#A process some still can’t understand- the feeling of others moving on

[peachylynnie]

the cat butler

word count: 2.4k

synopsis: in which sylus is eager to please you, as always. but this time, as a cat butler.

contains: sylus x mc!reader (they're not dating, but sylus is down bad), references to the cat butler trailer, sylus with cat ears and a tail, suggestive themes, mentions of alcohol, cussing, making out, and stalking(?).

a/n: i wrote this after reading somewhere that the upcoming memory might be our first-ever kiss with sylus. so consider this a prediction of some sort (probably not gonna happen). also, sylus' cat ears suit him so well. do not plagiarize or copy my work. sylus would not endorse plagiarism. enjoy!

“my lady,” a rich yet sultry voice calls. you shift uncomfortably in your sleep, wanting to rest a bit more.  

“my lady,” the voice repeats firmly. still, you dismiss it by grumbling and refusing to open your eyes. 

“my lady.” huh, that's weird. why does that voice sound like…

“my lady.” sylus?!  you burst open your eyes upon recognizing who was calling you. though, not without a startled "oh, god" because sylus was mere inches from your face.  

immediately, you sit up, rubbing your eyes and trying to process what was happening. where were you? how long were you out for? and most importantly, why was sylus calling you "my lady?" not that you had any problem with it, but still. your eyes widen as you find yourself on a velvet sofa in a sleek lounge of some sort. extending your arms in front of you, you stare dumbfoundedly at the tight leather gloves enveloping your hands. confusedly, you look down as you pat your body. a silky red, a-line dress hugged your figure, and you couldn’t help but admire the strings of shimmering pearls that hung around your waist and neck.  

hoping for answers on how you got here and why you were dressed so nicely, you turn to look at sylus, who was kneeling on the ground next to the sofa to meet you at your eye level. you can’t stop the gasp that leaves your mouth. are those cat ears?!

nevermind the fact that sylus was dressed in a neat, scarlet tuxedo that matched the shade of your dress. nevermind the fact that he looked good in a tie—so good to the point you wanted to tug on it. nevermind the fact that he was wearing a clean pair of white gloves that outlined his fingers so nicely. what was with the cat ears?! and a tail, too?! 

"uhm" you start. "what’s with the…?" you point at his head, hoping that he would understand. you couldn’t care less about formulating proper sentences. right now, you wanted answers. where were you? why were you dressed so nicely? why the fuck is sylus wearing cat ears and a tail? and why did the caracal set suit him so well? 

sylus' crimson eyes move up cutely as if he was trying to see the ears for himself. then, they fall back down to you, but not without a chuckle. "they're cat ears, my lady," he answers teasingly. "isn't it obvious?" with that, the ears twitch excitedly. yup, you saw that right. they actually twitched. 

"holy shit," you mutter as you reach to stroke the ears. "can i?" 

sylus smirks as he gives you a single nod, closing his eyes to convey that you are more than welcome to touch him.  

the ears felt incredibly real. the fur was super soft, and you could feel the skin vibrating beneath your fingers. your eyes widen as you pinch the ears gently. they didn't just feel real. they are real. the sheer warmth you felt from touching the exposed skin in the ears told you so. fascinated, you move your fingers to the back of one of the ears to scratch at the fur. sylus purrs and leans into your scratches. you can’t help but giggle at the sight. "who's the kitten now, sylus?" you jest, lifting your free hand to scratch his other ear, causing the man to part his mouth and rest his head against your knee. fuck, your touches felt so good.  

wanting to get actual answers from him, you stop scratching and let your hands rest on your lap. before you can even speak, sylus hisses at the loss of your touch, his brows knitting and a scowl growing on his lips. he grabs both your hands and places them back on his ears. understanding his message, you continue your ministrations, trying to remember certain spots that cats tend to like. 

"as much as these ears suit you," you coo. "this is really weird. want to tell me what's going on, sylus?" you don't remember him contacting you for a new mission where cat props and formal wear would be involved. heck, you don't remember how you even got here. what exactly was going on?  

sylus sighs and raises his head back up before answering, "you purchased me, my lady." his amused gaze meets your bewildered one. “we signed a contract where i would be your cat butler as of today. perhaps you forgot because as soon as you signed the contract, you drank excessively from the bar over there," he juts his head towards the bar behind you. "then, you passed out." 

what in the actual fuck? did he say purchase? what contract? you don’t remember signing any contracts. and since when did you ever drink? no, this can’t be right. you don't even recall coming to this fancy place. let alone dressing up so nicely.  

"you're lying," you nervously say. "there's no one working at the bar, and i don't see any glasses either." for a moment, a look of pride flashes on sylus' face. you always were so observant. one of the many things he loved about you. if only you were more observant of his affection for you instead of being so oblivious all the time. "besides, what's with our outfits? i don't remember putting this on. let alone coming here..." 

sylus laughs endearingly. his signature, billionaire laugh that constantly stirs up butterflies within you. "trust me, my lady, you drank," he insists, grasping your wrist and pressing a fond kiss. flustered by his actions, you try to pull back, but sylus' grasp remains strong. his sharp gaze locks with yours as he continues. "the dress code here is formal. thus, our attire. you walked in looking like this. a wonderful choice, i must say. you look ravishing, and i am honored to have been sold to you because..." sylus leans in next to your face, his hot breath fanning your sensitive ears. "i wouldn't have anyone else as my master."  

you stand up immediately, uncontrollably blinking and blushing from what you just heard. unfortunately, you don’t realize that you are wearing heels, causing you to stumble backward. sylus swiftly stands up, pulling you to him with an arm around your waist, effectively and attractively saving you from your fall. you place both hands on his broad shoulders, trying to balance yourself and catch your breath. noticing that the two of you were basically conjoined by the groin, you avert your eyes away from him.  

"t-thanks," you stammer as you try to get some space by pushing at his shoulders. "you can let go of me now."  

sylus tilts his head, looking down at you mischievously and trying to meet your avoidant gaze. "is that a command, my lady?"  

puzzled by his question, you finally meet his eyes. sylus sighs a hum of satisfaction, relishing in your eye contact with him. "what do you mean command?" you ask. you were too occupied by sylus’ accusations of you drinking to fully capture his previous answers.  

"it's part of the contract you paid for. i am to obey your every command as your one and only cat butler." the man answers eagerly, as if what he had just said was completely normal. almost as if he was enjoying this.  

you blink once. then twice before asking, "i paid for this?" you did not like where this was going.  

"indeed, my lady. five million dollars to be exact. i am quite the expensive cat butler," sylus grins. normally, you would've found his grin cute. some fangs would peek out, and a slight dimple would show. moreover, he was wearing cat ears. which only added to his playful demeanor. but right now, you were mortified because FIVE MILLION DOLLARS?! WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET THAT MUCH MONEY?!

"what?!" you struggle against his embrace. "what do you mean five million dollars? not even a rare protocore is worth that much!" you panic as you think about your savings. did you seriously spend all your savings on a cat butler contract and put yourself into years’ worth of debt? oh god, if so, you were fucked. say goodbye to all your years of hard work and saving. 

sylus frowns at your last statement. "are you not satisfied, my lady?"

with your jaw dropped, you look at the man towering over you as if he had said something, for lack of a better term, dumb. which he technically did because who would be satisfied after spending five million dollars on a cat butler contract?! (me). "yes?!” you say incredulously. “who in this situation would be satisfied?! you just told me that i blew all my savings and probably even more for a stupid contract!" 

sylus sighs, pinching his nose bridge with his free hand. while it was one thing to have something related to him get called stupid, it was another to see you so rattled. he had to ease your mind, knowing it would spiral if he didn't act soon. "now, now my lady. there is nothing stupid about this contract. you'd be surprised by the numerous benefits that come with it. which are but not limited to me obeying your every command." 

you don’t know which is worse. the head of onychinus telling you that you spent a sickening amount of money just to see him in a suit with cat features. or the head of onychinus telling you that you were actually benefiting from spending a sickening amount of money just to see him in a suit with cat features. as much as the idea of sylus following orders sounded like heaven, being broke in a matter of who knows how long, or in this case, little, and for a stupid reason at that, was not great. not great at all. your gaze shifts rapidly, distracted with coming up with a solution. "are there any refunds by chance?" you ask meekly. 

a dangerous look passes over sylus’ crimson eyes. with no ill intent, of course. he could never harbor any feelings of malice towards you. but the idea of you wanting a refund bothered him greatly. he was not going to let you get rid of him so easily. his arm around your waist tightens, bringing you even closer to him. lifting his free hand, sylus curls a finger under your chin, tilting your face upwards to meet his burning gaze. you shiver, forced to drown in his deep pools of rubies. feeling a rush of pleasure from finally having your attention on him, sylus moves his hand from your chin and reaches behind you to caress the blade of your shoulder. you can't help but shudder at the sudden intimacy. why did this dress have to expose your back? 

"even if my services were terrible," sylus doesn't cease his feather-like touches on your back, causing you to twitch and pant from sensitivity. "there are no refunds," he rasps as he traces a finger down your spine, prompting a whimper from you. enjoying the small yet addictive noises that leave your pretty lips, sylus smirks. yes, this was how it was supposed to be. you, in his embrace where only he could make you feel good and only he could hear your sweet, sweet sounds.  

"sylus..." you try your best not to moan. "s-stop it." you hide your face in sylus' chest, wanting to muffle your sounds and smother your embarrassment away. "i-i got it. no refunds."  

liking what he hears, sylus ceases his ministrations. he brings his hand back to your chin, gently pulling you away from his chest and slowly tilting your face so that you meet his gaze once more. "i'm glad you understand, my lady," sylus closes in on you, his lips millimeters apart from yours. "you won't be returning me anytime soon."  

sylus smashes his lips against yours, earning a moan from you. with the hand that was on your chin now cupping your face and the arm that was around your waist tightening some more, the two of you fall back onto the velvet couch. you gasp at the impact, causing sylus to slide his tongue in, capturing your own in a heated dance that he seemed intent on leading. you shakily wrap your arms around sylus' neck, trying to keep up with his relentless kisses. out of the corner of your eye, you see sylus' tail desperately swaying left and right. an idea flashes in your head. as sylus continues to swirl his tongue in your mouth, you raise your hand from his neck and gently tug at one of his cat ears. sylus jerks violently, mewling filthily into your mouth. taking that as a sign of encouragement, you continue playing with his ear, causing him to lose himself more and more in your lips, your scent, your everything. 

when the two of you grow in need of breaths, sylus pulls away, panting the same rhythm as you. you had no idea how gorgeous you looked right now. splayed out underneath him in tempting attire that was of his signature color. hair disheveled, cheeks rosy, lips swollen, eyes teary—god, you were going to be the death of him. tenderly moving a stray hair out of your face, the silver-haired man speaks.  

"so, what is your first command, my lady?"

extra:

you inhale sharply as you jolt out of bed. what the fuck was that?  you breathe rapidly as you take in your surroundings. sighing a breath of relief, you find yourself back in your room and your comfy pajamas. tiredly rubbing a hand over your face, you start to agonize over the fact that you dreamt about making out with sylus. not only that, you dreamt about making out with him in cat ears. why? you're not sure what this says about you as a person, let alone your growing attraction to him. did you have a thing for pet pla—you don't let yourself finish that last thought. ruffling your hair in frustration, you fall back onto your pillow, determined to recover from that dream. you decide that you are going to avoid sylus for a few days. 

shifting into a comfortable position, you shut your eyes and wait for sleep to find you, causing you to miss the mechanical crow with glowing red eyes flying away from your window and into the night. sylus, viewing the surveillance screen back at his grand residence, tilts his head in curiosity, a subtle smirk appearing on his lips.

 "what did you dream about, kitten?"

[clownsuu]

Bro, people on TikTok keep saying that they're “nostalgic for the old days of Welcome Home!” and that “Welcome Home was dead but it's coming back now!”

Like dude, Welcome Home has been here for a little less than a year, there's nothing to be nostalgic about, at least not YET.

Fucking hell man, I feel like a Boomer trying to talk to some Gen Alpha kids, they're all thinking that fandoms are suppose to be short-lived, jesus christ.

I don’t blame them too much, since they are not quite used to fandoms naturally descending and are quick to panic that it’s “completely dead”

Specially since the fandom had such a huge flux of community, art and discussions happening everywhere all at once and for it to slowly die down- naturally people will move on to other things and opinions are bound to change while the younger more naive individuals will wonder what’s wrong and create general assumptions that are not entirely accurate

[lilithland]

imagine you move to somewhere in the south, lots of open land between houses and lots of friendly neighbors

one of your older neighbors, who could be your fathers age stops by one day dropping off treats, maybe it’s drinks you don’t realized are spiked, maybe it’s some brownies laced with weed, you’re just too dumb, too naive to question his motives

you’re just about to go out into town, dressed in the shortest skirt you can find, basically a belt, no panties of course

you have a top on so low that your nipples are nearly popping out, they’re hard from the cold so everyone can see them anyway

before you head out you munch on the treats your neighbor brought, you find yourself feeling fuzzy and light

you stumble out of the house, heels clicking and feet wobbely, you only make it as far as your old neighbors porch

he’s on a rocking chair, sipping away at a beer

“oh princess, what’s wrong?”

“i feel funny” you manage to get out through hiccups and giggles, far too gone by that point

he manhandles you into his lap, not that you’re resisting

he turns you around so you’re both facing the street, he doesn’t have to even try to hike your skirt up, your pussy is on display for anyone who walks by, he pulls your top down so your tits are also out in the open

he start to finger your tight little hole, you start to moan like a bitch in heat, throwing your head back, you’re far too gone to say no to anything that’s happening

without warning your neighbor starts to fuck his beer bottle in and out of your dripping cunt, you think you hear some other neighbors approach, the man striking up a conversation that you can’t hear, far too lost in the bottle working its way into your cunt

you start trying to hump the bottle but are cut off by your tits being smacked and then groped

“behave” he snaps

you whimper and whine, not processing a word that’s being said, and continue to try and hump the bottle that has now stilled in your pussy

“aww, is the bitch too dumb to understand. no worries we have all the time to train you to be the perfect little cocksleeve”

the man rips the bottle out of your cunt, when you open your mouth to whine he shoves the bottle down your throat

“clean up your girl juice”

you suck and he starts to finger your ass, you moan around the bottle and clench around nothing

“you know exactly where that’s going princess”

[gothcsz]

imagine moving into your new apartment and finding out that javier peña is your next door neighbour 🤭

tags: f!reader, friends to lovers i think, sprinkle of angst, mutual pining, alcohol consumption, throwing up/vomiting mentioned (if you're squeamish to that kind of thing), javi being javi, untranslated spanish, smut, p in v sex, overstimulation, there are feelings involved, unbeta'd, no use of y/n, if i missed any other tags pls let me know ok thx.

~ 4.2k w/c - gif found on pinterest - masterlist

a/n: i just want javier peña to look at me... is that too much to ask for?! this is tropey asf and not what i was initially thinking of writing when i got this ask—but i like how this lil one shot turned out. i hope you do too, bestie! 🖤

You’re in the middle of unpacking boxes in your new apartment, surrounded by a mess of your own doing, when a sharp knock on the door startles you. You weren’t expecting anyone.

Wiping your hands on your jeans, you head to the door and swing it open to reveal a striking woman. Auburn hair, sharp eyes—she’s undeniably beautiful, but her expression is less than friendly.

Her eyes narrow as she sizes you up. “¿Y tu quien putas eres?” she demands.

Before you can get a word out, she’s already pushing past you into your apartment, not waiting for an invitation. “¿Donde esta Javier? Malparido tramposo. ¡No te escondas de mí!” she continues, storming through your space like she owns it.

You stand there, dumbfounded at the absurdity, watching her move, her fury palpable. Your Spanish is still novice, at best, so you don’t really understand what she’s saying.

“Uh, I think you have the wrong—” you start, but she cuts you off again.

“Wrong, my ass.” She replies, her Colombian accent thick. “I know he lives here. All the Americans do—”

Your brain finally catches up and puts two and two together. She’s looking for Javier Peña. Your colleague and now, apparently, neighbor.

You’ve been quietly, hopelessly crushing on the agent since you started working at the embassy. And now you’re standing in the middle of your half-unpacked apartment while some furious woman is ranting about him.

You’re about to speak again when, as if summoned by the chaos, Javier himself strolls past your open door in the hallway. The woman halts, her eyes following him like a predator tracking its prey.

You see her face shift from righteous fury to utter confusion. It hits her finally—she’s in the wrong apartment, like you tried to tell her.

She mutters something you can’t understand, barely meeting your eyes before storming out, slamming the door behind her.

You stand there, blinking, still processing what just happened. If that was any indication on how things around here will go, at least you know you won’t be bored.

It’s later in the evening when there’s another knock at the door. You’re almost hesitant to answer, unsure if you’ll be met by another beautiful woman scorned, so this time you make sure to look through the peephole before blindly opening it.

It’s Javier.

You glance down at your clothes, suddenly self-conscious. You’re not exactly at your best, sweaty and disheveled from moving all day. Definitely not how you pictured running into him outside of work.

You take a deep breath, trying to pull yourself together, then open the door, “Hey.” You greet him, a little shy.

He leans casually against your doorframe, that signature smirk playing on his lips. “Sorry about earlier,” his deep voice sends a shiver down your spine. “Not the best way to be welcomed into the neighborhood.”

He glances past you, noticing the half-unpacked boxes scattered around your apartment, and you’re mortified for a second, wondering how messy everything must look through his eyes.

You laugh, though it’s a little shaky. “I, uh… didn’t know you lived next door.”

Javier grins, giving you a devastatingly handsome smile that you’ve only seen when he tries to bribe his way through some of the other girls at the office. “Yeah, been here since I moved to Bogotá,” his eyes linger on you, but you don’t notice with how you’re focused on not making a fool out of yourself. 

“Well I hope you and your… friend worked things out.”

He exhales through his nose in an amused laugh. “Somethin’ like that,” he says, sounding almost entertained by the whole thing. “I owe you for that inconvenience.”

Your heart stutters and you hope, no—pray, that your eyes haven’t morphed into hearts with the charming way he’s looking at you.

“It’s fine, really—“

“No, no. I insist. It was rude. The least I can do is make it up to you.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to back down, a stubborn man through and through, you give him a slight nod, trying to play it cool even though your nerves are buzzing. “Okay… sure, fine. You owe me.”

His smirk softens into a half-smile, a little less cocky. He pushes himself off your doorframe, straightening up. “Alright, cariño. I’ll see you around.” The word rolls off his tongue as if he’s said it a thousand times to you, but it lands right between your legs, sending warmth to your cheeks.

“Have a good night,” he adds with that enamoring gravelly voice of his.

You manage to mumble a goodbye, watching as he walks down the hall, his presence making the air feel electric. You’re left standing there, alone with the heavy realization that your harmless work crush just became a lot more dangerous.

Living next door to him is going to be torture.

Months go by, and torture would be an understatement.

You’ve developed an odd, friendly relationship with him. It’s not exactly what you imagined when you first laid eyes on him at the embassy, all brooding intensity and effortless charm, but it works.

You exchange casual greetings in the hallway, little snippets of small talk when you bump into each other at work. 

It’s... normal. Comfortable, in its own way. But every time he says your name, with that gravelly edge to his voice, something flutters in your chest.

He’s even taken it upon himself to help you with your Spanish, which is as endearing as it is embarrassing. On the days when you can steal a few moments to talk, he’ll have you practicing phrases, repeating them until he’s satisfied with your pronunciation. Sometimes, when he’s feeling particularly amused, he’ll leave a sticky note on your door with a new phrase scribbled on it for you to learn.

It’s become part of your routine. Him giving you little bits of language, you trying to impress him with how quickly you can pick it up. You tell yourself it’s just a… fun thing, nothing more.

Then there are the nights when you’ve made too much dinner. You know that man doesn’t eat. Not properly, anyway. So you bring over a plate, standing awkwardly at his door until he opens it, shirt half-buttoned and hair tousled, like he just rolled out of bed.

“Brought you something,” you say, trying to ignore the way your pulse quickens as his eyes flicker to yours, a mix of surprise and amusement.

“Thanks, cariño,” he takes the food from you with that half-smile that makes you feel like a damn schoolgirl.

But it’s not always like that. There are times when he’s away for days at a time. Out doing who knows what—your level of work doesn’t intersect with his at all. 

His return comes with whispers around the office or in the form of news broadcasts that seem to be reporting nothing but atrocities as of late.

In the dead of night, you’ll hear the sound of his boots echoing through the enclosed hallway, a sure sign he’s finally back. You wonder what he’s seen, what he’s done while he was gone. The thought keeps you restless sometimes, but you never ask. He doesn’t offer, either.

And then there are the women.

You hear them through the thin walls—his low voice, their laughter, the unmistakable sounds of them fucking. The rhythm of their pleasure reverberates through your apartment, impossible to ignore.

Every time it happens, you’re reminded of the rumors you’ve heard around the office. The whispers about Javier Peña, about how good he is in bed, about how women fall over themselves to spend a night with him. Now, you know firsthand that they’re true.

It stings more than you’d like to admit, considering how you feel about him but knowing that he doesn’t see you as anything but a friend. 

You’ve caught glimpses of him after his flings, too. You kind of wish you could wipe from your memory, if only to keep your sanity.

It’s during different times of the day, really, when he’s leaning casually against his doorframe like it’s the most natural thing in the world. He’s shirtless, skin still damp from a shower or maybe from the sweat he’s worked up, and his jeans hang sinfully low on his hips. The soft light from the hallway casts shadows over his golden chest, highlighting the faint beauty marks that map his body.

You do your best to keep your eyes averted, pretending you’re not affected, pretending you don’t notice the way his muscles flex as he stretches, or how his dark hair is tousled in that perfectly messy way. But your throat tightens every time, your stomach flipping at how effortlessly good he looks. It’s not fair how someone can make post-coital exhaustion look so damn attractive.

He’s usually saying goodbye to one of the lucky girls, tossing a wink their way, or brushing his fingers through their hair as they share a final kiss.

You tell yourself it’s just Javier being Javier, but it’s impossible to ignore the way jealousy twists in your chest when you see them, all blissed-out and satisfied, practically floating down the hallway after a night with him.

You turn your head, pretend you didn’t just catch a glimpse of him looking like some kind of god, and hurriedly unlock your door before he notices you staring. 

And sometimes, when you least expect it, he catches you.

You’re fumbling with your keys, doing your best to mind your own business, when his voice cuts through the silence. “Hey,” he calls out, casual as ever, and you freeze. Your hand stills on the doorknob, and you force yourself to look up.

Javier is standing there, half naked, leaning against his door as if he has all the time in the world.

You try to swallow the lump in your throat, “Hey.”

“You alright there, cariño?” he asks, voice low and rough, like he’s barely holding back a laugh after watching you struggle with your keys.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just had a long day.”

He hums, his stare lingering on you, and your heart pounds in a way you can’t quite control. But then, as if nothing’s changed, he shifts back into that familiar, teasing grin.

“Okay, don’t work too hard. Can’t have you burnin’ out before me.”

It all comes to a head one night at the bar near your place. You’re out with a secretary from a different department, downing margaritas like they’re water. You’re tipsy—no, you’re drunk, and the world is spinning just a little too fast.

That’s when you see him. He walks in like he owns the place, scanning the crowded space until his eyes land on you. He acknowledges you with a jut of his chin and you smile drunkenly at him, waving, before you’re brought back to the conversation with your friend.

He’s here for work, meeting one of his informants—a very pretty, very obvious, working girl. You hate how seeing him with her swirls the green in your drunken heart.

Maybe it’s the tequila talking, maybe it’s the months of pent-up frustration, but when Javier approaches as your coworker excuses herself to the bathroom, checking to see if you’re alright, your mouth runs faster than your brain.

“Don’t worry about me,” you slur, waving him off. “I’m sure you’d have more fun with her,” you add, nodding toward the woman with a sharp, sarcastic edge. “Probably more your type anyway.”

Javier raises an eyebrow, his expression shifting into a playful uncertainty, head tilting slightly. “What?”

You don’t know how to respond. Honestly, you’re not even sure you can form a coherent thought right now. All you know is that you’re in way over your head, and he is standing way too close.

But that liquid courage surges through your veins and the words are tumbling out of your mouth.

“It’s obvious, Javier,” your frustration is crystal clear, despite the way your words run into each other. “The kind of company you keep. They’re more fun,” You gesture vaguely toward his booth. “I’m just… here. A bore that’s drunk on a Wednesday night. It’s why you came to check on me. Why you’ve been overly nice.” Your words sting, even as they leave your lips.

The alcohol amplifies every insecurity you’ve kept buried.

The playful look on his face vanishes, replaced by hardened disbelief. His brows furrow, and for a moment, he just stares at you, like he’s trying to figure out how you could possibly think so little of yourself.

Instead of giving you an answer, he just reaches for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. “Come on,” he mutters, “I’m taking you home.”

You snort, shaking your head, another wave of dizziness washing over you. “See? Taking pity on me. Again.”

He rolls his eyes, unfazed by your drunken resistance. “That’s not what this is,” he pulls out a wad of cash and drops it on the bar top to settle your tab.

He makes sure your friend is taken care of, telling the bartender to call a cab for her. Then he goes to dismiss his informant—a woman he definitely had plans to sleep with. She seems surprised, but Javier brushes her off and hands her some money. 

Your drunken mind can’t quite comprehend that he’s choosing to deal with you instead. As he guides you outside, you make it difficult, stumbling and resisting as he tries to steer you toward his car.

“I can walk, Peña,” you grumble, though your legs aren’t exactly cooperating.

“Sure you can,” he says dryly, his arm wrapped around your waist to keep you upright. “You’re making this real easy.” He comments sarcastically.

You’re so going to regret this tomorrow when you’re fighting a hangover at your desk, thinking of how you just fucked up this friendship.

But right now, you can’t focus on anything but how warm his large hand feels against your side as he helps you into the passenger seat.

Your head lolls against the window, and you groan softly. “You didn’t have to do this, you know. You could’ve stayed with her.”

Javier slides into the driver’s seat, glancing at you as he starts the engine. “Everything you said back there was bullshit,” he says bluntly, pulling out of the parking lot. “You think I pity you? That I only talk to you because I feel bad? You really don’t know me at all.”

His words are cutting, but not in a cruel way. He sounds… disappointed. “I like spending time with you,” he continues, quieter now, more serious. “It’s not some charity case. You make me feel normal. When I’m with you, it’s like the rest of the shit I deal with doesn’t exist.” The faint hum of the radio fills the sudden silence.

“You… you’ve got this smile that makes me feel a little better about myself.”

The sincerity in his voice sobers you up just a little, enough for your foggy brain to process what he’s saying. You turn to look at him, eyes wide, but before you can fully grasp it, your stomach lurches.

“Oh no,” you groan, clutching your middle. “I’m gonna be sick.”

He glances at you, and in an instant, he’s speeding up, making it to your complex faster than you would’ve thought possible. He parks hastily, helps you out, and practically carries you to your apartment. The second the door swings open, you make a beeline for the bathroom, barely making it in time to empty your stomach into the toilet.

You hear him lingering by the door, then the sound of running water as he fills a glass in the kitchen. You hate that he’s seeing you like this—pathetic, drunk, and embarrassed.

When you finally sit back, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, Javier is there, handing you the glass of water. His expression is soft, more concerned than anything.

“Drink,” he orders gently, crouching next to you. His voice is soothing, and for a moment, the embarrassment fades under the warmth of his presence.

You sip the water, avoiding his gaze, but he’s not letting this go. “You okay?”

You nod, not trusting yourself to speak.

He sighs, settling beside you on the bathroom floor. “You’re not a bore. Don’t say that shit.” His voice is firm, but there’s an undercurrent tenderness beneath it.

Your head is swimming—not just from the alcohol, but from everything that’s happened in the last hour. 

You lean your head back against the wall, the glass of water in your hand almost empty. With a soft sigh, you begin to speak, your tone hesitant.

“Sometimes… I just feel average, you know?” you admit, glancing at Javier from the corner of your eye. He’s sitting quietly beside you, his long legs stretched out in front of him,  gaze focused on some point on the floor. “Like there’s nothing more to me than this mediocre job, answering phones, filing papers. I mean, I didn’t move all the way to South America just for that.”

You pause, trying to organize your thoughts. “That’s why I transferred here. I thought maybe… maybe I’d find something more. Maybe I’d find me.” You laugh bitterly, shaking your head. “But ever since I got here, it’s been nothing but monotony and homesickness. I don’t even know if this is where I’m meant to be.”

The words hang between you. You’ve never said this out loud to anyone, never let yourself be so transparent.

Javier doesn’t say anything right away, and it makes you think that maybe you’ve said too much. But then, you hear him sigh softly, his shoulders slumping as if your rambling has hit something deep within him.

He’s silent as he digests your confession, and you’re about to apologize for oversharing when he finally speaks.

“I get it,” he replies, low and rough around the edges. He shifts beside you, resting his arms on his now bent knees while he stares at the floor. “You’re not the only one feeling that way.”

You blink, slightly taken aback by his agreement. You hadn’t expected him to relate—the sharp, confident DEA agent who always seems so sure of himself. He glances at you, offering a wry smile. “You’re not average,” his voice is firmer now, like he’s trying to make you believe it. “It takes time to figure out who you are, what you want. And if it feels like you haven’t found that yet, that doesn’t make you less than.”

There’s an irony in his words, and he lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “I should probably take my own advice,” he admits.

Your heart flutters at his reassurance, but you can see it in his eyes—there’s more. Something heavier sits in his chest, pulling him down.

“What about you? What’s weighing on you?”

Javier sighs again, leaning his head back against the wall like you. “This job,” he says simply, but you can hear the exhaustion in his voice. “It’s… confusing. Difficult. Half the time, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing anymore. I thought I’d come here, do some good, but it’s just…” He trails off, his jaw tightening. “I’ve lost myself in all of it. The work. The women. Because I don’t know what else to do.”

Your chest tightens as he speaks, hearing the vulnerability in his words. He’s always seemed so unshakeable, but now you can see the cracks in his armor, all that he’s been carrying. And then he turns to look at you, his expression softening.

“But you,” he says quietly, “you’re the one thing that keeps me grounded in all this shit.”

You look down, not believing that he’s actually saying this to you. You have to be dreaming. 

“Your smile, the way your eyes light up when you’re happy. Shit, even the way you butcher half your Spanish words with that accent of yours.” He chuckles, and despite the heaviness of the moment, you can’t help but laugh with him.

