#HE JUST. his entire life is just stress after stress after stress so normalcy just feels like a new kind of stress

[libelelle]

rare time twins au thought after 100000 years: silver getting so stressed out by the future being fixed and a new happy version of him taking his place in the timeline that he runs away to the past with all intention of staying there. he shows up with really vague excuses and ends up staying with Tails or Amy or something. everyone's on edge cause Silver almost never shows up without BOOM KABLAM DISASTER!! but nothing happens and he's been weirdly avoidant about how the future is

[er-osion]

Small Things They Love About You

pairing: [separate] bruce wayne x gn!reader, dick grayson x gn!reader, jason todd x gn!reader, tim drake x gn!reader

summary: headcanons about the batboy’s lesser talked about favorite thing about you.

word count: 1.2k

warnings: none, fluff

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Bruce Wayne — your routines

Bruce Wayne loves seeing you complete your routines throughout the day. From your morning, to night, to mealtime routines, Bruce loves seeing you go through them. There’s something about watching the familiarity of it that makes Bruce feel all warm and happy. His own routines are often interrupted because of his night job but seeing you go through your own gives him that sense of normalcy he’s always secretly craving. He’s happy watching you go through these little habits without thought, it brings him into the present and really helps him focus on just living in the moment with you, the love of his life.

His joy overflows though, when you bring him into your routines. He didn’t notice at first, but suddenly he caught on to how he’s been roped into your morning routine and mealtime routines. When he did finally notice, his heart fluttered in his chest for minutes and an actual smile creeped into his face. Living in one of your routines with you proved to him that you were truly in his life for good, you weren’t going anywhere, and that made him indescribably happy. These routines you have make him feel so domestic, it fills a space in his heart he forgets was empty until you go pouring your love into it. You’re not even trying, that’s the thing. You’re just going about your day like normal, but seeing these habits of yours play out makes Bruce have to fight the urge to wrap you in a tight embrace and never let go. Bruce Wayne just loves seeing you go through your everyday routines, he loves to see you simply existing in his life.

Dick Grayson — your smile

When Dick Grayson says he loves your smile, he doesn’t just mean the one basic smile you give when you’re happy, he means all of your different smiles. He loves your giddy smile, your smug smile, your surprised smile, your relieved smile, and even your sad smile. He loves the hundreds of different kinds of smiles that appear on your face because he loves each of those parts of you. He has all your different smiles memorized and categorized. Dick makes it his daily mission to get you to show off at least five different types of smiles through the course of your day. All of this honestly boils down to the fact that he likes seeing you happy, he likes seeing you content. Dick feels at peace if he knows his loved one is happy.

Dick gets this bubbly feeling in his stomach whenever he’s the cause of one of your smiles. It quite literally lights up his day to see your beautiful lips pull into a grin. Dick has an entire album on his phone that’s just photos of you smiling. The album is full of photos ranging from pictures of you smiling so wide you can tell your cheeks were hurting, to smiles that hold the weight of sadness and exhaustion, clearly taken after you’d gone through a stressful moment. Dick is fully convinced you glow when you smile. When patrols are especially hard, the thing that keeps him going is the thought of coming home to you and seeing that smile on your face you always wear when he comes back alive. Dick gets visibly disappointed if he thinks he failed at making you smile adequately that day. How is he supposed to be a hero if he can’t continuously bring a grin to his partner’s face? All in all, Dick Grayson swoons when you deliver any type of smile, it makes his world brighter to see you so full of light.

Jason Todd – your voice

Jason Todd loves loves loves the sound of your voice. It’s an orchestra crafted in heaven, a choir of angels in his ears. Whether you talk a lot or a little, Jason relishes any moment he gets to hear your voice. Hearing you speak visibly relaxes him in a way nothing else can. There is nothing more grounding and more comforting than the lovely sound of your voice. No matter the tone you take or the volume, Jason thirsts for your voice like a man trapped in the desert.

Because of this, one of Jason’s favorite activities with you, is reading. It’s become a habit for you to read to him for at least a few minutes everyday. Jason especially likes it when you read to him after patrol, it helps his mind wind down from the chaos that his work as Red Hood can create in his brain. Jason will rest his head on your shoulder and listen intently as you read to him. Your voice is like a gentle hug that makes his insides warm and mushy. Jason loves hearing you talk, he’d let you ramble about nothing for hours. When he comes home he always asks how your day was and he always hopes your answer is going to be long winded and detailed, because that means he gets to hear you talk for longer. When you speak, it feels like his spirit is being revived. Your melodic voice stitches together the torn pieces of his soul. Jason has every voicemail or audio message you’ve ever sent downloaded on his phone, so when you two are apart he can still listen to you talk. Whenever Jason is having a particularly rough day, or he just needs a pick-me-up, he listens to a few of those recordings and he immediately feels rejuvenated and happier. Jason Todd is plain and simply in love with the sound of your voice.

Tim Drake – your thought process

Timothy Drake is obsessed with hearing you explain yourself. Not in a weird way, he just likes hearing your thought process. Tim likes learning about the way you think, in his mind, that’s one of the most intimate things a person could do. When you explain your thoughts or ideas, Tim is over the moon. Tim could honestly sit for hours while you went through in over-the-top detail how you came to a conclusion for the problem you solved earlier that day. There’s just something about learning about the way your mind works that makes Tim feel really special. It feels like such a big demonstration of trust. Tim doesn’t have to fight to learn you, you let him do it for free. Tim makes it his job to learn the way you think, so he can adapt to routines that make you more comfortable.

The way your mind works is absolutely fascinating to Tim. When you take the time to explain your thoughts to him, he feels his heart rush with enthusiasm and enchantment. He truly marvels at the way you process things, it’s one of the most gorgeous things about you —in his opinion. Tim gets really giddy when you explain your thoughts to him, everything about it is just so you and it’s the most lovely thing in the world to him. Tim feels like he’s getting a glimpse of your soul every time you go through your thought process with him and he cherishes those moments like a relic. If Tim Drake could take something to the grave with him, it’d be the heavenly way you explain your thoughts.

[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

Your Friendly Neighbor

Pairing: John “Soap” Mactavish x introvert!reader

Warnings: slight angst, fluff, horrible Scottish (I tried), Soap mainly goes by John

Words: 3k

Synopsis: Soap comes home from leave and realizes he has a new neighbor…

Based off this post by @fortunatelyuniquepeach check it out. basically just Soap with an introverted/shy/maybe social anxiety reader

You are currently reading part one

Soap didn’t particularly like going back home when he was on leave. 

Nothing was wrong with the neighborhood he lived in, in fact, it was picture perfect compared to the shit he’s seen in the countries he’s been deployed to. The neighbors were nice to him whenever he was home, especially since it was a very small neighborhood with only a handful of people living in it, rent was affordable and the place wasn’t falling apart, and the neighborhood was quite beautiful as well as quiet. 

For most people, this was their dream place of living. A good neighborhood to bring up a family and perhaps get away from the everyday stress that was life; being surrounded by kind people and the ability to walk to a few local pubs without issue, sounded like it was straight out of a fairytale. A lot of people would kill to live in a place like this.

Soap hated it.

He didn’t hate the people who lived around him, don’t mistake him, but the lack of movement and noise cut through him more than any bullet could. He was used to the chaos of a battlefield, used to the violence of war that killed men without mercy and the constant bloodshed that surrounded him. 

The apple pie life just wasn’t who he was anymore.

He always told himself that he didn’t belong in the calm and quiet life of normalcy and believed that it wasn’t for him either, not after what he’s seen. He belonged on the battlefield, covered in someone else’s blood.

“John, you’ve been working out here all morning!” Ms. Brown, one of Soap’s elderly neighbors who watched his flat for him when he was gone, scolded him as she stepped out on her porch. “You just got back.”

“I’m almost done.” Soap smiled up at her as he wiped the sweat from his brow. 

He was dirty from the sweat and grass covering him from having mowed her entire lawn the moment he had put his things down in his flat. He had been too worked up and wired from work still but her lawn needed to be done, so instead of taking the rest he needed, he went to work.

“I’ll get your money.” Ms. Brown said and he quickly shook his head.

“S’alright-”

Ms. Brown was gone before he could even finish his sentence and he couldn’t help but frown as he realized that he was going to be forced to accept money he didn’t want. He could never try to justify “stealing” money from an old woman even after he decided to become an impromptu landscaper.

He sighed, wiping the sweat off his face with his shirt before he pulled the lawnmower into the garage. He tried his hardest to clean himself up while sweeping the grass off the pathway, but the cut blades stuck to him like glue no matter how many times he tried to shake off his clothes or smack it off his hands.

Soap would’ve used the hose to wash himself, and nearly did, if he hadn’t been distracted by a car driving by. Normally he wouldn’t have thought anything of it but the car turned into the driveway of the flat that was right next to his, the one that hadn’t had anyone living in it the entire time he's lived in his flat.

He had a new neighbor.

He was expecting someone much older than you, since almost the entire neighborhood was made up of the elderly, but when you stepped out of the car he couldn’t help but stare at you with wide eyes.

You were young, probably the same age as him, and quite good looking, though he was just more focused on the fact that someone had moved in beside him and he didn’t even know. 

You were oblivious to him as you walked to the back of your car and opened the trunk. You began to pull out groceries, stacking as many of them on your arms as you can, and dropped them on your doorstep. You were trying to make it one trip, but there were just too many and before Soap had even realized it, he was crossing the street. Before he knew it he was standing behind you.

“When’d ye move in?” He greeted you a little loudly.

You nearly dropped the groceries in your hands as you stared at him with wide eyes. You took him in, looking at the sweat and grease stains covering his clothes along with the mass amounts of grass stuck to him, including in the shaggy mohawk that sat on top of his head.

You looked uncertain and caught off guard especially as he leaned closer to you.

He couldn’t help it. He was too curious for his own good and up this close he could see how beautiful you really were. He tried not to stare, he could see you glancing away from him awkwardly as if you were trying to find a way out of the sudden conversation you were put in, but he was strangely enamored by you.

You opened your mouth a few times trying to find the right words to say as he waited patiently for you to say something.

“...Last week?” You answered in a soft tone as you stared at him.

“Oh, well I’m yer neighbor right next to ya.” He gestured to the other flat. “We share a wall, I just got back this mornin’, must’ve been after you left.”

You nodded as he continued to explain how he could’ve missed you this morning, though you weren’t catching most of it. In fact, you were having a hard time understanding what exactly he was saying and you could only catch a few words here and there, making it so you had to piece together what he was saying.

You stood there and shifted on your feet as you glanced at your flat a few times.

The more he spoke, the more confused you looked but Soap was too caught up in talking to you that he didn’t notice. What he did notice however, was that you were starting to struggle to hold the groceries in your hands so he immediately turned his attention to it.

“Need help?” He offered, gesturing to the groceries in your hands. “Here.”

Before you could really even protest, he took the groceries in your hands, and the rest in your car, and walked towards your front door without struggle. He picked up the ones that you had placed down by the door as well, not at all bothered by the weight of the straps against his skin as he waited for you to let him.

“Do ya like the neighborhood?” He wondered as you came up and unlocked the front door to your flat. 

“It’s nice.” You stepped inside your apartment. “Everyone’s friendly.”

You went to take the groceries back from him but Soap instead stepped inside with a flash of a smile, leaving you staring at him completely dumbfounded. You weren’t particularly looking for a chat, especially when you were still in the moving process.

Soap glanced at all of the boxes still stacked in your flat and the disarray of items strewn across every surface. He didn’t really pay much attention to it as he wandered into the kitchen and set the groceries down on the counters, waiting for you as he took in your flat.

Standing inside your kitchen gave him a strange feeling, a better strange feeling, than his entire flat ever could. Maybe it was because he hadn’t really stepped inside his flat or maybe it was because yours looked far more lived in than his. There was personality, your personality, everywhere and he could just imagine you piddling around making a lot more noise than he ever could by himself.

You’d make lunch and maybe sit in the living room, maybe even put something on the telly while you do it, filling up the empty space with life. How often would you do laundry and does your washer squeak the same way his does when he puts a load in it?

He wasn’t sure why the thought of you doing normal things in your own flat made him feel warm on the inside but he quickly pushed it away when you stepped into the kitchen. 

