#And unsurprisingly she's being spoiled rotten

[erisawrites]

How Windbreaker men would be if they dated women like them

Context: A refresher from the generic trope of grumpy guy x sunshine girl where their lovers share the same traits and personalities as them, causing to bring out something besides their usual behaviour

Pairing: WB men x f!reader

Owen Knight

Wc: 1046 words

Note : 10 reblogs for Vinny version!

M A S T E R L I S T

It's not a surprise the most popular boy's love life had everyone's binoculars glued onto it. And by everyone, this also spanned onto the many foreign fan bases that Light Cavalry's charisma had swooned the hearts of many.

It was a ridiculously large amount, even more ridiculous were those scoops of what sort of woman's heart he captured, a piece at the epicenter of gossip following a rare paparazzi shot of him blushing behind a bouquet of roses.

That triggered another fresh wave of rumors, the intel and scoops almost becoming unbearable for the other members, who were forced to fend off all sorts of creeps in his absence, each revealing themselves as his ‘secret lover’ who ‘truly knew everything about him’.

Though if these self-proclaimed lovers had even an inkling of their idol, they would have realized from the blushing photograph that he hadn't captured a heart, but rather his was captured first.

“Did you like the roses I sent you?”

She sent more than roses, and Owen was grateful she sent over his chauffeur before he collapsed on the zebra crossing, “They're nice.”,he grinned, stifling his gushing for a moment, “Though I've seen better in London.”

“So should I send over a plane ticket next?”,the man rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.

“You spoil me too much, remember I'm the man in this relationship?”

“Remember you're my man in this relationship?”,he could pick up that awful smirk in her voice, “I haven't even paid back half of what you've done for me.”

“That's because they're not supposed to be paid for.”,his voice stressed, though joy was bouncing in his eyes as he gazed out the window, “You're supposed to keep quiet and enjoy them. My money looks better on you.”

“Same over here! Money never bought me happiness unless it was spent on you.”,hearing her voice constricted his heart. Part of him urged to remind her that she didn’t need to spend anything, while the other reminded him that her actions were no different from his. Unsurprisingly, the two had found someone who’s love language is the exact same as the other.

“If I was given all the money in the world.”,he dropped the bouquet onto his lap, his forehead pressed against the cool window glass. Only moments ago, the streets were bathed in the warm sunlight, illuminating the dreary shops and pavement into a square of liveliness. The Sun seemed to take a momentary break now, as thick clouds coalesced overhead, casting shadows over his tanned cheeks. “I’d spent all of it on bringing you back.”

Her soft sigh was like music to his ears, a melody so rejuvenating that he yearned to hear it in real life, “If it were up to me, I’d walk over next block and host the match in their hotel reception itself. But oh well.”

“Nonsense, your championship’s the main priority here,”,he reaffirmed, taking a mental note to free up his schedule to watch her live matches, “I’m getting a new TV soon, so make sure to beat these semis. Then,I have something interesting to show off on Live Feed.”

“You and your rotten spoiled tendencies…”,she huffed, and he could hear the eye roll in her voice, “And here I thought my beloved would bless me with words of encouragements.”

“Bring the cup home so I can brag about you.”

“I’ll bring home your body.”

“Bridal style, please!”,he crossed his legs in mock interest, “I don’t mind being carried in your arms, you too need something to brag about.”

“Man, I forget how insufferable you are…”

“You also forget how deeply in love I am with you, to the point only your presence makes me content.”

Silence elapsed in the call, with each person biting back smiles that fought to stretch wide across their faces, “Whe-Where are you headed?”

“What’s gotten you shy all of the sudden?”,he grinned, before frowning as he looked through the front window, “And how am I supposed to know? Didn’t you book this ride for…for….”

Static noises filled the call, but this didn’t register in his mind as he was too occupied with what’s before him, something so bizarre, so unimaginable, that it had his heart swelling in elation.

He stumbled out of the car before the frightened chauffeur could react, his feet taking off instantly, kicking up sand as he raced towards the beach’s shoreline, where the small silhouette of a woman was highlighted by the sunset.

“Hm? It seems you’ve cut my call.”,she swiveled around as she heard footsteps, her phone pressed against her ear, right next to smiling lips, “Or it seems I have faster connection.”

“Y/N!”,the man shrieked joyously, locking his arms around her waist as he embraced her deeply. The woman burrowed her face in his shoulders as he spun her around, the woman's laughter mixing with the strong winds, “Oh, my baby, you came!”

“Yes I did, love.”,she cupped his cheeks, eyes swirling with deep affection and admiration, “I came. For you.”

“For…me?”,his smile slowly morphed into confusion, “But what about the finals?”

“Let’s just say…”,her fingers fiddled with her lanyard that he overlooked, with a bold print stamped at the bottom of the card reading ‘FINALISTS’, ”They agreed to give away the cup at the homes of the final groups. You can thank my charisma for that.”

“I can’t believe it!”,he dropped her gently, hands never leaving her waist, “You’re gonna do your finals here? Oh, baby, I’m so proud of you!”

“Who isn’t?”,she smirked, lifting her shoulders, “I got a long list of admirers everywhere I go!”

“A long list of admirers,”,Owen brought their faces closer, his forehead pressing against her soft skin, “Where I’m standing at the front.”

The nonchalant coolness left her face, replaced with a lovestruck blush that widened her eyes in admiration, “More like fought his way to the front!”

“Brutally.”,he added, eyes squinting in an innocent smile

Though she forever deflects his smooth advances with her playfulness, she failed to deflect his eyes off her abashed smile and reddened cheeks, and she had the whole world's admiration at her feet, yet only swells with pride upon receiving his.

[hazycosmicchild]

A very scary few days but I’m glad it's all over now. On Saturday afternoon the eldest Cosmic Child got admitted to the Children's Intensive Care Unit of our local hospital with a lower respiratory tract infection. She was initially put on oxygen but she was a very serious case and soon they had to switch to a ventilator and sedate her. It was rather touch and go if she could be treated at our hospital as they thought she was too serious of a case for them to deal with. Plans were drawn up to send her to a specialist ICU in London. But she fought back like an absolute lion and proved the doctors wrong! Over the next few days she was weened down off of the sedation and oxygen, and was taken off of the feeding tube too. There was even time to play a little before this afternoon when she was finally allowed to come home! We're so glad she's home and better. And I'm looking forward to a night in my own bed again after staying with her the whole time.

[wizkiddx]

supercluster

this is my entry for @hollandsrecs 'toms birthday fanfic fest' event - go check it out!!! I know its a early but im v bored so have it now. also im acc kinda really proud of this one, any feedback would be v appreciated 🤍

the prompt was: 'you and tom are best friends and you tell him that you love him on his birthday'

summary: its toms birthday but he has a few things to get off his chest and into the night sky, y/n joins in with a bit of a revelation too

best friends -> lovers

warnings: mentions of alcohol, bit angsty but promise ends all fluffy and a shit tonne of dialogue

wc: 3.5k ishhh

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Everything got a little too wild and stuffy in the living area, Haz and Harry screaming sweet caroline, whilst Greg (Tom’s stunt man) was pouring *another* round of shots. The sweatiness and clamminess of the room meant Y/n took a moment to escape, sliding out the double doors, and closing them softly behind her to ensure no one would notice her little escape. Something about the midnight air, the slightly dewy smell of the neighbouring fields, felt like it was refreshing Y/n from the inside out. When she turned around, back facing the fancy rented house, she was slightly shocked by Tom standing in the garden. It was his birthday party after all. In all honesty, Y/n felt a bit guilty she hadn’t noticed he wasn’t in the thick of it with his brothers and castmates.

His silhouette was set against the clear night sky, the stars extra prominent this evening and the moon casting a soft glow off the left side of his face, exaggerating the natural contours of his jawline and cheekbones. Clearly, he was enraptured by the sky, staring up at it with a thoughtful look on his face.

And Y/n recognised that look instantly; she knew what he was doing.

In fact, he had taught her to do precisely the same thing. As kids, the Hollands, Y/n’s family and another two families from the local area all went camping together. It was an annual event, ‘the Kingston collective camping adventure’ as Dom had named it. Y/n couldn’t remember a year when they hadn’t gone actually - it was that much of a tradition.

One year, though, when she and Tom were about 9, her mothers’ due date coincided with the camping dates. So, sensibly, the decision had been made that Y/n and her brother would just be looked after by the Hollands - whilst her mum and dad were safely tucked up in bed at home, awaiting the arrival of her littlest brother.

Y/n, her brother Alex, and Tom were all sharing a tent, and it must’ve been at least midnight that Tom was awoken by shuffling and zipping up of the tent. He’d realised she was gone through sleepy eyes and, without a second thought, went to go find her. Sure enough, she wasn’t far away, not even 50 metres from the tent, crouched on the grass. Immediately Tom’s presence had been noticed, making Y/m quickly snivel and wipe her face.

“Are you upset?”

“Go away Tom.” The comment didn’t do a lot, though; instead, 9-year-old Tom had planted himself down next to her - his pyjamas getting wet on the moist grass floor.

“Are you missing Auntie Sarah and Uncle Mike?” In the same way that Y/n called Nikki and Dom auntie and uncle, the Holland boys mirrored the nicknames for her parents. Y/n replied with a long sigh before hiccuping, failing to control the stream of tears. Yes, he was right - this was her first night away from her parents- but she wasn't about to spill her heart out to the 'stupid boy' who had stolen one of her marshmallows that evening. Tom’s little brown eyes swelled, looking slightly terrified and out of his depth, whilst with all his 9 years of wisdom, trying to come up with an answer.

“Do you want to play football to forget about it?”

Unsurprisingly Y/n shook her head violently. Tom cursed inwardly at himself for saying the wrong thing, apparently football wasn't the answer to everything. The two children went back to silence until Tom had the metaphorical light bulb moment. “My mum told me something for when I got to sleepovers? Look!” He grabbed Y/n’s little hand, extending it upwards towards the night sky.

“No matter where you are, you’re all looking at the same stars too, right?”

Tom jumped a little before looking over his shoulder and recognising Y/n with the softest smile that grew across his face. Y/n slowly walked to his side, arms crossed over her chest to try and keep the cold at bay, joining Tom in staring up at the starry expanse.

“How do you always know?” Tom spoke in a breathy chuckle, shaking his head slightly. It was true, she did always know - but his question was somewhat irrelevant. They'd spent most their childhood together, they were as easy to read as a children’s book to each other.

“Missing home?”

“Sort of, I got my own slice of home with the boys and-and you but… pads, mum dad yeh, feel like on your birthday your always supposed to see your family.”

Although Harry, Harrison, Sam and Y/n had managed to fly out to surprise Tom on his birthday- prior commitments meant his parents and youngest brother hadn’t been able to make it. They four arrived yesterday, greeted by a very shocked and pretty emotional Tom - who had clearly been missing the sense of home somewhat. He’d been away shooting a film, then straight away launching into press for the next spiderman movie. It had been a long while since he’d been in London - half a year in fact.

This time too, he’d been away without a single family member or friend - that was another truth he’d learnt about growing up. Your friends and family, they all get lives of their own. Tom used to be a trailblazer, the first to get a job, the one everyone was super proud of. They still were, of course, but didn’t dote on him in quite the same way - everyone had their own shit to deal with. It was yet another reason Tom wasn’t welcoming his birthday as much as he usually would.

“Your parents did always spoil you rotten.”

“They spoilt you worst and you’re not technically their kid.” Y/n rolled her eyes, even if it might slightly true - muttering a ‘touche’ at the brown-haired boy next to her. Their families had always been close; naturally the adults seemed to gravitate more to the kids that weren’t their own. The ones who you could ‘give back’ at the end of the day. It just so happened Nikki and Dom had always loved having Y/n around, maybe a bit more than anyone else.

“Have you had a good birthday then? You should be in there with Greg pouring that shitty vodka down your throat.” Y/n questioned, whilst shrugging back toward the house, the dull thump of Jacob's playlist just audible. Still, both stared upwards, standing close enough that their upper arms were both pressed up against each other. She expected a jovial answer, but even from his tone, it was evident there was something up. He sounded…weary?

“I’m bloody glad you all came...don’t get me wrong, I love Z and Jacob and everyone but….”

“Shitty week?”

“Shitty birthday week of promo and press.” Tom scathed, and Y/n nodded. Even if she couldn’t understand what was so bad about press, she knew that Tom hated it passionately. And in the same way, he loved all his castmates dearly, but they hadn’t known him his whole life. They didn’t understand why he did every little thing; their values lay just that bit apart. It just wasn’t the same as being surrounded with his family - you and Harrison adopted Hollands too.

“I just feel like I’ve spent all week trapped in a room answering the most stupid, irrelevant and inconsequential questions... Everything’s just so surface level and fake and, and I-“He cut himself off, for the first time meeting Y/n’s eyes. In all honesty, Tom got a bit caught up in the stars reflecting off her piercing y/e/c eyes before changing tack.

“Will you do me a favour?”