The tension breaks for just a second, and when you finally meet his gaze again, your breath snags. He’s already staring at you, his beautiful brown eyes gleaming.

You quickly look away out of habit, your heart hammering in your chest, but then he calls your name softly. “Mírame, cariño,” he says, all gentle and insistent.

You swallow hard, forcing yourself to do so.

“I’m not just telling you this to score. I mean it.”

And you don’t doubt it for a second. However, the moment is too heavy, too intense for your tequila-soaked brain to handle. You can taste the lingering bitterness of the alcohol, your throat feels raw, and your head is already starting to pound. You’re too disoriented to fully process this moment that’s happening.

“I know,” you nod, picking at your cuticles, “I just don’t think right now is the best time to have this conversation.” Your words are punctuated by a hiccup and you bring your hand up to cover your mouth in fear of accidentally throwing up again.

Javier’s lips twitch with amusement, but he works his jaw, nodding in agreement. “You’re right. Not the best time,” he concedes, though the way he says it tells you he wanted this conversation to happen—needed it to.

“I just had to tell you. And if you genuinely feel like you don’t belong here then go home.” He tells you softly, though his cadence and the softening expression on his face say otherwise.

You glance at him, your lips curving into a weak smile. “While I do feel lost, I think half of all this is the margaritas’ doing,” you admit, your voice a little hoarse.

“Tequila’s dangerous like that,” he agrees with a small laugh, shaking his head. 

You take a deep breath, forcing yourself to push through the embarrassment still swirling around inside of you. “I’m sorry about what happened at the bar,” you say quietly. “I didn’t mean to be so self deprecating.”

He waves off your apology, his expression relaxed. “It’s no problem.”

“Thank you for bringing me home, and for… opening up like that… I know it wasn’t easy.” Your voice softens as you say it.

He gives you a small smile, but his eyes linger on you like you’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “You make it easy,” he says finally, the words leaving his mouth like a confession.

You sit there on the cool bathroom floor, your heart stumbling all over the place. Leaving isn’t an option anymore. Not when Javier Peña looks at you like this. Not after realizing that you mean so much more to him than you could have ever thought possible.

Javier hovers above you, his gaze locked with yours, filled with desire and adoration. Your legs are tightly wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, deeper, feeling every inch of him as his hips move suavely while he fucks you. 

His breath is hot against your neck, biting and licking at your skin. You can barely keep your thoughts straight, your mind clouded with the pleasure he’s stirring in you, the rhythm of his body guiding you to that edge again and again.

He leans in, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispers, his voice a low growl, “You feel so good, baby. I can feel how close you are... all for me.”

Your body clenches around him in response, a soft whimper escaping your lips as the pleasure tightens inside you, building and building. It’s the fifth time tonight he’s coaxed this out of you, and you don’t know how you’re still holding on.

His weight presses against you and your nails dig into the broad expanse of his broad shoulders, pulling him impossibly close. His chest, warm and slick with sweat, crushes against yours, and the hairs at the base of his cock graze your swollen clit with every thrust, sending shockwaves through you.

You gasp, your voice trembling with each word. “Javier... I can’t... it’s too much.”

But he doesn’t stop, doesn’t relent, instead he grins down at you, a wicked spark in his eyes, pressing his lips against your temple, your cheek, the corner of your mouth—kissing you everywhere he can reach while his other hand keeps your jaw locked in place, fingers denting into your skin.

His lips finally find yours in a messy, urgent kiss, swallowing your moans as your body tightens around him again. You’re lost in what he’s giving you, your world spinning as your orgasm tears through you, leaving you a trembling mess beneath him.

His hips stutter as he groans your name, his cock twitching inside you while he comes. He stays there, still buried inside, his body heavy and comforting as the world fades back into focus.

When he finally pulls away, his touch softens. He’s gentle as he plants tender kisses on your forehead, your nose, your lips. His hand caresses your naked side, soothing you as your breathing slows. He shifts then, pulling you close into the safety of his arms, his body wrapped around yours.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart. Just relax.”

He stays with you, his hand tracing lazy circles on your back, murmuring soft reassurances until you’re completely at ease, your body melting into his.

started a tag list for my works here, so if you're interested— pls check it out 🖤

🏷️ : @almostempty . @persephone-girl . @magneticecstasy . @miss-oranje-disco-dancer . @pepperstories . @greenwitchfromthewoods . @maiyart . @pedrohoe04 . @natalieispunk . @thewisesalmon . @bitchesuntitled . @puddles221b . @swankyorange . @bbyanarchist . @thottiewinemom . @heyhihello-4771 . @danaehldy . @sunflowerfive . @libre-sol . @harriedandharassed . @untamedheart81 . @sunshinefive . @dinanabuu . @angiewatson .

[natsaffection]

Ohmygosh this is so funny, I’m the anon that just sent in a wandanat sex pollen fic request, only to immediately remember that you have a sex pollen fic for Natasha! 😂 so if you’re not feeling that request I totally understand, and maybe instead of reader being infected with sex pollen, she gets exposed to or injected with truth serum so she tries to avoid Wanda and Natasha after the mission so she doesn’t accidentally confess her feelings. She eventually does confess and Wanda and Natasha use the serum to their advantage, making reader flustered and making her admit sexual fantasies that she’s had of them, etc.

Truth and Desire. | WandaNat

Natasha x Fem!Reader x Wanda

Warnings: 18+! MINORS DNI! Kinda manipulative Wanda and Natasha, Begging, fingering, oral, restraints, multiple orgasm

Word Count: 1,7k

A/N: And with that good night. ✨🫂

The team moved with precision and stealth, each step calculated, each breath measured. You felt a rush of adrenaline, mixed with the familiar camaraderie you experienced with Natasha, Wanda, and the others. Little did you know, this mission would uncover more than just enemy secrets.

The plan was going smoothly until it wasn’t. An unexpected ambush caught you by surprise. In the chaos, you were separated from the team and captured by the enemy. Bound and injected with a serum, you struggled against the restraints, feeling the truth serum course through your veins.

A cold, calculating voice filled the room. “Tell us everything about the Avengers.”

You gritted your teeth, fighting the urge to speak. You knew the consequences of revealing their secrets. But the serum was relentless, and despite your best efforts, you felt the words slipping out.

Hours felt like days, but the team did not give up. They tracked your location and stormed the facility with fury, taking down guards with swift precision.

When they found you, relief washed over them. Wanda freed you from the restraints while the others created a protective barrier against any threats. You felt a mix of gratitude and fear. The effects of the serum were still lingering, and you knew you couldn’t control what you might say next.

Back at the Avengers headquarters, you avoided Natasha and Wanda as much as possible. You feared that a simple conversation would betray your deepest secrets. The truth serum had made you vulnerable, and you couldn’t risk confessing your feelings for them.

Hours passed, and Natasha and Wanda noticed your distant behavior. Concerned, they approached you one evening and found you alone in the training room.

“Y/n, what’s wrong? You seem so distant, do you want to talk about the mission?” Natasha asked gently, her eyes full of concern.

Your heart raced. You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. “I… I can’t..” you stammered, turning away. Wanda stepped closer, her voice soft but firm. “You don’t have to be afraid. We’re here for you.”

You closed your eyes, knowing you couldn’t hold back any longer. “It’s not that simple..” you whispered. “The serum… it makes me say things. Things I can’t control.”

Natasha and Wanda exchanged a worried glance before Wanda spoke again. “What are you afraid of saying?” Your resistance crumbled, and you finally faced them. “I’m afraid to tell you that I have feelings for both of you.” Your eyes widened.

The room fell silent as your words hung in the air. Natasha and Wanda were stunned, processing the unexpected confession. You braced yourself for their reactions, fearing the worst.

But then Natasha took a step forward, her expression softening. “You don’t have to be afraid. We’ve been through so much together. Your feelings don’t change that.”

Wanda nodded, her eyes reflecting empathy and understanding. “We care about you. We can figure this out together.”

Unbeknownst to you, Natasha and Wanda had been watching you closely for some time. They had noticed the lingering glances and unspoken words. When your confession came, it was less of a surprise and more of a confirmation of what they had already suspected.

The two women exchanged a silent agreement. They had their own desires and plans, which they had kept hidden until the right moment. With your vulnerability laid bare by the serum, they saw an opportunity to explore those desires.

They approached you with seemingly innocent intentions. “Why don’t you come with us to our room? Let’s talk this out.” You agreed, relieved that your long-held secret was finally out. You suspected nothing beyond a friendly conversation.

The atmosphere in the room was calm, almost serene. They offered you a drink, and you sat together, chatting about various topics. The conversation flowed naturally until Natasha’s gaze sharpened and she moved closer.

“There’s something we need to discuss,” Natasha said, her voice taking on a more serious tone. Wanda nodded, her eyes glinting with a hint of mischief. “We know you’ve been holding back. We want to understand everything.”

Before you could react, Natasha and Wanda acted in unison. Natasha grabbed your wrists, pinning you to the bed, while Wanda used her powers to ensure you couldn’t resist.

“What are you doing?” you gasped, your heart racing.

Natasha leaned in, her breath warm against your ear. “The serum. It makes you tell the truth. And we want to hear everything.”

Your mind raced as the serum’s influence made it impossible to hide your thoughts. You felt a mix of fear and excitement as Natasha and Wanda’s intentions became clear.

Wanda’s voice was soft but commanding. “Tell us, what fantasies have you had about us?”

You squeezed your eyes shut, desperately trying to resist the serum’s pull. “You’re being u-unfair! I… I can’t! It’s too embarrassing, please..!”

Natasha’s grip tightened slightly, her voice a low whisper. “You don’t have a choice. Tell us everything, Y/n. Go on.”

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment, but the serum compelled you to speak. “I… F-Fuck! I imagine being with both of y-you! Your hands on my body, your lips on my skin. I want to feel everything, to be with you both, completely…”

Natasha’s gaze was intense. “And what else? Tell us every detail.”

Your words tumbled out, each confession more intimate and explicit than the last. “I imagine being tied up, helpless, while you both take control. I dream of you Natasha using your strength to dominate me, and Wanda using your powers to tease and please me..”

Natasha’s eyes darkened with desire. “You like being at our mercy, don’t you?” You nodded, unable to stop yourself. “Yes, I do. I want to be completely at your mercy…God, I hate you guys for this…”

Wanda grinned, her fingers tracing patterns on your skin. “Good girl.” The two exchanged a look, and you felt Wanda stand up and pull out a soft rope. Natasha still held your hands tightly while Wanda tied them completely together. “F-Fuck… you’re not going to…”

Natasha and Wanda exchanged a heated glance, their desire mirrored in each other’s eyes. Natasha’s hands explored your body, discovering every spot with a mix of tenderness and possessiveness. She planted kisses along your neck, biting lightly into your skin and eliciting soft moans.

Wanda used her powers to create sensations that drove you wild. She manipulated your senses, making it feel as if multiple hands and mouths were caressing you simultaneously. The intensity of the sensations made you writhe against your restraints, your body aching for more.

“Do you like this?” Natasha’s voice was a husky whisper. “Y-Yes,” you gasped. “Please, don’t stop…” Natasha’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Good girl,” she murmured. “We want to hear everything you feel.”

Wanda’s fingers traced intricate patterns on your skin, her touch electrifying. “You’re so beautiful like this,” she said softly, her breath hot against your ear. “So vulnerable, so honest.”

Natasha moved her hands lower, teasing the edge of your clothes. “I think it’s time to take these off,” she said, her voice a mixture of command and desire. With practiced ease, she undressed you, leaving you completely exposed.

Wanda’s eyes roamed your body appreciatively. “Perfect,” she whispered, her fingers continuing their teasing dance. “Now, tell us what you want, Y/n.”

You could barely form coherent thoughts, let alone words. “I… I want you both,” you managed to say, your voice trembling with need. “I want to feel you both inside me. Please…”

Natasha smiled, a predatory glint in her eyes. “That’s what we wanted to hear,” she said. She leaned in, capturing your lips in a searing kiss, her tongue exploring your mouth with possessive hunger.

Wanda’s hands continued their magical teasing, her powers enhancing every touch, every caress. “You’re doing so well, Y/n,” she murmured. “Just let go. Let us take care of you.”

Natasha’s lips moved from your mouth to your neck, then down to your breasts, where she took a nipple into her mouth, sucking and nibbling until you were writhing beneath her. Her hands roamed lower, her fingers slipping between your legs, finding you wet and ready.

“Look how ready she is for us,” Natasha said, her voice thick with desire. She slid a finger inside you, making you gasp. “Do you like that?”

“Yes,” you moaned. “More, please…” Wanda leaned in, her lips brushing your ear. “Tell us exactly what you want, Y/n,” she whispered. “Don’t hold back.”

Your voice was barely more than a whimper. “I want… I want Natasha to take me… and Wanda, I want to feel your mouth on me… everywhere…”

Wanda’s smile was both kind and wicked. “As you wish,” she said. She moved down your body, her tongue flicking out to taste your skin as she went. When she reached the juncture of your thighs, she looked up, her eyes meeting yours. “Just relax,” she murmured. “We’ll make you feel so good.”

Natasha’s fingers continued their relentless teasing, her thumb circling your clit as she pumped her fingers in and out of you. “You’re so responsive,” she said, her voice filled with admiration. “So beautiful.”

Wanda’s mouth descended on you then, her tongue exploring your most sensitive areas with expert skill. The combined sensations of Natasha’s fingers and Wanda’s mouth were almost too much to bear.

You cried out, your body arching off the bed as waves of pleasure crashed over you. “Oh god, yes! Please, don’t stop!”

Natasha’s pace quickened, her fingers moving faster, harder. “That’s it, Y/n,” she encouraged. “Let go for us. Come for us.”

Wanda’s tongue never let up, her hands gripping your hips to hold you in place as she drove you closer and closer to the edge.

The pressure built inside you, overwhelming and undeniable. With a final cry, you came apart, your orgasm ripping through you with intense force.

Natasha and Wanda didn’t stop, drawing out your pleasure until you were a trembling, breathless mess. When they finally let you come down from your high, they both kissed you tenderly, their touches soft and soothing.

“You did so well,” Wanda whispered, her lips brushing against your forehead.

Natasha cradled your face in her hands, her eyes filled with a mix of pride and affection. “We’re not done with you yet,” she said softly. “But for now, rest. We’ll take care of you.”

[signanothername]

Was listening to “The Court Jester” before I thought of something.

Does your version of Nightmare have like, a will of some sort? Like, if Nightmare were to die because if Dream had won against him and like, killed nightmare or nightmare just died cause he old and crusty (/hj), would Killer get his things?? Like his mansion/castle, clothing, throne, prized possessions, etc. .or would Killer just mourn over Nightmare, wander around the castle and like, get nothing but help himself to things inside of it? Finding his secrets and stuff like that?

Interesting question >:)

Ok so i feel like it’s pretty much clear Nightmare does own a lot of things, his castle one of them of course

But I feel like had Nightmare died Killer wouldn’t inherit anything after, cause to inherit something you need to be a family, which Killer isn’t, and tbh, I don’t think Killer would ever care enough to want to inherit Nightmare’s possessions regardless, he certainly wouldn’t care if Nightmare died either

Nightmare’s death would negatively impact Killer, but not in a “Killer would feel sad and mourn Nightmare” kinda way, more like “Killer had been a bit codependent on Nightmare to find purpose that now Nightmare’s dead he doesn’t truly understand what to do with his life” kinda way, but even then, it’s not like Killer truly understood if he had any purpose at all anymore other than to be someone’s killing machine, so i feel like he’d move on to do whatever the fuck he wants anywhere he wants

Killer would simply abandon the castle and go somewhere else, especially with the fact that the one who kept him trapped there no longer exists to continue keeping him there, and it’s not like Killer holds any attachment to it or Nightmare, Killer can’t feel anything most of the time anyway, and even when he does (stage 1) it’s not like he holds Nightmares in high regard (especially with how Nightmare treated him)

Know who’d actually inherit Nightmare’s possessions tho? Dream, and unlike Killer, I can see Dream actually genuinely caring about inherenting every little thing Nightmare ever owned, cause Nightmare’s possessions are the only things left of his now dead brother, Dream would heavily mourn the loss of his brother and I can even see him taking care of Nightmare’s possessions for the rest of his ageless life, making sure the castle is spotless (spring cleaning if you will) he’d take all Nightmare had, from paperwork, to photos, to books, to the crescent golden crown and keep them somewhere safe, making sure they never wear down with time

Dream knows Nightmare actually cares about keeping things prestine and he aims to keep it as prestine as he possibly can (and maybe it’s cause of the crushing guilt weighing him down about how both their lives had been, and how he couldn’t ever fix it)

And who knows, maybe Dream would start healing when he realizes that there’s a tiny part of Nightmare that still cared about him even after his corruption in the process ;)

Part 2 (of sorts)

Part 3 (a lil bit)

Part 4

[hotpinkstars]

WE NEED THE COMFORTT FOR THE BLIND READER FUN YOU CAN’T LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THIS?????? (can’t do angst no comfort 😔)

-> blinded mistakes - happy ending

synopsis -> your husband feels bad for the way he snapped the other day. how does he make it up to you?

a/n -> approximately 28 people have asked for a part 2. this is insane i have so many people to tag (who aren't anons, obviously) BUT THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVE ON MY OTHER ONE OMGGGGG!!!! i love u all sm

warnings -> crying, but that's kinda all lol. this ones mostly just fluff!

w/c -> 951

-> kamisato ayato

it’s been a few days since the argument. 

ayato had been given an extension due to his circumstances, and didn’t have to worry about the ruined papers due to the kindness from the city's higher-ups who assigned him such papers in the first place. a lot of them were salvageable, too.

once he finished them, he leaned back, smiling from the stress relief. he got up, grabbed a cup of tea from the kitchen, and realized something.

you weren’t in the main room, waiting for him to leave his office so you two could spend some time together.

he then thought back about the events that took place. his chest immediately fills with regret at the words spoken to you. coincidentally, ayaka walked into the room.

“ayaka, have you seen y/n?” he hurried to his sister, who simply sighed.

“they’ve been in their room. they’ve been beating themselves up about the incident, so now they’re afriad of moving incase they bother you more,” she brushed past him. “good luck making amends. they’re incredibly hurt.”

he nodded, processing the information. he pacewalked to your shared bedroom, where he opened the door to see your sleeping form. 

he sat next to you, stroking your hair until you woke up. when you felt a hand on top of your head, you flinched a little bit.

“who’s there?” you said in a soft voice, unwilling to cause more issues by lashing out or showing aggression. 

“ayato,” he took his hand off your head. “i’ve come to say i’m sorry.”

you got up and found the headboard, slowly resting yourself up on it. “why all of the sudden? i hope you understand that you really hurt me, ayato. i’ve been too scared to get up these last few days because of the way you made me feel. the only times i’ve gotten up were to go to the restroom, bathe, and eat, but thoma would bring me something here. i still think about the words you said and your gestures.”

he looked down, sighing. he didn’t realize how much of an effect his words and actions had on you, but now that he’s hearing it from you, it seems like two more tons added to his shoulders. “don’t worry about it. it was salvageable, and you hadn’t ruined anything.”

“i wish you told me that when it happened, ayato,” you started to tear up. “i forgive you, but i don’t want to hear that again. it made me feel like shit.”

he nodded, hugging you tight, letting you cry into his shoulder. you felt around his body to realize he was wearing his white and blue suit, the one he usually goes out to fight in. 

“i’m not ruining this suit, right…?” you brought your face off his shoulder, but he immediately shoved it back in the same spot, silently telling you the obvious answer. 

he was glad he was able to resolve things. he couldn’t imagine a life without you.

-> wriothesley

it’s been about a week since wriothesley has seen you. he figured you went out of the fortress, staying over at a hotel or with a friend, like navia or chlorinde. he pretty much figured it would be chlorinde, considering she hasn’t come down to the fortress or has tried to initiate contact with him since the incident. 

he figured he’d try knocking on both doors, starting with navia. once navia told him everything he needed to know; that you were with chlorinde, he rushed over to her place.

“what are you doing here?” she scoffs as she opened the door, leaning against the doorframe. “your wife told me everything. i hope to trust that you didn’t embarrass her in front of the people who work for the palais mermonia, especially monsieur neuvillette himself.”

he shook his head, rubbing at his temples. “just let me see her, would you? i want to apologize.”

she nodded, clearing the doorway, allowing him to rush into the spare bedroom. 

you knew he was the one coming towards your room, considering his footsteps were a lot heavier than anyone you’ve ever known. his were tough, threatening. 

“wriothesley! w-what are you-” you started, your heart beating a little faster.

“i want to apologize for the things i said. i didn’t have to completely redo all my papers, and neuvillette understood the situation, and i was able to get an extent.”

you shook your head. “so you embarrassed me then, huh? you told them everything? that your stupid blind wife who is not even near good enough for you ruined your work?” 

he was speechless. he didn’t know how to respond to that sentence, so he put his hands on your shoulders, asking for silent permission to take you into a hug. once you nodded, he embraced you tightly. 

“no, i didn’t tell them that. i told him it was just a spill, and that i was able to save some of the papers. neuvillette is a very understanding man, and this never happens. i never need new copies or need extents, so he was willing to do it this time. nothing about you came up in our conversation,” he swallowed a lump in his throat before going on. “and you’re not stupid. you’re also the perfect choice for me, not good enough my ass. no matter what i have to do to make you see that, just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you’re unworthy.”

you started to cry, letting the tears spill into his chest, creating a damp spot on his tie. 

“so you don’t hate me then?” you sniffed.

“no, not at all. i couldn’t bring myself to hate you for something as dumb as that.”

[all-about-kyu]

Summary: Maybe you shouldn’t have pressed his buttons so hard… Pairing: brother’s best friend!Yunho x fem!reader Genre: smut Tropes: brother’s best friend au Rating: R 18+ Warnings: language, some crying  Smut Warnings: hate sex, choking, degradation, dirty talk, unprotected sex, creampie, sub-dropping Word Count: 1,408 Note: we’ve reached the end of Arousal August! I hope you’ve all enjoyed this <3 thank you again to the amazing @mejuii for beta/proofing this!!

Your relationship with Yunho has always been, we’ll say, strained. You can’t stand him despite him being your brother’s best friend and roommate. Something about his stupidly handsome face makes you want to scream. You had come over to their shared apartment with the understanding that Mingi would be there. He had told you he didn’t have anything to do today and that you would have your weekly sibling date today. Yet here you are with no Mingi on the premise. You can hear Yunho in his room doing who knows what. Weighing your options, you end up walking down the short hallway toward his room. You don’t even bother knocking on the doorframe when you get there. Taking one rather nasty look at Yunho, you sigh before speaking.

“Where’s Mingi?” you ask with a sharp tone.

“Hell, if I know. He’s not here, so you can see yourself out. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” he hisses, not looking up from his laptop.

“Very funny, Yunho. I know you know where he is.” You bite back.

“You’re so fucking nosey. Why don’t you just fucking leave?”

You dare to step into his room and give him a glare from where you were standing. You’re challenging him. He never does anything when Mingi’s around. Now that his best friend isn’t, you want to see if he will. With a smirk plastered on your lips, you walk further into the room and right over to his bookshelf.

“You read some shit books.” You state, running your finger along the spines of the books, “If you want something good to read, I guess I could give you better mat-”

Your words are stolen from your lips when you feel a hand grab your shoulder and spin you around. Yunho is not but a foot from your face. There’s a flame in his eye as he has you there pinned against the wall. After the initial shock, you’re back to where you were. You’re absolutely having too much fun pushing his buttons.

“Damn, Yunho. If you wanted to get me pinned to the wall, you could’ve just asked. Though, I doubt you’d be able to take care of me.” You provoke.

Yunho all but growls and wraps a hand around your throat. He doesn’t put any pressure on your neck, but the presence alone has your heart racing.

“I’m fucking tired of your little attitude,” he says far too calmly.

“What are you gonna do about it?” You fight back, still not daring to move. 

“You want proof I can take care of you?” He offers, slightly putting pressure on the sides of your neck.

“You mean just for me to be right about you not knowing how to? I’d love to.”

Before you can process it, you’re clothes are gone, and you’re pinned down to Yunho’s bed. One of his large hands is wrapped around your throat, causing you to reel in the sensation it’s causing. The other is holding your hip to ensure you don’t squirm too much. Yunho is thrusting into you at an animalistic pace, making you see stars even more. You refuse to give him the satisfaction of hearing you moan, though. How you’re holding your noises back, you have no idea.

“Come on, don’t you wanna let those moans out? Sound like a fucking slut while I fuck you?” he growls.

You shake your head, not trusting your voice in the slightest. 

“What? Can’t use your words? Are you too far gone that you can’t fucking speak?” He chuckles, “If I had known fucking you would get you to shut up, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”

His grip on your throat tightens as his thrusts become harsher. That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. You let out a loud moan, and once that one escapes, they don’t stop coming. You beg and plead for anything. Yunho is still degrading you with his filthy words that your brain can’t comprehend at the moment. You doubt you’re saying anything intelligible at the moment, anyway. In hopes of getting yourself closer to your high, you attempt to roll your hips into his thrusts. Instead, you’re greeted with a sharp slap to your thigh before his hand reclaims its place on your hip.

“Fuckin’ slut.” he bites, “You take what I give you, understand?”

You nod.

“Use your fucking words. You seem to never shut up any other time.”

“Please!” you beg, tears springing from your eyes, “Please, Yunho! I’m so so close!” you manage to say between moans. 

“You think I’ll- fuck- I’ll let you cum that easily, whore?”

“Yunho, please.” you moan, “Want you to cum inside me.” 

“Oh, is that right?” he asks condescendingly.

“Please!” you beg again, scratching his shoulders.

That’s all it takes to trigger his orgasm. His hips stutter as he cums deep inside you. His sounds, combined with the sloppy thrusts, trigger your high. Your walls flutter around him, and your nails dig deeper into his broad shoulders. He pulls out in one sharp movement and watches how his cum leaks out of you. 

He’s about to walk out of the room when he feels a disturbance in the air. When he turns around, he sees you on the brink of tears sitting on his bed. He isn’t sure what overtakes him, but he immediately swoops you up in his arms and holds you close. You cry quietly for a few moments. Murmuring something about not doing a good job. All Yunho can do is rub your back gently and coax you back into reality.

“You did so well. It was insensitive of me to walk away so soon after,” he says gently. It’s a tone he’s never used with you before.

“You hate me.” You comment weakly, “I don’t blame you for walking away.”

“I don’t,” he states plainly.

“You don’t? Why are you so mean to me whenever-”

He wipes a stray tear from your cheek, “I don’t have an explanation for that. Maybe I was deflecting what I really felt in fear of what Mingi might say.” “I’m a grown woman. I can decide who I date without Mingi’s permission.” You chuckle slightly.

“I know. I know.” he says softly, pressing a kiss into your hair, “Are you fully back with me now?”

“Mhm. I’m processing how sticky I feel now,” you admit.

Yunho chuckles, and you feel the sound vibrate through his chest. 

“Let’s get cleaned up and change the sheets. Then, does cuddling sound good to you?”

“More than.” you smile at him.

After a peaceful shower together and cleaning up the bedroom (including opening a window and lighting a scented candle), you curl up under Yunho’s arm and rest your head against his chest. It’s peace like you’ve never known another person before. It’s ironic how the person you swore you hate is the person you found yourself most at peace with. Then, you hear the front door click open and shut. Neither of you is fully awake, though, not enough to process what the sound was. Just as you open your eyes and process what that sound is, your brother is already busting through Yunho’s previously closed bedroom door. Yunho scrambles to protect your decency, which happens to be tossing himself on top of you. You squeal at the sudden movement.

“You two finally fucked it out?” Mingi asks, sounding hopeful, “It’s been goddamn years of that stupid tension!”

He walks out, forgetting to close the door behind him. Your new boyfriend sighs and gets out of bed to close the door. Just as the door is about to click shut, you hear your brother call through his door.

“If you hurt her or knock her up, I’m reserving the right to murder you still!”

You’re half tempted to walk in there and beat his ass for making that comment, but you can’t find the willpower to get out of Yunho’s comfy bed to do so. Yunho shakes his head and closes the door fully. Climbing back into bed, he wraps his arms around you again.

“How do you think he’ll react when he finds out we fuck raw?”

“Jeong Yunho!”

You smack his chest, and he lets out a bright giggle. Maybe all you really needed was to fuck it out all this time. You never hated him. You’re hopelessly and irrevocably in love with him.

COPYRIGHT STARLITMARK 2023© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED — reposting/modifying any fic or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations are not permitted. 

Networks: @cultofdionysusnet @kwritersworld @k-vanity

Tag List: @sanjoongie @jaehunnyy @ericssmile @anyamaris @almondmilkeu @shinestarhwaa

[kbwrites]

Up In The Clouds CH. 2

synopsis: Suguru finally gets some alone time with you. Will he make a move? Or will his fear of losing his friendship be too much?

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⚝a/n: PART 2!! next one will probably be up sometime next week.

⚝tags: sfw/slightly suggestive, Suguru x reader, Suguru likes to read, Satoru being a cockblock.

⚝wc: 1.6k

The morning sun leaks through the curtains, warm beam of light waking you from your slumber. Your eyes flutter open, scanning the room landing on your alarm clock.

7:34

Shit…

Jumping out of bed you throw on your uniform, making sure to smooth down any wrinkles on your skirt.

The routine you normally took an hour to do was condensed into 10 minutes, you rush out the door heading to the classroom building.

Yaga taps his foot expectantly, staring at the door. As it slides open you shrink under his gaze, he wants to tell you for the 100th time that 'class starts at 7:30' but instead, he just sighs.

You head to your seat, avoiding the scrutinizing gaze of your classmates.

Yaga begins the lesson “So.. regarding cursed technique. The best way to understand the process is through this mathematical formula…”

You rest your chin on your hand, already dozing off. Nothing against your teacher of course, but you knew all of this already. Your eyes drift from the blackboard to the window. The sky looked absolutely picturesque, a light blue with whiffs of white painting the expanse. You would rather be anywhere but here, the birds gliding through the air, the leaves dancing in the wind…

You then catch a glimpse of someone walking outside.

It’s Suguru walking down the stone path to the practice building. You tap on the window ever so slightly.

Tap tap

He looks around to identify the source of the noise, looking up he sees you, waving discreetly.

He blocks the sun from his eyes with one hand, the other hand waves back.

You laugh at this, earning a glare from your teacher.

You take another glance at the window, he’s still standing outside. Maybe this is the distraction you need, you rise from your desk, mutter a quick ‘bathroom’ and hurriedly leave the building.

