but the domestic activities made it that much harder to separate your romantic and platonic feelings for the boy. 

and here you were, awaiting the arrival of the boy on a saturday night. every time your phone lit up you rushed to grab it, just in case it was from hao, the casual name becoming more natural over the weeks.

this time it actually was a message on your screen, you found yourself quickly unlocking your phone to see what it said. “i’m going to stop at the store on my way over,” the text read, “do you want anything?”

before the voice of reason in your head could object, you typed back a quick response, “you.” simple, straight forward, to the point. everything you weren’t. it was already too late to cover up your boldness as you watched the typing bubble appear, in sync with the wave of anxiety and near nausea that washed over you.

“you think you can afford me?” he joked back, rolling with the conversation more smoothly than you ever could have, evidently. you typed back a quick laugh, hoping he wouldn’t see the truth behind your original response, “probably not, maybe i’ll just take some gummy worms.” you replied before nearly throwing your phone across the cramped room. 

and to think, you were stuck with him all night.

——

you tried to focus on the movie, you really did, but the all too familiar feeling of wandering eyes and a racing heart took over your senses, and who could blame you? it wasn’t every day you found yourself sharing a blanket with the prettiest and kindest boy you’d ever known. you almost wondered if he could feel the heat radiating from you, or if he would just blame it on the fuzzy blanket covering your legs. you hoped it would be the latter.

soon enough the credits were rolling and you finally pulled yourself from the thoughts spinning around your mind, just in time for hao to turn to you with a smug smile. “you didn’t pay attention to any of that movie, did you?”  the question caught you so off guard you actually choked a little on the sharp intake of breath. was it that obvious? you wondered. you really had to work on your expressions it seems. 

“what’s on your mind y/n?” the smooth, almost teasing tone in his voice would’ve probably made your knees give out had you not already been sat down in your bed.

you managed to stutter out a response, rather reminiscent of the first real conversation you two had months prior. “oh it’s, uhm,” you quickly tried to come up with a believable excuse, settling on possibly the worst one, “it’s nothing.” the stiff laughter did nothing to help your case as he grinned at you knowingly, hopefully not too knowingly. 

“so i’m nothing now?” he feigned offense as his hand came up rather dramatically to his chest. “i thought i meant more to you than that, y/n.” he teased, obviously enjoying watching the gears turn in your brain as you attempted to process the conversation that was happening.

busted.

there was no coming back from it now and you knew it, and more importantly, he knew it. at some point he had picked up on your lingering gaze, your quick glances that you thought had gone unnoticed. all there was left for you to do was either admit your growing feelings, or play dumb about the whole thing. and somehow you decided the latter was the smartest option. 

“i, uh, don’t know what you’re talking about.” another forced laugh pushed past your lips, getting past your thumping heart on the way out. 

it seemed that your reaction filled zhang hao with a new sense of confidence, because he did the last thing you expected him to do; lean in. not close enough for your lips to graze each other, but close enough to feel his breath on you, to feel the heat radiating off of your faces. close enough to feel the thick tension in the air, but you were sure anyone could feel that if they were here, you could even cut it with a knife.

“i think you know exactly what i’m talking about,” he smiled, your eyes darting down to his lips that were only a couple inches from your own before looking back to his eyes; warm and inviting. 

you weren’t sure what to say anymore, and so you made the bold decision to close the gap; only briefly, but long enough to taste the cherry lip balm that coated his lips, to feel the way his lips fit against yours. like tectonic plates.

what started as one chaste kiss turned into 2, and then 3, and then a gentle kiss of yearning, of waiting, accompanied by his soft hands on your cheeks. you couldn’t help but lean into his touch, his soft hands feeling like silk against your burning skin. you could feel him smile into the kiss as your body eased, relaxing into a rhythm. time slowed and suddenly the two of you were the only people in the world, the boy in front of you filling all of your senses. zhang hao. zhang hao. zhang hao. your brain echoed as you pulled away, giddy smiles plastered across both of your faces.

“is that what you were on about?” you smiled, your voice barely above a whisper as your eyes flickered between his lips and his eyes once again.

he let out a small laugh, “what do you think?” he sat back against the wall once again, admiring the way the glow from the tv illuminated your skin, and the way you couldn’t wipe the grin off your face. “i thought you’d never do something about it.” he laughed again, this time grabbing your hand lazily.

“listen,” you started, “i didn’t think you noticed, and i was okay to keep it that way,” you looked down at your interlocked hands, your mind silently replaying the last 5 minutes on a loop, rendering yourself no better than a broken record. “you’re the zhang hao, everyone has at least a bit of a crush on you, so why would i assume i had any chance.”

he shook his head as a proud smile spread across his face, “everyone?” he asked, leaving you to lightly smack his arm, a small yelp coming from the boy. “okay okay, no need to smack me,” he laughed, “but really, you thought you didn’t have a chance? why would i have offered to tutor you if i didn’t have at least a bit of an interest in you?”

you let yourself ponder for a moment, looking back on the now distant memory. “i just thought you were being nice!” you stated matter-of-factly, earning another giggle from the boy, you could get used to that sound, or rather, being the reason behind it.

he merely smiled, pressing another kiss to your lips, “well i’m not nice like this to anyone else, if that helps make it more clear.”

“good,” you mirrored his smile, taking in the beauty that was the boy in front of you, the boy who seemed to fit with you like the tectonic plates.

“because i don’t think i could handle the idea of you spending your wednesday nights talking about rocks with anyone else.” 

[cindol]

IT’S A BAD IDEA, RIGHT?

Portgas D. Ace x black fem reader

꒰͡ 𐙚 ͡꒱ syn — inviting your ex rockstar boyfriend over isn’t such a bad idea, right?

wc: 3409 words (3K words)

17+!

tw— funny/corny banter(deal with it!!), smut, ex bf ace, slight unfaithfulness, ace signs a woman’s titties, oral(woman receiving), fingering, cum eating, dick riding,creaming,

a/n: was suppose to be based on Olivia Rodrigo’s song Vampire but the plot shifted lol !

a cheeky look was on y/n’s face as she looked at the contact on her phone. Her finger was hovering over the call button from the contact “🔥❌❗️”. For the first time in a long time she felt needy, as embarrassing as it was for her to say. It didn’t make sense, she was a very thirsted woman in the media, always having some random or underground rapper in her dms trying to hit on her but still she was lonely and it was all Portgas D. Ace’s fault.

Even after the months following their breakup she still wanted him whether she wanted to admit it or not. Many men couldn’t keep up with her humor or banter the way the cocky rockstar did. He always could respond on time to her sass leaving her bashful and silent. But even with a relationship so balanced they had their issues and it was unsurprising, having two cocky people in a relationship would cause issues. Issues like Ace always being so comfortable with his inappropriate fans, signing their tits and encouraging their behavior made y/n livid and even fuming when seeing how little he cared. It always turned to y/n doing petty things in response and it’s what led to the breakup itself.

Even still after they broke up being the woman y/n was, she still subbed him in anything, always posting a pretty picture of herself with some petty caption that the public could figure out was about her ex rock lover and in reponse ace did the same. Posting corny tweets along the lines of,”she still wants me, yeah I can tell baby they don’t call me the fire rock for nothing 😎🔥” it doesn’t help the fact the two still have each other’s numbers so they argue to the max in messages.

The arguing never stays PG too. Always going to arguments of calling him cocky to borderline flirting. It came to a halt this Saturday evening as her finger hovered on the call button on his contact. She was stuck between giving him the awaiting call since she hasn’t talked to him in over 9 months or keep playing it safe in messages. She bit her lip,”fuck it.” She’ll bite. Pressing the call button she put her phone to her ear. She heard the dial up sound and then what sounded like a pick up on his end and a deep lazy chuckle.”The princess finally calls for her rock.” The line was corny but made her wanna chuckle as she did an eye roll and small smile.”Well a lady shouldn’t even be doing the call first, just did it because I knew you ain’t have it in you to call first.” The sound he spat out was the mix of a laugh and scoff.”Let's go with that baby, sure. I’m just glad to have this awaited call with you.”

She made a soft hum at that.”I’m sure you were.” He chuckled and snorted. She could by that lazy chuckle he was in the position she always saw him in but needed a visual.”what are you even doing right now? Sounds like you’re just on your ass.”

“I’m just laying down.” She huffed.”more details please?” Ace could tell she was in that mood, he could tell with the short breathed huff she made and how quick she said her sentence so he delivered what she needed in a lazy voice.” ‘m laid up on my couch, slouched with my legs spreaded, one hand resting on the arm of the couch with my other hand holding my phone to my ear.” Manspreading, she nearly made a moan. She wished she could see him manspreading in action.

Ace noticed her breathing noises into the phone and shook his head smiling. He was affecting her sooner than he thought.”Now how bout you tell me what you’re doing since you’re making these deep breaths.” His quip got her by surprise but she responded.”Well right now, I’m just chilling. I’m laying on my stomach with my legs kicked up and shit.. not like you and that man spreading.”

A loud laugh erupted in her ear.”please princess, you love me man spreading, driving you crazy you can’t see it though don’t it?” She shivered a bit at his response and took a deep breath before regaining control again.”as much as you’d like to see me in those pretty outfits I’ve always worn for you ace?” When she said that it was like a flashback when she was wearing and modeling all the sexy lingerie she had in black and red for him while he watched.

By his lack of response she could tell she had him.” ‘member the fire colored lingerie and even the bikini’s ace?” She was speaking in a soft tone now making him sweat but he wouldn’t give in too soon.``well let’s talk about the now yeah? Those little bikini’s were fucking hot but what is your pretty little self wearing now?” She giggled at how he switched the conversation.``right now I’m just in some yoga pants and a white tank top, something simple really.” He put the phone away from him for a bit and groaned before placing it back to his ear. He could imagine her body in some yoga attire, seeing her ass in some stretchy yoga pants made him lick his lips.

She checked her nails.”How about you?” He shrugged.”Just a pair of jeans as usual, you know me baby.” SHe raised a brow.”And that hat?” He gave her a ‘mhm’. She was familiar with his hat, not because it was a big staple of his wardrobe and who he was but from past personal experience.

The two sighed thinking of each other now.

“Ace..”

“Yeah?”