This wasn’t spoken with the normal Tom tone. It wasn’t joking or jovial; it wasn’t an ‘off the tongue’ thing. This was spoken with such seriousness and gravitas coming from his deep voice that Y/n replied equally truthfully.

“Always T, you know that.”

“Will you please ask me a personal and serious and deep question?”

She got where he was coming from too.

Clearly, even though the evening was supposed to be a light piss up in celebration, it had instead unearthed some darker thoughts that Tom had been harbouring away. Perhaps he never even realised he needed such seriousness, or perhaps with his castmates he hadn’t felt comfortable exposing himself like that. Either way, Y/n was going to respect him now. It was technically his birthday, too; the clocks had already struck 12 - it was now his day.

It wasn’t tricky to think of one; she’d often wondered the same question of him - never with the opportunity to ask. The question popped into her head again, almost as soon as Tom asked for one.

“Okay…. What’s your deepest regret that makes you feel guilty for feeling because in the grand scheme of things, it minor? Like such a 'first world problem'." What do you regret that’s just completely selfish?”

Tom immediately stiffened, his jaw tensing as he worked through his thoughts in his head. Scared she’d pushed it too far, Y/n averted her gaze back to the sky, chewing her bottom lip slightly. It took a moment, but then she saw Tom turn towards her, in the peripheries of her vision. With a tightly closed-lip smirk on his face he joked “If your gonna ask questions like that, we better sit down.”

And so they did, both sitting crossed legged on the ground, knees brushing against each other. Just on the grass lawn, almost mirroring themselves all those years ago as kids in that camping site. Y/n wondered if she should offer to play football instead - to cheer him up.

“Missing out. I miss out months at a time. Miss out on seeing mum and dad, miss out on the pub quizzes with the boys, miss out seeing you… I mean, I didn’t even know you had a new job until you mentioned it this morning. I miss out on time with nana Tess and all my grandparents, and that’s scary cos… well, every time I go, it could be the last time… I don’t know, I just… I get so much, get to travel, to see the world, but… sometimes it feels like I’m sacrificing the foundations. And without the foundations….”

“The walls come crumbling down.” Y/n finished off his sentence quietly, barely whispering the words - but from Tom’s nod of agreement, it seemed like she’d hit the nail on the head. There was silence for a beat till Y/n whispered to him.

“Well, happy birthday to you” Trying to bring the mood up a little, she bumped his shoulder, and Tom chuckled breathily.

“Seriously! This is helping me out. I-I just need to get everything out and start my 25th year fresh.”

“Hey, if that’s all you want, I’m getting a refund on my present- we can just get deep and interview each other.”

“I’m game, except I’m keeping the present too.”

“Just because it’s your birthday and I’m a bit tipsy, I’ll allow it.”

“Okay, well then, Y/n L/n”, He spoke formally, leaning in closer and making her giggle a little. “What’s your biggest regret?”

“Honestly?” Tom just repeated her in reply, but this time it was a statement.

"Honestly."

He really was going deep too. No holding back now. Y/n sucked on her cheek before replying. “Not travelling with you when we were 19… I was just so determined to get to uni and start grown-up life, but… well, grown-up life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I should’ve tried to stay a kid longer, messing about on your film sets and pretending it was work. I think I would’ve learnt more from seeing the world with you.”

“Well, I am very knowledgable.”

“Shut up, you drop out- who didn't know what a drag race was.” She wasn’t wrong, and whilst yes, he had dropped out to be a film star - he was still a dropout. (with exceptionally poor knowledge of RuPaul) He scowled, then leaning back on his hands, so he was half reclined on the grass as Y/n thought of her next question.

“Whats your biggest worry?”

“Easy.” He chuffed, making Y/n furrow her brows at him. Clearly, he’d already thought of this. “That I finally settle down with the love of my life, and then the fans or press or paps ruin it.”

It made sense; every time Tom had gone public with a relationship, it had ended in a minor car crash. Typically it was also the girl who got hurt; she was the ‘victim’ in everything. Though Y/n had seen first hand the effect it had had on Tom - he never made it out damage-free.

“You make it sound like you’ve already got this dream girl queued and waiting.”

“I wish”, Tom sighed, as Y/n took the opportunity to completely lie down on the grass, staring up at the dark abyss. She’d always loved the stars and had become a bit of a geek on them as they’d grown up too- and maybe it was all down to Tom on that camping trip. Following suit, Tom copied her, his head resting on his hands that were crossed behind his head, taking in the moment of pure peace as they lay on the grass.

“You see that bright one there?” Pointing up, Y/n shimmied closer to him so that he definitely saw the same thing as her. “It’s actually not one. Look closer.” Humming, Tom shifted a bit closer, so her shoulder slotted under the side of his body just the teeniest bit. It meant he could follow her direction and squinted up at the little patch of the sky.

“ 5…maybe 6? What is it?”

“The pliedes supercluster…. basically a big group of stars that all were born from the same place- the same stellar nursery.”

“But they’re moving now?” She hummed in confirmation to his question, briefly glancing at the way his eyes were fixed on the sky. For the first time he seemed genuinely interested in hearing her stories of the stars. It usually was an eye roll and ‘you’re so lame’.

“They’re called the sibling stars… like everything in life, as they get older they drift apart but…. but to us down here? They’ll always be associated together because they have a gravitational effect on each other. They’ll always have their thing tying them together. Like an invisible string.”

“Sounds like you’re being metaphorical.” Tom chuckled, expecting a taunt back but receiving nothing except a gentle agreement.

“Theres also actually 7. The last one people can only sometimes see… it’s a pulsing star, so comes and goes.”

“They do that?”

“Yeh, and no matter what… if you can see it or not, it’s always there. Always having an impact on its family.”

Biting his lower lip slightly, Tom repositioned his head slightly, Y/n’s words taking time to be fully absorbed. He was sure she was making parallels to him. Barely there, appearing and disappearing, but always a part of the family.

“You are being metaphorical.”

“Maybe.” She whispered shortly. “Metaphors depend on who’s listening and if they draw parallels to their own life. It’s subjective. You can’t tell anyone what is and isn’t metaphor…. it takes the beauty out of it.”

“Right, sure... But if you were…. me, harry, Sam, pads, you, Haz, Tuwaine? That the 7?” Y/n held back the little smile at his words. Tom wasn’t as ‘head in the clouds’ as she was- he was literal. Also, he was bloody stubborn when he wanted to be.

“I wasn’t being metaphorical T.” He knew she was lying. She knew that he knew. But it still helped him, made him feel a bit better. That he was always, in some way, having some effect... lives always intertwined with the people he cared about the most.

“Tell me another story about another star.”

Time for the rest of the night kind of got lost. The two young adults just lay on the grass, entirely in their own little world, using each others body heat to keep themselves warm through the early hours. Neither felt remotely tired, Y/n whispering her little stories of both the myths and science of the old stars, pointing out each planet. Meanwhile, Tom listened in awe, for once not taking the mick out of her incredibly geeky hobby. Instead, he found himself getting fascinated by all the little intricacies Y/n was so passionate about.

It was only when the stars began to fade, as orangey-red hue started to seep up from the horizon the either noticed the time. It was now the morning of the next day, the house long since had turned silent behind them - presumably, everyone finally passing out shit faced.

As the stars’ light was overtaken by the rising sun, Y/n ran out of stories; the two settled into silence - neither quite ready to go to bed yet.

“It’s still my turn,” Tom spoke into the sky before pivoting his head to look Y/n in the eye, seeing the confusion in her furrowed brows. “It’s my question to ask. My turn.”

“Aren’t you sick of my voice yet?” There was absolutely no reason that they were both whispering. It wasn’t like anyone was trying to listen or that they’d disturb anyone else my talking normally. But it was nicer that way. It felt calming... intimate even.

“One more. And then you get one more… and then we really should probably go to bed.” He didn’t want the night to end; he was immensely enjoying this weird grey time between being 25 and 26. But it was cold, Tom could tell Y/n had started to feel it a little more. To be fair, she was only in a floral day dress, not much in the way of warmth. With a hum of agreement, Y/n smiled lightly at him, urging his question.

“Whats the biggest secret you’ve kept from me?”

With a bit of a scoff, Y/n sighed and closed her eyes, trying to draw some strength she wasn’t sure she had. It wasn’t like she needed to wrack her brains to come up with it - she knew instantly. Almost painfully too.

“Uhm, honestly?” Now even more intrigued, Tom nodded, using his foot for nudge hers - encouraging her to speak. “Probably how much you mean to me.”

“Oh” He couldn’t help it; the sound just slipped out his mouth without checking with his brain first. That answer had just been so unexpected. He had honestly been thinking that it would be something about how ‘fame had changed him’. After hearing that, Y/n turned her head up the sky again, feeling like her cheeks were on fire with embarrassed heat. Tom knew he had fucked up.

“No, I… I didn’t mean- just just ask me too.” With a sigh, Y/n waved off his stumbled answer as he tried to cover himself.

“This is stup-“

“Ask me!” For the first time in 5 hours, Tom spoke at an normal volume - but it felt painfully loud, like a shout.

“What’s the biggest secret you kept from me?” Her tone was defeated, but nevertheless, he answered.

“How upset I was when you didn’t come when we were 19. I got why, but it was still annoying. Felt like you were picking uni friends over me-“ At this point on any other evening, Y/n would have interjected and argued. None of this situation was normal, though, so she chose to hear him out. “- I know it’s stupid, but…. I guess that’s how much you meant an-and still mean to me too.”

There was silence for a couple minutes, waiting whilst the sun started to peep over the horizon, the lone witness to an otherwise very private conversation. That was until Y/n barely spoke, more like mouthed 2 simple words.

“I lied.” The intensity of the way Tom stared at her made Y/n wish that the sun hadn’t been so bright, that they were back in the darkness that hid her face more. “Biggest lie I’ve told you … that I’m not in love with you.”

Y/n didn’t see because she couldn’t face looking at him, but Tom’s face erupted into the most prominent, toothiest smile. Whilst Tom was enjoying the moment of being absolutely ecstatic, Y/n was waiting for a response- feeling her world come crashing in. That she'd just destroyed one of the most important friendships in her life too.

But then he said the opposite of what she thought he would.

“I lied too.”

That had her attention, whipping her head toward him as Tom rolled onto his side on the lawn, balancing with his head resting on one hand. “I lied that I’ve not been completely under your spell since we were kids at that campsite, and you were homesick.”

Y/n’s heart was literally in her mouth, brain overwhelmed but one overriding thought oh so bloody clear.

She’d lost control of everything, arching up to mirror Tom. Using one hand, she reached out to cup Tom’s jaw, to which he instinctively leant toward - until their lips were mere centimetres apart, hot breath fanning over each other.

Y/n no control as she whispered those 3 words against his lips. No control at how immediately after he pressed his to hers; no control as Tom guided her to roll on top of him, knees either side of his torso as his strong arms wrapped around her back.

Once again, time was lost between the two, only pulling apart when their lungs burned for oxygen.

“For the record, I love you too.” Grinning from ear to ear, Tom used one hand to gently stroke his thumb across her cheek, switching his focus from her left to right eye - in wonder at how the early morning sun reflected from her y/e/c irises. He’d always thought she was beyond beautiful, but when she was this close to him, with the sun rising behind her in such a way - she looked damn ethereal.

“Happy birthday T.” Nodding in agreement, Tom chuckled before finding her lips once again, whispering against them.

