#=_= normal problem just always there on the back burner

[jakesaverse]

JUICEBOX VENDETTA | JAKE SIM | ONE SHOT

Jake x reader

Word Count: ~5,000

Genre: Enemies to lovers (with maximum simp energy)

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

You don’t even remember what flavor it was.

Orange, maybe. Or grape. Whatever it was, it ruined your unicorn leggings in the 5th grade and sealed Jake Sim’s fate as your eternal nemesis.

“Move,” you mutter, brushing past him in the hall now, seven years later.

“Sure. Just let me wipe my shoes—might trip over your grudge,” Jake deadpans.

You spin around. “You spilled juice on me.”

“In 5th grade!” he throws his arms up. “It was a JUICE BOX, not acid!”

“Same difference,” you say sweetly. “My thighs were sticky for days.”

Jake chokes on his laughter and then pretends to gag. “Gross, YN. Please. It’s 8 a.m.”

This is your routine. Morning insults, accidental brush-ups in class, and snarky hallway banter that somehow feels like a full-time job. If there were a GPA for verbal combat, you and Jake would be valedictorian and runner-up, constantly switching places.

You tell yourself you hate him.

But maybe it’s weird that you know he doodles on the margins of his notebooks and always flicks his pencil twice before writing. Or that he only drinks strawberry milk on test days. Or that he has the tiniest dimple on the right, not the left.

Totally normal. Totally enemy surveillance.

You absolutely do not notice how good he looks leaning against lockers.

Today, you’re both late to chemistry, and there’s only one Bunsen burner left.

“Great,” you sigh. “You breathe too loud. I’ll get carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Jake smirks. “You think I’m hot.”

“Excuse me?”

He flicks on the flame. “Carbon monoxide is odorless and tasteless. You’re thinking of carbon dioxide—what you exhale when I walk by.”

You glare. “I hope this lab blows up.”

“Don’t worry,” he says, handing you goggles. “I’d save you first. Even if you still hate me for a Capri Sun homicide in 2016.”

Your hand brushes his. You both pull back like it burned.

Spoiler: it didn’t.

Your hands felt warm.

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

Lunchtime.

You sit with your friends and spy on Jake from two tables away. It’s not spying, exactly. Just… gathering intel.

He’s laughing at something Sunghoon says. His head tilts back and his smile does that thing. That thing. You shove a carrot in your mouth like it insulted you.

“I swear,” your best friend says, “if you keep staring, I’m gonna charge you rent.”

“I’m not staring.”

“You have the facial expression of a Victorian ghost watching its former lover court a new bride.”

“That’s oddly specific.”

“Stop simping and just talk to him.”

“I do talk to him! I insult him daily!”

They sigh. “The line between hate and love is thin.”

“Thinner than the Capri Sun straw he stabbed my childhood with?”

They blink. “You seriously need therapy.”

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

Later. School courtyard.

You’re trying to carry an overloaded project board and a cup of paint back inside when, of course, a familiar voice pops up behind you.

“Need help, Juicebox?”

You freeze. “Don’t call me that.”

Jake grabs the other side of the board anyway. “Let me guess. DIY revenge machine? Shoots juice at unsuspecting boys?”

“Unfortunately, you’re not worth the engineering degree.”

You walk in awkward silence for a few steps before he says, “You know I didn’t mean to spill it, right?”

You glance over. He looks weirdly sincere.

“I was nervous,” he adds. “You—uh—you had pigtails and glitter sneakers and a smile that made my brain shut down.”

You trip over your own foot. “Excuse me?”

Jake looks horrified he said that out loud. “Forget it. I—I mean, whatever. You were just a weird little kid.”

“You had a mushroom haircut.”

“You liked my mushroom haircut!”

“Did not!”

“You called me ‘Toad’ and giggled.”

“…out of pity!”

You’re both smiling now. Stupidly. Your hands are still on the board, your fingers almost touching.

You clear your throat. “Thanks, I guess. For the help.”

“No problem.” Then, softer: “You look good in paint. Really brings out the menace in your eyes.”

You blink. “You’re… flirting?”

Jake shrugs. “Maybe.”

“Oh my god,” you breathe, horrified. “Do you like me?”

He grins. “Took you long enough.”

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

The next week.

You’ve stopped calling him your nemesis.

Well. Out loud.

Now your insults sound more like… flirting. At least, that’s what your friends say.

You still glare at him, but it’s less homicidal and more “I hope you trip into my arms.”

Jake has started saving you a seat in chem. He still acts like an idiot, but now he does it while giving you his extra snack packs and picking leaves out of your hair.

One day, he shows up at your locker with a juice box.

“Peace offering,” he says, holding it out.

You squint at it. “Is it poisoned?”

He snorts. “Strawberry kiwi. Your favorite.”

You hesitate.

He gently presses it into your hand.

“I’m sorry,” he says again, softer. “Fifth grade me was dumb. And nervous. And probably had a crush the size of Jupiter.”

You look down at the juice box. Your fingers brush his again. This time, you don’t pull away.

“…Okay,” you murmur. “Apology accepted. Under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You drink one with me.”

You each take a dramatic sip.

Jake grins. “Truce?”

You shake your head.

He looks confused.

“Upgrade,” you whisper. “From nemesis to… maybe something else.”

Jake looks like you just handed him the moon.

“Deal,” he says.

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

Fast-forward: Spring Fling Dance

Jake is wearing a tie that doesn’t match, and you’re wearing a dress that definitely does. You didn’t plan to go together. Technically.

But your friends ditched you to take pictures, and somehow, Jake shows up beside you, sipping juice from a thermos.

“Too cool for punch?” you tease.

He nudges you with his elbow. “Too traumatized. Juice gang for life.”

You laugh. “We’re so dumb.”

“Maybe. But at least we’re dumb together.”

Then, nervously: “Can I have this dance, Juicebox?”

You mock-groan. “I swear, if you call me that at our wedding—”

Jake blinks. “Wedding?”

You turn red. “Hypothetical! Future! Very distant!”

He’s beaming. “So you’re saying there’s a future.”

You whack his arm, but your hand stays there a second too long.

“Shut up and dance with me.”

⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻

[ageingfangirl2]

Imagine Being Bonten's Receptionist (Bonten x F Reader) - Tokyo Revengers

PART 4: THEY FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR STALKER EX-PARTNER!

ONE TWO THREE FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE

You should have known you couldn’t hide behind fake smiles and fake laughs in front of Bonten wouldn’t last for long before someone decided to do some digging. And, of course, the member who decided to do the digging was Koko. He had hired you and knew most about your past, except one part you hadn’t told anyone. He knew you were in a relationship with a lawyer. It looked pretty normal and happy from the outside, but Koko was going to discover your boyfriend had stopped being your boyfriend a month ago, and he’s devolved into a stalker who wanted you back desperately. 

Instead of letting you know he knew, he got the rest of the members together in the meeting room when you’d gone out to grab some lunch. 

‘Guys, we have a serious situation on our hands. I know why y/n has been having mood swings, anxiety and moments of silence when they stare off into the distance when they think none of us are looking.’

Sanzu snorts. ‘So not girl problems then?’

Koko rolls his eyes. ‘The lawyer boyfriend is no longer her boyfriend, he’s her ex, but not the sort who goes quietly into the night. He’s stalking her, being a sinister creep who appears to be escalating to something more dangerous.’

Everyone stares at Koko in stunned silence, letting his words sink in. No one laid a finger on anyone related to Bonten, and that included their receptionist. Of course, Koko had already started making his own plans, getting your ex’s financial documents, and learning everything about his perfect, clean work record.

Mikey says absolutely nothing when he hears. Just leaves the room. Later, someone notices the pressure in the air shift — a kind of lethal stillness. Mikey walks by the front desk, eyes on your face. ‘If someone’s hurting you, you should say something.’ You give him a soft laugh and shake your head. Mikey wasn’t buying your fake laughs anymore.

The second he finds out, Sanzu is pissed. ‘Why didn’t she say anything? I would’ve handled it.’ He’s halfway to grabbing his guns before anyone stops him. When he tries to talk to you about it, you just laugh nervously and say, ‘It’s fine, I’ve got it under control.’

He grins at her, but it’s all teeth. ‘Sure you do, sweetheart. Just don’t be mad when I kill someone for you, okay?’ You’re unsure what to make of his comment; Sanzu was a wildcard.

Ran is quiet when Kokotells him. Too quiet. The next day, he leans on your desk like usual. ‘You know, if someone’s bothering you... you could tell me.’ You give him a bright, practiced smile. ‘You worry too much!’ He tilts his head, smile gone. ‘Nah. I just know what fear looks like, even when it’s hiding behind lipstick and coffee cups.’ Then he walks off — and starts hunting for the guy himself, just in case.

Rindou is tense. Jittery. Keeps watching you more closely now — every time you flinch at your phone buzzing, every time you force a laugh. When he asks gently, and you brush it off, he doesn’t push. But that night, he and Ran are combing their contacts for anyone with ties to the guy. ‘If she won’t say it, we’ll say it for her.’

Kakucho takes it personally. He was the one who told you it was okay to not always smile. Now he realizes you were probably hiding fear, not just sadness. He approaches you gently, ‘You know you don’t have to pretend with us, right?’ You deflect with a bright, ‘Who, me? I’m fine!’ His jaw clenches. ‘Then let me be ‘fine’ for you. Just give me a name.’ You don’t. He finds it anyway.

Akashi is old-school pissed. He pours a drink he doesn't even sip. ‘Why didn’t she tell someone? Does she think we’d just sit back?’ He corners you later, not unkind but firm. ‘That fake smile’s not fooling anyone anymore. You’ve got backup now — use it.’

You laugh him off, but the next morning, you find a burner phone in your drawer labeled: Emergency. Use it. No questions asked.

Mochi was Angry in that gruff, dad-bear way. ‘That little bastard’s lucky she didn’t say his name out loud. I’d have buried him under the damn parking lot.’

When he tries to bring it up, you wave him off with a smile. ‘You’re sweet to worry, but I’m okay.’ He grunts. ‘You don’t gotta be okay for our sake.’ Then, he stations himself near her desk for the rest of the day, just ‘coincidentally’ working there.

That night, when you leave and say goodnight, the members gather back in the meeting room. Mikey cleared his throat, ‘so we’re all in agreement, we’re killing this guy.’

Once Bonten set their mind to something, there was no way of stopping them. 

[wingedshadowfan]

A loving relationship where she was struck by caitlyn's rifle without hesitation when she didnt want a child to witness/ get accidently shot. Vi's identity/ past trauma with prison and enforcers put in the back burner just for her to reclaim by going down on her knees after self harming in the very same cell moments before. Clearly she is not in a right state of mind.

thanks for the ask!

i'm not sure if your problem is w/ what i said, w/ what caitlyn and/or vi did, w/ caitvi as a concept or w/ the choices of the writers of arcane - i am just a fan who agrees w/ their vision in this specific regard and i obv have no control over their work, but let me address this piece by piece anyway:

"she was struck by caitlyn's rifle without hesitation when she didn't want a child to witness/get accidentally shot" is true but it's also ignoring the larger context of what happened and why it happened, which i've discussed before, but many others i've interacted w/ on here have as well, perhaps even more extensively, but the short answer: caitlyn was very much not in her right mind either. she hallucinated jinx before that, she fought sevika for her life, she was in an extremely high pressure situation and didn't seem to be registering what vi was telling her (vi was also abt to get her brains blown out by isha) before she physically interfered, the vents almost blew them away, and ofc let's not forget jinx is a thing of caitlyn's nightmares. we can clearly see caitlyn repeatedly hit the wall w/ her rifle and put her forehead to it after the fight is over?? is that normal headspace behavior to you? she tries to leave and remove herself from the argument w/ vi (in which vi likens her to her mother(and coworlers)'s killer and her torturer), vi catches her arm to stop her, and that's when caitlyn snaps and hits her - literal fight or flight (for the vi defenders: you may also see how this mirrors what happened between vi and powder, and perhaps even between vander and silco if you think age should've been a factor in these circumstances, and not trauma triggered by/mixed in w/ intense emotions)

"vi's identity/past trauma with prison and enforcers put in the back burner just for her to reclaim [by having lesbian sex in a prison cell]" this isn't jinx hate but who locked vi in that cell again, bcuz i thought your issue was w/ caitvi's loving relationship? how is the sex scene happening in the prison cell caitlyn's fault or her choice when vi clearly initiates it and remains in the cell after caitlyn unlocked it? not to mention this happening there is symbolical to their first meeting and a metaphor for how vi has always been caged by the identity of the protector until she was let out by the only person she loved that she never had to protect/feel that same responsibility for. furthermore, vi doesn't talk abt her prison trauma and the first person she opens up to abt her past who actually listens and gives her compassion is caitlyn. close enough. caitlyn who, at her lowest as commander, forbids the use of the kind of cell vi was kept in. besides, i don't know what you wanted caitlyn to do differently in that moment: she came, she unlocked the door, she noticed vi's knuckles, she walked in and stood next to vi, she tried to make a joke to distract vi from her self-deprecating spiral (and in doing so she basically admitted how well she knows vi, that she accepts her the way she is, and how much her actions were motivated by her love for her), she clearly didn't expect vi to forgive her, let alone decide to kiss her right there, in that moment so it's not like she planned it to or had a say in the circumstances. and yes, perhaps vi reclaimed something, be it her prison trauma or her ability to make choices for herself and put her own needs first, for once without running after others to protect them and take responsibility for their actions