“I wanna see you tonight, come over.. please.” He could hear the hitch in your voice and made a soft laugh.”You'll see me when you see me tonight princess.” With that he hung up leaving y/n wanting even more, in her luck he sent her a photo of his lap, the background was the inside of his jeep. She was looking forward to this night

-

-

-

Ace didn’t know how long it took him to be in front of y/n’s door but it couldn’t have taken long with how fast he got here right after their call ended. It surprised y/n when he showed up at her door in 30 minutes. Looking through her door hole she saw him in all his glory. She was truthfully a bit nervous to open her door to him but make a sharp breath and opened it, finally seeing his full body in front of her since the months they broke and were apart made her remember how tasty he looked, to his cowboy hat, black hair down to his beaded red necklace, naked chest and dark blue jeans. The set smirk on his face as he looked down on her wasn’t any better also.

She squeezed her thighs and put a hand on her hip as she saw him staring her down the exact same way she was staring at him.”Are you looking at something rockstar?” He snapped out of it for a second looking at her face then back to her body. The lilac silk shiny robe she had matched her perfectly and hugged her body just right, looking at her chest he could see she was wearing this robe without anything under it. His stare went back to her round face looking at two toned lips and brown eyes then her 4C hair in two puffs.”I’m definitely looking alright.” He leaned on the door a bit, making her just chuckle and shake her head at his little antics.”you’re too much ace, c'mon in.” Stepping away she entered back inside with ace following inside and closing the door.

When looking around everything was so familiar. Turning to see the red velvet couch he always saw in her living he smirked at the memory they shared on it.”takes me back, the nice memories on that love couch mhm..” he said it in a soft tone with his hands in his pockets just making y/n scoff and laugh.”you and I both know the only memories we shared on that couch were sweaty nasty hot ones.” He just scratched his neck humming as if to show he couldn’t argue on that.

Y/n stepped forward to him wrapping her arm around his wrist“Now c'mere, we got a lot to talk about Mm yeah?” She said it in that seducing accent, they both should know they were absolutely getting no serious talking done once she led Ace up her brown wooden stairs.

Once the two got inside her room on top of y/n’s bed their lips were smushed together. The tension they felt from their texts, the call and all the way downstairs was coming out finally. they separated with a string of saliva and a gasp from y/n while Ace took a sharp breath.``what about our talk?” Ace teased but y/n sucked her teeth.”fuck the talk.” With that ace went along to unbutton his jeans and threw them off somewhere. Y/n was on her way to doing the same with her robe till Ace grabbed her wrist.”nah let me, wanna see all of you unravel.” She giggled.”Nothing you haven’t seen already, just a little pudge added.” He just made a cackle at her saying that.”more for me.” He said it in a starved raspy tone making her snort more.

Once his hands went to the long strings holding her robe together and unwrapped them y/n felt this sudden bashfulness come. It wasn’t that she was shy of him seeing her body in so long, just that it changed from last he saw. Her cheeks are more round, breast more fuller and stomach having more pudge including her thighs being more thick. She looked away from his stare. She couldn’t tell if it was a good stare or a bad one.”If you wanna end this we easily can, I can easily find some discarded dildo if you’re not feeling all this.”

He just stared her down making a humming tone. Shd hated it when he did that, it always left her in suspense. Grabbing her chin for her to look up at him he then did a toothy grin and put his own hat on her head.”don’t doubt my abilities baby, I was raised like a good boy. I know how to handle some pudge.” Once her robe then fell off her body revealing her bare naked body, an amused noise came out from his lips. He gripped her hips with his strong hands, making her gasp.”plus I think ya look good, motherly. Might even dump some good kids in ya!” She made a pout, slapping his arm at that.

Letting go of her for just a second he pulled down his boxers letting his dick flop out. Y/n’s eyes peered down, staring at it looking so dumbfounded, making him laugh and pat her head.”Nothing new for you baby, I think you can take it all just like every other time right?” She dumbly just nodded. Flinging off his boxers somewhere he turned his full attention to his ex girlfriend. He gripped her jaw giving her a heated kiss.”No playing games anymore, I’m gonna give you everything you’ve been missing for 9 months, understand?” She just stared at him, no words coming out from his switch up from cocky to serious. She nodded up at him, making him grin at her understanding.

Now sitting on the bed he patted his lap.”Now c'mere.” Crawling over she stared at his lap for a second, eyeing his dick.”Not like it’s gonna bite ya, cmon.” She gulped sitting on his lap but not exactly on his dick a flush was on brown cheeks when he abruptly parted her legs not even wasting time. He put his own fingers in his mouth before inserting two inside her.”oh?” When he moved his fingers around there was a small squelching noise, already wet even before everything.``Needy even before we started?” His other hand multitasked with squeezing her brown mound. She made a soft whimper, nodding.”t-those calls and texts are something y’know? Got me all worked up and shit..”

He was pleased with the effect he had on both her body and mind, he needed to hear more and her exact thoughts too.”yeah? Tell me baby, how’d I make you feel with the texts and calls?” The thrust of his fingers had a steady pace making her arch against his chest.”m-mmph! Got me so needy, even when we were arguing I couldn’t stop thinking of you… you were my ah…! Every thought and in my dreams.” He gave a sharp thrust making her moan out.”What kind of dreams?” She let out what sounded like the mix of a cry and moan.”my wet dreams! You were in my wet dreams!”

He did that familiar hum, something she would be hearing all night.”exactly what I like to hear.” His fingers thrusting pace changed, going from steady to a more fast beat making her throw her head back and whine. He placed soft smooth kisses on her neck.”know my baby’s been needy.. all the texts and fighting back, just let go for me.” He cooed into her ear making her nod, making impatient “mhm!”’s. He added 2 more fingers into her hot snatch.”It's okay though, gonna make it worth your while now.” All that was heard between the two was breathy moans, whispering, kissing and the squelch of her pussy as he jerked his four fingers inside of her.

a sudden gasp came from her as she gripped his wrist.”ace! Gonna cum!” He smirked, moving his fingers faster.”yeah? Gonna cum on my fingers baby?” She frantically nodded her head.”cum” with that one word she creamed on his fingers with a yell. Coaxing her out her orgasm he rubbed her back as her head laid against the front of his shoulder with a bashful lusty look on her face, it was cute really till ace ruined her fun time. Laying her down on the bed he stood up in front of her.”we’re not done yet baby, still got a lot to show you and prove through those texts right?” She softly whimpered in response, looking still with hooded eyes at his taller figure.

Taking her legs in both hands he placed them on his strong shoulders doing a wide eyed big grin peering down at her. She made a weak chuckle from her first argument, trying to humor him a bit.”we’re excited tonight, your first time in a while getting good cooter or something?” He made a small “tch” with a laugh mixed at her quip.”Speaking of cooter,” he lifted her body a bit, getting her comfortable for his feast.”I recall you doubting my abilities, yes? Something like..” he caught by surprise doing a strip lick of her pussy then continuing his talk.”I can’t handle it right? I can’t handle your cooter or something?” Gasping from the first lick and still recovering from the whiplash she didn’t respond as quickly, making him give her a spank on the pussy. That made her whimper and cry out.”y-yes I said that ace!” He gave her another lick getting her sensitive with each one.”Then I think I should prove you wrong, yes? Because you just were obviously talking out your mouth from being depraved for so long baby.” She made a simple nod looking at him with brown eyes.

Gripping her thighs which were placed on his shoulders he bent his head down digging in. His mouth practically made out with her pussy, tonguing her clit and even getting her fat lips wet while she cried out and moaned gripping her sheets. He sucked and licked at her with such a sloppy roughness making her hands go from the sheets to gripping his jet black hair, not that he minded. The more she gripped just means he was doing fantastic. Even with her plea’s he knew she just wanted more.”Mmph! Gonna cum ace! Please!” She exclaimed in a shout but his mouth stayed on her. With no surprise she embarrassingly creamed inside his mouth making him get off and just swallow smiling, making an ‘aah’ sound and her show a brown tinted blush on her cheeks.”so indecent..“. “You love my indecentness though.” She knew she couldn’t argue and made a soft sigh.

Staring down at his lower body she could see his dick was up and ready. Even from just now creaming on his face she made a smirk at it.”morning wood?” She joked pointing down once he let go of her legs. He tsked looking down and clicking his tongue at her joke.”More like night wood baby.”

She hummed while sitting up.”Well, the little man is obviously awake and ready.” He crossed his arms behind his head stretching.”Well you gonna do anything to cure him?” She bit her nail.``Mm.. how bout you c'mere and lay for me, you haven’t even put your dick in me in months and you’ve worn me out already.” He made a small side eye doing a toothy grin while she sat pretty even with tired eyes.”Your wish is my command oh great princess!”

He didn’t waste a second on doing as she pleased and laying on his back for her. Her 5’6 frame towered over his tall 6’1 body a bit but she still looked small anyways. She rubbed his thighs, looking at his tan dick for a minute as he laid there with his hands behind his head.”it’s not gonna bite baby, I’m sure you remember how to ride it real nice right? Or should I just leave while I can?” He teased making her gasp furrowing her brows at him, it was easy to play her and get her to play along. Not wanting him to deceive her skills even in a joking way she gathered her courage slowly inching herself on all his 9 inches doing a small whisper count down before she sat on all of him. a breathy gasp came out feeling all of his thickness inside her for so long.

Ace could see her hesitating before he gave a harsh slap to her ass.”prove me wrong.” That made her clench, making a low groan come from Ace's throat. Putting her hands on his shoulders she rode him at a slow pace at first, getting more sloppy with it as her pussy made squelching sounds. Moans, whimpers and groans echoed inside the bedroom with sounds of skin slapping. She made short breathing gasps losing her pace from energy and ace noticed. Giving both ass cheeks short slaps he grabbed her attention again.”I’m gonna have to help ya or something sleepy head?” He gave a sharp thrust making her cry out.”you gotta prove me wrong baby,”

She nodded along with a single tear in her eye from his unwarned thrust.” ‘m am..” with some of ace’s help lifting her ass and slapping her back down she got back into the rhythm, this time her pace being faster with ace’s rough hands gripping on her waist to slam her down making cries and high moans coming from y/n while grin had a toothy grin showing his shiny whites.”you gotta prove me wrong ‘member?” She just made a cry in response, gripping on his shoulders, bouncing herself.”a-ace! Can’t pleasee, ‘m gonna cum please please!” She made a plea in a whiney voice through her moans.

Ace groaned with her feeling her clench and took over.”never can take the lead? Was always my needy girl.” With some sloppy thrusts from Ace she felt an orgasm coming.”Mm! Cumming— gonna cum ace I-!” With a loud squeal she creamed on his dick. Ace made a hum at how in weakness she laid her head on chest.