“I’m sorry about the mess…” You trailed off as you gestured to the many boxes stacked in the kitchen. 

“Movin’s a hassle.” He dismissed you, completely unbothered and in fact feeling more happy about it than anything else.

Soap expected you to say something but you didn’t. He watched as you stood in front of him while you fidgeted with your keys between your fingers while you awkwardly avoided eye contact with him. The silence dragged on and expected you to do something about it, to start unloading your groceries to where they needed to be but you shifted on your feet as if you were debating on doing it.

He watched you for a moment, not really understanding why you were being so quiet when he finally came to his senses.

The fact that Ms. Brown had failed to mention to him this morning that you had moved in, said enough about how much you spoke to the neighbors so of course you were going to be a little awkward when he had basically barged inside you home to help you, in good faith, when you most likely had just wanted to be alone.

He couldn’t help the slight burning feeling he felt across the back of his neck before he ran a hand through his shaggy mohawk.

“I’m John, by the way.” He outstretched his hand for you to take with a warm smile. “Forgot to introduce myself when I was helping ya.”

You introduced yourself and very hesitantly took his hand to shake. He didn’t squeeze or shake very hard despite the fact that having your softer hand against his making him involuntarily smile as a shiver nearly ran up his spine. 

He definitely didn’t want to scare you off now or make things worse between the two of you when you were going to be neighbors for the foreseeable future. He wasn’t too worried however, if he could make Ghost forgive him for the many times he did the same thing, then he could make it up to you.

“I got excited, ya know? Seeing that I had a new neighbor and forgot that not everyone’s as chatty as me.”

“It’s okay…thank you for helping with the groceries.”

Soap nodded and stopped himself from saying anything else so he could give you the peace you wanted. He went to make his way out of the kitchen, about to give you a goodbye, when his boot connected with a bucket full of water that sat in front of the sink.

His eyebrows knitted together when he looked down to see that there were a bunch of damp towels also sitting on the floor by the sink as well. He crouched down to see that the pipe was in fact broken with a large crack in it.

“I’ve been meaning to call somebody.” You said but Soap tutted and shook his head.

“Ah, no, let me. I’ll pop over, get my tools and fix ya up.” He turned to look at you with a grin without even thinking about it. “Free of charge.”

You chewed on your lip and looked as if you wanted to protest but you didn’t, which made him smile even more.

He rushed over to his flat in no time, unsure of why he was really this eager to help you out, and grabbed his tools. Before you knew it, he was underneath your sink fixing the pipe as if this was his job rather than the heinous shit he has done over the years. 

There was a smile stuck on his face as you put your groceries away while he worked. He wasn’t sure why, even as he chatted your ear off about the neighborhood, not expecting you to reply but not wanting to end the conversation with you. 

The little hums of interest and short replies from you were enough for him to keep him going. He couldn’t help but be reminded of Ghost but you were much different, a lot warmer and less rough around the edges which was more inviting than his lieutenant but not any less interesting to speak to. There was so much he wanted to know about you, so much he wanted to ask but he stopped himself because he didn’t want to overwhelm you.

“Got any friends here yet?” He wondered and peered at you from under the sink.

“I haven’t really had the time.” You looked a little unsure, maybe even embarrassed as you avoided looking at him.

“Well I’ll be around for a little while, so we’ve got plenty of time.”

You stared at him with knitted eyebrows and opened your mouth to say something as he checked to make sure the patch job held up even though he was confident it would. He ran the water in the sink and frowned when it was ice cold against his fingers, sending you a quick disapproving glance as if you had neglected to tell him about it.

“Gonna freeze yourself to death with that.” He shook his head and made his way to the water heater.

“You really don’t have to-”

“You’re off your head for thinking I’ll leave you without hot water.”

Soap was quick with fixing up your water heater and made sure to make it as hot as possible without racking up your bills. Seeing the grateful and relieved look in your eyes when tested the water made his chest warm with pride.

He would’ve stayed to chat your ear off more, he didn’t want this to be the only time he saw you or got to speak with you. He hoped that you wouldn’t close yourself off in your flat or only give him short polite answers if he ever caught you outside, he didn’t want that.

He wanted much more from you, a lot more than just being neighbors who occasionally waved at each other and that was it.

“My work here’s done.” He hid his disappointment behind a wink that made you swallow hard. “For now.”

“Thank you so much.” You gave him a small, but genuine smile that had him staring at your lips for a little longer than he should. “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothin’.”

“I can’t not pay you.”

Soap chuckled and shook his head. There was no way in hell he would ever think to take your money, no matter how pretty you looked when you gave him a pleading look as if you wanted to burn your hard earned cash on something like this. He could tell that you weren’t going to take no as an answer but he was prepared for something like that.

He hummed and asked for a piece of paper and a pen. When you gave him something, he quickly scribbled his number down on it and gave it to you, stifling a laugh when you looked up at him surprised.

“If ya really want to pay me, call me when ya need help or when ya want to chat.” He offered and you stared intensely at the piece of paper. “No sense in keeping yourself lonely ‘specially here, Ms. Brown won’t let ya.”

“Thank you, John.” You smiled again.

Soap wasn’t sure why hearing his name come out of your mouth made him feel…different. He didn’t throw his call sign around in this neighborhood, that’s what everyone here knew him as, and yet the moment the name slipped off your tongue it was like he had been pulled back into reality.

Suddenly he was all too aware of the fact that he hadn’t given himself a break since he got back. Exhaustion pulled on his muscles and on his mind, there was nothing buzzing inside of his mind that told him he had to keep working.

It made him tense up. He didn’t like that, he didn’t want to stop moving, he had to do something or else he was sure he would fall apart at the seams.

“I’ll see you around, hen.” He kept a smile on his face, hiding the knots in his stomach.

Before long he was standing in the middle of his living room, unsure of what to do. 

There was too much quiet in his flat that the noise inside of his head completely took over his senses. It was consuming him every second he stared at the floor while he fidgeted with his fingers as if the stimulation would provide some sort of comfort. 

It choked him, making it harder to breathe as he found himself stuck frozen in his own flat as if something had locked him there to torture him until he would eventually find himself too exhausted to even think anymore. He couldn’t even go into his room to get his journal to write down the endless thoughts running through his mind, the dark and disgusting thoughts that made him feel like a wolf among sheep.

He needed something, anything to keep him from spiraling and yet-

A crash from the other side of the wall and the sound of you cursing to yourself abruptly brought him out of his head.

He blinked a few times, the tension leaving his body as he left out a few deep breaths which filled his lungs with air that seemed to go into his veins and cleanse him of whatever dirtiness that had filled them. 

You made another noise and he looked at your shared wall, imagining that you were most likely unpacking again. You must’ve dropped something and he hoped that it was nothing valuable but he couldn’t have been more grateful for the fact that you had made some kind of noise. 

In fact, the more you moved around in your flat, your footsteps muffled as you walked around, the more at ease he felt because it filled up that dreaded quiet he had come to hate so much. 

He’s not sure how long he stayed there just listening to you, but he was sure he looked like an idiot with the soft smile he had on his face.

Being home didn’t seem too bad anymore.

Link to part 2

A/N: Not my best work but that's okay. This might turn into a mini series? Might make it a three parter who knows. First time really writing for Soap so I'm sorry if he seems a little off character, hopefully I'll get better at him <3

Tags: @cathnoneofyourbusiness @lillianastuff @sofasoap

[meyobe]

Pretty privilege… no Mc privilege Pt. 3

Diavolo

Mc can make him feel like a normal demon .

He knows that everyone walks around egg shells around him.

Everyone expect Mc.

Mc just see him as a demon trying his best to make everything around him better.

Ever since Mc came to the devildom he feels like a weight has lifted off his shoulders.

He gets to be the child he was forced to leave behind.

Mc wants to go see a concert? He’s making sure they have pit seats.( shout-out Eras tour)

Mc is talking about their childhood and place called Chuck-E-Cheese? He canceled his plans and got stuck trying to go into the play place.

Mc talks about toys they couldn’t get as a child? He buys the toys in bulk then gives them away to donate.

All his life he’s been looking for some sort of normalcy.

With Mc he feels like a regular demon.

No rules, no stress, and no expectations.

He loves Mc plans because they are so spontaneous and wild.

No one has ever took the time to show him a new world.

He hopes one day to be as carefree as Mc.

Barbatos

Mc can make him believe in a different outcome.

He has spent his entire life living up to a certain model.

To be the perfect butler, the perfect demon.

Never out of line and well behaved.

He lives the same life year after year.

But if he’s learned anything from Mc it’s that, it’s okay to see the beauty. 

Mc has open his eyes to finding the good in situations or believing there is more to look for.

Considering his is an all knowing being, knowing how situation will end, who will perish, and what will diminish.

He doesn’t believe in lying by having faith.

Not when he knows the stone cold truth.

But it’s different now, with Mc.

He’s thankful that Mc can give him faith .

Mc points out how beautiful death is and will be? He’s always thought of it of something humans are scared of.

Mc rushes over to an old women to help her cross the road? He watches from afar, basking in what humanity means.

He never understood watching that star. Until Mc explained each one of them has a story to tell. He’s asks himself what stories?

He will never truly understand how Mc can think so positively even in bad situations.

Even when all hope seems lost.

But, it isn’t because it’s something they learned.

Rather how they were born.

Finding the beauty is what it means to be human.

Something he’ll never get to be, but he feels close to human with Mc.

Solomon

Mc’s safety is his main priority.

He is a very busy guy that does very dangerous work.

Running errands for his experiments, Missions for Diavolo,partying with Asmo.

He helps himself over anyone else, except for Mc.

He feels sane with Mc.

Not like he is a powerful sorcerer with 72 pacts, but like a teenager talking with his crush.

Mc makes him feel seen.

So in exchange, he’ll protect them until he can’t.

Mc needs help from a creep following them but he’s currently trying to tame an experiment that went wrong? He was playing a round before but now you need to go.

Mc’s found themselves lost on the streets of devildom? Just say on the phone with him I til he finds you.

Mc is going to the human world on a mission? He’s going to join Mc just to make sure their safe.

He see Mc as an extension of himself.

So full of life.

He may be existing forever but with Mc he is alive.

Hes going to protect the nature of their relationship before anything else.

Wishing that one day they’ll see him the same way.

Simeon

He will always understand.

Mc is a very important person that’s mending the 3 worlds.

He understands the stress of it all.

Mc didn’t choose to be picked for the exchange program .

He will always listen with no judgment.

He only ever wishing for peace in your life.

Mc is feeling lost? He’s right there to remind you of your meaning.

Mc gets upset about how different their life could’ve been? He agrees and tells you it unfair.

Mc is scared of what happens from here on out? He’ll be there every step of the way.

No matter how many times Mc chooses the brothers over him, he’ll always welcome them back home.

Because, he knows what you mean to everyone.

He will spend his time trying to give Mc the pieces of their life back that they lost due to the Devildom.

He makes sure Mc knows their work isn’t for nothing.

He’ll tell stories to the children in the Celestial Realm about Mc and all they achieved.

He only hopes one day Mc will pick him over his former brothers.

Luke

Mc can change his mind.

He views Mc as an equal.

Someone worth his respect. Unlike the nasty demons.

He listens very closely to Mc’s words.

Always trying to stand out amongst the demons.

He cares and wants to see Mc happy.

Even if it means playing nice.

Mc tells him to stop fighting around with Mammon? He looks at Mammon and tells him he’s s lucky Mc is here.

Mc wants him to try a dessert he isn’t fond of? He chugs it down with the biggest smile.

Mc needs to stop by store that’s said to be haunted by ghost? What, ofc he’s not staying outside!!! It’s not too scary, he needs to be there to protect Mc.

Don’t get it wrong though, as soon as Mc turns their back he sticks his tongue at Mammon.

He also spitting the dessert out. (He feels so sorry about it)

As soon has he gets to Purgatory Hall, he’s telling Simeon how creepy the store was.

Yes, he’s an angel but very more of an angel with Mc.

He stand by Mc and believes they do no wrong.

A/n: i honestly hate this sm especially Simeon’s part. I might redo this.