"going down on her knees" there's not many other ways to give oral to a woman standing up without anything to sit/lie down on and if you see pleasing your partner (not just by choice, but eagerly even) this way as inherently demeaning, degrading or "dirty work" that puts you below your partner in your power dynamics, then irdk what to tell you other than maybe get checked for misogyny and/or lesbophobia?? (a post abt this here)

"after self harming in the very same cell moments before" why do you think she self harmed? she basically had only two people left: she thought she'd lost jinx (that she'd ran away like before and didn't want to be found bcuz she didn't want to help, not necessarily that she was going to off herself) and that she'd lost caitlyn by letting jinx out - vi says very clearly exactly what she's blaming herself for, and when caitlyn unlocks the cell, she walks in with vi. ofc caitlyn doesn't have any prison trauma, but this is a very clear show-not-tell that she believes her place is next to vi if that's what vi wants. and she proceeds to (imo by making a bad joke that she believes is funny lol) tell vi that she facilitated vi's choice to free jinx, aka that she implicitly trusted vi and her judgement, that she understood and accepted that vi would keep choosing family, that she was ready to let go of her revenge and atone for her mistakes - and we can see the effect of this realization on vi's face in real time. vi realizes she hasn't lost everyone, she still has caitlyn, the old caitlyn - from before her trauma, anger and grief swallowed her

"clearly she is not in a right state of mind" much can be said abt whether she was or not bcuz she'd been stabbed so badly it took 3 doctors to patch her up and i assume she'd been in a coma/asleep for at least a few days, jinx had just locked her in a cell and ran away again (traumatic on multiple levels), she thought she'd lost caitlyn too, that she was only there to goad her and say she told her so, etc (caitlyn has been consistently defying vi's expectations since they first met lol) and i can argue that what caitlyn did and told her neutralized/put many of those factors into perspective for her but even if you don't care for my analysis on why what vi did was in character and not a moment of insanity (albeit maybe impulse): vi stayed. she could've left forever if she'd realized she'd just been impulsive or high off her meds or whatever during the prison scene and she didn't actually love caitlyn or want to stay w/ her. but she was there w/ mel, jayce and caitlyn during battle strategizing, she fought in the war, and remained next to caitlyn in the aftermath. i think that's a loving relationship??

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

ROLES REVERSED.

tangerine x fem!reader — fluff/ comfort

summary. as the eldest daughter, you’re used to taking care of others. tangerine notices, and wants to be the one to care of you.

requested by @sdddoobydoobydoo here <3

word count. 1186

warnings. couple blood mentions. no established relationship

As the eldest daughter, you're naturally gifted with traits that stem from your role as the second parent: the ability to help and care and nurture and understand and peacekeep in ways most will never.

You appreciated your broad span of empathy, loving how easily and seamlessly you could help others. But it was tiring, and yet, it all you've ever known.

It was normal for you to sit on the back burner when it came to getting care, always being the one to give and never receive. It was why Tangerine took your interest more than any other guy before.

It was like all he wanted was to tend to you, love and care for you - do things for you. Something about him was so unlike the other men in your life; they'd let you exhaust yourself for them, let you work yourself silly, but that was not Tangerine. That's not the man he is.

He noticed how you seemingly always knew what to do, all this infinite wisdom and knowledge swirling inside your poor, tired mind. Anytime he was snappy, you'd assume he was hungry - heading into the kitchen to whip something up for him, or if you were public, always offering to buy him lunch. Anytime he stopped past yours, all battered and bruised, you'd fetch things from around your house to patch him up - wanting to mend him as fast as possible. Anytime he had that distant look in his eyes, you'd always sit him down - suggesting that he talk his problems over with you.

You always seemed to know what he needed - what anyone needed. And while he appreciated your simple, loving and, albeit, persistent gestures, he knew you needed the same treatment. Maybe even, more so.

He wanted to give you that care you give to everyone else, though he didn't want to step over the romance line. Well not yet, anyway.

Tangerine was over yours for the evening, the casual hangout designed for dinner. He had previously made you promise to keep it small, to not go overboard with the food. Though, when you started cooking the meals, you could not seem to stop - all the prior dishes making you question if it would be something he even liked at all. So, in your mind, preparing four different meals to choose from would be a safe bet.

"Sit down, would'ya? Stop faffing," Tangerine calls out to you in the kitchen, his arse parked on a dining seat you had previously directed him to.

"I'll be five minutes, ten max— shit... think we're looking at fifteen."

"You gonna let me help you?" he questions, getting ansty from his unhelpful sitting. He wanted you to let him help. "Give me something to do."

"Got it all covered," you call out, poking your head through the door to see him. You were frazzled, and you took on more than you could handle.

His head tilts softly, a faint tut of his mouth letting you know he didn't buy your lies. "Oh yeah?" he entertains your fib, eyes playful. "What was that all that swearing for then?"

You look down at your bleeding finger and subtly move to hide it - putting it out of Tan's view. "Dropped my teatowel," you shrug. "Pasta is almost cooked— so uh, that's good. Okay, then. Just pick at the bread there. Will be done soon."

You head over to one of your cupboards and search for something to stop the bleeding, a plaster hopefully. But all you can find is a lonely, crumpled-up one in the crack —all your others going to Tangerine's cuts and scrapes— and you sigh. Picking it up, you attempt to unwrap it, but your bloodied finger makes you lose your grip.

"You alright?" Tangerine asks, his stealth-like walk peeking up on you from behind. "What you doing?"

"Yeah," you hum, looking at him over your shoulder. "Just waiting for this water to boil," you partially lie, nodding to the pot on the stovetop.

"You're a shit liar," he scoffs in his usual way, walking to get closer to you. "What have you done?" he asks, voice reaching a pitch that can only indicate worry, his eyes glued to your finger.

"It's just a cut. It's fine— it'll stop in a minute," you deflect, acting casual as you fiddle with the wrapper, still trying to open it.

He shakes his head and inhales harshly, reaching for the plaster in your hand.

You protest, tightening your grip. "It's alright, I got it."

He shakes his head again, clearly displeased. He loosely holds under your hand, guiding you towards the sink, where he directs it under the water - trying to stop the bleeding quicker.

"Seriously, it's okay. I'll put—"

"Just," he interrupts, tone pointed, though it holds no malice. "Let me help you for chrissake."

You close your mouth with a snap, his comment halting any further dismissals.

He holds your finger under the warm, flowing tap, watching the water turn slowly from a soft orange and back to clear. He's quiet, silently taking care of you in the ways he's almost longed for. The moment when you finally allow his help - all of it feeling like a small step forward.

He reaches for a piece of kitchen paper and wraps it around your finger, drying it with his gaze focused down.

"Why won't you let me help you?" he asks quietly, his question cutting through the comfortable silence. It sounded like it was weighing heavy on his mind.

"What do you mean?" you question, unsure what he meant.

He glances up to look at you, head cocking to the side. "Come on," he chuckles faintly. "You know what I mean."

"I do let you help."

He's amused, or so you think. He was too hard to read. "Hardly… I want to do things for you. I want to help you. Why won't you let me?"

You pull your hand away and hold the paper compress by yourself - feeling embarrassed from his mild ridicule. "I always have it covered, that's all," you shrug. "I don't need help."

He could tell you were shutting yourself off, though he's adamant not to let that happen. "I ain't gonna disappoint you, you know that?" he says, words firm, but they were filled with something far softer: unexpressed, repressed love. "You look after everyone else... I want to look after you."

A soft frown-like smile lines your lips, and you finally look up to meet his eyes. He really meant it.

"Just give me a piece of cucumber to cut or a towel to fold— something," he attempts a joke - trying to lighten the mood. "Just let me be useful to you, yeah? Let me in."

You nod, even more progress.

"Good," he nods back, a faint grin spreading across his face. He reaches for the plaster, opening it as if it were nothing and grabs your hand - carefully holding your finger. "Now let's cover this fucker up before it gets all over your pretty top, hm?"

so independent reader coded

[deathworlders-of-e24]

Jane, Medical Technician

Part 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, I get you’re the head of the science department here, but your rehab falls under my supervision you know,” Jane said, a little exhausted. She couldn’t believe it had only taken a few weeks for someone on the crew to get seriously injured, although it was completely believable that it was one of her fellow humans.

“I know, I know,” Liz said, waving her new augmented arm. “I thought I could speed it up if I overclocked the neural activity algorithm, but that didn’t work, it just gave me headaches.”

“This isn’t something you can speed up Collins, you can’t just skip parts of your recovery because they’re inconvenient.” Jane sighed.

“Liz, you lost a huge part of yourself, a very necessary part. And you lost it in probably the most traumatic way I can even imagine. You’ve got to let your body and mind heal at their own pace, alright?”

“Fine, okay, alright,” Liz said. “You’re right, I know that, I just want to go back to normal, not adjust to a new normal.” She leaned her head back against the cushioned chair.

“It’s like, part of my nature, to fix problems, improve things, see how they tick,” Liz said. “I clearly have a problem that I can’t solve and my brain won’t let me back burner it ‘till I have something else to focus on.” She brought her head back up.

“Let’s talk about something else! Give me something, anything, so long as it keeps my brain busy.”

Jane just stared at her a moment, thinking. It wasn’t exactly conventional therapy, but neither of their lives were considered conventional these days. What the hell?

“Like what?” She asked.

“Like I heard you pulled a tracheotomy in the mess hall the other day. Used a steak knife and a bendy straw of all things. You could ask me to make you a whole first aid kid with all the latest tech and it’d fit on your belt, I swear. Actually don’t even ask, I’m already doing it,” Liz stopped to breathe, “it’ll be great for emergency surgeries.”

“Well hopefully we won’t have any more emergency surgeries, but if you’re serious and you think it’ll help, by all means, build me something cool.” Jane smiled.

Jane liked Elizabeth, or Liz as she wanted to be called, and as her only Human patient so far, she wanted to be accommodating. Jane had asked if Doctor Huhuma had wanted to run the sessions herself, but Huhuma thought that another human would be better for the patient to speak with. They’d also heard about how interested Liz Collins was in aliens biology and figured she’d be less distracted this way.

She’d lose it if I told her I have lunch with all the Indoprime on board some days, Jane thought, a little smugly.

As if on cue, the door opened and Doctor Huhuma walked in, lab coat on as always, striped tail swishing as she walked to her office. She waved politely as she passed, and Jane waved back smiling.

“Doctor.”

“Doctor.”

Jane looked back to Liz Collins, who as she figured, was staring, but at her and not the alien monkey woman. And she was grinning.

“Oh yeah, this is a problem I can work with,” Liz said.

“What do you mean?”

“Dilated pupils, mirroring, tensing in the shoulders, the way you leaned ever so slightly towards her as she passed by, you’re blushing so hard as I say this, are you alright?” Liz was trying so hard to keep from laughing. “I’m a trained biologist too hon, and you got some awesome brain chemistry going on right now, don’t you?”

“Okay, times up for today, same time in two days right?” Jane said hurriedly, standing up from her chair.

“Look look look, I’m not gonna say anything alright? And this could be part of my therapy, keeping my mind off the arm while the two get acquainted,” Liz said in a hushed tone, standing as well.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, you have no idea what you’re saying, and your mandated therapy hour… still has… 45 minutes. Damnit.” Jane slapped her hands against her thighs. “Okay, but this is strictly therapy, you start getting weird on me and I’m withholding drugs in the future.”

“Hahaha! YES!“ Liz said, cackling.

“Here,” Jane said, handing her a small rubber ball. “Stress toy, but we are going to use it rehab your hand. Squeeze while we talk.”

Liz put the ball in her new bionic hand and tried squeezing. The hand whirred and and twitched, but didn’t really do more than cup its fingers and hold the stress toy.

“Come on, come on, tell me what’s going on here in this daytime soap you call a med bay,” Liz said, staring at her hand and focusing.

“Nothing really. She’s technically my boss, the most that goes on in here is we have lunch together.”

“Scandalous,” Liz said sarcastically.

“I don’t know what to tell you, nothing is happening between me and Doctor Huhuma.”

“But you want something to happen, right?”

Jane didn’t say anything… but she did blush.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The session continued in that manner for the remaining time, and when Liz left med bay she turned back at the door.

“Okay, call me later, we’ll get Coco in on this too, we’ll get you a date by the weekend.” She left laughing.

The science nerd and her talking tree associate were about as useful as those teen romance novels her cousin was always reading.

Did she want something to happen with the good doctor? Dating a coworker, her boss no less, had to be a terrible idea, right? Of course it was, and that was if she even liked her, which of course she couldn’t.

Jane forced the thought to the back of her mind. She had work to do, a paper to write on the cellular structure of the Zilgrat people and their similarities to Earth ferrets. Much like Huhuma’s people the Indoprime, the Zilgrats were so similar to the Terran species that it was believed by some that they might have a common genetic ancestry.

There was a rapidly growing field of thought back on Earth that many alien species had come to the planet in the infant years of their space exploration, like the Galley, and had left behind objects or hybrids, or some other mark of their presence, hence why so many species seemed to have the same qualities as the Earthling varieties. Personally, Jane was more a fan of evolutionary truths, the idea that certain branches of evolution are more adaptable across the universe, like certain species of birds on Earth that keep ‘reevolving’ despite going extinct, or that every form of life eventually turns into crabs.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Jane heard the med bay door open. She turned, and saw the Scrib man, Ensign Mirn, standing there with his hands clasped together.

“Hello, Doctor,” he said, bowing his head. “I’m here for my check up? Doctor Huhuma said I’d need to be treated for possible infections or complications if any arose.”

“Right, of course. Hop up on the table.”