“I’ll give ya a break, pretty sure I could get some more outta ya.”

[disneyprincemuke]

bad sushi and bad stomachs

alternatively: we're literally just kids figuring it out

in which she completely overanalyses the situation when she wakes up puking from bad sushi, forcing her to have a conversation about potentially having kids

(series masterlist)

she breathes out heavily, one hand on the rim of the toilet bowl and another holding her hair behind her back. she stares into the flooded bowl in disbelief. realistically speaking, she hasn't consumed anything that's supposed to make her this sick.

perhaps it was the street food that she tried out with logan? maybe it was the sushi from earlier? but it can't be, her stomach's not usually this weak - she literally ate soil as a kid. it can't be, right?

and she breaks out in a cold sweat: it's possible. it could actually be happening. she lifts up her arm, patting around for the cloth she'd prepared for herself and then pulls herself up. she flushes the toilet and weakly grabs her phone from the toilet sink.

she dials for the first person she knows would keep this secret until she's in the clear. it rings for a couple of seconds before a soft and tired voice comes through.

"it's 4 in the morning. come on."

"room 3409. drop by the store before you come up."

"what, why? what's wrong?"

"i think i might be pregnant."

there's a knock on her door not more than ten minutes later. she holds the warm cloth to her mouth, slowly unlocking her door and pulling it open to reveal oscar and sebastian.

"you told seb? are you kidding me?" she scolds, smacking oscar on the shoulder as they step into her room. "i called you because i was hoping you wouldn't run your mouth!"

"i'm only twenty-two, what do i know about pregnancy?" oscar throws his arms in the air, rubbing the spot that she's smacked. "i got you three for good measure!"

"what's the red bull for?" she scowls, stumbling a step back as oscar shoves the bag into her hands. "is that for you? you had the time for that?"

"it's 4 in the morning!"

"just go and take the stupid test," sebastian sighs, pulling oscar away as he closes the door behind him. "have you called logan?"

she looks back at sebastian, putting down the plastic by the foot of her bed. she shakes her head and presses her lips together. "i haven't."

"why not? you called this idiot before you called your own boyfriend?" sebastian cries, scratching his head. sometimes even he's unsure of how her brain works. sometimes she makes sense, but more often than not, she just seems to be winging it.

"we haven't really," she trails off, taking a slow step towards the bathroom. "i don't think we've really talked about having kids before. or just me even having kids."

"but you've been together-"

"and i'm also an athlete," she points out, nervously picking at the pink packaging that holds the pregnancy test. "i don't know, we've just never talked about it before. i don't even know if i want kids."

she doesn't exactly wait for a response. she just steps into the toilet and shuts the door behind her, locking herself and her thoughts for a couple of minutes to think about the potential results.

in the dimly lit room, sebastian and oscar wait in silence. they don't want to talk about the possible fallout they know could come out of this when she has the conversation with logan, so they just keep quiet.

oscar supposes it's an interesting topic to suddenly think of. growing up, they talked about their aspirations and goals, and wanting to have a family someday. but he can't pinpoint an instance in which she's talked about having kids. not with anyone, and not even with logan.

"peed on the stick," she mutters as she opens the door to the bathroom. she sighs, finally reaching for the wall to turn on the lights in her hotel room. "guess now all i have to do is wait."

"so, what are you planning to do if it's positive?"

she stares at sebastian. she shrugs. "i don't know."

"do you want it to be negative?"

"i don't know."

"what do you know?"

"i literally don't know," she shakes her head, leaning back on the wall behind her. "i can't be pregnant. i haven't even turned 21 yet. i haven't even been in f1 for a whole season! what am i going to do if it's positive?"

"okay, you're panicking way too soon," oscar mutters, pushing himself off her bed. he walks over to her, arms stretched towards her. "breathe."

"but what if-"

"seb," oscar says through gritted teeth, looking at the older man with a straight smile. "she's losing it. don't make me regret calling you."

"fine," sebastian mutters, folding his arms over his chest. he sinks into the couch and spreads his legs. "but you should have called logan."

"seb-"

"don't." oscar tilts his head, turning back to her. he sucks in a deep breath, nodding and gesturing at her to do the same. which she does, and slowly exhales when he does. "relax. don't panic yet," oscar says calmly. "you will be okay."

"it's all i can think about," she mutters. her wide eyes stare into oscar's calm stare as she stiffens up at the thought of taking a break from the one thing she's known all her life. "what's logan going to say? do you think he'll break up with me?"

"what? no," oscar scrunches his face in disbelief, throwing his head back. "no, he's not going to break up with you. how long before the results show on the test?"

"it should be ready right about now," sebastian mutters, walking past them and straight into the bathroom. "do you want to see it for yourself or do you want me to tell you?"

she breathes out shakily, looking up at oscar for an answer. she furrows her eyebrows when he stares at her blankly, lips parting when she finds her ability to speak suddenly taken from her.

"maybe you should just tell us," oscar says, giving her a small smile and a nod. he squeezes her shoulder when she returns the smile, her hand wrapping around his wrist when he follows sebastian into the cramp bathroom.

"it's negative," sebastian sighs, holding up one test to prove it to her.

she sighs loudly, a hand coming up to her chest as she falls to her knees. "oh, thank god. really? are you sure?"

"yeah. i've had my fair share of pregnancy tests," sebastian mutters. "one line means you're not pregnant. especially when it's widespread on three of them."

"i don't know what i would have done if i was actually pregnant."

"do you want me to stay?" oscar hums gently, kneeling next to her with a hand on her shoulder. "you seem pretty shaken up. you know, i bet it was that sushi we had for dinner."

"do you want me to throw these away?" sebastian tilts his head, pointing at the three lined-up tests on the sink. "i doubt you want to keep any of these for remembrance."

"no, it's okay," she smiles, leaning into the bedframe. "i just wanna be alone. thanks for coming at such short notice. i really appreciate that. i'll clean everything up myself."

"are you sure?"

she nods. and that was the biggest mistake she could have made. what she forgot to factor in was that logan was supposed to wake her up at ten for a brunch date before their flight back to the uk.

she'd spent the next hour, after oscar and sebastian had left, lying in bed with a hand on her belly and imagining what steps she would have taken if the results came out positive. she even tried to imagine how the conversation with her boyfriend would go if it went the way she didn't want it to. she spent so much of her time thinking and thinking that she'd simply forgotten to clean up her mess.

until she felt one side of her bed dip and a hand on her shoulder shakes her gently. she hums a response, eyes fluttering open to be greeted by a familiar pair of green eyes. "logan," she greets him with a smile.

and then it hits her. "logan!" she shrieks, scrambling to sit up at the realisation that her boyfriend has made his way into her hotel room. she grabs her phone and taps on the screen, revealing three missed calls and ten text messages from him in the past thirty minutes. "i'm sorry! i'm late, aren't i?"

"you're okay," logan grins, patting her knee. "i figured you slept late? by the way, did the sushi wake you up this morning? i wasn't feeling so great - i threw it all up in the bathroom at like 6 in the morning."

"right," she breathes out. seems like she completely overreacted. it's just the food. must have been some bad fish. "yeah, my stomach was pretty upset."

logan tilts his head. "are you alright? you look kinda... not great," he says softly, eyes carefully scanning her face and then her body. "did the sushi hit you differently than it hit me? do you have a fever?"

she flinches away from the hand logan extends to press against her forehead, carefully crawling off the bed. suddenly she's very hyperaware of the three sets of pregnancy tests that she left on the bathroom counter. "no, i just- babe, we're late. how are we gonna make brunch and our flight back home?"

"babe, it's okay," logan laughs, watching her circle around the small hotel room with a hand on her forehead and the other on her hip. "i'll just order us room service. don't need to rush yourself."

"i haven't even packed yet! our flights at 2. it's 10:15!" she darts all over the room, picking up loose articles of clothing and towels, and throwing them towards her open suitcase in the corner of the room. "god, i should have set an alarm."

before she can make it into the bathroom in haste, logan steps between her and the door, grabbing her shoulders with a small smile. "hey, is something wrong? if it's the brunch, we can always just reschedule," he smiles. "it's not a big deal. i'll help you pack, okay?"

"no, it's not that. i just- we don't have enough time. i really wanna make it to brunch."

"okay, relax." logan squeezes her shoulders. "i'll fix you a quick bath, and you get your outfit from your bag. i'll take care of the rest, okay?"

perhaps she let her guard down too quickly. or maybe it was the dimples and the smile and the inviting green eyes that made her suddenly forget about the one thing she spent all morning worrying about.

"okay." she slumps her shoulders and turns away for a mere second, in a trance and suddenly excited about getting brunch with her boyfriend.

it was the sound of the bathroom door sliding open that snapped her out of her thoughts. she whirls back around with logan's name on her lips, but it seems that it's too late.

because logan reappears in her room with, not one, but three pregnancy tests in his hands and an unreadable expression to come with it. "are these yours?"

she balls her fists right by her side, lips pressed into a thin line as she stares at her boyfriend wide-eyed. "would you believe me if i said no?"

"no."

"then why would you ask?" she sighs, throwing her hands in the air.

"why didn't you tell me? is that why you've been so agitated since you woke up? you were hiding these from me?"

the hurt in her voice made her wish she went about things differently. it's one thing imagining her boyfriend's reaction in her mind, but it's another to see it face to face while she is still processing the whole thing on her own.

"well," she squeaks out, shoulders shrugging up as she tries to find the words to make the hit easier for him. "i mean..."

"you thought you were pregnant? you didn't tell anyone?"

"i called oscar."

"you called oscar? you didn't think to call me? what's wrong with you?"

"we haven't exactly had that conversation yet, logan!" she rambles, throwing her arms in the air. "in fact, i haven't even had that conversation with myself! since i got this far in my life!"

he tilts his head. "what do you mean?"

"i think you should call the restaurant and tell them we'll be missing our reservation," she sighs, gesturing towards the bed. "actually, i feel like we should've talked about this a really long time ago."

"what are you talking about? why do you keep beating around the bush?" logan furrows his eyebrows. "i'll call the restaurant when i think i should cancel the reservation. could you explain yourself first?"

she sighs, looking up at the ceiling. "i made it this far," she slumps her shoulders. "i don't want to take a step back unless i really have to. unless i need to. and having kids... getting pregnant..."

"okay?"