“Suguru!” You shout as he walks away. He turns around shooting you a smile and waving. 

“How’d you get out of class?” He teases, pushing his shoulder into yours as he walks side by side with you.

“Bathroom break.”

He hums in response, taking slower strides to make sure you can keep up.

“Where’s Toru’?”

Suguru groans softly at the mention of his best friend.

“He’s out on a mission..” He doesn’t want to talk about Satoru right now… this is the first time he’s gotten any alone time with you, and he’s freaking out.

“So what are you going to do with your time?” You quip.

He only smiles looking out at the field they’re approaching. “I wanted to read.”

“Read.” 

“I can hardly get any quiet time when Satoru’s around. So I’d like to spend it reading.”

“Ahh” You say quietly, did he mean quiet time without you? You left class, hoping he’d entertain you and all he wanted was some peace and quiet-

“Join me .”

Mid-step, your eyes go wide in astonishment. “Are you sure?” You look down at your feet, making sure you don’t trip. He only laughs in response.

“I’d like it if you kept me company” and your heart flutters.

So there you are resting on your palms, looking up at the clouds.

Suguru props himself up against a tree, skimming the book. He looks so good right now, his bangs falling in front of his face, coffee-brown eyes scanning the pages of the novel. You can’t help but steal glances at your best friend. Suguru feels the warmth of your gaze on him, smirking. An idea pops into his head

“Come here (Y/N).” He pats his lap with his free hand. You pause.

“H-huh?” The familiar heat rising to your cheeks.

Suguru’s eyes narrow, a grin spreading across his lips.

“Just rest your head, I can hear you thinking from here” he muses. You mentally hit yourself for assuming he meant something else. He was always so good at picking up when you were in your own head, you hesitatingly oblige, laying your head on his firm thighs. His hand rests atop your head, slender fingers stroking your hair gently. You hum at the sensation, eyes fluttering shut.

“Better?” He whispers, flipping a page. You look up at your best friend, even from this angle he looked amazing.

“What are you reading Sugu?”

He looked down at you, smiling behind his book.

“It’s silly really, one of those vampire novels Shoko likes to read.” You had seen her on occasion, reading with what little downtime she was given.

“Tell me about it.”

He pauses for a moment.

“It’s about a vampire Prince-“

“Oooooo” He laughs heartily, the noise vibrating through the air.

“He’s torn between the love of his life — a mortal woman, and his immorality.”

You grab the book from his hands, turning so your chin was on his lap to read the book. You scan through a page; cheesy but.. Intriguing.

“Why doesn’t he make her into a vampire?”

Suguru smiles looking at you. 

“He doesn’t want to damn her to live for eternity, cares too much about her.”

You flip to the next page.

“But if he loves her, wouldn’t he want her to be with him forever?”

He closes his eyes and sighs ‘if only it was that simple…’ Suguru resumes lightly stroking your hair. He doesn’t respond though, for fear of letting his true feelings show.

You turn another page. Your eyes widen at the first line- Suguru smirks when he feels your body tense up.

“Something wrong?”

“This book… It’s-“

“Read it.”

“Huh?”

“Out loud, tell me what it says.” You couldn't deny him when he spoke in that voice, light as a feather as if speaking any louder would break you. You hesitate before beginning to read.

“H-his… hand snakes under her shirt, cupping her breast. Gwendolyn moans softly in response. She tilts her head to the side.. a s-silent invitation for him to have a taste..” You trail off, cheeks hot to the touch. There was no way in hell you were going to read what he did next. Suguru moves his hand from your hair to your back, lazily tracing patterns. 

“Hmm? Why’d you stop?” Trying to feign ignorance, but you can practically hear his amusement. As if in that moment you become hyper-aware that you’ve been resting on your best friend’s lap, you shoot up throwing the book at his broad chest.

“You pervert.” You mumble, hugging your knees to your chest and looking down at the grass.

“You’re the one who swiped my book from me~” he muses.

You look at him only briefly before your heart starts beating rapidly again. You fix your gaze on the clouds.

Oh that one looks like a dolphin! That’s a bunny jumping over a fence! You just read smut in front of your best friend. And that one looks like a… dog?  

“Hey (Y/N)?” You cast a cautious glance over at Suguru who is looking at the clouds also.

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“W-what?!” Your eyes widen. He only chuckles in response. ‘Because you’re not looking for a girlfriend’. Is what you would’ve said if you weren’t having a mini heart attack right now.

“A boyfriend is too much work! Plus I’ve already got my hands full with you and Satoru!” You wave your hands as if to fan away the embarrassment. Hoping your answer was convincing enough.

“Me and Satoru huh..” Suguru says plainly, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

The two of you sit in silence for a moment. The wind breezes past, the cold air hitting your flushed face.

“Well, what about you?” You speak up, your voice finding new confidence. 

“I…” he trails off, his gaze meeting yours. The world seems to pause looking into his amber eyes, the birds, clouds, and the wind await Suguru’s sentence. He opens his mouth-

“I’m back bitches!”

You both let out a deep exhale. Recognizing the voice of your previously absent best friend.

He skips up to the tree, squeezing his lanky body in between you two, he loops his arm around both of your necks pulling you into a hug. 

“Hey Satoru..” Suguru groans, lifting his arm off.

“You guys must’ve been so bored without me~” he grins, sticking his tongue out at Suguru. Meddling bastard-

“Well, it was definitely quieter.” The raven-haired boy quips back. You notice how tense Suguru is, but it must just be your imagination… right?

“How was the mission?” You try to change the rapidly declining mood.

“Ohhh you know-” He leans back against the tree, back of his head resting on his hands, closing his piercing blue eyes. “Grade two curse attacked a small village. No match for me really.” Satoru lets out an exasperated sigh.

As he continues you and Suguru exchange glances, you roll your eyes at some of the comments and he smiles in response. Satoru opens his eyes observing his two friends’ secret conversation.

“Hey! What’re you makin’ faces about?” He pouts.

You fold your arms, looking at the white-haired teen. Seeking pay back for him interrupting the moment.

“Toru, how much did you get paid for this mission?”

Satoru tilts his head to the side, his shades sliding down.

“Oh? ‘bout 30 million Yen.”

You smile standing up, stretching your legs, and shaking them awake.

“Perfect, you’re buying us sushi.”

“HUH?!”

Suguru stands too, letting out an exhale as he stretches his arms above his head. 

“Sushi sounds great. I know just the place too.” Suguru hums. You both start walking, smiling softly at each other. He really did have the perfect smile…

Satoru shoots to his feet. Watching you both walk away in disbelief. He rushes to catch up with your disappearing figures.

“Hey! I didn’t agree to this.”

“Guys?”

“GUYS!!”

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⚝Part 3 will be for the gojo girlies! stay tuned~

[callme-holly]

What about a romantic hurt comfort with dally and the bear hug prompt!!

Like the (gender neutral?) reader got caught up in a rumble and got a bit roughed up, and Dallas wants to be comforting but he doesn't know how/doesn't like being soft and so bear hug :((

Idk

I'm not sure how to explain what's going through my singular brain cell

redamancy

[dallas winston x reader]

summary: dallas doesn't know how to be comforting, but that's okay bc he's got you by his side warnings: none word count: 670 words a/n: thanks for the request!!

“You’re such an idiot, you know that?”

You look up at the boy standing in front of you, a small huff escaping your lips at his words as you lean back against the bathroom mirror. The dim glow of the light casts shadows across his face, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of amusement and irritation as he turns to rummage through the counter drawer, scraping together what little first-aid supplies he has. 

Blood trickles from a deep cut on the side of your cheek, but it doesn't bother you as much as it could, considering the sharp pain shooting down your side, most likely from the boot that had been slammed into your ribs, undoubtedly bruising them in the process. You’d taken some hits before, sure, but never anything quite like this. 

“You’re acting like you’re not hurt either,” you point out, raising a brow at the sight of his busted knuckles and bruised jaw. There’s blood, dark and crimson, staining the front of his shirt, but whether it’s his or not is debatable. “Quit worrying about me so much.” 

Dallas pauses for only a moment, his hand moving towards the box of bandages, before stopping himself once more and shaking his head firmly.

“Just hold still.” 

You can tell he’s trying his hardest to be comforting, to show that he does care about you beneath the tough façade he puts on around everyone, but there’s still a hesitant edge to his tone, almost as though he doesn’t quite know what he's doing. 

You can’t help but smile softly, just enough to catch Dallas’ attention, and he turns to you once more, frowning deeply. 

“What’s so funny, huh?” 

You shake your head, leaning forward as you reach up to push a stray strand of hair from his eyes, ignoring the way your ribs throb at the movement. 

“It’s nothing,” you assure him quietly, your fingers brushing against one of the bruises decorating his right cheek, causing him to wince slightly. His hand comes up to grab at your wrist, holding you back when you try to press further. 

“Let me see it, at least,” you insist, though you don’t sound half as firm as you’d like, your resolve slipping when you see the look in his eyes. 

You’ve seen that look at least once before—the look of someone who wants nothing more than to provide comfort and be a shoulder to lean on but is just too afraid of letting their emotions show, too afraid to be vulnerable in front of others. Dallas is scared, understandably so, because despite everything, he’s still just a kid. 

You drop your hand with a sigh, watching him for a moment before holding out your arms. 

“C’mere,” you whisper, your tone impossibly soft and gentle, coaxing him towards you. 

Dallas complies with a soft huff, stepping towards you and wrapping you up in a tight hug, one that tells you more than words ever could. You can feel the tension drain from his shoulders, the tightness in his muscles slowly dissipating with every second that passes, his hands coming to rest lightly on your hips while you drape your arms around his neck. 

He leans down slightly, resting his forehead against yours as you tilt your head to one side, running your thumb along the curve of his cheekbone, careful to avoid any of the bruises and scrapes. 

Dallas’ eyes flutter shut, his breathing evening out as he stands between your legs, his hands slipping under the fabric of your shirt, his fingertips gliding gently over the skin of your hip bone.

Neither of you speak, neither of you have to, simply content existing with each other, Dallas looking down at you as though you hung the stars in the sky above. As if you were all that existed in the world. 

He presses his lips against your cheek, pressing a soft kiss on the spot where you're injured, which he knows will bruise tomorrow... but not tonight.

[cameronspecial]

I was wondering if you could do dad drew based of this video https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Z8HtbA6MA/?igsh=MXdsc2hwdzFxd2c3Ng== idk if you still take requests tho but I hope you do cause I love your dad drew series 🫶🏼🫶🏼💗💗

Baby Whisperer

Pairing: Dad!Drew Starkey x Reader

Warnings: Feel Inadequate As A Father

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 0.6K

A/N: I saw this reel before you requested it and it was so cute! Thank you for requesting it!

Masterlist

Sometimes it’s like babies speak a different language. This became even more clear to Drew when his baby girl began to speak. Drew remembers the first time he was able to understand Joy’s babble clearly. Her first word. Dada. However, since the milestone, not all words were coherent to the actor. 

Drew lies on the stomach on the floor in front of Joy. She sits upright with a pillow behind her to provide comfort. Her pudgy hands grip the blocks and she brings them to the box with different shape holes at the top. She plops the toy into the correct hole. “Yay,” Drew cheers, clapping in celebration. The unexcited reaction from the toddler tells the father it is time to move on from the activity. He sits up and brings her onto his lap. She stares up at him, wondering why he stopped their game. “Hmm, you are bored. Aren’t you?” he questions. “What do you want to do?” Silence falls over them. The look in her eyes shows the gears are turning in her mind. “Pack!” she exclaims with elation. Drew’s brows meet at a point, “Pack? What do you want to pack, Baby?” 

She repeats her words, “Pack!” “Do you want a backpack?” he tries. The confusion on her father’s face begins to frustrate her. “Pack. Pack,” she whines. Her tiny fist kneads at his shirt. 

The high-pitched cries of her daughter summons Y/N to the living room. “Hey, what’s wrong?” she inquires. Her footsteps carry her in front of her little family and she rests her hand at the bottom of her dad’s back. Her husband looks at her with matching distraught to their daughter. “She’s trying to tell me something and I can’t understand her.” Y/N nods, “Go on, Baby.” Joy calms her tears. “Pack.” Her voice is small, fearful her mother isn’t going to understand her. “Pack.” It takes the mother a second to process the information. “Ohhh, Snack Pack. You want pudding, Baby?” 

Relief flashes over the girl's face and she nods vigorously. “Pack! Pack!” Both parents look at each other with understanding. “Okay, Baby. Let’s go get you some pudding,” Drew announces, dancing his way into the kitchen with his baby girl in his arms. 

The couple gets their daughter settled with her snack. She sits in her high chair and her father is in front of her, spoon-feeding her the dessert. The silicone tip of the rounded utensil follows the cover of the baby’s bottom lip to scoop the excess pudding into her mouth. As she chews the food, Drew puts the spoon down and smooths back her growing hair. “It’s so cute how satisfied she is with the pudding.” Y/N smiles at them, “It is. I think it might be her new favourite snack. I mean, did you see how angry she was getting when we couldn’t understand her.” Drew frowns, “Not we. When I couldn’t understand her. You swooped in and were a baby translator.”

“What’s wrong, Drew?” 

“I’m her father. I’m supposed to be able to help her and I didn’t even know what she was saying. I failed her.” 

Pain pangs through her heart and she places her palm on top of his hand. “You didn’t fail her. You may not understand her verbal expressions yet, but I know you can read her non-verbal ones just like one of your scripts.”

“What do you mean?”

“I could hear you guys from the other room, Drew. You guys were playing with the blocks and then you randomly asked her if she was bored. She didn’t cry or express it verbally. I know you saw that she wasn’t excited anymore so you switched tracks. A father who failed their daughter wouldn’t have noticed her boredom.”

Her words don’t fall on unlistening ears and he flips his hands so they hold onto each other. He gives her a small smile, leaning in for a kiss. “Thank you. I think you might be a Drew Whisperer too.”

Taglist: @winterrrnight @loves0phelia @thelomlisrafecameron @wickedlovely121 @thepatriarchykeychain @drewsmusee @starkowswife @maybankslover @forstarkey @loving-and-dreaming @magicalyoura @rubixgsworld

[wanders-in-wonderland]

First Date

The first thought I had when I saw him was that he looked even better than his profile. We’d matched on Tinder, and after a few days of messaging back and forth, we’d agreed to have a first date. He’d suggested a new restaurant in our area and he was even sweet enough to drive all the way across town to my apartment to pick me up.

Dinner was lovely, the food and drinks amazing and the conversation even better. He was charming and funny and I don’t remember when I’d been so at ease on a first date.

After dinner, he drove me back to my apartment and we sat in his car, still talking and laughing nonstop. I turn to him and shyly ask if he’d want to come up to my apartment for some coffee or dessert. I’m usually not one to invite guys over at night but everything about him has been so perfect and I’m reluctant to let this night end. He smiles and agrees, and we head in up to my apartment.

We’re laughing as we get to my door and I unlock it to let us in. “I’m sorry, it’s a bit of a mess, I wasn’t expecting to bring someone over so I didn’t have a chance to tidy up,” I say, looking around my space before looking up at him.

He smiles at me, but suddenly his expression changes to something sinister. Before I can process the change, he grabs me by the throat and slams me against the door I’d just shut and locked. I cry out, mostly from shock than pain, but his hand cracks across my face, the slap stunning me.

“Shut the fuck up, slut. I’ve been so patient with you all night, listening to your stupid little stories and laughing with you about your dumb little life when all I want is for you to shut up.” He snarls into my ear and I whimper in response, “I don’t understand, please stop! I’m sorry, I thought we were having a good time!”

“Oh this is about to be a good time,” he laughs darkly as he uses his body to pin mine even harder against the door. I let out a soft sob, feeling the hard outline of his cock press against my stomach. I push against him desperately and he hardly moves. In one swift movement, he grabs both my wrists in one hand and pins them above my head, leaving my body stretched out and exposed.

“Please stop, I’m sorry, we never have the see each other again!” I beg him, wanting him to just let me go and leave. His grip on my wrist tightens and his other hand comes up to cup my tits. “Oh no, I’m sure we’ll be seeing lots more of each other,” he says, the dark promise sending shivers down my spine.

His fingers brush over my nipple, the feeling making me gasp even though it’s over my clothes and bra. I wince a little, remembering how I’d even put on a sexy, lacy matching set in preparation for the date. He lets his hand trail downwards, and he slides it under my dress, gripping my thigh.

“Keep your legs apart for me or I’m going to be much meaner to you, slut.” His hand comes to cup my pussy and I whine softly, shaking my head desperately. He lets out a dark chuckle when he realizes that I’m drenched and my panties are soaked.

“Little slut, look at how your dripping for me. It looks like the idea of getting violated on your first date is exciting your cunt.” He doesn’t give me a chance to respond, not that I have anything to say to that. His fingers deftly slide under my panties and part my folds as one finger pushes into my pussy, my wetness offering him no resistance whatsoever. I gasp and let out a broken moan as the feeling overwhelms me.

His finger starts to move as a second one finds my clit and begins a relentless assault on my throbbing button. I can’t help but groan as the pleasure builds and I can feel my hips thrusting upwards, chasing the pleasure he’s forcing onto me. I want to hate it but it feels so good and I can feel myself being pushed toward an orgasm. He knows it too.

"Good little slut, I know how much you like this. Look at you, you're about to cum all over my fingers after just telling me how you didn't want any of this." He works his fingers faster, adding another inside of me as he curls upwards to rub my g-spot, making my knees buckle as my moans become even louder. I shouldn't want this, I shouldn't be moaning loud enough for my neighbors to hear, and I definitely shouldn't be able to cum right now.

"Come on, cum for me, slut. Cum for your rapist," he growls into my ear and I explode. I arch my back and wail as my orgasm rushes over me, my pussy clenching around his fingers and my clit pulsing in time to my heartbeat. He works me through my orgasm as my body goes limp against the wall.

He finally pulls his hand away and I watch through half-lidded eyes as he brings his hand up to his mouth and licks his fingers. I watch him pull off his belt and unbuckle his pants. "Get on your knees, slut," he says, pulling me harshly towards the floor. I sniff back tears as I lower myself down, feeling the hardwood of my entry way dig into my knees. He grabs my face, "Open that slutty little mouth."

I do as he says and he smiles. I watch as he reaches into his pants and pulls out his long, hard cock. I whimper softly, unconsciously rubbing my thighs together and feeling saliva collect in my mouth. His cock is gorgeously thick, veined, long, and so hard. I can't imagine how he'll fit fully into my mouth but before I can think about it too much, he slips the head of it between my lips.

"If you even think about using your teeth, I will choke the life out of you," he says as he thrusts deep into my mouth. He isn't slow or nice or gentle. His cock hits the back of my throat and tears well up in my eyes as I gag around him. He doesn't care as he sets a punishing pace, thrusting into my mouth while I can barely breathe. He groans above me, "Fuck, your little mouth is much better on my cock that it is spouting your stupid stories."

I choke around his cock, feeling it enter deeper into my throat. Eventually, I find a rhythm, bobbing my head in time with his thrusts and drawing in gasps of air in between each one. I can feel my pussy clenching emptily and my clit throbbing. His cock feels so good in my mouth, and I can't help but wonder how fast he could make me cum with it in my cunt.

I hear his groans change in pitch, and I know he's close. My previous rhythm is lost when his hips speed up and he grabs a fistful of my hair in one hand. He thrusts his cock deeper into my throat and he cums. My throat works to swallow all of his cum as I feel his hips stop moving. His cock is still hard as he pulls away, a string of my spit clinging on as he backs away from me slightly.

"Fuck, you're a perfect little cocksucker." He leans against my apartment door briefly as I sit back on my heels, giving my knees a break and looking up at him. "Please, just leave, you got what you wanted," I beg, still clinging on to unfounded hope and whatever dignity I had left. He laughs, "Oh no, little slut, I'm not even close to getting what I want, and we are far from done. By the time I finish, you won't want me to leave."

"Turn around and get on your hands and knees," he says, pushing off the door and coming to kneel next to me. I feel my heart drop, knowing that he's going to fuck my cunt next and there's nothing I can do to stop him. He grabs my hair, and shoves my head down, "I said on your hands and knees, you slut."

I whine at the pain in my scalp and my arms come to catch myself before I fall face-first into the floor. He's behind me now and I crane my neck, trying to keep him in my eyeline. I feel him flip the skirt of my dress up, revealing my damp panties that he yanks down to my knees. Suddenly, I feel his hand come crashing down on my ass, pain shooting through me as he spanks me hard. I cry out and he spanks me a second time, just as hard.

"Little sluts that get wet and cum for their rapists deserve to be treated like this," he says and I feel my face flush with humiliation. He spanks me several more times, each time forcing a sob from my lips. Then, I feel him press against me and I feel the tip of his cock nudge my pussy lips.

"Wait no! Please stop!" I wail desperately, my begging ending in a scream as he ignores me and slams deep into my cunt. I feel my pussy flutter around his cock, my wetness making his violation of my body seamless and effortless. His cock feels so good inside of me, his thickness splitting me open in the best way, and I feel the head of his cock push up against my g-spot, making me see stars. This time, he's nice enough to give me a moment to adjust before he starts.

His starts thrusting deep and fast, not letting me do anything except feel. I can hear the wanton sounds coming from my mouth and the lewd sound of my pussy clenching around his cock. I'm too far gone to care about anything other than the pleasure that is radiating from my core. One of his hands is on my hip, holding me still and the other one wraps around my hair, pulling my head up to make my back arch. I'm moaning, whimpering, and screaming out in pleasure and I can feel my orgasm rapidly approaching.

"That's it, slut. You're taking my cock so fucking well. I'm going to make you cream all over my cock, cum on your rapists cock, you dirty little slut." He growls into my ear as his hand leaves my hip to travel down to pluck at my clit. I scream louder in response as the combined pleasure peaks in an all-consuming orgasm. My cunt is clenching hard on his cock and I hear him groan deeply in response.

I'm still cumming when I hear him curse behind me, "I'm going to cum in your cunt, take your rapist's cum, you fucking slut." I feel his thrusts stutter and his hot cum floods my pussy. My cunt is still fluttering around him and I'm delirious with pleasure and exhaustion as I feel him pull out of me, leaving me empty and wanting. He lays me down gently on the floor and lies down next to me, draping an arm over my waist as he props his head up on one arm. I blink up at him blearily and smile a little.

He grins and leans in for a soft kiss. "So, when's our second date?"

I smile and press myself against him, "How about you stay the night and we figure that out tomorrow morning?"

--

Idea Credit to @thighsquivering

[raya-hunter01]

Not My Sister's Keeper Pt. 12

Not My Sister’s Keeper

Jey Uso X OC (Kayla)

Sefa

Roman X (Jade)

Jimmy X Trin

Rhea Ripley

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut; sex, fluff, couple arguing, Jealousy, infidelity, pregnancy

Roamn’s wife recently left medical school and returned home to save her marriage. Upon her return, she finds out things are not what they seem. Her sister is pregnant by her best friend Jey Uso, who is also Roman’s cousin, and her husband is acting suspiciously.

What happens when a conversation overhead on a baby monitor blows her world apart?

Philadelphia, PA

Smackdown

Jey’s POV

“That wasn’t what I told them I wanted.”

“I can just sit by your dad and it’s on the hard camera side. I won’t have to worry about being seen. Jey, it’s really not a big deal.” Kara said putting the finishing touches on her make up.  

“Kara, I don’t care what they said, after you and Trin walk pops to his seat, come sit with me. I’m not going to sit there for two or three hours away from my wife.”

“They don’t know we’re married Jey, if they did, I’m sure they would’ve seated us together.”

“They don’t know cause’ it ain’t nobody’s business until we ready to tell them that we are married. Hell, even if we were just boyfriend and girlfriend, you still would have been sitting wit me. You ain’t no secret, I don’t give a fuck what nobody thinks about us.”

I knew she agreed with my thought process, it wasn’t that we were ashamed it’s just that so much of our lives had been on display for the world to see and we wanted this to be ours and ours alone until we were ready to tell everyone.

“Us against the world,” Kara whispered as I put my ring finger next to hers, our matching ring finger tattoos on full display. “Damn right, us against the world.”   

We had gotten the first letter of each other’s name tattooed on our ring finger, into a ring design it was really unique, and we loved it.  I can’t help in thinking back to the night I finally proposed.

Four months earlier

“I am willing to move to Atlanta Kara, I know it was one of your choices.”

“Josh-”

“Damn, we serious now you are using my real name.”

“Yes, because you’re not listening. Josh, I want to move back to Pensacola to do my residency.”

This has been a conversation that we’ve had for the last month especially since Tia is working to get transferred back to Pensacola to serve her sentence.

“Bae, I love that you want to come home but what about Tia being here. I can sell the house, or we keep it as a vacation house. My mom would understand and I’m sure Bill would.”

“Josh, this is home and has always been home. I don’t want to start anywhere else new. I want to live in this house as your wife and raise our kids here. I don’t give one nor two fucks that Tia is here.” Kara said as I smiled. Damn, she never put it to me like that before.

“You know I can’t wait to marry you and have some lil Uces running around here. I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to stay here for me, you’ve already done enough of that in your life.” 

“I have never thought that, knowing I’m coming here is like what helps me get through those tough days when I’m alone in Boston.”

“Kara, can I be honest wit you?” I asked ready to take a chance.

“You know I always want you to be honest. You don’t have to sugar coat nothing, and you know you can ask me anything. You know we locked in; I love you.” That was it, the invitation I knew I always had but it felt good to hear her say it.

“Kara, what would you say if I told you I couldn’t wait another day to make you, my wife.”

“I’d say why haven’t you asked me yet?” Kara asked without hesitation as I caressed her face. She better stop playin’ cause’ we can apply for this license in the morning, get it rushed and be married by tomorrow night.

“Kara I’m serious…. Baby, I wanna marry you, but you deserve so much like the proposal of your dreams, the big wed-”.

“Josh, I don’t need this big elaborate proposal and big wedding. I’ve done all that and it was more for others than for me. As long as it’s me, you, my dad and your mom there, that’s all I need.”

“And you’re ready? Like you ready to take that step with me?”

“Like I said, you won’t know till you ask.”

“Oh, you ain’t gotta keep tellin’ me.” Quickly reaching in my pocket I pulled out and opened the small heart shaped jewelry box. “Wait you really got a ring!” Kara exclaimed as I smiled kneeling down on one knee.

“Yes, and it’s been burning a hole in my pocket and luggage for almost eight months,” I said truthfully as Kara covered her mouth in shock.

I knew she didn’t like big and extravagant; she was more of a tear cut diamond girl, so Tiffany’s was nice enough to work with me on a design for her.

“Kara, I’ve loved you since I was five years old, and I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone but you. We’ve been through a lot, but it brought us here and I don’t want to waste another minute.

“Are you sure?” Kara asked with tears in her eyes as I kissed her hand and placed the ring on her finger. “Kara, you ain’t never gotta question my love for you. I love you so much and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you, lau pele.”

“I love you too and I—I want to spend the rest of my life with you too.”

“Then how bout it, Ms. Kara Morris, will you give me the honor of becoming Mrs. Fatu and spending a couple of forevers wit me?”

“Yes, I would love to spend a couple of forevers being Mrs. Fatu.”

---

The rest as they say is history, we a license the next morning, pops knew the clerk, so he called in a favor, and we were able to get it that same day. Then later that evening we got married, with my parents and Bill as witnesses.  

“I’m going to meet Trin, and pops,” Kara said giving me a kiss. “A’ight, I’m heading back to Gorilla, and I’ll see you in a minute.” I told her before we parted ways, I don’t know why they do the Hall of Fame after smackdown.

The talent is tired and so is the crowd. I just worked the main evet and had to rush back here to get dressed for the HOF. I’m not complaining by any means, I love this, but they need a better planning system. This was so unorganized.

“Jey we been waiting, you’re up next.”

“Sorry, I had to make sure everything was straight on the home front before I came back.” I said falling in line behind Big E waiting my turn to go back out.

---

Kara’s POV

I felt nervous, but I can say I felt comfortable in my dress, and I wasn’t struggling to walk in my heels like some of the wives and girlfriends were, so I was ahead of the game.

“Pops, you look good,” I told him as Trin, and I each took an arm.

“So do ya’ll my beautiful daughter-in laws. Ya’ll about to have all the attention on me. Did ya’ll plan the matching hair?” he asked as we laughed.

“Nope, that was an accident, but we look cute, and you heard pops, sis. Even he knows you’re going to be his daughter-in law,” she said reaching over to fix my hair.

“Yes, I heard him.”

I smiled looking at Jey wave to the crowd as he walked down the aisle.  My husband is so sexy in all black, hell in anything he’s sexy.

“Kara, you hear me?”

“No, I was looking at my man if we are being honest.” I said, Pops belly laugh making me smile.

“See, you so in love with that man, I’mma need Ya’ll to stop playin’.” Trin said as Pops winked at me. He was getting a kick out of Trin having no clue Jey and I were already married.

“It’s our turn,” Trin whispered as they ushered us forward. I felt nervous, never had I ever went out in front of a crowd to be dissected. I had sat in plenty crowds, and backstage but this was new. I was more out in the open and felt exposed.

We couldn’t get pops to his seat fast enough, so many people were stopping us to talk to him. Picking up on my nervousness, he winked at me.

“We ain’t stopping again, they can come see me at my seat if they wanna talk,” he whispered as I nodded thankfully.

Before he sat down, he gave us a hug. “Thank ya’ll for makin’ an old man happy.”

“It’s no problem pops, I can sit with you if you want?”

“No, ya’ll go be with the twins, I’m good, ya’ll have fun.”  Quickly we went made our way to the other side of the ring. Jey stood up to give Trin a hug and to let her pass.

“I been waiting on you wifey,” he said making me smile, taking my hand in his as we sat down to enjoy the hall of fame.

Roman’s POV

I love Paul and I know what I said I would induct him, but I could have fell on my face seeing Jey and Kara sitting front row as I climbed in the ring.

I just walked past my ex-wife and cousin and had to play it cool but on the inside, I was breaking down. I guess they were finally coming out officially, but it wasn’t my business.

After introducing Paul, I couldn’t get backstage fast enough to go back to my bus. It was going to be a long weekend, sitting on my bus I went on twitter checking to see if anyone was talking about Jey and Kara.

As I expected some fans were already being messy, tagging me in an article from WrestleWorld, asking how I felt about the situation. I knew I should ignore it, but I couldn’t.