As for the other undateables, I’m only on lesson 30. It might be months before I meet them😭.

Ik i said i hate this, but don’t bash me. 🙏

[azereus]

Wedding Headcanons !

Ghost / Gaz x Gn! Reader ( Separate )

Warnings; Technically None besides potential occ and small mentions of Ghost's past ? Just fluff and getting married otherwise ^^ ( I don't know shit about weddings )

Ultimate Pretty Boy ( Gaz );

The most sappy boy ever before, during, AND after the wedding

Almost fainted when you said yes to his proposal

His hands were so fucking shaky when he slipped the ring on your finger

Legit is the happiest man on earth, he feels so euphoric during this phase like he is on cloud nine and doesn't want to come back down

He is planning out EVERYTHING with you, and by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. The venue, the suits and dresses of the party, down to the flowers of the bouquet if you let him go that far

That one crappy aunt that gets in your business and makes everyone uncomfortable? Blacklisted

That very distant family member that would totally wear white to your wedding just for attention? Blacklisted

His mom? Blac- actually no, his mom is very nice. She adores you

It gets tiring but he looks so happy while doing it. He has a goofy smile on his face as he asks you about what type of cake you want

He isn't one for church weddings, more so outside of it isn't overheating or rainy - but he will do it if you want one

The day before the wedding he nearly passes out because HE is getting married to this wonderful person that is somehow his partner and soon-to-be spouse??

Yeah he is head over heels in love with you

Poor boy gets choked up when he sees you walk down the aisle and nearly trips over his own two feet during the vows

Very quick to say 'I do!' aswell

Gives a very nice speech, how he met you, some nice moments, compliments, etc.

Safe to say the honeymoon phase will be extremely nice

Ghostface ( Ghost );

How do I even start this ?

He went all out for the proposal, mentally preparing himself for weeks. He wanted it to just as planned

The wedding, now, unlike the proposal, was smaller and tamer and he wasn't racked with anxiety. Just close friends and family

The Taskforce, your family, and a few close friends on both sides

Just a small wedding that had a lot of thought put into it

Though it did have it's stressful moments

He and You planned it out together, having light arguments when you couldn't meet eye-to-eye. It was fine otherwise

But He almost had a heart attack when he saw you walk down the aisle. It dawned on him that, yes, this was really happening and he was marrying you. A small bit of normalcy for once was happening in his life.

Honestly him being happy and treating his soon-to-be spouse better than his dad did to his mom is probably one of the biggest 'fuck you's to his dad ever and he enjoys it a lot

Soap was his best man. That is all

He is honestly on board with wherever you want the wedding. Beach, church, home? You name it and he can ( probably ) do it

Throughout the whole wedding he was so excited to dance one-on-one with you. Soap teased him about it and got a smack on the back of the head in return

He is extremely happy throughout the wedding, having a small smile on his face the entire time up until the end

He spent a lot of money on the honeymoon, so you better like it 🔫

[wisebeth]

LISTEN. im not a big fan of love triangles, mostly because they're usually pointless or there to stir up unnecessary drama but i will admit i genuinely liked the rachel-percy-annabeth love triangle.

but i personally think the rachel-annabeth represented something deeper than just two girls who like the main character. rachel and annabeth both symbolised two different aspects of percy's life. while annabeth represented his demigod life and godly heritage, rachel represented his mortal upbringing. percy is a bridge between these two worlds, while he is a demigod and it'll forever be a part of him, he also grew up as a mortal child and being a mortal gives him a sense of normalcy, and choosing one over the other is percy choosing which life he chose to identity himself with.

annabeth chase links him to his godly heritage

percy met annabeth and the whole chb when he was struggling as a mortal kid, he felt like an outcast in school, his stepdad was a shitty man, and then ultimately he lost his mom. his experience in the mortal world was not good at all. in fact the only thing which happened to him that time was becoming grover's friend, who once again, was a part of the demigod life.

finding chb was a blessing to him. he met kids who are just like him. he made friends who genuinely care for him. he found the love of his life there. he found a way to get rid of smelly gabe and get his mother back. he met his dad. the start of percy and sally's better life started after percy learned his demigod heritage. it gave him a second place to call home.

and annabeth was a part of all of it. annabeth was a demigod. she associates herself with the demigod world. she is proud of it. she was one of percy's first friends. she was also one of the major reasons why chb felt home to percy. she was an important of his whole demigod journey. she fought by his side. they risked their life for each other. they understood and felt home to each other. they were for each other at their lowest points and even happiest points.

“See, Annabeth wants to be an architect when she grows up, so she’s always visiting famous monuments and stuff. She’s weird that way. She’d e-mailed me the picture after spring break, and every once in a while I’d look at it just to remind myself she was real and Camp Half-Blood hadn’t just been my imagination.”

– percy jackson and the sea of monsters

rachel dare reminds him of his mortal upbringing

while chb gave him another home and true friends, being a demigod also had its cons, such as he constantly has to be on guard and watch out for monster attacks. his life is far from normal and stress-free, he rarely gets time to act like a teenager. on top of that, he has to watch his friends die, get betrayed by someone he looked upto and now there's a war coming up. no child deserves to go through that.

percy needed a break and a sense of normalcy, and that normalcy in this case was the life he could lead as a mortal. no monster attacks. no war. which means no stress and no further trauma. he can be a teenager for once. living his life as a normal highschool student is far better than this.

rachel was a mortal, and like percy she grew up as a mortal. she wasn't connected or involved to any of the demigod stuff. she was just percy's mortal friend who helped him when he needed. percy spent his entire summer right before the war with her. away from chb. because she provided him that normalcy at a time of war. she provided him the temporary break he needed.

“We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself that the mortal world was still out there, away from all the monsters using me as their personal punching bag.”

– percy jackson and the last olympian

It's not a coincidence rick used similar words to describe how annabeth and rachel made him feel

percy ending up with annabeth also signifies how he ultimately chose his demigod life.

while rachel provided him a break from all this stress, and he enjoyed her company, his feelings and connection with annabeth was too deep for him to suddenly go out with rachel just because he and annabeth had a fight. even if he tried to go out with rachel instead, he wouldn't have been happy with her.

just like how the mortal world could give him a temporary normalcy, he could never truly escape from his demigod life. it will forever be a part of him. even with all its flaws and cons, camp half blood was his home and the only place he feels understood. he can never turn his back on it, even if he tried, he would fail.

[ssahotchnerr]

Ok idk if anyone else does this BUT I like to imagine an au where instead of Haley, Hotch is married to reader from the start and she’s Jack’s mother 🤭 cause its fun and I like imagining Hotch having a loving and supporting marriage throughout the entire time hes on the show (cause I mean its the least he deserves with all he’s been through 😭)

And in this au reader is like really close with the BAU team like she brings in baby Jack during paper work days, remembers the team members birthday’s and gets them small gifts, them going to her when they feel they need someone to talk to cause she’s like the mom/sister of the BAU 🥺. I like to make up so many scenarios with this AU in my head especially one where she and Jack go through the same thing with Foyet but reader survives 🫣

This isn’t a request or anything just like a idea or thought i’m throwing out there for you to enjoy or expand on in any way, shape, or form you’d prefer ❤️

PLEASE the way everything about this is perfect <3333 and honestly how the show should’ve gone from the start

having that contrast between aaron being all stoic and stern, BUT then he goes home, or reader visits with jack, and he turns into that complete softie we all know he has buried deep in him within seconds ☹️ or after a tough case, he always has a sense of stable comfort waiting for him 🥺 ughshsj i would’ve loved to see him switching between the two fronts more vividly- from hotch to aaron.

AND that with the foyet storyline?!?!?! pure genius. like obv we saw him under stress and pressure with haley, but just IMAGINE how it would be with a partner who he’s so so deeply in love with and can’t be apart from for more than a couple days at a time. like a part of him was truly missing and there's no telling when or if he would see the two of them again :( he would be distraught, so so much more tense, and just the whole process of getting foyet would’ve been more frantic, because he can't live without them and he needs his loves back or else he can't function :(

and their reunion afterwards 😣😣😣😣 the way he would just crumble and be so relieved the nightmare is finally over and refuse to let reader and jack out of his arms :(((((((( like just imagine once foyet said rip, he goes running to wherever reader and jack are and within seconds he's pulling the two into his embrace, just weeping softly and giving them both kisses and saying how he's sorry, how much he missed them, or a "it's okay, it's all over now" :( ugh what we should've received rather than him being all traumatized :(

also ALSO the ending of s4 with reader?!?!?! imagine they're in bed, they can hear aaron getting home and they're all smiley to finally see him after a few days (and aaron mentioned the pig farm disaster and how tough it was:(, so they're waiting to console him), and then a gunshot just rings through the air </3

and i love the idea of reader being close with the team :( <3333 haley wasn't at all to begin with -like the scene where she's at the bau with baby jack, she's not on a first name basis with any of them (while all other bau s/o's were referred to by their first name), it's kinda just awk completely, because they just know each other through a mutual being aaron. but reader being an outlet for them <3 like they're not in the bau, so whenever someone needs a break, reader is an easy person to turn to, for a sense of normalcy. or reader bringing them all dinner if they're working late, going out with the girls for girls nights and just being including in all family get togethers :( <3 they would just complete the bau fam overall :(

AND just reader having more babies with aaron <33333 that would've been the cutest thing ohmygodjdnd aaron wants a big family <3 it's canon in my book <3333

aaron just deserves a happy life 😣 that's all

[agent-cupcake]

I dont know if you're still doing the yandere flowers but if you are could you do snapdragon and myrtle for dimitri :)

Snapdragon - What is the darling’s day-to-day life like? Does it depend on how they’ve been acting, or is it always the same?

Most days are the same. Dimitri can't keep track of you at all times, you're pretty much being babysat by palace staff, guards, or his friends whenever the two of you aren't together. He likes to have you near him, obviously. He loves hearing your opinion on policy decisions and getting your perspective, although he's also incredibly distracted while working so it can be quite isolating despite his overbearing need to keep you where he knows you're safe. As long as you stay inside, you have freedom to do what you like. And it's not as if this is entirely unreasonable, right? You are his queen, he is forging a new status quo after a war. Although he is certainly popular to some, he's also the hated enemy of many. Which is funny because he is perfectly willing to put his neck on the line when it comes to tempting fate, but goddess forbid you ever put yourself in even the slightest bit of danger. For the most part, it's better for everyone to create the illusion of normalcy, even if that comes at the expense of a few not-so-veiled threats from his friends to keep you sticking to the status quo.

The exceptions are days he takes breaks for things like hunting/camping trips or traveling for diplomatic reasons. You're always expected to go with him. Outside of the palace, the leash only gets tighter. It's for your own good, right? Another exception is if you insist on being reckless or argumentative. Dimitri is usually willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. No matter what you say about your own feelings or how he treats you, he's ready to misinterpret it in any way that doesn't involve you wanting out of this toxic relationship and then lock you in your room to ensure you can't do anything dangerous for good measure. Better to beg your forgiveness after the fact than risk your safety. But, again, everybody involved has a vested interest in keeping you in line and maintaining the appearance of normalcy to ensure Dimitri can devote himself to his duty without having to worry about you constantly.

Myrtle - Is this yandere consistently the same during the time they spend with their darling, or does their attitude begin to change? If so, what prompts the change?

Dimitri's behavior can vary greatly, his mood shifting with very little discernable rhyme or reason. For the most part he's very sweet and considerate, albeit with varying degrees of stressed, distracted, and exhausted. Sometimes he's very, very loving and affectionate to the point of needful. It's borderline love-bombing, although in equal measure it's his need for love and affection to be returned so it's not as if it's some calculated ploy to manipulate you. Other times he just wants the companionship and conversation. And then there are days where he's barely communicative at all and, although he still has the obsessive need to keep you at his side and safe, he barely acknowledges you or even acts very brusquely. Dimitri doesn't get upset with you directly (that would ruin the whole idolization thing he's got going on) but he's also not above taking out his frustration on you either. If he does get upset with you, he'll focus that on outside factors. You find a way around his security, it's the fault of lacking safety measures. You're angry with him, it must be something else that is making you upset. What you need is to be loved and placated, or the things that are upsetting you need to be removed.