"i don't think i see myself getting pregnant in the foreseeable future," she says softly, dropping her gaze to her hands. she shakes her head. "i don't know what's your stance on it, but i don't want to lose you over this. but you've talked about it your whole life - starting a family and stuff like that. we're not getting any younger."

he just raises an eyebrow. he tilts his head before a sigh passes his lips. instead of answering, he just takes her hand and gently pulls her towards the bathroom.

"what are you-"

he holds her shoulders, bringing her to the mirror where he towers behind her. "that loser's barely getting a grip in an f1 car and that pretty girl over there is literally making history. do you really think those two care about having kids right now?"

she turns her head, giving logan a confused stare. "what the hell are you talking about?"

"listen, it's not up to me if you ever want to bear kids," he says softly. "yeah, i talked about starting my own family when we were growing up and whatever. but i knew what i was getting into when i asked you to be my girlfriend. moreso when you landed a seat in f1."

"yeah, but it's not fair. you maybe want kids, but i don't want to sacrifice my job for one," she whispers. "you'll end up hating me if you keep riding along with whatever i want, you know? that's not how this works."

"dude-"

she raises her eyebrow.

"babe," logan corrects himself with a small grin. he drops his head to the side to look at her. "you're barely even 21. i haven't even turned 23. what's the rush? we're just kids. we can't take care of one. a toddler is way different from a cat and a dog."

"what are you getting at? how is that relevant to what i was saying?"

"it's too early to have this conversation," he says slower and in a calmer tone. "kids or no kids, i still want to be with you. i still love you the same. i'm just kinda sad that you didn't think you could confidently tell me about this."

"it's a conversation i didn't think i was ready for," she frowns. "like you said - i'm barely 21. if that had turned out positive, i don't know what i would have done."

"for starters, you should have told me the minute you had a hunch," he points out with a frown. "i can't believe you called oscar before me. you think i've never had a pregnancy scare?"

she stares up at him blankly. "did you have to remind me you've been with other girls before me?"

"okay, i'm sorry," he smiles sheepishly. "but seriously. you should have called me."

"what for? you were up sick from the sushi too."

"so we can puke together, duh?"

"go and pack my bags. that's your punishment for even suggesting that."

[uzuitengensfourthwife]

You're mine - Ran Haitani (Tokyo Revengers) x fem Reader

Ran Haitani made your life a living hell and when his façade crumbled, you are left with emotions of fear and resentment. Your last resort seems to be nothing else but to escape him.

Warnings: Toxic relationship, verbal abuse, mentions of physical abuse (nothing too hardcore tho!), swearing, manipulation and my bad writing and grammar oops

Wordcount: 3409

Auther's note: I don't know.... I just wrote it down and hoped for the best honestly. Idk why but Ran just strikes me as someone who just would be overly manipulative and controlling in a relationship... though I could also see him being an awfully great boyfriend.. Well as you can see I went with the not so pleasant option. But I'll def write the other "trope" as well hihi. Enjoy!!

Ran Haitani had ruined your life. 

The warmth that once had surrounded the apartment, that had once surrounded you was replaced by a certain coldness. You longed for the warmth that had once surrounded your life, the warmth that had once been with you before you had met Ran. You longed for a life without the coldness that was brought by Ran. The only thing you could do to regain the warmth was to run away. You had to run away from this apartment, from this life and most certainly from Ran. That was the only way for you to regain strength and to go back to the life you once had, to regain the freedom that had once been part of your life. 

With that, you took all the strength you had left within you to pack your things. You grabbed what you could, or what could even fit within your two bags. Once you had grabbed everything you could, you tossed your phone, your jewelry, everything that was related to him on the bed. Before you left, you grabbed some of the money you had hid in the bathroom, so you could survive a few days before you had found a solution for the mess you had created for yourself. After grabbing the money, you had put aside, you left the apartment once and for all.

You already felt a little warmer after having left the apartment that had felt so cold before. And while you had your way out into the world your mind wandered back to the day you had met Ran for the first time. 

That day, you had decided to spend your day at your very own sanctuary, the bookshop café that was close to your old apartment. And that day, you really felt like you needed to read a good book with a cup of coffee to calm down yourself. The café truly felt like a safe space to you, where you could enter your own world and enjoy some time alone, sometime far away from any responsibilities you had in life. And no matter how hard life had been, a good cup of coffee and a good book would make everything a bit better. 

So, while you were reading a book at your own little table, a tall man dressed in a suit approached your table, putting a hand on the empty chair in front of you. Yet, you didn’t realize until he spoke up. “Sorry to interrupt… is this seat taken by any chance?” He flashed you a kind smile as he asked you about the chair in front of you. You looked around in the café, which led to your realization that the café was filled to the brim with people. Well, someone joining your table wouldn’t hurt, at least that’s what you had thought. “No! not at all!” you replied, indicating for him to take a seat right in front of you. “Thanks, it’s quite full at the moment.” He answered, sitting down on the chair in front of you. Only now you realized how handsome the man sitting in front of you was. He had downturned eyes, that made him appear rather sleepy, yet his hair was styled back, making it look clean and neat, as if he was ready for a business meeting. 

As you were admiring his features, he let out a laugh, which made you snap back to reality. “You were staring quite obviously, you know?” He pointed out whilst leaning back in the chair, watching as your face turned red. “God… I’m so sorry...” you said, hiding your face behind the book to avoid his smug demeanor. “No, don’t be! I mean, you caught my eye as well.” He said, tilting his head to the right, whilst smirking at you. 

That’s how it all started. 

Over the weeks, you and Ran met regularly at the café and the more you met, the more you got to talk. The both of you were talking about everything that came to mind and it later even turned into deeper conversation or one of you sharing advice about a problem the other Person might’ve had at the given moment. 

Even if you needed help, Ran seemed to be ready to help you whenever there was anything bothering you, whatever it had been. This led to you seeing him at least twice a week, whether it was at the café or even at your old apartment or even his. The more you hung out with him, the less you seemed to have time for your other friends. Of course, your friends didn’t mind at first, quite the opposite, they were glad you had found yourself another friend that seemed reliable. Yet, after some time they seemed to notice that you barely hung out with them and if they asked you to hang out, you always mentioned that you were meeting up with ran. After a while your friends grew tired and some even stopped contacting you, they were probably sick and tired of you rejecting every suggestion you had made. 

And even then, you went to Ran to tell him about this.

“Are you serious?” He gasped, plopping down on the couch of your old apartment. “Yeah, Lia and Meng have stopped texting me! They said I was hanging out with you way too much!” You said annoyed yet sighing to yourself. Ran laughed bitterly. “They’re just jealous of us! If I were you, I’d let them be Y/n.” You looked at him as he said this, not sure what he meant by that. “If they really cared about you, they wouldn’t mind you hanging out with me that much.” Ran said, placing an arm over your shoulder to pull you closer towards him. You sigh to yourself once more. “I guess you’re right… if they really cared, they would have stayed…” – “Exactly my dear.” 

And of course you continued to hang out with him, letting your friends go completely. The more you hung out with him, the more you felt connected to him, attracted even. 

Then you fell for him. 

One time, the two of you decided to meet up at a rooftop bar, a bar where he had never taken you before. You had made sure to dress up appropriately for the occasion, well you dressed up for him. It was safe to say that you had thought it was worth it, because he made sure to show you how much he had appreciated you dressing up for him.

 “You look amazing my dear.” He complimented you, pulling back the chair for you, which made your cheeks turn red. “Awe thanks Ran...” You thanked him, sitting down on the chair he had pulled out for you. After he sat down as well, he ordered the both of you some drinks. “How have you been today my dear?” – “Just fine! A bit stressful at work, but otherwise all good!” You answered, smiling at him kindly. Of course he smiled back, leaning back in his chair. “But my dear, I told you to stop with work, I can pay for everything you know?” His smile vanished, a concerned face replacing his kind smile. “Awe come one, I can’t ask that from a friend!” He chuckles slightly. “That’s quite funny… I’ve been meaning to ask you, if you wanted to be my girlfriend.” 

You held your breath for a second after hearing what he had said just a little while ago. The way you reacted to his confession, earned you a laugh from his side. “Did I startle you?” He asked jokingly. “Yeah…” you answered. “I mean… yeah... I would love to be your girlfriend!” A kind smile appeared on his face the moment you agreed to be his girlfriend. 

It all seemed so innocent and perfect. 

As a matter of fact, you were just naïve. 

You were blinded by love, so blinded that his imperfections stayed hidden behind a façade, a façade he had put up for you. But even that façade crumbled after some time, only to reveal who he really was. 

And you hated every second of it. 

The moment his true colors showed, things changed drastically for you. 

Arguments arose frequently, and more often so because something you had done or said wasn’t up to par for him. 

Worst of it all, was that he talked down on your family. He made it seem, as if your family didn’t give a shit about you, he made sure you believed he was the only one that cared for you. Back then, you believed him. Everything that came out of him seemed so sincere to you, as if he wanted to make sure you were safe. Yet, the more he was able to get you away from your family and friends, the lonelier you felt, even with Ran by your side. 

But even to this point you believed that ran had nothing else in mind than your well-being, even when he got harsh during arguments. He meant well. That’s what you had thought.

One night, Ran invited you to eat out at a quite expensive restaurant on the heart of one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Tokyo, Minato. You had dressed up for the dinner and so he has he as well and it all seemed to be perfectly fine. Both of you had talked about your days, what had happened and so on. All was fine until Ran’s demeanor suddenly changed, upon you talking about a male coworker you’ve had. The once kind Ran who’s been sitting there, listening to you attentively was suddenly long gone. Instead, a sinister smile was lingering on his face. 

“You know,” Ran suddenly said, his voice smooth but carrying an unsettling undertone, “I’ve always believed that true loyalty is built on trust and control.”

 His words sent shivers down your spine. You weren’t entirely sure what you should answer to this, so you tried shifting the conversation into another direction and it seemed to work for a little while until it shifted back to you. Back to you and your lifestyle he seemed to criticize and despise.

As Ran poured more wine into your glass, his eyes never leaving yours, he stated. “I just want what’s best for you, Y/n. Sometimes, the people closest to us don’t always have our best interests at heart.”

Ran’s words echoed in your mind, creating an uneasy feeling within you that seemed hard to shake off. As the night continued, all you could think of were Ran’s words. It made you think. Even the night was spent lying awake because of his words. You thought of if he was right. If he was right about the fact that he was the only one that meant well for you. 