“Yeh, happy damn birthday to me.”

~~~~let me know what you think ;) ~~~~~

tagging: @hallecarey1 @hollandfanficlove @crossyourpeter

[hollyharper]

I think DC neds to do a five year time skip. Take their entire continuity and more it forward five years. Give us fans something new.

Maybe Bruce and Selina finally tied the knot, maybe they even have a little Helena Wayne. Their starting to train her to follow in their footsteps. Just have a bunch of sevens of the little three year old doing splits with her mom, learning how to analyze samples with her dad. Damien teaching her to fight. And of course, all the older siblings spoiling her rotten. Bruce is simply happy to spend time with his wife and kids. Selina still loves her cats. The house is over run with them, domestic and wild.

Dick and Babs should definitely be married. They have a two year old boy, James, after Barbara’s brother. Maybe even start with Barbara’s second pregnancy. This time a girl named Mary, after Dick’s mom. They have a large apartment in Blùdhavan. Dick is still Nightwing. Barbara struggles juggling her roles as his partner and wife, Batman, and The Bird’s Oracle, and being a mom. The Alfred Pennyworth foundation is thriving, and Babs resented reclaimed Gotham Clean Energy. Being the genius she is is Barbara refuses to send her kids to public school. Dick worries that adds to much extra stress to her life. She loves it. To thank her for all of her hard work, Dick brings home little gifts for her at least once a week. These presents range from chocolate bars to new computer equipment. As much as he loves when Babs cooks, Dick usually prepares their meals.

What would truly be a bomb, would be to put Jason in serious relationship. Personally, I would go with Helena Bertenilli. They started working together as partners. As they spent more time together, it became clear that they both were looking for a more intimate relationship. Their shared understanding of loss brought them closer together, until their relationship turned into lovers. Helen’s exceptional skill as a history teacher, earned her a place at Gotham High. Seeing Jason’s talent with kids, her confided him to get a teaching job as well. He mostly teaches P.E. at Gotham Academy, but also has a black smith class. He makes knives and sword son the weekend, and sells them to make money on the side. On the Battlefield, Huntress and Red Hood are inseparable, and on of the best teams Batman has. They both deeply love each other, but are afraid to talk about commitment.

Tim and Stephine are currently have issues. They’ve had an on and off relationship for the last year. Tim has entirely taken over running Wayne Enterprises. He works all day, and is out as Red Robin most of the night. His exhaustion puts a massive strain on their relationship. He feels bad about having so little time for Steph, and to show her how much he loves, her is planning to propose. Stephine feels neglected. As much as she loves Tim, his constant stress weighs on her. After talking with her mentors, she has decided that time apart would be good for both her and Tim, but she doesn’t know how to tell him. Steph has been job bouncing for awhile, another reason she’s cautious about leaving.

Cass is still Bruce’s angel child. She has little interest in dating. Her main focus is always the mission. Barbara believes she needs to get a job and stop relying on Bruce for funding. The only idea she even considered, was Helena’s suggestion to become a federal agent. Bruce strongly opposes the idea. After her father died, Cass has been trying to patch things up with her mom, who unsurprisingly wants Cass to join the League of Shadows.

At first, Damien was reluctant to accept Selina, though he would never admit, he was still hoping for his parents to work things out. When Bruce married Selina, it became clear Talia wasn’t coming back. Over time, she grew on him. Selina was the one to figure out that Damien missed his mother. After some negotiations, she convinced Bruce to invite Talia over for the holidays. It became an eagerly anticipated tradition for Damien. Talia as brings food and gifts for him. It’s the one time of year when Damian’s almost always smiles. Dami adores his little sister, and has even sworn to protect her at all costs. His relationship with Flatline died out very quickly after their meeting. Mostly, because of how immature they both were. Four years, and a sweet ex later, they meet once again on the field of battle. Again sparks flew, leading to a passionate reunion, and another hero and villain love story.

Jade and Lian were recently reunited. Their relationship is still on rocky ground, but Jade is determined to make up for the time she missed with her daughter. She makes every effort to connect with Lian, even while fighting shadows from her past. Every night, to two will sit on the roof outside of Lian’s window. Their shared interest in astronomy is a safe topic, one they touch on often. Lian wants a relationship with her mother, but is afraid Jade will leave again. Jade’s proud that her daughter took the name Cheshire Cat, and love watching her daughter in action, even though it’s usually from a distance.

Dinah and Oliver have been married for a few years. They found out pretty soon that they can’t have kids. After the news, Dinah went into depression. Their friends and family stepped up to help. Bruce tried to convince them to adopt. Neither want to, until they meet a feisty young girl named Kayleigh. Kayleigh is closed off, with deep wounds. She’s trying to become a vigilant in Star City. Her methods are overly violent. Oliver sees his younger self in her and brings her under his wing. Dinah takes a little to warm up to her. Kayleigh gives them both quite a bit of trouble, but their determined to read her. But Kayleigh’s secrets are something that could shatter their belief in her. She knows the day the find out, will be the last time she has anything close to a family.

[lovestruckay]

Request: “Can you do fluffy Hibana x reader Hc? 👉👈”

Pairing: Hibana x Reader

A/N: I got so excited when I got this request because I just read her character profile the other day and found out one of her hobbies is video games! I had a lot of ideas for fluffy Hibana so it’s a bit long, haha.

When you’re both in public, Hibana’s presence is dominating and she demands respect from everyone around her. She is Company 5’s Captain first and she refuses to show anything that could be seen as a weakness to be exploited by her enemies.

That being said, she does enjoy public displays of affection - especially when it comes to staking her claim on you and making sure everyone knows you are a very happy couple. You will never see her show her soft side in public though.

When it’s just you two behind closed doors, however, it’s a completely different story. No one would ever believe you but Hibana is a complete softie. She’s still her flirty, dominating self but she is also excitable, affectionate, and cute.

Once you two have your privacy, she is in your embrace, demanding your attention like a needy kitten. She wants to feel your arms around her, she wants to hear your voice telling her everything about your day, and she wants to talk to you about her recent scientific endeavors.

She absolutely melts under your praise, turning into a smiling mess as she showers you with affection. She doesn’t respect any of this gravel but she loves and respects you and praise coming from you always made her happy.

“Tell me more about how amazing I am~” she’ll tease as she presses a dozen kisses to your face.

Hibana is a scientist but, when it’s just you two, she is such a huge nerd about it. She will go on tangents about her latest experiments, geeking out about the technical details and gushing about how fascinating her results are. She loves when you listen to her intently, even if you don’t understand half of what she’s saying, and she especially loves when you ask her questions.

She likes being able to show off to you how much of a genius she is. If you praise her during these moments, complimenting her on her ingenuity and her research, her smile shines like the sun.

“Your Muse is an absolute genius, who else but me could make such incredible discoveries?”

Hibana loves to play video games with you. It’s her biggest hobby after her scientific exploits and she enjoys being able to share that time with you.

Her absolute favorite game is Animal Crossing. Her island is incredible and, unsurprisingly, princess themed. She’s always sending you expensive gifts in game and giving you all her duplicate recipes. 

Her second favorite game is Minecraft and you have your own server together that you started from scratch. You worked together to build an entire sprawling city, dotted with monuments dedicated to each other.

You both tried to play video games like first person shooters and fighting games but she is way too competitive and matches may have, embarrassingly enough, lead to real life arguments and grudges.

Hibana once pouted so hard she gave you the silent treatment for an entire night after you kicked her ass in Smash.

You both decided it was for the best to either play co-op games or games where you could pass the controller.

Some of the times you’ve laughed the hardest together was when you created the weirdest looking characters you could in games like Skyrim and Dragon Age.

Hibana will always have a feast of snacks and drinks for you both on game night. You’ll both happily munch on anmitsu, cookies shaped like flowers, and other sweets while gaming together. If you don’t have a sweet tooth like she does, she’ll have plenty of your favorite snacks just for you.

Speaking of food, Hibana will make you the most amazing meals you’ve ever eaten. She enjoys cooking for you and will set aside the time to learn new recipes and make you lunches. She even goes as far as to make them pretty, cutting the food into hearts and making cute faces. She goes all out for dinners, especially on special occasions, and you are spoiled rotten.

When it’s time to curl up for the night, Hibana is a huge cuddler. Even if it was sweltering hot, she needs to be touching you somehow to sleep. She feels safest and happiest wrapped up in your arms and the sound of your soft breathing is her favorite lullaby.

She will also frequently steal all of the blankets in her sleep and leave you with the fitted sheet. When you call her out on it, she’ll say that she’s a princess so what did you expect.

You’ll never tell her but she sleep talks and it is absolutely adorable. She talks about science mostly, rambling about whatever problem she went to sleep thinking about, but she also brags about you.

Sometimes she will cackle like she is possessed in the middle of the night, scaring you half to death, before going back to a perfectly peaceful slumber. (Sol knows what she’s dreaming about.)

Hibana sometimes gets nightmares, something she doesn’t like to talk about. With the easier ones, where you wake up to her trembling and twitching, you’ll kiss her temple and whisper to her that you love her and she’s safe. She’ll rouse just enough to escape the nightmare and return to pleasant dreams before you follow.

During the bad ones, you’ll have to shake her to wake her up. After startling awake, she’ll silently curl up in your embrace and you’ll rub your hand down her back until she falls back asleep against you. She tells you one day it’s a recurring nightmare about her covenant burning and that’s all she’ll say about it for a long time.

When you’ve been together for some time and she trusts you completely, she’ll finally open up to you about what happened.

When Hibana knows she wants to spend the rest of her life with you, she’ll take you to the cemetery to meet all of her sisters. You’ll help her decorate the graves to a ridiculously lavish extent and, when you bring little gifts for all of her sisters, she cries in front of you for the first time.

Iris is the only family that she has left and, when you two make friends, she is grateful that the people she loves get along. Iris is also an endless source of adorable stories and an afternoon spent with her is an evening spent teasing your furiously blushing lover.

Hibana may have a complicated relationship with her faith but she is grateful to whatever god might be listening that you came into her life.

[wolviecore]

An AU where Archie's a ruthless villain who hates the Southside and FP, because FP left him, Fred, and Jug behind (let's say Fredsythe was married in this AU, but Gladys somehow convinced FP to leave his family in Riverdale for Toledo or smthg) and not only is his baby brother in love with a tall, beast of a boy southie fucker, but Moose, one of his closest friends, is also in a secret relationship with the tall fucker's best friend.

LIKE. ARCHIE IS A BOY, RIGHT? A bully, sure. It seems harmless (it's not. Reggie being forced into exile, having to give up his jacket and spot on the team, and shunned away to eat by the dumpsters, is not harmless.

Archie breaking into biology class with his posey in tow after the serpents transfer, that too wide, too friendly smile plastered on his cruelly handsome face staring at the three kids sitting tight in their chairs as dead snakes, stabbed, gutted, skinned, get thrown at their dissection trays , isn't harmless. It's a war declaration. One that no one takes seriously enough.)

Archie gains control over the school young; He's bigger than the other kids. Bigger, badder, meaner. Has a sharp mind, too cutting for someone so small, with enough knowledge to disguise it as innocence when he needs to.

"Fear and respect sleep together, you know, " he whispers to Cheryl. Bitchy, icy, insecurity filled Cheryl, on their first day of junior year, no Jason at her side. He must be hand in hand with Polly Cooper somewhere, and he's willing to bet his guitar it bothers the girl to the bone. "Stick with me. We're gonna run this nothing town."

Archie fits just right with the bulldogs; He wants to lead, not follow, thought. And Cheryl grows fangs of her own.

And they do; Unknown to Jughead, the only person besides his father Archie has love for, they do, and their rule is a glorious and brutal one.

Then Cheryl meets the tiny serpent girl with too much nerve to be considered smart. And things... Change.

"What do you mean I didn't make the team?! I was the best one there! "

She was. She was, and that's what makes Cheryl's skin crawl. "Evidently, we possess anonymous viewpoints of what 'best' means."

"... You're afraid of him, aren't you? Cheryl fucking Blossom, scared of one man."

Cheryl tenses, crimson lips tight. "Everyone is scared of Archie. But not me. This is not about fear,- I cried, and begged, and bled for this team. It happens to be the one thing in my life I have a pinch of control over. I won't endanger that just because of pretty Southside trailer trash not realizing she's aiming too her for such a laughable stature."

" ... You think I'm pretty?"

Cheryl doesn't dignify that with a response.

Unsurprisingly, Sweet Pea has a lot to say. "Northsiders are trouble. Falling for them is stupid, and we don't do stupid," the scowl on his face vanishes within minutes, as soon as he smiles and waves back to the dark haired boy following Cooper to the B&G. "What?"

Sweet Pea, who's torch of hatred he carries for Andrews burns so bright it could blind the sky, fell in love with his enemies' younger brother.