The biggest change would be the intensity of these shifts in mood, as they'd get worse the more obsessive/possessive he became as the paranoia and adoration deepened. The more he loves you, the more agonizing and terrifying the thought of losing you becomes. It's painful, this hellish state of utter bliss and sinking dread. And it doesn't really matter how much you love him back, or how completely you submit to his paranoid security measures, because ultimately he is still aware of how easily you could be taken from him, how vulnerable you are not only to the rest of the world, but to the part within him that has an insatiable thirst for destruction. So, yes, his attitude would change. It only gets worse.

[cdroloisms]

pls begin🥺

it's just so many layers of compounding mental illness it's great i love it it makes me throw up . sorry for being obsessed with our stupid amalgamation of AUs and 1m+ words of backstory. SORRY

uhh i can give you ... [checks notes] a brief insight into each of the main trio's thought process and motivations ?

j!Sam is angry, betrayed, kinda unstable. He's spent about a year locked in a jail cell in some random town after he wreaked havoc there running after j!Dream and is mad as hell about it. He's been very lonely, and more than anything wants to feel back in control of his life again--he needs to find Dream and have him back By Any Means Necessary. He's scared that the relationship he had with Dream had been entirely a lie and is searching for one easy narrative to cling to to make sense of everything.

p!Sam is mostly settled into his life with j!Dream, though he still misses his ex-husband (obviously). He wants to give j!Dream the best life he can, he wants to do it right this time. It's taken awhile for them to settle into relative normalcy. j!Dream has his, uh, Moments, and their mental illnesses can ping off of each other in pretty bad ways sometimes. Largely, though, they've stabilized, and he's hoping that he can make j!Dream...happy? He wants this young man that he loves so damn much to live. (He still...worries, though. Decades of anxiety don't go away quite so easily, and he's been off his meds and without therapy while stuck in quite a stressful environment for awhile. j!Dream isn't always trustworthy, and isn't always stable--the niggling paranoia that he's being used, manipulated, never quite goes away.)

j!Dream is happy. And he's also worried, all-too-aware that this honeymoon phase won't last forever. j!Sam is...a fact of the universe, an inevitability; his Warden will find him, eventually, and then what? It's always in the back of his mind, the reminder that he's run, that he's ruined A Lot and sooner or later his debts are going to be at his door to collect what he owes. When he catches a glimpse of a familiar figure in town, he's not surprised. Some things are bound to happen. But p!Sam is too nice, too kind, too willing to martyr himself for j!Dream's sake--he's never been willing to tolerate standing by while he's disciplined, and the way a conflict might pan out as of now will only lead to one of them dead. j!Dream loves p!Sam, and he loves his Warden too...if he wants to keep them both alive, he'll have to act quickly.

the agonies...

(i'll attach a few more screenshots under the cut)

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Call of the Night

Genuine question: is the Monogatari series still relevant in today’s weebdom? I know when I started getting into anime back in 2017, it was still hot on everyone’s mind. But now that it’s finished airing, I wonder if Shaft’s decade-long arthouse supernatural romantic dramedy still holds the same pull it used to. Will weebs of today and tomorrow still hold it in high regard, or are we leaving it behind for greener pastures, preferably pastures with at least 90% less child molestation? Perhaps only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: as long as longtime series director Tomoyuki Itamura is still putting out new work, the spirit of Monogatari will never truly die. And if you’ve been missing that magic in your life, then Call of the Night is here to fill the hole left by its absence. A vampire story set in the supernatural underbelly of ordinary society that’s sort of but not really about romance? Check. Dialogue that crackles with the snap of a writer perhaps a little too impressed with himself? Check. A trippy, gorgeous visual aesthetic that paints the normal world like you’ve never seen it before? Check. Problematic elements up the wazoo? Oh, you better believe that’s a check. Monogatari may be gone, but Call of the Night is proof that its spirit will live on for quite some time to come, for better or worse.

So, the story. Ko Yamori is an average fourteen-year-old kid, does well in school, gets along with people, perfectly normal and content. Until one day he just... isn’t. Suddenly, that normalcy he built his life around starts to feel suffocating and unbearable, the mores of normal life a prison he yearns to break out of. So, he does what any rebellious would do: he stars going out in the dead of night, wandering the empty city streets that were so full and bustling in the day. In this weird nocturnal universe, both familiar and alien, Yamori finds an escape from the pressures of society, a place where he can just exist. He also finds vampires. Or rather, he finds a vampire: the flighty, snarky Nazuna Nanakusa who eagerly pulls him deeper into the night’s siren call. She’s as much of an awkward mess as he is, albeit in different ways, but the two of them find an extremely powerful comfort in each other. And Yamori, feeling more alive at night than he ever did during the day, decides to become a vampire himself, an eternal denizen of the early AM alongside Nazuna. The catch? In order to become a vampire, Yamori has to be in love with Nazuna when she sucks his blood. And there are few things that Yamori feels less of a connection to than romance.

It’s certainly a unique take on the vampire mythos: what happens when a supernaturally beautiful undead and a confused aromantic delinquent decide to start hanging out? And while Call of the Night is certainly a horny show- if you’ve seen Monogatari, you know exactly the kind of lavishly detailed body part fanservice you’re in for- I appreciate how low-key it keeps most of its sexual elements. Sex is part of the equation, but rarely in a distracting way; the real appeal comes from the complicated emotions and relationships that grow among its cast. Nazuna and Yamori aren’t the only ones awake at night, after all, and as the show goes on, we meet a wide cast of characters with their own reasons to shrink from the light of day. Stress at work, alienation from classmates, the thrill of a new experience, wallowing in misery... the night in Call of the Night is at once a fully fleshed-out setting and the thematic crux behind its ruminations on society. Night is where people go to be free, to escape, to leave everything behind and start fresh. But it’s also where people go to sink, to succumb, to stagnate in an entirely new way. Sometimes, it’s all of those things at once. Who’s to say what drives people to leave the waking world behind?

And Call of the Night is at its best when it’s leaning into that ennui. As a grand metaphor for societal alienation, there is so much powerful and captivating about, well, the call of the night. It’s a beautiful portrayal of the myriad of reasons we seek to leave the familiar behind, and the unexpected discoveries we make when we step into the unknown, for good or ill. It’s wandering a place you’ve never been before and letting yourself just happen upon whatever comes your way. It’s discovering a new subculture and finding a community there among like-minded weirdos and outcasts. It’s the unexpected rush of danger when you realize that this new, exciting world has problems just as terrifying as the one you left behind. And it doesn’t hurt that the character banter is uniformly fantastic, the music is a lo-fi-beats-to-relax-to masterpiece, and the gorgeous color palette makes for the single most alluring nightscape I’ve ever seen. Seriously, the way Itamura brings life to the empty 2 AM streets and overexposed city lights is some absolutely mind-expanding shit. It makes me want to wander a city’s streets at night myself, experiencing the same entrancing pull as any of these wallpaper-worthy shots.

But like I said above, it wouldn’t be in the spirit of Monogatari if there wasn’t some cringe-ass problematic content amidst all this artistic genius. The most obvious issue is the giant, raging Oedipus complex this show has; it reeeeeeally likes to build sexual tension between the fourteen-year-old protagonist and the very adult vampire women in his orbit. It’s never specified exactly what age all the immortal bloodsuckers are, but they definitely all read mature in an often fetish-y way, Nazuna included. Which, you know, there’s always gonna be some unavoidable issues when you’re writing a story about a human in love with an ageless being who can live for hundreds of years, and vampire fiction isn’t exactly new to this territory. So on the one hand, I can’t really blame Call of the Night for wearing its onee-san kink so proudly on its sleeve. But by the time you reach the final arc and there’s an actual human woman putting the moves on Yamori, it starts to feel like author Kotoyama has some serious childhood issues he needs to work through.

That said, there’s another issue here that’s a lot more subtle, but also makes me a lot more uncomfortable. Let’s cut right to the chase: Call of the Night has a weird habit of bringing up something sexist and predatory that men do to women, but writing it in a scenario where it’s kind of the woman’s fault. The gyaru vampire has a stalker who literally tries to break down the door of the karaoke both she’s in, but he quickly realizes his mistake and it’s portrayed more as the gyaru’s fault for listlessly going through relationships and not giving them that much thought. There’s a subplot about someone taking sneak photos in a changing room, but it turns out it was just one of the girls taking photos of herself to try and boost her online popularity. The final arc kicks off with an attack from a savage vampire that has some very loaded imagery of him attacking and menacing Yamori’s female classmate Akira, but he’s dispatched with a peaceful goodbye and it’s implied he was led astray by a female vampire who turned him into a monster. Time and again, this show sets itself up to comment on misogynist attitudes and actions, but backs off from it and makes it all about some girl’s mistakes leading to this point. And I’m genuinely not sure if Kotoyama was doing this intentionally, didn’t realize the implications, or wanted to explore this theme but chickened out. Either way, it’s a weird noxious undercurrent that isn’t immediately obvious, but becomes impossible to ignore once you’re aware of it. I’m not asking the horny vampire show to be some grand feminist statement, but it would be nice if it didn’t feel so dumb about gender roles, especially since a big part of its finale explicitly calls attention to the limits of gender roles and the importance of moving beyond them, Kind of a mixed message, that’s all I’m saying.

But you know what? if I could stomach the worst of Monogatari’s missteps to enjoy that show on its own terms, I can stomach this. Call of the Night may have its missteps, but it’s one of the most engrossing shows I watched all season, as eclectic and singular as its older sibling before it. It’s a deliciously captivating look at what inspires people to throw off the shackles of conformity, and what new questions one finds to ponder after crossing to the other side. It’s an alluring show about the nature of allure itself, and it mesmerized me like few anime ever do. So why not answer its call yourself? You might just find something beautiful waiting beyond the boundaries of the ordinary. And I give it a score of:

7.5/10

Next time? The big masterpost of all the other anime I watched this season. See you then!

[dwarfysays]

2/25/23 Saturday

My mom has been in hospice care at home for almost 2 years. When the hospice care started, the doctor said she had weeks or months to live. She has stage 4 terminal lung cancer.

She had defied the predicted life expectancy. That may be a testament to the level of care she had received from my youngest sister “C”. C and her family had been living with our parents for several months after leaving a house they were renting. C had taken in the care of our elderly parents. My brother “P”, sister “N” and I have helped when we could. The bulk of the work landed on C’s shoulders though. C had too much stress from her job as well, she had to quit. It would have been impossible to work and care for both parents.

Mom had a sharp decline in her health during the COVID crisis, mere weeks after receiving the vaccine. The lung cancer was discovered during her last hospital stay. All treatments were not possible due to here failing kidneys and the type of lung cancer. So mom was switched to hospice care. Everything has been done to keep Mom alive and as comfortable as possible. For months she seemed stable with very slow rate of decline.

In December both parents were struck with RSV. My father recovered, but not entirely sure about my mom. She might have sustained some damage from that virus. Then 2 weeks ago, both parents contracted COVID. My mom and dad had started coughing. My sister got them both on antivirals as quickly as possible. My father has recovered to baseline, but Mom is failing.

Yesterday, we face-timed with the hospice nurse who said the end is near for my mom. We each including my kids A and G left work early to be by her side. Mom continues to hang on. we each left the house as she apparently may make it through the night.

I’m troubled by the fact that my sister will still take her son to his games “like normal” while the rest of us were “expected to drop everything” yesterday for our dying mother. Well, she’s still hanging on and may very well pass while in my and A’s care today. Why did C not cancel put on a bball game? Did she want to maintain normalcy for her kids as Gma lay dying in a rented hospital bed at home? If it were me, I would say “fuck the bball game” and stay with Mom. But that’s just me. Maybe C continues to need a break from the hospice parents no matter how dire things are for one of them. I understand C needing a break, some rest. I even took Tuesday off so C could get some desperately needed sleep. I wish I could give her more time to rest, but my job has important tasks.

I feel like it isn’t fair for our parents to put us through this. They told C that it is traditionally the youngest daughter’s responsibility to care for the elderly parents. I tried to research that claim and found nothing. I feel like that’s bullshit. But what if they were in a senior assisted living home? How long would they actually have lived? Would it have been shorter?