WrestleWorld

Karma’s -A- Kara

By. Scott Jenson

Jey Uso has the wrestling world talking tonight he showed up at the WWE Hall of Fame with Kara Morris(pictured above). Kara is the ex-wife of Jey’s cousin, Roman Reigns. Kara and Trin were seen walking WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi to his seat before going to sit with their respective partners. Jey was seen also kissing Kara during Paul Heyman’s tribute video. It has been rumors swirling about the couple for years but it was never confirmed until now.

“How the fuck do they find out all this shit?" I hissed, angry at the fact people were picking apart my life and Kara’s.

Kara doesn’t have social media but has popped up on Jey’s Instagram stories and posts throughout the years. In knowing what transpired between Kara and Roman, we wish her well. Kara is about to actually graduate from medical school next month. Congratulations Kara, and Jey, enjoy the Hall of Fame ceremony.

“Then these damn tweets ain’t no better. Like how?!” Each tweet pissing me off more as I read them.

@Romanreignslover03 So, Jey Uso walked into the WWE Hall of Fame with his cousin’s ex-wife. That is some messy shit, Jey, you cold blooded kissing on that woman. #Jey&KaraHOF

@Roman0123 WrestleWorld stop spreading false news, Trin and Kara escorted Rikishi to his seat. Jey and Kara have been friends since they were kids. They are family regardless even if she divorced Roman, end of story. #Jey&KaraHOF

@Glowlove6 So what if they were kissing, ya’ll don’t know the half of what Kara went through with Roman. Do your research and good for you Kara, you deserve happiness. Plus, Jey loved her first, if anything Roman stole her from Jey.  #Jey&KaraHOF

@Usoluvsme That’s still messy sleepin’ with his cousin, damn she lookin for a come up since Jey popular now, straight up golddigger. Jey, better watch out. #Jey&KaraHOF

@Trinityglowsfans01 You do know Roman fucked her sister, had a kid with her while they were married, said sister then tried to kill Kara and Roman, right. Plus, Kara is graduating medical school soon. She doesn’t need Jey’s money, and her folks got money too.      

“Like how they know all this shit!” I wasn’t mad at Kara or even Jey, I’m mad at myself for fucking up. I allowed this to happen, but I also knew it wasn’t gonna be a secret forever that Jey was with Kara.

I hoped I got a chance to run into her to congratulate her on her upcoming graduation. She deserved all great things, and my investment in her paid off.

“Just get through this weekend and then you get a break,” I muttered putting down my phone to go grab a shower before bed.

----

WrestleMania Night One

Jey’s Dressing Room

Kara’s POV

“I want you to check baby. You been waiting on this,” Jey said as I sighed.

“It’s been a good week; I don’t want to bring down the mood. I’ll just check when I get home Tuesday.”

“Girl, if you don’t get on this computer and look at those results, I know something.” Trin scolded as Jey smiled.

“I don’t know why she trippin’ she studied her ass I off, I know she passed both of the tests.”

“Come on girl, check it,” Jimmy said rubbing my shoulder.

“Ok, I’ll just take a little peak,” I whispered logging in to check my results. I was hesitant to even click on the link.

“Come on.”

“Ya’ll just had your matches, literally still in your gear. We should be celebrating ya’ll not me.”

“Girl, I’m bout to do it for you, if you keep on,” Trin said making me laugh as she pulled out her phone and began recording.

“Really Trin.”

“Yes, now stop stalling.”

Jey nudged his head towards the computer letting me know it was no other option but to open my test results. Sighing, I clicked on the link and nervously began to read.

“Dear Ms. Morris, thank you for taking part two and three of the USMLE,” I mumbled as Jey and Trin peered over my shoulder trying to read as well.

“All this shit to read, I just need my scores.”

“Calm down baby, just read it.”

“Hell, I’m looking and don’t understand all of them medical words.” Trin said frowning at the computer screen.

Continuing to scroll down, I finally saw what we were all waiting for.

“I passed!” I screamed in shock, covering my face allowing my tears to fall.

“Yes! I knew it!” Jey shouted, hugging me as I sobbed.

“Yes, ma’am we in there, let’s go!” Trin cheered as I nodded truly overwhelmed that I always almost there. I couldn’t think of any better people to share this moment with than them.

“Aye, I’m proud of you,” Jimmy whispered giving me a hug.

“Thank you, brother.”

This has been the most amazing week, but I knew I had to finish out strong. Now I knew for a fact graduation was less than a month away officially.

Roman’s POV

I had to find Kara, I tried to play it off, but I saw Jey’s comment and I had to know was it true or was I reading too much into it.

I should have tried to find her earlier, but I had to meet with Cody, Dwayne and Seth to go over some last-minute changes. The main even went great and the crowd ate it up.

Heading through Gorilla, I was shocked Jimmy, Jey, Kara, and Trin were there waiting for me.

“Congrats Uce, ya’ll Killed it,” Jimmy said actually giving me a hug.

“Yea, ya’ll got them anxious for tomorrow and what’s going to happen next.”

“Speaking of that, I need to meet with ya’ll,” Paul said coming over as we all looked confused.

“Austin backed out, so we are running down something new. I’m adding in Jimmy, Jey and a few other surprises.”

“Oh, snap we in,” Jey said excited as Jimmy nodded in agreement.

“Meeting in thirty minutes in my office.”

“Roman, could I talk to you for a second?” Kara asked as I wiped the sweat off my face.

“Yea, sure I actually was gonna try to find you after my match.”

“We’ll leave ya’ll to it, I’ll meet you in the dressing room after the meeting,” Jey said without jealousy, giving her a kiss on the cheek before walking off with Jimmy and Trin.

We ended up going back to my locker room but stood outside the door. I didn’t want to push my luck, if I’m honest. Thankfully, the hall was empty, everyone was slowly filing out to get some rest and prepare to do this all over again tomorrow.

“Roman, I passed the second part of my USMLE so it’s official I graduate soon,” Kara said excitedly as gave her a short hug. “I’m very proud of you, I knew you could do it.”

“No matter how things ended, I couldn’t have done this without you and I’m thankful for all you’ve done to help me finish.”

“You don’t owe me anything except be a great doctor.” I didn’t want to make it awkward, but I had to know. “Thanks, Roman.”

“Uh, Kara I don’t mean to be nosey, but I saw Jey comment on Trin’s post. I-- Damn, I don’t even know how to ask because I know it ain’t my business.”

“Jey and I are married Roman.” I felt the air rush out of my lungs, he had married her. Looking at her ring finger I saw a tattoo. “So, ya’ll hidin’ it and you marking up your body with his initial’s n shit? What’s next his whole name on you somewhere?” I asked, my tone coming out more harshly than I intended grasping her hand and looking at the tattoo ring on her finger.

“No, we just don’t feel it’s nobody’s business until we are ready to share it.” We don’t owe the world, or you shit.” Kara said, snatching her hand away.

“Look I understand getting a tattoo to cover up the bullet hole, but putting someone’s name or initials on y-”

“Roman I’m trying to be nice, and we’ve been getting along. If you want to keep it that way, stop while your ahead.”

The warning was stern, and I knew I needed to calm down quick, fast, and in a hurry.  We were finally talking without it being awkward or forced. I didn’t want to lose her being apart of my life in any shape or form.

“Look, it just threw me for a loop when I saw his comment under Trin’s post. I’m really happy for you Kara, you deserve the world.”

“Roman, I don’t want the world; I never did. I just wanted to be happy and I finally am.” Her words cutting me to my soul, but if she was happy, then so was I.

I had did enough and cause enough damage to us both. Damage I thought would burden her for the rest of her life but I’m grateful it didn’t.

“If your happy, then that’s all that matters beautiful. I won’t tell anyone what you told me, it’s your business. Thank you for telling me.” I really was thankful because I heard it from her and not on the internet or from someone else.

“Even after everything, I would never blindside you Roman.  Now I know you gotta get ready for your meeting, so I’mma go. I just wanted to let you know about graduation and to tell you thank you.”

“You ain’t never got to thank me, after everything, I knew what I had to do and what you deserved.”

“Roman-”

“No, let me finish…..Kara you put so much into my career, you held me down when I was broke. You took care of me when I was sick, you put your dreams on hold to be with me.”

“I wanted to do that Roman, there are no debts between me and you. Even after everything that happened.”

 “I know it ain’t no debts, I gave you all that money because none of this would have even been possible without you. Kara, there is no Big Dog, or Tribal Chief without you.  And I knew as long as I had breath in my body you weren’t gon’ struggle or want for anything ever again.”

“Thank you,” Kara whispered surprising me when she wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me. I swear felt the weight of the world falling away as I hugged her back.

I had finally let it go…I would always love her, but I had let go and accepted my fate.

“I will always love you Kara, and I’m happy for you. I’ll always be here for you, and I just wanted you to know that.”  Wiping her tears, Kara gave me a small smile before she walked back towards the end of the hall.

Suddenly she stopped, turned and smiled at me once again. “No debts Roman, take care of Logan and be happy.” She said as I smiled back at her.

“No debts, Kara and I will.” With a nod Kara disappeared around the corner. I instantly felt my eyes watering as I turned the doorknob to go in my dressing room.

As soon as I closed and locked the door, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, silently weeping. I knew she would never forget everything that happened, but she forgave me…She showed me grace in my time of weakness, and it was time for me to forgive myself.

Yea, things weren’t how I wanted it or dreamed it to be, but life was going on and for the first time I was ok with my fate.

I had lost her, but I gained my Logan in the process.  I knew now my fate was to be the best father to her and everything else will fall in place…I knew it would.

New beginnings were on the horizon.

Jey’s POV

Roman was the last to arrive at the meeting and he looked to be somewhat in a daze but came around as we all talked about what was going to happen in the main even tomorrow.

I was amped myself; I was going to play a part in the main event. I felt like a kid listening to all the people who were going to get involved. Tomorrow night couldn’t come fast enough for me.

“So, Taker will be the last one out?” I asked making sure I had it right, poor Cody seemed to still be in shock realizing he was going over tomorrow.

“Yea, Taker is going to have an interaction with Rock, then Seth will get up and Roman will choose to hit Seth with the chair instead of Cody, costing him the match.”

“Oh, good call back to Seth being Cody’s shield,” Jimmy said as Roman smiled.

“I like it, the fans gone eat it up bad,” he chuckled as Paul seemed pleased with what we had come up with writing more notes down.

“Alright we’ll meet again tomorrow but for now ya’ll all rocked it tonight so go celebrate.” Dwayne said rubbing his shoulder.

“What’s the matter over there, Cuz?” Jimmy asked chuckling as I shook my head. He is so damn messy.

“Hell, you know Jim, I’m too old for this shit. I’m already sore as hell and we gotta do this again tomorrow,” he said as we all laughed.

After Paul adjourned the meeting and everyone began to leave, I noticed Roman still sitting.

“You alright, Uce?” I asked as he nodded finally standing up and walking towards me.

“Yea, I’ll be good by tomorrow, nice ring tat by the way,” he said with a small smile as I shut the door, to give us some privacy.

“Roman, I ain’t trying to argue…I know-”

“I ain’t arguing, Jey. I put it together after I saw your comment under Trin’s post, and I asked Kara.”

“I know you didn’t go in on her, did you? Because if you did-”

“I’m happy for ya’ll Jey.” Roman said barley above a whisper as I looked at him in shock.

“Huh…..”

“Kara told me that you made her happy, and as much as it hurt to hear it, that’s all I ever wanted for her.”

“That’s all I ever wanted too; and I love her.”

“Then take care of her,” Roman said extending his hand to me as I looked at him searching for any sign of dishonesty but found none.

As we shook hands, it felt different. It felt like we were finally starting to mend our relationship. We weren’t just putting up with each other for our family sake…

We were finally trying to heal and build back trust…..Ok Big G upstairs I see you working on us.

---

Philadelphia, PA

WrestleMania 41, Night Two

Roman’s POV

I was almost home free, after the meeting last night I went to get Logan from Ma. I kept her with me last night on the bus to give Ma a break but now she was running late. I had sat her up in a nice hotel suite, she deserved it and needed a break.

 Talking with Kara and Jey last night felt good, and I finally felt everything was falling into place.

“Daddy juice.” Logan said pulling on my leg. Putting my phone down I looked at her with a smile.

“Lo Lo wants to go get juice, huh?”

“Yea!” She yelled jumping up and down only stopping when she spotted Jey. I wondered how this was going to go especially since she just met him a couple weeks before a show.

 Before I could warn him, she took off towards him as fast as her little feet could move. “Jey!” She yelled running for him as he kneeled down to scoop her up in his arms as she squealed.

“Hey Lo, it’s good to see you,” he whispered holding her close. I felt even more guilty, he thought Logan was his and was preparing to be her father. I took that away from him and I still felt terrible about it.

“Sorry she is bothering you, I can take her,” I said as Jey frowned at me.

“Uce, I ain’t gone mistreat or turn her away if she comes up to me and speaks to me. Regardless of how it all went down, ya’ll both my family.”

“I don’t want nobody to be uncomfortable, Ma was supposed to get her, but she is running a little late.”

“You good, what got you so stressed? The meeting went good last night so what’s the problem?”

“I need to do a couple interviews and finish getting ready,” I said trying to think of how I was going to do everything I needed with my mom running behind.

“We got her Roman, go do what you need to do.” Kara said, coming up beside Jey as he looked at her in shock. I didn’t know what to say myself, I didn’t want to put her in that kind of position.

“Uh, it’s ok Kara, you don’t have to keep her.”

“Roman, go get yourself together, we got her. Text your mom and tell her to call me when she gets here and we will meet her,” Kara, said giving Logan a small smile.

“Tee Tee Kara, up, ” Logan said reaching for her as Kara’s eyes shot to me in shock as Logan wrapped her little arms around her.

“How does she-”

“Rebecca suggested we start showing Logan pictures of everyone, so she knows who her family is. We started before I started taking Logan to visit Tia.”

Kara nodded as Jey caressed her back. “You ok baby, I can get her back.” Jey said as Logan laid her head on Kara’s shoulder.

“Uh, no, it’s ok…Mom is right, I am her auntie,” Kara said looking at Logan. I felt like a true fucking heel…Even though I made peace with everything, I still know that in a perfect world this was supposed to be our daughter together and I fucked it up.

“Hey, Logan I’m your auntie,” Kara whispered as Logan seemed entranced by her. “Tee Tee pretty,” she said rubbing Kara’s cheek.

“Well so are you pretty girl.”

“Uce, go do what you need. We got her,” Jey reassured me as I looked at Kara.

“Are you sure?”

“Bye, Roman,” Kara said continuing to play with Logan as I looked back at Jey who waved me off but I still couldn’t move. I was too entranced watching Logan and Kara interact with each other.

Jey’s POV

Second by second, I watched in awe as Logan was breaking down the hard walls Kara had built to protect herself. I had met Logan at a smackdown show that I had to do a dark match at a couple weeks back.

 She was a beautiful child, and I couldn’t blame her for Roman and Tia’s mess.

I knew I had to let it go to actually move on. I knew Kara had done the same, but she still hadn’t dealt with the fact she had a niece that she hadn’t seen since the day she was born almost three years ago.

“I’ll be like an hour tops ya’ll. Hopefully Ma is on the way,” Roman said giving Logan a kiss on the cheek before finally leaving. I know he thinks I didn’t catch it but I saw the yearning in his eyes as he watch them.

Yea, I’mma have to keep a look out on that, I mean yea we made peace but I ain’t dumb.

“Hey, would you like to get some cookies?” Kara asked as Logan smiled. “Please.”

“A’ight lets go ya’ll,” I said guiding them to catering. Kara was quiet most of the time but was interacting with Logan adding in her two cents when the little girl would stop talking.

 It wasn’t as awkward as I thought it would be, but I could tell Kara was deep in thought. I was glad they were bonding but I didn’t want her to feel like she had to do it.

 Janice finally made it about thirty minutes later and I could see the shock in Janice’s face as she came around the corner seeing Kara talking to Logan.

“Ya’ll traffic was a mess, I am so sorry,” Janice said coming up in a rush taking a seat next to Kara trying to catch her breath. “Janice breathe, we had her,” Kara said laughing as Janice looked at Logan sitting next to Kara eating her cookies.

“I see that..I just didn’t believe it…..Has she been any trouble?” she asked as Kara smiled. “Nah, she’s been a perfect little angel.”

“Grammy, I see Tee Tee!” Logan said pointing at Kara as Janice laughed reaching over and ruffled her hair.

“I see that and I’m very happy you got a chance to meet Tee Tee Kara. Do you need to try to potty before we watch daddy?”

“Yes, Grammy.”

“Alright, let’s go potty then little lady.” Janice said, taking a breath and standing up.

“Bye Logan, it was nice to meet you.”

“Bye Tee Tee,” she said throwing her little arms around Kara’s neck and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Janice whispered watching the exchange before picking up logan as she waved at me. “Bye Jey!”

“Bye Logan.”

I knew Kara was relieved that Janice was here. It was getting a little overwhelming for her. I could tell even though she was hiding it.

“Baby, are you ok?” I asked, wanting to know as she looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Yea, I’m ok.” Sighing, I got up and moved to sit beside her.

“Tell me what you thinkin’, Ma.”

“I am terrible, I never saw her. I let my anger for Tia and the hurt Roman caused block me from getting to know her.”

“Bae ain’t nobody blaming you for feeling how you felt. You had a right too, your life got turned upside down. How did you feel meeting her today?” I asked caressing her hand.

“I felt like someone reached in and snatched my soul when she looked at me and called me Tee Tee.”

“In a good way, or bad way?”

“Both…I felt horrible not being there for her knowing she has no mom. Then I felt a sudden joy when she called me Tee Tee, I am going crazy.” Kara said as I rubbed her back.

“No, you’re trying to come to terms with everything and ain’t nothing wrong with that baby.” I assured her as she seemed to be processing her feelings on the matter.

“I don’t see sleepovers and all of that happening, but I will acknowledge her and try to be less awkward when I see her. I’m going to be on the road with you sometimes and at family events. I’m bound to see her.”

“It will be ok when you see her again, stop sweatin’ it. You what I realized?”

“What?”

“Before you know it, we will have our own little Uces running round here,” I whispered in her ear as she blushed.

“I can’t wait to have babies with you.”

“Aye, I been trying to shoot the club up. That damn IUD hell, was stopping my soldiers from reachin’ they destination, I’m glad you got it out.”

“See I can’t with you.”

“What, I’m just being honest about wanting to have a baby with my wife.”

“Let’s just go so you can get ready to fall off the side of the stage. It’s almost time for the main event.”

“Why you say it like that?” I asked as Kara rolled her eyes at me, getting up.

“Because I think it’s stupid as hell and dangerous, that’s why. But you my man, and I’m your #1 fan, so I’mma stick beside you.”

“Well thank you for stickin’ beside me, that’s why I love you and married yo’ fine ass.” I whispered, making her laugh.

“I love you too, so please be careful.”

 “I will and everything is going to be fine, just trust me. Jimmy and I got it planned perfectly.” Putting my arm around her shoulder, I lead her to Gorilla so we could watch the rest of the show, and I could be in place for when it was my turn to interference in the main event.

“Ya’ll better Mr. Main Event, or me and Trin will kill you both.”

 Kara’s POV

Trin and I sat by Paul in Gorilla watching on the monitor as the guys had gone off to go over everything again.

I already knew it was going to be pure cinema, and seeing Rock, Taker, Cena, Jey, Jimmy, Cody, Solo, Seth and Roman sneaking off to go over the finish, I knew we were in for a treat.

“I’mma need you and Jey to stop playing and get married already,” Trin said as we looked at some of the pictures she had taken on her phone this week. “Aww, send me those, sis.”

 It definitely was a week of fun and we were able to squeeze in a lot of fun things outside of their WWE duties.

“I need to you get an Instagram at least, social media ain’t so bad.”

“So, you see us getting married, huh,” I said ignoring her Instagram talk, trying to change the subject. I really wasn’t an internet person so I would leave that to Jey and her.

 “Yes, I do and you going to have me some nieces and nephews.”

Whoo, if she only knew….

===========

One week Later

Pensacola State Prison

Roman’s POV

WrestleMania is in the books and I’m off for the next three or four months to try to ease Logan into a routine of seeing Tia once a week as well as trying to find a good daycare. I wanted to try to take some of the pressure off of Ma and allow her some alone time.

She has been my rock through all of this, but I can’t let her keep putting her life on hold.

Life for the moment is good, I just hate I agreed to this bullshit to bring Logan here. The only good thing that came from this is that Tia signed her rights over.

I’m just still confused as to how she all of a sudden wants to spend time with Logan.

What is she up too?

Maybe she wasn’t and I’m just still just somewhat reeling from Logan and Kara meeting during WrestleMania last week. It was not on my list of things happening this year but seeing Kara hold Logan made my heart ache.

Maybe she could be more apart of Logan’s life because bringing Logan here is seeming to do more harm than good.

“Hi sweetie, it’s your mom,” Tia said as Logan looked at her like she was a total stranger.  This was what I was afraid of, even though I showed Logan pictures of Tia she didn’t know her.

We have been visiting the prison once a week for the past month and Logan still wasn’t grasping Tia is her mother.

Then again, she recognized Kara and went willingly to her without any issue. “It’s ok Logan, it’s mommy.”

“Daddy,” her tiny voice whimpered clinging onto my leg. Sighing, I kneeled beside her. “I’m right here baby,” I soothed as she wrapped her arms around my neck and hid her face.

“What’s wrong with her Roman?” Tia asked as I looked at her like she was crazy. “She doesn’t know you Tia, it’s going to take time. She may never get comfortable with this.”

“You’ve turned her against me, all of you did. Tia accused as I had to bite my tongue to not say what I wanted. “Really, Tia after everything?”

 “You could have at least been showing her pictures of me or something.”

“I do show her pictures of you every night and explain who you are. Maybe it’s the vibe you’re bringing. Babies pick up on bad vibes,” I warned as she sighed.

“Fine, I will try to do better. She’s gotten so big.” Tia said caressing Logans hair as she held me tighter.  “Yes, she’s almost three, what do you expect, Tia,” I said somewhat harshly.

“I know and I’m trying to make up for it Roman if you just give me a chance.”

Hopefully this will get better, because if it doesn’t, I’m not going to keep putting Logan through this.

“We will try again next week and hopefully it will be a little better.”

“I hope so, I ain’t got nothing but time so I have no problem waiting for her to come around Roman.”

That’s the part I’m scared of, and I still feel like something is off.

--------

One Month Later

Harvard Medical School

Commencement ceremony

Jey’s POV

I was anxious and excited to see Kara receive her degree. She had done what she set out to do. The day was going great until Rebecca showed up and sat right next to bill.

“A’ight chill ya’ll I’m trying to hear.” I warned as Rebecca continued to push Bill’s buttons.

“This year’s graduates have special messages for their families, and we are allowing them if they choose to bring their children up with them. This is a major accomplishment and should be shared with those they love. Please cheer on every graduate and let’s enjoy this year’s commencement ceremony.”

“Ain’t nobody invited you Rebecca, why are you here?”

“You can’t block me out from her graduation, Bill. I’m her mother, I invited myself.”

“Man, can ya’ll be quiet I’m trying to hear. This ain’t bout ya’ll, this is Kara’s day,” I hissed. They were pissing me off, this was about Kara and not their damn drama.

“All I said is she should have told Kara she was coming instead of just popping up.”

“Now ain’t the time though, and if ya’ll can’t chill out you both can go.” Trin said as Bill moved from beside Rebecca.

“Thank you! Stop feeding into it and move.” Jimmy scolded as Trin shook her head.

“I don’t even know why you sat over there anyway,” I said moving so he could sit beside me.

“She sat beside me,” he hissed as I rolled my eyes. “So, you move…Don’t let her control your emotions Bill,” my mother whispered as Bill sat back trying to calm down.

The last couple months Bill had started the process of filing for a divorce and Rebecca is grasping at straws to try to keep him in the marriage.

“Rebecca sit there and chill out before I throw you over this balcony.”

“Don’t threaten me Tani, I know how to act.”

“Mama, let it go,” I whispered seeing it’s almost Kara’s turn to have her name called.

“How does this work?” Trin asked seeing they were skipping around. “They are calling by program, and degrees earned.”

“Ok, I was about to say they got my girl messed up, she supposed to be in line with the M’s,” Trin said taking pictures of Kara standing in line as Bill snickered shaking his head.

“There she is, look at her in her cap and gown.” Trin gushed as Kara nervously rubbed her hood.

“Still though, her last name Morris, we on the letter D on this program Trin,” Jimmy said as I shot him a look to shut the fuck up.

“Maybe don’t nobody last name starts with E through L, in this degree program Jimmy. Now hush, so I can hear,” I hissed as he smiled at me.

“Sure thing twin, even though-”

“Don’t worry about it Jimmy.” My mother said cutting him off with a smile.  “Just know Kara is where she’s supposed to be at in line, I can assure you,” mother said rubbing my knee trying to calm me down.

I felt nervous, like it was my graduation.

“Once again, these following graduates are receiving their degree in Doctor of Medicine and management.”

“Dr. Kara Fatu!” Dr. Kouper said as we all jumped up cheering her on. My heart filled with pride watching Kara walk across the stage, her beautiful bright smile on display.

I was so proud of her, after everything she had made it.

“Yes! That’s my sister!!!! Wait, what the hell did she say?!” Trin screamed, pausing in shock as Jimmy snickered rubbing her shoulder before continuing to cheer.

“Kara and twin done snuck and got married on us baby.”

“Oh my gosh Jurdy! I knew something was up!”

“Gon’ head sis, welcome to the family!” Jimmy yelled as I shushed them wanting to hear Dr. Kouper.

“Kara will be hooded by Dr. Stanly Moore.” I couldn’t image how that felt for Kara. Dr. Moore meant the world to her and was there from the beginning. He encouraged her throughout the years and even kept in touch when she left medical school for the first time.

“Yea, Dr. Fatu, you did that, Ma,” I whispered trying to hold it together as Dr. Moore placed the hood around her neck.

“Kara would love to thank her amazing husband Joshua, her parents, her sister Trinity, brother-in-law Jonathon, Roman, Dr. Moore and her other professors for their unwavering love and support.”

 I couldn’t contain it no more.

“You did it baby! I love you, Dr. Fatu!”  I screamed not caring about protocol in that moment. My girl was standing there looking like a goddess and was now a doctor.

“Yes! We love you, Kara!” Trin screamed as my mom laughed. “Lord, ya’ll gon’ get us kicked out.”

“Hell, it’s over with now, they done gave her that degree and hooded her, we can leave now.” Bill said wiping his tears.

Dr. Kouper smiled in our direction, giving us a few more seconds before handing Kara something and picking right back up from where she left off.

“Kara has deferred the start of her residency until February 2025 in pediatrics and internal medicine at Pensacola’s children’s hospital & Pensacola General Hospital. Kara also wanted us to help her share some amazing news with her husband and family in attendance."

“Oh my God, look!!!” Trin screamed as I looked up at the big screen in shock seeing Kara holding up a tiny onesie.

“Daddy’s #1 fan.” I read in shock, getting choked up as my mother hugged me. “Congratulations baby. I’m so happy for ya’ll.”

“I’mma be a daddy.” I said in disbelief.  

“Baby Fatu will be arriving Thanksgiving 2024, congratulations Kara and Joshua!”

“How about that, I’m about to be a paw paw again.”

“Yes!!! Auntie is on duty!” I heard Trin yell as I turned to look back at her still in shock as she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Congratulations Brother.”

“Thank you, sister.” Looking back at the stage I saw Kara making her way back to her seat. “Congrats twin.”

“Thanks, bro.”

Like I couldn’t believe it, I was going to be a daddy…Like Kara and I made a baby. She was so worried she couldn’t have children because her and Roman tried so hard for years, but they couldn’t get pregnant.

“I can’t believe you did this to her! It wasn’t bad enough you rushed her into marriage. Now she’s pregnant, you did this on purpose and now she’ll never complete her residency.”

“Rebecca shut the hell up.” bill hissed as I put my hand on his shoulder. “I got it pops, first off, I married Kara because I love her. She ain’t never gotta worry about givin’ up anything for me. We in this together.”

“How is she going to fulfill her dreams now Joshua with a baby depending on her? She’s going to get attached, and never want to leave home.”

“Kara is going to do her residency, open up her practice and do everything she’s ever wanted to do if I gotta sit home while she does it.”

“Yea, right….Kara is going to be home alone stressing, and resenting you in the end.”

“Don’t assume you know our relationship based off the shit she went through with Roman and your life with Bill. I got Kara and she got me, end of discussion.”

Feeling myself about to lose it and cuss her ass out, I got up and moved to the end of the aisle.

“Josh, where you goin’ baby?”

“I’m going to wait for my wife at our designated meeting place to tell her how much I love her, and how happy I am.” I needed some air because we were about to get thrown out  if I stayed in there with Rebecca.

Kara’s POV

It was done, I was now Dr. Kara Fatu. It seemed time passed so fast as we stood to give the Declaration of Geneva before being dismissed.

Marching out of the auditorium I stepped outside taking a deep breath. “Kara, you did it…It was hard, but you did it,” I whispered overwhelmed. Not wanting to get lost in the sea of people I chatted with a few classmates before their families found them. We took a few selfies waiting for the crowd to move a little, people were everywhere.

The only thing I really wanted to do was hug my husband. Finally heading towards our meeting place, I was shocked to see my mother.

“Now wait a minute you ain’t gonna blame Josh for Kara wanting a break to live her life. These last two and half years been hell on her. Hell it's been rough on everyone especially with the shit you let Tia pu and your dirty lil secret," my dad said as I shook my head.

Damn, can we have one day where everybody gets along.

"Kiss my entire ass Bill."

"You gotta actually have an ass to kiss first off."

They really doing this now and why is she even here. I didn’t invite her. Making my way towards them I heard Jey standing his ground.

“I ain’t got time for you Rebecca I’m leave Bill alone. I'm looking for my wife to congratulate her,” Jey said before spotting me. With a smile and his arms stretched out wide, I ran to him.

“I did it!” I cried jumping in his arms.” I’m so proud of you baby."

"We did it" I cried tuning out everyone else but him, as he held me tighter.

"Oh shit, am I holding you too tight.”

“No, I’m ok,” I reassured him. The look of joy and love on his face was something I will remember forever as he put me down and I gave him the onesie. “Congratulations Daddy.”

 “I can’t believe this; we made a baby,” Jey said in disbelief now caressing my stomach.