Mirn bowed again, then crossed the room and climbed up on the exam table. He was about Jane’s height, give or take 5’4, which was normal for the Scrib. While they resembled humans physically, the whole race was on average much smaller than the Earthlings, with light pink skin and almost zero body hair to speak of.

“Are you feeling alright? Any fever or anything?” Jane asked.

“Not really, perhaps my throat is a bit sore, but I wanted someone to examine me just to be safe. I understand there was a used drinking tool inserted into my trachea?”

“Yeah, sorry about that, it’s all I had at the time.”

“Don’t misunderstand Doctor, you are not to blame. You saved my life, something an entire room of officers failed to accomplish. To the Scrib, to perpetuate life is of the highest priority, so I hold you only in the highest regard.”

“Oh,” Jane said, a little surprised, “well thank you Mirn. I was really just doing my job, you know.”

“That is irrelevant, Doctor. On Scribbin, medical professionals are something akin to religious officials. To the Scrib on board the Noah, and this is especially true of myself, it is a matter of course that the Medical Staff are to be shown the highest order of respect and admiration.”

“That’s actually a nice change of pace, Mirn. On Earth, doctors are usually the ones overworked and underpaid.”

Mirn looked aghast.

“Why would such a thing be? Are you not keeping your people healthy?”

“No, it’s just… humans have a tendency to be suspicious of things they don’t really understand, especially other humans who are probably smarter than them. Some bad things happened in our past, so it’s understandable people are still skeptic.” Jane patted him on the shoulder. “We’re getting better though. Science has come a long way back home, so people are relaxing a little bit more these days.”

“That is… most welcome to hear,” Mirn said.

“Okay, open wide and say ‘ahh’ for me.”

Mirn opened his mouth and tilted his head back, making the sound. The inside of his mouth was reddish, same as a human’s.

“Hmm. Your throat looks a little inflamed. Probably a small infection. I’m gonna prescribe you a broad range antibiotic to be on the safe side, okay?”

“Thank you, Doctor Shaw.”

Jane tapped a few keys in her data pad. She went to the medicine locker up and entered her code, pulling the pills. She handed them to Mirn.

“You know the drill right? Follow the directions on the bottle, and you have to take all of them, even if you’re feeling fine towards the end.”

“Of course, Doctor. Thank you.”

Mirn stood up and headed for the door, but stopped when he was halfway out into the hall.

“Doctor Shaw, if I might ask you something?”

“Something else bothering you?” Jane asked.

“No, no, nothing like that. I wanted to ask something of the Medical Staff, if I may?” Mirn said, bowing again.

“Sure, but what is it?”

“Well, we Scrib have a perpetual reservation time for the GRID simulator. It allows us to recreate a ceremonial space from our home planet, something I believe humans would call a… church service? We give thanks to the Spirit Lord, the bringer of life and medicine, and we would be most honored if the other doctors and yourself could attend it with us. There would be food and drink there, a way for us to repay you for what you have done for us.”

“Well that’s sounds very interesting Mirn, I’ll bring it up to Doctor Huhuma later and I’ll send you a message on your comm-link.”

“Thank you, Doctor Shaw. We would be very pleased for you to attend. I’ll take my leave now, let you return to work.”

Mirn bowed again and stepped out into the hall, letting the door hiss shut behind him.

A race of intelligent people who worship doctors, Jane thought. How about that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huhuma had agreed, fairly easily, saying it’d be fun seeing another culture on the ship. The nurses had declined, however, saying they were either too busy or didn’t have much interest, which Mirn had said was perfectly alright. The Scrib had no desire to distract the Med Bay staff if they were otherwise occupied. Jane had said she’d go as well, jokingly saying that if for nothing else that she’d feel awkward if she didn’t at that point. When asked what was the dress code for such an occasion, Mirn had said that their medical uniforms were more than enough. Jane had still done up her make-up at least a bit, and ran a brush through her dark hair before giving up and putting it back up in a bun.

Jane stood outside the simulator, clicking on and off a data pad with Scrib customs loaded on it, when Doctor Huhuma stepped off the lift. As usual, she was in her green medical uniform with her lab coat over it, her hair down around her face in a shaggy pixie cut look. Still no shoes. Jane had asked her before, and the doctor had looked at her confused. ‘Why would I wear those things? How would I walk that way?’ she’d replied, laughing that deep hearty laugh. The only thing that was different was her uniform was open, showing a simple woven shirt underneath, showing off a more casual look, Jane guessed.

She must’ve been staring because Huhuma laughed.

“Something the matter, Jane?”

“Nope, no, not at all,” she stammered.

Smooth.

Jane composed herself, or tried to anyway, and they knocked on the door. It opened to show Mirn, smiling, wearing what looked like a sort of toga clasped at his shoulder and tied at the waist with a belt. He was also not wearing shoes.

“Doctors, you honor us with your presence! Please come in, join us, sit anywhere you please,” he said. He pushed them into the room, which had been simulated to look like a Scribbin temple chamber. A wall of stained glass, glowing with dim golden light, behind a tall statue of a humanoid man with a staff wearing a flowing robe, holding a basket full of herbs and other plants. The statue was circled with low tables covered in platters of food and goblets, surrounded by cushions and rugs taken up by the other 3 Scrib. They stood up and bowed to the doctors as well.

“Doctors, this is Lark, she’s in the communications division with myself, and these are Karu and Meli, they work on the engineering deck with the other Human, Thomas.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all,” Huhuma said, bowing her head slightly.

“Yeah, hi everyone,” Jane said, a little sheepishly.

“Now that you are here, we can begin. Sit, sit,” said Mirn, motioning them to the bigger of the cushions. Jane looked to Huhuma, then sat down. Huhuma sat to her left, striped tail swishing.

“Is there anything we need to do, or…?” Jane let the question hang.

“No, no, all you need to do is eat and drink your fill once the food is blessed. The two of you saved my life, therefore you are my guests here,” Mirn said, sitting across from them.

Jane watched as the 4 Scrib held hands and closed their eyes. Mirn began to chant softly, which was taken up by the others a beat later. When she didn’t understand what they were saying, Jane’s translator beeped quietly in her ear, alerting her to an error. The damn things weren’t great at picking up singing. Thankfully the Scrib all had lovely voices, so Jane didn’t mind. Kind of like turning the radio on in a foreign country. You get to hear something nice, even if you have no idea what they’re saying.

Jane looked around at Huhuma, who seemed entranced, smiling and humming along to the chant the Scrib were carrying. She swayed gently, tail swishing, and Jane found she couldn’t take her eyes off her. Huhuma once again caught her, and she smiled all the way up to her eyes. The Scrib reached their hands out to include them in the circle. Jane took the hand to her right, and jumped a little when Huhuma took her left in hers. Jane felt a heat deep in her cheeks and knew a blush was coming, but this time she didn’t care. The moment seemed to last, magically, as if in all the universe this one single passing blip of time belonged solely to her.

Oh crap… I’ve got a crush, Jane thought.

When the chant was finished and the Scrib let their hands drop, Jane held onto Huhuma’s hand for just a beat longer before letting go.

“That was lovely, Mirn,” Huhuma said.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“I have to say though, what did it mean?” Huhuma continued. “I’m afraid my translator wasn’t able to distinguish any of it.”

“Oh, it was simply a prayer song, praising the Spirit Lord for the bounty of knowledge he’s bestowed on us, as well as for a world of healthy people and the resources to help our fellow lifeforms.”

“What a nice sentiment,” Huhuma said.

“I heard that Scribbin was a haven for medical technology,” Jane spoke up. “Your planet has some of the best teaching hospitals in the GAIL. I’d love to visit one day, attend a lecture or two.”

“All are welcome,” Lark informed them. “Spreading the medical information we have discovered is a tenet of our people.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Jane said hesitantly, “if your people are so inclined to medicine, why aren’t you all doctors yourselves?”

“Some just do not have the temperament for it, nor the inclination,” Mirn said.

“Nor sometimes the stomach,” Lark laughed. “You should have seen Mirn during his first aid training on Scribbin. He was trembling like a newborn at the sight of blood.”

“I was merely too… inexperienced,” Mirn said, with some side eye that made Jane chuckle. “Now before any more of someone’s soon to be former friends bring up the past, we should enjoy the feast.”

Lark laughed as the Scrib stood and began bringing over plates and platters of food. Cups and goblets were handed out, large pitchers of something that smelled sweet yet oddly medicinal were set out, and they began to eat.

Jane grabbed a little of everything, wanting to explore more alien cuisine. Huhuma piled on what appears to be several different vegetables and fruits. She poured some the medicinal drink into a glass and held it out to Jane.

“Thank you,” Jane said.

“Of course, dear.”

Jane felt something swish against her back and saw it was the Doctor’s tail, a totally involuntary action she was sure. Jane hid her face in the cup anyway, swigging down the drink. It tasted sweet, with an odd tannin on the end, still with that medicine taste, but it was also very refreshing.

“What is this drink? It’s good,” Jane said.

“It’s a medicinal wine we brought from our home planet. We only drink during ceremonies like this once a month, so we found a way to enjoy it more,” Lark said, smiling as she took a sip.

“Can I have some more?” Jane asked.

“Of course,” Mirn said, sliding over the pitcher. Huhuma steadied the cup in Jane’s hand and refilled hers before pouring herself another glass. Her fur tickled Jane’s wrist.

“It’s alcoholic?” Huhuma asked.

“A very small percentage, we assure you.”

Whatever the drink was, it was good, in Jane’s opinion. The whole spread was delicious. While she was reaching for something, Huhuma took it upon herself to split a fruit on her plate and place the second half in front of Jane. Jane thanked her, particularly conscious of the way her tail kept swishing against her back behind them. She tried to make small talk with the Scrib, asking various questions about their beliefs and their planet, perhaps she could get a tour of one of their hospitals one day?

All the while, blindingly aware of the delightful presence to her left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Jane opened her eyes the next morning, it wasn’t her ceiling she was looking at.

Oh no, nononononono no, this isn’t happening, Jane thought sluggishly. Her head was pounding, her mouth was dry, and her clothes

-thank you space Jesus-

were still on, if wrinkled. And then she realized she did recognize the ceiling, and the room for that matter. She was in the Med Bay, in the head office, wrapped up in Doctor Huhuma’s hammock. Jane groaned.

“Well good morning to you too.”

Damn you space Jesus, don’t do this to me when I’m this hungover.

Jane looked up and saw the good doctor sitting in her office chair, a hot cup of something in one hand and a data pad in the other. She was smiling, and looking as pristine as ever.

“I’m… my god I’m so sorry Huhuma,” Jane stammered.

“For what? Hogging my hammock all night? I slept in my spare, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Jane couldn’t remember a thing after dinner with the Scrib last night. She rubbed her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to get her feet under her in a way that didn’t relay how out of it she was.

“So when I ask what happened… I didn’t… we weren’t… what happened?”

“Well,” Huhuma said, smiling so wide, “dinner was great. Mirn and Lark and the rest loved us. We had some lovely conversations about med tech and I believe we have a standing invitation to attend another ceremony with them if we wanted.”

“So how did…?” Jane gestured to herself.

“That happened afterwards. You held yourself together very well during the dinner, and afterwards you said you wanted to go have a ‘girls night’ with me. I think that medicinal wine of theirs was a little stronger than they thought. We got drinks in the mess hall, which got a little…” she gestured to Jane. “I didn’t feel like carrying you all the way to your quarters, and I didn’t think you’d mind. And I got to see your reaction, so it was undeniably worth it. You humans are just so cute. Indoprime eat fermented fruits pretty young, so our tolerances to alcohol are high, but you humans… just so cute.”

Jane closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t done anything too overtly stupid. Thank god Huhuma was there to take care of her.

“Well, I’m glad we amuse you,” Jane said, finally getting her legs freed and on the ground. “And… thank you, for taking care of me. I don’t drink a lot, so… yeah. I’m going to go to my quarters and get changed.”

Jane headed for the door.

“Well, I mean, you did give me a kiss though,” Huhuma said. “Remember that?”

Jane froze at the door. She stood stock still, like her body had been frozen in place, except everything felt hot, her face especially. Slowly, slowly, she turned around, and her embarrassment slipped to confusion. Huhuma was standing there with a piece of chocolate in her hand.

“Yeah, you said you wanted to give me kisses, but the Vending Machines you humans installed only made you one at a time, so you got impatient with it and just gave me the first one.”

Huhuma walked over and slipped the piece of chocolate into Jane’s hand.

“I can’t really eat the stuff, so I guess I have to give you a kiss back.” Huhuma was smiling. She was so close to Jane’s face, and she smelled so good… and then she was turning back around and walking back to her desk, tail swishing back and forth.

Jane was speechless. Brain not functioning. Retreat to safe location. She said nothing and just stumbled out the door and practically sprinted to her quarters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh my god, you useless lesbian,” Liz Collins said.

“I don’t have genitalia, does it still count as a ‘girl talk’ if I am present?” Coco asked.

“Why did I bother asking you two for your help?” Jane sighed, face in her hands.

She didn’t know what else to do. She’d sat in her quarters for an hour before sending a communication to the science department asking for a ‘consult’. Liz had shown up 5 minutes later with several bottles of water and enough chocolate to feed an army, but Jane was told that was just Coco’s breakfast. She’d stared at the small confectionery pieces for a while as the two let themselves get comfortable in her room, thinking of a kiss…

“So she just…” Liz asked, hanging the question in the air.

“Yup”.

“After all that…”

“Yup.”

“And you didn’t try to…”

“Nope.”