My mom could pass now, later on today, or maybe much later. Right now, I don’t know if she is still alive. How is my dad with her on the precipice of death? Would he be too scared, stressed, depressed? What about him? How is he going to be once she passes? I’m worried for him too.

A and I are going to be there at 9AM. A is scared about Gma dying in front of her. We are all scared of her dying, but it’s inevitable. We have to accept it. Mom has to accept it. But does she? She has death phobia. Don’t we all to some extent?

My mom passed away later on this day at 3PM. I was eating a late lunch in the living room starting at 2:45. Mom was in a hospital bed in her bedroom. Before I left her to have lunch, her eyes were open, still breathing but not responding to my voice. She had been ignoring my sister earlier that day. So I thought it was the same deal. At about 3:15 I went to check on her. She was very quiet, very still. I tried to nudge her, no response. No breath sounds, no movement. I could not find a pulse. Mom had passed away at about 3. My dad was distraught and crying out to mom.

I called my siblings. They all came and we all mourned and cried.

She’s gone. She’s really gone.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Mind Mirror (Part 11)

Emma isn’t surprised to find that Regina has been quiet lately. She wishes that she could say that she was. But three days go by and the former Queen mostly keeps to herself, sometimes making an exception to greet Henry in the morning. 

It is on day four when she finally begins making real conversation again. Conversation that she preludes with a very adamant, “I’m alright now, Emma, I promise.” But Emma knows that forced smile. 

Regina’s authentic smiles are so warm and inviting. The delight reaches her eyes, her entire face has this glow about it. This smile, it is as soft as any other but it isn’t as beaming. There is pain in her eyes–a lot of it. The sort that can’t be concealed. 

“I just…I needed to let it out.” She insists despite of Emma not challenging her at all. “It’s done now.” Her tone is pinched, constricted by thinly veiled stress. “We can go back to how things were.” Another forced smile and a small nod of her head drives home just how far off they are from normalcy–whatever that had meant for them. 

“Regina, you don’t have to pretend.” She swears. 

But just four days ago, she had made it clear that Regina should try harder than ever to conceal her suffering. And after having spent so much effort in getting the woman to open up and talk too. She had put so much effort into reassuring Regina that she doesn’t find her to be burdensome only to reiterate that her own words weren’t true. That they had been exactly the opposite of true.

And she can’t even begin to figure out how to do damage control here especially since Regina herself had already gotten it into her head that she is too much to handle. 

“I’m not pretending.” She insists desperately. “I’m fine now, Emma, really. I’ve already started making plans for Christmas dinner…”

Emma cringes to herself; she wonders just how much mental energy that had sapped from Regina. 

“We don’t have to host Christmas if you don’t want to.” Emma points out. “We don’t even have to have anyone over. We can stop by my parents’ place for a second, drop off presents, say hi, and then have an evening to ourselves and with Henry.”

 Henry doesn’t seem to want to address the elephant in the room either. He is leaving tomorrow to begin finals prep and he will be back five days before Christmas. Hopefully by then there will be no more elephants to address. 

“I don’t mind.” Regina insists. “It’s good for me to talk to people. That’s what Dr. Hopper says.”

And maybe that much is true, but they still haven’t even finished decorating the tree. “Baby steps, Regina. We still need to put up decorations. And…” and that isn’t the point. The point is that Regina isn’t even ready to do that, let alone dive head first into another uncomfortable dinner party. 

Regina nods vigorously. “We can finish that before Henry leaves.” She looks to Henry. “If you still want to, that is.”

Henry forces a smile to match his mother’s. “Yeah, I’d like that, mom.” He seems just as feverishly hellbent on clinging to a joyful, jolly illusion of what Christmas and decorating are supposed to be like. Some idyllic life painted with careful and beautiful brushstrokes a Thomas Kinkade holiday card version of their lives. 

For the first time, Emma begins to wonder if Henry is falling into the same slump as his mother. She knows that college can be taxing. God, for all she knows he has been lying through his teeth about how amazing and fun it has all been in just the same way that Regina glamorizes her life for the townspeople. 

They don’t know that she is crumbling inside of her opulent mansion. They don’t know that she feels compressed in those luxurious dresses. 

And perhaps nobody knows that Henry is suffocating beneath a pile of textbooks that he claims to find fascinating and fun to read. 

“Henry, are you okay?”

“Yeah, mom, I’m fine.” 

And Emma knows that he isn’t when Regina’s facade drops. When she seems to sink further into her distress. If anyone can spot the signs, it is her.

.oOo.

For a change, Emma seems to be more reluctant to let Henry go than she is. Perhaps it is because Henry is acting too much like her for comfort, saying too many of the same things that she does in the same tone of voice. Or maybe it is that Regina herself, as dreadful as it is to admit, is relieved to see Henry out. 

The more time he spends with her, the wider the door opens for him to soak in her dour mood. She will surely bring him down just like she had Emma, and it would happen much more quickly. 

Selfishly, she is glad that he won’t see her like this anymore. If he is at college then she won’t have to worry about him walking in on arguing and sobbing. He won’t have to worry about pretending to have not noticed. She won’t have to pretend like she doesn’t feel ashamed for letting him witness her fall apart so openly. 

She yearns and aches for the days when just seeing his face would take some of the pain away. She watches his car pull out of the driveway and then out into the street. The tail lights grow smaller and smaller until they are out of sight and she feels too many conflicting things. Sadness, relief, and regret. 

Mostly regret at having been fully present for a pleasant time but still somehow feeling as though she had missed it. Thanksgiving could have been spent talking with Henry about all that he has achieved but she had been too focused on portion sizes for any meaningful conversation. They could have spent their time decorating the mansion for Christmas or going black friday shopping just for the sake of saying that they partook. But she could barely get herself out of bed. 

The opportunities were all right there and she had let each slip by. 

And maybe that is why she is so viciously determined to host Christmas–not just to prove that she can handle it, that she can still function, but to make up for how thoroughly she had squandered this Thanksgiving.

She can make herself every promise in the world.

Every promise that she knows that she will break.

That is the worst of it; a deeper knowingness that she is going to let it happen again. That she will invite everyone over and feel entirely distant and left out no matter much conversation is had with her, no matter how much effort is put into making her feel included. 

Truth be told, she is dreading Christmas dinner and the new year’s parties more than Thanksgiving. At least with Thanksgiving there had been a normalcy around overindulgence and feeling much too full. She can’t say the same for Christmas and new year’s. 

She wholly dreads the temptation of holiday cookies and hot chocolate, dreads the new year’s resolutions that she never thought that she’d have to make. The ones that she hasn’t told Emma about yet.

She sulks back into the cushions of her loveseat and swallows back a round of tears that really aren’t necessary. Quietly, Emma takes a seat next to her. She doesn’t reach out, doesn’t pull her into a hug, doesn’t lean against her…

That isn’t like Emma.

“You miss him.” She says after some ten minutes. It isn’t a question.

“It’s better if he’s not here. This isn’t a good environment for him.” She flexes her fingers. “He has friends on that college campus, he should be in company like that.” 

Emma nods. “I think that he’s still going to be worried about you.” 

“I wish that he wouldn’t.” She confesses miserably. “He shouldn’t have to be. He should be worried about final exams and grades not whether or not…”

“Whether or not what?”

Regina presses her lips firmly together. “Whether or not I’ll be here when he gets back. I know that he gets anxious too, he overthinks things and…” And she isn’t doing a great job of easing those worries. “He knows.”

“He knows what?” Emma furrows his brows. 

“That I was going to put myself under the sleeping curse.” She pauses. “After the second curse, when I thought that I would never see him again.” She shakes her head and sighs. “Robin saw me with the needle, Robin told your mother, and your mother is where secrets go to die.”

Emma stifles a snorting laugh. “Yeah, if my mom knows, everyone knows.”

“That’s not a good thing. He thinks that I’m suicidal.”

“Are you?” 

Regina’s breath catches. 

“Are you?” Emma repeats.

She shakes her head. “I’m not, Emma, I promise. Not anymore.” But she is worried. Worried that if she slips any further that she might return to that place; one of two places that she vowed to never go again. “I have you and Henry now. I couldn’t…”

“Maybe you couldn’t go through with it, but you can still have thoughts.”

Regina swallows. “I don’t.” Not yet. But she is scared, so scared. 

And finally Emma holds out her hand, Regina takes it and squeezes hard. 

For once she is more than ready to speak with Dr. Hopper. She just has to wait one more day. Just one. She props herself up against Emma’s chest and Emma slings an arm around her. For all of the hassle she gives the woman, at least she doesn’t seem to be too angry about it. She has apparently forgiven her enough to stroke her hair and whisper reassuring words. 

Regina finds herself drifting off in the woman’s arms. 

She could really use the sleep. 

She could really use the kisses that Emma is offering her nose and forehead.

Those kisses that send her off into a sleep with dreams that she won’t recall the next morning.

[murdock-potter]

Sense of Love

Summary: a mission with your boyfriend where you have to pretend to be married

Paring: Pietro Maximoff x reader

Warning: mentions of alcohol and violence, slight cursing, suggestive themes (if you squint)

Word Count: 3k

A/N: ‘Princess’ is just a nickname, no use of y/n

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

For as long as you could remember, you felt as if the weight of the world were on your shoulders, constantly dragging you down in the most tiring way possible.

Everything was so much work, there was too much pressure to be better- to be the best. First, it came from your parents, then teachers, and then the people of the world.

Ever since your parents discovered when you were at a young age that you were different, you were pushed farther. Harder.

You were only five when they learned about your heightened senses. How you could hear a person clearly from across a street. How you could see the smallest details of the stitching on your bed sheet. How you could smell what your mom was making for dinner while you were still at school.

There was always this sense of tension hanging over your head like a dark cloud that would roll in during a normally perfect day.

And it was suffocating. It became hard to breathe. You were drowning.

It wasn’t far into your life when the Avengers had heard of your gift and reached out, deciding that you could be of great use to them. Less than a week later, you left your entire life behind to work with them. You took fighting and weapons classes, learned the ropes of everything it took to be a hero.

It wasn't long before your colleagues became more like your family than your real one ever had.

But all too soon, the citizens of the world began expecting too much of you, and all the pressure once again fell onto you in one giant heap.

But then you met him, and everything cleared again. You were able to breathe freely, stress was lifted off your chest. And for the first time in the longest time, you could see clearly again, past your too perfect eyesight. It was a sense of comforting normalcy.

Pietro Maximoff first sped into your life during one particular mission, and you were hooked ever since. He was a drug of security and you couldn’t stop thinking about him, wanting to be near him.

It turned out that he felt the same way, and it wasn’t long after he joined the team that the two of you started dating.

His charming smile and quick witted humor stole your heart all too quickly and you fell head over heels, face planting into the ground, only to have him gingerly pick you up with eyes so full of love that you would want to fall back down all over again.

“Relax.” A shudder ran through your body as his hot breath fanned the back of your neck.

The muscles in your shoulders immediately relaxed, but you scoffed anyway, “I’m always relaxed.”

“You’re never relaxed,” He teased, grabbing your wrist softly and spinning you to face him so that your chests were touching, and you could clearly see the smirk on his face, “But it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you.” A soft kiss was placed on your lips after that.

A reluctant sigh left you as you forced yourself to pull back, having to be the more responsible of the two of you before it could go any farther, “We need to focus.”

He chased after your lips with a childish whine, and it was your turn to smirk, placing a finger over his mouth to stop him, “We need to focus, Piet.”

A huff escaped him as he crossed his arms and jutted out his lip in an adorable pout.

“Besides,” it took everything in you to suppress a grin as you reached up and patted one of his muscular biceps in a playfully comforting way, “I’m pretty sure Tony would kill us if we messed this mission up.”

The negativity vanished from his face as he smirked at you confidently before speaking in his thick accent, “I would like to see him try to kill us before I pick you up and run us far, far away, princess.”

You giggled a little, turning away teasingly before opening the door and stepping out of the car, taking in the huge mansion that stood menacingly before you.

Pietro was able to speed over to you with ease, offering up an arm for the two of you to begin your long trek up the stairs.

About two days ago, both of you had been briefed on the mission by Tony. You were to go undercover as newlyweds to a gala, which was really just a cover for members who were selling illegal alien technology.