SP HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO DO, he envisioned a mini Archie; A spoiled, rotten little north side brat who acts like he owns the room. So he rehearsed, prepared himself to hear Andrews' voice from a different mouth when they first got paired up for a project.

But Jug is nothing like his big brother, from the dark of that fluffy, bouncy bed hair to his lithe stature, the elegant bed of his neck when he wanted to look Sweet Pea in the eye. He didn't have hazel eyes hiding hell in them, or a shark grin that raised hair from everywhere on the body.

No, - the boy is all small but scrappy, soft, dainty, if he dared used that word. He's got bright Bambi eyes, layered with a faint blue that steals the air from SP's lungs, and if given the opportunity, he won't ever shut up about those precious bunny teeth.

The fact that he has to keep the boy in the dark about Archie's cruelties cracks his heart. He doesn't know why. It just does. Maybe its because he understands hero worship. Maybe he's not ready for the other option.

Fangs and Moose, thought. Fangs and Moose break my heart.

They're young, and they're revounous for eachother, more than food or air. Fangs is hungry for the gentle eyed bulldog who towers over Archie but still bends down to get his hair ruffled, the only one there besides Sweet Pea's boy who doesn't sneer or looks with hatred.

Moose represses; Is what he knows. But the drumming in his chest when Fangs brushes hands with him in the crammed hallways refuses to be silenced, and the dryness in his mouth at every stolen glance and secret late night kisses won't be parched.

Its not enough. This is not the kind of love you can walk away from. So Moose doesn't.

The bulldogs have an exile ritual; Public. Ruthless. Stripping you of power, of humanity, of everything that makes you whole. It's a brutal spectacle, one that everyone must attend.

Cheryl makes sure Jughead doesn't. Sweet Pea makes sure FP does.

Moose, actual sunshine baby, with tears of heartache washing over his face, pushing his letterman jacket into Archie's chest. The redhead is stoned face, but his eyes are large, incredulous. Pleading, almost.

"You're either going to kill someone, or kill yourself, Arch. I don't want to be there to see it."

Archie's hand travels from its desperate grip on his friend's, - one of his BEST friend's,- wrist to fist Moose's hair. The strength is vulnerable. There's despair behind it.

"This is about the Southside. You're picking them over us," he whispers, pained. "You're picking that southie over me."

The taller between them gulps, teardrops slipping down his raised chin, proud, defiant. "... Yeah."

Archie framing Moose's face between his hands, steeling himself against the gentle pain in Moose's eyes, exploding at the violent tenderness in his captain's hold. "Your name will dissappear. Your worth will dissappear. And I want you to remember that I gave you a chance to walk away. You're dead at 10 pm."

Moose knows; He knows pain, and fear, and Fangs is worth all of them. That's the mantra echoing, when he arrows through the sea of students, all of them gazing downward.

GOD- ARCHIE. ARCHIE SLOWLY STAUNTERING IN MOOSE'S DIRECTION. LIKE IN THAT BULLDOGS VS SERPENTS FIGHT. "Come back," he's whispering. Hes begging, a quiet plea, a silent curse. "I'll forget about this. Come back to us. Please."

Moose's eyes find Fang's. Even drowned in sorrow, even cracked with raw pain, they're beautiful. His lips mouth 'I love you.'

"Do what you came here to do. It won't change my heart. Or my mind."

holy shit when Archie looks over at a SHATTERED Fangs, held back by Sweet Pea and Toni, his stomach coil in such a dark hatred, such a poisonous anger- he pours it all in the punch to Moose's jaw.

"You're gonna cry, hmm?" Archie growls, animalistic, more hell then boy, dishing thundering slaps to Moose in between his hisses."You gonna cry Moose, huh? Cry a bit. Cry for your fucking snake friend and his southie family."

FP BEING THERE- WATCHING HIS SON, HIS OLDSEST, THE SON HE LOVES SO MUCH, DO... THAT. AS a father, he's destroyed.

As a leader, he just. Watches Fangs, pure, good, strong, RIGHT Fangs, cling to Sweet Pea, fingers hooked so tightly into his best friends' jacket they pale. He yells ' they're killing him, sweet pea let me GO they're killing him, stop, STOP-' and FP realizes. On some degree, a bitter one, Tall Boy's words rang true.

At some point, they will have to hit back.

At the end of the ritual, Archie grips Moose's hair, fingers digging into his loose jaw. His friend is limp in his hands, probably unconscious, probably passed out.

He holds this maimed version of Moose, more corpse than boy, towards Fangs. He's so hateful. He knows, because Sweet Pea's disdain stares right back. " LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT WHAT YOU MADE ME DO! YOU DID THIS," he laughs, a sad, hollow sound, bordering on manic. Half madness, half sob. "YOU DID THIS. NOT ME! NOT ANY OF US. YOU."

"THIS," He whips around, Moose swining in sort, making majority of them cringe in disgust, in unsettlment. They're terrified. Good. " IS WHAT THEY DO! THIS IS WHAT YOU'LL BECOME, IF YOU MIX WITH THEM!"

At the very end, Moose drops, but he's strong. He's so strong. He stays on his knees for it, not down. His face is drenched in blood and brushes and cuts, and he won't stand down.

Someone hesitantly hands the redhead a baseball bat, which he grabs, eager to end this, eager to leave. Archie hates the whole world.

"You can live up here with us," he can't tell if the wetness sliding down his cheek is rain or tears. Can't distinguish the wail of pain from Fangr or Reggie, as the bat leaves a punishing kiss on Moose's right cheek, putting him down for good. "Or die down there, like them."

In conclusion, I'm crying.

[viviane-lefay]

Given the subject of my last post, I really couldn’t resist - because, honestly, I totally love the idea.

(plus another character to create, which I also love doing, hehe)

So, here she is, my OTP’s daughter - Estella Robotnik-Sharpe

Yes, a girl, because I really, really like father-daughter constellations when it comes to my fav male villains, as I think especially female children manage to draw out their softer sides, and I can’t help but find that absolutely adorable.

Then there is also the aspect, that daughters can also mirror the relationship the father has to the mother, to some degree, since the girl may often remind him of her - via resemblance, personality, or both. You know, the “She really got that beauty / smarts / kind nature / talent for xyz from her mum.” *sighs proudly while making hearteyes at his wife* kind of thing - which I totally dig, too (because OTP stuff).

As for the double surname I picked for Estella …

I thought it was an important detail to point out, that, while her fathers’ ancestry might certainly be more (in)famous, her mother comes from a scientific lineage that has acquired quite some renown, too. The name is supposed to honour exactly that - and the fact that these two truly are, and regard each other as equals. Plus Adelia is half British, and double surnames are fairly common there, if I remember correctly. It is used only for Estella, though. Adelia herself kept her own family name (for the above reasons), even though technically being “Mrs Robotnik”.

Faceclaim would be a young Megan Fox, as I think she has exactly the features that a child of these two here might have:

Again, facial features would be pretty much a mixture of both parents, which, I think, the picture above demonstrates quite nicely.

Like her mother, she has bright grey-ish blue eyes, that are slightly almond-shaped.

Her hair, however, is more like her father’s, both regarding structure and colour - straight and chocolate brown, albeit with some golden highlights.

In terms of her physique, she also takes very much after her mother’s petite, yet feminine frame. When fully grown, she’s but a little bit taller - which is, actually, still quite tiny - especially compared to her considerably taller father.

She’s stronger than she looks, though.

Intelligence-wise, she definitely takes after both her parents - so she’s one really, really smart girl. To her credit, she’s also quite humble about it.

Same goes for her areas of interest, but with the additional subject of (xeno)biology, given she really loves animals (huge side-eye @ dad’s once remark about animal testing, although he did mend his ways in that regard, to be fair, and she does acknowledge that there is indeed some necessity to it, unfortunately, but tries to find ways to dispose of it).

In general, she has a rather introverted, contemplative, kind and caring nature, and is more on the reserved side. Unfortunately, that makes her seem a bit standoffish to others - especially as she appears to have a bit of a “resting bitch face” problem, too.

Sometimes, however, her fiercer nature, as well as her father’s penchant for sarcasm comes through - but that is more the case when she’s angry about something.

Regarding her loved ones she is fiercely loyal, and might even show a more temperamental and lively, even a bit quirky side of herself (which is especially endorsed by her a bit roguish and adventurous friend Miranda).

Shares her mother’s dry humour, and has the ability to keep a straight face in the most peculiar or awkward situations.

For instance, she remains entirely unperturbed when yet again faced with her parents’ very public amorous demeanour, which she usually shrugs off with a “Oh, they do that all the time.” *proceeds to go about her business*. But, then again, she indeed is used to it, unlike any of the nonplussed bystanders.

(I guess, her reactions really do resemble Wednesday’s nonchalance in that regard, who also happens to deal with a similar parent-related situation - and, as I pointed out in the respective post - her parents’ dynamic is very similar to Morticia and Gomez’.).

Her father really dotes on her, and Adelia often jokingly remarks he’d spoil his daughter rotten, if she let him. Unlike his wife, who grew up in a loving family, Ivo had an unhappy, if not desolate childhood, spent in an orphanage, so he somehow feels like having to compensate for the lack he had by trying especially hard concerning his own child. He’s also quite protective, but that goes for his wife and daughter in general (unsurprisingly, given he very much takes after his grandfather Gerald in that regard).

Estella’s sun sign is Cancer, as she was born on the 8th of July - 2 weeks earlier than she was due, and 2 weeks after her parents got married.

(Most definitely not a shotgun type of wedding, btw. Estella might not have been planned, but she was far from being unwanted, as was this marriage. She isn’t the result of a mere fling, either, as her parents had been in a relationship for quite a while already. If anything, the “late” timing was more due to the fact that Ivo simply didn’t have the courage to ask Adelia earlier (because insecurity issues, believe it or not). And both or them aren’t the type to marry out of mere necessity, or convenience, for that matter - nor would Adelia’s parents want, let alone insist on such a union.)

And lastly …

She pretty much regards Agent Stone as her uncle, and even refers to him as such, sometimes, which, in turn, always makes him chuckle, as he’s really fond of the girl - plus his boss indeed has always reminded him of his own, also really successful, older brother whom he tried to emulate when deciding on his career path.

Her best friends are the Wachowski twins (Tom and Maddie’s kids), named James and Miranda, who are roughly 2 years older than her.

And since the feud between her father and Sonic also happens to be a thing of the past, that ended even before she was born (although some moderate rivalry and teasing does persist), she gets along fine with him as well.

So much on that for now.

[angelaiswriting]

Children (3 of 4) | Michael Gray x reader

[original picture: probably pixabay but i honestly forgot]

✏️ Pairing: Michael Gray x wife!reader

✏️ Summary: Michael and his wife have been invited to Polly’s for a family dinner and have a bomb to drop: they’re expecting their fifth child. (Requested by Anonymous)

✏️ A/N: the prompt I was given was “Could you stop getting her pregnant? Or I’m going to have to get a bigger table for family dinner”. I tweaked it a little to fit the conversation, hope you don’t mind. I’m posting this earlier than my usual posting time because I might have to go visit my aunt soon.

✏️ IMPORTANT NOTE: do NOT send me spoilers about season 5, and do NOT strike up a convo about S5 with me bc only God knows when it’ll be availabe in Italy. Don’t tell me anything about S5, please and thank you 💛

✏️ Warnings: just fluff (and probably more kids than Polly is willing to look after right now)

✏️ Word-count: 2,511

<< part one: children <<  |  << part two: anna and john <<  |  PART THREE: A BIGGER TABLE  |  >> part four: warhorse >>

There is something indescribably peaceful in the sight of his pregnant wife, even when she’s not showing much yet – or, at least, this is what Michael Gray thinks as he helps his daughter anna with her brand-new red polish shoes. He helps his daughter but his eyes are trained on his wife as she secures the twins in their tiny navy blue coats.

His mother has invited them over for another one of her family dinners and has caught the occasion with both hands to celebrate Anna’s fourth birthday one more time – it doesn’t matter that they’ve thrown a party last week, because if Polly Gray decides to take it upon herself to spoil her only granddaughter rotten, then there’s no stopping her.

Michael, on his part, is not complaining, either, not when his mother has so kindly – for Shelby standards, that is – proposed to keep the children over for the night. It’s a blessing, if he has to be honest, and it’s not because he doesn’t love his children, but rather because he’s in desperate need of a peaceful night of sleep. This is the one thing he hasn’t been able to get in a while and despite the fact that the twins have turned two just the months before, they’re already following in on their brother John’s path.

“Daddy?”

He picks Anna up in his arms when he’s done tying the laces of her shoes and he pecks the tip of her nose as he hums in answer.

The girl’s arms are wrapped tightly around his neck before he has the chance to tell her to hold on tight and the second later, she’s pressing a light kiss to his cheek.

“Think Nana will let me sleep in her bed tonight?” she asks and the look she gives him makes him chuckle.

He doesn’t know where this trait of hers comes from, whether from the Gray or the Shelby half of the family; all he knows is that his princess is able to use it to her advance. All she needs is the right look in her eyes and a slight pout on her lips and even the fucking King would do what she says. If she ever ends up working for the family business – he reasons as he puts her down on the ground after the couple of minutes spent sitting on the table of the big room –, she will be a great addition to the team. Clever eyes, even smarter and sharper tongue already at this age, he’s sure there’s nothing she won’t be able to achieve if she sets her mind on it. She had the unyielding stubbornness of the Grays and the blind courage of the Shelbys, and both traits are paired to his wife’s wit and kindness and that’s all Anna will need to succeed in life – or to fall, but Michael is not thinking about it now nor will he think about it later on in life.