“You should’ve gone for it.”

“Gone for what?” Jane asked impatiently.

“I don’t know, something!” Liz said. “I’ve never exactly been in your shoes before, or anyone else’s really, but this is basic chemistry right? You have it with the cute doctor monkey lady, right?”

“If I knew if I had chemistry with someone, do you think I’d be asking the person who brought their best friend the tree here for tips?”

Coco sat quietly eating chocolate.

“I have no idea what I’m supposed to do here,” Jane groaned. “Being a human is awful, Coco, we got all this weird biology and chemicals in our brains, you’re much better off as a plant.”

“I can see that,” Coco said. “If you are worried about being mates with the Indoprime doctor, is it not… appropriate to see what they want first?”

“Honestly? Probably. It’s been a while since I dated, and that ended poorly, to say the least. But I don’t have any clue how to… approach this. Besides, this is just a crush, on my boss, who I don’t even know how exactly they feel in the first place.”

“I mean, you spent the morning getting wound up like a spring, I’d say it’s pretty clear, right?” Liz said. Jane chugged another bottle of water.

“Yeah you’d think right? If this was a human, or even just a guy, this would be easier. But she’s so… put together, and mature, and pretty, and…”

“Noah to Jane, reel it back girl, you’re lost out in Huhuma space, hon,” Liz said. “You could check her medical records for a start, check if she has a spouse or something back home, see if anyone is playing goalie,” Liz said, tossing back some chocolate.

“You sound like a guy,” said Jane.

“Still, though.”

“I still do not see why the two just do not mate and spread their pollen-” Coco started.

“Okay, you sweet summer child, that’s not how non-botanical lifeforms do that,” Liz cut her off. Jane was about to burst a blood vessel from embarrassment.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in?” Jane said, confused.

Marrin was in the room before the door was even all the way open.

“What happened? Are you okay? Did she do anything weird to you?” Marrin asked rapidly.

“Woah, woah, what’s up?” Jane asked startled.

“I heard about last night from cousin Huhuma, I came as quickly as I could. You’re okay, right?”

“Yes, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Liz and Coco sat on the bed watching events unfold. Coco handed her counterpart a piece of chocolate.

“Okay, I wasn’t going to tell you this, but back on Indos, she had a… reputation.” Marrin looked at Jane, and the doctor’s heart sank.

“Whenever anyone was even remotely interested in her, she’d basically ruin their lives for a few weeks.”

Huh?

“Wait, you knew I was into her?” Jane asked incredulously.

“You’re not subtle,” Marrin explained.

Damn it.

“What do you mean ‘ruin their lives’, what the hell does she do?” Jane asked.

“Just… violently and publicly rejects them. She makes sure everyone knows it. There was one time when we were younger and this one male wouldn’t take no for an answer, kept coming around and bothering her… they found him the next day tied to a post by our tribe Elder’s home, shaved from head to tail. I love my cousin, dearly, but she is a devil woman.”

“Well… fuck, that’s pretty funny actually,” Jane admitted. “But she hasn’t done anything like that to me, she took care of me while I was… a little sick, last night, and she’s only ever been nice to me.”

“Yeah, nice,” Liz said snorting. “Wrapped you around her fingers, but sure, nice.”

“Oh fuck you,” Jane said, and Liz burst out into laughter, followed by Marrin. Coco didn’t get it, but she made similar sounds, or tried to with her lack of lungs.

Great. Totally confused by my feelings for the pretty space doctor lady, and the only help I’m gonna get is from the tree hugging virgin and possibly the lady-in-question’s cousin. Juuust great.

Well at least there wasn’t a goalie. Jane felt a rush a relief knowing she wasn’t going to, should she make the attempt, home wreck anyone.

“Hey Marrin, what’s the general view on same gender relationships on Indos?” Liz asked.

“It isn’t of any consequence,” Marrin informed. “To go through life with another is a blessing, unrestricted.”

“Well at least you don’t have to worry about that, right Jane?”

“I’ve heard you humans have weird hang ups,” Marrin said.

“The humans are odd in general,” Coco stated. “I believe we are all late for our duties.”

“Coco is right, we gotta get to the lab,” Liz said, heading for the door. “Good luck hon!”

Marrin left as well, saying she’d… stay out of her way, in so many words.

Jane groaned and fell back flat on her bed.

Why was being human so hard?

[sohotthateveryonedied]

Do you have any more ideas or plot bunnies for your “I see dead people” au? It’s one of my favourite series on ao3. I think more stories should make Tim be a little more fucked up… also I love drama and angst, and addiction is so good at creating drama and angst

i actually have a whole document about a relapse fic because i'm a sucker for angst, but i doubt i'll ever get around to writing it because i liked the way i ended things in the series and this would be a whole 'nother can of worms, but i can give you all the highlights of the notes i have on this concept:

Tim relapses after being in Mr. Oz’s prison; while he was trapped there, the only people he had to talk to were the ghosts of his past, but as the isolation took over and he started losing touch with reality, he lost touch with them as well. He started to see people he thought were living—Dick and Bruce and Damian; they’d show up to rescue him and then halfway through the delusion they’d vanish. Then the worse ghosts come, dead villains and people he failed.

It fucks him up.

When he’s back in Gotham, he really does try. He doesn’t want to destroy all the progress he's made, but the voices get so loud and it’s too overwhelming, Tim can’t take it. So he finds a dealer in Crime Alley and buys a baggie of Xanax. Just to take the edge off, he reasons with himself. He’s clean now, he knows his limits. He’s not going to let it be a problem again this time.

Obviously it becomes a problem.

Tim goes about his life like normal except nothing is normal. He can’t pay attention to anything Bernard is talking about on a date because he hasn’t had a dose since this morning. Bernard asks if Tim is feeling sick; Tim brushes it off. Liar, Alfred's ghost whispers somewhere behind him. He excuses himself to the bathroom and snorts two crushed-up pills off the back of his hand.

Jason notices because he’s Jason. “He’s using again, you know that right?” Bruce and Dick says no he’s not, they would notice if he were using again. But Jason can always tell. Tim’s just gotten better at hiding it. He doesn’t know what Tim’s on this time, but he’s definitely on something.

Meanwhile Tim has started taking Oxy because the addiction is different this time around, the same things that worked before don’t work as well on him this time, he needs more of it. He needs to stop seeing them. Needs to stop feeling.

You’re losing it, he hears Dana's corpse croon in his ear.

Bruce confronts Tim, who insists he's doing fine and everything is normal. Bruce calls his bluff; “Then you won’t be opposed to a blood test?” “Sure, let’s do it. If that’s what it’ll take to get you guys off my back, then fine.” He follows Bruce to the hallway, then slams the door behind Bruce’s back and locks it. It isn’t going to actually stop him, but it’ll give Tim the ten seconds he needs to get out the window.

Tim stays gone for three days. He's hiding out at one of his safehouses that none of the others know about.

He just bought a fresh bag of Oxy from some sketchy guy he’s never bought from before, but he’s desperate. Usually he scans everything he buys and makes sure it’s safe and as pure as he can get, but hard times and all that. He injects it and lets the high wash over him, silencing the ghosts again. He sits on the floor because walking to the bed is too much work. He’s completely alone. Not even the dead for company. It’s like being in the cell all over again, and he can’t take it. He fumbles for his burner phone and calls Jason.

“Tim, is this you?” Jason answers even though he wouldn’t have this number saved anywhere. Have they all been worried this whole time? Tim sniffles. “Hi, Jay.” “Kid, where the fuck are you?”

“Don’t tell Bruce, please don’t tell Bruce, he’s gonna be so mad at me.” “He’s not mad, he just wants you to be okay. I’m gonna come get you, and we’ll talk about it, all right? We can figure it out.” “He’s gonna hate me.” And Tim feels sick, sicker than the withdrawal.

He can hear Jason calling his name from the phone he's dropped on the floor. “I don’t feel good, J’son.” He lies down staring up at the ceiling, and he sees his own face swimming above him, except that doesn’t make sense because Tim isn’t dead, right? He’s not a ghost.

Is he?

Tim wakes up in the hospital. “Wh’t…” “You overdosed on fentanyl.” Makes sense. He was too eager for a high he didn’t bother to check what he was putting into his body.

Bruce explains that Tim has been in the hospital for a day now, he’s in the thick of withdrawal. They’re giving him regular doses to keep the come-down from killing him, but no more than that. He’s going to be feeling like this for a while now. Tim remembers how bad it was the first time. He starts crying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” “It’s all right, son. You made a mistake. I’m not going anywhere.”

aaaaaaaand that's all i've got ❤️

(feel free to ask me about follow-ups or scrapped sequels to other fics of mine because i have so many it's not even funny, i literally have a whole google docs folder titled The Vault™️filled with pieces of fics that i've cut out or sequels i gave up on lmao)

[narrans]

My Borrowed Son | 22 | Choices and Change

Chapter Twenty-Two | Choices and Change

Amanda knew she had messed up, but was now even the time to discuss it? Every expert she read about was saying the same thing. Every article and book indicated the same thing.

And yet Amanda couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Every adoption parenting book and article she researched said that integrating the fact that the child was adopted as soon and as early as possible would be the healthiest thing for them. Practically every study said that integrating this information as a part of every day life would keep a sense of normalcy and a sense of belonging for the child.

It helped in showing the child that even if they didn’t come from you, it didn’t mean they were loved or cared for any less. Sharing this information allowed open communication and questions in a “safe space.”

The only problem for Amanda was that she didn’t have the answers.

She didn’t tell Parker early on that she didn’t give birth to him.

She didn’t tell Parker that she found him at a children’s playground under a bench scared and alone after several powerful thunderstorms days prior.

She didn’t know what he was if he wasn’t a human with some kind of weird genetic disorder.

She didn’t even know if his real, biological parents were even alive.

No answers.

No hope of turning back the clock.

No way she could proceed delicately if she wanted to tell Parker anything about his origins.

So, when his fourteenth birthday came and went, Amanda realized that she could only prepare herself for when his questions would inevitably come. Everything was further complicated when Parker finally confessed that he thought he had feelings for his fellow classmate, Lyn.

Amanda had suspected Parker’s feelings for months now, but it wasn’t until he actually confessed that he thought he had a crush that it seemed real to her. It was obvious to Amanda, but Parker was a bit more reserved when it came to his confessions of puppy love for his friend.

No talk about being boyfriend and girlfriend was mentioned, but Amanda knew it was only a matter of time before any of this happened. It was an exciting and nerve wracking time, but Amanda couldn’t help but feel dread for what might lay on the horizon.

The thoughts about a discussion with Parker about him being adopted were also taking a back burner in her mind.

Recently, Amanda’s work had given her a promotion and wanted her to start coming into the office regularly rather than being virtual. She trusted her son in being alone in the apartment because she had done it before dozens of times when she needed to go out and couldn’t bring or hide Parker.

More than that was the fact Amanda wanted to move into a real home. A beautiful house in a nearby neighborhood had just become available and, after a lot of consideration, Amanda decided to talk to Parker about possibly moving from an apartment to a house.

“Nothing will change. You’ll still have your normal classes, but we wouldn’t be in a condo attached to other apartments anymore. We would have more space and could really made something special out of it,” explained Amanda.

Of course, Parker didn’t have to be sold hard on the idea. He had lived in the same place all his life and wanted his mom to be happy. She had talked about buying a house for years and Parker had always wanted to experience a move. All of his other friends seemed to experience it after all.

The promise of a new adventure was thrilling, so Parker agreed.

“Yeah! Is it a big place? Are there lots of rooms? Is it far away? Or is it close?” asked Parker.

“It’s a bit close actually. It’s just a few neighborhoods over, which might seem silly to move if it’s not a whole new area. It’s a fairly big place. There’s a big basement, a big living room, and three bedrooms,” explained Amanda.

“Woah! I can’t wait to tell Lyn,” beamed Parker as he continued to help clear his dishes after dinner. At this, he paused and glanced nervously up at his mom. “Do… you think… umm… well… do you think I could invite my friends over? Once we get all moved in and everything? Like… in time for my fifteenth birthday?”

Amanda’s stomach dropped as she considered Parker’s words.

Many of his friends had been around for four or five years. His really close friends seemed to be good kids and developing into decent teens.

The real question, however, was could they be trusted in handling Parker with care? Also, how would they react to seeing their friend in person? What would their reactions be to him being so small?

“I��� Maybe. We’ll get settled first and then see if we can host something with some of your friends,” said Amanda.

Parker’s demeanor shifted from nervous to excited as he gave an excited shimmy and washed his dishes and then headed back to his room to finish a paper for his class.

Amanda knew she had an opportunity right then and there to possibly talk to Parker about why she had been so cautious, but diminishing that excitement in Parker’s eyes would break her heart.

She decided that this new move with new beginnings may be the best time to talk to her son about how he came into her life. Just as soon as they were settled, Amanda decided that she needed to talk to Parker about everything. Not knowing the answers wasn’t a good excuse anymore. Not wanting to hurt Parker wasn’t an option.

This was going to hurt both of them, but Amanda knew deep down that, as sick as it made her, she needed to address the truth regardless of consequences.