“We did, and I can’t wait to meet him or her. Our lips met in a gentle kiss as the realization really hit us, we were really going to be parents.

“I hate I have to share you with everybody right now.” I hated it too and he was right. As soon as he released me from his arms, Trin came over.

“Girl, give me a hug! You done gagged me for today.” Smiling, I gave Trin a long hug both of us laughing when Jimmy joined in. “Sister-in-law welcome to the family.”

“I’m sorry, ya’ll we just wanted to wait a little while before we told anyone.”

“It’s’ ok I’m so happy for ya’ll and I’m about to be a whole auntie out here in these streets,” Trin gushed as my dad came towards us.

“My baby is a doctor, let me see her,” my dad gloated as I gave him a hug and then Ma Fatu.

“So nobody is gonna ask Kara why she would do this to herself?” My mother asked as I rolled my eyes.

“No what we want to ask you why you ain't congratulated your daughter?” Jimmy asked pointing out my mother’s attitude.

"And what exactly did I do to myself mama, besides finally living my life for me?"

“Kara, I just can't--- You really got married and didn’t tell me? I would have been there. You’re pregnant, like what were you thinking?”

 “Well, I didn’t want you here mama, and I thought that was made crystal clear since we haven’t talked since I told dad what you did.

“Kara-”

“I married Josh because I love him…I’m having his baby because that is our dream, and it doesn’t concern nobody but me and him.”

Seeing how serious I was she changed her tune. “I’m sorry, it all just hit me at once that you got married and about to have a baby. I got scared you were giving up on your dreams again.”

 The look of shame on her face wasn’t lost upon me. I got it and understood it, but it wasn’t her place especially after all she had done.

“I’m not givin’ up nothing, Ma. You ain’t gotta worry about me.”

“Um, so how long have ya’ll been married?” Trin asked changing the subject as Jey smiled. “It’s been about five months, sis.”

“So right after the trial, you made an honest woman out of her, huh?” Jimmy joked as my mother sighed, pulling me into a hug.

It was awkward to say the least. “I know you didn’t invite me, but I wanted to show you I’m serious about us working this out. I love you and I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you for coming.”

“How far along are you sweetie?”

“I’m three months along, Ma. I found out a couple days ago when I went for my checkup.” My mother frowning, hearing me call Jey’s mom, Ma.  

“I can’t believe this shit-”

“Hush, it don’t matter what you believe Rebecca,” my dad said rubbing my back.

“Well, you gon’ be sick of me, cause I’mma stay doin’ this,” Jey said rubbing my stomach as I laughed.

“I would never.”

“Hey baby, it’s yo’ daddy.”

“Oouu! I can’t wait to shop for baby clothes,” Trin said as I saw my mother looking very uncomfortable.

“Well let’s get some pictures with Dr. Fatu,” my dad said somewhat breaking the ice as we all posed for a few photos.

Regardless of how my mom felt, today was a good day and she wasn’t going to spoil it for me.

Roman’s POV

I had come to Kara’s graduation and sat where nobody could see me. I felt I had to be here and the joy on Kara’s face was something I’m happy I got to see in person. The news about the baby stunned me, as if I needed even more proof we weren’t meant to be together anymore.

“Daddy, see Tee Tee,” Logan said pointing at Kara who was taking a picture with auntie Tani.

“No baby, we just came to cheer her on. I don’t want to bother her because she’s really busy right now.”

“Ok daddy,” Logan said sadly. I knew it was for the best, I didn’t want things to be even more awkward than Kara’s mother was. That was cringe watching from afar because I know she was probably showing her ass.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder I tensed. “Aye, it’s just me, Uce,” realizing it was Jimmy the nervous tension left my body.

“Hey, we were just leaving, I just wanted to support Kara on her graduation day.”

“Hey, lil mama it’s nice to meet you,” Jimmy said kneeling down as Logan gave him a hug.

Damn, she really recognizes and likes everyone but her own mother.

“Tee Tee win Wimmy,” Logan said as Jimmy chuckled. “She sure did.”

“Sorry, she has a little trouble with her J’s.”

“I knew what she meant, and I think it’s cute, so why ya’ll hidin’ over here.”

“I wanted to support Kara; I was planning to come over there but hearing about the baby, i’m still a little stunned.”

“I can understand that, and I know she would too,” Jimmy said standing up with Logan as she put her head on his shoulder.

“She’s going to be an amazing mom and I’m just happy for her. I’m happy for both of them, it just still stings a lot.”

“Well, I ain’t pushin’, they think I went to the bathroom and that’s the story I’m sticking with,” he said looking around at the crowd starting to thin out, passing Logan back to me.

“Tell Jimmy see you later.”

“See you later,” she said blowing him a kiss. “Bye Logan, I’ll see you soon.” The bright smile on her face as he blew her a kiss back let me knew then and there Jimmy was going to be her partner in crime as she got older.

Logan and I quietly slipped away unnoticed and went back to the car.

“Mr. Reigns anywhere else you would like to go?”

“Uh, can you find us an ice cream shop before we head back to the airport.”

“Yay! Ice cream!”

I knew she was going to be bouncing off the walls of the jet, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. After setting up Logan's ipad, I pulled out my phone to see had Trin or Jey posted any pictures on Instagram. I knew Jimmy hadn't, his ass might as well not have Instagram since he never posts.

Trin hadn't posted anything yet. "Damn, you slippin' Trin." Heading to Jey's page, I saw he hadn't put any photos up from the ceromony but had just made an apreciation post in honor of Kara.

It was a photo of Kara in her wedding gown, on the beach.

In this moment I had to agree with Jey and I don't do that much.

Life was good.

----

Two Weeks Later

Pensacola State Prison

Rebecca’s POV

“What do you mean you can’t help me?!” Tia hissed as I sat with her in the family visiting room. “I ain’t being an accessory to this Tia, it ain’t right.”

“Look, all you gotta do is come to the hospital. I’ll make a scene when they try to take me for a CT scan. I will ask can you go in with me and I’ll handle the rest.”

“I can’t Tia, and I won’t. You’re on your own.”

“I already have it all worked out and I promise if you help me, you’ll never see me again.”

 “Tia-”

“Look just think about it, its months away anyway, this type of thing takes planning. I’m only going to have one chance, and I got to make it count.”

“Where are you planning to go Tia?”

“Far away, that’s all you need to know. Now are you going to help me or not?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then I guess we got nothing else to discuss, you ain’t gotta worry about visiting me ever again.”

“Tia, I love you, but you are going to get yourself killed and I’m not going to watch you do it.”

“I don’t need you, but you’re going to be sorry. I promise you will.”

Standing up I looked at my daughter and for the first time I realized she was a lost cause…My child was a lost cause that couldn’t be saved.

“Just leave then, and tell Kara I’m happy she got everything like she always does. I mean she finally got knocked up right, even married Josh. I saw that little post he made on instagram.

“Tia, leave Kara alone and how do you even have a phone in here?”

“I have my ways, guard I’m ready to go back to the yard,” Tia said smugly standing up as well.

“Tia, I’m tellin’ you, leave Kara be!”

“I’ll see ya’ll soon, Ma..Just remember no matter what you do from here on out, I'll always be two steps ahead of you.”

"You're going to get yourself killed."

"Well, lucky me, cause' I ain't afraid to die."

Her statement chilling me to my soul as I left her alone in the visiting room. She was just too far gone, and I knew what I had to do.

Waiting until I got to the front, I politely went over to a guard. “Um, excuse me, I have some information that I need to tell the warden. A prisoner is trying to plan an escape.”

“Ma’am come with me.”  Leading me into a somewhat small conference room I felt closed in and nervous.

Yea, I could never do prison time, I ain’t built for it at all.

 “Just have a seat if you’d like and I’ll fetch the warden for you.” As the guard disappeared, I couldn’t help but pace, my nerves were getting the better of me.

“I just can’t let this go on anymore. Continuing to pace, I couldn’t help but think about Logan, Kara, and the baby. I couldn’t let her hurt them; I would die first.

Kara and I were trying to work on our relationship, I knew we had a long way to go but I knew the first step was finally choosing her.

This time and for the rest of my life I’m choosing her, even if it kills me.

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[my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction]

just wanna cuddle with marc☹️😭😭😭

Me too anon!

Hold

Marc Spector x GN!Reader • Rating: 18+ pals •Masterlist• ao3• want to be tagged? | requestinfo• ko-fi •

Summary: Marc needs to be held.

Warnings: soft! Marc, hand jobs, over use of italics, typos, not beta read, railroad sentences, please let me know if I've missed a warning!

Word Count: 718

Oh for the love of the gods (minus Khonshu) CUDDLE THIS MAN!

He needs it.

Marc totally will not ask for cuddles until your relationship is well established, and even then it’s a struggle for him. 

He tends to just approach you a little nervously, muscles tense, and paws softly at your arm. Hoping that you’ll understand as he glances quickly back and forth between your face and the floor. 

You work out pretty quickly what he needs. 

He just melts into your embrace when you hold him, practically becoming liquid as every part of him relaxes. 

You can feel as his breathing calms and his heartbeat slows

He has to be held to calm down. 

Particularly likes being hugged laying down on the sofa or bed. Likes to snuffle into your chest and warmth and tangle his legs with yours. 

He also likes to lay all over you while you do something else, just so content to be with you, one arm around him, his eyes closed as he feels so safe and wanted. 

Sometimes when he gets overwhelmed in public, he really needs a hug. But doesn’t like to ask for one when there are lots of other people around. However, he is more than happy to give hugs if you ask. 

You get used to this, and the signs that he’s distressed. So you often approach him and ask for a hug. He looks so relieved and silently thanks you as he nods and wraps his arms around you while you do the same, and nuzzles into your embrace.

Fifty percent of the time when you’re in private and laying on the sofa and cuddling that’s all it is, just hugs. But the other fifty percent Marc can’t help but get hard. 

It annoys him, makes him embarrassed and self-conscious. He doesn’t want to get a boner cuddling, doesn’t want you to think that he’s using it as an excuse for something more physical. But it just happens. 

Being close to you and feeling so secure does that to him. 

He still gets embarrassed by it, no matter how many times you reassure him and tell him you don’t mind. 

He still tries to not let it show and gets up to sort himself out in the bathroom, so as not to bother you. 

You can always tell though, long before he tries to move away. Even if his erection isn’t poking into you physically the way he starts to fidget and squirm, the way his breathing hitches gives it away.  

You coax him back into your embrace the second he tries to move away and mutter some nonsense excuse. 

“I know Marc,” you kiss his temple as you pull him gently towards you and palm him through his jogging bottoms. 

The sweet moan he tries to muffle is like music to your ears.

You get him to relax against you, his back to your chest in between your legs as you tease his length over the top of his clothes. 

Your other arm holding him tightly and wrapped around his chest. He whimpers into your bicep, holding onto your arm and just sinking into the sensation of your hand. 

When you slip under his waistband he eagerly lifts his hips and helps you pull down his sweat pants and boxers to his thighs. 

He keeps his eyes closed, tries to keep his sounds and breathing under control as you softly tease him. 

You run your fingers over his cock, smear the precum down his length and give him a few loose pumps to get a reaction. 

The second he jolts or bucks, moans or hisses, you slow back down and repeat the process all over again. 

It’s not until there are tears in the corners of his eyes and wetting his long lashes that he mutters out a whimpered, “please.” 

Then you give him exactly what he needs. 

Stroking him exactly how he craves, firm and consistent, neither slowing or speeding up as he whines and chases his high. 

His thighs always shake when he gets close. 

So you pull up his shirt just enough so that he can splatter his cum all over his stomach. 

Always comes with a whine and pressing his face into your arm, needing to be as close to you as possible. 

Thank you for reading!

@pleasurebuttonwrites @raven-rk @campingwiththecharmings @alexxavicry @whatthefishh

@romanarose @strangerhands @saturn-rings-writes @lonelyisamyw-0love @queerponcho

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@novarosewood

If you'd like to be taken off the tag list please let me know here

[wawataka]

as much as i LOVE the ending to mob psycho 100 (truly a beautiful way to wrap everything up) the one thing that bothers me most is shou’s character development

I think it’s specifically because of his lack of screen time and ONE trying to keep the manga 100 chapters long but he really shot himself in the foot with that. Mostly everyone was written well but I feel like he ran out of time to write everything he really wanted (remember that off handed remark about an esper awakening from Claws horrifying chambers? never brought up again). I feel like for the most part, every other character has a satisfying ending. It aligns with their goals. Serizawa finally feels like he is contributing good to society. Teru understands he isn’t special but hey, nobody is. Reigen isn’t alone anymore. Ritsu and Mob have come to accept Mob for who he is and have started the process of moving on from their trauma. Shou has… well he beat his father. but that wasn’t really him. That was Mob. He spent his whole life coming up with ways to get Toichiro to see some sense and in the end, it had to be someone else. Not him. Not his son. Do you think he ever moved on from that? Do you think he knows he has to? He can technically live his life “normally” now but can he? We can’t even know how he’s dealing with everything because he doesn’t show up in season three at all until like episode 11 (NOT counting the maid cafe scene although it was undeniably really funny). and the thing he takes away from his experience fighting Mob?

BROTHER THEY MADE A WHOLE SHOW ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULDN’T DO THAT. YOU’RE IN THAT SHOW. It almost feels like he’s going backwards??? Like I understand where he’s coming from, and for my own peace of mind i’ve been trying to think he meant it for like violence. but i cannot stop thinking of a Shou that quit using his powers entirely. i literally stopped typing this post and stared at the ceiling rn because of it. like i’m not crazy right?? i can’t be the only one who feels like something is missing about his character??? that CAN’T be what he walks away with

Also this might be a “and the curtains were blue” moment but i also want to talk about this omake

Yeah sure it’s devastating but then I actually started thinking about it. The title is called “Suzuki Shou 13 Years old.” Which is interesting to me because Shou was 12 almost the whole story. His birthday is in december (RIP). He turned 13 like just a month before the confession arc took place. The only thing i don’t know is if he has this dream before or after. I really hope it’s before because if he had this dream post confession arc then ouch???? ?? because if it’s after then that means he clearly hasn’t moved on from everything?? he’s still being haunted by his origin?? and we’re never gonna see him ever move on?? ONE i’m going to kill you and then kill you again make a shou spin off NEOW

[greensagephase]

Nonviolent Communication - Part Ten

Miguel O'Hara x SpideyFemReader

Summary: Miguel continues to recover while trying to figure out how to move on. You take another step forward in your own mourning journey.

Word Count: 23,982

Warnings: I reviewed this three times but I may have missed some errors so apologies in advance; more Spanish terms than usual, I think but translations are provided at the end like always; mostly fluff with a bit of angst but it's necessary angst

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four |

Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight |

Part Nine |Part Ten |Part Eleven|

Part Ten

A little while after your friends leave, Miguel and you lie on your respective beds for the night. You’re already passed out asleep but Miguel is still awake and he finds himself, once again, watching you sleep. He looks away, remembering that Lyla caught him staring the previous night. Yet, there’s something comforting about watching you sleep. Miguel doesn’t understand why but there is. There’s the sound of your breathing; slow, even, and soft. It’s like an invitation to sleep. Like a calling, letting him know that it’s safe for him to do the same.

There’s also the sight of you. You’re once again hugging your pillow and Miguel cannot help but wonder if this is how you always sleep, as this is the third time he’s seen you like this. Watching you sleep, Miguel cannot help but feel ternura, a word in Spanish that translates to “tenderness” or “endearment.” However, he specifically thinks of “ternura” because no term in English does justice to the Spanish translation. The term incites a much deeper feeling than “tenderness” or “endearment” in him. It’s different somehow, even if they translate to the same thing and he suddenly wonders, as he watches you, why he’s even having this chain of thought.

He shakes his head gently, wanting to clear his mind and tries to do so by turning his attention to the windows instead with a soft sigh. The blinds are drawn but he can still see through them. His eyes land on faraway lights from cars, while his ears remain focused on your breathing. His mind shifts back to his thoughts from earlier when your friends were here. On how he’ll try to move forward.

He has time to think about how he’ll do it. He knows it’ll be hard and that it won’t be an overnight change as he’s lived with this mindset for such a long time. It’ll take small steps, and some will be harder to reach than others, but he’ll try. He hasn’t given up in the past when it comes to other things, so Miguel now tries to think of this process in the same way. He won’t give up on it. He won’t give up on moving forward. For them. He smiles faintly, still looking out the windows from the bed, as he remembers his family members telling him they were always around. He looks around the room now, wondering. He remembers Gabriel’s words.

“We’re always with you. Even if you don’t believe it or sense us, we’re always there. In every mission. In every universe. Every day and sleepless night.”

Every sleepless night. Miguel isn’t sleepless tonight. Nor lonely. He looks over at you and for a second, he swears he sees the blanket draped over you move slightly. Miguel blinks and shakes his head once again, thinking he should really go to sleep now. With his eyes on you, he can’t help the thought that comes to his mind suddenly.

“If you’re really around at all times, spare me from losing again. From losing… her.”

And maybe it’s silly but Miguel doesn’t take his thought back. He means it and he hopes that if his family is really here or somewhere out there listening, that they’ve heard his plea. With that, he finally closes his eyes and leans back on the pillows, letting your breathing pull him to sleep.

★★★

The next morning when Miguel wakes up, he finds you awake. You look like you’ve showered already and you’re once again typing into the tablet he’s seen you with this entire weekend. It’s Monday and Miguel suddenly feels like he ought to be in his lab, which he now realizes he’s been away from since Friday night. The thought makes him pause for a few seconds. It’s been so long since he’s spent a weekend out of the lab, and he can’t believe it was due to injuries.

He stretches slightly, wincing when he feels pain in his lower abdomen from the trident wound. You notice and are at his side in the blink of an eye.

“Are you okay?”

Miguel nods, meeting your eyes. “Yes, I just stretched too much. Don’t worry, the pain is subsiding now. I thought it’d be better today.”

“Little by little. Try not to put too much strain, especially on the stitches please,” you reply, watching Miguel with concerned eyes, which he takes notice of.

He instantly feels guilty for making you feel concerned over him, so he gives you a small smile, hoping that it’ll reassure you. It does or at least he believes so because you smile back at him.

“Yes, you’re right. I’m just not used – to this,” Miguel admits and then realizes he’s not used to any of what happened this weekend, and so much happened. There were many realizations. Many firsts. Too many thoughts. All with you by his side; his friend, the one that hardly left his side this entire weekend. The one that found him on that rainy rooftop. The one that gave him the gizmo to keep him from glitching. The one that watched him died and come back to life. The one that fed him, and helped him showered with such care and tenderness. His friend. Miguel’s face suddenly feels very warm. He clears his throat and motions to the tablet that you left behind on the fold out chair. “You’re still working on the report?”

You nod, feeling more relaxed now that you see Miguel is no longer in pain. “Sections two and three are done. I’m almost done with the anomaly section,” you inform him, and he nods, remembering that he wants to ask you if you’d be interested in working with him on the report from now on. He decides to ask later, maybe after breakfast.

“That’s good. I look forward to seeing the complete edition,” he answers with another small grin.

“Hopefully you like it,” you reply with your own grin. “Do you want to get up and walk around a bit? Maybe use the bathroom?”

Miguel nods and so, you help him once again to get to the bathroom. You help him brush his teeth and offer to clean his face, which he hesitantly agrees to again. Once he’s ready, you help him walk to the fold-out chair as he doesn’t want to be in bed anymore.

You offer Miguel breakfast and coffee from the cafeteria, which he accepts. You surprise Miguel with another large coffee cup, making him wonder how you managed to do it again. It’s been weeks since he was able to get his hands on one but you’ve managed to get three in the span of two days. The two of you have breakfast together before Jess and Peter B. show up to inform Miguel about the day’s tasks. He nods and listens intently to them while you stand by the windows, behind Jess and Peter B., listening quietly to the updates. At last, Jess and Peter B. head out, leaving you and Miguel alone again.

You offer Miguel the tablet so he can check on some things while you fix the room. Shortly after, the medical team arrives to check on Miguel. You’re both happy and relieved when they report that his injuries are healing correctly and that he’s in the right direction for a full recovery. He’s doing so well that he’s discharged with the instruction to rest at home for another day or two, at least until he can move his arms without hurting himself. 

So, that’s how you find yourself in Miguel’s penthouse over an hour later after the doctor discharged him. It was an hour later for different reasons. You needed to pick up the items from the bathroom and transport everything Miguel received from spider members to his penthouse. The main reason, however, was that the two of you simply stuck around the infirmary room even when you could’ve left sooner.

As you place your personal hygiene items out on one of the nightstands in Miguel’s guest room now, you can’t help but think how it felt like Miguel didn’t want to leave the infirmary room. You wonder if maybe he had the same thought you had as you were packing up. You were picking up his personal hygiene items from the bathroom and suddenly realized it was time to leave the place that became somewhat of a home over the weekend. The two of you were there the entire time on your own with the exception of two or so hours, even with other spider members in the building. 

It was a room in which a lot happened, some of which you wish to not think about while there are other things that make you smile. Exhaustion, fear, helplessness, and other emotions you felt in the early hours on Saturday morning were replaced by the afternoon. Happiness and relief were felt when he woke up at last in the afternoon. There was a bit of humor from the horrible hospital food and Miguel’s grumpiness. There was comfort in seeing him awake and talking, and in his interest in the movies you watched together in the dimly lit room while it rained. There was vulnerability, tenderness, caring… You ate together. Talked. Slept. The two of you shared this one room and in a weird sense, it felt like it was your own little world away from everyone and everything. And perhaps Miguel felt like that, too.

Maybe that’s why he stalled. Maybe that’s why there was relief, gratitude, and something else in his eyes when you walked up to him and told him, “We can head to your penthouse if you’re ready now.”

And unknowingly, you’re correct. Miguel didn’t want to leave the infirmary room because he thought it meant going home to an empty penthouse. It meant your return to your universe. He felt selfish for stalling and for wishing that you’d stop packing but then you walked up to him and the way you looked at him when you told him the two of you could head out made him realize you had no plans on leaving his side yet. At last, he nodded and the two of you left the infirmary room to go to his penthouse. 

You finish putting away your items on the nightstand. You’re unsure of tomorrow but you’ll be spending the night today. With your hands on your hips, you look around the room. You remember vague details of the place from Saturday morning when you came looking for Miguel, hoping you’d find him here and that everything was fine. You sigh as you remember those moments so vividly, how you were rushing from room to room. You clear your head and focus on the bedroom instead. It matches the neutral theme the entire penthouse is decorated with. The room is organized and clean, which makes you wonder if Miguel cleans the place himself or if he has someone clean it, considering he hardly spends time here. Either way, you notice there’s no dust on the furniture.

Your gaze falls on a bookshelf, catching your attention. You walk to it and read some of the books’ titles, noticing some of them are specifically about genetics. You smile softly, remembering from somewhere that Miguel is a geneticist. It’s been a very long time since you learned that and you can’t even remember who mentioned it to you. Your eyes move to another shelf with more books though these are on technology. You notice a few of the titles are specifically about inventions and repairs. You hum, wondering but retreat from the bookshelf and walk to one of the windows in the bedroom.

You stand in front of it and look out before a strange sensation washes over you as you’re met with a beautiful sight of Nueva York. Tall buildings in Nueva York’s futuristic architecture and flying cars in the distance meet your gaze. You chase the sensation, wondering what exactly it is. It feels like you’ve been here before somehow, looking out of this very window but you know you haven’t. You chuckle to yourself and shake your head, knowing it’s been a crazy weekend and you’re probably just tired. You sigh softly as you stare out the window for a few seconds longer before you head out of the guest room.

You walk down the stairs, catching Miguel’s eyes from the living room. He sits on the couch closest to the stairs, so he looks up as soon as he hears your steps. The sight of you walking down the stairs makes him pause as he realizes it’s been a long time since anyone has been on the second floor. He doesn’t even know that this is your third time over this single weekend since he’s unaware that you came looking for him on Saturday morning.

You reach the bottom of the stairs at last and give him a smile. “Sorry if I took a while. I got a little distracted,” you admit.

Miguel raises his eyebrows softly, curious. “You didn’t, don’t worry about it. I hope you find everything to your liking. There are clean towels in the bathroom and other essentials you may need. If you need something, please let me know.”

“Everything is great, thank you,” you answer as you take a seat on the other couch, across from him.

Miguel nods. “I’m glad to hear that. I want to make sure your stay is comfortable,” Miguel says softly. “So, please let me know if there’s something you need.” You give Miguel a reassuring smile and nod before he adds, ”You said you got distracted?”

“The view. It’s so lovely,” you say with a smile and Miguel nods, knowing what you mean.

The view from the penthouse was one of the reasons he decided to move here in the first place back when he thought he’d spend a lot of time here. He did to some degree but he eventually spent less and less time after Gabriel passed away. As he sees your smile and enthusiasm about the view, it makes Miguel realize it’s been so long since he’s admired it. He honestly forgot about it. Before he gets a chance to respond, you look down at your gizmo.

“It’s almost lunch time. I was thinking – I’m kind of over cafeteria food. No offense, it’s great but would you like something homemade?” you ask slowly.

Miguel nods softly, a small grin on his face. “I would but – you don’t mind?”

You stand up from the couch, fixing your top. ���I don’t mind. It might take me a minute to get acquainted with your appliances, but I got this. Do you have anything specific in mind?”

“Anything you make will be more than great to me,” Miguel says softly. “Really, I’ll have whatever you make. You’ve done so much and now this, too…”

“You’ve done this for me, too,” you interject quietly walking over to the console table between the two couches. “Besides, I think we could really use a homemade meal,” you add with a chuckle.

Miguel gives you a small grin. “I agree… Thank you. If we need to order groceries, let me know so I can order them.”

His last sentence makes Miguel pause. He holds your gaze, but you don’t seem to mind it, or even notice it. You smile and nod.

“Don’t worry about it. I have groceries at home that I can bring if needed, alright? You just sit here and relax, I’ll take care of the rest. And here are – all these remotes,” you say with a frown as you pick up multiple remotes. “If you want to watch TV in the meantime. I think – yeah, this one looks like it.”

You walk over to Miguel, who’s still thinking about his comment on the groceries, and place the remote in his hand. 

“Yeah, that’s the one. Thank you, Y/N,” Miguel responds at last, giving you a nod before you walk away to the kitchen.

He watches you before he looks down at the remote. He shakes his head, wondering why he’s stuck up on his comment. He turns on the TV but nothing catches his attention, so instead, he slowly looks around his living room from his seat.

The fact that he’s sitting there is strange to him. He can’t remember the last time he sat in his living room. It was some time after Gabriellas’s universe collapsed in the first week after his return. He couldn’t sleep because he was plagued by nightmares of Gabriella calling out to him in fear before she vanished from his arms forever. Yeah, that sounds about right to Miguel. He remembers coming to the living room and sitting here sometimes, in the darkness because he couldn’t stand being in his room. When sitting didn’t work anymore, he’d pace; sometimes forgetting for how long. He paced and paced, something he still does at HQ when he needs a break from the screens, trying to hold back the tears – trying to hold back from screaming in anger, grief, and loss in the dead of night, alone in this empty penthouse.

He remembers looking around on those nights. He barely visited the penthouse during his time in Gabriella’s universe. He had no reason to. It wasn’t his home anymore. It didn’t feel like home anymore. He remembers how foreign, cold, and lonely it felt when he came back. There was no warmth. No sign of family. There were no toys in the living room or pink glitter notebooks on the coffee table with crayons and colored pencils scattered about with the promise that they’d be used again the following day by their owner after homework was completed. There was nothing. It was an empty shell of a place he once hoped he could make a home of, and he was suddenly back because the place that had been his home, no longer existed. Just this.

He couldn’t bear it on top of his recurring nightmares. It was so much easier to immerse himself in work to avoid his thoughts and emotions. It was so much easier to avoid sleep, too, even though he often felt like he was stuck in his nightmares in plain daylight.

And so, that’s why he hardly spends any time here. He only shows up in the morning around six each day to shower and until recently, he’s been staying once a week to sleep thanks to you. Miguel leans back on the couch now as he remembers something from his dream. He scoffs silently as he thinks of Gabriel telling him to sleep and teasing him about gray hairs, which he’s sure he must have by now though he hasn’t noticed them.

“Gabrielito,” Miguel whispers with a small smile, shaking his head. “Trataré. Te lo juro.”

It’s another item on a long list of things Miguel will work on, little by little, but he will try. He’s already made up his mind. He will.

Miguel brings himself back to this moment. The TV is on and he can hear you in the kitchen cooking, yet another strange thing – for someone to be using the kitchen. He can’t help but focus on it. From the sound of cooking utensils and the opening and closing of cabinets and drawers; such mundane yet homey sounds.

Shortly after, Miguel hears your steps. The penthouse has a lovely scent from your cooking and when he looks up, he finds you carrying a plate with food for him. He feels both grateful and guilty at the sight. You’ve done so much for him and spent your weekend not only away from home but your entire universe to look after him. He’s glad the other spider members have kept watch over it while you’ve been here at least but there’s still guilt that you’ve been away for too long.

You don’t mind though. You haven’t even thought about how this is the first time you’ve been away from your apartment in a while, including your universe and you’ve no idea Miguel is thinking about this either, as his face reveals nothing about the matter. He offers you a small smile and thanks you, once again, for everything before you help him. You feel satisfaction when Miguel finishes everything with a delighted look on his face, a far different reaction from when he ate the steamed carrot from the infirmary.

Once he’s done eating, you eat, too. You clean the kitchen afterward and wonder what you’ll make for dinner as you’re still not in the mood for cafeteria or takeout food. On top of that, the way Miguel enjoyed the food lets you know he, too, prefers something homemade. You mentally go through all your groceries from back home and think about what you can cook. You remember a specific Mexican dish you enjoy and wonder if he’d like to eat that. It’s easy to cook but delicious and filling, so you ask Miguel how he feels about it when you finish cleaning the kitchen. 

“Hey, I was thinking about dinner. How do you feel about flautas?”

Miguel meets your gaze with a bit of a smile. It almost looks like he’s trying not to smile. He nods. “Flautas sound great. I can help you if you want,” he offers, with a glint in his eyes.

“You can give me advice from one of the stools.” 

“Just advice?” 

“And conversation, if you’d like. Nothing else though, as you still can’t lift your arms too much,” you say as you take a seat across from him on the other couch. 

Miguel at last gives you a small smile. “Advice and conversation it is then,” he replies softly, amused by your refusal to let him do more to help with dinner. 