“You give her this look,” he simply suggests with a chuckle, “and I’m sure she will. Now go call John, it’s time to leave.”

After that, two-year-old Henry is in his arms while Paul is in his wife’s. It’s always so beautifully weird, to look at his two youngest sons and see them one the carbon copy of the other. They have his green eyes and his wife’s hair and when they laugh, they have his cousin John’s chuckle.

“Michael?”

Y/N is looking at him with the brightest smile on her face when he turns to the side to glance at her.

She’s fucking glowing – he wants to tell her this much. Wants to tell her she’s his fucking star, the light of his life. And he knows it’s her usual pregnancy glow, but she’s so fucking beautiful, so fucking perfect his knees always wobble a little when his gaze lands on her. And he wonders what he’s done to deserve someone like her – to have the chance to fall in love and have a family of his own with her.

“You shouldn’t encourage her.” She’s chuckling, his wife, and all he wants to do is close the distance between them, cradle her face as he holds his son to his chest and kiss her – fucking take her breath away and make her weak in the knees as he pours all he feels for her into the kiss.

“She doesn’t need my encouragement,” he shrugs.

And it’s the truth – whether he tells Anna to use her doe eyes and pleading pout on the next unfortunate soul or nor, his daughter would always do what she thinks is best to reach her goals. At that, she’s a young Polly Gray at heart and Michael often thinks this is the reason why his mother has decided to spoil her, to bend the knee and give her what she wants. She is probably the one truly encouraging her in her antics, seeing more potential in her than she does in her nephews.

Y/N answers with an amused shake of her head and a smile, and Michael knows she agrees with him.

Then, before she has the time to speak, Anna is dashing down the stairs with John at her heels and they’re both laughing. It’s that kind of laughter that fills your belly and your heart even if you’re not the one currently laughing and it still – and always, without the shadow of a doubt – makes you smile. It brings you back to a childhood forever gone and it reminds you of the weight that has settled on your shoulders growing up. And while that weight is still there and always will be, it’s suddenly lighter, not that heavy to carry as you end up chuckling.

“Children!” His wife doesn’t need for her voice to boom in the hall of their mansion, for their children always listen to her. They just know it’s better to listen to their Mummy rather than to displease her. “John, take your sister’s hand,” she says, shifting Paul on her other hip. “And Ann, you can play hide-and-seek with your brother and your cousins when we get to Nana’s house, yeah? Not before.”

Unsurprisingly, the siblings listen and as Michael watches John take his sister’s hand in his hold, there’s pure, scorching pride bubbling up in his heart. He looks at them and the only thought – the only prayer – in his mind is: please, don’t grow up.

All he wants to do is stop time and enjoy his children’s childhood – their laughter, their games, even their cries in the middle of the night because they’ve just woken up from some unpleasant dream. He wants for John and Anna and Paul and Henry – and even his fifth unborn child – to remain young forever, to not know the shadows that lurk in the daylight, to not feel unsafe because Daddy and his family have made themselves moronic enemies.

Sometimes he thinks of Esme when this wish comes up and he wonders where she and the kids might be. He wonders whether they’re safe, alive, happy as both Shelbys and Grays are still stuck in sticky quicksands.

*

Polly’s house is a bedlam, even though a much quieter one now that the children have been fed and are full, playing in the living room as the adults still sit at the dining table.

It’s quiet and the smoke of his cigarette seems to tickle Michael’s skin as he inhales it. The cigarette is light between his fingers, but it’s also an anchoring weight that keeps him tied to this world as he floats in his own, private bubble of fatherhood happiness.

Anyone that looks at him sees his glow just like he can see his wife’s. He’s not as heavied-down as he used to be once. His step is lighter, his smile is brighter and there’s a contagious twinkle in his eyes that just wasn’t there before John’s birth. It just gets bigger and brighter the more children he has and right now…

Right now he wants to scream from the rooftops that another one is in the oven, slowly baking, and that he loves his wife so much that he’d have ten more children with her. Boys, girls, twins – it doesn’t matter, it never does. He just wants to give her the gift of motherhood one more time – and then, one more time – and to be given that of fatherhood again and again and again.

He lives for his children. Sometimes, he truly does. He wakes up in the morning and they’re his first thought and when he has to leave for work early in the morning, when the house is still floating in slumber, he presses a kiss to each of his children’s forehead and he looks at them for a second or two with a dreamy smile on his lips. And he knows – he just does – that his day is going to be okay.

They’re also his main concern – as it rightfully should be. And he wants to give them the best life he can afford. And if they asked, he would give them the moon because he’s just so utterly theirs that his heart aches and warms him up from the inside.

And when he looks at his family – at Tommy, finally smiling; at Finn and his lovely girlfriend; at Arthur, finally happy with Linda at his side, and then at his mum, glowing as bright as the sun as she sits there, with the people he loves like her children –, he feels at peace. There are no enemies here, no dangers, just a bunch of probably dysfunctional but nonetheless still happy people drinking and smoking because fuck, it’s so good to have a family these days.

And it leaves his lips before he realizes the words are there, pressing behind his teeth.

“Y/N and I are having another kid.”

His voice is soft and faint, and his heart is even lighter. He almost feels high – almost – and it’s the warm ecstasy of something far better than cocaine. And despite the confession not being loud, all conversations stop and hang in the air as all eyes turn to look at him.

The silent is buzzing and in the background, playing in another room, everyone can hear the children laugh and talk together as Anna – the only girl – tries to organize some game where she is the only commander.

“Is this a plan or…” Arthur’s question fades into silence as his cousins and sister-in-law and mother process what Michael has just said.

That Y/N and I are having another kid feels almost like a bomb dropped when nobody was expecting it and the deflagration confuses the ground for a moment before life starts breathing again.

“The doctor says I’m eight or nine weeks in,” his wife answers.

Michael takes his cigarette from his lips with his left hand and shifts his right on the table to take his wife’s hand in his. He loves her – he looks at her and that’s his only thought. Love bubbles up beneath his skin, love buzzes through his veins, love fills his belly and his heart alike and he feels light, peaceful, at ease.

It takes Polly a while to talk, to form words in her mind first and in her mouth later. And when she eventually breaks the trance enough, Tommy has already stood up to wrap his cousin into a hug.

“Another one?” There’s clear shock and surprise in his mother’s voice as she looks up at him from her chair, eyes wide and mouth agape.

Michael shrugs and his wife chuckles as she stands up to let the men kiss her cheeks in their usual congratulatory manner.

“Are you… Are you two competing with John, by any means?”

John is still a sore and delicate button, one no one ever pushes, but today’s different. Today John’s death isn’t as painful, and his blood on his pristine shirt isn’t as crimson. It’s a throbbing pain in the back of their mind, sure, but it’s not the mind-shattering, heart-stopping memory it’s used to be for a while.

“The more of us out there, the fewer problems we’ll have, right?” Michael jokes, pulling his wife into his side and planting a sloppy kiss on her lips.

Y/N beams, eyes closed and smile wide as she melts in his arms and he can’t wait to be back home. He can’t wait to be back home alone with her and show his wife how much he loves her all over again – how much he loves her and their children and their slowly-growing (or quickly-growing, as Polly would insist) family. How much he loves his domestic life and his warm wife and the rascals he has for kids.

What damage could one more bring?

They all chat away happily as they take their seats and Polly is the only one who’s silent. No one pays her any attention for a minute or two, but when the take her silence in, all chatter stops.

“Don’t you think it’s time to… take a step back for a while?” His mother is downing her drink when Michael looks at her. “You know, take a break, enjoy peace for a while before going for another?”

He’s surprised. And sort of scared. He never thought his own mother would be against him becoming a father one more time, but now that she’s talking like this… His blood slowly turns cold, the grip he has on his wife’s hand turns tighter and he’s suddenly too terrified to move a muscle.

It’s like his happy bubble bursts – it flies too close to a thorn and the second after, there are only minuscule droplets of water raining down.

Polly grins then, though, and she chuckles and when she does, the blood starts flowing again in his veins. Relief washes over him and it all happens in a fraction of a second: one moment he’s tensing up like a violin’s string, the next his back is relaxing against the chair and he turns to glance at his wife with a look in his eyes that can only mean oh, thank God!

There’s a third moment to that quick metamorphosis of events: Polly pulls him up to his feet and has his face in her hands in a second before she kisses his cheeks. And he’s never seen her this happy.

“For fuck’s sake, Michael!” She’s laughing and nothing has ever felt sweeter than the sound of his mother’s laughter in this moment. “Stop getting Y/N pregnant or I’ll need a bigger table for family dinners!”

They all join in on her laughter when Arthur adds a “Or a bigger house” and the happiness is contagious and scalding and for once they all laugh like Michael’s children when they play with each other.

Michael and his wife are planning to have one more kid, though. Don’t tell Pol and the Shelbys!

Feedback and PB requests are welcome! ❤️

TAGS (to be added to or to be removed from any list, shoot me an ask)

Everything: @idhrenniel @saibh29 @fuckthatfeeling @aya-fay @pebblesz892  @mblaqgi

Peaky Blinders: @whimsylavender @thethyri @friendleyneighbourhoodvillain  @flowers-in-your-hayr @oddsnendsfanfics @medievalfangirl

People that might be interested: @sweetvengeancee @kellydixon01

[bunnis-babes]

Can you do dad Aizawa headcanons where the reader is oblivious to other students flirting with them and Aizawa is usually in the background scaring them off

So like, I guess I’m gonna make this more ‘all of the guys are interested in her, but only a few of them have the guts to flirt with her after a while.’ I’ll se where I go with who ends up with her... well hope you enjoy! *Later river* lmao, that did not happen I’m so sorry.

◾️Aizawa doesn’t look like dad material, does he? Well, he literally is one of the best, most adorable fathers out there and his daughter is so lucky to have him as a dad.

◾️He spoils her rotten (as much as his paycheck allows at least) and makes sure she is happy and feels as beautiful as she looks all the time.

◾️This is good and fun, but Aizawa is very tough on his kid. He’s got rules that she’s expected to follow, and he will not hesitate to punish her for disobeying them. He does it because he loves her and wants her to grow up to be a good person.

◾️And it worked, for the most part. She’s such a sweet and kind and responsible person who works hard to get where she wants to be.

◾️Unsurprisingly, she works hard and gets into class 1-A using her quirk and support items, and she quickly won over the hearts of all of 1-A, much to Aizawa’s dismay.

◾️It wasn’t really all that bad in the beginning of the school year, no one but Menita really had the balls to flirt with anyone yet, though we could hardly call what he does flirting.

◾️But the thing was, no one knew that she was Aizawa’s daughter yet. It hadn’t clicked that she was their sensei’s kid, and that caused a lot of trouble later on.

◾️Unsurprisingly, almost every guy in 1-A found themselves drawn to the girl with the bright and cheery attitude and cute face. She found herself suddenly swarmed by guys trying to hang out with her, and god did it piss Aizawa off.

◾️Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero would constantly beg her to tutor them, and Bakugou would tell her he needed to “help keep those shitheads in line” with her. Ojirou and Tokoyami would find themselves relaxing in the commons with her, seemingly lulled by her personality. Sato and Koda would sit and listen to her talk for hours. Iida would train with her, mostly innocent, but a little part of him really liked the way she looked all hot and sweaty.

◾️ See, Aizawa has a pretty easy time scaring them off though, after making a fairly large show of calling her ‘Little Kitten’ (ITS JUST A NICKNAME HE GAVE HER DONT SUE ME YA NASTYS) which scared off most of the boys. A little more threatening convincing had to be used on Bakugou, but shhh.

◾️Yet, there was one boy she caught the eye of - one of the most stubborn boys in the class: Midoriya Izuku.

◾️He innocently paired them up for a project at the beginning of the year, assuming that Midoriya was too weak willed to try anything with her.

He was wrong...

VERY WRONG

◾️Since then Midoriya made a point of hanging around her and pairing up with her. They are together, they walked together, dammit sometimes they slept together. Aizawa hated the morning he entered the dorms only to find Midoriya cuddled up with his pride and joy.

“Poor Izu-Kun, you have so many chores!”

“I don’t know how I ended up with so many n/n-Chan.”

*cue Aizawa smirking*

◾️He tried everything to deter the freckled boy, but his determined attitude held strong against Aizawas fatherly wrath.

◾️Aizawa defiantly knew that it would be a struggle to deter him -Boy did he know- no matter how many time he tries to scare him off, he always comes right back. God, he hated All Mights influence on the kid sometimes.

◾️He knew he wouldn’t be able to just stare Midoriya away from his daughter, so he took drastic measures: He gave him the dad talk. It was all he had left!

◾️He pulled him aside after class one day, getting a look from his daughter as she left the room, and bluntly told him to stop pining after his daughter; that she was too young and busy to have a boyfriend as wreckless as himself.

◾️And Midoriya, somehow gaining a pair, looked him dead in the eyes and said “With all due respect sir, I don’t think I could do that. I’m not going to let anyone stand between me and d/n, not even her father, Aizawa-Sensei.” And Aizawa was almost impressed... so with a stern glare, he told him to leave the classroom.

◾️And things went on, Aizawa vehemently refused to give Izuku his approval to date his daughter, and she was none the wiser to everything going on... or so he thought.