It would happen with the move and as soon as they were settled.

~~~^*^*^~~~

Kers heard the word “move” and knew he had a critical decision to make – stay in the apartment complex with the other humans he could borrow from or go with Amanda and Parker to watch over the Borrower child.

It wasn’t a difficult decision, but the logistics was the thing Kers was mainly concerned about. Moving as a Borrower was a tricky thing. There were too many things that could go wrong and twice as many things to worry about.

Kers could be seen, both by Amanda and by Parker.

Kers could be crushed by boxes or furniture pieces.

Kers could experience malnutrition and have a harder time finding food because humans became very particular about their food when moving.

Kers would have to start from scratch when moving to a new place if Borrowers didn’t occupy the home before he moved in.

The prospect of starting from scratch wasn’t an appealing one, but there was little else he could do. He made a silent promise to keep Parker safe, and that was what he intended to do.

So, with precision and care, Kers began packing all of his essentials in a go backpack. For his other essentials and items he had borrowed and wanted to take with him, Kers made the bold decision to put the items back into the human’s possession in the hopes he could borrow them back once they had finished the move.

Some of the things were blankets and kitchen supplies that were too heavy for him to carry with him. Other items he was able to deconstruct and slip into small boxes of miscellaneous nick knacks that the human, Amanda, never really bothered with.

It helped that Amanda had a big calendar countdown in the kitchen letting herself and Parker know how many days they had until the big move. It let Kers slip down into the kitchen and place his valuables into places Amanda might not look or grow suspicious of while she collected everything to move.

When the big day came, Kers felt his heart pounding in his throat. He had managed to collect nearly everything in his home and place it back into Amanda’s care temporarily. When Amanda began moving her boxes, the Borrower seized his opportunity.

Palms sweaty. Heart pounding distinctively slow in sync with every time his foot connected with the ground. Kers knew he had mere seconds to spare, but it didn’t stop his calmness of hand as he wrenched his hook from his hip and snagged it on the edge of the box.

Kers’ sprint was not half as taxing as the lightning fast climb he made into a nearby cluttered box of odds and ends. He just managed to get his hook free and found a hiding place, trusting his skills and praying he wasn’t noticed, before he felt the box begin to shift. He closed his eyes and hoped that nothing would reveal his hiding place.

The box jostled vigorously before being hoisted into the air at a nauseating speed. From where he was, Kers could see Amanda’s fingers poking through the box at the handholds. Kers held onto his gut and pinched his thumbs into his clenches fists as his breakfast threatened to make an appearance.

“Hang on, mom! Are my chargers in that box? Or in the other one?” asked Parker, whose voice was alarmingly close. Kers dared to glance up at the small gap of light at the top of the box as he wriggled further down into his hiding space beside some pen cups. From where he was, Kers could clearly see the charging cables Parker was referring to.

“Um… I think so,” Amanda replied, her much louder voice shaking the Borrower to his core.

“Is it okay if I check? I’ll be quick,” asked Parker. The question made Kers’ blood run cold.

Check?

Check!

You mean in the box?

Here?

Now?

Oh no…

Kers could do nothing as he listened to the sound of tiny feet pitter pad across the cardboard roof above him and watch as a small shadow filled the gap above him. He could only hope his Borrower skills had camouflaged him well enough so that Parker and his keen eyes wouldn’t notice him.

The small shadow of a fellow Borrower eclipsed the little bit of light at the top of the box before Kers heard a soft thump followed by an “ooff.” The disguised Borrower leaned back further and made sure he was braced for if the box was dropped suddenly. He knew the cardboard was too thick to cut through, but Kers had a clear path to those handholds Amanda was using now.

If he needed to, he could make a mad dash as long as that path wasn’t blocked.

No reassuring thoughts could quiet his relentlessly thumping heart. Each beat made his entire chest throb. Clenching his jaw and leaning back a little further, Kers could clearly see the little sandy haired Borrower teen rummaging through a few odds and ends at the opposite end of the box.

Seeing him up close really showed Parker’s form. He looked healthy and tall, which was a tribute to Amanda’s care. Amazing what good nutrition can do for you. He’s taller than the average Borrower, and he’s only going to get taller.

Parker suddenly turned around and, for a moment, Kers felt his heart skip a beat. Parker’s eyes widened and then squinted in rapid succession.

Kers held his breath.

Everything – time itself – stood still before Kers saw a smile curl Parker’s lips.

“Found them! They’re over there in the corner,” called Parker as he spun back around toward the light and jumped, catching the edge of the cardboard with his fingertips and hoisting himself up and out of the box.

Kers wanted to shout to release all of the pent-up energy his body was charged with in those tense moments, but instead he forced himself to breathe calmly and nodded slowly.

That was close.

That was too close.

One of us needs to talk to Parker sooner or later.

Kers could only imagine what kind of interaction that would have been had Parker actually spotted him hiding there under the various wires and contraptions in the box. It only ended poorly for everyone no matter how Kers thought about it.

It only reaffirmed the fact that Parker needed to know the truth whether or not he was asking the right questions.

It was time.

At least, it was nearing time.

Kers realized that he needed to get to the new house and settled in, relatively speaking, before addressing Parker. It occurred to Kers that possibly addressing Amanda first might be a better alternative to talking to Parker first, but the thought of talking to a human and willingly revealing Borrower-kind made him sick.

Sadly, it was probably the best way to go about it. Revealing himself directly to Parker would bring about trust issues between him and his mother and possibly make Parker resent his mother. If Kers talked to Amanda and answered her questions first, perhaps when she talked to Parker she would have those answers and then be able to refer to Kers, their friendly neighborhood wall walker, for further explanation.

It would show that Amanda wanted to talk to Parker about everything and wasn’t trying to hide information while also telling him the truth.

Parker deserved it.

He was a good kid.

He was going to be a man before long.

It wasn’t going to be easy or pretty, but just mulling over the concepts and ideas of addressing everything to Parker and Amanda helped keep the Borrower’s mind off of the overall trip. He didn’t even notice the roar of the car engine or the jostling all around him as the boxes around him.

The car finally came to a halt and after what felt like an hour of waiting in the darkness of the vehicle trunk the jostling came to his box as it was carried into the house. The whole thing felt like tumbling down a bumpy hill or a knotted line, every step making his insides lurch. Kers could only guess that Amanda was more careful when she was carrying around Parker; he hoped so at least.

When the world finally stopped moving, Kers remained completely still for another twenty minutes. His heart pounded uncomfortably as the thought that Parker could come climbing down into the box for his various belongings interrupted any and all of Kers’ strategic plans to escape his current environment.

It wasn’t until he was certain he was going to be alone for the next few minutes that Kers dared to push himself up, grab his pack, and climb up to the handhold to get a better view of his surroundings.

The living area was hard wood, which would make any movement very audible if he wasn’t light on his toes, and from where Kers was he could spot the kitchen and a set of stairs leading to an upstairs.

The vastness of the room and complete lack of cover made his instincts feel electrified, but all he needed was one clear shot to get into the walls. The sensation and difficulty of the task made his head swirl, but Kers took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

Go. Now!

That instinct in his mind screamed just as he began wiggling his way through the handhold on the box. Every hair stood on end. Every sound seemed amplified. The tremor in the ground felt like an earthquake.

Amanda was on her way back.

Kers knew he had only seconds to react, and he took full advantage of it.

Slinging his pack onto his back, Kers dared to drop from one box to the next without a security line all the way to the ground where he fell instantly into a crouch. His body seemed to move on its own as he rounded the corner just as Amanda passed right behind and headed toward the kitchen with a box of supplies in her arms.

One glance told Kers that Parker was riding on Amanda’s shoulder and seeing them both towering above him was crippling. Heart palpitating, Kers took his chance as he spotted an electrical outlet at the far end of the living room. He was sure he was making noise. It sounded like he was running around crashing into everything he could, which was not the case.

He had just made it to the electrical cover and unscrewed the faceplate when he heard Amanda and Parker talking about how they wanted to set up Parker’s room. It made Kers’ heart hurt hearing the excitement in the young teen’s voice.

There was such zeal and innocence there.

It took a couple of good tugs, but Kers finally managed to yank free the cover as he practically threw himself into the walls and covered the hole once more.

As Kers slipped into the comfort of the walls, he let himself breathe his first true sigh of relief all day. Though he knew borrowing back the things he mixed into Amanda’s belongings would be a trick, he knew he was once again safe within reason.

The Borrower sank to the ground, sliding down the wall slowly, and sat there against the stud of a load bearing wall. Something in his heart refused to quiet. It was either fate or pure dumb luck that Parker hadn’t seen him earlier.

Kers chuckled to himself quietly as the irony hit him. Here he was worried that Parker – a fellow Borrower – saw him as if Parker were a human.

Well… I suppose he kind of is all things considering.

Once he gathered himself, Kers hoisted himself and his pack onto his back. There was a lot to do and there was never enough time to do it.

First things first was to find a nice place to sleep and set up a temporary base of operations. There was nothing worse during a move than trying to fun from one side of the house to the othe when there was a decent middle ground that reached all of the essential spots.

For Kers, that usually was at or around the kitchen, so that’s where he headed. The pack on his back felt like it weighed a whole pound, but he refused to leave these things behind. It honestly showed him what living a sedentary life felt like, especially when collecting things with sentimental value.

It was a new experience, and something about it felt oddly good. Borrowers, after all, didn’t usually get to keep many trinkets and bobbles and knick-knacks that amused them. They needed to be able to move at the drop of a hat. They lived everywhere and nowhere.

Nomads.

Sojourners.

Borrowers.

What was on their backs was already too much to carry. It didn’t stop Kers from collecting what he did and bringing it with him.

Despite the aching it caused his bones and muscles, Kers trekked through the walls with steady confidence. He had moved many times before, carrying those same things with him everywhere ever since he was a child.

Now was no different.

He would start from scratch and work his way back up to having a home, but he wouldn’t part with these things. It would be difficult. He knew it. But it wasn’t different than anything else he had ever done.

He also knew, as he turned his hip lamp and held it to the ground, that there wasn’t hardly enough dust in between the walls and beams. There were holes from thumb tacks in weird places. It was his next discovery that truly solidified Kers’ suspicions. There was even a small pencil drawing that looked like a simple house with an arrow heading further into the walls.

Excitement and nervousness instantly churned his insides.

I haven’t even been here twenty minutes and already I think there might be someone else living here in the walls.

Kers’ suspicions were confirmed when he wiggled his way through a narrow board that looked like it had been purposefully cut and smoothed over and saw Christmas and fairy lights twinkling around the next corner.

The Borrower swallowed dryly as every possible scenario clouded his mind. This was both the best thing and the worst thing possible.

Best because he didn’t need to start from scratch and had others he could potentially rely on if they were friendly.

Worst because they could see Kers as an enemy. What was worse still was that they didn’t know about Amanda, Parker, and the circumstances surrounding this human mother and Borrower child duo.

Kers had decided over four years ago to help and protect Parker. If that had to be from other Borrowers before Parker was ready for the truth, so be it.

No sooner had Kers made this decision did he hear voices coming from around the corner. They sounded like a mix of ages and genders, but Kers guessed it was a dad and at least three kids, two boys and a girl.

Kers didn’t want to scare them and did the only polite thing to do.

“Hello?” he called, no plan and every prayer to his name.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

Beginning

[dawn-moths]

I’m curious how your “a storm pairs well with a cerulean gaze” au touya would be with #s 3, 7, 19, and 50 if its not too much??

hi hi!! (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

i’d be happy to do those for you, you know that au is one of my favorites heehee~

3. Do they enjoy cooking?

i think, before touya met you, he never cooked. he ordered cheap takeout or picked something up from the local konbini. however, once you two start living together, you start teaching him. he shows an interest one morning when you’re making breakfast, and even though it’s just some simple scrambled eggs and toast, he genuinely has no idea where to start.

maybe, once upon a time, he would have. somewhere in a distant childhood where his mother would've stayed around to help him learn. but those memories have always been few and far between. he's trained himself not to look back.

“c’mon, touya,” you tease him with a look that says you’re not buying it. “you don’t actually expect me to believe you’ve never made scrambled eggs and toast before, do you?”

touya goes quiet, hides his insecurity behind the subtle clenching of his jaw.

he hopes you miss it, but you know him better than that so you don’t.

“touya,” you say, more firmly this time, as you set down the spatula and turn off the burner, little blue flames dying down under the pan. “i mean— really?”

you don’t want to sound like you’re judging him but, well, it’s just he’s always seemed so capable to you. like he could do anything. figure out any problem.

“alright...” you sigh, though it sounds sort of dreamy, like this new information you’re learning about him is endearing to some degree. “come here and i’ll teach you.”

how often did you get to be the one to teach him something? you weren’t going to waste this rare moment.

so, for the next week, the two of you learn to like eating scrambled eggs and toast every morning, though you go through several more cartons of eggs than you normally would on account of most of touya’s early attempts turning out completely inedible and having to be thrown away.

he also nearly starts a fire by turning the toaster up too high, but you promised him you wouldn’t tease him about it after he got upset when you wouldn’t stop laughing. you know. right before you were thrown into a fit of panic when the smoke alarms started going off and you rushed to open a window while he quickly tossed the charred, petrified piece of bread into the sink and under a rush of cold water.