You give him a small smile before you grab the tablet Ben Reilly gave you over the weekend. You’re not even surprised by the fact that it still has battery after how much you’ve used it considering all devices in Miguel’s universe have better battery life. At the sight of the tablet, Miguel remembers his pending question for you regarding the reports. 

“Working on the report?” 

“Yes, I’m just editing it now. It’ll be ready for Jess to cover tomorrow for the meetings.” 

Miguel nods, thinking about what he’s about to talk to you about. It’s one of the few things on his mind right now. “I wanted to ask you…” 

You look up, wondering if he’s in any discomfort you haven’t noticed yet, though Miguel looks fine. His natural color has fully returned now, and his energy is higher. He’s on the right track in his recovery. Still, your eyes quickly take in his appearance, finding nothing wrong. You relax again but wonder what’s on his mind.

“I noticed you seem to like working on the report and I was wondering if you’d like to work on them from here on now – with me,” Miguel says, meeting your eyes. “And Lyla,” he adds, remembering her just now.

You hold Miguel’s gaze, processing his offer. You weren’t expecting him to say that, so there’s a bit of surprise on your face, which is noted by Miguel. A few seconds later, you nod with a smile. 

“Yeah – I’d like to. Thank you.” 

Miguel nods, giving you a small smile. “Great. And once I’m back – hopefully by Wednesday – we can talk about when to start the system training for you and Peter. We could start this week if the two of you are available.” 

Still smiling, you nod. “That sounds great. I’ll be available. As long as there’s no emergency, I’m clear.” 

Miguel nods, feeling relieved and happy that you’ve agreed. “Great – It’s – It’ll be great having you on the team – for the reports,” he says, feeling a little bit flustered. “Later this week we can discuss how we’ll approach it.” 

You continue to smile and nod. “That sounds wonderful. I look forward to it! Thank you again,” you reply softly, noticing Miguel’s reaction. The significance of this doesn’t elude you. You know Miguel hardly asks for help or lets others collaborate with him but he’s invited you to work with him on the reports now and then there’s the system training, too. You look down at the tablet once Miguel nods at your reply, not wanting to make him uncomfortable as you understand these sort of situations are not easy for him. Still, you think about it and what it could mean. 

Miguel O’Hara, founder and leader of the Spider Society, has asked if you want to help with the reports from here on now. On top of that, he’s open to teaching selective members, you being one of the first two approved members, how the society’s network system works. 

You can’t help but wonder if the events of this weekend have impacted the man sitting across from you more than you thought. That maybe, he found himself at a crossroads and he has chosen a different path. You imagine that coming face to face with death will do that to someone. You sigh silently as you begin editing the report, hoping. 

Once you’re done, you show the completed report to Miguel, who looks pleased with your work. With Miguel’s approval, you send it to Jess for tomorrow’s meeting. 

The two of you spend the rest of the day in the living room. You remember that you didn’t finish the film series the two of you started watching over the weekend, so you resume where you left off, taking walking breaks with Miguel since his body finds relief in stretching since he’s not used to sitting and laying down as much. This time when you start watching the third movie, the one that neither of you could understand until you realized it was the third installment, the two of you finally understand what’s happening.

By the end of the fourth movie, you look over at Miguel and find him sleeping. He’s laying on the couch with his head propped on pillows you retrieved from his bedroom earlier since you helped him lie down in the last walking break. 

The fifth movie starts playing and you leave it on, not wanting to disturb Miguel’s sleep with sudden silence. You look at the tablet to check the time halfway through, realizing you should probably go and collect all the ingredients you’ll be needing for dinner since you’ll have to travel to your universe. You look over at Miguel again, who’s been asleep the entire time, and feel relief that he’s resting.

You recall what Jess said to Peter B. and you before Miguel woke up on Saturday. She mentioned there was a chance Miguel would try and wave the situation off like nothing. That he’d probably try to jump back to work right away. You were worried he was going to try, especially when he started talking about scheduled meetings and the unfinished report shortly after waking up on Saturday. Yet, Miguel hasn’t pushed himself to go back to work nor argued with you about resting or taking it easy.

Instead, Miguel has allowed himself to be taken care of. You know it hasn’t been easy and there have been times that his embarrassment was visible, like the first time you helped him eat or when you wiped his mouth clean. You remember the slight tint on his cheeks and the aversion of his gaze. No, this weekend wasn’t easy for Miguel at all for obvious reasons but also because of the amount of trust and vulnerability he had to show.

Yet, he wanted you to stay. You know that. In his in-and-out state of mind after he was resuscitated, he asked you to stay. You smile sadly now. It was only in that vulnerable moment that his mind wasn’t protected by his usual boundaries, that he was able to say that out loud. Not only did he want you to stay but he also trusted you with his care. So much happened this weekend but at least it wasn’t all bad. There was some good, too. You feel as though a lot was said even if it wasn’t said out loud. It feels like another step forward.

You continue to watch Miguel. The sight of him sleeping brings you comfort as he looks comfy and peaceful. Your gaze moves to his chest for a few seconds, watching the movement intently. His chest rises and falls evenly; a sign that he’s alive and well. It feels as though you’ve spent the majority of the weekend doing this; making sure he’s there and that this isn’t some dream you’ve thrown yourself into to escape the bitter reality that you’ve lost someone once again but thankfully, this isn’t a dream. 

Still, your mind leads you to two brief thoughts. The first is about how you watched Miguel die and how that makes him the second close person in your life that you’ve seen pass away. Except the two situations you’ve witnessed ended differently with one of them making it. That leads to your second thought on how Peter’s death anniversary was only a few days ago and if something had happened with Miguel – it would’ve been just days apart. 

The thought alone fills you with a heavy feeling. You’ve known you care about Miguel for a long time now, so it’s not a surprise but as you sit there and reflect, you realize just how much you care about him. It suddenly hits you all at once and you don’t even want to think where you would be right now. You’re just now fully moving forward and if things had turned out differently with Miguel – you know you would’ve been thrown right back to square one.

But you’re not in that scenario. You’re here and Miguel’s alive, sleeping across from you safely with that same peaceful and boyish look on his face that makes you smile but also wonder if this is the first time Miguel has slept this much consecutively in a while. Even when you were first recruited into the Spider Society, it wasn’t hard to pick up on the founder’s habits, especially when other members talked about it. You learned quickly that he worked day and night, which meant he probably didn’t sleep much.

And so, you can’t help but wonder how long it’s been since Miguel has rested like this. You don’t know but with his sudden acceptance to let people help him more at HQ, you hope he’ll also start to sleep better.

With one last glance, you head to the kitchen. You check what Miguel has already and then make a quick trip to your universe to gather other items, including more clothes for yourself, before you return to Miguel’s penthouse. You check on him once you return, finding Miguel still sleeping before you head back to the kitchen and start working on dinner.

You check on Miguel regularly as you work on dinner, making sure he’s alright. All throughout, he sleeps peacefully and it’s not until your third or fourth round that you find him waking up. He yawns softly before he looks up at you.

“I’m sorry. It seems I fell asleep at some point,” he apologizes, pulling the blanket down softly.

“Don’t worry. It’s good that you’re resting,” you answer walking closer to him. “I’m almost done with dinner in case you’re hungry.”

He nods. “I can smell it. It smells – amazing,” he says softly, meaning it. “Thank you again. I really appreciate it,” he adds quietly, and you nod.

“Always.” You clear your throat quietly. “Do you want to get up and stretch?”

Miguel nods. “Yes, please. And I did say I’d give you advice and conversation – maybe I’m not too late.”

You chuckle as you pull the blanket from him, placing it to the side before you help him up. He winces slightly as most of his pain is now focused on the trident wound. You’re careful with him as you lead him to the kitchen and help him take a seat. You make sure he’s comfortable before you walk to the stove to check on the food. 

Miguel settles on the chair, the pain subsiding slowly. He silently hopes that by tomorrow it’ll be better so he can start moving his arms more. He looks around the kitchen, the scent of the food filling his nostrils even more now that he’s at the heart of the cooking. He spots sour cream, fresh cheese, green salsa, and cut cabbage, which looks prepared with lime juice. It seems that you have all the toppings for the flautas ready. 

You carefully make more flautas by rolling tortillas with the filling and putting toothpicks through them so they’ll hold while they cook in the pan with hot oil. Miguel’s eyes land on you as you add the first batch. 

He doesn’t know if it’s because he’s still waking up or if it’s something else but he can’t help but think how the penthouse feels different right now. It’s as if you’ve brought a warmness to his penthouse. A homey feeling that makes this place feel less lonely, cold, and empty.

You turn around and walk to his fridge to retrieve a pitcher before grabbing ice on a scoop from the freezer. You place both things in front of Miguel and grab two glasses, making Miguel notice that you’ve found your way around his kitchen perfectly. 

“I made some agua de jamaica. Would you like some?” you offer. 

“Agua de jamaica…? Yes, please. Thank you,” he says with a bit of surprise. “I haven’t had any in – God, I don’t know. Years, I think,” he admits as he watches you pour some for him after adding ice. Once done, you carefully slide the glass to him across the counter. 

Suddenly, the irony of this moment doesn’t elude either of you. Months ago, Miguel did the same for you at your apartment with a different drink under different circumstances. Miguel meets your eyes and all you can do is hold each other’s gazes as the two of you silently think of the same thing. At last, you smile softly, earning yourself a soft grin from Miguel. 

“I’ll get you a straw, hold on. I think I saw some reusable ones somewhere,” you mutter as you turn around to search. Miguel is about to tell you where they’re located but you find them right away. You walk around the counter to him, sliding the straw into the glass before you grab it and hold it up for him to drink, making sure to hold the straw steady for him. He leans forward and tries it. 

Miguel almost sighs at the wonderful taste. It’s not too bitter nor too sweet; it’s perfect. Miguel sips quietly, drinking half of the glass in one go as he’s taken back to the days when he used to drink this frequently. Seeing him almost finish the glass makes you happy, though you mask it to avoid making Miguel uncomfortable. At last, he releases the straw and leans back. 

“It’s really good,” Miguel says quietly. “You just reminded me how long it’s been since I’ve enjoyed an agua fresca, specifically this one. It’s one of my favorites,” Miguel shares. “Thank you.” 

You put the glass down on the counter and nod with a small smile. “I’m glad you liked it. I don’t know why but I remembered I had some hibiscus leaves at home and I thought it would be perfect with the flautas.” 

“Flautas and agua de Jamaica –” Miguel pauses, wanting to tell you that you’re spoiling him with such a meal. He looks down, feeling heat rise to his cheeks as he debates telling you his thoughts. “You’re spoiling me,” he admits at last, quietly. 

Your smile grows as you hear his words. “You haven’t tried the flautas yet. Maybe let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You might not even like them,” you say with a chuckle before you walk to the stove to flip them. 

Miguel grins, watching you. “I doubt they’ll be anything but amazing. I mean… It smells great and you have salsa,” he says eyeing the green salsa, hoping it’s spicy. 

“I think I made it too spicy but hopefully you like it,” you say as you continue to flip the first batch of flautas.

Miguel remains quiet but after a few seconds he responds with an amused tone. “I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it.” 

You hum in response as you prepare a container to put the flautas in once they’re done cooking, before setting it aside. It catches Miguel’s eyes. He doesn’t even remember where it came from or where it was stored, which makes him realize just how acquainted you’ve become with his kitchen, much like he did with yours so many months ago. Miguel thinks about that day and how he fixed some of the things in your kitchen while you slept. For a few seconds, he wonders if they’re still working fine before his thoughts shift to another pending question for you.

He’s been searching for the perfect time to ask... What were you doing at HQ so late when you discovered something was wrong? He wonders if you needed something – maybe someone to talk to. Maybe you were sleepless and you thought of him. And of course, the one time you may have needed him, he wasn’t there for you because his insistence to go alone on solo night missions got him in trouble for once. He’s been wondering ever since Jess and Lyla mentioned you being the one that found out he was in trouble, and right now seems like a good time. The two of you are in a good mood and there’s no one else, so that means no interruptions. 

“Y/N… May I ask you a question?” he asks. 

You finish checking on the food and place the tongs away before turning around to face him. He has a very serious look on his face; one that worries you. You approach the counter and nod. 

“Sure… What do you want to ask me?” 

Miguel’s eyes meet yours. “What were you doing at HQ so late on Friday? Or, rather Saturday morning, I suppose,” he says quietly. 

You hold his gaze for a few seconds before you look at the glasses on the counter. You suspected that at one point he was going to ask, you just didn’t expect him to ask so soon. You thought you’d have more time because hell, you haven’t had time to really think about it. You hoped you’d have more time so you could explain everything properly, especially after you told Jess what happened. Jess may have thought that she fooled you but you didn’t fail to notice that she wanted to say more on the matter. There was also the way she looked at you afterward. It made you feel as though what happened was something major and really strange. 

Almost like nothing close to it has ever happened before and if it has, it’s rare. You can’t help but worry. If Jess held back and found the situation odd or as something shocking, then you wonder what Miguel’s reaction will be. You don’t want to alarm him, to make him feel like – You don’t even know how because you haven’t had time to properly think about it but now Miguel is asking, and he thinks you were at HQ for some other reason and that you just happened to discover something was wrong when in reality he was the reason you were there at all.  

But – you won’t lie. So, you sigh quietly and grab your glass with agua de jamaica, taking a long drink before you set the glass back down. You check on the flautas over your shoulder; they look fine. You do this in the span of a few seconds, knowing that you can’t and shouldn’t prolong answering Miguel’s question or then, it’ll make it seem like you don’t want to tell him and he may find the events even more uncomfortable or weird. You look up at him, once again feeling the irony that you’re in his kitchen cooking and looking after him the way he did for you so long ago.

You offer Miguel a smile and shake your head at last.

“It wasn’t like that,” you say, meeting his gaze. Still smiling softly, you continue. “You want to know how we found you?” 

Miguel nods, though he wants to correct you. There was no “we,” just you. You were the one that found him on the rooftop. The one that discovered something was wrong by going into his lab for some unknown reason.

“I’m just – curious,” he replies, and you nod.

“Yeah, I understand. I’d like to know, too,” you say quietly and pause for a few seconds before you start. “It was three in the morning and I was at home sleeping.”

Miguel’s eyebrows furrow, confused, yet he doesn’t interrupt you. He notices the way you’re being careful with your words, as if you fear that the wrong word will set him off.

“Out of nowhere,” you pause. “I woke up. My spidey senses were going off and – I quickly got up to check my two-way radio.” You look away for a second at the counter. “I was certain it was something in my city, you know? But for once, my city was fine, and nothing came from the radio.” You look up at him again. “I suited up and I went out to check regardless because my senses kept going off. I looked around my city and there was… nothing. Everything was fine in my universe, at least. So, I decided to go to, you know, other universes like Hobie’s, Miles’s, Gwen’s… I did a quick check to figure out what was happening but each universe was fine. There was no emergency and yet,” you pause and shrug slightly. “My senses were still warning me. I traveled to multiple universes in the span of two minutes, I think, trying to figure out what was happening until I finally realized I should tell you because maybe it had something to do with the multiverse.”

You quickly check the flautas again, looking behind your shoulder. You don’t want to end up letting the food burn or worse, cause a fire in his home. You face Miguel again when you see the flautas look okay. Miguel continues to watch you, hanging onto every word you say. He notices that you find this hard to talk about and he slowly begins to understand why the more you share what happened.  

“So, I went to HQ and um – I called for Lyla so that she could let you know that I was there but she didn’t respond like she normally does. I tried again and once I saw that she wasn’t responding I just – I felt that something wasn’t right. So, I decided to go into your lab and figured that I’d just apologize for intruding later but when I did – your lab was empty. The screens were red, and you – you were nowhere to be found.”

You look down at the counter and sigh silently. “And so – I reached out to Margo and you know – she never goes to bed at a reasonable time. She always goes to sleep so late and – anyway, I for once hoped that she didn’t listen to our encouragement on fixing her sleeping schedule. Thankfully she didn’t because she immediately showed up and started working on the system once I told her that it wasn’t working and that – oh yes, I was trying to reach you through your gizmo but it said you were offline.” 

You look up at Miguel, who still hasn’t taken his eyes off you as he listens to your recollection of the night. He watches you with both guilt and ache because he can see that talking about it is hard for you. It’s obvious to Miguel with how you’re pausing and looking away from his eyes.  Then, there’s the fact that despite everything, you still thought about apologizing for going into the lab if you had found him there, which just makes Miguel want to smile and tell you that you don’t need to ask or notify him anymore; that you haven’t had the need to do so in a really long time but he just hasn’t told you yet because of what it would mean and because he has a feeling that you’ll continue to do it regardless because you’re always so respectful. 

But for now, he wants to stop you, so that you don’t have to continue thinking about that night, yet you carry on. “We realized something wasn’t right with your offline status, so while she started fixing the system… I actually came here to look for you,” you say quietly, holding his gaze. “I hoped you’d be here.”

Miguel holds your gaze, feeling like someone is squeezing his heart with your last statement. You were hoping he was here, safe.

You give him a sad smile.

“I checked every room and you weren’t here. I went back to HQ, knowing that something was definitely wrong. It was confirmed when Margo got Lyla back and she told us very briefly what happened, so – I headed to Earth-42 and soon, we had a whole search team looking through the city until we found you…” you trail off.

“You found me,” Miguel says. “I remember… It was just you before everyone else arrived.”

You hold his gaze and nod. Miguel’s mind is whirling with thoughts about everything you’ve said.

“Your spidey senses… They warned you about me,” Miguel states, not as a question but as a fact. 

“I don’t know how that’s even possible,” you admit. “But the good thing is we found you and we brought you back home.”

Miguel nods but he still wants to correct you. It was you that found him. You alone. You somehow also knew what building to check, and he has a strong feeling that it’s related to the first mission you joined him in but that isn’t the most important part of this. It’s the fact that your spidey senses were tipped off across the multiverse - for him, who doesn’t even possess that ability. Yet, somehow across the vast multiverse, you sensed his situation. 

As he continues to hold your gaze, Miguel remembers you were the last person he thought about before his consciousness first slipped. From that point on, he was in and out of it but suddenly you were there, kneeling by his side talking to him and shielding his face from the cold rain with your own mask; slipping your gizmo into his wrist to protect him from glitching. All because your spidey senses went off… For him.

He doesn’t understand how it’s impossible. He thinks about it, going through multiple explanations as he possibly can in the moment but one thought keeps popping up. It feels like it’s the only one that holds despite having no scientific evidence. 

There’s a bond between the two of you. 

A connection that’s strong enough to travel across the multiverse. It both worries and comforts Miguel. There’s that fear - that fear that he’ll lose you, too - and this only adds to it. How will he ever go on if that ever happens when such connection exists? And yet, there’s comfort from it, too. To know that even in your deep and peaceful sleep, away in your own universe, you sensed his danger because of this connection. And that very same bond allowed you to find him, to save him.  

Miguel’s gaze softens. “Thank you,” he says quietly with a heavy tone, as if moved by your words, and he is. He has a lot to thank you for and wishes he could do and say more. He wishes he could find a way to show you how thankful he is for everything - for you. 

Smiling, you nod slowly. “Always…” you quietly answer in Miguel’s kitchen, feeling glad that you’ve told him. It’s out now. You were worried Miguel would react negatively but instead he’s thanking you and there’s a look on his face - like he’s thinking of something else - like he knows something that you don’t. You want to ask but despite everything, you remain the same as always. You don’t push his boundaries. 

Suddenly, you remember the food. “Oh, shoot,” you say and quickly walk to the stove, sighing in relief when you see the flautas are intact. “They’re good!” You quickly take them out, placing them on the container you prepared earlier. Miguel smiles at you as you do this. 

You add a new batch to the pan before you walk back to the counter, feeling the need to change the conversation now so you pour yourself more agua de jamaica. You take a sip and nod. 

“I forgot how good this is,” you say quietly, placing the glass down and looking up at Miguel, who has been unable to look away from you. 

He’s determined to do this. He’s thought about it so many times now but suddenly he feels a stronger push to seek this journey. This journey that felt so unreachable even in his dreams because they were always plagued by nightmares but now - as he sits across from you with everything that’s happened this weekend in his mind - he feels as though he can reach over and graze that journey - that possibility - with his fingertips. 

It’s there like it’s never been there before, and hell, Miguel is going to reach for it. He wants to. For his family. For you. For him. 

“It’s so refreshing,” Miguel replies, feeling overwhelmed with everything going on in his mind but he still eyes his own glass, which you notice. 

“You want more?”

Miguel nods and so you help him take another sip. You finish cooking the last batch of flautas and fix two plates. It doesn’t occur to you until you’re ready to help Miguel eat that flautas, much like empanadas, are finger food. So you find yourself helping him eat much like you did that day, holding a flauta from one end as he bites from the other one. You also forgot how messy flautas can be with all the toppings, so you find yourself cleaning his mouth more than you did with the empanadas. 

“I’m so sorry, I completely forgot utensils can’t be used to eat this or how messy eating flautas can be sometimes,” you apologize quietly as you gently wipe the corner of his mouth but Miguel shakes his head slightly, trying not to move much. 

“It’s alright. I didn’t think about it either when you suggested them. I guess we were both in need of a homemade meal. So much that we forgot to think ahead,” Miguel replies once you withdraw your hand, sounding amused. “It’s so worth it though. These are some of the best flautas I’ve ever had. Thank you again for this amazing meal.”

You put the napkin down and chuckle. “Always, and yes. I was a bit tired of cafeteria food. I was so relieved Jess and her husband sent us homemade food yesterday. I just missed it,” you answer. “And I thought it’d be better for you, too, as part of your recovery.”

You take a bite from one of your own flautas now, for once eating at the same time since Miguel asked. He hasn’t liked the fact that you’ve been eating after him, with your food growing cold. On top of that, this makes it feel more like you’re actually eating a meal together. You finish eating and take a quick sip of your drink before offering Miguel his own glass. He quietly accepts it and drinks as you hold the glass for him. 

The two of you sit side by side on the island chairs, facing each other. Miguel is slightly slouched to accommodate you for his height, making it easier for you to bring the food to his mouth. As you do so, you can feel Miguel’s warmth radiating off him, especially on your legs, since they’re slightly pressed against his so you can reach him but it doesn’t seem to bother Miguel. 

Once you’re both done eating, you clean up the kitchen to make sure it’s back to the way it was: spotless. The two of you talk quietly as you clean, and you have to decline Miguel’s help more than twice because he insists he should do something. You finish cleaning by wiping down the last counter, noticing the time on the stove’s clock when you look up. It’s still early but Miguel still needs a shower and his wounds to be checked on. 

“Whenever you want, we can head upstairs so you can take a shower and I can look at your wounds.”

“We should probably do that now before it gets too late. I don’t want to keep you up and I’d like for you to finally rest on a proper bed, which reminds me, I’m sorry you had to sleep on that thing,” Miguel mutters, sounding upset. 

“Don’t worry about it! It was actually comfortable,” you reply with a smile as you stand across from him. 

“I don’t know how but you did look comfortable.”

You shrug. “It was comfortable, really. Don’t worry about it or about keeping me up but you - you should rest properly. Resting on the couch is not the same as resting on a bed and I bet you’ll feel far more comfortable in your own bed, especially after a shower,” you say. 

Miguel’s head tilts to the right. “Alright, it does sound better than the hospital bed.”

You chuckle. “Well, whenever you’re ready”

Miguel tells you he’s ready and with that, you help him up the stairs and into his bathroom. Like the previous day, you fix the shower head so his wounds are not directly hit by the water and leave towels within reach for him. Thankfully, Miguel’s bathroom is large and spacious, and even has a built-in bench that’ll help you wash his upper body. You leave him to wash his lower body and head downstairs to quickly make some canelita. Since you remembered the day Miguel went to your apartment for the first time months ago, you thought about it, too, and now you feel like it’d be something nice to end the day with. Maybe it’ll even help Miguel relax before he goes to sleep. You put water and cinnamon sticks into a pot before you put it on the stove to boil. You head back upstairs and prepare everything you’ll need to take care of Miguel’s wounds. You also prepare his bed, thinking it’ll be so much more comfortable and spacious than the hospital’s with his king size bed. 

You head back downstairs to check on the canelita, surprised to see it’s already boiling. You add more water to it before returning upstairs to check on Miguel. You know it’ll be a while before he’s ready since you asked him to take his time to avoid hurting himself accidentally. You walk to one of the windows to look out for a few minutes before you return downstairs to check on the canelita. You turn it off when you see it’s ready and get two mugs out before going back upstairs. 

You enter Miguel’s bedroom just as he calls your name, ready for your help. 

You help Miguel wash his torso like the day before using the built in bench to do so. You notice Miguel seems far more relaxed, especially because the two of you make conversation as you repeat the same process from yesterday. You start from his shoulders until you finally reach his lower abdomen with your careful and gentle touch all throughout. You wash his arms and then his back before you eventually start on his hair.

Miguel sits sideways on the bench with his head thrown back to give you easier access. Your fingers glide through his hair as you lather the shampoo into his scalp. His eyes are closed, not only because you asked him to avoid getting any shampoo in them but also because he’s once again overwhelmed by the pleasant sensation of your fingers. He thought it’d be easier today but he finds himself clutching the towel around his waist once again. Internally, he’s just glad that the two of you are conversing so he can focus on that and avoid embarrassing himself with any accidental noises escaping from him. 

You finish by rinsing his hair out and drying the excess water with a towel, taking the chance to dry his neck and shoulders, too, since water made its way to those areas. You clean his face with lukewarm water and reusable cotton pads, telling him you’ll clean it again after he brushes his teeth.  

As you do so, you can’t help yourself and once again, take in every detail of Miguel’s face. You're so lost in concentration that you don’t notice Miguel’s own eyes doing the same with your face; observing everything from the color of your eyes to your eyelashes to the bridge of your nose and lips. His gaze grazes every inch of your face. You smile a bit when you notice some stubble on Miguel, which he notes. 

“What is it?” he asks softly. 

“Just noticed you have some stubble.”

“Oh, yes. Maybe tomorrow I can move my arms more and take care of it,” he says as you glide the cotton pad over his cheek. 

You nod. “I’m sure tomorrow you’ll be able to move more. Just try not to push it, okay? And if you still can’t reach your face, I can do it if you trust me,” you say quietly as you move to the other cheek, which makes Miguel smile faintly. 

“After all your help, it would be silly not to trust you with a razor to my face.”

You chuckle. “I guess that’s fair. I can help you tomorrow then. Alright, done.” You back away slowly and put the cotton pads away. “Do you want sweatpants and a jacket to sleep in?”

“I think I can go without the jacket tonight,” Miguel answers, straightening up gently before meeting your gaze. “The place won’t be as cold as the infirmary room.” 

“As long as you’re comfortable, it’s your choice. Let me get your clothes then.” You quickly collect the clothes for Miguel before returning to the bathroom with them. You place the sweatpants on the counter and hold on to his boxers to help him start dressing. 

The two of you succeed again by sticking to the same method from yesterday and in minutes, Miguel is dressed, ready for you to take care of his wounds. The process takes about fifteen minutes while the two of you talk about how much better his wounds look. You also notice he doesn’t wince as much as he did the day before. You lean back when you’re done, giving Miguel, who is sitting at the edge of his bed, more space. You slide the office chair you brought from his office back, taking a look at the injuries from afar. 

“Was that alright? Any discomfort?” you ask, as you put the supplies away. 

“None at all,” Miguel answers. “Thank you.”

You nod. “Do you want anything else to eat or drink? While you were showering I made some canelita. Would you like some?”

Miguel looks at you with surprise. “Really? I… You’ve done so much already, you shouldn’t have,” Miguel says softly, looking away in embarrassment. He can’t help but think about the fact that you cooked twice today on top of helping him shower and move around, and yet you’re still going out of your way to make him even more comfortable.

“I remembered it earlier and thought it would be nice. It’s not a big deal, Miguel. You know it’s not hard to make, so don’t worry about it, okay?” you say gently, trying to reassure him. “Now, would you like some? I think it’d be nice to drink before bed.”

Miguel finally looks back at you with a soft sigh. He nods and smiles faintly. “I can’t say no to canelita, so yes, I’d love some, please. And thank you, again,” he says, still smiling faintly, which makes you smile in return. 

“Great! I’ll go get you some then. I’ll be right back.”

With that, you head downstairs and get two mugs of canelita on top of a straw before you head back upstairs. You find Miguel still sitting at the edge of his bed when you enter the bedroom. He seems to be looking towards the window but at the sound of your footsteps, he turns to face you. You place your mug on the window ledge so you can cool Miguel’s by stirring the straw around gently as you stare out the window. 

“I’m trying to cool it for you,” you say softly, still looking out. You can’t help but feel mesmerized by Nueva York’s beautiful sight at night. You’ve spent several days here but you’re truly taking it all in now that everything is much calmer regarding Miguel’s health.

“What are you thinking about?” Miguel asks, noticing the fascinated look on your face. 

“The view.”

Miguel nods, still looking at you and recalls you talking about the view earlier. He looks out the window, too; trying to see what you see. 

“You know… Sometimes, I get so wrapped up with what we do that I take this for granted,” you suddenly say as you turn to him, still trying to cool off the canelita for him. 

Miguel meets your gaze, surprised.

“You know what I mean? I’ve the chance to see flying cars and use this amazing technology.” You motion to the gizmo on your wrist. “I’ve visited so many universes. Work with so many versions of us. It’s just really amazing we can do this. To have each other...” you trail off, thinking about all your friends, including Miguel. You can’t help but think about the possibility of none of this happening. It could’ve very easily never been possible and there would be no Spider Society. All of you would’ve gone on never knowing about the existence of the multiverse or of each other. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m suddenly thinking about this. It’s all just so incredible. And it’s all possible thanks to you,” you quietly add, smiling. 

Miguel holds your gaze and gives you a soft smile. No one has ever thanked him for this, and it’s not like he’s expecting anyone to or even asking to be thanked. It feels nice but more importantly, your words make him pause. He’s been so busy that he’s never truly stopped and thought about how incredible it truly is. “It really is, isn’t it?” he asks quietly as he thinks about it more. He’s so used to the technology and always keeps himself busy, making it easy to forget and acknowledge how amazing it is. It just makes him realize how he, too, takes for granted many things in his universe. 

Miguel begins to make the attempt to get up, making you place the cup on the ledge quickly. “Hold on, Miguel. I’ll help you,” you say as you stand by his side. 

You help him up with ease but he winces slightly and pauses for a few seconds. His arm is around your waist as he lets the pain die down before he fully stands up, letting go of you slowly. 