◾️Little did he know, Izuku and her had been secretly going steady behind his back, and Izuku told her everything that had happened. Every subtle threat or punishment, every after school conversation, EVERYTHING. The kid was such a pain in the side.

◾️He only found out about this after heading to her dorm room to give her something she’d asked him to get, only to open the door to them making out on his daughters bed.

◾️It was then that Aizawa realized, ‘nothing you do will stop these two from being together, and unless you want a modern day Romeo and Juliet death scene, you better start accepting this right now’ so he gently places whatever she wanted on the desk, gave Izuku and his daughter a ‘we’ll talk about this later’ and walked out of the room leaving the two teens in shock.

◾️So he has them meet up after classes are out, and basically says ‘If you ever hurt her, I will personally see to your expelling from this school.’ And ‘If I ever catch you too doing anything more than hugging until you’ve graduated, I will kill both of you myself’

◾️And that’s the tragic tale of Aizawa and his beautiful daughter.

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

Honestly? I have no clue if this is good, it’s 3AM and I’m not really in the mood to check this over too much. Also, sorry this turned into and Izuku fic, like, I’m thirsty for Izuku and I don’t have any requests for him so I took it out on yours. Sorry bb, hope you enjoyed because I feel content, so I’m gonna post it. Thank you for requesting because this on was funnnnn, mainly because I’m suuuuuper sleepy but whateverrrrrrrr!!!

(*☻-☻*)

💙River💙

[faecrowned]

♛ Headcanon: On Bede and Hatterene 

LET THERE BE NO QUESTION, NO OTHER POKEMON HOLDS A CLOSER SPOT TO BEDE’S HEART than the Hatenna line; even the sight of one of the three evolutionary stages is enough to coax a rare genuine smile to his features. And it should come as little surprise that challengers will see many of them hovering about Ballonlea’s Gym...or perhaps around the new gym leader himself. Though where Bede is, his own Hatterene is never too far, radiating a beautifully intimidating aura. 

And Bede would have it no other way. 

(After all, it’s the same air he wants to radiate himself.)

To him, Hatterene is not only his partner through all, but his dearest and first friend. The closest semblance of a family. 

Hatterene does indeed have a nickname--Circe. The name came to Bede after one of his many literary escapades and observation of her behavior. Fitting enough given her tendency throughout her evolutionary stages to silence those who pose a threat to herself or her trainer. Testing her is not a wise option. 

Bede and Circe met during his years in the orphanage of Motostoke. Nights that may have been better spent sleeping were instead moments of peace for Bede, an opportunity for exploration beyond the walls that were some distortion of a home. And it is one fateful night that he met the lone Hatenna who would become his partner for life. While Bede never had a ball to formally capture her until he met Rose, Circe very much behaved as though Bede were her trainer. 

As a Hatenna and Hattrem, Circe was often carried in Bede’s arms as they traveled....that or she lived within his jacket. Truthfully, she doesn’t like to stay in her ball, and her trainer doesn’t make it a point to keep her there. 

Unsurprisingly, Bede’s emotional composure comes a lot in part from having raised the Hatenna line. He’s indeed felt the wrath of an displeased Hattrem more than one occasion. 

He affectionately calls Circe “Dear Hatterene” or “Dear Circe” often--while he may not appear to be at first glance, Bede is rather affectionate with his teammates. Many of them are spoiled rotten.  

After gaining his psychic and fae magic capabilities, the two of them often have telepathic conversations together--topics range from being important, to emotions, to snarking about others unapologetically. 

Despite her aura, Circe is actually quite friendly (unless she feels ill intentions)--and motherly, for that matter. At times, Bede feels as if he’s the one being raised. 

Both trainer and Pokemon cannot stand loud people or places. 

[novastarlyght]

Looking for an animated movie to watch on Netflix?

Then you should see “Igor”!

This is a little French/American 3D feature film written by Chris McKenna (Community, The Lego Batman Movie and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle)! The animation itself is... not that great, due to a pretty low budget (only 25$ million USD - compare that to the movie Pixar released that year, which had a budget of 180$ million USD) but it makes up for that by being extremely imaginative and well-written! Yet for some reason it only has a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes which I do not??? Understand even slightly????? Maybe critics were harsh on it because it came out the same year as WALL-E and Kung Fu Panda which I don’t think is fair at all. It might not be quite as good as those movies but it’s still enormously enjoyable in its own right and vastly underrated, imo.

Also Netflix’s description is... not correct, there is no “village beauty Gretchen.” The movie takes place in a country of mad scientists, each with their own Igors (they’re all even named that, apparently it’s mandatory for the male children born with hunchbacks). However one Igor is much smarter than his master Dr. Glickenstein, so he wants to become a mad scientist on his own but he isn’t allowed due to being an Igor. After Dr. Glickenstein dies in the first few minutes of the movie, he now has the opportunity to prove himself by winning the upcoming Evil Science Fair.

This movie also includes:

Two very charming and funny side characters, Igor’s inventions Scamper and Brain, voiced by Steve Buscemi and Sean Hayes. The former is a zombie rabbit who can’t die again, which irritates him because he’s suicidal, while the latter is a dumb, adorable brain-in-a-jar robot. They’re both wonderful and I love them

A Frankenstein’s Monster story where the monster is a girl and she and her creator fall in love. Also she wants to be an actress. I love her too

GOOD JOKES! LIKE, LOTS OF LEGITIMATELY REALLY GOOD AND CLEVER JOKES (with unsurprisingly an emphasis on darker humor)

Excellent and varied character designs! The entire art direction is sort of Old School Tim Burton meets Psychonauts, along with many nods to classic monster movies

No third act breakup/misunderstanding! The leads try to be honest with each other but then the villains are actually the ones who go and intentionally sabotage things between them. Refreshing!

A twist you can probably see coming but is still interesting in concept and does a nice job of reinforcing the movie’s message of “You don’t have to do or be what other people want or expect from you” by adding on “especially since they could also be manipulating you to suit their own ideals”

A fantastic climax. I won’t spoil it but I’ll just say there’s never been a more badass rendition of “Tomorrow” from Annie. Yes, seriously.

Lines such as “I feel like I’m sending my kid off to school for the first time! But, yaknow, to learn how to murder.”

Eddie Izzard as one of the villains who dresses exactly like Eddie Izzard

An invisible TV host who doesn’t wear pants because he’s invisible   

NOW GO WATCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!

[kandyrezi]

Emalf and Poemi headcannons

(uuuuu not sure if you meant like romantic or platonic headcanons, but since i ship them, i’m gonna go with the shippy route.)

[ ♡ / ♢ ] Emalf x Poemi hcs.

since ivlis is always busy or occupied with other things and people, poemi will bug emalf to spend time with her and pooch instead, as he’s the second closest friend (boyfriend?) she has after her pet. well, not like he can bring himself to say ‘no’ to her anyway. emalf will do various things with her, like bring her to music festivals, making sure to carry her on his shoulders for the best view, go to festivities dressed up in kimonos, or to see some of the demons setting off fireworks in the flame world.

if the events go on for a long time through the night, she’ll probably fall asleep during the late-night show of fireworks with her head resting against his shoulders.

when emalf sees she’s not waking up, thinking it probably isn’t very comfortable, he’ll carry her back to the castle.

poemi has a big sweet tooth, so emalf remembers sneak her some candy and chocolates underneath her pillows or hidden away somewhere easy enough for her to find.

unsurprisingly, emalf spoils her rotten and is very gentle with her.

poemi can be a bit clingy with whoever she ends up taking a liking to, emalf being no exception to this. the latter was confused by this the first time poemi kept bugging him all the time, tugging on his tail or jacket to get him to come along with her, the demands of attention, the small kisses on the cheek whenever he brought her something she liked.

she hasn’t yet become accustomed with bluntly expressing anything other than what she feels on the surface.

lots of teasing between the two of them. emalf will jokingly call her, “princess” but poemi has the upper hand on him in the ability to make emalf flustered and lose his ‘cool guy’ composure in mere seconds. 

poemi likes to pull pranks on other demons as well, but emalf in particular is her favorite target. she’ll scribble on his face while he’s asleep or steal his jacket and glasses that are two sizes too big on her for wearing. ...not that they don’t look cute on her, though.

she might accidentally get a little rough with him, like biting him hard enough to draw blood that was meant just as a playful tussle.

poemi loves having emalf carry her to places, especially a piggy-back ride. she’s fortunately light enough that he doesn’t mind too much. 

poemi doesn’t know how to ask for a kiss normally, so she hits him in the back of the knees, causing him to double over so she can pull him in for a kiss by tugging at his collar.

she’s too flustered and embarrassed at first to kiss him anywhere except quick pecks on the cheek.

honestly, no one even really suspects the two of them being in a relationship, they just think emalf is a really close big-brother type for her.

[believerindaydreams]

fresh squeezed, in a blue glass

after the shopping trip reunion

"A road trip. That'll be nice."

Tuco's much contented as he says it, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be. His partner's home now (home?), safe and sound. Cleaned up, busily letting Angel Eyes entice him with highway maps and guidebooks. By the time the mark's chasing you, they've been well and truly hooked. Allowing for accidents-

"You know why I don't trust you?" Susan asks, brandishing a dripping knife.

Like that, for instance. "Because I looked like I was replacing Blondie? Because you thought I was a gold-digger bastard who wanted to strip Angel's carcass? The time I insulted you, by saying you'd made a chili so hot I couldn't eat it? I mean, that one wasn't my fault, it really isn't-"

"....all right, every one of those at one time or another, but I've a different one troubling me at the moment," Susan says, slicing the final orange in half. Leaving one half on the cutting board, she puts the other in the squeezer, presses down with steady perceptive pressure. "You seemed utterly thrilled about this shopping expedition, when Angel Eyes proposed it. Unsurprisingly."

She's so punctilious about her employer, Tuco reflects. Doesn't even like casually calling him "Angel". "Okay. I'm not denying I was- so what?"

"So you get back here three days later, with a second-hand watch and a trunk full of cheap polyester horrors. Three days away, when I know Angel had been intending at least a fortnight to spoil your hide something rotten- and suddenly you've changed your mind completely. Perfectly happy to let Blondie scatter all those plans to the wind. How am I supposed to know what to make of a changeable weathercock like you?"

"We-ell. It's only fair. I've had Angel to myself for a while now..."

"Long enough I was almost believing that was it," Susan says. "Just the pair of you together. If I thought that you could be trusted to stick around, I might not question so much."

"Why shouldn't I stick around? I'm cheaper to buy than Blondie."

(He's not, never has been; but loyalty to his partner makes him say it. There's no need for Susan to hear what they've been through together; and some of it he'd rather not think on it himself.)

"Angel Eyes deserves better-"

she slaps down an orange half, much too hard; Tuco wipes a splash of juice off his face, thoughtfully licks it off his fingers.

"-better than two n'er-do-well spongers with an eye on how to bilk him."

"So what, since when has deserving had anything to do with the world? Did Angel deserve to have this big house, while I was sleeping rough and starving?"

Susan goes white. More than he'd have guessed possible; but then she's paler even than Blondie. Maybe it comes easy to a face like that.

"If you want me to know I'm lucky, don't worry, I guessed. If you're scared I'd leave him, I don't have anywhere to go that's better. And if you think I'd find a way to hurt him anyway, well...I'm too greedy and too smart, to want to do that. Okay?"

"It didn't stop Blondie."

Tuco shakes his head. "Blondie's not greedy. Funny trait for a hustler, maybe a bad one, but he just isn't."

"Oddly enough, that's what made me trust him," Susan admits. "That complete and total disdain- oh, there were things he liked, his movies and what had you, but I could see that wasn't where his heart was. Only then he leaves and comes back with you, so smugly self-satisfied as to flaunt his lover....and I said to myself, this was always an act. Well. Never mind, Blondie's going to have to go some ways towards convincing me this time."

"But that's his problem. Not mine."

"Maybe. I wish I knew how sincere you're ever being."

"How would you, when I don't know myself?" Now that's the sort of indiscreet truth that'll make him wince, at three in the morning; he should have shut up long since- but underestimating danger isn’t one of his usual faults."Can I have a cup of that?"

"Did it ever occur to you," Susan says, in a tired voice. "That people might trust you more, if you didn't make them so nervous with that constant greediness."

"Sure, sure. You think I'd let it show anywhere I didn't feel safe?"

"...you feel safe here."

She repeats it back as if it's a statement, not a question. Tuco shrugs. 

“If you promise not to tell Angel Eyes,” Susan says eventually. “He likes having the first glass.”

“Oh. Then you better pour that one first, then, and I’ll have the second.”

He can see she wasn’t expecting that resolution to her question. Either make a little betrayal or give up his desires, that’s what she had in mind; but for goodness sake, she’ll have to get up earlier than that if she wants to trick a hustler...

(the orange juice proves very nice indeed)

[nuclear-reactions]

Hi! I love your writing so much! I don't know if I submitted this ask. So sorry if I did and forgot. Given Shaun somehow is able to "age" or progress as a person, could you write the different kinds of childhoods he'd have and what type of person he'd become based on the companion Sole raises him with. (And could I pretty please have a bonus where he's raised a little by everyone?)