but, lucky for the two of you, touya is a fast learner. once he gets it right, he pretty much has it perfected. he starts taking pride in his new skill, takes on the task of making you both breakfast whereas it used to be your job in the past.

and it’s nice and all but pretty soon you have to start adding new recipes to his repertoire lest you grow to resent scrambled eggs and toast on the principle of eating it most days of the week.

you pat his hand in the middle of the table before lightly intertwining your fingers. “why don’t i teach you some good smoothie recipes next?” you ask as you watch him take another bite of his eggs, the food turned radioactive orange on account of how much hot sauce he’s drenched it in.

touya gives you a sly crack of a smirk, replying once he’s swallowed his bite, “why?” he asks. “tired of me setting the fire alarms off?”

you giggle and take another bite of your toast, the crispy bread holding the perfect amount of crunch.

“i’d teach you omelettes,” you say with a shrug, “but we might get evicted on fire hazard charges before you have time to get it down right.”

touya nudges your foot from under the table, flashes you that embarrassed grin you’ve come to love so much.

“shut up,” he teases. though, deep down, he knows you’re probably right.

7. Do they have any unusual fears?

hmmm… honestly i had to think about this for a long time and i think it probably takes a lot to scare him. i’d say his biggest fear preceeding his encounter with you would probably be that he’d end up living his whole life under someone else’s (in this case tomura’s) control, since he escaped one abusive/controlling situation (his father) and landed immediately in another one. but once you’ve entered his life, his biggest fear becomes losing you or having your well being threatened.

i also think there are still some underlying trauma-based fears from his childhood that can come out at unexpected times as well.

i guess i can't really see him having any small or "unusual" fears though. he's already faced so many terrifying things in his life. his own experiences have made most common phobias feel like child's play to him. if you have a fear though, he'll try and do anything in his power to make sure you won't have to encounter it, and if you do, he'll be there to hold your hand along the way.

19. How easy is it to become their friend?

i think touya is always very guarded, so making new friends is incredibly hard for him, but once someone becomes his friend, it’s probably going to be ride or die. needless to say, he has very few people like this in his life. you’re the person he considers his closest friend and for a long time, once you two move into your apartment and start your new lives together, you’re probably his only friend (especially since whoever he might've hung out with back at tomura's place he'd now consider cut off from given he doesn't want to risk getting involved with his old life again or having you pulled into trouble by association). but you have your own close friends you like to hang out with, so touya ends up finding himself having a little more alone time than he’d like.

i think he’d have one co-worker that he ends up really liking (let’s imagine it’s Jin, in this case) and just vibes with while he's at work. one thing leads to another and pretty soon he finds himself meeting him for drinks one night when he knows you're going out with some of your friends. when he finds himself leaning more into this new friendship and maybe even opening up about parts of himself he normally doesn’t let anyone aside from you see, he gets freaked out. but maybe this comes up in conversation between you two and you explain to him that all the best relationships contain vulnerability. this is a hard pill for him to swallow, but deep down he knows you’re right.

touya learns how to become a better friend as well as navigate and maintain new relationships because of you.

though, he’s still probably a little reluctant to let his new friends meet you, especially if they’re guys. he can try and hide that jealous side he has from you all he likes. he’ll never be able to deny it from himself though.

50. What is your favorite thing about them?

ooooooh gosh this is soooo hard!

well, i think the root of what caused this au to form was wanting to feel comforted and protected no matter what (i was going through a super hard time when i originally wrote it and was really needing/craving those things at that time so).

touya is nothing if not protective over you, but it’s not to the point where it’s suffocating either. he worries about you whenever you’re not together but it’s mostly a burden he takes on privately. he doesn’t try to guilt or manipulate you into being with him 24/7 or creating an environment of some sort of fear mongering either (which i’ve personally experienced in some of my past relationships and is a major red flag for me now.)

but touya can also be fun, in his own mischievous, twisted little ways. he can be playful, especially once you two have established a good foundation of trust with one another and he feels he can open up a little more. he likes to surprise you in all sorts of little ways. anything to make you smile. because it’s your smile and your laugh and knowing that he was the one that evoked that reaction from you that heals him more and more each time it happens.

send me a character i write for + a prompt from this list ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[writingsofwesteros]

https://www.tumblr.com/jennifersminds/710024396974194688/jennifersminds-favourite-ships-of-all-time?source=share

Jaime with him and Cersei's younger sister who was born the year before Tyrion. They never had many problems, but Cersei would be cruel at times and accuse her of weakening their mother before Tyrion went in for the kill. Cersei has always wanted her but knew that with her being the one to make the first move she would have to share their sister with her twin, something she didn't like the thought of as she was possessive over him. Cersei knew leaving her lust on the back burner would make it where the siblings would have to seek each other out, something she never thought would happen as she never anticipated Jaime making a move like that with all the shame he carries from their relationship. The first gif is moments leading up to Jaime railing his younger sister's brains out. A friendly spar turned almost violent when the girl tripped him up by asking if this is what him and Cersei do in their free time or if they just fuck when they think no one is watching or notices. He gets defensive and threatens to kill her to keep her silent though they both knew he was lying, only for it to work against him when his eyes trail down her breasts that had nearly popped out from their fluid motions. He feels her body melt against his though his knife is letting small pools of crimson drop from her thoat and can't help but trail kisses down until he's lapping them up and rubbing his boner into her ass. Their first time does nothing to help his guilty conscience and instead adds to it, the things they did with such a passion and no care for what comes after put his nights with Cersei to shame and worsened his complex. He's so tender towards her after they finish and the following week, treating her almost as if she's a child or a pregnant woman, but the new distance between them is what really peaks Cersei's interest and clues her in on what was really happening. She's angry but keeps her distance and tries to keep Jaime with her at all times until one day he's just gone and she can't find him anywhere until she stumbles into her sister's normal maid and orders her to bring her to the girl. The maid was blushing and tried refusing until Cersei threatened her again, only to slowly guide the lioness to the servant corridors, her body trembling with every step. She refuses to say anything more once they reach a certain door and turns around to face Cersei with an almost horrified expression before rushing back the way she came. Cersei plans to punish her later until her curiosity grows and she pushes to door open, her eyes being met with the sight of her once "innocent" sister practically begging for Jaime to cum inside her while she rides him. Her rage grows when she sees how his cum has already flooded her insides since the thick cream was splashing out with every wanton thrust of her hips and the loving way their foreheads were touching, Jaime's arms hugging their sister to him the way only a man truly in love would. 👑💀

ALL OF THIS !! Cersei so enjoys watching, there's no question about it ;)

Jaime has problems but is so hot about it.

[localgardenweed]

Okay I did @vyo96’s HWS Japan map thingy and this is a perfect time to roughly explain my characterization of my baby girl

Now look imma admit he fucks, he can fuck and will fuck but thats a story for another day, preferably December 20th 2024 but we’ll get there when we get there. In short just give him his viagra hes still got it in him

Anyway i like to say he’s a little fucked up in the head and just so done with everything around him that he can only put on a plain face and keep trudging through till he kicks the bucket. The curse of immortality has left him a little fucked up, wondering when it’ll all be over, sometimes wishing he was just plain mortal and not stuck waiting for his country to fall apart. He loves his people but sometimes wishes he didn’t have to be a personified country and just a normal human along side them cause he feels lile he can do more for them as human since him and all the other countries are under the thumb of their governments half the time

I want to say that he wants people to think he’s more in up in the “just a little fella” section cause like he doesn’t want people to know he’s popping his pills, that’s embarrassing!! He just buries his feelings deep down so no one can see them until his friends pull up and hold him down and operate the feelings out of him.

His personality isnt that much different from his canon version but i like to think he is definitely more expressive and idk but emotional??? When he’s by himself like, in the comfort of his own home he’ll let out a big loud laugh over a meme but in public he’ll just smile and say “that was funny”. He thinks way too much about how he looks he looks in public its a problem. He actually has some wit and really sarcastic when he wants to be. He can also be really scary but he doesn’t like showing that side too much so he just kinda keeps it in the back burner.

He’s definitely very self sufficient i mean he’s had like 2000ish years to live and grow bro practically picked up everything as a hobby at least once. He’s made a schedule which he has been keeping pretty much the same throughout the years, only really changes if big like advancements are made like he used to go to the store once a month to rent VHS and had planned days to go return them all but now he just either streams it or has bought all the VHS and DVD he wanted and plays them at home.

He can be very affectionate if he wants to but feels cringe when he does it in public so mostly keeps it all in. But if he had his way he would smother his s/o in gifts and kisses and loving pets and be at their knees wondering if they need anything. Thats mostly at home though in public he just holds pinkies. With his close friends (mostly just Italy, Germany and Prussia) he opens up more a little baby bit, he actually shows some emotion and lets out more of his personality!! Oh my god!!!! He actually…shares his actual opinion/concern?!? He feels more comfortable with letting them see his real feelings and they like seeing it too cause they were getting concerned that he just nodded along to almost everything when it was smth they definitely should not have been doing.

Anyway best character deserves more respect he is the light of my life and i hold him very dear to me. I wish i could like talk about him more but trying to write this was hard as hell cause i cant always express my feelings with words im better at talking than writing. I tried to get some of my like speaking and form of talking into this but some areas could use work.

If any other hetalia japan lovers wanna speak their truth speak it and we can come together and have a meeting and talk about him

[emptywriter95]

Cara lets her eyes stray to the cracks embedded in the aging cement sidewalk as her legs carry her to Jules's house. The cool morning wind moved around her, carrying the scent of the morning dew with it as partly dried leaves fell from the treetops. Her eyes move to stalk the sight of the run-down homes on either side of the street. Not run down in a purposeful way, she thinks to herself. It’s just that the tenants have most likely aged, and the upkeep is out of their grasp. Town number four, she counts. She can’t remember the homes from when she was younger, but her mom has mentioned them once or twice before.

Her mom and dad put themselves and their personal world first. Leaving her younger brother, Jude, and herself on the back burner. The ruthless wind whipped her long, chocolate-brown hair around her neck. She was quick to pull it back, tossing it over her shoulder. She breaths deeply through her nose as she walks to her friends, the wind may be cool but the air is earthy and warm. They’ve been living here for about two months now, and the summer is almost over. It’s almost time to start another new school, the thought crosses her mind. She’s never had a problem making new friends. As a bonus, she’s not starting halfway through the school year. This time, she gets to start fresh, along with a new friend, which is a welcome change. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come as easy for her brother. Jude’s lucky if he can make one close friend, although if you ask him, he has plenty of friends. They’re just inside the computer in a world called Runescape. He has the same chocolate hair as his sister, which lies shaggy around his ears. He also has stunning dark brown eyes to match. He was lucky to inherit from their mom. Cara was given her dad's green eyes. She thinks about the last time she saw her mom, two days ago. Bragging on the phone to a friend, if you can call the users, she surrounds herself with friends about how grown up she is. How can she take care of herself and her brother? No problem, she laughed. Cara sighed. She was sick of her mom taking the credit for her independence. Although it is her fault, she’s this way, just not in the way she brags about. The early dew drops sparkle at her on every blade of the tall grass covering the yards. The sky is still a light, soothing grey. Cara knew her mom was home safe in her bed when she left the house. She hadn’t heard her come home last night, but she saw her long black leather jacket hanging next to the screen door on her way out. Her little brother always hears her come in. He stays up all night gaming in the den. He stopped questioning their mom about where she’s been long ago, she would only dodge him with weird answers. Cara knows he can sense that something is wrong with her. He knows something isn’t right with their mom, but unlike his older sister, he hasn’t had the maturity to crack the code yet. Whenever Cara needed to make new friends she always gravitated toward other kids with dysfunctional families. It's not a difficult thing to find in common at any given rural school. It was simple. For every happy kid with two normal parents, is another ten kids, with at one parent who drinks too much or one dealing with an addiction of their own choosing. It just made sense to hang out with kids like herself, no curfews, no one to care where you go or what you’re doing around town. Last year, she pieced together what was causing her parents heated fights that would cause her mom to vanish for days on her own. Leaving her and Jude to fend for themselves, get to school on time, and make their own dinners. It was the one morning that replayed in her mind often. A normal morning before school, She was out of clean socks, so she burst into her mom's empty room and rummaged around her sock drawer, looking for a pair without holes. Only to find two small glass pipes. The bottom of the thin glass burned a brown-black color. Empty baggies skewed underneath the thick winter socks neatly stacked in the back of the drawer. That’s when it all came together for her. Her mom's weird friends, the mood swings, not being home for days at a time, and the constant blowouts with her dad kept getting worse. It wasn't long after that she became more curious and found her dad’s coke he had stashed in the console of his work truck, which she wasn’t supposed to be in. She shakes her head, not in the mood for the replay. She keeps walking and tightens her arms around her faded black Hurley sweater. She walks another block and then crosses the road to the right side of the shady street.