At first, you were hesitant to accept. True, you loved Pietro with all your heart and you had been dating for over six months. But what if your boyfriend was repulsed by the idea of marrying you- or at least pretending to marry. To your surprise though, he didn’t hesitate to accept the mission.

The plan was, while the gala was going on, the two of you would sneak off to the basement where the dealings would be going on, take the whole operation down, and slip out without being noticed. It was pretty foolproof, especially because you made Pietro go over it at least thirty times with you.

You didn’t know what she’d done, but Nat was somehow able to get the two of you on the guest list under fake names, so there was no problem once you got to the door.

As soon as you stepped in, enhanced chatter filled your ears and expensive smelling food filled your nose from all the way down from the kitchen, and you didn’t know if you were the only one smelling it. Fabrics of all kinds and colors swayed back forth, clinging to forms in delicate and beautiful manners.

A worker was quick to rush to your side, offering to take your coats and put them with all the others.

With the feeling of Pietro’s heavy gaze on you, you slipped your shawl from your shoulders and delicately handed it to the man, who nodded before scurrying away.

Slight amounts of heat rose to your cheeks as your heightened senses picked up on the way your boyfriend's breath hitched a little bit at the sight of you, and his heartbeats pace quickened.

You wore a long, iceberg blue dress that touched the floor with a neckline that dipped low, and an opening in the back that went even lower. Wanda had helped you pick it out, just like she helped you pick out the fake wedding ring you wore on your left hand. It wasn’t your ideal one, this one was a cushion that displayed a magnificent diamond, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Though, you couldn’t say you looked even half as good as Pietro did. He wore black dress pants and a tight grey shirt that not only looked good with your dress, but also displayed his generous arms and toned chest.

He placed a hand gently on your lower back and leaned in towards your ear and whispered, “You look beautiful, princess.”

Your head turned towards him and the color on your cheeks darkened at the look of full adoration and love on his features.

Instead of answering, you reached up and pushed a stray hair of his back into place. You had to practically wrestle him back at the hotel room to try and get him to tame his normally messy locks.

The sun was only just beginning to set behind you as the two of you weaved into the room, being swallowed whole by the crowd.

Occasional glances were thrown your way, but nothing that indicated that you had drawn too much attention to yourselves or that you didn’t belong. Because as far as these people knew, you did.

Somewhere along the way of making it over to a small, circular, table that you two could stand around, Pietro had slipped his hand into yours and squeezed it slightly, a gentle reminder that he was there and you didn’t have to be so stressed.

He had always been good like that. The laid back, chill guy who took care of his professional, serious girlfriend. The one who would remind her to not work herself so hard, to stop for a break every once and a while. And to take a deep breath when she would get worked up about something.

There was never a time where he wasn’t patient with you when it came to that fact, and you couldn’t be more grateful.

As soon as your forearms touched the tabletop, a waiter had come over to ask what you would like to drink. And while Pietro looked like he was about to answer, you subtly elbowed him under the table and politely told the server that you bothered were okay.

“We’re on a mission.” You hissed at him under your breath once you knew that the other man was well out of hearing distance.

He groaned, eyes falling back towards the ceiling, but didn’t say anything further.

Stark had informed you that all the dealings would be done in the basement, and so far you weren’t hearing anything coming from there. Meaning that while you waited, you would have to blend in. So that’s what you did. You leaned forward on the table and swept your eyes casually around the room, pretending like you weren’t listening in on the conversations nearby for any indication of what was to come.

It wasn’t long until you felt eyes burning into the back of you, and you couldn’t help but allow your heightened senses to see who it was. Your nose scrunched up a little bit when you realized that it was a man who smelled very heavily of alcohol, and that his eyes were floating to places that they should not be looking.

Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t have hesitated to turn around and march over to the man, teaching him a lesson about human decency. But you couldn’t risk your cover being blown, so you just had to stand there as your shoulders tensed and your hands gripped the table a little bit too hard.

Pietro’s eyes quickly flicked over to you, and his features immediately morphed into those of concern, “What is it? What’s wrong, princess?”

It truly was incredible that you barely even did anything and he knew something was off.

You just shook your head a little bit, because if Pietro knew what that man was doing, then he would throw a hissy fit, attracting unwanted attention in the process.

But your fake husband wouldn’t let it go. Instead, his eyes began sweeping across the room at a fast rate, and he even turned around, before stopping when they landed on the disgusting man.

His face immediately contorted into a snarl, and a low growl escaped from the back of his throat. His arm was quick to snake around your waist and pull you closer to him protectively, before he placed a meaningful kiss on the side of your head.

The eyes still didn’t leave your body.

“Come on, princess,” Though his face was full of rage, his voice was still gentle and tender towards you, “Let’s go dance.”

“Dance?” You asked, slightly startled, “But the mission-“

“Can wait a few more moments.” His patient as ever gaze was on you, “Do you hear anything coming from the basement?”

You paused for a moment, straining your ears, before shaking your head in defeat.

“Then let’s go.” That was all he said before pulling you into the sea of dancing people.

The music was slow and beautiful, the perfect song for couples to dance to if they wanted a magical moment. For you though, you had magical moments every time you were with Pietro, you didn’t need music to help you. But it was still beautiful nonetheless.

He pulled you flush against his chest, leading your hand bearing the fake wedding wing around his neck, and the other to the other side of it so that they were clasped together.

His eyes never left yours as his hands slid around your waist, brushing lightly against the bare skin on your back in a way that made you shiver.

From there, you decided that one single moment could be spared from your mission, and if Stark wanted to yell at you for it later, then so be it. Because right now, Pietro was the most amazing being to ever walk the earth. You decided that for a single moment, you could turn off your enhanced abilities. Allow the colors around you to fade, the lights to dim, the sounds soften, the smell to go away. It could be one normal moment for you and your beloved boyfriend.

You allowed yourself to get lost in his blue irises. The very ones that only you could look at in such a way. To be swallowed whole by the sea of ice that was only warm for you.

The entire world faded away, leaving only you two and the music that you gently swayed back and forth to. He reached for one of your hands and spun you in a slow and graceful circle, allowing the fabric of your dress to sway and tickle your ankles.

His eyes flickered to your lips, and he slowly began to lean in-

Through all the peacefulness, a small whisper pushed through the crowd, demanding your attention. It was the sound of the lock being put into place on the basement door.

A sigh left your lips as you halted your movements, all the sounds and smells you had put on hold rushing back to you like a speeding train, “It’s time.”

✰✰✰

A groan escaped from the back of your throat as you dragged your feet across the floor, kicking off your heels before flopping face first onto the bed.

Pietro chuckled slightly from behind you, closing and locking the door softly before going to lay on his back beside you, the bed dipping to his side slightly as he did so.

“I’m gonna kill Stark.” You grumbled, words becoming muffled from the sheets.

The man let out another laugh as he leaned down to kiss the top of your head through your hair, “It wasn’t that bad, princess.”

You turned your head to the side and glared at him, “He didn’t care to mention how many of them there would be.” You said through gritted teeth.

He placed a kiss on your now revealed lips, “But you, my beautiful princess, took care of it with ease.”

Incoherent grumbles escaped you while you crossed your arms and buried your face back into the fabric, ignoring the gust of wind that ruffled your hair in a way that told you that your boyfriend had just taken off in a shot of blue.

Not even a second later, you sensed his presence beside you once more, and you looked up at him now wearing his sleep attire and holding your own in his outstretched arms.

You let out another groan, reaching out and taking the outfit before shuffling into the bathroom and freshening up for bed.

Tony had booked the two of you a hotel room while you were on a mission, and since you were both so tired, you decided to just stay for the night and leave back for home in the morning.

When you finally exited Pietro had gotten comfortable under the covers, sitting up against the headboard as he waited for you.

A needy whine escaped you as you half ran then dove onto the bed and into the covers that the man was holding up for you.

Without wasting any time, you immediately burrowed your head into his chest and put an arm over his torso, letting your eyes flutter shut.

He laughed, reaching down and moving some fallen hair out of your face.

“I love you, princess.” He said fondly.

“Love you, Piet.” You mumbled in return.

There was a couple moments of silence, and just when you were about to drift off into the peaceful abyss of slumber, your boyfriend cleared his throat and you peeled an eye open to look at him.

“You know, my love, it was kind of nice pretending to be married for the mission,” You hummed in response, not really comprehending what he was saying, “I was thinking maybe we could have that happen in real life.”

Both of your eyes snapped fully open at that and you scrambled up into a sitting position, looking at Pietro with wide eyes.

“W-what?” You stampered out, nothing but a baffled look on your face.

He gave you a rare sheepish smile and reached up to rub the back of his neck, “I want to marry you.” Though he seemed nervous, there was such sincerity in his voice that your mouth went dry.

You parted your lips, but no words came out, every syllable you had ever learned flew from your mind the second he had suggested marriage.

He was quick to put a finger over your mouth, as if to silence your unasked questions, “Now, I know you like to plan things out in advance, but what if we did this one thing spontaneously?” He broke out into an excited ramble, “What if we eloped before we went back? Or if you wanted we could have the biggest wedding of the century? Or a small one with family and friends? I’ve planned out every situation of wedding to try and find the perfect one for you-“

Your mind was blank, but there was only one thing that you could think of. So you reached up and kissed Pietro, silencing him, “I would love to marry you.” You whispered as you pulled away.

The biggest smile broke out onto his features at your words and he reached over to the bedside table and opened a drawer, pulling out your dream wedding ring. The one that you couldn’t get when you had been faking the marriage.

He kissed you again, “Get ready, because pretty soon, you will be Mrs Princess Maximoff.”

[wellthebardsdead]

Overwatch nighttime routine Headcanons: Soldier 76

Another nighttime Headcanon with everyone’s favourite corn boy! ~Bambi

Overwatch Golden Days

Think of every beauty influencers needlessly convoluted moisturising routine and multiply it by 100.

This man has cameras on him nearly 24/7, he’s the face of Overwatch and the PR and marketing team never miss an opportunity to be up his ass about his appearance.

His night time routine starts at 7pm sharp.

No fancy bath stuff, instead he has a thorough shower and exfoliates the crap out of his skin. The government didn’t spend thousands on his SEP injections just for him to turn up to a press conference with acne.

He definitely uses Mane n Tail shampoo for his hair to avoid dandruff and keep its shine but he swaps out their conditioner for a purple alternative to keep his hair from getting ‘too brassy’.

Shaves a minimum of once a day, after shave is replaced with a simple vitamin E cream. Followed by an ungodly amount of serums and other moisturisers along with a roller massage to avoid wrinkles. Though let’s be honest no amount of massaging is getting rid of the stress he’s under.

Brushes, flosses and rinses at least 6 times a day in total, his smile is his most important asset for the marketing department after all.

His bed is definitely designed for support over comfort but he does enjoy the snuggle factor of his pillows and a few extra blankets.

Bed time is 10pm sharp, no excuses, no time to read a book or scroll through social media. He has to wake up on time, bright eyed and bushy tailed at the buttcrack of dawn every day. No exceptions.

The collapse of the Golden age

Good lord somebody help this man.

Would try to keep up with his regular routine for a while but the stress would inevitably leave him sitting on the floor of the shower every evening just letting the hot water pour over him.

Swapped out the purple conditioner for regular after he started noticing his hair turning white from his life crumbling around him.

Tries to shave at least once a day but usually too tired to care and simply washes his face.

Cut back his dental routine to just 3 times a day.

He had to start putting his phone in the bedside drawer after getting into the bad habit of reading articles about the latest Overwatch scandals.

After the 5th panic attack he ended up opting to just turn it off completely.

Generally gets about 3 hours of sleep on average from tossing and turning all night.

Someone please help him!

Post collapse/Pre-Overwatch

Believed to be dead by the entire world and on the run seeking justice while being hunted down himself he’s limited options when it comes to resting.

Usually he’d manage to find himself a place to stay in either a safe house or dingy motel that won’t ask for ID but so long as it has running water he’s not one to complain.

Cold, warm or hot he couldn’t care less, he’d take any opportunity to have a shower, either to clean himself or tend to any wounds or remove dried blood and grime, or just to have a moment to himself, after going days between stops he’d do anything just for a moment of normalcy and comfort.