(Thank you! Andyou’re fine, as long as you don’t spam me with a bunch of requestsyou don’t have to worry about resubmitting the occasional ask.Dogmeat and Codsworth excluded in the solo reactions)

It takes a villageto raise a child; Sole and their compatriots take this phrase maybe atad literally. On the bright side, Shaun has a deep, deep pool ofaunts and uncles to draw knowledge from on subjects he isn’t familiarwith. Danse and MacCready often fight over who should teach him toshoot (“I can hit a bloatfly from two miles out, I think I canteach a kid how to handle a gun.” “If he doesn’t plan on scoutingout sniper nests for a hour before every altercation, he’ll learnfrom me!”). Strong is the cause of his first broken bone when Shauntries to have an arm wrestling match. Curie is the one to set it andscold Strong. Cait and Hancock sneak him his first tastes of alcohol,each thinking they’re the only ones who do so. Cait in particular,after an intense round of day drinking, gives him an impromptu sex edlesson, and it’s an almost too honest -and descriptive- answer toShaun’s question of what sex was, not to mention quite different thanthe diagrams Curie showed him on reproductive organs. Piper isundoubtedly his best aunt, or at least, the closest thing to awell-rounded adult figure in his life. She’s usually the one he comesto with problems, and also dispels many of the myths Deacon handsdown (“No, you do not become a werebear if you eat charred yao guaimeat.”) Nick is more of the grandfather that knows card tricks.Codsworth is Codsworth, remaining the same mildly overbearing nannybot he’s always been. Preston never really gets the hang of him. Hetreats him a lot younger, being unsure what kids Shaun’s age are “into”. X6 isn’t the most helpful when it comes to rearing kids, andShaun only really turns to him when he wants brutal honesty.

Between the lot ofthem, Shaun ends up fairly well-rounded, with an…eclectic set ofskills, to say the least. He’s taught a little of everything. When itcomes time for him to leave the settlement, he leaves on dozens ofhandshakes and more than a few proud tears.

Danse- With Danse, he is groomed intothe picture of an army brat. It goes without saying that hisupbringing is strict, sometimes even a little harsh, but loving andfull of happy memories as well. Danse is not entirely warm, but then,he’s not entirely cold either. Sole never lets Danse treat Shaun toomuch like a Brotherhood initiate. They have to remind him now andthen that they’re not going to shoehorn their son into a militarycareer when he’s instructing him on the meticulous way a soldiershould make his bed in the mornings. He does learn a lot onmaintaining power armor and firearms, and leans more into becoming amechanic when he starts working. That, or following his father’sfootsteps into the Brotherhood (though he’s not popular, consideringDanse’s history with them). Making his father proud is tantamount inShaun’s mind, he pursues any life that would do just that. Danseraises him to be brave in the face of doubt, do what feels right, andto never let others decide your fate.

Hancock- Despitehis laz a fair approach to his own life, he does try to set Shaun ona better path than the one he ended up going down. He cleans up alittle, weans himself from the harder chems, and if he does keep afew habits, he doesn’t do them around the kid. He’s very much the “goask Sole” type of father, and Shaun gets away with a lot aroundhim. Just enough to be considered a mischievous kid and not adelinquent. He gets his first taste of beer early, his ownswitchblade, his own tricorn hat when he’s old enough it doesn’tslough off to one side of his head. Shaun adopts a lot of Hancock’svirtues, his self-confidence, loyalty, leadership skills, charm, butis taught to avoid many of his vices (which is mostly Sole’s doing).If he doesn’t end up taking up Hancock’s mantle of mayor, he likelyends up leader of a group like the Minutemen, leaving a string ofbroken hearts along the way of whatever path he treads. He’s acharmer, quick witted, and is taught to use his head above all- whichalso consists of keeping it clean. He doesn’t take up the casual chemuse that Hancock suffers from.

Deacon- Littlewhite lies are all Shaun is really allowed, yet he makes the best ofthem, and he develops a good poker face early on. Deacon is morehonest with Sole than anyone else, but first and foremost, he is apathological liar, prone to wild stories, and Shaun adopts that alittle too well. He impresses his school mates with all the storiesof his heroism, like the time he took down a radstag single-handed with nothing but a hunting knife. His tall tales either earn him agullible flock of followers or a beating from the kids smart enoughto see through his bravado. But he doesn’t just learn lying fromDeacon- he also learns compassion, fighting for what you think isright, protecting the people who are most vulnerable. And he is thesingle hardest kid to trick. He sees through deception just as easilyas he carries it out, so he quickly unravels most of the stories kidsget told (Sole has a nightmare of a time trying to convince him ofSanta Claus). His tendency towards “exaggeration” places him inthe position of a salesman later in life, hyping up his wares justenough that they seem shiny and appealing. If not that, then he’dfind himself with the Railroad, helping in whatever cause they followwhen the Institute is gone. Learning from Deacon’s mistakes, hebecomes an honest liar, easy going, and fights for the marginalized.

Piper- Havingmostly raised her little sister on her own, Piper sidles prettyeasily into the role of a mother, and his childhood is earnestlyclose to “normal” with her and Sole as parents. As normal asthings ever really got in the Commonwealth. He does, however, getinto scrapes in search of stories for Piper to cover. Being aninvestigative journalist is on par with being a spy in his mind-keeping your eyes and ears open, finding contacts, meeting in secret.He mostly grows out of this, but Piper still instills in him a loveof the written word and a desire to educate the Wastes on thingsbeyond the farms and cities they relegate themselves to. He takes totraveling at a young age, writing of his experiences in theCommonwealth and eventually, the rest of the ruins of the UnitedStates. If he doesn’t become a writer, he likely goes into lawenforcement, making sure (like Piper always taught him) that justicecomes to those who wrong others. He’s as silver tongued,compassionate, and as worldly as the woman who helps raise him.

Curie- She’slearning how to act human as much as Shaun is, so she mostly goeswith whatever Sole says when it comes to raising him. They knowbetter than she would; despite knowing how to keep kids healthy, shehad little experience with their emotional needs. Still, she does herbest. She reads him stories, partakes in nightly rituals like tuckinghim in and humming him to sleep, and when he’s too old for all that,she giddily encourages him in his studies. He learns more from herthan anything taught in school. She teaches him not only how to treatdisease, but passes on a genuine compassion and desire to help, tolearn, to make the Wastes a little better in some small capacity.When the time comes for him to strike out on his own, he travelsfurther than Curie ever has in search of knowledge, and exchanges theknowledge he brought from the Commowealth. He saves lives, being akind and caring figure all the while. He becomes everything Fathercould have been before he was twisted by the Institute.

Nick- Having arobot detective as a father is probably the coolest thing a childcould experience, and Shaun is in near constant awe of Nick. Nickhimself takes easily to being a dad and enjoys it. Shaun is his son,and really, with them both being synths cast from similar molds, itnever once felt like he wasn’t family. Having someone he could passthings on to… it was more than Nick had ever really hoped for. Hespends much of his childhood in the glow of the heart-shaped signoutside Valentine’s Detective Agency, reading through old case files,picking over evidence from new case files, and each case is a puzzlefor him to piece together. He grows up sharp and inquisitive, eagleeyed with a nose for lies. He also learns as much about synth’s innerworkings as he does humans. Nick needs the occasional tuneup whenSole isn’t around, so he helps now and then with the screws andpanels he can’t reach on his own. With this knowledge, if he doesn’tend up taking over the agency, he goes out to help runaway synthsstill wandering the Commonwealth, confused and with heads full ofmemories that aren’t their own. He grows to be perceptive, a naturalproblem solver, and sets the wrong things right wherever he goes.

Cait- Her biggestfear, besides sliding back into old habits, is becoming her parents.She does her damn best to be a good parent almost entirely out ofspite. Shaun is absolutely spoiled rotten. If Sole won’t give himsomething, he asks Caits, and nine times out of ten he gets what hewants. She’s as short tempered as she’s always been, yet for him, shekeeps it together. For him, she does better. She’s also wildlyprotective, and unsurprisingly, teaches him most problems can besolved with his fists. He’s reared knowing how to stick up forhimself, and the two of them spar a few times a week until he’s oldand skilled enough to actually beat her in a fight. By the time he’sready to leave home, there is no doubt in anyone’s minds that he’sbeen raised to take care of himself, whatever is thrown at him.Strength and fighting skills usually don’t amount to much more thanfalling in with a gang of raiders, but Shaun knows that’s not thelife either of his parents want, and the thrashing he would get ifCait knew he even considered it, so he goes into work as a bountyhunter, a body guard; anything that lets him both use his skills andsleep with an easy conscience. He’s a little wilder, a little louder,and grows up to be a fighter.

MacCready- Havingsome experience raising kids, he takes in Shaun without secondthought. Duncan has a big brother when he arrives in theCommonwealth, the two of them taking to each other almost right away.There’s hardly a day they’re separated, playing catch and shooting BBguns with their father. Shaun is protective and immensely proud ofhis younger sibling, and MacCready can finally loosen the tight griphe’d kept on his youngest son. He still keeps a watchful eye over thetwo of them, but he feels like, finally, there was someone he trustedimplicitly to keep Duncan safe. Of course, the more he gains, themore he fears losing, and he can sometimes be a bit harsh if eitherone of them do something dangerous. He couldn’t take losing them.This drives Shaun to leave at a fairly young age, learningMacCready’s stubbornness and the bravado of his youth, and Duncan isquick to follow. The two, having been taught to shoot guns beforethey could read (as well as stay out of the thick of fights) endup becoming a formidable pair of snipers. They know better than tojoin up with the Gunners or other mercenary gangs, instead becomingguns for hire. Freelance killers with a bit stricter moral codes thantheir father. If only a bit. He’s cunning, careful, and a hell of agood shot.

Preston- Being asyoung and new to parenthood as he is, he isn’t entirely prepared toraise a child who came to them fully formed. He’s anxious, alwaysconcerned he’s doing something wrong, but he does the things hisfather did for him. Teaches Shaun to shoot, the importance of a goodbook, that being kind is a reward in itself. He also teaches him thethings he had to learn for himself; that it’s fine to cry, to not beokay, to rely on others for strength when you feel like your own isfailing. Shaun’s childhood is as bumpy as any child’s is in theCommonwealth, but with Preston, there’s light even in the darkesttimes. He carries this indomitable sense of good and rightness withhim even when he’s grown, and if he doesn’t settle into a simplerlife in a settlement, he joins the Minutemen, carrying on the valueshe’s been taught. Preston teaches him the strength in community, thathope and mercy are not weakness, and to always lend a hand, whateverhe does.

X6-88- He hasspent more time with Shaun (this version and technically, the humanShaun as well) than Sole ever has, only, just not in any kind of parentalrole. He ferried him back and forth from the Institute and theCommonwealth and their relationship never went far past that. It wasstrange, suddenly being a role model for someone. Siblings, parents,family, they weren’t really an option for synths in the Institute.For Coursers, even less so. The first few years, he’s more of abodyguard than a parental figure. Learning to let go of the deathgrip he has on Institute protocol and the image of synths as tools,that takes awhile. Shaun helps. He loves him, which meant a synthlike X6 was capable of that. It was a comforting thought that one dayhe’d feel for Shaun what Shaun felt for him. He relies more on Solefor getting through the emotional turmoil of youth, as most of X6’sresponses to trivial things like school and first loves is fairlycold indifference. Not like he really understood it, he’d been madewithout thought for such things. He was still navigating some things(like first love) himself. What he does instruct Shaun in mostlypertains to combat, though he does teach him a skill that helped X6survive in the Institute- masking your true emotions. He’d have beenreprogrammed a long time ago if he hadn’t picked up that talent.Shaun grows up somewhat cold with him, making a habit of keepingthose pesky feelings to himself early on, to the point not even Solecan really coax them out of him. Not fully. As X6 learns how to bemore human, Shaun learns to be more machine. His nature andintelligence veer him, oddly enough, into politics. From X6 he learnscold calculation, the importance of keeping your cards close to yourchest, and that there’s little use for remorse.

Strong- Childhoodwith Strong being a co-parent is… weird. To say the least. Soledoes everything they can to keep him from feeding the kid human meat, eventhough he insists it will help Shaun grow big and strong, but now andthen there are a few bits of mystery meat sneaking their way into hismeals whose origins Sole couldn’t quite suss out. Regardless of hispotential foray into cannibalism, Shaun does, surprisingly, learn athing or two from his Super Mutant guardian. Mostly the things a mancan say that will make their fellow man spontaneously shitthemselves. More than a few scrapes with older children ends withShaun bellowing in his closest approximation of Strong; “THIS ISWHAT DEATH LOOKS LIKE UP CLOSE!” Despite Sole’s best efforts, Shauntakes after him, even beyond shouting his throat raw.Many arguments with him end in headbutts. He grows into a young manwho takes no shit from anyone, who understands brutality can be anecessity, and who fights with the feral tenacity of a mutie. Ignoring family protests, he goes into raiding (ever the lucrative business)and is renowned for his uncanny ability to shout down Super Mutantsbands that encroach on his band’s territory. That, or he’s a respectedfighter in the nearest Thorn. Sole might have more influence on hismorals, but Strong passes on the knowledge of Super Mutants. Whichisn’t much beyond violence and shouting. He grows up pretty confused.

[bestfriendforhire]

Children of BFFH, Entry 88

 I yawned and stretched, not remembering where I was at first.  We had been playing Ancient Tribes of Earth and… “The Ja…” I started to exclaim, suddenly feeling that queasy sensation I always got when someone moved me too fast.  I blinked and took in my new surroundings.