[crumbleclub]

Anyway informing you that 1. Ur posts are so incredible and good and they're a treasure to see i prommy, and 2. Ur ficlet for dream theory revamp au is taking up rental space in my head. Having silly thoughts about Evan just acting completely dead after he learns the truth about henry. He doesn't play anymore. Doesn't talk. He can't even work up the energy to be Super Nice To Mike So He Doesn't Want To Die Again like he's been doing for all the time Mike has been back. Mike definitely notices, but whether he feels comfortable/capable enough of confronting Evan about it is up in the air. Oooo, or, or maybe Evan leans even *further* into the Be Super Nice To Mike So He Doesn't Want To Die thing bc he's lost Henry and Mike is the only thing Evan has left

AWWW POOR BB

From my perspective (since it's ur au lol):

Mike would be so weirded out by seeing his brother stop playing and talking, but I doubt he'd know what to say. He wouldn't guess that it was about Henry, and, since it wasn't immediately after his attempt, he wouldn't associate those things together, either. He might wonder if something else happened that he didn't know about– William being rougher with Evan since Mike was still healing physically, maybe, or some unrelated problem his anxiety could conjure up– and one thing my Michael will always be is nosy. Like, this is a situation where it's actually somewhat helpful– one should look into it if their little brother shows a clear trauma response, obviously– but he's nosy in every other situation, too.

Rather than ask what's up like a normal person, he'd probably start paying way more attention to Evan (and William, and everyone else Evan interacts with)'s behavior to figure it out. He might try to ask in very roundabout ways if he couldn't find anything elsewhere, but he'd try not to let it look like concern for Evan.

(That's not a conscious decision, or even related to his abuse of Evan or any resentment he might still hold; it's a completely unrelated conditioned response that mostly relates back to the whole incident with William using a dog as a lure and getting pissed when Mike tries to interrupt.)

The first response, Evan losing the will to be extra nice, could be percieved by Mike as either an extension of the trauma response Evan seems to be having that he can't figure out the cause of– which would drive him to investigate further– or as things starting to go back to normal, where Evan has a justified fear of his brother and they don't really talk much.

It would make him sad, though, which he wouldn't be expecting. He might have to examine either the fact that he does need some affection in his life to feel okay– which is typical– or the fact that he might, shocker, actually want to have a decent relationship with his little brother. Both of these things would be a pretty arduous process for him; he's emotionally immature, even for as young as he is, and this sort of thing isn't something he's had any guidance on. He would probably throw himself into something else whilst processing that on the back burner.

The second one– being even nicer– would be more surprising to him, because he's really just not seen that level of nice before? If Evan got too clingy, Mike wouldn't be able to hide his annoyance, and he might snap from time to time, even though he's had half a wake up call at this point about his own behavior– near death experiences make people reevaluate shit a lot, but he's not like. Magically well-adjusted– and doesn't have the energy to be all that terrible at the moment. That being said– even though Mike is really needing a mentor more for this than his little brother's kindness– this is one of the most vulnerable places he's ever been, and, if anyone were to ever successfully find a shortcut to breaking through Mike's defenses by the sheer force of being nice, this would be one of the easier times to try it.

On the bright side, Mike does not struggle with leaning on one person too much, so Evan wouldn't get stuck in a therapist role or anything. Probably the worst case scenario for his response to the second one would be having Mike start to answer any questions candidly, and receiving a bleaker view of the world in response.

[yllzchair]

Canon Divergent AU

Title: Yearning for Miles

Tags: Alternative Universe – Canon Divergent // Seeing the Future // Alternative Universe – Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies // Fix-It // Good Brothers JC/WWX // Canon-Typical Homophobia // Mutual Pining // Angst with Happy Ending // Multiple Couples

Rating: Mature

Summary: Wei Wuxian finds a strange artefact while he’s studying in Gusu. Apparently it shows the future.

Word Count: 378,976

Status: Completed.

Title: Yarrow Stalks

Tags: Post-Canon // Politics // Canon-Typical Violence // Shapeshifting // Body Horror // Light Angst // Hurt/Comfort // Angst with Happy Ending // Domestic // Mystery // Pining // Sexual Assault

Rating: Mature

Summary: The problem began with a roll of the dice...Two years have passed since Jin Guangyao's disgrace and the vindication of the Yiling Patriarch rocked the cultivation world. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have built a life together, and the world has settled into what they are finally happy to call normal. But a mysterious shapeshifter's attacks and a dangerous conspiracy threaten not only their lives but the lives of many others, in this tale of romance, politics, and sand where games of chance and games of skill are not so different as the players would like.

Word Count: 76,670

Status: Completed.

Title: Wish I could forget the taste of your skin and the feel of your hands pinning me down

Tags: Alternative Universe – Canon Divergence // Alternative Universe – Modern Setting // Getting Back Together // BAMF Wei Ying // Modern Cultivator AU // Case Fic // Top Lan Zhan/Bottom Wei Ying // Novel Canon-Relationship Dynamics

Rating: Explict

Summary: Wei Wuxian would like to think that - if he had known that Lan Wangji would walk out of his life immediately after they hooked up- he wouldn’t have given into his ridiculous attraction for the man. He wished he were better at lying to himself. Guest-starring Lan Wangji’s canonically poor communication choices after romantic cave encounters

Word Count: 63,222

Status: Completed.

Title: Stunted, Starving Juvenility

Tags: Alternate Universe – Canon Divergent // Cloud Recesses Study Arc // Getting Together // Sexual Tension // Supportive Lan Qiren // Light Angst // Internalised Homophobia // First Kiss // Kink Discovery // Bisexual WWX // Dual Cultivation // Not JFM Friendly // Slowburn // Emotional/Psychological Abuse // Fluff and Angst // Protective LXC // Eventual Smut // Cultivation Sect Politics // Genuis WWX // Angst and Hurt/Comfort // Minor Character Death(s) // Pre-Sunshot Campaign // POV Wei Ying

Rating: Explicit

Summary: At sixteen Wei Wuxian is—through some strange twist of fate, or a nick in the layer between parallel universes, who knows—out of the blue confronted with that one incense burner dream one night.

While his curious mind is left unable to stop poking at this new perspective on Lan Wangji, circumstances in the Cloud Recesses begin to change and Wei Wuxian is suddenly presented with life-altering opportunities.

Maybe Gusu isn’t so bad after all? (Or alternatively: The fic where I get to give Wei Wuxian the academic scholarship he deserves while simultaneously getting him hitched early on.)

Word Count: 712,733

Status: Ongoing.

Title: Who Protects The Shadow Better Than The Dark

Tags: Alternative Universe – Canon Divergent // Alternative Universe – Modern Setting // Lan Elders // Cults // Blood and Injury // Blood and Gore // Graphic Depictions of Corpses // Graphic Depictions of Everything // Body Horror // Original Mythology // Angst with Happy Ending // Slowburn

Rating: Mature // Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Summary: Lan Zhan has always seen the shadows; he's not dumb or blind, just wary of his own sanity. He's not going to stop living his life just because someone new shows up and flips everything upside down. Literally. There's nothing to be afraid of when you close your eyes except your own imagination. And if the shadows have started to see him back, what's he supposed to do? They're not real anyway. This is the story of wilful ignorance, physical manifestations of your worst nightmares, and a plot to destroy the world.

Word Count: 67,111

Status: Completed.

Title: Whipstitch

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence // Dysfunctional Family // Torture //  Wèi Yīng Lives, but basically no one else // Case Fic // Cultivation Sect Politics // Past Abuse // Wèi Yīng Whump // Yiling Laozu Wèi Yīng // Jīn Líng Needs a Hug // Yunmeng Shuangjie // Yunmeng Bro Reconciliation // Past Character Death // Body Horror // Non-Consensual Body Modification // POV Jīn Líng // POV Lan Yuan // Flashbacks // Eventual Happy Ending // Heavy Angst // Suicide Attempt // Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – PTSD // Depression // Not A Fix-It //Mouth Sewn Shut

Rating: Mature // Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Summary: There is a house where no one goes.

Word Count: 131,383

Status: Completed.

[kuberish]

What was Sachi's and Yuki's life like at Eisern? (like family, job and stuff...)

OH shiiiet, those are some old characters you remember. Sachi yes, she's always been around, but I'm surprised you remember Yuki! I haven't been using her quite a while. Specifically her, she was on the back burner for pretty long. I hope I can get back to her at some point and figure her out again

Either way, back to your question. Their life on Eisern was/still is pretty hard/harsh. Not a big problem for Sachi, but for Yuki it's hard. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna rewrite her story again, but she generally has some tensions going on with her mother and sister. Sachi is generally a problem in the city with how chaotic she is, ignoring safety warnings and all.

Generally Eisern is a harsh city where it's usually normal to overwork yourself and uhh... die. It's just how life works over there and you either go with the flow or you drown and the city overwhelms you with its current. It's a city in constant motion, figuratively and literally. Eisern is a city on literal tracks that is always moving into a direction. The buildings are always moving and shifting. It's never the same every day.

And not everyone can keep up with its pace.

[casitafallz]

LTRL AU | Motion of Change

Isabela was fuming by the time she had made her way back to her room, glad for once her grandparents were out but she set herself up at her spinning wheel to calm her nerves almost immediately. A flurry of cactuses spiked up along her floor as she sat but she couldn’t help herself from the flurry of emotion that spread heat through her veins.

Of course, Abuela was falling for whatever Sara was telling her. Abuela always seemed to value the townspeople's view over them so it wasn’t much of a surprise….

But Sara Marquez?

Of all the people to get to first name basis, it wasn’t her. Isabela shook her head angrily. She wasn’t going to allow that…. No with Abuela knowing too much and…if she tried to open up to her; it could go directly to Marquez as well. She wasn’t ready to talk to her on a normal basis but now… she wasn’t going to open that gate if it risked her baby as well.

No.

She knew when that news dropped, Marquez would try to use her new-found links to seal a glimpse to her sobrino. Isabela had no intention to allow the woman even a glimpse or have any contact with her or him.

The fact they shared the same town… it made it very difficult to avoid people. Isabela wasn’t a fool at the notion that Casita would be the safest place to be for the baby and probably Mateo. He couldn’t live under Fran’s bed forever and he was getting restless about it as well.

He had nowhere safe to go, aside from Casita…. But she wasn’t for going back. Not closer to the damn Jaguar and Camilo. Could she sacrifice her comforts like that? For Mateo and the baby?

Her fingers tightened the cotton a fraction. Isa knew he wanted to live out; both of their houses. Surely they could perhaps get a place a little away at the edge of town; away from the bustle and hustle of the town. Maybe open up her own flower shop? Mateo could be a part-time carpenter, but also a stay-at-home dad? He seemed like someone who’d rather say and see the baby happy while she helped reap in the pesos for her home.

She could…build something to be proud of.

Her wheel came to a small stop, not fully keeping up with the treadle as she pondered on that.

A home free to do as she pleased; to decorate and to bring up her son happily. No burden of the family to rest on his shoulders, to be a happy child. Sure, she could meet up with her family in town and get some of their presence in seeing her boy every so often. Not too much to be overwhelming but…enough to put the effort in.

Would she even be allowed to have that? Would she still have to go through her punishments until she was out of the door? Making a shelter would be very, very easy with her gift; she could mold tree roots and trunk to great a working home; dry from the weather but homely enough to decorate.

She was twenty two now.

She should start thinking about that now. She couldn’t live with her Abuelita forever and… well the baby would only be in her room for his first year. They didn’t have the space for him after that. Not when Tia Sara’s room was Abuelito’s study and storage and… they had already sacrificed a lot for her. She shouldn’t ask for more.

A home for…her and Mateo and….the baby. Just them.

Isa felt her mood filter away a little.

A little family. Not a perfect or a whole one but…entirely hers.

Her fingers let the cotton run away from her, settling straight onto the bobbin though she stared at it for a long moment, letting the problem with Abuela stay on the back burner for now as she mulled. The pull on her arm ached a little, even from the short usage but a vivid reminder now.

The baby was hardly safe here.

Not from Sara…not from Camilo. Not from the Jaguar. Sooner or later, it’ll be around. Her eyes turned down to her arm, flexing her fingers though could feel the delicate twinges of the healing wound. Hampering for her work… now a little worse but…a reminder nonetheless.

He was not safe here.

  -

Dolores happily lay out on the blanket with her eyes closed, listening to the idol scrawling of paper as Mariano was deeply occupied with his writing. A new blank book. A good quality paper and hard-back cover but it had been worth the price to see Mariano light up and then kiss her passionately.

She could quite easily guess what he was writing, the alphabet’s letters had a distinct sound when the pencil he was using scraped across the paper. Not all was clear of course, some ‘letters’ had a similar echo but she wasn’t going to study it. Listening to him work with his passions was far more enjoyable. He was in his happy place.

It was easier to listen to him than the nature around them. Finally away from Encanto and…it felt like a huge weight off her back. No noise of everyone’s problem pounding on her ears; letting them figure stuff out on their own and… she definitely wanted a get-away spot built here. A log cabin, maybe?

A place away from the chaos.

“You’re looking happy,” Mariano remarked, warmth in his voice.

“Uh-hm.” Dolores hummed. “Aside from nature…it’s so nice and quiet.”

“Hm,” The blanket crinkled a little as he shifted about, probably looking around. “This is a beautiful spot to be. So inspiring.” Mariano sighed happily. “We should defiantly make more effort to come out this far again. Maybe an annual thing?”

“I would like that.” Dolores agreed though she hoped perhaps he wanted to take her here again to propose once things had calmed down. Her heart leaped a little at the prospect but…she couldn’t help herself; this would be the perfect place for that. “Ma’s probably going to be so mad when I get back but… I hope Pa’s got her handled.”

Dolores had heard enough in the first few days away and their trek away to know things haven’t been easy with her parents and siblings.

She couldn’t take that any more.

Not her mother’s coddling defense. Her father’s desire to both defend the cause but to not push his wife and….her brother’s inability to take accountability to what harm he caused. Antonio was the one most bearable one; his sweet innocent and desire to not hang onto the weight laid upon them; fixated like any child would on the smallest of things and ignorant of the problems aside from what he’s noticed.