“I’m starting to feel less and less pain,” he says and you nod, stepping away a little to give him space. He towers over you as he finds his balance, finding it easier than earlier. He nods and starts walking on his own. His steps are more determined than they’ve been the entire weekend, which is wonderful to see. You give him space but remain ready to help if needed, knowing that this is a great sign for Miguel’s recovery. He reaches the window and stands partially in front of it, as if leaving space for you. 

You walk closer and stand by him with plenty of space between the two of you. Miguel looks up at the sky, watching constellations. He can’t recall the last time he looked up at the night sky to see the stars, which fills Miguel with a sudden sadness. He composes himself and tries a different perspective, a less sadder one. He’s looking and appreciating it now and that’s what matters, right? He subtly looks down at you, noticing your gaze on the city before his eyes shift to the same view. He tries to see the place he grew up in through your eyes. He looks at the modern architecture, the flying cars, and the train to the moon, which he hasn’t been on since he was a teenager. He looks at it all with a new perspective - your perspective - and he’s filled with a sense of awe, realizing it is amazing.

After a few more seconds of silence, you offer him the canelita again. 

“I should sit down again or you won’t be able to reach me,” Miguel says as he starts to move but you make him pause. 

“I think I can lift myself for this,” you offer. “If you wish to stay like this, I can do it.” 

“What if you get burned?”

“I won’t. I’m sure it has cooled off by now.”

Miguel looks down at you and then nods. “But be careful… Please.”

You nod and grab his mug but before you do anything else, you put some of the liquid on your palm using the straw to make sure the liquid is suitable to drink. Satisfied, you walk closer and shoot a web to the ceiling before you slowly lift yourself to an appropriate height. 

“Just wanted to make sure it’s actually cooler now. Don’t want you burning your mouth through the straw,” you say as you hold the cup securely in your hand and bring it close to his mouth. With your finger, you keep the straw from moving as he leans closer to take a drink. You look out the window for a few seconds, as if giving Miguel privacy because of the close distance between the two of you now. A few seconds later, you face him again just as he steps back, nodding. 

“Very soothing,” he says quietly, looking at you as a soft smile appears on his face. “I’ll probably fall asleep very soon with this and the shower.”

“That was the plan,” you say with a chuckle. “You ought to rest. It’ll speed up the recovery.”

Miguel nods with that soft smile still on his face before the two of you continue to look at the city through his bedroom window, drinking canelita. Your gaze takes in everything about the city, and Miguel continues to look at it your way, realizing he’s taken this for granted even more than you, and that maybe he ought to stop and admire it more often. 

Miguel smiles faintly at you about thirty minutes later. He’s on his bed now and you’re fixing the covers over his body. Your fingers brush past his bare skin as you do so, and you subtly but quickly step back once you’re done though Miguel doesn’t seem to mind. 

“If you need anything, just let me know, okay?” you say, looking down at him with a soft smile. 

Miguel nods, looking at the gizmo on his nightstand. It dawned on you moments after you told Miguel he ought to rest that you’d be in different rooms tonight, which means that if he needs anything, you won’t be able to hear him. After telling him, you suggested you could sleep on the floor but of course, Miguel immediately rejected that idea. 

“You’re not sleeping on the floor, Y/N,” he quickly said with a stern tone followed by what you could only describe as a low growl. 

So, that idea was instantly scrapped until Miguel remembered he had an extra gizmo in the penthouse. He keeps all of them at HQ under tight security for obvious reasons but he’s always kept an extra one here, just in case, which is now sitting on his nightstand and will help him communicate with you if he needs anything. 

“I will, don’t worry. Thank you,” he says, still thinking about your suggestion. He wants to shake his head in disbelief at you. There’s no way in hell he would’ve allowed that. Ever. 

“Alright. I’m off then. Good night,” you say softly before you quickly retrieve the mugs from the window’s ledge. 

“Good night,” Miguel replies, eyes on you. 

You’re about to exit the room when he softly calls your name. You pause and turn around. Light from outside illuminates parts of his room, which makes it easier for you to see him. His eyes meet yours with a relaxed and soft look on his face. 

“I just wanted to tell you - thank you. For everything,” Miguel says in the darkness.

You smile softly, not failing to hear the way he emphasizes the last word. “Always, Miguel… Good night,” you whisper. 

“Good night,” Miguel whispers back before you pull the door after you exit, leaving it ajar. 

With your retreating steps, Miguel lays on the bed and stares at the ceiling now. He suddenly has a sensation wash over him. The one that lets you know that you'll remember every detail of a specific event or moment for years to come, no matter how much time goes by. Miguel has that sensation now. He’ll remember this entire weekend, this moment, for the rest of his life. 

He hums faintly, looking up at the ceiling before he closes his eyes, ready to fall asleep. Yet, he can’t, even though he’s tired and willing. It feels like twenty minutes pass by and Miguel is still awake. He’s perfectly comfortable on the bed. He’s tired and sleepy but he cannot fall asleep. With his eyes still closed, he sighs and starts thinking about the previous nights and how easy it was to fall asleep even though the infirmary room wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world; the room was very cold and the bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable as his own is. His bedroom is definitely far more comfortable but… It’s missing something that the infirmary room had, or rather someone. 

Miguel’s eyes snap open with that thought. 

“Mierda,” Miguel whispers as he realizes. 

You’re not in the room sleeping nearby, letting your breathing call him to sleep. He lays there for a few minutes as the realization sinks in. He didn’t realize how much the sound of your breathing while you slept helped him the last few nights. He sighs softly and closes his eyes, thinking about something. Maybe if he just…

He feels like an idiot for trying but he does it anyway and surprisingly, his brain has no difficulty. He recalls the sound of your breathing from the previous night by memory, perfectly. 

And it seems to work for tonight because Miguel succeeds and falls asleep soon after. 

★★★

Miguel moves around his kitchen with ease as he cooks. It’s Saturday, exactly one week since he woke up in the infirmary room. He can move his arms freely now and he’s been walking normally since Wednesday. His less serious injuries are fully healed while the trident wound has a day or two left before it's completely healed. Thankfully, Miguel feels better and more like himself, at least physically. 

It’s strange. It’s late in the afternoon on a Saturday, and he’s home instead of at HQ. He went in this morning to work on something but now he’s back and he has plans to stay the rest of the day here. If it goes his way, of course. 

Miguel pulls out a fresh lettuce from a delivery bag. He ordered groceries earlier to prepare dinner, finding it easier than going out to shop. He opens it and begins to pull some of the layers off before carefully washing the leaves. He cuts them into strips and when he’s done, he places it on a container, adding water to keep it fresh. He feels a little nervous but at the same time, he really wants to do it. It’s the least he can do after everything. He checks the meat he has on the stove, seeing that it’s halfway done. He stirs it before he leans back on the counter, looking around his penthouse as he thinks. 

He finds it hard to believe that only a few days ago you were staying here. You stayed a total of two nights and you somehow made the place feel different. Now, Miguel can’t seem to find that feeling. He grew so used to hearing your footsteps and drawers opening in the kitchen in such a short amount of time. Your presence has made Miguel realize that he misses having someone around like when he and Gabriel lived here together. His young brother made the place feel homier, much the same way you did. It didn’t feel empty, cold, or foreign.

He sighs, thinking about how he needs to find a way to make this place better because he hates how he feels when he’s back.

He remembers the first evening without you here. The penthouse was quiet and empty. He stared out the windows of the living room for a few minutes. It felt wrong. He walked upstairs and that feeling remained. He stopped in front of the guest room, or rather Gabriel’s old room, knowing it was empty. Yet, he pushed the door open and stepped in. There was no sign of your stay and Miguel found himself thinking it was very like you to leave the room the way you found it, seeing as you’re always so organized and tidy. Yet, it bothered him because it made it feel like you hadn’t stayed at all. Like it had been some kind of dream. 

He walked further into Gabriel’s old room, pushing his other feelings away. He doesn’t like to go in there much as it still pains him when he thinks of the days they used to live together before he moved out to the next floor. There are some belongings of Gabriel left though; some of his books on repairing. At the sight of them, Miguel picked one up before he sat down on the bed. He started flipping the pages, finding his brother’s messy writing on the margins with notes and measurements. It was then that his nose picked up on it. The only sign that you had been there at all was your scent. 

Miguel ignored it as he continued to try and decipher Gabriel’s handwriting. He laid on the bed, resting his head on the pillows as he held the book up trying to figure out what a specific portion of text said. Suddenly, your scent was awakened by his movement, filling his nostrils and he found himself breathing deeply. He found comfort in it before he started to think he was being weird. He left the room pretty soon after, closing the door after himself and forgetting about it until later that night when he found himself in bed, once again unable to sleep. 

He tried playing your breathing in his head. It helped the previous two nights perfectly but suddenly it wasn’t working. He was tired and willing to go to sleep unlike so many nights but yet he couldn’t reach it. He got up, ready to pace like always but ended up in Gabriel’s room instead. He stood before the bed for a while with a thought on his mind but he knew it was too much. Yet, he also knew it was two in the morning and nothing was working. So he did it, thinking it didn’t hurt to try. He pulled the covers and got in bed. 

He laid there, eyes closed as your scent engulfed him like cloud formations, and the memory of your breathing playing in his head. He woke up the next day with Lyla peppering him with questions about why he was sleeping in Gabriel’s room and poking fun at him because she had to wake him up. He got in the shower, wondering. Was he in such a bad state that he needed to hear someone’s breathing and their scent to sleep?

He also questioned how he was going to sleep later on. It seemed that simply recalling the sound of your breathing wasn’t enough anymore. The only reason he had slept the previous night was because of your scent. So now, not only does he have to figure out how to make his home better but also find a solution to his sleeping problem. Your scent is still present in Gabriel’s room but he knows that within a few days, it’ll be gone. He’s been thinking about buying candles or something of the sort. Otherwise, he might find himself unable to sleep when he’s now trying. 

Miguel shakes his head and remembers to check the meat. He stirs the food carefully, remembering how much you liked this dish on Christmas Eve, which is why he’s making it. He’s spent the rest of the week getting back to work, figuring out what was done and how it was done but he’s also been thinking about how to thank you properly. He thanked you that first night you stayed over and again the following day, and then once more on Wednesday morning. He had his movement back and there was no need for you to stay another night away from your universe. The two of you knew it. You had breakfast together one last time in his kitchen and then you were there, standing with your travel bag packed and ready to go and the sight of it made - Miguel stops. He doesn’t want to think of that moment because thinking about it includes admitting how he felt when he saw you with your travel bag in hand. He felt a wave of something rush over him. Sadness.

As soon as he realized what he was feeling, he felt appalled. He’s already on edge with admitting out loud that you’re his friend and suddenly he was feeling sadness that you were leaving and he wondered, if your departure alone made him feel like that - what would he feel if something ever happened to you? 

Miguel knows he’s grown fond of you. He’s grown attached to you. Perhaps too much, considering your scent and the sound of your breathing are the only two things that have helped sleep so far. 

“Definitely too much,” Miguel mutters to himself with a sigh. 

He looks at the clock to check the time. He’ll be sending you a message soon to ask if he can drop by your place. He plans on inviting you for dinner and surprising you with burritos de tinga, as you seemed to really enjoy them on Christmas Eve but now he wonders if he should’ve asked you sooner. For all he knows, you may have plans with your other friends or on your own. He decides he can cook another day for you as a way to thank you, if that’s the case. He just wants to do this as a way to show you his gratitude, even when he knows nothing he ever does or says will ever fully be enough to show his appreciation and gratitude to you - for you.

He sends his message ten minutes later before he adds sliced onions to the meat. Your reply arrives about two minutes later, telling him you’re home and that he can drop by. He lets you know it'll take about ten minutes, the amount of time it’ll take to finish cooking. Once he’s done, he places the lid on the pan to keep it warm, expecting to be back soon. 

He looks around briefly, making sure everything is ready before he opens a portal and travels to your dimension. In a matter of seconds, he steps out into your living room as small objects float in midair. His eyes take in the scene before him until they land on you. 

You’re sitting in the middle of your living room’s floor, leaning over your console table with a paintbrush in your hand and multiple blank picture frames laid out on it. The living room is… an organized mess. You look up at him just as the floating objects fall back into place and smile. Miguel blinks, the sight branded to his mind. 

“Please excuse the mess,” you say as you put down the paintbrush.

Miguel scans your face carefully, noticing paint on your cheek. He smiles back at you, finding the sight amusing before he looks around your apartment. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he says softly.

Your walls are empty of decorations. Your console table is covered up to protect it from the paint. Your old rug is rolled up and propped against a wall next to another one still in its new wrapping. There’s a large unopened box with a picture of a bookcase and an extra couch wrapped in new protective material while your older one is partially covered. 

You’re redecorating your apartment. 

“I seem to have come at the wrong time,” Miguel says as he returns his gaze to you. 

You shake your head and get up, stretching slightly. Your arm pops, and you wince quietly before you give him a smile. “Don’t worry, it’s never a bad time. I’m just - redecorating,” you say as you look around briefly before returning your gaze to him. “May I get you something to drink? Thankfully my kitchen area is functional,” you say with a chuckle as you walk towards him, motioning to him to take a seat on one of the two chairs on your kitchen island. 

Miguel follows you, facing your kitchen now, which yes, appears to be spared from the redecorating. He watches as you walk into your kitchen and wash your hands carefully as he reaches the counter. He lays a hand on it just as his eyes flicker to the side where he finds an open laptop. He accidentally reads the multiple tabs you have open, all regarding storage units in your city. He quickly looks away, not wanting to invade your privacy. 

“Thank you but I’m alright,” Miguel replies as his gaze finds you again. 

You turn around and nod, leaning on your counter. “You sure?” you ask softly and stretch your shoulders again, feeling tension after painting pictures frames for a while since you decided to give them a new look instead of buying new ones. 

Miguel nods with a little smile. “Yes, I’m sure. Thank you though. I’m actually here because well -” Miguel pauses and straightens up. “I wanted to thank you again for everything and I know, you’re going to say I already did,” Miguel says once he sees you about to interject. “I know but I still want to do something to show you my immense gratitude. I cooked dinner and I was wondering if you’d like to join me tonight,” Miguel says quietly. 

You tilt your head slightly and smile at him. “That sounds wonderful, though you don’t need to do anything to show your gratitude, Miguel. You know why I did it,” you reply gently. 

“I know,” Miguel says, fully knowing why. He swallows, not knowing what gives him the sudden push to say the next words. “Then… You know why I’m doing this.”

His words take you by surprise, making you take a few seconds to acknowledge them, which in other circumstances they wouldn’t have left you feeling startled. With anyone else you’d smile, acknowledge them, and move on; maybe even throw in some banter because the friendship is constantly acknowledged verbally but the words didn’t come from just anyone. Those words are not as easy to say for Miguel as they are for you. You also know this is the closest you’ll get to hearing Miguel admit out loud he considers you a friend, too, before he directly admits it one day. You finally nod and smile softly, trying to keep it casual because you know this isn’t easy for Miguel and the last thing you want to do is make it a big deal in front of him, even though it is. 

“So, what did you cook?” you ask instead. 

Miguel gives you a soft smile, feeling relieved that you took his words well. “Burritos de tinga. I’ve made agua de jamaica, too.”

“Tinga?” you ask carefully with excitement, remembering how amazing his cooking was back on Christmas Eve. He nods, noticing a bit of a glimmer in your eyes. You chuckle and look around your apartment. It’s a mess. You nod. “I think I could use a break from looking at this mess. And burritos de tinga sound like the perfect way to forget about it for a little bit.” 

With a chuckle, Miguel nods and opens a portal. “I finished cooking a few minutes ago, so it’s just a matter of heating the tortillas.” 

Miguel tilts his head towards the portal, as if motioning to it. With a nod, you step out of your kitchen area just as Miguel moves aside to let you in first. The two of you find yourselves back in Miguel’s penthouse in seconds. You sigh in relief as you’re met with organization and tidiness, stepping aside in Miguel’s living room to let him lead the way. 

Miguel steps out, motioning for you to follow him to his kitchen and dining area. You look around a bit, feeling strange to be back so soon already but quickly put it aside as the lovely scent of food fills your nostrils. Your stomach growls in response, making Miguel look behind his shoulder with an amused look in his eyes. You don’t even try to hide it. 

“I was very close to ordering takeout,” you say as you reach the chairs.

“It's a good thing I messaged you at that time then,” Miguel says as he walks around the kitchen island to the fridge to take out the tortillas. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll start heating the tortillas.” 

You nod and sit on the second chair, leaving the one at the edge for him. You sigh softly and relax into the chair, just now realizing how exhausted you are even as a spider person. “Yes, it’s a good thing. This is a million times better than whatever I was going to get,” you say and chuckle as Miguel turns on the stove and puts a pan to heat the tortillas. He chuckles as he heads back to the fridge to retrieve a pitcher, the same one you used a few days ago. 

He grabs two glasses and ice and pours you some agua de jamaica, sliding it across the counter for you. “How long have you been working on it?” he asks as his eyes find the spot of paint on your cheek again. He doesn’t say anything about it and pours himself a drink, amused. 

You drink the contents of the glass, suddenly realizing how thirsty you are. You lift a finger, motioning to Miguel to give you a second as you drink more before finally setting the glass down. Miguel eyes it and motions to the pitcher as he takes a drink, too. You nod. 

“Yes, please,” you reply before he pours you more. “I started on Thursday morning with breaks in between and decided to try and finish it today, so I woke up extra early. I’m kind of hoping to finish it tonight but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”

Miguel raises an eyebrow and nods. “You must be exhausted.” He also can’t help but wonder how you got the new couch into your apartment, considering you’re several floors up. 

“A little bit. I think I’ll feel good to go once I eat something. Thank you by the way,” you say softly, smiling. “You didn’t have to but I appreciate it.” 

Miguel nods with a soft smile before he turns around to check the pan. His hand hovers over the pan to feel the heat, and feeling satisfied with it, he places the first two tortillas. 

You look down at your refilled glass and drink some more before you lean back on the seat, feeling your back relax after being hunched over your table for who knows how long. You’re trying really hard not to think about Miguel’s indirect way of saying you’re his friend, so you decide to think of something else, like your apartment and the current mess it’s in. You wonder if you should keep going once you return home or if you should leave it for tomorrow but the idea of leaving the living room a mess another night bothers you. 

The place is a mess but you need to do it. You’ve put it off for four years now, keeping the apartment the same way it was while Peter was alive to cope with the fact that everything and everyone was moving forward while you were stuck in time; refusing to believe everything was over in the blink of an eye. Outside your apartment, people lived their lives. Flowers bloomed and died. Hot and humid days turned into cold and rainy ones with the promise of snow. Everything was moving forward and your apartment was the only place where you could pretend, even for just a few hours, that everything was the same.

You could pretend that Peter would come in through the door any minute from a quick run to the grocery store or from work. Or maybe he came back from collecting the mail, holding another package with new Spider-Woman merch to add to his collection even though you told him repeatedly he didn’t have to buy anything to show his support. He always did anyway and you could never get on to him. How could you? All he wanted to do was support you like he always did and of course, it was always a sight to see him wearing Spider-Woman merch. You smile sadly at your glass, and sigh silently.

So, you kept the apartment the same. You cleaned and tidied up the place regularly but things remained the same. You had the same furniture and kept it in the same place as if nothing had ever happened. You were okay with that, as it was one of your coping mechanisms until last Friday when you looked around, realizing that your apartment has remained untouched by time. 

But, everything and everyone has moved forward, and so have you. 

It hit you suddenly on Thursday, the first morning you woke up back at your place. You spent almost a whole week away but you didn’t think much of it. You woke up, brushed your teeth, and made your bed after leaving it unmade in the early hours of Saturday when your spidey senses were going off. You never imagined that you wouldn’t come back to it until days later. 

You finished making your bed before heading out of the room to get some breakfast but ended up pausing at the doorway, suddenly struck by everything. You were away for so long that the apartment smelled the way a place often does when you spend time away. You slowly walked to the middle of your living room and stood there, looking at everything as if you had stepped into someone else’s home and in a way, you had.

You stepped into the home of another version of you. A version of you that doesn’t exist anymore. You turned around and looked, finding remnants of a woman’s life that no longer exists. 

You stared at your wall with photographs for minutes as it laid out the reality for you. You were staring at pictures with people - once friends - that you now know nothing about. In fact, it reminded you of the time that you saved one of your old friends and their child when they were almost struck by a car. You remember being shocked to see your friend holding on to what appeared to be a two year old. You were so surprised you were only able to nod in response as they thanked you profusely before you swung away. 

Your memory only fueled your realization that the people on those photos were - are - different people now, and so are you. You looked around your space again, realizing the apartment was no longer an accurate representation of who you are or where you’re at in life - so you started the process. You took down the picture frames and removed the photos from a different life long gone with Peter, leaving you with empty picture frames to fill with photos of this new life. As you did that, you saw the rest of the apartment for the first time through a different perspective. You saw the beat up rug, the way that the bookcase’s shelves are dented in the middle from so many years of holding books, and your couch that has seen better days among other things that highlighted the truth.

As the morning sun streamed into your apartment, you saw a new vision for the space that you love and hold dear to your heart. Yes, it could use some improvement and the kitchen is especially a testament to that, as it has had some things here and there in the past, some of which Miguel fixed the first time he was there. You could move somewhere else, having the means to do so but you love it. You’ve loved it from the first moment you laid eyes on it when there was an opening to rent. You knew it was going to be the perfect place to start out before you and Peter eventually moved out, especially with early talks about a family one day but that isn’t in the works now. That’s in the past. Those were the plans of a woman who shared them with her partner. 

Now, you need new plans, even if they don’t fully include Peter. Not in the way you wish, at least. You’re not moving out and don’t plan to even though you’ve been in the same apartment for over five years and it could use some improvement; even when you don’t recognize your neighbors since the previous ones are long gone. 

No, you’re staying and changing your space to honor your current self, starting with the living room before you move to other areas of the apartment, slowly but surely. 

You look up at Miguel just as he slides a plate with burritos to you, your thinking face not going unnoticed by him but he doesn’t ask. He guesses it’s related to the current state of your apartment. You offer him a smile, letting go of your thoughts and focusing on this moment.

“Thank you,” you say and he nods before he walks around and sits next to you. 

He offers you the toppings and refills your glass from which you’ve been drinking from this whole time, making it your third glass. You thank him again and add the toppings to your plate.

The two of you start eating in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the food and each other’s company. Miguel is internally happy to see you enjoy the dish once again, as he notices your looks of delight with each bite. The more you eat and relax, the more you start thinking maybe you ought to stop for today and continue tomorrow. 

Miguel cleans his mouth gently and finally breaks the silence as you take a drink from your glass. 

“Would you like more?” he asks and you immediately shake your head. 

“Thank you but no, my hunger has been satisfied. And so has my thirst,” you joke as you motion to your glass, already halfway empty. “Thank you. This is amazing, truly.”

Miguel nods and takes a drink from his own glass, with a soft smile on his face. He’s glad his dinner plan lined up perfectly with today so you could have a good dinner after a long day of redecorating. He places the glass down, suddenly remembering the multiple tabs on your laptop with storage unit searches and your old couch that’s currently partially covered, leading Miguel to piece together that you’re storing it. He thinks of his own furniture, or rather furniture that belonged to Gabriel and his mom, which is all stored away in the next two floors.

“I’m happy that you enjoyed it,” Miguel says nodding to you. “It’s a good thing I planned it for today. A good homemade meal is always great after a long day like yours.”

You grin and nod. “Yes, it is. Except dinner wasn’t only ‘good.’ It was amazing.”

Miguel chuckles quietly and leans back on his chair, making his towering height over you even while sitting, more apparent. “Thank you. I’m really glad you think so,” he answers, looking down at you. His eyes very briefly pass over the paint on your cheek again before his gaze meets yours, still thinking about the furniture and the searches on your laptop. “So, you got a new couch.”

“I did… I think it’s time,” you answer quietly with a small smile, turning your gaze to your glass. You hold it in your hand, twisting it carefully as thoughts of your apartment return. You look up at him again. “I’ve had the same couch - since Peter and I moved in,” you add softly. 

Miguel nods, silently realizing how long you’ve had the couch then. He knows it’s been four years now since Peter’s death since you mentioned it the day of, on top of the years you’ve had it since you bought it. That means the couch has been in your possession for over four years. Yet, it looks like you’re still going to store it anyway. As if reading his thoughts, you tell him about it. 

“Peter and I bought it when we first moved in together. A lot of the furniture was bought then, actually. We were fresh out of college and kind of broke,” you say and laugh quietly. “But we really wanted to move in together and we planned financially for months until we found that apartment. It was perfect for us to start out.” You shake your head slightly, recalling those days. “Anyway, we furnished the place and it’s been the same since. I refused to change it after his death… I just couldn’t,” you whisper, looking back at your glass. 

Miguel closes his hand into a fist, fighting the urge to reach out and comfort you physically. The comment about your apartment being the perfect place to start out for you and Peter makes him remember something. He’s taken back to the first day he showed up at your apartment to check on you. As he was fixing a loose cabinet, he wondered why you lived there when it looked like you had a bad landlord. He remembers thinking you deserve to live somewhere nicer, which is why he asked if you were struggling with money when you mentioned the rent is good. 

He wondered to himself if that was the case as it is for many spider members who find it difficult to keep an everyday job with the duties of a superhero, which is why there’s a program within the Spider Society to help those members out. He instantly regretted asking though, when he saw the way you froze in place after that; your eyes teared up as you glanced at the photo of Peter and you had this faraway look on your face until you said that it didn’t matter as you were out a lot anyway. That was his cue to drop the subject. He knew from that point on that the apartment was important to you but he didn’t realize just how much. 

You clear your throat and smile up at him, oblivious to Miguel’s thoughts and his clenched fist. 

“But - after spending some days away, I went back and it just hit me that I need a change, you know? It’s lovely and it’s served its time but it doesn’t represent me fully anymore, my apartment, I mean. So, I decided to redecorate and that includes a new couch but…” you trail off, thinking about your old couch. It’s not in the best condition anymore but you still can’t find it in yourself to throw it out like nothing. “I don’t want to throw out my old one. Peter and I spent a lot of our evenings there and - I don’t know. I know it’s stupid-” you start but Miguel interrupts you. 

“It’s not stupid,” he says in a serious but reassuring tone as he turns his body more to you, leading to your legs brushing each other’s now. “It’s perfectly normal. I have stored furniture, too,” Miguel shares, wanting to comfort you at least this way. You look up at him then, surprised but at the same time comforted by his words, so he decides to add more. “Gabriel used to live here. The other room was actually his. We lived together for a while until he decided to get his own space. He did a lot of repairs on tech pieces and didn’t want to clutter here,” Miguel says looking around before he looks back at you. “So, he bought the next floor and moved out. After some things happened - my mom also moved to this building. She bought the next floor when it became available, wanting to live closer to us. They didn’t live in their own apartments for long though,” Miguel pauses, thinking about how his mom passed away a year later after she moved in. Gabriel followed suit a little while after her. “I inherited their possessions and - their apartments are still like they left them, for the most part,” Miguel whispers. “I know it’s not easy to let go of items.” 

He can’t help but think about Gabriella and his wife. If he could’ve kept their belongings, he would’ve. The only thing he has left is Gabriella’s acoustic guitar that he brought to Nueva York a few days before their universe collapsed. He was going to tune it for Gabi but he never got to it. Now, it’s the only physical item he has left of her, so he keeps it safe downstairs in one of the bedrooms, only retrieving it when necessary like on Dia de los Muertos to offer it to Gabi. 

You nod softly, feeling comforted by his words and also touched that he has shared yet something else with you. You lay your hands on your lap. “Thank you, that really - that really makes me feel better,” you reply quietly, giving him a relieved smile. “I appreciate it.” 

Miguel nods, at last relaxing his fist as he sees your smile. “Always,” he answers quietly before he remembers the searches on your laptop again. His eyebrows furrow a bit. “I didn’t mean to intrude but I saw the searches on your laptop when you offered me something to drink. You’re putting it in a storage unit?” 

You nod. “Yes.” You sigh deeply, remembering your search. Your sigh sounds tired to Miguel. He’s been unable to stop thinking about it and he realizes now it’s because he’s been worrying about your belongings. “I’ve been looking for storage units but they all have mixed reviews. I’m going to visit each place and see which one is better this upcoming week to compare.”

Miguel nods. “Yeah, that sounds like the best idea to avoid any damage to your belongings.” 

You nod before you take another drink of agua de jamaica. 

Miguel looks down at his own glass, thinking. “You know…” he starts, making you turn to him slightly. He looks at the remnants of his drink. The ice has melted quite a lot, diluting the agua de jamaica into a light maroon color now. “No one goes downstairs but me. I clean both floors twice a month to make sure they remain clean. If you want…” he says and turns to you. “If you want, you can store your furniture there. It’d be safer.”

You start shaking your head as soon as he’s done talking. “Thank you, that’s very kind of you but I can’t possibly accept that,” you decline politely.

Miguel’s eyebrows furrow slightly. “You’d have access to it at all times. You don’t have to let me know if you decide to come in and check on it. It’ll be safe here, probably more so than in most storage units,” he says softly. “I wouldn’t mind.”

You shake your head. “That’s too much, Miguel. It’ll be cluttering your space. Thank you but no. I appreciate the thought, though.”

Miguel shrugs, still looking down at you. “No one lives there. I hardly go down there except to clean. It won’t be an inconvenience to anyone. Seriously,” Miguel says. “Just think about it. All the furniture downstairs has been stored for years and it’s intact. I’d hate for something to happen to your belongings,” he says softly, genuinely concerned when he can tell how much the couch alone means to you. 

You sigh softly, thinking about it and Miguel wonders why you’re being so stubborn about this. It’s a simple offer. 

“Are you worried something is going to happen to them here?” he asks you. 

“No, of course not. I’m pretty sure they’d probably be safer here than in most storage units but -” you pause. “I don’t know.”

Miguel shakes his head in amusement. “I won’t let anything happen to your furniture and you can come in any time you want. I’ll show you how to access the floor and everything. Really, it’s not an inconvenience, Y/N.”

You sigh again thinking for a few seconds until you nod slowly. “Are you sure, though?” you ask, making Miguel tilt his head to the side with a soft grin. 

“I’m sure. C’mon, I’ll show you the space so you can see it’s clean,” he says standing up. “I’ll clear this up later, don’t worry about it,” he says when he notices you pick up your plate, taking it from your hand gently and putting it back on the counter. 