And for the time being, you really thought that he did mean well. 

Until the both of you got in a heated argument about work. Work was essential to you; you’ve been working hard to be able to work within your preferred line of work. You’ve put so much blood and sweat into achieving this that it was unnegotiable to you to just give it up. Ran however, seemed to prefer if you stayed back home while he went to work, providing for the both of you. At first it looked like an upright suggestion of his, until he dismissed your wishes of continuing to work. 

He tried to sound nice at first, suggesting it would be a better choice if you stayed home so he could provide for the two of you. But you weren’t having it, so you fought back. 

You learnt quickly that you had made a mistake and he made sure to make you regret it. 

“I’m not stopping with work. Especially not because you don’t want me to interact with my male coworkers.” You stated, trying to assert independency from Ran. There were boundaries that you wanted to keep and to you they had to remain uncrossed. “That’s not what I’m asking of you. All I’m asking of you is to put away what’s keeping you from me. And clearly work is one of those things.” He blurted out, already getting a bit louder. “Alright. I appreciate you coming forward. But work is quite essential you know? I’m not dropping work for you.” 

It was quiet for a bit, until Ran’s demeanor shifted from charming to terrifyingly cold. He grabbed your wrist in a vice-like grip, leaning down until your faces were inches apart from each other. “I’ve done so much for you. For us. And this is how you repay me?” His eyes flashed with anger as he stared you down. “Excuse me? I have never asked for this. You just forced all of this on to me!” – “You’re so fucking ungrateful. I did this all for you. Because I love you.” You scoff at his remark. 

His grip around your wrist tightened upon hearing you scoff at his words. “You don’t understand what love is. Love is loyalty. Love is obedience.” You wince in pain, trying to free yourself from his grip only to be yanked back harshly. “That isn’t love Ran. Love includes freedom and trust. But all you want is to control me.” While speaking your mind, tears welled up in your eyes. You were frustrated and most definitely hurt. All this time you thought Ran only wanted what’s best for you, but in the end his façade dropped, revealing a man that only sought to manipulate and to control others to fuel his inner ego. 

His other hand came up to your face, roughly brushing away a tear. “You don’t get it, do you? Without me, you’re nothing. You need me.” You wished for it to be false, but you knew that he was right. He’s been manipulating you for months, making sure you were dependent on him in almost every aspect of life. You needed him and you were aware of it. You wrenched yourself free from his grip, sobbing as you held your wrist with your other hand. You tried to create some distance between yourself and him as you were afraid of harsher consequences. 

“I’m trying to make things right for the both of us. So, appreciate it.” With that he stormed out of the apartment, leaving you by yourself. This made you realize what situation you were in, and you were certain that you had to leave him to regain your freedom again. 

After the fight you had with him, things only got worse. He became more controlling and more manipulative over time, even making you quit work completely. 

It was unbearable to you. 

And that puts you to where you were right now. You decided to pack your bags and leave, as this was not the live you wanted to live. After you had left the apartment, you immediately made your way to the train station, your tickets to Osaka were already paid for a few days ago. There was no denying the fact that getting into the train already made you feel a lot better than you felt back at the apartment. 

A smile appeared on your face as you took a seat on the train, watching as the train left the main station in Tokyo through the window. You were hoping for a new beginning in a new city, a possible calm and boring life as you’ve had it before meeting Ran. That’s all you really wished for, to lead a normal life. Because of the calmness that overflowed your body, you fell asleep on the train, and it was safe to say that you haven’t slept this well in a while. Because when you arrived in Osaka after an hour of being in the train, you woke up having a lot of energy within you. You felt as if your strength that you’ve seemed to have lost after being with Ran, was back and it truly felt great. 

In Osaka, you went to the apartment that you’ve rented out for at least 3 months, especially so you could get your life back together. It felt even more freeing when you arrived at the empty apartment. It felt new and it felt freeing. 

You had regained freedom again. 

You spent the rest of the day hunting for new jobs, anything that would get you at least a bit of money for the time being. This time, there was no Ran that would pamper you with money, no, this time you had to look out for yourself. At times it felt nice to be pampered, but your freedom was worth far more than a man pampering you, hoping to control your life the way he likes. 

It finally felt as if you had regained control over your life. 

You smiled to yourself as you closed the laptop, leaning against the wall of your new apartment. Closing your eyes for a second, you enjoyed the silence that you’ve barely experienced with ran, as he always picked arguments with you. 

The silence was disturbed by your belly growling, indicating you that it was time for a dinner. And since you didn’t feel like going out tonight, you ordered some dinner online. You made sure to unpack some of the stuff you were able to grab before the food arrived. After a while the doorbell rang, so you immediately made your way to the door to open it. As you opened it, you were greeted by none other than Ran himself, who stood there leaning against the doorframe while holding the food you had ordered in the other.  

“Well well. If that isn’t my dear Y/n.” He said whilst looking down on you, his eyes filled with nothing but anger. Your first instinct was to slam the door shut, however since Ran was stronger, he was able to stop you. “That’s not how you greet your lover my dear.” He made his way inside, slamming the door shut in a harsh manner. Once he was inside, he put the food on the table, his back still turned towards you as he spoke. “I really thought you’d be smarter than trying to run away from me. But I guess that’s on me for not being harsh enough on you.” 

“We… we’re done…” You uttered quietly, even if you wanted to sound harsher or louder, his presence quieted you down. It didn’t matter how harsh you would sound anyway. He’d always be harsher. 

He laughs at your response, finally turning back to you. “You don’t actually believe that do you?” He stepped closer towards you, his eyes fixated on you. You tried to get away from him. He, however, grabbed your wrist harshly, pulling you back to him. His grip tightened with every attempt you made to wrench yourself out of his clutch, it was no use. “You are mine. You are in no position to decide whether you get to leave or not. Understood?” He demanded harshly, his grip around your wrist still tight. You on the other hand were out of breath due to panic. His presence made you feel suffocated, you couldn’t say something even if you wanted to give him an answer. 

“Do you fucking understand?” He asked you again, this time his voice louder than you’ve ever experienced it before. Tears were starting to form in your eyes, due to the sudden shock of the whole situation that arose and escalated within minutes. This led to him raising a hand, is if he were about to hit you. 

“Y-yes…” you muttered, your voice smaller than ever. “Louder.” He demanded harshly, towering over your trembling body. “Y-yes…” you repeated, this time loud enough for him to clearly hear your words. “That wasn’t so hard, now was it my dear?” He said, smiling kindly as his once raised hand now stroked the top of your hand in a kind manner. 

“Time to go home my dear.” He said, placing a kiss on the top of your head. You nod in response, which earned yourself a proud smile from his side. “See? You’re learning quickly.” 

Ran had ruined your life. 

And you knew that there was no way that you’d be able to get the life back that you once had. Ran would be the one to control your life. 

You just had to accept that, whether you liked it or not. 

[metmuseum]

Fraktur Motifs. ca. 1780. Credit line: Rogers Fund, 1944 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/3409

[stellocchia]

The fic for This Poll's winner of Killer's underrated ships is now out! The word count this time ended up at 3409. More than double compared to last time. I have issues.

Summary:

In the end, the lost lackey wasn’t hard to find. He was sitting at the bottom of one of the shallower craters, head firmly pressed against his knees. His arms were wrapped tightly around his skull, pushing it down even further. He was wound up so tight that his knees must have been digging into his eye socket. Didn’t that hurt? That couldn’t be comfortable…

With an ounce of concern for the murderer left stranded in his AU now mixed in with the apprehension for everyone else’s safety, Outer slowly approached him.

“Heya pal” he greeted, still a good distance away. He was ready to dodge and fight if needed, but the main reason why he spoke up so early was to avoid spooking the guy. He already looked tense enough as was, and Outer was trying his best not to be a dick.

Despite his best efforts, Goopy Sockets still sprung up, knife in hand, and teeth twisted into a snarl. Outer was almost surprised he wasn’t growling at him.

He went to raise his hands placatingly, but the guy immediately lunged forward.

---

Outer finds Killer after he's been abandoned in Outertale by Nightmare. Will he gain a new pal, or will he end up as a pile of dust?

The fic will be under the cut for anyone that wants to read it here instead of on AO3.

Living in Outertale, it wasn’t rare to see Outcodes around.

Error was the most frequent visitor. He usually sat at the edge of one of the big craters way out of town. He stayed there for hours, quietly watching the stars. The inhabitants of Starredin had learned to just leave him be, lest they incur his wrath. The only one allowed to approach was the Starcream Vendor, as the Destroyer seemed to have quite the sweet tooth.

Others came by as well, albeit less frequently. There was that artist dude that sometimes passed by. Mostly to annoy the Destroyer. Then there was that skeleton in a Grim Reaper outfit who popped in now and then. Again, mostly to annoy Error. Outer had no idea why so many Outcodes were Hellbent on getting tied up and left trapped on a random moon. Especially because none of the inhabitants of Starredin were ever willing to help them after they'd bothered their temperamental guardian. And the folks from Meteorfalls and Nebuland rarely ventured that far. Not to speak about the New Home residents, they were so accustomed to their fully functional artificial gravity system that they never left the safety of the capital to explore the outer edges of their world.

All this is to say, nobody was ever too shocked when new faces dropped by. However, Nightmare was still one of the most unpleasant visitors they got in a while.

He arrived, threw some vague threats around, and proclaimed himself the new King of their world, only for Error to come in, grab him with his strings and throw him and most of his henchmen through one of his glitchy portals, hopefully never to be seen again.

What an irritating and yet mostly unremarkable guy.

He should have known better than to mess with the unofficial protector of their home.

Most of the commotion was over in around an hour, and all the people of Starredin were already returning to their regular business. Outer, however, had noticed that, of the three henchmen that followed Nightmare through his goopy portal, only two had been thrown out with him. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t sure of where the one without eye lights had been during any of the speeches either.

It wasn’t really his business, he was merely a sentry, not a Royal Guard, but all of the attackers had high LV (he'd spotted that as soon as they'd come through. That was why he'd alerted Undyne to the attack in the first place instead of trying to handle it all himself), so there was no doubt that the guy was just as dangerous as the others had been. And there were a lot of kids and young teens that played in the craters around Starredin. They were all easy pickings if the guy wanted to get his EXP fix, and Outer wasn’t going to allow that.