At least all he was focused on was the baby.

It was sweet to listen to.

She couldn’t deny the slight twinge of jealousy to hear him so happy about a baby; over Isa’s baby boy. She wanted to know more about the vision that Tio had but… that was for later. She wasn’t married yet and…she wanted her own baby in her arms as well.

Babies didn’t fix anything.

It brought some peace from what she could tell between her Tia’s side of the familia but…nothing was truly resolved in the family. Isa would certainly keep him away from Camilo and no doubt her mother as well for their actions. A valid reason but… one that would set more of a rift between them if they hadn’t resolved anything by the time it— or him—was born.

Dolores was more surprised that Abuela wasn’t so freaked out about him. Dolores had been terrified at the thought that Abuela would disown Isa entirely or force her to marry the next available guy willing to wed Isa and raise her kid. She hadn’t, but it was still a surprise.

Still, Dolores looked forwards to when she had her own baby when the family was in a…far better state. Something her mother could coddle and love and rainbow around. Abuela would certainly love it as well; the next great-grandchild.

Dolores’s face fell a fraction, swallowing uneasily.

Another great-grandchild.

Not the first. The second, like herself.

“Are you okay, Mi amor?” Mariano asked, breaking her silence.

“Hm? Just… an ill-placed sense of jealousy.” Dolores admitted, “I’ll get over it.” She opened her eyes, giving him a soft look of assurance.

Mariano paused a little, looking down at his book before he closed it up, moving to settle beside her. “Want to talk about it?”

“I…don’t know. I’ve burdened you a lot for the last eight or so months already.”

“Your troubles is not a burden,” Mariano spoke, pulling her gently into his arms.

“You know… when we got together, I loved the idea of…being the one to marry first. To have the first baby and the first great-grandchild for Abuela.” Dolores spoke, “Isa…may not be married first but… she’s having the first baby. Just like Tia did with Isa and…I was just…second best after her.”

He stroked her arm softly, in smooth calming strokes. “I think you’re first in my books, my Vida.”

“You dated Isa first.”

“Hm, and I see that you’re the one for me. Not her.” Mariano whispered, “Not her.” He kissed her temple. “As I heard your Tio once say, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. We shouldn’t…compare the lives of our future children on the basis on when they’re born and just be glad that they’ll be about and healthy.  They won’t be second best if we make them our first priority.”

Mariano’s words were soft and comforting in her ear which made Dolores relax a little.

“I suppose. It’s….a hard habit to let go of.” She had been known as ‘Isa’s shadow’ for a long while now. Sure, the image had broken a lot given what had happened but still… it was very present still for her.

“It’ll take time.” Mariano squeezed her arm softly. “But, let’s not rush back to the family; we still have a few days here to enjoy so…let’s make the most of it.” He pulled her into a deep kiss, almost hot and heavy but before she could take it further, he parted with a smirk and sat up in favor of his book, leaving Dolores to glower at him with frustration.

Oh he better make that up to her tonight….

 -

 Isa dedicated herself busy a good portion of the late morning to her spinning wheel and picking through the yarn to go over and make even thinner for her loom but she had to stop as the pain from her wounds grew to be too much. So, she made and ate lunch and took a portion of it to her grandparent’s shop.

On her way, the familiar stares and whispers echoed but…Isabela decided it was best to not care. So what if they knew she punched someone; it was deserved. Though it was a relief to get inside though she gave a strong, confident glare to anyone who stared as she headed to the outback with her basket.

“Abuelita?” Isa called, almost walking into the locked door, “Abuelito?” She knocked on the door. This door wasn’t this shut tight without a reason so it was probably someone dressed down more for measurements. “I brought you lunch.”

“Isa?”

“Si?”

“Thank you but can you leave it by the door on the little tale? I can’t open it right now.”

“Okay. I’m going to the looms so see you at dinner.” Whatever it was, Isa decided to leave her grandmother to it. As long as they ate, she was happy.

Isa set the basket down and pulled out the wrapped plates, setting them down where she was instructed and double-checking her bobbins to make sure nothing had come loose before she once again set off.

Her fingers knocked against the familiar door and waited for a moment before it opened the youngest of the textiles family stood in the doorway.

“Hola?”

Isabela frowned lightly. “Hi, last week I was using your family’s floor looms for a personal project. I’m wondering if I can continue it?” the fact the girl hadn’t moved was the reason Isa expanded on her presence. Usually, she was just let in with a warm smile. Something changed.

“Ma!” The girl called back. “You’re needed at the door!”

The girl’s mother was more causal in her arrival, holding in her hands a drop-spindle and wool though Isa felt her eyes and posture change very quickly to something stern and…cool.

“Señorita Madrigal, I didn’t think you’d show your face here again.” The woman spoke.

Isabela coked her head, confused for the change of attitude. “well, injured or not, I don’t see why I wouldn’t. I had a good project going on one of your looms that I couldn’t finish.” She gestured to her arm, “I wanted to finish it.”

The woman seemed to stand back, rather coolly but Isa hated how intense her look was. Like she was being scrutinized.

“No. I think…it’s best that you…don’t come here again.” She started with, “You’ll be a bad influence on my daughters with your…habits with that carpenter boy. This is a Christen and Catholic town and I don’t intend for my daughters to think that is okay outside of marriage.”

With that, the door was slammed in her face.

  -

“I need to talk to Isabela,” Alma spoke intensely as the woman finally made her second round back to the shop as evening drew in.

“Oh, you won’t talk to Isabela.” Vera chuckled casually, not looking up from her gently sewing the hem of the dress she was working on.

“I know you’re against me see—“

“No this isn’t about me not wanting you to visit your granddaughter, Alma,” Vera spoke, continuing to sew lightly with a very casual tone. “But more along the lines of… if you were between Isa and the door, she’ll turn around and go out the window to avoid talking to you to start with. She's not ready.”

Vera had known today had been hard for her, another family shutting her out of her hobbies had hit her hard. Ruben had found her by that pond she had created months back and convinced her back to their home but… it had quietened Isa a lot. Withdrawn even.

“I think you’re being a little dramatic, Vera.”

“She’s had a rough day, Alma.” Vera defended, finally getting to a good place to stop her stitches. “People found out about her relationship and she’s facing a lot of gossip from that still. She’s been forced out from one of her hobbies so…she really not ready to talk to you on top of all of that.”

Alma sighed heavily, “Still I hoped that would remain quiet for a little longer…”

“No one’s batting an eye about the broken nose. I would have thought that would have been today’s news.” Vera rolled her eyes. “Clearly that’s purposeful.”

“I thought so as well. Takes the focus away from Marquez and all about Isa.” Alma frowned worriedly, “I want to help her, Vera.”

Vera gave her a long look. “Alma, do you even know how to help her?”

“I admit, it’s a struggle but I’m trying,” Alma spoke, inhaling deeply. “I need to apologize to her and preferably before the child is born. She’ll be much safer in Casita.”

“Physically, mostly.” Vera input herself, not denying that as a fact but it wasn’t ideal. “But Isa won’t want to move back with you or the rest of her family. For starters, the jaguar that mauled her lives there, and Camilo who set it on her is also there. Do you honestly think Isabela would risk leaving her newborn baby around with those risks?” and that wasn’t even accounting for Mirabel’s comfort here as well. No doubt she was excited about the baby but that was not going to drop her trauma regards to the baby’s mother.

“No worse than Marquez out in the Encanto.”

“Buen punto” Vera sighed, her hand coming to straighten back a loose strand of grey hair. “But Marquez is everyone’s problem, not just Isa’s.”

“She doesn’t know about the baby. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Agreed, but once he’s born she’ll definitely notice.” Which was what Vera worried about; what would happen if the girl knew and how she’d try and get to the baby. Of course, no doubt the Madrigals would band together to protect the baby but… the risk was still real.

“Let that be a conversation closer to the time. Right now, it’s today’s problem. Any news on locating her brother?”

“None. If there hadn’t been word by the end of the week, I’ll have a few people start searching the forests.” Alma said, fingers pulling the cardigan she had in tighter.

“Why not ask Felix if Antonio could get his animal friends to look?” It was simply a suggestion but it was well known animals had a better sense of smell. It’d be far easier but… it was still Antonio’s gift they’d use. Of course, this was providing that the man’s scent lingered in Encanto after this long with rain. If he was dead, they might be able to find his remains but… she hoped for the best-case scenario here that he was about but…hiding.

Alma paused a moment. “I suppose. I’ll…approach the topic with him tomorrow.”

Vera nodded though gently picking up her needle to carry on with her sewing. “Any news on the Camilo front?”

“He…has his punishments. Felix plans for him to start working with his grandparents at the instrument workshops in about a month.”

Vera hummed softly, though surprised but…it made a lot of sense for him to go for that. Work was not easy but it was a good discipline. Maybe he might actually enjoy it once he got over himself a little.

“Have you considered lifting any more of Isa’s punishments?” Vera asked, “Her gift restriction, bedtime specifically. She won’t approach Mirabel or drink alcohol.”

Alma remained quiet for a moment. “Until the baby’s born. 2 months. That’ll be just a little under a year since I gave her those punishments….unless you disagree?” Her tone soured a little but it wasn’t something Vera disagreed with.

Getting hurt herself was not a cause to remove her punishments given it was a separate incident and… she didn’t want Isa to think she was getting off her punishments for what Camilo did. Camilo was going to live his life with his punishments with a timeframe as well but…Vera didn’t thinks he was privy to knowing those details; he wasn’t her grandchild.

Vera was glad to find some agreement here.  “I don’t but… I do think you should have been more transparent about the timeframe of when the punishments were due to end to Isa. It’s hard to hope for the end when you can’t see it.”

Alma sucked in softly, “Yes…. She mentioned that a few weeks back.”

Vera gave her a side eye. “It took you this long to decide another two months?”

“Please…don’t start with the lecture here.” Alma asked tiredly, “I already have a lot on my plate.”

Vera hummed, not expanding much further. “How’s Luisa?” She should make the effort to go see her again, properly. She hadn’t let given Luisa her key back yet but she...should see how she was doing to see if the girl was ready for it back. It had been about 2 weeks since she had taken it after all; she was not for overkill here.

“Thinks she caused the entire problem between Isabela and Camilo.” Alma winced, “I’ve tried to talk her out of that but she’s convinced she started it.”

“I can talk to her tomorrow. Ruben will run the shop. I can take her out for ice cream and see if Mirabel wants to join?” She’d ask tomorrow.

“You’ll have better luck.” Alma agreed though after a moment, she pulled out a small wrapped gift that had been wrapped and tucked into her side the entire time, covered mostly by the shawl. Vera hadn’t noticed it though turned her attention to it for a moment. “This is…for Isabela. If she won’t talk to me then…could you pass this along for me?”

“What is it?” Vera leant forwards, accepting it anyway.

“A present. For…the baby.”

[mattscoquette]

MATTSCOQUETTE AU SPECIAL ౨ৎ

fratboy!chris making it up to smart!reader

“baby please, listen,” chris pleaded, his voice cracking slightly. you were sat cross legged on his double twin bed, your head hung low. he was across from you, ducking his head to try and look at your face.

“i just don’t get it,” you mumbled, “it feels like the second lacrosse starts, you don’t care about me anymore. like you just used me to get your grades up.”

“no,” he said, shaking his head. his hands found yours as they were clasped together, slowly lacing them with his own. “no, it’s just, i’m busy, and-“

“that’s the problem, chris, you’re always busy,” you snapped back, pulling your hands away from his. you looked up at him, your glassy eyes meeting his.

even though you two weren’t official, chris was practically your boyfriend. you’d hang out almost every day of the week, and spend all your time apart texting. your suitemates had all met him, and he’d taken you on dates to his favorite spot on campus.

but, with the start of the lacrosse season, it’s like you were on the back burner in his mind. yes, you understood the business that came with being a division one athlete, but it’s not like you had a lot of free time either. maintaining a 4.0 gpa wasn’t easy, yet you were able to make time for chris, and it was taking him days to reply back to you.

chris sighed, fidgeting with his fingers. “i’m not good at this kinda stuff,” he said quietly, “i’m sorry.”

“not good at what stuff?” you retorted.

“like, relationship stuff,” he mumbled softly, “the last time i actually liked a girl the way i like you, i was still in high school.”

you stayed silent, waiting for him to explain. it’s not like you were a love expert either, but this is why you never got involved with boys or relationships, you knew it would be too much of a distraction from the whole reason you were in college in the first place - to learn and to get your degree.

chris’ gaze darted away from you, his focus unable to stay on you. you watched his body language, seeing the way he shook his leg, the way his thumbs twirled, and how he couldn’t look at you.

“me either, honestly,” you joked, a tiny smile playing on your lips. your voice was just as quiet as his, the only sound was the box fan whirring on chris’ desk.

he shifted slightly, his eyes running up and down your figure. “i really like you, like, a lot a lot.”

you laughed quietly, shaking your head. “a lot a lot?”

chris let out a groan, burying his face in his hands. “you’re making this harder, stop joking around.”

he looked up at you as he blue eyes peeked out from behind his slender fingers. you offered him a soft smile, slowly moving his hands away from his face.

“just talk to me,” you said gently.

chris sighed, squeezing your hands before he started talking. “i’m sorry for not prioritizing you the way i should be, ‘cause i really care about you and what we have. i don’t want us to not be a thing anymore, and ‘m sorry if i made you feel that way.”

you grinned, your voice low. “i don’t want us to be over, either. i’m sorry too.”

he smiled widely, leaning in to press a quick kiss to your cheek. “good, ‘cause i don’t like fighting with my girl.”

“your girl?” you teased lightly, nudging his knee.

“yeah, my girl, i don’t bother with anyone else anymore,” chris joked, nudging your knee back.

the both of you laughed, before chris was practically pouncing on top of you, wrapping his limbs around you in a big hug as he repeatedly kissed all over your face.

“chris,” you squealed, giggling uncontrollably, “stop it.”

he pulled away, looking down at you with bright eyes before placing his lips on yours in a slow and gentle kiss.

“c’mon,” he said as he broke away, pulling you up with him, “i’m taking you on a date.”

© mattscoquette | taglist

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬. ⋆˚꩜｡ erm kinda don’t like this but i’m bad at writing angst </3 anyway my babies r fine just a little rough patch and then they’ll be back to normal 😛