 “-ggagawaroeth is probably roaming about or napping.  Morning, Aspy!” exclaimed Crazy from across a dark, wood table.  “Didn’t want you waking the others.”

 “We’re…” I started again, my mind still trying to gain some ground.

 “In the Somerset’s wing.  Four carried you last night after you fell asleep.  Sleepover, remember?” she asked, smiling crazily as ever as she stirred something.  Catching my gaze, she said, “Stirring some marshmallows into my hot chocolate.  Want some?”

 I nodded.  As she hopped up and started making a drink for me at a pace even I could match, I asked “Where is everyone?”  I knew this room, though I hadn’t been in it too often.  We were in the private kitchen of the Somerset’s wing.  Though not as large as our home’s main kitchen, this one was still fairly big.  I suppressed the urge to go poking around their cupboards, but I really was curious what all they had available in here.

 “Messy is attempting to verify that we didn’t make some fatal mistake involving the Jaggagawaroeth.  We didn’t get far enough away for the quest to save the village to complete last night.  Four, Luce, and Aid are currently with their parents.  The Boss will be heading off to work soon, or so they said.  Valeria took off to practice vampire things with Momma Cosette while people were sleeping.” Crazy stopped to bite her lip a moment.  Then she said.  “Hmm…  I think she’s almost done.  Anyway, you’re the first up out of the ones who are actually sleeping.”

 I nodded, not too surprised.  “Did you wait around the entire night?” I questioned, smiling as she set hot chocolate in front of me.

 A spell sprung up around us as she laughed wildly.  “Ahh…  No, there’s always something I want to try.”

 I took a sip of the hot chocolate as I debated whether or not to ask what she did.  Her explanations could be… too much for mornings.

 “How’s the hot chocolate?” she asked, smiling a little too enthusiastically.

 I felt like something just clenched up in my stomach as I asked “Were you experimenting with…”

 Interrupting me, she nodded and said, “Yep!  Grew a new variety of cocoa, had Momma Emma verify that they’re safe, Momma Mila helped with a chemical analysis, came up with another way to process them quickly, and then I started experimenting with the best blend for the perfect hot chocolate.  Chocolate cake recipes start tomorrow for Grandma.  Her birthday’s coming up, so I wanted something new.  I have some processing more naturally in my lab, so I’ll be trying recipes with those just before her birthday.”

 My stomach relaxed a little after hearing that the chocolate beans were actually tested for safety.  I forced myself to take another sip, holding the liquid in my mouth.  She had probably used some sort of cooling spell to keep it from being too hot and possibly heated the marshmallows separately, since they were too perfectly melted for a fresh cup.  As I considered the flavor, I realized I was tasting a touch of peppermint.  “Is the mint from something else you added?” I asked with a frown.

 “Nope.  These beans were given a super intense processing procedure to have a super dark chocolate flavor with just a touch of their natural mint.  Can you tell what type?” she asked hopefully.

 “Peppermint?” I replied.  When she excitedly confirmed, I started asking her about her cake ideas, curious what she was going to pair with the mint flavor to make a well-balanced cake.

 Unsurprisingly, she had a large number of ideas that she wanted to experiment with before selecting a few to run by Chef Marco.  No matter the topic, Crazy would always have a large number of ideas.

 She stood up again, and I watched as she started to prepare five more cups of cocoa.  Considering that I didn’t feel ill and that the adults had checked her experiment for safety, I decided not to warn the others.  First impressions without knowing the cocoa’s origin would probably be more helpful.

 Four, Aid, and Luce joined us next, accepting the cocoa with only slight wariness before they all started cooking breakfast together.  I excused myself to get dressed, feeling weird being the only one still in my PJs.  By the time I was back, Doc and Dea had joined us.  When the quadruplets woke shortly after Valeria returned, there was a little debate before we decided to wake the others too.  Breakfast was almost done.

 Layla was amazed by the breakfast, but that was only because she didn’t practice cooking like the rest of us.  She’d learn if she started hanging out with us more often.  I hoped she would.  Like Rona, Layla was easy to get along with and pretty good at games.  I really hoped we could convince her to join us for our next battle, since disappearing could be really useful.

 “Layla, are you wanting to learn magic?” I asked as soon as I had a chance.

 “Huh?” she replied.

 “Magic, do you want to learn how to create spells?” I asked again.  When she didn’t respond immediately, I said, “I was thinking about how cool your natural magic would be in our battles, and then realized you should really learn how to use some other magic, assuming you can.  We’d have to ask permission, but…”

 “We’d have to get permission to teach you, Layla, and you’d have to resist the urge to use your magic in public.” stated Four, interrupting me.

 “Also, you’ll have to practice a lot.  When I first started, getting the energy to move was a huuuge struggle.  Our fey inheritance allows us to manipulate residual energy, but learning to do so quickly takes years of practice.” warned Doc, but she was looking at Layla encouragingly.

 “If you can do it at all.” added Luce.  “Even with a fey heritage, there’s always a chance that you simply can’t utilize anything but your natural magic.”

 From the door, Dani said, “I bet we can get her there.  Make enough for your favorite older sister?”

 “And Leilani too.” stated Aid, summoning two plates to the table with a spell.

 “You’re pink!” exclaimed Layla in surprise, blushing when she realized we were all staring at her.

 “Yes, I am!” exclaimed Dani proudly.  Then she poked her daughter and cooed “And you are too, aren’t you, my precious girl.”

 Leilani squirmed and giggled, hugging her mom.

 Taking a seat by Aid where Leilani’s high was already waiting, Dani said, “I was rescued by Daddy, adopted, and am covered by an illusion when I go out.  Daddy still does it personally, though my spells aren’t too bad when not compared with his.”

 Frowning at her, Four said, “You don’t ever bother making the spell look the same.”

 Dani brushed that off.  “Creative license is necessary to an artist’s heart!” she exclaimed with a grin.

 “You’re just spoiled.” asserted Luce with a wry smile.

 “Spoiled rotten!” agreed Dani, though she was focused on fluffing Leilani’s hair with her fingers.  Dani had been putting a bib on her daughter, but she often got distracted.

 Aid sniffed loudly and said, “Not rotten enough to stink yet.”

 “I guess you all need to spoil me a little more.” she told him, finally satisfied with how messy Leilani’s hair was.  Then she turned to look at Valeria, smiling sweetly as she said, “I heard you’re playing a vampire.”

 “Yes…” replied Valeria worriedly.

 “I know a few things about vampires in game that even Cosette might not.” cooed Dani, her grin growing.

 “Momma Cosette warned me you’d say that.” stated Valeria cautiously.

 “But she didn’t deny it, did she?” asked Dani all too sweetly.  Then she started cutting her food as she said, “I have a very elite guild that could help you catch up to the others more quickly.”

 “Dani, we’re not letting you corrupt her.” stated Four flatly.

 “Corrupt her!?” asked Dani, her eyes wide with surprise.  “I wouldn’t corrupt her.”

 “You’re ‘guild’, using the term extremely loosely, eats through vampires faster than I could run across the country.” asserted Four.

 Luce whispered to Layla “He could probably do it in a good five hours if he was pushing himself.”

 “Does not.  Some just can’t keep up, others failed their tasks, and the rest were just too boring to stick around.” insisted Dani.  Grinning again at Valeria, she said, “I’m sure you’d be able to help us spread faster than ever.  Brandon told me interesting things about your powers.”

 “Dad!” exclaimed Dea, facepalming.

 “I’ll provide you with new gear from my personal warehouse.  Raine’s made me countless goodies over the years, and I’m sure some of them would be perfect for you, no matter how you want to develop your character.  Think of how strong you could be.” encouraged Dani, idly stroking her daughter’s hair as Leilani ate.

 “We’re not coming back to Ashengarde City for quite some time, so you might as well wait to try your luck at stealing her.” suggested Aid, smiling when Dani frowned.

 “Fiiiine!  Ruin your sister’s fun.  You’re all ganging up on me.” pouted Dani.

 “Don’t be sad.” stated Valeria.  “I’ll think your offer over, okay?”

 Dani grinned so fast that the frown seemed all the more fake.  “Excellent!” exclaimed Dani.  “I’ll send you a recruitment request, though it’ll probably take a few weeks to reach you given the distance.”

 “She said she’ll think about it, not that she was ready to sign on.” pointed out Four.  Turning his head, he then said, “Valeria, you should know that Dani is a very talented actress and will more than likely try influencing your emotions with her magic.  Make sure to resist her.”

 “Oh, please.” argued Dani with a roll of her eyes.  “My magic isn’t likely to affect a vampire.  She doesn’t even need to try resisting.  Letting me affect her would be so much more fun!” exclaimed Dani, not appearing even slightly concerned about Valeria having foreknowledge of the emotional influence.

 “Sis, mind informing Momma Cosette that Dani is attempting to be a negative influence on Valeria?” asked Messy without looking up from her food.

 “As you wish, though I imagine Cosette’s already considered that Dani would try.  I look forward to seeing what she does in turn.” replied Momma Mila from the room’s speakers.

 “Any chance you’ll give me hints if she decides to come for me?” asked Dani hopefully.

 “Of course.” stated MIla.  “On that note, I probably should inform you that Cosette discovered your latest lair in the game over a week ago.  I recommend running.  You know what her character is like in a fight.”

 Dani’s face went from slightly worried to completely excited.  “This’ll be fun!  I better make some preparations.”

 Throughout the exchange, Layla’s eyes seemed to grow wider and wider until she was staring at Dani as if Dani had sprouted two extra heads and four arms, which could be a pretty cool ability in a fight.  Personally, I looked forward to hearing about the latest skirmish as soon as it happened.

[sarahw-world]

“Yellow Roses” - 01 Soft Blushes

Plot:

In an undisclosed space station, a Saiyan Prince and a blue haired scientist embark on a secret, passionate affair. Through a series of intimate encounters, their relationship will grow and develop with unexpected, lifechanging consequences for both of them…

You can read it uncensored on AO3:

You can read it censored on FF:

Or you can keep reading under the break:

    Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

  Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

  [Dylan Thomas; ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’]

                             She threw her head back as her climax approached, working her core with long, impatient fingers, selfishly pursuing her own gratification. She was so close she could taste it, so she chased it egoistically, a hand relentlessly caressing one of her full, ripe breasts as the other one kept greedily stroking her heated, glistening center.

Close…

So damn close…

When her eyes shut and her curved hips started bucking on their own accord, she knew her unrelenting pursuit had finally yielded its fruit, and her deprived lips parted softly, hissing and moaning in pleasure as her orgasm hit her like an unbridled shockwave.

She rolled on her side, her small hand firmly trapped between pale, clammy thighs, now drenched in her own slick juices, and she panted heavily, clutching the coarse, tattered bedsheets in a tiny fist and riding the pleasurable wave that had just smashed her mercilessly, washing away her countless sorrows, if only for a sweet, sweet instant...

Once she became too over sensitized to her own touch, her hand reluctantly abandoned her body, lazily reaching out for the torn, grey blanket now lying on a rumpled pile at her feet. She covered up her still slightly trembling figure, feeling temporarily sated as she curled up in a tiny ball, pressing her knees to her damp, bare chest, in a vain attempt at finding solace in the cold, miserable joke her life had become.

The woman remained in that position for a few minutes, her turquoise blue eyes still firmly closed in a futile act of rebellion; she dozed lightly, on and off, her breathing gradually slowing down, dreading the way the honeyed rush of solitary pleasure was sluggishly fading away like a betraying fugitive, fleeing and abandoning her, once more, to her own luck.

Her slumber was irritatingly interrupted by the annoying, taunting beeping of the electronic alarm clock, forcing a groan of frustration out of her exhausted body as she hit the off button way harder than she should. It didn’t matter. By now, she’d lost count of how many times she’d broken and fixed that infernal machine. She hid her pale arms and hands underneath the warm covers for a few more minutes, shrinking from the time when she’d finally have to find the strength to open her tired, swollen eyes and face the cruel reality.

Bulma Briefs was alone.

It’d been six months ever since her home planet had been destroyed by a deadly crew of bizarre alien warriors who worked for that Icejin bastard, Frieza, or at least, those were her approximate calculations so far. Truth be told, she’d slowly but surely started to lose count of how much time had really passed since those few infernal days of pain, chaos and destruction had taken place; those rotten times when she’d been obligated to witness, in horror and shameful impotence, how her beloved friends and family members cruelly perished, one by one. Not even Son Goku, who’d been both like a little brother to her and the strongest man she’d ever known, had been able to defeat the Emperor’s now infamous ‘Ginyu Force’ who, right after annihilating the majority of Earth’s population, had taken a ship full of slaves as mere spoils of war, with Bulma being one of the ‘lucky’ ones to join their twisted collection of exotic trophies.

Unsurprisingly, most of the prisoners had consisted on a wide variety of beautiful females, and the earthling had spent the majority of the long, arduous journey locked up in a tight, claustrophobic space, surrounded by terrified human women, incessantly sobbing and screaming uncontrollably in sheer panic. Her only rock throughout that dreadful experience had turned out to be one of Goku’s oldest friends, a peculiar woman named Launch. She was blonde, downright scary and tough as nails, something she’d been secretly grateful for. Bulma Briefs was no coward, and she certainly hadn’t spilled as many tears as most of the other females had, but she’d been severely afflicted with short-lived but intense spells of melancholy here and there, and having a strong companion by her side had been a blessing in the end.

*** Please visit AO3 or FF for more of this chapter! ***