He could have called in Undyne for backup again, of course, but he didn’t wanna bother her unless he had to. She was already busy helping around town with whatever damage Nightmare and his merry band of goons had caused. Well, she was trying to help. Just like Papy was trying to encourage everyone with promises of his Moon famous Galaxy Noodles (they were normal noodles with some edible sprinkles in them). Whether either of them was succeeding was… questionable at best.

They were still the coolest for trying though!

Hands in his pockets, Outer ventured into the Starredin’s Crater Forest on his own.

He spotted Snowdrake, Chilldrake, and Ice Cap practicing some ice puns not too far from the protective bubble of the town. Any other day, he would have stopped by to listen to a couple of jokes, laugh, and give them some pointers, but knowing who was out there, he just decided to gently encourage them to head back home. Snowdrake seemed particularly disappointed at that, but Outer knew he’d have it on his conscience forever if his dad lost yet another family member.

In the end, the lost lackey wasn’t hard to find. He was sitting at the bottom of one of the shallower craters, head firmly pressed against his knees. His arms were wrapped tightly around his skull, pushing it down even further. He was wound up so tight that his knees must have been digging into his eye socket. Didn’t that hurt? That couldn’t be comfortable…

With an ounce of concern for the murderer left stranded in his AU now mixed in with the apprehension for everyone else’s safety, Outer slowly approached him.

“Heya pal” he greeted, still a good distance away. He was ready to dodge and fight if needed, but the main reason why he spoke up so early was to avoid spooking the guy. He already looked tense enough as was, and Outer was trying his best not to be a dick.

Besides, Papy would have been greatly disappointed in him if he hadn’t given the new guy at least a chance. And, yes, he would end up finding out about it. Outer could never keep any secrets from his brother, he promised he never would again after that incident with the Core. After all, had his brother not been so clever back then to see through his intricate web of lies, he would have ended up just like Gaster and all his other assistants: scattered through time and space and forgotten.

He still shuddered just thinking about it.

Despite his best efforts, Goopy Sockets still sprung up, knife in hand, and teeth twisted into a snarl. Outer was almost surprised he wasn’t growling at him.

He went to raise his hands placatingly, but the guy immediately lunged forward. His already weirdly prominent soul was twisting erratically, and the same tar-like substance falling from his eye sockets was now dripping from it. It smelled foul. Like something long dead mixed in with that sickly sweet scent of rotten fruit.

If Outer had a stomach, he would have been retching.

Thankfully, he’d been prepared for the attack. He easily dodged the first three swipes, then turned the guy’s soul blue and forced him to the ground. To his utter horror, his body still pushed itself up, detaching itself from its soul with a wet squelching sound. It was as if they were separate entities entirely.

“Woah, pal, that cannot be healthy” he joked with a nervous little laugh.

Maybe he should have brought Undyne after all. This was not an enemy he was equipped to handle on his own.

Papyrus’ face flashed in his mind as he avoided yet another stab of that damned knife. He could hear his little brother reminding him that life could be amazing if he just greeted it with open arms. If he kept up the fight he’d just end up tiring himself out and getting himself killed. The other had a determination soul that looked almost human, even if he managed to down him once there was no certainty that he’d stay down. So maybe… maybe his brother’s method was worth a shot.

After all, if he really had just scared the other and sent him into a panicked frenzy, maybe seeing that he wasn’t a threat would calm him down?

Yeah, he was grasping at straws…

Regardless, he dodged one last time, quickly teleporting to the other side of the crater, then he shut his eye sockets, letting all his magic attacks rest, and raised a hand, waiting.

Time stretched on infinitely.

He could feel his soul thumping loudly in his ribcage. He could feel sweat cascading down the sides of his skull. All the fluff of his jacket was now wet and heavy because of it. If he ever got home, he definitely had to change before Papy could see him, or the admonishments regarding his already poor health being yet again endangered by his reckless walks through the cold forest would be never-ending.

He heard the other circle him cautiously. At first Outer thought that he must have been preparing to deliver his final blow, but he was pleasantly surprised when smooth bone pressed against his hand instead. He peered an eye open to find the adorable sight of what he’d previously assumed to be an unstoppable murderous beast rubbing his cheek against his hand like a kitten. It was kind of adorable…

Not what he was supposed to be thinking right after having a close call with death, but, oh well!

“Can we chat now?” he asked in a low whisper, not wanting to break the magic of the moment, but also not knowing how much longer he’d be able to keep his arm up for. His brother was right, he needed to do more cardio. However, Outer was still of the opinion that Papy’s and Undyne’s training regimen was insane.

The other studied him again for a long moment, before slowly nodding.

Outer decided to start with an apology: “I’m sorry for scaring you earlier, I really wasn’t trying to”.

It worked, clearly, as the other relaxed a bit more. Though his soul was still moving erratically and dripping that weird substance. At least it lost that putrid smell. It now mostly stunk of smoke and wet sand. Still unpleasant, but nowhere near earlier.

Outer was surprised when the stranger responded: “Sorry I tried to kill you”. His tone and inflection mirrored Outer’s perfectly. It sounded like he had to strain himself to speak. Either he didn’t get many occasions to use his voice or his magic was damaged in some way. Seeing what an obnoxious self-centered and violent prick his boss was, Outer wouldn’t have been surprised by either answer.

“As long as you don’t do it again, it’s alright pal” he reassured. The other didn’t promise anything. He didn’t respond in any way to that comment, in fact. Outer was sure he knew that he was supposed to. He didn’t look like he had too many social interactions. “So… what can I call you? Calling you ‘Stranger’ and ‘Nightmare’s Henchman’ in my head is getting tiring”.

It took a while for the other to react, yet again.

For a moment, it seemed as if he was struggling to remember his name. His face got all scrunched up, and he glared down at his soul as if it was keeping the answer hidden from him. He was a tad bit odd, but not in a bad way as far as Outer could tell.

He was just a bit lost.

And who wasn’t, honestly?

Space was a vast expanse with lots of questions and very few answers. Perhaps that was why so many Outcodes insisted on coming by. They were all adrift. Maybe they hoped the answers they sought were written somewhere on the stars that were so visible from there. But the void was deceitful, it kept luring them in only to leave them stranded.

Maybe Outer could guide this one visitor to safer shores. Far away from there.

“Stage 3” the other finally piped up after a couple of minutes of silence. “I’m called Stage 3. But the body goes by Killer”. He raised his empty eye sockets and locked them on Outer’s. “I protect Killer” he said solemnly. That was his purpose, and he was as sure of it as Outer was that the sun would rise the next day to see his brother make more Galaxy Noodles.

“Well, you’re definitely doing a good job of that. If I were a type of bread back then, I would have been toast”. His joke did not garner the response he was hoping for. Stage 3 didn’t even blink at him. He just sat down and got to work cleaning his knife in silence.

Tough crowd.

He didn’t stab him though, so he must have found the joke amusing to some extent. That was the same kind of reasoning he used at the comedy nights at Mettaton’s resort when a joke didn’t land during his comedy routine, and it hadn’t failed him yet!

A couple of beats of complete silence went by. Outer used the lull in conversation to find a comfortable position next to Stage 3. He ended up lying down beside him, staring up at the Milky Way above. Eventually, however, he started growing restless with the silence.

He never liked it much, ever since he was a child. That was one of the reasons why he always hung out with his brother, besides Papy being the coolest, he never failed to fill the air with loud chatter. He liked Undyne and the woman behind the entrance to the Caverns for the same reason. It was easy to drown out the deafening silence of space when he was with them.

“Right… well, why were you all panicked earlier? When I found you?” he ended up asking once he grew too antsy to keep his mouth shut.

“They do not like the stars” Stage 3 answered cryptically.

“Who’s they?”.

“Killer”.

“Right”. Talking with him was kinda like pulling teeth. Then again, he was under the impression that the other wasn’t used to keeping a conversation going, or even talking in general. Maybe this would be good practice for both of them. “Why don’t they like the stars?”.

Stage 3’s movements stilled and a growl escaped his teeth. For a moment, Outer feared he must have stepped too far, but it wasn’t hard to see that the other’s anger wasn’t directed at him. “Chara” they spit out between gritted teeth.

Outer decided not to interrogate him further on what Asgore’s dead adopted child had to do with anything. He had a feeling that it would only distress Stage 3 further, and he wasn’t up to running for his life again so soon. His bones were already starting to feel sore from all the consecutive shortcuts he took. Meanwhile, his new friend still looked as fresh as the air outside the city bubbles.

He couldn’t just leave him looking so upset, though. Especially not when he was the indirect cause of it. “Do you want a hug?” he asked tentatively.

He’d never been good at comforting people. It wasn’t his forte. His brother had always been the more emotionally intelligent one. He kinda wished he was there to help. Although a small part of him selfishly wanted to keep this encounter for himself. It felt special, somehow. Like he’d finally accomplished something.

He got someone to trust him. And he did it all on his own.

It wasn’t much, but it was worth a lot to him.

A little part of him was also hoping to see Stage 3’s cute side again with the hug, and that was the kind of vulnerability that he was sure the other didn’t allow too many people to see. He didn’t know if he’d been chosen because he was just too pathetic to register as any kind of threat, or because the other also viewed kindness and mercy as strength, but he felt special for being among those lucky few.

Stage 3 looked at him, again without responding in any way.

Outer didn’t move, waiting patiently in case he just needed some time.

After a while, Stage 3’s skull tilted to the side in confusion. “Why aren’t you approaching? I’ve learned that’s a crucial part of hugging”. His inflection on those words was weird. As if he was once again imitating someone else. Probably whatever friend had taught him that physical proximity was part of hugging.

Outer was one hundred percent sure that hadn’t been that Nightmare guy. And, from what little he’d seen of the other two guys working for him, he doubted it had been one of them either. The realization that he was not the first person the other befriended outside of his team came as a surprise.

Not because of Stage 3, he was perfectly lovable. And, while Outer didn’t get to meet ‘Killer’, he was sure that they were great too.

No, it was mostly because of Nightmare. With him proclaiming himself King of their AU and flexing his power with the desperation of a neglected child acting out for attention, he just didn’t get the impression that he’d be willing to share. Then again, if he often forgot his henchmen around perhaps he didn’t do so willingly.

“You gotta agree to it first, pal. Consent is always sexy”. Outer winked at him, a bit teasingly.

Was he flirting now? With an alternate version of himself? Maybe. But far more absurd things had happened in his life, and he was not going to question it. If things went badly he’d just deny it ever happened and suppress any embarrassment that was bound to come out of it until he died one day.