Definitely uses 2 in 1 shampoo, he’s got to travel light.

Often forgets to shave but it does well as a disguise, the whole world was used to the ken doll baby faced pretty boy golden boy, not the rugged old soldier he is today. He does love the feeling of a clean face when he gets the chance to though.

Bit difficult to find time to floss daily but he does take the effort to brush and rinse at least once or twice a day.

By the time he finally gets to sleep it’s usually on a lumpy and oddly stained hotel bed or a busted up cot. But in all honesty, he’d be too tired to care.

He’d definitely set his gun down beside the bed within reach just in case.

Even though sleeping fully dressed would be more convenient to jump up and go he just can’t get a good rest like that. Instead his go to is a shirt (usually the one he wears under his jacket) and boxers.

Generally just greatful to see the sunrise of the next day.

New Overwatch

Comfort! Comfort! All around comfort!

Upon arriving back to Gibraltar and finding his old room un-touched despite occasional dusting and cleaning by Winston he went about removing the painful memories.

His bed was immediately replaced with something softer that valued comfort over posture. Lena & Emily had a field day helping him pick out new linens, towels and more.

Bath time now involves either a nice long shower, or a looooooong soak in the tub with some simple salts, maybe vanilla or caramel scented if he’s in the mood.

Absolutely uses dove soap.

Swapped out the 2 in 1 for some simple head and shoulders. It’s not the best but after so long on the run resting his head in questionable places it’s just nice to feel clean.

His favourite thing is a bathrobe Lena bought him titled “worlds best dad” he’d accepted his fate as the resident father figure. He tends to mull about in it for a while before eventually sleeping into his pjs then into bed… he wears one of Gabriel’s old shirts…

He’s definitely gone back to his floss, brush and rinse routine, he likes the structure, and after so long without a dentist appointment and eating whatever was available he’s definitely just happy to enjoy the thorough cleaning process.

Shaves when he feels like it. He’s tempted to give Reinhardt and Torbjorn a run for their money.

His moister routine is now just some vitamin e cream to protect against dryness.

The act alone of getting into his own bed, in his own room, is definitely leaning on ceremony for him. He pulls back the blankets. Puts his pillows exactly the way he likes them, makes sure the room is the perfect temperature, and finally slides in and simply melts into the softness.

Honestly he’s just thrilled he can read before bed now. He has a small stack of new books by his bed every few nights.

Still wakes up early but allows himself to sleep in and just enjoy the comfort. No stress, no expectations, no pressure, just rest.

[sleptwithinthesun]

could you maybe write eddie being allergic to steve’s collogne? and steve trying to help, but only making it worse?

holy shit you had me at allergic. let's fucking do this. 1.8K words.

This was not supposed to be an issue.

Steve wears cologne on a pretty regular basis, he'll admit that. He started wearing it almost daily in high school, right when he started to actually date girls, and he supposes it just became a habit at some point during those four years. Now, it's rare that he gets ready for the day, especially if he's working, without putting some on. Same brand, same place, every single time. The tried and true method.

Except, apparently, for today.

See, whenever he gets caught up in all of this Upside Down supernatural bullshit, his morning routine sort of goes out the window. Steve's a little busy saving the world, alright? Sue him if he wanted to at least attempt to return to normalcy, even if Vecna still is missing and Hawkins has genuine ravines through Main Street.

He's in the school gym with Nancy, Robin, Jonathan, and the kids, their whole group helping out as best they can. After all, it is kind of their fault that this happened in the first place. Not that they meant for it to, obviously, but the guilt is still there. Steve's pretty sure Robin's making sandwiches with Vickie again, while Jonathan and Nancy are sorting through clothes. He's sorting through medical supplies, making piles of bandages and gauze and organizing them into homemade first-aid kits when Eddie fucking Munson shows up, pale and with shaky hands but very much alive.

"Holy shit," Steve breathes, not even hesitating to move towards him and wrap the other man in a hug. The shakiness spreads throughout the rest of his body, and he can feel the way Eddie immediately sags into him like he's struggling to hold up his own weight. "You're okay."

A wet laugh makes its way out of Eddie's throat, breath cold against Steve's ear. "I don't know about okay, but still kicking?"

Steve holds him tighter, the two of them breathing in tandem for a couple seconds before Eddie pulls away, hand remaining on Steve's shoulder for support as he glances at the floor. "Is Max...?"

"She's still in the hospital," Steve replies, taking note of the flinch that elicits but not mentioning it just yet. He's sure that's something entirely else to unpack that Eddie doesn't need or want to go into right now. "She'll be okay, though. Max is tough."

"Yeah," Eddie agrees, nodding to himself before looking back at Steve. "I was, uh, pointed towards you by the woman at the front. She told me to help out."

"Alright, then." He guides the other man behind the table with him, indicating all the little piles of supplies. "It's pretty simple, I think. We're basically just sorting all the donations into piles and setting up first-aid kits so that we can hand them out to the volunteers digging through the wreckage."

"Sounds good," Eddie says, sniffling lightly. "Do you want to organize or arrange?"

He shifts to the right, moving around Eddie to where there's a handful of half-assembled first-aid kits. "I'll arrange. Are you okay with organizing?"

Eddie nods, his curly hair moving limply as he does. Besides the obviously stress-induced gauntness and drawn appearance to his features, he looks dull, as if the life's been sucked out of him. Steve remembers what each of them were like after their first time in the Upside Down, ranging from weirdly excited (most of the kids) to absolutely traumatized (Will) to understandably paranoid (Jonathan, Nancy, and the majority of them as then-teenagers). Not once did any of them look like Eddie does now, though, and he doesn't know if it's because none of them have been injured seriously enough to wind up in the hospital or because this is just how Eddie reacts to, frankly, world-shattering realizations. "Hey."

"Hey," he mumbles, handing over a small bundle of gauze and avoiding eye contact.

"Are you okay?" Steve waits as Eddie fiddles with a box of Band-Aids, opening and closing it a few times before dumping them out on the table and sorting through them by size. "Eddie."

He shrugs, separating two that are stuck together. "Get back to me in a couple of days, Harrington. Right now, I'm not sure."

And yeah, that's fair. Steve nods his understanding, packing the gauze into the designated plastic container with its little dividers. "Alright. Just..." He bites his lip, shuffling a little closer to Eddie. "We're here if you need anything, okay?"

The other man nods again, a muscle near his jaw twitching slightly like he has something else he wants to say. Instead, though, he twists to the side, face pressed into his shoulder, and sneezes. "ih'ktsHh! gkKt! hdt'SH'uh! Oh, fuck."

"Bless you," Steve says, frowning. Those had to hurt; the injuries on Eddie's stomach from the demobats aren't yet healed. "And again, bless you."

"Thanks," Eddie says, knuckling harshly at his nose. Six sneezes isn't exactly unusual from him, after all, but in succession like that? There's got to be a cause for them, and the most likely answer is that something is triggering his allergies. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize." He glances around for tissues, hoping that by any chance there's a box of them nearby. While he does, Eddie crumples with another triple, bending forward slightly with the stronger set. "Bless you, Jesus Christ. Hold on, I'm going to find some tissues."

Eddie nods acknowledgement, breath still hitching. "You're kidding, right?" Steve asks, brows knitting together in concern.

"I wi-hih-sh," he breathes, bringing his hand up to press the next few into the back of his wrist. "hhg'sHxt! t'sHhh! hh'kKt-xXT-sH'uh!" There's not even a breath between the last three, and Eddie's practically digging his knuckles into the side of his nose by the time they're through with to stave off what has to be the beginnings of another fit.

"You're going to pop a stitch," Steve frets, digging through the paper bags of donations. "The hell is this even from?"

He doesn't look back at the other man, but he assumes Eddie shrugs from the lack of a verbal reply. "I mean, seriously. It wasn't even this constant in the boathouse."

"Yeah, but that was fucking torturous," Eddie tells him, shaking his head at the memory. "This, at least, is quick."

"Your stitches, Munson. From the goddamn bat bites from another dimension. Why do I have to remind you of this?"

He huffs. "Believe me, you do not. This is like fihhre through my entire abdome— h'kKxt! Oh, shihd'TSHh'uh! h'isHh!" He gasps, his left hand finally curling around his side, and crouches on the ground when the rest of them hit, stifling fiercely to minimize the movement of his torso. "ih'gXt! gTt! hk'sH! Jesus H. Christ..."

"Bless you," Steve says, emphasizing the entire phrase this time and glancing at Eddie to make sure he's not dead or popped a stich, relieved when he finds that there's no blood staining the Hellfire shirt Eddie's wearing. "Seriously, what're you allergic to?"

"I have no fucking clue." He sniffles, looking around to try and find whatever's setting him off. "Itch is gone, though. At least, for now. Any luck on the tissues?"

He rustles through another bag, still coming up empty. "Not yet."

Eddie sighs, the congestion clear in his breathing. "You think they'll mind if I swipe a gauze pad?" he asks, his voice coming from a bit higher up, like he's already staring at them.

Steve hums in consideration, a bit occupied at the moment. "Probably not? I mean, you did just get out of the hospital. I think you can be a bit entitled right now."

"Good, because I'm already using it," Eddie says, voice slightly muffled as he speaks. Steve can hear him softly blowing his nose under the sound of him going through the paper bags. It seems like most people have just collected what's around their houses, consisting mostly of Band-Aids and clean towels that can also be used as bandages. Gauze pads, painkillers, where are the tissues?

Next bag, and finally, the goods. "Got them," Steve announces, holding the box up as proof.

"Thank fuck," Eddie says, moving to sit back down with Steve and eagerly accepting the box. "Four-by-four inches is not enough."

The next couple of minutes pass without incident, Eddie holding a bundle of tissues to his face and blowing his nose while Steve sits next to him. He'd already been working for about two hours before Eddie shows up and packed over thirty first-aid kits. It should be fine if he takes five minutes to sit with his friend. "You alright?"

"I better be. I cannot afford another hospital bill," Eddie says. Steve grins, chuckling a bit to himself.

"Sterilized environment sounds pretty nice right about now, doesn't it?" he asks, tone still conveying sympathy has he nudges Eddie lightly in the arm.

He laughs. "Oh, yeah. I miss it already." He leans in, putting his weight against Steve, and rests his head on his shoulder. "Missed you, too," he mumbles, tone slipping into something more vulnerable.

Steve wraps an arm around his shoulders, tugging him in a bit closer. "We thought you were dead, man," he whispers. "There was so much fucking blood when we showed up."

Eddie only nods, breathing shakily as he buries his face in Steve's neck, searching for comfort before suddenly jerking back and staring Steve dead in the eyes. "What?"

"Are you wearing cologne?"

"Yeah, why?" Steve asks, watching as Eddie pulls back even further, arm coming up to cover his face and—

"h'iTsh! kTSch! t'sHhiew!"

"Bless you," Steve says, wincing and shifting backwards, hoping to avoid being the cause of any other fits. "I'm really sorry, Eddie."

He waves it off. "What was it you said earlier? Don't apologize?"

"That's different—"

"Shh. Shut up. It's fine, Steve, you didn't know," Eddie tells him, plucking another few tissues out of the box. "Just take me home and you're forgiven."

"You're literally going to get worse just from being in the car with me," Steve points out, but he's already standing up. "Uh, where are you living now?"

Eddie shrugs. "Not sure, to be honest. Uncle Wayne kind of just took me here after I was discharged and told me to check in with you guys. He said I should stay over at one of your houses and that he'd track me down in the morning."

"O...kay, if he says so," Steve says, eyebrow raised. "You can probably stay with me for the night, if you want to, or the Wheelers. Let's just tell the woman at the front that we're leaving and track down the others. I'm sure they're all eager to see you, especially Dustin."

"Dustin motherfucking Henderson." Eddie grins. "That kid is simultaneously the life and death of me."

Steve laughs, pulling Eddie to a standing position. "Welcome back."

[plus-size-reader]

Curfew

Randy Meeks x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 3065 words

Warnings: none

Summary: The reader struggling when the curfew is put into place, but Randy has an idea that could make it a little better.

—————————————————————————————————

You were bored.