He motions for you to follow him, walking the opposite way of the living room. You follow him, thinking about how you haven’t seen the entrance to his penthouse, or a laundry room for that matter now that you think about it. Miguel comes close to the wall and he opens a door that you hadn’t even noticed before with ease. He turns around to let you in first. “Sleek doors,” he says, noticing your confusion. “They’re meant to blend in with the walls to give the space a sleeker look.” 

You nod and thank him as you step into a hallway that leads to another room. You spot three doors in the hallway, actually noticing them this time even though they’re sleek doors, too. 

“Laundry room,” Miguel says, motioning to the first door on the right. “A bathroom for guests,” he says, pointing to the second door. “And another office,” he says for the single door on the left. You follow him down the hallway, stepping out into another living room, smaller than the other one but still larger than your own apartment. “A living room for guests, while the other one is for family and friends,” Miguel explains. 

“It’s lovely,” you reply genuinely because even though this is supposed to be smaller and perhaps less personal, it’s still a very beautiful living room that leads to a grand entrance. You keep following Miguel as he leads you out of his penthouse, stepping out into his private entry before you enter an elevator and reach the next floor. 

The two of you step out of the elevator with Miguel continuing to lead the way to the apartment’s front door. He reaches out and presses his finger to a screen on the wall, which scans his entire hand before the door unlocks. He opens it and lets you in first. You slowly walk down a hallway that opens up to the entire apartment, which is impressive and luxurious. You see furniture, or rather the shapes of it, as everything is covered just like Miguel said. Blinds cover the windows completely, keeping the sunlight out. Everything looks organized and clean, even the picture frames on the wall, which your eyes very briefly scan, noticing Miguel is in some of them with Gabriel. You look away out of respect and focus on the apartment itself. 

Miguel stands behind you, giving you time to look around before he does the same. His eyes land on the photos on the wall. He thought about taking them down but never got to it and he eventually thought about how Gabriel wouldn’t like it either, especially when Miguel still has the apartment in his possession. So, he just left them up. You turn around to face him and nod. 

“The blinds keep the sunlight out and the temperature is right to avoid any damage. Everything has a protective sheet, as you can see,” Miguel says, looking away from the photos. “No one else comes here except for me.”

You nod again. This is much better than any of the photos you saw from actual storage units, of course. You look around again ready to ask about the payment, noticing that Miguel is looking at another photo. 

“What do you think?” he asks gently. “I think it’s better than a storage unit and you don’t have to worry about paying,” he says, giving you a glance. “I know you were just about to ask.” 

You smile and laugh.”You can read minds, too?”

“I saw it on your face,” Miguel answers with a shrug, smiling softly before he turns his attention back to the photo. It’s of Gabriel and him. In fact, a majority of the photos in the apartment are of them. A few have their mother, too, though there’s no sign of the father.  

You stand a few feet away from Miguel in silence, not wanting to intrude. He seems lost in thought with his unwavering gaze on the photo, and how could he not when Gabriel has been on his mind all week. Miguel’s loved ones are always present in his mind but that’s especially true after what happened a week ago. 

“He was better than me with the decoration,” Miguel mutters, still looking at the photo. “He and my mom got on to me about it. They were the ones that decorated the penthouse after I went a few months without doing anything to it. Gabriel on the other hand… He had all these photos hung up three days after moving in.”

You nod, though Miguel isn’t facing you. You look at the photo from where you are, noticing that the O’Hara brothers look to be in their teens and even then, Miguel towered over Gabriel.

Miguel shakes his head softly. He feels like a lot has changed since the last time he was here and it wasn’t that long ago. Now, he’s here again with you, and that makes you the first person that’s visited this apartment in years besides himself. If Gabriel is really out there, with the rest of his family, he wonders what they think of this fact and of you. He suddenly remembers his dream and how they kept telling him you were calling him. He recalls the way they seemed delighted about it, and he takes that as a sign that if they’re out there - or here, who knows - they must be happy about this, too. 

Miguel sighs softly and turns around to face you at last with a gentle smile. “I’m sorry, I was thinking about - my family,” he says, wondering when he’ll tell you about his dream because it’s no longer about whether or not he will. Not anymore. 

“Don’t apologize. I understand,” you answer, smiling. 

“You know - they would’ve really liked you,” he quietly says, which catches you by surprise.

“I - Thank you. I wish I could’ve met them,” you reply, and he nods, wishing, too.

“Me, too,” he answers in a hushed tone. He clears his throat softly. “So… What do you think?” he says motioning to the apartment. 

“Yes,” you say, nodding, feeling a bit embarrassed to accept his offer. “If it’s not too much… I’d really appreciate it.” 

Miguel nods. “It’s not an inconvenience. Believe me. Do you want to bring it right now? I can help you, if you want,” he offers, even though he knows you might want to do it on your own. 

“You’re already doing me a big favor… I don’t want to bother you with one more thing.” 

“You wouldn’t be bothering me, Y/N. It’s not an inconvenience. Please…”

Please let me help you, Miguel wants to say but the words don’t come out, so instead he holds your gaze and hopes you can see it in his eyes; that he wishes to help you, if only you let him. 

You nod slowly, eyes softening at the sight. “Alright… Thank you. I guess I could use some help, since I’m moving it across the multiverse.” 

Miguel nods, amused but glad that you’ve accepted his help. “I’ve never transported furniture through the multiverse, so this will be a first for the two of us.”

You laugh, even though you feel like you’re overstepping by bringing your couch here but in the end, Miguel and you successfully move your couch from your universe to his. As soon as you step back into Nueva York, Miguel carries it on his own like it weighs nothing. He places it near a wall once you tell him he can put it anywhere after he asks if you have a preference. He retrieves a protective sheet before turning around to face you.  

“Thank you so much,” you say genuinely, feeling bittersweet to see your couch in another space. You smile fondly at it, forgetting for a second that Miguel is in the room with you, and of course, he notices the look on your face. 

“I’ll wait outside,” he says quietly but you shake your head. 

“No, it’s okay. It’s - It’s just a couch,” you say softly but you know it’s not true. It was once the couch that completed an old vision for your apartment. One that included Peter. It was the couch you spent your evenings on, reading your books before he asked you to dance with him to his favorite songs. It was also the couch on which you sat with Peter’s head on your lap as your fingers played with his hair after a long day from work to ease his stress. 

Miguel walks to you and offers the protective sheet, knowing you must do it. He walks around you and stands a few feet away to give you space. You walk over to your couch, letting the protective sheet unfold. You don’t give your couch a “goodbye” but rather a silent “bye” as you know it’s not the last time you’ll see it. You smile fondly at it before you drape the protective sheet over it, covering it fully. You step back, letting your eyes trace the familiar outline of it and sigh. It’s time. One more step forward. You feel a tear roll down your face and wipe it away discreetly, thinking about how Peter would be proud of you for taking this step. You smile at the thought of him, sweet Peter. You nod softly and turn around to face Miguel, still smiling.  

Even from afar, he can see the trace of a tear on your cheek, softening his expression. He’s relieved you’re not crying because he doesn’t think he’d be able to handle seeing you in such a vulnerable state. The thought alone… devastates him. 

Yet, you smile at him and nod. “Thank you,” you say softly, almost a whisper. “I really appreciate it.”

Miguel nods back. “Always,” he replies in the same tone, smiling softly. 

The two of you head out of the apartment shortly after, stopping outside the front door so Miguel can add your fingerprint to the system. The process takes only a couple of seconds before you head back to his penthouse where Miguel offers you a coffee as a way to comfort you. You accept, still thinking about your couch while Miguel prepares a special kind of coffee. Café de olla. The two of you sit side by side once it’s ready, drinking it slowly and enjoying the rich scent and flavor. You smile up at him. 

“Thank you for the great coffee. And for dinner, on top of letting me store my couch here,” you say, just thanking him over and over again, making Miguel chuckle quietly. 

He looks down at you, remembering the paint on your face. He gets up without saying anything and retrieves a towel to run under warm water before he returns to you. You watch him with curiosity, wondering what he’s doing. He takes a seat and turns to you. 

“I meant to tell you earlier,” he says, holding the towel. “You have some - paint here,” he says as he slowly lifts the towel to your face, as if unsure of what he's about to do but he ends up going for it. He gently cleans the paint off your face and you chuckle quietly. 

“All this time and you didn’t tell me?” you ask, feigning disbelief. 

Miguel withdraws the towel once the paint is gone. “It wasn’t that noticeable, don’t worry.”

You shake your head at him, smiling. “I don’t believe that but I’ll let it slide because of this amazing coffee.”

Miguel puts the towel down on the counter, amused. He looks at the time and realizes how much later it is. It seems that each time the two of you are together, time flies by. He takes a sip of the coffee, thinking. 

“Are you still going to work on your apartment or are you calling it a day?” he asks, genuinely wanting to know if you’re going to keep working. 

You shrug. “I feel kind of tired - but I think I may work on less strenuous things.”

“Like what?” Miguel asks curiously. 

“I have some new art to hang up and I’m going to choose new photos.”

Miguel nods, making him look around his own place. It’s been the same for years. He’s about to tell you that when Lyla appears. 

“Hello, you two! Smile!” she says, catching the two of you by surprise. 

You look over at Lyla as she displays a photo of you and Miguel, just taken. 

“Lyla,” Miguel says. 

“What? I’m just taking a picture to add to my file.”

That makes you and Miguel raise your eyebrows. 

“File?” you ask. 

“Oh - Uh, did I say file? I’m so tired from work I misspoke,” Lyla says shrugging and laughing nervously. 

“You said file,” Miguel says, narrowing his eyes as he has no knowledge of this file. 

“Okay, so I may have some photos of you guys and like - of the rest of the members.”

“What kind of photos?” Miguel asks.

“Normal photos, Miguel. I’m not a creep.”

“May we see them?” you ask. 

Lyla crosses her arms over her chest, thinking. “Fine, since you asked so nicely and you’re one of my top five favorite spider members. I’ll do a slideshow for you,” Lyla says with a grin before she does exactly that. 

The two of you watch as Lyla starts displaying different photos specifically of you and Miguel with Lyla making appearances sometimes. Some appear to have been taken on rooftops in other universes from when you and Miguel go off to the tallest buildings. Other photos show the two of you talking before meetings with your coffee cups making appearances, too. There’s one from Christmas Eve with the two of you leaning over the windows watching the holographic Christmas light show and another one of Miguel showing you how to design an ornament. The last photos of the slideshow are from the last few days at the infirmary room, which includes a picture of the moment Miguel made a face after he ate the horrible carrot. It makes Lyla giggle but she quickly shuts up when she sees Miguel glaring at her for a few seconds. He notices you covering your mouth as if stifling a laugh. He shakes his head in both amusement and disbelief.

“I can’t believe I ate that,” he says. “You didn’t believe me when I said it was going to be bad.”

“In my defense, I thought it’d be better since it’s Nueva York.”

Miguel scoffs playfully. “Yeah, well… It’s no wonder why the no outside food rule is disregarded, to be honest.”

You chuckle before the two of you return your attention to the slideshow. There’s a photo of the two of you watching one of the movies from last Saturday. Another one of the two of you sleeping which makes you and Miguel raise your eyebrows at Lyla. She shrugs. 

“Accidental photo, my bad. At least I got good angles of you.”

Miguel rolls his eyes remembering how she called him a creep for watching you sleep but here she was, with a photo of the two of you sleeping. 

Then, there are a few photos of when your friends showed up. The rest are from the two days you spent here, like you cooking and Miguel sleeping in the living room. At last, the final one is the one Lyla took just moments ago, though there are a few more that Lyla doesn’t display.

You nod slowly and turn to Miguel, who meets your eyes. You think about it for a few seconds, gaining the courage to ask him. 

“May I have a copy of some of these?” Miguel raises an eyebrow and you quickly explain yourself. “Not the ones of you sleeping or us sleeping but you know - like the one from Christmas Eve or when everyone showed up? I’d love to add a few to my wall, if you don’t  mind.”

Miguel nods, amused. “Yes, of course. Just tell Lyla which ones you want and I’ll get them for you. Let me put this stuff away while you tell her,” he says, motioning to the toppings from dinner. 

You quickly tell Lyla which ones, which leads Miguel to go to his office. He comes back a minute later with a flash drive. He hands it to you. “They’re all there,” he says and you thank him as the two of you return to your seats to finish drinking your coffee. 

“Wait… Are you guys drinking coffee? Miguel, you should probably not drink that considering you’ve been struggling to sleep the last two - three nights,” Lyla says, raising an eyebrow. 

You turn to face him, raising an eyebrow of your own. “You’ve been struggling to sleep?” you ask softly, your tone laced with worry. 

Miguel wants to glare at Lyla, who shrugs but he finds himself unable to as he meets your gaze. “It’s alright. Sometimes it happens,” he says. 

“It wasn’t happening lately until the last three nights,” Lyla adds, gaining herself Miguel’s gaze.

“Lyla,” Miguel warns her gently but with a hint of authority.

“I’m just saying - I don’t think Y/N would mind - if you just ask her,” Lyla says nonchalantly, somehow knowing the current solution to his sleep problems.

“Ask me what?” you ask Miguel curiously. 

“It’s nothing, Y/N. Lyla appears to have a bug, probably from the system failure from last weekend,” he answers but you’re not convinced. 

“If I can help you somehow… Please let me know,” you say but Miguel shakes his head.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing. I just - It happens sometimes,” Miguel says, trying to convince you it’s nothing so the conversation can be dropped. He’s not about to tell you the truth. He can’t. It’s too much. 

“Miguel - it’s really not that big of a deal. Y/N probably wouldn’t min-” Lyla starts. 

“Lyla, deactivate,” Miguel says evenly, making Lyla disappear instantly. 

You sit there, holding your cup of coffee staring at nothing now. You turn slightly to Miguel, giving him a small but reassuring smile. You can tell he really doesn’t want to talk about it, so you bring the cup of coffee to your lips and drink quietly. Miguel sighs next to you, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“I’m sorry you had to see - and hear me - like that,” Miguel says quietly. 

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it,” you answer, putting your cup down on the counter but still holding it. “Lyla can really push buttons, sometimes.”

“More than sometimes,” Miguel grumbles but now he feels horrible for the way he reacted in front of you. It’s nothing compared to the ways he’s reacted in the past, he knows that but it bothers him that you’ve seen a different side of him now, or at least a glimpse. “I can’t talk about it.”

You nod slowly. “I understand. You don’t have to,” you answer without judgment, though you wish he’d tell you about it, especially if you can help him somehow. 

Neither of you say anything for a minute or two. You continue to drink your coffee silently, trying to give Miguel some time to come back from this moment. Meanwhile, he’s internally fighting with himself. He’s embarrassed to tell you but now there’s also the need to explain it anyway, so you understand why he reacted the way he did towards Lyla. He sighs silently and runs a hand through his hair, wishing Lyla hadn’t said anything. At last, he picks up his own cup of coffee and drinks before he sighs again. He is trying, isn’t he? He said he will. 

“I’ve avoided sleep since Gabriella’s…” Miguel starts, his voice almost a whisper. 

You look up at him and start shaking your head slightly, wanting to tell him that he doesn’t have to explain anything; that he doesn’t have to give any explanations to anyone, not even you but Miguel shakes his head gently, knowing what you want to say. “I should… You said talking about it helps, right?” he asks softly. “On Christmas Eve, you said it helps to talk about it.”

You pause, remembering you said that many months ago while sitting on the same chair. You nod slowly but say nothing. Miguel nods back, meeting your eyes. 

“I’ve avoided sleep since then because of - nightmares,” he continues. “It was easier to not sleep. To keep working. I’ve only been sleeping when my body is extremely exhausted. I take naps,” he reveals, breaking your heart with each word that leaves his lips because that means that he truly doesn’t sleep that much. Then there’s the nightmares part and you can only imagine what they involve if they started after what happened with Gabriella’s universe. You feel your hand itch to reach over and hold his. You want to comfort him for his lack of sleep, for the nightmares, for his vulnerability right now, and for the fact that it seems that he’s trying to sleep these days but hasn’t been able to. You feel incredibly sad as his revelation confirms your suspicions that this past week has been the first time Miguel has slept well in a long time, and it breaks you even more to know it was because of his injuries and not a good reason. You yearn to reach out and comfort him but you hold back, resting your hand on your thigh instead and keeping it there.

“I’ve been living like this since then and - I’ve tried to sleep this week. To recover. It was working but not anymore, even when I want to,” Miguel says so quietly, still holding your gaze. 

You nod, wishing you could do something even if it’s just offering advice but you’ve never been in his shoes. You lost Peter but you didn’t have nightmares about it. You dreamt of him often after his death but they were always pleasant dreams, which have decreased over the years. 

Miguel looks away before he continues. “Something has been helping me recently.”

You clear your throat softly. “What is it? We can get it so you can rest properly, Miguel,” you offer, noticing Miguel’s fist clenched softly. 

“I don’t know how to say this.”

You sit still, not sure if you should encourage him or just remain quiet and give him time to speak. You want to respect his boundaries. You want to give him space. Yet, you also want him to sleep well, especially now that he’s admitted that he’s trying and no longer avoiding sleeping. It makes you wonder again if last weekend’s event has impacted him more than you thought. 

“Your breathing,” Miguel mutters at last, almost making you miss it. You keep still, trying not to show your surprise once his words register. “The sound of your breathing when you sleep - and your scent. It’s been helping me sleep,” Miguel quietly admits at last with a tone that lets you know he’s ashamed of it. 

You sit there for about a second or two, not thinking about it for too long because you don’t want your silence to be mistaken as a negative reaction, so you smile and look at him, searching his face. There’s a slight tint to his cheeks and he’s avoiding your gaze. 

“Well, then… I’m sure with the gizmo Lyla can record my breathing when I sleep, right?” you ask gently. “Tonight, we can do a live feed and record it in the process,” you offer, making Miguel turn his head to you in surprise. Here you are, offering to have your sleep be recorded so he can use it and sleep himself. 

“Y/N… No, that’s too much. I’m just trying to explain this mess Lyla made,” he says quietly. 

“It’s not too much, Miguel. If it’s going to help you sleep, it’s not. I don’t mind,” you answer and give him a reassuring smile. “And my scent,” you pause, thinking. “Do you think a sweatshirt would help? I wear one to sleep all the time because I get cold during the night. I can give you one each week so it’s fresh. We can rotate,” you offer, thinking about it and nodding to yourself as this seems the best course of action. “I’ll bring you the one I’ve been using the last couple of nights.”

Miguel shakes his head. “I don’t want you to feel-”

“I don’t,” you counter. “I want to help. I want you to sleep well, and if this helps, let’s do it. I don’t mind. If it works, you’ll let me know by accepting the new sweatshirt each week. No words need to be exchanged. If it stops working, you’ll let me know by declining the sweatshirt. We’ll find another method then, okay?” you ask softly. 

Seeing the tender look on your face and hearing your reassuring words, Miguel nods slowly. “Thank you,” he hesitantly answers, feeling embarrassed. 

You smile at him kindly. “Always.”

He gives you a soft, almost shy smile and you know this is too much for the founder and commander of the Spider Society, so you try to ease the situation for him to make him feel comfortable again. 

“This coffee is really good,” you say as your attempt to lighten up the mood. You want to bring back the carefree Miguel from earlier. 

Miguel hums. “It’s even better with a piece of pan dulce,” he says looking at his own coffee. “Gabriel and I used to make this kind of coffee on Saturdays when we had more time,” he shares. Sometimes they took turns making it and they’d always bring a cup to each other wherever they were in the penthouse. Even when Gabriel moved to his own floor, the tradition carried on. Miguel can’t help himself from thinking that Gabriel is probably happy he’s made some again, which happens to be on a Saturday. He can almost hear him telling him to make it a thing again, even if Gabriel isn’t here anymore. He looks over at you suddenly, his embarrassment subsiding now thanks to your change of conversation, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Miguel. He’s noticed the way you always try to make hard situations for him better and he appreciates it. So much. It encourages him even more to embrace this new journey. “If you’re not too busy next Saturday, I could make more and buy pan dulce.”

You nod slowly, smiling. “That sounds great.” You pause, thinking. “And since you cooked today, I can cook something then. I promise my living room will look presentable again.”

Miguel hides it well but he’s surprised at the subtle invitation for dinner. He nods slowly and chuckles. “Very well. And I’m sure it will.” 

You nod and smile before you look at the time, wondering where the time has gone, sharing Miguel’s feeling from earlier. Time flies when you’re in each other’s presence. You finish your coffee and motion to the kitchen as it still needs to be cleaned.

“Do you want help picking up your kitchen?” you ask but Miguel quickly shakes his head. 

“I can take care of it but thank you though,” he responds softly. 

“Well, I should probably head home now. It’s getting pretty late and you still need rest. Your wounds doing good?” you ask as you get up at last.

“Yes. The smaller ones are closed up. It’s just the trident wound now,” Miguel answers standing up, too, as his hand brushes past the hem of his shirt since he’s wearing normal clothes today. He wants to show you the progress but he’s not sure about randomly pulling up his shirt to show you. He ends up doing it anyway, deciding that you’ve seen him in far less appropriate ways since he’s certain that you unfortunately caught glimpses of certain parts of his body when you helped him get dressed. The two of you tried your best but only so much could be covered at some points, which makes Miguel’s face feel suddenly hot but he ignores it as he shows you. 

Your eyes fall on his tan and bare skin. There’s hardly any sign of injuries, except for the trident wound, which is still in the process of healing. You nod, satisfied that he’s almost fully recovered before looking up at him, not wanting to stare for too long at his well defined body. 

“I’m happy to see that you’re recovering well. I’m sure the trident wound will heal completely in a few days.” 

“I think so, too,” Miguel says, letting go of his shirt. “I also want to thank you for helping me with my injuries. I know it was probably - Some people don’t do well seeing injuries like that. Yet, I still asked you even with a medical team available,” he says with a sigh. “It really meant a lot to me as you know that I can’t… You know,” he says softly, referring to his boundary regarding physical touch. “Thank you for putting up with me.”

You shake your head. “I wanted to help you, Miguel. I wasn’t ‘putting up’ with you. My only worry was I wasn’t going to do it properly and I didn’t want to hurt you.” 

Miguel chuckles quietly. “I felt no pain with you and I’m certain my less serious injuries are fully healed because of you. So, thank you, again, for everything, Y/N.”

And when he emphasizes “everything” once again, Miguel now includes his sleeping situation and the fact that you’ve unselfishly offered to help him again. 

You smile brightly at him. “Always… So, let me get you the sweatshirt,” you say as you start clicking on your gizmo. 

“I’ll go with you, if that’s okay. That way you can stay home already and not make multiple trips. It’s the least I can do,” Miguel says quietly and you nod slowly. 

“Just ignore the mess,” you chuckle and Miguel raises an eyebrow, playfully. 

“Even your mess is organized,” he comments, which makes you laugh as you pick up the flash drive from earlier, making sure to hold on to it. 

You head to the living room with Miguel behind, remembering that the multidimensional portals make nearby objects float so you want to avoid the kitchen. You open the portal and motion to Miguel to follow you. You step into your living room and quickly go to turn on a light since you forgot to leave one on before you left. 

You place the flash drive next to your laptop, telling Miguel to give you a second before entering your bedroom to retrieve the sweatshirt. Miguel looks around your apartment while he waits, feeling embarrassed that he’s actually doing this. He tries to let it go and focuses on the current state of your living room instead, noticing the new bookcase you have yet to put together and a few other boxes he didn’t notice earlier. He thinks of something just as you step out of your bedroom holding a sweatshirt with a smile. 

“Here we go. Next Saturday, we exchange,” you say, still smiling as he hesitantly accepts it. 

Miguel holds it gently, feeling the softness of the fabric. He nods while looking down at you. “Thank you. Next Saturday then…” he says and you nod. 

“Next Saturday after dinner.”

“Alright, sounds good,” Miguel quietly responds. “I’ll go ahead and head out. You must be tired from working on your apartment all day. Rest well.”

“You, too. I’ll tell Lyla about-” you start. 

“Don’t worry, I got it under cover,” Lyla says, appearing suddenly, surprising you because she’s supposed to be deactivated. A thought Miguel voices out loud. “I have my ways of coming back,” she replies with a shrug. 

You shake your head in amusement. “Alright. Well, it seems like Lyla knows what to do. Good night, Miguel,” you say softly. 

“Good night, Y/N,” Miguel answers. He looks at Lyla and gives her a warning look. “Behave Lyla.”

“I always do,” she responds, which earns her a scoff. 

Miguel gives you a soft smile and a nod as he’s about to enter the portal to head home but he stops. Still holding your sweatshirt, he turns sideways.

“Before I head home… Would you like some help?” 

You slightly raise an eyebrow. “Help?”

Miguel nods and motions to your living room. “You know - With your apartment.”

You hold his gaze for a few seconds, thinking. You spent the majority of your mourning journey on your own and thought it’d end the same way. You had every intention of doing this on your own, too. You thought you needed to. And yet, as you look at Miguel, you realize that just because you started this transition in your life alone, doesn’t mean you must end it the same way. 

You smile. “How do you feel about putting a bookcase together?”

Miguel looks over at the bookcase’s box before he returns his gaze to you, smiling softly. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

You chuckle and you’re about to tell him you were joking about the bookcase and that you’d appreciate help hanging up new wall decorations but before you can speak, Miguel beats you to it. “I can drop by tomorrow. Just let me know what time would be best for you,” he says, sincerely. 

You nod slowly. “Midday? Lunch on me,” you say softly and Miguel nods. 

“Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow then… Goodnight,” he says. 

“Goodnight! Thank you, by the way.”

“Always,” Miguel replies. With one last nod and a small smile, he heads out holding your sweatshirt in his hand. 

You stand there and watch the floating objects fall to the ground as the portal closes after him.

Before you jump in the shower, you quickly set the photos from the flash drive to print since you have the supplies. Thirty minutes later you’re placing all the photos you’ll be using in the now dry picture frames. You hang them on your wall and try different variations for a few minutes. You take a step back at last, happy with the last variation. There are now other pictures of Peter, some of which were some of the last photos you took of him like the one where he’s showing off his “Spider-Woman’s #1 Fan” t-shirt. It was one of the last things he bought before he passed away.

The rest of the photos are of your new friends. You spot the one Pav took of the time Hobie, Pav, and you went to get ice cream at Hobie’s universe, which was quite the experience. Then there’s one where everyone went to Gwen’s universe to eat bagels from her favorite bagel place among others that even includes the Morales family. Your gaze shifts to the ones of Miguel and you.

You asked for the pictures from Christmas Eve, a few from the two of you on rooftops, and the one from today before they land on the last one. You didn’t ask for it but it was in the flash drive. You smile as your eyes scan the photo of Miguel making a face after eating the steamed carrot while you stand next to him, watching him. You were surprised to see it in the pile of printed photos when you got out of the shower and wondered if it was a mistake but then you thought about it and realized Miguel wouldn’t make a simple mistake like that. Right? 

And the truth is no, it wasn’t a mistake. Miguel added it because he saw you found it amusing. So now it’s on your wall, next to a picture of Peter and you. You yawn softly and smile before you turn around to look at your apartment. There’s the empty spot from your old couch ready to be filled with the new one and even though you have the urge to clean the area and go ahead and place it, you decide to leave it for tomorrow.

You do your night routine, put your gizmo back on so Lyla can do her thing, and get in bed, falling asleep almost immediately. 

Back in Nueva York, Miguel lays on his bed a little while after cleaning the kitchen. He stares at the ceiling, thinking. Your sweatshirt is on the other side of the bed, over the pillows. A few minutes later, Lyla appears and tells him she’s about to play the live feed from your gizmo. He sighs in disbelief when she disappears, unable to believe this is happening but his thoughts stop when he hears your slow and even breathing. He closes his eyes, feeling the effect almost immediately. He hesitantly reaches for your sweatshirt and pulls it closer, letting your scent surround him. 

It’s only a matter of minutes before Miguel falls asleep to the sound of your live breathing and scent. He falls into a deep slumber, unknowingly seeking to be closer to your sweatshirt in his sleep. He fulfills his quest by pressing the soft fabric to his face. 

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*Translation for italicized Spanish words:* Really love getting to include more Mexican/Latin details ❤️

-Ternura - endearing, tenderness; I've been thinking about this for such a long time because of Miguel lol I can't think of another word in English that has the same feeling "ternura" does. I don't know if it's just me or if other Spanish-speakers can relate

-"Trataré. Te lo juro." - "I will try. I swear."

-Flautas - literally translates to "flute" haha but it's a deep fried tortilla with filling and topped with different toppings.

-Agua de jamaica - Hibiscus tea (I drink this every day lol)

-Agua Fresca - translates to "fresh water"; there are different flavors like horchata water

-Canelita - cinnamon tea

-Mierda - shit

-Burritos de Tinga - translates to "Tinga burritos"; Latin dish made out of meat (pork, chicken) in sauce with onions, chiles chipotle and tomatoes. Can be eaten on tostadas or in burritos (my experience)

-Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Dead

-Café de olla - coffee made in a pot

-Pan Dulce - sweet bread (it's that time of the year, iykyk)

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Hi, guys! First, I hope you enjoyed this new update! Second, I want to apologize for updating almost a month later. I'm so sorry! This part took me a while to write and there were some sections I wasn't initially happy with, so I took extra time to work on them. Then, I got sick lol I was hoping to update sooner but that kind of threw off my plans. I was even hoping to do a Halloween special for the story (short drabble) but life happens.

I'm actually thinking about doing a Thanksgiving one now. I know not everyone celebrates but I don't know, it would be kind of cute and just a short drabble connected to the storyline, not an official part if that makes sense. Just something to read on Thanksgiving related to Miguel x reader and the other spider members! ☺️ if you're interested in getting tagged for that (if all goes well and I actually get to write it), please let me know. Or, you can always just look for it on my masterlist, of course!

Also, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for all the support part 9 received!!! Like, for real, thank you SO MUCH!! I think it's the part that's had the most support right after I posted it (besides part 1) regarding reblogs, comments, and asks. It meant a lot to me as several days went into that part specifically because of how long it was, so I really appreciate it and I'm just really happy that so many of you enjoyed it. ❤️🥹

I think that's all I have to say! Thank you again for the amazing support and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you're all having a wonderful start to November, which just makes me wonder where did this year went?! I swear it was just February and now we're here lol but anyway, have a great start to November and take care of yourselves!!

P.S. Please check out the amazing fanart that has been created for Nonviolent Communication! It can be found in my masterlist! Thank you to the amazing talented artists for your support, it means so, so much to me!!! ❤️

-Alondra

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