Some people would call it an unhealthy coping mechanism, but, as far as Outer was concerned, it was a life hack.

“Consent?” Stage 3 asked, now even more confused.

“Yeah, you know. That’s when you express that you want something. If I offer a hug you can say yes if you’re feeling like it or no if you aren’t. And it’s important to communicate that, especially ‘cause we don’t know each other well. If we were close friends, I’d probably be able to tell what your mood is better. But right now, if I just went ahead and hugged you without your say-so, I’d be kind of a creep. And I don’t wanna-” he knew he’d started rambling quite a bit. He always did when he started getting flustered. That was how he blew his date with Grillby that one time as well. The only one who didn’t mind it was that bunny lady, but she unfortunately was not his type.

His mouth clicked shut as Stage 3’s arms wrapped tightly around him.

He felt so warm…

Skeletons usually didn’t emit any heat. They weren’t fleshy monsters, nor elementals. They didn’t have their own body temperature, they just reflected that of the space around them.

But Stage 3 was undeniably warm. The heat started from his soul and spread throughout him.

His jacket, while old and worn out, was also still soft. Outer felt himself sink into it. It smelled nice too. Like a light breeze on a sunny day. It carried along the faint smell of flowers and nature. Perhaps with just a touch of fire and smoke too.

He wished that moment lasted forever, but, of course, Stage 3 eventually let go.

“You talk a lot and fight very little” Stage 3 remarked. His phalanges were now hovering only an inch above Outer’s hand. “You’re weird” he decided after a moment. “But not dangerous. I don’t mind your company. Or your hugs”.

Outer smiled as brightly as the starry sky above. “Heh, I also don’t mind your company and your hugs. And maybe now you can think of me instead of that Chara person when looking at the stars, ey?”.

“Don’t push it too much” Stage 3 warned. There was no bite to his words though, so Outer could tell that it was a ‘not yet’ and not a ��never’

“Gotcha”. He stretched, making sure to leave the hand that was close to Stage 3’s one where it was as he did so. “Now that you’re a bit calmer, wanna go into town and maybe get a bite to eat? ‘Cause I don’t know you, but our little scuffle got me starving”.

Stage 3 studied him for a long moment in silence. He was starting to get used to that. He still wasn’t sure that the other knew that questions were meant to be answered. Though he didn’t mind waiting for him to figure it out. “You’re frail” he finally decided to respond. It was true, everyone always remarked as much. It was the reason why he learned to dodge in the first place. And it was the reason why Papy was always a bit more protective than needed toward him. However, he could take care of himself, and he was about to tell as much to the other when he spoke up again: “I will just have to protect you too. Like Killer”. It was said like an oath. Like the mere idea of not doing so would go against Stage 3’s purpose just as much as not defending ‘the body’ did.

And Outer once again felt special.

His smile widened yet again, and he nodded. “Guess you will”.

[gingerly-writing]

Prompt #3409

“I am white-knuckling my grip on appropriate behaviour. Do not flirt with me right now. You will not like the consequences if I lose control.”

[every-day-i-draw-the-titanic]

3409 - June 8, 2024

#Titanic #EDIDtT

[bobbie-robron]

Donna, you’re gonna be in a mess if you’re not careful. (1 of 2)

At the cricket pavilion, the teens play spin the bottle. Stephen isn’t keen while Donna gets a peck from Ali and he gives a full on to Katie. Donna and Katie get more booze from the post office. Donna drinks to excess (and apparently also pills) leading her to pass out. Robert rings the ambulance while Elaine goes to get Viv.

03-Apr-2003

[aquietwritingcorner]

Toaster Troubles

Title: Toaster Troubles Fandom:  TMNT 2003 Word Count: 3409  Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl Rating:  K/G Characters:  Raphael, Donatello Warning: NA Summary:  All Donnie wants to do is fix the toaster. All Raph wants is for his five-year-old brother to wait for supervision. This is going to end well. Right?   Notes: Part of the Little Don AU, an AU I’ve had forming in my head where, during a crisis with the Time Scepter, Don sacrificed himself to save everything. Instead of it killing him, though, it turned him into a baby, and his family has needed to raise him all over again.        ff.net || AO3

___________________________

Toaster Troubles

As much as Raph missed his brother, he couldn’t deny that having little Donnie around was a lot of fun. Getting to see how his brother viewed the world, watching as he learned everything again with wonder and excitement, it was refreshing and there was something special about it. It was like Raph got a window into how his brother’s mind worked that he hadn’t been able to have before.

Of course, Donnie being, well, Donatello, it had led to some pretty heart-stopping moments as he explored the world around him. It had gone from pulling all sorts of things out of his mouth, to pulling him away from dismantled appliances, to pulling him out of dangerous places because he had seen something interesting in them. Donnie was always keeping them on their toes, even with Splinter anticipating at least some of this.

Yet, Raph wouldn’t trade spending time with his little brother for the world, even if it meant dealing with the results of his curiosity. And when Donnie wanted to spend time with him over the rest of his family, well, Raph couldn’t help but feel a little special at that. He enjoyed those times with Donnie.

Today, Donnie had been favoring Raph, even with the mundane things, and so Raph had scooped him up and taken his five-year-old brother with him to the kitchen to work on dinner. It wasn’t anything too complicated. Just some chicken and rice, with a side of vegetables. With the rice cooker, and some of those microwavable vegetable mixes in a bag, most of dinner would be easy. It was just the chicken that would take most of Raph’s attention.

Well, that, and one little brother who it was best not to ignore for too long.

“Alright Donnie, ready to help me make dinner?” he asked as they walked into the kitchen.

Donnie, who he was carrying under his arm like a sack of potatoes, giggled and nodded. “Mm-hm! I’m ready to help, Raphie!”

He wiggled a little, clearly asking to get down, and Raph obliged, standing him on the counter.

“Alright. We’re gonna have chicken, rice, and some veggies. How’s that sound?” Raph asked.

“That sound good!” Donnie said, bouncing on his toes. “Which veggies?”

Raph thought for a second. “Tell ya what. If you can get into the freezer by yourself, then you can pick them out, alright?”

“Okay!” Donnie grinned brightly and dashed along the counter towards the refrigerator. Raph kept an eye on him. It would take a little maneuvering and thought for Donnie to manage to open the freezer, find all the different vegetables, put back the ones he didn’t want, and close the freezer. But it was an easy and safe way for him to practice his ninja skills outside of the dojo, and that was always a good thing. In the meantime, Raph got out a cutting board and knife and pulled the package of chicken thighs out of the sink where it had been thawing. He didn’t really want Donnie messing with raw meat yet, so he’d do all of the work with them.

Glancing back over at his little brother, Raph saw that Donnie had managed to open the freezer, and was now laying on top of the refrigerator, leaning over it to reach inside and pull out the vegetable packets. Raph couldn’t help but grin a little. That was a good way to do it, and he was proud of his little brother for figuring it out. Not that he had expected anything less from Donnie.

Raph started cutting up the chicken, keeping an ear on Donnie, and he looked over when he heard the freezer door close, watching as Donnie jumped back onto the counter and ran over to him.

“This one!” he said with a grin. “Look, it has baby corn and snap peas! I like baby corn and snap peas!”

“I know you do,” Raph said. “Alright, put it by the microwave. It won’t take too long to cook, so we’ll do it later.”

Donnie carefully made his way to the microwave, and sat the bag of vegetables by it, before coming back towards Raph. “Now what?” he asked.

“Hm. Well, since my hands are covered in raw chicken juice, how about you help me season the chicken?” Raph said.

Donnie grinned and nodded, and Raph started rattling off instructions to the boy. Donnie, as usual, was a very good listener, and followed all of Raph’s instructions about seasoning, preparing the pan, and turning on the water for Raph to wash his hands. Raph slid the chicken in the oven to cook and stood back.

“Alright. Now we just gotta do the rice,” Raph said.

“I’ll plug up the rice cooker!” Donnie said, scooting along the counter to go do that.

Raph grinned at the enthusiasm, and got the rice, preparing it. It didn’t take long and within minutes the rice was in the rice cooker, the timer set. That done, Raph looked around the kitchen. There were plenty of dishes to be done, and it’d be easier to do them now than to wait until after dinner.

“Keep an eye on that for me, will ya?” Raph asked Donnie. “I’m gonna wash some of these dishes.”

“Mm-kay!” Donnie chirped and turned to watch it.

Raph turned his attention to the sink full of dishes, keeping an eye on Donnie, who was sitting on the counter, watching the rice cooker, and chattering to himself about something. He nodded to himself, satisfied that Don was occupied with his own thoughts.

Most of the dishes in the sink weren’t too hard to clean, except for a couple of them, which had gotten food dried on and stuck. Those took focus and elbow grease, but he eventually he got them off.  Smirking triumphantly to himself, he turned to check on Donnie again—and nearly had a heart attack.

Instead of sitting on the counter, carefully watching the rice, Donnie was now surrounded by pieces of the toaster, the thing stripped down and, thankfully, unplugged.

Mentally, Raph cursed to himself. He should have been watching Donnie more closely. His brother had gotten in the habit of taking apart just about anything he could get his hands on—and he couldn’t always put them back together yet. They tried to keep him from doing it alone, especially since he wasn’t aware of the dangers of what he was doing, but sometimes he still managed to sneak something by them.

Taking a breath and keeping his voice calm, Raph looked over at Donnie. “Donnie? Bud? Watcha doing?” he asked.

Donnie didn’t even look up from what he was doing, taking another piece off of the toaster with his—yep, that was the Swiss army knife that he had been gifted on his birthday. “Fixing the toaster,” he responded, laying another piece down. “It’s all dirty in here. I’m cleaning it out and then I’m gonna fix the spring so that the handle stays up better and the toast pops out better.” He looked back over at Raph. “The tension got all loose, see? And the springs need to have good tension! But I can make that happen if I just put them back better.”

He grinned at Raph, all shinning eyes and missing teeth. “I can fix it, Raphie!”

Of course he would notice something small like that. And of course he would try to fix it. Raph let out a careful breath. “Yeah, I see what’s wrong with it, Donnie,” Raph said. “But why don’t you wait until after we eat to try to fix it. Maybe we can get LH to come over and--”

“But I can fix it now!” Donnie interrupted, his bottom lip jutting out just a little. “I can do it!”

“After dinner,” Raph said firmly. “And with supervision.” The timer for the chicken went off, and Raph turned to attend to it. “Leave it alone for now, Donnie,” he said. “Why don’t you put the veggies in the microwave?”