Woodsboro wasn’t a super happening place to begin with but now that the curfew was in place, it was even worse.

There was nothing to do, and with the additional stress that these recent murders had put on everyone, you were about to blow. The boys could see it, Tatum and Sidney could see it, and most important, Randy could see it.

It was only a matter of time before you absolutely lost it.

Your parents were taking this whole thing extra hard and basically had you on complete lockdown outside of attending school. They couldn’t imagine going through what Casey and Steve’s parents were going through right now, and they were scared.

Which was fair enough.

Everyone was scared right now, but you didn’t understand how putting you under house arrest was going to keep you any safer than you would be anywhere else. Casey was killed at home, after all?

If anything, you would be much safer in a group setting than you would be locked up in your house alone. Still, your parents had made themselves very clear where this topic was concerned. You were absolutely forbidden from attending Stu’s party, or any other party until the curfew was lifted.

It just made everything that much worse.

Parties, especially Stu’s parties, were one of the only things you were looking forward to as of late. Knowing that you couldn’t go to them was really starting to wear on you, and you were understandably let down by the whole thing.

...but it wasn’t just that.

Getting together with a big group of people, your age and ready to party, was an escape for you. With so much uncertainty going on and everything falling apart at the seams, you needed that normalcy to feel human again.

Not that you could really complain about that to anyone who could actually do something about it.

You knew that there was a very real danger out there and the only way to really be safe would be to stay inside your home where no one could get you but you just felt like your folks were taking it a little too seriously.

If everyone else was going to be out anyway, what different was it going to make, really? If anything, it made you a bigger target because you were one of the only people stuck in your house while everybody else was together.

To you, the logic was sound but to them, it was little more than a pathetic excuse to get out of the town’s mandated curfew.  

Which it kind of was, but you couldn’t help but feel like they were being unreasonable. You were a smart, responsible young woman and you weren’t going to take any stupid, unnecessary risks. You just wanted to maintain some level of normal life.

You were tired of being stuck at home like a rat in a cage, never allowed to go out and do anything. It was a stark contrast to how you normally were, with a thriving social life and active party presence.

It was almost as if you were dead too, not to be dramatic.

This was just hard on you, and they weren’t making it any easier. You had to rely on your friends, now more than ever, and they were basically cutting off any contact you had with them to lunch at school and quick phone conversations.

No one would have just taken that and been happy with it. Certainly not within your tight knit group of friends.

You sighed, fiddling with your pen as you tried to remember all the things you needed to get done when you got home. You knew well enough to know that if you didn’t write it down now, you would never remember it all.

With everything else on your mind, school seemed like the least of your worries.

You were so enthralled, in fact, tapping your pen away on the table that you didn’t even notice at first when Randy came up and sat down beside you, taking note of how unhappy you were about everything going on right now.

He couldn’t blame you.

The male at your side was perfectly aware of how excited you had been for the parties the recent nice weather was bound to bring, and equally as aware of how bummed you were that your parents had put a kibosh on the latest shindig before it even had a chance to begin.

“You okay?” he hummed, startling you just a bit when you looked up to see him already sitting at your side, but the racing in your chest calmed down just as quick. No one really knew who was responsible for all these terrible murders but you knew in your heart it wasn’t Randy.

You had known him all your life and even if he was a little strange, he was the sweetest guy in Woodsboro. He wasn’t some natural born killer or a sociopath on a killing spree.

“Honestly, if I have to think about this anymore, my brain might explode” you allowed, leaning slightly into his side to take some of the pressure off your aching, tight muscles as you kept focus on your schedule.

All this stress had to be bad for your body.

Tatum seemed to think so, at least, warning you that if you didn’t learn to decompress somehow you were going to go prematurely grey and get crows feet under your eyes. While you weren’t sure how much you trusted her endless cosmo knowledge, you certainly didn’t feel the greatest.

This was all just a lot for one person to juggle.

Randy could see that much.

He had been watching you all day, moping around that you wouldn’t be allowed to go to Stu’s party and worrying about a huge midterm you had to take for your english class that would physically make or break your grade.

You were spreading yourself way too thin. Luckily, he had an idea of just how he could help you feel a little bit better without breaking your parents' rules.

He just wasn’t so sure you’d go for it once you found out just what he had in mind.

“I was thinking, maybe you’d wanna come over to my place later? I have tonight off so we could watch a movie or something?” he offered, trying not to come across as painfully awkward as he felt. Randy was your friend, and usually could talk to you no problem but what he was proposing was different.

The two of you had never really hung out, just the two of you, before.

You nodded, not even looking up from your notebook as you scribbled something down in black ink, likely a reminder to do your calculus homework based on the way your brow knit together as you formed the letters.

You were preoccupied, too in your head to really consider what was going on but he certainly wasn’t.

Randy was aware of every little movement you made, from the way your nose scrunched up as you concentrated on making sure all the due dates and assignments were right on your calendar to the way your shoulder rested gently against his side.

“Who else did you invite? You know Tatum always complains about the movies you pick” you reminded, thinking over all the times the six of you had tried to watch movies together in the past. She got bored of psychological thrillers and grossed out at the gorey slashers.

She was much more of a Meg Ryan fan herself, constantly pulling for the cheesy romance flicks that made you want to ralph. You couldn’t put it past her to make Randy grab a couple of sappy videos too, just in case.

If she was going to be involved in movie night, you were sure you’d have to shoot down a few of those crappy comedies before you could watch anything worthwhile.

Randy sighed lightly, doing his best to keep you from noticing as he thought about what his next move was. Clearly, you’d missed the point of what he was asking entirely, not that he could blame you.

He had never really been good at asking out pretty girls, especially not ones he;d known since he was in elementary school, so this was new for him as well. He just sort of hoped that you would catch his drift early so he wouldn’t have to clarify out loud.

The last thing he wanted to do was put you on the spot and make you uncomfortable.

“Oh, I was actually hoping it could just be the two of us. I know it's no Stu Macher party but it could be fun” he shrugged, this time almost wishing a giant hole would open up from under him so that he didn’t have to have this conversation.

He wanted you to say yes, of course, more than anything but he just wasn’t sure if it was going to happen and if it wasn’t, he wanted to know early on.

At least then he could have some dignity in this whole thing.

You stopped writing for a second, letting the meaning of his words sink in as you sat there, your left leg bouncing up and down to try and keep up with the racing of your thoughts. It had been going nonstop since you sat down, but now, it was just resting against his.

Was Randy hitting on you?

Randy Meeks, your childhood best friend who had never once made a move on you aside from calling you pretty in your winter formal dress in middle school?

It didn't seem likely, but it was also hard to misinterpret his words. That was about as cut and dry as a date invite could be, and if it had been coming from anyone else, Tatum and Sid would have surely confirmed it for you if you asked.

Not that you could ask either of them right now.

“You wanna watch a movie tonight? Just you and me, at your house?” you clarified, setting your notebook down beside you without a second thought in favor of looking him in the eye.

He was uncertain for a second, trying to read any cues of how you were feeling about that from your own expression but found nothing there, so he nodded.

“Like a date?” you hummed, the words barely leaving your lips as you spoke them, feeling silly at having to clarify at all but you couldn’t help it. If he wasn’t meaning it in that way and you took it like that, you risked making an even bigger ass of yourself.

...but if he did, you needed to know that too.

There was a light blush on his freckled face as he considered his options before he nodded again, giving you all the information you needed. Randy was definitely hitting on you, now all you had to do was decide if you wanted to.

A movie could be fun.

You and Randy had watched a hundred movies together before, with you sometimes staying after hours at the video store while he closed to just see the ending of Frankenstein's bride that you loved so much.

Usually, there were more people there, Tatum and Stu at the very least, with Billy and Sid joining in when they saw fit, but it couldn’t be so different to just be the two of you.

You loved spending time with him, so doing so under the context of it being a date couldn’t possibly change that up so much. This was just Randy after all, it wasn’t like he was some guy you’d only just met or some creep Tatum thought it was okay to set you up with.

...and you were sure that your parents would agree to it.

Spending a few hours at Randy’s house was vastly different than going to some house party and out of all your friends, you knew that they trusted him the most. If he said you were there, they would believe him which would cut down on the third degree.

There really were no downsides.

Besides, if you were going to go out with any of your friends, it would be him, even if Billy or Stu did happen to be single. You and Randy just had a lot more in common and you knew that he would never put you in any danger.

You trusted him, and you liked him.

If he liked you too, it only made sense that you had a movie night together, just the two of you.

~

Getting your parents to agree to letting you spend a few hours at Randy’s house wasn’t as easy a sell as you thought it would be but by the time he came to pick you up, he managed to convince them that it would all be fine.

He wasn’t going to let anything happen to you, and in all honesty, they believed it.

Randy had never given them any reason not to trust him and at the end of the day, they came to the conclusion that you did have a little bit of a point. Knowing that you were somewhere with someone else made them feel a little bit better than if you were home alone.

It brought some amount of comfort to know that Randy would be there with you. Besides, your mother was just so thrilled that he’d finally asked you out on a date that you were sure she would have agreed to anything.

That was how you got here in the first place, walking down the familiar aisles of the video store with Randy as you searched for something to watch. Between the two of you, you had basically seen all the good horror films that they had available.

Not that knowing that was stopping either of you from picking up title after title, looking them over incredulously as you searched for the perfect thing.

Initially, Randy was just going to pick something up on the way to get you but decided that this would probably be more up your alley first. The video store was only open for a short time today due to the curfew but that was more than enough time for him to find exactly what he wanted.

After all, there wasn’t a title in the store that Randy didn’t know by heart. In fact, he had likely put them each right where they were, in each of their respective spots on the shelf. That was literally all he did all day when he did work.

“What about this one?” you suggested, holding up a pretty well loved copy of night of the living dead happily for his approval. It was a classic, one that you had each seen a dozen times, but because of that, it was quick to go into the basket.

Then, after scanning the few horror aisles one more time, Randy settled on what he always settled on and plucked a copy of Prom Night off the shelf.

At this point, you were sure he’d rented that specific video nineteen times by now but didn’t bother to point that out. You knew that it was one of his favorite movies of all time and if that was what he wanted to watch tonight, you weren’t going to argue.

All you really wanted to do was spend the night relaxing with your best friend, on what was technically also your first date. It was a little bit of pressure, more so than you were used to, but nothing that you couldn’t handle.

At the end of the day, you loved Randy and this was just something else you could do together.

“Alright, are you ready to go? I’ve got plenty of good snacks at the house for us to munch on too” he promised, fully aware of just how you liked your movie nights to go down. That was something else the two of you had in common.

You were very particular about your movies, especially horror movies.

It was something he could appreciate, along with your sense of humor and heart of gold. All in all, when Randy actually stopped to think about it, he wasn’t sure why he’d waited so long to ask you to do this in the first place.

This was going to be awesome.

~

Randy’s house was nice, of course, well put together every single time you had been there but you couldn't really focus too much on that.

Instead, you occupied yourself putting the tapes into the player while Randy made popcorn in the kitchen. It was kind of strange for a few moments, as you sat waiting for him to get back, looking around the living room under such new circumstances.

You have been here a hundred times before.

You had sat in this exact spot plenty of times but tonight, it was so different. You had only ever been here before as a friend, normally with all your other friends there to keep you company even when someone had to leave the room but not anymore.

Right now, you were waiting here as a girl on a date, a date with a guy you’d known your entire life.

It was just so strange how quickly everything had changed. Just this morning, you and Randy were little more than friends, and now, you couldn’t quite be sure what you were. Not that you had too much time to consider that before he was back.

“I bring gifts,” Randy grinned, plopping down beside you on the couch, swamping the coffee table with bags of chips and assorted boxes of candy before handing you the big bowl of popcorn. Clearly when he promised snacks, he wasn’t kidding.

You watched him do a onceover of the spread he’d provided before he ultimately decided that it was going to be fine.

“Perfect, just what we needed” you smiled, relaxing even further into the couch next to him, getting ready to start whatever it was that was going on between the two of you. It was new, uncharted territory for the both of you but it wasn’t looking too bad.

A copy of Prom Night and some popcorn with Randy was perhaps the only thing that could make this whole curfew thing worthwhile.