His attention focused on the oven for the moment, Raph opened the oven door and peered in. The chicken looked done, and it smelled just right. Raph grabbed a potholder and pulled it out of the oven, settling it on the stovetop. He carefully poked a few pieces with a fork, and nodded to himself when they seemed just right.

“Food in two!” he yelled in the direction of the door, knowing that his family would hear him. He turned his attention back to Donnie and frowned. His little brother hadn’t put the vegetables in, and hadn’t moved from where he was sitting, still stubbornly playing with the toaster which was now completely disassembled.

“Donnie,” he said, his voice firm. “I told you do leave it until after dinner.”

“But I can fix it now,” Donnie insisted.

Raph frowned, and tossed the bag of vegetables in the microwave, before turning back to his little brother. “It’s dinner time. You can come back to it after we eat. But it’s time to eat now.”

Raph recognized the stubborn spark that rose in Donnie’s eyes and settled in his shoulders. This was about to turn into a fight.

“No,” Donnie said, resolutely. “It won’t take me long! Look, it’s cleaner now! All I have to do is put it back together.” His hands reached for a couple of pieces. “I’ll eat after I’m finished.”

Raph suppressed a growl, but before he could do anything, he heard footsteps approaching.

“I heard dinner in—uh-oh,” Mikey stood in the doorway, watching.

“What’s uh-oh?” Leo asked, coming in behind him. He paused when he saw the toaster scattered on the counter. “Oh,” he said.

“It’s nothing,” Raph said, his attention still squarely focused on Donnie. “Just trying to convince Donnie here to come to dinner. Dinner’s almost ready, the table just needs to be set.”

“Mikey and I can take care of that,” Leo said, knowing it was usually best to leave dealing with Donnie to whoever was already dealing with him. “Come on, Mike.”

The two moved, but Donnie refused to move from his spot. He scooted closer to the toaster.

“Donnie…” Raph said. “Time to get off the counter.”

He should have known that wasn’t going to work.

“No!” Donnie said, the word just below being a shout. “I’m gonna finish this first!” He reached up and curled a hand into the bottom lip of the upper cabinets, doing his best to secure himself. “I can do it!”

“My sons?” Splinter entered the kitchen. “Is there a problem?”

“No problem, Sensei,” Raph said. “Just trying to convince Donnie to come to dinner.”

Splinter moved closer, and then seemed to nod to himself as he saw the mess. “I see,” he said. He looked back up at Don, clearly taking note of the stubborn way the little boy was sitting there. “Come, my son. You can finish this after we have all eaten, so that the food does not get cold.”

For a moment, Don’s resolved wavered just a bit, even as he clearly wanted to stay with the toaster.

“Come on, Donnie. I promise you can go back to it afterward,” Raph said. “We’ll get LH over to help.”

Something about what he said seemed to solidify Donnie’s desire to stay put. “No!” he said, tightening his grip and beginning to look upset. “I-I’m gonna finish this first!” he said, his voice starting to waver with tears. “I need to put this back together first! And I’m going to before I eat! I’m going to! I’m going to put it back together!”

“Come on, Donnie!” Mikey said from the table, as he sat out plates. “We’ll get LH to come over like Raph said. You love LH! He’ll help you—”

“NO!” It was a shout from the normally quiet little boy. “I can do it myself! I can do lots of things myself!” his chin trembled, and he held tighter to the cabinet. “I can! And-and-and I don’t care if the food gets cold! All of you can eat it! I’ll make mine warm later—after I fix this!”

Splinter straightened up. “Donatello,” he said in his no-nonsense voice. “That is enough. You will eat dinner with us.”

“No!” Donnie yelled out, and Splinter reached up to take him off the counter himself. “No!”

Donnie yelled out again and tried to squirm away. Splinter, though, was faster and stronger, and he pulled Donnie off of the counter, prying his hands off of the cabinets.

Donnie wailed as Splinter pulled him away, still twisting and Splinter simply carried him over to the booster seat that they had for him. Donnie yelled and squirmed, trying to get out of it when Splinter put him in it.

“Donatello,” he said firmly. “You will sit with us and eat your dinner!”

“No!” Donnie said, and angrily pushed his plate away from him. “No! I don’t wanna eat! I wanna fix the toaster! I wanna fix it! Why won’t you just let me fix it!”

It was clear that this was becoming a full tantrum, and Splinter, clearly having none of it, picked Donnie up again.

“We will be back,” he said over Donnie’s howls.

The remaining three brothers stood there in silence, watching and listening as Splinter took Donnie to his room and shut the door behind him.

“Geeze,” Mikey said. “It’s been a long time since Donnie’s thrown a tantrum like that.”

“I know,” Leo said, looking over at Raph. “What happened?”

Raph shook his head, “I dunno. I was washing dishes, I turned, and he had the toaster in pieces. When I tried to get him to come to dinner, well… You saw all of that.”

“I wonder why, though?” Leo said. “Something triggered the tantrum.”

“Let’s hope he’s not getting sick, like last time,” Mikey said, shuddering.

None of them had enjoyed that particular tantrum and the clean-up, although once they realized that Donnie was sick, it had made the tantrum a bit more understandable.

Still, the brothers ate quietly, listening to the yells and howls of their youngest brother as he threw the biggest tantrum they’d heard yet. They were nearly finished eating by the time the tantrum started to calm. It was only a few minutes later that Splinter returned, pushing a still sniffling Donnie in front of him.

“What do you have to say?” Splinter asked the boy.

Donnie opened his mouth, looked at Raph, at the toaster, and then back at Raph.

“I’m still gonna fix the toaster!” he said defiantly.

“Donatello!” Splinter said.

Donnie’s chin began trembling again. “I-I am! I’m going to fix it!”

“Dude. Why not just wait until LH—” Mikey started.

“No!” Donnie yelled, cutting him off even as tears began to rise in his eyes again.

Raph let out a frustrated noise. “Why is this so important to you!” he halfway yelled back, exasperated at Donnie’s stubbornness.

For a moment, there was silence, and then Donnie burst into noisy tears. Leo reached over and whacked Raph on the shoulder, even as Raph looked at his little brother, slightly horrified. “I—”

“Why won’t you ever let me do anything!” Don sobbed out. “I can do it! I can fix it! But you won’t let me! None of you will let me! I’m smart! I know how! I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!”

His words turned into noisy sobs and desperate tears, and Splinter reached down, bundling the boy up in his arms. “Ah,” he said. “I think I understand.”

Three pairs of confused eyes looked at the rat as he held the sobbing tot in his arms. Splinter simply moved to a chair, and sat with Donnie, rocking him slightly.

“When Donatello was young, the first time, he had already begun taking things apart and putting them back together at this age. As I was somewhat ignorant at the time of the dangers, I allowed it, especially as he was able to make many things work.” Splinter ran a hand up and down Donnie’s shell, trying to comfort him. “Perhaps in our zeal to protect him, we have instead stifled him.”

Donnie was a bit calmer now, although still clearly upset. “I can do it,” he said his voice muffled from where he was curled into Splinter. “I can put it back together all by myself.”

Oh. Oh, that hit a bit different and explained things. Raph looked at his baby brother, new understanding forming. It wasn’t about the toaster itself, but about them trusting him to be able to do things.

Raph knelt next to the chair and reached out, rubbing Donnie’s shell. “Hey, Bud. I’m sorry I didn’t understand,” he said softly. “It’s not that I don’t think you can put it back together, it’s that I don’t want you to hurt yourself, okay? The idea of you getting hurt scares me, and I want to keep you safe.”

Donnie kept his face buried in Splinter. “But I’m safe,” he said. “I know all the protocols! LH and Aunt April taught me! I just wanna do it by myself, ‘cause I can!”

“We understand that, my son,” Splinter said, pressing his nose to Donnie’s head. “But that still does not excuse your behavior. Even when you were that upset, you knew that it would be better to use your words than to throw a fit.”

Donnie didn’t say anything, but he nodded a minute amount.

“You will be allowed to fix the toaster, by yourself,” Splinter said. “But only after you have both eaten and apologized to your brothers.”

Donnie sniffed and nodded. “Okay,” he said.

Splinter let the boy get down, and he looked up at his brothers, before looking down at his feet again. “I’m sorry,” he said in a small voice. “I shouldn’t have thrown a fit. That wasn’t right. I shoulda used my words better.”

“It’s alright,” Leo said. “We forgive you.”

Donnie sniffed, and looked up at his brothers, taking in their expressions, and then looked back at Splinter.

“You are forgiven, my son,” Splinter said. “Now—come eat your dinner. Afterwards, you will repair the toaster, and then we will discuss your punishment for the tantrum.”

Donnie’s eyes grew a bit wet again, but he just nodded. “Yes, Father,” he said.

Splinter and Donnie ate, while the rest of the brothers cleaned up from dinner. Afterwards, Donnie worked on the toaster, fixing it perfectly, just as he said he could. He was, however, sent to bed early, and would be doing some extra meditation with either Splinter or Leo tomorrow. The rest of the family settled in the living room, a little exhausted from everything that had happened.

“Well, that was something,” Mikey said.

“Certainly not the way I expected things to go,” Leo agreed.

“Yeah, but—” Raph looked at his family. “What are we gonna do about this? I don’t think we can just keep Donnie from taking things apart anymore.”

Splinter shook his head. “No, we cannot. He is a gifted and curious child, and in our attempts to give him a better life, we may, in fact, be stifling him. I will talk to both Leatherhead and April about Donatello’s education going forward. Perhaps it is time we gave him a little more freedom when it comes to his engineering endeavors.”

“Uh-oh,” Mikey said, a teasing lilt to his voice. “Here it comes. We’re gonna start finding screws and bolts and tools everywhere, probably with our feet, and it’ll hurt worse than legos.”

“And we’ll have to start making sure he doesn’t sneak projects under his covers at night,” Leo said.

“And we will have to get used to mistakes, clanging, and small explosions,” Splinter said.

“Yeah,” Raph said. “But we dealt with it before—we can deal with it again.”

There was a general murmur of agreement from the others, and they settled into a companionable silence. Perhaps they should have seen this coming sooner. After all, Donnie may not have been Don, but he was still Donatello. Of course he was going to be a little engineer. And if Raph was honest with himself? Having Donnie start down that path again was comforting. He looked forward to the day when Donnie had the lair ringing with the sounds of his latest project again.

He just hoped it didn’t involve anymore tantrums.